Never Thought I'd Have Three Of My Straight Male Friends Hyping Me Up To Write Gay Smut But Here We Are.

I have such bad Dash Baxter brain rot. I've been swimming in the stew of trying to build his redemption arc for so long that I'll see him in fics and go "Dash!! 🥰" and then he pulls some dick move and I'm like "oh... Dash... 😒"

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Malevolent (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John/Arthur Lester Characters: John (Malevolent), Arthur Lester, Kayne (Malevolent) Additional Tags: Post Separation, Post canon, set sometime after Season 5, so season five spoilers, idk assume that they find the stone and Kayne actually keeps his end of the deal, DemiAroAce Arthur, He has feelings about that, complicated feelings, He struggles with it, John (Malevolent) Has His Own Body, John has sensory issues, and yearning issues, romantic Jarthur, we get to it eventually, Mutual Pining, other tags to be added as i think about it, please Harlan never find this Series: Part 1 of To Be Loved By You Is A Holy Thing Summary:

Kayne actually goes through with his end of the deal and gives John his own body. However, he not only leaves them stranded in the Dreamlands, but they also gives each of them issues to deal with when it comes to their bodies. Now they have to deal with being separated while they once again try to navigate back to Earth. Arthur struggles with his feelings toward John, not understanding what they are. (He wouldn't have had the language to define Demi-romantic) John struggled with... just about everything.

~

His thoughts turned to John; it felt incredibly lonely in this room- in this body- without him, even though he was just in the other room. There had once been a point when he'd wished for this; craved being alone more than he could say.

So why did it feel like hell now?

He should be grateful. John had his own body, his own autonomy outside of Arthur now- Arthur had his autonomy back. He should be happy for his friend, happy that he could interact with the world now; that he could interact with him now. And interact he did. He couldn't seem to keep his hands off him.

Okay, guys, I need yall to remember something important.

I am a writer, not an artist.

I wanted to color so damn bad. And I wanted to get the images of the character designs I had out of my head.

But I'm so bad at drawing and you can tell which characters gave me major issues.

@inkedbyash had to fix a few of my issues but I'm a hopeless case.

Anyways, the writing of my story is better than my drawing skills, but here's how I imagine the crew when they're older. (The popular kids will be in a second post)

Quick,

I need a non awkward way to tell your mom that your best friend has moved into boyfriend status.

the fact that dash has a dog called pookie has aged like FINE WINE

Fucked around and drew a scene from my last chapter cause I'm having brain fog with writing. Got all the way done with it and realized Dash is wearing his jacket in this scene. I did not have the energy to fix it.

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.

The way I wish I could draw so bad cause I have so many little scenes that would do better as tiny comic strips

I feel so honored, I've never been tagged in one of these things! So thank you!

Last Song: Masterpiece Theatre III by Mariana's Trench

Favorite Color: this usually changes depending on whatever I'm obsessed with at the moment but I think mostly consistently I've enjoyed Red and Yellow the most.

Last Movie: Wallace and Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl

Last Show: Kitchen Nightmares

Sweet, Savory, or Spicy: Salty. Savory is closest to that I suppose.

Last Thing I Searched: What's the poem with "and miles to go before I sleep"

Current Obession: Malevolent (trying to claw my way back to Danny Phantom to finish the fics I promised)

Looking Forward To: the release of Split Fiction (i love me some good multiplayer games)

Relationship Status: Single (i live in Hornyville and it's hard out here as a sex-repulsed Ace)

Tagging: @inkedbyash @jouuskaa @findingpeterpan and anyone else who wants to!

thank you @slashsleuth for the tag 😁 i havent done a little game in a long time

last song: fruit roll ups by waterparks

fav color: purple 💜😈💟🪻

last book: the absinthe underground by jamie pacton (it was ok)

last movie: wicked

last tv show: abbott elementary

sweet/savory/spicy: sweet usually

relationship status: single 😊

last thing i googled: the absinthe underground (needed the author lmao) before that it was turbulent waterparks chords

current obsession: ive been watching a lottt of jet lag lately!!! super fun travel show!!

looking forward to: signed parx print coming in the mail today 🫶🏼

tagging: @bergoozter @trashworldblog @outer-space-face @22psyduck :-)

Of All The Stories In The Stars, Ours Has Yet To Be Told (62761 words) by StarsWhisper Chapters: 7/? 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 or pevious 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.

