shallowz

Title: Drift
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Word Count: around 850
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for aired episodes.
Disclaimer: Not ours, no profit being made, etc. This is just for fun.
Beta: harrigan Thanks for the super-fast-last-minute beta!
Summary: Episode tag for Ki'ilua.

~^~^~^~

He drifted. Didn't want to. Wasn’t right. The team wasn't altogether. Kono's absence keenly felt. To his left, Chin was lit up from adrenaline, relief and sheer happiness. Being in love looked good on him. Steve glanced up and over, not surprised to see Danny watching him. Not the quiet, 'you really did it this time' look, but the 'you really scared me’ one that Steve would never, ever tell Danny he showed.

Danny wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Lori was up front. Saw her face, remembered the hug. Remembered she worked for the governor. He had trusted Jenna …

Nonononono… not now. The betrayal, pity, and grief were too raw.

Joe's leg was pressed against his side, or rather Steve leaned against it hard. Needed to stay awake a little longer. Gather his team. Know they were safely away and wouldn’t pay for being the kind of people to drop into hostile territory to save him.

But they do and did. Now he just wanted them home.

He gripped the rifle harder, felt the pull in his battered wrists, but didn’t let go. Joe’s hand closed over his shoulder and while it was a comfort, he wanted to pull in. Find the quiet.

He drifted.

~^~^~^~

“Hey boss.” He opened his eyes and there was Kono with a blinding smile, hair whipping around her face as she took the rifle from him. “It’s okay. We got it now.”

And he could let it go. Chin and Danny took his arms over their shoulders – the ache in his arms flared up, but their hands were careful and they steered him to the waiting truck. He appreciated the solidity of them.

“Where?” His swollen jaw didn’t allow more.

“Going home, brah.” Chin gave a soft pat to his side. “We’ve done what we came to do.”

Couldn’t happen soon enough.

“Are we dealing with internal injuries?”

Steve wanted to tell Kono that Wo Fat wanted him alive and knew how to hit, but Danny was already answering. He was grateful.

He should thank people. Steve looked over his shoulder to Joe, who met his eyes with that toothless grin of his and gave a nod before turning back to the pilot. His gratitude would be conveyed.

Lori pulled aside the tarp, reaching for him and he fought the instinct to pull away. Danny, with a brief glance in his direction, shouldered them past her. Explanations would have to come later.

Lori was not Jenna. He needed to remember that.

But he couldn’t do rational thinking right now. He sank into the seat flanked by Danny and Chin, felt the safety in that, completed with Kono sitting down across from him.

“I’m all for speeding,” Danny said.

Steve drifted to the sound of their soft conversation.

~^~^~^~

Steve lost time. Realized it when he woke to the comforting drone of the plane and the military cot that usually wasn’t so comfortable, but felt as good as his queen size back home.

“Hey.” Kono crouched down beside him, laying a hand on his forearm. “How’re you doing?”

“Everything hurts, but it’s like I don’t care.”

She smiled, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Had to take it easy on the pain meds.”

“Yeah, even with your hard head.” Danny dropped down beside Kono. “We’re well on our way. No worries.”

And Steve breathed easier. “How’d you find me?”

Danny’s expression didn’t make sense until he said, “Jenna called.”

Jenna called.

Jenna - who found and lost everything in that bunker.

“It didn’t even occur to me she was lying.” Steve stared up at the fuselage. “Not once.”

“Well, you weren’t alone in that.” Danny grimaced. “We had to leave her there.”

“You saw?”

“Yeah.”

“She needed to believe she could save Josh.” And he couldn’t hate her for it.

“Whatever else she did, we wouldn’t have found you in time without that call.” Chin sat on the edge of the cot. “We were lucky to find you.”

Luck. The overwhelming relief and disbelief when Danny lifted the tarp didn’t feel like luck. Felt like a miracle.

“Thank you.” Inadequate words. But right now, he didn’t have any better ones. Further down the plane he saw Lori speaking to Joe and he had the moment to say what needed saying. Because if there was one thing that could screw your head on straight, it was hanging up by your wrists thinking this time you were really going to die and all regrets were crystal clear. “I know it’s gone wrong lately, and I’m sorry for that.”

By their expressions they knew what he was talking about.

“Again, you are not alone in that.” Danny gripped his shoulder. “We’ll get it back.”

Somehow they would. Given the chance they would. And if they weren’t given it, they would take it.

Danny smiled. “Get some rest, Superman. Cape clipped or not, you’re gonna be fine and so will we.”

Priorities clear, Steve drifted.