Dash stared at the drawing in front of him. After seeing the engine and basic frame of Fenton's bike he had set about drawing some designs for it. It wasn't too fancy and he wasn't sure if the other teen could make it but it was nice enough to practice something like this and it gave him a break from the comic he was trying to do and getting nowhere on.

"Stupid art block," Dash muttered as he glanced at the comic page he had started on but hadn't touched in days. He had started with a group of campers going to explore a cave where the ghost bats would be unleashed, but he had no idea of most of the details or really any idea of a plot on how to get Phantom into the literal picture.

Looking once more at the page before him he thought more on the last few days. He and Fenton had spent a bit more time together mainly either at the pool in the morning or at his garage in the afternoon. They'd gone out to that pizzeria for a slice a couple more times and Dash had tried a few new things and had decided that place was pretty awesome.

Right now, though, he had a large issue to deal with. He had drawn out several styles of bikes from what Fenton had showed him. Fenders, handlebars, seats, mufflers, there was a lot to design but when Fenton would work on the framework Dash would sketch out the bike in its completed stage. What he had before him was a basic idea of what he wanted the bike to look like and Dash was supposed to fine tune the look to make it look sleeker. The guy was seriously a perfectionist when it came to this bike and wanted Dash to draw out a form so he could see the bike better.

"Guess since he's going to be riding it, it has to be pretty good otherwise it might not be safe," Dash shrugged and started to draw the body of the bike. He added the sleek lines to the fenders and gave the bike a windshield that would protect him from bugs and mud flying up at him. He placed the lights and gave them a sharp pointed look to make it look fiercer and the body work all had strong bold curves that he had seen on some of the Harleys that Fenton had shown him. He gave the sides of the bike two small compartments so he could stash his stuff on trips and made the seat sit back enough where he could sit up comfortably and even have a passenger if he wanted, though without Manson around he didn't know who would want to ride behind him.

"Ehh with a body like he's got he'll find a girlfriend as soon as school starts back up. If he ever learns to dress better." Dash huffed and suddenly had a feeling tug at the inside of his stomach. It was like there was something that felt off every time he thought about Fenton. At first it was just a strange flutter but after spending time with him it had grown into an awkward feeling that he didn't know how to describe, though it was driving him crazy.

Looking at the clock on his nightstand Dash sighed at seeing it was only 3:40. He had been trying to work on things for over an hour now and had gotten nowhere.

'Maybe some fresh air at the park will help me think some.' Dash thought as he grabbed his keys and phone and headed out. The day was warm and there was a nice wind that was picking up through the sky blowing in clouds from the east. The forecast was calling for storms either Thursday or Friday but today it was nice and the wind felt good combined with the warm summer sun.

Getting to the park Dash sat around and looked at the kids that were busy playing. It had been so long ago that he had been able to just be a kid like that. Play the day away and not have to worry about things like his senior year of high school, college, grades, jobs, money, relationships; everything was just much easier when you were a kid and as Dash watched some of the kids playing he had to admit to himself that he was a bit jealous that those were some of the best years of his life. 'So far at least,' he thought with a wry chuckle.

Reaching into his pocket, Dash decided to give Kwan a call and see how his friend was doing and maybe get some advice. Kwan may have been a jock like him, but what most people didn't know was that he was actually a pretty smart guy. He had actually told Dash in confidence once that he hoped to one day become a councilor or a child psychologist to actually help people, and with the advice he tended to be able to hand out, Dash thought it was a good choice for him. He scrolled through the list of contacts before he got to Kwan's and pushed call.

"Hey, man, about time you called me. Been a while I was going to call you later to make sure everything was ok with you." Kwan rambled off before Dash could even get a word in edgewise.

"Yeah, sorry I guess I've just been a bit preoccupied with a few things." Dash sighed and rubbed at his forehead unsure of what he really even wanted to talk about.

"You ok, man? You sound a little bit down."

"Yeah, I'm fine… I've just… well… ya see…" Dash groaned and rubbed his head, "I've been hanging out with Fenton lately and… I dunno it's weird but we're getting along and it's sorta nice being around him."

"So? What's the big deal, despite what everyone else thought I thought he was a nice guy. We helped each other in math a few times and he's pretty decent."

"I guess, it's just weird. I've known him for years as this loser with a freaky goth girlfriend and a techno obsessed nerd friend and yet here he is now being all cool building his own motorcycle from scratch. It's just throwing me for a loop and it makes me feel strange." Dash ran a hand through his lightly styled hair in frustration as he heard a slight chuckle come from the other side of his phone, "What's so funny?"

"For those who have to ask no answer can suffice." Dash blinked confused and looked at the phone before he could process that comment.

"You been reading that Confucius dude again or did you just eat a fortune cookie last night?"

"Neither, it was something I saw on TV last week and thought it sounded deep," a light chuckle came from the Asian teen and Dash seriously had to wonder what was going on in his best friend's head.

