Chapter 7: Back to ´normal´
Their life returned to what Steve would call normal and Danny adrenalin-filled-insanity but they were all back at work. The team, now aware of their boss's secret, got used to the thought and didn't bother the Seal as he returned back at work. Steve suspect that Danny told them a bit, enough to satisfied their need for information and probably ask in the same sentence that everything should return to normal.
Steve was thankful for Danny, for everything his friend was doing. He was still embarrassed about the shirt but Danny doesn't bring it up and best thing was he was allowed to keep it. Another thing Steve is grateful for. He feared that finding it, Danny would be disgusted by him or worse rejects him. Not talking about any of it was better than changing their relationship to something worse or worst case, none at all.
Some nights, when he is alone and sits outside at the beach watching the dark water, the waves crushing at the beach and the star´s reflection on it, Steve dreams about a future where they are more than friends, when they are something his wolf knows and acts on it, pure instinct. Something the shifter can´t hide in his animal form. But better this then nothing at all.
… A few months later
The air was heavy and humid; Steve could feel the sweet on his skin, soaking through his clothes. Danny was sweating as well; he could smell the man behind him. Steve´s nose had always been better than a normal human one and since his shifting and staying together with Danny for the days his brain is targeted onto Danny´s unique smell. He and his wolf like the feeling of knowing where Danny was without looking. Following his nose, it would always give him the answer he needed.
Since he had changed back during Danny´s care, Steve hadn't changed. He never did it on purpose, to keep his secret and out of fear he could hurt someone. The only time he shifts regular was in his Navy time, as it was expected from him to complete his missions. Now he is thinking of it often. It gives him something … freeing, he would call it. It was easier to be an animal then a human but he didn't transform. He didn't know why but he was feeling the wolf under his skin more intense and it scared the Seal. He will never tell a living soul but his biggest fear is to change and never return to his human body, to stay forever an animal. Hunted and feared by most of mankind.
A shatter travels Steve´s back down as he returns his thoughts back to their current job, not his best idea to let his mind wander while chasing some escaped arms dealer.
"We should have waited for back up." Danny whispers behind him.
"We will lose them, there is no time. Back up is on the way they will find us when everything is over already. Don't worry." Steve answers without turning back. Danny always worries, more then he should sometimes.
"It will be your fault if something happened and you own me a dinner when this is over Steven. Honestly two pair of shoes this month. My salary isn't high enough for this. You know I have to pay aliment." Rolling his eyes Steve follows the path further into the jungle, Danny always finds something to nag and he loves it.
Love …
The Seal shakes his head, not now. He tries to concentrate on this job again but it gets harder with every second.
"Maybe we should separate to cover more ground?" Separating would give his brain more clearance when not most part of his wolf part is busy tracking every step Danny takes behind him. Steve could feel it wasn't his best idea but right now it had to work. They only had to get the arms dealer out of the jungle and then he could think an maybe talk to Danny.
Danny wasn't happy about splitting up but if it would bring them back home faster he was all in. Steve would manage, Mr. Surviving everything, can do that. But it seems like the Seal was a bit distracted today. Thinking about it, the behaviour came out more often. Danny could feel his partners mind following his every step, as if he would track him with every sense the man had to offer. Not that Danny would complain, he was sure that had saved him more than once.
Suddenly he feels something round and cold at the back of his head, followed by the sound from a safety pulled back. "Hello, detective, aren't you one of them who tries to cuff us and throw the key away." Danny gets pushed into the back and turns around.
He had found the arms dealer, but without back up or Steve, now unarmed and prisoner Danny couldn't be happy about it. "About that, it would be very nice of you not to kill me. You know killing a cop isn't the best thing you can do, shortly before you get arrested." The men in front of him, share a look and start laughing.
"Interesting but who said we would kill you. First we play a little game, it is called information extraction. I like it. Most of the people I play it with not so much. But in the end they all stop complaining. We really like to know who the person is we have to thank for you. You know the one that lead you to us. I think I want to meet him or her and the matching family/friends to that person. You can do so many thinks to one person if you really try."
Great, Danny thinks, he got a crazy one. Not that he knows many same arms dealer but sometimes he wishes for a normal day at the office, without terror attack, man trafficking, arms dealing or killing. Just paper work, a lunch break with the team and not a visit to the hospital at the end of the day.
