WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

123. Life is Strange 2 Sean and Daniel 32

Super Wolf Bros

msmooseberry

Summary:

Two stories that focus on Sean and Daniel's childhood memories which hold special significance to them as they continue on their journey south.

Notes:

Big thanks to liv amara who helped me with an important plot point, and to elfinglitters who discussed the chapter with me (two times) in detail and convinced me to add the final scene.

Also, check out these grown up Super Wolf Bros drawn by Rebecca (_GGStudios_). They look so cool!

Chapter 1: Sean

Chapter Text

Sean wakes up from the sound of the front door banging shut. It startles him out of sleep and he looks around the room blearily, feeling a little lost.

The simple interior with a single desk and a plain closet reminds him that he and Daniel spent the night at their grandparents' guest room. But the numerous toys lying around and the posters with Powerbear and other AWESO superheros decorating the walls have pretty much turned it into their second bedroom. The only thing that's missing is their bunk beds.

And his brother.

Sean glances at Daniel's pillow and, finding it empty, wonders when he got up. He sits then, swinging his legs over the edge, and immediately misses the cosy warmth of the blanket. The heater is on but it's been really chilly this week so the air in the house stays fresh at all times. Sean notices it the moment it touches his bare ankles. He's outgrowing these pyjamas, which is a pity really because they are his favourite. The top has Hawt Dawg Man on the front and the bottom has Mustard peaking out of the left pocket. Dad got them for Sean last Christmas.

Daniel's have Powerbear, and are now lying in a messy heap on the floor.

Sean sighs and picks them up.

Would it really hurt Daniel to be less of a pig sometimes? He knows full well how mad Grandma will get if she sees it. And since Daniel is not around Sean will be the one to get all of her scolding.

Irritation swims in Sean's belly as he folds his brother's wrinkled shirt and pants. He doesn't like following the boring rules either, nobody does, but it's not as bad as Grandma's sharp disappointment directed at them and her concerned thoughts that go, 'Unbelievable, these kids lost all shame, two years without a mother and they are already getting out of hand', or 'Stephen is spoiling them too much, bless his kind heart, but that simply won't do', or even 'Esteban is so neglectful, no wonder they don't listen to anything I say'.

Sean frowns.

Where's Daniel anyway?

He closes his eyes to concentrate better (something that Dad suggested last time he took him and Daniel 'camping' to the forest to train) and starts searching for the familiar buzz of his brother's mind that always stands out to him most. He reaches out and feels Grandpa's presence in the study downstairs, focused on fixing one of his little trains, and Grandma's in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl and humming a Christmas carol tune. His brother isn't with them. He isn't in the living room either, and if he was in the bathroom Sean would've found him much sooner.

Which means Daniel was the one who went outside.

'Why didn't he wait for me?' An unpleasant sense of betrayal settles in his heart and pushes Sean to get dressed faster.

As he hops out of his pyjama pants he almost trips on the wooden blocks they played with yesterday. Daniel worked on his precision and at first Sean was anxious that they would get busted, but then he caught Daniel's contagious excitement and was happy to instruct him where to place each block. And Daniel actually listened! They were having a blast, even if Sean had to be on the look-out for anyone who could suddenly walk in on them. That's how he knew that Chris dropped by before he even rang the bell. Mr Eriksen was taking him to the Christmas market to pick the tree and he invited them to go together.

They went, of course. And it was great. Not maybe as great as it could've been had Dad taken them himself. He's been really busy with repair orders lately.

He did promise they'd go this weekend, but Sean doesn't want to get his hopes up. Dad had to cancel their plans way too many times in the past month. Which sucked because they haven't got their own Christmas tree yet, and he and Daniel had to do most of the decorating at home. Sean should be mad at Dad perhaps, but he feels his guilt and regret every time his work forces him to tell them 'no'. Daniel sulks hard though, and it's really difficult not to do the same.

Still, going to the Christmas market was a pleasant distraction. Together with Chris they set out to pick the best tree and made a whole quest out of it. It got super risky too when they ran into a grumpy bearded dude with fliers who told them off much more nicely than he wanted to in his thoughts – those were so loud and full of irritation Sean could hear them very clearly. So when Daniel suggested to play a prank on him Sean quickly agreed, making sure that Chris wasn't looking their way and that the mean guy was distracted.

A huge heap of snow from the roof of a nearby market stand that landed (with Daniel's help) on his head was exactly what he needed to cool off a little.

In the evening, however, when the excitement of the day died down and Dad called to say he'd be working late again and asked if they were okay to stay with their grandparents for the night, Sean realised how tired he actually was.

Lately he's been feeling people's emotions much more easily, especially the negative ones, all of their grudges, and irritation, and anger, even when they aren't directed at him. When these emotions are strong enough Sean feels them as if they are his own, and he can hear the thoughts too, even when he doesn't want to. That's why staying around a lot of people for too long leaves him wiped out. He doesn't know how to put a stop to it, and doesn't know how to tell Dad he has trouble with control, because control has always been Daniel's problem, and a pretty big one that made Dad so worried he couldn't sleep peacefully at night for weeks. Sean doesn't want to make it worse for him, so he stays silent on the matter.

Daniel hasn't realised it yet either. At least Sean doesn't think he has.

After Claire tucked them in and left all Daniel wanted was to chat about forts, and secret missions, and new adventures. The flow of his thoughts was fast and smooth because he held onto Sean's hand, which always made it easier for Sean to hear them and reply. He didn't have to make any effort to keep their link steady, and Daniel's silent chatter soon effectively lulled him to sleep.

Sean doesn't remember dozing off, but that must be what happened. And that must be why Daniel didn't wake him up today like usual.

He hates it when Sean ignores him and always acts up if he does. He didn't even leave any note on the drawing board, Sean checks it twice before he leaves the room.

Washing up takes him less than five minutes, probably because he brushes his teeth in a rush and foregoes combing his hair. When he comes out of the bathroom though he pauses, looking at the locked door across the hall – Mom's old bedroom where she stayed when she came to visit Grandma and Grandpa with them.

Sean forces himself to turn away. What's the point in thinking about someone who's probably many many miles away and couldn't care less about them anyway? What would it do to try and reach out only to meet emptiness and silence on the other side?

Sean huffs and bounds down the wooden steps. Grandma always warns them not to run in the house, but with the anxious energy bubbling up inside him Sean simply can't resist.

Down here he can feel his grandparents much better, but more importantly he can finally feel Daniel, faint and distant, but definitely cheerful and excited, somewhere at Chris' house. They must be playing, or watching Hawt Dawg Man, the morning rerun that he and Daniel usually watch together on Saturdays, either here (after nagging Grandma a little) or in their living room at home.

And normally Sean wouldn't mind watching the show with Chris, who's into it as much as he is into all of their favourite superhero comics, it just kinda hurts that Daniel is happy to be doing stuff with him and without Sean there.

Sean drags his feet towards the kitchen, feeling left out. Then he catches sight of Grandma who's in the middle of placing a tray full of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Sean gasps in excitement and gives himself away. Grandma spots him immediately when she turns around to grab a towel.

"Oh, here you are, sleepyhead!" She looks him up and down with a critical eye and Sean suddenly remembers that he didn't comb his hair. He sticks his fingers into it and gives it an awkward brush, hoping that would be enough, but Grandma's lips already press into a thin line and she shakes her head. 'Good Lord, one's even messier than the other, they really lack a mother's touch,' Sean hears, which makes the cheerful tone she uses next sound a bit fake, "Got up just in time for dessert. Did you at least brush your teeth?"

"I did," Sean mumbles. His excitement pops like a balloon. "Can I have breakfast, please?"

He must sound really miserable because Claire stops preparing another batch at the counter and walks over to him, touching his forehead with the back of her hand that smells like cookie dough.

"Sweetie, are you alright? Does anything hurt?" she is genuinely worried now, Sean can tell, and it makes him feel guilty. He doesn't want to upset her because he is upset himself.

"I'm fine, Grandma, just a bit hungry," he smiles, hoping it will be enough to convince her. Claire hums.

"You don't have a fever, which is good. Give me a minute and I'll make you some eggs." She walks back to the counter and starts clattering with bowls and spatulas. "Your brother asked for a second helping and since you weren't coming down I gave him all that was left."

Sean scowls at the table.

"He was supposed to wake me up," he grumbles quietly, and with the butter sizzling in the pan and the whisk working on the eggs Grandma doesn't hear him.

"Daniel was so excited too, said you were going to build a fort today at the Eriksens', is that so?" she continues conversationally, and Sean doesn't know what to reply other than that Daniel and Chris apparently were going to build a fort without inviting him. So he only says an unenthusiastic "Yeah," in response.

"That's great, I'm glad you two made friends with him, Chris is a wonderful boy, he has such vivid imagination, I'm sure you three are having a lot of fun together."

Right. They do, usually. And Chris is an awesome friend. Sean knows how creative he is and loves to see all the amazing creatures and landscapes that he makes up while they play, and when he talks about his imagined world he paints pictures with words no worse than Sean does with his pencils. In fact, there are moments when Sean thinks that Chris can come up with stuff he himself might never even dream of. And it's one of the reasons why he admires him, but at the same time-

"Here you go, eat before it gets cold." Claire puts a plate with scrambled eggs and two stripes of bacon in front of him, and the delicious smell distracts him from that thought.

"Thanks, Grandma," he says, grabbing the fork.

"You're welcome." The timer on the oven pings and she takes the cookies out. Sean can't wait to taste them. "You can take them with you when you go. I'll put them in a bag once they cool down."

"Okay," Sean says after gulping down food. Claire doesn't like it when they talk with their mouths full. Not that Daniel ever listens.

Sean isn't sure he really wants to go to Chris' house. Because if he does Daniel might sense his state, and comment on it out loud for Chris to hear. Sean definitely doesn't want that.

So he puts down his glass of juice and glances at Claire, who's too busy sliding in another tray of cookies to notice him fidgeting.

"Hey, Grandma?" he starts a bit hesitantly, but then decides to give it a try. "I was thinking, maybe you could teach me how to draw squirrels instead? And raccoons? Yours turn out so cute."

"Oh, Sean." She looks at him and a soft, warm feeling floods Sean's chest, which he recognises as Grandma's genuine affection. He rarely gets to experience it lately so he basks in the pleasant sensation and waits until she tells him yes so that he can run upstairs and bring his album and pencils. But Grandma furrows her brows and shakes her head, remembering something that flashes in Sean's head too fast to catch what it is. "I'd love to, sweetie, but I promised I would come help with preparations for the Christmas charity event. Christine is hosting it this year. You know, Mrs Goover, who sings in the church choir with me?"

Sean's stomach twists with disappointment again.

"Yeah, I remember her." And her lemon-scented perfume that always makes Sean want to sneeze when she bends down to pat him and his brother on the cheeks. Looks like Grandma doesn't mind it if she likes her company so much. And prefers it to her grandson's.

"Don't be upset, we'll draw some other day," she tells him reassuringly. Then adds, "And you can go join Daniel and Chris, I'm sure you'll spend a better time with them than with me here."

Sean doesn't deny it, even if he kinda wants to.

He finishes his meal slowly, his appetite spoiled by another person choosing somebody else over him in the span of one morning. But there's nothing he can do to convince Grandma to change her mind if she already made a decision. So Sean gathers the dirty dishes and leaves the table when she takes them away to wash.

He isn't in a hurry to get dressed and go outside, but Grandma, true to her word, puts the cooled down cookies in a paper bag with a colourful wreath on it, and after taking the second batch out, gets ready to leave.

"Don't forget the bag when you go, and come back at five, you and your brother, I'll get home by then and cook something for dinner." And with that and a brief hug she's out the door. Sean stares at it in stubborn silence for a whole minute, then stalks into the living room and flops on the couch.

