Breakfast had become odd. Why was he sitting right next to him? They were way too close. He needed to move. Vlad glanced at Daniel as he picked at his food. This was the first time that the boy had ever sat beside him during a meal. The very first time. Generally he preferred to sit on the opposite end of the table. As far away from Vlad as possible. His silver brows furrowed as he looked away from him. It wasn't that he didn't want him to, it was just, well it wasn't right.
He focused back on his food, chiding himself mentally for being so startled. So what if the boy wanted to sit beside him during a meal? Daniel must feel bad for attacking him. With a soft sigh, Vlad forced himself to eat properly. Just because their knees were hitting each other under the table didn't mean... oh pineapple cake. It was as if the boy was making sure to have some part of their bodies touching. And he kept scooting closer throughout the meal.
Soon their thighs were flush together, leaving no room for movement on Vlad's part. He cleared his throat awkwardly. Maybe the boy didn't realize what he was doing. "Vlad." He blinked and sat up right, only just realizing he had been slouching into the touch. Daniel was looking right up at him with his big beautiful eyes. No no, no they were not beautiful. Stop thinking like that. Stop taking advantage of the poor thing. Oh. Right, he was supposed to respond. That's what his little badger was expecting.
"Yes, my dear boy?" Oh, why was he looking at him like that? This was so unfair. Did he even know how hard it was not to be touching him all the time? Not just his hands anymore, even. He wanted to touch... well to touch everything. And when he looked at him like that, Vlad just wanted to snatch him up and kiss him. All he wanted to do was act like nothing had ever happened. That was better for the boy. He would even give up on having Daniel learn the piano.
Danny looked up at him through his lashes, wanting to be even closer to him. He was embarrassed really. It was embarrassing to want to be so close to him. It was just, he could actually feel Vlad. He could feel his warmth and his heartbeat and he knew. He knew that he was real and sitting right there beside him. He wanted to be touching him so much that he even said, "Can you show me how to play the piano again? I really want to learn how." The look he got in response was laughable. Who knew someone's jaw could drop that much?
After a long moment of silence, Danny got worried. Was the request too much? Vlad hadn't been as careful about his hands lately, maybe asking to play would cause him to get weird again. What if he yelled at him for asking? Oh my God what have I done? I'm so stupid, Jesus fucking Christ I'm an idiot. He still wasn't answering. Should he take it back? Should he play it off and say he was joking? No, no that would probably hurt his feelings. "You're gonna catch flies that way," he couldn't hold back the small chuckle.
Right, because teasing would make everything better. Good fucking job Danny. Vlad quickly shut his mouth and blushed. Actually blushed. What happened to not forgiving him? It was hard to remember when they were this close. Was he leaning in closer? What the hell Danny? Stop, dammit stop. Why was he doing this? It was just, he was so warm, so solid. He wouldn't just disappear into thin air. He would stay right here with Danny.
Vlad's eyes dropped to the hand on his thigh. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat, loudly this time. This was getting incredibly and awkwardly intense. Did the boy really have to suggest playing the piano? Right after he had decided on giving the idea up? Daniel was so close, getting closer and closer with every second of silence. This was truly unfair. What kind of hell had Vlad awoken in?
"If you would like to, then we can. It's your decision my boy. I don't mind teaching you in the least, although I'm not a very good teacher." Daniel seemed to like that answer, but he didn't move. Their eyes caught on each other, making it impossible for Vlad to look away. Why was he so close? The boy was so warm, it felt like he was burning up. Maybe he had a fever of some sort. That could explain his increasingly odd behavior. Why hadn't he caught it yet? They had shared a bed the night before...
Without realizing it, both had moved in close. Daniel's eyes were closed, why were they closed? No, if Vlad kissed him now it would just be wrong. He couldn't. He wasn't going to break this sudden trust that they had. Everything would go sour. He quickly pulled away, causing the boy to slip and fall a little. He quickly caught himself and his face burned a fiery crimson. Why was he so cute? Vlad coughed into his fist, trying to hide his own pink cheeks.
