(plays before the previously posted 'Names and Deals')

(could be counted as DannyMay2021 Day 21, Teeth - I had this idea before, and like the half of it back then, but only now managed to finish it)

Dan folded the ironed over clothes and aimed to separate them to each room. It sounded ridiculous but such 'human' things like that made him almost feel normal against everything. And well, he had to occupy himself while Dani was out in school or with friends. And at least while he was doing chores, his mind was rather in a numb mode, not really thinking about everything disturbing. And with Dani here, things were complicated, especially when the never told details reminded him of that.

Dan grabbed the clothes, starting to wonder about what to try this time for dinner, just as the time was soon nearing to that. Maybe he should have tried something with vegetables this time. Yeah, definitely he should have had. Even though he started to realise he was very good at cuisines including pasta, but they couldn't eat spaghetti every single time, even if since he got learned he could taste those, he was craving for that. But someone here with a yet involving body needed perfectly balanced food (unfortunately…).

As he passed by the bathroom, the sight of the half-ghost's stopped him. The teenager hardly realised the door of the room was open, and it seemed she was too much concentrated on whatever she was doing to be aware of the mistake either.

The girl with a widely opened mouth was staring at the mirror to catch something. Dan waited a bit, considering letting it go, after all, he felt it was about something that wasn't supposed to be shared with him (against the unlocked door), but then he couldn't fight against it, he had to ask.

"What are you doin'?"

The youngster scarily jumped by the sudden question. "Gee! And the knocking?" she pointed. Dan rolled his eyes and knocked on the all the way opened up door.

"Knock, knock, it was opened, genius, so yeah- if you are on to do something private, close it." he suggested. And yes, if it needed such secrecy, she really should have closed the damn door. At least he didn't catch her doing something weird. Not that, right now, it would have been less explainable…

The girl blinked, but then with crossed eyebrows moved, grabbing the handle, and shutting the door in front of him. Dan waited a bit, letting out a weary sigh, but then phased through it. That definitely didn't help much against her paranoia but luckily, at least, Dani wasn't afraid at home – and much to say, he didn't even get a reason for that either (not that he ever wanted to).

"What is private if you don't respect it?!" she cried out at his suddenly appearing sight next to her before she could have continued whatever she was doing. Dan put down the clothes on the edge of the sink and stepped to the halfa, close.

"Show it." he demanded, the teenager squeezed her mouth shut, shaking her head immediately. "Dani! If it's a cavity, I have to make an appointment to treat it. Also," Dan raised his finger, giving out the lecture "if that is, no more sugar. You're seriously addicted to sweets. I told you, there will be a problem with that later." the girl tsked, crossing her arms.

"It's not fair I can be affected by these human things while I am half-ghost!"

Dan closed his eyes, counting in his mind, reminding himself to curse less the 'humans' in the near future while the Dani was around too. "Please respect your humanity," he said then softly. "You can't imagine how this could be a wish for some ghosts, being human again," he mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that all the time." the teenager raised her eyes up to the ceiling, with a tired attitude, like this would be the hundredth time hearing it. Maybe it was. But he wouldn't have told that many times, if once she could get it.

"Because you don't understand it," Dan explained "you just think it's 'cool' being tireless or not depending on the human antics or anything. But-" he started, but luckily realised, at first, it wasn't the best time to make a speech about it (again) and also, if he started talking about it, he might have slipped out some details that shouldn't have been voiced and- and it really wasn't the high time for that.

Dan forcefully made his mind step over this debate, and faced the black-haired teen with a serious tone. "Show it." the girl gazed at the floor, biting her lips nervously. "Dani..."

"It's stupid," she muttered under her nose.

"Being human is not stupid. Or being affected by the human stuffs either. Sometimes… well, sometimes, believe me, full-ghosts envy you." Dan said then truly, trying to buy the girl by that hardly made-up fact. The half-ghost doubtfully raised her head a bit. "And yeah, a cavity is really not the end of the world. That could be treated, so-" Dan tilted his head, waiting for the teenager patiently.

