Summary: #day2 - Home: With time everyone deserves a place to call home...

(Note: belongs under the WTPH line, but not really, I mean, that wouldn't contain Dani, but if you're wondering, yes, this one plays later than that, so kind of continuation for that, and I'll definitely expand later how they met, once if I finished with that line - wouldn't be that long, but in form of shorts, I guess)


"Hey," Dan started, putting down the paper cup next to him to the bench. The girl sipped from her caramel flavoured coffee and then slightly lifted her head, a little whipped cream got stuck under her nose. Dan's lips curled up and scratched the skin on his face, mirroring the cute fault on her. "I wonder who drank all the milk…" he teased her.

"Oh, shut up!" wiped it down the teenager with the napkin that he suddenly offered.

"I just wanted to help. What people would think if you change and there is still cream on your face…" he pointed, still a bit smiling on the previous picture.

The youngster pursued her lips and rather started to mix the cream to liquidate it with the small plastic stick. "I hate you when you do this." she mumbled.

Dan drank the rest of his coffee with a quick gulp and crushed the paper into an almost artistic ball-form, throwing it way too easily straight into the bin not far from them. "What exactly?"

The girl followed the movement, amazed, but then gave a glimpse into her portion. "This, all." she moved then her hand between them meaningfully. "Just because you saved me once, doesn't mean, I owe you or anything, or that you have to behave fatherly." she explained, pressing the last word.

"I don't behave 'fatherly', that's utter nonsense." Dan frowned, nearly disgusted by that accusation. "If you want to title this, I think it's rather like…"

"Big brother?" she raised her eyebrow guessingly.

Dan's face turned into an immediate hurt expression. "God, that's even worse. Stop insulting me. It's nothing like that anyway."

The girl stirred her caramel flavoured cappuccino, wondering. "But you still think, you are responsible for me, so it's something like that, or-" she trailed off, making him turn towards her curiously.

"Or?"

"I think I just figured it out." she said then, smirking, seemingly satisfied by her inner deduction. "I guess, you are like a creepy adopted uncle."

There was a small silence, but then he couldn't fight against it, Dan burst into laughter, as harsh as some walking around people stopped for a second and turned their head towards them, trying to catch the reason what was so funny. The young girl hid her growing embarrassed blush into her cup, pretending to drink a bit from her cappuccino.

"Stop it, please, people are staring." she begged.

It took a few seconds, but then he managed to collect himself, shaking his head unbelievably, with remained signs of the previous laughing, wide grin spreading on his face.

"I can't get it, why is it worse than the father-one." she muttered under her nose. "That's not my fault, I can't describe it, okay? There is no logical description in case of alternative time-travelling timelines, geez."

Dan took a deep breath and in fine, he could keep himself in a state when he could concentrate and not feeling this all ridiculous, or the joke of the millennia. "Nah, you're right, we'd better stay at the big brother scenario. It would be easier later anyway." he said, trying to lead back the conversation where they had supposed to be a minute ago. "So-" he ran his hand through his hair, pulling it a bit. "what I wanted to say-"

"That I am a little girl, incapable to drink whipped cream like a normal person?" she guessed, cutting him off cruelly.

"Dani, let me finish it." the teenager let out an annoyed growl, but then listened, "So," he started then, tapping nervously on his thigh, but suddenly stopped, realising he couldn't tell how to express it properly, so instead, Dan looked around and ran his eyes over the place. It was a nice park, surrounded by some cosy shops, mainly their lately most visited coffee-shop and… "You like this place, right?" he asked then.

The girl lifted her head. "Yeah, it's nice, and it's near to-" she didn't have to finish it, he knew that.

"Amity Park." Dan said before her. The youngster nodded.

"Yeah, it's near to Danny, if once, I want to visit them or-"

"Attend regularly on their daily ghost-hunting procedure." the half-ghost pointedly tilted her head.

"Now, who don't let finish other's sentences?" Dan defensively raised his arms into the air.

"Okay, right, I just- I'm just nervous, okay?" he explained and bit his lips, attempting now, really, to return to the main point of the discussion. The girl took a sip from her drink, humming, but then turned back to him, with a questioning look, waiting for him to express himself. Dan sighed and spoke. "So, I was wondering if you like this place and- well, we are hanging out here for a while why shouldn't we- uh- stay here?" now, he sounded it, now, there was no way back, now, he let it sink.