Danny quickly righted himself and turned away, willing his heart to slow down. What the hell was that? What the fuck? We almost, why the hell did we almost... Oh my God Danny you were about to kiss a seriously fucking creepy old man. No, remember what we decided? We decided we were going to hate him. He can't touch us, remember? He fucking molested us. Who's talking? Why are you talking to me? Why are you in my brain? Get out, get out right now!
A flicker of pain formed behind his eye and he bit his lip. No, he really didn't want one of these headaches right now. He didn't want to deal with it. Danny literally couldn't deal with it, and all of his emotions were just swarming up inside him like an angry hive of bees. He was going to have a break down and Vlad already mentioned the therapist to him and he just couldn't. He couldn't. He slowed his breathing, trying to focus on Vlad straightening himself up. Maybe if he just pressed on his eye, it wouldn't hurt so bad.
He dug his thumb into his eye, sighing at the slight relief of pressure. He could do this, don't freak out. He just had to stay calm and he would be fine and Vlad wouldn't think he was crazy. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten so much. His stomach turned, and he inhaled sharply. He had to calm down. The world felt like it was melting around him and he was going to fall through the floor. He was going to fall through the floor and no one would catch him and he'd be lost in an infinite space. He'd be lost forever and, and-. Then a large hand landed on his shoulder, effectively pulling him from the void.
The boy was hyperventilating. Again. Vlad frowned as he rubbed slow circles into Daniel's tense muscles. He began to slow his breathing, relaxing into his touch. Maybe he didn't need a therapist, maybe he needed an actual doctor. One that could see what was going on up there. "Daniel, would you still like to play? Is that what's bothering you?" He shook his head weakly, then stiffened under his touch yet again. He quickly jerked away from Vlad and glared up at him.
"Don't touch me. You don't deserve to touch me." Daniel quickly stood up and made sure to keep away. What? What had just happened? Vlad thought... he didn't know what he thought. He sighed softly and stepped away, making sure to give the boy his space. "Yeah, sure I guess. Just make sure you don't get too close." He frowned and he stared at him, opening his mouth and then quickly closing it again. Don't fight him. Maybe he should take him to the doctor, sooner than later. These mood swings were getting a little frustrating.
Vlad made his way to the small washroom, expecting Daniel to follow. He had been less worried about cleaning his hands, putting majority of his attention onto the boy. But after a meal, he felt the need to wash. It was just right to take that precaution. It made him feel less dirty.
He waited by the door, his eyes following the boy. He was stumbling pretty badly. How long had he been doing that? His brow furrowed as he thought back to this morning. Daniel had trouble walking then too, although Vlad had attributed it to being tired and upset. He was struggling with putting his feet down properly, his eyes narrowed and focused on his toes.
With a quiet growl, Danny gave up on trying to walk straight. Fucking whatever. He was fine. So what if his balance was off? That didn't matter. It wasn't that bad. He finally made it to the door and pressed his hand against it. Motherfucker wasn't going to disappear this time. "Will you be fine in here if I go to the other one? I'll be back in a jiffy."Did he really just say jiffy? If Danny wasn't so angry, he would laugh. He shrugged and opened the door, shutting it quickly behind him.
He leaned up against the door and breathed in deeply. Breathed out. Footsteps leading away. It took him a second to reorient himself. He slowly pushed himself back up and walked to the sink, turning the water freezing cold. Maybe it would wake him up. Just, stupid fucking Vlad, getting too damn close to him. Danny groaned and pressed his head against the glass. His head hurt so bad. Why wouldn't it stop hurting?
That man from the night before. He must have put something in there. He put something in his brain and that's why he was dizzy. That's why he was so angry. It was all his damn fault. Danny groaned weakly and sighed, closing his eyes. If he was dead, none of this would be happening. Maybe that's what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to die. That's why the man visited him. That's why the beast was waiting outside for him. That's why the world wanted to melt away. Because he wasn't supposed to be alive.
