Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny laid in his bed. He was incredibly tired, his eyelids heavy, but despite that he was wide awake. He knew that if he tried to rest, if he were to let himself dream, his subconscious would be waiting to swallow him whole. The feeling was all too familiar. He was only prolonging the inevitable, something that was all but second nature to him.

He glanced at the digital clock sitting on his nightstand. 3:23 AM. He lifted himself sluggishly, rubbing his tired eyes as he tried to sit up. The sound of rain pitter-pattering seemingly outside wasn’t helping much either. It wasn’t distracting his racing mind.

“Whatever. Guess I’ll get up.” He mumbled incomprehensibly to himself.

He pulled his body from his bed, stretching his arms over his head as he headed toward his room’s control panel. With the turn of a dial, the soft, artificial sounds of rain suddenly stopped. He had recently installed the Atmospheric Window Panel in hopes that it would help him sleep. His insomnia had only gotten worse recently, and showed no signs of stopping. This device was supposed to be his solution but clearly it wasn’t working, despite working exactly as intended on a technical level. That sort of “malfunction” has become a common trend amongst all of his similar inventions as well.

“Nothing a few adjustments won’t fix.” He said, taking the panel off the wall. He didn’t know who he was talking to, and even worse, he knew his words were lies. The thing worked fine. As he gently tossed the control panel on his desk, he noticed his last project. The one that he was supposed to be working on. A solution to Catbug’s new moopy dilemma.

Catbug had declared earlier that week, through scribbled writing on post-it notes, that he wasn’t going to say a word to anyone on the team until they “stopped lying to each other”, whatever that was supposed to mean. The root of everything was a group training sequence that Beth tried to force everyone into. And although Catbug’s silence was a problem, it was declared a “minuscule issue”, which, of course, meant it was Danny’s problem to solve. Danny wasn’t very busy nor was he very useful. Hell, he couldn’t even invent a peaceful enough soundscape system for himself. What was he supposed to do for the team? He glared at the project in front of him, clearly only given to him as busy-work, but ended up as just another failure to add to the pile. His invention was quickly shoved off of the table by its creator, and into the inferno trash can, going up in flames and sparks. The whole thing was stupid. What was Catbug even talking about? “Lying to each other”? It was only a team-building exercise, one that went horribly, horribly wrong.

Every month, one member of the team would get to choose a team-building exercise. Chris usually chose some sort of board-game he found while they all ate snacks, Wallow would have them play video games or go on a walk, and Danny had a tendency toward options like go-kart racing or swimming, but Beth’s ideas were… different. She took this time much more seriously. She’d have them go through complicated escape rooms or some other type of convoluted trust exercise, and a couple of days ago it was her turn once again.

“It can read your brainwaves!” She explained, handing the three boys one high-tech headpiece each. They reminded Danny of clown circlets, sorta like the ones those horse aliens wore. “They’ll allow us to reach infinite togetherness through the glory of no secret jazz.”

Wallow laughed, “That’s super invasive.” Despite his words, his jovial tone raised no objections as he put the device on his head.

“No, they only share things you’d be ok with them sharing. They’re basically used as intergalactic lie-detectors.” Beth explained with a smile, putting hers on as well. Danny felt uneasy about it. A lie-detector? Aren’t those things designed exclusively to get things out of you that you aren’t ok with sharing?

“Wow, Beth! This is awesome!” Chris exclaimed, resting the circlet on his head. She blushed slightly and nodded. Wallow elbowed Danny, pointing to Beth’s expression. Danny already knew how Chris and Beth felt about each-other. Who didn’t? He wanted to be happy for them, but for some reason the thought of them being happy together made his heart flutter as much as it made his heart sink.

“...Danny, are you going to put yours on?” Beth asked. Suddenly the whole room turned toward him.

“I don’t know. Have you screened this thing thoroughly, Tezuka?” He asked, fidgeting with it. “Could be dangerous.”

“Danny, it’s fine. Can you please just put it on?”

“Yeah man, it’s not gonna steal your brainwaves or something,” Wallow teased, throwing his hands up around Danny’s head before putting an arm on the brunet’s shoulder, “Come on, it’s safe.”

“I’m just uh, not too comfortable with something that can read my thoughts. Thank you.” Danny said, inching away from the group.

“What? Seriously?” Beth groaned, “Stuff is reading our mind all the time. Or did you forget about our little bee friends that always know what we’re thinking thanks to the emotion lord? This is infinitely safer than that.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I trust Chris more than I trust some random aliens!” Danny raised his tone in return. He was scared, secretly. He didn’t like holding everyone up. He knew he was probably being irrational, but that only made it hurt more.

“A Chris from a timeline we don’t even know!”

“Compared to random alien technology! Maybe if you let me run it through my lab—“

“—And break it?! Yeah. Sure. That’s an amazing idea. Thank you, Danny.”

“That is enough!” Chris yelled, marching between the two, “This was supposed to be a bonding exercise but all you’re doing is insulting each other! This isn’t what teamwork is about… we should probably just hold off on this whole thing and come back to it later.” Danny was embarrassed. All he felt was shame. That was all he had felt this entire time. He couldn’t even stand to look Chris in the eye.

“You’re seriously–? Ugh!” Beth looked at Chris in disbelief, her eyes wide but her brows furrowed, but her gaze shifted back to Danny as quickly as it shifted off of him. Despite his expression, he was far from proud of how he made her feel. After a few seconds, she turned around and walked out of the room.

“I’ll talk to her,” Chris spoke in a hushed, low tone to the other boys, before following Beth. There was silence for a second, as Chris’ footsteps got more and more distant.

“Are you ok, buddy?” Wallow asked Danny, once the other two were gone.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m gonna go to bed now.” Danny said, still avoiding eye-contact, walking back to his room.

“Alright, just make sure to get enough sleep.”

“Thanks, Wallow.” He replied, without turning around.

Danny put his head into his hands. He didn't want to be a burden; he never did, but he always was. He pulled his hair as he ran his fingers through it. Tears hit his desk, the desk itself beginning to shake due to the leg anxiously bouncing under it, faster and faster, more sporadic with every new thought. Every new accusation his mind threw at him. Every new question about what could have been that would only prove to hurt him more. It was too much. His breathing was uneven and unpredictable. He clenched his eyes as tightly as he clenched his fists around his hair. It was all too much. It was all unbearable, but of all the horrible thoughts coursing through his head, one stuck out. It repeated itself to him over and over.

“Why am I always everyone else’s problem.”

He pushed out his chair and stood up abruptly. He rubbed his face with his sleeve as he quickly walked out of his room and down the hall; he knew where he was going.

“Danny, sweetheart, do you know who they are?” The old woman asked him, pointing toward the night sky. It was covered in stars. A rare sight, especially in New Miami. They shone so brightly, and yet they were so gentle on his eyes.

“Stars?” The boy asked back, slightly confused by the question, but remaining absolutely consumed in the glory of the sight before him.

The woman chuckled and pulled him closer to her, “Not quite. They’re Angels of Death, but don’t fear them.”

The young boy didn’t respond with much but a worried whimper, looking away from the sky for a second, as if to avoid eye-contact with the deities themselves.

“They protect us. They’re here for us when no one will listen. They’ll always be here for you, Daniel.”

“Mami, will Mom and Dad be up there listening too?”

“No sweetie, they never will be.”

“Why?”

“Those who choose to be deaf will remain that way for all of eternity. But don’t be scared, Danny. I’m here. And when I’m not, I’ll be up there, listening.”

Danny laid on the front lawn, staring up into the vastness of space. He knew it was stupid and childish, but whenever he was filled with moop, he’d stare into the night sky at the stars. The stars that grandma had always assured him about. After she passed, he had no one to talk to. No one who cared. So many nights were spent with him locked in his room with his parents yelling at each other in the living room, every curse getting through the thin trailer walls. He’d look out of his window and up at the stars as he cried quietly. They were always so dim. Probably because the sky was full of dust and smoke, but out here they were so much clearer.

“Danny, what are you doing out here so early?” The brown-haired boy jumped as Wallow came lumbering out of the hideout’s front door, struggling to keep his eyes open, dressed only in his robe and slippers.

“I- Uhm. Nothing. Totally absolutely nothing. What are you doing out here?” Danny asked, fumbling to rest his head on his arm. His tone was nervous at first but way too accusatory at the end. Nothing about what he had just said was anywhere close to natural. Wallow blinked at him slowly, clearly confused before looking down at something behind him.

“Catbug couldn’t sleep, but he still won’t talk. Figured maybe fresh air would be good for the little guy.” Wallow stated. Now that Danny was paying close attention, he noticed Catbug walking alongside Wallow, clearly still upset from earlier. “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Wallow asked, looking back at Danny.

“What? Naw. I just woke up early. You know how—“ Wallow looked at him, totally unimpressed. Danny sighed dramatically, “No.”

“Look bro, if you need some cuddly little buds to keep you company you know my door’s open.” Wallow said, slightly distracted by Catbug tugging on the bottom of his robe impatiently.

“Uh yeah, thanks man…” Danny replied somewhat weakly.

“Well, I’ve got to go. Catbug is—“

“…Did Jellykid come back?” Danny interrupted.

“Uh... no. Sorry dude. You know he comes and goes. But when he comes back you’ll be the first to know.” Wallow replied, rubbing his neck. Danny knew all of that already, but he could really use the company of his little jelly friend right about now.

“Ah, alright. Cya.” Danny replied with disappointment in his voice, looking back up at the stars.

“Yeah, good luck on falling asleep.” Wallow began to walk off. A few seconds of near-silence passed, the only sounds being the wind and the footsteps of Wallow and Catbug.

“Wallow?” Danny called out.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, man.”

Wallow turned back and smiled, “Anytime, buddy.”

And, after a few more seconds, Danny was alone on the grass again, his eyes still heavy as ever. He began to wonder where Jellykid was or if Jelly was better off without him like everyone else seemed to be. He rested his eyes, finally, feeling the breeze wash over him. Maybe he’d go inside soon, or maybe he’d stay out here forever, where the stars could always see him.

“Dude, are you awake? Mars to Danny.” The brunet struggled to open his eyes, but once he managed the feat, he found a very confused Chris Kirkman leaning over him. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?” Suddenly, the only person more confused than Chris was Danny himself.

“Huh?” Danny asked, only half-awake, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings.

“The couch. I saw you go to your room last night. How’d you manage to get here?” Chris asked, slowly stirring a mug of tea he was holding.

Danny sat up, having suddenly remembered everything that happened last night, but he hadn’t fallen asleep on the couch, had he? He’d fallen asleep outside. So how did he end up… Wallow. Wallow must’ve moved him when he came back with Catbug.

“You ok there, chief?” Chris asked, tapping his spoon against the mug. “It looks like you’re trying to do mental gymnastics on the lowest setting.” The taller boy gestured at Danny’s general facial expression with the hand holding the spoon.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Danny replied, snapping back to reality and focusing his gaze back on his best friend.

“Are you sure? Wallow said you fell asleep at around 3:30 last night, and judging by the grass in your hair, I’m assuming it was outside.”

Danny quickly began to rustle the grass out of his hair. Chris kept getting better and better at reading how he felt. It was nice, but also alarming. No point in lying now.

“Yeah, I couldn’t really sleep.”

“You know I’m always here if you need someone to talk to, right?” Chris reminded him, bending his knees and leaning over slightly to be closer to Danny’s eyeline. Despite Chris’ efforts, Danny still avoided looking the taller boy in the face.

“I really don’t–”

“Hey, it’s just a reminder.” Chris interrupted with his signature dorky-yet-gentle smile. It always grabbed Danny’s attention. It was that smile that always reminded Danny of why he started calling Chris “golden-boy” anyway. It really had nothing to do with him having blond hair.

Chris gently slipped the mug of tea into Danny’s hands. “I made you some of my special morning tea. Should help you wake up a little.” Chris patted Danny’s shoulder and casually took one last piece of grass out of his hair before walking back to his room. Danny stared blankly at the spot where Chris was standing. He took a sip of the hot tea and frowned. Tea didn’t normally make your heart race, did it?

Chapter Text

Beth was still angry. She’d worked so hard on setting up that really cool training exercise, and of course Danny had to go and ruin it. He made the simplest things into these big, messy situations, and frankly, she didn’t understand why. She exhaled heavily as she looked at herself in the mirror. “You aren’t going to back down this time. He’s going to have to hear you out one way or another. You’re going to serve him a hot, flaming bowl of justice,” she told herself, swiftly tying her hair back into a ponytail. “You can do this.” With one more confident look in the mirror, she set off, briskly searching the hideout for her target.

He wasn’t in his room, and he hadn’t left the building (the parked Space Whale was proof of that). She was running out of leads, that was until she heard the muffled sounds of laughter. She quickly found the source, and with a press of a button, Wallow's door opened.

The scene she’d walked in on was slightly confusing. Wallow, Chris, Slippy Napkins, and Impossibear were all sitting on the large bed in the center of the room. There were plates full of baked goods with each party member holding a tiny cup.

“Hey, Beth!” Wallow announced, “We’re having a tea party!”

“Yeah! Turns out Wallow makes the best oatmeal cookies!” Chris added, trying to hide the fact that his mouth was full of said cookies. “Do you wanna join us?”

“Have you guys seen Danny?” Beth asked, completely ignoring their question. The boys’ faces dropped, shooting each other looks of uncertainty.

“Now probably isn’t the best time to talk to him…” Wallow replied, avoiding her question in return. Chris shook his head in agreement.

“He’s had a week. I just want to talk to him about what happened.” Beth retorted.

“Last time I saw him he was still in the living room…” Slippy added, quietly. Wallow and Chris became visibly more anxious.

“Thank you, Slippy.” Beth replied with another heavy exhale. She reached for the control panel to close the door once again, before being interrupted.

“Beth, go easy on him, ok?” Chris asked, clearly concerned. Beth considered her next words very carefully.

“Trust me, Kirkman.”

And, with that, the door closed.

Danny hadn’t moved since this morning, the only real change was that he had booted up an old video game. It was one of his childhood favorites, so It wasn’t very hard, but his heart just wasn’t in it. As he paused the game and took one last sip of the tea Chris made for him, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. They weren’t as heavy-footed as Wallow’s tended to be, and they weren’t as soft as a cute little alien friend’s, so there were really only two options left, and one was much more welcome than the other.

“Danny.” Beth’s voice rang out into the living room. Danny’s body stiffened slightly. It wasn’t the voice he was hoping to hear.

“Yes, Beth?” He asked in an equally condescending but much less energetic voice.

“We need to talk.” Her statement sounded more like a command.

“Yeah. Sure.” Danny responded with a sigh, finally turning his head toward her. Beth walked around the couch to stand a few feet in front of the boy. She put her hands on her hips, her stance was slightly wider than normal, and Danny knew exactly what was about to happen.

“Why didn’t you participate in the group training exercise a few days ago?”

“Are you serious? Still? You’re still freaking out about that?” He asked with a groan. “Beth, let it die.”

“I could tell you the same thing! You haven’t shown up to any missions since and Catbug still isn’t talking to us.” She responded, shifting her weight and furrowing her brows slightly.

“Yeah, and you assigned me to fix that problem.” Danny shot back, rolling eyes back so far that his head tilted with them. “Just let me work in peace? Thank you?”

“I would, but you don’t exactly seem to be working very hard on it!” She remarked, gesturing toward the paused game screen behind her.

Danny slumped down in his seat, looking away from the person standing right in front of him. A few seconds of silence passed.

“Danny, look, I don’t know what’s making you so moopy, but you need to get over it. You’re overreacting.”

“How do you know that technology is safe?”

Danny lifted his head as he spoke. His words rang out with the fake confidence he had been holding on to his whole life, despite the question itself clearly being born from fear. A few more seconds of silence passed. Nothing filling the time other than intense eye-contact between the two. Beth was the first to break, closing her eyes whilst tilting her head back.

“Are you serious? Still?! This whole time, you’ve still been thinking about that?!” Beth lifted her hand over her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “The rulers of Equestriaopolis optimized them for human use. You know this.”

“Oh, and you think we should trust them?” He asked, his tone suggesting that idea was absurd.

