Falling for you DM x J3T
I mentioned this in my paradise lost update, but I am sorry for my absence. I was busy with work and honesty didn't have the time I used to be able to dedicate to writing so I hope now I am on summer break to sort of get back to regular posting.
I am working on the requests with my sister Jess so don't worry they will happen eventually. You can still leave me some though.
This is an AU btw and enjoy
2000 – Danny 14 – Jorel 15 – George 18 – Dylan 13 – Jordon 14 – Matt 17 –
Danny's p.o.v
"Are you sure they will take him in? You know what they can be like with teens," the care home worker asks my case worker. They are both unaware I can hear every word they tell each other. "Of course they will. This family have two teens of their own slightly older than Danny is," my case worker says. She is always optimistic that the placements they put me on work and so far nothing has happened. She says part of the reason behind it is that not all foster families she has seen have been trying hard enough to get me to trust them, especially after I turned thirteen. She hates that they all like the babies and younger children more than the teens who need just as much love and support as the littles.
My name is Danny and I am 14 years old. I was taken from my biological family when I was ten years old and I have not been told why. They said conditions at home were too bad for me to stay there but I barely remember anything. Since then I have been passed from foster placement to foster placement while my parents battle for me in court. The case worker told me that it was likely to end up with me going into an adoption. They say bad things happen when I am with my parents, but I still never remember. They mention drugs and physical and emotional abuse whenever I see them. It's the main reason now I can't go to their house. I have to see them in a supervised setting. They trick the team into getting it back to the point where they have changed and eventually it breaks down is something I have heard.
My case worker is desperate for the judge to make the decision to get me adopted. Away from the care system which she says is damaging me just as much as being back with my parents keeps doing. She thinks the judge will make his decision when I finish my next placement or just before. I wish I had as much hope as she does. "For the kids' sake I hope you are right. He's leaving tonight, isn't he?" the care home worker asks. I like that they are talking about it in front of my door so I can be prepared. I hate that they are talking about me behind my back though. "Yeah, I am going to talk to him a little bit about the family before I take him there. They know as much as my boss will let them know about him. I wish they could know more so they could help him more," the case worker says.
I tune them out, trying to make it look like I wasn't listening in to the conversation that was happening right outside my bedroom door. She hates it when she knows I have eavesdropped. Not that I can help it when they are that close. "Hey Danny, how are you feeling today?" she asks me, when she knocks and walks in. I shrug, I am not sure how I am supposed to feel. I know I am nervous about the new placement. I always am because I don't know what to expect when I get there. They might dislike me from the get-go, and I am not sure I want to be dealing with that. I could be making assumptions here though. "I know it is going to be hard for you to adjust once again but I will be here for you if you need me," she tells me.
I am grateful that she will support me through this. It would be a little bit weird to message my case worker, but she says she has my best interests at heart. "Yeah, I just don't like the fact that another family knows what I have been through again. I don't even remember what happened to me," I tell her, because she has been consistently involved in my care since I was 10 I trust her the most with my feelings. "I am not comfortable either Danny. I know it must be hard for you to have people know what you can't remember, but it will all be over soon enough. You know those gut feelings I get? I have a strong gut feeling this will be your last placement," she tells me. I feel like I can believe her. She hasn't said that to me before.
Well, she has talked about my lack of memory of my own childhood traumas, but not that this will be my last placement. The doctors think the trauma is so strong my brain is just automatically repressing the memories. I have no idea, but I'd like to remember them. "I hope you're right," I tell her. I look down to my toes. I had all of my few belongings already packed. I didn't unpack from the last time I came back from my placement. I haven't bothered because I knew I was moving on to my next placement soon enough anyway. She took my one backpack and told me that we were going to the Decker family. The mom and dad have a son and daughter already who are 15, so they are older than me.
I've been told that they are really nice and have been looking forward to my arrival since they got the call earlier this morning. They were informed of me briefly a few days ago, but the case worker had to go to her higher up to see if they were going to be suitable for me for some weird reason. I just wanna get out of the care system now. I started high school in August and man it is rough already. I can't really discuss my home life, so I get bullied for it. It is also very hard for me to find any friends, so I get teased for that too. I guess life is always going to be hard for me. I can't escape the bullying anymore. I haven't told my case worker about it either, even though she is super nice to me I don't see it being a way that would help me.
