Disclaimer: Hawaii five-0 and its characters do not belong to me.

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"I'm sorry.. Took too long, didn't I." Steve said.

The tears in Danny's eyes sufficed as an answer. "You did." Danny said. "But you're back now. That's all that matters."

Danny's voice was a mere soft whisper, but it managed to knock the steady rhythm in his chest off its tangent. The deep ache in his heart became almost unbearable as his gaze was fixed on his partner.

"Steve.. You okay?" Danny asked, immediately on his feet with eyes wide in concern as the monitor next to him picked up pace.

No, he wasn't. He doesn't know where the hollowness he felt in his chest was coming from.

"M'fine." He said, unable to hide a wince that contradicted his words. "I'm fi..ne." He repeated, hands reaching out for Danny's to stop him from alerting the nurse. "Ju..st stay.. with me." All he needed was his partner by his side.

"Not going anywhere, buddy." Danny comforted, a gentle hand tracing his forehead. "I'm right here. But I need you to be honest with me, okay. Where does it hurt?"

He shut his eyes, basking in the softness of Danny's touch. The ache in his chest seemed to miraculously vanish. "Jus..t need a mo..ment. M'goo..d."

Danny's hand lingered on his face. "Your heart rate's coming back down." Danny said after a beat, releasing a relieved sigh.

"Hmm.." He hummed. Opening his eyes, he was met with Danny's still worried gaze. "M'good." He reassured again, though his eyelids were beginning to feel very heavy.

The fatigue was ridiculous. He had been awake barely a few minutes but he could hardly find it in him to stay that way. Steve blinked heavily, fighting every urge to duck back into the darkness. He wanted to stay awake a little longer. To be with Danny for a little more. To be with his Danno..

He looked at his partner, the omipresent crease on Danny's forehead didn't seem to fade with his assurance. "Dan..no.. You.. okay? What's w..rong?" He asked.

Danny didn't answer, slowly sinking into the seat next to him.

"Danny.."

He watched the pained expression cross Danny's features. The one with more broken bones than he could count was him, yet the agony was drawn on Danny's face.

"I.." Danny stopped. Eyes pinched together, Danny avoided his gaze. "Steve.. I'm sorry."

He blinked, not understanding what it was Danny had to be sorry for.

Danny inhaled heavily, hands clasped together tightly. "Buddy.. I'm rea... The accident..uhh.."

"Dan..no, ever..ything ok..ay?" He breathed.

"No.." Danny paused. And in his chest, his heart did a double take. "Do you remember what happened? How you got.. do you remember the accident?"

He swallowed. He didn't remember it. All for the better, he figured. He had heard what happened. The driver of the car that had hit him had had a heart attack at the most unfortunate of times. He had been at the wrong place at a very wrong time. But he hadn't remembered what happened.

The last thing he recalled before he woke up in an endless abyss was that he had been on his way to meet his Danno. He had been on his way to profess his love for the man next to him. But that obviously hadn't happened. He had ended up here on a hospital bed, his confession left incomplete.

"I don't remember." He said.

"You.. Steve.. you did something ridiculously stupid again." Danny said, his eyes leaking.

Regret filled his chest. He was again the cause of Danny's misery. "M'so..rry.. Danno, wha.."

"It was me.." He watched the tears slide down his partner's cheek. He wanted to wipe it off, he never wanted to see his partner's eyes fill with sorrow. And especially, he didn't want to be the cause of those tears falling down Danny's cheeks. "Should have been me." Danny heaved.

In an instant, he understood what had happened.

"You risked your life for me. I was supposed to be the one hit. The car came at me.."

"Are yo..u okay?" He asked, worry niggling his mind even though Danny was sitting right in front of him, seemingly unscathed.

"You saved me.."

"Danno.."

"You pushed me out of the way.. You saved my life, Steve. And you nearly lost yours in the process."

He sighed in relief. His life hardly mattered as long as Danny was fine. He didn't have anyone besides Danny. But Danny.. Danny had his kids waiting for him at home. He had done the right thing. He had protected his partner. He had done his job. He had protected his love.

"Gl..ad you're o..k, Dann..y." He breathed.

"But you almost weren't." Danny said. "I lost you. I thought... I thought you weren't.."

"Danno, I'm righ..t here." He assured, his hands reaching for his partner's. "I wo..uld do it all over ag..ain." And he really would. He would risk his life every single time if it meant saving Danny's. If it meant sparing his partner the pain, sparing his partner the suffering, he would go through just about anything for Danny.

Danny looked at him. Steve's heart hitched as Danny pulled his hands away from Steve's grasp. His hands felt empty without Danny's.

"I don't want you to." Danny said. "I don't need you to do that for me."

"Da.." He swallowed.

"I'm not worth it." Danny shook his head. "Not worth risking your life over."

He didn't answer, looking wordlessly at his partner. The thing was.. Danny was absolutely worth it. Even if he knew that he had a long road of recovery ahead of him. It hardly mattered. His life barely mattered in front of his partner's. Danny was worth every second of his life and more.

His partner, his best friend and the person he loved the most in this world. He wished Danny knew that. He wished his partner knew just how much he was worth. He wished Danny never questioned his worth ever. Because his Danno was worth more than anything he ever had. Even his own life. He wished he could say it. The words that had been left unsaid.

I love you...

"You took an insane risk, Steve.. and almost paid with your life. Plea..please don't ever do that for me again." Danny continued.

He couldn't promise his partner that. He couldn't promise that he would think of himself before Danny. He couldn't assure the man he loved that he wouldn't do something insanely stupid again. He couldn't.

"I.." Steve breathed. "Danny.. I mean it.. I would not.. have done it any di..fferently."

I love you..

Why couldn't he say it? Why couldn't he say the words that had always come so naturally for the both of them? Why were they so difficult for him to utter at the moment? Why did he fear those very words?

"I know.. I know that. I know you. But Steve.. if you had.." Danny inhaled, wincing as he likely finished the thought in his head. "The doctors think it's a miracle you made it. They were sure that we've lost you..Did you figure what I would go through if you hadn't.."

He blinked. He did. He knew exactly what he had put his partner through just by looking at Danny. "I'm sor..ry.."

"Then give me your word." Danny said. "If you're really sorry, promise me."

"I ca..can't."

Because protecting you is second nature to me.. Because I can't lose you. Because..Because I love you. If it makes me selfish then yes, I am. But I can't lose you. Not after all the time I've wasted not telling you.. i can't lose you.

"Ste.."

"Danno." He stopped Danny. "I can nev..er promise you that.."

I love you.

He breathed. "I won't eve..er regret risking m..y life for you and making sure you ge..t home to Gra..ce and Charlie. Don't ever sa..y you're not wo..rth it. You ar..e.. you are worth more than.. my own life." He breathed.

Shutting his eyes as he composed the intense beating in his chest, he took a shaky breath in. "Becau..se Danny.." He almost couldn't hear his own words above his heart's drumming. He opened his eyes, drowning in the sea of blue that had him mesmerised without him ever realising it.

Because Danny, I love you.

"Because Danny. I...I love you." He breathed, eyes brimming.

His heart seemed to stop beating. And whether it would ever beat again.. that was in Danny's hands now.

...

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for staying tuned. Really appreciate your reviews and they keep me going with this story. Trying very hard to not keep you waiting too long so here's a short-ish chapter. The long awaited confession (on my part at least) is here. I hope you liked it and would really love to hear what you think of the chapter! How do you think Danny will react? See you in the next chapter to find out. Again thanks for reading and take care everyone:)