#but danny still wont get enough sleep

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 9

Time for another WIP Wednesday! Wasn't sure how much I'd get out today, but had a sudden burst of inspiration and so you've got a decent segment here. Hope you enjoy!

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.5k

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The first thing Tim and Conner did once on the ground was determine which streets were still intact enough for vehicles to drive on to set up transportation routes in and out of downtown.

“Superboy! Can you clear the road of glass and debris?”

“You’ve got it, Rob.”

Conner had barely started when a group of four ghosts noticed them and flew at them, batons raised. Tim shot them with his blaster. It pushed them away too far to use the thermos and he cursed under his breath.

“Keep going, Superboy!”

“This section is clear. Let’s go!”

Two overshadowed humans, one only a kid, started throwing debris at them and Tim dodged as he rushed towards them. Two quick blaster shots expelled the ghosts and this time Tim made sure to trap them in the thermos before they could get away.

The no-longer-overshadowed humans sat hard on the ground and held their heads.

“Are either of you hurt?” Tim asked as he looked around to make sure no other ghosts were going to attack.

“I— no, no. I’m fine,” said the older one, a hispanic woman in her late thirties in casual clothes. “Gabriella?”

Gabriella couldn’t have been more than ten. “I’m fine, Mama. What happened? Who’re you?” The last part was directed at Tim.

Tim hadn’t had to explain who he was in ages, but he smiled disarmingly. “I’m Robin. And the boy over there is my teammate Superboy. Phantom called us in to help with the invasion. We’re going to get you out of here, okay? But we need to get moving now. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” said the mother. “Come on Gabby. We’ve got to move quickly. Like racing your cousins.”

He and Conner fell into a rhythm. Conner would use TTK to clear several dozen yards of road while Tim would keep the ghosts away. All humans they rescued, up to ten now, were kept between the two of them to make it easier to keep an eye on them.

When not clearing the road, Conner would shoot at all ghosts with his weapon which had better range and a wider blast than Tim’s.

They’d managed to move about five blocks and this time, when Tim tried to use the thermos, nothing happened. He curse and grabbed the blaster to at least get it away from the people he was protecting. Turning on the mic on his Fenton Phone, he said “My thermos is no longer working. I’ve thirteen ghosts in it. Could it be full?”

“Shit,” came from Danny. “Must be. Um, B— er, Impulse. They can be emptied in the Fenton’s lab. Can you bring Robin’s thermos to the lab and back? I can’t get in with the shields up. I can give you instructions once you’re inside on how to do it.”

“Can do, Phantom,” replied Bart. “Location, Rob?”

Tim gave his location and seconds later Bart was in front of him. He handed over the thermos and Bart was gone so quickly he had to thank him over comms.

“Hey, Robin. I think my… The Fentons are near your location. They seem to be trying to hold the perimeter, so if you can get past them your people should be as safe as possible. Take a left on the next street and it’s just another two blocks.”

“Thanks, Phantom!”

Then Bart was back with his thermos. “All empty and ready to go!”

“You’re the best, Impulse!”

Bart saluted and was gone again.

“Superboy, we’re taking a left at the next intersection. The Fentons have a barricade set up and everyone should be relatively safe once we get past them.”

Sure enough, once they turned the corner, they could see the Fenton’s GAV and the flashing lights of emergency vehicles behind them. At the sight of safety, over half their humans began sprinting forward, heedless of debris in the street and running right past Conner.

Tim cursed under his breath as ghosts tried to rush the panicking people, and Tim was kept too busy shooting them away to be able to use the thermos as well. But then the Fenton’s saw them and added their own firepower to the mix. Everyone made it past the barricade.

Tim was the last to cross the barrier and found Conner already talking to some of the officers on scene.

“Robin, I’ve asked to speak to the police chief and head of EMS. We’ll accompany ambulances and firetrucks through the downtown area to help any who are trapped that Impulse and Wonder Girl haven’t already helped.”

“Excellent.” Tim turned the mic on his comm on again. “Impulse, Wonder Girl, report. How many have you found that need to be removed by ambulance?”

“Surprisingly, not that many,” replied Cassie. “We have five that we’ve found so far and Impulse has pretty much checked every building.”

“Anywhere you haven’t been able to get into?” asked Tim.

“There’s three banks, the backroom in a jewelry shop, and the back of a pharmacy. But the pharmacy gate was mesh and I couldn’t see anyone. No one replied when I shouted back to see if anyone needed help, either.”

“I’ll see if anyone has contact with those locations.”

Danny spoke up, “The portals closed by themselves five minutes ago. I’ll check them out.”

“Thanks, Phantom,” said Tim.

With impeccable timing, the police chief finally arrived just as Tim finished touching base with the rest of his team.

“We didn’t have a chance to send out a distress signal before communications were disrupted. How did you know to get here?”

Tim shrugged. “I’m friends with Phantom and he asked for help. Impulse and Wonder Girl have found five people too injured for them to safely evacuate. We’d like to get ambulances to their locations as soon as possible. We can probably keep two safe at a time.”

“Hmmm,” the chief looked over at the people Conner and Tim had already rescued. EMTs were checking them over and treating the minor injuries they’d received. “My men haven’t heard a single complain and the people you rescued speak highly of your skill. We’ll take you up on that, Robin. But if any of our people get hurt on your watch, it’ll be on your head.”

Tim couldn’t help but roll his eyes behind his mask, but he smiled the gala-smile his mom had drilled into him and said, “Yes, sir. You have my word we will keep everyone safe to the best of our abilities. Which is quite a lot.”

At that point, Jack Fenton came over. “Didn’t expect to see any superheroes in our little town! How’d you get a hold of our tech? Do you like it? Think the rest of the Justice League would be willing to put in an order or two?”

Tim turned the gala-smile on the man. “You must be Jack Fenton,” he said as if he’d never met him before. “I’m Robin and this is Superboy.”

Conner nodded, “Hello, Mr. Fenton. This tech is quite impressive. You’ve done good work.”

“We heard you were the best for ghost weapons,” said Tim, “so tried to stop by your house when we first came to town. But the invasion had already started and you were out here fighting already. Your son helped us find weapons that suited us. I hope that’s all right?”

Jack boomed a laugh. “That’s my boy! Of course it’s all right. Dan-o knows our inventions almost as well as Mads and I do.”

Maddie came over as well. “It’s great to see someone else use them. Let us know if there’s any improvements you’d recommend or anything that isn’t working out quite right.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Tim. “They’ve been working great so far.”

“Oh, that’s so lovely to… DIE GHOST SCUM!” She turned away from him halfway through her sentence and shot a beam from a bazooka at a group of ghosts trying to sneak past the barricade.

Jack stared adoringly at her. “That’s my wife!” He returned to his own weapon.

The ambulances arrived minutes later and Conner and Tim spent the next hour evacuating the five injured victims.

As the night wore on and downtown fully evacuated and more ghosts trapped in the thermoses and sent back to the ghost zone, things got quieter. And around four in the morning, they decided it was safe enough to call it a night.

Phantom carried them back to his house invisibly and they changed in silence, too exhausted to say anything. Danny retreated to his own room so Sam and Tucker could make sure he’d wake up in time for school and the rest stayed in the guest room. Tim, Bart, and Cassie all managed to squeeze into the queen sized bed while Conner took the floor.

Tim was asleep nearly as soon as his head hit the pillow.

I'm not very good with action scenes. Have very little practice with them, honestly. So hopefully this doesn't come across too rushed! I hope to get better with them as I spend time in this fandom.

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Next

This takes place before the introduction of the Specter Deflector. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that in any notes yet. I think I have, but idk. So if you were wondering why Danny didn't just give everyone one of those, that's why.

I will no longer be doing tag lists, but please turn on notifications for the Subscription Post if you want to be notified when this updates.

[thenightwolf51]

"Danny was born a Wayne" AU except he's Bruce's grand uncle. The result of a one time drunken affair, shortly before Kenneth Wayne's death, to a young unmarried woman who gave the baby up for adoption.

(Whether the Fenton's, and therefore Amity, were just ahead of their times or the DC timeline is shifted a bit so that DP happens in its cannon era is up to you. Dealers choice, though now that i know about her i just love badass widowed prohibition leader Laura Elizabeth Wayne)

Danny grows up knowing hes adopted and loved by the Fentons but something (dealer's choice) happens and he loses his family and friends (maybe the whole town goes too?). In an attempt to avoid a Dan situation he flees into the Infinite Realm and doesn't stop.

He just wanders, time passes in its weird Realms way, not that Danny truly notices. A protector spirit thats lossed everything it protected. Its a wonder he doesn't fade and he actually might've if it wasn't for his human side.

But its a tug at his core that brings him from his near catatonic wandering. Gone before he can even understand it but enough to shake him back to himself. Enough to know that hes nowhere near ready to go anywhere familiar so he continues on, his wandering no less pointless but at least he's aware again.

What feels like a relatively short time later he gets another tug, and this time he manages to follow it.

He follows it invisibly through a natural portal that drops him somewhere in New Jersey and all the way to a fancy hospital room in the gloomiest city he's ever seen.

In there he sees his half brother Patrick Wayne, though he wont figure out their connection for a few more years, holding little Agatha. She's adorable in her little dress and pigtails and her sweet face causes that familiar tug he recognizes from what must have been six years ago given the girls age.

Then a nurse comes in and hands a little bundle to what must be the mother (whos name i cant find) and Danny takes one look at the little core tugger who brought him here and just melts. Even without knowing yet that this is his last remaining family, his instincts latch on and he vows to protect and care for the Waynes.

And he does.

He finds his forgetful brother's documents and keeps Aggy company when everyone else is busy and soothes baby Thomas so his poor sister-in-law can get some more sleep. He ices fevers and bruised knees and helps on later games of hide and seek.

He very rarely becomes visible and only to the children. His grief over the Fenton's convinces him its better to protect his new family from the shadows.

Danny explores every inch of the manor, including secret passages and an underground cave system. He claims a forgotten room in the back of the attic as his own, which over the years fill up with knickknacks, heirlooms, and pictures of the family. Even a gift or two from Agatha, who hadn't stopped believing in their shadowy guardian like her brother did when Danny felt they were too old to see him without drawing suspicion.

The manor becomes his haunt and he always knows where each family member is within it. And when any guests have some no good intentions.

And when baby Bruce is born tugging at his core and with the bluest little eyes, he welcomes the fussy little thing. And makes sure dear Martha never knows just how fussy baby Bruce really is, otherwise she might've never had a full nights sleep.

Danny blames himself for not being there when Thomas and Martha die, and promises to never leave Bruces side, practically becoming the boy's living shadow. Watching over him as he gets older, secretly aiding him in his training. Danny feels a bit of pride when Bruce takes some inspiration from the old stories Thomas told him of the shadowy Wayne family protector when creating his Batman identity, glad his nephew still remembers him even if he hasn't shown himself since the now young man was six.

Danny continues to protect and care for the family in a variety of ways over the years even as the family grows.

Lightening Alfred's workload, softening Dick's falls, calming Jason's temper both pre and post pit, hiding Tim's coffee when the boy hasn't slept in far too long, providing plenty of shadows and hiding nooks for Cass, helping Damian hide the litter of kittens he found.

And no one seems to know he's there, except maybe Cass and he's pretty sure Alfred has been know since he first started working for the family. No one knows, that is, until Duke Thomas moves in and lookes right at him watching invisibly from the sidelines.

(@omnicrafts @dcxdpdabbles @hdgnj @ailithnight @nelkcats @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 i dont know, the main point of all this is that Danny's been protecting the Wayne family for decades and no one, except maybe Alfred, knew until Duke moved in)

[foster-the-world]

Best time

Took the girls to a French Fry restaurant/stand in the West Village that I used to go to all of the time when I was in my 20's. Of course, they loved it. Then we went to the Tenement Museum. I love that place. They also liked it. I'm sure somethings went over there head but they still go things out of it. I made them write a passage about it because I'm that kind of Mom. I really want their writing to improve this summer. I was surprised neither of them knew what the word immigrant meant. A third to half of their class is immigrant children. I had booked a tour about a 13year old girl which was geared toward children. Unfortunately, turned out I had booked the wrong day. They kindly let me go on a different tour. We did one called "100 years apart" about a Chinese family in the 1970s and a Prussian/Germany family in the 1870s. The kids got to see a rotary phone and a tape recorder. We've always treated immigrants unfairly/blamed them for our problems and then gotten pissed off when the economy goes to shit when we limit immigration.

Baby boy loved the Danny Go show. He was so into it - my husband and I were dying laughing. We also found a really nice community pool that we took him to three times this weekend. Its free and huge. I'd been to the Central Park pool before I had kids and found it kind of gross. I falsely assumed all city pools would be like that. Was very happy to find out that was not true. Baby boys swimming is getting better everyday.

Don't judge (or do, whatever, we are doing the best we can) but baby boy (4yo in June) still sleeps in a crib with a pop up mesh tent over it. We know we should have gotten him out but there is no way he would stay in a bed if he could easily get out. With this set up he sleeps a solid 11-12 hours per night, without complaint. He knows he can't get out so he doesn't try. He doesn't cry and if he did we would go in. He's very, very bothered when he does not get enough sleep. He's impulsive when he gets enough sleep I cannot imagine his behavior if he did multiple nights without enough sleep. Last night he put a hole in the mesh tent and got right out. Normally he falls asleep within 5-10 minutes. Last night we stayed in the room and it took two hours. Then of course he was up in the middle of the night. He laid in our bed not sleeping for another two hours. I told my husband to warn his teacher. No way he's going to be okay at school today. By the time we see him at 5pm he'll be out of control. I'll sew up the tent tonight. I ordered another one. We should at least try a floor twin bed with a tent over it sometime soon. My Mom/Aunt are coming Wednesday to watch them over the weekend while we go to a wedding. I can't put that on her. I'm sure its like most kid things - someday he will sleep in a big kid bed and I wont even remember worrying about this. We just need to get it over with.

[ettellessa]

I was writing something this morning and midway I realized it fits Danny and Sam well enough for a smol fanfic.

Trope: writer and serial killer get matched based on similar interests.

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The Phantom Killer

Sam Manson is a goth girl with varius dark interests —horror movies, metal, edgy makeup, etc—, who is recently diving into the occult —witchcraft, demonology, divination—.

While interacting on forums about necromancy and ghosts, she meets a boy with a lot of questions she can theorically answer —what demons are best for what purpose, what offerings are better, is the metal background music necessary?—

Later, Sam is going through some old classic horror movies and discussing serial killers, and there he is again.

SpaceGhost: hi

LocalMorticia: u again?

SpaceGhost: any more wisdom you wanna share w me?

LocalMorticia: on serial killers? not rly

SpaceGhost: why here then?

LocalMorticia: trynna learn for a story im writing

SpaceGhost: maybe i can help u

LocalMorticia: lets see

LocalMorticia: any clue on how could I effectively turn a person into a functional puppet with strings?

SpaceGhost: first of all, if you wont kill them, then break their joints and attach the strings to the wrists, the elbows, the shoulders, the knees, the hips and the top of the head.

SpaceGhost: if youre gonna kill them, then let the rigor mortis do its thing first and then break the joints post mortem

SpaceGhost: well not you, your character haha

LocalMorticia: you know a lot

SpaceGhost: a lot of movies and videogames end up teaching you smth

LocalMorticia: thx

LocalMorticia: ill be back w more questions

SpaceGhost: ill be waiting

Question after question, they start video calling. Sam is surprised to see how cute SpaceGhost turns out to be —or Danny, that's his name. She hates to have these shallow girl thoughts, buy she can't help it.

Weeks after the calls, they agree to meet because they live in the same city.

The boy is shy and a little awkward, he seems to be very sick and fragile, but she doesn't comment on it. He knows a lot about her interestes, even if he couldn't look more casual himself. He is a bit of a geek, maybe that is why he is so pale.

There's a serial killer on the loose in Amity Park. Someone has been killing young men and putting their bodies in weird satanic altar-like places: pentagrams, circles, septagrams, candles and weird incriptions. There is always a green substance on the scene, but nobody knows what it is.

Sam notices these crimes deeply upset Danny. He goes quiet and sometimes even shakes when he sees them.

A few months later, they share their first kiss. She is pretty sure that he disappeared for a split second in the kiss. But that's impossible, isn't it?

The murders are increasing, whoever does them is very good, the police has absolutely no clue and there are no fingerprints, hair or anything they can use to track the killer. It's as though he were a ghost, which earns him a name on the media: the Phantom Killer.

Danny is doing a lot better, he is tanner and more energetic. He is brimming with life.

The months go on, Danny and Sam are getting a little serious: this isn't some flirtation anymore. Is he going to get on one knee? Is she going to say yes? Is 23 too young or too old?

Danny disappears for weeks sometimes, when he is back, he always looks healthier and stronger. He barely resembles the boy she met on dark forums.

The murders are still happening, so the Mayor imposes a curfew on town. Danny seems displeased for this, but Sam couldn't care less: he just moved in with her, it's perfect for the cozy times she hopes to spend with him.

It's only a few weeks later that she begins to notice he leaves the bed sometimes in the middle of the night. Once, she followed to the living room to catch him in his computer, fully focused on whatever he's reading. She trusts him, but she can't help to wonder.

Months into this dynamic, she realizes that he drugs her once or twice in the month —unusual nights when she sleeps like a baby and he casually brings her his "special Fenton hot chocolate" before bed. She doesn't immediately confront him, because she wants to know what he is up to.

The next time he brings him the mug —the special Snow White Poisoned Apple mug he gave her for their first anniversary, of all things— she only pretends to drink it, spiting it on the sink as soon as he leaves.

In the middle of the night, around 3:00 AM, he gets up and leaves. She listens to him getting dressed, watches him walk away —peeking through the living room window— and get lost into the night. Sam follows him wearing only her night robe and carrying her phone and am electric gun, just in case someone tries to hurt her. Definitely not for Danny.

She witnesses in the cool air of the night, how he speaks with Dash Some-Big-Last-Name, their local sports star A.K.A. the village idiot. They go inside an abandoned building.

There is barely any light inside, but she can see a lot of flying shadows and hear many gutural voices. What is going on in there?

After what feels like hours, Danny comes out of the building, alone, looking tired and wearing a different outfit. She rushes back home as stealthy as she can, and makes it to the bed barely fifteen minutes before he's back, sleeping by her side.

Three weeks later, Dash is found dead on one of the altars.

Sam doesn't want to believe it. but the same routine repeats another three times. He is smart, he never waits the same amount of days between drugging her and putting his new victim on display. But why do all the bodies look so dry on the altar, even when they appear only a day after the goes hunting?

The fifth time she follows him, he finally notices.

Sam tries to get closer to the place he entered with his victim —this time a ruined factory— to see who or what are the shadows and deep voices. When she peeks through the window, the shadows are still shadows, but the voices are much clearer: they are giving orders. making deals, offering new things.

And Danny, he is discussing with them: he wants them to give him back what they promised, he says he has given them what was bargained for and the deal his parents made is done.

The shadows deny, they demand he must give them his woman and the deal will be through. Danny keeps arguing that his parents made a deal for the lives of 25 men his age, never a woman. Suddenly, he screams like a demon, his figure disappearing into a shadow that subjugates the others with a wail that could only come from the depths of hell. Sam covers her ears, horrifyed.

And that is when he sees her. He goes back to human, running after her. She fights him like a banshee, trying to run away or reach her taser. She reaches the weapon, but Danny easily takes it away. She faints.

When she wakes up, she is in her bed, with Danny resting by her side. He caresses her cheek, he says he thought he was done and safe to make a normal life with her, but he isn't. He has to keep giving them the lives of young men if he won't give them hers.

He explains that his parents made a deal for his life, he was a fragile baby and too close to death. The shadows gave him the ability to absorb the life of the ones he kills. Be tried with animals, but they life force is way too weak, so he will have to do this as long as he wants to live.

Danny kisses her forehead, confessing that he was going to let himself die instead of keeping on with the horror. But not now, not now that he has found love.

Sam tries to find the will to hate him, to be afraid, to murder him herself to stop him. She fails.

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Idk if this is a fanfic or an outline for one, but i loved the idea. And I know that Sam is more likely to become a serial killer than Danny, but Danny would never be on dark forums out of fun.

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Not The Right Nipple

Gif credit @angelreyesgirl

Hope you all enjoy

Happy reading dollies

Taglist @ilovetaquitosmmmm. @nocturnalherb16. @jesseswartzwelder. @leaalfred. @twistnet. @baylishh. @tranqs-main-mami. @mayans-mc

"So I left you four breast milk bottles in the fridge and there's pouches in the freezer if you need extra but I shouldnt be gone that long". You explained to Angel as you got ready for a girls day out. Since having the baby two months ago you hadn't been out of the house and you were going stir crazy.

"Do you really have to go? I mean, you've never left Danny with me more than an hour and that's just to take a shower. I'm not sure that I'll survive". Angel rubbed the back of his head nervously, looking down at his sleeping son in the cradle.

"Angel, you'll be fine. I promise. If you need me, I'm just a phone call away. I love you. Now don't lose my child or burn down the house". You gave him a quick kiss and headed out the door.

Angel sighed. "Just you and me kid".

"Waaaaaawaaaaaaa". Danny screamed to the top of his lungs. His little face beet red.

"Come on. Come on". Angel growled at his phone as he tried to call you. Danny wasn't eating and he didn't need a diaper change so Angel didnt know what to do.

"Angel"? Ez called out as he, Coco and Taza entered the house.

"For fuck sake, what the hell did you do"? Ez snapped when he saw his little nephew.

"Nothing. I tried to feed him but he wouldnt take the bottle. He's clean, I know because I changed his diaper every fifteen minutes". Angel stressed.

"I see now why you need to get diapers every time we go out". Coco chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up". Angel hissed, he was already irritated and he didn't need Coco on his case.

"Let me see the bottle". Taza grabbed the bottle and tested on his wrist. "It's warm enough". He handed it to Ez to see if he could get him to eat.

"Wondered why he wont take it"? Ez questioned when Danny wouldnt take the bottle for him neither.

"He's breastfed, right"? Coco asked.

"Yeah"? Angel, Ez and Taza eyed Coco confused.

"Then that's what he wants. He doesnt want a bottle, he wants the warm breast on his cheek and the face that goes with that breast". Coco smirked.

"I'll kill you, Coco. Don't talk about my wife's body". Angel pointed his gun at Coco.

"Alright, settle down. Put the gun away". Taza stepped in between the two.

"Have you called Y/N"? Ez asked rocking Danny. He was still screaming.

"Yeah, no answer".

"We'll figure something out, dont stress, daddy". Taza patted Angel's back.

Angel took the guys to the living room and tried to stay calm and feed Danny. While Coco had a idea of his own, he went to the kitchen got a pair of scissors and went back to the living room.

"Give me the bottle". Coco held out his hand.

"What are you doing. I dont trust you around my kid with scissors". Angel hesitantly gave Coco the bottle. Coco scoffed.

"What the hell are you doing"? Angel asked as he saw Coco cut a hole in his shirt right where the nipple was at.

"I'm going to feed your kid, so he'll stop his screaming. Or would you like this to continue on until Y/N got here"?

"Now, hand me the baby". Coco held out his arms. Ez looked at Angel then Angel nodded.

"See if Danny boy thinks that the breast are where is should be, he'll drink and all your problems will be solved". Coco explained. He put the bottle nipple into Danny's mouth and he began to suckle.

"See. Not all my ideas are stupid".

"Okay, give me my kid. You're not breast feeding him. It's weird".

"Fine. Cut a hole in your shirt".

Angel did just that and they quickly switched off. Danny seemed happy as he ate. Angel's stress level went down and Danny's screaming stopped completely, he was even cooing.

"Thanks, man". Angel nodded to Coco.

"Dont say I didn't get you anything".

"You didn't. You didnt even show up for the baby shower".

"I was busy".

"Doing"? Angel asked as be rocked Danny back, still feeding him.

"Doing what Danny's doing right now but on a smoking hot red head". Coco smirked.

"Aaaah, that's disgusting. Dont be talking like that around my child, you nasty pervert". Angel scoffed in disgust.

"Do you want me to tell Danny that you were in his position a year ago"? Coco teased.

"Get out of my house, Cruz". Angel bluntly told Coco.

"Fine. I have a red head to see anyways". Coco rolled his eyes and headed out of the house.

"You cool here, brother"? Ez asked.

"Yeah I'm good. Thanks. See you guys later".

Ez and Taza left. Angel relaxed on the couch, cradling his sleeping son. A moments peace.

After a good squeeze and snuggle session, he laid Danny in his bassinet.

Angel was thrilled when he heard you pull up. He was still sitting on the couch when you walked in.

"Hey, my loves". You tip toed up to the couch. Leaning on the back of the couch.

"How was your day"? Angel asked with a whisper.

"It was wonderful. Thank you. How was your day? I seen you called but then texted you were fine".

"Oh, I missed place the wipes and forgot where we put the others but I found them. No problem". Angel lied.

"Okay, I'm going to go change. I need to snuggle with my boys". You giggled and kissed his cheek.

Angel saw the bassinet moving and got up to check on Danny.

