Title: Beautiful Disaster

Author: Proclaim Thy Warrior Soul

Rating: K

Summary: Danny Williams felt the colour drain from his face as he observed his partner running for him at full speed... Danny!Whump. Steve!Whump. One-shot.

Disclaimer: Not mine. A sad, but painfully true reality that I must come to terms with on a daily basis... *le sigh*

Beautiful Disaster

Danny Williams felt the colour drain from his face as he observed his partner running for him at full speed, the look on the typically stoic SEAL's face a mixture of determination and… wait, was that fear?

"Ste-" The detective's surprised question cut off abruptly - before the words had even fully formed in his brain - as the head of Five-O ploughed straight into his midsection, knocking him off his feet with the perfect football tackle.

Now, Steve McGarrett was a heavy man; one-hundred-and-seventy-five pounds of pure muscle and tattooed Navy SEAL fitness to be exact, so it was completely understandable that Danny's paltry one-thirty-eight stood little-to-no chance against his more than impressive opponent.

Both men hit the concrete with a bone-rattling smack, the back of Danny's head connecting solidly with the floor as Steve emitted a grunt of discomfort at his own less-than-graceful landing atop his partner. Fortunately for the both of them, however, they managed to find cover behind a parked vehicle just at the right time, the unnerving sound of gunfire reaching their ears.

Fighting to catch his breath, the wind well and truly knocked out of him, Danny couldn't quite tell if the ringing in his head was real or imagined; the same way he wasn't absolutely certain if the world should be spinning quite so much - especially as he was flat on his back and he'd yet to touch a drop of that expensive bottle of Bourbon on his dresser at home.

Despite this, finely-bred cop instincts had the Jersey native attempting to climb to his feet as he groped blindly for his sidearm; the overwhelming urge to do his duty and protect the innocent bystanders from the island's latest crazed lunatic with a firearm forcing him into action. The pig-headed, heavy-as-hell Navy SEAL currently straddling him, however, seemed to have ideas to the contrary.

"Stay. Down," McGarrett commanded, his voice rough as he forcibly pinned his struggling, quite probably concussed, partner beneath him whilst using his own larger body as a shield; bullets continuing to fly above their heads. The terrified screams of nearby civilians as they ran for safety were torturous and both Steve and Danny found themselves praying that no one was seriously hurt.

"Huh. Who'd you piss off this time?"

Steve's first response to the blond man's slurred words was to roll his eyes, wincing as he readjusted his grip on the body beneath him and aggravated the bloodied scrapes on both forearms from his dive. "Not funny, Danno."

Even concussed, the detective couldn't fail to notice the edge to his friend's words, a niggling voice at the back of his aching head wondering if he was okay. He didn't have time to ask, however, as the familiar voices of Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua demanding the armed civilian drop his weapon caught his attention; that and the rapidly approaching sirens from the local HPD unit. "Hey, Super SEAL, back-up's here - you can get off me now."

Steve made no effort to move.

"Look, babe, I know how much you like using me as a pillow but I really think we should get up. You know, to see if Chin and Kono need any help with the crazy gun-wielding psychopath? The psychopath that, moments ago, was shooting bullets at us, Steven. Live bullets." Even through the ringing in his skull Danny was pretty sure he heard a muffled "in a minute" from the motionless SEAL.

"Okay, get off, you Neanderthal." Danny elbowed the SEAL none-too-gently in the ribs as he struggled to get up, regretting the move almost instantaneously as a wave of nausea washed over him. Steve gave an uncharacteristic yelp of surprise as he rolled off his partner, mirroring Danny's earlier position as he lay flat on his back, rubbing his sore ribs with a scowl.

"That hurt, Danno," came his mumbled complaint, to which Danny offered his best 'bitch face' in response.

"Good. You deserved it. In fact, you deserved that and much more. Are you proud of yourself? I think you broke my head." Danny seemed to think about that one for a moment before a look of concern coloured his features. "Does my head look broken?"

"No more broken than usual, brah," Chin offered helpfully with a grin as he and his lithe cousin approached, the gunman now securely in HPD's custody.

