just a little too late
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Rating: PG13
Summary: Anything. Anything at all, he’ll do anything if it means Danny’s here instead of there.
Author's Warning: Major Character Death
Author's Note: I can't really say much for this fic. I can say there's one line in the story that doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Grey's Anatomy and Shonda Rhimes.
I think probably this fic was inspired a little by that episode.
Actually... I know.
Feedback, as always, is wonderfully encouraged.
--
“Steve.”
“Don’t talk.”
“Steve,” and this time when he says it, there’s blood dribbling down his chin, and Steve can’t breathe, Steve can’t feel the tips of his fingers where they’re grasping his thighs tightly to keep from reaching out and just pulling, trying to anything.
Just to save him.
Anything. Anything at all, he’ll do anything if it means Danny’s here instead of there.
“Steve,” Danny repeats, and he coughs afterwards, and Steve closes his eyes tight, squints into the darkness and imagines he’s somewhere else. He’s in an alternate universe where they’re not on the side of a deserted road, Danny pinned under a car with fatal injuries, both of their cell phones smashed beyond repair, Steve’s leg shattered. He imagines they’re walking along the beach, Steve’s beach, hand in hand, maybe. Danny would be smiling. Maybe he’d be bitching about something silly that Steve said just a moment before.
“Don’t,” he chokes out.
“Steve, I’m not going to make it,” Danny whispers out into the darkness. On the pavement, the glass glitters in the pink of the setting sun.
“Stop,” Steve says, “Stop saying that. You’re going to make it, Danny, you have to make it, okay, you have to. You’re going to be fine.”
“I’m not going to,” Danny shakes his head and gives him a smile, but Steve feels sick when he sees the blood in Danny’s teeth. “My chest feels like it’s going to explode, I can’t breathe, my ribs are probably crushing my lungs and I’m pretty sure I can’t feel my legs - Steve, this car is on top of me. You have to listen to me, okay? Please, listen to me. I’m fucking dying, you have to.”
Steve’s shaking, trembling with fear, but he nods slowly. “You have to tell Gracie I love her. You have to tell her she’s the best daughter in the world. You have to tell her, Steve.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Steve insists stubbornly, “You’re going to be fine.”
“Steve,” Danny says, and if he wasn’t - if he wasn’t so sick, he’d almost sound exhausted.
“You have to be,” Steve says, breaking finally, “You have to be fine, Danny, because I love you. You’re going to be fine, and we’re going to get out of this and we’re - we’re going to get married. We’re going to get married and move in together and - forget whatever I ever said about you finding happiness with anyone else; we’ll have kids together, two - four, I don’t care, however many you want. You can stay at home with them or you can work or - I don’t care, I don’t, I swear. We’re gonna get married and we’re going to have a family because I love you, Jesus, Danny, I fucking love you,” Steve says, laying on his stomach and crawling as close as he can to Danny.
Danny smiles, and it’s the saddest smile Steve has ever seen, but somehow he still manages to make it look happy, too. “Married, huh?” Danny says, and he sounds worse than he did five minutes ago.
“I promise,” Steve says, choking on tears and anger, “Just - just stay here, stay with me, Danny. Please, please, Danny.”
“Steve,” Danny says, “Hold my hand.”
Steve stares at him for a few seconds before he slowly reaches out a grasps Danny’s hand. Danny’s weak, can barely wrap his fingers around Steve’s, but he manages to squeeze back, and Steve doesn’t even notice the tears sliding down his cheeks at this point. All he can see are the ones slipping out of Danny’s eyes, falling slowly down onto the shattered glass that’s under Danny. “It’s not fair,” Steve whispers.
“What?” Danny rasps, licking his lips.
“We didn’t get a chance,” Steve says, squeezing Danny’s hand tighter. He feels like he’s choking on all the air surrounding him, on the sadness that’s overwhelming him; the panic at the fact that he can’t do anything stops him in his tracks and makes him want to burn everything down. He is so, so angry.
At himself. At God. At Danny and the car and everything he can think of.
“We’re supposed to end up together,” he finally whimpers, raising his eyes to meet Danny’s.
Danny’s eyes hold sadness and fear and when he blinks, tears drip down his nose. Steve reaches down to wipe his face on his sleeve, then looks back up at Danny again when Danny squeezes his hand to grab his attention. “Life isn’t fair, babe. You gotta… you gotta promise me somethin’, okay?” he rasps, and when Steve doesn’t respond right away, somehow he gathers the strength to grip Steve’s hand so hard that he’s almost positive he can hear the bones creaking.
“Okay,” he whispers.
“No more being reckless,” Danny mumbles, closing his eyes for a long second, taking a deep, painful breath. “I need you to be there for Gracie. For the team. Mostly for Gracie, for my Monkey. Steve, she needs a dad, and you’re it, okay. You - promise,” he demands, opening his eyes and glaring.
And Steve knows.
Danny’s breathing is shallower, his eyes have been closed for longer and longer periods of times every time he blinks, and his grip on Steve’s hand is slackening again.
His time is up.
Steve makes sure his fingers are tangled with Danny’s, swallows back vomit and tears and chokes out, “I promise,” quietly. He crawls under the car a little more, closer to Danny, and rests his forehead on Danny’s arm.
“I love you,” he breathes out, “I love you, I love you, I love you. Please don’t go. I love you.”
He’s sobbing now, and when he looks up, Danny’s eyes are open, but he’s stopped breathing. Steve sobs harder for a couple minutes, before he takes a deep, shuddering breath. When he pulls himself out from under the car, he keeps a hold of Danny’s hand and sits back against the dented door.
And just waits.
Exactly four minutes later, a passing car finally, finally slows down. Steve is still holding Danny’s cooling hand.
Just a little too late, Steve thinks, and his heart shatters.
