#Danny was trying to go unnoticed at U

[nelkcats]

Hood Assistant

Prompt Part 1 Part 4 Part 5 Ao3 Next

Part 6

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The wounded know better how to treat other wounded

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"You guys are really annoying" Crane complained from his Arkham cell, ever since the daybat left him there he had been put in solitary confinement for escaping.

Which he usually wouldn't mind, it was much better to be alone than to hear the Joker's laughs or Waylon's complaints, but the damn cell had a window.

And what was watching him from the window? crows, many of them, after his lamentable defeat he tried to ignore them upon their arrival but it wasn't working.

"Why are you here? Are you making fun of me?" Scarecrow complained with a frown, he really hated birds.

"Kar, Kar, Kar" one of the crows flapped its wings, though it looked a bit apologetic, if birds could show emotions.

"What? Are you trying to apologize or something?" Crane scoffed, not buying the act the crow was showing.

"Kar, Kar" the crow nodded, it almost seemed like they were really sorry for leaving him in such bad shape.

"As if I would believe you" Scarecrow snorted "if you really want to apologize get out of my sight"

Surprisingly that seemed to work because the crows began to disperse. Crane looked at the situation with curiosity, he had spent hours arguing with the creatures and asking them to leave, what was different this time?

And then he saw it, a cat had crashed through the bars of his cell window, it looked pretty small, probably a bit adventurous considering he had pounced on three adult crows at the same time.

"Oh" Scarecrow fixed his gaze on the little cat, he looked quite malnourished, and he was sure he had an infection or two, but technically he had driven the crows away right? He really couldn't be mad about it.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you buddy?" He questioned, the cat looked at him curiously, probably wondering if he should jump at him or not.

It was quite easy to determine the winning option because before he knew it the little kitten had jumped onto the mask on his head.

"What are you doing over there?" Asked the villain, more amused than angry, it was a little worrying that he couldn't feel the weight of the cat on his head.

"The guards are going to be mad if they find you here, you know?" Crane continued speaking, finally reaching the kitten and tucking it into his arms, "you must be an adventurer."

"Meow" the cat meowed, reaching into the seams of the mask and nibbling, it looked like he had found something to play with.

"You're also lonely aren't you?" Scarecrow said, you could hear some fondness in his tone; he glanced around his confinement cell but there didn't seem to be anyone near him, the guards wouldn't be passing by for hours either. In the end, he made up his mind to stroke the cat's fur.

"You need a bath, and probably a vet" he stated checking the little boy, he had a scar over his eye and was obviously neglected, it wasn't a surprise considering he lived in Gotham.

"Do you hate crows too?" He questioned curiously as he watched the cat wagging its tail as it stared out the window, he took the meow as confirmation.

"I guess we have some things in common" Scarecrow allowed himself a smile "I should help find you an owner, you're too young to be here alone."

The cat looked away from the window and fixed on him at the mention of a new caretaker, meowed with determination and placed one of his paws on Crane's mask.

"Me?" The confused villain questioned "I don't think that's a good idea, I work a lot with chemicals and I'm currently stuck here, surely we can find someone better qualified"

The cat didn't seem to like the answer because it meowed again and placed both paws on the man.

"Okay, okay, you're stubborn, if you want me to take care of you I guess we can work something out." Crane sighed, he didn't know if sneaking a kitten into his cell was a good idea, but it can't be helped "I guess strays stick together, don't we?"

Well, he supposed there was nothing he could do, he had acquired a cat.

"We're gonna be great friends, Cannon"

—--------

Amazingly Danny managed to make it through the whole night without waking up from a nightmare. That could have something to do with the warm weight around his waist, or with Nocturn, he wasn't quite sure which.

Though to be completely honest, he refused to thank the pesky dream ghost for anything, their differences might have been sorted out, more or less, but he had the right to continue pissed off for all damn eternity. Who decides that putting an entire city to sleep was a good bonding exercise to meet the new ghost? Literally no one!

"Five more minutes" the halfa muttered when he felt his pillow move. That was weird, Johnny must be bothering him again.

"Ugh, stop," he groaned, touching the bed aggressively in an attempt to stop the annoying ghost, but he frowned when he felt the surface.

"How strange, I don't remember buying such a square pillow, but it is quite comfortable" Danny yawned as he began to open his eyes a little.

"Did I just got demoted to a pillow?" Jason asked with amusement watching as the boy kept touching his chest, probably to settle him on the bed or something. 

"Pillows don't usually complain that much" the halfa complained before opening his eyes fully and noticing the person next to him "WAIT, JAY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY PILLOW?"

"Take a closer look," Jason told him with a chuckle.

"What am I going to look-" the halfa stopped talking and blushed when he noticed how he was lying on the other's chest "Damn, you're comfortable"

"Is that all you're going to say?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not the pillow-shaped one between the two of us," Danny smirked. Although he was having an internal panic; he decided that was going to be a problem for future Danny, one more awake than the current one.

Jason just shook his head feeling amused by the situation, that wasn't what he expected to hear when he woke up.

"So...have you considered working as a professional pillow?" Danny asked, leaning back into Jason's chest.

Honestly Jason was quite surprised by the nerve "I don't think that's a real job, Doll"

"I could make it real, you know." Danny wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a smile, apparently being half asleep gave him courage to flirt.

"Danny, I'm the one who gives your paycheck" Jason couldn't help but laugh at the face the boy was making "just shut up and let me go, I need to make breakfast"

"But you're sooo soft and waaarm" the halfa complained sadly, actually he just didn't want to let him go, he was sure that the only reason he was calm at that moment was the other's presence.

"Doll, as much as I want to lay here all day you really need a good breakfast" Jason reminded him "don't think I forget about the comment you made to the kids, you're going to leave this house well fed"

“You really don't have to do that" the halfa muttered embarrassed, he really hoped the other would forget that comment quickly.

"No, I will, and since your roommate isn't here to reason with you I feel responsible for doing so," Jason stared at him, daring him to argue, "So you're going to sit here and have the best breakfast of your life, okay?"

"Okay" Danny agreed, he felt a chill down his spine but refused to participate in the strange power play, he could feel the intensity in the other gaze and taking into account his own experiences with Jazz he knew better than to argue with the person preparing his food. Besides, Jason reminded him too much of an Italian matriarch at the moment to argue.

"Still, I really don't feel good enough to let you go right now" the boy muttered worriedly.

"What do you mean by that? You look pretty good to me" He asked curiously, actually he looked too good to have recently come out of a fear gas attack, he was suspicious for a moment but no one could fake such an intense reaction like the day before.

"It's embarrassing" Danny muttered, fixing his gaze on the bedroom window, Gotham had a strangely picturesque architecture "you're going to laugh at me"

"I will laugh at you for many things, but your trauma is not one of them" Jason clarified seriously "you can trust me, Doll"

"Okay then" Danny sucked in as much air as he could and let it out all at once, it was a clear attempt to give himself courage "You are my anchor"

"Your anchor? I don't remember you having a boat," Jason teased as he tried to make sense of the sentence in his head, all he could think of were Percy Jackson lines. He shouldn't have let his brother convince him to read the whole saga, his expectations for romance were too high because of it.

The lines when Percy gets Achilles' curse were really romantic, weren't they? He is certainly not referring to that.

Though something inside him screamed that this was definitely a literature reference he should pay attention to, Jason doubted it, no one had ever said or referenced cute lines to him before and he doubted a pretty boy would start.

"Not that kind of anchor" the halfa turned to see him and smacked his arm annoyed "You are my anchor to reality, when you're around fear fades, like a lucky charm"

"A pillow, an anchor, and now an amulet, you assign me only good things, don't you?" The vigilante sneered, "So, the reason you're so well is…?"

"Yeah, it's because you're close" Danny decided to ignore Jason's comment about how he kept associating him with objects, it wasn't his fault it fit "The gas makes me see a lot of things but when I feel your heartbeat I just- I don't know "

"Relax?" Jason asked softening the expression on his face, he understood the need to want to know that the people you cared about were safe, it was a feeling he related to.

Like the need to know that his family was safe away from him, that the pits hadn't hurt them yet, and wouldn't.

"Quite a lot" Danny nodded "I think my heartbeat is imitating yours or something" he tried to joke.

"My heartbeat?" Jason asked curiously, that's when he noticed Danny's grip on his right arm, one of his fingers resting lightly on his carotid artery.

The place where doctors usually checked the pulse of their patients.

"How long have you been checking?" He asked again with his renewed curiosity, he found it interesting that he hadn't noticed the boy's hand obviously clinging to him when it was obvious that he had been like this for more than a while. Jason was supposed to have been trained by ninjas and Batman himself, how the hell did he miss that?

"Since I woke up, it probably started a bit after that" the halfa admitted sheepishly "I was checking your heartbeat when I lay on your chest, but after pulling away I really needed to be sure, I know it's a little weird, but I really don't want to go back to the world of fear Jay"

The world of fear was much worse than Frighty's dimension because it kept playing with his head, replaying and distorting his own memories until they were destroyed. The fact that Dan didn't appear even once during the flashbacks was worrying. It meant that the fear to his own city and the despair born of how much he had failed far outweighed the fear of himself.

Although he didn't want to cause Jason any unnecessary discomfort, his half-asleep state had taken over his morning actions, the ghost side of him became extremely possessive of the person who had "saved" him, and he needed to make sure that he was fine, alive, breathing.

"So, to clarify: the reason you're so calm right now is because of me? Somehow I make you feel better?" Jason would be lying if he said he wasn't moved by the thought.

"Or at least that's my theory" he said "My head was in a horrible place, I kept reminiscing and trying to suppress things I don't want to think about, until I found you, you became my light Jay"

"You make it sound like a romance novel," Jay tried to tease, he hoped Danny didn't notice his heartbeat rising at the words. It was strange that such a cheesy phrase was out of a book and coming out of the mouth of the cutest boy he had ever seen.

Focus Jason, you're not in a romance novel, this is real life.

Of course, Jason wouldn't deny how warm the thought felt, him, Jason Tood, being a knight in shining armor in a romance novel? It was a scenario he had thought of multiple times when he was a child.

"I would say it's a fantasy novel, although maybe it has multiple genres" the halfa smiled "it's the story of a knight who rescues a person in distress and becomes his safe place"

"I've never been anyone's safe place, I don't know if you're making a good decision with it" Jay said doubtfully.

But how are you supposed to react when the person who is slowly stealing your heart starts talking about you in such a dreamy way? When you can see the stars in his eyes and the blush on his cheeks? And you know that's not for anyone but you?

To a certain extent, it was too much; Red Hood was the protector of Crime Alley, Robin was the protector of Gotham, but Jason? Jason had never been anyone's protector, no one had seen him as if he hung the moon in the sky, no one had trusted him so sincerely.

No one had looked upon him with such affection since his mother's death, not even Bruce. Although, that could be due to how constipated his father was with emotions.

And this guy just decided to go for it? For no reason?

Could the trust be because he was Danny's only choice? A treacherous part of his head wondered. But Danny had trusted him before that, and the reaction looked real.

That worried him, how far was this pretty boy willing to go before he regretted it? What would happen when he realized that trusting Jason Todd wasn't worth it? After all he wasn't just Jason anymore, as much as he sometimes wished he was. Would he run? Will he fear him like everyone else in his life? Dreading the moment when he goes berserk and goes for blood? Or will he choose to stay against all odds?