Now that she told him to go to the Eriksens' several times it has become the last thing Sean wants to do. It's almost as if she was glad there was something that gave her the chance to get him off her back. It's just not fair, he thinks sulkily.

There's a book lying on the coffee table and he picks it up. It's nothing like the comic books he and Daniel like to read but at the moment he'll welcome anything to take his mind off his brother and Chris who are having so much fun just two backyards away.

The text turns out to be plain and boring, and there are no pictures anywhere, no matter how many pages he flips, so fifteen minutes later Sean snaps the book shut and stands up.

His gaze travels to the kitchen table where a plate of still warm cookies rests. He slowly walks over to it, glances around, and seeing nobody, snatches one from the top. It smells amazing and when Sean bites into it the melted chocolate chips inside feel hot and wonderfully sweet on his tongue. He grabs two more delicious discs and goes to the fridge to get some milk.

Unlike Daniel, who eats all his candy with milk, and can finish three bowls of Skweekinax in a row, Sean only likes drinking it when he eats cookies. So that's what he's going to do. He opens the fridge and takes out a carton that's thankfully not too high. He considers getting a glass, but doesn't feel like bringing over a chair to reach it so he drinks it just like that.

If Daniel was with him right now he'd certainly make a mess and a lot of noise, and Grandpa would come running to see what was going on. But Sean is here alone, and he finishes his cookies quietly, enjoying this little moment of mischief that will stay unnoticed and unpunished. Being on his own might actually have more perks than he thought.

And when he puts the carton back in the fridge he decides that he'll go practice drawing anyway, without Grandma's help. And without Daniel's constant requests to add this thing or that or draw him in a cool pose to show Chris the next day. Sometimes he gets so impatient he snatches Sean's album out of his hands with his power and tries doodling over Sean's sketches, which is pretty annoying.

Well, he won't be able to bug Sean if he's not around. And that's good because Sean will have time to work on his superhero costume and make it look more badass than Daniel's without his comments and suggestions running through his head non-stop.

When they started hanging out with Chris, aka Captain Spirit, they made up their own supersonas and began calling themselves Super Wolf Bros. Actually, Daniel called them that first, declaring that his superpower is moving things with his mind and Sean's is to read thoughts. He totally ignored Sean's silent panicked warnings that they shouldn't be talking about their powers at all, because Dad told them they can't. Daniel carelessly brushed him off, thinking loudly, 'Relax, we'll be pretending to have them, not showing him we do, Chris will never know.'

Sean hopes he won't. If he does Dad will get so mad at them and will never let them play with anyone ever again. He also made them promise not to tell Grandma and Grandpa, which is getting harder as they spend more and more time here. Grandpa starts to suspect something about Daniel, Sean can hear his confused thoughts and wild guesses.

In fact, Daniel always gets them in trouble. And usually it ends up being fun and brings joy to their far from perfect lives. But if he doesn't want to include Sean in his epic superhero plans with Chris, Sean won't complain. And he won't mope. He will have his own fun here.

With his mind quite made up Sean confidently walks towards the stairs, but a knock on the front door makes him stop and his heart do a happy leap.

He doesn't need to ask who it is, nor check through the window, because he knows. The warm welcoming presence is always easy to recognise and Sean hurries to open the door.

"Oh, hey there, Seanie-boy." Dad's standing with a hand outstretched to ring the bell. He must've forgotten it works here since it's been out of order at their place for a while already.

"Daddy, you came!" Sean lets him step inside and hugs him tightly, wrapping his arms around Dad's waist and pressing his face into his winter jacket. It smells faintly of motor oil and the frosty air outside.

Staying here was the best choice Sean made today. Dad came to pick them up and maybe take them to the Christmas market. And Sean is the first one to find out. Take that, Daniel.

"Yes, hijo, but you can't open the door without checking who it is first." Dad's tone is stern but he ruffles Sean's hair lightly as he speaks, so Sean knows he isn't really mad. His mind is calm too.

"I felt it was you," Sean says, looking up at Dad's face and smiling giddily. He'll tell him they are going any time now. But Dad frowns for some reason.

"Sean, we talked about this, you shouldn't-"

"Who is that, Sean?" Grandpa cuts him off as he walks out of his study. "Ah, Esteban, I didn't hear the bell. Did you come to pick the boys up?"

Sean has to detach his arms from Dad's torso to let him shake hands with Grandpa. He still stays close by, waiting for the go-ahead to get ready to leave.

"Hello, Stephen," Dad says, and it's then that Sean notices dark circles under his eyes and his overall scruffy appearance. He definitely didn't shave this morning. And Sean is not the only one who sees that. Grandpa's heavy thought, 'Oh, Esteban, working your fingers to the bone, and the boys are growing up without you…' hangs between them unspoken, but no less upsetting. Then Dad continues, "I took another order actually, a car died on the way from the river, the family is freezing there, I took the tow truck." He waves in the direction of the front door, referring to the truck that's probably standing outside.

Sean's heart sinks.

"Is that so? Then you need to hurry, the temperature dropped even lower since yesterday." Grandpa nods in understanding. "Do you have something to warm them up? Blankets?"

"Yes, but I hoped to fill the thermos with coffee here, in case they need it." Dad shows the thermos he's been holding in his other hand. Grandpa takes it from him.

"Right, let me see what we have," he says and shuffles to the kitchen.

"But, Dad-" Sean speaks up, obviously forgotten by the adults already. Only he doesn't know what to say, because nothing he comes up with could possibly make Dad change his plans. Dad looks down at him, soft and apologetic, and regret rolls off him in thick waves. It makes Sean a little dizzy.

"Sorry, Sean, I need to do this," he says, pulling him into another hug. This time Sean comes reluctantly. 'No fair,' he thinks, hiding his pout in Dad's chest, and hears his humourless chuckle. He heard him. "I know, hijo, I wish I could spend the whole day with you, but I promise I'll come back by four and we can go home and order pizza for dinner, sounds good?"

Sean nods, trying to convince himself it's fine. Dad doesn't even bring up the market.

"Cheer up, little cub," Dad pats him on the back. "Where is your loyal partner in crime?"

The way he describes Daniel reminds Sean about his ongoing grudge and he has a sudden urge to tell Dad everything about it.

"He's with Chris, they are building a fort or something," he stars but in that moment Grandpa returns from the kitchen.

"I made the leftover instant coffee we had, hope it'll be alright." Dad takes it and turns to the door.

"It's good if it's hot, thanks, Stephen, I'll be on my way," he says, opening it and walking out. Sean watches him helplessly. "Go join them, Sean, and make sure Daniel plays nice, you know how he gets sometimes," he gives him a meaningful look and Sean finds himself nodding automatically. "I'll pick you up at around five, so be ready by then. Have a nice day," he tells Grandpa who comes to stand beside Sean and starts walking across the snowy front lawn to reach the tow truck faster.

Sean feels like crying as he sees him climb inside, start the engine and slowly pull out of the driveway. Grandpa puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be upset with him, Sean, he's doing the right thing," he says quietly, closing the door. Sean blinks, realising that his eyes are watery. Grandpa's pity overcomes his senses. "Come, I saw your Grandma made cookies, why don't you have one and then go share them with Daniel and Chris?"

Sean takes a step back to remove Grandpa's hand from his shoulder. He doesn't need to hear him think what 'poor, neglected kids' he and Daniel are. And he doesn't want to go to the Eriksens. He scowls at his feet, thinking, then an idea strikes him.

"Grandpa, can we maybe go play with the trains?" he asks, trying not to get too hopeful again. Grandpa looks mildly surprised. Usually it's Daniel who's all over that railroad. But Sean is a little desperate to find an excuse to stay, so he pushes, "I'd like to see the express, it's so fast."

"I'll be happy to show you, but you see, it had a little accident last time and the engine broke down, I'm repairing it now." He isn't lying, Sean feels it when people do, and that sucks even more. Then he remembers that the last time Grandpa activated the railroad, Daniel was there, trying to make the train go faster with his power or something. Sean was downstairs then, doodling, but he felt the burst of Daniel's telekinesis, some clatter and Grandpa's unhappy grumbles. It didn't end well, apparently.

"Oh, okay," he says, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Can I help you fix it?" Sean makes the last attempt, but Grandpa is already shaking his head.

"There's no need, really, I'm sure the boys miss your company right now, you can come play with them and I'll fix the train in the meantime." The suggestion sounds friendly enough but all Sean gathers from it is that Grandpa just doesn't want him in his 'workshop'.

"Alright," he says, defeated. "I'll go in a bit then."

"Good, don't forget to put on your coat, it's not far but you wouldn't want to catch a cold, would you?" Grandpa smiles at him dismissively and goes back to his study.

"No, of course not," Sean tells the closed door.

Why is everybody so eager to get rid of him today?

He walks down the hall, stopping by the fish-tank. They rarely get to see the little fish that lives there, but Sean feels its soft fluttering presence somewhere underneath the fake rock. Animals are not the same as humans but Sean learned at one point that he can tell if there are any around in the forest, and also if the neighbours' dogs are likely to bite them or just fuss about them being strangers. He never gave it much thought, but Daniel was very excited, saying that Sean is going to be like a Disney princess some day, that is friends with all living things. Sean's not sure about that. This fish is not coming out to say hi no matter how hard Sean concentrates, staring through the glass.

If Daniel was here, he'd lift the rock and move the pebbles around. As it is now, the tank is plain and pretty boring.

Sean sighs, then shuts his eyes and reaches out to find Daniel again. If he focuses he might be able to hear his thoughts even at such a big distance. But before he can get hold of their link he thinks better of it and drops it. Why should he do it if Daniel doesn't even care where he is?

Drawing now doesn't sound that appealing either. If he opens the sketchbook in this mood he might just rip all of Daniel's silly doodles out.

He looks through the sliding doors at their backyard. The snow is really nice and fluffy. Maybe he could go build a snowman. It might not turn out as big as when Daniel rolls the snowballs, using his power to move them one on top of the other, but he could still have fun. Alone.

Suddenly there's a soft tingling at his temples and Sean gasps a little when he realises what it is. Daniel is trying to reach him! He never did it before when they were so far apart. Probably because they hardly ever were so far apart.

'Sean! Sleepy Super Wolf! Come here, ASAP!' The words sound chopped, as if Daniel thinks about each of them separately and Sean giggles. His bad mood evaporates as he feels Daniel's excitement washing over him despite the walls that separate them.

So his brother did miss him after all. He shouldn't keep him and Chris waiting then. He concentrates on his reply, a short but clear 'Okay!' that he hopes reaches Daniel too, and dresses as quickly as he can.

Five minutes later he's climbing the steps of Chris' house and knocks on the door. They don't have a doorbell either. There's no reply for a while and Sean knocks again, scoping the house to find someone. Chris and Daniel seem to be in Chris' bedroom and Mr. Eriksen-

The door opens and Sean comes face to face, or rather face to waist, with the man.

"What the hell do you wa- Ah, it's you, Sean." He squints down at him, holding onto the door frame with one hand and clutching his head with the other. His clothes seem to be clean but his face looks even more scruffy and tired than Dad's. And his mind is so muddled and heavy Sean wants to take a step back. But that would be rude so he doesn't.

"Hello, Mr Eriksen," he says quietly, suspecting he wouldn't like it if he was loud right now. The man nods and motions for him to come in.

"I thought you were already in there, with so much noise coming from that room. Feel at home, or something, just keep it down, will you," he grumbles as he moves back to his own room. Sean takes off his shoes, watching him go.

