Just as promised, another chapter! Next update won't be until next Saturday! Hope you enjoy, please review~
~CWA
Edit: Forgot to mention, I do not own nor claim anything Marvel- thus including Captain America/Winter Soldier aka Bucky.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Danny Fenton
When I get back from my shopping trip with Honey Lemon, it's already pretty late. My thigh is still throbbing with a light pain so I take a few pain killers in the hope that it'll help as I plop down on my bed. Several shopping bags lay on the floor beside me- I ended up buying the outfit that I had shown Honey Lemon along with a nice snazzy suit. I know I'll have to put up those clothes eventually- the suit will have to go in the closet for sure so that it doesn't wrinkle. I'm sure Wasabi won't mind me storing just that one suit in there.
Speaking of Wasabi, he should be back soon from his date with Jade and I promised Jazz that I would video call her. I don't want her freaking out like last time. With a groan, I get up from the bed, my leg protesting the movement as the muscle turns stiff, and head to my desk to get my laptop.
The video call gets answered almost the second that I call her causing me to give my sister a dry look as her face appears on the screen.
"Gee, you're not excited to see me, are you?"
"As if," Jazz scoffs, but the look in her eyes tells me otherwise, "I just happened to be at my computer at the time… But I do have some news to tell you. I'm going to go for a conference in Washington in a few weeks, but it's not exactly kid-friendly. So Ellie is going to be staying with my boyfriend-"
"-Woah, wait just a diddly damn second," I cut her off, "Since when do you have a boyfriend? Why haven't I heard about this? How long have you been dating? How much do you trust me to leave my daughter, your niece, with him? Is he safe? Live in a safe neighborhood? What about Cujo-"
"-Danny, chill," Jazz interrupts with an annoyed look, "I've been dating Mr. Barnes since a little bit after you left actually-"
I stop for a second and give her the most befuddled look I can muster, closing and opening my mouth in confusion.
"….You call your boyfriend Mr. Barnes?"
She flushes slightly,
"...He used to be my patient- don't worry, he's perfectly stable. He's just a veteran with some bad memories. His name's actually James Barnes, but according to him, his friends call him Bucky. But she'll be safe with him- you know I wouldn't trust him with her if it wasn't safe…. Cujo can stay invisible so I'm not worried about that...He's a really good guy, Danny, and who knows? Maybe one day you'll actually meet him? But enough about my love life, tell me about yours."
I flush slightly, thinking about the other day and the conversation it led to with Tadashi. The intimacy. The heart to heart. The passion. I scratch the back of my neck a bit uncomfortably.
"It's… It's rough. I haven't officially asked him out and he hasn't really asked me out either, but I know I like him, I'm sure he likes him. I think we're dating in some way or form, but we haven't talked about it. But… I don't know Jazz, I opened up to him. A lot. He doesn't know about me being half ghost, but he does know about Amity and the ghosts and me fighting them- pretty much told him I was secretly a superhero… But not telling him it, doesn't change the facts."
I run my fingers through my hair nervously,
"Jazz, I am half ghost, maybe even half dead. With a daughter to boot. And I actually want to be serious with him, but it was hard enough telling him what I did, how am I supposed to tell him that I even more secrets than that? I can't date him and him not know about my half-dead state or about Ellie. I can't just leave to New York and forget about him because there's no way for me to just get over him. His little brother is practically becoming my brother too and I can feel the bond forming and I-"
I stop suddenly as I lose my words and my mind goes blank. I can't even form any sentences as I just stare blankly at my sister, gaping. She's looking at me with a thoughtful expression that could only mean trouble.
"Telling Tadashi about your status as a half ghost is your problem," she mutters, "I can't do anything about that… But…."
She trails off slightly with a devious grin on her face. I hate that look. That's her I'm totally up to something look. That look got me trapped into the Fenton thermos for days when she tried to help me hunt ghosts. That look gave us the name Ghost Getters. That look is trouble. I pale slightly just at the sight of it.
"Jazz...what are you up to?"
"Absolutely nothing, little brother, so don't worry… But I do know that someone here wants to meet you."
I don't really believe her words- not for a second- but I don't have a chance to question her farther as a familiar face pops into screen. Ellie. Just like before, she's cute as a button and all smiles as she looks at me. The sight of her takes any burdens off my chest. Her eyes light up with excitement as she enthusiastically waves at me,
"Daddy!"
