Seven o'clock couldn't have come any slower, the hours in class and after school dragged on for eternity. Steve rushed his way through his dinner with his family, so he could prepare his notes for Danny. He had lied at dinner the night before; he had actually finished his assignment. He had to wait for Chin and Kono after school last week, so he killed the time by doing it. He tucked his finished assignment into his textbook, so Danny wouldn't be able to see it.

Steve found himself tidying his room; he straightened the bed spread and stacked his books. He even gussied himself up in the mirror; he brushed down his t-shirt and fixed his hair. He stared at himself and placed his forehead onto the mirror.
The doorbell rang, and Steve ran straight out of his bedroom to answer the door.

Steve took a deep breath before opening the door. Danny stood at the door holding his study books. He looked as nervous as Steve, but had a giant grin on his face to hide it.

"Hi," Danny said.

"Hi," Steve smiled and stared at him.

Danny looked good, he looked like he had just had a shower as his hair was still wet. He smelt great too, a strong, musky aftershave.

"Are you going to let me in?" Danny asked.

"Oh right, yes," Steve moved his arm to invite Danny in.

"You always this nervous?" Danny asked audaciously.

"No, not usually."

Steve walked in front and directed Danny to his bedroom.

"We can study in here if you like," Steve said and pushed his bedroom door open.

Danny smiled.

"Or we can go to the dining room if you want" Steve said, quickly. He didn't want Danny to think anything out of the ordinary.

"No, in here is fine."

Steve made sure he breathed again and headed in. His mouth was getting dry, his throat felt like it was closing over.

"Would you like something to drink?" Steve asked.

"Uh, water would be good." Danny replied and sat down on Steve's bed, with his books in his lap.

"Okay, be right back."

Steve rushed out to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and stuck his head straight in. The coldness helped him clear his thoughts.

'I'm such a wreck, I need to calm down, he's just a person, you're just studying, chill out', he thought to himself.
He took a deep breath and then reached for the water jug.

He came back into his room, and gave Danny a glass of water. Danny was wandering around Steve's room, looking at Steve's posters. He had lots of surfing ones that Kono had given him, plus a few Vietnam War shots his Dad had given him.

"Nice room," Danny said politely.

"Thanks."

"So you wanna do it at the desk or on the bed?" Steve said. He closed his eyes once he realized what he had just implied.

"The studying. The assignment" Steve stuttered.

Danny laughed, "Bed?"

Steve laughed too, "Bed it is."

He grabbed his books from the desk and sat himself up at the end of the bed. Danny sat at the top of the bed directly opposite Steve.

"Have you looked at the assignment yet?" Steve asked.

"I had a quick look but I didn't understand anything. I didn't really go to Physics class back in Jersey, so I don't know a lot"

"It looks alright, so we should be okay," Steve smiled.

Danny smiled at Steve, he looked relieved that Steve was there to help him.

"Okay, so I think we need to start with Newton's laws of motion," Steve said and pointed to the first part of the assignment.

"There's three laws isn't there?" Danny said

Steve looked up from the page and smiled at Danny, "Yeah, that's right. See it's not so bad"

Danny laughed, "I got one thing right and you think I'm a physics genius?"

Steve laughed back, "No, you're probably just smarter than you think"

Steve rolled his eyes at himself; he didn't want come off as wise and inspirational.

Danny smiled and then looked back down at the sheet, "So right, there are three laws."

"Yeah right, so if we can understand those three laws, we can do the assignment easily," Steve said and pointed to the first question.

"Okay, so the first law is," Danny paused to locate it on the sheet; he pointed his finger and accidentally touched Steve's hand.

Steve closed his eyes at the touch of Danny, his hands felt rough and dry. He opened his eyes to see Danny looking at him. Steve smiled to make things less awkward, before pulling his hands away and running them through his hair. This was going to be a long study session.