Dani grimaced, considering his words, rubbing her upper arm uncomfortably. "It's- it's not a cavity. I was- it's so stupid…" she sighed.

Dan gave her a look, just at the same second as she slightly lifted her head. The girl took a deep breath, letting out then the reason barely enough audibly. "I was checking my canines."

Dan raised his eyebrows confused. "Okay…" he really couldn't put together what could be the problem with canines. Was it about being a bit yellow-y? Well, if he remembered well, there was toothpaste in the stores that could help on that too. And yeah, being born with originally flashing white teeth was not real, that was just a made-up picture that advertisements told to youngsters. For a moment he wondered to throw into the dustbin those damn magazines that Dani was buying lately, but-

As he looked down, he spotted a slight embarrassed flush passing over her features. "That's- that's not about something normal, right?" he recognised suddenly.

The girl stood one foot to the other, making an uncomfortable face, but then spoke. "I was- I was checking if I am growing one too, you know, like yours… like part of a ghost puberty?" she said, burying her face then with a moan. "I told you it's stupid!"

It took almost an entire moment to sink, then it slowly – incredibly slowly – clicked. "Ghost puberty?"

Presumably by the confused tone, Dani stared at him. "There isn't any? I mean…" she was blinking, but then waved at him, meaningfully. "Look at you! There is no way, there isn't any ghost puberty!" Dan eyed her, marvelling the almost noticeable huffing and exasperation, then identifying what she was talking about or what she meant, his lips curled up, unable to keep down a laughing.

"So, canines…" Dan smiled, widely, shaking his head unbelievably at the almost normal issue. Almost, if it hadn't been about ghosts… but this was just so much human.

"Oh, stop it, it just makes it more awkward!" the teen exclaimed, nudging him pointedly to cease the entertaining over this very serious subject. "And don't tell me, there isn't any! You look entirely else than Danny, so yeah… gender thing or not, at least I deserve cool canines!"

Dan followed the crossed, a bit of resentful outline of the girl, but then sighed, grabbing the folded clothes again. "Dani, if it helps… Danny won't get those either," he said, giving a press then on the handle. He took a quick check on the half-ghost, but then left the bathroom, only catching the end of a puzzled mumbling, and her calling after him.

"Dan, wait! How do you mean-"

Dan stopped, letting the teen reach him – not that if he tried to escape, or there would have been any chance to disappear, but- besides, he had to make dinner, all in all, he didn't have much choice. He took a breath and turned towards the baffled youngster.

"How do you-" she started again, but Dan cut in.

"Listen… it belongs under the second rule, all right?" he cleared, giving a look to her. "You remember what I told you about it, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Dani… I might be an elder version of Danny, but our times differed, my past is not his. Which means… I have some uh- things, he doesn't – or won't – ever have, okay?" Dan clarified, explaining. To the struggling look on her, it wasn't left behind just as easily. He waited a bit, if she wanted to give anything to it, but then as nothing came as a further digging, he took off the folded clothes to the dining table, sorting them into piles that belonged to him and her, then leaving hers out and taking his to his wardrobe.

As he collected another on to be ironed out heap from the washing machine, he had to realise, she was still stuck at the same spot. "What is it?"

Dani's eyes lifted up from the floor slowly, brows crossed over a certainly bothering thought. "I just… I- I came to see… you really don't look at all as Danny, I mean… okay, he is you, or more specified you is him, but- you just don't look like him…" she was thinking aloud, "Like your hair, or your eyes…"

"If you are talking about my ghost form, that's a completely different issue." Dan stated, "I'm ten years older than him, so things happened that explains my altered outlook as ghost, so-"

"Eight." came a correction.

"What?"

"Danny is seventeen."

