Chapter Text
“It itches…” Sitting against the shed wall, Daniel tugged at the collar of his new, yellow sweater. They’d arrived in Lebanon the previous day and one of the first things they came across was a charity thrift store where they were able to buy some warm clothes for the winter. Despite her whines, he pulled Mushroom closer to his chest. “And I’m freezing.”
His older brother stopped unpacking his backpack, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Something that Daniel had become used to seeing more in the last week. “I know dude, I’m cold as well. Why don’t you put on the coat that I bought you as well?”
“It’s gross, and smells funny. Why didn’t you buy me the red one instead?” Mushroom finally wriggled free from his grasp, and he pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them instead. He’d hoped that doing this would make Sean feel bad and be nicer to him, as it always did before, but the tired look on his brother’s face didn’t even change a bit.
“That one was crazy expensive.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“Yes it was! We don’t even have twenty bucks. Mine isn’t great either, Daniel; besides, I’ve told you we-”
“We have to make sacrifices… I know.” Daniel chewed his lip and looked around their bedroom for the night. They’d found a back garden missing a gate, and an unlocked shed. Sean told him that this meant the house was probably abandoned, but Daniel wasn’t so sure. Every little noise from outside made him scared, especially the footsteps that he’d told himself were coming from the street outside - not that he was going to admit that.
After a short, awkward silence, Daniel spoke up again. “Why didn’t we go with Harry to the homeless shelter? At least then we’d have an actual bed” Harry was a cool guy, probably a bit older than Sean. He’d ran away from home and offered to help the two of them out.
“It’s too dangerous dude. Way too many people and someone might recognise us.”
Sean was right. Daniel hadn’t even thought about that. Their faces had been on the television, and he could have sworn he’d seen them on a newspaper as well, back when they were buying food and bumped into Harry. He guessed for now, they’d have to do with their little shed. After stealing one last glance at his brother, Daniel turned to face away and slumped against the wall.
Eventually, the sun went down, and the shed was almost entirely pitch black, save for the dim glow of an old flashlight they’d found in the shed. Sean was using it to lay out the small amount of food that they’d manage to get. An idea popped into his head, and realising his sulking wasn’t getting him anywhere, he crawled over to his brother and made a grab for the torch.
Before he could even feel it with his fingertips, Sean moved and held it away. “Daniel! What did Dad always say about keeping your hands to yourself?”
Any anger that Daniel might have felt after being denied the flashlight was instantly replaced with a hollow pit in his stomach. It had only been two days since he’d found out that Dad was dead, yet to him it felt like two hundred. He could feel his throat tighten and closed his eyes, because if he couldn’t see Sean, then surely Sean wouldn’t notice him about to cry.
Instead of the sigh he expected, he heard his brother curse, and felt him take his hands and place something cheap and plastic into them. Wiping away the small tears that had begun to form, he opened his eyes and managed a small smile.
“Sorry enano. I didn’t mean to, you know. I, uh, I miss him as well. And I’m sorry we didn’t have anything hot to eat tonight. Maybe we can get something tomorrow.”
Daniel could hear the awkwardness in his words. His brother would always get like this when he was upset, but these days, it felt more real. “Thanks Sean, I’m sorry for whining so much.”
“Don’t be silly, man. You’ve got a lot to whine about. I’m just being… over-sensitive. What did you want the flashlight for anyway?”
“So there was this thing that Noah’s sister showed us last time I stayed over at his place.” Daniel juggled the flashlight in his hands for a moment, and looked around the shed - he needed something he could rest it on. “Sean, can you get one of those cans of paint, and put it down there?” He pointed to the floor in-between them.
Sean did as he asked, and Daniel placed the torch down, with the light shining on the closed door. He put his hands in front of it, held them together palm-to-palm and crossed his index fingers. “What does that look like?”
“Uh, a mess?” Sean let out a small laugh.
Daniel rolled his eyes and moved his little fingers up and down, his shadow puppet doing the same. “Look again! What does it look like now?”
“I know, I know, dude. It’s a wolf. It’s really cool. Now we’ve got a narrator to tell the story of the wolf brothers.”
It wasn’t often that Sean would say something like that, so hearing it made a real sense of pride and warmth wash over him. Instead of saying anything, he moved around the flashlight and latched himself onto Sean’s waist in a tight hug. Mushroom, who had been sleeping in the corner, hurried over and joined them, pushing her face against Daniel’s leg.
All of a sudden, as he leaned closer into the hug, the flashlight went out, plunging them both back into darkness.
“...Or maybe not.”
Daniel could barely make out the dumb grin on Sean’s face, and they both laughed together for what felt like the first time in years.
****
The next morning, Daniel was stirred awake by Mushroom’s barking. He’d gotten used to waking up with Sean’s arm wrapped around him, protecting him. But this morning, he woke up cold.
BANG, BANG, BANG.
Mushroom kept barking. Daniel shot up and blinked his sleepiness away.
BANG, BANG, BANG.
He darted his eyes around the shed and saw Sean crouching under the window next to the door, holding his finger in front of his lips.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
“Sean…” Daniel went to sit up, but Sean just shook his head. “Sean, who is it?”
Chapter Text
The banging on the door punctuates every beat of Sean's pounding heart. His bleary eyes concentrate on Daniel, his brother's chest rising and falling in rapid succession. Think, think, think. Mushroom's low whine rumbles into a pointed yip, yanking Sean out of the murky depths of anxiety. "Shroom," he hisses, "Get her to be quiet." Daniel shock subsides, small arms scooping the squirming pup up to press her shaking body to his itchy sweater. Those desperate barks fade into nervous sniffs, Mushroom's little pink tongue licking his brother's nose.
"Fuck!" the voice on the other side snaps, his kick jostling the door and landing firmly on Sean's ribs. Mushroom's head swivels to the source of the noise, blue eyes pointed directly at the door, her lips curling into a snarl. Daniel, Sean mouths; too late to stop a loud bark from ripping through the still air of the shed.
Silence smothers all thought in his head save one: we're fucked.
"You little shits," the man growls, shaking the door hard enough to make frozen hinges buckle, "Know you've been killing those hens---"
"--Go!" Sean's voice cracks from the strain of staying quiet, "Get out."
Sneakers scrape the dusty concrete floor as Daniel skitters into the corner, balancing Mushroom in one arm as he crawls through the hole in the shed wall. "I can hear you!" their accuser snaps, Sean making a break for the opening. Layers of rotted wood and loose sheet metal claw across his back, a giant, rancid hand reluctant to let go. The November winds cut Sean down to size and make his eyes water from the chill, Daniel's back blurring into a blue dot as he flees into the safety of the forest. Snow and ice crunch underfoot as Sean breaks cover, sprinting across the long, open stretch of snow in a mad dash to the tree line. A wordless yell is hurled at Sean, but he does not dare look back.
Both boys skitter to a stop deep in the forest, the trees clustered so thick that their snow-covered branches choke out the bruised blue of dawn. Chilly air burns Sean's lungs with every deep breath he takes, but the burning pales in comparison to Daniel's wide, bewildered eyes.
"Hey," Sean clasps his brother's shoulder, "You're okay. He's not gonna follow us."
"Yeah," Daniel's voice creaks, too rattled to choke down the raw terror of the morning, "Okay." The beginnings of tears are wiped away by a little blue sleeve, his fear replaced by furrowed brows and a serious frown: his brave face. It is something Sean has seen far too much of in the past few days---had Daniel always looked so haggard? He is beginning to forget despite his artist's memory for faces, and that fear sits heavy in his stomach like a ball of pitch. Sean runs through Daniel's mop of black hair, ruffles it. It is a small gesture, but just enough to drag a smile out of Daniel's gloomy demeanor.
"C'mon, man." Sean jerks his head, "Think there's a trail up ahead."
Birdsong floods the air as they crest the snowy hill, the dense cluster of trees giving way to a winding park trail. The sun lingers over the horizon, painting the sky a soft orange. The air is fresh and clean, and the trail free of ice. They will not have to worry about wet shoes and socks if they are lucky; it is the little things that Sean chooses to be grateful for. It is Daniel that breaks the silence first, balancing across a log bordering the trail into town.
"Sean...why did he think we were killing his animals?" His footing wavers, body leaning heavily onto one side. Mushroom gives a warning bark, and Daniel listens, hopping down from his precarious perch.
"I think he thought we were wolves," Sean jokes, "Not kids."
Daniel spins on his heel, walking backwards in heavy, halting steps. "Really?" his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline---or so Sean thinks. His little brother's bangs cover up that huge forehead, "You think so?"
"Yeah, dude!" cracked lips spread into a smile, "He knew we were the wolf brothers. He was totally scared of us."
END OF THE TRAIL reads in big, white letters, the mouth of the trail sloping downwards to empty out into a parking lot. Sean jumps, smacking the top of the sign with ease. If Daniel is impressed he does not show it, his mouth sloped into a U-shaped frown. "That sucks." His arms press a wiggly Mushroom closer to him, "I don't want people to be scared of us. Wolves aren't bad."
Not this conversation, not today. Seattle plays on loop in his head, a murky haze of death and fear. His face pulls into a grimace, and Daniel flashes him a questioning look in response. "Sometimes...it doesn't matter. People are scared of them anyway."
A beaten-up, weathered truck swerves wildly into the empty parking lot, snow and ice crackling underneath massive wheels. Sean's arm shoots out, pressing Daniel close to him. "No more backwards walking. Stay close to me, enano." Both boys give the car a wide berth, circling the edge of the parking lot. The road to downtown Lebanon is long, flanked by houses and snowdrifts piled high. Cars speed past them, either oblivious or apathetic to two boys hiking through the harshest days of winter---or so Sean hopes. They are out in the open, exposed. 'Ever heard of the internet?' His last words to Lyla return to haunt him; state lines mean nothing in a world of search engines and pocket cameras. But Daniel's stomach growls are scarier than any truck-stop creep, so Sean trudges onward towards a risk worth taking.
Downtown stoplights take forever to turn green, the cars crowding the intersection belching exhaust fumes. Across the lane lies their Holy Grail---a dumpster sandwiched between a convenience store and a sandwich shop.
"Can we pleeeease buy from the store this time?" those big brown eyes peer up at Sean, pleading for luxuries they can no longer afford. Perhaps a little cruelly, Sean picks up the pace, struggling to stay a half-step ahead of his brother as they cross the street. Another look into those eyes and they would be down to their last dollars.
"I told you, man," he grumbles, ducking into the dark of the alley, "We can't buy that stuff right now." Hoisting himself into the grimy green dumpster takes almost no effort at all; Sean shoves the thought of how easy it is to scavenge for scraps to the very back of his mind. Black plastic bags tear neatly in two from the wickedly sharp blade in hand, the contents spilling out. Two feet tap against the snowy pavement, the top of Daniel's head barely clearing the top of the dumpster each time. "But can---" tap! "---we get a---" TAP! "---choc-o-crisp?" TAP!
"Yeah, sure." Sean mutters absentmindedly, flinging a piece of rotten lunch meat across the dumpster.
"Pro-mise?" Daniel drawls, his voice carrying high over the dumpster.
The soggy, half-eaten sandwich slips out of Sean's hands, splattering across his canvas shoes.
"I, uh..." his voice cracks, staring across the sea of garbage in his wake: all rotten. A choc-o-crisp costs two dollars more than they can afford, but the worth of a promise weighs heavy on his shoulders. "...I promise. Just...let me get out of here."
There is a spring in Daniel's step as they emerge from the alley, his face shining bright with joy as the warmth of the store chases away the cold. The candy section is a kaleidoscope of color, chocolates packaged in bold letters and glossy print far too fancy for Sean to touch. It is Daniel who carries the choc-o-crisp up to the register, careful to keep their mouthy puppy from chewing on the candy bar. Two crumpled dollar bills weigh heavy in Sean's hand, fingertips dragging against rough paper when the cashier wrenches the money away from him. "Thanks, Sean" rings hollow in his ears, his brother's one-armed hug cold comfort.
They can't keep doing this. Something has to give.
Somewhere there must be a place for them to stay the night.
---
A haggard line of people weary of the cold step forward half a foot. Another bed has been filled, and Sean hates himself for feeling envious. The bright yellow of the late afternoon sun descends into deep gold, the threat of another long winter night creeping ever closer.
"Sean, my ears are freezing." Daniel shifts from one foot to the other, adjusting to Mushroom moving around in his backpack.
"Here, man." Sean slides the beanie off his head, hands working carefully to fit the hat snugly over Daniel's reddened ears. "Take it."
