Danny felt the anxiety thrumming through him, even before he was allowing into the room. Before he even knocked. Before he was even in the same state as them. He was freaking out the moment he found out where they were. Knew he was going to find them, and he was going to lay all his secrets out for all everyone to see.

So now, he was stressed, staring up at the two men standing before them. There was a moment before Danny spoke. A tense moment, before Danny refused to let the tension kill his voice.

"You know, I would have just drank it." Danny mused, swiping the liquid off his cheek. Dean had splashed his holy water on him, checking to see in he was human or not.

Sadly, none of their attempts was going to show the truth.

"What the fuck are you?" Dean growled, Danny heard a noise escape Sam. Danny wanted to focus on Sam, speak to him like he has rehearsed so many times in his head. He knew better, knew Dean would find him more of a threat if he turned his focus on Sam.

"It's complicated." Danny sighed, continuing before Dean could interrupt. "I'm not completely human, and I'm not completely a creature. I'm an anomaly, the only one of myself. I shouldn't have lived, trust me, I didn't expect to. But I did." Danny shrugged glancing between Dean and Sam.

"How?" Sam voice broke through, his tone felt broken even if he tried to stop it. The tears in Sam's eyes, drew fresh one's to Danny's.

"No one knew I would survive, Charles sent people to try and save me. Everyone wasn't sure it would work... But it did." Danny swallowed, before training his eyes on Dean. "Before you say no one could walk away unharmed, know I didn't. I care the scars from that day."

"That doesn't answer my question." Dean growls, the gun still resting in a tight grip at his hip. Danny swallowed, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie.

"I'm still the same Danny you guys know... I've been like this since I was fourteen, before I met you." Danny explained, watching emotions flash through the brothers' eyes. "I was planning to tell you, I was, I didn't want to hide it for so long but..."

"What the fuck Danny!" Dean was the first to speak, body tense and ready for anything. "You've lied to us, to Sam, all these years!"

"Dean!" Sam spoke, catching his brother's attention. Danny watched Dean's jaw clench as he focused on Sam. "Let him talk." Danny waited as the two seem to have a silent conversation, until eyes were back on him to continue.

"I told Sam about this, I was in a lab accident when I was fourteen. Caught in one of my parents inventions, I never told you what it was. It was supposed to rip a hole in the fabric of space and time, a man-made portal into the zone. A place between the living and dead, where higher ectoplasmic entities reside." Danny explained, watching for any indication he needed to backtrack, or explain more. "That day... I died. Not fully, I was dying, but before I died my body was bombarded with ectoplasm. Effectively saving my life, and killing it."

"That's not possible." Sam spoke, sounding almost breathless.

"It shouldn't be, people have tried to recreate it and it never worked. Don't ask me why I was the only one that survived, but the ectoplasm changed me. I became half blood, and half ectoplasm. A halfa, someone stuck between the living and the dead." Danny swallowed, shifting his gaze from the brothers. He thought explaining was going to be the hard part, but telling them why he hid turned out harder.

He could feel the familiar tightening in his throat, the burn behind his eyes as the memories started resurfacing. Instead, he tried to swallow again, pushing the feeling down.

"My parents noticed the change, they never figured out fully how it changed me, but they knew I wasn't the same afterwards. I've spent so much of my life trying to help people while trying to evade hunters. People who threatened on the daily to pull me apart and figure out what I was and how I worked." Danny finally looked back up, watching flashes of horror in Sam's-and Dean's-eyes. "I've lost so many people in my life because of it, and I was terrified of the reactions if people found out, so I hid. Then I met you guys, hunters, and I was terrified when I first realized who you were. But you were there for me, I trusted you, but that didn't change how I felt about it."

"I wanted to tell you guys, especially you Sam, every time I got close to it, I'd freeze. How was I going to tell my hunter boyfriend that he was dating the very things he killed? That the people he's met from my family where also not human? That every part of my life was surrounded by the dead, and they were my family?"

"Charles and Pandora? Even Kitty" Sam asked, and Danny nodded.

"Kitty's dead, but the others... not quite" Danny shrugged, pulling at a loose thread. "Pandora is the Pandora, from Pandora's box. Charles on the other hand... he's complicated."

"This is bullshit." Dean growled, pulling away from the two. "You're just going to roll with this?" His question directed at Sam. Danny tensed, he expected by the end of this to be dropped from their lives. Never to be seen from again, but he didn't want to cause a riff between the brothers.

"Dean-"

"Stop." Danny shook his head, pulling himself from the couch. He didn't miss the shift in the room, but he shoved that to the back of his mind to feel hurt about later. "I only came back to explain, you're the only ones in my life before it all that I can tell that I'm still alive. But I refuse to cause any problems between you two. I need to close this part of my-our-lives so we can just move on. Whether or not you still want me in your lives."

"It's been almost a year, why now?" Dean asked, anger lacing his words.

"I was in a coma for a while, after that I had to heal. Basically physical therapy and rest." Danny crossed his arms. "Pandora was in charge of deciding when I can go top-side again, and that wasn't until recently and when I was, I decided to come find you."

