A Break Pt 5
It was a typical afternoon for her shift at the Nasty Burger. Valerie, having seen very few ghosts causing a ruckus that weren't being handled by Danny Phantom, found her days slow. Although, she was partially grateful as it gave her more free time to get some much needed relief. As she took an order, her thoughts were on what she heard happen at the mall today.
"Who'd be willing to work with Phantom, anyway? Those superheroes from Metroville, some girl with blue hair seen in those weird martial arts tournaments online, and those monsters from Bellwood? Are they starting their own team because the Avengers and Justice League rejected them?" She asks herself seriously before being given a tray of food and seeing the number. "Number 4, your order is ready." She called out.
Danny then left the table and went to the counter to get his order.
"Thank you, Valerie." Danny said.
Valerie was about to speak to him before she saw the large group of people who were here with him and raised a brow.
She saw a family of four who were dressed in a conservative manner as if from the 60's, with slacks as pants. She saw three people, a brunette, a redhead and a raven-hair sitting close. She saw a girl in a Japanese sailor school uniform with a headband sitting with a girl dressed in a more regal and wealthy appearance by comparison with her hair done in a similar manner. She saw a blonde with her hair shaped like cat ears and a turquoise-colored haired girl with her, both dressed like they too go to school in Japan. She saw a strawberry blonde in a blue dress with Mary-Jane shoes sitting with a tall man with tan her, hair as white as Phantom's, and dark clothes, along with a notable scowl.
"Uh...Danny...I know you're a great guy but since when did you make so many new friends?" Valerie asked.
"Oh, you can thank the dating service..." Danny said as he went to rejoin them.
Valerie stared at this before getting tapped on the shoulder.
"We're gonna need you to help carry this one." Her co-worker told her.
As Danny headed to join everyone, he noticed someone at the corner.
He saw Marinette sitting there, eating her grilled cheese sandwich.
"Hmm...this tastes way better than I thought...not sure why they call themselves nasty?" She asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Typo caused by theft. Also… Marinette?" Danny asked.
Marinette saw him and smiled.
"Hi Danny. I figured I'd see you around here..." She waved.
"I see you're taking a day off here, with the service being down for the day." Danny said.
"Actually…" Marinette went with an awkward look on her face.
"Actually?" Danny went.
"I had to end it yesterday. Not because I hated all of them since our date, but I'm heading home. Our plane leaves tomorrow morning, so we need to take the train tonight." Marinette explained.
"Oh…" Danny said, sounding a bit down to learn she's going home so soon.
"But… if you'd like. My train leaves tonight at 7. Maybe we can… talk before then?" Marinette suggests.
"Sure." Danny said with a smile before taking a step back. "Well, my friends are waiting for me, gotta go."
"Right. Later." Marinette said, waving to him as he joined the rest.
Danny noticed all of them were watching as he spoke with her as he arrived.
"Who was that cutie?" Ben asks with a smile, getting elbowed by Gwen. "What?" Ben laughed. "It's not like I was gonna ask her out or anything."
"Marinette, date number 6." Danny said before looking around and deciding to speak more after sitting down. "She knows my secret, be tee dubs."
"She does?" Sakura asks.
"For a guy with a secret, you got an entire group who knows it, and I'm starting to think we're not even half of the ones who don't want to kill you." Bob pointed out.
"Well… from what happened when I met Pe- uh… a guy who found out, is that it helps to know people who know. It helps me feel less… alone, I guess? I mean, I have friends and a sister who are in the know… but it helps to know a good few people who get what I go through." Danny said.
"That's fair." Helen said with a nod.
"See? I told you he's a great guy." Violet said with her arms crossed and looking happy to be proven right.
"Okay… I'm sorry I was so judgmental. After that Tony kid broke your heart, can you blame me for being so protective?" Bob asks in a defeated tone.
"Considering you guys spied on me and figured out who he was from what you found out who I teamed up with… yes." Violet said in a disapproving tone.
As that went on, Hikari took a large bite of her burger, which was a 4 patty with onions between two buns, and hummed in delight.
"It's not liver, but the meat is good enough. And the onions are perfect…" She gushed before noticing Yuki had a small salad. "Yuki? You're not eating a burger?" She asks.
"I was here for lunch. So, I decided on something smaller." Yuki said with a small smile.
"Beats what Kula ordered…" K' was heard groaning as he saw what was coming to their table.
Valerie and two of her co-workers were carrying about 9 large cups with straws before bringing them to Kula on her small table.
"Oh boy!" Kula went.
"Here you are… 9 large shakes, 3 for each flavors." One of them said to her.
"Yipee!" Kula went as she pulled off a straw and lid, chugging the strawberry shake quickly.
"Use a straw." K' demanded.
"Mmm…" Kula went grumpily before putting the lid back on and started sipping through the straw.
As the rest of the Nasty Burger staff left, Valerie remained behind to ask a question.
"So… are you guys friends of Danny's?" She asks.
"Totally." Ben said.
"Absolutely." Gwen said.
"Speak for yourselves…" K' grumbled, earning a ribbing from Kula for that.
"So… which of you are the dates?" Valerie asks.
Soon, Gwen, Violet, Sakura, Kula and Yuki raised their hands.
"And the girl in the pigtails over there counts too. She's Marinette." Danny pointed to Marinette.
Violet turned her head to see Marinette.
Wow… how is he so popular with girls outside of Amity Park? She thought.
"Oh… cool…" Valerie went, feeling a bit nervous and mildly jealous. "So… I… gotta get back to work. Later." She said with a wave before going.
"Bye." Danny waved back as he ate his burger.
As he did, some began to notice the way Valerie looked at him.
"I take it she's the…" Violet got closer and whispered. "... hunter you dated, whose life you accidentally ruined?"
"That's her." Danny whispered back.
"Huh… another constant in many a hero's lives. Being attracted to one of the bad girls." Bob said with a nod before noticing the disapproving look on his wife's face. "Uh… not me… obviously." He went nervously as if to hide something.
"She's not so much bad as she is… misguided." Danny responded.
"Why not tell her the truth?" Sakura asks.
"Because she's spent so long blaming Danny Phantom, she's at the point where she'll shoot first and ask questions never. Sorry to say, Sakura, the answer doesn't always lie in the heart of battle, and Valerie won't rest until I'm wasted." Danny answered her.
"How do you waste a ghost?" Kevin questioned as he took a bite of his burger.
"So you're the one who told him that? That the answer lies in the heart of battle?" Kula asks, strawberry shake spilling out her mouth.
"Use a napkin." K' said, angrily handing her a napkin to wipe her mouth.
"That's me!" Sakura said, holding up a peace sign. "You can thank Ryu-san for telling me that."
"Weirdest advice ever…" K' said.
