I don't own Danny Phantom.
This is a little ditty that struck me just as I woke up today. It's a oneshot about my OTP, swaggerbishi! I think it goes without sayings that if you don't like this paring don't read the fic.
I'd also like to award five brownie points to who can pick out the episode reference in the text! Yay brownies!
Oh, and one last thing, my Dad said that if I included the word 'penguin' he would read the story. It is worth mentioning that my Dad is neither a DP fan nor a fanfiction reader. Scratch that, apparently he has read fanfiction. Not a lot, but some. Fancy that, I had no idea.
The exited crowd of students poured out of the auditorium. Proud teachers and parents, many in tears, followed calmly behind. The last day before summer vacation had finally ended with the graduation ceremony of that year's senior class.
The halls were filled with students chatting and making last minute plans with friends before departing until they returned in August. Filled with youths opening and closing their lockers for the last time until the next school year. Filled with students aching to get home and free themselves of their formal clothing.
In the football bleachers there was a group of unlikely friends sitting and enjoying the sun with bittersweet and nostalgic silence settled comfortably over them. Four ties had been loosened and hung limply around necks. Two pairs of heals had been kicked off while one pair of combat boots remained on.
Dash ran a hand through his slicked back blond hair. He broke the warm silence like someone dropping a small smooth stone on the wrinkle free surface of a silver lake. "Geez, never thought I would miss this place so much." His voice was strong, even though it was barely audible. There was content mumbles of agreement from the others.
"Hey. I got an idea." Kwan said as he sat up and began to remove his jacket. He earned six sets of questioning eyes on him. "Why don't we play one last game. Before we leave for good?" The boys agreed heartily and also began to remove their jackets.
"What about us?" Paulina protested "We're in heals and dresses. How are we supposed to pay football?" She gestured to herself and the two other girls. However, where the boys only shared glances, urging the other to speak; Paulina was answered by one of the people she was complaining about in the first place.
"Easy." Sam said happily as she bounced from her seat. "Try not to bend down too low and leave the shoes here."
Paulina stared at the Goth as if she had just suggested she die her hair all the colors of the rainbow. She said hotly "That's easy for you to say. Your wearing boots!"
Star daintily put her hands on Paulina's shoulders and said in to her ear "You could switch shoes with Sam." Several guffaws of laughter erupted after the challenge and was only strengthened when Paulina let a scream slip and tumbled around. Danny rushed forward and caught her in his arms.
"Come on Paulina." He said as he helped her up again "This is probably our last chance to do anything together here at school." He was backed by all the others.
Paulina huffed. She began to walk down the rows of seats with her nose in the air. The only thing she called out was "I get to be on Dash's team."
"That's more like it." Tucker called as the group of grinning friends ran down to join the Latino on the field, who now sported a wide smile herself.
Dash ran behind the bleachers with a quick 'I'll get the ball'. He was about to remove said ball from its stashed hiding place when he paused. When the others realized he was taking longer than expected to retrieve the ball, Tucker poked his head around. "Hey man, you alright? What's the hold up?"
"Huh? Oh nothing." Dash answered "Just kinda' sunk in for real that we're never coming back. This is the last time I'll be getting the ball."
Tucker gave the quarterback a sympathetic smile "Then let's make this game one worth remembering." Dash looked at his new friend of one year, more happy than ever that he and the other jocks had decided to grow up and leave their childish bullying in the past.
He wiped away the begging of tears and retrieved the football. "Yeah." He said, slightly thickly, though a smile split his face nonetheless. The two teens came back around.
"What were you guys doing back there? Making out?" Sam called with hands cupped around her mouth. She let them fall to reveal a wicked grin.
"Haha. Grow up, will you?" Dash retorted and thrust the ball towards her, which she caught with ease.
Seven voices laughed and split to teams and seven unlikely friends played a lopsided game of football. Two sets of heals were sitting on the bleachers. One set of combat boots sat next to them, to make it more fair, their owner said. Four jackets and four ties to accompany them sat neatly folded, at the girls insisting, on the bleachers along with the shoes. One, not expertly wrapped present was hidden beneath a seat, out of sight. It's presence known only by the one that had wrapped it.
They played for longer than intended until they all lay down on the striped grass and watched as the blue day turned to twilight. Rich orange and reds played across the horizon with pink and purple hues dancing between. On the other side, deep indigo and dark blues dripped across the cloudless surface. If one looked closely, one could see the cheeky wink of the first stars on the darkening side of the sky.
For the second time that day, the seven friends settled in to a heavy silence, stirred only by the occasional shift of an arm or a leg on the grass. They lay in a circle, not knowing and caring even less about who lay next to them. For they knew that whoever it was, it was someone they could trust and had grown to care about. Regardless of whether they had been friends long before middle school or had only made amends that year.
"You know what we should do?" asked Sam. Her eyes were half lidded as she stared at the slowly changing sky. She had always been a creature of the night.
"What?" Kwan answered, curious as to what the free thinking teen had come up with.
"Come back here mid-summer and camp out for a night." Sam answered with a sly smile. No one saw her face, but her defiant intent was clear.
"Is that even aloud?" Danny asked.
"Does it matter?" the next voice, Paulina's, said.
"Yeah, they can't exactly expel us anymore." Tucker said with a chuckle coloring his voice.
"Or give us detention." Star agreed.
Seven friends shared a soft laugh. Yet it was heavy, for they all knew one thing, the day is done, and it's time to leave. Tucker was the one to voice their thoughts "We should probably head home now. We've been out too late already. Silence followed, a last and desperate attempt to hold on to the moment. No one wishing that it would end just yet.
