Chapter 55
"The dopey grin is really starting to creep me out." Sam frowned as she finished lacing up her skates.
Danny, meanwhile, was still working on his first skate. His mind got distracted midway, leaving him practically a statue with said creepy dopey grin spreading onto his face. Even Tucker seemed a bit wary of Danny's expression. Shaking his head, he refocused on lacing his skates.
"Sorry." A grin tried to sneak back onto Danny's face. "I was just thinking about something."
"Care to fill us in on that?" Tucker eyed him cautiously.
"Not yet." Danny cast a glance toward the front entrance, which was in the line of sight from where they chose to sit to put on their skates. Dash and Kwan said they would meet him at the skating rink, but it seemed they were running late. When he turned back, he winced at the expectant looks on his friends' faces. "Just a few more minutes."
Tucker and Sam exchanged glances. "Is this going to be a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Good?" Danny bit his lip, his stomach trying to twist itself into knots. He wasn't entirely sure how this would go, but he hoped for the best.
When he met Sam's gaze, his doubt kicked in, outweighing the hope. His friends might support him in his relationships, but this was entirely different from his past relationships. This time, his friends knew the men he was dating, and it was still strange to think that they were dating. Sam and Tucker knew Dash and Kwan, or at least the way they acted back in high school. He could talk about how much the two jocks had changed until he had no more breath in him, but his friends would probably hold on to their doubt until they got to know Dash and Kwan too.
Thankfully, it seemed his family warmed up to Dash and Kwan over their dinner a couple of nights ago. Vlad thought he could do better, but Danny took his opinion with a grain of salt. When was the last time Vlad ever dated someone? As far as Danny knew, the answer was never. Jazz was excited and happy for them, though Danny could tell she would have both men crying if either of them hurt him. His parents were, understandably, hesitant about the whole thing. They knew Danny was bisexual, but they never considered the idea of their son being in a polyamory relationship. Danny didn't blame them for being uncertain about it when the three of them made the announcement after their talk outside after dinner. It was shaky for about a minute, but his parents thought Dash and Kwan were "good kids" and "just wanted to see Danny happy."
"Oh!" Danny almost jumped up when he saw Dash and Kwan enter through the front door. He held back, trying not to act too overly excited. It was this weird mix of being happy about a new relationship with this comfortable feeling like they had always been in a relationship. But they were still trying to figure out how this whole relationship would work. None of them had experience being in a polyamory relationship. But they were all willing to figure out how to make it work.
Sam and Tucker turned to see what got their friend so excited. "You invited them?" Sam's mouth pursed as she turned back to Danny. "Isn't this supposed to be one of our things? That we do, just us, every year?"
Danny fidgeted. "I thought it would be a good time for you to see that Dash and Kwan have changed. I don't want to be stuck choosing between you two and them." He pouted, pushing out his lower lip, and after a few minutes, Sam eventually sighed in defeat.
"Well, this is sure to be interesting," Tucker said, forcing an encouraging smile.
"Sorry we're so late," Kwan said when he and Dash reached them. "We got stuck with babysitting duty." He smiled as he placed a hand on the head of the little girl standing in front of him. "This is Katie. And that," he pointed to the girl pulling on Dash's arms, "is Zoe. When they heard we were going ice skating, they wouldn't stop begging until they could come too."
"Oh, that's fine!" Danny smiled then crouched down to be at eye level of the girls. "I'm Danny. And these are my friends Sam and Tucker."
"You have pretty hair," Zoe told Sam as she leaned back into Dash's legs.
"Thank you. Yours is very pretty too." Sam smiled, and Zoe hid her face in hands with a shy blush. "Would you like some help with your skates?" Both girls flocked over to Sam and sat down on the bench beside her.
Dash and Kwan sat down opposite to the girls to put on their own skates while Danny and Sam helped Zoe and Katie. Only the music playing outside in the rink broke the silence that fell over them. Danny chewed on his lip as he laced up Katie's skates. No one was yelling or fighting, yet, but it was still early. He hoped maybe the presence of the girls would keep everyone on their best behavior.
"Is that comfortable?" Danny looked up to Katie. "Not too tight? Not too loose?"
Katie wiggled her ankles then hopped to her feet. "Hm, feels all right."
"Let's skate! Let's skate! Let's skate!" Zoe practically ran for the door leading out to the rink.
"Whoa!" Kwan caught her around the waist before she could get too far. "Remember what we talked about before we came here? You can't just go running around while you're wearing skates."
"Well, they're probably going to fall when they get on the ice anyway," Dash said, scratching at the side of his neck.
Kwan frowned, shooting a glare at his friend. "That doesn't mean they should be running around off the ice."
"Okay! I promise not to run. Can we skate now?"
Kwan sighed. "Okay. Let's go." He released her, and Zoe walked at a more sedate pace toward the door.
The rest of the group followed, stepping out into the chilly afternoon air. Danny zipped his coat up as he shivered the moment the air bit into his exposed flesh.
Tucker nudged him with an elbow as he grinned. "I bet they'd love to warm you up later."
