Building Better Worlds - Chapter 4

This fic is rated Mature.

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**4. Warmth**

It's been around a week now since he left *her*. Since Midnight found and patched him up.

It had also been about a week since either of them had contacted each other.

In Midnight's defence, the next day her team was tasked with a large scale mission that was set to last 3, possibly 4, nights. So she hadn't really had the spare chance to check in and see how Dan was doing.

She now sat in the big office meeting room in HQ. The team were being debriefed, congratulated on a successful mission and so on. All rather boring really, to be perfectly honest.

And then...

***Not agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn....!***

Ratchet immediately snapped his head to Midnight. "You got a me."

"Eheh... It's nothing." She knew exactly what it was though.

***Not agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn...!***

"Who the hell is texting you, we're your only friends and we're all here in the same room as you!" Xerxes scowled.

Midnight shrugged awkwardly. "I uh... I may have made a new friend before the mission..."

***Not agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn...!***

"Perhaps it is important. You should go and look at it." Talwyn said.

Midnight smiled awkwardly at Gold Star.

"Fine. Very well. You're all dismissed. Once again, I thank you for your service this week." She smiled.

Midnight quickly bolted from the room, looking at the messages. Her ears lowered as she read through them.

*Dan: Hey it's Dan.*

*Dan: Uhm so Ralph has gone out and I'm on my own but like... She... She started texting and threatening me so uh...*

*Dan: I'm basically scared to be on my own and you're the only person I could think of to contact about this... None of my other friends know about what she did to me...*

Another message appeared on the screen.

*Dan: So what I'm saying is, can you come over? I understand if you're busy I'm just... I'm afraid...*

Midnight's heart breaks reading the messages. She quickly types a reply back.

*Night: Hey! Yeah sure I can come over! I'll be there in like 10 ok? Just hold on.*

On her way out of the building, she runs in to Xerxes.

"So, who is that?"

"Xerxes I can't-"

"Just tell me, Night."

She sighed. "Long story short, he was in an abusive relationship and I found him after he escaped. He's on his own right now and his abuser is sending threatening messages and he just wants someone with him." She hardly paused for breath.

Xerxes blinked at that. "Right. Well. You best be off then."

She waved at him before she ran. Skated. Speed skated. Before she knew it she was airborne. Now where is Ralph's from here?

***Not agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn...!***

*Dan: Please hurry, she says she knows where I am and that she's coming to find me...*

Midnight nearly crushed her phone reading those words.

She scanned the skyline for a moment, before swooping down, finally having locked on to Ralph's place.

*Night: I'm stood outside the door. Let me in?*

She heard his text tone go off from inside. And a scramble to open the door.

Midnight smiles when she sees him. He looks better, healthier. The bruise on his cheekbone fading. But his panicked look and rapid breathing were not a good sign.

He put his hand around her wrist and pulled her in to the house.

"OK... You can relax now. I'm here." She said softly.

They went to sit on the sofa. Dan had his scarred hands in his lap, he stared at them. Trying to regulate his breathing.

"Hey, hey. It's OK. Yeah? She can't get you here. I promise. And if she tries then just watch what I do." She growled that last sentence.

Dan nodded.

"T-thank you for... Coming..."

"It's OK! Anytime you know? Anytime..." She trailed off. She hadn't forgotten how she left things between them. The awkward scare.

"I'm sorry about the last time you saw me..." His voice was small, but more collected than before.

"Ah no. I'm sorry. I pushed something I shouldn't have..." She looked away.

"Yeah but I completely overreacted..." He shrugged.

"No you didn’t. That was a natural response."

He simply hummed in response.

There was silence for a while.