“Yes! Of course I do! It’s called diplomacy, Danny. It’s kind of our job. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

His job?… What was his job? Inventing? Going on missions? Taking care of defenseless aliens? Being a supportive teammate? Being a good friend? In truth, he knew the answer. Every single thought that just rushed through his mind were all key parts of being a Bravest Warrior, and yet, he was failing at every single turn. He hadn’t been going on missions, he completely failed to help catbug, he couldn’t just let Beth have something she was excited about. Instead, he had to pull everyone else down with him.

The same depressive thoughts from last night whirled around in his head once again, circling him like a pack of wolves, each one ready to lunge. Each one fully equipped to tear him apart and consume him in an instant.

Beth was… confused. Danny was no longer engaged. She hadn’t said anything particularly uncalled for, did she? She didn’t think so… This was all to stand her ground, just like she told herself. So what was happening? Why was Danny… gone, for lack of a better term. She was beginning to have doubts. She dropped her proud shoulders and leaned in slightly. She considered her words for a few seconds.

“Danny? Listen, I–”

“I’ll think about it. Ok, Beth? I’ll think about it.” His eyes were still aimed toward the floor as he fidgeted with his controller slightly.

“Oh–” she started before being interrupted once again.

“Now can you please just go?”

She stood there for a second longer. Danny’s voice was wavering. From this angle, she could barely see his face but she knew something was definitely wrong. She stepped forward, slowly, subconsciously, reaching her hand out toward him.

“I–”

“Please?!”

He spoke with desperation she’d never heard from the boy before. He was quiet, and yet the strain on his voice was enough to fill the room with an unfamiliar feeling.

“Alright.” Beth spoke softly before making her way out into the same hallway that she entered from. She turned back around, gazing at the back of Danny’s head. His game was still paused. She didn’t know why, but she was hoping he would turn it on again the second the conversation ended.

Catbug had heard all of it. Well, not all of it actually, but close enough, right? He happened to be walking past an open floor vent when he heard the muffled sounds of Beth and Danny arguing, prompting him to dive into the vent so he could make out their exact words. All he really stuck around for, however, was Danny bringing up the sketchy technology. Once he had heard that, he swiftly made his way toward Danny’s lab for some tools, then to Beth’s room for the devices.

With a screwdriver in hand, Catbug carefully examined each headpiece. Each was labeled with names he was more than familiar with. “Chris”, “Beth”, “Danny”, and “Wallow”. For once, more information actually made things easier for Catbug. The only person with any complaints was Danny, so Danny’s headpiece was the only one that needed extra attention!

With a fair amount of effort, Catbug figured out how to open up the device, and with that, he began cutting wires. The red ones went away first, because red things are always bad, of course. Like how bad guys always have red eyes. Had anyone else noticed that? What was with that? Whatever. That alone was proof enough.

Next up on the chopping block were just any parts that looked useless to him. Surely, no one would miss these little green things on the sides. After all, the whole thing looked much better without them, so they couldn’t have belonged there in the first place!

Once Catbug was satisfied, he closed the thing back up. Sure, it was making a weird humming noise, but even the microwave hums when it’s working. It must be a good sign!

“Danny and Beth are gonna be so proud!” Catbug said to himself, putting everything back. With a quiet gasp and eyes full of wonder, he had his next great idea, “Maybe I should show them!”

He began to search the hideout for the two bickering teenagers, but as he ran down the hall, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. Chris was walking out of Wallow’s room, and the opening of the door freed a certain scent. The scent of something that was much more important than impressing Danny and Beth. Of course, he had to investigate this first.

“Hey Catbug!” Wallow called out, still sitting on his bed with Impossibear and Slippy.

Catbug opened his mouth to speak, just before remembering that he was giving everyone the silent treatment. He closed his mouth again and flew onto the bed.

“Oh, Catbug! You should join our little tea party!” Slippy was clearly excited despite her slow manner of speaking.

“Yeah! I made cookies.” Wallow added, offering an oatmeal cookie to the cat. So that’s what that smell was! Detective Catbug took a bite as a reward for all of his hard work today.

“Aww man, Catbug! You’re getting crumbs all over the bed!” Impossibear exclaimed, brushing the crumbs away from him.

“Leave him alone, little fella probably had a big day today.” Wallow replied, patting a very content Catbug.

Soon enough, Catbug forgot about the headpiece adventure entirely.

Danny had moved himself into his room. He needed somewhere, anywhere he could feel safe to cry. Safe to stop resisting. To stop denying. It took a lot out of him to seal up the emotions that he’d been adamantly denying for so long, but it took even more energy to allow those thoughts in. Still, what are you supposed to do when your back is against a wall? Nothing to do but surrender. Somehow despite living such an exhausting existence, finding the ability to sleep was still a nightmare.

He struggled to breathe under the weight of it all. He was forced to hold his breath under the shaky waves of emotions that washed over him. The feelings that insisted on pushing him under. Why did Beth have to bring up the stupid fight again? No. Why did he have to cause the stupid fight in the first place? Why? Why? Why?! Why was he so stupid and useless? Why was he everyone else’s burden to bear? Why couldn’t he just be more like–

The doorbell rang. The boy wiped his tears on his sleeve.

“Computer, show live camera, outside Danny’s room.” He requested, trying to regulate his breathing.

“Accessing live-feed, outside Danny’s room,” The computer’s voice responded. Despite being a few feet away from the video feed, Danny could still see the signature blond hair and blue vest of one of his teammates. He took a couple of deep breaths, rubbed his face, and put on his confidence façade: leaning back, resting his hands behind his head, and loosely crossing his legs. He was ready.

“Computer, open door.” He requested.

“Hey man, how are you holding up?” Chris asked as he walked in.

“I’m alright, you know, hanging out.” Danny replied with an anxious laugh added in at the end.

“In the dark by yourself…?” Chris examined the space around them. None of the lights were on. The only thing illuminating the room was the glow that the aquarium windows gave off. One of the many benefits of living in the hideout’s lowest level, he supposed. Despite the little amount of light, the place was obviously messy, with old hoodies and t-shirts lining the floor, accompanied by different tools scattered around the workbench.

“Uh, yeah. Hey, I don't ask you how you spend your Tuesdays, ok?” Danny shot back with his signature snark.

“Right, right.” Chris laughed, covering his neck with his hand and turning his attention back to Danny.

“So, is there a reason you came to visit?... Did you miss me?” The shorter boy teased, successfully getting yet another chuckle out of Chris.

“Yeah, I just wanted to, you know, check in on you.” Chris replied, briefly looking in the inferno trashcan. So many trashed inventions, and the thing was still warm. He frowned slightly.

“No. I’m, uh, all fine here. Why?” Danny asked, breaking his overly-casual pose to lean in slightly.

“Beth told me she was going to talk to you earlier. I just wanted to make sure it went well.” Chris stated, having finally made his way over to Danny’s bed.

“Oh, she told you about that? Yeah, it went fine. I said I’d consider doing her training thing.” Danny replied, looking away toward anything else that would catch his eye before settling on the fish outside of the glass.

“I'm glad you’re gonna think about it. You know this means a lot to her.” Chris stated, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Mhm,” Danny replied, unamused.

“...Just make sure you’re ok with it.” Chris added, casually moving his hand onto Danny’s knee, taking the nervous boy by surprise and snapping his attention away from the window.

“What?” Danny asked, still trying to hide his confusion and fear with his quickly waning confidence.

“I just get worried about you sometimes. You know that… And I don’t want you to do this just for Beth.”

The two made eye-contact for a brief second before Danny went back to looking out toward the bottom of the lake that lay just outside of his room. His best friend’s words confused him. Why would Chris suggest that Danny act selfishly after all of this… Why would Chris give him an out after everything he’s done? The realization that had hit him so many times before struck once again: that’s just the type of person Chris is.

“Yeah, dude, I know,” Danny admitted with a sigh. After what Chris had said, Danny felt that he owed the team even more. The pressure was growing. Maybe trusting the team and trusting the headpieces were one in the same… but if that was the case…

Chris could see Danny getting lost in thought once again, and gently shook the hand resting on the boy’s leg to try to get him out of it.

“Hello? You still with me?”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m still here.”

“Good, sometimes I gotta make sure.” Chris always knew Danny as someone to zone out from time to time, but he had always figured that his friend was thinking about inventing, or girls, or something.

“It’s fine, man. I’ll probably be ready for the exercise by tomorrow. Don’t even worry your blond little head about it.” Danny teased, quickly composing himself and turning his charisma on full-blast once again.

“So you’re gonna do it?” Chris asked, slightly surprised.

“Yeah, duh. What would you guys even do without me?”

“Ok…” Chris replied, clearly not very convinced but wishing he was. “Just make sure to say something if you don’t actually want to go through with this, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, if I chicken out you’ll be the first to hear about it.” Danny scoffed. Inside he really did want to chicken out, but he now saw it as an obligation, despite Chris’ efforts to make him see otherwise. Plus, now he had told Chirs too. Even if he wanted to, there was absolutely no backing out now.

“Hey, I’m proud of you buddy,” Chris shook Danny’s leg again reassuringly. Danny’s fake smile couldn’t help but break into a slightly more genuine one.

“Yeah, I know,” Danny confirmed with a laugh. “Up top, cough drop!” The two gave each other a very understanding, as well as compassionate, fistbump.

“Well, it’s probably about time I get ready for bed,” Chris said with a yawn.

“Aww tired at 7pm?” teased the boy who was already lying down. The irony somewhat amused Chris.

“Come on man, you know I like to get ready early.”

“Mhm, whatever you say...”

Chris got up and made his way to the door, but turned around before he hit the button.

“If you can’t sleep and need a buddy to hang out with, I’m not that far away.” Chris’ statement was more of an open invitation, but unfortunately it was one that Danny would inevitably reject.

“Thanks, man.”

“No prob.” Chris replied before turning back around, pressing the button on the door, and signaling to the boy behind him with a half-assed but well-intentioned wave. “Goodnight, Danny.”

“Night, Chris.”

Despite Chris’ efforts, Danny knew this was going to be yet another long night alone.

Chapter Text

Everything was quiet in the Bravest Warriors' invisible hideout. A rarity that usually only lasted a couple of hours in the early mornings, and Chris Kirkman had made a habit of waking up early enough to experience it. Today was no different, as Beth walked in to find the boy sitting at the diner booth, eating an oatmeal cookie and looking out the window to his left.

“Copper Coolie, make me a cup of coffee.” Beth requested, prompting the robot that once laid dormant in the corner of the kitchen to spring to life and hastily begin measuring coffee grounds. Cooper Coolie, however, was not the only one to take note of her sudden appearance.

“Oh, hey. Why are you up so early?” Chris instantly began his friendly interrogation of a very tired Beth.

“Just couldn’t sleep.” She groaned, rubbing her eyes and sitting down across from him.

“Why? Was Catbug crawling around the vents again?”

“No, it wasn’t like that.” Beth started, barely holding her head up in her hand.

Copper Coolie whizzed toward her, holding her coffee and steadily placing it on the table. If she weren’t so tired, she’d probably be impressed by the upgrades Danny made to the robot’s gyroscopic abilities, but that didn’t exactly matter right now.

“Thanks.” She mumbled, causing Coolie to make his way back to his charging station as quickly as he’d left it. “I just… couldn’t! It’s weird.” Beth continued, turning her attention back to Chris while stirring her coffee in the air.

“Weird…” Chris trailed off, scrunching his noise and squinting slightly.

“Yeah.” Beth took a sip of her coffee.

Chris briefly considered offering to stay up with her next time, the same way he had offered Danny just the night prior. Luckily, he recognized the implication of saying that to a girl, especially Beth, just in time to catch himself. Instead of speaking, he blushed slightly, which would’ve been kind of weird if the girl across from him had been awake enough to notice.

“What time do you think Danny went to bed last night?” Beth asked, slowly waking up.

“I don’t know. Maybe like… 2:00? 2:30? Hopefully earlier though.” Chris replied, taking another bite of his cookie. In all honesty, no one but Danny knew the correct answer: 4:45 AM.

The two’s conversation was soon interrupted by an even sleepier Wallow walking into the room.

“Hey guys… Any coffee left?” He asked, his eyes barely open enough to see what was in front of him..

“Uh, yeah. Cooper Coolie should’ve left some brewing.” Beth commented, gesturing her head in the general direction of the countertop.

“Thanks.” Wallow replied, lumbering his way toward the cupboard to get a mug. “Catbug woke me up, again. Said his doodie box was full. Had to take care of that. So, what are you two talking about?”

“Just wondering when Danny got to bed,” Chris informed, “That reminds me, he said he was willing to try the bonding exercise today.” The news clearly surprised the other, sleepier warriors.

“He did? When?” Beth asked, suddenly much more interested in this conversation.

“Last night. I was checking up on him and he seemed fine with it.”

Beth smiled at the news, excited that she had finally talked some sense into Danny. Now nothing could ruin her team-bonding day! But still, there was some hesitancy. What about the conversation that she had with Danny? She remembered his voice, his face, how he just wasn’t really… him. But whatever, there’s no way Danny would’ve said he was fine with it if he wasn’t, right? He was way too snarky for that. Beth had gotten through to him. She had won!

“Awesome!” Beth’s eyes lit up as she spoke.

“Are you sure you heard him right, Chris?” Wallow asked, pouring creamer into his cup. “Danny usually doesn’t change his mind that easily.”

“I know, but he seemed… different. Like his old self again,” Chris shrugged.

“It’s a welcome change if you ask me,” Beth crossed her arms loosely as she spoke, “I mean, he’s feeling better so things can finally get back to normal.”

Wallow glanced between the two other teenagers, read the room, and lowered his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m glad he’s finally feeling better.”

“Should we go get him?” Beth asked, looking toward Chris.

“Mm, we should wait a little bit. He probably went to bed supes late, remember?” Chris responded after some consideration.

“Yeah, and I want to finish my coffee before dealing with horse-alien tech shenanigans." Wallow added, finally sipping his coffee. “Ooh! Hot!”

“Hey! Mom! Look at what I made! It’s a backpack that doubles as a portal to my room! I made it because you can never have too much extra storage, especially with these tight–”

“That’s great, Daniel. Can you hand mommy her cigarettes? They’re right over there, on the counter, next to you.” She gestured vaguely to cigarettes that, in fact, were not right there, and were instead on the coffee table beside her. Her son quickly ran over to hand her the box regardless.

“Thank you.”

“Now you’re probably wondering, ‘Danny, how do you use the portal if it’s on your back?’ Well–”

“Mhm,” she interrupted again, fiddling with her lighter, “You know what you should really invent? One of these damn things that actually works.”

“You probably just need a new one…” The boy suggested sheepishly. He was shot a glare instead of getting a proper reply.

“Dan?”

“Yeah?”

“Go play outside with the other kids.”

He climbed onto the couch next to his mom, then peaked out the window to see the Low-Gravity Hacker Pack playing tricks outside. The boy considered protesting, but feared that he’d be met with another angry look.

“Yes, Mom.”

As he opened the trailer door, he was suddenly relieved to have been forced outside, as the boy saw his father approaching. The man was stumbling slightly with a bottle in hand. The boy didn’t want to be there for whatever argument would ensue as soon as his father reached the door.

“I don’t know why I have to be the one who always has to do this junk. Man, Wallow better start treating me better or else I’m quittin’. Hopefully he buys me that new pair of pumps after this.” An approaching voice mumbled to itself. “Damn, why’s it so dark in here? Can’t see where I’m going!”

The distinct scraping sound of a wooden chair being moved across the floor overtook the room, causing Danny to wake up just enough to scrunch up his facial features. Soon the sound stopped, allowing him to fall back into the depths of his psyche. That was, until…

“Eugh! You look gross when you sleep! You’re droolin’ all over yourself!”
Danny was, once again, awoken in a daze to someone standing over him. This time, however, his visitor was not nearly as pleasant as Chris was the day before.

“Impossibear?” He asked in a tone that was somehow sleepy, confused, and mildly agitated all at once.

“Yeah Impossibear! Who did you think I was, the purple chick? Now, are you gonna wipe your mouth?”

Danny looked at him blankly with exhausted eyes before rolling over in hopes of falling back asleep.

“Hey! Don’t just turn around! For cryin’ out loud… Wallow told me to get you!”