The line lurches forward; something Daniel can't see, too busy working to brush away his bangs out of his eyes. Someone behind them---larger, older---mumbles something under their breath: nothing complimentary. Sean chases the comment with a glare as he ushers Daniel forward. His brother looks half-hedgehog, strands of hair poking awkwardly out of the beanie. "I-I hope I look cool."
"So cool." Sean grins, hefting his backpack.
That garners a rise of the eyebrow. "More than you?"
A furry brown and white head pokes out of Daniel's backpack, tiny muzzle sniffing the air. Sean snorts, reaching out to give Mushroom a scritch on the ears. "Not yet. Maybe when you're older."
Another step towards the shelter entrance and Sean swears he can see the doors, the face Daniel pulled gone completely unnoticed. The cheer on Sean's face evaporates, his half-frozen fingers clasping Daniel's hand tight. "You remember our names?" he whispers, sparing a glance at his little brother.
"You're Dylan, I'm Sam."
"That's right," he nods stiffly.
It is almost their turn to sign in. A town this small cannot possibly have security cameras installed here. There could be posters in the shelter, or someone might recognize their faces. Their very presence creates evidence, and writing their names on the sign-in sheet is a deal with the devil of the worst kind. Sean knows he won't sleep easy tonight.
Then again, he never does.
Inside of the shelter smells of disinfectant and recirculated air, but what it lacks in comfort it more than makes up for in warmth. Tired patrons mill around the interior. "Sir?" Sean asks one, "Do they serve dinner here?"
Chapter Text
Daniel enters the homeless shelter with his big brother. He hates not having a real home, but Harry said the shelter was cool.
Why was it cool? Well, Daniel doesn’t remember, but… Harry was cool. He gave them a chocolate donut, which Daniel was “gracious” enough to split equally with Sean.
Sometimes because of work, Harry says he gets to the shelter late; that’s probably why he’s not here.
Sean is already asking the closest man about dinner.
“Yup. Dinner’s at 7 sharp. Can’t bring no food to the dorms - least yer not supposed to. Lunch room’s right between the dorms.”
“Wouldn’t it be the dinner room… if we eat dinner there?” Daniel interjects while Sean facepalms at his question. He also checks his favorite watch to see how far away the meal is. 6:20pm.
“Well, I suppose yer right! Never thought about it like that!” The man has more of a chuckle than he really should be having. “My name’s Walter - just, uh, call me Walt.”
“Hi, Walt. I’m Sam!” Daniel smiles and then looks toward Sean, as if to show off that he still remembers the fake names from just a few minutes ago. “And that’s Dylan.”
Sean tries to end their conversation, as he always does whenever Daniel chats with someone. “Sorry, Walter, we have to finish… checking in. We’ll see you at dinner maybe?”
“I’ll be there” Walt nods decisively. He stares off into space and doesn’t move from his spot even as Sean and Daniel walk away.
Sean touches Daniel on both shoulders and leans down. He whispers to Daniel: “Dude, that man was halfway drunk or… on something. Couldn’t you tell?”
“I don’t know. He seemed nice.”
“Well that’s the thing, Daniel, you DON’T know.”
Just then, Daniel could hear an argument at the doorway between the volunteer signing people in and the old man who had been behind them in line.
The man calls the woman all sorts of dirty words and insults. “You selfish bitch! Who made you God? Why… why you care who sleeps here? You go home to a shit-nice house, I bet. And… I oughta… well why don’t I just camp outside if you not let me in!?”
The woman takes a step back and composes a response. “Sir, you’re under the influence of drugs; it’s not safe for the other guests to let you in. And if you stay on the grounds we’ll have to call the police.”
“Well fuck you! It’s not like you gotta damn drug-free paradise in there. You even know how much crack and needles get spread round after dinner?”
“Sir, we do our best. We’re a small charity with just a few volunteers. Fred, we let you in every day this week, but you’re over the line tonight. Either leave right now - or I call the cops. You’ve got 10 seconds.”
Fred gives the female volunteer the middle finger before turning around and shambling down the street to who-knows-where.
Sean resumes speaking to Daniel. “See? People can get… real fucking crazy… just… don’t bug them and hope they don’t bug us. Got it?”
“Yeah… okay, Dylan.”
“Now, here…” Sean says, passing Daniel a pink sheet of paper just like another he was holding. “These are the shelter rules. Read them CAREFULLY. We don’t want to cause any drama here.”
Sean and Daniel stand in the corner as they each read through the rules - well, as Sean reads through them and Daniel kind of skims. The page is pretty long, front and back, with something like 25 rules.
“It doesn’t say no pets,” Daniel announces.
“Dude… they probably just didn’t think about it. We could still get kicked out if she gets loud. See this line about the manager’s discretion?”
“Umm… yeah. What does that mean?”
“It means anyone can be kicked out for anything if the manager doesn’t like it.”
Yet another man steps up, butting into their conversation. At least he’s sober.. “Oh, they don’t enforce half of those rules. Once you’re inside for the night, you won’t get kicked out except if you try to murder someone.”
Sean looks a little worried. “That’s… uh… worse than people being kicked out over nothing.”
The man nods his head. “But it’s the only shelter in town. We’re lucky it even has the funds to keep providing food and beds to the community. Oh, there is one rule you need to follow.” He holds up his own copy of the rules and points to Rule 3.
It reads “To prevent the spread of bedbugs, every patron must take a full shower with soap. Clean towels and toiletries are provided outside the shower areas, and each patron will be given clean sheets to place on their bed after leaving the shower.”
Daniel sniffs at his own hand. “I don’t smell bad. And we don’t have bugs. Can’t I just skip the shower?”
Sean shakes his head. “Sam, you smell like a cave troll. You just don’t notice because you’re used to it. Besides, they don’t know who has bugs and who doesn’t.”
The man explains to them “Yeah, it’s a big problem at a lot of shelters, including Lifting Lebanon. About 2 years ago they got a big infestation and had to shut down for a week to clean up. The homeless were bused to Albany to shelter there until this place could reopen.”
“You’ve been at this shelter for 2 years?”
“On and off. Sometimes I find a friend or a woman I can crash with. They don’t let you stay at one shelter too long - with or without employment. So I just shuffle from one place to the next and before I know it I’m back here.”
The man begins to walk toward the bathroom adjoining the men’s dorm before turning back toward Sean holding up his index finger. “And one more thing, since you look new. Some of the single women might… proposition themselves to you, thinking you may have money that the regular patrons long since lost. The women’s dorm is separate from the men’s - and you’re not supposed to go between them after 9pm - that’s Rule 15 - but people will do a lot of wild stuff for a little drug money. I suggest you guard your money closely.”
“Will do,” Sean says. Then he turns to Daniel. “So here’s the plan. Shower first. Then we pick our bed and wait there until dinner. Then… well, dinner. Get back to our beds by nine. Lights out at ten. Lights on at six. A quick breakfast and then we have to be out by seven.”
“They kick people out each morning?” Daniel is surprised to hear that they can’t just stay here all day.
“Yes, dude. Did you even read that paper in front of you?”
***
The brothers walk into the men’s dorm. An attendant - one of maybe four staff members in the whole shelter - passes them each a small plastic bag containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and the first toothbrush Sean or Daniel has had since leaving Seattle. He then hands them each a thick fluffy towel - these must be newly donated.
Daniel notices the attendant’s name tag and grins widely. “Hey, your name is Sam too?”
The attendant smiles back and offers some advice. “You should check out the laundry room after you shower - check the basket in the back for clothes other people left and see if anything fits you. And then you can wash the dirt off what you have now. The machines are free, to encourage patrons to actually use them.”
Sean thanks Big Sam. “Okay, Little Sam, small change of plans. We need to hit up that laundry room… get the smell out of your coat and everything else… and maybe score some new clothes.”
“We’re taking other people’s clothes?”
“Just stuff they left behind. They must not have wanted it anyway.”
Daniel follows Sean around the corner and into the bathroom, where his young eyes are not ready for what he sees.
“No… way… am I showering in here.”
The showers are wide open, with everything within everyone’s view. Some mold grows at the base of various walls. Were it not for the disinfectant, it would surely reek.
Sean looks shocked himself. “Well, it’s… something. That’s for sure. But isn’t it worth a clean bed for the night?”
Daniel stares at Sean and very slowly shakes his head no.
Sean offers Daniel another option. “Okay, I get it… how about the women’s shower? I think the women’s dorm is smaller, maybe more private. They won’t let me back there, but the rules say kids under 14 can stay with their moms, so you could probably sneak in.”
“Umm… yeah, okay. I’ll check it out, at least.”
“Give me your bag so you don’t lose anything. I’ll put it in the locker here with my stuff.” He also pulls off the beanie. “Wouldn’t want to lose this either.”
“What do we do with Mushroom?” Daniel says about the dog he is still holding.
“I don’t know… she probably needs a shower too. Just bring her in with you or get a woman who seems trustworthy to look after her. Remember, Sam. Meet me--”
“In the laundry room after my shower. I know. I’m not stupid.”
***
Daniel navigates to the women’s dorm. There’s only a few people back here. One woman is reading a self-help book and marks a line with a highlighter.
At the back of the dorm, he is relieved to see this bathroom has two separate shower stalls and they actually have curtains. The female attendant outside the bathroom taps Daniel’s arm to get his attention.
Daniel looks at her nametag - Ava.
“Who are you with?” she asks.
“Well, I’m with my brother… Dylan. But he said I could come over here. Just for the shower. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done.”
The woman is sympathetic. “The rules say minors must stay with their guardians at all times. But… I’ll make an exception. There’s only half the staff members after lights out though - and we can’t watch out for you. So you have to stay with your brother the rest of the time, okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Ava.”
Seeing a woman’s feet below the shower curtain on the right, Daniel takes the unoccupied stall on the left - the handicapped stall.
The handicapped stall is actually great because he can put his clothes on a shelf in the stall without them getting wet. It’s still not perfectly clean - and there’s some weird needle resting in the corner - but it’ll do.
Even with a curtain between him and the rest of the bathroom, it still feels kind of “open” to him. But he finishes his - and Mushroom’s - shower without any disturbance.
He exits the shower clad in the fluffy towel, attempting to hold both Mushroom and his various clothes. Ava just stacks a pillow, bedsheets, and a blanket on top of the stack he is carrying.
Noticing Daniel’s bare feet, she warns him “You might want to put those shoes on, at least. You don’t know what might be on the floor - especially in the men’s dorm. And it’s in the rules.”
“Oh. But we were gonna find new clothes in the laundry. Dylan didn’t want me wearing anything dirty.”
“The dirty shoes are better than the floor.” Ava states bluntly. “Besides, no one accidentally leaves SHOES in the laundry machine.”
“Oh, right.” Daniel attempts to put on his shoes, but it’s hard with his arms full.
“Here, let me take her,” Ava offers. “What’s her name?”
“Mushroom. Oh, and I’m Sam. She’s my best friend. I… umm… I guess you can take her… for just a minute.”
Daniels dons his shoes and takes back the dog.
***
In the laundry room, Daniel meets up with Sean who must’ve taken his shower more quickly.
Sean is already dressed in a dark blue shirt but just his normal pants and shoes. He holds the washing machine door open as he adds Daniel’s clothes to his own. He picks out Daniel’s jeans and starts the machine.
“I couldn’t find any pants in our size, so we’ll just have to wear our old ones. There wasn’t much laundry to plunder. But I did find you some socks and a shirt.”
Sean bundles together Daniel’s jeans with the new light blue shirt and some off-white socks with smurfs or something on them. “You put those on while I keep Shroom entertained.”
“Wait… what about… you know?”
“Your briefs? That shit HAS to be washed. You’ve been wearing the same ones for a week. Just go commando. No one will know.”
***
The blue-shirted brothers return to the men’s dorm and claim one of the bunk beds. To Sean’s surprise, Daniel insists on having the bottom bunk “so that Mushroom doesn’t fall out.”
So far, nobody has claimed a bed adjacent to them, but that may change as more people complete the intake process.
Daniel sits on the side of the bed, bored and waiting for dinner. Mushroom lays peacefully in the center of the bed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel sees Sean pull out his sketchbook. Out of respect for Sean’s drawing, he stays still and just stares around at the room.
“Sean, why are there cans with dirt in them around all the bedposts?”
Daniel realizes his mistake. “Oops, I mean… Dylan.” He knows he’s never going to hear the end from Sean about that later - even though nobody is super close or paying attention.
Sean finally responds to the question. “That’s to fight off bed bugs. I remember Ellery’s mom made him use those after he caught some at a hotel we stayed at for a track meet.”
“I don’t get it. How does earth stop bugs?”
“Dude, I don’t know… it just does. Just be happy you won’t be eaten alive tonight.”
A few minutes later, Sean closes his sketchbook.
