Phanniemay Project Kas

by Kasena

Phanniemay 2015 drabbles, paired with 1337kitsune's Phanniemay drabbles. You'll see what I mean.

6. Chapter 6

AN: Wow, sorry this is super late! I totally thought I posted it! Just... Wow.

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"I think you should sit, and calm down, before I say anymore."

"My mate just faced one of the greatest threats we've seen in years before promptly losing consciousness and not waking up for ten hours AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO BE CALM?!"

Clockwork put his hand on the man's shoulder, gently guiding him to a chair next to Danny's bed. "Yes. This is to be expected. He's very powerful, with a large amount of energy inside him. He just expended a large amount of that energy, and it's regenerating too quickly for him to handle while conscious." His pause was clipped, as though he meant to say more.

"...What did you just stop yourself from saying, Clockwork..." It was not a question.

The Time Master sighed. "I may regret telling you..."

"Ten hours."

"I fear his mind may be... fragmented, as yours once was." Andrew took a steadying breath before leaning back in his chair and looking up at Clockwork with an expectant look. "You recall your emotions being split into their purest forms?"

"So that's happened with him?"

"That is the best way to explain it, yes. Though since your minds are different, I'm sure there are differences." ...Andrew had a feeling there was a side of Danny's mind entirely dedicated to puns. He was sure of it.

"And let me guess on what the best way to wake him up is..." He was already sounding exhausted.

"Yes, I believe we're both thinking the same thing." Clockwork crossed his arms, and seemed to straighten up. "I'll watch for signs of anything out here. You know what to do."

"Help my mate out of another idiotic mess he's found his way into? Yes, I know what to do." Standing up and pausing, Andrew gave a humorless smile. "You might want to be careful when saying those words to an assassin, however." Turning intangible, he glanced down to his sleeping mate, giving another sigh. "Always so troublesome."

Disappearing into the other, he blinked at seeing that everything was...dark. From what Danny had told him of his own memory incident - when they did talk about it - his mind had been grey at the start, before fading into different rooms. He had a feeling, however, that he wouldn't be seeing rooms this time around.

"As cliche as I'm about to sound... Are you here, Danny?" He was probably going to end up regretting those words. Especially when he saw that it wasn't black so much as the walls were black. And...looking like a maze?

A surprised voice came from around the corner. "Ghostwriter?"

No...that. That was wrong. That was all wrong. For one thing, the voice was far too deep - much like his own - as well as the fact that he was called Ghostwriter. Danny hardly, if ever, called him Ghostwriter. Not unless he was rather angry at him. Even in the beginning he had been called 'GW' more than anything.

"Finally come to see the monster you helped create?"

"Looking for a wayward mate, actually," Andrew shot back, carefully rounding the corner and raising an eyebrow at what he saw. "If I had to guess from description alone, you would be Dan, correct?" The being in front of him certainly fitted what he had been told by Danny, at least when he did tell him bits and pieces. A few years younger in age, perhaps, but...it was definitely Dan.

Dan gave a cruel smirk. "Look at the big brain on this one. Figure that one out all by yourself, Andy?"

"Oh, my apologies. Would you rather me deduce how many psychological disorders you have and how the destruction you cause is based on a broken core and the fact you lost your entire family and all your friends in aborted timeline that no longer exists? I can certainly do that, if you wish."

Dan's hands lit up with green energy, glaring at him. "You shut your fucking mouth, Riter."

"Oh, I'm terrified, truly. I might just break down screaming and begging for my life at any moment." Andrew gave a small yawn, looking around the area while carefully keeping a part of his sight on Dan at all times. "Didn't take you the type to hide in mazes, however."

"Why d'ya think I'm trying to bust out?" He gestured to the blackened walls, some with small dents, but nary a crack in sight.

"To find the other personalities and form a cliche indie band?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to put your head on a pike for the first song. I'm sure hearing your screams will sound great."

"Being a part of Danny's mind, I thought you heard my screams quite often," Andrew smirked, expression fading for surprise at seeing a tattered, worn, and aged gray scarf that was wrapped around Dan's left hand and arm. A scarf he knew all too well.

Dan followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow. "Take a picture, why don'tcha? It'll last longer."

"...You're not Dan." Studying the ghost top to bottom for another second, Andrew shook his head. "I've been taking a step closer to you ever since we met, and each time you take a step back. You refuse to do anything besides make threats. You're still wearing the scarf... You may act like him, but you're not the Dan he fears."

"No... I'm the one he could become. And ain't that even better than the real thing?"

"He won't become you." The words were said without a doubt, and paired with a small smile. "You can rage inside here all you want, and tear down every wall there is...but he won't become you. He's strong enough to know what's right, and to avoid every path that leads to you- And even if he doesn't, he has all of us to help him."

"Rage?! I'll show you rage, you little rat!" He aimed his hand at Andrew with a glare. "Say goodbye, you good-for-nothing, washed up, pathetic assassin-wannabe."

"Wow. That hurts," Andrew drawled, fingers twitching for his pocket. He couldn't exactly defend himself in here, not when any movement on his part risked harming a part of Danny's mind. And if he dodged, it would hit one of the walls and son of a bitch this was going to hurt...

A new Danny appeared, this one completely in human form, and looking younger than the real Danny was, although he had bright green eyes. He stood between the two, glaring at Dan. "Enough. You do realize that if he dies here, he dies out there, too."

He didn't drop his stance. "Good. One less nuisance out of the way."

The new Danny's glare intensified. "You know you can't. All of us will stop you, if we have to."

A moment passed, and Dan lowered his hand with a sigh, scowling and jerking his head. "Get outta here before I change my mind."

This new Danny grabbed Andrew's hand, and began pulling him out of the room. Even as they started to disappear around the corner, Andrew grinned wickedly and glanced back, "Maybe next time I visit we can have a nice tea party, seeing how sweet and gentle you are. I'll even bring the cookies."

"I WILL MURDER YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!"

"That's a very ineffective way to kill a trained assassin, but please, be my guest. I have a feeling all you'll do is cuddle, however."

As the new Danny dragged him away, the 'younger' sighed. "Why did you do that... Now we won't get him to shut up for ever."

"My apologies, mon cher, but I could hardly resist myself," Andrew hummed. "Now, would you be so kind as to tell me what the hell is going on." Okay, so he was panicking a bit. He was allowed to panic after meeting Dan.

"You just met this version of Dan. Basically, every scrap of anger and hate Danny has, he pushes into a corner. His corner. He is kinda right. If Danny let himself, he could turn into that death monger, so that's what always keeps him... me... us... on the straight and narrow."

"...Why do I have a feeling this mess is just as confusing to you as it is to me..." Because he knew Danny, often in ways the teen didn't even understand himself. That and he had tutored him for years. He knew when he was showing confusion over something.

"Oh, definitely. So, you gonna guess which one I am?"

"Protection." The response was shot back without a pause, small smile on his face. "Considering how the emotions and feelings in here are seperated, I assumed you would be so, considering how protective you acted back there."

"...You're... Well, you've stopped panicking."

"Rest assured, mon cher, I am heavily panicking and worrying," Andrew smiled, giving the other's hand a light squeeze. "I'm rather close to having a nervous breakdown at what I've learned so far. I just happen to be very good at masking my emotions."

Protection frowned, and hugged Andrew's arm to his chest. "If I can handle what I learned, you can handle this. After all, you're always the smarter of the two of us. And I'll be here when you need me."

"...Definitely Protection." Giving a quiet sigh, he raised an eyebrow at noticing that the other was also wearing a gray scarf, this one tied around his wrist.

"Whatever. Just... don't worry too much, okay? You know what to do, you just... find the rest of us. Here's Prince. He should lead you in the right direction. I can't go in, but you can. I'll go deal with him. Don't worry. And hey, be safe, okay? Not everything in here is as good as us."

"Prince?" Before his question could be answered, Protection was gone, and Andrew was left alone in the maze. He looked around warily, continuing further on his own. He turned into a small area covered in ice and snow. He floated over the ground, looking around. "I suppose this is where I can find Prince?"

"I would hope so, otherwise I would be in the wrong area." This Danny was far different than any other, maybe even more different than Dan. This one had icy blue skin, and pure white hair, floating around his head etherally. Atop the hair a crown of glittering ice hovered. He wore a purple cloak, similar to that of Clockwork's, and a black sleeveless turtleneck, and black leggings, all seeming comfortably loose. What surprised him most was the grey scarf around his waist, being used as both a belt, and a holster for a sword. He brought himself to look at this version of Danny in the eyes, surprised to see his eyes were a bright blue, and clear as ice.

"As you've noticed, I'm Prince." Pausing in his introduction, he flew closer, setting a hand on Andrew's cheek as he looked him over. "You're alright, yes? I was hoping you wouldn't have met Dan first, but, that seems to not be the case..."

"Yes, I... I'm fine." He felt as though he should be bowing, or kneeling. The way this Danny carried himself... "Why exactly is it you're called Prince? Danny isn't much in the way of acting royal." As he thought about it, though...

"I would be the manifestation of who he is one day meant to be," Prince explained, still checking Andrew over for any wounds, and peacefully floating in front of him. "As you know, once Pariah was defeated, ancient Ghost Laws dictate that his defeater is his successor... Since Danny is still alive, for the most part, he is not yet able to take the throne. One day, however, I fear we won't have much of a choice...

"He knows more than he lets on about this world, he just...would rather not admit to it. Clockwork seems to think we understand little when it comes to the title of King, but not so. We would rather not think on what this means for the future, is all. And while he may not act royal, he does pull off the job rather marvelously - the Truce being an example of such." Pausing, his smile became softer.

