Author's Note: I figured I'd get this out before the last two episodes, because I just know the fandom is going to explode this summer after the finale. Plus, I have finals to stress about. :P
Let me start by saying – I don't write romance. It's just not my thing. I rarely even read romance, because I hate the fickleness and shallowness of most love stories. At the same time, I have serious doubts about my own ability to break the mold. The only reason I wrote this is because my dear friend and fellow H50 lover (who does not participate in fanfiction but with whom I occasionally share my fics) specially requested I write a Danny/Kono piece. So I did, albeit begrudgingly. As this is my first romance fic – I'd greatly appreciate constructive criticism. I strove for originality and realism, but it's easy to miss the mark with these kinds of stories.
Warning: SPOILERS/MISSING SCENES for several episodes featuring Danny/Kono moments. They are in the form of flashbacks in italics. Some I added to, others I didn't. You don't have to have seen them all to catch the drift of the story.
Disclaimer: Some of it's mine, some of it's not. You can figure it out.
Title: Someone to be Good to
Summary: She's strong in her own way, smart and cheeky, gentle and compassionate – beautiful through and through. He has a heart as big and as fierce as the ocean. They keep distracting each other, but can it really work between them?
It all started with that lingering handshake. He'd been smitten. Yes, she'd been in a bikini, but it had been those sparkling brown eyes and warm, dimpled smile that held his gaze.
Since that day, there'd been a hundred little moments –
It started that night they went undercover at the casino to preemptively shut down a deal between a New Jersey mob boss and the local Samoans….
"Danny!" she'd hissed, startling the blonde detective, who hadn't seen her standing next to the bottom of the stairwell. He jerked around, eyes wide with adrenaline.
"Come on, we gotta find a way to distract those goons before backup gets here and the whole place goes to hell," he'd told her in rush, already turning to head for the bushes that surrounded the pool area.
'Distraction…we have to create a distraction…' She stared at Danny, who was quite distracting in his well-fitted tuxedo. A half-thought formed, and she quickly reached out to latch on to his arm.
"Wait – I have an idea."
Danny's eyebrows arched in surprise at her assertiveness.
"What've you got in mind?"
There was no time to explain – her cousin's life was on the line. Kono simply threw her arms around the Jersey detective and planted her warm lips against his, trusting he'd get the message.
The blonde man audibly gasped in shock before quickly untangling himself and taking a step back.
"Whoa-ho there, rookie!" he exclaimed, confused.
He looked questioningly into her coffee-colored eyes and saw only impatience and desperation; still, it took his brain a good half-second to catch on.
When he finally 'got it', his lips twisted in amusement.
"Ah." Danny was impressed. He chuckled wryly. "Okay then."
Grinning, he pulled her toward the pool.
Later, she'd walked into his office and crossed her arms, leaning leisurely against the wall just inside the door. The look on her face was impassive, but her body language screamed otherwise.
"So…how was I last night?"
He couldn't tell whether she was referring to her 'plan' itself or her 'performance.'
Either way, he decided honesty was the best way to go.
"You were amazing," he said finally, and was rewarded with a shy, dimpled smile.
Then there was that morning on the beach, when Kono gave him his first surfing lesson….
"Okay…alright…good…." She commented, placing one hand on his shoulder and using her foot to push the inside of his ankle, forcing him to take a wider stance on the board.
Suddenly her hand was under his chin, gently jerking his head up. "Don't do that."
It astounded him, just how often she was able to completely throw him off.
"Don't do what?" He replied absently, hardly paying attention as something deep in his chest twinged at her touch. For a moment he was stunned, captivated by her natural beauty, the way her dark hair framed around her tanned face and neck, the feel of her smooth skin against his own….
He tried to step away, suddenly uncomfortable, but she had planted her hands on either side of his hips, keeping his body in place and effectively cutting off any chance of escape.
"Once you get up, don't look down at your feet," she instructed firmly, oblivious to his discomfort.
He needed to distract himself, because having this attraction to the younger woman, the rookie, grated against his firmly held moral code. Surely Kono only viewed him as a paternal influence – like a big brother. If she ever discovered his true feelings, it could not only ruin the team dynamic, but maybe even hurt her career in law enforcement.