Then there's the sound of laughter, which reminds him he forgot to take the bag of cookies Grandma packed for the three of them. He thinks he can go grab them and return quickly before they see him and pulls one shoe back on, but the door opens and Daniel peeks out, spotting him in an instant.

"You finally came!" he says rather loudly and Sean wants to shush him and warn about the grumpy Mr. Eriksen but Daniel is already beside him, flushed red and smiling. His face is painted blue to give him a mask with fangs and whiskers. Usually Sean paints it for him and now the rushed uneven lines bug him a little but he ignores it when Daniel grabs him by the shoulders, pinning him in place. "Don't take your shoes off, you need to go to the shed," he says, and it's the last thing Sean expected to hear from him.

"What?" he asks, puzzled. "Why?"

"While you slept," Daniel makes an annoying little pause here, "me and Chris made the coolest blanket fort in his room, it's our Head Quarters now," he states proudly, breaking the word in two to underline its importance.

"Yeah? So, why do you want me to-?"

"Sean? I mean, Super Wolf, you arrived!" Chris runs up to them, wearing his cape and red paint on his face. "We require your skill and bravery to go on a very dangerous mission, are you ready?" he uses his Captain Spirit voice as he speaks and it only adds to Sean's confusion.

"What? What mission?" he asks, eyes travelling from Chris to Daniel and back again.

'The shed, Sean! The shed!' Daniel's thought cuts through his head like a slap. Sean sends him a dirty look and Daniel makes a grimace in return.

"We need more warriors to stand guard at Captain Spirit's Headquarters and only you can recruit them," Chris continues, then, seeing his blank expression, explains in his usual voice. "Daniel said you have more toys at the shed and that you could go grab them since you're already dressed. Would you do that for us, please?" He holds his hands up in a pleading gesture and looks at Sean with so much hope he simply can't say no.

Daniel's smug face does make him want to be difficult about it though.

"Why don't you come too then?" he asks his brother bluntly. Daniel blinks in surprise. Then grins and puffs his chest.

"Because I'm helping Captain Spirit hold back the enemies until we get backup, so you better hurry, bro." Sean frowns.

'Yeah right, thanks, bro,' he thinks bitterly but Daniel doesn't seem too affected by it. Nor by the hurt that Sean is feeling at the moment, sent away like he's some-

"You don't need to bring too many, a couple will be more than enough," Chris interjects, sensing the tension between them. "We used most of my toys to hold the fort up," he adds sheepishly and Sean feels his sincerity tickling up his spine. He must look so stupid right now, standing there with a paint-less face, in one shoe and pouting like a baby. Sean lets out a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll go." He bends down to retie the laces. Daniel claps him on the back, which almost throws Sean off balance.

"That's the spirit! Haha, get it?" He turns to Chris, chuckling at his own joke. "Cause we're on the Spirit Team." Chris giggles too. And Sean can't wait to get out of there because his eyes are starting to sting.

"Get back soon, I'll warm up some milk for you when you return," Chris promises, probably forgetting that Sean never drinks plain milk, unlike Daniel. Sean throws one last glare at him, meeting a self-satisfied smirk that screams 'you're going to the dirty shed and not me, deal with it', and walks outside.

As he goes back, tracing his own steps in the deep snow, he sniffles a couple of times and pretends it's just from the cold.

Turns out Daniel called him simply because he wanted him to fetch more toys. Like a stupid puppy or something. He and Chris don't really need his company, oh no, all they need is for someone else to go digging in the old smelly shed.

When he reaches the house, his eyes become too blurry and he nearly trips over his own two feet. He angrily rubs at his wet cheeks and slides open the glass door. The key to the shed is on top of a chest of drawers in the living room, where Grandma told them to put it for when they would need it next time.

Sean could do nothing about this 'dangerous mission' and stay here for the rest of the day, but then he remembers Chris' hopeful face and knows that disappointing him will be worse than sucking it up and playing along. So he quickly marches through the living room, leaving wet tracks on the floor, grabs the key and goes to the shed before he can change his mind.

Last time he and Daniel opened it, the lock was frozen and they managed to turn the key only thanks to Daniel's power. But today it opens without any trouble. Sean kinda wishes it didn't.

The space is dark and crammed with boxes and other random junk lying around. Sean goes straight for the box where the old toys are. Mom's toys. He tries not to think too much about that.

While he rummages inside, wondering which ones Daniel and Chris would prefer but refusing to reach out to Daniel again and ask, he comes across a strange ceramic Christmas tree that grabs his attention because of how big and colourful it is. He carefully takes it out and brings it to the light to see the details on the large figurine.

And once he turns it around and sees the little figures plastered on the green surface, he almost drops it into the snow.

There are three clay people, rolled flat and painted by hand, who are holding hands. There's the father, a man in a black suit with yellow lines and a triangular helmet on his head, the mother with short light hair and glasses, and a little girl in between them, with long hair and a little red mouth formed into a happy smile. Sean doesn't have to guess to know that they are his grandparents and his mom. Standing together around a bright Christmas tree that sparkles with glitter here and there.

He flips it upside down and on the bottom, on the unpainted white clay, there are words scribbled in small jumping letters, 'Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad. Karen, 11.'

Sean stares at it long and hard until his fingers turn pink and start tingling from the cold. He forgot his gloves upstairs.

Seeing Mom, be it on an old ceramic piece she must've done in the arts and crafts class that Sean used to like so much until recently, awakens a warm bundle of memories he usually pushes to the back of his mind whenever someone mentions her.

He is supposed to hate her, after she left them. Be angry with her, like Daniel is, or avoid remembering her altogether, like Dad does. But the truth is, he can't do either because he misses her an awful lot. Ever since she left he felt her absence stronger than others thanks to the mental link he developed with her and that got broken so suddenly and without any explanation. That's why he often wonders if there is still a chance that she is coming back.

Holidays aren't the same without her. Regular days aren't the same either. If only Sean knew where she was he could-

A sudden recollection springs to his mind. About two weeks ago Daniel said that he wanted to look around Mom's room because he'd seen Grandma coming in there several times. Sean tried to talk him out of it but failed and ended up convincing him to at least find the key to unlock the door instead of blasting it open like Daniel suggested.

It took them a while but they managed to get the key and sneak in one Sunday morning when Grandma was at church and Grandpa was resting downstairs with a headache. They had to be very quiet about it, which was a challenge with Daniel's overflowing excitement, but luckily they didn't get caught.

While they were looking around the room, for what Sean is still not sure, he came across an old bus ticket hidden inside Mom's CD player. Sean wanted to tell Daniel about it but they thought they heard Grandma returning and had to hurry out of the room, and then he just forgot. He must still have it tucked in the back pocket of the jeans he wore that day. And they are hanging in the guest room's closet.

The ticket had 'New York' stamped in the box titled 'destination'. What if Mom went there? What if Sean could go there too and find her, and maybe even bring her back? The boy from Home Alone could do this, surely Sean will be able to do it as well. He's turning eleven this spring, so he's old enough already.

The idea rapidly forms in his head and within several minutes Sean becomes convinced that he has found the perfect solution to their main problem. The reason why Dad has been so sad for so long, why Dad and Daniel started fighting so much and why Daniel ruined half of their house when he discovered his power during one of those arguments. All that is happening because their family isn't complete, like the happy ceramic one on the crafty figurine. And if Sean can make it whole again, everything will return to the way it was before Mom left. It has to.

Because Christmas is in less than two weeks, and everybody knows that it's the perfect time for miracles to happen. All Sean needs to do is travel to New York and find Mom there. That will be the real 'dangerous mission' for Super Wolf, not some stupid shed.

If Daniel wants to stick to his Headquarters then so be it, Sean isn't going to ask for his help. He'll do it on his own, and when Mom comes back it will be only his achievement and not 'his and Daniel's'.

He leaves the shed and returns to the house with newly found purpose. Grandpa must still be working on his train and Sean climbs the stairs quietly not to alert him. Then he gets his backpack, takes out all of his textbooks and the Hawt Dawg Man pen case and stuffs a blanket in their place. Who knows how cold it will get while he's on the road, and Dad always keeps one in the car when he and Daniel get chilly in the backseat.

He also takes the earmuffs Grandma bought each of them. Daniel's are thrown carelessly to the bottom of the closet but Sean's are on the desk because he at least pretends he wears them. Besides, as silly and uncomfortable as they are, they do keep his ears nice and warm. As well as the prickly woolen gloves. So he takes them too.

With that done, Sean searches in the pockets of those jeans and finds the ticket where he thought he would. He studies it more closely. The destination really is New York, but the tricky part is that the bus seems to be leaving from Portland. And Sean has never been to Portland before. He shuffles across the room and sits heavily onto the bed.

The textbooks he threw out of his bag lie beside him in disarray, but among them is the leaflet about the wildlife tours for kids in the area which they were given last week in class. They were supposed to take them home and show Dad. Daniel must've lost his and Sean's got stuck in between the pages of some notebook. And it might be just what Sean needs because inside there is the map of Oregon. It's rather schematic and has pictures of different animals to point out where they live, but it also has the main roads and rivers outlined in yellow and blue, and the towns are marked with red dots. Sean brings it to the window to get more light, and sees Portland right on top.

Beaver Creek is much lower and to the right. Sean bites his lip in thought. There is another big town not far from it though – Eugene. Sean knows it because that's where Dad took them to see a baseball game last summer. And it took them less than twenty minutes to get there from home. Sean could probably walk to it and catch a bus to Portland. If there are buses going from Portland to New York, there definitely have to be some that go from Eugene to Portland too, right?

Sean nods to himself, shoves the map next to the blanket and hops off the bed. Now he needs to get money. He doesn't know exactly how much bus tickets cost, but since he'll need two, he'll have to get at least ten dollars. Ten dollars sounds like a lot. If he was at home right now, he'd break his piggy bank to take out the coins he's been saving for two years. There must be a whole fortune. But since he's not at home he'll have to get the money from Grandma and Grandpa.

And he's not stupid, he understands that they will never let him go if he tells them where he's going. That's why asking for money directly is probably not a good option either. Sean knows, however, where Grandma keeps some of their savings because he can hear her counting in her head every time she takes from it a little for church donations.

He really doesn't want to do this. But if it means he'll get to have Mom back he's ready to take the risk. He can feel guilty about it later.

It's a bit scary how easy it is without anyone there to stop him, and when Sean is going down the stairs with a heavy backpack and an equally heavy conscience he wonders if he has just become a criminal. What would Dad say if he saw him taking money that wasn't his? At least he left a note, promising he'll pay it back once he returns.

Sean suppresses his building anxiety and walks to the kitchen. The paper bag with a bright wreath Grandma filled with cookies is still on the table. Sean takes it and looks around, thinking what else he might need.

A pack of instant coffee Grandpa left on the counter reminds him of Dad. Sean doesn't really like coffee, the only time he tasted it from Dad's mug at home he barely stopped himself from spitting it out. Maybe he can pour himself some juice instead. But what if he gets cold? Juice won't be of much help then. The pot is still hot on the stove, but Sean doesn't want to go through the cupboards to find cocoa or something. There must be another thermos somewhere under the sink though, he remembers it falling out when Grandma was looking for a mop. And he's right.

He carefully pours the rest of hot water into it and screws the squeaky lid shut, glancing at the closed door of Grandpa's study after every twist. Then again, if Grandpa catches him right now he can say they're going to play at Chris' tree house and that he's bringing snacks.

But he doesn't have to, Grandpa doesn't hear him, and after packing the thermos and looking around the living room one last time, Sean walks out through the sliding door. If all goes as he plans, he will see this place next with Mom by his side.

