"I got you now!" Danny says triumphantly as he uncaps the portal-thermo and a small rogue ghost is pull inside. The teen breathes heavily as he closes the portal, that took more effort than it should, and he hates it when ghosts come to his school. It's just too close to his human life for his taste.
"Well, now I'm late." Danny says scanning the long empty school halls, he flies near his locker and before he can reach through the tin metal door and get his stuff a voice surprises him.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" The Hero turns to see Dash, his bully and school football star peeking his head at the end of the hall. Danny first instinct was to leave his stuff and go home, pick up tomorrow and not deal with Dash. But a big part of him really wants to see Dash being nice to him. Plus today is Friday and he'd much prefer to not come to school on a free day.
"It was" The floating boys answers, and Dash moves from his safe corner to stand closer to his idol.
"Wow!" Dash says as he moves even closer until he is only a few feet away. The blue eyes of the blonde shine with adoration that Danny had never seen before, his mouth forms an 'oh' like Danny is doing something extraordinary besides just floating in place.
"Never seen a ghost float? Considering you live in this city, I had thought you would be used to it." Danny jokes in a failed effort to break whatever trance the jock was in, and that they could return to behaving normal.
"Sorry!" Dash blushes a little self conscious, and fixes his perfectly groomed hair. An action that Dash does only when he is nervous.
Danny has seen Dash fix his hair only during math tests, when he gets called to participate in history class, and in the haft times of his football games -when everyone is counting on him.
Dash is a very confident and beautiful young man, and he knows it well.
Not many things or people make him nervous. Not even Paulina.
But Danny did.
The new information awakens a craving Danny didn't know he had.
The ghost smiles and moves closer to the larger teen, leaving much less than a feet between each other.
"What are you doing here?" Danny asks only half curious, far more intrigued by the growing blushing of the blonde.
"I- I had to practice." Dash is able to say as he looks at Danny floating small circles around the human. "I play. I play football!" The teen points at his red-and-white Jacket.
"I can see that." Danny keeps getting closer to the other teen, he can't help to feel embarrassed at the close proximity with Dash.
Though the hero would never say it aloud, Dash is very pretty.
His hair is bright and shiny, his jaw square and firm, his eyes are such bold shade of blue, his shoulders wide, his arms muscular -even more so after two years of belonging to almost every sport this high school had to offer, his waist small and under his black t-shirt Danny knows there is nothing but firm muscles and sun-kissed skin, and he was also talking…
The hero stops moving as he sees Dash smiling and waiting. Dash said something and Danny misses it because he was … distracted.
There is an awkward pause.
Dash passes his hand through his hair.
"You don't have to" The jock says softly as he lowers his head with embarrassment. It was the closest thing to a whisper to ever leave the blonde's lips.
"I would love to!" Danny had no idea what he would 'love to do,' but it made the larger teen smile wider that Danny had ever seen him smile.
It was such an energetic smile, such a pretty smile.
"Okay! Come with me!" Dash says with excitement as he captures the ghost's wrist, only to see his fingers pass through it. The human felt his fingers tense, he observed his fist that holds only air and then his hero. He felt confused for a moment, and cold. And something else…
"It's okay!" Danny immediately tries to reassure Dash, like there was something wrong to start with. Danny Phantom is a ghost, this shouldn't be a surprise.
"Come on!" The ghost moves to reach Dash's wrist, this time he is solid. "Don't you have something to show me?"
"Yes." Dash says with far less enthusiasm than before, he looks at the ghost hand holding him before moving down the hall. They continue until they find a locker, Dash's locker. Danny lets go of the other's wrist to allow him to open the locker.
The silence felt heavy, tense, and sad.
"Did it hurt you?" The silver head boy asks without meaning to. Dash opens his locker and looks at the books inside.
"No. It- it didn't hurt. Not at all!" He says a little defensive.
"I just had to ask, I had senses and I can feel… stuff" Danny says overdramatically, and at least it coxes a small smile out of Dash.
"It was…"
"Cold" Danny fills in, as Dash pulls out a black binder with a white 'D.'
"No. Well, yes. But I knew that!"
"What is that?" Danny asks, taken aback by the obvious.
"It's my scrapbook… about you" Dash says almost shyly.
"Wow" Danny exclaims as he takes the binder and immediately starts going through it. "WOW!"
The ghost knew that Dash was a fan, but this was a little more effort than your average fan. Newspaper cutting, bloggers stories, a villains pictionary, hand notes next to everything, and drawings -not great but many.
Dash most had put a lot of thought and time, and it was incredibly touching.
"It was… a little disappointing." Dash whispers, and Danny peels his eyes to took a Dash. The blonde was blushing new tones of red. Half ready to fleet the ghost holds the scrapbook close to his chest.
"Why?" Danny wanted to know why did it hurt so much. Because it shouldn't.
"I really want -I really want to-to touch you!" Dash answers, and fixes his hair and tries to focus his eyes on anything but his idol.
"And when I couldn't. When I couldn't, it hurted so much. I knew I cared. A lot, I think about you a lot. But that is okay because you are so cool." Dash stops and looks at Danny, looking for some affirmation that he was making sense. That he hasn't crossed a line yet.
Danny could only nod as he tightens his hold in the scrapbook.
