Chapter Text
2010
Training had been grueling, but incredibly worth it.
For the first time in his life, Evan felt like he'd actually accomplished something for himself rather than for his parents approval. As much as he wanted to share the news with Maddie, he couldn't risk reaching out to her without stupid Doug being around, so he sent her vague postcards and prayed she'd leave him before it was too late.
When Evan graduated from training he was assigned to a reserves unit, which suited him just fine since it meant he still got to travel to some extent.
His new commander called him ‘pup’, much to everyone’s amusement. It was partially because he’d taken Evan under his wing and partially because he didn’t yet have a call sign. According to Commander McGarrett, he was hoping Evan would end up with a dog-themed one like him so that he could keep calling him ‘pup’.
Evan said he figured he’d still do that no matter what.
***
Six months after being placed with his unit, Evan finally got his call sign.
They’d been escorting a group of kids back to base for medical treatment after unexpectedly finding them in the compound they were infiltrating for reasons, Evan had been keeping the kids entertained in the back of the vehicle they’d stolen in order to safely transport them when they were suddenly ambushed.
The fight had been sudden and brutal, with the kids being the targets.
But Evan was nothing if not a stubborn bastard.
He’d shouted for the kids to huddle behind him, cover their ears, and shut their eyes before crouching down with a pained hiss and lining up his rifle. He ignored the pain coming from his ribs and the blood he could feel running across his skin from multiple laceration points, his focus almost entirely on the only point of entry for the back of the vehicle.
Evan didn’t have to wait long before the first asshole made his move, his finger already on the trigger when the dented door was pried open. The guys shoulder had barely entered the gap before Evan was pulling the trigger, tuning out the gunfight happening towards the front of the vehicle and the screams of shock and terror erupting from children behind him. He focused on the shout of surprise and agony from the man currently jammed into the opening, the one currently trying to drag himself out as he bled out rapidly.
The next guy was only slightly smarter since he made the opening bigger before attempting to enter, but he made the mistake of blindly aiming his weapon into the small space. Evan shot the mans wrist before he could even begin to aim it towards the children huddled behind him.
The problem was that Evan was running low on bullets and he had no way of knowing how many men were part of the ambush.
Carefully crawling forward, Evan peeked through the gap in the door to see outside only to jerk back a moment later with a curse in order to avoid a bullet to the head. The bastards outside took advantage of his momentary disorientation to break the door open the rest of the way and drag him out with hands gripping his throat and arms, jerking the gun out of his grip while breaking a few fingers in the process.
Evan grit his teeth against the pain, kicking out violently until he felt his boot connect with soft flesh. The hand around his throat went slack as the bastard dropped to his knees clutching his groin. Two more assholes dropped as blood splattered across Evan’s face, leaving one more guy holding him.
He was quick to strike, dragging the guy to the ground where Evan grappled with the man until he’d successfully put him in a guillotine choke. Evan didn’t get a moment to feel proud of himself, spotting movement at the back of the transport vehicle, cursing when he realized it was the guy he’d kicked in the nuts moving to-
Oh.
Evan spotted the gun raising and moved before his brain had fully processed the situation, lunging with a vicious snarl. He grappled with the man, twisting them until the gun was no longer able to be pointed at the kids. There was more movement to his left, so he did the only thing he could think of with the rest of his limbs occupied and sank his teeth into the side of the bastard’s wrist.
He grunted when the man released his gun with an agonized scream, causing it to slam Evan in the face before landing in the sand beneath their feet.
The blood rushing over his tongue made him gag, but he clamped his teeth down harder when the man began attempting to bludgeon Evan with his free hand. The movement to his left ceased as three shots rang out, then there was a pause before a fourth shot was heard. He was nearly pulled to the ground by the bastard suddenly going limp, but strong arms caught him and kept him upright as he released his jaw.
Breathing hard, he gagged before vomiting up the blood that managed to slide down his throat. He felt a large hand patting his back, trying to soothe him, but a sudden rush of footsteps pounding on the sand as they approached had him straightening quickly and pulling out his knife.
