Took me long enough to find a song for him...

Summary: You fell quickly into step alongside them, finding it easy to take on the Niwa name and become a part of their family and their life. You could keep their secrets, and the night a certain redhead came home dripping wet and dressed in full black-out gear you found you had to keep a few secrets for them.

Pairing: Daisuke Niwa/Reader

I can't say that everything's okay
'Cause I can see the tears you're crying
And I can't promise to take the pain away
But you can know I won't stop trying...

For a long time, long before you finally found someone that loved you and wanted to look after you, you had thought that it couldn't get much worse than being a foster child. Going from home to home, and having all of them find something about you that they didn't like so they could send you back without feeling guilty, was the worst feeling in the world. You were a ghost in the lives of the people who took you in for only a little while before pushing you back out into the cold again, and you couldn't stand it.

But then there had been the sweet woman with kind eyes and the house that was warm for more reasons than one, and you decided you could live like this. Somewhere you were welcomed and loved, and where no one judged you by the way you spoke or dressed or carried yourself. They were your family, now, and you were theirs as well.

You fell quickly into step alongside them, finding it easy to take on the Niwa name and become a part of their family and their life. You could keep their secrets, and the night a certain redhead came home dripping wet and dressed in full black-out gear you found you had to keep a few secrets for them.

But they were worth it. They were worth every second of dodging questions and trying to keep your mouth shut, worth all the trouble you had to keep Daisuke out of and all the situations you had to tug him gently out of in order to keep his secret safe. They were worth whatever the universe decided to throw your way because you finally felt at home, and there was nothing that was going to change that, if you could help it.

And they could keep your secrets too. All the pain you'd felt over the years, all the rejection and despair, all the emotions you'd held in in order to keep up a brave face and pretend everything was alright. They could listen and not judge, hold you tight and tell you it would be alright, because everything works out eventually, and this would to.

This was your home now, and no one was going to take that from you.

I'll be the angel by your side
I will get you through the night
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own
'Cause when you're down and out of time
And you think you've lost the fight
Let me be the angel
The angel by your side...

It had started out slowly at first, just little things that you barely even noticed, but still there if you looked closely enough. You would have thought them silly, if they'd been coming from anyone other than him.

Daisuke was a klutz by nature, you knew all too well, and you'd always stepped in to help him with chores around the house and with clean up at school. You tried not to leave him alone, in case something went wrong and he needed to make a quick get away, but you noticed that he also tended to hang around you as well. It wouldn't have ever registered, either, if he hadn't pulled your chair out for you, held doors open, or helped you with your books. You would have dismissed his presences entirely if it hadn't been for what he did when he was around you.

And when you said thanks for the first time he'd gone the most adorable shade of pink, dipped his head and mumbled something about it not being a big deal. But it was. And you both knew that.

You'd gone so long not having anyone care about you that this sudden turnaround from a boy your age came as a pleasant surprise. Daisuke was caring by nature; always trying to help out even when he didn't need to, and it sort of made sense in your mind that he'd try to help you as well.

So you thought nothing of it, pushing his kindness to the back of your mind to be puzzled over later when he was out on a job with Dark, or studying late in his room right down the hall from you.

It was just Daisuke being Daisuke, after all, and there was nothing to be thought of it other than how nice it was to have someone care about you like that. And whenever the topic arose, either with your new family or friends, you shrugged it off and changed topics, because some small part of you wanted to keep his kind acts a secret from the rest of the world.

It was childish and foolish, and you knew it, but you couldn't help feeling a little special for how he treated you, and you wanted to keep that feeling to yourself.

I know it feels like you're running out of faith
'Cause it's so hard to keep believing
But if I can bring a smile back to your face
If for a moment, you'll forget all about it...

It had taken you less than a year to fully integrate into the Niwa family, and by the time your anniversary of arrival had rolled back around, you'd found yourself falling asleep to thoughts of the redhead down the hall from you, and you felt guilty for it.

No one else had ever affected you the way he did, and something in the pit of your stomach churned at the thought that maybe he wouldn't feel the same way, or worse, that he'd be angry over it. As rare and foreign of an emotion as anger was the to the teen, you knew it wasn't unheard of, and the thought that you might be the one to evoke it sent fear skittering down your spine. The last thing you wanted to do was make him angry, and so you kept your feelings to yourself.

At least, you did until one night you woke up to a hand on your shoulder and a cloud of purple hair filling your vision.

"Easy, easy, I just wanna talk," Dark had laughed when you tried to push him away, easily over-powering you, "I want to do this now, while he's sleeping in here." He lightly pressed your hand to his chest and you felt a steady heartbeat under your fingers. "You know how this works, right? The two of us?"

You'd nodded absently, aware of the basics from talks with Daisuke when you'd meant to be studying but had gotten sidetracked.

"Well I think it's about time someone tells you that his trigger has changed," he grinned, "and since he's way too shy to say it himself, I figured I should let you know." His smirk faded and he frowned slightly. "And I know you like him back, so just tell him already. I can deal with sleeping for a few years before you have a son."

You'd felt the heat flood your face as that smirk reappeared before the purple hair faded back into red, and his whole frame shrank down into the proper size. The heartbeat beneath your fingertips started to pound as Daisuke opened his eyes and saw you, a blush of his own spreading across his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, probably an explanation and apology all wrapped up in one, but you tugged him down into a hug before a single syllable could slip past his lips.

"I know." You whispered into his ear. "And I love you too."

He shifted enough to press a gentle kiss to your cheek before he let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "One of these days, I'm going to murder that big-mouthed angel."

You grinned.

'Cause this won't be the last time
You'll need a little hope
But I want to be the first to let you know...

I love the idea of Dark deciding to take matters into his own hands and spilling the proverbial beans. XD

The song "Angel By Your Side" belongs to: Francesca Battistelli

DNAngel and its related characters belong to: Yukiru Sugisaki