danny wakes up and his hair is sweaty.

he didn't have any bad dreams. that's always good. he doesn't have a whole lot of nights where he doesn't have bad dreams it's dark and it's cold and the cutting burning hungry mommy please don't and he's screaming but no one hears him and something sticky runs over his cheeks. but it's very early, he thinks – the room is dark and his nightlight is bright – so maybe he should go back to sleep? that would probably be best.

except emmy's snoring again 'cause she does that even if she tries to tell him that ladies don't snore. and tay keeps talking in his sleep. he sounds like he's crying a little, too. tay is his little big brother and his best big brother, but even big brothers have bad dreams sometimes. mama told him so. and that's why they're both allowed to snuggle in her or papa's bed when they wake up if they're scared.

danny crosses his arms and looks at the bottom of emmy's bed. johnny had brought him stars to put on it. they glow in the dark, all different colors of green and blue and purple not pink never pink 'cause that's the stuff they put in his arms and it made his head go fuzzy but they're not helping. emmy's snoring too loud. something thumps real loud and danny jumps, thinks it might be tay's arm. or his leg. there's more sleep-talking but he can't make out the words.

he's so tired. he just wants to sleep.

the stars are pretty. but it's also kinda loud in here and emmy keeps on snoring and tay won't stop sleep-talking. danny frowns. his head itches a little.

"No, Mom, please don't leave."

danny feels his tummy go cold and his chest hurts, real bad right in the middle, and he pushes back his covers. they're soft and they've got comets and NASA on them, but it's too hot. he stands up real quiet 'cause emmy gets cranky if they wake her up and tip-toes over to tay. he's frowning, still asleep, and there's lights on his arm that keep blinking.

should he wake him up? that's what mama does, right?

tay makes another frowny face and curls up in a ball, and his hair is sweaty, too. "Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

danny swallows and his tummy knots some more. he puts his hand on tay's shoulder. it feels bony, and there's a weird kind of dip where his space arm starts. he shakes a little bit and whispers, tay wake up. you gotta wake up!

and he does. tay makes a funny kind of gasp and sits up too fast, and his eyes are wide and scared so danny doesn't touch him again. only mama or papa can touch him when he's too scared, so he doesn't wanna make tay feel worse either. it's tough being small, he thinks, even if you're a big kid. he waits his turn, watches until tay isn't breathing so hard and his eyes aren't so big.

he whispers again. you were having bad dreams.

tay swallows real hard and looks over, but he doesn't look so scared anymore. his hair is still sweaty, though. it sticks up in big puffs all over his head just like danny's does.

"Yeah," tay whispers back, and his throat sounds sore. "I kinda did. What's wrong, Danny?"

well, there's nothing wrong, really, and danny feels his nose scrunch up thinking about it. he just can't sleep. emmy's too loud, he says, I wanna sleep with mama. but you were having a bad dream.

bad dreams are the worst, and danny doesn't like thinking about them, so he always wakes taylor up if he can. just like mama or papa would. he's gonna be a good brother, a good boy.

tay smiles and ruffles his hair, but he looks tired, and danny frowns even though the buzzing running through the space-arm tickles. there was something yucky twisting in his tummy. he doesn't like it when tay's sad. because even though he's never had a big brother before, danny is pretty sure that tay and johnny are the best, 'cause they make sure he's never sad for long and give good hugs and don't make fun of him for always wanting to snuggle mama.

"Thanks for waking me up, buddy," tay whispers, and his eyes are shiny in the dark. "You want me to take you to Penny?"

tay is his brother, and they have the same papa, but he won't call mama anything but "penny." danny doesn't understand that. mama loves them both lots, he can tell, even if tay doesn't. because mama might not give tay as many kisses or hugs, but she brushes his hair back and tells jokes and they both get to sleep in her bed after bad dreams.

emmy and johnny says that it's a big kid thing. that he's just gotta let it go.

so instead of frowning, he nods instead and holds tay's hand. not the space one, but the other one, with chubby fingers and stubby nails. his palm is sweaty but he doesn't mind. not really. bad dreams sometimes make him wake up feeling like he's been swimming, soaked through his shirt and his pants until there's nothing but salty sweat dripping off him.

not tonight, though.

tonight, danny yawns behind his hand and follows tay down the hall. it's darker here. it makes his chest ache. but tay is holding his hand and there's light coming from his space arm. danny takes a breath. feels it fill him up and stretch and burn. then he lets it whistle between his teeth. tay squeezes his fingers. one, then two, then three.

he's safe here.

the dark can't hurt him.

tay pushes open mama's bedroom door and they tip toe in. except they stop in the door. danny doesn't understand. his eyes are fuzzy. he can't focus. then he looks harder and sees mama isn't in her bed. which is silly, mama always sleeps here? it's dark. but danny can kinda see tay's face in the lights from his space arm. he's frowning, probably confused too.

