Author's Note: I wrote this for my friend chintastic, who drew a fun comic of Danny and Valerie sparring together on Tumblr! You can find it here (replace the DOT with a period): tumblrDOTcom/chintadraws/617124442991198208/i-imagine-maddie-had-danny-take-martial-arts
Sparring Buddies
Valerie threw another punch. Then another. And another. Danny blocked each one.
The small crowd around them gasped and squealed. Valerie smiled to herself, used to having a captive audience. Everyone in the dojo always wanted to watch when Danny and Valerie sparred.
And she couldn't blame them. Danny was an expert fighter just like she was, his Muay Thai moves tangling and dancing with her kickboxing so beautifully. And neither of them ever used protective gear, completely content with feeling the full force of each other's blows.
Not that it was easy to land a hard hit on Danny without being blocked. Valerie had to wonder if Danny was practicing somewhere outside of the dojo to get this good.
He was the first sparring partner she ever had that could actually make her break a sweat.
Danny came in with two quick uppercuts. Valerie swiveled around one and blocked the other. Gasps and whispers from the crowd. He came at her again, fist aimed at her face. Valerie deflected the punch and aimed a kick right into his gut, knocking him backward onto the floor. Danny grunted and clutched his middle, rolling once before lying flat on his back, panting and chuckling as he allowed his limbs to splay in defeat.
The crowd applauded and whooped, a few of the girls bemoaning Danny's defeat. Valerie shook her head and laughed, well aware that there was a strong second reason the two of them fighting usually drew a crowd: No other guy in the dojo looked better shirtless than Danny did.
Valerie walked up to Danny and stood over him with balled fists on her hips. Danny stared up at her, his bare chest and face flushed red, sweat glistening on his skin and clinging to his dark hair.
"Boy, I sure do love kicking your ass," said Valerie, trying not to show just how out of breath she was.
Danny smiled. "I can tell."
The crowd around them dispersed, many going back to their own lessons and sparring sessions. Valerie extended a hand to help Danny up. Danny eyed it warily.
"You're not going to throw me this time, are you?" he asked.
Valerie snickered. "Well, it's no fun if you know I'm gonna do it."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Ugh, fine. No, I won't throw you this time, you big baby."
Danny raised a brow, still not grabbing her hand.
"I promise." Valerie shook her hand in front of his face. "Come on already or you're gonna have to get up on your own."
Danny took hold of her wrist, and Valerie closed her fingers around his as well.
"I'm trusting you," he said with a groan as he used his other hand to push himself off the floor.
"Ruining my fun," Valerie muttered as she pulled him up to his feet.
"Ah, come on. You know you always have fun with me," teased Danny, playfully bumping her with one arm.
"Hmm. True." Valerie bumped him back. "You're the only one who ever gets back up after I beat him down."
She led the way to a bench against the wall where they had earlier placed their towels and water bottles. They collapsed, sighing as they used the towels to mop the sweat off their faces and chests. Valerie then placed her towel in her lap while Danny slung his behind his neck and over his shoulders.
"You ready to call it a day?" asked Valerie after taking a long gulp of water and pulling off her gloves to air them out.
Danny swallowed his own swig of water and let his head fall back against the wall. "No. I need to train myself to fight through the pain."
Valerie raised a brow. "Why would you need to train yourself to do that?"
"Oh. Um." Danny shrugged. "Just a personal goal of mine."
"Hmm." Valerie scrunched her mouth. "You know, you never told me why you took up martial arts."
"Didn't I?" Danny rubbed his neck. "Well, my mom had me take karate lessons when I was a kid, and so I—"
"No, no, I remember you telling me how your mom is a ninth-degree black belt in karate and she made you and Jazz take lessons, too. But I mean, why do you keep doing it even now as an adult?" asked Valerie. "It can't just be out of nostalgia."
Danny looked out at the other sparring students. One boy was knocked onto his back while his partner stood over him. "No," he said eventually. "You're right."
Valerie waited for Danny to say more, but his gaze was distant now.
"I know Dash used to bully you back in high school," said Valerie gently, tentatively. Danny turned his face back to her but did not seem irritated or upset. "I remember how he'd sometimes get all the A-List jocks to join in," she continued.
