-ˏˋ dan ˎˊ-

dan stared at himself in the small circular mirror in what had been determined his room almost two years ago now, the grey walls making him look almost sickly.

he let his gaze drift, resting on the messy stacks of clothes near one bed (ben) and the crates filled with supplies next to the other (ivy). they'd been assigned to be each other's roommates when they'd moved into the compound, which had worked out brilliantly, considering how well they worked together.

ben was a genius and incredibly tech savvy, and ivy kept them balanced. she was a big part of the creative influence of their schemes, as well as the mom-friend, which was certainly useful.

and dan was... jesus, what was dan? sometimes he felt like he was working with rebellious titans, like they'd been born to topple an empire. they fit together like puzzle pieces, and dan routinely felt like he barely added to their team.

they'd say he was the courageous one. the one who wanted to do things without thinking, the driven one. but they'd only tell him that if he told them how he felt, so who knew if it would even be the truth?

a hand landed on his shoulder, a broad hand with a tight grip that snapped him out of his delusions. ben smiled at him through the mirror, his hair tied back in a bun so his eyes were uncovered. dan turned toward him.

"she made you do that, huh?"

ben sighed, reaching up to squeeze the bundle of frizzy light brown hair. "yeah. she said i'm not of any use if i can't see what i'm doing." his eyes flickered to dan's left eye- or lack thereof. dan automatically reached up to tug at his eyepatch. "no offense."

dan laughed. "none taken."

ivy appeared in the doorway, her long silvery hair braided and resting neatly against her black t-shirt. she leaned against the wood.

"we ready, boys?"

"not quite," dan mumbled, turning back to the mirror. he opened the small box he'd had clutched in his fist and carefully took out the tiny earpieces, situating them in both of his ears. ben had managed to design ones that were completely undetectable. then he carefully picked up the thin, clear contact lens he'd given him and brought it to his eye. it stung for a second before comfortably sinking on the surface.

"you both know the plan?" ivy asked, trying to pretend she wasn't watching dan put the lens in. both boys nodded, but she kept talking anyways. "dan, we'll be able to hear and see everything that happens to you from the computer room. i got permission to use the big one." she grinned like a child being told they could have candy for dinner. "ben, you and i will take shifts, so the other can get food and sleep and stuff. got it?"

ben nodded again, fiddling with a cloth wristband he was wearing. ivy turned back to dan.

"you'll wear the clothes we picked out to attempt to conceal your identity, although i doubt it'll work. be prepared for failure."

dan chuckled softly, nodding. "i'm always prepared for that."

"good." she bit her lip, her mouth scrunched up, which was what she did when she was concerned. "are you sure you wanna do this?"

dan nodded again, smiling at her again. "i'm positive. ivy, what we're doing isn't enough. we don't have any time for being timid."

she sighed, giving him a motherly look. "i wish i didn't agree with you."

she stepped forward, giving him a hug, her arms wrapped around his waist. after a moment ben joined in, and dan felt his hair brush against his face.

he didn't say anything, although he wanted to. he felt like he had so much to say to them, because ben had been right: there was a solid chance he wasn't coming back from this. in a way, he was okay with that. he finally felt like he had a purpose.

dan only opened his mouth when they pulled back, ivy's face twisted up in worry and ben's eyes brimming with tears.

"ben, do you have your mission socks on?"

ben looked at him in horror. "i told you that in confidence."

ivy cracked up.

-ˏˋ ˎˊ-

loading into the van was a solemn task. dan tugged his heavy coat on, pulling his hood over his head far enough to nearly conceal his face. ivy was teasing ben as they sat down in the back, but it didn't seem heartfelt.

as the van started moving they huddled together again without a word, pressing together.

dan glanced up at one point and met ivy's eyes. and in that second he knew -

he had to come back.

( bittersweetjenna on instagram did the art up above & also the art in the intro chapter, she's amazing go follow her )