“Can we go get dinner now?” Daniel begs.
“It’s still another ten minutes, but… yeah… we could go find a seat.”
As the brothers walk from the door to the dining room, Daniel takes notice of a sign above the doorway. “Hey, look, Dylan!” He points.
Sean looks and reads aloud “Lunch Room.”
Daniel laughs. “Walt was right.”
Chapter Text
Stepping through the swinging traffic doors of the lunchroom, Sean surveys the area for its layout and for its occupants. He hadn’t noticed until now. This novel, automatic response that he exhibits whenever he and his brother arrive somewhere new.
He never had to do this before. There was always someone else between him and everything else. His dad, usually. Other times it was his grandparents or his teachers or his coaches or his friends. They were Sean’s shelter; his protection. They acted as a buffer between him and the world and, as he watched over Daniel sleeping under a tree, a bridge, or a rock formation under the stars, he wondered if had ever truly encountered the world. If it had been masked from him before, it was certainly in full view now. Its cold expanse had arrived in an instant, flooding down the barrel of a loaded gun, colliding and exploding with Sean’s world without so much for him as a say in the matter.
And yet, resolved and determined Sean is, to delay the world for his little brother.
“Whoa…chocolate mousse!”
Daniel’s exciteable remarks seem to echo through the lunchroom, and bounce off the walls into the ears of its tired patrons, who turn to examine what owns that high-pitched, delicate voice. Sean feels his cheeks getting warmer.
“Hey…uh…Sam…let’s check if we’re allowed that first,” Sean interjects.
“I think we can take anything! We’re showered and everything!”
“Let’s be sure, enano.”
Sean approaches the stainless steel line of the service counter and waits to be given the attention of the single, frazzled volunteer behind the glass.
“Hey, sweetie,” the volunteer gestures towards Daniel. “How old are you? You’ve got the cutest little face I’ve seen in here for a long time.”
“I’m nine! I’m here with my brother.”
Daniel glances at Sean with a focused twinkle in his eye. “Sea-...Dylan…can you…ask if we…”
“Oh, right,” Sean stammers. “Ma’am, can we have one of the chocolate mousses?”
“You can take one dinner plate and one dessert plate for each of you. We’ve got meatloaf and vegetables or chicken tacos and vegetables. And we’ve only got the mousse option tonight.”
“I want the tacos!” Daniel exclaims. “Please!”
“Alright, little cub. Grab a tray. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t thank me, sugar. Thank our Lord above for providing us with this food. And municipal funding, I guess.”
***
Daniel pricks and prods at the taco on his plate. The anemic ‘chicken’ seems to bounce back with as much force as Daniel applies.
“These aren’t like Dad’s tacos.”
“What were you expecting?” Sean retorts jokingly. “Dad wasn't behind the counter.”
Sean catches himself much too late. He didn’t mean for his joke to come out like that. And it was meant to be a joke. Even if he tried to pretend he was immune to the consequences of sleep deprivation and circumstance, he wasn’t, and his loosening grip of what is and isn’t right to say was the first house to fall.
Daniel looks up from the plate. Sean could see the synapses in his little brother’s brain firing rapidly as if each one was recanting “what did he say?!” and “why did he say that?!”.
Before the water could leave Daniel’s lower eyelid, Sean grabs his brother’s hand tightly.
“I…uhh…fuck…” Sean mumbles meekly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It’s okay,” Daniel interrupts, pulling the collar of his found shirt up to meet the falling tears. “I just miss him. A lot.”
“I know.”
Sean hesitates with his next words. His heart’s desire to say something more, something to cauterize his brother’s never-ending wound, was tempered by his mind’s damning need to remain invisible. His heart wins.
“You’re allowed to miss him. I miss him. We didn’t even get to say goodbye. But that’s life, enano. We never know that the last thing we say to someone will be the last. Until it is.”
Sean watches his little brother’s tears fall stronger and heavier onto the plastic tabletop; the blue collar unable to put up any more resistance. That is enough world for the day, Sean thinks.
“Hey, uh…listen. Let’s not think about all that right now. We’ve got somewhere safe to sleep, with fresh sheets and warm blankets. You’ll feel so much better in the morning!”
“Yeah, you’re right. It just sucks. I hate this.”
“I know, little cub. I’m trying my best. We’re trying our best.”
The truth is, Sean didn’t know if this was his best. He had repeated that line to Daniel several times since they had been on the road and, while it wasn’t a lie each time he said it, Sean couldn’t be sure if it was approaching the truth either. Sean didn’t really know what he was doing, so how could he be sure that it was his best? When he had enough energy to think, Sean flipped through the alternatives in his mind. He wondered if he should be thankful to be alive. Anything could have happened to him in this new world, and anything could happen to him still. Was it a miracle that he was still alive? Was he merely rebuffing the repeated attempts of the universe to separate him from his brother, and he didn’t even realize? He wondered about his role in the whole affair. Whether it—whether the world—was worth running away from or if he should let it catch up to him. Then his brother spoke.
“I’m so tired, Sean.”
It didn’t matter what Daniel had said at the moment. It didn’t matter that he called him Sean. He could’ve said everything or nothing and it would’ve been the same. The same reminder that Sean‘s world is his brother. He lets go of Daniel’s hand.
“Finish your mousse. Then, we can go to bed.”
***
Sean pulls the thin blanket up towards Daniel’s neck. Mushroom peeps out from beneath the covers and gives Sean’s hand a gentle lick.
“Keep hold of her. I don’t want to wake up to the sound of Mushroom gnawing through someone’s bag in the night.”
“Don’t worry. She never leaves me when I’m asleep.”
That was true, Sean realizes. Mushroom seemed to stick to Daniel at night, as if she knew her role was to provide more than just warmth to her new pack leader. The dog that Sean never even wanted had joined him in his quest to armor Daniel from the world.
“Alright, enano. Try and fall asleep quickly. We gotta be out of here by seven, remember?”
“Okay…sure…it’s lucky that I’m…really…sleepy…”
Daniel’s eyes fall softly shut and Sean takes that as his cue to climb onto his bunk and claim some rest for himself.
Adjusting the worn pillow behind his head, Sean notices the previously-vacant bunk next to his is now occupied by a small rucksack that seemed to be existing in this world well past its use-by date. He tries to examine its contents, but the single fluorescent tube above him provides little luminatory support. Without warning, he feels a cold, spindly hand grab at his shoulder.
“Whatchu lookin’ at, kid?” a voice, presumably that of the body to which the spindly hand was connected, interrupts. Sean freezes.
“That’s my fucking bag. What’s so interesting about it?”
Sean can barely register a response; his vocal chords tensing to the point of being unresponsive.
“I…uhh…I wasn’t…”
“You weren’t what, kid? I saw you checking out my shit. Trying to see what you can lift. You fucking Mexicans are all the same.”
Sean can’t do anything except feel the grip of the wasterly man tighten around his shoulder, and notice the blue and purple bruises that dotted his exposed arm. He begins to shiver. His body feels like it no longer belonged to him.
“Is this yours?”, the man questions, clutching Sean’s backpack and pressing it against his face. He dumps its contents out onto the bed.
“I didn’t expect to go shopping tonight, but it seems to be what we’re all doing…”
Sean’s ID card twinkles slightly in the fading light.
“Is this you? Sean Ed-uar-do Di-az? I fucking knew it.”
Hearing his name come out of the man’s mocking mouth makes Sean wince.
“Well, aren’t you handsome? What the fuck are you doing here? You could be a model. That’s a Target catalogue face if I’ve ever seen one.”
Sean’s eyes dart around the room, desperately searching for aid.
“You’re a little short for modelling, but faggots like you seem to be in fashion these days.”
The man contorts the ID card between his fingers and flicks it into Sean’s left eye, which the man brings into focus.
“You look familiar.”
Sean’s heart sinks. He regrets not disposing of his card when he had the chance. Mercifully or not, the tweaker’s attention switches to the rest of the bag.
“Oh, look at this.” The man reaches for Sean’s pocket knife and examines it closely.
“I guess I’ll keep this as a souvenir,” he adds. “So. You wanna check out my bag now, Sean Diaz?” He licks the accumulating sweat from his upper lip.
“Answer me or I’ll fucking kill you.”
The addled man presses the tip of the blade into Sean’s abdomen, its sharp point breaking through the thin barrier of his shirt. Sean has no control over his thoughts. He wishes he was wearing his Wolf Squad hoodie for it might have provided him with an additional second of protection. A second in which one of the volunteers would walk in, lay their eyes on the confrontation, and spook the addled man by way of a thunderous “Hey!” that only a third-party bystander could provide, because Sean certainly can’t do it himself. Only a second, Sean thinks. One second more.
“Sean?”
It is the one voice he didn’t want to hear.
“Sean? What’s going on?!”
“Quiet, Daniel!” Sean instinctively snaps back.
“Oh, there’s two of you? Well shit. Is this how you beaners do it? One to look and one to snatch, huh?”
The man pulls the blade back from Sean’s shirt and turns towards Daniel in the bottom bunk. Sean scrambles out of the other side of his bed and launches himself over Daniel to meet the man in his new position.
“Get the fuck away from my brother!” Sean exclaims, as he reaches to grab the man before he can touch Daniel.
In an instant, the man, with a surprising amount of force, lands a punch into Sean’s temple, knocking his face into Daniel’s blanket.
“Sean!?”, Daniel screams, reaching for his brother’s head.
“Looks like you picked the wrong guy, motherfuckers,” the man snipes.
Sean lets out a faint whimper, as Daniel spots the man’s fist beginning to reclench. Without warning or prompt, every extiniguished light in the dark dormitory bursts into life. The fluorescent tube directly above the brothers sparks and explodes with a deafening crunch.
“What the fuck-”, yells the drug addict before Daniel, with his outstretched arm and exposed palm, blasts the man back and over a neighbouring bunk. Sean’s knife tumbles to the floor with a reassuring clink.
“Hey! HEY!”
A deep, familiar voice bellows from nearby. Sean clambours to regain his bearings and envelops Daniel in an all-encompassing hold.
“Hey! Get the fuck away from those kids!”, the voice roars, now unmistakable. Walt.
Sean grips Daniel tighter as terrified sobs fall out of him uncontrollably. Sean runs his hands through the familiar tufts of Daniel’s thick, jet black hair hoping to find within them the reassurance that he has, once again, rebuffed the world.
“They were casing my fucking shit!”, the addict yells. “I caught that fucking punk in the act!”
“Yeah? What shit, you fucking asshole?”, Walt retorts. “Who the fuck who would want your garbage?”
“What the hell is going on here?”, a third voice interrupts.
Sean can’t see the commotion. His eyes are locked shut and he is burying his brother’s eyes into his chest to lock them too.
“It’s Todd. He’s harassing those new kids,” Walt explains.
“Alright, out! Take your shit and leave!” the third voice instructs. “We don’t need this crap right now.”
Sean blocks out the noise. He has heard enough and he has felt enough. He doesn’t care what happens next. He has his brother and his brother’s dog in his arms and that is all he could handle.
“Hey, uh…Dylan?”
Walt again.
“Dylan? Are you okay? He’s gone. Todd’s gone. If I had known that asshole was here, I would’ve-”, Walt stops himself from elucidating further.
Sean loosens his grip on his brother, who peeks out and looks toward Walt, revealing his tears.
“Sam? Are you okay? I’m so sorry, little man. You must have gotten a right scare.”
“I…uhh…I’m fine…” Daniel replies tentatively through muffled sobs. “Is he gone?”
“Yes, he’s gone. And I’m gonna watch over you two tonight. I’ll take the bunk next to you and make sure nobody else harasses you, alright?”
“Okay…” Daniel sighs. “Sea…I mean, uh, Dylan?”
“Enano…I’m sorry.”
Enano. It is the first word Sean says after thinking he would never speak again.
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”, Sean repeats.
“It’s okay, I’m fine! Look, you saved me and Mushroom!” Daniel says, with a familiar sprightliness returning to his voice.
Sean doesn’t believe his brother’s words. He hadn’t saved them from anyone. If anything, he had invited the threat himself.
“Okay, y’all. Show’s over. Back to sleep.” instructs the voice of the volunteer attempting to restore order to the place. “Damn janky ass lights…”, they mumble as they walk into an adjoining room.
“Listen, kids,” Walt begins. “This is a rough spot. They’re all like this. You gotta just keep your nose down, you hear me? I don’t know if you’ll be as lucky every time as you were tonight. There are some real creeps out there…trust me…”
“Yes, sir,” Daniel obliges. “Thank you.”
“Alright, now get to sleep. I’ll be right here next to you.”
“Thanks, Walt.”
