H50 Fic - Inferno (Steve/Danny First Time)
Title: Inferno
Characters: Danny Williams/Steve McGarrett
Fandom: Hawaii Five-O
Summary: Steve is trapped but still ends up a hero for something unlikely.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 4,400
Warnings: Unbeated! Um... Hurt!Steve?! :p
Beta: NONE! ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE AND I'M SO SORRY FOR THEM!
Disclaimer: If I did, this would be happening in the show!
It was the intense heat that awoke him. With a groan, Steve attempted to sit up, but immediately stopped when his ribs protested in pain. Everything was going so well with their investigation on a wanted arms dealer that sent the Five-0 team off to a supposedly abandoned warehouse. He remembered entering the open planned warehouse, Chin and Danny securing the perimeter while Kono hung back in case someone arrived, seeing nothing out of the ordinary with his weapon raised. Then, all of a sudden, there was nothing.
Awkwardly looking around the room, Steve soon realised just how much trouble he was currently in. Flames surrounded him, blocking any obvious escape routes, the tongues licking at his skin, scorching him and singeing his hair. Steve knew he had to get up and get moving, he just hoped that his team members were all safe outside. With a grunt, Steve forced himself upright and steeled himself to get moving.
Outside, Chin and Danny had been blown backwards by a large blast. They quickly picked themselves up and shook off the dust falling on them. “Kono!” “Steve?” They both called out, rushing back to their last whereabouts. Kono met the men at what use to be the entry to the warehouse, “Kono? Are you alright? Where’s Steve?” Danny asked quickly.
“He… he’s in there…” Kono stuttered, pointing towards the burning building.
“What?! We have to go in there! Steve? Steve!” Danny started calling out, the other two calling out with him.
Danny was frantic, desperate to get in there and save his friend, but knowing that it was foolish and reckless to even think about going in there.
“The fire department are already on their way Danny, they’ll be here soon,” Kono informed the others, trying to placate Danny.
“He… he could be dead by then!” Danny retorted, continuing to pace as he watched the thick black smoke rise from the old building, clouding the bright sky and hearing but ignoring the choked back sob from Kono and the sharp gasp from Chin.
Inside the building, the increasing smoke was making it hard for Steve to draw in any air, he was struggling to breathe and knew he was running out of time. Ignoring the pain he got to his knees and blindly started moving around, calling out in hopes of getting out of the building.
“Dan-Danny?” he coughed, his voice barely a whisper. He had just moved when a nearby support beam came crashing down right where he had been laying. Burning wood and ash blew into his face, causing him to hiss in pain, but he didn’t let that stop him.
Steve could vaguely make out the sounds of something off in the distance and he let that lead him away from where he had fallen. His movements were slow and measured, protecting his head from the flames and covering his mouth from the smoke. Steve thought he could see light up ahead, possibly from a window he thought, but was diverted once more by the same sound he heard before. It could have been his mind playing tricks on him, hearing things from the lack of air, but he kept moving, it was his only hope at this point.
Following the sound, the only thing he could distinguish in the inferno, Steve found himself up against a wall, still relatively untouched by the flames that were slowly creeping up on him. He took a moment to recover, the heat intense and exhausting him quicker than he was used to. Steve had only once ever found himself in a similar position to what he was in right now, but those were memories he didn’t dare bring up now.
Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging the small cuts that littered his face. Steve brought his arm up and attempted to mop away the sweat, but it barely made a difference. With no time to lose, Steve started moving once more, one arm out against the wall in front of him, feeling out for a safe path to follow. He soon found himself near the corner of the building, unaware that he had moved further away from the exit rather than towards it, he was realising that he was running out of places to go.
Outside, Danny and his teammates hailed down the fire-trucks, police and ambulances as they arrived. They helped direct the teams, informing them of the situation and where Steve had entered from and how long Steve had been in there. They could see it on all their faces, the fire-fighters were looking doubtful of a successful rescue mission, but they didn’t let that deter them. Danny wouldn’t stop believing that Steve was okay until he had physical proof of otherwise.
Steve knew his options were limited, he could either backtrack or continue onwards, but the flames were coming in from both sides. He wrapped one arm around his injured abdomen and flung his other hand out, flinching back when it came in contact with something soft rather than the hard wall he was expecting. He dragged himself forward slightly, his left leg now throbbing in pain, trying to get a better look at what was in front of him.
His eyes widened at what he saw, realisation dawning on him, connecting the sounds he was hearing to what he was now seeing. He carefully reached out, moving slowly, and grabbed at the small object lying there with one hand before holding it close to his body, protecting it from the flames that now completely surrounded them.
There was no escape now. The air was thin, his body desperate for oxygen as he continued to cough, causing his body to protest in pain. His vision was blackening out, eyes drooping as his last reserves of energy were leaving him.
“Sorry… D.” Steve whispered with his last ounce of strength, eyes closing as he felt the heat of the flames enclose over him.
It had felt like hours, from standing out there after realising that Steve was stuck inside the raging inferno to watching the two teams of fire-fighters enter the building in search of their missing leader. Danny, Chin and Kono were all standing close to one another, watching the door closely, praying that Steve would emerge soon, but hope was wavering.
A sudden commotion from inside caused the three friends to jump, watching in terror as half the warehouse collapsed before them. “No…” “Steve!” Kono gasped as Danny yelled, Chin silent between them, holding the other two back.
