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Sympathy for the werewolf	By : mermaidnz Category: G through L > Hawaii Five-0 (2010) > Hawaii Five-0 (2010) Views: 3438 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Because the universe hasn't finished fucking with Danny, there's more bad news to come on Thursday.

Chin and the HPD techs spent Wednesday afternoon examining the two devices found in Danny's car, and came to the same conclusion as Steve. The GPS locator is something you could buy from any decent electronics store; the bug is a seriously high-end item that's more sensitive than the standard law enforcement kind, and can transmit over a much greater distance.

Though the genius squad tried a bunch of fancy tricks, they couldn't get any useful data from the bug. In the end, they disabled it and the tracker but preserved them as evidence.

On Thursday morning, Danny, Chin, and HPD chief tech Zach head to Steve's place. First off, they search Steve's truck for surveillance equipment. Though there's no sign of any GPS, the tiny bug hidden under the driver's seat is identical to the one from Danny's car. With the first device already disabled, there's no way they can use this one to broadcast false information. So once they've dusted it for fingerprints, and found none, Zach drops the bug into a bottle of water to drown it.

The next step is to check the house itself. Danny asks the construction workers to take a break outside – at least it's sunny for a change – while Zach does the sweep. His RF detector leads them to a bug behind a photo frame on the living room wall, one under the dresser in Steve's bedroom, and another inside an ornament on Jack McGarrett's old desk. Again, they're all the type apparently favored by both government spooks and wealthy criminals.

Danny stomps out onto the lawn, fists clenched, and startles the laborers by gazing up at the sky and swearing loudly and creatively. Chin just stands patiently outside the back door, arms folded. "Feel any better?" he asks as they walk to the car.

"Little bit, yeah."

They also stop by Danny's apartment, just in case, but he's not surprised when no bugs are found. Anybody who's been studying Five-0 would be aware that Steve rarely visits Danny there. At least this confirms that Steve is the sole target of the surveillance operation; it's good to know, but hardly comforting.

Chin takes the bugs away with him – he and Zach are planning to sweep HQ while they're at it – and Danny drives to the hospital. He's glad to have some time alone to work the problem through, although he's now too paranoid to think out loud as he used to.

Figuring out when the listening devices were planted might help point to who. Steve had discovered masked men inside his house just over three weeks ago, the same day that Mary was kidnapped. The intruders hacked the alarm company's system, knocked Steve out with a stun gun, and stole the 'Champ' toolbox. So there's a good chance they hid the bugs in Steve's house and truck before leaving.

That would mean that the yakuza are the ones spying on Steve. The revelation that Hiro Noshimuri's brother probably murdered Steve's mother might have been the tip of the iceberg. Could there be some deeper conspiracy that they don't want Steve to uncover?

Being bugged by powerful Japanese gangsters is bad enough, but if the infiltration happened much earlier – before Taylor's assault on Steve's place – then Danny has even more reason to be worried. Steve was lying on the living room couch when he originally told Danny about his reaction to silver, and they discussed it further in his bedroom. Now Danny's incredibly glad that he started that big werewolf conversation out on the beach, and never mentioned the subject inside the house.

But then there's the option behind door number two. Whoever's doing this is smart and thorough, with access to very expensive equipment. So yeah, it could well be the Pentagon that's behind it all. The top brass must have been unhappy when a highly-trained SEAL Commander with highly-useful powers transferred to the Reserves and turned cop. Maybe they've had Steve under surveillance the whole time, to make sure he stays quiet.

Surely the news of Steve's shooting has reached Washington by now, and surely someone there could look at the lunar cycle and put two and two together. In that case...Jesus, are armed commandos going to show up sometime before the transformation, to take Steve away or to permanently silence both him and Danny?

As he's pulling into the hospital parking lot, Danny gets a call from Chin: Zach's found one bug in Steve's office, and another under the computer table. That makes seven in total, all clean of fingerprints and lacking any identifying features that might prove who purchased them.

Danny hangs up and rests his forehead on the steering wheel, too freaked out now even to curse. He's just a cop from Jersey, for fuck's sake – he's not equipped to deal with all this espionage shit.

When Danny gets to the ICU, he lays the whole bug situation out for Steve. He starts off pacing across the room, and winds up sitting with his head in his hands.

"Hey, Danno, breathe. It's okay." Steve sounds surprisingly calm.

Danny jumps a little when he feels Steve's hand on his hair, tentatively smoothing it back into place. The touch feels so good that he can't help leaning into it, but even that doesn't placate him.

"Name one thing about this situation that is remotely okay, Steven," Danny says.

