Haha oops, I may or may not have forgotten to post this. Sorry about that! As promised though, it's a much lighter chapter than the last few, a bit more in line with the status quo mood of the fic as a whole.

Not much to warn for here. Just a brief but potentially squicky description of an injury, and also a vague-ish implication of a make-out between teenagers getting slightly heated if that kind of thing bugs you.

"Ugh, I'm starting to get real sick of you showing up!"

It wouldn't have been a Tuesday morning without at least one ghost attack, and, of course, it had to be Skulker. He still possessed his upgraded suit, so seeing Wes's "fighting alone" permissions had been revoked for him in particular, all Wes could do was dodge and wait for Danny to show up.

Which the Halfa found lousy, because all the suit really meant was that he couldn't shock him. All his other abilities were still fair game, and with him getting better at controlling his physical output without hurting himself, it wasn't as if Wes didn't have any effective techniques at close range. All he really had to do was stagger Skulker and distract him long enough to suck him into his thermos.

It wasn't fair for Danny to keep telling him who he could and couldn't fight. And frankly, it was starting to get annoying.

Luckily, it wasn't much longer before Danny himself showed up, making quick work of the invading ghost. With Wes serving as a bright and colorful diversion, there wasn't even a fight.

"Well, that was easy," said Danny, twisting the cap of his thermos. "With how quick that was, the bathroom break excuse might even be convincing this time."

He changed back, but just as he turned to leave, Wes grabbed his arm.

"I challenge you to a spar."

"...Huh?"

Now that he had Danny's attention, Wes let him go. "Last time we had one, I proved I could hold my own in a fight, didn't I? Skulker of all ghosts shouldn't be an exception."

"Wes, we've been over this," Danny groaned with a roll of his eyes. "Your powers only make him stronger as long as he has that suit, and you don't have anything else that can take him out."

"Only my electricity," Wes argued, "and only if I try to shock or sap him. The rest of my powers still work on him."

"Wes–"

"No! You can't keep telling me I can handle myself, and then taking it back! Believe it or not, I can actually do things other than run around like a human strobe light, and I think it's about time you recognize that."

"I never said you couldn't!"

"You have before!" Wes threw his hands up. "Skulker isn't even the only one you banned me from fighting! Just because the Lunch Lady almost accidentally killed me one time doesn't mean I'm gonna have a reaction every time she shows up, and the only reason you let me fight Vlad at all before was because you hate him! I can take care of myself, and I'm gonna prove it to you, once and for all!"

"Right now?"

It was Wes's turn to groan. "Of course not! After school, you know where. No holds barred. And just to prove a point I won't even try to shock you."

Danny scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You have no idea what you're asking for, Wes." He rose to his full height, his eyes now just about level with Wes's nose. "But fine, if you really think you've got what it takes. There's ghosts out there even I can't take on alone, even with all the experience I've got. You obviously think you've got everything figured out, so we'll see how you do when I don't hold back."

Wes sneered. "Good."

"Good."

With that, Danny finally left, returning to his class across campus. Wes, meanwhile, went to his own much closer classroom, resuming taking notes as his teacher briefly acknowledged his return.

He was probably making a mistake, he knew. Danny was leagues above him in almost every capacity, even more so with Wes giving himself a handicap. But despite all of Danny's bluster, Wes knew he wouldn't take the fight entirely seriously. Just enough to put Wes in his place, probably, but not enough to do any lasting harm.

Wes was counting on that. That would probably be his only shot.

({O})

Danny and Wes arrived at the clearing together, having barely said a word between them. The sun haloed the treetops, having not yet committed to setting, basking the two in a warm, orange glow.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Danny asked one last time. "I know you've got something to prove, but you will be getting your butt handed to you. There's still time to back out."

Wes snorted. "I'll back out once I hear you say, 'sorry Wes, I was wrong and you were right.'"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I know I'm not wrong. I'm not sure how you expect me to lose when you're the one who said you wouldn't even use your electricity."

"I didn't say that," Wes corrected him. "I just said I wouldn't shock you. If you won't let me fight Skulker of all ghosts because you think that's all I'm good at, then that just means I have to beat you without it."

"I don't think that, actually. But hey, it's your funeral," Danny shrugged.

He sure was eager to delay the spar. That either meant Wes had this in the bag, or he was utterly screwed.

The two transformed, taking a few cautious steps back from each other. Their eyes met, ectoplasmic green against resolute rust.

"You ready?" Danny called.

"I was born ready."

