𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃 || 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐘 𝐁𝐈𝐗𝐋𝐄𝐑

𝐈𝐗.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐰𝐨
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: 𝐍/𝐀
➳

"Beth, I'm home!" Danny yelled as he entered the front door, Sera behind him. There was no response. "Beth?"

"She was called into work a couple of hours ago." A voice came from the foot of the stairs. The two turned to see Kassie standing there, glitter and paint all over her face and in her hair. "Hi, Sera."

"Oh, geez..." The auburn-haired girl mumbled, looking over the mess of a girl. "Hello, dear." She finally greeted in response, trying not to laugh.

"Wasn't she supposed to be off today?" Danny asked the little girl, who only shrugged in response. "What uh... kind of art project were you working on?"

"Treyson wanted to be blue and sparkly." Oh, no.

"Ah... alright, uh... maybe you should get a bath. You got some... stuff on you." Danny replied, gesturing to her face.

"Uh-uh. I have to wait till Auntie Beth gets home. She has to check the water for me. I don't want monsters to get me." The girl argued, getting upset almost immediately.

"I-I really think you should get a bath. I'd be willing to check it for you." Danny quickly said, his heart, beginning to pump a bit quicker in his chest. Don't ruin his day, please, God, don't ruin his day. It was going so well. Just let Kassie be happy, please, please, please...

"No! I want Auntie Beth to check it! I don't trust you, Danny. You're the one who missed them. You missed them with Mom and Bridget." She continued to argue, lip quivering a bit. Danny was getting stressed quickly, lifting a hand to mess with his hair. Sera could hear his breathing getting heavier and shakier by the moment, as well as his heartbeat beginning to pick up a significant amount.

"I could check it for you, hun." She offered, a small smile forming on her face, simply trying to calm the girl down. "I can make sure all the monsters go away. And then afterward... hm, I could make cookies for you. Ones that have monster repellent in them."

Kassie was a smart girl, especially for only being nine years old. She knew that Sera was likely exaggerating simply to appease her and help her and Danny calm down, but the offer sounded nice. She gave a small nod in response, sniffling softly in an attempt to suck up her tears. The auburnette had a gentle smile resting on her face.

"Alright. How about you go get a change of clothes and your favorite bath toys, and meet me in the bathroom?" She suggested. The girl gave another small nod before running up the stairs, disappearing behind a wall. Almost immediately, Sera turned to Danny, who was trying to control his breathing to the very best of his ability, but unfortunately, failing horrendously.

"Hey, hey, Danny, hey..." She whispered, her hands resting right above his shoulders, but not quite touching him, worried it would upset him further in some way, shape, or form.

"I... I-- she-- Kass is right. I-I screwed up, Sera. I screwed up w-with Mom and Bridge. I killed them, I killed them, I killed them..." He whispered over and over again, holding back tears. He took a small step toward Sera, looking as though he wanted to walk into her arms, but he didn't do so for one reason or another.

"You can come here. It's alright, I don't mind." She told him quietly, holding her arms out to him. As soon as she said that, he was in her arms, his head resting in the crook of her neck as a broken sob escaped from him. She wrapped her arms around him, one of her hands resting on the back of his head, to which she carefully began to play with his hair. She rubbed his back up and down in an attempt to lull him.