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Danny was an unusual child. From the very beginning, he could not be called a normal, average human boy. Even on the playground, he had a hard time finding his place. While the other kids sat on the ground, dug in the sandbox, fought with sticks, or threw a ball to each other, his young soul yearned to fly high, straight to the stars. Sitting on the swing, his hands reached straight up to the Sun itself, hoping to grab the luminary and hold it in his small childish palms. It was then that joyful laughter, full of life and passion, rang out from his lips. And as soon as night fell, the little boy would rush to find the best spot in the clearing or on the roof of his own house, just to get the best view of the distant stars, whose twinkling left patterns, small as snowflakes, imprinted on his soul. Then he felt like the happiest and most alive person in the world. It was then that loud, ringing words sounded from his lips, like a glass bell:
“I am alive!”
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“I... am alive...” - in the buzzing silence, like the crack of thin glass, a voice whispered. Was it a response to someone, or perhaps an attempt to prove something to himself? He did not know the answer. Only that what he was saying was a lie, not a sweet one, but a terribly cloying one, bringing his lips together as if they were sticky. The once icy but penetrating gaze of his childish eyes, reminiscent of a clear sky, faded. And even though the color green, which replaced the heavenly blue, was now the most common in his life, unfortunately, it was empty. Cold, colder than ice, colder than the Far Frost itself.
The immortal creature hovered behind him, changing its appearance with the annoying ticking of a clock. The icy gaze of the beholder expressed sympathy. The young soul felt the frost on his skin, as if ice spikes were piercing his very heart. And even his own core, his icy core, no longer caressed him. There was only emptiness. A coldness that could not be filled with anything. Not with the warmth of a blanket, not with hot cocoa, not even with an ever-burning flame.
“No, Daniel. You are already dead.”
The watchmaker's voice was short and stern. The young ghost did not turn to him. He just continued to watch the streams of time ahead, the lives of strangers rushing before his eyes. The young voice said harshly:
"Thanks for the obvious fact. But, oh, surprise, a couple of rings around my body and “boom”, my heart is beating again. I'm alive."
Roughly, the teenager spread his arms wide and changed his appearance, which once resembled a small child reaching for the stars. However, there was no life in those blue eyes, just as there was none in the greenery now surrounding him.
The figure watching moved closer and gently touched the teenager's shoulder with his staff. The teenager's dissatisfied gaze involuntarily turned toward the external irritant, then the metal tip of the staff lifted his uncomprehending face up by the chin so that his red, neon-lit eyes met the faded blue ones. The ticking voice continued:
"You know very well yourself. You died the day they betrayed you. -
Danny pushed the staff away with his hand and exclaimed loudly:
"What do you want from me!? What difference does it make whether I'm dead or not. I saw the timeline, Dan will never come back. Isn't that what they all wanted? There will be no end of the world, I'm dead, everyone is happy. -
The boy grabbed his knees with his hands and stared at the temporal streams again. His face was illuminated by a faint blue glow that was reflected so impartially in his pale, tired eyes.
“Not everyone is happy. You are unhappy.” - Clocwork's voice echoed behind him. The boy clenched his hands tighter, his jaw clenched, almost biting his lips, and his eyes glazed over, as if covered with ice. His quiet whisper stretched out into space:
“Does it matter...?” What is the point of my happiness if no one but me cares about it? No more.
The ancient ghost was silent for a few seconds. Perhaps even minutes? Time had long since lost its meaning. All that remained were regrets about the past and the bitterness of the present.
Slowly, the older ghost floated over and activated the visions in front of the young half-breed.
Danny looked at the visions. Once again, he saw faces he didn't know. Sometimes these people were happy, sometimes their faces showed sadness, anger, or disgust. But there were rare moments when Danny saw despair on their faces. Even rarer were the moments when he saw nothing. Emptiness. The same emptiness that was inside him. At such moments, a small part inside him asked questions: "What happened to them? What made you so unhappy, what pain did you have to endure to have... Death."
And now, there was a teenager in front of him. Barely, but amid endless struggle, despair, and determination, Danny saw a nascent emptiness beneath the black mask. His mind gradually clouded over, and rational thoughts became entangled in one big nothingness.
Instead of asking, “Who is this?”