Danny knew she had potential to be a great cop, and was getting invaluable experience working on the taskforce. He'd be damned if he'd spoil it for her just because he was lonely and desperate.
"How am I supposed to know where my feet are, if I can't look down at 'em?"
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and he used the opportunity to shift his weight back ever slightly.
Kono, who found his complete ignorance of all things related to the beach endearing, just smiled in patient amusement.
"Do it again."
He turned to stare out at the waves, taking a moment to refocus on what he was here for – the surfers made it look so easy, and he felt a pang of self-consciousness. Lately whenever he was around the rookie, he'd had the irrational urge to impress her. Now he just felt like a fool in front of her.
"Hey – I feel like a goof, okay?" he muttered quietly, catching her gaze. "I mean, am I gonna actually surf at some point during this surfing lesson, or no?"
Kono noticed his discomfort immediately, a bit surprised at this sudden bout of insecurity. Briefly she wondered whether she was doing something wrong. She'd been giving surfing lessons for years, but had always taught children. This was a man, and not just any man – this was Danny, a very proud mainlander who had an aversion to the water and was only doing this so he could bond with his little girl. She'd never meant to make him feel small.
"Yeah, but you gotta master the basics," she replied lightly.
"I don't care about the basics; I'm doing this because Grace wants to learn how to surf, and I figured it'd be a nice thing for me to do with her, okay? And I'm positive that this," he kicked the sand, "is not what she had in mind."
Kono, suppressing a groan and inwardly cursing the male ego, cut him off mid-rant.
"Okay, okay, okay…think you're ready?"
"Of course I'm ready! Come on," he retorted.
"Okay – go catch a wave, brah," she said mockingly, gesturing out toward the sea.
She had to smile at the vulnerable look of apprehension that dawned on Danny's face as he gazed out at the water.
"Maybe we could work on the basics just this much more," he conceded.
Kono laughed, pleased at her ability to get through to him.
She had to be careful though - the stubborn haole was really starting to grow on her.
Followed by that time outside of Club Femme Nu, when they were trying to find Johnny D….
"I can spoof Tiffany's cell and make it look like she was sending him a text."
"Lure him here, I like it, but move over please; because I'm gonna do this – because it should be very filthy, and you're a young lady."
Once again, the blonde detective was nearly rolling up his sleeves in preparation to teach [code word: impress] the rookie.
Kono obliged, but not before rolling her eyes. Danny was so old fashioned.
So old fashioned in fact, that she scoffed at his lame attempts to sound like a female stripper, and playfully pushed him out of the way.
"That's so bad, get out of here – I'm embarrassed for you right now, really I am."
It was cute, it really was; and Kono knew she was flirting. She'd been skirting around her growing feelings for months, it seemed. 'Not on the job, girl. Don't let it interfere with the job.'
Bringing her thoughts abruptly back to the task at hand, Kono bit her lip thoughtfully, then typed out a straight-out-of-the-gutter pick-up line.
"Send," she announced, and then glanced over at the momentarily befuddled detective for approval.
Danny shifted, looking decidedly uncomfortable, and would not meet her eyes.
"That's um…that's effective, I guess," he admitted, taking a few steps back.
Why did he always get stuck in these kinds of situations with her? Seriously.
The computer bleeped as a response popped up on the screen.
"It worked – wow! Alright…." Danny, once again, was floored.
"Girl's got game," Kono joked.
"Damn," the blonde man had to agree.
They shared a high five.
Then, at the crime scene where NY undercover cop Reggie Cole lost his wife, and was nearly killed himself….
"Hey."
"Hey, how's Reggie?"
"Reggie's fine…tangential gunshot wound to the liver, so he's gonna need a little time."
By this point, Kono was on to him, recognizing his need to act all paternal around her.
If only he knew.
She loved Danny; she knew that now. It was a love that had grown over many months of spending time together during and after work. It was a love that she fully embraced, yet didn't quite understand. Kono had always been a free spirit, whereas Danny was all straight-laced, well-grounded, and stable. The older she got, the more she realized how valuable and attractive that kind of security was to her.
