Putting That Guy In A Situation Is All Fun And Games Until Putting That Guy In A Situation Puts You In

Guys,

The universe (windows defender) is keeping me from finishing this next chapter. For some god awful reason the anti-virus software is taking up more than 50% of my computer's memory and I can't keep my document tabs open for more than thirty seconds at a time to write.

I have tried searching for this problem literally everywhere it's even typed "reddit" at the end of my search and have tried everything I found. Nothing is working. I won't be able to finish the chapter until I can get my computer to work.

If anyone has struggled with antimalware service executable like this, id love some help.

---

The hardest part about writing is admitting to yourself that something isn't working and being willing to start over or even just reread what you've done and then try again after.

I tried to make it shorter but somehow only made it longer. oops. enjoy! 

first off gonna point out things that you have done well: (which is a lot!)

Flush out infected wounds!

Being careful not to flush onto healthy skin!!! love love LOVE this detail!

If there is no way to position Danny to where the flush will trickle onto healthy skin have gauze catch the flush as it exits the wound

If not shot with venom stopping the bleed in the field is more important than flushing in the field because you can’t guarantee contamination during transport considering they are using their cars and not an ambulance

I know some of this doesnt apply cuz ghost healing powers but I just have many thoughts and want to give everything to you so you can have a big field to let your creative writing run wild 🖤

love that dash finds a container to collect the flush instead of just letting it run off onto the ground

dash remembering to restock his first aid kit!!!!!! ugh this is such a good detail

Bandaging gauze onto wounds instead of taping 🖤

Pressure!

This might seem like common knowledge but honestly it's not. sometimes people focus on absorption of blood which is no good. If there is blood to absorb, the pressure wrap needs to be taken off and redone

Dash could have shoved his jacket (or shirt. yes the one hes wearing. dirty shirt is better than bleeding out. can deal with infection later. in danny’s case, regular infection will be no problem) into danny’s wound for better pressure

the detail of describing dannys distress as he was losing blood is 👌

not everyone knows it gets hard to breath when you lose blood cuz blood is the thing that carries oxygen around your body

good for you

this is really cool

keeping danny horizontal as they transport him into the house 👏👏👏

dash grabbing a new rag and not the one sam dropped on the ground 👏👏👏 

ideally they would be using sterile gauze though. even if not sterile gauze. regular gauze would be better than a rag cuz it doesnt leave lint behind

i dont know if you realized how well you wrote dash managing multiple people thru a crisis and remembering to check in on patient. like. fuck off (affectionate). so. good.

securing gauze with tape for the abdomen wound cuz wrapping pressure bandage around abdomen (1) would use too much material and (2) would make it hard to breathe/be very uncomfortable 👏👏

Wound care flow (since the rest of this is absolutely scatterbrained and I could not organize it better):

If need to stop bleeding apply tourniquet and pack wound with whatever gauze available

Place tourniquet 2 inches above wound. pull as tight as you can. then turn windlass until bleeding stops and not a turn more. you can cause serious damage to tissue if too tight. this is going to HURT

Combat gauze first (cuz it has clot activators)

Then compressed gauze on top (if wound is big enough. If wound small, combat gauze might be enough)

In order from most expensive to least expensive: combat gauze, compressed gauze, rolled gauze.

Ideally have all three but sometimes only have rolled or compressed gauze

With a high schoolers budget i’d imagine dash cannot afford combat gauze

Once wound is packed slowly loosen tourniquet to see if wound has been properly packed

If a tourniquet is on too long it will start to create damage (sorry I don’t know that time frame but a quick google says maybe 3 hours? Will report back when I do my bleeding control class

I say this cuz it would be interesting to see if you want to play with the venom

Like say bleeding is controlled but dash doesn’t have flush on hand or his stock was compromised in the fight. He gets bleeding under control but the venom starts to spread faster once the tourniquet is released. 

Get out of the field if possible

Clean with diluted antiseptic and gauze (details on antiseptics later in note)

You want to clean before flushing because you don’t want to push anything that's on the surface into the wound

For venom sake dash might do like the worlds quickest clean, flush, then go back and do a better clean

Create a diluted antiseptic solution but adding antiseptic to saline/whatever flush is available (for chlorhexidine sky blue color or 30mLs per gallon, for iodine tea color or 15mLs per gallon - the mLs are gross estimates I never actually measure it out tbh I go by color) then soak gauze in it. So like have a bowl of gauze and pour the diluted antiseptic over it. You don't want a puddle but just enough to have wet gauze

The goal with cleaning is spreading the antiseptic around not rubbing it in

Scrubbing hard is counterproductive

Gentle wipes are best (but not like super soft just like no elbow grease if that makes sense)

Only need like 3-5 pass overs, this does not have to take a long time

Remove any small debris at the same time

Leave big debris in if danny infected with venom cuz this will help stop bleeding

Leave it in until in a spot where the venom can be flushed out but need to take it out before flushing cuz who knows if the debris is trapping some venom

Take it out if no venom cuz then he can start healing

Flush

Use saline not distilled water (more on this later)

Wipe the exterior with flush soaked gauze (especially if cleaned again after flush)

Dry with dry gauze

Apply ointment (optional)

Bandage

Make sure wound is completely dry before bandaging

(unless its giant then it can get a wet to dry bandage but with danny’s ghost healing that wont be something I need to get into)

If a small wound and no ointment applied, best to keep open because wounds need exposure to air to heal and like to stay dry (bacteria loves wet environments)

If large wound that needs to scab over definitely bandage

If cannot keep clean while healing then definitely bandage but take breaks in between bandages so the wound can have some air time and dry out

All gauze mentioned unless otherwise stated is nonwoven gauze (more on gauze in ifak notes)

danny’s big abdomen wound:

why do the antibiotics only work if the venom isnt active?

you do want the flush to go inside the wound. (responding to dash telling sam to not get the water inside dannys abdomen wound) because they are using distilled water and not sterile saline i can see your thought process but thats where the venom is. that is where you need to flush. and his ghost healing powers can take care of any infection introduced by flushing a wound with non-sterile flush. 

why dunk the rags into a bowl of the distilled water? you’d want to pour the flush directly on to the wound and then clean with gauze soaked in diluted antiseptic. you dont want to dunk something that was already in the wound back into your cleaning or rinsing agent cuz then the whole thing becomes contaminated.

for this scene i would have put danny in the bathtub and just start pouring flush onto all his wounds. the pressure of the flush matters so pouring a lot quickly so it hits tissue harder is important. syringes work well for this cuz you can control pressure better based on how hard you push the plunger (but be careful cuz too much pressure causes tissue damage). but in this case he needs so much flush so quickly i would skip the syringes and just start pouring from the jugs. just like from a little bit of a height away from the wound (like a foot-ish) so that gravity can help in adding pressure.

why antibiotics straight onto the wound? sam can give them intravenously (IV). (most antibiotics need to be diluted and given over 20-30 minutes but you can ignore this fact tbh thats getting a little too technical…maybe…ill let you decide on that one). i was picturing the antibiotics being an oral administration. would be cool if team phantom was able to manufacture both IV and an oral version. for this wound danny would benefit from iv, during crisis, and maybe like one dose orally the next day to help with healing/take care of anything lingering. but for less serious wounds (like if his leg was the only thing hit then a few oral doses (basically until healed) would do the trick once the venom was flushed out. oral doses only work if patient is conscious enough to take them)

Antibiotics straight onto the wound would work just not very well. since the venom spreads so fast it probably became systemic (so like in his bloodstream) a few seconds after he started bleeding

I only added this cuz you already established Sam is able to hit a vein. But drawing blood is different (easier) than administering something into a vein. 

Just want to give you all the info, do whatever you want with all of it 🖤

overall notes:

sterile saline. not distilled water.

if ‘saline’ is said instead of ‘sterile saline’ pretend like ‘sterile’ was said. sterile is always implied when talking about saline. 

distilled water is okay if saline is not available

like in huge disaster situations where supplies are spread thin. say like when amity park was pulled into the ghost zone or a large scale ghost attack

or if budget is an issue (i’d imagine it is for a few high schoolers, sam excluded)

1 gallon (3,785mL) of distilled water for $1-2.80

100mL of saline is about $1 (so 37x more expensive)

distilled water is made by collecting and cooling the steam from tap water. So it is free from sediment (including salt) but it is not sterile 

if using distilled water (for cost or availability reasons) put antiseptic (see ifak notes for details on antiseptics) in it first but only right before using. dont pre make it. if no classic antiseptics available, use vinegar (diluted out with the distilled water). id imagine vinegar burns (unsure) but less than alcohol. 

Sterile saline is better than sterile water because something about salt really helps clean blood

Saline is just sterile salt water (0.9% salt)

sterile water is different from distilled water. 

idk what it is about salt clearing off blood so easily, but when it comes to cleaning blood off my patients fur I always go for saline instead of peroxide because I think it cleans better and the reaction between peroxide and blood releases heat (exothermic if you want to throw that word in cuz you know. team phantom is full of nerds) and peroxide leaves a brown stain. 

alcohol burns like hell as an antiseptic

Has a short contact time of 30s-1m but evaporates faster than that if too thin of layer is applied

contact time is the time an antiseptic needs to sit for it to be effective

Can dry out skin too much if used too frequently

chlorhex or iodine are better (see ifak notes for more info on antiseptics)

dont rice injuries - this is the instructor of my bleeding control class

You don’t have this in your fic but just in case

There’s no proof that elevation helps stop bleeding

Another thing you don’t have but just in case

Let me know if you want to know about CPR but won’t give you details unless you ask

pls don’t put CPR in your fic. I could not handle it 😭😭

also CPR is not as effective as movies make it seem

things that should be in dashs ifak aka the backpack he grabs in chapter 7:

ifak is an individual first aid kit (gotta teach you all the cool medical lingo too)

Tourniquet

if you are going for details a CAT tourniquet ONLY

can be helpful if dash runs out of flush, his stock gets contaminated, or punctured (from being too close to ghost fight) then can use tourniquet to stop venom from spreading

improvised tourniquets are no good 

99% fail rate

can elaborate more if you want but this note is already long

gauze

no tampons

there are so many different types of gauze!

combat gauze (clotting)

compressed gauze

rolled gauze

woven gauze

nonwoven gauze

Antiseptic

Chlorhex (solution)

Must be diluted

2 minute contact time

chlorhex burns a lil but not nearly as much as alcohol

its a good antiseptic cuz it binds to the skin

There are two different types

chlorhex solution (no soap) for open wounds

scrub (soap version) for cleaning skin that is about to be poked

Not entirely necessary for blood draws (alcohol will do)

More for surgery prep, intravenous catheters, stabbing into chest to release air, or giving something in a vein

always follow up with a wipe of saline cuz it can damage skin if contact time is too long. iodine does not need this.

Will damage eyes so no good for head/face wounds

Iodine

Must be diluted

1 minute contact time (but starts working after 30 seconds)

Doesnt burn

Does stain skin brown/yellow (goes away with time)

Use for all head/face wounds bc will not damage eyes

Vinegar

Must be diluted

Only use as an absolutely last resource

But would use before alcohol for deep large wounds to minimize pain

Scissors

gloves! (i dont think dash ever puts on gloves?)

Non latex ideally cuz people are commonly allergic

regular bandaids

bandage tape

compression wrap (not ace bandage but similar. ace bandages get tighter over time so they aren’t recommended for wound care cuz too tight = not great blood flow)

regular water bottles (for drinking)

Sharpie

For labeling

Most important one i can think of is labeling the time when a tourniquet is applied

cold pack

ibu/tylenol

chest seals

in case dannys chest ever gets injured (not me wanting dash to cut dannys shirt off)

These are expensive

The goal with an ifak is to not over pack and to pack efficiently so things can be easily accessed. So think about what can fit into dash’s bag and what he can physically carry and still be agile/not fatigue for long journeys

live reactions / overall thoughts:

love that both dash and danny use pretty to describe each other

dash commenting on how dirty schools are and worrying his dog will get sick from school germs 🖤

calling bacteria little creatures 🖤🖤🖤

sam making sure the sink was properly rinsed so danny wouldnt get hurt 🖤

dash bouncing on his toes!! 😭🖤

dash and danny being domestic and cooking together 😭🖤

“the cold water felt nice on the inside of his lungs” god i need this

your scene of danny freeing emma also reminds me of a scene in face my demons, i wont hide

when Danny’s dad first went “whats on your face”, I thought he had ectoplasm on his face, and they were about to go apeshit on him for releasing their ghost

danny closing his book to give dash his full attention on phone call 😭😭😭😭🖤

danny getting butterflies over dash listening to his space rants 🥰🥰🖤🖤🖤

loosing my SHIT! danny putting reggie in his place!! Not only was it absolutely ADORABLE but I feel like Danny appreciated this on so many levels. Not everyone wants to know the creepy facts of a special interest and having someone remember them and seek them out for a separate convo they arent a part of is VERY SPECIAL. kinda similar feeling about my job. i love it but sometimes i forget my audience and get looks like

(continued from last bullet)

I appreciate this scene. so. much. 

i’m very excited to tell you about wound care cuz i don’t get to talk about it outside of work a lot. I’m not gonna get into the nitty gritty of details of what a wound looks like (unless you want me to!) 

I also love teaching so please ask as many questions as you want.

dash being proud of danny putting reggie in his place with space facts 🥰🥰🥰🥰🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

lmao danny still thinking he MIGHT be in trouble when he was basically just

Before, during, and after his call with dash. buddy. you ARE in trouble.

janice wanting dash to date danny so she can have a space buddy 😭😭😭🖤

dashs grandma 😭😭🖤🖤

was this

to say there is a lack of love between jack and maddie? like a reference to your overall theme of orpheus and eurydice

DANNY COMMENTING ON THE WARMTH OF DASHS HANDS AS HES DYING 😭😭😭 fuck me up

"warm strong hands pushed him back down into the soft covers" 🖤🖤🖤🖤

(me realizing why i love your dash so much. hes a gentle ace medic. hes me. or at least who i am trying to be. though i would not be described as strong. i love him)

lol dash saying “do you see the hours my mom works” is very accurate. nurse hours suck even if during the day. 12 hour shifts drain you and take a while to get used to. but that means taking 1 week off you get 11 days off (work 3 days a week)

would LOVE to see a scene where danny is healing and dash is taking care of him and he tries to kiss dash (not their first intentional kiss) and dash stops him going “careful. we need to keep your heart rate down or your wound will reopen” AHAHHD SJFBSHABD i would simply DIE. (phantom #2 lol) dash could also say something like “easy there ghost boy” like this scene in the amazing spiderman. i would just

I mean I already am tbh

Take or leave anything you want! This was fun to put together and I enjoy talking to you about your fic 🖤🖤

Things I Did Well:

Yay! 💚💚💚Thank you! It bugs me a lot when I watch movies or shows or whatnot and they just wash the super-poisoning stuff over healthy skin, like wouldn’t it just cause more issues instead of helping????? 

Honestly thank god for ghost powers cause I don’t know enough about how to fix things without them

Containing biohazards saves lives

Always restock your first aid kit. I go hiking a lot and this has literally bit me in the ass a few times when I’ve forgotten to do it lol

I have POTS so the hard to breathe thing and I are very good friends, blood circulation issues are my greatest enemy. Keeping people laying down to maintain good circulation (that’s also not rushing blood straight to the wound) is also something I’m familiar with as I personally end up on the ground to regulate heart rate and breathing all the time. 

Clean utensils every time!!!!!! 👏👏Honestly, lint didn’t even cross my mind as being an issue, I will think of this moving forward.

Dash is really putting those therapy skills to use 💪💪💪💚

Wound Care:

I thought about using tourniquets but I wasn’t sure if 1) I could write them well enough 2) if Dash’s first aid kits would have stuff for it or if he would even know how to so something that extensive. His mom taught him a lot of basics but I wasn’t sure if that was considered a basic. 

But as time goes on and he gets more used to be Danny’s go to nurse, I’m sure he’s going to educate himself more on how to do more advanced things so this is super helpful to know. 