There was a dead silence, and it was dead indeed. Dan scratched his forehead, thinking, on to break the growing awkwardness. "Listen, it's not- I don't want to be uh- 'fatherly' or anything, just- or either trying to uh- force you or anything, I know you were fine alone and, well… more or less fine, but-" he squeezed his fist together, but then released it and then just eased back, leaning his nape against the bench. "God, this was a bad idea…" he closed his eyes and almost wished to forget about this whole thing that it had ever got formed into his mind.

There was quietness, and for a second, he thought the girl flew away or something, but then as he peeked towards her, he realized the half-ghost was still here, sitting next to him and rather seemed lost in her thoughts, instead of freaking out, and running away.. "So, that- that would mean I can't get rid of you at all…"

"This doesn't mean anything." Dan corrected. "I don't want to force you into boundaries or anything, I just- I thought maybe you'd like a place to stay or sleep or-"

"I had a place." she voiced, but immediately shut her mouth, grimacing, realising it was a fault to say.

"That warehouse doesn't count."

"I liked that warehouse. The folks even." she drank her coffee then, finishing it in fine, visibly on to close the debate about what had happened back then. After all, they were not on the same opinion about that at all.

"Aham. I liked them too, seemed so friendly, especially when they chanted 'demon' and was on to cut you up with their shitty pitchforks." Dan recalled the memory for her, but tried to not think about it much, all in all, he was still pissed off, what could have happened if- he squeezed his eyes closed, forcing mentally to rewrite with something that suddenly appeared picture and…

"You wouldn't let it go, right?" she slapped on the branch, grabbing him out of recalling the horrible scene.

"What?"

The teenager waved in the air, explaining. "Okay, right, they were nice, then they went crazy, then they almost tore me into pieces, then you had to save me, yeah, right, okay, if you hadn't been there, I would've surely turned into a literal ghost, so, yeah, you saved me, end quote, story ends. Could we step over it in fine? That was like months ago."

Dan glared at the girl, but then gave up, not that he would have waited for a 'thank you', but she was in a way right, relying on someone else, depending on someone else if the other wanted to live a life on her own… she must have felt she owed him, but- that wasn't why he was doing this now.

"I-" he started gazing instead towards the sky, recollecting his thoughts. "You know, I ended up alone when I was the same age as you now, someone tried to help me and…" he couldn't finish it, so he rather approached it from an other angle. "I know, we are not the same, definitely not the same, not even uh- close, I mean, different timelines and stuffs, but-" he turned back to the teenager. "Yeah, you're right, in a way, I feel I am responsible for you, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't let you live on your own if that's what you want."

The half-ghost thoughtfully tapped on the empty paper cup. "I- I don't know what I want." she mumbled barely audibly.

Dan was looking at her, but then, it gave the impression that maybe he managed to soften her enough. He sighed, feeling it was high time to take the step and by that he got out the two identical keys from his pocket. One with a gold keychain, the other with a dark green one. He placed the brighter one between them, close to her. The youngster started to observe it with a weird, stunned expression. "This doesn't mean anything, okay? I just- once if you want to visit me or something." he said then, accepting the decision if she didn't plan to join him.

The teenager studied the key, with a wrinkled forehead, but then her face turned into unmistakable astonishment. "Did you-" she didn't have to finish the sentence, Dan turned to the other direction, raising his pointy finger.

"There. Second floor. Actually, it has a view to the park, and uh- to the coffee shop, you know, to catch up first before everyone craves caffeine." he said, glaring at the place in the distance.

"Hm." she gazed towards the showed direction too, processing the said things, but then the youngster licked her lips, challengingly. "Try to buy me." she crossed her arms, grinning widely. Dan turned to her, blinking.

"Come again?"

"You heard me." she said, grabbing 'her' key and playing now with it in her hand, spinning it around her fingers.

Dan got up from the bench, walking away, as simply like that, leaving abruptly the half-ghost behind. It didn't need a second to hear the girl, throwing the paper cup into the bin, and running after him. Dan smiled and with played resentment, behaved like the teenager would have been a pain in his ass, and let his face fall into an unreadable, blank expression.

"Oh, don't be like that." she tried to keep pace with him. Dan let her follow him through the park, enjoying the ghost-girl's growing fear that she must have hurt his feelings, but then, as they reached the streets, he rolled his eyes and ended the game.

"Okay, first of all, as a technically homeless person, you don't have the right to expectations." he cleared, avoiding the weird look on the people's face, passing by them as they heard the note without any context. Dan flashed an eye towards them and rather continued to focus on the teenager next to him.

"Vagabond." the half-ghost corrected him immediately. "I prefer vagabond, you ass. I am not a creepy raggedy man."

