Little Rabbit

by feralfrenzying

Summary:

“There you are my little rabbit~”

{GhostSmith Canon Universe Fic}

Currently finished, probably won't come back to this, sorry!

Notes:

This fic is obviously not meant to depict anything healthy at the starting point, but I'm planning on developing it further so it will be, hopefully while keeping the characters in line with canon. Anyway! Thanks for reading! Their dynamic has been really fun to think about and completely different to what I usually write, and this will have more chapters I wanted to just write out the prologue and see what the interest was like. ♥

Trapper/Jake will be in the first actual chapter! ♥

ALSO NOTE: All characters in this are being portrayed as adults as they are canonically in the Dead By Daylight universe. My HC ages for both Danny and Quentin are in their 20's.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Danny had been growing bored of the Trials.

At first, he’d relished in the killing- enjoying the way he was able to perfect his kills each and every time, the opportunity to be constantly learning something new.

On the other hand, however, there was also something boring about how the Survivors always came back.

Each scream became just a little more meaningless and after a while the little game he was a part of just got repetitive. Danny wanted something different, he craved some sort of change to make his time here more bearable.

It became a personal goal of his to find something to ease his suffering.

He’d spent what felt like months searching for something, not really sure what it even was that he wanted. At first he tried fucking around with the other Killers but that just wasn’t cutting it.

Killers were boring and self serving.

Selfish.

Survivors, on the other hand…

Well they were interesting.

Selfless and malleable, even.

His abilities weren’t always on par with other Killers, but Survivors? With them he always had the advantage, and something about the way they squirmed when they saw him brought a sense of purpose to his bored and tired soul.

Even when he wasn’t physically able to kill them he struck fear in their hearts. They’d scurry away from him so quickly it gave him a rush, and eventually he found himself with a renewed sense of purpose.

He’d managed to find just what he’d been looking for.

The thing he’d been craving just so happened to sport a grey beanie and the sleepiest set of blue eyes he’d ever seen.

The first time he’d laid eyes on him hadn’t even been in a Trial- he’d found the Survivor slumped up against a tree staring off into the distance. 

He couldn’t exactly talk to him, he was in the forest mostly to observe the Survivors and their habits outside of the Trials and this one was oh so tired .

Danny would even go so far to say that he was exhausted, and the Survivor just stared and stared, mindlessly blinking and scrunching up his nose just like a little rabbit.

In fact the longer he looked the more he realized that this Survivor actually looked like a rabbit.

He had soft, cute features and twitchy mannerisms just like some terrified bunny caught in a farmer’s trap.

So, that’s just what he became.

The Survivor, Quentin, became Danny’s little rabbit, and the Trials suddenly felt a little more fun.

He liked stalking him from a distance, watching as he’d laugh at the things his friends were saying.

He stayed so surprisingly positive for being stuck in an infinite death loop.

It was admirable, really, the way he was able to keep his head above water in such a dire situation.

Danny couldn’t say he’d ever been the same, but it didn’t really matter, did it? 

He was on top here in the fog, he had control of the situation, and he was making his own fun for himself. There was no reason for him to be feeling inadequate because Quentin was able to take things so much lighter than he was ever able to in his old life.

So Danny kept watching, and watching and watching until eventually they ended up in the same Trial together.

Danny had easily thrown Quentin’s teammates on hooks, waiting for Quentin to inevitably show up to save his friends like the savior he was.

Or maybe the savior he wanted to be.

The savior he was dying to emanate. 

Danny stayed crouched in the grass, patiently twirling his blade in his hands.

Quentin would have absolutely no idea he was even here waiting for him- it didn’t make sense for him to waste time waiting like this but he didn’t really care. It was his turn to play a game, fuck the Entity and what she wanted him to do.

The sound of feet against the dirt caught Danny’s attention, gaze quickly shooting back towards the hook.

Danny bolted upwards, grabbing Quentin by the waist and tugging him back into the grass.

