Morning came with brilliant fare. Danny stirred in his sleep as the first rays of light cracked through his eyelids and shifted his body as the first rush of sunlight washed over him. He let out a contented murmur from the back of his throat before his eyes fluttered open and took in his surroundings.
His shoulders twitched from the cold wind that brushed against his naked skin, his senses coming awake and realizing his unprotected state. His now disheveled suit was draped about him like so many rags, and easily slid down his form. Absently, he rubbed his hands against his forearms, and blinked away the last dregs of his sleepiness. As his eyes focused on the sky, he felt himself lose his breath in a rush of air.
The view was truly breathtaking. Large, pale stripes of sunlight pierced through a bed of clouds to paint the sky a vivid pink. Overhead large swathes of inky black bearing sparkling stars were giving to navy blue. The entire town of Amity Park was spread out for him to see, twinkling streetlights blinking out in unison, one block at a time, as the first signs of life started making itself known. Birds began chirping overhead, greeting Danny with their beautiful music. Danny's eyes trailed along the path of a butterfly that had caught his attention. When finally it flitted too far away for him to follow any longer, his eyes slid over to the slumbering form of Dash Baxter.
Danny brought himself closer to the larger boy, a soft smile playing on his lips. Last night had been one of – if not the greatest – nights of his life. Looking down at the other boy's profile, sleeping on his side with his back turned to Danny, Danny found it hard to believe where he was. Who could have ever guessed that Dash Baxter would be the one here now, waking up next to him in the morning glow? It was so strange to think back on their history now, everything from the first day they had met, to that time in third grade when they had been forced to sit next to each other all semester, up to even a scant few months ago.
Another updraft blew by, and Danny shivered, burrowing himself under his jacket once more. Dash, likewise, rested underneath a bundle of his white tuxedo, snuggling deeper into their folds in search of warmth. Danny's smile turned into a smirk as he sidled up to the blond. As he drew his hand around Dash's slim waist, the other boy stirred, peeking his head up from where it had been lying on crooked arm. Danny watched as Dash slowly rotated his body around, blinking awake. Danny's smirk bloomed into a full grin then as he took in Dash's sleepy visage. His hair fell about him in loose waves now, framing his face and baby blue eyes. With his carved features and strong jaw, he looked near-angelic against the backdrop of sunlight. A sweet smile blossomed on his face when he took in the sight of Danny watching him.
"Hi," Danny whispered.
"Hi," Dash said throatily. He leaned forward and placed a firm kiss on Danny's lips. Danny welcomed it with fervor. Dash's weight pushed him down on his back as the larger boy edged closer to deepen the kiss. Danny was left panting lightly once they broke apart, his arms still wrapped around Dash's neck from when he'd pulled him in closer.
"Last night was…" Danny started to say.
"Unbelievable," Dash finished for him, leaning in and stealing another kiss. "Last night was…"
"Perfect," Danny whispered against Dash's lips, kissing him again. The two lovers stayed there, content to kiss slowly and take their time. Danny felt a stirring at his crotch as Dash's tongue edged into his mouth. His own tongue lifted up to greet it, and they slowly danced around each other. Danny let out a moan when Dash's tongue darted over to lick at his lower lip. Dash adjusted their positions so as to get more comfortable, and Danny parted his legs to allow him to slot between them. He felt Dash roll his body around so that he was lying flat on his back now with Dash on his haunches above him, their lips never parting, while Dash's hands traversed up his arms until they were finally hand-in-hand.
Their lips moved frantically as Dash pressed his weight down upon Danny. A soft moan escaped from the back of Danny's throat when he felt Dash's cock, heavy and huge brush past his thigh to grind firmly against his own shaft. The pressure of Dash's arms bearing down on Danny's own increased, pinning them to the ground.
Dash pulled away from Danny's lips to target the spot just below his ear, causing Danny to tense, then rear his head back, exposing more skin for Dash to lave attention upon . His fingers curled into the grass and his breath turned ragged as Dash proceeded to drag his hips up against Danny's bonier frame, their cocks sliding together to provide much-needed friction.
Danny threw his head back, breaking the hold Dash's lips had on him, feeling hardly able to handle what he was feeling. Dash slid back down, the tip of his cock dampening the underside of Danny's shaft. Dash paused for a moment, before pushing their dicks together and thrusting up against Danny again, forcing out a guttural sound from the other boy. Dash's breath caught in his throat when he heard it.
The wind blew ever colder through the hilltop, but the two boys hardly noticed it now; their rags had shifted enough so that their upper halves were exposed, but caught up as they were in the heat of the moment, neither seemed to feel any sort of discomfort. Danny bit his lips and arched his spine up against the bulk of Dash's body on top of him; his hands were still being pinned down, and almost gave the impression that the boy was struggling against the pain, but in truth, Danny felt nearly delirious from the waves of pleasure pulsing beneath his skin as Dash breathed hotly into his ear.
