Chapter 6
A/N: I desperately need a Beta-Reader.
I've updated the rating to T for violence and angst.
It was more vivid this time. He could clearly see the panicked faces of his family as they lived their last moments. He could still pick out the small details of their faces. He watched as his own gloved hand reached out in vain, pushing his limits to fly faster only to have the force of the blast push him back hundreds of feet away from his home. He heard his own scream, releasing pain, desperation, and pure agony. There were no ghosts, no people, and Danny realized the bomb for what it was a moment too late. He could still feel the heat of the blast, and the smell of sulfur in the air. He had been coming back from his own patrol, his powers and his obsession to protect kept him away from being able to save his own family. It was a continued nightmare, the memory played over and over again, reminding him of what he lost. His mind ridiculed him for being weak, mocked him for swearing off his powers, telling him he wouldn't ever be a hero.
"Danny."
The scene changed to the woman with ocean blue eyes with just a hint of lavender. She looked panicked, calling out to someone in the shadows and yelling for them to please stop. She ran, sobbing, begging to allow him to live.
"Danny!"
He was suddenly fighting someone, and their hands found their way around his neck, crushing his windpipe. He struggled to breathe, he thrashed around releasing a cry when the hands only squeezed tighter around his neck. His vision began to fade, he was losing consciousness.
"Danny!"
He shot up from his bed, grabbing the hands that were around his shoulders and flipped them over reflexively. He heard a faint grunt before the hands were back on him and he suddenly found himself being pinned back down to his bed. His eyes widened in blind panic, and he clawed at the strong arms holding him down. He still couldn't see and he was too disoriented, unsure if what he dreamt was real,
"Danny, calm down! You were having a nightmare!"
Robin shook Danny once and then twice before his eyes focused, landing on him with fear swirling in his blue irises. The domino masked leader looked down at him, his features furrowed with deep concern. A moment passed and Danny breathed heavily, releasing his grip on the leader and he put a shaky hand through his hair. Robin watched him carefully before letting go allowing Danny to sit back up slowly.
"I-I'm sorry."
Robin regarded him silently for a moment as Danny blinked away the remnants of the dream. Danny always seemed calm and collected if not a little detached, it was odd to see him in such a vulnerable state.
"What's going on?"
Raven teleported into Danny's room, having heard both Danny's and Robin's shouts. It was a wonder no one else had heard, but then again they were on the other wing of the tower.
Danny's eyes tentatively met Raven's, their argument hours before still fresh in his mind. Raven lowered her hood slowly, already reaching her hand out to Danny's forehead to calm him. Usually Danny had a tight reign on all of his emotions and Raven had to focus in order to feel them, but now they were coming off of him in waves and they were sporadically moving about out of control in sync with his erratic heartbeat.
When Raven's cool hand touched his she nearly withdrew it, it was hot.
"You're burning up."
"I'm fine." Danny answered her, not meeting her or Robin's eyes. With shaky movements he shrugged off their protests and clenched his jaw. He balled his fists to keep them from shaking, he felt dizzy and hot. The dream was still vivid in his mind, and Robin stayed close by when he closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard as if he were in pain. He flinched back when Raven touched him again, firmly. Her eyes met his determinedly,
"I can help."
Robin watched the scene closely, she wanted to calm his emotions. He knew that because he let her inside his mind once, and the bond that had been created was still there. There were even times that he could feel what she was feeling if an emotion were particularly strong.
She was giving Danny a choice, she didn't want to interfere if he didn't want her to. She knew from their conversation that he was afraid of getting close to the Titans however she still wished to help. She watched him shut his eyes tightly as if he were in some sort of physical pain and the shaking in his hands became worse. If she weren't watching his face closely she might have missed the almost imperceptible nod of his head.
A few seconds later he heard Raven chant her mantra lowly, and he felt the thrum of her power when she touched his forehead as she willed his emotions to calm. His body temperature began to cool. He felt the anxiety lessen, and his breathing slowly returned to normal while she willed the grief away that threatened to overwhelm him leaving him with a slight feeling of nostalgia.
