There are time skips, and I tried to smoothen the transition and pacing...ended up with 28k. I wish I could expand and explore some of the scenes (because believe me, I know a lot of backstory behind certain scenes such as Danny's time in Haly's circus, Gotham, etc.), but we would have probably ended up with a 40-50k chapter 😅 (Im open to doing it in a separate one-shot/prequel, maybe). Plus HoM is not entirely about that (it would have been distracting and prolonged the pain) so I mostly kept the relevant ones necessary to understand Danny's character arc and kept it around his interaction with Dick (I would love to explore Danny's relationship with other people some other time)

Anyway, this is Danny's POV chapter. It was fun writing him because his POV is contrasting with Dick's, whose POV was very limited and single-minded focus to the point he doesn't pick up the cues and has his own interpretations (Oblivious Dick). Danny's character arc and emotional journey here are definitely bittersweet 😢 especially when we all know how it ends for him . Still, I promised some fluff and here it is.

Note: Danny is different from his canon counterpart and sometimes comes up as an "unreliable narrator". He does have his own biases, interpretations, and conclusions. I hope you enjoy reading and getting to know Danny, watching him grow up in this fic, flashing before our eyes, before his demise 😭 which is gonna be heartbreaking for us.

Warning: I mean...character death? That hasn't changed in this fic. I guess Child Death (I mean DP is basically a child death show). The inevitable bus accident is here as well. I know I'll most likely be medically inaccurate when it comes to injuries 😂 Graphic Violence has also been warned. I guess there have been some topics about abuse and miscarriage, but that's more discussed in passing, not really a big red flag in this fic.

Reminder, this fic is NOT beta-read. I just immediately posted this chapter fresh before I ended up adding ANOTHER scene lmao 😂

If you're a lover, you should know
The lonely moments just get lonelier
The longer you're in love than if you were alone
Memories turn into daydreams, become a taboo

I don't want to be afraid
The deeper that I go
It takes my breath away
Soft hearts, electric souls
Heart to heart and eyes to eyes
Is this taboo?

-House of Memories by Panic! At Disco

Chapter 2: Danny

…

(Part 1: Denial)

Soulmates existed for so long since the beginning of time. Rich throughout religion, politics, literature, language, music, history, and everything.

It became a cultural universal. Not something contentious, but rather heavily encouraged when a pair was found. Not a single scientist has been able to answer the question of this phenomenon. How could the universe intricately know two people were a perfect match? What was the process? Was it guaranteed? But the hows and whys were never answered.

Despite the local and foreign discourses and various cultural outlets, they could agree on one thing about soulmates: two people paired together were absolute in every way.

It was so powerful that it overruled arranged marriage if one was in love with their soulmate and not the one they were arranged to marry with. Families could not argue that: why fight against it when that person was a perfect match for another, supposedly? It would go against the universe's wishes.

The contentious nature of soulmates permeates not just the family institutions, but also the very notion of power itself. It perpetuates social status and stratification as well as create a link with another kinship line. Having a soulmate bond just reinforce family ties, interest, and preservation "through inheritance, socialization, and the achievement of other goals that transcend the happiness of the individual to guarantee communal interests" in some cultures. Others would say "Your soulmate is someone who helps you lead a life that serves a greater purpose". The most popular one was "a soulmate who completes you".

Maybe there were a few cultures who disagreed with the concept of soulmates as it goes against individualism. "The individual choices were limited, dominated, and deemphasized for the benefit of the family, status, or due to the strict social norms and rules" was what they would say.

But everyone knew that soulmates didn't necessarily mean it would ultimately be romantic in nature. Platonic relationships did exist. Some ended up being paired with their sibling and some with their parent (though that was rare). Generally speaking, your soulmate was your ideal partner, someone with who you would get along very well.

It's why everyone wanted to meet their soulmate.

And it baffled Danny with all the hype and excitement. Apparently having a death timer wasn't enough to turn people off. The appeal for "a connection that goes beyond that meant happiness" was enough reason for everyone to eagerly search for The One.

Danny never wanted to meet his soulmate. In fact, he hated the concept of soulmates. The lack of free will. The inevitability. To be supposedly tied to someone predestination? Danny liked to forge his own destiny rather than be dictated by external forces.

He didn't think everything was fixed. To be subjected to the fates would mean nothing was enough.

Danyal grunted as metal met metal. His eyes narrowed in concentration as his opponent used their strength to bring his sword closer to Danyal's neck.

He knew his opponent was bigger and stronger than him, but Danyal was skilled and fast.

There were 32 pressure points in the body where Danyal can deliver major damage points. Immobility from structural damage was his key point when going against an enemy with a melee weapon.

So instead of doing child's play where the swordsman might try to push back, Danyal did dirty and aimed for the elbow, one leg over it and twisting the arm where it held the sword.

When holding the back of this joint and applying pressure by pulling the forearm in the opposite direction to which the subject is facing it will cause immediate immobility due to the structural damage.

That's what his tutors had said. And that's what Danyal would do.

His opponent let out an oof from an unexpected move, and before they knew it, Danyal had knocked him to the ground, legs wrapped around his neck with a sword pointed right at the artery where Danyal knew one slice could end this man's life.

The sound of clapping echoed throughout the chamber and standing there was his teacher of the hour, leaning against the doorway.

"Good work as always, Danyal. Sooner or later, you certainly carry the potential to be the Demons Head," she said.

Danyal made sure to keep his face neutral. "I learned from one of the best."

She eyed his opponent on the floor for a moment. "Kill him."

And without further ado, he sliced it across the neck. Clean and cut. No blood splatter thankfully because Danyal would hate to clean one of his blades again, though his victim still left a trail of blood on the ground.

His teacher didn't blink, just nodded before moving along to where she came from while Danyal sighed, knowing that meant he had to follow her for some task.

Good thing he didn't need to dispose of the body.

His first inkling of what Soulmates truly meant was back when he was five years old. When Danyal was tucked into his bed by his mother, who gazed at him so lovingly, so rare for him to see. It was a nice confirmation that she was proud of his training, even when Danyal didn't feel like he did enough.

"Do you think I'll be a good leader, Mother?" Danyal whispered to her. He couldn't help but be worried. The seers had seen something in him, a promise of greatness for the League. His tutors even agreed that he was a "gifted student" just because he had done the katas on the first try.

"I don't see how I could be the heir to the Demon's Head," he said, almost ashamed.

"Everything happens for a reason, Danyal." That's what his mother would whisper to him in the night when training was done.

She laid a hand on his shoulder before a brush of her lips touched his forehead. "Tab masawuk, Azizi." Good Night, my precious.

At nights when something alerted his awareness from his slumber, he would hear the sound of someone sniffling just at the corner of his room. Instantly, he recognized that it was his mother crying.

Danyal held still, keeping his breath even as he was forced to listen to the most heartbreaking sound coming from Mother, the strongest woman he knew.

And here she was, trying to keep her pain hidden from her own son.

It took a while before he managed to take a peek and realize Mother was clutching her wrist close to her chest, sobbing with love and despair that Danyal suddenly knew it could only mean one thing.

A soulmate.

Even though soulmates could be seen as a weakness, something to exploit against adversaries, the League did heavily encouraged soulmates if your fated one was within their circles. It meant a partner who complimented your skills and abilities, someone who you can fight alongside (Having a death timer was certainly helpful, saved for dire and dangerous assignments. It's practical because Ra's certainly didn't want to waste his resources). Most of the families here were the result of a soulmate bond.

Danyal had always wondered about that in regard to Mother. Despite all the League's praises for a soulmate with everyone gushing about theirs towards Danyal, Mother never once spoke about hers. A soulmate was guaranteed for everyone, but not guaranteed that you'd meet them. And with her bare wrists, he thought that was the case with Mother. Until now.

The League certainly had the resources to cover the timer. That should have occurred to Danyal that Mother would cover hers. But why would she be in his presence? Her son who she can trust.

Not only that, but soulmate marks were something to be proud of, an indication that you had met your match.

And it had to be a soulmate! Because there was no reason for her to behave like this. He thought Mother would be proud of her mark…unless her soulmate rejected her or they died.

Then another thought occurred to him when he examined the look in her eyes much more closely because he recognized that kind of anguish.

Now, Danyal could only curse at himself that of course his father was his mother's soulmate, just like all the other families here, it would make sense. The only reason Danyal hadn't come to that conclusion was that soulmates were seen in high regard and with no mention of his father from anyone (the topic forbidden, even at five years old Danyal noticed that), he assumed that his father was dead and mother never met her soulmate. The League would surely keep his father alive for Mother's sake, right? Especially if his father was his mother's fated one.

The sound of her heaving breath interrupted his thoughts, and the guilt started to sink in for Danyal, who chose the coward's way by pretending that he was not witnessing this vulnerable moment, hoping privacy would be enough for her.

He wished he had the courage to give her comfort, just like she did for him in the past. But he couldn't because he was not sure he could fix this. Not this kind of pain that his Father had inflicted on her, not this big empty hole that he seemed to have left on Mother.

It wasn't long after that Danyal started to question everything, whenever the League would cheerfully mention his future soulmate, he would look to Mother for guidance (instinctually), only to be met with her tired smile, her eyes shining with pride, as if wishing him happiness with his soulmate when she never had any from hers.

If a soulmate bond could reduce Mother to this, then he didn't want it. It had never occurred to him before that his soulmate could reject him or leave him compromised.

(And upon discovering that a soulmate mark was a death timer? Hell no)

His heart sank in the stomach, now dreading his future.

"NO! Please don't do this!" The husband begged, kneeling in front of him.

Danyal stared at the man's attempt to shield his wife, his soulmate, judging by the woman's resigned look on her face, her eyes downcast.

"—take me, please. Just leave her alone—"

But Danyal's attention was drawn to the man's wrist.

0 years, 0 days, 1 minute, 05 seconds.

It was easy to be numb when his targets were legitimate threats.

Now? Not so much. Not when his target obviously couldn't defend herself.

Danyal almost entertained the idea of letting the two go. But that's a fantasy, so he allowed the familiar desensitization to wash over him as he discretely pulled out a knife.

The basic response stages to killing were concern about killing, the actual kill, exhilaration, remorse, and rationalization and acceptance.

Unfortunately, his target had to go.

The woman bit her lip, nervous as the husband continued to babble nonsense to his ears.

"—I love her, please, my son, if you could just—"

With one glance at the woman's wrist, Danyal knew what he had to do. The target's eyes met his before closing her eyes in despair.

His chest tightened at how defeated she looked at that moment.

But it's not like Danyal could do anything. Even the fates had deemed the couple's doom.

Before the husband could do something foolish, Danyal quickly snapped his neck. Quick and painless. Then he threw a knife over his shoulder before he heard an oof sound, followed by a thud on the ground.

Danyal closed his eyes.

Looking another human being in the eye, making an independent decision to kill them, and watching as they die due to his action was never easy.

But this was the first time Danyal knowingly killed a target who was aware of their demise due to the timer, and with their soulmate with them up until their end.

Danyal mentally replayed the moment in his head. He recalled how robotic he was when he caught the couple's timers, mentally counting down the time before he finished them off.

Why did it feel like he got played into someone else's hand? A puppet string in someone else's doing because that's a role he had to play. He didn't do anything, just witnessing himself, bending to another's will, and going on as per its script to deliver the final blow to the couple.

Fulfilling such prophecy.

Did he only do it because he didn't want to the accountability for their demise because it would be easy to tell himself "The universe said so, so I just deliver it"? He had been aware of what was about to happen, yet he decided to just "Okay, that's a sign that I'll kill them" as if that was all the confirmation he needed.

He may have been free to kill them deliberately, but he wasn't entirely free from the consequences of that choice. He had chosen to kill them (He was planning to kill them anyway before seeing their timers).

…Right? It's not like he was forced into killing them.

He can't feel remorse for things that were out of his control. That's what Danyal told himself as he dropped the blade into his target's hand, staging this scene meticulously as if the couple had killed themselves, leaving no fingerprints, hair, footprints, or any DNA that would give him away.

But the doubts were still there, lingering in the back of his mind.

Afterward, most of Danyal's assignments were killing targets with their soulmate with them (which he didn't know, at first).

Danyal only realized it afterward when his target's soulmate entered the room with their wrist full of zeroes. He would watch in the shadows as they raced towards their dead soulmate before breaking down into sobs, clutching them into their arms.

The sight was so wrenching that Danyal had to turn away.

It sickened him that the days, the weeks, and the months that followed were filled with killing someone in cold blood. The back of his mind whispered that they might have a soulmate waiting for them, even as he watched light die in their eyes, he continued otherwise he would face the consequences from the League.

He couldn't get out the image in his head, wondering if his target's soulmate was watching the timer counting down until zero, always too late to save them.

Danyal didn't have an excuse for his action after that.

It's only free will if he was ignorant. But even if he didn't know afterward, even if he hadn't foreseen it, it all ended the same thing.

The timer was always right.

The more the League praised him for his skills, his abilities, and his strategic thinking, the more Danyal felt stifled. A reminder of what he was meant to be.

He started to become aware of himself outside of their influences. He started to hate the pressure of a destined role that he never wanted (had they even asked him if that's what he wanted?).

It made him resentful. It felt like he was denied a chance, a choice, to pursue what he wanted.

"Everywhere you go, everywhere you touch, death follows you, Danyal," Ra's told him earlier, with a pleased look on his face. The words made Danyal want to take out his Wakizashi just to see the look on Ra's face, but Danyal resisted the temptation.

And it wasn't too long before Danyal started to rebel against his lessons, doing the training half-heartedly, letting his opponents get the better of him. It felt satisfying watching his tutors click in disappointment until Danyal's eyes met Mother's, who turned away from him.

The pit in his stomach grew, feeling ashamed for a brief moment. But Danyal can't help what he felt.

He almost felt sorry for disappointing Mother, for the strained relationship they now had…but it just didn't feel right anymore to follow what the universe decided for him.

They can't expect him to fold into their demands just like that, right? Just because Danyal was meant to be the Demon's Head in the future didn't mean he should. Believing in such fate was a lazy thing to do.

He hated that he was destined to be the Demon's Head, just because of the blood running through his vein, coming from a family of skilled assassins, and from the whispers of others (Curse you, sages! And damn you, Universe!). All of his teachers expected of it, really. But he had despised the role when he comprehended exactly what it entailed—Ra's al Ghul was a perfect example of an obsessed lunatic all for immortality.

And it was hard not to be envious whenever he caught glimpses of kids his age playing with that carefree look on their faces despite the poverty, just outside the base whenever his tutors allowed him a brief moment of time. Watching those kids playing some kind of tag. There was no lesson in that activity, no point to make except to have fun.

For Danyal who had been chained with expectations and pressure to do his duty, bound to contribute to the League, it made him long for the outside world when he looked out the cold night, catching sight of hundreds of stars lighting up the sky that it made him forget the deepest of his pain for a brief moment. A perfect illusion to forget the real darkness amongst them.

It didn't take long for Danyal to realize that he wanted that normalcy. He wanted that freedom where he didn't have to train or kill because he was expected to. He wanted to make his own choices.

Thriving can't be a sin, right?

And when he heard that he was expected to consummate with his soulmate for an heir (once when he and his soulmate were old enough), well, Danyal got out of the League as soon as possible, changed his name, and never looked back ever again.

It wasn't his home anymore.

Danyal watched distantly as his assassin garb floated away down the river.

It had to be done, Danyal thought as he walked away. His last physical link to the League. He thought it would be hard letting go since it was all he had known for so long.

But it wasn't.

There was a light in his step. A weight that Danyal never noticed until the garb disappeared from his sight.

From there, Danyal no longer existed.

Hopefully, as he embraced his new name Danny (it's an easy name to remember if it's as close to the truth as possible. A variant spelling of his name), he would have a life of his own without anyone dictating his own path.

He was Danny. He belonged to no one. No organization. No prophecy. And not even to his soulmate. Just himself.

Living on the streets was his only best option at the moment. And though Danny was good at hiding his trail—stealth was his best weapon—he didn't plan ahead in terms of shelter and food. However, he did manage to catch some cash and rare antiques that he's sure Ra would kill him for giving away something so valuable from the League, it lasted Danyal a month of food and supplies that he'd needed.

As a seven-year-old, he got a leeway with stealing food (and that was only if he managed to give the guards around the marketplace puppy-eyed looks). They didn't even blink when he hitched a ride in one of the trucks (he was sure he could kick their butts if it was something unsavory. Danny was perfectly aware of human trafficking, thank you very much).