Danny whispered softly:
“...what happened to him?..”
Clockwork paused briefly, glancing at his protégé out of the corner of his eye. Then he slowly rewound time a little to begin his story:
“This young man lost everything that was dear to him. He fought desperately to put everything back in its place. For the sake of his loved ones, who called him crazy.”
The life of this young avenger flashed before Danny's eyes. How funny. He did everything in his power to help others, and this is how they repaid him. His own family turned their backs on him, his loved ones stabbed him and then cut him into pieces while he screamed in agony...
The young ghost shuddered. Old memories, but the pain from the scars he had received was still fresh in his chest. Danny scratched his own chest, then looked away from the screen. He frowned and clicked his tongue angrily. What was Clocwork trying to show him?
"Pff... So what? His loved ones are idiots if they treat him like that. I understand his feelings. So what? If they don't care, isn't it better to abandon them in return? ... I mean... Maybe he didn't notice, but there are those who need him. Is it really so important to him that these selfish fools love him?
Clockwork smiled slightly and turned away from his young ward:
“Reminds you of someone, doesn't it?”
Danny just snorted at this statement, looking at the Ancient with a dissatisfied look:
“I understand your hints, but our situations are completely different. He is a public hero who is loved and respected, a man who holds a position in a company that drives technological and scientific progress. Me? I'm just a loser and a mistake of nature that everyone hates. And no matter what I do, no one ever says thank you to me.” -
Clockwork raised an eyebrow scarred by a scar, then tapped his staff on the time stream, which now stopped at his ward:
“Mistake of nature or not, a talentless man is incapable of changing the fate of billions of people, Daniel.” -
The boy looked at himself. How every day he fought for his loved ones, how he helped even with small acts of heroism that did not require bloodshed. How he was able to stop Pariah Dark. How he was able to pull the whole city out of an endless sleep, how he was able to save them all from the fate of becoming food for plants. How he had changed time itself and created a new branch. Only here, Danny's eyes filled with anger at himself:
“But I almost destroyed these people. I'm not much of a hero. And as a person? I was nothing and... What's there to talk about? Danny Fenton is gone.”
Clockwork sighed wearily, realizing that persuading his protégé was no easy task. And yet, she was gradually moving forward.
“And yet, I need his help.”
The boy looked at his friend in confusion and bowed his head slightly, then Clocwork continued:
“I need you to save one more future. His future.”
The Ancient One pointed to the avenger in red, who was on the verge of sinking into deep despair. A little more and he would falter. A little, a small drop in a full cup of water, and it would spill over.
The boy looked at the other teenager who was on the brink. In him, he saw... himself, to some extent. Did he feel sorry for him? No, not really. He was just another stranger to him. Another loser in life, whom fate had waved goodbye to.
And yet, he needed help. His life was important. This guy had done too many great things and would probably continue to perform heroic deeds. Danny hesitated... Could someone like him save anyone? He couldn't even save himself. How could he save him?
"I... I'm not sure I can do it. I mean... If you want me to help you save him, that means his life is important for the future, but... How am I supposed to do that? Look at me, Clocwork. There's nothing left of me. How am I supposed to help him?
The young man pointed at himself, then grabbed his hair and pulled it. He rubbed his face with his hands and closed his eyes. A slight chuckle escaped his lips, as quiet as his heartbeat. It was irregular and almost non-existent.
His mentor took hold of his staff with both hands and pretended to lean on it as if it were a cane. The ghost's appearance changed to that of an old man with a long white beard and a heavy, senile gaze:
"That's why you're the best candidate. This young man's mind is confused right now. In your current guise, he will not be able to distinguish you from himself. Reality from illusion.
The boy opened his eyes and looked at the Ancient One. In his eyes, the young man found no mockery, sarcasm, or anything of the sort. No. He was serious.
“You mean... He needs to show himself to be worthless? Do you think that will work?”
Danny looked at the temporary streams again. There he saw himself from the past, trying so hard to fix the future. That's right. Back then, he also saw himself in despair. And even now, he would never want to see himself like that. Even if he had already become that way. Maybe not completely angry, but rather empty. But that fate seemed even worse than the previous one.
And yet, the teenager hesitated...
