A/N: I own nothing. Love Hawaii Five-0, even thought the third season is a challenge. This is just a short one shot, full of fluff, with no real reason.

Happy holidays to everybody.

"Shit shit shit" he runs down the stairs when he hears the door opens, and familiar footsteps getting into the living room.

"There you are" Danny cries towards his partner who runs anxiously from upstairs "why didn't you answer when I called you?"

"I was busy. Didn't hear the phone" he mumbles, sending a worried look upstairs "why did you barge in here? Again. Without knocking. Again."

"What were you doing?" Danny asks with growing suspicion, looking between Steve and the stairs for a few times. "Is there someone..."

"I was fixing something." He says quickly, and pushes Danny towards the kitchen, "can I get you anything?"

"What were you fixing?" Danny interrogates him, looking him up and down "you look sweaty, and you were too busy to answer my phone call... is there something I need to know?"

"Nope" he shrugs, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge. "I was fixing the lamp. Was standing on a ladder, couldn't reach the phone... so..."

"The lamp?" Danny asks carefully "you sure?"

"Yes. The lamp. You don't believe me? want to go and take a look?"

There's a long lingering moment when Danny seems to be thinking very carefully about all this.

"No" he says eventually "it's fine, and we actually have to go. We have a new case."

"Fine." Steve exhales sharply "give me five minutes."

"Sure, Steven. Take all the time you need" Danny tells him graciously, sending him a penetrating look "after all, you were so god damn busy, fixing your lamp in the dark, in only your boxers shorts and, well... barefoot... it might take you a while."

()()()

They sit in the break room at HQ, watching one of the football games from Chin's collection, arguing about the line up and trashing the defense. When Danny comes in from his office, and tells them he's on his way home.

"Ooohhh Danny, you look great" Kono shrieks from her place on the couch, behind a fist full of chips.

"Thanks, babe" he smiles gratefully "I wasn't sure about the shoes... and ..."

"You look like a bank manager, you're out of your mind" Steve tells him from his spot on the other side of the couch. He doesn't necessarily mean it as an insult, they all know. He honestly thinks he's being helpful, here. It comes out wrong, of course. Danny looks at him hurt, and Kono has to kick his leg, to make him stop with all this helpfulness.

"It's awesome" she assures Danny, with a serious nod "you look good. You know I've always liked your ties." Steve sends her a questioning, and mildly insulted look "you got it coming" she mouths to him silently "shut up!"

"So, what's the big occasion?" Chin asks from his place at the table.

"I'm taking Gabby to dinner. We haven't done anything special for a while."

"Oh" Kono smiles encouragingly "you're taking her to a fancy restaurant, how sweet."

"Yeah. I'm taking her to that new place near the old stadium park."

"It's a terrific place" Kono nods enthusiastically "the Onaga Fillet is really good, there."

"Yeah, definitely. So is the Lobster..." Steve mumbles, eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Thanks for the tips, guys" Danny claps his hands, ready to go "I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." he says before he leaves.

It takes about one and a half minutes with the TV being the only sound in the place, as the three team mates watching the game, concentrating on yet another stupid mistake done by the defense. They are so absorbed in the game, and the flag that was thrown into the pitch, that it takes them a while to realize that Danny is back, standing in the doorway with a weird look in his eyes.

"How would you know?" he asks suddenly, making all three of them to jump in surprise.

"Know what?" Steve turns his head towards his partner, and by doing it, meeting in addition, Chin's even more curious eyes.

"About the menu in the restaurant, about the Lobster and that fancy Onaga fillet?"

"Yeah, brah" Chin says quietly "how would you know anything about stuff like that? you eat only what you cook, or worst case, things that are handed to you in a Styrofoam box." Fuck. He watches his two team mates thoughtfully, trying to backpaddle from this. Fast. They look at him steadily, as he tries to stay relaxed.

"Touchdown!" Kono shouts, raising her arms in the air "and it's god damn bloody time. Did you see the move he pulled off? that's for posterity my friends!"

"Rewind it" Steve cries grabbing the remote "I want to see it. It's my move after all."

"It was my move" Chin calls "you stole it from me, and claimed it was your own."

"Hey man..." Steve smiles "everything for the team, right? what can I say?"

"You were a good player, but the most unoriginal on the island" Chin grumbles, while Steve shows the move time after time after time, making both Chin and Kono to shout at him to stop with his fucking arrogant, narcissistic fascination with himself. The practically full scale fuss that ensues now, over the game, effectively shuts Danny up, with one look at his watch he shrugs and steps out.

()()()

"So... what you're up to?"

"What? mmm... nothing special. Why?"

