Now You See Me. J. Daniel Atlas/Dylan Rhodes. 8/100. Prompt #24
Slash_100 challenge
Title: Nut up or Shut up
Fandom: Now You See Me
Characters: J. Daniel Atlas/Dylan Rhodes
Prompt: #24. Choices
Word Count: 2513
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Daniel is more of an asshole than usual. It gets so bad that the others call on Dylan for help.
Daniel didn’t even feel his fingers tapping against his leg anymore, nor did he notice that they fumbled with the buttons on his cuffs. If his eyes darted around more than usual it meant nothing. The fact that more and more little bits and tidbits annoyed him was just because they were cooped inside for months now.
Henley was avoiding him out of spite after he snapped at her that she didn’t check if she’d closed the fridge door properly.
Merritt growled at him after Daniel had rearranged everything in the cupboards thrice in an hour, and as a result, the mentalist couldn’t find his twinkies.
Even Jack, who was the last to complain about Daniel’s control issues, got fed up when Daniel criticised the way his playing cards weren’t fanned out symmetrically enough.
“Man, Danny, please just shut up!”
When the words burst from Jack’s mouth everyone was a different degree of shocked. Henley at the ferocity that Jack used, Merritt at the fact that it had taken so long for the youngest to snap, and Daniel and Jack both at the fact that Jack actually lashed out at him in the first place.
“You know what? Fine!” Daniel snapped. “I’ve had it with all of you.” He stormed off to his room and slammed the door shut behind him.
The tension that had followed all of them around for the past few days only grew in that moment.
Jack sat down in an armchair and ran a hand through his hair.
“Guys, we need to call Dylan.”
Merritt and Henley glanced at each other from their respective seats. They both knew this couldn’t go on any longer. One of these days someone was going to end up seriously hurt, whether emotionally or physically depended on who snapped first.
“I’ll call him,” Henley said. She stood up and walked to her room, but not without shooting a foul look at Daniel’s closed door as she passed it.
~~~
The minute Dylan walked through the door two days later he was barraged by three Horsemen.
“Dylan, he is being more of a control freak than usual-“
“-Even Jack’s bothered by it-“
“-Yeah, he’s a real pain in the ass-“
“-If this goes on any longer I’m quitting.”
“You’re not quitting, Henley.” Dylan chose to answer Henley’s statement out of all the things he got thrown at his head. “Don’t worry, alright? I’ll go talk to him.”
~~~
Dylan knocked on the door. He could hear a muffled “Go away,” which he ignored. He opened the door and leaned against the doorway. He observed the situation. Daniel wasn’t visible, but it was clear he was lying in bed, completely covered by the blanket. His knees were bent underneath them.
“I said go away,” Daniel’s tone was now more aggravated.
In response Dylan shut the door and he walked over to Daniel’s desk. He picked up the book that lay there, discarded, with a bookmark halfway in the book. He waited for Daniel to speak again. Unlike the younger magician, Dylan had the patience to wait him out.
Dylan leaned against the desk and opened the book. He read a page before flipping onward. It was a novel about - surprise, surprise - magic, which was both expected and unexpected. He flipped to the next page.
He heard Daniel growl, before he shoved the blanket off his head.
“What don’t you understand-“ Daniel paused when he saw Dylan.
Dylan merely raised an eyebrow. “Hi,” he said, a crooked smile on his lips.
Daniel glared at him, his eyes darting all over Dylan, before he keened low in his throat and threw the blanket back over himself.
“Dylan, what are you doing here?” Though the words were spoken in Danny’s usual forceful tone, Dylan knew him well enough to detect the surprise.
“The others told me you haven’t eaten or left your room in two days.”
“Is that all they told you?” Now he was just plain annoyed.
“They might have mentioned that your OCD was playing up worse than usual.”
Daniel scoffed from under his blanket. The heap shifted slightly, his knees bending a bit more.
Dylan shook his head while he studied the heap that was Daniel. “Daniel, why are you hiding under your blanket?”
Daniel threw the blanket off and glared at Dylan. “Maybe because the fact that whenever I see something I get annoyed. I can’t even look in a mirror anymore without getting upset about my own hair and face because they’re not symmetrical!” He threw the blanket back over his head. “I can’t even stare at my blanket because all I see are all the stitches that are wrong.”