He never stopped moving. His age and height allowed him to dart past the busy crowds whenever he caught sight of the League near him, blending in and dashing towards the nearest shelter where he can pretend to be one of those homeless people.

Inpo, the art of hiding, is an integral part of the Ninjitsu system. It simply means that one must take advantage of every possible object, natural as well as man-made, to conceal oneself. Pu Neng Mu, otherwise known as "invisibility in plain sight", is preferable when concealing one's presence from the enemy through disguises. That's what his tutors had told him.

Now Danny knew he was good, but he wasn't blind enough to think he'd truly escape from the League when they had decades of experience over him. For a seven-year-old trained assassin, it would have usually taken less than a week before they'd either be killed or face their punishment.

It had taken 2 months after his escape did it occurred to Danny that the reason Ra's wasn't using so much of his resources and his men on him was that confidence that Danny would return to him because destiny said so.

It made a twisted sense, Danny thought as the nauseating feeling in his stomach grew, hugging the shawl around him tighter.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know who he was anymore as he stared befuddlement at the crowd of foreigners interacting with one another. It took a while to find his footing in the world. Learning certain slang and culture was something Danny didn't think he would learn. He had to ditch his accent, and pattern of speech, and adjust his mannerism, getting used to it after observing people's way of conveying.

If he wanted to blend in, he needed to master the people's language and behavior.

I have to get used to this until it's ingrained. Danny cannot, in any way, slip into his old habits. He can't lose his freedom after all this.

Danny started wearing long-sleeved clothes to avoid skin contact with his potential soulmate, which he's not sure he has but the probability was very high considering his luck and the last thing he needed was to be doomed with a stranger.

Look, in another life, maybe he would be ecstatic at the thought of having his other half, someone with who he can share his deepest desires and secrets. It would be nice to be able to trust someone. But besides the thought of love being gross (he's a kid), there was no doubt that having a soulmate would mean another prison for Danny, chained to their very soul. He would be duty-bound to attend to every single need of theirs. And Danny was more than just serving another person, he was independent, a free spirit with his own thinking, always longing to explore the outside world where he was not trapped by some destiny awaiting him.

He didn't need a cellmate.

And he'd spent a long time in the League being told that he was prophesied one day to not just be the Demon's Head, but also the ruler of the Infinite Realm where it was said to be where the spirits and the dead lay to rest in them? Ra's al Ghul had gloated that this kind of access to power would benefit the League, so unimaginable that Danny had no doubt he'd only bring eternal darkness if he ever followed that path.

And as a seven-year-old, he hadn't been impressed at the thought of being some King of the Dead. It sounded boring and just another place to be chained at, supposedly leading ghosts or zombies this time, no different as the heir of Demon's Head.

And hearing the adults talked about how a powerful pair he and his soulmate would be, well it was no wonder that it took this long for Danny to pack his things and leave that life behind.

(Part 2: Anger)

"So what can ya do, kid?" The owner of the Circus eyed him, Mr. Haley, was it?

Danny will forever curse himself for being caught stealing food that easily. He thought it would be a great place to steal from a traveling circus since they come and go, but Danny just had to be that unlucky.

"Um…" Danny's eyes darted around him. But then he caught the sight of a spinning wheel with a set of knives next to it.

Hmm.

"…I can throw knives accurately." It sounded like a huge understatement, but blades had always been his preferred weapon.

Pretty basic.

"Great!" The owner said merrily while the color on everyone's face drained. "Any volunteers?"

Yeah, this was going to bite him in the ass for saying that.

"I will!" a cheery voice spoke up.

Of course. Him.

Danny scowled, his mood deteriorating quickly as a familiar boy his age popped up behind the crowd. He would know that moron anywhere.

There was even a skip on the boy's step as he stupidly stood behind the spinning wheel without fear, ignoring the protesting group from behind.

"Do I need to strap myself on the Wheel of death?"

"Please don't!" someone moaned in the group.

It was only because one of the trapeze artist's held a hand out, silencing the group. Hmmm, this one had more influence in the circus than the owner, it seemed. The adult in a leotard costume looked at him curiously for a moment before giving a nod, as if trusting Danny's abilities.

Huh. Weird. Danny was now concerned about these people's self-preservation if they were allowing a stranger into their circus.

Danny strode towards the table where a set of throwing knives was laid. Hmm. Pretty dull around the edges, but it's not like he intended to kill.

Though as he stood a few distances away from the target, the way the kid stupidly beamed at him—What was his name again? Dick?—Danny seriously entertained the thought of letting the blade land a hit on him.

But he can't because he's trying to live a life as normal as possible without any unwanted attention on him.

And killing this moron would be counterproductive, unfortunately.

But it was nice to imagine as he threw each knife. Overhand. Underhand. Without missing a beat. Danny internally smirked at the "ooohs" and "ahhs" he heard behind him before the sound of clapping started.

His mood soured though as Dick took a step back to see where the knives had hit the plywood, completely missing him by centimeters. One above where Dick's head would have been. Two on each side over where Danny could have nicked both Dick's ears.

"Not even a scratch on me, Sunlight," Dick remarked, stepping in front of him.

If I wanted to, I would, Danny glared, taking a step back from him.

Dick cocked his head, looking curious at his movement.

Better safe than sorry, Dickboy.

"That was impressive, young lad," the adult in a leotard outfit spoke up, with an easy smile on his face as he approached them.

"You weren't worried?" Danny couldn't help but ask.

"If I was, I wouldn't let my son be a target practice," he said, letting out a chuckle. "You sounded too confident for that." Meanwhile, Danny could feel the blood draining from his face, looking at the two back and forth.

"Wait? He's your kid?" Danny stammered. How did he not notice the resemblance? The casual manner. Same black hair. They even shared that same stupid carefree grin now that Danny looked closely at the two.

"Yup," Dick said, popping the 'p' as he rocked on the balls of his feet. "We're the Flying Graysons."

Danny just stared at them.

"He'll fit right in, right sweetheart?" A woman in the same leotard outfit spoke up, joining them. "We have a spare mattress in Dick's room. You two can share." The same woman with that kind eyes and kind smile earlier.

Dick's mother, he realized. Shit.

He's going to have to put up living with Dick, wasn't he?

And with the way Dick was bouncing on his feet like an excited puppy he was. Yeah. Danny was going to be forever doomed to live with a dumbass.

At least Danny didn't have to live in the streets anymore.

Look, Danny learned all the necessary things meant to survive and kill as an assassin. Memorize 400 pressure points of the human anatomy? Done. Learn which parts to hit for the quickest kill with the least mess? Done. Master different forms of weaponry? Easy peasy. Even though Danny was never fond of his time with the League, he did kind of enjoy learning from them.

Learning a wide range of circus arts was something that Danny never thought would be his first act of defiance against the fates.

For a seven years old, it was impressive that he can do knife-throwing with deadly accuracy (but where Danny came from, that was meh). But Danny thought his performance wasn't too enticing, and that was fine because it's not like Danny liked that much attention that he had to wear a face mask when it was his turn (It was already strange enough that he was covered from neck to toe, never taking his gloves off even in his sleep).

Mr. Haley had proposed Danny try other varieties of circus acts if he was 'bored'.

When Danny gave him a look, Mr. Haley only shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe something will call for you."

What a stupid advice.

But Danny heeded himself to listen. Wasn't this why he ran away anyway? To have a fresh start where he didn't have to listen to their stupid expectations. Everything Danny did was because of himself. Not for anyone else.

I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Danny thought. More attention? He can't spend that much time looking over his shoulder, perhaps it was time for him to explore other options, and find his way, as stupid as that sound.

"I'm not a big fan of clowns," Danny flatly said, unimpressed.

Waldo shrugged before pulling a balloon-shaped animal out of his wrist. "You're not? You do have some sense of humor from what I heard."

Danny's scowl deepened, recalling an incident with a certain enthusiastic roommate (who doesn't seem to understand the word "personal boundaries"). Apparently, having a "witty comeback" was considered a pun. And in Dick's eyes, that was the ultimate sign that Danny was his "BFF", whatever that meant.

Danny swore he could hear Dick "praising to the heavens for gifting him a perfect pun buddy" as he left him behind the room.

What a dramatic moron.

"—Perfect clown material. I've been wanting a protégée for a while now."

Ignoring the fact that the LAST thing Danny needed was an adult trying to control his life, he crossed his arms and glared at Waldo, and said:

"Do I look like a ray of sunshine with all the rainbow sparkles and glitter around me? That doesn't scream clown material to me." In fact, Dick was the clown. Did he seriously not know how to stop smiling?

"Whatever you say, Sunny boy."

Danny clenched his fists. God, he hated that stupid nickname.

Ever since Danny had officially joined the circus, Dick happily referred to him as "Sunlight" or "Sun" for short (Danny could only shudder if Dick was in charge of his name brand. He would hate to be called "Sunny the Knife Thrower"). Now everyone here started referring to him with different variations of that nickname.

"…Was that a yes, by the way?" Waldo interrupted his thoughts.

Danny resisted the urge to show Waldo why Impalement was considered art.

"I like animals, but taming lions?" Danny wrinkled his nose, eyeing warily at the lion who just licked its paws.

"Gunther is friendly," 'Magnificent Melany' tried to assure him.

And then Gunther the lion let out a magnificent roar, practically disapproving of her point. Riiiiiiight.

Melany cooed, finding cuteness in that insanity while Danny took a step back, having a healthy sense of fear, alright?

Too bad Danny has a thing against people trying to confine and control another living thing, meant to please them. Poor lion, I can't imagine being chained with them for the rest of your life.

Danny wondered how the lion must have felt. An apex predator meant to keep balance and biodiversity in such a system, trapped and trained here, under someone else's control, and never free from here.

I would hate that, Danny sneered. I rather have my own freedom, my own choice.

Was it funny how he felt a sense of kinship toward a lion? Danny cocked his head to the side when the lion's big, dark eyes met his.

No one can have control over us. We belong to no one.

Danny was now mentally making plans for this lion's escape.

Danny knew how to land on his feet. Do a handstand. And a couple of backflips. Flexibility wasn't something he honed in too much, but he knew it in terms of hand-to-hand combat. But not necessarily for entertainment reasons.

So when he watched Mary and John do some acrobatic fancy moves that Danny could not name. His chest tightened that suspiciously felt like envy the way their warm laughs echoed around the room, their cheeks flushed from all the flips done perfectly. They were grinning so widely that their cheeks must have hurt.

And when the Graysons started the trapeze, it made Danny stare at the scene in awe as they leaped through the air. Their bodies swung in a perfect arc, so trusting in one another to not let each other fall the way they grasped each other's hand on time. They spun, rolled, twirled, and laughed.

It felt so daring…so freeing.

Danny suddenly wished he could fly.

He must have been staring for so long because Mary and John stopped their act as soon as they landed on the platform, their eyes looking down on him curiously from above. Danny resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck as Mary called out to him.

"Hi Danny!" she smiled, giving a wave.

"Hi Mary! Hi John!" Danny hesitantly returned the wave. Mary's smile grew wider whereas John shook his head in amusement.

It made Danny's cheeks flush in embarrassment for being caught. He was only curious because the art of aerial wasn't something the League dived into too much because it was 'unnecessary stunts that could get him killed', plus the idea of doing backflips was loud upon landing, which would be a detriment to Danny's stealth missions.

The Graysons must have noticed his curiosity because John spoke up, "Do you want to try, my boy?"

Danny ignored the way his chest warmed at how he was to as his boy (if he wasn't so fond of these two, he would have NEVER allowed it), choosing to focus on what John said.

"Are you sure?"

"You're not afraid of heights, are you, sweetie?" Mary gasped, worried.

"Naah." It wasn't the heights that he feared. It was the thought of being airborne, of being free that made him wary (even though he wanted it). "I would love to try, though."

"Brilliant!" John grinned. "We should start with the basics though. And some warm-ups first, Warbler."

Danny's nose scrunched up. "Warbler?"

"You're like a yellow warbler," Mary explained.

Of course, bird names. And yellow? Danny held back a growl. He thought he heard the Graysons referred to their son 'Robin', but—

"But why me? I'm just some kid from the streets that you took me in?" He didn't get it. Then a thought occurred to him, "Was it because I saved your son? A debt?"

Mary and John shared looks with each other that Danny could not read. Was that a thing for couples? To just be able to read each other's mind and everything?

"We didn't do it because we felt indebted, though we are always grateful for that," Mary quickly added when she saw the look on his face.

"Not everything is conditional, Danny." Before Danny could protest, John quickly ruffled his hair.

"Hey!"

(Later on, it occurred to Danny that he wasn't even bothered by Mary and John's touches. He must be really starved for affection after going without one for so long if Mary and John were exempted from his rule.

Danny found that he wasn't bothered by that.)

And that was the beginning of his acrobatic lessons from the famous Flying Graysons themselves.

Danny really enjoyed learning as much as he could from them, though it's a slow progress since the Graysons were more concerned about "how his body wasn't ready that much and needed more sustenance", and the way they kept eyeing his thin arms.

(He only bit his lips before he can make a nasty retaliation)

Still, Danny had fun with the lessons and started changing his workout regimen (which he usually did in private where nobody could see him because it would be very alarming if anyone saw his intense workout, which was a League design), incorporating circus apparatus.

He suspected part of the reason why he enjoyed acrobatic lessons was that it was the familiar physical training aspects (even though on a different variety). There was even a bit of Aikido in their moves, which Danny had, at one point, adore learning…until he found out his Aikido teacher sucked.

A lot of the lessons covered the fundamentals of Pilates, acro-yoga, low flying, and static/dance trapeze. Danny had trained more on ground skills from contortion to tightwire to hand balancing. And various forms of aerial from a static trapeze, Lyra, and Spanish web (he can't say he loved doing air choreography because Danny just can't stay still)

Danny doubted he would have the flexibility of a frickin' pretzel. He felt more comfortable doing stunts that were more about mobility and speed. If not flying in the air, then it was free running, climbing, jumping, and other series of parkour moves.

(Agile was his best friend).

"Hi Sun!" a familiar excited chatterbox spoke up, leaning casually against the crates. Danny internally groaned.

When Dick found out about his lessons, he started doing a lot of backflips as his "happy dance", apparently delighted to have someone who shared his love for flying (Danny could have sworn he saw Dick going teary-eyed upon the news, because Danny was hell ready to run before he find himself pulled into that idiot's arms. Nopeee. Still banned from touching).

And here he was, disturbing Danny's peace. What was Fly Boy doing here? His acrobatic lessons with the Graysons were canceled and Danny was just content to do the usual drills alone, but apparently, that was an invitation in Dick's eyes.

"Can you do a handstand?" Dick's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes," Danny growled, almost offended. Since I was three.

"Forward roll, dive roll, splits, backbend, cartwheel, front walkover, front handspring, standing back tuck, trapeze inversion from hanging—"

"Ok, smartass," Danny cuts in, giving him a stink eye. No need to rub it in my face.

Dick just grinned, his chest puffing up. "I am, aren't I?"

Danny resisted the urge to groan.

"I heard Mom and Dad are teaching you about landing, right"

"…yes."

Why did he have a feeling he knew where Dick was going with that statement?

"I can teach you!" Dick bounced towards him with a goofy grin.

Danny resisted the instinctual urge to step back from possible contact, but it looked like he didn't have to worry about that because Dick at least kept a few feet away from him, looking nonplussed as ever despite his icy glare that usually scared everyone.

But then again, Dick never seemed to be afraid of him.

No matter how many cutting insults he threw at Dick, who just fucking bounce back from that as if what Danny said was a compliment, looking as if he won a prize or something.

And that bothered him. More so when got the crawling sensation whenever he was near Dick, who just had this annoying ability to get under his skin faster than anyone could.

Note to self: Don't save Dick next time.

"I'm a fast learner," Danny jutted out his chin when he noticed Dick's eyes still staring at him. "I know."

"Maybe street-kind, but you've never seen circus-kind, Sunbird," Dick's eyes gleamed in excitement. "I've seen how you land as a traceur; you need to up your game."

"Oh yeah, Dickcissil?" Danny leaned forward, hearing that challenge. Dick's eyes seemed to shine brighter at the bird name (which Danny was surprised to hear Dickcissil was indeed a bird name).

"How I land is exactly how I manage to save your butt a couple of times," he continued.

