Author's Note: I know it's not finished, yet, but I wanted to get the latest chapter posted on Valentine's Day. I figured it was only appropriate, seeing as how this is supposed to be a Valentine's Day challenge...
Steve was kind of terrible at the whole romance thing.
Everyone had told him, from his first girlfriend in high school ("You bought me an umbrella?" "You hate getting wet." "I said that because I wanted to snuggle with you under your umbrella, you idiot!"), to his first serious relationship after he'd graduated from the Naval Academy ("How can I marry you, when you're already married to the SEALs?"), to Catherine, their first go-round ("No, really, Steve, it's you. I'm sorry.").
And Steve wasn't debating that; he knew he had his issues with romance, and relationships, and not screwing things up. Somewhere along the way, he'd decided to keep things strictly friendly. Even his on again-off again with Cath had never really progressed any further than casual intimacy. He wasn't willing to let it go any further.
So, it came as no small surprise when he realized that he'd fallen head-over-heels for his partner.
It was one of those things that snuck up on him, gradually. He couldn't pinpoint when it first started, but he remembered coming into work one morning and seeing Danny talk to Kono. The other man had been laughing, a bright smile that lit up his whole face, and Steve had been completely gone.
And it had only gotten worse from there. Slowly but surely, he'd fallen more and more in love with Danny. Everything, from the way he gestured when he talked, to his insatiable malasada habit, even the way he ranted at Steve when he did something stupid. Steve couldn't remember feeling like this about anyone, before.
Which was why he was standing in the middle of the local nursery, staring down the selection of flowers in front of him.
"Sir, can I help you – oh, Commander McGarrett, you're back again?"
"Yeah," Steve confirmed, as he looked over at the smiling saleswoman. "Um, Lynda, I'm a little lost."
"Considering how long you've been coming here," Lynda teased him, "You'd think that you'd have learned something about flowers by now."
"I did," Steve told her. "I learned that I know nothing about flowers, and that I should consult an expert. That's where you come in." He gave her a winning smile.
Lynda sighed, an amused look in her eye. Turning her attention to the flowers in front of him, she studied the selection for several moments. Then, she pulled a few long-stemmed white flowers from a bucket, winding a ribbon around the stems to keep them together.
"Moonflower," she explained, as she loosely wrapped a wet paper towel around the blossoms to keep them hydrated. "We only have a few of these, because we don't often get to cut them off the vine."
"Is that your way of telling me that this is going to be costly?" Steve quipped, pulling out his wallet.
"Nah," Lynda replied. "You're a good customer; you get our friends and family discount."
"So, what do moonflowers mean?" Steve asked, as he took the flowers from her.
"Dreaming of love," Lynda told him, smiling. "I thought that it seemed particularly appropriate, given the way you get all dewy-eyed whenever you talk about the person you've been giving these flowers to. I hope he or she knows how lucky they are to have you."
"I'm lucky to have him," Steve replied, quietly. "Believe me. I'm the lucky one."