"Well, now we know we're being watched," Steve replies.

"Yeah, I'll concede that one," Danny says without raising his head. "Still, there's a non-zero chance that the federal government will send men to kidnap or kill you between now and Saturday night. Oh, and maybe they'll take me out too. That doesn't concern you at all?"

Steve places two fingertips under Danny's chin, tilting his face up. The gentle gesture is at odds with Steve's fierce expression. "Of course it concerns me. But we're not defenseless, and we won't make it easy for them."

Danny sighs. "You and me against the world, right?"

And Steve just smiles.

When he gets back to HQ, Danny tries to put the bigger mystery aside and focus on the GPS locator. Unlike the bugs, the tracker bears a serial number – Chin's following that up with the manufacturer. In the meantime, Danny can try to figure out when and where the device got planted on his car.

Danny's working on the assumption that the gunman was responsible, and that the guy prefers to operate in the dark. Well, there are only three places Danny regularly parks at night: his apartment, the McGarrett house, and here. Though there are no security cameras close to Steve's, the parking lot of Danny's complex and HQ are both under 24-hour surveillance. It's a long shot, but still the best lead they've got.

Kono, Chin and Danny spend the rest of Thursday going through the two sets of footage, working backwards from Friday night to see if the perp shows up at either location. It takes many tedious hours, but they eventually get a hit. At 1am on the Monday before the shooting, a man dressed in black knelt down behind Danny's car while it was parked outside his apartment. He fiddled with something under the back bumper for a minute, and then walked away.

Danny wants to punch a wall when he sees this, because Grace was staying with him that weekend. It's awful to think that the man who tried to kill Steve was only yards away from his little girl as she slept. Compared to that, the shooter knowing where Danny lives is a minor concern.

Just like on Friday night, the perp is wearing gloves, a baseball cap and a rain jacket in this new footage. But this time he's carelessly left the hood of his jacket down, revealing a narrow strip of skin and hair on the back of his neck. The light from a nearby streetlamp shows that he is a Caucasian guy with short, light brown hair.

This lucky break narrows down the suspect pool a lot, because white folks are a distinct minority in Hawaii. Still...even after Chin goes through and excludes other ethnic groups, they're left with a depressingly large number of guys who might have wanted to shoot Steve.

***

Though he's frustrated by the investigation's slow progress, and fearful of another attempt on Steve's life, Danny can't devote his full attention to the problem. He has a werewolf transformation to prepare for.

Saturday will be Steve's first change since that initial full moon after he was bitten, in 2006. He's been trying to put a brave face on it, but Danny can tell he's afraid.

So on Friday morning, before Dr. Young makes her rounds, Danny initiates what he knows will be a difficult conversation.

"Listen, Steve," he says softly. "After we talked about this in November, I promised myself I'd never ask again. But I need to know what to expect tomorrow night. So can you tell me how it played out last time?"

Steve closes his eyes and clenches his fists. His expression suggests he's back in that military hospital, reliving the experience. Danny bites the inside of his cheek, so fucking sorry to trigger these awful memories again, and waits.

When Steve finally answers, his voice is barely above a whisper. "I was still present in my head, so I could see and hear everything. But it was like my human consciousness was just a passenger. The animal had full control, and it cared about nothing except escaping and feeding. Luckily the staff provided a whole pile of raw beef...I hate to think what would have happened if any humans were nearby and accessible."

Steve shudders, and Danny aches for him. Being trained and ready to take lives is one thing; you make the necessary choices, and you deal with the consequences. The prospect of your body killing – or infecting – other people against your will must be far, far worse.

"Okay," Danny says, projecting a calmness he doesn't feel, "I'll stock up on red meat so you won't go hungry. Do you remember how long the whole process took? Was the tipping point sunset or moonrise?"

"Sundown," Steve says, "but I got locked up an hour earlier. And the sun was already up when they took me back to my hospital room."

"So we'll follow that pattern, then. Maybe extend it out a little more, just to be sure," Danny says. "Next question: did you come out with any physical damage? Will I need to stock the first aid kit with extra supplies, or take you back to the ER?"

"I didn't have any injuries when I went in, that first time. The...the wolf threw itself against the door a lot, trying to get out. So I came out with bruises and cuts all over my body, plus one hell of a headache. But I was fine again within hours."

Thinking back, Danny realizes that this is the first time Steve has even said the word 'wolf' to him. It's progress, of sorts.

"Shifting shape was –" Steve swallows hard "– excruciating, but the doctors explained that the transformation itself is actually restorative. They'd had badly wounded men go through it, and come out practically healed."