Danny was everything she wanted in a man. He was loyal, honest to a fault, had a quick-witted and playful sense of humor, and never wavered from his firmly held convictions about right and wrong.
Yes, he was passionate and rough around the edges, but that was only because he felt so deeply. She loved that side of him, too. But more than anything, he was a gentleman; a devoted ex-husband, and a tender, dedicated father. She'd never seen anyone try as hard as Danny Williams, especially after being burned by life so many times.
He had a heart as big and as fierce as the ocean, and she secretly hoped it had room enough for her, too.
"Tangential? Williams, you don't have to bust out the big words to impress me," she teased.
"That's very cute," he retorted dryly. "Your turn, what do you got?"
She led him out to the yard, pointing out the security camera caged in the top of a palm tree.
He wanted to call the fire department. Again – old fashioned.
"Nah, forget that," she said with a wink. "I got it."
"What're you doing?" He muttered, watching as she began climbing the damn palm tree.
"Spiderwoman – what are you doing? I got 'em on speed-dial, babe, you don't got to…."
Too late. Kono had already nearly reached the cage containing the security cameras.
"Would you be careful please?" The naked worry in his voice made her grin wickedly.
Damn, if he wasn't endearing with his overblown concern for safety.
Yes, there'd been a hundred little moments…winks, smiles, flirtatious gestures.
They are long overdue for a conversation by now.
She can't go another day wondering what they are, what she is to him. Kono has been dreading the inevitable, but knows she has to breach the topic with Danny soon, before she goes crazy.
She finally gets her chance when they are at a bar in downtown Waikiki, celebrating after a particularly difficult, but successful, case.
Steve and Chin are at the opposite side of the building, sitting in a booth, swapping stories over beer. Danny had been chatting up an old friend from HPD at the bar, but now sits alone. She stares at his slumped shoulders and knows she might not be able to catch him alone again for awhile.
This is her chance. If it is one thing she's learned since becoming a cop, it's that life is too short to live with regrets.
She takes a deep breath, and stands, walking up to where Danny is perched on a stool in front of the bar.
He glances up as she leans close to him, entranced by the way the light refracts off of the earrings dangling against her neck.
"Hey, Kono."
She figures this is one of the few times she'll take advantage of having an overprotective older cousin on the team. Chin will forgive her later.
"So…don't tell him I said this but…Chin thinks you've been hitting on me," she states without preamble, watching him squint up at her in confusion.
"What?"
Kono shrugs. "It's okay, Danny. I don't mind."
He stares at her skeptically. "How much have you been drinking, kid?"
She winces. "Could you please not call me that?"
"Why not? It's the truth."
"Well first of all, being called a 'kid' is a huge blow to my ego," she replies, her tone playful.
Danny absently rubs at his ear. He loves listening to her – the deep and soothing sound of her voice, the tinkle of innocence in her laughter.
She's strong in her own way, smart and cheeky, gentle and compassionate – beautiful through and through. He cannot deny anymore that he loves this woman.
"And second of all, it just isn't true. I mean, there's not that big of an age difference between us."
He startles at this – smirking at the absurdity of her words.
"Oh, come on! I'm like an old man compared to you!" He states loudly, flinging his arms wide, hands pointed inward toward his chest for emphasis.
Kono throws back her head and laughs heartily. "Seriously, Danny, you are not that old...and I'm not that young, either."
She's not, really. There are only nine years between them, and she turns twenty-five in a month.
He leans toward the bar again, resting his elbows on the hard wood, the remnants of laughter still visible in the grooves around his eyes.
He shakes his head at her words and chuckles to himself quietly.
"You're young in different ways, and that's not a bad thing." He says, and then pauses, growing somber.
She hasn't been stained yet by the world's harsh disappointments, and it pains him to think that she has no idea yet what being in this profession will cost her.
"You gotta hold on to that innocence, Kono. This job – it'll try to rob you of it. You can't let that happen. Don't be like me."
She remains silent, studying him as he takes another sip from his beer and admiring his profile in the dim light. She wishes he could see himself through her eyes. That he could somehow be less broken.
"I mean, look at me," he continues, his low voice taking on a tinge of self-loathing. "I'm divorced from a woman I'm not sure I ever stopped loving…I can barely afford the rent for my shitty apartment…and outside of Grace and the team, I hate everything about this Island. You don't want that kind of drama."