Dylan let out a small sigh. He retrieved a bottle from his coat pocket and shook it, making the pills within rattle against the sides.
Daniel removed the blanket from his head once again and fixed Dylan with another glare. “And what’s that?”
“Oh, this?” Dylan pretended surprise, which Daniel didn’t buy for a second. He rattled the bottle again. “I’d figure you would recognise your Clomipramine if you heard it.”
As soon as the word Clomipramine passed Dylan’s lips, Daniel had thrown off the blankets completely, vaulted to the end of the bed and yanked the bottle out of his hands. He twisted the cap off, deposited two pills on his hand and popped them both in his mouth. The expression of total bliss wasn’t lost on Dylan.
“Dylan, you’re a God,” he exclaimed once he’d swallowed the pills. He sat back on his heels.
“Last time I checked I was still a man,” he joked.
Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Dylan.
“Getting me my meds makes you a God.” He looked down at the pills in his hand. He smiled. “I could kiss you right now.”
Dylan merely snorted. He crossed his arms over his chest. “How could you even run out of pills? You’re too organised for that to happen.”
The dirty look on Daniel’s face was kind of cute. “I couldn’t exactly stop by a pharmacy without risking being arrested, now could I? Or have you forgotten that we’re wanted?”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Dylan pressed.
“Because I didn’t wanted anyone to know that I-“ Daniel cut himself off and looked away from Dylan.
Though his sentence was unfinished Dylan had a good idea what Daniel left unsaid. Because Danny didn’t want anyone to know he wasn’t perfect. Because he didn’t want anyone to know he needed medication to keep himself sane. Because he didn’t want anyone to know that he wasn’t in control.
Dylan couldn’t help but feel sad that Daniel felt he couldn’t trust anyone, not even him, with this.
“How did you know I take Clomi?” Daniel asked. “Not even the others know. How did you?”
Dylan raised an eyebrow. “The same way I know you’ve got OCD. Research.” He gave Daniel a pointed look. “I also know that Clomi isn’t the only thing you take.”
Daniel didn’t speak. He didn’t even move.
“How much do you have of the rest?”
He wanted to pretend ignorance, but Dylan already knew. “I’m running low on Lorazepam, but I can stretch it for now. And I’m on my last Amphetamine.”
Dylan nodded. “I’ll make sure to get those for you.”
Daniel’s lip twitched slightly. He didn’t look up at Dylan. Instead he picked at his nails. Dylan studied him.
Dylan already suspected the answer, but he needed to hear him say it. “The rest don’t know you’re on medication, do they?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, I-“ He licked his lips. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“You’ve been taking them for a while, right? Couple of years now.”
Daniel glanced up, his eyes narrowed. “Are you interrogating me, Agent Rhodes?” He tilted his head sideways. “Because I don’t believe I’ve been read my rights.”
Dylan snorted, a smile crept unwanted onto his face. “I’m just trying to get a feel for you. I knew you were complicated, but…” He trailed off. Then he frowned. “So let me get this straight, you and Henley worked together for three years and she doesn’t know you take meds?”
Daniel’s brows knitted together in annoyance. “Henley doesn’t know every little thing about me, no matter what everyone seems to think.”
Dylan snorted at that, which earned him another glare. They remained silent for a while.
“How much have you researched?” Daniel asked, perhaps a tad wary.
A smirk flitted on his face. “Why, afraid I found out something embarrassing?”
Daniel squirmed, his eyes flitted around. “No.”
Daniel’s fingers fiddled with the spread underneath him now. His medication might work, but it wasn’t perfect. Daniel had many ticks, many imperfections, which were usually hidden behind a well-played role of arrogance. Dylan spotted it in the streets where Daniel performed, he spotted it in the interrogation room. He told Daniel then that he wouldn’t be able to hold on to his act longer than Dylan could hold on to his. In this moment, Dylan very much hated being right.
“Danny, may I give you a piece of advice?”
“As if you won’t if I say no,” Daniel muttered.
“Tell the others about your medication.” Dylan continued quickly when Daniel opened his mouth, “They don’t understand why you lashed out at them. They’re angry. And hurt. They need to know. And you need to trust them. They won’t push you away because of this.”
Daniel looked away. Dylan could tell he was mulling it over. It was uncertain whether Daniel would actually take his advice, but at least he was thinking about it. “It’s your choice, Danny.” He got up.