“Not very smart of you, my little rabbit,” He cooed, as he tightened his grasp on Quentin’s waist, “You’ve been caught by the scary kitty cat!”

Danny grinned to himself as Quentin let out a surprised gasp, struggling to wiggle out of his arms.

And Quentin was a noisy little thing, whimpering and thrashing, but Danny actually didn’t want to hurt him for once. 

At least he didn’t yet , it would all just depend on how much Quentin played along.

He let out a laugh, bringing his blade to Quentin’s throat.

“Now,” He began, “I think we should get to know one another.”

He could hear Quentin growl, but he stopped wiggling. 

“Y’know it’s not really nice to pull a knife on someone to get to know them.”

Danny laughed again as his gaze flicked to the Survivor struggling on hook. They were moaning and groaning and about to die but Danny didn’t care. 

Or he did, but he was much too preoccupied with the dreamwalker sitting in his lap.

Danny’s lips curled into a smirk- one he was sure could be heard in his words despite the mask covering his visage.

“Well unfortunately for you I’m not nice.”

Chapter 2

Summary:

To the Ghostie that killed all my friends and watched me finish generators and then took me to hatch, this chapter is for you ♥

Notes:

I'm soft about Trapper/Jake right now so I added them in for no reason other than for myself and also my partner that loves them. Teehee.

Anyway, I don't actually really know what I'm gonna do with this fic, but I'm writing some characters I haven't really before so there's that. Thanks for reading! <3

“You like to feel special don’t you little rabbit?”

Danny crouched himself down next to the generator, watching as he allowed Quentin to finish it.

Quentin was a martyr- Danny and everyone else knew this, but even he wasn’t immune to the tantalizing way being treated better than everyone else made him feel.

Danny saw the way the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, acting like he didn’t want to lean into the compliments and the pet name. 

“Shut up.”

Danny grinned. 

“And yet you never deny it, Quen.”

The emotions of his little Survivor pet were always so amusing to him- the way he’d get so flustered and embarrassed when Danny would compliment him.

At first it had all been a joke- something to keep him amused in the Trials but the more he was able to spend time with him, the more he began to worry that there were genuine feelings lurking beneath the surface.

The thought alone was terrifying- something Danny didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole but it didn’t matter anyways. He was still in control, still had the upper hand in their dynamic, and even if there was something deeper there he could easily squash it down.

Besides, Quentin was going to love his next surprise, and to Danny it didn’t mean anything, right?

This was just a way to tighten the leash.

“You’re so special I even put you on my knife,” Danny continued, brandishing the hunting blade from where he’d hidden it, “See?”

He gave the knife a shake, letting the bunny charm dangling from the handle catch in the breeze.

“Every kill is for you.”

Normally Danny wouldn’t try this- but in a place where it was a never ending death cycle he was pretty sure Quentin would be into it.

Especially when each kill was supposed to be to please the thing keeping them here.

Making Quentin feel like he was higher than a God ? He’d melt into a puddle at his feet. 

Quentin’s face lit up, but he once again quickly allowed the reaction to dissipate.

Adorable.

Quentin rolled his eyes, stopping with what he was doing only to respond to the quip.

“Yeah, whatever, I’m sure you say that to all the guys!”

Danny actually frowned at that, finding it a little annoying that Quentin would even joke.

Even if this was a game for him, Quentin was interesting enough for Danny to not want to even kill him.

He was forcing himself to believe that it was because their banter was the highlight of his time in the trials, and not that there was a part of him that didn’t like the way Quentin’s face scrunched up when he drove a meat hook through his shoulder.

The teensy tiny part that didn’t like or want to see him in pain.

“Don’t,” He growled out, letting a particular bite cling to his words, “You know that’s not true.”

Danny stood from where he’d been crouched, stretching before turning to walk away.

It would be easier, he thought, to just bend down and gut Quentin like a fish but he quelled the urges by walking away.

He knew resisting was an easy feat- not like those annoying fucks at the arcade.

Those idiots deserved what was coming to them- Quentin, on the other hand…

What did his Quentin deserve?

