For Danny - Post Amnesia plot

[sluttylyingliar]

Rachel doesn't know what the hell that was all about. Steve kept trying to cut her hair off or something and Danny kept fucking trying to rub her head or some shit and it was like everyone was shitfaced or on something or God knows. She's at least grateful she was spared because knowing her she'd end up face first in a pile of coke and fuck the kid up on some permanent basis. 

But anyway. She feels like it's her best friend duty to go make fun of Danny relentlessly and warn him about the ramifications of fucking up her hair again. Right now, the hair's about the only thing that still looks good. 

She waddles her way over to Danny's place, vaguely thinking about what she's going to do if she goes into labor this far away from the compound before looking for a familiar mop of blonde hair.

That's when she realizes everything is very, very wrong. Because there's just a head. No hair. Just a fuzzy head. What. The. Fuck.

"What the hell did you do?" she cries, marching up with as much authority as she can muster in her condition.

Comments

[sluttylyingliar]

"Why are you getting so pissed at me!" she yells, stomping her foot. "You're the one that keeps postponing the wedding and I've only been here five seconds. Jesus Christ, nevermind then!"

[haolehothead]

"Because if we're both shouting and angry, then you're not staring at me like my haircut killed an infant!" he shouts right back, lifting his hand in the air to gesticulate and really make his point. "You think I was happy to wake up and find I missed my first Valentine's Day with Steve and that I cut my hair while I was stoned-drunk on magic?"

[sluttylyingliar]

"Technically you didn't miss it," she points out, rolling her eyes at him. "You just don't remember it. You were rubbing all over his head, too. It's just sad. Your hair was so pretty."

[haolehothead]

"I'm growing it back out, it'll be six weeks and I'll be back to normal," he points out, taking a deep breath to calm down so he doesn't flip out again. He snorts, at the news of what Steve was doing and what he was. "Trust him to do that. Did we...did he...did we say anything else? Yesterday?"

[sluttylyingliar]

"No," she says slowly, eyeing him carefully. "Why? What're you being shifty about, Danny? Tell me what the hell's going on."

[haolehothead]

Danny sighs, knowing that he might as well get this over with sooner rather than later. He grimaces, cracking his neck as he takes a deliberate step back from Rachel. "Steve and I had a couple days where we weren't here. And by a couple days, I'd guess about a month back in Jersey."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Okay," she says, clearly not following along very well. "The going home thing. That happens. It's weird that it was for a month. So what? You're upset your back or something?"

[haolehothead]

"Well, yes, for one," he says. "But I was home, with my family, with Grace, with Steve for a month," he repeats, giving her a look that says she ought to understand what he's saying, at this point.

[sluttylyingliar]

She gives him back her own look, but definitely not one of understanding.

"So," she says slowly. "You...boned in your parents' house? And now your parents know you take it like a man?"

[haolehothead]

"No! Well, okay, yes. And yes," he admits, because she's missing the point and he feels like the minute he spells it out for her, he's going to be asking for trouble. "Rach, our family was there, Steve's Dad was alive, we flew him and Mary in and we, you know, we had a little thing."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Wait!" she suddenly says, throwing up a hand. "Steve's dad is alive back home? How the fuck did that happen? I thought he was way dead!"

[haolehothead]

"Because it wasn't current day. It was 2006, right after the divorce, when I still had custody of my Monkey, when my family was all still in one place, when I felt like I was really at home because I knew I was loved," he explains. "And yeah, Steve had his dad come up so he could be there when we said vows."

[sluttylyingliar]

Oh. Oh.

"You guys got married," she says quietly, now that it's all coming together. Finally. "That's why you get weird when I bring it up."

She can feel her goddamn face start to burn. She must have sounded ridiculous, going on and on about the stupid wedding when it already fucking happened.

[haolehothead]

"We got married in some stupid coma-dream," Danny protests. "We're still having the wedding here, so yeah, he's my fiance and he's my husband. Talk about your dissonance all you want, but it's the truth." He doesn't want to just write off the plans, he just doesn't know when they'll get their crap together. "I want to get married with you there and Clark and Cora, but...I couldn't not do it with my family, babe. Tell me you understand that."

[sluttylyingliar]

"No. Yeah, I get it," she says, trying to figure out what has her so flustered about this. "I just wish you had told me. But, whatever. I get it. Family comes first."

[haolehothead]

"You're my family too, you know," Danny points out, as serious as he ever gets. His eyes are cloudy, like he might actually start with a little bit of sympathetic crying, but he holds it together. "You just...weren't there. I looked you up, you know. Just in case, but I couldn't find you."

[sluttylyingliar]

"You don't want to find me back there," she warns him, blinking against stupid fucking tears. It's so stupid. "You really tried to find me, though?" she asks, biting her lip as she finally looks up at him. He'd find...nothing good. Nothing good at all if he had really located her. But that he'd try is amazing.

[haolehothead]

"Rachel Gatina, out West," he agrees, reaching out to catch her in his arms and bring her in good and tight. "I tried, I tried to find you and the others, but you weren't there. I missed you all the time. I wanted to ask your advice on how to cope with my father's disapproval."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Really?" she squeaks out, sniffling against his neck. She wraps her arms around him, not even trying to pretend not to want the hug. You have to promise you'll always come back, Danny. Okay? You can't leave me."

She pulls back enough to see him. "Was he really mad?"

[haolehothead]

Danny holds her tight, rubbing her back as he presses a slow, lingering kiss to her temple. "I'll always come back, okay? Hell, I don't plan to ever leave if I have any say in it, but you know how this place is," he says. When the topic turns to his father, he gives a soft huff. "Dad had no idea about some of my proclivities. They were never serious, so I never bothered to tell him about it."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Was he really upset about it?" she asks softly, running a hand along his fuzzy head. "Jesus, what did he say to Steve?"

[haolehothead]

"He just gave Steve a lot of iceman glares," Danny says, trying to wave off the whole idea that there's anything that actually was deeply wrong during their time at home. "He came to the whole signing papers thing, so, Ma gave him a good smack in the head."

"Stop petting me, Rachel."

[sluttylyingliar]

"I'm sorry he wasn't easier with it," she says, not even remotely stopping the petting.

"Not my fault," she protests. "It's so soft. You feel like a kitten or something."

[haolehothead]

"I thought you hated it," he says smugly, swatting her hand away because if she hates it, she's not allowed to touch it. He's pretty sure those are the rules. "And if you wanna pet me, you gotta get in line. Steve gets first dibs, if only because he'll growl at everyone if he doesn't."

[sluttylyingliar]

"Steve's not here and it's his fault in the first place!" she protests, swatting him right back.

"I liked your hair, rubbing your fuzzy head is like, my consolation prize."