I did not know there were so many different kinds of gauze; I have learned something today.✍️ I’ll probably do more research into what makes most sense for Dash to be carrying around

I read the word Iodine and had so many flashbacks to my childhood, that smell is permanently ingrained into my nostrils. Tbh I really should have thought about antiseptics more but I figured Danny heals well enough that they probably weren’t the most important thing to worry about after getting the poison off and stopping the blood. I definitely should think more about them though

Big Wound:

 I did have notes on this somewhere and I cannot find them. It had something to do with his human biology cause for full ghosts the antibiotics work just fine. I also just kind of wanted to avoid having a miracle drug that could fix everything without having to put the actual work into it. So that was kind of my way of insinuating that fixing the wound is still important. I will refigure this out. TBH the venom wasn’t supposed to make so many reappearances and have a plot, I kind of patch worked it together as I solidified more headcanons and put this story together. It was supposed to be short and it it not lol

I can see how I wrote this weird now. My thought process was with so much bleeding the vast majority of the venom would have been pushed out with the blood and their main focus was to clean around it and get the edge off and where the blood touched but they didn’t want the water running uncontrolled and pushing the venom back into the wound or getting it on the healthy skin around it. Definitely did not convey aunty of that in the writing though my bad. 

I’ll be honest, didn’t think about how antibiotics actually worked on that lol I just figured a liquid would be the easiest thing for them to make and understand. I’m sure Sam could administer a needle medication if she needed to, but with her freaking out I’m not sure she’d be the best at it.

Overall

I never thought of looking for Saline outside of a hospital TBH. I literally have contact solution in my house and was like “Where would someone obtain saline????” I’m a silly goose.🪿 I mainly went with distilled water because they’re more likely to have a lot of it and with so many wounds I figured they’d need a lot of liquid to wash something off. I will do some saline research though and see what the price and availability of stuff were back then

I wasn’t planning on CPR, I don’t really care for those scenes in movies and I don’t know enough about it to even know what kind of injury Danny could get that would require it

Ifak Backpack

Honestly, bless this information. Would you mind if I used this to sneak a joke in? I was reading this and at some items, I was like “when would they even need that?” and I have a scene where Danny goes through the bag and I think this could make for some great comic relief if that’s alright?

And no, homeboy did not use gloves, first time because he’s a ghost it didn’t occur to him and the second time, there was no time and he was trying to understand how the ghost powers worked to see what he needed to do. He would definitely use gloves if it wasn’t Danny getting hurt though 

I appreciate you telling me what everything is for. Just had a hilarious moment of “Wait, why a sharpie?” *reads next bullet point “Oh! Duh! 🤦🏼‍♀️Glad that was here to tell me” I was about to ask a coworker and look really silly lol 

Live reaction etc:

They’re both hopeless romantics what can i say💚🧡

Schools are disgusting. 🤢

Oooooh I now have something to read!!!

I didn’t mean to make Danny’s dad so aggressive about it, but I just really don’t like Jack and I think it maybe shows. I thought about the ectoplasm that got on him but considering stuff goes away when he transforms I figure ghost powers would have gotten rid of it

Dash is very proud of his creepy space obsessed (future) boyfriend. I’m a horror nerd so I’ll casually talk about things like cannibalism or you know dissection and people do the same thing. “Well, I was gonna eat and now I can’t stop thinking about cannibals. So thanks” like oops my bad, forget that bothers people

If you want to get into gritty details please do. I’m about to have burn wounds show up, like mild electric burns and google only gives me extremes so if you would like to explain I’m all ears👂👂

Those gifs made me chuckle, that’s exactly how he was lmao

I don’t necessarily think there is a lack of love, just the Jack is overall very oblivious about the people around him while Maddie isn’t. I don’t think Jack thinks too hard about how his actions and words affect other people. If anybody matches each other’s freaks it’s Jack and Maddie. Honestly they probably would be decently good people if they weren’t parents. It’s how they treat their kids (both, both kids) that give me major ick and think they aren’t the best people

Homie just likes being warm considering he isn’t lol

( we love to see it. Dash is doing his best to be gentle now too. Though he’s mostly strong cause he’s a gym bro who plays sports. We love our gentle ace medics 💚🖤🩶🤍💜)

I freaking love spiderman oh my gosh! I might have to write a short story for this lmao

Honestly, this made my day, thank you so much for this! I giggled and kicked my feet a lot lol Thanks for taking the time to write this 🥰🥰😊🤭🤗🥹🙈

---

God, if only I could stop thinking about queers kissing long enough to write about queers kissing I'd be so productive

---

Y'all, i forgot to grab my computer on the way to work today and now I can't work on the chapter. Which sucks cause work has been unbelievablely slow and I would have been able to get a good chunk of it done. 😮‍💨

---

Chapter 4 is Finally done!

Of All The Stories In The Stars, Ours Has Yet To Be Told (41076 words) by StarsWhisper Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dash Baxter/Danny Fenton Characters: Danny Fenton, Dash Baxter, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Paulina Sanchez, Kwan (Danny Phantom), Valerie Gray, Pookie (Danny Phantom) Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), on the way to college, mentions of child abuse, Mentions of homophobia, Redemption Arcs, Bisexual Danny Fenton, everyone becoming good friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Second Chances, lots of classical literature references, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Lots of Crying, Some hurt/comfort, almost everyone has shitty parents, More tags to come as I think of them, Suicidal Thoughts, This is heavily inspired by marichat, stealing lots of headcanons from tumblr, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, not entirely canon compliant, I stole the pieces I like and combined them with fanon to get what I wanted, this was supposed to be a slow burn, Dialogue Heavy, some spooky shit will be snuck in here, Mutual Pining, Dissection, Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton, lots of astrology references, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), horror aspects will be in here, but also cute fluff, Asexual Character Summary: It's the end of senior year and Dash and Danny are having the worst time of their lives. Dash's father finds out he's queer and tries to kill him. That lands him in prison with divorce papers. Dash goes to therapy to cope and learn how to change his behaviors while taking some time off from school. He now needs to learn how to navigate the world and figure himself out. Danny fears he'll never figure out what he wants for his future beyond being the hero of Amity Park forever and he's running out of time to figure it out as he watches everyone he knows move on without him. Plus there are always the people hunting him down that he has to worry about on top of that.

~

Sam slammed her piercing kit down on the counter, her jaw going slack. She stared at Danny with bug eyes. “You kissed Dash!?”

“Almost! I almost kissed Dash.” Danny protested, squirming in his chair. The weight of everyone’s eyes made him want to curl up under a rock and never leave again.

“As Phantom?” Valerie exclaimed. “Are you crazy?!”

“I just got a little distracted!” He denied.

“I told you guys,” Tucker sighed teasingly, “Danny just can’t resist a pretty jock. I mean, remember how hard he crushed on Valerie?”

“Playing tennis does not make me a jock.” Valerie scoffed, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

“No, but tennis and ghost hunting, does.”

Valerie grinned, “So, what you’re saying is, Danny just likes it when mean people are nice to him.”

“Hey!” Danny squeaked.

Sam sighed as she rifled through her kit for the right needles. “Seriously though, Danny, are you trying to get caught?”

“No.” All this questioning was starting to make Danny feel small. He really didn’t like feeling like he’d done something wrong; it made his skin itch. “I just… I don’t know. He’s really…”

“Pretty?” Valerie snickered.

“Yeah, I mean, no! That’s not-”

“Why not just kiss him as Danny Fenton?” Sam huffed.

Danny slumped in the chair, glaring at the floor. “I, I don’t think I like him in a romantic sense.”

“That’s not very convincing coming from the guy who was two seconds away from kissing him.” Tucker chuckled, getting up from his seat to go through Sam’s DVD collection.

“That doesn’t really mean anything, Tucker you and I have kissed!” Danny hissed.

“We all know you’re not above kissing the homies.” Valerie giggled as she started the popcorn machine. “But I don’t think you count Phantom and Dash as homies.”

Danny groaned, running his hands down his face. Sam slapped his hands away.

“Stop touching.” She chided. “You might have crazy healing powers but you still don’t want to deal with an infected piercing.”

“Fine.” Danny busied his hands by picking at the loose threads in his jeans. “Okay, maybe, I am willing to admit that, possibly, I find him, somewhat, physically attractive.”

Valerie snorted, accidentally missing the bucket and spilling popcorn kernels all over the kart. “You think? Nice detective work, Sherlock.”

“But!” Danny continued. “But, I only like him platonically.”

Tucker sighed, setting some DVD cases on the table. “Danny, have you heard of this river in Egypt?”

“I’m not in denial, Tucker.” Danny huffed.

Sam cleaned the skin around his eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. “Sure, you’re not, big guy. Silver or gold?”

“Silver.” Danny pouted.

“You know it’s okay if you like him, right?” Valerie asked, hitting start on the machine and grabbing the broom to sweep up. “Don’t get me wrong, we’ll tease the hell out of you, but no one would be mad about it.”

“Yeah, dude,” Tucker added, still going through the DVDs unable to make a decision. “Dash helped me pass History, so if you wanna tap that then-”

“Good to know, Tucker.” Danny hissed. “But I don’t. Besides, it’s not like it would work out between us anyway. There’s no way he doesn’t have a football scholarship to some fancy university out of state. So, can we just drop it?”

“Are you going to keep hanging out with him as Phantom?” Sam pulled some gloves on and set all her tools on her tray. She grabbed Danny’s face and tilted it to the side, using a marker to mark where the piercing would go.

“No, I wasn’t planning on it. But, he does have a terrible habit of showing up wherever Phantom is.”

“Yeah, because it’s Dash who showed up outside your house.” Tucker cackled.

Danny huffed, crossing his arms, and accidentally turning invisible from the embarrassment.

“Hey!” Sam chided. “I kinda need to see what I’m doing here.”

“Sorry,” Danny muttered, taking a deep breath and reappearing.

“If you keep doing that, he’ll find out before the first movie is over.” Valerie wheezed.

“He would find out if they ever got here. Seriously, they’re like fifteen minutes late. Where are they?” Tucker complained.

“I don’t know.” Danny checked his phone. “I’ll call them as soon as Sam’s done with my eyebrow.”

“You kissed Phantom!?” Paulina screeched.

“Almost!” Dash protested, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were going numb. “Almost kissed Phantom.”

“What was stopping you!” Paulina turned in her seat, fighting against the seat belt as her nails dug into the armrest. “You had the dreamiest guy in the whole town an inch away from you and you didn’t kiss him?! Are you sure you’re even gay?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Dash pulled over in front of Kwan’s house, honking to announce their presence. “He was just looking at me like-”

“Like he wanted to kiss you? Duh! That’s what you do when you’re trying to kiss someone!”

Dash ran his hands through his hair. “I know! It’s just that his eyes were so-”

“Whose eyes? What are we talking about?” Kwan asked, sliding into the back seat.

Paulina whirled around, propping herself up on her knees to see over the headrests. “Dash had a chance to make out with Phantom and didn’t!”

“What?!” Kwan shot forward, pushing Paulina back into her seat, and craned his neck between the front seats to stare at Dash. “Dude, are you sure you’re gay?!”

“Guys,” Dash groaned. He wanted to scream. “I’m a coward, I get it. It’s just that his eyes looked so familiar and I-”

“Oh, you guys were getting familiar, huh?” Kwan laughed, raising a teasing eyebrow at his friend.

“Kwan, please.” Dash sighed.

“What do you mean, familiar?” Paulina huffed. “Like someone you know? Or like the ‘this is what home feels like’ hallmark romance familiar?”

“Uh, not that. I don’t know, really. He was just really intense and it seemed like I’d seen that look somewhere before.”

“Oh shit,” Kwan muttered, a giggle just beneath his tone, “You weren’t thinking about Fenton as you were about to kiss Phantom were you?”

“What?!” Dash screeched, choking on air as he whipped around to stare at Kwan. “No!”

Paulina covered her mouth with her hands, gasping dramatically. “No way. I knew it.”

“No! Knew what?! I wasn’t!” Dash sputtered, knowing full well he was not doing a good job of looking like he was telling the truth. “Why would I be thinking about Danny?”

“Oh, please.” Paulina jokingly rolled her eyes. She shifted in her seat again, too much excitement coursing through her to sit still. “Like you don’t have the biggest crush on him.”

“I do not!”

“Bro,” Kwan leaned forward again, putting a hand on Dash’s shoulder, his eyes serious, “he literally left the amusement park wearing your jacket.”

Dash swatted Kwan’s hand away, ears burning. “That doesn’t mean anything! Paulina steals my jacket all the time!”

“Yeah, platonically.” She waved him off.

“And I platonically gave it to Danny. You saw how the sun was making him feel after The Zipper!”

“You mean, the ride you challenged him to go on with your totally platonic flirting?”

“I was not flirting! I was trying to make him feel better about the ride!”

“Aw, you’re in denial,” Paulina cooed.

“I’m not-” The sound of his phone ringing cut him off. Danny’s name flashed on the screen.

Paulina leaned over to look. “You don’t have a profile picture set for him? Maybe you don’t have a crush.” She said it like it was the most tragic thing to happen in history.

He ignored her. He cleared his throat and answered, hoping Danny wouldn’t notice how embarrassed he was. “Heyyyy, what’s up?”

He also ignored Kwan and Paulina’s laughter.

“Hey, yourself.” Danny chuckled on the other end of the line. “Where are you guys? You’re like half an hour late.”

“Oh, uh, we’re outside Kwan’s house. He’s talking to his mom, you know how moms are.” Dash chuckled, clearing his throat.

“Ask them if they’ll pick up the pizza since they’re late.” Sam’s voice called from somewhere behind Danny.

“Can you, uh-”

“Yeah, we can do that, no problem, none whatsoever.” Dash slapped a hand over his eyes. “Tony’s?”

“Yeah,” Danny laughed, “Tony’s. It should be under Sam’s name.”

“Okay, yeah, we’ll head there now.”

“Try not to take forever, yeah?” He couldn’t see him, but he could feel Danny grinning at him through the phone.

“No promises.” He chuckled, hanging up the phone. Paulina and Kwan were smiling at him like a pair of Cheshire cats. “What?”

“Yeah, we can do that, no problem, none whatsoever.” Kwan mocked.

“No promises.” Paulina dramatically swooned, her hand pressed to her forehead.

“Shut up,” Dash muttered, earning more hyena cackling. He pulled away from the curb, changing direction to Tony’s.

“Wait, so have you seen Phantom since?” Paulina asked once he had acquired the pizza and was back in the car on their way to Sam’s.

Dash sighed. “No. And honestly, I probably fucked that up. He freaked out so bad that he fell into the lake.”

“Well,” Kwan drawled solemnly, “you can always kiss Fenton to make up for it.”

“Oh my god,” Dash huffed. “I do not have a crush on Danny.”

“Whatever you have to say to make yourself feel better.” Paulina giggled.

“Does anyone know what Sam’s house looks like?” Dash asked, changing the topic.

“No, but it looks like your boyfriend is waiting for you.” Kwan joked.

Danny was sitting on the curb outside a huge mansion-looking house. He stood and waved them into a parking spot in the driveway. Dash turned to Paulina and Kwan. “Not a word,” he hissed.

They stepped out of the car. Danny helped Kwan with the pizza. “You guys actually made it in a reasonable time.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Kwan explained, side-eyeing Dash. “You know how moms can be, ha-ha.”

Dash barely heard the exchange. His eyes were glued to the shiny piece of jewelry in Danny’s eyebrow. “Is that new?”

Danny gingerly touched the piercing, holding the pizza boxes in one hand. “Oh, yeah. Sam just did it.”

“Sam did?” Paulina chirped, eyeing the jewelry. “It looks like a professional did it!”

“She did all her own piercings. She practically is a professional by now.” Danny turned and ushered them up the stairs. They followed him.

“Sam actually lives here?” Kwan asked, gaping at the building.

“It’s a bit of a sore spot for her. She’s not the biggest fan of her parents' money, so try not to say anything about it.” They followed Danny through a huge kitchen.

“Wow,” Paulina whispered, “it’s bigger than mine.”

“What made you decide to get an eyebrow piercing?” Dash asked as they left the kitchen and traveled down an expansive hallway.

“I figured I could use a new look as a present for graduating. What do you think, am I cool yet?” Danny quirked said eyebrow.

Dash felt his ears start burning. “Sure, nerd, keep dreaming.”

Danny laughed. Dash’s stomach fluttered. He might throw up.

“I dig it,” Kwan said as they stepped down a staircase. “Matches the whole emo thing you’ve got going on.” The stairs ended in a huge theater room.

“He’s actually got more of a grunge thing going on.” Sam corrected. “It’s as goth as I could get him to go.”

“You brought the food! My saviors!” Tucker cried, grabbing the pizzas from Kwan.

“Thank god,” Valerie huffed, salting the popcorn buckets she’d just filled, “now we can finally pick a movie.”

“Ooh, Valerie!” Paulina squealed. “I love your makeup.”

Valerie looked her up and down for a moment. They’d talked on the phone for a while on Senior Ditch Day, but this was the first time they’d talked in person without Paulina throwing a poor joke at her in a few years. Valerie ultimately decided Paulina really meant no ill will and smiled at her. “Thanks! I love your belly button ring. Is the butterfly for your sister?”

