"Just remember I love you Monkey, okay? I…"

Danny's sentence broke off when the line went dead and he realised the telephone cord had been yanked from the wall by one of the guards. He dropped the receiver as he felt his chest tightening, the officers beginning to enter the room.

His bruised and battered body couldn't take much more, not after those prisoners had beaten him and kicked him, and the guards' promise of protection in exchange for money was never going to happen. He knew he didn't have enough to buy his salvation, so he'd used that chance given to him to call Gracie just one last time, just to hear her voice.

This was it now, the guards wouldn't be pleased that he'd lied to them, and Danny began to resign himself to the fact that he was going to die, here in a Colombian prison, and possibly right here in this room.

The uniformed officer that had ripped the wire from the socket – their leader – glared at him, barking something sharply in Spanish to another guard, and Danny don't need to speak the language to know it wasn't good.

The second man strode up to where he sat at the desk and backhanded him across the face before he grabbed him by the throat, practically lifting his feet off the ground as he slammed him back into the stucco wall.

"You think you're playing games here, little pig?" the head of the group spat in his face as he approached, "You said you would get us money, and instead you throw our kindness back in our faces!"

Danny closed his eyes. If that guy thought protection rackets were a kindness, he didn't want to know what he figured punishment was.

"Look at me!" the guard shouted, wrapping his large hand under Danny's jaw and turning his face, squeezing until the blonde grunted and opened his eyes.

"You don't pay the way you promised?" the Colombian growled, "Then you pay in other ways."

Danny's neck was suddenly released, and he was dropped unceremoniously to the floor. He lifted his head, refusing to show weakness, but it meant nothing to these men. There were five of them and one of him, and even the smallest guy in their group matched Danny for size.

This was it. He was going to be beaten to death by these men.

The leader grabbed the back of Danny's shirt collar and pulled him roughly up from his kneeling position, and Danny lashed out to grasp the guy's arm. He wasn't going down without a fight if he could help it, but another guard stepped up behind him and wrapped large arms around Danny's biceps, pulling his arms back and disabling him.

The ring leader laughed. "I do like it when little pigs fight back," he grinned like a shark, and his eyes skimmed down Danny's struggling body before he reached out to rip his filthy shirt open, buttons popping in all directions.

Danny froze, panic setting on as he realised that this wasn't just going to be a beating. He began to feel sick, his heart racing already but now pounding in his ears, because damn it, if he was going to die he didn't want it to be like this. Beaten, shot, stabbed, neck broken; those things he could deal with – they would be painful ways to go but at least he wouldn't suffer humiliation beforehand.

The head guard punched him in the stomach, making Danny groan and grit his teeth, unable to curl up and protect himself this time. The man shouted another order in Spanish and gestured to the desk, and a third guy came up to grab one of Danny's arms while the second continued to hold the other. They dragged him back to the desk, sweeping away the sparse contents and throwing him down onto the wooden surface width-ways, so his legs were hanging off one side and his head had no support on the other.

Danny was sure he felt something crack in his spine at the force, and he cried out in pain but the men just took his wrists and splayed his arms out, pinning them to the desk.

"No!" he cried out as the main guard approached his head, cringing when all five men laughed in response to his worthless protest. When he tried to kick out, a fourth man took hold of his legs and stood between his calves as he flailed, gripping them to his sides so Danny could barely struggle.

The leader grasped a fistful of hair and yanked Danny's head up level with his body, smirking as he put his face right up close to the American man's.

"You were given your chance, puto," he spat out, jerking Danny's hair to make him wince, "You could have saved yourself a lot of pain here, but now you get to serve your purpose a different way."

He let go momentarily, standing up straight to unbuckle his belt, and then he was shoving his pants and underwear down to expose his huge, rock hard erection.

Danny struggled harder, turning his face away from what he now understood would be the inevitable next step, but the guard didn't care.

"Stay still and behave, little bitch," he grinned, "You're only making it harder for yourself…"

He reached down with both hands, one gripping Danny's hair to position his head downward, and the other taking advantage of the detective's yelp of pain by slipping fingers inside the corners of his mouth to hold his jaw open.

He aimed his cock and pushed it inside Danny's mouth, humming happily even as the blonde let out a muffled shout and arched his back to try and get loose.

