Hey guys! It's been a few weeks since I've updated last, and due to popular demand, I decided to do a bit more of FlynnXDani in this chapter. And a bit of Bronson Gang drama. So this story will close soon, after a bit of Peter's POV. And the question of a sequel still remains, but I think I MIGHT just write a sequel whenever I have time. I MIGHT. Any ideas are welcome to be reviewed or PMed to me.
Also, I might be uploading a Frozen and Rise of the Guardian fanfic soon. Hope you guys will be nice and check it out !
Aaaaand now, my characters have a little something to say.
Flynn: Hey guys! This chapter is totally all about Yours Truly. Me.
Dani: Eh-HEM. And...?
Flynn: My total awesomeness.
Dani: Ok, Flynn. This chapter is also about ME. Hope you guys enjoy all the lovey dovey stuff in it.
Meg: Dani, don't forget the part when Flynn has to—
Dani *covers Meg's mouth*: Don't give it away! They have to read all about it. *smirks* Your reputation is gonna be destroyed after this chapter, Flynn.
Flynn: *rolls eyes* I did it for YOU, Dani. You should be happy.
Meg: Isn't that sweet.
Flynn: Ok, ENOUGH. Geez. Anyway. You guys enjoy this chapter!
Thanks to Sultal, Flying By Wire, Avril Lambert, Guest, Boo, The LonelyMonstersCompanion, Sweetie Gal, and NashGriersDaGuy for their beautiful reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own Disney. I only own Dani Spaaaaaark.
The scars inside are the ones that take the longest to heal.
-Meg
Holli rushed back into St. Peters Memorial Hospital, looking for Meg and Phoebus.
She rushed back to the waiting room and spotted Meg swirling a vanilla milkshake with a red and white striped straw in a plastic Starbucks cup.
"Meg!" Holli rushed over to her.
Meg raised an eyebrow. "What do you want? I thought that after you called me a bitch, you'd probably never talk to me again."
Holli didn't want to apologize, so she said the closest thing a Bronson girl would say to a sorry. "I'm the bitch, Meg."
Meg just stared at Holli for a long while, until it started to become uncomfortable, then she chuckled softly under her breath and wrapped a thin arm around Holli's shoulder. "Love you too."
Holli cocked her head, wiping a wisp of blonde hair out of her eyes. "How's Esme?"
Meg shrugged. "She's gonna be discharged from the hospital this afternoon."
Holli smiled. Then her smile faded. "By the way. Have you turned on the news lately?"
Meg shook her head. "I was here all day. Phoebus went out to grab stuff from Starbucks, and now he's gone shopping for Esme's medication from the pharmacy three blocks away."
Holli grinned. "You won't believe it! Frollo—you know the priest guy that you were talking to?"
"What about him?"
"He committed suicide this afternoon."
Meg's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?"
Holli shook her head. "No! Check out his street. Its overrun by cop cars and people. Apparently, he threw himself into his fireplace."
"For real?"
Holli nodded, proud that she was the one who had attained this information firsthand.
"Esme will be relieved that her attacker's gone."
"Yeah, totally."
"Wanna go grab a milkshake from McDonalds?"
Holli made a face. "Carbs. I don't want to overdo the curves." She ran her hands down her skinny waist, along her wide hips, and down her bare thighs. "I'm on a diet."
Meg rolled her eyes. "You without curves is like Elvis Presley without those damn sideburns."
Holli tilted her head. "Here, I'll take Phoebus's car and go on home, Meg. You stay here and drive Esme home. I'm sure she'll want to talk to you. I'll take Phoebus and go home. We'll plan a surprise party for her. At Bronson. Our usual spot. Text me. I'll meetcha there. Okay?"
Meg sighed. "Yeah, sure. Meetcha there, Holli."
Esme was discharged that afternoon, and she was awfully quiet. Holli had texted Meg that she, Phoebus and Quasi were already at Quasi with balloons and a round of drinks plus a packet of Camel cigarettes.
Excited at the prospect of a nice smoke and a round of alcoholic drinks, Meg had hustled Esme into the car without bothering to even speak to her. As they coasted down the lane towards Bronson, Meg turned and grinned at her. "Heyy, Esme! How are you feeling? Better?"
Esme grunted and turned towards the window.
Meg brushed it off. Everyone was quiet after a hospital trip.
After a few more miles of driving, Meg parallel parked between two cars, right next to Bronson, and Esme raised her eyes from her lap. "We're at Bronson."
"Yeah." Meg opened her car door.
"Stop." Esme stared at Meg. "Close the door."
Meg blinked. "Um. Esme, they're all—"
"Close. The door."
Meg slowly pulled the door shut with a slight clang, and twisted to glance at Esme. "What's wrong, honey?"
