High
Warning: Contains Sexual content, alcohol and drug use. Reader's discretion is advised.
Danny X Dash read at you own discretion.
Danny took another drag from his pipe. Smoke filled his lungs as he held it in as long as he could before exhaling. He coughed some, but that was due to the strength of his drugs. Or at least that's what he told himself. He could feel his high beginning as he lay in his bed relaxed. He sighed out another drag and let his mind wander a bit. How had he let his morals drop so low to doing drugs? He contemplated a moment in his progressively fogging mind and remembered.
His life came to a crashing halt about three years ago after a horrific accident. Fire burned in his eyes as he recollected his thoughts of the last three years. It all started after another of his father's inventions went out of control. Like most times his father thought he'd created a way to rid the world of ghosts. After turning the machine on however, it was apparent that it was faulty. Fearful for his family's safety Danny went into his ghost mode and set for the machine to stop it before damage could be done. The last thing Danny remembers of that day was a blinding white light and a scream.
From his mother's testimony at court later that year she claimed the machine went out of control and started shooting beams of light causing large holes and expensive damages. Danny was found unconscious and barely breathing with several burn marks all over him. Danny would agree with the burn marks having the scars to prove it. Worse than that, which didn't come up in court, was Danny's sudden and permanent loss of his ghost side. After trying for several days to go ghost he was unable to and gave up. It was undeniably disturbing to him. The effects of losing his ghost powers were immediate and devastating. Most of Amity Park was attacked after the news broke in the ghost zone. This kept his mother and other pop-up ghost hunters busy for a while.
Amity Park wasn't the only thing that was attacked. Danny was thrust into the care of his father after their parent's divorce which just about killed him. In the agreement made by the courts Maddie could only assume custody of one child in fairness to both of them and their respective incomes. With no other options, 'because the judge was a douche,' Danny thought, Maddie chose Jazz over Danny. Of course Danny played it out as if he understood, but was incredibly hurt by the choice. This agreement also included all the inventions, house and money to Maddie and Jazz due to the incident. Jack and Danny ended up moving to the projects part of town and reside in a rundown shack built about two hundred years ago, give or take half a century.
Danny came back to himself after hearing a crow howl obnoxiously into his room. He growled at the bird on his windowsill. The bird tilted his head and crowed again before taking off. Danny glared for a moment and went back to his thoughts, smoking his pipe. Over the following two years after the divorce Danny learned that his father wasn't really the man he thought he was. The over ambitious and spunky man was not so without his wife. Danny saw the cruel and angry side of his father and was frequently the brunt of his anger. Jack made it crystal clear that Danny was the fault of his problems. If he hadn't been down stairs at the time of the accident he wouldn't be where he was today.
In the blind rage his father occasionally acquired with the drink Danny also felt the effects of his father's rage. Bruises and scars riddled his body for the first six months after Jack started drinking heavily. Danny feared for his safety constantly during that time. Danny became an expert at hiding his scars quickly to avoid confrontation from his Mother or other concerned people. His father used his sister as bait most of the time and that was the sole reason he obeyed him. He had a lot of self-acquired scars as well in his self-pitying days. After a close call with his father almost attacking his sister, who he saved unbeknownst to her, he decided enough was enough. It wasn't until he started working out at school did he finally have the nerve to stand up to his father.
One day he stood up to his father and almost put them both in the hospital with the knock out drag out fight they had. It was from that day forward that he decided he wouldn't take anything more from anyone. His father left him alone after that. It was very quiet in the house after that. Danny became independent of his father, but wasn't going to pass up free lodging. They only spoke at each other when absolutely necessary.
It was after that when he got into the drug trade. At first it was just to make money on the side. He knew it was rough and tumbles sometimes, but he figured if he could take his dad, he could take just about anyone. To his disappointment there were no fights. However, after dealing solo for a while he met a classy man one day in a very sketchy alley. This posh man had heard of his salesmanship and invited him to sell for him. After several refusals Danny agreed to start selling for him. The benefit wasn't the money or the nice things. It was the free drugs he didn't sell.
So in a nut shell if he hadn't gone through all the torture he wouldn't be doing drugs. Long shot he knew, but it's what he stuck to. Danny emptied his bowl into the fake plant box he kept and sat up. The world spun for a moment and he mentally cursed his dealer. He was known for sneaking in some more potent drugs occasionally. This was apparently supposed to keep them coming back and deter his people from smoking the product. Although Danny didn't must care for the consequences, he gladly invited them. He walked carefully to the mirror and glanced at himself.