Steve pauses to take a sip of water. "I saw it for myself. There was this Army major with two broken legs; he fell down a steep hillside while trying to evade the wolf. But after the moon, the guy walked out of his cell without a limp and was back on active duty a few days later."

"Huh, okay," Danny says. "That's an unexpected upside. You might be good as new by this time Sunday."

Steve looks bleak. "I'd rather have a year of slow, painful recovery than face this again," he admits.

Danny takes Steve's tightly-clenched hand, unfurling his fingers one by one and rubbing at his palm gently. "I know, babe, but you'll get through it. I have total faith in you. And in 48 hours, it'll all be over and you can move on." He takes a deep breath, and takes the plunge. "Maybe we can move on together."

Steve's eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to reply. But just then there's a sharp rap on the door. Steve pulls his hand away, and the moment is lost.

"Good morning," Dr. Young says briskly as she walks into Steve's room. "Let's assess your status, Commander."

Danny goes over to the window and stares out blindly, cursing the doctor's shitty timing, as she performs a thorough examination. Dr. Young declares that Steve has healed remarkably well. The tube in Steve's chest can come out this morning; after that, he'll be able to leave.

"But ideally, you should continue to receive nasogastric feeding for another 24 hours – and it'd be easier to do that here," she points out.

Danny and Steve have a brief whispered argument, assessing the pros and cons. If Steve goes home now, the construction noise will probably keep him awake all day. If he waits until tomorrow, and continues to heal rapidly, then he may not need the nursing agency's care at all. That would remove the risk of having strangers in the house so close to his transformation.

Steve calls the doctor back into the room, and says, "I'm willing to stay, so long as I can go home tomorrow free of any tubes or lines."

Dr. Young says, "All right, we should be able to manage that. I'll come back after my rounds to remove the chest drain."

Once she's gone, Steve and Danny look at each other silently. The earlier mood between them has been broken, and Danny can't figure out how to fix it.

"I have to head off now," Danny eventually says. "Places to go, people to see. Get plenty of rest today, okay? I'll come back later."

"Sure," Steve says, sinking back into his pillows and closing his eyes. But Danny bets that sleep will be a long time coming.

***

Danny's next stop is HQ, where he tells Chin and Kono that Steve will be released from hospital tomorrow. They both look about as worn out as Danny feels, but cheer up a little when they hear his news.

The two of them have run through the reduced list of possible suspects, but nobody's popped so far. Some of the guys can be ruled out as too tall or too short; some are in prison, others have airtight alibis for last Friday, and a few were off the island at the time.

Now it seems like the bugs were planted separately, there's no guarantee that the perp has either electronics know-how or experience with breaking into cars. And there's still a chance that the gunman is someone so unlikely that he's not even on Five-0's radar screen.

It's infuriating that a week has passed since the attack, and they're not much closer to catching the fucker who hurt Steve.

Chin gets a call while Danny's looking through the files again. It's the manufacturer of the GPS tracker, with some interesting info.

"The company looked up the serial number I gave them. Turns out that particular device was shipped to a Radio Shack in Los Angeles," Chin reports. He taps at the screen, and a map of the store's location comes up.

"You said it was the real-time kind of GPS locator, right? So whoever bought it had to sign up at the manufacturer's website before they could track us," Danny says.

"Yeah," Chin says. "It got activated Sunday before last, just prior to the perp planting it on your car. But it was registered using a fake name and address here in Honolulu, so that's not much use."

"We know this guy is smart," Danny says, "so I'm guessing he used cash or a fake credit card to buy the thing. Still, let's contact the store to make sure."

Kono nods, and heads into her office to make the call.

"So our perp might live in California," Danny says. He looks at the map again, noting that the store is just a mile north of LA's biggest airport. "...or maybe not. If he flew out here from the mainland, there's a good chance he'd have to travel via LAX. He could've gone shopping during his layover."

"Yeah, possibly. But it could also be a local, coming home from a trip," Chin says. "He might have thought it'd be safer to buy the GPS on the mainland."

Kono comes back out to the central table and says, "According to the manager of the Radio Shack, that particular GPS tracker only arrived in store three weeks ago. Her inventory shows that the item never left the shelf, but she just went to check and found its box empty. Looks like our shooter's a shoplifter too."

"What an asshole. Damn, I knew there was a reason I hated him," Danny says. Kono rolls her eyes, unimpressed by his gallows humor.

"Well, we know the GPS got planted on my car 11 days ago," Danny goes on. "That's a pretty small window of opportunity for him to steal it in LA, fly out to Hawaii, and start watching us. And he must have been here long enough to observe how often Steve rides in my car; otherwise, he would have just tracked Steve's truck instead."