"C'mon, Danny," tay whispers. "I think I know where she's at."

he's tired. he wants to sleep.

danny follows even though he's confused. his feet drag against the carpet in the hallway, quiet thumps. tay's feet always make a weird noise when they walk. a heavy clunk then a soft thwump! sometimes the joints squeak and they have to oil them. and sometimes tay pretends they don't hurt, like his face isn't real pale.

those days mama puts a movie in to watch and they snuggle on the couch and she runs her fingers through their hair and if they flinch at something on the screen, she whispers, "You're a brave little man, baby."

danny doesn't always think that it's for him.

he's tired. very tired. he wants mama. where's mama?

tay opens papa's bedroom. it's darker in here, but there's a little bit of light coming from the windows. danny likes that it's never truly dark here dark dark dark cold dripping hurt pain can't see it hurts mommy why? because the dark is scary sometimes, even though mama says he's very brave and getting better. tay holds his hand and their palms are sweaty. it's kinda gross. but danny just yawns until his jaw pops. it echoes into his head a little. it hurts.

danny's used to that, though.

"She's in here with Papa," tay whispers, and he sounds surprised.

that's 'cause papa gives the bestest bedtime snuggles, danny whispers back.

tay's being silly again. that's okay. sometimes danny is silly after having a bad dream, so he'll just have to be better tonight. so danny goes to the bed first and pulls tay with him. he climbs up even though it makes his arms shake and his tummy ache a little, the y-shape on his chest pull, pull, pulling every time he takes a breath, and then he's up on the big bed. mama's all curled into papa. the big black drawings on papa's arms and legs are even darker, but he doesn't look sleep-mad, so danny thinks that's good.

he's so sleepy. he wants a cuddle.

so danny crawls over papa's legs real careful to keep them asleep. it doesn't work. mama always knows when he's coming to bed with her instead. she picks her head up and looks at him. her eyes are sleepy, too.

"Danny?" she says, and it comes out croaky. "What's the matter, baby?"

emmy's snorin' an' tay had bad dreams. danny crawls between her and papa. so we wanna sleep in here.

it's warm and cozy between her and papa, safe, and danny likes how it smells like home. papa grumbles in his sleep but doesn't wake up even though he wraps a big muscly arm around them. it's heavy, but not scary heavy, and danny thinks it's really nice. he can't hold his eyes open anymore. he feels someone else crawl into bed, probably tay, except he crawls on mama's other side. tay never does that. he always snuggles up against papa.

except now.

instead, danny snuggles down between mama and papa, pushes his head up under papa's chin. papa sorta snorts and danny feels it rumble against his forehead. he feels mama kiss his hair. then she rolls over. he's sleepy, but tay's having a bad night and he can hear mama whispering. his brain won't stop listening.

are you listening, ghost, you'd better be listening boy listen or I'll cut you listen or I'll hurt you listen and tell us where danny is do you hear me?!

"Taylor? Kid, what's wrong?" mama's got her worried voice. "You're shaking."

tay mumbles and it sounds like he's holding his face in mama's chest. "Bad dreams. 'm sorry."

danny thinks mama moves closer to tay 'cause the bed moves under him. but he's so tired. he can't open his eyes. papa's hugs are the best – not tight and not hard but strong and safe and warm and it's like being held by superman. or batman. batman's obviously the bestest.

his ears are full of cotton and he doesn't want to listen anymore. but his stupid brain won't let him not and so danny hears mama whisper, "You don't have to be sorry for a nightmare, honey. You know that. What's wrong?"

and tay is shaking and it makes danny's tummy clench but he's just so tired and then he's falling down down down, papa's chest under his head, and it's dark and quiet in this new place. he looks and looks but he can't see anything. but he's not scared. for the first time in a long time, he's not scared of the dark.

here, it's a friend.

for some reason, danny thinks he might not be alone. so he sits down on something he can't see and he waits. his legs swing back and forth and back again. there's something warm all around him, like a hug without another person? it's weird but danny doesn't think it's bad, maybe? just different?