"Look, I don't expect much to come from this. It's a shock, I get it, so..." Danny paused, pulling a small white card from his pocket and dropped it on the small table between them. "Here's my number and where I'm staying for now. Think about it, if I don't hear from you, I'll know your answer."

"Danny-"

"Just, think about it." Danny cut Sam off, walking towards the motel door. "I'll understand whichever you choose." Danny offered them a small, sad smile before exiting. He let the door close behind him, taking a deep breath before making his way towards his car. He didn't want to leave like that, wished he could stay longer and just explain everything. Every small detail that lead them to this point.

But his resolve was breaking, he felt cornered and trapped. And he'd be damned if he was the reason the brothers broke apart once more.

And so Danny found himself at his motel's bar, downing drinks back to back while trying to stamp down the anxiety rising in him. It's been a few hours since he left the brothers. His phone rested on the bar counter next to his drink, eyes kept drawing back to it in hopes of a call.

Part of him hopes they don't call, a simple end to the interaction. He'd never have to worry about the awkwardness and mess that's likely to follow if he paired with the Winchesters again. Regardless, the thought made his heart hurt. There were few people in his life that he trusted, especially very few in the sense of the living.

"Bad break up?" Danny exhaled, downing the rest of his drink before turning to meet the familiar face.

"I hate you." Danny groaned, his new company laughed, tugging on his black facial hair. Danny glanced at the glass Andrew held, the liquid sloshing slightly as the man settled in the stool beside the younger man.

"I take it things didn't go well?" Andrew mused, sipping from his glass. Danny shook his head, thanking the bartender as another drink was placed before him.

"I left before they could really decide, I need to give them time to take everything thing."

"Did you tell them?"

"That I'm a king? Fuck no." Danny gave a harsh laugh. "Just what I am, and why I didn't tell them." Andrew nodded, pulling a small notepad from his pocket.

"I know we've had our issues, but I do care about you my boy." Andrew mused, glancing down at the scribbles on the page. "Need I remind you of who helped you when-"

"Need I remind you about the Christmas we first met?" Danny bit back, smiling slightly at the offended look on the man's face. "I know, we're good Andrew."

"You can talk to me." Andrew offered, although awkward Danny knew he meant well.

"I know, trust me." Danny sighed once more, taking a drink. "There's just too much, and too little going on inside my brain to get out into words."

"A notebook never fails." Andrew offered, a glint filling his green eyes.

"Oh, I know." Danny laughed, before pausing. Eyes glancing over the phone, with small frown Danny shoved the device in his pocket, downing the rest of his drink. "Wanna help me forget about shit for a bit?"

"I thought you'll never ask." Andrew smirked, pulling his own phone out. "I tipped a few friends that our boy might need a little pick me up."

"Goddamn." Danny laughed, the sound bursting out of him. The others around them laughed while a certain hunter sat red in the face.

"That is not how it went!" Skulker growled, crossing his arms. Danny smiled, passing the pipe over to Johnny.

"Don't worry Skulker, we know Ghost-Writer likes to exaggerate." Andrew huffed, downing the remaining of his glass. "Besides, since when was his word ever trusted?"

"Andy's not lying actually, I can concur." Aragon spoke, sipping from his glass of most likely expense wine. Danny shook his head, glancing over at Johnny as he continued the passing. His head buzzed nicely with the mixture of weed and alcohol. Although still anxious, it felt nice. He had his friends here, even if everyone in the room has tried to end his half-life on more than one occasion.

"And we don't trust you either princey."

Nicolai cackled, taking the pipe between his lips.

"Okay okay, before this turns into a fight where Pandora has all our heads for the damage she'd have to cover." Danny chimed, turning towards Johnny. "Why don't you tell us the rest of the plan for the night?"

"Bold of you to assume it wasn't just getting shit-faced." Johnny offered, a crooked grin resting on freckled features. Danny raised an eyebrow, all the other bodies in the room regarded the spirit with doubt. Johnny laughed, downing the last of his whiskey. "Alright, alright, but no shit-talking alright? And damn the rules." Johnny gave Danny a pointed look.

"We can't do anything to crazy." Danny sighed, even while crossfaded, they had rules for a reason.

"Loop-hole!" Johnny grinned, raising from his seat. "Invisible race."

"What?" A course of confusion filled the room.

"Alright, I sent Shadow to make sure no high-tech hunters were in town, and they aren't." Johnny waved a hand, a familiar shape curled on a nearby wall before vanishing. "We go invisible, and we race around town. Come on! How long has it been since sad boy here went on a real flight."

"I don't know." Danny sighed. The idea was extremely tempting, he hasn't taken a flight in too long. He hasn't enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing pass him, or narrowly dodging an incoming plane just for the hell of it.

"You always looked the happiest in flight." Andrew mused, nodding along with the others. Danny exhaled, taking in his crew of friends. They all nodded in agreement, a few with excitement dancing in their eyes.

"Okay-" Danny winced at the loud course of cheers, raising his voice to sound over theirs. "With a few ground rules."