Author's Note: Wow! You guys are incredible. I am so glad you guys are this enthusiastic about the vignettes to come, and that you like the idea of the story as a whole. Reading through your feedback made me even more excited to keep posting; so without further ado, I hope you all enjoy this next installment. Thank you very much for your time and support!
Disclaimer in Chapter One!
Prompt: Broken (B)
Characters: Steve/Danny, friendship
Genre: Humor/Friendship
He wasn't supposed to have seen it.
The arrest had gone smoother than they had expected; their suspect had hardly put up a fight as the cuffs were snapped on, shouted insults about haoles notwithstanding. The murder weapon was accounted for, the bullets were perfect matches to the slugs found at the crime scene. There had been no reason to worry, no reason to even think twice.
Steve wasn't supposed to have seen the mere inch of movement coming from the upstairs balcony—but he was glad he did. Not even a second had passed before all hell broke loose.
Danny hadn't seen it coming, so his breath was more than a little knocked out of him when Steve's hard, muscled body came out of nowhere and collided straight into his, tackling him to the ground far away from where he had previously been standing—far away from where two bullets were now embedded in the stack of crates that had been right behind his head.
Danny tried moving as Steve opened fire, but fuck, his leg hurt like something awful, and there was no questioning it—the poor limb was broken. He needn't have worried about seeking cover, because the shooter was dead in the blink of an eye, but that did a grand total of absolutely nothing to abate Danny's current frustration.
It was in the middle of loudly chewing Steve out—"You couldn't have just told me to duck or something? You're not the only trained officer of the law in this building, you know!"—that Danny realized just how strangely Steve was cradling his left arm. There was something about the set of his shoulder that just...didn't look right.
Good riddance.
Danny barely had the time to think about how Kono was almost certainly going to kill them for this, and that Chin would find the perfect spot to hide their bodies, before the beginnings of another rant were falling from his lips. "Steven, I swear, if you broke your arm in addition to shattering all of the bones in my leg, we're gonna have to have a serious talk."
"It's not broken, alright? It's just dislocated." But Steve winced as he tried moving it, and Danny definitely noticed. "Yeah," he said again, trying unsuccessfully to mask his ensuing whimper with a cough. "Dislocated."
"Dislocated, my ass," Danny practically growled, hissing as the pain in his leg seemed to double with each minute that passed. "Right, sure, your arm is completely fine and Chin and Kono are going to get married next summer. Jesus, Steve, don't lie to me."
"You are ridiculous," Steve said, blue eyes wide with disbelief at the amount of sarcasm dripping from his partner's tone. "I just saved your life."
"What do you want me to do, huh? You want me to get you a fruit basket? Fine, I'll get you a fruit basket with a nice big card inside that reads 'you are certifiably insane and an ass'. Yeah, I'll get right on that. When I can walk again."
"Certifiably insane and an ass. Wow, that's great." Steve rolled his eyes and made to walk away, out of the warehouse for some fresh air. "Just fabulous, Danno, you're welcome."
"Hey, hey, wait. Where do you think you're going?" Danny motioned around him. "Clearly I'm not going to able to move until that ambulance gets over here."
"I thought you were a trained officer of the law," Steve reminded, a smirk touching the corners of his lips.
"Yeah, okay. Whatever." He made a frustrated noise as Steve extended a hand—the one attached to his non-broken arm—to very awkwardly help him up onto his good leg. "Thanks," Danny grumbled.
Steve's face lit up. "Now, just to clarify: Was that for saving your life or for helping you onto your feet?"
Danny couldn't help it; he bit out an incredulous laugh. "I hate you so much, McGarrett."
But the other man just smiled. "Maybe you should put that in the card instead."
Author's Note: Well, what do you think? It's been all fun and games so far and will stay that way for the next couple chapters, until we hit E. After that, I'd say the genres are free game; but don't you worry, this crazy roller-coaster ride will be an enjoyable one! If you have a moment, I would sure love to hear from you. Your feedback provides the best incentive and inspiration I could hope for. Many thanks in advance!