"Really?" Dan paused, but then within a quick calculation, it added up. "Oh, yeah, right… hard to keep up," he muttered, though not really caring to retain that information for more than a second – if he did, then he should have started to recalculate everything, and that would take time, piecing together everything again he knew, so then he rather left it to another time. "Anyway, beyond my other outlook, I think the colour of those are pretty much matches, I don't really see your point."

"Obviously I am not talking about the colour, I am talking about everything else…" the half-ghost crossed her arms, giving an emphasis to the words.

"Like what?" Dan asked, raising up an eyebrow, like hearing the assumption wouldn't have touched him as much. Behaving naturally, bored over it, and reacting to it as if he hadn't known what she was talking about, in most cases, it smoothly worked. "People change over the years, it's nonsense believing they don't."

Unfortunately, it didn't seem it convinced the girl much right now, in fact, his reasoning hardly reached her. "Okay…" Dan gave up then, putting down on the ironing board the other pile and walked to the teenager, stopping in front of her. "Look at me, and tell then how I look if not as Danny," he said, staying unmoved, while the young half-ghost run her eyes on his.

But as much it sounded as a plain idea or a brainchild at first, to the narrowed measuring, stopping and observing the exact details he had an unmistakable similarity to someone else, Dan swallowed, recognising she was serious. Then as Dani's mouth parted, on to form a thought, he shut his eyes, focusing on a picture, summoning the outlook he could capture on at a sudden, before the panic could have been visible on him.

"I'd bet I look like Danny. No?" Dan asked challengingly, when his complete changing finished, even for him with a surprisingly squeaky voice. Jeez, that was how he had sounded back then? This was just jarring, and not just because of the more sensitive hearing. But currently, he couldn't allow himself to care about it. "Do I represent Danny now?" he interrogated again, closing out the strangely not used to not-deep words.

To the bulged-out eyes, he could read out without any doubting, an internal shocked cursing. Then Dani blinked, three in a row, before actually processing the sight.

"I'm pretty sure I do look like Danny." Dan's lips stretched into a wide grin to the finely created diversion to take her off from the further investigating. Satisfied by the reaction it got, he folded his arms over each. Though not sure how he must have seemed, but it was quite obvious he managed to form his younger version's outlook, starting to that, right now, he didn't have to tilt his head to face the younger in front of him, and to tell the truth...

"Why I am taller than you?" Dani's brows stunned furrowed, taking the question that appeared in his mind too, reaching out a measuring hand in the air, starting it on the top of her head aiming to his, to make sure she was seeing it right "It's so weird…"

"Boys grow later, shut it." Dan slapped down and away from her hand, before the difference in exact inches could have been counted, or more like, before she could have touched him, annoyed already his voice right now sounded as a whining over it.

"Danny is taller than me now. Almost with a half foot" the girl pressed "What age did you try to mimic him anyway? And why do you look like as a left behind stray dog? You are like if you hadn't slept in months or eaten properly in weeks. You should work on your shapeshifting ability, this just sucks..." she commented waving her hand up and down meaningfully.

Dan tightened his jaw to the critic, flashing an eye towards the 'taller' ghost "As small and infant in fact you are... as big asshole you can be" he whirled around, not stopping until he heard his bedroom door shutting behind him. It was harsh, echoing through the whole building, but- she couldn't understand, Dani just couldn't grasp that it- that it wasn't...

His fingers clenched over his chest, throbbing by the memories rushing in his mind about himself – no, about Danny, about his Danny – and... "Shit." Dan cursed, attempting the get over the growing chaos, or at least cease somehow the warming up, and burning inside that this all caused. There were too many things connected to that and...

For a long second, he was just standing there, numbly only hearing the confused walking up and down of the girl on the other side. Then he slipped down, back leaning to the door, head tilted against it and trying to close out the desperate and panicked enquiring of the halfa, asking over and over again if she had said something wrong. Maybe that was it, but all in all that wasn't just about that.