Paulina gasped. “You remembered?”

“Of course. We were best friends once. I also remembered to use low-fat butter, just for you.”

Paulina looked like she was about to cry. “You really are the best of us.”

“Uh-oh,” Kwan teased, “We’d better start a movie before Paulina loses it.”

“Okay, well, we’ve narrowed it down to five choices.” Danny set the pizza he was holding on the coffee table next to the two liters and red solo cups. “American Psycho, The Creature From The Black Lake, 50 First Dates, Nightmerica The Return, and Legally Blonde.”

Lots of arguing ensued but Sam eventually conceded her vote in exchange for the best chair in the room. Because Kwan and Tucker had never seen it, they picked American Psycho first and 50 First Dates second due to Paulina's insistence.

Dash picked a seat on one edge of the couch, Tucker taking the other end of the couch. Sam and Paulina took the big, fluffy chairs and Valerie and Kwan took the bean bags. Danny put the disc in the player and sat between him and Tucker.

Dash pressed himself against the armrest as much as possible. It wasn’t because he was nervous, absolutely not, it was just that Danny was cold again and Dash preferred to stay warm. Paulina waggled her eyebrows at him. He glared (pouted) back.

Once everyone was settled with popcorn, pizza, and soda in hand, Sam hit play on the remote.

Dash found it hard to focus on the movie. For one, it just wasn’t a movie that he would enjoy. And for two, it was hard to focus on anything other than how Danny kept leaning into him. Every time Dash shifted to put space between them, Danny was taking it up again and pressing against him.

He’d stolen a few glances at him to see if he was doing it on purpose. Danny seemed just as bored and uninterested in the film as he was. But he didn’t seem to be paying attention to Dash or messing with him.

Dash shifted again, pressed as far up against the edge of the couch as he could. It was only about two minutes before he felt the icy chill of Danny’s skin against his again. It was like an ice cube was melting and oozing cold directly into his cells. Dash briefly wondered if he had chronically low iron or something.

Dash tried to return his attention to the movie, but the next scene happened to be a sex scene and he diverted his attention again. It was making him really uncomfortable. He supposed that was the point in this movie but he hated it in just about every movie and he usually turned them off the second it was even implied one was coming.

Sam scoffed. “Was this directed by a man?”

Danny leaned forward- brushing against Dash- and grabbed the DVD case off the table. He flipped it over and read the back. “This says it was directed by one Mary Harron.”

“Ain’t no way,” Valerie said.

“And she’s also credited as the writer.”

“I find that hard to believe, but whatever,” Sam grumbled.

“Does anyone even actually like sex scenes? They’re always so uncomfortable and unnecessary.” Dash huffed.

Danny turned to look at him but didn’t say anything. It was like he was trying to analyze something about him and it made him nervous.

“In horror movies, they tend to be,” Valerie muttered.

“But in romance movies,” Paulina sighed, wistfully. “It’s the best part. When the couple finally admits their feelings for each other and lose themselves in the throws of passion, it’s so romantic.”

Dash cringed, his nose wrinkling so hard it hurt. “Really? It seems so tedious and messy and uncomfortable for the actors.” Danny was still looking at him; he shifted again, letting the armrest dig into his ribs, but it did nothing to ease his anxiety.

“I wouldn’t think so.” Paulina continued. “I’d love to be in a romance movie with either Jensen Ackles or Penelope Cruz.”

“Ew,” Dash shuddered. “Wait, what?”

“Ooh,” Valerie chittered. “Way to come out, Paulie.”

“Thank you. I’ve been waiting for the best moment.”

“See, Dash, I told you we weren’t homophobic,” Kwan smirked.

“Thanks, Kwan.”

“So, we have another bi person in our midst.” Sam teased, smirking playfully.

“Another one?” Paulina twisted around to survey the group.

Danny sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from Dash. “One day I’ll get to do my own coming out.”

Paulina squealed. “I knew it! I knew you were queer! Bi fist bump!”

Danny leaned over Dash to bump Paulina’s fist. Dash took a deep breath. A mistake. Danny was wearing some kind of warm-smelling cologne and Dash just wanted to take another breath. But he controlled himself.

"What gave me away?"

Paulina gestured at him. "Lok at you."

"Fair," Danny laughed. He turned back to Dash. “Have you ever heard the term ‘asexual’?”

“Like in biology? One cell splitting or something?”

“As in the sexuality.” Danny shifted to face Dash and their knees touched. Hurt crossed Danny’s face when Dash yanked his away. “Someone who identifies as asexual feels little to no sexual attraction.”

“You’re saying there’s like some kind of spectrum? People actually feel a lot of attraction?”

Danny laughed. “Have you seen how Tucker talks to women?”

“Hey, not my fault I appreciate the better things in life.” Tucker defended. “And I am totally with Paulina on the romance movie thing. Why else would you watch them?”

“For the story?” Dash cringed. “We should talk about something else. I don’t wanna think about what Tucker’s talking about.”

“We can talk about the fact that Paulina and Star were totally dating,” Sam said.

Paulina’s face fell. “We actually broke up.”

“You were dating star?” Dash gasped.

“Yeah, I was. But, recently, we just didn’t see eye to eye on some things. So I called it off.” Paulina sighed.

Star was the only one of his previously close friends who hadn’t reached out to him. He really hoped it wasn’t him that caused them to have an argument.

“I’m sorry, Paulie,” Kwan muttered. “I had no idea you guys broke up.”

“It’s okay. It’s for the best. How did you know, Sam?”

Sam shrugged. “You two were always together and shared a bunch of clothes. I thought it was obvious.”

A woman on screen screamed. Everyone snapped their attention back to the movie they forgot they were watching.

“Is anyone even enjoying this movie?” Tucker asked. A chorus of no’s answered him. He got up and ejected the DVD. Sam took it from him and chucked it in the trash.

“Anyone want more popcorn?” Valerie asked, standing up and heading for the machine.

“Absolutely,” Tucker chimed, heading over to help her. “Can I get extra salt on mine?”

Paulina gave a long, heavy sigh and sank from her chair to the floor. She dramatically flopped onto her side, throwing her phone across the room.

“What’s wrong?” Kwan asked, dumping an obscenely large amount of butter on his popcorn.

“My boss just texted saying he needs a new look for the magazine with a new model. By tomorrow. How in the world am I supposed to do that? It’s like 11 pm.”

“Where do you work?” Danny asked.

“I’m a make-up artist for a high-end fashion magazine.”

“Hey, just like you’ve always wanted!” Valerie cheered. “But, isn’t that a little bit of an unreasonable ask?”

“It’s the beauty industry.” Sam scoffed. “Of course it’s unreasonable.”

“She’s not wrong.” Paulina agreed. “It’s why I want to start my own brand, to change the industry. I don’t suppose either of you would help me out?” She batted her eyelashes at Sam and Valerie.

They shook their heads.

“Sorry, Paulie, but I don’t want my face all over a magazine. I have to have control over my image for my scholarships.” Valerie explained.

“And I don’t want to be seen in anything other than my signature look. It might give my parents ideas.”

Paulina deflated, looking miserable.

Danny frowned. “Does it have to be a woman model?”

Paulina looked up at him, hope shining in her eyes. “No, just someone I haven’t showcased before.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Really?!” Paulina scrambled up from the floor, bouncing excitedly on her toes. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. If it helps you keep your job, what’s the harm?”

Paulina clapped, doing a happy little jig. “Dash! Keys! I have to go get my bag!”

Dash dug into his pocket- not fast enough for Paulina’s liking- and tossed her his keys. She caught them and ran excitedly up the stairs.

“Oh, so I can’t do your makeup, but Paulina can? Does someone still have a lingering crush?” Sam teased.

“Yeah, Sam, because helping a friend not get fired counts as a lingering crush.” Danny's frown deepened.

“You should go cleanse your face then. It’ll save her a lot of time.” Valerie suggested.

“I have aloe vera in there,” Sam added as Danny headed for the bathroom. “It’s a nice primer!”

“Why’s he need to do that?” Dash asked, eyeing Valerie and Sam’s makeup and trying to imagine it on Danny.

“Makes the makeup go on smoother and helps it not to clog pores.” Sam shrugged.

“Man, you guys have to do so much every day. I respect it.” Kwan said.

“I’m totally getting pictures to use as blackmail for later.” Tucker chuckled.

Valerie rolled her eyes. “I think blackmail only works if someone is ashamed of it. Danny seems pretty comfortable with himself.”

Danny returned to the theater room at the same time as Paulina. She was glowing like a golden retriever who’d just gotten their favorite snack.

“Okay, sit in my chair while I get things set up.”

Danny sat.

“You guys wanna play Mario Kart while we wait?” Sam asked, already walking over to set up the Wii.

“Duh!” Tucker cheered.

Sam handed everyone but Kwan a controller. “We’ll have to take turns. It only allows four players at a time.”

“No problem,” Kwan said. “It’ll give me time to learn your weaknesses.”

Paulina pulled a little square folding table from her bag and pulled the legs out to the right height. She locked them in place and began putting products on it very meticulously. “He said something bold and fierce.” She muttered to herself.

“I don’t know if I could be considered ‘fierce’,” Danny mumbled.

“Nonsense.” Paulina turned and grabbed Danny’s face, tilting it from side to side and analyzing the planes and curves. “You totally have the cheekbones for it. I’m gonna have to mix a custom foundation though, you’re really pale.”

“His undertone is orange,” Sam called, selecting Bowser on the screen.

“No fair,” Valerie shouted. “You always get Bowser.”

“You snooze, you lose.”

“Thanks, Sam!” Paulina turned to her makeup setup, grabbing a disc and squeezing product onto it, mixing it with a brush.

“This is why I choose Luigi.” Tucker boasted. “No one ever takes Luigi from me.”

“Dash, pick Yoshi,” Kwan whispered, still loud enough for everyone to hear him.

“Why?” Dash loudly whispered back.

“Just trust me.”

The foundation was cold as Paulina painted his skin. He resisted the urge to pull away, sitting almost perfectly still. Paulina was muttering under her breath. Danny closed his eyes so she could focus without scrutiny.

“Starting with Rainbow Road is just pure evil,” Tucker whined.

“Are you allergic to glitter?” Paulina asked.

Danny peaked at her over at the table now. “Uh, no. I don’t think so.”

“Perfect, I have this new moonstone highlight I’ve been dying to try on someone but it’s got glitter in it. So, we’re going to do a smokey eye with the moonstone highlight, black lipstick, and maybe a green blush? Then we can do like an ocean theme.”

“Sounds more like a galaxy to me,” Danny replied, looking at the colors she was grouping together.

“Oh! That’s actually perfect! Summer galaxy! Now, I just have to come up with a tagline.” Paulina put a dark purple and a light pink next to the green. “He said he wanted bold. Space is pretty bold. We can even do like star freckles or something.”

“You had better keep that blue shell to yourself, Foley,” Dash warned.

“Sam, tell me you did not just throw that banana at me,” Valerie screamed.

Paulina picked up a much fluffier brush, a contour palette in her hand. “Are you ready? We’re getting into the complicated stuff.”

Danny nodded, grinning at her. “Make me beautiful, Paulie.”

“Eat my dust suckers!” Tucker cackled.

Kwan slapped Dash’s shoulders. “Dash! Dodge, dodge, dodge!”

“Stop backseat karting, Kwan!”

Danny found that his smile wouldn’t leave his face. He really hoped that wouldn’t mess Paulina up. The room was bathed in a nice, comforting aura and it made him want to giggle. To see everyone getting along so well, made him extremely happy. He kind of wanted to tell everyone. But he figured that wouldn’t be the best thing to say while they were in an intense Mario Kart round. He did giggle when Paulina’s brush tickled his nose.

“Someone seems happy,” She giggled with him.

Danny shrugged. “It’s just really nice to see everyone getting along.”

“You call that getting along?”

“I know where you live, Gray!” Sam hurled three green shells at Valerie.

“Bring it on, Manson! Bring it on!” Valerie dodged them all.

“Dash, please,” Tucker begged, “we’re friends, right?”

“Right now, Foley, we’re mortal enemies.”

“Go for the throat, Dash!” Kwan cheered.

Danny laughed again. “Yeah, I would. Considering there was a time when we couldn’t even be in the same room without wanting to kill each other. I count this as a win.”

“No!” Tucker wailed. “I was so close!”

“Read it and weep, people. Read it and weep.” Sam whooped.

Dash sighed, passing his controller to Kwan. “So much for trusting you.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you suck.”

Paulina grabbed a separate brush, dipping it into one of the galaxy colors and brushing it onto Danny’s cheeks. “Thank you, by the way. I owe you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I used to let Jazz and my cousin practice makeup on me all the time. I’m comfortable in my masculinity. No big deal to help a friend.”

“Good, because I’m putting a lot of glitter on your face.”

“I see how it is, Valerie,” Tucker muttered darkly. “Kwan, team up with me?”

Kwan shook his head. “You’re on your own. Every man for himself.”

“No! My go-cart buddy has abandoned me in my hour of need!”

“How’s it going over here?” Dash asked, leaning over the edge of the couch to watch Paulina work her magic. Danny cracked his eyes open to look at him. “It looks like space threw up on you.”

“Good, that’s what we’re going for. Danny has amazing bone structure. Richard is going to love him!” Paulina squealed.

Dash smirked at him. “How does it feel to have amazing bone structure, Fenton?”

“Like I’m some kind of king being pampered.”

“Okay, time for lipstick. Open your mouth like an ‘o’.” Paulina instructed.

Danny did as he was told. He could see Dash watching intently out of the corner of his eye. He winked at him. Dash startled and looked away.

“Okay, you need to let that dry and then we can take some photos.” Paulina turned away to start cleaning up her table. She took her tools to the bathroom to clean them.

“How does it feel?” Dash asked.

Danny pressed his lips together, humming. “Kinda buttery. Like sticky, melted butter.” An idea popped into Danny’s mind and he grinned at Dash. “Wanna feel?”

Dash’s eyes went wide. As he was fishing for an answer, Danny gently gripped his jaw, tilting his head to the side. He pressed his lips firmly to Dash’s cheek, dragging his hand down his jaw before letting go and pulling away with an exaggerated ‘mwah!’.”

Dash jolted away, crimson spilling over his cheeks and ears. He brought a hand up to his cheek in disbelief. Danny howled with laughter.

“Stop flirting with the enemy, Danny!” Tucker laughed.

“Aw, feeling left out, Tuck?” Danny stood up and walked over to Tucker.

“Do not distract me right now, Fenton. I'll never forgive you.” Tucker warned, leaning away. Danny ignored him, planting another kiss on Tucker’s cheek. Tucker swatted him away, swerving into a banana peel on the screen.

“I will get my revenge, Danny. Just you wait!” Tucker threatened with no real heat behind it.

Danny laughed so hard he was losing his breath. Sam rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t even think of bringing that over here.” Valerie hissed. “I’m about to win.”

“Hey!” Paulina screeched, returning from the bathroom. “I said to let it dry! Get back over here so I can fix it.”

Danny obediently sat back in the chair.

“Uh-oh,” Kwan snickered, poking Dash in his side. “Someone is self-destructing.”

Dash glared at him, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in. He rubbed the lipstick off his face. Danny was pretty proud of himself- he’d examine what that meant later.

Paulina reapplied the lipstick. “I mean it this time, mister. Let it dry.”

Sam handed her controller to Dash and wandered over to admire Paulina’s handiwork. “Wow, you look very pretty, Danny.”

Danny struck a pose, batting his eyelashes. “Tell me more.”

Sam grinned, a playful shine in her eyes. “You're pale white and ice cold. Your skin is all sparkly. I know what you are.”

“Say it then, Sam.” Danny giggled, unable to keep up the character.

Paulina gasped. “I’ve turned you into a space vampire!”

“Please, he’d have to be impossibly fast and strong for that.” Valerie chuckled.

“Yeah, no offense, but Danny has never been the poster boy for impossibly strong.” Kwan laughed.

“If you’ve seen him text,” Tucker added, “then you’d know he talks exactly like he’s from this time.”

“Has everyone in this room seen Twilight?” Danny jokingly rolled his eyes, standing from his chair. “C’mon, Paulina, let’s get these photos taken so we can start the next movie.”

“Hopefully it’s a better one this time around.” Sam huffed.

Dash will not admit that he paid more attention to Danny and Paulina’s photo shoot than the last round of Mario Kart. And if he thought sitting next to Danny had been hard before, it was downright torture now.

