::
"Prom?" Andrew paused from where he was writing on the board for his next class, looking back to where Danny was scarfing down everything in sight. He had already finished his lunch and was halfway into picking through Andrew's and oh, hm. Metabolism problems? He would talk to Vlad and Randy, later. "Is that what all the fuss is about around here?"
"Hey, prom is a huge deal!" Danny frowned, halfway through decimating some fried cinnamon apple slices - Randy's attempts to get Danny to eat healthy. It seemed to be working so far, although Andrew wasn't sure how 'healthy' that really was. "Plus, this year they're opening it to seniors and juniors."
"That just seems like an attempt to make more students show up." Finishing the instructions with a flourish, Andrew moved back to his seat, startling when an apple slice was held in front of him. Sighing, he let Danny near shove it into his mouth.
"Maybe, but it's prom, you know? Sam's already planning out which gothic terror dress she's gonna wear and Tuck's been on a crusade to ask every girl in the school. He's getting a lot of offers from the younger years just so they have an excuse to go."
"I won't be surprised if he shows up with a fourteen-year-old dragging him around, then." Andrew could see that rather well, honestly. Tucker was much too soft, and even for his supposed 'skills' with the opposite gender he was quick to help the younger years out of trouble. "Why do people underestimate him, again?"
"They've never seen him hack into government databases and absolutely shred them," Danny smirked, finishing off the last apple slice before flitting over to sit in Andrew's lap. At this point, Andrew was far too used to working around a clingy half ghost. "Plus, you should see him with his cousins. He absolutely dotes on them."
"Cute," Andrew hummed, resting his chin on Danny's head as he pulled out a stack of papers to look over one last time. It wouldn't do to miss a mistake and have a student mercilessly mock him over such a thing. "Prom, then?"
"It's going to be so fun! I think the committee, meaning Paulina, chose some dorky cliche night sky theme. Stars and junk." Ah, that explained why Danny looked so excited.
"You know, if you wished, you could talk to Randy about designing your suit. I'm sure he'd love to make one that has various constellations in it." There was a soft gasp, Andrew working hard to not laugh. "He loves finding different ways to make suits interesting."
"I'm in love." Touseling Danny's hair, Andrew's smile softened at the bright grin he was given in return. "They've been working on it for a few weeks now, but it's this Saturday."
"That soon?" Rather late to start announcing it, but considering this was Amity and most people were concerned with ghost attacks more than anything, it did make sense. "Saturday is the last day of April, isn't it?"
"Yeah, we're gonna be in May, soon," Danny said quietly, Andrew frowning as he tucked the teen closer. "I told you about the Citadel thing, right? My perception of time?"
"Yes, you did, and loathe as I am to admit it, it does make sense. The perception of time is typically born through human culture. Many ghosts don't even hold to hours or minutes. Rather it's… Oh, what did Randy call it." It was the Ghost Zone version of a day, but the word escaped him. "Ah! A shift."
"A shift?" Oh, dear, it looked like it was tutoring time. Andrew would be lying if he said he didn't love it. "Like a work shift?"
"Not quite. A shift is the Ghost Zone's version of a full day and night cycle. I know you can't quite tell, sometimes, but the energy changes between day and night in the Ghost Zone. Not by much, but you recognize it if you live there. A shift is roughly 34 to 36 hours?"
"Really?" Danny startled, looking up to Andrew and staring before kissing his cheek, Andrew raising his eyebrows. "Sorry, felt like I needed to show you affection. Ghost Zone days are longer?"
"Typically," Andrew finally laughed, giving Danny a proper kiss and quickly flicking his tongue at the younger's lower lip. He could still taste the cinnamon. "Mm, the area we live in is slightly different being so close to an active portal like your parent's. The shifts are more synced up to days. Maybe talk to your parents about that?"
"Mm, right, yeah, totally." Danny licked his lips, Andrew drawn in by the motion and pulling the teen into another kiss. "I have class, you know."
"You're late for History all the time," Andrew muttered back, licking his way into Danny's mouth and delighting in the sharp shudder it earned him. "Grover's a prick, anyhow."
"Shut up and keep kissing me." With pleasure.
::
"Yoo-hoo, Andrew!" Damn. It had been so long Andrew thought he had gotten lucky and she had given up.
"Good evening, Doloris. May I help you with anything or would you like to continue your assault on the English language?" The woman snorted a loud laugh as she slapped Andrew's arm, Andrew resisting the urge to do anything violent. Really, though. 'Yoo-hoo.' 'Fiddle faddle.'
"You're just the teacher I wanted to see!" Great. Here comes the request for another committee- "I was so happy to hear that we'll be chaperoning the prom together!"
"We what." No- No? Andrew hadn't signed up to chaperone and besides, he was taking Danny to prom and as great as his powers were, he really could not do long-term clones effectively. "There must be a mistake, Doloris, I didn't sign up-"
"Oh, of course not, dear. I signed you up myself!" This woman was possessed by Spectra's ghost. She had to be. "I just thought, since you're permanent now, you really don't spend much time socially with the other teachers. This will be a great way to crack the ice!"