This news got Danny to open his eyes and flip back around.

“What does he want?” Danny asked, casually wiping his mouth, as if it was habit instead of being a response to anything Impossibear had said.

“He wants you to go to the living room. Somethin’ about exercising? I thought he put his jazzercise on hold because I twisted my ankle but I guess not.” Impossibear was clearly bitter at Wallow’s perceived betrayal. Danny, meanwhile, tried to figure out what was actually going on. After a few seconds it dawned on him: the group bonding exercise.

“I mean, I thought we were in this together, you know?” Impossibear continued lamenting while Danny sleepily got up to put a shirt on. Despite wearing the same getup almost every day, his closet sure did seem full… he considered wearing the “WWJKD” t-shirt that he’d customized using purple markers, but eventually decided on wearing his basic uniform once again.

“Do you think Wallow’s given up on me? Do you think he’s given up on… ‘us’?” Impossibear teared up. Danny turned back around to the extremophile with a raised eyebrow. He never quite understood the dynamic between Impossibear and Wallow, but he knew one thing for sure, that Impossibear took it much more seriously than Wallow did.

“No, man. I think Wallow’s just talking about a team training exercise…” The teenager replied, finally acknowledging the previously one-way conversation. Impossibear stared at him blankly for a few seconds.

“Then why am I even here?!” Impossibear asked, suddenly filled with rage and jumping off the bed. “Wallow’s gonna get an earful from me later…” He continued, his words fading as he walked out into the hall before he was cut off completely by the door closing.

Danny sat back down on the edge of his bed. Were the other warriors talking about him? Did Chris tell Beth what happened? Or worse, did Beth tell Chris what she saw? Whatever. Didn’t really matter. What did really matter was that he’d locked himself into getting his mind read, and there’s no way he could back out now.

“Man, what’s the holdup?” Beth asked, reclining on the couch.

“He’s probably just in the bathroom or something.” Chris replied, sitting on the floor next to her.

“Yeah, or he’s spending time with his zarpap.” Wallow chuckled.

“Nah. It hasn’t been that long.” Chris replied. Wallow shrugged.

“What are you ladies talking about?” Danny asked as he leaned against the hallway’s entrance.

“Oh! Hey dude!” Chris stood up.

“Just your zarpap,” Beth teased.

“Huh?” Danny was clearly confused, embarassed, but also slightly amused.

“So, are we ready?” Beth asked, getting up and grabbing the box that sat next to her.

“Ready.” Wallow confirmed. Beth handed his designated circlet.

“Ready!” Chris was next to receive one.

“Danny?” Beth’s hand reached for the second to last device. She seemed concerned, yet firm in her questioning. It was hard to tell what answer she was expecting.

“Ready.” Danny oozed with false confidence, making sure to hide any insecurity that could possibly seep through the cracks. Beth leaned in slightly, examining his face, before placing the headpiece in his hand. Danny stared at the object intensely. Its power was terrifying to him for reasons he didn’t understand. For reasons he didn’t want to understand. But that didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t going to fail his team. Not again.

“Ok… so who should go first?” Beth asked, looking between the boys. Chris’ eyes wandered toward Danny. The brunet was completely distracted by the machine in front of him, and yet totally zoned out at the same time.

“...I’ll go first,” Chris announced. This got Danny’s attention. Usually things weren’t decided this quickly. He briefly wondered if it was for his sake before coming to the realization that it didn’t really matter. Chris was excited about the experience anyway.

The blond put the circlet around his head, somehow without messing up his perfect hair. The surface of the machine lit up as Chris’ gloved fingers traced its surface, clearly looking for some sort of “on” button.

“Where is this damn thing?…” The headpiece spoke in an exact copy of its host’s voice.

“Woah. That… is so awesome!” Chris exclaimed, bringing both of his hands to his chest in excited fists. “This thing totally just read my dome!”

“You were thinking that exact sentence?” Wallow asked, confused but equally excited.

“Yeah man! And it somehow knew!” Chris said, feeling the surface of the headpiece once again.

“Haha! Sick!” Wallow replied, offering Chris a high-five that was very much accepted.

“See! I told you guys it was harmless!” Beth gloated.

“So that’s how it works…” Danny thought to himself as he looked at his teammates from a distance. This whole thing was so simple to them. Why couldn’t he see it the same way? He didn’t have anything to hide, right? Of course not. They already knew his hella dark and tragic backstory about the Low-Gravity Hacker Pack and the electric puke button. Plus, he’d known his teammates for practically his whole life. So why was there a mental block that insisted on isolating him, on alienating him from his best and only friends?

“Ok, ok, ok. Guys, ask me anything!” Chris requested.

“Were you the one that left the holo-john seat up this morning?” Beth immediately asked.

“Seems like you’ve been holding in that question for a while, Tezuka.” Wallow prodded.

“Well, yeah. I gotta find the culprit.” Beth joked back.

“Nope.” Chris replied with a shrug and looked at the wall to his right..

“Dude, I’m such a bad liar. How did she know it was me?” The headpiece added.

“Dude! Gross!” Beth was in disbelief but still clearly amused, punching Chris lightly on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Wallow laughed so hard he almost fell over.

“Guys! Quit it! I only forgot this one time,” Chris blushed.

“Yeah,” Wallow agreed, trying to catch his breath, “Most of the time Danny’s your guy for that stuff.”

“Hey, just because Chris left the toilet seat up doesn’t mean it’s ‘Dog-On-Danny Day’, alright?” The brunet replied with attitude, taking a few steps toward the others. The mention of his name alone had managed to snap him out of his trance.

“Danny, you wanna go next?” Beth offered with excitement and a smile.

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea—“

“Sure. Let’s do this thing.” Danny affirmed casually, cutting Wallow off. Both Chris and Wallow looked surprised, but the shock on their faces quickly turned to looks of pride.

In truth, Danny was terrified, but he couldn’t even think that right now. He couldn’t think anything right now. He had to be himself again. He had to act and think completely like himself again, otherwise… Well, there was no time to think about the “otherwise”, because the machine would surely recognize it. He just needed to focus. As he cleared his mind, he was surprised to feel an arm sling itself around him.

“Hey buddy, I’m proud of you.” Chris smiled, shaking Danny slightly.

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Danny rolled his eyes. It felt good, being a part of the team again. He looked around the room at everyone as he put the headset on. The first thing he heard was a light buzzing, the next thing he heard…

“I hate myself! I’m an awful teammate! I always let everyone down! My parents never loved me! I’m not worthy of love! I’m a fraud! Sometimes I wish I was dead for the sake of the people around me! I cry myself to sleep every night! I can’t stand the sound of my own thoughts! Sometimes I drink to drown my sorrows just like my dad always did! Why won’t this stupid machine shut up?! Everything is so loud! I’m just a spineless fucking idiot! Why do my friends hate me so much?! Why am I so fucking useless?! God, turn this thing off! I’m insecure! I hate my stupid face and my stupid personality! I wish I would just die so a more worthy person could replace me! I want to be as good as Chris! I want to be as worthy as he is! As charming, as kind, as much of a warrior! I think I secretly have feelings for—!”

Danny ripped off the headpiece and threw it to the ground, crushing it under his bulky boot. When he looked around the room, he noticed that Chris’ arm was no longer around him. In fact, his teammates seemed further away than ever. They looked at him with horror and concern all over their faces.

“Oh, Danny…” Beth trailed off.

“Buddy…” Wallow whispered.

Chris simply stared, his eyes reflecting the pain that he’d just witnessed. Danny couldn’t stand to return the gaze for more than a second.

“Wow, that thing really was space junk, huh? That’s what we get for a trusting horse alien garage sale.” Danny joked nervously, trying to laugh.

Their expressions didn’t change. After a few seconds, Chris stepped forward.

“Danny, you’re crying.”

The brunet put his hand to his face. Tears he hadn’t noticed before suddenly became all too apparent. He looked down at his hoodie. It was already wet from the droplets. He looked back up at his teammates. There was no hiding anymore. Danny’s expression was less than blank. It was vacant. He wasn’t truly in the same room with his friends anymore, he was stuck in his own mind. Preoccupied, with a series of thoughts so rapid that they screeched over each other without any regard. He began to hyperventilate quietly, his breathing getting quicker and quicker as more and more thoughts bombarded him. He was losing his vision, losing balance, falling into the void of his mind.

“Danny!” Chris screamed, lunging toward his best friend while the spinning room went completely black and the voices finally ceased.

Chapter Text

“Hey man, do you ever think about the future?” Chris asked, resting his hand on the counter and turning his head toward his best friend. The question alone made Danny choke on his milkshake.

“The future? Why? What’s up?” Danny suddenly felt defensive given that the answer was no.

“I dunno. I guess all this emotion lord stuff has me thinking about it.” Chris confessed, shaking off his own idea.

“You took me out to the Neo-Mars Milkshake Bar at midnight just to talk to me about that?” Danny chuckled. “Listen, man, your future is with Beth. Everyone knows that.” Danny’s own words killed him for reasons he was unsure of. Did he still have feelings for Beth, even knowing that Chris was her soulmate? He turned his focus back to his unfinished shake, biting down on the straw. God, how stupid could he be.

“Honestly… I’m not sure anymore.”

Danny’s eyes shot back to Chris’, straw still loosely hanging out of his mouth.

“What do you mean you’re not sure? Do you seriously have it that bad for Plum?” Danny asked, dropping the straw out of his mouth and choosing to fidget with it instead.

“It’s not really that either– well, it’s kinda that. But also–” Chris let out a sound of confusion and grabbed at his golden blond hair, “I don’t know.” Danny squinted at Chris. This was nothing like him. Chris had liked Beth ever since the two had first met, and Plum had been frenching him for the past however long.

“You don’t know?…” Danny trailed off. Chris’ eyes met his once again.

“Yeah, that’s kinda why I was asking you. You seem to have it all together.” Chris continued, messing with his own, empty, milkshake glass.

“I don’t know about all that…” The brunet replied while tilting his head. “Listen, you have a good thing going for you right now, something I, personally, wouldn’t just throw away. But, whatever you wanna do, I’ll still be here.” He put his arm around Chris’ shoulder. Something about this felt so comfortable, even if the conversation topic definitely wasn’t. Maybe it was the view of the stars beyond Danny’s reach, or maybe it was the presence of his friend right next to him. The cold wind on his nape, or the warmth of Chris against his arm.

“Thanks, Danny.” Chris replied. There was an unspoken understanding. Of what, neither of them were totally sure, but there was calm. There was happiness.

That was when, slowly, the world began to fade. Danny’s reality was shifting between the blurry lines of the milkshake bar and an empty nothingness. The void. This whole thing was a dream, and Danny was waking up.

“Chris!” He screamed in desperation. He needed to stay there. He couldn’t remember why yet, nor did he want to remember why, but he knew something awful would be waiting for him in the world beyond his eyelids. A feeling of dread overtook him as he reached out toward Chris, the fading illusion, who suddenly seemed so far away as Danny was thrown further toward consciousness. “I’m scared! I don’t want to go.”

Chris’ blurry silhouette stepped off the barstool, stepped forward, and outstretched his hand. “I know, but it’ll be alright. Trust me.”

Darkness. The dream was over. Danny was officially awake. He felt like death, but he refused to acknowledge his situation, even to himself. He kept his eyes shut, his gateway to the real world kept under lock and key. He refused to think, after all, thinking would mean allowing himself to fall into the pit that had opened under his feet.

Unfortunately, simply refusing to remember wasn’t in the cards for Danny. He could close his eyes, but no one can close their ears. He could still hear the muffled voices of his friends outside his door.

“I should’ve given them to him for inspection,” Beth groaned, leaning back against the metal walls of the hideout. “Dammit, I should’ve trusted him!”

“We thought it would be fine…” Chris reassured her, “I mean, how does that even happen? What was that?!”

“Maybe those horse aliens scammed you, Beth,” Wallow suggested with a shrug.

Beth nodded.

“Not that. I mean, what was it saying? It was nonsense!”

“A bunch of depressing biz.” Wallow hung his head slightly lower.

The hall fell silent for a second.

“...Do you think any of it was true?” Chris asked hesitantly.

“I guess we really don’t know Danny that well,” Wallow admitted.

“I figured he had something wrong with him, but…” Beth trailed off, trying to find words that didn’t exist.

“Yeah, it was obvious the guy had problems. I mean, have you met his parents?” Wallow asked. “No way he had a good childhood.”

“Really? I thought Danny’s childhood was fine, other than having the flu every day.” Beth admitted.

The boys looked at her, confused.

“He talks about that electric puke button, like, all the time,” Chris’ reminder was soft despite the puzzled look on his face.

“Oh, right.”

Again, silence.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Wallow asked.

Danny rolled over in his bed, taking his pillow with him in an attempt to cover his exposed ear. He needed to drown out the sounds of his friends talking about him, not that any of it made sense anyway. Something wrong with him? Psh. Yeah, sure. Nothing was wrong. Everything was normal. It was all the way it had always been.

He was still him, no matter what the others thought. He was still the cool one, an avid partier, and a complete hit with the ladies. After all, ladies love hella brooding backstories. Too bad it didn’t work on Plum… or Beth… or—

“Ow!”

Unfortunately, Danny’s internal monologuing was cut short by a loud thud followed by the sound of a familiar high-pitched voice coming from the vent above him.

“Uh, you alright, Catbug?” Danny asked, tilting his head upward and leaning toward the noise.

“Yeah… I’m alright!” The voice yelled back. “I’m coming through!” It announced, pushing the grate open.

Soon, Catbug was screaming as he plummeted out of the vent, only barely opening his wings in time to slow his fall.

“Hi, Danny!” Catbug cheerily dusted himself off and jumped up on the bed.

“Did, uh, someone send you here to, like, spy on me?” Danny asked, trying to hide his concern.

“Spy on you?” Catbug scratched his head. “I don’t know about that. I just wanted to check on you!”

“Check on me?” Danny’s shoulders relaxed.

“Yep! Check on you! Beth said you were real sad but I wasn’t sure of it!”

Danny furrowed his brow in thought.

“You… aren’t sad, are you?” Catbug asked, genuine, innocent concern in his voice.

“I’m fine. Thanks, Catbug.” Danny replied, scratching Catbug’s head to ensure him of a job well-done.

“I’m Catbug!” The little alien replied, seemingly without any prompting.

“Hey, buddy, could you do me a favor?” Danny asked, leaning in toward Catbug. “It’s a very very special mission.”

“Yeah?” Catbug’s eyes lit up.

“You know those horse circlets that go on your head?”

“Yeah?” Catbug asked, seemingly even more excited.

“Can you get those for me?” Danny requested, “I gotta run some tests on them.”

Suddenly, something sparked in Catbug’s head.

“Oh yeah! I already fixed them! They’re safe!” Catbug announced with pride, throwing his paws into the air.

“Fixed?…” Danny’s face couldn’t hide his worry very well anymore.

“Yeah! I took out all the bad parts! Everything is ok!”

This was concerning. Danny stared at the little alien blankly, processing what it’d just said.

“Yeah, everything is ok. Can you get them for me anyway, though? I want to see what you did.” Danny requested, not being able to hold up his peppy tune quite as well as he could before.

“Ok!” Catbug confirmed, jumping off the bed and making his way to the door. “Danny’s gonna be so proud!” He said to himself on the way out, quietly, but still full of energy.

That left Danny alone once more, allowing him to lie back down on his bed and think to himself.

"Catbug… What did you do this time?…"

As soon as Catbug turned to walk down the hall, he found the other warriors talking just outside Danny’s room.

“Hi, guys!” Catbug blurted out, running toward the three teenagers.

“Hey, Catbug.” They all replied, practically in unison.

“Nice to see ya, little scamp. What were you doing in Danny’s room?” Wallow asked.

“Danny sent me on a top secret mission!” Catbug replied, putting his right paw to his chest in a dignified manner.

“Mission?” Chris repeated.

“Yep! Oh! Do you guys know where the horse thingies are?” Catbug asked.

The two boys looked immediately to Beth. She carefully considered the question and how she should answer it. After a few seconds, she spoke.

“They’re on the couch in a cardboard box.”

“Thank you!” Catbug replied happily, making his way to the elevator.

“Good luck on your secret mission, buddy.” Wallow said with a wave.