"Angel"? You called out from the other room.

"Yeah"?

"Why does your shirt have a hole at the nipple"? You asked looking at it oddly as you went to put it on.

"Um, about that". Angel chuckled to himself as he picked up his son.

[jonspurpleskirt]

An Unlikely Befriending

Summary: Jon gets kidnapped. Jon gets bored. And Jon makes very unlikely friends because of it. Aka: Pen and Paper saves the day (world) and Jon finally gets to have a band. A/N: This is pure fluff, no warnings apply I think. ___

The worst thing about being kidnapped by a crazy mannequin murder clown monstrousity and sitting in a cold, room with creepy wax works, tied to a chair was not the ever present terror. True the fear of Nikola finally deeming his skin good enough and skinning him alive was quite potent, but it wasn't as bad as boredom.

Jon had never taken well to waiting. His mind needed to be occupied 24/7, needed something to latch onto, to obsess about. It's why he became a researcher in the first place. Having most of his freedom taken from him made occupying himself very hard.

At least they still let him eat and drink here and there. Nikola always visited personally, her overly cheery voice bubbling forth as she chattered away while slathering him with lotion or shoving bits of take out food in his mouth. His diet those last two weeks had been very varied and healthy and he had never drank so much water before.

He still probably looked a mess, what with no access to a shower and barely being able to sleep at all. And the constant terror. Oh yeah and the boredom.

Oh the boredom.

Jon was currently sitting in his chair as he was wont to do. Thankfully not nailed down despite all the nagging from Sarah Baldwin. The coffin was singing or moaning with a slight melody behind it, depending on who you asked. And somehow Jon found himself humming along, trying to find a good melody to go with the haunting tune. It wasn't like he had anything better to do and if he didn't start doing something creative his mind would start eating itself soon.

So he hummed, experimenting with the notes, twisting them into something that was reminiscent of circus music and airships. And then he kept humming the melody over and over, forming words in his mind to go with the tune. Once the spark was lit a fire started to burn, the story branching out and out into a twirling mass of chaos and fire.

He had gotten lost in his imagination, hadn't noticed how loud he had become, hadn't heard Nikola approach. Jon screeched when she leant down over him and grinned at him upside down, nose nearly touching his.

Nikola had the gall to laugh at him, no breath fanning over his face as she did so.

"Awww Archivist! I didn't know you had such a nice voice!"

"Hrmph."

"Yes your singing was also quite good!" She straightened herself, back cracking in several places. Striding around his chair she towered over him, tattered, bloody ringmaster uniform filling his field of vision.

"I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to sing, of course! And the broken repeat is lovely."

"Hm."

"Anyway water time!"

With gleeful cackling she ripped the tape from his mouth, amused enough to not immediately shove the bottle between his teeth.

"There are words to it, too." Jon rushed to say, not exactly sure why. What was he offering her here? A solo performance?

"Oh?" she at least didn't tape his mouth shut again. For now.

After waiting several beats where both stared at each other and nothing else happened Jon dared to speak up again.

"I ah... well I wrote it myself? Not wrote, of course. My hands are tied at the moment-" He was rambling. Nikola had given him the freedom of speech and he was off like a shot, telling her everything about what he had been thinking about before she had interrupted his impromptu jamming session, terror completely terminating his brain to mouth filter.

Nikola, for her part, took it all in stride. She even settled on the floor in front of him, blinking every now and then to indicate that she was still present.

"It's such a shame." she finally spoke, holding the water bottle to his mouth, letting him drink of his own volution for once. "You would have made a perfect piece for the choir. Hm maybe what will be left of you will do."

"I could sing for you now." Jon offered as soon as his mouth was free again.

Nikola startled at the offer and Jon just shrugged as much as he was able to. He'd rather sing to a creepy murder doll than spend one minute longer alone and bored out of his mind. And if he could delay the Unknowing (and the violent removal of his skin) by keeping Nikola entertained than even better.

That sounded like he almost had a plan. Which was untrue. He only had a very strong desire for entertainment.

"No sneaky questions." Nikola warned.

"Promise. I can't guarantee good quality rhymes, though. I'm still workshopping."

Singing out loud what had been in his head was always an awkward affair. He had wanted to start a band with Georgie in uni. But it was exactly because of this that he had never bothered.

"That was fun!" Nikola screamed after he was finished nontheless. Clapping her hands in delight, which created a horrible cracking noise.

"I'm glad? I also DM."

She tilted her head at him. "What's that?"

Jon explained the concept of pen and paper games to her while she rubbed lotion into his skin and had her hooked immediately.

Later that day (or maybe the next day, really Jon had no concept of time anymore) Jon was for the first time allowed out of his chair, carefully rubbing circulation back into his hands. Nikola had only briefly left him alone after watering and lotioning him. They had hashed out what kind of world and system they wanted to use (a horror setting, of course) and then Nikola was off and dragging Breekon and Hope back into the room so they had enough people to play.

Either Breekon or Hope sat down behind Jon, large hands lightly clasping his arms, squeezing every once in a while to remind him that should he try and escape he would only end up in pain.

Jon shifted awkwardly in the grip, unused to gentleness even if it was supposed to be threatening.

"Alright. First, character creation. Who do you guys want to play?"

It became a daily thing. The three beings in his group quickly became addicted to his story telling and to the characters they were allowed to play. Nikola tore through characters, trying on different personalities like pieces of clothing. She had a beautiful eery singing voice, Jon was surprised to find out when she had decided to play a member of a steampunk band.

Breekon and Hope were less manic, too attached to their twins to play anyone else. They changed voices and accents every session, though. Jon deigned to ignore their shenanigans, scared to make them angry. He hadn't had this much fun in ages, he didn't want to loose that.

The two delivery men took turns holding him down while they played, Hope holding onto his arms and Breekon using him like a child would a Teddy bear.

Eventually the three lingered after their sessions had ended, the ropes that tied him to his chair less tight. Jon tried to keep the conversations casual, to not ask all the questions that burned at the tip of his tongue. He found that he didn't need to. Tongue loose from goofing around Nikola was often chatty, Breekon and Hope throwing in their two cents every once in a while.

Eventually the topic about Tims younger brother came up.

"Danny Stoker? Grimauldi skinned him? Hm..." Nikolas head nearly dislodged as she stared at the ceiling in thought. "Noooo." She giggled. "We didn't skin anyone that night, silly! We were scoping out locations for the dance! Danny's little group stumbled into us and got a little confused~"

"But Tim saw Grimauldi rip Dannys skin off of a puppet."

Nikola shrugged. "An illusion. We're good at making you people see things that aren't really there. Yet."

"So Danny is alive?"

"I believe so!~ If he didn't die in a ditch somewhere."

Jon was very careful to keep his voice as soft as possible with the next question. "Could you find him again and bring him to the Institute? To Tim and... I don't know... maybe that's a stupid idea given that he can't be sure it's really him..."

"If I track him down do I get inspiration for my character next session?"

"That's cheating." Breekon complained under his breath behind Jon.

"I... yes?"

Nikola grinned. "Wonderful! I see what I can do!"

Days went by like that, Nikola or Breekon or Hope updating him on Dannys search, which had turned out to be harder than they had thought. Well at least Jon was keeping them busy.

They were in the middle of racing a burning train into the central bank of London when a door creaked behind Jon, bathing the room in technicolour and spiral shapes.

"That is not what I thought I'd find here." A voice that wavered between confused and gleeful mused.

Jon twisted in the grip Breekon had on him. "Hello Michael."

"Hello Archivist. You've found yourself in an interesting situation." The grin Michael shot him was a knife glinting in the light before striking.

"Yes. Why are you here?"

Nikola had let him practice after Jon had explained his lack of training, much more lax with her hostage now that he fed her fascinating stories of blood and gore. So there was no trace of compulsion in his voice when he asked the question.

Michael answered truthfully anyway. "I came to kill you of course!"

"I have dips on that!" Nikola said, voice pleasant and grin feral.

"I'm sorry about that. Would you like to join the game instead?"

Michael stared at him as though he had grown mad. Impressed, curious and lightly terrified. Then it laughed that horrible, headache inducing laugh.

"There's a lot of lies and delusion." Jon coaxed, heart beating out of his chest with nerves.

"He's a good storyteller." Hope added, Nikola and Breekon nodding along.

"Hm alright. I guess I can play for a bit."

It didn't stay just for a bit. Michael stayed through the finale of the story and then demanded to start another, their little ragtag group of definitely not heroes causing more chaos than any other player group Jon had ever DMed before. And that was saying something. Hours upon hours passed, Michael disappearing and reappearing to get Jon coffee and tea to keep his voice from giving out.

In the middle of it all Michael began twitching and twisting, glitching in and out of sight before slumping to the ground with a groan, form for once near comprehensible. Another door opened and out walked Helen looking down at the Distortion in disappointment.

"Oh that didn't destroy you. Shame."

"Helen?"

"Hello Jon! I was coming to rescue you given that Michael got a little distracted. Do you want to come to the archives with me?"

Honestly Jon should have been shocked, probably angry. He was definitely sad. And yet the most he felt was just an overwhelming sense of whelp.

Jon vaguely gestured towards Nikola, as much as Breekons hold allowed him to. "Ask her."

"We're not done yet."

"Later then?"

Nikola considered Jon for a long moment, both staring unblinking at each other. "Give us an hour."

To Jons great surprise Helen just nodded and delicately sat on the chair Jon usually frequented in his "freetime" all prim and proper except for the long sharp fingers curling at the edges like corkscrews.

"Now where were we?"

Michael groaned from the floor for once not smiling. Jon felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

"Are you alright?"

"Been better. Been worse. Let's burn this village down!"

There was no end to the tale they had been playing, not with just one session of playtime. Jon felt a bit bad about that, especially because he had left it at a cliffhanger. No one seemed to be angry at him for it, though. Michael had recovered fast and was again his usual ominous cheery, albeit lightly aggressive self. He poked and prodded at Helen like a curious cat while Nikola massaged lotion into Jons skin for the last time and handed him several expensive looking bottles, rattling down a step by step skin care routine he was to follow to the t or else she would break into his house and do it herself.

Hope patted him on the head. "See you around, Archivist."

"You're really letting me go? Just like that?" Jon still couldn't believe it.

Nikola shrugged. "I found another option. And I'd like to keep doing this after the Unknowing."

"Will that be even possible?"

The grin he got from was not at all reassuring. "I don't know~"

Well that was probably the best he would get from her. Jon gave a hesitant tiny wave and, flanked by both Michael and Helen stepped through their door.

Back at the archive no one had even questioned his disappearance. A fact that made Michael and Helen laugh, even though they both refused to leave as Tim, Melanie and Basira questioned him about his whereabouts.

Martin was the only one who took Jons forced vacation in stride. Maybe he even was a little too happy about a group of mannequins harassing him to take better care of himself.

"You're not compromised now, are you?" Basira asked when Jon had settled back into his office after a long shower.

"No? Because I still don't want the world to end?"

"Good."

Somehow Jon knew that she would still keep an eye on him from now on.

~~~

When the day came to blow up the ritual site Jon hadn't slept a wink in three nights and was overcome by guilt. Despite how aweful his initial time at the circus had been and despite him knowing what horrible things Nikola and her kin did in their freetime, Jon still felt bad about probably killing her.

He tried to rationalize his feelings away, connecting his rising anxiety with the fact that Danny still hadn't been found. It was a flimsy denial.

Tim stayed by his side the whole time, resolute in his burning desire for vengeance. Jon was scared that he would loose him to this, too. Had confessed as much to Michael and Helen, who had taken to keeping at least one door manifested somewhere in the tunnels at all times. The two had started to get along well after some initial disagreement. The Spiral, split as it was between the two of them, was weaker in its influence now, leaving more of Michael Shelley and Helen Richardson to make decisions.

They weren't here now. Daisy, Basira and Tim were, setting up explosives and arguing about rescuing people that were already long dead.

And then Nikola appeared and the dance started and nothing made sense anymore.

Jon woke up six months later, Georgie calling him a monster and Basira giving him a statement to "eat" catching him up on everything he had missed. Tim had miraculously survived, having been dragged through a door by either Helen or Michael. Daisy and Basira had encountered Breekon and Hope, who had argued about what they should do with "Jons feral friends" and in the end had led them savely out of the building before it could go boom, muttering about possible inspiration points.

The only one who hadn't been saved was Jon. He tried not to feel too hurt about that.

Coming back to work was as anti climatic as it had been after the kidnapping. The only one who seemed happy to see him was Martin. He had apologized profusely for the hug and promptly stopped doing so when Jon dashed forward and back into Martins warm embrace, finally breaking down.

He had been too caught up in his crying to make a note of the little kiss Martin pressed into his hair.

They all were a little lost after averting the apocalypse, normal everyday life eluding them. Elias might have been out of the picture for the moment, but Peter Lukas had taken over and fighting against the isolation was taking its toll on everyone.

They were all huddled in the breakroom, faces grim and stewing in silence so as to not break into an arguement when they got their delivery.

Breekon and Hope stepped into the small space with their usual nonchalance dragging a scared young man between them, who had a lot of resemblance to Tim.

"Delivery for Jonathan Sims. Nikola says hi."

Tim was the first one up. "No... No no nononononono that can't be. He's dead. Jon. Jon tell me is that really him?!"

Jon looked at the scared man, who had his gaze locked on Tim, recognition slowly dawning on his face. He Looked and he Knew.

"Yes. No one was killed the night Danny disappeared. His group encountered Nikola and her troupe during a rehearsal, got confused and then lost. And was lost ever since. Nikola told me of this. She promised to find him for me, for you."

That was all Tim needed to rush forward, catching his brother in his arms and hugging him close. "Danny!"

Danny clung back just as tightly, awareness barely back. Still obviously shaken and confused.

Jon smiled at the two delivery men. "Thank you. Will he... will he be alright."

Hope shrugged. "Dunno. Nikola said to make him remember bit by bit. Been not Danny for a long time. Might need to get used to it again."

"We'll take it slow." Tim promised, silent tears streaming down his face.

"Good luck. Hey Archivist, do we get inspiration, too?"

Jon laughed, incredulous. The others in the room watched the exchange with varying degress of exasperation and outrage.

"You know what? Yes. Yes you have. And I'll give you all advantage on your rolls next session. Only that one session, though! Same for Nikola. How is she, by the way?"

Breekon made a so-so sign. "Restless. We've waited over six months to find out what happens after  that cliffhanger you gave us."

"Right." He still couldn't believe it. "Tonight 8 o'clock, my flat?"

Twin grins, the most excited he had ever seen them. "See you then, Archivist."

Tim was still gently hushing his brother, rocking back and forth on his feet to try and calm him down a little. And he still had tears streaming down his face, looking like an absolute wreck. But he still managed to join the unimpressed stares that were thrown his way by everyone but Martin, who at this point had just started to roll with the punches.

"You really befriended the clown club and made them rescue literally all of us?" Basira asked in a deadpan voice.

"I kind of feel cheap now." Daisy muttered. "As though those clowns let us win."

"Look, what can I say? Pen and Paper games are fun. I can't blame them. And Nikola did want to start a band."

"Oh my god." Melanie groaned, her head thunking onto the table. "I can't believe it."

"A band?" Basira asked, suddenly much more alert. They really had gotten quite desensitized to the whole monster thing, hadn't they? "What, you can sing?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. But really. Shouldn't we... I mean shouldn't we focus on Danny? There's a cot-"

"I know." Tim interrupted. "We all know there's a cot. I'll take him home, you keep talking about your weird band plans. Monster boss? We talk later, but... thank you."

Silence reigned long enough to follow Tim out of the Institute before Martin piped up, cheeks reddening before he had even opened his mouth. "Could we... Could we have a taste?"

"A taste? Of what? My voice?"

"Hold up, if Sims is going to sing I'll have to record it." Melanie tapped on her phone and held it into the room as one would do a microphone. "Alright go."

Jon sighed, what he didn't do to keep up the group morale.

"Aww shit." Was Basiras conclusion when he was done. "What kind of music were you thinking of playing?"

"Steampunk."

"Count me in."

~~~

Today had been weird, Jon thought, mind reeling from the whiplash of... kindness? That had happened after the delivery of one Danny Stoker. Granted the last month, no

year

had been weird. But this had topped it all. At least it had been a nice weird.

Jon had nearly forgotten about his appointment with a certain group of Strangers when he got back to his flat, overworked, hungry and still processing. So he should be forgiven for the scream he let out when he saw three large figures huddling on his too small couch.

"You haven't been taking care of your skin at all!"

There was no time to duck away from the cold, hard hands that fluttered all over his body. Nikola squished his cheeks like a proper grandmother, clearly unhappy about their elasticity.

"I was in a coma for six months."

"And awake for a few weeks now." A cheerful male voice said from behind him, bringing the smell of pizza with it.

"We were there he didn't take care of himself at all!" Helen added, putting down several cans of soda and what looked to be instant coffee.

"You're horrible!" Nikola wailed, manhandling him until he was squished between Breekon and Hope. "All my beautiful work! Ruined!"

"Uh... sorry?"

"You can make it up to us with weekly sessions." Michael suggested with a grin.

"Both on Saturday and Sunday!" Helen added.

"I actually planned for Sunday to be band day." Jon lied. "Basira wants to join, by the way."

They were all settled around the small coffee table now, food and drink on the floor so they had enough place to roll their dice.

"Wonderful! What did you think we'd name it?"

Jon tilted his head given the illusion of thinking it over even though he had known what to name his band since highschool.

"The Mechanisms."

[rye-views]

Caddyshack (1980) dir. Harold Ramis 7.3/10

I’m amused by the beer in the golf bag.

I can see how this has a cult following, but I will not be joining. Amused, but not enough.

The gopher is very cute.

This may as well be the prequel to Goundhog Day.

I feel like Smails still deserved compensation for his boat.

Spoiler: [About the caddies at Bushwood Country Club. Danny works there and needs money for his college fund even though he doesn’t know why he wants to go to college. He is caddying for Ty Webb, who is a great golfer and guy. Danny volunteers to caddy for Smails later since he’s in charge of a golf scholarship just recently reopened. Czervik is another rich golfer, who is hated by Smails. Czervik is obnoxious and jokes about everything. As they both golf throughout the course, he messes with Smails, causing him to fail miserably and get upset. Smails throws his golf club into the air, hitting a nearby couple. As they argue, Danny says it’s his fault, winning him the favor of Smails, who tells him to go for the scholarship. Danny is dating a server at the club named Maggie. She tells him to come serve later so they can be together. He does for extra cash, but also notices Lacy, Smail’s niece, who is visiting. She is promiscuous and gets with Ty. A caddy golf tournament happens and Danny wins. Smails invites him to his ceremony for his boat, which Czervik later sinks by being obnoxious. At this time, Danny sleeps with Lacy. He is caught by Smails and is kicked out of the house. Smails talks to him later to keep his niece’s activities a secret rather than getting mad at Danny. Maggie comes up to him and mentions that she’s pregnant and having the baby, but doesnt want to marry him. She later is relieved when finding she’s not pregnant. Czervik and Smails argue later and Ty comes to mediate. He tells them to talk it out and they end up concluding with a bet to whoever wins a golf game the following day for $20,000. They would be a team of Czervik and Ty against Smails and Dr. Beeper. Ty only joins after amping the game up to $40,000 since Smails tried to shmooze him. The groundskeeper, Carl, is told to get rid of a gopher problem in the field. He first fills up the holes with water, causing bursts of water to come out from all the holes. He then sneaks at night to shoot it with a rifle, but fails. He hears a sound from his home and finds Ty looking for a golf ball as he is practicing for a bet the following day. Carl manages to get Ty to smoke a hit of his joint and drink a bit before leaving.  Smails practices, even against a heavy storm, and has his best game yet. He ends up electrocuted though by lightening. The match happens the following day and everyone gathers to bet even though this is all against club rules. Smails ends up ahead as Czervik is doing terribly. Czervik makes the wager to $80,000 and Smails agrees. Czervik hits a ball and it comes back to him, hitting him in the arm. He cries that he’s hurt and tries to leave the game, calling it a draw. They wont’ accept it and says he must have a substitute or he forfeits. He gets replaced by Danny, who is choosing against the scholarship after Czervik promises him it’ll be worth it. At the final hole, he makes it right to the rim of the hole, but it doesn’t go in. At the same time, Carl blows up all the holes by throwing in clay animals that he molded, connected to explosives. The explosions go off all over the course and the ball ends up going in. They win.]

[theycallmegothboy]

1-100 >:DDDD REVENGE!!!

FELIXXXXXXXXXXXX >:(( 1. Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?  -spotify  2. is your room messy or clean? -it’s pretty messy i guess  3. what color are your eyes? -blue and grey

4. do you like your name? why? -yeah it’s fine 5. what is your relationship status? -single 6. describe your personality in 3 words or less -certified intrusive thot 7. what color hair do you have? -brown and rn it’s red 8. what kind of car do you drive? color? -i dont have a car 9. where do you shop? -hot topic, goodwill, target 10. how would you describe your style? -comfy emo 11. favorite social media account -of mine, probably discord or youtube 12. what size bed do you have? -twin >:(( 13. any siblings? -i have 1.5 brothers  14. if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? -probably vancouver, idk canada seems lit 15. favorite snapchat filter? -i like the one with devil horns and a tail but its cute 16. favorite makeup brand(s) -i dont wear makeup 17. how many times a week do you shower? -i used to shower every day, but i dont do anything that gets me dirty so like maybe 3 times but if i leave the house then i shower 18. favorite tv show? -stranger things 19. shoe size?  -8 or 9 20. how tall are you? -5′6 with shoes >:(( 21. sandals or sneakers? -sneakers wtf 22. do you go to the gym? -lol no 23. describe your dream date -making some pie or something together and then eating the pie and then sitting on some rooftop looking at stars 24. how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? -quite a bit actually but i’m saving up for a phone lol so soon it will be like maybe 10 dollars lmao 25. what color socks are you wearing? -not wearing socks but the ones i had earlier were white (ankle length) 26. how many pillows do you sleep with? -just one but it sucks 27. do you have a job? what do you do? -NO BUT IM TRYING TO GET A JOB BUT THE FUCKIN PEOPLE THERE ARE GHOSTING ME AND WONT REPLY TO MY EMAILS SO LIKE SBJHBJS 28. how many friends do you have? -like 4 lmao 29. whats the worst thing you have ever done? -idk nothing super bad but i do a lot of small shit that makes me feel guilty when i realize what i did 30. whats your favorite candle scent? -juniper rosewood 31. 3 favorite boy names -leo, clay, charlie 32. 3 favorite girl names -ivy, uh... idk thats all ive got 33. favorite actor? -no clue 34. favorite actress? -no clue 35. who is your celebrity crush? -not a celeb but i’d smash danny phantom 36. favorite movie? -nightmare before christmas or edward scissorhands 37. do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? -no, but my fav book is probably the prince and the pauper? idk 38. money or brains? -CASH MONEYYYY jk probably brains but if your entire personality is being “smart” like fuck off lmao   39. do you have a nickname? what is it? - a bunch of people call me son (see #49, #100), some call me rat, dumdum, goth boy