“I... need time to think...” -
Slowly, the young ghost approached the temporary streams and decided to review everything that had happened to that person once more. It was a difficult decision, and his life and future would depend on it... No. Not like that. Only the life of this avenger would depend on Danny. And Red Robin would build his own future.
The icy gaze of the observer expressed satisfaction...
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Not much time passed, but not little either. The young half-breed spent all those seconds, minutes, and hours observing the other man. He adopted his habits, his manner of communication, studied his train of thought, and tried to understand his entire history... But something bothered him. Watching other people's memories, Danny paid more and more attention to the people who surrounded his man. They... were idiots. Not in the sense of some complex and abstruse detective abilities, no. But in terms of their own feelings. Literally all circumstances forced this guy... No, Timothy, they made Timothy feel lonely and abandoned. But these people... Did they really hate him? It was hard for Danny to say until he was with him in person. And yet... His family experienced a range of emotions around him. And even when one of the main emotions was anger, it was still something they felt towards him. They felt it!
Danny remembers how cold and emotionless his own parents' eyes were when they cut him into pieces...
Half shudders... He looks away from the screen and glances to the side. A thought flashes through his mind: “No... Hatred is not the opposite of love. Indifference is the real opposite.”
Taking a few steps to the side, Danny notices the figure of Clockwork and a strange dark lady he has never seen before, and his breath turns to ice. Coming closer, the half-breed carefully studies the unknown ghost from head to toe, then turns to his mentor with an interested look. The old Ancient ghost helpfully decided to introduce him to the stranger:
“Daniel, meet Lady Gotham. She is the ghost of the city and asked me for help when she noticed the condition of one of her wards.”
Clockwork paused for a moment, then pointed to his ward:
“Lady Gotham, this is Daniel. He is the one who can help your ward.”
The unknown lady rushed closer to the teenager and stared intently into his eyes. Her face was full of despair, or rather, no, that wasn't right. Her eyes were full of despair and hope. A voice, as if drenched in blood, came from the depths of her soul, pleading:
"Young soul, I beg you, save him. I am ready to help you. I will hide you from prying eyes, from any ill-wisher who tries to get to you. I will share what little strength I have left. Please, save my little one's life!"
Half flinched a little at Lady's insistence. He couldn't understand why she was so sure that he could help her. How desperate must someone be to beg, sacrificing everything they have left, and to beg someone who will probably fail in this task?
In truth, he wanted to refuse. He wanted to say no, but something inside him prevented him from simply crushing the last hope in someone else's eyes. Danny whispered quietly to her:
“I'll do everything I can...”
Bloodshot tears welled up in her eyes. Danny's heart sank. It became stifling inside.
..
Clockwork led the half-breed to the end of the room, where Lady Gotham was maintaining a working portal to Earth. Danny glanced over there with slight apprehension. He really didn't want to go there. His mentor looked at him seriously and said sternly:
“Remember, Daniel. You must play your role as if you were Timothy's consciousness. This portal will take you straight to Gotham. You will have to stay there and watch over him. Once your task is complete, you can return here.”
Danny crossed his arms over his chest and sighed heavily, whispering quietly:
“Yes, yes, I understand... It's just... this is the last time I'm helping anyone, okay? Consider it a debt I owe you. Once this is over, you'll leave me alone and I'll stay here forever.”
The teenager sighed heavily. Then he stepped into the portal, right into the apartment, which was covered in darkness and filled with a young man staring blankly at a stationery knife.
The portal closed, and the two Ancient figures stood next to the temporary stream, watching their two charges. Their dialogue seemed extremely tense but effective. Her Red Chick was able to focus his attention on something else, his mind awakened from sleep, and the silence that had plunged his consciousness into emptiness began to fade, filling with the noise of rational thoughts.
Lady Gotham also turned her attention to her old acquaintance's ward. She immediately felt all the weight that the child carried on his shoulders and all the pain that bound him like a chain. His soul was dead. Even as a ghost, his purpose had been erased. Everything was gone. And this young soul also wanted to disappear into his own spiritual emptiness. But at the moment when his words were able to influence another person, both felt something flash in his dead blue ectoplasmic eyes. Something resembling ringing cold snowflakes.
The lady smiled with her eyes and looked at her old friend:
“You wanted to help not only me, didn't you?”