When Raven felt that he was calm enough she withdrew her hand only to have him grab it. She looked back to him in alarm and he smiled though it was grim,
"Thank you."
She smiled softly in return and she squeezed his hand before letting go,
"You're welcome. I do it for the others all the time."
Robin gave a half-smile, remembering the times that Raven had come to his room when he was drowning in his own nightmares.
A few minutes later after they both were certain Danny was okay they finally left to their own respective rooms to continue with sleep. Danny was too exhausted to stay up and slowly he returned to sleep, this time it was peaceful.
Later that morning Danny was the first one up. He walked carefully into the kitchen to not wake anyone and prepared a pot of coffee knowing that Robin would also want a cup when he woke up. He then set another small pot of tea specifically for Raven also knowing that would be the first thing she would want when she woke up. In all honesty he felt bad they both were disrupted in sleep because of him not to mention how grateful he was, especially for Raven's help. He wasn't sure how long it would be before he got over his dreams if it weren't for her.
Danny walked over in bare feet to the couch in the common room when he poured his cup of coffee and sat down. He was still in his sweatpants and white t-shirt and hadn't thought to change. He mindlessly sipped his drink while his mind wandered in thought. Part of him was mulling over the case and the recent fight with the shadow figures while another fought for attention concerning the argument he had with Raven. There was no doubt that they were both over it now after what she did for him, but her words still rang in his mind. He had to admit the truth, he was starting to care for the Titans, and he was already pretty sure they cared for him. He was beginning to look at them as if they were his friends, and it terrified him.
"Can I sit with you?"
Danny jumped as he was jarred from his thoughts, berating himself for allowing her to sneak up on him. He nodded in silence and she sat down next to him with a mug of tea in one hand, a book in another. Danny looked over at her and wondered if she always wore her uniform, even in sleep.
"Thank you, for the tea." Raven broke the silence and looked up to see Danny still looking at her. She raised a slender brow in response making Danny smile sincerely,
"I really should be the one thanking you." Was the reply and Raven waved a hand delicately, shrugging him off,
"Even the most emotionally composed cannot defend their own subconscious mind at times."
Her statement caused Danny to lay back in thought once more and Raven was comfortable in the silence, this time welcoming. One of the things she liked about Danny was that he was never one for small talk, and was content to sit for hours in remote quiet.
She slowly sipped her tea until Robin walked in with a cup of coffee in hand a few minutes later. He grunted a greeting before slumping down beside Raven. She didn't bother to answer knowing that Robin needed at least half an hour before he was willing to partake in any conversation. Sure he loved mornings, and would soon be energetic and hopeful at the sun that was beginning to rise over the horizon, but if he ever allowed himself to sleep in he would always need time to wake up.
Danny was content to sit with the two and was grateful that they didn't push him to talk about his dream. He never talked about what happened to anyone, and outright refused any answers if anyone asked questions. As much as he hated it and tried to forget it, he had to mentally force the nagging urge to open up and talk about it with them, it was strange.
Robin was intelligent. He knew Danny wasn't just an ordinary detective. He knew he was hiding something, and could see the signs of post-traumatic stress. Something traumatic had happened to him, and he could easily tell because Robin had been the same way. His friends helped ease the pain of losing his own parents, and it was especially easier that Raven now knew. He could talk to her about anything, and he wanted to be there if any of his teammates needed to vent, Danny included.
It wasn't too much longer before the others woke up with all of their optimistic energy (which was mostly Starfire). By then Robin had long finished his cup of coffee and was making plans for their training session tomorrow if nothing came up. Raven had already begun her book and Danny was still nursing his own cup, lightly scratching at the stubble that had begun to grow on his face. He made a note to shave later.
"Good morning friends! Oh is it not the most wonderful morning today? The sun is most beautiful against the ocean waves!"
The others simply nodded as Cyborg made his way over along with Beast Boy. The morning ritual had begun and Beast Boy seemed determined to make tofu eggs for everyone. Raven sighed, must they always argue in the morning?
