Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom, you can bet there would be more than 3 seasons of the show. :) But there will only be that many so it's a given thing that Butch Hartman really does own it. :(
Author's Notes: I honestly don't know what to say about this chapter except that it sets the stage for the final conflicts in certain relationships. Oh and yes I should also say that the football play I describe is a little out there and has at least one illegal move. Aside from that I think I'll just let the chapter speak for itself and hope you guys dig it. Please enjoy and don't forget to review. :)
lllll blah lllll scene change
llllllllll blah llllllllll dream or memory
'blah' thoughts
"blah" speaking
Chapter 18: The Confusing Cumbia
Johnny the Voice had what must have passed as a forlorn look on his face as he gazed out over the field. "Well we're coming to the very end of the fourth quarter folks and admittedly, this game has had questionable playing on both sides. Coach Henderson has had more penalty calls tonight than in his whole career and enough benched players to make everyone wonder at the sensibility behind the Tritons game plan. Our own Coach Higgins has some wayward Ravens and his receiver focus tonight might have been an oversight."
"That's true Johnny, but it seems the Ravens are trying to make one last comeback before time runs out," his co-announcer added quickly. "Higgins switched running backs number 22 for number 24. And in a curious move he's added another receiver to the field, none other than number 82 Derek "The Net" Sanchez. The Ravens have one last chance to score, can they do it?"
Danny turned his head to look at Derek, who nodded at him before looking forward.
Dash smirked as he yelled, "Set…Hut!"
Danny ran forward and spun around another player about to tackle him. He quickly shifted direction and continued running diagonally until he caught Dash's pass. A Hoserton linebacker gave chase and again he shifted direction, only this time Derek came from the opposite direction. As the two passed each other, they formed an X. Before Danny was tackled, he managed to toss the ball to Derek, who caught it and continued running towards the end zone.
Derek was fifteen yards away from the goal line and he felt the burn of every one of them as he ran for all he was worth. He felt more than saw that someone was behind him, but he ignored his attacker and ran with a new burst of speed. 'I have to make it. I can't give up. I want to win this… for her!'
"Touchdown!"
Danny drowned out the cheer of the crowd as he ran to meet up with Derek. Jack ran beside him and the two tackled their weary friend to the ground in joy. The referee blew his whistle and signaled that it was the end of the game. The Raven's fans cheered loudly from the stands some moving to celebrate with the football players on the field.
"Holy cow, ladies and gentleman, the Ravens actually managed to clench their victory. After that peculiar play executed by numbers 82 and 83, the final score of this game is 30 to 29!" Johnny the Voice yelled animatedly.
"And look at that crowd Johnny, they're literally forming an excited mob on the field," his co-announcer said with amusement
Once Derek was able to stand up, he received various pats of congratulations from his teammates that felt more like hard smacks. All around him his teammates and the townspeople cheered at their victory. He crashed into Jack during the bustle and couldn't help but half smile at his best friend. The other boy noticed the change in expression and quickly told him that they would talk later. Derek watched in surprise as the auburn-haired boy walked towards Danny. He was shaken out of his stupor however as an excited Jazz came up to him and hugged him.
"Derek, you did great!"
Derek blushed slightly and barely held the older girl in his nervousness. A sudden flash appeared before his eyes and the two quickly disentangled themselves to see a cheeky looking Sandra holding a camera in her hands. She took another picture and ran off into the crowd before the two could say anything to her. Jazz looked sheepishly to the ground for a moment before finally looking back at him.
"Sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just-"
Derek quickly held up a hand for her to stop and said, "I don't care about your motives, I'm just happy that it happened." Jazz frowned at the serious tone behind his words and wondered if something was bothering him. She didn't get a chance to ask him before Derek said goodbye and excused himself.
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As Dash cheered, he caught sight of Danny and moved to talk to him, but stopped when he saw Jack stand in front of the other boy. He saw Jack give the other boy a gruff hug and say something into Danny's ear. The auburn-haired boy eventually let go of Danny and disappeared into the crowd. Dash grew worried at the look on Danny's face and continued walking towards his friend. A flash from his left caught his attention and he looked over to see the blurry vision of Sandra holding a digital camera.
