Fic: Not A Cop (Hawaii 5-0, Steve, PG)
Title: Not A Cop
Rating: PG
Word Count: 895
Genre: Character Study
Pairing: None
Summary: He knows he's not a cop - except that now he is. Tag to 01.08.
Not A Cop
"Look, I know, I'm not a cop." Steve had said it because it was right, and because if he didn't say it, Danny would. And it wasn't until Danny stormed out and Chin looked at him like Steve had been the one to kick Chin off the force that Steve realized maybe he'd gone too far.
He wasn't a cop. Danny had drilled that into his head from the beginning, along with evidence handling and proper procedure and training that complemented what Steve had learned in Naval Intelligence about following trails and deducing the truth. And now that he was finally getting there, finally starting to learn what it takes to be a cop, Danny's yelling at him again and storming out, saying "I do not know what I am doing here."
That's the phrase that keeps Steve awake that night, waves crashing outside his bedroom window. He still didn't know if Meka was actually innocent or if Danny just thought Meka was innocent. But the thought that Danny really meant those words? Really meant that he didn't know what he was doing at 5-0? That kept him awake. Whatever happened, he needed to fix this with Danny.
In the morning, after a swim that cleared his insomnia-fogged head, he started by calling Chin, apologizing. Chin told him Danny was starting the day at Halawa, and agreed to drop Steve off. When Danny walked out of the prison, wearing his stupid New Jersey tie, Steve tried to figure out how to ask what he needed to know without setting Danny off again because yes, his partner was a hothead.
"I already have a date to the prom." Danny snarked and Steve realized, yeah, he hadn't blown this completely if Danny was still willing to bitch at him. And then Danny flipped the question around at Steve.
"If they showed you a stack of evidence this thick, would you believe it?" Danny looked at him, blue eyes squinting in the sunlight.
"No."
"Why?"
"Be-" Steve was an idiot. Danny might be a hothead, but Steve was an idiot. "OK."
"OK, what?"
"OK, we can move past this." Steve didn't know a better way to tell Danny he was an idiot, but fortunately, Danny didn't seem to need one.
It wasn't he was pulling Danny off Kaleo at HPD and watching as Danny drove Sang Min off to see his wife and son that Steve realized that he was a cop now. It wasn't until he got up the morning of the funeral and pulled his dress uniform from the closet that he realized he was copying what his father had done a few times in Steve's memory. It wasn't until he met Chin and Kono at 5-0 headquarters before the ceremony and Chin handed him a black band for his badge that Steve realized he was a cop now. But he couldn't wear his badge with his uniform, and he didn't have a police uniform. Chin had worn a suit, his 5-0 badge on the pocket. Kono wore her rarely used HPD uniform, the first time he'd seen her in it. He slid the band on his badge, clipped it to his slacks beneath the jacket of his dress blues.
It wasn't until he saw Danny at the funeral in his Newark dress uniform, gold chevrons on the sleeves marking his rank, the formal uniform more like Steve's dress blues than the short-sleeved HPD uniforms, that Steve felt the absence of the badge, even though he wore it. He wasn't a cop, hadn't been trained as a cop. But as the strains of Amazing Grace filled the air, as he watched a red-eyed Amy and solemn Billy walk out of the service, watched the HPD officers who had ignored and stonewalled them days earlier when Danny tried to investigate, Steve realized this was a set of rituals and traditions he didn't know. His father's memorial service had been the service of a veteran, not of a cop killed in the line of duty. He hadn't known then that his father was still investigating, still acting as a cop when he was killed. This service, these rituals, they were as foreign to him as a Navy funeral (not Army, Danno, you know that) would be for Danny.
He followed those who did know, Chin and Kono, both familiar with the ceremonies and rituals of their family business. Until he was standing in Amy's living room, looking at Danny in his Newark dress blues.
"I know you didn't know him." Danny still had a hint of a smile around his eyes, that little bit of appreciation that Steve had come.
"I know you." Because he was a cop now, and getting to be a good one with Danny's help. And if he ever had to come to one of these again - not, hopefully not, because he'd lost too many people he cared about already - Steve knew he would put his dress blues aside, find a suit and tie and wear his badge, black band and all, because he was a cop now. He didn't have the uniform like Danny or Kono, but he had the badge and this had taught him that he really was a cop. Danny was making him a cop.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 895
Genre: Character Study
Pairing: None
Summary: He knows he's not a cop - except that now he is. Tag to 01.08.