"You're a funny man, Kelly. Remind me to laugh sometime soon, huh?" Danny accepted the proffered hand from the older man as he wobbled unsteadily to his feet, swallowing thickly to quell the rising nausea. "Oh, that didn't taste good..."

"Hey, Boss. You okay down there?" Kono interrupted the friendly banter with her look of concern, wiping a stray strand of hair out of her face. Everyone turned to glance at the unmoving head of Five-O as the realisation seemed to hit them all at once. Super-SEAL McGarrett would normally be on his feet and taking charge of the whole messy situation by now. Either that, or threatening to shoot/maim/kill the gunman.

Something wasn't right..

"Steve?" The only visible reaction to his team's distress was a slow blink, his eyelids fluttering as if he was suddenly struggling to remain conscious. Now they were paying closer attention they could see the visible sheen of sweat that coated the SEAL, his body trembling ever so slightly even though the sun was at its highest point in the sky; the afternoon's temperature right up there with it.

"Damn it." Ignoring his own injuries Danny dropped to his knees at his partner's side, running his hand over the prone man as he looked for any sign of serious damage. Both arms were raw and bleeding, but the detective knew this was from his earlier tackle as the bullets had started flying.

Bullets.

"No, no, no, no, no…."

"Danny?"

"Steve, I need to roll you over a little, okay, babe? Chin, give me a hand." Chin threw an apprehensive look at Kono, the tremor in the blond man's voice worrying them both. Needing to do something, not only to help her boss but also to steady her nerves, Kono darted off to find an EMT, the rookie knowing the possibility was high that one would be needed.

Grabbing his partner's clammy hand for reassurance, Danny gently placed the other at his partner's side and allowed Chin to guide him in pushing the SEAL ever so gently onto his side.

Chin saw Danny's face turn white, a considerable feat considering the Jersey native was already as pale as a ghost from his knock to the head. "How bad, Brah?"

Danny had to swallow twice before he could bring himself to speak. "Not good; not good, at all." Finally looking up, the detective's blue eyes scanned the busy street, desperately seeking help. "Kono! Get me a paramedic here, now!"

*H50*

Hours later, as a freshly bandaged, mildly concussed Danny watched the nurse fiddle with the seemingly endless array of equipment attached to his semi-lucid partner, the Detective finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

Once again, Steve "Rambo-wannabe" McGarrett had put himself in harm's way to protect those he cared for; his Ohana. Not that Danny could find it in himself to complain too much. Steve had taken a bullet for him after all... If he wasn't so grateful he'd probably be chewing the SEAL's head off right now.

Danny watched as his partner smiled his thanks at the pretty nurse as she headed for the exit, his eyes drooping under the influence of the heavy duty painkillers and sedative that would keep him still while his body used the time to heal.

"Do you know what you are, Steven?" Danny almost regretted disturbing the injured man's slip into unconsciousness as he approached his friend's bedside, but quite rightly decided that he deserved it. A bullet to the back was a hell of a lot more deadly than a few moments of disturbed rest. "You're a disaster; a truly beautiful disaster."

The SEAL gave his partner a confused grin, not quite certain whether the blond man's unexpected words were a compliment or an insult, because with Danny you couldn't always tell. He studied the shorter man at his bedside and reasoned that there was at least one indication in his favour right now: his partner's hands were firmly at his side; no sign of an impending rant on the horizon…

Yet.

"Just do me one favour, yeah?" Steve had to drag his wandering attention back to Danny as the sedative once more started to take hold, his eyes closing of their own accord.

"Don't ever change."

Steve offered a sleepy smile as he finally gave in to the pain and exhaustion of the day's events, drifting happily towards a peaceful slumber. Danny gave his partner – no, his best friend – an affectionate pat on the arm, pulling the thin hospital sheet a little higher over the downed SEAL before grabbing a nearby seat and settling himself in for the night.

The End

Author's Note: I was craving a little Steve/Danny fluff - their friendship makes me all warm and gooey inside :) But we can't have fluff without a little hurt/comfort first, can we? *evil grin* This one is dedicated to Jackie - because she told me yesterday that I had an 'evil streak' and asked if Wo Fat was one of my best friends... I took it as a compliment, by the way!

Now...thoughts?

Until next time...

PTWS