Danny didn’t let himself think about it, returning his focus to shutting up the Entity’s whisperings that rattled through his skull.

He was fortunate in that sense.

He was able to ignore the ramblings of the cryptid- probably because of the extensive anger management he’d forced himself to partake in.

His father had been a fool- he was good at what he did but his anger always came out at home.

Danny vowed to never be like that.

He wanted to be like his father but better. 

Stronger.

He wanted to have the most meticulous oversight on every aspect of his life, and his emotions were just one of the things he’d had to learn to keep under his control.

He had to wonder if the Entity was just playing with him- allowing him to do as he pleased under the guise of the control he had over himself, but he didn’t want to think about it deeper than he had to.

His so-called freedoms from the Entity were more than likely a farce- a manipulation tactic meant to control him but Danny liked to live in a bubble that told him otherwise.

And besides. 

Danny had other pests to deal with.

~

Crossing between the realms wasn’t normally something Danny liked to do.

He’d learned that he quite liked Michael Myers’ realm, finding there to be lots of houses to hide himself away in so he could research his victims.

Michael kept his mouth sealed shut and didn’t really bother him. With such an antisocial neighbour, Danny always had lots of time to himself, and he was a man that appreciated solitude, of course. 

However, after his latest trial and run in with Quentin, Danny wanted to visit the MacMillan estate.

Evan was an insightful being, despite what his crude exterior may imply.

He was a big softie on the inside, doting when he wanted to be, and Danny had studied him at length to try to understand him on a deeper level.

He’d catch him talking to the birds, watching quietly as he worked away on his traps. 

He couldn’t imagine this big guy being threatening in any way after seeing him so domestic- yet Mr. MacMillan was an absolute monster when he wanted to be.

Danny had heard that Evan required quite a bit of conditioning before he was willing to bend to the Entity’s will, but he’d never really asked about it. 

As things were, it seemed conditioning Evan didn’t really work all that well anyways.

Evan had something in common with him, and Danny wanted answers.

Or at least to ask Evan for some…

God, was he really about to ask Evan for some fucking advice?

Advice about a Survivor, to make things even more mortifying for him.

Danny pushed himself forwards, eventually finding himself traipsing through the dewy grass of Evan’s estate.

Despite the size of property he’d been granted, Evan lived in a rather quaint cabin. He wasn’t actually sure if the Entity let the Killers dictate what they wanted or not for living quarters, but apparently Evan had only been worthy of a cabin- not the palatial mansion he was sure stood on the property in the real world.

What Danny did know was that Evan always kept the door to his place unlocked (trusting fool), and before he knew it he was pressed into the doorframe.

Danny let out an exasperated sigh, hoping to make his presence known before spitting out all his questions in the most obnoxious possible way.

It wasn’t like he could just let Evan know he was serious about what he was asking now, could he?

“Evan, Darling, ” He called, brow quirking as his voice bounced through the sitting room, “You have a pet, right?”

The disgruntled groan back wasn’t surprising, but the other voice was.

“Shut up, asshole!”

Danny’s attention was brought to the pet in question, watching as he sat on the floor with a bird perched on his finger. 

This was why Danny was really here.

He had to know how Jake was able to visit with Evan outside of the trials.

Danny had been assuming that this was the case for quite some time, just wasn’t sure how it was possible.

But when he’d thought about it he realized he hardly ever saw Jake around the campfire anymore.

Clearly, Evan had some connection or some way to bring Jake to him as he pleased.

Could the Survivors travel between the realms, too?

“That’s Jake, to you, Daniel,” Evan’s voice was rough and serious, sending a chill down Danny’s spine, “Why do you need to know?”

Evan stood from the table he’d been sitting at, wedging himself between Danny and Jake. 

Evan was almost certainly afraid that Danny was going to hurt Jake- that he was here for some reason other than just asking some simple questions and it was hilarious.

“Besides, you can’t hurt the Survivors outside of the trials.”

Sure they believed that- anything to help Evan sleep at night, but again that wasn’t what Danny was even after in the first place. 