"You bite me, puto, and you will never see daylight again," the guard growled, and then without warning he rammed his dick right to the back of Danny's mouth.

The position he was in meant his throat was open, and Danny couldn't fight back as the thick head of the man's member was forced down his throat, setting off his gag reflex. He bucked and struggled, but the other four guards held him steady as their boss pushed his entire length into their victim's mouth.

He finally withdrew completely, leaving Danny to gasp in air and cough at the painful stretch in his throat while the leader laughed, gleefully telling his men something in Spanish. They all grinned, giving short, jovial replies and observing Danny with hungry eyes.

The main guard looked down at Danny as the cop tried to spit out the foul taste in his mouth, giving him that evil smile and bending down to put his face inches away. "I know you don't understand, little pig, so I'll translate. I'm telling my boys what a tight throat you have, and they all can't wait to find out for themselves."

Danny forced himself to speak despite the raw sensation.

"Fuck you," he bit out, screwing his eyes shut when the other man simply snorted.

"No, that's my job," he whispered threateningly, before standing straight again and forcing his cock back in between Danny's lips.

Again, he pushed straight into his throat, wrapping one large hand around Danny's neck and starting to pump into him relentlessly. The blonde writhed and choked, barely able to breathe and having to suck air in through his nose every rare chance he got while blood rushed to his head and his eyes watered.

His mind whirled, trying to take in the situation even as it happened. This couldn't be happening, not to him. Rape was something that happened to other people – defenceless people – and Danny was the one who investigated their cases, sought justice for them against their abusers. He was a cop. This couldn't be happening… but it was.

The leader finally pulled out again, stroking his slicked cock as he watched Danny cough and retch.

"Don't worry little puto, this will all be over soon if you just let it happen," he assured in a purring voice, and Danny could only heave in air as the last lackey made his way over and gripped Danny's hair, pulling him up so he could see where their leader had gone.

The large man made his way around to where Danny's legs were, the guard who was already standing between his ankles and holding them beginning to move out of the way. Danny took his chance to kick out, struggling as hard as he could, but between the four of them the other officers managed to secure all of his limbs again.

The head guard leaned over him and smacked his cheeks which were already pink, hot and tear-stained from coping with having his throat fucked.

"Don't worry, you'll enjoy this," the man grinned, before straightening up and ripping the button off Danny's slacks, unzipping his fly and curling his fingers around the waistband to pull them downwards.

"No!" Danny cried out, twisting his hips and wrenching his back muscles as he fought to keep his clothing in place, but it was no use. "No, please, don't!"

A hand slammed over his mouth to silence him, but the head guard waved his lackey's hand away again.

"No, no, I like it when they beg, Luca," he chuckled, looking Danny in the eyes as he said it, "It's much more fun that way."

The men managed to pull Danny's pants and boxers all the way off, despite his desperate fighting, and they were thrown to land in the corner of the room uselessly. They pulled his thighs apart, fingers digging bruises into the skin and muscle while Danny tried to jerk away despite knowing it was pointless to argue.

"See, if you had just gotten us the money, puto, this wouldn't be happening," the leader crooned, talking to Danny like he was a child or an idiot. "But now we have to teach you a lesson. That you don't fuck with us," he hissed, shoving two filthy fingers into the Jersey man's mouth to wet them before Danny pulled away, "Or we fuck with you."

With that, he spread Danny's ass cheeks, forcing the two barely-lubed fingers into the blonde's hole. Danny practically screamed at the pain of the stretch, unable to pull away as the digits dug their way inside him, scissoring outward to roughly prepare his entrance for what he was about to receive.

"No! Stop!" he cried, and one of the other guards smacked him across the face again, splitting his lip.

"Just take it, pig," he snickered, "You're here to serve us now."

The leader spat on his fingers as he pumped them into Danny, though it barely made a difference to the pain as he added a third to open him up wider. His shouts were muffled once again as the man behind him clamped his hand over Danny's mouth, and the next thing he knew their leader was spitting on his own cock for lubrication and lining it up before ramming it home.

The pain was like burning hot lava piercing his body, and Danny bit the inside of his own cheek as all of his muscles tensed and his spine bowed. It felt like he was being torn apart inside as the huge man viciously forced his cock into Danny's ass, only pulling back a few times to add more strength to the way he thrust back inside, deeper each time.

