Chapter Text
"What the fuck?"
Amanda blinks when she sees the teenager at the door of her apartment. Daniel forces a smile.
"Hey, um.."
She quickly pulls him inside and shuts the door.
"You shouldn't be here, Daniel." Her voice is stern yet gentle."How did you find my apartment?"
He shrugs in response. She sighs and rubs her temples.
"What do you want?"
The boy taps his foot and avoids her eyes.
"I got kicked out, so..."
"You can't stay with me," she says through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry. You have to go somewhere else."
Daniel scratches his head and lets out a sad chuckle. "I have nowhere else to go. I can do chores or something--"
Amanda shakes her head and feels her brows furrow. "I'm sorry, Daniel."
The teenager's eyes meet her own and she feels something in her shift; perhaps it was because she was a big sister, once. She sighs again and pulls him into a hug.
"You can stay here for one night. But after that, you need to find somewhere else to go. Okay?"
Daniel's lips stretch into a small smile and he nods.
---
"Larry," Adam shouts as he enters the warehouse, the music blasting in his headphones causing him to speak a little louder than needed. He places the white bag of take-out on a table and takes his headphones off, the muffled sound of metal playing around his neck as he removes a box from the bag.
"I've got your eggrolls, man. 'Better come get them before I do."
He waits for a response, and when he hears nothing, something in him starts to panic a little.
"Lawrence?" Adam beckons, a string of nervousness in his call. He begins to look around and grabs a crowbar from a nearby work table, slowly making his way around the warehouse.
---
One night had turned into one week and Daniel could not have been more grateful. While Amanda was out doing whatever it was she did, he had been in her apartment washing dishes, tidying up the living room, or just generally cleaning the place. He got a couch to sleep on, and she got a neat and apartment. It was a pretty smooth deal. He wasn't going to push his luck with her-- after all, he couldn't pay rent or contribute much else, so whatever Amanda needed, Daniel would help with. He was just happy to have a roof over his head.
It came as no surprise, then, when Amanda asked if Daniel wanted work.
"Like, for money?" He asked, mouth full of a strawberry poptart. She nodded.
"Yes. I talked with my... boss."
"Jigsaw?"
She didn't like when people referred to John as such, but swallowed her feelings away. She nodded again, eyeing the boy in front of her.
"Yes. Jigsaw."
"Well, um," he tapped his fingers on the wooden table. "I don't really want to kill anyone."
Amanda shook her head.
"No-- nothing like that. You won't be killing anyone. You're still a kid, Daniel." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, suddenly feeling a headache approach.
"I'm not a /kid/," Daniel snapped, a bit of defensiveness in his tone. Her brows lifted at this-- he was right. He had lived through a game, and helped her through it, too. Despite being only seventeen, Daniel had seen more gore than the average person saw in their lifetime.
"Okay," Amanda began, letting out a breath. "You would just be helping out around the warehouse." Daniel sat with the offer for a minute and looked around. "Can I still have a place to stay? I can't go back to my mom."
Amanda nodded and a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Yeah. Of course."
He smiled back at her. Most of their interactions were silent like this-- mannerisms and few words. Amanda liked him as a 'roommate' for this reason. Daniel kept to himself.
"What do I have to do?"
---
Adam felt the cold steel of the crowbar against his palms as he squeezed it in anticipation for any intruders, eyes scanning the warehouse for anything concerning. It was unlike Lawrence to not respond to him.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Daniel Matthews on the old, worn-down couch in one of the side rooms playing his gameboy advance.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Adam questioned, a little surprised yet relieved at the sight of the teen. He was scrawny, unarmed, and not threatening-- which, upon this realization, made Adam lower the crowbar and relax.
"Oh, uh-- I'm Daniel--"
"Yeah, caught that. /Why/?"
The younger boy shifted on the couch. He knew what his presence might issue-- his dad was Eric Matthews, after all-- a cop /and/ an asshole. However, he had Amanda to vouge for him, and with this knowledge he found himself less stressed.
"I'm here to help you guys. I guess." He was quiet and shy, factors which made Adam see a younger version of himself in the teen. His eyes, almost involuntarily, made their way to the gameboy in Daniel's hands.
"What are you playing?"
"Pokémon Ruby."
Adam's brows lifted. Any possible threat was gone.
"Cool."
---
Lawrence rubbed his eyes and looked over the paperwork on his desk. It was less of an 'office' and more of a 'work room'. He sighed and leaned back into his chair, but was brought back to focus when he heard Adam call for him-- suddenly remembering that the man had gone and got them both dinner. Adam called for him again and Lawrence was standing now, gripping his cane in his palm and began to walk towards the other man's voice.
"Adam--" The doctor's words were cut short when he walked into the room and saw Adam on the couch with Daniel, pointing his finger at the screen of the gameboy advance and chuckling.
"You chose Mudkip? The hell, man? Torchic is the obvious choice-- oh, hey, Lar'."
Lawrence blinked in response, confusion written on his face. He looked at Adam, and Adam shrugged.
"Eric Matthews' kid. He's doing chores for us, I think."
Daniel nodded and stood up and offered his hand to Lawrence, forcing a small smile in the process.
"Nice to meet you, Doctor Gordon."
Lawrence took the teen's hand and shook it.
"...Nice to meet you."