Clockwork did not answer her. But his expression said it all..
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It was difficult for Danny to understand this man. How did he live to his age? For a person, not sleeping for such a long time is dangerous to health, not to mention the amount of work he does. To be honest, the ghost wouldn't be surprised if sooner or later this guy really started seeing hallucinations around him.
After their brief verbal exchange, Danny began to hang around invisibly to keep an eye on the mentally unstable man. He may have managed to temporarily distract the avenger from his dark thoughts, but that doesn't mean he saved him. At any moment, a trigger could be set off that would cause the mentally unstable man to grab the nearest sharp object again. He needs to be watched especially closely...
(However, maybe not in the bathroom. The guy couldn't bring himself to go in there with him. Only quickly. Covering his eyes with one hand, hysterically grabbing any loose blades from the bathroom that Timothy could use. Just believe that the young half-breed flew out of there with red cheeks, feeling the Ancients laughing at him.)
And yet, watching Tim helped Danny understand him better. To get as close as possible, to empathize with this person. To want to help... It was funny. He hadn't felt that desire in a long time. To save someone... even though no one would thank him. Just to watch as this life didn't end prematurely. And didn't lose... No. So that his loved ones wouldn't lose him. Danny was very angry as he stood invisible and intangible next to Timothy in the rain. He didn't understand what these idiots were thinking when they treated their brother this way. He didn't understand when his own parents left him on the lab table to die...
And yet... Maybe Tim didn't see it when he hurried away, but Danny felt a wave of sadness and anxiety coming from his older brother. Maybe from Drake's perspective, it seems like his family doesn't care about him... But if you stop and look closely, you'll see that this is not the case at all.
“I'll help you see what you can't...” .
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And once again, Timothy is awake and playing with Danny's nerves. Of course, this guy has no idea how he is literally pulling the strings that make the half-breed break out in a cold sweat because of these deadly habits. And it's not his fault at all. But it was driving the ghost crazy... Because of this, he simply couldn't help but get involved in a completely unnecessary dialogue to make this person take care of himself once again.
And what a surprise it was when Tim asked him his name... Honestly? Danny was scared at that moment, because it seemed that the guy had somehow quickly come to terms with his head problem, or, on the contrary, had come to his senses so quickly that he realized that he was talking to an otherworldly entity trying to save his life. (Which was no better, because in that case he had come to terms with it too quickly.)
However, the ghost was even more surprised when the young man uttered his name:
– Danny. You'll be called Danny. -
He had to gather all his strength to control himself. To say something as pretentious as possible and then shamefully run away, leaving Tim alone again. (Before that, he made sure that the avenger was finally going to sleep). Later, Danny would sit on his roof, trying to pull himself together and calm the strange feelings that had arisen somewhere deep in his chest. It was... too much for him.
“I know this is your doing, Ancients!” the young half-breed shouted a threat into the void and soon leaned back, staring straight at the sky...
Clouds gathered inside his core, and it seemed that rain would fall at any moment...
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The next time, which happened at a gala concert, only confirmed Danny's thoughts about the red avenger's family. His sister radiated waves of anxiety as she watched him as if he were the most fragile and precious treasure.
Once upon a time, Jazz looked at him the same way...
Pushing away his dark thoughts, Halfa returned to Tim, who was already standing on the balcony, staring down with glazed eyes. Danny immediately realized that, even if unintentionally, the guy wanted to jump down. It was probably a subconscious desire caused by stress that his nervous system couldn't cope with. At times like this, talking really helps. How funny it is. Someone who has been dead for a long time is concerned about someone else's life, which the owner of that life so desperately wants to end.
"He doesn't even realize how lucky he is... "
And, unfortunately, Danny is not a psychologist. He knows that he can temporarily dissuade this person, but sooner or later he should see a psychotherapist.
And Danny will never admit that he, too, should have spoken his mind long ago...
After observing a little longer, Danny realizes that Tim is not yet ready to accept that he doesn't have to carry everything on his own. His family is clearly unfamiliar with the normal concept of how to properly share their emotions and experiences with each other. But that didn't mean they didn't care about those feelings. Instead of trying to make them figure out these emotions like riddles, they should talk about everything directly. His sister Cass probably already understood this. All that remained was to make sure that sooner or later, but better sooner, of course, Tim came to this realization. .
