Comradery

There are way too many fluffy slash manga moments I could do with this. Resisting temptation. As it is, relationship's moving faster than I wanted it to.

Sorry this took a bit longer. Finite mathematics exam + statistics exam = less than four hours of sleep per night for studying. D8 I hate math so much… then we got a really bad storm and the Internet went out. Huzzah.

I'm starting to get behind. Oh noes.


Chapter 4

"…you're not my dad! Stop trying to be!"

I stayed up most of the night after that confrontation. Sitting on the couch, staring at the muted television, I thought about it over and over again. Daniel had talked to that Samantha girl he hung around with back in high school. After that, he threw a tantrum. From what I surmised, she was dating somebody else and Daniel was jealous. Frankly, I'd assumed that they were dating long-distance when I arrived. Apparently I was wrong. And now the boy was shut up in his room, throwing a fit.

It wasn't my intention to try and be a parent when I went to talk to him. I merely wanted to give him the option of letting it out. I had been through a similar situation around his age. But I'd forgotten that people Daniel's age are not interested in hearing about other people's experiences. Simply put, due to their own pride, their problems can only be solved by themselves. I had that same stubborn foolhardy at that age. He just needed some time to himself.

It wasn't that I wanted to be his father. Years ago, I would have loved for him to accept me as such a figure. But now it seemed wrong. I just wanted to be his… friend? Was that the right word? I didn't know anymore. I realized a while ago that when things concerned this boy, I had to plan for the unexpected. He was the one pawn that never went according to the plans.

And now, I was confused about him. I used to want him as a son. But now he was older. Somehow that made a difference.

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

Daniel was not a child anymore. That was what had surprised me the most. He had grown a great deal, physically and mentally. He was taller, now. He had definition in his muscles. His frame was no longer that of an awkward teenager trying to make fit of his own body. He looked comfortable in his own skin. He was an adult.

The boy was a paradox unto me. I had expected him to kick me out the moment I arrived. But rather than act purely on his emotions, he let me stay. He had done a great deal of growing up. Despite this, however, he was still Jack and Maddie's son, young enough to be my own child. Because of this, it was hard for me to think of him as an adult, and surprising when he acted with maturity. This tantrum of his, however, was a throwback to those older days. He must have hurt. I remembered being in those shoes. I couldn't claim to know exactly what he was feeling, but I was probably the closest of everyone else to it. I had loved Maddie; I still did. But resignation set in and I found that I could live without needing her. I think that was the hardest part of it: realizing that I did not need her like I had thought.

Instead, this boy filled a void that I didn't even know existed. He was my rival, the good to my evil ways. Without him, that year of my life would have been exactly like the twenty before that. And without him, I wouldn't have been able to come to terms with myself.

And here we were again, meeting through my own instigation. I had thought out all other possibilities. I couldn't bear to stay on the run any longer. I was tired. And of all places I could go, this place felt like the best choice. I knew that Daniel would seek solitude from the life he previously had. I knew that he would go to a place where he could be normal. And if he could return to normalcy, I could as well. It was by some sick, twisted master's hand that I would feel most comfortable with Daniel. And that was how I felt: comfortable. It almost felt like when Jack and I had roomed together, and a couple of times I forgot just how old I'd gotten. I enjoyed the banter that we shared this day. The old nicknames and childish quips even felt refreshing to hear. I had only been with him for twenty-four hours, but I had felt a belonging that I had never felt before.

I'd long ago realized that I was as much a pawn in some chess master's greater game as Daniel was. I could fight all I wanted against the idea of fate, but it was by some design that our paths would be so entangled.

So did I really want him as a son anymore? Not really. I knew that I would never have a happy family like I'd wanted. As a comrade, as an equal on the battlefield? I had no more battles, no more ambitions to fight. Then what?

It bothered me that I couldn't figure it out. Things had been so laid out, what relationship I wanted with him, his mother, and sister. Now things were getting more complex. I didn't have every one of my emotions mapped out. There was an intensity to my need for this comfort I'd found. It was becoming something that I would fight to keep, need be.