"Just tell me what you're talking about, man, I'm in no mood to deal with your crazy-ass double talk."

"You like Fenton, man, it's as easy as that."

"Well yeah, I guess I mean he is a nice guy and all but I don't see what that has too-" Realization at what Kwan was saying suddenly hit him and during the short moment where his brain ceased to function he heard Kwan laughing. No doubt the other teen realized that Dash just got what he had meant.

"No! No way! There is No Way that I actually like Fenton like that!" Dash tried to keep his voice controlled and soft so no one would hear him but he couldn't help the blood that flooded to his face causing him to blush.

"Man, it's obvious you've started to like him, and come on man what's so wrong with that?"

"I am not gay Kwan," Dash growled out wishing he could reach through his phone to strangle the man on the other end.

"Didn't say you were, dude, just said that you liked him," Dash groaned and could just see the Cheshire like grin Kwan likely had on his face at the moment, "You could be bi, but come on… think about it: You have never had ANY luck with girls and even Paulina has said that you don't seem too comfortable around girls in that way. I think it was along the lines of 'you try way too hard, like you're trying to force yourself' or something. I dunno I could be paraphrasing."

"And not helping."

"Dash," Kwan sighed and the blond perked up feeling like his friend was about to say something important, "I'm not saying you go up to the guy and kiss him, but it's obvious you are feeling something for him so why not feel it out and see where it goes? You're a big guy and no one from school in their right mind would mess with you if they saw you with Fenton and I'm sure the guy isn't homophobic. I don't think the guy has a hateful bone in his body."

"I dunno man… we just started to hang out and what you're saying is really giving me a headache."

"Dude, just take it slow and see how things go. If nothing else having a friend to hang out with will be good for you since I won't be back for awhile."

"Yeah, maybe. Did you know Manson and Foley both moved? Fenton's best and only friends left and he's all alone. Maybe I'm just thinking too much on these things and I'm just feeling sorry for the guy cause he's got no one to hang with now and right now I can sorta relate to that with you being gone and all."

"Aww… You always had a soft spot, Dash, but I won't mess with your head anymore. Just know I'll be your friend no matter who you date so long as they treat you right, otherwise they're going to have words with me."

Kwan grunted and Dash couldn't help but smile at how lame that comment sounded, "First of all, I don't need you protecting me. I'm older than you by like six weeks remember? Second, I'm not sure you could take Fenton, the guy apparently learned how to fight sometime recently."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"Uhh… well…" Another sigh escaped Dash as he went on to explain what had happened last Monday night when he had almost been mugged.

"Wow, sounds like you were lucky that he was around to help you out. They could have really hurt you, Dash or worse."

"You saying I can't take care of myself?" Dash huffed feeling mildly insulted.

"No, I'm saying that you were outnumbered and they could have gotten a lucky punch. Just because our town has a resident superhero doesn't mean everyone is safe from everything. Phantom mainly deals with the ghosts that attack us and that itself is nearly a full time job."

"Yeah I guess…," he sighed and hung his head, "So what have you been up to?"

Kwan smiled and started to talk about the things he had been doing while visiting his grandparents. He talked about a cave that he had gone exploring in with his cousins and about a huge lake that was on their property they swam in almost daily. It sounded like he was having a lot of fun and Dash almost felt jealous that Kwan was having a fun time while he was stuck home all summer with his part time job and nothing to do.

"Well almost nothing I guess," Dash sighed as he walked around the park after talking with Kwan some more. Dash thought more about the design for the bike and then thought about Fenton. The ideas about who he was started to form shapes in the jock's mind and as he stood next to a tree he could see the form of the bike appearing completed in his head along with a good color scheme.

"Black would work well with how dark his hair is. Maybe add some watery blues along the edges since he's a swimmer. Put some green on the fenders and move the seat around and then the handlebars…" Dash thought for a moment before he was suddenly pushed out of the way and fell to the ground.

"Sorry!"

Dash was going to growl at whoever pushed him when he recognized the voice and turned to see Danny Phantom flying off. When he looked at where he had been he saw a large branch had fallen. Dash gulped at the size of it and thought about what that could have done to him if he'd been hit by it.

Looking up into the sky Dash saw Phantom flying after a couple of glowing green cat-like ghosts that were shooting flames out from their tails. It still amazed him even after all these years to see Phantom flying around and protecting the city from ghosts. He was a great hero for the people around town though he knew many who disagreed. Seeing him fight, though, was just what Dash needed to get inspired again.

He watched as Phantom dodged the flames and shot ice beams at them until they were frozen and immobile. Once they were stopped he pulled something from his waist that Dash couldn't make out and seemed to suck them into it before he flew off. It hadn't been the longest battle but to Dash it was still an amazing sight. With new inspiration pumping in his blood he started to walk back home, eager to get back to work on the design he had been thinking of, and working more on his little comic.

And this is where I likely loose a lot of followers but you know: it's my story and I'll tell it how I like.