I was working on the request I was gonna post for this but it didn't come out the way I want so I wrote the longest one-shots I've ever written for a ship I don't even like all for Gowhiteboygo_08
Even worse, I kinda like it. I might expand on it.
TW: blood, cuts(not major just scratches) implied child neglect/abuse, implied starving as punishment, Xemug, implied(very light) homophobia, character death mention, tell me if I missed anything.
Ship Sailing: Fucking Danvid.
-
David had been playing in his backyard, like he did every day. Toy cars zooming through the mud puddle he had made, knees and hands dirtied with it. His hands and cheeks, rosy from the sun. His favorite Pokémon shirt is covered in mud.
His mom would be so upset when she got home.
It had been like every other warm summer day for eight year old David, playing in his backyard, alone. Waiting for his mother to get back home from work.
Or, it was supposed to be.
That was, until he heard a noise. A distant rustle in the bushes that cut off the forest from his backyard.
At first David continued on, ignoring the noise. It was probably an animal or something. Squirrels and bunnies always seemed to love moving through his bushes.
But then he hears a whimper. Low and quiet, carried by the wind and right into David's young ears.
That made him drop his toys, not even bothering to watch as they sank, deeply, into the mud.
He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and walked to go grab the stick that he kept by the backdoor.
Just in case, y'know?
He slowly eased towards the bushes, wincing as the whimpering seemed to increase. It sounded bad, but David wasn't about to let his guard down yet. That's how you get attacked by neighborhood cats.
He used the large stick, almost the same height as him, to push the bushes aside and peered inside.
It was a kid.
A kid in pain.
David hated seeing people in pain.
He threw the stick to the side and dropped to his knees, hands hovering towards the crying child sitting in the bushes, legs curled to his chest and face buried in his knees.
"Uhm, are you okay?" David asked, eyebrows knitting in worry when he shot his head up and flinched back, violently, at the sound of David.
"Ah, I'm sorry!" David squeaked, shivering as the kid's eyes seemed to trace his every movement and peer into his soul. It was creepy.
"Uhm, my name is David." He tried, shifting on his knees. The kid didn't say anything, continuing to stare at him, wide and teary eyed.
David, lost in the awkward silence, took in the kid crying in his bushes.
The first thing he noticed was his large blue eyes. Wide and sparkling, like the oceans on tv. They seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, with the added tears.
His hair was platinum blonde. So bright, David swore it couldn't be his own. He probably dyed his hair, like mommy does to her gray ones.
It was also rather long. Flowing over his head and curling right at the bottom of his ears. Shaggy, like Shaggy. David wondered if he could put it in a ponytail. Wrap it up in a bright blue hair tie to match his eyes.
His cheeks were rosy and red, probably from crying. His face was..slim. Which was weird. Mommy said most kids had baby fat on their cheeks at this age, David surely did.
His clothes kind of confused David. They definitely weren't normal kid clothes. They were all white, soiled now by the dirt. Previously crisp white shirt tucked into crisp white pants and held there by a too tight belt. The only color being the shiny gold buckle that seemed to taunt him.
His arms were thin and bony. Wound, far too tightly, around his legs as he continued to stare at David.
There was almost no color on this kid. Besides his eyes and...
"Uhm.." he glanced behind him, debating whether or not this would be a good idea. "Do you want to come inside my house?"
The kid tilted his head. A silent question. Did he...did he not know?
"Why?" He squeaked. His voice was scratchy and rough. It grated on David's ears in a way that made his stomach squirm.
"Uhm," wow he was saying that a lot. He cleared his throat, glancing back at his house. "You're bleeding. I have band-aids, if you want."
A pause.
"They're power ranger themed."
The kid tilted his head again.
"What's power rangers?"
David let out a gasp, deeply offended. In all his eight years on this earth he had never met someone who didn't know what power rangers was! Well, except kids that don't have cable.
"Do you not have cable?" He asked.
"What's cable?"
David sighed and offered his hand. The kid glanced at him once more. Eyes searching for something. He stared back, as long as the kid needed to feel safe.
After a few long seconds, he seemed to find what he was looking for and unfurled a hand to place in Davids.
His hands were soft to the touch. Smooth and a little sweaty and wet from tears and they seemed to fit nicely in David's hands. His were smaller though. And a little bony, like his arms.
He hauled the boy up, almost toppling onto his back. He had expected the boy to be a bit heavier than he was. He seemed to weigh as much as a feather. Which, he knew, wasn't exactly a good thing. Probably.
He'd ask his mom later.
The boy, drawn to his full height, looked a lot skinnier than David thought. Slim face and neck. Long bony arms and legs. No shoes...weirdly enough. Even his feet looked skinny though.
He was shorter than David, smaller in almost every way.
"How old are you?" David asked, leading him back to his house.
The kid furrowed his bright blonde eyebrows, pausing in his steps for a second. David stopped with him.
"Eight, I think."
"You think?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, when's your birthday?"
"I-" the kid hesitated. "I don't know."
David didn't know how to respond to that. For a second, at least.
"Well, I'm bigger than you and I'm turning nine in a few months so I'm probably older than you." He decided, tugging the kid back on the way to his house. The kid shrugged.
They made it into the house. David closed the screen door behind him and made his way over to the couch, gesturing for the kid to take a seat. He did, dirt staining the couch a bit. David didn't mind, he got mud on there all the time. He'd just wash it off before his mom got home.
