Chapter Text
They crashed through the undergrowth, Danny running fast and sure of foot; more so than Steve would ever have thought his city bred partner could. But then Steve knew better than most what the human body was capable of doing when adrenaline was coursing through it.
They burst out of the scrub with a good lead on their pursuers but it was a long sprint across open ground to the boatshed that would be their only cover and a safe place to make a stand.
They had followed Tommy Woo, a suspect with ties to a major trafficker named Dominguez, to this small island earlier that day. With no cell reception and no radio in the small boat they had used they had been unable to call in any backup, so Steve decided they should reconnoiter and then return to Oahu. Danny had agreed after much protest that they should just get backup. They'd completed a sweep of the island and were heading to a building they suspected was the bad-guy hideout when they ran into trouble in the form of two dozen armed goons.
Steve and Danny had retreated, but not before both sides had fired off a volley. Steve was pleased that he and Danny took out four; not enough but it helped their odds of survival. They had lost their pursuers in the trees but if they were trained at all - and most mercenaries were ex-military - it wouldn't take them long to work out the two 5-0 detectives' destination.
After a quick but thorough scout of the treeline, they had no chance but to break cover and make a beeline for the boatshed.
By some miracle they made it without a sign of the mercenaries and once inside Steve checked his clip while watching out the door for signs of danger.
"I've got half a clip and a spare," he informed Danny. "How about you?"
When no answer was forthcoming he risked a glance in his partner's direction to find Danny a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Danny!"
He crossed to his partner and checked his vitals then looked for injury, his hand coming away bloody. Danny had been shot twice and from the position of the entry wounds and the ragged breath sounds he probably had a collapsed lung. It was astonishing he'd got this far. Adrenaline was an amazing thing.
Danny was wheezing, trying to speak.
"Get...get away..."
"If you think I'm leaving you here, you're more insane than you think I am," he answered. He was about to berate him some more when there was a stinging sensation in his shoulder.
He'd been stupid, turning his back on the open door and now they were both hit. It was not looking good. Blood trickled down his left arm as he turned to the door and began to return fire. The wound in his arm must have been deeper than he thought, as blood was now running freely from it and it wasn't long before he felt dizzy and then blacked out.
*-*
Steve awoke to find himself in a dimly lit small room, probably a basement as there were no windows and the walls were bare brick. He was shackled to the wall by a chain attached to one wrist. About ten feet across from him he could make out the slumped form of his partner, who appeared to be shackled to the opposite wall, both hands behind his back. Even in the dim light Steve could still see that Danny's shirt was soaked with blood. Steve held his breath to listen and let it out when he heard good breath sounds and a strong, steady heartbeat coming from his partner.
Realising that he shouldn't be able to hear Danny's heart from that distance, Steve checked the arm that had been shot and saw it was almost healed. Blood on his shirt and a scar marring his tattoo were the only evidence he'd been injured at all. Now worried, Steve manoeuvred himself until he had enough slack on the chain to get a look at his watch. The numbers luminesced in a faintly eerie way but it was enough light to make out the date, telling him that it was more than 48 hours since they had left Oahu. He must have been drugged at some point, possibly the bullet that nicked him at the boathouse.
"Danny," he whispered, not wanting to let their captors know he was conscious.
There was no response, so he tried again, a little louder. Still no response, so he attempted to get close enough to poke his sleeping partner. The chain was too short though.
"Danno!" he said loudly, wincing when his voice echoed,but he was rewarded by a grunt and Danny slowlyraising his head.
"Wha'?" Danny shook his head and looked around him. "Steve? What's going on?"
"We're in big trouble."
"What else is new?" Danny replied with a grin. Steve shook his head.
"We need to get out of here. Now," he said, looking around for a means of escape.
"Well, unless you have a lock pick on you, we have a tiny problem there," Danny answered, moving his hands enough to rattle the chain, confirming Steve's earlier surmise that his partner was also bound to the wall.
Checking his watch again Steve realised that it would be dark soon. This was not good. If he was still in this cell when the moon rose he would very likely kill Danny, or worse. There was only one way out of here in time. He had to tell Danny everything.
"Danny, I've got something important I need to tell you, and I need you to trust me and just shut up until I've finished talking, ok?"
"If you want to confess your undying love for me, this isn't the time, babe," Danny joked, still looking for a possible escape and not at Steve.
"Danno, please," Steve said, the use of that nickname and his tone of voice making Danny pay attention. Taking a deep intake of breath, he continued. "There's no easy way of saying this, so I'll tell you the short version. I was on a mission overseas, it was night, we were ambushed by these... things. My team were ripped apart, only me and a corporal survived, but we were both badly injured. We were taken to hospital then shipped Stateside. The corporal died at Bethesda. I wasn't so lucky. Within a week I was completely healed, and next thing I know I'm moved to a specialist recovery unit. At the next full moon, I changed."
Steve stopped, watching Danny to gauge his reaction. He was sitting more upright, paying close attention and his heart was beating faster.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Danny asked, but from the look on his face Steve could tell he already had guessed. The SOB was going to make him say it.
Steve growled, shocking himself with how close the beast was to the surface. Danny just smirked, the smug bastard, little realising what danger he was in.
"Danny, I'm a werewolf."
The grin slid off Danny's face and he stared at Steve for a second. He sniffed once and then he burst out laughing.
"I'm serious, Danno," he said, glaring at him with the expression he knew Danny called his 'aneurysm face'.
Danny stopped laughing and looked at him.
"I know you are, that's what's so funny."