Buh dum tah! Chapter 10! I also received a review about how there seemed to be 'gaps' between the chapters? Those are time skips, since I'd rather not write down EVERY meeting and interaction the two go through! Nothing really important happens between the 'gaps', just usual tutoring sessions and hang outs.

I also was told I should rewrite the story again? Sorry, Guest, but this rewrite took near 2 months and 130k+ words...I'd rather not have to go through that all over again when I'm happy with how the story did turn out. The old version is on my tumblr, ibelieveinahappilyafter, under the tag 'from the beginning', if you still want to read it, however.

With that said, enjoy!

Chapter Ten - Outing (Not A Date)

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"Ye~ah we built this city on Rock n' Roll, never gonna pay the price but maybe the toll. Gonna get down and dirty with my boys tonight, you better believe that this is our fight!" Danny had the rather bad habit of bursting out into song whenever he heard one he recognized, especially one that was classic rock. Considering that was all the music store he worked at played, it was rare when he wasn't singing.

Busy shelving records and CDs, and dancing away to the ancient radio that played from the counter, he only faintly recognized the shop door opening. He quickly passed it off as it most likely being Ember, who had already walked in on him singing plenty of times.

"Yeah it's Rock n' Roll nation! Gonna hit it up station by station! Gonna fight and claw and kick and scratch, gonna fight until we win the match! Cause this is a Rock n' Roll nation~ Yeaaah this is a Rock n' Roll nation!" Finishing off the chorus with a spin he had all but perfected at the disco night reunions his parents had used to attend, he grinned widely, until an all too familiar voice had him yelping and crashing to the floor out of shock.

"That spin was very disco of you, and trust me, I would know. I had to live through the infernal era, after all." Ghostwriter sighed at seeing his friend still laying on the floor. "Are you alright? I assume only your pride was wounded in that fall."

"Okay, I admit, not my most graceful finish." Groaning, Danny rolled over and picked himself up, making sure his glasses were back on as he looked to his friend. "Did the hermit bookworm finally leave his lair?" The ghost was in his human illusion, and, yeah, Danny had forgotten how hot his friend was when appearing human. Almost as bad, or good, as his ghost form.

"Oh, hush, you. Kitty finally threatened me that if I didn't leave, she would drag me out, reality changing powers be damned." Danny laughed at that, moving to go prop himself up and sit on the counter, Ghostwriter casually glancing around the small store.

"Let me guess, it was her who told you where I worked?"

"No, actually. That information came from Ember, who's over at the college today. She was right, in saying you have a lovely singing voice, as well." Ghostwriter chuckled at the other's blush, adjusting the messenger bag around his shoulder. "And I used to leave my library on occasion, I'll have you know."

"You? The one who says that dealing with the stupidity of others isn't worth your time?"

"Something remarkably similar to that, at least," Ghostwriter mused, the two watching as a woman came out of the back, holding a large cup of coffee, a monster energy drink, and a red bull. Setting the coffee cup down on the counter, she immediately poured the other two drinks inside.

"Uh, Owner, take it from someone who's been where you are, you're gonna regret that in about an hour." The woman only waved the teen off, drinking half of the cup in one go. Ghostwriter wasn't sure if he was more worried about her, or about the idiotic friend who had done the same thing in the past.

"I'm going to be able to see time. Now, who's this? Usually it's that evil goth and unpleasant technopath I have to deal with you from you." Danny snorted, rolling his eyes.

"What? No complaints about the ghost who comes in here daily?"

"She has killer music and pays for what she wants, that's better than most of my patrons. Now, you. Small bookworm looking dude who probably plays piano!"

"How-"

"Name!"

"Oh, uh, Isaac?" Danny bit his lip, trying to hide his laughter at his friend using yet another pen name. He had to hide his laughter even harder when Owner stared at the ghost intently, who immediately tried to use Danny as a shield.

"Let me guess...science fiction writer and years of piano playing- Classical and Rock, right?" The ghost glanced to Danny nervously before nodding, looking even more unnerved. "I told you. I can see everything with this drink." With that, the woman turned on her heel and left, Danny finally letting out his laughter.

"She… I have no words." Danny only patted his friend's back, who still looked confused and worried. "She's more terrifying than Clockwork, I believe."

"That reminds me, you never told me how you know Clockwork." At the groan he received, he rather had the feeling that he had opened a can of worms. "That bad?"

"You have no idea. Every time I've had the pleasure of coming into contact with him, he's caused nothing but trouble and anxiety. His attempts at helping often end up leaving me more stressed than the start of the mess."

"Yeah, sounds like him," Danny nodded, slipping off the counter and moving to rearrange a precariously perched stack of records. "He causes as much trouble as he fixes, although he'll deny the causing part." Pausing for a few moments, Danny grinned again. "So, Isaac, do you always give your pen names to people who ask your name?"

"It certainly seems to have developed into a habit," Ghostwriter mused, glancing at one of the CDs curiously. "You've done remarkable wonders with the truce, by the way. On my way here, I was surprised by how easy humans were with the presence of the ghosts."

