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H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and then carted along, only helping just enough. The man had overpowered him in the end, but only after Danny had made an impression. At least there was that to buoy his spirits. But now, with strong fingers firmly anchored to his left wrist as if to protect his wounded hand, and an arm wrapped securely around his back as if to carry his weight, the man apparently had a plan in mind as they stumbled along together. But Danny had one, too. His secret agenda was twofold in playing possum. First, he was purely exhausted and needed the luxury of time to regain his strength. Second, if he no longer could surprise his quarry, being brought to Steve was the next best option.

They didn't travel far, just to another room as dimly lit as the rest of the place where he was made to sit, one of the man's hands briefly keeping contact on his shoulder as if to kindly hold him up on the edge of what Danny guessed was a stool. But Danny knew better; there was no kindness here, merely a lull before their next violent match. There was a window to the right of where he was sitting, too. Partly opened, the sounds of the storm were deafeningly loud in his ears. Without a shirt, Danny shivered uncontrollably when a cold wind sneaked in through the two inch gap in the lintel and he coughed, his breath hitching painfully in his chest.

He was in trouble as he softly cursed his ongoing weakness. Truth be told, he couldn't seem to catch his breath or find the wherewithal to garner any reserves of energy. He continued to have difficulty focusing his eyes and so, he allowed them to close, promising himself that it would only be for a second or two. However, even when his captor stepped a few feet away, he still couldn't find the energy to take an advantage.

But he needed to find Steve and whomever this man was, he would certainly know. Danny had to bide his time and keep fighting through his fugue no matter the consequences. In an anger completely aimed at himself, he shook his head and forced his eyes back open to stare at the hazy outline of the man, making a fist so tight that his bruised knuckles turned a mottled white.

Keeping an eye on Danny while he sat on the lid to the toilet bowl, Steve awkwardly tossed all the clean towels he could reach to the floor nearest the shower enclosure. Danny hadn't said a single word, but Steve didn't trust the defiant tilt of his friend's head. Then there was the question of his right hand which slowly balled into a fist; his face suddenly lined in anger. If he hadn't been so downright worried about the circumstances of the misplaced anger, Steve might have been proud. But he didn't even dare smile as Danny glared up at him, his eyes fevered and barely tracking.

"Don't do it, Danno." Uncertain if Danny was listening or aware enough to hear him, Steve warned him softly as his posture stiffened. "Just sit there. Don't move."

Moving quickly in case Danny did try something, Steve kicked the towels into a pile and then turned the showers faucets on, fiddling until he found a mildly warm temperature. He worked fast, yanking off his boots and even tugging his ruined t -shirt over his head, his eyes still on Danny's face, chancing a look at the blood-streaked furrow across the left side of his abdomen.

"Damn," Steve murmured as he thumbed away some of the blood, wincing when he carefully parted the wound to test its depth, more blood immediately trickling out. "God dammit, Danny," he groused, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the unlikely injury. The pointy tip of the knife had snagged his skin, deep enough to maybe warrant a stitch or three towards its middle. Still, he'd have to pack it later for another priority. Caring for the wound would have to wait; much as would dressing Danny's injured hand as Steve did a double-take towards his friend. His moment of quietude was soon to be short-lived as Danny's expression abruptly changed to one of confusion.

"Hold on. Two minutes," Steve chuffed worriedly as Danny's eyes suddenly closed and his shoulders sagged. "Danny?" There was a murmur of sound, words which Steve couldn't quite hear and Danny literally swayed where he sat. He couldn't trust that Danny might have become miraculously lucid or guess if he might even be daring to play games again; he had to be prepared for anything. And regardless of what Danny could be stubbornly plotting inside his fevered mind, what Steve was about to do next would incur Danny's wrath on a good day.

"All right buddy. We're going to do this," Steve said quietly as he rechecked the water's temperature again.