And then:

"W-when I started to get scared of her... When I started to tremble if I could see that look in her eyes... She'd always hit me twice as many times, twice as hard.... She didn't like my trembling... Said it made me weak... She wanted to stop my trembling... And the only way she thought she could do that was punish me when I did... But that only made me tremble more so it was counter productive. But that's not how she saw it. She would punish me if I spoke out of turn. Said things she didn't agree with. Spoke to my friends... Even if I was being clingy or trying to make things up to her... She still hit me. Over and over and over... There was one week she just... Every time she saw me... She hit me... I'm pretty sure at one point she hit me so hard she cracked my ribs. But she wouldn't let me go get it checked out. She'd knocked me unconscious before too... At least twice... Perhaps more... I don't remember... And yet... I still loved her..."

Midnight dropped her ears.

"... She bullied me in to loving her. Cut me off from everyone else. Even my own mum... She said that she was all I had now. And it would just be us until the end of time.... One night I lay awake... Couldn't breathe... Couldn't move... She had given me a right beating beforehand. I don't even remember what I did... at some point she must have just started to hit me for the fun of it. Because it made her powerful. And I... I was so weak compared to her..." A tear slipped his eye. "... I decided enough... Was enough... And stood up to her. *It's over. We're done. Finished. I'm done with your bullshit.* I remember saying... She didn't like that... Had to have someone to control. Someone to twist in to thinking that her love is fair. That I deserved what she was doing... That it was right... B-but it was all wrong. So very wrong. She took away everything. Didn't like my piano pieces. Said they were awful. Threatened to smash my keyboard. And I stood in the way of it... Taking the brunt of her force... I think... I think she put her hands around my neck... And then everything was black. Hated my singing and humming. Told me not to do it. Told me I wasn't any good at it. She belittled everything I loved and made me feel worthless... Like a waste of space... Like maybe the world would just be better off without me..." Dan stopped.

The pair of them had silent tears running down their faces. Midnight found herself rendered speechless, her mouth agape.

"... I nearly did it... Yanno?"

*What?*

"Before you found me... I was going to lie in the rain and cold, with the intent of not waking up in the morning. Or the next. Or the one after..." He sniffled.

"... So I saved you in more ways than one..." Midnight whispered.

Dan nodded.

"... Things have been better. I feel better. I... Have a purpose again... Ralph and I have been working on some music together. I'm... Finding what it means to be Dan Smith again. And I have you to thank for that."

Midnight looked up at him, smiling. "You're welcome."

Silence.

Another comfortable silence. An *it'll all be ok* silence.

Midnight looked right at him. "You look like you need a hug."

"You look like you need one too." He agreed.

"... May I?"

Dan looked apprehensive. Thinking it over. *Midnight won't hurt you. **That's what you said about her and look at what she did to you.** But Midnight isn't her. Midnight is Midnight. ... **Fair point.***

Dan nodded. "Yeah." Slipped out his mouth quietly.

Midnight nodded, bringing her arms up. She used her Bavarium to gently ease him closer to her, and just as delicately she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, afraid that he might completely shatter under her touch. She felt him flinch. Felt him start to tremble.

"Shhhhh.... You're OK... It's OK... Midnight has got you. Yeah? It's just me... The one who saved you. The one who really cares about you." She said.

He nodded, understanding her words, but being unable to calm his trembling.

It took a few moments for him to hug her back, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Midnight started to purr.

After a while, his trembling subsided. Midnight felt him relax.

His head buried itself in to her shoulder, and he sighed deeply. Midnight purred louder.

Hugs are supposed to make people feel safe and secure. Midnight could only hope that her embrace made him feel safe.

She felt safe anyway. Locked in some kind of protective bubble. Nothing can get him here. Nothing would dare even try. Her enemies know her well enough to know that if she's protecting someone you best back off before she blows your head off.

Weird she was purring as tears slipped her eyes. She hadn't expected him to open up about that. It's probably done him good to get it off his chest though.

They stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms for a long time. See? Midnight said he needed to be held for a few hours.

Midnight wasn't exactly watching the time. There was no need to put a time limit on this. Dan needed this. Needed to know what a real hug feels like.

More time passed, and Midnight could have sworn he had fallen asleep, until: "Do you think I'm weak?"

