A/N: Sorry for the late update, I have exams so I had to focus on that. But I have found some free time and I have written a longer chapter this time. Anyway, since there are so many votes for not slash (and I kinda agree) I will not make this a slash-fic. And for those who are disappointed because there is Danny-whump and Steve is okay, don't worry, the story is not over yet ;)
So, have fun reading and leave a message after the beep :)
"'We have another problem,' he said. He glanced at Danny and swallowed. 'The car is empty. They are gone. And they took the rocket launcher with them.'"
Danny stared at him for a few silent seconds.
'You have got to be kidding me. Could this day get any.. No, I'm not even going to say it, because with you, you never know,' he then said.
'How is this my fault? Why is everything my fault?' Steve said while he hid his gun and kneeled next to his partner. 'I need to pop your shoulder back in.'
Danny swallowed and growled when Steve put his one hand on his back and the other on the shoulder.
'I have told you more than once why it's your fault but apparently it's not getting through that thick skill of yours!' Danny grumbled as Steve got ready to pop his shoulder in. Steve's lips curled into a small smile as Danny went on and on about all the times he had said it.
'- and so I'm only gonna say it once more Steve: you're a trouble ma-aah!' Before he could finish his word, Steve pushed the arm back in place and Danny screamed in pain. 'Can't you warn me next time?' Danny groaned as he tried to get his breathing back to normal.
Steve didn't reply and went back to the car of the perps and managed to break open the trunk. He remembered one of the guys putting a jacket in the trunk just before they had taken off in a hurry.
He was right and he tore the jacket into a sling. Danny groaned as Steve put the broken arm into the sling, but he didn't say a word about it being from the culprits or uncomfortable.
'Now what?'
Steve glanced up the hill but he knew that there was no way up. Besides, the bad guys still had that rocket launcher and so they were too dangerous to let them run around with it. He had an idea where they were heading, but Steve hesitated going after them with Danny injured.
'I want you to-'
'Oh hell no Steve!' Danny interrupted him. 'You have that face and I don't like it.'
'What face? I don't have "a face"!' Steve shot back. Danny frowned.
'Who is looking at it, huh? You or me? Right, I am. And I'm telling you Steve, you have that face on that you have when you're about to go Rambo. And like I said, I don't like that. 'Cause that means I'll have to stay here and be a sitting duck.'
Steve gritted his teeth, but he knew Danny was right. 'Fine, we'll go after them together.'
He helped Danny up to his feet. He hesitated again when Danny paled a little, but when he grunted he was fine they started moving the only way possible: down.
They hadn't been moving long when Steve noticed broken branches. He crouched and looked at the branches carefully. Apparently the men they were chasing weren't going so fast either.
He got up and looked ahead in the hope to see anything, but they weren't that close yet. Then he turned and waited for Danny to catch up.
Danny wasn't really used to the jungle and with his arm broken he was being very careful. But that also meant slow.
'Come on Danny, I think we're catching up,' Steve said, but all he got back was a glare. Steve couldn't help but smile and he turned to the "path". It wasn't exactly a path, but the culprits hadn't been careful and even Danny could see which way they were heading.
'I'm just trying not to fall over and break my arm even more. You walk too fast, it's like you've been here before,' Danny mumbled. He passed Steve and saw his smile. 'Now that I think of it, you probably have.'
Steve grinned and tapped Danny on his good shoulder. 'I have not, but we'll get out of here, don't worry.'
Danny stopped and sighed. 'Let me set the pace, okay?'
Steve put his arm out and even made a small bow, getting another glare from Danny, and then followed him.
After a long 30 minutes Steve heard something. He stopped and focused on the sound. It wasn't the sound of someone, more like the sound of something. He tried to remember where they had been heading and what was near it, when it hit him. The sound he was hearing was water rushing down.
Danny, who hadn't heard anything yet, hadn't noticed Steve had stopped either. He was still hiking through the woods when he saw something move to his right. In reflex he tried to go for his gun with his right hand, and he had to bite his lip not to scream out in pain when his arm moved even the slightest bit.
So instead of taking his gun, he crouched behind a tree and breathed through the pain. When he looked back at the trail, he noticed Steve wasn't there yet. He wondered why Steve had gone off to when he heard the sound of snapping branches. The sound was coming from where he had seen the movement, and judging by the sound it wasn't something small. And it was coming his way.
He quickly looked around in the hope to see anything that could be a weapon. Near his left foot was a rock, small enough to hold in one hand but big enough to do damage. He grabbed it and held it ready.
The sound was coming closer. It stopped for a moment, then it came to him faster.
Danny breathed in deep, tightened the grip on the rock, hoped for Steve to show up fast and braced himself for the attack.
It was so close now if Danny didn't charge he would be attacked first. He held his breath, then jumped out of cover with the rock raised above his head and charged.
