We drive for another ten minutes before passing a sign that tells us we're now leaving Amity Park. I look at Danny but he doesn't seem surprised. He said he knows where he's taking me so I don't question it. Another five minutes pass before Danny tells me to turn right again. I do as he instructs, glancing at the trees shrouding over us. Why have I never been down these roads before? I should have found them on at least one of my angry drives.
A tiny diner and parking lot comes into focus and Danny tells me to stop. When I ease my car into park, praying the brakes hang on for just a little while longer, Danny unbuckles his seat belt, sparing a look my way. "You like hot dogs, right?" His eyes search my face and I give him a nod. "I usually get mine with mustard and onions."
"Sounds fucking amazing," I respond, unbuckling my seatbelt.
"Um," Danny starts, exhaling softly. "I-I'll go and get them? Shouldn't take long," he says, glancing back toward the restaurant. "U-Unless you want to come with me…?"
I don't know why he seems hesitant to bring me with him but I'm not gonna question him. I shrug, leaning back in my seat. "Get me a Dr. Pepper," I say, shifting as carefully as I can to get to my wallet. I try to pass off the crumpled bills to him but he frowns, batting my hand away.
"No, this was my idea," he says, opening the door before giving me a smile. "Be back."
The door slams closed behind him and I watch him walk up the small path to get to the door. He disappears inside the place but I can just make out the black mop of hair moving around before my phone distracts me.
It's vibrating in my pocket and I dig it out, turning the screen over to figure out who it is. Kwan's name flashes across the top but it's just a text. I look at the restaurant again, trying to see if I can find Danny, before focusing on Kwan's message.
From: Kwan
Dude, where are u? I went down to the nurses office but she said u left already
I read the message over a couple times before I tap out a response, my gaze occasionally straying to the restaurant, wondering how long it's gonna take Danny to get back with the food. I push send and watch the message appear on my screen before clicking it off.
To: Kwan
Sorry, should have told you. I'm getting something to eat
The radio is playing distantly and I slowly inch the volume up, tapping my hands on the steering wheel to the beat. It sounds like one of the songs the guys play during coach-free practices and I easily nod my head along to it.
I guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings because I'm so lost in the music that I don't see Danny until he's right by the car, causing my heart to jump.
"Fuck!" I cry out, slamming my hands against the steering wheel. Danny looks apologetic and he tries to balance the food in one hand so he can open the passenger door. I lean across the seat and open it for him, nervously running a hand through my hair when I sit back. "Jesus, you scared the shit outta me."
"Sorry," he says quietly, easing down into the passenger seat. He sets the bags into the center console and tucks the cups into the drink holder with a sigh. "Okay. Now back onto the road and I'll show you the perfect place to devour these things."
"You're seriously going to make me wait?" I ask, the smell drifting up to me. Oh fuck, it smells like heaven in my car and I want to dig in. I buckle my seatbelt, casting a pleading glance toward Danny. He smiles in response, shaking his head.
"Come on, you'll be able to enjoy them more if you're not worrying about spilling stuff in your car," he points out, solidifying the decision for me.
"Fine," I grumble, knowing he's right, and pull out of the parking lot and back onto the dirt road.
Danny gives me a couple directions and it only takes us a few minutes to get where he wants us to be. It's a little closed off wooded area that looks like it might have been some kinda park or something. There are wooden benches and chairs every couple of yards and if it wasn't in such an out of the way place, it looks like somewhere I might've taken a girl on a date.
When I park, I unbuckle my seatbelt and glance at Danny. He takes his seatbelt off and opens the door, smiling at me before he grabs his food. "Come on, this is the best place to eat."
I watch him for a second before I exhale, grabbing my food before I get out of my car. I join Danny at the front of my car and watch as he climbs up onto the hood. I raise an eyebrow and he offers a sheepish smile, moving to slide off the car.