“Thanks, Wallow!” Catbug smiled as the doors of the elevator closed.

“So, Danny wants the headpieces?” Wallow asked, turning back toward the group.

“I guess so,” Chris shrugged, “I don’t know what he wants with them though.”

“He probably wants to run tests on them,” Beth added in, “He kept asking me for them before all of this devolved into a moopy mess.” She groaned at herself, putting her hand to her forehead in frustration. “I should’ve just let him…”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Chris insisted, grabbing her hand and lowering it gently. “None of us could have known. What’s really important is how we deal with it now.”

Beth looked into Chris’ eyes, and soon, her uncertainty faded.

“We’ve got this,” he reassured her.

“I just don’t get it! The neuro-guages are fine, the peripheral modulators are responding, the wires are in the right order. This is amazing tech! So why isn’t it working!” Danny cried out in frustration, taking off his welding mask and gesturing dramatically to himself. “I’ve been working on this for hours!”

The inventor threw the mask down on the table and gracelessly stumbled over to his bed, falling back on it. He immediately rolled over slightly whilst covering his head with his hands, letting out an annoyed groan. “I’m never gonna figure this out…” he moaned into his palms. “It’s hopeless,” he admitted, taking his hands off his face in defeat.

However, the sound of his crisis was once again cut short by the sound of his doorbell.

“Go away!” The brunet was practically yelling through the metal door, but his heart wasn’t in it.

“Are you sure, man? We saved a popsicle for you!” Wallow’s voice projected back.

Danny slowly, unenthusiastically made his way to the door.

“Not interested.”

“Come on, Danny. You haven’t eaten all day. These babies are packed full of hella juice and vitamins!” Wallow pleaded. “It’s better than talking to yourself in there…”

Danny honestly hadn’t really noticed he was hungry. He thought maybe he could sneak out and grab a snack while everyone else was asleep, but then again, maybe something now wouldn’t be too bad. Wait, what did Wallow say toward the end?

“…How did you know I was talking to myself?”

“Just a guess. We all remember the toast goblin fiasco,” Wallow rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Also these ‘sicles are kinda getting my gloves all sticky, so… if you don’t want it–”

“Alright. But I’m only taking the popsicle!” Danny reminded Wallow firmly.

“Alright, alright.”

With the tap of a button, the metal door once again opened in a complex series of mechanisms, leaving Danny and Wallow face to face.

“Oh, dude, you look awful!” Wallow blurted out, forgetting his filter.

“Thanks man.” Danny tried to muster up as much sarcasm as he could, but regardless, he mostly just sounded exhausted. He reached for the frozen, cherry-flavored treat which Wallow gave him with no resistance.

“We saved that one just for you.” The larger boy casually pointed out.

Usually, that would be the end. That was the plan, anyway. To gloomily go back to bed, defeated, with a popsicle. But something about those Wallow’s words gave Danny an idea.

He quickly retreated back to his room, closing and locking his door once again before Wallow could ask any more questions. One just for him, huh? One just for Danny…

The inventor dumped the entire box of electronics onto his desk. Four circlets. He quickly unscrewed each one.

"Beth gave these to us in a specific order."

He looked at the first, previously unopened device. Nothing immediately wrong.

"One that I didn’t notice before."

He opened the second. Perfectly normal.

"That must mean Catbug only touched mine!"

He grabbed the very last headpiece, where his grim answer was awaiting him. The light metal was dented from the weight of his boot, but the insides should've been relatively fine. Finally, he opened it. There were cut wires, bent motherboards, and parts that simply weren’t there.

This was definitely Danny’s headpiece.

“I knew it! I knew I wasn’t crazy! This thing is totally broken! I knew it was getting a bad reading! Me? Think that kinda stuff?” He laughed at the mere thought. “Now I can go show the other warriors! Let's just see what exactly is wrong here first…”

With a little more investigation, Danny’s excitement turned to horror. The problem wasn’t that the machine was wrong, it was that Catbug had made it too right. Truthfully, only two things were different about Danny’s device. Catbug had disabled the thought filtration system and enabled access to the unconscious mind.

Danny had run out of excuses.

He couldn’t tell anyone.

Chapter Text

Tears fell from Danny’s eyes before he could even find the time to properly process his whirling thoughts. His hyperventilation only became more and more intense. His mind was no longer under his control, nor was the way his friends saw him. The thoughts that once kept him from sleeping at night had also found their way into the daylight. He tried to get up from his desk to go see the stars, the same celestial bodies that always gave him such a sense of comfort, but the act of standing made him feel even worse. He began to lose his vision and his legs were about to fold from under him. Low blood sugar and panic do not pair well, a lesson that Danny had already learned a long time ago. He clumsily made his way from his desk to his bed but before he could even properly regain his balance…

Saliva. Salty salivation was the only thing that cut through the panicked thoughts in Danny’s mind. It filled his mouth faster than he could swallow it. Suddenly, the most important thing was not the tears pouring out of his eyes or the lightheadedness that almost forced him off his feet, but the convulsions in his stomach, quickly increasing in intensity. He pushed off his bed, stumbling out of his room, rushing toward the holojohn.

There was barely anything to purge himself of. He hadn’t even eaten that stupid popsicle yet, and yet he was stuck retching over the toilet even after everything had been evacuated from his system. Dry-heaving as he cried, saliva, snot and tears hitting the water of the toilet, Danny prayed that this was all a dream. It had to be. That stupid mind-reader never broke. Hell, it never existed in the first place. That’s the only way any of this made any sense.

His stomach hurt, his throat burned, and his mouth tasted like acid. The boy slowly pulled himself away from the toilet bowl, trying to stop the contractions he felt in his gut.

After wiping his nose and mouth on his sleeve, Danny slowly made his way toward the sink. The water was cold against his skin. He cupped his hands, allowing himself to drink some of it before splashing the rest on his face.

“Wake up. This can’t be happening… please, wake up…”

Despite his best attempts, when his eyes had opened and the water had run off his face, he found himself in the same place, staring at his stupid, tired, terrified reflection. This couldn’t be right, this couldn’t be real, he had to wake up right now.

Pain.

Danny allowed his right arm to betray his left, slugging himself in the shoulder with all the might a warrior could muster.

Again.

He hit himself again in the same spot. Over and over and over and over. His whines became yelps, which began screams. His strikes stung with shards of self-hatred that had been instilled in him ever since he was young.

“Please, please, please, please, please! Wake up!” He pleaded to himself, every word being interrupted with the loud sound of a punch, his only comfort being the fact that the holojohn was completely soundproof.

“Please… please…” the boy’s strikes weakened, finally allowing his aching arm to rest. It was over. He collapsed on the cold floor of the bathroom, exhausted and scared, clutching his injured shoulder with the same hand that had inflicted the pain.

“There’s no escape, is there?”

His tears hit the tile floor, his mind trying to accept the impossible truth of the situation.

“There’s no escape… is there?…”

Once he asked himself the question again, he had an idea, one that even he would admit was awful, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was if it worked.

He looked through the kitchen cabinets, opening each of them. Of course, his first instinct was to check the ones that were hard to reach. Maybe his dad had left something in them. Spices, tea bags, coffee grounds, baking supplies… not what he was looking for.

He began to worry. The comfort he was looking for couldn’t be found and he was once again out of options. Maybe this idea was worse than he thought. Maybe this made him just as guilty as the people who raised him. What would Chris think?

The guilt of his own questioning made his search more desperate. Where would that sort of thing even go? None of the warriors would’ve had any interest in it.

…But Impossibear did.

Danny squatted down, abandoning the cabinets above him in favor of the ones below, specifically the one that Catbug and Impossibear always hide things in.

Bingo.

“You’re twelve now, go ahead, knock yourself out,” The boy’s father suggested, tossing a bottle to his son.

“I don’t think that’s legal…” The boy replied, catching it and staring at the label.

“Come on, I had my first drink when I was your age. It’s all a part of becoming a man. You don’t want to disappoint your old man again, do you?”

“No, I just don’t know if I’m comfortable–”

“Just drink it, Danny.”

“Well… I guess it couldn’t hurt… right?” The boy asked himself, clearly not convinced by his own words. When he removed the loosely-wedged cork, the strong stench of alcohol and spices filled the air. It was a scent he was all too familiar with, one that always gave him an awful, sickly feeling. He looked to his father once again. As long as it was to make him proud…

“...Danny?”

Danny’s head turned toward the voice, separating the bottle of whisky from his lips.

“Chris?”

“Are you drinking?” Chris asked, his concern spreading even further across his face.

“No… it’s not like that. I’m fine, man. I keep telling you that.” Danny was usually a pretty decent liar, but in this state even Chris was unamused.

“What happened, buddy?” Chris asked, sitting next to his friend. His movements were slow and thought out, as though he was trying not to spook a cornered animal.

The care in Chris’ voice alone was enough to make Danny cave. The tears returned to his eyes.

“Nothing, I just screwed everything up again.” Danny replied, choking on his own words and purposefully avoiding looking directly at the boy sitting right next to him.

“What do you mean–?”

“I mean that the machine wasn’t broken, Chris, ok?!”

Danny’s arms folded in front of him, cushioning his face as it fell toward the table. He began to sob, his back rising and falling rapidly with every sharp inhale. His attempts to hide himself from his best friend were failing, just like everything else. In the brunet’s thoughts, as well as in the claustrophobic space between his elbows, he was all alone.

No, that wasn’t true either.

“You wanna know the worst part?” Danny asked, his voice muffled by his arms and the heavy cotton of his hoodie that wrapped around them.

Chris stayed silent, still confused and concerned, but Danny didn’t need an answer.

“I brought you into this too,” Danny confessed. “You and Beth and Wallow and everyone! I brought you all into my stupid biz for no reason. And you don’t deserve that, man…” Danny crooked his head to the side slightly, just enough for Chris to see his red, hot face and puffy eyes. “You don’t deserve that…” As the repeated words escaped his mouth, Danny's voice cracked and tears flowed down his cheeks once again, forcing his face back down into his sleeves. The sounds of loud, drunken, teenage heartache filled the room once again.

“But you don’t deserve this either.”

And with those words came a gentle touch. An arm carefully placed on Danny’s back. If the boy weren’t so out of it he probably wouldn’t know how to feel, but for now, it felt nice. Chris was so close to him. The blond’s hand was gentlying rubbing up and down his back, rising and falling with Danny’s heavy breathing.

Whatever part of Danny was still sober wanted to shame himself. Who was he to take this comfort from his best friend? What made him worthy? Especially after causing all of this. But those thoughts were muffled by the drinks and desperation. A desperation to not be alone anymore.

Danny’s face rose from his arms and soon found itself buried in Chris’ vest. Danny’s arms followed suit, embracing Chris with the type of strength that only fear can provide. It surprised the blond at first, but that feeling quickly faded. Instead of trying to loosen his best friend’s grip, Chris held Danny close.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Danny whimpered, his tears, snot and drool soaking into the blue cloth.

“Dude… it’s ok. I promise.” Chris assured him, one hand on the crying boy’s back and the other stroking his hair.

“But it’s not though… I’m a mess and you keep saving to help me. You went back in time to save me from the Low-Gravity Hacker Pack, and you gave me sweater advice, and you were proud of me when I made RoboChris even though I was just trying to make you jelly, and you caught me when I passed out, and–”

“Hey, I said it’s ok.”

“But it’s not fair! Why do you always have to deal with my problems? Why can’t you just forget about me like everyone else always does?”

“Because I care about you, Danny, and I want to help you face this, even if it’s hard. Especially if it’s hard.”

Once again, if Danny were sober, he’d have an infinite number of retorts and rebuttals. Fortunately, he wasn’t. He felt deep down that Chris was wrong; that his best friend was making a mistake somehow. Maybe it was the intense desire to find words where there were none, or maybe it was the comfort that Chris’ embrace and words were giving Danny, but the sobbing continued. Both of the teenagers sat together, neither of them speaking, simply being together in the misery that they had chosen to share. But in that way, it almost seemed bearable.

After a few minutes without words, Danny spoke up once again.

“Catbug broke the stupid mind-reader,” he mumbled.

“Catbug? But… Beth told him to check up on you. Hearing you were so down in the dumps even got him to start talking again–”

“No… before that.”

“What do you mean?”

The question prompted Danny’s grip on Chris to finally relax for the sake of turning to the whisky on the table once again. His hand was headed for the bottle, but Chris blocked it. He grabbed Danny’s wrist and looked into the brunet’s eyes.

“Danny, what happened?”

Chris’ words were firm yet gentle. There was a drive behind them, a need to know, but not a selfish one.

“Catbug did a little inventing on his own,” Danny replied, trying to keep his own spirits up. Chris’ face was unchanging. Danny sighed. “He wanted to make sure they were safe, so he took out a bunch of parts. He made it work a little too well.” Despite Danny’s intentional briefness, the statement was filled with a detached sadness and discomfort.

“So, everything it said was right?” Chris asked quietly.

“Every word.” Danny’s hand twitched from under Chris’, clearly testing the blond’s grip. Danny still wanted that bottle.

Chris’ grip didn’t loosen.

“Then… I think you should hear it out.”

Chris’ suggestion felt like a bullet.

“...Hear it out?”

“I know you’re always running from stuff like this…” Chris’ eyes glanced toward the bottle before fixing themselves back on the boy in front of him, “but as long as I’m here– as long as all of us are here, you don’t need to hide anymore, Danny. I want to know who you really are, and I think you deserve to know too.”

Danny looked into Chris’ eyes, a range of emotions stirring in his stomach. Fear, appreciation, self-hatred, comfort, sadness, gratitude. He wanted to throw up again, but kept it down. Instead, something else from deep inside of him rose to the surface. Three words.

“Hey, Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, dude.”

Suddenly, another wave of confusing emotions washed over Danny. He felt like he said exactly what he wanted to and got the best response possible, and yet he wasn’t fulfilled by it. Like something was still wrong with it for reasons Danny didn’t know.

“I’ll… consider putting that headpiece back on. Just to see what it has to say.” Danny submitted.

“I’m proud of you.”

“Hey Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m about to throw up.”

“I know, buddy. Let’s get you to the sink.”

“Chris!”

“Danny!”

“Oh man, it’s been forever! What have you been up to?”

“I should be asking you that! I haven’t seen you in like a month!”

“Well, you know, I got busy with the Low-Gravity Hacker Pack and stuff in New Miami. I’m kinda a big deal around there.”

“Woah! They finally let you join?!”

“Uh… no. But I’m sure they’ll let me in soon.”

“That’s so cool! Just don’t forget about the Bravest Warriors when you’re a big-shot hacker, ok?”

“Aww, shucks, do you seriously think I could ever forget about you guys? You and I still have to make that friendship garden!”

“You’re right, you’re right. Hey, did your parents say if you could stay the night?”

“Uhh… nope. But I probably can! I don’t think they’d care.”

“Awesome! I’ll go tell the others! Beth! Wallow! Danny’s here!”

Chapter Text

“Chris? What are you doing?” Beth asked, rubbing her eyes to ensure that she’d actually woken up and that this wasn’t another weird dream. “Where did you even find that bottle?”

Chris put his finger to his lips as he carefully poured the old bottle of whiskey down the drain. As if to finally answer her question, he titled his head to gesture toward the diner booth. This intrigued Beth, despite it seeming like a lot for 7 in the morning.

“Why is Danny sleeping here? And why’d you cover him up like that?” Beth asked her questions in a whisper. She knew she didn’t actually have to since Danny was totally out, but she may as well since it was sweet of Chris to be overly-considerate of his best friend.

“He had another rough night.” Chris whispered back. That much was obvious.

“Poor guy. He’s had it tough recently,” Beth sighed.

Leather sticking to one’s face is far from the most pleasant feeling to wake up to, especially when the substance bonding the two surfaces is a mixture of sweat and drool that reeks of whiskey.

“…What?–”

Danny couldn’t even finish mumbling his question, because the second he moved he felt a throbbing pain on either side of his head. He inhaled sharply at the sudden headache. He didn’t know what he expected, but for some reason it wasn’t that. However, regardless of how he felt, he knew he couldn’t lay on the dining booth seat all day long. God, what time was it anyway… he must’ve fallen asleep in the A.M. if Chris caught him–

“Oh shit, Chris.”