“No, you buffoon. I don’t want to hurt one!” Danny chirped back, feeling himself push himself up on his toes, “And if I can’t then why did you get so protective there, big boy?”

Evan growled, and Danny took a breath.

He had to calm himself down- anger wasn’t going to help him here. He needed to be sweet as pie to dear old Evan MacMillan.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m not here to hurt Jake,” He quickly added, “I just want to know how he’s here, but I won’t tell you why.”

Danny could see Evan glaring down at him from underneath his mask.

“No, you have to tell me why you want to know. I can throw you further than I trust you.”

Fuck.

Danny was a good liar, but he didn’t think he’d be able to lie his way out of this one. He had to tell at least a bit of the truth to get Evan to spill the beans.

At least Evan was pretty solitary- he probably didn’t have anyone else to tell even if he wanted to. 

“Fine,” He answered, folding his arms across his chest, “I’m friends with a Survivor and I want them to come to another realm with me.”

Evan softened after hearing the explanation. 

Danny was sure that he didn’t buy it, but whatever, at least he’d probably give him what he wanted, now.

“All the realms are connected to the forest- you just have to walk far enough. The Survivors can wander as they please, they just can’t be hurt,” Evan explained, “Now get off my property before I hurt you.”

It seemed Danny didn’t really have a choice in the matter anyway, as the thick fog began choking him.

He didn’t usually get pulled into trials so quickly, but there must have been a reason for it.

A loud snap followed by a pained yelp was all the reasoning he needed. 

Quentin.

He’d recognize that yell anywhere, and the snap was the sound of one of Evan’s stupid fucking bear traps slamming shut.

Danny was going to slaughter him.

Chapter 3

Notes:

I hope this chapter is okay, I was struggling with it TBH and almost scrapped the whole thing but I wanted to just post it anyway lolz.

Danny’s Trial had been a blur. 

The Killer had been merciless, methodically decorating the halls of Midwich with his victim’s blood.

Evan was lucky his pet wasn’t in there with him, because Danny knew he would have absolutely lost his mind .

Red-hot anger already burned in the pit of his stomach without his presence, thoughts straying back to Evan’s fucking traps.

The Ghost Face wasn’t known to be so messy but as Danny knew, sometimes things didn’t go according to plan.

Moreover, they couldn’t.

In the Trial he could only think about getting back to Evan’s estate, he wasn’t in his normal, more rational state of mind.

He wanted to be sick- feeling appalled with himself that he cared enough about Quentin that the thought of anyone hurting him threw him into an insatiable rage.

He knew they were forced to be here, forced to kill and partake in these Trials.

Quentin dying was inevitable, of course, but to be injured outside of a Trial ?

It just wasn’t acceptable.

And bear traps?! Who the fuck left open bear traps laying around- especially ones so well hidden that they’d fool Quentin?

Quentin wasn’t stupid , stupid people bored him and Quentin was anything but boring.

No, this was purposeful . 

Evan wanted to catch something and he wouldn’t be surprised if someone had tipped him off.

Usually it was him providing the information- he really had no clue who could have told Evan about Quentin.

Unless it had been another Survivor.

Regardless, he was going to make Evan pay for what he’d done.

He’d have a Trial with Jake soon enough.

He had plenty of time to devise something special for him, and hopefully hurt Evan in the process.

It was just a matter of waiting- and Danny was a patient man.

~

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck.

Quentin yelped out in pain, fingers clutching at the trap on his ankle. 

He could feel the tears spring to his eyes, blurring his already horrible vision as he sank to the ground with a defeated sigh.

There was absolutely no way he’d be able to get the trap off on his own, especially outside of the Trials.

He was weak here. 

He didn’t have the extra boost from the Entity when he was outside of the Trials, and the pain alone from the trap clenched into his ankle made him want to lose whatever was sitting in the bottom of his stomach.

In a Trial, he would have been able to pull the trap off his leg fairly easily, but here?