"Okay," Chin says. "Kono, ask the store manager to send us the surveillance footage from that ten-day period, ASAP. This might be our chance to finally get a good look at our perp."

"Great work, guys," Danny says. "But I've got to leave you to it, sorry. Steve's fridge needs restocking before he comes home tomorrow, and I should make sure the house is in a habitable state."

Chin nods. "Do you want us to meet you at the hospital in the morning, make an occasion out of it?"

"Or, hey, we could form a welcoming committee at his place," Kono suggests.

Danny loves these two, he does, but – no.

"I think Steve's going to be grumpy as hell, for a while," Danny claims. "He's still sore and weak, even if he is determined to check out regardless."

"You organized some home care for him, right?" Chin asks.

"Yeah, but God knows how polite he's gonna be to the nurses. At least I'll be there to smack him if he's too insufferable."

"We could we stop by the house later on Saturday, give you a break from Steve-sitting," Kono offers.

Fuck, that'd be a seriously bad idea. "Let me just get him settled, okay? He'll probably need to sleep most of the weekend, anyway. Monday might be a better day for visiting."

Kono looks like she wants to argue, so Danny pulls out the big guns. He rubs at the back of his neck, as though he's embarrassed, and doesn't meet her eyes.

"Sorry, Kono. I just – I kind of want Steve to myself, for a little bit. I came so close to losing him, you know? I think it'd really help us to have a quiet couple of days on our own."

Her expression softens. "Yeah, okay, I get that. So were you ever going to tell us about the two of you?"

"Hey now," Danny says, "you're detectives, aren't you? I can't go giving you all the answers on a plate. Anyway, Steve and I both have good reasons for not being out and proud."

Chin says, "Sure, brah. It's cool with us."

Kono nods in agreement. "We can keep a secret."

"Thanks, guys," Danny says. "Your support means a lot."

Though nothing he's said is a lie, Danny is definitely letting them make false assumptions. He'd commit worse sins than this in order to protect Steve, but he still feels guilty.

"It's hardly a surprise, I gotta admit," Chin says. "You're practically joined at the hip, even off-duty."

"Plus, you two bicker like my parents, and they've been married 30 years," adds Kono with a grin.

Danny opens his mouth to deny it, but thinks better of it. He waves one hand dismissively in Kono's direction, and walks out of the room with her bright laughter ringing in his ears.

With another bullet successfully dodged – Danny's starting to feel like Neo in The Matrix – he heads to the grocery store for vital supplies. It feels utterly surreal, to be surrounded by ordinary people doing an everyday chore. Meanwhile, Danny's cart is full of raw steak, hopefully enough to feed a ravenous werewolf, and enough snacks and caffeinated beverages to get an anxious human through a long night's vigil.

Danny picks up the ingredients for his great-grandma's chicken soup as well. The strained broth will be perfect for Steve, who will be coming off a week of being fed through a tube, and making the soup will have a soothing effect on Danny. He sure could do with being soothed right now. He's holding it together for Steve's sake, and providing as much support as possible, but can't let his guard down enough for anyone else to comfort him.

Next, Danny shops for some other crucial items. He buys half a dozen large woolen blankets so he can create a comfortable warm nest on the basement's concrete floor. It's quite likely that wolf-Steve won't even sit down all night, let alone sleep, but Danny figures it'd be smart to provide the option.

He also gets a metal water trough and a large feeding bowl. Standing in front of the pet store's extensive display of dog stuff, he briefly contemplates getting one labeled 'Fido' or something else ridiculous. But Steve doesn't have a sense of humor when it comes to this whole thing, and Danny is not a cruel person.

He heads back to Steve's house to put the groceries away and see how things are going. It's a whirlwind of noise and activity as the laborers strive to meet the looming deadline. Danny pitches in to lend a hand, vacuuming up dust from the living room floor and lugging debris to the dumpster outside.

Then the security consultant sits him down and patiently explains the CCTV system that's been installed. There's an option to record the video feed to the hard drive of Danny's laptop, but no way in hell would he take that risk. Whatever happens in the basement stays in the basement.

The crew finishes at sunset, and the foreman takes Danny on a tour. They've done a great job on the basement, fixed the damage from November's shoot-out, and strengthened the house's overall security. Danny shakes everyone's hands gratefully; he pays each man the promised bonus, and gives the security expert $500 in cash too.

After they all leave, Danny leans against the closed front door and heaves a sigh of relief. Fuck, he can't quite believe they got it done in time.

