[Third Person Pov]
Danny started to rub the back of his head, shifting his weight slightly as he spoke, "Anyways, there was another reason as to why I called you" he said with a stiff, almost bashful smile tugging at his lips, "I wanted to apologize for how I behaved last time."
"Oh, that?" Death replied easily, laughing it off with a casual wave of her hand, "It's cool, I understand… heh, get it, cool?"
Danny let out a small snicker, clearly caught off guard by the joke, while Death cleared her throat right after, already more than ready to move past it like it never happened.
"I mean, I can't say I was the biggest fan of that version of you," she continued, her tone softening a bit as she reached over and gently patted his head, "so I'm glad it all worked out in the end and you're back to being you."
Danny looked down, trying to hide the small smile that formed as she patted him, his shoulders relaxing just a little under the gesture.
"Anyways, I better get going. People to visit, souls to lay to rest and bring to peace, you know the drill," Death said as she casually opened her umbrella and held it above her head, already stepping back toward the edge.
"Wait," Danny called out to her, his tone casual but just loud enough to stop her. She paused mid-step, walking backward near the ledge while looking at him curiously. "What do I say when I want to get your attention? What code word should we set up?"
Death chuckled softly, balancing herself with ease as she stood right at the edge, "You already know what. Besides, your intent is more than enough. Whenever you want to see me, I'll know."
A strong gust of wind suddenly picked up, catching against her umbrella and pushing her back just enough to send her slipping off the edge.
"Ciao~" she exclaimed with a playful wink, taking off her top hat in a small flourish as she fell backward off the building.
Danny quickly flew over to the edge and leaned forward, gazing down, but there was nothing there—just the long drop below. She was already gone.
He let out a quiet laugh under his breath, shaking his head slightly. "What a dramatic exit," he mumbled, a faint smile lingering as he admired her free-spirited nature.
Another sudden gust of wind brushed past him, colder this time, and he made a face before suddenly sneezing.
"Achoo!"
A burst of ice erupted from where he stood, jagged glacial pillars shooting upward and rising taller than even him, spreading out from his position in a frozen bloom.
He sniffled, rubbing his now pink, button-like nose with the back of his hand. "Heh… I hope I don't suddenly develop a cold."
…
Danny was now bedridden in one of the guest rooms of Wayne Manor, wrapped tightly under the blankets. His eyes were red and watery, his nose an even brighter shade of red and rough from how often he had been blowing it. "Ahhh, me and my big mouth!" Danny groaned, his voice distorted and nasally from how congested he was.
Curled up on his side, he weakly reached a shaky hand out toward Bruce, who stood by his bedside, calmly speaking on the phone.
"Bruce…! Help me… I'm dying!" Danny whined dramatically, his voice muffled by both congestion and the blanket.
"Yes, Danny won't be able to make it to school today," Bruce said evenly into the phone, his expression completely straight. "...He has developed a cold that seems to have left him bedridden."
There was a brief b!ck and worth before Bruce ended the call, letting out a quiet sigh as he slipped the phone away.
"Just rest for today and get better," he said, glancing down at Danny without changing his tone, "I'll have Alfred bring you something warm to eat."
"Bruce… those Tibetan monks taught you everything, right?" Danny reached over desperately, grabbing onto the fabric of his pants. He looked up at him as pitifully as he could manage, eyes watery and unfocused as he pleaded, "Surely they must have taught you a technique to combat the common cold. Please… I beg of you… teach it to me."
Bruce scoffed lightly as he swatted Danny's hand away without much effort, his expression remaining as composed as ever. "You'll eventually train your body to the point where it'll be much harder for you to get sick, but that won't be for a while," he said plainly. "So for now, all you can do is make sure you rest and recuperate. I'll drop by later to see how you're doing."
With that, Bruce turned and started walking out of the room, shaking his head faintly at Danny's dramatics. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Danny alone in the quiet.
Danny slowly curled into himself under the blankets, pulling them tighter as his face scrunched up miserably. A few moments later, he started to cry helplessly at his situation, the sound muffled by the pillow. He reached over toward his bedside table, fumbling slightly before grabbing a tissue. He blew his nose loudly before wincing, letting out a soft, nasally "…Ow."
…
Later that day, both Sam and Tucker stood outside Wayne Manor before being let inside by Alfred.
"I take it you're here to see how Young Master Daniel is doing?" Alfred asked, greeting them with a professional, welcoming smile as he stepped aside to let them in.
"That's right. Is he okay?" Tucker asked, a hint of concern slipping into his voice as he glanced around.
"He's currently resting upstairs. I was just about to deliver him his lunch," Alfred explained calmly.
"You can leave that to us. We'll make sure to take it up to him," Sam said as she stepped forward, puffing out her chest slightly with confidence. "I'll be sure to nurse him back to health in a jiffy."
"Someone's quite eager~" Tucker teased, dragging out the last word with a knowing grin.
Sam immediately elbowed him in the side, making him grunt and double over slightly as he clutched his ribs.
…
Danny continued to lay on his bed, looking like a corpse—arguably more than usual—when he heard a knock at his door.
"Come in, Alfred…" he called weakly, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"We're not Alfred," Tucker said as he stepped into the room, with Sam following right behind him, carefully carrying a tray.
Danny's eyes opened as he perked up in surprise, pushing himself up slightly. "Sam? Tucker? What are you two doing here?"
"Duh, because you didn't show up to school and we heard you were sick," Sam said, rolling her eyes at what she clearly thought was an obvious question. "Anyways, we came bearing your lunch. Hope you're hungry."
Danny groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly as he adjusted against the pillows. "You guys didn't have to come, it's just a cold. But… I'm thankful that you did. I was honestly losing my mind just laying here."
They both smiled a little at that as they moved closer, sitting beside him on the bed.
"Just a cold? Dude, no offense, but it looks like that cold put on a boxing glove and hit you repeatedly in the face," Tucker scoffed as he looked Danny over.
"Do I look that terrible?" Danny asked, sniffling quietly as he rubbed his nose.
Sam and Tucker didn't hesitate in the slightest as they both nodded.
"Wow… okay," Danny muttered under his breath.
"Anyways," Sam said as she removed the cover from the tray, revealing Danny's lunch, "you should eat something."
Then she smirked, her tone shifting just enough to make it dangerous. "Come on, I'll feed you."
"What?" Danny asked, caught completely off guard as he blinked at her.
Tucker only sighed, looking off to the side as if accepting his fate. 'Great, I'm back to being a third wheel again.'
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