He moved to go grab the first aid kit from under the sink, when he felt a tug on his hand.
Oh,
They were still holding hands.
The kid stared at them, making no move to let go. David was fine with holding hands but he had to go get the kit and he let the kid know this.
The kid, hesitantly, let go.
He watched as David walked behind the couch and over the counter separating the living room and the kitchen.
He padded over to the sink, bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. The kid, now standing on the couch, watched David grab the Recess themed lunchbox out from under the sink and walk back over to the carpeted floor and the kids curious eyes.
He sat on the floor in front of the kid. His pale and skinny feet dangling in front of David as he gingerly grabbed the left one and held it up to look at it.
It was all scratched, probably from running, barefoot, in the woods. Dirt and small fragments of rock surrounding the cuts there. Blood dripped from several places. David winced at the sight of it.
"I'm gonna need to grab a towel from upstairs..and some water. To clean the wounds." He explained, nervously glancing at the kid sitting on his couch.
"Okay," he said, and placed his hands in his lap, eyes fixated on David.
David stood up and hurried off to the upstairs linen closet, grabbing one of the older towels. He then went and grabbed the spray bottle mommy kept in the bathroom to spray her face with water whenever she had a hangover.
He hurried back downstairs, sighing in relief when he found the boy sitting in the same spot.
"Hello, again." He had said. His voice was a bit smoother, evening out as the tears on his cheeks dried. David smiled at him and sprayed the hand towel with a bit of water.
He moved back to the couch, standing in front of the kid and placing the spray bottle on his side.
He moved to grab the kids face, flinching when he flinched back.
Okay. Okay, hm.
He mumbled out an apology. The boy nodded, accepting it.
"Can I-..I mean. I wanted to, uh, clean your face. You have tears on your, uhm, your cheeks," he stuttered out, gesturing to the boy's face. The boy lifted his hand to gingerly wipe across his face, recognizing how sticky his cheeks must be from the tears.
He lowered his hand, looking at David expectantly.
He took that as a yes.
He reached back towards the kids face, hands moving as slow and precisely as possible. The kid stared, intently, at his hands and flinched, albeit much smaller, when he placed his hands on his face.
He dragged the wet cloth across his face, wiping as softly as he could at his thin cheeks. David brought his other hand up to cup the kid's face, holding him in place and the kid let out a small sigh, sinking into his hands. Eyelids half lidded.
He seemed kinda tired.
When David finished with his face he let go of the kids face and sat back down on the floor, legs crossed. The kid startled a bit at the loss of contact but recovered quickly enough to lift his foot up for David to inspect.
David got to work, cleaning the space around the cuts. Trying to be as gently as humanly possible, so as not to hurt the boy. He didn't make a sound the entire time, flinching from time to time when David pressed a little too hard but nothing more.
When he finished that foot he started on the right one, taking his time to clean the areas around the cuts. The kid flinched a lot less this time, silent as he watched David work.
When he finished that he grabbed the antiseptic and started spraying over the cuts on the bottom of his feet, wiping away the blood. The kid screwed up his face and hissed in pain but didn't complain or pull away while David wrapped up his feet in gauze.
"Okay…" he hummed, backing away slightly to study his handy work.
It looked fine, wrapping up his injuries well enough with a safety pin by both ankles to keep it together. Not as good as his mom but good enough.
He grabbed the lunchbox, moving to sit on the couch next to the kid.
"I'm gonna clean up the scrapes on your arms and elbows. There aren't a lot," he explained. "Do you want to watch something on the TV while I do it?"
The kid looked around the room, eyes landing on the large black box that stood on top of a low wooden table, squares like cubbies cute side by side to hold a myriad of little knick knacks and other things. His reflection staring back at him, curled and distorted in the curved glass.
"Is that the TV?" He asked, gesturing to the big black box. David nodded, eyebrows furrowing at the question. What kid didn't know what a TV was?
"Can we watch...power rangers?" He asked, curling into himself as he wearily glanced at David. David shrugged and got up to grab the remote from the coffee table before settling himself back next to the boy.
"If it's on, sure." He shrugged, pressing the power button.
It wasn't on, which the kid was bummed about, but there were reruns of the old Scooby-Doo. David promised it was good too and the kid seemed to agree after a few minutes.
As David wiped the boys' injuries clean, placing bandaids wherever they needed, he started to think.
This kid...was weird. His mom said not to call people weird, since it was rude, but that was the only word he could think of! This kid was weird as heck and David didn't know how to feel about it.
From the clothes to the flinching to the shoes and the staring and the questions.
Who was the kid anyway?
David had never seen him before. He knew every kid in the neighborhood so why didn't he know him. Was he new?
David didn't even know his name and he had invited him into his house.
His grandma would call him hard headed for that.
"So.." he said, placing another bandage on his arm. The kid, enamored with the day time cartoon, pulled his eyes away to give David another one of his long stares.
It seemed a little softer though.
"Yes?"
"What's your name, anyway? Do you live in the neighborhood? Are you new?"
And what's up with your weird clothes? He wanted to ask. Why do you get scared when I move around you? Why are you so skinny? Why were you in my bushes? Where are your parents? Why don't you know your own birthday or what a TV is? And what's up with your hair?
He didn't ask these, of course, because he knew it'd be rude.
But he wanted to.