"And I appreciate that," Dick gave him a dramatic bow. But Danny got the impression he was mocking him. "But if you're going to be part of the Circus, then you'll have to learn this Circus style."

Danny scoffed. "What's this? An initiation? To pass your measly test?"

Dick shrugged with that all-knowing smile. "It might save your life, you know."

I've been trained by the League of Assassins, I think I got that covered, Danny deadpanned in his head. "I don't need it."

"Well tough luck, it's time you learn the tricks and secrets of the Flying Grayson. Passed from generation to generation," Dick said, looking proud.

But Danny was fixated on the other words. "Your family secrets?" he breathed. You would do that? Because despite all the lessons, Danny got the impression it was something all acrobats and trapeze artists had usually learned.

Not something unique. Not something sacred like only a family member would know. And the Graysons have been doing that all along to him?

But Danny wasn't part of their family…right?

Dick gave him an odd look, probably noticing his shock. "Why not? I trust you. Mom and Dad trust you. And it's nice to share something with someone. I'll even teach you a quadruple backflip."

"You're kidding?"

From what Danny heard, the Flying Graysons and two other people were the only ones who could do it (Though it wasn't like Danny was interested to learn that when there's no practicality for surviving. How can a quadruple backflip save his life anyway?)

Dick's smile turned into a smirk. "I thought you were a fast learner."

Danny scowled. "That's not what I said! I bet I can do it!"

"And you will if you master the Flying Grayson's art of landing." Then Dick started with what must be the first position of whatever tips and tricks Flyboy was about to drop him.

"What's with your obsession with landing?" Danny grumbled, copying his move. 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' was what people said, right?

"…I get nightmares of my parents falling to their deaths."

Danny's head whipped towards Dick, whose expression was more vulnerable…more fragile at the confession he made. The sight made his chest squeeze uncomfortably for some reason, not used to seeing Dick like this. Not smiling.

Dick chuckled, sounding bitter. "Crazy, right? I'm probably overthinking it."

"I don't think you're crazy," Danny said, wishing he had the right words to say just so he didn't have to see that scared look on Dick's face. "Healthy fear keeps you on your toes. Keeps you alive." He learned that the hard way.

"Awww, was that a joke?"

The reply was so lighthearted, so unexpected from the topic that Danny had to blink a couple of times. But when he looked back, he was only met with that familiar boyish grin, like a flipping light switch. Danny would have never known Dick was capable of anything other than a ray of sunshine.

But it turned out, Dick wasn't all who he seemed to be.

Those midnight blue eyes may be shining with gratefulness—it may be true—but that grin was fake. That whole look was a mask, with its own truth lurking behind that jovial façade.

How did Danny never notice that before? That behind that pretty smile hid the deepest secrets that he didn't think Dick was capable of, not until he looked closely at those eyes filled with pain, sorrow, and heartache. And it was so familiar, something that Danny saw every day when he looked in the mirror, that made his chest tighten uncomfortably.

It didn't belong to Dick. Not at all. It was more than truth. More than an observation. It was a statement of a fact, something that Danny knew since he first met Dick. Anything other than a smile was an impossible fact.

But he supposed that even the kindest hearts felt the most pain.

And it bothered Danny for some strange reason. The thought that Dick wore a smile like a mask so easily. Dick wasn't some trained assassin like Danny though. He was just a circus boy.

An entertainer though, Danny realized. A performer who can easily fake a smile to the whole audience. A different person when all eyes are on him.

Well, Danny can't trust those Dick Grayson's smiles any longer.

Not when it's someone who can pretend that easily. A good liar. It was a dangerous kind of people the League taught him to look out for, who used truths as a weapon to conceal a secret.

"—Conditioning is an important part of the landing," Dick said with a breeze, as if what he talked about never happened.

Now that Danny witnessed it though, he could see the corner of Dick's eyes tightened, the only clue that it did happen.

Danny chose to let it go. He wasn't that close with Dick anyway to have a hearty-heart-heart moment.

"I know that," Danny sniffed. The League had basically taught him to absorb the impact with his muscles when landing.

"—But flexibility is often overlooked and also an important aspect of landing." Dick adjusted his footwork with his foot. "Land on the balls of the feet, never on the heels. If not, you can always do a roll."

"Or Breakfall," Danny muttered.

"Ah so you do have a sense of humor," He teased. "I knew I can bring you out of that shy shell of yours."

Danny really wished looks could kill. When has ever given the impression that he was shy?

Whatever. Because Dick started going in a weird "serious teacher mode" that Danny couldn't help but listen.

"It's all about harnessing rotational momentum," Dick lectured, demonstrating the landing by doing a front flip, but Danny noticed something there was a difference in how Dick tucked his legs than what a normal assassin or a traceur usually would do and the way where his foot landed. Huh. A unique signature. "Doing a flip controls the braking pattern. We all know when we twist in a half turn, we can judge how much control over where and how we land. It's physics."

"Managing inertia," Danny can sort of pick up on that. "If you start the movement with a rotation, you can adjust your rotational momentum."

"Now you try."

Turns out Dick was right, doing the Flying Grayson's way made it easier to do the moves, even the landing.

"See!" Dick grinned, looking satisfied. "A natural acrobat."

Danny snorted. As fun as it was to learn, especially when doing a trapeze act—"I'm not sure that's for me, though. You can have that spotlight thank you very much." No matter how much Mr. Haley begged him, Danny wasn't going to do it.

"Aww come on, we can do partner acro together?" Dick pouted. "I bet it's easy to have a partner with a similar height and build."

Danny just flipped Dick off by twisting his arm, but of course, Dick expertly landed on his feet, looking nonplussed as ever. Jerk!

Despite that, there were certain occasions where Dick unexpectedly made a dumbass pun that Danny couldn't help himself but bark a laugh. The way Dick's face lit up, all the tightened lines disappearing from his eyes. Well, it made Danny breathe easier after that.

Danny wondered if this place could be it. If dedicating his life to performing in front of hundreds of people was what he wanted.

It could be.

But of course, Danny had become careless after months of avoiding skin contact. He had grown fond of the people here in Haly's Circus (with the Flying Graysons as his favorite) that he unconsciously lowered his guard the more he realized that he hadn't spotted the League in months.

It had been five months since he'd joined a traveling circus before he found his soulmate accidentally.

And it was no other than Dick Grayson. His friend.

Danny had decided to roll his sleeves up because it was getting sweaty here after moving the boxes earlier (which shouldn't be a job for an eight-year-old, but whatever). He was just on his way to his destination till he heard the sound of a heavy thud.

Curious, Danny took a peak and froze at the sight of Dick—what the hell was he doing?—who had done incredibly stupid that resulted in him laying still on a floor full of haystacks.

Danny ran towards Dick's unconscious form, letting his training kick in as he slid next to Dick. Still breathing, no need for CPR. He might have a concussion though.

He'd almost didn't notice a burning sensation on his wrist till he snuck a glance and froze, the beginnings of sheer terror ripping through his very being.

Because right there on his usual blank wrist was a timer.

Danny hesitantly glanced at Dick's wrist, hoping against hope that it was blank as he pulled Dick's sleeve down.

But he was wrong.

It wasn't blank.

But what was even more worse was when Danny read the timer on Dick's wrist.

6 years, 278 days, 756 minutes, 43 seconds.

Danny's blood ran cold. His stomach sank while his heart lodged in his throat, eyes stinging as the mantra of no, no, no, no, no in his head, not even noticing that he had stumbled back, landing on his butt as he stared at the timer, shocked.

6 years?

And Danny was only 8 years old right now. That meant he had only 6 years left to live before he'll die. At the age of 14.

This isn't fair! Danny screamed in his head.

After everything, this was Danny's future?

Life isn't fair, apparently.

He had only just started feeling comfortable about this place, these people, with barely a plan of what to do with his future. But it was all going to be pointless if he didn't have so much of a future, with so little time.

He had so much to hope for. So much to look forward to. And this was what he got after all this time? This was what he deserved when Danny had tried so hard to fight this future that everyone wanted that Danny didn't.

And it had always been Dick. Waiting for him all this time.

And that made Danny angry. His blood boiling at the thought.

It felt unjust. It felt dirty that the Universe just had to pull the rug underneath his feet. So cruel to let him believe that he would blissfully go on with his life, to never be someone's pawn, to never meet his soulmate, to never belong to anyone else but himself.

He was a fool to hope, apparently.

But it can't be. Dick can't be his soulmate. This was exactly why Danny had run away in the first place. And after spending months of avoiding skin contact, Danny just had to let his stupid emotions blind him, completely throwing his rational mind out of the window the moment he saw that stupid dumbass lying unconscious on the ground.

Who was still motionless on the ground.

Danny closed his eyes and took a heavy deep breath, letting the familiar desensitization wash over him as he methodically examined his friend, making sure he was in the right position, calling out for him to wake up.

He can freak out about the soulmate thing later, but right now Dick needed help and Danny was not the kind of person to let other people get hurt.

Not anymore.

But he was not that selfless as he ducked behind one of the crates when he heard a rush of footsteps heading his way, leaving Dick behind. Danny's heart pounded in his ears, dreading being caught at the scene of the crime (even though it was not Danny's fault!).

He watched with a heavy heart as the ambulance drove away, feeling abandoned for some reason when he was the one who abandoned Dick.

Even years later, it seemed Danny hadn't really changed much.

Still a coward.

Danny slammed the bedroom door behind him, his breath heaving in and out. This place was supposed to be safe, where he didn't have to worry about anything.

Not anymore.

Danny angrily threw his gloves onto his mattress. Useless. A fabric that was meant to serve as a barrier, a safety net against a touch of a human (even when he secretly longed for touches like Mother used to give him). Danny had spent nearly a year wearing it, only for it to be completely ruined by Dick.

Suffice to say, he hadn't been pleased of course. He had spent a lot of time cursing himself for letting himself be so 'concerned' for Grayson's wellbeing (Danny was fond of John and Mary, it would be a headache if they grieved for Grayson junior, no matter his personal dislike for him).

Out of all the people the Universe chained him up with, it had to be him.

What a cosmic joke.

There was something ironic about this situation. All this time, Danny had run away just so he didn't have to deal with this shit, only to end up finding his soulmate all along at a place that Danny started to consider his place a home.

He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He's even more tempted to pack his bags up and leave, just so he didn't have to face him.

Danny didn't expect Dick. That was also the thing.

He had spent months living with him, (it's probably a miracle that they hadn't touched until now), grudgingly tolerating his presence, and becoming somewhat a friend, that it never once occurred to Danny that Dick might have been the one person he never wanted to meet all along.

And the worst part was the time.

Danny sank to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees before burying his face into it.

My time.

"You know you're like the sun," Dick said, materializing in front of him. Danny stiffened, eyeing him distrustfully.

"...so basically, I'm painful to look at," Danny dryly said, unimpressed. Dick only poked his tongue out.

He wondered if he could kill his soulmate early just to prove a point that the timer was not reliable. And just so Dick can shut up.

If there was a perfect way to torture him, it would be when the universe decided that Danny's soulmate should be an idiot.

And if he didn't have a reason to hate Dick before, well, being a walking, talking reminder of Danny's future death was good enough for him.

Before, Dick was just this annoying pest of a roommate he had to put up with. But apparently, since the universe saw these two boys as a fitting soulmate (which Danny vehemently disagreed), then he's going to do everything he can to make Dick's life a living hell.

After the shocking news, Danny decided to continue to stay here in Haly's Circus. It would have taken too much energy to find a better place and a better shelter. And since the Universe was laughing at him, probably expecting Danny to run away, well Danny was going to be a spiteful brat. He had proven that the stupid prophecy the League's sages spouted was false (ha! Take that), he can prove that he and Dick were not perfectly matched. Not at all.

Though there was a problem with that because Dick noticed his distance and that just sparked a sense of clinginess like a stupid octopus, always popping out of nowhere that made Danny's teeth clench (Danny didn't need to be that wary anymore when it came to touches, though he still chose to wear long sleeves with a Band-Aid covering the timer, just in case). Not even his death glares that would usually chill his enemies seemed to bounce off Dick's skin, practically immune, he decided the best course was to ignore his ex-friend.

"Don't tell me you got burned out from my presence, Sunlight," Dick plopped himself next to him on the crate.

Ignoring the pun in favor of focusing on his tone, despite it being jovial, Danny saw a flicker of hurt and confusion in those midnight-blue eyes.

He turned away, refusing to feel guilty for that.

It wasn't personal or anything that Dick did (even Danny can admit that, deep down). Soulmates were just a big fat no in Danny's books. Dick was a representation of everything Danny never wanted in the first place. Someone who had basically squashed all Danny's hopes and dreams.

A prison.

And Danny had heard all about Dick's romanticism about soulmates, which was one of the reasons why he disliked Dick. How can he stand to be friends with someone with a different ideology? But despite the differences, they did get along well enough before.

Past tense.

The way Dick stared at him with that wounded puppy-eyed look, the unspoken question in his eyes, Danny can almost feel the walls he had put up crumble at the sight of it.

Dammit Dick.

It's not like Danny owed him answers. He didn't owe anyone to be someone's soulmate when Danny chose not to.

Soulmates were like an arranged marriage, something that two parties never chose to be in the first place, only set up to please everyone except the two people in it. To be a dutiful and bounded partner to one another because it was stupidly destined. But why can't Danny follow his own heart and path? Fuck that obligation! Fuck everyone!

Soulmates were completely overrated, in Danny's opinion. He knew the true reality of having a soul bond. The image of Mother weeping silently at her own soulmate made Danny's chest twist painfully.

Maybe soulmates were guaranteed for everyone.

But it didn't equally mean a promising and happy future.

And Danny thought he was content being alone where he didn't rely on someone else for his own happiness.

"Why sunlight?" Danny grimaced, changing the topic.

As he said, he didn't owe Dick answers. And it was going to stay that way. Plus, it's better for Dick's sake of not knowing he was his soulmate.

"The nickname?" Dick said, sounding surprised.

Danny nodded. It was a legitimate question. Dick had always either call him by his name, Sun, Sunlight, or Sunbird (which Dick had always vehemently argued with his parents whenever they call him 'Warbler'). And Danny was aware of the usual perception of certain personality traits associated with the Sun, and combined with the symbolism from various cultures and religions, he was pretty sure he was not, in any way, a "sunny" person. Practically the opposite of it rather.

"I think that nickname is more fitting for you." He gave the acrobat a pointed look.

Dick, of course, ignored that and said with a shrug, "Short for Sun. It's a star, right? And you like stars so I thought star nicknames would be hot for you." He beamed at him, satisfied with his own explanation with a pun (of course).

Wow. The Universe really paired him up with an idiot.

"And what does a huge ball of hydrogen and helium say about me, exactly? Are you really that unoriginal?"

Not like Danny wanted a nickname. Danny was good enough for his legal name 'Daniel'. And last he'd check, Dick wasn't big on Science, though he's pretty good at physics.

"…Did you know a few weeks before we met, Mom had a miscarriage?" Dick said quietly.

Danny whipped his head towards him so fast that he could hear the sound of a crack from that. But his focus laid on Dick, whose eyes were filled with grief and misery, the way his hands clasped together with his little thumbs moving back and forth as a sign of a nervous gesture.

"I wanted a little sibling so bad that I begged Mom and Dad for one. I love the circus, don't get me wrong, they're like my family, but whenever we stop over during our travels, I would see kids…no, siblings playing tag with one another. An older brother with his baby brother following behind like a little duckling." He said with such longing.

Danny's mind flashed back to when he longed for the outside world when he spotted kids of his age playing around like normal people would that made him envious of them during his League training (There weren't any kids his age he got to play with unfortunately during that time because of that stupid destiny).

"I wanted someone who I can play with. Someone I can talk to and have fun with. Someone I can share everything I learn with, protecting the little guy," Dick continued.

I get that, Danny empathized with that. Strange that he and Dick had something in common, but it was true. He did get that.

"It never happened obviously," Dick let out a self-deprecating smile. And Danny hated it. "I didn't get to know my baby brother, Kem."

"It means Sun in Romani," Danny breathed out. He felt chilled by that realization.

"I feel like I need to let you know that you're not in any way a replacement for him. It sounds bad, I know, it's just a funny coincidence—"Dick was starting to babble, looking nervous as he made hand gestures.

"No worries, I get it," Danny interrupted him.

Actually, that was a lie, but it wasn't really bothersome, to be honest.