40.how many times have you been to the hospital? -just once i think when i was birthed. i also went once with my brother cause he kicked some scissors i left out on the floor and it sliced his toe the fuck open and he needed stitches and i watched him get the stitches and almost passed out :/ 41. top 10 favorite songs -please dont make me do this i dont have it in me 42. do you take any medications daily? -yea i take 20mg of vyvanse but i need to get it raised to 30 cause 20 is Not Enough 43. what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) -i got some dry fuckin skin yall dont even know 44. what is your biggest fear?  -it depends. the dark is a pretty constant one though 45. how many kids do you want? -like 2 or 3 eventually 46. whats your go to hair style? -in my face, looking stupid 47. what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)  -it’s pretty small 48. who is your role model? -i dont fuckin know lmao  49. what was the last compliment you received? - “i belive in you, my son, you’re an amazing human being“ (same friend mentioned in #100, not actually a parent of mine) 50. what was the last text you sent? -”no it’s a raccoon“ YOU GET NO CONTEXT LMAO 51. how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? -i dont think i ever hardcore believed in him, maybe i did though i remember sleeping under the tree one christmas eve waiting for him but i was like “oh yeah that makes sense“ i guess 52. what is your dream car?  -i honestly dont give a shit as long as it actually fucking works 53. opinion on smoking? -cigarettes? fuck no that’s nastyyy. weed? that’s fine i guess but wait till you’re like 18.  54. do you go to college? -no. am sophomore n highschool 55. what is your dream job?  -musician/palentologist 56. would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?  -fuck the suburbs lmao, but also im tired of rural, so like.. semi urban?? 57. do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?  -no but i take the little soaps >:)) 58. do you have freckles?  -yes 59. do you smile for pictures? -awkwardly, yes 60. how many pictures do you have on your phone?  -dont have a phone but i have like 12 on my computer currently. 4 are of me, the rest are of my cat or random shit 61. have you ever peed in the woods?  -yes 62. do you still watch cartoons?  -cartoons these days kinda suck but like if they were good fuck yeah i would like gravity falls can come hang yknow? 63. do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? -i had nuggets from mcdonalds today so i guess them? i dont really care 64. Favorite dipping sauce?  -i got sweet and sour but i dont like it that much. that schezuan sauce was great 65. what do you wear to bed?  -wouldnt you like to know? ;))  66. have you ever won a spelling bee?  -NO ive only been in two. the first one i misspelled the word “turmoil“ cause i had never heard it before and the second one i spelled the word “owed“ as “ode“ cause i was thinking like ode to joy and then i felt like a big Fool afterwards :(( 67. what are your hobbies? -lol what hobbies 68. can you draw?  -i am physically able to draw, but not well, no 69 (haha). do you play an instrument? -yeah i play a few 70. what was the last concert you saw?  -i saw Chicago in either georgia or tennessee i cant remember in like 2016 71. tea or coffee? -hot coffee, iced tea. NOT the other way around. (i love both though) 72. Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? -starbucks 73. do you want to get married? -sure why not 74. what is your crush’s first and last initial? -dont have a crush 75. are you going to change your last name when you get married?  -idk maybe 76. what color looks best on you?  -i dont know but i wear black a lot and that’s pretty dope 77. do you miss anyone right now? -yeah  78. do you sleep with your door open or closed? -closed 79. do you believe in ghosts? -on the fence. not 100% “oh my god look at these gHoSt oRbS i need to sage my house!!!“ but i accept that there’s some things i wont understand about the world and that i have no answers to. i wouldnt be surprised if there are, and i wouldnt be surprised if there aren’t. 80. what is your biggest pet peeve? -whatever my adhd decides i viscerally hate with a firey passion right at that moment  81. last person you called -my brother (the 1 of the 1.5 from #13 and the one who sliced his toe in #40) 82. favorite ice cream flavor?  -chocolate is dope 83. regular oreos or golden oreos?  -regular double stuff. if you say golden, mint, peppermint, or thin oreos i’m gonna have to euthanize you, i dont make the rules.  84. chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? -rainbow cause it’s prettier  85. what shirt are you wearing?  -queen shirt from hot topic 86. what is your phone background? -i didnt get a phone between question 60 and now but my computer one is some mountains with the moon in the background 87. are you outgoing or shy? -really depends on who i’m around 88. do you like it when people play with your hair? -YES FUCK AAAAAAA (this girl played with my hair literally once in middle school and i was like oh shit and i had a crush on her until the end of middle school true story,,, so ashley if you’re out there-) 89. do you like your neighbors? -to the left they’re fine and their dog is nice but idk what happened to the horses so that’s sus but that’s where our cat came from so they can hang  guess, behind me they’re fine but their boys are loud, to the right they’re fine, and even further to the right are the dope neighbors and waaaaaaaaaay far to the right is a llama and he’s dope as hell 90. do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? -whenever the fuck i remember to/have the energy 91. have you ever been high?  -i dont think so but i wouldnt put it past myself 92. have you ever been drunk?  -not that i can remember, no 93. last thing you ate?  -sloppy joe from a can 94. favorite lyrics right now -”not gonna waste my life, cause i’ve been fucked up“ 95. summer or winter?  -fall. fuck you 96. day or night?  -night but i like it when it’s actually night and it doesnt get dark at like 4 fucking pm cause that makes me depressed 97. dark, milk, or white chocolate? -dark is good, milk is fine, white is only suitable for fancy stripes on chocolate covered strawberries 98. favorite month?  -i vibe with september 99. what is your zodiac sign -sagittarius (was almost a scorpio but i was holding out >:))) 100. who was the last person you cried in front of?  -in person, my mom like 6 months ago, on a discord call, my friend (i love you by the way, you’re the best,,, i dont think he has tumblr but im just putting it out there) like a month or so ago. i hate crying in front of people, i turn into such a hyperventilating snot monster which is not suitable for human gaze and thats the real tea :/

felix this took like 2 hours of my life i will never get back i hate you and i hope you’re happy with what you’ve done <3 <3

also anyone who wants to stalk me, enjoy this information that im handing to you on a silver platter :)) <3

[doof-doofblog]

"Have A Great Holiday!"

Monday 14th September 2020

Good afternoon everyone! As promised, this is the first of two blog posts today. This will be following last night's episode. Friday's episode ended with Kheerat basically hinting to Chantelle that he has feelings for her, by giving her that lucky poker chip! I still think that that poker chip is going to become very important, i'm unsure why or how. But something tells me it'll be a big significance with Chantelle's death. I could be completely wrong and jumping to conclusions, but we shall see! Before we jump into last night's episode, some spoiler pictures have been released today of the aftermath of Chantelle's death, as you can see by the picture below, Karen is grief-stricken as flowers and tributes are laid out in front of the Atkins household after the Square learn the news of Chantelle's passing. Kheerat believes that Gray has something to do with Chantelle's death and decides to confide in Mitch about what he knows and reveals that he and Chantelle had gotten close during her last few days. These next few episodes are going to be really hard to watch but I'm really intrigued to see how Chantelle's death will be portrayed and of course the aftermath is always the most interesting part!

Anyway, lets jump right into last night's episode - Max appears to have had some post delivered and he seems happy about it, have the divorce papers from Rainie finally come through? Viewers will know that Max sold his half of the restaurant business over to Ian, to stop Rainie on getting her hands on any of his money, however Max is unaware that Ian used his share of the money to buy Sharon the Vic! I know it sounds awful to say, but I am really looking forward to Ian getting his comeuppance. He's been acting the hero for too long now and people are going to realise his secrets and uncover what he's been hiding the last few months, is Max going to be the first one to be suspicious when he learns the truth?

In the Square, Martin seems to be the thought on everyone's mind. Sharon approaches Ian and asks on whether there's been any news, Ian acts very coldly towards her and just gives her a simple one worded answers - "No!" She can clearly see that he's acting very differently towards her now after she revealed she didn't have feelings for him. She can sense the awkwardness between them so leaves the conversation sharpish, Ian watches as she walks away! Can I just say what Peter said next really shocked me - "The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else!" Is he implying that his Dad should sleep with someone else just to take his mind off Sharon?! I apologise if that is not what he meant, but it sure did sound like it to me!! 

At the Atkins household, Chantelle is upstairs quickly trying to pack her suitcase, it looks as if she has packed everything she needs to get away! From the outside, she can hear voices approaching the house - she looks out and calls to Gray that she will run and grab the front door, unfortunately Gray gets there before her and he welcomes Mitch and Karen into the house. I'm sure he's unaware of their holiday plans and of course he'll have no idea that Chantelle is going with them, are they going to put their foot in it and not realise that Gray has no idea? Is Gray then going to get angry at Chantelle for not telling him their plans? 

At Ruby's club, Ben and Callum are talking about what they're potentially going to do, Callum is still unsure whether to go ahead with setting up Danny. Suddenly, Stuart interrupts their conversation, all smiles - can I just say how nice it is to see Stuart, finally! I know when he first came into the soap he was a bit of a dark character, but now, its lovely to see him so smiley and happy with Rainie, it's like his character has done a complete U-turn! He is so happy to finally learn that Max's and Rainie's divorce has come through, which can only mean he can finally marry Rainie! I just love the fact he starts dropping hints to Callum about what he wants for his Stag night - Something is telling me he wants to be tied to a lamppost in his pants! Of course this is something which has completely been wiped from Callum's mind, Ben actually decides to change their conversation and asks him whether he does have anything planned for Stuart's Stag night! But Callum ignores the question and gets back to the matter in hand, if Ben has any plans or ideas of setting up Danny, then Callum wants to be made aware of it, unfortunately Ben tells him that he wont tell him - mainly because he doesn't want Callum to have to lie to his boss, so in a way he's kinda being cruel to be kind. He doesn't Callum getting in any kind of trouble because of his actions, but Callum does make sure that Ben promises him to speak to his Dad if he decides to make any stupid decisions, at first, I think Ben is hesitate, but he nods his head and makes the promise, however is this going to be another promise he breaks?!

Back at Chantelle's and Gray's house, Karen and Mitch are making themselves comfortable, Bernie is also there in two as everyone is getting ready for their holiday. Gray unaware of their plans, softly says to Chantelle "What were you going to do? Send me a postcard?!" But with all of the family members there, he knows he can't do anything else, he can't do anything to Chantelle while her family is around. She speaks softly in response to him "It'll do Keegan good after everything he's been through, plus you can concentrate on Whitney's trial!", he still doesn't look happy about the situation, but to put on a front for the family he smiles and agrees and leaves the room, leaving Chantelle to be with her parents as she smiles, is she thinking that she'll finally be able to get away? One thing I have noticed about Chantelle - which I can't believe I haven't noticed before, she always wears long sleeved blouses - clearly to hide any bruises or marks she may have from Gray's abuse, I never really realised it until now. 

At the Vic, Kathy is very apologetic towards Sharon. After Ian confessed his feelings for Sharon, Kathy blamed her for leading him on, but now she's realised that that wasn't the case and she apologise to the fellow blonde. Sharon understands and explains there's nothing for her to be sorry for. It's then that Ian makes his way into the pub and Peter pipes up giving him the news that he's set him up on dating app! Understandably, Ian is horrified! Both Sharon and Kathy decide to have a look and they all agree it would be good for him to focus on something else and persuade him to give it a go! But Ian is adamant he wants nothing to do with it - but something is telling me that, with Jane not around any more and Sharon not feeling the same way about him, I think he'll reconsider. I mean what else has he got to lose? He might as well give it a go and see if he can meet anyone! 

Ruby is then seen waiting in the hospital to news of Martin. Vinny suddenly appears and begs to Ruby to tell him that Martin is okay, she instantly tells him leave! She is so angry with him and tells him that she didn't want to go through with it in the first place, she informs him that she tried calling him to call their plans off! Vinny begs to her not to say anything to police, Ruby realises that if she would - Vinny would go down for robbery! Vinny makes the big statement - "If I go down, you go down with me!" I'm sure it's something that Ruby wont even contemplate, of course it's important that Martin gets better. It's unknown whether he actually realised it was Vinny that he was chasing. Ruby states that Martin is all she has right now and he's the most important thing to her. I'm really curious to find out when Stacey will be back - will she learn of Martin's attack and make her way back to the Square? Or will Stacey's return be for some other reason?! Either way - she is not going to be happy when she learns that Martin and Ruby have become an item! 

Ahhh so we've learned a little bit more about Frankie, after Tina slightly offends her, Tina tries to apologise to her. She asks whether she can have a look at Frankie's photography, we see pictures of a young boy, funnily enough around Ollie's age. Frankie reveals to Tina that the little boy was in fact her younger brother who has sadly passed away. She claims even everyone is trying to help her and cure her hearing, she says that he was the one who was actually sick and needed curing. Is this something that has affected Frankie her whole life? Not being able to cope with the passing of her brother, so does she start to get close to the Carter family and Ollie? Is Ollie maybe going to replace the brother she lost? I'm hoping Frankie becomes a regular part of the soap and we'll be able to discover more of her story/background. I think it's clear there's going to be some form of romance between her and Tina though, that I am looking forward to seeing! It's about time Tina fell in love and found a proper love interest. 

Back at the Atkins family home, Gray is seen in the bedroom, lurking over the suitcase on the bed that Chantelle has packed. Nothing can be heard other than the voices from the family downstairs. He takes it upon himself to start unzip the suitcase, although as he's about to open it fully, footsteps approach and he quickly zips it back up. Chantelle makes her way into the bedroom, and discreetly hides from Gray the make-up bag with money in that she hid in the toilet, and she quickly stuffs it into the suitcase. Gray is clearly suspicious and claims that she managed to pack her stuff fairly quickly, Chantelle once again tries to lure him off the scent and claims that she literally just stuffed everything inside it as quick as she could. She explains that they have a long train journey ahead so she'll go out and grab some food for herself and the children. As she leaves with the suitcase, Gray heads to the bathroom - at this moment, I was kinda worried thinking he might find something that Chantelle may have missed. He looks all over the shelves and cupboards and then notices the top of toilet is wonky, he picks it up to reveal - nothing! He sighs in frustration! Luckily we know Chantelle grabbed it in time before he could click on to her plans to escape.

The next scene shows Tina joining her family in the Vic, Mick, Linda and Ollie are all sat together. Tina has dolled herself up, wearing a lovely black dress. Frankie follows behind her and Tina introduces her to her family. However, when Frankie is introduced to Ollie, he turns and gives Frankie a smile. She mouths the word "Hello" to the young boy and smiles. But as she turns away its obvious that something is playing on her mind. I personally think that Ollie does look very similar to her younger brother? Don't you guys think? I truly believe that somehow Frankie believes that Ollie might be her real brother, or something along those lines? Later Frankie is sat with Ollie as Linda and Tina watch from a distance, everyone commenting how Frankie is good with children and how Ollie has happily decided to sit with her. Frankie looks as if she is besotted with Ollie, she tells him how similar he looks to her younger brother, Harry. I am so certain something is going to happen between Frankie and the Carter family! 

Meanwhile, Ben decides to take his boyfriend's advice and decides to speak to his Dad about the possibility of setting Danny up. He reveals to his Dad that the warehouse they went to did actually have CCTV. Phil is of course wary of them being found out but he makes it clear that if the Police had anything on the, they would've come for them by now. Ben is desperate to her his Dad onside, i don't think Ben can take the fact that Danny almost left him completely deaf. Phil wants nothing to do with it, and warns Ben to let it go and forget about it, but clearly its something he just can't do. He goes into his Dad's phone and decides to take Danny's phone number. What is Ben planning on doing? Is he going to get himself in more trouble and potentially put his life and Callum's life in danger once again?! 

Back at the Vic, Max finally catches up with Ian, gives him the news that his divorce has finally comes through. It seems Max is really thankful towards Ian, he thanks him for keeping hold of the money so Rainie can't get her hands on it, he claims he's even willing to let Ian keep a couple of grand to himself in a way of saying "Thank You!" - Ian is clearly taken aback by his offer and says to Max that he really doesn't have to do that for him! It's only then Max the comment that he's happy to take the money back from him, seeing as he no longer needs to look after it, plus he also makes a little joke "Don't want you getting tempted to spend it, do we?" - Oooooo as a viewer, I am kinda looking forward to seeing it when Max finds out about his Ian spending his money on the Vic, how is Ian going to worm his way out of this one? Is he going to try and get money as quick as he can, or another possibility - is Sharon going to find out where Ian got the money from, if you think about it, technically the Vic belongs to Max! If it was Max's money used to buy it, Max should be standing behind the bar, not Sharon! It's an interesting thought but it's technically true and it could be a big turn in events if Max ended up living in the pub! 

Awwwwww the next scene was such a heartbreaking one!!!! Kheerat is in his office and Chantelle pays him a visit. He stops his work as she makes her way in. She's shaky and her voice is raspy. She asks if Kheerat meant what he said to her the previous day. He promises her he meant every word. She playing with the poker chip with her fingers, twiddling it in hands. She says to him as much as she wants to cash in and be with him, she can't - not at this moment in time. She's going away with her family and she wont be coming back, but she does hope that one day soon there will be a chance for her to cash in with him! Kheerat is clearly disappointed, but he understands that she has to do what she has to do. He tells her to keep it, and whenever the time feels right for her, he'll be waiting. They're definitely an unspoken affection and love between the two souls, as Chantelle leaves the room, she turns and says to him"All I want to do is kiss you!" ... it is quite heartbreaking. Tears fill her eyes as she leaves the room. We know that the chance for them to be together will never happen! I feel Chantelle's death is really going to affect Kheerat, he'll be heartbroken but he'll also make sure he does everything in his power to find the truth and the reason why she dies.

Unbeknown to Chantelle, back at their house, Gray is ransacking their bedroom, trying to find some sort of clue that Chantelle is keeping something from him. Does he know that she's planning on leaving him? He goes through her draws and wardrobes and everything. He then decides to look at his phone and uses the tracking app to see where she is. He throws the phone in a rage, he then discovers a type of child memory box from under the bed. It's only then as he looks through it that his daughter Mia tells her Father that they're planning on leaving for the holiday. He asks her when her Mummy told her about the holiday, the little girl reveals that it was least week she planned on taking them on a big adventure, but they didn't go. Only then Gray realises that it's been a whole week that Chantelle has been planning on leaving. 

Back in the Square, the Carter family are enjoying time together after lock-down, Mick, Linda and Tina are all enjoying quality time together. Entertaining Ollie playing a little bit of football, but from a distance, it's revealed that Frankie is taking photographs of the family, especially more of little Ollie. What is her connection with the Carter's? Why is she so fixated on Ollie? I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her story unfold! 

The last scene of the episode, Chantelle is making her way through the Square, she's on the phone to someone confirming her arrival of herself and her two children to a refuge. For a moment she's looking relaxed and happy and more positive than she has done for long time. When she gets to the house, her family are waiting for her and ready to make a move! The only people missing are her children, Mac and Mia! She looks up to house to see them standing at their windows, waving at her with sad solemn little faces. She calls for them to come with her, but Gray insists that they wanted to stay home, he plays the role of a perfect Daddy! Saying he'll give the movie nights, mid-night snacks and build dens with his children. Chantelle's plan has fallen through again, Gray stopping her and catching her out as she continues to make plans to escape. She looks helplessly and longingly for her children as the rest of the family make their way to the train station and Gray makes his way back inside the house. Chantelle is defeated again! 

I don't know about you lot but it's so devastating seeing Chantelle look so damaged and lost and almost broken by what Gray is doing. It's going to make her death so much more harder to watch. Jessica Plummer and Toby-Alexander Smith have done such brilliant performances the past few episodes. It's going to he heart wrenching come the end of the week. Thank you all so much for reading. I apologise the post is late! I'll be back in a few hours time following tonight's episode! Thanks folks! xXx

[lonely-bored-writer]

Winchesters meet the Phantoms Ch. 24

Danny hissed, pressing his back against the seemingly warm concrete warehouse wall. Straining his hearing, his ears picked up the soft stumble of steps, and hushed whispers. At this moment Danny would rather be babysitting Satan's kid right now.

"Did you see where the freak is?" All he wanted was a bathroom break, how was he supposed to know he was landing near hunters? Another wise left him as his eyes fell to the blood clinging onto blue jeans. Yea he should have just gone straight to the Winchesters, things rarely go well for him. A ring, and bang followed a few feet away from him causing him to jump.

They were going to find him soon, he had to move, but the good question is what the hell it was they shot him with cause it burns like hell.

carry on my wayward son, they'll be peace when-

"Fuck" Danny whispered, wrangling his phone out of his pocket and hitting mute... The damage was done.

"He's over here!" Danny growled, taking a dash towards the exit, hearing gun fire ring behind him. He can do this, he can. First, can't let Sam ring through can he.

"Hey Sam, now's not a good time." Danny rushed, falling through the floor fast, barely missing another bullet. A string of curses followed his disappearance, and he settled a few floors below.

"Were those gunshots? Danny, what the hell?" Sam's worried voice filtered through as Danny picked up hurried footsteps running down the stairs. A sigh of relief left the teen when his eyes landed on the much healed, and less painful leg. "Are you okay? Do you need help? where are you?"

"Sorry, I got spotted by some hunters but I'll handle it." Danny responded, hearing footsteps get closer. "I'll just be a little late, okay?"

"If anything, call us. Okay?' Sam's voice held no room for argument, not that Danny would have argued with him.

'Yea, I'll see you." Danny sighed, and slide his phone away. The Footsteps grew louder, as Danny sided. Quickly he lined up the boxes littered around the floor against the door, mostly for telekinetic practice but also to keep them busy for as long as possible. Releasing a breath, he turned invisible and stepped through the wall. Picking up and flying towards the store he saw. He doesn't care what happened, he needs a bathroom and a snack.

"We'll be back soon." Sam spoke, an apology clear as day on his face with Dean already out at the car. Danny decided to be nice to Dean's moodiness all things considered. He appreciated Sam holding back a minute to check in and make sure Danny would be alright.

"It's fine, you guys go. I'll keep the baby but actually basically an adult, busy." Danny waved off with a small laugh. "I've got this, and if he suddenly starts crawling on the ceiling I'll call you and higher a priest." Danny joked, earning a laugh of Sam.

"Thanks, we owe you." Sam smiled, giving his byes to Danny and then Jack before leaving with a sparing glance backwards.

Danny smiled awkwardly at the kid before him. The kid just sat on the couch, looking just as out of placed as Danny felt. Of course Danny did not like the fact that someone who was basically just born yesterday was taller than him, and already looked his age. It wasn't fair, not like things often are at his height, but it's still saddening.

"So, what'd you like to do?" Danny asked, watching the kid's face contort in confusion. "Like watch TV, or a place to go out an eat, or games?" Danny continued, only watching the confusion grow.

"I like nougat..." He spoke, taking a pause before adding on. "and burgers."

"Okay, what about TV?" Danny questioned, motioning towards the TV settled in the den. He was only met with another confused stare which caused Danny to sigh. For the son of the literal devil this kid was extremely clueless. That's fine though, experience with new ghosts has trained Danny for this. Regardless of how much Danny would much rather be back at school, with Theo. "Cartoons it is." Danny flicked the screen on, watching it steal all of the kid's attention.

The older of the two held back a laugh, maybe it wont be all that bad if all he really has to do is sit here with the kid. Not that it's much fun, if Jack has enough sense, Danny might be able to take him out for ice cream or to an arcade. There's nothing worse than boring babysitters. The Winchesters didn't give him much to go on besides keeping the nephilim alive and out of trouble.

Which really means they shouldn't have chosen Danny because trouble always follows the young college student everywhere. Nonetheless, everyone seems to think he's the best choice for very important jobs. You would assume people would realize that's not the best idea.

"Can people do that?" Jack's voice broke through Danny's thoughts. He turned his attention to the television which happened to have Scooby Doo on. Shaggy had done the cliche Scooby run, stuck in place for a second while in the air. Danny chuckled for a second, regardless of how the kid looked or what powers he has, he really is just a kid.

"Nope, its just cartoon logic. It stuff that only works in shows like this." Danny waved towards the screen for emphasis. "After this episode, I'll show you the Looney Tunes. Now that's a melting pot of Cartoon logic." Danny laughed, turning to the show.

"So, what are we feeling for lunch?" Danny asked, opting to sit on the counter rather than a chair. The kid was seated at one of the counter seats, watching Danny with a confused and intrigued stare. Danny sighed, shaking his head. Sometimes he forgets this kid didn't experience a lot of things. He can't be surprised that the Winchesters didn't bother to try and have the kid experience the world a little. But, hey if he was gonna babysit, it was going to be a good time for the both of them. "Okay, what do you like? Nougat, right?" Danny continued.

"Yea... and burgers." Jack answered, Danny really should just get used to the kid's constant state of confusion. Danny paused, thinking through what they could have for lunch.

"Okay, I've got an idea." Danny declared, grabbing a set of keys of the wall. He started for the door, before looking back and seeing Jack still seated. "You coming?" The college student ask motioning towards the door. Danny raised an eyebrow at the look of surprise the kid gave him.

"I can come?" Jack asked, standing up. "I can't really... go places." He added, looking confused and surprised. Danny inwardly sighed, he gets it he does. Jack was powerful, he had people after him, but Jack was also just a kid. Regardless of age. As much as he trusts the Winchesters' judgement, this was one thing that he can't get behind.

God, Danny sounds older as the day passes.

"Well, I'm not them." Danny shrugged with a grin. "So, you're invited." The grin dropped to a pleased smile and the look of excitement that took on the kid's features.

"Okay, so let me get this straight." Danny all but growled, watching the sad kid. "Dean wants to kill you just because your dad is Lucifer?" Danny can't really say he's surprised, he just figured Dean had grown more as a person than that. Parents' don't dictate who you are or who you will be.

"He doesn't like me." Jack answered, looking down. Danny sighed, taking a seat next to the young nephilim. Before he could speak up, Jack continued. "What if I am evil like he says? I've hurt people." Jack looked up, tears lining his eyes and regret clear as day. Danny swallowed, he's had these conversations with himself one too many times.

"You're not." Danny shook his head, placing a comforting hand on the kid's shoulder."Trust me, I know. Who your parents are, what abilities you have, what prophecies say, or hell what even God says. It doesn't define who you are."

Danny watch the sadness and doubt still swirl in those blues, okay Danny really needed to work on his speeches. It's not like he's been giving them as often as he used too... That was now technically Theo's job.

"Look, I was supposed to be evil. Worse than Satan himself." Danny spoke, watching the interest and surprise weigh into the kid's eyes. Danny nodded at the look of slight disbelief. "I know right? But I was, but I didn't. Which means you don't have to be."

"Sam says that." Jack spoke, looking down.

"But you look up to Dean." Danny concluded, watching Jack nod. "Dean's a little rough around the edges, but trust me. He'll come around."

"I hope he does." Jack responded, he didn't look as lifted as Danny would have liked, but it was better than he looked a few minutes ago.

"How about this, tell me what you can do." Danny asked, trying to less the tension. Jack's confused look made Danny sigh. "You know, like Angels fly, I can turn invisible, and like a ton of other things but thats besides the point." Danny shrugged, he'd rather not go into all the details.

