Danny's head was still swimming as he flew through Amity Park, doing a quick check for any spirits making mischief in his city. The skies were empty of any other ghosts, and he swept through each quadrant of the city without once exhaling out the icy breath of his ghost sense.
He was grateful for the dull patrol. Between tangling with Skulker and Valerie, he'd had enough action for the night.
At least Danny was feeling almost back to normal physically. The effects of the strange chemical Skulker had shot him with had faded in intensity, especially after he and Valerie...had done that.
Time's passage always felt strange in the Ghost Zone, but he was pretty sure they'd spent hours pressed together in a haze of pleasure. Danny couldn't remember the details very well.
Once Valerie had finally seemed completely spent, she'd shoved him aside and stalked off to stand at the edge of the clearing. She wasn't out of earshot though. Danny had slowly put his jumpsuit back on, listening to Valerie cursing herself under her breath, ranting about how she couldn't believe she'd fucked a disgusting ghost.
"Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?" she'd demanded of herself. Then she'd turned back around and jabbed one finger at him, calling over "You had better not tell anyone about this, ghost boy!" the fierceness of her glare was enough to make Danny nod meekly.
Not even minutes after that he'd felt strong enough to fly them away, the two of them pointedly not looking each other and passing the flight back to the human world in miserable silence.
It made him feel a little sick to think about. It had been his and Valerie's first time, and they couldn't even talk about it. They would each have to keep it a secret. It was like they'd both cheated on each other and were going to hide it from the other.
And was he any better than her for knowing that they were really dating each other so there was no real wrongdoing to own up to?
God, he hoped Valerie wasn't planning on owning up to it. That would be next level awkward, having to forgive her for sleeping with his ghost half. Watching her be repentant and ashamed, probably trying to make it up to him.
But what if she never said anything, and instead of the silence making things smoother between them, it lay like a lead blanket over their relationship? Her, weighed down with the belief that she'd cheated, and him knowing his girlfriend could do that and keep it a secret from him?
That complication aside, what really burned him was that they had barely even kissed before today. He was as eager to go as the next teenage boy, but Valerie was more than just a pretty face and a hot body to him. He'd wanted to do all the steps in between with her gradually. A chemical-induced fuck with someone he liked but still wanted to know better was not how he'd pictured losing his virginity.
All this passed through his mind as he slowly looped back towards Fentonworks, flying slowly in deference to his churning stomach and still dizzy mind.
He hovered outside his home for a few minutes, making sure Valerie wasn't patrolling around waiting to nab him. There was no reason she would be, and she'd scrambled away from the Portal like she never wanted to set eyes on him again (and that had hurt, but he had to tell himself she was just running from his ghost half, who she didn't understand, but definitely would one day. She wouldn't run if she'd known he was also Danny Fenton).
He was just being overly cautious. The coast was clear, so he dove into the building through his bedroom window. It had been late afternoon when he'd gotten tangled up with Skulker, but now the room was pitch black with no lights on, just the dull red glow of the alarm clock letting him know it was two hours past midnight.
Danny groaned. Another night of next to no sleep...but hey, getting to bed before 3AM was what he called a good night. He shifted back to human, the white rings flashing past his body. He stretched his aching muscles and flipped on the light switch.
Danny's body still hadn't completely healed from Valerie taking him so roughly. His hands were covered in little cuts and abrasions where he'd clawed and scraped at the ground, at the bark, at anything that would give him purchase. And his entire lower body was afflicted with a deep, aching soreness.
Not to mention he could still feel the...fluid from Valerie in him. Why had that carried over between forms? Even going intangible hadn't made it fall away, unlike the twigs in his hair or the dirt all over his suit.
Great, that meant he would have to get a quick shower in before bed. Even less time to snooze...and he hoped his parents wouldn't wake up. It wouldn't be the first time Danny had had to take a late night shower because of a ghost fight, but he didn't like to push it. But there was no way he could sleep with semen drying on him.
The thought of it sent a hot flush through his body. Goddamned weird chemical. Surely it was the chemical, and not a Heat? He'd never had his first proper heat before. This couldn't be that, it was too coincidental. His heat wouldn't just start around when he was hit with a mysterious ghost chemical, would it?
Danny grabbed a towel from the linen closet and padded softly into the bathroom. He shucked his clothes off and got into the shower, letting out a sigh of relief as the hot water hit his bruised and battered body. Hopefully he would be back to normal in the morning. Heats usually lasted a few days, so if the symptoms were gone then it had just been a weird freaky chemical and not the beginning of his life as a full-fledged omega.
Danny wanted that day to be pushed back as far as possible, the only aspect of his life where he would be grateful to be a late bloomer. If he thought the bullying was bad now, Dash would have a field day with him once he had to walk into Casper High wearing a collar.
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful, the birds chirping, the alarm clock shrieking next to his head. His face twisted in annoyance as he slammed his hand at it, smashing it several times before getting the right button. Blearily, he rubbed at his eyes and sat up.