"Semantics. And… language." Dan tilted his head towards her meaningfully and then pushed the call for the crosswalk. The girl moaned to the note, but then he continued before she would have commented on the 'fatherly' attitude. "Second, shouldn't the bar be very low for you, like, you know, a roof?"

"Could we step over it? I was fine on my own!" she cried out, tapping frustratedly with her foot, but then she stopped and added. "Okay, right, fine! I was fine till that point." she admitted. "But I can have expectations, I won't just share a room with you or something, it's enough you are watching me all day, I want my freedom."

"I didn't say I'd take your freedom away." Dan cleared, and eyed as the cars started to slow down on the main street, telling within a few seconds they would get green to pass through.

"Then what exactly are you doing?" the girl enquired.

"Offering comfort?" Dan raised his eyebrow. "Okay, listen, I didn't have exactly a normal uh- life. Right now, I'd like to give it a try, okay? With or without you, and I'd be glad if you joined me – willingly, of course, I am not pushing you. That's the least I'd like to do." he said and waved to the left, showing the way, as they took the crosswalk, and then after the corner, he stopped at a building. "This one." Dan introduced, entering the code on the panel, and holding the door, as it beeped, turning back to the girl. "So, wanna give it a chance or not?"

The half-ghost shifted from one foot to the other, but then she let out a sigh, lifting her head. "Okay… but if we are doing this, there would be rules." she stated.

Dan closed the door behind them, switching on the light in the staircase, giving a quick, unaware glimpse towards the mailbox. The girl stopped at the bottom of the stairs, noticing the movement.

"That's ours, right?" Dan glanced at the letters on the stickers, not really realising the word 'ours' as a first sign of accepting the offer. "What the M stands for?"

"Hm?" the teenager nodded towards the box.

"It says D M, what the M stands for?" she repeated.

"Oh." Dan said, mentally slapping himself, and cursing. Of course, it was a bad idea, but at that moment, he hadn't been thinking straight when he had signed the papers. It had just appeared in his mind, and after all… it had seemed good, and- he bit his lips now, sure, it was expected from her sooner or later taking the question. "Morris." Dan responded suddenly, coming up with a reasonable family name.

There was a short silence, but then the girl burst into laughter. "What? Morris?! You gotta be kidding me!"

Dan tsked, rolling his eyes, and moved towards the joyful teenager. "You're mean. In truth, I don't know what the M stands for either. It's from the previous owner. Maybe it was a Denise Monroe or a Donald Murphy." he guessed, passing by the girl and taking the stairs. "Or what exactly you were thinking? Statistically, there are hundreds of people at least with the letter D as a surname, that could occur easily too that I bought an apartment with the same initial, you know that, right?"

The half-ghost whispered, nodding. "Yeah, right, I just-"

Dan stopped, somehow feeling she didn't follow him. He turned back to her, realising she was just standing there, in the flight, staring ahead blankly and… Dan knew what it was about. "You don't like him much, right?" he didn't have to clarify who he was talking about, the girl shook her head, with slight trembling. His heart sunk, all things considered, he didn't know everything regarding her, only that- that her existence was in a way triggered by him and… well, that was one of those things that he didn't ever want to tell her.

"You do?" raised the ghost-girl her head, staring at him with her blue eyes, for a long second, he couldn't tell what to say.

"It's- it's complicated." he said shortly then, forcing himself not to think about what she would say if once- but no, if he hadn't told her, she wouldn't know about it ever, at all, and- he wanted to forget it too, bury it into a deep hole, just concentrating on the present and about the present… "You said, rules, right?" the half-ghost confused blinked at him, undoubtedly by the sudden change of subject. "I was thinking about rules too."

It seemed the mentioning of rules grabbed her out of reliving an unpleasant memory, because suddenly she cheered up, shaking her head heavily. "No, no, this won't work like that. You have half less right to make ones."

"Why exactly?"

The girl took the space between them, raising her hand pointedly. "Because you're bossy and because you are weird and because you're, well... a creep. And sometimes you're acting like you'd be my dad."

"I'm not." the girl waved her hand in the air, telling by that to let her finish her thought.

"Yes, you do. You are making decisions over me and… for example this," she shook her key in the air meaningfully. "You are not letting me have any choice."

"I do let you make choices. I said-" the teenager gave him a look, Dan rolled his eyes and admitted. "Okay, right, I might be intended to corner you, but I am leaving you the choice to decide, or to uh- decide other things." he stopped suddenly at a door, taking out his key.

