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When Darling calls the FBC, his call is directed straight to Jesse. She sounds actually happy to hear from him. A novel experience, maybe compared to the times back when he and Trench were only starting as the Director and the Head of Research.
"I, of course, will try to work on all the necessary documents once I get back," Darling assures her. "But I would like to use the allocated vacation time for a stay in Bright Falls."
"It's okay. Technically, you are still in the convalescence period."
"It was your choice to come back earlier." Emily reminds him. Her voice is slightly muted.
"The possible knowledge glimpsed from my recent stay within the bounds of the AWE could push our understanding of the Hiss and the Dark Place forward." Darling doesn't let on. "I already have..."
"Dr. Darling." Jesse interrupts him, not unkindly. "Are you calling to inform us about you taking a vacation or to share your theories?"
Darling hesitates. He can hear the sounds coming from the living room. Alan speaking to Zane about something, Scratch answering instead. Then his partner butting in to give the real answer. He should be there, not here. He wants to be there.
"You are right, director. I am taking a vacation, and I will update you when I get back."
"If it makes you feel any better, we also got some readings when you were stuck there. We will need time to analyze that alone." Emily assures him.
"Readings?" Darling perks up but then quickly deflates. "Of course. I will be... very happy to get a look at them. Once I get back."
"Good. So, two weeks?" Jesse sounds amused even over the phone.
"I... Yes. I will be back after two weeks. Could you send someone with my things? I keep spare clothing in my old office. It’s in a bag on the top right shelf."
"Sure. Have fun, Darling." She finishes the call, leaving him with this nagging curiosity about what the readings were.
What frequencies spiked up when he got lost in that AWE? How did they change? Did the loops change the readings?
He feels a warm body colliding with his back. A pair of hands circle his middle, one of them sneaking under his sweater. Thankfully, it leaves his shirt alone - they are still in a clearly visible hallway.
"All done?" Zane asks him. The supposed lightness of his tone is betrayed by the shadows gathering in the corridor. The small lamp standing next to the phone gives a weak burst of light before dimming considerably.
"Yes. We have two weeks for ourselves." Darling catches the hand, squeezing his middle over the sweater.
He interlaces their fingers just like he used to see people do back at university. Not many people bring their significant other to the FBC, so he feels like he has to rely on prior material.
"Good. If we only get some time away from those two we could get some real together time." Zane's breath puffs around Darling's ear.
The doctor clears his throat.
Getting back from the Dark Place has been hard for more than one reason. The amount of time he has to spend away from Zane is among the top ten. Living in each other pockets for four years has been something novel for Darling. Of course, Zane sometimes disappeared - went out to film a new movie or grew bored with Darling sitting in silence on one of the new ideas he'd had. But most of the time, the two of them either stayed together within the 665 or walked through the Dark Place side by side. Even though one didn't need sleep in that place, Darling would find himself nodding off during some more boring movies Zane showed him. He would be teased for it, but neither of them commented on how Zane didn't wake him up; instead, he let him nap on his shoulder. Or how if they were watching something on the TV back in 665, Darling would wake up covered with a blanket or sleeping on someone’s chest instead of a pillow. Even though he was alone in bed when they started the seans.
"Darling? You in there?" The current Zane turns him around to get a look on his face. "You went there again?"
Darling looks to the side. He tries to look very much interested in the tapestry of the hallway. Zane won't have it. He catches the doctor's face between his hands and turns him so they can see eye to eye.
"I might have. A little."
"You know I can always take you back. With those two out," he gestures with his head towards the living room, "We won't have any trouble finding our way back. I mean, I have been coming and going as I please since our Alan became the god of that place."
It's not often that Zane sounds so serious. Darling is used to his playfulness. To hear him be serious makes the situation sound so much more grave. Staring into his lover's eyes, he can see the gravity of those words. The promise behind them.
'If you just say the word, we can go back into the lake and never come back.'
And he believes him. But this isn't the life he wants, for now at least.
"Thank you. But that would have been... too easy. Of course, we can visit! There are so many things I still wish to research there. But not for long." Darling's smile is crooked. "It would tempt me too much."
