Hey guys,
So this one came to me in a dream. It's just a bit of bromance, because I find we don't get anywhere near enough of that in the show. Slight hint at Mckono, but not really established. I'm unsure if I'm a fan of Mckono - I feel like in s1 they hinted at it, but then dropped it altogether. Meh. Make of it what you will :)
Hope you all have a good weekend!
GB. x
Plausible Deniability
Danny can't believe he didn't see it before.
Sure, Steve was always a little cautious with everyone but himself, treated the team as if they were family – his own flesh and blood – but this was different somehow.
Three sets of eyes flicked to Steve, waiting for his command, guns in hands, coms in ears, muscles tense and ready to go. McGarrett holds up one hand, counts down from 3 on his fingers.
3...2...1...
Danny kicks the front door of the suburban home in, guns are raised as they criss-cross each other, hair on ends, breathing a little fast as adrenaline surges, attention sharp and focused as they search and clear each room on the ground floor; Chin and Steve taking the left side, Kono and Danny the right. After only a couple of minutes, Steve's voice speaks softly in their ears.
"Floor cleared. We'll take the basement. Danny, you and Kono take upstairs."
Danny looks to Kono, and she nods to confirm she's heard the order perfectly clear, turns and leads the way, gun raised as she slowly starts to ascend the staircase, each step whispering a soft creak as weight shifts from one foot to the other. They reach the landing, take the bathroom first.
"Bathroom clear." Danny whispers, knowing full well the whole team are listening. They edge towards the next closest room, the door closed. They take their places, Danny to the right, Kono of the left, and mentally count themselves down. Danny reaches across the door, his back still against the wall, grabs hold of the handle, doesn't open it until Kono nods. The door flies open and they pounce inside, landing on their feet silently – the skill mastered after years of doing so - ready to take down any potential threats, but the room is empty.
"Basement clear. Heading to you whilst Chin takes a look around down here." Steve's voice whispers quietly over the coms.
"First bedroom clear. One left to go." Danny reports quietly, as they creep back to the hallway, copy their stances against the third and final door frame.
3...2...1
Danny pushes the door open quickly, and Kono leads them into the room. He isn't sure who fires first, himself or Kono, but he knows that both weapons are discharged as soon as the suspect raises his handgun and aims it at them. Two bullets to the chest is enough to take him down though, and Danny huffs a sigh of relief, as he approaches the body and kicks the gun out of the tanned hand, just in case.
"Danny?" Steve's voice echoes in his ear, worried.
"Suspect down." Danny reports, no longer using a hushed tone, hearing Steve's heavy boots landing on the wooden stairs, two at a time, and doesn't have time to say anything else because McGarrett is soon in the room and standing over the body too.
"So much for taking him alive." Steve mutters, kneeling down and running his eyes over the drug dealers body. "I only see two holes." He points to the blood stains on the dirty, white shirt.
"Yeah, we both popped one into him before he could do us first." Danny explains, pulling the ear piece out and holstering his weapon.
"But there were three shots fired." Steve looks up, his face a mask of confusion, before realisation hits both him and Danny, and they tear their eyes away from each other just in time to see Kono collapse in Chin's arms as he rushes into the room.
And that's when it becomes clear to Danny.
He's seen it all before; when he was poisoned with Sarin on a case, or Chin had a bomb strapped to his neck after being kidnapped, even when Kono was shot in the stomach when stupid enough to go after the Yakuza on her own. Every time, Steve had been there, the stress and worry evident on his face, but only coming second to the pure determination to seek revenge, justice, whatever the hell he wanted to call it at the time. He'd always take charge, tried to fix things, fix them, but this, this, was completely different. In a movement too fast for Danny to match, Steve was there, lowering Kono from Chin's grasp onto the floor, yanking her tac vest from her body in one swift motion, doing a visual assessment as hands skimmed over her black vest top.
"Kono?" He yells as her eyes roll. "Kono stay with me, where does it hurt?" He orders, as Chin pulls his phone from his pocket and dials 911. "Kono!" He shouts, pulls her attention back from the darkness that promises her pain-free peace. There's something in his voice, something different; fear.
"Everywhere." She whispers, her breath rattling in her chest. "Hurts."
His hands find the damp fabric, and then he's lifting her shirt up without hesitation. Danny cusses under his breath when he sees the small puncture wound just below her ribcage, blood oozing from the inflamed hole.