"No reason" Danny shrugs, and sits in the chair in front of Steve's desk, putting his hands behind his head.

Steve looks up from the computer. He can tell something is up. Danny has a reason for everything. Usually it's a stupid unrealistic and quite complicated reason, that he is more than willing to share with everyone in his vicinity, but he's not falling for this one... He's on a schedule. He has to get out of here in a sane hour, or he'll be in trouble. Danny can tell him all about it tomorrow.

"Good" he mumbles, going back to his work on the computer. He whispers a silent prayer, that Danny will just see that he's busy, and let whatever it is go. Nobody listens, apparently, because it takes him four seconds before he starts again.

"So... what are you doing tonight?"

"Mmm... nothing special" he mumbles, silently cursing his partner with the most creative curses he gathered in the Navy. Some of them are so obscene, he actually feel a little bad about it.

"Want to come over? catch a movie or something? it's Friday night. We have tomorrow off."

"It's Friday night, Danny. Don't you have anything better to do?" he looks at him steadily, trying not to be too obvious with his refusal.

"Gabby is out of town, in a conference, and Rachel has Grace this weekend, so... I'm all alone."

"Right..." he looks at Danny dubiously. The guy sends him an innocent look, laced with the most miserable expression and adds quite an apparent silent plea. They both know, whatever were Steve plans for the night, they have just got cancelled. When Danny is out of his office, he shakes his head in resignation, and texts a few words on his phone. Then, he drops his head on the desk. He's totally fucked. He knows.

()()()

"So... Danny, how was your weekend?" Kono asks casually as they stand at the smart table, going through a list of license plates, trying to find a match.

"Pretty dull" he shrugs "was at home most of the time."

"Really?" she asks curiously, looking on the screen and not at him, "I thought you and Steve had a boys night out or something, did you go clubbing? picking up chicks? bar hopping?"

"Oh Yeah" he seems to remember now "on Friday night, right. We had a boys night, true."

"Had any fun, then?" she asks sweetly, pushing at the data files, a bit harder than she's supposed to be.

"We had a great time" Danny tells her, smiling "you know, under all this exterior of an inhibited and control freak Navy SEAL, when he lets his guards down, he can actually be quite fun."

"Fun? Steve?" she asks doubtfully "are you sure?"

"Oh yeah. He's just as loose and uninhibited as a hormone crazed horny adolescent, it's awesome. We had the craziest night I had since College. Well, with all the girls that gathered around us... it was even better than college. I'm so lucky Gabby was not in town... hey babe, what's wrong?" he calls after her, when she pushes off the smart table, hitting a random pile of files she was working on and scatters them all over the floor. "What's with the attitude? what did I say?" he shouts behind her. He decides to leave her alone, after she slams the door of her office, and he can see a new crack just starting to form in the glass.

()()()

When they have lunch at the break room, all four of them, it's apparent that something is up. Kono and Danny who usually lead the conversation, look at each other with obvious resentment and, in Kono's case, disgust.

"What's up with the two of you?" Steve asks carefully. Honestly, he really doesn't want to know.

"The fuck if I know" Danny shrugs, digging into his plate "but I have an idea. I think it's your fault."

"My fault?" he looks incredulously at the both of them "what did I do? and come to think of it, when did I do it?"

"I think it was sometime between Friday and this morning" Danny tells him "but I can only vouch for Friday, so I'm not sure I can help."

"Friday?" he looks at Kono ashamedly "I was with Danny the whole night. We... He was lonely, he begged me to keep him company, I was afraid he'd kill himself, I had no choice."

"You're a really good friend" Danny and Kono say it together. Somehow it doesn't sound as the compliment it should be. He has a feeling he's missing something.

"I am a good friend, Danny" he mumbles under his breath "who else would have sat with you for an eight hours of Star Trek marathon on a Friday night? I'm practically a saint."

()()()

They barge into the house, with SWAT team back up, in the usual manner, Steve in the lead, Danny at his right, and Kono at his left. Chin is the one covering the back, and they move quickly like a well oiled machine. They locate the three drug smugglers, and take a hold of the house. When they put their guns away, and move to cuff them, and read them their rights, a fourth guy shows up from the upper floor, and attacks.

She gets hurt. He pushes her into the wall, and kicks her in the head a few times, until Steve grabs him, and slams him on the floor, pulling his gun, and almost shooting him dead.

She doesn't wake up the entire time they're there. Doesn't wake when the EMT guys come and check her out, loading her to the back of the bus. She is pale and her pulse is weak, and when Danny looks at his two teammates, he can see they're in the same color as her.

