Hi friends :3 enjoy
The thing that had bonded Zach and Jay was their love of music. They used to spend a lot of time as kids listening to new playlists and dreaming of one day having their own band. They had quickly realized that neither one of them could sing or play any instruments so that dream went down the toilet. Their love for music hadn't though, so when Jay reaches up and turns the radio on, he feels his heart clench to the song that is playing.
He is able to listen for roughly fifteen seconds before Steve reaches up and turns it off. Jay doesn't accept that behavior and turns it back on just for Steve to turn it back off. "What is your deal?" Jay asks frustrated.
"My truck my rules." He states and Jay is annoyed by that vague answer.
"Your truck your rules? That doesn't make any sense. Why can't I listen to the radio? It's better than the silence." Jay folds his arms in protest of the man's stupidity.
"My truck, my rules." He says again and Jay rolls his eyes. "Driver picks the music that plays." He expands his answer.
"But you turned the music off. There's nothing playing." Jay argues. "Do you just like the sound of your own voice that much?" Jay says as he turns the radio back on anyway. "Touch it and I'll break your fingers."
"Is that a threat?" Steve asks. "Did you just threaten me?" He mocks as he turns the radio off again. "My truck, my radio, my rules."
Jay is glaring at him, "Why do you have to do that? That was one of Zach's favorite songs! Do you enjoy being such an uncaring dick?" He huffs in frustration.
Steve's face turns a tiny bid red and he looks over at the kid. "Jay, I'm aware that you are hurting right now, but if you talk to me like that again I'll bash your face into the dash. You got that?"
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Jay's scoffs. "If I were afraid of you I wouldn't have ever come to you in the first place. So, please, can you just pull your head out of your ass this one time?"
The cab falls silent and the two of them are brooding to themselves when Steve breaks the silence. "Tell me about Zach."
Jay looks at him confused. "What?" His voice cracks.
"Tell me about him. You couldn't tell me before but now you can." Steve gives Jay a quick glance.
"Ok, fine." Jay sighs. "We met when we were kids. We were both loners who met because of Chance. Chance being the kid who used to pick on Zach all of the time. One day, when he was taunting him, I had had enough of it and intervened. Chance didn't like that very much and punched me in the jaw. Zach decided that he wasn't worth it and hit him a few times before Chance ran off. Ever since that day we were inseparable." Jay reminisced.
"After I was emancipated at sixteen, I graduated high school early, he helped me with my private investigating. He loved using his technology brain, he was the most confident when behind a keyboard, and I loved seeing him do his thing. However, about a year into the job, I accepted a pretty heavy case. A mother had lost her daughter and she was certain her ex husband, her daughters step dad, was the one who had killed her. Local law enforcement couldn't find any evidence that could confirm his involvement so she came to me." Jay pauses.
"You were emancipated at sixteen?" Steve looks at him quizzically, "and you graduated early?"
"That was so yesterday dude, but yes, I was emancipated at sixteen. Didn't feel like burdening Joe anymore. He was so busy with his work that I didn't want him feeling bad about not being able to be there for me." Jay explains. "And yes, I graduated early. Worked extra hard so that I could."
"And you were a P.I? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
"But anyway," Jay cuts him off, "the woman was right, he had killed her daughter. I recorded a conversation of him admitting it but was caught in the process. He broke a few ribs, busted my head open, and I sustained a concussion. Luckily, Zach wasn't too far, and came to my aid before he could kill me." Jay huffs out a laugh. "All this time I would have given my life for him but he was the one actively saving mine."
"What happened to the guy?" Steve wonders and Jay tells him.
"He trashed the recording when he attacked me and then ran off after Zach began attacking him. Last I had heard, he had died."
"Joe was ok with the personal investigator stuff?" Steve's brows are furrowed.
"Careful, it almost sounds like you care." Jay teases before answering. "At first, no, he warned me that I was going to get myself killed. After the Gerrick incident he made me quit doing it altogether. Said it wasn't worth losing my life over it."
