dani.
Dani could count on one hand the number of times he had left his house the last couple of months. Ever since that day, going out quickly became his ears ringing and a splitting headache, which wasn't too far from normal for him after a night of drinking.
This time was different. Everything seemed brighter, more saturated but also hazy. When he stumbled out of his bedroom, hand gripping the side of his head, his brain was overloaded by the sight of his roommate cooking in the kitchen
Dani turned right around and walked back into his room. He rubbed his eyes a couple times, blinked, and cautiously walked back out into the hallway. Before Reid came into his line of sight again, Dani could see the lavender and orange glow pulsing from around the corner.
At that point, Dani gave up and stayed in bed for the rest of the day. He chalked it up to someone maybe lacing his drinks or maybe even sleep deprivation or all the alcohol mixing with his meds.
The next day, figuring that he was safe, Dani went out to get some groceries while Reid was out at work. Every person he encountered shone in the exact same way that Reid did. Some of the colours were extremely bright and vivid while others were dark and menacing. Everywhere he turned, all he could see were these people enveloped in colour. Dani didn't even make it to the grocery store before he turned around and ran back to his apartment.
Ever since, Dani hardly ever left his room. He messaged his manager, saying that he was going to work remotely from a bit. So instead of going out, Dani burned his retinas every waking hour by staring at his computer screen.
It wasn't until Adam persuaded Dani to come out that Dani decided to venture out back to the outside world.
Dani eventually gave in, knowing that he had to breathe real fresh air at some point. Dani admitted that he hadn't been exactly scientific about his approach to this weird anomaly of his, not having seen another human face in the flesh since the day it all started happening. A couple of months and he would for sure be back to normal, right?
So Dani punched in the address and tried to navigate his way through the city. It was located in the suburbs, way out in the middle of nowhere. For sure Adam's friend was one of his lawyer buddies. Who else could afford to live in the suburbs? But the drive was even more excruciating because of the colours. Dani could see the colours through the cars. It illuminated entire windows and seemed to penetrate through the steel frames. Dani tried hard to focus on the road before him. Every single glowing car shifted his attention to them for just a millisecond. Dani thought about turning around and heading back home but he had already made it this far, he couldn't go home now. Plus, he made a promise to Adam.
Pulling up into the street, there was absolutely no room for parking. Dani heard the thudding bass from the house. God damn it. Did Dani really have to go to this? He thought about all the people who could be cramped into the house. Sensory overload.
Sighing, Dani parked his car a street away, hoping the owners of the house he just parked in front of wouldn't mind. Getting out of the car, Dani did a quick mirror check on his side window. He attempted to brush his hair a little more to the side, showing off his buzzed sides
Something that bothered Dani was how he never seemed to see his own colours. Whenever he looked in the mirror, things were just… Normal.. The same was true for watching things on a screen. Another reason why Dani thought that maybe things were okay now.
Walking towards the street, he tried his best to pump himself up. Go in, grab a beer, and nurse it until he sees Adam. Maybe close his eyes while he's at it. Dani cursed Adam under his breath. What kind of friend doesn't agree to going to a party with their plus one at the same time? Adam was that kind of person. Well, Adam told him that the house was fully equipped with beer taps so it shouldn't be that bad. Worst case scenario, Dani would be standing by the beer taps all night.
The house door was all the way open by the time Dani sauntered his way up the driveway. Not much in terms of security. He walked into the crowd, about two dozen people all congregated in whatever space there was. Immediately, his eyes were assaulted by a barrage of colours. He squinted a little and looked around as he pushed his way in. Most people's colours were slightly muted. Dani couldn't pick out any other trend in the crowd and instead tried to focus on the inanimate objects around him.
The house was rather large. God did Dani hate the suburbs. He walked around the living room, eyeing the wide screen TV, the multiple game consoles, and the glass cabinet filled with an extensive catalogue of video games. Maybe this guy wasn't a lawyer.
Dani made his way through the kitchen, trying his best not to make eye contact with anyone, concentrating on what was immediately in front of him. The beer taps finally entered his vision. They glistened under the low lighting in the kitchen. A crowd of people were lining up around the kitchen island to take a taste. Shit. Well, of course. Dani walked over and grabbed a clear plastic cup and waited in line, which wrapped around the kitchen island.
"Do you drink beer?" A man leaned across the counter, his hands folded together expectantly. He smirked as he eyed Dani's empty cup, somewhat dubious. Dani was a little taken aback. The man shone a brilliant bright gold. It hurt his eyes just to look at him. Dani took a second to absorb the man's face before flicking his eyes down to the granite countertop. He was older than Dani, that was for sure. His dark hair was peppered with gray, even his beard, and wrinkles crinkled at the edge of his eyes. Somehow, the man made Dani feel suddenly conscious about his age.
