*plugs ears again for more screaming* Only one more chapter after this, people, enjoy it while it lasts.

"So you're really going out with a guy?" Danny pulled his head back from under his bike to stare up at Johnny who was helping him out with some parts.

"Yes, Johnny, why is that so difficult for you to understand?"

"I'm from another time, kid, back when I was alive doing things like that got you beat up and left in a ditch and no one would care. Didn't see it happen personally but you always heard stories like that and you certainly never saw two guys going out as anything more than friends."

"Well it's a new millennium and a lot's changed for the better. Can you hand me that wrench please?"

Johnny handed the young half ghost his wrench and mulled over things for a moment, "But I got a question for ya: how do two dudes even 'do it' anyway? I mean neither of you have the right equipment to 'reciprocate' if you know what I mean."

A bang followed by a string of angry muttering came from below the motorcycle before Danny pulled himself out to glare at the older ghost, "Firstly, I don't plan on 'doing it' with Dash any time soon, secondly I'm not sure how experienced or creative you are with sex but there's a lot you can do besides how I'm sure you're thinking." Danny grumbled and then went back under his bike to fiddle with a few parts.

"Kitty never complained before," Johnny shrugged and Danny fought down the blush at how open he was being with his apparent sex life.

"We're just going out to a movie and getting some dinner, that's it. It'll be a nice time and hopefully nothing ghost related will interrupt it or any kind of fighting at all."

"Doubt you'll be seeing many ghosts around here for awhile. After that whole bug invasion thing most ghosts are working towards restoring everything. It'll be awhile before things get back to normal."

"Yeah I figured, Undergrowth says his territory is pretty much worthless thanks to those insects but he'll be going from there and back here for the next few months trying to restore it bit by bit. Said something about growing weeds and brush there and then asking someone to burn it or something… I dunno," Danny pulled himself back out from under the bike and smiled as he looked it over. It was really coming along and it wouldn't be much longer before he'd be able to ride it. Just a few more things to do and it would be ready. Then all he had to do was paint it and he'd be done.

"She's almost ready to ride, huh, squirt?" Johnny stood by the young man's side looking over the bike with an approving eye.

"Yep, and I think this is a good place for me to stop for the night," Danny grinned and wiped his hands on a dirty grease towel, "I've gotta get ready for my date tonight."

That got an eye roll from the older ghost albeit an amused one. He ruffled the shaggy haired Halfling before saying goodbye and floated off to his own devices. It was 5 o'clock now and Danny still had to shower and trim up some. As he walked into the shower he looked over his face and scratched at the hairs he had on his chin and around his face. It wasn't like he was trying to grow a beard or anything but he hadn't been shaving lately and the thought to clean up sounded like a good idea for a date.

He quickly shaved off the black hairs along the side of his face but left the paler hairs on his chin to give him a look of maturity. It wasn't much but he decided he liked the look and quickly got in the shower to clean up.

Once cleaned up and after going through his closet for some half-decent clothes Danny got himself dressed and ran downstairs. He said goodbye to his parents down in the lab, where they were fiddling with something else again, and then changed into Phantom to fly out of the house towards Dash's street. Checking his phone for the time he saw that he was still a bit early but hoped Dash wouldn't mind. He flew behind an alley and after quickly looking around for prying eyes he changed back to normal and walked up to his date's front door. After he rang the doorbell he stood back and waited for a moment, hoping that he looked good enough for this date.

"Oh hello, Danny," a pleasant voice called out once the door was open and Danny smiled at the female it came from.

"Hello, Mrs. Baxter, Dash ready to head out?"

"I think he is; he's been in his room all day. Honestly the boy has been acting funny all week." She turned her gaze onto Danny and looked him over, "You two aren't going out behind our backs to do something unscrupulous with a couple of girls are you?"

Danny blushed at that and looked down at his feet, "Course not, ma'am, we're just going to catch a movie and some dinner is all. You know just hang out 'cause we've got nothing else to do."