Zane answers with a smile of his own. "What is so bad about a little temptation? You should loose up a little, doctor."
"Hm. I am planning to. We have two whole weeks, remember?"
"Yes, yes. But two whole weeks here don't sound as good." Zane lets go of his face. Before he can get far, Darling dips in to kiss him.
He doesn't initiate contact often. It's more of Zane's thing - touching his arm when he is passing by, nuzzling his neck when they are close, or just kissing him whenever he feels like it. Darling tries to show through this one kiss how happy he is, how thankful he is for meeting Zane.
Their kiss stays chaste. Not because of Zane's lack of trying. Darling quickly turns it into a hug, which doesn't seem to deter his partner.
"How do you even find the time to work out?" Zane returns the embrace and strokes down his back.
"A good schedule. If you ever want to get up with me at 5, we can go together."
"Nope." The possibility of getting up so early in the morning seems to deter any horny thoughts Zane might have had.
He is still getting used to day and night cycles, but sleeping in has quickly become his favorite thing.
"Come on then. I still want to ask Mr. Wake so many things." Darling steers them down the corridor, towards the better-lit room. A big leather sofa takes most of it, but a coffee table and two additional chairs have been squeezed in beside it.
Alan looks up from a manuscript he's been reading. In a warm sweater and sweatpants, he looks very comfortable on the couch. He's been busy with adding changes to the pages with a red pen. His free hand is occupied with slowly carding his fingers through Scratches hair. The creature opens his eyes when their guests come closer to watch them. He looks weary of them still. Fortunately for them, at least in Scratch’s opinion, Alan's influence placates it for a moment.
"We will be in your care for the next two weeks," Darling informs them with a smile.
Alan answers with one of his own. It's a small thing, almost involuntary.
"Of course. I hope the guest room is enough for you. If you need something bigger, there are hotels back in town."
"No, no, it's perfect." Darling sits down opposite the pair. Zane squeezes beside him. Well, mostly on top of him.
Darling looks at his partner helplessly. He is almost sure that in public, there should be a little more room between them. He turns back to Alan to continue while trying to find a better position on his seat.
"We don't need that much space. And I wouldn't like to miss an opportunity to speak with you!"
His enthusiasm doesn't go unnoticed. Scratch scowls. It would look more threatening
if he wasn't sprawled across the couch. He does seem to get some satisfaction from Zane's mirror frown. To add salt to injury, Scratch moves, and between one blink of an eye and another, he is gone. Instead, Alan seems to be enveloped in the darkness. Like a warm blanket, it lies down on his shoulders and evaporates from his skin. The man himself smiles and gently pats his own arm with his now free hand.
"I don't know if my answers will satisfy you, doctor." He lightly shrugs. It offsets some dark particles, but they slowly float back. "I'm a writer, not a scientist. My report might not be up to your standards."
"It is possible. But you are the only person with a lived experience of becoming... something we don't have a category for! You may be someone closest to our current Director, or something completely different! There are so many possibilities here." Darling finally settles comfortably with Zane fully in his lap. Again.
The other man doesn't seem bothered. Alan also seems okay with it, so Darling himself relaxes fully.
It feels weird to be able to do things he wants and not be met with weirded out looks. Or comments. He still remembers Langston's sneaking in some jabs about his weirdness not being that charming. It wasn't the first time Darling'd heard he was strange. It was the first one someone mentioned others seeing it as more than a quality you needed to overlook if you wanted to work with esteemed Dr. Darling. Maybe he should thank Langston. It was a compliment of sorts, after all.
"I... I think I can describe it if you want. It is something I am rather good at." Alan looks down at the page on the table. He adds a little line to indicate where he ended his work and sits back. The darkness around him pools into his lap.