And the worst part, will Jason be able to bear his decision?

For some reason, Jason hated to think about it. He didn't want to be the one to change the boy's perspective. He didn't want to be the one to turn out the stars in the sky. He didn't want to be the villain.

He was so tired of being cast as the bad guy, the person to blame, he was trying his best, dammit! Why couldn't anyone see it? Why when they saw Red Hood they didn't see little Robin who was his shadow?

"Jason, are you alright?" Danny asked with concern "I know it might be uncomfortable, I can try to fight the toxin on my own if you'd rather I stop touching you"

"No!" Jason's scream startled both of them, neither of them willing to admit how desperate it sounded to both of their ears. One because he did not want to bother and the other because he tried to ignore the event.

"No, it's not necessary" Jason cleared his throat, trying not to think about how bad it felt to tell the boy to go away "You don't make me feel uncomfortable, that's fine, and if it's helping I won't take that away from you."

"If you say so," Danny looked at him doubtfully, but if Jay wasn't willing to admit it then there was nothing he could do.

And that's when Jason realized how desperate he was for affection, how badly he needed someone just brushing his arm. It was surreal how soothing Danny's touch felt in his hand, like putting balm on an old scar.

As much as Dick had tried to fill that void of affection, Jason had sorely refused, the contact feeling strange, uncomfortable, yet welcome. And it wasn't his older brother's fault, the family situation was just awkward since he introduced himself as Red Hood, the pits didn't help either. Now that he technically had an excuse he couldn't bear not to take it and take advantage of the situation a bit.

I'm really touch starved, aren't I?

The vigilante questioned ironically, although without knowing it, Danny was thinking the same thing. Both of them had been deprived of such a basic right that the mere touch of another person felt like a roller coaster ride, better than the mystical "electrical connection" spoken of in romance books. Or the love at first sight that was mentioned in the songs.

Touching and hugging, along with the affection that comes from such actions were basic things that both had been deprived of for so long that their bodies actively sought them out, and now that they both had a valid excuse to initiate contact they had no plans to let go.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Jason asked, in an attempt to return the favor "if you're just doing it to keep yourself away from the effects of the toxin that's fine."

"It's not that, it just feels right, you know?" Danny smiled.

For a few moments they were not Red Hood, nor Phantom, they were simply Jason and Danny, two normal people who sought affection from those around them like dehydrated people finding a spring in the middle of the desert.

"Yeah, I get it," he said, because he really did, though he didn't know if they were talking about the same thing.

"Love, love" sang the little bird in the window while he watched the scene, it seemed that he had liked the word so much that he just repeated it randomly.

"Well, I should go make breakfast for you, shouldn't I, little prince?" The vigilante quipped, if he was the knight then Danny would be the closest thing to a prince in a tower.

"Lead the way, my dear knight" Danny said happily, "we'll finally see your fabulous culinary skills in action."

"You've seen them before, with the soup," Jason scoffed.

"I thought that was more of a community job, but it's true that you were guiding the whole process," Danny hummed.

"Yeah, so ready to try a meal prepared entirely by me? There will be no slicing carrots this time," Jason assured him.

"Excuse me, my carrots had personality, okay?" Danny teased, remembering the moment he showed off his creation.

"I think you murdered their personality after cutting them, it looked like a massacre" the vigilante admitted.

"We can't all be Gordon Ramsay, and you said that they were fine!" The halfa protested offended.

"They were, for a newbie." Jason looked away, pretending he hadn't heard the offended gasp that came from the pretty boy.

"Oh, so this is how we're going to play? Okay, but I'm warning you that I'll check your chef's hat looking for a rat in it" Danny threatened him, if Jason had help ratatouille style he would know it.

"Are you accusing me of cheating? I don't need a chef's hat" Jason replied, a little offended.

"We'll get you one, every professional needs a chef's hat, and a 'kiss the chef' apron" Danny was quick to point out, those were basic elements for a kitchen. 

"That's quite a strong statement you know?" Jason asked, amused.

"It's not that I want to kiss you!" the halfa quickly denied, ignoring the laughter of his boss.

"So I'm not kissable enough huh? too ugly for you?" Jason teased moving closer to him.

"¡No! I'm not saying that either, you're cute, comfortable, you have perfect abs, and I'm absolutely sure you're also an excellent kisser- hell, I wouldn't object to kiss you" the halfa stammered.

"I'm just kidding, Danny." Jason raised his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.

"I completely knew that," Danny tried to assure, sounding as uncertain as he felt.

—-----------

"That class almost killed me" Amorpho complained under his breath as he left advanced physics, he was really going to kill Johnny, he hadn't entered an educational center in years, not counting the time he impersonated Danny.

"I know man, all the theory is too much" one of his classmates commented as he left the room next to him "although I'm surprised you asked so many questions, you're usually more quiet"

"Ah, I needed some guidance this time" Amorpho looked away, it was obvious that Danny was much better than him in that class, considering who his parents were.

"It's ok, we all have bad days" the student shrugged "you can join our study group if you want"

"Really? That would be nice." Even though he wasn't planning on impersonating Danny for so long, he could at least not mess up his grades in the meantime. And well, learning a little more about what was happening right now sounded interesting, even if it was math.

"Sure, by the way, those contacts are totally cool" stated the guy next to him "Where did you buy them?"

"Uh, I ordered them from a place quite far away" Amorpho said uncertainly, he had forgotten that his red eyes didn't fit Danny, that most of his classmates would have taken them as contact lenses was a relief "I don't know if they're still for sale "

"Gezz, that's really bad" the boy sighed "well, our group meets in the evenings, don't get caught by a villain in the meantime! It would be nice to have more people joining"

"I'll be there" Amorpho stated with a smile, if he was going to play student he might make some semblance of friends in the process, or at least entertain himself.

"Speaking of which, do you know where the drama club meets?" The ghost asked curiously after passing by a poster with large colored letters and a 'we are waiting for you!' written in glitter

"Sure, a friend of mine is inside, and you're lucky, our meetings don't really clash with each other, would you like me to guide you?" The boy questioned.

"That would be lovely" the ghost stated, Johnny had technically said that he could do anything, joining two college clubs was on the list.

"Great, I really didn't see you as a theater kid you know?" The boy perked up, apparently interested in the conversation "you always looked a bit sad back there, I thought you didn't like to socialize and that kind of thing"

"Yeah, a few things happened" Amorpho decided to avoid the topic "but I feel better now and I'm ready for some drama"

"That's amazing, dude" the boy smiled offering his hand "I'm Michael by the way, is nice to finally meet you"

"Nice to meet you Michael" Amorpho shook the offered hand "my name is A-Danny"

"A-Danny?" Michael raised an eyebrow.

"I had a change recently" Amorpho shrugged “I'm still trying to get used to it”

"Oh, I understand mate" Michael nodded "that's great and completely understandable, some things need to be changed"

"Well said, I like to morph if it makes me feel better." Amorpho smiled, Michael seemed genuinely nice.

"I couldn't have put it better" Michael stated "now come on, I think drama club sign-ups start in a few minutes"

With that said, the boy and the ghost headed towards the club, one completely excited to finally do what he loved, and the other quite happy with what seemed to be a new friend.

And well, at the end of the day it looked like Danny had joined two new clubs and was fast becoming what seemed to be the best drama student the recruiters had ever found, on his way to being a protagonist; too bad the real Danny had no idea the attention his supposed counterpart was gaining.

—----------

Danny followed Jason into the kitchen, it's not like he could leave him alone while the effects of the gas were in his system anyway. Although he was worried that Jason would notice his fangs, hiding them quickly became uncomfortable and he felt the sudden urge to bite down on something.

"Danny, are you alright?" Jay asked a little worried when he saw the boy distracted again, he gently caressed the hand located on his wrist in an attempt to get the other's attention.

"Yeah, sorry" Danny decided he was going to let things happen naturally "weren't we about to rate your excellent five stars food?"

"I'm surprised you remember," Jason sneered, though he was distracted when he noticed Dog watching him from the living room "I didn't forget about you, girl."

Dog simply barked, debating whether to approach her owner and the stranger who currently seems to be holding his hand. He didn't feel aggressive towards her but something wasn't exactly right either.

"She's so cute" Danny smiled looking at the pitbull peeking out from the living room "Am I scaring her?"

"Something like that, it's a bit weird actually, but I'm not surprised she's hiding" Jason stated, Dog was rescued from a center that organized illegal fights so it wasn't surprising that she was suspicious of strangers, what was strange was that she approached more quickly than expected.

"Oh, maybe she sensed Cujo" the halfa commented nonchalantly.

"Cujo?" Jason raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yeah, he's my puppy," Danny smiled, happy to be able to talk about his puppy with someone else. Although calling Cujo a cub was still in doubt, considering that he could change the size of him to suit him.

So, technically Cujo wasn't a cub anymore, given his giant form which made him look much older, but at the time of death he was, and as far as Danny could assume he had never really given up his attitude as a cub. 

Whatever the case, he would always be Danny's pup, and Danny was fine with that. The day Cujo randomly decided to adopt him was one of the best memories he had.

"Oh, I wouldn't have guessed," the vigilante hummed.

"Yeah, I don't usually talk about him much because it's a bit of a reverse adoption case, you know?" Danny smiled "I didn't adopt Cujo, he adopted me and then he wouldn't let me go, he was actually a bit of a stray, I'm not sure why he decided to stay with me"

"You're interesting enough," Jason said happily, he could see why Danny would attract a dog, considering the crow he'd seen last night.

"By the way, where's your crow?" Jason questioned as he went over to give Dog some food, she was wagging her tail excitedly, completely ignoring Danny who had stuck to him like a barnacle.

"Poe? He is not technically my crow" Danny sighed "My roommate found him yesterday and he just started following me."

"That's amazing, he seemed pretty attached to you." Jason raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"But he is not mine, I'm sure he decided I'm not interesting enough anymore or something, you won't see him anytime soon" the halfa shrugged.

At that precise moment, a small crow flew into the room and happily landed on Danny's head, the halfa in question looked at him with a blank expression.

"You really love to contradict me" he affirmed seeing the small bird singing on his head.

"Oh look, looks like it wasn't such a long time after all" Jason snorted, Dog seemed to have decided to ignore the situation in question as she quickly ate what her handler had given her.

"Love! Love!" The crow affirmed moving his wings, he really loved the sound of the word.

"No, Poe, Danny, my name is Danny," the halfa tried to correct him, ignoring the stare Jason was giving him.

"Twinkcito!"  Poe corrected his supposed mistake, although it was obvious that he was making fun of the boy, he was smart enough to understand the reactions that his words caused and repeat them based on it.

"I give up" Danny muttered in frustration.

"He's not wrong" Jason said considering, "you really do have the complexion for it"

"Please don't encourage him" Danny begged.

"I'm not encouraging him, I'm just saying that if we take into account your complexion and the definition of the word, it just fits." Jason shrugged.

"Just go make the food already" Danny gave up on trying to reason with him, it was better to remind him of what he was supposed to be doing to distract him from the subject.

"Fine, fine, but since my hands are still trapped you're going to have to be my helper," Jason stated, heading into the kitchen.