"Hey Princess," I wave at her with a big grin on my face, "Are you enjoying your time over there with Auntie Jazz?"
"Mm-hmm, but I miss you, Daddy," she pouts.
"I miss you too, sweetheart," I coo at her, "But we'll see each other again soon, I promise."
"When," Ellie stresses, "I don't wanna wait!"
"Soon," I answer vaguely, nodding my head up and down, "I swear it. And you know that King Daddies never break a swear."
She lights up at my words, clapping her hands, quite pleased with my swear.
"King Daddy! King Daddy," she giggles, "And I'm the princess!"
"That you are, sweetie," I smile fondly at her, "You're the princess. But even princesses need some sleep. So why don't you head off to bed and Auntie Jazz will be in there in a second to read you a bedtime story."
She pouts and whines a bit at my words, pleading to stay up past her bedtime so she can talk to me. Jazz seems to have none of it, trying to tell Ellie that there's no possible way of her staying up past her bedtime. But when Ellie turns to me with her big, wide, puppy eyes as she pleads, my heart clenches.
"...Okay, you can stay up a little longer," I finally break.
Jazz looks at me with a slightly I can't believe you did that look as she huffs and rolls her eyes. Ellie, however, is screaming from excitement so loudly that Jazz has to cover her ears. I laugh a bit as I see Ellie float a little bit up into the air, clapping happily.
"….She's going to up all night now, you know that right," Jazz says dryly, though I'm barely able to hear her whisper over Ellie's cheers, "...Thanks for that, Danny."
The sound of someone heading toward the dorm door makes me stop for a moment. Even Jazz notices my averted focus and calls my name quietly, asking if everything is alright. But my eyes are focused on the door. I quickly say a quick goodbye, love you to both my sister and daughter before logging off, just as Wasabi enters the room.
I quirk an eyebrow at his slightly disorientated state. It's not unlike him to look so unorganized. His hair is a mess and he's stumbling slightly with a dazed expression on his face. Just as he begins to tip over, I quickly rush over to catch him. He's heavy enough to make me grunt a bit at the weight, but not heavy enough that I have to use my ghostly strength.
"Wasabi," I say hesitantly, "You doin' okay there, dude?"
He mumbles something under his breathe that I don't quite catch. I can't smell any alcohol on his breath, so I wonder why he's so… disoriented. I gently and carefully lead him to his bed,
"Come on, big guy, let's get you to bed…. I thought you were out with Jade?"
"...I was," Wasabi mumbles slightly, "...I… It just ended. She said that I wasn't… that it wasn't..."
He trails off lamely, but it's enough that I know what he means. Jade broke up with him, the poor guy. I know how much he really cared for her and for it to end so suddenly must be a shock to his system. No wonder he's so out of sorts. My heart clenches for him as I help him to his bed. His eyes are still wide from shock and I can hear his heart beating loudly. He looks at me for a moment with wonder before he buries his head in his hands, muttering to himself.
Wasabi is a very… organized person. A person with a schedule. A person who has to keep things in order. For someone to like him, and like that part of him as well, isn't easy to find I imagine. Before Jade, I never really even saw Wasabi so much as look at another person or seem interested in anyone. But then Jade came along. He was happy. He changed a bit too, slowly becoming more spontaneous and trying to let go of his obsessive habits. I swallow thickly when I realize that this may cause him to just become more obsessive and neat as a way of coping.
I can't change him. I can't force him to not be obsessive. But I can do something to help… I give him a small smile and pat his shoulder,
"Hey, I'm going to go down to the cafeteria and get some hot chocolate for us. Then you can tell me all about it- if you want to, that is. Just… stay here and try to calm down, okay?"
He nods numbly with hallow breaths and after one last pat on his shoulder, I head out.
I sip absently at the hot chocolate as I wait for Wasabi to speak. He sits there on his bed, staring into the cup of hot chocolate. He doesn't say a word for the first ten minutes we sit there. The clock ticks by each second as the night moves along. I sit on my own bed, watching him carefully, waiting for him to tell me what's on his mind. He keeps opening and closing his mouth so I know he wants to talk, he just doesn't know what to say.