Danny was desperate, he wanted to go in there and find his missing partner, needed to do it. He fought against Chin’s grip over his forearm, breaking away from the firm grasp and rushing towards the dilapidated building. Just as he was reaching the doorway, two new hands grabbed at him, pulling him back as a group of fire-fighters marched out.
“Steve? Steve!” Danny cried, fighting off the chief’s hands as he rushed towards the team that had just come out.
The leader of the team removed his mask, counting out his men to ensure that everyone had made it out before approaching Danny and the Chief. “We couldn’t continue, our access was limited by the collapse, however Beta team says they may have something,” he informed the two men as he regained his breath.
Danny was panicking, he knew the longer Steve was in there the worse it was going to be for him. He couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to be doing something, anything useful, but logically he knew that there was nothing he could do for Steve now.
“Beta team is coming out!” Someone announced from behind them, causing everyone on scene to become more alert.
“They’ve got him! Bring the stretcher over, we need oxygen, let’s move!” the chief announced, laying eyes on his team safely exiting the building with the task-force leader in tow.
Danny was the first to rush over to the group of fire-fighters, instantly moving to the unconscious man’s side. “Damn it Steve, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” Danny mumbled, resting his hand over Steve’s forehead.
The stretcher was pulled over and Steve was laid down over it, an oxygen mask quickly getting pulled over his nose and mouth while the other paramedic attempted to pull his arms away from his stomach to insert an IV.
“He’s holding onto something, I can’t get him to let go?” the medic said to his partner.
Danny heard what was going on and looked down at Steve’s arms, both of them wrapped tightly around his abdomen. There were burns and open wounds littering them, but that wasn’t what made him gasp in shock. Underneath his hands, a soft meow sounded.
“Steve, it’s me babe, if you can hear me, just relax, I have you, and I got it,” Danny whispered into Steve’s ear, smiling slightly as the tension left the fallen man’s body, his grip on what he was holding loosening, allowing Danny to take the item off him while the medic continued his treatment.
“Kono! Call a vet or something, we have a rescued kitten on our hands and it needs treatment ASAP!” Danny called out, holding the tiny kitten up to his face, almost causing him to go cross-eyed. “Oh Steve, only you could still be a hero in all of this,” Danny sighed, watching as Steve was loaded into the ambulance and taken away.
“There’s a vet not too far from here, I can take it…” Kono offered, sensing Danny’s need to follow his partner.
“Thanks babe,” Danny nodded, handing the small thing over carefully, “Look out for it, don’t let anything happen to it,” Danny demanded before running to his Camaro and driving towards the hospital.
Steve had been immediately taken into surgery, getting treated for smoke inhalation and first, second and most seriously, third degree burns. The wounds were cleaned and skin grafts were set, it took longer than anticipated, flushing out each wound and ensuring that there would be minimal scaring, but soon enough they were done.
Danny, Chin and Kono were waiting for word on Steve’s condition for nearly four hours, a tired doctor finally coming to talk to them after finishing their leader’s treatment. “Detective, I’m Doctor Ralph, I treated Commander Steve McGarrett. If you would like to follow me, we can discuss his condition,” The older man said.
“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to the rest of the team, we are all ohana here,” Danny informed the doctor, not budging from his friends’ sides.
“As you wish,” he nodded, moving to a group of chairs and indicating for the team to sit. “The Commander came in with severe smoke inhalation, he was treated with 100% oxygen and is currently on a ventilator to aid with his breathing which we are still monitoring. He also had severely bruised ribs and a large gash on his left leg from an imbedded foreign object that was removed. He presented with multiple burns all over his torso, mainly his arms, legs, torso and face. His hands and forearms required multiple skin grafts which were all successful, however the next 48 hours will be crucial in dictating how his recovery will go…” Doctor Ralph informed the team.
“So… He’s okay though right? I mean right now? Can we go see him?” Danny asked, desperate to see his partner.
“He is currently being settled into his private room, once there I will send a nurse to take you to see him. Your friend Steve is very lucky, it could have been a lot worse, however he still has a long road of recovery ahead of him, including the possibility of physical therapy for his hands.”
“Thank you Doc,” Danny nodded, burying his head in his hands and he let out a sigh, worried for Steve.
“He’s going to be okay Danny, its Steve, he just has to be,” Chin commented, patting the blonde’s back in an attempt to comfort him.
Kono was about to speak up, adding her own comforting words when her phone went off. “Hello? Uh huh, that’s great! Yes we will, mahalo,” she said before quickly hanging up.
“Who was that, Kono?” Chin asked, Danny not really focusing on the rookie, still caught up in worrying about Steve.
“That was the vet. They said that the kitten Steve rescued is doing well… it was really young and suffered some previous abuse before the fire, but they are confident she’s going to recover,” Kono explained with a slight smile. “Steve rescued a kitty in all of this, at least that’s something good,” she added.
Danny looked up at her words, “He saved the kitten? Superman saved a kitten?” Danny chuckled, his slight chuckle turning into full blown laughter.
“Danny?” Kono questioned.
“Of course Steve would end up having saved a kitten!” He continued, the stress of the entire morning finally cracking him, causing the two cousins to join in on the laughter. All three of them simply ignoring the glaring looks from the other people around them, none of them knew what they had just been through or would understand that they needed this.
