Title: Birthday Girl

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Hope everyone's doing wonderful! I missed these two all of a sudden so I thought I'd update with another piece. This is dedicated to Dracomione-KoVeLover for being such a great reader of mine. Happy Birthday! :)

Thanks in advance to those who comment. Have a great weekend!

Kono groans as she reaches for her phone and grabs it, nearly hitting him in the process as she turns off the sound and pushes it under her pillow. But the damage is done because she's been forced awake at the incoming text sounds, one after another in quick succession.

Steve opens his eyes to look at her sleepily. "Who was that?"

"Birthday messages from friends."

"How many friends do you have?" he wonders as his eyebrows join together in confusion.

She smiles at that, turning in his arms so she can look at his face, their legs still tangled under the covers. "A lot. How many do you have?"

He only closes his eyes at the question and she observes the way the curve of his eyelashes reach down to brush at his spectacular cheekbones. It really is unfair how damn pretty he is and-

"Go back to sleep," he tells her gruffly without opening his eyes.

"I can't. It's my birthday," Kono informs him, in case he hadn't made that connection yet, despite him being a great detective and all. He bites back a smile at that and she pokes him in the chest once. "This is the part where you wish me happy birthday."

"Right." His lips quirk up in a small smile as he blinks back the sleep from his features to stare at her fully. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," she says as she leans into him, kissing the warm skin below his collarbone. His arms wrap around her, warm against her skin through the fabric of her thin tank top. "Where's my present?"

"You want it already? It's six thirty."

"So you did get me something!" She grins as she leans back to meet his eyes.

"Well, yeah. I'm not an idiot. Plus, Danny's been reminding me all month not to fuck it up," he adds, and Kono laughs as he bends down to brush a kiss over his lips.

"Thank you."

"You don't even know what it is yet," he points out as she props up on an elbow to stare down at him, her other hand tracing the lines of his tattoos. All traces of sleep are gone despite the early wake-up.

"I don't care. I'll love it. In addition to the birthday sex."

He grins at that. "What birthday sex?" he asks innocently even as his hands slide up the back of her tank top, his fingers trailing over smooth skin. "That wasn't part of my present."

"It's always the bonus present, you idiot," she tells him right before she kisses him. "Let's be honest though, it's mostly a present for you."

He just chuckles as he kisses her, his lips warm and his eyes wide awake. Guess he didn't mind the morning interruption after all.

"Rookie! Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you." Kono smiles as she takes the bag of coco puffs Danny offers and he pulls her into a hug. "How about you finally stop calling me 'rookie' this year?"

"Nope. But those are all for you," Danny says as he gestures at the brown bag of sugary delight. "You don't have to share with anyone today."

"Yes," Kono sighs in joy. "Finally, the day has come. Thank you."

"That's gonna kill you before your next birthday," Steve tells her as he comes out of his office to join them at the smart table.

"So? I'll die happy."

"Malia wants you to come by the house for our present," Chin tells her with a grin. "And the boys made cards. You have to like them."

"Of course I'll love them," Kono says with a grin. "And 'our' present? Joint present this year from you two? That means it's gonna be a big one."

"Maybe." Chin smiles and shrugs mysteriously, not giving anything away. But his smile reveals the clear adoration toward his younger cousin. "Just stop by the house when you get a chance."

"And Grace is coming by after practice," Danny informs her.

"Right. Because she drives now," Kono marvels over the fact with a shake of her head. "When did that happen? Gosh, now I really feel old."

"You're catching up to Steven. One less year between the two of you," Danny says with glee as his partner scowls at him.

"Well, until his birthday in a few months," Chin says as he bites back a smile and joins in on the teasing. "Then it's right back to how it was."

"Oh, right. Guess he'll always be that much older than you, Kono. Really adds to the illicit student-teacher thing you've got goin' on," Danny jokes, waving a finger between the two of them.

"Thanks, guys," Steve grumbles. "We have actual work to do, you know. It's not a holiday just cause it's her birthday."

"But it should be," Kono chimes.

They all ignore her.

"Chin, Charlie called with the handwriting analysis so you get possibles on that. Danny, we're headed to the morgue."

"Again?" Danny groans.

"Yes, again. You know how Max is about phones."

