Work Text:
Dan closed the heavy oak door behind him with a loud thud, making sure none of the pouring rain spills inside the house and ruins the carpet he just cleaned fresh blood out of. He wiped his muddy boots on the condescending ‘welcome’ mat in the doorway; no one ever felt welcome in this home- not even Dan. Herbert was busying himself with his black peacoat and scarf, frantically trying to undo the buttons with shaking hands as thoughts of all the work to be done raced through his mind. As he reached for the brass knob of the basement door, however, he was stopped by Dan’s steady hand on his shoulder.
“Mind explaining yourself back there, Herb?” His voice was stern and punctuated every word as he spoke despite the friendly nickname. He was referring to the scene that had just played out on their front porch. As Dan had been about to invite his date- a tall, dark-eyed blonde woman with a sweet smile- inside for the night, before Herbert appeared behind her with a bag of severed limbs and a look of disdain insinuating she’d be next. Naturally, the girl had shrieked and ran all the way up the empty street in the pouring rain and her kitten heels, not sparing an ear to listen to Dan’s “It’s just Halloween decorations!” explanation. It was the 4th girl that month his unruly lab partner had scared off and it was surely becoming a pattern. Herbert’s eye twitched as he slowly turned to face him, in the same manner as a cornered prey would.
“I’m not sure what you mean, Daniel,” He forced himself to make eye contact with the taller man. “I don’t have anything to explain. We have much work to do-” Dan cut him off before he could brush the issue under the black body bags in the lab below them.
“Why do you always do this?” he crowded into Herbert's space, leaving no room to run. “Why do you scare away every chance of happiness for me, and then act like nothing happened?” Herbert scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Daniel. I cannot have my lab assistant distracted by the…cajolery of women. I need you to be focused.” He said matter-of-factly, a lilt to his chin. “You’ve been slipping behind, Dan. I can’t have that.”
“You need to keep me focused?” He said darkly. “Or do you need to keep me under your control?” His harsh eyebrows knit together as he spoke. Every word came out like poison burning Herbert’s skin. “I think you’re jealous.”
At this, Herbert was genuinely taken aback. He cocked his eyebrow and tilted his chin proudly. “I’m not a blushing schoolgirl, Dan. I am not “jealous” of anything you do with the coquettish women in your life.” Dan leaned further into his space, nose to nose with him. When he spoke, they shared a breath, suffocating Herbert of all the air in the room.
“I think you want me all to yourself.” Dan’s eyes were dark and unreadable in the dim light. Herbert planted both hands on his chest and shoved him backwards into the room.
“You’re out of your mind,” he said, though he was panting slightly. The red of his pale cheeks betrayed the harsh words he barked out. Dan threw his hands in the air in exasperation.
“Why can’t you say it? Say what you really want instead of running away, like always.” There were months of repressed anger behind his words as he begged his partner to tell him the truth. But it was never that easy with Herbert.
“Enough Daniel.” His voice wavered, betraying the sternness in his words. “I don’t know what you think you’re seeing, but you’re wrong. I am not Megan.” Dan crossed his arms in resignation. The mention of his past fiancée stung, and it showed in his face.
“Alright then. I’ll leave.” Herbert’s posture straightened. It looked as if he wanted to reach out but was stopped by an invisible force.
“You can’t leave Dan- our work isn’t finished! Not when we’re so close!”
“I hate the work!” Dan suddenly shouted, dragging his hands down his face and through his already mussed hair. “I hate the smell of death in our house, I hate the fucked-up eyeball finger creatures, I hate the needless cruelty and violence!” He was pacing at this point, breathing heavy and ragged as he looked at Herbert. “I hate the work.” At this, Herbert was shocked. He knew Dan wasn’t as…enthusiastic about it as he was, but to hate everything they’ve done? Dan continued, his voice a bit more even. “The women I go out with are nice, and they’re normal, and they don’t sew arms to hands and bring them to life. They let me escape the…gloom of this house. Of our life.” His hands were waving frantically as he tried to explain, but Herbert’s face was stone.
“You know what you got into when we started this, Daniel.” His hands were balled into fists, fingernails digging into his palms. “You cannot complain to me now about being “nice” and “normal.” If you hate what we’ve done here so much, then why not run off with one of those brainless blondes you love so much!” Herbert rarely got angry like this. His emotions stayed in a locked box underneath a layer of lab coat and formal attire, never to be unlocked.
Dan was exasperated. “I stay because I like you, Herbert! And I think you’re fucking crazy, but you’re a genius too! I want to help people, and I know if we get this right, we can save millions of lives but,” he faltered. “Sometimes…I wonder if it’s worth all…this” He gestured vaguely around at the last part, leaving Herbert to wonder what “this” is. He stops to ponder what Dan said for a moment, reaching for the words to pull him back in. His voice is quieter than before now as he tries to explain.
“Daniel. The progress we’ve achieved in the small amount of time we’ve spent together is more than anyone in the history of humanity has achieved. Triumph does not come without endeavor.” He has a renewed vigor about him as his eyes shine wide, but there’s a distinct softness to his voice as if to not spook Dan. He’s stepped forward far enough to grip the taller man by the elbows as he shamefully pleads to his face. “And I…cannot do it- without you,” He forces out.
Dan is quiet for a moment. The furrow in his brow has softened but he still looks at Herbert with that same unreadable expression and downtrodden eyes. “And that’s why you’ve scared off every woman I’ve brought home? You need me to be your lab assistant?” His voice is still serious, but a light sarcasm looms on the edge. He’s egging him on- He wants to hear him say the words, Herbert realizes.
“Come on Dan. Don’t make me say it.” Dan looks down as if he’s challenging him, and there is no room for escape. He grips his elbows tighter and shuffles his feet as he resigns his dignity. “I…I need you, Danny.” His wide eyes plead with the man above him, as if he were a sinner begging for forgiveness on his hands and knees. Or a child, seeing the overpowering statue of Jesus on the cross stare blankly at him from across the pews, silently praying to be saved. Dan was not a religious man; but seeing Herbert with his eyes blown wide and a plea on his lips was the closest he could come to understanding God. There is still much unspoken between them, but Dan’s resolve is broken. He knows exactly what his partner means when he says I need you. He always does. More importantly, he believes him.
“Okay,” Is all he says. His arms fall to his side loosely as Herbert lets go, a wicked smile breaking out on his face to replace the uncharacteristic pleading expression from before. He leads Dan by the wrist as he unlocks the basement door to the Hell that awaits below them.
“There’s much work to be done.” He is resigned to his fate. Daniel Cain is a broken man, a dog on the leash of a madman. He is a planet orbiting the sun that is Herbert West, unable to break the gravitational pull keeping him there. He is at his mercy, but not by force.
He is unable to leave because he does not want to.