That gives Sean a boost of confidence, and when he goes through Chris' backyard, deciding to get to the main road that leads out of Beaver Creek through the forest behind the Eriksens' house, he refuses to reach out to Daniel while he's still close. In all the time Sean supposedly spent at the shed his brother didn't try to check up on him even once. So if he went away for a couple of days, Daniel probably wouldn't miss him either.

The forest is quiet and the further Sean goes from the house, the fainter the minds of people inside become. Very soon he can't feel anyone at all. He shivers from a gust of wind that blows tiny snowflakes in his face. The sun is out though and heaps of snow are sparkling prettily under its white rays. Sean wishes briefly that he could draw it, but he forgot to pack his album and coloured pencils. And even if he didn't, his nose is already turning numb from the frost, so he is in no hurry to take his gloves off, however itchy they may be.

Besides, he's on a mission. He can't waste time on drawings now.

The silence, broken only by the snow crunching under his feet, bothers Sean only a little, or so he would like to believe. It's just that this is the first time he finds himself completely alone in a forest, before today whenever he went Dad and Daniel have always been there too. But traveling on his own is something any superhero should be able to handle, especially when he knows where he is going. The road can't be too far away.

Fifteen minutes later Sean breathes out a sigh of relief when the treeline gets thinner and black asphalt comes into view. Trudging through the thick snow made him breathe harder and grow so hot he could be sitting in front of a stove. He's tempted to unzip his coat but remembers Grandma's stern warnings about getting hypermonia or newtermia or something sounding equally nasty if he ever walks with his coat unzipped when there's snow outside. He can't get sick, not when he's barely halfway to Eugene.

Thankfully, the road is cleared of any snow and walking becomes easier. The sun is also pretty high in the sky so Sean doesn't feel too worried. He's on the right track and quite certain he will arrive at the city soon.

Only he doesn't. Not after fifteen minutes, nor after an hour and a half.

By then Sean can hardly feel his toes and fingers and realises that he probably needs a break to warm up because his teeth are clattering. He pulls off his backpack and steps off the road to get the thermos. Taking it was a great idea after all.

While he was walking four cars passed him by. At first he was afraid they'd stop and he'd get dragged into one, but after an hour he wasn't sure anymore why exactly he shouldn't get into cars with strangers. He was freezing and there was no sign of town anywhere. Who knew going on foot took so much longer than going by car...

He unscrews the thermos with trembling fingers and pours the steaming liquid into the cap. The water isn't really that hot but it helps and the teeth-clattering goes away. Sean reasons that if he eats too he'll have more energy to walk the rest of the way, so he pulls out the bag with cookies as well. He'll eat a couple and go. It can't be that far with how much he's walked already.

It's when he's munching on the second cookie that the sound of tires comes from a bit further down the road, from the direction of Eugene. It startles Sean and he hurries to pack everything back. His fingers won't move fast enough though and by the time he's pulling on the straps of his backpack to adjust it, a silvery grey Toyota has already parked at the side. He shifts his weight from one foot to another, uncertain of what he is supposed to do.

On the one hand, there's Dad's clear voice in his head, telling him strictly to get away. On the other, there is his own, pleading him to get somewhere warm as soon as possible.

And perhaps it's because he's been in total silence for what feels like forever, but as he comes closer to the car he quickly gets a mental hold of the mind inside of it.

It's a woman, not as old as Grandma, but not as young as Mom. And her thoughts are racing, one jumping over the other, but Sean can sense her general nervousness, and hear 'Good Lord, is that a- It's a child! What is he- Oh, he's a- How did he even get here? Are there many of them nearby? What do I do?'

Sean doesn't take another step forward. He doesn't like the spike of anxiety mixed with disgust that rolls off that lady whose face he has yet to see. And honestly, he doesn't really want to.

The window on the driver's side goes down a couple of inches and a woman with dark curly hair, graying on the sides, sizes him up, her expression clearly conflicted.

"Hey there, sweetie." The familiar nickname grates on Sean's ears because she's trying to seem nice but actually isn't. "Are you lost out here? Where are your parents?"

Sean doesn't know what to say, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind, "N-no, I'm camping, with my dad." He nods at the forest behind him, clenching his fists on the straps of his backpack. But Daniel is a better liar out of the two of them, and it only takes the woman one glance at the trees and the freshly fallen snow that has no tracks on it to guess that Sean isn't telling the truth.

"Is that so? Aren't you cold, waiting for him here all alone?" she asks slowly, smiling at him, and if Sean couldn't read her thoughts he would've never guessed that the moment those words leave her mouth she starts fumbling in her purse, frantically searching for her phone with one hand. 'I should call someone. Cops? Child services? Or is it something ICE deals with now? How do I contact them?..' Sean catches without even focusing too hard, the woman's mind is like an open book. A very unpleasant book Sean wishes he never saw.

Because he knows what ICE is.

One day Sean heard it in a conversation between teachers at school. He didn't understand what it meant then but they were talking about families being separated and kids kept apart, and it reminded Sean about a fairy tale Mom used to read them, where a snow queen kidnapped children and made them forget everyone they loved so that they would stay in her ice palace forever. Daniel remembered it too and by the end of the day they were both certain that the ice palace really existed since the teachers were discussing it.

It made them so upset they came to Dad in the evening asking why he never mentioned that the snow queen was somewhere out there, and also if he was sure the doors and windows in their house would be able to keep her away (because they were all pretty drafty, which then seemed like a serious threat). When Dad finally got what they were going on about he explained what ICE actually was and that it couldn't hurt them. Which was reassuring, of course, until Dad added that people's ignorance still could, and that it could be hard to escape it sometimes.

Like right now. He shouldn't have started talking to this woman.

"I'm alright, thank you," he says, backing away from the car. The woman sees that and drops her purse.

"Oh no, don't be afraid, let me just-" she pushes open the door and Sean runs. "Wait!" she calls but all Sean hears is his rapidly beating heart.

He doesn't turn around until he reaches the trees. The woman climbed out of the car and is holding the phone to her ear, probably calling to report him. Sean doesn't wait for her to finish and come after him, he hurries deeper into the forest until the road is no longer visible.

When he's too out of breath to run he leans against a tree to rest, and notices that his earmuffs are gone. They must've fallen off while he ran. At least he's warm for now. He also doesn't know where he is. Going back to the road so soon will be stupid, but wandering around aimlessly will be stupid too. Sean slides down the trunk, hugs his knees and presses his face against them, fighting back tears.

Then, through the overpowering silence that surrounds him cuts a distant rumble. Sean raises his head, thinking for a moment that it's thunder and that a storm is coming, but the sky is still blue and mostly clear. The rumble appears to be getting closer as he sits there, and it hits him – that must be a train. He scrambles up to his feet and goes in the direction the sound comes from. Soon enough he sees a clearing and a railroad down below.

The train comes a minute later, speeding down the tracks and announcing its passing with loud clings and clangs. Sean watches it entranced. Grandpa's trains are so tiny compared to the real thing, and unlike them this one has a destination. Maybe even the same as he has in mind. If only he could get on a train like this, it would probably take him anywhere he wanted. And he could go straight to New York, to where Mom is.

But it's so big, and goes so fast. There's no way Sean will be able to jump on it. Perhaps, if Daniel was here-

Sean shakes his head, chasing the thought away. He can't always rely on his brother. It's time he did something without his help.

Now that he knows where the railroad is he can find his way to Eugene, probably. No, he has to. He can do this. He's got the map.

Figuring out which side is which takes him a while though, and when Sean decides where to go the sun begins to sink below the treeline. He doesn't let it scare him, although deep down he hopes that he'll make it out of the forest before nightfall.

He has no such luck. He can't tell if it's because he's moving in the wrong direction or because he's just slow, but the trees stretch on and on and he can't sense any human presence anywhere nearby. The presence he does feel sometimes resembles that of some big animal Sean really wouldn't like to come across in the dark.

Because it gets dark very soon. And Sean is lost. And scared. And he wants to go home more than anywhere else. And see Dad, and Daniel.

He realises he's sobbing when it becomes hard to breathe. He stops and the tears come even faster. There's no point in wiping them from his face because there's no one here to see them. That makes Sean cry harder.

He hates this forest, full of shadows and creepy creaking branches and who knows what else, waiting to eat him. Even if he senses it approaching he'll never be able to scare it away. What on earth was he thinking, believing he could make it to New York on his own. He can't even find his way to the next town.

Shaking with sobs, he sits down into the cold snow. His feet hurt from the frost and from walking for so long. He doesn't want to move a muscle.

But after several minutes, once he calms down a little, he realises that if he gives up now he might never get out of this forest at all. And since nobody knows where he is, he will stay here forever. The thought is so terrifying it shakes Sean out of his despair and pushes him back to his feet.

There is very little daylight left but he can still see the tracks he left in the snow. If he traces them back he might be able to return to the road and from there to Beaver Creek. That is, if he doesn't freeze first. With no sun in the sky the temperature seems to have dropped lower.

He doesn't make it to the road though. The night falls and Sean gets too scared to get off track to move any further. The rumble of the trains carried by the wind reassures him somewhat, but doesn't make him feel less lost. He sits down on a fallen tree trunk and bites his lips in helpless frustration. Why didn't he think of bringing a flashlight? And Dad always praised him for being the more practical one.

Sean sniffles, remembering how easy camping used to be with Dad. He showed them how to build a fire and put up tents and made sure they stayed warm and comfortable. What wouldn't Sean give right now to have Dad here. His whole body feels like it's turned into one big icicle. He pulls his backpack into his lap and takes out the thermos and the blanket, wrapping it around himself as best he can. The water is lukewarm. He eats the last several cookies and says 'I'm not afraid' in his head on repeat, anything not to think about how the shadows are getting bigger and closing in on him, ready to pounce and drag him away.

The cold makes his legs numb the longer he stays there, and his arms too. Soon sitting upright becomes a struggle. Sean slides down, flattening the backpack on the snowy ground and settling on top of it with his back against the trunk. He'll just wait for the sun to rise and continue on his way back home.

Yes, home sounds wonderful. Dad making hot chocolate. The fluffy blanket he and Daniel always fight for, but end up sharing anyway. Dad telling them bedtime stories. His own warm bed.

Sean can almost feel the imagined warmth washing over his body. It makes him drowsy and he shuts his eyes. That way he doesn't have to watch the scary leafless branches that look like claws moving menacingly in the wind. He knows he shouldn't fall asleep when it's cold but he can't remember why. It'll be fine if he only takes a little nap… right?..

Sleep takes over him gradually and as Sean falls into the land of dreams he thinks he can feel Daniel's presence flickering somewhere close by and hear him calling his name, again and again, broken and desperate. And Sean wants to answer him, wants to tell him that he's here, but he doesn't have any strength left. The blanket he wrapped around himself slips from his weakening fingers but the warmth stays. And he welcomes it.

Only to be roughly shaken awake after what feels like a couple of minutes. Strong hands rub firmly at his arms and back, chasing the numbness away, and Dad's voice is saying urgently, "Wake up, Sean, you need to wake up, please, abre tus ojos, hijo, despierta." Sean struggles to do that, wondering if it's morning already and if he and Daniel missed the school bus.

Then Daniel's voice cuts through, high-strung and trembling, "Dad? Is he alive, is he- Is he okay?" Sean is confused, why wouldn't he be okay, until Daniel grabs his hand, pulling the glove off, and curls his hot fingers around his. And when he does Sean gets an overwhelming dose of fear and anxiety mixed with hope and relief and Daniel's single focused thought, 'Please be okay, Sean, please be okay.'