Not A Cop
"Look, I know, I'm not a cop." Steve had said it because it was right, and because if he didn't say it, Danny would. And it wasn't until Danny stormed out and Chin looked at him like Steve had been the one to kick Chin off the force that Steve realized maybe he'd gone too far.
He wasn't a cop. Danny had drilled that into his head from the beginning, along with evidence handling and proper procedure and training that complemented what Steve had learned in Naval Intelligence about following trails and deducing the truth. And now that he was finally getting there, finally starting to learn what it takes to be a cop, Danny's yelling at him again and storming out, saying "I do not know what I am doing here."
That's the phrase that keeps Steve awake that night, waves crashing outside his bedroom window. He still didn't know if Meka was actually innocent or if Danny just thought Meka was innocent. But the thought that Danny really meant those words? Really meant that he didn't know what he was doing at 5-0? That kept him awake. Whatever happened, he needed to fix this with Danny.
In the morning, after a swim that cleared his insomnia-fogged head, he started by calling Chin, apologizing. Chin told him Danny was starting the day at Halawa, and agreed to drop Steve off. When Danny walked out of the prison, wearing his stupid New Jersey tie, Steve tried to figure out how to ask what he needed to know without setting Danny off again because yes, his partner was a hothead.
"I already have a date to the prom." Danny snarked and Steve realized, yeah, he hadn't blown this completely if Danny was still willing to bitch at him. And then Danny flipped the question around at Steve.
"If they showed you a stack of evidence this thick, would you believe it?" Danny looked at him, blue eyes squinting in the sunlight.
"No."
"Why?"
"Be-" Steve was an idiot. Danny might be a hothead, but Steve was an idiot. "OK."
"OK, what?"
"OK, we can move past this." Steve didn't know a better way to tell Danny he was an idiot, but fortunately, Danny didn't seem to need one.
It wasn't he was pulling Danny off Kaleo at HPD and watching as Danny drove Sang Min off to see his wife and son that Steve realized that he was a cop now. It wasn't until he got up the morning of the funeral and pulled his dress uniform from the closet that he realized he was copying what his father had done a few times in Steve's memory. It wasn't until he met Chin and Kono at 5-0 headquarters before the ceremony and Chin handed him a black band for his badge that Steve realized he was a cop now. But he couldn't wear his badge with his uniform, and he didn't have a police uniform. Chin had worn a suit, his 5-0 badge on the pocket. Kono wore her rarely used HPD uniform, the first time he'd seen her in it. He slid the band on his badge, clipped it to his slacks beneath the jacket of his dress blues.
It wasn't until he saw Danny at the funeral in his Newark dress uniform, gold chevrons on the sleeves marking his rank, the formal uniform more like Steve's dress blues than the short-sleeved HPD uniforms, that Steve felt the absence of the badge, even though he wore it. He wasn't a cop, hadn't been trained as a cop. But as the strains of Amazing Grace filled the air, as he watched a red-eyed Amy and solemn Billy walk out of the service, watched the HPD officers who had ignored and stonewalled them days earlier when Danny tried to investigate, Steve realized this was a set of rituals and traditions he didn't know. His father's memorial service had been the service of a veteran, not of a cop killed in the line of duty. He hadn't known then that his father was still investigating, still acting as a cop when he was killed. This service, these rituals, they were as foreign to him as a Navy funeral (not Army, Danno, you know that) would be for Danny.
He followed those who did know, Chin and Kono, both familiar with the ceremonies and rituals of their family business. Until he was standing in Amy's living room, looking at Danny in his Newark dress blues.
"I know you didn't know him." Danny still had a hint of a smile around his eyes, that little bit of appreciation that Steve had come.
"I know you." Because he was a cop now, and getting to be a good one with Danny's help. And if he ever had to come to one of these again - not, hopefully not, because he'd lost too many people he cared about already - Steve knew he would put his dress blues aside, find a suit and tie and wear his badge, black band and all, because he was a cop now. He didn't have the uniform like Danny or Kono, but he had the badge and this had taught him that he really was a cop. Danny was making him a cop.