The memories of what had happened with Chris didn’t exactly come pouring back, but they were slightly less fuzzy than they had been moments prior. Danny was completely embarassed and ashamed, due to the fact that even if his memory failed him, he knew exactly what type of drunk he was. All he really remembered was the warmth of Chris’ embrace, but not very much around it. Wait, an embrace? The memory alone surprised Danny so much that his face got hot and he couldn’t help but prop himself up on his left arm.

That’s when two different pains hit him, one returning and one new.

“Ow! Shit…”

Not only did he have a migraine, but his bicep was also incredibly sore. His attempt to get up was quickly abandoned since his left arm couldn’t take any straining at all. He looked around, swiveling his head slowly as to not disturb his own hangover.

The room was dimly-lit, an adjustment that Chris or Wallow probably made while Danny was out cold. The gesture was a nice one, probably too nice. The second thing he noticed in his inspection was that the “blanket” someone covered him up with wasn’t a blanket at all. No, it was Chris’ vest. The deep blue vest that Danny had been crying on was left gently draped over his torso, as though to allow Chris’ comfort to stay with him as he slept. The blond boy never usually took it off. It was one of those clothing items that was a big comfort to Chris, along with his signature gloves.

Danny managed a smile at the gesture, while at the same time feeling even worse for making his best friend feel like he had to leave something like this behind. The brunet adjusted the makeshift blanket, covering his upper-body with it.

It smelled just like Chris.

Danny’s fingers gripped the material softly, contemplating what a gift like this meant. Of course, it wasn’t his to keep forever. Chris only had the one. But still, to leave it behind after Danny had cried into it all morning, it felt too personal. Danny felt known. He felt like he’d let Chris know too much, mainly that he was weak and pathetic. That Danny was the type of person who needed protecting and helping.

The boy studied the vest further, rubbing his hands over the slick material until he hit a cold, damp spot. This must’ve been where he was crying; into this area still soaked in snot, drool and tears. Thinking about it brought back even more memories of their conversation.

“Then I think you should hear it out … I want to know who you are, and I think you deserve to know too.”

The mere memory of Chris’ suggestion knocked the wind out of Danny and filled him with fear, but he did owe his best friend for staying up with him. Maybe, just this once, he had to actually be strong. Danny’s hand trembled over the damp vest, soaked in sadness, a mark that neither of the boys would forget any time soon. It’s mere existence was terrifying, evidence now of truths that Danny would much rather forget. There’s so much Danny wanted to forget.

In a moment of weakness, Danny looked to where the whiskey once sat. It was gone. What remained was an empty bottle lying in the recycling bin next to the sink.

He didn’t remember drinking that much… well, who knows what happened to it. It didn’t matter.

Danny sat up carefully, using his right arm to do the heavy-lifting. His left arm was weak and bruised. He felt like he was dragging it behind him with every movement. His own limb acted as dead weight.

When he was finally able to stand, Danny held the puffy, blue vest to his chest, trying to decide what to do with it. Maybe he could wear it just for a second. Sure, it would be a little bulky over his own jacket and hoodie, but something was drawing him to the idea. Something about it made him happy.

He slid the vest over his right arm first and up his shoulder, then he used his right hand to help it up his left. When he was done he looked down at himself. The material was so warm and comforting. It felt nice.

It made Danny finally feel loved in some capacity.

“What’s up, man? Why’d you call me in here?” The blond preteen asked, looking around his best friend’s laboratory.

“Oh, no reason,” the brunet teased, “just wanted to show you my latest invention!”

“Is it another time machine?”

“What? No. This is different!” The kid inventor insisted, holding something behind his back.

“Then let’s see it!” The blond’s eyes were filled with wonder.

“I present to you…” as he gripped the invention that he held behind him, the boy felt some hesitancy. He shifted his weight anxiously from one foot to another before forcing his confidence back on. He closed his eyes, bracing for emotional impact while attempting to hide it as smugness. “Some new and improved gloves!”

“Danny…” The other boy began quietly, looking at the gift that he’d just been presented. “This is… awesome! What did you do?!” He was filled with awe, examining every inch of them.

The inventor couldn’t resist his best friend’s infectious smile. He opened his eyes and smiled widely, ready to info-dump about every single new feature he added that couldn’t be found on the other models.

“Well, to start, I increased the density of the molecular hyper-thrusters located in the palms of the gloves! That helps them make better lasers. Then, I focused on implementing a scratch-resistance OLED touch screen to the wrist…”

Danny stood in the hallway at the entrance to his room. He felt a darkness radiating from behind the metal door. It was as though the atmosphere from inside of his own room was bursting at the seams. He could just ignore Chris’ suggestion about finding the truth. He could sleep in the living room from now on. He could infinitely run and hide from his room containing a box containing his headpiece containing the truth. His legs would never get tired from that trek; they never have before. His mind would weigh heavy, sure, but he’d be free from whatever realities could lie inside of that very same head. He could choose to not open his own personal Pandora’s box. But Danny knew Chris was right. He couldn’t hide from whatever was inside of the box. Because, after all, the box wasn’t his mind, the box was his body. His skin, his flesh, his bones. Only one thing was inside of that. Himself.

Danny closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath in. The darkness from behind the door was just another illusion. The aura he felt was internal, no matter how badly his mind wanted to convince him that it was in front of him. He cleared his head, pushing his fears to the back of his mind for what he hoped would be the last time, preparing his consciousness to know itself.

With the press of a button, the menacing door opened. Behind it was a room. Nothing too notable. Dirty clothes on the floor, fish swimming behind the glass walls, discarded ideas crumpled up into little paper balls littered around, an unmade bed pushed into the corner, and most importantly, a box lying on a desk. One that seemingly radiated evil. Its energy covered the rest of the dimly-lit room in an intensely uneasy feeling.

Danny felt sick. He wanted to run and puke and drink until nothing was real again. That would be so easy. So easy…

“Computer,” he began his command, “lock Danny’s room from the outside.” He regretted his choice almost instantly. He turned around to try to open the door once again, but all he got back was the sound of the button clicking. Then, he resorted to pounding on the door.

“Guys! Chris, Beth, Wallow! Impossibear! Catbug! Slippy?!” He pleaded, banging on the metal as hard as he could. No answer. “Computer! Unlock Danny’s room!” No response. “Computer!” He shouted again. Still, nothing. Following its coding to perfection.

Danny’s desperate attempts to escape from his own room ceased faster than they would under usual circumstances. It may have been the fact that he could only use one arm to bang on the door, or maybe it was his headache worsening due to his own ruckus. But regardless of what made it happen, he accepted the fact that he couldn’t escape until someone came home, and who knows how long that’d be.

Danny put his back to the metal door, sliding down it just to sit on the dirty floor of his bedroom. Anxiety turned into despair, glancing up at the dreaded cardboard box across the room. He fought to keep his mind blank, but memories of his confession during the group trust exercise kept creeping their way in. The way everyone looked at him, the way that he cried without even noticing, the words that the stupid circlet spouted. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about any of it, and as long as he could look at that box, the thing holding the only physical evidence of what happened that day, he would.

His gaze couldn’t leave the box for long, just like how his mind couldn’t leave the truth for long. It felt itchy, almost. The truth was right in front of him. He could quite literally grab it. Since he couldn’t run, his only two options were to either face the music, or to sit there being taunted by it. The despair and hopelessness slowly turned itself back into anxiety, crashing into Danny in waves with ever-increasing strength. This was a new type of fear. A fear that begged him to rip the bandage off, because whatever was under it couldn’t possibly be worse than the awful feelings he’d been having all week. He looked at his left shoulder.

Maybe the bruises could finally start healing.

Danny got up, finally fully aware that the pain from the box wasn’t from the box at all, but from inside of his very soul. He walked toward the box without hesitation. His fear was getting exponentially worse but this time it only served to propel him forward. With the door locked behind him, a testament to his commitment to improving, Danny put his hands on the box. He drew in another uneven breath.

His hands shook as they opened it, his left more than his right. He grabbed the device that had betrayed him once before. Usually, the boy would have hesitated more. He’d have fidgeted with it, trying to decide if he really wanted to do this or not, but this time was different. This time the fear was unbearable and had to be alleviated, no matter what that meant. Danny’s mind finally begged for solace in the knowable. Despite running on fear and instinct and putting the buzzing headpiece on as quickly as it was in his hands, he was ready to listen to it carefully.

It only took mere seconds before the device began to spill Danny’s deepest feelings in quick succession.

“I hate myself! I wish I were a different person. I wish my parents were here! I wish my parents had loved me! I wish my dad didn’t drink! I wish I didn’t drink! I’m an awful teammate who does nothing but drag others down! I’m not worthy of their love or their consideration and that fact that they give it to me makes me hate myself more! I’m so greedy. I’m always insisting on showing off and pretending, which only hurts the people I love! God, my head hurts! I deserve to die! I wish I could just die! I wish I could die and have a more worthy person replace me! Someone like Chris, but if that happened, Chris would miss me. I don’t know why, but he would. I wish I could be as selfless as he is! As kind, as charming, as worthy of love and admiration! He always shows me love even when I haven’t done anything to earn it! I’m jealous of Beth and Plum. I want to mean as much to him as they do! I think I secretly have feelings for Chris but I’m scared that I’ll never be good enough for him!”

The last section really stood out to Danny, not that it surprised him. The boy never consciously thought about it, at least he tried not to. It was just something that he felt. Despite that, he would always try to come up with any other excuse he could for the feelings he had around Chris… but having the words out in the open meant he actually had to face them.

Danny took off the headpiece, solemnly placing the tech into the cardboard box it had originated from before burying his face in his hands. His palms were met with tears, not of fear or self-hatred, but of self-pity, yearning, and acceptance.

Chapter Text

“We’re back!” Chris called out to the silent hideout. “…Danny? Are you here?”

“That’s weird. He should be awake by now, right?” Beth asked, heading toward the kitchen.

“Yeah… he should be…” Chris replied. “I don’t know where he coulda gone.”

“He’s probably fine,” Wallow reaffirmed, putting his hand on Chris’ vest-less shoulder. “I’ll go down and check his lab.”

Chris wanted to protest. He wanted to be the one to check Danny’s room, but he didn’t really have a reason to. “Alright, Beth and I’ll keep looking up here.”

When Wallow walked up to Danny’s room a holographic symbol appeared on the door. A red lock. “What the— computer, unlock Danny’s door,” Wallow requested. The lock turned green and opened itself, much to the surprise of the boy. He really didn’t think it’d be that easy.

“Danny, you in here man?” He called out gently. Wallow peered into the dark room. His eyes took a second to adjust. The place was as dirty as ever and it still reeked of teenage boy smells, but the turquoise light coming in through the aquarium windows gave it a solemn feeling. Like a city after a hurricane. Clearly, something awful had happened and yet all was silent. For once, Danny didn’t make any comments at the door opening. He sat slightly hunched on the edge of his bed with Chris’ vest to his left. The colored light from his windows illuminated his back while the golden rays of the hallway hit his right side. His once-dilated eyes adjusted to the change in luminosity, constricting without changing their focus: the headpiece in his hand. His entire body shook lightly every time he inhaled as though the air itself were trying to make him tremble. Then, the brunet took in one deep, extremely unsteady breath, clutched the small machine in his fist, and sighed.

“Hey, Wallow.” He spoke, finally turning his head lightly to look into the hallway that he was desperate to run out into only half an hour or so prior. His deep brown eyes didn’t linger long though. He avoided eye-contact. His gaze just wandered back to the blue vest lying next to him, then to his shoulder, and finally back to his closed hand.

The taller boy looked for the words. He’d seen Danny upset before, sure. Everyone had. But there was nothing… impure about this depressive feeling that lingered in the air and made the atmosphere heavy. It was so clear that Wallow could feel it in his own soul. It wasn’t worry, it wasn’t patheticness, and it wasn’t a sense of humiliation or hopelessness. What he felt radiating off of one of his closest friends was a brave sadness, something he’d never felt from Danny before.

It felt like a reminder that they were standing under thousands of gallons of lake water, and that those windows that separated them from the abyss could capsize at any moment. That they could be swept under and thrown against the walls of this old room by the tides. A room that had been soaked in teenage tears time and time again, but never once touched by the world outside. But, at the same time, it was the acceptance of that feeling. For a brief moment, it felt as though Danny may as well have been floating just above the lakebed, either breathing the water or peacefully drowning. Probably both.

“Can I talk to you about something?”

Now there was a phrase the Wallow wanted to hear from his friend but feared that he never would. Those simple words brought both relief and worry.

“Yeah dude, of course. I’m here for you, you know that.”

Wallow made his way over to the bed, slowly lowering himself to sit on Danny’s right. The large metal door closed behind him slowly, taking the golden light with it.

“What’s wrong?”

The brunet didn’t respond immediately. His eyes traced details of his room, as if they would somehow help him get the words out. He took another deep breath.

“Chris told me that this thing could have some answers for me.” He held out his right hand and the small device that laid in it. He didn’t clarify what questions said answers were for, but that didn’t really matter.

“…Does it?”

“Yeah,” Danny swallowed hard, his pride following his saliva into the pit of acid that resided inside of him. “I guess I learned a lot,” he managed, trying to not cry again.

The larger boy stayed quiet. His eyes left the headpiece and tracked Danny’s face once again. The brunet didn’t afford him the same luxury. Instead, he stared straight at the ground in front of him.

“…I really think my parents really messed me up.”

The words came with an audible tremble. Tears seeped out of Danny’s eyes as though the lake outside was escaping the teenager’s very soul. It suffocated any fire that he once held close to him. The internal fires that he lit so often. The desire to forget, to destroy the memories and pain. The water was able to quell those flames so quickly that the only things left of them were the heat radiating from Danny’s face and the singe marks on his heart. Extinguished by the flood.

Wallow couldn’t help but to hold back a laugh. It wasn’t a cruel reaction. It was one formed from love. Made from admiration of Danny’s newly-found insight mixed with the obviousness of the statement. The taller boy put his arm around his friend and pulled him tight.

“Yeah… they probably did.”

Danny tried to wipe the tears from his eyes onto his hoodie sleeve, but they persisted. Even as the deep red cloth grew dark and damp, the sadness did not leave, so neither did the flood. He struggled to say something else; something that was probably nonsense. It may have been another confession, or perhaps just the teenager cursing himself for crying in the first place. It didn’t matter.

“I know,” Wallow replied to the blubbering. He didn’t have to know what Danny had said to know what he meant.

“Hey, Wallow?”

“Yeah?”

Danny spurred the confidence within himself. If there was any time for him to reignite his false flames, it was now. He needed the confidence, real or fake. But alas, he couldn’t find it. Instead, to his own surprise, the words washed out of his soul with everything else. They floated to the tip of his tongue in a manner that made him feel like he was about to choke on them.

“I… might have feelings for Chris.”

Danny braced himself. Everyone knew Chris and Beth were meant for each other. Or, at the very least, Chris has something with Plum. The smaller boy scrunched his face and squeezed his eyes, bracing for impact. But, instead, his words were met with another kind, stifled laugh.

“You just ‘might’, huh?” Wallow asked, pulling Danny in tighter once again. The larger boy smiled and looked toward the ceiling. “Danny, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t usually like getting involved in whatever you guys have going on, but you have something for Chris. There’s no denying that.”

The brunet sat anxiously, trying to figure out what those words meant. Wallow shook his head back down from the ceiling. His eyes landed on Danny’s confused and concerned face.

“What I’m saying is,” he began before Danny could even ask, “if you’re serious about this, you have to tell him.”

“But…” Danny’s eyes landed on Wallow for a second, briefly making eye contact. Wallow’s confident, comforting gaze met Danny’s. One of uncertainty. His shoulders rose and his neck tensed up, “Chris isn’t…”

“—Hey, you don’t know that.” Wallow replied before the teenager could even finish his sentence. “If it has a shot at making you happy, go for it. And I know he makes you happy.”

The corners of Danny’s mouth raised. A small, untamable smile rose from the ashes. “Yeah, he does.”

“He cares about you a lot too, you know.”

“…He cares about everyone,” Danny rebutted. He wasn’t wrong. It was one of Danny’s favorite things about Chris.