"Shit." Steve curses, his voice strained, as he rips her top, presses against the wound to try and stem the blood flow, ignores the whimper of pain, the sharp intake of breath that leads to agonising heaves. "Where's that ambulance, Chin?" He shouts, his eyes focused only on Kono's, his face twisting into something even Danny can't read. He starts to pace, wonders how he missed the third shot, why he didn't question Kono's quiet presence when she'd usually be first to report to Steve, ever the eager rookie. And then he looks back at his partner, really looks at him - see's fear, anxiety, anger, more fear - and the penny drops. This isn't Commander McGarret, head of Five-0, concerned for his team member. This is Steve, friend of Danny and Chin, uncle to Grace, something else entirely different to Kono. And then Danny curses, because God dammit, that isn't allowed, that is just plain stupid, and he's not entirely sure how long that has been going on, but that is something Danny shouldn't have missed.
"Five minutes out." Chin replies, and Danny looks at him, because he wonders if it's as obvious to the Cousin as it is to him. But Chin doesn't look anything but concerned, and that can only mean one of two things; he doesn't know and doesn't suspect, or worse, he does know and he hasn't told Danny, either. At first Danny hopes it's the first option, but then realises now that he knows, he'd have to lie to Chin too, and then he can't decide which option he'd actually prefer.
Steve closes his eyes, seems to be muttering something under his breath, and Danny wonders if he's praying – something he's never actually seen Steve do, wonders if it's something he's ever done.
Minutes feel like hours. Kono fades in and out, never quite losing consciousness, but never being completely with it, either. She coughs a few times, whimpers softly, and none of the team misses the pink tinged mucus, or the way her body shivers and her skin turns an unhealthy shade of white.
"Where's that ambo, dammit." Steve mutters, the cloth beneath his hand saturated, his hands turning red as blood stains skin. He presses harder still, and Chin drops to his knees beside his cousin, the pacing no longer a sufficient distraction, grabs her hand and squeezes tight.
"Stay with us Kono." He begs, the cool, calm exterior faltering slightly.
The blue flashing lights illuminate the room, and Danny takes it upon himself to run down to greet the paramedics. They don't stop to speak as they rush through the front doors, so Danny relays the information as he matches their stride.
"Female in her late 20's, gunshot wound to the upper right abdomen, happened around eight to ten minutes ago." Directs which room to go to. "Through here, guys."
Chin instantly steps back, allows space for the medics to get to work, but Steve doesn't move, refuses to look anywhere but at the ashen face below him.
"Hey Steve, c'mon buddy, give the guys some space." Danny coaxes softly, his hand resting gently on the Commander's shoulder. There's a moment of hesitation, just long enough for Danny's suspicions to be confirmed, and then Steve's blinking, pulling himself away and stepping back so the medic can get in and assess the damage. Less than five minutes later, Kono is sedated and intubated, loaded onto a gurney and being pushed into the back of the ambulance.
"I'm coming with you." Steve demands, places one foot inside the van, before Danny interjects.
"Erm, Steve, maybe Chin should go – it's his family after all." Then turns to Chin. "We can finish up here and meet you guys back at the hospital?"
"Sure, I'll keep you updated. Thanks, Brah." Chin nodded, hopping into the back and taking the seat Steve would have been sat in.
"Of course." Steve nods, steps back and takes a deep breath. And then the doors are being slammed shut, the lights are flashing, and the ambulance is speeding away.
Danny doesn't bother knocking on the front door, or even walking through it; he just heads straight around the back of Steve's house, because the sun is still in the sky, the water will still be warm, and Steve needs to let off some steam. Danny heads across the nearly trimmed grass, stops at the two beach chairs, and eyes the discarded clothes, flip-flops and folded towel – the confirmation that Steve was out riding the waves. He squints against the setting sun, searches the ocean for his partner, and waves him down when he's spotted him. Quietly wonders how he's going to play this, tries to determine if he still feels angry about the whole situation, or if he's finally come to terms. He watches Steve head up the sandy beach, wearing nothing but board shorts, his board under his arm, and decides that he's annoyed more than anything; annoyed at Steve, at Kono, at the whole damn mess. Neither men bother with greetings as Steve rests his board on the ground and grabs for the towel to dry his hair.
"Have you heard from Chin?" Steve finally asks, because even though he'd wanted to call for an hourly update, Chin had almost lost his temper at the hospital when Steve had taken it upon himself to demand the doctors worked harder, faster, more efficiently, and politely asked both of his friends to leave, promising to update them as soon as he knew something. Steve isn't surprised when Danny nods.