"And so you came to Hawaii to research something even more dangerous?" Steve asks and Jay turns a little red. They pull into a parking spot at the famous 5-0 head quarters. "And when did all of this happen?"
"It was in January of last year and I had been doing it for almost a year at that point." Jay tells him.
"That's six months from now. I thought you said you were eighteen." Steve eyeballs him like he's lying.
"This again? I am eighteen." Jay argues but Steve doesn't seem to believe him. "You know what? Believe whatever it is you want but Im not lying to you. Why would I want to be on your bad side?"
"Who says you're not on my bad side?"
"You didn't bash my head into the dash." Jay responds.
His phone vibrates in his pocket again and he pulls it out to look at it. Two text messages, one from Joe, and the other from an unknown. Jay opens the one from Joe first and it says he will be there in 5 minutes. He opens the next one and is surprised to see that it's from Zach. He must've scheduled it in case something happened to him.
"Jay, if you're reading this, just know that I am sorry that things had to end this way. Garrick, he's alive and he's on the island. I've got a feeling it won't be long before he comes looking for you. He sought me out first and I wasn't able to beat him this time. You need to tell McGarrett about this. I protected you for as long as I could. I know you have secrets you don't want to share but you should really consider telling him. Stay safe, brother." Jays eyes swelled with tears and he put his phone back in his pocket.
He followed Steve out of the vehicle and into the Palace.
"What was that?" Steve inquired as they climbed the stairs and Jay really didn't want to answer.
"It was a message from Zach." He said. "I'm assuming he scheduled it to send at a specific time. He was apologizing for being murdered and telling me to stay safe." Jay fought the tears back down so that none fell.
"He seemed like a pretty great guy." Steve admits out loud and it surprises Jay.
"Yeah, he was the best." Jay confirms.
"There's one thing that I don't understand. He was a big guy, at least six foot, so.." Steve trails off into thought. "In order for his assailant-"
"Murderer." Jay cut in. "And he was 6'4."
"In order for his murderer to get a upper hand the way he did would mean..." Steve trailed off but kept walking.
"Would mean what?" Jay asks as he hurries up the steps to catch up to him. "Would mean what, Steve?"
McGarrett didn't answer him though. He was deep in thought imagining how the crime scene unfolded. "I don't know."
"You don't know?"? Jay asks a bit annoyed. "You were talking about his height and then you trailed off and stopped talking. What were you saying?"
"I can't tell you that, Jay." Steve answers.
"You were going to say that the man who killed him had to be close to his size or that there was more than one." Jay says for him with a tinge of anger in his voice.
Steve turns to look at him. "I'm not going to confirm nor deny what you just said. However, I can't be discussing this with you. You're not a suspect but I need more evidence, I need more facts, and I need some time to do my job. I'm aware that you and Zach were like brothers, that you two were absolute best friends, and nothing could tear you apart. If you give me a chance to get my thoughts clear I will let you help where I see fit."
"But?" Jay says in an accusing tone. "There's definitely a but at the end of that."
"But I've only just met you this morning." Steve tells him the truth but Jay doesn't take it very well.
"Screw this." Jay huffs in frustration. "I have been honest with you about everything you have asked me. Yet, you still can't even have the slightest bit of trust that I'm not your enemy?" His phone buzzes and he sees that Joe had messaged him telling him he's there. "You know what, screw you." Jay says before turning to leave.
"Where are you going? I didn't say you could leave." Steve demands.
"My ride is here." Jay tells him while being still very much annoyed. "Besides, you're not my boss. You can't keep me from leaving."
Steve raises his eyebrows, he's always loved a challenge. "You sure about that?" He takes a defensive stance.
Jay rolls his eyes as he turns to face him. "You going to tackle me again? Handcuff my hands behind my back? Oh, wait, you prefer zip ties." Jay mocks and Steve gets a bit irritated.
