Chpt. 3 Young Star, Don’t Lead Me To The Well
He sees them. He sees the little bastards in white and he can’t breathe. How did they get back? Why did they return? Wasn’t destroying the world enough?
He sees his kids in their hands. Their little bodies are so small and pudgy. Don’t they feel like monsters? Can’t they see their wrongs? Would they be so cruel to take them away from him again? So, so cruel?
He tries to move, but he can’t. He’s trapped. Again. He pulls and pulls and pulls at the binds and cuffs, anything to get to his kids.
He can’t let them down again. He pulls.
He can’t let them hurt again. He screams.
He can’t let them die again. He cries.
He can’t let them down again. He pushes.
Dorian and Diara are his gifts, his little special blessings. He can’t live without them, he can’t. Don’t take them away, please. Please…
Danny wakes with a start. His breath quickens and pushes against his lungs painfully. Dan is crying. He must be hungry. He picks up the little one, holding his close as he moves to go make him a bottle. Then grabs a second one since Ellie might wake up soon.
The motions are easy enough for him to do it on autopilot. He’s not really sure that he’s really here right now. Life is kinda dull when you’re not fighting for your life at every second.
He’s tired. Not from the little ones, no, never them, but he knows Ra’s Vlad’s hiding something from him. Something that has to do with his cousin. Who is a civilian, or at least should be.
The microwave beeps right as Lavender messages him.
You haven’t answer any messages in a bit too long :<
Olive and Sayer says you’ve been ignoring them too >:[
Please tell us you’re alive?
He didn’t mean it. Danny just gets lost in his head a lot. Living two traumatising lives will do that to you. And having two young children.
Which he should tell people about. Vlad Ra’s used his many connections to make them legal identities, so that isn’t something he needs to worry about. However, he should probably tell the people in his life that he has kids.
Dan whines about not getting his food, making the choice for him. Danny sighs fondly, moving his son to his feeding chair. Dan grumbles, the permanent frown on his face seems to transcend universes. Especially when he’s not in his arms.
He grabs the bottle, temperature checks, and then hands it to his baby. Dan’s face softens meagerly as he receives his food. Adorable. He’ll be a riot when he’s older, Danny just knows it.
Sorry Lavie, I’ve been busy
But I have a good reason!
He doesn’t want to ruin what he has now. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than before. As long as he keeps saying that, he’ll believe it. It’s better than before, he’s safe yet alone. It’s better that way.
Danny has had to endure a lot.
From the fall of his old world, to new, even more neglectful parents. He’s lived the world, and he fucking survived it. Don’t get it twisted. He’s endured all he could, and he’s going to continue enduring all he can. Don’t get it twisted.
So he knows when someone is trying to trick him.
“You're hiding something from me.” Danny stares blankly at the fucker standing in his house, holding one of his children.
Vlad’s face may not give anything away, but the minuscule twitches give him away. He shifts Ellie up, closer to rest her little head against his shoulder as his hand rubs gently against her back. His angel snuggles closer to her technical other parent, gurgling softly.
Yes, Ra’s did make up documents for a nonexistent daughter to make him his son-in-law. Something, something, can’t let the past go even across time and space. He is their grandfather on paper, but their other genetic donor in reality.
Whatever, not the point right now.
His expression hardens as he stares at the vampire. (No. he does not care that he isn’t actually a vampire.) Danny glares at his godfather, letting his disdain show in full. “You’re hiding something from me,” he spits with venom.
“Yes,” he agrees with the same aloofness he always has. Ra’s is fucking lucky he’s holding his little girl or he’d throttle him. Then he adds, “It’s for your own good.”
“My own good? The fuck you know about that!” he growls. It’s hard not to scream at this asshole. He has to though, his baby is sleeping.
Danny huffs and puffs in an attempt to cool down. Why did he let him back in his life again? He moves off the living room where Dan is sitting in the playpen, watching some type of offbrand Batman show. He doesn’t really know what it's about, Ra’s put it on.
There’s a joke somewhere there.
Ra’s places Ellie next to her brother, allowing them to curl up together as they are both enamoured with Batman: World’s Greatest Hero. Ra’s stands off to the side, standing as if he didn’t just admit to lying to him again. He sighs as if he’s the one troubled and pained.
“What are you keeping from me,” he sighs out. Danny is tired. He’s been tired. He was tired enough before welcoming the vampire back into his circle. Just a second later he adds, “And why?”
“A selfish reason, I’m afraid.”
He knows what ‘selfish’ is with this asshole. He’s lived through fucking ‘selfish’. He doesn’t want to have to deal with that again. Not after what happened last time.
Danny grit out, “What right do you have?”
Ra’s sighs, looking away once more. He stands straight, that posh behaviour entwined into his DNA. He stands like this is an interview for a job he’s about to get kicked out from. His eyes shut as he frowns, letting out a sigh that matches his age.