Dash smirked and proudly stated, "With this, I'm two for two Perkins. All that's standing between me and a date with you is the U.S Army."
Sandra raised an eyebrow at his tone before smirking in return and corrected, "U.S. Marines." She gave him a sincere smile as she looked at him, "I have to admit that you're doing better than I expected Baxter and more than anything I have to confess that…I'm really happy that you can do seemingly impossible things."
Dash looked at her in surprise as the meaning behind her words caught up with him. He saw her blush slightly and felt his own face heat up. The two stood awkwardly next to each other before a big group of spectators passed by them and bumped Sandra. Dash quickly grabbed the petite girl before she fell and righted her. The two jumped as they heard chuckling near them and Dash looked up in time to see Rick and Kwan standing with some of his teammates, all of them heading off the field. Dash let go of Sandra and laughed nervously as he looked at her.
Sandra smoothed out imaginary wrinkles from her jacket and nodded as she said, "Thanks. Well I better let you get going before Coach Higgins gets mad at you."
Dash nodded as he walked backwards, "Yeah, I'll see you later Sandra."
He finally turned around and turned his gazed toward the last place he'd seen Danny, but the other boy was gone. Sandra waved good bye and watched him leave for a moment, before she too turned around and walked off in the opposite direction. 'Well that was awkward.'
"Sandra!"
The brunette looked around for the person who'd called her name and saw Paulina waving her over. The Hispanic girl was still in her cheerleading outfit and stood next to an annoyed looking Sam. She finally caught up with them and realized that Tucker was missing. The three girls walked off toward the parking lot, Sam's parents already waiting for her. The Goth girl waved goodbye as she got into the car. Sandra and Paulina waved back and watched the fancy car drive away. Sandra briefly glanced at her watch to see that her father would pick them up in 3 minutes.
Sandra turned to Paulina and asked, "Hey, where did Tucker go?"
Paulina frowned slightly and replied, "After the game ended, he excused himself and then walked off with a girl from my Spanish class."
"Yikes, I know they decided to just take a small break to think about things, but I didn't know they could see other people too."
"Yeah, me neither, but there you have it. When I asked about it, Sam said she didn't care and Tucker was free to do whatever he wants." Paulina gave her a sly smile as she said, "But between you and me, I know for a fact that Sam has nothing to worry about."
"What do you mean?" Sandra asked curiously.
"That girl from my Spanish class doesn't like boys as much as she likes girls," Paulina stated matter-of-factly.
It took Sandra a moment to process the other girl's words. When she did her green eyes widened as she stuttered out, "O-oh! Where did you…I mean, how do you know that?"
Paulina gave the other girl a meaningful smile as she said, "Because she once told me she liked me."
Sandra's face showed understanding as she looked at Paulina. She nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I guess that's some proof."
"I was really surprised when it happened too. Still I told her that I thought she was really pretty, but just not my gender type. She took it really well and now we're just friends."
A sudden thought struck Sandra, "Hey, are you sure it's ok with her, that you're telling me all this?"
After a moment Paulina merely shrugged and said, "Hmm I'm not sure, but I trust you enough to know that you're not going to blab this all over school."
Sandra felt a warm feeling her in chest at hearing the words. She felt oddly pleased to have Paulina's trust and almost amazed that the other girl was so open towards people. Sandra bit her lip in worry before just shaking her head to clear her worries. Paulina raised an eyebrow at her, but waited for Sandra to say something.
The green eyed girl sighed slowly before looking at Paulina and saying, "Paulina, can I tell you something?"
Paulina looked intrigued as she nodded. Sandra felt her cheeks heat up as she muttered out, "It's about Dash…I kinda challenged him."