"Yeah that's why I'm here; the bullet tore through Kono's right lung and lodged itself near her heart, but luckily it missed all vital arteries, and they were able to patch her up pretty good. She'll be out of action for a few weeks, though."
"That's good." Steve nods, a little relieved.
"Chin was gonna call you himself, but I told him I'd head over. I think he's pretty beat, needs some sleep." Danny explains, because he can remember the look on Chin's face when he'd asked McGarrett to go home, and even scarier, remembers the look on Steve's face too.
"I'll call him in the morning to make sure he's okay." Steve nods, heads for his house, leaving everything where it is; a sign he's not finished with the waves just yet. "Beer?"
"Sure." Danny nods, follows Steve to the kitchen, rests against the island counter with his arms crossed over his chest. Steve slides a bottle over to him, pulls one from the fridge for himself, twists off the lid and takes a long drag.
"Today was pretty scary, huh? Seeing Kono like that." Danny starts softly, tries to sound nonchalant as he opens his bottle and tosses the cap into the trash can.
"She was pretty lucky she got to the hospital in time." Steve nods, heads back outside, Danny right behind him. "It was too close for comfort."
"Yeah." Danny trails off, before clearing his throat. "Hey, Steve, can I ask you something? And you have to promise not to flip out and go all macho on me."
"It's not like you to ask first, Danny." Steve laughs lightly, turning to face his partner. Danny shifts uncomfortably. "Hey, what's wrong?" Steve asks, concerned.
"Nothing. I mean, not with me anyway. It's about Kono, actually. Well, you too." Danny stalls.
"C'mon, Danno. You're never lost for words." Steve frowns slightly.
"Okay, how long have you and Kono been, you know, you and Kono?" Danny waits with baited breath, the minute dragging through an awkward silence, before Steve finally answers him.
"I don't know what you mean." A casual shrug of one shoulder, as Steve turns back and heads for the wooden beach chairs.
"Don't play coy with me, Steven." Danny snorts, following again, squints a little against the blazing orange sunset.
"Danny, I don't know what you want me to say. There is nothing going on between myself and Kono. She's a part of five-0, one of us."
"Yes." Danny nods. "Yes she is. Which is why it would absolutely be the wrong thing to do. So, you both need to just stop what you are doing. Just stop."
"There's nothing to stop." Steve shakes his head lightly, seems a little amused. "We're just good friends." Another small shrug, and Danny's eyes narrow, because he's a Detective, a damn good one, and when his Spidey Senses tingle, he doesn't ignore them. Ever.
"You are a good liar, Steven, I have to admit. But even with all of your SuperSEAL, SuperSpy training, I'm not buying it." Wags a finger. "You two are dating."
Steve's mouth opens to say something, but then closes shut with a snap, and Danny smiles, a little smug, because he's called Steve out, seen past his façade, won the game. And then he screws his face up, because the whole concept is just odd; thinking of his friends, family, doing anything together – anything intimate – is just too weird to contemplate. Another long pause before Steve shakes his head again as he sits in one of the chairs and Danny copies, taking position in the other.
"I haven't taken Kono on a date. Ever."
"Oh, that's okay then." Danny dramatically sighs, sarcasm evident as he jumps to the next conclusion. "So you're just screwing her then." A little blunt, because even though Steve is like a brother, Kono is like a little sister, and he can't help being a little protective of her.
"What?! No, Danny, we're not...we haven't...we aren't!" Steve exclaims, a little taken aback by Danny's bluntness. The blonde detective can't ignore the fresh pink taint to his partners cheeks, and he knows it has nothing to do with the setting sun casting a strange light over their skin. He settles back in his chair, takes a mouthful from the beer bottle, then casually glances over at Steve.
"Chin's going to kill you. You know that, right? She's too young for you, she's the baby of our team, and you're totally taking advantage."
"He's not going to kill me, because there's nothing going on, Danny. I promise you." Danny eyes Steve's open face; the honesty leaves an innocence he hasn't seen there before. "We're just good friends. We hang out sometimes, catch some waves. That is all."
Danny finds himself doubting himself, almost chastising himself for jumping to the wrong conclusion. But something is niggling at him, telling him that there's something going on, that Steve's hiding something, because there's no way that he would have acted that way with Kono when she got shot if he wasn't...
"Oh." Danny breathes, as realisation hits him. "I get it. You're an idiot."
"What?" Steve raises an eyebrow, a little confused at the change in direction.