“I’ll see you later.” Dylan hesitated, before he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of Daniel’s head.
Daniel’s mind couldn’t process the last few seconds even as Dylan left his room. He was pretty sure Dylan had just kissed him- not properly or anything, but still, it was a kiss.
Daniel stayed put a while longer before he rose off the bed. He moved toward the door, but he didn’t exit. He stayed behind the closed door, listening, waiting. He heard the others talking to Dylan, though he couldn’t make out the words. He wanted to press his ear against the door, but refrained from such behaviour.
He lay back down on top of his sheets and stared up at the ceiling. There was some truth in Dylan’s words. He had to make his choice. He could pretend the last few days didn’t happen. He could pretend it was just phase, no biggie, and move on. Or he could man up and tell them he’d run out of his meds. The real reason he acted like a dick the past few days.
Those were his choices.
Nut up or shut up.
Daniel let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and hoped sleep would get to him.
~~~
The next morning Daniel was waiting for the others to rise. His fingers didn’t tap against his glass this time. He didn’t fiddle with anything. He sat completely still. Daniel had decided to take Dylan’s advice and to tell the others about his condition.
Henley was the first to enter the room, soon followed by Jack and Merritt. Henley froze momentarily, her eyes turned to ice, before she moved into the living area. She sat herself down in an armchair. Jack looked wary while Merritt glowered. They both took their seats, nearer to Henley than to him.
Daniel swallowed as he tried to find the right words. He lowered his eyes to his knees. “I-“ He swallowed again. “I guess I owe you guys an explanation for my behaviour of the last couple of days.”
None of them said anything.
He took a deep breath and dared himself to look up. Three pairs of eyes were focussed on him. This was worse than stage fright. He could feel his hand start to tremble again. He forced it to be still.
“Lately I’ve acted like more of an asshole than usual.” He heard Merritt snort and he was sure he heard Henley mutter. “What an understatement.” He winced. This suddenly felt like the worst idea ever. He cursed Dylan for putting him up to this. But he couldn’t very well back out now.
“The reason for that,” he began. He squeezed his eyes shut, “is because I was off my meds. I ran out about a week ago and had no time to replenish.”
The silence that followed made him nervous. His shoulders tensed. He waited for- for what? Shouts, jeers, what?
It was Henley who broke the silence at last. “Meds? You’re on medication?”
Daniel nodded.
“Since when?” She sounded so surprised that it actually forced a small laugh from Daniel. He glanced up. Henley’s face showed as much surprise as her voice did.
“Since I was sixteen.”
Merritt looked as if he finally found the answer to a very vexing puzzle. “Well, that explains a few things.” He leaned back in his seat. “I’m guessing they’re not always that effective, right?”
“Not always, no.” His eyes flitted from Merritt back to his hands. “And, it never helps completely. Even with my meds I’m… well,” He glanced over at Merritt, with a twitch of lips, as if to smile, “I’m still a dick.”
Merritt snorted again, but this time it felt… good. Nice.
Daniel allowed his shoulders to relax. This was going well enough. Merritt looked understanding, and even Henley seemed like she could forgive him. Jack however showed neither surprise nor sudden understanding. Daniel glanced at him, worried. Jack hadn’t said a thing yet.
“I already knew.”
Now all eyes were focussed on him.
“What? How?” Daniel didn’t know how he could possibly know.
Jack glanced up between his lashes, his shoulders hunched. “I picked your pocket once.“ He shifted in his seat. “You had them on you then. I slipped them back before you could notice.”
Daniel continued to stare, before he let out a snort. “Figures.” It must have been when he’d just had his meds restocked. There was no other time Daniel would have had his medication on hand.
His eyes darted between the three other Horsemen. Now that he told them, he had no idea what to do.
“I…” he began. He looked down again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“Whoa! What was that? J. Daniel Atlas saying sorry?” Merritt was rubbing it in. Daniel didn’t like it all that much, but still a smile crept onto his face.
“Yes, well, I’m not saying it again.”
Henley rolled her eyes at the display before she stood up from her perch. Daniel had half-risen from his own seat when she sat down next to him. He looked at her, eyes wide. Her hand took his.
“Thank you for telling us.”
Daniel tried to keep his face impassive.
“Yes, well.” He cleared his throat. “I think we’ve wasted enough time on this. We should get back to practicing.“
“And he’s back,” Jack said with a grin.