He drives back to the hospital to tell Steve the great news, and maybe continue that conversation they tentatively started this morning. But he finds his partner sound asleep, breaths deep and even. Danny is reluctant to wake him – the transformation will probably be draining as hell, so Steve needs all the rest he can get.

Instead, he leaves a note on the bedside table: 'Everything is ship-shape at home, ready for your return. See you tomorrow, D.' Then he tiptoes out again.

***

Steve is sitting on the edge of his hospital bed at 8am Saturday, freshly showered and wearing his own clothes. It's so ridiculously good to see him upright, dressed, and disconnected from all those machines. If Danny couldn't tell that Steve is practically vibrating with anxious tension, it'd be a very pleasant picture.

Dr. Young's not on duty today, so a male doctor is handling the paperwork. He runs Steve through the risks of leaving AMA, and makes him sign forms releasing the hospital from any liability. Steve receives strict instructions to seek follow-up care from his own physician. Danny knows he won't, though...the fewer people that know how fast he heals, the better.

Steve balks at having to leave the hospital in a wheelchair; Danny folds his arms, and stares him down.

"Park your ass in the goddamn chair, Steven," he orders. Steve scowls but complies, and Danny wheels him out of the room.

Every nurse they pass on their way out of the ICU stops to say goodbye. Steve hasn't exactly been a model patient – as Danny well knows, he hates hospitals at the best of times. But with the full moon getting closer, Steve has become irritable and brusque with pretty much everyone except Danny.

Because the universe is unfair, a stunningly attractive guy like Steve can get away with being an asshole. Danny's overheard many admiring comments from the nurses; he wouldn't be surprised if they drew lots to choose who'd give Steve his sponge bath.

One notable exception to the fan club was Michelle, an ICU nurse who turns out to have been Steve's girlfriend when they were 16. Hawaii really is far too fucking small. She was professional but cold towards him all week. But now that Steve has belatedly apologized for leaving her (and the island) so abruptly, and failing to keep in touch after, even Michelle is willing to smile at him.

As they head down the corridor, smiles and good wishes are sent Danny's way too. His favorite nurse, Travis, claps him on the shoulder and says, "Good luck keeping him in bed, brah!"

Danny grins back at him. He contemplates making a crack about putting his tie collection to good use, but decides against it. He and Steve haven't even kissed yet...it's way too early to joke about bondage.

They make it to the hospital's front door and out to the car without incident, escorted by two HPD officers. It's a sunny day instead of a rainy night, but Danny can't help feeling nervous as they cross the parking lot. He gets Steve settled in the passenger seat, insists that he wear his seatbelt, and then drives under the speed limit all the way home.

The HPD guys follow in a squad car, and park outside the front gate. They and their colleagues are under orders to continue the rotating guard duty, at least for the next few days. If Danny has his way, Steve won't be left unprotected until they catch the shooter.

Danny talks his partner through the enhanced protective measures on the house. The front and back doors have extra-strong deadbolts, now, and all the windows have locks or security latches. Danny chose the new six-digit alarm code: it's the zip code of his parents' neighborhood in Jersey, backwards, plus 'eight' for Grace's age. He explains this to Steve, saying that he's welcome to change it.

But Steve says, "No, I like it."

Ignoring Danny's suggestion that he go upstairs and rest, Steve insists on seeing the basement first.

The old door at the top of the steps was pretty flimsy, with a simple catch. The replacement is made of hardwood with a solid steel core, and the doorjamb has been reinforced too. The door can now be locked from either the basement or living room side, and requires both a physical key and an electronic key code. Danny chose this combination too, and he and Steve are the only ones who know it. The alarm company won't be monitoring this door.

The entryway is so small that Steve has to bend almost double, causing a gasp of pain followed by a coughing fit. He'll probably fit quite easily in wolf form, but something will have gone seriously wrong if he gets that far.

The second barrier is at the bottom of the steps. It resembles a jail cell door, but the steel bars are much thicker than those generally used to contain humans. This door requires another physical key.

For the purposes of tonight, a layer of foam four inches thick has been glued to the door. If wolf-Steve throws his full weight desperately against it, over and over, at least the cushioning will minimize his bruises.

Inside the basement, a thicker layer of soundproof padding has been attached to all four concrete walls – it looks like something out of an old mental asylum. It's there to muffle sound, but also to protect Steve from himself.

The camera in one corner of the ceiling is wired for sound, even though the prospect of hearing Steve howl freaks Danny out. There's a speaker next to the camera, too, in case Danny needs to communicate with Steve.

