you guys are so so so lucky I wrote this chapter last week otherwise there is no way I could have updated today I've got three back to back exams this coming week and nothing is right with the world

/

Danut Dragomir is weird.

And he's not weird in a subtle way either. He like, flaunts his weirdness. He walks around town with a weird tiny hat, has weird satanic tattoos all over his forearms, and wears gloves and combat boots like, everywhere. He's got this strange sense of humour that no one gets except for Arthur and Niels, and his eyes do this thing where they flash red sometimes and Alfred spent most of the last two years convinced Dani was either possessed or a vampire.

On the other hand, Dani is also actually really nice? He's friendly and helps out with anything anyone asks him too and is the furthest thing from a devil-worshipper ever. If it weren't for the tattoos. And the combat boots. And the iron rings. And the cackling laughter. And the fact that he runs around the woods at night with no adequate explanation.

Dani is weird, and nice, and unpredictable in a kind of uncomfortable way. Because he smiles a lot but like, you never ever know what he's thinking. Alfred's not great at reading people, but he's pretty sure he's seen Dani smile at someone while plotting their murder. He could just tell. Because of the way his eyes were all narrowed and doing that really scary red-eye flashy thing.

Dani is weird, and he can be kind of scary, but his parents and little brother were brutally murdered when he was twelve, and the rest of his family abandoned him, and he ended up living alone in that big empty house when his caretaker ditched him. It makes Alfred feel like an asshole whenever he thinks about how weird Dani is, and he thinks the rest of the town feels the same way, because Dani should have gotten arrested for trespassing on like, at least twelve different occasions, but Chief Beilschmidt always lets him off with only a warning.

Dani is Arthur's very best friend. That's probably the only reason Alfred pays as much attention to him as he does. The two of them were friends before Niels moved here, and he's heard Yao laugh about how much trouble the two of them used to get into before they had Niels's common sense to rein them in. The tattoos on Arthur's back look a lot like the ones on Dani's arms, just like they wear the same kind of metal rings, and Alfred's not entirely convinced they're not in an online cult.

Cult-ish behavior aside, Dani and Arthur are really good friends. He knows that Dani and Niels never left Arthur's side during that maybe-drug-addict-no-one-really-knows-what-the-heck-was-wrong-with-him phase, and stuck by him even after he became a social pariah. He knows that if Arthur's not sleeping on his roof or in the forest he's usually sleeping at Dani's house, and that he's moved most of his clothing and favourite books there. He knows that Arthur and Niels were the only ones that Dani would let get close to him for months after his family was killed, and they've been stuck as a mutually co-dependent trio ever since.

Alfred's pretty sure that Dani knows all of the secrets about Arthur that Alfred doesn't. It stings sometimes, and makes him pout, but they've been friends for a lot longer, and, as Arthur says, are basically brothers.

So as much as Dani is weird, and kind of freaks Alfred out, he's the one he goes to try and make Arthur's birthday party an actual legitimate thing.

Unfortunately, the first thing Dani does is raise an eyebrow and say You realize Arthur hates parties right? and Alfred honestly doesn't know why he thought he'd be any help at all.

Alfred then proceeds to explain that Arthur absolutely has to have a party because he didn't have one for his sweet sixteen and who doesn't have a party for their sweet sixteen and also Arthur is so reclusive and running around the forest naked or whatever the hell it is they do out there is not an adequate method of socializing and he doesn't think Arthur realizes how many people actually like him and want to wish him happy birthday and how is a party awful if it means being surrounded by people who like you and Alfred promises not to invite any of Arthur's asshole siblings and he just really really wants to do something nice for Arthur because not enough people do nice things for Arthur and Arthur deserves nice things because he's kind of perfect.

His mental filter catches up to his mouth way late and Dani's grinning at him, the asshole. Alfred scowls when Dani does that cackling thing, but it fades when the older boy agrees to help, under very specific conditions.

Mostly he just wants to filter the guest list, pick the music, and help plan the itinerary. He also makes Alfred swear to not sneak in any surprises because Arthur is a tender old man with high blood pressure and no one wants to see him explode. He also recommends holding the party at Niels's house, because Tino and Berwald are cool and won't mind, and Arthur will be less likely to bolt if it's in a place he's comfortable with.

Alfred asks why they can't hold it at Dani's house, since it's bigger and also devoid of anyone but himself, and Dani just grins and says he doesn't want to go through the trouble of relocating all the bodies.

Alfred is like, ninety percent sure he's joking. Eighty percent. Thirty percent.

His inevitable freak out is postponed, however, because then Dani's grin fades a little and he looks at Alfred closely, head tilted to the side and eyes narrowed slightly.

"You really like him, don't you,"he says, a statement not a question, with a weird sort of half smile on his face. And okay, Alfred's not stupid, he totally gets what Dani's insinuating, and he turns bright red and splutters that duh, what's not to like platonically? Arthur's cool. Arthur's awesome. He's smart and kind and has really green eyes and also rides horses which automatically makes him superior to everyone else. Pssth. What a dumb question.

Dani's smile only widens, and he laughs a little.

"That's cool. I think it could be a good thing, the two of you," he says with a contemplative look, and before Alfred can ask or deny or splutter anymore Dani's expression turns weirdly serious, and he looks over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to Alfred.

"Just be careful where you say that, yeah?" He continues, attempting to sound casual, but with a weirdly sharp edge in his voice. "Finding out you like Arthur in that way, or that Arthur likes you, could make…some people jealous."

Alfred is pretty sure something like that isn't supposed to sound so threatening but his stomach twists painfully and he scowls, taking an involuntary step back.

"What the hell does that even mean?" He demands, before recoiling with a blush. "N-not that I care or anything, but does Arthur have like, a rabid fanclub? Should I, hypothetically, be concerned about being mauled by preteen girls?"That seems unlikely. Arthur sort of has a bad reputation in town (completely unwarranted) and most people stay away from him. Sometimes girls are drawn in by the rumours of him being a 'rebel bad boy', but they lose interest pretty fast when they find out he sometimes walks around with flowers woven through his hair.

Dani grins, but he looks tense, and his eyes are flickering from side to side cagely. Alfred is about to demand that Dani explain what the hell he's talking about and to stop being so damn vague, but the words freeze in his throat when the other boy's gaze settles on him again. His normally brown irises a burning, blood red.

"Stay out of the forest, Alfred."

And that's it. Dani's turning on his heel and walking away, waving one of his gloved hands in departure. Leaving Alfred standing feeling vaguely terrified and more than a little confused.

Dani is so. fucking. weird.

/

I've got the next five chapters all planned out.
Also, I said before this present storyline takes place March 2013, because I though Arthur's fanon b-day was in March? but some sources say it's in April? Idk man do you guys even care that much since Hima never gave him a definite birthdate.