A/N: I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to be added, but I've been overwhelmed with schoolwork and personal issues and it's been hard for me to get the motivation to finish it, but I did it, so yay! I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be posted but I promise I'll post it the moment I finish it.
"Talking"
'Dash thinking'
Chapter Twelve
The next day, Dash was sitting on his couch watching the news report on the murders. He grimaced at the image that appeared in his head when the reporter described the state that the bodies were found in. He quickly turned off the TV, and went into the kitchen.
He started a pot of coffee, and sat at the table waiting for it to brew.
'I need to get my mind off of this. Today's…what's today?' Dash looked at his phone. 'Friday. 2:30 on a Friday and I have nothing to do. I thought I was supposed to do something today.'
The coffee maker beeped, signaling the pot was done. Dash poured a cup and fixed it to his liking. He sat back down on the couch, and went on his phone. He checked all of his social media, and stayed on Facebook for a while.
'I wonder if Danny has a Facebook. Wait.' Dash checked the time, which read 2:53. "SHIT!" Dash stood up and rushed out the door, remembering what he had to do. He started jogging to the park, which was about ten blocks from his house.
He checked his watch and saw that he had five minutes left to make it to the park on time. He turned the corner and saw Danny was waiting by the gate to enter the park tapping at his phone. Dash slowed down until he was walking at a normal pace, and tried to control his breathing.
"Hey, Danny!" Danny looked up from his phone, and smiled. He put his phone in his pocket and ran over to Dash.
"Dash! I didn't think you'd make it on time!" Danny hugged Dash from around his waist and picked him up and spun him around once before setting him down. Dash stared at him in awe for a few seconds before Danny looked at him confusedly.
"What?"
"You picked me up." They started walking into the park.
"Yeah?"
"How? You're still a scrawny little thing!" Dash was joking with him, as Danny was probably a lot stronger than he was in high school, but it was still hard to see him picking up a guy as big as Dash.
Danny paused in his steps and for a second Dash thought he had upset him until he whipped around.
"Magic." Danny whispered leaning up towards Dash's face. He got closer while staring into Dash's eyes. Dash gulped out of nervousness, and started to lean in as well.
"Race you to the swing set." Danny said, and with that he turned around and ran towards the play area, leaving Dash on the pathway, blushing and flustered. He started walking towards Danny, who was already situated on a swing and pumping his legs to get it moving. Dash walked up to the swing set, and instead of getting on the swing next to Danny, he got behind Danny and started pushing him.
"Can I ask some questions? To get to know you better?" Dash asked, mentally slapping himself at the suggestion, and hoping that adding the last part would make it seem less weird.
"Sure…" Dash smiled, happy that Danny was fine with his proposal. "…as long as you don't ask me if I'm a virgin."
Dash blanched, and Danny laughed.
"First question; what do you do for a living?" Danny was silent for a minute, and Dash wondered if he brought up something Danny didn't want to talk about.
Right when Dash was about to tell him he didn't answer if he didn't want to, Danny started talking.
"I don't really have an actual job. People all over the city pay me to do tasks for them, about a thousand per person."
"Oh. That must be nice; you don't have to deal with any annoying coworkers or managers. And you get to make your own hours."
"Yeah, it definitely has its perks."
"Okay, do you have any pets?" Danny seemed to perk up at this question, and began to talk excitedly.
"Yeah I have a dog. His name is Cujo, and he's really small but he is a really good guard dog."
"I'd like to see him some time. Do you still talk with any of your family?"
"I have a cousin named Danielle, but she prefers Dani, with an 'i'. she visits me about once a month."
"Why hasn't she told your family where you are?"
"She knows why I cut ties with them, and they don't know about her."
"What?"
"It's complicated."
"Seems like it." They sat in silence for a few minutes, except the creaking of the swing as Dash pushed Danny, and the distant caw of crows. The whole mood seemed unsettling to Dash, but Danny seemed like he was at peace, like this was his happy place.
'Okay, I've always been sappy, but that was a little much even for me.' Dash was broken from his thoughts when Danny back flipped off the swing when he was high in the air, and landed on his feet.
"Do you want to go get a drink?" Danny looked at Dash, and even though Dash would've loved to stay there with Danny, he agreed.
"Great, let's go." Dash followed Danny through a ton of alleyways, until they came out on a familiar street. Dread filled Dash when he saw the coffee shop where he ran into Danny, and he prayed that the barista from before wouldn't be there.
They walked in the door and Dash was planning to tell Danny he would find them a seat and Danny could order whatever he wanted to get them when a voice from the counter interrupted him.
"Danny! It's nice to see you again."
'Oh, sweet mother of god.'
'
