Terror trio: back in action

Damaged Goods

At around 2 am, Danny awoke feeling sweaty and anxious, with trembling hands and irregular breathing. He attempted to ease the sharp pain in his chest, but it only worsened as his nerves increased. Ryder, hearing his distress, switched on the lamp and faced Danny, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his knees pulled close to his chest and his face buried between them. Ryder embraced the troubled boy, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and running his fingers through his golden locks

"Danny, listen to me. You need to breathe, okay? Just focus on my voice. Can you do that for me?" Ryder whispered

"It hurts, everything hurts." Danny panicked

"I know, ponyboy. I know. I'm right here with you, okay? Just breathe, take deep breaths, slow and steady. Can you do that?" Ryder asks

"Please don't leave me." Danny says

"I wouldn't dream of it." Ryder kissed his cheek

"Why do you always call me that?" Danny asks

"What, ponyboy?" Ryder smiled, continuing to play in his hair

"Yeah. I'm not in a gang or anything." Danny shrugged

"Honestly, I'm not sure. In grade school, I thought ponyboy was the coolest one. He was such a gentleman, the absolute sweetest, and he got caught up in something that no kid should have to go through in their lives. It didn't help that I sort of had a bit of a crush on him. I also had a crush on Johnny, but that's another story for another night." Ryder chuckled

"I had a crush on Johnny, too. No judgement." Danny blushed

"It's the hair, too. Your hair is so fun to play with, it's so soft and bouncy." Ryder nudged him

Overtime, Danny's breathing returned to normal, and the sharp pain in his chest disappeared. Sighing in relief, Danny lies his head on Ryder's chest, closing his eyes in pure bliss while he ran his fingers through his golden locks, intertwining them and studying every hair on his head

"Thank you." Danny whispered

"What were you dreaming about?" Ryder asks

"It was more like a nightmare." Danny stuttered

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ryder asks

"You're probably going to think it's silly." Danny sulked

"Try me." Ryder says

Feeling the warmth of Ryder's touch brought Danny a comfort that no one else could replicate. He felt safe and content in Ryder's arms, protected from harm. As he took a deep breath, Danny reached for Ryder's hand and intertwined their fingers, blushing as Ryder began kissing his knuckles

"I was brought up in a religious home where my parents instilled in me the belief that loving someone of the same sex or altering my body was morally wrong. Throughout my life, I felt like I was trapped in a body that wasn't truly mine, and the life I was living didn't feel authentic. Coming out was a scary experience, and I faced criticism from everyone except my sister, who stood by me during my transition." Danny sighed

"What happened after that?" Ryder asks

"Though my sister was proud of me for finally embracing who I was, my parents weren't exactly on board with it. I remember walking into my room and finding my dad had already packed my suitcase. He told me that no child of his would speak of such blasphemy in his household. Before I left, I wrote a letter to my sister apologizing for my mistakes, and then I left. I spent some time sleeping on a park bench until my Aunt Cheryl intervened. When she learned about the situation, she argued with my mother and ended up slapping her so hard that she damaged her hearing in her right ear." Danny recalled