Oh boy for some reason I just had so much trouble writing this chapter. It's strange since usually it comes a bit more naturally so I hope it reads well and not forced. Please review and thank you for all the favorites/follows!
~CWA
CHAPTER TWELVE
Danny Fenton
I'm legit so close to actually screaming from sheer excitement. I hope that Tadashi realizes that even admitting there's a possibility of ghosts is opening something huge with me. Even the others (aside from Fred who is very enthusiastic of reading my research papers about ghosts and theoretical papers but he doesn't get it) don't really consider the possibility of ghosts- sure Honey Lemon admits maybe it's possible, but it's pretty clear she's only saying that to spare my feelings and Wasabi is just downright horrified at the mention of ghosts. None of them are really ones I can talk to, in depth, about my project and my passion and know it's going to be a two-way conversation.
Hiro is someone I can talk to, to a degree, but he's still just a kid and I can't really get into the gritty details about ghosts and death with him. But with Tadashi… Tadashi is someone I can really converse about it with, professionally, without arguing now, and hopefully we can get the ball rolling. Maybe he'll even be able to help me with the paper. I'm just so psyched about this. Totally and utterly psyched.
But first, breakfast. I strut into the Lucky Cat Cafe, knowing full well that Tadashi won't be there. Despite it being such an unholy hour of the morning, I know for a fact that Tadashi is already there getting to work. Like me, he works almost constantly. Which is why I just have to get us breakfast. Or rather get him breakfast. I will be more than content with just a drink to give me a perk in my step. For a moment, I think it's a rather good thing that the drink has a high dose of caffeine rather than just a high dose of sugar. I don't think I want to get a sugar rush anytime soon- again anyway.
The cafe is a bit empty this early and I suspect that she probably just now opened since she's just lingering behind the counter cleaning the top of it. She's humming a bit to herself and dancing to a song only she can hear. She seems to be really into it, enough that she doesn't even notice that I'm here. Amused, I give a large cheeky smirk,
"Good morning Aunt Cass!"
My voice startles her, causing her to jump. She clutches her chest with a feign hurt expression. Well. At least I know where Tadashi gets that from now.
"Danny, you just about gave me a heart attack," she tsks at me, "Just what are you doing here this early? Most young men like sleeping in."
I give her a cheeky grin as I stroll toward the counter.
"You should know by now that I'm not the typical guy, Aunt Cass. And I came here to get my usual drink and whatever Tadashi usually gets for breakfast because we both know that he left here without eating anything again."
I haven't even seen or heard from him today and I know he hasn't eaten breakfast. Tadashi rarely eats breakfast. According to Hiro, he does eat at the cafe every once in a while when he has time, but most of the time he has to leave and ends up eating at the college. Aunt Cass gives me a long, hard suggestive look and I don't like that gleam in her eyes. That gleam is really, really uncomfortable. Like she knows something or is up to something. I shift a bit on my feet and wow is it suddenly a bit warmer in here or is it just me?
"Hmmm," Cass hums, "And just why are you getting Tadsahi breakfast?"
I… My mind goes black. This woman is reverting me back to my old fourteen year old, stuttering self as I flush and stutter over my words, unable to really give her an answer.
"I… Uhh… W-We're w-working… t-together?"
It seems like it's eternity for me to just get that one sentence out. She hums at me with a small knowing smirk, her eyes glistening,
"~Oh is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?"
Oh God. I can feel my face is the same temperature as a furnace at this rate. Aunt Cass laughs at the expression on my face, so hard that I think that she's going to end up crying.
"Oh unclench, Danny," Aunt Cass laughs, "I'm kidding, I promise…."
I have my doubts about that.
I'm practically dancing my way to the lab. Though I think that's partly because I'm still just happy that I got away from Aunt Cass. That woman can be so embarrassing when she wants to be and she's not even my aunt! I almost feel sorry for Tadashi and Hiro.
I burst into the lab with a huge, giddy grin on my face. One arm is carrying all of my notebooks and supplies while the other is balancing a tray of two coffees (both labeled because it'd be pretty dangerous if mine got mixed up with Tadashi's) and a couple of breakfast burritos from the cafe. My eyes scan the room, barely even noticing that I have scared a few people by suddenly bursting in at such an early hour- from the looks of things there's maybe six people in the room total, before I finally spot Tadashi, whose lingering by my lab. Aw. How cute. He was waiting for me. I make a small cute face at him, crinkling my nose a bit. Isn't he just adorable? Lingering around my lab like that, pretending he's just looking around at my stuff, trying not to act like he's waiting for me. Adorable.
I manage to sneak my way up to him as he observes some of the stuff on my work table, his back to me. I wait until he has a stray wrench in his hand with a thoughtful expression before I finally make myself known.
"Hiya, 'Dashi," I greet cheerfully and loudly, causing him to jump as he drops the wrench.
He stumbles in his place, clutching his chest as if I just gave him a heart attack. If looks could kill, I'm sure I'd be dead. He looks so insulted that I did that. I can't help but give him my signature cheeky grin in response. I hold out his breakfast to him, my grin never faltering,
"Dude, chill, I don't mind you looking at some of the stuff as long you don't touch the chemicals or shit. And I come with a peace offering."