"To be fair… that's advice for a friendly martial arts match, not when someone is shooting a laser gun at you." Karin said knowingly as she sipped her unsweet ice tea.
"Huh… that's why you suggested we spar?" Violet asks.
"Pfft… he doesn't need powers to knock you out." Dash snickered as he stuffed his face with fries before Violet smacked him in the back of the head, making him spit his fries out.
"That was more of a joke." Danny responded.
"Hmm… we should probably get you some hand-to-hand practice. It's good to know self-defense anyway." Bob considered.
"Maybe Dash can be my punching bag." Violet muttered as he stuck his tongue at her.
Some of them laughed at this before something caught their attention.
"FENTON!" An angry voice shouted.
"Seriously?!" Danny questioned with an eye roll.
He saw Dash angrily approaching him, along with his fellow jocks and other members of the A-List.
"Oh no… that guy…" Sakura muttered in disappointment.
"You too, huh?" Violet and Yuki questioned.
"What do you want, Dash? I was enjoying my dinner..." Danny said while the entire football team was surrounding them. He also saw Paulina and Star from afar.
"You got a lot of nerve showing your stupid face here after you got us kicked out of that fancy place!" Dash yelled, clearly blaming him.
"How was any of that MY fault?! You were the one who threatened me in public!" Danny argued.
"It's thanks to you that Papa won't convince them to unban us!" Paulina said.
"Again, not my fault you acted that way." Danny responded.
Dash grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
"Shut up, loser!" Dash said, pointing to the other jocks who were here to back him up. "Today's the day, boys! Let's pound him!"
Valerie wanted to step in until Irving stopped her.
"Gray, what are you doing? You gotta go organize storage." He said to keep her from starting a fight.
"Are you kidding me?" Valerie asks indignantly.
"If you wanna get paid, stay out of it. That girl's parents signed a big check as a donation to keep her and her friends from getting caught." He said.
"Really? Paulina's dad? Lemme see that check." Valerie said.
Before Dash could punch Danny, something threw a balled up napkin at him.
"Drop him..." Yuki said.
Yuki and Hikari were standing up from their seats, both of them glaring at Dash.
"Oh look, toothpaste-haired girl is back. And she brought company!" Dash scoffed.
He didn't know he struck a nerve as Hikari decided to mess with him.
"Oh, how tough you are picking on someone weaker than you. Do you also eat your own poop like the filthy pig you are?" Hikari asks.
"Please, I eat more than poop!" Dash went, realizing upon hearing Yuki stifle a laugh that he made a mistake. "Wait… that came out wrong…"
"Put me down, Dash!" Danny demanded.
"Dash? Your name is Dash?" Hikari asks.
"Wanna go out?" Dash asks, trying to sound suave.
"No thanks." Hikari said.
"You sure?" Dash asks, using one arm to flex in front of her.
"For a guy named Dash, you're slow on the intake of how fast you get shot down." Hikari said.
Yuki poorly hid a laugh from that.
"Put him down!" Violet said, getting up and balling her fists.
"So this is the Dash he knows? No wonder he doesn't seem to like my name." Dash Parr said with a disapproving look.
Bob and Helen nodded as they got up.
"Put the boy down." Bob ordered.
Dash was momentarily caught off guard by the much taller man before Ben, Gwen and Kevin stepped in.
"Better listen to him." Ben said.
"Or else you'll deal with more than a few people who want a piece of you." Kevin added.
"What's it going to be?" Gwen asks.
Seeing this altercation, Marinette left her seat to stand beside the rest.
"Don't you hurt him." She said, pointing her finger at Dash Baxter angrily.
"You again?!" Paulina questioned dismissively. "The girl on the same day my ghost boy and that red Dalmatian girl who stole him showed up?"
"Ladybug." Marinette and the entire football team said in unison.
"WHATEVER!" Paulina snapped.
Dash looked cross at seeing so many people standing up for Danny, something that's never happened before.
"When did you get a few babes and some nobodies from out of town to back you up so soon?" Dash questioned.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the ear and pulled with so much force that Dash not only let go of Danny, but got to his knees and cried in pain.
"You never learn, do you?" Sakura asks disapprovingly.
Dash, pulling free, saw who this was and his jaw dropped.
"You?! YOU'RE BACK!" He said, getting up and walking away.
The entire football team suddenly froze in fear, remembering what this girl did to them and with such inhuman skill.
"Ah… common riffraff of the American schools. Athletes with nothing better to do with their time than to mistakenly believe these are the years they peak and not prepare for the future." Karin scoffed.
Before Danny knew it, Kula stood in front of him, raising her arms as if to shield him further.
"Leave Danny alone, you stupid brute!" She said before taking a straw and using it to spit the remaining vanilla ice cream in it at his letterman jacket.
Dash, seeing the stain, became furious as his face turned red with rage.
"Okay… I'll leave Fen-toenail alone… but no one said anything about you!" He said as he stepped back, pulled out a football and threw it at Kula.
A gloved hand caught it as she braced for impact, one that squeezed the ball with such force that it popped.
That was K' who did that, and he dropped it and walked closer to Dash while lowering his sunglasses to glare violently at Dash.
"Try and mess with her and her favorite person in the world again… and that ain't the only thing I'm popping." He growled.
Dash was horrified by what he just saw and could see everyone here was serious in defending Danny. From Bob and Helen glaring, to Kevin pounding a fist into his hand excitedly, to Sakura cracking her knuckles, to Kula crossing her arms while K' snorted out his nostrils.
Even so, he was too stupid and stubborn to back down, even now as his legs felt like their knees disappeared.
"Guys, what are you all waiting for?! Let's show these losers that we-" Dash soon saw that his fellow jocks were all gone. Only a clueless Paulina was left, with not even Star at her side. "What?!"
"Yeah, they all ran away the second Sakura made herself known..." Danny said flatly.
Dash soon realized he was on his own here.
He was outnumbered and about to face the wrath of many, with Sakura and K' being the ones who terrified him the most.
"MOM-MMY!" Dash yelled as he ran out the door, crying as cowardly as possible
The entire restaurant laughed at his expense, save for a visibly mortified Paulina.
"Pathetic..." She said.
"Ms. Sanchez…" Burns approached her, holding the check her father allegedly gave her. "I had someone familiar with your handwriting examine this check…" He held it up. "And she noticed the Z in Sanchez ended with a heart-shaped swirl…"
Paulina flinched, realizing she'd been caught.
"Oh… well… see… I have a very simple explanation for that." Paulina said, freezing in place.
"And…?" Burns asks.
"Not gonna lie so… bye!" Paulina then bolted out.
As that went on, the group went back to their seats.
"What a brutish idiot." Karin muttered, largely unimpressed with what she saw with him..
"You think that's bad, he knows he is destined to become a deadbeat after high school...and fully accepts that he'll peak in high school and doesn't even wanna bother to have a life after it..." Danny said.