"How do you know what I want?" she replies softly.
She knows what she wants. Good men are hard to come by these days.
He dismisses her with a wave of his hand, still not making eye contact.
"I figure you'd be happier with some young Hawaiian surfer, somebody more adventurous…less cynical…not a washed-up haole like me."
"Maybe I'm tired of Hawaiian surfers," she says with a shrug. "Maybe I just want someone who's going to be good to me."
His brow furrows as he turns to face her again, his blue eyes glinting with a wistful expression.
Then he leans toward her, as if to share a secret.
"Listen, my idea of a good time is sitting on my couch with a couple beers watching the Mets play, okay?" He's trying to make light of it, trying to convince her it won't work without breaking her heart.
Kono's smile is brief, and she refuses to be thwarted by his banter.
"You're a good man, Danny. You deserve to be happy."
He visibly grimaces before taking a thoughtful sip of his beer.
It takes him a few moments to formulate a response; then: "I always thought, you know, that you only get one shot at happiness in this life. I took mine, and I blew it."
He shrugs with such a sense of finality that it almost brings her to tears.
She reaches for him then, her cool hand coming to rest atop his warm one, gently massaging his knuckles until the muscles relax, allowing her fingertips to slip through the cracks and interlock with the spaces in-between.
This gets his attention, and he turns to stare at her with wide, questioning eyes.
"It takes two people to fail a marriage, Danny. You can't keep putting that weight on your shoulders."
He exhales loudly and nods. "I know it."
"You want to know what I think?" Her gentle voice lilts with compassion.
He gives her a soft, trusting smile. "What?"
"I think you're scared. Scared of loving again…scared you're going to fail…scared you'll be hurt again."
Danny smirks ruefully at this, reaching a hand out to pick at the label on the side of the beer bottle.
"You're gonna make a hell of a detective."
"Everyone's scared of those same things though, Danny. Those aren't good enough reasons if you care about someone."
Silence envelopes them after she speaks, and she can hear a soft rock tune playing in the background, lyrics indistinguishable over the low drone of other voices in the bar.
His head turns toward her again, face split into a genuine smile, his squinted eyes suspiciously bright.
"What am I gonna do with you, huh?" he asks, only half-joking.
She shrugs. "Dance with me?"
The words are out of her mouth before she realizes what she just asked, and her hand flies to her mouth in mortification. "I'm sorry – that was too forward…."
Danny just laughs, standing up from his stool.
Her stomach flip-flops with nervous giddiness as she realizes he is going to take her up on her offer.
"Just do me one favor before we get out there, alright?" He asks, his hand lightly grazing her shoulder.
"Hm?" She looks up at him expectantly.
"Take off those heels."
Kono giggles in understanding, slipping out of her two-inch heels with ease.
"Danny Williams, ever the gentleman," she comments as he holds out his arm for her taking.
"What can I say, I'm old school," he retorts with a grin.
As they reach the dance area she turns, linking her slender arms behind his neck.
"What's wrong?" she asks as they began to sway, noting the uncertainty in his eyes.
"I don't do things halfway, Kono," he tells her, slowly, almost reluctantly. "I'm a very monogamous person. I'm not gonna want to have to share you with anybody else."
She lightly strokes the side of his neck, making sure she has full eye contact before she replies. "I don't want anyone else, Danny."
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Steve and Chin watching them like hawks from the other side of the bar.
"What about work?"
"We'll take it one day a time," Kono replies confidently.
"You just got all the answers, don't you?"
She chuckles. "Maybe."
Danny sighs, realizing that she's a lot braver than he is.
After a few seconds, he decides to take her advice and just enjoy the moment and the feel of her swaying next to him.
"Que sera sera," he mumbles, pulling her closer. 'Whatever will be, will be.'
She smells of cocoa butter and Hawaiian floral - he, of sandalwood and cheap cologne.
They have said everything and nothing all at once, having not really resolved a thing.
Neither of them knows what the future holds or whether they can make this work.
But either way, whether it ends in beauty or tragedy, they know it will be good.
El fin.