~

Danny lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, feet idly kicking the air as they dangled off the side. He listened to his phone ring, anxiety settling in his stomach. He'd already tried twice that day to get a hold of Jazz with no luck. He knew she was busy, but he couldn't help the little voice telling him his parents had gotten to her first. The phone was two rings away from going to voicemail again when she picked up.

"Hey, bro! What's popping?"

Danny snorted, laughing at her choice of slang words. Ever since getting to college, she'd been trying her best to sound cool and he was beginning to suspect Mr. Lancer had given her one of his 'how to be hip' dictionaries. "The only thing that should be popping, is you popping open a real dictionary."

Jazz sighed comically. "There's that younger brother sarcasm I've missed."

Danny rolled his eyes, a faint smile on his face. "How are you, Jazz?"

"Oh, I'm fine. The summer semester is kicking my ass. I've got seven essays, two research projects, and a group presentation all due by the end of the week, but, yeah, I'm fine."

"Jesus, Jazz, do you even have time to breathe?"

"I do right now. I'm sorry for missing your other calls. Is there something going on?"

"I understand you're busy. Nothing crazy, I just, uh, have Mom and Dad talked to you at all?" Danny chewed his bottom lip so hard he tasted blood.

"No," Jazz snorted. "The last I heard from either of them was a few days ago and all Dad sent me was a cat meme on Facebook. I figured they've just been too busy with ghost hunting to check up on me." The frustration in her voice was tense like she couldn't decide if she wanted to be sad or mad. She cared about her parents, but she harbored a lot of resentment about how the two of them were raised. "Why?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, cause I wanted to be the one to tell you that I've decided to go to college."

Jazz screamed. Danny ripped the phone away from his ear, only daring to bring it back when he couldn't hear her anymore. "Danny! That's amazing! Where are you going? What program are you doing? What convinced you?"

"Well, I had a talk with Mr. Lancer-"

"I knew he'd come through for me," Jazz whispered under her breath.

"And," Danny chuckled, "he was talking about this program here at Amity Community that I kind of liked. After some thinking, and admittedly a little pushing from Dash, I-"

"Dash? Dash Baxter? Since when are you two hanging out?"

"Uh, I haven't told you about that? Never mind, not important right now. I, well, I decided to be an astronomy teacher. A professor if I can swing it."

Jazz screamed again. "That's such a good choice! It's so you! Oh my gosh, my brother, a professor!" She gasped. "We can share our theories about classroom behavior now! This is going to be so great!"

Danny felt a huge wave of relief hit him, shaking a lot of his parents' disapproval off. He sighed, "Thanks, Jazz. I'm glad you think so."

"Mom and Dad didn't take it so well, huh?" Jazz's voice lost a lot of its excitement, a hint of bitterness glazing over it.

Danny glared up at the glowing stars on his ceiling. "No, not really. They're mad at Mr. Lancer for even putting the idea in my head. But, Mom said it was a start and I'll for sure want to change my major to biochemistry by the end of the semester when I've realized what it is I've gotten myself into."

Jazz hesitated, her voice careful. "And Dad?"

Danny's heart constricted. "He's just glad they have at least one genius kid."

"I'm going to lose my shit." Jazz hissed, knocking something over. "This is why I don't come home for Christmas. Don't listen to him, Danny. He should be proud of you. If he knew of half the shit you did in his lab, he would be proud. I'm proud of you."

"I miss you, Jazz." He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "They were a lot kinder when you were around."

"Only cause I had to kick their asses anytime they said some bullshit about you." Her voice softened. "I miss you too. But, hey, look at how great you're doing without me."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, but how much better could I be doing with you?"

"Oh! Speaking of old inside jokes, how are your, um, extracurricular activities going? Wink."

"You don't have to say wink." Danny jokingly rolled his eyes.

"Then how will you know I'm winking?"

"You're such a dork."

"I know you are but what am I?" Jazz laughed. "But, seriously, how are things going on the spooky side?"

Danny took a deep breath, flashes of the night before entering his mind. He stood up to pace his room, hoping to shake them off. "Uh, good, good. Just the usual. The ghosts might be on vacation, there have been fewer attacks lately. So, that's nice."

"You hesitated. Danny, you know you can tell me, right? I wouldn't ask if I thought I couldn't handle it."