And then Danny did something he never dared to do in the heart of Amity Park.

He exerted the full force of his ghostly pressure, buffeting Wes with the sheer power of his will. Color and heat were sucked away from their surroundings in an instant, so thoroughly that Wes at first thought he'd blacked out. His legs gave out from under him, simultaneously paralyzed with fear and weak like jelly.

He swore he was frozen stiff.

Danny lunged, not letting up on his emotional onslaught for even a second. Wes found that he wasn't frozen after all, and moved just in time to duck out of the way of a punch that displaced so much air, he was almost certain the attack would have beheaded him if it had landed.

Okay, so utterly screwed it was!

Wes scrambled backwards, preferring to put more space between himself and Danny before he could choose to make another devastating attack. But Danny clearly didn't want to give him any breathing room, pivoting on a dime and raising one boot-clad heel.

A flash of cyan in his gaze was the only warning Wes got before that foot came down, a massive wave of jagged ice rapidly advancing from the point of impact.

Wes took to the sky, hoping to outpace the wicked sharp stalagmites. Their points extended faster than he anticipated, forcing him to weave out of the way of those that threatened to skewer him.

So focused was he on avoiding the encroaching ice, he didn't realize Danny was above him until it was too late, flying face-first into his waiting fist.

Wes was sent straight back to the ground, thankfully away from the ice structure, tree branches snapping in his wake. He didn't stop until he struck the trunk of one of the many trees, nearly cleaving it in two.

It took him a moment to get up, groaning as he caressed the shoulder that took the brunt of the impact.

Oh. He was pretty sure collarbones weren't supposed to be shaped like that.

He couldn't afford to dawdle. Danny had landed behind him, and Wes didn't want to wait around to see whether he was checking on him or attacking.

Bracing himself for the pain he knew would come, he tugged, pulling his shoulder back into place. It made an ugly sound as it went, but the pain, though throbbing and hot, was oddly far away.

It had been much the same, when Johnny nearly took his jaw out on his first patrol. Wes once again chalked it up to ghostly malleability.

Danny was closer than Wes thought he'd be upon turning around. But nothing had come of it, with Danny having stopped to pull a face at the readjustment.

"Okay, gross, I didn't need to see that," he moaned.

Wes curled a fist, proving that the appendage miraculously wasn't useless, and threw a punch straight to the chin. Distracted though Danny was, he still managed to lean out of the way. But Wes refused to let up, throwing blow after blow in the hopes of keeping his opponent unbalanced. Danny dodged every last one, fists grazing but never landing true.

Finally, he remembered the powers he had in his arsenal, extending his hand with a wave of force. Wes was unceremoniously thrown backwards, catching himself about ten feet away.

"...Okay. So that's how we're playing it."

Wes reached, giving a sharp mental tug. Danny jerked forwards and lost his footing, but Wes didn't give him the chance to fall, pulling as hard as his core could muster.

Danny dug his heels into the dirt, resisting the invisible tractor beam Wes had caught him in. Slowly but surely, the distance between them was shrinking, both of them gritting their teeth with effort.

Danny threw a blast of ectoplasm at Wes's feet, forcing him to break his concentration to dodge. Danny staggered as Wes's hold released, but then he surged forwards, hands tangling in Wes's jersey as he shoved him against the base of his still-present ice sculpture.

Wes fought back a pained shout, wincing as the freezing cold wall burned his back. He prodded at it, unable to phase through and away from Danny's grip. Not that he needed to, as Danny freed a hand himself, reeling back in preparation to smash Wes's head against the ice.

Wes acted fast. He formed his tail, the appendage reaching up to snare Danny's wrist and pull. Danny leaned away to counterbalance, and Wes took his chance to lunge, turning the tables as he bodily grabbed Danny's torso. His tail let go so that it could instead constrict Danny's legs, squeezing tighter and tighter until he had no choice but to fall. But still Wes squeezed, threatening to crush Danny beneath him.

Danny raised his free arm, bringing his elbow down harshly on Wes's shoulder. The injured one, unfortunately. Wes shrieked, and Danny repeated the attack, this time against his temple.

Wes's grip loosened, and Danny took the chance to escape, flinging a disk of energy back as he retreated. Reeling as he was, Wes couldn't move out of the way quickly enough, taking the hit directly to his side.

Danny didn't press the attack. Instead, he waited, choosing to make sure Wes wasn't that much worse for wear.