"I'll take the bus" Chin says, climbing to the back, just before the doors close on him and on Kono's limp body. When Danny looks at Steve, he sees the guy, rubbing his face in pure shock, and he notices the way his hands start to shake. He looks like he's about to explode.

He makes a decision, apparently. Pulling his gun again and getting back into the house. When Danny runs after him he finds him standing above the fourth guy, with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Steve" he shouts "what are you doing, man? leave him alone."

"Stay out of it, Danny" Steve says in a quiet, but intimidating way.

"Leave him alone, Steven" Danny shouts pulling his gun too "I mean it. I'll shoot you in the leg, if you don't."

"He almost killed her, Danny" Steve whispers.

"Getting yourself jailed for murder, wouldn't help her to get better." Danny states the obvious. It's a tough spot. They stand there frozen for a while.

He locks his gun, eventually. Takes a deep breath and turns towards his partner. "Go to the hospital, Steve." Danny tells him "that's where you're needed. I'll take care of this mess."

()()()

When he gets to the hospital, he finds Chin in the waiting room sitting on the uncomfortable chair, looking solemnly at the floor. He sits beside him, his arms crossed. They say nothing to each other, for an unbearably long time. When the doctor comes out and asks to talk to Kono's family, Steve is the first to shoot out of his chair. He tries to ignore Chin's confused look when he does so. Now is really not the time to explain.

"She's fine" the doctor reassures them "the imaging was perfectly fine. No bleeding or fracture. Just a moderate concussion. No reason to think there will be any damage."

"Is she awake, then?" he asks with a wave of relief washing all over him. He can practically feel himself starting to breathe again.

"She's asleep" the doctor explains "which is good. Lets her brain recover. We still need to monitor her for a while."

"Can we see her?" Chin asks.

"You can. But as I said, try to let her sleep..."

The doctor hardly has time to finish her sentence, when Steve disappears behind the unit's doors.

When Chin steps in, after thanking the doctor and making a call to Kono's parents, the first thing he sees is Steve leaning over the bed, and kisses his sleeping cousin's lips.

()()()

"I'm sorry Chin" he tells him later when they stand in the corridor. "She wanted to tell you, but I asked her to wait."

"How long, Steve?" Chin asks, his expression unreadable. His voice is calm, but his eyes look straight into the younger man eyes with a threatening and penetrating look.

"It's been official, for about four or five months" he says frankly "but... actually we were sleeping together for almost a year, before that."

"You were sleeping together for a year? been a proper couple for a few months?" Chin repeats in astonishment.

"Yeah, man. Sorry about that..."

"Sorry, Steve?" Chin shakes his head in amazement "I would be worried, if I were you. We're supposed to be the leading detective force on the island and we couldn't spot what happened under our noses, with you two?"

"Yeah" he sighs "it's quite troubling. I know. Even though, I think Danny was starting to suspect it for a while now."

"Did he tell you what he thinks about you sleeping with your subordinate?"

"What? No!"

"Then, he has no idea. Do you really think he'll miss on an opportunity like that?"

()()()

"I knew it" Danny shouts immediately "I knew you were sleeping together. I knew it for months."

"You're lying" Steve reassures him "you had no fucking idea."

"Of course I did. Don't be ridiculous. I knew every time you came to work wearing the same clothes, every time you were both tired at the same time, every time you were leaving early only to try and get to her house later, without us noticing. I knew when you were upset and guilty after having a fight with her. Every time you were looking at her, feeling horny..."

"You're lying" Steve says again, but he is not so sure anymore "you would have never kept quiet about it. I'm sorry. I find it very very hard to believe."

"I was playing with you, babe" Danny laughs "I mean, seeing you trying to lie your way out of all those stupid situations, and avoiding questions and reacting to unexpected scenarios. I'm telling you, I had the best time of my life."

"You mean..." Steve looks at him stunned, as things starts to sink in "all the barging in unexpectedly, the changing of evening plans, accidently catching us surfing... knocking on the lockers room door forcefully when we had..."

"Catching you having sex, was actually not first on my list. I didn't actually want to see anything, only ruin your fun when you did it at work."

"Still" Steve shakes his head in denial. They stand at the beach watching Kono running back and forth to the waves with Grace, laughing and giggling and looking happy and healthy and beautiful "I know you. You would not have been able to hold yourself. You'd have said something..."

"Well, Steven. I could see you're in love."

"What?" Steve looks at him with an amused expression.

"I could tell, babe" Danny says again simply "from the beginning. With her, you were different. You were happy, and complete. I didn't want to risk jeopardizing that."

"I am, Danny" he says eventually, looking back at the smiling 'water woman' in front of him.

"She is too, Steve" Danny claps his back "trust me. I can see everything. I know."