"...I thought we were doing fine," he finally whispers, "I thought that… I thought that we really may even fall in love eventually, but that's just wishful thinking, isn't it?"
He sighs deeply and I can't help but feel sympathetic to him. Breakups can be pretty rough. I've experienced some rough ones myself. I sigh along with him, stirring my hot chocolate with a disposable spoon I got from the cafeteria. The hot chocolate doesn't taste as good as the ones from Aunt Cass, but I couldn't exactly leave Wasabi alone long enough for me to actually go to the cafe.
"Yeah," I reply back hesitantly, "it is a bit of hopeful thinking, but there's not really anything wrong with that. I mean, that's why we date people, right? To try to find someone we can fall in love with and for some people, that also includes eventually marrying."
Wasabi grumbles a bit bitterly, but I continue.
"...Wanna know something, Wasabi? I've dated lots of people- and I do mean lots-"
Wasabi snorts at that, causing me to briefly make a face at him.
"-But there were a few that I really saw a future with," I wince a bit at the memory, "… People that I really cared about. Even loved some of them. First there was Sam- her real name was Samantha, but calling her that would lead to a combat boot up your ass. She was loud, blunt, honest, fierce, passionate. She was my best friend for years ever since kindergarten if you can believe it. We had a crush on each other for a really long time before we started dating. We dated for a while when we got older, actually, off and on. I even dated this other girl Valerie for a while, but we broke it off when I realized that it wouldn't work. But with Sam…. In the end, when I was sixteen, she cheated on me. You can imagine how that damaged what friendship we could have had afterward."
I chuckle a bit bitterly and watch as Wasabi's attention is glued onto me. It still stings to think about it, but the pain is slowly numbing down.
"...I thought I loved her. I could see us growing up and having a future together because we had known each other for so long. But it wasn't meant to be. I moved on and dated this guy named Dash. He was the football star at our high school- a total jock and had a habit of calling me Fenturd…. He may or may not have used to be a bully to me. Shoved me into lockers, pushed me, beat me up, you name it and he did it. But he did eventually change and by the time that Sam and I broke off, he was actually a good friend of mine. We ended up dating. Just like Sam, I saw a future with him."
My eyes glazed over as I thought about my memories. I could still see it so clearly. Our first kiss under the bleachers. The first date at the movie theaters. The shocked faces on every single A-Listers' face when he announced in the cafeteria that we were dating and if anyone messed with me, they were messing with him too. Paulina even warmed up to me and eventually, we became good friends too. I found out that she had a small crush on Sam for a while- which was funny to think about then and still funny to think about now. Star and I bonded over a love for the stars. Kwan taught me some stuff about football so that I understood the games a bit better. They all agreed to leave the 'nerds' alone and let Valerie back into the group. Kwan and Tucker even became fast friends.
All the fun. All the passion. Everything that I had with Dash comes back to me at once. Even love.
"-I used to wear his jackets when I sat in the bleachers during his football games, cheering him on. For a while, I was even a temporary cheerleader and joined the girls on the field."
I chuckle a bit and Wasabi can't help but chuckle a bit with me. But then as I continue with my story, our laughter dies down.
"-But Dash and I did end up saying that we loved each other. Eventually. But by then, things happened and… there was an accident. He didn't make it. I went to New York with my sister, had a few hookups and didn't really date anyone, and then I came here."
I sigh deeply, running my fingers through my hair. I don't want to explain Amity to Wasabi, not yet. He doesn't need to know that. This discussion is about moving on, not my tragic past. I stand from my bed and head over to Wasabi, sitting down beside him.
"My point is, Wasabi, that shit happens. It always will. But if it's really meant to be, then it'll work out in the end. Got it, big guy?"
"Yeah, I get it," he huffs a bit, but there's a smile tugging on the corner of his face, "….Thanks, Danny. I needed that… And I'm sorry about Dash. Sam. All of them. But you're here with us now and from the looks of things, you're already moving on."
He nudges me with a suggestive look on his face, obviously talking about a certain robotic nerd. I laugh and nudge him back, hard enough that he loses his balance and collapses on the bed as I stand up.
"Yeah, yeah, just get some sleep. I don't want to have to drag your ass to the lab in the morning."