Wide, leafy blades of grass curled underneath him, Danny felt as he kept his eyes tightly, cracking them open only when next he sucked in a great gulp of air, to take in the wondrous sight of a pale pink sky overhead him with large wisps of white cloud. He couldn't find the sun, but the angle of his head allowed him to take in the large tree that stood to the side of them, near the precipice of the hill. His eyes slid shut once again when he felt Dash's teeth nip into his shoulder blade.
He turned his head and blindly sought out Dash's lips, settling back down in the grass again only when Dash's mouth met his own in another fervent kiss. He barely had time to brace himself before another shockwave ripped through him as Dash brought their hips together again.
His movements were fierce, strong; not like the way they were during their first days together, exploring each other, feverishly searching out all the places they could touch, moving so fast to get to that place together – Dash moved surely above him now; Danny opened his eyes wide to find ice-blue staring down at him, Dash's jaw locked tight, but a tender smile quirking his lips; Danny felt Dash move against him like they'd known each other forever. His head dipped to gather his earlobe between his teeth and gently nibble on it; though his hips smashed with Danny's own, Dash never lost control of the light grip he had over the sensitive flesh.
Danny's arms went to encircle Dash's broad back, settling for his trimmer mid-rift so that his fingers intertwined together around his lover. Dash stole Danny's lips into another wide-mouthed kiss, their tongues dueling again. Dash's arms were now braced on either side of Danny's frame, but Dash managed to momentarily brush one hand through Danny's thick locks of hair adoringly.
Dash's brow furrowed in renewed concentration as he increased the speed of his thrusts against Danny's slippery skin. Danny's breath came out in broken puffs when his body was jolted up and down by the power behind Dash's drive. Their cocks were drenched slick with their juices mixing together. A bead of sweat broke out from Dash's forehead, rolling down his cheek and collecting at his jawline. Danny felt a spike of lust shoot through him gazing at it.
Dash's eyes had darkened now, and out of his periphery, Danny saw his fingers curl. Almost instantly following, the pace of Dash's grinding increased further. There was a look of intense concentration on Dash's face now as he worked to get the both of them off. Danny pulled his arms away from the blond's back and used them to dig his fingers into the tender flesh of the jock's sizable bicep, matching the passion in Dash's eyes with his own.
"God – Danny—" Dash burst out suddenly. His eyes fluttered closed and he rested his forehead against Danny's. Their fringes were matted down with perspiration. Their breaths melded hot and blew in the space between their mouths before Danny closed the gap between them in a yearning kiss. Dash's lips yielded warm and willing against his, and with one final jab of his dick that pushed Danny's own down and in to the supple skin of his abdomen, then Dash let out a cry before his cock started throbbing and his orgasm hit, sending gush after gush of warm liquid seeping out of the tip and flooding Danny's thighs with its sticky consistency.
The sensation of Dash's discharge coating his flesh sparked Danny's trigger, pushing him over the edge, and with a restrained grunt, Danny canted his hips up, bucking Dash somewhat with the force of his movements, and moaned out his own release. Only once the entirety of his own copious amount had been added to the mix deposited between their bodies did Danny slump down boneless, easily taking the brunt of Dash's weight on top of his own.
Danny had no doubt that there was a stupid, sated smile on his face when his eyes readjusted and the world came back to focus. Dash's features came into sharp view, looking half-ready to fall back asleep. Danny chuckled, and squirmed a little bit, nudging against Dash's frame to remind him of the position they were in. Dash seemed to immediately come back to himself, pulling himself back up using his arms, and rolling over so that Danny finally had space to breathe again. Danny's legs, propped up to keep Dash in place between them, slid down to lie flat on the ground.
The two of them stared up at the sky as they waited for their breathing to get back to normal; now that the sun was up, the sky was painted a light blue with thick white clouds drifting merrily through it. Dash stretched out his limbs and curled nest to Danny, drawing the raven-haired boy's attention and causing him to turn over to his side so that the two of them were looking deep into each other's eyes.
It was a long time before they spoke. The two boys lay there on the grass, feeling the breeze blow by, now warmer than it had been earlier; birds chirped happily from their positions on the large tree over them. Danny and Dash were still nude with their tuxedos piled around them to cover certain regions while leaving the most of their forms bare. The sun shone brightly above them. It was a beautiful day in Amity Park.
"I'm glad you're back," Danny found himself murmuring. There was a sharp prick behind his eyes, and for a second, he was horrified by the possibility of being about to cry.
But then Dash's lips moved into a quick smile, and suddenly it seemed that the sun started shining brighter, lighting up the entire world even further. Dash moved in and gave him a soft, sweet kiss, and everything was alright again.