"Geez, and he thinks you're a loser? What an idiot..." Ben said.
"Tell me about it." Danny responded as they continued with their meals.
With the authors
All of them groaned at the large bill they just received.
"Why did you invite them?" FP11 asks, pointing to the Warners.
All three of the siblings were eating such a large pile of food, such as wings, burgers and pizza.
"Because we were bored and I like this gag of us messing with him!" Yakko said.
"And I'm hungry!" Wakko added, eating a large pizza in one bite. "Watch me pack away these snacks, even without Clinton with a sax!"
"And these games are pretty fun too!" Dot added, having smashed a whack-a-mole style game with her mallet.
"You're forgiven." All three said to Neo.
"Wonderful…" NeoMark grumbled.
"So… why exactly did you invite them? You know that they're chaos incarnate, right?" 61394 asks. "And that's coming from me."
"Because I owed them one after they got upset I replaced Katie with Yuki." NeoMark responded.
"It's true. I saw that happen before I entered. I understand when your favorite character is not picked to show up in the story." PF1991 said.
"You forget, even Animaniacs itself doesn't love Katie. They just wanted to be in the story." NeoMark said.
"Given how much they racked up in food, and damage, I think we should put this under the company for reimbursement…and to save our wallets from financial surgery," BCFW glanced at the bill. He looked over his shoulder at a game of whack-a-mole, where Wacko had been winning with fervor.
"More than it costs to pay for Deadpool's chimichangas." Luiz4200 said.
"I told you we should have gone somewhere else. Somewhere less… expensive." FP11 said.
"It was either this or Golden Corral. Also, google that if you don't know what that is. Frankly, the food here is above average quality, so it was the tastier option. Plus, more games to try out." Neo said.
"I agree with you there, Neo. Plus, if we send them to Golden Corral, then they will be out of food…" PF1991 joked.
"Yeah, soon as you saw that MvC II arcade cabinet, you spent most of your time there." Deadpool said.
"I told you not to spend most of your time there." FP11 said.
"I still won and got the high score." Neo said proudly.
"That you did." Deadpool and Yakko both said in agreement.
"MvC II…now that takes me back." BCFW sighed with a nostalgic smile as he leaned back. But the moment was killed as he remembered the Warners. "Wait… are the Warners joining us? I don't know if we can handle a second mortgage loan to pay off their diet."
"Yeah, that room is too small for so many people that make cameos." 61394 said. "Plus, Neo tries to keep the dialogue to a minimum."
"Don't worry… they'll go." Neo said.
"Fat chance! We're gonna join the last new girl so we can complain about her!" Dot said.
"Correction, she is. The two of us wanna see if she's a babe." Yakko said.
"Our reboot's finished, so we got free time." Wakko said.
"Wonderful…" Neo grumbled. "As if one meta humor maniac is enough, I'm gonna have three more."
Like I said, chaos incarnate. They'll come and go as they please. Kind of your fault for inviting Deadpool." 61394 said.
"He's not wrong." Deadpool said.
"I didn't invite him, he broke in and made me do this whole scenario." NeoMark pointed out.
"So, now that our time here is finished… should we go back? I'm curious to learn how the break is going for Danny, what with what you said about Vlad's plan for clones and all of that." FP11 suggests.
"That and be thankful we got separate bills." BCFW said before grumbling something about his patron was nothing. He opened his wallet to bring out some crinkled bills.
"They did say I'd be going broke." Neo grumbled.
"So, who's the next date?" Luiz4200 asks.
"Also, what was up with giving FP11 the Continuity Gem earlier? What exactly did she change?" 61394 asks curiously.
"You'll see. Let's just say it's a surprise for later." FP11 said as she got up. "Now let's get out of here before we're banned from this place because of their antics." She gestured to the Warners.
"Good call." Neo said as he went to pay before the three could order more food.
All of them got up and paid, but before Neo could go, he took notice of a certain fighting game cabinet near the back that caught his interest.
"Ah, I figured you'd sneak that in this one." Deadpool said.
"I'll join you guys soon… Got some research to do." He said.
The entire group left the Nasty Burger, now heading down towards the parking lot.
"So, I think it's time we made our leave." Gwen said.
"Really?" Danny sounded a bit down to hear that.
"Come on, Gwen. We should stick around and maybe play some video games?" Ben suggests.
"And maybe check out his parents' stuff? See what's worth trying to buy off before we take something." Kevin suggests, much to Danny's disapproval. "Don't give me that, you use that stuff all the time without their say."
"Yeah, but I put it right back." Danny pointed out.
"Sorry, but we promised to be back before midnight and it's quite a drive." Gwen said.
"Fair enough." Ben said before holding his fist up for Danny. "We should team up more often. This was fun… violation of the DNA of many people, my cousin included, notwithstanding…"
"Likewise." Danny said, giving a fist bump.
As Ben nodded and went to join Kevin in his car, Gwen approached Danny and, to his surprise, kissed him on the side of his head, much to the annoyance of the other past dates.
"Take care. And give us a call sometime, with or without picking me. Though… that's not to say don't pick me." Gwen said with a wink before leaving.
Danny turned a bright red as he waved to her.
Kevin, having seen that, huffed in annoyance. Ben couldn't help but send an approving smile to the ghost boy before sitting in his seat.
As soon as Gwen entered the car, they took off.
Karin, seeing a limousine arrive for them, decided to clear her throat.
"Well, as entertaining as this was, we best be off. I promised my father I would be home soon. I understand your school will be going back tomorrow, yes, Sakura?" She asks her friend.
"That's right. My instructor was very clear about that." Sakura said.
"Then we best go together." She said before bowing gracefully to Danny. "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Daniel. Rest assured that any friend of Miss Sakura Kasugano is a friend of mine. I shall keep your secret, you have my word." She promised him.
"Thank you, Ms. Kanzuki." Danny said.
"Call me Karin, you have my permission to do that." Karin said.
"Okay, Karin." Danny said.
As Karin went to the limousine, Sakura got in Danny's view as she pumped her fist excitedly.
"Next time we meet, let's spar!" She said.
"Uh… sure." Danny went with a small smile.
Sakura then kissed the side of his head quickly before giving him a thumb's up.
"Train hard!" She said before heading towards the limousine.
"Sure…" Danny said, still flushed from that kiss she just gave him.
As Sakura entered the limousine, Karin couldn't help but shake her head and smile.
"I find your odd way of showing affection for him somewhat endearing…" She admits, finding herself oddly invested in her friend's love life.
As the limousine drove off, Violet, Kula and Yuki both felt some jealousy growing.
Helen took the opportunity to whisper into her daughter's ear.
"Make sure it's your turn…" She said with a knowing smile.