Esme was staring at her lap again. "I have liver problems."
Meg did a double take. "I'm sorry?"
"Liver problems. Are you deaf?"
Meg shook her head rapidly. "No. Sorry. I'm just—surprised, that's all." Meg reached for Esme, then quickly pulled away. "Wait. Why do you have the liver problems? Are they...genetic? Or...what?"
"Drinking." Esme inhaled so sharply her sholders heaved like she was suppressing a sob. "The doctor said I'd been guzzling down too much alcohol and I was ruining my lungs by drinking a bottle a day."
Meg laughed nervously. "Aw. Well you're not the only one—"
"I'm the only one who was stupid enough to go to the damn hospital!" Esme hollered.
Meg was taken aback. "Calm down, hon. You fell off a cathedral. People took you to the hospital. It wasn't even your choice."
Esme was glaring. "I'm from the circus, Meg. You know what that means? The only doctor I ever knew was the show's vet. I never had a medical examination, neither did anybody on the show. Not my ma, not Facilier, not nobody."
Meg tried to hide her shock.
"We had baths about once in two weeks or so."
Meg made a face. "Really?"
"It's all we could afford." Esme's face was steely. "Anyways. I never wanted to see a doctor. I mean, Ma said they were unnecessary and their procedures cost too much. I mean, how much did my little visit cost you guys?"
"I mean, we didn't actually spend too much. We paid a little visit to Clopin. Your uncle."
"Clopin?" Esme sputtered. "What did he—I mean did he—did he remember—"
"He paid." Meg left out the part with Holli having to pay Clopin with the bracelet. It was good to keep the good memories and eliminate the bad.
"For the whole thing?" Esme looked surprised. "I'm surprised, he was always such a pennypincher."
"The whole thing." Meg decided to go the lying route.
Esme looked up at her finally. "My lungs are damaged too. Smoking a pack a day."
"That doctor's an asshole, Esme!" Meg reached over to rub Esme's arm sympathetically.
"He knows better than me. He has a damn medical degree, come on!" Esme threw her arms in the air. "Look, take me home. To my apartment."
Meg blinked again, rapidly. "Ohhh, sweetie, no. It's okay in moderation, Esme. Alcohol, I mean."
"No. No, Meg—"
"Phoebus, Quasi, Holli, everyone is waiting. We planned a party—"
"Meg. I can't. Meg, please, just—"
"You have to come!" Meg's voice grew more insistent. "They're expecting—"
"TAKE ME HOME!" Esme screamed.
Meg was shocked into silence as she stared at Esme. Esme was quaking with rage, her balled fists shaking. She curled her hands into the folds of her skirt as she glowered at Meg's face.
"I don't want anything to drink. I don't want cigarettes. I just want to go. Home."
Without a word, Meg stuck the keys into the ignition, started up the clunky old car, pressed her foot onto the gas pedal, and they took off down the street towards Esme's house.
Meg reached Bronson twenty minutes later without the person she was supposed to bring.
"Surprise!" The Bronson Gang chorused as soon as Meg walked in the gate, but they trailed off as she was not accompanied by Esme.
"Where is she?" Phoebus spluttered, nearly dropping the second can of beer he was going to ofer to Esmeralda.
"She's gone home." Meg simply walked over to the brick wall and picked up the can of beer Phoebus had been saving.
"Will she be coming?" Holli demanded.
Meg's answer was quick. "No."
In silence, the Bronson Gang did what they did best as the evening came on: they continued to eat, drink, and attempt to be merry.
If Dani ever says in the future I don't care about her, I'll remind her what I did for her today just to watch her dance like an angel.
-Flynn
"Good morning, Dani."
Sunlight spilled through the window into Flynn's apartment, lighting up Dani's sleepy face. She opened her bright gray eyes to blink at Flynn, like a new daisy in springtime. "Morning, Flynn." Dani yawned and stretched, then collapsed onto Flynn's tight-muscled body. "What day is today? Don't we have school?"
Flynn shook his head. "Nah. The cops are still closing up the 'crime scene.' Which happens to be Disney High. So no school. And today is the 22nd of May."
"The 22nd?" Dani murmured, closing her gray eyes for a second.
"Mmhmm." Flynn turned back into bed, leaning against the headboard to watch the sun sneak upwards, staining the sky a soft rosy pink.
"THE 22ND?!" Dani sprung up so fast, her voice so loud and shrill Flynn almost had a heart attack.
"Yeah! The 22nd!" Flynn twisted around to look at Dani. She looked petrified. "Dani, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Dani slid out of bed and ran to her bags, going through the clothing.
Flynn wasn't convinced. "You sure? What the hell are you doing?"
Dani sank to the ground, repeatedly smacking her forehead. "Flynn. Oh my God. The dance concert. My ballet dance concert. Good grief, Flynn. What have I been doing?"