It was this unnamed desperation that was beginning to scare me.

::::

I didn't know what to expect when I woke up that morning. I shuffled out of my room, brain numb from the night before. I saw Vlad right away, asleep sitting up on the couch.

His face looked so unguarded. It was a side of Vlad I had never seen. He looked relaxed.

I gave a deep sigh. Apologizing would be awkward. They always were.

I took a full inventory on what was in the pantry and refrigerator. We were going to have bacon and eggs for breakfast, judging from my ability to identify things in stock. At this rate, we were probably going to run out of eggs soon.

He woke up as the bacon started smelling good. "I smell food."

"Genius," I snorted as he got up to see what I was doing. "I'm attempting breakfast. Hopefully it'll be edible. I've never done this."

"It looks fine," he commented, checking my handiwork. His hair was still a mess from sleeping. "But the edges of the eggs are starting to brown. Watch them."

I gave the sunny-side up eggs a few more seconds before scooping them with the spatula and putting them on the two plates. I liked mine with the yolks runny. Vlad didn't say anything to object.

The bacon was starting to crisp, but was still juicy. It was probably time to take those off the pan.

I hadn't realized how close Vlad was behind me until some grease jumped off the pan and landed on my hand. I'd barely gasped as the hot liquid burned me before he grabbed my wrist and shoved my hand under the faucet.

My face heated up. That was pretty embarrassing of a situation.

"Ignore me, save the food."

Scoffing, he probably figured that I wasn't mortally wounded. "It'll probably just be red for a little while," he said as he separated the bacon onto the plates.

I turned off the water and wiped my wet hand on my shirt. It stung a little, but wasn't anything serious. Now or never, Danny. "Look, Vlad, I'm sorry for yelling at you. You didn't deserve it." I was about to elaborate on how childish I'd been, but he interrupted me.

"It's quite alright, Badger," he replied simply.

I couldn't help but to smile a little.

::::

Awkward situation over, and my chest feeling a bit lighter, I went back to homework. Third time's the charm, after all. Granted, bad things tended to happen every time I tried to complete it. Vlad, Sam… what, were my parents going to suddenly burst in the door as a surprise visit?

I didn't want to think about that.

I banged my pencil against the table, staring at the sheets of paper. For some reason, my scratch work didn't look like the example problems in the textbook. I thought for a couple seconds and jotted something down on the last problem I worked on. Thinking a few more seconds, I erased the entire thing. That was a step in the opposite direction.

"Do you need help?" Vlad was looking over my shoulder, kind of reminding me of Jazz. She had the habit of watching me study. It was kind of annoying, no matter who did it.

"You want to do my homework?" I was only half-joking.

He frowned. "I'm not going to do your homework. But I can tutor you."

Huh? "You can?" I put the pencil down and stared at him. The pencil was chewed up near the eraser. There was probably more drool than eraser on it.

He sat across from me. "Sure, just let me review over it. It's been a few years." Yeah, because dinosaurs roamed and parachute pants were in style a few years ago.

My foot tapped out a tune while he glanced over the textbook pages. "Why are you helping me, anyway?" It was just curiosity. I couldn't see why my grades really concerned him.

"Perhaps because you're letting me stay with you in your apartment and I'm grateful?" There was still a condescending tone in his voice. He saw me narrow my eyes. "Habit," he answered. Fine, I'd let it slide this time. "I could turn the question back at you, though. Why are you helping me?"

I didn't like how good he was at turning the tables. Suddenly I was the one at a loss for words. Stupid Vlad.

"Okay, which problems are you having trouble with?"

"Problem one."

He held in a groan. Something told me that he regretted offering his help.

To his credit, he worked slowly with me. We started with simple linear depreciation (which I kind of remembered from high school). I remembered that whole 'y = mx + b' formula, but had no idea what it meant. I never cared. But I had to hand it to him: the guy could be patient if he wanted to. Granted I'd never seen him try to be patient before.

"I'll work through problem two with you."

"But that's not one of the assigned problems."