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"You're being annoyingly quiet Sanchez. Normally by now you'd be bragging about your so called god like catching ability"
Dash turned his head slightly to see if his words had riled up Derek at all, but the older boy merely gave him a withering glare. Dash sighed and wondered if he should push the matter further. He continued to stuff his things into his sports bag, this time faster so that he wouldn't delay the other boy further.
Derek fiddled with the straps of own sports bag as he entertained the idea of telling the blond boy what was bothering him. A loud slam caught his attention and he looked up to see, Dash looking back at him, a hint of concern in the other boy's dark-blue eyes. Derek stood up and Dash followed him wordlessly out of the locker room. The two comrades walked side by side as they made their way over to the parking lot.
When they finally reached Derek's car, Dash stopped and groaned as he remembered that Kwan was supposed to give him a shirt he'd ordered from Jade's sports shop. He gave Derek an apologetic look as he said, "I'll be right back."
Derek looked at him in surprise, but said nothing as he opened the door to his car and got inside. Derek locked the doors and adjusted his seat to lie back while he waited for Dash to return.
Dash adjusted the strap of his sports bag as he jogged back toward the locker room. To save time he headed towards the gym where there was a door on the east side that connected directly to the boy's locker room. As he was about to round the corner he heard the sound of people talking.
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It was moments like these where Danny wished that there were ghosts to fight and give him an excuse to avoid other problems. However thanks to the presence of Griffith and his cronies' in Amity Park, most of the ghosts were scared off and in hiding. Danny still remembered how much the Box Ghost shook from fear at the mere mention of G.R.I.M. and had skedaddled off after informing Danny why there was a lack of ghost activity.
Danny paced back and forth as he waited for Jack to show up. He ran a nervous hand through his still wet hair and briefly worried about the possibility that he might catch a cold. The moment he'd gotten back into the locker room he'd breezed through his post game clean up, feeling anxious the more he thought back to Jack's words.
Jack had asked Danny to meet him on this side of the gym so that they could then find a quiet place to talk. Danny felt the familiar wave of shame and disgust hit him as he remembered how he had reacted to the other's presence being so close to him. He had avoided the other boy as much as possible in the showers and locker room was glad that Jack had also kept to himself.
The memory of their kiss replayed in his thoughts and he blushed in spite of himself. No matter how much he tried to forget about it, his mind seemed bent on torturing him by recalling every detail perfectly. After a moment he groaned again, thinking back to the other realization he would have rather forgotten. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that all his strange feelings of self-hate didn't come because a boy had kissed him. The horrible fact that laid so heavily on his mind, and was becoming harder to deny to himself, was that for that first moment he'd enjoyed kissing a boy.
Hormone overload, normal reaction to body stimuli, he wasn't sure what it was. Something had made him like Jack kissing him, had made him feel good to be kissed by a boy. It should have been disgusting, felt unnatural, and been so mortifying that he should have punched Jack to get away from him. None of these he felt, nor did and because of this he now felt scared and confused. 'Do I feel this way because I actually like him back?' Danny thought to himself.
Danny did spend some time with the other boy on weekends and Jack was fun to be around, but the same could be said of his best friend Tucker or the ever crazy Derek. He forced his mind to think about all the times he had been with Jack and he realized that a lot of the other boy's actions toward him suddenly made sense. Jack and Derek were the ones who helped train him in the basics of football before Dash took over. He'd been to Jack's house a few times and only now could he understand why the other boy seemed so nervous about the visits. Jack probably only tutored Dash because Danny had asked, and as Danny remembered everything else Jack had done for him, the depth of the other boy's feelings became clearer.
Jack did all these things, did them despite the fact that he knew Danny's answer to Derek's question about his sexuality. The more he had gotten to know Jack, the more he had grown to like the other boy's quiet and sensible disposition. He was truly a good friend and would probably make someone a great boyfriend someday. This last thought made him blush even more and he wondered if that was where Jack had hoped their relationship would lead to after their kiss.