People knew Danny changed when his attire abruptly changed shades. Gone was the same old Tee and jeans and in came the dark and brooding. Danny didn't see it that way though. At first it was as it seemed, long sleeves and turtle necks were to hide his scars and bruises. But after he grew a pair his attire changed to tight and short. He frequently went out in nothing but a tight black tank and leather pants. He long ago stopped caring what people thought of his scars. They were a part of him now. In the winter he added a leather jacket and traded tanks for tees. He felt it fit his new life. He didn't like the emo look, so he didn't do the make-up, but otherwise he was what your mother warned you about.
He stretched up and out looking at his slim and toned physique. Although the scars on his abs were disfiguring to him, they actually looked good. They flowed with his rippling muscles and only added definition. He stopped stretching and checked his eyes. "Blood shot, of course,' he thought. His blue irises were still big and bold. Ocean views had nothing on him. He placed some eye drops in for good measure. He finger combed his hair in place and set for the door.
Danny stopped and looked around the room he was currently living in and thought it sucked. The mattress was hard, the room was cold from the freezing temperatures outside, and worst of all he couldn't lock his door. The windows were dirty and looked like the trim hadn't been painted in years if not decades. Lead poisoning wasn't his favorite way to go. The smell in the house wasn't bad as it was continuous. It smelled like Clorox mixed with dead fish; Clorox because he tried to clean out the dead fish smell. The room had the essentials: dresser, wall lamp, bed and the standing lamp in the corner. Oh, and the fake plant of course. The walls were made of wood, naturally that clued him into the cold room with no heat. Danny sighed again as he walked out the door. No use crying over spilled milk.
He went downstairs and out the door into the frigid winter weather. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking to the park. He was bored, which happened often. His sleeping pattern had drastically changed after the abuse. Constantly on alert, he did a lot of walking at night to try and fixate the thoughts and get some sleep when he returned. This worked about half the time. It was better than sitting in his room alone with his thoughts though.
His thoughts wandered a bit now, family matters, food, Dash, food, man was he really hungry. Oh yeah, Dash. In the duration while he was working out he found a whole new respect for Dash. Not because he slammed him into lockers in fear respect. The respect came from how Dash cared for his body. Like a well-oiled machine Dash could do just about anything in that gym. As he worked out he began watching Dash. He eventually grew a crush on the man from afar and was relentlessly tortured by his best friends for it. Dash and Danny never really met unless it was in the locker room or a passing hello. Just the true dedication Dash put into himself was enough to make Danny feel something.
His thoughts were interrupted by his growling stomach. He momentarily thought about getting something to eat, but remembered it was two in the morning. He grumbled under his breath as he continued to walk through the cold night. It was pitch black out aside from the one or two lamp posts that actually worked. His eyes wandered the streets as he dodged garbage cans and the stray animals of Amity Park. The only thing he kept after losing his powers was his night vision. It was really the only reason he ventured at night. Danny slowed his pace a bit as he realized it was starting to snow. Nearing the end of November it wasn't uncommon for snow. Danny wasn't impressed as he had left his heavier jacket at home, not expecting the offending frozen water.
The flakes fell slowly at first and were easily disturbed by the wind. As he walked towards the park the snow began to fall faster. He dragged his feet in the small amount of slush that was forming and began to bitch internally. Wet shoes and cold temperatures were not ideal conditions for his feet. Danny felt the cold in his bones which was unpleasant although not entirely unwelcome. At least he was still feeling. He could be numb like he was two years ago. He grabbed his arms and rubbed them hoping to get warm.
"Damn weather man… Bastard sets me up to freeze to death." He stated with hatred oozing from his words. He finally made it to the park which was closed, but he climbed the fence anyway. The area was beautifully covered in light snow from beginning to as far as the eye could see. The snow glittered under the lamp light which made it look magical. In the short amount of time the snow had built up a good inch of accumulation. Danny bent down and grabbed at some snow, tossing it into the air. The new snowflakes glistened in the moonlight as the wind blew them away. Their life was restored and it made Danny jealous. He wished his life could be restored so easily. He glowed however as he threw more snowflakes into the air. This small act made him smile which was a rare occurrence anymore. The cold breeze wasn't affecting him much anymore, but mostly he was uncaring at that point. His attention was on the snow and its beauty.
Danny felt another presence and he looked in the direction the wind was blowing from. The man in question was standing there, his eyes on Danny staring him down. Danny glared at the onlooker and turned away. He had a moment of panic, but calmed himself. He knew that he could take care of himself if needed. It wasn't the first time he had been out at night. He took a second glance and saw who it was. He was surprised at first, but then realized he didn't care. He searched his pockets for his lighter as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from another. He looked behind him again noticing the man getting closer. He glared again, but to no avail the man continued towards him. Danny sighed as he continued to search for his lighter. He almost considered asking the man for a light.