"Yes, he will be when we get him out of here," Dad says stiffly. Sean recognises that intonation. It's the same he used that one time Grandma asked how he was holding up without Mom and he answered he had everything under control. He wanted to, yes, but had no clue how he'd get there. Hearing it now makes Sean sad, and guilty. He never meant to get Dad so worried, nor Daniel. Sean squeezes his hand back a little, concentrates and thinks, 'I'm fine.'

"He's awake, Dad! He's-" Daniel's breath hitches and he sobs, clutching his hand harder. Sean blinks slowly several times and finally sees Dad's grave face above him in the jerking light of a flashlight that Daniel must have forgotten he was holding as he started wiping his face.

"Dad," Sean calls, but it comes out in a whisper. It seems to be enough though because in the next moment he's lifted off the ground and pressed against the familiar jacket that faintly smells of motor oil.

"It's alright, you'll be alright, Sean, we'll get you home and warm you up, stay with me, Sean," Dad talks close to his ear as he starts walking. "Daniel, make sure he stays awake."

"Yes, of course!" Sean misses the feeling of his brother's hand in his already, because he had to let him go when Dad picked him up. But then Daniel's thoughts start running through Sean's foggy mind, 'I'm so sorry I let you go alone, I didn't want to spend the whole day with Chris, I swear, I was just mad at you for yesterday, thought you were tired of me and I- I won't ever get mad at you anymore, never ever, just please don't run away again, I don't want to lose you too. You are my best friend. The only friend I need!'

'Really?' Sean feels a different kind of warmth now.

'Yes!' His brother's concern for him and his happiness and relief tingle pleasantly at Sean's temples and make him smile. 'We are the best team ever! Super Wolf Bros, remember? No one will ever stand between us, I promise!'

'Okay,' he thinks, and knows that Daniel got it. He wants to turn and look at him but Dad doesn't let him.

"We're almost there, hold up," he says, and then Sean hears him in his head, 'Thank God we found you in time, Sean, if it wasn't for Daniel, it could've been too late.'

He doesn't add anything else, letting that sink in. Sean feels guilty again. But also grateful and happy that his brother came looking for him. That he noticed his absence.

The white light of their flashlight is soon joined by the blinking red and blue ones that jump from tree to tree. It's the police car standing on the road next to Dad's tow truck. He must've returned home to pick them up after work, found out that Sean was missing and went looking for him with Daniel right away.

Dad opens the passenger side of the truck and lets Daniel climb inside, then sits Sean next to him and brings over a shiny crinkly blanket, wrapping Sean up in it whole.

"We'll go in a minute, just let me handle this quickly. Oh and, Sean," Dad pauses to catch his eyes. "We're going to have a serious talk when we get home." He waits for Sean to nod in acknowledgment and closes the door shut. Man, he is so grounded after this.

Sean watches Dad walk over to the police officer through the windshield. They start talking and he could listen in if he wanted to, but he doesn't. Instead he turns to Daniel, who stares at him as if he's afraid to let him out of his sight.

"I'm sorry I ran away," Sean says, because he feels that he needs to say this out loud. Daniel nods.

"I'm glad you got lost and didn't go far." They sit in silence for a second and then burst into giggles at the same time.

Sean wiggles one hand from under the blanket and reaches out to Daniel, who readily takes it in his. The buzz of his mind makes Sean feel calm and at home, even if they are sitting in Dad's old tow truck in the middle of nowhere.

"Me too," Sean admits after a little while. Daniel smiles at him and they settle comfortably in the seat, leaning against each other and waiting until Dad returns and drives them back to Beaver Creek.

True, Sean didn't go far, and he didn't find Mom, but he realised that he doesn't really need her to be happy. Because he already has all the family that matters, right here beside him.

––

"Hey, Sean, wake up!" Daniel says loudly and Sean jerks awake, disoriented and half-expecting to see the snowy drive of their house in Beaver Creek. Instead there are the grimy walls of a boxcar he and his brother hopped in yesterday.

"Wh-what is it?" he asks, getting a boost of adrenaline from the memories of the last couple of months that come rushing back. The nightmarish party in Seattle that sent them on the run, the racist asshole at the gas station, their hobo days in that cabin in the woods, and here they are, on a freight train going south.

"The snow is gone, dude, it's go time for us too." Daniel gives him a little crooked grin and motions to the scenery floating by behind the door they left cracked open. It is indeed much greener here and the air no longer feels biting on his skin. Sean sits up and immediately gets reminded why sleeping on the plain boards sucks. They didn't take out their sleeping bags in case somebody found them during the night and they had to get the hell off this train.

"We in California already?" Sean asks, scooting closer to the door and peeking out.

"Yep, saw the welcome sign with funky flowers like five minutes ago." There's some shuffling behind him and Sean turns around to see Dan wincing as he shrugs on his backpack and yanks on the straps to set it straight. Sean can sense the phantom pain from the bruises on his shoulders, which are identical to his own, and Sean got a camping backpack from Brody. The weight they carry and the hours spent running through the woods make it all the same.

Sean gets his stuff in order and stands before the door, which Daniel opens wider with his power.

"Ready to jump?" he asks. Sean stares at the crushed grey stones on the side of the tracks, and the dry prickly-looking vegetation beyond it. No matter how careful they are jumping out of a moving car their landing won't be a soft one. "Hey, don't worry, I've got this," Daniel interrupts his uneasy thoughts. "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, sure," Sean says without hesitation.

"Then let's do this on three. You count." And Sean does, in his head.

The moment he thinks 'three' Daniel makes a big leap and Sean jumps after him, expecting to tumble into the bushes after he touches the ground. But Daniel's power catches him and holds them both in place so that they don't fall on their hands and knees. The train is still rolling behind them and they hurry to get to a safe distance.

"Told you I've got this," Daniel says smugly as they walk through the scarce trees. Sean huffs out a laugh.

"Yeah, thanks for saving our asses, bro." Daniel catches his teasing tone but pretends he doesn't notice.

"So what's the plan now? We walk till we hit the border?" That suggestion is ridiculous, they both know it, but they didn't have the time to talk everything through either. One thing is pretty clear though.

"We gotta figure out where we are first," he says, taking the folded maps out of his pocket. "And wherever that is, we won't get far without money." He stops to unfold them and Daniel leans over his shoulder to look.

"Okay, we find some town, take what we need and go," he says. Sean frowns. 'Take what we need?' Daniel blinks at him innocently, but Sean can see right through him.

"Daniel, no," he says sternly, ignoring his brother's pout. "We're going to find someplace to work, and earn that money. Then we can get to Puerto Lobos safely."

"But it'll take us forever to make enough cash. Aren't cops already on our asses?" Daniel crosses his arms over his chest, annoyed with him.

"And who's fault is that?" Sean fires back, feeling his brother's irritation increase his own. He takes a deep breath to calm down. The mp3 player Daniel took from that store with the cameras, his early Christmas present, is not worth arguing over again. "Look, they don't know we are here yet, and we better not attract their attention with some reckless shit. So no more stealing."

Daniel shakes his head and resumes walking.

"Jeez, fine. You don't need to talk to me like I'm a stupid fucking kid, we're the same age, remember?" Sean rolls his eyes and follows him.

"Yeah, right. I'm older though," he can't help pointing out with a little smirk. Daniel glances back at him, hiding his own grin, even as his eyes give away his amusement.

"By five minutes, big deal."

"Seven," Sean corrects, like he did numerous times before, and the familiarity of their bickering gives rise to a soft nostalgic feeling in his chest.

"Pff, whatever. I can call you grandpa Sean if you like, you grumble enough to be one." That's something new and so silly it makes Sean chuckle. "Seriously, you're lucky to have me," Daniel continues. "Admit, if it weren't for me you would've lived the most boring life ever."

And Daniel's tone is light and joking, but Sean knows there's more to his words than a harmless jab. He can sense his hidden worries and insecurities, and they echo the ones he had when he was ten and ran away to bring their mother back, but in fact, to get the proof that Dad and Daniel still needed him as much as he needed them.

So he catches up with Daniel, shoves him playfully and says, "I don't know what you're talking about, man, can't picture a life without you."

The way Daniel smiles at him then is so honest and open, Sean feels like they are kids on a camping trip, and have a whole lot of adventures lying before them.

"Good," Daniel says, shoving him lightly in return. "I can't picture it either."

Sean doesn't know what's waiting for them in the near future. But he knows that whatever comes, he won't be facing it alone.

Chapter 2: Daniel

Notes:

Amazingly beautiful arts of the Diaz twins from this series.

Chapter Text

"Alright, kids, hold still, I'm going to take one more shot before your bus comes," Dad says, looking at them through the camera lens, and fumbles with the little button. It's taking him forever and Daniel wants to huff in irritation but he's got a smile on his face that he can't drop yet.

'Stop squirming,' he hears Sean's complaint in his head and feels his brother's fingers squeeze his side lightly. Daniel has his arm wrapped around him too so he doesn't think twice before pinching Sean's side in return.

Only Sean is much more ticklish than he is and jolts right when the camera goes off with a blinding flash.

"Daniel!" Sean turns to him and pouts. Daniel giggles when he sees his painted black nose scrunch up. The whiskers on his cheeks seem to move too. "You ruined another picture," he grumbles. His irritation washes over Daniel, all hot and stingy.

"No I didn't, you're the one who can't-," he starts but Dad interrupts him.

"Boys! No fighting, I'll take another one," he says, then adds with a serious face. "The last one, so you better strike your best pose."

Daniel sighs but does what Dad wants, wrapping an arm around Sean again and pulling him into a hug that's a bit too tight on purpose. The smile he's putting on this time must look more like a snarl. Which is good actually, because he's a wolf today. And so is Sean.

Halloween is still two days away but the school allowed them to come to classes in costumes and Daniel knew they were going to go as Super Wolf Bros. The matching grey sweaters Dad got them at a gas station when they went camping last summer turned out to be perfect for the occasion. They have triangular ears on the hoods and even little bushy tails attached to the hemline at the back. Wearing those and the paint on their faces both of them look pretty badass.

Being a wolf is way cooler than being a pirate with a silly eye patch. Sean was seriously thinking to dress up as one this Halloween because Lyla suggested it. Daniel is glad he made him change his mind in the end. Pirates are lame.

"Okay, I'm going to do a countdown," Dad announces, putting his hand up, like he's preparing to send them on a race. "Be ready on three!"

They have their hoods up and from the corner of his eye Daniel can see one of Sean's wolf ears drooping so low it almost covers his eye.

"One..."

Daniel glaces up to check and sure enough his wolf ears are hanging low as well. As if he is unhappy or scared, which is totally not a cool look for a Super Wolf.

"Two..."

He knows how to make the picture better, and that it's something he isn't supposed to do, but he is certain Dad and Sean will be too impressed with the result to be mad at him. All he needs is to concentrate a little and-

"Three!"

The camera clicks and the flash follows in the next moment, catching them standing with arms around each other, painted faces smiling and wolf ears on their hoods standing straight. Their hair is also caught in what will look like a gust of wind in the photo. It'll be super cool. Daniel feels the power tingling in the tips of his fingers and grins at Sean whose feature predictably pull into a baffled expression.

Dad straightens from the half-crouch he was in to get them from a good angle and looks down at the little screen to see how the picture turned out.

'You used your power!' Sean's thought beats loudly in Daniel's temples, making him wince. And then he sees Sean turn to Dad, no doubt preparing to tell him, if he hasn't already, with his power. Daniel's brows knit in a frown.

Sean looks hesitant though. His eyes shift from the camera in Dad's hands to his face as he pulls on the hem of his sweater out of a nervous habit. It makes Daniel want to take his hand to reassure him.

But before Dad can study the picture long enough to see Daniel's little trick the sound of the bus horn comes from outside. Slow Susan isn't late for once, and it probably saves him from another lecture.