Danny exhaled, long and low. "Okay, they were," he swallowed, his breath shaking, "They were dissecting a ghost in the lab last night. She was in real bad shape when I found her."

Jazz gasped. "Was it someone you knew?"

Danny shook his head, briefly forgetting she couldn't see him. "No, but, God, Jazz, she, she couldn't have been older than sixteen. She wasn't even a threat and they had her- she was completely, her arms were covered in-" Danny paused to take a deep steadying breath. "It was bad. She was in a lot of pain and the house reeked like they'd been at it for hours."

Jazz's voice carefully held no emotion. "What happened? Did they say anything about it?"

"Not to me. I got her out without them noticing. When they got back to the lab and found out they argued for a minute before I interrupted them." He stubbed his toe, hissing at the contact.

"That's- I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Do you, maybe, wanna talk about how you're feeling?"

Danny sat back down, twisting the sheets in his fingers. "Not really. I kind of want to forget it ever happened."

"Okay, that's fine." Jazz took a breath, then forced a teasing tone to creep back into her voice. "Then maybe you can explain this photo of you and Dash Baxter that both Tucker and Sam sent me."

"What?" Danny sat up straight, panic settling into his veins. "What photo?"

"It seems like a movie night at Sam's. You're asleep on his shoulder and you two look pretty cozy."

"That was an accident! I didn't mean to fall asleep. Okay, but, listen, I have to tell you about Dash." He proceeded to tell her everything from the beginning, how he had stopped messing with them a few years back, how he patched Phantom up, how Danny invited him to hang out, the whole story up til yesterday.

"So, what I'm getting out of this is that a pretty jock boy said thank you and you fell in love with him."

"I'm not in love with him! Why does everyone keep saying that?" Danny huffed, face warm.

"Uh, 'cause you're acting like it."

"I just, think he's cool. You know, I've mixed these feelings up before with Sam. This is probably just the same thing. I don't like him, I just think he's cool."

Jazz giggled. "Danny, please, I never heard you talk about Sam the way you just talked about Dash. You totally like him."

"I don't think I do. I mean, I do like being around him, a lot. As both Fenton and Phantom. He doesn't really act different between the two of them which is… nice. But if I liked him, I'd have to tell him I'm the same person, and then what if freaks out and starts acting differently again? I like this Dash. I like the way things are. I don't want them to change." Danny knew he was whining, but Jazz started it.

"Of course change is scary. And I'm not gonna say that you should tell him 'because of what could be' or anything. It's your relationship with the guy, you get to decide what you tell him. What I am saying is that you should be honest with yourself and you should have told me! You have a crush on a boy and you didn't tell your sister! I'm hurt."

"Uh, maybe!" Danny protested. "Maybe I have a crush on a boy."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Jazz sang.

"Don't you have like twenty essays to do or something?" Danny quipped.

Jazz bellowed a hearty laugh. "Yeah, I do. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Thanks for talking to me, Jazz."

"Anytime, bro. Love ya."

"Love you too." Danny hung up. He sighed and collapsed back on his bed, feeling better than he had before. He should make it a point to call his sister more often.

~

Danny: Hey, if I wanted 2 wear eyeliner, where would I start?

Paulina: Aaaaaaa!!! U liked it that much?! this is perfect. I haven't taught any1 make-up in a minute! R U busy? I could B there in ten minutes.

Danny: Would it B ok if i came 2 yours instead? parents have a bunch of dangerous experiments lying around this morning

Paulina: Oh, yeah that should B fine. I'll have everything set up by the time U get here. I'm so excited!

Danny: :D

Paulina has created a group chat.

Paulina has added Kwan, Dash, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie.

Paulina has sent a photo.

[The photo shows Paulina standing next to Danny in her huge vanity bathroom. They're holding their hands up in the peace sign gesture, winking, and sticking their tongues out. They wear matching eyeliner.]

Paulina: I am a goddess at make-up

Danny: Can confirm. I've learned from a master

Sam: Since the goddess can get you to do something I've been trying to convince you to do for years, I'll gladly bow

Tucker: Smthng U want 2 tell us, Sam?

Sam: Only that I can recognize talent when I see it

Valerie: But can Danny do it on his own?

Danny: I did Paulina's!!! She's been teaching me all day. This shit is hard

Dash: I didn't think you'd get to Paulina's level in one day

Danny: Oh, I'm nowhere near her level. She's a master. However, I can tell U the difference between liquid and felt tip eyeliner.

