Is He Okay, Boss?

The room was dark.

Danny couldn't see anything, could barely stand in the small space he'd been shoved into. His head aches, his face was slick with a mix of dirt, blood from a deep cut on his forehead and other cuts on his face. But that was nothing compared to how he felt.

He had betrayed him - Steve.

Even in his drug addled state Danny could remember the needle sliding slowly into his arm, and only minutes later he betrayed him. His secrets flying easily from Danny's lips. The worst part was that he hadn't even been answering their questions; he knew how Sodium Pentothal worked, so he had started babbling about anything other than him. But then they hit him, again and again, and after some time Danny couldn't take it anymore, telling the kidnappers everything without thinking.

He remembered their laughter as they hauled him away, and a snide comment about, "Never trusting your damn partner."

Collapsing against the filthy ground, Danny gasped for breath. His stomach roiled and his whole body is shaking whether from the knowledge of what he's done or from the drugs in his system. Steve had trusted him with his life and he, Danny Williams had betrayed him.

He didn't know how long he's been here. A blinding flash of light filled the small space around him. He heard frantic voices calling his name, but he couldn't bring himself to answer them. He belonged in the shadows.

"Danny!"

He recoiled from the sound of Steve's voice, pulling back into the darkness. Steve's hands were on his shoulders, his forehead touches Danny's.

"It's me, Danny. It's me." Steve whispered gently again and again.

The words came out of Danny in a ghostly whisper. "I told them. I told them all."

Steve let out a growl, and then there was a gentle shake on Danny's shoulders. "Dammit Danny, look at me!"

Danny opened his eyes, blinked against the light. Steve's face came into focus, only inches from Danny's away. His eyes showed no anger or disappointment, only relief and concern.

" You okay?"

Unable to answer him, Danny felt wholly undeserving as Steve carefully picked him up from the dirty floor. Danny buried his head in the crook of Steve's neck, breathing in his scent. He's wondering if he ever be this close to Steve again once he realized what Danny had done.

A sob escaped Danny's mouth as he said, "Steve, I told them your secrets."

Steve's arms closed more tightly around Danny, and his voice was a low murmur against Danny's hair.

"You didn't have a choice, love. It's alright. We'll deal with it later."

The endearment startled him, Danny pulled back to look at Steve's face.

"What the f… ?"

Danny saw a momentary flicker of confusion roll across Steve's features, and then the corners of his mouth jerked up into a small smile.

"Maybe I got dosed with a little truth serum too."

An insistent voice broke into the space between them. "Is he okay, boss?" Kono asked.

"He will be," Steve replied. Danny felt Steve's lips brush gently against his forehead. "I take care of him."

And Steve carried Danny out of the room, whispering words of comfort and love in his ear.