"Yeah, things are really getting better," Danny grinned, almost bouncing over to his friend, enthusiasm getting the best of him. "The other day, Dora visited, and she went dragon, and Youngblood showed all the kids she was really nice, and it was so adorable. She even let them use her tail as a slide and just cuteness! And, and, before that, Skulker went to the hunting store, and was giving the hunters tips to use. It was pretty amusing to watch, especially since he terrified all of them before Ember came in and dragged him out-

"And Ember's doing that benefit concert for the college kids, trying to raise money for some of the scholarship programs, Desiree has been helping out at the hospital and cheering up the sick patients, Technus and Tucker ran into each other and are now working on destroying every ghost tracker in the city, and Sam and Undergrowth are working together to help encourage the parks to grow-

"Oh! And Lunch Lady? She's been working at the soup kitchen, a lot of the people really like her, and she only gets enraged at the rude ones. The kids she adores, she even makes Box Ghost come and play with them, building box castles and forts and all sorts of cute things, and Wulf helps wrangle up lost pets and deliver them back to their owners and why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've really made a difference…" Danny blushed at the warm and enamored look he was given, nervously coughing and displacing his hat as he nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"O-Oh- I- I don't know about that. I mean. Just. Help. And sharing. And. Um. Yeah." Ghostwriter let out a quiet chuckle, which did nothing for Danny's flustered state.

"In less than a few weeks you've shown humans and ghosts that it's possible to get along. That is quite the difference, mon cher."

"A-Ah, yeah, well, ahem. Um. Yes. Hm. I'm just. Over there. Work." Honestly, their little store was far too hot in here, how was someone with an ice core meant to survive?! And if he heard Ghostwriter laughing quietly and following him with warm eyes, well, he didn't have to really think about that.

"Oh, yeah!" The two looked over to see Owner had popped back in, pupils slightly larger than they should be. "Twenty minute break time! Go have fun with your boyfriend-"

"Not my boyfriend!"

"Kid, please. I'm hungover, high, and can see purple pixies, but I'm not blind." Ghostwriter bit his lip as Danny huffed and dragged him out, Owner laughing as they left.

"She's a very interesting character, it seems." Danny only huffed again, surprised that the other had yet to jerk his hand away. "Speaking of interesting, why is your hair...blue?" It was a lovely shade of sky blue, and was well suited to the teen, but the question only made him sigh and pathetically lean into the ghost's side. "Mixed up the dying products?"

"Kitty and Johnny wanted to help. Apparently, Johnny grabbed the wrong box, and Kitty used it without knowing. You think this is bad? You should see my hair as Phantom…" Seeing the raised eyebrow, he shuddered. "Think maroon. Ugly, ugly maroon."

"I can't imagine you were too happy upon finding that out," Ghostwriter mused, laughing at the dramatic groan he was given. "By the way, where are we going?"

"Just this place around the corner where you can get coffee that's actually decent around here, although it's nowhere near as good as yours, and it's kind of gothic. I only know about it because of Sam." Danny pointed the building out as soon as they rounded the corner. "Poetry, coffee, small goth bookstore, just seems like something you might like."

"Sounds interesting," Ghostwriter mused, pausing at seeing the look on Danny's face. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just...I guess it just hit me that I don't really know your name, your real one, or human one, or however you want to look at it." Ghostwriter blinked in surprise, slowly smiling.

"Is that your subtle way of asking?" At the embarrassed and hesitant nod, the ghost let out a laugh. "Andrew. Andrew Riter." Andrew, huh… Turning on his heel to where he was facing his friend, Danny gave a wide smile.

"Nice to meet you, Andrew." Ghostwriter, no, Andrew, laughed and shook his head. "Now come on, let's get some coffee and make poor purchases that we'll later regret."

Soon seated at one of the small tables near the dimmed windows, Andrew raised an eyebrow at Danny's staring. "So, I'm just wondering here, what are the chances of me being able to get away with calling you Andy?" Without skipping a beat, Andrew smiled pleasantly.

"If you even try know that I will be trapping you inside a book full of inconsistencies, plot holes, and lack of character development." Danny nodded as he took a quick sip of his coffee, looking unphased.

"So, something like Twilight, then, right?" It was a few seconds before Andrew let out a startled laugh, which did nothing in convincing Danny that the other wasn't the most adorable thing he had ever seen. "Also, next time, I'm paying for coffee. No tricks!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Andrew chuckled, watching Danny for a few seconds before sighing. "Try to get revenge on Ember for telling me where you work, and you are sure to face an overprotective mate in the form of Skulker."

"Am I really that obvious- Wait, mate? What?" At the look he was given, Danny shrugged. It was hardly his fault if he knew so little about the Ghost Zone. "I've only been a half ghost for two years or so, cut me some slack!"

"First of all, yes, you are that obvious. Second, ghost mates are, as you would imagine, the mates of other ghosts, who are bonded at the very core, and have emotional connections that run deeper than most can fathom." Danny decided not to ask why Andrew looked flustered, although it was an adorable sight. "Some pairs find each other almost immediately, such as Johnny and Kitty, while others take quite a while."

