CHAPTER ONE
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i. brits and their tea !

— ALL AROUND HIM WAS THICK AND LOUD WITH PEOPLE. His light, warm, piercing blue eyes scanned the area as he leaned back in the crappy plastic chair that he was certain was designed to be a pain in the ass.

He loved many things, but airports did not fall into that extensive list. He hated airports. He didn't care who knew it. Daniel Evans hated airports.

Specifically, he hated that he had to wait almost a full half hour for his ride to show up, because there was no way he was going to walk around outside in the cold, moistened air of London, England, alone and with no place to go.

On the bright side, which Danny always tried to focus on, this gave him a spare minute to have a conversation over the phone.

"So how was prom?" His smooth voice asked in an amused tone as he pressed his flip phone closer to his ear.

"Well, I'll have you know- it was wonderful." A boy on the other line answered. "I wasn't allowed to go last time because I failed the grade but man I wish I didn't."

Danny shrugged, despite knowing full well that the boy couldn't see it. "You didn't have a choice."

"I kinda did- I mean- even cancer patients can make time to study for school."

"Tony," Danny laughed. "You didn't go to any of your classes."

"Yeah- but we were busy with treatment." Tony said, not realizing he'd just proved Danny's point.

"So- You didn't have a choice?" Danny pressed, waiting for Tony to realize his mistake.

There was a solid second of silence before Tony spoke up again. "Shut up."

Danny chuckled and leaned his head back, sinking even further into the chair.

"Anyway- I had a pretty lady on my arm and a handful of friends to spend the night with and it was pretty fun." Tony contently sighed.

"I still don't get why you didn't just go with your boyfriend." Danny shook his head.

"It's not his kind of scene." The boy dismissed and changed the subject. "How's England?"

"Well, the airport is the same." Danny offered, glancing around slightly.

"Has Eugene not picked you up yet?"

Danny looked out the window at the dark skies that were slowly becoming brighter. "Nope. I'm about ten minutes away from sending out a search party."

Tony barely heard the response as a bunch of noise came from his side.

"Great- fun- Well I gotta go, I'll tell everyone you say hi." He rushed.

"Right- you do that. Love you, kid- and if you talk to Liv again, pass on the word." Daniel sat up and leaned forward, just

"Love you too, Danny." You could hear the smile in his voice. "And I'm sure Liv would say the same." He stated, hanging up

Then Danny turned off his phone and leaned back again, closing his eyes for only a second.

"Good afternoon, sir. Are you Daniel Evans, by chance?" A heavily accented voice asked above him.

Danny almost wanted to groan for timing, but instead he smiled as enthusiastically as possible.

"I am." He nodded in confirmation.

Standing up, he grabbed his luggage in one quick swoop.

The man that asked for him looked like someone that worked at the gift shop of the airport. Which, to be honest, he probably was.

"Your ride is out front."

— THE COLD WINDS NIPPED AT DANNY'S ALREADY ROSY CHEEKS AS HE STEPPED OUTSIDE. It wasn't hard to pick out which car was Eugene's, especially when Eugene himself leaned against the sleek black vehicle with a burger in one hand.

"You couldn't get me yourself?" Danny called out, referring to the gift shop employee that had fetched him.

"Where would the fun be with that?" Eugene chuckled before shrugging, "Besides, I didn't wanna walk." He stated, biting into his half eaten burger again, grimacing. "You Brits have no idea what a cheeseburger tastes like."

Danny laughed lightheartedly, watching as Eugene's driver popped the trunk open and slid all his luggage in.

"Then why did you move here?" Danny rhetorically asked, knowing he wouldn't get any answer more than a halfhearted shrug.

Realistically, Eugene just wanted to make sure his best friend was okay- and if that meant uprooting his life and moving to England, then so be it.

But he would never say that. No, it would damage his ego.

So, like Danny expected, he just shrugged and moved on.

"Do you want this?" Eugene asked, offering up the last half of his burger.

Danny smiled, took it and finished it off as Eugene opened the back door, tucking the packaging in his coat pocket.

"I have your doctor friend by the way, he's been very jittery." Eugene mentioned over his shoulder as he ducked into the seat and made room for Danny to slide in next to him.

The car began moving as soon as they were all in.

Sitting just in front of them, was a very awkward looking John Watson, holding a practically untouched burger in one hand and his knit sweater sleeve was pulled over the other.

"Doctor!" Daniel greeted, letting that warm smile take over his face.

John's muscles loosened and he instantly became less tense when he heard the man's voice.

"Danny." He laughed, finally finding something familiar in this whole situation.

"Eugene." Eugene said under his breath, waving a hand in the air. "Wooo."

"So- you're back." Danny started, a gentle and kind look in his eyes, glossed in understanding.

"Yeah, well- that's what they do when you get hit." John glared down at his leg for less than a second, but it was there.

"That they do."

John looked up, remembering very vividly why Danny had been sent home. In fact, John had been the medic to diagnose the man with lung cancer.

Eugene cleared his throat, "What do you men say to getting some coffee and taking a walk, I need to get the taste of English burgers out of my mouth."