"Helen… don't encourage her…" Bob whispered back in a whining tone.
"Yuki…" Hikari whispered into her ear with a naughty smile. "You best kiss him all you want when you get the chance."
"W-what?" Yuki went with a nervous smile.
Kula looked rather confused at all her rivals before she heard K' groan.
"Just make a move on him before we go already…" He grumbled.
Later
The Parr family had the rest follow them to the local junkyard. There, behind a large pile, was the Incredi-bile, hiding from view. Danny had morphed to phase the lock on the door off, promising to put it back on once they leave.
"I thought you said you guys came on the train?" Danny asks.
"We did. A certain someone snuck the remote." Elastigirl said, glancing at her son.
"Heh…" Dash went, shrugging innocently.
"I'm sort of glad you did steal it." Mr. Incredible said to his son before he approached Danny. "Well, kid. Turns out, you're alright. Give it a few years and the NSA might give you a call."
"Thanks… I think." Danny responded with an unsure smile.
"Don't mention it." Mr. Incredible said graciously before patting him on the back.
"And you all won't be blabbing any secrets, are you?" Elasigirl asks the rest.
"Ben, Sakura and everyone else is fine with keeping his secrets, and they'll keep yours out of respect for him. Just like we will." Yuki said as Hikari nodded.
"I don't freaking care either way…" K' grumbled as Kula ribbed him for it.
"So cool…" Dash went upon seeing K' in action.
"Don't you dare idolize him." Elastigirl said disapprovingly.
"Well… before we make sure Dash never is within 10 feet of him…" Mr. Incredible went before going back to speaking with Danny. "We really do appreciate your help. And if you ever need help dealing with that creep in the Dracula costume when his brain heals up, give us a call."
"Sure thing." Danny said.
"Dracula costume? What kind of Dracula movies have you been watching?" Violet questioned.
Her question was ignored as her mother lightly pushed her in Danny's way.
"So, don't you think you should say something to Mr. Phantom here?" She asks with a wink and a smile.
Violet turned as red as their supersuits they had put back on during their way here.
"Um..." She stammers, clearly flustered.
"Yeah, Vi?" Danny asks.
"Vi? Ooh! You're so close that you let him call you that?" Dash pestered his big sister.
"Shut it!" Violet snapped at him before laughing nervously at Danny looking at her. "So... um... what do you want me to say?"
"Well... I mean... I think you should say what you feel." Danny says encouragingly.
"Um... well..." Violet looks down, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Go on." Danny encourages her more.
"I... I think you're... really... cool... and... it was great seeing you again... ignoring why I came back and stuff... and..." She trails off, her voice barely a whisper.
There's a moment of silence before Danny speaks up.
"I think you're pretty cool too, Vi." He said with a small smile.
Violet blushed hard upon hearing that as she heard the Incredi-bile turning on.
"Violet. Let's get going." Mr. Incredible said hurriedly.
"Bob, now?" Elastigirl questioned.
"Sorry… but I don't want to risk getting caught in traffic. Why do you think we took a train?" He reminds her.
Elastigirl rolled her eyes as she took her son by the hand.
"Let's go." She said.
"Aww… but I wanna see Violet make a dweeb out of herself!" He whined.
Violet groaned as she rolled her eyes.
"Brothers…" She muttered before recalling she was talking with Danny. "So… umm… Thanks for… y'know… helping us take down that creep with the bad hairdo."
"It's what I do." Danny said with an encouraging smile and shrug.
"Kick his butt?" Violet asks.
"That and… always look out for the people I care about. Including you." Danny said, making sure his tone made it clear he cared for her, regardless of whatever romantic feelings they could have for one another.
Violet smiled at that, wanting to speak up before her father honked the horn.
"Vi. We gotta go." He said.
Violet groaned and rolled her eyes while swinging her head before taking a deep breath.
"Well… laters." She said.
Danny waved to her with a smile as Violet walked to the car, which opened up for her.
She was about to enter when she saw her mother send an encouraging smile and nod.
Feeling a sense of courage flowing through her, Violet turned around quickly, making a shield that she jumped onto before jumping off it to make a new one, once that was slanted so she slid on it.
She ended up sliding into Danny, closing her eyes and puckering her lips as she kissed him.
Everyone stared slack jawed at Violet's sudden bravery, save for her encouraging mother.
Danny stared wide-eyed at what Violet was doing before she pulled back with a small pop. She smiled upon opening her eyes before winking at him.
"Laters…" She said before taking off.
"Y-Yeah…" Danny went, clearly taken aback but not unhappy in the slightest.
Violet entered the car, which soon took off as she waved to Danny.
Inside, her brother looked revolted to see his sister kiss someone, her father looked upset, and her mother looked very proud of her.
"Good one, Violet." Elastigirl said, stretching her arm to high-five her daughter.
"Thanks, Mom." Violet said, high-fiving her.
"Guess we just met your future son-in-law, Bob." Elastigirl couldn't help but tease.
Mr. Incredible grumbled at this as he chose to keep his eyes on the road.
As Danny was still surprised over the kiss, Hikari and K' noticed how cold it was. Turning their heads, they saw Yuki and Kula looking very jealous, both emitting powerful cold mist out of their bodies.
"Guess they have that in common…" Hikari said.
"Guess so…" K' said.
Danny, realizing he still had 4 people with him, cleared his throat to get his mind off that.
"So… uh… what… What now?" He asks, trying to hide the bit of red on his face.
"We gotta meet up with the chopper taking us back. I got in touch with Maxima and he's sending us a ride back." K' said.
"Aww… do we gotta?! I haven't even gotten a banana split yet!" Kula whined like a small child.
"You had like 8 milkshakes." K' pointed.
"9! But none of them were banana splits!" Kula pointed out.
"Wow, reminds me of you." Yuki tells Hikari.
"What's that mean?" Hikari snapped.
30 minutes later
K' would direct the group to the hill overlooking Amity Park. Along the way, Danny bought Kula some ice cream to help her feel better, even getting some for Yuki.
Yuki graciously enjoyed her cone slowly, whereas Kula devoured it like a starved lion eating a wildebeest, or like Jack at Thanksgiving
"This is so yummy!" Kula said, having already changed back to her purple outfit and changed her hair back to blue with her powers.
"She's almost as messy at eating as you can be." Yuki couldn't help but compare her to Hikari.
"So mean, Yuki-kins.' Hikari said with a childish pout.
"I'm starting to see a resemblance…" K' muttered.
Danny couldn't help but laugh at the whole ordeal before it dawned on him how many people he's hung out with today.
From Kim Possible, to meeting Samantha and her friends, seeing Makoto and Marinette, and spending the entire day with Yuki, Gwen, Sakura, Violet and Kula, along with their friends and family.
