Christmas had come and gone, and Steve had seen hide nor hair or his partner. He'd got a text from the blonde on Christmas Day wishing him a Mele Kalikimaka, and he thought it was sweet the Jersey man had said it in Hawaiian despite his general dislike of having to live on the island.

But it was now the 28th of December and he missed his friend. Normally they'd have seen each other by now, hung out and shared a beer on the lanai, something. But he got the idea that the detective was avoiding him, and he worried that it was to do with that kiss.

He'd barely seen him for the rest of Christmas eve, and they'd shared a very brief hug and goodbye before Danny had dashed off to his taxi early, mumbling something about picking his daughter up earlier than expected the next day. He'd hardly looked at his boss, and during the hug he'd given him an extra hard, manly pat on the back, like he was trying to remind Steve he wasn't that way inclined.

Steve was an idiot, he'd made his best friend uncomfortable, and he'd almost broken his own heart in the process.

Danny was straight, that much was obvious. He'd only ever shown interest in women, and he must have been a bit taken aback with his best friend kissing him like that. The SEAL had probably been a bit too eager. It hadn't felt to him like a fake kiss to placate the masses, and he'd probably lingered on his lips a bit too long, gone a bit overboard with putting his hand on the blonde's back the way he had... but then, hadn't Danny touched his face in the same way?

He was confused by the experience, trying to temper his own feelings towards his friend. But more than anything, he missed the bastard, and he wanted to make sure everything was alright between them.

So Steve was actually quite relieved when they picked up a case; a robbery at a local jewellery store which had all the remaining stock for the festive season stolen. It gave him the excuse he needed to call Danny and rope him into work.

And, in fact, it turned out that things were fine between them. Danny swung by his house in the Camaro to pick him up on the way to the crime scene, and their usual banter was right there, nothing strained or unnatural. Both men were extremely relieved to discover that nothing had changed, and they were both making the extra effort to just act normally, teasing and bickering like they always did.

Steve asked about Christmas Day with Grace, and Danny told him all about how busy he'd been the last few days with his daughter, which explained why he'd not heard much from him. Steve told his partner about going surfing on Boxing Day, and that sent the blonde off on a rant about how it just wasn't normal to do those sorts of activities at Christmas and where the hell was the snow anyway and fairy lights don't look right strung in palm trees.

They spent the next three days dealing with bad guys alongside Chin and Kono, and doing what they did best. Everything was back to normal.

Until New Year's Eve.

Partly to celebrate catching their criminals, and only having to be in one shoot-out in the process with no major injuries, and partly because it had become customary for McGarrett to have a bit of a blow out on New Year's to avoid spending it alone, Steve invited everyone around to his place for a beer and barbecue party on the lanai.

He'd strung up lights and put the TV on in the living room loud enough so they would be able to hear the countdown later on from the back yard, got the grill going and invited his partner, the cousins and Max, and their significant others.

Suffice to say, there was more than just beer going around, and Steve was indulging in the rum which Kono had brought with her, knowing he wouldn't have to drive anywhere. In fact, they were all spoiling themselves when it came to the alcohol, and everyone was getting extremely merry on the run up to midnight. It was ten o'clock though, and no sign of Danny yet.

Everyone was dressed to the nines in smart attire, wanting to look good to bring in the new year. Malia, Kono and Sabrina looked amazing in their dresses, Chin and Adam were wearing some very nice black designer-looking suits, Adam's with a white shirt and Chin with a pale blue patterned one, which was toned down for him. Max's all black outfit looked very stylish, and has probably been selected by his girlfriend.

Steve had felt a little under-dressed in his jeans and tucked-in dark green dress shirt, seeing as everyone else had appeared to ignore the 'casual' element of his 'smart casual' invitation, and he had considered going to get changed until Danny arrived. Thank god he was wearing jeans as well, but damn it all because they were those same dark blue ones which he'd worn on Christmas eve and made his ass look even more amazing than usual.

As the night wore on and Steve imbibed more and more rum, his eyes began to slip more often to the way his friend's hips moved when he walked, the shape of his butt when he crouched down to speak to Chin and Malia who were seated out on the beach… he had to stop looking. But that black dress shirt Danny was wearing wasn't helping either, because even though it was untucked, it was tailored to hang that way, and highlighted the shape of his body, that delicious shoulder to hips ratio.