"So, did Kono like her present?" Danny asks his daughter as Grace and Kono emerge from her office later that afternoon.

"Yes," Kono answers for her as she smiles at Grace. "I was showing her old pictures from my surf tour and how I lost one of my favorite tour shirts. And she found one online for me. She's like a mini-detective, Danny, nice work."

"That's my girl," Danny says proudly as he high-fives Grace with a grin. The teenager is taller than him now and growing into a graceful young woman, but she still smiles with glee at her father's praise.

"Thank you again, Grace."

"You're welcome," Grace says, beaming in pleasure at her words. "Plus, you're easier to shop for than Uncle Steve. It's not like I'm allowed to buy guns or grenades."

"I heard that," Steve says as he comes out of the break room when he hears them laughing about him. But he smiles as Grace gives him a hug; it hits him again how tall she's gotten over the years, at how the years are passing by too quickly

"I'm gonna go, Danno. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Grace says as she gives her father a kiss on the cheek, pulling out her car keys as she heads for the door.

"Actually, you know, I'm headed that way so I can drop you off at Rachel's," Danny offers quickly. "Not a problem."

Grace sighs as she narrows her eyes at him. "Seriously? What's the point of you saving for years to get me a car if you don't actually let me drive it?"

"What? That's not it, no way."

"Danno," Grace huffs, and she sounds like she's ten years old again, trying to convince Danny to go shopping for the annual father-daughter dance.

"I am totally comfortable with you being on the road, Grace, it's the other maniacs I don't trust, and-"

"Danny, she'll be fine," Kono says as she turns back to Grace with a smile. "Grace, be safe. Call as soon as you're home. Once you're out of the car, not while driving."

"Got it," the teenager says, flashing Kono a thankful grin. She salutes toward Danny and Steve with a smirk, her laugh lines mirroring the ones Danny has on his own face.

"Fine, fine. Get outta here, you goof," Danny finally says, waving her away.

"I could follow her," Steve says after she leaves. "Just to make sure."

"What, that she stops at every stop sign? That everyone else on the road stops at every sign? Cause she wouldn't recognize your huge truck at all," Kono says sarcastically with a fond laugh. "Just give her fifteen minutes, she'll be fine."

They wait impatiently for her call, and only when Danny announces to the team that she's made it home safely, do they get back to work.

"Kono!" Charlie greets her with a smile as she enters the lab with Steve trailing behind her. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, Charlie," she replies with an easy grin. "Chin said you had an update on the handwriting? We thought we'd swing by from HPD."

"Right, so it turns out the writer wasn't actually right-handed because the writing shows pressure angles on the pen most likely due to carpal tunnel syndrome."

"What?" Kono asks in confusion.

"Yup. Oh, but before I forget," Charlie says, moving aside the computer monitor to reach for a white envelope at his desk and handing it to her, "two tickets to the Pulelehua Summer Fashion Fair."

"Charlie! Where did you get these?" Kono asks him in surprise as she looks at the tickets in disbelief. "They sold out."

"Nah. Apparently they say that every year and then sell 'em at the door for double. My cousin's girlfriend works there and I asked her to get me a few tickets for you."

"Thank you so much," she says as she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "How much do I owe you?"

"No, n-nothing," he stammers, his eyes darting to Steve's quickly as he turns back to Kono. "It's a gift. You always get me great presents so..."

"Thank you so much," she repeats with a smile, grinning with joy as she holds the envelope tightly.

"No problem. So, um, yeah, I re-ran the handwriting after Chin mentioned the guy you had was right-handed and the computer was showing the sample as left-handed..."

"Are you going to that thing with Charlie?" Steve asks in the car after five minutes of debating with himself whether to keep quiet or not.

"What thing?" Kono asks absentmindedly as she flips through the detailed handwriting analysis packet the lab technician printed for them. She looks up to stare at him once she registers what he's asking. "At Pulelehua? The fashion show? No, with Malia," she answers slowly, drawing out her words as if she thought that had been obvious.

"Oh. Okay," Steve says, his eyes still on the road as he calls himself ten kinds of idiot and wishes he'd kept his mouth shut. He should have just waited two weeks and casually asked about it if she mentioned her weekend plans, but he was never one for subtlety and patience.

"Wait. You thought Charlie was hitting on me by giving me two tickets right in front of you? Really?" Kono questions in amusement.