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, stepping inside behind him then, but then she stopped, blinking. Dan put down the key on the countertops, grabbing the left behind catalogue with the coloured sticky notes within the pages, searching for the part when it was showing ideas for bedrooms. As he found the pages, he lifted his head. The teenager was gasping, seemingly unable to find the exact words to describe the place. "What? Isn't it enough nomad for you?" Dan teased her.

She blinked a few again but then spoke. "It's- it's empty."

"Of course, it's empty. I wouldn't just simply spoil you to get you and buy a two-room flat, just because I can do that too. And, well… I wouldn't use all my secret skills at once. That would be rather suspicious, and I don't want attention." he explained, reaching out the catalogue to her. "And as I said, I let you make decisions." the girl with wrinkled forehead stared at the pages, but then took it, shifting her vision between it and the place, running her eyes on the marked pages and a few circled items, frowning.

"You- how did you-"

"Get money?" he helped her out. "I sort of used my inheritance."

The girl astonished glared at him. "Didn't you say you come from the future? I mean… how do you have inheritance here?"

"I meant as I sort of inherited some skills on how to get money fast." Dan said, not really going into the details. "Listen, I am planning to get a job too, but right now, I don't have thirty something years to spare enough money for a living place, or a proper apartment for us. I shortcut, then I'd make it up for the community or something like that. I wouldn't like to fall into the easy way either, it's just uh- a start point, I guess." he explained. "Not that, we could do things the normal way, technically we don't even exist – yet at least." he added, that note made the girl turn towards him.

"How do you mean?"

Dan nervously started to twist his fingers. "I mean as... if you- if you'd like to stay and you know, things, and try a normal life too, maybe- maybe I can make us existing in the system. With names, birthdates, made-up backgrounds, things like that..." he mumbled thoughtfully and then faced the teenager. "Earlier, when I said, it'd be better if we stay at the 'brother' scenario, I meant this, the connection part. Glad, at least, 'cause of Danny, we kinda look alike, so that would work, and, yeah, we should definitely figure out something logical. Believe me, you don't want to wait until people start guessing, why I am living with a teenager. I don't want to make trouble, for either of us. And I- let's be honest, I don't even look like your dad, uncle either." he ran his hand through his hair, scratching thoughtfully the back of his neck. "What are you even, fourteen? Yeah, well, I am twenty-four, give or take the time at Clockwork's place, but that's messy, so I don't count that. Near to twenty-five maybe. I gave up keeping in track, to tell the truth. Maybe I am already twenty-five, who knows…" he trailed off, looking back to the girl, who with crossed arms, was staring at him with a rather hurt face. "What?"

"I was right, you are seeing me as a little girl. I'm fifteen, you ass!"

Dan rolled his eyes and tried to not correct her, that technically she was three, but technically, he wasn't twenty-something either, that was just how they preferred to age themselves in a human way, not that the truth could be put into words anyway...

"All right, big girl, please approve the colour of the walls." he stepped to her then, pointing towards the catalogue. "Page thirty-five, and the kitchen is on fifty-three, sofa for the living room is on hundred-twelve."

The girl turned it to the mentioned pages, shifting between them, observing it, but then her face visibly turned into a grimace. "Are you doing this intentionally? To mess with me?" Dan raised a confused eyebrow. "Are you a fan of the Packers too, or what?!"

"What's your problem with green and gold?!" he took the question with a bit too harsh tone, tearing out suddenly the catalogue from her fingers, and hastily turning the pages, searching for something else, but then as he reached the end and the beginning of it, three times at least, realising actually he didn't pay attention at all to the pictures, it slowly became clear what he was doing. That actually he totally lost his mind for a second, snapping at her without any reason and...

Dan buried his face into the pages and let out a silenced groan, but then he took a deep breath, counting to ten, calming himself down and turned back to the youngster, like nothing would have happened. "Sorry, where were we?" he spoke then, opening the catalogue again, and flipping it back to the kitchen parts. "So, no, green and gold, got it. Uh- what about this one?" he showed the altered choice to her, only realising the teenager was gazing to air, lost in her thoughts, rubbing her upper arm. "Dani," he poked the girl with the edge of the pages. "are you okay? I shouldn't- sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you."

The half-ghost ran her fingers on her arm, up and down, as a comfort, but then whispered. "No, I- I think I just-" she paused, but then continued in a low voice. "I think I'm still a bit afraid of him, and… I know it's not possible to get me now, or anything, but- it's stupid… I know it's stupid. Gee, I freaked out because of one letter and colours! Colours!" she cracked up, shaking her head unbelievably to associating - for her at least - some completely unrelated things. "I think I'm just paranoid..."