Sean climbs under the blanket, and wraps his arm around his little brother. Mushroom occupies an increasingly restricted space between the pair.
“I love you, Daniel. I won’t let anyone come near you again.”
“I know, Sean. I love you, too.”
Sean feels warm tears stream down his face and accumulate in the corners of his mouth. He wishes someone would tell him something similar.
“Hey, Sean?”, Daniel inquires.
“Yeah?”
“I told you Walt was nice.”
Chapter Text
He should be sleeping. It should be easy. The hotel was only a few days ago, but it felt like years. So a roof over their heads, food, warm room, clean clothes and a bed? Should've been the perfect recipe for easy sleep. Sean wasn't going to be particularly stoked if Daniel started nodding off on the road tomorrow.
But.
The silhouette of Sean's chest rises and falls against the slightly less black backdrop of the far wall. Every exhale rustles the hair on top of Daniel's head. He lost count a couple hundred breaths in, having started ticking them off sometime after he noticed Sean’s shaky, hiccuping sobs even out and deepen as he finally fell off into sleep. The rhythmic movement hasn’t stopped once.
When Sean hit the bed earlier, after that guy punched him in the head… for some reason Daniel had been sure that was it. Sean was gone and he was alone. Which he knows is stupid now, it was just a punch, not like that would kill his big brother.
A swirl of red and brown and sky tries to form a picture in his head, but doesn't manifest, he doesn't try very hard to let it. Maybe he tries not to.
Sean is still here, he’s not going anywhere. Which is good, because Daniel doesn’t know what he'd do without him.
Especially with this other thing.
When that creep, Todd, had hit Sean, and he’d landed sprawled out on the cot... For an instant he didn't look like he was moving. Or breathing. If he made a noise, or said something, Daniel hadn't heard it through the rush of blood in his ears as he’d reached out for his brother’s injured head in a panic. The shadow of Todd had loomed over him, and then it hadn't. He'd toppled backwards over the side of the bed, Daniel seeing it play out in flashes of light and darkness as the fluorescent lights had begun to strobe violently.
Daniel hadn't gotten woozy afterwards, or forgot anything, he's pretty sure. His heart was hammering against his ribs, but that had settled down when Sean was okay and Walt and the aide had ushered a snarling Todd away. No one, not even Todd seemed to think anything that happened had to do with him.
Sean hadn't said anything, maybe he hadn’t thought to while he was crying, probably just because Walt was still around. Walt who was currently snoring softly somewhere in the room, unseen behind Sean's torso.
“Are you okay, Mushroom?” Daniel whispers, shifting his leg a little where he can feel the warmth of the puppy’s flank. She lets out a little groaning whine, and Daniel feels her muscles tense, almost seeing her stretching out her front legs in his mind, her mouth opening wide in a yawn that ends in a little yip and clack of teeth. Her head settles back down, a new warmth on his ankle and she’s back asleep. Daniel can’t suppress the smile or the flood of warmth in his chest. She’s so cute. Her relaxation in these circumstances easing some of the anxiety he hadn’t otherwise known what to do with.
Whatever he did this time hadn’t scared her like back at the motel. Sean wasn’t scared either it seems, not of the powers at least, his arms still a warm cage around Daniel’s shoulders even in sleep. Daniel wriggles forward to bury his head in his brother’s chest, starting to feel heavier by the second.
Sean doesn’t seem to wake up, but his embrace follows Daniel’s movement and gets a little tighter.
It’s nice, but he’s still scared. A little. He doesn’t know when his weird… abilities… are going to go off again. He can’t seem to trigger them on purpose.
With Hank and Todd, he’d been afraid. Back at the motel he’d been… Angry, mostly. Or sad. Betrayed? Crushed? Something. A lot of things. Whatever he’d been, whatever he was. Sean and Mushroom had been the ones to be scared then.
They were fine now though, so what happened must not have been too bad. They could sleep next to Daniel like he wasn’t a monster. Sean had said he wasn’t, right?
Sean hums something in his sleep, almost like he’s agreeing. Daniel is able to let go of some of those last anxious thoughts, finding himself unable to keep his eyes open any longer.
In the newly complete darkness, Sean keeps breathing.
---
It doesn’t feel like he’s done more than fall asleep before he’s shaken awake again. “C’mon Sam, they’re gonna start kicking people out soon, let’s get ahead of the rush.”
“Sean…” Daniel whines, grabbing the edge of the thin blanket and pulling it over his head, only for Sean to yank it back down with a hiss.
“Dylan.” He corrects in a stern whisper.
Daniel rolls his eyes open, pouting. LIke Sean hadn’t messed up the code names a bunch himself last night. There isn’t any point fighting him though. Mushroom snuffling breaths suggests she’s already perking up to the activity, and Daniel feels her clawed paws through the fabric as she scrambles up the bed to begin sniffing eagerly at his face.
“See? Shroom’s excited!” Sean says with pep Daniel can tell is forced, “So, come on, let’s get her outside so she can pee.”
Daniel groans, pushing himself reluctantly onto his arms. The room sways, and the heaviness in his head tells him that if he drops back down on the pillow, he can go right back to sleep. Annoying older brother be damned. But Mushroom has moved her wriggling body under the space between his chest and the mattress, craning her neck up to lick eagerly at his chin, startling a giggle out of him.
“What about breakfast?” he asks when he’s sat up enough to escape the puppy’s onslaught.
“Yeah, breakfast… yeah” Sean sounds distracted by something, and rubs a hand over his face, “Let’s get cleaned up in the bathroom, then we can hit the Lunch Room. They’ll probably let us take things to go…” he rolls his legs over the side of the bed and something crunches. “Crap.”
“What is it…?” Daniel is suddenly alert, watching Sean’s dark blue-tinged face to try and get a gauge of his expression, figure out what’s wrong.
“Glass. One of the lights broke last night when you- I guess no one cleaned it up,” Daniel hears a scraping noise as Sean clears away some of the glass underfoot, “Stay here, keep Shroom on the bed. I’ll get your shoes.” He slides his feet across the floor to avoid stepping on the sharp shards, fumbling in the darkness for their shoes.
Daniel feels a stab of guilt. Imagining Sean trying to walk on bleeding feet, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, didn’t cut me. Don’t worry, enano, wasn’t your fault. I didn’t even think about it. I guess no one did...”
Mushroom moves to follow Sean when he gets close to the doorway, eagerly expecting food probably. Daniel quickly grabs her around the chest, pulling her close. “Just a minute girl, good girl.”
He gets a little whine in response, and her paws knead impatiently at the thin sheets. Clearly she’s not so interested in being a good girl right now, she wants to run around and explore. Daniel gives her scritches on her ears and coos. It’s hard not to love her even when she wants to do something dumb. “Good girl,” he repeats.
“Got her leash?” Sean asked, moving closer. He grabs for Daniel’s ankle, pulling one leg off the bed and shoving Daniel’s foot into the shoe. Daniel wants to huff that he can put them on himself, but his hands are occupied with Mushroom.
He feels out the strip of rough fabric. They’d needed this in town so she wouldn’t bound off into oncoming traffic. He gives it a yank and feels resistance. “It’s still on the pole.”
“I’ll get it,” Sean says, securing Danie’s second shoe. “Be careful, I don’t know how spread out the glass is. Let me get your backpack too.”
Daniel nods, wondering if Sean can even tell in the dim light. He scoops up Mushroom and shuffles past the other bunks towards the door, keeping her attempts to reach the floor herself barely at bay as he does.
Sean joins him at the threshold a moment later, looping the leash around Mushroom’s uncollared neck and securing it. “Remember where the bathrooms are?”
“Duh.” Daniel rolls his eyes and Sean roughly ruffles his hair in retaliation.
“Good. March. We need to get out of here.”
---
The shelter staff provide them with two brown paper bags and water bottles when they arrive in the lunchroom with a few other early birds eager to get out and move on. Daniel is a little disappointed that Walt isn’t one of them, he’d like to have said goodbye at least. He’s pretty sure he saw Sean leave a note on his bunk though, so maybe that’s good enough.
Mushroom immediately bolts to the end of her lead when her paws first touch the frosty pavement outside, pink nose twitching as she darts back and forth between anything in reach with an interesting scent. Looking for the best place to pee, probably. They were really lucky that she hadn’t had an accident in the shelter, or the motel. Maybe Doris had trained her before?
Daniel turns away from her to offer a little privacy, turning his attention to Sean, “Why do we have to leave right now? I thought they wouldn’t kick us out for another few hours?” It’s still dark out, the sky tinged that deep blue that came before dawn. Daniel exaggerates a shiver and pushes himself against Sean’s side.
Sean sighs, looking around the street to confirm they’re alone, “Look, Daniel… We need to talk about last night.”
“Uh-huh…?” Daniel backs away, suddenly warry. Sean’s voice is strained in a way that’s fast becoming distressingly familiar. He tries to get ahead of it. “It just happened! I wasn’t trying to do anything. And anyways, that guy, he hit you! I thought. I thought he really hurt you.”
Even in the half-light, he can see the shudder that runs through Sean’s body. Is what happened last night bothering him that much? Or is it just the frigid air? “I know. I’m not mad, nothing that happened was your fault, okay? You can’t help whatever… whatever’s going on with you. And that guy… was just an asshole. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
Daniel doesn’t know if he should feel relieved at all. “But…?”
Sean puts his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, giving him a light push to get him moving down the street. “Your… powers are kind of unpredictable dude. It might be dangerous for us to be around other people right now.”
“I’m dangerous…?” Daniel feels like he’s been punched in the chest, his eyes starting to sting.
“No! No, no no no no. Not you. Other people,” Sean says hastily when Daniel jerks away from him. “These powers are going to draw attention to us, and right now that’s dangerous. For us.”
It’s not true, Sean had to mean him. Daniel scoffs, “Nobody knew it was me! Not even stupid Todd!”
“That’s because Todd was like, strung out on something!” Daniel doesn’t even know what it means to be strung out, but Sean continues before he can ask about it, “It’s only a matter of time before someone sees something and freaks out! And then they’ll call the cops and we’ll be separated. You don’t want that, right?”
Daniel grinds his teeth together in frustration.
“Daniel?”
“I don’t want that.” He grits out reluctantly.
“I don’t want that either,” Sean gives him a pat on the back that he doesn’t rebuke, just stares sullenly at the ground.
“Does this mean we’re going to be sleeping in the woods again?”
“It’s not going to be like before, I promise. I’m going to figure something out.”
Daniel nods shakily. His chest feels tight, he’s not looking forward to it. What are they going to eat? It just keeps getting colder every night, like the world hadn’t got the memo that it was still supposed to be Fall. Like it wanted Sean and Daniel to freeze out there. But the alternative was losing Sean, and probably Mushroom, if they got caught. He has to trust that Sean will figure something out, and they’ll be okay.
---
Daniel’s job is to watch for cops and anyone that’s paying too much attention to them. Mostly he’s just leaning against the wall of a building, alternating taking bites of his sandwich and tearing off pieces for Mushroom. The streets are still mostly empty, a testament to just how early Sean had ushered them back out into the world. None of the occasional cars that had passed by had looked like cops, none of them had stopped, either.
Only a jogger had shared the sidewalk with them, briefly. Puffing out clouds of white steam and listening to music loud enough that Daniel could hear the beat from several yards away. Sean’s eyes had followed the man, staring at the headphones with intense jealousy.
They were a couple blocks away from the highway 20 exit, on a street that was nevertheless slow enough that someone might feel comfortable pulling over to talk to the teenager standing on the shoulder of the road with his thumb out.
Daniel had suggested finding a gas station, since they’d find more drivers there. But Sean had been completely uncomfortable with the idea, and adamantly vetoed it. Which had decimated Daniel’s plan to beg for a chock-o-crisp bar.
“He wants me to stay away from people, now he wants to hitchhike,” Daniel mumbles catily to Mushroom, tearing the last corner of the sandwich in half to split with her. “He’s so dumb.”
“What was that?”
In lieu of response, Daniel hastily changes the subject, “Uh… Can we change our names? I don’t want to be Sam anymore.”
Sean huffs out a laugh, “Dude, no. You barely remember to call me Dylan half the time. We don’t need to keep changing aliases every five minutes.”
Pouting, Daniel gives Mushroom a quick pet in consolation when she whines for another bite of the fully depleted breakfast. “Oh! But what if they track us using the fake names? Wouldn’t changing it every time work better?”
That actually seems to make Sean pause in consideration, “Oh, uh…” He’s spared from having to come up with a rebuttal when a dark green car slows to a stop in front of him. The window rolls down and a woman stares out at the two boys from behind a pair of glasses.
