The Next Step
Summary: Danny and Dash come to an agreement after a late night of fighting ghosts.
Characters: Dash x Danny
Originally Written: February 2014
"Can we have some money?"
Dash frowned up at the two grinning faces above him. "What is it for?" He lifted an eyebrow at the pair, wondering what mischievous plan the two boys had this time.
"There's a man selling ice cream," Xander explained, standing up a bit straighter as he pointed behind him.
Dash pushed himself up on one elbow and craned his head around to see the ice cream vendor on the other side of the field. The day was fairly warm, and after an exhausting time kicking the soccer ball around with the boys, Dash thought the idea of ice cream sounded amazing. It probably couldn't compare to the ice cream Danny made, but the ice cream vendor was a lot closer than driving back to Danny's house.
Dash paused to look around the park as a frown settled back onto his face. "Where's your dad?" He turned his gaze onto the young blond boy, expecting him to know to where his father disappeared.
A pout formed as Lex folded his arms, and Dash had a pretty good guess what the boy was going to say. "A ghost popped up, so Dad went to deal with it." He turned his blue eyes away with a grumble of, "I could have helped."
Dash shifted so that he was kneeling before Lex and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Your father just doesn't want to put you in a situation where you might get hurt. He knows you're learning to control of your powers and getting stronger, but he still worries a lot about you. He wants you to be safe. Fighting ghosts isn't something someone your age should have to worry about."
"Dad was only fourteen when he started fighting ghosts," Lex argued, still pouting.
"And you're only nine." Dash sighed at the continued grumpiness of the boy. "Having to fight ghosts that young, that's exactly why your father doesn't want you getting wrapped up in fighting ghosts. He knows the stress and pain of fighting ghosts and struggling to keep it secret and still have time for school and family and friends. It's a hard life. You should enjoy your time being a kid. Don't grow up before you have to."
Dash guessed that thought was a little late. Lex already had to do more growing up than most children his age after having to experience the loss of his mother, seeing her die right before him, and having a madman trying to kill him and his father. He could definitely understand why Danny wanted to keep Lex away from fighting ghosts until he was much, much older.
"All right." Dash stood up, digging a hand into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "Let's go grab some ice cream. Then we can head home, and maybe," he gave the boys a very pointed look, "if you're really good, I'll supervise a little training session while Danny's busy."
That suggestion seemed to drive away any pouting as the boys cheered. Shaking his head with a small laugh, he followed after the boys to the ice cream vendor, listening as they discussed which kind they wanted to get. Lex carried the soccer ball with him, tossing it in his hands. He had gained a bit of height over his friend, though it wasn't by much yet.
Once they got their ice cream, Dash led the boys back to the car, warning them that they would have to clean up any mess if they let the ice cream drip onto the seats or the floor. They promised that they wouldn't make a mess, but Dash gave them a critical look as if he didn't believe them.
This wasn't the first time he was playing supervisor to Lex when he practiced his powers. Danny gave him the rundown on things he should know. There was a devise that he could zap Lex with that would temporarily disable his ghost powers. It was mostly for a last resort if Lex got really out of control and couldn't be stopped. Dash hadn't had reason to test it out yet, but he was hoping it never came to that. Lex could have a bit of trouble with aiming attacks and sometimes he tried to use one power and ended up using a different one. Like when he tried shoot an ecto ray at a target but turned intangible and sank through the floor instead. The Ghostly Wail was strictly prohibited without Danny present and could only be used while they were in the Ghost Zone. Dash could remember that conversation between father and son well. Lex grew frustrated because he couldn't use the Ghostly Wail very well, and ever since the fight with Freakshow, his attempts were rather feeble.
"You learned to use it much younger than when I first learned it," Danny said, sitting with Lex at the edge of one of the land masses floating in the Ghost Zone. Dash had sat with Xander, who was looking at the strange vegetation growing there. "I was fourteen, and I struggled with it too. It was something I could only use as a last resort because it sucked up so much of my energy to use it. I could only summon up that energy when the situation turned really desperate. But after years of training, I managed to master it. Or at least, I learned to be able to use it freely and without draining myself. You're still very young. Don't get frustrated just because it's a struggle right now. You'll learn. You just need to practice it more."
