Author's Note: We're going to take a moment and suspend reality to say that stalker!Steve (a stalker in the "good" way, let me clarify) is a real thing. Okay? Okay. Now with that in mind, I sincerely hope you guys like this piece! I tried keeping the angst to a basically non-existent level after my most recent story, "Ho'ohiki", so hopefully you'll find this post-ep enjoyable. Many thanks in advance for your time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of its characters.

A part of him knew that it was wrong, that coming onto her property in the middle of the night without her invitation or express knowledge was just so wrong and crossed so many lines – quite literally – but he did it anyway; and on her part, Kono didn't seem to notice. It was unsurprising to see that she was otherwise occupied, though, and Steve watched greedily as she raced across the surf, riding wave after wave and even letting herself fall off her board and into the embrace of the deep blue sea.

Steve knew that, in moments like this, Kono and the Pacific were like one singular entity; as if the relationship the two shared had grown past symbiotic into something much greater, something so significant that he couldn't begin to understand it. He knew he was intruding.

But he couldn't look away.

From his position behind the trunk of a large palm, cloaked by the shadows cast by the barely there moonlight, Steve watched as Kono reemerged from the water without a scratch, and he found himself letting out a sigh he hadn't realized he had been holding. It didn't make much sense to him, the fact that he was worrying so much. If there was anyone who could take care of himself or herself without the aid of another, it was Kono Kalakaua. She had proven it a thousand times over both on and off the field, and Steve liked it. He liked it a lot.

So how could the chill that had washed over his skin and seeped into his bones when he had seen her wipeout be explained?

So lost in thought was Steve that he didn't realize Kono had stuck her board in the sand and was staring with a wry, knowing smile in his direction until it was too late. "Are you just going to keep standing there, or are you going to come join me?" she asked into the darkness.

Damn.

Steve debated leaving, facing her at another time, but he ended up taking one single step forward, revealing himself with such nonchalance that Kono had to bite back a laugh. "You know night surfing isn't permitted," he said, deflecting predictably.

She simply titled her head to the side, and rested her hands on her practically bare waist. "So arrest me."

That made him smile, though it didn't quite meet his eyes. "You know I'm not going to do that," he said quietly, almost on a whisper.

Finally, it was Kono who eventually closed the distance between them. "Why are you here, Steve?"

His low, curious tone matched hers as he answered; and unbidden, it sent a shiver racing down her spine. "I wanted to see," Steve said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. But then he smiled, and this time it was genuine and sweet and Kono felt herself falling. "I'm just so glad you're back in the water," he said earnestly, his gaze serious but his expression soft. It's a miracle, Steve wanted to add, but it wasn't necessary because it was common knowledge to all – or maybe, just to him – that Kono was and had always been a little miraculous in a myriad of ways.

"I'm getting there," Kono said, absentmindedly running a hand over her board's smooth surface as she would have done a lover. Her eyes flashed then with passion and a brazen intensity that was so uniquely her it made Steve yearn for her all the more. "I wasn't about to let anything get in between me and my second home."

The words came out of Steve's mouth before he could help it. "That's my girl."

Even in the darkness, their similarly sharp gazes met. "I'm still shaky," Kono admitted, remembering the nightmares that had stemmed from just thinking about going near the water again; and why did her answer almost sound like a warning?

Steve was already shaking his head. "I'll bet you that you won't be by next week." He scanned the shoreline and let out an almost reverent sigh. "Not if you keep coming here every night."

There was something about the way he had said that...Kono inched closer. "How many times have you watched me?" she questioned – and if Steve's gaze hadn't been fixated on her beautiful lips, he would have missed her near silent query.

"Only tonight," he said, though with a tinge of what sounded an awful lot like regret. "But the other nights, when you would leave team dinners early, or you wouldn't answer your cell...somehow I just knew where you were going," he explained. "I was worried when I swung by your place today and you didn't answer." There it was again, that wry little smile of his as he thought of her tenacious spirit and the way the water had welcomed her back like an old friend. They had welcomed her home. "But then I realized where you'd gone, and it made perfect sense."

Of its own volition, Kono's throat tightened at his admission of concern. "Steve, I'm so –"

"What are you even apologizing for, babe?" he cut in knowingly, like he so often did. A playful glint brightened his gaze. "Don't you dare."

Suffering from a lack of the right words, Kono responded in the only other way she knew how: she extended her hand out to him and tugged him forward gently, her thumb ghosting along his wrist. He shivered. "Swim with me for a bit?" she managed.

"I'd love to." Though his voice sounded distant, as if he were transfixed by the sight of the moon reflecting on the crests of the calming waves, neither his voice nor his heart were that far away. Instead, Steve found himself completely enamored by the woman right in front of him.