Steve was surprised that he and Danny were actually focused enough to finish the entire assignment. It was ten o'clock when they finished, and they hardly had a break in between. Danny wasn't as bad as he made out to be, once Steve set him up with a question, he got it really easy. Perhaps Danny just wanted to spend time with Steve as well.

"We have to be quiet, Mom and Mary-Ann will be asleep," Steve said as he opened his bedroom door.

Doris never usually let Steve have friends over this late, and he wasn't even sure she knew Danny was there tonight.

They quietly walked to the front door. Danny moved closer to Steve to minimize the noise. As they approached the door their faces inches apart from each other. Steve could feel Danny's warm breath on his face.

"Thanks" Danny whispered close to Steve's ear.

"No problem." Steve whispered back into Danny's ear.

They both remained in that position together, but neither saying a word. Steve could feel the warmth of Danny, and the sound of Danny's breath so close to Steve's ear made his heart flutter.

Danny slowly pulled away, "See you tomorrow morning?"

Steve nodded, he couldn't find any words.

Steve opened the door and let Danny walk out. He watched him walk away to his house. Steve slowly shut the front door behind him so no one would hear. He rested his back on the back of the door and sighed. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and smiled to himself.

Steve woke up at 1am to the noise of his parents yelling. He had only just fallen asleep, the moment with Danny at the front door wouldn't leave his mind.

His parent's argument from the night before was still going on at a high degree. Steve didn't really know what was going on, he tried to make sure that he never really listened to the content of their fighting, but he always heard the noise. He could hear them upstairs in their bedrooms fighting, their feet pacing back and forth. With Mary-Ann's bedroom on the far side, hopefully she wouldn't hear it tonight.

Steve tried to get back to sleep but it was too hard. He sighed and quietly headed out of his bedroom. He didn't know why he was trying to be quiet, they wouldn't hear him. He went out the back door and down to the water. The crashing sounds of the waves would drown the sound out. He stared at the water for a while, before he heard a ruffling noise to his left.
He looked over and noticed Danny standing on the beach too.

He smiled and headed over to him.

"Can't sleep?" Steve asked, softly.

Danny turned quickly, but smiled once he realized it was Steve. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Yeah, the waves are too loud for me, I need the loud city to put me to sleep," Danny admitted.

Steve chuckled, "You know most people find the opposite."

Danny laughed and changed the subject, "You can't sleep either?"

Steve sighed and looked back over to his house; his parent's bedroom light was still on. At least he couldn't hear them anymore.

"Yeah, my parents are fighting again. I don't know what's happening, but I think their marriage is falling apart."

Steve smiled to lighten the mood, he tried to not let it get to him too much.

"Oh sorry man, my parents use to fight all the time. Mostly about me though," Danny said and looked down at the sand.

Steve had noticed how Danny went quiet every time he mentioned his past. Steve felt relaxed with Danny on the beach, he didn't feel nervous or weird, he felt like he could open up to him.

"What happened back in Jersey?"

Danny sighed and looking straight at the horizon, "I was a troublemaker basically; I skipped school and got into a lot of fights. I got expelled from school and the fights got worse, my Mom was taking to me to the hospital with black eyes and cracked ribs too often. I was just sick of everything you know? I didn't care about anything anymore. So when my Mom got the call about her sister, she fought with my Dad about taking me with her. I didn't care what happened. But now, being here, I'm starting to care a little more"

Danny looked up to Steve and smiled.

Steve grinned, his mouth hurt from how wide he was smiling. He felt like his stomach was doing flips inside him.

Steve cleared his throat and tried to wipe the big grin on his face, "Yeah Hawaii is nice if you give it a chance"

Steve screwed up his face, he was accidentally flirting again.

Danny laughed and smiled sincerely at Steve, "I better try and go to sleep, thanks for the chat, Steven"

Danny slowly started to walk back up to his house.

"Steven?" Steve said, puzzled to why Danny had chosen to say that.

Danny turned back around; "I don't know, I guess I like calling you that."

They both laughed as Danny turned back around and walked off.