Dash, the other man, couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was sort of surprised by his presence. More than that though, he was disappointed. He couldn't see Danny breaking the law or behaving badly, but he knew Danny was going through hard time. Of course word travelled fast across Amity Park when the events went down. Although he didn't know specifics he knew divorce was hard on everyone. Dash had been the first to notice all the changes in Danny, but not the physical ones. He noticed Danny's demeanor change. Noticed he wasn't as animated anymore. He saw a change from a happy kid with a care-free attitude, to one who had seen suffering or pain. Like he'd lost his innocence and became an adult. After he'd noticed the change and heard the stories, rumor or not, he stopped bullying him. He didn't want his actions to cause more pain than he already had.
Dash walked towards Danny who was still looking for his lighter. Danny glanced at Dash and glared, but Dash wasn't fazed. Dash was used to that look. He'd earned it from his previous mistakes. He stopped a few paces from Danny and watched his movements. Danny continued to search himself, for what Dash figured out form the cigarettes in his hand. Dash reached into his pocket and grabbed his own lighter and lit it in front of Danny. Danny, surprised, looked at the offending light for a brief moment before lighting his cigarette.
"What are you doing out here Dash, shouldn't you be at home sleeping or something." Danny clipped, blowing smoke. The 'or something' was banging his girlfriend Paulina he thought. He involuntarily shivered. He could not understand what he saw in that woman when he was younger. Pretty face, but the hamster was dead inside. He took a drag to clear his thoughts and exhaled away from Dash. The act confused Dash for a moment and he tilted his head slightly. Although Danny didn't like his life he wasn't about to risk someone else's to his addiction. Danny shook his head and Dash let it go.
"I'm just out for a walk in the park. Wasn't expecting company," Dash stated back. He didn't expect Danny to be there. Dash looked at him for a moment longer before he turned and walked to the nearest bench. If this was going to be a staring match he'd rather be comfortable. Danny stood fast for a moment, but decided that some company might not be so bad. He walked over to Dash and sat next to him on the snow covered bench. He inhaled some more of his deadly toxins and sighed them back out. He really didn't know what to say. This was the most they had talked in about three years. After he stopped shoving him into lockers and became a decent person they hadn't had a need for much contact.
Dash watched as Danny inhaled the cigarette and exhaled the smoke. It wasn't like he didn't smoke, but it was different when he saw someone he sort of cared for doing it. He shook his head, who was he kidding he liked Danny a lot, but he wasn't sure why. Sure he liked Paulina just fine, but he had come to the conclusion that she wasn't permanent. She just didn't understand anyone, especially him. He thought about Danny and what he saw in him. It was his gentle character and his intellect that won him over at first, but now his hormones kicked into overdrive and he liked the bad ass don't mess with me Danny. It was confusing to him. He wasn't sure how to feel. However, this was his chance to break the ice between them.
"Fenton you should be home not out here in the middle of the night in a windbreaker. For all the good that's doing you." Dash took off his coat and wrapped it around Danny. Danny stiffened for a moment. Internally his mind was racing. He couldn't believe he was wearing Dash's coat. Externally nothing had changed. He still had the look of nonchalance. He glanced over for a moment to gauge Dash's actions. Dash, as usual, was a brick wall to him. Nothing showed through to him. He thought he probably wouldn't see it even if it was right in from of him.
Danny sighed and took another drag. The thought of him and Dash was moot anyway. Realistically the hierarchy of high school wouldn't even allow them to be close enough to speak, let alone have a relationship. He was almost positive that Dash was straight anyway. Although he couldn't help feel that there was something behind his tough guy image. He'd caught Dash looking at him occasionally in the gym, but didn't think much of it. He had a lot of people staring at him back then. He became attentive to Dash again when he heard him speak.
"Danny I know we've had our differences, but I heard what happened and I wanted to apologize." It was Danny's turn to be unfazed. He didn't want to be pitied; he just wanted to be an equal again. He wanted to be able to do and say what he wanted when he wanted without the stereotype attached. He wanted the pitiful looks to stop. Most of them had after his abrupt 'give no shit' attitude started, but the more sympathetic ones were harder to convince. Danny looked away from his current onlooker and finished his cigarette, chucking it in the snow. He turned to Dash and thought 'fuck it!' With a whole new attitude and the look of fire in his eye he met Dash's pity with honesty.