“Woah!” The hand at his back disappeared as McGarrett came into view with his hands up in surrender. “Hey, pup, it’s okay.” Evan’s hand tightened around the hilt of his blade and he bared his teeth when McGarrett took a cautious step forward, the man’s words not fully making sense since Evan’s mind was still stuck on needing to protect the kids. “The threat’s been neutralized, Buckley, you can stand down now.” He flinched when Steve’s hand covered the one gripping the knife, gently lowering them. “C’mon, pup, snap out of it. You’ve kept those children safe, now it’s time to stand down. We need to check on them but we can’t do that until you let us.”
That finally got through to him. Evan let go of the blade, sucking in a sharp breath as everything rushed at him at once; the blistering heat, the deep ache of his injuries, the smell and taste of blood and gunpowder…it was all overwhelming.
“Rinsen, check him over. Tank, check on the kiddos.” Steve’s eyes never left Evan as he gave out orders.
Rinsen, the army medic currently attached to their unit, approached him as if Evan would snap any second…he supposed that was a fair assessment.
“Is it okay if I touch you?” The question caught him off guard, not having really ever been asked that before. He nodded once, not trusting himself to keep from puking if he opened his mouth right then.
Rinsen was gentle as he assessed Evan’s wounds, gentle enough for him to start dozing off while standing up.
“How’s he looking?” Steve’s voice startled him back to alertness, his eyes snapping open.
“Not terrible, but not great. Couple of broken fingers, a broken rib or two, several more are definitely bruised, airway is clear but we’ll need to keep an eye on the swelling.” Rinsen ghosted his fingers over Evan’s cheek, pulling a hiss from him. “Definitely got a good shiner, may even need some stitches from the knuckles splitting the skin. It’s mostly a lot of bruising, some small lacerations, and a few broken bones. Maybe a minor concussion.”
“Wanna brush my teeth.” His voice sounded rough, Rinsen and Steve both wincing in sympathy.
“Yeah, I bet it tastes foul right now.” Blood and vomit definitely didn’t mix. “Don’t worry, pup, you’ll be able to clean your mouth out thoroughly once we get back to base.” Evan grimaced.
“Any extra water for me to swish?”
“Sorry, Buckley.” Rinsen gave him a sympathetic pat on the back as he shook his head, then he was climbing into the back of their stolen transport vehicle in order to assist with cleaning up the kids’ injuries.
“Well…there’s one good thing that came from this.” Evan shot Steve an incredulous look. “We finally have a nickname for you.” Steve grinned, instantly putting him on edge. “I’m very happy to report that it’s dog themed.”
“Oh no,” Evan shook his head with a sigh. “Alright, lay it on me.”
“Pitbull.” With the way Steve had been grinning, Evan had expected something worse.
“That’s it?” He raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean “that’s it”? That’s a great call sign!”
“With the look on your face, I was expecting worse.”
“Yeah, well, you biting that bastard and locking on the way you did reminded me of the lockjaw commonly associated with pitbulls.”
“They’re also considered nanny dogs. Although, it started out in reference to Staffordshire pitbull terriers and was basically used to rebrand the breed as a whole as something other than fighting dogs.” The fact slipped out before he could stop it, Evan’s jaw snapping shut when he realized, nearly biting his own tongue to keep from spilling any more information that hadn’t been asked for.
“Huh,” Steve cocked his head, a considering look on his face. “Now I think it fits even more.”
The apology he’d had at the ready died in his throat as Steve walked away with a pleased nod. Evan was so used to being told off for his info-dumping that Steve’s easy acceptance left him feeling off-balance. He felt like he should be on his guard, that a reprimand would eventually come once they were back on base, but it never did.
Instead, Evan was immediately taken to medical so that he could be patched up, then he was sent on his way.
The more time that passed, the more Evan relaxed. His facts slipped into conversation with ease with each interaction that passed without a negative comment until eventually he stopped trying to hold them back.
For the first time, Evan felt what it was like to be accepted as himself.
***
2013
“I’m serious, you should come to Hawai’i. It’s way past time that you met the 5-0 team.”
“Now, see that just isn’t fair. If Pit’s overdue on meeting your team, then he’s definitely overdue on meeting my team.”
Evan sat in his jump seat grinning as he listened to Sam and Steve yell at each other about him needing to meet their civilian found families. He liked that they were two constants in his life beyond the military, constantly checking up on him as he flitted around the states and razzing him about living out of his jeep despite being about to afford an RV with an actual bed since he was adamant about not giving up his traveling.