"Like... Cas flies?" Jack asked, Danny smile and nodded. He'll try to help the kid while he's here.

"Hey, are you free?" Theo's voice filtered through the speaker. Danny smiled, glancing over at the half angel sleeping soundly on the couch nearby. Making his way towards the kitchen off to the side, Danny answered.

"Hey babe, yea. Jack just fell asleep." Danny responded, resting back against the kitchen counter. He's mind running through all they've done in a short time.

"How's the kid holding up?" Theo asked, Danny can hear typing in the background. Leave it to Theo to call him while he's busy with schoolwork. Danny couldn't help but smile before answering.

"He's a tough kid, we're getting along pretty well." Danny replied, musing about how well he helped Jack find a few parts of his abilities. He felt a little sad having been reminded of how Jack got into this place. "He's dad's not the greatest and no helping him. His uncles aren't the worse but... The kid deserves better." Danny sighed, running a hand through his hear.

"Hey, at least he has you right now, right?" Theo responded, the typing halting for a moment. "Anyone with you on their side is going to be okay, I would know." Danny smiled, huffing a laugh.

"You're cheesy, you know that right?" Danny asked, smiling at the ground. Sometimes he wished Theo was there, but at least he knew he was safe back on campus.

"But you love meeeee." Theo laughed, typing continuing. Danny barely picked up the sounds of footsteps approaching the entrance of the bunker.

"As much as I love talking to you, looks like I gotta run?" Danny sighed as the steps got closer. He heard Theo shuffle around for a bit before the other student sighed as well.

"I need to see on of my professors, so call me later?" Theo asked, and Danny nodded. "I love you."

"I will." Danny smiled, pushing off the counter to greet who ever was about to come in. "I love you too."

"Dean, I get it." Danny pulled Dean aside after the Winchesters got back. "I get why your worried about Jack being evil-"

"He is!" Dean cut in. "He's done so much da-"

"No, you're going to listen first." Danny cut Dean off, being met with a surprise look. "You can't tell me Jack is evil because his not human, you can't tell me its because of his dad, you can't tell me its because he lost control of his powers and hurt people, and you can not tell me some prophecy bullshit okay?" Danny paused to take a breath, leaving room for Dean to speak up, which he didn't.

"You should know this, considering me. Considering the many friends you've made on the field." Danny sighed. "All I'm saying is, regardless all that, Jack is just a scared kid who looks up to, and just wants to not feel like a monster. Think that over okay, be easier on the kid." Danny finished. He watched Dean inhale before responding.

"I'll try." Dean spoke, glancing over to the room beside them.

"That's all I ask." Danny gave a small smile before shaking his head. "Okay that's over, I'm tired of sounding like Sam."

"Which Sam?" Dean laughed as the two walked back to the others.

"Both."

[nosferatyou]

New Tune: Part 1 (Jake Kiszka x Reader)

Summary: Two guitarists meet at a Rock Festival, only having a week with each other before they have to return to their own lives. The bond they create is unfeigned and resolute. 

 WC: 1.7k

Warnings: Cursing and drinking

Hello! This is the first series i’ve done in years! And i’m honestly really excited about it. The title is cheesy and probably wont make sense till the last chapter, but its a heartfelt story. I know its a short first chapter but we are just getting started. I really hope you guys like it! 

The rush of performing is worryingly amazing. Just playing for hundreds of people who all share the love of music harmoniously together in one room is even something magical in itself. But playing the music that joins us together? Its indescribable, and its why I fucking love my job. I get to do that almost every night for hundreds of different people. The thing I love most is just being able to jam onstage with my best friends, and creating music with them. Most of our songs are created through our live shows, and it’s all 100% us in every performance. Not what our managers think will make the most money or sell out the most shows, but it’s exactly what we want to create. Fucking Rock and Roll.

Which is what we are doing now, at some random festival in California just trying to play some fucking music. We were lucky enough to get on the roster at all, first of all our name isn't too well known yet and we play a bit heavier than the people on the setlist as is. It's  all of course Rock, but there is a fair share of indie and folk thrown in for good measure. 

We more play psychedelic rock? I guess that’s the way you could describe it, lots of fuzz, delay effects, and weird ass lyrics that could make Jim Morrison say “What the fuck?” Luckily our manager was friends with the event coordinator and squeezed our name in last minute. I honestly don’t think we are even on the Lineup. 

“Hey fuckface! Come help me with this keg!” Screamed the Lead Vocalist to our band, but also my best friend, Matt. 

I looked up from my phone to see the exasperated boy doing his best to get it up the stairs of the tour bus, but failing miserably. I get up from my spot to attempt to help move the heavy keg from the base of the stairs. 

“A keg? What are we in high school? I mean yes, we could very easily drink our way through this, but wouldn’t cases of beer just be easier?” I asked, also struggling to get it up the stairs” 

“I mean… Where's the fun… In that?” He said, pausing in between his words to lift the heavy thing. 

We finally got it to the top, both letting out a whoosh of air before going to fall back on the couches in exhaustion. We sat in silence, settling with the fact that we were both extremely out of shape despite doing countless shows. WHich honestly in itself is a huge work out. 

“Alright! Up we go, it’s up here so let’s get this party started before we die of exhaustion.”

Matt hopped up quicker than expected and grabbed the valve for the keg off the counter.

“Now that. Is a fantastic idea.” He pushed a filled cup and then filled his own. We clinked our drinks and threw them back, both easily swallowing it all. 

“Let's get absolutely fucked.” Matt said, emphasizing the word fucked. "Wait..." I half questioned. "If our thing is drinking outside, then why are we putting the keg in here?" 

He gave me a blank stare and then dropped his head in shame. 

"Fuck." 

Jakes POV

“Jake I swear to god if you don’t walk faster I'm going to steal that guitar of yours and add my own special touch to it.” 

“Well calm down and slow your pace, and then I'll catch up. And Honestly josh, I don't even want to think of what you'd do to my girl.” 

Josh suddenly slowed down and got right into my space, and then very animatedly started to explain how he would decorate her. 

“I'm sure you remember that one very fun tambourine I had at that one show. You know, the one with all the tassels.”

“Mhm, That one tambourine from that one show.” I absentmindedly replied, not really paying attention to his whole show.

 More taking in all the surroundings of all the buses around us, housing all the artists playing throughout the week. Josh and I have a habit of doing this at every festival we’ve been too, which wasn't much, but it was enough to create the tradition. These were always fun to go to, meet different musicians and wind down for a week. Festivals were always fun simply because we could take a real break. We tend to get a bit overrun with tour dates because of management, but here we play once or twice, and spent the rest of the week doing press or enjoying ourselves. We all honestly looked forward to it. 

Josh suddenly stopped talking about his favorite tambourines and said, “What was that?” 

We wandered around with a bit more direction lightly following the voices that bounced off of all the buses.

I stopped to listen and heard two people very aggressively discussing what seemed to be Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. As we kept walking, we started to hear them more clearly. 

The girl yelling “Honestly Matt, If you tell me right now, that your prefer Stevie over Jimi I’m fucking leaving this band.” 

“Y/N, I prefer Stevie.”

After that the man, presumably Matt, said that all hell had broken loose and swears and counter arguments were thrown left and right. 

Josh seemed very interested in the whole scene and did his best to follow the voices so he could find the source. I was honestly pretty interested myself. 

We finally rounded a corner to find two, seemingly, very drunk people intensely arguing while still half laying down in the lawn chairs they had set out in front of their bus. A keg sat between them, and a stack of red solo cups on top. Nothing but a lantern and the moon keeping them alight.

“Sure, we all love Stevie, he’s a chill dude. But Jimi? He ascended. He fucking made music. He created most of what Stevie played. I honest to god, Matt, will physically fight you.” 

The girl caught my eye when we rounded the corner, and very aggressively pointed at me. 

“You, long haired pretty boy in the Chelsea boots. Come here.” 

I looked over at josh and we seemed more than happy to see what this random stranger had up her sleeve. He kind of pushed my shoulder forward so we could make our way over to them. I had no idea what to expect. 

She sat up in her chair and Matt stayed unmoving, still half laying in his chair. 

“Which is better? And there is a right and wrong answer. Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimi Hendrix.” She glared at the Matt when she said Jimi's name, he seemed unbothered. 

“I mean Jimi is the obvious here, any guitarist would agree.”

“Ha! Fuck you Matt Im right, its just factually true. Suck. My. Dick.”

“Well he’s one random guy that doesn't answer the whole mystery.” Matt slurred.

Josh quickly butted into the conversation, which isn't new. 

“Well if my opinion has any weight than I vote for Jimi, but speaking of strangers. Im Josh, and this here is my twin, Jakey”

“Its Jake.” 

The mood quickly changed and a smile appeared on the girls face. She held out her hand and gave a quick but firm handshake, introducing herself.

“The name is Y/N, and this Ignorant bastard is named Matt.”

She reached over to the keg in between them and refilled her cup, then poured two more for Josh and I. 

“For my two new friends.” She smiled, handing the cups to us. We happily accepted, and Josh made his way to sit on the ground in front of them, I quickly followed.

“Alright boys, Name your band and then instruments, seeing as were here and all.” She said gesturing to the place.

 Josh quickly spoke first “Well we are two halves of Greta Van Fleet, and I sometimes play vocals, occasional screams, but mostly tambourines.” He joked.

Y/N snorted at Josh's introduction. 

“And you?” she asked directing her attention to me. 

“As Josh said, two halves of our band Greta Van Fleet, And I play Lead Guitar.”

Her eyes seemed to light up at that comment and quickly responded with a smile.

“ Isn't that a coincidence, so do I,” 

As the night went on the booze flowed more, and so did the conversation. We all quickly learned we had a lot in common, and got along pretty damn well. Matt wasn't very present, because, well, he passed out moments after we got there. But as the night went on, the more we all truly felt comfortable with each other. It was simply one of those times in your life when you meet someone you truly feel akin too. Maybe it was because we were all drunk, or maybe it was a fluke. Her love for music dripped off of every word she spoke, she just gave off positivity and confidence, and her passion for life and work truly shined through. She consistently listened to us throughout the night, less worried about discussing her personal life. She seemed genuinely interested in every little thing Josh and I had to say.

It felt like we were there for all of five minutes, but before we knew it, it was 4 am. By that point so much random shit was coming out of our mouths that it wasn't coherent. Eventually Josh and I helped her round Matt onto the bus and said our quick goodbyes before we left. 

As we walked back, Josh's already never ending smile seemed brighter, seeming touched the domestic events of the night. 

“I really like her, Jakey.” 

A smile was growing on my face as well, though ever so slightly more subtle.

“I did too, Josh.” 

We eventually stumbled our way back onto our own bus, not bothering to change before hopping into our bunks.  It would've been pitch black if it weren't for the dim blue lights under the seats. In the bunks next to ours were Danny and Sam, sleeping pretty soundly in their own. Lucky for us they can sleep through anything. Especially Sam.

I heard a loud thump, looking over to see josh sitting on his ass and looking more grumpy.

“Fuckin bunks are so high up. I swear to god…”

He eventually got up, mumbling to himself angrily before eventually climbing up and falling asleep.

I laid restless in my own, sleep seeming unlikely for the night. My mind could only focus on the enigma that was the girl we had the pleasure of meeting. So I just laid in my bunk, staring at the low ceiling, mind unfocused on anything except what just happened.

Chapter 2

[phantomphangphucker]

Ectober Day 12: Familiar - Legless On Maim Chap. 2: Tails And Tales

Danny’s body is doing something strange, yet again, and Lewis has seen some weird shit, apparently.

Danny lays there, blinking at the ceiling. He’s too ectoplasmicly exhausted to even float, yet he keeps having to force his ectoenergy out of his eyes. And he knows that if he could actually see his arms, his veins would be glowing slightly. Feeling it sloshing under his skin and thrumming in his ears, making him twitch and wiggle a bit. Grumbling to himself incoherently; he didn’t want to be here, he didn’t need to be here. And yet he was here. Wrapped up like a mummy, being treated like fragil glass, and missing his damn legs. Which was honestly more common place than was strictly normal. Except that was Phantom, not Fenton. And definitely not in a damn hospital. It was stupid, it wasn’t even like this was the worst he’s ever been hurt! Okay, it was up there. But he wasn’t on the verge of being destroyed!

Danny’s mental musings get cut off as Lewis sticks his head in the door and slides inside. “Ah, so you are still awake”, walking over and shaking a bottle of sleeping pills, “can you take these? Or something else to help with sleep. Because you do need to sleep”.

Danny watches him detach the medicine drip, clearly Jazz did talk to him. Danny chuckles slightly, “either you’re really good at rolling with the punches or you deal with weird often. Technically I can, but they aren’t as effective. Have-ta dump the whole thing down my throat to nap”.

Lewis looks at the bottle and shrugs, Danny must know his body better than anyone else. Speaking as he puts the bottle on the side table, “I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s your prerogative”, smiling slightly as he sits down in a chair, “a kid with a mini sun, which is apparently a bunch of ectoplasm, in his chest is only the third strangest thing I’ve seen. So yeah, pretty used to weird”.

Danny breathes out, “you saw it”, before shaking his head slightly, he couldn’t help but be very curious over what his core looked like, “I think it’s more like a cool little star, what’d it look like?”.

Lewis traces a little circle on his own chest, “about yeh big, blueish white, and very bright and glowing. But it didn’t seem to be harming you and it didn’t get in the way of my work, so it’s hardly an issue”, chuckling to himself, “did make me tempted to put on sunglasses though”.

Danny can’t help but laugh at that, “Be blinded by my glory!”, sighing slightly but being a little more serious, “but, um, since you know it’s there. Which, like, obviously keep that to yourself. Was it cold? Maybe making your tools a little frosty? Since I know you were rooting around in my chest”.

Lewis tilts his head, there had been a very slight chill to it when he tried to touch it but that was it. Shaking his head, “it was definitely colder than the rest of you, but that’s it. Why?”.

Danny frowns, “I must have been using up a lot of ectoenergy then”, wiggling a bit, “you know how healthy hearts have a certain look to them? Core’s the same. It should be really bright and really cold. Anything that got really close shoulda frosted over”.

Lewis frowns, so Danny had yet another injury. But one Lewis firmly knew nothing about. At least he has a name for the ball of energy organ, “is there anyway to check it over? Without opening you up like a resealable can. And what about healing it? Also, shouldn’t it also be freezing your organs and bones then?”.

Danny chuckles, reminded of OverGrowth, “it probably does. Sometimes frost forms on my skin or my breath has ice crystals in it. It almost froze me into a popsicle once”, shuffling a bit alwardly and deciding he should just tell the guy this. He was an okay guy it seemed, and very focused on helping or protecting people. He could relate, and Danny’d be pretty bothered if someone he was trying to help misheld information, “see, if I don’t use up the ectoplasm it generates, it’ll just progressively make me colder till it’s just too much”.

Lewis blinks, but didn’t Jasmine say it was actively overproducing ectoplasm? Glancing at the, now detached, medicine bag, “can you use it up here? Because your sister said the medicine was making you produce more. And while you’re pretty chill, I’d rather that not become too literal”.

Danny blinks and snorts, “okay I would facepalm right but y’know. There’s more than one kind of ectoplasm. The kind in my veins, the one being overproduced, is basic general ectoplasm. The second kind I have stays in my Core, Core ectoplasm. Creative names, I know. But that’s the kind that’ll freeze me into an Dannysicle if it builds up”, shuffling and looking around some, “but yeah I can expel it just fine right now. Don’t need to though”.

Lewis nods, “that’s good then”, frowning slightly, or maybe it wasn’t actually good, “is that because your Core is weakened though?”.

Danny frowns, “yeah. It’s been converting Core ectoplasm to a surplus of regular ectoplasm. Only reason I’m alive though. Give me a sec, I can check on it myself”.

Lewis smiles, well that’s convenient and familiar. “Running self diagnostics? I could do with more patients being able to do that effectively”.

Danny just smirks with his eyes closed. Mentally and telekinetically poking around his Core, moving the ectoplasm some, and trying to not make it look as exhausting as it currently was. Thankfully it was fine, just over worked. The medicine is definitely attempting to attack it though. Blinking a few times, “well the medicine is trying to harm it but it’s fine. Weak and over worked, but not damaged. More of a strained muscle than a torn muscle. Once the medications out of my system, I’ll be okay in a few hours or something”.

Lewis, meanwhile, had taken the time to check over Danny’s readings and was actively frowning at his ECG. Danny’s heart rate had dropped, and considering that it had already been beyond concerningly slow. Looking at Danny as he had spoken. Well at least he didn’t have any serious injury to this ‘core’. Looking back to the ECG, “well at least one part of you doesn’t need treatment. But-”, pointing at the machine, Danny’s eyes following him, “-is this normal?”.

Danny sighs and shakes his head, “it’s because there’s more ectoplasm in my system. It’s thicker so it’s harder for my heart to help pump. So my Core’s doing more of the work. It’ll probably keep dropping till my levels start going back to normal”.

See Lewis thinks that’s kind of a problem. How is he supposed to know if Danny’s heart is actually in trouble?   “How far can it drop? Safely?”.

Danny worries his lip and shifts around some. Having to blink away his ectoenergy a couple of times, “I, um, well, my heart and Core can completely do each others jobs; in a pinch. I’ve, well, survived without my heart working at all for just over half an hour”,

Lewis is definitely impressed by that. Though he’s officially more interested in how Danny’s eyes had been green and lit up the room. It was arguably eerie and he clearly knew he did it. What with the blinking. “Guess I just wont worry then. Though I’m guessing you can’t survive with only one indefinitely. Your sister said as much. Nice eyes by the way”.

Danny coughs, annoyed that Lewis actually notices things, “too much ectoplasm running around for it to go unnoticed”, shrugging, “ectoplasm shows through easiest in the eyes. Windows to the soul, or ghost really, for a reason. And yeah, I need both. My Core can pump and oxygenate my blood but it can’t really clean it. My heart can’t produce ectoplasm. Technically I could just use dialysis or start eating ectoplasm. But...”.

Lewis laughs, nodding, “there’s ways around everything. But yeah no, why remove it, either one, for no real reason”.

Danny scoffs, “Core’s are ghostly. That’s reason enough to hunters”.

“I don’t think you’re giving your parents enough credit there”.

Danny just rolls his eyes with a sigh. He didn’t really think they’d take it out of him but the worry was still there. Huffing, “well still don’t tell them”.

Lewis shrugs, “it’s not my business what secrets people keep. So long as it doesn’t become medically necessary that I tell them, of course. You are a minor, I really do have to pass things by them. And they are my friends, of which I don’t have a lot”.

Danny sighs, he understands of course. “At least run it by me first?”.

Lewis nods as Danny’s eyes turn green and glowy again. Watching Danny shake his head aggressively and blink to make it go away. “In that case, you’re going to have to be honest with me about your health. All of it. Even if it’s something I don’t know”, shrugging, “only if it’s relevant though”.

Danny scoffs, literally no one got complete honesty from him over his health. But technically that wasn’t what he was asking. Just relevant honesty. Like his problem with medicine. Plus he didn’t actually need medical attention in truth. If he let himself heal he could go home in an hour, healthy as a whistle outside of the excess ectoplasm. Well, and the damn legs. Sighing and glaring at the ceiling, “fine”.

Lewis smirks and rubs Danny’s good shoulder lightly, before picking up the sleeping pill bottle and shaking it, “do you actually want these?”.

Danny grunts though speaking with slight humour, “I haven’t slept in three days. What do you think?”.

Lewis isn’t sure if he’s serious about that but pops open the bottle anyway. Letting Danny grab it with his teeth, technically Lewis wasn’t supposed to just administer medications directly. Especially ones that hadn’t been approved. But, technically, Danny was the one emptying the bottle into his mouth...with his mouth.

Lewis pockets the bottle as he goes to leave, deciding he really should head home himself, as Danny speaks up, “oh yeah right. I know the paras asked about allergies and my folks said no. That’s not exactly right”.

Lewis immediately turns around to look at him, “see that, that is something I need to know. What?”.

Danny shrugs, “well I really only thought of it because of the whole ‘people give flowers to the injured’ thing. It’s a flower called Blood Blossoms. Looks like a cross between a rose and tulip. Deep red petals with black vines or stems and black leaves. They also glow purple faintly and give off red mist or steam. They react really nasty with ectoplasm”.

Lewis makes a damn point to write that description down, “how nasty are we talking?”.

Danny squints at the memory, “inhaling, ingesting, or touching any part of them will basically make my ectoplasm boil. You’ll notice instantly, because I will start screaming and writhing in pain if they so much as get near me”.

Lewis grimaces, instantly having a flash back to one very particular and rather horrifying incident with the MRI’s, “yeah that sounds really bad. But at least I will know why if it happens this time, not just be left standing and wondering what the Hell’s going on”.

Danny snorts and shifts slightly, “there’s a story there”, rolling his shoulders, “normally I can handle being near or even brushing up against them. But the more ectoplasm in my system, the more they’ll affect me”.

Lewis nods, makes sense, “well obviously tell me if someone does show up with them, I’ll remove them. Or I’m guessing your sister knows. Since she clearly knows more about this than Jack and Maddie. Which yes, is odd. But it’s your life”.

Danny chuckles and nods with a yawn as Lewis leaves. Waiting for a bit before wiggling to be a bit more comfortable and seriously hoping his ectoplasm won’t be running circles in him by the time he wakes up. Or at least it will be doing it at the normal level.

Lewis checks in with the hospital early that morning. Deciding it would probably be best if he’s the one to check up on Danny first thing, not some nurse. Who knows what Danny’s body could have done while he was sleeping, what with the green-eyes thing while he was conscious. Which while more noticeable, eyes that seemingly generate light are pretty darn noticeable, aren’t the strangest eyes he’s seen.

Pushing the door open quietly and smiling at the sleeping Danny. Good, he did get some sleep. Looking over his ECG, glad to see his heart rates up. Still lower than it was when he first got here, so clearly the medications side-affects haven’t worn off fully yet. Plus at least his heart was beating. Really shouldn’t be with taking an entire bottle of Zoloidem. Just another thing on the list of reasons why Danny should be very dead.

Lewis nods curtly and decides to look Danny over. It really was easier when people were asleep. But he doesn’t even get to start as something catches up with his brain as being completely off. Well, okay, normally it wouldn’t be off. Seeing the sheets laid over him having something under them the whole way across the bed. But Danny didn’t have legs. So what the Hell was under the sheets where a fully intact person would have their legs. The shape doesn’t even make sense for legs, which should technically explain it. Except it was also definitely not a pillow and too uniformed to be bunched up sheets.

Lewis cautiously lifts up the corner of the sheets, having developed an ingrained wariness towards looking underthings with concerning shapes underneath them. But hey, at least Danny had the decency to have whatever weirdness underneath something and obviously so. Giving whoever curious peeper fair warning. Instead of, oh say, just leaving assorted bits of viscera in cupboards or under the couch. Promptly tilting his head at what looked like the end of a white snakes tail, raising an eyebrow over remembering Danny’s joke about his tongue not belonging to a snake. Which still made about as much sense as most comments from people walking up from sedation and on a host of pain medications, did. But maybe that joke was related to this? It would make slightly more sense then. Deciding to go for it and just lift the sheet up fully, after checking that the door was very much shut and no one was scheduled to come by. Blinking down at what effectively did look like a long faintly wiggling large snake tail. Just slightly transparent and made out of bandaging? Those two combined didn’t make sense. Add in that Danny definitely did not have a tail, if that’s what this was, yesterday and that it was definitely never wrapped in bandaging. Lewis is pretty darn sure he would remember something like bandaging a tail. Watching as it wiggles and swishes faintly, sometimes at harsh angles or bits seemingly detaching and evaporating in the air; without ever losing mass, which logically did not make sense but he’s also seen that sort of thing before. Danny looked like a really weird Naga, but not even snake bones could move like this and it’s definitely not made of scales or skin. Leaning to get a closer look, it glowed too, and now that he really looks, seems like it’s made of energy that just looks like bandaging. So that’s a check on Danny’s ectoplasm doing something weird. Very very weird. But hey, at least that sort of explains where the ‘bandaging’ came from. Progress and positives, Lewis.

Placing the sheet back over him and deciding to check over the more normal, and not at least mildly impossible, body parts. But as soon as he touches Danny’s skin, Danny’s green eyes pop open and he grabs Lewis’s wrist, hard. Breaking his arm cast at the elbow and shoulder, as well as shattering it apart around his hand and wrist, in the process.

The only thing going through Lewis’s head is, ‘well at least it’s my wrist not my throat this time’. While Danny blinks a couple of times before the green becomes blue again and he lets go of Lewis’s wrist, “shit sorry”, Danny chuckles and rubs his neck, not really awake enough to figure out why moving his arm seems like something he shouldn’t be doing, “‘m not a fun person to wake up”, rubbing his eyes and yawning as Lewis just watches him after standing back up right fully. Danny grumbling at him, “you fine though? Didn’t hurt you?”.

