Valentine's Day began like any other. It was a workday, so Danny barged into Steve's house for a cup of coffee at about 7:30. As usual, he was ranting about a very trivial topic: today, it was about one of Grace's classmates, who'd asked her out on a date.

"Who does this kid think he is?" Danny exclaimed, throwing out his hands. His coffee was in grave danger of flying out of its mug. Steve made the appropriate noises of agreement whenever there was a lull in Danny's monologue, but he was more focused on his plans for today.

Danny hadn't been on a date for weeks, much to Steve's secret relief. He always tried to be happy for his partner, but it was fucking heart-wrenching watching the man he loved flirt with and date other people. Steve knew that Danny had been feeling lonely, especially approaching Valentine's Day, which had sparked the idea for a surprise.

Steve shepherded Danny into the Camaro and off to work without incident, coffee-related or otherwise. For the next two hours, Steve fidgeted at his desk, hardly able to concentrate. At a quarter to ten, he got up to "stretch his legs," and walked down to the parking lot to investigate. He held his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun and made a wide scan. Nothing yet.

Steve returned to his office, though he gave up on working. Instead, he watched the minutes tick by.

9:59.

10:01.

10:04.

Then at 10:06, the door to HQ swung open. A man carrying a bouquet of roses entered, an orange visitor's pass hanging around his neck. After receiving directions from Kono, he tapped on the door of Danny's office. Adrenaline rushed through Steve as he watched Danny accept the flowers, a bemused expression on his face. He set the flowers on his desk and inspected the card, though he wouldn't find any clues. Steve had been cautious about the message he'd chosen. Good luck, Danno, he smirked. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind a pleasurable buzz. It hadn't even occurred to Steve to plan his next steps, but he was about to wish he had.

At lunch, everyone took the opportunity to tease Danny about his flowers.

"Do you have a secret admirer, Danny?" Kono grinned.

"I don't know who they're from. The card wasn't signed," Danny replied, clearly trying to hold onto his patience.

"And you haven't been seeing anyone lately," Steve pitched in, unable to resist.

"Shut up. I don't see you going on dates either, McGarrett," Danny grumbled.

"Oh!" Kono realized, clapping her hands together. "Maybe it's that woman we see all the time at Kamekona's. She's always looking at you."

Danny wasn't convinced. "How would she know where to send them?"

"Maybe she saw your badge," Chin suggested.

Steve did not appreciate this shift in conversation. He realized he was gripping the edge of the computer table so hard his knuckles had turned white. His heart was racing again, but not from excitement. He watched Danny's back every second of every day, he listened to every single one of his rants. He loved Danny's kids as his own. Steve was in love with this man, all of his flaws and all of his strengths. What did this strange woman know about him; what did any woman know about Danny Williams? No one had ever loved this man like Steve loved him. He just wished –

"Boss, you okay?" Kono asked, frowning. Steve blinked and suddenly remembered where he was. He automatically looked to Danny first. Steve could see that telltale little crease between Danny's brows, which meant Steve had really looked concerning.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just thinking."

Surprisingly, Danny didn't have a smartass reply to that.