Claire noticed I was silent the entire ride. I was watching Los Angeles out the window, seeing kids my age playing outside not having the terrible past that I have to deal with. She knows I am nervous though; she told the family to expect me to hide and sort of try and settle in on my own terms. It's going to be the biggest family I have ever been to. I supposedly have two brothers, but I have never met them. All my previous foster placements have had one other child with them before they took me on. "Don't worry Dan. You know you can always message me this is too much for you," she told me. They know these people are not going to hurt me, but my wellbeing is still priority. If I can't cope then I will be send back to the home.
Soon enough we are at their curb. The house looks amazing if I am honest. I am still nervous though. I follow behind Claire slowly and she knocks on the door. I want to hide now, but there is no going back. "Hi Claire, how are you doing?" the mother asks, when she opens the door. She didn't see me doing my best to hide. "I am well thanks. Dan is very nervous about this," Claire replies. We are let into the house and I take a moment to look around and attempt to get used to where I will be living from now. I noticed Mrs Decker was watching me, she could probably see how nervous I was. I didn't make eye contact with her. She took Claire and I to the dining room where she was just going to have a quick talk before Claire leaves.
Mrs Decker wanted me to know that they were going to give me as much space as I need, and they were here to support me as much as they were able too. She said when Claire leaves she will show me my room which will be shared with Jorel who I will meet later because he agreed I need time to adjust. They will play it by ear and see how I feel later on this evening before deciding if Jorel is going to spend the night with me or if I need more time to myself. I honestly did not want Claire to leave, but I have no choice in the matter. Mrs Decker did say she would like me to go with her to the store if I need anything else other than maybe some new clothes that are more my style. She definitely wants me to choose food I will like more and know what foods to avoid.
Claire wanted to talk some more to Mrs Decker, so I was left to wander around and get used to my surroundings. Now I can see where my room is and maybe unpack some of my things. She said none of the rooms were out of bounds when the house was empty. Well, within reason at least. I am not about to go routing through their drawers and seeing if I can find anything inside. I know all about privacy. I soon found my new room which I am to share with Jorel. He has left a note on the desk for me. His mum said both the children were out with their friends to give me a chance to settle in. It felt weird to me that they have already been this considerate. I pick up the note and sit down on the bed that is mine.
5th February 2000
Hello Danny,
My name is Jorel and I guess I am your foster brother now. I am fifteen, only a year and six months older if my maths is right. I want you to feel comfortable sharing a room with me. I want you to feel like you can be a part of this family. If you see anything that I have that interests you, then come and talk to me about it and we can sort something out.
Anyway, I should mention a few things about myself, so when we meet later on today that it will be not so awkward. As you know my name is Jorel and I am fifteen. My birthday is May 1st, my favourite colour is red, and I really enjoy rock music. I am also an animal lover.
I can't wait to meet you Danny.
Jorel
That was nice of him to write me a note. I haven't really looked around our room yet, so I have no idea if anything interests me. It is nice that he has told me some things about himself and was thinking about how I would feel when I meet him later. It was a lot for me to handle, but I feel as if I am coping quite well with the idea of it. I am getting used to the idea of having a foster brother and a foster sister. They both sound so nice from what their mother had told me so far. I put my backpack down and opened it. I only have a few clothes, some donated to me from the Ragan family to my last foster placement. I have nothing that belonged to me from my family, but my first foster family gave me a fox plush which I keep close to me.
I unpacked all of my things, I found that Jorel has given me two drawers in the dresser and almost half of his closet which is more than I have ever had in my entire life. Mrs Decker knocked on the door and I told her she could come in. I showed her the amount of clothes I have, only enough for a couple of days. She said she gets funds for fostering children to spend on clothes and necessities. I decide to go with her to the store to get to know her more and to get more things. I was nervous that I would cost the family a lot of money they might not have but she kept reassuring me. The trip to Target was good. I now own a few more outfits including pyjama sets and I have some snacks which look really good to try.
