This is the first in a series of five chapters. Each chapter will feature one of the characters. The exception will be Jon, as he doesn't really see time the way every one else does, and probably doesn't perceive night. If I do come up with something for him, it'll be the very last chapter. But in the meantime, enjoy.
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He quietly slipped through the window and landed lightly on the floor. He shut the window and locked it. He'd have to talk to Daniel about leaving windows unlocked. He moved toward the stairs, keeping an ear out for any sounds that indicated that Daniel was awake. He slowly made his way up; stepping only on the edge of each step to avoid squeaking. He didn't want to wake Daniel. Didn't want to have to explain why he was in his partner's house during "off hours".
He opened the bedroom door just enough to slip through. Daniel was still asleep, lying on his stomach, face turned toward him. He looked so peaceful sleeping. Walter vaguely wondered if he looked that peaceful when he slept. Somehow, he doubted it. He crept closer to the bed, his footfalls softened by the carpet. He took off his mask and stared down at the sleeping man. He knew it was dangerous to make himself this exposed, but it was dark in the room. If Daniel woke, there would be enough time to get the mask back on before Daniel could turn the light on.
Walter looked around the room. Street lights bleeding in from around the curtains lightened the room just enough to make out some things. It was a much nicer room than his, but that was hardly surprising. Daniel had money and this place had been left to him by his parents. He didn't begrudge Daniel his fortunate life because Daniel never lorded it over him. Daniel was humble and didn't think he was better than anyone else. And most importantly, he didn't give into the hedonistic lifestyle of other people born into money.
He looked back down at Daniel. Daniel. For the three or four months they had been working together he had only been Nite Owl. Then a couple of weeks ago, when they had arrived back at the Owlnest, Nite Owl took his cowl off and said his name was Daniel Dreiberg. "But you can called me 'Dan' if you like." He didn't know what to make of that, or the hand that had been offered. So instead, he had rebuked him for compromising his identity. The smile dropped and he was surprised that it caused a tightness in his chest. He felt uncomfortable to have caused Daniel (No! Nite Owl!) pain. He felt shaken by the look of hurt in Daniel (Nite Owl!)'s eyes. Confused and frightened by this feeling, he turned on his heel and all but ran down the tunnel. He didn't come back. Till now.
Walter squatted down next to the bed, arms folded over his knees. He rested his chin on his arms and looked up at Daniel(he couldn't think of him as anything but "Daniel" now). He swore that he wouldn't come back here. But Walter couldn't stay away. There had been strong ache in his chest that drove him to return. He really didn't understand this feeling. It wasn't lust. He was familiar enough with it to know that what he felt wasn't something physical. It was something deeper. It was a need. But a need for what? Again, nothing physical. He hated being touched. Touching meant lust. Touching meant pain. No, this need was something different.
His eyes drifted away from the sleeping figure as he thought back to that night, seeing if the answer was there. He remembered the smile as Daniel revealed himself. It was a genuine smile. A smile that was echoed in his warm, brown eyes. Like my own, but softer. Most people's smiles never reached their eyes when they looked at Walter. They only gave fake smiles, if they smiled at all. This was the first time someone actually smiled at Walter. It gave him a strange feeling inside. Warm, as if someone had pressed a hot water bottle against his chest. Why did he feel that way simply because Daniel smiled at him?
Well, he should be honest with himself. Daniel wasn't smiling at Walter. He was smiling at Rorschach. He doubted Daniel would like Walter. Walter was weak, ugly, contaminated. But Rorschach was strong, unafraid, free from the vices of the world. But even then, Daniel was better than him. Daniel was pure and good. He was naïve and innocent. He was trusting. He was...well, everything that Walter/Rorschach was not.
Maybe that was it. Daniel was a good man with a pure heart. Unlike the other masks that he had been hearing about, Daniel wasn't in it for the media attention. Like Rorschach, he wanted to help the weak. Protect those who couldn't protect themselves, and punish those who needed to be punished. That was what first drew him to Nite Owl and made him become his partner. But now it was something more, something stronger that kept him by this man's side.
He stood and once again stared down at the sleeping man. He suddenly wondered if his skin was soft. Daniel had the soft heart of a child, surely his skin had the same softness. He took off a glove and reached out. His fingers hovered over Daniel's cheek, slowly tracing their way along his jaw. But he didn't touch Daniel. He couldn't. For one thing, he knew that would wake Daniel. And for another, he could never touch Daniel with his ungloved hands. With Walter's filthy hands. To touch something so pure, so innocent, would be to corrupt it. And he couldn't bear the thought of sullying Daniel. Though a small part of him wondered if touching something pure would purify him. If touching Daniel would wipe his own soul clean.
He pulled his hand back sharply to keep from giving into the temptation. To further keep the urge at bay, he yanked the glove back onto his hand and pulled the mask back over his head. Shaken, he took deep, steady breaths. He could see the colors of the mask swirling frantically. He didn't know why his heart was beating so hard against his ribs. For a moment, he had the irrational fear that Daniel would hear his heart pounding.
He softly backed away from the bed and slipped through the door, quietly closing it behind him. He retreated down the stairs, once again only stepping on the edges. He unlocked the window and crawled back out, dropping lightly to the ground. He stepped back and looked up at the bedroom window. He could still feel the ache in his chest, but it was much less than it had been over the last couple of weeks. Seeing Daniel again eased him and he felt strangely lighter.
He still didn't understand why he needed Daniel. He only knew that the need he felt was vile. Even if it wasn't a physical need, it was wrong. Need came from weakness and he couldn't afford to be weak. Weak got you killed. He had never needed anyone, not since he was a small child. This need for Daniel terrified and disgusted him, but he couldn't walk away. He couldn't leave the one person who had become the most important thing in his life. It would take something much stronger than he was to drive him away. Only betrayal could make him leave, and Daniel would surely never betray him.