"You're a clever thing, aren't you, little phantom?"

it's a new voice, not quite as deep as papa's. but it's got a funny accent that makes the words twist and run like water-color paints, the ones jazzy used to let him play with when mommy and daddy were busy in their lab needles screaming hitting hurt please stop stop stop stop

and then it's not so dark anymore. danny blinks, surprised, and looks around. he's sitting on a bench. in a park. like the one ms. spelka used to take his class to for recess except this one doesn't have swings or slides, just a big open grassy place with a bench. and stars. there's stars in the sky, so many he can't count, and danny looks up and gasps because they're beautiful! blues and purples and pinks lines in his arms head's going fuzzy mommy please why? and big patches of colors stretching across the sky as far as he can see, lights everywhere he turns, and danny just. . . watches.

it's so beautiful.

he's almost forgotten about the voice.

then it talks right next to him. quiet and soft, like a feather pillow, but deep enough that it rumbles in danny's ears.

"They are beautiful, are they not? Stars have always been my favorite part of the universe. They are dreams, you know, burning bright enough for infinity to witness."

danny doesn't jump. he doesn't know why. but he's safe here? he thinks so, anyway. he turns and looks at whoever sits next to him. the man is strange. tall and with big shoulders but a tiny tummy and hands that end in dark black nails. he has horns on his head instead of hair. a scar over one big red eye. and his body is full of stars. big stars and little stars and all those sizes in between. he should be scary, especially when he smiles and his teeth are large and sharp. but he's not?

maybe he should be. but he isn't. and isn't that funny?

the man snorts and his smile is softer now. "Yes, you are a clever one, Danny. What do you like about stars, little one? Hmm? Tell an old man something nice."

it's like talking to grampy but not. danny thinks that's okay. he smiles and swings his legs back and forth on this bench in a nowhere-park and looks up at the stars. he says, "Stars are free. They're pretty and bright and they can fly waaaaay up in the sky without being scared of falling back down. I wanna be a star someday."

the strange star-man hums and folds his hands together. "That's a noble dream. Stars are the purest form of light, I think."

danny points to a purple one, smaller and bright with just bare little bits of red. "That one's my Mama's star."

the star-man blinks and smiles like he knows a secret. "Oh? And how do you know that?"

danny shrugs. "I do. It feels like Mama."

"I'm sure your Mommy would be very happy to know that."

and danny scowls, feels it twist his face and his legs kick harder, angrier. "Not Mommy! Mama! You know better!"

he doesn't know how he knows that. how does he know that? but the star-man laughs and it sounds like bells in a church. "Of course! I apologize, little one, it was a grievous error. Tell me, what makes you think that star is hers? She could be any star in the sky."

he hums. thinks for a second. tries to make the feelings in his chest and tummy into words. he can't, so instead danny shrugs and says, "It just feels like her. Like her hugs and her kisses and the way she tells stories."

"Ah, I see."

and he does.

they sit on the bench for a very long time and they talk about everything. stars and dreams and mommies and mamas and everything in between. he's a very strange man. he asks lots of questions that he knows the answers to. but danny thinks that maybe he's just lonely. so danny asks a question himself.

"What's it like not being able to dream?"

the man stops. his stars don't move. his eyes are very far away, like papa's sometimes get when he's remembering a bad thing. and then he hums, lips twisting around at the edges. "Empty, little phantom. It's very empty."

danny thinks that sounds right. all those stars, all that space, but nothing for yourself sounds empty. so he reaches out and pats the strange man on his hand. it's odd, cold and soft and not-all-there, kinda like pushing his hand through fog that's solid. but the star-man smiles and his eyes are gentle and his teeth are sharp.

"I've been watching you, Danny," he says, and danny nods. "You have very scary stars sometimes."

cutting pulling burning skaal-pulls needles screaming hitting yelling why why why mommy I'm sorry mommy come back daddy don't hit me why why why whywhywhywhy help me somebody anybody please help me jazzy please save me I'm not bad please help

danny nods and says, "Mama and Papa say I'm very brave. I think their stars are scary, too."

"They are." and danny wishes they weren't, even as the star man shrugs his shoulders. "I cannot change them."

"Yeah you could. If you wanted to."

the star-man laughs again and the field turns cool, breezes through the grass. it's lighter. more blue and less purple. he's going to wake up soon, he thinks. he's going to be scared again soon. danny thinks he might not remember this, either.

