Danny parked the Silverado in front of his "secret" special spot and shut off the engine, almost giddy with excitement to share this event with his children. He turned towards Grace, who was busy texting away in the passenger seat.

"We're here," he announced. "Put the phone away, Grace." He ignored her exaggerated eye roll and glanced over his shoulder at his son, seated in the back. "You ready for this, buddy?"

Charlie nodded and attempted to detangle himself from the straps of his booster seat.

"Hold on; I'm coming. Grace, will you grab the blankets?"

She obeyed and climbed out of the vehicle. "It was nice of Uncle Steve to let us borrow his truck," she said.

Danny huffed as he freed Charlie from his confines and set him on the ground. "Well, he's got my Camero, so it was an even trade."

'God only knows what he's going to do with it without my supervision,' he thought. Still, it was a small price to pay to have the right equipment for his date with the kids.

Danny opened the truck's tailgate and assisted Grace and Charlie into the bed. Grace spread out the blankets so that the three of them could lie comfortably.

"When's it gonna start, Danno?" Charlie wondered, bouncing on his feet.

"Any minute now," he answered. "Come 'ere."

Danny positioned himself in the middle with his children on either side of him. Both of them cuddled close, pillowing their heads on his shoulders.

"The stars are so much brighter here than in Jersey," Grace observed.

Danny craned his neck to look down at her. "I'm surprised you remember it. We've lived here in Hawaii almost longer than Jersey."

Grace made a face. "Of course I do. Besides, you show us pictures all the time."

"Lookie!" Charlie interrupted, pointing to the night sky.

A shooting star streaked across the heavens, followed by another, then another.

Danny Williams was not often appreciative of the natural wonders of the world, but he did have his moments. He didn't hate the wild outdoors per se; he was just a born and bred city boy. For him, it was less about his surroundings and more about the people he was surrounded with. He only truly appreciated the beauty around him if his loved ones were near. He probably wouldn't have bothered with the meteor shower at all had his children not expressed an interest in making an event of it.

"Hey Charlie," Grace called. "Remember the book we read about shooting stars? They grant wishes, remember?"

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm." She found another falling meteor and pointed. "That one's mine," she declared. "I wished on that one. You and Danno have to pick one too."

"There!" Charlie shouted, claiming one for himself.

"Did you make a wish?"

The little boy scrunched up his face in thought. After a beat, he laughed, "Yep!"

"What about you, Danno?"

Danny squeezed both of his children. "Don't need to - I got everything I want right here."

"You are such a sap," Grace giggled.

Danny chuckled with her, then kissed each of them on the tops of their heads. He looked back up at the twinkling stars and sighed. 'Well… maybe not everything.'

An hour later, they began the drive home, having watched the phenomenon as long as Charlie's attention span allowed. The little guy had fallen asleep almost immediately upon being buckled in his seat.

Surprisingly, Grace deigned to converse with her father rather than go back to her phone. "What's wrong, Danno?" she asked.

Danny glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. "What makes you think anything's wrong?"

Grace rolled her eyes again. Danny thought it remarkable that they hadn't rolled out of their sockets by now. "I'm not a kid anymore, Dad. I can tell when something's bothering you."

Danny tightened his jaw, wishing for the millionth time that his little girl wasn't growing up so fast. He had been happy to see that she had maintained at least some of her sweetness when she was interacting with her little brother earlier, but she was far too perceptive for her own good.

"Danno?" she prompted again.

He settled on giving her a half truth and looked out of the driver's side window to avoid her gaze. "Uh… it's… I guess I'm just worried about Uncle Steve."

Grace sat up straight. "Is he okay?"

"Huh? Oh, he's fine. Or… well, he's not hurt or anything."

His daughter slumped in relief. "Oh. That's good. What's wrong with him then?"

"Ah… he's just moody lately. We've been really busy with cases - you know - working a lot. So he hasn't been able to see his girlfriend much. He probably misses her."

'And not getting laid,' he added in his head.

Grace nodded in understanding. "Oh. Can't he take time off?"

Danny held back a derisive snort. "Even if he wasn't overloaded with work right now, he wouldn't. He only takes off when it's mandated by a doctor, and even then, he doesn't follow orders."

"True," Grace agreed. "Could you convince him to take a break?"