Her ears perked up. "No. No I don't think you're weak. I think you're very strong. To be able to up and leave her is incredible. Took a lot of guts. You're just... Fragile. Delicate. Fractured. But not weak. I promise you, you are not weak..." She said softly.

Dan gave a small huff at that. "Those are synonyms with weak..."

"They are not! In this context they mean completely different things. Totally different."

The pair of them giggled slightly.

"See? Would a weak person be able to laugh after they've been through hell? No. You're stronger than you know. Stronger than you'll let yourself believe because of what she did to you..."

He nodded in to her shoulder. "I hate how she's done this to me. Broken me..."

"You're working to fix yourself though, yeah?"

Another nod.

"Good. Soon it'll be like she never happened, OK?"

Again, he nodded.

And more silence between them followed. Neither of them moved for what felt like ages.

Just warm and safe and secure in each other's arms. Dan couldn't possibly ask for more. It was quite possibly the safest he had felt in a long time. There was no threat of being punched when he pulled away. No being squeezed until he can't breathe. Just warmth. And her purr pulsating through his body. Midnight felt safe to him. And warm. Did he mention how warm she was? Because his ex was cold. Her blood was cold, everything about her was cold. Whereas Midnight... She's so warm and nice and understanding... And she purrs! Bonus! Well she is a cat hybrid but that was besides the point.

No one knows exactly how long they stayed like that. It was at least past sunset so... Say around 8:45?

Midnight could have sworn he had fallen asleep again. And to be fair, she felt like she was drifting too.

That was until, a shattering sound came from the kitchen.

Midnight's eyes instantly snapped wide awake, any sleepiness disappearing with a click of a switch.

Dan didn't move. He froze. Whispering: "That's her... She's here she's found me, oh god what is she going to do to me..."

Midnight had to force herself to pull him out of the hug, purring coming to a halt.

"Stay here." She whispered to him. Midnight got up and slowly made an approach to the kitchen. Dan reached his hand out as if to grab her and pull her back to him, but he stopped.

Midnight found a broken window in the kitchen, a rock sat in the middle of all the glass pieces.

"Take a wild guess at who threw that." She scowled at it.

Suddenly, a brick flew in the window. Midnight yelped as she ducked to avoid it. It made a loud thud on the floor, and this time it had something attached to it. Of course, the clichéd threatening note attached to something that broke a window.

What a surprise!

Midnight didn't touch the note, instead using her Bavarium to lift it up and read it.

*Pathetic. Worthless. Weak and completely stupid.*

*No one could ever love you.*

*Not the way I did.*

Midnight tore it in half, picking the brick up with her Bavarium.

And then launching it back out the window it came from. "You're right!" She spat loudly. "No one will ever love him the way you did! And you want to know why??!" She walked closer to the window. "Because you didn't!!" Her voice boomed. "Because you hurt him! And I think he deserves a lot better than you." Midnight finished her sentence with a growl.

A moments silence. *Coward.* She thought.

Midnight turned to walk away, her ears picking up the sound of Dan's panicked breathing. *Shit.*

"Like you?" A voice from outside called.

Night stopped.

"I know who you are. Midnight Soul. You're no better than I am."

Anger flooded through Midnight in an instant. She turned hotly towards the window. "The difference between you and I is that I would never hurt him."

"But you've hurt others. You're dangerous." Her voice was hissing, almost like a snake.

"Never to those I care about." Midnight spat.

"OK then... Well put it this way, if you get too close to him, eventually your enemies will find out. They'll kill him before I ever get the chance."

She had a point.

"I'll protect him. Like I have done from you. Like I protect all my friends." Midnight spat. "Now you listen to me a minute, you need to leave him alone. He is trying to move on. He is healing. He doesn't want anything to do with you." Midnight spat again.

"You aren't good for him, you know. You may think you are, with your being nice and kind to him. But what he needs is someone to set him straight, keep him in line. Make him a man." She snarled.

Midnight's pupils constricted, her teeth bared, fangs showing. "What he needs is kindness. Someone to show him what love should feel like. Someone who doesn't want to change him! Someone who just wants him to be happy." Her tail violently swished. She is very close to lashing out in the form of a Bavarium force punch.