Sam: Prove it

Tucker: How's he supposed to prove it?

Valerie: He could do your eyeliner

Tucker: No thank U. That shit takes forever to get off. Never again. Why aren't we volunteering Dash for this?

Dash: Because I'm not back for another two weeks. And by then he'll be better at it so you won't be able to make fun of him

Danny: :(

Paulina: I can't believe ur all doubting my teaching skills

Sam: We're doubting Danny's art skills

Danny: >: (

Kwan: Yo!! Looking good, bro!

Danny: :) Thanks, bro. I knew I could count on U. The only 1 that has my back 4 real

Dash: I thought it looked cool

Danny: :D

Valerie: Anyone want to meet at Nasty Burger? I've got a craving for fries

Tucker: Say less, I'm omw

Sam: I'm down

Dash: :(

Danny: You'll be there in spirit :)

Kwan: Woooo! Party!!!! Dash, we can Skype you

Dash: That's okay, we're going on a hike here in a second

Paulina: That's what you get for abandoning us for a month

Dash: :(

~

Sam: I can't believe our resident nurse friend is gone right now

Dash: ?

Tucker: Danny needs stitches and Sam doesn't want to do it

Valerie: What'd he do this time?

Dash: This time?! How often does he need stitches? Is he okay?

Sam: More often than you'd think. He's a magnet for trouble

Tucker: He's fine. Just jumped in front of a car crash to save a kid. A piece of shrapnel gouged his leg.

Dash: Why isn't he in the hospital?! Is the kid okay?

Valerie deleted a chat

Valerie: Danny doesn't like hospitals. Why didn't he let Phantom handle it?

Sam: There weren't any ghosts involved. He wouldn't have shown.

Dash: Is everyone okay though? What's happening with Danny?

Tucker: The kid is worshiping Danny as we speak

Danny: Aw, worried about me Dash? ;)

Danny: Every1 is ok though. I got stitches. The kid is a little shaken, but otherwise unharmed and he's not worshiping me. He was just scared. It doesn't look like a serious crash either.

Dash: My friend jumped in front of a car, of fucking course I'm worried.

Tucker: Eh, he does this often. You'll get used to it.

Dash: Often!? Why?

Valerie: Acknowledging it only encourages him

Danny: Who else was going to save that kid? I think I prefer him over U guys

Dash: What did I do?

Danny: Ur exempt

Tucker: Simp

Danny: I will haunt ur ass Tuck

Tucker: No U won't. Ur too nice

Sam: It's true, that's a hollow threat and you know it

Danny: I can be threatening >=(

Paulina: Glad ur ok Danny! Hate to disagree with U guys, but Danny can be scary when he wants to be

Dash: Yeah, have U ever seen him mad? He's a wall of terror and rage

Valerie: How do you two know that?

Paulina: We used to be bad people.

Dash: U pick on the wrong kid once and suddenly Danny Fenton turns into ur worst nightmare

Danny: :D See?

Sam: Ur still not haunting Tucker

Tucker: I have bestie privileges

Danny: True. But I do too and I will not hesitate to send the blackmail photos I have saved.

Tucker: What photos?

Danny: ^u^

Tucker: Danny, what photos?!?!

~

"Go long!" Danny launched the frisbee through the air, watching Youngblood and Cujo race after it. Youngblood caught it and threw it back. Cujo spun around and came charging back toward him.

He caught it, narrowly dodging Cujo as he jumped after it. This time when he threw it, he used a little bit of ecto energy to throw it further. Cujo took the lead on this chase, Youngblood protesting.

"Hey! Cujo! Let me get it! You can't even throw it!"

"You'll never tire them out, you know." Ember huffed, scribbling music notes in her notebook.

"I know." Danny collapsed on the ground next to her, sinking into the soft grass of one of the ghost zone's islands. "I'm not trying to. Just making sure they don't get bored and try to cause chaos in the living world."

Ember huffed and picked up her guitar. "I've been doing just fine keeping them in check." She played a few chords, shook her head, and adjusted the strings.

"Yeah, you have. Thanks for that. I'm sorry I haven't been visiting as much lately."

She picked her notebook up and changed something she had written. "Yeah, what gives? That new boyfriend of yours better company than us or something?"

