Chapter 15
Danny sighed as he finished making the bed. When he turned, he almost bumped into Ben, who he hadn't realized was standing there.
"How is your end of our deal going?" Ben asked, smirking at the shorter man dressed in a maid's outfit.
Danny frowned. "You are evil," he muttered as he watched Ben step around him to sit on the newly made bed. "I don't even know how to act around him anymore!"
Ben patted the bed, and Danny sat down beside him. "Just act the same," he advised, watching Danny straighten his skirt. "There's no difference between courting a woman and courting a man except the gender. Just be a little flirtatious, but don't go overboard with the flirting. Be subtle about it. You don't want to come on too strongly."
"I don't do all that well with dating women." Danny sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "You've made me all confused. I always thought I was completely straight, and now I'm having all these weird thoughts about Vlad. Like when I'm lying in bed in his arms, it just - it feels right somehow. Completely different from when I slept with-" He cut himself off and blushed darkly. I've never even told Sam and Tucker about that!
"With?" Ben prodded with a wide smirk.
Danny glanced at Ben then looked away and repeated the actions a few times. What harm could it do? he wondered. "It was this girl named Paulina," he said and pretended to straighten his skirt out again. "It was junior year, and my friends and I snuck into the party she was holding at this really expensive place." He paused to gulp and wipe slightly sweaty hands on his skirt. "My friends got caught and kicked out, but I had slipped away before the popular kids discovered us. Paulina had gotten a little drunk and when I ducked into one of the side rooms to hide, she started coming on to me. This is a girl that I've crushed on since my freshmen year, so an opportunity like that wasn't one I even thought to give up, though I probably should have. I should feel lucky she didn't try to scream rape afterwards. She was the one kissing me and ripping off my clothes." Then again, my being Phantom at the time probably had something to do with it, he thought. "It - It wasn't exactly everything I thought it would be. It was pretty disappointing. I had to think of other things to," he coughed.
"To keep you aroused?" Ben asked, and Danny's blush was the only answer he needed. "And that didn't tip you off?"
"Well," Danny said weakly as he shrugged. "I thought it just meant that I wasn't really all that attracted to her." He glanced at Ben. "I never thought it would be that maybe I liked guys instead."
"I was like that too," Ben said, giving a kind smile as he patted Danny on the head. "The first time I kissed a girl, it seemed so unnatural. So I experimented with other girls, but I kept getting the same results. I thought there was something wrong with me. Every time I made out with a girl, I was always thinking about another guy to keep in the mood. I didn't want to believe I was getting aroused by guys. Then I caved in and experimented with this other guy, and it just felt right, natural, like I was supposed to like guys in that way."
Danny stared down at his hands as he picked dirt from beneath his nails. "Why me?" he wondered out loud then he sighed. "And why does it have to Vlad of all people that makes me feel like this?"
"You don't get much of a choice on who you fall for."
"And," Danny said, turning to stare at Ben. "How are things with Digory?"
Ben looked flustered for a moment then he heaved a sigh. "They're going much better than I thought they would." He ran a hand through his hair as a fond smile played on his lips. "Digory really does seem genuinely interested in me. Well, on our first date, he tried to get a little action. After I told him if he tried anything more than handholding I would kick him in the balls and never speak to him again, he backed off. I didn't think he would. I thought all he was really interested in was having sex with me."
"See what happens when you give people a chance?" Danny asked, grinning.
"Yeah, well, the same could be said about you considering homosexuality," Ben retorted.
"I guess so." Danny sighed as he climbed to his feet. "I should be going now. I thought I would go buy some dinner before Jack and Vlad return from their classes."
"What an obedient little maid Vlad has found for himself." Ben joked and reached into his pocket for his wallet while Danny scowled at him for the comment. "I'll see you around later," he said and handed twenty dollars to Danny.