"You shouldn't have. Really." Could he convince people that Petricoff was a ghostly threat to the students? He probably could. If not, then he would make sure that no one would miss her once she was destroyed. "I'm sorry, but I have plans-"
"Then cancel them!" The nerve- "It's really sad, but it's only you and I who signed up! If there's not at least two teachers to chaperone then the prom will be cancelled for the students." Just as Andrew was ready to snap that the students could go screw themselves, he thought of Danny's beaming smile at the idea of being able to go.
"Fine." They would still be able to see each other at prom, after all, and Andrew could probably sneak away for a few minutes every so often. "Saturday at six, right?"
"Perfect!" The shriek near broke his ears, Andrew glaring as the woman toddled away. Oh, one day he would like to make sure that woman never opened her eyes, again.
::
"Hey, Mr. Riter." Pausing at the hesitant tone, Andrew looked to where Danny was standing beside him, Creative Writing soon to start. "I heard you're chaperoning the prom."
"Unfortunately," Andrew sighed, turning back to the board. "Your science teacher is…" Don't speak ill of co-workers, Andrew, not again. "If there aren't two chaperones than the prom would have been cancelled. Something I found out after she signed me up."
"Oh." That… That didn't sound very good. Looking back, Andrew frowned at seeing Danny looked just fine. "That's good. A lot of people are looking forward to it, after all."
"Yes, I know." Just think of Danny's smiling face and he might get through this. "Did you talk to Randy about the suit?"
"Eh, I think I might not go after all." Wha… What? "I mean, prom's more of a senior thing, right? I have next year to enjoy it. 'Sides, I think Jazz might be visiting from college this Saturday. Way more important than some dance, right?"
"I… I suppose." Wasn't Danny excited for prom? He had near outshone the sun when first talking about it! "Are you certain? The theme might not be the same, next year."
"Win some, lose some," Danny shrugged, heading back to his seat. "Enjoy chaperoning the prom, Mr. Riter." Oh, Andrew had definitely done something wrong, but he wasn't quite sure…
Oh, he was an idiot.
::
"You can't just disguise yourself once you're there and pretend you ran off?" Groaning at the latest suggestion, Andrew shook his head.
"That woman would cancel the whole thing and pull the fire alarm out of pure spite, I'm certain." Perking up at the bowl of fried banana crisps in front of him, Andrew quickly shoved a few in his mouth. "You know you're not supposed to fry fruit, yes?"
"And chocolate was meant to be reserved for royalty," Randy shrugged, kissing at Andrew's temple. It made it very hard to be worried, more so when they were in the kitchen at Liz and Randy was walking around barefoot with a silly pink apron on. "Have you tried talking to Danny about it?"
"You know how he is," Andrew sighed, rubbing at his eyes and near shoving his glasses off his face. "He'd rather see himself suffer than hurt anyone else through his actions."
"That sounds rather familiar." Lips over his made him unable to argue, Andrew near purring at the sweet treat that dissolved onto his tongue as Randy pulled back. "Chocolate-caramel melts. Thoughts?"
"You should start baking more often and feed me some more," Andrew hummed, delighted when he was indulged. "And to think you used to burn everything you baked."
"Cooking and baking are two very different sciences," Randy defended, licking at some chocolate at the corner of Andrew's lips. "So? What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Andrew sighed, defeat making him slump once more. "Even with you there Danny's still not going to be as happy since I won't be there."
"'Even with,'" Randy snorted. Andrew silently admitted that his phrasing could have used some work. He stared sadly up at Randy until the other cracked. "I'll try and think of something. I'll at least get him there so he can try to enjoy himself."
"Thank you." Andrew half wondered if they should talk about this a little more, but he was quickly distracted by more sweet kisses and, really. He couldn't be blamed for getting a tiny bit distracted. They'd have to invite Danny to their next baking session.
::
"I know it's not my best work since it's last minute, but you could at least pretend to smile," Randy mumbled around a mouthful of pins, trying not to laugh at Danny's flush as he straightened and pinned the fabric. "Still upset about Andy?"
"Upset? Why would I be upset?" Randy stabbed him with a pin for that one, the yelp sounding hurt and betrayed. It was nowhere near as bad as Danny's swirling emotions, though. "Alright, so I'm a little upset. I just- I really wanted to spend my prom with both of you. All of us together."
"He'll still be there," Randy said softly, fiddling with one of the seams and taking the last few pins out of his mouth, smiling when Danny's hand ruffled his curls. "I know it won't be the same."
"I should try to act happier, huh? How much has he been doing his worry think towards you?" Mm, a few decades sounded about right. "About the prom, smartass."
"We don't call our significant others smartasses," Randy chastised, turning Danny around to fix the intake. He still wasn't happy with it. "We call them dumbasses. You know, like the both of you are being. Ever heard of communication?"