It was about another half an hour’s wait before the nurse collected the trio, leading them to Steve’s private room. “He’s sedated right now, be prepared for a bit of a shocking view, he’s got a lot of graft bandages covering his body and some of the exposed skin is quiet red and raw. A nurse will be coming past every hour or so to check on the wounds, but for now you are all welcome to sit and talk with him, just please keep the volume down,” she said before opening the door and leading the Five-0 team inside.
Danny’s eyes wandered over Steve’s body, taking in the site before him. There was no denying how bad Steve looked, all wrapped up in the small hospital bed, laying completely motionless. This was not the Steve Danny knew, the man he knew could never sit or lay still, was always on the go and always looked like nothing could ever stop him. Now he just looked lost and broken.
“Shit Steve,” He muttered after a few moments of stunned silence, moving towards the too small bed and taking up a seat beside his friend.
Danny wanted to grab one of Steve’s hands and hold onto them, but the hands were completely covered with the stark white bandages. He was too scared to touch any part of his partner, scared to hurt his best friend in any way. Hesitantly, Danny tucked his finger’s in Steve’s singed hair, playing with the now shorter strands and scraping his finger nails gently against the injured man’s skull.
“What do you get yourself into brah?” Chin commented, walking up to Steve’s other side with Kono, both cousins unsure of how to process the idea of their leader seriously injured.
“You did some good though Boss, that kitten you saved is going to be okay, they’re keeping it for us until you can decide what you want to do with her yourself… So you know what that means right? You have to get better, and soon!” Kono spoke, subtly swiping at the pooling tears in her eyes.
“Danny, we’re going to head out, call us if anything changes?” Chin said after spending a few minutes in Steve’s room in silence.
Danny simply nodded, eyes not leaving Steve as the cousins left him alone. He stayed in the hospital that night, leaving the room for only a few quick minutes to speak to Grace, sleeping slumped over Steve’s bed, using his arms as a pillow, head resting right beside Steve’s. it was a nurse who woke him early the next morning, the petite lady explaining that Steve was triggering the vent himself and was paging the doctor to get it removed.
The doctor didn’t keep them waiting long, rushing in and evaluating Steve quickly and efficiently before deeming Steve stable enough to come off the ventilator. “You can just wait outside Detective…” the doctor started.
“No, I won’t… I’ll wait right here, thank you very much,” Danny argued, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to budge.
“Whatever, we don’t have time for this, he’s responding to external stimuli, he’s waking up and we need to hurry,” Dr Ralph muttered angrily. It didn’t take long, the tube coming out easily as Steve coughed and sputtered before a nasal canal was inserted to continue supplying oxygen to Steve’s damaged lungs.
“Commander McGarrett? Can you hear me commander?” The doctor questioned, gently squeezing Steve’s shoulders in an attempt to garner a response. Steve groaned, unconsciously shying away from the doctor’s touch.
“Steve, babe, can you hear me? Come on, wake up!” Danny begged, all but pushing the doctor out of the way and copying his movements.
Steve’s eyes fluttered slightly, the call of Danny’s voice to desperate to ignore. It wasn’t instant, but slowly Steve started coming around. He first groaned out from the pain, Danny distantly hearing the doctor order a higher dose of painkillers, before his eyes started to open. It was only a mere slit, but Danny caught Steve’s eyes and held them, urging him to wake completely.
“That’s it Babe, come on,” Danny pressed, his fingertips lightly brushing against the skin around Steve’s eyes and cheek, too scared to touch any harder out of fear of hurting his partner.
“D-Da,” Steve attempted, coughing violently causing him to moan in pain, the coughing jostling his injured ribs.
“Shh, you’re alright, just breathe through it, that’s it,” Danny encouraged, his fingers once again burying themselves into Steve’s hair, trying to ground and reassure the injured man.
“-urts… Wha-?” Steve questioned after closing his eyes and swallowing hard, trying to regain control over his body and manage the pain.
“Here, we’re just going to give you a little something for that pain now Commander, do you think you would be able to answer some questions?” The doctor interrupted.
“Just give him a second… can he have something for his throat? Some ice chips or something?” Danny asked, looking at the nurses for some sympathy, one of them quickly nodded, rushing off to get some for them.
Danny accepted the small plastic glass, scooping some ice chips onto the spoon and gently fed some to his partner. Steve gratefully accepted the soothing ice, his lips parting slightly as Danny tipped the spoon up so he could suck greedily on the cool liquid.
“Thanks,” Steve croaked.
“No problem babe. Do you remember why you're here?” Danny asked before the doctor could once again interrupt them.
“N-no? We were on a case?”
“That’s right, we were checking out a lead at a warehouse… it kind of… blew up? With you in it…” Danny finished lamely.
“How bad?” Steve asked, eyeing his wrapped hands.
Danny stepped aside, allowing the doctor to step forward, so that now he was standing right beside Steve’s head.
“You’re being treated for smoke inhalation, bruised ribs, a deep leg wound and various degrees of burns, your skin grafts were successful, and so far everything is looking good for a speedy recovery, all you will need is a bit of physical therapy, but other than that I foresee no complications,” he quickly explained, “now, I’m sorry but I do have other patients to attend to, if you need me just page one of the nurses and they can get me,” he added, barely giving Steve a moment to absorb all the information before he was gone.
“Sorry about him,” one of the nurses said, seeing the men’s shocked faces, “He’s… he’s very good though at what he does…” she tried before also leaving them with a promise of returning to check on Steve’s wounds in an hour.
“Steve? You okay babe?” Danny asked, finger’s playing with Steve’s hair.