He kept thinking about that kiss at Kono's party, the warmth of Danny's back through his t-shirt, the little noise he'd made when the SEAL had kissed him which, in his mind, was sounding more and more like yearning than shock, the more he played it back from memory and analysed it. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks. But he was beginning to wonder if he was going to survive the night, and he swapped to drinking water before he did something he regretted.

Danny was simultaneously trying not to be distracted by the way his boss's shirt clung to him while he was turning off the grill, or think too much about how the man's thin layer of stubble had felt under his fingertips. He'd just about managed to get through the last few days without thinking too much about the kiss, or the feeling of his hand on him or his lips or… damn it, he needed to lay off the vodka he'd been drinking for the last two hours since he'd arrived. It was wearing down his Steve-immunity.

Their crack shot sniper was once again drunkenly encouraging everyone to have a group photo now that everyone had eaten, and Steve was constantly checking for mistletoe – he hadn't put any up in the house, but he was suspicious of foul play when it came to the young Hawaiian woman.

She set up her camera on a tripod and directed everyone into place outside the back door where some colourful fairy lights hung. Under her instructions, Steve and Danny ended up next to one another again, with the blonde leaning on the railing at his side and their backs to the doors. Chin, with his arm wrapped around Malia, was on the other side of Steve, Adam was on the end waiting for Kono to join him, and Max and Sabrina were in front of the group. Everyone was packed in tightly, effectively corralling the two partners in the corner.

She seemed way too excited for someone just snapping a group photo, and Danny was also trying to work out exactly what Kono's game was. She took a couple of photos using the timer so she could dive into the group, but kept complaining that someone was blinking every time she went back to check the screen, so when the third flash went off and the Jersey man was starting to wonder if his retinas would ever heal, he prayed it was going to be the last time.

And that's when he heard the countdown from the television in the living room, and realised they'd been forgetting to check the time. Which was weird, because he was pretty sure he'd seen Kono glance at her watch at least twice while organising the photo. They were already on five seconds to midnight and he discovered he was still jammed in against the doors next to Steve.

It's funny how the countdown to midnight of the new year focuses your mind on how very single you are. You look around you and realise everyone else is coupled off, and there's you, single old you, in the corner. No one to kiss at midnight. Well, you and your equally single best friend.

Something to that tune went through the minds of both the detective and the SEAL at roughly the same time, and as their friends all shouted out along to the countdown, their eyes met from inches away.

Four!

God, Danny's eyes are such a clear blue. They look like glaciers, like the ocean on a calm day. And he looks so good in that shirt, just enough buttons undone for me to see his chest hair. Damn that's hot.

Three!

I still can't fucking tell what colour Steve's eyes are... Hazel? Blue? Brown? All three? It doesn't matter though, they're seriously beautiful. And his lips... God they were so soft.

Two!

Is Danno looking at my lips? He is! And he's licking his, like he always does. Is that a subconscious thing? Because it's my daily fucking torture. He is still looking at my lips!

One!

He's looking at my mouth. Fuck, is he gonna kiss me again? God, I hope so... Does he want to? Christmas eve was just a joke, right? Oh god, I can't breathe...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Steve moved toward Danny on impulse, closed the gap about ninety per cent of the way, and then froze at the last split second. What was he thinking? He was thinking with something that was definitely not his brain, that's what was going on.

When his friend stopped just an inch from his lips, the detective gasped slightly. Their eyes met again and there was one clear, solid question in those impossible eyes. He answered it by grasping Steve's face with both hands and bringing their lips together in a firm but tentative kiss, their eyes slipping closed.

The blonde felt like all the air had been pushed from his lungs, his chest tightening, but all he could think about was how wonderful Steve felt under his hands, hot and stubbled and muscular. He'd remembered the first kiss being pretty amazing, but now it was all back in all its technicolour surround-sound fucking 3D iMax glory, and the memory of Christmas eve paled in comparison. He whimpered again, louder than a week ago, more needy.

The SEAL slowly slid his arms around his partner's waist, moving forward to pin him against the railing. He could feel the man's tense muscles relaxing beneath his hands, the heat of his body through the soft black cotton of his shirt, and he slid his tongue between his own lips to request entry to the Jersey man's mouth before he even know what he was doing. The split second of panic from his actions immediately dissipated when Danny opened his mouth to him, and the kiss deepened suddenly and dramatically.

One moment it was a sweet, careful caress of lips, the next it was something desperate, hot and dirty, and oh so good, because they were both realising that the other man wanted it as much as they did.