“You’re looking for a lift?” she asks, and Sean sputters through a reply while Daniel gathers up his things. He hurries to his brother’s side and hears her respond with, “Whereabouts are you heading then?”
“Oh, uh, south,” Sean offers a timid smile.
She hums, regarding them cooly. Daniel wonders if something about them looks off, “I like your earrings!” he pipes up, only for Sean to clamp a hand over his mouth. Oh, like he’s doing any better talking!
She nods in acknowledgement of the compliment, “I’m going east, myself, but I’ll be passing through Sweet Home on the way. It won’t get you very far, but I won’t mind the company.”
Daniel licks Sean’s hand to try and free himself, but Sean’s grip remains stubbornly firm, “Anything is honestly great, thank you so much, ma’am. I’m Dylan, this is my little brother.”
Daniel manages to pry Sean’s hand away with the one not holding Mushroom’s leash. He’s tempted to give a different name just to get on Dyl-do’s nerves, but he can’t think of anything off the top of his head besides Power Bear Jr. “I’m Sam! This is Mushroom!” He says instead.
There’s a click that indicates the car’s doors are unlocked. “Bridget Gilbert. Your puppy house trained?”
“She’s really good!” Daniel promises, opening the back door and letting Mushroom hop in first. Sean seems like he wants to protest against it, which is weird, but he moves around to the passenger side instead. “She didn’t have any accidents last night, and she just went a little bit ago.”
Miss Bridget makes an approving noise, waiting for her new passengers to get their seatbelts on before she pulls back out onto the road. The car's cab falls into silence for a few moments until she’s taking the exit to the highway. “So what’s ‘south’ for you guys?”
Daniel’s already being reminded of how tired he is by the movement of the car. Mushroom paces back and forth along the back seat, wobbling unsteadily. She whines plaintively at Daniel like he might have the answers to her new plight.
“Oh, uh, we’re headed to Crater Lake.”
“Just you two?” Daniel catches Bridget’s eye for a second in the rearview mirror, and hopes nothing on his face is telling. Sean speaks again, and thankfully his excuse doesn’t include their dad.
“It’s like a survivalist trip, we’ve got to make our way there on our own, but there’s a whole group of us,” he assures, “And Sam’s more experienced than he looks. You should’ve seen him on Mt Baker last year, it’s like he was born up there.”
Daniel remembers the skiing trip. Sean hadn’t been that complimentary during, but he has trouble suppressing a smile regardless. It had been so cold, but really fun. The idea of a place called ‘Crater Lake’ stirs up fascinating images of meteors and fossils. “I hope we find a t-rex skeleton…”
That seems to startle a laugh out of Bridget, and she begins to look a little more relaxed. “Wouldn’t that be the discovery of a lifetime? Well, if that’s the case, I can still drop you off in Sweet Home, or I can take you as far as the 97 junction. There’s not much out there for a while though, you’d have to get lucky catching someone going south. I’m going to be heading up to Mt. Jefferson after that.”
“Awesome!” Daniel says before Sean can answer her, “Are you going camping too?” There isn’t any gear in the backseat, maybe it’s all in the trunk?
“Something like that, I’m participating in a study of the lava beds on the mountain.”
Daniel’s jaw drops, “What? Lava? Like from a volcano?”
Bridget nods, “Mt. Jefferson is one of a few active volcanoes in Oregon. Mostly I work up on Mt. Hood, but I’ve also been out to Sisters and Mozama.”
It’s like he’s seeing her for the first time. She sounds so completely nonchalant, like she’s not about to go walk on a gigantic explosive death cone. “You’re not scared?”
This time she shakes her head, “The last time the Mountain erupted was well over ten thousand years ago. And that’s part of the purpose of the study. It’s important to learn as much about its past eruptions as we can, so we know how to prepare for future events, should they occur. That, and there’s always companies like Coeur or Typhon funding surveys to scope out resources and secure mining rights.”
“That’s so brave…” Daniel continues to stare, awestruck. “Wouldn’t it be really bad if it erupts though?”
“Sam…” Sean warns, and Daniel makes a face at him. He hasn’t done anything bad! She’d say if she didn’t want to answer his questions, right?
A highway sign announces that Sweet Home is another 10 miles away, “It would be bad, yes. But for now it’s dormant. Eruptions don’t come out of nowhere, there are signs for weeks, months or even decades before an event. I need to be more worried about hypothermia or falling off a cliff.”
“Well, either way. I think it’s brave. I couldn’t ever do something like that”
Sean laughs a little, “You already did. Mt. Rainier is a volcano too, you know?”
“It’s what!?”
“Well, yeah, it’s even-”
“You had me sleep. On a volcano?!” Was Sean out of his mind? Daniel hadn’t agreed to that!
“Jeeze man, be quiet! She just told you it’s not dangerous, remember?”
Daniel isn’t going to let the betrayal go this easily, and promises to give Sean a piece of his mind when it’s just the two of them. He can’t believe his brother had thought sleeping on a mountain that could spew lava on them at any moment was a good idea. He’s starting to have serious doubts on Sean’s idea of safety. Next he’s going to have them sleep in a cave full of bears.
But he does settle back into his seat, turning to glare out the window. Mushroom’s head finds his lap, whining softly. It’s hard to keep up the pout with her acting so cute, and he gives her head a few pats. It’s really a good thing he took her from the gas station then, if it was so close to the volcano. “Good puppy,” he whispers.
You’re safe with me, don’t worry.
In the front seat, Bridget casts a sideways glance at Sean. “So you two have come all the way from Washington? Pretty far on your own.”
Chapter Text
Sean fights an urge to laugh at the unintended profundity of Bridget's statement. Their comfortable home in Seattle and the life that went along with it might as well be light years away.
"Nah, we're used to the trip," Sean says. Having found that lies are more convincing when they contain a kernel of truth, he adds, "We've got family not far from here."
He shoots a quick glance to the backseat, hoping that the intensity of his expression will stifle any contradiction or further elaboration, but Daniel doesn't even meet his eyes. His attention is laser-focused on Mushroom.
Sean stares out the window at the scenery whizzing by. He can't tell whether his response satisfied or worried Bridget, but either way, she stops asking questions. The remainder of the drive is spent with little conversation.
When they arrive in what seems to be the center of Sweet Home, Bridget pulls over at a Dutch Bros next door to a gas station. "I'm planning to grab a coffee here, fuel up, and hit the road again. You boys want me to drop you any place in particular, or is this okay?"
"This is perfect, thank you, again!" Sean says, his hand already on the door handle. As far as he's concerned, they can't leave the vehicle fast enough. Daniel bundles up the puppy and exits the backseat a few seconds later.
"Thanks!" Daniel waves. "Good luck with the volcano!"
Bridget chuckles, then hesitates for a brief, terrible moment during which Sean is convinced she's going to whip out her cell and call the cops or child services. Ultimately, she turns to walk into the coffee shop. "You two be safe out there, all right?"
"We will!"
As soon as she's out of sight, Sean tugs on Daniel's hand and drags him away.
"Ow!"
Sean winces. "Sorry, enano. We should walk fast, though, I wanna get some distance from here."
Daniel rubs his arm, but does his best to keep up with Sean's pace. "Why? Bridget was nice."
"Yeah, she was," Sean agrees. "But sometimes nice people have trouble minding their own business."
"Oh… true." Daniel nods sagely. Sean bites back a smirk.
Route 20 appears to serve as the main thoroughfare of Sweet Home, and it's slightly more bustling than Sean had anticipated. It's busy enough that he considers making their way over to some quaint side neighborhood side streets, but decides they'll have a better chance of blending in out in the open. Besides, Daniel might eventually get too tired to keep walking.
Sean wants to avoid hitchhiking again if they can, though. The situation with Bridget was too close for comfort.
They walk past a hardware store, a market, several apartment complexes, an RV store, and restaurants. So many restaurants! In reality, it's only a handful of them, but to Sean it feels like an excessive amount for a small town, each with the delicious scents of their lunchtime offerings wafting out enticingly. Sean's stomach grumbles.
"Are you hungry?" Daniel asks.
Sean can no longer remember what it feels like not to be hungry. "It hasn't been that long since breakfast, so let's wait a little bit, okay?"
"Okay." No protest. No whining. Daniel just skips along beside him and Sean is overcome with a burst of pride. Sure, Daniel has had his moments, but he's handling all of it so much better than any other kid his age that Sean can imagine. He wants to tell Daniel that he's proud, and that Dad would have been proud too, but he doesn't want to risk rubbing salt into any wounds.
Sean figures they must be headed out of town as the buildings get fewer and farther apart. They approach Burger Shack, a fast food restaurant that looks like it used to be a McDonald's. There are no cars at the drive-through and only a few in the parking lot. Better yet, there are no employees lingering outside.
"I bet the lunch rush just ended," Sean gestures to the dumpster out back. "Since it's daytime, I've gotta be extra careful not to be seen, but we might get lucky."
Daniel's face scrunches in disgust. "Burgers straight from the trash? Ew!"
Sean can't blame him. He'd have made the same face a week ago. "They'll still be all wrapped up. It'll be fine. Trust me."
"I guess." Daniel sighs. "I'm gonna go inside so I can pee and refill the water bottle."
"Hey, that better be two separate actions!" Sean teases.
"Ha, ha. You're gross." Daniel rolls his eyes but grins as he heads inside.
"Yes, I am," Sean mutters to himself as he prepares to scale the dumpster. Fortunately, it has no lock, and he hits the jackpot with the trash bag immediately on top. It's full of loose french fries, onion rings, and still-warm wrapped sandwiches. Picking around the free-roaming sides, he takes as many burgers as he can stuff into his backpack.
Daniel returns from the bathroom just as Sean is climbing back down. "You get anything?"
"Yeah, good stuff. Let's keep going and we'll find somewhere to stop and eat a little further down the road."
About ten minutes later, they stumble upon a local park with picnic benches and a public restroom. Sean takes the opportunity to wash his hands and refill his own water. Mushroom also finds a spot to do her business. The three of them sit down at one of the tables and partake in a veritable feast of cheeseburgers.
"Mm, burgers," Daniel says, his mouth full. "But, um… is the bun on yours a little hard in some parts?"
"Yeah, it's because they were sitting under warming lamps for a while. Just give the hard parts to Mushroom, she'll like 'em."
Indeed, Mushroom graciously accepts the harder bread, gobbling it happily.
They finish their lunch together in amicable silence. Sean lets himself indulge in the briefest of daydreams, that they're back in Seattle, clad in warm, clean clothes, eating sushi and playing games with their dad. He chases the thought away after a beat. As temporarily comforting as those daydreams can be, dwelling in them won't do him or Daniel any good.
Sean gathers up their trash and stuffs it in a nearby garbage bin. They've still got leftover burgers to eat later. "You good to keep walking?"
"Uh-huh."
They continue onward for many hours, even after the sun sets, until finally Sean finds a good spot where they can camp out for the night, next to the river. It's far enough off the road that no one should see them.
After building a fire and polishing off a couple more burgers, Sean bundles up Daniel and snuggles against him, as he snuggles Mushroom. The discomfort of the cold, hard ground is no match for their combined exhaustion, and they all manage to drift off.
***
"It's getting colder," Daniel notes with concern as they head back out on the road. He huffs out an exhale. "Look, I can see my breath!"
Sean rubs his forehead. This complicates the whole outdoor survivalist plan. "We'll figure something out," he promises, with no idea how to back it up. He wonders the extent to which Daniel realizes that his older brother has zero fucking clue what he is doing. "The walk will warm us up, too."
The two of them trudge onward with few breaks until it's dark again. Sean feels like his legs are going to give out. He can't imagine how Daniel is still hanging in there, but he is, with only a moderate amount of griping along the way.
Then, Sean sees a sign.
River's Edge County Park: Open Year-Round. Trails, Campsites, Cabins for Rent.
Open year-round. It must be the off season. What are the odds that all of this park's cabins would be rented out on a random November weekend? It was late enough at night that it might be worth a shot.
"Let's scope this place out and see if we can borrow one of their empty cabins. It's important that no one sees us or hears us, so we have to be really, super quiet. Like a secret stealth mission. Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Daniel whispers, instantly falling into the role with as much enthusiasm as Sean hoped he would. "Mushroom will be quiet too."
"Good."
After studying a posted map of the park layout, the two of them skulk over to the area where the cabins are located. Sean takes in the scene from behind a big pine tree. A few cabins are lit up, and outside one of them is a family gathered around a charcoal grill. Several of the other cabins are dark, but appear to have cars parked outside. On the opposite side of the park, the side not overlooking the water, Sean spots a dark cabin behind a copse of trees with no cars or sign of occupants.