Apparently, if Danny was actually invested in a movie, he talked a lot. He kept leaning over to whisper things to him and while he knew, logically, in his brain, that whispering was all Danny was doing, he couldn’t help but remember the feel of Danny’s lips against his cheek every time. His heart would not stop racing and he was pretty sure he was sweaty now.

Tucker did not seem to share this problem. Every time Danny leaned over to whisper something to him, he just whispered back or laughed and turned his attention right back to the movie like it was no big deal. Dash tried rationalizing it by reminding himself that they had been best friends for longer than Dash had known them and he simply wasn’t as used to Danny’s antics as Tucker was.

It unnerved him near the middle of the movie when Danny had been quiet for more than five minutes. Dash glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He was slouching back into the couch and periodically slowly blinking his eyes like he was fighting off sleep.

Dash shifted to give him more room to fall asleep if he needed to. But only a few moments after that, he felt a weight hit his shoulder and froze as Danny’s hair tickled his chin.

“Uh-oh,” Valerie laughed, taking a picture on her phone. “Dash has been chosen.”

“You’re in it for the long haul now, Dash.” Tucker cackled, also taking pictures.

Dash tried to ignore the blackmail obviously being collected. “What am I in?”

“You know when a cat falls asleep on your lap and under cat law, you aren’t allowed to disturb them? Consider yourself under Danny law. He has insomnia and doesn’t sleep much. So, when he does sleep, we try to let him get as much as he can.” Sam explained, doing better than the others at hiding her picture-taking.

Dash glanced down at him. He could understand the struggle with sleep. Usually when he was having issues, he took Pookie on a walk. He wondered how Danny dealt with it. Casually, he shifted the angle he was sitting at so Danny could fit against him more comfortably. He slipped his hand around his waist so his shoulder wasn’t jutting against Danny’s back. Okay, he could handle this.

“Whipped,” Kwan whispered at him. Dash flipped him off.

Dash was a little worried that he could barely feel the rise and fall of Danny’s breaths. With him this close, he should be able to tell how he was breathing. And he was slightly colder than before if that was even possible. He wondered if his insomnia played a part in his temperature. Or why he slept like a dead person. A small sense of deja vu hit him, but he shook it off.

“Well, I think that movie was more horrific than the last one,” Sam exclaimed as the movie came to an end.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a rom-com?” Paulina asked.

“I think they’re getting their genres mixed up.” Valerie yawned.

Danny started blinking awake at the sound of everyone talking. He stretched and froze when he felt a body behind him. He looked back at Dash and Dash really wished Paulina wasn’t as good as she was at her job because the colors she’d put on really brought out his eyes.

“Sorry,” Danny muttered, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” He started scooting away.

Dash dropped his hand from his waist. “Oh, not a problem.” He stuttered. He really wanted to tell Paulina to shut up. She wasn't saying anything but she was grinning at him and he knew what she was telling him. He squeezed his elbows, keeping his eyes away from Danny- who was probably more embarrassed than he was.

“Who’s picking the next one?” Tucker asked, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Not me." Valerie stood, stretched, and began to pick up her trash. "It’s like 2 am. I’m tapped out.”

“I agree,” Kwan mumbled, following suit. “It’s bedtime.”

Danny also stood, picking up his plate and cup. “I’ll help clean up the popcorn.”

Everyone else jumped up to help clean, not wanting to be the only one not helping. Except for Tucker, who stretched out on the couch once he had it to himself. “Sam,” he whined, “I’m too tired to go home. Can I crash here?”

“Yeah, unlike Danny, my parents actually like you so if they find you down here you’ll be fine.” Sam put all the DVD cases away.

“Why don’t they like Danny?” Paulina asked, tying off a trash bag.

“Take your pick. My parents are dangerous and I’m a bad influence.” Danny mocked.

Dash snorted. “You? A bad influence?”

“That’s what I keep telling them!” Sam huffed. “If anything, I’m the bad influence.”

Once the room was put back together, everyone started gathering their things; Sam pulled a spare blanket and pillow out of the cupboard for Tucker.

Dash cleared his throat. “Did you want a ride home, Danny?”

Danny looked up at him, nerves plain to see. “Oh, I was gonna go to the observatory after this. Not home. But I appreciate the offer.”

“What’s at the observatory this late?” Kwan asked.

“There’s supposed to be a comet that’s just bright enough to be visible without a telescope tonight. I was gonna try to find it.”

Dash shifted his weight from foot to foot, fiddling with his keys in his pocket. “If it doesn’t bother you, I could tag along once we drop off Paulina and Kwan. You know, for safety reasons. In case there’s a ghost attack or something.”

“Safety reasons,” Paulina whispered.

Danny’s eyes seemed to glow with renewed excitement. “Really? I mean, yeah, if you don’t mind being out that late.”

Dash’s heart squeezed so hard in his chest he thought he was having a heart attack. “Yeah, I don’t mind at all. I’ll go get the car started so it’s warm for you. Thanks for having me, Sam.”

“No problem. See ya later!”

Dash grabbed Paulina’s big makeup bag for her and headed for the stairs. He did a couple of breathing exercises on the way to the car to calm his anxiety. His phone pinged.

Paulina: Not a crush, huh ;)

He ignored her text. He was just hanging out with a friend. She was completely wrong. In no way was this a crush.

Danny climbed into the front seat as soon as Paulina was safely inside her house. “You know how to get to the observatory right?”

“Yeah, isn’t it, like, way past closing though?” Dash waited for Danny to put his seat belt on before heading back onto the road.

“Oh for sure. But there’s a hill around the back that has a really nice view.”

“Man, you’re like super into this space stuff, huh?” Dash teased.

Danny gave a short laugh. “I wanted to be an astronaut. I’ve been to every space camp within 150 miles of here and I have all the space shuttle simulations on my computer. I even had Sam teach me astrology just because it involved space. So, yeah, I guess you could call me obsessed.”

Dash glanced at him. “What do you mean, ‘wanted’ to be an astronaut?”

Danny leaned back in his seat, frowning. “Well for one, they only choose like a hundred people every two years to go into the space program. And for two, I learned you don’t really make livable wages off being an astronaut alone. And it’s already hard to leave Amity Park, let alone the planet.”

“Jazz has managed though, right? What’s stopping you from figuring it out?”

Danny sighed. “I’m not as strong as Jazz is. Plus, I’m needed here.” He didn’t let Dash respond as he leaned forward and pointed at a dirt road. “Take this service road, it will lead you to the employee parking lot at the base of the hill.”

Dash did, tapping his hands against the wheel. “Are you sure we’re allowed to be back here?”

Danny quirked an eyebrow at him, his voice taking on a teasing tone. “I never took you for someone afraid to break the rules.”

“I’m not afraid.” Dash sat up straighter. He cleared his throat. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re talking about.”

Danny laughed. “Dash, it’s 3 am. No one cares.”

“I know. It’s just what if a police patrol comes by-”

“Trust me, they never patrol back here. We’ll be fine, scaredy cat.”

Dash huffed. “I’m not scared.” He parked in the spot closest to the hill.

Danny was about to step out of the car but Dash stopped him. “It’s kind of chilly out there. Do you need a jacket?”

He shook his head. “I’m okay. The cold doesn’t affect me that bad.”

“Dude, your skin is already like ice. My letterman is in the back, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Danny’s heart skipped a beat. He did like Dash’s jacket, but some voice nagging in the back of his head said it was a bad idea. “Really, I’m okay, it’s not that big of a deal-”

“If it’s no big deal, then just take the jacket.” Dash leaned around the seats and yanked his jacket from the back seat. He shoved it into Danny’s hands before he could protest. “It’ll make me feel better about being out here in fifty-degree weather.”

Danny pinched his mouth close, any protest he had dying on his lips. He tore his eyes away from Dash to stare at the jacket. Realistically, he knew that normal people, people who were alive, would be concerned with how cold they were. Dash was just trying to keep a friend safe and comfortable. He sighed and pulled the jacket on, crossing his arms at Dash. “Happy?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Dash smiled.

Danny huffed, stepping out of the car. He led Dash up the hill, going slow so Dash could see where he was avoiding loose rocks and such. The top of the hill was bare, covered in nothing but grass; a perfect view of the sky away from all the light pollution and no tall trees or buildings to block parts of it.

Danny laid down, actually a little thankful for Dash’s jacket when the chill of the grass bit into him. He patted the spot next to him and Dash followed suit, wriggling around to get comfortable. The stars glimmered above them hiding the comet Danny was searching for.

“So, is a comet just a meteor with a tail?” Dash asked after a long moment of silence.

“A comet is made of dust and ice and other space matter that orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit. A meteor is a piece of space matter that has breached Earth’s atmosphere and it turns into a meteorite when it collides with Earth’s surface.” Danny explained patiently. “And actually, comets have two tails, an ice one and a gas one. The gas tail called a coma, forms when-” Danny stopped talking as he turned to look at Dash, whose eyes were wide and confused.

“Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble like that.”

Dash shook his head. “I might be a little lost, but I don’t mind. Keep talking.”

Danny's heart stuttered in his chest again. He looked into Dash’s eyes, shocked at the genuineness he found there. “Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you with my nerd stuff.”

“I asked. Plus we’re literally sitting on a hill in the middle of the night just to look at your nerd stuff. It’s okay for you to talk about it. I just might have to interrupt you with questions every now and then.”

Danny smiled at him, warmth spreading through his veins making his fingers curl into the fabric of Dash’s jacket. “Wow, you are like an entirely different person. I really, really, like this Dash.” Danny forced himself to turn back to the sky so he didn’t have to see Dash’s reaction. “So, a coma forms when…”

Dash was not paying attention. He was a big liar, completely not listening. His heart was beating so loud it nearly drowned out Danny’s voice as he rambled about physics and dark matter and stars and things way beyond his understanding. The moonlight was shining off his hair and the sparkly makeup he still had on. With the way Paulina had done, he was practically glowing just like a galaxy. And his eyes sparkled like they were full of the very stars he was talking about. He was so full of life and joy and Dash was completely enamored.

Paulina was right.

He was so screwed.

“Look!” Danny scooted over, pressing himself against Dash and pointing at the sky. “There it is! It’s kind of dim, you might have to squint.”

Dash squinted, trying his best to follow where Danny was pointing. “I don’t see it.”

Danny moved his finger, tracing a constellation and ending just below it. ‘See Lyra? It’s right below it and slightly to the left. It’s the one that looks blurry because of its tail.”

Dash leaned further over, nearly leaning his head on Danny’s shoulder. “Lyra?”

“The constellation, it’s like a little box.”

“Oh,” Dash gasped. “I see it.”

Danny dropped his hand, crossing them across his chest and the two of them watched the comet cross the sky in peaceful silence. A gentle breeze started making its way across the field. Danny could feel Dash fidgeting next to him, wanting to say something but refusing to do so. Danny let him figure it out, not wanting to rush him. The comet was moving pretty fast and he lost track of it a couple of times.

“You said you know astrology too?”

Danny hummed. “Not as much as Sam, but yeah, I know some. If it has to do with space and the stars, I’m in. Why?”

Dash pointed at the constellation from before. “So, do you know the story for Lyra?”

Danny nodded.

“Can you tell it to me?”

Danny drew in a breath; he'd never been asked to tell the stories before. Usually, it was Sam telling him. “I mean, yeah, but it’s a sad one.”

Dash shrugged. “Not everything needs to be a happy story. So, will you tell me or not?”

Danny shuffled around, getting comfortable, ignoring the way his and Dash’s sides were still pressed together. “Lyra, or the lyre, is the story of Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope, and Eurydice, a beautiful wood nymph. Orpheus was said to have a voice so beautiful, even rocks would listen to what he had to sing.”

Danny could feel Dash’s eyes on him, and it took all his self-control to keep his eyes on the stars. “One day, Orpheus was playing his lyre and it drew a gathering of people and beasts. While he was playing, he spotted Eurydice among the crowd. Long story short, he talked to her and they fell in love and got married.”

“That’s kind of fast,” Dash commented.

“It’s mythology.” Danny shrugged. “But, unlike other mythology stories, these two were actually, properly in love. Which ended up being their problem.”

“Being in love was their problem?”

“Yeah, sorry, foreshadowing. One day while Orpheus was away, Eurydice was taking a nap in a nearby field. When she awoke there was a snake by her feet. She panicked and it bit her, killing her. When Orpheus found her, he was extremely distraught. He couldn’t live without the love of his life. Hermes took pity on him and showed him a way that he could walk to the underworld to try to convince Hades to let her go.”

“Hermes is the messenger guy, right? Why’s he getting involved.”

“For the sake of not spiraling into several other interconnected stories, let’s just say there’s a lot involved. So, Orpheus begins a long journey, we’re talking weeks, of walking and dodging obstacles to get to the underworld; fighting off ghosts, getting past Cerberus, the whole nine yards. He finally makes it there and gets a chance to talk to Hades. He begs for his wife to be returned to him. Hades refuses.”

“Of course he did. You can’t just return people to life.”

“Well, in a last attempt to win the god’s favor, he sings them a song about love. Hades' wife, Persephone, hears and is so moved by it, that she also begs Hades to let Eurydice go.”

“So, just like that he gets what he wants?” Dash hadn’t taken his eyes off him the entire story. Danny finally turned to look at him and a strong wave of deja vu hit him. Memories from the lake flooded his mind, making his face warm. He focused his eyes on Dash’s forehead, the only safe place he could stare at while he finished the story.

“Not quite. Hades wants to listen to his wife, but, like you said, he can’t just go around letting people return to life. He has a job to do. So, he issues them a challenge. If he and Eurydice can walk back the way Orpheus had come, with him leading the way and her following behind, then she can live. The catch is he can’t turn around to make sure she’s following him.”

“Can’t she just tell him she’s there?”

“She’s dead. She can’t speak. He’ll have no way to make sure she’s there. But, that’s the test, right? Does he love her enough to trust that she’ll follow? They turn and go. Over the weeks though, doubt starts to set in. How does he know this isn’t Hades trying to trick him into just leaving? What if she’s lost hope and turned around a long time ago? What if she never followed him in the first place? Finally, after several long weeks of his own psychological torture, he sees sunlight. They’ve made it! He runs for the exit, excited to finally have his wife back. As soon as the sunlight touches his skin, he turns around.”

Dash gasped.

“But, she hadn’t stepped into the sun yet. She hadn't run like he had and was still a few feet behind. She waved goodbye and he watched as she disappeared from sight, this time forever.”

“That’s so idiotic. Why the fuck would he turn around? He was so close!”

Danny let his eyes slip down to Dash’s, surprised at how invested he was in the story. “He didn’t do it because he was an idiot. He did it out of love. He was so excited that he ran ahead and didn’t think about her catching up. He loved her too much to not turn around and share his joy with her. In some of the re-tellings, she trips and he turns to catch her, but her feet are still in the shadows. Every time he turns, he turns out of love. That’s why it’s a tragedy.”

“But he worked so hard.”

“Think about it, would you let your partner walk all the way through Amity Park without turning to check on them?” Danny watched as Dash thought about it; really thought about it. Several emotions crossed his face and Danny desperately wanted to know exactly what he was thinking.

Dash sighed. “No, I guess not. I’d be too worried a ghost got them. What does he do after that then? Wallow?”

Danny chuckled, messing with the buttons on Dash’s jacket. “Pretty much. He does go back to the underworld to convince Hades to give him a second chance because he was so close, but Hades refuses. So, he leaves and becomes super depressed, singing only sad songs. He refuses to get married again and rejects a bunch of women. And they get so mad at him that they tear him apart limb by limb and throw him and his lyre in the river where it floats to the isle of Muses and they give him a proper burial so that he can be reunited with Eurydice in the underworld. And they put his lyre in the stars so it couldn’t be played by anyone else.”

“Wow, okay.” Dash finally broke eye contact, giving Danny room to breathe, and pointed vaguely in the direction of the constellation. “And it’s just that square?”

Danny reached up and grabbed his hand, helping him trace the constellation. “That square and these stars. It's supposed to look like a lyre.” Danny studied Dash’s eyes as they traveled down to their hands. A bright red rose to the surface of Dash’s face. Another memory of the incident a few days before rose to his mind, and Danny dropped Dash’s hand. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up exactly where he told his friends he wouldn’t.

And now Dash was staring at him, a conflict clear in his eyes, and they were so close. And Danny really needed to stop creating these situations. Because he was weak, and it was so very hard just to break eye contact. Just as it looked like Dash had made up his mind about something, Danny sat up and scooted away, creating a distance between them. His heart pounded. “Also, Lyra’s constellation contains the star Vega, which is the second brightest star in the northern sky.”