"It's fine," I respond, easing up onto the hood, scooting backward until I hit the windshield. I open up the bag, marveling at the sight of a hotdog nestled in a little basket at the bottom of the bag. "God, Danny, this looks amazing," I tell him, digging my straw out of the bag first. I tear the top off and position the straw between my teeth, blowing the wrapper off the straw and onto him.
It taps the side of Danny's face and he lets out a little squeak, glaring at me when he realizes what it is. I laugh at his expression and poke the straw through the lid of my cup, taking a long swig of the soda before rifling through the bag again.
Danny leans back against the windshield and I dig my fries out, stuffing a couple in, before turning to him. His gaze is focused away from mine and I follow his line of sight. It takes me a couple seconds but I see it. From up here, you can see the high school. I can make out the tiny figures of people on the field and I gulp down a lump of fry.
"Holy shit," I mumble, taking another sip of soda to wash down the food. "Damn, I never knew you could see the school like this."
Danny turns back to me with a small smile. "Kinda surreal isn't it?" He turns his stare back toward the high school. "Up here, it's… it's like none of the shit that's inside those walls matters." He keeps his gaze on the field for another few minutes before turning back to his food, digging out his hotdog. He slides the wrapper off in one fluid motion and I reach back into my bag to get mine.
We sit in silence for a little while, staring down at the people walking around the school grounds, and devour the best fucking food I've ever had. All thoughts of kissing the ground Alex's or Kwan's mom walks on is out of my brain. Whoever the fuck works at that tiny little restaurant is my new love and I need their name immediately.
"Jesus, Danny," I mumble around the final mouthful of the hot dog. He turns toward me and smiles when I grin. "This is-" I pause to swallow. "The best food I've ever had."
Danny beams, the smile stretching across his face. "I know, right? It's my favorite place to eat but it's a little out of the way, y'know?" he asks, glancing down at the school again with a sigh. He draws his knees up onto the hood of my car, leaning his chin on his crossed arms. A wince passes over his face when his nose crinkles at the movement. He looks pretty fucking miserable with the bruising already starting across the bridge of his nose and under his eyes.
"You gonna get your nose set today?" I ask, watching his eyes fall closed at the question. I don't know if I've just asked a question I'm not supposed to but his expression sure as hell looks like that's the last thing he wants me to ask.
He nods a little, letting out a breath as he opens his eyes again, staring down at the high school. "Probably. One of my parents will insist I go anyway," he mumbles, slumping down further. His posture looks like something I'd pull when I don't want anyone to talk to me. I've slept in a similar way before. It's a less embarrassing version of the fetal position. I exhale heavily, focusing on the school again. It's probably not smart to skip the rest of the day so I slide off the hood of my car, gathering up the garbage from our food.
"Should probably head back," I say, lifting my gaze to Danny. He meets my eyes for a few seconds before looking away, sighing again. Something tells me that heading back is the last thing he wants to do. I want to sit back down on the car and ask him what's going on. What's fucking him up on the inside. But it's none of my business. If it were me curled up on the hood of someone else's car, I'd want them to just leave me the fuck alone. So I jerk a thumb toward my car. "C'mon, we still have to hand in our papers to Lancer."
That drags another sigh from him and he keeps his stare on the high school. I move to the driver's side and open my door, watching him for a few seconds. He doesn't move from his position and I wonder what's running through his head. What does he think about when he looks at our school? Does he think about my friends? His? Whatever he does in his spare time? Is he going over all the possibilities of what to do after high school ends?
Danny turns toward me suddenly, something unreadable in his expression. "Why are you even talking to me?" he asks, his eyebrows drawing down. "Won't your friends kill you for it?"
I shrug, not really caring what they think. I lean against my door, letting out a breath. "I'm talking to you cause you're talking to me. That's how conversations work."
He rolls his eyes like he expected that answer from me but he doesn't say that. "Seriously." He slides off the hood of my car, seemingly unsure of what to do with his hands. "I just… I don't understand."