During one of Jazz's older sister moods, he'd had to sit down and listen to her talk about how it was normal for boys and girls to one day be confused about their preferences. She had told him that if he ever went through that phase that she would be more than happy to talk to him about it. Danny had almost told Jazz about the incident with Jack, but had chickened out at the last minute. The thought of telling his sister that he might like boys just as much as he likes girls wasn't something he was ready for. He didn't even know if that much was true or not.
It was true that Jack's kiss had made him feel different, but that could have just been because it was his first kiss with a boy. He liked the other boy as a friend and yet every time he saw him, it was becoming harder to just see him as that. Jack didn't exactly make his stomach flutter at odd moments, didn't make his palms sweaty or his heart palpitate quicker, but there was still the feel of a twinge in his chest every time Danny saw him.
He groaned aloud again as his pacing quickened, "What's wrong with me? I've liked girls all my life and it's not like one kiss from a guy makes you gay."
"No, but if you like it, it might make you bi."
Danny looked back to see Jack standing behind him. Danny fully turned to face Jack and felt a familiar pang as he looked at the older boy. Jack smiled at him quietly and gently set down his backpack and sports bag down next to Danny's. Danny watched as the other boy dug around in his back pack before finding what he was looking for.
Against his better judgment, Danny took a step closer to see what the other boy held in his hands. Jack noticed this and quickly hid the item behind his back. A school light post shone down on them and let Danny see how nervous Jack seemed. The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before Jack sighed and took a step closer toward Danny. When Danny took a step back, he tried not to let the hurt show on his face.
"My niisan um I mean my older brother, once told me that it's a nice gesture to give a token of affection before confessing your feelings to someone, but when I told you it was spur of the moment. I knew if I gave you flowers or chocolates you'd probably punch me, so I thought I'd give you this instead."
Jack quickly revealed the wrapped box from behind him and held it out before Danny. Danny felt his throat constrict and stared at the gift in shock. After a few moments he tentatively reached out to accept the gift, holding it carefully in his hands. Danny looked at the dark blue wrapping covering it and noticed how light it felt in his hands. He looked at Jack for guidance and saw the other boy gesture for him to open it.
Danny tore a hole through one side of the box and ripped along the edge as he removed the wrapping. He gasped as he saw what it was and smiled slowly at the gift. The wrapping fell to the floor as he held up the box to see that it was a model of a space shuttle inside a clear plastic box. As he looked at it, he remembered where he'd seen it before.
A few weeks ago he and Jack had gone to a collectors store on a whim and had come across model kit sets. Danny had found some for space shuttles and rockets, but his excitement quickly diminished when he saw the empty state of his wallet. Jack had offered to spot him, but Danny had waved away the gesture and joked about how he didn't really have that much to build one anyway.
Danny smiled at Jack as he said, "Thanks Jack…this was really nice of you."
Jack smiled in return and again the two stood together in silence. Jack stared at down and felt his heart beat faster as he realized that for once Danny was only looking at him. He had asked the boy to meet and talk to him because he was tired of the other avoiding him. He knew he hadn't said very much, but he had clearly told the other boy his feelings and wanted to hear what the other boy felt towards him.
"Danny, I asked you to meet me here because I know that what I did to you must have surprised you, to say the least, but I also wanted to tell you that I meant every word. I really care about you…more than you'll ever know." Jack felt his cheeks heat up slightly and waited for the other boy to say something.
Danny looked bewildered and looked anywhere but at Jack. He swallowed heavily and hesitantly asked, "W-hy me? What is it about me that made you…like me so much?"
Jack breathed a small sigh of relief at hearing the other boy's question. At least Danny hadn't run away from him again. He coughed once before saying, "It's wasn't so much a what as a when. During the summer before I came to Casper High, I was walking with Derek to the Nasty Burger when we heard a weird noise in an alleyway. We went over to investigate it and saw that it was Dash and Kwan bullying you. Dash was trying to get you to tell him where Tucker was, but no matter how much he threatened, you refused to tell him."
