" . . . uh, Dash . . . why are you giving me your tie . . . ?"

Okay, Danny Fenton reflected hesitantly. He'd seen some strange things in his 17 years of life (it kinda came with the territory of beinga halfa, really) . . . but this topped the metaphorical cake.

As such, he could only stand awkwardly as star quarterback-and-fellow-graduating-senior Dash Baxter . . . tied his own tie to his neck.

Oh, fine. He'd admit it. Depsite the bullying (which ended back in sophmore year - gawd, was it really that long ago?!) he'd gone and started admiring Dash. Admire turned into quiet curiosity, which morphed into the where-the-hell-did-this-come-from form of attraction . . . which, in its turn, suddenly swelled into a crush. That had been an . . . oddly calming discovery, if a little awkward (it was hard for it to not be so awkward - it exposed its nasty little head when he'd awoke from a hypnotic sleep put on him by his big sister, Jazz Fenton).

As if being a halfa wasn't stressful enough . . .

Apparently, being the spiteful Almighty he was, God decided Danny needed to be gay (not good in sheltered Amity - oh, GHOSTS are acceptable, but Heaven forbid there be GAYS . . .). And the reciever of such affections just had to be his ex-tormenter. And have his grades slip so far, despite the world knowing his secret about being Phantom and all that, that is was a wonder he'd gotten accepted into college at all. And to have to deal with pressure to be the student speaker at graduation (what school wouldn't want their hero Danny Phantom to give the damned speech - of course, everyone just assumed he wanted to do it). And . . . well, he'd stop while he was ahead.

But that didn't mean he understood why he was now wearing Dash Baxter's tie.

"Shaddup, Fenton, and stop squirming already! I can't the the damn knot with you fidgeting like that!" Dash actually chuckled.

Yes. Chuckled.

Danny gave him a suspicious look with a halfa's eyes. Huh . . . Dash's eyes did seem a bit . . . red, really . . . it was completely possible that he was --

"Geez, don't look at me like that. I'm not possesed!" Dash rolled his eyes, fumbling with the knot. "Paranoid, aren't you?!"

"I have every reason to be . . ." True enough. After the whole Disasteroid incident, the ghosts had stopped 'going easy' on 'that Phantom whelp'.

"Didn't I already tell you to shaddup?!"

" . . . seriously, Dash. Why am I wearing your tie?"

"I read about it in a manga or somethin'."

Danny bit back a wise-ass retort ("You can read?!") - the witty banter was becoming too much of a habit, really. "Manga?"

" . . . dinda like a Japanese version of an American comic book, but better."

" . . . oh." That would explain Dash reading it. "So . . . why, again?"

A heavy pausy, and Dash's fingers paused in the tying of the tie.

" . . . when they graduate . . . well . . . supposedly . . . a girl or a guy will take off their tie . . . and . . ."

If his next words were 'garrotte', 'strangle', or 'have kinky sex', Danny was gonna kill him.

With his own tie, too.

" . . . tie it around their boyfriend or girlfriend's neck."

Oh. Good. No untimely death for Danny or Da --

OH.

Danny's eyes widened and he blinked, completely unable to do anything but try to restart his hear. This could be good, or this could be bad. " . . . is this supposed to be a last-minute joke for old time's sake and all that?"

"What?! NO!" Dash stammered 'intelligent' nonsense ('intelligent' here being used in the sarcastic sense), but finally settled for a frustrated roll of the eyes . . .and to grab Danny's shoulders.

Danny blinked . . . and then Dash was kissing him.

It was embarrasing, but for once he didn't mind the squirming-in-the-gut feeling. He absolutely melted in Dash's grip, nearly swooning.

Dash tore away much too soon, and Dany blinked dazedly through the fog surrounding his brain. Whoa . . . . why the hell was that fog there?! It was interrupting him and his Dash! How dare it!

The inventor of brain-fog will die later for inventing it.

But, for the moment, he settled on a hazy, lopsided grin for Dash.

The jock laughed, flicking him in the forehead. "Okay then. I didn't expect that much of a response."

"Shaddup and tie the damned tie." Danny beamed back.

He could have sworn Dash was floating in happiness. "Y-you mean . . . ?!"

Dany nodded, then told him with abrupt, blunt seriousness that "I get to top whenever we get around to it, though."

"You are so not." Dash laughed again. "And who says I'm in it for the sex?!"

"No one."

"Good - 'cause I'm not. God damnit . . ." Dash kissed him again.

A spark, and a stray treacherous thought lurched through the return of the hated brain-fog. Danny suddenly yanked away, eying Dash warily.

" . . . this isn't because I'm Phantom, right?"

"What?! Of course not!" Dash pulled him close, tilting his chin with a finger so that their eyes met (curse his shorter frame!). "I . . . dammit, Danny . . . I love both halves of you, not just one or the other."

Another searing kiss . . .

. . . and the tie, finally tied correctly, tightened carefully to a perfect fit.