He'd hoped to overwhelm Wes from the get-go, namely to get the fight over with quickly. Wes was only getting cockier by the day, and Danny needed to show him why getting cocky was a bad idea when ghosts were involved.

Still, while he knew Wes could take a beating, he didn't exactly want to maul the guy. Attacking the shoulder was a cheap move and he knew it, though he'd clearly underestimated how badly he'd hurt it. Danny could only hope he hadn't overdone it.

He knew he had no reason to worry, however, when Wes rose to his "feet," raising his head to level Danny with a determined red glare. His tail vibrated against the ground like a snake's rattle, his aura prickling with unshed power.

"C'mon, is that all you've got?" he hissed.

Danny found himself grinning. Say what you would about Wes, but the guy was stubborn.

"You don't want everything I've got," Danny warned.

Wes's eyes narrowed. "Try me."

Danny charged, but Wes was ready for him, sailing overhead and wrapping the tip of his tail around Danny's head. The more experienced Halfa scrambled to remove it, but Wes didn't give him a chance to. He kept flying, then released, sending Danny spinning. The same appendage then swept his legs out from under him, toppling him.

"Oof!" Danny blinked the stars away, then caught Wes's ankle just before the heel of his sneaker could make contact with Danny's stomach, hair flying wildly as his momentum was abruptly halted.

Danny smirked, ice creeping out from between enclosed fingers to climb up Wes's leg. Refusing to be turned into a half-human popsicle, Wes pulled, removing himself from Danny's grip, almost unbalancing as his now-heavier foot threw him off. He scowled, giving the ground a firm stomp and letting the ice fall away in broken shards.

Danny took the moment of distraction to lunge, fist glowing a radiant green as he prepared to attack. But Wes wasn't as distracted as he'd hoped, swerving out of the way just in time. He retaliated by sinking his fangs into Danny's extended arm.

"Yeowch!" Danny yelped, easily shaking him off. Wes hadn't gotten deep, not wanting to severely wound Danny with a stronger bite, but enough harm was done that he was still left spitting ectoplasm onto the ground. He bared his bloodied teeth, a warning that his jaws were not to be trifled with.

Danny scoffed, the corner of his mouth lifting as he exposed his own teeth in a lopsided smile. "Are we playing dirty now? Alright, fine. I'll play."

Once again, his aura raged, threatening to smother Wes with his intent. This time, Wes stood his ground, gnashing his teeth as he resisted the veritable avalanche that was Danny's core. He was in way over his head, overpowered and outmatched, but he persevered, refusing to back down without putting up a fight.

So a fight Danny would give him.

He inhaled, the frigid atmosphere locally distorting with the power contained within it. Wes could feel the change, raw, concentrated energy building at its epicenter. Surely Danny wouldn't be charging up a Ghostly Wail in the middle of a spar.

He wasn't about to find out. He sucked in a breath of his own, and screamed, a loud, shrill, eardrum-throbbing whistle.

The Wail caught in Danny's throat as he recoiled, covering his ears to block out what he was certain was supposed to be a fire alarm. But, as fire alarms were wont to do, the maddening cacophony easily pierced the meager protection his hands provided.

Spotting a prime opportunity to attack, Wes darted in close, aura spiking as he focused his energy into a powerful kick. It landed, striking Danny in the shin.

"Gah!" Danny's leg buckled, but he maintained a float so as not to fall, using the side of his arm to block a follow-up sweeping kick to the face. To his surprise, Wes almost broke through his guard.

Almost, but not quite. He countered with a swift kick of his own, too fast for Wes to even dream of mustering a defense. Not giving him time to recover, he released the remaining dregs of his half-formed Wail, more of a shout than an actual cry. Still, it was enough to send Wes flying backwards, limbs flailing as he tried and failed to correct his posture.

Danny didn't let him find his balance. He fired blast after blast, several missing their mark, but most connecting with their moving target. Though individually weak, their concentrated numbers threatened to overwhelm Wes, compelling him to dive underground to avoid the remaining onslaught.

Predicting he would attempt a sneak attack, Danny spun around, his guess proving correct as Wes emerged with a readied fist. He was instead met with a fist of his own, Danny embedding an uppercut straight to his gut.

In that moment, Wes knew he'd lost.

The force of the blow had him coughing up spit, with Danny only pressing his advantage with a flurry of attacks. It was a miracle Wes even remained standing, putting up a weak defense in the hope of softening at least a few of the blows. But he was off-kilter, unsteady, so it wasn't long before his guard broke completely, one last punch sending him collapsing.