"The bus is here!" he exclaims, grabs his red Powerbear backpack from the floor and tugs Sean by the sleeve. "We've gotta go, bye Dad!"

Sean fumbles for his own blue backpack and gives Dad a quick wave, struggling to keep up.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at seven," Dad says as he walks the few steps to the front door to see them out. "Have fun at the party after classes, but not too much fun," he jokes, opening the door. Daniel rolls his eyes.

"Okay," Sean says, smiling up at him. "Bye, daddy." Dad pats him on the head, which sets his hood all askew, but Sean doesn't seem to mind.

If Daniel could, he would roll his eyes even harder. The horn blares then, giving him an excuse to run ahead before Dad can reach to pat him on the head as well. Wolves aren't puppies, they don't need to be treated like ones.

"Daniel, wait!" Sean hurries to catch up and stands beside him when the bus door slides open, inviting them inside. "You really shouldn't have done that, Dad will get upset when he finds out," he says once they climb the steps and go towards the back of the bus.

"Oh, come on, aren't we superheroes today?" Daniel stops to grin at him. "Dad won't get mad, I promise."

"You don't know that," Sean frowns, gripping the straps of his backpack hard. "He just doesn't want us to-"

"Hey! Move it, retards! Or are you Mexicans so stupid you can't even ride a bus like normal people?" The whiny voice that comes from behind interrupts his brother and Daniel turns to see Brett Foster, their dickhead neighbour's asshole son. He takes in their painted faces and sneers. "What's that? Make up? Are you five-year-olds or something?" Several chuckles come from the seats and Daniel can see Sean glancing around them as his anxious thought beats in Daniel's head, 'Why is nobody wearing costumes? Did we mix up the day?' He pretends he doesn't hear it and continues starting up at Brett with a scowl.

He is a couple of inches taller than he and Sean are and much broader too. The swamp green sweater he's wearing makes him resemble a giant ugly toad.

Daniel wants to tell him exactly that but Sean grabs his hand and yanks him further down the isle. 'Come on, he's not worth it, Dan', he sends out, only Daniel knows he simply wants to get to the back as fast as possible to hide from peering eyes and giggles.

They don't get too far though. Sean takes two, maybe three steps before he trips on something and falls down, pulling Daniel with him because he's still gripping his hand tight. Daniel hits his knee painfully on the dirty floor and hears Sean's identical groan from where he's sprawled under the weight of his backpack.

A nasty laugh sounds from the bench on their right and when Daniel glances up he sees Harry Thompson's foot sticking out far enough to become an obstacle. He was the one who tripped Sean. And now the whole bus is laughing at them.

Daniel's blood boils and he feels the hot rush of his power going quickly through his arms, ready to lash out. He climbs back on his feet, determined to show them that nobody messes with the wolf brothers. Sean is slowly standing up as well, and then the bus takes a sharp turn and he crashes right into Daniel's side, knocking him off balance again. A new burst of laughter erupts from all sides.

"You two are pathetic," Harry comments in between snorts, sounding like a pig. "Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

"Nah, nobody will take losers like them back," Brett adds his two cents, plopping next to that asshole. "Even their mommy ditched them."

The bus jerks and swerves on the perfectly even road. There are a couple of shrieks from the kids who slid off their seats but what Daniel finds most satisfying is to see Harry hit the back of his head on the window when Brett collides into him with all his bulk.

"Daniel!" Sean squeaks, grabbing him by the elbow and squeezing very hard.

"Ow, what's that for? It's just the bus," he turns to him, playing dumb and not fooling Sean for a second. The painted whiskers on his left cheek got smudged and his hood fell off. 'Don't tell me you didn't want to kick their asses too,' he thinks, staring Sean in the eye. He looks away.

"Let's go." Sean pulls him towards the back seats again. 'Before Harry and Brett get back on their bullshit.' Daniel grins and this time goes willingly.

They reached the next stop which gives them time to settle down without any more incidents. Sean pulls off his backpack gingerly and scratches at the smudged paint, messing it up even more. Daniel offers to help him but he shakes his head moodily. Whatever. Like it was Daniel's fault they ended up on the floor.

"Hey, Sean! Daniel!" Right. It's Lyla's stop.

She bounds along the isle excitedly, waving at them with a broad smile on her face. And she's wearing a huge witch's hat and a dark blue cloak-thing with bright silver stars, spider webs and cauldrons all over it. Well, at least they won't be the only ones dressed up today.

"Hi, Lyla," Sean seems to brighten up in her presence too.

She throws her bag next to theirs without invitation and sits between them. With how skinny the three of them are it's not a tight fit at all, but Daniel still feels the need to scoot further away not to get hit in the nose by her hat.

"So, what are you, wolves?" she asks, bright and cheerful, ignoring the few chuckles her costume earned her from the rest of the kids on the bus.

Who knew middle school in Seattle would be so boring. If they were in Beaver Creek right now, everybody would be bragging about their costumes, and the coolest one will definitely be Chris'-

But they aren't in Beaver Creek anymore.

"Super Wolves," Daniel corrects her, puffing his chest out a bit. Sean laughs.

"Yeah, Super Lame Wolves." He won't stop picking at his cheek and pouting, and Daniel doesn't need to hear his thoughts to guess he can't wait to get to the school restroom and wash his face.

"Aw, come on, you look cool." She pats him on the back encouragingly. And Daniel would've done the same thing if he could reach Sean over all the folds of Lyla's huge cloak that took up so much space. "I took momster's black eye pencil, I could fix your face in no time."

"Oh." Sean starts to hesitate. Of course. "I don't know, I think I'll wash it all off first."

"Okay, then I'll do your make up from scratch," she offers, nodding to herself, like Sean already agreed. Daniel hears the words 'make up' spin in Sean's head as he recalls Brett's earlier jab, and he sees his brother shake his head slightly, uncertainly. But what comes out of his mouth is, "Yeah, okay, maybe? After classes, right?"

"Awesome!" Lyla chirps and starts telling them about her big plans for the party. Something about finally trying the infamous punch and all the candies they will have on the tables. Daniel doesn't really pay attention.

'Can't you just say 'no' to her, bro?' Daniel sends and eyes Sean from the side, making sure he reacts.

'Shut it, Daniel,' comes Sean's weak reply. Daniel wants to add something, to convince him some more, but then Lyla's friends join them in the back. Eric is dressed as a vampire with cheap plastic fangs that make his speech sound funny and absolutely incomprehensible, and his neighbour El-something is wrapped in bandages that are meant to make him look like a mummy but are already coming loose. They land on the seat across the isle and Lyla starts talking to them, leaning over Sean and dragging him into their conversation.

Daniel huffs, not pissed at all that they kinda ignore him, and decides to spend the rest of the ride staring out of the window. Then Eric's words catch his attention.

"-it was epic, dude! Easily the most brutal match in "Hell in a Cell" history, did you see how Punk took Ryback out with a suicide dive but he got right back up, grabbed the kendo stick, cracked it over his back and caught him in the throat? That was insane!" Wrestling.

When Daniel first saw Eric, chill, laid-back and obviously a nerd, he could hardly imagine that he was so passionate about it. And that he would get the idea that they were fans as well when Sean mentioned how Dad got three tickets to a lucha libre match from a customer last week and it sucked that they weren't going (because Dad really wanted to but decided against it, too worried the overexcited crowd will be bad for them, and they don't need any more accidents). After that Eric started talking to them about his favourite wrestlers and the WWE shows he watched with his uncle. And the thing is, both he and Sean know next to nothing about these things, but while Daniel mostly spaced out during his long rants, Sean nodded along.

And now he's doing the same. That's not what makes Daniel frown though. It's the familiar tingle he gets when Sean glimpses into his mind. Only he's doing it with a totally oblivious Eric at the moment and says, "Yeah, it was crazy, I couldn't believe that Punk still won in the end!"

Eric breaks out into another monologue, listing all the 'suplexes', 'sledgehammers' and 'clotheslines' that he saw last Sunday, the ones Sean definitely didn't because they were struggling to finish homework in time after helping Dad out at the garage all weekend. And Daniel would've known if Sean tried to check it out on ViewTube later, they hardly spent any time apart this week. So, it can only mean one thing. Sean's using his power to pretend he's into something he doesn't give a shit about just to keep Eric talking to him.

He's not turning his head to meet Daniel's accusatory glare but Daniel can see the tips of his ears turning darker with a guilty blush. He knows that Daniel knows.

'Please, don't say anything,' Daniel hears a thought that, if it was spoken out loud, wouldn't be above a whisper. Daniel crosses his arms over his chest and turns back to the window.

'Whatever,' he sends out a reply, while still fuming on the inside. Maybe this will make Sean think twice before he calls Daniel out for using his telekinesis next time.

Soon, the school grounds come into view.

Once the usual hustle of getting off the bus begins Daniel grabs his backpack and rushes towards the door, leaving Sean behind.

He quickly jumps down the few steps and is about to head across the parking lot to the main entrance when he hears a short yelp, a thump and another burst of Brett's disgusting laughter. This can't be good.

Daniel whirls around in time to see Sean helping mummy-El climb to his feet from where he fell on his hands and knees, both chaffed and dirty from the hard ground but not bloody thanks to his bandages.

"Watch it, fatface," Harry says, bumping into him hard on purpose when he gets off the bus to join Brett.

"Does it hurt?" Daniel hears Sean asking El.

"Just a bit," he replies but Daniel's eyes are glued to the two bullies who are walking his way, snickering between each other, unfairly too pleased with themselves.

"What you staring at, loser," Brett barks out when they pass him. Daniel glares at their retreating backs.

It's about time someone taught them a lesson.

He raises his hand, letting his power loose and feeling around with its invisible tendrils until it gets a hold of these bastards' backpacks, hanging off one shoulder and half-unzipped in Harry's case. All he needs to do is yank and their junk will spill across the parking lot – it will be hilarious.

"Daniel!" But his brother's shout and an abrupt clap on his back break his concentration and he loses the grip on his targets. "Are you out of your mind, people will see!" Sean hisses in his ear because his mummy friend walks up to them then, together with Eric and Lyla.

"Douchebags," she says, glaring daggers at said douchebags who are now too far away to hear her.

"Put a curse on them, Ly," suggests Eric with a bad lisp. His fake fangs look like they are about to fall out.

Lyla makes a silly gesture, mutters a bunch of gibberish and flips a bird in the general direction of the main entrance.

"Yeah, that'll definitely work," Daniel scoffs, still pissed Sean stopped him from causing those fucktards actual damage. Or embarrassment at least.

"You can bite them later," she retorts with a crooked smile. "Super-wolf."

The way she says it makes it sound like an insult and Daniel's already deep frown deepens even further.

"It'll be cool to have superpowers for real," Eric sighs. At that he and Sean share a quick glance.

"You have no idea," Daniel mutters under his breath. 'Don't,' echoes in his head as Sean silently shakes his head.

"I think what matters is fighting villains, with superpowers or not," El says, scratching at his now dirty bandages.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Sean suddenly agrees. "Let's get going, we've got some washing up to do," he says and starts walking. The rest follow him and so does Daniel, last.

So Sean is happy to agree with some lame bullshit this new found friend of his has to offer but shoots down anything Daniel is trying to do to stand up for them for real. Great.

They make it to the boys bathroom just a couple of minutes before the bell, Lyla included. She uses that black eye pencil she stole to make her eyes darker and even draws a little skull on her cheek, to look more witch-y or whatever. Sean, however, simply washes his face and suggests Daniel do the same.

"Yeah. Sure," he mutters. The bell rings then and Sean hurries out of the bathroom.

"You coming?" he asks. Daniel nods and watches the door close behind him.