Danny shoved him lightly, a blush coloring his cheeks. "We aren't even at that point in our relationship. We literally only became an official thing a few nights ago."
The teasing grin faltered. "Wait. So you really are dating?"
"I-" Danny's words failed him as he thought back over the last few minutes. "I didn't actually get to say it, did I?" He winced. "Um, surprise? Do you think Sam's going to kill me? Or them?"
"Dash probably." Tucker nodded, turning his gaze to the rink where Sam was skating backwards while holding onto Zoe's hands. "Yeah, she'll definitely kill Dash when you tell her."
"I want to believe you're joking." Danny hoped Sam would keep a cool head after he told her. "Can we just erase everything that happened in high school? That's not who they are now. Well, I mean, Kwan's always been nice, so that hasn't changed. But Dash, after we stopped butting heads, actually turned out to be a pretty cool guy."
"You wouldn't like him if he had stayed a jerk. I know that much." Tucker stepped onto the ice, and Danny followed him. "I'm mostly surprised this actually happened. I will, of course, be supportive and encouraging, you know that. But I never would have predicted Dash returning your feelings." Tucker slowed to a stop, and Danny lifted his gaze to the sky, pretending to be oblivious to what probably just occurred to his friend. "Wait. You're dating both of them? That's a thing now? And they're okay with it?"
"We're dating each other. We all like each other." Danny hunched up his shoulders, hoping this wouldn't completely blow his friend's mind. "So being a couple with all three of us in the relationship seemed like the logical next step."
"That - Okay. That's a lot to process." Tucker rubbed at his forehead. "I also didn't think Dash would be okay with you dating him and his best friend. Okay. Sam might actually kill them."
"Don't say that. I know it seems like a weird situation, but I think this will really work out for the best for us." Danny rubbed at his neck. "Well, after we work out the kinks of how this all works. It's completely new for all of us."
"So - I mean, Kwan being bi or gay seems kind of likely. I don't know why. He just has that open to anything kind of vibe to him. But how long has Dash been into guys?"
"It seems to be a recent thing. He only really started noticing he found men attractive with Kwan and me."
"Oh, wow." Tucker's eyes widened as he glanced around the skating rink until he spotted Dash. "So, he's like a total virgin with men." When he looked back to Danny, he wore a sly smirk. "I hope you'll go easy on him."
Danny rolled his eyes as he shoved his friend for a second time. "I already said we aren't there yet. Yes, we all find each other attractive, but we aren't little horn balls that have to be sucking face and groping each other every second we're together. And with this being Dash's first time being in a relationship with men, I'm pretty sure he's going to be hesitant about taking things to that level. Which is fine. When he's ready, we can talk about it."
Tucker patted a hand to Danny's shoulder. "You can always count on me if you need a friend to talk to." He considered for a moment. "But maybe not too many details where Dash is concerned."
"Okay, okay." Danny shook his head. "Let's get some skating done." He pushed off, skating away from the edge of the rink to join the others, and Tucker followed after him.
They skated around the rink, switching off helping the little girls with their skating. Zoe fell more than once, but she laughed it off and got right back up. Katie was more cautious, flailing her arms to help catch her balance. After about an hour, both of them got the hang of it and were zipping around the rink like pros. Danny smiled as Katie zoomed past him, weaving through the other people on the ice.
"Enjoying yourself?" Sam hooked her arm with his arm when she caught up to him.
"I'm having a blast." Danny skated a little ahead and turned around so he was skating backwards. "See? It's not so bad hanging out with Dash and Kwan."
"I suppose it could be worse." Sam frowned, casting a glance around the rink. "But now I'm wondering what exactly this is all about." She eyed Danny suspiciously. "You wouldn't have invited them along without some kind of reason behind it. And don't even think about beating around the bush." She narrowed her eyes.
"Uh, well-" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as he felt a flush creeping onto his cheeks. He noticed Dash was entertaining Katie and Zoe at the moment. Meanwhile, Kwan and Tucker seemed to be enjoying a conversation as they skated lazily around the rink. "I thought this would be a good time to tell you and Tucker that Dash, Kwan, and I are officially together now." He winced, waiting for shouting or slapping to occur.
Sam sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose. "I don't even know how something like that works."
"We're sort of working on the details to that too." Danny bit his lip, still waiting for some kind of outburst. "But we've all been harboring feelings toward each other for a while now. I think with this arrangement, we'll all be happy."
"Something tells me it won't be that easy."
"What relationship is?" Danny cracked a small smirk, and Sam rolled her eyes. "So, you're not going to be angry about this?"
"This is a major shock." Sam frowned. "I mean, Dash and Kwan of all people?" One of her eyebrows lifted as if to say, "Come on. Really?" But then she sighed. "I'd get upset, but it's not like I can dictate who you see. Right? That's not a thing I can do?" She almost looked hopeful. When Danny shook his head, Sam snapped her fingers, or tried to. It wasn't easy snapping her fingers with gloves on. "Well, I tried." She shrugged. "I'm not fourteen anymore. I'm not going to go antagonize the people you like just because they were jerks to us in high school. Still surprised you can get along with them. Especially Dash. But I guess we've all changed with time. He hasn't been... too annoying so far today."