Dick nodded hesitantly, as if worried he had offended Danny of some kind. So Danny just glared at him with a "get-on-with-it" gesture.

"I didn't want a sibling after that. I mean, no one can ever replace Kem," Dick's shoulder hunched, his eyes slightly teary, but it disappeared quickly (Dick's coping mechanism, as usual, quickly hiding his true pain before anyone could get too close to notice).

"And then you came. Unexpectedly."

Danny raised his eyebrow, leaning his back against the wall.

"Maybe you were in the right place at the right time, I barely remember the days, the weeks, before you came, all I know was that I was too busy moping while my parents were lost in their grief.

"A patch of morning sunlight was how I first saw you." Dick began. Danny's mouth dropped open in surprise as the acrobat's expression turned wistful, "It was the beginning of Summer, remember? Well there you were, being a thief and it's only because of that light I managed to catch you in the act." He ended that with a teasing tone.

Danny scowled. Yeah, it was not his greatest moment. And as a trained assassin, it was embarrassing. He blamed it on the fact that hunger had clouded his judgment and mental faculties.

"You enter my life all shining and bright like you are the real star of the show. You just have this blazing presence, making it easy to forget the pain and sadness. You made me want to be happy. And as I said, you like space. Hundreds of tiny stars are out there and only the sun is big and noticeable. It made me notice you."

Danny was struck speechless.

"With you, it's just easy. It's like you're meant to be in my life, filling a hole that I didn't notice until I met you. You reminded me there's more to life, Danny. More out there than being stuck in my own stupid head. And when you saved my life," Dick let out a chuckle at that. "And you know what that tells me? A bright, warm, brave, smart, and secretly kind person that I know you are," He nudged at him.

"Even though you tried to hide it, Danny. Unfortunately for you, I don't forget. Not ever." Dick tapped him on the nose, a cheeky grin on his face.

Danny ignored the shivering sensation at the touch, staring eyed-wide at Dick at the glowing, innocent remark from his supposed soulmate.

Dick's grin turned wider at his look. "And that's why you're my Sunlight. And since my family is all about birds, then you are Sunbird to my Robin. Thick as thieves."

And that was when Danny started to look at Dick as more of a friend than a prison.

And when Dick offered to play with him (in his many attempts to seize his friendship again, which Danny had always rejected in the past), this time, Danny said yes.

Dick's beaming smile was so bright that Danny had to blink a couple of times, his heart pounding for some reason after that.

"Danny?" John called out, just before the curtain.

"Yes?"

"You care about Dick, don't you?"

Danny blinked. He's not really sure he would say care since Dick's the one who can't get enough of him with his clingy behavior, and that was something he was NOT going to say in front of Dick's parents.

"Dick? Why wouldn't I?" Not like I have a choice.

John eyed him for a moment, almost assessing before a soft smile appeared on his face, seemingly pleased at what he found. "Dick is special. And he's going to need someone there for him." We can't always be there for him.

Danny's eyes narrowed. If he was reading the unspoken words right. The way John was acting was strange though.

"Promise me you'll take care of him," John said, his voice thick with an emotion Danny can't place.

Mary placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder, looking concerned.

"I promise I'll look out for him," Danny said, after a moment of hesitation.

It's not like he can get rid of Dick. Certainly, not because of that stupid bond, Danny grunted.

Of course, Danny should have known what John had really meant until the aftermath.

(Part 3: Bargaining/Depression)

Danny didn't really want Dick, per se. But he was like a wish that he didn't think he need. It was like Dick said, a hole that he never noticed until he met that person. And Dick just grew on him, like a fungus, unfortunately.

He would never forget the experience. How it felt terrifying upon touching Dick the first time, and how the timer just appeared on his wrist. Danny ran, and even more when he saw the timer on Dick's wrist. It wasn't fair that he was trapped now with the other person. And even more so that he had such a short time when Danny wanted to do so much more. It made him resentful of Dick. Bitter because he was just another tool for someone's life, supposedly to give a purpose to Dick's life.

What a joke.

But now after the deaths of Mary and John Grayson, Danny swore he would keep his promise to them. It was the least he can do for them after everything they did for him, and promises were something that Danny took very seriously. It was more important than even his stupid vendetta against the Universe.

And Danny was kind of worried for his friend.

So he had done his best, despite the physical distance between them, to be there for Dick. He made sure to keep contact and visit as much as he could. Illinois and New Jersey were like a 12-14 hours if you take the bus, so it wasn't a problem at all.

As time passed, Dick started to long for a soulmate that he didn't know. He started becoming obsessed looking for it.

It annoyed Danny upon learning this. Where did this even come from? He had mostly ignored the soulmate aspect in favor of framing his perspective that he chose to have Dick in his life because of who Dick was (and his promise), not because of that stupid timer (which Danny also tried not to think too much. Easier said than done).

The easiest solution would be to tell Dick the truth. That his soulmate was actually right in front of him all along.

But why should he? As far as Danny understood, Dick didn't need a soulmate. Everyone was just placing their bets on this high pedestal of their other half, hyping it all up. It's a fantasy, not reality. And Danny was starting to get worried that if Dick placing all his hopes that having a soulmate would "fix" him or something.

Dick probably wanted a special someone just like him. He probably wanted a soulmate who can wake up next to them so intimately. He wanted someone who knew everything about it, lived with it, and understood it so he would never feel alone. He wanted someone who can love so much, so fearlessly, to the point they would never break his heart.

But Danny was not that kind of person for Dick. He's too broken. Too independent. He never even wanted this chain. Why did the universe even set him up with this person? And why was Danny's time so short?! It was not fair.

But yet…

He felt naked under Dick's gaze. It's like his friend could see his soul stripped, laid bare for the eyes of someone he barely knew. It was fucking terrifying.

One thing's for sure, Danny didn't want to surrender to this.

Danny tried to run. He really did, but sometimes when Dick reached for him in the middle of the night, nearly every single night after his parents' death, wrapping one of those solid arms around his waist and pulling him in close. So. Close.

His chin met his friend's shoulder, and when Danny looked up after being suddenly pulled into the bed with him, he could see Dick smiling down at him.

"Please don't leave," Dick murmured.

Danny held back a sigh. "Dick—"

"I just need someone familiar here with me," Dick's vulnerable blue eyes met his, even in the darkness, the color still illuminated as his friend hugged him tighter. Their face were so close that he could feel Dick's breath tickling against his face, almost close to his cheeks. "I'm feeling homesick, Danny."

That sent a funny feeling across Danny's chest as his ear burned. Dick thought of him as home? It was then quickly replaced with concern as he realized what the date today was.

Oh.

"Okay," Danny gave in before allowing his chin to rest on Dick's shoulder, pulling the blankets over them since it was cold. He could almost feel the sound of Dick's heart beating against his chest with the way he was holding him so close, one

Dick started stroking his hair, running his fingers up and then down to the nape of his neck. Danny could even smell his recently used shampoo. What was it? Green Apples? It made his head lighten at how freshly cleaned it smelled.

Then his hands moved to rub Danny's back which made his heart tremble. Was Dick even aware of how intimate this looked? That even his touch made him physically shudder, and it wasn't quite bad, just…shivering in a good way.

Quickly, Danny felt ashamed because he knew his friend wasn't really thinking that at all. His friend just wanted comfort from the nearest person during his parents' death anniversary, and Danny was just right there in the right place at the right time to cure his homesickness, which Danny did get.

Stop being so stupid, Daniel.

His heart nearly stopped when he felt a brush of his lips touching his hair with the whisper "Thank you, Danny."

"You're welcome," he said, even though his cheeks burned from the contact.

A warm feeling rose in his chest as the familiar weight rested on his forehead. Their gesture.

Something ours.

"Good Night, Dick."

"Good Night, Danny."

Even seeing Dick so bruised and broken, so lost, Danny couldn't help but comfort his friend, allowing him to hold onto him. The way his fingers clutched onto him, even in his sleep, it made Danny feel things. The way those fingers intertwined felt so right. So natural. As if their hands hold memories of meeting in a thousand other.

Danny didn't really love him. He was too young to know it at that time.

But Dick was a maybe. He existed because he burnt something in Danny's soul, even Dick's pulse sustained something in his life.

It's weird how Danny was never even looking for a soulmate, yet Dick always ends up finding him. That's how they first met. And maybe how they'll last meet.

Danny closed his eyes, letting himself lull into sleep. Maybe when he wakes up, he'll succeed in telling himself that he does not love Dick. Not at all.

Danny always felt like he had been chasing Dick relentlessly for so long. And his friend just happily skipped away, oblivious as always that the one he's been looking for all along was the person behind him.

It was always like that. Dick never truly seeing him that just made Danny feel more alone than ever.

Then a minute later, Danny would forget that feeling when Dick's midnight blue eyes landed on him that had his heart soaring. It's not fair that his friend was all so natural and so perfect. Dick's got the smile and the eyes and that stupid carefree grin like nothing can put a dent into his friend. That boy-next-door charm that made everyone trust him.

Danny wanted to trust him. He really did, but why was he so afraid to even give his heart out to Dick? He's the most trustworthy person he knew.

A soulmate will never leave you. They will always be a part of your life until one day the chance is given for them to become your life. It is then you will become one.

That's what the books say. Yet why did it always feel like Dick was leaving him every time?

Danny appreciated his foster family. They were not like Mother, who he missed so dearly. But he loved the Fentons in a different way, even with all the weirdness of their profession. And he loved Jazz, his foster sister (He can see what Dick meant about wanting to have a sibling who cared. It was a nice change from the League).

Sam and Tucker were nice. They immediately hit off as soon as Danny bumped into them when he decided to explore this Amity Park (why the CPS decided, out of all the foster families they could have sent him off to live with, they sent him that's like further away from Gotham, Danny didn't know).

Danny hadn't been sure how to act around with kids his age (Dick didn't really count because he's an outlier, that's for sure) nor how to interact. Nothing could have prepared him for this, no matter how many times he had tried to mimic people's behavior when he could barely understand "slang" and "pop culture".

Thankfully, Sam and Tucker took it with a grain of salt him being from a circus. Welcoming him with open arms, willing to teach him everything he needed to know. Though, Danny didn't think he could stand listening to Tucker's reverence about his PDA and gadgets for a few minutes. But Sam made it up with her interesting views on certain social issues that made Danny fascinated, her down-to-earth and blunt personality was certainly refreshing for him.

Overall, he could sort of see himself living here, even if that meant being physically away from Dick.

But wasn't this what he had craved for when he left the League?

Danny even started to entertain the idea of making plans for his future. He thought he would spend the rest of his days in a traveling circus, but that had come to an end unfortunately. But maybe Amity Park was It. Danny had never gone to school before, and he did like learning, especially the subject Astronomy.

When he would stroll up the hill late at night, feeling the soil between his feet and hugging himself as the wind rippled against his arms. He would look up and see hundreds of stars shining brightly up that sky, more so than he had seen back in the League. He could even fall asleep in this peaceful moment.

He wanted to live in this moment. He wanted this life.

Even more so whenever it was just him and Sam, who he felt was a kindred soul of some kind. She's great, headstrong, opinionated, and unafraid of anything. He liked her mean sarcastic quips, which were so similar to his sense of humor. And he admired her so much for the way she stood firm on her beliefs, not letting any adults in her life make a decision for her. And finally, someone who understood that soulmates were stupid things to fixate on. It's uncanny how they have a lot in common.

He could see himself loving her (He wasn't stupid. He could see Sam had feelings for him, the way her cheeks burned red whenever he stood closer to her, the way her eyes darted anywhere else but his when he wanted to whisper in her ears a secret an inside joke that only she could understand and appreciate).

They seemed perfect for one another. Even Tucker had said so (whenever he teased them about being love birds).

Sam was one of the greatest, smartest, and most loyal friends he could have ever asked for. In another life, Danny would have returned her feelings as well.

But as he held Sam's hand and her hopeful gaze met his, Danny's heart felt heavy all of a sudden. It felt wrong. His heart didn't beat for Sam.

Not when his heart beat for someone else already.

If only he hadn't met Dick.

If only that stupid timer didn't ruin everything.

He didn't want to. Choosing Dick meant accepting the Universe's decision. It meant the whole fate thing was right and that Danny was wrong. It meant that he couldn't fight this.

It meant Danny didn't have a chance at all.

It was frustrating when he nearly started to believe he could be a normal boy with a normal life.

He nearly believed he could be happy.

Nearly.

But that's a lie. He would only be fooling himself.

Whenever his friends mentioned plans about high school and what they would do in their freshmen year, that's when it came crashing down for Danny as he was forced to listen to them make a checklist like going to cool parties, the school dance, and other stupid things kids do.

He wished he could have that dream.

But the timer on his wrist was a big glaring reminder of that.

So he would only smile at friends, going along with their plans, even though he felt bitter on the inside, knowing he would die before he can attend high school.

He had tried though. Tried to cling to his life in Amity Park. Tried to forget about the timer. His death. Dick. And everything.

But the longer he stayed in Amity, the more it felt like a lie. That Danny Fenton was a lie. It made his insides itch at how false everything seemed to be, at how much he had to pretend that he would be what his foster family and friends expected him to be.

How can he truly be free here when he could never be true to anyone around him? It felt unfair to everyone. They didn't know he had already met his 'soulmate'. They didn't know he was going to die eventually (Maybe he should have told the CPS that before they sent him to Illinois).

His foster family didn't deserve that. Jazz didn't deserve that. Tucker didn't deserve that. Sam didn't deserve that (He still felt guilty for nearly giving her hope for them, of what could-be. A what-if . It was easier to pretend he was an oblivious guy who didn't know his female best friend had feelings for him).

It's probably why he started coming to Gotham more often after the first death anniversary of the Graysons. Not just because Dick needed him more, not just because of the promise he made to the Graysons, but because he didn't want to feel guilty about the life he tried to build in Amity Park.

He had tried to bargain himself for what was inevitable.

He had tried so hard to believe that he didn't have feelings for Dick by running away.

And it only hurt his friend even more. Danny was just thankful that Dick was a very forgiving person, even though he didn't understand why Danny had been distant from him when the CPS separated them.

He really dreaded turning 14.

Fourteen is the age that I'll die. And that means I don't get to experience what other kids do. I'll die before I could even go to high school. Go to cool parties. And everything.

Danny was aware that soulmates weren't perfect, contrary to everyone's belief. He'd seen far too many cases where couples had been taken advantage of one abusive to their partners, knowing they were trapped into a bond that was even more sacred, more powerful than the law itself than not even the cops could touch them because the universe said so. The lack of legal protection when it came to their own soulmates really astounded Danny. It made him sick that this was how society really viewed soulmates: Something to be owned. An excuse to have power over someone who was vulnerable to the bond.

It made his fists clenched at the thought, recalling his days in the League, how much power he had over when he assassinated soulmate couples, how much blood he had in his hands. Sometimes, Danny was forced to make the other experience what the other felt, the fear and terror, taking advantage of the bond, twisting them, and making the other suffer by feeling what the other felt. It made Danny disgust at himself, the things he had to do, the monster he used to be.

(It was another reason why he hated soulmates)

So he wasn't as blind like Dick was at the true reality of having a soulmate (Not something magical like true love, ugh). That it felt more like a curse than a blessing. And honestly? Having a timer that reminded your other half's death? Yeah, Danny just can't see the appeal of that.

But then again, he wouldn't really change Dick's hopes and daydreams of a soulmate.

"What's the difference? Between the love of your life and your soulmate?" Robin asked, cocking his head to the side, curious as they stood in the back of the alley. And standing in front of them was a couple that Robin managed to save earlier.

Since the case has been taking up a lot of Dick's time, Danny decided to accompany him. He wore his yellow hoodie and mask that covered the lower part of his face, barely with any protection. Danny's sure Bruce would be unhappy that a "civilian" was getting involved, but then that man can't exactly control him. Danny was really done with listening to adults who think they get a right to say how Danny should live his life, he already had enough with the soulmate thing, thank you very much.

Dick had made him promise not to get involved with any fights (Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes and repeatedly remind his friend "I'm the one who taught you how to fight, remember?" but Dick just let out a disbelieving sound. Yeah, this is why I never told you about my training.)

But Danny sort of conceded that he would remain as Robin's backup if things really were dire.

"One is a choice, and one is not." The man murmured before he took his partner's hand. The sight sent a pang across Danny's chest, feeling envious all of a sudden while Robin nodded absently.