They understood the sentimental value of his jeep, but it didn’t stop them from poking at him from time to time.
“Yeah, but he’s on the mainland all the time!” Steve looked exasperated. “He can swing into LA whenever he wants to.”
“You guys realize I’m right here, right?” Both men glanced at him with faux annoyance before returning to their argument.
“He can, but he doesn’t! I swear, it’s like he’d purposefully avoiding it!”
“I haven’t had a reason to go to LA yet.” Two heads snapped towards him, faces slack with disbelief.
“What the fuck do you mean no reason?”
“Tank, you know I love seeing you, but you’re currently the only draw to LA.”
“Okay? You need more than visiting me?”
“Yes,” Evan shrugged, not knowing how to explain his logic behind where he did and did not go. “I can’t explain it, but there’s no reason for me to hit LA yet. I’ll make it there one day, though.”
“Smooth Dog,” Sam thwapped Steve on the arm before gesturing at Evan. “Are you hearing this shit? Kid’s saying that seeing me isn’t enough of a reason for him to swing into LA!”
“I’m hearing it, but I’m more curious what his excuse will be for not coming to Hawai’i.” Steve pinned him with an expectant look, already looking resigned at Evan’s sheepish smile.
“I hate flying.”
There was a beat of silence, both men looking between Evan and the interior of the plane and back with confused expressions.
“Pup…do you smell burnt toast?” Evan rolled his eyes at Steve.
“I’m not having a stroke, Smooth Dog.”
“Just checking since, you know, we’re in a plane.”
“I’m aware,” Evan shot him a cheeky grin. “I don’t exactly have a choice about flying while we’re active, but if I don’t have to then I won’t.”
“You’re fucking strange, kid.” Even shouted, Evan could hear the fondness in Sam’s voice.
“Aw, Tank, I love you too.”
“Alright you two, we’ll pick apart Pit’s weirdness later. Right now, I think we’re close enough to get this show on the road.”
This “show” being the interrogation Steve wanted to run independent from command.
Ever since finding those kids a few years ago, their team had mainly been activated when new trafficking cells were found. The eventual goal was to take down the entire network, but Steve was growing impatient with all of the red tape.
“I’ll keep an eye out.” Sam moved to stand guard while Steve and Evan snuck over to where their latest capture was sitting in stoic silence.
Thirty minutes into the interrogation revealed how frustrated Steve truly was, since their guy hardly did anything more than stare at them with a smug look on his face. Even Evan wanted to punch the smirk off the guys face.
“Okay, we’re done with this.” With no warning, Steve suddenly turned and slammed a button, causing the loading ramp to begin opening. “Alright,” Steve returned, practically screaming in order to be heard over the howling wind and alarm. “You either talk or I’m going to throw you out of this plane.”
For the first time since his capture, Evan saw a flash of fear flit across their captive’s face.
“No? Still have nothing to say?” Steve shrugged, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way, then.” Without warning, Steve uncuffed the guy from the floor and dragged him closer to the ramp, struggling a bit since the guy began to panic.
Evan wasn’t sure what Steve wanted him to do, so he just stayed out of the way, hanging onto the nearest strap as he watched Steve give the guy one last chance to start talking…then he was watching in shock as Steve pushed the guy out of the plane.
“Steve!” Evan carefully rushed forward, stopping next to his commander. “What the fuck? Our orders were to bring him in alive!”
“And we will,” Steve shuffled over to the side, grabbing a parachute bag and tossing it to Evan. “Just as soon as you catch him.”
“What about transport?” Evan was already yanking the pack on with a small huff.
“We’re not far from base, so I’ll come get you when we land.” Steve moved closer, planting a hand on Evan’s shoulder.
“You’re insane.” They grinned at each other, then Evan got into position.
“I know.” Steve shoved Evan off of the ramp, sending him into a nauseating free-fall.
It took a second, but he got himself oriented enough to find the flailing body of their captive. With an internal sigh of annoyance, Evan streamlined himself and angled towards their guy until he was close enough to latch on. With no where to clip onto, Evan had no choice but to wrap his legs around the guy and pray the force of the parachute opening didn’t kill him or dislodge him from Evan’s almost vice-like leg lock.