Masterlist
First post <-- Previous post Next post -->
Title: Nut up or Shut up
Fandom: Now You See Me
Characters: J. Daniel Atlas/Dylan Rhodes
Prompt: #24. Choices
Word Count: 2513
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Daniel is more of an asshole than usual. It gets so bad that the others call on Dylan for help.
Daniel didn’t even feel his fingers tapping against his leg anymore, nor did he notice that they fumbled with the buttons on his cuffs. If his eyes darted around more than usual it meant nothing. The fact that more and more little bits and tidbits annoyed him was just because they were cooped inside for months now.
Henley was avoiding him out of spite after he snapped at her that she didn’t check if she’d closed the fridge door properly.
Merritt growled at him after Daniel had rearranged everything in the cupboards thrice in an hour, and as a result, the mentalist couldn’t find his twinkies.
Even Jack, who was the last to complain about Daniel’s control issues, got fed up when Daniel criticised the way his playing cards weren’t fanned out symmetrically enough.
“Man, Danny, please just shut up!”
When the words burst from Jack’s mouth everyone was a different degree of shocked. Henley at the ferocity that Jack used, Merritt at the fact that it had taken so long for the youngest to snap, and Daniel and Jack both at the fact that Jack actually lashed out at him in the first place.
“You know what? Fine!” Daniel snapped. “I’ve had it with all of you.” He stormed off to his room and slammed the door shut behind him.
The tension that had followed all of them around for the past few days only grew in that moment.
Jack sat down in an armchair and ran a hand through his hair.
“Guys, we need to call Dylan.”
Merritt and Henley glanced at each other from their respective seats. They both knew this couldn’t go on any longer. One of these days someone was going to end up seriously hurt, whether emotionally or physically depended on who snapped first.
“I’ll call him,” Henley said. She stood up and walked to her room, but not without shooting a foul look at Daniel’s closed door as she passed it.
~~~
The minute Dylan walked through the door two days later he was barraged by three Horsemen.
“Dylan, he is being more of a control freak than usual-“
“-Even Jack’s bothered by it-“
“-Yeah, he’s a real pain in the ass-“
“-If this goes on any longer I’m quitting.”
“You’re not quitting, Henley.” Dylan chose to answer Henley’s statement out of all the things he got thrown at his head. “Don’t worry, alright? I’ll go talk to him.”
~~~
Dylan knocked on the door. He could hear a muffled “Go away,” which he ignored. He opened the door and leaned against the doorway. He observed the situation. Daniel wasn’t visible, but it was clear he was lying in bed, completely covered by the blanket. His knees were bent underneath them.
“I said go away,” Daniel’s tone was now more aggravated.
In response Dylan shut the door and he walked over to Daniel’s desk. He picked up the book that lay there, discarded, with a bookmark halfway in the book. He waited for Daniel to speak again. Unlike the younger magician, Dylan had the patience to wait him out.
Dylan leaned against the desk and opened the book. He read a page before flipping onward. It was a novel about - surprise, surprise - magic, which was both expected and unexpected. He flipped to the next page.
He heard Daniel growl, before he shoved the blanket off his head.
“What don’t you understand-“ Daniel paused when he saw Dylan.
Dylan merely raised an eyebrow. “Hi,” he said, a crooked smile on his lips.
Daniel glared at him, his eyes darting all over Dylan, before he keened low in his throat and threw the blanket back over himself.
“Dylan, what are you doing here?” Though the words were spoken in Danny’s usual forceful tone, Dylan knew him well enough to detect the surprise.
“The others told me you haven’t eaten or left your room in two days.”
“Is that all they told you?” Now he was just plain annoyed.
“They might have mentioned that your OCD was playing up worse than usual.”
Daniel scoffed from under his blanket. The heap shifted slightly, his knees bending a bit more.
Dylan shook his head while he studied the heap that was Daniel. “Daniel, why are you hiding under your blanket?”
Daniel threw the blanket off and glared at Dylan. “Maybe because the fact that whenever I see something I get annoyed. I can’t even look in a mirror anymore without getting upset about my own hair and face because they’re not symmetrical!” He threw the blanket back over his head. “I can’t even stare at my blanket because all I see are all the stitches that are wrong.”
Dylan let out a small sigh. He retrieved a bottle from his coat pocket and shook it, making the pills within rattle against the sides.