Wasbai was still sleeping when I woke up and I took extra caution in being quiet. I figure after last night, he needs the sleep so I tried to be quite as possible. The poor guy looked so tired out and drained that there was no way I could, in good conscious, wake him up for any reason. Besides, if he woke up then it'd be hard for me to explain why I'm sitting on the end of my bed without any pants on as I examine my thigh.
It's still throbbing lightly, but nearly as bad as it was before. The cut that I had made has healed slightly, but slower than usual. So while Wasabi was sleeping blissfully, I slipped into the communal bathroom (invisible) and cut open my leg once more. Hopefully, now that the pencil (which has apparently been stuck in my leg) is gone and it's stitched up again (correctly), it'll heal a bit better. Though as I walk, it still throbs lightly in pain.
However, I can't help but feel like a million bucks as I enter the lab wearing the new clothes I had gotten with Honey Lemon. The jacket fits like a glove. The vest makes me look slimmer and highlights my toned torso. The black trousers, while they aren't casual, they're not exactly fancy either, fit me well enough that I feel like my ass looks amazing. My over confidence doesn't go unnoticed by GoGo, who looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a small eh I guess shrug before she returns to her work.
I strut all the way to my work area, well aware that a few of the nearby students turn to look at me for a moment with admiration. The second Honey Lemon spots me, however, she lets out a loud cheer.
"Danny," she cries out as she nearly tackles me into a hug, "Look at you! Those clothes look a-mazing on you!"
She fawns and gushes over me, causing me to puff out my chest with pride. Seeing my smug look, GoGo turns her attention toward me once again with a small snort.
"You may want to stop praising him before his head gets any bigger."
"My head is a perfectly reasonable size, thank you very much," I retort, causing her to snort again before she turns her attention away from us.
Honey Lemon giggles a bit at our antics, but doesn't get a chance to give a comment of her own as Tadashi enters the shop. He looks around a bit in amusement with a small smile on his face, taking in Honey Lemon's giggling and GoGo's crinkled nose as she makes a face at me and Honey.
"What's all this about? What'd I miss?"
His eyes reach me, causing him to stop mid-step as he blinks a bit in shock at my appearance. His eyes slowly trail up and down my body, lingering slightly on certain parts of me such as the crouch, chest and arms. I stand up a bit straighter at his staring, wanting to look my best as he takes in every detail of me. Finally, his eyes land on my face as he locks eyes with me. After a second of strangely intense eye contact, Tadashi looks away with a large, deep flush on his face.
"You, uh, look good in that," Tadashi coughs a bit into his elbow as he ignores eye contact with me.
Honey Lemon has a shit-eating grin on her face as if some sort of plan of hers is working. She nudges me slightly as if to say told you he'd like it. I give her a small pointed look that causes her to look away innocently as if she never did or said anything.
"So, I um, wow," Tadashi stutters a bit, pulling at his collar, "it's getting kinda hot in here, isn't it? I guess I'll just go...umm….work in my lab now."
He all but high tails it out of the area as if there's fire nipping at his heels. Even after he's gone, my face is still warm and flushed as my cheeks puff out from embarrassment. Fred, GoGo and Honey Lemon are giving me looks that I'd rather avoid. Shifting on my feet a bit, I pull at the collar of my own shirt,
"I… I should go check up on him."
I nearly run out of there myself into Tadashi's more private lab that's separated from everyone else's. I find him hunched over his desk, his hands gripping the edge rather tightly as he ducks his head low. Even so, I can still see how red his face is as he tries to regain control of his breathing. I cough a bit to get his attention,
"Hey 'Dashi, everything okay?"
He jumps so quickly that for a brief moment, I'm concerned he's going to end up hitting the ceiling. He scrambles to regain his composure as he takes off his cap to run his fingers through his hair. He doesn't look me in the eyes as he shifts a bit on his feet, moving his legs rather awkwardly as he does so.
"Oh, hey Danny… I um… Those clothes are really good on you… Shit. I already said that, didn't I? God, I'm a mess."
He groans a bit and buries his face into his hands in embarrassment. He's so cute when he's like that. I can't help but chuckle a bit as I head over to him, giving him a pat on the back.
"Yeah, yeah you are, but you're a cute mess."