He gestures wordlessly to the cabin and Daniel follows his soft footsteps to the front door. No one appears to spot them making the trek, and this particular cabin has no immediate neighbors. Sean turns the knob optimistically, but the front door is locked.
Damn. Of course they wouldn't be that lucky. There's a 4-digit lockbox next to the door. Sean attempts to decipher the code by analyzing how worn certain numbers are, but he can barely see anything in the darkness. He's pretty sure tricks like that only work in the movies anyway.
"Hey, what's this?" Daniel whispers, picking up a torn slip of paper from the ground beneath the lockbox. He hands it to Sean, who can make out four digits scrawled in blocky handwriting - 3618.
Seriously?
He tries the code, hears a click, and a single key drops into his palm. He quietly opens the front door and they slip inside. Much to Sean's relief, the rental is in fact empty and the heat is running. Daniel reaches for the light switch.
"No lights!" Sean rasps. "We can't risk tipping anyone off that we're here."
"Aww, that's gonna be so boring." Daniel's pout is visible even in the dim light. "What are we supposed to do all night in the dark?"
Sean points to one of the bedrooms. "Look, bunk beds! We can eat dinner, then tell ghost stories before sleep. How's that?"
"Ooh. Can we make a fire in the fireplace?"
"No. Someone might see the smoke coming from the chimney."
"Oh. Well, can I hold the flashlight under my chin when I tell my ghost story?"
Sean laughs. "Yeah, I think that'll be okay."
Daniel lets Mushroom free, and the two of them explore what they can of the dark cabin. Sean heads to the kitchen to microwave the last of their leftovers. He glances around the cabin. It's a decent space, rustic and a little cramped, but utilitarian. The mattresses and pillows are bare, as expected, but it's better than the ground. He wishes they didn't have to leave in the morning.
With their bellies full of day-old fast food burgers, Sean, Daniel, and Mushroom huddle up beside the bunk beds.
Sean holds the flashlight dramatically under his chin, which elicits a giggle from Daniel. "What story should we do first? Do you want to hear something scary, or maybe more about the wolf brothers?"
"You know I love the wolf brothers!" Daniel says. "But it would be fun to hear a scary story for a change."
Truth be told, Sean could use a break from thinking about the wolf brothers as well. He throws back his head with a fake evil laugh. "Chupacabra it is!"
***
Daniel folds his arms stubbornly across his chest. "Do we really have to leave now? I like it here. Why can't we stay at least one more night?"
"I like it here too, I'm sorry. But we don't know when someone might be checking in to this place, or when the cleaning lady or whoever could be stopping by. It's too risky."
Tears dot the corners of Daniel's eyes. "I hate this, Sean! I'm tired of walking around all over."
Sean pulls him into a hug. "I know. You've been really cool, enano. It's not too much farther to the National Forest. I know we're seriously roughing it, but we're having an okay adventure, aren't we?"
He sniffles and wipes the tears away. "Yeah, it's pretty cool."
Sean knows it's a lie, as hard as he's trying, but he's grateful for it. He ruffles Daniel's hair affectionately. "Good. The faster we hit the road, the faster we get where we're going. You used the bathroom and washed up?"
The question is met with an eye roll and a reluctant, "yes."
After ridding the cabin of all evidence of their stay, Sean returns the key to the lockbox, and leads Daniel to the main road again.
It's not too long before Daniel points out a sign.
Willamette National Forest - 5 miles
"That's where we're going, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh. Told you, we were almost there."
"I wonder how fast we can walk 5 miles!"
Sean places a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I'm happy you're excited, but we don't need to race. It's a pretty huge place, so we should pace ourselves."
"Okay," Daniel says, but starts walking faster anyway.
The scenery around them becomes noticeably greener, and the trees taller. After a couple of hours, Sean figures they must be on the periphery of Willamette. He hasn't been here in years--the last time was with the Reynolds before Daniel was born--but he hasn't forgotten how impressive the place was.
This has to be the right move for them to make. A place where Daniel can train away from danger. Sean just knows it.
"A diner!" Daniel starts tugging Sean toward an unassuming building up ahead. "Can we take a break and eat?"
Sean sighs. They're damn near out of money, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to sit and get out of the cold for a while. "You're getting soup, and I'm getting a coffee. That's all we can afford."
They step inside the diner, which is warm and inviting, with an open kitchen, wood-paneled walls and cozy tables and booths. A blonde waitress with freckles and a ponytail grabs two menus and seats them at a booth. She looks to be Sean's age.
"Hi, I'm Emma. I'll give you two a minute to look at the menu and then I'll be back to take your order, okay?"
Sean doesn't need to look at the menu, but he makes a show of it anyway. No matter what he might want, it's coffee he's getting. "For the soups, it looks like they've got tomato, chicken noodle, or clam chowder."
Daniel frowns. "I don't feel like having soup."
Sean lowers his voice. "I told you that if we're going to eat here, all we can afford is soup."
"I don't want the stupid soup!" Daniel insists, just as Emma returns to the table.
Emma seems unfazed by the outburst. "Our soup is pretty decent, actually. But you can't go wrong with anything here. I'm allowed to brag about our food because my uncle's the cook." She winks.
"Sounds great. My brother will have a bowl of chicken noodle soup and water to drink, please. I'll just have a cup of coffee."
"No problem!" Emma scribbles something on a notepad and walks away.
Daniel sulks and focuses on constructing a precarious structure with his fork, knife, and spoon.
A few moments later, Emma returns with a piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, a side of saltines, a glass of ice water, and a mug of coffee for Sean with a tiny plate full of creamers. She leans in conspiratorially, "Hey, do you guys like grilled cheese and fries?"
"Yes!" Daniel says quickly, at the same time as Sean asks, "Why?"
"My uncle just made up a to-go order, but the customer called back and said they wanted Monte Cristos instead. The customer is always right, or whatever, so these are gonna go to waste if you don't want 'em."
Sean looks down at his coffee, then meets her eyes. "Um… we… um… the thing is we're on kind of a budget."
She tucks a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh, no worries there. It'd be on the house! If you want it, that is. Not trying to force anything on you, I just hate seeing food go to waste."
He is almost certain she made up the story about the to-go order, but they can't afford to turn down kindness at this point. "Sure, uh, that'd be awesome then. Thanks a lot."
"Smooth," Daniel teases after she walks away.
"What?"
"She likes you!"
"She does not."
"Does too! Why else do you think we're getting free food?"
"Maybe because a certain someone was loudly whining about soup and she felt sorry for us."
"Pfft." Daniel lifts a spoonful of chicken noodle to his mouth. "Hey, this is actually pretty good!"
After a double-handed facepalm, Sean takes a sip of his coffee.
Emma returns with two plates, each with a grilled cheese sandwich and a mountain of french fries. "Here you go!" She plonks a bottle of ketchup on the table. "Can I get you guys anything else?"
Daniel responds with only a mumble as he already has a mouthful of fries. Sean offers Emma an apologetic look. "No, this is so cool, thanks again."
"Sure." She lingers. "So, uh, you two headed to Willamette?"
Sean nods. "I'm Dylan, and this is my little brother Sam. We're going on a wilderness survival thing."
"Wow, that sounds intense. I hope you guys have a good time." She gives an awkward little wave. "Well, let me know if you need anything."
Warmth seeps into Sean's cheeks. She was definitely flirting. Daniel was right.
After finishing his current bite of food, Daniel mouths, "I told you so."
The sandwiches and fries are delicious, somehow the best Sean has ever had. It is a treat to have warm, freshly cooked food, and even more of a treat when it doesn't go down like a ton of bricks because of worry over the expense.
Emma drops off what looks like a check, but when Sean picks it up there is only a note written in a dainty scrawl.
No charge! On the house today. I have a little brother, too. :)
Maybe give me a call some time?
Emma - 541-555-0148
Sean meets her gaze across the room. He answers her hopeful smile with an awkward-but-grateful one. He folds up the note and puts it gingerly in his pocket, even though he knows he won't ever be able to call her.
He leaves her a few dollars as a tip, hearing his dad's voice in his head saying, "If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out!"
Sean wishes he could have left more. He wishes a lot of pointless things.
They head back out into the cold, with a quick pit stop for Mushroom. The food is still warming their bellies when they arrive at a sign welcoming them to Willamette National Forest.
"Look, we're here!" Daniel shouts with glee.
"Yeah, we finally made it," Sean says, taking a deep breath of genuine relief. "Maybe our luck is changing for the better."
And then, it starts to snow.
Chapter 7: The Way Home
Chapter by Svenne14
Summary:
The brothers are cold, hungry, and in desperate need of a break. Maybe today is their lucky day?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
November 6th, 2016 – Somewhere in Willamette National Forest…
And snow it did. Daniel believed that things were finally starting to get good for the wolf brothers. He believed that all the running and hiding were about to come to an end. Then came the storm of the century, slapping him in the face.
At least it felt that way.
“Sean, I’m freezing!” Daniel complains yet again, hoping that his brother would hear him. But no, Sean didn’t hear him this time either. Sean, just like Daniel, was frozen in both body and fear while blinded by blizzards. Daniel can’t take this anymore. The cold wind in his face, freezing him down to the very bone. Hell, even the snowflakes upset him at this point.
They have to get off the road.
“SEAN!” Daniel grabs the hand of his older brother, causing him to stop his aimless walk.
“What, Daniel?!” Sean screams back to him. Daniel knew he only did it because the storm was so loud, but it still scared him. Sean never screamed at him.
“Can we get off the road?!” Daniel tries with his usual pleading face. The one he always used when he wanted Sean to give him the last Chock-O-Crisp, or convince Lyla to let him stay up late and watch a movie with them.
“Daniel, we have to keep walking.” Blame it on exhaustion, trauma, or frustration, either way, something snapped in Daniel’s mind. The younger brother stormed off into the woods. He’s had enough. The running, the hiding, the eating-from-garbage-canning. Not to mention the creep back at the shelter that tried to kill them. Daniel needs to rest in more ways than one.
The young wolf uses the remains of his energy to run. He’s not sure why he’s running. It’s not like he wants to get away from Sean. Perhaps if he runs fast enough, he could escape those horrible memories. When his legs start giving up, Daniel sits on the cold ground with his back against a tree. It didn’t take more than a few seconds before tears began pouring down his face.
Moments later, he could hear Sean walking towards him. Daniel covered his face with the sleeve of his jacket, not wanting Sean to see him like this. His older brother said nothing but sat down on the ground while wrapping his arms around Daniel.
It made Daniel feel safe. He could never understand it because it was just a hug, but it always made him feel safe, loved, and protected. And if there ever was a time for him to feel that way, it was now. Daniel burst into tears as he buried his face in Sean’s chest.
“I hate this, Sean. I- I hate this. Everything. I- I hate it.” Daniel barely got the words out between his sobs.
“I know, Enano. I do too.” Sean always had a way to comfort him whenever he felt sad. Now, when he really needed it, Sean had nothing useful to say to him.
“I’m scared, Sean. I’m so scared because I- I don’t know wh- what’s gonna happen, and- and-” Daniel’s words became more and more erratic to the point where he could barely speak at all.
“Shh… it’s okay, Enano. I’ll protect you. As long as I’m here, you have nothing to fear, okay?” Daniel looked him right in the eyes. He wanted to believe his brother. He really did.
“Are- are you sure, Sean?” Only now, Daniel looks around the dark woods, discovering how terrifying it truly is.
“Of course, Daniel. I will always be there to protect you, Enano.” Sean smiled at him, but Daniel knew him better than that. He has no doubt that Sean would die for him if needed, however, Sean had a history of saying stuff, only to forget it moments later.
“Do you promise, Sean? Promise you won’t leave me?” Daniel asked his brother not to lie to him again back in that motel room. Something Sean had immediately agreed to without hesitation. At the time, it was the most serious question he’d ever asked another person. This time, however, feels even more important. If this promise is broken, Daniel Felipe Diaz is a lonely little boy, in a big, scary world.
“Daniel, I-” Sean stopped mid-sentence. Had Daniel paid attention, he would have noticed how Sean’s eyebrow twitched nervously. Daniel, however, was too busy awaiting the words he wanted to hear, needed to hear.
“Daniel, I promise, I will never leave you alone. I will always be there to protect you, Enano. I promise.” Daniel recognized that tone. It’s “serious Sean” being serious which is exactly what he wanted to hear.
“Thanks, Sean.” Daniel hugs his older brother, knowing that no matter how bad things get, there’s at least one person he’ll always have.
Having calmed down, Daniel felt the exhaustion hit him with full force. Even little Mushroom yawned right next to him. Daniel picks her up in his arms, and before he knew it, Daniel fell asleep with his head on Sean’s shoulder. His sleep, however, was far from easy. Because Sean could never protect him from the one thing he feared more than anything.