Danny took a deep breath, hoping that wasn't the most awkward thing he'd ever done. (Considering the last time he fell in a lake, it's not.) And hoped that his science fact would be nerdy enough to ruin whatever vibe had been happening.

Dash blinked, missing the cozy atmosphere. He sat up, clearing his throat. "Which one is the brightest?"

Danny, relieved, pointed to another star in the sky. "That would be Arcturus." He stood up, offering Dash a hand. But he was quick to let go once Dash was on his feet. "It's getting late, we should probably get going."

Dash nodded.

Danny turned, hoping the cold breeze would cool the heat in his face as they descended the hill. "Careful, " he called back, "some of these rocks are loose." They continued picking their way down the hill, it was slower going down than it was going up.

"Hey, Danny?" Dash asked about halfway down. "Could I- ack!" He stepped on a loose stone and lost his balance, tipping forward as the dirt rushed from under him.

Danny turned around, reaching his arms out to catch Dash's shoulders; steadying them both before they toppled down the hill. Dash was holding onto him for dear life. "Damn, that was close. You okay?"

Dash's face was bright red and he was a little shaky as he pulled away, finding his footing before completely letting go of Danny. He coughed. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. Could I ask a question?"

Danny was happy to let him change the subject, not wanting to dwell on the event. "Yeah, what's bugging you?" Danny turned and led the way down the hill a little slower this time, making sure to be extra careful with where he put his feet.

Dash was quiet for a moment, almost like he was hesitant to bring it up. "How would, uh, how would someone know if they're asexual or not?"

"Well, I think that's something only you can decide. But little to zero sexual attraction means you don't feel attracted to sleeping with someone." They reached the bottom of the hill. Danny waited patiently for Dash to dig through his pockets for his keys.

"But, how would you know? Especially if you've never had sex. What does that even feel like?" Dash finally got his keys out and unlocked the car.

Danny raised an eyebrow at him as they climbed into the car. "You've never looked at someone or talked with someone and thought 'wow, I want to tap that?' or anything along those lines?"

"No. I always just kind of figured people just did that because it's what they were supposed to do, not because they actually wanted to." Dash started the car, turning on the heater for Danny.

"How did you figure out you were gay?"

"I tried flirting with girls because, again, I thought it was what I was supposed to do but I didn't really care for it. Then, uh, a guy flirted with me at the movies and I was like, oh, that's what everyone's talking about." Dash pulled out of the parking lot, driving slowly because Danny's house wasn't far away and he didn't want to end the conversation too soon.

Danny had the passing thought that these car conversations were happening a lot frequently. Maybe he should have been worried about that, but he found he didn't mind. "And you didn't want to sleep with that guy?"

Dash shook his head. "No. It kind of felt like sleeping with him would ruin whatever was happening."

Danny gave him a reassuring smile. "It sounds like you might be ace."

Dash squirmed in his seat. "But, I still want a partner and to kiss people. It's just.. you know, the other stuff that's weird."

Despite himself, Danny laughed. Dash's ear burned as he pouted.

"I'm not laughing at you, I promise. It's just-" Danny paused as another bout of laughter escaped him. "It's- you're allowed to say the word 'sex', Dash. It's not like it's forbidden." He took a deep breath to reset his lungs and quell the laughter. "And you can be ace and still kiss people. Kissing isn't inherently a sexual thing. It mostly falls under romantic attraction."

Dash pulled up in front of Danny's house, letting the car idle. "Wouldn't kissing without sex bother people though? I mean, I assume it would because non-ace people want that kind of stuff in their relationship, right?"

Danny shrugged. "People kiss all the time without it escalating. And not every relationship needs sex for it to work. That's something that wouldn't bother me. So, you've just got to find the right people who think the same."

Dash went quiet. Danny glanced at him to find his face on fire and his nails digging into the steering wheel. He was looking at him like he wanted to crawl under a rock and also like Danny held the entire world in his hands. It was how he looked at Phantom.

It sunk in what his words were implying. He pinched his mouth together, eyes going wide. He was in trouble. He was in big, big trouble. And he needed a way out fast.

He forced a laugh to relieve some of the pressure. "Oh, yeah, and before I forget, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with us to the new Nightermerica movie next week? It's Sam's favorite series so there's no way we're missing it."

Smooth, Fenton, smooth.

Dash sighed, deflating like a balloon. He wanted to ask him what he meant but didn't want to push. "I would, but I can't. My mom and I are going on a three-week trip to California and we leave on Monday."

Danny wouldn't lie, he was a little disappointed, a pang gripping his heart. "Oh, you're going to be gone for that long?"

Dash looked away, staring out the front windshield. "Yeah, it's for a family reunion. It's technically going all month but my mom doesn't like leaving for very long. The Amity Jitters get her really bad."

"Do they bother you?" Danny asked, glad the conversation wasn't as dangerous as it had been a few seconds ago. Though his heart was still racing, keeping him in fight or flight mode.

"Yeah, but my cousin Reggie is going so I was going to feel like my skin was peeling off anyway."

Danny laughed. "Not a Reggie fan?"

"He's the worst. He thinks being in college makes him the coolest ladies' man ever, but then he only dates freshmen. So he's super creepy and then he tells us all about it."

"Ick." Danny made a disgusted face. "Well, I hope you survive."

"Yeah, me too."

Danny chewed his lip. This is where he would get out of the car and they'd part ways. But, now that he knew he had even less time with his friend than he thought he would, he didn't want the conversation to end. Something itched in the back of his brain, bothering him and making him question why it even mattered to him. "Can I ask," his voice sounded tiny, even to him, "Are you going out of state for college?"

Dash looked surprised at the question. He shook his head. "No. I'm staying here at the community college."

"Really?" Danny instantly felt some stress leave his body. He had no idea why he was so relieved, but he'd take it over worrying about how much time he had left with Dash. "I figured you'd be going to some fancy football university or something."

"I'm not… really into the whole football thing anymore, if I'm honest. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun to play every once in a while, but going pro was something my dad pushed for. That kind of poisoned it after a while. And I don't want anything to do with him, so pursuing the career he wanted for me is out of the question."

"I'm sorry," Danny muttered.

Dash waved him off. "It's fine."

"So, what are you going to do then?" Danny twisted in his seat, finally undoing his seat belt so he could sit more comfortably.

"Well, my current plan is to get my general education degree just to have some kind of higher education under my belt and then probably find a trade to go into. I could be a mechanic, or a personal trainer or something. I haven't decided yet." Dash sighed just to clear his lungs. He finally looked back at Danny. "What about you?"

It was Danny's turn to look away, nerves making him a little uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I am going to college. Until Senior Ditch Day when Mr. Lancer tried to convince me to become a teacher, I wasn't sure there was a reason for me to. But, I don't know. I'm still trying to decide. If I did go, I would go here."

"Do you want to be a teacher?" Dash pried.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. He said I should teach astronomy which would be kind of fun. I'm just not sure if I'm cut out for it. And then there's the whole 'the Fenton's are a family of geniuses' thing. My dad might be disappointed if I don't go into something science-y like Jazz."

Dash placed a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't astronomy science?"

"Yeah, but not the science they want."

"Well, I don't know about the whole family disappointment thing, but as for you thinking you're not cut out for it, I can tell you you're wrong. I mean, did you see the way you spoke about dark matter tonight? You have the passion for it. And if my physics grades were anything to go by, you definitely have the ability to teach people. I think you'd make a great teacher. If that is what you wanted to do."

Danny's heart nearly stopped right then and there. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he felt a little dizzy. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You kind of make learning fun." Dash gave him an impossibly soft smile before dropping his hand. "Maybe you should talk to your parents about it?"

Danny sighed. "I don't know. They don't listen very often."

"Well, I can't really tell you what you should and shouldn't do when I don't know your situation. But, if you want to get closure on it, it might be worth a conversation."

Danny was quiet for a minute, thinking it over. It could be worth it if he could get them to consider what he was saying and not push their own agenda.

"What about Sam, Valerie, and Tucker?" Dash asked when Danny had been quiet for a minute.

Danny blinked, trying to focus on the conversation. "Uh, Valerie is trying to get into a big university out of state, but Sam and Tucker are staying here. What are Kwan and Paulina doing?"

Dash exhaled partly in relief, partly in sadness. "Paulina's already been accepted into a beauty school in New York and Kwan is trying to decide between two football scholarships, both out of state. He's going to be an English major but he's excited to have a way to pay for it." He tapped at the steering wheel, a nervous habit Danny noticed. "Can I be honest?"

Danny nodded, definitely not watching the curve of Dash's neck as he breathed.

"I'm actually really glad you guys aren't going anywhere. I'll miss Valerie, but with both Kwan and Paulina gone, I was not looking forward to being the one left behind. I especially didn't want to lose you guys after we just barely became friends."

Danny needed to get out of this car before he did or said something he couldn't take back. He, stupidly, opened his mouth to reply. "Me too. I-"

Dash's phone ringing cut him off, startling him out of his weird daze. As Dash scrambled to answer it, Danny cleared his throat and sat back in his seat. He ran through a few breathing exercises to get his heart rate under control.

"Hey, mom," Dash answered. Danny couldn't hear the voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm fine. Danny and I were watching a comet- yes, that Danny." Dash sighed affectionately. He looked at Danny. "My mom says hi."

Danny laughed and leaned over to project his voice into Dash's phone. "Hi, Mrs. Baxter."

Dash jokingly pushed him away. "Yeah, we know it's five a.m. I'm dropping Danny off at his place. Then I'll come straight home. Yes, I promise. Okay, love you, bye."

Danny couldn't help but smile. "It's nice that she calls and checks on you." He glanced at his house and wondered if his parents even remembered he was out. Or if they even realized what time it was.

"Yeah, she got home and was worried a ghost got me when she couldn't find me."

"I guess, I should let you go then, so she doesn't have to worry anymore." Danny pulled open his door and stepped out into the chilly breeze.

"I'll see you when I get back?" Dash asked, tapping at the steering wheel again.

Danny snorted. "Think you can get rid of me? You're stuck with me now, Baxter, whether you like it or not."

"Good," Dash grinned.

Danny closed the door and waved as Dash drove off.

It was only when Dash turned the corner did Danny allow himself to break down. "'It wouldn't bother me.' 'You're stuck with me'. Come on, Fenton. Get yourself together." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the front door and only then realized he was still wearing Dash's jacket. He sighed, dropping his head harshly against his front door as he searched for his keys to unlock it.

Maybe three weeks away from Dash would be a good thing. Maybe he'd be able to kick whatever stupid fixation he had on him by the time he got back and they could just be friends. He pushed the front door open, immediately freezing in his tracks, his entire body going rigid.

A dark, acrid smell was permeating the air.

He knew that smell.

Ectoplasm.

It was thick and heavy, like it had been around for hours. The door to the lab was open.

He tiptoed over, careful not to make any noise as he listened for his parents. There was clanging coming from downstairs. Not the practiced kind his parents made, but something more desperate.

The overhead lights weren't on. The staircase was completely dark. He crept down them, one at a time, avoiding the creaky spots. As he got closer, he heard muffled screaming. He turned invisible and peeked into the room.

He wanted to throw up.

The exam table was out, in the center of the room, surrounded by smaller tables holding a wide variety of tools; scalpels, medical scissors, forceps, bone-saws, almost all of them covered in dull green ectoplasm.

Laying on the table, chest carved open and pinned in a gruesome display, was a ghost girl. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. Her arms and legs were strapped in metal cuffs to the table. A muzzle tied tightly around her face was keeping her screams quiet.

Her chest was cut completely open, muscle tissue and skin being held back by dissection pins. Her core was exposed; it pulsed a slow, dark orange, illuminating the sawed bone of her rib cage and the slimy organs underneath.

She was crying as she thrashed about, spilling ectoplasm over the table and floor as she tried to free herself.

Danny shuddered, climbing back up a few stairs to get the scene out of sight as he tried to control his breathing; the smell of decaying ectoplasm in the air wasn't helping and now was not the time for him to have an anxiety attack.

After a few more deep breaths, he worked up enough courage to transform into Phantom. Keeping himself invisible, he flew around the house, looking for his parents.

He found them in the ops center. They were bent over a piece of equipment, tinkering away; both had green stains all over their jumpsuits.

He left- not caring what they were doing at the moment as long as it didn't involve dissecting ghosts- and flew back down to the lab. Part of him wondered how his parents were able to just leave a girl like that and go work on something else. Even if she was a ghost. Before he went down the stairs again, he duplicated himself, leaving the duplicate to stand guard at the door.

The last thing he needed was to get caught and be the next ghost on that table.

He descended the stairs, quickly this time. He needed to work fast. The girl was still fighting against her restraints. He focused on turning himself visible while keeping his duplicate invisible.

He held his hands up in a peaceful gesture and slowly approached the table where she could see him. She screamed louder, voice ragged and raw. Her movements became more jarring as she tried to get away from him.

"Hey, don't worry." He tried to keep his tone as soft as he could despite how badly he was shaking. "I'm here to get you out."

She sobbed, more tears falling down her face. She didn't stop trying to get away from him. He stopped walking.

"I promise, I don't want to hurt you. But we have to go fast before those people come back. I need to put you back together first. Is that okay?"

She flopped against the table, still sobbing, but giving up. Danny took a deep breath and approached the table. Now that he was closer, he could see patches of blackened skin all over her arms; necrotic wounds. He glanced at the tables nearby, spying the Fenton Venom on one of them. Tears pricked his eyes. There were so many wounds on her arms. How long had she been here? What were they doing to her?

He shook his head. He didn't have time to freak out. "Okay, I'm going to remove these pins first. It might hurt. I'm sorry." He spoke mostly to keep himself focused more than to calm her down.

He pulled the first pin out, dropping it on the floor. She screamed, thrashing against the restraints again and splattering ectoplasm all over him. He waited til she stopped before going for the next pin. "I'm sorry. We've got a few more of these to go."

He pulled the second pin out, this time closing his eyes to avoid the spray. He took a moment to focus and see what his duplicate was seeing; the coast was still clear. He returned his focus- dizzy and shaky with the effort it took to split his concentration- to the girl in front of him pulling out the next pin. This time she didn't scream. Danny pulled the pins out a bit faster.

He half expected her skin to go back to where it belonged once it was free of the pins, but with the Fenton Venom in her veins, she was healing slow. He wished he had left some of the antibiotics here instead of storing them in the ghost zone. But he couldn't have his parents find out he was messing with their stuff behind their backs.

He searched the drawers around him for some surgical glue. As a full ghost, she'd heal back the way she was supposed to given enough time. But he wanted to help speed the process along and give her core some protection.

Her muscle was slippery as he fit it back against her bones. Her skin rubbery as he glued it back in place. He wasn't going to forget the feel of it against his gloves anytime soon.

Guilt washed over him. He'd been sitting in front of his house with Dash for half an hour while she'd been sitting here with her body flayed open. If he'd just come directly inside instead of prolonging their conversation, he could have gotten her out sooner.

He shook his head. He didn't need to think like that. How could he have known she was down here? She hadn't been here when he'd left for the party. He had no way of knowing. And he was helping now.

He took a deep breath as he glued the last bit of glowing skin in place. "Okay, let's get this muzzle off you. Please, don't scream. They're nearby."

She nodded and turned her head so he could undo the ties to the muzzle. She didn't say anything once it was off. He dropped it on the floor and leaned over the tables toward the key rack. "My name's Danny. What's yours?"

Her voice was raw and strangled. "Emma."

"Okay, Emma," he grabbed the key for the restraints, "let's get you home, yeah?"

"My mom was right." She sobbed. "I should never have come here."

Danny unlocked each restraint quickly, helping her sit up once the final one was off. "I'm so sorry, Find Pandora in the ghost zone. She has medicine for your arms." He helped her to her feet, looking away from her as ectoplasm dripped from the seams of her wounds. She leaned on him as they stumbled to the ghost portal.

"Thank you," She whispered, disappearing inside.

Danny sighed and collapsed to the ground the second she was out of sight. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was her form still splayed out on the table. Pressing his hands against them did no good; the swirling static made him more nauseous than he already was.

Somewhere, his duplicate heard his parents' footsteps. Panic set in and he stood up too fast. He ran back to the key rack, putting the restraint key back in its exact spot, and grabbed a mop. He ran it over the drops she had spilled on her way to the portal. His parents couldn't know how she got out, just that she did.

Through his duplicate's eyes, he saw his parents stumble into the kitchen, invention in hand and clearly sleep-deprived. He recalled his duplicate, tripping when they merged. With three seconds to spare, he got the mop back in its place and turned invisible.

