As soon as Danny left the prison, the weight of what had transpired in Walker's office hit him like a semi to the face. "Holy shit...!" he muttered, running a hand through his hair. What the hell had he been THINKING? He was HITTING on WALKER, of all people! He had practically felt the guy up! And here he had been for the past two years, trying to make himself feel better by convincing himself that he was bisexual instead of gay, and he had just agreed to a rendezvous with WALKER for a LUNCH DATE.
Well, on the bright side, he had his dad's wedding band. Oh yeah; THAT thought made him feel better. Yay for sarcasm.
He flew through the Fenton Portal, transformed, and walked upstairs, where his parents were STILL bickering over the ring. "Hey, Dad," he said, getting his father's attention. When Jack looked up, Danny tossed the ring to him. "It wasnt in the Ghost Zone, it was under the table," he lied smoothly. Jack put the ring back on and grinned at his wife.
"Well, that's that. What's for dinner?"
Implied face-palm, Danny thought to himself.
He didnt feel like dinner, so he stayed up in his room, staring at the badge Walker had given him pensively. He was debating whether or not to indulge in his little evil side and go, or to hide away all Saturday. Tough call. And speaking of calling, he had promised Jazz that he would call tonight. He picked up his cell phone and speed-dialed her number. 'My own therapist,' he thought dryly to himself. It rang a few times before Jazz picked up.
"That you, Danny?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's me," Danny replied. "Jazz...I have a question for you..."
"What's up, little bro?" Danny took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"...What if I told you...that I had a date tomorrow?" Oh yeah, THAT was a clairifying question.
"...I would say, that isnt an odd occurance for someone of your age," Jazz replied. "...Is there something about this date I should know about?"
Danny mentally thanked Jazz for asking questions he wouldnt have answered on his own. "...Um...yeah..." he said, flipping the badge open and closed over and over. "...Um...I'm...kinda having a date...with...a guy..."
Silence.
"...So...you're trying out for the other ballteam, are you?" she asked, keeping code in case someone was listening in from her side. Count on Jazz to think ahead.
"You could say that," Danny replied. "...Only..." He broke off.
"Only what?" Jazz asked. "...Is it someone you actually know?"
"Very well, actually," Danny replied. "...But the thing is, Jazz...I made the...um...date with him...under very weird circumstances..."
"Weird how?" she asked. Danny sighed.
"Like...I dont know...I was...completely HITTING on him out of NOWHERE! I dont know what came over me!"
"Maybe it's because you really like him," Jazz replied after a moment's thought.
"Doubt THAT'S the case," Danny muttered. "The LAST time we met, well, let's just say we didnt end it on a pleasant note."
"...Is he an enemy?"
"You could say that."
"...Ghost or human?"
"Ghost."
"Wow."
"Jazz..."
"Sorry, Danny," Jazz apologized. "So...you hit on one of your ghost enemies out of nowhere, having no idea where it came from, and now you have a date tomorrow. I got that?"
"On the nail," Danny said, flipping the badge open and closed again.
"Um...wow. I mean...wow."
"...You're not helping, Jazz."
"Sorry. Can I ask who it is?"
Danny thought for a moment. "...No," he replied. "No one else knows he's gay, and I promised not to tell anyone."
"...It's not...Plasmius, is it?"
"OH, GOD, NO, JAZZ!" Danny shouted. "That's DISGUSTING!"
"I'm just saying, I think that Vlad might be a little...you know..."
"Fruity in more ways than one?"
"Right."
"Yeah, no, it's not him. And no more guesses, okay? I just need some advice here."
"For the date?"
"Yeah."
"Well...tell me something about him...something that wont give him away."
"...He's...the dominant type," Danny said, feeling his face grow warm. "...But I have a feeling that me might like a challenge."
"So, challenge him."
"...How?"
"Well," Jazz said casually, and Danny had a feeling that this conversation was going to be the basis of a thesis later one, "if you think he might like the challenge, then challenge what's the norm for him. Surprise him. If he's a dom, then dominate him. Or at least try to."
"...Jazz, do you read erotica novels?"
"Ye-NO!" Jazz shouted, and Danny felt both disturbed and amused at the same time. He burst out laughing.
"Thanks, Jazz," he laughed. "I think that you've given me an idea, though." He grinned, feeling a sliver of that evil inside of him resurface. "...A very good idea..."
"...Danny, dont talk like that, you sound...you know..." She paused. "...Like HIM."
"Might as well use my 'creepy' voice for something other than scaring away kids on Halloween," Danny replied. "I'll talk to you later, okay, Jazz?"
"Okay," Jazz replied. "I want to know how the date goes!"
"Why, so you can put it onto erotica novel form?"
"DANNY!"
Danny hung up, still laughing. Damn, he even had his evil future self's evil laugh. It WAS creepy. Still.
He walked over to his closet and rummaged around in it until he found a few things that he would need, and tossed them onto the desk for later. He tucked the badge safely into his drawer and then sat back on his bed for awhile.