Flynn grinned. "Loving me."
Dani managed a tiny smile and went through her bag again, sighing with relief when she lifted out a sparkly blue thing. "My leotard. Thank the Lord. I thought I lost this."
Flynn chuckled, rolling out of bed. "When's the concert? I guess I'll have to come, huh?"
Dani leaned over and kissed him. "I know how much you adore ballet, Flynn. But I'd appreciate you coming."
Flynn looked shocked. "Of course I'm coming! I wouldn't stay home while my girlfriend is dressed in a slinky leotard dancing her ass off onstage." He shot Dani a sly glance.
"Idiot," Dani whispered. "I love you." She leaned into him and they kissed.
For the next couple hours, Dani and Flynn watched TV—making out at commercial breaks—went out to eat lunch at Tiana's Place, and took a stroll around the city, buying ice cream from the nearest Carvel and then heading back home in time for Dani to get ready for her concert.
Dani applied mascara and lip gloss very carefully in front of Flynn's mirror. He tried to leaf through a Sports Illustrated magazine, but he couldn't stop himself from staring at Dani's face.
She wasn't ravishingly beautiful, but she had a clean sort of prettiness to her face. Now enhanced with makeup, she looked older, too. Like she was a senior like Flynn. Dani brushed out her hair and pulled it up onto her head in a bun. He saw the white blonde streaks as well as the light brown streaks, coursing through her hair. He wanted to stroke it, wanted to stare into a flashing gray eyes, but instead, forced himself not to kiss her but to walk her out to his car.
Dani, wearing the sparkly blue leotard with a shimmery veil-like thing attached to the back, sat in the passenger side, shaking with excitement. "I love these concerts," she whispered. "They're so fun. Do you still remember Poseidon's dance moves?" she added, teasing Flynn.
Flynn rolled his eyes and turned the car onto a new street. "Sure," he told her. "A few light leaps, here and there, twirl, crash into Dani, get up, and knock the chairs over."
Dani laughed so hard she snorted involuntarily, covering her mouth. "Sorry!"
"It's cute," Flynn assured her, chuckling, as they turned into the parking lot of the Community Center somewhere in the heart of NYC.
They walked inside, and they were met by a wailing Dinitia.
"Miss Dinitia?" Dani looked at her dancemates, who were hovering like hummingbirds around their teacher. "What's wrong?"
"CHANDLER is what's wrong!" Miss Dinitia hollered. "My cousin Chandler? The ballet teacher who lives in Missouri? He broke his foot falling off a ladder last week when he was trying to fix a broken window on his house. That idiot! I told him not to do anything drastic right before the concert and what does he do? He's sitting at home watching ABC family with his foot propped up, with me sweating it out like a pig over here not knowing who the hell to get as a replacement for Poseidon last minute! God! Someone tell me what to do!" Dinitia mopped at her forehead. "I can't very well cancel the concert! Everyone's already here! And Chandler's outfit is right here. Thank goodness I didn't mail it to him."
"We can do the dance without Poseidon," suggested a lanky brunette girl with a thin face.
"The Water God Dance? Without the water god? I hardly like that plan," Dinitia sighed.
"We can just dance around...something else instead. Maybe we can alter the dance!" The brunette went on. "Maybe we can pluck flowers or something and change the routine altogether?"
"Right now?" Dinitia shook her head. "No chance of that."
"Poseidon?" Flynn raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that the part I practiced with you?"
Dinitia looked sharply at him, and suddenly gasped, her face going white. "You're that boy! Dani's friend!" She struggled with trying to remember his name, and then Flynn put her out of her agony. "It's Flynn, Dinitia. Flynn Rider."
Dinitia slapped her knee. "Of course! Sorry, I forgot." She grinned. "You practiced with us once, right? I think once is enough! Can you be our Poseidon today?"
Flynn did a double-take. "Me?"
Dinitia nodded rapidly. "You remember the leaps, right? The leaps, the spin, and just stand there looking proud as the girls dance around you. I'll be cuing you on! Please, Mr. Flynn!"
Flynn shook his head. "I'm here to watch Dani, not flounce around like a three-year-old toddler. Sorry."
"But..." Dinitia looked like a puppy who's bone had been snatched away.
"I agree with—" Flynn glanced at the brunette girl that had suggested they do the dance without Poseidon. "What's your name?"
The girl blushed fire engine red. "Shelby."
"I agree with Shelby." Flynn raised his eyebrows. "Do the dance around a sombrero. Or flowers."
"This isn't Cinco de Mayo or the First of May!" snapped Dinitia, ticked. "I'm begging you, Flynn! Please! No one will even see you—the Poseidon Dance is only about five minutes long. It will be over before you know it."