Danny fetches a stepladder from the garage, and tapes the written combination and the two keys to the camera's top side. Steve can reach if he stands on tiptoe; the wolf won't have a hope. Danny will have the duplicates upstairs, of course, and the plan is for him to let Steve out in the morning. But if something happens to Danny tonight, Steve has to be able to free himself tomorrow.

Some nifty work by the crew's plumber means there's now running water down here. A stainless steel basin and toilet have been installed, and there's also a bare metal bed frame against one wall. The set-up helps maintain the cover story, of course. But given Steve's line of work, he really might need to use this space as a safe room or holding cell someday.

Steve stands in the middle of the basement and looks around. "This looks perfect," he says. "You did a great job, Danny – thanks."

Danny smiles, but says, "Wait 'til you see the contractor's invoice. You might not be so pleased then!"

Steve shrugs, and then yawns widely.

"Right," Danny says, "time for a nap." He helps Steve up the stairs to bed, just like he did back in November.

God...that was only two months ago, and so much has changed.

Once he gets Steve settled, Danny heads back to the kitchen and starts making chicken soup. The process is so familiar that he can let his thoughts wander. Once he's run through his mental 'to do' list, twice, he tries to relax and clear his mind.

While the broth is simmering, Danny sits down at the dining table and types out an email to his parents and siblings. He deliberately keeps the tone light and cheerful, saying that Gracie's doing well in school and is keen to learn how to surf. His family already knows about the shooting, because Danny phoned Ma last Sunday when he was desperate for comfort. Now, he tells them that Steve's out of hospital and recovering well.

Danny also makes a point of noting how helpful and supportive Rachel has been this week. Ma's never forgiven Rachel for breaking her eldest boy's heart, but Danny needs her to accept that his ex-wife will always be part of their lives.

He attaches a bunch of image files to the email: Grace's latest school picture and some candid shots of her, plus a couple of photos that Steve took of Danny and Grace at the beach. In the first one, he's giving her a piggy-back ride. Gracie is beaming at the camera, and Danny is looking up at her with a goofy grin on his face. In the second one, they're watching the sun set over the ocean. She's leaning against his side, and he has his arm around her.

Danny hits 'send' and sits back in his chair, blowing out a breath. That's one task crossed off his list. If everything goes to hell tonight, Danny wants his family to have these last positive memories of him.

***

Once the soup's cooled, Danny heads upstairs with a tray. He gets Steve propped up against the pillows, then sits on the side of the bed. It's their first meal together since the shooting.

Steve gulps down his broth, polishing off two helpings by the time Danny's finished one. "This tastes even better than I remembered," he says, licking his lips.

Danny smiles in response. He swaps the empty bowl for a bottle of water, which Steve rapidly drains as well. "Did you get any sleep?"

Looking down at his hands, Steve shakes his head. Danny guesses that it was impossible for him to relax, given the anxiety thrumming under his skin.

"Do you need me to get you anything else?"

Steve meets his eyes and says, "No, Danny. I just need you to listen." And the look on his face now is so bleak that Danny wants to run, wants to cover his ears – anything to avoid whatever's coming next. Instead, he sits still and nods.

"If I get out tonight," Steve says slowly, "you have to kill me."

Oh, no. Danny's thought about this scenario; it's kept him awake every night this week. Hearing it out loud still breaks his heart.

"Don't say that," he protests.

"I'm sorry," Steve says. "It's a terrible burden to put on your shoulders, and you've done so much already. But I couldn't live with myself if I hurt or infected anyone...especially not you."

"Christ, Steve." Danny feels like crying. He shouldn't have to do this. Hell, Steve shouldn't have to go through this whole ordeal at all. He served his country with such courage and dedication, and this is the price he has to pay. It's so fucking unfair.

"I swear, Danny, that's what I need you to do. Promise me."

"But I've only got my sidearm," Danny says, dodging the demand. "Ordinary bullets can hurt you in wolf form, but not kill you. That's how it works, right?"

"Yeah." Steve hesitates, then says, "Go over to my closet, and bring me the metal box from the back right corner of the top shelf."

Danny has a bad feeling about this, but he does what Steve asks. The container has an electronic keypad on the front, and is so heavy that he nearly drops it.

Steve enters the numerical code slowly, allowing Danny to memorize it, and lifts the lid.

Inside are rows and rows of silver bullets. There's a wide range of calibers, and at least a dozen of them will fit Danny's gun.

Steve's fingertips hover over the box, without touching its contents. "One silver round will have an instant toxic impact, wherever you hit me. But it'll just slow me down, not stop me. The only way to be sure is to shoot me through the heart."