“Not like he cares about you.”

Danny just froze hearing the words as though he could finally see his life through a window. Memories from throughout his life flickered on like old tv screens in a dark room. Slowly, one by one, and yet all at once. Chris chased away the emotion lord to cure Danny of Zgraxxis fever. Chris defeated Great-Plains Wildebeest just to defend Danny’s honor. Chris risked his ability to be with Beth just to save Danny from his childhood bullies. Chris promised him that one day they’d build a friendship garden together.

“Maybe.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course I can, dude! What’s the secret?”

“Ah! It’s embarrassing! Never mind. Forget it, ok?”

“No way! You asked if I could keep a secret and I said I could. I even did our super cool secret-keeping handshake!”

“Ah…. Fine. It’s that… I think I have a crush on Beth.”

“Oh… congrats man.”

“Do you think she likes me back?”

“She’d be crazy not to. If I were a girl I for sure would’ve asked you out by now.”

“Ahaha. I’m not sure if I’d go that far… she’s just really cool, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah. Hey, just don’t start kissing and being all gross in front of me, ok? I puke easy enough as is.”

“Come on, dude. Quit messing with me!”

“Hey man, how are you holding up?”

Chris’ voice made Danny’s back straighten.

“Wallow said you wanted to talk to me? I wanted to check up on you anyway. I’m just a little bit more worried now.” Chris laughed nervously. He sensed the environment around him. The lights were still dim. The lake outside still seemed endless. The floor was still littered with dirty clothes. But, to Chris, this wasn’t a quiet sadness surrounding Danny, it was something tied to him.

“Oh, hey Chris,” Danny’s smile was lazy. Considering he was a master of faking a face, meeting him in the gap between extremes felt uncomfortable. It felt like a half-truth. Or… maybe it wasn’t that at all. Maybe things were more complicated than that. Maybe Danny truly felt conflicted.

Half of Danny wanted to smile at Chris’ return, truly. He had so much to be grateful for, and the thing he was preparing to say would be so selfish… Confessing to someone so near-perfect, someone that he could never be perfect for. Confessing to someone who was already accounted for by partners far better than the shorter boy could ever be. A boy who wasn’t even cared for by his own parents, preparing to open his fragile heart to another. To a young man who was chosen by the universe itself to play a role that would shape all space and time.

But, perhaps most importantly, Danny was confessing his deeply-held admiration for his best friend.

“I just wanted to say—“

Danny cut himself short. If he loved Chris, he wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t force these feelings onto him. Danny was acting selfishly again. He felt it deep down. It was a guilt that crushed his soul. He wanted to cry again, he felt trapped in his own mind, the same mind that made him scoff at Beth’s stupid training exercise instead of just telling her the truth. He felt himself recede into his own psyche, his view of his room becoming more distant as the final self-destructive embers flickered back to life, grabbed his ankles, and dragged him back into silence.

You seriously want to ruin the only good thing you have? Something you don’t even deserve as is? You’re gonna screw that up too?

The negative thoughts filled his throat like cotton. They felt suffocating. His air and his words both caught in between the fibers that he choked on. His mouth was dry and he hadn’t taken a breath in more than ten seconds. That wasn’t really important though. As much as he hated it, he knew he could probably stall forever. What was important was that Chris wouldn’t realize that Danny was on the verge of tears, or worse, that he wasn’t really in the room anymore.

“Danny?” Chris grabbed Danny’s hand, forcing the brunet out of his own personal limbo.

“Yeah.” His reply was a statement, acknowledging Chris’ concern without elaborating. It was a casual, effective way to keep away unwelcome questions. “I have your vest. I thought you’d probably want it by now.” Danny continued, changing his aim.

“Aw, thanks man.” Chris wanted to add something else to the end of his sentiment, but he wasn’t quite sure what. The situation felt plain wrong.

Danny felt the same. He beat himself up internally for having these feelings in the first place, but if Chris deserved to know, he should know. If he didn’t, why was he even bothering? Why was he calling the blue-eyed boy down to his room in the first place? To return the vest that Danny had so selfishly taken? Danny briefly felt queasy, shaken by the universe he stood in. Maybe it trembled at Chris’ mere existence. An emotion lord. Nearly a god. He was the main character of everyone’s world, including Danny’s. Especially Danny’s.

“Is something else up?” Chris’ question was gentle and yet it reverberated throughout Danny’s body. It acted as a kind gesture he still wasn’t used to receiving: words so cruel they could make him cower.

Another voice in Danny’s head begged him to put the façade back on. It would be comfortable, it would be safe. To tell Chris that nothing was wrong. The brunet looked at his friend. The gaze that met him was pure, concerned, and wouldn’t believe that things were fine for even a second. In fact, lying to Chris as things were would probably lead to Chris pushing endlessly with ever-increasing firmness.

Danny looked toward the headpiece still clasped in his hand for answers. Maybe he could just put that on and get everything over with, but that seemed even worse. Using another machine to handle his own emotional burden. Another way for him to run from being as strong as the man he so deeply admired. But worse, what if it wasn’t worth it. Maybe Chris was made for someone else. Would that mean that Danny didn’t deserve to be happy? That he’d have to let go of the person he’d always cared about more than anyone else in this stupid, cruel universe? Yes. Obviously. Because when you love someone you let them go, but he screwed that up too. He either doomed himself to isolation or doomed Chris to a fate with him, and Danny knew first hand that being bound to himself was the worst fate he could put upon anyone. But in the most likely scenario, Danny would be alone, left with no one but the person who beats him up in the bathroom when no one else is around. Or he’d tie everyone’s protagonist to himself, grabbing desperately to Chris’ ankles, acting as a prisoner’s weight to the person he once called a best friend.

Every thought felt like a new cigarette burn on Danny’s skin. That same smell that followed him through childhood found its way into his mind, suffocating him. He had once been convinced it was the smell of love, as it was the smell of his mother. Maybe loving someone means that something has to catch ablaze, be it yourself, the person in front of you, or the cigarette you share. The same little vice that will kill you both in the end.

The rage that Danny had rid himself of when speaking to Wallow found its way back in. His soul was no longer flooded, but burning with one last breath. Burning with an anger that was too intense to keep pointed exclusively at himself, and nothing was safe from its path. Not himself, not his childhood memories, not Beth, not Plum, not even Chris. If he was either going to act like a second-class citizen in his own life or burn everything down in an attempt to be happy, he was going to choose the second, even if it was only to silence the voices that kept him down for so many years. His own voice, echoing infinite times in infinite ways back to him from the countless isolating rabbit holes he’d fall down over and over again.

“Chris, I have feelings for you, ok?! Like, actual feelings! Big feelings! And it’s been eating me up inside, you know man? Because I know you’re made to be with Beth, but I just thought–” Danny’s words were stopped by his own choking. The cotton he felt in his mouth refused to let him say anymore. It didn’t matter, he didn’t know where he was going with it anyway. The most he could do while he broke down was look at Chris. Maybe he’d be met with a loving gaze or excitement or anything that wasn’t hell. His vision was blurry, but he could still make out the blond boy’s expression.

It was full of pity.

Chapter Text

“Danny…”

The shorter boy’s eyes widened. With a single word, his very own name, he felt as though the world was ending. It was all crashing down. Rejection. It was a feeling he knew well, but never from Chris. It was never from Chris. The only person in Danny’s life who accepted him and even admired him despite his countless flaws. The teenager felt his hot blood course through his arteries. It rushed through him in a way that felt like needles poking through his skin. Out of him. Into him. But he had to survive it. He had to hold up as well as reconstruct his mask while it melted into his palms and burned his flesh. Danny could only blame himself for allowing the past few weeks to make a mess of his act in the first place. But he could not cry. He refused to cry. He had to say something that would get him out of this.

And yet, when he furrowed his brow in just the right way, when he looked his best friend in the eye, when he opened his falsified smirk to speak…

Nothing came out.

Nothing came out except for the tears that finally found their way out of his bruised and battered soul.

“No, Danny, it isn’t like that!” Chris’ body stiffened. “I just had no clue you felt that way!”

Danny was struggling. Out of all of the awful feelings coursing through him he knew he had to find a safe emotion to latch on to. One that would save him from the hurt. Deep inside of himself, plastered over his insecurity, he found frustration, anger, and jealousy. The flames that had forged his persona.

“Yeah man. It’s whatever.” Danny finally said after a pause. He collected himself and wiped his eyes with his hoodie sleeve. His face was red hot from his embarrassment and the shame that came with it, but if embracing that heat would make the tears evaporate, he’d take it. If it meant that maybe he could somehow unlive this past week and delete Chris’ rejection of him from reality, he’d take it every time.

“I didn’t meant to say it like that—“

Danny hated the words coming out of his best friend’s mouth. He gave Chris a free chance to escape the situation and laugh it off, a chance for both of them to forget, but of course the emotion lord wouldn’t take that chance. He’d accidentally harp on Danny’s failure in an attempt to try to soften the blow. It was confusing and humiliating. He hated that Chris’ words gave him hope.

“Then what did you mean?!”

Danny’s words felt like a sudden heatwave. Chris had no idea that at that moment he’d stolen something so personal from Danny. His safety blanket. His denial.

“I don’t understand. I’m just trying to talk to you!”

“Then why does it feel like this?! Why can you be so open and honest about everything else but not about this?!”

“Because I don’t know how I feel!”

Chris’ eyes flickered gold as a physical wave of emotional energy forced its way out of him. The walls of the hideout shook, the trash can raddled, the box full of alien headpieces on the table fell to the floor, and for just a brief moment Danny could see behind Chris’ gentle blue eyes. It looked beautifully foreign and horrifyingly familiar.

“I don’t know how I feel a lot of the time! I– I just don’t want to hurt anymore! If I could choose between Plum and Beth I would have already! It’s not like I like being confusing! And now you’re telling me you’re into me and I never even thought about—!”

Danny jumped forward to hug Chris, just as Chris had for him many times before. Tears streamed down his face once again as he rubbed the golden boy’s back and held him tight.

“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t realize—“ His words were interrupted with sobs. Instead of finishing the sentence, he just squeezed Chris tighter. “I really care about you. You’re my best friend… and I got in the way!”

“Danny…” The taller boy embraced his friend back with the warmth of the sun. “You didn’t get in the way. I’m just confused I guess. I had no idea you felt like this.”

One of Danny’s hands found its way to Chris’ neck. He felt his friend’s short, blond hair on his fingertips. In a weird way, it helped to ground Danny.

“I’ll think about it, okay?” Chris hated his own words as they came out of his mouth. He wanted to just say yes or no. There was no part of him that enjoyed the possibility of leading Danny on indefinitely like he did with everyone else. The shattered heart that was tied to Danny certainly didn’t deserve that… but there was no other answer.

Because if it wasn’t worth considering, this simple embrace wouldn’t feel so special.

Danny nodded into Chris’ shoulder, also hating that he was agreeing to the terms. He hoped that this could be simple, not his own personal purgatory of mixed signals like it had been before with Beth.

But Chris was someone worth suffering for.

Danny woke up in his bed somewhat dazed. He wondered if the night before was just another weird nightmare, but Beth’s headpieces scattered all over the floor told a different story.

It was real.

The simple thought filled Danny with giddy excitement and also made him want to puke. Things would be different now. Even if neither of them really talked about it, there was no denying that they both knew. That was probably a bad thing, right? He liked his dynamic with Chris. He didn’t want their friendship to be different, he just wanted it to be more.

Danny rolled over the check the time. 11:38, that was fairly normal, but the “AM” at the end surprised him. All that crying goes a long way in making someone tired. He must’ve fallen asleep at a reasonable time… but that would be the first time that’s happened in months.

Normally, Danny would’ve stretched out, rolled over, and promptly gone back to sleep. But he couldn’t. When he closed his eyes his mind would spur to life, once again something he was used to, but not like this. This time the thoughts weren’t anxieties and doubts. They were full of excitement. Sure, Chris only gave him a maybe, but Danny’s inner child wanted to believe. Danny wanted to see Chris’ brilliant blond hair against the cool blues of his vest and undershirt, and that was more than enough reason to wake up.

Danny hopped out of bed with the type of vigor that could trick someone into thinking that he wasn’t half-terrified. He checked his closet. There weren’t very many clothes, but one stood out to him. The white t-shirt that he wrote “WWJKD” on in bright purple marker. Something about it made him smile.

He stood in front of his large metal door and took a deep breath. Today was the start of a new chapter. His feelings were conflicted, of course. The excitement and fear mixed themselves until they were one confusing emotion. But Danny never did like introspection and he had done far too much of it recently, so this time he decided he’d power through even if his stomach was killing him.

But when he got into the elevator the anxiety began to overpower the excitement. What if he had just ruined his chances with Chris?

Three floors to go.

How was Chris going to say yes to him when Danny’s competition was Beth and Plum?

Two floors to go.

But that embrace last night, that was real, wasn’t it?

One floor to go.

Danny’s jaw tightened without him noticing. His guts felt all tied up and made him feel dizzy. And yet, the excitement still lingered. He should be happy to see Chris, that’s what he’d want right? The idea made Danny roll his eyes and smile genuinely, something Chris would’ve been delighted to see after everything.

Ding.

Danny began to make his way to the kitchen. He was almost definitely still the last warrior awake. He’d probably have an identity crisis if he wasn’t, but that just meant that all of his friends would be there when he finally made his appearance. He consciously adjusted his natural slouch into a confident strut. The façade was no longer painful. It felt second nature, kind of fun, and almost real.

He wondered what he’d say when he entered. Maybe something like, “You guys are up early.” Then Beth would probably tease him back by sarcastically saying, “Wow, so are you.” Classic. He took another breath in and opened his mouth to speak, rounding the final corner.

“Where’s Chris?”

Beth and Wallow looked up at Danny, the question alerting them to his presence.

“He’s probably just sleeping in,” Wallow shrugged. He seemed relaxed. But when Danny looked at Beth, their eyes met each other with almost equal amounts of hidden anxiety.

“I was gonna check up on him but I didn’t want to interrupt whatever he’s doing. Maybe we should give him another hour,” Beth suggested.

“I’m gonna see what he’s up to.” Danny announced before walking back through the hall. His steps got faster and faster until he entered a jog. He had an awful feeling about this; about whatever could’ve happened. Chris is a surprisingly organized person. He has a schedule and doesn’t just go places without telling anyone. He isn’t like Danny. That was one of the things Danny liked so much about him.

“Chris? Chris?!” Danny shouted down the hall, entering a sprint when he got close to Chris’ room. As the door opened, Danny hoped he had been wrong. He hoped he was just some maniac screaming his friend’s name for no reason.

But Chris wasn’t there.

“Beth! Wallow!” Danny yelled, rushing back to the dining room.

“What?!” Beth asked with an intense look of uncertainty in her eyes.

“What’s going on?!” Wallow added.

“Chris is gone again!”

The three looked at each other, sharing a deep feeling of panic. It wouldn’t have been so awful if Chris hadn’t been gone before, or if last time it hadn’t taken him six months to return. But according to the emotion lord himself, it had only felt like a few minutes for him, so no one knew how long it would take this time or even if he was ever coming back.

The minutes became hours, the hours became weeks. Danny wondered if maybe it was his own fault. If he had done something to drive Chris away. Maybe his feelings had been too much pressure. Maybe pushing that on him just wasn’t fair. Danny started locking himself in his room, rarely opening the door for anyone. He could barely eat. He could barely sleep. He hated himself and he missed Chris.

And yet, some part of himself that he considered naïve told him that Chris would be back soon.

Meanwhile, Beth and Wallow worried that the mourning process would kill him first.

Chapter Text

Chris Kirkman had a lot to think about after leaving his best friend’s room. Danny was so special in so many ways. On the surface he was confident, funny, talented and intelligent. Chris had always found those traits admirable. And yeah, clearly some of it was exaggerated to cover up his bleeding heart, but before this week no one knew to what extent. Regardless, it didn’t change anything. It hurt to see how much pain Danny was actually in, but it was still Danny, and that’s what mattered more than anything.

The real question was if Chris’ unconditional love for his best friend was more than just platonic. He didn’t think so, at least he’d never thought so before. Chris had become so side-tracked with Beth and Plum that he didn’t see his wingman’s affection growing right in front of him. The idea of ruining that and letting Danny down killed him inside, especially after giving him a “maybe”, but he really didn’t know.