Reluctant mumbled agreement came and long sighs were heaved. Seven close friends slowly rose and went to gather their things.
With a smile and a few gentle tears Star said "Well, I guess this is it." She sniffed, but managed to a produce wobbly smile. "We really need to take you up on that camping idea over the summer Sam." That gained a few halfhearted chuckles.
A heavy silence surrounded the teens, all hoping against hope that this would not be their last moments together, as a group. Danny looked around at his six friends and for a moment he thought about how odd it was to consider Dash, Kwan, Paulina and Star his friends. It had started back at the beginning of the year. Dash had approached him and said he and the other A-listers had done some thinking over the summer. He wanted to stop bullying people and concentrate more on his grades. Needless to say, he had been more than pleasantly surprised. Since then and over the following school year they had become closer, their relationship going from former bully and victim to an actual connection.
"Oh this is just too sad!" Paulina squealed and embraced them all. Sam grumbled but complied all the same. With that they left the field and began to walk towards the parking lot.
Dash silently put a hand on Danny's shoulder and said "Fenton, I want a word with you." He had a nervous air about him and if the two had not been standing in the dusk lighting, Danny might have noticed the cherry blush sprayed across the others cheeks, nose and ears.
"Uh, sure? What about?" Danny answered. "Wait, hang on a sec." He interrupted before Dash could get a word in and waved to Sam and Tucker calling out to them "Go on without me."
His friends shared a glance but Tucker shrugged and urged Sam to leave. She seemed more reluctant but left without a word. "Yeah?" Danny said as he turned back to Dash with a classic smile.
Dash gulped, trying to calm his squirming insides. "Alone."
Danny raised an eyebrow, but complied. Dash walked around one of the brick corners of the school, out of sight of the others. Danny followed behind, curious about the taller boy's strange behavior and out of character seriousness "So what's so important that we had to talk back here?"
"I" Dash faltered, then with more resolve continued "I wanted to give something to you." He produced a soft, wrapped package from under hiss dress coat, which he had folded over his arm. He presented the package to Danny.
"Penguins?" He questioned looking at the bright blue wrapping paper depicting the animal patterned across the glossy paper.
"It's the only wrapping we had at home." Dash explained with a sheepish smile.
Danny eyed the other suspiciously and slowly unwrapped the package. Free of its covering, Danny could look at the gift. It was Dash's white and red letterman jacket. He looked back at the football player questioningly. "Dash?"
"Uh… I just" his eyes were shifty and he fiddled with his fingers apprehensively. He looked in to Danny's eyes, filled with confusion and not understanding. For a moment he considered to simply back out and leave the awkward and slightly tense situation. The larger of the teens looked at the smaller, he gulped and said "Please don't hate me."
"Why would I-" Danny was interrupted by two strong hands around his arms "Dash?" His voice was more alarmed now. The danger and memories of getting pounded and wailed on had long since been apologized for and forgiven. The hostility had evolved in to a distant dream that none of the group could quite remember, almost like it had happened to someone ells. But Dash standing over Danny like he was awoke a long dormant need of survival. Yet there was still something distinctly different in the way Dash stood, something Danny couldn't place.
Two sets of lips hit one another. One pair trembling with pent up emotions and one trembling with surprise. Danny smashed his hand against Dash's chest, pushing him with more force than he had intended. The jacket dropped from his hands and they both stumbled backwards. Before he thought better of it, he brought his hand to his mouth in a vain attempt to rub the alien taste off his memory. "What the hell was that?" he almost yelled. Danny stared wide eyed at Dash and repeated with a lower and fiercer voice "What the hell was that?"
"I, uh… it was, I just" he mumbled, then stood up straighter and said confidently "It was a kiss." If there was anything countless hours of soap opera had taught him, it was you had to be up front about 'the grand confession' at the end. "I kissed you. I know it's really weird and I don't know what to think about it myself." He looked Danny in the eye, waiting for a reaction. He only stood upright and dropped his hand to his side. Dash continued "I'm not gay, ok. Or, maybe I am, or" he ripped at his hair "I just don't know! I don't know what I'm feeling or what I'm supposed to be feeling. I don't know why I'm thinking like this or what to do about it! I just know that" he gestured weakly at Danny with a pleading expression. "It started a bit after second semester. Since we became friends and started hanging out I saw you in a different light. And then, after a bit, I saw you in a really different light. I don't know what's going on, I just know that I can't imagine my life without you. You complete me."
Danny stared at Dash, utterly speechless. This had gone far beyond what anyone would consider a joke or prank. He would be lying to Dash if he said he shared his feelings. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Danny thought. He closed the space between them and scooped up the jacket. He brushed the soft fabric of any dirt and held it in his hands for the briefest of moments. I can't believe I'm actually doing this.
"I'm not sure about all of this." he said slowly and stared down at the plush jacket. "It's a lot to take in." I really can't believe I'm actually doing this. "But I'd be willing to give it a shot." Danny looked up at Dash. He seemed like that was all he was hoping for and more. He looked like a six year old opening his presents on Christmas and seeing that Santa had given him everything he wished for and preceded his wildest expectations.
Danny took off his own dress jacket and slipped the letterman on in its stead. "It's a nice fit." He managed a shy grin "I wouldn't mind wearing it more often." Danny held out a hand and said "How about we get out of here. Leave high school and get on with our lives?"
That evening on the day of graduation, two teenage boys walked unseen together in the last, dwindling light of the sun. Five large and tanned, sport worn fingers wrapped around five thin and long pale ones. With the disappearing sun on one side and the slowly rising moon on the other, one dark haired head rested on one broad shoulder. Two pairs of lips met for the second time that day and that time, their joining lasted for longer.