Note: Another heartbreaker. This one is based on another post by ectoblood, with the prompt of "Imagine a clone sacrificing themselves to save Danny from a fatal blow. Danny doing his best to comfort said clone in last moments as he destabilizes in his hands"
It wasn't...It wasn't supposed to be like this, Danny thought as he held the melting boy in his arms. The clone is the one who's supposed to be inconsolable. Danny's supposed to be comforting him. He's supposed to be keeping him calm. His clone shouldn't...shouldn't be comforting him.
But the clone is calm, resigned to his impending death. "It's...it's okay. It'll all be over s..soon." He coughs through the ectoplasm in his mouth.
The clone had wanted to die, feeling trapped by Vlad and his cruel demands. He feels worthless, like he has no purpose being the failed clone of another boy. And he doesn't really have any friends or family who will miss him, nothing and no one to leave behind. But saving Danny, who has friends and family, a home and purpose unlike him, might just give the clone's short life some meaning. He can do at least one good meaningful thing before his end.
So while the clone is dying in Danny's arms, he tells his original. "Hey. Hey. Don't...don't cry. It'll be okay. You're safe now. You can go home now."
But the words just make Danny cry harder. "No. Hang...hang on. Stay...stay with...with…" He's already done this once, when Danielle almost died in front of him. And he's seen too many other clones also destabilize in front of him. But the one in his arms, who doesn't even have a proper name just the ID number Vlad called him, is the only one, other than Dani, that he's actually spoken to. And the stupid self-sacrificing idiot is trying to tell him it's okay.
The clone's brow wrinkles, confused. Why is...why is Danny crying? I's not like anyone has even really cared about him, much less cried for him. And Danny shouldn't be sad; it's not like his clone was even supposed to exist anyway. A distant part of him starts to think that Danny might actually miss him when he's gone. Danny might actually mourn.
That thought makes the clone cry. Danny might actually care about him and no one ever has, and maybe he doesn't actually want to die. Now both boys are crying and as the clone's body disappears up to his waist, he starts begging Danny to save him. And Danny's weeping because he can't. He doesn't know how. Danny starts telling the clone that he's sorry, that he failed him, he should have been stronger, faster. That he wished he'd known about him sooner so maybe he could have saved him then.
Danny holds the other boy closer. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, 18."
"Jamie." The clone chokes out. "My name is Jamie."
Danny doesn't question it but just agrees. "Okay. Okay Jamie. I promise, I promise I won't forget you. You saved me. You saved me and I'll never forget you. I'll remember you, okay, always. Always Jamie. I-"
Hearing the name he picked, since Vlad never bothered to give him one, was sweet, even if it was the last thing the clone ever heard. Jamie died in Danny's arms before he could hear that Danny loved him.