"...I am glad you are alright, however. Being in here...might be more dangerous than when we traversed your mind."

"Dangerous how? As I recall, you aren't exactly a trained assassin. I think I'll be able to handle myself."

"And as you should recall, mon ange, I hold far more power than I should - especially for being only half in these worlds. The reason we are in this predicament is due to so much of this power being used... He doesn't want to tell you that he's scared of that power, but I'm sure you'll figure that out as you continue in here."

Andrew gave a nod. "I'm sure." He paused for a second before pulling Prince into a hug, clinging to him. "I'm going to fix this." Prince seemed startled for a moment, before giving a quiet laugh and hugging Andrew back.

"I don't believe what you're referring to is something that can be fixed, mon ange... Waking us up, however, certainly can. You will need to meet the others. They are spread out across the maze, and each one will show you to the next. We can't cross over into each other's areas - except Dan's - so you might be on your own here and there...but you'll be fine.

"If anyone can save us, after all, it's you."

He nodded with a smile. "You can always save yourself, mon cher. I have faith that you can."

"Such a sap," Prince chuckled, taking Andrew's hand and guiding him down the hall, the snow and ice fading back into black halls that seemed to be watching them. "Please be careful. There are things in here...that I would rather you not see."

"The same could have been said when you were in my mind," Andrew mused. "I seem to recall that working out rather well in the end." Prince gave a small smile, paired with a light chuckle.

"I suppose so, my sweet writer. At least try to be careful in here, however..." Bending down, he pressed a sweet kiss to the other's hand. "Until next we meet, mon ange." In a flash Prince was gone, and Andrew was left alone in the halls.

"Brat." There was a smile on his face anyways, as he kept walking, the sense of being watched and judged getting worse. Fingers itching for one of his knives, he paused and took a breath, trying to stay calm. The only thing in here was Danny - or at least parts of him. Whatever fear he was feeling was what Danny must be feeling, and...

...There was so much of it...

Hearing a quiet sound that he had grown familiar to, far more than he would have liked, he immediately flew over to where it was coming from, worry coming out full force as he spoke quietly. "Danny?"

A new Danny looked up at him from where he sat curled up in the corner. He gave a sniff with wet eyes. "Andrew..." His voice warbled as he put his face back into his knees, sobs creeping out of the space between his legs and chest as his shoulders heaved up and down.

Andrew sighed quietly, flying over before settling on the ground in front of the other a few feet away - the other didn't look older than fourteen - and speaking softly. "Danny? Can you look up at me?" He had comforted Danny before...but never a Danny this young. Never one who still looked like he was a child, even though Andrew knew how much he had dealt with at that age.

The Danny shook his head, nearly getting swallowed up by the large hooded purple trenchcoat he wore.

"Okay, you don't have to look up if you don't want to. Would you like to tell me what's wrong, however, or would you rather have me be quiet?"

He held one arm out for Andrew, slowly looking up at him, still sniffling as tears ran down his face. He also clutched a grey scarf close to his chest, like a child might do with a plushie or a security blanket.

"Hugs it is." Andrew gave a small smile, sitting next to Danny before pulling him into his lap, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek as he held him closely, absently noticing the gray scarf. So far all the Dannys seemed to be wearing it, or at least holding it, in some way. "As stupid and cliche as it is to say this, everything really will be fine. Things work out, whether with our help, or by themselves. It's okay for you to cry, and be scared, and upset, but I promise you that it will be okay, Danny."

He nodded, holding onto Andrew's coat, his breathing slowly calming down, before he started hiccuping. "Mhm..." At the reponse, Andrew held him more tightly, staying silent and letting him catch his breath. "I'm not scared with you... Not as much..."

"I'm glad I'm able to help, then," Andrew smiled, ignoring the part of him that was bitter. How could anyone feel safe with an assassin? He had been trained to kill and take lives...not comfort those who saved them. "You wouldn't happen to know how to wake Danny up, would you?"

He shook his head. "No, but... I'm still scared. What if I don't wake up?" Andrew carefully released Danny and placed both hands on his cheeks, turning his head towards him until he could give him a gentle smile.

"You're going to wake up, Danny. While this was...an unexpected development, you're going to be okay. I promise you...and do I ever break my promises to you?" Even as he spoke, he was a little uneasy himself. He knew Danny would wake up himself, but...this was nothing like emotions, or like what they had dealt with in his mind. This was...so much different.

"No, but-"

"No buts. You'll be fine and forcing me to bake you cookies in no time. So, please stop crying? You're much more gorgeous with a smile on your face, mon cher fantôme." Judging by how he was talking of being scared, this was most likely his Fear manifesting itself, which didn't surprise him too much.

Fear nodded, though he didn't give a smile. The tears did stop, thankfully. Fear stood slowly, holding tightly to Andrew's hand with one hand and still holding the scarf with the other. As they walked, Fear leaned heavily into Andrew's side. "I'm still scared..."

"Would you like to tell me what you're scared of?" It was a careful question, phrased to where he could refuse if he wanted to.

"What if you leave, or Sam and Tucker and Mom and Dad and Randy leave? What if I can't control my powers? What if I break down like Danielle did? I can't... I can't let those things happen, if they happen, then- Then-" His breathing started quickening, again, his eyes darting around the halls.

Stopping them in their tracks, Andrew once again tilted Fear's head towards him, speaking softly and quietly. "Danny, I need you to breathe in time with me, okay? Slowly and deeply. I know...that there's a lot of things you're scared of, but I want you to remember that you're going to be okay. You're going to be alright. None of us are going to leave you, we're all here for you, no matter what else happens. So can you please breathe for me, Danny?"

Nodding, Fear timed his breathing with Andrew's, focusing on keeping it in rhythm with Andrew's as he led him through the maze. "You... Will you find the next one from here? Are you going to be alright? What if something happens?"

"Danny, I'm in your mind. You'd never let anything happen to me, I know I'll be fine. Besides, you were brave and strong enough to lead me this far, so I think I can take the rest of it from here-" Pausing, Andrew smiled down at Danny, giving him a sweet kiss to his forehead. "Remember what I said, okay? It's alright for you to be afraid, but we're all here for you...and that won't ever change."

The small, tiny smile he saw was so miniscule and quick, he would have thought it hadn't been there, if he didn't know Danny. As Fear disappeared, he looked on ahead, making his way through the maze and to the next area. Not a split second later and there was a ghost clinging to him fiercely.

"...Danny?"

"Mine." Huffing, the ghost clung tighter, staring up at Andrew with bright green eyes. He was in his ghost form as Phantom, and looking a few years younger than he did now. He also wore his scarf tightly around his neck, in a style he recognized all too easily. One that sent chills down his spine.

"While I'm not arguing that, mind telling me why you're clinging to me?"

"...Obsession," he mumbled quietly, tail forming and curling around Andrew's leg, adjusting himself to where his arms were wrapped around the other's neck, and they were pressed chest to chest. "I'm Obsession, and I'm obsessed with you. And secrets."

His eyes widened. "Secrets?" Surely his obsession was protection? That's what everyone had thought for years. Obsession nodded, not speaking as he snuggled closer, hands clenched in Andrew's coat.

Andrew finally wrapped his arms around Danny as he slid down against the wall to sit. He had a feeling this conversation was going to be a long one... "What about secrets?"

"I have to keep them. I can't let anyone know." Obsession paused, looking upset with himself as he shook his head and buried himself into Andrew's chest. "Not supposed to say."

Andrew nodded, bringing a hand up to stroke Danny's hair. "It's alright, I wasn't going to ask further... Can you tell me anything that could help me?" Obsession looked up, biting his lip as he frantically shook his head, eyes closing as he stopped and gave another huff.

"Secrets are my obsession...but you're more important... Secrets. What he knows and can't say. Stay hidden. Stay out of sight. Keep to the shadows. Don't be noticed. Stay quiet. Blend in. Act human. Act normal. Don't let anyone know. Don't let anyone guess. Don't cause suspicion. Be human. Be absolutely, completely, perfectly human. Have to be. Can't be anything else. Can't."

Andrew gave a silent nod, taking this all in. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The way Danny always was jumpy if he thought someone had an inkling of an idea towards his secret - towards any of his secrets. The fact he had been told those same words as a child certainly made everything seem more bitter. "Alright... anything to help me wake you up?"

"Don't wanna wake up. He doesn't. I don't. A lot of us don't. Too stressful. Too much. Too many secrets." Obsession had a hitch in his voice, eyes looking a bit watery. "Too much to hide, too much to keep track of, too much to keep away- I hate it- I hate it- I don't wanna wake up and deal with it anymore!"

Andrew cupped his cheek. "Danny, it's alright, you don't have to tell me anymore, if you don't want to. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Obsession snapped, sounding even worse. "He wants to tell you all these things, he wants to tell you everything! I'm sick of all the secrets, I hate them, he doesn't want this as his obsession. He knows and he doesn't want me here. None of us want me here! I don't want to be here! There's so much I have to know and I don't want to know any of it!

"He doesn't want to let his friends know he wishes about being a full ghost! He doesn't want to let Clockwork know Dan is in here- He doesn't want to let Frostbite know that he's scared of his ice core- He doesn't want his parents to ever find out what he is, he doesn't want to let the ghosts know he's terrified of them and he... I... I don't want you to know that I just wish I was...that...that I was dead..."

Andrew hushed him. "Danny, I would much rather know these things than not know them. I want to help you, mon cher. I really do. And I want you to know that."

"I just...wish I could stop keeping secrets," Obsession mumbled, sounding worn out and tired as he leaned against Andrew, body almost limp. "I wish the obsession could have been protecting...but... I hate it, and I wasn't supposed to tell you... I was supposed to keep it all a secret...I wasn't..." Obsession slowly trailed off, voice getting weaker as he clung to Andrew. "I wasn't supposed to tell..."

