Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.
A/N: EarendilElwing wrote a story called Wish Upon a Star over on AO3 where Danny, self-sacrificing guy that he is, does something nice for Lynn and Steve.
Steve McGarrett was stressed. They all were. The scumbag of the day had decided children made good Christmas presents and had ramped up an illegal adoption ring. It would have been bad enough if he'd been selling to were desperate middle-class couples who couldn't have kids of their own, but nooooo. This guy was selling to pimps and pedophiles. It made Danny Williams sick to think about it.
Five-0 had been running themselves ragged trying to shut the ring down, no one more so than Steve. He stayed at the office all night chasing down leads while making sure Danny and their teammates Lou Grover and Chin Ho Kelly got off in time to see their families. Danny was pretty sure Steve was also responsible for his ex-wife Rachel letting him have the kids every night for the past week.
Danny would be eternally grateful to Steve, but he didn't want his family time to come at the expense of Steve's health. If the man didn't slow down soon, he was going to collapse, and Danny didn't want to be there when it happened. It was time for Danny to show some of the consideration for Steve the SEAL always showed for him.
What Steve really needed was a long vacation, preferably with someone he loved. The weekend Danny had planned with Melissa back when she was still Amber came to mind, without the disastarous consequences, of course. But Danny had saved for months for that vacation, and he had neither the means nor the desire to do that for Steve. Especially not when he knew Steve's romantic partner would be someone other than him.
Don't get him wrong—Danny liked Lynn. She was gorgeous, smart, funny, and good for Steve. She'd helped him pick up the pieces when Catherine left last year, then again after her sudden return and equally sudden departure. He was just insanely, irrationally jealous.
Danny knew it was hopeless. Even though he and Melissa had broken up, Steve and Lynn most certainly had not, and even if they had, Steve was undeniably straight. Lynn and Catherine were testament to that. Even if Steve weren't, Danny wasn't in his league. A short, mouthy, blond haole couldn't compete with the likes of Steve's current and past girlfriends.
Still, Steve deserved to be happy, so Danny sucked it up and got him a gift certificate for the best steakhouse on the island as well as Fandango vouchers. Steve and Lynn could have a nice, romantic evening with food and wine and. . .Danny refused to let himself think about the and.
They finally shut the bastard down on Christmas Eve. There were still lots of loose ends to be tied up—they'd confiscated the latest shipment of children and worked with CPS to find places for them at least through the holidays, but they still had to track down and arrest the guy's previous customers, as well as work with the authorities in other countries to shut down his sources. That would be the hardest part. Some countries cared, some didn't, and the guy worked mostly with the latter, countries where the government turned a blind eye if they didn't actively participate, and countries that didn't care for the US meddling in their affairs. Still, it was a good day's work, and they'd saved Christmas for a lot of kids in time to spend it with their own.
Steve shooed them out about 5 pm on the 24th, insisting that he didn't want to see them until after the New Year. "Except for the BBQ at my place New Year's Eve! Don't forget that, and don't forget to bring your dates!" Danny cringed at that. He was pretty sure Steve knew he and Melissa had broken up, even though Danny hadn't mentioned it, and he was not looking forward to being the only one without someone to welcome in the new year. Steve had Lynn, Kono had Adam, Chin had Abby and he—well, he had his kids, and he was grateful for that.
Danny pulled Steve aside and nervously handed him the envelope with the gift certificates. "What's this?" Steve asked, curiously.
"It's your Christmas present. I know it's not much, but, I figured you could use a nice evening out."
Steve carefully opened the envelope. Danny was impressed—he would have just ripped it open. Steve's eyes lit up when he saw the contents. "Hey, Hy's Steak House! I love that place!"
"I know," Danny said. "I figured a nice dinner for two at a great restaurant would help you wind down from the past few weeks."
"Yeah, it would," Steve replied. "So, you want to go next week, or wait for the new year?" He found the Fandango vouchers. "Hey, we can see Patriots Day!"
As much as Danny wanted that, Steve was missing the point. "No, Steve, you're supposed to take a date," he explained, patiently.
"Uh-huh. So, when do you want to go?"
Danny was frustrated. The Neanderthal was just not getting it. "No, Steven, a date. D-A-T-E. You know, someone with whom you are or would like to be romantically involved, generally, but not always, someone of the opposite sex."
Steve looked puzzled. "I don't know where you're going with this."
Really, how dense could Steve be? Danny could hardly spell it out any more plainly. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE LYNN, YOU IDIOT!"
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed Danny's outburst. Danny was breathing heavily from the vehemence of it, and Steve was just looking at him, his expression inscrutable. "Lynn and I broke up," he said, quietly.
Danny didn't know what to say to that revelation. His stupid heart leaped at the thought that now they were both free, but he firmly reminded it that that didn't mean Steve wanted to go out with him, because he didn't. "Well, I'm sure you can find someone else to go with you. I'm sure there are dozens of good-looking women on the island who would love to spend a romantic evening with you."
"I already have someone else to go with me," Steve said.
"Great! So, give her a call!"
Steve sighed, as though Danny was the one who wasn't getting it. "Danny, I want to go with you."
For once, Danny was speechless, and that, Danny would be the first to tell you, was quite an achievement. Steve seemed to be one of the few people who could manage it, always coming out of right field with random things like this. "With me?" Danny squeaked. "You want to go on a romantic date with me?"
"Yes, Danny, I want to go on a romantic date with you. Is that so hard to believe?"
"Yes. No. I don't know," Danny said, still flustered. "I just didn't think. . ."
Steve's expression closed down. "I get it. You don't want to. Sorry, I must have been reading things wrong. I thought you wanted. . .Never mind. Forget I asked." He turned to leave but was stopped with Danny's hand on his arm.
"Steve, wait." Danny took a deep breath. Don't mess this up, he admonished himself. "I would love to go on a date with you."
Steve's grin could have lit up a Christmas tree. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Danny said, nodding his head emphatically.
"Great, I'll make the reservation. Next week?"
"Next week sounds perfect." Danny tried to slow his racing heart. Everything he'd ever dreamed of but never thought he could have was right there before him, his for the taking. Danny vowed he wouldn't waste the opportunity. "I can hardly wait."
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A/N: Yes, you will get their date, and maybe even a little spice. . .I'm feeling like trying my hand again. :) Sorry I just couldn't get a first kiss in this one-I'll make it up to you!