“Y-yeah… I’m fine. How about everyone else? No one else was injured were they?” Steve asked.
“And there you go, straight into worrying about everyone else, you’re not fine, I can see the tension in your face, you’re in pain… but no, no one else was hurt… well, actually there was one…”
“What? Who? Are they okay?” Steve asked urgently, trying to sit up but the pain caused him to lie back down.
“Relax Steve, relax. There, that’s it. Don’t worry, they’re doing okay, great actually… but it’s not really a person…”
“What?”
“You, and I swear only you could do this! You saved a kitten! The vet called and said she’s doing really well,” Danny explained with a cheeky smile.
“How did I manage that?” Steve asked, trying to gauge how serious Danny really was.
“None of us will ever know I guess,” Danny shrugged. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to call Chin and Kono and let them know you’re okay, I’ll be right back,” he added, quickly stepping out of the room to tell the cousins that Steve was awake and that they could come visit when they wanted.
“Danny? What are you even doing here, did you stay here all night?” Steve asked once Danny returned to his seat beside Steve’s head, his fingers once more finding their way into Steve’s hair.
“Of course I stayed all night! My partner, the idiot that he is, was all but blown up… then he was stuck in a freaking inferno for what felt like an eternity! He was rushed into surgery, received a skin graft and wasn’t breathing on his own! So yeah, of course I stayed the night!” Danny ranted.
“Danno… you know, you could have just said you were worried about me,” Steve smirked, pushing his head up into Danny’s hand.
“Alright you goof, I was worried about you, happy now?” Danny sighed, his eyes sparkling.
“Very,” Steve nodded, leaning closer towards Danny, as much as his body would allow.
Danny took the hint, with his hand still cupping the back of Steve’s head he also started to lean forward until their heads were only separated by a breath of air. Danny silently searched Steve’s eyes, looking for any sign that he was reading this whole situation wrong. Finding nothing but open honesty and want, Danny started to close the gap between them.
The sound of the door opening however caused the two of them to spring apart, Steve quickly rolling back down while Danny spun around to see who it was.
“Chin! Kono!” Danny said with forced cheer, welcoming the cousins in.
“Hey brah! Good to see you awake!” Chin spoke, “Looking good there boss!” Kono added, sitting herself down at the edge of Steve’s bed beside his feet.
The three of them spoke until the nurse came in, shooing all of them out so that she could treat his wounds. The following week followed a very similar routine. Danny would stay in the hospital during visiting hours, sometimes with Grace but usually alone, and would keep Steve company, neither one of them commenting on the almost kiss. Danny was also there the day Steve was released, pushing Steve in the wheelchair towards his car where he then took Steve home.
Sitting on one of his deckchairs staring out into the water, Steve relaxed into the sounds of Danny pottering around inside. It had been a gruelling few days with the physical therapy, dealing with all his injuries and dealing with the slow building tension between him and his partner. A small but vaguely familiar sound drew Steve out of his thoughts.
“Danno?” he called out, hearing the strange sound again.
“Relax Steve, I’m coming!” Danny called back, finalising the preparations on his little surprise. Danny joined Steve on the lanai moments later, handing over a bottle of water and holding the fairly large box up for his partner to see.
“Thanks D. What’s that?” Steve asked accepting the bottle and nodding towards the box.
“Just a little something for you,” Danny smirked just as the box meowed.
Steve raised an eyebrow in question, accepting the box and quickly lifting the lid. Peering inside, Steve’s eyes widened as he saw a small kitten blink right back up at him. With careful, and still slightly sore hands, Steve reached in and picked up the small cat, running his fingers through the soft fur. It was barely bigger than the palm of his hand, almost a tabby colour but with splashes of ginger running throughout as well. He could feel the kitten purring and was instantly taken by the tiny animal.
“Hey there,” Steve all but cooed, bringing it right up to his face, the kitten instantly swatting at his nose.
“She was just cleared from the vets yesterday, Kono was looking after it but we thought you might want it? I mean, if you don’t the vets said they would rehome it but… well…” Danny shrugged.
“Does she have a name?” Steve asked, his eyes not leaving the cats, a small smile gracing his face as it continued to play with him.
“The vet nurses said they were calling her Spark, but you can change it if you want to, if you want to keep her that is…” Danny commented.
“Spark… Sparky, I like it!” Steve nodded, “how could I not keep her?” he smiled, “thank you for getting her for me, this is great!” he added, one arm coming out and pulling Danny in close.
They shared the quick embrace, Spark sitting on his lap, but Steve wouldn’t let Danny back off too far. He turned his head towards Danny, their foreheads resting against one another’s, as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Are we really doing this?” Danny asked, his hand coming up to cup Steve’s face.
“I want to,” Steve nodded.
Danny simply closed his eyes and finally closed the gap between them, their lips meeting in a gentle and quick touch. It was barely anything, but even the slightest touch caused their lips to tingle, it was perfection. Steve deepened the kiss slightly, drawing Danny closer and opening his mouth to let his tongue run along the seam of Danny’s lips, begging for entry. Danny allowed Steve to deepen the kiss for only a moment, pulling back slightly when he felt something land in his lap.
Both men sighed, looking down and seeing the kitten sitting innocently in Danny’s lap, looking up at the two of them, causing them to burst out laughing.
-End.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Leave a comment!! Comments are love and make me write more!