"I don't know if you remember correctly Jay, but I made a massacre with the potatoes and carrots last time" the halfa said, a bit embarrassed.

"Of course I remember" that had been one of the most adorable expressions he had ever seen "But at that moment I had to guide everyone, now all my attention is on you"

Danny was suddenly nervous about having Jason's attention on him, he'd been tremendously proud to pull off an edible meal last time but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to pull it off again.

"There's no need to be nervous, Doll" Jason assured him "I'll walk you through every step of the way, okay?"

"Okay, I can do it" Danny said out loud, in an attempt to give himself courage, it seemed that he really needed it that day.

"Kar, Kar!" Poe flapped his wings happily from his place on the boy's head.

"Thanks, Buddy." Danny smiled at the crow who had apparently decided to stick to him like a duckling.

"Well, I guess we also have to make sure your partner doesn't eat the ingredients" Jason muttered, looking at the crow.

Poe for his part yelled "Kar" at him, sounding completely offended, Jason simply conceded defeat, doubting they'd be able to get rid of him anytime soon.

"Well, are you ready to try the best meal of your life that definitely isn't made by a french rat?" Jason asked smiling.

"Yes, although I'm still doubting that you don't have one hidden in your hair, I think you have enough space" The halfa shrugged.

"Oh shut up and combine the ingredients I'm going to tell you, you're on duty to mix the batter and I'm going to make sure you taste some good pancakes today" Jason said.

"Mix? Aren't you going to use the batter on the box?" Danny asked curiously, the times Jazz had cooked for him she had used pre-made things, probably because it was easier.

"Of course not, you're going to have a real pancake experience, not whatever you've been eating up until now," Jason stated, although the boxed food tasted ok it was nowhere near the real thing made from scratch.

Jason didn't know it when he was a kid because Catherine didn't have the money for it, but most of his meals were simple, quick, or easy to prepare, he was mostly grateful to have something to eat if he was being honest.

But when Alfred patiently showed him how to cook, he began to enjoy it, to understand the difference between the two types of food and to enjoy the feeling of others tasting his creations, to the point that he ended up becoming an expert at it. He was tremendously proud to be one of the few who wasn't banned from the kitchen in the mansion.

He was glad to be the person to teach Danny that difference, when he saw the proud expression the boy was making for preparing something fairly edible he didn't think much of it at first sight, considering it mostly adorable.

But after thinking about it for a while he realized that maybe Danny just didn't know what it was like to cook your own food, that he'd had a time only eating fast or easy food, that no one had ever given him a full meal.

Jazz tried, but she didn't really know how to cook either, Maddie hadn't taught her. She tried with online tutorials but in the end she ended up mostly with fast or simple food for both of them.

Honestly, the conversation with the Alley Kids just confirmed his suspicions, usually people who eat well don't forget from one moment to another that they should eat, unless they're not really used to it.

So he was quite happy to say that Danny was a good helper in the kitchen, checking him every five minutes for a sign if he was doing it right or wrong, asking if he had any questions about anything in the process, and not afraid to ask for help.

"Jay, I don't know if I can do this" the boy in question complained looking at some strawberries that Jason had asked him to cut a few minutes ago.

"Do you want me to guide you on it?" Jason questioned happily, he always felt better while cooking.

"Can you do that? Wouldn't that be too much of a problem, all things considered?" Danny asked curiously, pointing to their hands that were still clasped.

"Not really" he said "but it can be a bit uncomfortable in this position"

Since Jason had managed to switch the "affected hand" from right to left when starting to cook (checking that Danny hadn't had any problems, of course) the process had been much easier.

Well, thankfully neither of them was doing badly working with their hands trapped, so he was easily able to point Danny to the correct method of cutting through the fruit without massacring it. Although the boy seemed very distracted during the process.

"The pancakes will be ready in a few minutes, I'd tell you to go sit in the dining room but, you know," Jason vaguely gestured at their connected hands.

"Don't worry, I don't mind waiting" the halfa told him nonchalantly, watching Jason cook was becoming one of his favorite activities after all. He gave off a completely different feeling than usual, he looked more relaxed and happy in general.

When they were finally able to move to the dining room table, each one of them had a plate of pancakes, Danny decorated them with strawberries and whipped cream while Jason settled with a simpler version of fruit and honey.

"Well? Are you going to try it?" Jason asked curiously and somewhat expectantly as he noticed Danny staring at his plate.

"It's just that they look so cute, I don't want to destroy them" Danny looked at Jason sadly, eating them felt like a crime.

"I'll make you others later" Jason shook his head in amusement "but you have to eat those first"

Eventually Danny worked up the courage to eat his pancakes. Jason freaked out the moment he saw his eyes watering.

"They're good" Danny made sure to affirm quickly wiping away the tears that were forming in his eyes after he saw how much he was worrying Jason, who seemed torn between paying attention and looking for ways to comfort him "very, very good"

It reminded him of the time Jazz made him his first meal, or when Lunch Lady scolded him and gave him a homemade sandwich, but somehow this felt better than both times.

How was it possible?

"It's okay, Danny," Jason gently stroked the hand that had returned to hold his arm as soon as they left the kitchen, "you're okay now."

Whether he was referring to the food or something completely different, no one could tell.

—------------

By the time they both finished their food, Danny was happily satisfied and strangely full. The moment he looked away from his plate he noticed something peculiar inside one of the rooms.

He approached the object curiously, practically dragging Jason with him into the room in question.

"Isn't that Red Hood's jacket?" Danny asked curiously looking at the clothes organized on the walls.

Jason cursed himself as he thought of something to say, maybe if he chose not to answer Danny would ignore it. He had been distracted by the matter of food and completely forgot that many of his things were in the house.

"And those are his combat boots" the halfa said excitedly, Danny perked up as he started pointing to different objects in the room. The weapons were obviously Hood's "There's only one explanation for this"

Jason tried to think of an excuse but he couldn't think of one, he assumed that was it, that was the end of his secret identity "Danny, the truth is that I am-"

"You live with Red Hood right?" Danny looked at him, trying to confirm his suspicions and the rumors of the Alley kids. 

"-living with Hood, certainly," Jason agreed. Not knowing the trouble he was getting himself into with those four words.

--------------------------------------

Annd tag time, I'm not going to lie it feels pretty weird to have this chapter so early but the sprints are really magical. This chapter was going to be even longer but I preferred to shorten it and include the rest as ideas for the next one. I hope you liked it!

In this case I have to clarify that Danny never broke contact with Jason during the whole chapter, when he said that he was his anchor he was being both figurative and literal. In general, being able to feel his heartbeat was calming him down a lot.

And the reason why Jason's food felt different is because it was 100% human, what Lunch Lady gives is usually fine, but the ectoplasm adds something weird to it as an extra, so yes, Jason was technically the first to cook him food from scratch

Sorry if you saw the first one, I kinda uploaded by accident haha

@skulld3mort-1fan@sorryiwonnoob@idfk-man10@avelnfear@criticaloverthinker@confusedandghostly @lunadoll36 @spidey29phangirl @suppengott @yjfk@apointlessbox@mimilikey@thegatorsgoose@jaggedheart11@dyinggirldied@pyramaniac@akikkobara@thedragonqueen1998@lostlightandfoundcrazy@xye-chan@saltyladynightmare @ashleysmshly @thewondersoflebanon@illusionwolfwriter24r8@littlefeather345@asphyxia778@amercurio@leftmiraclechaos @dixiwoods @satoshy12@lyra689@meira-3919@quietlyscared@plotwholls @kyrianclawraith @blacksea21090@basilf1res @flowers-n-fauna @8-29pm@phantom-dc@luer-mirin@taniaundertaleau@cloriform@readerkayden@oddlydrawnpuppets@basementloser@little-green-asparagus@echoednonny@yummy-yummy-mmmbones@confusionchaos@ectoplasm024@autumnwulf@666deaddash999@redhoneysugarorange@blue-avis@sailor-goddess@satanicrutialspecialist

[gretavanfleetposts]

Broken Bells and Crying in Bed

Author's Note ⭐: This is for my beautiful anon! I hope you enjoy! (Also, I know the header image is kinda goofy, I just love it so much)

Content Warnings: mentions of cheating (I know you said slight angst so I hope this isn't too much angst)

Category: fluff, slight angst

You hadn't even wanted to go out that night but your partner, Alex, had begged you to come, meaning you were in a sour mood even before the events of the night unfolded

As you stood on the curb in the chilly darkness, party music bumping lightly in the background, you heaved hushed sobs into the night

You struggled to swipe through apps on your phone as tears clouded your vision but finally you found the signature black U that you had been searching for and, with shaky thumbs, you ordered a ride

There was no way you were going back to your apartment, fearing that Alex would show up there to try and talk, so as the driver pulled away from the curb, you attempted to relax and prayed silently in your head that Josh would be home when you arrived to his place

You were relieved upon arrival to see Josh’s car sitting in his driveway but when you caught sight of the other cars parked near, you realized the boys were over and you instantly questioned your decision to crash his night. Although, it wasn't like you had many options. Still, you felt bad bringing your drama all the way over to him, just to ruin his evening

Reluctantly, you stepped out of your Uber and made your way to his front door, trying your hardest to hold back tears long enough to fix your appearance, as if you could hide your emotions from Josh and save him the worry

You could hear loud laughter inside and although the sound of Danny's and Jake's and Sam's laughter always put a smile on your face, tonight it seemed like the universe was just rubbing it in

"They're your friends," you told yourself. "Obviously they want to be there for you"

Taking a deep breath, you finally gathered the courage to knock on Josh's door

You heard shuffling inside as someone, presumably Josh, broke apart from the group and made their way to the door

Your suspicions were confirmed when it was Josh who opened the door, the smile quickly vacating his face as he took in the sight of you, puffy eyes, disheveled hair, and nothing but your phone in your hand

"I'm so sorry to bother you," you began, shifting your eyes from his face down to your feet as the tears you were fighting to keep at bay began prickling at the corners of your eyes

"Who is it?" you hear Sam yell from Josh's kitchen but Josh ignored his question, keeping his focus on you instead

"You could never bother me, y/n. Come here"

As you walked through the doorway, you hoped none of the other guys would get too curious and see you this way but it seemed you were safe to slip in unnoticed as their laughter droned on, still preoccupied in the kitchen

Josh glanced quickly into the kitchen to make sure no one was following before taking your wrist and leading you in the opposite direction

"Here, let's go to my bedroom. They can entertain themselves"

He let you crawl into his bed the way you had a million times before, in the early hours of the morning after a party where you had drank too much, in the late evening hours when Josh was finally home from the road and you were overflowing with stories to tell him, and, of course, after countless heartbreaks, the way you were now

As you let yourself sink into the mattress with the covers pulled to your chin, Josh sat down in the spot next to you, keeping his eyes on you as he spoke

"Tell me what happened, y/n"

You didn't even know how to say it. One moment you had been silently brooding in a corner drinking a beer, wondering where Alex had gone, and the next minute, you were watching them make out with some random person at the party, someone you hadn't stayed long enough to identify

It had all happened so fast

"Alex cheated on me," was all you said as you stared at the wall, watching the events of the night play out over and over again as if it were being projected onto the wall

Surprisingly, there were no tears when you said it, although the pain was still sharp and borderline unbearable and it tore through your chest like an arrow