"I could," the star-man agrees. "But I will not."

"That's mean." danny whispers. "Bad dreams hurt them."

"It is. And they do."

"You shouldn't be mean to people. It's wrong."

"I agree. But sometimes, hurt is a good thing. They just don't know it yet."

danny frowns. his eyes are gritty. the stars are too bright. he can't focus. "I don't get it."

the star-man smiles and it's soft and his body is a whole galaxy, swirling and dancing and folding over and over on itself. "You will in time, little phantom. Now, I believe you've slept long enough. Your family is waiting for you."

there's grass under his toes. it's cool and soft and thick enough to curl his toes into. there's a breeze running through his hair. it smells like home. like mama's shampoo and papa's cologne and clean sheets. danny smiles. then frowns. he turns, looks up at the star-man, and says, "Have I been here before?"

the star-man puts a finger to his lips. "That's for you to remember, Danny."

"I don't remember your name."

this time the smile is sharp and the star-man fades in to the sky, leaving only the teeth and the eyes and danny thinks he should be afraid of this man. but he isn't. he doesn't know why. "When you need me, it will come. Now. . . "

Wake

Up

and then danny is awake. his mouth tastes bad and his shoulders are sore and he's sweaty, sprawled out over papa's chest. he doesn't remember his dream. that's sad. sometimes, it's good, because his dreams are really scary. but this time, he thinks he'd like to know.

there are stars in the sky and sharp teeth and eyes and a voice he knows but doesn't

beneath him, papa yawns great big. "Mornin', kiddo. Did'ja have a bad dream?"

danny thinks. frowns. shakes his head no. then he says, emmy was snorin' an' tay had bad dreams, I think.

papa puts a hand on his back and rubs it. danny can feel the rough spots catch on his shirt. but it doesn't hurt 'cause papa is always gentle. he smiles, and his eyes are tired, but he looks more awake than he has before. sometimes, papa gets bad dreams, too. mama told him so and that's how come he was cranky sometimes.

"Is that why y'all slept here last night?" he grumbles. "Yer elbows 're like knives, punk."

danny giggles and buries his face in papa's chest and says nuh-uh! his tattoos feel rough under danny's fingertips. sometimes he likes to trace them, feel how they bump and grump like papa does sometimes. there's a big hand on his back and the ceiling fan is clicking and it feels like home.

he's not scared.

"Let's go find Mama, bud," papa groans and sits up. "She's liable t'burn the house down tryin' t'make breakfast."

danny giggles and lets papa scoop him up. his pjs are twisty and sweaty and his hair sticks up in weird tufts. but papa's big and safe and carries him in one arm. danny snuggles against him. traces the big black tattoos on one shoulder with his finger, feels the way they bump and grump and stay warm.

there are stars in the sky and one feels like mama but why can't he feel papa's star?

when they find mama and tay, they're eating cereal on the floor in their pjs. tay's eyes are puffy. he's sitting in mama's lap. but he smiles and it's nice and danny feels the knot in his tummy – the one that never really goes away – go loose and warm. mama smiles too.

"Get in here, losers, we're having a cereal party," she says, and it makes papa laugh a little.

they have a pj cereal party, one that gets bigger when emmy finally comes downstairs, and danny knows his loves his family. he loves johnny, who isn't here but ruffles his hair and calls him "kid". he loves emmy, even though she snores and doesn't always remember he doesn't like loud. and he loves tay because he's his big bubby and has a space arm and knows just what to say after bad dreams.

he loves papa. because papa saved him and he's big and strong and gives the best hugs ever. because papa lets him ride on his shoulders and makes rocket pancakes and always lets him have the last chocolate.

he loves mama. because mama loves him. because mama holds him after nightmares and kisses his forehead and tells him that he's a brave boy, that he's good and he's smart and he's loved and danny sometimes thinks he could sink right into her snuggles.

the world is big and scary when you're four, he thinks, even if he's going to be a big five-year-old next week. but his family is also big and they're warm and they. . . they love him.

danny smiles and takes a big bite of fruity loops and leans into papa's side.

"Sometimes, hurt is a good thing." danny thinks he understands that?

the kitchen is warm and this morning is bright.

he isn't scared, today.

*~O~*

Today had seemed like it would be a great day to write a song.

Until exactly this moment.

Ember blinked stupidly at Skulker for a moment. "What the fuck happened to you?"