Who knew how many minutes, or hours later, a soft nudging grabbed his perceiving out from the pictures about his past – from the shared ones, from both of his parts – making Dan eventually recognise, he still was stayed in the taken-on form. For a long time, he frowned confused at the tiny wobbling pet around him, poking his much smaller fingers she used to see, but then the all came back. His cat, his own one, not someone else's in an inherited memory. In a flash, with a deep sigh, Dan changed back, getting in his lap the white kitten, then after a thought realised too there was silence around him for a while.

"Dani?" he took the question, worried over about the ghost-girl's absence. "Are you still there?"

After a short pause, a harsher breath came, too close to be in the common room, which meant their kitchen and dining room in one place. It didn't need much thinking to put together she was exactly right behind the closed door. And pondering about it, Dan could feel too her presence. It was like sensing her emission within his, or more like, as she was trying to comfort him in silence and saying sorry by her closeness.

"I'm- I'm here..." Dan heard the slightly breaking, apologising voice.

"I'm fine, don't worry." he ensured her, catching a soft sniffling. "Oh, please, tell me you didn't start crying because I looked like shit." he tried to joke lamely.

The faint sobbing turned into a hiccupped chuckle. "I hate you, you know..." there was a weird undecipherable noise, sounding like a wiping on a sleeve, but then she continued in a much steadier voice. "And yeah... you really looked like shit."

"Gee, thanks..." Dan rolled his eyes, "that hurt," he said, though this time rather funnily, giving a gentle stroke meanwhile on the small kitten's fur, resting comfortably within his palm, much fittingly than his younger outlook's hands would have been.

For a long second everything was quiet again and he really didn't care if Val's purring was detectable from the other side. Right now, he just enjoyed the calmness, and the short stillness. In most cases, he didn't like it much, but this time it was different, he knew he wasn't alone and just by himself in the endless nothingness.

"Dan..." the young half-ghost started then.

"Hm?"

"Is it under rule number two, right? I can't- I can't ask about it..." he remained silent for a short time, but before he could have managed to put together a reasonable answer for it, Dani let out a deep harsh breath. "I'm- I'm glad though you're fine now... even if you don't tell me."

That was far away from 'fine', but- "Thanks..." Dan whispered, barely loud enough for her. But then, to a soft slow moving, that must have occurred due to a gone numb limb, switching a sitting position, Dan knocked over his shoulder with his finger on the door between them, wonderingly. "Still there, sis?"

"Yupp... you can't get rid of me that easily." to that Dan cracked up, recalling when the younger had said she wouldn't ever get rid of him if she had accepted his offer about a living place.

"About canines..." he began, hearing as Dani's moving paused. "There is a high chance you'll be able to grow one and Danny won't," Dan noted, leaving a short time before continuing, though for the sudden quietness he was sure the teenager took the question internally. "Danny became a halfa in an accident, but you were born as one." he described, as if that had been the real reason behind that possibility, but at least that could have been a believable and undoubtedly the only acceptable explanation for her if that happened.

"Really?" cheered up the half-ghost, with clear beaming, that could be felt even through the door standing between them. "That would be so cool, and he'd be so jealous!" Dan could identify, even not seeing it, the triumphant smirking under the tone.

"God, you're such a child…" he shook his head, unbelievably, that such small thing could entirely distract her from everything else.

"Me, child? You are a child! I'm taller than when you were younger, you will never make me forget that. I'm never gonna look at you the same way again, little brother." Dani corrected him, not that in truth, there would have been any respect towards him on the daily basis…

"And I regret now I showed you that," Dan muttered, enough loud for her to hear. But as much as it had enlightened everything about his past again in him, at least it took her off the way to analyse how much he didn't have as much resemblance to Danny, no matter how it must have seemed. Thank goodness, he had been able to recall suddenly how Danny had looked before, even if that wasn't the greatest outlook really, but it hijacked the halfa enough and that was what counted, everything else was bearable – sort of at least.