A Man of Action

A/N: Thanks everyone for the positive feedback on the first story. I wasn't sure if you guys would be interested in reading something like this and your comments have certainly made a difference.

Here's the second installment. Steve and Danny. Even at odds, always there for each other.

"Hey, Frank, where's my lunch?"

Steve McGarrett heard his partner's voice and froze in his tracks.

Shit.

He had done a pretty good job of avoiding him the whole morning, locking himself in his office and pretending to do paperwork and now here he was, standing right behind him at the security check.

His timing really, really sucked.

After yet another 'act first, think later' moment that had landed him in the ER with a sprained wrist and a few busted ribs, Danny had made it perfectly clear that he'd reached the breaking point. A glorious rant about his self-destructive tendencies had ensued, and he'd yelled to anyone who would listen that he was finally free to get himself killed if that was what he wanted because he no longer cared.

Eyes dark with a mix of rage and fear Steve had rarely witnessed in his best friend's gaze, he had pinned him with one last glare and left him right there in the trauma room while the nurse tended to his wrist, making it impossible for him to follow his steps.

Steve had hung his head for a long moment, waiting for the shock to subside, then after apologizing to the medical staff he'd cradled his aching limb to his chest and dialed Junior's number. The young SEAL had come to collect him a short while later, almost apologetic for not being the person Steve really wanted by his side, and he had spent the rest of the day gratefully numbed by the pain meds that for once he hadn't refused. Sitting on the recliner, staring at his stubbornly silent phone.

A sprained wrist. A stupid injury that didn't even hurt anymore.

He had been through worse, so why the tirade?

Danny knew how much he loved his job, how much he wanted to make a difference out there. He knew it mattered to him to come home at night, look at his reflection in the mirror and be proud of the man he saw. That was who he was, who he had been long before they'd met.

Saving lives made his own struggles worth, gave his existence purpose.

But that wasn't all. If he was honest with himself, Steve had to admit that he enjoyed the rush of adrenaline only a chase could give him, the blood roaring in his ears every time he pulled out his weapon.

He needed it to feel alive.

Sure, the job came with certain risks, but he had accepted those years ago. He wouldn't have chosen a career in the military, training with the best of the best, if he was afraid of spilling blood and face danger.

Steve McGarrett was a man of action.

If he had wanted to sit for eight hours, he'd be a bus driver or a clerk.

Which was exactly what he felt like today. A damn pencil-pusher.

He had come into work expecting the usual flood of activity to find out with dismay that there were no loose ends to tie, no new leads to follow, no suspects to interview. As if to mock him, all criminals had apparently decided to take the day off and four hours into his work day, he was climbing the walls with frustration and ready to shoot somebody just for the heck of it. Sitting at his desk typing reports and supply requisition forms while his best friend ignored him was a mind-numbing task he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Danny hadn't said a word to him the whole morning. He had talked to Junior, welcomed Tani into his office and even offered Lou coffee. All that without even a glance in his direction. Then he had disappeared, off on some unknown errand that had only fueled Steve's foul mood, so he'd jumped at the chance to stretch his legs when Frank, the Palace's security guard, had requested his presence downstairs.

If he made it to the end of the day, he was going to make sure there wouldn't be a repeat any time soon.

"...Wait here, Commander, I'll be right back."

The entrance, like almost every day, was a blur of activity. Between flocks of visitors coming to tour the historic building, regular employees and delivery guys bringing food to starved workers, Steve barely heard Frank's words and moved aside to wait his turn.

He didn't mind.

He had no idea why he'd been summoned and honestly, he didn't even care. He was just glad for the interruption. Seeing his partner though, feeling his familiar presence at his side almost made him wish he was back upstairs, safe in the confined space of his glass-encased office.

Hands on his hips, he gazed longingly outside, wishing he was out on the streets doing what he did best. There would be no pride today, no satisfaction for a job well done. Just disappointment for his failures as a friend and task-force leader.