I also have a journal and some pens and pencils. Mrs Decker told me that she was giving it to me to have a private space to write my thoughts and feelings and draw anything that I wanted. She gave me a sketch book for any drawings that I wanted to show them. I was constantly thanking her and every time she would smile and say, "don't worry about it every child gets things like this." If I had any more hobbies, then she and her husband would do their best to support me while I was in their care. I was beginning to loosen up to her a lot more now. I definitely felt comfortable being here with her and I know she is safe, and she will look after me. When we got back from Target, Jorel and Larissa were there.
I got to know both of them, and we were definitely becoming friends by the time my foster mom told us it was bedtime. I am moving to be at the same high school as Jorel, and I was overjoyed at that. A fresh new start, a new family and no chances of being bullied anymore. Jorel told me about George, the son of the family who gave me the hand-me downs when I went to my last foster placement. They are friends even though George is going to be graduating high school this year. I am looking forward to meeting Jorel's friends and getting some form of normality in my life. I will feel like a normal teenager for the first time. This is all strange, I have never been like everyone else and I never fit in anywhere.
3 months later
"Danny, how would you feel if this placement was to never end?" Jorel asks me. It is now May and Jorel is 16. It has been an incredible 3 months; I have opened up to the family who have welcomed me with loving arms. I did finally remember what happened to me, and it was not pleasant, but I was supported throughout. "That would be amazing, like the best thing ever," I tell him. Miles was recording us both. He hands me an envelope and I was hesitant to open it. I have no idea what could be inside. Jorel encourages me to open it, and I look at him and cave. I opened it and read the card that was inside. I dropped it to the floor in shock, I could not believe what was written on the card. It is literally life changing.
This card states that Daniel Rose Murillo has officially been adopted by the Decker family.
Welcome to our family officially Danny. In the last three months we have seen you blossom into the best child any family could wish for. You are so brave, confident and happy. We can not picture a life without you which is why we discussed with Claire the possibility of you becoming our son permanently. There is no pressure for you to change your surname to match ours, but if you want that we can arrange it. We love you so much Danny and we can't wait to see how you will further grow and develop in our family.
Much love,
The Deckers.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" I tell Jorel, looking at the card and back to him. Jorel had a big grin and so did Miles. My new mother and sister walked into the room. "We aren't kidding Danny, you are one of us now," Miles says, and I threw my arms around Jorel. I hugged him, then hugged my mom and dad and sister. This felt right to me, this felt like it was meant to be, and I was loving every single minute. I was happy to tell them that I want to take their surname. Murillo is the last tie that I have to my old family and u want to be free from that. I have nothing but bad memories associated with the Murillo name. This is a whole new life for me, and I won't be seeing my biological family ever again.
We decide to have an enjoyable evening, a party to celebrate the fact that I have now been adopted. It's not a huge deal yet, my parents are planning something bigger when the rest of the family come over so they can find out. I am looking forward to it already. I manage to settle down later on that evening and sleep well for the first time in my life. I am finally in a family, finally able to discover who I am. I literally feel as if I owe my life to the Decker family. In three short months I have become someone who just four months before I would never expect to see when I stand in front of the mirror. I now see the confidence and bravery that they wrote about in the card. I can't wait for this to continue.
Time skip - September 15th, 2009 - Danny 23 – Jorel 25 – George 28 – Dylan 23 – Jordon 24 – Matt 27 – Jorel p.o.v
I feel so sorry for my little brother. He has done a farewell tour with his band Lorene Drive and he has taken it really hard. He loves that band with all his heart, but no one could live on their wages and deal with the stress of the tours that Danny had to deal with. I am doing my best to keep him distracted for now, but with the Vatos Locos tour of Hollywood Undead looming I know I can't keep this up forever. I have invited him to join me in the studio, we are making some new tunes and I would love to have Danny on some vocals. Maybe making new things will make him happier and keep his passion for music alive. The last thing I want for Danny is for him to lose the passion that made our bond so close.
He knows all of the band members. The one person he really doesn't know is Aron, but neither male has no interest in getting to know each other further than they are already. There was something amazing about having your band mates naturally be friends with your brother with the fact that he is your brother is not a deciding factor. I was looking forward to having them all meet up again. I know it well be tense with Aron in the room, but we have learned the best ways to ignore him if he became too irritating. We know that the song I want Danny to have some background vocals one will not have Aron on it. It is a good song; Danny's vocals will be a welcome change from the nasally tones of Aron.