His ring was on fire, bringing tears to Danny's eyes as his flesh was ripped and abused.

The leader finally stilled, buried deep and bare inside the cop's channel, and he leaned down over Danny's trembling body to catch his own breath.

"Fuck, puto, such a tight little pussy," he panted, smacking the underside of the blonde's thigh.

Danny barely felt it, the only thing his mind could focus on being the intense, searing pain of his ass being taken so roughly. He tried to breathe through it, tried to block it out, but there was no use. His hands flexed and fisted futilely against the desk, nails scratching the surface, trying to find any grip on reality other than the burning ache in his lower body.

"We're going to rip you apart until you aren't so tight anymore, little pig," the man told him simply, and then straightened his back again and pulled out part way, adding more saliva to his cock and then sliding back in.

Danny groaned at the pain, pelvis bucking as he still tried to fight what was happening, and the guard gripped his hips and withdrew to slam back inside. Danny tried to let his mind sink back, pull away from the reality of what was being done to him, but the white hot agony wouldn't allow it. His consciousness was yanked back with every sharp thrust as the larger man built a rhythm and began to fuck into him over and over.

There seemed to be a little more lubrication now as his cock slipped in and out easier, and Danny screwed his eyes shut tighter when his logical mind told him it was likely his own blood that was easing the way.

Suddenly his head was dropped back from where it had been supported by the lackey, and before he could cry out again he heard the sound of another zipper, and a second cock was shoved into his mouth.

Danny squirmed as he was taken in both holes, spitroasted by the two guards as the other three watched on and laughed, some already using their free hands to bring out their own erection and stroke themselves.

"Hold his legs," he heard the leader growl, and the big man let go of Danny's legs while two other hands took hold so he could slide his belt from the loops on his pants, before pushing it under the detective's arched back.

The man took hold of both ends of the wide leather, using the belt like reins to increase the force of his thrusts. Danny cried out around the second cock currently gliding into his wrecked throat, and it only made both men fuck his holes harder.

"Puto likes it!" Danny heard one of the other men announce gleefully, and the guard leaned over him to slap his hardening cock.

It was the furthest thing from the truth, and Danny whimpered and tried to pull away. He hated this humiliation, the pain and the way he had been rendered powerless and pathetic. He was being used for their pleasure, and the last thing it would ever do was arouse him, but if there was one thing he knew from his police training it was that the mind of the victim and the body's reactions didn't always match up.

His growing erection was purely from the physical stimulation of his prostate, certainly not due to any type of enjoyment on his part, but that didn't stop the shame and embarrassment washing through him at the knowledge that these men might think he liked being treated this way.

"Little queer pig likes a good fucking," another guard laughed, speaking in English no doubt specifically so that Danny would understand every word, "He loves it when a real man shows him a good time, no?"

The leader's grip on the belt tightened, beginning to lift his ass from the desk as he pushed in deeper and harder while the other officer continued to use Danny's throat, barely letting up to allow him to breathe. Their boss's grunts grew louder, more harsh, and he fucked Danny's ass relentlessly until he buried himself in deep for one final thrust.

Danny's cry was stifled beyond recognition, but he tried to scream nonetheless because the idea of that beast coming inside him with no protection was too much to bear. But it was too late, and he could feel the pulse of his rapist's cock as his heat flooded Danny's insides and he growled deep in his chest.

"Fuck, little pig…" the man gasped, voice strained, "Your perfect little culo grips my cock so well. You're so hungry for more, no?"

He pulled out sharply, causing more pain to flash up Danny's spine like forked lightning, and before the blonde could try to move away another guard was taking his place between Danny's legs.

Just as the third man pushed his dick inside Danny's ass, the second man gripped his neck tight with one hand and shot his load straight down the cop's throat.

Again Danny writhed, choking and unable to breathe while the guard kept his cock rammed down his throat for way too long.

He withdrew finally, and Danny coughed up some of the man's spunk and heaved in harsh gulps of oxygen.

The third man wasn't holding back either, taking hold of both ends of the belt in one hand and beginning to drill Danny's hole for all he was worth, his free hand slapping their victim's ass and pushing his legs wider apart whenever he tried to struggle. Danny found himself grateful that the head guard's come was helping to lubricate his ass, and that idea alone made him retch again, disgusted and disappointed with himself.

