Summary: Dash video chats with Valerie and Paulina.
Characters: Dash x Danny x Kwan

Afterward 01

"Okay. Can you see me?" Dash adjusted the screen, hoping the camera was capturing him and not cutting off half his head.

"Yeah, we can see you just fine." Paulina smiled brightly, looking as lovely as ever. She kept her hair long, and currently, she had it pulled up with wavy locks cascading down over her right shoulder.

While Paulina looked happy and excited, Valerie sat next to her wearing a dark scowl as she glared at the camera. "We need to talk."

"I can't believe you're dating Kwan and Danny!" Paulina sounded overjoyed by the news Kwan had shared with the two women earlier. "I'm so happy! I was afraid you and Kwan were never going to find someone to be with." She flushed, shrinking back slightly. "Not that there's anything wrong with not being in a relationship."

"I get what you were trying to say, Paulina." Dash smiled. Paulina had changed a lot since their high school days. She still prided herself on her beauty, but she was no longer, as some certain people might have said, shallow. She did a lot to help out in the community where she lived. Volunteering at soup kitchens and donating supplies to needy children, to name a few.

"Of course, you know what this means now." Valerie leaned forward, looking rather intimidating.

"Not another shovel talk." Dash sighed. "I already got it from Jazz and Manson. Foley tried, but I think he was too terrified of me to truly threatening. Manson, on the other hand-" He shuddered, recalling the vivid details she included with her threat. Jazz only needed a look to make Dash practically swallow his tongue in fear of what she would do if he hurt her brother.

"I think there's a rule that once you start dating someone, you call them, and their friends, by their first name." Valerie's mouth remained a thin line.

"Sorry." Dash lifted his hands. "Force of habit. But you really don't need to come at me with the shovel talk. I have no intention of messing this up. I - This feels like the right relationship for me. I've been in relationships where I thought I loved someone before, but those ones never felt like this. I'm determined not to mess this up. And if I do, I will gladly hand myself over for punishment because I will have truly screwed up my entire life."

Valerie squinted at him then, with a sigh, leaned back. "Okay. Fine. I guess we can skip the shovel talk. Danny already knows if he does anything, I'll kick his butt."

The tension melted out of him, and he could relax. "So how was Christmas? Your dad came up this year, right?"

"Yeah," Valerie smiled, but it was sort of sad, "I kind of wish he lived closer, but for whatever reason, he still likes living in Amity Park. I miss it. Sometimes. But I think it was good to get out of there after high school."

"Yeah, but your dad enjoyed coming out here to see your fight." Paulina smiled as she leaned on Valerie. "I love my Papa, but sometimes I wish he would give us some more space. It's a bit overbearing when he tries to be all protective all the time. He doesn't even have to worry about boys now anyway."

"Of course not." Valerie grinned, lifting one arm to flex her bicep. "Any guy dumb enough to try anything will have to deal with me."

"I pity any man that dares to anger you." Knowing Valerie was the Red Huntress only made Dash even more wary about getting on her bad side. Even before knowing about it, Dash never wanted to give Valerie a reason to punch him.

"So," Valerie leaned forward, "Kwan and Danny didn't really go into detail beyond telling us about your relationship."

"I'm still surprised you're okay with all of this." Dash cracked a crooked smirk.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "We're not exactly living in the stone age here. I've been wanting Kwan to find happiness for ages, and I kept wanting to kick your butt since he was so madly in love with you. I'm just happy that you dumb knuckle heads finally opened your eyes to see what was right in front of you."

"So how does it all work?" Paulina folded her arms over her knees as she leaned forward slightly. "Isn't it a little awkward having sex with two people at once?"

"Paulina!" Valerie twisted around to stare at her girlfriend like she just asked the most scandalous question of all time.

Dash's face burned bright red. "Uh, well, that hasn't - we haven't exactly gotten to that point yet." He rubbed the back of his neck, unable to even look at his friends.

"I know Kwan and Danny are both the type not to pressure you into anything you're not ready for. And I get wanting to take your time and ease your way into things, but," Valerie pointed a finger at him, "there's a difference between taking things slow and being too scared to take the step forward. Sex isn't the end all be all of a relationship, but if that's an intimate step you want to take in this relationship, then don't let fear keep you stagnant. Kwan and Danny will take things at your pace, so there's really nothing to be scared about."

"I know! I get that!" Dash threw his hands up. "I just get all flustered when I think about actually doing what I've been thinking about." He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "But that's just one of the hurdles we're working on overcoming."

"This is such a weird side to see," Paulina said, frowning like she wasn't sure how exactly she felt. "You always seemed so confident with whomever you were dating."

"That was with women." Dash raked a hand through his hair. "I knew what I was doing there. With another man? Two men, at that? I'm utterly clueless."

"I guess it's good that both Kwan and Danny have some experience in that area. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you with it." Valerie grinned suggestively.

Dash couldn't stop the heat creeping over his cheeks and crawling to the tips of his ears. "Can we stop talking about the sex now?"

"Okay. Okay." Valerie held up her hands. "But we're rooting for the three of you."

"Yeah," Paulina agreed. "Next time we come out there, we should all go out together. Like a double date sort of thing."

Dash smiled, happy for their support. He still wasn't sure how he was going to tell his mother and sister about their relationship. His sister already had enough to think about with a baby on the way without him adding his relationship with two men as something else for her to worry about. "We'll definitely do that," he said, nodding.

"Dinner's ready," Kwan called.

"Sounds like I have to go."

"Don't keep your boys waiting." Valerie winked while Paulina grinned.

"Talk to you later." Paulina waved.

"Yeah," Dash nodded again, "talk to you later." They hung up on the call, and Dash got up from his desk to join Kwan and Danny for dinner.

Author's Note: I said I still wanted to play around with these boys a bit more. I hope you enjoyed the first little afterward. This place pretty close to the end of Chances Are.