Danny tensed. "You know about Dash?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "The whole zone knows about Dash. Well, anyone who cares about Phantom, knows about Dash. Johnny has been itching to tease you about it."

"Great, well he's not even my boyfriend. So Johnny can lay off." Danny watched Youngblood and Cujo fight over the frisbee.

Ember hummed. "You know he won't. I think Skulker already has a plan to use him as bait too. You'd better keep an eye on him."

Danny groaned flopping over to stare up at the swirling green void. His vision filled with a giant green dog, dropping slobber over him like rain as it deposited the Frisbee next to him.

"Gross, Cujo!" Danny sat up, turning intangible so the dog spit would slide off of him.

"You're supposed to throw it back!" Youngblood huffed, sitting next to Ember. "This isn't fun anymore. I want to play pirates."

Danny raised an eyebrow at him, turning tangible again. "Do you remember what happened last time you played pirates? You sent three people to the hospital and leveled a whole city block."

Youngblood rolled his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal. They're all fine."

"People got hurt. That's not fine." Ember said gently.

"Ugh, big kids are no fun. It's fine because they'll just show up here if they get hurt. It's not like they disappear."

"It isn't fine," Danny soothed. "People aren't supposed to be here until they're ready. If you bring them here too early, it makes them really sad." Danny could tell Youngblood wasn't listening to the conversation anymore. Cujo butted his arm to get Danny to pet him.

"And you aren't supposed to be able to see me anymore. Rules are just dumb words that don't mean anything."

Danny tried to contain his frustration as he petted Cujo. He sighed. "Okay, why don't we play astronauts? We can use your slingshot for a spaceship again."

Youngblood brightened. "Okay! I'll go get it. C'mon Cujo! Help me carry it." Cujo barked and the two of them sped off toward Youngblood's door.

"Aren't you glad you're missing time with your boyfriend for this?" Ember sneered.

Danny frowned. "He's not my boyfriend. And I haven't just been spending all my time with him. I've been trying to apply for college and turn the antibiotics for the Fenton Venom into a vaccine. That way Pandora doesn't have to worry about distributing antibiotics to ghosts who are scared of her. You know, important things."

Ember huffed, ripping a page out of her notebook and throwing it at him. "Whatever. Just bring him to my next concert so I can make fun of you."

"No promises. Giving up on your song?" Danny threw the paper back at her, laughing.

"Not giving up, starting over. You giving up on getting over your crush?" She scribbles more in her notebook.

"You're not gonna drop this are you?" Danny wound his fingers around the ghost grass, ripping some chunks out and watching them blow away on the breeze.

"Nope." She popped the 'p', readjusting her guitar on her lap. "It's kind of the most interesting thing going on right now. Since I've given up on taking over the world, I have to entertain myself with your whole 'will I, won't I' thing."

Danny pouted. "Kitty and Johnny's 'will they won't they' isn't more interesting? What about your boyfriend? Is he not entertaining enough?"

"Uh, no. For one, Kitty and Johnny are annoying and they always get back together so it's boring at this point. And no, he's too busy trying to come up with a way to hunt you and the boy you want to kiss so bad it makes you look stupid." She struck a few chords on her guitar, nodding and writing it down.

Danny gasped, shoving her playfully. "I do not look stupid."

"Yes, you do. You fell in a goddamn lake." She grinned and motioned to her guitar. "You know, I could always help out with a well-timed love spell."

Danny frowned at her, eyes flashing in annoyance. "Not a chance. I'm not letting you put a spell on Dash."

"Aw, you care about him." She mocked. "Why don't you just fucking tell him?"

Danny huffed. "I don't know. Maybe I don't want him to freak out when he finds out I'm dead. Or not completely dead if he prefers Phantom. Oh god, what if he does prefer Phantom? What would I do then?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you're a mess. Look, I can't give you the best advice as someone who literally died because she got stood up. But, just ask yourself if you're willing to be lonely for the rest of your life because you're too scared to let someone take your feelings seriously. Don't be an idiot."

"I've got it!" Youngblood called, returning with Cujo who was balancing the slingshot on his back. "I call going first!"

"Coming!" Danny called. He smiled at Ember. "For someone who doesn't have a lot of advice, that was pretty good stuff. I like you better when you're not trying to take over the world."

"I know, you tell me all the time." Ember played more chords on her guitar. "Go play with the kid before he loses his mind."