"Look Dash I understand that you heard about my predicament and you think pitying me will help, but it won't. I've gotten myself into a mess that I'm incapable of getting out of. I don't want to seem like I'm needy. I don't need charity and I don't need to be looked down upon. I'm a grown man; apologies are for people who give a shit about those things. If you'll excuse me, I need to leave." Danny stood abruptly and started to walk down the path. Dash got up and went after him. He called to Danny several times, but he never answered or looked back. He was really confused, but he figured he must have put too much into his effort. He finally caught up to Danny outside the park entrance. He grabbed Danny's shoulder and stopped him.
"Danny can I talk to you about something, it's really important." Dash pleaded. Danny stopped only because he could hear the plea in Dash's voice. It intrigued him a lot as he hadn't heard such a thing from him before. He turned around and looked Dash in his eyes and he saw it. He could see the real man behind the pity, behind the sympathy. He saw that Dash actually wanted something. Danny threw caution to the wind and took a wild guess at what he wanted. He walked up to Dash and held his face in his hands. He didn't know if it was his courage or the drugs, but he wasn't going to stop himself now. He could berate and over analyze himself later. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Dash's.
The initial shock had Dash locked up, but after Danny tried to pull away he kissed back. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he wasn't about to stop it. He could taste the tobacco on Danny's breath as he deepened the kiss and searched Danny's mouth. He maneuvered his hands to Danny's waist and hoisted him up higher so Danny had no trouble. The struggle of being taller was bending over to kiss. Thankfully he had a lot of upper body strength. Danny moved his arms to encircle the other man's neck. It was more than he expected. He was expecting to be thrown down and beaten to a pulp. This was a nice surprise. Dash could feel the power and roar of his blood flowing in his veins. It was intense and well worth the trouble of getting to. Danny could feet the muscle of Dash's arms ripple as he held him up. He was very impressed with what he felt.
Dash's coat dropped to the ground which prompted them to finally release each other for air. They looked into each other's eyes and saw what they had done. It was a mild shock for them both, but that hadn't separated them. Danny kissed him again, a peck this time. Dash kissed him back each time he did it. It was like a game to see who would break first. Danny stopped his barrage and really looked at Dash. He was looking for the signs of regret. He was accustomed to this look. Multiple people prior to Dash made Danny an expert in reading emotions. However Dash's face remained blank. No faults to over analyze.
Danny smiled legitimately and it felt right. Dash smiled back and slowly put Danny back on the ground. Danny hadn't realized he was still in the air. Dash grabbed his discarded coat off the ground and placed it back on Danny's shoulders buttoning him in the middle so it wouldn't fall off. Danny looked at his watch and saw the time. He groaned at the time internally. Time always moved faster when you weren't paying attention. Dash noticed the glance and looked at his own. He wasn't surprised, but wasn't happy either.
Danny sighed and looked at Dash. "So I don't know where that came from, but it wasn't bad and by the lack of you punching me in the face you liked it too." There wasn't anything stopping Dash from kissing Danny and he did. It was short and sweet. He pulled away and smiled, ruffling Danny hair in the process. Danny shook his head to fix the messiness and Dash laughed. He went to do it again, but Danny stopped him this time.
Dash maneuvered his hand to grab Danny's and started walking in the direction of Danny's house. They held hands the whole way, which was surprising to Danny. No man with a girlfriend like Paulina would be out holding hands with another man, let alone kiss him back. No one saw them of course, but Danny was happy that no one was out to see them. It would have been popularity suicide to be caught like this now. Danny was more nervous than Dash was. Dash was very nonchalant about the whole thing. It made Danny feel like an indecisive girl, which was NOT a personal preference for him.
Through the snow they walked and made it back to Danny's. Danny walked up the porch steps and stood there a moment looking back at Dash. Dash smiled and walked up to Danny. Danny hugged him and placed one last kiss on him before he regretfully let go. Dash walked backwards down the steps keeping eye contact with Danny.
"Don't over think this. I know it seems rather odd right now, but we'll talk about it later." With that he walked away down the road back to the park. Danny stood there on the porch for a moment before the cold made him turn away and walk into the house. It was his mother's house, but he figured Dash didn't know where his father's house was. He figured his mother might want to see him anyway.
Dash's smile stayed on his face for a couple more blocks as he walked to the park for his car. Before he got there he stopped at the corner to collect his thoughts. He knew that this would change a lot of how he held himself at school. How he held a lot of things in his life. He wasn't sure how to deal with it at the moment, but he was up for a challenge. He sighed and walked the rest of the way to the car. He got in and drove the rest of the way home, trying not to think too much.