"Don't push your luck, kid." Steve warns him.
"Luck?" Jay's voice is louder now. "What luck? My best friend is dead. The same person who killed him wants me dead too. You don't trust me, which y'know, whatever. I'm aware I didn't leave the best impression on you this morning. The thing is, though, is that luck doesn't exist. Good, bad, somewhere in between. None of it exists. Zach didn't die because of bad luck. They wanted him dead so he is. Whenever they come for me then oh well. Whatever happens happens. I'm not just going to sit around doing nothing in the meantime. I'll find his killer with or without you." Jays face is turning a tad bit red in color.
"I actually liked you as a person. Joe told me so many great stories about you. Painted you as a G.I Joe hero and I believed him. I believed all the great stories I read about you and your silly squad you call a task force." The redness leaves his face and Steve can tell he's at a breaking point.
"Jay..." Steve attempts but is cut off.
"The worst part is that I thought that maybe if I was honest with you that you would at least give me a chance. All I wanted was to get your help in finding out answers to our parents deaths. Instead, this guy who is supposed to be a hero, is nothing more than a paranoid, irrational jerk." His voice cracks a bit from holding back tears. "Zach was so excited to meet you but then he canceled on me this morning last minute. I told him that I could wait but he convinced me to go anyway. If I would have waited then maybe he wouldn't be gone."
"Or maybe you'd be dead too." Steve interjects.
"Who cares?" Jay huffs. "This is my fault. All of it. It should have been me instead of him." The tears begin to break free.
Steve felt guilt creep in for the way he had been acting. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so paranoid or stubborn. "I'm sorry about Zach." He apologizes. "I'm going to do my best to bring his killer to justice but I can't involve you on the investigation when you're already a target. That would be setting you up for certain death. I'm not trying to hold you hostage or keep you prisoner either. Whether you'd like to believe me or not I do actually care. I'm not very good at showing it. Danny has made me very aware of that." A sigh escapes him. "You also can't blame yourself for what happened. Zach's death isn't on you? How could it be?" The question was rhetorical but Jay answers anyway.
"Because that guy who attacked me a year ago, the same one that was supposed be dead, he's on the island." Jay informs him. "Zach knew and he didn't tell me. He just said he protected me for as long as he could. Why would he keep something like that from me? Why didn't he tell me Garrick was here?!"
Steve's face went serious again. "He canceled on you this morning because he must've knew a hit was coming." He says out loud and Jay's eyes snap up to meet his. "He knew you would be with me and that I could keep you safe. Zach was very smart for making you stay on plan."
"He knew he was going to die? Why would he not say anything? Why would he do that? He knew that we would do anything..." Jay fell silent as his brain swarmed with questions.
"To protect each other?" Steve asks. "He did what he thought was right."
"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice says behind Jay.
Steve shakes his head, "No, you're not interrupting." Jay turns and walks down the stairs and exits the building. "I'd say he's handling his grief fairly well."
Joe looked at him, "One thing you will learn about Jay is that he doesn't like it when his emotions get the best of him. He never let's them show, especially tears, and from what I can tell he's been struggling." The older man tells him. "And who wouldn't be? Zach was a great friend to Jay." Joe pauses. " You can be brutal physically, Jay's defensive side is to run his mouth. You're a lot alike but polar opposites." A small smile forms. "He reminds me of a young man I used to know."
Steve watches as Joe walks down the stairs and exits the building. He thinks about everything Jay had told him about Zach and he heads for his office. He quickly pulls Zach's file and looks through it. He's not too surprised to see that it's flawless. He then looks into Jay and sees that his file is also spotless. He also sees that the kid hadn't been lying when he said he was eighteen either. "What a way to spend your birthday." Steve mutters.
I shall catch you in chapter 6! I should have all of the old caught up my then but I could be wrong. I'm just so excited to get to the new stuff lol 3