Danny joins me earlier than I expected, but I know he is sad about the band being on hold. "Hey Dan," I tell him as I let him into my apartment. I let Danny snuggle into my side as I had two prepared coffees on the table as I had a sneaking feeling Danny would join me. "Hello Jay," Danny tells me, and I could tell that he was not happy. I offer him the coffee which he accepts. "What's the matter Danny?" I ask him. We have been joined at the hip since the week after I met him back in 2000. I feel as if I have the ability to get Danny to open up to me. "Kris and I had an argument about the band. He said that it was all my fault that it failed, and we are not living the life we have dreamed of," Danny admits, and I let him rant to me.
Danny knew it was not going to work out. Their schedule was ridiculous and so was the pay. We watched over footage of warped tours and saw a dead crowd. He knew how hard it has been for Hollywood Undead to get anywhere. He has been following my advice even though he didn't have to. "Kris doesn't know everything you know about the industry as it stands. He is young like you and feels like he is invincible. Everyone wants to be millionaires, even if they don't know how much time and effort it takes. He is not a real friend if he is going to act like that," I tell him, feeling confident that I can get my happy Danny back. It will take time and I have an idea of how to do it. We know that Aron does not have a clean record of attending tours.
"I know, but he doesn't believe that I know so much because of you and that I am stupid for giving up on my dreams," Danny tells me, he has finished his coffee long ago and I had only just finished mine while he was talking. "I don't see you giving up on your dreams Danny. You are only putting things on hold, so that better things can come your way. I can see doors opening for bigger and better things. People would love to have a guy with as much musical talent as you," I tell him. I had finally won Danny over and I saw one of his smiles. My brother is going through a rough time now, but I am sure that I can get my brother to feel better about everything soon enough. He just needs to be more confident.
Later on, that day I was happy to see that Danny was getting back to his old self. All he needed to do was have a good old heart to heart with his older brother. We had an amazing time in the studio and the guys have the same opinion on the vocal and musical talents of Danny as I do. We will be able to have Danny on future albums regardless of what anyone else wants to think. I can see Danny boosting our sales one day. We just need the right opportunity to show him off and to get him in the spotlight. I notice that George is getting quite close to Danny and I heard my brother opening up to the older man. I can totally see this becoming something more than friends when they get to know each other better.
~ 1 month later ~ Danny p.o.v
Jorel was right again. I have bigger and better things ahead of me like he said one month ago. I didn't know that would mean that I would become the lead singer of the band he is in. Aron didn't show up for the tour, so they have kicked him out and has asked me to permanently take his place. I decided to take the plunge, I know the guys well, so it is not going to be a hard adjustment. I managed to get a little bit of sleep on the flight and now I was heading to the city where my first concert as the lead singer of Hollywood Undead will take place. It is not going to be until tomorrow which gives me a chance to settle into the new bus and get used to being in a band of six people. Jorel is an amazing brother and got to pick me up from the airport.
"Are you looking forward to being back on stage again?" he asks me, as we get to the car he has rented to come and get me. "Yeah, it feels like forever since I was on the stage singing to crowds. I just hope they are not as dead as the old ones," I tell him. I have known from day one that I can be as honest as I want to be with him. "Oh, they will party all night long. They love your voice on El Urgencia even if they don't know who you are yet," Jorel tells me. I knew Desperate Measures has been released now, but I had no idea what people thought about it. I am going to take Jorel's word for it as everything he seems to have told me has been the truth so far. He was right about it being hard with Lorene Drive.
"Hey Danny," George says, he was the first one I saw when we got back to the bus. Jorel said a lot of them have decided to go and look around a little bit which is what I can do. "Hey George," I reply, and I hug the older man before putting my bags onto the bus and finally discovering which bunk is going to be mine while I stay here. I was pleased to discover I have a middle bunk which is what I liked. Not gonna get the bitch bunk as Jordon called it. "Honestly it is already better having you on board and as part of the band. No awkwardness or anything like that," George tells me. I had some time to settle in which was good for me. I was comfortable and I was glad that I was bringing a good atmosphere with me.