The kid stared at him for a bit longer. Long enough for David to put on another band-aid and move to his other arm. Finally, he spoke.
"My name is Daniel." He said. David waited for him to continue. Another episode started in the background. Daniel swallowed.
"I..I live on the other side of the forest. My parents...they own a-a farm. I live there. 'm not….I'm not new." He finally whispered, turning his head to look back at the cartoon.
David knew about that farm. Everyone did. There were ghost stories and legends about that farm. Of bodies buried in the soil to fertilize the crops. Of a couple buying the house to start a cult and having thousands of kids to sacrifice.
A man, maybe the husband, always sold the crops at the farmers market. He was the only one people had actually talked to, though talk is a loose term. All he did was mutter you your total. Sometimes, he gave people pamphlets for something.
Those people were usually never seen again. Either moving or, or…
He did sell good oranges though. They're property was lined with a thick barrage of orange and apple trees. Mostly likely to keep people from staring, his mom had guessed.
Kids sang songs of that place as they jumped ropes. Boys daring each other to steal an orange from a tree. Girls whispering about how the wife was said to have been a model in Europe before she met her husband and went completely off her rocker.
Their kids, if they even exist, are said to all be nothing more than sacrifices.
And this kid said he lived there?
"You live on a farm?"
"Yes." The kid-Daniel, muttered, eyes glued to the TV.
"Then why are your clothes all white? Wouldn't they get dirty?" He asked, letting go of Daniels bandaged arm and letting it drop to his side.
"No. Today is Saturday. That's the day of sacrifice." He replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
David didn't want to ask for clarification.
"Do you want me to wash your clothes for you?" David offered. "If they're not supposed to get dirty then your parents are gonna get pretty mad."
Daniel examined his clothes, the dried mud and grass stains glaringly obvious against the starch white. He nodded, moving to unbuckle his belt.
"Woah!" David yelled, eyes widening at what Daniel was trying to do.
Daniel flinched so violently that he fell off the couch, staring up at David with wide, scared, eyes.
"I-Im sorry. I- should I have not- it's just. You. You said and I-"
"Hey, it's okay," David reassured, sliding off the couch and crouching down in front of Daniel, offering his hand. Daniel relaxed a bit, spot between his eyebrows unclenching, smoothing back into place.
"I'm sorry for yelling, I was just surprised. I can go get you some of my clothes and you can change in the bathroom over there," he gestured to a door on the side of the stairwell. "Is that okay?"
The kid nodded, apologizing again and moved to sit back on the couch. David hurried back upstairs, sliding in his room and looking through his closet. He grabbed a random Power Puff Girls t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. He grabbed a pair of fuzzy socks too and ran back downstairs.
He handed Daniel the clothes, telling him to be gentle with the socks and try not to stretch too much.
While Daniel was busy changing, David got to work cleaning up the blood off the hardwood floors and the dirt off the couch. It didn't take long for him to finish and for Daniel to finish up, his clothes balled up in his small bony fists.
David grabbed the clothes, throwing them in the washing machine and using his stool to press all the buttons his mom had shown him.
While they waited, David offered to make him something to eat. Daniel hesitated at the offer.
"You're doing a lot for me. What do you want?" He had said, voice level in a way that made David stomach squirm again. David sucked his teeth, milling over the question/statement in his head.
Did he want anything?
It didn't really look like this kid had much to give. Nothing at all, really.
"Nothing. I don't want anything from you." He replied, shrugging. Daniel stared at him a bit more before hopping back up on the couch.
"Okay. What food do you have?"
And pretty soon they were sitting on the floor, watching old reruns and slurping up honey nut Cheerios placed on top of a few magazines his mom had lying on the coffee table.
The theme song of the fresh prince played through the small room as the washing machine dinged. David moved the clothes to the dryer and joined Daniel back over by the table. He seemed to be really engrossed with the latest show.
"Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the TV. David furrowed his brows, like anytime Daniel asked about things he should already know, and answered.
"That's Will Smith. He plays Will in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
"He's a movie star?"
"Well, I guess so. I think he was a rapper first though."
"A rapper? Like a candy wrapper?"
Davids eyebrows remained furrowed.
"No. Like the music."
Daniel stared at him, wide eyed again.
"He sang songs?"
"No he- y'know what. I'll teach you about it another day." David had said, pausing as he actually thought about what had just come out of his mouth.
Did he ever wanna see Daniel again?
This weird kid who wore all white and had bleach blonde hair. This kid who didn't know his birthday and who was as light as a feather. This kid who didn't know the power rangers or will Smith or rap or anything of importance.
This kid who lived on the farm that haunted many kids nightmares. The farm that elders would always threaten to send them too if they misbehaved.
He decided to bring this up with his mother, hours later, after she had come home from work, pizza in hand. Daniel had already gone, changing into the newly clean clothes and hugging him goodbye, as if he didn't know if he would ever come back. He trembled as he left, power ranger band-aids bold against his too pale skin and bony arms.
"And he didn't even know who the power rangers were, mom!" He exclaimed, hands flying wildly and most likely getting sauce everywhere. His mother, bone tired as she was, listened intently to her son recount the tales of the mystery boy from the farm.
"That's some serious stuff. Not knowing about power rangers. He could be cursed...or he could just not have cable." She shrugged, taking a bite of her pizza. David furrowed his eyebrows.