"No."

Kono laughs. "It's Charlie. He's like the sweetest guy ever." Steve glares at her before looking back at the road, fingers tapping the steering wheel in impatience as he's forced to sit at a red light. "I'm going with Malia."

"Okay."

"You're so dumb sometimes."

"Shut up."

But she makes out with him for three minutes until the light turns green and for the first time, Steve finds himself wishing they'd hit a couple more red lights on the way back to headquarters.

"Hey, Kono. What the-"

To his credit, he doesn't reach for his gun and turn it on the two women in his living room, even though they surprised the shit out of him and he had no idea they'd be there. Kono knows he doesn't like intruders.

"Is that Steve?" Kono's voice yells down the stairs and he stops to listen. "Tell him not to shoot anyone!"

"Right, we're safe on that, for now," one woman calls back as she smiles at Steve. She looks familiar, one of Kono's friends from the Academy who works at HPD. She smiles as she watches him struggle with her name, then mercifully decides to help him out. "Alani."

"Right. Hi," he says.

"That's Tanya," Alani says as she gestures toward the other woman who nods at Steve, eyeing him appreciatively. "We're just taking Kono out for birthday drinks. We'll be gone in a minute."

"Oh... it's fine," Steve says awkwardly, moving away from the front door as he wonders how people try and make strangers feel comfortable in their home. He never had that problem with the team, they barged in right from the beginning. Was he supposed to offer them a drink or something? "Um, can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. Are you guys still working on the yacht club case?" Alani questions curiously.

Work. Work talk is good, Steve is great at talking about work and weapons, and suspects and murder.

"Yeah. Found a suspect, but he didn't stick."

"I heard his life insurance policy was cancelled a week before, is that true?"

Steve nods. "Yup. The wife-"

"Hey, Steve." Kono hurries down the stairs toward him as she grabs his arm to pull him into the corner of the living room. "You didn't make any plans for tonight, did you?"

"Wow. You look..." He trails off as he takes in her outfit. The neckline of the copper dress she's wearing dips low, and the dress is tight as it hugs her athletic figure; his hands itch to possessively trace every curve he sees. Her curled hair and dark make-up only further accent her brown eyes.

"Kelly made me wear it," Kono mutters as she glares at another friend who'd accompanied her down the stairs. "Birthday girl and all."

Steve takes a second to marvel at how Kono, with her quick punches and swift roundhouse kick could ever let anyone get her into an outfit she doesn't want to wear, but he figures it's a girl thing so he makes no comment.

"So, no plans or anything, right? I mean, you didn't mention anything, and they just ambushed me and said I have to go out tonight."

Steve shakes his head, then feels like an idiot when he sees the flash of disappointment in Kono's eyes. "Sorry, no. I just-"

"No, no, it's okay," she assures him with a smile. "That works out perfectly. No worries." She leans in to give him a quick kiss on the lips, breaking it off before she can deepen it when someone whistles from behind them.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure she doesn't go home with someone else," Tanya assures him.

"Right. Okay," Steve says as he narrows his eyes at her, not appreciating her sense of humor.

"She's just kidding," Kono says as she scowls at the other woman. "Don't tease him. He's fragile."

"Doesn't look it," Tanya comments appraisingly as they head for the door.

"Where did this come from?" Steve questions when he sees a new surfboard propped up against the wall, along with a colorful striped bikini thrown over it.

Kono's eyes light up as she takes in the surfboard. "Chin and Malia's present. They said to expect nothing for Christmas, but they lie anyway, and I don't even care, I love it. And Mary mailed the swimsuit. She bought it in Brazil. Isn't it adorable?"

"Um..." Steve says nothing as he stares at the colorful stripes because truth is, he doesn't notice things like the pattern or cut, or whatever she's referring to by using the word adorable. When it comes to her choices in swimwear, he's usually more focused on things like how fucking hot Kono looks, how many other guys are looking her way, and how quickly he can get her out of it once they're home.

"And the twins' card is on the fridge, go look."

Steve only nods as she smiles at him one more time before closing the front door behind her.

"So, how'd Kono like her present? I don't need all the gruesome sex details, just a simple yes or no will suffice."