"Please, please, tell me that you haven't fallen for a Kalakaua." Danny begs, notices how Steve's jaw clenches, how his eyes look at anything but Danny.
"Shut up, Danny." He tries to sound offended, but it doesn't work.
"You are an idiot! I'm right! You have, haven't you? I have hit the proverbial nail on the head, haven't I?! Steve McGarrett, Mr 'It's Classified', has fallen for a girl. A kick-ass, tomboyish, off-limits kinda girl, but a girl nonetheless!"
"Danny..." Steve warns again, but Danny isn't listening, too shocked at his own revelation.
"I can't believe it has taken me this long, this long, to work it out! It's so friggin' obvious! I can't believe Chin hasn't worked it out yet. Or maybe he has and is just waiting for the right time to have your balls for it. I would avoid him for a bit, if I were you. And his pretty, young cousin, the one you're sweet on; maybe avoid her for a while too. Hell, I'd play it safe and just avoid the whole damn family – although that would probably consist of at least forty eight percent of Hawaii, and it's a pretty small Island..."
"Danny..."
"Wow, Kono Kalakaua, huh? I don't believe you; of all the girls you could have and you go for that one. Goof." Danny finishes, shaking his head in disbelief, watches as the ocean laps at the shoreline. Neither men speak for a short while, neither needed to as both process their latest conversation, both a little in shock – Danny for figuring it out, and Steve for actually hearing it from someone else's mouth. And then, because Danny is itching to know, and realises that Steve isn't going to offer any more information up unless he's actually asked for it, Danny breaks the silence again.
"Have you told her?"
Steve doesn't answer immediately, and Danny wonders if he's mentally trying to find a way out of this conversation, but he goes with 'yeah' instead.
"Okay." Danny nods. "And I assume, because you're not doing that, that she doesn't feel the same way."
"There's a reason the word 'assume' begins with 'ass', Danny." Steve says, his lips threatening a smile. "She does, actually."
"Then why aren't you two..."
"This is why." Steve answers, one eyebrow raised, pointing at the space between them both. "What you are doing right now, what you are saying; it's all true." A half-hearted shrug and another mouthful of beer. "And I'm also her boss."
"Yes, Steven, yes you are." A slow nod. "So what's the plan?"
"The plan?"
"Yeah, I mean, you have to work together, see each other every day..."
"It's business as usual, Danno. Business as usual." Steve sighs.
"Listen, I'm no expert when it comes to being all happy and in love and all romancy, et cetera, but I am when it comes to heartache and doom and gloom, and I am telling you, as a friend, that you are setting yourself up for a hard fall, Steven. A very long, very hard fall. "
"What am I supposed to do, Danny?" Steve asks, his face finally showing the torment he's been keeping secret for god knows how long. "I'm not going to transfer her out of Five-0, and I'm not about to quit. We've both talked about it, and both agreed that we have to stay strictly professional at work, and try to limit contact outside."
"That's why you picked Chin today, isn't it? At the raid? It's why you didn't take Kono to the basement with you." Danny doesn't need Steve to confirm, because he already knows, but he does anyway.
"I can't afford for her to have my back, you know? It's like I lose all control of my senses, like I can only focus on how close to me she's standing, or how good she smells." Steve shakes his head. "It's crazy."
"Chin's going to kill you." Danny concludes again.
"No, he isn't, because he's not going to find out." Steve says, the warning subtle, but evident. Danny goes quiet, drains the last of his beer, watches as the last of the suns rays touch the calm water.
"Okay." He finally nods, looks at his friend. "Here's what I'm going to do, because you're my partner, and you're a doofus, and probably because I love you a little bit; I'm going to take Kono under my wing, because let's be honest, she's still kind of a rookie, and I kinda need someone to pass my incredible detective skills on to. Chin wont suspect a thing, and you get to avoid her as much as one can when working together. And you need to get those feelings in check, because if I can work out something is going on, so can the rest of the world, and if Chin catches wind of this, you're on your own. I'm leaning towards plausibly deniability. Because there are some things a man just has to face on his own, and the wrath of Chin Ho Kelly is one of them!"
"Cheers Danno." Steve smiles softly. "I owe you."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Danny smiles back. "And I'll also make sure I keep plenty of beers in the fridge and icecream in the freezer, for you know, whenever." A casual shrug of one shoulder. "Just saying."
Steves lets out a genuine laugh, because Danny's more than just his partner, he's his best friend, and maybe that's just enough to get him through this.
The End