Chapter 54

The movie was coming to an end. Kwan chewed on his lower lip, his hands feeling sweaty as his stomach churned with anxiety. After the talk he had with his cousin, he thought maybe it was time to finally bite the bullet and admit his feelings to the others. With Danny's family out of the house, it seemed like the perfect time to do it. He would never get this chance at his house with all his relatives around, barely giving them a moment alone. But the more he thought about it, the more the doubt crept back into his mind. Ryoo might be right about Dash and how he would react, but it didn't make it any easier for Kwan to actually say the words out loud.

Kwan breathed in, trying to calm his racing heart. His lips parted as he scrambled to figure out how best to approach the topic.

Then the front door opened, Danny's mother calling out a hello. Danny got to his feet, leaving a gap between Dash and Kwan. He smiled as he took some of the bags from his mother to help carry them to the kitchen. Dash leaned over to snatch up the remote from the coffee table so he could shut off the movie. After Mrs. Fenton, Mr. Fenton and Jazz entered the house, followed by a man Kwan had little trouble recognizing. He remembered Danny mentioning Vlad Master was a family friend, and he even sought out some help from Mr. Masters before they discovered Cameron was using necromancy. Kwan didn't expect to actually meet the billionaire.

"Oh!" Jazz smiled when she entered the front room. "I didn't realize Danny had friends over."

"Yeah," Danny came back into the room after he dropped the bags off in the kitchen, "we just did our gift exchange. And, um," he tugged at his ear, looking off to the side, "we decided to hang out and watch a movie."

Jazz eyed the pair on the couch before her gaze slid back to her brother. "Why not have them stay for dinner? We got enough for a big meal."

A blush spread onto Danny's cheek. It was light, subtle, but noticeable when Kwan paid enough attention. "I don't know if they-"

"That would be great!" Kwan answered before Danny could finish speaking. His mouth felt cotton ball dry when the others turned their gazes onto him. "Well," he glanced toward Dash, "I mean, it might be nice to have a quieter dinner while we're here."

Dash frowned and scratched a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind it." He cracked a crooked grin. "I doubt your family would miss us."

"Oh, but Zoe and Katie just love you." Kwan grinned as he reached over to pinch Dash's cheeks.

Dash swatted at his hand. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No," Danny said firmly as he pointed at them. "You are the guests. You sit there and relax. We'll have dinner ready in a little while." Then he disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Okay." Jazz sat down on the coffee table and leveled a glare at the pair. Dash stared back in confusion, but Kwan sat up at attention like he was a child about to be scolded by a parent. "Danny doesn't really want me saying anything. You've become roommates, and it sounds like you're all getting along well, which is great. But," her eyes narrowed dangerously, "if you do anything to hurt my brother, you will regret it."

"Didn't we already go through this?" Dash lifted an eyebrow.

Jazz snapped her glare to him. "You," she pointed at him, "have the most to worry about. Kwan's a sweetheart. I know he would never intentionally hurt my brother, though the threat still applies to him. But you've already done a lot to hurt my brother just in high school. And I know Danny would rather keep silent and deal with everything on his own, in his own way, but I will find out and you won't like what happens when I do."

Dash gulped, a face paling a touch.

"Dash isn't entirely like you remember him from high school," Kwan jumped in. "He's grown a lot since then. And since Danny came to live with us, we've all grown a lot closer."

Jazz folded her legs and leaned forward with one elbow balancing on her knee. "So," she rested her chin in her hand, "just how close have you grown?"

"Uh-" Kwan glanced toward Dash, flustered by the question. What kind of answer was she looking for exactly? Jazz had a piercing gaze like she could read their deepest thoughts, and with her expertise in psychology, Kwan almost believed it was possible.

"We've gotten to know him and become friends," Dash answered, shrugging a shoulder. "He obviously trusts us if he let us in on his secret."

Jazz considered silently for a while. "And what's his name?" She almost smirked as she glared Dash down.

"Fen- Danny!" Dash cursed under his breath. "Look. I'm working on that. Okay? I've always called him Fenton. It's not a habit I can just break overnight."

"I suppose I can give you a passing grade then." Jazz sighed as she stood.

"A passing grade?" Dash frowned. "I didn't realize we needed to pass your test to be friends with your brother."

"It's not about being friends." Jazz smiled before she walked toward the kitchen.

"Okay," Dash said slowly as he turned to Kwan. "What exactly do you think that was about?"

Kwan shrugged, wishing he knew. The last comment made his stomach drop. Did Jazz suspect? What if she mentioned something about it to Danny before he could get up the courage to say something himself? Thinking about it didn't help with his anxiety. He was about to get up and search for the bathroom when Danny popped his head back into the room.

"Dinner should be ready soon. If you want to clean up or anything, there's a bathroom in the hall." Danny pointed toward the hall entrance of the front room. Then he vanished again.