Danny tried to rally as his captor occupied himself just a few feet away. He tried to come up with a plan and physically do something constructive as the man said something he didn't quite hear. But no matter how hard he tried, Danny couldn't help closing his eyes. A wave of exhaustion rippled through him so strong that he nearly did take a nose-dive from the stool. Only his captor's quick reactions kept him seated until he was pulled roughly to his feet, his eyes snapping open in surprise.

"I wish there was another way," the man whispered in his ear. He sounded almost sincere as he dragged Danny forward.

"Wait," Danny broke his silence just before the shock of what happened next forced him to react. "Wait ... what is this?"

He was forced to stagger over a step, his bare feet slipping on a new surface which was unexpectedly slick and wet. Only then did he find the energy to object, any other plans gone from his mind in an instant. There was no battle for him to try and win though. This time, the man was ready for his every move, and strong arms wrapped around his upper body without apology as he was shoved forward.

"No!" Danny gasped out loudly when the first drops of water hit his face. "Stop ... I can't ... you can't ... do this!"

Blinking wildly in a vain attempt to see better, Danny found his nose just inches from a plain tiled wall. His wrists were being held in front of him, pinioned together and he had nowhere to go as sheets of water cascaded over his head, face and chest. He hissed in pain as the poor excuse for a bandage became instantly soaked through, the cut on his left hand reacting painfully in kind. His sweat pants absorbed the water like a sponge, heavily clinging to his legs and bunching up around his ankles. It all added to the overall feeling of being trapped and Danny's heart thundered inside his chest.

"We have to do this," the man whispered again, his voice just over Danny's shoulder. "We have to."

Unsure of what he was hearing or why, Danny continued an ever-weakening struggle to break free, a sense of claustrophobia worsening as he accidentally inhaled a stream of water. He'd been pushed into an incredibly small and sterile space which he couldn't get out of. He shook his head desperately in denial while trying to avoid the man's free hand as it ran over his face and into his hair, pulling his head back while using the sheer size and breadth of his body to keep him in place. Over and over again, that single hand sluiced water from Danny's over-heated neck and chest before returning to his face, sometimes its fingers tangling within the saturated strands of his hair.

It was all wrong and didn't make any sense.

"No," Danny pleaded, a senseless panic on the rise as he tried to evade both the flow of water and his attacker. "Get ... off me ... what the hell ... are you doing?" He argued, fought and soon lost himself to panic as his feet slid out from underneath him. Overcome by confusion, Danny was now trembling uncontrollably, his knees weak and all sense of direction gone. He slipped on the wet surface time and again, saved only by the man who literally used his body to keep him upright. Shivering violently now, Danny eventually gave up the fight. Near to hyperventilating, he was clearly out of his element with both fear and illness merging into one terrifying whole.

"Help. Steve ...," he slurred plaintively, the murmur of sound scarcely audible as his eyes closed and he shut down for good. Overcome by exhaustion, he didn't even bother to find his feet as they slipped out from underneath him one last time.

"Easy, easy. I'm here, Danny," Steve crooned nonstop as he took Danny's full weight when he lost consciousness, his head lolling against his shoulder. "I'm sorry ... I'm so, so sorry, buddy. But this is the only way."

He'd anticipated the fight and was impressed at the brief rally despite their mutual conditions. He held Danny under his arms now though, the tepid warmth of the shower soaking them both. He'd stay there for as long as possible. He'd stay there until the water turned too cold for his idea to be safe. But now, it was the only method he had at his disposal to bring Danny's temperature down. He held his partner up for as long as he could before slowly sinking to his knees, Danny slumped against his chest to gain full benefit from the cooling effects of the shower.

"I'm right here," Steve whispered as he finger-combed the wet strands of blonde hair over and over, willing the heat off his friend's face with every swipe of water. "I'm not going anywhere." Wracked with worry as Danny mumbled his name repeatedly, Steve wearily rested his forehead on the side of his temple. He closed his eyes against the spray of water, just focusing on the frightening heat of Danny's skin and the continued sporadic tremble.

"This will help," Steve promised softly as he diligently went back to carding streams of warm water from his friend's body. "It will ... this will help, Danny. Things will be okay."

~ to be continued ~