The bullets look so shiny and pure – it's hard to reconcile their beauty with the appalling damage they could inflict on Steve.

"If you come at me in wolf form," Danny says, staring at the bullets through tear-blurred eyes, "I will shoot you. But I will try to incapacitate you just enough to get you back behind the basement door."

Danny looks up again, not even trying to hide how much this is affecting him. "Please don't make me promise to kill you, Steve. I just can't."

Steve nods, apparently satisfied. Closing the box, he puts it on his bedside table.

He bites his lip, then says, "I can never thank you enough for doing all this."

"You're my partner," Danny replies, wiping at his eyes. "I swore I wouldn't let you down."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well, you're my best friend too," Danny says. "Friends don't let friends turn into wolves alone, right?"

Steve just looks at him; Danny drops his gaze, discomfited.

"I'm trying to be brave here," Steve says softly.

Danny's about to launch into a re-run of that speech he made about Rambo, after Steve was shot. But then he suddenly remembers what Steve had mumbled, in the restaurant's parking lot: 'I'm sorry...I should have been braver'.

Now Danny thinks he understands.

His heart starts pounding, but he has to be sure. "Brave about tonight, or brave about you and me?"

"Us," Steve says. It's such a simple little word, with such huge implications.

"You picked one hell of a time to come out," Danny says, his mouth on autopilot while his brain is processing.

Steve's lips quirk upwards slightly. "Not much left to lose, at this point." But his eyes are serious, and they're fixed on Danny's face.

And yeah, okay. Danny can do last-ditch honesty too.

"I want you, Steve," he says, and in a way it's a relief to finally admit it. "I've wanted you since we met."

"Me too," is all Steve says, but there's a world of feeling in his expression. "I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you. At first I didn't know you were bi; after that, I was just a coward."

Danny shrugs. "It takes two – I could have made a move earlier, myself. But what about Cath? Because I gotta tell you upfront: I don't share."

"We're real casual," Steve says, "so I don't think she'll be too devastated when I break things off."

"And 'Don't ask, don't tell'?"

"I don't give a fuck anymore," Steve says fiercely. "I've been in the Navy for half my life now, and sacrificed so much. I think I've earned the right to be selfish!"

"Hey, no arguments from me on that score," Danny says. "Just...this is the real thing for me, you understand? I need to be sure you've thought it through."

"I have, Danny, I swear," Steve assures him, and okay, that's good enough. No more talking, now.

Danny leans forward, and brushes his lips over Steve's. Even that slight contact is electrifying, after waiting so long for this. Then Steve opens his mouth, and the touch of his tongue against Danny's lower lip makes Danny shiver.

For long minutes, he gets lost in the incredible feeling of Steve's mouth on his. They're not touching anywhere else, but Danny's skin feels hot and hyper-sensitized all over.

Steve's breathing is becoming strained, and not in a good way. He's wheezing when Danny pulls back, but says, "No, don't stop."

"Not stopping," Danny promises, "just repositioning." He coaxes Steve into stretching out on his back, head propped up with pillows. Then Danny lies down on his side, pressing his body close to Steve's.

Steve's lips part and his eyes widen when Danny's erection pushes against his hip. For a brief moment Danny anticipates a freak-out, but instead Steve turns his head and kisses the breath out of him.

Danny's desperate to get his hands on Steve's beautiful body. Steve is only wearing pajama pants, so there's plenty of warm smooth skin to explore. He runs his fingertips over Steve's chest, skirting around the bandaged area; he teases at Steve's nipple, bending forward to pull it into his mouth, and Steve moans. Danny licks across his chest, and then kisses the skin over his heart.

Steve is holding himself motionless, watching, and there are tiny tremors through his body. Danny moves lower, stroking across Steve's toned belly and curving over his hip. Steve's erection is tenting his pajamas, and Danny can't wait to see, touch, and taste. But he tells himself to take his time and make it last. So he trails his fingertips just above the waistband, and goes no further.

Those good intentions fly out the goddamn window when Steve groans, "Please, Danny," flexing up into Danny's caress. Danny can't ignore such naked need, so he kneels beside Steve and strips him bare.

The sight of Steve's long, hard cock makes Danny lick his lips. He reaches out with his index finger to trace a path, starting behind Steve's balls and trailing up his shaft to the head. Bringing his fingertip to his mouth, Danny licks the pre-come off.

"Oh, God," Steve says, pupils blown wide.

Danny feels overwhelmed by all the things he wants to do to Steve. But if he only gets one chance at this, he knows how he wants it to go. Shifting so he's between Steve's parted legs, Danny sucks that gorgeous cock into his mouth in one swift motion.