Luck was apparently on his side, since he managed to keep his legs gripped around the guy as the chute opened. The guy also stayed alive and relatively unharmed…until it came time for landing.
Both of the guys legs broke when they hit the ground, causing Evan to wince in sympathy as he did his best not to also break any limbs.
Almost three hours after landing, a convoy arrived to take them back to base where their captive sang like a canary much to Steve's smug satisfaction. Evan and Sam quietly agreed that the guy spilling his guts was probably the only reason none of them ended up court martialed.
***
2014
“Dude, what the hell are you doing to those poor boots?” Sam's voice over his shoulder startled him.
“Jesus,” Evan yelped, clutching his chest. “Warn a guy, would you?”
“Oh yeah, the hyperfocus was definitely kicking in,” Sam grinned when Evan simply stuck his tongue out at him. “Again I ask, what the fuck are you doing to those poor boots?”
“Tactical heelys to escape the feelys.” Somehow, Evan managed to deliver the whole sentence with a straight face, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing at Sam's expression.
Evan had found the heelys in the base lost and found the night prior, snagging them after making sure a reasonable amount of time had passed for the owner to claim them. If he happened to spend half the night carving into the sole of his dead boots while his brand new pair were tucked under his cot, well…that was no ones business but his own.
“I fucking can't with you sometimes! Where do you even come up with this shit?” Sam threw his hands up before walking away, apparently not wanting to actually hear Evan's thought process.
By the time the man returned with an amused looking Steve in tow, Evan had already shoved his feet into the bastardized boots and laced them up in order to take them for a spin.
“You've gotta see this shit,” Sam came to a halt, gesturing at Evan's feet.
With a grin, Evan stood carefully before walking out of the tent on his toes to find a smoother surface.
“Pup, what the hell are those?” He didn't have to look to see the intrigue and disgust on Steve's face, able to hear it quite clearly in his voice.
“Tactical heelys to escape the feelys.” Repeating his earlier words, Evan confidently took off. He got about eight feet before he nearly ate shit, but he just cackled loudly as his arms pinwheeled to keep his balance.
“Hope you can keep up!” Steve appeared next to him, grabbing Evan's arm unexpectedly before slinging him along.
Sam shouted about safety behind them while Evan shrieked with laughter, Steve hauling him around by his arms.
The whole experience was the highlight of his military career, if he was being honest with himself.
***
2015
“Man, I’m so glad you got bored and decided to learn how to fly.” Sam sounded exhausted.
Their latest op had gone sideways, leaving them down a pilot until Evan revealed he’d been learning. That knowledge had saved all of their asses and ensured they could complete their mission, putting them one step closer to taking down the trafficking ring.
“No kidding,” Steve spoke through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at their latest catch while putting pressure on the knife wound on his leg. “Pit, are we in the clear?”
“Uh…” Evan glanced around at the radar and what he could see of the darkened landscape. “It looks like it.”
“Good, we’re not waiting for command.”
“Again?” Evan glanced back in surprise. “We barely avoided getting court martialed the last time we did that.”
“And we’ll avoid it again this time, I promise.” There was an edge to Steve’s voice that made Evan shiver with nervous energy.
“Okay, then you two better strap in.”
“I’d like to state for the record that I think this is insane and I’m not looking forward to the paperwork we’re going to have to deal with.”
“You and that paperwork,” Evan shook his head with a grin.
“Focus, you two.” Evan’s fingers tightened around the controls, the grin sliding off his face at the coldness present in Steve’s voice. “Any ideas on how to make him talk? Otherwise, we’re doing this my way.”
“Yeah,” Evan sighed into the headset, already resigned. “I’ve got an idea, but you both need to strap in and hang onto him.”
Evan waited a beat, then slowly began to tilt the helicopter onto it’s side. A screech of pure terror was heard above the sound of the rotors and the wind, but Evan didn’t stop until Steve shouted for him to straighten out.
Tense silence filled the bird as they approached the base, broken only once they’d landed and handed their latest catch over to the waiting MP’s.
***
Two Weeks Later
Evan’s head snapped up when he heard someone whistle sharply, the notes he’d been reviewing immediately forgotten.
“Pit!” The whispered yell had him twisting around to find Steve hiding behind a corner, gesturing for him to approach. With a confused frown, Evan stood and quickly made his way over.