The cyborg scowled through a grotesque black eye. Eyes? The whole left side of his face was a giant purple and black bruise that seemed to spread down his throat. There were scabs in his neck, dark green and. . . really fucking gross, if she was being honest.

Skulker grimaced and shifted awkwardly, favoring his left leg. "Will you let me in? Everything hurts."

If it hadn't been for the expression of sheer misery on his face, Ember would've let him stew on the front porch for a while. As it was, she hummed low under her breath before moving to the side. "C'mon, then. Penny and Pops took the boys out back for a while – something about picnic lunch or some shit."

Her boyfriend huffed through his nose, wincing, before shuffling past her to the kitchen. Ember still couldn't resist rolling her eyes.

"So, who'd you piss off this time?" she asked. "Because if it was Technus again, I'm gonna laugh real fuckin' hard."

Skulker growled at her around his swollen jaw, in the middle of pulling out a bag of frozen peas – which were, like, blue for some reason – to put on his face. "It wasn't Technus. As though that puny little tech-monger could get the better of me."

Snorting, Ember snatched the bag of peas and wrapped it in a dish towel before shoving it back at him. "I'm not even gonna bother reminding you what happened last time Tech-trap got actually pissed off at you. Because it was pathetic watching someone half your size beat the ever loving shit out of you with a wrench. And don't let that thing touch your implants without something in between them – they're still sensitive to cold."

Of course, all she got was a grunt. Again. For someone who could literally rant for hours about his trophy collection, Skulker couldn't take a hit for shit. He turned into a grumbly asshole.

Well, even more of a grumbly asshole, maybe.

Ember thought her eyes were going to fall out of her head from rolling them so hard. But she reached out and wriggled under his arm. "Lean on me and sit down before you really hurt yourself. Jesus, Skulker. . ."

The chair he sat in groaned ominously under Skulker's bulk. But it held, somehow. He sagged gratefully against it, ice pack still firmly planted on his face. His eyes were blood-shot. The bruise was going to spread. And his leg. . . Ember hadn't really noticed it before, but his left leg was twisted. And not like "oh-I've-gone-and-sprained-my-ankle-and-my-leg-twists-to-compensate" twisted. This was more of a "holy-shit-my-leg-has-fucking-splintered-and-now-it's-putting-itself-back-together-again" kind of twisted. It shifted a tad as she watched, resetting into a more natural position, and Skulker snarled under his breath.

A smidge of panic started to build in Ember's chest. Because Skulker was stupid, yes, but he wasn't this stupid. He would never have pissed someone off enough to get this beaten, not when it meant dragging himself half-way across the Zone and to Papa's doorstep for her help. Her fingers couldn't keep still, tapping out a rhythm along her thighs as she looked him over.

"Skulker, seriously, who the fuck did this?" Ember pinned him with a serious look. "Because if you did something that's gonna put Papa or Tay or Danny – especially Danny – in danger, this is going to look like a love-tap by the time I'm done."

For the first time since coming through the door, Skulker managed to grit out a full sentence. "I had an unwelcome visitor stop by my island."

He was being evasive. Which was fucking obnoxious but normal. So that was a thing. Ember growled and leaned into Skulker's space. "Be more specific. I know you're dumb, but you're not that dumb. Now – talk."

There was actual fear in his eyes when Skulker looked at her, and it made Ember's body go cold. "It was Plasmius. He needed something from me. My tracking skills."

A thrill of fear lashed at her guts. "Jesus H. Christ, Skulker, what the fuck?!" she hissed. "Plasmius is a fuckin' psychopath and you know that!"

His shoulders slumped forward, and Ember had never seen Skulker look so genuinely beaten before. The one eye she could see was exhausted, regretful. And she knew that even though her boyfriend wasn't exactly a good man, he definitely wasn't a monster like Plasmius was. Whatever was going on was eating him up. And that scared the shit out of her. Like, her feet and hands were going numb it scared her so shitless.

"I know," Skulker sighed. "But I couldn't really refuse, Em. He didn't give me a choice."

"There's always a fucking choice, tin-head," she shot back. "You just chose to cave to him."

Even though it looked like it hurt, Skulker barked out a laugh. It wasn't a nice laugh, harsh and short and cold. "Yeah, I chose to cave instead of getting beaten to Fading in my own lair by some half-ghost freak." His shoulders sagged even lower. "Not all of us are like Walker, Em. Not all of us aren't scared to die again."