(Also, for those who are waiting for an update on my Deaf!Grace 'verse, more is coming! I'm trying!!)
Characters: Danny Williams/Steve McGarrett
Fandom: Hawaii Five-O
Summary: Steve is trapped but still ends up a hero for something unlikely.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 4,400
Warnings: Unbeated! Um... Hurt!Steve?! :p
Beta: NONE! ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE AND I'M SO SORRY FOR THEM!
Disclaimer: If I did, this would be happening in the show!
It was the intense heat that awoke him. With a groan, Steve attempted to sit up, but immediately stopped when his ribs protested in pain. Everything was going so well with their investigation on a wanted arms dealer that sent the Five-0 team off to a supposedly abandoned warehouse. He remembered entering the open planned warehouse, Chin and Danny securing the perimeter while Kono hung back in case someone arrived, seeing nothing out of the ordinary with his weapon raised. Then, all of a sudden, there was nothing.
Awkwardly looking around the room, Steve soon realised just how much trouble he was currently in. Flames surrounded him, blocking any obvious escape routes, the tongues licking at his skin, scorching him and singeing his hair. Steve knew he had to get up and get moving, he just hoped that his team members were all safe outside. With a grunt, Steve forced himself upright and steeled himself to get moving.
Outside, Chin and Danny had been blown backwards by a large blast. They quickly picked themselves up and shook off the dust falling on them. “Kono!” “Steve?” They both called out, rushing back to their last whereabouts. Kono met the men at what use to be the entry to the warehouse, “Kono? Are you alright? Where’s Steve?” Danny asked quickly.
“He… he’s in there…” Kono stuttered, pointing towards the burning building.
“What?! We have to go in there! Steve? Steve!” Danny started calling out, the other two calling out with him.
Danny was frantic, desperate to get in there and save his friend, but knowing that it was foolish and reckless to even think about going in there.
“The fire department are already on their way Danny, they’ll be here soon,” Kono informed the others, trying to placate Danny.
“He… he could be dead by then!” Danny retorted, continuing to pace as he watched the thick black smoke rise from the old building, clouding the bright sky and hearing but ignoring the choked back sob from Kono and the sharp gasp from Chin.
Inside the building, the increasing smoke was making it hard for Steve to draw in any air, he was struggling to breathe and knew he was running out of time. Ignoring the pain he got to his knees and blindly started moving around, calling out in hopes of getting out of the building.
“Dan-Danny?” he coughed, his voice barely a whisper. He had just moved when a nearby support beam came crashing down right where he had been laying. Burning wood and ash blew into his face, causing him to hiss in pain, but he didn’t let that stop him.
Steve could vaguely make out the sounds of something off in the distance and he let that lead him away from where he had fallen. His movements were slow and measured, protecting his head from the flames and covering his mouth from the smoke. Steve thought he could see light up ahead, possibly from a window he thought, but was diverted once more by the same sound he heard before. It could have been his mind playing tricks on him, hearing things from the lack of air, but he kept moving, it was his only hope at this point.
Following the sound, the only thing he could distinguish in the inferno, Steve found himself up against a wall, still relatively untouched by the flames that were slowly creeping up on him. He took a moment to recover, the heat intense and exhausting him quicker than he was used to. Steve had only once ever found himself in a similar position to what he was in right now, but those were memories he didn’t dare bring up now.
Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging the small cuts that littered his face. Steve brought his arm up and attempted to mop away the sweat, but it barely made a difference. With no time to lose, Steve started moving once more, one arm out against the wall in front of him, feeling out for a safe path to follow. He soon found himself near the corner of the building, unaware that he had moved further away from the exit rather than towards it, he was realising that he was running out of places to go.
Outside, Danny and his teammates hailed down the fire-trucks, police and ambulances as they arrived. They helped direct the teams, informing them of the situation and where Steve had entered from and how long Steve had been in there. They could see it on all their faces, the fire-fighters were looking doubtful of a successful rescue mission, but they didn’t let that deter them. Danny wouldn’t stop believing that Steve was okay until he had physical proof of otherwise.
Steve knew his options were limited, he could either backtrack or continue onwards, but the flames were coming in from both sides. He wrapped one arm around his injured abdomen and flung his other hand out, flinching back when it came in contact with something soft rather than the hard wall he was expecting. He dragged himself forward slightly, his left leg now throbbing in pain, trying to get a better look at what was in front of him.
His eyes widened at what he saw, realisation dawning on him, connecting the sounds he was hearing to what he was now seeing. He carefully reached out, moving slowly, and grabbed at the small object lying there with one hand before holding it close to his body, protecting it from the flames that now completely surrounded them.
There was no escape now. The air was thin, his body desperate for oxygen as he continued to cough, causing his body to protest in pain. His vision was blackening out, eyes drooping as his last reserves of energy were leaving him.
“Sorry… D.” Steve whispered with his last ounce of strength, eyes closing as he felt the heat of the flames enclose over him.
It had felt like hours, from standing out there after realising that Steve was stuck inside the raging inferno to watching the two teams of fire-fighters enter the building in search of their missing leader. Danny, Chin and Kono were all standing close to one another, watching the door closely, praying that Steve would emerge soon, but hope was wavering.
A sudden commotion from inside caused the three friends to jump, watching in terror as half the warehouse collapsed before them. “No…” “Steve!” Kono gasped as Danny yelled, Chin silent between them, holding the other two back.