Tadashi hesitantly takes the offering, eying it suspiciously. I give him a dry look as he sniffs at the burrito and the bag as if I've spit in it. Fine. If he doesn't want to eat it, he can go hungry then. Carelessly, I plop down in one of the chairs in my station, setting my drink on the table as I bite eagerly into my own breakfast burrito.
I glance to Tadashi to see that he's at least eating the burrito now and seems pretty pleased with it to. Good. Still chewing a bit of my own food with reluctance- the lack of ectoplasm makes it harder for me to digest but damn does it taste good-, I adjust all of my research notebooks relating to ghosts and the portal between my lap and the table, glancing through a few papers here and there to figure out what Tadashi should read first.
I nearly choke on my food from sheer excitement when I find the one that Tadashi just has to read first. My noise causes him to glance at me with a bit of caution and concern as I rapidly tap the notebook.
"This one, here," I shove the notebook into his hands with a giddy expression on my face and my eyes shining, "You have to read this one first."
Tadashi eyes the rest of the many notebooks I have with me, along with actual books, as he cautiously takes the one that's offered to him.
"Are… Are those all for me to read?"
I can almost see him screaming from just his eyes. But I'm too excited to share all of this that I can't even bring myself to care. I am so willing to share all of this with someone, anyone, him. If anything for someone to at least double check my own work for corrections.
"Yep," I chirp happily, "Some are even my parents' personal research notes that started the basis for this whole project. But that particular one will give you the run-down on the Ghost Zone and the science behind ectoplasm, which is the basis for everything involving ghosts. After that, we have a few books and even some of my own notebooks."
"-You do realize that reading just your own notes and your parents may make everything a bit bias," Tadashi points out, "And if I read everything, I'm not really getting a second opinion on anything-"
"-Because you will be the second opinion," I stress, "Tadashi, I really want to talk to someone, talk to you about it because you're the only one I really can talk to. I know you'll have a more open mind to arguments about it and I'm okay with that as long as you don't overdue it and we don't fight. I want someone that I can really converse with about this stuff. Who will challenge my theories, challenge me."
Oh boy. I can't help but let those words come out. I do want someone to challenge me on this stuff, just not be completely against it like Tadashi was before. I need a second opinion whose open to ghosts, but not afraid of challenging my own theories or offer new ones. It doesn't mean we'll argue, but it means we can get everything rolling, exchange things back and forth, talk about death and what it means.
I'm pleading with him by the time I finish talking, looking at him wide eyes and a small pout. He flushes a bit, awkwardly coughing into his elbow before he takes a seat beside me. I let out a small cheer at his acceptance, throwing my arm around his shoulder and bringing him into a tight, sided hug- that's almost causing our chairs to fall as I do so.
"Thanks 'Dashi, you're the best!"
Tadashi gives me a sputtering response, his face still beat red as I continue to hug him. He may or may not have almost choked on a bite of his burrito because of me but I don't have time to dwell on it as our tipping chairs cause us both to fall to the ground in a tumble. I can't help but laugh as we end up the floor, the chairs on top of us and entangled slightly with each other. It's a good thing I didn't accidentally go intangible, but this is just hilarious to me.
Tadashi looks amused as he looks at me,
"…. Can you ever do something without completely wrecking it?"
I give him a cheeky grin as I laugh, filled with confidence as I give him my answer.
"Nope."
The rest of our little 'group' enter the lab later in the morning. So much later that it's barely even considered morning anymore.
To be honest, I barely even notice them all entering since I'm so engaged with Tadashi. We both sit in my section of the lab, our chairs facing each other, exchanging notes, going over blueprints, talking about ghosts, the afterlife, theories, everything. I've been this excited to have just a single conversation with someone in a while. I can even see our auras starting to entwine and mold together like some sort of mosaic or art piece. It's clear to me that Tadashi is pretty engrossed in our conversation as well, not even offering a hello to our friends as his attention is firmly on me. We even continue with our conversation as if it's nothing.
But apparently it's not just nothing. At least not to our friends. From the corner of my eyes, I can see them just standing there gaping at Tadashi and I as if we're aliens. Even GoGo has a bit of surprise on her face as she eyes us, her bubble gum bubble popping.
"...Am I dreaming," I catch Wasabi's voice speak up, "Or are they actually getting along? You guys see it too, right?"
"Yep," GoGo pops the p.
I can see the others are just a bit too stunned to even give a reply, causing me to let out a loud laugh. If I knew that they would react this way to Tadashi and I being civil, maybe I would have tried to be civil sooner just to get this reaction.
"Come on guys," I laugh, "Don't act so shocked. He apologized, I apologized, and we let bygones be bygones. Besides, he may not believe in ghosts but he's open to it and not just tearing me down and I'm not going out of my way to screw him over so we're good."
They all share glances between each other in disbelief as if they think I'm lying. I'm hurt. Wounded. My own friends? I give them a feign hurt expression, putting my hand over my heart,
"You don't believe me?"
"With good reason," Tadashi chimes in, nudging me slightly, "You're a total shit, Danny, and you know it."
Am I little shit? No, of course no- wait, no I can't even lie to myself. Yes. Yes I am a little shit.