Here he was stuck until someone either killed him or came to help him- and knowing his luck it would probably be the former.

Quentin scowled, thoughts racing back to how he’d even ended up here in the first place.

He’d wandered further into the forest because of Danny, noticing the ribbons on his outfit and deciding to follow him away from the campfire.

Quentin wanted to see him again- which was stupid, probably.

Honestly, he didn’t really know why he’d actually decided to follow The Ghost Face- something in the back of his mind told him he should so he’d listened to it without question, but it had only gotten him lost. 

And while he recognized the place as MacMillan Estate, he hadn’t realized just how different it was laid out when it wasn’t warped for the Entity’s games. It looked more like how Quentin assumed it looked originally, not carefully laid out for easy traversal and hiding.

It made sense for him to have made a mistake, of course he’d step in a cleverly hidden bear trap. It was hard to see much of anything with the way the fog had warped everything around him.

Quentin figured the Trapper must have been waiting for someone.

But who?

Did he somehow know he was going to follow Danny? Did he want to use him as bait to get Danny’s attention?

Or was Trapper just paranoid about trespassers.

Either option seemed plausible, but truthfully Quentin couldn’t let himself think about it anymore- the pain was becoming far too overwhelming to care.

He let his teeth sink into his lip, carefully reaching up to wipe away the tears that were staining his cheeks.

He ignored how badly he wanted to see Danny emerging from the fog. He wanted him to find him and take care of him, or at least help him out of the trap. 

That was definitely a stupid thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He was in absolute agony and couldn’t keep his thoughts in line anymore.

Quentin was praying he’d be used to the pain by now but he wasn’t, and he was growing absolutely terrified about what was going to happen to him.

He knew if he died out here he’d come back, but it didn’t change the fact that this was going to fragment his soul again, and he didn’t exactly know how many times this could keep happening to him before he’d wither away. 

He didn’t want to wither away anymore.

Especially not now, since meeting…

Well Danny, but he didn’t want to think about him like that.

Worse, he kept circling back to the fact his first instinct was to cry out for him.

For Danny .

Someone that was supposed to kill him and probably would love to see him like this.

For a moment he even wanted to entertain that this had been Danny’s plan all along. Maybe Danny had wanted him to follow him so he could lure him into a trap, just to hurt him. 

But Danny had actually gotten angry when Quentin had suggested he treated everyone like he treated him, and allowed himself to put that thought to rest. 

Even if it felt ridiculous to believe it, Danny had taken a liking to him for one reason or another.

He didn’t think he’d purposely put him in danger unless it was during a Trial. 

Maybe it was a reasonable reaction to want to cry out for him, then. 

It wasn’t like Quentin really had any friends here- Danny was probably one of the closest things he had to that.

He furrowed his brows, resting his head on his knee.

Things were getting blurry, now, and Quentin was mentally scolding himself that his last few moments of consciousness were spent fixating on the logistics of his and Danny’s relationship. 

Who really fucking cared?

In the grand scheme of things, was who he wanted to give his emotional attention to really important? He was stuck here forever, the least he could do is allow himself to feel the smallest sliver of something- even if it was all somebody’s fucked up manipulation tactic.

Quentin was going to choose to ignore what his gut was saying and take it all in stride. 

The worst was already happening to him. 

Might as well have some fun with it.

~

Quentin was surprised to find he’d woken up on a couch.

A clean couch at that.

He squinted, letting his gaze flit around the room. It was nice, cozy, even, and the familiar scent of a fire burning wafted through the air. Perhaps even more surprising, however, was the person sitting next to him. His gaze was resting on his lap, as he quietly wrote something down in a journal, and his expression seemed peaceful.

It was rare to see someone look so serene in their situation, and he was pretty sure this person was Jake, though admittedly it was hard to tell in his half-conscious state.

Quentin honestly didn’t really know Jake, but he sure was grateful that he’d found him over the Trapper.

Or at least he was until even more questions came flooding into his mind.

Why did Jake find him over the Trapper, and more importantly, where were they?