'Whoa Danny, stop!' Steve yelled while stepping back and preventing his head to be smashed by the rock. Danny stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then he threw the rock to the ground.
'Are you out of your mind? I could've killed you!' he screamed. Adrenaline was racing through his body, and he was both relieved to see Steve and mad at him. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
'I was looking for you. What were you doing there hiding anyway?' Steve said.
'I saw something moving and I thought it was either one of the bad guys or a wild animal,' Danny replied. The angry feeling subsided a bit.
'What were you doing there?' he then asked, pointing at where he had spotted Steve. Steve turned and glanced somewhere ahead.
'I heard a waterfall and wanted to check it out. I thought maybe those men would be there to drink.' He turned back to Danny, who was staring at him. 'What?'
'Well, where they?' Danny asked, annoyed that Steve didn't understand he was waiting for that.
'Not anymore, but I spotted some footprints down there. If we can get down the waterfall too it'll be easier to follow them.'
'Down the waterfall?' Danny groaned, pinching his nose with his left hand. He didn't like water, and he didn't like waterfalls, and especially both those things when Steve was involved. Because if he was, things would go wrong. But since there was no other way..
'Lead the way.'
The waterfall wasn't as high as Danny had pictured in his mind. With their luck he had pictured a meters high waterfall with sharp rocks sticking out everywhere and no way to climb down. This waterfall was actually a little under 3 meters high and on the right side was a wall of stone with useful ledges, as if it was made to climb.
But Danny couldn't climb down of course. And when he realized that, his face darkened. Steve noticed it.
'You don't have to jump down. A little bit further to the right are bigger ledges. You can sit down and drop down on them.'
Danny nodded and let a breath out in relief.
'Just one question Steve. How are we gonna get to the other side?'
'We walk,' Steve said. He went over to Danny's left side and grabbed his arm. He knew the current was going to pull them towards the waterfall and Danny was already unsteady. On his own he wouldn't make it to the other side. Danny looked hesitant and nervous, but the supportive hand on his arm made him a little bit less worried he was going to get swiped away by the water.
When they stepped in the water, the first thing Danny noticed was that it was cold. It wasn't as cold as it was in New Jersey, but for a river in Hawaii it was pretty cold.
The next thing he noticed was that it wasn't as deep as he had thought it would be. When they were halfway, he was only up to his belly button in the water. Danny was relieved to see his arm stayed above the water all the time.
'See?' Steve said, 'It's not that bad.'
But one thing Danny had learned from all the accidents was that saying that was not a good idea.
They were on 2/3 of the river when suddenly Steve's foot slipped. It slipped off a rock and unbalanced him. In reflex he pulled with his arms, but since he was holding onto an unstable Danny, he pulled him out of balance too. Before Danny even realized what had happened he was pulled under water.
He flailed his arm in fear and found a shirt which he grabbed tight. Steve managed to get back to his feet and he helped Danny, but they soon found out the current had taken them closer to the waterfall. And the rocks there were even more slippery.
'Steve..!' Danny cried out, but his feet lost grip on the rocks and he submerged again. The shirt he was still holding onto stretched but Danny didn't let go. His right arm hit something and a scream escaped in bubbles. He closed his mouth before water could get in, but nevertheless he got some in his airways.
Steve pulled him up just in time and he coughed out the water.
'Danny, are you okay?' Steve asked concerned while Danny coughed out some more water. He tried to speak, but something cut stuck in his throat and he kept on coughing. When he could breathe again, he just nodded to prevent it from happening again.
'Now you stand very still, right over here, while I go and find a good way to get to the other side, okay?' Steve didn't wait for an answer, but let go of Danny and climbed onto a huge rock when Danny had let go of his shirt. There was another rock next to it, and Steve stretched to get on top of it. unfortunately, the rock was too slippery and Steve didn't bother trying.
There was also a rock sticking out in front of him, but after that one was the waterfall. With no other options left, Steve touched the rock and found it good enough to climb on. He stretched his arm first and his right leg, and then quickly moved his weight onto that leg. Then he pulled in his other arm and leg and crouched down for a moment.
The rock seemed sturdy enough, and if Steve could jump to the side, he would be able to help Danny out from the riverside.
He turned to the side, tensed up his muscles and was just about to jump when a gunshot startled him. It wasn't meant for them; he saw birds fly up still a lot of trees away from them, but the sound had startled him and got him out of his concentration.
His left foot slipped off the rock and his right followed. He fell on the rock hard with his right shin first, then when even his shin glided off he hit the rock hard with his already cracked ribs. The white hot pain shot through his chest but the impact had left him breathless and the scream got stuck in his throat.
While he fell down, he saw Danny stretch out his good arm and grab him. But Danny wasn't able to keep Steve from falling, and what happened next was Danny's nightmare coming true: they both went down the waterfall.
*BEEEWEEEEEP*