Danny chuckled as he got up and flew over to Youngblood. "Alright, Commander, are you ready for launch?"

~

Danny: Hey, how's Cali?

Dash: It's fun. My aunt Cassie is teaching me the secret family recipes

Danny: :o any chance I can blackmail U into making those for me?

Dash: Yeah, you can ask nicely

Danny: Can U make them for me?

Dash: What's the magic word?

Danny: Ambivalent

Dash: I can withhold my cooking

Danny: This is cruel and unusual punishment

Dash: Weird, I don't think your texts are coming through

Danny: I refuse to beg

Dash: Then I refuse to share my secret family recipes

Danny: :(

Danny: :(

Danny: :(

Danny : Please?

Dash: Ok, you win. Hope you like chicken kebabs

Danny: <3 U have issues with Reggie yet?

Dash: Ugh, of course. My mom has put him in his place a couple of times though. It's been cool.

Danny: Let's go, Mrs. Baxter!

Dash: She says you can call her Jessica btw

Danny: Is ur mom reading ur texts?

Dash: No, she just asked who I was texting

Danny: Aw, she loves me <3

Dash: Don't encourage her. How are your stitches?

Danny: Still worried about that? I'm fine. It's no big deal.

Dash: It's kind of a big deal. I'm just glad you're okay. I seem to remember you promising a game night when I got back. Wouldn't be able to do that if you fucking died on me

Danny: Did I? I just remember saying we needed to hang out

Dash: No, I distinctly remember you saying that you'd help me get revenge on Tucker

Danny: Ur going after Tucker and not Sam?

Dash: Sam kicks ass. I don't think anyone can beat her. Tucker threw a blue shell at me. That's unforgivable.

Danny: Ok, u have convinced me. I'll help u with ur revenge scheme.

Dash: How upset is he going to be when he finds out I've turned you against him?

Danny: Immensely. He'll never let me live it down. U had better make it worth it

Dash: I'll get some practice in. Wouldn't want to let you down

Danny: Hope ur cousins are good practice then

Dash: Nathan might be, he hasn't left the game room since we got here.

Dash: I need to help with dinner, text you later?

Danny: Yeah, tell ur mom I said hi!

~

Danny, on his stomach, lay on his bed, one elbow supporting his head, red pen spinning in his other hand. An astronomy textbook lay open in front of him, a page already underlined with significant notes in the margins. He'd ordered the basic books for the classes he'd be taking ahead of time so he could use the second half of summer to get a jump start on his studies. He'd need the extra time if ghost attacks ramped up again in the fall.

Granted he was working off the textbooks the teachers had used the previous year so it might all be for naught. But he figured any information was good information, plus he liked seeing the pictures from the telescope.

He was underlining another sentence when his phone rang. He reached over, stretching to grab it from his nightstand, not even bothering to hide the smile on his face when he saw the contact picture. He dropped his pen and answered the call.

"Hey, Dash, what's-"

"Do you have to have your boyfriend fight all your battles, dweeb?" A voice he'd never heard before shouted a small distance from the mic.

"Shut the fuck up, Reggie!" Dash's voice was loud and pissed. "You're the one insisting you know everything when you're just sitting here talking out of your ass."

"Like some kid from Amity Park would know than me. I'm in-"

"Your seventh year of college, yeah, I think that's too many for an associate's degree, making you more of an idiot than a genius!" Dash snorted. "Danny, have you seen Mission to Mars?"

Danny resisted the urge to laugh. "Yeah. Are you calling me to settle a debate about a space movie?"

Dash sounded like he was ready to commit murder. "Yes. Reggie over here thinks that the movie is completely scientifically accurate."

"It's not." Danny closed his textbook and pushed it out of the way. He rolled onto his back to give his elbows a break.

"I fucking told you," Dash shouted, presumably at Reggie.

"What does some fresh high school graduate even know?" Reggie bit back.

"More than you asshole! He's going to get an astronomy degree and I don't think you even know what campus you stumbled onto."

Danny bit his lip to keep from laughing, a warm feeling bubbling up in his stomach.

"Boys, please," an elderly voice called, "the kids are in the next room."

"What part specifically are you arguing about?" Danny asked.

"The part where he takes his helmet off and instantly freezes. You were just talking about it the other day."

"You were actually listening to me rant about the effects of space on the human body?" Danny couldn't help the fluttery tone creeping into his voice. He wrapped his free arm around his stomach trying to contain the small butterflies forming there.