"I don't want him to feel bad over me feeling bad!" Mm, too late for that. "Raaandy!"
"Daaanny," Randy mimicked, sticking another pin in his mouth. "Hold still, this fabric is pissing me off."
"Then why'd you use it?"
"Breaths well, molds to your form beautifully, and the pattern is out of this world." It took a moment before Danny shifted enough to slap at the top of his head, Randy choking around a laugh.
"Unfair! I'm the only one who can make dorky star puns!" It really was a nice fabric, though. It looked black in bright sunlight, but inside buildings and darkened areas it shone like it contained the night sky itself. Randy had bought up every scrap he could find. "Are you done, yet-"
"Keep asking and I'll make this into a dress, instead." Seeing Danny open his mouth, Randy spun him back around. "A dress for Elle."
"Rude," Danny huffed, Randy tilting his head up and working on the collar. "Randy-"
"I know you're worried, but everything will work out okay." Giving the collar one last tweak, Randy carefully began to help Danny slide and phase out of the clothing, trying to focus to keep all the pins in place. "Have a little faith."
"Faith is the Priest's thing," Danny mumbled, a wave of bitterness lapping at the edges of Randy's awareness. "I was raised by scientists, remember?"
"Right, remind me to change your coffee blend." Snagging a kiss as Danny pouted, Randy hummed quietly, appreciating silently that Danny was in nothing but a pair of boxers. "I'll take care of it."
"Uh huh. You look like you wanna take care of something else, too." Pft. That'd carry a lot more weight if Danny wasn't squirming closer to his touch and arching up for another kiss.
"You know, there's this old phrase I'm recalling about pots and kettles." At the whine, Randy quickly distracted Danny with more kisses, sighing softly between them. How was he going to- Oh. That could work.
::
Randy contently watched from where he was leaning against a wall, human disguise around him as Lancer, Petricoff, and Andrew all chatted to one another. Randy could easily feel Andrew's surprise that quickly morphed into delight, and, really, the trouble he went through was worth it for that alone.
Getting into contact with Lancer hadn't been too bad, but the price to work out had taken a few hours. That man was ruthless as any assassin when it came to his students. Still, Andrew and Danny got to enjoy prom and Lancer now had a permanent substitute for English. All in all, things had worked out great.
They needed this, besides. With Section 13 growing into a bigger threat and Danny recovering from what Spectra had done to him, there needed to be times where they could just relax and indulge in Danny being nothing more or less than a high school teenager. Plus, it was cute to watch their excited smiles as they hid on the edges of the room, Andrew still ghostly and Danny dressed sharp and slick.
Heh, Andrew hadn't even seen the finished design. Randy had made sure he hadn't so Danny could see what he was seeing now. Andrew stared at him, utterly smitten, before he was cupping Danny's cheeks and pressing kisses to every spot he could, Danny quick to giggle and laugh. The bursts of laughter and delight felt like sunlight against his skin, Randy settling even more.
Hopefully no students had seen that, but even if they had Randy doubt anything would come of it. The entire school had to know by now that Andrew and Danny were at least sleeping together.
All in all it had been the perfect job and oh, hello, Randy just felt a spike of something. He couldn't think too much on it as Danny was suddenly in front of him, dragging him towards the dance floor. "I really need to stop doubting you."
"I don't know, a little doubt never hurt anyone." Randy let himself be pulled along, following Andrew's energy to see him entering the gym again, this time as a human teenager. "Why am I being dragged?"
"Because it's not prom without some dancing." With that, Danny tugged Randy into position, looking a little awkward. "I'm not very good at dancing, yet, but Andrew is even worse."
"I'll teach you enough to help him along," Randy winked, spinning Danny around at once and laughing at the burst of delight. "Good prom, then?"
"Well, almost." Danny smirked, leaning up to kiss at the edge of Randy's jaw, Randy knowing he gave a shudder. "You know what teens do after their proms, right?" Oh, fuck yes.
"Mm, I've been out of touch with those things for a while." Randy leaned closer, bumping his forehead with Danny's. "You might have to teach me the basics."
"'S okay," Danny smirked. "I've heard even old dogs can learn new tricks." Cheeky little thing, wasn't he? Randy would be lying if he said he didn't love it. "Thanks, Randy."
"Convincing Lancer wasn't that hard." Randy knew the other was talking about more than just the night, but Randy decided that emotional talks could wait until later. This was a night for fun, bad decisions, and being so human. "I'm going to spin you again. Ready?"
Section 13 loomed closer, but damn if Randy wasn't going to fight to make sure these two would be safe. If that meant doing through ridiculous measures to let them have a prom night full of dancing? Well, Randy had done stupider for these two.
"Ready!" Things would be okay, in the end. Of that, Randy was certain, but for now they had this night of dancing, laughter, and being together. It was all he could wish for.