Danny was desperate, he wanted to go in there and find his missing partner, needed to do it. He fought against Chin’s grip over his forearm, breaking away from the firm grasp and rushing towards the dilapidated building. Just as he was reaching the doorway, two new hands grabbed at him, pulling him back as a group of fire-fighters marched out.
“Steve? Steve!” Danny cried, fighting off the chief’s hands as he rushed towards the team that had just come out.
The leader of the team removed his mask, counting out his men to ensure that everyone had made it out before approaching Danny and the Chief. “We couldn’t continue, our access was limited by the collapse, however Beta team says they may have something,” he informed the two men as he regained his breath.
Danny was panicking, he knew the longer Steve was in there the worse it was going to be for him. He couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to be doing something, anything useful, but logically he knew that there was nothing he could do for Steve now.
“Beta team is coming out!” Someone announced from behind them, causing everyone on scene to become more alert.
“They’ve got him! Bring the stretcher over, we need oxygen, let’s move!” the chief announced, laying eyes on his team safely exiting the building with the task-force leader in tow.
Danny was the first to rush over to the group of fire-fighters, instantly moving to the unconscious man’s side. “Damn it Steve, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” Danny mumbled, resting his hand over Steve’s forehead.
The stretcher was pulled over and Steve was laid down over it, an oxygen mask quickly getting pulled over his nose and mouth while the other paramedic attempted to pull his arms away from his stomach to insert an IV.
“He’s holding onto something, I can’t get him to let go?” the medic said to his partner.
Danny heard what was going on and looked down at Steve’s arms, both of them wrapped tightly around his abdomen. There were burns and open wounds littering them, but that wasn’t what made him gasp in shock. Underneath his hands, a soft meow sounded.
“Steve, it’s me babe, if you can hear me, just relax, I have you, and I got it,” Danny whispered into Steve’s ear, smiling slightly as the tension left the fallen man’s body, his grip on what he was holding loosening, allowing Danny to take the item off him while the medic continued his treatment.
“Kono! Call a vet or something, we have a rescued kitten on our hands and it needs treatment ASAP!” Danny called out, holding the tiny kitten up to his face, almost causing him to go cross-eyed. “Oh Steve, only you could still be a hero in all of this,” Danny sighed, watching as Steve was loaded into the ambulance and taken away.
“There’s a vet not too far from here, I can take it…” Kono offered, sensing Danny’s need to follow his partner.
“Thanks babe,” Danny nodded, handing the small thing over carefully, “Look out for it, don’t let anything happen to it,” Danny demanded before running to his Camaro and driving towards the hospital.
Steve had been immediately taken into surgery, getting treated for smoke inhalation and first, second and most seriously, third degree burns. The wounds were cleaned and skin grafts were set, it took longer than anticipated, flushing out each wound and ensuring that there would be minimal scaring, but soon enough they were done.
Danny, Chin and Kono were waiting for word on Steve’s condition for nearly four hours, a tired doctor finally coming to talk to them after finishing their leader’s treatment. “Detective, I’m Doctor Ralph, I treated Commander Steve McGarrett. If you would like to follow me, we can discuss his condition,” The older man said.
“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to the rest of the team, we are all ohana here,” Danny informed the doctor, not budging from his friends’ sides.
“As you wish,” he nodded, moving to a group of chairs and indicating for the team to sit. “The Commander came in with severe smoke inhalation, he was treated with 100% oxygen and is currently on a ventilator to aid with his breathing which we are still monitoring. He also had severely bruised ribs and a large gash on his left leg from an imbedded foreign object that was removed. He presented with multiple burns all over his torso, mainly his arms, legs, torso and face. His hands and forearms required multiple skin grafts which were all successful, however the next 48 hours will be crucial in dictating how his recovery will go…” Doctor Ralph informed the team.
“So… He’s okay though right? I mean right now? Can we go see him?” Danny asked, desperate to see his partner.
“He is currently being settled into his private room, once there I will send a nurse to take you to see him. Your friend Steve is very lucky, it could have been a lot worse, however he still has a long road of recovery ahead of him, including the possibility of physical therapy for his hands.”
“Thank you Doc,” Danny nodded, burying his head in his hands and he let out a sigh, worried for Steve.
“He’s going to be okay Danny, its Steve, he just has to be,” Chin commented, patting the blonde’s back in an attempt to comfort him.
Kono was about to speak up, adding her own comforting words when her phone went off. “Hello? Uh huh, that’s great! Yes we will, mahalo,” she said before quickly hanging up.
“Who was that, Kono?” Chin asked, Danny not really focusing on the rookie, still caught up in worrying about Steve.
“That was the vet. They said that the kitten Steve rescued is doing well… it was really young and suffered some previous abuse before the fire, but they are confident she’s going to recover,” Kono explained with a slight smile. “Steve rescued a kitty in all of this, at least that’s something good,” she added.
Danny looked up at her words, “He saved the kitten? Superman saved a kitten?” Danny chuckled, his slight chuckle turning into full blown laughter.
“Danny?” Kono questioned.
“Of course Steve would end up having saved a kitten!” He continued, the stress of the entire morning finally cracking him, causing the two cousins to join in on the laughter. All three of them simply ignoring the glaring looks from the other people around them, none of them knew what they had just been through or would understand that they needed this.