"When Dash saw Derek and me, he let go of you and high-tailed it away. You passed out on the ground just as we got there and Tucker burst out of a dumpster afterwards, but could only vaguely see us because he'd broken his glasses."
Danny's eyes widened in realization as he cried out, "I remember that, Dash was mad at Tucker for a small prank and chased after us. I told Tucker that we should hide in the dumpster, but Dash found me before I could get in. Wait, I remember that when I woke up Tucker told me that two guys helped us back to my house. Does that mean that you…you were the one that carried me while I was unconscious?"
Jack blushed even more as the other boy pieced it together. He nodded and timidly replied, "I remember holding you and thinking about how thin and so much weaker you were than the boys in your grade, but how in that one moment you looked so much stronger because of what you'd done. It wasn't until a few months ago that I saw who you really were and my feelings of admiration slowly changed into me thinking that you were cute."
"Cute! But I'm a guy!" yelled Danny.
Jack frowned at the other's outburst, "Yes Danny, I'm well aware of that fact." The older boy ran a hand through his auburn-hair in agitation before saying, "Look Danny, it's not that I don't understand how freaked out you must be by all this, but you must realize that it is possible for a boy to love another boy, much less finding that boy attractive."
Danny clammed up whatever he was going to say at the other's statement and felt his head reel from everything. He walked over to the nearest wall and leaned against it. Jack looked at him with concern and moved toward him.
"Don't come near me!"
Jack jumped slightly, but did as Danny asked him and stayed at a distance. "I'm sorry if I've caused you any pain, it was not my intention…I just couldn't keep in my feelings for you anymore." He turned away from Danny, completely intending to walk away before he caused the other boy more pain and confusion.
"What do you want from me?" pleaded Danny. "I don't understand what a guy like me could possibly give you."
Jack stopped at hearing Danny's words and turned around in time to see Danny standing close behind him. He put down his back pack and took slow steps toward him, giving Danny the chance to back away from Jack if he wanted.
They were less than a foot away from each other when Jack spoke, "I want you to be with me and someday say that you love me back."
Danny blushed as he saw Jack come closer to him, but stood frozen as the other boy ran a hand through his hair. Jack's thumb carefully traced a line from Danny's temple to his jaw line before gently caressing the smooth cheek. Danny felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw Jack's face slowly coming closer to his. Jack's hand tilted his face up slightly and Danny felt his heart beat faster as Jack kissed him.
Jack's lips were gentle on his at first, but eventually the kiss deepened enough to draw a moan from Danny. As the kiss continued, Danny began to feel the familiar warm sensation of dozens of hands all over his body. Surprisingly enough it was Jack who pulled away first, needing to catch his breath. He opened his eyes in time to see the wanton look fade away in Danny's own.
Danny stared up at Jack and blushed as he realized what had happened. Jack smiled at him and gave Danny a quick kiss on his forehead. He hugged the other boy and felt as Danny hugged him in return. After a moment he slowly pulled away from Danny and took a step back.
"You know now how I feel about you, but I still don't know how you feel about me. I want to take things slow so all I ask of you right now is just to think about it. Think long and hard about what you want and if you're willing to give a guy like me a chance."
Danny looked away from the honest and open gaze in front of him and carefully asked, "No matter what I decide, will we still be friends?"
Jack smiled gently as he said, "With some initial difficulty, but yes we'll still be."
Danny watched the other boy gather his things and look at him one last time before finally leaving Danny alone.
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The window fogged up completely as Flora phased through it. The blonde girl floated a few inches off the floor to ensure she didn't wake up her target. She stood in the middle of the room and took in her surroundings. Her eyes shone with barely concealed interest as she gazed at all the simple furniture of Dash's room. A group of picture frames on Dash's dresser caught her attention and she floated closer to get a better look. Each frame held a different image and from what Flora could gather, each one seemed to show Dash with the people he cared about most.