"I know. But I'm using it to show you how to do it. I want you to be able to do the actual assigned problems on your own."

I slumped against the table. "It'd be easier if you did it."

"It probably would," he replied, "but I can't exactly do your exams for you, can I?"

A smile came on my face. "Well, actually-" His disapproving frown shut me up. "You know, back in high school, you would have loved if I asked you to help me cheat on an exam."

"Yes, but things have changed drastically since then. My goals back then were to turn you into a willingly evil little son and apprentice."

"What are your goals now?" I asked lightly.

"To live," he put simply. "I want to be able to live in peace."

That put a damper on my mood.

"Now here, you need to define your variables."

I sat down and concentrated on the math problems. After a couple of attempts, I got the second problem right. Then to the assigned first problem. This was tedious. Math was tedious. There was only one right answer, and if you screwed up anywhere along the way, even the smallest detail, there was no saving it. Everything had to be perfect. But despite this, somehow, I was starting to get it. I didn't want to think that it was because Vlad was teaching me. But he was unhurried about it, waiting and making sure that I understood before moving on. It was admittedly better than the impersonal droning atmosphere of the classroom. No one wanted to stand out, and no one wanted to stay late, so no one asked the teacher to go over things again.

"You got it right," Vlad smiled. "I must be a genius to teach you math."

"Shut up! I'd get on my own if I tried." I pulled the book closer and started on the next problem. It was a variation on the same formula used in the first. Come on Danny, just slow down and think it out. You did one just like it.

It continued like that for about an hour. I did the problems slowly, and if I had questions, Vlad would walk me through to find the answers. When I came to newer material, he would teach me how to do it.

It really was weird having someone teach me like this. My family had been pretty hands-off about helping me with my homework. Mom and Dad were always busy with their research and inventions when I was younger, and Jazz was convinced that if I didn't learn all of it on my own, I wouldn't get anywhere. Sam and Tucker were usually in the same situation I was in. And when they did know something enough to teach me, we usually got distracted somehow.

This was kind of what Vlad wanted from me back then, wasn't it? Except completely different. He wanted to take me under his wing and teach me. In a way, he was. For a moment, I wondered if this was part of some extensive, manipulative plan of his. Was he just getting me to trust him?

He sincerely looked proud when I finished the work. It was probably a first for him, to be proud of someone else. I really didn't think this was some fiendish plot. I wouldn't have put it past the 'him' of four years ago, to go through all these motions for a plan. But I didn't think that was the case this time. Maybe it was how weak and tired he looked just a couple of days ago, when he first got here. Maybe it was the way he opened up, didn't act like a paranoid nut job.

Celebratory lunch for me actually learning was instant ramen. Back to the non-perishable foods. I kind of missed the good food, but this was fine. It felt normal. Except for Vlad being there. That still felt off. But I guess not in a bad way.

My entire view of him was changing. Even the 'him' of four years ago seemed much more human, now. I'd grown up and was willing to accept that he could change. I was willing to accept that I was changing, too.

"Daniel, can we go to the campus library?"

I stared at him. Libraries and I never got along. Too many books. "I guess. Why?"

"Because, frankly, while you're in class I'm pretty much stuck here. Though I suppose I could look for a job."

"Yeah, that's something we need to talk about sometime. But sure, we can go." I felt like I needed to go out a little, anyway. Walk off breakfast and lunch. "It's across campus. Walk or fly?"

He paused for a second. "I really wouldn't mind walking."

"Let's go, then." I got up and stretched. Life was definitely less boring with him here. Time moved a little quicker, almost. I had someone to talk to, and the apartment didn't seem so isolated.

I gave Vlad a mini tour of what I knew. The apartment was off in one of the corners of the campus. I didn't really know much about the buildings around that area. Most of my classes were in a different part of campus. "That's the psychology building, I think, and the one next to it is the English building," I pointed to the respective buildings. I had class in the English one. "Over there's the… I think it's history? And way over that way are the math and science buildings." There were several science buildings. I'd stared at a campus map for almost fifteen minutes, looking for the correct place my biology class was in before finding it. But I wasn't going to tell him that. Tucker and Sam already called me 'clueless' enough. For whatever reason.

