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The trial had been rougher than usual this time.
The survivors had played them like fools. Throwing pallets, looping endlessly, blinding them whenever they could.
Even the other killers had laughed. Especially loud this time.
Danny and Michael found none of it funny. The survivors’ laughter still echoed in their heads long after the trial ended.
It didn’t take long for the pair, usually confident, now bruised in ego more than body, to wander down empty streets in search of somewhere quiet to stay.
The rain started sometime after they left the others behind. Not heavy enough to drench them immediately, but the steady, cold droplets were collecting in their hair, soaking through the shoulders of Danny’s jacket, and Michael’s coveralls. The streets around them were empty in that uncanny way abandoned places always were in the Entity’s realm. Quiet, but never truly still.
Michael followed a few steps behind Danny, his silhouette cutting through the dimming haze of street lamps.
Danny shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “Think Huntress almost pissed herself laughing back there,” he muttered.
Only to be answered with an almost inaudible grunt behind Michael’s mask.
“Can’t blame her. Honestly, that flashlight save was embarrassing.”
Silence.
Danny huffed something close to a laugh while looking at Michael’s annoyed stare and kept walking.
The house revealed itself at the end of the street as if it was waiting for them. It wasn’t fancy, but it could definitely work. Dark windows stared blankly into the rain, one porch light flickering weakly, almost as an invitation.
The inside smelled like dust and wet wood. Floorboards creaked under their weight as they moved through narrow hallways until they reached the living room.
A tv glowed and hummed quietly in the corner. Static bled through the voices, practically turning every word unintelligible. It filled the room enough for the silence to not become oppressive.
Danny dropped onto the couch with a long exhale. “Yeah, this is actually kinda nice.”
Michael followed shortly after. Sitting on the opposite end, the cushion dipped under his weight.
Rain tapped steadily on the windows as the wind weakly rattled branches against the siding outside. The couch was old, with heat trapped in its crevices, and worn fabric.
Danny grabbed the blanket tossed over the back of the couch and wordlessly threw it over the two of them.
“Now, look what we have here.” Muttered Danny
Michael tilted his head curiously, his gaze following Danny’s movements.
“Now we can actually watch something.”
Danny had found the remote buried beneath the folds of the fabric. He flicked through channels lazily, static flashing across the screen in brief bursts of light before a familiar title caught his eye.
Fight Club.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, hell yeah.”
To their luck, the movie barely just started, so they could basically watch it entirely.
“You ever seen this before?” Danny asked.
Michael answered with a nod.
“Oh.” Danny settled deeper into the couch cushions. “It’s good, though. Kinda stupid in a smart way.”
“You know what my favorite thing is about this movie?” Danny murmured.
Michael tilted his head at him curiously.
Danny’s voice grew softer with exhaustion. “The details.” His words came slower now.
“Take this scene for example.”
‘Is this what men are supposed to look like?’ Came from the television.
Danny smiled faintly. “That ad doesn’t even really exist, they made it specifically for the movie.” He elbowed Michael’s shoulder.
Static cracked briefly as Danny scoffed a laugh.
Michael only listened silently, but Danny didn’t seem to mind.
“And then there’s the phone booth scene when Tyler calls the narrator.” His eyelids drooped gradually. “If you look closely, you can see a sticker on the booth saying that incoming calls aren’t allowed.”
Danny laughed quietly. “So Tyler couldn’t have called him.”
The room settled quiet again beneath rain tapping against the glass and as distant dialogue filled the room.
“And the clothes changing throughout the movie…” he continued explaining. “At the start, the narrator’s clothes are clean, expensive suits, and he’s got a fancy apartment. Tyler looks like he took his clothes straight out of the trash.”
His speech began to slur gently at the corners.
“But as everything worsens…” Danny muttered as his eyes were vaguely fixed on the screen. “The narrator seems to fall apart, while Tyler looks more put together.”
The tv flickered across the room as Danny yawned into the blanket.
“Oh- and the DVD menus had Easter eggs, in the blu ray one, it starts pretending it’s a completely different movie” his voice gradually lowered, thoughts unraveling faster than he could speak them.
Night had fallen long ago, dimming the room completely except for the faint flickering of the television.
“And there was also that one scene where… uh…” Danny frowned tiredly. “Wait, no. Different movie.”
“Well… there’s more stuff…” Danny whispered while closing his eyes. “Y’know… like…” his speech slurred up as he continued to try and explain.
Unimaginably, exhaustion took over Danny.
Of course, as the house began setting deeper into the darkness, cold seeped in between its loose wooden planks.
Danny unconsciously began to reach for warmth, and what was the warmest thing on that couch currently? Michael.
At first it was only wrapping an arm loosely around Michael’s back, making Michael briefly freeze. Then leaning a little closer, and closer.
Until he rested his head on Michael’s shoulder. The movie didn’t even finish yet. That trial surely got them good, to the point Danny wouldn’t even stay awake to finish his favorite movie.
Michael could only freeze. He didn’t dare bothering Danny in his sleep. Because for him, Danny was the most precious thing he ever had. Not just a companion, but a ‘friend’. (definitely something more than a friend at this point.)
The rain and the distant voices filled the deafening silence after Danny fell asleep. Michael wrapped the blanket tighter around Danny.
Deep down, Michael knew he still wanted to listen to him, but he definitely deserved a good rest. He slipped an arm around Danny, placing his hand on top of his.
He tried to avoid the awkwardness of the silence by tapping his fingers on the fabric of the couch.
The rain grew heavier as time passed, but the room didn’t get any colder. Like this, Michael could study Danny more closely, he looked way less dangerous propped against his shoulder, and he loved the view more than he liked to admit.
He couldn’t help but have his face flush as he thought about the possibilities he had right now, without Danny noticing. He could even kiss Danny.
So he did. Though, of course he wasn’t gonna be as rude as kissing him on the lips uninvited.
A goodnight kiss on his forehead was (probably) allowed.
The boy smiled in his sleep. Did he even know it was Michael kissing him? Who knows.
Both stayed there for hours, curled up, seeking each other’s warmth unfazed.
Rain slowed down, the television still humming, and both of them sat cuddling under the raggedy blanket.
Danny very slowly regained consciousness as he rubbed his puffy eyes, not even realizing where he was yet, panicking for a few seconds.
“You’re still here?” Danny asked quietly, with a hint of embarrassment, almost like he didn’t mean to ask it out loud.
Michael didn’t care about how strange the night had turned, answering by squeezing Danny’s wrist ever so gently.
The hunts would start again eventually. There would be more trials, more laughter, more endless nights spent chasing survivors through the fog.
But for now, none of it mattered.
Not while rain tapped softly against the windows. Not while the television hummed quietly in the dark. Not while Danny was still half asleep against Michael’s shoulder.
For the first time that night, neither of them felt like killers.
Just two exhausted people sharing what little warmth they could find.