"What in the world?!" His mom screeched, halting just inside the lab.

"Leaping, gallivanting lizards!" His dad cursed, frantically running for the table. "How did it escape? Maddie, did you use the extra strong restraints?"

"Of course! Are you sure you put the muzzle on right? What if she could wail?"

Danny flew through the walls back up to the front door. His parents had started arguing a lot more lately so he was used to it, but he did not want to hear them argue about who forgot what torture method. He changed back to his human form and opened the front door. Then he slammed it as hard as he could, hoping they would hear it.

"I'm home!" He shouted, walking toward the lab. The smell still hung heavy in the air; he'd be sleeping with his window open tonight. They were still arguing by the time he reached the lab again. He tried not to look at the table. "You guys are still awake?"

His voice cut through and they turned to look at him.

"Hi, dear," his mom muttered, rubbing her eyes. "How was your party?"

"Never mind the party," his dad huffed, sounding a little frustrated, "what's all over your face?"

Danny touched his cheek. He had completely forgotten Paulina had put makeup on him. That had been so long ago it felt like another lifetime. "Oh, uh, Paulina wanted to practice her makeup skills. I used to let Jazz do it all the time, so I figured-"

"Figured you'd let her make you look like a girl?" His mom elbowed his side. His dad choked. "I mean, it looks good! Space, just like you like."

Danny clenched his fists at his side. "Boys can wear makeup too, Dad. It's not like-"

"Why are you home so late?!" His mom interrupted when she noticed the time. "It's almost six in the morning!"

Danny crossed his arms to hide how badly his nails were biting into his palms. "I'm nineteen, Mom. I don't need a curfew anymore."

"Adult or not, there are still ghosts out there, young man. Surely your party didn't go this long. What else was so important you'd risk your safety?"

"There was a comet that was visible tonight. Dash and I went to go see it."

"I told you this astronaut business was going to get him in trouble." His dad pointed at his mom.

She ignored him, her eyes lighting up. "You were out with a boy?! Alone? At the observatory?"

His dad caught onto what she was saying. He grinned at his son. "That's where I took your mom on our twelfth date! Good job, Dan-O!"

"No, it's not like that!" Danny protested, getting angrier by the minute. He wished they would just listen to him for once.

"Oh, Danny why didn't you tell us?!" His mom pulled him into a hug. "You should invite him over for dinner!"

He squirmed out of her grip, slipping on a puddle of ectoplasm on the floor. He did not want to be having this conversation in this room. "We're not dating! He went with me in case there was a ghost. For safety reasons!"

"Well, I like him already! He sounds like a smart boy, caring about safety!" Jack-the-safety-takes-too-much-ghost-hunting-space-Fenton said.

"Have you guys even eaten dinner?" Danny changed the subject, already turning to head up the stairs. He couldn't stand to be in the lab any longer. His parents followed him.

"Good idea, Danny. I do feel a bit faint." His mom answered.

Danny plopped down into a chair at the kitchen table as his parents set about getting themselves bowls of cereal. If he wasn't so mad, he would have offered to make them something. He took a few calming breaths. "So, I wanted to talk to you guys about something."

"Is it about this boy you're seeing?" His mom squealed. "Is he cute? Is that his jacket you're wearing? Do I know him?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're not listening to me. I'm not seeing him. And yeah, Mom, you've met Dash a ton of times. But that's not what I wanted to tell you."

"You're getting old, Danny. You've never even brought anyone home. We'll be old and gray before your mom gets to make someone dinner." His dad sat down, bumping the table as he did so.

Danny stood up from the table. "You know, let's just talk about this later. It stinks of ectoplasm everywhere and I'm tired." It was true, he just wanted to shower and try to get the image of Emma out of his mind. The only reason he was attempting to have a conversation with his parents was because this was the first time he'd properly seen them in the last three days. And something about what Dash had said, prompted him to try.

"No, No, I'm sorry, honey." His mom rushed. "What did you wanna tell us?"

Danny stared at her for a moment, debating if this was even worth it. It wouldn't be. He knew that. But some part of him was yearning to know what they would think of his decision to be a teacher and he caved. "Uh, well, I've decided to go to college."

"Finally!" His dad cheered, spilling part of his cereal on the table. "Yale with your sister or Harvard?"

Danny could already feel the pit of despair opening in his stomach. He avoided his dad's eyes. "Just the community college here in Amity Park."

"Well, that's a start." His mom covered, kicking his dad under the table. "So what are you going for? Biochemist? Biomedical Engineer? Microbiologist? Astronomer?" She wiggled her eyebrows at the last one like she was in on some inside joke.

"Close," he wheezed. His hope that his parents had changed their view on careers went down the drain as they stared at him with anticipation and excitement in their eyes. His heart squeezed and he scuffed his foot against the floor. He shoved his hands into the pockets of Dash's jacket, gaining a little confidence as he remembered what he had told him. "Uh, I want to be an astronomy teacher. A professor, if I can manage it."

His gut twisted as he watched his father's face visible fall; his crow's feet disappearing with his smile. His mom did better at keeping her smile on her face, but it no longer reached her eyes.

"Well, we had one genius kid," his dad muttered. His mom kicked him again.

"What made you want to do that?" She asked, voice tense.

Danny wished he had never brought this up. He coughed, clearing his throat so they wouldn't hear his voice shake. "I mean, I like astronomy and Mr. Lancer said I'd make a good teacher. So, I've been thinking about it and-"

"Oh, well that's fine then." His dad sighed. "If someone else told you to do it, then you're practically guaranteed to change majors in your first year. We have nothing to worry about, Maddie!"

Danny couldn't believe how his dad had hit the point head-on and still refused to see it. Did he even hear himself?

"At least it's a start." His mom agreed. "You can at least get your generals done while you decide." Her words left no room for argument.

"Right." Danny bit out. He spun on his heel and started walking out of the kitchen. "I'm tired. Goodnight."

"Night, Danny!" His mom called, cheer returning to her voice.

"Goodnight!" His dad shouted, and then when he thought Danny was out of hearing range, he whispered to his mom. "I knew that Mr. Lancer wouldn't leave well enough alone when he kept showing up here his freshman year."

"Sometimes, teachers just don't know when to leave the parenting to the parents." His mom sighed.

"And to think Danny wants to be one of them!" His dad's laugh was boisterous.

"Maybe we should call Jazz. Have her talk to him. He always listens to her more anyway."

Danny sprinted up the last couple of stairs, slamming his bedroom door. As soon as it was shut, he felt the tears finally spill onto his cheeks. He shouldn't have told them. He shouldn't have said a damn word. He was desperate for their approval but he shouldn't have said anything. It always ended like this.

He couldn't hold a candle to Jazz the golden genius child. He wouldn't be good enough for them no matter what he did. Teacher or superhero, they hated both.

He stormed into his bathroom, yanking his clothes off and throwing them into his laundry basket. He felt slightly bad for treating Dash's jacket like that but he just wanted to get the smell of Emma's blood and the feeling of his parents' laughter off his skin.

He turned the shower to its coldest setting, finding a bit of comfort in his element. It was a stark contrast to the hot tears carving their way down his face. He wiped them away and watched the colors of Paulina's makeup fall through his fingers. He had liked how she'd done his eyeliner. Maybe as a way to piss his dad off, he'd ask her to teach him how to do it.

Done with his shower and wrapped in a towel, he grabbed his basket of clothes and took it to the washing machine. He threw an extra bit of detergent in there (checking Dash's jacket would be fine first) to make sure the smell really got out and then he marched back to his room, slamming his door again just because he could.

He put on his comfiest pair of Pj's, cracked his window, and collapsed in his bed. He sniffled, a few tears still trying to escape his eyes. He wished Jazz was awake. He wanted to talk to her before his parents did. He knew she'd be supportive of his decision. And he wanted to tell her his news before his parents ruined it.

He buried himself under his blankets, hoping they'd be enough to keep the monsters out of his mind while he tried to sleep.

The blankets never did anything to help.

---

Y'all chronic illness and work is kicking my ass this week. I'm only about halfway through chapter 3's first draft. If I hadn't had to help a coworker break into their car cause they locked their keys in there, I would be further, but duty calls you know.

---

The problem with starting an intensive writing project and an intensive coloring project is both needing huge amounts of time and the ability to lock in, but me being indecisive and then working on neither.

---

Chapters: 9/? Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dash Baxter/Danny Fenton Characters: Danny Fenton, Dash Baxter, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Paulina Sanchez, Kwan (Danny Phantom), Valerie Gray, Pookie (Danny Phantom) Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), on the way to college, mentions of child abuse, Mentions of homophobia, Redemption Arcs, Bisexual Danny Fenton, everyone becoming good friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Second Chances, lots of classical literature references, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Lots of Crying, Some hurt/comfort, almost everyone has shitty parents, More tags to come as I think of them, Suicidal Thoughts, This is heavily inspired by marichat, stealing lots of headcanons from tumblr, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, not entirely canon compliant, I stole the pieces I like and combined them with fanon to get what I wanted, this was supposed to be a slow burn, Dialogue Heavy, some spooky shit will be snuck in here, Mutual Pining, Dissection, Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton, lots of astrology references, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), horror aspects will be in here, but also cute fluff, Asexual Character, Mentions of previous eating disorders Summary:

It's the end of senior year and Dash and Danny are having the worst time of their lives. Dash's father finds out he's queer and tries to kill him. That lands him in prison with divorce papers. Dash goes to therapy to cope and learn how to change his behaviors while taking some time off from school. He now needs to learn how to navigate the world and figure himself out. Danny fears he'll never figure out what he wants for his future beyond being the hero of Amity Park forever and he's running out of time to figure it out as he watches everyone he knows move on without him. Plus there are always the people hunting him down that he has to worry about on top of that.p

Tucker laughed so hard he choked on his spit, hacking into the speaker.

Dash pulled the phone away from his ear, embarrassed. "Are you done?" He grumbled.

"Never!" Tucker cackled, still choking on his laughter. "Just, just let me get this straight. You, Dash Baxter, are calling me because-" another laugh- "because you want advice on how to woo my best friend?"

Dash sighed, running a hand through his hair and glaring at the notebook in front of him; its front page was covered in scribbled-out ideas and tap marks from his overthinking. "Yes, Tucker, that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Right, right," Tucker murmured sagely. "Are you an idiot?"

"What?" Dash deadpanned, an irk of frustration nipping at his stomach.

"Listen, I mean all offense when I say this," there was a shuffling noise and then Tucker's voice came through more clearly than it had before, "You're blind. And, normally, it's my duty as his best friend to take his secrets to the grave, well, my grave not his since he technically already has one, but this is where I draw the very thin line where betrayal turns into being a good wingman."

"Can you get to the point?"

"Touchy, touchy. What does he see in you?" Tucker chuckled. "The point is that you have him wrapped around your little jock finger. Have you seen how he looks at you?"

Dash swallowed his annoyance at the name-calling. "How does he look at me?"

"Like you hung the stars in the sky just for him. You don't need my help. Whatever you're doing is working just fine."

Dash sighed, his face burning. "It's not- okay, that's cool, but…" he ran a hand down his face, mumbling into the phone. "I don't need help getting him to like me. I need help asking him out."

Tucker was quiet for a moment. "I don't get it. Isn't that the same thing?"

"I should have called Sam," Dash muttered. "Okay, listen… um, we almost kissed yesterday, so I-"

"Holy shit!" Tucker cheered. "Who initiated it? Sam and I have a bet going right now."

"I'm not telling you that." Dash huffed, rolling his pencil around on the desk and readjusting his grip on his phone. "I just need to know if he's ever talked about his ideal first date or anything like that."

"It was you, wasn't it? Danny's too scared to make a first move after Val. Sam totally owes me twenty bucks." There were some typing noises on the line and then Tucker was shifting his focus back to the actual conversation. "Okay, so you want to be all romantic and sappy about it? I don't think he's ever mentioned his ideal first date, but if you need inspiration his favorite romance movie is Pride and Prejudice. Well, Mr. Lancer turned him into a classical literature nerd so any classic romance should be good inspiration. He just likes to have fun. It shouldn't be too hard to pick something he'd like."

Dash scribbled a note on the last blank space on his page. "So, according to Pride and Prejudice, I just have to write him poetry, apologize for being an asshole, get on his family's good side, and then take him somewhere special where I spew more poetry?"

"You can see why you have him so whipped. You've done half of that already." Tucker laughed again, hearty and mixed with snorts. "But, you're putting too much thought into this. He might pass away on the spot, again, if you write him poetry. Just tell him you like him. That'll be enough."

Dash sighed again, rubbing the tension from his forehead. "I don't want it to be enough. I want it to be special, romantic."

"Oh my god!" Tucker guffawed. "It's not like you're taking his virginity, Dash. This isn't complicated."

Dash wrinkled his nose. "You're terrible."

"So I've been told. And yet, you still came to me for help."

Dash sighed, flipping to a clean page in his notebook. "And you kind of did. Thanks, Tucker."

"Just remember to invite me to the wedding."

"What, just so you can steal him from the alter with your cheesy pick-up lines?"

"I am a master at them. You're lucky I'm straight or you probably wouldn't have a chance. Danny is not immune to my charms."

Dash rolled his eyes. "See ya later, Mr. Charmer."

"Later, Sappy Romantic."

Dash laughed and hung up. Okay, he could do poetry. How hard could it be?

After several minutes of staring at a blank page, he sighed and picked his phone back up, dialing Kwan's number.

"Hey bro, what's up?"

"I need you to talk poetry to me."

Danny felt apprehensive before he got to the last stair. Something in his house was wrong. It was colder than normal and he couldn't shake the itch under his skin that someone was invading his space. He could smell something cooking; an odd occurrence for the middle of the day. He stepped into the kitchen and resisted the urge to immediately turn and walk right back out.

Vlad sat at the table, grinning smugly at him. "Oh, good morning, Daniel. How nice of you to join us."

Danny rolled his eyes and ignored him. His mom, who was cooking bacon with a frown, turned to smile at him.

"Hi, Danny!" She beamed. "You look nice today! Are you going somewhere?"

He glanced down; he'd put on some boots Sam had bought him instead of his normal, worn down, red Converse, some black fingerless gloves, pants chains and a planet necklace, and Dash's jacket. "Um." Admittedly, he was psyching himself up to ask Dash on a date and had wanted to look as attractive as possible. He did not want to tell his mom this; especially in front of Vlad. "Sam and I are going to see a movie later."

"When are you going to ask that girl out, Dan-o?" His dad cheered, his mood was always better when Vlad was around. It looked like he was cooking pancakes, but their shapes were anything but a typical circle.

"She's just a friend, Dad," Danny said at the same time Vlad said:

"Odd, I thought you were dating the boy from last night." He curled his lips into a deceitful smile.

Danny glared at him.

"Danny," his dad chided, flipping the pancakes over a little harder than necessary. "How many times have we talked about having people overnight without telling us?"

"Calm down, Jack," His mom hummed, shooting a withering look at Vlad. "It's not like he can get a boy pregnant."

"Dash wasn't over last night," Danny protested, rolling his eyes. "We ran into Vlad at the park."

"The Baxter boy?" His mom asked, her voice all high-pitched and excited.

"At such an odd hour," Vlad mused, talking over his mom. Really, how did he expect to win her over if he couldn't even show her basic respect? "Children can get into such trouble that late."

"I'm not a child," Danny grumbled, walking over to the pantry. It'd be better just to grab a to-go cereal cup and get out of there before he ended up getting in a fistfight with an old man.

His dad grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him back over to the table, forcing him to sit in a chair. "What trouble was he getting into Vlady?" He grabbed the plate of pancakes he'd made and put them on the table. Danny resisted the urge to swat it off the table like an irritable cat.

"Oh, Jack, I'm surprised!" Vlad guffawed. "What is it they say about snitches?" He leveled a keen, evil stare at Danny. "I mean, really, you remember what we were like at that age."

His dad frowned at him. "Danny, do we need to have a talk about drugs?"

"Jack!" His mom chirped as she sat down next to him. "Danny's not like that."

Danny drew in a deep breath through his nose- an anger management tactic Dash had taught him- and crossed his arms, digging his nails into his palms. "No. We were just walking  Dash's dog." He turned his withering glare on Vlad, the next sentence rolling off his tongue coated in venom. "What were you doing in the park so late, Vlady?"

"If you must know, Daniel, I have insomnia."

"Oh, Danny has that too, so I'm sure he understands the struggle." His mom said, nudging him and narrowing her eyes at Vlad.