Dash's arm wrapped around Danny's torso, and they lay like that together, contented. Danny pressed his nose against the hollow of Dash's clavicle and inhaled the trailing scent left over by the expensive cologne Dash had been wearing the night before. With Dash's arms enclosed around him, Danny couldn't help surrendering into the embrace, closing his eyes and sinking into the warmth around him, until he sank into unconsciousness once more.
The familiar ringtone of his cellphone was what finally pierced through the dark fog of Danny's sleep-veiled mind. His eyes flew open and darted over to Dash's peaceful face to make sure the sound hadn't awoken him. Surreptitiously, Danny pawed through the rags of clothing bundled at his waist, until finally he clutched against the familiar weight of his phone. Digging it out, he flipped it over in his hand to peer at the screen. Tucker. Danny pressed the phone to his ear and answered the call. "Hello?" he whispered.
"Dude?" Tucker answered in an equally-hushed tone. "What happened to you last night?"
Danny glanced over to where Dash was resting again, and slowly pulled away from his comforting hold. "Uh, what do you mean?" he questioned self-consciously, pulling up his wrinkled jacket over his bare shoulders.
"We tried to find you guys to say goodbye, and you were like, gone!" Tucker elaborated. "Did you and Sam leave together?"
"Sam?" Danny echoed blankly. "No, I wasn't with Sam."
"Oh," Tucker sighed. "I kind of thought the both of you would kind of … you know," he said. "I guess she must have left with Winston. Who knows, maybe she's still here now."
"Um, where are you now?" Danny voiced.
"At the Amity Park Welcome," Tucker said nonchalantly. "They've got a buffet breakfast all laid out for us, and check this out – most kids aren't even awake yet; everyone's still too hung over. That's why I called you, to see if you were around."
"I'm not," Danny informed. "But why are you still at the Amity Park Welcome?"
"Well, the school paid for accommodation for the night," Tucker said in his ear, his voice now returning to a normal volume. "It would be stupid not to use it."
"'Stupid not to—'" Danny repeated, "Wait, Tucker, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"God, took you long enough to catch on." Danny could definitely hear the undercurrent of excitement running through his friend's voice now. "Dude, last night, Eleanor and I – it totally happened, man!" Tucker whooped, not bothering to lower his voice now. "She's still upstairs sleeping it off, and she said – and I quote – 'we totally have to do that again'!"
Danny couldn't fight off the full-sized grin he bore on his face listening to his friend's rambling. It seemed that Prom Night worked out for the best for everyone.
"Oh man, would you look at this spread," Tucker was smacking his lips on the other end of the line. "Dude, I could totally eat, like, ten horses right now. And a side of eggs at that."
There was a slight pause in the conversation as Danny listened to Tucker load himself up. "So, wait," Tucker said eventually, "what about you? Where did you go last night if you weren't with Sam?"
"Oh…" Danny rubbed at the nape of his neck, drinking in the wild beauty of his surroundings., "nowhere special."
"But you and Sam seemed to be getting so close – and you disappeared so early," Tucker continued; sounding mildly disappointed. "It was totally your night last night, dude – didn't anything happen?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Danny said mischievously, his eyes returning once again to Dash's slumbering form.
There was a beat.
"You wouldn't say that," Tucker parroted; "What's that supposed to mean? Did you – did you meet someone?"
Danny couldn't suppress a slight giggle at the sudden curiosity in Tucker's voice. "I gotta go, Tuck – enjoy your breakfast!"
"Danny, wait!" Tucker protested. "Come on, I told you about my night! Dude—" His voice was cut off abruptly as Danny ended the call and tossed his phone down before curling up next to Dash once more, satisfaction running through him at the thought of being reunited with the other boy.
As he shifted Dash's arms to wrap around him so that he could once more burrow into the welcoming warmth he had been ensconced in, Dash's eyes began to flutter open and he let out a tired huff. Danny gazed up at him with an expectant smile, which Dash returned with a yawn and stretching his arms before returning them to Danny's side.
"I never realized how beautiful this town is," Dash started to say, "until the first time I hiked up here." He adjusted his position to that his arm supported the side of his head as he took in the sight of Amity Park waking up just beyond them. Danny rested his head on the crook of Dash's arm.
"After that, the view never looked as good to me as it did the first time I came up here," he continued, turning to glance at Danny. "Until now." The boys stared at each other. "Now, it's like looking at this place with brand new eyes again."
The two of them drew closer once more and Dash took Danny into his arms again. They lay together, warming up and feeling their hearts beating in time. As Danny felt Dash's legs tangle around his own, he closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. It had been too long for them, too long since he'd felt like this.
His eyes reopened and he felt the questions nagging at him once more, questions about why Dash had pulled away from him, broken off without so much as a word of goodbye. He wanted to ask, wanted Dash's answers to all the questions he didn't dare to ask; instead he leaned in to the other boy's touch, purring when he felt Dash's lips softly press kisses around his jawline and arching his neck when he felt them trace along the shell of his ear.