It was about another half an hour’s wait before the nurse collected the trio, leading them to Steve’s private room. “He’s sedated right now, be prepared for a bit of a shocking view, he’s got a lot of graft bandages covering his body and some of the exposed skin is quiet red and raw. A nurse will be coming past every hour or so to check on the wounds, but for now you are all welcome to sit and talk with him, just please keep the volume down,” she said before opening the door and leading the Five-0 team inside.
Danny’s eyes wandered over Steve’s body, taking in the site before him. There was no denying how bad Steve looked, all wrapped up in the small hospital bed, laying completely motionless. This was not the Steve Danny knew, the man he knew could never sit or lay still, was always on the go and always looked like nothing could ever stop him. Now he just looked lost and broken.
“Shit Steve,” He muttered after a few moments of stunned silence, moving towards the too small bed and taking up a seat beside his friend.
Danny wanted to grab one of Steve’s hands and hold onto them, but the hands were completely covered with the stark white bandages. He was too scared to touch any part of his partner, scared to hurt his best friend in any way. Hesitantly, Danny tucked his finger’s in Steve’s singed hair, playing with the now shorter strands and scraping his finger nails gently against the injured man’s skull.
“What do you get yourself into brah?” Chin commented, walking up to Steve’s other side with Kono, both cousins unsure of how to process the idea of their leader seriously injured.
“You did some good though Boss, that kitten you saved is going to be okay, they’re keeping it for us until you can decide what you want to do with her yourself… So you know what that means right? You have to get better, and soon!” Kono spoke, subtly swiping at the pooling tears in her eyes.
“Danny, we’re going to head out, call us if anything changes?” Chin said after spending a few minutes in Steve’s room in silence.
Danny simply nodded, eyes not leaving Steve as the cousins left him alone. He stayed in the hospital that night, leaving the room for only a few quick minutes to speak to Grace, sleeping slumped over Steve’s bed, using his arms as a pillow, head resting right beside Steve’s. it was a nurse who woke him early the next morning, the petite lady explaining that Steve was triggering the vent himself and was paging the doctor to get it removed.
The doctor didn’t keep them waiting long, rushing in and evaluating Steve quickly and efficiently before deeming Steve stable enough to come off the ventilator. “You can just wait outside Detective…” the doctor started.
“No, I won’t… I’ll wait right here, thank you very much,” Danny argued, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to budge.
“Whatever, we don’t have time for this, he’s responding to external stimuli, he’s waking up and we need to hurry,” Dr Ralph muttered angrily. It didn’t take long, the tube coming out easily as Steve coughed and sputtered before a nasal canal was inserted to continue supplying oxygen to Steve’s damaged lungs.
“Commander McGarrett? Can you hear me commander?” The doctor questioned, gently squeezing Steve’s shoulders in an attempt to garner a response. Steve groaned, unconsciously shying away from the doctor’s touch.
“Steve, babe, can you hear me? Come on, wake up!” Danny begged, all but pushing the doctor out of the way and copying his movements.
Steve’s eyes fluttered slightly, the call of Danny’s voice to desperate to ignore. It wasn’t instant, but slowly Steve started coming around. He first groaned out from the pain, Danny distantly hearing the doctor order a higher dose of painkillers, before his eyes started to open. It was only a mere slit, but Danny caught Steve’s eyes and held them, urging him to wake completely.
“That’s it Babe, come on,” Danny pressed, his fingertips lightly brushing against the skin around Steve’s eyes and cheek, too scared to touch any harder out of fear of hurting his partner.
“D-Da,” Steve attempted, coughing violently causing him to moan in pain, the coughing jostling his injured ribs.
“Shh, you’re alright, just breathe through it, that’s it,” Danny encouraged, his fingers once again burying themselves into Steve’s hair, trying to ground and reassure the injured man.
“-urts… Wha-?” Steve questioned after closing his eyes and swallowing hard, trying to regain control over his body and manage the pain.
“Here, we’re just going to give you a little something for that pain now Commander, do you think you would be able to answer some questions?” The doctor interrupted.
“Just give him a second… can he have something for his throat? Some ice chips or something?” Danny asked, looking at the nurses for some sympathy, one of them quickly nodded, rushing off to get some for them.
Danny accepted the small plastic glass, scooping some ice chips onto the spoon and gently fed some to his partner. Steve gratefully accepted the soothing ice, his lips parting slightly as Danny tipped the spoon up so he could suck greedily on the cool liquid.
“Thanks,” Steve croaked.
“No problem babe. Do you remember why you're here?” Danny asked before the doctor could once again interrupt them.
“N-no? We were on a case?”
“That’s right, we were checking out a lead at a warehouse… it kind of… blew up? With you in it…” Danny finished lamely.
“How bad?” Steve asked, eyeing his wrapped hands.
Danny stepped aside, allowing the doctor to step forward, so that now he was standing right beside Steve’s head.
“You’re being treated for smoke inhalation, bruised ribs, a deep leg wound and various degrees of burns, your skin grafts were successful, and so far everything is looking good for a speedy recovery, all you will need is a bit of physical therapy, but other than that I foresee no complications,” he quickly explained, “now, I’m sorry but I do have other patients to attend to, if you need me just page one of the nurses and they can get me,” he added, barely giving Steve a moment to absorb all the information before he was gone.
“Sorry about him,” one of the nurses said, seeing the men’s shocked faces, “He’s… he’s very good though at what he does…” she tried before also leaving them with a promise of returning to check on Steve’s wounds in an hour.
“Steve? You okay babe?” Danny asked, finger’s playing with Steve’s hair.