Danny outright laughed at that. "When has Uncle Steve ever listened to me?"

She laughed with him and shrugged.

After they'd calmed, Danny's mind revisited her suggestion of intervening. Steve would not take off if Danny told him to, but maybe he wouldn't have to give him a verbal ultimatum; he could simply arrange things so that he wouldn't have a choice.

Grace and Charlie were going back to their mother's for the next two weeks, and since he was painfully single again, he didn't have any particular plans to fill his time. Perhaps he could steal some of his partner's paperwork to reduce his workload. He'd done it a few times before, usually after Steve had been injured and refused to remain at home to recuperate, and the SEAL had yet to notice that his inbox sometimes grew smaller when he wasn't looking. If Danny provided the means and the opportunity, Steve wouldn't need to feel guilty about taking a night off for a date.

Danny mentally stomped down the envy that came with knowing precisely how such a night with the pretty blond would end. He liked Lynn; she seemed to be a good fit for Steve. And he'd done his best to make peace with the unspoken longing that would never find fulfillment, but it wasn't always easy.

But regardless of his feelings on the matter, a cranky "benevolent dictator" equals cranky subjects. If a wild night with Lynn would help his friend blow off some steam, it would definitely ease the tension that was becoming so evident in the rest of the team.

Danny would just have to suck it up and smother his aching heart with busy work. Nothing good could come of his more-than-friendly feelings for his partner.

"Hey, Danno?"

He shook his head and set aside his thoughts for later. "Yeah, Grace?"

"What did you wish for?"

Danny couldn't stop a smile from breaking at the youthful exuberance that - thankfully - hadn't entirely disappeared from his teenage daughter's eyes. He winked at her. "It's a secret. Wish don't come true if you tell."

Grace gave him a playful shove. "Come on, Dad. We both know stars don't really grant wishes."

"They don't?" Danny made a show of looking disappointed.

"Dad!"

"I'm kidding!" He let one hand fall from the steering to poke her in the side. "Why do you ask?"

Grace caught his hand and held it, intertwining her fingers with his. "Because I want you to be happy. I just thought… maybe your wish is one that I can help grant."

Danny brought their joined hands up to kiss hers. "In that case, could you please go back to being Charlie's age? I miss my little monkey."

"Danno, I'm serious!"

"So was I." He smiled down at her. "The only thing I want is for the ones I love to be safe and happy. That's more than enough for me."

Grace sighed and wiggled to find a more comfortable position. "Okay, Danno. If you say so."

He squeezed her hand for reassurance. But as he drove on, he kept looking up at the diamond-studded sky, searching for one more falling star.

When he found one, he allowed his heart to make one more wish, despite knowing it would never come true.

"Good morning, Danno!"

Danny scowled at his partner for his sunny disposition at such an early hour, as well as his unapologetic use of the nickname. He didn't bother to correct him on it though, knowing well that it was an exercise in futility.

"Mornin'," he grumbled, stumbling past Steve towards his office. He heard his friend walk away in another direction, but he didn't think anything of it. Steve knew him enough not to push his buttons too hard until he was settled and caffeinated.

Danny tossed a stack of case files on his desk and slumped into his chair. He yawned and stretched, idly hoping that they'd catch a new case that would have them out in the field rather than confined to the office.

A moment later, Steve rematerialized before him with a cup of coffee in both hands. He set one down in front of Danny and took the seat opposite him.

Danny smiled and wrapped his hands around the mug. "Thanks."

Steve grinned back and raised his cup as if in a toast. "No problem, partner. So… how did the kids enjoy Saturday's meteor shower?"

"Oh, they loved it," Danny replied. "We all had a great time – lots of cuddling and bonding, good discussions. It was really nice to have family time without something insane like terrorists or auto theft ruining the night."

"I'll bet," Steve chuckled.

Danny mumbled under his breath, "The only way it could have been better is if you'd have come with us."

Steve's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "What - you don't get enough of me during work hours?"

Danny choked on his coffee. He hadn't realized that his previous comment had been audible enough for Steve to hear. But he recovered and said, "Oh, I get more than my fill of you, Steven, but the kids have this odd fixation with you. Can't imagine why. Charlie was so excited when he saw your truck; he was pretty disappointed when I told him 'Uncle Steve' wasn't coming along. Speaking of…"

Danny fished out the keys to the Silverado and tossed them across the desk. "Thanks again for letting me borrow the truck. I got it washed and vacuumed yesterday; Charlie spilled a bunch of goldfish crackers in the backseat."