Himself.
For once, Sean didn’t wake him up the next morning. Daniel got to sleep as long as he wanted to. When he woke up, the storm was finally over, and the sun shined bright. The cold, however, was more present than ever before.
“Uh… mornin’, Sean.” Daniel groans in a combination of sleepiness and despair as he remembers their situation step-by-step.
“Morning, Enano. Sleep well?” Daniel shook his head slowly, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast, Sean?” Oh, the things he would do right now for Emma’s grilled cheese sandwich.
“Yeah, uhm… we have to-” Sean stops for a moment. Daniel, still in a state of mostly asleep, fails to notice his brother’s near-panic.
“We have to save more food if we’re gonna be on the road, Daniel. So for now, it’s only dinner, Enano… I’m sorry.” Sean was sorry. More sorry than Daniel had ever heard him before. But hey, at least he spoke the truth.
Right?
“Okay, Sean, I trust you.” Daniel tried to sound cheerful while doing his best to ignore the rumbling sound from his stomach.
“Good. Are you ready to hit the road, man?” No. He really isn’t. All Daniel wants is to crawl under the covers in his bed, and watch Hawt-Dawg-Man while drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows.
“Sure. Where are we going?” Sadly, there’s no such thing as “Daniel’s bed” anymore. Not even a person to call dad-
“Hey, Daniel?! You coming?” Daniel snaps back into reality. He quickly wipes a lonely tear with his thumb before following his older brother.
“Yeah, Sean… I’m coming.” Daniel follows his brother on the non-existing path, hoping it will lead them back to the road from yesterday.
“Admit it, Sean. We’re lost.” Daniel muttered again, receiving only Mushroom’s barks as a response.
“We’re not lost, Daniel. It’s just- complicated, alright?” Seriously? Daniel might be only nine years old, but he’s not stupid. What he is, however, is tired. No food and no rest for god only knows how many hours. The ground’s covered by a thick layer of snow, reaching up to Daniel’s waist, making every single step feel like he’s climbing a mountain. Not to mention all the times he fell into the snow masses, screaming in frustration until Sean came running to his aid.
He’s frozen like a Popsicle, and all he wants is to go home. But every time that thought enters his mind another one follows it.
“I have no home. Sean has no home. We’re wolves without a home lair.”
“Come on, Daniel, let’s continue.” Daniel sighs, but does as told.
Eventually, the trio reaches a small river. Not deep enough to drown in, but more than enough to soak you, and freeze you from the inside and out. There’s an old bridge across it, however, a large part of it is missing, and it seems generally unstable. Sean carefully steps out on it.
“Okay, Enano. I’ll cross first, then you give me Shroom, and then I’ll help you, okay?” Daniel doesn’t like this. This bridge doesn’t look very secure. Sean climbs down onto a log that’s stuck in the water, and then up on the other side.
“See? No problem, Daniel. Now, can you get Shroom for me?” Daniel looks around for his puppy. A second-long panic hit him as he believed Mushroom to be gone forever. Then he saw her standing next to the bridge drinking water from the river.
“There you are, girl. You had me worried for a sec, huh?” Daniel kneels to pick her up.
“Okay, Mushroom, are you ready? Yes, you are. Let’s go.” Daniel stood up, preparing to walk the bridge of death once more.
Wait…
Daniel froze as he saw something in the distance. Hell, not even in the distance, but a lot closer than that. He hugged little Mushroom tight as he took the deepest breath of his life…
“SSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” His older brother nearly broke the bridge even further when he jumped across it, however, Daniel did not hear it. Daniel only saw what lay ahead of him.
“DANIEL?! WHAT- WHAT’S WRONG?! ARE YOU HURT?!” Sean expected to find his little brother on the ground with a broken leg or something. Instead, he found Daniel with his back turned against him while holding Mushroom in his arms.
“Daniel…?” Sean approached his younger brother, confused about what was going on. The look on Daniel’s face said it all.
Hope.
“Sean… look.” Daniel raised a trembling finger, pointing at something that seemed too good to be true.
A cabin.
“Holy shit, Daniel.” Sean didn’t believe his eyes, and neither did Daniel as he set off running towards the cabin. Sean didn’t wait long to follow him. Daniel could see it already. The wolf brothers, warm themselves in front of a cozy fire while roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories.
Then, he came to a dead stop.
“Sean?” His older brother had slowed down as well, probably for the same reason.
“What if someone’s in there? Someone bad?” Daniel felt a firm hand on his shoulder as Sean walked past him.
“I don’t think so, Enano. It looks deserted.” Sean carefully looks through a window to confirm his theory.
“How do we get inside? Should we like, break a window?” Daniel asks curiously. Sean, however, shook his head.
“No, man. We do that, and the place will get even colder. We gotta find another way in.” Sean tries the doors, but none of them open.
“Fuck…” Sean mumbles silently before kneeling in front of his brother.
“Hey, Daniel, I think I know how we can get in.” Daniel’s face lit up like the sun.
“Really, Sean? Tell me!” Anything to get away from this cold.
“I think your… gift could help us get inside,” Sean says while looking down in shame. Daniel didn’t like what he just heard, not even a little. Gift? More like curse. But right now, he really wants to get inside.
“How, Sean?” That’s just the thing. Call it a gift or curse, Daniel’s got no clue how to use it.
“The lock on that door, Enano, is the one thing standing between us and a warm fire. Just- I don’t know, concentrate, I guess.” Thanks, Sean, thanks a lot. That really helped.
“Right. Concentrate.” Daniel mumbles while standing in front of the door.
What should he even do here? Look at it, talk at it, point at it? For now, he settles for the first of these. In his mind, Daniel repeats the same phrase, over and over again.
“Break the lock.”
“Break the lock.”
“Break the lock.”
He felt something. Even though his arms were hanging aimlessly alongside his body, his fingers felt the cold, hard steel of the lock. Still, nothing happened. He’s so close, yet so far away. To say it made him upset would be an understatement. The more time passed without any success, the more frustrated Daniel became.
However…
Unknown to him, for every bit of frustration he felt, a part of his gift awakened. The boy thought back to the events that brought them here. Hank Stamper kidnapping Sean, the creep at the shelter, and their father's death-
“AH!” The sound of metal bending unnaturally fills the air and is followed by a nine-year-old boy collapsing to his knees.
“Daniel? Are you okay?” Sean rushed to his brother’s side, helping him to get to his feet. Then, they both looked to see what Daniel just did.
“Oh, fuck-” Daniel immediately covered his wide open mouth with his palm.
He did it.
The kid did it.
“You did it, Enano!” Sean wants to hug his little brother, and tell him how proud he is of him, but Daniel’s already walking inside. Honestly, Sean couldn’t blame him.
The cabin is old, dirty, trashed, and smells foul. Daniel, however, couldn’t care less. He didn’t even notice it. There’s no wind in here, chilling his very soul. Nor is it snowing in his eyes. This is considered a massive upgrade in the eyes of a child.
“Oh- oh- Sean, can we-” Daniel was going to ask Sean to make a fire, however, Sean was long ahead of him. Less than two minutes had passed before Sean began tearing up old magazines to use for the fire.
“I told you, Enano. We weren’t lost.” Sean jokingly says while ruffling Daniel’s hair.
“Oh, yeah? It’s complicated. Right, Sean?” Daniel says in a childlike voice while gesturing with his fingers.
It felt good to rest. For every passing minute, the cabin got warmer and warmer. Still, Daniel sat as close to the fire as possible. Mushroom had found her favorite spot in the corner of the room, and was now asleep. Daniel, tired as he was, didn’t want to sleep yet. Today felt like a win for them. It felt like a win for him.
A win for Daniel.
He used his… gift, and he used it to do something good. The boy stares curiously at his open palm, wondering what this is, and why he of all people has it. Out of six billion people, why go with little Daniel Felipe Diaz from Seattle?
“Hey, Enano? We should get some rest. Don’t worry. The fire won’t go out.” It almost felt as if Sean could read his mind when Daniel heard the last part. Still, he definitely needs a good night's sleep. In a real bed.
Daniel lies down on the old bed. It’s filthy, smelly, and hard as a rock. Well, almost hard as a rock. Considering how he’s slept on literal rocks, Daniel feels like a king right now.
“I- I want… story… brothers…” Daniel fell asleep only seconds after his head rested on the only pillow in the house. Sean covered him with an old blanket, making sure he would stay warm.
“Sleep tight, little cub.” The younger brother had a good night, free of nightmares. The older, however, feared the conversation he would have to have in the morning.
When Daniel woke up the next day, things were so much different compared to the recent weeks. He didn’t freeze, nor were his clothes soaked by snow. Daniel felt warm. Warm and cozy. Close to the bed, the fire still burns, just like Sean had said it would. Daniel could stay like this all day, but another thing makes him want to get up.
Hunger.
Sean said they would have dinner yesterday, but they never did, which is weird. Either way, Daniel’s starving right now, and has no other choice but to get up. He’s instantly greeted by Mushroom who barks in excitement.
“Hey, Mushroom. You sleep well too?” Mushroom barks once which Daniel assumes is a “yes”. He walks to the other room, looking for Sean.
“Hey, Sean. Can I have something to eat now, please?” Daniel joins his brother on the floor.
“Daniel. We need to talk.” Damn. What did he do now?
“Okay…?” Daniel says, uncertain if he should be worried or not. Sean sighs heavily while dragging a palm across his face.
“We don’t have any food left, Enano.” Oh. That’s not good. Not good at all.
“So, we have to get food, right?” Daniel nods, waiting for Sean to elaborate.
“And I think the closest place to get food is the nearest town.” Daniel immediately knew what this meant, and he was furious. They just got here, to a safe place, and now they have to leave… again.
“NO! I’m not gonna walk through the entire damn forest again, Sean! I hate it!” Sean looked to be almost in physical pain, but right now, Daniel didn’t care.
“We’re safe here, Sean. Why do we have to leave again?” Daniel’s voice became unsteady as he started to cry.
“You’re not leaving, Daniel. I am.” The words struck Daniel’s heart like a knife. He felt betrayed, let down, and unwanted.
“What…?” Daniel could barely utter a single word. Sean placed both of his hands on Daniel’s shoulders as he looked into his eyes.
“I need you to understand me, Daniel. It’s too dangerous for you to come with me. Besides, it will go a lot faster if I go alone.” That confirms it. Daniel would only slow him down, and make things worse.
“You promised, Sean. You promised you would never leave me alone.” Daniel’s words are full of hurt and betrayal. Meanwhile, Sean tries his best to hide his tears.
“I know. I’m so sorry, Enano-” Daniel’s not in Enano-mood right now.
“Don’t call me that!” Daniel shouts at his brother’s face.
“Daniel, wait-” Sean wants to make it right, he really does. But he doesn’t even know where to begin.
“Just GO, Sean! LEAVE! I hope you NEVER come back! I hate you!” Sean and Daniel are brothers which means they have argued a lot over the years. Sean has said some things he regrets, and Daniel has said some things he regrets. This, however, was the first time Sean felt hurt by his little brother’s words. And if he feels this bad, he can’t even imagine how Daniel feels right now.
The boy was afraid. So very afraid. He felt all alone with none to care for him. He grabbed Mushroom and went to sit in a corner near the fire with his back turned against Sean. Daniel’s not stupid. Deep down, he knows why Sean must do this, but the pain is just too much to deal with.
“Daniel.” Sean calmly says from behind his back but receives only silence in return. Sean sighs.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Just- no matter what, I love you, Enano.” Without waiting for a response, Sean left the house to go on his supply run. The second the door closed, Daniel felt like he lost a part of himself, and burst out crying. Mushroom ran to him, only for Daniel to pick her up and hug her tight.
“I- I don’t know what’s happening to me, Mushroom. I don’t know why I said that to Sean. It’s just-” Daniel paused while looking outside. It’s still daylight, so it wasn’t that scary.
Yet.
“I’m scared. I don’t wanna be alone, but I don’t wanna go either. At least you’re still with me, right?” Daniel puts the puppy down on the floor, receiving an exciting bark in return.
“Yeah, of course, you are. You would never leave me, and I would never leave you, girl.” Sean might be the reason Daniel’s still alive. Mushroom, however, is the sole reason he hasn’t lost his sanity long ago. He felt like he could talk to her without fear of being judged. Daniel’s old enough to know she doesn’t understand his problems, but it doesn’t matter. This little puppy makes him happy, and that’s all that matters.
Daniel decides to take a look around the cabin, something he has yet to do. He randomly opens a couple of kitchen cabinets to examine their contents.