Daniel removed the blanket from his head once again and fixed Dylan with another glare. “And what’s that?”
“Oh, this?” Dylan pretended surprise, which Daniel didn’t buy for a second. He rattled the bottle again. “I’d figure you would recognise your Clomipramine if you heard it.”
As soon as the word Clomipramine passed Dylan’s lips, Daniel had thrown off the blankets completely, vaulted to the end of the bed and yanked the bottle out of his hands. He twisted the cap off, deposited two pills on his hand and popped them both in his mouth. The expression of total bliss wasn’t lost on Dylan.
“Dylan, you’re a God,” he exclaimed once he’d swallowed the pills. He sat back on his heels.
“Last time I checked I was still a man,” he joked.
Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Dylan.
“Getting me my meds makes you a God.” He looked down at the pills in his hand. He smiled. “I could kiss you right now.”
Dylan merely snorted. He crossed his arms over his chest. “How could you even run out of pills? You’re too organised for that to happen.”
The dirty look on Daniel’s face was kind of cute. “I couldn’t exactly stop by a pharmacy without risking being arrested, now could I? Or have you forgotten that we’re wanted?”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Dylan pressed.
“Because I didn’t wanted anyone to know that I-“ Daniel cut himself off and looked away from Dylan.
Though his sentence was unfinished Dylan had a good idea what Daniel left unsaid. Because Danny didn’t want anyone to know he wasn’t perfect. Because he didn’t want anyone to know he needed medication to keep himself sane. Because he didn’t want anyone to know that he wasn’t in control.
Dylan couldn’t help but feel sad that Daniel felt he couldn’t trust anyone, not even him, with this.
“How did you know I take Clomi?” Daniel asked. “Not even the others know. How did you?”
Dylan raised an eyebrow. “The same way I know you’ve got OCD. Research.” He gave Daniel a pointed look. “I also know that Clomi isn’t the only thing you take.”
Daniel didn’t speak. He didn’t even move.
“How much do you have of the rest?”
He wanted to pretend ignorance, but Dylan already knew. “I’m running low on Lorazepam, but I can stretch it for now. And I’m on my last Amphetamine.”
Dylan nodded. “I’ll make sure to get those for you.”
Daniel’s lip twitched slightly. He didn’t look up at Dylan. Instead he picked at his nails. Dylan studied him.
Dylan already suspected the answer, but he needed to hear him say it. “The rest don’t know you’re on medication, do they?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, I-“ He licked his lips. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“You’ve been taking them for a while, right? Couple of years now.”
Daniel glanced up, his eyes narrowed. “Are you interrogating me, Agent Rhodes?” He tilted his head sideways. “Because I don’t believe I’ve been read my rights.”
Dylan snorted, a smile crept unwanted onto his face. “I’m just trying to get a feel for you. I knew you were complicated, but…” He trailed off. Then he frowned. “So let me get this straight, you and Henley worked together for three years and she doesn’t know you take meds?”
Daniel’s brows knitted together in annoyance. “Henley doesn’t know every little thing about me, no matter what everyone seems to think.”
Dylan snorted at that, which earned him another glare. They remained silent for a while.
“How much have you researched?” Daniel asked, perhaps a tad wary.
A smirk flitted on his face. “Why, afraid I found out something embarrassing?”
Daniel squirmed, his eyes flitted around. “No.”
Daniel’s fingers fiddled with the spread underneath him now. His medication might work, but it wasn’t perfect. Daniel had many ticks, many imperfections, which were usually hidden behind a well-played role of arrogance. Dylan spotted it in the streets where Daniel performed, he spotted it in the interrogation room. He told Daniel then that he wouldn’t be able to hold on to his act longer than Dylan could hold on to his. In this moment, Dylan very much hated being right.
“Danny, may I give you a piece of advice?”
“As if you won’t if I say no,” Daniel muttered.
“Tell the others about your medication.” Dylan continued quickly when Daniel opened his mouth, “They don’t understand why you lashed out at them. They’re angry. And hurt. They need to know. And you need to trust them. They won’t push you away because of this.”
Daniel looked away. Dylan could tell he was mulling it over. It was uncertain whether Daniel would actually take his advice, but at least he was thinking about it. “It’s your choice, Danny.” He got up.
“I’ll see you later.” Dylan hesitated, before he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of Daniel’s head.