Lewis looks over his wrist quickly, definitely going to bruise but otherwise, “its fine, that’s one serious grip you’ve got there”, deciding against commenting on just how easy it was to accidentally wake Danny, especially when he had rather recently taken an inordinate amount of medication that explicitly impairs someone’s ability to wake up. Instead eyeing the, should still be broken badly, arm as Danny goes to stretch, only to pause and blink. Looking down at his other, still securely secured, arm and muttering, “oh damn right”, looks to the arm, that he absolutely should not be moving around, and chuckling awkwardly, “whoops”. Looking up to Lewis, “I’m guessing you want an explanation for this”, as he shrugs and just stretches out.

Lewis shrugs, “well it makes sense your muscles might be different, having ectoplasm in them. Besides, the last abnormally strong patient almost killed me, so this is a positive step up really”. But there is definitely something he does want an answer to, as he watches the ‘tail’ curl out from under the sheets slightly as Danny attempts at stretching. Which honestly just looks like wiggling, though Lewis now has a gut feeling Danny could break off all the wrappings, casts and bindings. Hopefully he didn’t screw up any of the metal screws, rods, and plates Lewis put in. It was good work, be a shame to mess that up.

Danny blinks at Lewis, “wow, being a doctor is more eventful than I thought”, Danny pauses, screws up his face and wiggles some. Lewis can easily read shock and panic flash across Danny’s face. Before he snaps his head down as far as he can and that ‘tail’s tip pokes up in the air, wiggling slightly.

Danny blinks at the tip of his ghostly tail, the absolute fuck? Not only was it the wrong colour and looked like bandaging not spandex. He can also easily tell he’s not Phantom right now. His tail never comes out on its own as Fenton. It takes and expends too much ectoenergy. But then again, he always had either legs or ghostly tail. So maybe his body just set itself to the one it could do while he was sleeping? Danny looks from it, sliding it back under the sheets, to Lewis; who seems less shocked than Danny does. Meaning either this guy was pretty well impossible to faze or he’d noticed it before Danny had. Chuckling awkwardly, “heh, sooooo...you almost got murdered once?”.

Lewis levels him with an incredibly unimpressed expression, making Danny rub his neck again. Though he looks over his arm and hand, “uh, you should probably fix this before someone notices”. Lewis looks, somehow, more unimpressed; and stares Danny down as he leaves to fetch supplies. Which he only does because the last time he tried to get closer to a patient whose body was doing weird stuff and whose face was giving clear ‘leave me alone to figure out my shit’ signs, he nearly died.

Giving Danny the chance to yank up the sheets and get a good look at his ghostly tail. Wiggling it about and curling it around his hand so he could feel it, slight texture of bandaging instead of spandex, before letting it do its own thing. Watching it wave energetically and clearly in good health. Maybe it was easier to form it without having legs to transform. But how was it forming at all then? Maybe pulling down ectoplasm from the rest of him? Well however it was working, it wasn’t using up large amounts of ectoenergy or ectoplasm, which he definitely still had a little too much of. Glancing at the door before turning his tail intangible and changing it back to legs. Or at least he tries to. Blinking, leaning back into his pillows and wiggling his ghostly tail around, “okay?”, before he screws up his face and starts laughing, wheezing into his hand, “Phantom limbs! Literally! Oh my Ancients!”. Wheezing some more before getting his tail tangible and under the sheets again. Before deciding to just take stock of himself, his arm made it obvious he’d started healing again in his sleep. Likely from there being just too much ectoplasm for his body to hold off anymore. Of course all the cuts and scrapes were gone, there’s still some nasty bruising, breaks were now cracks, he could feel a few partly reformed ribs and organs. But he can’t help but smile over the bandages around his waist being uncomfortably tight, regardless of whether that meant things were regrowing or not, he was happy all the same. Sighing and deciding to try sending away the ghostly tail, it was great to still technically have the limbs, limb?, but Lewis seeing was bad enough. Muttering, “oh damnit, Ancients end me”, as it doesn’t work. Putting his one arm over his face and groaning into it, obviously his body decided it needed to have something there. Well here’s hoping that if he curls it up enough and under him a bit he can hide it.

Lewis clears his throat as he reenters, putting the supplies on the side table and watching as Danny gives him his arm, “okay first, stop abusing your arm. You’re supposed to be healing. Second, you better hope you didn’t damage any of your metal. That’s a pain to fix and I like my work. Third-”, pointing at where Danny’s ‘tail’ is, “-what? I mean, still not the weirdest thing I’ve seen, but what? You know I have to check out your wrappings now right?”. To say Lewis had a lot of questions would be an understatement. Was there even bandaging anymore? What’d the wound look like? How was this attached to Danny? If he had to guess, he’d say the energy, ectoplasm?, it was made of was simply seeping out of Danny’s pores; and it wasn’t like bandaging was completely impermeable.

Danny chuckles awkwardly as Lewis gets to work, “I am healing and, wait what?”, Danny tilts his head, “metal?”.

Lewis looks at him and squints before continuing on redoing Danny’s arm, “yeah. Pretty much all your bones, especially your spine. It’s how we support and hold bone in place. Lots of screws, wires, pins, rods; the whole deal”, smirking, “I like surprising patients after, by sending them through detectors and x-rays. Like I said, I like to play, so I make shapes and designs. If you look at your arms at the right angles, you have matching metal lions”.

Danny blinks for a second before laughing, Lewis notices that it sounds a bit distorted and echoey. Danny chuckles and shakes his head, “you're my kind of doctor. Shoulda done some ghosties”.

Lewis smirks and winks at Danny, making Danny laugh. Before Lewis points at the sheet covered ‘tail’, “maybe should have done snakes”.

Danny chuckles, slightly more awkwardly though, “well, sorry but your art is probably already wrecked”.

Lewis squints at him and sighs, “there is a reason us surgeons put that stuff in there you know, and that will absolutely show up on your follow up x-rays”.

Danny sighs, “and there’s a reason I never get really sick”, shrugging slightly but making sure not to move the arm Lewis is recasting, “ectoplasm is really aggressive towards foreign things. Add in my overproduction issue. I’d be shocked if any of it’s left”.

“One of the medications you were given was made to halt that kind of reaction, bodies usually aren’t too happy about having metal shoved in them. But I’m guessing that kind of medication doesn’t work with ectoplasm? Still though, it’s titanium not low grade steel. I have standards”.

Danny smirks, “oh I hope you have standards for what you stick in my perfectly strange body”, chuckling and glancing at the door quickly, “but you’ve obviously noticed my parents jumpsuits yeah? There’s a reason for those. They are specially made to handle long term and frequent contact with ectoplasm. Because ectoplasm will literally eat everything. It’s incredibly corrosive and acidic. Could even call it radioactive. Technically the terms ectoplasmic. So anything, titanium included, with prolonged exposure to ectoplasm that doesn’t have an anti-ecto coating will absolutely dissolve”.

Lewis is officially rather confused. Shouldn’t that have made handling his internals and blood dangerous? What about all the samples? How is this not actively killing Danny? And now he’s got the image of green ectoplasm with a bunch of very particular toothy faces eating all the metal bits, which is more than a little odd. Shaking his head and finishing up Danny’s arm before asking, “so why are you fine then? And you know, your scraps were just put in the regular biohazard”.

Danny glances at his chest, “My ectoplasm doesn’t recognise the rest of me as foreign. It’s ‘cause of some DNA matching up thingy. And at this point I wouldn’t worry about my ‘scraps’, ectoplasm evaporates after a bit. It’s constantly shedding off ectoenergy actually. Absorbing that shredded off ectoplasm is how people normally get ecto-contaminated”.

Lewis nods, made sense and really was like it was radioactive then. But obviously it wasn’t too serious, since it was clearly safe to be around Danny. But speaking of shedding gets him thinking back on the ‘tail’, it had indeed looked like it was shedding off and evaporating bits of itself. So clearly his ectoplasm could indeed form outside of him somehow. If it was sentient that would make sense, really wouldn’t even be weird, but it doesn’t seem to be sentient. Tilting his head, well actually, Jazz did say that ectoplasm could act as brain waves, so maybe Danny could control and feel it all like it was muscle and skin. Humming slightly before pointing at Danny’s ‘tail’ again, “pretty sure your ‘tail’ was shedding like that earlier. And it looks to be made of energy as well. Ectoplasm I’m guessing. How’s it forming outside of your body? You must have some level of control over it?”.

Danny blushes and coils his tail up some, “heh, yeah. More or less anyway. Ectoplasm’s kind of complicated. See all ghosts have in their bodies is ectoplasm. So ectoplasm is pretty much everything. Blood, organs, bones, skin, brain. Everything. Very useful and helpful”, poking the tip of his tail out and wiggling it some, “I’m assuming my body just decided to form it because of the whole ‘there’s supposed to be limbs here so let’s fix that’ thing”.

Lewis can’t help but smile, reminded of his friends, “so could you just make tendrils out of yourself? And why not make legs instead of a tail?”.

Danny squints at him and laughs, why was tendrils this guy’s first idea? It’s a damn good thing Tuck wasn’t here to hear that comment. Shaking his head, “doc what? Ectoplasm has some limits. It can pretty well only do or copy what I can or have. Or what all ectoplasm can do. Humans don’t normally have tendrils, same with ectoplasm. So no, I can’t do that with it”. Danny’s got no idea what to make of Lewis actually looking a little disappointed about that, and he doesn’t really want to understand.

“So this tail thing is something all ectoplasm can do then?”.

Danny nods, “yeah. As for why my body went with tail instead of legs, I don’t fucking know really. Never lost a damn limb before. Can’t make it into legs either, so clearly legs are a no no right now. Also won’t go away”, chuckling, “so I legit have a literal phantom limb”.

Lewis tilts his head, it did make sense that his body would just want what it lost back. That’s largely why phantom limbs happened. The brain being unable to understand or accept the loss of a limb. It just seemingly considers this tail acceptable enough, or maybe there was an advantage to having the tail. Or at least maybe his ectoplasm ‘thought’ there was. Standing up and putting away what he doesn’t need, “well I still definitely need to see the bandagings, somehow. Which reminds me, why is the tail bandaged?”.

Danny chuckles, this was going to be weird and awkward. He’d definitely have to out his intangibility. Could just pass it off as an ectoplasm thing. Wouldn’t be wrong really and his ghostly tail is purely ectoplasm right now. Danny blinks, right Lewis had already experienced intangibility with his core. The whole ‘untouchable’ thing. “Ghostly tails just copy the pattern and texture of either skin colour or what ever colours are ‘on top’ of the legs. So it’s copying the look and feel of the bandaging”, shifting around some, “you’ll have to redo the bandaging probably. They feel kind of tight. You can just phase them through my tail. All ectoplasm can be intangible. The Core just always is”, Danny phases part of his tail through the sheets and lets it wiggle around erratically.

Lewis smirks, “convenient”, though if all ectoplasm can do that, and clearly on command, shouldn’t all the ectoplasm in him be able to? Obviously it wouldn’t just fall out of him, clearly ectoplasm could sort of suspend itself in the air. So logically he possibly could make himself, all of himself, intangible. He was also clearly avoiding having to explicitly say that. So he had genuine powers then, probably more of them, instead of just weird physiology. Made sense to hide that. Deciding to get to work, and yeah it’s more than a little strange going through Danny’s tail, he can feel that it’s made of strong energy and it seems completely incapable of holding still. Not the weirdest thing he’s stuck his hands in and honestly it’s more pleasant, and way less messy, than digging through peoples guts. Even if there was a kind of power to getting himself splattered in someone else’s blood.

Lewis tilts his head after he gets all the bandaging off, “question, do you heal differently?”.

Danny’s actively watching the door, someone walking in on this would be bad. Sure, technically no one should be. But still. Danny absent-mindedly fiddles with the removed bandaging with his tail tip, “like I said. I’m fine, would have been fine. Don’t need the worry”.

Lewis squints at him, “are you trying to say that all your injuries would have healed on their own”.

“Heh, yeah”, Danny quickly sends him an apologetic glance, “but like I said, you did what you thought best, so you’re good. It’s cool. I just feel bad about wasting all this time and resources. Not too mention people worrying and being away from Amity”, that reminder makes Danny worry his lip some. He hadn’t heard or sensed any big issues in his lair but still. Leaving it and all his humans unprotected bothered him at the very base level. Twitching a little over just really wanting home.

Lewis quirks an eyebrow, Danny had a big heart but again his face looked physically pained over causing people problems. Even if he really wasn’t. This is exactly what hospitals are for. Even if he apparently didn’t need it. Which, okay, that was weird. The scars made it clear he did need a level of medical care, just less. If Lewis had known that, he would have brought Danny in secretly. Just given him the treatments he actually needed. Frowning slightly as he re-bandages his torso, which is definitely regrowing. Good thing Lewis has seen this level of wonky healing before. “So you heal regenitively instead of repairitively. But all this at least helps right? Well, except the legs I guess. You really like helping people huh? Seems to really bug you not being able to”.

Danny twitches slightly again, “understatement”, Danny sighs because technically this was a ‘health thing’ he literally needed to protect, to help. And all ghosts, even him, needed to be in their lair more often than not. Sure Danny could stay away technically, he didn’t need to be there to replenish his ectoplasm, but he’d basically wind up with an extreme version of home sickness. And sure, the fact that he was slowly ecto-contaminating his hospital room with his ectoplasm helped. But it still wasn’t his lair. Technically he could make it part of it, with time, but he’s not about to make a habit of showing up in a hospital.

Lewis sighs, watching Danny having a mental conversation and clearly debating something. Putting away the supplies and excess bandaging, leaning against the back of a chair, “what aren’t you telling me?”, deciding to give Danny a bit of an out, though hoping he doesn’t take it, “and my ‘Doctor stuff’ is helping right? At least making you heal faster or better?”.

Danny worries his lip some more, eyeing Lewis some. The guy was arguably more normalised to weird than anyone he had ever met. Possibly more than his parents even. And technically it would be good for him to have a doctor friend. Plus it was pretty obvious his first priority was helping, fixing people. Even if he was weird about it. Kinda like another version of himself. Danny tries to fix and protect things before they get hurt, Lewis tries to fix and protect things after they got hurt. They both did it weird too. Danny hits shit and gets territorial, Lewis plays in people’s guts and makes pretty pictures out of it. Plus, Danny’s pretty sure Lewis is doing stuff he’s not really allowed to do. There’s no way someone would be so calm and okay with, definitely against hospital rules, messing with medication so willy-nilly, without having done so before. Meaning that, like Danny, helping and doing what’s best was more important than the rules. Giving what he hopes is a comforting smile, “yeah you’re helping. Bandaging and stitching helps. But, um, I’m actively stopping myself from healing as I normally do. Kicked in some while I was sleeping anyway though. And there is, like, a reason for my protectiveness”.

Lewis crosses his arms and makes a point to look unimpressed. Though he’s actually incredibly curious how someone can just ‘turn off’ their own healing. Obviously it’s got to be ectoplasmic healing, since he can clearly control his ectoplasm. But curiosity isn’t really appropriate when giving someone shit, “I’m glad it did. Please tell me there is some reason you’re intentionally keeping yourself injured. And if the reason for the protectiveness is somehow medical, you better well tell me”.

Danny huffs, “‘cause I’m in a hospital and my parents don’t know. I’m trying to keep my weird unnoticed. If I came in one day unconscious with what I know is a very long list of horrifying injuries, and just walked out the next with nothing but bruising and some fractures. That would be very noticeable”, shrugging and looking around, “that’s ignoring the legs though. No clue how or if that will heal”.

Lewis nods, that did make sense. Danny was entered officially, so he couldn’t just say, delete any MRI results or records of him being here. And his parents do know he’s here and had an idea how bad he is, or should be anyway. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But heal whatever’s covered up. Any further scans can mysteriously disappear or be easily fabricated. Now explain the protectiveness?”.

Danny just blinks at him, firmly thrown. Sure he’d had plenty of teens just throw the law to the side for him, except they usually did that after finding out he was Phantom. Was Lewis just seriously that good of a guy? Quite literally willing to actively disregard and explicitly violate laws and rules for the safety of others? Muttering, “I’m starting to genuinely wonder if you’re, like, an alternate version of me who’s into medicine instead of space”, shaking his head and speaking at a more normal volume, “seriously? You’d do that? You’re a really good dude”.

“I’ve done it for a guy who came in with nearly all his organs atrophied. He should have died in an hour at most. He came back the next day in better health than a twenty something fitness buff”.

Danny blinks and smirks devilishly, “well damn then. Ancients, I’m a lucky idiot. Would the government try to kill him if they found out about him too?”.

Lewis coughs at that, point taken. So Danny had more than just personal reasons and worries about his family to keep this hidden. Nodding, “yeah. So no, I won’t be telling tales about you”.

Danny nods and stares at the ceiling some before nodding again, feeling a bit thrown, “alright then. You have horrible luck with getting weird patients. And I have the luck of the young and reckless”, sighing and shifting a bit uncomfortably, “so obviously ectoplasm’s a ghost thing. And I’ve told you how it basically works as a brain. So ghost brain, yeah? And well brains of different species have their own ways of thinking. Different instincts and needs. One of these needs is called an Obsession. Name kinda gives it away. Basically anyone with even a little ectoplasm in them become a little more intense or extreme about one thing that’s more important to them above other things. More ectoplasm equals more, I guess, intense”, shrugging and twitching some, “my thing’s protecting. Helping. Keeping people from being hurt. That kind of thing. Jazz has psychology, Dash’s is football, Paulina’s is beauty, etcetera. Everyone in Amity has their thing. It’s just more for me”, clearing his throat, “the medical bit is ‘cause of it being more for me. If, say, someone trapped Jazz in something that made it impossible for her to do her studies, she’d just be a little anxious and annoyed. She can just chose to not study. But me? It’s a need. I have to be helpful and protective. I’ll pretty well go insane otherwise. I absolutely would cut off my own legs to satisfy my Obsession”, Danny stops and wheezes slightly, twitching a fair bit. Talking about his Obsession, especially the possibility of failing it always freaked him out. It was so wrong and felt like he was baring his very soul and letting it be scrapped raw. And now he can’t help but think about how him not being at school meant there was no one to take Dash’s hits. How ghosts could attack and someone could get hurt, even other hunters; they couldn’t heal like him! What if someone tries to steal the portal again? If the food or water got poisoned, he’s the only one who would be able to smell it. What if Dani is melting again but can’t find him? He’s the only one with the stuff that can help her, he really should give Val, Sam and Tuck cans. What if someone or the town gets sucked into the Ghost Zone again? What if Vlad?!? And, Ancients, he’s making everyone worry. Sam and Tuck probably think it’s worse that it is ‘cause hospital. Jazz is trying to cover for him. His parents, Ancients, they were probably afraid he was going to die. Would they all be so focused on and worried about him they’d miss something? Or hurt themselves?

Lewis watches as Danny stares at the ceiling, shaking, with his tail swishing around almost aggressively. Very much like an agitated cat that either needs the thing bothering them to go away or a suitable distraction. He was even doing the twitching thing, and his eyes were green again. Clearly he wasn’t exaggerating this and that is rather concerning. He can’t exactly be helpful from a bed. Lewis isn’t great at dealing with people being emotional, watching the panic clearly rising in Danny’s eyes. But he could handle people loosing their shit with a, probably unnerving, level of calm. Deciding whatever rabbit hole train of thought Danny’s spiralling into firmly doesn’t need to continue, going for comforting and likely missing by a mile, “well at least I already got cutting off your legs covered?”.

Danny blinks, jarred, that statement was startling and odd enough to make his brain completely blank for a few seconds. It was honestly the fact that he sounded like he was genuinely trying to be reassuring and helpful, that was more jarring than what he said really. Danny would say that as a joke about himself actually. Danny turns his head to look at Lewis, who gives him a confident but awkward smile. Making Danny completely lose it and start laughing.

Lewis is tempted to give himself a mental pat on the back for, hopefully, subjugating Danny’s mental freak out. But it honestly probably only helped because Danny was strange and had a dark sense of humour. He probably should have made a joke instead actually.

Danny wheezes some more, “I would point at you but I don’t want to fuck up your work again!”, shaking his head, “you’re great. Which probably means you’re weird. But, uh, thanks? That wasn’t comforting, like, at all. But it works so whatever”.

Lewis shrugs, “that tracks for me honestly, so I’ll take it. But you know I have to ask, is there anyway for you to satisfy this here? Because you definitely have to stay in bed and there’s no way I can release you home yet”, trying to throw in some humour, “to be sneakily helpful in a place that isn’t crawling with professionals who know exactly what you shouldn’t be doing”.

Danny snorts, though looks slightly freaked again, “they’re practically professionals too. But beyond helping out with checking me over and providing info, not really. Which is a lot less than I normally do”, blinking and realising something, “I’m not, like, being forced to tell you shit though. So don’t worry about that”.  

Lewis frowns slightly, “good, I definitely wouldn’t want that. A friend of mine sometimes doesn’t have a choice what he tells people, his mouth just runs out of his control, sure it can be helpful but it’s not good or desirable really”.

Danny scrunches up his eyebrows and snorts, “you have a weird friend or patient for everything. Mine are pretty strange too. One doesn’t eat anything but meat and has what’s been dubbed a ‘meat sense’. Can even tell what kind of meat you had for last nights supper and how it was prepared. Can tell by smell exactly what kind of meat or cut a piece of meat is. The other, only eats things without faces, has a pet Venus flytrap, and was once in an arranged marriage with a ghost dragon”.

Lewis laughs and nods, that was pretty odd. “And of course, Jack and Maddie are rather unique themselves. Lots of good company”.

Danny chuckles awkwardly and looks at the clock, Lewis had been here a while. Looking at him and raising an eyebrow, “aren't you supposed to be working?”.

“I am. You’re my patient”.

“Don’t you have others? And surgeries?”.

Lewis shrugs, “I’m not a people person. Once folks come off their medication I keep my distance. Surgery’s not till the afternoon today”, smirking, “as the head surgeon I make my own schedule. So really, I’ve just got paperwork, very boring paperwork. So you’re protecting me from really boring adult responsibilities”.

Danny screws up his face a bit and Lewis is pretty sure he messed up, but then Danny laughs, “good then I guess! I’m pretty good at dealing with people, from afar anyway. I’m a lot better at choosing my words than you. Only let my mouth really fly around friends. Though I guess we’re friends at this point”.

Lewis nods with a smile, “I watch my tongue normally. But you’re weird enough to put up with me apparently. That’s why I’m friends with your parents. They’re just weird enough”.

Danny chuckles, made sense. Like how Tuck and Sam were weird enough. Even Val was weird enough, she just also so happened to want him dead. Well, okay, destroyed was a better word. Raising an eyebrow at him, “why we never see you ‘round then? Busy doctor life?”.

Lewis shrugs, “Jack and Maddie aren’t great at keeping in touch. But yes, I’m often busy and I have to move around a lot. I usually get transferred hospitals after a while, once the staff complain about me enough”.

“Why they heck are they bitching about you?”.

“I’m off putting. Too weird and not exactly a sympathetic person. Enjoying gutting people and making designs with flesh is generally considered ‘disturbing’”.

Danny tilts his head and nods a little, “okay when you put it like that, it is pretty weird. I usually creep people out after a while too though, so I feel ya”.

“Let me guess, ectoplasm having its own way of thinking thusly making you act off sometimes”.

Danny nods, “ghost are, ironically, creepy and spooky by nature. They’re predators too. So I’m like that sometimes”, shrugging, “subtly usually. But that creeps people out more I think. I know my folks get startled by how quiet I can move”.

Lewis takes in the slight smirk and chuckles, “clearly you enjoy that some”, just like two certain friends of his.

Danny smiles toothily then, “I’m a thing of mischief”. As Lewis gets up, “coffee?”. Danny grins and nods eagerly, “black and strong. Don’t matter if it’s a little cold”.

Lewis chuckles as he heads out. Of course he wasn’t bothered by cold, he basically had a ball of ice in his chest. Passing by that probably cools any food he eats down near instantly.

Returning with two cups of coffee, both black and a straw in one. Positioning the side table so Danny can easily sip from the straw, as he asks, “so how long am I stuck here anyway?”.

Lewis sits back down, “normally, with the sheer amount done to you, three months at least. But since, as far as the hospital knows, you’re not having any pain problems, healing well, have less injuries than previously thought, have parents with medical knowledge and training, and will have the head surgeon keeping an eye on you. About a month. But if, say, you genuinely need, not just want, to go home. I could probably wrangle it down to a week total”. Lewis is just not going to make assumptions that anything about Danny is normal now.  

Danny sips at his coffee, it was weak honestly but that’s hospital coffee for you, and it was way better than more damn apple juice or milk. A week was a long ass time, three months was near physically painful to consider. Especially when he didn’t need to be here! Sighing, “I mean, if it’ll get you in trouble don’t. I can deal with a month”.

Lewis sighs, again Danny was avoiding something. He may have a literal need and obsession to help, but he was horrible at accepting it. Probably viewing it as causing problems for other people and thus the opposite of being helpful. “But is it bad for your health to stay away?”.

Danny tries to sound mildly insulted, “who needs something like that?”.

Lewis gives him dubious eyebrows, “I have a friend who could die without chocolate”.

“Your friend group is concerning at this point”.  

“Danny”.