"See you!" Danny stuffed the money into his shoe before he walked toward the door. With a wave, he left the room. I can't believe I actually told someone about that night with Paulina, Danny thought as he walked down the hallway to his dorm room. When he reached it, he peeled off the maid outfit as he kicked the door shut. He dressed quickly, happy to get out of the maid outfit. No matter how much he wore it, he could never feel comfortable in it.
Once he was changed, Danny grabbed the money he made that day and shoved it into his pocket as he stepped into his tennis shoes. He left the room and headed down the stairs and out the building. What should we have for dinner? Danny wondered, walking around campus. After thinking for a while, Danny decided to pick up some tacos. The nearest taco stand had barely any customers when he arrived. He ordered and paid for the food and left within a matter of minutes.
Carrying the bag of hot food in one hand, Danny headed back to campus. As he walked, he heard a small cry. He paused and glanced around, but he saw nothing. About to take a step, he heard the soft mew again. Out of a nearby bush stepped a kitten with white fur. It had black fur around its bright green eyes and black fur on its feet. It walked up to Danny and rubbed itself against his legs as it mewed again. Danny knelt down and checked for a collar but found nothing around the kitten's neck.
"Are you lost?" Danny asked as he scratched the kitten's ear. He scanned the area. No "missing cat" signs were in sight, and no one else was in the area. "Would you like to come home with me and have some food?"
The kitten looked up at him and mewed.
"I'll take that as a yes." Danny adjusted the bag of food before he scooped the kitten into his arms.
Danny walked back to the dorm while the kitten purred loudly. When he reached his room, he dropped the bag of food onto the table in front of the couch. Carefully, he set the kitten on Vlad's bed before scanning the room.
"Where did I put that little bowl?" Danny asked the empty room.
Then Danny remembered a moment later and retrieved the bowl from a cardboard box set next to the television where he placed all the dishes they had. When he turned around, he found the kitten jumped off the bed and now was trying to climb onto the table. Danny quickly snatched up the bag of food and placed it on a shelf above Vlad's desk, which was too high for the kitten to even try to reach.
Picking up the kitten, Danny placed it on the couch. "Now you stay put," he ordered the kitten. Taking the bowl, Danny left the room and headed down the hallway to the bathroom. Once he filled the bowl with water, he returned to the room where he found the kitten on the desk. It stood on its hind legs, balancing against the wall as it cried. Danny set the bowl down on the table before he walked over to the kitten.
"I thought I told you stay put," Danny scolded the kitten as he picked it up. "I supposed I should get you some kitty food." He walked back to the couch. "I really shouldn't let you have human food." He placed the kitten on the table, and it went for the bowl of water immediately. "Should I give you a name?" Danny wondered out loud as he watched the kitten.
When the door opened, Danny tore his gaze from the kitten. He stared at Vlad, who entered the room, but Vlad's gaze was focused on the little black and white kitten.
"What is that thing doing here?" Vlad said the word "thing" like it was a foul word. As he pointed at the kitten, his face twisted with anger.
The kitten paused in its drinking. It turned to Vlad and opened its mouth to mew then its fur stood on end as its back arched. It released a hiss and back toward the end of the table.
Danny frowned at the kitten's reaction. "I found him when I was coming back from getting food."
"Get rid of it," Vlad ordered. "I hate cats."
"I knew that already," Danny muttered as he picked up the kitten that continued to hiss.
The kitten struggled, not wanting to be held. It twisted in Danny's arms and dug its claws into his skin. Danny yelped then screamed when the kitten kicked with its feet, tearing long scratches down his forearm. He released the kitten, and it dropped onto the floor, landing on all fours. The kitten hissed once more before it scurried toward Jack's bed and hid beneath it.
"This is why I hate cats," Vlad growled as he rushed to Danny's side.
"The kitten was acting fine until you came in." Danny cradled his wounded arm against his chest.
Vlad retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket. "That cat is going once we get this cleaned up." He pried Danny's arm away from his chest and pressed the handkerchief to the bleeding scratches. "Hold that there," he instructed Danny before he went to retrieve the first aid kit that Danny stored away in their closet.