Kwan stood then followed the front hall until he found the door to the bathroom. Glancing into the kitchen, he spotted Danny having his sister taste something, a sauce probably. Then he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. He washed his hands and splashed his face with a little water. Then he lifted his head and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Okay, Kwan. This is just a little set back. You'll get your chance. You just have to wait for it. After drying off his face and hands, he took a deep breath. Then he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Oh, sorry!" Kwan nearly bumped into Danny and instinctually grabbed hold of Danny's arm to keep him from falling.

Which he realized afterward was completely unnecessary. He yanked his hand back with a dark flush coloring his cheeks.

"It's okay." Danny smiled. "Everyone's in the kitchen. Just grab a plate and whatever you want." He slipped past Kwan and into the bathroom.

Kwan raked a hand through his hair as he walked down the hall. It would be a lot easier to go through with his plan of confessing if the rest of Danny's family didn't show up. How was he supposed to do this now? When he walked into the kitchen, everyone was already sitting at the kitchen table, which looked a bit cramped with so many people sitting around it.

"The plates are right there," Mrs. Fenton said, smiling as she pointed to the end of the counter. "We have various drink options. If you're curious, just ask."

"Or he could simply look in the refrigerator," Mr. Masters said before he sipped from a glass of water.

"Water's just fine." Kwan picked up a plate then looked over what was available. There was chicken in some creamy sauce and some cheesy looking potatoes. A salad sat in a bowl with a couple different dressing selections set out beside it. Kwan piled a little of everything on his plate, making sure to load up on some steamed vegetables. When he finished, he carried his plate and glass of water to the table to join the others. His seat was next Dash with an empty chair next to him, which he assumed was Danny's spot.

A moment later, Danny returned and sat down beside him. He grinned at Kwan before picking up his glass of water for a sip.

"So Danny was telling us you all live together and work at the same school," Mrs. Fenton said, trying to strike up a friendly conversation.

Mr. Fenton frowned as he stared at Dash. "Weren't you the jerk Jazz was tutoring?" The question almost made Danny snort out the water he was drinking.

"I was a jerk." Dash nodded, but his mouth pursed as he recalled the way he used to be. "But that's not who I am anymore."

"You should really see him," Danny piped in. "The students really love him. And he's an amazing coach. I still can't believe the team didn't make it to state championships. We were totally robbed by those bad calls."

"We'll get them next year," Dash said with determination in his voice.

Mr. Fenton still eyed Dash like he was uncertain about him, but thankfully, the conversation remained pleasant as Danny's family probed them with various questions. What got them into teaching? Where did they expect to be in five, ten, years down the line? Were they seeing anyone? What did they like to do outside of work? What was their longest relationship? Cats or dogs? How did they feel about having children of their own? Did they have any bad habits? No smoking?

Kwan was in need of a breather by the time the dinner was over. It felt like he just went through the "meet the parents" interrogation, even though none of them were dating.

"Sorry about all of that," Danny said when the three of them were sitting alone on the back steps of his house. "I guess my family can be a bit intense at times."

Kwan shook his head with a small smile. "My family probably would have been the same if we brought you over there for dinner."

Dash snorted, leaning back on his hands as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "They'd probably think your were dating since you never bring home anyone other than me."

Kwan stared at the ground between his feet as he face heated up. "Um," he licked his dry lips, and his dinner almost made an attempt to come back up, "speaking of dating."

Dash jerked up straight, her eyes growing wide. "Wait! You're not really dating someone, are you? If you are, I'm going to be seriously mad that you told me nothing about it."

Kwan closed his eyes for a moment. "No, I'm dating anyone. But-" Why were the words so hard to get out? It was like they kept getting stuck in his throat. "But I hope maybe I will be."

"Dating who?" Danny asked curiously. "I didn't think you were interested in anyone."

"You certainly didn't say anything to me." Dash frowned, sad that he wasn't the one Kwan went to, to talk about it.

"You," Kwan mumbled, swallowed the lump in his throat, then tried again. "Both of you." His statement was met with silence, and his heart felt like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to beat right out of his chest or stop beating altogether.

"Are you serious?" Danny asked, but he didn't sound mad or disgusted.

Dash laughed, and Kwan snapped his gaze to his friend, his heart sinking. Dash had a hand over his eyes, his head bowed and his shoulders shaking. "I thought I was nuts."

"What?" Kwan blinked, too confused to understand what Dash was saying.

"Because I didn't know how I would ever choose between the two of you," Dash said, still not looking at either of them.

"What?" Kwan repeated, this time his mind going completely blank.

"Wait. You like guys?" Danny asked, holding up his hands. "Since when? I was certain you were straight."

"I thought I was too." Sighing, Dash sat up straight. "But after Celeste, I realized that might not be the case. I started noticing all these cute little things about Kwan that just made me want to hug him or kiss him. And then you-" He waved a hand at Danny sitting on the other side of Kwan. "I don't even know. Started having some very not straight dreams about you. Both of you. So it was kind of hard to keep saying I was completely straight at that point." He raked a hand through his hair, maybe not even noticing the dark blushes on his roommates' faces. "But what do you do when you like two people? I can't date both of you. I don't think that would be very fair."

Danny cleared his throat. "Um, well, after we dropped you off from the airport, Jazz and I talked." He shifted, his gaze darting from his roommates then away in embarrassment. "And she pointed out that, well, we could date each other."