"It's alright, mon cher. No one will punish you for telling. Now, I need to wake you up. Do you really want me out in that world without you with me?" Obsession slowly shook his head, the thought of Danny not being with Andrew seeming so much more wrong than telling a secret.

"I... I can show you where to go next..." Floating up, he tugged Andrew along with him, giving him a pitiful look. "He's going to remember everything I told you today."

"I know. And I'm not going to leave, because of it. I'll be right here for you, when you wake up." He gave Danny a small smile, interlacing their fingers together.

"...I'm glad you're my obsession, too." Having a small smile now, he tugged Andrew along the hall, not straying more than a few inches from his side before they finally stopped. "I can't go any further... You'll be alright?"

"Yes. I'll be fine, Danny. And once this mess is over, I'll never leave. I love you far too much for that. Though maybe I'll be able to help you with some of those secrets." Obsession paused at the wording, looking conflicted before finally giving a nod.

"No one should keep this many secrets..." Giving another half smile, he let go of Andrew's hand, flying back the direction he had come from.

Andrew watched him leave before continuing onwards, feeling doubt and confliction surrounding him as he pressed on.

"Oh? Now I have to deal with this...great." A fifteen year old Danny with bright green eyes leaned against the wall, clothing layered on top of him and scarf wrapped around his neck so many times the ends were nowhere in sight, causing his words to come out muffled. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he looked at Andrew. "Come on, then. Let's get you to the next guy already."

"Well, aren't you pleasant? Which one are you, then? Teenage angst?"

"No," he denied, smirk heard in his voice. "Keep guessing if you want, but follow me. It's...not safe for you to be in here on your own." Walking towards another exit of the maze, he glanced back at Andrew, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, joy. It's the Sassy Sarcastic Teenage Danny. How lovely."

"Oh, joy. It's the Smartalec Annoying Old Writer. How lovely." Seeing Andrew was following, he nodded and kept on his way, slowing down until Andrew was only a few inches away, instead of feet.

"Old, hm? Well, you're only a year younger than I am. And a couple feet shorter. What's the matter? Not going to grow, anymore?"

"No! I'm going to grow! Watch, one day I'll be taller than you!"

He rose an eyebrow. "Yes, definitely going to grow. Don't most people stop growing at 20? How old are you?"

"I am going to grow. I'm just a late bloomer, is all," the teen huffed, arms crossed as he stalked down the halls.

"So." Andrew watched the teen out of the corner of his eye as they walked. "Why are you so excited to make me leave?"

"I'm not." The teen paused as they reached an intersection, finally picking an almost unseen path and continuing onwards, glancing back to make sure Andrew was right behind him.

"'Let's get you to the next guy, already.' Your exact words. You should know by now that I can see through your lies, even if I pretend not to. Is that who you are? Lies?"

"No. It's not," he bitterly muttered, arms crossed again as he practically glared at Andrew. He seemed to pause for a second, finally letting out an aggravating sigh. Stupid Riter. "And those weren't my exact words."

Andrew smirked at his small victory. "Oh, yes they were. To the letter. So if you aren't Lies, who are you? Deceit? Denial? Rejection?"

"The last one was just uncalled for, thank you!" Picking at his sleeves, he looked back to Andrew, small tilt to his head. "I'm neither of those things."

"You said neither. That implies you're not two of those things. Which was it then?" He was wondering how he'd be able to tell when no matter what he said, the teen said the opposite.

"Neither." You think a writer would be able to figure this out by now. Suddenly stopping in his tracks, he jerked Andrew to a halt, tugging him away from the path that led to a sudden drop, and instead onto another one. "Stupid goddamn maze. Of course you have to get stuck with me when it comes to the most dangerous part..."

"Oh, I'm not worried too much. Even if you are Denial, I trust you wouldn't let anything happen." He looked to Danny with a smile.

"You..." Denial huffed, turning his head away with a light blush on his cheeks. Evil, annoying, writer mate. "I'm not Denial."

"You know, you make your thoughts rather obvious, mon cher."

"Shut up! No I don't!" Denial snapped, blush even worse. "I'm not Denial and I don't deny things!" Ugh. This would be better if he didn't have to deal with Andrew who saw through everything. He was just lucky Fear and Obsession was dealing with most of the bad memories today, that left him free to at least hide the darker things in Danny's mind when it came to denying what he was.

Andrew wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. "That last time, I never said anything about who you were. That's one of your faults, my dear mate. You're too quick to deny things."

"No I'm not, and I hope you fall off one of these cliffs," Denial huffed, skittering away from one of the pitfalls and tugging Andrew with him. "Just not that one."

Andrew snickered. Now that he knew what this one was, he could have fun. "Any other death threats?"

"...No," Denial hissed out, shoulders taunt as he glared at his mate. Stupid evil piece of... "I don't have any other death threats."

"A shame. I was looking forward to those. I'm sure you wouldn't have any names to call me, then."

"...No. I don't have any names to call you." He was going to kill this man when Danny woke up. He would take over the whole damn place if he had to and no one would blame him.

"You know, I love the color of the sky. Such a nice blue."

"It's not blue, and you are the most evil man to have ever walked these worlds." Death to him and his kin.

"You love me." At that, Denial paused, scowl on his face slowly being replaced with a small smile and incredulous laugh. Of all the things he could say...

"Yes. I do."

Andrew's eyes widened as he stared at Danny. "Come again?" Did he... was he lying? Was he telling the truth? This was Denial, but... it was also Danny.

"Stop that. With the over thinking and doubting and worrying," Denial huffed, falling back to take Andrew's hand in his, small blush on his face. "Yes. I love you. Very much, and I couldn't see my life without you. You...letting you know how I feel is the only thing I won't deny... I sort of did enough of that in the beginning, after all."

It took a moment, but he finally gave a soft smile. "Yes, I suppose you did."

"Oh, yeah. Because you didn't deny your feelings at all," Denial rolled his eyes, sarcasm thick in his voice. "You obviously admitted to your feelings and never once doubted our relationship. Or the fact we're mates. Not at all."

"Far less than you did, didn't I? I may not have told you at the beginning, but it didn't take long for me to at least admit it to myself."

"Mhm." Denial hummed a noncommittal answer as he pulled Andrew along a few more moments, finally slowing to a stop and smiling at realizing where they were. "Oh, now that... That is great..." If only he could have stuck around to see Andrew's expression when he realized who he was meeting next. "Right, well...

"This is as far as I can go- You're at least away from the most dangerous parts- You know, probably. Eh. Maybe. Anyways. Yes. I lost track of my thoughts, gonna be honest there. Just...total loss."

Andrew smirked. "You, being honest? What a surprise. And here I was, thinking you denied everything. Though, I'm not entirely surprised. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again, soon." He gave Danny a sad smile.

"Eh, probably not as much as you think," Denial shrugged, turning on his heel and heading back the way he came, pausing for a few seconds to shoot Andrew a smile. "It's gotten a lot more quiet here, since you showed up. Didn't you wonder why parts of the maze were missing? He finally stopped denying some things."

As he left, Andrew smiled, walking forward and feeling a small hop in his step, curiously enough. What was this next one going to be, to make him this happy? He called out, "Danny?"

"Hm- Ah! Andy! You finally made it to this part!" In a flash Danny was bouncing over, completely human and his normal age, scarf wrapped around his neck and book clutched in his arms. "I was so worried! I heard about you dealing with Dan- And then Denial's pitfalls! I mean, he can handle them fine, but- Are you okay?"

"I think I'm fine. And you, mon cher? I know this isn't you, but are you okay?" The new Danny nodded, pressed into Andrew's side as he gave him a happy smile.

"Mhm, I'm fine! It's just this place is really dangerous, and we've all been worried about you- And that power break... Usually we can share thoughts and memories and visit each other and stuff like that but now it's just... It's silent. As if that wasn't bad enough, you're stuck in here trying to wake us up- Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"That's a terrible response and I am now officially worried. Consider me officially worried for my mate's well being." Letting the book he was holding float out of his hands and freely in the air, he quickly wrapped himself around Andrew, nuzzling sweetly into his neck. "As if not being able to see you lately wasn't bad enough, the first time we do get to spend time together and it ends with this mess."

Andrew nodded, hugging him close. "Indeed. At least I'm here with you now."

"True, kind of, in a way," the other hedged, giving a small shrug as he snuggled closer. "You sort of get to see all the things we keep hidden from even you, but we wanted to tell you. So, you know. Good things out of destruction, and all that. Or whatever. I think."

"Indeed." He looked up at the book that was floating above him, and used one hand to grab it. At seeing the title, his eyes widened. "This is..."

"He won't admit to it, but he actually re-reads that book a lot when you're not looking. Even before he admitted his feelings, he still liked reading the parts with you in it- Woo, Denial and Obsession had fun that day. And by fun I mean they were very frustrated."

"I'm sure." Opening the book, he saw small scribblings in the margins, and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I mean, come on. Reindeer suddenly turning into ghosts? Sudden hatred from town? Trees coming to life? There were a lot of plot holes and poor characterization. Hardly my fault if I made a few suggestions. And maybe added onto the ending. A bit. Like. Tiny bit." The Danny was fidgeting now, slight blush on his cheeks as he avoided the other's gaze.

"Added on, did you?" He flipped to the back page with amusement, smiling at the illustration of his mate from the end of their Christmas adventure.

"Like, little tiny bit," he hedged, adjusting his position to where he was now behind Andrew and peeking over his shoulder, seeing where he was reading. "Like, hardly 2k words. And maybe a picture."

