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It was warm.
That was the first thing that Danny noticed as he started to wake.
Danny didn’t sleep warm. Too often if it was too warm, Danny would wake up and have to push aside layers of bedding or shed clothing. Cooling sheets, heat wicking pillow, and light pajamas was the way for Danny to sleep best. He felt oddly rested despite the heat.
It was also heavy.
That was the second thing that Danny noticed.
Maybe he fell asleep with the weighted blanket on the couch?
Except that didn’t feel right.
His couch wasn’t that firm. His couch didn’t snore and his weighted blanket didn’t have arms. Yeah, okay, yep. Someone definitely had their arms wrapped around Danny, tucking him close to their very well defined chest and under their chin. Someone else, a much smaller someone, was tucked close to Danny’s elbow and breathing softly.
What the fuck did he get up to last night?
And why couldn’t he remember any of it?
Someone else mumbled something sleepily. That was three at least, four counting him. Maybe five with the soft, breathy snore? Danny stayed as still as possible and tried to mentally retrace his steps.
He had been at work. Right, Lucius had sent him home since it had gotten late. Danny had gotten food and headed home. He must have gone through Ivy’s park, it would have been the closest way…
…and that’s all.
He couldn’t remember anything after that.
There were flashes of fear and burning lungs and that deep-seated need protect, but over all of that there was a sense of belonging. No, belonging was quite the right word. It was less that he had belonged but more like he had found the missing pieces that had belonged to him.
As much as the snatches of feelings were coated with good, Danny couldn’t help the panic that settled in his chest. He didn’t remember. He should remember, being what he was. Why didn’t he remember? Why hadn’t he just gone ghost? Why did his bones ache like he had gone ghost? If he had he should remember.
Fuck, what sort of rogue shit had he gotten dosed with in the park?
The hand on his chest pressed down purposefully.
“Breathe.” The voice was low and rough, heavily with sleep over a deep gravely timber.
Danny wanted to say that he was trying to breathe, thank you very much whoever the fuck you are, but all that came out was a little wheeze of air.
“Okay. Here’s my other hand. One squeeze for yes, two for no.”
A large, calloused hand slipped into Danny’s, twining with his own scarred and bandaged fingers. Danny gave the hand a squeeze.
“Has this happened to you before?”
One squeeze.
“Often?”
Two.
“Is this an allergic response?”
Two quick squeezes.
“Asthma?”
Danny hesitated before giving three squeezes. He could hear other people starting to stir now, but kept his eyes stubbornly closed. He wasn’t ready to actually deal with the people he had fallen asleep with. Besides, it was hard to hear over the beat of his own heart.
“…No, or more, not yet?”
One firm squeeze.
“Panic or anxiety attack then?”
One hesitant, embarrassed squeeze.
“Alright. I am going to sit us up. Lean back against me and follow my breathing.”
Danny tried not to whimper as he was shifted. He failed.
“I’ll get a damp towel,” another voice offered quietly.
Fuck towels, Danny wanted his pain meds. He must have not taken them last night and now everything was stiff and tight. Forget breathing, Danny just wanted to stay curled up in the blanket and not move. Maybe everyone else would leave wherever they were and Danny could just go ghost and slip out of there without dealing with any of this.
“Relax,” the low voice rumbled.
Danny would have cussed them out if he had the voice to.
The board chest that Danny was resting against took an exaggerated breath. Danny struggled to try and follow it. It didn’t seem like he was getting out of breathing, damn it. An ice cold cloth suddenly pressed against his neck, startling Danny enough to suck in a breath of air.
“There, keep that up,” the main voice instructed.
Danny pinched the fingers still closed gently around his in retaliation.
Someone else, more feminine sounding, laughed while the person behind him let out a slightly amused huff. “I know you know. Now your body just needs to know.”
Danny pinched them again, though to their credit they didn’t pull away their hand. Which was… sorta nice. As much as Danny was sulking about it all, the comfort of a hand in his was nice. The calloused thumb rubbed gently over that web of skin between Danny’s thumb and pointer fingers in a pattern that Danny worked to match his breath to. Finally Danny figured he needed to brave opening his eyes.
He wasn’t in a hotel.
Or an apartment.
Or any sort of room.
No, he was in a cave. As suspiciously well furnished cave completely with a grouping of vigilantes watching him curiously.
“Well, at least it wasn’t an orgy,” Danny grumbled.
He heard someone trip further into the cave.