Steve pocketed them and took a sip of his coffee.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Well? Aren't you going to return my keys?"

The SEAL smirked and shook his head. "What would be the point? I'll be driving when we head out later, so I might as well hang on to them."

"Of course you are. How thoughtless of me," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "God forbid I should get to drive my own car."

Steve parted his lips to return with another quip, but was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. He held up a finger as if to press pause on their morning banter and answered. "McGarrett…"

Whoever it was apparently required more attention than a minute could give, because Steve flashed him an apologetic glance and stood to exit the room.

Danny watched him cross the hall towards his own office, coffee cup cradled in his hands. He waited until he heard the door click shut in Steve's wake. With the coast clear, he set his mug down and rummaged through the case files he'd set aside until he located a thick, white envelope labeled with a restaurant logo and addressed to Steve with elaborate calligraphy.

Following his conversation with Grace, he had resolved to make good on his previous idea to arrange an opportunity for his partner to duck out early and take a break to be with Lynn. Accordingly, he'd purchased a gift certificate for a high end Thai place that he'd heard Steve mention a few times. His intention was to steal as much of Steve's paperwork as he could (ensuring that it wouldn't be noticed) and leave the gift certificate on his desk at the first chance.

It was not signed, but it was not unusual for Five-0 to receive little tokens of appreciation from time-to-time, small thanks from those they'd saved in the line of duty or from the governor for a job well done. Likewise, the team itself would surprise each other when the mood struck them, or if the circumstances of a case facilitated a necessity.

For his part, Danny had always enjoyed giving presents. It didn't matter if there was an occasion for it, such as a birthday or holiday or if it was a spontaneous decision on his part. He never tired of seeing his loved ones' eyes light up in anticipation or the squeals of excitement when the recipient discovered the object to their liking.

That was one aspect of their marriage that Rachel had not complained about, at least at first. He'd often surprise her with little trinkets without provocation. But to his dismay, she later used this against him when they fought, and throughout their subsequent divorce – accusing him of trying to buy her love.

Whenever Danny was feeling particularly morose or introspective, he might concede some validity to the argument. He had loved Rachel dearly, but the job had always come first. Maybe, subconsciously, he had tried to purchase her affection as a substitute for spending time with her.

And perhaps that had spilled over into his other relationships as well. He was so pessimistic about his own intrinsic value, so fearful of being abandoned – maybe he did use presents as a way to reassure himself of his friends' and family's loyalty.

Despite that, and regardless of what his therapist said, Danny still liked it. He thrilled with mischievous joy whenever an opportunity to give a gift presented itself.

This, however, was one of those rare occasions wherein he would take no pleasure from the act, not only because the gift would be anonymous (not that he needed thanks), but because it was in direct contrast to what he wanted for himself.

He shrugged, pushed aside his melancholy thoughts, and got to work.

Most of the morning was uneventful, much to Steve's chagrin. Danny had to spend the better part of his time talking him down from an admittedly warranted rampage against a sleazy defense attorney who'd stopped in to challenge Five-0's investigation of his client, a drug trafficker they'd arrested some time ago. Following the man's departure, the team engaged in a debate regarding proper police procedures and the ramifications of some of their questionable interrogation and arrest methods. It only ceased when Steve's phone rang yet again.

"Body dump off of Highway 61 near the Nu'uanu Reservoir," he announced, "and another surfaced on the Kawainui Marsh." He turned to face Grover. "Lou, take Chin and Kono to the marsh; Danny and I will take the other."

"You got it," the former SWAT captain acknowledged.

"I - uh - I'll meet you downstairs," Danny said. "I just need to make a call and grab something from my office."

"Make it quick," Steve ordered.

Danny rushed back to his office, opened his desk drawer, and picked up the phone receiver, half watching his colleagues through the window until they were gone. The moment they were out of sight, he dropped the pretense and grabbed the gift certificate from the drawer. He jogged to Steve's room and placed it on the ledger. Finally, he stole several folders and forms from his boss's inbox, shuffled them into the waiting stack back in his office and sprinted to catch up with the others.