It wasn't his fault, he had to keep telling himself that, he only wanted this to go easier, quicker, be over with. It wasn't that he liked this, he just needed it to end.

Danny had barely got his breath back when another officer moved in front of his face, grabbing his hair painfully so he could use his throat just like the men before him.

The surrounding guards continued to hold him down, though they didn't have to try as hard now with Danny's body weakening from the abuse and lack of oxygen. He was giving up the fight, and he hated himself for it. They slapped the bruises on his chest and stomach to make him jolt and cry out, bringing up more welts and red marks on his skin, and they taunted him by calling him disgusting names. Bitch, slut, pig, puto, maricón – he'd heard that one before, recognised that it meant faggot – and other words in Spanish that Danny didn't know, but he guessed they were just as degrading.

The guard fucking his throat took his belt off, wrapping it around Danny's neck and through the buckle again so he could yank on it like a dog's leash. The leather bit into his neck, tightened around his throat to cut off his air and blood supply even further, and Danny began to feel light-headed. He wondered for a moment if this was how he would die, choked by the belt of a man who was supposed to protect him while both his holes were filled with cock, and for a brief second he willed it to happen just so it would be over.

No! he thought, opening his eyes wide at the horrendous notion, No I don't want that, I don't want to die! He screamed it in his head over and over, because no matter how bad this got, however used and abused his body became, he had to promise himself he wouldn't ever stop fighting to live, to survive.

The belt loosened again as the man using his mouth pulled out, moaning as his come splashed over Danny's neck and chest. He tugged on the belt as he mumbled something in Spanish, and at the leader's order he lifted Danny's head again to rest it against his heaving stomach in time for the blonde to see the third man pull out of his ass and unload over the cop's stomach.

The officer opened his eyes as he came down from his release, and winked at Danny before licking his lips. It made the Jersey man sick to his stomach, and his anger boiling inside his veins at being treated this way. His fight began to come back again, and when the fourth lackey swapped with the other man and Danny's legs were momentarily released, he struggled again and kicked out, catching the new guard in his face and chest.

The officer roared with anger, and while the others worked quickly to secure Danny again the one between his legs forced his thighs apart and slammed his hard cock into the blonde's ass roughly.

Danny screamed at the agony, and the fourth man took hold of the loosened belt around his neck, pulling on the free end hard until it slipped tight and began to cut off his air again.

He had angered this guard by bruising his ego, and the man took it out on his body by seizing the other belt under his hips and ramming his long cock deep inside his victim. Danny tried to cry out, but his throat was too restricted, and the last guard leaned down over him and cackled evilly as he pushed even deeper to punish him. The Jersey man felt like he was going to pass out, the pain and inability to breathe meaning that the edges of his vision greyed and his consciousness began to flicker in and out, but the belt around his neck loosened just enough to allow him to suck in oxygen again. A part of Danny wished he had been allowed to lapse into unconsciousness, if only to ease his suffering that little bit.

The fourth lackey fucked Danny hard and relentlessly, and it was a small mercy that the guy didn't last very long before he was coming inside the detective's ass, pulling out to let the last of it drip onto his twitching body.

Danny heaved in more deep, shuddering breaths, relieved that the last man was finally done using him, but his heart sank into his stomach when their leader moved back into view. He had used the time since he had come to recover, and he was hard and ready to go again.

The blonde closed his eyes, more tears leaking out to wet his cheeks, and somewhere in the back of his mind he was aware he had been crying this whole time. His warring mind simultaneously told him he should be ashamed and that it was only human to react this way, and he couldn't work out which voice to believe.

The leader moved Danny's thighs apart again, smiling wolf-like when there was barely any resistance. He leaned down and took hold of the cop's jaw, squeezing until he opened his pain-filled eyes to meet his gaze.

"Good, maricón," he crooned, "You are beginning to know your place, yes?"

Danny whimpered, hating himself but unable to find the energy to argue or try to get free again, and he groaned when the man slid that thick cock back inside his loosened, aching hole.