She gave him another look over like she almost didn't believe him before she nodded and stepped aside to let him in, "Well I suppose you're trustworthy enough. At least you're more normal than your parents are so I know you won't get my son into any kind of ghost trouble."

"R-right…" Danny gave a nervous smile as Mrs. Baxter called up to her son. After a quick confirmation that he heard her, Danny caught the sound of footsteps from up the stairs and looked up to see Dash coming down.

"Hey, Dan, sorry, I didn't hear ya." Dash waved and kissed his mother on the cheek not noticing how Danny had tensed up, "Bye, mom, I'll be home by midnight."

The blond grabbed his keys and the pair left the house to walk towards Dash's car parked in the driveway. He was smiling happily at the pleasant weather and the thought of going on a date tonight so much that he didn't notice the silence in the air. Once they were in the car, though, Dash looked over to see the smaller teen frowning and seemingly lost in thought.

"Danny? Everything ok there?" He leaned towards him to see if he was ok, and Danny just gave a small sad smile.

"Y-yeah… I just… don't like being called 'Dan' is all."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know," Dash carefully put his hand on Danny's knee and looked at him concerned, "Can I ask why?"

"It's a long and complicated story, and I'll tell you one day; just not tonight," he took hold of Dash's hand and gave it a firm squeeze, "This is supposed to be our first date and I'd rather not make it awkward and depressing by bringing up such a dark memory."

"I suppose that's fair," Dash smiled softly as he started the car and backed up and pulled into the street. He drove for a few minutes before he noticed Danny looking at him nervously, "You ok?"

"Uh… yeah but… I was just wondering if your parents knew… like… that you're going on a date with a guy and all that." A blush came to the raven haired teen's face and he looked away feeling like he shouldn't have voiced such a question.

"No…" the blond sighed as he kept looking ahead as he drove, "My mom… she's a nice enough person but she has… issues with people that are a bit outside the norm and I'm not sure how she'd feel if I told her I was gay and dating the son of 'those crazy ghost hunting weirdoes'. I'm pretty sure she'd freak out."

Danny nodded and looked over at Dash, "Yeah, I kind of gathered that from the way she talked."

"Hey, don't worry about her," Danny looked over to see the jock glancing over to give him a big sincere grin, "I like you and if or when the times comes to tell her about everything I'll figure out a way. She might not like it but this is my life, my choice, and if being with you makes me happy that's all that should matter. Not what your parents do, not the fact we're both guys, just the fact that you make me happy."

That statement brought a smile to the young half-ghost's face and he nodded at that. He said that was a good way to think of things and that even though he hadn't told his parents yet he was sure they'd accept this part of him. They had already accepted the fact that he was half-ghost so the fact that he liked guys shouldn't be that much more of an issue he thought.

"How does that even work?" Dash asked as they finally sat down in the theater with a couple drinks and a popcorn between them, "The whole 'half-ghost' thing? I mean does that make you half-dead or something?"

Danny laughed at the shocked and morbidly confused look on the jock's face and shook his head as he took his seat next to him, "No, that's just what the ghosts call me. My parents have done dozens of tests on my blood, cells, body, brain waves, heart rhythms and so on and the closest thing they've been able to determine is that I still have human DNA but it has been coated in ectoplasm and ghost energy giving me ghost like attributes and powers and altering a bit of my physiology."

Dash stared wide eyed at the explanation and then blinked at him stupidly. Danny just chuckled and shrugged, "It's like Spider-Man, sure he was bitten by a radioactive spider and given spider powers but that didn't make him 'half spider' but it did alter his body and DNA so he could have all those powers."