Through gritty eyes Danny took stock of himself. He felt fine. He stretched a little. His back and bottom weren't even sore, and the cuts and scrapes were all healed, thanks to his ghostly regenerative powers. No dizziness either, or weird heat pooling between his legs. Stepping out of bed, he stood on legs that were steady, not weak or trembling.
Danny sighed in relief. Just weird ghost chemicals then. Sometimes life did give him a break. Just another normal day in the life of a half-ghost hero. He started digging through his dresser for something to wear. No heat to deal with, just some awkwardness to face with his secretly-a-ghost-hunter girlfriend.
Danny wasn't in Valerie's first class of the day, or her second, or third. That was a relief. It gave her time to sort her racing thoughts. She had a sweet, kind, adorable human boyfriend who thought the world of her...and she'd fucked Phantom. A filthy fucking ghost. And an obnoxious, pain-in-the-ass one at that, who'd single-handedly ruined her life before. And now he was doing it AGAIN.
What would Danny think if he knew? 'Trapped in an enclosed space with an omega in heat almost forcing them to have sex' might be a classic trope of trashy romance novels and soap operas, but in the real world, it rarely flew as an excuse for a cheating partner.
Even though Danny didn't seem like the jealous type, it was still an inexcusable betrayal of trust. What had happened wasn't some minor breach like a little flirting.
Valerie had barely kissed him, her boyfriend, but had gone all the way and knotted Phantom. For hours. Would Danny even believe her that Phantom had been in heat? She wasn't sure she believed it. Ghosts had heats? What the fuck? Why had she never heard of this before?
Valerie sighed, tapping her pencil against her notebook while the math teacher rambled on about polynomials. She had to tell Danny. Keeping her ghost-hunter identity from him was one thing. But sleeping with someone else? That, he had a right to know.
If Danny wanted to dump her over it, she'd understand. Her stomach was twisted in knots thinking about it though. She didn't want to lose him, though she couldn't imagine him staying. Who wouldn't leave their girlfriend if she'd mated another omega?
Danny and her, their relationship wasn't that long or that deep. They'd been dating what, a month? Nothing to justify that kind of forgiveness or generosity. She knew she wouldn't let it go if Danny casually hooked up with another alpha at a party or something.
She could only pray that somehow it would turn out alright, that her all-too-kind boyfriend would somehow find it in his heart to give her a second chance.
All too soon, it was fourth period. The first class of the day that she shared with Danny. He was already in his seat near the window when she entered the room. He was doodling in a notebook, but looked up and shot her a smile when she sat next to him.
"Hey Val." he said. "What's up?" his blue eyes gazed into hers, and she was sure it was just her guilty conscious, but it felt like he was peering into her soul, and seeing everything she had done. She was frozen for a moment, locked in the sight of those too-bright eyes.
"Not much." she said finally. "Listen, can we talk after class? Before you join up with Sam and Tucker."
"Uh, sure." he said. "But— "
The bell rang, cutting him off.
"Textbooks out and mouths closed, students! Today we are going to talk about another of my favorite Williams: Faulkner!" Lancer said from the front of the room.
Danny rolled his eyes at her and grabbed the heavy literature anthology text from his backpack. Valerie did the same, butterflies in her stomach fluttering furiously. Her focus remained on the slender boy next to her. She couldn't have devoted a single thought to English literature right then if she tried.
She knew she'd signed her fate and in one hour, the best relationship she'd ever been in, the only one she'd ever truly cared about, would likely be over. As dead as the guy she'd cheated on Danny with.
If she missed lunch because of the fallout, it wouldn't matter. Valerie felt too sick to eat.
They headed for a tree in the furthest part of the schoolyard, where they could have some privacy from gossipy eavesdroppers and well-meaning friends. They sat beneath the sheltering spread of branches, the sunlight dappling through the leaves.
Valerie just looked at him for a minute, her worried face searching his for clues on how to begin.
"Listen, Danny." she sighed. "I have something I have to get off my chest. I really fucked up..." she started.
Danny froze. Crap, she was really going to confess. What the hell was he going to say to her? Meanwhile, a small part of him thrilled that she was telling him almost immediately. His girlfriend really had integrity.
Still, he was going to do his best to remain ignorant of what Valerie had done. Well, seemingly ignorant of it. He'd been there, her partner in crime in fact, of course he knew what she was trying to talk to him about.
"Is it really something you need to tell me about? I'm sure if you just don't do it again, it'll be fine." Danny said.
Valerie paused. Why was he so willing to not hear her out? Did he know...? Or just think she'd probably cheated? Even if he thought he knew, she still had to tell him. Because what he thought he knew might not be what happened. There was miles of difference between kissing a human teen at a party for instance, versus knotting an evil immortal ghost that terrorized their town.
"Yeah, I think you have to know. They say a relationship won't last if it's built on lies." Valerie said, sighing.