The boss was still talking, his voice almost soothing now as he complimented his victim. "You all learn your purpose eventually, and a pretty little pig like you should always be used well. Just look at this ass," he purred, clutching one of Danny's buttocks hard, "It's made to be fucked."

He pushed the blonde's legs out wider, pushing in deep and allowing the other guards to take Danny's ankles and hold him in position while the boss leaned down over him.

"You are enjoying this, you like being used puto, I can tell," he smiled, wrapping his hand around Danny's still-hard cock and squeezing until it hurt.

"No," Danny whispered feebly, digging deep for any last remaining defiance he could find, "No, never…"

The Colombian above him just laughed. "I will prove it to you, little pig."

He placed both hands on the desk either side of Danny's head, rolling his hips back slowly to withdraw almost all the way, then sliding back in gradually. The head of his cock slipped over Danny's aching prostate and the blonde couldn't hold back the moan it elicited.

"See? You Americans like it when a big Colombian bull shows you what's good for you, huh?"

He began to thrust slowly and rhythmically, purposefully angling to rub over Danny's sweet spot with every drive, and the detective had to bite his lip hard to keep his reactions to a minimum. The sparks of pleasure began to roll up his spine, mixing with the pain, and hot tears made tracks down his face again as he despised his body for its betrayal.

No, this couldn't happen, he couldn't let it… but like everything else these past few days, it was completely out of his control.

He stared at the other man with fiery hatred, but finally he had to look away and shut his eyes as his prostate was pounded and the knot that had been forming in his abdomen since the beginning started to tighten again.

The detective gritted his teeth, throwing every ounce of determination into forcing back his body's natural responses and fighting the sensations, but as the guard increased his speed and power he felt himself lose his grip on reality, and he knew his rapist wouldn't give up until he had triumphed.

Danny howled out in distress as his orgasm hit and washed over him like a wave, his own come spilling onto his stomach while the guard fucked him hard, grunting as he once again came inside his victim. The blonde's voice cracked as he cried, hating his lack of control and the way in which the other man had won their battle.

"See, puto?" the guard sneered, "You can't deny you liked that, not when you come over yourself untouched…"

Danny felt sick, dizzy, and disgusted; these cruel men had taken his dignity but there was no way they were taking his pride. He wasn't broken, whatever they might think.

"Fuck you," he spat between coarse breaths, "Go… go to hell…"

The boss's laughter was like another slap to the face, and the other guards' hands fell away before Danny was pulled upright by the belt around his neck and dragged off the desk to fall to the floor on his hands and knees. Agony shot through his body, but he had no time to wallow in the pain as he was hauled to his feet again and led stumbling from the office, out into the corridor.

The boss towed him like a dog on a leash, jerking it hard when Danny reached out to grasp at the belt and fight back, and he was shoved by the other officers following close behind. He could feel the slick of the men's juices leaking from his ass, the sensation turning his stomach.

"Where are you taking me?" he managed to ask, but he was ignored until they reached a side door and he was forced to his knees again and kicked in the stomach.

"Go wash up, puto," the head guard chuckled, slapping Danny's cheek again even as he tried to turn away, and removing the belt from around his throat, "You get your pretty ass cleaned up and go rest. We'll come find you again tomorrow for some more fun, yes?"

One guard threw Danny's filthy pants and underwear at him, and the group of men laughed as they walked away, tucking their uniforms back into their slacks and chatting merrily, whistling like they hadn't just raped an inmate in cold blood.

Danny knelt on the floor for a few more minutes, trying to just feel of the cold concrete beneath his knees and the palms of his hands and not think about what had just happened. His mind was reeling, his whole body shaking, and he couldn't focus on anything other than trying to make his useless muscles work and drag himself into the shower room.

He finally managed to stagger to his feet, gripping his soiled clothing, using the wall to support himself and wincing at the sting in his ass and sore throat. Danny stumbled through the doorway and over to a shower stall, dropping his slacks in the corner and not even bothering to remove his filthy, ripped shirt before turning on the water. His clothing needed to be washed too; cleansed of the dirt and blood and shame of what had occurred.

The steam began to rise as Danny let the water heat up to an almost unbearable temperature, and it felt good to have the impurities burn away. Eventually he had to reach for the cold tap, adjust the temperature to something more tolerable, and a voice inside his head told him that there was another weakness, something else he couldn't endure.