"It is like knowing every story that has been told and every line of dialog ever written." Alan's eyes lose focus. He stares ahead, trying to find the words. Something that hasn't been a problem for him since he came back. "But it is so much more. I know of lives people have led, lives that turned into stories told by those who loved them. I know the stories of vendettas and family secrets that still get shared. A child telling their friend a horror story. A nurse talking about her daughter to a lonely patient. A mother and father sitting with their newborn as they read stories. And I know how some of those stories will come to life. How the horror stories will inspire those children to be creators of their own. How one day, the nurse will bring her daughter to meet this lovely elder lady, and they will bond over knitting. And how this child will grow up alone. I can tell you their stories in detail or just sum them up." As Alan speaks, his voice changes. His words seem to come from further away like he is traveling along the lives of those he can see.
"I can see where the chapters of their stories begin or end. And what point will be the start. How with just a short sentence, I can change the inspiring story of two childhood friends becoming esteemed authors into a tale of bitter rivalry. How the nurse can slip coming out of the shower and leave her child behind. No one will tell the old lady what's really happened. And that child can grow up in a happy home - it would be enough for its parents to stay home tomorrow." His eyes shine with otherworldly light. His voice is full of something that doesn't belong to this plane of existence. Darling knows it. He had felt it before when Hedron used its power on him.
He squeezes his arms around Zane. He is truly fascinated by this god sitting in his gray sweatpants in front of him, but the reassuring weight of his lover keeps him grounded. He knows better now - he won't be asking Alan about himself. But the temptation is there. How would it feel to have your life changed in an instant by someone writing the correct sentence on the page? It could ensure that he and Zane stay together forever. But it could also spell doom, just like Hedron did. Ah, the curiosity is tantalizing. But if he is wrong and this time it tears him away not just from the world he knows but also the one he loves? Darling lets out a quiet breath. He can ask questions but no asking for being the object of experiments, he promises himself.
"Can you see it all the time?"
"Yes. So many stories going on at the same time. So many ways someone can change." The darkness around Alan moves. It swipes his hair a little before nudging his cheek. When he doesn't answer, Scratch appears by his side like he's always been there.
"But you don't have to." His deeper voice is almost a growl. "You don't have to be their overseer or an angel. You can be just here. Selfishly here."
"I..." Alan frowns. The light in his eyes deems.
"Here with me. And our 'guests' who want to hear you speak more about yourself. Not others. You can tell your own story now." Scratch gently touches his face.
"Yes. Yes, I can." Alan's eyes go back to their normal bright blue. There is no light behind them. Instead, the darkness around him gathers. "Like you see, I am still unused to this... power." Alan looks almost sheepish.
"Well, being an artist often is a trip. One way or another." Zane adds with a shrug.
He isn't subtle about exchanging looks with Scratch. They both have felt it. The call of Alan's power. It would be so easy to try to reach for it. They would fail. Even if they joined forces, they would be nothing compared to someone who finally faced his demons and came out on the other side. But the pull is there. It's in their nature.
Zane leans more into Darling. His doctor is watching Alan with wide-open eyes, trying to take in every detail of the power he is seeing. And Zane focuses on this wonder. He tries to satisfy his hunger with this wide-eyed look instead of the pursuit of power he feels nagging at him.
Scratch follows suit in a way. He gently combs his fingers through Alan's hair, just like the writer did for him before.
"You will learn. Don't push yourself." He tells him.
The smile he gets, the acceptance, and the trust make him feel so good it is almost uncomfortable. But it is enough to take his attention away from the hunger.
"I hope so. I don't want to put anyone else in danger."
"I fully understand your hesitancy about coming to New York. But if you ever feel like experimenting with your powers, just give me a call. I will be happy to record anything here in Bright Falls." Darling assures him.
"I will keep that in mind." Alan nods. He looks out towards the shaded windows. "The sun is setting. What do you think about getting some dinner, doctor?"
"Well, why not?"
Just like Alan said, they are far from the center of the town. Closer to Watery, really. A beat-up car stands before the house, which Alan tells him his ex-agent gave him.
"Barry told me he doesn't need a car anymore. Apparently, living in a small community makes it easier to walk everywhere." Alan frowns. "Although it might be that he doesn't leave that community a lot."
"Ah. He moved into a small town." Darling concludes knowingly.
"More like a cult. A blessed cult." Alan sighs. "I keep telling him he should be careful, but apparently, being presumed dead for 13 years makes you unfit to advise people about their lives."