Her fingers were shaking. Ember swallowed around the new lump in her throat. Outside, she could just barely hear the boys running around and playing. They had no idea what was going on. And they probably never would. Because Papa or Penny one would keep them from seeing shit like this again like the lame-ass parents they were.

. . . sometimes, she wished she was little enough for that kind of protection again.

Fingers itching, Ember ran a hand through her hair and relished how the flame felt against her fingertips. "Okay, okay, I get it. Sorry – sometimes I forget that not everyone has Papa's special kind of masochism. So what exactly did Plasmius want? He always seems to figure out how to find things on his own. Why ask for a tracker?"

Skulker's jaw tightened. He hunched in on himself further. "He's trying to find a whelp. His godson. Should've arrived sometime in November, he said."

Ember's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "A godson?!" She whistled low. "Poor little bastard. . . why can't he just find the kid himself? He's, like, the strongest ghost the Zone has seen in a hot second. Finding a kid shouldn't be too big of a problem for him."

"He's taking care of the boy's sister. She's still alive." The look in Skulker's eyes was. . . she didn't quite know how to describe it, but Ember knew for a fact she didn't like it. "I think he plans on taking the whelp back to the human realm."

Okay. So like. . . "What in the actual hell is wrong with him?! New ghosts can't leave the Zone until their cores are strong enough, everyone fuckin' knows that?!"

Skulker ground his teeth. "There are so many things wrong with Plasmius that I can't even begin to start. But that's not the only problem" Glancing around, her boyfriend lowered his voice to a near-whisper. "Ember, do you know when Danny's birthday is?"

A ball of ice started forming in her gut. "Don't even fucking go there, borg-boy. That's not even remotely funny."

His eyes were solemn as a death-knell. "I'm not joking. Plasmius gave me specifics on the boy he was looking for. Small, Caucasian, would have arrived sometime in November. His name is Daniel but he goes by Danny. And his birthday is May 24th."

The world spun. Her ears rang. Whatever music she'd been hoping to compose later today flew right out the fucking window because, holy shit, Plasmius was looking for Danny. Vlad Plasmius – the half-ghost who smelled wrong and could break ghosts into pieces with the flick of his wrist – was looking for Danny. Who couldn't even look at pink stuff without bursting into tears and was just comfortable enough to call her 'Emmy.'

Plasmius was looking for Danny and Skulker had been contracted to find him.

This was bad. This was so bad. This was so many fucking levels of bullshittery and bad and she didn't even know how to begin to process it.

"Em? Ember, you need to calm down. We'll figure something out." Skulker's voice wasn't usually so tinny, not since she'd helped him install those new sub-vocal processors. "For God's sakes, Ember, breathe!"

She took a breath. She was a ghost, so she didn't technically need to take a breath. But Ember took a breath anyways. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were burning, and there was something aching at the back of her throat. She could feel her hair starting to lash out from it's ponytail.

"He's gonna take Danny," Ember croaked. "Holy shit, Plasmius is gonna try and take Danny."

A big hand, calloused and warm, landed on her bare shoulder. "He'll try."

That was the thing she loved most about Skulker. There was no bullshit. He wasn't a liar, and he wasn't good with words. He said exactly what he thought, even if that meant it hurt. Ember sniffed a bit (she wasn't crying, dammit, it was allergy season) and gnawed at her lower lip.

"What are we gonna do?" she croaked. "Papa's gonna do something stupid when he finds out."

This time, a wry grin managed to curl Skulker's weathered face. "I'd be more worried about what Spectra will do than your father. Your stepmother's batshit. I wouldn't put it past her to actually try and fight Plasmius by herself."

Ember scowled, then couldn't help but laugh a little. "You're right, Penny's definitely gonna be the one to throw hands. And she isn't my stepmom. . . . yet, anyway."

"She's already your stepmom," Skulker cackled. "She just doesn't know it yet. Those two are idiots, I swear."

At this point, Ember couldn't have fought the grin even if she'd wanted to. "Yeah. I'm not gonna call her 'mom' or anything, but I kinda wish they'd just bone already and stop pining. Fuck, they act like love-sick puppies or some shit. It's disgusting."

Skulker rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "They make a shockingly good pair."

"Right?!" Ember pressed her forehead against the only un-bruised portion of his chest she could find. "I never expected it to work. But they're such parents, like, oh my God? Danny's got Penny wrapped around his little finger. Tay, too, if we're talking real shit."