"I asked him. And he asked what cable was." He deadpanned. That made his mother pause, mid-chew. The same furrow in her brows.
"He...didn't know what cable was?"
"Nope! And it's so weird. He had all white clothes and bright blonde hair! He was skinny too! And he always jumped when I did anything around him." He explained. His mother urged him to continue.
"And, and, and he was so short! And, uh, when I asked him how old he was he said he thinks he was eight-"
"He thinks?"
"Uh-huh!" He was rushing his words now, bouncing lightly in his seat. "I asked him his birthday to see if I was older and he said he didn't know! He even asked me what the TV was!"
His mother set down her slice of pizza, staring at David intensely. Her starch gray suit jacket glowed in the yellow fluorescent lights they had hanging in their kitchen, both of them sitting at the stools at the counter.
"Davey...where did you say this boy said he lived?" She asked.
David made a face.
"That's the weirdest thing! He said he lives on the farm, just beyond the forest!"
His mother pursed her lips.
"Can you bring this boy here, tomorrow?" She asked him. David shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't think he's really allowed to leave. He seemed to have run here and he was real scared too. Crying and shaking. The works," David explained, hoping his mom understood what he was saying.
He wasn't sure this boy would...or could ever come back.
His mother frowned but said nothing for a long while. David was able to finish off his slice and grab another one before she spoke up.
"Well, if he does come back…" she muttered, turning sparkling green eyes on David. "Treat him real good. Like a friend, okay Davey? I'm sure the boy doesn't have any."
David wiped some smeared sauce off his cheek and agreed.
-
It had been around two weeks since David had seen Daniel, hiding in his bushes or otherwise.
David spent the first few days after meeting playing in his backyard, waiting for the rustle of bushes and the wind carried whimpers. He had even recorded a few episodes of Power Rangers on some old VHS tapes, just so that they could watch them when he came back.
But nothing. The bushes would rustle and David would run over and peer in, only to find a bunny or a squirrel or an angry cat. Never a boy with eyes like the ocean and hair like the sun. With too skinny everything and not a single bit of knowledge about the world.
One of the days, David spent with the neighborhood kids. They were having a water gun fight and David was always down to have fun but he didn't even enjoy it all that much. He spent most of the time running around the hot asphalt, water gun in hand, sweat mixing with water and dripping down his forehead and Daniel, running ever faster, through his head.
Was he here? Was he here right now? Was he on his way? Running through the forest with bare feet and too white clothes.
Well, no. Today wasn't Saturday.
But when David finally got back home, day turning to night as the street lights flickered on, soaked and sweaty and breathless in the best way, he saw nothing. Not a single sign of the boy.
And slowly, he started to give up on seeing him ever again.
But then a few more days had passed and it was Sunday morning, bright and early.
David's mom had left earlier that morning, grumbling about her co-workers being so incompetent that she had to come in on her one day off.
David, content from a nice breakfast, decided to play outside in his backyard that day. This time he had set up a whole scene! Robots and dinosaurs battling it out in an intergalactic space war! One group wanting powerful advancements and the others wanting revenge!
It was great, David thought, smashing a robot and a dinosaur together as they battled. The dinosaur hit the robot with his tail but the robot took the hit, and fired off a fire blast! The dinosaur swallowed the fiery hot ball of flames and began breathing fire! Turning a few robots into nothing more than ash and anguish.
David had been so absorbed in his space war that he didn't notice the hesitant rustle of bushes, the quiet, barefoot, steps through the early morning dew and the too skinny frame of a young boy standing over him. Silent as a mouse.
Daniel must have gotten a solid second in if just standing before David looked up and noticed him standing, ominously, over David.
David fell back in shock and surprise, throwing the toys behind him as he fell onto his back. Daniel walked over to his head and peered down at him, eyes wide and worried.
"Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm sorry for scaring you."
David huffed and shook his head, waving away the apology.
"It's fine, Daniel. You just scared me, 's all."
David pushed himself into a sitting position, legs spread out and arms holding him upright. Daniel moved to sit across from him, legs folded criss cross and hands placed, nearly, in his lap.
"So, what are you doing?" He tilted his head, staring down at the plastic toys splayed in front of him and David grinned with enthusiasm, eagerly explaining to Daniel the plot of his newest storyline. Daniel did nothing but stare and star while David went over every possible detail, even naming a few of the most important robots and dinosaurs.
"Oh, so you based it off of the millennia wars!" Daniel said, a small grin gracing his slim face. His teeth were as pearly as his hair but it all felt off.
"The...what?"
"The-" the smile tapered off, turning to a frown. He fiddled with his hands and furrowed his brows. "The millennia wars?"
"What are those?" David asked, against his better judgement.
Daniel then went on to explain the Millennia wars started by...Xemug? And some galactic confederacy. His voice shook as he explained the intricate details, nails picking at each other as he explained all the confusing plot points and shrugged, nervously, at the plot holes. His body shifted from side to side as he kept glancing back at David, as if scared that he'd be stopped at any point.
When he was done David stared out at his backyard, long and hard, at his toys set up so particularly, perfect for his game.
"I-..." David trailed off. "I don't really wanna play this anymore." David said, dropping the dinosaur he had held in his hand to the ground. Daniel stared at it, eyebrows furrowed.
"I-I'm sorry. We can play it your way, if you want. I just, uhm, it sounded like...like what my parents told me is all." Daniel said, biting his lip when David shook his head.