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Danny had successfully depleted Steve's workload so that, as long as a new case didn't come in at the last minute, there was no reason for him to stay at headquarters past normal hours. That was well, as the murder investigation from the beginning of the week had been particularly draining, having required several high speed car chases, a thirty-six hour stakeout, and finally culminating in multiple arrests that – fingers crossed – wouldn't get thrown out in court because of Steve's overzealous and frazzled takedown techniques.

Danny scowled at the incident statement on his computer screen, contemplating how he could best spin his partner's actions in such a way as to be justifiable in the eyes of the governor, which – in all seriousness – they were. But that didn't mean a good defense attorney wouldn't pick them apart in an effort to reduce the criminals' sentences.

Honestly, between the creative narrative in the report, his file-stealing stealth and ability to lie about said files' whereabouts, and subtle hints as to at what Steve could do once the weekend rolled around, Danny wondered if he shouldn't have become a writer.

A soft knock and the whoosh of an opening door broke his focus. He spun his chair to find Steve loitering in the doorway.

"Hey, Danny. You headin' out soon?" he asked.

Danny glanced at the clock and grimaced at the time. "I guess it has gotten late. Yeah, I'm gonna pack it up in a few minutes."

"Good." Steve entered the rest of the way to stand in front of the desk, hands resting casually on his hips. "Got any plans for the night?"

Danny began to collect the various papers scattered before him and shuffled them back into their respective places. "Not really."

"In that case, would you want to grab dinner with me?" He smiled down at him. "I feel like it's been a while…"

In his current state of weariness, Danny almost replied with an automatic "yes." But when he actually took the time to process the question, he remembered that he was supposed to be nudging his partner towards Lynn. He avoided looking at Steve and said, "That – uh – that sounds great, but I'm barely awake as it is. I think I'm just gonna go home and crash on the couch."

It wasn't a total lie; he'd been putting in extra time off the clock all week to write reports and review old case files with the goal of trying to generate new leads, in addition to the case they had been working.

Steve appeared disappointed by his reluctance. "Oh… right. Rain check?"

The hope in his voice drew Danny's attention and gaze towards him. Danny smiled and nodded. "Sure babe."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Great! Do you want me to wait and walk you to your car?"

Danny chortled under his breath. "How very chivalrous of you, Steven. And while I'm touched by the offer – really, I am – I'm sure you've got better things to do than wait around for me." He waved a hand at the exit. "I've just got a few more things to finish up here. You go on and head home. And try to get some rest this weekend, huh?" He pointed an accusing finger at him. "I do NOT need you falling asleep at the wheel like you did the other day."

"It was only for a minute!" Steve gripped, though there was no heat to it. "And we were on a stakeout; I wasn't driving."

"Not the point," Danny shot back. "You're overworked. We all are."

Steve conceded that much, but his customary "kicked puppy" look dominated his features. "Alright fine. But that goes for you too, Danno."

"Hey, who do you think you're talking to?" Danny replied with a proud smirk. "I am the undisputed champion of competitive napping. I'll be fine."

"I don't think 'competitive napping' is a real thing," Steve said, chuckling.

Danny laughed with him. "It is when you're part of the Williams family."

Steve's good humor melted into something more thoughtful. "Is it? I'll have to keep that mind."

'Don't you dare read into that,' Danny scolded his heart. "You do that," he said, mustering as much nonchalance as he could manage. "But at home, not in my office. You're supposed to be leaving."

"So are you."

Danny closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to dispel the beginning of a headache. "I told you – I have a few more things to do." He took a deep breath in order to give himself the courage to say his final piece. "Why don't you give Lynn a call? You can use that mysterious certificate to take her out for dinner."

Per his devious plan, Steve had discovered the anonymous gift well after the fact, since the entire team had been out in the field for long stretches of time and at various intervals. Steve had shown it to all of them and asked if they knew who was responsible, but everyone denied any knowledge. And thus far, he had given no indication that he suspected Danny.

"Do… do you think I should?"

Danny noted with some confusion that all traces of emotion had retreated behind a mask of difference. Steve kept it reserved for those situations wherein he was unprepared to deal with his feelings, but Danny couldn't imagine why he should use it now. He didn't think he'd said or done anything questionable to warrant such a shield.

Realizing that he was waiting for an answer, Danny threw up his hands and shook his head. "I don't know… do whatever you want! Just as long as you don't do anything stupid and get yourself hurt."