"I didn't know she was my soulmate. We've been best friends since we were kids. And she had the gall to not tell me she was my soulmate all along," the man laughed, almost clutching his stomach while his soulmate smiled softly at him.

"You didn't date anyone else?" Danny asked, skeptic.

"My soulmate was It for me, even though I didn't know it was her."

"That was risky," Danny frowned. There was no guarantee that your soulmate would accept you. Or even love you. Why would you blindly set your sights just because the universe told you to?

"It's called taking a leap of faith." The man said. "And trust."

Danny shook his head, almost disgusted. Meanwhile, Robin sighed dreamily.

"Trust your soulmate is all I have to say," the man said before gazing at her lovingly. "Best choice I ever made."

Danny couldn't help but glance at Robin.

Danny was unimpressed as he sat on Dick's bed, watching his friend work on his literature assignment last minute.

"You clearly never read Romeo and Juliet," Danny tutted. "That's not even a realistic way to look at soulmates. If anything, it's stupid to use that as a basis considering they killed themselves just 'cause they can't live without the other."

And Juliet was 13 years old when she died. Far too young to die for a soulmate. The irony.

Dick only pouted.

It was cute, Danny thought ruefully before he continued, almost fondly:

"Only you would be a hopeless sap if you think that's an ideal romance. And that book is not even a romantic story, far from it, Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story."

"I was a kid! I thought it was romantic for two lovers to die together with the same timers."

"We're still kids, Dick," Danny grunted, crossing his arms. "If you're such a fan of the tragic star-crossed lovers, Hunger Games is better."

Dick scrunched his nose. "I hate tragic stories." His eyes turned distant, obviously thinking about his parents who were soulmates with the exact timers.

"Don't we all?"

It seems my purpose in Dick's life was to be there when he grieved.

But what happens when I'M the reason he grieves though?

"Why are we running like headless chickens?" Danny cried out in frustration, the goons chasing them from behind with guns, which Danny and Robin managed to spectacularly avoid. "We should face them head-on. Not something cowardly like this!" He would have never allowed any of them to be reduced to this as being the one chased when he and Robin usually chased them.

Robin shot him a weird look, despite the mask, but Danny could always tell what message his friend was trying to send him.

"We need to lead them far from the civilians," his friend said as if it was obvious.

Oh.

Danny could feel his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He had allowed the adrenaline to cloud his judgment, his instincts to kick in as the wave of cold-detached, killer mindset where his number one priority was always the enemy. Eliminate them before they were ever a threat to him.

That's not who he was. Not anymore. As far as everyone knew about Danny (or 'Sunbird', as Dick had dubbed him to the public, to his dismay because if Danny had a choice, it would have been Warbler, but noooo Dick was still firm on that), he was street-rat taken in by Haly's circus out of pity, and Dick Grayson's silent best friend who preferred to observe than talk, the one always watching Dick/Robin's back in the shadows.

He was Danny. He's usually the damage control. Not the one that needed to be controlled. But when met with concerned blue eyes watching him, even with the domino mask, Danny's resolve immediately crumbled.

Danny's always the one taking care of his friend. It shouldn't be the other way around where he needed to be cared for.

"So Maneuver twelve?" Robin suggested once they were far off the distance.

Danny didn't hesitate. He held out his arm, immediately clasping Dick's hand before he spun his friend around, throwing him in the direction of the goons who let out a squawk at the incoming Robin projectile.

Danny just focused on covering Robin's back, immediately flipping one of the men easily over his head followed by a kick to the knees. He blocked an incoming strike to his left with his elbow, catching the next swing to the right, and rolled under while twisting two of the men's arms. The men gasped in pain and then yelped when Danny quickly swept their legs off the ground.

Between Robin and Sunbird, the fight was over before they knew it. The goons groaned on the ground, their hands and feet all tied up already by Danny while Robin grinned widely, his chest puffed up, one foot at one of the goon's backs, with both hands on the waist like a dramatic show-off he was.

"Thank you, thank you," His friend bowed as if there was an audience there.

Danny shot him an unimpressed look. "Really?"

"What? It's always fun when I got someone with me. Do you know how much B left me alone to handle this stuff?"

It can be kind of lonely, Danny could concede to that, recalling all the solo missions he had to handle, rarely did he have a partner there with him.

"It's nice to have someone fight alongside with me," Robin's smile quirked up towards him.

Surprisingly, Danny felt the same.

But then there was that pit in his stomach, recalling the League usually pairing off soulmates on duo missions because they were so compatible on the field.

Danny bit his lip, eyes downcast as he sheathed his knives. Of course.

"You know," Dick began, pulling him out of his thoughts. Danny looked up and saw his friend approaching him, his expression serious. "I always feel like a sidekick to B. But how about the two of us," Dick held out his hand towards him. "as Partners?"

Danny could feel his lips twitching upwards, the beginnings of a smile as he clasped his friend's hand. "Robin and Sunbird, thick as thieves," He quoted.

Dick's face brightened. "Equals. Welcome to crime-fighting, Sun."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Wasn't I already?" He had joined a few of his crusades a couple of times when the case has been taking too much of his friend's time.

"Details," His friend waved him off.

"You know, Bruce is not gonna be happy that you dragged your 'poor civilian' friend to this vigilante business," he remarked.

Dick shrugged. "You can clearly take care of yourself. You won't die that easily, Sunlight."

Geee. Thanks, Dick. Danny was doing a fantastic job of trying to forget that tidbit.

A part of Danny was actually screaming that he was crazy for doing this. This was risky. Most likely, this was something that might get him killed. Something Danny had run away from just so he can have a semblance of a normal life.

But Danny supposed he couldn't really have that. He was never normal, to begin with, not since birth. And not since the Universe decided to make his life harder by pairing him up with a self-sacrificing moron.

When Danny had figured out that Dick was Robin, he had not been happy at all. He had promised the Graysons that he would watch out for their son, and keep his friend safe, but Danny also knew Dick was stubborn as a bull, who just has the uncanny but infinite kindness to save everyone after everything.

Danny still blamed Bruce for this. What kind of adult would encourage this? To bring a kid to a fight? It was so familiar that Danny marched down Bruce's office, kicking his doors, and had a full-blown screaming match just to let him know how displeased Danny was about this.

In the end, Dick wasn't going to give up this Robin business. And Danny hated that. So he might as well join in if only to keep his friend safe, as he promised, even if he didn't like the thought of joining into a kind of business where he had to fight and utilize his skills and training again.

But it was different.

It wasn't like Danny was going to be bossed around to do the things he didn't want. With Dick, it was a partnership (well, more like part-time since Danny couldn't be in Gotham all the time) where they both were free to discuss and hear each other out before coming to a decision. No control, force, or demand of any kind.

And besides, better to die fighting on your feet than on your knees. He might as well go blazing if what Danny suspected this path would lead to his downfall. At least he would be in control of it, he would see it coming and have contingencies prepared (even if it ends as an utter failure). It would still be his choice if Danny had a say about this (He can't help it. He's still salty with that stupid timer and stupid Universe).

Oh man. Dick was going to be the death of him, wasn't he?

"See ya, Night," Danny murmured.

Dick's brows scrunched up. "Night?"

"Well, you keep calling me 'Sunlight'," Danny tried to hide his embarrassment. Sue him, he's not great with nicknames. There was Fly Boy and Dickcissel. But they were more childish insults these days.

Dick looked amused, which further made his cheeks burn brighter red. "Awww. You're giving me warm feels, Sun."

Danny scowled. He knew it was stupid. "Yeah, whatever." As he was about to walk away—

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Dick rushed forward, taking both of Danny's hands. Blue earnest eyes stared at him that always made his breath hitched, "I like it. Nightlight and Sunlight. Like a duo. Though I still wonder why 'Night'?"

Danny gave a hesitant smile.

Because I've been lost by myself in the darkness. When I can't find my way, it's always you who finds me. Like a nightlight. But he didn't say that to Dick, he just leaned into his friend's touch, knowing this was better. Safer.

If Dick has a purpose in my life, it is that he is home. My home.

A home that never opened the front door.

Danny had searched about soulmates. Probably even more than Dick did.

From what Danny understood, the timers were inevitable. There was no cheating around it. And that sucks because the universe really has a funny way of knowing The End of that person.

You can't fight against fate, Danny thought grimly as he pulled another book towards him.

First temporary 'death' doesn't count, or else everyone would panic when their soulmate stopped breathing for a moment only to be revived through shock or CPR (which was a miracle for doctors and nurses, who all depended on the timers if the patient's soulmate was there). In essence, the timer would ONLY end on the "actual, permanent death", not clinical death. Making it the ultimate end.

It's actually probably why hospitals were more equipped with Defibrillators, sending electric pulses to the heart to restore the heartbeat, Danny mused. I never want to be awake if I ever get an electric shock. Considering his foster parents built weapons more likely to kill him, Danny had always done his best to avoid the lab as much as possible with a timer looming over him.

Yeah, if Danny was going to die, it was NOT going to be due to their stupidity if he can help it.

"Everything would be so much easier if you told me," a familiar voice spoke up behind him.

Danny clenched his eyes shut, holding back the temptation to bury his face in his arm and scream.

Since Danny hadn't sensed him (the League had drilled him multiple times to hone his situational awareness, and his paranoia never really left) then he knew what this could mean.

"What would be the point?" Danny quietly said, refusing to turn around. Refusing to look at him.

Before, on certain nights, he would catch Mother talking to thin air, occasionally pausing and nodding along as if someone was there. Danny had grown concerned for Mother's mental state until the sight of guards blatantly ignoring her mutterings told him that this was a normal sight. And it hadn't taken long before Danny realized this was a result of Mother's soulmate bond, whether in death or rejection.

Loss Soulmate Syndrome was what everyone called this phenomenon.

She always seemed insane at night when she was alone. It was one of the reasons why Danny ran away because Mother's psychotic break grew worse as time passed on.

Danny would always feel guilty for abandoning Mother just because he was a coward. Just because he was afraid. But he was a kid who didn't know what to do when watching his mother become a different person, become unstable, that Danny just could not bear it.

It was too much for him.

He did regret leaving her behind. No matter his strained relationship with his mother and his complicated feelings about fate and destiny, Danny still loved her. He only wished he had the courage to maybe take her with him.

But it was too late for that. He had already succeeded in escaping his fate as the Demon's Head when he faked his death, and even more so when he found out that his time was short. If he had gone back for her, he's not sure he can ever escaped from the League ever again. He would be dooming himself, trapped in their clutches. And the last thing Danny wanted was to be under someone else's pawn again.

"Danny…" The hallucination began.

"I'm trying to protect you, Dick," Danny snapped. "My death time is set. It's inevitable. That's not something we can fight against fate. Knowing I'm your soulmate would hurt you more when it's only temporary."

"I'm already hurting, Danny. If you could have just let me in."

"And then, what? So I could see that look on your face as if I'm a ticking bomb waiting to explode? I know you, Dick. You would have treated me like a stupid fragile glass."

You would have been crying for sure. You would have been that unbearable. It would be SO you to try to save me. But I don't want you like that. I would rather see you smile than cry because of me. I'm that selfish, Dick.

There were many reasons why he didn't tell Dick.

How would Dick have reacted if Danny had told him, in the beginning, that he never wanted a soulmate in the first place?

"I never wanted a soulmate, Dick," Danny said quietly into the air.

Even without looking, he can imagine Dick flinching back like he had been sucker punched.

"What?"

"I never wanted it. When I saw that Mother never recovered from hers…actually, I'm not even sure if Father was her soulmate. I don't know, I never inquired." Danny shook his head at that. "The point is that was all I needed to know, whether it was because her soulmate passed away or it was unreciprocated, it didn't matter if having a soulmate meant wasting your life away for one person."

And now, it seemed the apple didn't fall so far from the tree. Even though Danny had fought against this, he was his Mother's son, of course, he was meant for heartbreak and to be tortured for the rest of his life.

Danny briefly wondered if this was what happened between Mother and Father. Maybe Father knew his time was coming to an end and left before Mother could be there until his end. Danny could only speculate, and he suddenly wondered how Mother had stood living without a Soulmate. How would have Dick coped if he had carried this knowledge?

And Danny didn't want that. He'd already seen what happened with Mother, he didn't want to imagine how his death impacted Dick if he had known from the beginning.

"It wouldn't change anything," Danny said. That was the truth. There wasn't any point in telling Dick about the soulmate. Dick would have been too fixated on the timer, and Danny just rather not be reminded of that, thank you very much.

"Temporary is better than never," the hallucination argued.

Danny begged to differ.

"I think it would have made a difference, for you, for us." Was it just him or did Dick sound clearer? Danny tensed at how the hallucination had invaded his space, catching him in his peripheral vision.

He shook his head at that, he did not need to hear his subconscious desires. This wasn't real anyway. Only a manifestation of what Danny hoped he could have.

"Everybody lives and everybody dies. That's the natural order. No cheating apparently," Danny let out a bitter chuckle at that. Maybe it was time to speak what he didn't say out loud, even if it wasn't real. "You don't know me, Dick. You don't know who I was before we met. Where I came from. Even my real name.

"If I had told you from the beginning, then what? You would have asked for everything. Asked more than I can give. I didn't want that. I didn't owe you my secrets, my thoughts, my feelings just because of some stupid bond." That sounded resentful, but Danny couldn't regret what he had felt.

Knowing Dick, Danny would have probably surrendered all his secrets to him. And that was scary, revealing everything about himself, showing how much vulnerable and pathetic Danny truly was. He had been raised by the League to not show such weakness, even that wasn't something Danny could let go of that easily.

"I wouldn't do that." The hallucination said. So stubborn.

"No. But I didn't know that at first. I grew up believing that my soulmate would be a monster because it compliments me," He spit it out.

A monster just like me.

"I spent the whole time thinking having a soulmate was the worst thing it could happen to me. But it's not. It's that stupid timer that ruined everything."

And that was the bitter truth that he knew Dick wouldn't like to hear from his mouth.

"Since my birth, I was someone's puppet." Danny never told Dick about his past. Not about the League. "I was just a tool. My sole purpose was to kill, kill, kill. I didn't have any choice where I grew up, Dick. To them, I was an object, waiting for their orders. A weapon. Do you have any idea how despicable it was? To think that I only exist because of my usefulness? Everyone seemed to have my future laid out for me when they never asked for my input…I was just SO done being part of anyone else's game." He sneered.

Danny could feel the heavy stare behind him, but he still continued, needing to get this out of his chest.

"When you took me into Haly's Circus, you didn't just give me food and shelter. You gave me a choice, a chance for a future where I don't feel trapped. And when we soar to the sky…it was freeing. Your parents gave me hope. Who knew how long I would have lasted before they found me?" The Graysons had saved him, much more than they think. "A debt that I had to pay."

And that was one of the reasons why he resented Dick so much in the early days (besides Dick's personality). Someone of his age who was the reason Danny lived–the irony that Dick would also be the reason why he'll die–when Danny thought he could do everything on his own. Did Dick not understand the significance of his actions? But Dick had only shrugged and given him that stupid goofy grin, moving on, while Danny stared at him flabbergasted.

"I hated that I owed you. I hated that I felt indebted because OF you. Because it's you. But you also gave me hope at that time, and just when I started to let my guard down, make myself believe that I can leave my past behind," He took a deep breath.

"And when I found out that it was you, well, unhappy was an understatement. I was upset. I was furious. It felt like I just switch to a different puppet master." Danny clenched his jaw. "All this time, all my efforts, all my work was destroyed because of it. In spite of everything I did, it only took one touch. Game over. Whoop de doo!" He rolled his eyes.

"I wanted to leave at that moment. But I couldn't because after everything you and your parents did for me, took in this runaway kid from the streets, trusting a stranger and expecting no conditions in return, how can I leave after that?"

A deafening silence between them.

"You know what I did didn't have any conditions, no strings attached, Danny. That's now how it works," the hallucination began. "Not everything is conditional."

Danny closed his eyes, recalling the similar words said to him.

"Not everything is conditional, Danny."

"It didn't have to mean anything if that's what you want, Sunlight," the hallucination continued.

"Really? Because I didn't know that. But I knew your thoughts about it. You believed in soulmates. I don't. Not after the League." And it was hard not to resent Dick for that, to moon over the impossible, a dream that Danny could never be.

"I'm sorry," the hallucination spoke up, sounding small. "I didn't know that."