He never spent this much time with so many people before and began to see this dating service has given he was only ever seen with Sam Manson, a non-conformist Goth, Tucker Foley, a technology obsessed nerd with a huge ego, and his sister Jazz, who was ironically the most socially acceptable member of his group and family.
Guess this service did me some good in ways I didn't expect… He thought with a smile.
While he loved his friends and family, it didn't hurt to expand his circle with others.
Soon, they made it up to the top of the hill where K' pulled out his phone.
"Are you here yet?" He questioned angrily.
"Why is he so grumpy?" Hikari asks.
"Don't ask." Kula responded before she stuffed the cone into her mouth, finishing it entirely.
"About time… you have no idea how hard it is not to swear because Kula insisted I don't say anything while I'm around minors." K' grumbled.
"Are you two brother and sister? I've been meaning to ask that." Yuki spoke up.
"No, we're not. We might as well be…" Kula said with a shrug and a smile.
"Why's that?" Yuki asks.
"Uh… I'd rather not talk about it." Kula said, looking away.
"Why not?" Hikari asks.
"Let's just remember that just because you all know my secret, doesn't mean you can pry into others." Danny said, getting in Hikari's field of vision as he decided to put an end to her curiosity.
Yuki, seeing the look of traumatized look on Kula's face, realized it must be something serious. So, she pulled Hikari back.
"He's right, you know. You shouldn't pry into other people's secrets. How would you feel if personal secrets of yours were being asked about by someone super nosy?" She asks while having a very serious tone in her voice.
Hikari, seeing she's being very invasive, pulled back.
"Sorry, Kula…" She said.
"You should be." Kula said, arms crossed and looking very uncomfortable.
"Bad move, Hikari." Yuki went.
"Aww… why you two gotta be so cold?" Hikari asks.
Both girls with cold powers laughed together.
"Well, I am a snow woman." Yuki said.
"And I got ice powers!" Kula said as she wrapped an arm around Yuki. "Still, if Danny picks me, no hard feelings."
"Who says he'll pick you? Maybe he'll pick me?" Yuki said, smiling at Danny's back.
"Well, I don't think you've noticed, but he seems to like the girls who kick butt more." Kula pointed out.
"He'd also like girls who won't risk getting fat from ice cream." Yuki pointed out.
As Kula pulled back and looked hurt in a very comical manner, a sudden snort came from the direction of K'.
All of them looked towards his back as he suddenly kept quiet.
"Did you just… find that funny?" Danny asks.
"No. K' said quickly, trying to sound as aloof as usual. He could tell all eyes were on him, unconvinced, when he saw something that just appeared in the sky. "Ah, there they are." He said, sounding relieved.
Looking up, the group saw what looked like a AWO9 helicopter, one of the models Danny knew his parents had looked at when they were considering building a Fenton copter when he was 10.
"That's your ride? So cool!" Hikari went.
With her ride back coming soon, Kula decided she wanted to have one last moment with Danny before leaving.
"So… Danny?" Kula asks.
"Yes?" He asks.
"So…" Kula's face became pinker as she put her trigger fingers together and she looked at Danny in a shy manner. "I guess… this is it. I had a fun time… beating that guy up for taking my blood samples for some evil clone army. With you, that is." She said.
"Likewise." Danny said with a smile.
"Well… there's just one last thing to do before I go." Kula said with a blush on her face.
"What's that?" Danny asks.
"Seeing all those girls who dated you kiss you… I wanna do it too!" Kula went.
Danny's smile dropped, staring with his mouth agape as Yuki's jaw dropped.
"Ooh! She beat you to it!" Hikari teased her with a naughty smile.
"Uh… okay." Danny said, not too surprised by her actions.
Hearing that, Kula smiled and nodded very happily.
"Here I come!" She went before wrapping her arms around Danny Phantom and kissing him on the lips.
Danny and Kula as Yuki looked fuming mad with jealousy as Hikari snickered.
"Look at this this way, we've saved the best for last." She whispered.
Kula resumed kissing Danny, who started to kiss her back.
The copter landed as K' turned his head and shook it at the sight of the two.
"Okay… time to go." He said.
Kula pulled away from Danny and smiled at him.
"Bye-bye." She said.
"Laters." Danny said.
As Kula walked away, Danny turned his head to see Yuki with a comical look of jealousy on her face.
"Remember, he hasn't chosen anyone yet, so it's not cheating! Which means he's still fair game." Hikari said in a whisper.
"Yuki?" Danny asks.
"Y-Yeah?" Yuki went, looking flustered.
"If you're feeling tired after everything, I could just take you guys back to your hotel." Danny offered.
"Wait!" Hikari went, raising her arm. "You can't make us leave! Yuki's the only date here you haven't kissed yet!"
Both of them stared at her with looks that screamed 'read the room'.
"W-What?" Yuki went.
Before Danny could speak up, Kula returned, raising her arm as she turned her hair back to normal.
"What about me?! You didn't kiss me yet!" She said.
"I just did…" Danny pointed out.
"What?" Kula went, feigning confusion as she stood up with a finger pointing at her hair. "Look at my hair, it's totally different!"
"You're still the same person." Danny, Yuki, Hikari and K' said in unison.
"Hehhh… worth a try." Kula said in a defeated but accepting tone before nodding and heading towards the copter. "Bye!" She waved to them as she entered.
"Bye!" All three went as they waved to her.
"Remember, Yuki! No hard feelings!" Kula said with a wink.
"I could say the same to you!" Yuki went, winking back.
Kula, her hair changing blue again, closed the door as the copter took off.
As she smiled at getting to kiss Danny again, K' couldn't help but snark.
"Kissing him to get him to pick you? Are you serious?" He asks.
"What's wrong with that?" Kula said defensively.
"Pretty sure Danny likes you enough, don't tempt him." K' said.
"You think he likes me enough to pick me?" Kula asks with a big smile on her face.
"If he buys you more of that junk, he must at least want to associate with you." K' said as he turned around and crossed his arms.
"Yes! I knew it!" Kula went as she grinned while fidgeting as she took her seat.
As Kula ignored all else but the idea of seeing Danny again, K' took advantage of this by looking away with a small smile
With Danny and the Demis
Once the chopper left, Danny directed his attention to Yuki and Hikari.
"So, should I take you guys back to the hotel?" He asks.
Before Yuki could answer, Hikari stepped in.
"Why not make it up to Yukikins by taking her to the manga store that has Japanese imports?" Hikari suggests.
"... make it up to me/her?" Yuki and Danny asked in unison.
"For making her see all these girls who like you get their hands and lips all over you! So that her growing love for you can finally be satisfied!" Hikari exclaimed in an over dramatic manner.
Yuki stared at her, looking mortified by her friend's outburst.
"... uh…?" Danny responded, looking confused before Hikari took off.