"So long as that coffee becomes a tea, I'm in." Danny chuckled.

"Right- you Brits and your tea." Eugene mocked their accents before leaning forward a bit. "Alright Al, slow down just up there." He directed his driver, an elderly man with greying hair and a large moustache.

Al was actually from Paris, France- but he was damn good with London traffic and knew each road like the back of his hand.

— ONCE THE MEN GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND ORDERED THEIR BEVERAGES, they walked to a park just a street or so away. It was nice, green with large, thick trees and winding concrete sewn into the earth to make a strenuous map of paths.

John leaned on his cane as he walked, one hand gripping the handle and the other, his disposable cup of tea.

As they walked, Eugene made jokes and talked about old stories of when he met Danny- when he dated Danny.

They were small, funny little anecdotes, but both John and Danny were thankful not to have to sit in silence.

As Danny sipped his tea, the sweet taste of two and a half sugars met his tongue nicely, and he hummed slightly- both in appreciation for the tea, and to make it seem like he remembered who 'Chloe from that one time in that one store' was.

"John! John Watson!" A voice reached out to them from behind. Danny turned to see a stout man rushing towards them, eyes set on their favourite doctor.

"Standford," The man introduces when John made a face of un-recognition. "Mike Standford. We were at Barts together."

"Yes, sorry, yes, Mike, hello." John nodded awkwardly, unable to shake the man's hand.

Danny grinned fondly down at the man, stumbling over his words.

"Yeah, I know, I got fat." Mike joked.

Eugene glanced off for a moment, turning away to whisper 'Can't relate' out the side of his mouth.

To him, he was the epitome perfection in every physical way. To everyone else, he was a Gucci dumpster fire.

"No, no." John shook his head, still very tense about this whole situation.

Danny decided to step in, trying to save his friend some of this pain. Sticking out his free hand, he shook Mike's, "Hello sir, I'm Daniel Evans."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tense awkwardness melt away as John's shoulders dropped down slightly, realizing that if he really didn't want to be in this situation- Danny would help him get out of it.

"And this is-" Danny went to introduce Eugene but was cut off by Mike himself

"Eugene Clive, one of the richest men in England and the only man I've met who probably has the Queen's number." Mike laughed, shaking Eugene's hand.

"Well, let's put it this way, if I told you anything I know about the dear old darling, you'd probably have to die." Eugene smiled sweetly, ignoring when Danny flicked the back of his head.

Mike turned back to John, an odd look on his face, "I heard you were around somewhere getting shot at. What happened?"

John glanced at his shoes and spoke bitterly and realistically,

"I got shot."

— THE CONVERSATION WASN'T TOO MUCH OF A MARVEL. They found a bench, John and Mike caught up while Eugene and Danny preoccupied themselves by finishing their surprisingly still warm drinks.

"Are you still at Barts then?" John asked, trying to keep up the conversation.

"Teaching now. Yeah, bright young things like we used to be." Mike said. "God, I hate them."

Eugene snorted slightly, trying to cover it up with his cup.

John chuckled, glancing at Danny for a moment.

Danny's face had a look on it as he sipped his tea. That look that said 'honestly, I have no idea what to add to this conversation but I'm here for you so just keep talking and don't make this weird'.

"What about you, just staying in town till you get yourself sorted?"

John scoffed lightly, "I can't afford London on an army pension."

"And you couldn't bear to be anywhere else." Mike stated. "That's not the John Watson I know."

This set something off in him, some sort of trigger for John. He snapped slightly, "Yeah, I'm not the John Watson-..." He cut himself off, like he knew he was being rude but it was enough to get his point across.

"Couldn't Harry help?" Mike offered.

John scoffed again, "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

"I don't know, get a flat share or something." Mike tried again.

John nodded, "That was the idea." He said, glancing at Danny. "But even on an army pension, I'm not sure either of us can afford the rent." This was the first time John had voiced his concerns about their financial situation.

Danny nodded in acquiescence, catching a look that Eugene sent his way.

Danny knew if he were to ask, Eugene would buy him a mansion in a heartbeat if he so pleased. He knew Eugene always had his back, no matter the situation.

But he didn't want that. He would never rely on his best friend for something like that. Eugene meant too much to him.

And he already let Eugene take care of his medical bills, Danny wouldn't let him do anything else.

So he shook his head in Eugene's direction, knowing that the look was made to be an offer.

John broke the silence again, with a restrained laugh. "Besides, I mean, come on, who else would want me as a flatmate." He said it as more of a statement than a question.

Mike simply laughed, like he knew some funny little secret that he just decided not to share.

Danny exchanged a glance with John, who's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

Mike looked back, seemingly tuning back into the conversation.

"It's just- you're the second person to say that to me today."

author's note

I was almost 17 words short of 2000 but I felt like that was a pretty good way to end off- bUT I found something to add so enjoy your 2001 words

Y'all, lemme know what you think of Danny's story so far. Do you think I should still do 2000 word chapters? Do you like Eugene? Idk, the more feedback the better I guess ♥️