She looked through each picture carefully and studied the different expressions on their faces. Each picture was nothing more than a simple moment captured and yet to her, their life and the emotions present, felt stronger than any power she could possess. Flora shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned back to the matter at hand.
While the rest of her face remained emotionless, her green eyes shone with determination. She quickly turned back to Dash and stood over his prone and disheveled form. She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed and noticed the sharp movements beneath his closed eyelids. 'He's already dreaming...this will be easier,' she thought.
She gently placed her hand above Dash's forehead and concentrated. Her green eyes began to glow as she used her powers to open his mind. After a few moments their minds connected and Flora found herself within the sphere of his dream.
Flora felt the cool sensation of wind in her face and opened her eyes to a familiar sight. The sun shone brightly within a perfect blue sky and as Flora took in her surroundings she realized she was somewhere in the town park. She gazed out over the heightened splendor of the landscape before her and instantly recognized what type of dream Dash was having. The faint sound of someone sleeping caught her attention and she carefully walked over to a nearby tree. Making sure to keep most of herself hidden she cautiously peered around the tree and came upon a sight she had not expected.
Dash, Sandra and Danny were snoring lightly as they slept underneath the cool shade. Dash's head rested on his folded up jacket while one of his arms curled around Sandra whose head lay on his chest while the other rested atop Danny's chest. Flora saw that the halfa was using Dash's stomach for a pillow as the three slept on oblivious to her presence.
Flora watched the scene in mild confusion and wondered why Dash would be dreaming such a thing. Sandra's presence was understandable, but Danny's was not something Flora expected in the least. From the data G.R.I.M had on Dash, there was no mentioning of any viable interest he possessed on Danny. Reports clearly indicated that due to the contract with Griffith, contact between the two had increased by 200 and led them to develop a complicated friendship. However the scene before her seemed to speak of a different mentality hidden within Dash's subconscious.
Flora pulled her mind away from Dash's and blinked as she returned back into her own body. She lifted her hand off the forehead and stared at the blond as she contemplated how to proceed. Clearly the dream sphere was in fact a dream and could be classified as a fantasy based on the color distortion. The scene seemed to reflect some hidden feelings that Dash obviously didn't reflect on enough.
As Flora stared down at the peaceful expression on Dash's face, Griffith's orders reverberated in her mind. She slowly raised her hand and prepared to carry out her leader's will. She closed her eyes and prepared to reenter Dash's mind sphere. The tips of her fingers touched Dash's forehead before his head shifted away from her grasp. Flora placed her hand back on the blond's forehead, but again Dash moved his head out of the way.
After several failed attempts Flora moved away from Dash altogether and turned invisible as a precaution. The intensity of her gaze escalated as she watched Dash slowly fret and fidget. The blond began to moan and grunt in what appeared to be frustration.
"Jack…Griffith…let go of them...no, stop."
Flora heard the hurt within Dash's words and felt a pang of guilt for what she had been about to do. 'He is nothing more than a simple human and yet the moment his life became intertwined with Danny's…he became someone who others would die to protect, but Griffith is going to…still kill him.'
Flora brought her face closer to Dash's and quickly placed a kiss on top of the blond's forehead. She stood back and waited, her eyes reflecting her anxiety. After a few moments Dash's restlessness slowly stopped and the boy slept on in peace. The barest trace of a smile graced Flora's normally unemotional features, but it was gone as Flora realized the extent of what she had just done.
For the first time in her existence as an agent under Griffith's command she had ignored a direct order from her superior. In spite of how scared she felt, a flutter of uncertain happiness slowly filled her at her own actions. With such a small action she felt more fulfillment than any of the thousands of missions she had done in the past. She didn't understand why bringing comfort to a complete stranger felt so natural. All she really knew was that from this point forward she was bound to die by Griffith's hands.
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Derek's vision blurred as he looked through a black photo album, turning each page very slowly. He was startled out of his stupor when he heard a small tapping on his window. He glanced at the clock on his night stand and frowned in annoyance at how late it was. He got up and set the photo album on his desk before moving to his window.
