Steve checked his watch for about the eleventh time in three minutes. He shifted uncomfortably on the wooden picnic bench, fishing for any train of thought to distract him from his hunger. It had been fifteen minutes, and Chin and Kono still hadn't arrived.

"Do you think we can just order now?" he asked Danny, tapping his fingers on the table.

"No, Steve, they said they'd be here soon, so we'll wait. That's what civilized, polite people do."

"I can be polite," Steve protested.

"What's polite about not letting me drive my own car?" Danny shot back, as though he'd been anticipating that argument.

"But I'm hungry, Danny," Steve complained.

"You sound just like Grace when she's hungry," Danny said unsympathetically. "Do you know how old she is? Eleven."

Then Steve saw Kamekona crossing the beach to their table, a stranger in tow. Perfect, Steve thought. Kamekona would definitely pressure them to order, and Danny would be forced to give in.

"Hey Kamekona," Steve called. Now that lunch was near in his future, he felt his high spirits return. "How's business?"

"Just made a new hire," Kamekona replied, pointing to the man standing beside him. "This is my cousin, Flippa."

Flippa gave them a friendly grin.

"I know they look like haoles," Kamekona mumbled to Flippa, attempting – and failing – to be discreet. "But they're regular customers, so treat 'em right."

Danny rolled his eyes.

"What will you gentlemen be having today?" Kamekona asked, modeling appropriate customer service.

"Actually, we're not ordering yet," Danny said. Why did he have such a big mouth?

"Danny!" Steve complained heatedly. "Chin and Kono can just order when they get here."

"That's not how this works, you animal," Danny contested.

"Are they always like this?" Flippa asked.

"Fighting like a married couple?" Kamekona clarified, and Flippa nodded. "Yeah."

"We do not," Danny said, forgetting Steve for a moment.

"Now who sounds like a child?" Steve gloated.

"You're calling me immature?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Exactly," Kamekona interjected with a smug smile. "You're even on a date."

"We're not on a date," Danny protested. "Chin and Kono just haven't gotten here yet."

"Okay," Kamekona placated him. When Danny turned in the other direction, he winked at Steve, who couldn't stifle a laugh.

"You know Danny, if you want him to stop, we should probably order," Steve suggested hopefully.

"Fine," Danny groaned, and ordered the special. Steve did the same with great enthusiasm.

"I'll leave you boys to it," Kamekona said, treading back across the sand, Flippa in tow.

"There's nothing to it," Danny shouted after them.

"Why so defensive, Danny?" Steve teased, though he couldn't deny he had an ulterior motive in asking.

"What do you mean, defensive?" Danny asked, conveniently spotting something interesting behind Steve's head.

"You know what I mean," Steve said, propping his elbows on the table and leaning forward. Steve had never flirted so openly with Danny before; he didn't know where this sudden courage had come from.

"This isn't a date, it's a team meeting," Danny resisted stubbornly, though reluctantly, Steve thought.

"And yet, only half of the team is here." Steve had no idea whether that was a coincidence, but he was using it to his advantage.

"Why are you so hung up on this topic?" Danny asked slyly, finally looking Steve in the eye. Steve didn't have an answer for that. Not one he felt brave enough to share.

Danny laughed at Steve's silence. "Don't worry, buddy. If I were to take you out on a date, it would not be at Kamekona's."

Steve knew very well that Danny was probably joking, but he couldn't stop the flutter in his stomach, or the heat rising to his cheeks.

"Sorry we're late!" A cheery voice rang out. Steve's head snapped up, and his eyes landed on Chin and Kono, arrived at last. As the cousins sat down, Danny launched into the story about Kamekona and Steve's lack of manners, though he thankfully left out the married couple remark. Steve smiled and griped in the right places, but he was preoccupied with wondering what would have happened had Chin and Kono not shown up at that moment. Would Danny have asked him out?

No. He shut that thought down as quickly as it had appeared. He was only going to get his hopes up for nothing and disappoint himself. But they'd been flirting. Would their relationship just go back to normal?

Just then, Danny caught Steve's eye, having finished his story. He smiled warmly, happily, and Steve's heart jumped into this throat. As Danny turned to talk to Flippa, who was arriving with their food, he winked, so quickly and subtly Steve almost missed it. He swallowed his heart down thickly, feeling heat burn up in his gut.

No, this wasn't over yet.