"I really wanted to meet you and know you, and … and hold you… It's okay to think other guys are cute or hot. There is nothing wrong with that. I tell my friend when they look good, you know? Because someone has to. And I'm okay. No, I'm happy that is me. No homo in telling your BF that he looks hot, that he is gonna definitely get laid… ?"
Another pause. Dash's face is red, and a look of embarrassment mixed with excitement takes over every single one of his features.
"I agree…" Danny says feeling breathless, waiting for something he did not know he wanted.
"It is okay to think that you are the coolest, and the cutest. Because you … I …"
"Yes?" Danny moves closer, ready to do something. He has no idea what, but he feels ready nonetheless.
"I never thought I would touch you." Dash concludes as he delicately rubs the fingers of his right hand together, and he remembers the feeling of holding nothing. The hero lets his feet touch the floor and walks until his chest almost touches Dash's. Danny had tremendously enjoyed the fact that he and Dash had grown to be similar heights, Dash being only a couple inches taller. But Danny had never noticed how perfect he felt near Dash. His small frame fit perfectly with Dash's larger one, their lips only two inches away from each other.
"I had never seen you like this." Danny says embarrassed at the many meaning that phrase contains. The human looks down at his hero. His heart shape face, his perky nose, and his big eyes, green eyes, he was so beautiful.
He looks a lot like Danny.
"You are so pretty" Dash says as he bravely brings his arms to hold the hero who blushes at the contact.
"So are you." Danny says as he sees the other lean closer to him.
Very slowly the gap between them is closed. They press their lips firmly together, while each teen finds the perfect position to hold the other. Danny's left hand finds its place in Dash's back, and his right hand plays with the blonde strands of hair. The larger teen mirrors his idol.
Danny finds himself in his tiptoes as he unknowingly pushes for more. Dash is warm, his skin, his breath, his lips, and Danny only wants to taste him properly.
A cold tongue urges Dash to part his lips, which the human happily does. The kiss rapidly becomes more desperate and greedy. Danny finds his back against a locker, and if he could, he'd had giggled at the idea that Dash has him cornered against the locker but Danny couldn't be happier about it, but he was using his mouth for more important things. They pull at each other's clothes, and Danny lets his hand feel Dash's hard abdomen. Dash releases Danny lips to kiss his jaw and neck. The hero moans at the sensation of the hot mouth on his neck, licking and sucking the sensitive skin.
"You are" Dash starts but he seems to prefer to continue kissing Danny's neck. "So beautiful" kiss.
"I thought that-that we settled that already" Danny answers as he tries to pull Dash's jacket off.
"I never thought…" Dash takes off his jacket, but in a moment of greed Danny pulls the black t-shirt up with a clear intention. The jock chuckles, his cheeks red, and he disposes of the t-shirt as well. Danny takes no time in exploring the new exposed skin.
"I never thought a guy and I. But you…" Danny licks the skin above the collar bones and smiles when he sees goosebumps appearing.
"Is it cold?" The ghost asks suddenly.
"A little… but I don't mind." Dash says, and with new permission Danny leans forward to continue kissing the blonde's broad chest. Dash lets his hands slide lower from the silver haired teen's back to the perfect little butt, generously cuping each buttcheeck.
"I thought it was only a little crush… on a guy." Danny contemplates if feeling Dash's obvious erection over his jeans would be too much, and carefully ventures his fingers lower to the jock's stomach.
"Mmm… I always said, to myself, that if I had to choose a guy to … do things then I would like it to be you."
"I'm honored" Danny teases as he cups the larger teen's groin, and enjoys the little jerk in Dash's hips.
"But… I thought … that it would never happen…" Dash continues to explain as both teen explore each other. The hero pushes Dash's head down and kisses the human's warm mouth. The kiss is long, slower, and greedy.
"I-" Danny says after the kiss is broken. "I always thought that you were stupid but hot." The ghost can feel the human flinch.
"So mean but so talented, and creative, confident, pretty and brave… but so mean."
It felt wrong to say all that while kissing, those two actions did not go together.
But this was the only real chance Danny could say it and Dash would listen.
There was a long pause.
Dash looks away, unsure of what to say or how to apologise, when he feels the hero's cold arms tighten around him and a pair of cold lips on his cheek. He knows he has to make it better. The sun is setting and the halls are painted by the oranges and pinks.
"I'm sorry" Danny can't help but smile, it's a weak apology and not even close to enough -he is sure Dash is not even sure why he is apologising.
"It's a start" Danny says as he kisses the blonde's jaw. The hall becomes darker with the absence of the sunlight.
"What does this -"
"Shit!" Danny interrupts Dash's question. "It's very late!" The ghost exclaims as he thinks what he is going to say to his parents, and friends -what are Sam and Tucker going to say when they hear about his make out session with Dash.
He made out with Dash Baxter.
How is Danny supposed to look Dash in the face on monday.
"Do you have to go?" Dash asks weakly.
"You'll see me around" Danny tries weakly and flies through Dash, and hurries to leave before he actually starts freaking out.
"Wait!" Dash screams, and Danny stops and waits, against his better judgment. But why would he start using his better judgment or thinking things through now.
"What is your name?" The human asks, and Danny remembers he is known as 'Billy the invisible boy.'
"Danny" He says before leaving.
Dash lets his knees give in and sits on the school floors trying to untangle knots in his heart and brain.
"Danny The Phantom… Danny…"