"Don't get grabbed by the bathroom ghoul," Lyla puts her unnecessary last word in, referring to some silly ghost story going around school, and leaves him alone.

Daniel's lips twist in a snarl. He catches his reflection in the mirror and sees a wolf growling and ready to pounce. Then his eyes fall on the eye pencil Lyla forgot in her haste. He grabs it, not giving himself time to hesitate, and draws angry black lines over the ones Sean put on his face with his careful hand.

When he's done the wolf make-up that his brother was so ashamed of he chose to wash it off stands out with new intensity. He looks mad, wild and uncontrollable. And he likes it.

There will be only one Super Wolf in this school, if Sean is such a coward.

This thought gets him through the day and helps him ignore the stares and chuckles that are directed at him in the halls and during classes. He never takes off his hood either, like Sean does, probably hoping nobody notices that they are supposed to match.

Sean makes an attempt to talk to him at lunch break, but when he has to decide if he's going to eat with Daniel, who's set on having his lunch on the bench outside despite the cool weather, or with his new friends inside, his brother picks them over him. Again.

After the final bell everybody flocks to the party, organised in the gym for all middle-schoolers, and Daniel's biggest wish is for it to be over and for Dad to come pick them up. He'd leave on his own, but that'd probably cost him a week of house-arrest – if not a whole month, like in Sean's case that time he ran away in Beaver Creek – and Daniel doesn't want to stay cooped in their shitty 'new' house for that long.

Which is why he is hanging out in the hall for now, not too eager to enter the brightly decorated gym. Although he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see what spooky stuff the teachers put up on the walls for the occasion. And that he wasn't starving for some candy. Maybe he'll sneak inside in a little while, to see what Sean and Lyla are up to, and if they are actually gonna try that icky bright-pink punch.

She didn't get to paint his face after all (since Daniel took her eye pencil) and Sean simply threw the hood on to somewhat resemble a wolf now that wearing a costume is supposed to be more appropriate.

But Daniel still has Lyla's eye pencil. Perhaps, if he gives it to him, Sean will be able to paint his face again, to match with him at least a little.

That idea brings a grin to Daniel's face and, forgetting about his recent sour mood, he walks to the wide open gym doors to find Sean in the crowd. He needs to see him to focus and send out a single thought, 'Sean, come over here!'

His eyes find his brother by the infamous punch bowl – with Lyla who has her hat askew and a cup in hand, Eric who's taking a picture on his crappy little flip phone, and mummy-El looking inside his cup with apprehension.

Sean hears him. Daniel knows he does because he turns his head to the doors. But he hesitates. Daniel frowns. 'Come on! I've got something for you,' he thinks insistently.

What happens next sets the horrid scenario of the rest of the evening in motion.

Daniel waits for Sean to react, fixing him with his stare, and misses Harry and Brett who are sauntering to the punch table just then. He sees his brother say something to Lyla and step away, which Daniel counts as a victory.

Sean is about to walk to the doors to meet him, when Brett shoves El and makes him spill his untouched cup all over himself. He stands there bright pink, blinking owlishly and gasping, and Harry, who grabbed a handful of skittles from the table in advance, launches them one by one, aiming at his open mouth.

It's a nasty display and Daniel's hands are itching to do something to shut them up as they laugh at El's miserable soaked appearance and Lyla's angry shouts uselessly thrown their way. The commotion should attract the teachers' attention but no one seems to be running to calm them down.

Sean leads El out of there by the hand.

"Dan, you have a spare hoodie in your locker, right?" is the first thing he asks him when they get closer. Daniel nods. "You'll let Ellery borrow it, won't you?" he asks, obviously expecting him to say yes.

"Of course," he says a little grumpily and pretends he doesn't feel warmth in his chest when Ellery gives him a quiet but earnest, "Thanks, Daniel."

He doesn't want to make new friends here, doesn't want anybody else to end up like Chris because of him, and it's only a matter of time before-

'Stop it!' Sean's voice breaks through his worries. 'Nothing's gonna happen to anybody, they're gonna like you, they already think you're cool,' Sean leads El down the hall towards their lockers and throws him a meaningful glance.

'They think you are cool,' Daniel thinks, hoping he hides his pout well. Apparently not, since Sean huffs out a laugh.

"What is it?" Ellery watches him, confused.

"Nothing," Sean says at first, but then chuckles. "I just thought," he starts slowly, looking to the side – and that's how Daniel knows he's lying and actually knows some juicy secret by tuning into someone else's thoughts. "Brett and Harry would never be so cocky if they came face to face with the bathroom ghoul."

That brings a small smile to El's face. "I should've picked a different costume, I guess," he says, chuckling as well. They stand by Daniel's locker and Sean starts opening it as if it was his own – he knows both of their combinations. And probably any other combination in this school. But what piques Daniel's interest is the ghoul bit.

'Aren't they the ones spreading this ridiculous story?' he wonders, and Sean replies, helping El out of his wet bandages.

'They heard it from some older kids and dared each other to stay in the locked bathroom after classes.' Now that's… 'Neither of them lasted more than a minute,' …a handy piece of information.

"Here." Daniel hands Ellery his hoodie, which is a bit small for his frame perhaps, but it's dry and clean.

He thanks both of them, wiping his face with a discarded shirt he had underneath his mummy-gear. Daniel nods but he's distracted.

The infamous bathroom where the ghoul is supposed to reside is just a few feet further down the hall. The story has it that there once was a janitor at this school who got trapped in there by a bunch of bullies. They wanted to play a prank on one of their classmates but got the old man instead – and got so scared he'd tell on them they ran away, leaving him inside without a means to escape cause the windows were too small for a grown man to climb out of.

Then it's unclear what exactly happened to him. Daniel heard Harry say one day that the guy spilled some cleaning supplies and died from the mixed fumes, and then the other Brett claimed that he tried to break the door open, slipped on the wet floor and cracked his head on the sink, bleeding to his death with no one there to save him.

The dude could've simply had a heart attack. But the scary part is that it took the school staff three days to discover his body because of some national holiday that came right after the weekend. And that's when the ghoul appeared – to feast on the rotting flesh, or something. Since that incident the farthest stall in the bathroom is always locked and kids believe that it's exactly where the ghoul hides, waiting for new bodies to drop dead in there.

Daniel finds this story ridiculous (and only a tiny bit spooky). If there really is a monster out there somewhere he'll kick its ass with his power, so there is nothing he or Sean have to worry about. Harry and Brett, on the other hand…

'Oh no,' Daniel catches Sean's alarmed thought and doesn't have time to ask him what it is when the two bullies round the corner and spot them standing in the open.

The party is in full swing and there's nobody else around so they become easy targets.

"Well, if it isn't the dirty piglet and two pathetic mutts," Brett says with a nasty smile.

Ellery tenses at the new insult, Sean pretends to arrange something in Daniel's locker and Daniel meets the unfriendly looks those two dickheads give them with a heavy stare.

"Aww, look, he's about to bark at us," Harry coos mockingly as he shuffles to his own locker.

That's it. Daniel has had enough of these assholes. He feels his power thrumming in his veins, begging to be used. And he will, gladly.

He knows exactly how to punish them.

"No, Daniel, don't do this!" Sean grabs his sleeve and pulls, making him stumble to the side.

"Yeah, you better keep your trap shut," Harry grins, taking a pack of cigarettes out and nodding to Brett in the direction of the bathroom. Then he gives Daniel another stink eye and adds. "You tell anyone about this and we'll make your life hell."

Brett humphs in agreement and they start walking down the hall, looking like they own the school.

But that won't last much longer.

Daniel doesn't raise his hand this time, he doesn't need to – his power has been raging inside him and all he needs to do is focus to use it.

First, the lamps above their heads start blinking, plunging the hall in and out of darkness. That gets Harry and Brett to pause mid-step and look around in mild confusion.

"What's that?" Ellery asks aloud, looking up. Daniel puts on a baffled face as well.

Sean is still gripping his sleeve and his tense, almost desperate expression fits the scenario he has in mind perfectly. He deliberately ignores a string of 'No, no, no, please, no, you can't,' that his brother channels to him non-stop.

Next, the lockers lined along the walls shudder in a wave that seems to start right where the bathroom is. That gets the two bullies to jump and yelp in surprise and, finally, fear. But Daniel is far from done.

"The hell is that!" Brett barks when the lockers start trembling again. It's hard to tell in the madly blinking light but he must have grown pale. His eyes are so wide open they are almost bulging out of his head, giving him an even bigger resemblance to a toad.

Harry is shaking by his side, opening and closing his big ugly mouth in silent shock. Lets see if he can make him scream.

Daniel barely suppresses an excited laugh and takes a step forward, brushing Sean's hand off his hoodie.

"Oh no, behind you!" he shouts with fake agitation. And the moment they turn around he makes the bathroom door open with a bang.

"Daniel!" Sean calls him with urgency.

"W-what's happening!" he hears El's shaky voice behind him too, but he's too engrossed in his prank to chat.

"It's the ghoul!" he yells, pointing his finger at the bathroom - and that gives him the reach he needs to feel around the tiled room, spin open the faucets and clatter with the doors of the stalls.

Harry shrieks, so high Daniel could've mistaken him for a toddler, and starts running. Brett, however, stays frozen on the spot.

"It's gonna get you, run!" Daniel urges him, throwing his hands up as though to cup his cheeks in horror, but in reality he gets a hold of Brett's bulky form and shoves him hard in the direction of the bathroom.

"No! Get off me! Let me go!" he screams, thrashing on the floor, and Daniel makes sure to squeeze his arms ans legs one last time before pushing him into the bathroom and swinging the door shut.

Harry glances over his shoulder when that happens, stumbles over his own feet and falls right next to where the three of them are standing.

"It can't be happening, it can't," he's sobbing, watching the end of the hall in disbelief. This up close Daniel sees the tears that run down his cheeks.

The bathroom door rattles with the bangs of Brett's fists, and he wants to keep him there but his eyes land on the two people crouched on the floor behind him.

It's Ellery, kneeling and pressing himself against the locker, with hands over his ears and small whimpers spilling out of his trembling lips. Sean is there too, hugging him from the side and muttering something quickly and quietly, so he probably doesn't hear a thing.

The sight makes Daniel drop his act and let go of the bathroom door.

"Sean, is he alright?" he asks, kneeling beside them.

"What do you think," Sean glares at him. 'I asked you to stop but you never listen!' comes his angry thought next. Daniel flinches.

A loud bang from the end of the hall announce Brett's emergence. He lands on his hands and knees and crawls away, heaving. The back of his pants is wet, most likely from the faucet water that spilled on the floor, but it also makes him look like he pissed himself.

Unfortunately, Daniel doesn't get to gloat at him or Harry, who's now crying quietly, sitting in the middle of the hall. Their math teacher, the strictest and oldest hag in the whole school, walks around the farthest a corner and starts talking right away, "What is the meaning of this? What's this noise? Van Foster!" She comes across him first. "What happened here?"

And she's not alone, soon their homeroom teacher whose name Daniel still hasn't memorised, arrives and the janitor, and then the gym teacher too. It's one big mess of questions, jumbled explanations and among them, Harry's insistent "It's all their fault! They angered the ghoul!" directed at him and Sean.

The teachers look at Harry with a skeptical eye but since Daniel and his brother are the least affected by the 'incident', they get interrogated more vehemently. While Ellery has to be taken to the nurse's office because he won't stop gasping and trembling.

"Who started this? You two? Was it some kind of prank? You may be new here but you were warned from the start that those aren't tolerated at this school," they are being lectured as they are ushered to the principal's office. Brett and Harry have been sent to the nurse's office too in the end, which, Daniel thinks, is totally unfair.