Danny walked past him, so close that he could've reached out a hand and touched him. Steve offered him a smile, but the blond detective barely acknowledged him.

He hated it when things were so tense between them. Danny was his best friend, the one he had shared almost all of himself with. He couldn't imagine his life without him and it hurt a lot more than his bruised ribs to think that things might never be the same.

For a brief moment, he considered faking a phone call. Living up to his reputation of badass, always-in-motion Commander persona and going back upstairs to tend to an imaginary emergency. Frank wouldn't even notice. But then he turned around and realized Danny was no longer there. He quickly scanned the swarm of tourists crowding the hall and eventually slumped his shoulders in defeat when he couldn't spot him anywhere.

He had no idea what to do to make things better. In his book, he'd done nothing wrong. Still, Danny was the best thing that had ever happened to him and Steve was not ready to let him slip out of his life. Not without a struggle anyway.

Okay, maybe he should've waited for backup. That was an old controversy the two partners had spent countless hours discussing about. Steve was a man of instinct. Urgency and efficiency had been drilled into him since his Army and Navy Academy days. If he sensed something or recognized danger, he reacted without even thinking. What was the big deal about that?

Yesterday's incident hadn't been the first time they'd yelled at each other or said things they really didn't mean. Hell, not a day had gone by since their first encountered in his father's garage that the most trivial stuff hadn't ignited the loudest of rants.

Danny liked to share every single thought that crossed his mind, whether he was upset or having a good day.

Steve was the opposite, yet he had learned to counteract his partner's statements with equally good arguments on his part and half the time, it was him who riled Danny up just to hear him talk.

This time, there had been no affection in his words.

And they were both too stubborn to take the first step.

"That's great, buddy, congratulations!"

He heard Danny's voice again and closed his eyes, bracing himself for another awkward encounter. Glancing casually to his right, he saw him shake Frank's hand and pat the man on the back.

"Thank you, Detective. Give me a sec, I'll go grab your lunch," the officer replied, holding out his hand in a 'wait here' gesture.

Danny's expression tightened, and he went still for a moment as if debating what to do before reluctantly moving to stand beside Steve.

Great.

Finally able to take a good look at his friend, Steve started to notice details that had eluded him before: the dark circles under Danny's eyes, the way he was leaning against the white column as if he didn't have the strength to stand up straight.

One day had aged him ten years.

Had he caused that?

Before he even realized what he was doing, Steve put his hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Hey. You okay?"

Danny looked up, surprised by the gesture, and for the first time in almost a decade Steve couldn't tell if it was gratitude or anger that he saw reflected on his face. Those blue eyes he had always been able to read so easily suddenly seemed foreign to him.

"Perfect," he shrugged. "Can't even go to the store without drama following me around."

Steve gave him a puzzled look and Danny, in turn, surprised him by actually explaining himself with an articulate sentence. "7-Eleven over on Bishop. Went in there to get juice for Charlie and ended up in the middle of a marital dispute. This woman, she... she was screaming her head off, yelling at her husband who apparently beats her up every other day. So I tried to calm her down, convince her to press charges, and when I was about to put the cuffs on the guy she jumped me saying she'd changed her mind and threatened to kill me."

So that was the errand he had mysteriously disappeared for.

"Where is she now?" he asked, grateful that his friend was still standing there talking to him.

"Don't know. Probably on her way to HPD to file a complaint against me. I swear I feel like this day's never going to end..."

The Five-0 leader chuckled. "I know the feeling, pal."

He did. All too well. Men of action didn't do well with paperwork and office tasks.

For one blissful moment, Steve felt like they were back to normal. Two best friends being comfortable with each other. He was about to swallow his pride and apologize to Danny even if he believed he had no reason to when he saw something out the corner of his eye.

A woman coming in through the front doors.

Mid-thirties, with long black hair and distinctive Hawaiian features, she stopped just before the metal detector, eyes darting around like she was looking for someone.