"Come on Cy! You know I can't eat that stuff!" Beast Boy exclaimed, not bothering to contain his shudder. Cyborg already had a retort ready,
"No BB! I don't want to eat that nasty junk, and no one else does either! I'm making bacon, eggs, and waffles and if you don't want it then you don't have to eat!" He replied hastily while getting the ingredients to make breakfast. Beast Boy wasn't deterred, not quite willing to give up just yet,
"Dude one morning of tofu won't hurt anyone!" He pleaded,
Danny rubbed his temples with his fingers and looked to see Raven in a similar state of irritation. He turned around the couch at the two at they continued their argument. Danny had enough and decided to intervene,
"Why don't you make both?" He practically grumbled interrupting their argument and the two turned to him and then back to each other, mouths open.
"Dude."
"Man, why haven't we been doing that before?"
Danny simply gave them a deadpan look before turning back around while Raven rolled her eyes. Robin swore they really were both smarter than they seemed, after all they were Titans right?
The rest of the morning actually went pretty smoothly considering the circumstance. There were no following leads or alarms, and Danny could wait awhile until he stalked out the alleyway again so the team decided to hang out in the common room. Raven had opted to meditate in the living room while Danny was content to watch the others play some video games. He smiled at Beast Boy's enthusiasm and smirked at Robin's competitiveness.
"Hey Danny, wanna play?" Danny turned to see Beast Boy questioning him a few feet away, holding out an extra controller for emphasis. Danny considered for just a moment before shrugging, it couldn't hurt to play just one game.
"Sure, I guess I have some time."
He thought that the smile on the other's faces were worth it.
Unknowing to the others Raven peeked one eye open, and smiled.
"Booyah, we got mail!" Cyborg yelled to retrieve the bags shortly after the video game tournament had ended, it was now in the afternoon. Robin and Danny had dominated both Beast Boy and Cyborg it was almost embarrassing. Danny found himself genuinely enjoying the time he spent with them, and it took his mind off both the case and his nightmare. Later he would strategize his next move in the case but for now he was content to spend his time with the others.
Cyborg carried all of the bags of mail to their respective owners. They each had at least two full bags of mail, and Starfire and Robin both had an extra no doubt from their fans. Danny raised a brow surprised that so many people would actually take the time to write them. He had never received anything similar to that as Phantom.
Danny watched in amusement as Beast Boy and Cyborg both tore into their letters and set some aside to write back. Starfire on the other hand was much too excited about her mail and was opening them all up as quickly as possible, not even reading them all whereas Robin and Raven both took great care to open each one and read them separately, writing a small response to the ones they thoroughly enjoyed. Most seemed to be drawings from small children to their favorite superheroes, and he knew each Titan all kept them. Others were letters of gratitude from the people they saved individually.
"Danny you have two letters!" Cyborg yelled to him and he got up to take the mail, not surprised. It was common for him to receive mail in the form of bills, threats from other criminals, and other co-workers that wrote him for information, advice, and other business matters. It was also no secret that he had moved in with the Titans, although is was pretty amusing to see what reasons the press managed to come up with for him being there. He took them and grinned as he opened the first. It was from Alex, telling him to come visit soon. He made a mental note to visit his home when he got a chance.
He turned the other letter over and furrowed his brows in confusion. It had no return address and it was bulky. He turned it over in his hands and opened it, a typed card slipped to the floor. He picked it up and read it suddenly paling. It had three words, 'Drop The Case.' with an initial Z. He opened the letter further pulling out whatever else was in the package. He suddenly froze, turning over the photographs. There were multiple pictures of him as Phantom fighting ghosts, flying, or simply sitting in the park. Someone knew his secret and was threatening to exploit it if he continued on with the case. Things just got a lot more complicated,
"Shit."
The others barely had time to turn around to see what was wrong before Danny was gone and out of sight.
A/N: And the plot begins! P.S. If you're just going to shame my story, just don't even bother reviewing. How many times do I have to say 'Constructive Criticism Only' Jeez.