“Hmm… what are you?” Daniel mumbles to himself and Mushroom equally. He reaches into the cabinet, grabbing an old bottle with a label mostly worn out by time itself. Daniel removes the cork, curious as to what lies inside.
“UGH! What the-” Yeah, he’s no longer curious. That’s alcohol of some kind. The cork goes back on, and the bottle is placed where it used to be.
“How do people drink that stuff, Mushroom? Gross.” Even poor Mushroom looked a tad confused by Daniel’s outburst. His exploration, however, continues. In another cabinet, Daniel sees an old coffee mug.
“Yes! Finally, I can drink water like a normal person.” All he has to do is clean it up a bit, and-
Daniel froze. The text on the mug caused him surreal pain inside his chest.
“Best Dad Ever” Daniel just stared emptily as a tear made its way down his cheek.
“Dad…” Daniel whispers with an unsteady voice. He really was the best dad ever.
Was.
Now he’s dead. Dead because Daniel couldn’t do what he was told, and now, he’s homeless because he can never control himself.
Wait…
“Control. That’s it, Shroom, isn’t it?” Daniel felt like he just had the biggest realization in his young life. Judging by her reaction, Mushroom seemed to agree.
“That… thing, is why we’re here. I can’t control it. But maybe- maybe I can learn to?” Daniel goes silent for a moment while thinking back to the last time it happened. When he got them inside this very house.
He felt in control at the time. The amount of concentration and energy it took from him almost made him pass out, but he still controlled it, instead of it controlling him. Daniel looks to his side, staring at the pile of old Hawt-Dawg-Man comics just lying around. It would be so easy for him to just forget his problems while losing himself in that world until Sean gets back. Then again, that decision would probably come back to haunt him.
In his heart, Daniel Diaz is still a child. Comic books are a very tempting option.
However…
His mind has grown a lot over the last couple of weeks. He knows what he must do here. Save the luxury of comic books for later. Daniel sighs as he takes what might be the most stupid, or the most grown-up decision of his life.
“Sorry, Mushroom, but I want you to stay here. Just in case.” Daniel didn’t want to finish that sentence. He didn’t even want to think about losing little Mushroom. It would be like losing a little sister to him. Daniel shakes his head to rid himself of such horrible thoughts. Then, he enters one of the rooms, closing the door behind him.
The room isn’t very big, and the floor’s covered with all kinds of things. In a way, that’s just what he needed. Daniel ignores the growing fear in his gut while sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed. He looks around, finding a blank sheet of paper. Daniel takes it and crumbles it into a ball before placing it in front of him.
“There.” One small piece of paper. Light, small, and completely harmless. Should be easy enough.
Now what?
Daniel remembers how his hand could feel the cold metal without even touching it. He extends a hand towards the paper while repeating a mantra in his mind.
“Move.”
“Move.”
“Move.”
But nothing happens. Disappointed, Daniel lowers his arm. He can’t do this. Not alone.
“No matter what, I love you, Enano.” Sean’s parting words echoed in Daniel’s head as the anger reached a boiling point.
“Then, why did you LEAVE ME?!?!?!” Daniel screamed while simultaneously pushing his hand forward as fast as fast can be.
Daniel wanted results.
Well, he got it.
The window in the room shattered into a million pieces, giving Daniel the jump scare of the century. He jumped to his feet, ran out of the room, slammed the door shut, and went to sit in the corner.
“I can’t do anything right, Mushroom. I’m just so-” Useless? Pathetic? He didn’t even know himself anymore.
“You wanna get some air, girl? Go outside?” Mushroom began jumping excitedly as soon as she heard the words. Daniel wasn’t exactly comfortable going outside by himself, but he knew Mushroom had to do her business, and he needed to get his mind on something else for a while.
The pair left the house and went out into the wild once more. This time, however, felt different compared to the last few weeks. The cold didn’t freeze his very bone, and the snow did not bother him. All Daniel felt was the bright sun, warming him from above. The sound of water, pouring down the river. All of it just made him feel…
At peace.
“You know what, Mushroom? I think I like it here.” Daniel says with a smile on his face. Sure, it’s scary at night, but he’ll get used to it eventually. This place feels safe and peaceful. And any place they’re safe at is home enough right now.
“Yeah, ready to get back inside, Shroom?” Barking in her native tongue, Mushroom follows Daniel back into their newfound home.
Hours later, Daniel didn’t feel very safe anymore. He’d hoped that Sean would be back before nightfall, but fate had other plans. Now, Daniel struggles to keep his only source of light alive. If the fire goes out, he probably wouldn’t dare open his eyes until morning.
“It’s okay, Mushroom, you see? The fire keeps us safe from all the creepers.” Daniel’s not sure if he’s trying to convince himself or Mushroom.
“You’re fine, dude, you’re fine. Just- don’t look outside.” Daniel repeats for the fiftieth time. Not looking outside would be a lot easier if this cabin didn’t have a massive glass door right in front of the fireplace. Noticing that the little puppy starts to yawn, Daniel decides to get some sleep. No matter what happens, he’s got to try.
“Come here, Mushroom. It’s time to sleep.” Mushroom crawls over to him and lets Daniel place his small arm around her.
“Goodnight, Mushroom.” Daniel stared emptily into the wall for a moment, thinking about what he would do if Sean never returned.
“Goodnight, Sean. Please, come back soon.” Moments later, Daniel Diaz drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, the glass door opened. Sean returned, expecting to see his little brother in the very same corner he left him in. Instead, Daniel looks more innocent than ever while snoring silently. Sean carefully puts down his bags before unloading the contents into the cabinets.
He wasn’t as silent as he thought…
“Uh… what? Who…?” Daniel mumbled groggily while attempting to make sense of what woke him up.
Then, he froze.
This time, however, it wasn’t out of anger or despair.
“SEAN!!!” Daniel jumped out of the bed and ran to hug Sean. He felt so relieved that his last words to Sean weren't “I hate you”.
“Daniel! You’re okay? God, I’m so sorry.” Sean had lied to Daniel many times. This time, however, was not one of them. The guilt in his brother’s voice was clear.
“I’m sorry too, Sean. I- I said horrible things.” He did, and he hated himself for it. But Sean’s decision to leave was something he hated even more.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I shouldn’t have- you know?” Yeah. Daniel knows.
“Don’t ever leave me like that again, you asshole!” Daniel says jokingly, however, the look in his eyes shows how serious he is.
“I won’t, Enano.” Sean knew better than to make an empty promise at this point.
“Can I please have some food now, Sean?” He hasn’t eaten in like, two days. His stomach almost hurts.
“Damn right, you can. Let’s see what we got here…” Sean unpacks his bags, revealing noodles, bananas, and a lot of different things.
“Hey, what are those, Sean?” Daniel points at one of the cans.
“Ravioli?” Sounds weird. He’s never had it before.
“You wanna eat ravioli, Daniel? You?” Sean looks at him with skeptical eyes.
“Yeah, I do.” At this point, he’s so hungry, it wouldn’t matter much. Just give him anything, and he’ll probably eat it. The brothers sit down and eat in silence. Only a few minutes passed before Daniel’s finished with his food.
“That was-” Daniel lets out a loud burp.
“Awesome! I could eat ravioli every day, Sean.” His older brother only laughed while removing the empty can.
“Hey, what the-” Sean mumbled to himself. At first, Daniel was confused. Then, he heard a door open. The same door he closed after accidentally breaking a window.
“Hey, Daniel? You wanna tell me what happened to the window in there?” Daniel shook his head. He felt ashamed and stupid.
“Enano. I’m not mad, okay? Please, can you tell me what happened, buddy?” Daniel moves to sit on the side of the bed, next to Sean.
“I just- I thought if I could control it, maybe I wouldn’t be afraid all the time, you know. But it’s stupid. Forget it.” Daniel said sadly. Sean, however, got an idea.
“Daniel. You’re my brother, and I know you’re not stupid. I know you didn’t mean to break the window, and I’m not mad at you.” Daniel interrupted his brother with a tight hug.
“Really, Sean? Thank you. You’re the best.” Hearing Daniel say that, made Sean smile a bit. Still, he’s got one thing left to say to his little brother.
“I don’t think your idea was stupid at all, Daniel,” Sean said with a smile on his face.
“What do you mean, Sean?” Daniel asked in slight confusion.
“You’ll see tomorrow, Enano.” What? What’s happening tomorrow?
“Wait, Sean. What’s happening tomorrow?” Daniel just felt more confused by the second.
“Tomorrow, Daniel, your training begins.” The words made all confusion fade away.
Training.
Sean would train him, help him, and guide him.
“Sean, does that mean- oh.” Daniel looks at his older brother. Sean’s asleep on the bed, exhausted after walking nonstop for an entire day.
“Thanks, Sean, for helping me. I trust you.” Tomorrow could not come soon enough.
“Just try one more time, Daniel.” He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he probably didn’t expect it to be this hard. After more than an hour, Daniel made little to no progress in his task.
In front of him, Sean had placed a normal-sized snowball. Daniel’s mission was to pick it up without touching it. So far, the mission’s been unsuccessful. Daniel’s about to give up.
“I can’t do it, Sean. I’m close, I think, but I just can’t.” Daniel sighs before lowering his arm again.
“Enano. I’m not gonna force you to do something you don’t want to. But I know you can do this, Daniel. I believe in you, little brother. Just one more try.” In times like these, Sean always made Daniel feel special.
“Do you really think I can do it, Sean? Do you believe in me?” Daniel asked silently as if Sean would take it back if he spoke too loud.
“I always believed in you, Enano,” Sean said while placing his hands on Daniel’s shoulders.
“Okay. Let’s do it.” Daniel prepares for another round. He reaches out towards the snowball and tries focusing as hard as he possibly can. His hand begins to feel cold, and a buzzing sound filled the surrounding air.
“Holy shit…” Sean whispered from behind him. That’s when Daniel saw it.
Right in front of him, levitating in the air, was the snowball. To Daniel, however, it felt like he was holding it in his hand. Well, almost.
“Sean… I- I think I did it.” Sean walks up, tapping the snowball.
“Yeah, Daniel. You did it.” Daniel drops it to the ground and runs to embrace his brother.
“I did it, Sean! I did it!” At this moment, Daniel felt something he hasn’t felt in a long time. Sure, he felt pride in what he just accomplished and relief that he was not a lost cause. That, however, wasn’t what stood out. What Daniel felt now, is what he’s been missing since that fateful day in Seattle.
Today.
Daniel Felipe Diaz felt hope.
Notes:
With this chapter, I finish a work that began long before I even started writing myself. I feel pleased with how this chapter turned out. There's a mix of good, bad, sadness, happiness, anger, and joy. Most important, however, is that the story ends on a high note with Daniel feeling hope again.
I want to thank Dreamprism for letting me be part of this, and I hope that more will come in the future.
I hope you enjoyed the story!
Never stop howlin'
K. S.
You were lost.
A family divided.
Your future clouded.Danger follows you.
It even resides within you.
You are dangerous.
And you know it.But...
Control.
It is the key.
You are learning.
Every day.You feel hope.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
Things will work out.
tristezaeternal on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Jan 2023 06:29AM UTC
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Soaring_Hope on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Jan 2023 03:43PM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Jan 2023 05:17PM UTC
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OzWilde on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Jan 2023 09:01PM UTC
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fullpossumbrain (cloudfefe) on Chapter 1 Sun 10 Dec 2023 11:40AM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 2 Sat 07 Jan 2023 10:25AM UTC
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fullpossumbrain (cloudfefe) on Chapter 2 Sun 10 Dec 2023 10:53AM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 3 Sat 07 Jan 2023 10:36AM UTC
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fullpossumbrain (cloudfefe) on Chapter 3 Sun 10 Dec 2023 11:13AM UTC
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Dreamprism on Chapter 3 Mon 22 Jan 2024 06:55PM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 4 Sat 07 Jan 2023 10:49AM UTC
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fullpossumbrain (cloudfefe) on Chapter 4 Sun 10 Dec 2023 11:24AM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 5 Sat 07 Jan 2023 11:38AM UTC
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OzWilde on Chapter 5 Sat 07 Jan 2023 05:06PM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 5 Sat 07 Jan 2023 05:11PM UTC
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fullpossumbrain (cloudfefe) on Chapter 5 Sun 10 Dec 2023 11:32AM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 6 Sat 07 Jan 2023 11:58AM UTC
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tristezaeternal on Chapter 7 Sat 07 Jan 2023 08:07PM UTC
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Chakobinich on Chapter 7 Tue 18 Jul 2023 07:14AM UTC
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Chakobinich on Chapter 7 Sat 22 Jul 2023 02:57AM UTC
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Chakobinich on Chapter 7 Sat 22 Jul 2023 02:16PM UTC
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