A/N: I'm not quite sure if I'm happy with this, but I've had this idea around for awhile now, so here it is! I haven't written angst before so I'm not sure how it sounds, but hopefully it didn't turn out too terrible. The story takes place after 2x22, when Steve comes back from Japan. I might make this into something more, but for now, it'll stay as a one-shot.

A big big big thank you to cm757, Sidalee and Tiana-P for helping me get my five-0 groove back. Your stories and gif requests have really helped to get me out of my funk. And I don't care what you say Diana, your stories are still better, HA :P

Disclaimer: the usual

Timing

Somehow, seeing Kono with the Noshimuri guy evoked feelings Steve had never expected. He couldn't quite explain what he was feeling, but it seemed to be a mixture of irritation, anger and somewhat feelings of protectiveness. Why was she with the guy anyway? How much had he missed while he was in Japan?

"So, Kono and Noshimuri. How long has that been going on for?" Steve asked Danny at HQ the next day.

"Whoa. What's with the face?" Danny said with a smirk.

"What face? I don't have a face?" Steve replied defiantly, crossing his arms and glaring at Danny. Why was the guy smiling anyway?

"Yes, you do. It's like your aneurysm face, but worse. Why are you so concerned anyway? Look, I may not approve of her choice, but if she's happy, the least we can do is be happy for her." Danny explained, with arms gestures for emphasis.

"I would, but this is Noshimuri we're talking about!" Steve said angrily. What was Kono thinking, hanging around someone who was the head of the yakuza? And given Five-0's past with Hiro Noshimuri, you'd think she'd choose who she hung out with more carefully.

"Honestly? I had no idea it was going on," Danny replied. "I heard Chin teasing her about having a "glow" a couple of days ago, but I didn't think anything of it. The girl's allowed to have some privacy! But what's with this tone of yours, Steven? Are you really just angry because it's Noshimuri?" Danny asked Steve with a knowing look. He knew there was something going on with his partner; you don't spend sixteen hours of a day with a person and not get to know them pretty damn well.

"So, you and Noshimuri huh?" Steve asked Kono when they were driving to the crime scene later that day. Surprisingly, Danny had volunteered to go with Chin, and with a pointed look at Steve, had basically dragging a rather bewildered Chin out of HQ in his haste.

"Mm. Yeah," Kono replied lightly. Although his expression remained passive, Steve's eyes betrayed his true feelings. There was jealousy there, of course, but also something stirring underneath. Kono could see how confused he was, but why? Why now? Did he feel something for her?

"How long have you guys been together?" Steve asked in a voice much rougher than he expected. For some reason, he was feeling sort of nervous, and his throat had completely dried up. "I mean," he said, clearing his throat, "How long have you known the guy? Do you really know him that well?"

Kono laughed, to mask the awkwardness and ease the tension in the car. "What is this, twenty questions or something?" she asked Steve teasingly. "You sound like Chin!"

Steve grinned, but noted that she hadn't answered his question. "I'm curious, that's all," he said with a shrug.

"Well, Steve, for your information, I've actually known Adam for a good couple of months now. So I'd say I've gotten to know him pretty well." Kono said with a smile as her phone indicated a new message. "Happy?" she asked as she read the contents, typed a quick reply and looked back at him. Her tone sounded strained, something that was not missed by Steve. Not knowing how to reply, Steve kept his eyes on the road, and the two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Ever since the Fryer incident, the dynamic between Steve and Kono had been somewhat lost. They used to be so in sync, up to a point where communication wouldn't even be necessary. But somewhere, somehow, that dynamic had faded. Kono for one, will always remember that day in the interrogation room. The steel look in Steve's eyes, the way he smashed the chair into the ground, and told her that her answer wasn't good enough. Didn't he understand? She was only trying to protect her loved ones, and in return, all she got were looks of disappointment, shock and hurt. She deserved better than that, didn't she?

Adam was there at a time that nobody was. Nobody knew this, but she'd actually met him around the same time that she started working undercover for Fryer. At the time, he was nothing more than a good friend, helping her through her suspension. He could make her feel good about herself, and for that, she was grateful. Adam knew how much she loathed the men she had to hang around for Fryer's sake, because in a way, he was in the same boat. Surrounded by the yakuza and all the came with it, it wasn't something that he wanted. He wanted to build a name for himself, to be known for his own achievements.

Awhile after Kono was reinstated, the line between friendship and relationship began to blur. She was beginning to see Adam in ways she hadn't before. The way his eyes became lighter in the sun, the way the tone of his voice lowered when he was nervous, and that smile he smiled at her and no one else. When they were together, it was as if the rest of the world just melted away. He wasn't the head of the Japanese mafia, and she wasn't a member of the governor's elite task force. It was just Adam and Kono. Simple. Easy. And Kono liked that.

Kono knew she had once had strong feelings for Steve. But she was with Adam now, and he made her happy. Just because Steve may have finally come to terms with the fact that he had the same feelings, didn't mean that she would immediately run into his waiting arms. That would be unfair to Adam. Adam, whose name now bought a smile to her face. He'd been there for her, when she was feeling her worst; he'd helped her through it all. Maybe, if it had been Steve back then instead of Adam, things would be different now. But it wasn't, and Kono was surprisingly okay with that. Adam was a big part of her life now, and she wasn't going to give up on that. She deserved to be happy, and it felt right when they were together.

If anyone had told her a year ago she and Adam would end up together, she probably would've laughed it off. It sounded like such a cliché 'star-crossed lovers' idea. They were after all, supposedly on different sides of the law enforcement.

Kono shook herself out of her daydream as they approached the crime scene. She'd realised, when she and Adam had finally got together, that those things she was noticing about him, she used to notice on Steve. Which meant only one thing. Those feelings she had for Steve? They'd faded away and been replaced by the feelings for Adam. The butterflies she used to get, the way her heart beat faster when he was close to her, they were nothing more than a mere memory and a thing of the past.

Timing is everything. Sometimes, you realise something only after it's gone. Sometimes, you'll wonder about all those 'what ifs' and 'maybes'. Sometimes, you wish you had the courage to act faster.

Sometimes, it's just not meant to be.