The Kalakaua-Kelly clan are determined to matchmake Steve. Out of desperation, Steve makes up a boyfriend named Danny.
It doesn't quite go according to plan.
Steve still doesn’t know how they found out about Cath meeting someone and breaking off the benefits part of their friendship. Privately, he suspects Chin. The man is uncanny with technology and far too perceptive.
It's not like he's heartbroken or anything. He and Cath are good friends and always will be. The sex was a matter of convenience for them both, and they knew it wasn’t going to last once one of them found someone else. And to be honest, he’s kind of enjoying the solitude. The past sixteen years were spent sharing tight quarters with dozens of other men, and it’s nice having his own space for a while.
He tries to explain that to Kono, several times. With diagrams.
“Sure,” Kono agrees, then, “I have a friend who’s into extreme water sports. I think you’ll like her.”
Okay, so maybe he got a little excessive during a few cases, and there may have been some gratuitous property damage. He might also be realizing how empty and quiet his house is, when he’s on another insomnia jag and he's sitting alone watching Iron Chef reruns.
He goes on a couple of dates.
But while it's not so bad when it’s just Kono, things get a whole lot more uncomfortable when her aunts get involved and Steve starts getting calls at all hours of the day about what his preferences are and when he’s free, and if he likes Thai food. He manages to fend them off, but his excuses are getting weaker and he can feel them circling closer like sharks sensing a kill.
It’s when Chin mentions, very casually, that Malia has a couple of single doctor friends, that Steve snaps.
“Look,” he says, planting both hands on the tech table and accidentally opening up a game of Angry Birds. Kono's, from the score. “I appreciate you guys trying to hook me up with every single woman on this island, but I’m seeing someone now. So you can stop. And tell your aunts to stop, they keep calling my cell phone and it’s starting to freak me out.”
It's a total lie. Not the freaking out, because her aunts are scary, but the dating someone part. He does feel a little guilty about lying to his team, but if this goes on, he is going to run away to sea.
“Oh, sorry, brah,” Kono says. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Steve opens his mouth, and in his mind he formulates something about privacy and preferring to keep his personal life out of the work place and how the relationship is so new that he wants to make sure it’s working before introducing them. Except that's lame and doesn't really explain why he didn't say anything when it could have so easily put a stop to the whole thing. (Especially after Date #11. Holy mother of fuck Date #11, Steve has never been so happy for someone to be murdered because he didn't think anything short of the governor calling Steve in would have let him escape that date with his body parts intact.) No, what he needs is a reason he would want to keep it secret, something that they would understand-
“It’s a guy,” he blurts out, and wow, that was not how he was planning on telling his team about his bisexuality.