He flipped the page, surprised that there were multiple pages added. He scanned quickly over the words with a smile. "It rhymes."

"Yeah, well, I mean, it is a poem." The Danny was blushing now, avoiding looking at both the book and Andrew. "Tried to do my best to imitate your writing style. Tried. Eh." He wondered if it was too late to run... He could probably escape. Probably.

Andrew gave him a kiss on the cheek as he read through. "You did very well, mon douce fantôme. Though, that may be due to how much of my work you've read. And I think this is a very nice illustration." He pointed to a picture of he and his mate laying on their regular couch at Vidya, and he seemed to be reading to Danny. "More of a tasteful picture than I had been expecting."

"Oh, trust me, plenty of those pictures have been drawn," he hummed, glancing at the purple trenchcoat the other was wearing as he lightly tugged on it. Seeing there was still more in the book, however, Andrew began to flip the page. In a flash, the book was out of his hands, and being thrown over the maze wall. "You know, not to change subjects, but you do look much better with this off."

He gave a smirk. "I'm sure you think so. Mind helping me with it?" The other seemed surprised for a moment before a wicked smirk appeared, voice coming out in more of a purr than anything.

"Why, I'd be delighted, my dear mate~" Apparently, this Danny also had access to his ghost powers, since the coat was soon lying on the ground, and he was cuddled back up to Andrew, arms wrapped around his neck and tugging him down for a sweet kiss. "You know, we never get to see you anymore... Exams, finals, ghost issues, and when we do get to Vidya, we're all so exhausted the only thing we can do is sleep. It is very frustrating, my dear sweet Andrew."

"My dear poor mate. Truly a crime upon crimes. Why don't I help rectify such a crime?" He pulled Danny closer, smiling as his hand trailed down the halfa's side. He then brought the hand up to hold Danny's chin, pulling him into a kiss.

The kiss was eagerly returned, ghost powers now quickly phasing the other's shirt off. "Much better~ In case you haven't guessed by now - although you probably have - I'm Love. And I'm very glad I get to have you to myself for a little bit..."

The moment the words were said, Andrew found that Danny was no longer wrapped around him. In fact, he couldn't see the man anywhere, as well as his shirt and coat. Faintly hearing a frustrated cry, he glared at the area around him, muttering viciously in French.

"I'm sure you can continue what was started when you get home." The response was spoken in perfect, accented French, a quiet chuckle accompanying it. "I have a feeling Love will be as upset as you are for a while... I'm Timekeeper, and you're still missing a shirt."

"Yes, I know this." The Danny now in front of him, 'Timekeeper,' looked worn, though not with age. It was more as though he knew all there was to know about fighting from living it. Including the aftermath. Wrapped around him was a blue cloak, the hood falling around his neck. In his hand was a silver scythe, with a green, blue, and purple gemstone each in the metal. Wrapped around the handle of the scythe was the scarf. He rose an eyebrow at the figure. "Timekeeper?"

"I suppose you could say while Prince is the one who has the most power, I'm the one who knows how to use it. The one who remembers the battles, and what they brought. I'm also the one who holds his time powers - weak and latent as they may be. Don't tell, but he'll probably come into them sooner than a century, like Clockwork believes." Leisurely floating behind the man, he settled a hand on his back and nudged him forward. "We need to keep moving, in this area. Being the place of time energy, if you linger for too long things can get...confusing."

"Confusing how-" His world suddenly turned black as he slowly nodded. "Well, I think I found my shirt and coat."

"Surprising, since I rather thought Love would have kept them," Timekeeper mused, taking the articles off of Andrew's head and handing them back to him. "Come on, this area is rather small, considering it's still...dormant, I suppose is the best word. You'll meet the next part of Danny's personality rather soon."

As Andrew struggled to get his clothes back on properly, he huffed. "What do you mean confusing?"

"Danny is still half human, and while his ghost side does a marvelous job of storing the energy - considering in one timeline the body broke down by his seventeenth year - it can't yet handle the strain of time powers. Perhaps one day when he becomes a full spirit, but until then, this area is rather...tangled. He's supposed to have these powers, but since his body can't yet handle them, they remain locked away in here, with myself as the keeper."

Andrew nodded along as the two walked down the halls. Well, he walked. Danny more floated, than anything. "His seventeenth year... of being a halfa?" Because that's the only thing he could have meant... Danny was already twenty one, if he died in one timeline at seventeen...

"In that timeline, things didn't..." Timekeeper gave a quiet sigh, shoulders dropping. "His body couldn't handle the power his ghost half gave him. You helped at one point with your alchemy, and things worked out in due time, but... He could only handle three years of those powers before they broke his body down, and made it weak enough to fall in battle. He came back as a ghost, but still...the stress was unbelievable."

Andrew nodded, his hands twitching at his sides. The moment he got back, he was holding onto Danny tightly, and never letting him go, college classes be damned. "I see..."

"I tell you this because while this universe may not follow the same course, he still holds more power than he should in his state... Overexerting himself, like he did in his last fight, is what caused his mind to become fragmented as such. If you weren't his mate, and if you weren't here... He wouldn't have woken up from this. He knows he needs to be careful, but that need is often outweighed by his need to protect others, and do what's right. He may not break down in this timeline but... I believe there is still the chance of things going wrong, if not careful."

"I'll take care of you, no matter what." He turned to Danny with a sad smile, letting his thumb trace a scar on the other's cheek. "I won't let anyone hurt you, again." Timekeeper gave a sigh, leaning into the touch as he gave a sad smile.

"You still blame yourself for when you were controlled, don't you? You know that wasn't your fault...not when nothing could have prevented it."

"That's no excuse."

"...You really are too good to us." Andrew blinked as Danny vanished from in front of him, once again left alone in an endless maze before he slowly heard the sound of...arguing? Walking towards the sounds, he raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

"No! That's a stupid idea! Don't you dare try that!"

"What else am I supposed to try?! We need to make sure he's safe!"

"...The temptation to walk in the other direction is overwhelming," Andrew quietly muttered, resisting the urge to flinch back as both noticed him.

The two flew at Andrew, one literally and one figuratively, tackling him in a hug.

"Andrew! I was just telling him-"

"And I'm sure you'll agree with me-"

"No he won't!"

He should have just stayed an assassin. He should have just stayed in England, and kept following orders. But no. He had to be noble and go to America to find a new start and end up meeting this brat. Ugh...changing from such serious things to something as ridiculous as this...he was beginning to see why Danny had been so emotionally drained when his own mind had been broken up.

"...I need you both to be quiet right now because I am already at my limit and listening to both of you blame each other is not something I feel like dealing with. You." Pointing to the ghostly Danny with blue eyes, and wearing a white cape, he raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"I was telling him that we should look for you at the other areas because you might need help, and he said it was stupid." Andrew nodded, turning to the other Danny - who was dressed like Danny would be when going to work, with bright green eyes.

"You. Explain."

"We can't go to the other areas, right now, though, so it was a stupid idea!"

"Both of you. Names."

The more ghostly one pointed to the other. "He's the Fun Danny."

"He's the Super Danny." Oh god no. He had heard about that horror story from the others, when Danny had possessed the bright idea to separate his human and ghost half and it had turned into these two running around.

"...I... I feel like I'm doomed..." He was dealing with two Dannys. Twin Dannys, judging by the single gray scarf wrapped around both of their necks. This...this was so wrong. He felt like he was facing his death all over because while he loved Danny very dearly there were two of the little monsters in front of him.

"Yeah, I mean," Super started.

"You kinda are," His opposite finished for him. They both smiled brightly at Andrew.

"...You both are pure evil, aren't you? Don't answer that, I already know the answer." Right. Steady breaths, Riter. This disaster of a day wasn't over yet. "Do you two know how to get to the center of this godforsaken maze?"

They slowly stood, the two Danny's holding each other's hand. "Normally, we can, but-"

"We can't, right now. The best we can do is-"

"Get you to the next area."

"That'll be helpful in itself," Andrew smiled, gesturing for the two to lead on. "Why are you two together, anyways? So far all of the others have been separated."

Super flew up to wrap himself around Andrew's shoulders, whereas Fun clung to Andrew's hand, cuddling into his side. Fun began, "Well, after the incident, we realized something."

"We're really a lot similar."

"And it just... doesn't feel right."

"Being away from each other is almost like being away from you."

"So far while being in here, mes chers, I've noticed that while your reactions are different, your personalities are rather the same in some areas. Acting adorable, being one of them."

"Andrrreeeewwww," Super whined next to his ear.

"You're the literal worst."

"Definitely the same - including the frequent misuse of the word 'literal'."

"And you're definitely the same, after all the terrible stuff you probably saw."

"Of course he is, he's super strong. Shame on you, disbeliever."

"Oh, I'll show you shame, you demon!"

"Bring it on, pal!"

Andrew gave a sigh, unhooking Super from around his shoulders and pulling him around to give him a sweet kiss, doing the same to Fun a moment later. "Mes chers, we really do need to be waking you up, so if you can please argue later, that would be most helpful."

Fun gave a dazed smile with a light blush, while Super's blush was much more prominent. "That... That sounds like a good idea."

"Yeah, come on, we're almost to the barrier." They led him forward, finally releasing his hand and retaking their own.

"Here we are."

"If you ever wanna come back, we'll be waiting here." Fun said, with a wink.

Super gasped, "Blasphemous, you are."

"Oh, as if you weren't thinking the same thing!"

"Au revoir, mes chers," Andrew smiled, disappearing around the corner and hearing the friendly bickering trail off into silence. That had been...interesting. Tilting his head at hearing the sound of running, he looked around. The sound could only be coming from another Danny so... Thinking on it, he probably shouldn't have been so surprised when he was full out tackled to the ground. He had become rather used to the action soon after meeting Danny, after all.