"They aren't the bullies they once were."
"I might be able to see that. Eventually. But the point I'm getting at is, it's your life, and if Dash and Kwan make you happy, well, then I wish for the best. But the second I hear that they've hurt you in any way, I'm going to find them and repay the favor." Sam's gaze turned deadly.
"Okay, okay!" Danny waved his hands. "I don't think they need the shovel talk from everyone. Especially not one right after the other. I'm pretty sure Jazz has them scared after her talk with them."
"Good. Then maybe they won't mess things up." Sam still looked like she was ready to snap a few bones until Zoe came by and grabbed hold of her hand. Sam's expression changed in the blink of the eye. She smiled brightly down at the girl.
"Do you have any children?" Katie asked curiously.
Sam shook her head. "Not yet."
"Why not? I bet you'd have pretty babies."
"Well, thank you. That's very nice of you. But," Sam tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "well, I just haven't met the right person yet."
"You'll meet them some day." Katie grinned brightly.
"Aren't you sweet."
"That's what mommy says about Auntie Kim. But I don't think Auntie Kim is interested in getting married and having children."
"Well, some people aren't as interested in that stuff as others, but that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that."
Katie frowned as she considered that. "Are you sure?"
Sam nodded. "Yup. You can stay unmarried and without children if that's what makes you happy."
Katie tilted her head. "So do you want children?"
"One day maybe. But for right now, I'm enjoying my life and focusing on my job."
Dash skated up to them. "Hey, Zoe said she was getting a bit hungry, so we thought maybe now was a good time for a break, go inside to warm up, and grab a snack."
Danny nodded. "Sounds like a good plan." They circled back to the rink's exit then headed inside the building to join the others at the concession area to rest and eat. Danny didn't realize how tired his legs were feeling until he was sitting down at one of the tables. Despite his worries, looking around the table, Danny smiled to see everyone was having a good time. His friends and his boyfriends could get along, which was a huge relief to him.
Casper97: Yay! 8D
Kittalia Phantom: Hm, no major fights, none of the food came back to life... Yeah, it might have been the first. XD Danny's probably relieved about that.
GoliathPyroson: Break out the confetti launchers! It's time to celebrate! 8D
YumiStar: Finally! They stopped being idiots! XD
RedHeadsRock1010: Aw, thanks! =D
Tetractys: YES! No more pining after their roommates for them. XD
Cutiepie120048: Who knows how long we'd have to wait if Kwan didn't finally say something! XD Ah~ Thanks for reading all of them! =D
MaidenZorriah: They sure took their time! XD
vampygurl402: Hope you enjoyed the update!
Kimera20: Yay! 8D And thanks~
Guest: These boys, I tell ya, they aren't quick with confessing to each other. XD
xXRainbowCleoXx: I feel like Dash would have taken the longest. XD Danny probably wouldn't have been too much longer, though, since he had nudges from Jazz. I would have been happy to see Jack, Maddie, and Vlad as a poly couple. But Hartman never would have allowed it to actually happen.
jayswing96: At last! XD
Phantasmagory: And we didn't have to lock them up to get them to confess. XD
Asuni: Yay! 8D I'm glad you liked it!
indigo: XD Now for a happily ever after!
Jell-O shots-99: *slams hand down* Yes! I demand all the fluff! Kwan can hardly believe it! XD He's so happy!
SimpleGayMe: Late nights just cuddled up on the couch watching movies. Little kisses stolen as they walk around town. 8D
feefee242: Hm, Dan was a pretty big issue. But I've already kind of wrapped things up for this story. If Dan came in, it would be a whole big thing.
Will: I finally came up with what's happening in the next chapter of my original story, and... I haven't touched it in like two days. orz It's just so hard! And video games are really distracting! XD When March comes, I might just disappear. I'm gonna be playing the heck out of Breath of the Wild. (Also, it's totally cool to chat with me about Zelda on tumblr.) Yeah, yeah, all life is precious. They don't seem to believe that's true for the mother when giving birth to the baby they're forcing her to have could kill her. These anti abortion people are also way out of line with their fake clinics designed to trick women so they can shame them for getting an abortion. And the people that want to take away funding from Planned Parenthood is taking away hundreds, if not thousands, of other health care procedures from the people that need it. The federal money they get doesn't even go toward abortions. But, of course, that's all they think Planned Parenthood is for. =| The adoption system just seems crazy complex. Which really sucks for same sex couples, or even women who want children but can't conceive one themselves. Ever hear of Temple Grandin? She's an autistic woman who did a lot for help change the way of handling livestock humanely because a lot of cows would get trampled to death. Like, you can be autistic but still do great stuff. And what's worse: having a child with autism or having a child die from something that could have been prevented? The boys probably would end up with mismatched clothes sometimes! XD Ah, those sleepy mornings when they just grab clothes without paying attention. XD