Danny angled his head to take in another one of Dash's fervent kiss, feeling a shiver run up his spine as he nipped at the soft tissue of Dash's lower lip. The arousal was pooling in his belly once more, and though it was not uncommon for the two of them to resume their amorous activities so soon, Danny found himself pulling away, panting slightly into Dash's mouth.
"Wait, wait," he coaxed, running his arm down Dash's bicep. Dash gave a nonplussed grunt, shifting to attack Danny's tender neck once more. Danny groaned, feeling the edge of Dash's teeth graze against his skin. Finally Dash pulled away, looking flush and adorably messy.
"Couldn't resist," he said in a deliciously husky tone. Danny grinned, despite himself, looking up at the bigger boy. Dash lowered himself down to scoop Danny into his arms again, and this time, Danny found the words spilling out.
"So you're okay then?" he questioned softly, turning his eyes up to take in Dash's sleep-laden gaze. "About … last night?"
Dash stared down at him pensively for a moment, and Danny resisted the urge to squirm.
"I've spent the past four years idolizing Danny Phantom for everything he did," Dash finally stated, pulling away slightly so that he could better take in Danny's face. "Every time a ghost attacked the town and he showed up, I would go home feeling like I could fly – just like him."
There was a wistful smile on his face now, and Danny could tell that he was remembering their trip up to the stars the previous evening; it was the same look Sam and Tucker had on the first few times Danny took them for a ride through the sky.
"And all this time," Dash continued, bringing Danny out of his memories to find the jock staring intensely at him, "all this time I never thought that he might be someone…" he took Danny's hand in his and started running the pad of his thumb on the delicate wrist, "…someone that I cared for."
Danny wanted to be comforted by the words; he wanted to take them and wrap them around himself the way he had Dash's arms wrapped securely around him now; instead he pulled away. "Then why did you—" go, leave, abandon me?
He didn't have to say the words; he could see the change overtake Dash's face as the blond boy heaved a sigh and rolled on to his back, taking in the azure canvas above.
"Wasn't fair," Danny murmured, almost certain that he had said it too softly for the other boy to hear.
"No," Dash's agreement surprised him. "It wasn't fair."
He turned to look at Danny again, who propped himself up on arm expectantly. "Danny," Dash sighed, pulling away again.
"The day after Senior Breakfast, when we were all waiting for your sister's rally," he started, resolutely keeping his eyes fixed on the large tree that loomed over them, "I met with Lancer," he admitted.
Danny knew this of course, but didn't say so; part of him wanted to let Dash continue uninterrupted, let him get it all off his chest; and another part of him wanted to watch him do it, wanted to watch him try to find the words to justify his actions the same way Danny had tried to justify it inside his head all week.
"You remember how Lancer and Connor said that I would have to meet with them to talk about your progress?" Dash prompted, and Danny nodded. "Well, that's what Lancer wanted to talk about; I should have kept him updated more often, I guess – he grew kind of suspicious." At Danny's alarmed look, Dash hurried to clarify, "Not about that – I mean," he let out a frustrated sigh, "he could see that we were becoming … close. And one of the rules of that stupid support group is that we're not supposed to get attached."
That made sense. Danny knew from the conversation he'd overheard between them that Lancer was wary about his, Danny's, influence over Dash.
As if sensing Danny's turmoil, Dash slid over to lean in close to him again and fixed him with a serious stare.
"All my life," he said quietly, "I've had people tell me what it is I'm supposed to do. All I've ever done is follow a blueprint someone else drew up for me, and I've never had reason to question it."
He took Danny's hands and clasped them between his own again. Danny found himself unable to tear himself away from the sincerity that shined in Dash's blue eyes.
"But?" Danny hardly dared to whisper.
"But," Dash repeated, as if it were a confession. Then he leaned in and devoured Danny's mouth in a hungry kiss.
When once they separated again, both sets of lips burning with sensation, Dash lay back on the flat grass as though exhausted. The two of them listened to the song of a lone bird overhead for a few moments, before Dash continued once more.
"When we were at the Nasty Burger that morning," his voice came out thick, "Lancer started saying all these … awful things. Things I couldn't stand to hear. And when I left, I left feeling so …" he met Danny's eyes again, "Empty."
"It wasn't right, Danny, but – I needed space," he said. "Lancer had just told me to start following orders again, and I've never disobeyed before now. I never had a reason to disobey." He shrugged. "Why should I, when he only wants the best for me? He believes in me, way, way more than I believe in myself."
Dash's grip upon his hand tightened, and he licked his lips before continuing, "But I believe in you." A small smile played on the corner of his lips. "Even before last night – I believe in you, and the things that you can do, and," he broke off, suddenly appearing quite shy, "I believe in the things you make me feel for you."