"And there's the library!" I was happy when it finally came into view. It was humid. "The building on the other side of it has a lot of fast food places."

"And you would know that," he commented.

I nodded. "Yes, I would. Growing boy's got to eat, you know."

His eyes rolled upwards.

The library, usually pretty chilly, was warmer than the outside. Temperatures had been in the 90's when I started school back in August. Now it was probably in the 60's somewhere. People were bundled up in layers. Personally, I felt fine. I didn't know why everyone thought it was so cold. Winter in Amity Park had snow. This was nothing.

Vlad's eyes were wandering as we climbed the steps from the entrance hall to the lobby. I knew where the computer lab was. That was about it. I found the map of the library and stared at it. I had no idea where he wanted to go. I just hoped it wouldn't take as long as shopping had. At least then I had things to look at. Books were boring.

He looked at the map quickly, pointed somewhere, and started walking. I followed him up the spiraled stairs to the second floor. He paused for a few seconds to check the words on the ends of the shelves. We were in classic literature. I guessed he had a particular book in mind. That was how we spent the better part of half an hour.

"Why did I need to come with you?"

"Aside from the fact that I didn't know where the library was? I assume that I need a student card to check books out. And as I am not a student, that's where you come in."

"Glad to be useful."

He handed his collection of books to me as we neared the counter. I caught titles like "Crime and Punishment" and something by Mark Twain. What kind of person read books like those? I mean, besides old bachelors who used to live alone with their cat.

The man at the counter looked at me strangely when I put the books down and fumbled for my student ID. It was probably obvious that the books weren't for me.

::::

That night, after dinner was done and over with, and after my phone call from home (I had to warn Vlad to stay very quiet before I answered the phone), I got to get back on my computer and finally email Tucker back. Vlad was, dare I say, curled up on my couch with his behemoth of a book. The blanket I'd used the first night he arrived was carelessly on his lap. The only sounds were my typing and muttering, and his occasional page flips. The situation should have been more uncomfortable than it was. It was weird, I could admit that fully. But I wasn't tense, and this silence wasn't awkward. We were closer than I'd ever imagined we'd be. Closer was a weird word to describe it, but comfortable sounded stranger. I supposed the possible permanence of the situation was setting in. Was it really permanent?

"Hey Vlad, you were talking about getting a job earlier?"

"Of course, Daniel," he shut the book and looked over at me. "I imagine I should help pay for the bills and all."

Obviously. "What kind of job were you going to get?" What kind of job could he do?

"I'm not really sure, to tell the truth. I can't get a job in association with the school without being a student or a background check, so that rules out most on-campus jobs. I'll have to look around, maybe work retail." I couldn't imagine that. "Anything would be better than working at a fast food restaurant, like back in college."

That, I snickered at.

He frowned a little. "Where do you work, then?"

"Campus bookstore. Mostly stocking shelves and random odd jobs."

"Hn," he answered simply.

I paused a bit, wondering how to ask this next part. "If we… well, my lease with this room ends after June. If we save up enough money, how about moving into a two-bedroom?" My stomach fell when the words came out. It just sounded odd. Me and Vlad, talking about moving into a bigger apartment.

We were really doing this, weren't we? I'd put this off as long as I could, but it needed to be addressed. We, yes, we were starting to plan for the future. Together. I didn't want to think about how this would affect me later on. What about when my parents found out, like I knew they would? How about after I finished college? Would there ever be a time when he could live as himself without worry or fear of being found?

"That would be nice."

Again, a really simple answer to a question with so many meanings and layers to it that it made an onion seem shallow. But I had to agree. A two-bedroom would be nice.


Writing Vlad feels difficult. I tried to make him more verbose than Danny. Because he really is. And intelligent, with bigger words and longer phrases. And metaphors. Or whatever they are. And while writing as Danny, I break grammatical rules that I normally adhere to very strictly. Blargh.

Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite books ever. Take that.

Four chapters to cover three days. What.