I prop my arms up on the top of my car, watching Danny try to struggle through whatever's going through his head. I want to tell him that we'll talk on the way back to school but I don't. I just wait him out, watching him fidget.
"I just… don't get it," he says finally, flicking his gaze up to my face. "You're not… I mean, your friends don't like me."
I shrug, sliding my hands off the top of my car. I get into the driver's seat and slam the door closed behind me, setting the bag of garbage on the center console. Danny hesitates outside the car for a few seconds before he follows me in, pulling the door closed behind him.
As soon as he's buckled in, I rev the engine and back out of the closed off area, zipping past the park benches on my way. The road is still bumpy but I'm less focused on my car this time. I cast a look Danny's way but he's staring intently out the passenger window. I run a hand through my hair, letting out a breath.
"Fuck what my friends think," I say, holding his gaze for as long as he lets me when he looks back. He's still the one to look away and I focus my stare on the road when he does. "It's not like I bitch at them for whoever the hell they talk to. If they give me shit for carrying on a conversation with another person, they're more immature than I thought."
Danny's looking at me again and it takes me a second to register that his mouth is slightly open. I spare a glance at the road before focusing on him again. "What?"
He snaps his teeth together again, pink flushing across his cheeks when he turns away. We pass by the sign telling us that we're entering Amity Park just as my phone starts to vibrate. With one hand on the wheel, I dig my phone out with the other one.
Valerie's calling me? What the hell does she think I'm doing? Out for a joyride instead of in my classes? Well…
I hit answer on the call and prop it between my shoulder and ear, casting a final glance toward Danny before speaking. "Hey," I say softly, returning my gaze to the road. "I know you only have class on Tuesdays but the rest of us go to school five days a week, Val."
She laughs softly, her voice floating easily through the phone lines. "I know that, you goof. I was just calling to see how the tryouts went. I wanted to be there but I had to work!" she says with a sigh, sounding disappointed that she didn't get to watch me this year. Val's been coming to every game I've ever played in since we met and she was really looking forward to this year's tryouts. She was supposed to be off today.
"Someone call out sick or something?" I ask, exhaling into the phone. Last time either of us were at a game was the one I tore my calf muscle. Hopefully this year, I play a little better and don't fuck up any important limbs. When Valerie grumbles something about her coworker, I glance at Danny, angling the phone away from my mouth. "Sorry, I'll get off in a second," I say softly, watching him until he nods, his face still pink.
"Am I interrupting something?" Valerie asks.
I shift the phone back to my mouth. "Not really. I'm just heading back to the school. Danny just showed me the best place to get a hotdog. Dude, you've gotta try it sometime, it's fucking amazing." I know from now until the end of time, whenever I think of hotdogs I'll only ever think of that tiny diner and the amazing cook behind it.
"Danny…?"
Danny's looking over at me now, probably interested as soon as I said his name. I cough once, part of me suddenly nervous. Kwan won't care that I'm chilling with Fenton and I couldn't care less what the others think of this but Valerie… I mean, she's been in my life for a long time now. I don't know her opinion of Danny.
"Y-Yeah, y'know, Danny Fenton?" I ask, forcing myself to keep my stare straight ahead and not look toward the boy in question. I don't want to see the reaction. I pick up on the stiffening of his posture out of the corner of my eye but I still won't let myself look.
"Oh, yeah! He was in my art class last year, he's freakishly talented. Tell him I said that, but make it sound better cause you know I suck at phrasing things," she rambles. When she takes a pause, I'm guessing it's so she can hear me repeat the compliment.
With an exaggerated sigh, I roll my eyes and look toward Danny. "Valerie wants you to know that she kisses the ground you walk on for your art talent," I say, watching his face color. I don't know why but pink looks good on him. My eyes trace the way the color lights up his face and it reminds me of setting suns and the end of summertime. I can practically smell swimming pools and oceans just from that color touching his face. I wonder if he can feel how warm he is. I wonder if I'd be able to touch my fingers to his cheeks and feel the heat from his flush.