"It's not that bad," Danny said, wincing at the stinging sensation running up his arm.
"Trying to put on a brave face, how cute." Vlad guided the younger man toward the door as he ignored Danny's spluttering. He ushered Danny down the hallway toward the bathroom.
"I don't need you to bandage my wounds."
Vlad paid no attention to Danny's words as he took the wounded arm and forced Danny to hold it out and away from his chest. After grabbing a few paper towels and wetting them in the sink, he dabbed at the bloody mess, carefully cleaning the wounds.
"At least they seem to have mostly stopped bleeding," Vlad noted. He reached into the first aid kit and pulled out some gauze and a roll of bandages. "Even Jack isn't stupid enough to bring a cat into our dorm," he muttered as he laid the gauze over the wounds. Then he wrapped the bandages around Danny's arm.
"Why do you hate cats?" Danny asked then he blinked in surprise that he said it out loud.
Vlad finished with the bandages before he looked up. "Did this not clue you into anything?" he asked, waving Danny's bandaged arm. "I don't like cats because they hate me and attack me."
Danny's mouth dropped open to form an "o" shape, but a lump in his throat prevented him from making a sound. Still holding Danny's hand, Vlad continued to stare Danny in the eye. The nervous, sweaty hands feeling came over Danny as his heart beat rapidly.
Why do I keep feeling like this whenever Vlad stares at me like that? Danny wondered, swallowing the lump. His insides twisted, and he almost jerked away when he noticed Vlad moved slightly closer.
"You've been acting strangely lately," Vlad said as the gap between them grew even smaller.
"No, I haven't," Danny said in a wavering voice.
Hardly any distance was between their bodies now. Vlad seemed to search for something in Danny's eyes. His head tilted forward, but at the last second, he snapped his head back. A strange panic surged through Danny, and his body leapt into action. His free, unwounded hand shot out and caught the back of Vlad's neck, keeping him from moving any farther away. He leaned forward, but in his rush, he banged his head into Vlad's head.
"Ow!" Danny pulled back, rubbing at his forehead.
"What was that?" Vlad demanded, holding his forehead.
"I'm sorry!" Danny fought a blush. I tried to kiss him! He wanted to smack himself for his actions. Now Vlad probably thinks I'm a dork. Hearing a soft chuckle, Danny looked up, and he blinked at the small smile on Vlad's face. "What? What's so funny?"
Vlad shook his head, the smirk never leaving his face. "We should go take care of that cat," he suggested as he closed up the first aid kit. He glanced at Danny and frowned. "And you need to change." He waved a hand at the blood stained shirt that Danny wore.
"Yeah," Danny said lamely, holding his bandaged arm to his chest to hide the stains. He ran his hand over the white cloth encasing his arm as a light blush bloomed on his cheeks. "Um, thanks for bandaging my arm," he murmured.
Vlad stared at Danny then he shook his head again. "You're acting strange again. What's with this nervousness around me?"
Danny gasped softly. Vlad noticed it! But what am I supposed to say? he wondered.
"Are you going to give me an answer?" Vlad asked. When Danny remained silent, Vlad shook his head. "Fine. Don't answer." He picked up the first aid kit and headed for the door of the bathroom.
Then Vlad stopped and turned around. Stepping closer, he cupped Danny's cheek with his hand, and Danny gasped at the touch. He jerked his head, but Vlad's hand held his head still. Lips pressed gently to his own as an arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him flush against Vlad's body.
Vlad's kissing me! Danny's mind screamed. The panic faded from his mind, and his body relaxed. This isn't so bad, he thought as he slowly began to return the kiss. It's not the same as a girl. His lips aren't as soft. But he's a good kisser. When Vlad pulled back, Danny bit his tongue to hold in the whine that tried to escape him.
"That's how you kiss someone," Vlad said, smirking. He turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving behind a very stunned Danny.