Darling hesitates. They are almost by the car when he speaks up.
"Be careful about that cult, Mr. Wake." At his serious tone, Alan looks up. "We know them at the FBC. There have been mixed into... some alerted objects' cases."
"Huh. I will keep that in mind." Alan opens the driver's door.
Scratch has been playing the role of a mobile blanket ever since they left the house, which leaves Darling and Zane in the position of deciding who sits where. Darling hesitates clearly debating adds and cons of every solution. Zane just pulls him behind himself as he climbs into the back sit.
"I would be careful around town, Zane." Alan looks at them through the rearview mirror. "People remember you still. Although most of them know you the way you are now."
"The best form." Zane shoots him a grin. "I probably still have many fans here."
"Probably, yes. You brought some tourism here back in the day. Or so they say." Alan turns to look at the road. "Although some still think you were a communist or something. And that you should be in your 80s."
"Not the weirdest thing they've seen. They do see you and Scratch, so they can get used to me anyway." Zane shrugs.
"It's different." Scratch once again makes himself corpolar. Using the free seat, he materializes next to Alan. "I am where Alan is. You went out."
"And I don't remind them every day about being forever stuck fawning over a book writer."
Scratch stretches his lips in a facsimile of a smile. "Instead, they visit your shoot every night?"
"Not every. That would be boring."
Darling tries to quietly take out his notebook and start taking notes. Zane isn't secretive in a way where he doesn't tell him things. No, his lover tells him a lot. Only most of the things aren't about his powers or how he traverses the planes or what does he exactly do in the shadows. Darling would love to learn more so much.
"You use people from Bright Falls in your movies?" He picks the topic that interests him the most when the car falls silent. Zane turns to look at him, his eyebrows rised.
"I borrow them. I always return them back to their place once I am done!" Zane assures him.
Darling nods. "How do you do it?"
At Zane's bewildered look, he asks again. "How do you take them from here and put them back? Do you enter their dreams? Do you put them in the Dark Place? Or do you use their shadow? An animus or anima that waits for them in the darkness?"
Darling ignores the "What is wrong with him?" he can hear Scratch asking Alan.
Instead, he hovers the pen over the paper, ready for answers.
Zane chuckles, trying to mask the relieved sigh. "I will tell you once we have some more time. And we aren't driving. You will get car sick."
He is right. Darling knows he is right because he is the one who told Zane about his unfortunate infliction back when they were stuck in the Dark Place. It wasn't often that Zane asked about the world outside, and he sounded like someone who had never really seen it. But when he did, Darling tried to tell him every mundane detail. After all, as a scientist, it was his role to observe and document.
"I hope you will keep your word." He still writes down a short note not to forget about asking.
"Oh, I know this song." Zane changes the topic. He reaches between the seats to turn on the volume. "I think I've heard it before."
Darling listens in, and he also feels an air of familiarity.
"Yes, well, we are listening to the local station, and they have a soft spot for a metal band that comes from these parts," Alan explains.
"Those three who made you sing and dance?"
"You saw that?"
"It was on camera. I see most of the things that have been filmed there."
Alan makes sure not to look at Zane's grin. He expects that if he shows any reaction, he will be teased about his dance number. Scratch comes to the rescue by pushing Zane back into his seat. Before the filmmaker can complain, Darling catches his hand.
"It's better if you don't fall through the window in case of a sudden stop." He tells him. Safety. He's promised to care more about safety. Tom's safety seems a tad more important than his own still.
Zane smiles at him, laces their fingers, and starts humming to music. They spend the rest of the drive listening to metal, with Alan sometimes joining the humming.
"We are here. The Oh Deer Dinner." Alan parks the car. “One of the few places you can get something to eat here.”
Scratch snorts. "And pick up that scarf you've been after."
"It's a nice scarf. And Mandy-May promised to make you one, too. I think we will be matching colors." Alan starts defensive, but seeing how his words affect his partner makes him more smug towards the end. He leaves the car with a little smirk.
Scratch looks after him while clearly trying not to look delighted at the perspective of having a clearly visible claim over Alan. In the form of a knitted scarf. A snicker brings him out of his reverie.