Danny rolls his eyes and huffs, “why does everyone say my name when they’re scolding me?”, after a bit of Lewis just staring at him with raised eyebrows, “Ancients alright man. It’s another ghost ectoplasm need instinct thingy. All ghosts have lairs, They need to be in them frequently to replenish their ectoplasm effectively and heal quicker. I don’t have that problem though”, shrugging, “I’ll just get really strong homesickness”.

Lewis shrugs, that wasn’t really bad for anyone then. But it would be annoying to put up with. Not to mention probably intensify the Obsession thing. Plus the hospital staff would probably be glad to be rid of Lewis for a while. Maybe disappearing for a while every so often would make them less likely to try transferring him. And he knew they’d want the Fenton’s gone as soon as was safe. “That’s reason enough I’d say. I could use something like a paid vacation anyway”, Danny looks slightly confused so he explains, “if I just move in with my good friends for a while, that counts as having an on call doctor well enough”.

Danny blinks and starts laughing, “oh Ancients. That’s your plan? Our house is one part death trap, one part biohazard, and one part questionable food. Sam and Tuck won’t even stay over for more than a night or two”.

Lewis chuckles and shrugs, “sounds like med school dorms. And it can’t be worse than finding a pile of intestines under the sofa or a cup full of teeth in the fridge”.

Danny mouths, ‘the fuck?’, before shaking his head, “we literally have a portal to another dimension in our basement. Our supper often involves food spontaneously coming to life and attacking us; for some reason the turkey is always really good with knives. There are weapons disguised as other things everywhere. We have a blimp that can turn into a jet on our roof. And that’s not even including that Amity, in general, is dangerous. Ghosts are a common thing. Picking fights, blowing things up. We don’t get tourists or visitors for a reason”.

Lewis blinks and pulls a face, dipping his head slightly. That was really weird. It tracked for Jack and Maddie honestly...weren’t they actually trying to build a portal? Huh, guess that worked out. So dangerous house and town, he’s definitely not telling any of the staff about any of that. But it could be interesting, so positives. Shrugging, “well I’m glad that project worked out for them then. But I’m guessing that’s why there are ghosts in town? And for all the ecto-contamination, including yours? And I’ve gotten good at being cautious about what I touch or eat. A friend likes to cook with blood sometimes”, tapping his chin, “which oddly works really well with chocolate”.

“Lewis-”, pausing and tilting his head, “you know, I just realised I don’t even know your actual name. Anyway. Yes and you seriously have an issue with collecting weird friends. I mean, I’m hardly an exception, but still. Where the Zone do you find all these people?”.

Lewis shrugs, “luck I guess. And, if I’m honest, I’ve just been talking about technically two this whole time. They’re really my only genuine friends”, sighing, “and yeah was kind of warned to hold off on my name by your sister”.

Danny squints at him, wondering why the Zone Jazz would do that? But also firmly confused by this guy just having the weirdest two friends ever, no wonder he was so unfazed. “Why technically? And why’d she do that?”.

Lewis shrugs, “something about a bad experience with someone of the same name. And those two are very attached. Complete package deal and they’re never really apart”.

Danny tilts his head, “that’s even weirder actually. Lovers? And-”, Danny pauses, screws up his face, and then pales a fair bit, “oh fuck, your name’s Dan, isn’t it?”.

Lewis nods and Danny damn shivers. Before grumbling, “yeah I’m forgetting that factoid. It’s just Lewis”.

Lewis clears his throat, “Lewis is perfectly fine. Normally only two, well three, call me anything else, though Jack and Maddie call me by my name. And yeah, I’m pretty sure those two are lovers, but they haven’t exactly confirmed that”.

Danny just stares at Lewis, making a damn point to point out to himself how much he does not look like him or Dan. Uh, his fucked up Dan. Fuck no, it’s just Lewis. And shit right, this guy has a ton in common with Danny. Danny even made are ‘are you an alternate me’ joke. The guy derives some level of pleasure and enjoyment from cutting people open and playing with their insides. Danny shakes his head slightly, but Dan would never close people back up. Or be helpful, at all. Yeah, okay, different train of thought. Lewis was a good fucking dude. Just great. Very not Dan. Plus, he must have been around way longer than Danny has even been fully or partly alive, right? Squinting at him, “you got proof you’re older than twenty-six?”.

Lewis is making a point of not looking confused. But he pulls out his wallet and lets Danny flip through all his different ID badges and license. Who eventually grunts and hands them back, looking far better, “okay good, I’m good. But yeah, you’re just gonna be a Lewis”, shrugging a bit stiffly, “might do some good attaching that name to someone not trying to murder me and everyone I care about though”.

Lewis blinks, that’s more than enough reason to dislike a name. Deciding to not touch that subject at all. Though Dan is kind of a shortened version of Daniel. So Danny probably got called that occasionally. Which he didn’t even have to ask to know Danny wouldn’t react well to. “Well I’m quite fine as ‘a Lewis’. It’s my name all the sa-”. Lewis gets cut off by his pager going off and promptly leaving the room. Which Danny apparently finds funny, even if the laughs a little hollow.

Danny mutters about how, “his patient sense damn well better interrupt him at the most inconvenient times too. He can’t be the only one with a sense that has a horrid sense of timing”. Before Lewis comes back, “for once it wasn’t another patient”, pushing the door open fully just for two teens to rush past him.

Tuck making a face at Danny and putting a finger over his mouth instantly, “don’t you say shit or I will launch all of us out the window. The doctor guy too for good measure”. Danny just smirks and snickers, “I don’t have to say shit. You’re thinking it”.

“I hate you”.

Lewis looks around a bit awkwardly, not sure if he should respond to that. And threatening to hurt someone in a hospital bed was decidedly not the normal way to greet them; weird friends indeed. The girl turns to him, hands on her hips and asks, “so just how much did he bang up? I’m asking you because he’ll lie”.

“Hey!”, Danny spits his straw at her, before rolling his eyes and nodding at Lewis, “it’s cool. My friends know me well. Don’t have much in the way of secrets”.

Sam and Tucker squint at him. Wondering if he means something by that. Tucker raising an eyebrow, “you gifted him a Frying Pan?”.

Danny shakes his head, “things have been plenty spooky but there hasn’t been a single Pan in here. All he’s gotten in a new Fan”.

Lewis damn well knows he’s missing something here. Deciding to comment on the only thing that makes sense, “I don’t think anyone has ever given me a frying pan. Cat left a mouse on one once though. That might have been a friends fault actually”.

Tucker snickers and looks to Lewis, though points at Danny, “a prick nailed a dead badger to his door once”.

Lewis shrugs, that was pretty messed up to do to a teenager, but, “a friend made a pile of various heads in their bedroom once. Forgot about it too. The smell was not fun”.

Danny chuckles and makes a firm point to not imagine Dan making a pile of heads, “your friends, I tell you”.

While Lewis nods at the slightly glaring goth girl, “I feel like a bit of a broken record, but. He should be dead. Very dead. Broke pretty well everything from the neck down. Lost some organs, got a lot of metal, lost some limbs, got rather high on prescription drugs. Over all very interesting, had fun”.

Tucker snickers, “Danny on drugs, would have liked to see that”. While Sam glares at Danny and crosses her arms, “Danny goddammit”, before yanking up the sheet.

Danny wiggles the tip of his tail at her and steals Tucker’s hat with it. Tucker clamouring right over him to fetch it back, which Lewis nearly cringes over, obviously they knew about his healing otherwise that was really messed up to do. Though Lewis is also both surprised and impressed that the tail actually had working prehensility.

Sam glances back at the doctor, who doesn’t really seem phased, if anything he’s looking at Tucker funny, before she looks to Danny and raises an eyebrow. Danny shrugs, “it won’t go away, you try hiding that from the guy who’s supposed to notice odd body shit. Plus, Lewis is cool. Great dude. Not a murderer”.

Lewis blinks at that, guess he was still on with the Dan name. Which was probably understandable. While the dark skinned friend sticks his head back up over the bed, “shit dude, did you make a friend? One that hasn’t tried to off you yet?”.

“Fuck you Tuck”.

Lewis chuckles and decides to just sit down, probably would seem least awkward, “death has been brought up a lot in a very short amount of time. But technically, all surgery runs the risk of death. So technically, it is kind of like attempted murder if it’s unnecessary”.

Danny blinks and starts laughing. While Sam and Tucker eyeball the doctor. Seeing exactly why they were friendly. Doctor guy was weird. Sam tilts her head, “wait, you did surgery on him? So you’re his doctor and surgeon?”.

Lewis nods, “Dr. Lewis. Head surgeon”, nodding at Danny, “I like how they don’t even ask what surgery I did”.

Danny tilts his head some, “all of it I assume? And this is Sam and Tuck. Which is probably obvious at this point”, looking to Sam and Tuck, “before you ask, yes I’m absolutely attempting to hide the ghostly tail from my folks. Lewis knows I’m a weird human kid with ectoplasm and weird healing. Also, he literally poked my Core. So he knows shit”, smirking, “also pretty well decided to move into FentonWorks to ‘keep an eye on me’ so I can leave sooner”.

Both Sam and Tucker slowly turn to look at Lewis, “do you have a death wish?”.

Lewis shrugs, “you’re not the first to ask me that. One friend asked me the same pretty much every day for a month because I didn’t ditch my other friend after the whole attempted murder and implied cannibalism thing”.

Sam shrugs and smirks at Danny, “that’s not really worse than dating one many times attempted would be murderer”.

While Danny scoffs, “we worked”, before looking at Lewis with a raised eyebrow, “but isn’t the one friend probably dating the other? Sounds like they didn’t exactly approve”.

Lewis chuckles, “oh he didn’t approve. I believe he said ‘oh god they’re killing you! I’m so sorry!’. My wife basically assaulted them in the hospital and the two had what was honestly a lovers quarrel”.

Danny snorts, “was this the patient that had atrophied organs and was hours away from death?”.

Sam and Tucker look between the two as Lewis nods and chuckles, Danny’s friends knew about Danny’s weird so obviously they were pretty well safe to be open with, “yup. And the other one was actually causing it too. By accident apparently. Not sure I really believe that. But, hey! they worked it out. Positives right?”.

Sam shakes her head at Lewis, “wow, you’re just a magnet for self-destructive idiots aren’t you?”.

Danny smirks, “did he at least get back at them for that?”.

Lewis is pretty sure those two were constantly getting back at each other. “I’d say so. Nearly inadvertently suffocated them. Pretty sure the two made up officially after throwing each other into the ocean and blowing some stuff up”.

Tucker nods, “that seems pretty reasonable”. Lewis is firmly sure it’s not to most people. But his pager going off calls him away. Waving it over his shoulder, “real patient this time. I’ll be seeing you Danny. Make sure you actually heal”.

Danny grumbles, “yeah yeah. Already on that”. While Sam shakes her head, “so he really knows then huh?”.

“Yeah. Not everything obviously. He’s less fazed by weird than even you guys. Though I’m pretty sure one or maybe both his friends are just as weird, if not weirder, than me. So it makes sense”, Danny blinks, “ah! Right! He’s actually a family friend. Known my parents a while apparently. Which, yeah, was worrying, their track record with old friends isn’t exactly good. But he’s good”.

Tucker snorts, “weird for sure. You got lucky dude. But how bad are you really. And your legs?”.

Danny sighs, “bad but not that bad. My original injuries were top ten at most. But at this point and over all? Top three. The medication they put me on messed with my ectoplasm for a while. Plus I’ve had to force down my healing, which yes, is what he was just referring to. And Lewis hacked off my legs. And Tuck, I don’t fucking know. I’ve never lost limbs. Before you ask, yes I tried changing my tail to legs. Nada. Pretty well decided my body just was not having the whole missing half itself thing. Couldn’t do legs so bam! tail”, Danny pauses and snorts. All three starting laugh. Danny wheezing, “you’d think my body’d be chill with being only half something by now!”.

Sam sits on the edge of the bed and pokes his wrappings, “I’m guessing you’re fine under this? It’s been twenty-four hours or so right?”.

Danny nods, wiggling around some and quickly checking himself over, “yeah. Just the typical bruising and cracks left. Which, yes, is more than I normally have at this point but that’s expected. The legs are the only worryingly thing”, sighing, “I really don’t know if they’ll grow back. And you know my folks, already deciding they’ll ‘build me legs’. And while I’m sure they’d make something, whether it would work or not being debatable, I’d rather have my actual legs. And oh fuck, does everyone at school know?”.

Tucker pats his shoulder, “nope. Just that you’re in the hospital after a serious car crash. Everyone was both confused that happened to a Fenton and unsurprised that it was you, of all people, who got hurt”.

Sam smiles and digs in her bag, “speaking of that, here”.

Danny takes the card with his tail and snorts at it. Especially opening it and seeing a threat from Dash right off the bat. About how he ‘better not take the easy way out of his scheduled beatings’. At least Lancer’s poem seems truly heartfelt. Putting the card on table and slipping his tail back under the sheets. “I shouldn’t be surprised”, poking them both through the sheet with his tail, “the shit am I supposed to do about this? Hiding it here is one thing. They don’t want to even talk about or look at the whole leg situation really. But at home?”, Danny shakes his head. His parents weren’t the sensitive type. Pretty well as soon as he was ‘healed’ they be asking to see and get him to try out legs. Outside of trying to be helpful anyway. It was going to be extremely weird them trying to be really nurturing, having hardly gotten that from them. Plus, it was his job to be protecting them. His need.

Tucker shrugs, “I dunno dude”. While Sam sighs, “well at least it doesn’t look like Phantom’s”.

Tucker snorts and pokes at it through the sheets, “might want to keep something of colour or whatever over the whacked off segment. A human flesh coloured ghostly tail would look really wrong”.

Danny pulls a face, “yeah...I could have done without that mental image”.

Sam snorts, “you’ll probably be seeing it, depending on how long it takes your legs to grow back”.

Danny sighs, “when and if-”.

Both of them interrupting, “when”.

Danny looks at their stern faces and laughs. The confidence in his wacky healing was nice, and hopefully not misplaced. Deciding to just go along with it, “well until then, literal phantom limb. Just not Phantom coloured”.

Sam tilts her head, “actually, that might work. You could pass it off as just that. A ghost limb”.

“Sam, that’s literally what it is. How does that help me?”.

Sam shakes her head, and flicks Danny’s, “use your head you idiot. Just pass it off as what it actually is. Your phantom limb. The ghost of your legs”.

Tucker nods, “yeah. Just, like, pass it off as a side affect of the ‘ecto-contamination’ or some shit. Your ghost is just closer to the surface and can show through”.

Danny blinks and flicks around his tail, “I’m a fucking idiot”.

Both of them chuckle, “duh”.

Tucker pokes him, “obviously don’t just spring that shit on them. How long till you head home?”.

Danny smirks at that, Lewis was a sneaky bastard, “Lewis is wrangling to get me home in a week. He knows about the whole lair thing and my Obsession-”.

Both of them blink, “you told him about that? Willingly?”.

Danny shrugs awkwardly, “kind of had to and he did push it out a little. Not to mention there’s still a bit of the drugs in my system. Anyway. He’s oddly health and healing focused, like my level of being protective almost. It was relatable. So now he wants me home and being helpful. So I’ve got a week, probably, to pretend to be injured and lay in a damn bed. Make sure my legs don’t heal too noticeably”.

Sam smiles, “at least you’re good at pretending. And you damn well know you have to still pretend to be injured at home”.

Danny scoffs, “duh. But we all know how little they actually notice. Obviously don’t act too normal. But pretty well once the wrappings off I’ll act back to sorta normal. Just legless”. Danny blinks, realising a slight issue. How the Zone is he going to explain his legs regrowing. If it’s slow enough then maybe they won’t really notice. They don’t generally notice the blood or ectoplasm, even that time he was pretty much caked in it. He’s honestly amazed ‘ghost rain’ worked.

Whatever, future Danny’s problem. As Lewis comes back in with food. Real food. Burgers, fries, shakes, and, wow he actually remembered, a veggie burger.

Sam takes hers and smiles, “I like you”.

Danny curls his tail around his burger and phases off the wrapping without really thinking about. Practically moaning into his food, “it’s been too long!”.

Sam just rolls her eyes. Enjoying her drink. Obviously Danny had told Lewis about them. And he actually remembered what Danny said about them. He’s damn nice and didn’t even bat an eye at Danny just using a ghostly tail instead of his hands.

Lewis smirks, enjoying a far better coffee and mini pie, “and here I thought Tucker was the non-face eater”.

Tucker coughs and looks honestly overly offended. Aggressively and jerkily shaking his finger at Lewis, “the only time I ever, ever, eat something without a face is when one particular dumbass does something spectacularly dumb”.

Danny grunts and swallows what’s left of his burger, “hey now! I had never ran into Blood Blossoms before! How was I supposed to know?!?”.

Sam and Tucker glance at Lewis, who only says, “did you at least get some kind of medical treatment? Because I don’t know about you, but I would if any part of me was boiling at any point”.

Tucker jabs a thumb at himself, “hey! I’m the one who had to eat a pound of the damn things. So I’m the one who needed treatment and mouthwash”, pointing at Danny, “I broke my 14 year meat streak for you, don’t you ever forget that”.

Danny huffs, “well excuse me for being more worried about the asses that we’re trying to burn Sam at the stake, over your diet”, looking at Lewis, “dude, I have never gotten official medical treatment. I’m pretty sure all I did was have a longer bath that night”.

Lewis glares over that but chuckles and nods at Tucker, “a friend of mine would like you. Real carnivore. Except they’d be mad the meat’s not raw and will literally die without meat”.

Danny chuckles, “the same one that will die without chocolate?”.

Lewis nods and tips his cup towards him, “the same”.

Tucker smiles, “I wish I had that excuse”.

While Danny shakes his head at Lewis, “you know. Your two friends are weird. Impressively so. Kinda makes me laugh over the idea of someone talking about me as ‘a friend of mine’. Minus the random hinting at extreme gore”.

Tucker snorts, “dude, you are the gore. Seriously. I swear you have a love affair with physical injuries. Also, the stories we could tell would be way weirder”.

Danny points at him, “yeah but could you do it without blatantly outing me as highly abnormal”, pointing at Lewis, “he did a damn good job of that before he realised just how strange I am”.

Lewis shrugs, “you ain’t telling tales and your friends are in the weeds with you. Plus it’s a miracle no one’s figured them out. One told his damn bodega lady, the other their neighbour. Just to be a scary prick to the guy for blasting music”, shrugging, “well, more showed than told, but same thing”.

Sam shakes her head, “it’s a miracle no one’s figured out Danny. People are just really blind to strange. But you’d think people in Amity would pick up on weird easier”, poking Danny, “but at least you’ve only accidentally shown one person. Technically anyway”.

Danny smirks, “I love technicalities”.

Tucker sticks up a finger, looking down at his PDA, “quick question”, pointing at Danny and then Lewis, “why’s there practically nothing in Danny’s medical file? What is there is painfully vague”.

Lewis squints at him, “how do you know that?”.

Sam and Danny in unison, “he hacked the hospital”.

Lewis eyes the PDA, watching Tucker flip through folders at an almost alarming rate. Well, this was certainly a new one. Shrugging, “honestly, I’m not sure if praise or disapproval is more apporitate”.

Sam raises an eyebrow, “it’s technically illegal and this is your hospital?”.

Danny waves her off, “he flat-out told me he was going to fabricate things to cover my weirdness. Like I said, good guy”.

Lewis shrugs, this was still more normal and less hectic, “its not my first rodeo. This one’s way less bloody. No weird companies with hired goons. No illegal human experimentation. No one’s crashing date night making me have to carry them out of a lobster tank. And again, you haven’t tried to kill me yet. Unusual physiology and extreme injury is pretty easy going”, smirking, “plus I got to play around with your innards. Never got to do that with the other. Made you a bunch of fancy metal sculptures, and the symmetry. Course, you wrecked it all”.

Danny shrugs exaggeratedly, “I didn’t know doc. And don’t jinx me”.

Sam raises an eyebrow at Lewis, “why is that what you care about?”.

“I care about my work. So long as I do what I do, weird’s whatever. Just look at the positives”.

Tucker looks up from his PDA at Danny, “dude, he’s you. You sure he’s not a clone or something?”.

“He’s been around longer than me, so if anyone’s the clone, it’s me”. Danny tilts his head and sniffs a few times, before quickly curling his tail up under him, quickly muttering, “Forwarding”. Which results in Sam shoving all the wrappers into her bag and both her and Tucker looking slightly sadder and standing closer to Danny.

Lewis standing up and composing himself into the form of professionalism as the door opens. Smiling at Jack and Maddie, so Danny has code words. ‘Forwarding’, FW, as in FentonWorks. Smart. He can think of a certain someone who should utilise code words. Maddie and Jack nod at him, Jack asking, “we’re not interrupting anything?”.

Lewis shakes his head with a soft smile, “hardly, I’m just playing favourites”. Earning a smile from both before they rush over to Danny. Sam and Tucker stepping back to give them some room. Tucker typing on his PDA and leaning so Lewis can see it. He’s probably more pleased than he should be at it reading, ‘if you betray his trust, we’ll end you’. Ah, the joys of having good friends. Lewis certainly has friends that would kill for him too, they’d just be a little too eager about it. Nodding slightly at the staring teen.

Maddie brushes Danny’s hair lightly, “how are you sweetie?”.

Danny, knowing saying good would just make them think he’s lying, “I’m okay. But I think I’ll have a slight developed hatred for apple juice by the end of this”.

Everyone laughs slightly as Jazz walks in, sending Lewis a small nod after looking Danny over and seeing the medicine bag doesn’t seem to actually be doing anything. Before heading over to Danny and patting his good shoulder. Leaning next to his ear, “everyone’s fine. The house is fine and there wasn’t ghost issues that were actual issues”.

Danny relaxes a little at that, he knew Jazz would be honest about that. Sam and Tuck, not so much; and his folks didn’t actually know what qualified as actual issues.

Maddie smiles, “well hopefully it’ll be over sooner than you think”, looking to Lewks, “the nurse we talked to said he could probably go home in a month. She sounded a bit surprised by that herself”.

Jack laughs slightly, “said Danny-boy is tough and a good healer! A Fenton through and through!”.

Sam and Tucker share a look, smirking. Knowing it was all Phantom not the Fenton part. While Lewis nods, clearing his throat and stepping forward slightly, “about that actually-”, everyone looks at him a little freaked, so Lewis makes a point to smile softly. Wrong word choice obviously. “-Danny here could actually go home sooner, if there’s a doctor with him. So I was looking to ask if I could stay over for a while”, making sure to frame this like they were doing him a favour, “I could use sometime away from the hospital and it’s been a while. Not just since we’ve last gotten together but since I’ve really hanged out with any of my other friends”, talking more seriously now, because that’s appropriate, “though I’ll still very much be working. Normally at home care takes more effort, seeing as I’d have to bring all the medical supplies and be the only one with medical knowledge”, smirking slightly, “but knowing you two, you might have more medical supplies than the hospital. Besides, you said it yourselves, Danny’s readings are a little off. So really, makes it a little harder for him to be treated here”.

Danny doesn’t exactly like it when anyone brings up his oddness around his parents, even subtly, especially when he was actively trying to hide something strange...like a ghostly tail. He was still a little too ectoplasmicly exhausted to consistently keep it invisible and intangible. So he kept it curled under the rest of him, trying to make it wiggle and pulse and swish as little as possible. While also paying attention to conversations.

His folks look at him, Maddie asking, “would you like that? I know you don’t like us fretting over you, which we very much will be”.

Danny rolls his eyes, he didn’t like anyone fretting over him, “I’d like to go home sooner yeah. Besides, Lewis is pretty cool”.

Jazz giggles, “told you so little brother”, though she eyeballs Lewis a little. He had to be more than just a little strange for Danny to make friendly with him. And actually wanting to live in the Fenton household was incredibly strange.

Jack beams and gives Lewis a strong nod, “then it’s decided! We’ve got a spare room so it works. How long though?”, snapping his fingers and smiling, “maybe you could help us with our work too! Give the more medical side of it!?!”.

Maddie looks at her husband and nods with a smile before giving Lewis a questioning look, “you’re married now right? She’ll be okay with this?”.

Lewis smiles, she’d be okay with pretty well anything, he was lucky to have her. “She’s a pretty busy person herself. She’s had to go away for clients a few times, so she won’t mind me doing so for a patient”, making a show of titling his head and thinking, “as for a timeline. Give or take a week. Closer to five days. And Jack, I’m always up for hearing your interesting theories and seeing the things you two create”.

Danny just blinks, again Lewis was just a really good guy. No one wanted to encourage his parents to blabber or show off things. Partly because that was actually dangerous. Watching as Lewis walks over to be closer with his parents before both basically descend into talking ghost at him. Which he seems to actually be enjoying and putting in his two cents back.

Danny takes this change to readjust some and let his tail move more erratically while they’re not looking. Jazz pokes him, “you are alright, right? You seem uncomfortable?”.  

Danny, Sam and Tucker all make ‘shushing’ motions at her, while Danny flicks his eyes to his parents before subtly sneaking the tip of his tail out and wrapping it around Jazz’s wrist. Prompting her to glance down, making a point to not visually react and glancing to where Danny’s legs used to be and mouthing, ‘tail? How? Healed?’.

