Behind Our Masks

Chapter 2: A Welcome Change of Face

Daniel's POV:

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping desperately for air like the fish out of water I was.

It sucks to say it, but that's how I woke up most mornings. It was mostly from my nightmares, a mix of flashbacks to my suckiest days at school and the horrible possibilities of what might happen the next day. Ever had a dream of going to school naked, or laid awake at night kicking yourself for some stupid crap that happened in class five years ago? Yeah. Like that. But worse. Wayyyyyy worse. I was 96% sure that I had freaking PTSD.

But this morning, my usual rude awakening was for a completely different reason.

"Who are you?" Demanded the person who's hands were currently wrapped around my neck. They were straddling me, trapping my arms to my sides and holding them there with just the strength of their thighs.
I gurgled something that sounded even more like a wayward fish before coughing violently as she- she?- loosened her iron fingers enough to allow me just enough air to answer. It was only when I saw the mask that I remembered.

"It's... me... Daniel... Park!" I grunted at Penny as I struggled to throw her off. "Snap... out... of...!!"
I was forced into silence as she closed her fingers again, this time only using a single hand to press down on my airway.
"If that's true," she hissed, "Then who the hell is that?!"
She used her free hand to shove my head to the side. Suddenly, I was looking at...

Me?

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Penny
Thirty minutes later:

I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my elbows resting on my knees and my hands hanging loosely between my legs. I watched Daniel pace and mumble to himself with growing agitation.
It had been thirty minutes since the start of this fiasco: twenty-five minutes of figuring out just what in the blue hell was going on, and five minutes of enduring Daniel's panic.

When I'd finally decided to knock out the new Daniel after ten minutes of his unchanging answer, the original one had woken up and started babbling about how I had just been choking him to death. The original then saw who I was straddling and promptly fainted, resulting in the "new" Daniel waking up and actually managing to throw me off. Then another fifteen more minutes of painful trial and error that ended with him in his normal body, and here we were.

"This is impossible."
"I know."
"This is insane."
"We've established that."
"This is crazy, this is-"

"If you don't cut the broken record act, I'm going to find a way to put both of your bodies to sleep!" I finally snapped. "And stop pacing!"

"...Sorry."

I huffed and massaged my temples to soothe my pounding skull.
"No, no, I should apologize; if anyone has a right to fret, it's you. For what it's worth..." I looked into his eyes gravely, "I'm here, for what little help I can offer."

Daniel went wide-eyed and slack-jawed at my declaration. After a long moment, he finally closed his gaping mouth and looked away. Anyone who bothrred to pay attention to him would have easily discerned the reason behind the sudden tears in his eyes: it was because no one had ever bothered to pay attention to him. At least, not beyond the ridicule he had probably endured.
Though I already knew what he was most likely about to say, his warbled response nearly broke my heart.

"I... I've never had anyone... say that before..." he whispered shakily. "I... I just..."

"It's fine," I cut in, "Think nothing of it. Or do, whichever. But know that your company is valued just as much, maybe more."
I looked away as he had moments before.
"I've walked alone for so, so long. No one has looked at me without disgust for years. So... thank you, Daniel Park."