"Shut up." Scratch shoots towards Zane, and he is out of his seat. He waits until Alan is next to him to loop their arms.
Zane giggles. "Like a declawed kitten." He shakes his head. With a sigh, he lets go of Darling’s hand.
The doctor squeezes his hand before he can completely let go. Soon, they are standing in front of the Dinner next to Alan and Scratch.
"This place seems rather charming." Darling notices.
"It has its good side." Alan nods. He leads the way inside.
Rose greets them as cheerfully as she always does. Only then, when she sees that Alan is accompanied by someone more than just Scratch, she freezes. Her eyes travel between Darling and Zane rapidly. And then she makes an 'Aha!' noise.
"Hi, Alan! Scratch!" Her enthusiasm remains unwavering. "Are you staying or taking to go?"
"We are staying." Alan's smile is a little forced.
He still doesn't know how to interact with her, but her support has been one of the things that has helped him survive his first few days in Bright Falls.
"Of course. Let me show you to a free booth." Rose doesn't usually do that. Alan knows it, and so does Scratch.
Darling though, seems utterly charmed by how she spends the next ten minutes giving them recommendations about best dinners.
"Rose, sweetheart, don't you have some beer under the counter?" Zane asks her.
Rose flutters. Her gaze once again travels between him and Darling before she answers. "Well, we do, Mr...? Wake?"
"Wake? No, no. I'm Zane. Tom Zane."
"Oh. I didn't know you were related!" Rose nods. "I will bring one in."
Rose goes back to the counter.
"Wake? Does she think we are brothers or something?" Zane frowns.
"Well, the similarity is rather close." Darling agrees. "It would make sense."
Alan, who has been observing Rose, only sighs. "I think I know what she is thinking."
She brings back a beer for Zane and waits for their orders. She knows not to ask Scratch since he doesn't seem keen on human food. She writes down dutifully what Alan and Darling tell her. Before she goes, she hands Alan a small package.
"Mandy-May did one just like you asked. If I had known your dads would be visiting, I would have asked her to make more! But I am sure she will be happy to have something to do for the next Christmas."
"Thank you, Rose." Alan takes the present and tries to smile kindly instead of groaning.
For a second, he feels like the only sane person in that booth. Zane is very clearly trying not to laugh, Darling blinks owishly at Rose, and Scratch just grits his teeth so loudly Alan is surprised Rose can't hear that.
"No problem. Will be right back with your orders!" She leaves them be for a moment at just the right time.
Tears stream out of Zane's eyes as he starts to giggle. He tips so much into Darling he practically falls sideways. Scratch kicks him under the table.
"I have never been taken for someone's father," Darling informs them. "But I must say she has some good deductive skills. It is the most probable explanation."
"And she knows I've never known my dad. So if suddenly a man looking at me shows up and I bring him to dinner, she would think I am using a neutral ground. She's read it somewhere that is what you should..." Alan stops. Sighs. "You're right, doctor. It is a good deduction."
"Did you just read her mind?" Darling leans closer, a twinkle of curiosity in his eyes. The previous topic seems completely forgotten when he is faced with new information.
"No, just the story she's told herself. It is quite different."
"Wait, wait. Let's go back to the part when she thinks I am your father." Zane buts in.
"What there is to go back to. You look alike. We all do." Scratch shakes his head, trying to look bored.
"Oh, you are just jealous you aren't involved in our family dynamic?" Zane mocks him. "You can be a not-good boyfriend my rebellious son brought home."
Scratch looks ready to say something mean back but seems to stop for a second to think about the implications of what Zane said. Then he grins, showing a row of perfect, too-sharp teeth.
"I will take that."
Zane doesn't like how easily he has won, so he readies the next barb, but Darling cuts in.
"So you've never known your father, Mr Wake?"
It might have been a rude thing to ask, but no one at the table points it out.
"No, he was never in my life." Alan shrugs. It isn't something that bothers him as much as it used to. It is not pleasant, but he feels like he can talk about it. "My mother never said who he was."
"Interesting."