Josh sighed, seemingly to himself, before he adjusted his position so he could lie in bed next to you, forcing you to sit up for a brief moment so he could get his arm under your neck

"Y/n, I'm so sorry," he started but you could tell he wasn't entirely sure how to even begin because he let himself trail off as his fingers found their way into your hair so he could stroke your head

It was quiet for a moment before you said anything again

"You don't have to stay in here with me. I don't want to ruin your night with your brothers. I just needed somewhere to sleep"

You felt his curls bounce as he shook his head in protest over what you had said

"I'm not going anywhere, y/n. So you may as well just let it all out because I'm not getting out of this bed"

You couldn't help but huff a laugh as the tears began flowing again. You vented through your sobs, your anger fighting through the sniffles. And Josh listened. He always was a good listener

But eventually, the tears waned once more and again you found yourself staring off blankly, trying not to imagine the scene again

Josh pulled you tighter into him after you had quieted down and after a longer while of him holding you that way, eventually he began to hum and soon, the humming turned into quiet singing

Holding you in his arms, he began singing Broken Bells as softly as he could which was quite impressive given his usual volume

Although the song filled you with emotion, you were happy for the distraction from your thoughts and you let yourself get lost in his voice and his touch as he soothed you

His fingers traced over the lines in your forehead, following their curve down your nose and along your cheeks as you began to nod off in his arms, exhausted from the emotion of the day

That was how you fell asleep, tucked into Josh's arms as he delicately traced over your features in admiration while he quietly sang "Not all the answers are the same. Yet we still play the game"

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Agent Zero —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: Ok u had ur fun, now we're back to sad bitch hours -Danny

Words: 1,087

Phase Four Masterlist

Previous chapter // Next Chapter

xiv: Plan C

"I honestly thought you'd freak out more."

"I was expecting this to happen."

Peter looked up briefly, Cat was flying both of them in the direction of the new headquarters.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know I was against your recruitment," she replied casually, "now you see why." Peter tensed under her grip, she thought of something that could give them an advantage. "Hey, you think you can go from here?"

"What?" Peter's lenses enlarged as he looked down. "Are you going to drop me?"

"No! I'm asking if you can talk to Fury on your own. It just occurred to me, none of us is tracking down Mysterio!"

"Oh my God! You're right! What do we do?"

"Talk to Fury, I'll track down Beck and I'll send you the location and we can take him by surprise, but I gotta go now or we might be at risk of losing him..."

"Yeah okay, I got this— just drop me on top of that train!"

Cat flew down. "Our coms will stop working at some point if I go too far, so don't freak out if you get no response, Fury has other ways to contact me."

"Yeah, that's fine!" He nodded. "Be careful, C."

She flew away without responding, instead, she talked to M.O.U.S.E.

"You said we can't contact Edith, but can you track her?"

"I can try."

"What can we do to find Beck?"

"Mr. Beck's using Stark tech to create his illusions, I can skim through the satellite's data."

"That's perfect."

It took the A.I. less than five minutes to locate Beck's current hideout, the young agent tried to use her earpiece to communicate with Peter but it seemed he was going through a tunnel or already too far from reach.

Cat landed on the rooftop of a building that appeared to be still in construction, it looked normal, so she sat on the edge of it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the noises around her.

A gunshot startled her in such a way that she slipped, barely managing to hold onto the edge. Copycat pulled herself back onto the roof and ran in the same direction the explosions were.

"They have the east structure surrounded, someone's inside."

"Is it Quentin?"

"I can show you if you want me to."

"What?" She stopped. "Don't ask, do it!"

From the side of her mask, she saw a tiny thing fly out that at first thought was a bug, it vanished in front of her eyes. She heard the tiny thing gaining speed as it flew away. Quickly, a visor formed in front of her eyes. It began to show footage: a boy.

"Peter!" He was supposed to be with Fury! In a second the drones camouflaged with their surroundings and vanished out of sight. "He's trapped! I have to..."

Her sentence sounded resolute at first, but as she moved forward her feet lost all conviction until she was just standing there. If she entered the fight she would be sucked into the illusion and Peter's sixth sense was way faster in its original owner than it was on her. She had to find a different approach.

"Hang in there, Pete," she whispered.

Looking around and then down at the suit she was wearing, Cat wanted to punch herself in the face. She didn't want to be considered an Avenger and therefore she'd decided not to look like one, but now she was wearing a plain S.H.I.E.L.D suir and had no way to go unnoticed. Still, she hadn't spent three years living in the same ship as a raccoon without learning to be sneaky. She grabbed the gun that was on her thigh and her grappling hook.

"Alright— east structure, here we go."

Cat teleported. The buzzing of a drone caught her attention and she shot at it. When she landed on the roof, she watched as the useless piece of technology fell to the ground a few feet below. The agent shot the grappling hook again at the floor next to her to make sure it was properly stuck in place and then jumped off the roof.

She managed to shoot at another two as she went down, there weren't any people around, but on the other side of the construction, she heard Peter's squeaky voice. Cat stopped her fall two floors before reaching the ground, and pointing her feet ahead, she redirected her whole body so it landed inside the structure. She rolled and quickly got to her feet, running to the other side to see what was happening.

Peter was standing in the middle of the empty lot and he was talking with Quentin. The boy didn't seem to notice the two drones flying on each side of the man. Deciding not to waste precious time, she pointed her gun at one of the drones and shot at it multiple times. Cat lifted her gun to get rid of the other, but before she could, she realized what Quentin had been doing while talking to Peter, and it was already too late.

The train ran over the young boy and she heard herself making some kind of strangled scream, she almost fell off the building a second time, but held onto the pillar as hard as she could, her claws cracking the cement. Quentin looked at her with indifference, he tilted his head and spoke. He wasn't talking to her, but Cat heard it.

"Edith? Access files to Peter Parker's class trip. I need them to fly home from London."

Peter had let valuable information slip. She shook her head— Peter could be dead! In a burst of wrath, she lifted her gun a third time and shot, but she wasn't aiming carefully, Beck was able to run.

"Mouse— jetpack!"

It activated and she leaped out of the building, there was a terrible pressure in the middle of her chest that she did her best to ignore. Everything would be felt in time, but right now she had to keep her shit together.

"Call Happy Hogan," the young woman demanded, "tell him I need the Santa's secret helper protocol... and tell him..." her voice quivered, so she coughed forcefully.

"Happy's on the line."

"Let him speak to me."

"Cat! Jesus, what the hell is going on—?"

"Happy listen to me very carefully," she closed her fists to stop them from shaking. "I need you to make a quick stop in Wakanda before coming to get me, tell them you're there to pick up Copycat's birthday present. The king's sister will know what you mean, her name's Shuri."

"Are you okay?"

"I will be," she responded vaguely, "as soon as you bring me what I'm asking for."

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

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[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

26 for the prompts? perhaps w the cat n mouse lads :3 (also look danny i did it i sent a prompt are u proud)

I...actually don't remember what the prompt was for this one, but I'm 87% sure it was "I'm not that scary, am I?"

So fine since y'all keep asking for 'em, here's more of the cat and mouse bois. Shoutout to @gabbydafurry and an anon for finally giving them names.

--

“C’mon.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“I said no.”

“I’ll make pollo asado for dinner, we can eat it together while we watch!”

Aaron sighed and rubbed his hands against his forehead, trying to ease the dull throb that had yet to wane over the past two days. His headache certainly wasn’t being helped by the constant badgering of his...roommate, for a lack of better words (as well as being a title so eagerly self bestowed by the cat in question) but much like many of their other interactions, his resolve was starting to wear thin. Usually, he was able to hold his ground for at least a week until he was bribed into giving the other some type of social interaction with the promise of his favorite foods. Today, however, the poor mouse just wanted a moment’s peace free from knocking on the walls or calling through the cracks until he answered, and if that meant watching some stupid movie then fine.

Plus, Lucas did know how to make some incredible Mexican food.

“...fine,” Aaron conceded after a pause, the pressure behind his eyes giving him a sharp pang before fading to its usual ache, almost like his own body was projecting how horrible of an idea this was.

As soon as the mouse slipped out from behind the curio, he came face to face with the massive grin of the cat mere inches away from the opening. Seeing the grin only split wider when he was fully in view of the other normally would have instinctively sent a shiver up his spine, it was kind of difficult to be intimidated seeing how Lucas had strangely contorted his body to lay on the floor between the curio and the bookcase. Most cats seemed to be fairly flexible, so it probably wasn’t too uncomfortable for him to be so bent and curled up, but he definitely lost some of that hunter’s prowess with his back twisted sideways and one leg leaning against the shelving.

In a flash, Lucas had managed to untangle his strange positioning to instead be crouched on his knees, now looming over Aaron in a way he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to. He flinched back when his hand started to reach out towards him, fully intending to scoop him up to dizzying heights without a second thought, but the appendage stopped just short of touching him at all. Instead, he dropped his hand palm side up and waited, smiling all the while. At least he was getting better at remembering Aaron’s explicit request to not be grabbed without permission, though he did always apologize with a sheepish look and some little treat whenever he forgot.

Once Aaron climbed onto the awaiting hand that radiated a delightfully intense warmth into his already aching muscles, Lucas was already jumping up a chattering a mile a minute about how much the mouse was going to love the movie he picked out, how dinner would be ready soon, how he wasn’t expecting him to actually agree to watch a scary movie with him since he never seemed like the type who would be into that sort of thing but--

“It’s a scary movie?” Aaron interrupted, the noise finally registering beyond the headache. Truthfully, he tuned a lot of what the other said out for almost every conversation, not that it ever seemed to make a difference. Yeah, sorry, I’m a bit of a chatterbox, he admitted once, but it’s less weird talking to someone who doesn’t respond than to talk to yourself, right?

Debatable.

Lucas tilted his head and snorted. “Uh, yeah? That was one of the first things I told you about. You know that one actress who’s in almost every one of those Christmas movies we watch, who’s always the jealous best friend?” Aaron has no idea who he was referring to given that he never absorbed anything from those stupid romance movies he was boarderline forced to watch, but nodded anyways, “Right, this is supposed to be her big break out role, or something. It’s the first thing she’s doing as a lead actress, and you know, good for her! I’m glad she’s getting out of that typecast she’s been in forever. Horror probably wouldn’t be my first choice for her, but I guess since she has those singing vocals it could carry over to being a scream queen. Kind of like when--”

And Aaron was out of the conversation again.

Lucas continued to drone on about the actress’s entire film career, or at least that’s what the mouse was assuming he was doing when he occasionally zoned back in to pick up a stray word here and there. The headache he had been staving off to the best of his ability was starting to come back with twice as much force as it often did in the later days. He probably could have just asked the other for some aspirin, maybe even some cold medicine as that was no doubt what this bout of illness was turning into, but asking the cat for anything was always out of the question. Of course, Lucas tried to sway him numerous times into thinking it most certainly was not and that he could always ask for whatever he needed, never to his avail. Aaron was indeed willing to prolong his suffering if it meant not having to stomach the dreadful embarrassment that would come to being indebted to the feline, no matter how insignificant.

Unfortunately, he was only setting himself up for failure in thinking this “agreement” would be providing him any sort of relief. His headache was treading dangerously close into becoming a full fledged migraine and the flashes of light and screams from the television would not be doing him any favors. His only saving grace was that, after he had been settled on the couch and Lucas scampered off to get the dinner he promised, the cat turned off every other light possible to, as he put it, really get them in the spooky mood!