But Danny didn't let him fall. He snagged Wes by the jersey, shoving him up against a tree. The trunk all but exploded in a spray of ice behind him, almost completely encasing it, but leaving Wes himself untouched.

Wes was left gasping, both short of breath and shivering. He felt around behind himself, hoping for a way out, but there was no chance of phasing away with the tree frozen solid. Even the ground beneath him had frosted over from the ambient chill alone. And yet, he himself remained fully thawed, if uncomfortably chilly.

It was an impressive display of control that Wes genuinely had no idea Danny possessed.

It was clear that Danny had won. Really, it had been clear from the start. But now it was more obvious than ever, with Wes admittedly quite exhausted despite having spent very little of his charge. He was black and green all over with a smattering of bruises and minor burns, his clothing frayed in areas where he'd been struck by ectoblasts. Ectoplasm beaded from a busted lip, with a lighter smudge across his cheek where Danny's knuckles had smeared it.

He was clearly beaten. Which was why he was surprised to notice Danny still scrutinizing him with such intensity, as if he expected the fight to continue. Frigid steam hissed from between his teeth with each breath, his eyes shining almost turquoise with the vivid blue light they produced. His hair waved lazily in the air, at odds with the crisp breeze that caressed it. He sported a few bruises of his own, but not nearly so numerous as to be mistaken as anything other than trivial.

Wes gulped, not sure if it was the cold or the anticipation that was making him shiver. Danny's stare was making him nervous.

He'd won. He'd won. So why did he look as if there was any chance of Wes fighting back? Was there an opening somewhere that Danny expected him to take advantage of? Or did he just want to watch Wes squirm? Was he rubbing in his victory? What was he thinking, and why could Wes feel his heart in his throat when Danny hadn't so much as said a word?

And then Danny did the last thing he expected.

He crushed his lips against Wes's, tugging him closer to do so. Wes gasped at the sensation of cold breath and warm lips, bracing himself against Danny's shoulders.

He couldn't remember what Danny had taught him. His mind should have been racing a mile a minute, but instead it screeched to a halt, leaving nothing behind but an odd mix of confusion and pure instinct. He found himself returning the impromptu kiss, hands cradling Danny's cheeks.

If Wes's technique was sloppy, Danny didn't seem to mind, one arm slinging across Wes's shoulders while his other hand gripped the back of Wes's head to deepen the kiss. Wes tilted his head, delighting in the way such a small gesture somehow made it all the sweeter.

Danny broke the kiss to breathe, and Wes chased after him, firm but chaste. Danny made a quiet noise in the back of his throat; of protest or pleasure, Wes wasn't sure. But the sound of it made his heart, already quick with unsettled adrenaline, somehow beat even more frantically against his ribcage.

It must have been pleasure, he determined, because Danny didn't stop, pausing only occasionally for air, but never more than a hair's breadth away. If anything, he only grew more eager, holding Wes tighter, closer. Wes himself couldn't help but match that frenetic energy, fingers digging into the hairs at the nape of Danny's neck while his thumbs rubbed against his shave.

Wes realized he'd been backed into the tree again when Danny braced his knee against it, but he didn't even notice the cold. All he knew was the tang of citrus, the bristly-smooth texture of short hair, and, more vaguely, the earthy smell of thawing frost.

A tongue dabbed at his lower lip, and sparks danced behind his eyelids.

Though, judging by a startled shout and a sudden lack of pressure, he guessed that wasn't the only place the sparks went.

His eyes flew open, and he spotted Danny, who'd retreated a couple paces in his surprise. He had his fingertips to his lips, confirming Wes's suspicions. He was green in the face, greener than Wes had ever seen him. He almost looked ill, if Wes didn't know that he'd be red instead if he was human.

Ancients, he probably looked about the same.

Wes touched his own lip, still not certain he hadn't dreamed the entire thing. "Did... Did I just...?"

Suddenly Danny laughed, breathless. "...Um. If you zapped me, does that mean I win?"

Oh, he'd won well before that and he knew it.

But he hadn't finished. "We have got to stop doing this."

The fuzz hadn't completely vacated Wes's brain yet. He blinked, struggling to figure out what Danny meant. "Doing what?"

Danny loosely gestured at him with one hand. "Beating the crap out of each other and then kissing about it."

"Why?"

The question surprised Danny. "I... I don't know. Because beating each other up shouldn't become a habit?"

"I mean the other part."

"The other part?"

