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[littletonoidea]

"This is the audio log of Communications Officer Doug Eiffel of the-- previously of the U.S.S Hephaestus, leave a message and I'll see if I can bear to drag myself away from whatever utterly engaging task I must be doing to not notice my comms--"

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[liliputana]

"Okay. You can stir if you want, because I poured stuff."

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[littletonoidea]

Okay, so Danny-not-Neal. That's... wild, first of all, when the hell did he change his whole-ass name, is Danny his real name? He doesn't look any older than Sammy right now.

"You want choc chips in yours, Dannyboy?" he asks, as he sticks the butter into the microwave. "Otherwise we're gonna need another bowl."

[conning]

Neal's ability to lie is, as one might expect, better in his thirties than at ten. His face squinches up very slightly and very briefly, enough to register, before he's answering with perfect good cheer, "Sure, that sounds good."

[liliputana]

"Are you allergic?" Sameen asks - able to tell that that facial expression isn't a good thing, but unable to even begin to guess why in the world someone would make a bad expression at the idea of chocolate chips.

[littletonoidea]

Eiffel might not be able to place the exact expression, but he does see it - and it only occurs to him then that despite all of the sweets and high-sugar-yes-sugar-Douglas-not-that-high-fructose-crap snacks Neal's made him before, he rarely actually partook of them himself.

"Alright, well." He leans to grab another bowl. "Sammy, you put half of that in this one, alright? I wanna make my pancakes with whipped cream, and that does not go well with choc chips."

Which is a blatant lie, but maybe they're too young to know that right now.

"You can have your chocolate cakes, and I'll have my nice vanilla ones, and then Ne-Danny can pick whichever ones he likes!"

[liliputana]

"Okay."

And then, as proof that she's been paying attention even though she hasn't been openly reacting--

"Why did everybody change their names when they grew up?"

Okay, so two people technically isn't everybody. But she's only met three people so far, so two of them having aliases feels notable.

[conning]

Neal Danny gives Eiffel a suspicious look, because he's pretty sure that 90% of everyone in the world who isn't him would say that whipped cream and chocolate chips do go together. It's a very adult 'they won't get it because they're little' move, like spelling out a three letter word, but Danny isn't going to argue.

He looks at Sameen and shrugs a shoulder. He's not nearly a good enough liar to hide his reaction: worry sends little strangle-y bits out of its constant knot between his stomach and chest to squeeze his gut and his throat.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone I guess. Which is probably why they didn't tell me."

[littletonoidea]

God, he has so many concerns about baby Neal.

"So, wait." His voice is low, but it's gentle and concerned, as he puts the liquids bowl down on the bench, and squats down to be more on his babiest brother's level. "How come you're not supposed to tell people your name?"

[conning]

Lie, he thinks. Lie, lie, lie, there are a thousand ways he could lie about this, the only safe secret is the one you don't share. But that look on Eiffel's face is so familiar. Danny blinks a couple of times, too quickly. He hesitates, and then takes a breath and--

"I'm in witness protection." It doesn't have capital letters in the way he says it, and it's clearly recitation of a phrase he doesn't know the meaning of. "Because my dad isn't actually dead, and he's not a hero either. Even though I'm not the one who witnessed anything. And my aunt's not even my aunt. I'm going to find out when I turn eighteen I guess. Only I already know now."

[liliputana]

Witness. Protection. Sameen knows what those words mean individually, and she can guess at what they mean shoved together like that, but it's still not a concept that she's heard of before. She glances at Eiffel first, wondering at his reaction, before guessing, "You're a kid. Maybe your parents are trying to protect you from witnessing something bad, and so--"

And that's where it falls apart for her. Why would protecting him mean changing his name?

[conning]

"I think my aunt witnessed things already, but she's not my aunt and I don't remember if she ever tells me if she saw things. I know my dad... My dad was a dirty cop, and he's not with us, so that's probably why. He did something."

An idea which is extremely troubling.

[littletonoidea]

Witness protection.

Eiffel can't school his expression for the life of him, but somehow all his reaction is, is a widening of his eyes as he goes a shade paler.

Jesus Christ. Poor Neal.

"Well. Uh." God, this was so much to try and manage. "I know for a fact that your dad's not here, so... you don't have to be scared of him finding you here. Alright?" He smiles, a little nervous but very genuine. "I'm gonna take care of you. Both of you," he adds with a quick grin back at Sammy. "I guess this week we're gonna be playing One Big Family with your new uncle Doug." He flicks his gaze between both of them. "Sound good to you guys?"

[liliputana]

"Okay," Sameen says, followed immediately by, "What's a dirty cop?"

She may grow up to be an elite spec-ops government assassin, but right now? Normal military brat childhood, folks. Teach her things.

[conning]

Danny gives Eiffel a bleak look. "I'm not worried about now. I meet him later."

At Sameen's question, Danny looks down.

[littletonoidea]

Somehow he feels like he owes Neal after this.

"A dirty cop means they do... you know, naughty things. Like take bribes and- I dunno, help people draw graffiti, smash windows, give people really stupid tickets 'cos they're in a bad mood and wanna take it out on the little guy."

He's not going to straight-up just say 'Oh yeah, and he almost definitely killed someone' to a couple of preschoolers even if it's probably true.

"So Danny's not-really-his-aunt saw him do something naughty, so the government decided 'hey, this guy's a real jerk, we're gonna make sure he doesn't bother you anymore' and gave them somewhere nice and safe to live."

[liliputana]

Okay, she's pretty sure she can put two and two together: the government took Danny away and put him with another family because his dad hurt him, or wanted to hurt him. Sameen flicks her gaze between the two of them, mulling this over.

"Can we keep him safe here?"

[conning]

Eiffel doesn't have to say it--Danny already knows. He knows his father killed his commanding officer. He knows he turned state's evidence against the Irish mob, though he's only got the vaguest conception of what that means. He knows his dad fled custody and disappeared and will find him and lie to him when he's much, much older than he is now, three times as old at least.

The only safe secrets are the ones you don't share. He knows that, too.

"I'll be okay," he says. "I catch him, sort of."