The smell of the food was delicious and nauseating. His stomach both wanted and revolted at the idea of anything filling it, which would only serve to worsen his headache no doubt. Damn it all, he wanted to throttle both himself and this illness, the first for agreeing to watch this stupid movie when he was already feeling under the weather, the second for preventing him from getting his half of the deal. These movie-dinner dates deals were the only reason Aaron continued to stick around, even if he thought the torment of being forced to watch awful romcoms in exchange for a hot, homemade meal was a little unfair. No, that wasn’t entirely true, Lucas was a freaking culinary genius as far as the mouse was aware. It was a wonder why he wasn’t majoring in a cooking field.

“I’m not hungry right now,” Aaron lied when Lucas had asked why he wasn’t eating. “I’ll try some later.”

The cat looked at him strangely before shrugging. “Alright, just let me know. If you don’t like it, I can always make you something else.” There he goes again, offering things he knows the other can’t accept. At least he could let it slide this time as he had no appetite to think of any other dish.

Lucas finished his own meal in silence, completely fixed on the television as the opening scene carried on, introducing the canine main character that Aaron did, in fact, vaguely recognize. This was fine, he figured, the dark apartment coupled with a painfully slow movie, a warm body moving to curl up behind him as it so often did during these deals, he could probably get a few moments of real rest in before the credits rolled. As much as he loathed to admit it, the cat was actually rather...comfortable to be forcefully cuddled by. He wasn’t like other movie goers that needed to make a comment on every character’s decision, steady breathing and the occasional purr helping the mouse slowly relax.

That relaxation was cut short as soon as the romcom actress tore her tiny avian neighbor to shreds by the end of the first act.

Aaron had hardly been paying attention to the storyline up until this point, something to do with the girl being bitten and experiencing insatiable hunger lately. The sudden carnage of the otherwise trusting little prey creature made both of them flinch in surprise, though Lucas was quick to laugh it off. From then on the mouse’s unwavering attention was glued to the screen, but not by his choice. A chill ran through him each time she claimed another unsuspecting victim, always a prey animal, and ripped them apart with her teeth and nails like a starving animal. The way the tiny’s incredibly realistic viscera was slurped into her bloody mouth made him queasy, all too easily imagining himself in their shoes.

Eventually, her hunger became too strong and she began attacking fellow predator species as well. Ripping into throats and soft bellies was far messier than snacking on a tiny creature in three bites, making her feast all the more gory. While the violence still unsettled him, it was a touch more bearable now that he couldn’t picture his own body being mangled between the teeth of a predator he thought he could trust. Speaking of…

The mouse gulped and risked a glance behind him at the other who had hardly moved, save for a few jolts and snickers whenever a particularly good jump scare managed to startle him. It didn’t go unnoticed that every time Aaron had physically reacted to a sudden screech or attack, the cat would curl just a little bit tighter around him, hiding a laugh behind a rumbling purr. He wanted to believe this was meant to be an act of comfort and not something equally as nefarious as the canine plotting her next kill. Regardless, Lucas was equally transfixed on the movie, except he seemed to be enjoying every minute of the horror aspect. His tail would flick in interest during the high tension scenes, even more so when a chase sequence was underway. It made sense, considering that was his favorite game to make Aaron play.

Whatever the case may be, the mouse couldn’t help but be unnerved tenfold that the other had the audacity to enjoy a fictional movie he was interested in seeing. The last thing the mouse wanted was for Lucas to get any more ideas when it came to chasing him around the apartment, much less awaken any sort of primitive instinct to maim his prize after it had been captured. To this day, it remains a deep seated fear in the back of his mind that every time the cat cupped his hands over him, his teeth would be quick to follow. Natural instincts were hard to shake for a reason when it came to prey animals such as himself, he could only hope the same wasn’t true for predators.

His imagination was running rampant, enough so that he completely missed how the movie ended. Something about a cure, something about being put down, whatever. The only thing on his mind was the morbidly hilarious thought that if Lucas were to go feral like the canine, would he eat him raw or would he cook him up in another fantastic dish?

Aaron jumped when Lucas moved to sit up behind him, only now registering the credits scrolling across the screen. He stretched a bit, the quickly fading warmth that had been surrounding the mouse making him realize just how tight the other must have been snuggled around him. How did he not notice?

“Wow,” Lucas said, pursing his lips. “That...was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life.”

That wasn’t the reaction Aaron had been expecting him to have, but it was certainly better than to hear him go on about how it was a brilliant masterpiece. He got up to flick the lights back on, still laughing as he recounted each poorly written scene and cheesy effects. “I mean, oh my god, right? The mail man saved everyone? Seriously? I actually feel bad for making you watch that, you totally have dibs on the next movie night.”

He turned around to look at the mouse who was still huddled tight on the couch, wide eyes glued to the screen even if it was just names moving along with ominous background music. Lucas gave him another quizzical look, smirking.

“C’mon, even you have to admit those tinies had zero survival instincts. Like, who goes up to a rabid dog and asks for directions? I get suspending my disbelief and all, but they could have made it just a pinch realistic. This is so going to tank her acting career…” The cat shook his head and moved closer to the couch so that he stood right in front of the television, finally drawing the other’s attention to himself. “Hey, you hungry now?”

Oh, absolutely fucking not. An hour and a half of being tensed up gave no relief to his aching muscles and now that the lights were back on, so was his pounding headache. His stomach rolled, the nausea a mix of dizziness and disgust from the special effects. He didn’t even want to think about food, he didn’t want to be out in the open anymore, and he most certainly did not want to spend another minute in the cat’s company right now.

“S-sure…” Aaron finally squeaked out. He just needed Lucas out of the room, distracted somewhere so he could make a break for it. In some instances, he would have just darted off whether the cat saw him or not, but that always resulted in a game of chase that had a 50/50 success rate, the other loving it anyways. All he wanted was some peace and quiet to rest up and heal and not think about how easy it would be for the other to bite off his head whenever he felt like it.

Lucas stood there for a minute, studying him, and just when Aaron genuinely feared he was going to pounce, he flashed an innocent smile. “Cool, just give me a couple minutes to get it heated up.” And with that, he disappeared into the kitchen.

Aaron decided to be bold and waste a few precious seconds of his head start to collect himself. Deep down, he knew he was being ridiculous. Lucas had been nothing but kind to him. Aloof, but still kind all the same. But as a prey animal that spent the better part of his life living in walls and stealing to survive, trust was a risk he simply couldn’t take. There was hardly any benefit to keeping up this con if the end goal was simply to eat him. For all he knew, though, Lucas was nothing more than a merciless sociopath that was willing to milk every ounce of fear he could before chowing down. A sociopath obsessed with romantic comedies and wore an apron when he cooked and had begged Aaron for two months straight to tell him when his birthday was so that he could make him a miniature cake.

...okay, so maybe Lucas wasn’t a sociopath, but that didn’t mean he was trustworthy. Evolution gave him sharpened fangs and agile reflexes for a reason and the mouse was not about to find out what it was like to be on the receiving end of those one day.

With his head as clear as it was going to be for the time being, sans the dull throb behind his eyes, the mouse finally pushed himself up to make his way over to the couch arm. Slowly, as to not overwork his stiff joints, he climbed his way down to the floor and skittered under the couch for a little extra protection. Strangely, he noticed that he didn’t hear any noises coming from the kitchen just up ahead and when he stopped by the doorway, he couldn’t see anyone either. Losing track of the massive cat should not be possible, especially considering this was a one bedroom apartment and there was literally nowhere else for the feline to go without coming back through the entryway. Aaron should have taken it as a blessing, but of course he couldn’t leave well enough alone.

He proceeded to be daring and come out from under the couch completely to peek into the kitchen, confirming it was empty. Again, that shouldn’t even be possible for Lucas to slip out without having to directly pass the living room to go somewhere else. Unless he had, which would mean Aaron missed him somehow. He had been in quite a deep thought process on the couch...but he could have sworn he was only collecting himself for a minute!

The answer became glaringly obvious when the mouse took a few hesitant steps back and turned to retreat under the safety of the couch, only to come face to face with Lucas. He damn near jumped out of his skin, slamming his back against the wall in an effort to gain another inch of distance between himself and the face taking up his entire view. Really, this was nothing too out of the ordinary for the cat, he loved to sneak up and pounce whenever the opportunity presented itself and Aaron wasn’t too obviously close to heart failure. What made his heart stutter, however, was the fact that Lucas didn’t look like...well, Lucas. There was no smile, no warm eyes, no words being talked a mile a minute about nothing.

No, there was just a frowning cat with his ears pinned back and pupils slit, stalking closer with a terrifying rumble in his throat.

Instinct overtook him as soon as he saw the other’s lip twitch, trying to dart under the couch for safety and having his path immediately blocked by a hand being slammed down, claw out. Aaron couldn’t even yelp, the bile in his throat threatening to turn into vomit if he idled around too long. So, he didn’t. Instead, he turned on his heel and scampered in the opposite direction with the cat hot on his trail. He very nearly dodged a swipe, Lucas hissing that his blow didn’t land while Aaron only tried to speed up his sprinting. They circled maybe half of the living room, the mouse weaving under furniture while the cat knocked into them in an effort to jarr his prey into taking a misstep.

It worked, unfortunately, when Aaron took a sharp turn at the bookshelf and caused Lucas to clip it with his shoulder. The small bump did nothing to deter the cat on his hunt, but the two books that came tumbling down were enough to make the smaller skid and trip to avoid being squashed under the novels. He ended up twisting his ankle awkwardly, stumbling flat on his face while the momentum of his running made him roll twice until he landed on his back. Despite being winded and the additional pain in his leg, he knew there was no time to waste, trying to pull himself. It was too late, though. The cat was already on top of him, hand coming down to pin him under his palm while only his head poked free from between his fingers.

That cold, terrifying face came nearer, eyes tunnel visioned on its prize. Oh God, Aaron would give anything to have the other Lucas back right now. He’d watch a thousand sappy movies, do a date night for every meal, actually move into his bedroom like the cat had suggested he do a dozen times. He wanted...fuck, he wanted his friend back. What he thought was his friend, anyways. Not this killer, not this predator who was baring his teeth and was now mere inches away from biting off his face and--

The growling above him broke off into a snort shortly before turning into a full blown laugh. Aaron wasn’t sure when he had closed his eyes in preparation for his certain death, but when he dared to open them and blinked away the budding tears, he saw that smile he had been wishing for again. Kind and warm, just like eyes, and it was like Lucas had never even taken the form of a starving hunter in his life. Like he hadn’t been moments away from devouring his beloved roommate.

“Oh, come on,” he howled with laughter, “You can’t be serious! That movie actually scared you? I mean, I thought you looked a little freaked out by it, but wow!”

The movie...so this...this wasn’t real. Lucas was just pretending, just playing a prank on him. He thought that the movie had simply wound him up and made him jumpier than usual, no different than watching a zombie flick and popping out from behind a bush at your friend later on.