"I do," Dani lifted his eyes back up at the man, taking in his skeptical expression. God, that colour was so bright.
The man grinned and gestured to the left of him with his thumb. "I recommend the skittle beer. Fruity with the right amount of sour."
Dani smiled, a little irritated. He intended to get that drink in the first place. "Yeah, I heard that one was pretty good," Dani said, cooly, looking a little to the right of the man. He didn't know where to look.
"Come over here, you can skip the line," The man leaned back and beckoned Dani to his side of the counter with a smile on his face. "Let me show you how the beer taps work."
Now that he was standing up, Dani realized how tall the man stood. He hesitated before walking around the kitchen island, feeling like he couldn't say no. Also, he needed a beer in him. What the hell, how can someone be so tall? Dani gripped his cup as he stood in front of the beer taps, the man standing behind him. Dani felt like he was being towered over as the man reached over him to take the cup from his hand. At least from this angle, he couldn't see the man or anyone else. Just the beer taps, begging to be opened up.
"The trick is to not half ass it and give it a nice pull. Less foamy that way." The man flicked the knob forward on the beer tap. "And don't forget it to tilt the cup."
I just want my damn beer.. He stared a second too long before he realized that there that he was pouring way too much beer. He reached up, the knob just above eye level, to push it backwards.
"Thanks," Dani said as brightly as he could, not bothering to turn around to look back up at the man to save his eyes. He turned to his left, desperate just to get out of there.
"I'm Hob," the man stepped to the side, blocking Dani's path. He stuck out his hand. Dani stared at it and how the gold streamed out of his palm. "Danielle, right?"
Fuck. This must be the friend. What the fuck did Adam tell him about me?
"Daniel, actually," Dani said with a small smile as he took Hob's hand, trying his best to ignore what he hoped was just him mishearing. Instead, Dani focused on Hob's grip, which was surprisingly nonexistent. He had expected an iron clamp, considering Hob was built like a tank. Dani made a mental note to start going back to the gym.
Hob looked up to the side and stroked his beard. "You're the one who…" Hob shut his eyes in concentration. "Wait, don't tell me. I can remember this… You went to the Pearl Jam concert with Adam!" Hob's eyes opened up with excitement and a grin spread over his face.
Dani tried his best to suppress a grimace. At that moment, the malty smell rising up from his cup was too good to resist. He put the cup to his lips and took a swig. Yup, that was beer alright
"Uh," Dani shifted his weight onto one foot, beer in hand. "Yeah."
The two stood there by the taps for a couple of moments. The party was picking up speed and the place suddenly got louder. Dani had no idea what to say to this giant and his presence was starting to become too overwhelming. Hob seemed friendly enough but Dani just couldn't stand the sight of him. If he was a friend of Adam's then he must be alright. Still, there was something unsettling about his aura.
Not knowing what to do, Dani took another gulp of beer. Fruity, my ass. Maybe Dani just didn't drink enough beer to tell. All beer tasted the same to him. Well. Hob was right about one thing. T
"You've met Hob, I see!" a familiar voice rang out.
Dani looked around Hob to see Adam standing behind him. Adam's colours were just as bright as Hobs, but he was glowing a vibrant royal blue. The colour seemed dark and dull against Hob's aura. It had been a while since Dani had seen Adam. He had grown a beard since then. It seemed like every man in this goddamn house had a beard
"Adam, it's been a while," Hob grinned as he and Adam locked hands and pulled each other into a half hug. Dani watched Adam's slight wince and how Hob's forearm tensed as he clasped Adam's hand. The fucker actually had some strength in him.
"Yeah it has," Adam laughed. The two men chattered between the two of them, seemingly forgetting about Dani.
Dani sighed, relieved that Adam was there to cling onto. In other words, he could hide behind Adam for the rest of the night. He tried to look away from the two of them and back to the beer taps. It seemed clean and pristine compared to the hazy glow that seemed to surround everyone. He quickly downed his drink.
As if Hob knew of Dani's intention to walk back to the beer taps, he turned around before Dani could take another step. Dani froze under Hob's gaze. There was something intense in his stare that made uncomfortable. His irises were a light golden brown, almost like his aura. Dani couldn't move a single muscle and he stood there, with his empty cup in his hand.
"You too, huh?" Hob grinned.