"Later!" She went, waving to them as she ran away with a giggle
Yuki and Danny looked at each other, a blush on the Demi girl's face.
"If you want Danny, we could still hang out." She suggested
"I'd like to, but you know that this isn't a second date." Danny told her. "You're a really cool girl, pun not intended, but I'm going to complete the dating service before I ask someone out."
Yuki nodded.
"I understand. But…" Yuki went before bowing her head and going silent.
"But…?" Danny asks.
Before he knew, Yuki raised her head and aimed for his face, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
Danny froze right there, not recognizing what Yuki did until a brief second before she pulled back.
"Sorry… but… I didn't want to feel… left out." She admits.
"It's… It's cool…" Danny said, Yuki smiling at him as she saw she was getting a blush from the ghost boy.
"This doesn't have to be a date. We can just hang out as friends." Yuki said.
Hopefully we'll be a lot more in the future… She thought
"Okay." Danny said, smiling at the kiss before offering his hand. "Shall we?"
"Sure thing." Yuki said with a confident smile as she took his hand.
Danny Fenton and Yuki Kusakabe were at the manga store that Hikari mentioned.
Yuki read a manga that was still in Japanese, giggling at what she read. Danny took notice of this.
"That another dirty comic like before?" Danny asks.
"No, I promise it's more… appropriate to read." Yuki said.
Danny then read over her shoulder, seeing something less suggestive than last time he read what she did.
"So, this a comedy?" He asks.
"Yup, it's a gag manga." Yuki said.
Danny nodded as he took notice of the way the characters were drawn.
"They sure do look all goofy and cutesy." Danny said.
"You might not know it, but they're swearing like sailors. That's the joke, they look cute but they talk like characters in a Quentin Tarantino movie." Yuki said.
"Interesting." Danny said with an eyebrow raised. "I guess Hikari made the right call about this place." Danny said.
"Hikari knows I've read manga, just not what kind of manga." Yuki said before turning her head to smile at him. "So, Danny? What kind of manga have you read?"
Danny looked up, thinking.
"Well, to sound super cliched, given what you now know what I do, I'm gonna say My Hero Academia." He responded.
"Oh?" Yuki went before getting closer with a naughty smile. "Which girl from Class 1-A is your favorite? You know, the one you'd probably wish was a blind date if she were real?"
"Yuki!" Danny looked offended by that, but her smile made him cave in. "It's Mina Ashido…" He said in a defeated tone as he looked away.
Yuki nodded before deciding to take advantage of him not looking by kissing him quickly on the cheek, much to his surprise.
"Good to know." She said before seeing the look on Danny's face. "Sorry, but from what I saw today, I figured you like your girls a lot bolder." She smiled at him.
Danny smiled back.
"Well, that was pretty bold of you." He looked around to make sure nobody could hear what he was about to say before speaking up. "And going to Vlad's computer when he wasn't looking took guts too."
Yuki's smile widened as she nodded. She saw that as a sign that Danny was just as interested in her as he was with the other girls.
"So, wanna learn what they're saying?" She asks, gesturing to her manga.
"Sure…" Danny said.
Yuki would go on to give Danny a brief lesson in kanji as she read to him.
Later
Danny walked with Yuki to her hotel, both of them still talking.
your friend, Kyoko Machi? She's a… what did you call it? … a doll-a-han?" Danny asks.
"No,"Dullahan." Yuki corrected. "And yes. That's why she couldn't come. My hair could pass off as hair dye, but it'd be hard for her to hide that she carried her head in her hands."
"That would be hard to do." Danny said.
"And I can just imagine that Dash creep, not Violet's brother but the big idiot, would say something like…" Yuki then adopted a deeper voice with a tone to suggest stupidity. "What's wrong with you? You're so wimpy that you got rid of your neck so that I don't wring it?" She went.
"That sounds like something awful that Dash would say." Danny said.
"Right…" Yuki went before holding up her bag. "Anyway, thank you for helping me purchase these."
"Do you plan to be a manga artist or writer?" Danny asks as he sees how happy her books made her.
"It's called a mangaka. And I'm not sure, to be honest." Yuki said, looking up in thought before a smile came to her. "Although, I'm not against it."
"Let me guess, you'd make it as goofy or as raunchy as you'd like, huh?" Danny asks.
"Absolutely!" Yuki went.
As Danny laughed, he had a thought come to his mind.
"So, your friend? The one with her head not attached to her body?" Danny asks.
"Yes?" Yuki asks.
"Can she… lick her own elbows?" Danny asks.
It took a moment before Yuki burst into laughter. So much so that her eyes started to tear up. Danny can't help but stand there, watching how adorable it is to see her laugh like that.
As that went on, he noticed a group of thugs walking past them, one of them covering his face as there was a bruise on it.
"I can't believe you let that Oz-ka girl do that to you on the train. What's her problem if you wanna break up with your sensitive girlfriend?" One said.
"I didn't let her, you moron!" The bruised man said. "Now take me to the nearest hospital, I'm starting to bleed!"
"Alright… alright… dumb brat…" The third said as they guided their injured friend to the hospital.
Danny watched them go as Yuki, who was still laughing her head off, did not notice.
"There's that name again..." Danny said, wondering who this could be that he's been hearing about.
Yuki finally stopped, which Danny noticed. She wiped her eyes clean.
"I'll be sure to ask her that." Yuki said.
Danny, recalling what he was talking about, nodded.
"So, ready to go back?" He asks.
Yuki responded by kissing his cheek, making him turn red.
"Sure am!" She went with a wink.
Later
Danny walked Yuki back towards her hotel.
"So, your teacher is a… what did you call it?" Danny asks.
"Succubus. But don't worry, she's not a troublemaker. I don't want to tell Kyoko, since she has a crush on him, but I know Ms. Satou is in love with Mr. Takahashi. She's just hoping to make him fall for her without using her powers on him." Yuki said.
"Your school sounds a lot more fun than mine." Danny said.
"With that blockhead Dash around, I can't disagree with that." Yuki responded.
They then reached the hotel.
"Well, here we are." Danny said.
"Yup." Yuki said, though she looked a bit disappointed. "This was… actually a more fun day than our actual date. Getting kidnapped notwithstanding."
"Glad to hear that." Danny said with a laugh.
"Yukikins! Danny!" Hikari was heard calling out to them as she was at the door leading inside. "I'm watching you now in case of trouble! No smooching TOO long, you two!" She went with a wink.
Looking mortified, Yuki turned her head and looked away.
"I take it back, getting kidnapped isn't the worst part anymore…" She muttered.
Hearing that made Danny smile a bit.
"Well, time for me to get going." Danny said.
"Aww… do you have to?" Yuki asks.
"Sorry, but it's getting dark so… I should get home." Danny said.
"Okay…" Yuki said before suddenly kissing him on the lips as a surprise.