"No. It's fine. It's hot anyway. You wanna go inside and watch TV?" David asked. Daniel agreed, hesitantly. Picking himself up and following David inside.
David took off his shoes, set them by the door, and moved to the couch. Daniel, barefoot again, continued to the couch.
It was only when they entered that David realized Daniel was wearing different clothes. Oversized overalls and a too big blue shirt. As blue as his eyes.
Maybe the clothes weren't too big, actually. They looked the same size as David's clothes. Maybe Daniel was just too small.
They sat on the couch, enough space in between them to fit David's mother, remote in David's hands.
Some show began to play. David didn't pay any attention. He just stared at Daniel, not really hiding it all that well. Or at all.
His arms were still thin and bony like the rest of him. Most of the band aids were gone, only a few remaining on the really bad spots. The gauze had been replaced, wrapped better than before.
"Your arms are looking better," David commented, scooting closer to Daniel, thighs to thigh, and grabbing his arm in his hands. Daniel let out a squeak, relinquishing his arm to the other boy. David examined it, smiling at the light scars where the cuts had been.
He slid his hand down to hold Daniels, interlocking their fingers. His mom had told him to treat Daniel like a friend and he did this with his friends all the time.
"What did your parents say?" David asked. "When you got home?"
Daniel sighed, picking at the fingernails on his interlaced hand.
"Uhm...they were pretty...mad."
"My mom would be too if I ran away for a whole day."
Daniel nodded, not looking up from his fingers.
"It wasn't...they weren't that mad about that. I kind of disappear a lot...they were more, uhm, mad that..that I...t-talked to...someone," he stumbled over his words, nerves creeping into the edges of his tone. David was confused at this, though.
Why would they be mad about him talking to someone?
"Oh. That's weird."
Daniel hummed, not attempting to make another comment. They went back to watching TV.
After about an hour, Daniel's stomach growled. David glance at him, getting up from the couch. Daniel followed, not wanting to break apart their hands.
"You hungry?" David asked. Daniel nodded, hesitantly.
"Want something to eat?" He shook his head this time, staring at the ground.
"I'm not allowed to." He whispered. David turned to him, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen.
"You're...not allowed to?"
"No. I'm on punishment."
David furrowed his eyebrows.
"...okay."
So they went back to the couch. Davivd sat down and Daniel, quite boldly, layed down across the couch, lying his head in David's lap. He broke apart their hands to rest it on David's knee, sighing happily. David shrugged and grabbed the blanket from behind the couch, throwing it on top of his bony structure.
They stayed like that, cuddled up, for a few more hours until David heard a click and the door opened.
"Davey! I'm ho-"
David shushed her, making sure not to move too much so as not to wake Daniel. The boy stirred a bit in his lap but simply turned and returned to unconsciousness.
His mother, confused, tip-toed into the living room, cooing at the sight before her. David waved, giving his mother a smile.
"Sorry I stayed inside all day, I know you don't like it when I do, but Daniel came back."
His mother waved him off, dropping her purse onto the counter and shrugging off her heels and blazer.
"It's okay, baby. As long as you weren't in here alone."
She fiddled around in the kitchen, rifling through the cabinets before grabbing a granola bar and moving to stand behind the couch.
"Does your friend want to stay for dinner?" She asked, munching on the granola bar. A crumb or two fell onto David's head, but he paid them no mind.
"He can stay but he's not allowed to eat." He explained. His mother paused in her eating, shooting David a look.
"Is he fasting or something?" She asked. David shook his head and explained to his mother that Daniel had said he was on punishment and couldn't eat. His mother furrowed her eyebrows.
"Well...what his folks don't know won't hurt him. How's pizza sound?" She asked. David nodded, always happy to get pizza. She nodded, happily.
"Wake your friend up and ask him what he'd like. I'm gonna go take a shower then order it, okay?"
"Okay."
She placed a small kiss on his forehead, ruffled his hair and went upstairs.
David gave Daniel a gentle tap. He kept going until the boy stirred, blinking up at David through sleep heavy vision.
"How long have I been asleep?" He asked. David shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe three hours? You wanna stay for dinner?"
Daniel looked like he was about to agree before sitting up on his elbows and frowning.
"I can't. Punishment."
"My mom said that what your parents don't know won't hurt them."
Daniel gave him a confused look and David rolled his eyes.
"Lie to them, dude."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"I-I can't lie to my parents! They'll... they'll.."
"They'll what?" David asked, not unkindly.
Daniel shrugged.
"I'll be in a lot of trouble if they find out I'm lying."
"Then don't let them find out."
Daniel flopped his head back onto David's thigh, looking up at him in that way that he always did.
Hm, they already had an always.
"I think you might be a bad influence, David." Daniel said, as plain as saying the sky is blue. David nodded his head, smiling at Daniel.
"I get that a lot."
They went back to silence and his mother finished her shower. She waltzed into the living room, landline in hand and asked what they wanted. Daniel had never had pizza before so David answered back with pepperoni. His mother smiled and nodded, walking back to the hallway to order.
The pizza arrived and they gathered at the table. His mother placed it on the table while David gathered the plates. They sat down and Daniel reached for David's hand. Instinctively, David gripped it back.
"Are we gonna give a sacrifice?" Daniel asked.
Both David and his mother paused.
"A...sacrifice?" His mother asked.
