Dash looked in the mirror, grabbing a bit of his underbelly fat. Everything had changed that summer, just the stress of trying to find a college would have been enough, but the injury had just made it worse.
"Dash sweetheart!" his mother called "you're going to be late." Dash sighed and put on his baggy black hoodie. Hopefully, no one would notice. Dash trudged downstairs, he reached down to pat Pookie on the head and walked out of the house, not even a glance at his parents eating breakfast.
"Maybe if I walk to school I'll lose some of this w-"
"LOOK ITS THE WHALE" yelled someone from across the street, it was Kwan, now the Alpha of his old friend group, he was ruling with an iron fist, and was determined to make sure Dash never returned. Kwan pulled up in his red Ferrari.
"You'd think that all that physical therapy would have caused you to lose some of that pooch." Paulina giggled, tears stung Dash's eyes as he ran away from them, their jeers still echoing in his brain.
That first day of school was the worst he had ever experienced, no longer able to sit with the football team, and shunned from the rest of the school, Dash sat alone at lunch, eating nothing, just staring at his hands, and the stomach that had caused him to lose his entire life. When he got home he waved at his parents, patted Pookie again, then locked himself in his room and cried, raking his hands over his love handles and his chunky thighs, hitting the scar that had once been the injury that started it all. Then he searched for his secret stash of chocolate.
The next month had that same pattern, walking, jeers, alone, alone alone. It wasn't until October that Danny Fenton noticed anything.
"Sam, what's up with Dash?" Danny asked Sam was clipping a new plant she had got.
"I don't know, he must have done something pretty awful the way the school has been shunning him." Tucker looked up from his latest circuit board
"He got in a car accident." Both Danny and sam whipped their head around
"How do you know that?!" The two said in unison
"He lives next to me, duh," Tucker said going back to soldering "pretty bad one, twisted up his leg, he was off his feet for almost the whole summer. He gained some weight, and when his six pack was gone, so were the ladies, and all of his standing, kind of." Tucker made a whistling noise and made an exploding gesture. Danny's cheeks turned red, Dash? Chubby? Danny had hidden a secret love for the softer side of life since he was 14, but Dash? Never.
"So that's what's under the hoodie," Sam mused "no one deserves to be treated like that." Danny nodded eagerly
"No definitely not, even Dash" And that is why on October 2nd, as Dash trudged to school and he heard the car pull up, as usual, Danny was in the shadows watching.
"Hey, Lardy!" Kwan jeered
"Still haven't lost that weight?" Paulina put in "And to think, I liked you once." that one hurt more than usual.
"Go away," Dash muttered
"What did you say whale?" Kwan asked
"I said go away, I don't want to deal with this anymore. Don't you have better things to do?" Kwan put the car in park and hopped out.
"Now I do, like beating up on a lardass." Dash was backed into a corner when his hands raised in defense when Danny stepped out.
"Get away from him Kwan," Danny hissed, ice dripping from his lips
"Oh look, fatty made friends with Fentina!" Kwan's cronies laughed
"Fentina? Fatty? Is that the best you can do? Looks like your brains are as big as your dicks." To Kwan, this seemed like an even better fight than wailing on his former superior. But before he could land a blow, Danny had his fist in his hand, then suddenly he was on the ground, his nose broken.
"Dash isn't the only one to have changed," Danny said as he put his foot on Kwan's chest "I got a little muscle myself. Stay. Away. From Baxter, you hear me?" Kwan whimpered "YOU HEAR ME" Danny yelled, and Kwan nodded. Danny helped Dash up as the friends turned bullies ran away. Dash was a blubbering mess. Danny shook his head at his former adversary.
"Doesn't feel good, being the victim eh?" Danny said Dash nodded "Any injuries?" Dash sniffed
"Just my pride, but I don't know if I had any of that, to begin with." Dash winced, Danny looked down at his leg. God those thighs. There was a good amount of blood soaking his jeans.
"That looks pretty bad…" Dash sighed
"Just the scar from the accident, it must have pulled while I was running." Danny pulled out a first aid kit "Why do you have that?" Dash asked
"Emergencies, and you know," Danny laughed "I'm pretty clumsy, now, hoodie off, pants too." Dash shook his head.
"I'll take c-" Danny cut him off
"You can't reach it."
"Stop it right now Fentina, or yo-"
"No use with the nicknames Dash, I know you need my help, and I know you wouldn't fight me. I'm not seducing you, Pants. Off." Dash sighed and took off his hoodie, his belly plopped into view jiggling a bit, it took all of Dany Fenton's willpower to not ravish him then and there. "Now pants." when Dash unbuttoned his jeans, the belly was made more apparent. That's not a bit of weight Tucker. Danny thought as he kneeled next to Dash, examining the wound. Dash had been right, only the layer of scar tissue had been ripped, easy fix. Danny cleaned and bandaged the wound, then stood. "Are you up for school?" Dash nodded wiping his nose
"I think so, but they are worse at school."
"I'll keep you safe, you can join Sam and Tucker and me." Danny blushed "If you want to."