He heard the tapping again and sighed, already knowing who it was. He moved his curtains aside and sure enough Jack stood outside the window. The two stared at each other through the glass, one looking in patiently while the other looked out in anger.
Derek finally unlocked the window and pushed it open enough for his best friend to climb in. Jack carefully stepped through and set his things down on the floor. He turned back to close the window and saw Derek through its reflection. The Hispanic boy sat cross-legged in the center of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he gazed out at nothing. Jack noticed his best friend was already in his pajamas and bent down to retrieve his own from his back pack. He was almost done changing into his night clothes when he heard Derek speak.
"You're hiding something big."
Jack paused, but continued pulling the shirt over his head before he answered, "Yes."
"Are you going to tell me what it is?"
"Yes, but not until the day after tomorrow," said Jack solemnly. Now completely dressed for bed, Jack turned back to Derek and carefully climbed into his friend's bed. He sat facing Derek and mimicked the other boy's position.
Derek nodded slightly, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Tomorrow is her anniversary and no offense to you, but I don't want to think about anyone else but her. It's the only time I really honor her memory."
Jack smiled gently and came close enough to tap his forehead against his friend's. "That's not true, you honor her memory everyday in small ways, but tomorrow is the day we celebrate her the most and actually pay her a visit."
Derek's vision blurred worse than it had moments ago and his chest felt heavy. He nodded again and felt the trapped wetness in his eyes escape and fall down his cheeks. Before he could wipe it away, Jack grabbed his arms and kept them at bay. Derek looked at him in mild annoyance feeling the pain in his chest increase as he saw his friend's encouraging smile.
He took a deep breath and gave in, feeling the repressed sorrow overtake him as he cried quietly. He felt Jack ruffle his hair gently and Derek slowly moved closer to the other boy. Jack scooted over until they were sitting side by side and wrapped his arms around Derek. The two friends held each other, neither one wanting to directly look at the other as they cried. Jack felt the beginnings of his own tears sting his eyes as his friend held him.
When Jack trusted his voice not to tremble, he slowly said, "Let's remember to tell your mother that we won the town Math Wizard Team Competition last month. I think she'll be really proud of us for that."
End of Chapter 18
Author's End Notes: I hope you guys didn't gouge your eyes out when you read the Danny/Jack moment and I hope you don't gouge your eyes out at the Dash/Danny moment in the next chapter. Moving on to other aspects in the fic, yes, the "her" throughout Derek's perspective refers to Derek's deceased mother who, as mentioned in an earlier chapter, was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Meanwhile Agent Flora of G.R.I.M is messing with Dash's dreams, but not carrying out Griffith's orders. Jack is trying to get Danny to love him back, but isn't being completely honest to the halfa. Next chapter will reveal some of the fallouts of what happened in this one, including some Dash perspective, Griffith activity and Sam/Tucker civil war moments.
Now that I've hinted at so much without saying anything clearly, thank you for reading this chapter and as always please don't forget to review. :)
Spidey's Shout Outs:
(because a loud spider is easier to find)
KimuraSato: I corrected the mistakes you found in the fic and a few others that I missed the first time around. I just can't catch or see all the mistakes sometimes and I'm happy when people catch them for me. (If you catch some in this chapter, please tell me.) The fact that Griffith has a band is only important because it gives him a chance to mess with Danny's plans more. Anyway thank you so much for the constructive criticism and very nice review.
hittocerebattosai: Lol, thank you for the very nice review and I hope you liked this chapter as well.
animegurl088: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!
MorganEddasil: Hey there. Yeah, if you thought I was evil before, I'm sure this chapter must have down right made me a demon. I tried to make Jack the anti-love interest because he cares a lot about Danny and everything, but it's not clear how pure his motives are anymore or if he's joined Griffith. I can see why you're so tempted to pair those two together and chapters to come will involve their relationship more, but in the end this is still a Dash/Danny fic. Anyway enough of my rambling thanks so much for the awesome review.