"I'm gonna be sick," Reggie hissed.

"Am I on speaker?" Danny picked at the loose threads on his jeans.

"Yeah, sorry, uh, can you explain to him what happens when an astronaut takes off their helmet in space?"

"Space is freezing, obviously they'd freeze," Reggie shouted disgruntled.

"Okay, first off," Danny started, understanding exactly why Dash hated this guy, "It doesn't matter what would happen because an astronaut would not be able to remove their own helmet. It has to be sealed and pressurized from the back, meaning they would need a partner to put it on and take it off properly. So, there's your first inaccuracy."

"What are your fucking sources for that?" Reggie spat.

"Fucking NASA." Danny snorted. "Fucking google it if you don't believe me. Although, I assume Dash already tried that."

Dash coughed, trying to cover his laugh.

"Whatever," Reggie huffed. "They'd still freeze if they could."

"Not immediately. The first thing that would happen is their skin would develop extreme sunburns from exposure to unfiltered ultraviolet light. If they didn't immediately exhale, their lungs would expand like a balloon from the unbalanced pressure. Parallel air expansion within their ears and sinuses will cause the tissues to rupture. Any moisture in the eyes, mouth, and throat will boil and vaporize. The rest of the liquids in the body will also start to boil and trigger extreme swelling in the muscles. Then the vaporization will cause localized temperatures to drop and then they'll begin to freeze. But that's not the end. Any body fluids that are left can and will escape the body however they can; crying, vomiting, urinating, defecating, all of it boiling on emission. And then they'll run out of oxygen causing hypoxia to take place. Within twelve seconds, they will have lost consciousness so at least they won't have to feel most of this. And if they're not re-pressurized within two minutes, they're certainly dead. And you can imagine the consequences of surviving."

The line on the other end was silent for a few moments. Danny thought he'd gone a bit too far and maybe ruined his reputation with Dash's family. The butterflies in his stomach were turning to stone. He stared at the stars on his ceiling, nerves eating away at him.

Dash, finally, broke the silence, his voice bold and full of pride. "Anything to say to that Reggie? Or did you not understand half the words he said? I thought you knew everything?"

Danny felt warm and gooey inside with the tone of Dash's voice. He was proud of him. Danny may as well be melting. He rolled on his side, curling up in an attempt to contain himself. He fidgeted with the edge of his blankets.

"Whatever," Reggie muttered. "Your boyfriend is creepy as hell. I'm going for a smoke." He heard a door close.

"Yeah, whatever, Reggie, you sore fucking loser," Dash muttered. Danny tried to keep his heart from jumping when Dash didn't correct Reggie on their relationship for a second time.

"Good job, Danny!" Dash's mom whispered nearby. "I owe you one."

"Thanks, Jessica." Danny giggled.

There was some shuffling and muttering on the other end before he heard another door. "You're off speaker now. Thanks for that. I've never seen Reggie so uncomfortable."

Danny's laugh was bubbly and he was embarrassed at how uncontrolled it was. "Anytime. It's nice to know you actually listened to my little space rant."

"Of course, I was listening. And look, it came in handy. Anytime you want to rant, I'm ready to listen."

Danny's face burned, tears pricking the corner of his eyes. His cheeks ached from how long his smile had been there. "Cool," he wheezed. "I'm always here to listen to you too. If there was anything you wanted to talk about."

"Really? Cause my grandma has been trying to teach me how to knit. I could tell you all about different types of yarn and needles."

Danny laughed, every nerve in his body alight with sparking nervous energy. One conversation with Dash was putting him through a lot of emotions in a very short time span. He would be lying if he said he hated it. "Then please, go on, knitting master. I'm all ears."

"Dash!" Dash's mom called faintly from the other room. "We're about to start the next movie! Danny can wait a few more days to have you all to himself!"

Dash sighed. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait to hear all about three-sided yarn until I get back. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, later." Danny breathed, closing his phone as Dash hung up. He breathed out shakily, cradling his phone to his chest. His heart was racing under his fingers.

Dash had called him to prove a point about astronomy. And he was proud of him for his answer. And that made Danny feel very weak in the knees.

Oh boy, he might be in trouble.