The jock pursed his lips to the side at hearing that before he nodded, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

After that the teens sat back to enjoy the movie. It was an action packed blockbuster that had a good plot as well as plenty of explosions and action. During parts of it Danny kept seeing Dash from the corner of his eye make abortive movements like he was trying to think about what he wanted to do but was unable to do so. Taking pity on the guy Danny yawned and stretched out his own arm and put it around Dash's shoulder. It was a bit weird as the guy had a few inches on him still and outweighed him by a decent amount but he could still feel a bit of tension relax in the jock's shoulders. A moment later he felt his date's other arm wrap around him and placed with a more assured confidence on his own shoulder.

The two young men stayed like that through the rest of the movie. The intimate warmth relaxed them and they sat through the movie eating the popcorn and whispering between each other. It was a comfortable atmosphere that settled between them and they both almost regretted when the movie ended and they had to separate from each other.

Once outside Danny stretched his arms above his head and popped various joints in his back before looking back at his date. Dash was fishing around in his pockets for his keys while they walked towards his car and hadn't said anything since they got out.

"So what did you think of the movie?"

"It was pretty good I guess," Dash glanced over at him with a smile on his face, "Not 'buy the DVD the moment it comes out' good, but I wouldn't mind renting it again I suppose."

"Yeah the plot was kind of simple and fast but it did have some pretty awesome action sequences and special effects."

The pair talked about the movie as they made their way to Chester's again. It was a nice place and both young men felt that it had the right atmosphere for a first date.

"So how's your bike going now that the threat in the Zone is handled?" Dash asked after they had placed their order and he fiddled with his straw.

"Actually a lot faster now that I don't have to worry about this threat for now," Danny sighed out wondering more about things, "Still feels like something's off but for the moment everything is ok with the ghosts so until something else happens I really don't have any real choice but to wait around and hope the situation has been dealt with. Some of my allies are on alert and will contact me if anything happens but after that fight I'm sure whatever it was that started the whole thing will be taking some time to recuperate. How's your comic and art going?"

"Heh," Dash's cheeks took on a bit of a rosy color and he rubbed at his nose a bit, "Actually almost finished with it, it's not the best story or anything but I think my style and skills are improving. I hope you like how I've drawn you in it too and you don't mind the cheesy dialogue."

"I'm sure whatever you've drawn and wrote will look great," Danny gave his best reassuring smile and reached over to take his hand. It wasn't much of a gesture but it was comforting and sweet and they both enjoyed the feeling as Dash slowly turned his hand around so both palms were facing.

"So when do you think your bike will actually be done, and do you have anyone to paint it for you like I drew it for you?"

"My parents actually know a guy who does some automotive painting and have offered to have him paint it for me if I can afford the paint. They're really proud of all that I've managed pretty much on my own and if I can continue at the rate I'm going…" Danny thought about the few things he still had to do to get the whole thing street ready, "I guess I should have it completely done sometime early July."

"That's awesome!" Dash grinned and Danny felt a light tightness in his chest from the sincere smile that graced the jock's features, "Hey you think I could maybe watch the guy paint your bike and see if I can help any? It'd be kind of cool to learn how to do something like this and maybe…," he shrugged, "Next time you need something painted I could do it for you."

"You'd have to ask him about it but if he doesn't have a problem with it I'm sure it'd be fine. He might even hire you for some work if you show as much talent painting cars and bikes as you do drawing."

The pair continued to talk while they waited for their meal and continued after it arrived. Topics ranged from their normal activities to what was going on in their friends' lives. Danny talked about how Sam and Tucker were adjusting to living in their new places and Dash entertained him with some stories Kwan had told him about his trip to California. Talks of comic books, video games, movies, and much more was discussed with Dash expressing interest in seeing a family movie that was coming out, which surprised the teen before him.

"I'm a big fan of the studio's work. They do a lot of great movies with CGI and their plots are really great too. I don't care if people say cartoons are for kids I still like the details and stories they make up for everything," the blond blushed feeling like he had to defend himself only for Danny to hold up his hands.