Steve took in her haggard appearance and wondered if it was the same woman Danny had been talking about. Would be one hell of a coincidence, wouldn't it?

Nobody seemed to pay her any attention as she took a few steps forward, clutching a small brown purse between her hands, but Steve didn't let her out of his sight. His instinct told him something was about to go down and it usually never failed.

A kid bumped into her on his way out, and Steve witnessed the sharp glare he received.

Her eyes kept shifting around, edgy and elusive. They briefly locked with his then moved forward, coming to rest on the person next to him. As soon as they did, her lips broke into a sick smile.

The hair on the back of Steve's neck prickled up and a cold knot of fear settled in his gut.

This wasn't good.

The woman reached inside her purse and he realized he needed to take immediate action. Too many civilians around, too many lives at risk. Adrenaline started rushing into his veins and his heart rate began to speed up.

It lasted no more than a few seconds but to him, it felt like a small eternity.

He pushed Danny out of the way just seconds before she fired her weapon and they both fell to the ground, one on top of the other, then he pulled out his own gun and discharged it before anyone could even react.

That was his strength, the very thing that defined him.

That was his calling.

He struggled with words and feelings but could save a life in a heartbeat when it counted, especially if it was his best friend's life.

A haunting silence filled the room. The woman fell to the ground, empty eyes staring back at him, mouth half open in disbelief. Then the spell broke and people started to scream, panicking and scattering erratically towards the emergency exits. Steve winced as he stood up, holding his now aching wrist close against his chest and breathing through the pain that the fall had reawakened in his busted ribs.

"Steve?"

The sound of Danny's shaky voice slowly filled his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. He turned around and offered him his good hand.

"I'm fine," he breathed out as he helped him to his feet.

Danny nodded unconvincingly and looked at the crumpled frame, eyes still wide with shock.

Frank, his own gun raised, knelt in front of her to make sure she was dead while terrified tourists passed him by in a haste to get outside. Steve knew she was gone. No one pointed a gun at his partner and got away with it.

As his heart slowed back to normal and his hand curled around Danny's arm, Junior and Tani came rushing down the stairs, concern written all over their faces. He knew they were going to need answers and a detailed account of the facts, but that could wait.

Danny was his priority right now.

Squeezing his partner's arm, Steve gently guided him out the double doors and away from prying eyes.

"I didn't even see her..."

The embarrassment in Danny's eyes was hard to miss. He prided himself on being a good cop, a good detective, yet he had failed at spotting and recognizing a threat. Steve knew he was going to beat himself up over this and wished he could do something to comfort him.

"Happened too fast," he muttered, eyes cast downward.

Danny sighed, taking a moment to compose himself, then searched his gaze.

"You saved my life..."

A small smile escaped Steve's lips. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"Thanks."

"No problem. You would've done the same for me," he replied, lifting his head and looking expectantly into his partner's eyes, searching for a sign that the bond they shared wasn't completely damaged, that their friendship could still be saved.

"Of course I would," Danny smiled, and Steve's heart skipped a beat.

That was all he needed to hear.

Unable to control the grin that spread across his face, Steve pulled him into a hug. His embrace was strong, warm and protective, and despite his sore ribs it soothed him more than any medicine ever would.

Heart fluttering at the feeling of Danny's body pressed against his he held on tight, relishing the feeling of lean, hard muscle against his own.

It felt right, being in his arms, and he felt more alive than he had been in days.

He did make a difference, after all.

If he hadn't been in the lobby, called away from his desk for reasons he never got the chance to learn, Danny would have probably died.

Steve trusted Frank, just as he trusted his teammates and his fellow cops, but he had made it his priority to always have his partner's back. Even when Danny thought he didn't.

The adrenaline rush might be something to live for, but what he really needed was in front of him every day. An intense, loud-mouthed partner and best friend he wouldn't change for the world.

THE END

This was the prompt:

A & B are at odds, not talking to each other, until something happens and one saves the other's life.