Daniel’s mind couldn’t process the last few seconds even as Dylan left his room. He was pretty sure Dylan had just kissed him- not properly or anything, but still, it was a kiss.
Daniel stayed put a while longer before he rose off the bed. He moved toward the door, but he didn’t exit. He stayed behind the closed door, listening, waiting. He heard the others talking to Dylan, though he couldn’t make out the words. He wanted to press his ear against the door, but refrained from such behaviour.
He lay back down on top of his sheets and stared up at the ceiling. There was some truth in Dylan’s words. He had to make his choice. He could pretend the last few days didn’t happen. He could pretend it was just phase, no biggie, and move on. Or he could man up and tell them he’d run out of his meds. The real reason he acted like a dick the past few days.
Those were his choices.
Nut up or shut up.
Daniel let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and hoped sleep would get to him.
~~~
The next morning Daniel was waiting for the others to rise. His fingers didn’t tap against his glass this time. He didn’t fiddle with anything. He sat completely still. Daniel had decided to take Dylan’s advice and to tell the others about his condition.
Henley was the first to enter the room, soon followed by Jack and Merritt. Henley froze momentarily, her eyes turned to ice, before she moved into the living area. She sat herself down in an armchair. Jack looked wary while Merritt glowered. They both took their seats, nearer to Henley than to him.
Daniel swallowed as he tried to find the right words. He lowered his eyes to his knees. “I-“ He swallowed again. “I guess I owe you guys an explanation for my behaviour of the last couple of days.”
None of them said anything.
He took a deep breath and dared himself to look up. Three pairs of eyes were focussed on him. This was worse than stage fright. He could feel his hand start to tremble again. He forced it to be still.
“Lately I’ve acted like more of an asshole than usual.” He heard Merritt snort and he was sure he heard Henley mutter. “What an understatement.” He winced. This suddenly felt like the worst idea ever. He cursed Dylan for putting him up to this. But he couldn’t very well back out now.
“The reason for that,” he began. He squeezed his eyes shut, “is because I was off my meds. I ran out about a week ago and had no time to replenish.”
The silence that followed made him nervous. His shoulders tensed. He waited for- for what? Shouts, jeers, what?
It was Henley who broke the silence at last. “Meds? You’re on medication?”
Daniel nodded.
“Since when?” She sounded so surprised that it actually forced a small laugh from Daniel. He glanced up. Henley’s face showed as much surprise as her voice did.
“Since I was sixteen.”
Merritt looked as if he finally found the answer to a very vexing puzzle. “Well, that explains a few things.” He leaned back in his seat. “I’m guessing they’re not always that effective, right?”
“Not always, no.” His eyes flitted from Merritt back to his hands. “And, it never helps completely. Even with my meds I’m… well,” He glanced over at Merritt, with a twitch of lips, as if to smile, “I’m still a dick.”
Merritt snorted again, but this time it felt… good. Nice.
Daniel allowed his shoulders to relax. This was going well enough. Merritt looked understanding, and even Henley seemed like she could forgive him. Jack however showed neither surprise nor sudden understanding. Daniel glanced at him, worried. Jack hadn’t said a thing yet.
“I already knew.”
Now all eyes were focussed on him.
“What? How?” Daniel didn’t know how he could possibly know.
Jack glanced up between his lashes, his shoulders hunched. “I picked your pocket once.“ He shifted in his seat. “You had them on you then. I slipped them back before you could notice.”
Daniel continued to stare, before he let out a snort. “Figures.” It must have been when he’d just had his meds restocked. There was no other time Daniel would have had his medication on hand.
His eyes darted between the three other Horsemen. Now that he told them, he had no idea what to do.
“I…” he began. He looked down again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“Whoa! What was that? J. Daniel Atlas saying sorry?” Merritt was rubbing it in. Daniel didn’t like it all that much, but still a smile crept onto his face.
“Yes, well, I’m not saying it again.”
Henley rolled her eyes at the display before she stood up from her perch. Daniel had half-risen from his own seat when she sat down next to him. He looked at her, eyes wide. Her hand took his.
“Thank you for telling us.”
Daniel tried to keep his face impassive.
“Yes, well.” He cleared his throat. “I think we’ve wasted enough time on this. We should get back to practicing.“
“And he’s back,” Jack said with a grin.
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