Quentin found himself glaring at Jake- not because he wasn't thankful for the help, but because something wasn’t adding up here.

“Where are we?” He asked, letting himself slowly sit up on the couch. He winced in pain, looking down to see his ankle had been wrapped up in bandages.

He let out a soft sigh of relief seeing he’d been taken care of, and Quentin was shocked at how quickly Jake responded.

“That’s not important,” Jake answered, gaze staying fixed on the journal, “Why were you calling out for Danny? That guy’s insane, he’s going to hurt you.”

Quentin groaned, bringing a hand up to his face in a desperate attempt to cover the fact he could feel himself turning bright red.

Of course he’d done that- there was no way he’d keep his opinions to himself when he was half conscious in the grass. He was weak, unable to keep his stupid mouth shut and now he was going to have to explain everything to a stranger.

“I dunno if you noticed, but the only person that’s hurt me so far today has been the Trapper.”

Quentin stated his response knowing full well what Jake meant. He was probably concerned for his safety or something, and while Quentin appreciated it he also just didn’t have a mind to care. He’d already made that choice, he’d rather have some fun with whatever this was then be miserable like before.

Jake let out a soft growl, and Quentin was sure he saw him roll his eyes. 

“That trap wasn’t meant for you, obviously,” He answered, shutting the book on his lap, “Evan- Trapper doesn’t just trap people for no reason.”

Evan?

How did Jake…

Was Jake friends with the Trapper?

“Wait a second!” Quentin retorted, “Evan? How d’you know the Trapper’s real name?”

Jake blinked, Quentin assuming he’d realized just what he’d admitted to. He was probably hoping that Quentin wouldn’t have caught on, but Quentin was a lot smarter than that. Maybe it was a little manipulative of him, but he liked to lay low, keep people’s expectations for him smaller than if he’d outwardly admitted to being intelligent.

When Jake didn’t answer, Quentin deepened his glare. 

“You have no right to be calling me out about Danny, do you?” He asked with a sigh, “You probably know what it’s like, wanting something to make things a little better. Can you blame me?”

Quentin laid his head back into the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. It was pretty- wood decorated with intricate carvings that Quentin had to wonder if Jake had had a hand in crafting.

He wished things were different- of course he did, but he also didn’t want to get lectured about something so trivial in a literal fucking Hell, even if Jake had his best interests in mind. 

“God, Okay, I don’t. But I promise that trap wasn’t meant for you. Evan doesn’t just hurt people outside of trials unless he has reason to. I don’t know what he was planning, but it definitely didn’t involve you !” Jake’s tone was snappy at first, but it quickly softened once he’d got what he needed off his chest.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. How’s your ankle?”

Quentin bent to look at it, examining the blood-soaked cotton.

It hurt significantly less, but all of the blood was a little overwhelming to witness.

Even after all the blood he’d seen he found when it was coming out of himself it turned his stomach.

“I’m fine, I think. Thank you for bandaging it for me, and sorry for snapping at you.”

Quentin chose to otherwise ignore their previous conversation, responding only to how he was feeling. It still felt kind of weird, though, to be even asked something like that. Usually they just ignored each other's injuries- they were always hurt, always in pain and it was just easier not to pay any mind to what was going on.

Jake seemed to genuinely want to know, which was a pleasant change of pace considering he hadn’t exactly been the nicest to someone he knew he was in no state to run away from .

Jake smiled, and for a second Quentin was distracted by just how pretty Jake was.

He had a certain reputation- it was hard to believe that someone this pretty could be the cause of so much trouble, especially with how relaxed he seemed in what Quentin was now assuming was Evan’s cabin.

Quentin leaned back once again, letting his eyes flutter shut. He hadn’t realized just how exhausted he was, eyelids feeling like they were made of lead.

“Is it safe for me to rest here?”

Quentin didn’t bother opening his eyes, but felt a blanket being pulled up over his chest. It smelled nice, like some floral detergent he didn’t even know was possible to find here in the Fog.