"A bit late for that," Steve groused in a soft voice.

"What was that?"

Steve frowned and shook his head. "Never mind. See you later, Danny." Without further adieu, he marched out the office, leaving a very perplexed partner behind.

Two more hours passed by the time Danny actually packed up and went home for the night. He stayed to finish because hadn't been in the mood to take any more work home with him, as he had done the rest of the week. Aside from that, Steve's strange behavior before he took off had annoyed him.

He shouldn't let it get to him; it's not as if Steve knew of Danny's plan or was aware of what he was meant to accomplish as a result. Yet considering the man's history, it should have been a given that he'd use the extra time to rest and/or satisfy his sex drive, thereby releasing at least some of his tension. But because the universe had never been kind to Danny Williams, Steve would - of course - choose this of all weeks to be celibate in favor of attempting to spend time with his partner.

He shouldn't complain. It was nice to be reminded that Steve considered him more than a partner and a co-worker. They were friends - best friends - and it should come as no surprise that Steve might want to hang out somewhere other than the office or his car.

But, aside from the fact that Danny was sure he'd fuck things up beyond repair someday, it was getting much more difficult to conceal the fact that, somewhere along the line, his love for Steve had crossed the line and ventured into a territory he hadn't dared consider.

Danny paced around his house, having long since lost his appetite and knowing that, tired as he was, he wouldn't be able to sleep. Eventually, he groaned and grabbed his wallet and car keys, deciding that a late night drive with the radio blasting might take his mind off things.

Predictably, he ended up at his special spot on Diamond Head Lookout, the only place he was ever able to think things through and, with enough time, put his tumultuous emotions into perspective. Then again, he was often able to do so because Steve had always come along to talk things out or just listen, which was quite ironic since the SEAL never seemed listened to him otherwise.

He parked and turned off the engine. He got out, but instead of sitting on the wall as he typically did, he climbed onto the hood of the Camaro and reclined against the windshield, forgoing his usual stringent rules regarding his car.

It was a bright, cloudless night. The moon was full, and the stars gave off the same cheery glow they had the night of the meteor shower. Danny remembered with great fondness the tender moments shared with his children. He also recalled caving to his daughter's innocent suggestion to make a wish upon one of the stars, and that his plan to help Steve had sprung from their conversation. Grace didn't bear any fault, but Danny resolved to be a little more careful in letting optimism cloud practicality. He could count on one hand the number of times hope came to fruition.

Danny engaged in intentional breathing (as he was taught to do in therapy) and cleared his mind, centering his senses on the world around him in order to get out of his head. He listened for the chirping of insects and the waves on the shore down below.

He tuned out the rumble of vehicles passing along the highway and ignored the blinding flash of headlights, until one particular set slowed and pulled up alongside his vehicle instead of driving by. A familiar silhouette stepped out of the driver's side.

"Hey!" called a welcome voice. Its owner strode over and leaned a hip against the side of the Camaro.

Danny sat up. "Steve? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, obviously. You didn't answer when I called, and since you said you didn't have plans and you weren't at your house, I thought you might be here."

Danny ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Did we catch a case?" he guessed.

Steve shook his head.

"Alright. Then why were you looking for me?"

In the moonlight, Danny caught a glimpse of a wry grin. "I'm sorry. Do I need a reason to see my best friend? Should I make an appointment next time?"

Danny had plenty of sarcastic retorts at the ready, but they were overruled by a glimmer of pleasure at the notion of Steve deciding to spend time with him, regardless of their earlier conversation. "I guess not," he said, lifting one shoulder. "But considering how you stormed out of my office this afternoon…"

"I didn't 'storm' out…"

"Yes you did," Danny argued, but he wasn't in the mood to pursue it further than that. He left it and reclined back against the window.

After a moment passed with no further comment or movement from the SEAL, Danny gestured to the space beside him. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna join me?"

"I wasn't sure I'd fit," Steve chuckled, but there was something about the way he'd said it that made Danny wonder if he was merely referencing his height, or if there was more behind the words. Nonetheless, Steve climbed onto the hood of the car and scooted back to rest against the windshield as well.

Danny folded his arms behind his head and fixed his eyes back on the stars. Silence prevailed for long moments, but there was nothing awkward about, in spite of the odd way they'd parted earlier and his own stormy thoughts.