"...I've got a date with Walker tomorrow," he said. "...It's official...my life HAS gotten weirder."
Danny couldnt sleep at all; it was eleven-o-clock and he wasnt the least bit tired. Well, he thought bitterly, it was times like this that called for drastic measures. He transformed, flew down the the lab, and through the Portal.
For the past three years, whenever he was feeling to edgy to sleep, or when he had a problem, there was always one person he could talk to for clairification; his own personal Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Clockwork.
He politely knocked at the door and waited a moment until Clockwork opened it with a knowing smile. "Good evening, Daniel," he said, letting the halfa in. Danny walked in and followed the Time Master into the main viewing room, where there was already two seats and a table with things to nibble on waiting. He knew the drill by now; he sat down in his designated seat and picked up a cookie. Shortbread this time. Clockwork sat down across from him and tented his fingers.
"Confused about earlier today?" he asked. Danny nodded, dunking the shortbread into the glass of warm milk. No matter how old he got, he would never grow out of Clockwork's cookies and warm milk. Call him a baby, but NEVER insult the cookies.
"...I was just wondering what came over me," he replied, biting into the cookie. Clockwork smiled.
"It's really quite simple, Daniel," he said. "You were simply indulging in what all ghosts go through at one point or the other here."
"And what's that?" Danny asked, sipping the warm milk.
"You were looking for a mate."
Danny spewed out his milk. Clockwork froze the path of milk before it hit the table and vanished it with a wave of his hand. "Sorry," Danny sputtered, wiping the rest of the milk from his chin. "I was looking for a MATE?" Clockwork nodded.
"It is not an uncommon practice, though it is a primative one," the Time Master said. "Have you not noticed that some of the 'newer' ghosts, such as Ember, have found mates?"
Now that he thought about it, he had noticed. Ember, who had died not long before he became a halfa, had clung to Skulker. Box Ghost and Lunch Lady had indeed gotten together (still, "eww"). Penelope and Bertrum had always been together, and so had Kitty and Johnny 13. Even Sidney Poindexter and Dorathea seemed to be getting along nowadays.
"...Right," Danny replied after a moment. "...So, how do they...you know...choose?" Clockwork tented his fingers again, something Danny recognized as his contemplative habit.
"It's mostly based on compatability," Clockwork replied. "However, the base animal instinct of choosing the strongest, most dominant specimen holds true, more specifically, in your case. I beleive that you chose Walker based on not only compatability in the fact that you are both of the same sexual orientation, but also in that your hormones were subconsciously seeking the dominant male force." He grinned, looking amused. "I'm actually quite surprised that this hasnt happened sooner. I was quite sure that you would begin to exibit urges like this sometime early last year, much like Dan had."
Danny shuddered at the mention of being remotely similar to his evil future self; it was bad enough that he had Dan's build and voice. "...Wait...you mean...HE went through this too?" Clockwork nodded. "Well, how the hell could HE have chosen? NO one was as dominant as him, and everyone HATED him in the Ghost Zone!"
"...That's a story for another time," Clockwork replied. "Until then, I think that you should read a little about Walker before you make your big move tomorrow with what you have planned." He held up his hand and a white manila folder appeared in it. He handed it to Danny. "Though, you are on the right track; Walker DOES enjoy a challenge." He stood up, holding the plate of cookies out to Danny; Danny never could finish all of the cookies before his and Clockwork's 'sessions' ended, so he always ended up taking the plate home. "Oh, and Daniel?"
"Hmm?" Danny asked; he had stuffed another cookie into his mouth.
"...You might want to wait a few months before calling him 'E.J.'. Just a fair warning."
"...'Kay." Danny nodded to Clockwork and flew back home.
What a night.
Danny was just nibbling on his last cookie as he came to an end of whatever was in the folder-which turned out out to be a good bit of information on Walker.
For one, Danny found out that E.J. standed for Ellis Jacoby. Ellis Jacoby Walker. It oddly enough fit, to be honest. He had died at age thirty-four, shot pointe-blank in the chest during...oh. Danny felt slightly sick and guilty. ...A prison riot. Walker had been head of security in a prison before he died.
Danny picked up a picture of Walker when he had been alive. And Danny was not ashamed to admit that Walker had been one very good-looking man. He had green eyes when he was alive, though not as vivid as they were now. He had a handsome-looking face with a strong jawline, and ash-brown-colored hair. It made Danny sad that such a good-looking man had died so young, and so violently.
He rubbed at his eyes; he was getting really tired. He looked at the clock; past midnight. He had to get some sleep. He put all of the information on Walker back into the folder and tucked it safely into his lockbox, then checked to make sure the badge was still safe before tucking himself into bed and closing his eyes.
'...E.J. Yeah, I can see how THAT would cause a few problems...'
Yeah, okay, it's going to be three chapters, but I needed some space for the 'date'. Lolzness.