Steve strolled back to his side of the beach. He paced back and forth, letting everything run through his mind. Seeing Danny open up more and show a different side of himself really got to him. And 'But now, being here, I'm starting to care a little more', was that directed at Steve? Did Danny like him in that way too?

Steve smiled and pulled at his hair. He had only known Danny for two days and he was driving him crazy. Steve thought it was more than just a high school crush, it was something else. Steve stopped pacing; he stood still and looked at the ocean. He had never felt this way about anyone before, it felt unreal, but so intense at the same time.

"I like Danny. I really like him," Steve mumbled to himself.

Actually admitting it to himself felt like a big step, he had felt so confused and awkward these past couple days. He ran into the water, wetting his feet and calves. The water was really cold, but Steve didn't care. He tried to savor the moment, but couldn't help but thinking what he would do next. How could he tell Danny that he liked him in that way? Would it ruin the beginnings of their friendship? He sighed and felt the wet sand on his feet.

Steve turned around to the house and noticed that his parent's bedroom light was off. He could hear a car engine start up; it was a rough noise, the distinct sound of his Dad's car. He heard the car drive off into the night. He took a deep breath, and was immediately brought back to reality. He stared at the ocean one last time, before heading back into the house to check if Mary-Ann was alright.

The next day, Steve invited Catherine out for lunch at a nearby diner from school. Danny had to speak with a teacher, so he said he would join them later on. Steve was relieved for that; he needed to tell Catherine everything about last night. He didn't know what to do next, but he soon realized that Catherine would help.

"Catherine, I really like him," Steve said.

"I know," Catherine said and sipped a chocolate milkshake. Steve had hardly touched his lunch, he was beginning to lose his appetite, which was uncanny for him.

"No I mean really like him, it doesn't feel like a crush anymore. Last night on the beach, it was different," Steve admitted.

He looked Catherine straight in the eye, with a serious look on his face.

Catherine set her milkshake and moved it to the side. She sat up straight and leaned in closer to Steve. She smiled, she could see a glint in Steve's eyes.

"So tell him that you like him," Catherine said.

Steve bit his bottom lip, "How the hell do I do that?"

"Well I think he likes you too, so once you do it, I don't think it will be as bad as you're thinking."

"What if he doesn't like me in that way? What if I stuff up our friendship?" Steve replied.

"You have to take that chance, if you don't tell him soon, you will regret it, it will eat you up inside."

Steve lent back on his seat, he looked out the diner window to collect his thoughts.

Outside, he saw Danny coming into the diner.

"Stop talking," Steve said sharply.

"What?" Catherine said, not noticing Danny approaching them.

"Hey guys," Danny said and perched himself next to Catherine, directly opposite Steve.

Catherine subtly nodded at Steve, before passing Danny a milkshake she got for him, "Banana milkshake for you."

"Thanks. So what have you guys been talking about?" Danny asked as he gulped his shake down.

Steve looked flustered as he tried to come up with an answer, "Uh, nothing really".

"Oh okay," Danny said after a short pause.

Catherine smiled sweetly at Danny and sipped her milkshake, as Steve shifted around in his seat.

"So are we still going surfing with Chin and Kono after school?" Danny asked, to try and change the subject.

"Yeah, for sure, we can head over there together," Steve replied.

Catherine widened her eyes at Steve and slightly shifted her head towards Danny. She was trying to let Steve know that the surfing session was an opportunity to tell Danny.

Steve rolled his eyes at Catherine before turning back to Danny and smiled.

"We better head back to school, the bell will go soon," Catherine said and sighed.

The three of them got up, and Danny lead the way out of the diner.

Catherine squeezed Steve's shoulder as they followed behind. Steve turned around to her, to see her eagerly nodding. Steve laughed under his breath and shook his head quickly. He knew what he had to do now, but he just had to find the right time, and a time when he felt ready.

Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming! :) This chapter is kinds a setup for the next chapter, so there will be lots of exciting things to come!