"Of course, you didn't," He scoffed. "I never told you, because to me, it didn't matter. It's not who I am anymore. And I had enough on my plate, Dick. More important things to worry than some poor sucker handcuffed to my soul. It just didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

"Let me ask you this: What's the big deal about this soulmate? It meant nothing. You're all looking for some symbolism and meaning in life when we could do so much more than that. Soulmates equals? Soulmates perfect? Please. It's just an illusion. It isn't real unless you believe it. Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? That's what it is. It's not a blessing, Dick. It's a curse."

Danny didn't realize he was heaving until he noted a deafening silence except for his own breaths.

"…Is that what I really am?"

"It's nothing personal. It's not really you, Nightlight." Except for the timer, but it's not like it was Dick's fault.

Danny exhaled heavily, rubbing his face with one hand.

"The way people leave me tells me everything," Danny said softly. "I rather be the one who leaves than the one who got left behind." Leaving Mother behind was an example of that sadly. Better to abandon them before them abandoning you.

"So you see, I'm not a good person. I never was—Am. I'm a selfish guy who just wanted a fresh start. I didn't need all that fate and destiny shit." I didn't need you. I didn't want you. "I just hid it better. Just like I hid the soulmate from you. I'm just saving you all that stupid obligation."

"…I see."

There was something dreading about those words, something final that made his heart clench painfully at how accepting those words sounded. Danny was afraid to look at the expression that accompany those words. Even if it wasn't real, it was still him.

"Putting all that aside, we will address that later, Daniel," There was that pointed tone in the end. "Do you realize how lowly you seem to think of me, Danny?"

Danny stayed silent.

"You didn't trust me, Danny," Dick implored him. "You didn't trust that I would make a choice. Don't you have faith in me?"

And thankfully, Danny didn't get a chance to reply before someone else called for him.

"Danny?"

Danny's head snapped toward the voice, his heart sort of sinking with dread when he saw Bruce standing there in the doorway of the library.

"Wassup?" he tried to aim for casual, but based on Bruce's face, he failed.

Great. The last thing he needed was to be sent to a nutty asylum just for being mistaken as clinically insane. Good thing Bruce knew the truth.

Sometimes moments like this made Danny wonder if Dick knew of his feelings: When things get close between them, the touches lasting longer than usual that pulled him in; the way when Dick's eyes seemed all too-knowing, too electrifying; the way the corner of his mouth turned upwards as if amused of something Danny had said that it caught him off guard, lowering his defenses because of that stupid smile; the way Dick just seemed to gravitate towards him that it made his knees weak, unable to breathe as the blood pounded in his ears.

Do you feel the connection between us? Danny's eyes said, almost desperate. Do you see it, Dick? Do you see me?

Immediately, the moment would be broken and Dick goes back to his usual oblivious self. It left eyed-wide Danny reeling from the sudden whiplash, his hopes crashing down. Was it all just a fantasy? But his friend kept chattering to some nonsense. Or was it all just a dream?

And afterward, Danny was left forever wondering if he knew when his friend left him behind like a cloud of dust. Dick was trained by the world's greatest detective.

He would know, right?

Or Dick was just pretending that he didn't know.

That he didn't want to let Danny down gently.

"Love you, Danny," Dick said with that carefree smile on his face. Still, it was like a punch in the gut.

Danny's chest hurt. He knew Dick didn't mean it that way. He meant platonically, but still—

"Yeah, I love you too," He said quietly, downcast while Dick was off to who knows where his cheerfulness practically bleeding everywhere, unknowingly causing the pain in Danny's chest at those thoughtless words.

No, not thoughtless. That's just so Dick to say it.

The thing about Dick was that he has a big heart. He had so many people he loved, and being loved in return. It was so endless and infinite, that it was amazing how his friend was willing to give so much.

But Danny was selfish. He can't give a lot when he just wanted to keep what was his. And Danny wondered if Dick had the space for Danny. A place in his heart

Danny already knew that Dick was an idiot before the whole soulmate thing.

To his dismay, Dick still continued to be an idiot despite Danny's best efforts. Forget the timer or the fact that it wasn't Dick's time yet, Danny was going to strangle that self-sacrificing buffoon!

Since becoming Dick Grayson's best friend, Danny found himself returning to the familiar adrenaline, the rush when it came to combat, the danger. It was pretty ironic when he had run away from the League because he wanted normalcy, a life that he could build for himself, only to find himself in this situation against his will. Dick Grayson has an unfortunate habit of getting himself into trouble that required the skills needed to save his best friend's butt.

But then again, it was only because of Dick's goody-two-shoes and obliviousness that kept him from asking Danny the real questions. Not just the soulmate aspects. But also where Danny picked up the skills to be able to fight that no ordinary kid should know. But Dick probably assumed the skills came from his days living in the street, the need to survive. Strangely, Dick never asked about Danny's life before they met.

"You know, contrary to your moniker, Robin, you can't actually fly," Danny gave him a pointed look he hoped his friend could sense as another explosion went off behind his friend, who just ducked behind one of the crates from what Danny could see with that giant hole in the wall that got blasted out earlier.

Danny caught a glimpse of at least eight men surrounding his traffic-color friend, who stood out in that dull, grey abandoned building just across from him. As much as Danny would love to help his friend there, there was a bomb hidden in this high-rise abandoned building with scaffolding covering the outer layer.

Danny could have used the grappling gun instead of climbing it, but he didn't know which floor the bomb was. And he didn't trust the scaffolding was that firm and attached to the building if Danny had hooked it there. He suspected the whole thing would have collapsed just by his weight and momentum.

So right now, he's currently at floor thirty-two out of forty. Just great. Why didn't these construction workers build the stairs first? There's not even an elevator anywhere, which sucks even more.

He really should have started checking from the top instead of the bottom. It would have saved a lot of energy with the way his legs started to wobble from the amount of climbing.

Robin just cheekily grinned at him, even at the distance. "Good thing I am good at landing." He said through the comms.

Danny hoped Richard Grayson could feel his death glare. "You are practically asking for you it, you dumbass!" He growled, expertly climbing up onto the beams.

"But it wouldn't be fun." He can hear the sound of his friend pouting.

Incredible really.

"I can't believe you just sprang in there without backup," Danny hissed. The rush of high wind nearly pulled his hood off at the height he was. He can only pray the wind didn't knock the beams he was standing on.

"It's called winging it, Sunlight!"

"Flock off!"

Now Danny can just sense his friend's delight for practically an invitation to a pun battle that not even he can resist his lips twitching upwards underneath his mask as the sound of Robin squawking from what was obviously a near hit from one of the goons. Well, his friend deserved that honestly.

"Better luck nest time," Robin called out.

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he dodged another blast.

Batman was unfortunately unavailable to some Justice League business and so now it was up to Danny to save his self-sacrificing idiotic best friend before he pummeled to his death.

It was only thanks to his training that he managed to remain mostly unseen from the current Rogue tonight.

Danny's eyes lit up when he spotted the bomb as he peaked through the windows of the thirty-sixth floor. Jackpot.

While working on disabling the bomb, he ignored Robin's usual banter with the Rogue.

"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Robin said casually to the rogue. But Danny knew better because underneath that tone was made of steel, probably gauging the threat in the room in a calculating manner. That was Dick's greatest weapon, a charisma had no bounds when he played the long game, testing how much he can push his opponent's buttons like a little cat playing with its food. A performer who knew how to captivate his audience and fool them with the greatest trick of all when they least expect it. So crafty, so sly, and sneaky hidden underneath that witty and friendly mask his friend usually wore.

There was a reason why Danny never trusted Dick Grayson's smile in the first place.

What came after, Danny never knew, but he can deduce by the sound of gunfire and fists pounding on human flesh as he focused on dismantling the bomb.

"I'm almost done—THERE!"

Bomb disabled.

Danny metaphorically rubbed his palms against his pants, about to head over to assist his friend—

"Well," Robin began in the comms. "Sorry to ruin the firequackers, but fun times are over now guys. Give it up! Your evil plan has been thwarted."

Danny cannot believe Robin just said that as if this was some cartoon villain they were dealing with.

Scratch that, he can totally believe his friend would absolutely say that.

Danny didn't bother fighting back the groan, feeling embarrassed to be associated with him. He really should be used to this by now, honestly, but Dick always managed to continue to surprise him, to his dismay.

"Do you expect some kind of Scooby-doo shit, you Dick?!" he hissed to the comms.

He could sense Robin's face brightened as he said to the goons, "So, are you going to say 'And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!'? It's a classic."

Danny let out what must be some pained noise, listening to the sounds of gunfire through the comms. So he quickly rushed out of the building and into the scaffold again, the cold wind greeted his face, shivering a bit before he realized how high he must have climbed up because he caught a glimpse of a yellow cape through that giant hole, which was like ten or fifteen floors below where Danny currently was.

Please kill him now, have mercy on him.

Danny was trying to find a place where he can grapple down there till the sound of another blast coming from the room where Dick was interrupted his thoughts.

"Robin? Nightlight?! Are you okay?!"

Only silence greeted him before a red, yellow, and green shaped-body flew out of the hole from another loud explosion.

Danny felt he had been doused in cold water, terror gripping his chest as he watched his friend falling a hundred feet down from the building, who was patting frantically all over his body.

The grappling gun, He realized as he caught sight of Robin's gun that was knocked out of his friend's belt, hundred feet away, unable to reach it on time.

Danny suddenly was transported back to the circus, just peeking through the curtains to watch the Flying Graysons leaping through the air in perfect harmony.

John had his knees tucked underneath the bar while holding Mary's ankles as they swung towards where Dick was waiting at the high platform.

"…I get nightmares of my parents falling to their deaths."

Danny watched, horror-struck, as the lines snapped just as Mary had her arms out ready to take Dick's hand.

The audience's gasp was so loud, nearly drowning Danny's ears as he watched John and Mary pummeled to their deaths. Their eyes never left their son, who stood frozen at the top.

Danny quickly snapped out of it, pulling himself to the present as Robin's eyes met him, despite the distance between them. Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that, the world fading as Danny imagined what must be panicked blue eyes behind that domino mask staring at him.

When it came to trapeze with more than one trapeze artist in the act, there were only two roles: the flier and the catcher. Both were important roles when it came to the art of flying. To be the true master of the sky, to be a skilled aerial performer, one has never started a trapeze act without at least knowing what it's like to fall, the feeling of a sudden drop on your stomach, the rush of wind kissing your cheek, your hair being blown out of your face as the ground started to grow big in front of you.

And that's where the catcher comes in. With the most important job: saving the flier.

Saving each other.

That meant a lot of trust in your partner to catch you when fly, which was Danny's problem in the early days when he couldn't bring himself to trust someone to catch him as he stood on the platform, gripping tightly at the bar, his knuckles turning white at the great mass, the great distance in front of him.

Danny normally was not frightened that easily after everything. He had a few close calls in the past, a lot of near-deaths since he was four. He had faced more daring and dangerous acts than ordinary people could comprehend, so even a simple free fall would not scare him so easily, but it was nothing compared to the worry of someone possibly backstabbing you, someone possibly miscalculating and ending with a splat. Even when Danny longed to fly, to be free, the fear of letting go of that bar had him a chokehold, content to just hold onto the bar and never let go. It's why Danny was always the catcher. He liked the control. He liked it when he didn't let others have control over him, especially when it meant putting his life in someone else's hands.

And it worked when Dick was just so blindly trusting his life in Danny's hand. The arrangement worked because Dick belonged to the sky, more than Danny ever was. His friend was practically born to fly, to spread his wings whereas Danny was content to watch in the shadows, away from the limelight as everyone focused on the true star of the show, the bird flying in the air.

And Danny was always behind Dick, ready to catch him.

Always saving him.

So it was no different when Danny quickly dived in after his falling friend, his heart pounding loudly in his ears, one hand reaching to where the grapple gun rested on his hip, the other reaching towards Robin, keeping his body positioned where he could fall faster as Dick had his hand out, reaching out towards him as well. The only thing different today compared to other times was that this wasn't an act, this was real. Real danger. Real fear. And a real sense of panic that Danny had never felt before.

It's not your time to die, Dick. Not today. Not as long as I lived.

It wasn't long till his fingers wrapped around Robin's green gloved ones before the sound of metallic cling came and they both found themselves flying into the air rather, with his fears slipping away as well.

"Gotcha," Danny muttered to him, letting his displeasure show even when he felt an enormous relief at the feeling of Dick safe in his arms. "But birds aren't supposed to leave their nest, ya know?" It was all he could muster, his snark demeanor hiding his fear and concern.

"Thanks for dropping in," Robin cheerfully said, nonplused as if the fall didn't happen. Seriously? Was this a time for puns after what he did to Danny?

Did Dick not realize how much he scared the shit out of him? How, for one brief moment, he thought it was happening again, standing there so helplessly as he watched another person he knew, someone he cared about, died before his eyes?

He thought he lost Dick.

He nearly lost Dick.

Death had never scared Danny, not even his impending death coming. What was there to fear about when he grew up with that occupational hazard? (He'd only feared not having enough time)

But he feared for Dick. For his friend's life.

And it terrified him. The thought of Dick having the same fate as his parents. The thought that Danny would be alone. The thought of his life without Dick in it.

Without his stupid face. His stupid smile. His stupid midnight blue eyes and everything.

It was such a close call that Danny closed his eyes, feeling Dick's hair brushing against his chin before the familiar scent of apples and cinnamon hit his nostrils, calming him as he grappled away to safety. Robin just leaned into his chest, relaxed. It was such a familiar feeling, almost flashing back to the days when Danny held onto the trapeze bar with Dick looking at him encouragingly across the room.

"Why am I always saving you?" Danny grumbled as they landed on the roof.

"Don't worry, I'll save you next time," Dick assured him.

He didn't doubt Dick would do so if it ever came up because that's just who Dick was. But he also doubted there would be a 'next time'.

"By the way, I feel really gratefall." Before Danny could flip him off with the puns, a soft smile graced on Dick's face, one hand at the nape of his neck, the other wrapped around his waist. Danny froze before he could feel his cheeks reddening, not just at the contact but how close they still were, so close that he could feel Dick's nose brushed against his.

Even with the ground underneath their feet, Danny felt like he was falling. The only reason he's not was the steady hold Dick had on him, firm and assuring.

"Thanks for always saving me, Sun."

"I'll always save you." For as long as I breathe.

Until my heart stops.

When Danny caught the sight of Dick looking at the Lazarus Pit, he could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment.

It was a good thing Dick was too lost in his own thoughts to realize that his 'civilian' best friend Danny shouldn't even know what the Lazarus Pit was nor its capability. And with only a picture of the Pit on the monitor without any description, yeah that would have been suspicious.

Danny glanced back at the picture as he held onto his friend tighter in his arms. He hoped his friend wouldn't ever do something stupid like that.

I feel like I got robbed. It isn't fair that I was meant to die young. I wish I had more time…to live long enough to experience what people my age would. I'm going to miss a lot.

That's just the way soulmates work. And that's the world I live in.

We stayed up all night talking about what we wanted to do ten years from now even though it would never happen. But it's nice to pretend of what-could-be, instead of thinking of what-I'll-miss.

At least it's better than the might-have-beens.

(Part 4: Acceptance)

"Night, there's something I have to tell you," Danny said hesitantly.

"Hmmm?" Dick said distractedly, his eyes scanning the city.

"I—" This was it. If Danny wanted to have no regrets, he had to tell Dick how much he meant to Danny. How he's—

"Robin!"

Danny could feel his heart dropping down to the pit of his stomach as he watched Dick's face lit up at the sight of Barbara—Batgirl—coming over to him. Something dark and ugly, possessive, was brewing in his stomach. Of course.

Why should Danny tell him? It's selfish to leave that kind of burden and pain for Dick once Danny goes. And he didn't want to hurt his friend that way. Confessing his feelings would only benefit Danny (not Dick, not really) just because he couldn't hold onto this secret.

Ignorance is bliss.

And call him crazy but Danny still wanted Dick to have the fairy-tale ending that he still dreamed of having. Even if it meant it's not with him.

But it could be with Barbara, he eyed the 17-year-old vigilante with consideration, ignoring the ugly pit on his stomach the way Dick's smile turned much softer at the sight of her.

Just not at me.

Yeah, Dick can't know. There was no point in giving some kind of goodbye message to Dick. That was not how Danny wanted Dick to remember him.

"Hey," Batgirl grinned at Danny, ruffling his hair.