.
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And once again, this family ruined everything. Just like Tim himself... Danny watched them all evening, and everything would have been fine, but as usual, things didn't go according to plan. Instead of really discussing everything Drake was feeling, the brothers started hurling accusations at each other. And yes, their conflicts clearly don't come out of nowhere, but it's precisely because Timothy likes to avoid talking about his feelings and tries to hide many things from his family that there are so many misunderstandings. Danny, however, doesn't want to blame Tim alone for this. The others were no better. Outwardly, each of them showed only disappointment and anger, but inside they were worried and scared. And none of them wanted to show their true feelings either.
Of course, Danny understood why Tim felt so helpless and abandoned. But unlike him, he also understood that this was not the case at all. And that made the halfback angry. How can you not see it? How can they not see it?
“These arguments aren't worth throwing your life away for... I'll make you understand that your life is worth more than that!”
At that moment, Danny carried Timothy to the roof. A storm was brewing inside him, raging and rumbling with thunder that signaled a hurricane was about to hit.
Danny looked seriously at the man he had been protecting all this time. If he really wants to jump, then let him do it! Instead of trying to talk him out of it, he needed to push him in the opposite direction. Often, people who have decided to do certain things to themselves regret it at the last moment, when it is already too late. Maybe this stressful situation would finally make Tim realize that you can't just throw your life away.
“Come on, don't play dumb. You just said you had to jump then. So go ahead. That's what you wanted so badly, isn't it?”
said Danny, slowly climbing to the edge of the tall building. It was indeed a long fall from here...
– Y-you what! Danny, are you crazy? -
Danny found it funny to hear something like that. He really had gone crazy, and a long time ago. But it was at moments like this that the half-breed was most serious. And now, once again, he had to spew out the most cloying lie, which made his throat ache because of its nasty, sticky mass:
“Am I? Maybe. I am a part of you, after all. And yet... Here. You're here. You can fix your mistake and rid the world of your existence. “You're the problem. It's all your fault.”
Danny hated himself at that moment. A long time ago, he had heard something similar himself. Many people had said similar things to him, trying to make him feel like a complete failure. A mistake . But it was all a lie. He could never, ever be called a mistake. Can a mistake save someone's life not once, but many times? Can a mistake make other people sincerely and selflessly happy?
Could it be that his death was the biggest mistake of all?
“Perhaps it is our mutual mistake. I have come to terms with the fact that I have been dead for a long time, that I have not even tried to live again. And you wanted to die so desperately that you forgot how precious your life is.”
The once blue dead eyes finally lit up with extinguished stars. The icy blue, reminiscent of winter cold, rushed straight to the most unfortunate soul of a person, slowly turning a deep green, but still alive.
Perhaps at that very moment, something changed in both of their unhappy souls. A single glance, capable of conveying so much emotion, was able to break something that had so desperately pushed the other to make an irreparable mistake.
Now that Danny's heart was beating much faster, he had to take the final step. The whole stream of emotions that was passing through his core was about to burst out. A small push forward, flight, weightlessness... and stars that, like tears, are reflected in the eyes of others.
“I feel alive...”
– No...I don't...I don't want to die! -
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Danny sat with Tim for a little while, helping him calm down after his tantrum. However, he knew he couldn't stay with him any longer. There was very little left... and soon his mission would come to an end. Halfa dialed his older brother's number on the boy's phone and held it as close as possible so that he could hear the younger Wayne's sobs. He only left when he heard the sound of the door opening.
After watching the two brothers for a moment, a small smile appears on the ghost's face. He regretted only one thing... He would never be able to hug the loved ones he had lost again.
Finally deciding to give in to his own thoughts, Halfa's heart was filled with sadness....
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There was one last problem to deal with: his relationship with his parent. And while Danny might be the worst choice for establishing this kind of relationship, that doesn't mean he won't try to help Tim. He is well aware that Timmy's adoptive father is no different from other close relatives. It was time for the final step—a heart-to-heart talk. And this step was not only for the head of the Wayne family, but also for Tim himself. Despite the fact that these two are different, they are still incredibly similar to each other.