"Like you?"

Back around in a circle.

"Yanno what? Yeah. Yeah like me." Midnight smirked.

She huffed. "You're making a mistake."

"No. You did that. More than once. You made him feel worthless. Now get out of here. You've said your peace." Midnight ended her words with a growl.

And so she did.

But not before throwing another stone at Midnight.

Of course Night caught it with her Bavarium, and threw it back.

It missed her, landing with a thud on the grass, but the anger and force behind it was immense.

Midnight panted for a moment, trying to get the anger to melt away.

"I-Is she gone?" Dan's shaky voice asked from the living room.

"Yeah. She's gone. Left a broken window in her wake. But she's gone." Midnight breathed out her words.

"Are you OK?" Dan slowly approached her.

Midnight wiped her nose. "I'm fine. She just... Got me thinking."

"A-about what?"

"About... How we shouldn't stay in touch..." She looked to the ground.

"Wh... Wha... What do you mean...?"

".... I'm dangerous Dan. I wouldn't ever hurt you... But... People who know me will... I can't I... Can't do that to you... I'm sorry..." Midnight turns around to leave, having not much else to say. She shouldn't get too attached.

"Wait." He said.

She did.

"... Please don't... Leave me... I..." He choked on a sob.

Midnight's heart shattered there and then.

"You made me feel safe back there... Something I haven't felt in a long time..." He took a deep shaky breath. "... Please don't take that away from me."

They turned to face each other at the same moment.

Midnight's ears had dropped. "I...." She sighed. She didn't need to think much about it. Midnight didn't want to take what felt safe away from him. She'll find a way around her enemies, she always has. Everything about Dan tugged on her heartstrings. *You can't do this to him! Look at him! All sad and scared. He needs you. **Shut up.** No its true! Don't tell me to shut up!* "... OK... I'll... I'll stick around... But you gotta know that my job is... It's... Not the run of the mill job. I have a name for myself.... Heh..." She awkwardly said.

"... I don't care about that. You saved me and you... Made me realise what it is to be given real affection... And I know we've only known each other a week but... I don't want to lose that..." He rubbed the back of his neck. Another nervous tick that she was trying to stop him doing. Dan quickly realised this and stopped.

Midnight frowned at that slightly. "Well you won't. I'll make sure of it... Now just a random thought, but have you considered moving? Like to another city perhaps? You're too close to her here and she'll keep on contacting you..."

Dan shuffled uncomfortably on the spot. "But my friends... They're all here. In London. I can't leave them. They're all I know."

Lightbulb moment in Midnight's head. "Perhaps you don't have to leave the city... I'll have to talk to Gold Star but... There may be somewhere she won't be able to get you... Leave it with me. For now though, that window needs fixing." The last sentence was spoke in a sarcastic tone as she pointed at it.

Midnight walked towards it and started to piece the shards back together.

"So... Why haven't you pushed me in to going to the police about her? Ralph has and..." He trailed off.

Midnight didn't take her eyes off what she was doing. "I am the police. ... Or at least some form of. It's... Complicated. My job description says protector of the people. Me and my team take down bad guys. Supervillains. Your ex isn't a supervillain, but she is a danger to you. And now I'm here, she's on my list of enemies. There's some kind of protocol for abusers I... Don't remember what it is, which is why I haven't done anything yet. But..." She placed the last piece of glass in to the window, a translucent blue seeming to seal all the shards together, making the window whole again. "... When I talk to Gold Star about, well everything, someone else from my team will deal with her. See, I can't deal with her, I've become too emotionally involved. It's against protocol for smaller incidents."

Midnight put her hands on her hips as she looked over the now whole window. "There, fixed and reinforced with Bavarium. Nothing will get in there now."

"Wait... You said too emotionally involved... What does that mean?" Dan asked hesitantly.

"I'm not quite sure. But I'd say I am." She gave him one of those matter of fact looks.