"Yes, ma'am?" Daniel squeaked. He squeezed David's hand, suddenly feeling confused.
"No, Daniel, honey. We don't do... sacrifices or anything. We're not religious. Would you...is that something you, uhm, want?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Daniels eyes widened before he offered a small smile.
"Uhm, no ma'am. It's fine."
"None of that ma'am shit, darling. Just call me Steph."
"Uhm…" he glanced at David. "Okay, Ms. Steph."
Daniel let go of David's hand and reached for a slice of pizza, dropping it on his plate and staring at it for a second. David grabbed a slice and tapped Daniel on the shoulder.
He lifted the tip of the slice to his mouth and took a bite, setting it back down on his plate. Daniels eyes widened and he nodded, picking up his own slice and doing the same. Steph chuckled, digging into her own slice.
When they finished, pizza box empty but stomachs full, Daniel left. He hugged David goodbye, promising to come back soon and headed back through the woods.
And he did come back. Not every day, he explained he couldn't afford to do that but he'd never be gone long. Never longer than a few days would David have to wait to see his friend.
And when the summer ended and the school year started, public for David and home-schooled for Daniel, they got to meet up every day right after classes. On the really cold winter days, David would invite Daniel into his house. They'd make hot chocolate and David would teach Daniel all the things his parents hadn't.
Math and science. History and literature. All these things, Daniel hadn't been allowed to study but he could through David.
The next summer, when David was nine (almost ten) his mother asked him if he wanted to go to some sleep away camp called Camp Campbell.
He said no. He'd rather stay with Daniel. And as the years went by the boys grew together. David taught him about the world his parents forcefully hid him from. When the internet was created, they spent hours in front of the computer hisother had bought from a neighbor.
David(and his mother)had become the reason that Daniel learned everything he did.
David taught him all the basics. His mother taught him to cook instant ramen. David taught him how to change channels and his mother taught him how to tie shoes. David taught him how to play soccer and his mother taught him how to play catch. David taught him how to swim and his mother taught him cpr.
David taught him what it meant to have a friend and his mother taught him what it meant to have a family.
-
Daniel walked through the woods, shoes from his hidden chest of supplies squeezing, slightly, on his feet. He'd have to tell Steph that he needed some new ones. He could do it when he got home.
His feet hit solid grass, the dirt path he and David had made looking less and less fresh. More and more used, like it belonged there.
Daniel smiled and walked to the backdoor, sliding it open and taking a step inside the cool house.
It was an early Sunday morning, Daniels favorite day to visit, but something felt off.
The house was quiet where it was usually busy. The TV playing old reruns of the Brady bunch, the washing machine running a fresh load as they prepared to clean. His mother bustling in the kitchen making a nice Sunday breakfast, laughing at the jokes or singing along to the theme song…
And David. Beautiful, lovely David sitting in front of the Tv or on the computer or helping his mother or starting in the cleaning while he waited.
But there was none of that. The lights and TV were off and the kitchen was as cold as the air.
A noise from the stairwell made Daniel jump.
"Oh. Hi, Danny. Shit, I forgot you usually came here on Sunday mornings." Steph mumbled, class in an oversized pair of basketball shorts and some concert t-shirt she got back in her 20's.
"Hey...uhm, where's David?"
He felt bad for only asking about David, Steph was just as important to him but…
"Oh. He's.." she bit her lip, scratching at the messy bun on top of her head. She looked tired, large eyebags and bloodshot eyes. "He's upstairs, Danny. He...had a bit of a rough night last night."
Daniel scrunched his eyebrows, the way Steph and David always did.
Last night wasn't rough? Last night was David's 15th birthday. It was great, he had a small party with a few friends from school and Daniel too. They played games, ate pizza and cake and watched a bunch of scary movies.
Daniel had a blast. He had been smiling so much his mom yelled at him because she thought he was laughing at something she had done. And even then, he wasn't able to wipe the smile off her face.
His parents knew where he'd been. They'd known for a while now but they hadn't killed him yet, so it didn't matter.
"What happened? I don't remember anything bad happening…"
"I-" she sighed, fiddling with her lip. "His...his dad came for a...a visit. About half an hour after you left."
Daniels eyes widened, fear and sadness sparking in his chest and moving its way up his throat.
David's dad was not a nice man. He was the opposite of any and all nice things in the world, and that was saying something.
He had been terrorizing David and his mother for years, always coming back here and there. He'd always swoop in, make a thousand promises he couldn't keep and then leave without so much as a goodbye.
It broke David everytime.
"What did he do?" Daniel asked, voice sharp and cold in a way he learned from his father. Steph hummed, stumbling towards the kitchen.
"I'll explain over coffee, Davids still sleeping right now. Cream or no cream?"
Daniel slowly creaked open David's door, shutting it behind him.
David's room was something of a safe space for Daniel.
The walls, originally a light blue but changed to a light yellow when David was twelve, always reminded Daniel of sunny days. It was bright but not burning, warm but not hot.
His walls were lined with picture after picture. Photography was a bit of a hobby for David, especially after he got a new camera for his birthday when he was ten. He took the camera almost everywhere, taking pictures of almost anything he could.
A lot of them were of Daniel and that made him blush every time he thought about it.
The walls were littered with more than that though. Movie and band posters. Tickets to said movies and concerts. Pictures of celebrities they admitted and a few sketches Daniel had done over at the Pineston residence.
