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"Steve," Danny said for what must have been the umpteenth time, "why do you want to keep us a secret? I don't get it. I mean, I know that you were worried about your position in the Navy, but Don't Ask, Don't Tell is gone now, so you should be safe — right?"
Steve sighed. He'd been over this with Danny more times than he cared to count. He was running out of reasons. He couldn't tell Danny the truth: that coming out about their relationship made it real, and making it real risked it ending. It wasn't logical. It didn't make sense. But it was his fear, and fear doesn't have to make sense.
"It's just with the increased scrutiny Five-0 has been under since Governor Jameson was killed, I don't want to risk the new Governor finding out about us. I'm afraid that he might say that we can't be partners if we're a couple. Doesn't HPD have rules about that?"
"Sure," Danny answered. "But we're Five-0. We're not HPD. You're in charge of Five-0."
"Can we please stop talking about this?" Steve begged. "Can we just enjoy a rare day off and spend it together?"
Danny acquiesced to his partner's request, but inside he still wondered about Steve's refusal to acknowledge their relationship. For his own part, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops that he and Steve were together. He wanted to everyone to know that this handsome man was his. He saw the way people looked at Steve, and it made him want to wrap his arms around his partner and say, "Hands off! He's mine!"
As time passed, the secrecy began to take a toll on both Steve and Danny. Both men found it extremely difficult to keep up the pretence at work, and lately Steve had been assigning Danny and Kono to work together, and spending more of his time with Chin. He'd seen the hurt look in Danny's eyes when he did that, and he hated himself for it. He told himself that he was just being professional, but it still hurt like hell.
It didn't help that lately he'd been hearing Kono tease Danny about flirting with women they met while working on their cases. "What's a little harmless flirting?" Danny had asked rhetorically. "I'm a single guy. I like to flirt. Not like it hurts anyone." Steve was certain Danny had deliberately said that in his earshot.
"Yo, Steve." Danny's voice cut into Steve's thoughts. "Time to get out the James Bond suit. We're invited to a fancy party at the Governor's mansion." He handed the invitation to Steve.
The new Governor was holding a reception at Washington Place, his official residence, and he'd invited Five-0, along with senior members of the HPD, staff from the Governor's office, and various state officials. Steve supposed that the official mourning period for Governor Jameson was over, and the new Governor was now holding court, or whatever they called it.
He noticed that Danny was looking at him. He knew what that was about. Danny knew that he and Steve weren't going to go together as a couple. "It doesn't say we can bring dates," Steve told him. "I guess we're all going stag."
The night of the party arrived. Steve adjusted his tie again. He'd considered wearing his Navy uniform, but he always got a lot more attention when wearing that than he did when he wore anything else. He didn't want Danny to see women throwing themselves at him, no matter how much flirting Danny himself had been doing lately.
Danny arrived at the party before Steve did. He helped himself to food and accepted a glass of wine. Happily, no one seemed to be mistaking him for a waiter. He greeted Kono, and then he found the Governor and did the polite small-talk thing.
When an attractive young woman greeted the Governor, he introduced her to Danny. "This is Lani Kokua, one of my administrative staff," he said. "She's one of the people who keeps the office running so smoothly. Lani, this is Detective Williams."
"Nice to meet you, Lani Kokua," Danny said. "May I buy you a drink?"
"The drinks are free here, Detective."
"Call me Danny. Well, let me get you a free drink, then." Danny lifted a glass from the tray of a passing waiter and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Danny."
Danny and Lani chatted for awhile, and then they both spotted Steve. "Wait a minute, isn't that Steve McGarrett?" Lani asked.
"Yeah, that's my partner, Steve. Do you know him?"
"We went to school together," Lani said. The two of them went to greet Steve.
"Steve McGarrett! I'm Lani Kokua. Remember me?"
Steve smiled at her, but he wondered what she was doing with Danny. "Of course I remember you. Are you working for Governor Denning?"
"Yes, I'm one of the administrative staff — a glorified secretary. But if I have to be a glorified secretary, at least I can do it here in Honolulu. How long have you been back in Hawaii?"
"Just over a year," Steve said. "I'm the head of Five-0, the Governor's task force. Danny here is my partner."
"Well tell me, Steve, is your attractive partner here single?"
He didn't know what came over him, but suddenly Steve was tired of all the secrecy, of pretending that he and Danny were partners on the job and nothing else.
"No, he's not," Steve said. Before Danny could speak for himself, Steve had grabbed him and kissed him passionately. "Danny and I are partners off the job as well. We have been for awhile."
Danny was speechless. Lani was amused.
"Okay, you didn't have to be quite so demonstrative, but I get the point," she laughed. "Do you have any other handsome partners you can introduce me to?"
Steve turned and saw Chin Ho staring at him and Danny. "Chin, meet Lani Kokua, an old friend from school. Lani, meet Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly of Five-0. I have to say hello to the Governor, then Danny and I are getting out of here — together."
END