One of the detective's hands went to the back of Steve's neck, pulling him in harder and gripping roughly at the hairs there as he tilted his head for better access. The SEAL grasped the shorter man's shirt in his fists and held him forcefully against his chest. They explored one another's mouths and bit at each other's lips, before finally pulling back to take deep breaths of the ocean-salted air, eyes still closed.

"Wow..." Kono breathed out.

They both startled and looked over at their friends, who they had completely forgotten even existed for the duration of that kiss, let alone that they were still on the lanai with them.

"Um..." Danny managed.

"Well, we'd better be going!" Chin was trying to hide his mirth, dragging Malia away by the hand as she giggled and gave the two men a thumbs up sign.

"Bye, boys!" She laughed, grabbing her jacket with her free hand as she disappeared through the lanai doors.

Max smiled and gave them a little nod. "Happy new year Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams."

Sabrina was tugging him away, not so subtly. "Happy new year, guys," she grinned, and they departed hastily.

That just left Adam, collecting his jacket and Kono's shawl from the chairs near the grill, and the woman in question taking her camera off the tripod.

She gave them a dirty wink. "Well, I do hope you boys liked your Christmas present... I told you I was still working on it!"

Danny and Steve just stood and stared at her in disbelief.

She laughed at their expressions. "Come on, seriously? Getting you two to admit you wanted each other instead of just eye-fucking across the room deserves a god damn round of applause! Especially after Christmas eve failed, because you're idiots!"

Adam was pulling her wrist and smiling at them apologetically. "I'll be getting this drunk lady home now, before she gets herself fired. Happy new year, guys." And he pulled his girlfriend through the doorway into the house.

"You can thank me in the morning!" was the last they heard of their sniper before the front door opened and shut, and they were left in silence.

"God damn interfering woman..." Steve muttered, still in shock. He looked down at Danny, who was still squashed between him and the wooden railing. They'd both been too stunned to even say anything until that point, let alone move.

The blonde's gaze met his and then flickered down to his chest. "She is fucking fantastic, isn't she?"

"Hell yes, she is!" And then the brunette's lips were on the shorter man's again and it was his turn to let out the small whimper.

Before his back was crushed into the rail again, Danny placed his hands squarely on his boss's shoulders and pushed him back and round into the doors, making them clatter. His hands quickly went to the SEAL's shirt, yanking it from his waistband so he could explore underneath, shaky fingers going to the buttons to begin popping them open. Steve's hands were running down his chest and deftly unfastening his shirt, beating him in the race to expose each other's chests. Frustrated, he pulled back and looked down at himself, then at the Navy man, and then simply gripped his shirt and ripped it open, buttons popping everywhere, pinging off the cooling grill and the glass in the doors.

"Hey!" Steve glared at him.

"You can fucking sew, deal with it!" Danny pulled him back down into a kiss with one hand, the other running over his side and up his back, scraping his nails down over the smooth skin.

The SEAL growled into his mouth and he began to tug at the blonde's belt between them. He used his grip to shift the detective sideways and move him into the house, and he began multitasking, undoing Danny's belt one-handed while his other hand went into his hair and pulled his head back so he had access to the shorter man's throat. He nipped his way down over his Adam's apple, pulling moans from his companion, while the belt clattered to the floor.

Electricity zipped down the detective's spine, his hands were tackling his boss's jeans fly, fumbling the button and yanking the zip down. Both of them managed to shove their pants down over their thighs, denim pooling at their feet, still entangled with one another. Steve's mouth left a hot, wet trail over Danny's collarbone and onto his pecs, and the blonde was cursing up a storm at the sensations.

"Holy fuck, Steve, god that feels good!" The brunette was licking over his erect nipple, flicking it with the tip of his tongue, and scraping his teeth on the sensitive flesh.

Then the Jersey man was being manoeuvred to the couch and shoved down onto the cushions so he lay down the length of it, and the SEAL landed over him on all fours. He reached up to curl his fingers into the brunette's shirt and pulled him down to press their skin together, and his teeth went to Steve's neck, nibbling down the artery, licking and biting.

"Fuck fuck fuck, Danno are you sure we should be doing this? I mean..."

The blonde tore his face away from his boss's shoulders. "I swear to god, Steven, I have just spent the last week trying to forget how your lips tasted, you really think I'm gonna be able to move on and forget this? Hell no, we're gonna fuck until I can't remember my name, okay?"

Steve grinned at him. "You were thinking about how my lips tasted?" he sounded almost enchanted, like Danny had just read him a sweet little poem about flowers or something.