Jake’s voice cut through the silence that had fallen upon them. 

“Of course, I’ll make sure you stay safe.”

Chapter 4

Notes:

Hello Everyone!

I'm not too sure where I want to go with this yet, I might actually put the Jake and Evan stuff in another fic focused on them, but I think this is going to be mostly fluffy stuff moving forwards because I want soft content sooooo bad. :')

That being said, I am working on some other stuff for these two, and I have to give a shout out to the lovely Silent_Sparrow for writing so many GhostSmith fics for me since I've last posted! <3 Please check them out, they're amazing and I love them. T_T

“Evan, you piece of fucking shit!”

Danny’s fingers gripped into the handle of his blade, feet carrying him back over to Evan’s cottage.

The place seemed Quiet.

It was almost certainly too quiet to be housing Quentin, and Danny was ready to wring Evan’s neck.

Danny knew how he got when he was really angry. He was aggressive and hard to calm down, and he knew that anyone who crossed his path would be in trouble.

He could keep himself calm if he wanted to, but when he really thought about it, did he?

He didn’t think he did.

He wanted to ruin Evan’s life for messing with his Quentin and before he knew it he’d almost kicked Evan’s door off its hinges.

“MacMillan! Where the fuck is Quentin?”

He didn’t wait to enter, storming in and knocking an old photograph off the mantle. It clattered to the ground with a loud crash, and Evan emerged rather quickly.

“You really gonna act this way? You’re like a child.”

Evan’s voice boomed in Danny’s ears and something about it reminded him of his father.

It only made him angrier.

“Fuck you!” He spat back, shifting himself up onto his toes and puffing out his chest, “Where is he?”

Evan seemed unphased, the only thing that showed his anger was the tone of voice he’d used earlier- one that had quickly dissipated back into calmness.

“I don’t trust you. He’s with Jake.”

Rage burned in Danny’s stomach.

How dare he? How dare Evan make choices about Quentin on his behalf.

Quentin was his and the fact that Evan didn’t trust he’d take care of him pissed him off.

No, it was worse than that.

It enraged him.

Danny was a lot smaller than Evan- he knew he couldn’t hurt him without careful planning, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t threaten something else instead.

A smile tugged at his lip as he thought about how scared Evan would feel if he so much as threatened Jake’s safety.

He hadn’t even wanted to hurt Jake originally. 

Not really, anyway, and he still didn’t really know if he wanted to, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t terrify Evan with his words.

Danny brandished his knife, leaning himself into Evan and pressing the blade up against his throat. 

“Oh, I see,” The Killer answered, voice filled with a temporary calm, “Well then. I guess you know better than me.”

Danny paused for a moment, letting Evan process his words carefully. He wanted him to really hear what he had to say.

“I’ve been wondering, though, wouldn’t it just be a shame if something happened to Jake’s pretty little face? I think it’s a little too perfect for someone like you.”

He didn’t need to see Evan’s face to know that scared him- he’d already unknowingly disproven the idea that Survivors couldn’t be hurt outside the Trials. He could feel the blade move as Evan swallowed his nerves, and Danny was glad to have the upper hand. 

Sure, Evan could hurt him first, but he’d only come back again, and Danny didn’t care just how much he hurt. He was used to it- everyone here was used to it. They hurt themselves every fucking day in every fucking Trial.

Oh no, Evan was going to make him step in a bear trap!

So terrifying!

But would Evan jeopardize the only thing keeping him sane? His one tie to the outside world that wasn’t absolutely abysmal in this hellhole?

Of course he wouldn’t.

“Don’t bring Jake into this, please. I’m asking you as a friend.”

Danny let out a laugh.

“Oh, but you already have.”

~

“Did he hurt you badly?”

Danny swooped down next to Quentin, doing his best to mimic what he thought concern should sound like. 

Honestly, he struggled with it. 

Even when he wanted to feel concerned or worried and he thought the average person would react that way, he had to really think about how he was answering.