"Danny's got everyone wrapped around his little finger, Emmy."

She loved him. Dearly. But even though she loved him and was sorry he'd gotten hurt, Ember felt no guilt in smacking him hard in the chest. "You repeat that in front of anyone, and I'll castrate you in your sleep. Got it?"

"Got it," Skulker wheezed.

They sat together in the quiet for a while. Ember could still just barely hear the sound of her brothers playing outside. She could picture Papa and Penny sitting side by side. Probably under the big oak tree out back, the one with the tire-swing that Tay loved so much. Penny was probably curled into his side. He was probably ignoring everything but her. The boys were either playing on the tire swing or pretending to be astronauts, since that was Danny's favorite game. It was probably perfect.

And they had no idea.

"Skulker, what are you going to tell Plasmius?" she whispered.

He stiffened, a growl coming out of his throat, and reached forward to grip her hand. "Plasmius can smell a lie ten clicks away. I'll have to tell him the truth."

Ember clutched his fingers right back. "He'll come for Danny. He can't take Danny – it'd break him. It'd break us."

Skulker sat upright. The bruise on his face was livid, ugly as it began to heal, and his leg had only just twisted back into place. But he wore a look of complete resolve, anger in his eyes, mohawk flickering in time with his core. The metallic-laced fingers wrapped around her burned. But not in a bad way?

"We'll let him come," Skulker rumbled. "And when he does, we'll be ready. Danny goes nowhere. Not with him or anyone else."

A shaky breath that she didn't need filled Ember's lungs. "Right. Danny's our brother. Danny stays with us. And we'll beat the fuck out of anyone who tries to take him."

Fangs glinting in the kitchen lights, Skulker grinned at her, then kissed her hard on the nose. "That's my girl!"

Warmth flooded her chest. Ember tugged gently on his hand. "C'mon, then. We should tell Papa and Penny now."

Fear flooded Skulker's expression. "Now?!" he practically squeaked. "Walker and Spectra might not do anything to you, but they're going to kick the shit out of me!"

"Why would they beat you up?" she questioned, knowing full-well what the answer was.

"Because I agreed to help Plasmius find Danny. You know, the whelp who has everyone in this damn house wrapped around his finger because he's too damn cute for his own good? The one that I'm pretty sure I'm going to get killed over?"

Ember scoffed. "Are you actually that scared of Papa?"

"Not Walker. Spectra." His expression was deadly serious. "That woman makes grown men cry for fun, Ember, I'm not about to tell her that Plasmius is trying to take her precious baby boy."

"Uh, yeah, you fuckin' are." Ember hauled him to his feet. "Besides, she'll stop being mad at you after about, oh, fifteen minutes or so. She holds a grudge only when it's logical. Like a civilized red-head."

Skulker gulped and slung an arm around her shoulders as they hobbled towards the back door. "Your stepmom is terrifying."

"She's not my stepmom."

Ember tried to pretend she didn't hear him mutter, "Not yet."

. . . she'd let him have his dignity for two seconds before his second ass-beating.

A/N: It's been like eighty-five years and I have no excuse other than my summer work/school schedule has been crazy and I'm a lazy little shit. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter. I haven't done anything from Danny's perspective in SO FUCKING LONG, guys, and it took me a hot second to kind of get a feel for what I wanted to do with this chapter.

At this point in the story, Danny is starting to heal. He's been safe for a long time, is very much loved by his family, and is starting to come to terms with that. But he's still super screwed up – because trauma is not something that just magically heals overnight – and I kind of wanted to reflect that with keeping everything in his perspective lowercase. In his head, though, especially in that dream sequences, things are a little more put-together because he doesn't have to interact on a personal level? It's difficutl to explain, but I hope I conveyed the feeling I was trying to go for here.

I'd also love to hear your opinions on his interactions with Nocturne! Which totally aren't foreshadowing in the slightest, nuh-uh, no sir-ee, not in this house. In this house, Nocturne and Clockwork may be eldritch otherworldly beings capable of untold good and evil, but they also love smol beans and will protect them at all costs. Because fuck you, angst-brain, I've hurt Danny baby enough!

I'm sorry I didn't into the merging of the two story-lines this chapter, but it was getting way too long, and stuff like that needs to flesh more. So! I hope you all enjoyed this LONG overdue chapter, thank you so much for all your continued support, and I'll see you in the next one!