At Alan's questioning look, Darling elaborates.
"Certain powers often travel through bloodlines. Certain affinities for powers may be genetic. It wouldn't surprise me if your father or mother had abilities similar to yours. Maybe less powerful but similar."
"Mom never mentioned anything, but well... maybe she hoped that it wouldn't be passed down to me. And she did give me the Clicker."
"Ah, the alerted item! I've read about it." Darling nods.
Zane considers mentioning that as far as he remembers, he is the one who wrote the Clicker into Alan's life, but the weird mix of his own memory keeps him from being completely certain.
"Here you go." Rose seems to appear out of nowhere with their food. "Hope you find it testy."
She lingers, clearly wanting to say something more.
"Yes, Rose?" Alan asks her.
"I gotta ask: are you staying here for longer? Or is it just a passing visit?"
"Well, we will be here for two weeks," Zane answers. "Do you need something from us?"
"No, no. Just curious. Maybe Mandy-May can do some smaller projects for you. Or teach me how to do it since she's been working on that present for Scratch..." Rose trails off. Her gaze studies Zane very carefully. "I'm sorry, but have we met before?"
"I think I would remember such a wonderful girl as you." Zane leans sideways into Darling. "But no, I don't think so."
"Oh, okay. If you need anything, I will be at the counter. Just call me!"
She leaves them be for the moment.
"You didn't." Scratch parrots Zane back.
"We never technically did meet." Zane sips his beer.
"Tom? Am I missing something?" Seeing Darling's clearly lost look over, noticing he is not on the joke of the conversation, Zane relents.
"See, darling, I've been in contact with Rose before. Only I never said who I was. I just used our dear writer's visage to send her some messages about how to take care of herself, how to send the Clicker back to the Dark Place."
Darling nods. "Ah. So that's why you sometimes left messages written in coffee beans on the kitchen table!"
"Yes."
Darling nods, happy to finally get something he saw as a quirk of his lover. He makes another mental note to ask more about the ‘how’ Zane did it.
"I don't know if I should thank you or not." Alan shakes his head.
"You don't need to thank me for my benevolence," Zane informs him with his usual air of theatrics.
Scratch rolls his eyes. After all, if not for Rose, he might have gotten to Alan in the Eternal Deerfest. But looking at his lover now, gorging on some muffin like it is his mission in life, he cannot say he is that angry about how things turned out.
"Dr. Darling, I would also like to ask a question." Alan breaks the silence this time.
"Of course. Oh, and Casper is enough." He was just considered the man’s father, after all.
"What is a parautilitarian?"
Darling's eyes sparkled with genuine delight as a radiant smile spread across his face. Zane smiles into his beer.
When they get back to Alan and Scratch's home, it is almost midnight. Rose let them stay way longer than she should, but once Zane asked her about her own writing she was delighted to share. She did squint at him for knowing about it, though. Alan was sure she knew more than she let on but was happy to go along with it.
Alan disappears with Scratch into the master bedroom. Darling watches them go with a sense of sentimentality he never knew he was capable of. Alan Wake is too old to be his child. Too powerful to listen to some old scientist who made so many stupid mistakes it cost him his friend's life and almost a whole Federal Bureu. But it felt good to talk with someone who was clearly passionate about writing as much as Darling is about science. And as much as Zane is about movies. Even though his partner would never admit it and preferred to tease Scratch instead of speaking up about art too often, he was clearly listening to what Alan had to say to Rose about art. And he even added some of his own insight. All in all a good outing, in Darling's opinion.
"Do you think if I make you louder than Alan Scratch will get angry?" Zane lounges on their bed.
He has lost his shirt somewhere along the way but is still wearing his jacket. His usual look from the Dark Place is back, and Darling can admit he missed it.
"Well, we won't know unless you try. It would be a good experiment, I think."
Zane grins. "Those are the kinds of experiments I would be very much interested in. Even if you make me visit that House to do them."
"Yes, but let's avoid the Director next time."
"Of course, of course." Zane doesn't let his eyes move from where Darling is taking off his clothes. Once he is only in his boxers, Zane makes his move.