"Shut up," he whispered to himself, pressing his forehead to the wall and pulling his wet shirt from his shoulders to land on the floor, "You're alive… You made it… That's all that matters…"

With that, a sob wracked his body, and Danny's shaking knees went from under him as he collapsed in the shower stall, letting the water rain down on him as he cried and scrubbed unrelenting at his skin.

He couldn't get himself clean, no matter how hard he tried, even as he carefully wiped the blood and come from between his legs and winced at the agony he felt in response, even as the evidence of those men and his own weakness was washed from his stomach, and even as he gargled the disgusting water to take away the taste of cock until he retched and threw up his pitiful stomach contents and acid and nothing else… No matter what he did, he couldn't feel anything but dirty, polluted, tainted.

Eventually he tried to clean his clothes of the dirt they'd been covered in since the inmates had attacked him outside – the fight that had started this horrendous chain of events – pulling himself from the shower and patting them down with paper towels until they were dry enough for him to force his legs into his pants and his arms back into the shirt sleeves. They would dry soon enough in the Colombian heat, he told himself, and the cooling material against his skin was somehow soothing.

When he caught sight of himself in the shitty reflective surface they called a mirror, Danny could barely recognise himself. He looked wrecked, haggard, unable to hold himself up straight, and he had a split lip and bruises blossoming on his face and neck. His eyes had dark rings around them and were sunken, the normally clear blue looking haunted, and he had to look away from this sorry disgrace of a man he was presented with.

Disgusting. Unworthy. Filthy. Repulsive. Puto.

Frustration and anger boiled up within him again, and he screamed as he lashed out, thumping the mirror with his closed hand. The prison safety 'glass' just bounced his fist away, sending a bright, fresh flash of pain up his arm, through his wrist and elbow and into his shoulder.

"Fuck!" Danny shouted out, cradling his hand into his stomach before shoving it under the cold tap and turning the water on to try and soothe the new wound and wash away the fresh blood from the broken skin.

He couldn't even vent his anger without hurting himself. So god damn useless, so fucking weak…

Danny steeled himself against his own internal thoughts. No, he wasn't weak. They had tried to tear him down, but he was still there, he could see this through… but his attempt at rebuilding his defences crumbled again as he remembered the head guard's words.

"We'll come find you again tomorrow for some more fun, yes?"

Danny whimpered at the thought, his lips trembling, not even sure if he could survive another round with those men. There might be more tomorrow, they might take longer, do worse things… the idea was excruciating.

He turned the tap off and wrapped paper towels around his knuckles, bundling some to stuff down his pants and between his cheeks to stem the slight trickle of blood he could still feel there, and staggered unsteadily back to his cell. He managed to get there without incident with most of the inmates still out in the yard, and though Danny knew that once the metal bars were slid shut he would be unable to open them again, he needed the protection of a locked cell. He wasn't hungry anyway so he wouldn't require dinner, and he didn't want to risk going to the cafeteria. He just needed to sleep.

The heavy clang of the door felt solid and final, making him think of a tomb slamming shut, and he couldn't lock out the morbid thoughts as he sank into his uncomfortable bed to curl into a ball and face the doorway.

He whimpered bitterly as the tears came again, and Danny wrapped his own hand over his mouth to silence the sobs that wanted to tear from his chest. The other inmates couldn't find out what had happened, or he'd be dead before the guards even got to him again. He loathed himself for letting this happen, despised his weakness and the way he'd allowed his body to be used and degraded, and however much he wanted to press his face into the pillow and let it soak away his tears, he couldn't rip his wary sights from the doorway.

It was pointless really, the guards had keys to get in if they wanted and he was in no fit state to fight back again, but still he pulled the blanket over himself and clutched the edges tightly like a shield, squeezing his eyes shut only briefly and praying that tomorrow they would just kill him and get it over with.

Danny hadn't slept, he had just settled into some numb, blank nothingness and let it swaddle his mind in a vacuum free of thought and feeling, but nevertheless he jolted back to reality as his cell door clanged noisily open in the night.

Two figures entered the dark room, and he felt the panic rise in him as he scrambled to his knees on the bed and a flashlight was shone in his face.

"No!" he shouted at the person closest, "Leave me alone, please!"