Except it was different. It was different in the fact that zombies aren't real, but predators are. Predators didn’t need an excuse to go feral and maim and consume their tiny cohabitants, they simply could by the laws of nature. And yes, it may be illegal and have several laws in place to protect prey species, but if no body was ever left behind, who could say if foul play was involved? That was the whole plot point in the otherwise dull movie they sat through together, the reason why the woman was able to avoid suspicion of her sickness by feeding on tinies that could only be reported missing at most.

Lucas’s laughter had tapered off, still clearly enjoying himself. “Alright, note to self, no more horror movies.” Finally, he released Aaron from under his hand to sit back on his haunches. “Man, I really didn’t think you would scare that easily, especially from a B-movie like that. Anyways, are you actually ready to eat now? I put your stuff in the oven so it would reheat better, but it should be done by now….Ronnie?”

Aaron hadn’t moved an inch since he was originally pinned, not even after the hand had been lifted off of him. He just stared up blankly at the cat, trembling and wide eyed, unable to do anything as the rapid succession of events sunk in. The cat’s humor died down a little, smile hesitating.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist, you know?” He shrugged a little sheepishly. “You didn’t even notice when I came back so I thought...I don’t know, it was funnier in my head. I almost broke character and started laughing before you ran!” With still no verbal response, Lucas reached out a hand. “Aaron? You good? Come on, I’m not that scary, am I?”

The reaction he got probably wasn’t what he was hoping for with Aaron suddenly scrambling to push himself away from the outstretched hand that might trap and tear apart his limbs. He gave a sharp squeak, managing to find his footing only to come crashing down as soon as he took the first step, his ankle noticeably swollen by this point. His cry of pain was muffled into a desperate grunt, trying so hard to drag himself away as a last ditch effort to avoid the same fate as the bird and the squirrel and the mole in the movie.

Lucas gasped. “Oh, Ronnie, your leg!” Both hands were reaching for the mouse now, aiming to cup around him and scoop him up before they surely put him out of his misery. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I didn’t...oh my God, I hurt you.”

Yes and no. In truth, Aaron had been the one to hurt himself by making his body move in ways it physically shouldn’t. But that didn’t change the fact that Lucas had shown his true colors. Perhaps in hindsight, that wasn’t a fair assessment, as he really did think he was playing a harmless little joke on a skittish friend. The pain came from knowing that the cat could turn feral, though, no matter how genuine he was being. There was still clearly an instinct within him, one that knew how to hunt and bare his teeth and hiss, one that knew deep down where they both ranked on the food chain. It hurt in knowing everything he thought about his friend, everything that kept him from really letting down his walls like the other so desperately wanted, was right. Cats and mice were not friends.

“Get away from me!” Aaron shrieked when the hands came too close. Though they withdrew quickly, he didn’t bother to watch if they would move again as he forced himself up to stumble back to his nook behind the bookshelf.

“Aaron, wait!” It was a fruitless request and Lucas knew it as he didn’t even try to stop the mouse from disappearing behind the furniture back into the walls. It would only make matters so much worse. “Aaron, please, you’re hurt, just...at least let me help you. Please. I...I’m so sorry! It was an accident, I promise!”

The cat shuffled closer, leaning down in hopes that the other could at least hear his pleas better, could hear how sincere he was trying to be. “I would never hurt you, Aaron. You’re one of my best friends. Look, it was a stupid prank and I’m an asshole and I’ll never do it again, just please come out. Just let me know if you’re alright?”

It didn’t matter how hard or for how long he tried, Aaron was long gone within the walls.

[red-doll-face]

That last one about Michael was perfect!! I loved the new idea of the reader stumbling into the killer campground! Could I request an expanded idea on that scenario, but more so just a reader interacting with Anna, Michael, Danny, Evan, etc.? If that makes sense

I had to say, this was fun to write but I suck at characterization, I made everyone a little too nice but what else do we need in these trying times? I wasn’t sure if you meant like altogether, I might save something like that for a special event so I made little drabbles for each one I hope you like them!! Thanks @prophxtslash for the food fight idea 😂🥣

Warnings: nothing really bad. Just some food fights and palling around with the killers. 

Dead by Daylight Killers x gn Reader

Anna ‘The Huntress’

In the rare instances that survivors came across killers, sometimes, the killers couldn't break old habits. Mostly, the killers like The clown or even Freddy liked to bully survivors, only doing what felt natural, they claimed. But Doctor or Dr. Carter took a liking to tormenting survivors in and out of trials. Though, what he did could be classified as annoying rather than life-threatening, thus staying within the entity’s rule of being unable to harm survivors outside of the trial.

“Stop it!” You slapped at the man’s hand, touching along your arm and sending tingles that made it feel like your arm fell asleep. The little slap caused more pain than anything, accidentally brushing one of the live wires embedded in his skin. He giggles and grins around the mouthpiece that gaped his lips showing bloodied teeth. You were surprised he didn't drool all over everything.

“Leave me alone.” You whined, trying to walk away from him. You only came to see the Huntress, as she requested you make her a doll after seeing your interest in her mother's old craft supplies when you were in a trial against her. You observed the little balls of yarn and the needles tucked against a cabinet as she came in toting her ax. You turned, as she tilted her head at your curiosity. Afterward, she approached you with the items, handing them to you. Watching with glee as you began to weave the old fading yarn together.

Now, the Doctor, seeing the little doll in your hands, tried to take it from you. Unfortunately, for you, there was no else at the campfire today besides The Doctor who was here to see Evan who was not here, much like Anna. As the fog cleared up ahead, revealing the person you were waiting for, Dr. Carter took advantage of your distraction. He made for the doll sitting in your palms. A hatchet whizzed by and nearly clipped him, causing him to look up at her. She pushed him back with her mere presence, The Doctor unhappily leaving you alone, disappearing into the trees. She turned to you and you handed her her gift. Her lips pulled into a smile, squeezing at your hand and the present alike.

Michael ‘The Shape’ Myers

The only reason you liked him, he rationalized, was because you liked everyone. Perhaps, not everyone, but you could tolerate killers. When they acted decent enough. You liked the killers enough to come to visit him at this campsite, to catch anytime he lingered around with the rest of the killers. He didn’t like them but he couldn’t chance any of the killers becoming fascinated with you as he had. He sat rigidly on the log, breathing evenly, facing the fire. If you didn’t come, he’d recede into the fog again more than eager to leave the rest of the killers behind.

Like he had invoked you himself, you drifted in from the darkness, eyes settling on him. You shared a strange intrigue with each other, content to sit in silence with one another. You knew others thought it creepy or weird but no one had the courage to say it to Michael's face.

He should have known your friendliness exceeded just him. The man wearing the face of someone else approached you and you recognized him, letting him hold your hands and shake you around in something resembling a dance. You laughed and tried to calm him down, lest Michael become angered. He tilted his head as other killers gravitated around you, watching as you become uncomfortable around the burnt small one. He came close, unnoticed, listening as he uttered vulgar words to frighten you. You looked more uncomfortable than afraid.

The cannibal tugged you away from the pest in the sweater. Michael, having had enough of seeing you get tugged around like a coveted toy, shoved the burnt one out of his way, pulling you from the grip of the man with the yellow apron. You wrapped your arms around him, finding comfort in the midnight blue of his coveralls and the smell of autumn that clung to him. Michael took the key to his house from his pocket and threw it in the campfire, burning in the cold flames. The mist swallowed you both. He’d have you to himself. Michael was never the type to share.

Danny ‘The Ghostface’ Johnson

“Eat it!” You shoved a spoon at Danny, maskless today so you could try the fabled survivor pudding. You heard it was salty and gross. You didn’t really know who exactly made it and what it was for. Well, there was only one way to find out. Make Danny eat it. He refused, obviously. Keeping his mouth closed would not deter you.

“No way! Get that shit out of here.” He pushed it out of your hands and you choked on your own laughter watching half spill out of the bowl. You put some on the spoon and bent the weak plastic thing back. It sailed in the air only to splatter all over Danny’s face. He closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows as you covered your mouth in shock.

“I meant to miss that, I swear.” You tried to stop the laughter from coming out but it wasn't working. Your snickers turned into full-blown bellyaching guffaws as it dripped down his face. He spit out whatever made it into his mouth. He gagged and you shook and cried at his expression. He glared and threw some at you, watching as it oozed down the side of your cheek. You gasped and it was his turn to laugh in your face.

“So, you can dish it but you can’t handle a little pudding?” He mocked, taking a finger and scraping some off your cheek. He motioned to put it in your mouth and you slapped his hand away. You wiped it off and caught him by the sleeve, forcing him to stay still. You smeared it across his forehead, his hands trying to grab your wrists. He dumped some onto your lap and in retaliation you dumped the rest over his head, trickling onto the black leather of his Ghostface outfit.

“Oh my fucking god.” You said, your head hurting from the sheer hysterics you were in. Tears leaked from your eyes as the yellowish paste seeped into his hair. He got up and tried to catch you, slipping out of his arms and into the trees, giggling as the paste shook out of his hair.

Evan ‘The Trapper’ Macmillan

A man his age and size shouldn’t be doing this. He could almost hear his father’s condescending voice. It was a feminine pursuit, at best for emasculated men who were afraid of work. But here, no one cared what the methodical Trapper did in his spare time. Especially not the entity who only concerned itself with his ability to sacrifice the survivors. In his offtime, he liked to draw on the thin, brittle paper that was left on the estate and charcoal. He’d smudge lines this way and that until it looked at least a little like what was in his head. And if it didn't then he'd try again.

Currently, his favorite muse was sat on a rock, whispering to the Pig. Friends it seemed, talking quietly between themselves. You tilted your head and cracked a smile as she made a motion with her hand. He tried his best to capture the gleam of the fire in your eyes. The slope of your neck. The position of your legs. He went back to his drawing, unaware of Amanda's words in your ear.

“Yup. Look at him. He’s staring at you.” You smiled and leaned to hear her words, “Evan’s had his eye on you for what has it been? Is time a thing anymore?” You looked at him, his huge form hunched over a flat surface, fingers tinged black. “I think he’s drawing you. Let’s go see.” She hopped off the rock, dropping into a crouch. She motioned for you to follow and you both crept, following her lead. Amanda's specialty being her ambush, she was much quieter. When you both arrived unnoticed behind him, she pointed down at his drawing and nodded excitedly. It was you. Sitting on the rock you and Amanda were conversing on.

“Hey, that’s really good!” You said without thinking and Amanda facepalmed as you observed the drawing. The thin charcoal in Evans' hand snapped in two at the disruption. He turned slowly to see your warm face, eyes wide with admiration for his talent. He wished he had drawn that expression instead.

“Thanks.”

Sorry if u can’t actually crotchet or knit. If it makes u feel better, I can’t either. Thanks for reading and I hope u enjoyed it! 😳

[darks-ink]

buddy pal,,, u cant just tell me ur still open for requests and then n o t expect me to come bug u. hb u continue the snow//reveal fic?

Listen… it was a very deliberate choice, ok. I wanted to write Snow as a full reveal, but I ended up not going there because I didn’t want it to end up too long. Which, as it turns out, was a good decision! Because this one ended up even longer than the original, whoopsie. (for people looking it up in my fic archive or on AO3/FFn later - it’ll be listed as Avalanche)

[Snow can be read here, or check my fic archive for links to AO3 or FFn]

—

“Danny,” Maddie said,gently, as they approached him. He’d been watching them the wholetime. Since Jack had caught him in the act of forming a snowball withhis ghost powers, really.