But Danny loved lies. They were mostly harmless little things that just made life easier. Helped conceal truths that were easier just to ignore.
Maybe she was just going to confess her ghost-hunting secret identity? Fat chance, but a boy could dream. He didn't really want to deal with that either, though it would be easier to work with than the ground-shaking "I slept with a ghost" confession she was probably hoping to spill out. God, he hoped she'd leave out the "it was a ghost" part.
He liked things the way they were. Him and Valerie, they were good. It was the one solid, normal thing in his life he could depend on, strangely enough. Sure, he was secretly a half-ghost ghost hunter and she was secretly a hunter as well, but it lined up perfectly— she ran out to don her secret identity at the same time he did. She never pushed too hard on where he had been, where he was going, or what he'd done, because she didn't want him to ask her those same questions.
Some (Sam and his nosy sister Jazz) might call their relationship stagnant and built on mutual deceit but to Danny, it was safe, it was comforting, it was the one thing in his life that didn't throw more bullshit into his life to deal with. He wanted it, needed it, as it was— an unchallenging facade, a place to fade into and forget for a while what a train wreck his life was.
"I don't know Valerie." Danny said. "I think I already know the important things about you. Like how much I like you." He let his eyes get sappy and shot her a warm, hopefully charming smile.
"Damnit Danny, just let me tell you." Valerie said, her voice frustrated. "I have to get it out. When you smile at me all sweet like that, I feel so guilty."
Whoops. That had backfired. Danny opened his mouth to try to stop her, but she continued in a rush.
"I cheated. I slept with someone else." Valerie said. She lowered her eyes. She was afraid to look at him. She didn't want to see the shock and anger on that normally gentle and loving face.
It was funny. Even though Danny knew she was talking about him, that he was the one she'd slept with, it still felt like his heart was shattering in a million pieces. Guilt twisted his gut, seeing the anguish on her face. Seeing the brave, tough girl he adored brought low and suffering, all because she wanted to do right by him.
She'd had enough spine to tell him. Unlike him, a lying liar too cowardly to address the issue, for fear of shaking up the status quo. 'But she doesn't have a half-ghost identity to protect', his mind tried to defend. 'She's just going to be grounded and have her dad take her suit, I'll be made into a friggin' science experiment for the rest of my life and maybe afterlife too!'.
Valerie's gaze was beginning to raise back up to him. She forced herself to meet his eyes. They were empty of the condemnation, the outrage and hurt she'd expected. Instead, they looked...blank.
"Okay." Danny said.
"Okay? Don't you get it? I had sex with another guy. I knotted him and everything!" Valerie hissed.
Danny wasn't sure what he should say. A normal teen boyfriend would be angry and upset, right? It was really not fair to make Valerie endure condemnations from him, or faked feelings of hurt. He would feel like a total shithead if he had to act like she had wronged him.
"I get it." Danny said, raising his palms in front of him. "Trust me, I get it. You don't want to end things with me though, right? So let's just put it behind us and uhh...don't do it again." he said.
"You are really chill about this." Valerie said, her eyes narrowed. It wasn't normal for a person to be so nonchalant when faced with the knowledge that their partner had cheated on them. Unless they didn't care about their partner or what they did at all.
Danny felt sweat bead down his neck. Man, his girlfriend could switch from repentant to suspicious to angry in two seconds. He had to come up with a believable reason why he wasn't furious with her. Or she'd think he didn't give a shit about her or maybe had been cheating too.
"Um...I mean I can't blame you. I know you've had to take things really slow for my sake. You're probably used to omegas throwing themselves at you. You used to be an A-Lister and I've always been a loser...it's understandable you'd want to sleep with someone else." he said, rubbing his neck.
"What? No, you didn't do anything wrong! It wasn't anything to do with you at all Danny." Valerie said, shaking her head. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with an omega in heat. I know that's the most cliché cheating alpha excuse ever, but it's true." She said.
"I believe you, Valerie." Of course he did, he'd been there to witness it.
"So, in the future, please just avoid situations like that. And avoid the omega you did it with." There! That last bit was particularly brilliant, if he did say so. Maybe it would keep Valerie from seeking out and hunting his ghost half in the future. Some silver lining to this ridiculous, awful circumstance.
"Do you want to know who it was?" Valerie asked.
"No? I feel like that would make it even worse. I'd rather not have a face to put to the deed." Danny said. He mentally crossed his fingers that she'd respect that wish. This was awkward enough.
"Okay, if you say so." Valerie said, her voice doubtful. She took his hand in hers. "So, we're cool?" she asked.
He squeezed her hand. "Yep, we're good." he smiled at her.
She smiled back, her face full of relief and affection.
He felt like shit.
Author's note: as always, any feedback is appreciated ^^ Constructive criticism is welcome, so feel free to let me know if there's anything in this fic you didn't like, or that was confusing or didn't work for you. I'm always trying to improve and write better fics.