"Wow, sorry about that, Andy, guess I'm just falling for ya!"

"I knew it. I knew this one was coming." He had called this before the mess began. Sighing, and sitting up, he blinked at seeing the small Danny in his lap. This was by far the youngest he had seen so far, and couldn't be older than twelve - which explained the humor - and he was wearing... "Are you...are you wearing braces?"

"Guess you shoulda braced yourself for that one!" Humor giggled from his seat. Andrew slowly stood up, carefully holding the smaller in his arms.

"...You are utterly adorable." Twelve year old Danny with terrible puns and braces, and a laugh that didn't stop. This...he wanted to keep this one. Puns be damned because adorable.

"Pffft... udders... They're like cow butts."

"Definitely twelve," Andrew nodded, glancing around the maze. "Do you know which direction we need to be going?"

He gave a shrug with a smile. "I dunno! Let's explore! Not that we don't do enough of that at Vidya, of course." Andrew paused at the wording, slowly looking down at Danny, as if still processing the words.

"...Humor... Oh, no... You have to be kidding me..." It wasn't just puns. It was those jokes.

He grinned, "I am!" Maybe it wasn't too late to go back and find Super and Fun. He'd rather deal with that than this menace of a child.

"Do you have any idea how to get to the center?"

"Well, I bet you know how to get to my center." They were never speaking of his moment again. This was worse than Randy's jokes. His mate was more shameless than Randy.

"You are far too much..."

"That's what she said. Or, in this case, he. I like that one, better."

"Have you no innocence..." This child was a menace, and he felt sorry for the others for having to put up with him. Mostly Jasmine. She probably had to deal with his jokes far too long.

"Nope. You made sure of that."

"This would be much more amusing if you weren't twelve and wearing braces..." He absently noticed his scarf was tied around his upper right leg, and the clothing was just barely fitting him. He also couldn't seem to stop smiling. "As it is, these jokes are making me feel extremely guilty."

"Nah, don't be like that, you'll meet him later! Besides, my jokes are amazing. You just have no sense of... humor."

"Lord on High give me strength..." And wasn't that a new one, asking for strength from a god he hadn't believed in since he was this Danny's age. "Please tell me you know where the next version of you is." Because he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle these jokes.

He waved vaguely at the maze. "Somewhere that way." This was going to be harder than he thought. Of all the times to need- Hold on a second... Shifting Danny into one arm, he used his free hand to dig around his pockets, finally pulling out a plastic wrapped cookie, holding it in front of Danny.

"Find the way out of here, you get this cookie."

"Woo! Go that way!" He pointed at an entrance of the maze. "That cookie better not be crumby."

"Should have seen that one coming, and no, it's not." Handing the cookie over, he shook his head, small smile on his face anyways. "Here's the cookie, you little monster." Readjusting his hold on the child - because he really was adorable - he headed down the hall he had pointed out. "Tell me when we get close to the barrier so you don't get hurt, okay?"

"How'd you know I'd get hurt?"

"Considering how Fun Danny reacted to the idea of Super Danny going off and looking for me, I figured that crossing between areas might cause you all some form of pain. Am I wrong?"

"Awww, you care!"

"Oui, oui, just eat your cookie, mon cher," Andrew sighed, noticing that there weren't any splits off the path, and it was just a main road. "I suppose the more stable the emotion, the more stable the area, yes?"

"I'll show you stable."

"Try one that makes sense, mon cher." Adorable small child...he really did want to keep him. Even if he had to deal with the dirty jokes.

"Your face makes sense."

"Oui, oui, would you like another cookie?" The solution to every cranky child. Cookies.

"Does a penguin swim?"

"A simple yes would have sufficed, you know," Andrew snorted, already digging out another cookie and handing it to him. "Are we almost near the barrier?"

"Mm, almost." Andrew nodded, walking a few more minutes before feeling the mood of the halls start to change into something else. Slowing his speed, he carefully set Danny down, making sure he was okay.

"Try to avoid getting into trouble, will you?"

"I would promise, but, I mean, trouble always happens around you."

"Says the one who attracts the supernatural like magnets." Standing up, he continued down the maze, glancing back to make sure the younger Danny was safely on the other side of the barrier.

"If I'm a magnet, I guess that explains why I'm so attractive!" He laughed as he ran back to his area, munching on the cookie as he did so.

"I knew that one would be here, at least," Andrew sighed, perking up at hearing running again. Hopefully this time he wouldn't be tackled.

"Mission control, we are in space. And it's awesome! Woooo!" A tiny Danny ran around a clear area, holding a rocket ship in the air as he did so. As he ran, his scruffy hair fell in front of his face, causing him to flip his hair every couple of seconds. From what Andrew could tell, he was wearing overalls, and was damn near close to tripping over his untied shoelaces. Finally, as he made a loop, he saw Andrew and gasped. "Andy!"

"Aw..." He wasn't going to lie, he was heavily tempted to keep this Danny forever, because...oh man. This kid was the most adorable and perfect thing he had ever seen. He also might be a little obsessed with his mate, considering he could feel his obsession rearing full force. Just a little. "You're adorable..."

The Danny grinned, running over and throwing himself at Andrew's legs, clinging to them. "Andy! I haven't seen you yet! But now I am! And you're here! Andy!" Andrew wasted no time in scooping the small child into his arms, cuddling him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"And I'm very glad I get to see you as well." Yep. No denying it. His mate was definitely one of his obsessions but come on. A nice, cute, innocent Danny who hadn't had to deal with ghosts, or any of the troubles that had been dealt to him over the years. He was the cutest thing...he even had his scarf wrapped around his ankle - which he was surprised the boy hadn't tripped over it yet.

"As much as I'd love to stay." And he really, really would. "Do you know how to get to the next area? I really do need to wake you up. Too long like this could be bad." As much as he enjoyed spending time with these versions of his mate, and learning about him, he was more worried about what would happen if he didn't wake the other up soon.

"Uh huh! Go that way!" He pressed a kiss to Andrew's cheek as he pointed, before cuddling into the older's chest. "I really really like seeing you and I'm glad you're here! It's like an adventure! We should go on an adventure! Can we go on a space adventure, Andy?"

Oh man, he just wanted to stay and spoil this Danny endlessly and- Right there. Obsession. Focus, Riter. "As much as I would love to, mon petit, we really do need to get going. Maybe another time, okay?" As soon as he got back, he was going to do everything possible to see this side of his mate.

Innocence held up his hand, with his pinkie finger extended. "Promise?"

Shifting the child around in his grip, he wrapped his own pinkie around the other's, small smile on his face. "I promise, mon petit." Oh, he was definitely keeping this promise to his Danny- They hadn't been to that star gazing field in a while... He was sure Danny wouldn't mind a little surprise kidnapping in the dead of night.

"Yay! I get to go on an adventure with Andy! Woo!" Beginning to walk the direction Danny had pointed out, Andrew returned his attention to the child in his arms.

"Do you know who I'll be meeting next?"

"Mhm! Trust! He's really neat! Normally, we play all sorts of games! Sometimes he even lets me be king!" He bet Prince found that ironically amusing. Trust, though... There had been a Trust in his mind, so this would be at least somewhat familiar. Although knowing Danny, it was bound to end in far more trouble than he could expect.

"Do you know how far away the barrier is for you?"

"We're almost there." Andrew paused in confusion, looking to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Danny, we've only been walking for a few minutes, if that."

Innocence shrugged. "Well, yeah. But we're still almost there." If that was true...then this area had to be rather small, which meant...

He was clinging to Danny when he woke up and never letting go. It was settled, at this point. "I...see."

"Mhm! I gotta go now!" He pressed another kiss to Andrew's cheek before scrambling out of his arms and running back. "Bye bye, Andy!"

"Definitely taking him to the star gazing field." Sighing, and feeling slight guilt about leaving such a small Danny all by himself, he continued onwards, noticing the maze walls seemed to have grown more complex. "Trust, hm..."

"Who's there?!" A new Danny, in a white hazmat suit jumped out from behind the corner. "Oh, it's just you. Hi, Andrew."

"You must be Trust, then, yes?"

"Yeah." He walked over towards Andrew, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "It's not that safe here, right now. But don't worry, I'll get you to the next area. Trust me."

"I always have, mon cher," Andrew smiled warmly, entwining his fingers with Danny's. "I assume there's not many emotions left?"

"I don't know how many you've been to before me, but you look like you know what's going on, so probably not many. Who all have you been to?"

"Well, I joyfully met Dan first," Andrew rolled his eyes, thinking back to his encounters.

"Joyfully? I didn't think you'd enjoy it." Andrew paused, finally giving a sigh.

"No use for sarcasm, then... I wouldn't say I enjoyed it so much as it was an interesting encounter." Hate and Anger, hm... Maybe that and something else... "After that, I encountered Protection, Prince, Fear, Obsession, Denial, Love, Timekeeper, Super and Fun, Humor, Innocence, and now, you."

"That was a lot of them. You only have three-ish left."

"Ish?"

"Three not including me, four including me."

"Ah. If I may ask, why are you carrying ghost hunting equipment?" He also noticed the other's free hand was twitching towards his guns every few seconds, the same nervous tick he and his brother had with their own weapons.

"Cause Mom and Dad want me to be a hunter, and they taught me everything I know."

"I...see. I'm actually rather glad they had you take an interest in ghosts...otherwise we might have never met." He couldn't imagine his life without Danny in it anymore.

"Right? See, my parents always know what's best!"

"They certainly want what's best for you. I know you don't like to think about it, but...do you think you'll ever consider telling them about your being half ghost?"