"OOOHHHH!" Hikari went excitedly as she pulled out her phone, only seeing that Yuki stopped. "Aww! No fair! I wanted to get a picture!"
Yuki giggled as she saw Danny's flustered face.
"Sorry, you did say you like bold girls." She pointed out.
"I sure do…" Danny said, not hating what he just went through.
"Well… take care." Yuki said with a nod.
Danny nodded back as he headed off.
"Take care, girls." He said.
As he walked away, he overheard what the two were talking about.
"No fair! We finally met someone good for you and I missed my shot at taking a photo of the proof." Hikari went.
"Come on, Hikari. Its getting late." Yuki went as she handed her her bag of manga. "Now let's get back in."
Danny paused, thinking of an idea before deciding to give Hikari the photo she wanted.
"Say, Hikari?" He asks, coming back.
"Yeah?" She asks as she and Yuki turn their heads to see him approaching.
"Get your phone ready." He said as he teased Yuki.
"Wha-" Yuki went before Danny emulated the famous V-J day photo of the sailor and the nurse and kissed her.
Hikari dropped the bag Yuki gave her as she became excited, pulling her phone back out.
"PICTURES! PROOF IT HAPPENED!" She went.
Yuki was stunned before she happily kissed him back.
Danny stood her back up as he pulled back, both smiling with their cheeks turning pink.
"Sorry, but you did that to me as a surprise, it was only fair I did the same." Danny went.
"Fair enough." Yuki said with a big smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.
On impulse, they share a quicker kiss before Danny begins to go again.
"Take care, you two." He said, waiving to them as he leaves for good.
"Bye!" Yuki went, happily waving her arm as soon as he left. Once he was gone, she let out a happy sigh. "Turns out… My hero crush is even better than I imagined…" She said with a blissful expression.
Hikari grinned as she showed her the photo of the kiss she had when Danny returned.
"I'm gonna send it to everyone!" She went.
"Hikari…" Yuki went, trying to get her to stop before she realized she'd like the idea. "Okay, go for it…"
Hikari nodded, sending to people they know.
With the people she went the photo to.
"Huh… Yuki's got a potential new boyfriend?" Takahashi asks as he leaves the house.
"That's so cute that Yuki-chan found someone…" Satou went as she was still in her own house, impressed as she took a sip of her drink. "Soon as I get the chance, that'll be me and Mr. Takahashi…" She said to herself.
"How wonderful…" Kyoko went happily, seeing the text and smiling as put her phone down so that she could pick her head back up and watch television.
"My sister is so nosy…" Himari, Hikari's sister, complained.
Meanwhile, Satake, the rather perverted boy with a crush on Yuki, dropped his phone in despair and heartbreak.
"NOOOO!" He cried out to the heavens
Hikari put her phone down as Yuki picked her bag back up.
"So… you so want him to pick you, huh?" Hikari asks.
"Can't disagree… I'll respect his wishes if he picks someone else. But still, if he picks me… I'm gonna be happy as heck!" Yuki went with a proud smile on her face.
"Our favorite snow woman's in love… so adorable!" Hikari gushed.
"It sure is…" Yuki went as the girls laughed, returning to the hotel together
Danny decided to spend his time walking back home, rather than fly, so he can take in the events of the day.
From encountering Kim Possible, to seeing Samantha and her friends in the spy gig, to reuniting with Yuki, to coming across Sakura while meeting Karin for the first time, bidding Makoto goodbye, to reuniting with Gwen and her group, coming across Violet and Kula, and all of that led up to Vlad's insidious scheme of making clones.
Danny thought to himself that this entire day has been almost like a crazy dream, something he was actually rather happy to have.
"This whole dating experience just netted me a whole bunch of new friends. The kind I wish I could see more often. The way K' made Dash almost pee himself…" He laughed to himself. "And the way we took down Vlad…" Danny took in a breath and smiled to himself. "Heh… this has been one heck of a day. And it was neat to see Marinette again, if only she knew about th-" He then stopped in his tracks, recalling she said she'd be leaving by train. "Oh crud! She said I could see her there before she goes. Do I still have time?" He asks.
He then ran into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster to morph and sped up.
He flew as fast as he could as he saw the train station. Before he could go, he saw on the digital clock on the side of the building it read 7:05
"She said 7. Does that mean…?" He asks as he turns invisible and flies in.
As he did, he could see from behind the crowds a familiar looking girls with pigtails and pink pants entering a train. Once it closed, the train began to take off.
Danny groaned as he flew out of the train station, turning visible again once he was high enough and crossed his arms.
"Darn… I was so hoping we could at least talk. It's too bad I ca-" He then paused upon realizing something. "Duh… super powers…" He said before he flew towards the train.
On the train
10 minutes had passed as Marinette looked out the window, looking a bit disappointed she didn't get to speak with Danny before she left.
"Darn…" She said under her breath.
Marinette noticed her classmates were doing their own thing and decided to get up and go to the back of the train to use the restroom.
The cart that had the bathroom was vacant, so that once she was done, she stepped out and decided to take a moment to herself to enjoy the quiet now that she was away from Chloe.
As she sat in the more vacant cart, she looked into her purse to see Tikki sound asleep. Marinette couldn't help but smile at the tiny kwami.
"Guess it's just me and my thoughts…" She said to herself.
"Sup?" Danny's voice went.
Marinette gasped with a slight jump until seeing who was sitting in front of her.
"Danny?" She asked with a smile and was happy to see him.
"I saw you entering the train because I was late saying bye to some people, and I thought "Hey, why not say hi by flying over here?", so here I am." Danny said with a sheepish grin.
Marinette couldn't help but giggle at his lame excuse.
"I have a superhero stalker… good thing he's cute." She says.
"Says the girl with an obsessive crush on a friend, who mapped out his schedule just to see him…" Danny reminds her of what she once did for Adrian.
They both laughed, and it felt good. It felt right. There was an easy, comfortable silence that followed, and it didn't feel awkward or forced. They just sat there, facing each other, watching the world go by through the window.
"I'm glad to see you." Marinette said.
"So, since it's late… I assume you're heading home, huh?" Danny asks.
"We are. This train is taking us to the airport, where we catch a plane to France." Marinette answered, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I see…" Danny said with a saddened look on his face.
Marinette noticed it and placed a hand on his shoulder. She squeezed gently, offering comfort. It felt right to do so. There was a connection between them, even if it was only for this short while.
"I will miss you…" She said.
"I'll miss you too…" Danny said, looking at her with a small smile.
There was a genuine warmth in his eyes that made Marinette feel all tingly inside. She couldn't help but smile back, feeling grateful for this moment they shared.
"I may as well say this now… I named you my best blind date." Marinette admitted.
"You did?" Danny asked, surprised.