~

Dash adjusted the temperature of the water at the kitchen sink. He was washing the apples they had, making sure to scrub all the pesticides off. He handed each one to his niece Janice who was peeling them at the kitchen table. His grandma sat next to her, mixing pie crust and humming a song.

"Dash, can I ask you something?" Janice asked, setting a freshly peeled apple in the wooden bowl on the table.

"Yeah, what's up, nerd?" He grabbed the last apple, pulling its sticker off and running it under the water.

"That boy that you keep texting, do you like him?"

Dash froze, the old yellow wallpaper with its red birds suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. "Maybe," he drawled. "Why do you want to know?"

Janice shrugged. "Reggie keeps saying mean things about it and I told him if he hurt your feelings about it I'd kick his ass. So, if you did like him, I was going to have to go to war." She struggled to pull a stem out of one of the apples. Their grandma passed her a small knife.

Dash grinned at the thought of his twelve-year-old niece fighting his twenty-five-year-old cousin. She would win. "You don't have to go to war for me, Janice. Just ignore Reggie. He's just a mean person."

"That's not an answer to my question, though." She stood up and got a glass down from the cabinet, filling it with the homemade juice from the fridge.

"I'm curious too." His grandma spoke. "With the way you called him the other day, I'd have thought you two were already dating." She winked at him.

Dash laughed to shake the nerves off. Calling Danny had been impulsive, he just wanted to put Reggie in his place. But he'd been thinking about how happy Danny had sounded since it happened. He turned off the sink and grabbed a cutting board and a fresh knife to start cutting the apples. "Well, if you two gossips need some to satisfy you, then maybe I'll admit to liking two boys."

Janice gasped, plopping back down in her seat. "Drama. Is one of them Danny?"

Dash nodded. "Yes, one of them is Danny. Don't you dare tell him."

"Who's the other one?" His grandma asked, adding more water to her mixing bowl.

Dash didn't really know how to explain Phantom to people who lived outside Amity Park. Ghosts weren't as common beyond their strange little town so they didn't really need ghost superheroes anywhere else. "Uh, just this other guy from school that I've been hanging out with."

His grandma sighed. "I wish I was still young enough to play the field like that."

"Grandma!" Janice gasped, scandalized. Their grandma just laughed. Janice grimaced. "Which one do you like better then? It's Danny, right?"

"You just want me to like Danny because he likes space." Dash slid the apple chunks off the board into a small bowl on the very end of the old wooden table.

"Uh, duh." Janice huffed. "Would it even work with this other guy?"

Dash sighed, remembering how disappointed Phantom had been in him the last time they talked. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" His grandma asked, waddling over to the oak cabinets in search of the dough roller.

"I don't know, gram. I haven't seen him in a while and we just have… different lifestyles. It might be a nice experience, but I don't think it would work long-term."

"There's nothing wrong with experiences." His grandma mused. "They're a part of life."

Dash gave her a small smile. "When did you get old enough to be so wise?"

She cackled, setting the roller down next to her bowl and moving her chair out of the way. "When did you get old enough to be worrying about boys?"

"Touche."

"So," Janice took a long sip of her juice, maintaining eye contact the whole time, "when are you gonna tell Danny?"

Dash frowned. He finished slicing the last apple and walked over to the sink to wash the cutting board. "I don't think I will. He's trying to figure out what he wants from life and I think I'd just get in his way."

"Why can't he figure it out with you?" Janice said with all the sting of honesty that children provided.

Dash didn't even know how to begin low self-esteem to her. His mind raced, trying to come up with a good excuse. "Uh, well, I just think he deserves the best and I think there's better than me."

"I think he's the one who gets to decide what he deserves." His grandma smiled. "You put yourself down too much Dash. We all have darkness in our past, but it doesn't make our present light less deserving."

Dash didn't get a chance to reply as his mom came bustling into the kitchen. "How's it going in here?"

His heart dropped when his grandma smirked at him. "Good. Jessica, dear, did you know your son has a crush on not one, but two boys?"

His mom turned a curious, twinkling eye to him. "I did not."

Janice was practically falling out of her seat. "Aunt Jes, you have to convince Dash to marry Danny so he can bring him to the next reunion so I can have a space buddy!"

His mom gasped, clapping her hands together. "You have a crush on Danny? That's wonderful! You already have my approval."

"Gram, you're a traitor," Dash grumbled. She playfully shrugged, as if she did nothing wrong.

His mom was never going to let him live this down.