"That was your takeaway from that? Seriousl-Oh my gawd..." he was interrupted by Steve grinding his crotch down against his.

"Oh, I heard the rest of it too..."

Danny whined as his partner rubbed their cocks together through the thin material of their boxer shorts, the friction was exquisite but it just wasn't quite enough, and his hands quickly went between them to first release Steve's dick from its fabric prison, before his own.

He watched as the SEAL lifted up to allow his hands to work, and soon his cock hung freely between them, thick and hot, and the blonde was transfixed. He carefully slid his fingers along the shaft, up to the tip, collecting pre-come on his index finger before bringing it up to his mouth. Those hazel eyes tracked his hand as it arrived in front of their faces, and he watched Steve's expression as he darted his tongue out to lick the sticky liquid from his own finger.

"Jesus H Christ..." Steve whispered, almost to himself, "How did I not know you were so perfect?"

"I'd say my perfection is pretty obvious," Danny purred, moving his hands back down to slide his boxers part way down his thighs, his own erection springing up to slap heavily against his belly, "Some people are just a bit slow to see it..."

The Navy man's eyes widened as he saw the blonde's cock, which was rather out of proportion for his small stature. "Oh, you just wait, Williams. I'll show you slow..."

He pressed his dick against the detective's, starting with his head against the base of Danny's, and slid his upward achingly slowly, silky hot skin providing just enough friction to feel irresistibly good and like sweet torture all at once.

The Jersey man writhed and reeled off a list of curse words that would make a sailor blush, and Steve should know. He mouthed over the Jersey man's wide chest and licked over his nipples again, making him sigh, as he flexed his lower back and continued his slow-motion torment.

Danny was not one to grin and bear torture though, and he dug his heels into the couch and bucked upward, grinding their cocks together. The Commander bit down on his chest in response and his partner cried out and dug his fingertips into Steve's hips.

"Oh god, Steve!"

The SEAL released his skin and moved up to bury his face into the crook of the other man's neck, pushing his loose collar out of the way, growling low and making the shorter man's hairs stand on end and a whine escape his throat. His knees sat either side of Danny's lower thighs and he made long, gliding thrusts to bring them both the greatest amount of pleasure, until they were both a hot, sweaty mess.

The detective's fingers skimmed over his back under his shirt, tracing scars and the vertebrae in his spine, scratching with short nails and gripping with strong hands. He leaned his head up and nipped at Steve's shoulder, and the SEAL moaned and put all his weight on one arm, dipping the other hand in between them to grasp both of their cocks together and urge them on to orgasm.

Danny bucked upwards reactively and gasped. "Ah shit, babe I'm gonna come..."

Steve could feel his own release quickly approaching, and he fastened his lips over his partner's as they climaxed within seconds of each other. They swallowed one another's moans, gasping and huffing and kissing sloppily as they came down from their endorphin high.

As soon as Danny could open his eyes again, he pulled Steve's hand up from between them and proceeded to lick each of his sticky fingers clean, running his velvet tongue around each digit and sucking gently. His boss watched him with an erotic fascination, his mouth hanging open.

Then Steve backed up to lick a line through their combined mess up from the blonde's stomach, before leaning forward to kiss the detective again, the taste of both of them on their tongues.

"Well that was a long time coming..." he sighed as he looked into those ice blue eyes.

They crinkled at the corners as Danny giggled under him, and he smacked the cop on the shoulder lightly.

"You know what I mean, you dirty bastard."

"Do you think it's too early to text Kono and say thank you?" Danny grinned.

"I think we can leave that until the morning when we're all safely over our hangovers," the Navy man smiled softly at his friend, tiredness quickly catching up with him now they'd released their tension, "You're staying, right?"

The blonde gave him that lopsided smile that had always made Steve's stomach flip. "Just try and stop me."

Steve clambered to his feet unsteadily and reached down to pull Danny up from the couch, nudging him toward the stairs. They both tugged their boxers back up from where they'd ended up around their thighs, and finally removed their shirts, dropping them to the floor. Their first time had been rough and ready, a half-clothed, jumbled, chaotic thing… and it had been perfect.

He quickly locked the doors, flicked off the lights, and followed the Jersey man, catching up with him as he reached the bedroom door.

"You know what they say about seeing in the new year, Danno?"

"What's that, babe?"

"Start as you mean to go on." He gave Danny's ass a firm smack.