The water around them was pleasantly warm, but nothing was sweeter than the warmth of Kono's embrace as she drew him into a hug. "Mahalo, Steve," she murmured, her head resting against the curve of his bare shoulders.

"No, thank you," he insisted, tangling his fingers in her damp locks and reveling in the feel of her body pressed against his. Somehow, it just felt so right. "Thank you for sharing this with me, even though..."

As his voice trailed away, Kono's gaze found Steve's again, and her stomach churned at the look of sheer regret and storminess reflected in his unusually dark eyes. "Even though what?" she asked, though she had the feeling she already knew.

She was right.

"I wasn't there to save you."

Kono drew back, her hands falling to his waist beneath the water. Again, he shivered at her touch. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

But Steve was suddenly inconsolable. "I wasn't there at all, Kono," he lamented. "I didn't even know." He remembered the utter fear he had felt coursing through his veins when Danny had revealed to him the details of Kono's condition: the bindings around her arms and legs, the duct tape over her mouth, the dirty water filling her lungs.

He had been terrified.

"You couldn't have known," Kono cut in, insistent. "You were understandably busy with your mother. And besides, Chin called Adam for a reason; Delano and his people couldn't possibly have listened in on his private line."

They were silent for a very long time, finally drifting apart and letting the water move them in whatever direction it chose to take them. The tension couldn't even have been cut with a knife, that's how thick it was. The nature of their relationship had changed when neither of them had been looking; in just the blink of an eye, things were different, more intimate, more real – and Kono found herself abundantly intrigued. She wanted this, had seemingly always wanted this.

But God, what a hell of a time for things to shift. As if enough change hadn't affected their lives already.

It was this very same thing that Steve was thinking when his voice resounded once more in the night. "You really like Adam, don't you?"

Her back to him, Kono stared into the water as she answered – and who was deflecting now? "I appreciate everything he has done for me," she clarified.

Steve swallowed thickly. "But...you and him..." He wasn't sure if he was asking a question, but he wanted an answer more than anything.

Kono turned to him then, her eyes sparkling just like the ocean around them. "I don't really think that's any of your business, now is it?" she countered, and for the second time that day, Steve feared he had done something very, very wrong...but then he saw her radiant smile.

"I suppose you're right," he said softly, wading the water to get closer to her, ever closer.

"You suppose," Kono echoed good-naturedly, shaking her head.

And then, before either of them could think twice, she drew him in for a kiss.

It was better than either of them had ever imagined it would be. They were like a perfect fit, their lips and bodies molding together just right. Steve wrapped her up in his arms tightly as he deepened the kiss, completely willing and eager to have her and hold her for as long as she would let him. On her part, Kono let out a little pleased sigh against the corner of his mouth as his tongue traced the shape of her lips and finally met hers for the sweetest of dances.

They pulled away from each other eventually, albeit reluctantly and only for much-needed air; and for a split second, Steve couldn't remember where he was. Wow. "I – I thought –" he stammered.

"Adam and I mutually broke things off a couple weeks ago, before Delano took me and Malia," she explained, her arms still looped around his neck, his hands still spanning her lower back. "He's a dear friend, and he will always be that to me, but...it wouldn't have been fair to either of us if I had continued to keep silent and be dishonest with myself about how I felt." Kono rested her forehead against his, and he seized the opportunity to nibble on her bottom lip. "How I felt about you," she gasped out.

Kono had barely gotten the words out before Steve was kissing her again, more passionately this time. "He saved your life when I couldn't," Steve managed, in between kisses to her jaw, her cheek, the sweet spot below her ear. "I'll be eternally grateful for that. But in the meantime..."

Kono's laugh was loud and carefree as Steve lifted her up and hauled her over his shoulder. "I wasn't aware you were planning on doing strength training in the middle of the night," she giggled. "Careful, you might break something."

"How?" He playfully pinched her side and was rewarded by an adorable squeal. "You're like ninety pounds soaking wet."

Kono rolled her eyes but simply held onto him tighter as he trekked back to her place. "You are so good for my ego," she murmured against his skin.

Steve smiled, his heart soaring. "And you are so good for me."

Kono's smile matched his as he finally set her back on her feet. "You'll come in for a cup of coffee?" she asked hopefully. She gave him a pointed look and motioned to his soaking wet boardshorts. "You can dry up inside, too."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Steve drew her as close to his side as possible. "I'd like that very much," he whispered into her ear before pulling her into yet another kiss.

Kono let her eyes fall shut, utterly content. "So would I."

THE END.

Author's Note: See? Basically no angst. As always, I greatly appreciate your support and feedback; it really is such a joy to hear from you all, and I truly believe it helps me become a better writer. I look forward to hearing what you guys thought! Please and thank you, of course.