"No, I wasn't making fun of you or anything I was just really surprised was all. Not many people our age still want to go to those sorts of things, but ya'know…," he shrugged, "If you want to go I suppose we can make it another date."

"Oh." Dash rubbed at his neck awkwardly feeling bad that he blew up like that but then smiled slyly at what Danny had said, "'Another date' huh? We haven't even finished the first one and already thinking there's going to be more?"

"I think this one has gone fair enough to warrant another, and besides…" Danny smiled shyly up at Dash brushing his hair back so that he could see the jock before him, "I really am starting to like you a lot, Dash, and the fact you're so cool about my secret really helps. I mean I used to always be afraid of never being able to date anyone because of my 'ghostly duties' and all, but with you already in on it I can be honest with you about things and I don't have to lie to suddenly vanish and take care of some ghost or save someone's life or whatever."

"Heh, sounds good to me, cause I like you too, Danny. A lot, so you wanting to go on another date with me despite all the crap I gave you over the years… Well it really means a lot."

The two reached across the table to embrace their hands for a moment before they went back to eating. When it came time to the bill, Dash offered to pay stating that he was the one who asked him to dinner so it was only right he pay this time. Danny didn't really complain about that but said that the next time they were out it was on him.

Once their meal was done the pair decided to walk around for a bit to burn off some of their energy. It was a warm night and the sky was clear showing the stars hanging from the sky. For the moment it was just the two of them and feeling a bit bold Danny reached out and took a hold of Dash's hand, lacing their fingers together as they walked.

After strolling around for a bit they sat on a bench for a moment to enjoy the evening and the quiet night. No one else was about and it felt like nothing could ruin this night. That thought alone welcomed bad comings as the pair were suddenly aware of a crude sounding laugh coming from a nearby alley.

"Well lookie here… it's that blond kid that got us arrested." Danny glared at the man that came out from the alley followed by several other thugs that he recalled had tried to mug Dash a few weeks previous.

"And oh look, it's that guy that thinks he's tough because he wanted to gang up on one guy," Danny grunted annoyed that their date had gotten interrupted by something as common as street thugs. Ghosts he wouldn't have minded but these guys weren't worth an interruption to the good evening he and Dash were having.

"Kid, you best watch your mouth unless you want it knocked clear off!" The punk growled and cracked his knuckles in an attempt to look threatening.

"Dude, you may have us out numbered but we have you outmatched." Danny looked over at Dash with a cocky smirk and stood, "What do you say about burning off some of those calories, Dash?"

The blond stood and smiled down at the young man in front of him as he cracked his own knuckles and stretched out his neck, "Sounds good, otherwise I'll just have to work them off on my heavy bag at home."

The furious growl from the gang leader was what started the fight. He lunged at Danny with his right fist pulled up and back to strike at his face, but he saw it coming, ducked, and swung his leg out to trip the guy and cause him to fall face first onto the ground. He quickly jumped to the side as another guy came charging at him and then quickly had to duck again as a third threw a punch at his head. A quick twist around and Danny drove his elbow into the third guy's head as the second came charging back. This time he simply grabbed his arm as it was extending, turned around, and jerked down bringing the punk over his body and crash landing on the unforgiving concrete of the sidewalk they were fighting upon. Another quick punch to the solar plexus was all it took for the guy to be incapacitated and that left Danny to look back to see how Dash was doing.

The bigger teen was surprisingly agile from what he could see. Dash bounced on the balls of his feet and jumped left and right to avoid the punches of the other three guys before delivering his own right hooks and left jabs to their faces. It was almost pathetic really how Dash handled them when they had come out acting so strong and tough. One guy was already down for the count, and after a punch to the chin of the guy before him there was only the one left who quickly looked around looking for a place to run away. The jock wouldn't have any of that though and placing his weight on his right leg he sprung forward and drove his left fist into the guy's face while he landed on his left foot before he twisted around and finished him off with a hard right hook.