Danny glances at his parents again, tracing words on her skin, ‘yes’, ‘unsure’, ‘no’. She nods curtly at him and gives the tail a little pat. They could figure out the ‘why’ some other time.

Lewis looks at the time, he’d have to get to bone cracking soon. Smiling at his two friends, “well, I’ve got duties to perform. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later”. Both of them nod at him so he points at Danny as he heads out, “here or at home, I’m still your doctor. I encourage you to ask or tell me things”. All he hears from Danny is a chuckle.

Sam and Tucker waste no time in following Lewis out. Jack and Maddie assuming they want to ask questions without possibly upsetting Danny. While Danny just sighs, sometimes his friends were worse than he was.

Lewis walks with his hands in his pockets, not all too surprised when he’s suddenly flanked by the two teens. Danny might be the one with a protective need but that apparently has made everyone close to him protective in return. Deciding to just start speaking, “Jasmine already did this whole follow me till out of others ear shot so...”, Lewis trails off as he turns down one of the more empty hallways, “so if, say, you have some unusual medical information about Danny, that he hasn’t or won’t tell me on his own, I’m all ears”.

Sam and Tucker eyeball him before smiling slightly. Tucker speaking, “he’s pretty good at giving information when he really has too. He just underplays things. And you’re not a new doctor or new to this hospital, so you don’t seem suspicious”.

Sam nods, “doesn’t seem to be anyone here with questionable connections”. Sam and Tucker share a look and nod. Sam speaking up again as she looks around, “we know taking samples is part of treating a patient. Do you actually want the results?”.

Lewis squints at them, of course he did. Those were frequently necessary or even vital to treating a patient. Even if he was warned they might be completely nonviable. “We don’t take samples for no reason”.

Tucker nods, taps away on his PDA and holds it out to Lewis. Grabbing it and seeing the lab results on the screen. Again, should he be impressed or bothered? Tucker was really good with hacking. Which is arguably useful when being friends with someone who has secrets to keep. Like being friends with a doctor and a lawyer. And it’s not like he can really judge. Tucker mutters as Lewis looks over the, definitely strange, results, “you’re probably going to get a report about the results and samples going mysteriously missing. Along with equipment and video footage”.

Lewis blinks, they actually broke in and stole? Again he’s done far more questionable stuff, still though, “you know those machines are quite expensive”.

Tucker shrugs, “well they’re destroyed now. Fire, acid, explosives, water submersion. The works”.

Sam smirks, “you’re already doing something you shouldn’t so you tell, we tell. You’re ‘in the weeds’ as you put it too”.

Lewis sighs, “quite true. Does this have to do with him implying the governments after him to some degree?”.

Sam blinks at him, “wow, you actually got Danny's trust above the basic level. You don’t sound too fazed though”.

Lewis shrugs, “like I said, not my first rodeo. Had one patient who got shot and abducted in an elevator by hired mercenaries working for a government sponsored scientific organisation. They were doing some very illegal experimentation”.

Tucker snorts, taking back his PDA, “you’ve seen some shit dude”.

Sam just shakes her head, “well you don’t have to worry about anyone sneakily abducting him. The ones you have to worry about are much more brute force. They shot a missile from a jet at another teenager and blew up an observatory just because they suspected he was even slightly like Danny”.  

Lewis pauses his walking at that. So basically Danny being here actually put the whole building at risk? Considering the protectiveness, that would probably bother Danny deeply. Since he wasn’t freaking out or doing everything he could to leave, he probably hadn’t realised that. “Would there be any warning if they try to, and I quote, ‘shoot a missile’?”.

Both teens shake their heads, but Tucker smiles, “they won’t give warning. But I’ve been tracking them ever since they chased Danny halfway across the country before Danny was able to get them off his trail. There was spaceships and a Comic-Con involved”.

Lewis tilts his head and laughs, this was almost concerningly familiar, “huh, a friend of mine got chased all over his city in a car chase involving bombs and missiles. There was a spaceship involved too”.

Sam and Tucker look at each other before looking back to him, “you’re friend is Danny at this point”.

Lewis shakes his head almost aggressively, “oh definitely not. They’ve got a lot of circumstances in common for sure. But Danny’s far more moral and doesn’t come off to people like he’s slightly insane. He’s also definitely not a famous reporter with a habit of pissing off powerful people”, chuckling, “Danny also seems to be less of a mess”.

Sam mutters, “that’s actually impressive”, shaking her head and looking around, “your friend or friends aside. If you see people in perfectly clean white suits and claiming to be government agents, there’ll probably be either two or three of them, then get Danny out of here”.

Lewis nods as Tucker speaks, “hopefully I pulled everything before they got wind of it but it’s hard to tell with them. Usually they’re stupid idiots easy to trick but sometimes they surprise us”.

Lewis squints slightly at the two teens, realising they were oddly mature. Considering what little he’s heard and Danny’s scars, something tells him Danny and his friends live reckless and maybe they do frequently piss off powerful people. Obviously they weren’t fighting against the evils of the world with a camera and the written word, but maybe they were in a far more vigilante/superhero kind of way. Well, at least they clearly weren’t killing people. Lewis is pretty sure Danny physically and mentally can’t actually. So positives. Deciding to test his theory, “that sounds like the government in general. Ever, say, saved the world from some catastrophe or another?”.

Both teens pause for only a second, glancing at each other, that really said everything to Lewis and technically, they were putting more on the line if they said yes. Seeing as Lewis actually knew Danny’s name and where he lived, they knew very little about Lewis’s friends, “I’ve got two friends who have. Did it pretty recklessly and dumb too”, chuckling, “they have the same luck as Danny for surviving shit they shouldn’t”.

Tucker looks at his PDA, “whelp, it’s my third feeding time”, and promptly walks off.

Lewis and Sam watching him go. Sam sighing, “like that’s not suspicious Tucker”, before shaking her head and eyeing Lewis, “I don’t doubt you’ve already made up your mind on what the answer is. But I’m not giving you one”, glaring at the doctor, “but know this, if you get Danny hurt or anything. I have more than enough money to buy out this entire hospital and everyone you’ve ever worked for. And every Manson has a very particular skill for starting riots and fear mongering”.

Lewis nods slightly, ever so slightly startled, “noted”, before she glares at him again and walks off after Tucker. This was all seeming weirdly similar. One guy who was a mess of a person but average otherwise, winds up with some strange abilities and unique physiology; who’s definitely fighting crime, or something, rather illegally. With two friends with strange but useful skill sets helping them out. Difference was, they were a bunch of teens. But hey, clearly they could handle whatever they’re doing. Positives. As he heads to the surgery wing.

Eventually Danny’s just glad it’s nightfall, meaning he gets to be left alone. He could be a rather social person when people were not being dicks to him. But he still cherished his alone time. Even if it was more boring right now and he couldn’t go flying. Zone did he ever just want to really stretch out and he’d never been grounded for so long. Well, not since becoming able to fly anyway. Sliding his tail out from under him and letting it wiggle around freely and erratically. Trying to keep it somewhat still and hidden was more exhausting and difficult than he had thought. He’d never tried stilling it before and being still was, apparently, not something ghostly tails do.

Shuffling to try and get more comfortable just as his ghost sense goes off. Watching the icy mist, thick with annoyance, until he blinks and spots ClockWork; letting a small smile work across his face. “What? Now you’re going to give me a pity party too?”.

“I wouldn’t dream of it”, ClockWork comes to sit on the side of the bed, “everyone’s aware of you being unable to be in your lair. So they’re keeping their distance”, winking at Danny, “no one actually wants to out you after all”.

Danny snorts, “so you scared off a few ghosts bad enough that everyone’s staying away till the ‘strange Phantom’s ally ghost’ leaves”. Danny knows damn  well the ‘thank you’ was easily heard. Knowing his town wasn’t going to be harassed was extremely helpful. “I’m assuming there’s another reason you’re here?”.

“You won’t be sleeping yet so”, ClockWork summons a floating chessboard; making Danny laugh as they set up. Fully intending to play though the night, Danny using his tail all the while. Danny’s self aware enough to know he’ll probably have a nightmare if he sleeps tonight. A Dan nightmare. Did he seriously have to have that name?

Meanwhile, Lewis stretches out in his chair. Spinning around his phone and debating calling his friends. It would do them some good to possibly make a friend, one they have stuff in common with. But he hadn’t exactly informed Danny of their particular diet. He might not exactly like that. Plus he hadn’t asked any of them if they were okay with him telling someone else. Sure one of his friends would probably just trust his judgement, but the other will probably threaten to eat him...again. Danny on the other hand was far more paranoid, actually effectively hid and prioritised hiding. Even over his own safety and limbs.

Smiling as his wife comes in, “hey honey”.

She tilts her head at him, “what’s on your mind?”.

Lewis shakes his head with a slight smile, “just a patient. One giving me quite the case of deja-vu. Hasn’t tried to kill me yet but they’re a reckless seriously injured case with some pretty unusual stuff in them”, shrugging with a slight smirk, “or at least they were seriously injured when they came in. Mysteriously healed overnight”.

The two stare at each other for a while, eventually she sighs, walks over and gives him a kiss. Sighing again, “another one? I thought they all died?”.

Lewis shakes his head, “surprisingly no. Not another one. Very different. They’ve just got a lot of similarities. Except their personality is more like me, just more socially normal and paranoid. They actually made me prove I wasn’t some kind of murderer or something”, looking around slightly before looking back to his phone, “I may have been subtly telling tales to make them feel more comfortable and open up. And I was thinking those two could use more friends”.

She runs her hands through his hair and smiles slightly, before clapping him on the shoulder, “well you better go make an apology chocolate cake for when you tell them about that”, shaking her head as she gets ready for bed, “so is he really that much like you and them? And don’t even bother with the neutral pronouns, no way this patient isn’t a guy”.

“Astute as ever. Outside of the fact that I’m pretty sure he has a more strict and important Hippocratic oath than every doctor I’ve ever met. Yeah. That, and he’s a minor”.

She pauses and looks at him, “Dan. That doesn’t sound like someone who would exactly appreciate hanging out with a technical cannibal”.

Lewis sighs, “he didn’t react at all really when I sorta dropped them attempting to eat me-”.

“Okay, now you owe them two cakes”.

Lewis picks up where he left off, “-and I’m positive he’s a vigilante of some kind. One of his friends literally hacked the hospital for files and two of his friends broke into the research lab, destroyed anything with his samples. He’s clearly fine with illegal”.

“That’s not the same as murder. Justified as it is, it’s still murder. Did you ask the kid if he was okay with you potentially setting up a play date with your, lovable but arguably weird, murder friends?”.

Lewis shakes his head and sighs, getting up as she glares at him. The message of ‘then go do that’ very obvious.

Lewis firmly enjoys being head surgeon. It lets him do pretty well as he pleases. No one able to, or really wanting to, question him. Sure he was still accountable to the higher ups but they didn’t bother him about much. Making a point to yawn and shake himself to look more awake before getting to Danny’s door and entering.

Hearing Danny’s voice, “-which just made me think, ‘what would raw meat even taste like?’ and ‘he’s going to give Tuck ideas’ and-”. Danny pauses and turns his head to the door. While Lewis looks around, seeing no one, “talking to yourself?”.

“Uhhhh”.

Lewis shrugs and closes the door, “my friend seemingly talks to himself constantly. A little bit of the town weirdo you could say”.

“Do you ever sleep? And, uh, there was a visitor”.

Lewis gives him a dubious eyebrow, but Danny nods his head at a rather strange glowing chessboard. Walking around Lewis can see it’s actually floating, “huh”, looking over the plays on the board and chuckling at Danny, “you were loosing. They didn’t need to mind me though. Even if I’m not sure how they got out”.  

Danny chuckles awkwardly, “always am, but it’s more for the fun of it. And, um, they’re not really a people person”, shrugging and deciding that ClockWork obviously knew Lewis would walk in so clearly they must be cool with Danny trusting, or even think Danny needs to trust, Lewis, “they’re also not a living person”.

“You’re friends with a ghost?”.

Danny chuckles again, “yeah, um, don’t be telling my parents that though”.

Lewis smirks, Jack and Maddie would definitely not be okay with that. From what he’s heard from them over the years, ghosts were dangerous and they seemed to think they weren’t truly sentient. Just green goo, ectoplasm, able to act sentient. But considering Lewis was friends with what was basically a pile of, definitely sentient and definitely dangerous, goo. Plus Danny has made it pretty well clear that there was a level of sentience to ectoplasm. Nodding at Danny as he sits down, “of course, they believe a lot of things about ghosts that is wrong, don’t they? And I’m guessing that, due to your ectoplasm, you have a level of commonality with ghosts and have not only learned about them more genuinely but also made more than just one ghost friend? Though you have said ghosts were dangerous yourself”.

Danny worries his lip slightly. Lewis was smart and noticed things. But at the same time ClockWork wanted to be noticed. And maybe...maybe if Lewis agreed with him on ghosts being sentient beings capable of emotions and feelings. Maybe, just maybe, his folks would listen to their adult doctor friend over him. Sighing and nodding, “they're kind of bigoted. Great at the science and inventions, not so much with psychology or relations”, shifting some, “and yeah ghosts are dangerous. Most that show up in Amity are violent and destructive. In their nature to scare and stir up fear. Some just do it, um, nicer?”.

Lewis nods, “well you have definitely been startling yourself a few times. Though I think you’ve only got me once or twice. I’m rather used to startling things after all. But I’m guessing this ghost was a ‘nicer’ one?”.

Danny blushes slightly, “heh, they’re kind of a father figure in my life. Teacher, mentor, guide. That stuff. I wouldn’t exactly call them ‘nice’ though. Attempted to kill me when we first met”, shrugging and looking around some, “saved my life and the world later though so it’s okay. They’ve also, technically, killed people and ghosts. Butlikealwaysforagoodreason”, the last bit coming out a bit rushed and making him twitch slightly. It did bother his Obsession a bit knowing ClockWork had a kill count. But considering how they met, he subconsciously knew as much. And it wasn’t even like they had killed only bad people or people trying to destroy the world. Clearing his throat, “they do what’s right...what’s best, not what’s nice or arguably good”.

Lewis blinks at that and forces down a smile, that would definitely not be appropriate. It was good he came, because this basically solved part of his mental debate. Danny already was close with someone dangerous and, apparently, murderous. The fact that this ghost tried to kill Danny really reminds him of his friends yet again. Clapping his legs, which Danny looks at him a little confused for, as Lewis speaks up, “well that decides it for me really then”, clearing his throat, “you’ve got a lot of things in your life similar to those two friends of mine”.

Danny blinks and snorts before laughing, “are you?! Are you saying you want to set up a play date?!”, chuckling, “I mean, they do seem right up my alley for strange”.

“Oh you have no idea”.

Danny smirks, “you have half of it”, shuffling and looking more serious, “you’re pretty well asking to tell them about me though aren’t you? My weird”.

Lewis wiggles his hand in the air, “more like vague tale telling. Pretty much what I’ve been giving you about them. If they’re interested they’ll probably be cool with me just telling you everything”.

“Well I’m not giving you permission to tell them everything you know about me. No offence. Vague fine but it better be damn vague”, sighing, “but why was knowing about my friend the nail in the coffin for asking me?”.

Lewis frowns and looks around slightly, watching the door, sighing, “they have a bit of a habit of leaving a trial of missing persons. Always with a good reason. It’s like you said. They do what’s right, not what’s good”.

Danny blinks, realising that when Lewis had made comments about a friend making piles of heads or picking fights, he meant human heads and murder. Breathing out, “Ancients”, Danny then squints his eyes also realising that him being told this, getting Lewis to open up about his own murder buddy, was exactly why ClockWork stuck around, grumbling, “oh you little shit”. Maybe Lewis would have told him anyway, maybe that’s why he was here. But this was basically ClockWork giving their seal of approval and bluntly telling Danny that these friends really did kill for what’s right or good or whatever. Still fucked up and not okay. But, Danny slips out his tail and points it at Lewis, “what do you and they qualify as a quote-unquote ‘good reason’?”.

Lewis nods slightly, for a small teenager wrapped nearly head to toe in bandages and casts, he could be threatening and commanding if he wanted. The green eyes and slight echoing reverb to his voice helped in that regard, “serious self-protection, protecting others, world saving and so on. They don’t really have much of a choice. They have to”.

Danny stares for a bit, ‘for protection’. He could understand that and he knows that Lewis knows that. Squinting, “‘have to’? As in similar to how I explained Obsessions? But for killing?”.

Lewis nods, “something like that. They just, I guess ‘satisfy’ would be the best word to use, it in a more ‘good’ way. Try to help people”.

Danny moves his eyes around some. These friends were like goodish versions of Dan. Not that Danny’s going to claim to know what the Zone Dan’s Obsession was...is? And saying that monster needed to kill wouldn’t even be surprising. But these friends weren’t evil, weren’t monsters. Being helpful. Like they had a twisted version of Danny’s Obsession. One that had a damn murder requirement. Shaking his head, no it was more like they just choose to be not evil in spite of an inherently evil and bad need. So technically, they had more right to...kill...than ClockWork did. ClockWork could just shove ghosts in thermoses and people in cells. Danny’s told they as much. But it’s not what’s best, so it’s not what they do. But then again, doing what’s best, what’s right, is why they saved him at all. Glaring at Lewis some, “you know I don’t like anyone dying. But I get it. And they sound...alright”.

Lewis smiles but immediately stops as Danny just glares at him. So maybe Lewis was a bit too used to being friendly with what was basically a mass murderer. Nodding, “they are. They really do try to be as good as possible. At the expense of their health and socialising more often than not”.

Danny nods, that did make it better. ‘Only if absolutely necessary’ was an okay enough reason. Well, not really. Especially not for himself. And possible friends wasn’t the same as murder accomplice, “alright fine. But, and this is a pretty big but, they better not ever kill or attempt to kill one of my humans”.

Now Lewis is missing something again, “your humans?”, feeling kind of reminded of how his friends would talk if anyone so much as seemed threatening around the two.

Danny blinks and looks around a bit awkwardly, him and his tongue, “it’s another ghost instinct thing. I’m more protective and a bit possessive over people that I’m closer with or live in Amity. And there’s sort of levels to it. There’s ‘my humans’ and ‘my humans’ with emphasis. I’m not really to be held liable for beating your friends up if they harm the later. They can technically harm the first group, like punch someone who’s being an asshole, just not kill”.

“So all of Amity is in the first group, and what about the second? Friends and family?”.

Danny nods, “Sam, Tuck, Jazz, mom, dad; sorta Val too. Technically there’s ‘my ghosts’ as well, but, uh, that’s not really going to be a problem. They can defend themselves, and I’m not going to insult them by saying otherwise”.

Lewis chuckles, five of those people seemed fully capable themselves but if there was one thing Lewis knew well, it was how breakable human bodies were. Ghosts were probably more durable than even Danny seemed to be. “Well I’d rather you not get into a fight with my friends, I’d rather not see the end result of that. Though I don’t think you have to worry about them hurting someone”, tapping his chin, “though mind you, one has a tendency to make threats over pretty much everything. I’ve heard them threaten to eat the others organs because he changed the channel”.

Danny snorts, “sounds like a ghost. So long as they’re empty or mostly empty threats”, smirking slightly, obviously these friends weren’t exactly human or barely human, “I might not really know your friends but I don’t really lose fights”, shrugging and looking around a little awkwardly, “if I’m in one anyway”.

Lewis decides not to deny that statement, again pretty sure Danny was a vigilante of some kind. Or maybe just a bit more strange of a ghost hunter. Smiling, “so, you’re okay with me vaguely describing your strange to the people who I’ve been vaguely describing their strange to you?”.

Danny sighs and nods, “yeah. But nothing specific or will give away who I am”.

“Course”, before getting up and heading to the door, “do try to get some sleep tonight”. Danny just grunts.

Lewis flips out his phone as he gets in his car, he’s got a call to make. While Danny stares at the ceiling and seriously hopes he didn’t just do something insanely stupid.

[dearericbittle]

Fit hot guys have problems too (don’t objectify us with your male and female gaze)

(Also on AO3)

To Cora, 1:24 AM: im tired of guys just wanting to hook up with me. im like, guys, i know im pretty and i have a slammin bod and i love making out, but cant someone treat me with respect??

After rejecting indecent proposal #17 of the night, he is ready to drown his frustrations in a bottle of tequila. Even though he doesn’t exactly have the best relationship with tequila after that one time in New York.

Complaining to his baby sister about how all the men at Jungle just wanted to fuck was a real low point. But it isn’t like he has any actual friends that he could commiserate with - because that is the actual rock bottom reality of his life.

He’s only just returned to California after years of living on the East Coast, and his resting bitch face (complete with Murder Brows) and complete inability to talk to people has made it impossible to make friends. That and he doesn’t like most people - and people seem to be determined to prove him right on that account.

“Fuck, you’re hot,” another random stranger makes an approach.

“No,” he growls, making the guy take a couple steps back.

Derek doesn’t even bother looking at the guy, because if that was his opening line… He is just going to be another superficial asshole who doesn’t care about anything but Derek’s looks. And Derek has at least some standards, even when he is on his way to getting a good buzz going. (Which he will be, soon, hopefully. He’s too sober for this shit.)

He is just about to get the bartender’s attention, because he really needs a damn drink after #18, when he is rudely interrupted yet again.

“That’s cold, dude,” another voice sounds, this time from his left. “You didn’t even look at that one. Efficient, though.”

Rolling his eyes at the nickname, Derek turns to see the guy who’s deigned to comment on his rejection protocol. And he stops in his tracks, because well…

The guy is a mess. There’s glow in the dark lipstick prints on his face (several of them matching the drag queens up on stage), a rip in his t-shirt that’s close to exposing a nipple, and his eyes are alert even though the bags under his eyes speak of serious sleep deprivation.

He’s the most interesting person Derek’s met in ages.

“Don’t call me dude.”

And he’s fucked it up in about five seconds, as is his wont.

“This is going to sound like a line, so bear with me,” the guy grins, briefly drawing Derek’s attention to his mouth. “But you have to give me your name for me to stop calling you dude.”

Mr. Interesting is right - it does sound like a line. So Derek just gives him an unimpressed look before trying to get the bartender’s attention.

“Fine, I’ll go first,” the stranger takes another sip of his ridiculous cocktail, practically molesting the straw. “I’m Stiles.”

What the hell is a Stiles? That is a terrible name, but he’s probably heard worse in New York, because Brooklyn is hipster central these days.

He nods. “Derek.”

Mentally starting a timer for how long it takes Stiles to start commenting about how he’ll be screaming that name later, he stares down at his water bottle. Fuck, he still hates tequila - does he really want do that to himself?

Maybe he should ask the bartender for something else, when he finally gets the guy’s attention.

“Good, now I won’t have to call you dude, dude,” Stiles smirks, and it’s infuriating.

Derek rolls his eyes, determined not to enjoy that terrible joke. He knows that this is probably the end of it, and Stiles will either hit on him or stop talking to him - this is just about getting the unattainable guy. It’s a tactic, something from the playbook.

Cynical? Yes, he is.

“Wars or Trek?” Stiles turns fully towards him.

And he’s still being pornographic with that drink - Derek’s trying not to look at it too much, because even though it’s a cheap ploy, he’s only human and Stiles’ mouth is just sinful.

“What?”

It takes a while for his brain to process that inane question - and no, that has nothing to do with the single beer he had about two hours ago.

“Star Wars or Star Trek?” Stiles acts like this is a normal question.

Abandoning his quest to get the bartender to service this corner of the bar, he decides that he might as well continue talking to Stiles. They can chat for a bit, and then Stiles can get his awkward come-on out and Derek can reject him and he can go the fuck home and jerk off to porn. Because that is more satisfying than any of the men who propositioned him.

“That’s what you’re going to ask me?” He scoffs.

“Yes,” Stiles’ hands are in motion now. “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in about a week, and since Danny has bailed on me to grope his boyfriend and the queens are still hard at work, this is the most stimulating conversation I’m going to get. Or would you rather talk about DC versus Marvel?”

That explains why he looks like he’s about to crash. If Derek cared, he’d ask why Stiles hasn’t been sleeping. But Cora’s called him an asshole since she was old enough to know that she shouldn’t use that word, and she is not wrong.

“C’mon, Derek,” Stiles goads him. “Or if you’d rather reject some more brave souls, I can just move away and leave you to it.”

He snorts, because brave souls? Really? Drunk idiots is his preferred synonym.

“Fuck no,” is what he ends up saying.

“Poor baby is tired of being the object of everyone’s affection,” Stiles is clearly an asshole, and Derek should not be charmed by it.

So he snipes back. “Jealous?”

“I don’t know about your life,” Stiles just goes in. “Sure, you’re hot like burning, but you’re an asshole who’s too embarrassed to talk geek with me. I’m expecting you to keep up - you look like the guy who owns both a leather jacket and a thumbhole sweater. You have layers.”