Danny felt his heart swell at the words. No one had ever said that to him before; certainly he knew people believed in him; his parents, for example, were always ready to believe that he was the same shining example Jazz was, unless he gave them reason not to; Jazz always believed that he would be able to pull through the situations life threw his way; and his friends always believed that he would be there; they believed he was their rock. But none of them had ever said it before, not like that.
Dash shifted around so that their faces were suddenly only inches apart. The smile was gone, replaced with one of extreme sadness, and the circles he had been rubbing into Danny's palm with his thumb had gone from bold and vigorous to gentle and slow.
"I used to feel so dead inside," he confided in a faint tone. "Everything became so routine for me, my place in this town – it's like there was just nothing left to look forward to; just another day to count off the calendar. I didn't even know that I'd stopped caring about it all until," his other hand came up to brush Danny's face, "until I had something to look forward to again."
They drew close, and the kiss was sweet, but no less passionate. Danny gripped on to Dash tight, so tight it was as if he was scared of letting go. As their tongues sought out each other, so did their hands, and once more Danny felt his skin come alive.
There was no greater thrill than riding through the air, save one; much as he enjoyed the feel of the wind whistling past his ears and chopping against his skin, Danny found himself thrilling evermore at the whooping sounds of joy that escaped Dash's lips as they soared past the birds. When finally they descended upon the familiar sight of the Baxter residence, Danny had to fight to keep from laughing at the look of wild excitement that adorned the jock's face, coupled with his flushed cheeks and mussed up hair. He safely deposited Dash onto the concrete balcony, then hovered before him in midair.
"What are you going to do now?" Danny asked.
Dash smoothed out his ruffled hairdo and flashed the half-ghost an elated grin. "I was thinking I would sleep some more, but I don't think I could after that."
Danny snickered. Dash would sleep. He wasn't used to flying yet, and his body would be far more exhausted than he realized.
Danny drew in closer, a flirtatious look coming over him. "Last night," he started to say, wanting to get the emotions bubbling inside him out, "last night was—"
Dash leaned over the railing and silenced him with a firm kiss. "Perfect," he concluded, when they parted. Danny swallowed, green eyes still closed, and nodded. Dash gave him another peck on the lips before drawing back.
"Goodnight, Danny," he bade, his voice husky once more. Then he turned around, and giving the half-ghost one last wave goodbye, closed the French doors and disappeared from sight.
Danny let out a long, slow exhale, feeling his bones melt with the outpour. "Goodnight, Dash," he murmured to himself, not giving a thought to the way the sun shone brightly down on him.
He swooped through the air lazily then, his mind playing back images of the previous night. Last night had truly been perfect.
Amity Park was truly a sight to behold in the springtime. Lush green dotted with blooming flowers decorated the city, and now in this time when the town was moving past the budding stages of the season and headfirst into the throes of summertime, Danny found himself appreciating the unique quality of his little town more than ever.
He was strolling the streets casually, enjoying the sights, and there was a dazzling smile that he found he just couldn't keep off his face. Everything seemed different, more alive to him. The bricks and mortar of the various buildings that surrounded him took on new hue, and the happy chatter of the people that surrounded him filled his ears and lifted him up. Truly, he had never felt so free in his life.
He found, to some surprise, that the Nasty Burger was bustling with activity as he passed by, before recalling the significance of the occasion. It was yet another tradition that belonged to the Casper High seniors: it was unofficial declaration that those who energy to spare the day after the Prom would converge at the local hangout, to meet and talk about the night that they had.
It was a sight to see now; peering through the window, Danny could find only couples filling the seats of the diner to capacity, wearing lovelorn gazes in their eyes, holding hands and excitedly showing off their new statuses as a result of that one magical night. He could see Jennifer and Barry over at the counter squabbling over what to order – though, Danny noted with some satisfaction, they never seemed inclined to let go of each other's hand; Mikey was situated to one corner with his own date, casually impressing her by tossing French fries into the air and catching them in his mouth; Kwan and Star were seated in a booth, far away from the rest of the students, sipping on milkshakes while staring devotedly at each other over the rim of their respective glasses with their hands clasped together.
Danny's grin widened when he spotted Sam, Tucker, Winston and Eleanor sharing a booth together. None of them were talking too much, quietly munching on their food – despite Tucker's phone call from the buffet line of the motel earlier, he was still gorging himself on the largest portion of the meal; Eleanor tiredly nursed at her soda, while Sam munched on her veggie burger.
Danny tapped on the window to get their attention, his grin growing ever wider when they caught sight of him. Sam and Tucker began gesticulating wildly to invite him to come in, so he bounded through the doors, waving hello to those who caught his eye, and made his way over.
"Looks like someone's become Mister Popular," Sam teased, making room for him to sit beside her.
"Speaking of which, where's your crown?" Tucker questioned through a mouthful of fries.