It was painful, seeing hisown son look at him with such clear suspicion. With so little trust.

God, they’d reallymessed this up, hadn’t they?

“Yeah?” Dannyeventually replied, warily. “I thought we were in a hurry? What wastaking so long?”

“We were just…”Maddie looked over at him, but he had nothing to offer and shrugged.“Just… talking.”

“About what?” heasked, now even more openly suspicious.

Jack stepped closer toDanny, but stopped when the boy flinched back. Rather than wrap anarm around his shoulders like he really wanted, Jack held out hishands. Showed him that he was unarmed, that he didn’t mean harm.

“About how proud we areof you, Danny-boy.” He made sure to pour all his love, his care,his adoration, into his words. He wasn’t sure if ghosts could feelpositive emotions like they could feel negative, but god, hewanted his boy to know how much he meant those words. “You’vedone so well, and we’re so, so proud of you.”

“Oh,” Danny said,weakly, pressed against the RV. “I– oh.”

This time, he didn’tflinch away when Jack reached for him. He curled his arm around theboy’s narrow shoulders, pulling him against his warm side. His hairwas still white with snow, and he idly brushed some of it out,leaving it a mix of black and white.

“No matter what, we loveyou, Danny.” He could feel the boy shaking against his side, and hewondered how genuine the emotion was. How diluted were Danny’semotions? How much of his boy was left? “You’re our son. You’llalways be our son.”

“You’ve done so well,”Maddie added, stepping closer so she could join the hug. “Youmust’ve been so scared, and it must’ve been so hard, but stillyou’ve done so well. We’re so proud of you, Danny.”

“Mom,” the boystuttered, shaking between them, “D-Dad.”

“Shh,” Maddie shushed,one hand nestled in his white-black hair. “Shh, it’s okay now.We’re here. You’ll be okay. It’ll all be better now.”

They pressed closer toeach other; Danny trapped in-between him and Maddie, like they couldkeep him safe from everything that had happened to him in the lastfew years.

“I– I’m sorry.”Danny sniffled, trying to covertly wipe a hand past his eyes. “I’msorry for not telling you. I– I–”

“Shh.” Jack rubbedDanny’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We understand, Danny. You must’vebeen so scared. Being a ghost, after all the things we’ve said –and continued to say.”

“I– Yeah.” The boyhuffed out a laugh, his breath cold against Jack’s cheek, and theman spared the tiniest thought to wonder about Danny’s ability toplay human. How far did it extend? How had it fooled them for solong? “Yeah, it was… It was a whole thing.”

“It’ll be better now,sweetie, we promise.” Maddie looked at Danny, her eyes as watery asJack’s felt. “We’ll help you figure this out, okay? Whateveryou’ve been doing to stay true to yourself despite… despitebecoming a ghost, we’ll help. Okay?”

“Um.” Danny blinked,then wiped a hand past his eyes with more force. “Wait, what do youmean?”

Jack felt a chill crawlover his spine, completely unrelated to the cold.

Maddie glanced over athim, but must’ve seen that he would be no help, because she settledfor trying to explain herself. “The… The staying true toyourself? That you haven’t changed, haven’t become malevolent,despite what happened?”

“Why would I… becomemalevolent?” Danny frowned, looking between them. “I mean, Iguess ghosts tend to be a bit fickle, but I’m not…”

His eyes widened. “Oh.You think I’m… Oh.”

“We think you’re…what?” Jack hesitantly asked, hoping that this wasn’t going theway he thought it was. If Danny believed that he wasn’t really aghost, if he’d gotten this far by pretending, blowing thesecret could be disastrous.

Danny shook his head, thencovered it with his hands and groaned loudly. “I can’t believe–I should’ve known, dammit.”

“Language, young man,”Maddie corrected, then looked startled at having done so. Dannyrolled his eyes, but it seemed to have broken him out of his moodagain, at least.

“You think I’m…dead?” he guessed, cocking his head. They nodded, and he noddedback. “Yes, well, I’m not.”

Maddie glanced over atJack, and he grimaced back. He didn’t know how to deal with this.How do you tell a ghost that he’s dead, that he’s a ghost,without risking him turning violent?

“Danny, sweetie,”Maddie finally tried, “You have ghost powers.”

“Well, yeah.” Dannyraised one hand to his neck, starting to rub it in that way he’dalways done, ever since he was young. “But I’m not a ghost, notreally.”

Jack raised a skepticaleyebrow at the boy, and he started spluttering immediately.

“I’m not, I swear!It’s– Alright so it’s kinda complicated and I don’t reallyunderstand it because the only guy who’s got the same going on is adick, but–”

“Language!” Maddiesnapped again.

Danny waved a dismissivehand, then picked up right where he’d left off. “Alright, so theother guy is a bastard who refuses to share. Anyway, as I was saying,I’m not really a ghost. I’m only half ghost.”

“Half?” Jackreluctantly asked, his heart clenching at how frantic Danny looked.God, had his boy really constructed this whole lie, just so he couldpretend he wasn’t a ghost? Was this what he’d told Sam, andTucker, and Jazz, to make them believe that he wasn’t hurting?

If Jack figured out whatbastard had made Danny believe this, or god, who might’ve even madeit up in the first place, they were gonna have words.

“Well, yeah!” Dannymanaged to wrench himself out of the hug, which had loosened over theconversation, and moved a few steps away. He gestured at himself, butJack wasn’t sure what they were supposed to see. “See, totallyhuman like this! Well, okay, not completely 100% human, but mostly!”

“Danny–” Maddie said,her voice heavy with emotion.

“No, no,” the boyinterrupted her, holding up his hands. They were still red with cold,starting to turn blue near the tips of his fingers. “I just gotta–Wait, you’ll understand it if you see it. Jazz did too!“

“See what?” Jackasked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.Danny and Phantom were one, they were pretty sure of that, but thatdidn’t mean anything. Ghosts didn’t necessarily have setappearances. Danny could’ve made two distinct forms for himself,especially if he thought he was something ridiculous as half-ghost.

“This!” Dannyexclaimed as a white spark burst from his body. It circled around hisbody, forming a halo, searingly bright and almost impossible for Jackto look at. The light seemed to sweep over Danny, replacing his thickjacket and loose pants with an oh-so familiar black jumpsuit.

God, and how often had heand Maddie wondered about how familiar Phantom’s suit seemed? Howoften had they looked at it, its design that exactly matched theirown, and not recognized it?

“See?” Danny gesturedat himself again, his boots as white as they snow they were buriedin, his black suit stark against the backdrop. “And now I’mmostly a ghost! But still not 100%, just I wasn’t 100% human inthat form!”

Jack shared a pained lookwith Maddie, a silent conversation on how to tackle this. Theycouldn’t… They couldn’t let their son lie to himself like this,right? Even if he was… Even if he likely would be hurt, knowing thetruth. A white lie, an untruth, would only hurt more. Right?

“Danny,” Jack finallysaid, as gently as he could. “Son. Who told you… Who told you youwere half-ghost?”

“I, uh…” Dannyshrugged, his eyebrows scrunching together like he hadn’t expectedthem to so easily accept the whole Phantom thing. “I mean, I cameup with it, initially? Or, well, me and Sam and Tucker, I guess.Since things didn’t quite check out? But I got plenty ofconfirmation after. Just ask the ghosts, or Plasmius.”

“Plasmius?” Maddierepeated uncertainly. Jack frowned at this, too. Plasmius soundedlike a ghost name, but it wasn’t one he’d heard before. Had aghost been in repeated contact with their son without them realizing?

Well, it wouldn’t beimpossible, he supposed. There might’ve been moments whenPhantom went unnoticed, when he wasn’t fighting. He easily could’vemet with other ghosts during those times.

“Yeah!” Danny nodded,leaning back a little as he lifted off of the ground, floating likehe’d always done so. Jack, with pain in his heart, added anotherstrike to his “Danny actually being a ghost” list. Floating camenaturally to ghosts, to ectoplasmic beings, not gravity-bound humans.“He’s the other half-ghost I mentioned! But like I said, he’s ajerk, so he refuses to tell me much about it. Most of the stuff Iknow I figured out myself, or some things I was told by otherghosts.”

“Sweetie… Don’t youthink those other ghosts might’ve lied to you?” Maddie made acomplicated face, clearly trying to get Danny to figure out the truthslowly. Without having to break his heart directly. “You don’texactly get on well with them, after all.”

Danny shook his head.“Nah. I mean– You’re right, I don’t get along with most of theghosts, but that’s not… There’s no point in them lying aboutthis. Believe me, it was already pretty clear that I was onlyhalf ghost before I ever even met another ghost. And I’vegot allies – friends – among them too, and they… they wouldn’tlie to me about this.”

Light flashed, blindingwith all the snow around them. Danny landed easily, his sneakerssinking into the snow. The snow, which hadn’t been present inPhantom’s hair, was still in Danny’s. Still a mix of black andwhite.

“I mean, I was alwaysconfused why no one connected the dots before. I mean, most peoplearen’t looking to connect a human identity to Phantom, but Ifigured that you two would figure it out sooner or later.” Heshrugged easily, even if his expression didn’t match the casualnessof the motion. “But based on your confusion, I guess you two didn’tthink it was possible? Or, uh, still don’t think that it’spossible, I guess. But I promise you, it’s true. I’m half ghost,and half human.”

Jack and Maddie sharedanother uncertain look. They didn’t just think it wasimpossible, they knew. Years and years of research intoghosts, into ghostly illnesses and the effects of ectoplasm on thehuman body, it all taught them one thing: you couldn’t combine lifeand death in one body. One couldn’t be alive and dead, living andghost, at the same time.

“Danny,” Maddiefinally said, voice pained. “Please, just listen to us.”

“No!” he snapped back,his eyes turning a vicious acid green, their glow casting eerieshadows on his face. “You listen to me! You’realways acting like you know so much about ghosts, but youdon’t! You never listened to me as Phantom, when I tried to tellyou that I was good, and you’re not listening to me now,when I’m telling you that I’m okay!”

“You are okay,Danny,” Jack tried, gently, holding up his hands. “Ghost or not,you’re still our son, and you’re still you.”

But Danny vigorously shookhis head. “No, you need to listen to me! I’m not dead, andI’m not a full ghost! And if you refuse to believe me because ofyour damn research, then– then–”

He halted suddenly, eyesgrowing wide, the green leeching out. So soft it was barely awhisper, he said, “Your research…”

Again, Jack shared anuncertain look with Maddie. But before they could come to anyconclusion, any discussion, Danny stepped forward, towards them.

Jerkily, he stuck out oneof his bare hands. Pulled back his sleeve to bare his wrist.

“Test it,” he said,voice flat. “Your research says that ghosts can’t replicate aheartbeat, no matter what, right? So test my pulse.”

Jack licked his lipsuncertainly, then pulled one of his gloves off. Slowly, he put themassive fingers to his son’s wrist. He knew what he would feel, ofcourse. There would be no pulse. Because his son… his son was dead.A ghost. And ghosts didn’t have heartbeats, no matter what theybelieved.

A thump. Jack froze.

Another thump. And thenanother. A steady, if somewhat slow, rhythm.