The light was quickly swung away, and the man reached out for him and grabbed his flailing wrist as he cried out again and hid his face.

"Danny? Danny, it's me!"

The blonde gasped in air, the familiar voice immediately filling him with hope and relief.

"S- Steve?" he whispered, pulling his arm away from his face and letting his eyes adjust in the dim light.

It was him. It was his partner, his best friend, leaning over him on the bed with a concerned look on his face even as he attempted a smile.

"Hey buddy, sorry we took so long," he tried to crack a joke, "Bureaucratic red tape is a nightma-"

His sentence was cut off as Danny lurched upward and wrapped his arms around the SEAL, squeezing him so tight he thought he might crack the guy's ribs.

"Hey, hey," Steve hugged him in return and rubbed his back in large circles, pausing when he felt the tremble in Danny's muscles. "Danny, are you okay?"

No, was all he could think, No I'm not okay… But he couldn't tell Steve, couldn't let him know what had happened because that big idiot would blame himself. Danny agreed to the prison deal to protect Steve and keep him out of the reports so he wouldn't suffer for what the Jersey man had done to Reyes all those months ago. It would kill his friend if he knew that something had happened to Danny.

So he released Steve and tried to straighten his back and square his shoulders without showing the pain he was in.

"Yeah, just… Just take me home, Steve."

"We've got to get moving, guys," Kono's voice came from the doorway, and Danny jumped because he had forgotten that a second person had been there.

Beyond her he could see Chin and Lou in the corridor guarding the cell; his whole team had all come to bring him home.

"Come on," Steve murmured, taking his arm and leading him out of the door into the better-lit corridor, "The prison Governor gave us fifteen minutes to come in and get you out, so we gotta move."

There was no way Danny was going to make this last any longer than was needed, so he followed the other three members of Five-0 down the gangways as Steve brought up the rear, one hand on the butt of his holstered gun and the other placed firmly on Danny's shoulder to let him know he was there.

It was something they always did, him and Steve. The little touches and squeezes, the reminders that they were close by, the little check-ins that occurred on a daily basis, and it felt wonderful to have that reassurance. Danny wasn't sure if he could handle anyone else's hands on him right now, but he knew he could never do without Steve's firm grip. That man was his anchor.

As they reached the exit, there were several guards waiting to open the gates; the four men who had attacked Danny earlier that day stood with their backs to the walls, two either side of the exit, and each one of them cast their eyes down his body and smirked, making the blonde recoil.

Steve must have noticed the sudden tension in Danny's body, because he pulled his partner back and around to face him as Five-0 approached.

"Danno? What's going on?" he asked, hazel eyes meeting Danny's blue ones.

The detective looked away, hopefully before his friend could see anything was amiss.

"Nothing, let's go. We need to get out of here."

Steve stopped him from moving away, and the SEAL placed both hands on Danny's biceps to make the Jersey man face him again.

"Look at me, Danny," he ordered softly, frowning when Danny turned his face toward him but still refused to meet his eyes. "Danny, I said look at me."

The blonde closed his eyes, trying to force back the tears that threatened to flow. "Steve, please don't…"

When he looked up again, he saw Kono, Chin and Lou go through the first set of gates, moving around the man who stood out there – the head guard who had brought all the pain down upon him – and Danny couldn't stop himself from taking a step back, further back into the prison he was meant to be leaving, anything just to put more distance between himself and that man.

Steve glanced up at the officers, then back at his partner.

"Danny?" he asked again, voice breaking slightly as he observed the cop's reaction, and Danny finally met his worried gaze.

He didn't need to say anything, their almost-psychic bond did all the work.

Steve's eyes seemed to read his very soul, and he watched as the SEAL's expression changed from apprehension to something… blank. His eyes swept down Danny's body, taking in his filthy clothing, the blood stains he hadn't been able to remove, the bruising to his face and torso where his ripped shirt hung open and the marks around his throat made by hands and the belt, the way he held himself and the slight limp he'd been unable to hide.

Somehow there was no hint of emotion on Steve's face, and yet when his eyes met Danny's again there was everything hidden in their hazel depths; fire and ice, pain and anger and hatred, but Danny didn't flinch because he knew none of it was directed his way.

"We're leaving," Steve stated, gently nudging Danny towards the exit.