"Yeah. I wanna tell them. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Andrew held his tongue, considering he could think of quite a few things that could be deemed 'the worst'.

"And yet you haven't? I know secrets are your obsession-" Something he hadn't been too pleased to learn about, since that put Danny under even more stress. "-so would you really be able to tell them? Or want to?"

"Well, I want to, but I'm not sure about him. I think he wants to, really, but..."

"Obsessions are hard things to handle, sometimes," Andrew noted, squeezing Danny's hand. Considering how his life had been, his own obsession...could have been much different.

"I know. But you help a lot." And it was true. There was so much Andrew knew about him that no one else did. Because he trusted him more than anyone else.

"I'm glad I can help you, mon cher." It was certainly nice to hear, considering sometimes he felt like he only made things worse, and more complicated, for Danny. "So I'm assuming I'll be able to wake you up soon, yes?"

"Probably. I hope so. I don't know if I will wake up." Right. Trust. Trusting him with fears and worries. Danny wasn't going to leave his sight for days after this. He would make sure of it.

"You will."

"Okay. By the way, we're here."

"I'm curious, what happens when you try to go through a barrier? Do you merely get pushed back?"

"We get shocked. And I mean we. We all feel it if one of us gets shocked." Considering how fidgety and scared some of these Dannys were, he had a feeling that had been terri- Wait... Oh, no...

"Danny...when you say 'all'..."

"Mhm. All of us. Even Fear. Even him." That would explain why Fear had been so frightened when he had first found him - and why Prince had directed him to Fear first. But if that was true that all of them felt it, then...

"So you're telling me your main self is locked away in some secluded room with no idea of what's happening and is being periodically shocked?" Yep. There was the panic starting to rise. Right there. Panic and obsession.

"Mhm. So, are you gonna go meet the next one? Or just stand here?" Of course he wasn't just going- Right. Trust. No sense of sarcasm.

"Three left, yes? That at least means we can deal with this soon..." Heading down the hallway that they had stopped in front of, Andrew paused, looking back, finally noticing the gray scarf was wrapped around his neck, but both ends were resting against his back. A lot of the personality seemed to be conveyed in how they wore the scarf, now that he thought about it. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Mhm. Go meet Guilt. You're almost done."

He walked on again, pausing and turning back around, "Guil-" Seeing that Trust had disappeared, he sighed, and continued on alone. "This should be... incredibly worrying."

A quiet muttering was heard from around the corner, a Danny finally appearing around the corner who looked like he was around eighteen and perfectly human - save for the swirling green and blue eyes he had. The clothes, while being his own, were far too loose on him, and his scarf was tied around his neck in a tight knot. The man was hunched over, hands clutching his hair as he flinched and mumbled things under his breath.

"All my fault. Always my fault. Releasing the ghosts. Ruining their lives. Killing Andrew. Forming Dan. Pressing that stupid button. Everything my fault. All of it. Everyone put in the hospital because of the fights. Every life I've ruined. Everything. All my fault. All of it. My fault. My fault. Always my fault."

Andrew rushed over, lightly holding onto Danny's wrists. "Danny, Danny, Danny, it's alright, mon cher. Nothing's your fault. Some things just happen, and you can't always change them, it's not your fault."

Guilt finally seemed to notice Andrew was in front of him, jerking back in shock and skittering away to where he was pressed against one of the walls, eyes wet, and voice wavering. "Even you being here is my fault...if I had been more careful like you told me to, if I had paid attention to what was happening better, if I had done something different- It's always my fault. Every time- It just..." Trailing off, he pressed himself against the wall even more, nervously edging away from Andrew as he shook his head. "Let's...let's just get you out of here."

"Danny... do you remember what I told you about what if's?"

"...Not really...sorry." The last word was said quietly, Guilt's gaze now trained on the floor.

"It's alright, I didn't expect you to. What if's are the unnecessary love triangles of the human mind. Spend too much time on them, and they cause anti-character development." Guilt quietly nodded, inching away from Andrew more, finally speaking a few moments later.

"C-Come on. You'll be out soon if we go this way- Or at least to the next area." Nervously glancing up at Andrew, and then back down to the ground, he began walking, shoulders hunched again.

Andrew raised his hand to stroke Danny's hair, his heart breaking at the flinch away. Still, he followed through, and lightly scratched at Danny's scalp. "Please don't be scared of me, mon cher..."

"No! I'm not scared of you! I just..." Voice going quiet again, Guilt shook his head, hands clenching his sleeves tightly as he closed his eyes. "I just... I'm not scared of you, I just-" Cutting himself off, he fell quiet again. "Why do you keep putting up with me when I cause so much trouble..."

"Well, one, because I caused as much trouble when I was alive." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of Danny's head. "And two, because I'm not putting up with you. That would imply I don't want you. Danny, mon cher, I'm in love with you. Nothing could ever make me want to leave, no matter how troublesome you may be."

Guilt slowly nodded after a moment's pause, fingers moving to instead clutch Andrew's shirt as he tugged him along. "You really are too good to us, Andy..." Pausing to give Andrew the lightest of kisses, he nervously backed away again, small blush on his face. "Just head down this hall, okay? You'll be out soon."

Andrew nodded, giving him a smile. "It really isn't your fault, mon cher. I could never truly blame you for anything." Watching Guilt nod and disappear around another corner, Andrew sighed and continued on his own path. He knew Danny put up with a lot of stress, and had dealt with so much over the years, but... He had never known it was still this bad.

Another Danny walked around the corner, looking up as he blinked. "Hi, Andrew. How are you?"

"Certainly tired," Andrew hummed, studying the Danny in front of him. He looked like he did when he was sixteen, although his gaze was a little absent as he kept looking at everything, and his scarf was tied around his upper right arm. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me who you are?"

"Clueless." He smiled as he skipped over to Andrew, grabbing his arm and looping it in his.

"...I am not surprised. I really am not." If there was a side for puns, then of course there would be a side for Danny's cluelessness. "Can you show me how to get to the last emotion? I really need to wake you up...especially after hearing about those shocks..." Most likely, Danny was in the dark and had no idea what was going on. And if he felt those shocks...

"Mhm. Come on, it's this way. So besides tired, what's up?"

"Emotionally drained." And, hm, he recalled Danny saying much the same when meeting his last emotion. He had a much better idea of what his mate had gone through that day, after this adventure.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Do you know who you're meeting next?"

"No, I don't. I know he's the only one left, however, according to Trust." Clueless, hm... Made sense as to why he asked so many questions, then.

"Hm. Okay." They walked in silence before Clueless spoke up, again. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said, or assumed, you were. I was more thinking along the lines that you're inquisitive," Andrew lowered their arms to where their hands were clasped instead, shooting Danny a small smile. "I've tutored you for years, remember? I know just how smart you are, cluelessness and all."

Clueless smiled. "I think that because I'm Clueless, people think it means I'm stupid. But I'm not. I mean, ignorance is nicer, when the truth is as bad as we've seen."

"Wise words. I can see how that misconception can be made, but that just gives you more room to surprise them with how smart you really are, oui?"

Clueless stood on his tiptoes, giving Andrew a peck. "Yeah. Well, we're here." Hm, only a few minutes walk... Clueless had a rather small area then- He was rather proud of that fact. "What's that smile for?"

Giving a chuckle, Andrew shook his head, giving Danny a kiss of his own. "Rien, rien, mon cher. Just proud of how much you've grown over the years, I suppose. And amused by how much you've stayed the same."

He wrinkled his nose with a smile as he waved. "Bye, Andrew."

"Au revoir, mon cher." As Danny left, he turned, walking through the maze. One left... and he had no clue who this could be.

"Salut, mon ange. Having fun, today?"

Seeing a Danny similar to the one he knew and loved, not including the pair of glasses this one was wearing, he glared, though also gave a smile. "You little shit."

"Hardly my fault if this happened- Okay, so being one of the more dominant emotions it's probably a bit of my fault- You know, I'm blaming you too. I don't know how, but the blame is on you." A ghostly tail flicked in amusement, even with the man in his human form - although while one eye was blue, the other was green. A white stripe went through his hair as well, with his scarf wrapped around his neck much like he usually had.

"More dominant emotion, hm? Then who are?"

"Aw, come on, Andy, aren't you even gonna guess? Where's the fun in not guessing, I ask you. There is no fun. None at all." Warm smile on his face, the Danny flew over to Andrew, hovering in front of him. "Bet you can't guess right."

Andrew didn't hesitate into pulling him into a hug. "I'd really rather not, mon cher. God forbid the day I ever again have to deal with sixteen of you hellions. And that's not including you put all back together."

"Wow, this day must have been fun for you, huh?" Quietly snickering, he adjusted their position to where Andrew was tiredly leaning against him before he ran a hand through his hair, much like the older did for him. "Fine, take the fun out of it. I'm Relaxation."

"So, your version of contentment, then?" He could have laughed. Of course Danny would have a counterpart to his own personality piece.

"Well, I mean, we are mates. It's to be expected we're alike in things like this, ya know," Relaxation huffed, kissing Andrew's cheek. "Now, you get to play the fun game of recounting what you learned about each me! Doesn't that sound lovely?"

He groaned. "Can we at least sit? I have a feeling we'll be here for a while, since someone needed to make things so much more complicated."

"It's me, Andy. Complication goes hand in hand with these things. And yes, we can sit. Come on." Taking Andrew's hand, he tugged him towards a small corner of the maze that was similar to Prince's, only instead of ice and snow, it was covered with purple and blue pillows of varying sizes. Pushing Andrew onto the center pile, he settled down on top of him a few moments later, sigh of content leaving him. "You're so much more comfy~"

"Are you sure you aren't some incarnation of a cat?"

