Danny sighed, pressing his head into his pillow. The ache rippled across his back as a constant reminder of the fight that occurred moments prior to his arrival to his room. A nasty showdown with the ghost zone's famous hunter in a nearby woodland area left Danny with a few uncomfortable bruises. All of which, he knew he would be feeling for the days coming.
Clockwork's offer kept ringing through his ear in moments like this. Taking it would making handling ghosts a whole lot more easier, it would leave him only with different supernatural creatures occasionally. However the fear of what would happen if he did accept the Ghost King title loomed over him, he didn't want the power to corrupt him. He didn't want to, couldn't let himself turn into Dan.
Even Pandora wasn't sure what the new powers would bring along, the elder ghosts only had an idea what powers would come along. Not what happens to a ghost's core once it's been bestowed. That was the scariest part of it all, Pariah Dark was able to be corrupted- what's to say Danny can't? The elders had their theory, Pariah's core wasn't nearly as "pure" as Danny's.
His drive was much more greedy, something that could easily be twisted and turned to a darker aspect. Danny's obsession was narrowed to protecting, he couldn't stand seeing people get hurt. He always had an urge to step in, to help. Clockwork is so sure that his couldn't be corrupted, even Pandora back him on it. Every one of the ghosts he's talked to believe that he would stay the same...
The powers terrified. Yes, some of them would be amazing, but the things that came with the artifacts? The crown of fire, and the ring of rage. It was only ever used under the corrupted rule of Pariah, everyone is unsure if it would hold it's similar standing on someone much more kind-hearted. It didn't help ease Danny's fear, but as the days passed the more taking on the offer seemed more inviting.
Although that was a thought process for another day, Danny was much too tired to bother going down that rabbit hole. All he wanted right now was a long, uninterrupted sleep. He really hoped it wasn't going to be interrupted, he wanted to feel rested for once when he woke up. Not plagued with more uninvited nightmares and fears that he tried to escape in his sleep.
The vibrating against his bed side table told him otherwise, he had a class he needed to attend. Which he could miss, he hadn't miss this class yet so his grades wouldn't take the worse impact from one class missed... Fuck it, he wasn't going. He flicked the alarm off, deeming himself done with classes for the day. It was his only remaining one, he just couldn't be bothered right now.
He quickly shot a text to his roommate, letting them know he was going to sleep but he was having rough day. Feeling content, Danny curled up in bed. Being mindful of his new bruises, he settled himself as comfortably as he could.
Sleep was the only he wanted right now.
Danny bubbled with laughter, leaning back into the wall, another laugh chiming along side he's own. As the laughing slowly died down, Danny turned his gaze from the T.V. to his roommate. Riley, Danny figured himself lucky in the roommate department. When he agreed to Coed living spaces, he was a little worried how he'd get along with whoever he was stuck with.
He was lucky enough to be stuck with a loud, open-minded, forensics student who took every new thing in strides. It helped most considering the third night he had a nightmare, and she never pushed. Riley had simply woken him up, holding two pints of ice cream with a simple question. Netflix. Three months into being roommates and they created their own little rituals.
Whenever one of them was getting stressed out from school, or whenever they were just having a bad day, or even when Riley breaks up with the fourth douche-bag she manged to crush on. The two would settle down on his bed, throw on Netflix, and eat their feelings. Riley's laughter quieted to giggles before pointing to the screen, the movie still playing along.
"I'm just saying, there is so many better low budget ways that make the blood look REALISTIC!" She emphasized, waving towards the horrible spray of blood that followed another injuring. They were watching a clown murder movie on Netflix, something Riley's teacher mentioned during class. "When she said the blood work was going to be infuriating, I didn't expect THIS!"
"The SFX doesn't even help." Danny chuckled. The movie was literally just a clown going around and killing people, which filled the movie with torture/murder scenes. Riley was studying in the forensics field, specifically she wanted to look into blood splatter. Her professor recommending this movie was a bad idea.
"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WOULD LOOK!" She cried, tossing a piece of popcorn at the movie. Danny laughed, the hand that was just cut in half did look like a lazily put together piece of silicon. Danny had enough sense to know that everything in this film looked horribly done, he can only imagine how frustrating it was for his roommate. "I swear, it's like no one producing this ever saw a REAL gory horror movie. Smh." She sighed, flipping the movie off.
"I can only take so much of this." She laughed, taking a spoon full of her ice cream. She turned completely, giving Danny her infamous "gossip time" look. "Sooooo, tell me about lover boy."
"Riley come on." Danny shook his head, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "Don't call him that."
"Okay, okay I won't." She held her hands up in surrounded. "But seriously, how's things with Sam going? Have you finally gotten up the courage to make a move?" Danny sighed, finishing his own bite of ice cream.
"You already know I'm not going to, beside's I'm pretty sure he's straight." Danny mumbled. It wasn't like he hasn't thought about it, in these months the two have only been getting closer. Although the two haven't been sharing deepest darkest secrets, the bond that was there in high school is only getting stronger. "I don't want to end up fucking things up."
"Ughhhh, I know you don't and I support you but come on." Riley whined, waving an exasperated hand in the air. "I want you to be happy! You need a good thing!"
"Sam is already a good thing." Danny halfheartedly retorted, it wasn't like he was lying. The moments with Sam always brightened his day, but he really wished his crush on the taller man died in high school. "Now enough about my love life, how's it going with douche-bag of the week?"
"I swear, your lucky I have so much tea to spill about this man." Riley shook her head before launching herself into rant about the man in question.
"So yea, that's how Riley's been doing lately." Danny laughed along with Sam, the two were relaxing in Danny's dorm room. The study session for today was canceled with both students needing a much needed mental break from academics. With mid-terms just around the corner, the studying has just been intensifying with the need to keep grades up in case the mid-term exams were a bust. "How's Tina doing?"