That's it. Danny looked up and grinned at himself in the mirror. That's what he had to do. He had to die. Why hadn't he realized that before? It'd be easier for Vlad if he was dead. He wouldn't have to worry about feeding him or dealing with his nightmares. His life would be clean and smooth. And Danny didn't have any family or friends to deal with missing him. Because they were all dead. He was supposed to die with them. But what if I don't want to die? Vlad said we deserved to live. No, Vlad's a liar. A goddamn liar and you can't trust him.
Danny splashed cold water up onto his face, trying to gain control of his roiling thoughts and emotions. What was he thinking? He was confusing even himself. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, just wanting to sleep. He hated sleeping, he just had nightmares. Sleeping, however, was the only thing he could do. "Die..." His head shot up, eyes narrowing. Who the fuck was messing with him? His head whipped around, looking for the source of the quiet chattering in his ear. No one, it was just him.
Grumbling softly to himself, he scrubbed his hands under the ice cold water. Wake up, he needed to wake up. He was still in his room, he was just in a nightmare that wouldn't end. His parents and sister and friends were still alive. His mom and dad were in the lab and his sister was studying. Wake up wake up wake up wake up. He kept whispering it to himself, drying off his now red fingers. This was a dream. Vlad was a dream.
Vlad started to open the door, his fingers struggling to tighten on the knob. He paused when he heard whispering. With a frown, he placed his ear to the wood and tried to listen. Who was in there with Daniel? Was he alright? "Die die die die die die die die... Just do it..." Vlad choked back a confused noise, his eyes widening. Then there was a conflicted groan and the constant repeat of wake up. Whoever was in there was about to be fired. He knocked loudly, scowling.
He blinked when Daniel opened the door, his face white as a sheet. "Daniel, who was in there with you? Are you alright?" Vlad tried to peek in, but was quickly shoved back. Butter biscuits, what was wrong with him? "Little badger, what on earth has gotten into you?" Silence. A glare. They had been getting along so well. Daniel had actually been wanting his attention. They had slept together. They had kissed without the boy getting angry.
"None of your business. Let's go. I want to get this over with. I fucking hate your piano," the boy stormed off and down the hall. Leaving Vlad behind in a state of awe. He followed silently, watching as Daniel staggered and used the wall as a crutch. The boy kept reaching up and tugging on his hair, whimpering quietly. He didn't have to play. He didn't even want his little badger to play it.
He reached out and gently grabbed him by the shoulder. "Daniel, you don't have to go there. I don't mind. We can do something else. Maybe you want to go out into town? Would you like that? You need new clothes, you can't just wear my clothes from when I was in college." He stiffened from the touch, then paused. Vlad bit back a shout when Daniel flung at him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. He looked down, his cobalt eyes showing confusion.
Why was he crying again? Danny clung to Vlad and he was filled with an overwhelming amount of pain. He wanted to play the piano, he wanted to make Vlad happy. Why was he so upset? Was he mad? No, Vlad hadn't been mad at him. He had been mad at Vlad. Why? "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry... sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry..." He couldn't see how disturbed Vlad was. He couldn't see the look of fear on his face.
A hand gently caressed the back of his head and held him there to Vlad's chest. Another hand rubbed his back. He was embarrassed. He didn't want to be a burden for this man. This is why he needed to die. All he did was cause trouble. "Don't be sorry little badger...," his voice was strained and filled with something. Danny couldn't hear. He shook his head violently and his whole body trembled. "There's no reason for you to be sorry. You've done nothing wrong my dear boy..." Shaky rough fingers gently rubbed his ear lobe.
"I'll get someone to drive us to the mall. We can have a little shopping spree." He was already leading him to the garage, his arm around his shoulders. When had they started moving? "Does that sound good?" Soft whispering filled Danny's head and he started to cling to his side. No, he was just giving the driver some directions. "You haven't been out in over three weeks. The fresh air will help." Someone was zipping up his jacket for him, and he was being helped into a seat.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The beast and the man couldn't follow him all the way out into town. Vlad would protect him. He'd be kept safe. Vlad was right, he just needed some fresh air and some sunlight.