"We didn't do anything!" Daniel complaints, but Sean chooses that moment to yank him on the sleeve, undermining his innocent act. "What? I'm telling the truth."

"Sean, right?" the teacher zeroes in on his brother, no doubt sensing his goody-two-shoes nature. "Will you tell me what happened, please? What were you doing out there in the first place?"

"I- I don't know, Ellery needed a change of clothes so we went," he says, looking so nervous it's a miracle he's not dishing out the whole truth to escape the pressure. "The lamps were going crazy and then there was water in the bathroom, it must've broken down or something," he mumbles, pulling at the hem of his hoodie.

"The water didn't start running on its own, do you know who was responsible for it or not?"

"I don't," he says, but then for a second his eyes jump up from the floor towards Daniel.

Crap. His brother can't lie for the life of him. Daniel is so in trouble.

"Is that so?" the teacher watches them closely for a bit, waiting for someone to break, but they stubbornly remain quiet. "Well, you leave us no choice but to contact your father. Maybe he will be able to get a proper answer out of you," she gives her verdict and goes into the principal's office, instructing the secretary to make the call.

'You're such an idiot,' Sean's accusatory thought tickles his temples.

'They deserved it and you know it,' Daniel petulantly thinks back.

'And Ellery too?' hangs between them until the teacher instructs them to sit on the couch and wait for Dad to arrive.

The prank didn't go as he planned. At all.

'Will you tell him?' Daniel turns to Sean when they hear Dad's voice a quarter of an hour later. He hasn't looked at him once, and now only hunches his shoulders and hides his eyes. An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of Daniel's stomach.

"Sean," he calls, reaching for his brother's hand. Sean shoves it in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Sean! Daniel!" Dad walks to them as soon as he sees them. "Are you alright?" he asks, inspecting them both and stopping his worried gaze at Sean. Of course.

"Y-yeah, we're okay," Sean says out loud but Dad sees right through him, his face hardens and he lets out a sigh. It's not the first time he had to do damage control after their pranks. But usually Sean was on Daniel's side, and now…

"Alright, we'll handle this, come," he motions for them to get up and walk into the principal's office.

All things considered, they are lucky to only get detention for a week. Daniel mentions how Harry and Brett kept picking at them since morning, and Sean doesn't deny it, but that makes the principal even more suspicious about what happened later in the hall. Still, since nobody can prove they were the ones who caused the flood in the bathroom, they can't make them pay for the repairs. Which is good, their dining room table is already flooded with bills as it is.

Dad gives the principal a promise to 'have a serious talk' with them, but Daniel is mostly concerned about what Sean has to say. Or maybe, has said to Dad already, with his power. That suspicion flares in Daniel's chest when Dad lays his heavy hand on his shoulder as he guides them to the car. Sean walks beside him with his head guiltily hanging low.

They climb on the backseat in ominous silence.

Dad makes sure they have their seat belts on and starts the car.

"I can't believe you used your power to hurt someone on purpose, Daniel," he says calmly, catching his eyes in the rear view mirror. Daniel's face grows hot in an instant and his heart starts hammering in his chest.

"I didn't! I didn't hurt anybody, I just-" He jerks forward, but the belt keeps him in place.

"Wanted to scare them?" Dad interrupts, turning to look at him directly. Daniel's mouth goes dry when he sees his disappointed frown.

"They were being mean to us, all day," he tries to defend himself, but his resolve is weakening when he remembers how scared Ellery was. He didn't know it was Daniel's doing after all. But Sean did.

His head snaps to his brother, "They pushed you around too and you tell Dad I'm the one who hurt people?" Sean won't look at him. Daniel feels so angry all of a sudden. Angry and betrayed.

"Hurting people isn't always about physical pain, hijo, what you did to those boys can stay with them for the rest of their lives, do you understand?" But Daniel doesn't. He doesn't want to understand that.

"I was only standing up for us, for Sean and- and his new friend, isn't it what you always taught us?" Daniel is so frustrated he's almost ready to cry. He won't though. He's not a wimp, like Sean who's sniffling already.

"I also taught you not to use your powers on other people and what did you do?" Dad raises his voice a little, and it stuns Daniel into momentarily silence. But then he's reminded of something else.

"So it's not okay when I use my power to give some bullies what's coming for them, but when Sean does it to get on everybody's good side it's perfectly fine?" he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean? Sean?" Dad turns his attention to his brother, finally.

"I-I didn't use it on the teachers, I promise!" Sean yelps, knowing what Dad was thinking, naturally.

"See!" Daniel throws his hands up and gestures at Sean with irritation. "He's always using it, and always gets away with it, so why can't I-"

"Enough!" Dad slams his hands on the steering wheel, making both him and Sean jump in their seats. "You can't be irresponsible with your powers like that, especially here. This isn't Beaver Creek, and your pranks can get out of control much faster than you expect. You need to really think about it. Both of you are grounded. For a month."

"What! But we already got detention," Daniel whines.

"Exactly, that should give you food for thought too," Dad says and starts pulling out of the parking lot, indicating that the conversation is over.

"This isn't fair," Daniel grumbles under his breath. 'Thanks for the support, bro,' he thinks very clearly, putting all his bitterness into it.

But Sean doesn't react. That is, Daniel can't feel his reaction for some reason. He might stay quiet but normally Daniel senses the echoes of his emotions. And now there's just nothing.

'Sean,' he tries again. 'You suck.'

His brother doesn't look at him and, apparently, refuses to read his mind.

'Now you stop using you power, huh?' Daniel thinks, glaring holes in the side of Sean's frowny face. He simply keeps staring out of the window though, as if an invisible wall suddenly appeared between them and Daniel can't reach him anymore. It's ridiculous.

And it hurts. Not only Sean rats him out to Dad, but decides to shut him out immediately after it. Fine. If Sean doesn't want him in his head, Daniel won't let him in his.

If he imagines a wall, who knows, maybe it'll grow between them for real. Sean is the one who started it, soon he'll try the taste of his own medicine.

Daniel looks at Sean one last time, thinks 'Traitor,' as loud and clear as he can, turns to the other window and spends the rest of the ride home in complete silence.

What he doesn't know is that this silence in his head, not interrupted by his brother's telepathic voice, the one that was so odd to him then, would become his constant companion for the next several years. As well as the feeling of loneliness that came along with it.

–

'Daniel.' A thought, as light and illusive as a breeze touches Daniel's temple. And with it the unmistakable presence of his twin washes over him from head to toe. He missed it. So, so much. He never wanted them to be apart while still living under the same roof.

The time he spent foolishly pushing Sean away was the worst in his life. As well as watching him get closer with his new friends at school, easily finding Daniel a replacement.

'Daniel!' Rings louder and more urgently in his mind. 'Wake up!'

A hand grabs his shoulder and Daniel's eyes snap open. It takes him a moment to ground himself in reality, and Sean thankfully helps, upholding their link and reminding him where they are.

Pictures and impressions of what their past month was comprised of flash before him in quick succession – Sean clearly wants him up and functioning as soon as possible. There are their bleak homeless nights under Californian sky, an assortment of odd jobs that hardly paid for their meals, the better part of the month spent on a ranch doing even more grunt work, a lousy Christmas at a local burger joint, and a hasty departure once Sean heard the owner thinking about whether it would be more profitable for him to simply give them the boot without paying a cent or call the cops and out their location – national news channels be damned. After that they hopped on another train going south and planned to go to Sacramento but had an unexpected encounter with a bunch of hippies.

The moment they jumped into the same car where he and Sean were hiding Daniel was ready to blast their asses out onto the tracks – they could've been anyone, and Daniel didn't want to take any chances. Sean stopped him in time, and the four got the opportunity to introduce themselves. Not that Daniel was eager to memorize so many names at once.

But Sean was. He latched onto their minds like a dying man in a desert would latch on a fresh water stream, like he couldn't wait to read their minds. And, fine, he did it to make sure they were okay, but Daniel couldn't help but remember those first days at school in Seattle – and his brother hurrying to make friends, as though Daniel wasn't good enough for him anymore.

And if his glances towards the train-hoppers sitting along the opposite wall of the car tell Daniel anything, it's that he had some time to bond with them already and probably learned more about them than they ever planned on telling him.

'Come on,' Sean frowns down at him, 'They are going to work on a farm, Finn is offering to introduce us to the guy who could give us a job, the money's going to be much better,' Sean's rapid thoughts thrum in Daniel's head and he needs to sit up to process them.

"What job?" he asks, aloud. Sean rolls his eyes. Right. He forgot Sean hasn't technically told him that yet. He looks to the group of people not even three feet away, but they seem to be chatting among themselves and don't notice Daniel's slip up.

"It's a weed farm," Sean says. Daniel's brows rise in mild surprise. Not at the job itself, but the fact that Sean is cool with the idea of working at a fucking- "I know, right? But the owner won't ask for IDs or anything and there's gonna be a camp to live at, no more squatting at people's sheds or homeless shelters," he speaks quickly, almost excitedly, and Daniel wonders where this weird enthusiasm comes from.

Until he catches the smell of weed in the air and spots a joint in the hand of a white dude with dreads. He looks like a total loser.

But when he studies his brother's face more closely, and his eyes in particular, he sees that his pupils are dilated.

"Man, you're fucking high, what the fuck," he hisses, grabbing Sean by the shoulders and glaring in the direction of those fucking hippies. "Did you smoke that shit?"

"What? No." Sean shakes his head with conviction. And then shows Daniel the mental image - a memory - of himself sitting next to the pink-haired girl, talking and sketching in his book. He could still be lying, mixing stuff up, but since he's able to transfer him anything at all he can't be that high.

Which means he's getting contact high, tuning in with these careless stoners.

"Anyway," Sean says, pointedly brushing Daniel's hands off himself. "Finn worked there before, the place is legit," I checked he adds silently. "They are gonna jump off soon, the spot where there are getting picked up isn't far from the road on foot. We could come too?"

The way he says the last bit in a questioning tone reassures Daniel that he hasn't completely lost his mind in the hippies' high ones. And the idea isn't too bad in itself but-

Daniel looks over at the chatting group. He takes one goddamned nap and Sean finds himself roped into some crazy shit by total randos.

'Hey, cut it out, they're good people,' he hears Sean's offended thought.

'Oh, you would know,' pops up in his mind on its own, and he knows it's too late to pretend he didn't mean it because Sean's face pulls into a frown.

Daniel doesn't want to meet his eyes when he hears, 'Hey, it's not gonna be anything like back then, I promise.'

Sean always knows what's bothering him. At least when he's not careful enough to conceal his mood and thoughts like he's been doing for several years.

A bout of laughter from across the car gets his attention and when he looks over there next he catches shrewd blue eyes and a crooked lazy smile, "So what's it gonna be, pups?" the guy asks, standing up. "We're about to debark and have us some good time and good cash helping mother nature produce her finest grass, you in or you're out?"

He says it like he's advertising a fun adventure, and Sean watches him with such a ridiculous awed expression Daniel is kinda tempted to say no. But he won't.

They really need more money to get to Mexico, and what can be easier than get it on a freaking pot farm.

"Yeah," he says, standing up as well and discreetly helping Sean to his feet with his power. "We're in."

"Awesome," says the girl with pink hair. "Don't fall behind then." She winks at them both and slides the car door open.

As they hop off the train one by one, landing on hard ground with little grace, Daniel wonders what lies ahead for him and his brother, and how soon they will be able to leave their current destination.

Because if there's one thing Daniel is pretty damn sure about, it's that he won't let anybody else become Sean's best friend again. He didn't regain his trust for nothing. They are Super Wolf Bros after all, always will be, and they don't need anyone else on their team in the long run.

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