When he’d finally gotten back to his room, the feelings of uncertainty filled his mind and kept him awake for hours. What would it mean for Danny if Chris rejected him, or what would it mean for Plum or Beth if he accepted? What would it say about him? Would it be completely honest? Was he even capable of liking guys like that? The questions made him toss and turn until his eyelids were too heavy to keep open. When he finally did manage to fall asleep, it was out of pure exhaustion.

Beth, Plum, and Danny all stood in front of Chris, scowls across their faces.

“Hey guys?… what’s going on?—“

“Who’s it gonna be, huh Chris?” Beth’s question nipped at the end of Chris’ words with impatience.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t kn—“

“Do you think I’m just some plaything? A toy to use until you can finally get to Beth?” Plum asked. Her tone wasn’t as directly aggressive, but something about it seemed equally dangerous.

“I swear, it isn’t like that!”

“Sure, man. I can’t believe I started having feelings for you at all.” Danny’s words were full of stinging regret. “I should have kept Beth when I had the chance…”

Chris didn’t know how to feel about that statement. Half of him agreed. It would’ve hurt, yeah. But wouldn’t it have been easier? Then he wouldn’t have this terrible choice looming over him. But still, selfishly, he didn’t want that either. So he stayed quiet.

“I thought you were a good guy, not some dirty womanizer.” Plum’s words got sharper toward their end, digging into Chris like a shiv. Her statement elicited nods from Beth and Danny. “We’re practically dating at this point and you still can’t keep your eyes on me!”

“Yeah, you’re a jerk! If you hadn’t come back from the Parasox Pub I could’ve been happy with Danny.” Beth’s expression turned from anger to regret. She couldn’t bear to keep looking at Chris.

“I poured my heart out to you and all you gave me was a ‘maybe’.” Danny’s anger mixed with his despair. Fear and pride ignited behind his eyes, forming an expression that looked shamefully familiar to Chris. “When is it my turn to be someone’s first choice?!”

“No, Danny… seriously, you guys! I’m gonna figure this out, just give me more time!”

“Haven't we given you enough?!” They all shouted in unison.

The startle was enough to wake Chris. He felt an awful uneasiness that came with his regret, but at least it was a dream. What wasn’t a dream, however, was the weird skittering Chris heard above him. When he glanced up he saw what looked to be Catbug climbing on the ceiling.

“That’s… weird. He doesn’t normally do that.” Chris thought to himself.

He watched silently as Catbug scurried along the ceiling, eventually finding his way directly over the boy’s bed.

Suddenly, with a sharp crack of the neck, the little alien’s head turned 180 degrees. The face Chris was met with wasn’t Catbug’s, it was the face of his older self. Before Chris had time to panic, the face let out a horrible shriek that instantly knocked the younger emotion lord out cold.

Chris slowly woke up again, trying to get his bearings on the situation. He heard a lot of people shouting over each other and all of them sounded like different versions of himself. Of course. The Parasox Pub.

“Hey! He’s awake!” One of them shouted above the others.

“You’ve really screwed us over this time!”

“What were you thinking?!”

Suddenly, instead of yelling at each other, all complaints were aimed toward Chris.

“I didn’t mean to do anything, I swear!” The youngest emotion lord responded, pulling himself off the ground.

“Your friend Dawson and his repressed sexuality is going to doom all of us!”

“Danny,” Chris corrected.

“…What did I say?”

“Dawson, Dabny, whatever!” Another emotion lord interrupted, “What is important is that when you stole the emotion sword and made a new path for us, it wasn’t a path to be with Beth!”

“Then what did I do?” Chris asked, the severity of the situation finally hitting him.

“You allowed your best friend to recognize the hidden moop that he’s always had for you, don’t you get that?”

“Hold on, I don’t understand. I did this?!” Chris asked, taking a step back from the angry mob.

“When you went back in time and prioritized protecting Danny over being with Beth, you stopped them from being together!”

“I thought that’s what you guys wanted!”

“No! We wanted Beth to stop falling for Danny, not for him to start having feelings for you!”

Before Chris could process exactly what he’d done, he heard the sound of time and space opening up behind him, as well as the footsteps of a small man walking out of it.

“What are you doing here? Can’t you see this is emotion lord business?!” One of the emotion lords asked angrily.

“No, this is timeline business and I’m here to fix it, as per usual with you people.” The concierge snapped back, clearly getting tired of his own job. He shook his head in exhaustion at the other emotion lords and turned to Chris. “I can’t understand how you did it but you managed to mess this up better than anyone else I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.”

“Me?!” Chris asked, stunned.

“Yes!” It was the first time Chris had ever heard the concierge angry. The other emotion lords seemed just as mad. “You’re supposed to end up with Plum, don’t you understand that?!”

That got the other emotion lords’ attention. They shouted over each other about how Plum was just another obstacle. Just another regret. The concierge didn’t engage, silently holding in his rage for the old men surrounding him.

“You better fix this, Chris Kirkman.” He finally spoke. He sounded like he was barely holding on to his composure. “Go to Plum.”

“No, take Beth! Forget Danny and Plum!”

“Don’t listen to them, listen to me! Plum is your destiny! That is the correct timeline!”

Soon, everyone was shouting over each other at Chris again, stepping closer to him every time Kirkman took a step back. Finally, all of the emotion lords spoke in unison.

“Time is running out! You have to reject that boy! Save the Tezuka!”

Chris grabbed at his own hair, completely overwhelmed. His back hit the wall of the pub. “Everyone, stop!” Chris yelled, his powers growing uncontrollable from the stress. “I don’t want to break anyone’s heart!” The teenager began to hover off the ground, “I don’t want to hurt anyone!” His words sounded like the last stand of a caged lion. They were full of pain and yet they held an undying spirit. The Parasox Pub shook under his power. Chairs and tables began to float around him in a violent spiral. It was as though he were in the eye of a storm, one of his own creation. Golden lightning crashed down out of thin air, fortifying his offensive barrier of violent winds and furniture that he’d created. The boy let out a scream encompassing all of the rage and confusion and fear he’d been feeling for so long. His vision went white. Everything was too much. He felt a large release of emotional energy pulse out around him before he lost consciousness.

Suddenly, Chris was somewhere else. Somewhere calmer. A cliff overlooking a beach. Before he could get a grasp on his surroundings again, he looked down the coast to see himself and Plum. They seemed happy together. Plum rested her head on his shoulder and the two began to talk. Chris took a step in an attempt to get closer, but the crunch of sand below his foot was almost enough to alert the happy couple. The teenager decided against taking a second step. Even though he couldn’t hear what the conversation was about exactly, it seemed lovely. Maybe a talk about the past, the future, or the beautiful sunset that laid itself out in front of them. Whatever was happening would serve as a promise of stability in some small way. Chris knew that much. He cracked a smile at the thought.

Then, he was somewhere else again. A closet. He peered through the cracks in the door to see where he was. It looked like a bedroom of a house on Mirvahda. The purple, pink and blue wooden walls gave it away. Chris wondered if he was time-traveling again, but if that’s what this was, would that mean that Plum really is his future…?

Before he could think too far into it, another version of the happy couple entered the room. Plum held a baby in her arms. The teenage Chris leaned forward, his eyes widened slightly. He and Plum would have kids? He wished desperately that he could go out and meet his future kin, but he was held back by seeing how happy he and Plum looked. Chris didn’t want to ruin the moment, so he continued to peer out from the closet. Maybe his future would be nice, even if it isn’t with Beth.

“He’s reading the future!” One of the emotion lords shouted.

“He isn’t just reading the future,” the concierge interrupted, looking up from his book. “The boy is timeline-jumping!”

“No, that isn’t possible. We never taught him that!”

“It’s very possible. In fact, it’s a certainty.” The concierge replied.

“We have to stop him! He can’t be making this choice based on some silly visions! He has to choose the Tezuka!”

But before the other emotion lords could call upon their own abilities, another pulse shot out of Chris, more powerful than the first.

Without much warning, Chris was somewhere else again. The hideout. Specifically, he was in one of the vents. He could only pray that Catbug wouldn’t come around the corner and see him. But a sudden red honk distracted him from all of the concerns that came with being in such a place. He watched another version of himself run over the control room. Beth followed closely behind. Chris wondered when Danny and Wallow were going to arrive, or if they were going to arrive at all.

Future Chris and Beth received the distress signal alone and vowed to help those who sent it. Then, when the call was hung up, Beth kissed future Chris’ cheek before they set off for the Space Whale. Both versions of Chris blushed. There really was still a chance with Beth and that fact alone gave him butterflies. Still, he wondered about where Danny and Wallow had gone more than anything. Unfortunately, that question wouldn’t be answered. Chris’ vision turned a bright white once again as he was flung across the multiverse.

A battlefield. Teenage Chris was hiding behind one of the barricades. An army stood no more than 30 yards away, waiting for battle. Chris held his breath. The last thing he wanted was to be seen and captured. While the boy worried about his next move, he saw two figures take to the sky. One propelled by a jet pack, the other through powerful gloves. The two fought the waves of enemies the same way Chris’ parents did, with a perfect strategy and an even more perfect romance. Despite being so far away, Chris knew it was him and Beth once again. He wondered if his relationship with her really could be that perfect. If they’d go around saving helpless aliens while they were deeply in love. It certainly seemed that way. It was everything he had always imagined it being.

Another wave shot out of Chris back at the Parasox Pub, one that was even more powerful that the first two.

“Damn it! His emotions are consuming him! If he keeps going, we’ll never be able to reason with him!” One of the emotion lords shouted. The room was filled with so much golden light that it was difficult to see.

“As much as I hate relying on you people, you have to stop him!” The concierge conceded.

The emotion lords began to build up their energy, preparing to release it all at once.

Chris thought it was over. That this would be the last vision. He was still confused, but he expected to be snapped back to the Parasox Pub and forced to make his decision. As his vision went white again, he was surprised to find himself in the hideout. This time he was behind the couch, but the couch wasn’t in its usual place either. It was pushed off to the side. The sound of the rain outside and Danny humming quietly were the only things Chris could hear. It seemed like Danny was alone. Maybe Danny’s future was to be alone no matter what. The idea alone felt like a punch to the gut.

But before he had time to really register it, Chris heard the front door open. He peaked out to see the mysterious visitor. He watched himself enter the hideout, a little bit wet and hunched over. Danny swiftly met him at the door, teasing him about something. Chris was too distracted by Danny’s tuxedo to really register what they were saying though. Then, Danny pressed a button he took out of his pocket. The bright white lights of the hideout were replaced with soft pink ones. Electro-swing music played from the speakers. The whole thing must’ve taken hours to set up but Chris couldn’t focus on that right now. It felt magical. Somehow the Chris behind the couch was jealous of the version of himself that stood in the doorway. He wished he were the one being taken by the hand and guided toward the middle of the floor.

The Chris that hid behind the couch held his breath in preparation for embarrassment. He was bad at dancing, everyone knew that! But still, when the two began, Danny was looking at his Chris like he was the most beautiful thing in the multiverse. A gaze that was eternally loving. Future Chris struggled. He was getting this wrong every step of the way, but Danny was there to catch him every time. It was so intimate and loving and fun. Chris’ heart raced as he watched a future he would’ve never considered for himself. A new path.

Before Chris was ready to leave, he was taken to Danny’s lab. He’d been forced to hide in a time machine and was careful to not touch any buttons. Chris asked himself why he couldn’t have been put under the bed or something. It still wouldn’t have been ideal, but it would’ve been slightly more comfortable and made it easier to hear. But as he looked out at the room, he noticed that the bed was gone. The bedroom was completely transformed into a place exclusively for inventing. It was a proper laboratory. But wouldn’t that mean that Danny was sleeping somewhere else? Hopefully not on the couch. Chris wouldn’t let him do that. If anything, he’d invite Danny to sleep in…

Chris found himself blushing at the thought, but then decided he shouldn’t be focused on who was taking up residence in his future bedroom. What was really important was the scene in front of him. He watched himself hand Danny wrenches and screws while the inventor was hard at work on… something. The two talked about practically nothing but had a lot of fun doing it. Danny would frequently say something that made future Chris laugh, but it was hard to make out the details. Eventually, they were both giggling endlessly at whatever little joke they’d come up with together.

In what seemed just a few minutes, Danny had finished what he was working on and the Chris who was trapped in the time machine could finally see what it was. An upgraded pair of gloves. Danny ranted and raved about all the new features, just like he had when they were kids. His passion was palpable. It was amazing to see the room that was once so full of despair and self-loathing be filled with love and pride. Seeing Danny like this, so happy and satisfied without a hint of a lie on his face, it made tears of joy stream down Chris’ face. This was all he ever wanted. This was so much more important than anything else, even having kids or going on big adventures. Seeing Danny with a genuine smile after all this time made him happier than anything else in the universe. And that was enough to break Chris completely. A single genuine, loving smile. Chris wanted to be there for that smile and all of the others. He didn’t want to miss a single one.

But, to his dismay, he wouldn’t even get to see all of this one. He was beginning to be taken back to the Parasox Pub.

Yet another wave of energy shot out of Chris at the pub, knocking down the chandelier with the fake space pigeons and pulling it into his vortex. Then another, and another. Chris was fighting the very laws of the universe to stay with Danny, completely forgetting that this Danny wasn’t his Danny.

Chris tried to shout Danny’s name in some last-ditch effort but nothing came out. This world was falling apart, but he didn’t want to leave yet. He didn’t want this beautiful vision to be over.

At the concierge’s signal, the emotion lords finalized their attack, using all of their power together. They worked to make their way through Chris’ barrier of emotional pulses. If they could knock him down, this would all be over. They could change all of it. They still had a chance. If they just kept fighting, the young, naïve emotion lord would lose.

While the future split around Chris, he saw glimpses of every possibility. He saw Plum and Beth comforting each other, he saw his child’s first steps with Plum, he saw his wedding day with Beth, and he saw Danny crying alone in his lab.

Danny.

The emotion lords had almost broken down Chris’ barrier. It was cracking faster and faster. A few more seconds. All they needed was a few more seconds and Chris’ will would break too.

He wondered how much time had passed and if Danny was ok. That worry won out of every other feeling. He grabbed the emotion sword strapped to his back and swiped at the walls of the plane beyond space and time. Somehow, it worked. A rift opened, and he could only hope that it would take him home.

Finally, Chris’ body began to fall. The emotion lords had won. But before he could hit the floor of the pub, he disappeared.

Chapter Text

Light. The bright light of the sun. It was nearly blinding. The celestial body must’ve taken up more than half of the horizon as it set. The heat and radiation was intense, as the star itself was too large, or perhaps too close for comfort.

The metal roof of the hideout could easily burn one’s skin. Yet Danny found himself sitting there anyway. He looked to his left, scanning the face of the boy who sat there. His golden hair, his solemn yet calm expression, the reflection of blinding light on his beautiful blue eyes.

Danny looked forward again. He swore he could see the lake evaporating, whilst, ironically, his face grew to be drenched in sweat. Still, the trees didn’t so much as tremble at their oncoming doom. Instead, the light of the sun and the purplish hue of the sunset shined through their branches.

In the vast wankerverse, the death of the two boys would certainly be but a single stitch on the long tapestry of time itself. There was some comfort in that, and there was even more comfort in the fact that his last moments would be with Chris.

Danny looked to the universe’s golden boy again. This time, Chris returned the gaze. Their eyes met.

Chris wasn’t afraid either.

“You know, I never told you, but you were the only person who ever made me feel… you know… loved,” Danny spoke. Despite everything, he could make eye contact while he said the words.

“If that’s true, then it’s all been worth it,” Chris replied, taking off his glove and grabbing Danny’s hand.

As the sun continued to set, Mars itself began to rumble under the boys as though it were trembling in fear. Neither of them braced for impact. Chris squeezed Danny’s hand a little tighter. Danny returned the gesture. It would be ok. No matter where their souls went, they’d go there together.

Then a realization struck, one that made Danny more uneasy than the prospect of death ever could. Not only was this existence ending, it was never real in the first place.

This, too, was a dream.