"Well, I mean, there was that one time with Desiree..." Relaxation hummed, sighing as he settled down in Andrew's lap and completely going limp. "Yes. This is nice. Now. Let's recount your fun adventure."

"Well, first there was... him."

"Yeah. Figures with our shitty lucky you'd get to meet Dan first... You look fine, minus the ruffled hair and clothing, so I'm guessing he didn't get any blasts in...still, okay?"

"Mm..." He mumbled vaguely as he closed his eyes. While he was physically fine, seeing that much anger and hatred from his sweet Danny had certainly left him shaken.

"We really didn't want you to see him..." Stretching his arms out, Relaxation absently grabbed one of Andrew's, tugging it over and linking fingers with him. "Learn anything about Dan that you didn't already know? Besides the fact he's a psychotic bastard?"

"...You have quite a lot of self control for someone so young."

"...I'm one year younger than you. Seriously. I'm not that young." He was legally able to drink, thank you very much. "It probably counts, though. Even though I'm not that young. Who did you meet after Dan- Let me guess, Protection jumped in?"

"Yes, he dragged me off while I tried to invite Dan to a tea party." Relaxation went shockingly quiet, a few moments passing before he let out a loud laugh that had him almost rolling off of the other's lap.

"Tell me you did not actually say that?!"

"Alright. I didn't actually say that." He smiled. He was allowed to be sarcastic, too.

"Wow. The sarcasm in your voice there. Truly chilling, mon ange. Truly. I'm terrified of it- What did you learn about Protection, though? Besides he has a hero complex. I mean, we all know I have a hero complex. It's really obvious at this point."

"Glad to know you're accepting it. I was rather surprised Protection had barely anything ghostly about him. As though it were only his human side." Relaxation gave a light shrug, nervously running a hand through the loose strands of hair that wasn't tied back in a ponytail.

"I mean, you probably figured that all out, but, yeah. The protection thing...is kind of a human thing, instead of ghostly. Um, but, yeah. Who did you meet after Protection- Because that counts as a thing learned. Probably."

"...I didn't know you knew of your... position, in the Ghost Zone."

"Well. That means you met Prince- Bit of a pretentious bastard, if you ask me," Relaxation snorted, absently cuddling closer to Andrew. "I... I've known about it for a while... Clockwork kind of gives vague hints to try and get me used to the idea, but I sort of pieced it together from what I've overheard, and what I read about it in Vidya. I just... I'd rather not think about it, I guess. It's kind of...a lot to take in."

"I know. And all of us will be there to help you shoulder the burden. Including your parents, once you tell them your secret."

"Yeah, I guess- ...Okay, shelving that one for later, cause you've been stuck in here long enough, and you know the drill about this kind of thing. So, who was after the high and mighty one that is Prince?"

"Fear." He gave a light tug to Danny's ponytail. "You know, you're not the first to wish death for yourself."

"Noooo, I don't wanna have this conversation either," Relaxation whined, rolling around to bury his face in Andrew's shirt, huffing at seeing he had knocked his own glasses off in the process.

"We will be having this conversation, but as you've said, we've been stuck here for far too long as it is."

"Uugghh. Stupid overprotective writer boyfriend. Oh hey- How did Fear react to you? I'm sort of curious, since it's you."

Andrew gave a smile at that. "He smiled."

"Holy shit man...it's times like these I remember how head over heels in love with you I am because holy shit he does not smile. Ever. At all. That is- No. Black magic. I claim you are using black magic!"

"You're acting like Randall, again, mon cher."

"Shut up! He's a corruptive influence and I am an impressionable child!" Pausing, he sighed. "I just realized how stupid that sounded... Alright, who was after that, if I even dare ask. Also, where did my glasses fall to?"

Andrew grabbed them, handed them to his mate, and continued. "Obsession. I don't think it's hard to tell what I learned while there."

"In my absolute defense, I was planning on telling you about that...eventually. You know, in time-" Pausing, he gave a snicker. "Aha, time... Okay, okay, so, who was after the emotionally tiring Obsession?"

"Denial. That was painful."

"Yeaaah, we're working on that. Apparently, so far, the only thing he can't deny is, well, you probably figured that out. Also, what'd ya learn from him? This is a trip of learning!" Rolling over again, he spread his hands out to form a mock rainbow, eyes wide. "Knowledge is power, after all. The more you know, the more you grow."

"I learned that if you don't shut up, I'll pull on your hair." Relaxation paused, narrowing his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare- Ow! Fine, fine! You evil heartless Riter!"

"Ruthless Riters, indeed."

"You are cruel, mon ange. Terribly cruel. Now, who was after, uh, who were we on... Denial! Right. Who after Denial?" The downside of ponytails...they could be used against him and now his scalp hurt. Evil Riter. Andrew gave him a wicked smirk, breaking up his thoughts. "...What the hell happened and why do I feel like I am going to regret asking..."

"I met Love."

"Aw shit..." Relaxation groaned, blush already on his face. "Alright, how bad- Aw man, don't tell me he showed you the book!"

"Oh, I think you should be worrying about more than the book... I didn't know you were so frustrated, mon cher."

"Wait..what do yo- No...noooo." Blush even worse, Relaxation shook his head and rolled off Andrew's lap, trying to bury himself under a group of pillows. "Nooooo. I don't wanna know. Noooo."

"We'll just shelve that for later, hm?"

"You are a horrible and evil person, Andy. Just horrible," Relaxation whined, refusing to come out from under his pillows. "Is that why you're clothes are so ruffled..."

"Well, you were rather eager..." The whine grew worse. "Why is it he threw the book over the wall?"

Peeking his head up, he raised an eyebrow, "What? He's more protective over that thing than the scarf sometimes. Did you try to read the part he added on, or something?"

"No, I read that. I tried reading more, and he snatched the book from me, and threw it away."

"More? The only thing-" Relaxation paused, gaze becoming considering. "I could either help us all in a self sacrificing move...or embarrass myself completely and be forced to flee in shame... Nope. Yeah. Not gonna say anything. I'm not that self sacrificing."

"It couldn't have been anything that bad, Danny. You're acting like you were trying to hide a wedding magazine or-" He cut himself off at his words, groaning as Danny went back to hiding under the pillows. How could he have not realized it sooner? Danny was more of a romantic than he was, of course he'd be expecting... Well, nonetheless, he'd definitely be fixing that soon. "Would you like it if we moved on to the next one?"

"...Yes..." Relaxation mumbled, head poking out from under the mass of pillows he had buried himself under. "I mean, at least Love didn't manage to get your clothes off of you, aha, right?" Andrew stayed silent, giving him the smile of the cat that ate the canary. "...I... Of all the times to want Denial here... Just... Wow. Yeah. Rest assured I will be embarrassed over that when the memories come back. Just. Next. Next emotion. Or thing. Or just. Mercy."

"You've known your time powers have been growing, haven't you?" There was a hint of betrayal to the tone.

"I mean...I thought they might be..." Relaxation mumbled, hiding under the pillows more, and avoiding Andrew's gaze. "I just... It's already enough dealing with all the secrets and the fact I'm supposed to be the next King-" Hopefully Andrew hadn't noticed the hitch in his voice there. Even if he was Relaxation, there was only so much he could do to keep stress away. "-and then realizing I have time powers and that they might be growing...I just...panicked... And so I did the same thing I do with everything. I kept it hidden and pretended it wasn't there. Out of sight out of mind, right?"

"But if you tell me, then it's possible I can help you." He cupped Danny's face, leaning their foreheads together. "I will never treat you differently because of things like that. And I'll always do my best to help you with it. So please do try to tell me these things in the future, oui?"

"...I'll...yeah. Alright. You might have to track me down and force the information out of me here and there. I am rather good at hiding things, after all," Relaxation huffed, slight blush on his face. "Alright, so you met Timekeeper, then. Who was after that Clockwork wannabe?"

Andrew heaved a heavy sigh as he muttered. "There were two of you demons..."

"Oh god I'm so sorry... It was Super and Fun, wasn't it? Oh man, you poor thing. Would you like a hug? I feel like I should offer hugs."

"You often find those nice, so why not?"

"Hugs are nice. Remind me to give you more, cause you always spoil me with them, and you need comfort too, cause you hide when you're hurting." Phasing out of the pillows, he tackled Andrew down onto them to where they were laying down, cuddling him close and tucking him under his chin. "The hugs shall make you feel better- Still have to say what you learned, though."

"That no matter what changes about you, I can always find something that's the same."

"Oh my god, dude, I'm too tired for writer knowledge right now," Relaxation groaned, sigh ruffling Andrew's hair. "Why can't you use simple people words. Drunk words. Drunk college student words."

"Those... those were simple words. Do you think I'm not tired, you hellion? You didn't have to go through all that."

"Nope, I was stuck at the end here with no freaking clue what was going on and getting shocked every few minutes cause everyone in here is stubborn as fuck and you weren't here and- Right. Wow. Panic. Okay. Focus- I blame you the fact I'm not focused. You being here is making everything blur together- But, yeah. Okay. Lesson accepted or whatever. Who was next?"

Andrew shuddered. "Humor."

"Oh god he's worse than the twin demons... He did the dirty jokes, didn't he?"

"So many..."

"I'm so sorry. From that one you probably learned I have terrible humor- And braces. I had braces when I was that young- Remind me to show you pictures. I am an adorable evil monster. After Humor?"

Andrew hugged him closely with a smile. "Innocence. I quite liked that one."

"Yeah, I figured you might," Relaxation snorted, shaking his head. "Let me guess, you tried to feed him a cookie? Cause I can see you feeding one of those little demons a cookie."

"Actually, I gave two to Humor. I didn't think to give one to Innocence."