Steve turns at Danny's question, muffling a yawn in his hand as they drive to headquarters. They'd gotten a call at early this morning about a double murder at a restaurant. One of the victims was a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and the Governor called in for the case to be made a priority. Processing the scene took hours and they're just now heading to the office to go over the lab's preliminary findings.

"I didn't give it to her yet."

"What?" Danny exclaims in shock. "Her birthday was yesterday."

"I know that," Steve snaps.

"Not today. Today is today, not her birthday. Why didn't you give it to her?"

"I was going to when we got home, but her friends took her out for drinks and she didn't get home until one."

Kono had slipped into bed around twelve thirty, muttering under her breath about how she hadn't wanted to wear those heels but Kelly had made her and now her feet were aching. He'd pulled her into his arms and she fell right asleep.

"I thought you were gonna take her out to dinner," Danny recalls.

"I didn't know where."

"Where?" Danny echoes incredulously. "It's Kono. She loves everything. She'd be happy with a big Mac and shave ice for dessert, which is basically all she lived on," he reminds Steve, "until you invited her into your home and introduced her to other food groups."

"I'll give it to her today," Steve says quickly to stop Danny from further ranting about her, or worse, his eating habits.

"I can't believe you haven't already. You basically staked out that jewelry store for weeks before you even-"

"I'm looking for the right time, okay?"

Danny pauses for a second, turning to stare at his partner for a long moment before looking out the window with a knowing smile. "Huh. Gotcha."

"Got what?" Steve questions, not liking the way Danny looks like he has more insight into the situation than he himself does.

"Nothing, nothing. I won't mention it again."

"What, Danny? Just say it."

"You're nervous."

Steve scoffs, letting out a chuckle as he waves at himself vaguely with the persona of confidence. At least, he hopes he's depicting an aura of confidence. "What? No."

"Yes, you are. You've probably never given a girl a real birthday present before, have you?"

"Yes, I have," Steve says too quickly.

"Not counting your mother or Mary. What have you been getting Mary over the years anyway?"

"I usually wire her money so she can buy whatever she wants," Steve admits.

"Of course you do," Danny says as he holds back a laugh.

"What? It's a good present," Steve argues, trying to defend himself from Danny's accusations. "That way she can get herself whatever she wants."

"Sure, it's a great present... for your sister. Doesn't work for a girlfriend, now does it?" He grins victoriously at Steve's silence to the question. "I bet you never had to worry about presents with your lady friends because it was too casual an arrangement to care about dates, or you got out of it with a fancy dinner and acting all charming."

"Not true," Steve professes. "I've pulled strings to get stuff done when I needed to."

"Right. Yet this time, you're actually nervous about whether Kono's gonna like it or not. It's nice, you know. To see the sensitive side of you she brings out," Danny comments with glee. "Really adds a layer to the whole Rambo in cargo pants image."

"Shut up, Danny."

"It'll be fine, Steve," Danny says with a laugh as he finally relents on the teasing, only because they're almost at headquarters now and Steve might actually do something stupid like talk himself out of the perfect present he spent so long talking himself into. "Apologize for being a day late, and make her dinner or something. For some reason, God only knows why, she forgives you much more easily than I do."

"I'm not done pulling the records yet," Kono says in astonishment as Steve walks into her office ten minutes later. "You called me ten minutes ago! The system's not that fast."

"No, not that," Steve assures her as he comes behind her desk, standing right beside her chair, staring down at her anxiously.

"What then?" He remains silent for another moment and she rises quickly from her chair, her hands reaching for his chest, as if to pat him down for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did-"

"No, no." Steve takes a deep breath and finally reveals the small gift box he's hiding behind his back. "Here. Happy Birthday."

Kono stares at the box for a second, her eyes meeting his as she begins to smile, leaning up to kiss him deeply. "Thank you."

"You haven't even opened it," Steve says with a nervous laugh even as he cradles her face with his free hand. "I don't want you think I'd lied about getting you something so I'm giving it to you, even though it's late. I didn't know what to get, but you mentioned this," he rambles as she opens the box and stares at what's inside. "You can always return it if you want..."

Kono looks at the earrings in the box. They're small, circular tops made of some stone with blues and greens swirling together in perfect harmony that it reminds her of her beloved ocean.

"From the jewelry store," Kono says, looking at him for confirmation. He nods as she recalls the memory.