"Not much better." Sam chuckled, shaking his head. Danny's only met Tina on a few occasions, but she's taken refuge as Sam's study buddy when it comes to the classes they share. "She's in a fight with both her boyfriend and girlfriend, so those two have been giving her hell."
"Sounds like her." Danny shook his head, glancing at the movie just playing along in the background. He vaguely remembered Sam introducing him to poly-amorous relationship when he first heard about Tina's partners. It took him a bit to wrap his mind around the fact it wasn't like a love rivalry but more like a complete circle. "I don't know how people do it."
"Do what?" Sam asked, questioning eyes zoning in on Danny.
"Relationships." Danny shrugged, turning his attention the screen. He didn't really want to look directly at Sam when he's complaining about the complexity that romantic relations seem to carry. "I mean, friendships can be hard enough on their own. I just don't know how people can handle the stress of a relationship on top of everything." From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam's facial expression soften. It was enough to tell Danny that's he's opening up a bit too much.
"It's because everyone wants to feel loved, a romantic relationship is just something nothing else can match. Not everyone gets in one, and not everyone needs one." Sam explained, a soft smile resting on his lips. Danny bit back a sigh, he knows that, the problem was he just couldn't wrap his head around it. "And there's never a certain time someone needs to find a long-lasting stable relationship, regardless what society says."
"I know... It's just-" Danny cut himself off, mulling over his words. "You can really hurt someone, or you can get really hurt." He finally spoke, hating how small he felt in that moment.
"That's a risk everyone takes, the difference is in a loving relationship, you never intentionally try to hurt the other person." Sam spoke, taking a brief pause before adding. "And the people involved always work to heal and learn from mistakes."
"Have you ever..." Danny paused, swallowing and meeting Sam's gaze. "Have you had one?" Sam seemed surprise by Danny's question, before Danny could retract his statement, the other spoke.
"Yes, and no. I've had some, but not that lasted long, or were really deep." Sam shrugged. "With moving around a lot when I was younger, I guess I never really wanted to."
"I'm sorry." Danny said, filling the small lapse in silence. The lapse continued, the only noises coming from the T.V.
"You?" Sam asked, almost like he was worried he was pushing some boundary he shouldn't be.
"No, I mean in Amity there was no one that ever caught my attention." Danny shrugged. "Not like anyone would have wanted to." The ravenette mumbled, tensing slightly when he noticed his slip up.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked. Danny swallowed, he wasn't planning on telling Sam anytime soon. It just seems that sometimes when he's around him, things just come out. Funny, like he's about to.
"I, uh... you know it's a small town and most people aren't really open." Danny swallowed again, feeling a familiar pit growing. He knew Sam wouldn't care, but that didn't stop the irrational fear from settling in. "Cause I'm gay, and there just wasn't anyone out in town." Danny spared a glance in Sam's direction, watching a flicker of surprise pass through hazel-green eyes.
"That's okay though, because you never know what the future holds." Sam offered him a reassuring smile, easing Danny's tension. Danny returned the smile, he's shoulders releasing the tension he didn't know he had. "And since you trusted me, I'll let you know. I'm Bi."
"Woah dude." Tucker's shocked voice filtered through the speakers of his laptop. Danny groaned into the pillow he had his face shoved into. "I mean, just... woah."
"I know!" Danny complained, lifting his face from his pillow to look at Tucker. "How am I supposed to just, ignore it."
"Why don't you just, not?" Sam's voice chimed in, her pleased smirk resting on purple lips. "I mean you like him, I'm sure he likes you, what's the problem?'
"That we don't know that!" Danny countered. He really wished people didn't try to make sense of his problems, he'd rather not have a revelation thank you very much. "And I don't think I should be spending time trying to figure that out."
"I don't know, might do you some good." Sam shrugged, running a hand through her short black hair. It wasn't like Danny wanted to particularly out the other man, but he really need to tell someone. He was originally just going to tell Tucker because he wasn't sure if Sam M. was going to be free, but she popped into the video chat right before the words were uttered.
"I mean, Sam's kinda right man." Tucker gave him an apologetic look, knowing full well that Danny would rather talk about anything else. "He seems like he makes you happy."
"I would absolutely love to talk about literally anything else."
"I swear, you and Tucker are both hopeless." Sam shook her head, she paused to glance at her phone before regarding the two males. "I've got to head out, but Danny for the love all things unholy, be selfish for once." That was her parting words before the her feed disconnected. Danny groaned, burying his face into his pillow.
"I hate feels."
"Don't we all." Tucker responded, sympathy lacing his words. "It's just all so, complicated."
"Right?" Danny lifted his head up, rubbing his tired eyes. "Why can't it ever just make sense."
"Oh no, you and Winchester make sense." Tucker laughed, shaking his head. Earning a glare for the distressed man. "You're just too dense to see it."
"Tucker! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Danny whined, pushing the pillow off his lap in favor of resting his chin of his palm.
"I usually would be, however." Tucker raised his hands up in a shrug, puckering his lips ever so slightly in mock thought. "We all know that that's something that would ACTUALLY be good for you."
"I will hang up on you right now."
"Okay, okay, okay." Tucker shook his hands, giving Danny an amused smile. "Let's complain about classes instead?"
AN: Okay so first, I know most, if not all, Co-ed dorms aren't actually like this, but I also just did it for the story. I don't really know much about dorm life cause I'm a commuter right off the bat.
Putting that aside, I really hope you guys like today's chapter. I got random motivation hit me today, and busted this chapter out in one sitting, and I'm not mad about it.
Let me know what you guys think in the reviews, along with any questions or theories! Stay safe my friends!