And practice Lex did. He was improving with the Ghostly Wail, even if it felt frustratingly slow to him. Dash wouldn't admit it out loud, but he thought maybe it was good that Lex hadn't quite mastered it enough to use it regularly. He couldn't imagine their secret staying secret for very long if Lex got angry and suddenly let loose a Wail in a public setting. Maturity and restraint were two traits that he really needed to learn before he had that powerful skill in his repertoire.
Dash checked the time on the microwave clock and frowned. He already put the children to bed, and midnight was slowly creeping closer with no sign of Danny since that afternoon when they went to the park. Danny was a strong and skilled fighter, but Dash couldn't help worrying over the man when he disappeared for long periods of time with no word. He understood though. Danny couldn't simply stop in the middle of a fight to call him up and tell him that he wasn't going to be home any time soon. Doing that could put Danny in a dangerous situation because it caused him to be distracted. Dash understood but still worried.
When he heard the door creak as it opened, Dash abandoned his coffee on the table and walked out of the kitchen. Concern flickered through his dark blue eyes as he glanced over the man standing in the front hall. He didn't see any sign of injury, which allowed him to breathe out in relief.
"Sorry," Danny said with a hint of a wince. "I know I should have said something before just disappearing and I should have called at some point. But the one ghost I thought I was chasing turned out to be a gang of six and rounding up all of them took longer than I expected."
Dash shook his head as he closed the distance between them then drew Danny into a hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Danny offered no bravado as he leaned into the hug. "I'll remember next time to find a moment to call."
"Don't worry about that. Do you want some coffee? I just made a pot." Dash pulled out of the hug and started leading the way back to the kitchen.
A chuckle left Danny as he raked a hand through his raven hair. "You know," he said as he leaned against the counter while Dash got down another mug, "it seems like we're either all sleeping over at your house or we're all over here at my house."
Dash considered that as he poured the coffee. "We should move in together."
The comment caught Danny off guard, and his arm suddenly slipped through the counter, making him stumble before he righted himself again.
Dash bit back a laugh at that reaction. "We basically live together already. Like you said. And," he pushed the coffee mug toward Danny, "why should we pay for two houses? It makes more sense for us to pick one and live there together. Unless you think that's moving too fast?" He stared curiously at Danny, his exterior seeming calm, but inside he felt nervous, worrying that he suggested that idea too early.
Danny frowned at his coffee, staying silent for much too long, in Dash's opinion. "That does make the most sense," he agreed. "If we do move in together, though, we'd have to tell the boys. How long can we really keep our relationship secret from the boys if we're living in the same house?"
Dash tapped a finger on the counter in thought. "Maybe it's time to tell them. I think they can handle it." He thought for a moment then laughed. "Though maybe you should tell Lex without me. He might blast me after you tell him."
"Lex likes you, even if he denies it." Danny shook his head, seeming to hold back his own laugh. "No, you're right. He'd probably blast you." He grinned then glanced away as he scratched behind an ear. "But, um, can you move in here? It's just - I've got the lab all set up how I like it, and that Portal is a pain to take down and rebuild."
Dash frowned. He hadn't thought about that. In all honesty, he was thinking Danny would move into his house. Many of Xander's memories were in that house. "Rock, paper, scissors? Loser can't argue choice of where to live?" He held up a fist with a hopeful look.
Danny looked ready to argue then nodded. They shook their fists three times before throwing their hands. Danny threw paper. Dash threw rock. He frowned in disappointment as Danny slapped his hand over his closed fist.
"Are you really okay with it?" Danny asked hesitantly as he stared into Dash's eyes.
It didn't feel okay. That house was filled with so many memories, and he wasn't sure about leaving them all behind. But they were just memories, right? Living in the same house with Danny and his son, he and Xander would make new memories. Did the house really matter all that much when the memories would always remain in his head and his heart?
Dash nodded. "Yeah. I promised no arguing, right?" He tugged Danny closer and kissed him.
Author's Note: Happy Valentine's day, readers~
midnight: Core bonking explains a lot. XD;; It makes it so easy for ghosts of different species or sizes to have children. Ghosts of the same gender could have children. Because core bonking is an entirely different process to human reproduction. XD Dan and Kwan, finally getting busy. XD Yay relationship progress!