He gave her a forced, pinched smile. "Hmm, that's funny. Cause it seemed more like you were making idle threats at people."

"Oh, my, didn't anyone teach you to mind your business?" Vlad's voice was smooth like carmalized honey. It made Danny want to punch his teeth in. Vlad stood, probably to be intimidating, and straightened his suit jacket.

His mom cleared her throat. "We," she emphasized the word by reaching out and griping his dad's arm to tug his attention away from the enormous pile of pancakes and bacon on his plate, "taught him everything about how to be a good person. I'm sure Danny has a reason to be concerned."

"Oh, Maddie, I meant no harm. It's just, well, curiosity did kill the cat."

Danny bit his tongue, not wanting to take Vlad's side in any manner, choosing to focus on his response. He also stood, using his height to his advantage. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you down there."

Vlad simply smirked, clicking his tongue. "Jack, it was nice catching up, but it seems I'm not entirely welcome here."

"Nonsense! Danny!" His dad boomed. A small spark of fear ran down Danny's spine and he tried his best to squash it. "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing." He ground out. He pushed his chair in with his foot and turned to leave the kitchen. "I've got to go anyway."

"Wait!" his mom called. She stopped to wrap some bacon in a paper towel before chasing after him. At least take some food with you."

"Why do you put up with him?" Danny hisses back, begrudgingly taking the peace offering.

She smiled sadly, glancing back at his dad. "He's your father's best friend. Look at how happy he gets when he's around. We can't take that away from him."

"Even with all he's done?" Danny was angry he couldn't tell her the truth; angry that she was the reason he couldn't tell her; angry that because he was scared of his parents, Vlad could get away scot-free.

"Forgiveness is a virtue." She shrugged, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for breakfast? I'm making monkey bread~!"

"Not if he's here." He brushed her hand off, sighing through his nose. He turned before he could see the smile disappear from her face. "I've got to go."

"Okay, bye, sweetie! I love you!"

He didn't answer, shoving his hands in the pockets of Dash's jacket as he shut the door behind him.

He paced the sidewalk behind Dash's house, his nerves buzzing with anxiety and anticipation.

He could do this.

He'd nearly done it yesterday, the words had almost practically fallen off his tongue. He just had to cough them back up.

What if yesterday was a fluke? Oh, god, what if Dash just liked Phantom better? What if he'd already fucked this whole thing up? What if-

His phone rang. It was Tucker. He exhaled a breath and answered. "Hey."

"Stop freaking out and just tell him, you coward."

Danny frowned. "How'd you know?"

"I've been watching the tracker on your phone pace his house for the last twenty minutes."

"That tracker is for emergencies only." He huffed, sitting on the grass between Dash's fence and the path to the park.

"This is an emergency." Tucker insisted. He could practically feel his grin through the phone. "You're both driving me crazy with your relentless pining. Just kiss him already. For real this time. He might not survive another fake out."

"Both of us?" Danny wheezed, his mind only catching half of those sentences. He twisted his fingers in the grass, ripping a few pieces out. His heart squeezed in his chest.

Tucker hummed. "I have been sworn to secrecy."

"How secret are we talking?" His nerves were jittery; he felt like he needed to run a mile just to burn the excess nerves off.

"I might be persuaded to share. For a price, of course." He teased.

Danny jokingly rolled his eyes. "Next Nastyburger run is on me?"

"You think the price on this kind of information is a simple Nasty Burger? This here is confidential, top secret. You gotta start the bidding higher than that."

"I'll buy the new Doomslayer game for you when it comes out." Danny laughed.

"Make it the deluxe edition and you've got a deal."

"You drive a hard bargain," He exaggerated a sigh. "Alright, deal."

"Yes!" Tucker cheered before clearing his throat. "Okay, so he called me a few hours ago asking me for advice."

Danny wrinkled his nose, tugging up more grass than he meant. He was glad not a lot of people walked this way and wouldn't have to explain to people why he was lurking behind Dash's yard. "He was asking you for advice?"

"I know, crazy, right? Anyway, he wanted to ask you out. But, in his words, 'it has to be special and romantic'. So he wanted to know if I knew what your ideal first date was and-"

"What did you tell him?" He interrupted, heart pounding in his ears.

"All your filthy secrets, naturally. He knows you're a sucker for Jane Austen now." Tucker schmoozed. "The rest you'll just have to find out. You don't want me to spoil all his big plans. Just know he wants to kiss you so bad he's driving himself insane."

"Thanks, Tuck," he wheezed. He wanted to giggle and kick his feet and scream all at the same time. He settled for releasing all the air in his lungs to take a slow, deep, hopefully calming breath.

"Anytime. Now go get your guy so the rest of us can find some peace."

"Har har." Danny laughed as he hung up. He shook out the rest of the nerves from his limbs and peeked over the fence.

Dash was sitting on the balcony, scribbling in a notebook; his brows were furrowed and he was chewing on his lip. He sighed, running a hand down his face, turning the page, and starting over.

Danny smiled softly, a warm feeling settling in his chest. A scene from a play swept through his mind and he grinned, half an idea forming in his mind. He composed a few sentences in his brain, letting each one roll around for a moment before tossing them out. He cringed.

Get it together, Fenton.

"C'mon, just pick something that isn't stupid." He muttered. His phone buzzed.

Tucker: Coward

Danny: I'm going!!!! Tracker is for emergencies only :(

Tucker: Coward

Danny didn't respond. He took a deep breath, turned intangible (and invisible), and walked through the fence. He slowly made his way across the yard, trying a few more sentences in his head, before stopping under the balcony. His hands were shaking ever so slightly; he shoved them in the pockets of Dash's jacket. He returned to a tangible, visible state, putting on his best, fake confident smile.

"Do you work for NASA? Cause your beauty is out of this world." And he promptly wanted to bite his tongue off and disappear forever. That was probably the worst thing he'd ever said out loud. So much for not picking something stupid.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Dash jumped, bumping his knee on the table and dropping his pencil. It rolled across the floor and dropped from the balcony. He stood, tiptoeing to the edge, and glared down. "Danny? What in the fuck are you doing down there?"

"Oh, I was just… in the neighborhood and decided to stop by." He could feel his face burning as he bent down to pick up Dash's pencil.

"Uh-huh," Dash mused, his face also a pretty shade of red. He leaned on the rail, head resting in one hand as he stared down. "Dressed like that and spouting pick-up lines?"

Danny couldn't help the nervous giggle that bubbled up his throat. "Ha-ha, is, uh, is the way I'm dressed a problem?"

Dash's eyes slid across his form, making him feel like he was about to catch fire. Dash hummed. "Mixing the emo aesthetic with a jock jacket is kind of out there. But I guess you make it work."

Danny's heart stuttered. So far so good. "You guess?"

Dash cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, what had you in the neighborhood? Ghost attack?"

Danny shook his head. "I just wanted to see you."

"Oh," Dash's voice trembled. He leaned back, white-knuckling the railing.

Feeling brave, Danny floated up to the balcony, nearly tripping from the added effort of ghost powers in his human form, as he stood on the edge and planted his hands right next to Dash's- their skin brushing. He tried his best not to show how out of breath he was from such a simple action. The narrow railing was the only thing separating them. He tucked the pencil behind Dash's ear.

"I have it on good authority that you wanted to see me too." His bones felt like jello, weak under the pounding of his nerves.

Dash frowned, the red on his face deepening. "That snitch."

"I like you," Danny breathed, unable to contain it any longer lest his nerves get the better of him. "I like you a lot."

"Oh," Dash squeaked, his breath hitching, lungs refusing to work.

Danny pushed the rest of his words out, easier once he'd started. "I like your smile."

He trailed a finger over the back of Dash's hand. "I like that you're funny. I like how determined you are."

He pulled at Dash's hand until he let go of the railing and turned it over, threading their fingers together. Dash inhaled, his eyes firmly glued on Danny's lips.

"I like that you're stupidly brave. God, I love your laugh-"

Dash silenced him, placing a finger over his lips. "Danny," he breathed, "I might die if you keep talking."

Danny grinned, pulling Dash's hand away from his face. "We don't need to talk."

"God," Dash dropped his hand, burying it in Danny's collar, "shut up." He yanked him down, pushing up on his tiptoes, and smushed their lips together.

It was gentle, a small, heat-filled press of lips against lips; it was drastically different from the panic-induced frenzy from last time. Danny sighed, dragging their lips together again; and again because he could; and again because he wanted to.

He let go of Dash's hand, bringing his hands up to cradle Dash's face. He pulled him closer, giggling as he almost lost his balance. Dash grabbed him by his sleeves to keep him from toppling onto the lawn below. Danny gently, slowly, without breaking the kiss, pushed him back so he could phase through the railing and lean back against it. He was dizzy, head over heels, his mind blank of coherent thought. A bright, happy feeling bubbled up his throat, forcing him to giggle again.

"I can't kiss you if you keep giggling," Dash breathed against his mouth, sliding his hands up Danny's arms to wrap them around his shoulders.

He giggled again anyway. "Sorry, I'm just…" He kissed him again, reveling in how Dash held him in his arms. The heat behind his eyes and in his throat was almost too much, he felt like he was going to implode. "…happy, is all."

Dash blinked his eyes open, afraid to miss Danny's smile. They were still incredibly close, pulling away only far enough to catch their breath. "Is that new for you?"

"It's rare." Danny traced his hands down Dash's neck, brushing his thumbs over his jaw. "Lately, I feel it a lot around you."

"Shut up," Dash groaned, tugging him down into another kiss. The longer they kissed the more Dash's neck started to ache from reaching up; he couldn't stand on his toes forever. "You're too tall," he whined.

Danny laughed. "I don't know how to fix that."

"I do." Dash steered him by his shoulders toward one of the chairs and pushed him down. Danny's hands found his hips as Dash pushed forward between his knees, kissing him again now that he didn't have to strain his neck as much.

"Better?" Danny whispered, a hint of a giggle still on his lips.

"Better," Dash sighed into his mouth. He buried his fingers in Danny's hair.

If he was being honest with himself, Danny didn't have a ton of experience with kissing- kissing for real and not just to keep his parents from finding out who he is. Not that he hadn't kissed someone for real; a few with Valerie their freshman year, but those were mostly pecks, and he'd made out with Tucker once when he'd figured out he was bi and Tucker was most definitely not. It was the only time he'd kissed someone with his tongue.

Until Dash was coaxing his mouth open, letting his tongue linger on his bottom lip. He gasped, digging his fingers into Dash's hips. This kiss was different, unpracticed, and sloppy- like neither of them really knew what they were doing. But, Danny was happy to explore; to find out what Dash liked and didn't like. He wanted to learn everything that Dash would let him learn about loving him.

Dash hummed, wanting to melt into the fire that burned behind his eyes, across his face, in his chest, under Danny's hands. God, Danny's hands were everywhere, on his hips, trailing over his arms, cradling his face, scratching his back. It made him dizzy.

It made him nervous.

He'd never kissed anyone before. Besides the last time in the alley, this was his first kiss. He was running purely on instinct (and the limited knowledge he had gleaned from shitty romcoms). He trailed his hands down Danny's neck and shoulders, catching every breathy noise Danny made; every sigh, every tug of his lips added fuel to the fire in his chest.

He pulled away to breathe, heart jumping when Danny whined and chased after him. "I like you too." He huffed, dragging air into his aching lungs.

Danny blinked his eyes open, dazed and grinning. "Yeah, I kind of guessed by the way your tongue was in my mouth."

Dash wrinkled his nose, laughing. "You're impossible."

Danny pushed their foreheads together. "I'd like it there again."

"Gross." Dash softly shook his head. "I just need to catch my breath."

Danny gave him a lazy smile, pressing a kiss to his cheek, followed by another one on his jaw. And then one right under his ear. And on lower down his neck.

"Oh," He breathed.

Danny tugged him closer, his fingers curling in his short hair. "Is this okay?" He murmured against his skin.

"Yes." Dash melted into him, bracing himself with his hands on Danny's hips. Another kiss at his pulse point had him completely weak in the knees. He made a startled sound in the back of his throat when Danny caught his flesh between his teeth. Any coherent thoughts he had slipped from his mind. "Hey, I, um," He muttered, almost incapable of speaking at all, "I wanted to, to say, um- fuck."

He could feel Danny's smirk against his neck. "Distracted, Dash?"

He dug his fingers into Danny's hips, the sound of his name dripping from his lips made his toes curl. "Danny, I'm serious." His voice was shaking. Danny hummed, tracing his lips back under his jaw. "I like you. A lot. I really, really, really like you."

He dipped his head, catching Danny's lips again. He pushed every fervent, soft, extreme feeling he felt for him against his lips. He whispered against them as he gasped for air again. "I was going to-"

The balcony door clicked open. "Sweetie, what's with the basket in the…" Dash's mom froze, blinking at them for a long moment before she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I owe your grandma twenty bucks now."

"Mom!" Dash squeaked, pulling away from Danny who nearly fell off the chair. "What are- um- I can exp- what are you doing home?!"

Danny cleared his throat, waving. "Hi, Jessica."

"Hi, Danny." She chuckled. "They sent me home because they were overstaffed. A once in a lifetime event. You two are being safe out here, yeah?"

"Mom, we talked about this!" He spluttered.

"I know. It's mostly a joke. If you change your mind you do know how-"

"I won't. Just, please, stop talking." He sighed, covering his face with his hands. He wanted to sink through the floor and hide for at least a century.

Danny placed a hand over his heart. "I swear on my grave that there will be no hanky panky tonight or any other night." He couldn't resist the tiny laugh that escaped him.

Scratch that- he wanted to hide for two centuries. "I hate you both."He muttered. "Yes, Mom, I paid attention in health class. No, I will not be needing that information. Thanks for the concern but please just drop it."

She jokingly tossed her hands in the air. "As long as you know, that's all that matters. Well, I wanted to ask you what the basket in the fridge was all about?"

"You know, most parents who walk in on their kids making out, leave, like immediately." Dash huffed. Danny was having a hard time not laughing.

"Alright, pushy. Sorry, you two can get back to it." She waved and disappeared back inside.

Dash didn't even have time to wallow or contemplate his death before Danny was cackling so hard he almost couldn't breathe. He turned and shoved his hands over Danny's mouth. "Oh my god, shut up."

"It's just-" Danny laughed between his fingers, "it's just hilarious."

"It's really not," Dash huffed, trying to shove every bit of embarrassment he felt down. Neither his mom nor Danny would ever let him live this down.

"I can't breathe!" Danny reached up to tug Dash's hands off, twining their fingers together, still shaking with laughter.

"I thought you didn't need to breathe?" Dash questioned, distracted by the way Danny's eyes lit up.

"As Phantom, I don't. But my human lungs still need oxygen." Danny pulled him closer again, shifting the mood the tiniest bit.

Dash swallowed nervously, unsure how to navigate this situation now that he wasn't running on excitement and adrenaline. He couldn't shake the anxiety from his limbs. "What, um, what am I telling her later?"

"What do you mean?" Danny fidgeted with their fingers. His eyes held uncertainty, an emotion Dash had never seen there.

He drew in a breath. "I mean… what are we now?" His voice squeaked a little and he wanted to jump off the balcony.

"Well," Danny's eyes flickered to the side, tension coiling in his shoulders, "I was hoping… boyfriends? Is… is that what you want?"

"Yes." Dash exhaled, feeling lightheaded. "Yes, I want that."

"Cool," Danny breathed, all the apprehension falling from his form. "Then that's what you tell her.

Dash felt unsteady, like he was standing on a ship that wasn't used to being on the ocean. He wasn't sure how to, but he wanted to get back to kissing him again. Was that even something you could do after being interrupted by a parental figure? He wished he had more experience with relationships. "What about your parents? Do you want to tell them or should we keep it a secret?"

Danny bit his lip, averting his gaze again. "I'm not… against telling them. I just…" He sighed. "They're a lot. Like, a lot. They can say things that are, mean, and I don't want to overwhelm you or-"

"Danny," Dash murmured reassuringly, leaning their foreheads together, "I handled them almost killing you, twice, and then trying to ground you over it. If you want to tell them, I think I can handle whatever boyfriend rules or insults they have." The word was tantalizing on his tongue; boyfriend.

Danny smiled at him, not the blinding grin he usually wore, something smaller and more genuine. "Okay. I'll tell them when they're in a good mood."

"Is there anyone you don't want to tell?"

Danny shook his head. "No. You?"

"No." Dash wasn't sure what else he was supposed to ask about a new relationship. He knew there was probably a lot that he was forgetting. Thankfully, Danny didn't seem to be as tongue-tied as he was.