It was so funny to watch Tim still thinking he was going crazy. But is that really the case? Even for the sake of experiment, Danny decides to drink some coffee, but Tim doesn't react to it at all. (The poor guy started squirming because of how bitter the substance was).
And so, this was their last conversation... A conversation after which each of them would return to their normal lives. Return to life, right?
“I... will have to stay in the zone. That's my decision, isn't it? I'm dead, this is my place... I have nothing to do on Earth, and Tim won't need me anymore. Somehow... I feel disgusted by all this.”
Half already felt that Ancient Gotham was watching him more and more often. He knows that the time has come to finally leave her city and never return. Despite this, he still watches the man who made him feel alive again. And he decides that it's time to leave only when he sees happy stars in his eyes.
..
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Finding himself in the familiar tower with a pile of clocks, Danny immediately met his mentor. Standing next to him was Lady with bloody eyes, each of them satisfactorily radiating energy from their very essence. The young half-breed approached the time streams to see the calm and peaceful life of the man he had grown so attached to during their time together. A happy smile spread across his face. Another life saved. The last life saved.
Clockwork's voice made Danny jump with surprise:
“Excellent work, young Daniel. I had no doubt that you would accomplish this task. Now, as we agreed, you may remain in the zone to spend your death here and forget your life.”
The boy nodded to his mentor with a forced smile and returned to viewing the time streams. Then, the voice of the Ancient Time sounded again next to him:
“Something wrong, Daniel?”
The boy shook his head, then barely touched the picture showing this strange, motley, but still identical family:
“No... I'm dead, and he's alive... And everyone is happy.”
Clockwork paused for a moment, then said the familiar words:
“Not everyone is happy. You are unhappy.”
Danny doesn't even notice how he responds:
“Does it matter? What is the point of my happiness if no one but me cares about it?”
Clockwork points his staff at the image of the young Red Avenger:
“No one cared about his happiness. Or so he thought, until you proved him wrong. Now everything is different... You felt happy again when you were able to make another person happy. It became something very important to you. Do you think it's possible that your happiness could also be important to someone else?”
Danny looked at the image of Tim and smiled. It made him happy to know that the life he had tried so hard to save finally valued itself and continued to live happily. Because of this, the half-breed still wanted to live himself. The boy immediately looked at Clocwork, who was looking at him in the same way.
"You've broken the rules for me more than once. You've been helping me all this time so that I can be happy and continue living. I do not know why you care about my happiness. But if the fact that I'm happy makes you happy.. I think that's when my feelings matter. -
Clockwork gave his ward a slight smile. Then he stepped back a little and pointed to the portal, kindly left by Lady Gotham.
"Go ahead." And move on.. -
Danny pressed his lips together slightly, barely holding back his tears. He took a few steps to the side, then stopped, thought for a moment, and hugged his mentor. And only then did he run up to the portal.:
"We'll meet again, Clockwork, don't even think you've gotten rid of me forever!" - the young hero said sarcastically with a slight sneer. And only then did he disappear into the portal, which closed after him.
The Ancient of Time immediately swam up to the time streams, observing what was happening:
"I never doubted it, Daniel..."
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Having reappeared in Gotham, the ghost experienced an adrenaline rush. It began to seem to him that such an impulsive step was a big mistake. But there was nothing left to lose. At the very least, he would escape to the ghost zone in disgrace. In the meantime, he needed to find Tim and his family as soon as possible.. That's just it..
“What should I tell him? How to behave? He'll realize sooner or later that it wasn't all an illusion!”
But the more thoughts I had, the harder it was to focus on the task at hand. Danny made up his mind. Finally, he got rid of unnecessary worries, which he could think about a little later, and hurried to where his sixth sense was dragging him.
Among the endless number of strangers in the crowd, he notices a familiar black head and blue eyes. Danny decides to get as close to him as possible.. He walks cautiously, as if passing by, but trying to attract attention to himself. And it works. He sees Timothy's eyes widen and fill with starry joy. A malicious grin appears on Danny's face. He really doesn't expect this man to reach out to him with his warm, sunny hands and pull him as close to himself as possible. Something inside made me feel like my heart was beating again. Danny whispered softly:
"Did you miss me?"
Tim could only reply:
"I always knew you'd be there for me." My voice of reason. -