Surrounded and still thinking of a way out Danny needed a second to understand the new sound that appears in the jungle, the arms dealer were looking around because something that makes that kind of noise doesn't exist on this island.
The howl of a wolf pierce through the sudden silence of the jungle. Every bird and insect seems to stop breathing, frighten by an animal that shouldn't be here. Understanding what happening Danny gets ready. There were far too many enemies for Steve to strike down even when he gets the first two or three by surprise but Danny doesn't want a wolf with a shot wound caring home and explain the whole thing later.
Danger! It was as if Steve´s animal instinct was screaming at him, his human sense hadn't worked through the information provided but there was fear, Danny´s fear. Danny was in danger.
Without even thinking Steve transformed, he had forgotten how smoothly it can be when he and the wolf want the same thing and right now they both want as fast as possible to Danny. Save him, protect him, ma … stop that. Steve growled at the wolf´s mating thoughts.
Steve howls and runs, following Danny´s smell and the ones of the enemy. He wants to kill them, right away. Wants to rip out their throats for threatening his Danny. His paws fly over the jungle ground and in less than a minute Steve can see the first of them.
Getting faster than slowing down Steve attacks the first armed man, his prey went down limply and lifeless, spilling his blood and letting it get swallow by the earth.
The second one, shocked and frozen loses the hand that holds a gun. One of his claws rips through the man´s chest and let most of the lower part cut open deeply.
While he jumps on the third one Steve feels Danny moving and getting the one that threathen him and was now aiming at the wolf unarmed and pushes him to the ground. Steve realizing that less violence was ask of him pulls his teeth and claws back and let his full body weight push the last one standing against a close tree. Knocked out, unconscious but alive Steve turns his back and looks at Danny, question what he should do now.
The black wolf in front of him was breathing hart, he was covered in blood and if Danny wouldn't recognize his partner he would piss his pants right know. Seeing Steve attacking these men was the scariest thing he had ever seen. This was not even violence, that was something else. Something desperate, an animal that protects his children … his loved ones.
"Steve? Can you turn back?" The wolf walks closer and Danny just hugs him, with the criminals cuffed. Nothing could disturb them. Suddenly Danny feels how his legs are shaken and wonders how he had been standing a minute ago. Something cold and wet touches him at the back of his neck.
Danny pulls back and hears a new noise from the wolf, it sounds like a small cheeping mixed with whining. A soft smile appears on Danny. His tough friend had been scared, very scared indeed and was now apologizing. How Danny could translate the wolf was a good question, one he will ask later, when they are back home.
Before Steve could answer his question about the turning back part the wolf´s ear twitch and his head turned. A few seconds later Danny could hear it too. The sound of heavy boots stamping through the jungle. It was out of question that Steve would transform now.
Deciding to take matter in his own hand Danny get´s up. "Play along." He whispers to the wolf, Steve looks up to him, with an adorable confusing look.
A SWAT team came through a bunch of bushes and secure the area, take away the living criminal, getting an ambulance for the hurt ones and the coroner for the dead one. It took a while for someone to question Danny. The only other people who knew who the wolf is weren't here. The leader of the swat team came over, eyeing the giant black wolf.
"Sir, we have a question to the injuries, the criminals suffer, was it the dogs doing?" Steve lays his ears down and looks a bit more threatening until Danny´s hand rest on his head, the wolf´s tail starts to wiggle and it really looks like an adorable dog, happy with the world.
"He is the new Five-0 dog?." Danny surprised by his own hesitation by the word dog surprised him.
"Never heard of it." The leader looked down on the black creature.
"It´s his first case, he is special trained by us for this purpose, who would expect a w … dog jumping you. But anyway I would like to go. I can answer further questions if you want but right now I have to give someone a bath." The swat leader nods and let Danny go. Steve follows without being asked.
Danny starts breathing freely again as they left the jungle and reach their cars. "You are naked right now?" The dog nods. "Fine, jump in I will drive you home, you really need a bath and we need a talk." Danny opens the door and Steve jumps on the passenger seat and crouch down to a little ball. If you could describe anything on Steve small.
Danny sit in the driver seat, starts the ignition and drives to Steve's house. He hopes no one remembers that the leader of Five-0 was also on this mission.