His floor was hardwood with a big blue carpet right in the middle. It was the softest thing Daniel had ever touched and he used to sleep on it whenever he went over to Davids, even though he offered the bed. He grew out of it, much preferring to sleep with David, but it was still nice.
A comfy queen size bed with a dinosaur themed comforter a friend of Davids, Gwen, had gotten him as a joke. Desk and closet overflowed with trinkets and clothes here and there because David had a horrible habit of spending money on things he didn't need. It made the room feel full and lived in and so, so, so David that he just never wanted to leave.
The room didn't feel like it usually did though.
Right now, standing at the doorway, it felt cold. Cold and unhappy and so very much not like David.
The trinkets were strewn across the floor, the desk empty. Looks like David had sweeped everything off in anger, like Steph said.
He walked over to the lump on the bed that he knew was David and sat down, gingerly, where his head lay.
"Are you awake?" Daniel asked.
There was a low grunt. Daniel sighed and lifted up the blanket, revealing David in his crumpled form. He was still wearing the clothes he had yesterday, his hair a mess and tear tracks dried on his cheeks. His eyes, red like his mother's and puffy as if he had cried not too long ago.
He scooted in next to the disgruntled boy, placing the blanket back over his legs and collecting David in his arms. He moved like a rag doll, letting Daniel manipulate his form until his head was pillowed on Daniel's too small chest and held together in his too thin arms.
"Do you feel like talking right now?"
A shake of the head. Okay, Daniel can work with that.
"Are you okay with just nodding or shaking your head?"
A pause. A nod.
"Your mother told me what happened...you know he's wrong, right? About you?"
David didn't respond, just clung, tighter, to Daniel. He sighed, rubbing small circles in the dip of David's back.
David threw a leg over Daniels, clinging to him like a koala. They didn't say anything for a long time.
"Why-" David spoke up, a cough cutting off his words. Daniel patted his back as he gathered his breath. "Why does he...always do this. Why can't he-he...just l-leave us alone." David whined, his breath hitching and tears leaking out of his eyes.
Daniel wanted to cry too. He always did when David cried, which wasn't often.
"I don't know, D...I'm sorry."
"N-not your fault," he muttered, whimpering when Daniel pressed a small kiss to his forehead.
They had always been touchy. Since the day they first met they held hands and it only increased as time went. From hand holding to hugging to cuddles to kisses on the forehead and days spent under trees, Daniel's head pillowed in David's lap as they talked about anything and everything.
Touch was something both of them understood, when words were just a little too hard.
David weaped, silently, into Daniel's chest and all he could do was hold him, tighter and tighter, as tears leaked from his own eyes.
They walked down the stairs, hand in hand, about an hour later. It was quite late in the morning, almost lunchtime, and Steph was nowhere to be found. They wandered into the kitchen, finding a note on the fridge.
'At the office discussing a restraining order! I'll pick up a pepperoni on the way back! <3'
Daniel smiled at the note and showed it to David, who was rifling through the cupboards.
He smiled, the first smile all day, and made them both a bowl of cereal.
They sat on the couch, watching Codename: Kids next door and pressed together as tightly as their bowls would allow.
-
Daniel sat across from David, eyes downcast and breathing labored.
"I'm so sorry." He muttered. "I'm so so so so so sososososososo-"
"It's fine." David said, eyes staring off out of the open window. They were on David's bed, in David's room. The window was open, cool late summer air moving through the room.
Daniel was terrified. Absolutely petrified and David was silent.
Xe, why wouldn't he speak! Speak dammit please. Just tell Daniel what he knew was coming so he could run off into the woods and cry for as long as he needed to forget the years and years of friendship. To forget David.
Please.
"I'm not...not mad at you." David muttered. Daniel sucked in a breath, braving a glance at David. His face was stone cold in a way it hadn't been in a long time, mouth drawn into a thin line. His eyes were dark and distant. Daniel was still scared.
"You're...not?"
"No. You didn't...do anything wrong-"
"But I kissed-"
"A guy. Yeah."
Daniel's mouth snapped shut. They sat in silence for a few minutes. The room felt a little bit bigger than it had ten minutes before, but that didn't really help all too much.
David muttered something and Daniel hummed, asking him to repeat it.
"It's just...it's stupid. We're not even dating, there's no reason I should be mad I-" he went back to muttering but Daniel didn't bother to listen.
He...David wasn't mad at him? For kissing a guy? Does he think it was a mistake? Some dumb drunk mistake that meant nothing to Daniel and he'd go off and get a girlfriend and marry her and have kids and-
"Daniel. You're spacing out."
Daniels zeroed in on David.
"You're not...mad at me? For kissing a guy?"
"No. Like I said, we're not even dating so it's dumb to be mad I-"
"But it was a guy!"
Daniel slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening at David. Davids eyes widened and his eyebrows scrunched in that way they picked up from Steph and he-
He looked shocked. Then hurt before he was throwing his arms around Daniel, pushing him down onto the mattress. Daniel's arms came up around David's back on instinct. When Daniel finally comprehended what was going on, he heard David muttering over and over.
"Danny, I could never hate you over that. Never. Never. Never. Never. You mean so much to me I don't care if you're gay or straight or want to fuck dogs- actually no I do care cus that's gross but you're not that and oh my gosh-"
Daniel felt love and relief swell in his chest. His lips trembled and his eyes watered and soon he was sobbing into David's chest. Massive sobs that had been laying dormant for years and years. Since that day he realized he wasn't like his dad. The day he realized he'd much rather have a guy over a girl. David, over anyone else.