Rating: PG13
Summary: Anything. Anything at all, he’ll do anything if it means Danny’s here instead of there.
Author's Warning: Major Character Death
Author's Note: I can't really say much for this fic. I can say there's one line in the story that doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Grey's Anatomy and Shonda Rhimes.
I think probably this fic was inspired a little by that episode.
Actually... I know.
Feedback, as always, is wonderfully encouraged.
--
“Steve.”
“Don’t talk.”
“Steve,” and this time when he says it, there’s blood dribbling down his chin, and Steve can’t breathe, Steve can’t feel the tips of his fingers where they’re grasping his thighs tightly to keep from reaching out and just pulling, trying to anything.
Just to save him.
Anything. Anything at all, he’ll do anything if it means Danny’s here instead of there.
“Steve,” Danny repeats, and he coughs afterwards, and Steve closes his eyes tight, squints into the darkness and imagines he’s somewhere else. He’s in an alternate universe where they’re not on the side of a deserted road, Danny pinned under a car with fatal injuries, both of their cell phones smashed beyond repair, Steve’s leg shattered. He imagines they’re walking along the beach, Steve’s beach, hand in hand, maybe. Danny would be smiling. Maybe he’d be bitching about something silly that Steve said just a moment before.
“Don’t,” he chokes out.
“Steve, I’m not going to make it,” Danny whispers out into the darkness. On the pavement, the glass glitters in the pink of the setting sun.
“Stop,” Steve says, “Stop saying that. You’re going to make it, Danny, you have to make it, okay, you have to. You’re going to be fine.”
“I’m not going to,” Danny shakes his head and gives him a smile, but Steve feels sick when he sees the blood in Danny’s teeth. “My chest feels like it’s going to explode, I can’t breathe, my ribs are probably crushing my lungs and I’m pretty sure I can’t feel my legs - Steve, this car is on top of me. You have to listen to me, okay? Please, listen to me. I’m fucking dying, you have to.”
Steve’s shaking, trembling with fear, but he nods slowly. “You have to tell Gracie I love her. You have to tell her she’s the best daughter in the world. You have to tell her, Steve.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Steve insists stubbornly, “You’re going to be fine.”
“Steve,” Danny says, and if he wasn’t - if he wasn’t so sick, he’d almost sound exhausted.
“You have to be,” Steve says, breaking finally, “You have to be fine, Danny, because I love you. You’re going to be fine, and we’re going to get out of this and we’re - we’re going to get married. We’re going to get married and move in together and - forget whatever I ever said about you finding happiness with anyone else; we’ll have kids together, two - four, I don’t care, however many you want. You can stay at home with them or you can work or - I don’t care, I don’t, I swear. We’re gonna get married and we’re going to have a family because I love you, Jesus, Danny, I fucking love you,” Steve says, laying on his stomach and crawling as close as he can to Danny.
Danny smiles, and it’s the saddest smile Steve has ever seen, but somehow he still manages to make it look happy, too. “Married, huh?” Danny says, and he sounds worse than he did five minutes ago.
“I promise,” Steve says, choking on tears and anger, “Just - just stay here, stay with me, Danny. Please, please, Danny.”
“Steve,” Danny says, “Hold my hand.”
Steve stares at him for a few seconds before he slowly reaches out a grasps Danny’s hand. Danny’s weak, can barely wrap his fingers around Steve’s, but he manages to squeeze back, and Steve doesn’t even notice the tears sliding down his cheeks at this point. All he can see are the ones slipping out of Danny’s eyes, falling slowly down onto the shattered glass that’s under Danny. “It’s not fair,” Steve whispers.
“What?” Danny rasps, licking his lips.
“We didn’t get a chance,” Steve says, squeezing Danny’s hand tighter. He feels like he’s choking on all the air surrounding him, on the sadness that’s overwhelming him; the panic at the fact that he can’t do anything stops him in his tracks and makes him want to burn everything down. He is so, so angry.
At himself. At God. At Danny and the car and everything he can think of.
“We’re supposed to end up together,” he finally whimpers, raising his eyes to meet Danny’s.
Danny’s eyes hold sadness and fear and when he blinks, tears drip down his nose. Steve reaches down to wipe his face on his sleeve, then looks back up at Danny again when Danny squeezes his hand to grab his attention. “Life isn’t fair, babe. You gotta… you gotta promise me somethin’, okay?” he rasps, and when Steve doesn’t respond right away, somehow he gathers the strength to grip Steve’s hand so hard that he’s almost positive he can hear the bones creaking.
“Okay,” he whispers.
“No more being reckless,” Danny mumbles, closing his eyes for a long second, taking a deep, painful breath. “I need you to be there for Gracie. For the team. Mostly for Gracie, for my Monkey. Steve, she needs a dad, and you’re it, okay. You - promise,” he demands, opening his eyes and glaring.
And Steve knows.
Danny’s breathing is shallower, his eyes have been closed for longer and longer periods of times every time he blinks, and his grip on Steve’s hand is slackening again.
His time is up.
Steve makes sure his fingers are tangled with Danny’s, swallows back vomit and tears and chokes out, “I promise,” quietly. He crawls under the car a little more, closer to Danny, and rests his forehead on Danny’s arm.
“I love you,” he breathes out, “I love you, I love you, I love you. Please don’t go. I love you.”
He’s sobbing now, and when he looks up, Danny’s eyes are open, but he’s stopped breathing. Steve sobs harder for a couple minutes, before he takes a deep, shuddering breath. When he pulls himself out from under the car, he keeps a hold of Danny’s hand and sits back against the dented door.
And just waits.
Exactly four minutes later, a passing car finally, finally slows down. Steve is still holding Danny’s cooling hand.
Just a little too late, Steve thinks, and his heart shatters.