With the last member of the gang down for the count, Danny turned towards the leader who was starting to get up again. He grabbed the man by the back of his head and pulled it back in order to smile down at him. He made sure that he saw each of his lackeys on the ground before he turned his sight back onto the smaller of the two teens.

"Now I don't know a thing about you and quite frankly I don't care, but let me explain this to you clearly," Danny let go of the guy who caught his head before it could hit the pavement again, "We are both more than capable of fighting you guys off and we're not afraid to beat that fact into you but if you have any kind of sense of self-preservation I suggest you leave us and everyone else around here alone. You're not that tough and honestly you should be ashamed of even trying to pick a fight with how weak you guys are."

The shorter teen kept a smile on his face as he stood back up and jerked his head at his date, "Let's go, Dash we should be getting home anyway."

"Right behind, ya," he smiled and quickly got in step beside his date as they walked away. The pair kept quiet until they turned around a corner where they finally burst into laughter.

"That was awesome!" Dash laughed holding his side, "Did you see the way I handled those guys? I mean I wasn't even trying that hard and all it took was a few punches. I've been in a few fights before but I never knocked down someone after just two punches like that."

"I know! I mean when my mom first started training me even I lasted a lot longer and before that the only experience I had fighting was with my powers and ghostly strength. Those guys were just pathetic."

The pair of young men laughed some more as they made their way back to Dash's car. It had been an eventful night and even the impromptu fight with the street gang wasn't so bad.

Once inside they buckled up and fell into a comfortable silence as they drove along the streets of Amity. It wasn't too terribly late so they drove around listening to the radio as it played some soft music. Nothing really needed to be said after the fight and small talk seemed insignificant until Dash pulled up in front of Fenton Works.

Looking at the clock Danny almost wanted to sigh at how early it still was. It was barely past ten and his curfew wasn't until midnight but it felt like it was the right time to end their date, despite desperately not wanting it to end at all.

"So…," Dash smiled at Danny and rubbed at his neck, "I guess I'll see you at the pool on Monday or something. Maybe see you tomorrow if you're not busy?"

"Yeah I think I'd like that." Danny smiled and started to get out of the car before he turned and quickly placed a quick kiss on Dash's cheek.

"I had a good time tonight, Dash, thanks and I'll call you tomorrow." He grinned and quickly got out leaving the bewildered blushing blond sitting in his idling car. He felt like a bit of a tease doing that but he couldn't help but try and act as cool as possible around Dash. He didn't want to be seen as a dork and besides he liked to think he was a bit smooth, no matter what his track record with other people had been like before.

Danny made his way inside and quickly went up to his room feeling more confident and happier than he had in ages. It hadn't been the greatest of first dates in history he supposed, but for him it was a great evening. Once in his room he made his way to his bed and flopped back onto it with closing his eyes and thinking about the events of the evening with a fond smile until his ghost sense went off. He opened one eye not sensing anything hostile about the ghost and found himself looking at two ghost girls now standing in his room.

"Ember? Kitty? What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard someone had a date tonight and we wanted to hear how it went." Kitty smiled and sat herself down on the edge of his bed.

"Really?" Danny grunted annoyed, "I literally just got back and you two are already hounding me for details about a first date where nothing big would have happened? Don't you guys have anything more important to do?"

"We're dead, dipstick so… No." Ember grinned and pulled out his desk chair and straddled the back of it with her arms crossed waiting for any details to the young halfling's date.

Resigning himself to the antics of the two girls Danny started in on what happened on his date. They were a bit surprised at hearing his date was another guy but didn't really care about it at all. It was a bit weird to be talking with them about such things, but as his tale went on he couldn't have brought himself to care either. His life was surrounded by ghosts who were friends and foes and while it might have freaked out others he couldn't have imagined his life any differently anymore.

Ok so like I said, one more chapter left to go and the summer is over, need some ideas for what to happen in the fall besides what I already got in store, but regardless the next story will be awhile. More details in the next chapter.