Chapter Text
School became something Rin could at least tolerate, surprisingly.
Sadly, a bully by the name of Dash Baxter decided Rin was another punching bag next to Danny, since, quote on quote, "He insulted Paulina and was friends the Freak Trio."
Rin didn't really care too much like Danny, only pretending to be hurt for the most part. It was annoying, though. There was no hiding that.
Being half demon meant Rin had more durability, and he'd taken worse blows. Honestly, Dash's weren't even close to the ones Satan had thrown, so after that torture, Dash's punches tickled. The same could be said for Danny, as he had taken much worse hits before as well, along with the fact he was already half dead, allowing him to be more durable, too.
"You okay?" Tucker asked the half demon as he sulked at the lunch table.
"Fine. I just got a little present from Dash a few minutes ago, and though it didn't hurt me, it was still annoying. I know I'll have knots in my tail later today, too." Rin pouted. "It took quite a beating."
"So melodramatic," Sam drawled jokingly.
"I'll have you know that a demon's tail is its weak spot!" Rin huffed. "I can't help it if I'm whiny. A beating to my tail is a beating to my pride, and if I lose any more of it, I'll wither away."
"Seriously?" Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Well, not literally, but if anyone, meaning demons, knew I was letting some human beat me up, I would never hear the end of it, especially from Mephisto." Rin shuddered.
"Not even going to ask, dude." Tucker shook his head.
"Good choice," Rin said.
Danny yawned, suddenly swaying his face towards the food in front of him, eyes droopy.
"Woah, there!" Rin put his hand on Danny's chest, pushing him back into a sitting position and snapping his fingers in his face. "Maybe you should accept some help tonight. You need sleep, badly, and if you don't get it, something might happen."
"What's that 'spose to mean?" Danny slurred slightly.
"I have a short temper regardless, but lack of sleep and stress can make it worse. You are the combination of both, and I know better than anyone that those two things can and will cause you to snap. You need a good night's rest before you unleash hell on one of your unsuspecting classmates for asking for a pencil," Rin scolded.
"I thought only you were able to unleash Hell, being Satan and all," Tucker said.
"It's a figure of speech!" Rin barked.
Tucker's eyes widened, and he squeaked quietly. "Don't kill me!"
Rin paused and smiled. "See, short temper. And I'm not going to kill you." His smile turned sad. "I don't think you would have reacted like that if you thought I was still human."
"Rin-" Tucker started, but he was cut off by Sam's glare.
"It's fine," Rin said.
"No, it's not," Sam said.
"Back to Danny, please," Rin said as he stressed the words. "How about Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and I take on the ghosts tonight? When you get home, eat dinner and go straight to bed. Tucker or Sam can call Jazz and tell her the situation."
"I don't-" Danny started, but was cut off by Rin's narrowed eyes.
"Listen here," Rin growled, "you will do as I say, or I swear on my Dad's grave that I will personally sedate you if you disagree!"
"And what makes you think you can boss me around?" Danny asked.
"I can boss you around because I'm afraid for your health! You, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and your parents are the only people who accept me here, who don't care what I am! I'm not losing you because you suddenly have a temper flare and you flatten one of the students and get sent to jail, or worse, die completely from over exhaustion, dehydration, or starvation! Please, don't fight me on this one!" Rin ranted.
Silence followed, and a few heads turned their direction to look at them. Rin didn't have time to think about embarrassment, so he glared at them. "Back off before I rip all of your limbs off!"
Squeals and shrieks of fear followed that threat, and the school went back to ignoring them.
"See, short temper," Rin repeated his previous statement.
"I have a feeling that you're suffering from loss of sleep as well," Danny said.
"Not as much as you. While demons may be entering this universe, they know I'm here which means they'll cause no trouble. They know what happens if they do." Rin sighed.
"Are you sure?" Danny hesitantly asked.
Sam smiled at him. "Positive. Please, Danny. Let us help you for once."
"...Fine," Danny grumbled, "but be careful!"
"Dude, we have Rin with us. Nothing's going to happen." Tucker laughed.
"Don't put so much faith in me. Even I make mistakes," Rin told them.
"Still, be careful! And Rin, don't give Jazz a thermos. While you may not be a ghost, I'm not sure how it would effect you, and she has Dad's aim." Danny warned.
"I'll remember that." Rin chuckled.
"Okumura! Fentoad!" A familiar voice yelled.
"Run?" Danny asked.
"What else?" Rin replied sarcastically.
"Jazz, honey, are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, ghosts can be dangerous, and even Danny's staying home tonight!" Maddie said.
"Mom, Danny's staying home because he needs to get a full night's sleep for once. Besides, I don't know if you recall, but I'll have Sam and Tucker with me, as well as Rin! We'll be perfectly fine!" Jazz was slightly amused by her mother's worry.
"Come on, Mads! I'm glad to see our kids and their friends getting into the ghost hunting business!" Jack smiled.
"I agree with your father, but it doesn't change the fact that you are still too young," Maddie told her.
"Danny's been doing it since he was fourteen!" Jazz argued.
"Yes, and I'm still very disappointed in myself for letting him. I don't know how many times he could have climbed through his window at three in the morning to bandage himself! I don't want that to happen to you!" Maddie cried. "The only reason I can still function is the fact that he's had his friends and you by his side to help him through."
Jazz was quiet for a moment. "Danny tried to hide them, you know." It was more of a statement than a question.
"What do you mean, Jazzerincess?" Jack asked.
"We would always tell him to wake any of us up, no matter what the time, to help with his injuries. Sometimes I was lucky, catching him limping or blood seeping through his shirt. Sometimes I would stay awake hours on end, running on pure caffeine to keep me awake, waiting for him to stumble through the wall with another broken leg or another cut that almost went through his whole stomach, because I knew that if I didn't, he wouldn't wake me up, he wouldn't call for me. He would wrap and mend the wound on his own. So I stayed awake, waiting there so that once he did come home, I would be there with a first aid kit, bandages, splints, and disinfectant." Jazz paused, taking a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "He didn't want to burden us, didn't want to worry us, but there were times when we caught his injuries after he had taken care of them, and when we realized he hadn't told us, we worried more and more. Danny does a lot of things no kid should have to, and tonight, this is the one thing I can do to at least make up for a sliver of what's he sacrificed for everyone."
Maddie and Jack stood there, taking all of the information in. Maddie gave Jazz a shaky reply. "Be careful."
Jazz smiled at her mom. "We will."