“What’s going on?” Rounding the corner, he noticed Sam and Rinsen.
“I’m done with the red tape, is what’s going on.” Steve snapped before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “Two years, pup, two years we’ve been hunting this cell down. You, me, and Sam are all getting discharged in less than a year since we decided not to re-up.”
“You don’t want the loose end.” Steve nodded in confirmation. “And Rinsen?”
“I’m just along for the ride on this one, Buckley, not much else to do right now anyway. Besides, I was there when this started so it’s almost poetic that I get to see it finished.”
“We could all be arrested.” Sam grimaced at Evan’s words.
“I’ve already let my team know in LA.”
“Same with 5-0.”
“Rinsen?” Evan was vaguely hoping that the older army medic would be the voice of reason.
“I’ve got some dirt that’ll probably keep me from a dishonorable.” He shrugged, looking unconcerned. “You just worry about yourself, kid.”
Evan sighed, already feeling a headache brewing.
“Guess I’m going to prove my parents right about being the family disappointment.” He reached up to rub at his temples, ignoring Steve’s grumbled response in regards to his parents. “Alright, let’s go.”
Steve gave them a quick rundown of the plan before they separated to avoid suspicion. Evan went back to the notes he’d been reading, continuing his review until it was time to move.
An hour later, Evan set down the notes with a groan, rubbing at his eyes before standing with a stretch. Yawning, he packed up like he normally would and made his way outside. He grimaced at the heat and sand that blasted him in the face, making his way towards his tent before detouring.
Ducking out of sight, Evan snuck around the base until he reached the rendezvous point.
“Ready to go?” Steve spoke lowly, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
“As I’ll ever be.”
There was a break in the fence hidden by some dead bushes that they slipped through before sneaking over the nearby hill to meet Sam and Rinsen. The two men were waiting with a vehicle idling, all of their needed gear already loaded and hidden carefully. Evan and Steve hopped in, gearing up while Sam drove.
No one spoke other than Steve when he needed to give directions.
Night had fallen by the time they reached a ridge near the compound, hiding their vehicle just out of sight before getting out and easing the doors shut. They were going in practically blind, with no back-up to bail them out if anything went wrong.
But if it all went right, then this would finally be over.
Somehow, miraculously, it all went off mostly without a hitch.
They managed to sneak in undetected before taking out anyone they came across, checking every building and every room in case there were any kids being kept in the compound. It wasn’t until they reached the main house that things went a little sideways.
Evan and Sam had just breached the house when a sound behind them caught their attention. Spinning around, they noticed a guard rounding the corner. All three of them froze, shocked into freezing as they stared at each other, then the guard let out a shout and everything seemed to explode.
Steve burst through the window they had carefully crawled into the house through, Rinsen right behind him. Whatever plan they would’ve come up with was abandoned in favor of just barreling through the house since their presence was now known anyway. At one point in the chaos, Evan tackled Rinsen out of the way of a spray of gunfire, both of them landing with a grunt before quickly rolling to their feet and jumping back into the fray.
Minutes, or maybe hours, later the fight was over.
Evan stood over their target, breathing hard as he accepted the stolen cuffs being passed to him by Sam. All four of them were fairly roughed up, but no one had any life threatening injuries. Steve, Sam, and Rinsen finished sweeping the house while Evan stood guard before returning without any kids in tow.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Steve looked satisfied as he approached Evan, jerking their target to his feet before practically dragging him out of the house behind them.
The ride back to base was silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Evan sat across from their captured target, jaw clenched as he stared the man down. He wanted to ask so many questions; why being the most burning question of all, but he refrained. He wouldn’t get any answers, at least none that were honest.
Their arrival back to base was loud, with several MP’s hopping into the vehicle to make sure their captive didn’t escape, but also to make sure the rest of them stayed put as well. They sat in silence until base command arrived, earning themselves one hell of a reaming once their prisoner was taken away.
All in all, their punishment could have been worse. The three of them were all patched up and sent back stateside to Coronado for the rest of what would have been their deployment, then they were officially discharged from service. From what Evan manged to hear through the grapevine, Rinsen ended up using whatever dirt it was that he had which kept him from getting arrested when he returned to his army base in Texas.
Somehow, all of them managed to avoid dishonorables.