He only grumbled, shooting daggers at her as she laid a hand on his overexcited friend. I'm not jealous when he's not really mine. I can't be mad at her.

Later, while Robin and Batgirl deal with the thugs, Danny silently approached a little kid who has been hiding behind the dumpster.

"Hey there, little guy," Danny said quietly, keeping his posture gentle and harmless as he crouched.

Teal-blue eyes stared at him, half-hidden in the shadows. "Stay back! I don't want trouble." He said, which sounded more like a bark than a bite. And Danny was surprised to hear how young the kid sounded. Five years younger than him, around 9-7 years old if he had to judge.

And when the kid took a hesitant step forward, Danny's breath hitched at the sight of how malnourished the boy was. He shouldn't be surprised to see a kid that scrawny since this was Crime Alley, yet something inside of him broke because it reminded him of himself when he lived on the streets. It was an eerie echo, the way the kid looked so distrustful and ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. Everything else was about survival.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Danny said quietly.

"But you're with them," the kid's eyes darted behind him.

"They're good guys. They don't hurt kids. Haven't you heard of Robin and Batgirl?"

"Hmm," the kid huffed. Wow, this one was stubborn. But it seemed he didn't view Danny as a threat with the way he kept looking at him curiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm—" Nobody. I don't really do this gig. "Just someone who wants to help. What's your name?"

"...Jay."

"How old are you?" Danny frowned, taking inventory of Jay's tattered clothing. "You look like what? Six?"

"I'm nine years old!" Jay glared at him. The sight made Danny burst out of laughter at how this kid was trying to look tough when in fact it just made him too cute to resist, even though his heart broke at how gaunt the kid looked.

"Jay, you look like you come at my waist," Danny grinned, cheekily. Jay just pouted (yup, totally adorable).

Weirdly, he had this sudden urge to take Jay into his arms and give him as much love and cuddles as the kid deserved. That was a surprise since Danny was not all "lovey-dovey" kind of person.

Maybe it was just a sense of kinship. A street-rat kid recognizing another street-rat. Jay strangely seemed to sense that from Danny, the way huddle closer to his side, hiding himself from Robin and Batgirl (Danny resisted the urge to coo. Ugh. He was NOT going to become Dick. Danny's not even sure he liked kids. He's always awkward around them).

After giving the kid his red hoodie, and maybe a couple of cash whatever he had left, Danny looked back and was surprised to see Dick looking at him with an indecipherable expression, despite the domino mask.

"What?" he hissed.

"…Nothing. I just didn't think…I mean I'm surprised that—"

"What? That I'm capable of talking like a normal human being?" Danny crossed his arms.

"Gentle. You were gentle with that kid out there. I never seen that side of you before," Dick breathed, almost musingly with his eyes downward. Danny's glare softened even though his stomach twisted into knots.

You have. You just never notice the way I look at you. Danny turned away just in time to see Batgirl joining them.

He left the two in the alley. He didn't want to see that, yet he can't stop the sound of their laughter ringing like sweet melodies, a perfect blend together, almost in perfect harmony. It struck a chord in Danny's chest, his heart twisting painfully.

They're a perfect pair, of course, they could have been soulmates, Danny grumbled, kicking the can across the street.

The sound of Dick's warm laughter just shattered his insides. His laugh that usually lit up Danny's world now just made everything feel like it was crashing down.

"Hey wait up, Sun," Dick called out to him. The sound of footsteps nearing before Dick popped up in his view, grinning at him widely.

"Where's Batgirl?" He grounded out.

Dick shrugged before waving something behind him. "She has things to do." There was a hint of awe in his tone as the sound of a grappling hook rang, probably because she did something impressive. The pit on Danny's stomach grew larger the way Dick's gaze lingered in her direction.

His eyes pleaded at Dick helplessly. Please don't be in love with her. I know I want you to be happy, but I want it because of me, not because of her. Or anyone, really.

But I'm nothing compared to her. Because crap, of course, Dick was enchanted with her.

"Please don't leave me. Please stay," a familiar voice said it so breathlessly in his ears, but Danny ignored that, choosing to focus on Dick.

I'm nothing compared to her.

Danny could almost pretend this was a date. It's just…why did it have to be on his final day rather. He asked Dick out, but of course, his friend didn't seem to think this was anything out of the ordinary except two best friends hanging out, with the intention of cheering Dick up (though selfishly, this day was meant to comfort Danny rather, but he would take what he can get).

Danny was just sort of resigned because every time he tried in some way to hint Dick of his feelings…it just seemed to go way over his friend's head.

Why did Danny have to fall in love with an oblivious idiot?

The temptation to bash his head on the table was getting stronger the more Dick sent him that stupid perfect smile that just made his heart race. It wasn't fair!

Danny was selfish. Of course, he just wanted Dick's time and attention. He wanted Dick to just look at him, for his friend not to be lost in searching for this ideal perfect soulmate out there when all Dick had to do was look at Danny: the person next to him all along.

It hurts to know that you will never look at me the way I look at you.

Why would Dick ever like him that way? The moment Dick finds out that he's his soulmate, he would probably be disappointed at how lame Danny was. And Danny just hated himself even more that he just can't handle the thought of rejection or worst pity. It's humiliating how Danny just tried and tried to get Dick's attention. But it felt impossible to meet Dick's perfect expectations, hell it felt like Danny had to compete for this abstract, of what his friend probably thought his ideal soulmate was.

Danny was aware that he wasn't perfect. He wasn't even Dick's type.

Because what's worse than knowing I want something, besides knowing I can never have it?

Danny just wasn't brave enough to tell Dick. How could he? Dick was handsome and Danny was gawky and awkward. Dick knew how to get his audience captivated while Danny was just hopelessly boring. If Dick was flying into the air, then Danny was falling to the ground.

Maybe I was just destined to fall in love with someone I can never have. The universe certainly has a funny way of setting Danny up with someone impossible.

"You're right. Nothing lasts forever," Danny whispered, regretful before he buried his nose in the crook of Dick's neck, memorizing his scent because he knew he wouldn't get an opportunity like this again.

Live every day as if it was your last. And this was how Danny chose to live his last. He would have loved a little more time to be able to say goodbye. He would have loved a little more time to finally be able to say the honest truth; things he would never have thought of sharing about himself without the thought of his impending death. But this was the world he'd lived in; soulmates with death timers. Everyone literally had to live their life with an accurate death prediction hanging over them.

And Danny had years to understand his impending death, just so he can appreciate precious moments like this in his life. The things he shouldn't have taken for granted. I wish I have a little more time to live, because I'm selfish that I want to be with you longer, Dick. Only for you.

"You'll remember me, right?" Danny whispered.

"What makes you say that? You're pretty hard to forget, Sun."

And Danny pretended to believe that.

With a pang in his heart, Danny realized that Dick will be fine. He knew that. But Danny wasn't sure about himself. All these moments will fade in time; washed away by this tidal wave of a future that was still out there for Dick. New people. New friends until there won't be a single trace of Danny left on Dick, as if forgotten.

The thought of Dick moving on from him gave him a wave of anxiety. Shouldn't Danny be happy about that? It's not like he wanted Dick to suffer in the aftermath.

Still, Danny was selfish that he just wanted a word of assurance that Dick wouldn't forget him so easily. Because I won't forget you, Dick. How can I? I just want to lie in your arms and remember this moment. Memories of you and me. But just you mostly.

Dick practically lived inside him like a memory that paradoxically stopped the pain, melting the walls that he built, his soul reaching out towards him as if it demanded to be whole again. Softly and Gently. A taste of what it was like to be bonded. It was so contagious that Danny didn't think it was possible to ever forget Dick. Wherever Danny went, whatever he did, Dick was the only thing that maybe Danny made him feel things that he never felt before. Danny could no longer avoid the sentiments that his heart forced him to feel.

"I choose you," Danny whispered to Dick as he caressed his cheek. Even asleep, Dick was truly handsome even at fourteen.

And of course, his friend wouldn't truly know the true meaning behind his words, but it was the only thing Danny could say that he was Dick's because he chose to be, not because of some fated thing between them.

Danny tried to hide the whimpers as he buried himself deeper into the crook of Dick's neck just so his friend wouldn't see it, even though he was asleep. But he can't as he crumbled in heart-breaking resignation, silently crying because he didn't want to go.

I don't want to go.

When Danny looked back at the manor, there was a bittersweet feeling.

Danny glanced back through the window as he took his seat on the bus. Gotham become smaller and smaller as the bus drove away. When he looked up at the beginnings of the dark sky, ruined by light pollution-endless and cloudless-he kept thinking of the person he left behind who must be sleeping, blissfully unaware of what was to come. But that was okay, Danny had his last.

Once formerly known as Danyal.

Adopted son of the Fentons.

Brother to Jazz Fenton.

Best Friends of Tucker Foley and Sam Manson.

Secret civilian ally of the Bats.

Once part of Haly's Circus, trained to be Dick's trapeze partner.

A family friend of the Waynes.

And Soulmate to Dick Grayson.

The most important thing that defined Danny. But the 'what' didn't matter, it was 'who' that Danny only ever cared about. All this time, running away from his fate, his destiny to be a trained assassin, to be the heir of Demons Head. No more. He had no heart nor desire to take up that mantle, blood running through his veins be damned. Damn those seers. Damn the Universe.

Family wasn't everything.

Free will was possible.

Choices matter.

Yet Danny couldn't help but surrender to be Dick's. When the universe decided to grant him a soulmate.

Even though Danny should detest this, it was impossible when it was Dick Grayson.

How could he not?

He had prepared his will. Handwritten letters to everyone. He didn't think he could do videos, he's not sure what to say after keeping this a secret from everyone. His foster family and friends certainly deserved an explanation.

He hadn't been sure about Dick, though. In the end, he opted not to leave anything. It would be selfish on Danny's part. What good would it do to confess? He would only give Dick more burden to carry. And Danny didn't want that.

(He'd hoped Dick didn't resent him for this)

He allowed the memories to flash all over. Recalling every smile, every laugh, every joy, every love, even every pain and sorrow.

Dick.

Dick would be okay. One glance at the wrist was proof of that.

"You'll be fine. You're the strongest person I know with that big heart you have. You'll be okay, my little nightlight." Danny murmured to his wrist. He didn't really care about his own life, even his heart tinged full of regrets before looking out the bus window.

It was only because of his League of Assassin training that he caught it, through the shadows behind the trees, were black-clothed figures, something metallic glinted into the darkness. He narrowed his eyes, suspicion deepening.

Before Danny could even stand up just for a closer look, he was quickly swerved to the side, a heavy thump sound coming from outside followed by the sounds of screams, the brakes screeching and tires squealing echoing in his ears.

It happened so fast. His head was quickly slammed against the cold metal bar. Pain exploded in his head as Danny crashed to the floor, knocking the wind out of him. Everything seemed to stop for a moment, the sound of heavy panting echoing around him. When he looked up, he was met with scared brown eyes staring at him. A girl in a high school uniform with one arm wrapped around the metal bar while the other arm was reaching out towards him, her gaze full of determination even when her lips trembling in fear. She reminded him of Jazz, for one brief moment, because the way she was looking at him now was the same look when they'd had first met when he came into the Fentons. This brought a pang of hurt in his heart, suddenly missing for her touch and steady presence.

Now this girl looked like she wanted to pull him to safety next to her when she should be more worried about her own life than some stranger.

Before he can even recover or shout what the fuck, his whole body was jerked to the window. The girl screaming, either for him or the sudden turbulence around them, he didn't know. He could only watch distantly as desperate brown eyes stared after him before he was tossed around the room, people's cries drowning everywhere. The world spun in rapid circles, and it took a while before he realized the bus was rolling down the slope.

Something slammed to his side and his vision turned black.

The first thing Danny noted when he woke up was the smell of fuel leaking in the air followed by the sound of his ears ringing, his head feeling fuzzy a moment before he registered something soft underneath where his head was laying. His back was aching, his arms prickling with something he couldn't identify. He opened his eyes and was greeted with black spots dancing in his vision before his vision start to clear.

The shadows were casted around the room. So dark that Danny could barely see except natural light coming through the broken windows. There was a sound of the engines hissing, followed by the smell of burn coming from the snapped wires around him, sizzling.

Danny coughed a couple of times from the smell of gas, his chest feeling heavy before he realized there was a heavy weight on his chest. A middle-aged man with blood trailing down his temple.

He slowly reached out hesitantly for the man's pulse. Nothing.

Feeling detached, Danny just pushed the guy off him with all the strength he could manage. He grimaced at the feeling of something wet and sticky in his shirt before he realized it was a pool of blood from the guy earlier. It took a few tries before he can finally breathe much easier now that the weight was off. He stared at the ceiling…or he'd supposed at the floor since the bus was upside down. Staring was tempting, but Danny knew he had to get going. Not only that but there was something nagging him in his subconscious, telling him he was forgetting something.

When he turned to left, a scream erupted from his throat when he was met with brown eyes staring blankly at him, just a few inches close to his face, nose touching him.

It's you, Danny breathed in shocked, recognizing the kind girl who tried to save him earlier.

Her blonde hair was matted with blood, and her mouth opened with bloodied teeth. It took a moment before Danny registered that it was her arm that was cushioning his head, protecting him from any kind of head injury.

His stomach churned with guilt, anguish, and despair for such loss from a kind stranger who only wanted to help him. He could feel the self-loathing start to build up inside him.

She shouldn't have done that. Not for someone like me.

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment before he pushed her away from him. It wasn't the first corpse he had ever seen, nor even the most gruesome sight. But it was the first time someone died trying to save him.

That wasn't supposed to happen. If anyone was going to die, it was going to be him anyway.

He could only hope her death was quick and painless.

"Everywhere you go, everywhere you touch, death follows you, Danyal."

"You can't save everyone, Azizi."

So he pushed all those emotions and thoughts down, compartmentalizing them as he looked around and was met with the sight of bodies that he hadn't noticed. Eleven of them, most likely dead judging by their chest not moving. Some were hanging upside down, their seatbelts keeping them in place. Some died with their skulls cracked open. He could even spot a thin metal that had run through one of the men's chest, instant kill by impalement.

Danny shivered, feeling alone in the wreckage. Confusion wringing in his head.

How am I still alive?

Last he remembered, he only had a few minutes left before his inevitable, right? Judging by his own state, nothing that needed attention except a couple of bruises and scratches.

When Danny tried to get up with his elbows, it hit something with a scrunching sound before he felt a wet sludge of some kind. It took a moment before he realized he was surrounded by broken glass where it once was a sunroof, and what he felt prickling earlier was muddy grass.

Danny tried to stand up, but his legs were shaking for some reason. So he resigned himself from crawling out through the nearest window, wincing at the sharp glass prickling his arms. He stopped at the sight of a hill in front of him and Danny groaned, a mix of frustration and misery washing over him. The bus half tilted at the end of the slope, and judging by the height, it would be a long climb.

Or crawl because his legs were refusing to work with him for some reason, so he mustered all the strength he could to drag himself up the slope as something wet seeped through the fabric, ignoring the occasional sensation when his palms pressed sharp rocks that he had missed. But he kept going. Kept crawling even though he felt drawn and bleary. His senses dulled by exhaustion.

"Come on, Danny," Someone urged him, calling out to him softly.

Oh, he was getting exhausted if his senses were that dulled as a distant sound of a familiar laugh echoed in his ears. It's so beckoning though, so warm that made his chest lighten for some reason, that it gave him the strength to pull himself up.

Hopefully, a car would pass by and they could call for help since he couldn't find his phone anywhere earlier.

"Just call for help," He muttered to himself, feeling shortness of breath.

It took a few moments before he finally succeeded, sighing in relief as he slumped against the railing, panting heavily. He glanced around and saw screech marks on the ground where it swiveled towards where there was a huge gaping hole railing where the bus had crashed before it pummeled down the slope. And a dead deer a few feet away from him.

So that's what happened, he thought distantly.

Danny's brows furrowed. His senses prickled with uneasiness, alarm bells ringing in his head that screamed danger, instantly putting him on guard before he realized what he sensed were the feeling of eyes watching him, hiding in the shadows before he caught the sight of metallic glint shining in the dark.

His blood turned cold. The image of black-clothed figures hiding in the trees before the crash appeared in his head.

Feeling more awake now, he pushed himself up using the railing, his legs deciding to work now apparently, grunting at the effort he had to put into his arms again before he finally could stand.