“No way,” Maddiegasped, and he easily moved when she shoved him aside. She laid herown fingers on Danny’s wrist, and must’ve felt the same, becauseshe grew wide-eyed.

“Uh,” Danny said, hisother hand rubbing his neck, “Surprise?”

[cannedapricot]

Triwizard Tournament! Kang Daniel | Part 1

my potterhead self is showing fuck

includes a teensy bit of harry potter spoilers!!

kang daniel

there wasn’t a being in the castle who didn’t know his name

the sixth year gryffindor beater who had a swarm of girls following him everywhere?

yeah, that’s him

the sorting hat had contemplated whether to place him in hufflepuff or gryffindor for a while in his first year

the hat was finally about to put him in hufflepuff until danny boy here hoped for gryffindor

the hat sighed lol

“is it because harry potter was in gryffindor?”

“no, the gryffindor animal is a lion right???? and a lion is basically a huge cat!!”

so the hat was like,

“uh, ok kid if that’s how you want it”

and then announced gryffindor to the whole school

everyone thinks that daniel’s a pure blood because??? he looks so natural with magic he must’ve grown up with it

but danik’s a half blood!

his dad was a pure blood who fell in love with a muggle 

but he did indeed grow up with magic

his mom didn’t even care that his dad was a wizard lol 

she was even excited about it!!

so magic was used around the house like any pure blood’s house lmao

“hey dad!! could you pass me the chips?”

“sure!! Wingardium Leviosa!!”

daniel got his first cat when he went shopping for textbooks with his dad in his first year

but fell in love with another cat when he went shopping with ong in his third year

and bought it on a whim

BUT 

you’re only supposed to bring one pet to hogwarts :’)

so ong is forced to say that peter’s his pet in front of teachers :’))

daniel LOVES care of magical creatures

that one student that thinks blast ended skrewts are cute

and whenever daniel starts gushing over them, ong receives so much second hand embarrassment that he pretends to not know daniel

even though the whole school knows that they’re basically the second fred and george weasley 

and so naturally, they were regulars at weasley’s wizard wheezes 

filch hates all of them lmao

this particular year, it was rumored that there would be another triwizard tournament held at hogwarts

nobody knew who started the rumor

but ongniel heard of it the second they stepped foot on platform 9 ¾

they knew what it was obviously

you’d have to be a fresh new muggle born to not know

seongwoo was hYPED ASF

“LISTEN BUDDY,,,, WE HAVE TO TRY GET OUR NAMES IN THE CUP”

daniel just chuckled and went along with it

“it’s not like we’d get chosen anyways”

and lo and behold, after the sorting ceremony,

mcgonagall announces the tournament in a tone of, “i-opposed-to-this-idea-but-the-others-were-all-for-it-so-here-we-are”

she repeats 18305 times that,

“ONLY wizards and witches of the age SEVENTEEN AND OVER may participate”

while glaring at ongniel 

ongniel snickers at this because,

“thERE’S GOTTA BE A WAY TO GET PAST LMAO”

you were a ravenclaw in the same year as daniel

you were also a muggleborn who had no idea that the magical world existed!

so you were curious and excited about everything

you’re eagerness to learn everything about the magical world led you to being sorted into ravenclaw

you were appointed prefect last year and you’d bEEN STOKED!!!!

because being a prefect meant!!!!

thaT THE PROFESSORS!!!

RECOGNIZED YOUR SKILLS!!!!!

you knew daniel of course, you had charms with the gryffindors in fourth year

you had even and shared a desk with daniel 

because flitwick had enough of ongniel and split them up lmao

to your surprise you found daniel not as mischievous as you originally thought 

and you also found yourself getting dragged into pranks with onglniel thanks to you getting along well with niel

“hey guys,,,, we shouldn’t be doing this,,,,”

“come one y/n!! live a little!!”

“bUT WHAT IF WE GET EXPELLED???”

“won’t happen. now keep watch for filch while we set these wet start no heat fireworks up”

you just stand there flabbergasted while daniel sends you the cutest smile

ong was way too busy with the fireworks to care about what you two do lmao

basically

you were the only sane one in the trio

kind of

so when mcgonagall announces the triwizard tournament

you mumble,

“i thought they weren’t doing that anymore after diggory’s death”

while turning your head to look at the boys at the gryffindor table

and to your expectation, they were whispering excitedly to each other

after the great feast, you wanted to talk the two out of it but head boy! minhyun who was also from ravenclaw catches you and reminded you that,

“y/n you are a prefect!!!!111!1 remember what a prefect has to do???”

and so you sigh and herd the junior students towards the ravenclaw tower

next day during breakfast, you zoomed over to the gryffindor table

not caring that all your ravenclaw friends were like,

“ooooooh is y/n gonna have breakfast with their boyfriend? ;))))”

ongniel didn’t even realize you were there until you slaMMED YOUR FIST ON THE TABLE

and congatulations!!!!111!1!1

you’ve officially got the two’s attention!1!!!

along with everyone else in the great hall

a w k s

everyone kinda returns to their breakfast after a second tho because

“oh it’s that time of the week where y/n tries to stop ongniel from doing something stupid”

it happens so often it’s normal for everyone

“don’t even try put your name in the cup”

you hissed

“holy shit you almost sounded like you were speaking parseltongue there”

“i will fucking end you ong”

ongniel is shook™

you were dead serious this time

“people d i e. you’ve heard of the scary death count. you’ve heard about diggory. not to mention you’re u n d e r a g e”

ok you may have sounded like a nagging mother

but you were genuinely worried

what if they succeed in putting their names in???

whAT IF THEY GET PICKED?????

ongniel bursts into laughter and say the line they always say to you

“it’s not gonna happen y/n. listen, i know you’re worried for us but even if we get to put our names in, we won’t get chosen!”

“even if we were chosen, mcgonagall wouldn’t let us participate!”

the two boys, even though they always do the exact opposite of what you say, know that you’re just looking out for them

“but even so, you shouldn’t even take that-”

“we’re going to be fine y/n. go back to the ravenclaw table and eat with your friends!!”

daniel says, giving you the sweetest smile

the same smile that you can’t say no to

and so, reluctantly, you shuffle back to your table

your friends giggling and asking if you asked daniel out and got rejected

“i didn’T ASK HIM O U T!!”

come september the 30th, all the halls were filled with whispers of the incoming beauxbatons and durmstrang students

and while your friends mumble about classes finishing early and how they’d be missing out on history of magic

you found yourself daydreaming and dropping further away from your group

“y/n!! come on, hurry up or we’ll miss seeing their entrance!!”

“coming-”

just as you were picking up your pace, you felt an arm wrap around you

“sorry!! we’ll be borrowing y/n!”

looking up, you meet the gaze of daniel

with ong on your other side but really all you see is danik 👀👀

your friends burst into giggles and wave before heading off

leaving you with the two trouble makers

standing the middle of the hallway

with people bumping into you guys

“can’t you two kidnap me in a better place??”

“what? you expected us to corner you in the shrieking shack??”

rolling your eyes, you turned around, removing daniel’s arm from you in the process

“what do you two need?? i’m a prefect i have to go keep the ravenclaws in order so cut to the chase”

grinning, seongwoo slides up next to you

“say y/n, you know how to brew an ageing potion right???”

“yeah”

“could you maybe-”

“nope, not doing it”

the halls were empty by this point

everyone was outside waiting for the beauxbaton students and durmstrang students

“but none of us know at all!”

“well, you’ll just have to find someone else to do it.”

you turn around with a snap and head towards the grounds

leaving ongniel standing in an open hallway

“by the way,”

the two boys snap their heads up, eyes filled with hope

“george said that he and fred tried using an ageing potion and it didn’t work. i doubt that it’ll work this time either”

they were even more deflated

“do you think minhyun would make us one?”

“doubt it”

the two sigh in unison

“where have you been? you know how bad jaehwan is at his job of being prefect”

head boy! minhyun hisses to you the moment you arrive

“sorry, two dumbasses delayed me”

just as you say dumbasses

daniel and ong step out onto the grounds lmao

and minhyun winces

“i feel bad for you”

“i feel bad for me too”

suddenly a gust of wind that makes everyone hold onto their books blows past

and everyone gasps as they see the horse drawn carriages arriving

you catch ongniel oogling at the students of beauxbatons the second they step out

and you unknowingly frown

minhyun catches this and smirks

“jealous that your crush is staring at another?”

“whaT NO--- DANIEL AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS”

“ah, so it’s daniel”

“IVBSIBVOSB WHATNO-”

“why didn’t you deny anything about seongwoo??”

and shit

ok you may have a teensy tiny little crush on the tall boy

b u t

you weren’t obvious

 r i g h t ? ? ? ?

“you were obvious y/n, try harder”

fuck

and while you beat yourself up about it inside

minhyun looks at the emerging boat of durmstrang with a small smile

as the durmstrang students step out, minhyun leans over to you whispering about how he bets that that one durmstrang student would be champion

this action doesn’t go unnoticed tho

out of the corner of his eye,

danny boy notices

and boy was he not in a good mood because of it

“hey seongwoo”

“yeah bro?”

“do you think,,,, y/n’s dating minhyun?”

ong nearly chokes on his spit

“wHaT???”

following danik’s gaze, ong sees you whispering back to minhyun

“holy shit they might be actually dating”

narrowing his eyes, daniel watches as you and minhyun walk back inside

minhyun extends his arm towards you

and you let out a hearty laugh before taking his arm

after that day, you haven’t made conversation with daniel

you were ?????confused as heck

because

you can’t remember ever offending him????

like????

usually when you brush pass the two in the hallways, daniel would ruffle your hair

but now he acts like he didn’t see you???

ong apologizes on his behalf

“i have no idea why he’s being like this,,, i’m sorry”

and daniel’s mad at himself for being mad at you

“are you sure,,,, that you aren’t taking y/n and minhyun’s relationship too hard??”

“i’m not. there’s no reason to”

daniel replies as he pouts behind his fantastic beasts and where to find them textbook

daniel’s obviously upset about it

and ong thinks he knows why

on the other hand, you were pacing around in the library in front on minhyun, who was reading a book on healing properties

“what if- what if- whAT IF HE’S MAD BECAUSE I WOULDN’T BREW HIM AN AGEING POTION????”

the librarian pops her head out from behind a shelf and mouths at you to “shhh”

minhyun chuckles, flipping the page

“i doubt it”

“theN WH Y”

“i have an idea of why. but it’ll unfold itself as time goes by”

you nearly pull your hair out at his answer

returning the book to it’s shelf, minhyun pats your shoulder

“here, i’ll walk you back, it’s getting late”

sighing, you follow minhyun out of the library

“aren’t you going back to the dorm?”

“i’m on night duty tonight-”

minhyun’s words cut off as you two come face to face with the one and only

kang daniel

and ong but he’s not the main chaRACTER HE R E

danik’s lowkey trigGERED

but he stays silent and walks past you two

“uh, hey y/n!! have a nice night!!!”

ong says and also brushes past

you’re just 

“???????????whatthefuck”

and minhyun just stands there with a small smile

because he definitely knows why now

hello!! i’ve decided to split this au into two parts as it gets quite long!! i hope it’s ok with all of you,,,, anyway!! happy new year to all of you!! it’s been quite a while since i posted a scenario and i think this is my first scenario of 2018!! i hope im still relative oops