He had been terrified to lose him but he wasn't going to lose him, xe xe xe, he wasn't gonna lose him! Oh holy Xemug in the sky he wasn't. Gonna. Lose. Him.
He cried and cried and cried for what seemed like hours. David held him through all of it. Muttering "I'm never gonna leave you" and "I love you more than anything, this isn't gonna change that at all"
When the tears finally slowed and Daniel was able to wipe his face without more water drenching it, they pulled apart, though barely. Daniel was tucked, securely, in David's lap, his legs hooking behind him to keep him secure in David's arms. David had his arms wrapped around him, peering over his shoulder to text Gwen on the new phone he got for his 16th.
Daniel sighed, taking in the smell of David. Pine and perfume. Just like his mom. Fuck, Daniel hoped he smelled like that too.
"I'm...you know I love you right."
"Yeah. I know."
David took in a large gulp of air, breathing it out slowly. He lifted his chin and unwrapped his arms, grabbing Daniel by the forearms and holding him out so he could look him in the eyes. He looked determined.
"I love you, Daniel."
Daniel nodded, smiling softly at David.
"Yeah, I love you to, Dav-"
"No. Danny. Daniel. I love you."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"What?"
"The-the reason I was so...so angry when I saw you kissing that guy at that party. It wasn't because he was a-a guy. It's because you were kissing….you were kissing him."
The gears in Daniel's head turned and something in his mind clicked into place.
"Because I was kissing him….and not you?" He whispered, staring at David with wide, wide eyes. David nodded, gulping.
Daniel smiled. A small but real smile.
Ge released his arms from David's grip, circling them around his shoulders. He leaned into David. Their noses touched and their breaths mingled.
"Can I kiss you, David?" Daniel asked. Steph, long ago, gave both David and Daniel The Talk and she had stressed over and over how they should always ask permission before doing things like this.
David, with half-lidded eyes, nodded.
Daniel smiled and closed the gap between them. Cool summer air blew into the room, cicadas buzzing and frogs croaking and lightning bugs beginning to twinkle as the skjt changed from blue to orange and pink and red.
And two boys, in love for Xemug knows how long, kissing. Wrapped up in each other in more ways than one.
-
David hulled a box into his arms, letting out a grunt before Jasper ran up to hold the other side.
"Thanks, Jas," David smiled, slowly waddling backwards into the bottom floor of the apartment building, stepping into the elevator as Gwen and Jen emerged. He smiled at them and dropped the box, him and Jasper huffing. Jasper pressed the fifth button and, in no time, they were waddling through the hall.
David lifted one arm to pull on the handle and threw the door open, hurriedly waddling into the apartment and dropping the box into the floor. Jasper smiled, untapping the box(full with far too many trinket) and moved to set them up ounderstand.lves in an "aesthetically pleasing way, goddammit."
David made his way through the apartment, stopping at the farthest door down the hall. The door was wide open. Daniel, clad in a pair of sweatshorts and a dirty, paint stained, t-shirt, looked beautiful. He was standing in the middle of the room, bare feet rubbing against the carpet. David snuck up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist.
Daniel didn't even jump, he just sighed and sunk into Daniels chest.
"Hey…"
"Hey, whatcha doin'?"
He shrugged and smiled.
"We made it. Did you think we'd make it this far?"
David breathed in and out.
"I did. Somewhere deep down. I knew we'd always make it out. I knew you'd be safe and happy and I'd be right there with you," David pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. "Holding your hand and explaining all the things you didn't understand."
Daniel chuckled, softly.
"You don't need to do that, anymore. I have a phone-"
"That you barely know how to use-"
"Shut."
"Mhm"
They stood there, swaying together in the sunlight that streamed in through the blinds. David's head resting on Daniel's shoulder, eyes closed. Daniel humming some old song. They were peaceful.
They had gone through hell and back, just to get to where they are. They had been hurt, over and over and over, Daniel with the scars to prove it.
But it was worth it. Because they were here, together.
And sure, his father was still on the loose...and Steph was gone.
But they were working on that. Working on healing from that and this was a part of that healing process. Daniels and Davids therapists had both been really proud of them. There was still so many more steps ahead of them but they were taking them, one by one. Hand in hand.
Daniel turned his head, giving David a small peck on the forehead. He got the hint and lifted his head, blinking his eyes and leaning in for a lazy kiss. Daniel couldn't help but smile halfway through and turn around in his arms, settling his hands around Davids shoulders.
David smiled, pulling away and peppering kisses all over Daniels face. Over the bridge of his pale nose, over his eyelids that held his bright blue eyes. Over the freckles he didn't know he had until the first time he really looked in a mirror. Over his jaw and his neck and anywhere else he could. Daniel laughed the entire time giggling when he got to his neck.
David knew he was ticklish there.
They would be okay.
"Hey, we're not getting paid like a moving company so don't treat us like one. You two can fuck when we're gone but for now come help us with this shit!" Gwen yelled from the living room. Daniel chuckled and David yelled back a solid 'fuck off, we're making out!'
That got him a loud gag in response.
They both laughed, soft and full and lovely, and walked back to the living room. Hand in hand.
-
9066 fucking words.
Appreciate this.