"So, ghost mates are like soul mates, right?" Danny asked, Andrew nodding as he finally took a sip of his coffee, frowning at the taste. Danny only watched in amusement as the other took his cup and drank, nodding and switching them around.

"Remarkably similar in nature, at least, yes. It's a bit more complicated, however, with minor telepathic connections as the bond between them grows, such as knowing when the other is hurt, or being able to find them no matter what." Danny nodded in understanding. It made sense, he supposed. "Ghosts who are mates are often destined to end up together, even if their first meetings are, well, rough, in nature."

"So they could go from hating each other's guts to being all mushy and gushy?" At the nod, Danny stuck his tongue out. "I don't believe it. No way could someone go from hate to love so quickly." Andrew only quirked an eyebrow, Danny huffing again. "Yes, but we're not normal! Besides, hate to friendship and hate to love are two entirely different things!" No matter what his traitorous feeling were whispering otherwise. "Oh, yeah! Wait here a second!"

Andrew only shook his head and sipped on his coffee as he watched the other run over to the barista they had spoken with earlier, gesturing wildly and then grinning as a book was handed over to him. In a few seconds, Danny was back, pressing the book into his hands and flittering around excitedly. "Well, well, well? What do you think?"

"I think giving you coffee was a tremendously terrible idea," the ghost mused, snagging Danny as he passed by again, tugging him into the seat beside him. "Are you always this hyper?"

"Yes. No? I don't know, it comes in waves, and stuff. Um, so, yes! Book! It's yours, bought it a while ago, but had them hold it, cause ghost sense and attack and stuff- You know, it's weird, but my ghost sense doesn't really go off anymore? I mean, it's kind of like a inner feeling now, than the random wisp of smoke- Really helpful now that ghosts are around everywhere- I mean, better than my secret almost getting exposed- But, yes, book- Why are you laughing?"

"Words truly fail to describe you, mon cher." Danny only pouted, opening the book himself, and pressing it closer to the ghost. "Wait...what do you mean it's mine?"

"Gift. As thanks for giving me your copy of The Soundless Clock- Which I'm still embarrassed over, when thinking about how I acted that day, and how you're the one who wrote it. Jeez, no wonder you were acting so strange- But, um, yes, thoughts?" The teen was practically bouncing in his chair, Andrew finally rolling his eyes and flicking him on the forehead. "Hey!"

"The gift is very sweet, Danny, although I am slightly concerned on how hyper you are being...does this happen often?" Danny shrugged, hopping up to move around the table, small spins and dodges keeping him from running into things in a way that was far too similar to his fighting style.

"Yes, it's just your good luck that you haven't had to deal with me when I've had one. I just- I dunno. Get this random burst of energy. Like my body has all this energy to spend but there's nothing to do so I just have to keep moving although it seems to be getting really really worse lately and it's starting to concern the others and why that look that's your thinking look why-"

"Is it possible your bursts of energy are due to the lack of ghost fighting?" At the curious look, Andrew felt himself smile. "Due to the new truce you've enacted, you've been fighting less ghosts, leaving you with reserves of energy that your body would normally expend while in a fight. Now that you're in a relatively peaceful environment, with only day to day tasks, you have more energy than you know what to do with. Your body's become so used to burning energy, and being in battle, that the thought of stillness is all but foreign to you."

It was a few moments of silence before Danny spoke, worried expression on his face. "Andrew...are you okay? You seem...I dunno, sad. Like, pained sad." Surprised at the question, the ghost gave a smile, looking as reassuring as he possibly could.

"I'm fine, Danny. Just a brief moment of unpleasant memories… Speaking of unpleasant things, you need to be getting back to work." Blinking in surprise, the teen looked for a clock, cursing as soon as he saw one. "A century, indeed…" At the curious look, the ghost waved him off, sliding his new book into his bag and following after the teen. "You're not very good with time management skills, are you?"

"Not really. I probably wouldn't know if it was night or day if not for the sun and stuff," Danny nervously chuckled, throwing their cups away and holding the door open. "So, on the keeping still front, any ideas on how to stop moving around all the time?"

"Mm, I'm not quite sure, yet, but I'll think of something," Andrew assured, Danny rolling his eyes as they rounded the corner to the store.

"Yeah, well, others have tried before you." At the wicked smirk, he had a feeling that the ghost had taken that as a challenge. "Thanks for visiting, it was actually fun. Even if I'm still embarrassed over the disco spin."

"It was very well executed," Andrew chuckled, amused at Danny's whine. It was hardly his fault if he found the younger so adorable. "Don't forget that we have a tutoring session tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you forget that leaving Vidya once in a while is actually good for you, and something you should do more often." Danny whined as his hat was jerked over his eyes, knocking his glasses askew.

"Have a good day at work, Danny."

"Seeya later, Andrew."

They have yet to realize how much of a couple they act like.