"You do this often?" Steve asked.

"Hmm?"

"Stargazing," he clarified. "It's not something I'd place high on the list of things you'd do in your downtime."

Danny pretended to be affronted at that. "Are you implying I can't enjoy the simple pleasures of life? Or that I'm oblivious to the captivating and the beautiful?" He didn't mean for it to happen, but his eyes strayed to Steve's and remained there.

Steve barked a laugh. "Oh, I could put together a full presentation on all the things you're oblivious to, Danno." Instead of clarifying, he changed the subject. "I guess… what I really meant to ask – I was wondering if there was something going on, something I should know about."

Danny turned his head to the sky. "Hmm… No, nothing comes to mind."

"Okay," Steve groaned. "Let me rephrase that. Is there maybe something you're not telling me?"

"Noooo," Danny drawled. "But now I think I should ask you that. It's Friday – which is universally recognized as the optimum evening for date night. I thought you'd be out with Lynn."

"Lynn and I broke up."

Danny almost fell off the car when he shot up again. "What? When?"

Steve had the audacity to roll his eyes. "Couple weeks ago."

"And you didn't tell me?" Danny said, voice and temper rising.

"I was going to, but it didn't really come up. Besides, it wasn't really a big deal. It wasn't like…" He fidgeted and scratched at the stubble around his mouth. "It that wasn't serious, like with Catherine."

Danny stomped down the homicidal rage he kept secreted away for the woman who'd broken Steve's heart so many times. "Maybe… I guess. But I still would have liked to have known about it," he scolded.

"Well, now you do."

Danny pressed his lips together to stop the torrent of choice phrases and frustrated complaints at this unexpected turn of events, willing himself to think it through before he spoke again. Certainly he was upset that he had put so much effort into commandeering Steve's paperwork.

But the most tantalizing idea that began to sprout in his subconscious was whether or not this could be an opportunity for them – meaning himself and Steve – to be more than there were. It wasn't often they were both single at the same time, and, after all, Steve was much better at "getting back in the saddle", as it were, than he was. If ever there was a chance…

Danny's jaw clenched as he squashed those foolish hopes. Just because Steve wasn't with Lynn anymore, that didn't mean he would want to be with Danny.

"What? You're not going to say anything? No commentary or quips about my inability to maintain relationships?"

"As if I'm in any position to comment about relationships…" Danny mumbled.

"That's never stopped you before," Steve pointed out.

Danny's brows furrowed. "Is this your way of saying you need to talk about it?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant!"

"Hey, babe, it's okay," Danny said. He reached over to pat Steve on the forearm. "You know I'm here for you if you need to talk it out. No judgements."

Steve let loose a derisive snort. "Yeah right. That'll be the day."

"Okay fine… no judgments out loud," Danny amended with a grin, but quickly became serious. "I mean it though. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Steve stared at up him with a look that Danny couldn't quite place. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, maybe I should." He got up and relocated to lean against the lookout wall, his eyes on the dark horizon and arms crossed.

Danny followed and hopped up on the wall. He gripped the edges and swung his legs around to face the ocean. He waited.

When it seemed that no information was forthcoming, Danny prompted, "So… was there a fight? Or…"

"Nah, no nothing like that," Steve broke in. "Things just… the relationship kind of fizzled out. No big deal; no hard feelings."

"Okay?" Danny wondered if there was more to the story.

"But, uh… when we called it quits, she said something to me, something that I had been trying not to think about."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

Steve let his arms fall. He shifted to move a little closer to Danny. "She said… she said I was an idiot for trying to date other people when I'm already in love with someone."

Danny's breath caught, but he mentally took a bat to the delusion stirring at the possible ramifications of the man's words. He could feel Steve looking at him, but he didn't dare turn to face him yet. "Really? That seems like an odd thing to say."

"I thought so too - at first. But… after giving it some thought, I realized that she was right."

Danny flinched a little when Steve's large hand covered his own, but it was effective in forcing him to meet his gaze. "Steve?"

"Listen, I know this might seem like it's coming out of left field, but the truth is, I… I'm in love with you, Danno. I think I have been for a long time, but I was never really prepared to deal with it." He squeezed Danny's hand. "I'm still not sure I am. You're the closest friend I have, and I don't want to jeopardize that, but I also can't keep ignoring this without knowing if there might be a chance for us to be… more."