“Y-yeah… I’m fine. How about everyone else? No one else was injured were they?” Steve asked.
“And there you go, straight into worrying about everyone else, you’re not fine, I can see the tension in your face, you’re in pain… but no, no one else was hurt… well, actually there was one…”
“What? Who? Are they okay?” Steve asked urgently, trying to sit up but the pain caused him to lie back down.
“Relax Steve, relax. There, that’s it. Don’t worry, they’re doing okay, great actually… but it’s not really a person…”
“What?”
“You, and I swear only you could do this! You saved a kitten! The vet called and said she’s doing really well,” Danny explained with a cheeky smile.
“How did I manage that?” Steve asked, trying to gauge how serious Danny really was.
“None of us will ever know I guess,” Danny shrugged. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to call Chin and Kono and let them know you’re okay, I’ll be right back,” he added, quickly stepping out of the room to tell the cousins that Steve was awake and that they could come visit when they wanted.
“Danny? What are you even doing here, did you stay here all night?” Steve asked once Danny returned to his seat beside Steve’s head, his fingers once more finding their way into Steve’s hair.
“Of course I stayed all night! My partner, the idiot that he is, was all but blown up… then he was stuck in a freaking inferno for what felt like an eternity! He was rushed into surgery, received a skin graft and wasn’t breathing on his own! So yeah, of course I stayed the night!” Danny ranted.
“Danno… you know, you could have just said you were worried about me,” Steve smirked, pushing his head up into Danny’s hand.
“Alright you goof, I was worried about you, happy now?” Danny sighed, his eyes sparkling.
“Very,” Steve nodded, leaning closer towards Danny, as much as his body would allow.
Danny took the hint, with his hand still cupping the back of Steve’s head he also started to lean forward until their heads were only separated by a breath of air. Danny silently searched Steve’s eyes, looking for any sign that he was reading this whole situation wrong. Finding nothing but open honesty and want, Danny started to close the gap between them.
The sound of the door opening however caused the two of them to spring apart, Steve quickly rolling back down while Danny spun around to see who it was.
“Chin! Kono!” Danny said with forced cheer, welcoming the cousins in.
“Hey brah! Good to see you awake!” Chin spoke, “Looking good there boss!” Kono added, sitting herself down at the edge of Steve’s bed beside his feet.
The three of them spoke until the nurse came in, shooing all of them out so that she could treat his wounds. The following week followed a very similar routine. Danny would stay in the hospital during visiting hours, sometimes with Grace but usually alone, and would keep Steve company, neither one of them commenting on the almost kiss. Danny was also there the day Steve was released, pushing Steve in the wheelchair towards his car where he then took Steve home.
Sitting on one of his deckchairs staring out into the water, Steve relaxed into the sounds of Danny pottering around inside. It had been a gruelling few days with the physical therapy, dealing with all his injuries and dealing with the slow building tension between him and his partner. A small but vaguely familiar sound drew Steve out of his thoughts.
“Danno?” he called out, hearing the strange sound again.
“Relax Steve, I’m coming!” Danny called back, finalising the preparations on his little surprise. Danny joined Steve on the lanai moments later, handing over a bottle of water and holding the fairly large box up for his partner to see.
“Thanks D. What’s that?” Steve asked accepting the bottle and nodding towards the box.
“Just a little something for you,” Danny smirked just as the box meowed.
Steve raised an eyebrow in question, accepting the box and quickly lifting the lid. Peering inside, Steve’s eyes widened as he saw a small kitten blink right back up at him. With careful, and still slightly sore hands, Steve reached in and picked up the small cat, running his fingers through the soft fur. It was barely bigger than the palm of his hand, almost a tabby colour but with splashes of ginger running throughout as well. He could feel the kitten purring and was instantly taken by the tiny animal.
“Hey there,” Steve all but cooed, bringing it right up to his face, the kitten instantly swatting at his nose.
“She was just cleared from the vets yesterday, Kono was looking after it but we thought you might want it? I mean, if you don’t the vets said they would rehome it but… well…” Danny shrugged.
“Does she have a name?” Steve asked, his eyes not leaving the cats, a small smile gracing his face as it continued to play with him.
“The vet nurses said they were calling her Spark, but you can change it if you want to, if you want to keep her that is…” Danny commented.
“Spark… Sparky, I like it!” Steve nodded, “how could I not keep her?” he smiled, “thank you for getting her for me, this is great!” he added, one arm coming out and pulling Danny in close.
They shared the quick embrace, Spark sitting on his lap, but Steve wouldn’t let Danny back off too far. He turned his head towards Danny, their foreheads resting against one another’s, as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Are we really doing this?” Danny asked, his hand coming up to cup Steve’s face.
“I want to,” Steve nodded.
Danny simply closed his eyes and finally closed the gap between them, their lips meeting in a gentle and quick touch. It was barely anything, but even the slightest touch caused their lips to tingle, it was perfection. Steve deepened the kiss slightly, drawing Danny closer and opening his mouth to let his tongue run along the seam of Danny’s lips, begging for entry. Danny allowed Steve to deepen the kiss for only a moment, pulling back slightly when he felt something land in his lap.
Both men sighed, looking down and seeing the kitten sitting innocently in Danny’s lap, looking up at the two of them, causing them to burst out laughing.
-End.
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(Also, for those who are waiting for an update on my Deaf!Grace 'verse, more is coming! I'm trying!!)