There is something going on between George and I, but I have no idea what it is. He has a partner; he would not need a man like me in his life like that. He is not bisexual like I am, and I don't think anything will come of it. Soon the other members of the band come back and just like it did when I moved into my adopted parents everything just fell into place. Matt, Dylan and Jordon welcomed me as if I was a breath of fresh air which was something that I am going to have to get used to. I had no idea how sick and tired of Aron they were. I am not a needy person, just give me a roof over my head and some food and I was all good to go. I was not going to be a diva and ask for anything ridiculous. I know how hard they are working, and I am going to work just as hard.
"I am so happy to have you in the band Danny," Jorel tells me. It was getting late now, and I was laying on my bunk all ready for bed. "I am happy that I already seem to be making a difference for you bro. After everything you have done for me, this is the least I can do to start repaying you," I tell him, and he chuckles. He has repeatedly told me that he doesn't want me to pay him back. His brotherly love for me was unconditional and that was how he wanted it to be. Of course I felt the same way about him, but he didn't realise that I really needed a family back when I was fourteen and they really changed my life for the better and I felt like I owed my life to him, Larissa and my parents. "I keep telling you Danny, you don't need to pay me back. This will be good for the both of us and we'll both enjoy this," Jorel tells me.
After the release of American Tragedy ~ Danny p.o.v
I can't believe how well American Tragedy has done, it has debuted at number 4 in the charts and the guys keep saying it is down to me. The one who has been saying it the most is George. 2010 was a rough year for my older friend. His relationship with his girlfriend broke down and they had a daughter together. She seems to be nice enough about the separation to let George be her father still. George said he wanted to come over to my apartment to talk to me. There has been some feelings at least on my end about the older man that I can't deny it anymore. I was nervous about it, but I received a message from Jorel that if I did get with George that I would have his full support. That is important to me because Jorel is the closest friend/brother that I have.
I told my brother I am nervous, and I was wondering what advice he would have for me. My brother always has amazing advice for me. He tells me to relax as much as I can, get a few drinks ready and just go with the situation naturally. I think that is the best thing I can do right now. I have some beer and some sodas in the fridge if George wanted any. It is just going to be like any time George comes over. If I treat it like that then I have nothing to worry about. I realise that I have a bit of a fear of both abandonment and rejection. Jorel knew this because it all stems from my childhood and all my memories outside the abuse was being passed from family to family without anywhere permanent to stay.
I was surprisingly clam when George knocks on my door. I had been following Jorel's advice as closely as I could without being too eager. "Hey Danny, how are you?" George asks, when I let the older man in. He hugs me tightly and I smiled as I hugged back. "Hey George, I'm good. You?" I reply, letting the older man in my apartment and offering him a beer I had just gotten out of the fridge. "That's good. I'm doing well," he tells me. He takes his beer and follows me into the lounge. I still feel relaxed; this is how our usual hangouts go. I try to not think about whatever it is George wants to tell me today. He does look a little more nervous than he normally does when he comes over. "Penny for your thoughts?" I ask him.
"I was just thinking about how to phrase my question to you. I might as well say it now anyway. I was thinking about how much I love you. More than a friend would love a person. I love how confident you have become and how well you have embraced being the lead singer of our band. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I would love it if you were my boyfriend," George tells me. I grinned; it was a huge weight off my shoulders to find out that George returns my feelings for him. "I would love to be your boyfriend George. I have had feelings for you for a long time now and I was hoping you would feel the same," I tell him, and I could see his shoulders drop in relief. He was also grinning now.
"I think you could imagine how happy that has made me Danny," George says, and I nod. We are naturally going to take this slow. I don't see George as the type of guy who would rush into things after his break-up a year ago. We decide to spend the rest of the day together as we naturally would. I ordered pizza and snuggled up to him as we watch television. This feels perfect to me, there was nothing that could change how I feel about this. I am in love and living the dream I never thought I would live to see. The memories that I have dealt with are nothing but memories to me now. I almost feel like a phoenix who has risen from the ashes and I can survive anything that is going to be thrown at me.
And that is another one shot over. I again apologise for my absence and slow uploads, but I hope to change all of that soon. Let me know what you think and leave any requests below.
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