"Fuck," Steve gasps, his hips jerking up. Danny lays a hand on each hip, holding him down, and Steve's breath hitches in his throat.

It's been a while since Danny did this, but Christ, it feels even better than he remembered – especially because it's Steve, and he's fantasized about this so often. He loves the way Steve's cock feels: heavy on his tongue and thick in his mouth, pulling his lips wide and pushing into his throat.

Steve's incredibly responsive, his groans and curses and stuttered breaths telling Danny exactly what he likes. Danny sinks down as far as he can, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard. Pulling back, he licks his way up the sensitive underside, swirls his tongue around the head, then swallows Steve's cock down again.

It doesn't take much longer before Steve moans, "Oh fuck, 'm gonna..." But Danny doesn't pull off – he wants everything Steve can give him. Steve comes down Danny's throat with a strangled shout, his body shaking, and Danny swallows down every drop.

He leans back, licking his lips. Once Steve catches his breath, he says, "Jesus, Danny – as if I didn't already have enough dreams about your mouth!"

Danny grins, adjusting himself in his pants. He might ask Steve to share one of those fantasies pretty soon, while he gets himself off. Steve's hardly up to returning the favor, since he can't move much.

Steve looks him up and down. "Why are you wearing so many clothes, huh?"

"You and my clothing choices, babe...it's like a broken record," Danny complains, just for form's sake.

"Maybe," Steve says, "but I think we can both agree you'd be better off naked right now."

Since Danny really can't argue with that, he shifts off the bed and starts stripping. Steve watches, a hungry look on his face. And Danny realizes something: the only time Steve's ever seen his bare chest was when Danny used his shirt as a makeshift bandage, and that hardly counts. Hell, Steve hasn't even seen his legs above the ankle.

Danny suddenly wonders if this is how a virgin might have felt in the olden days, when she disrobed for her new husband on their wedding night.

When he removes his boxers, Steve exhales loudly. He stretches one hand in Danny's direction, and says, "Come here."

Danny lies down on his side, as he'd done earlier. His cock is even harder now and he's ready to jerk off just like this.

But Steve says, "Let me" in a rough voice, and that's the best offer Danny's had all day.

Still, he has just enough upstairs brain left to ask, "Are you sure? You can't risk tearing your stitches."

"Trust me," Steve says, and yeah, Danny can do that – that's his SOP, after all. They kiss again, Steve moaning as he tastes himself on Danny's tongue. Steve then pulls away, lifts his left hand to Danny's mouth, and orders, "Lick."

And wow, okay. Danny's always had a thing for Steve's big strong hands, and he's not averse to following commands in bed either. So really, this is no hardship at all.

Danny paints Steve's palm with broad strokes of his tongue, twisting up and around his fingers too. They're both short of breath by the time he's done.

"Your fucking mouth, Danny," Steve says, almost reverent.

When Steve reaches down and wraps that spit-slicked hand around his cock, Danny groans loudly. The angle is initially awkward, but Steve adjusts his grip and suddenly it's incredible.

"Oh Christ, yes," Danny pants as Steve builds up a steady rhythm, thumb creating perfect pressure just under the head.

Danny's propped up on one fist, watching Steve's hand work his cock so he can commit the unbelievably hot sight to memory. But his wrist is soon shaking too much to support him. When he resettles himself, flat on his side, his face ends up right beside the colorful design on Steve's upper arm. So Danny does what he's wanted to do for months: he licks the tattoo. The muscle beneath the inked skin flexes under his tongue as Steve's hand moves on Danny's cock just right, and he's holding onto his control by a thread now.

"Come for me, Danny – I want to see you," Steve says, voice low and commanding, and Jesus fuck, it's all too much for Danny to take. He gasps and shudders, back arching as his come coats Steve's hand and hip.

"So good, Steve," is all Danny can say. He rolls onto his back and they lie there together, breathing hard. Danny feels like he could never get enough of Steve, now he's had just a taste.

He reaches for Steve's discarded pajamas and wipes their skin clean. Danny feels his eyelids growing heavy, and sees Steve yawning beside him. They can't risk sleeping the afternoon away: the sun isn't due to set until after 6pm, but they shouldn't take any chances. Danny sets the alarm on his phone for 3pm, then picks up Steve's phone and does the same just in case.

Danny pulls the covers up, and settles down again with his head on Steve's shoulder. "We've got time for a nap," he whispers to Steve, who nods drowsily. With Steve safe beside him and holding him close, Danny is soon asleep.
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Sympathy for the werewolf