Danny signed and dated the last document on his desk, and with great relief, placed it in his outgoing box. He laced his fingers together and raised them over his head, completing a spine-popping stretch. Instinctually, his eyes flicked over to his left, about ten o'clock, where the sunlight bounced off the glass walls of Steve's office.
His partner was hunched over his computer, brows furrowed in concentration. He typed a few words, then paused, as if considering what to say next. The corners of Danny's mouth twitched as he turned back to his desk. Onto the next task.
The next time he looked up – which felt like an hour, but was in fact only twenty minutes – Steve was running a hand over his face. Instantly, Danny felt energy shoot through him. Was something wrong? Had Steve heard bad news? Then Steve dropped his hand, and Danny noted that there was no distress on his partner's face. He was just tired, then.
Steve turned his head just a fraction, and the two men made eye contact.
Danny gasped but didn't look away. He didn't think he was capable of it. He'd been watching Steve from across Five-O's headquarters for years, but he'd never been caught in the act.
Ever so slowly, Steve's lips curled into a smile. Danny's heart began tumbling inside his chest, unsure of what to do with itself. Steve was straight, and he knew better than to get his hopes up, but fuck; that smug smile was delicious. Time seemed to stop as the two men stared at each other, and then –
Steve licked his lips and turned back to his computer.
Danny's cheeks flamed. That teasing bastard. His heart was still thumping and he didn't know what to think. He stared blankly at his computer. The cursor was blinking on the screen. He thought about typing What is wrong with me? And How do I know if my straight coworker is actually straight? Instead, he dug his knuckles into his forehead.
Time dragged until Danny deemed it acceptable to pack up and leave for the day. He didn't have Grace tonight, so it would give him some time to fully analyze his interaction with Steve.
He trudged through the halls of the palace, deep in thought. When he pushed the door of the palace open, he heard a voice call out to him.
"Hold up!"
He couldn't see the man who'd called out to him, as the Hawaiian sun had blinded him, but he knew exactly who it was. His luck was just that bad.
"Thanks Danno," Steve smirked as he brushed past Danny. The fingers of his right hand grazed Danny's thigh, and his mouth turned dry. Too dry to complain about Steve's use of his nickname.
"See you tomorrow," Steve said, and jogged across the lawn to his truck. Danny could see the look of self-satisfaction on Steve's face, even from fifty feet away.
One of Danny's questions had just been answered, though it brought him little comfort: There was no way in hell that Steven was straight.