They were called to the scene of a bank robbery months ago. Steve and Kono went to talk to the manager and inquire about security tapes. Kono had lingered over the glass cases while they waited, commenting on one piece or another, marveling at the crazy prices and the even crazier designs she spotted. Steve teased her to stop touching everything because her prints were everywhere, and if they came back to dust the place, she'd be their first suspect. She had stopped at one case for a few seconds longer, mentioning how the earrings perfectly matched a jewelry set Chin had gotten her years ago for her birthday years. She still had the necklace, but lost one of the earrings during a particularly grueling morning surf.

But he'd remembered the earrings.

"You went back for them."

Steve nods. "Yeah."

She wraps her arms around his neck as she hugs him tightly, kissing the side of his cheek as she nearly bounces with joy. "Thank you so much, Steve. They're beautiful. I love it. I told you I would."

"Good," he says with a relieved smile, his heart beating normally after the surge of panic while waiting for her reaction. "I'm glad."

"Two favorite presents from my two favorite guys," Kono says as she presses her forehead against his, still smiling widely.

"What about Danny?" he murmurs against her lips in between quick kisses.

"He got me coco puffs. He beat both of you."

Steve flashes a grin at that, chuckling as he kisses her more deeply this time. "Wanna have dinner with me tonight? I'll buy you all the shave ice you want."

"My kind of meal." Kono kisses him back, her lips parting under his as he unknowingly pushes her against the desk to align his body over hers. "I'm not going out with Charlie tonight so I'm free."

"Not funny," Steve mutters under his breath, but she only giggles as she kisses him more fiercely. Her fingers tunnel through his hair and then rest at the nape of his neck, and she lets out a low moan of approval as his hands trail down her sides, lingering at the swell of her curves.

"Kono, you done with the background- okay, whoa."

They jump apart at the sound of Chin's voice, and Steve moves back quickly to put a good twelve inches between him and Kono. The sight of her flushed face, hair in disarray, and looking thoroughly kissed doesn't help matters, but he hasn't gotten punched by Chin yet about dating Kono, and he doesn't want today to be the first occasion.

"I was just- we were just-"

"Being absolutely professional at work so I don't have to watch you go at it with my baby cousin," Chin provides for him helpfully.

"Yes," Steve answers quickly. "I need those background checks, Kono," he tells her sternly as he leaves the room, avoiding Chin's gaze as he squeezes past him at the door.

"What?" Kono says when Chin turns to her with a disapproving glance, reminding her that he'd made it very clear when they got together that he better not walk in on any scenes like the one he just interrupted. "It's my birthday."

"Uh, no, cuz. It was your birthday yesterday. Today's just Thursday," Chin informs her with a crooked smile. "Background checks, let's go."

"Right, right," Kono mutters as she hits print on her computer.

After all, it's just another day at the office.

But Steve had made it so much better.

"Hey," she whispers to him when the team decides to split up for the morgue and the bank. She takes a second to check that Chin's in his office on the phone before looking back at him with a teasing smile.

"What?" Steve's eyes brighten by the slightest degree as he looks up from the smart table to meet her gaze. He looks confident and smug, much more relaxed and less jittery since his present was well received.

"Birthday sex is so much better after you actually get your present. Especially for the present-giver," she informs him with a quick kiss, grinning as his eyes darken at her words, a smirk sliding onto his face before he can control himself.

He only chuckles as he watches her meet Chin and they head for the bank, leaving him and Danny alone in the control room.

"Told you she'd like it," Danny boasts proudly. "Steve McGarrett buying jewelry for a woman. Who would have thought?"

"It wasn't jewelry, Danny," Steve says quickly. "It was just a birthday present." The way Danny says it makes it sound a lot more serious than it is. Not to mention cheesy and sweet, and Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett doesn't do cheesy.

"A birthday present that happened to be jewelry. It still counts," Danny announces when Steve opens his mouth to argue over semantics some more. "You did good, Steven. Now, all you have to worry about is her running off with Charlie."

Steve groans when he realizes Kono's already informed Danny of that whole ticket mix-up. Of course she did. Danny loves to tease him about this relationship just as much as he loves to help, and she loves to provide him ammunition on both counts.

"Shut up, Danny."

the end ~