"For shame," Relaxation mock scolded, laughter in his voice. "Good way to get Humor to shut up, though... So, what'd ya learn from the little tiny itty bitty me?"

His smile became more sad. "How small the area is... but that means you still have the ability to act like that. I'd very much rather see more of that."

"Considering how I act around you, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened," Relaxation snorted, comfortably curled around Andrew now, eyes closed tiredly as his tail wound itself around the other's waist. "You seem to be the only one who I can act like myself around...whoever that is..."

"I thought we've been over this. You're Danny, the halfa who's worried about the family and friends he loves and adores, and you're my mate."

"Sometimes I guess I need to be reminded of that," he hummed, clutching Andrew a little tighter. "Who did you meet after Innocence?"

"Trust... You seem to trust your parents more than you let on."

"I do trust them, I just..." Trailing off, he gave a shrug. "I don't know...I guess it's been so long with me keeping the secret, with me picturing everything that could go wrong... I guess I just keep psyching myself out."

"Well, then I'll just have to be there to remind you of everything that could go right, hm?"

"You are the best mate ever and go to next emotion before I start crying. Because I will. You will have to deal with a crying Relaxation and that is just weird."

Andrew gave a light laugh, reaching up and running his hand through Danny's hair, carefully undoing the ponytail so he could more easily play with it. "Guilt."

"Oo...bet that one had to be fun."

"Hm, indeed. I'm sad to say that it wasn't completely unexpected." Relaxation winced, giving a light shrug from where they were laying, thankful he could more easily avoid Andrew's gaze.

"Dare I ask what you learned from him, then?"

"That even at your worst, I can never love you more or less than I do now." Silence fell over them for a few moments, finally broken by a quiet sniffle. Andrew looked up with worry. "Danny?"

"What? No. Nothing! It's fine! Perfectly fine!" The tears were clear in his voice. "You've just gone and made Relaxation cry. Have you no shame, Andy?" Stupid evil ruthless Riter. "I just keep forgetting how ridiculously in love I am with you, is all. It's nothing. Subject change. Or something. I dunno."

"Well, the last one before you was Clueless."

"Ten bucks that you saw that coming," Relaxation laughed, scrubbing at his cheeks. Leave it to Andrew to make the most calm and mellow of them all to cry from such sweet words. "Everybody does call me clueless for a reason, you know."

"Hm, yes..." Grabbing Danny by the collar, he pulled him down, kissing at the drying trail of tears. "Though that doesn't equate to idiocy."

"Didn't I say something about smaller words," Relaxation huffed, blushing at the kisses. "You are a sap. A ridiculous sap."

"And then there's you, the one that should be calm and able to handle anything, and yet cries at sweet words."

"Ruuuude. Hardly my fault if I'm weak to you. In fact, it's your fault. I'm blaming you for this mess. All of it."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Yes, I told you to go jump into that huge fight. That's exactly what happened."

"You are a terrible person deep down. You evil, evil Riter. Just pure and utter evil." Even as he spoke, he cuddled closer to Andrew, wrapping around him. "You still have to say what you learned about me, you know- And the crying thing doesn't count. Has to be actual substantial thing that like- I don't know. Furthers our relationship or something? It's been a weird day, man."

"Well... you have the most... familiarity of you all. You consider yourself more Danny than any of the others."

"Mhm, that's because I'm who he wants to be," Relaxation sighed, shaking his head. "Didn't you notice I'm firmly between ghost and human? I'm... Here I'm who I want to be. Able to switch between the two worlds, and feel normal. That... It doesn't last, but it'd be nice if it did."

"That... I'll find a way to make it last." He tugged on the scarf with a smile. "Each of you is wearing this differently."

"Yeah, well, you had your rooms. We had our appearance and way we wore our scarves- I take it you noticed just how some of them were worn... Like with Obsession and Fear."

"Yes, I did. It's an indicator of your personalities." Relaxation nodded, finally floating up and pulling Andrew with him.

"Now that you've figured all that out, you can get to your Danny, who's right down the hall. Fair bit of warning, he's going to remember everything as soon as you touch him. Second warning, there were a lot of shocks. A lot. So, you know, be prepared for that- Cause. Yeah. I at least know this place. He's in a small dark room. So. Panic. Lots of panic."

Andrew nodded. "Well, if he's remembered everything, I'm sure I can help him. Or distract him. Either one."

"I...I don't want to know what distraction you're talking about. I'm claiming plausible deniability on this one. Yep. That is what I'm doing. Yes. Shoo. Go wake us up, you know, before some other horrible disaster pops up. Like Prince and Timekeeper tag teaming lecturing us. So. Yeah. Your Danny. Go."

Andrew smiled and kissed him on the temple. "You're all my Danny."

"Stop that. Stop making me emotional, you Ruthless Riter," Relaxation huffed, small smile on his face anyways as he dragged Andrew down the hall to an exit that led to pure darkness. "Remember that I do this because I love you." With that, Andrew was promptly shoved in.

"Brat," Andrew quietly muttered to himself, standing up and lightly brushing himself off. It wasn't so much dark as it was...empty. By the time he scanned the room, he noticed a small figure curled up in the furthest corner. "Danny?"

His head shot up as he looked around. "Andrew?" He hiccuped as he looked through the darkness. Andrew flew over in a flash, kneeling in front of Danny and carefully checking him over.

"Oui, mon cher, it's me. I'm right here." Just how long had it been to Danny...trapped in this room with no idea of what was going on. "Are you alright?"

Danny threw himself at Andrew with a sniff. "Andrew." Sighing, Andrew sat against the wall, hugging Danny close to him and running a hand through his hair. If what Relaxation had said was true, then...

"Danny...what's the last thing you remember?"

He shuddered against Andrew, staying silent as he shook his head. That answered that question, then. Holding the other more tightly, he pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I know it's been a long day, Danny, but I really need you to wake up for me, okay?"

"When... when did I fall asleep? I can't... my memory..." He must have just received all the memories of what had happened in here- And Andrew didn't much envy him for that.

"You...fell unconscious after your last battle and...your energy started regenerating too fast and it fractured your memory, like what happened with me with that alchemy potion, remember? You've been asleep for a while now, and I had to go through your other selves before I could find you- Danny, I know you're probably panicking, but I need you to time your breaths with mine, okay? Can you please do that for me, mon cher?"

Danny nodded, feeling more than seeing the rise and fall of Andrew's chest. He slowed his breath significantly, trying to do as his mate told him. "Five..."

"Five?"

"Five hours, twenty three minutes, forty nine seconds." Realizing what he meant, Andrew's eyes slightly widened. Century his ass... Timekeeper had been right, then.

"Which is all the more reason we need you to wake up- Do you think you can?"

"I don't... know."

"Well...don't worry about it too much, okay? We'll figure out a way once you feel a bit better- I can't imagine regaining so many sets of memory at once is too fun...especially since you're dealing with quite a few more, and for a longer period of time." Biting his lip, Andrew looked around the room again, scooping Danny into his arms before walking. "I'm just taking you to somewhere where you can relax a bit better, okay?" Danny nodded against his shoulder.

He had to assume the barriers were down now, which mean the others could see each other and figure out what was happening. Peeking his head into where he had met Relaxation, he saw the pile of pillows empty, and the other nowhere in sight. He had a feeling Relaxation had known what he had been planning, and had gone to run interference, since Danny seeing his other selves might panic him even more in this state.

Walking over to the pillows, and sitting down with a sigh, he set Danny beside him before falling backwards. "I don't quite remember days being this long." This mess had been more exhausting than any of his assassination work.

Danny nodded, burrowing under the pillows, eyes glowing green as he sorted through his memories. It was a few moments until he felt Andrew pull him into his arms, the man looking utterly exhausted as he spoke, "If I fall asleep, pinch me or something, okay?"

Danny gave a nod, wrapping his arms around Andrew's neck. "Okay." Maybe he could sort through his memories later, right now, he was as tired as Andrew looked. Curling up, he shifted until he was comfortable, his head on Andrew's chest, and listening to the comforting thrumming of his core. Soon enough, his eyes were drooping closed.

In a flash Andrew was groaning as he found himself landing on the floor in the waking world. Sitting up with a groan, he blurrily looked to Danny. "When I said 'or something', I didn't quite mean that..."

"I didn't know it would happen. I was just... falling asleep."

"Falling awake, more like."

"Nice to see you two are finally back," Clockwork mused. "You've been out of it for five hours, thirty six minutes, and twenty two seconds." Andrew was the first to speak after a moment of silence, standing up and stretching as he did so.

"That felt like much longer. So. Much. Longer."

Danny gave him a grin. "You're telling me? I only have one thing to say about that." His grin grew, "That's what she said." There was five point two seconds of silence before Clockwork opened the door and floated out.

"No." The door closed quietly, the two left alone in the room. It was another few moments before Andrew sighed heavily, walking over to the bed and carefully nudging Danny over before crawling under the covers.

"Exactly how much do we have to talk about, at this point?"

"Shhhh. Sleep now. Talk later." Danny fumbled, trying to put his finger to Andrew's mouth with his eyes closed. After a few pokes to his cheek, however, Andrew carefully took the hand and pulled it down, sighing again.

"As long as you know that we will be talking about this, then yes, we can sleep for now." Danny nodded, curling up to his mate and falling asleep quickly.

---

As it turned out, they did talk about it. A lot. Said talk was also how Danny now found himself at his parents doorstep with Andrew in his human disguise. With a quick glance to his mate, Danny sighed, and knocked on the door.

Maddie was the one to open it. "Danny! Andrew! How nice to see you! What brings you here?"

"Mom, you should get Dad... We have a lot to talk about."

---

As I said, sorry for the lateness!