crack_van | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Explicit)

Fandom: HAWAII FIVE-0 (NEW)
Paring: Steve/Danny
Length: 39,606
Author on LJ: jaguarcaine (Joe Lawson)
Author Website: Joe Lawson's fic on A03

Why this must be read:

I'm not a big fan of crack fic so when I saw this one pop up today, I gave it a pass at first. I mean, Danny as a merman? Oh, please. But then I saw a couple of people whose taste in fic seems to be similar to mine reccing it so I decided to give it a try. I literally just finished reading it, left feedback for the author, and ran over here to rec it.

This story follows canon from the first episode on pretty closely, but with one difference: Merfolk are commonplace and Danny is a merman. The author obviously spent a lot of time thinking about the mer universe and it's fascinating. Mer have different characteristics and looks depending on what stock they're from. For instance, Hawaiian mer evolved from dolphins and Scandinavian mer (Danny's tribe) evolved from sharks. This makes it difficult for Danny to fit in among the ali'i kai and he has a rough time adjusting to the islands where he has moved to follow his human ex-wife and their half-mer daughter. All that changes when Steve bulldozes his way into Danny's life and Danny finds himself bonding with Steve, a thought that scares him because it didn't work out well with Rachel, who was unable to handle the intensity of a mer-human relationship.

This is a well-realized AU that is fascinating from start to finish.

Excerpt:

And just like that, they were four; the weirdest task force to ever task. A SEAL crusader, a mer detective, a half-breed rookie, and a discredited ex-cop. This was either going to go spectacularly wrong, or... Danny smirked. Nah. It was going to work, he could feel it. There was an energy about them when they were together that made him think there was little they wouldn't be able to do if they got a chance to get off the ground.

He was right about that. They clicked into place so easily Danny lost himself in it, let himself engage without the usual filter, and it wasn't until they took a break to collect the things they'd need that Danny realized how much Chin had thawed out and that Kono really wasn't scared of him and, worst of all, that he'd started to touch Steve. Nothing much; small nudges to get the man's attention mostly, little pokes to underline a point, the occasional bump of knee against knee to distract Steve when Steve got too intense, but Danny knew himself and he knew the signs.

He was starting to imprint on the crazy-ass SEAL, daddy issues, lack of common sense, and all. Steve was at least as much of a mess as his father's case was – a violent mess, pieces all over the place, with somebody's bloody handprints all over it – but Danny loved puzzles and wasn't scared by blood and violence, and Steve McGarrett made him feel alive in all the right ways. Danny wanted to pull down those stupid cargo pants and nuzzle between Steve's legs to learn his secrets, maybe lick him a little, see if he tasted as good as he smelled. He wanted to strip down and offer himself, feel Steve's skin against his, make Steve hold on to him and take him Below, down where the cool currents would soothe their heat and carry their mingled scents into the open ocean.

Damn it.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

For a look at the amazing artwork that accompanies this story, go here.