"I didn't know you wore chapstick." Danny licked his lips, a teasing glint in his eyes. He leaned up, capturing Dash's lips again.

"Uh, yeah," Dash's brain was fuzzy. It was hard to focus or speak as every word dragged across Danny's lips. "Um, sports can be… uh, dehydrating, so… I, uh-"

Danny giggled, silencing him with another gentle kiss. "Can I take you on a date?"

Dash blinked his eyes open, startled. "Right now?"

Danny shrugged. "If you're not busy."

He let his gaze drop back to Danny's lips, quirking an eyebrow playfully. "I might be a bit busy."

Danny laughed; Dash's favorite laugh, the one that was deep and nothing but pure joy. Dash kissed it off his lips, because he didn't have to crush that urge anymore; because he liked him back. The thought made him dizzy.

"You know you're kind of a dick, right?" Dash said as he pulled away to breathe.

"What?" Danny startled. "What did I do?"

"I was going to ask you first. I called Tucker and everything." He gestured toward his notebook, forgetting that his hands were woven with Danny's.

"Oh," Danny glances over, the red on his face almost glowing. He leaned back, untangling their fingers. His smile was blinding. "Go ahead."

Dash froze, chuckling nervously. He grabbed for the notebook; this was a lot scarier when Danny was looking at him like he held the world in his hands. At least he knew what Danny's answer would be. He cleared his throat, clutching the notebook to his chest as Danny tried to peek over the edge. "Someone kind of interrupted me. So, it's not finished, just," he took a deep breath as he passed it over, "Just keep that in mind as you read."

"You wrote me a letter?" Danny asked, accepting the notebook tenderly.

"Uh, it's more of a poem, actually." Dash's stomach churned and his nerves felt like they were going to combust as Danny's eyes scanned the page. "Kwan helped me with most of it so don't go thinking I'm some kind of epic poet. I had to google a lot of words that rhymed but still made sense-"

"You wrote this… for me?" Danny whispered, his eyes watering as they moved over the page a second time.

"Yeah, it's not done yet," he tittered, "but I was going to give this to you and then ask-" He was cut off as Danny placed the notebook on the table, stood up, and enveloped him in a crushing hug, burying his face in his neck. His fingers tightly grasped Dash's shirt; he was shaking.

"Thank you," He whimpered.

Dash didn't hesitate to hug him back- though he did nearly laugh as a memory of consoling Danny on his balcony before flashed through his mind. He held him just as tenderly as he did then, not daring to let go before Danny was ready. He was perfectly content to stay in his arms as long as he needed. The chill of his skin didn't even seem to bother him anymore.

"No one's ever written me poetry before." Danny sniffled, his arms squeezing him tighter if that was even possible.

"What?" Dash scoffed jokingly. "You mean no one's ever compared your eyes to stars before?"

Danny sighed. "Not in iambic pentameter, and not both of them in the same breath. Usually, people just look for green."

"Both of them are you." Dash pulled away to look into the very eyes he was talking about. "And I like you, Danny, no matter if your eyes are blue or green. You've bewitched me-"

Danny cackled, pure and uncontrolled, pulling away enough to wipe the tears from his eyes. "You are not about to quote Pride and Prejudice at me!"

"Tucker said it was your favorite." Dash simply shrugged, a loving, gentle smile on his lips. "Will you go out with me?"

"Yes." Danny closed his eyes, leaning their foreheads together. "Sorry, I ruined your really cool plan."

"I'm not." Dash chuckled. "A bad pick-up line is a good way to ask someone out too."

"Oh my god," Danny groaned. "Can we please forget I said that?"

"Not on your afterlife."

"In my defense, I didn't have a plan."

"Wearing my jacket and impersonating Romeo was improvised, huh?" Dash tugged at the bottom of the jacket before cradling Danny's face; he brushed his thumbs over Danny's cheekbones, marveling at the faint freckles that lay there. They were less prominent when they weren't glowing green, but they were still enchanting nonetheless.

"I think it's my jacket now," Danny murmured.

"Really? I think it's my name embroidered on there."

"Mmhmm," Danny hummed, "and I get boyfriend privileges now. That's like the biggest perk of dating a jock."

"You've had that since before you received those privileges."

"You never asked for it back."

Dash didn't answer, his face burning. They both knew why he never asked. Danny leaned in, crushing their lips together again. Dash kind of loved how easy this was becoming for them.

This kiss was different. It was heavier, carrying the weight of a message they were trying to communicate. It left him reeling, his head swimming, butterflies making tornadoes in his stomach. Danny tugged his lip with his teeth as he pulled back.

Dash made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, chasing after him. Danny huffed a laugh, dropping his hands to Dash's hips and holding him in place. "You had a whole date planned?"

"Yeah," Dash huffed, catching his breath. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, so I was thinking a picnic? On that hill behind the observatory?"

"Poetry, the stars, and your cooking all in one day? Are you trying to kill me?" He squeezed his hips.

Dash wanted to melt on the spot. "I was trying to woo you, as Tucker puts it."

Danny smiled, leaning down to press one more lingering kiss against his lips. "Consider me wooed."

"Cool," Dash sighed, like an idiot. He cringed, taking a step back to clear Danny from his personal space so he could start to think again. "Um, I have a picnic basket in the fridge." He turned to head back inside.

"Hey," Danny whispered, "You forgot something."

Dash turned around, eyebrows raised. Danny was holding out his hand. "Oh." He reached back, intertwining their fingers.

Danny was absolutely giddy as Dash rushed them out of the house to avoid the teasing from his mom. He placed the basket on Danny's lap as they settled into the car. He slapped Danny's hand away when he tried to peek inside. "No peeking. It's a surprise."

"Well, now I just wanna peek more." Danny teased, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

"Contain yourself. It's only like a five-minute drive." Dash playfully rolled his eyes and pulled out of the driveway.

"Aye, aye, captain." Danny put his seatbelt on and settled into the semi-comfortable silence that blanketed the car.

After a moment, he turned to Dash, leaning on the armrest. "What's your favorite color?"

Dash huffed a laugh, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." Danny playfully protested. "I know a lot about you, but I don't know everything."

"And my favorite color is that important?" Dash flicked on his blinker. Even though he was dodging the question, Danny could tell he was super nervous. Which he thought was odd considering how not nervous he had been on the balcony.

"Yes. I know some of your greatest worries. I know your favorite hobbies. What I don't know is what your favorite color is. Or what your favorite drink is. What if I'm in the checkout line at 7-Eleven and I don't know what to get you? What kind of boyfriend would that make me?"

"The kind that gets their partner a generic Pepsi product and hopes it's right." Dash grinned.

"Exactly. And what if you didn't like Pepsi? What if you were like Sam and you'd murder me on the spot if I even thought of bringing you a big corporate anti-earth plastic bottle?" He had the urge to reach out and hold his hand again, but Dash seemed to take driving extremely seriously and didn't want to distract him.

Dash rolled his eyes, his smile still plastered on his face. Danny liked his smile. "If you must know, I'm more of a Gatorade person."

"That's a very jock answer." He teased.

"Do not dis the advantages of staying hydrated. You could probably use more electrolytes since you lose a lot when you bleed everywhere."

Danny's smile didn't waver. "I think you're dodging the original question."

Dash turned onto the observatory road. "Orange."

Danny let his eyes wander over him. "That suits you."

"What does that mean?" Dash parked in the same spot they had parked in last time.

"Orange is a brave color."

"I'm not brave."

"I think you are." Danny opened the car door and stepped out, carefully holding the picnic basket so it wouldn't spill anything it was carrying. He leaned against the car, dipping his head back inside to check on Dash. "Are you coming?"

Dash spluttered, his face that pretty shade of red again. "You really think I'm brave?"

"I think you'd be braver if you got out of the car and came over here." He grinned.

Dash climbed out of the car and took his time walking around to the passenger side. Danny's heart lept as he approached; he pressed his back against the car, grasping the basket for dear life.

Dash leaned closer, his hand winding around the basket handle, gently prying it from his fingers. He pushed up on his tiptoes, his lips right next to Danny's ear. "You're gonna have to try harder than that." He pulled away, turning to lead the way up the hill.

Danny released the air he was holding in his lungs, his knees weak. He took only a second to collect his thoughts before chasing after Dash- who had stopped to make sure he was following. He took the hand he was offering.

"What's yours?" Dash asked as they climbed the hill.

"What?" Danny breathed.

"Your favorite color." Dash laughed.

"Oh, right. Dark blue."

Dash hummed. "Like space?" They reached the top and Dash let go of Danny's hand to pull a blanket out of the basket and smooth it across the ground.

"Yeah, actually. I guess I'm getting a bit predictable, huh?"

Dash scoffed. "You? Predictable? Please, that's as likely as the tennis team actually winning a game."

"I know you said you weren't super into football anymore," Danny started, sitting next to him, "but you were on pretty much every sports team we had. Is there another sport you like better?"

Dash thought about it for a moment as he pulled out paper plates and cups and Tupperware full of chicken salad and croissants. "Yeah, I mean, I really liked track and baseball wasn't bad either."

"Do you think you'd do either in college?"

"Amity Community doesn't have a baseball team. But, yeah. I might try out for track. I hadn't really thought about it. What about you? Are you doing any extracurriculars?"

Danny sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I mean, the NASA club might be cool, but being a part-time superhero doesn't really leave a lot of room for time commitments."

"Oh, right." Dash frowned. "I keep forgetting about that."

Danny chuckled weakly. "At least one of us can."

"I had a question about that actually." Dash passed him a plate full of delicious-looking picnic foods.

Danny found himself a little tense, though he had no idea why. Dash had more than proven trustworthy. "Yeah?"

"Dani, your cousin- which is odd that your family did that with the names- mentioned that she'd been in space. Since you're such a space nerd, does that mean you've gone too?"

All the tension drained from him. "Yeah. I have. A lot actually."

"How does that work? Is it because you're dead so you're not going to have your sweat glands explode or anything?" Dash poured them both some juice before closing the basket up.

"I'm not actually sure. I think so? This," he gestured to the sandwich he was eating, "this is fucking phenomenal."

"Thanks." Dash smiled. "How'd you even find out you could survive in space anyway?"

"Uh, that's kind of a long story." Danny started from the beginning of his and Valerie's story; from when she got kicked out of their group because of him, to the rivalry he accidentally started, to Vlad basically grooming her, to the fight with Technus.

"She chased you into space? How did she survive?" Dash gasped, his pasta half-forgotten.

"I think it was something Technus did to her suit. I'm not sure ghosts are purely scientific. Sometimes the things we create and touch alter the way physics works. I don't want to say magic, but it's like a different set of physics." Danny had not forgotten his food and was half chewing as he spoke.

"Huh, okay. And how'd she take it when she found out? I mean, you guys are friends still-"

Danny shook his head. "It took her a long time to forgive me. To say she was pissed is an understatement. I think she wanted to kill me even more if that was possible."

"Is it because her and Fenton were dating and her and Phantom were mortal enemies?"

Danny took another bite and finished chewing before answering. "Kind of. But it was more that everyone in her life at the time was betraying her, her friends, her boyfriend, her mentor. It was like everywhere she turned she found more people she couldn't trust."

"And that's why you guys broke up Sophomore year?" Dash took a sip of juice, mostly for something for his hands to do.

"Yeah. At least she had stopped shooting at me." He chuckled weakly.

"So, how did you guys get to be friends again?"

"Ah, well. That's another long story." Danny glanced at Dash. He was always looking at him like every word Danny said deserved to be tattooed on his skin. It made him all the more worried that there'd be a line that he'd cross and Dash would decide he wanted nothing more to do with all this crazy ghost stuff.

"You promised me you'd tell me all the long stories. Don't tell me my boyfriend is already going back on his first promise." Dash teased.

Danny sighed, a giggle on his lips. "Okay, you're right. Well, she met my cousin." He finished the story by telling him how Vlad had hunted Dani down using Valerie and when Valerie had seen her begging for her life she made a deal with Danny to save her in exchange for handing him over. But then they'd exposed Vlad and she dropped everything just to hunt the man who'd been lying to her and putting her in danger the whole time.

"Dani and I eventually talked her out of hunting him to the ends of the earth. And somewhat out of ghost hunting. She's channeling all that energy into college now. She's going to be a resource officer for kids in situations similar to hers. It's really cool of her."

"Wow, I had no idea she was going through so much. Or you. I mean, I've never been forcibly cloned but I can't imagine that was a fun experience."

Danny shrugged. "It's not, but I can hardly remember it. I've been tortured so many times, it starts to get hard to keep track of anything but the feeling of pain, you know." He'd meant it as a form of a dark joke, but one look at Dash's face had him regretting it.

"I'm sorry you ever had to deal with that much pain," Dash uttered, his voice shaking.

Danny reached for his hand. "I try not to think about it. It's just part of the job."

"That doesn't make it okay."

Danny shook his head. "No, it doesn't. But, I can't change it. I can only do my best to prevent more of it."

"Can I help?"

"Dash you don't have to-"

"But, I want to help you. I know you have Tucker and Sam, and Valerie, and your cousin, and Jazz, but I want to help too. I mean, you're my partner now and I don't want to be useless if you need me-"

Danny squeezed his hand. "Dash, you're not useless. You've saved my life twice. You don't need to be a fighter to protect me."

"This isn't about my feelings. I want to be able to help you so you don't have to go through any more torture. Or at the very least I want to be able to protect myself so that it doesn't put you at risk when you have to worry about me."

Danny sighed, crawling over to pull Dash into a tight hug. "Okay. Okay, can we talk about this later? This is a date and I refuse to bring down the mood. It's your turn."

"My turn?" Dash asked, voice still shaking.

"Yup. You need to tell me one of your tragic ex stories now. It's only fair." Danny busied his hands with picking up their plates and tucking them on the other side of the basket. He shoved the melancholy and memories of pain away.

Dash forced a breath out of his nose. He kept his eyes glued to the blanket. "Uh, I don't have any tragic ex stories."

Danny stopped, glancing over at him. "Not even pre-coming-out? I know I saw you flirting with Paulina a lot during Freshman year."

Dash shrugged, his ears turning red as he avoided eye contact. "Yeah, uh, she could tell I never really meant it. But, I've, I've never been in a relationship. I've never even kissed anyone before you. It's kind of why I didn't tell you how I felt for so long. I wasn't sure how."

"Oh," Danny breathed. "Oh! My bad. I didn't mean to make your first kiss a life-or-death situation." His heart didn't know how to feel about the confession.

"Really? You could have fooled me." Dash teased, distracting himself by fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. It was starting to get chill out as the sun finally dipped beneath the horizon. "It's fine. I think you made up for it on my balcony."

"Can I… ask how long you've liked me?" Danny's nerves were buzzing again, the pounding in his ears drowning out the sounds from the field around them.

"You or Phantom you?"

Danny shrugged, his lungs feeling gooey. "Both."

"Well, I don't think it's a secret that I've liked Phantom for a long time. Hell, that time Skulker was chasing us around your house I thought I made it pretty obvious. You hanging out with me as Phantom recently did nothing to help me get over my celebrity crush. As for when I noticed I liked Fenton as well, I think it was senior ditch day but I threw myself into a deep trench of denial." Dash forced the air from his lungs like he was pushing the weight of his words off him. He looked up and made eye contact for the first time since the question was asked. "You?"

Danny was about to turn into a giggling mess again. He couldn't believe how blind he'd been. "Whatever trench you were in, I'm sure mine was deeper. I hate to admit it, and if you ever tell them this I'll deny it, but I think Sam and Tucker were right. That day you saved me from my parents, when they shot my arm, was probably when it started. I think it's what drove me to basically force you to hang out with us."

"You didn't force me to do anything." Dash leaned closer, his eyes dropping to Danny's lips. "I'm so glad my therapy session ran late that day."

"Me too." Danny sighed, sliding his hands over Dash's arms and tugging him closer. His heart was beating too fast and with too many feelings for him to keep contained. "You should kiss me."

"We might miss the meteor shower if we get… distracted." Despite his protesting, Dash brought his hands up to cradle Danny's face.

"I don't mind." Danny leaned back, nearly pulling Dash into his lap. He wanted to get as close as possible; as close as Dash was comfortable with. "Please, kiss me."

Dash kissed him; kissed him sweetly, with just as many uncontainable feelings. He kissed him with such tenderness that Danny had a hard time believing him when he said he'd never kissed anyone before. Dash's arms and lips were quickly becoming Danny's favorite place to be.

They missed the meteor shower.

---

Never thought I'd have three of my straight male friends hyping me up to write gay smut but here we are.

---