Dan pursued his lips, gazing at the floor, if once- but he didn't want to think about it, still, he couldn't control it either, it was a part of him and- and he couldn't explain it to her – not that he wanted to do that ever… he pinched the bridge nose and rubbed it, trying to come up with something that could work like an explanation and an excuse for future cases, because, yeah, he was sure, there would be future cases too. He was surprised even that she didn't parallel yet within the man's and his ghost form, but- why should she have done it? After all, there was nothing normal or logical in his existence, that could be imaginable by an outsider.

"I-" he started then, the girl slowly turned to him. "In my time, we could say I spent way too long time with him and- some things and habits or uh- taste got stuck on me and…" he couldn't define it properly without spilling it, he scratched his neck nervously. "I'll try to focus on not reminding you of him, okay? And you're not paranoid, just- you just have a messed up past like me, and it leaves marks."

For a moment the half-ghost was just staring at him, but then he moved away, walking to the kitchen counter and grabbing the marker that he used on the pages, stepping to the wall. After all, he wasn't – yet – very good at things involving emotions, or how to handle freaking outs properly, but- he had another idea. Dan popped off the cap and gave a quick look at the bright surface.

"So, you said rules, right? And that I have half less right to make ones..." he recalled, and started to write. The scrapping nose got the girl's attention, and soon, he could feel her curious eyes on his words. Dan finished with the third and offered the marker. "Here, the fourth is yours."

The half-ghost ran her eyes on the written ones, studying them, but then shook her head, disappointed. "You clearly didn't understand the first one. What does 'Dan is only allowed to make every third rule' mean to you? You just made three in a row, as far as I now, every third means every third, not three. You couldn't be that bad at Maths..."

"I counted it as the first and third one is your rules, only I was the one who put those into words." he enlightened. "Because, just to be clear, 'We are not talking about Vlad Masters in this household' is only fitting for you, I'd like to chat about that fruitloop on a daily basis, three hours at least in a day." he said, with a neutral voice. The girl stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not, but then his lips curled up and the ghost girl's suddenly tensed up body calmed down.

"Gee, you seriously scared me for a moment."

Dan cracked a smile. "Chill out, that would cross the second rule anyway." he pointed to the referred one, telling 'Don't ask Dan about his past - won't talk'. "And I am very serious about that, got it?" the girl peered at the words, nodding "The only loophole is, if you want to talk about him, but still, if we are talking about him, I won't tell my past connected to him."

"That would never ever happen, anyway, me, willing to talk about him." she cleared with a sharp tone, hissing, Dan approvingly nodded and tapped on the empty space behind the '#4'.

"Your turn."

The girl stared at the wall, still pissed off by even slightly mentioning the man, but then her face brightened up, creating a wide smirk on her face, and started to write. Dan followed as she finished and laughed 'Dan is not allowed to write home rules instead of Dani – therefore those count as Dan-rules, Dani has two more'.

"You're shifty." Dan shook his head, unbelievably, but in real, marvelling at her sharp thinking, proudly. "So, 'home rules'?"

The teenager put back the cap of the marker, finishing with three other rules, regarding bathroom time schedules and a one, about valid reasons to wake her up earlier on weekends and of course, an expected rule about great breakfasts on Sundays, and then she turned back to him.

"Yeah, I guess, I can stay for a while." she said, giving a half-shrug. "You know, to see what you can do with this place." she explained, offering the marker, but Dan shook his head.

"Nah, I'm done, I guess. Instead, please, help me decide which doormat would be fitting." he turned towards her the opened page. "Bright one, or the black?"

"Hm..." she took a quick glimpse at the options, but then pointed to the third one. "Can't it be the kitten one? That's cute." Dan eyed it, considering, but then took the marker from her fingers, circling it.

"God, I can't say no, that's indeed cute." he approved but then an idea appeared in his mind. "About kitten…" he started, but a very serious gaze interrupted him, as piercing that he didn't even dare to finish the sentence.

"We are not having a cat. Let's see first if you can take care of a teenager, shall we? I could be very problematic, you know, and I need attention... but seriously, if I come home once after school, and we are having a persian white cat, named Maddie, I'm out. No kidding." she cleared. Dan turned back the catalogue towards him and muttered.

"I hate you sometimes… you're so pesky."


(A/N: my sincerest apology to every Morris out there, that's a good name too, but my thoughts were like when I was writing this: "okay, gimme a family name with M, quickly, quickly"; and then my mind responded: "Morris!", and it sounded as hilarious that I had to use it - I'm not against any Morris, it was just funny at that moment, and my brain behaved as Dani's reaction was "wait, what? Morris?! you gotta be kidding me, that was the first you could come up with, really?!")