Danny self-consciously patted his head, as though checking to see if it was there, then shrugged offhandedly. "Well, it was great for last night, but I don't think it was really 'me'," he declared. "When did you guys get here?"
"Few minutes ago," Sam informed. "Where were you, anyway? We were looking for you last night."
"He won't say," Tucker piped up, cocking his eyebrow. "Apparently he met someone."
Sam turned wide eyes on him. Danny blushed and glared at Tucker, who at least had the grace to look abashed. "No I didn't," he brushed off. Technically it was true – he had met Dash Baxter a long, long time ago. Right now, they were merely getting better acquainted. "Anyway, how did things go?"
"Pretty good for everyone, I'd say," Sam said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it was a pretty chill night," Tucker stated confidently, slinging an arm around Eleanor's shoulders and drawing her in. Sam, in turn, cozied up a little more to her own date. Danny watched with slight amusement. Everything seemed so wonderfully perfect to him today, being in this quaint little town, watching his friends fall in love – it was hard for him to believe that only mere days ago, everything had seemed so hopeless, that he had been trapped on the outside looking in. Now, he couldn't feel more connected to the people he loved, and it was all thanks to Dash.
"I'm going to have to take a shower," Eleanor was complaining. "That stupid motel only had two settings: freezing cold and scalding hot."
"I think I could use one too," Tucker drawled. "What say we take one together?"
Eleanor shoved at him. "Pig," she giggled.
Winston yawned and stretched at Sam's side. "I hate to break up the lovefest, but I'm going to have to get a move on myself if I want to make it home by tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Sam asked. Winston nodded, so they stood up, Danny moving out of the way so that they could slide past.
"I think I'd better go too, lovebug," Eleanor said to Tucker. "I hope you're done eating."
"I'm never done eating," Tucker declared, but pushed the spare bits of food he had yet to devour away to one side all the same and standing up along with her. "What are you up to today, dude?" he asked.
Danny shrugged. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night but he felt nowhere close to tired; there was too much excitement thrumming in his veins for that.
"Well, in that case, Sam and I will probably come over later," Tucker decided, taking Eleanor's hand in his.
"Sounds great," Danny said earnestly. He could use the company, though he was certain he would spend their entire time together dodging questions about whom he'd spent the night with yesterday. Tucker nodded and bade him goodbye, walking Eleanor out the door.
"Man, Fenton, I think you're the only one here who came alone today," he heard a familiar voice say.
"Shut up, Barry," Jennifer snapped, punching his arm with deadly aim. Barry pretended to be bowled over, groaning in mock pain.
"Hey guys," Danny couldn't help grinning at the show.
"Where's your date, sugar?" Jennifer asked, sliding into Tucker and Eleanor's recently vacated spot across from him. "Don't tell me Casper's Most Eligible is all alone?"
Danny snickered, feeling oddly flattered at the attention Jennifer never failed to lavish upon him. Barry seemed completely secure in his girlfriend's flirtatious ways, for he immediately grabbed a spoon and began digging into her ice cream sundae. Jennifer nudged at him, and he stuck his tongue out before dotting the tip of her nose with vanilla.
Danny watched them, feeling content, amused and curious all at the same time. They seemed to fit so easily with one another, almost the way he was with Tucker and Sam, but there was no doubt that their feelings ran deep. He wondered briefly if this was something he would ever get to experience, this camaraderie that seemed so natural to them. Perhaps he could have had that with Sam, but things were so different now – it felt like a lifetime ago since he had entertained thoughts about her in that way, and that day in which they had confronted their feelings, that day in which she chose Winston over him – that day burned bright in his memory, and yet, had now glazed over and grown hazy with time. He realized with a jolt that he couldn't properly point out when his feelings for her had faded away, turned into a relic of a time long past, but there it was; miracle of miracles, his father had been right; he'd discovered other fish in the sea, and the wound had healed.
Rapping his knuckles on the tabletop, he excused himself from the table, leaving the two lovebirds squealing in delight as they tried desperately to paint each other's faces with ice cream. Now delving deep into his introspective mood, Danny walked home.
The sky had grown cloudy outside, and there was a slight chill in the air – a vast difference from the breezy weather of early afternoon, but the skinny boy hardly even noticed.
All this time he had resolutely avoiding exploring his feelings for Dash beyond the superficial level. Dash, who had always been able to invoke some sort of reaction out of him, no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise; Dash, who knew how to push his buttons and rile him up; who had somehow taken all those heavy feelings and turned them into something sweltering that bore down on his shoulders yet left his feet so light. Danny closed his eyes and thought of Dash, and felt a shudder reverberate down his spine.
Once he entered his bedroom and toed off his sneakers, he tossed himself backwards on to his bed and sighed. The memory of Dash's smile called out to him, and though he had only seen the other boy little more than an hour ago, he missed him now with a terrible ache in his heart.