The blonde held his breath as they passed between the four lackeys, trying to ignore their smiles, and he felt Steve's hand tighten on his shoulder as he followed.

The head guard turned to face them all as they passed with his back to the open gate, and he pressed the buzzer to open the second exit. Steve waved the other three team members through, but kept Danny by his side until the gate was closed again.

The head guard grinned down at Danny who now stood shoulder to shoulder with Steve.

"We'll be sorry to see you go, Williams," he said snidely, "You've been a model inmate…"

Danny felt like he was going to throw up even though he had nothing left in his stomach, and he was pretty sure Steve's grip on him was the only thing holding him up.

His friend turned to him and asked one simple question.

"Who?"

Danny's throat was tight and raw, but it didn't stop him from swallowing past the pain and answering his best friend, even if his voice was weak and broken.

"All of them," he whispered.

Steve's eyes flared with hot anger, and he let go of Danny to use all his strength to shove the lead officer backwards through the first gate. As he did, he snapped the keys off the man's belt, slamming the bars in his face as he growled and lurched forward again, locking them inside the prison corridor.

The Navy man dropped the keys on the floor, too far away for them to reach, glaring at the officers as they all clamoured and shouted to be let out. There was no pity in his eyes.

"I think we'll see ourselves out," he said calmly, pressing the buzzer so their friends could hold the second gate open for them.

The three cops looked confused, but they didn't ask a single question as Danny joined them on the other side of the bars. Steve looked at his friend again, and then turned towards the officers.

"I'm sure the next shift will be along shortly to relieve you all," he stated coldly, "But in the meantime I wouldn't want for you to get lonely…"

He reached over and grasped the switch which released the prisoners' cells, a loud buzzer sounding as all the doors clanged open, and then he turned his back on the guards as they called out for help.

"Go to the helicopter," Steve ordered Kono, Chin and Lou, who left obediently in the knowledge that their boss wanted to provide them with plausible deniability.

The SEAL turned back to watch with Danny as inmates began to emerge from their rooms into the corridor light, woken by the noise, and one by one they began to realise that the guards who tortured them relentlessly on a daily basis were locked in with them, for all intents and purposes defenceless.

Danny knew what waited for the men who had attacked him, and watched with grim satisfaction as the inmates approached the five guards like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey. The officers began to pull out their weapons, but there was no way any of them would last against the hundreds of prisoners crowding in on them.

It was a lost battle before it started, and Danny didn't even blink as the men began to scream and cry out for mercy. They hadn't shown him any, and he felt nothing for what was happening to them now. He only felt numb.

Danny refused to look away until he saw the head guard become swallowed up by the mass of inmates, screaming and clawing at the concrete as he was dragged away from the bars into the fray.

"We should go," Steve spoke low and calm in his ear.

Danny nodded, finally tearing his eyes away from the riot now occurring within the prison. He looked up to meet his partner's soft gaze, still finding it hard to sustain the eye contact but forcing himself to withstand the shame. Because this was Steve, and Steve didn't judge him. He was his best friend, the one person he could trust to the ends of the earth and back, the only man who he would allow to touch him right now.

He knew that when he got back to Hawaii he would have to be checked over, have blood tests, be examined and poked and prodded. Right now his future felt so uncertain, and he could only hope he would recover physically from this… the emotional side of things would be a much longer journey. But Steve would be there for him every step of the way, to keep him steady and strong, to let Danny know he was loved. That he wasn't broken.

"Thank you, Steve," Danny managed to say, his voice still rough.

Steve seemed to realise that the appreciation wasn't only for the revenge he'd just taken for his partner – that it was said in advance of so much more, in the knowledge and trust and belief that he would steady his friend through the storm yet to come – and he smiled hopefully at Danny as he reached out for his hand.

Instead, Danny moved in toward his body, allowing the SEAL to envelop him in his strong arms and cradle the back of his head the way Steve had a tendency to do. The detective allowed himself a moment of weakness, knowing Steve would feel the hot tears and shuddering breath against his collarbone and having the faith that the taller man wouldn't say anything out of pity or judgement.

Steve laid a protective kiss on the top of his head, stroking his back before stepping back and holding his hand out again for Danny to take and be led to freedom.

"Anything for you, Danno."