Flynn looked at Dani's face for a long time. He wanted to make her happy. She shook her head. "Flynn, the choice is yours," she told him. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to! Really!" she glared at Dinitia. "Don't force him! He came to watch, not flounce around, like he said."
Dinitia threw her arms in the air. "The show is a disaster. I can't bear it."
Flynn rolled her eyes, still looking at Dani. "Okay, okay. You know what? I really don't want anyone to see me. But it seems crazy and fun, which is me." Flynn grinned. But if I knock someone over, it ain't my problem." He looked at Dinitia. "Got it?"
"Absolutely!" Dinitia rose. "Ah, your outfit. You wear a blue toga-type thing. And you need a crown! Good gracious, you have to get dressed!"
Flynn headed for the dressing room.
Dani kissed him on the cheek, which made him tingle all over.
"And Mr. Flynn?" Dinitia was holding something up. "Don't forget the tights."
The music started, and Flynn knew he would fail so horribly it was beyond him.
The water nymphs started skipping in circles around him. Dinitia cued in his leap, and he obliged, leaping as high as he could. He was headed straight for Dani.
Oh, shit.
He stopped himself, stumbling on his toes briefly, but bowing graciously, stopping the fall.
Dinitia let out a breath and continued cuing in the other dancers. Dani beamed at him as she twirled around him.
Flynn tugged nervously at his tights, which seemed welded to his frickin' skin. Why he had to wear these he didn't know.
"The twirl! The twirl!" Dinitia was hissing. Oh. Okay. Flynn did the best twirl he knew. But he still lost balance and fell forward. Luckily, as he fell, he caught himself and formed a somersault. He sprang to his feet quickly, burning with humiliation. The audience laughed. They thought it was funny?
They thought it was funny.
Dinitia looked mortified. But Flynn bowed, eating up the praise. He began to back up to his spot, but the dancers had shifted to adjust to his new position in the front, and he crashed into Shelby. He turned around quickly as the audience chuckled at the new humorous part of the dance, and he quickly shook his head and began to walk away, hoping Dani would understand.
He wanted to gear the dance to the girls trying to flirt with him, but him refusing.
Dani understood.
She followed, hands clasped, batting her eyelashes, trying to block his path. He held up a hand and began to turn away. Shelby understood too. She met him halfway, PLEASE written all over her face.
Flynn glanced at the crowd. They were dying of laughter, and Dinitia looked positively delighted at the way things were turning out.
The bomb was when Flynn lifted up both Dani and another girl with red hair up in his arms, and his arm muscles bulged, the other girls posing on either side of him.
The music ended with gusto, and the girls scrambled down to bow. Dani and Shelby each grabbed one of Flynn's hands, and they both bowed.
"That was amazing, Flynn!" Dani gushed as they continued to bow, showered with roses as Dinitia made her regular speech about how she was proud of the dancers for this dance and whatnot.
"Thanks," Flynn grinned at Dani. "I'm just glad the guys weren't here to see me flounce around in tights."
A few sharp whistles and sharp catcalls from the side of the audience made the dancers and Flynn turn around.
Flynn facepalmed as he spotted Gaston and Jim seated in the crowd. Gaston was making "call me" signals at the dancers, and Jim raised a hand in greeting to both Dani and Flynn.
"Nice TIGHTS!" yelled Gaston, his sentence cut in half by a deep laugh.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Flynn couldn't even believe his eyes. The one day he wanted privacy from his friends, and they show up at the exact moment he decided to sqeeze into a pair of tights.
Dani patted his muscly arm as the dancers hurried into the back to change.
Flynn just stood there like an idiot, shaking his head and grinning at his friends. Jim laughed, and Gaston raised his eyebrows.
"I see," Gaston yelled at Flynn with a smirk. "Love those tights too much to change out of 'em, eh, Rider?"
With a classic Flynn Rider eye roll, Flynn hurried off the stage to change back into his clothes.
As soon as he was back in his normal clothes, Dani yanked him through a door marked "Crew Only" into a back alley and kissed him with all she had. "No guy has ever done that for me before," she whispered between kisses. Flynn was more than happy to make out, feeling Dani's full kissable lips against his own, feeling her heart beat through her chest as he pressed the petite blonde to his body, feeling her warmth against his own bare skin. She smelled like oranges, faint sweat and flowers, her usual scent, and he loved all of her.
The only thought that raced through his mind was this:
It was worth it.
Hope you guys liked the bit of DaniXFlynn! I've been dreadfully busy, but now that summer is coming, I'll hopefully update faster and finish up the Crystal Thief! Thanks, everybody, for your support.
The next chapter will probably be Peter's POV. I'm hoping. And Triton Girls? Idk. I'll figure it out as I go along.
3+ reviews and I will update.
Byeeeee you guys!