D.N.Angel fans,

Did you know that TVtropes has an extensive HoYay (aka shounen-ai) page.

The last one…!

V-very very headcannon-heavy… I-I’m sorry. B-but I hope you like it! ^_^ I’ll be posting a list shortly. I’ve finally finished them all! Please enjoy!

31/31

Day 31: Family Pictures

“Dai-chan, hold still.” Emiko gave an exasperated sigh, trying and failing to tame her son’s wild red hair. After multiple attempts, she gave up, letting it stick out in every such direction. “Fix you tie, dear, a phantom thief must look good at every moment!”

“But mom… I’m not being a phantom thief…” Daisuke rolled his eyes, fixing his tie anyway, tightening it around his collar. His hair felt weird—Emiko had used too much gel, trying to comb it down.

“What’s the big deal anyhow. It’s just a picture.” Dark grumbled inside his head.

“It’s the new year, Dark. We haven’t taken a family picture in a while anyway…” Daisuke shrugged. “Besides… our family has gotten bigger, since then…”

“You counting Towa-chan and Argentine too?” Dark scoffed.

“Of course!”

“Daisuke, quit dilly-dallying with Dark and come on, we’ll be late.” Emiko shooed him out of his room, ushering him downstairs. “Has the photographer gotten here yet?”

“Yes, he has.” Kosuke nodded, motioning to where Daiki was talking to the man. Towa and Argentine were helping the photographer set up a plain backdrop for them, a gray sheet with a subtle watercolor texture on it.

“Okay, everyone in their spots, come now.” Emiko clapped her hands, and everyone hastily got into place as the photographer gave the signal that he was ready.

“Tch… it’s just a dumb picture.” Dark mumbled in Daisuke’s head. He was ignored, as Daisuke was focused on smiling for the photo, and doing what the photographer directed him to do.

Not too long after that, the photographer wrapped up and left, informing Emiko and Kosuke that he would send the pictures over the next day after he had printed them. They thanked him, and Daisuke let out a breath of relief as he loosened the tie.

“Really? A couple lousy shots and then that’s it? Why’d you have to get all dressed up, this was such a waste of time!” Dark complained.

“You’re awfully noisy today, Dark,” Daisuke frowned, heading up to his room to change into more comfortable clothes. He paused halfway up the stairs, looking thoughtful, blinking as he slowly realized why.

“Dark… did you… want to be in the picture too?”

“Pah, why would I want a thing like that.” Dark huffed, and Daisuke could just see him crossing his arms and turning away in the abyss of their shared mind.

While Dark was often on TV and had shots of him in the newspapers, he had never really had a formal portrait of himself, huh… Maybe he felt left out. Daisuke couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

After a moment of contemplation, Daisuke decided to answer his rhetorical question. “So you can be a narcissistic and fawn over how handsome you are.”

“Hey, I do not—” Dark started, his hair standing up like a cat’s as he tried and failed to push Daisuke, who had already continued on his way, leaving the phantom thief in his childish tantrum.

“You would so do that if you had a picture of yourself.” Daisuke pointed out.

Yeah, he probably would, Dark thought to himself, but didn’t voice it. “Shut up.”

The pictures came the next day as promised, and Emiko and Kosuke put a large version of it in a frame to hang on the wall. There were a couple wallet-sized ones—one of which Daisuke asked for.

As he looked down at it, he wondered if Dark could see it too—the shadow of that thief standing curiously behind Daisuke. Daisuke could see a faint but serene and proud smile tugging at the lips of the figure as he looked upon what he had come to think of as family.

“Daisuke, you gettin’ all sentimental about something?” Dark broke him from his thoughts. He blinked and shook his head.

“No, nothing.” Daisuke smiled, tucking the picture away for now.

Dark deserved to part of the family portrait, Daisuke thought. He knew it was impossible—they couldn’t be in the same place at the same time, and there wasn’t a photographer who wouldn’t question it if they had to take a picture of the great phantom thief Dark.

After a couple days Dark forgot about the portrait, going about his heists and his his rather mundane life otherwise, living inside of Daisuke’s head. Occasionally he awoke to find Daisuke working on a painting—there was a photo clipped to the corner of the canvas, but he only glanced it before Daisuke noticed he was paying attention, and put a sheet over the work, making up an excuse about how he was tired or that he needed to let the paint dry.

Only after some weeks did he finally see what Daisuke was working on. He had stolen the opportunity when Daisuke was sleeping—it was far too cold and Dark thought the shivering kid needed another blanket. After he got one and was halfway to crawling back into bed, he saw the easel sitting in the moonlight, and thought, why not?

Let’s see the masterpiece Dai’s been working on all this time, hm? He grinned to himself, carefully pulling off the protective tarp.

He found himself staring longer than he meant to, completely awestruck.

The family portrait… and…

How did Daisuke know I was smiling like that?

He didn’t know what he was feeling right then… but it wasn’t the cold of the winter night. No… it was something warm, and welcoming… something foreign.

“…Stupid… I am you. Of course I’d know.”

Dark didn’t startle, but he chuckled in his characteristically charming way. “Go back to sleep, Daisuke.”

“You’re not even grateful, are you.” Daisuke murmured tiredly, rolling his eyes.

“Mmhm.” Dark smirked, waiting for the boy to fall asleep again before he went back to admiring the portrait. It was certainly the kind of thing he’d steal… Daisuke really wasn’t that bad at painting, even if he didn’t think of himself as good.

No… he put more feeling into his art than Dark had ever felt before. Maybe that was what Dark had been feeling before… it was the emotion Daisuke had put into this work, so enchanting it captured his heart.

As he looked upon the smile that didn’t feel like his own, yet felt every bit his, he wondered… Was this how Daisuke saw the world? Was this how Daisuke saw him?

You’re wrong, Daisuke. I’m really… really grateful.

Daisuke had wanted to let Dark see what he could see—he didn’t need to be part of the family portrait to be part of the family.

Thank you.