"Did you not just hear me?" Dash demanded. "How would that be fair? I don't cheat on the person I'm dating."

"Dash, calm down." Kwan placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let Danny explain."

"I didn't mean we'd date each other one or the other." Danny's face was dark red by that point. "I meant all three of us date, as one couple."

Dash's brow creased like he couldn't puzzle out the meaning. "How does that even work? Do we just go out on dates with all three of us? Wouldn't that be weird?"

Danny shrugged. "I've never dated two people as one big couple before. But," he bit his lip, hesitating, "would it really be that much different from how we've been living?"

"Well, we do know each other pretty well now," Kwan said, considering everything. "It's not like we'd be starting at a first date. We're more like two months of dating in. We are living together already anyway."

"So we're basically, like, skipping over the whole trying to be impressive with the whole dating thing?" Dash asked for clarification.

"Occasional romantic acts would be appreciated though. So don't think you can just be lazy about things." Kwan glared, and Dash held up his hands.

"That's not what I was saying. I just mean we can be more casual about our dates. We don't have to go to some fancy restaurant. We can pick up takeout and have a nice cozy date night on the couch watching movies." Dash smiled. "That's what I've been wanting. A relationship that's already in that comfortable spot where we can just stay in and not have to worry about going out on a date. Which is nice for us, because after grading tests and papers, I don't really want to think about going out on some fancy date."

"So," Danny scratched at the back of his head, "are we officially dating now?" The three of them exchanged glances.

"I guess we are." Dash laughed, smoothing back his hair. "Wow. Not only my first time dating a guy, but my first time being in a relationship with two people. Is there a word for that?"

"I think it's polyamory," Danny answered. "I think that's what Jazz called it when we talked about it the other day."

Kwan leaned over and pressed his forehead to his folded arms. He couldn't believe it. Was any of this real? They were officially dating? It was too good to be true. It had to be a dream. It felt like a dream.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Dash and Danny both asked, worry sneaking into their voices.

"I've been in love with Dash since high school. I didn't think it was ever possible to be in a relationship with you." Kwan almost cried. "And now I get date both of you? This is seriously like a dream for me." Arms wrapped around him from both sides.

"You've seriously been in love with me since high school?" Dash asked, completely flabbergasted. When Kwan nodded, Dash asked, "How did I never know this?"

Kwan laughed, sitting up as he wiped at his eyes. "It was really hard keeping it from you. I was so scared you'd hate me."

"Kwan, I would never hate you." Dash squeezed his arms around Kwan.

"I think this is a good time to celebrate." Danny stood and offered his hands to them. "I think we have a little wine in the house. Maybe not the best. But we could always go with beer instead. But this is definitely a celebrate kind of moment."

Danny grinned as he pulled Dash and Kwan to their feet. They walked back inside, and Kwan couldn't help feeling like he would wake up any moment to discover this was merely a dream. Until then, though, he planned to enjoy it.


YumiStar: I think they do that a lot. XD

Kimera20: Thanks! 8D Hope the talk was worth the looooong wait. XD

Simplegayme: I almost can't believe it's been a year!

Asuni: Aw, thanks! =D I haven't figured out what I plan to write next. Trans Danny would certainly be interesting to write though!

Marsetta: It's an idea to think about! XD These boys, right? They don't even realize when they're already on a date with each other. XD

xXRainbowCleoXx: Fudge and hot chocolate sound super tasty right now! It'll probably take some time, but eventually Dash will break the habit of calling him Fenton. XD

Casper97: Yay! 8D

vampygurl402: Hope you enjoyed the update!

Tetractys: I tried to hint at it but was waiting for the right moment to be blunt about it. And now things have taken one step closer to reconciling themselves with Dash's family. And woo! Now the boys are officially together! 8D

Will: I've been trying to work on original stuff recently, and it all just keeps falling about. orz I hate anti-abortion people's view on it so much. It's just so disgusting the way they think they have any right to dictate a woman's reproductions. Abortion goes against your religion? Fine. If you get pregnant, you can have all the children you want. But a woman aborting an unwanted child has zero effect on you, so stop trying to control her! The adoption system is pretty crazy. I get wanting to check out parents and make sure they're not going to be horrible parents for the sake of the child. But I honestly don't see why adopting itself should be so expensive. Mostly because the parents are already going to be spending a lot of money on raising the child. I remember there was that case a few years ago where they took away a child from loving parents. I can't remember exactly what it was because the parents didn't seem to have done anything wrong. It was like a case worker just hated them for some reason. It's horrible that that can happen when the child is in a good home. I don't even want to think about what's going to happen now that the idiot Donald elected an anti-vaccine support to be in charge of vaccines. THEY DON'T CAUSE AUTISM, YOU IDIOTS! I hate these people so much. Danny always wanted a motorcycle. XD Izzy may not have the easiest road (or at least what some people would believe is not an easy road), but she at least has a lot of support and people who are willing to help her out. Whew! I'm glad it was a good gift idea. XD I was struggling for a while.