He lay motionless atop his bed for several moments, then frowned; it was far too dark in here. The change in weather was startling. What had once been a nice spring day had quickly turned overcast and now shrouded his room in unseasonable darkness. Danny moved to pull the curtains apart in hopes of gaining a bit more natural light, then froze, his heart stopping at the sight he saw.
The white van had remained motionless since the day it had been parked across the street from the Fenton residence; indeed, Danny had often wondered if there was anyone in there at all or if it had just been part of a clever ruse to keep his family in check; but now he was getting his answer. Danny watched with wide-eyed disbelief, peeking through the edges of his curtains, as the doors to the back of the van swung open and two burly, bald-headed agents who looked almost too big to fit inside stepped out, popping their limbs and straightening their backs before marching off together in the direction that headed into town.
In a flash, Danny turned himself intangible and floated through the barriers of the walls to trail behind them as they ambled through the streets as though they owned the place.
"…waste of time doing this, and for what? Three of our own dead, and no closer to finding an answer," one was saying.
"We have our answer. Showenhower's out there somewhere and if he ever shows his ugly mug in this town, we'll catch him."
"Oh? And what about whatever it was that got O and J over at the old Masters' place then? You can't tell me there's nothing fishy going on there – those two completely unresponsive until the very same night Belgrave was found, and here we are sitting here like ducks. I'm telling you, L – something's not right with this town. I feel it every time we come back here, except now it's getting even worse. Something's going on, but I can't figure out for the life of me what the hell it is."
The two of them continued arguing, going over topics that were familiar to Danny and yet not; they were reiterating events he already knew of, but telling them once more in their own perspective.
"So why is it that we're wasting our time with this again?" the first agent questioned.
"We're not 'wasting our time', we're honoring our fallen comrades!" L replied, agitated. "Now look, you keep your mouth shut around Agent K – he's just looking for an excuse to fight ever since O's death, and you'd better be sure Pelham will be on your back if you give him one. We're all trying to keep this operation going, so keep your head down and do what you're told."
Danny decided to break away from their path then. Their conversation was raising more questions in his mind, and that was the last thing he needed at this point; drifting back to his home, he turned corporeal once more and snatched up his cellphone, quickly typing up a message to Tucker and Sam.
Come over right now – 911.
When they arrived at his doorstep, Danny was quick to usher Tucker and Sam into his room and fill them in on all the details.
"So they both just got out and left?" Sam asked in disbelief.
"That's what I'm saying," Danny confirmed grimly.
"But you didn't even know they were in there in the first place, and they've been staked outside your place for weeks," Tucker pointed out. "Why would they suddenly just up and leave?"
We're not 'wasting our time', we're honoring our fallen comrades, Agent L's voice boomed in his ears. "I think," Danny said slowly, "that the reason they left so suddenly is because they were called somewhere. One of them said something about honoring their fallen – I think he means the two agents who passed away in Amity General."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means they're having a memorial," Danny said decisively. "They're all leaving their stations right now to meet somewhere and honor their dead. Whatever it is they're doing, it means we've finally got the chance we've been waiting for. The van is free, and we can finally take a look at what's going on in there."
"So this is it," Sam echoed nervously. "We're finally going to do it – we're finally going to break into the van?"
"If you still want to," Danny suddenly felt jittery inside. He had been contemplating this for so long, it was hard to believe that it was merely a fluke that this chance had been granted instead of any careful strategizing on their parts.
"We're with you, dude!" Tucker said bravely, but Danny could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He was scared too.
"It's probably nothing," Sam assured, linking her arm with Danny's. "After all this time we've spent psyching ourselves up for it, it's probably going to be another dead end."
"Probably," Danny let out a tense laugh. Steeling himself, he turned intangible once more, this time taking Sam and Tucker through the wall with him until the three of them stood before the white van.
This was it.
Stealing a great big gulp of air, Danny pushed himself forward past the barrier and stepped into the carriage.
The three of them separated, turning tangible once more as they took in their new surroundings. It was incredible; the inside of the van was nothing like what Danny had ever seen before, and bore no resemblance to the barren truck in which he had been shoved into when they'd carted him off to the police station for his interrogation. Instead, this van was lined from one end to the next with dozens of monitors that displayed sharp black and white images – images of FentonWorks and the other houses on the block, of busy roads and deserted streets, and kept flashing to various other areas within a ten-mile radius.
"Wow," Tucker gaped, taking in the sight. He was practically drooling as he sidled up to one wall of monitors. Sam began to concern herself with studying the flashing green buttons all around her that kept emitting beeping noises. "Dude," Tucker said in a reverent tone, fingering an etching on one of the walls that bore an inscription, "this says Photoron 190-X – do you know what that means?"
"No," Danny said truthfully.
"That's one of the fastest cameras in the world!" Tucker gushed excitedly. "It's got a framerate of … I don't even know how fast the framerate goes, that's how good it is!"