His eyes narrowed in the direction where he caught them. Whoever they were, they were silent as hell because he can't even hear the sound of someone stepping on branches or a scrunch on the ground. And that made him uneasy.

It wasn't long till he heard the sound of a whoosh of air behind, so faint to anyone's ears except for the ex-assassin, who backflipped away, one palm on the ground before he upright himself right at the center of the road.

His frown deepened at the sight of a dart laying where he once stood before he sensed another incoming projectile in the corner of his eye. He twisted his body to the side, then took another step back when another dart came from his right. Danny evaded the attacks, snatching one of the darts on the ground before gripping it tightly in his fist, eyes tracking where the direction of where it came from. He only knew at least three of them were up in the trees, shrouded by darkness and branches.

The temptation to just slide down the hill and take cover was his best bet because, at the end of the day, he was standing in the middle of the road, an open target with a clear shot. But going down would have been an instant death for him, if they were smart, they would have caused an explosion within the bus if they have the right angle to hit the engine. So cornering himself there was not an option, nor running to the forest to hide, especially if they had some kind of night-vision goggles to be able to track them when Danny couldn't even spot them.

He must be really getting tired if he couldn't come up with a plan on a whim in this tight situation. He's sure if he was at his best, he would have easily found a way to not be in this situation at all, which was frustrating.

His assailants must be getting frustrated as well because five of them grappled from the trees and landed a few feet away from him, surprising Danny for a moment before gripping the dart tightly in his hand.

Danny's eyes narrowed at them. They were not mercenaries, they were assassins, circling around him as if he was their prey.

Which tonight, he was.

Instead of a dart gun, as Danny expected, they had their curved golden blade up.

Karambit, Danny recognized those kinds of blades.

"Five is a bit excessive, don't ya think?" Danny remarked.

They didn't reply. So not chatty like the usual Rogues Sunbird dealt with. It's a shame because whatever your enemies had to say would give Danny context, clues to what was going on, especially if they were the silent kind of baddies.

They weren't from the League, that was for sure. Not with their black attire with golden accents. Not with their strapped gear wrapped around the chest filled with throwing knives—and a couple of pockets that Danny's not sure of. They also have a strange bird-like black and gold mask, covering their entire face, not giving him any clues of external cues or reference for Danny to pinpoint. Not League, but that didn't mean anything because there could be far worse foes out there.

Despite the mask covering his opponents' facial expressions, Danny was still trained to pay attention to body language. They couldn't hide that from him. They were tall. Taller than him. Two bulky ones and three with lean body shapes, but that was fine because those kinds of disadvantages were the ones that Danny had learned the most.

He paid close attention to their stance. Every motion. Every glide. Every flicker of their fingers. The way they kept a firm grip on their weapons. And that meant real business if they were singling him out. More professional. More trained than what Gotham usually offered.

And that unnerved him. Because what had Danny done to get these guys' attention? Daniel Fenton was a nobody, and as far as anyone knew, just a street kid that Haly's Circus picked up, and best friend of Bruce Wayne's ward. And it couldn't be the League. Not after everything. But it wouldn't be a surprise if anyone had figured out his past connection with the League, which was fantastic. It would explain why there were five after him. Enough to make sure Danny stayed dead.

And that made Danny angry.

"If you can't control the time of your death, maybe you can control how you die," Bruce said.

"That's nice, isn't it? A choice on how to die. What a luxury," Danny snarked.

After a long assessment of this waiting game, one of them strikes first.

Finally, Danny thought grimly as he sidestepped from the swing. Then he ducked from another incoming blow from behind. Two of them trying to box him in close quarters.

So he quickly put more spaces between them.

There were no sounds of footsteps. Not even when they quickly rushed him earlier, it was silent like the dead.

He needed to utilize the angles from their position, needing more time to assess when it was a 5v1, even though Danny had fought more opponents than this.

But he's put on a defense—which rarely happened as Danny was usually the one in the offense—as he parried another knife strike that was heading for his right shoulder.

He let the familiar motions wash over him. The world shifting in, his senses heightening that only his surroundings and his targets exist. Allow his body, his instincts, and training to take over as he turned their offense to defense, forcing them to take back as Danny let out an onslaught of blows and strikes with such speed, becoming the mindless killer he once was.

He still was.

"I'm not a hero," Danny shook his head. He's not like Batman or Robin, he doesn't even go out in gear or anything.

"No, you don't want to be a hero. You want a happy ending."

Danny's head snapped towards Bruce.

"Heroes don't get happy endings though," Bruce's eyes went distant. "They give it to other people."

Of course, Dick was an exception to that rule, but no need for Danny to mention that. And people like me don't get happy endings.

"Death doesn't have to be unhappy," Danny murmured, keeping his gaze steady. "Sometimes a death of a person can be a start for someone else. A happy ending for them." For Dick.

"And who knows," Danny continued. He never knew how he might die, but if he had to choose– "I might die saving someone. And it will be worth it." It would certainly be funny that's how the universe set him up. To die fighting. To die saving Dick.

Jab. Duck. Reverse Punch. Kick. Side Step. Swing. Palm Heel. Hook. Duck.

Danny didn't allow himself to think. He didn't hesitate to hit where it would hurt, where it would permanently incapacitate them, even when he had promised himself not to, he could make an exception for this, not when he was fighting for his life.

He poured his anger. He poured his frustration. The injustice. The unfairness. Everything through each and every attack he made.

Feet planted, he hit once, then twice, followed by a hook maneuver to the clavicle. He tilted his body to the left when he noticed another incoming strike from his peripheral vision. He swept a leg outward from their legs. Two fell. Then Danny twisted his body into the air before landing behind one of them and snapping their neck.

Danny didn't pause as he locked onto another who was aiming for his throat. He quickly disarmed one, twisted their wrist, snatched the blade, and stabbed where their heart was. His opponent let out a grunt, stumbling back.

Another incoming slash to his stomach from his right. Danny took a step back, the blade only slicing his shirt. Then pushed forward, twisting one arm while doing a sidekick from another rush of attack behind.

"Maybe the happy ending is moving on."

But I don't want that, he thought, feeling despair at that idea.

He threw his opponent's body to another and evaded another attack from a fifth one.

Fifth? That had Danny taken aback slightly, did a mental count, and was surprised to see the one he had supposedly killed still standing—the only reason Danny knew it was him because of the tear he had made—who used their teammates' shoulder to propel himself up in the air with the blade held above their head for a killing blow.

Danny rolled to the side and tried to kick the knife off their grip, but it was firm, resulting in a careless mistake when one managed to get behind him with a chokehold. Hands grabbing both his ankles. The teen can see from the shadows the one behind him was ready to slice his neck.

Not on his watch.

He broke the hold with a head butt. Then he snapped their wrist and took hold of one of their blades and threw it over his shoulder, right in the artery.

His ears picked up the sound of a slice in the air. He rolled to the side again, then delivered a front kick to their chin. They didn't flinch.

But the mask did get knocked off and Danny was met with a middle-aged man sneering at him with black veins all over his pale face, so unnaturally white.

Enhancement of some kind, Danny observed as he parried another attack.

The man bared his sharp canines that promised blood before lunging towards Danny. It was a flurry of motions before Danny saw an opening and put power into the punch.

"Why Night? Why not Moonlight?" Dick asked again later on as they perched on the edge of the rooftop.

"We can't always see the moon. The Earth orbits around the sun, right? Well, the moon orbits the Earth, so the moon isn't always visible. Night is permanent and visible and everywhere."

Just like you, where I can always see you.

Two leaped towards him, one aiming for the ribs, the other aiming to take hold of his arms. But Danny was quick to counter, forcing one to aim at their own vital spots, then blocked the other with his elbows, followed by a mean hook.

Another sound of a slice in the air, this time more familiar, Danny caught the knife by the hilt midair, just a few inches to his face, before throwing it back at them with a flick of his wrist. The knife lodged right into the throat.

Never throw a knife at a knife thrower.

Danny expected a choking sound. He expected blood splatter, considering the speed of his throw.

But it didn't. His opponent just pulled it out, unflinchingly. The gold blade soaked, instead of red blood as Danny expected, it was covered with oozing black liquid.

He watched as the stab wound disappeared before his eyes as if Danny never landed a mark on him.

Accelerated healing, OF COURSE, why not?

"Then why haven't you found a way to save yourself, Danny?"

Because deep down, I deserve it.

I didn't deserve to be worth saving.

...I was never a good person, no matter how hard I tried to be.

Danny continued to duck and weave, constantly moving, never giving them the time to hit his weak spots, occasionally going on defense before offense. He quickly changed his stance when the fourth one aimed for his legs. Danny, instead of stepping back, aimed for a roundhouse kick, interrupting their momentum, before the teen vaulted one of them, twisting his body into the air before doing a powerful sweep to the temple. One fell to the ground as Danny landed lightly on his feet.

They didn't stay down though, which frustrated Danny.

Another was incoming from his left, going in a hammering motion, but Danny was flexible and fast. When an assassin learned from a family of trapeze artists, you learn a lot about how your body moves.

Always land on your feet.

Unfortunately, they started bringing out two of their blades strapped onto their backs. Danny internally groaned as he backflip away from them, dodging a blade that nearly swung his abdomen.

Another pounced on Danny hard, knocking him to the ground.

His mind emptied for a moment before a rush of crack, followed by a stinging sensation hitting him on his left shoulder. Stabbed.

I never wanted to meet my soulmate.

But I did.

Dick pulled back to look down at his dead friend in his arms, about to memorize his face before he took notice of the state. His brows furrowed, frowning slightly at the tearing of the clothes, the blood stains, with this much blood in the stomach (a distant part of his detective mind whispered cause of death), then where was the object that punctured this wound? It didn't make sense. Danny wouldn't be stupid to take out whatever long and narrow object punctured through the stomach.

Wait a minute. His eyes narrowed further.

He launched his attack mercilessly after he climbed to his feet, quickly disarming their weapons, only for them to pull out another. It was a long spin and dance before Danny ended up panting heavily while they circled around him again.

"Who are you? Danny demanded, clutching his bloodied left shoulder.

"The Court of Owl has sentenced you to death, Daniel Fenton," One of them finally spoke.

Danny's heart sank. It occurred to him that it wasn't a bus that was going to kill him, after all, it was murder. By whoever these Court of Owls were.

What's worse was Danny didn't even know why he had to die.

Why did he have to be killed?

Why like this?

He clenched his jaw tightly, trying to rein in the tears of frustration. No way was he going to let any of these guys see him like this. He's not going to make it easy for them.

"You won't die that easily, Sunlight."

Danny quickly launched himself at them, showing no mercy. He may not have control over his death date and time, but he did have control of how he would go out.

He would rather die on his feet than on his knees. Fight until his last, that's his final defiance against everything, when the whole world had been against him since he was born.

I didn't want to love you...

"Hey, Dick."

"Yes?"

"If it was your last day, how would you spend it?" Danny couldn't help but wonder. He'd spent thinking of his own last day, but it never occurred to him what Dick would have wanted.

"I don't know," Dick said absently, still focused on his homework. "Watching the sunset with you in our usual spot?"

Something glowing and warm exploded inside his chest and spread throughout his body, his heart racing and hopes rising even though he shouldn't. Danny swallowed and said, "Really? You would spend it with me?"

"Sure," Dick nodded, not realizing the impact of his words. "Maybe visit Haly's Circus while we're at it, maybe, but not sure it's possible at the moment but…I just want to be Flying Graysons for one moment. Remember my parents."

When he looked back and caught the sight of Danny's expression, something undecipherable washed over his face, and it felt like Dick was looking through his soul. It was one of those moments where Danny can't help but wonder if his friend knew exactly how he felt.

Then his friend continued, "Maybe like for old times' sake, ya know?" There was something raw and vulnerable, as if afraid that Danny would say no. But how could Danny say 'no' to Dick when he had his 'yes' for a long time. Always 'yes' for him.

"Of course." Anything for you, Dick. "We can go around the city. Do our thing."

A soft smile appeared on Dick's face. "Yeah, we can do our thing."

Now his heart started pounding madly inside. Our. We. Suddenly, that's Danny's favorite words of the day. Ours. It sounded like a pledge. A promise. Danny knew believing in promises was how you get your hearts broken. But breaking promises came from a choice to break it, with hope and faith underlying it.

Sometimes it takes a leap of faith. And trust.

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Danny."

Trust your soulmate is all I have to say. Best choice I ever made.

"—and you're all I got. I don't think I can imagine a life without you." Dick gave him a blinding smile that said he was sincere about his words.

And Danny, for once, chose to believe in him.

"I can't either," Danny choked out. He can feel his eyes burning at this sudden wave of emotion. For the first time in a long while, he wanted to cry. Danny hadn't cried for a long time. Not for himself. Not for others. When was the last time he allowed himself to be vulnerable enough for tears to escape him?

"Good. As long as you don't leave me."

"...I won't."

And there it was. Pain so intense followed by a heavy pressure.

Danny gasped at the feeling of his stomach on fire. When he raised his hand to clutch it, he felt the very familiar wet feeling before he hit something cold and metallic.

Impaled by a blade through the stomach. How fitting.

And that was a lot of blood. Too much. It was bad enough that he got stabbed through the shoulder, but no matter how much he tried to fight against his assailants, there was no point, the adrenaline was wearing off the more blood started to spill all over his shirt, and he was losing energy as the blade pulled back from him.

He collapsed on his knees before hitting his head on the ground, the dizzy sensation washing over him, his eyes clutching tight at the pulsating pain in his stomach, heart pounding loudly in his ears.

So this was it. This was how he died.

Danny wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry at the unfairness that he would die cold and alone on the road surrounded by his murderers.

He opened his eyes, not willing to make the sight so pitiful in front of them.

But his heart stopped at the sight in front of him.

The assassins stared at him, but Danny deign to ignore it.

Because standing behind them was Dick.

Looking at him with worry and fear plain on his face.

But I do...I CHOOSE to love you, Dick.

"Oh God, Danny," Dick breathed, his hand reaching out towards him, yet his feet seemed frozen as if the sight in front of him scared him.

All Danny could feel was relief coursing through his chest that he was not going to die alone. Of course, Dick had always found him, from their first meeting and up until their last.

You're here.

It's always you who finds me. Like a nightlight.

He doesn't care if this was a hallucination again. Selfishly, he wanted Dick to be the last thing he saw.

"I'm so sorry, Dick," Danny said to him, taking in all his features, memorizing everything about Dick before his eyes felt heavy. The darkness taking his vision.

For a second, Danny thought he could feel a ghost of a hand caressing his cheek. So softly that spoke of comfort, that spoke of home.

He tried to reach out because he wanted that touch, he wanted that comfort, he wanted Dick more than anything, but he could feel his hand slipping off from his stomach, the dull thud as it hit the concrete ground as he struggled to take in as much air as he could into his lungs.

His breath was coming slower now. Was it just him or did he feel cold all of a sudden? He felt a familiar weight on his forehead.

Why wouldn't I choose you? How could I not?

Unsure how to comfort Dick who was grieving for his parents, Danny leaned his forehead against Dick's.

"…What are you doing?"

"Comforting you. It means I'm giving you strength to do so," Danny hesitated for a moment and decided since Dick shared a piece of himself, he guessed it was fair to share one himself. "My mother used to do this to me."

"...oh."

"Yeah," Danny choked, overcome with the emotion, feeling homesick like a little boy who just wanted his Mama.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"Then stay."

"Please don't leave me, Danny. Please stay."

Danny wanted to laugh, he wanted to say something, say anything to Dick. As he parted his lips, all he ended up was choking, something lodging in the back of his throat, thick and heavy, before the taste of metallic blood hit him.

No. He needed to speak to Dick. He needed to talk to him, but the pain was pressing in, and Danny knew he had a few moments left before he'll disappear, so he summoned all the strength to breathe out the words, all the love and regret he could muster.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to grow old with you."

... Why wouldn't I?

"I think I love you," Danny whispered to him into the dead of night.

He stared at Dick one last time before shutting the bedroom door behind him.

"Goodbye Dick."

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It's not a love story, Dick. It's a tragic story.

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Is it, Danny?

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Is it?

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It's not like we have a choice in how a story is written. Or how it ends.

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...I think I would have chosen you still without the soulmate thing. I would have chosen you in a heartbeat.

Author's Note: Oh look, Danny DID have some control and choice over how he died 😔

He may have not died saving someone, but he did die fighting until his end.