Steve fell silent to let the implication sink in, and allowed Danny time to process.

Danny didn't withdraw his hand, but he twisted his body and bowed his head, trying his best to subdue his simultaneous panic and elation at Steve's confession. Instinct and pessimism told him to run for the hills, but every chic flick he'd ever endured for Grace said that this was the moment he was supposed to throw his arms around his love interest and kiss him senseless. Both scenarios had their appeal and were equally frightening for a man accustomed to losing in the end.

He must have been quiet a moment too long for Steve's comfort, as the SEAL's strong hand withdrew, and he breathed a loud sigh. "Alright… message received." He made a move to leave.

Danny grabbed his arm. "God, you are such a schmuck, McGarrett."

Steve glared at the tight grip on his bicep, then at Danny. "What?"

"Let me explain something to you: telling someone you're in love with them before an official first date falls into the category of idealized fantasies, usually of the animated variety, that are doomed to fail in real life. Either that, or you come off as a creepy stalker."

"I… I don't…"

"What, you need to spell it out for you? Fine." Danny let go of his arm so that he could use his hands and his mouth to talk. "In response to your previous statement, I will admit that - in the rare moments that I don't want to run you down with the Camaro - I find myself also having certain… feelings for you. And maybe - just maybe, mind you - I will concede that I might be in love with you as well. But, uh, since neither of us seem to be very good at maintaining relationships of the romantic variety, I think that if we really do feel the same way, then we need to take our time with it and do things right."

Steve gaped at him. "Danny, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you really meant what you said, then you need to take me out on a proper date, Steven."

There was one more minute of contemplative hesitation, and then Steve was grinning like the total goofball he was. "Daniel Williams, will you go out with me?"

"Hmm…" Danny made a show of considering. He shrugged. "Sure, I guess. When and where?"

" How about right now?" Steve adjusted his stance so that he could pull something out of the back pocket of his cargo pants. "I still have that gift certificate that someone left on my desk. This place is open late; if we leave now, we can make it in time to use it for dinner."

Danny's mouth went slack. "What? But…"

"I'm sure whoever gave it to me won't mind."

"I gave it to you, you idiot!" Danny blurted out.

"HA! I knew it!"

Danny groaned and buried his head in his hands. "I thought you would use it take Lynn…"

Steve twirled his wrist in a dismissive gesture. "Well, now I can put it to better use. Not that Lynn wasn't great, but…"

"So let me get this straight," Danny interrupted. "You're supposed to be taking me out, but I'll still have paid for it?"

"That a problem, Danno?"

"You are unbelievable!"

"And yet you love me anyway." Steve hooked an arm around one of Danny's and pulled, nearly causing him to fall from his seated position on the wall. "Come on!"

"Will you slow down? The date hasn't even started and you're already manhandling me!"

Steve moved his arm to drape around his partner's shoulders instead. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he murmured in a rather suggestive tone.

Danny ignored the shiver that ran through him. He elbowed Steve in the side. "I'll be adding inappropriate innuendos to the list of things you're not supposed to do before the first date. Now let me go; we can't leave a vehicle here, so I can either meet you at the restaurant or we can drop off your truck at my place on the way."

"We'll drop off my truck," Steve decided. "But I'm driving the car when we leave from your place."

"Fine," Danny granted with a long-suffering sigh.

Steve tightened his hold on him in a hug, then jogged to the driver's side of the Silverado. His excitement reminded Danny of a kid on Christmas. "See you in a bit!"

Danny held up a hand as he walked towards the Camero. "Yeah, see you." He opened the car door, but he paused to reflect on everything that had just happened. He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering how he had gone from unrequited, pensive pining to suddenly having a real chance of something he'd been dreaming of for years. Good things… wonderful things… they just didn't happen to Daniel Williams. He'd never done anything to deserve it.

Next to him, Steve started the truck and backed out of the parking. He waved as he gunned the engine, ignoring both traffic laws and Danny's raised fist at his reckless enthusiasm. The truck's headlights faded away, once more leaving only moonlight and starlight.

Danny glanced up at the sky just in time to witnessed a falling star. He frowned at it. "I blame you entirely," he groused.

He smiled. "Thank you."