"So there are pictures?" Danny asked.
"Probably, unless they're sticking with video feed," Tucker confirmed. "But then, you don't just buy a Photoron 109-X for just video; there has to be some snaps they've taken." He began rummaging around the small compartments that lined the vehicle.
"Careful, Tuck," Sam warned. "We can't afford to have the Guys in White suspect that we were snooping around in here."
Danny pressed himself up close to the monitors, squinting as he tried to discern the little details of the scenes he was seeing; there wasn't much – he could see his bedroom, along with Jazz's, and just the tip of the gigantic blimp that rested on top of the building; he let out a small sigh of relief knowing his family's privacy wasn't being too badly infringed upon.
There was a loud clatter and followed by an even louder bang. Danny gritted his teeth sympathetically while Sam hollered, "Tuck!"
"Sorry – sorry," Tucker apologized meekly, rushing to pick up whatever it was that he had dropped.
"You found pictures?" Danny asked eagerly.
"Er, yeah," Tucker replied. "Hang on, let me just look for some more, I'm sure they must have…" Danny permitted him to go back to rooting around as he returned his attention to scanning the video monitors. How was it that these guys were able to stare at these tiny screens day in and day out? As his eyes drifted from one monitor to the next, he felt his vision shift out of focus.
Tucker cleared his throat, bringing him back to reality. "Uh, Danny," he said weakly, "I think you might want to come take a look at this."
Pushing himself away from the rows of monitors, Danny and Sam went over to see what Tucker had found. Silently, he handed over a glossy black-and-white photograph for Danny's inspection. Danny's eyes roamed over it, and he frowned in confusion. "It's Kwan."
The picture was indeed of Kwan, with his back facing the camera, and only a little bit of his profile visible to the viewer. Of what Danny could see, the Asian boy looked weary but determined, posing outside the Fenton residence with his arm poised upwards and in the midst of snapping his finger. Danny turned perplexed eyes to Tucker. "What's Kwan doing outside my house?"
"I don't know, but look at this one," Tucker passed over another photograph for Danny to see. Sam peered over his shoulder to have a look. Danny frowned as he looked it over. Like the previous picture, this too featured a shot of the Fenton residence, but with one very obvious difference; this picture did not feature Kwan, and provided an unobstructed view of the Fenton household. Danny turned back to Tucker, still not comprehending what he was trying to say.
"Check the timestamp," Tucker instructed, nodding at the picture in his hand. Danny turned back to the photographs, scouring the surface until he found what he wanted. The number at the bottom read 05:24:19. "Now check the other one." Danny held up the previous photograph, and his frown deepened. This one, the image with Kwan on it, read 05:24:18.
"What…?" Danny started to say, but then Tucker pulled the photographs out of his grip.
"Let me paint you a little picture," he stated, heaving up a whole stack of photographs that he'd found hidden in one of the compartments, the tip of his tongue poking out as he spread them out and began to arrange them in sequence one by one. When he was finished, he stepped back and allowed Danny and Sam to move forward to take in his work. A chill began to crawl up Danny's skin as he stared grimly at the pictures laid out for him to see.
"You wondered if whether Kwan might still be possessed by a ghost after he woke up in the hospital," Tucker rasped behind him. "I guess now you have your answer."
Danny found himself unable to reply as he silently took in the images Tucker had splayed out in sequence for him. He had wondered if it was possible, and now here was the answer right before his very eyes.
The pictures laid out in front of him only extended through the space of several seconds, but the story they told was immeasurable. In those few seconds, Danny watched as Kwan strolled casually into frame before turning to face the Fenton household, raising his arm to snap his fingers, and suddenly vanish into thin air, never to be seen again.
Author's Note: Not even gonna lie, I totally got goosebumps writing the ending of this chapter, but that's because I could envision it perfectly in my head. I hope that my descriptions were vivid enough so that you guys could too.
I'm sorry about the long wait in between the last chapter and this one, I knew it would happen so that's why I was rushing to get to the Danny/Dash reunion before taking a break, because I knew that would be the best place for a short hiatus. Now that my exams are over, I'll be able to post more frequently. And, assuming I passed all my subjects this term, I will have finally received (one of) my degrees in Financial Planning, so yes, maybe someday down the line we shall meet each other in real life and I can advise you on such exciting topics as wealth creation, tax minimization, direct investments, managed funds, insurance policies, retirement income streams, will/estate planning and the whole she-bang!
On another note, I have to say, I'm not a fan of OCs because they have always been my weak point in fic writing, but I think I really, really like Jennifer and Barry. If I ever do write my own book, I think I'm going to try and incorporate them somehow, because I think I really love this dynamic these two have. Honestly speaking, if any of you would like to give me some constructive feedback on my OCs, I would really appreciate it, because I'm really not experienced at all in creating original characters, so I'd love the chance to improve on that aspect.
Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll see you next chapter!