"Dash, that's not what I said!" Valerie suddenly shrieks in my ear, reminding me that I'm driving down a dirt road with Fenton riding shotgun. Jesus, where the fuck was my mind going?
The drive back to Casper High doesn't take nearly as long as leaving and I guess it's cause I run a couple of red lights. Ordinarily I wouldn't care about missing classes but it's the beginning of the semester and I should attempt to make an effort in the beginning. That way if shit gets ugly, I won't immediately be suspended from the football team until I manage to scrape my grades back up.
I pull into a parking space near the front of the building and scan the parking lot for Danny's car. "You want me to take a look at your car after Lancer's class?" I ask, taking my seatbelt off before pulling the keys from the ignition.
Danny shakes his head, his hair falling onto his forehead. He pushes it back with one hand, turning to give me a small smile. "No, that's alright. I'll just bring it in whenever you're working again." He hesitates for a second before adding. "Y-You can text me when you're working if you want to…"
I don't have his number but I shrug, digging my phone out of my pocket. I hand it over and wait for him to input his number with trembling fingers. I wonder if he's nervous because of my friends or if this is the same sort of fear I feel sometimes. The one I felt in the nurses office earlier.
The memory of not being able to breathe and Danny watching it all happen makes my hand curl tighter around the door handle and I slowly let out a breath. I don't want Danny to remember that. I don't want him to talk to anyone about it. I glance toward him just as he finishes putting his name in my phone. "Listen," I start, taking the device from him with a steady hand. I search his eyes for as long as he holds my gaze before I drop mine. "L-Look man… don't… don't mention to anyone about what happened earlier. I-In the nurse's office."
Danny lets out a small squeak, shaking his head when I look up to him. "I won't," he says and it bugs me that his voice is steadier than mine is. "Even if I had someone to tell, I wouldn't." He leans forward, putting a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently before giving me a hesitant smile. "I promise. Y-Your secret's safe with me."
I don't know if I believe him but if I were in that position, I don't think I'd tell anyone. It's not like what happened in the office was anything particularly dramatic. I just don't want my friends and my teammates to know that I fucking panicked at the thought of anyone seeing the bruises on my stomach. No one but Kwan gets to know the full truth and even then, I lie half the time.
There's no way for me to know if Danny's telling the truth. If he's going to keep this between us. I don't know if he's going to bring this up the next time I see him but there's nothing I can say. I can't offer an explanation for why I was unable to breathe at the thought of him finding out the truth behind my bruises. I can't give him the truth. I just have to trust that his promise means something. Even if I don't know him that well.
"Alright… thanks."
A/N: So now you all know where Danny was taking Dash! Since this story is told through Dash's eyes, you don't get to see what Danny's thinking or what he's doing when he's not around Dash so there are plenty of things that Dash doesn't know about him. Hopefully you all look forward to seeing what those things are!
I love writing interaction scenes between the boys and I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. I know slow burns can be really difficult to read through in the beginning cause you just want them to kiss already. (That's exactly how I feel while writing it so I understand)
To clear up some of the confusion surrounding this story, this is an AU, and this universe doesn't have the same characteristics that canon Amity Park does. While Amity Park is more of a city running rampant with ghost attacks and ecto-activity, this version is a small town that doesn't ever see ghost sightings. Danny's alter ego "Danny Phantom" doesn't exist in this universe but that's not to say that his powers don't exist. Everything will be revealed in time but I just wanted to clear up some of the questions I've been getting. This site only lets me have so many characters in the summary so I didn't have room to say it was an AU. I did add a bit of this to the first chapter to hopefully explain it for readers that are just now finding this story but I figured it'd be best if I add one to this chapter too. I hope that clears things up but if you have any more questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review.
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Let me know what you think the reviews...? I love reading what you have to say about it!