Dan rubbed his neck, "I uhm... I guess..."

Midnight started walking back to the living room. "Anyway protocols this, protocol that. It all gets very boring. But there's good stuff! Like Bavarium weaponry that only I and someone else can use. Travelling to new places! Beating up bad guys." She sat down on the sofa and smirked at him. "Saving someone from a crazy bitch."

Dan chuckled at the comment.

"You know, besides how your crazy ex treated you, I only know that your favourite show is Twin Peaks and that you like David Lynch movies. Surely there's more to Dan Smith than that?"

Dan came and sat on the sofa next to her. He shrugged and shook his head. "There's not much else really. I'm really clumsy... She'd use that against me..."

"Stop. I've heard enough about her. The more you talk of her the more my blood boils. I want to hear about you." She gently poked his knee.

"OK well... Uhm... I've recently started to write my own music again. I can play the piano pretty well but... I don't think I'm much good at singing..." Dan trailed off slightly.

Midnight crossed her legs, propped her elbows on to her knees and held her face in her hands, looking up to him with a big smile and innocent, big cat eyes. "Sing for me." She said.

Dan looked shocked. "I... Sorry..  What?"

"Sing a song! Anything! I don't care! I wanna hear you!" She chirped.

"Uhm..." Dan's face had gone all red. He's embarrassed.

"Please?" She raised one eyebrow at him.

"I uh... I dunno what to sing uh..." He rubbed his neck again.

"Anything." She pressed. "Look at the songs on your phone, pick one, and sing it."

Just as he went to fetch his phone from his pocket, the door opened. Ralph emerged from behind it as he swung it closed.

"Hey Midnight! You came back! Good to see you!" He greeted her, and simply waved at Dan, who smiled and waved back.

Midnight patted Dan's knee. "Ralph's home now so I think I'm going to go." Dan gave her a sad look. "It's late and I've got to talk to Gold Star for you tomorrow. I'll text you."

"... You stayed later before..." Dan sulked.

"I'll be back tomorrow! When it's daylight! OK!? We'll finalise the details for the arrangements I discuss with Gold Star tomorrow, alright?"

Dan nodded in response.

"OK."

He quickly took her shoulders and pulled her to his chest, holding her close.

Midnight was surprised by the sudden move, but quickly held him back carefully. She closed her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat. The pair completely unaware of Ralph standing in the doorway and watching them.

Reluctantly, Dan pulled away. "Thank you."

"You keep saying that." Midnight laughed.

"I can't say it enough." He shrugged.

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." Midnight said standing up.

"Right, yes." Dan agreed. "See you."

"Aww. Just as I get back you leave! Do you not like me?" Ralph said in mock hurt.

"Of course I like you! I just have work to do and it's late. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved as she walked out the door.

Ralph turned to Dan with an amused expression on his face, pointing at the door.

"Wanna fill me in there mate?"

Dan shrugged in response.

"Dan, come on. Even you gotta admit that was weird."

"She is weird. She's a cat hybrid." Dan simply shrugged.

"Nah, nah I saw you hug her, there is more going on there." Ralph smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dan waved him off.

"Do... Do you like her?" Ralph came and sat next to Dan.

"What?! That's absolutely ridiculous, no!" Dan's face tinted itself a red colour.

"You're blushing."

Dan sighed. "No. I don't like her. I like that she saved me. I like that she hugged me and it made me feel safe. There is a difference between that and being romantically interested in someone."

Ralph shrugged. "Yeah you're right. You've just come out of a toxic relationship. It's not best to jump straight in to another one."

"I'm glad you agree, because that is exactly how I feel as well." Dan leaned back on the sofa and turned on the TV.

"Alright well, glad we're on the same page."

There was a pause, the sound of the programme Dan put on taking up the silence.

"Do you think Midnight agrees?" Ralph questioned.

Dan shot him a death glare. "Yes." He spat. "She is very understanding. She's not interested in me."

"Alright, alright." Ralph recoiled.

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