"The kissing!" Wes blurted. "This whole time I thought you didn't like me back, but you keep kissing me! You did it just now, you did it in my room, and you even did it after we beat Vortex! We keep pretending like it didn't happen, but it keeps happening, and I don't know why!"

Danny's brows furrowed. "Are you... mad at me?"

"I'm confused!" Wes threw his hands up. "Why do you keep starting it if you aren't interested? And if you are, why haven't you said anything? We can't keep acting like this is a friend thing, because obviously it isn't!"

Danny opened his mouth, and then closed it. The longer he stayed silent, the more puzzled his expression became.

"...I... haven't really thought about it," he lied.

Wes groaned, running his hands down his face. "Ugh, Tucker was right."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't know, okay? I'm not used to people liking me when they don't want something from me, so I don't know if I'm just doing what I think I'm supposed to do, or if I actually do like you back. And you're in the closet, so even if I did like you it isn't like we can do anything about it.

"All I know," he went on, "is that whatever way I like you is... different from how I like other people. It's not the same as it is with Paulina, or even Valerie. And I don't know if that's because we're guys, or if it's actually just different, so I guess I'm just doing whatever I feel like doing and hoping something clicks."

'...Then let's figure it out," said Wes.

"...What?"

"Whatever your deal is," Wes elaborated. "You don't know how you feel, just that you like kissing me? I guess? So instead of assuming I don't wanna do anything just because I don't necessarily want other people to know, because apparently this wouldn't even be a problem if I wasn't interested, let's, I don't know, see what all the fuss is about."

"...Really? I mean, are you sure?"

Wes rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm not, but still. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of not knowing what we are. Even if we don't know what that is yet, at the very least I'd like it if we could hold hands or whatever and not pretend it means something it doesn't."

Danny frowned, the expression pensive more than bothered. "You've... thought about this a lot, haven't you."

Wes gave him a Look.

"You're right, stupid question. But... Yeah. You do kind of have a point. I won't know what's going on with me if I don't actually try. As long as you're actually okay with it, I mean." Danny hummed, pursing his lips. "Aren't you scared, though? I obviously don't care about maybe getting caught, but you do."

"We just won't get caught," said Wes.

"What about Sam and Tucker?" Danny asked. "Even if we keep quiet, they're probably gonna catch on."

"They already did," Wes replied, crossing his arms. "A couple weeks ago Tucker wouldn't stop bugging me to go on a date with you, if you'd believe that."

Danny laughed. "Oh, I'd absolutely believe that. It would definitely explain why he kept disappearing with you. I'd thought it was a lot of running around just to get birthday gift advice from him."

Suddenly, his expression changed, going from amused, to alarmed realization. "I never let you finish what you were trying to tell me!"

Wes blinked, then pursed his lips as he remembered what Danny was referring to. He waved Danny off, glancing away. "Nah, it wasn't that important."

"That's not what it sounded like," Danny protested. "Not to be all 'where's my gift' or whatever, but you did say there was more, and you looked pretty excited about it. And then nothing really happened. So come on, spill."

Wes huffed, muttering something Danny couldn't catch.

"What?"

"I was gonna show you the meteor shower," Wes repeated, barely raising his voice.

"I... Oh. Oh, so that's why Sam gave me the spare ticket."

Wes looked up. "She did?"

He was convinced she wasn't serious about that.

But Danny was nodding. "She said it wasn't just her idea, and that I should be able to choose who I go with instead of her insisting she should go with me. I didn't realize she meant you. So, I mean... if you wanted to come..."

Wes held up a hand, shaking his head. "Nah, keep the ticket. I was thinking of something better than an observatory, anyway. Uh, not related, but how high up can we fly before it gets dangerous?"

It was funny, how Danny's eyes lit up like their own little supernovas. "We can survive space for at least a couple hours, maybe longer if we're intangible for most of it. Why?"

Oh, that was an even better answer than Wes expected. "Wanna see how close we can get?"

Danny grinned. "You know I do."

gays kissing. gays promising to kiss more later. you agree

Nearly 180k into the fic and they're only just now starting to really acknowledge their mutual infatuation. And they STILL aren't even technically together. I wasn't messing around when I said this would burn slow I guess 😂

Well. I have officially eaten up my entire buffer. I'm not sure when I'll upload the next one because uh, well... it's over 10k words in and still not done. I'm not even sure if I'll be breaking it up into two or three chapters. It's at least close-ish to being done, but not so close that I know how many words it'll be or when I'll end up updating lmao

So, guess I'll see you when I see you!