What the fuck would that kind of guy even look like? Like Derek, apparently, because Stiles is fucking right about this and it pisses him off. He doesn’t get to wear his leather jacket much, because California’s weather is a lot hotter than he’s used to, and he’s already looking forward to the upcoming winter. Even if he only wears his favorite sweater in the comfort of his own apartment.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” And he’s smug about it too.

“I’m like an onion,” Derek is annoyed enough to stick with the conversation.

Sarcasm drips off his every word - he’s expecting Stiles to have at least enough intelligence to grasp that.

And he’s proven right when Stiles laughs.

“So much more than just a pretty face,” he nods emphatically, almost like he’s his own bobblehead. “I respect that.”

This guy is completely ridiculous, so why is Derek still here, staring at his hands and long fingers and contemplating what they’d feel like on his skin? He’s pretty damn close to kinkshaming himself at this point. Because really, this is what does it for him?

Because yes, Stiles is attractive, tall and slim with eyes that make him think of honey, a mouth that never stops moving - just like his hands. Still, he’s dressed like he just lost a fight with someone or something, and he isn’t doing what Derek expected he’d do.

And that’s the thing, right there. Stiles is a fucking breath of fresh air after eighteen guys pulling exactly the same trick.

“You’re an asshole,” he tells Stiles, unable to hide how delighted he is by it.

“Ditto,” Stiles shoots back, also grinning.

He’s jostled a bit by the people trying to get closer to the bar, but no one uses the opportunity to get all up in his business - which is a new experience. Because he’s been so caught up in Stiles, no guy has dared to come over with yet another awkward come-on. That’s a bonus.

“Fuck, I’m so tired,” Stiles lets his head drop onto the bar.

Derek hopes it sticks, because the bar is covered in sticky drink residue and other fluids he does not want to examine too closely. At the same time, he just wants to carry Stiles off somewhere to make sure he gets some fucking sleep.

Which… He doesn’t do nurturing well. It just doesn’t come naturally to him.

“Why are you still here?”

“Only so we can have these moments,” Stiles’ wit doesn’t suffer, somehow. “Because Danny’s my ride and he’s not done riding Ethan yet.”

Stiles motions in the direction of the dancefloor, and Derek pointedly does not look at what he’s pointing at. Because the vultures will descend the second he makes eye contact with someone.

“I’m taking you home,” Derek’s mouth is moving before his brain catches up.

“Oh, Derek,” Stiles bats his eyelashes at him like he’s a Southern Belle. “I thought you’d never ask. But seriously, as much as I’d love to get all up in that, I’m way too exhausted to do you justice. Raincheck?”

Cora is going to die laughing when she finds out about this - and she will. She always does.

“I’ll take it,” Derek finds himself saying. “But I’m still dragging your exhausted ass out of here. You’re drooling on the bar.”

Of course Stiles almost trips as he pulls himself back into a normal standing position, and of course Derek isn’t stupidly charmed by this idiot. Only he is.

“So you have been looking at my ass?” Stiles’ smile is sleepy and fond now.

“Just as much as you’ve been looking at mine,” he shoots back, motioning for Stiles to follow him.

Stiles laughs, almost elbows Derek in the gut and proceeds to take the lead.

Never a dull moment.

[park-lane-blog]

Negativity

“I'll always use the negativity as more motivation to work even harder and become even stronger.” Tim Tebow

So, before I begin, I little something about me. If you’re reading this then we’re probably followers of each other on Twitter. I’m a Twitter veteran of about 10 years or so, but last year I shut down my account. I was surrounded on all corners by negativity, to be fair, mainly around politics and the state of our country. At that time in my life, negativity was the last thing I needed so closing down the account was the natural thing to do. However, what I did miss was the interaction with my fellow spurs fans. So, I opened a new account, set my name as Park Lane (more on that later) and proceeded to follow and interact with the Spurs family, players, ex players etc etc.

My name is Jon Matthews. I’m 38, a father of 3 and have been married to my wonderful wife since 2004.

I’m a relatively mild mannered person. Like everyone, I get irritated by the day to day grind of life but at the same time I try to stay as positive as possible. I manage a branch of a multi national builders merchant and have done for the past 17 years. I live on the South Coast in a sea side town in Dorset.

The reason I chose to go under a pseudonym is simple. I wish to stay as anonymous as possible. That way, most things aren’t taken personally and helps me to blend into the background. However, saying that, I’ve managed to rack up almost 1k followers since I returned to the Twitter format. 

So, Park Lane? Simple. It was always our home growing up. When I say home, I mean our WHL home. I live in the South West, right down on the coast but we were frequent visitors to WHL during the 90′s (and still am of course) and my Dad always preferred the Park Lane end, so that’s why. These days, I’m more fond of the Paxton road end, especially now, looking across at the wonderful 17.5k single seater. Maybe one day I’ll venture across but for now, Paxton upper, 518 is my preferred home. I visit as much as possible. My kids are all Spurs fans. My Son comes to all the games with me and my girls accompany us from time to time.

The reason for my blog?

It’s really easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment. Especially off the back of a frustrating result. Case in point, last night. With our depleted squad, the first leg against a buzzing young side like Ajax was always going to be a tough ask. Even more so without Son and Kane. Lets not be stupid about this, most of our goals have come from them this season so my worry was always about where the goals come from and last night proved that point.

I had numerous heated debates last night on twitter about positivity and against those that used the format to basically abuse the team, manager, club etc due to how this season is ending. But after everyone had calmed down and gone to bed, I found myself lying in bed questioning why I found it necessary to argue, online, with complete strangers. They’re allowed an opinion aren’t they? Even if their opinion differs to mine. Of course they are. 

That’s why I’m starting a blog. I shall attempt to write one after each game. Some will be long winded rants. Some will be quick thoughts. But either way, I aim to write them with a clear head. Maybe after a good nights sleep and with a calmer view on what has passed.

Firstly, my apologies to those who I swore at or insulted last night. I think most if any was in retaliation but either way, we need to stay calm don’t we? 

So onto last nights game. I’ve already alluded to the fact that we were far from full strength. Let’s be clear. The squad isn’t good enough for a full on attack on multiple fronts. Yes, I believe we were wrong to not buy or freshen up the squad over the last two windows. I understand that it’s hard to buy players that maybe told from day one that their playing 2nd fiddle to the likes of Kane, Dele and co, but surely we need to think about depth? When you see certain players that have gone for a small fee or even a loan. Tielemans at Leicester for example. He would of added much needed flair and pace into our tired midfield. The whole Greilish debacle in the summer (holding them to ransom cause they were desperate and then not) plus a few others that now escape me. The fact is, there was business to do and we didn’t, for whatever reason. The game was a tough watch. I made a promise to a mate of mine who travelled with me to the City game, who couldn’t make last nights match, that if we couldn’t go together, then neither would. So instead we met up after work, got some pizza on the go and sat down with the boys and waited for the inevitable. I wont go through the game, we all watched it but my opinion was simple. We took too long to settle, we let Ajax get a foothold and their goal could and maybe should of turned in to 2 or 3. However, we dug in, survived without conceding any more. The second half was a different story. Sissoko made a huge difference in the mf and took complete control. Who’d of thought we’d be relying on him like we have been. I don’t think he’s our player of the season but lets agree to give him most improved! If it wasn’t for the lack of firepower up top, I really think we’d of got something out of the game. Let’s be fair, Ajax defended pretty well. Lucas ran and ran but without doing much. Llorente did all he could. Dele and Erikson, the two we really needed to stand up and be counted really didn’t. Are they tired or are we asking too much. Sanchez looked overwhelmed but I think the rest of the defence did pretty well. It was evident pretty quickly that a back 5 was the wrong tactic. Poch realised this, post goal and we looked a lot tighter. I really do hope that Jan is ok. That looked horrible on the tele. I can’t see him playing Saturday and hope that we go with Toby and Foyth at centre back. Start Davies at LB and push Danny (mom in my opinion) in to a midfield role. Like the 2nd leg, we’ll have Sonny back. Not only will that add much needed pace and a goal threat in the final 3rd, it should add a bit of confidence back into the team. 

We’re at bare bones. That can’t be disputed. We have to make do with what we have now. 

We can blame Levy for a lack of vision or commitment to the squad?

We can blame Poch for his stubbornness. 

We could all probably make a list of reasons but at the end of the day, we don’t run the club. We don’t spend the time with the players. We don’t pick the squad.

So what can we do? We can support the team. We can maybe ease off the abuse of Tripper, Sanchez, Dier. Maybe we can all wait until the final whistle of our final game before we start an autopsy of the club. Cause let’s face it. Our squad maybe depleted, maybe not good enough, maybe carrying dead wood but we are 1-0 down at half time in a Champions league Semi final, sat 3rd in the best league in the world, have some of the most talented (on their day) players in Europe and one of the best managers out there. I’ve not even mentioned the state of the art training facilities, oh and the best stadium in the world!

Maybe we are all fickle bastards who like to moan a lot. We’re allowed an opinion. We’re allowed to argue with each other but at times, let’s not forget the bigger picture because at the end of the day, even if we lose the 2nd leg, even if we drop out of the top 4, we’ll keep coming back again and again.

Why? Because this is our club. Our one and only club.

J

[scientifically-strange]

Could you do the “don’t touch me!” Sentence starter one? Pretty please?

Sorry this is so late! I’ve been working a lot more since summer started, and at my dance instructor job I finally got a growing student base which is really great. Again, though, sorry about the wait!

-------

“Danny...Danny are you okay?”

Bruce and Sam looked at Danny with concerned looks. They had been paged by FRIDAY to come to Danny’s room quickly. Now they knew why. He was huddle in the corner of his bedroom, tight as can be and trembling all over. He had his shirt off and was sweating despite the ice that crept up the walls and across the floors around him. They ran towards him, worry seeping into their guts.

“Hey, Danny, we’re here for you,” Sam said, placing his hand on Danny’s shoulder. Danny’s head snapped up, eyes ablaze as he gripped Sam’s wrist and threw it away, curling tighter into himself.

“Don’t touch me!” He yelled. He was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, the doctors realized.

“Okay,” Sam said softly, puling his hand away. “We won’t touch you.” He tried to make his voice and demeanor as warm and non-threatening as possible so that Danny would calm down. 

“I just want to stop it,” Danny said with a shaky breath. He was clutching his head and starring wide eyed at the ground, lost in his memories. 

“He’s probably somewhere else right now,” Bruce surmised.

“How do we get him out of his own head?” Sam asked, hands ghosting over Danny in concern. 

“Maybe play with his senses. Vision obviously wont work, and I’m not really willing to get bit by someone who doesn’t want to be fed or touched. The best option would probably be his sense of smell.”

“What would knock him out of this though?” Sam asked as he swiveled his head around the room. Then he saw it. It was on the nightstand next to Danny’s bed. An old, ratty teddy bear with a mustache. Stuffed animals had sentimental, sometimes important reactions from people. 

“Grab me the bear over there,” Sam said, gesturing to where it was. Bruce nodded, wasting no time in running over. He tossed it to Sam, who caught it with ease and gently pressed it into Danny’s nose and mouth. 

It took a long time. So long that Sam thought it wasn’t going to work. But after a while, Danny’s body slowly started to relax. Relaxed and aware enough to blink himself to freedom. He looked up at Sam and Bruce, who had stayed until he came to. Danny began trembling, and leaned in to Sam, who wrapped his arms around the kid as he clutched the bear. 

He cried himself to sleep, muttering about some girl being gone, and how he might not ever see her again. How it was his fault. There was a lot to unpack there, and Sam was going to talk Danny into talking with him, not only as a friend but as a therapist. He had way to much on his shoulders to deal with. Maybe they would work up to this girl and the guilt he feels because of her death. 

Once they were sure Danny was asleep, Sam picked him up bridal style and carried him over to his bed. He gently put Danny down, still clutching the bear like a vice, as Bruce tucked him in. The two men sighed and looked out the window, seeing the small rays of yellow and orange peaking through the buildings, indicating the sunrise. 

“That’s my cue to sleep,” Bruce said. Sam chuckled quietly, and started walking with him. 

“Me too, man. Me too.”

[phan-of-the-pen]

I Dare You To Stay: Chapter 14

Hey!! I’m back once again with a new chapter!! Sorry this took so long you guys, I’ve been super busy with normal life, trying to write new updates for this fic, and trying to write my three PBB fics! Anyways, I hope you enjoy and thank you for sticking around! @billetdouxblossom

Tags for chapter: fluff, minor angst, major BFF bonding omg

Words for chapter: ~2.7

Fic Summary: Dan Howell is a barista working a shitty job, frequenting his shitty apartment, and living a shitty existence, hiding his asexuality and going for a PHD in self-depreciation and depression. Phil Lester is a part-time intern, part-time employee at a local weather station, trying to get experience in his field and make a name for himself, while juggling a second job at the nearby Tesco’s to give him some financial breathing room. Their paths were never supposed to meet, but what happens when they do anyways, one rainy day in Manchester?

(ao3!)

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~~~~~~~~~~ 

Dan curled himself up in a blanket on his couch, phone in hand.

He hadn't heard from Jaime at all today minus her early morning texts, but knowing her, she'd still burst into Dan's flat in a whirlwind after her audition for one of her and Dan's infamous Best Friends Only Nights.

No significant others, no texting other people, no social media, just the two of them, ice cream, pizza, every blanket and pillow they can find, and sad romcoms playing in the background as they talk and cry and laugh.

And as far as preparation, Dan had already ordered the pizza, there was plenty of ice cream in his freezer, and at least half a dozen blankets were swallowing the sofa.

All he was missing was his best friend.

>> From: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

so youre telling me I wont get you at ALL tonight?

>> To: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

yep. a Best Friends Only Night was called and rules state no s.o. just us bffs

>> From: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

>:(

>> To: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

srry mate but youll survive i promise

>> From: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

I might just die you dont know

>> To: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

wow i didnt know i picked up such a needy boyfriend

Dan grinned. He may have sounded exasperated in his text, but really, Phil whining about not having Dan for a single night was making his mood soar.

It felt good to be wanted by someone other than just Jaime.

>> From: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

ddddaaaaaannnnnnn

>> To: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

pppphhhhiiiilllllll

>> From: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

fine but I get you tomorrow so I can catch up on my very important dan time

>> To: Phil Lester (is amazing!!)

u can get ur dan time and i can get my phil time it sounds like a plan

Dan clicked off his phone when he heard his door fly open. There's Jaime, late as usual.

"Daniel Howell, where the fuck are you!"

"On the sofa already starting this Best Friends Night without you!" Dan laughed in response. She sounded breathless but happy, which was making Dan's hopes for her soar. She had to have gotten that role.

Jaime was there in a moment, landing on him in a heap and talking a mile a minute, too fast for Dan to catch everything, but managing to grasp a few words here or there. Still not enough to piece together a proper story about her day, though.

"Jaime," Dan said quickly when she stopped to breathe, "I need you to slow down—you're talking way too fast for me to understand you dork. Did you get the part? Or do I need to kick a judge's ass?"

She looked at Dan with wide eyes and smiled, wide enough to cover her whole face.

"I got it. I got the part." She said in a whisper, like she couldn't believe the words.

Dan felt his jaw drop in one moment and the next snap right back up so he could cheer as he tackled her in a hug, his much larger body easily covering hers.

"I knew it! I knew it, Jaime! God! This is the break you were waiting for and you're gonna be a star now and oh my gosh when are the tickets going out I'm going to buy five and-"

"Dan!" She said, laughing. "Now you're the one rambling!"

Dan clamped his jaw shut to stop himself, feeling his eyes crinkle and smile go wide.

"I'm just way too happy for you, Jaime. You've got to tell me everything."

They ended back up on the couch, huddled together under the blanket Dan had previously been under alone. Jaime relayed everything to him, from the sudden call-back to her trip there. She talked about how huge the theatre was and how Dan would absolutely love it. Jaime talked about the director and the cast so far, and how there was this really cute girl that was a part of the stage crew, and Dan just soaked it all up, getting caught in the glamour.

Jaime reached for another slice of the pizza that had arrived half-way through her explaining that the theatre had three gigantic chandeliers.

"All of the main parts have been casted already, but now they're moving on to the 'second wave' so to speak, and auditions are opening back up in a few days so..." Jaime trailed off, looking hopeful.

Dan snorted.

"Jaime, I know you're excited but you can't have two parts."

"Sciocco, I mean for you to try for a part! Not me!"

"Jaime, I haven't acted in anything in over a year-"

"Dan-"

"-and besides I won't get it."

"You don't know that! I thought I wasn't even going to get a call-back and look where we are right now! I'm the face of this musical!"

"Yeah, well I'm sure that all of the people that didn't get a main character like you are going to try out for the smaller ones and there's no doubt that they're better than me."

"Dan, you're an insane actor—there's no way that you couldn't get even the smallest part! And besides, do you really want to be a barista for the rest of your life? Acting is your dream, Dan. These directors are picking new talent that hasn't been seen on a big stage before left and right. There's more of a chance that you could get this than you think."

"Jaime," Dan sighed, "we both know that I can't afford to miss work as much as I'm going to need to for practice. And on top of that, I won't be able to pay for the tickets I'm going to need to get to London and back so many times. If it was here in Manchester, maybe I'd entertain the  idea, but I just can't. I'd be out of my flat in a month from not being able to afford rent once practice rolls around."

Jaime groaned.

"Dan-"

"No, Jaime, I'll sit this one out."

She muttered something under her breath that Dan just didn't quite get before nodding a disgruntled 'fine' and pouting. After another piece and a half of pizza, Jaime knocked her shoulder into Dan's.

"So, what's going on with you? Was today really bad?"

"Steve was a royal dick."

"Expected."

"Mary almost had a go at him."

"Mary? Little old lady Mary? Mi Dio, what did he do?"

Dan brought his bandaged hand out from under the blankets, where it had been curled up over his stomach. Jaime nearly choked on the bite of pizza in her mouth when she saw it, and her eyes immediately darkened with anger.  

"He kind of hip-checked me while I was making her coffee, and I ended up burning myself." Dan said, definitely playing the situation down to avoid Jaime descending upon Steve like a grim reaper. As much as Dan might have loved to see that, it wouldn't have been worth it.

"But don't worry it's fine! Phil wrapped up and everything."

"Phil was there too now? And what the hell did he do, go out and buy bandages? We don't have these kind in the first-aid kit." She said, bringing Dan's hand over by his wrist to inspect the bandage. Her eyes roved over the rest of Dan's frame as well, looking for any other sign of injury, frowning.

Dan blushed.

"Ah, no, he had these at his flat."

Jaime raised a brow.

"You're telling me that he went all the way to his flat, grabbed some bandages, and came all the way back to the coffee shop just because you got a burn even though we had ones in the back?"

"No," he said, squirming, "we went to his flat for lunch. After he nearly threatened to dump a coffee on Steve's head."

"Why the fuck-"

"We're dating." Dan blurted, eyes going wide as soon as the words left his mouth. He had meant to be more tactile with telling her, damnit. Jaime blinked at him in disbelief. "Surprise?" He added, unsure.

"Tell me everything right now it's about time you two got together, jesus christ."

So Dan ended up telling Jaime all about how Phil showed up at his flat, the texts, today, their talk about Dan's past, and how Phil had swooped in like a saint to take him away from Steve, breaking for Jaime to disappear for a moment, only to come pack with a gallon on ice cream and two spoons.

"Oh my god you two were snogging on this couch."

"Shut up!"

"You can't deny it, Howell, you literally just told me!"

"That doesn't mean we have to talk about it!"

Jaime snickered and spooned another mountain of ice cream into her mouth.

"He's going to be in our coffee shop at every hour of the day now that you finally said yes, isn't he? God, don't even answer that he's like a puppy, he is."

Dan's face was beet-red, and he suspected that the blush wouldn't go down for a while, or at least until Jaime let up on the teasing.

"My boyfriend isn't a puppy. But yeah, he probably is going to be there a lot." Dan muttered through a mouth-full of ice cream.

"A lot my ass he won't leave unless you do."

"Jaime, shut up."

"Oi, this is the first relationship you've been in in years, it's my right to tease you to death."

Dan stuck out his tongue at her.

"Love you too, Danny."

Jaime shifted on the couch, and continued to reach for the ice cream, but thankfully stopped her suggestive smiles and teasing in lieu of smugly eating dessert.

They polished off an impressive amount of ice cream before Jaime pushed the container away, onto the table.

"We've had way too much. I'm throwing in the towel for the both of us."

"Speak for yourself, loser." Dan said, but admittedly throwing his spoon into the container of ice cream and flopping back into the couch. "What's next on the agenda, then? Are we going to cut into sleeping already? It's only about ten."

"No, you're not going to pass out on me, Danny, I'm not done with you yet."

Dan whined, but obediently sat up when Jaime swatted at his arm.

Unlike the rest of the night prior, this time Jaime looked stern. She wasn't bubbling over with excitement and joy like she had been when she had arrived, and she wasn't oozing disbelief and I-told-you-he-liked-you-but-you-didn't-believe-me-dumbass like when Dan was busy talking about Phil. She was determined and slightly reserved, but also showing hints of worry.

"I've been honestly meaning to talk to you about this for awhile, I just didn't really know how to bring it up, I guess? But I finally got my head out of my ass and realized that it doesn't matter if I'm vaguely unsure because this is about you."

Dan swallowed, suddenly nervous. His head immediately went to the worst-case he could think of. Was Jaime unhappy with their friendship? Changed her mind about her acceptance of Dan's sexuality?

Something else?

Her eyes seemed to be piercing his, keeping them from darting away. Dan wasn't sure if her gaze reassured him or heightened his anxiety.

"I want you to see a therapist, Dan. No, don't say anything yet, this is non-negotiable. You've been depressed since I've known you, and while I'm sure that some of that had to do with repressing your ace-ness, nowhere near all of it is, and it's gotten worse since you were just that too-tall kid to stumble through my store doors looking for a job. Dan, there are times when you can't get out of bed. And don't think I haven't noticed your increasing anxiety. Dan," Jaime said, grabbing Dan's hand, "I want you to be happy because you deserve to be. You don't deserve to suffer through that, and I don't want you to alone. I'll help you as much as you want me too, but I'm no professional, Dan. I can't help you how you need."

Dan felt tears prick at his eyes.

He'd been depressed for years now, ever since he was fourteen, really. It only got worse with his sexuality and his girlfriend, but things really went down-hill when he had gotten kicked out. It had taken him awhile to pick himself up from that after he finally found a stable place to stay, but he had thought he'd been managing it. Sure, he had more depressive episodes, but he knew how to handle those, what more did Jaime want?

"How do you know that? How do you know that you can't help?" Dan said, quietly. "Maybe it just takes time."

"Because I don't know how to help you other than support you through it. I can look through all of the forums on the internet—and believe me I have—and still not be able to help you like you need. All I can do is keep you going, I can't give you the tools you need to climb out of this hole you've ended up in."

There were tears dripping down Dan's cheeks. Was he really that sick? That his own best friend didn't even know how to help?

"One appointment, that's all that I'm asking for, Dan, please, I'll help you research the therapist and take you there and everything, I just need you to try. If not for you then for me." Jaime pleaded, wiping away Dan's tears with the sleeve of her jumper.

Dan looked back up at Jaime from where his eyes had slid down. She looked like she was about to cry herself, her expression looking so pained.

It's not that he liked feeling so numb.

It's not that he liked having a hard time to get out of bed.

It's not that he liked not having the energy to do the most basic things sometimes.

It's not that he liked being depressed.

It was just...all he knew.

He just wasn't sure what there was besides it. A normal life? That wasn't for him. It had been too long since he had had one.

"What if I can't get better? What if I'm just stuck like this?"

"If you're stuck like this, I'm going to find whatever punk-ass god or goddess who claims ownership of this shit universe and make them regret it, damnit."

A laugh bubbled out of Dan's chest before he could stop it, and Jaime smiled at him.

"Don't laugh, I mean it."

That only made Dan laugh harder, wiping away his own tears now. There was still something hard in his chest, but he felt lighter. Softer.

"Okay, I'll try, but only to save that 'punk-ass god' from you, you maniac."

Jaime snorted, but she pulled Dan back in for another hug, her smaller arms wrapping around Dan completely and making him feel warm inside. He hugged her back and whispered a small "thank you", not entirely sure that she heard it, but okay with it if she didn't. They didn't always need words to convey things between them, and Dan was sure that Jaime knew how much her care for him meant to him. Even after all of the tears and the drama.

They pulled themselves together after that and dug back into the ice cream, forgetting their prior self-restraint completely. Dan beat Jaime several times over in Mario Kart after they had finally paid the remainder of the movie that had been on in the background some attention, and after his seventh win, Jaime declared that they'd better sleep before she strangled a giddy-at-winning Dan. He teased her about it all through the clean-up, and didn't let up until she threatened to make him sleep outside.

"It's my flat! You can't kick me out!"

"Watch me, Howell. Now get your ass in bed."

Dan stuck his tongue out at her in his usual fashion, but did as she asked, pulling back the duvet on his bed—which she was already in—and flopping down next to her.

"Night, dork."

"Night, nerd."

Dan fell asleep easier than he had in awhile, warm and curled up with his best friend, the normal background noise of his thoughts settled for once.