Danny nodded but did not respond.
"Do you wish you could've been strong enough to fight them?" asked Valerie. "Is that why you're here sparring with me now, because you don't want to be a victim again?"
Danny hummed and looked out at the main dojo floor again. "I sometimes wish I could've done something about him, yeah." He smiled at her, playfully. "Do you think I'd stand a chance against him now?"
"I think you could knock him into next week now," said Valerie, laughing. "But you know you're not supposed to use martial arts for revenge."
Danny's expression became serious. "I would never. This isn't about that, really." He looked down at his hands, curling them into fists. "I just…want to be able to protect myself and people I care about."
"Protect them from what?" asked Valerie. "People like Dash? Or something else?"
Danny said nothing, staring out at the floor. Valerie sensed that there was something he wasn't telling her.
"One more round?" asked Danny suddenly, rising to his feet.
Valerie blinked and stayed seated. "Right now?"
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"You're not gonna ask me why I keep up my fighting skills?"
Danny shrugged. "I already know."
Valerie tried to hide her panic. There was no way he knew about her secret part-time job as a ghost hunter, right? "You do?" she asked nervously.
"Uh—oh." Danny looked down at her, also appearing a little nervous before flashing a smile. "I mean, yeah, of course I do. To kick my ass, obviously."
He laughed. Valerie joined in, her frayed nerves smoothing over.
"But, uh…" Danny lowered himself onto the bench again. "I'm guessing that's not the only reason, is it?"
"It's a big reason," said Valerie, "but no, not the only one."
Danny waited, looking at her expectantly.
"Well, I'm not just gonna tell you!" Valerie squeezed his shoulder and shook it. "It's a secret."
"But I told you mine," said Danny with a small whine.
"No, you didn't," said Valerie. "There's something else you're not telling me, another much bigger reason why you come here and spar with me every week."
"N-No, there's not."
"Yes, there is. Don't lie to me."
"Well, maybe I just want to see you," said Danny with a coy smile.
"Cute." Valerie rolled her eyes. "But you're not here just to flirt with me either. Plus I've seen you checking out the other girls here."
Danny reddened. "I do not."
"It's fine." Valerie waved a dismissive hand. "They're all checking you out, too."
"I'm pretty sure it's you they're looking at, not me."
"You're the one not wearing a shirt, buddy."
"But your muscles are bigger than mine."
"That's because I actually lift weights." Valerie held up her bare arm and flexed a biceps muscle. "What do you do when you go to the gym?"
"I lift weights, too," insisted Danny, pressing his flexed biceps next to hers. "See?"
Valerie laughed and lowered her arm. "So are you really saying you work out and come here just to get my attention?"
"Would that be a problem?"
He tilted his head and flashed a winning smile, adorable and sweet, strands of hair still damp with sweat sticking to his forehead and over his ears.
"Tell you what." Valerie patted his cheek. "I'll tell you my real reason I keep fighting when you tell me yours." She started putting her gloves back on. "Since there's definitely something you're hiding."
"You really think you can read me that well?" asked Danny, smiling as he adjusted the wrap on his hands.
"Like a book." Valerie snapped her gloves into place and stood. "Now are you up to getting your ass kicked one more time today?"
"You betcha," said Danny, still sitting on the bench as he rolled his neck and shoulders.
Valerie held out a hand to help him stand. Danny stared at it before looking up at her with a cocked brow.
"I'm not going to throw you, jeez," huffed Valerie.
"But you want to." Danny hopped to his feet on his own. "I can see it in your eyes."
"Our fans love when I do it," said Valerie, gesturing to a group of onlookers that were already gathered to watch their next sparring match.
Danny clapped a hand on Valerie's shoulder. "Let's give them a great show, then."
Valerie started reaching for Danny's hand with her own.
"Without throwing me," laughed Danny, pulling his hand away before she could grab it.
Valerie mock pouted. "Why do you keep ruining my fun?"
Danny smirked and crossed his arms. "You can always find plenty of other ways to have fun with me."
Valerie returned the smirk before leading the way to the middle of the dojo. Students and onlookers began chattering in anticipation of another epic sparring match.
Oh, yes. She always had tons of fun with Danny.