He turned to Chris, opening his mouth to speak, but the words couldn’t find their way. Instead, Chris rubbed his thumb gently across Danny’s hand and smiled the same dorky smile as always.

Maybe it was better not to mention it. Solar systems meeting their inevitable end wasn't a new sight to either of them, but watching it happen to their own home was different. It was beauty and a travesty that no one else in human history had ever witnessed, or would ever witness again.

Danny wondered if Chris knew that Danny was waking up. He wondered if that gentle touch was meant to be reassurance about a dying universe or about a universe where Danny would have to keep going without Chris. It was enough to make tears stream down the dreamer’s face. They mixed with his sweat as he sobbed silently. His hand shook under Chris’. Chris squeezed it one last time without another word.

And as the sun set, finishing preparations for its own destiny, Danny felt pulled away from himself. The metal he rested his weight against began to feel disturbingly soft. Soft like his uncomfortable mattress. The light of the sun was to be replaced by the dark space behind his eyes. He held Chris’ hand as tight as he could, but even that slipped through his fingers.

Danny was awake. And he hated it. He wished to return to his imminent doom. It was comfortable. It was easier than spending one more day remembering… hell, he didn’t even want to acknowledge it. He fought the idea in his mind.

But one can only battle their own psyche for so long before their heart begins ponding on the doors of their mind. The feeling was so familiar, it was the same one he’d been feeling for his entire life, and yet it had never been like this. It had never been like this.

He always knew he was a mistake, but what he felt now was more than a confirmation. He must’ve been born into the universe to balance out all of Chris’ immense and inherent good. Danny Vasquez was a problem so awful that just confessing how he felt led to the disappearance of the person he loved most.

He broke down sobbing, like he had every morning. He screamed while he tried to breathe, incoherently begging for Chris to return as he choked and gagged on his own spit. Promising he’d take his best friend’s place in a messy exclamation of words that would get caught on the very sadness that brought them there.

Danny had locked his door and reinforced his vents. Often, the only evidence that he was alive at all was the way he’d scream his beloved’s name in anguish. His wails echoed through the hideout as though he was haunting it on behalf of his best friend.

It didn’t take too long for Danny to quiet down, however. It’s difficult to keep crying when you’ve starving and dehydrated. His stomach hurt from the effort, badly enough to make him dry-heave. And yet, he didn’t rush to the bathroom like normal, because he knew that there was nothing to evacuate anyway.

Instead he was just hunched over his bed, going through the motions that would usually exhaust him so much that he’d pass out afterward to dream of his golden boy once again. But this time, he found that he couldn’t. It had been far too long without taking care of himself. And although his gut would certainly reject any food it was given, it was worth a try if he could just sleep again. After all, every time he dreamt, he saw Chris. And if sleeping forever meant keeping Chris alive in his universe, the teenager was perfectly willing.

He snuck out of his room, hoping, praying that Beth or Wallow or even Catbug wouldn’t confront him. He didn’t want a lecture on how Chris wouldn’t want this, nor did he want comfort from their words. They had no clue what he was going through. Sure, they lost Chris too. But they weren’t the reason he’s gone, and they still had no idea that Danny was.

So Danny stepped carefully. He was silent despite looking undead. He began to ponder if he deserved food, or even if he deserved to sleep. It was stupid and selfish to think about, Danny was painfully aware. But still, instead of making his way to the kitchen, he continued down the hall, as if to procrastinate that discussion with himself.

Instead, he eventually found himself outside Chris’ bedroom. A room that had remained untouched for months. Danny stared at the door. It felt intimidatingly powerful, radiating the same terrifying aura that Danny’s own door had possessed before.

Then, with a single knock, it opened itself.

Danny looked around the vacant room. It was the safe haven that Chris had offered him so many times. If Danny ever needed him, Chris would be in here. That was the promise that was made. And yet, here he wasn’t.

Danny’s face contorted itself in pain, preparing for tears that never came. He took a single, shakey step forward. Then another. The room was fairly clean, not quite as clean as Beth’s, but much better than Danny’s was even on a good day.

He examined the few framed photos that Chris kept around. One was of the boy with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kirkman. Danny always was slightly jealous of Chris’ family’s bond. They always seemed so happy.

Another was a much more recent photo of the Bravest Warriors all together. Based on their outfits, this picture was probably taken right after they saved the bunless people. That was always one of Danny’s favorite missions, even though Chris and Beth cringe at the memory. Either way, it was a nice picture of all of them together. That was probably why Chris kept it regardless.

Finally, Danny landed on a picture he didn’t know his best friend had kept. It was from the day after Danny’s 17th birthday. Chris had insisted on getting a picture with Dan and RoboChris. Danny’s eyes carefully scanned the image. His smile was so clearly fake, but Chris’ was real. Danny’s heart dropped. Chris felt so proud of him for the little invention. He must have figured it was a robot made in his honor, not a robot made to spite him.

Danny took the picture off the shelf and carefully carried it to the bed. He regretted the moment, and yet Chris held it close enough to immortalize it in wood and glass. He’d do anything to make that precious memory just a little more genuine. To turn back the hands of time and be the good friend that Chris deserved.

Danny stopped looking at the picture, he couldn’t bear to anymore. Instead he wrapped his arms around it and held it close. He wanted to go back. He wanted to fix it. He wanted to be better. Why? Why out of all moments was this the one Chris wanted to remember every day?

The teenager’s body shook in another desperate attempt to cry. He didn’t scream or bawl, he just shook and mumbled to himself. Danny collapsed and rolled over on the blue bedsheets. He was facing toward the window, and yet he kept his head down and away from any light that the outside world would have provided. He put his knees up to his chin, protecting the beloved picture by wrapping his entire body around it.

“Chris… I’m sorry, man,” He whimpered quietly. “I just want you to come back. That’s all I want…”

Then, as if from the boy’s own request, the sound of a rift opening broke the near-silence of the room around him. The golden light reflected off the glass of the window, as if the wankerverse itself was neatly presenting its miracle to the crying boy.

Danny refused to lift his head. He really couldn’t recognize the sound or grasp what was happening. Being in such rough shape will do that to someone. Instead, he continued to mourn cluelessly in his own little universe.

“…Danny?”

That snapped him out of it. He got up so frantically that he found himself slipping on the duvet. Not that it mattered.

“Chris! You’re back! Thank god you’re back!”

Danny hadn’t even noticed that he’d almost made the taller boy fall over with his hug, or that he dropped the picture on the ground causing it to shatter. Instead, he focused on the person he held in his arms. It felt so much more real than the dreams he’d been living in.

“It’s really you!” Danny exclaimed, squeezing Chris a little too tight for comfort. “You really came back, right?”

“Of course I came back,” Chris laughed lightly, “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

Danny pulled himself out of the hug for a second to look the blond-haired boy in the face. Their eyes met. Danny didn’t really have an answer to that question. At least, not one he wanted Chris to know the answer to.

But judging by the bags under Danny’s eyes and his pale complexion, Chris already knew. They’d have to have a talk about that later, but now wasn’t the time. He pulled Danny back into his arms instinctively.

“How long was I gone?” He asked, suddenly more concerned than before.

“Too long.”

There was so much to say. Chris wanted to ask Danny if he’d been taking care of himself, or tell him about the visions of the future and his decision. But right now Danny was sobbing into Chris’ jacket again, and it wasn’t like before. This time it was out of pure relief and joy, and Chris couldn’t help but to join him.

However, their moment was cut short by the sound of running down the hallway.

“Danny! Are you ok? We picked up on a time-space disturbance somewhere in the hideout! Danny?!” Wallow shouted with a voice that could easily be heard even through the metal walls.

“Danny!” Beth followed, “I hope you aren’t doing something stupid to try to find—!” Her sprint quickly came to halt outside of the open doorway. She stopped to stare, her eyes softening as a huge smile formed across her face, giving the two boys just enough time to process her presence before she was charging at the young emotion lord that stood before her. “Chris!”

Before Chris could get his bearings on the situation, Danny had let go of him and Beth had taken his place.

Danny made his way back to the bed. Beth really did love Chris. She worked day and night to try to get him back while Danny just tried to run from it all. Beth’s emotions didn’t burden Chris, they raised him up. Danny glanced at the broken picture, a moment born from his own vindictive nature. It was truly Danny at one of his worst moments, and Chris knew that. Maybe he didn’t know it when the picture was being taken, but he knew it when he printed and framed it. He knew it every time he saw it, but he still kept it up. Danny tried to keep his chin high and his smile on his face. His emotions were confusing at best, but it didn’t really matter that much. All that mattered was that Chris was ok.

“Chris is back?!” Wallow asked, finally making it to the door. “Chris! Welcome home!” He followed-up, joining the hug.

Chris looked over Beth’s shoulder, his eyes landing back on Danny. Despite all of the positive attention, the blond seemed a little upset. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Danny’s eyes glanced toward Beth before any words could come out. Chris tracked his friend’s gaze and closed his mouth again. Not the time.

“Were you crying?” Beth asked, finally noticing Chris’ damp face and red nose. “What happened?”

“Nothing! Guys, seriously! I’m fine!” Chris laughed nervously.

Beth pulled back for a second to examine his face closer. “Well, alright. I’m just glad you’re back!”

Danny felt like Chris could see right through him. He knew everything that Danny was and everything that Danny felt. And Beth had taken his place without notice or care. She wasn’t thinking of herself at all. She rarely ever did. The shame and guilt felt heavy on the poor boy’s shoulders. And yet, mixed in with that fear, he felt a sense of calm that he’d be lacking for what seemed like forever.

Danny looked down at his palms. The same hands that had done so much work tinkering at solutions to problems that they couldn’t solve. Time machines instead of therapists. That’s the way it had always been. His inventions were always some way out. Some way to make people like him or even to make him like himself. But there was no invention that could change anything about these past few months. There was no device to alter how much Beth cared about Chris and there was no dial that could truly change Chris’ mind about his soulmate. At least, there wasn’t one that Danny was willing to pursue.

Beth and Wallow chatted for longer about how Chris’ absence was felt, occasionally bringing up the fact that Danny had been a complete wreck. Every time it was mentioned, Chris would look toward Danny again. The brown-eyed boy didn’t avoid the gaze though. He returned it with an embarrassed smile. Chris’ worried look began to dissipate with more reassuring glances, although it never fully left him.

“Ooh! I have an idea! We should let Chris choose a team-bonding exercise tonight as a sort of celebration!” Beth suggested eagerly.

“As awesome as that sounds… I think I want some time alone. Dimension-hopping can take a lot out of a guy, you know?” He laughed nervously.

“Are you sure? You just got home—“

“Beth,” Wallow interrupted, finally noticing Danny sitting out. “Let’s let him rest. He’s probably worn himself out trying to get back to us.”

She looked at Chris again, disappointed by the lack of time spent with him. “Alright, but once you’re feeling better, you have to tell us everything, ok?” The usually lighthearted request was weighed down heavily by the concern that lingered in her voice.

“I will, I promise.” Chris smiled. “Don’t worry about me, I won’t disappear again.”

“…Alright.” Beth replied, finding peace with that answer. “Danny, come on.”

Danny looked toward Chris, still wanting to say more, but the golden boy only gave him a reassuring smile.

It was hard letting Chris out of his sight again, especially after what happened last time. But it wasn’t like Danny could hold on forever. That wouldn’t be fair.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to let go for very long because it only took about 15 minutes for Chris to sneak away to Danny’s room.

“So you went back to the Parasox Pub?” Danny asked, tilting his head slightly as he sat back on his old bed.

“Yeah. The emotion lord called me back there. Apparently I split the timeline again… or something,” Chris replied. Danny’s chest sank at that news. It was his fault. It had to be.

“Listen man, I’m sorry that I—“

“Hey.” Chris spoke gently, briefly halting his search of Danny’s room. “It’s ok. It’s more than ok.”

“No, it really isn’t. I just want to say that Beth seriously is your soulmate, and I’m not about to get in the way of that. You deserve to be happy—“

“Just hold on a second Danny, please.” Chris sounded considerably more anxious than before.

Danny’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what that could mean. But before he could ask any follow-up questions…

“Found it!” Chris exclaimed. Somehow, Danny had managed to forget to ask Chris what he was looking for in this stupid, dirty lab. Getting caught up in the moment can do that, he supposed. But when he saw what the taller boy was holding, his heart stopped.

“This is the broken headpiece, right?”

“Yeah…” Danny replied. He’d grown to hate that thing even more than before. He hated it for causing all of this. He hated it for forcing the truth out of him so many times even if he knew he probably shouldn’t. He still wished things could’ve stayed simple and happy like they were before. “It’s trash. Just throw it out,” Danny insisted, gesturing to the inferno trash can.

Chris frowned at the suggestion and shook his head. “No, dude. I…“ he found himself at a loss for words. He didn’t exactly have a plan. “I want to use it, just once.”

Danny shifted his gaze awkwardly. Only pain had come out of that stupid thing, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for more honesty.

“Danny, trust me?”

Those words made the brunet’s heart-rate rise, despite the soft tone that was paired with them.

“…Alright.”

Chris held the circlet gently before placing it on his head. He heard a light buzzing, one that wasn’t present in his old headset. Then…

“Danny, I wish I could’ve told you this sooner. I wish it didn’t take me so long to figure myself out and I wish you weren’t the person who had to suffer for it. So I’ve decided to tell you how I truly feel using this thing, which might have been a stupid idea…

Whatever. That doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to say is that I saw three different futures while I was gone. One was with Plum, one was with Beth, and one was with you. And I realized that you’re special, Danny. You make me feel this way that I can’t even describe. Like the world only moves when you’re in it. I care about you more than anything, and what I want more than anything in this big confusing wankerverse is for you to be happy.

I fought time and space itself to get back to you just to say that I love you, Danny. I really love you, and I’d do anything if it meant seeing you smile. I want to be by your side forever.”

Tears streamed down Chris’ bright red cheeks as the machine spilled his guts. He was too shy to look Danny in the face.

“…Man, this is kinda embarrassing. I can’t believe I thought this was smart. I wish I’d just kissed you instead or something.”

With that final confession and a forced awkward laugh, Chris ripped the device off his head. “Wow, I didn’t think it worked that well.”

“I tried to tell you.” Danny shrugged, trying to hold back laughter before finally giving in.

“What?! What’s so funny?!” Chris’ face would’ve turned redder if it could.

“You are! You're such a weirdo,” Danny’s laughing fit began to calm down as he got off his bed. “Your big romantic gesture was to search through my gross room for a device that neither of us can control.” Danny stepped toward Chris, but the taller boy was too nervous to even acknowledge it.

“You were probably right, you know. You probably should’ve just kissed me. But that isn’t really a Chris Kirkman thing to do, is it?”

Chris finally looked up at Danny, only inches away from his face. For once, he didn’t have any sort of response to the inventor’s teasing, so Danny continued.

“That’s why I’m glad you didn’t.”

The shorter boy leaned in and the couple’s lips met. Despite Danny’s bold outward disposition, his face burned with nervousness. But all of that fear dissipated when he felt Chris’ gloved hand caress his face. Danny nearly melted into it.

When the two finally separated they were both full of nervous laughter.

“I love you, too,” Danny finally admitted.

“Huh?”

“You— well, the headpiece said you loved me. I love you, too,” Danny’s confidence from earlier was quickly fading.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I guess I kinda got caught up in…” Chris glanced back at Danny’s lips. “Well, you know.”

“I know,” Danny smiled, “and how could I blame you?” He asked, lifting one eyebrow.

“Oh, shut up.” Chris rolled his eyes playfully.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. There’s no denying it now. …Anyway, we should probably get back to the others now. Beth worked really hard trying to get you back to us.”

Chris turned red again. He had gotten so side-tracked that he’d forgotten about everything else going on. “Oh crap. Yeah, probably!”

“I can’t hog you all to myself, I guess.” Danny’s complaint was another tease in disguise. He grabbed Chris’ hand. “I’m not sure how you plan on telling Beth about your timeline adventure though.”

“Yeah, I don’t really either…” Chris’ heart dropped when he even began to imagine telling her, or Plum for that matter.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’ve got me to help you. And I’m famously good at solving interpersonal moop.” Danny insisted. He was lying, but it still made Chris smile. Neither of them had to struggle alone anymore.