He’d learned early on that he wasn’t really like everyone else- he could mimic what people wanted, but he always felt a sense of numbness when it came to other people. He knew that was why it was so easy for him to kill them and why it made it all the more devastating when they didn’t like him. People, or most people, to be more accurate, meant nothing to him. He was above them and they were all his pawns.

Pawns shouldn’t be belittling him- they should be praising him.

But sometimes, like with Quentin, they became important to him. 

He wanted to impress Quentin and take care of him. The thought of him hurting made him angry and annoyed that anyone would dare to hurt his property. 

People couldn’t be owned, but Quentin was his responsibility he’d taken upon himself to have, and every time he was hurt by someone else’s stupidity it drove him into a state of anger he’d never really felt before.

Whenever he saw Freddy he had to restrain himself from bashing his head in- how dare he?

How dare he hurt Quentin when he was so vulnerable?

The thoughts alone made him seethe with anger and regardless, Danny had chalked up this anger to his form of love.

Maybe he was incapable of feeling love like everyone else, but this was how he’d learned and it would have to do.

Besides, it’s not like it really mattered much here, anyway.

Thankfully, Danny had found Quentin off by himself, with Jake nowhere to be found.

Evan was lucky- Quentin had probably shooed him off when they’d got back to the campfire.

“I’m fine now, it’s okay.”

Danny frowned, hearing how tired Quentin sounded. He probably needed a rest, and being injured and probably terrified wasn’t good for him. He was already dealing with enough, and Evan had only gone and made it worse.

Carefully, he pulled off his mask and set it down on the ground.

In his mind it was just another way for him to show he was trying - Quentin was the only person that Danny had allowed to see his face since he’d got here. 

He let out a soft sigh, leaning his back into a log and pulling Quentin into his lap.

They’d never really done this before- not in such a soft manner, and for a moment Danny was worried that Quentin wouldn’t like it.

But the Survivor was warm and smelled nice- comforting, even, and Danny found himself savoring this newfound moment of softness.

He really hadn’t felt such peacefulness before, which was strange considering the circumstances they found themselves in, but again, Danny would take it.

Anything to help him feel some sense of normalcy.

He felt Quentin rest his head into his chest, but his body still felt rigid and nervous.

Normally this would excite him, but instead it just made him feel sad. He didn’t want Quentin to be afraid of him anymore.

He bit back the annoyance, allowing himself to focus on the way Quentin was breathing to center himself.

“Who took care of you?” Danny asked, tugging the beanie off of Quentin’s head and placing it on top of his mask, “Was it Jake?”

He ran his fingers through Quentin’s hair, smoothing it out in a repetitive motion that calmed him. He felt Quentin relax into his chest, and he could feel himself swell with pride.

He’d done this- he’d made Quentin feel cared for enough to feel relaxed and that meant more to him than he’d realized.

Danny felt Quentin lace their fingers together and he caught himself smiling at the gesture. 

“Yeah, it was Jake,” He answered, “So don’t hurt him ‘kay? Only Evan.”

Normally Danny would argue this, and if it was anyone else he still would have, but the way Quentin was speaking so softly made Danny think otherwise. Quentin needed to sleep. He had to keep his responsibility as close to healthy as possible and letting him sleep was one of the only ways he knew how.

He knew it would benefit him alone from not letting him sleep- it would make him easier to hurt in the Trials, but he knew that wasn’t who he was anymore. When it came to Quentin his brain had made special little rules just for him. He didn’t hurt Quentin ever- not unless he absolutely had to.

Danny furrowed his brow.

“You’re making me soft, my Little Rabbit.”

Quentin let out a soft hum of approval, followed by a tired sigh.

That was probably enough tormenting, he could bother him again later when he woke up. For now, though, or at least until he was pulled back into a Trial, Danny wanted to let Quentin rest.

Danny carefully plucked his hand free from Quentin’s and adjusted himself so Quentin could be more comfortable. Danny felt his eyes flutter closed- maybe he was going to doze off, too.

“Go to sleep,” He whispered, “I’m gonna be here when you wake up.”