He smiled at her, feeling genuinely happy. It was nice to know that despite their short time together, they had managed to connect on some level.
"Although my heart still wants Adrian, it can't deny the effect you had on me." Marinette admits.
"And because we both look good in outfits clearly too form fitting for our ages?" Danny jokingly asks, unable to get how she looks as Ladybug out of his mind.
Marinette only giggles at his comment.
"Maybe? But honestly, I think it's more about the person underneath the costume. Like, I think Adrian's amazing. And yet with you... well, I feel like we could have been friends even if we weren't dressed like that." Marinette said with a soft smile, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"So, still got the hots for him, huh?" Danny asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but at the same time, he was happy that she found someone she could connect with.
"It's odd how… with you… we're practically perfect for each other… but… well, remember, I live on the other side of the world. And you have your own life here. You have your friends, your school, your family. I have mine there. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to try and force something that just wouldn't work. But I'm glad we could at least spend this time together. It was really nice." Marinette sighs, a small smile on her face.
"That's where you're wrong." Danny said, surprising her. "I have had a few dates from Japan… and they admit they don't mind the distance. So… I am willing to make it work should you be the one I pick. I got 4 left, but I'm free to admit you're on the list of girls I met during this that I would like to know better. More than friends. So, if you ever want to talk more or even just hang out, just say the word. You have my number. Or my email. Whatever works best for you. I'm here for you, Marinette. Always." He smiled, hoping this would convince her to at least keep in contact with him.
Marinette was touched by this.
"If you insist…" Marinette says, blushing a little, surprised by his words. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I'd like that. Spending more time together. As friends, of course. Just... to get to know each other better. And who knows? Maybe something more could happen, but for now... let's just take it one step at a time, okay?"
"Of course. And if you ever need any help… I mean… hero help, know that Danny Phantom will break the sound barrier if he had to if it means keeping you safe. No matter what. I'm serious, Marinette." Danny says, giving her a wink.
He couldn't help but smile as he saw her blush even deeper.
"Same here. Granted, and ironic given the name, Ladybug can't fly… but I will do whatever I can to help you out. Even if it means running beside you in my red suit and distracting you." Marinette jokes, trying to lighten the mood. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him, feeling a warmth in her chest.
"Cool…" Danny grinned.
"Yeah…" Marinette responded as she noticed how much closer their faces were getting.
As if of its own accord, her heart began to race. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what it felt like to be near Danny when he was in his superhero form. The world seemed to slow down, the air felt thick with anticipation, and her senses were heightened in a way she'd never experienced before.
Her gaze drifted up to meet him, and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. His eyes were full of warmth and sincerity, and she could tell that he was just as nervous as she was. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, their hearts beating in unison.
The gap between their faces was no more as Danny leaned in slowly, closing the distance between them. His lips brushed against hers, sending a jolt of electricity through her entire body. His hands cupped her face gently, guiding her closer, deeper into the kiss. Her own hands wrapped around her shoulders as she held onto him, their movements in sync. Their kiss grew deeper and went on for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them wanting to break the connection.
Eventually, it did. Slowly, they parted and looked deep into each other's eyes.
Marinette could see the way his eyes sparkled in the dim light, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Danny could see in her eyes that the kiss had affected her just as deeply as it had him. The way she was looking at him now, with a mixture of shock and wonder, made it clear that this was something unexpected. He couldn't help but smile as he felt a warmth spread through his chest. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering on her cheek for a moment longer than necessary.
They both shared a loving look at each other before Danny noticed what was outside the window.
"Guess it's time for me to go…" Danny said.
"What?" Marinette asks with a sense of surprise, feeling a small pang of disappointment in her chest. She knew that Danny had to go, but she couldn't help but wish they could have a little more time together.
"Sorry, past city limits. I gotta get back soon…" he said before smiling down on her. "Later, you MIRACULOUSLY amazing girl."
With that, he morphs and hovers up.
"Take care, Spooky." Marinette said, using her nickname for him.
"You too, Spots." Danny responded before phasing through the roof blasting off into the night sky, leaving a trail of glowing green sparks behind him. As he flies off, Marinette watches him until he disappears from sight, a feeling of warmth and contentment spreading through her chest.
"Goodbye, Danny…" She whispered with a bittersweet smile.
Her heart that belonged mostly to Adrian was now getting fonder of Danny.
As the night progresses, Marinette couldn't help but feel a newfound excitement in her chest. She was beginning to realize that there was more to her feelings for Danny than just friendship. It was something deeper, more profound. And the kiss they shared earlier had only served to intensify these feelings.
Danny sighed, after seeing her leave.
Guess this Adrian guy is still the one she wants to be with more… He thought, feeling a little bummed now.
He continued to fly, not noticing that someone spotted him.
"Danny?" Someone was heard as she put her hands over his eyes.
"Huh?" He went.
"Guess who?" She asks.
"That voice..." He said before recognizing it. "Bloom?!" He asked in excitement.
The pretty fairy smiled at him for recognizing her name before pulling her hands away, letting him get a good look at her.
"You win!" She waved.
"It...it's great to see you..." He stammered slightly. "What brings you hear?..." He asked.
"I was actually looking for you..." Bloom said.
"Really?!" Danny asked excitedly before clearing his throat. "I mean… really?" He asks more calmly.
Bloom nodded.
"Yeah, I spent the entire day by myself while the site was down. Once I realized you had to be having a day off too, I decided to come see you and see if you wanted to kill some time with me..." She explained.
Lucky me... He thought.
"Well, since you came all the way here and all, how can I say no?" He said, trying to sound cool and hide his giddiness.
"Well… let's land there." Bloom said as she pointed downward.
Danny followed her to the park, the sky turning dark, so the moonlight above shining down and made their reflections visible in the water.
Once the fairy girl landed, Danny hovered off the ground to look her in the eye.
"So…" Danny went with a big smile.
"So?" Bloom asks with a smile.
In an instant, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.
So cool… so cool… so cool… He thought, very excited to be with her at the moment.
Meanwhile, outside the offices
"Okay… where are the keys?" FP11 asks.
"Hang on… I think I got my pair." 61394 said. "Phone… wallet… garage door opener… coupon to new doughnut place that opened by my house… experiment 628's pod… lightsaber… souvenir from my trip to Arendelle…" He muttered while rummaging through his pocket
"Why did you leave your keys here?" NeoMark asks.
"Because we didn't think we'd be gone so long, then you stuck around to play some game and we decided to wait for you while wandering through the mall, with 61394 sticking around as he waited for you with Deadpool. You were there for so long that I even did some quick shopping to pass the time. I was hoping you'd lost a lot sooner at it." FP11 said.
"Hoping I'd lose? That's cold…" NeoMark said.
"Not my fault you seem obsessed with fighting games. Even those with names I can't pronounce…" FP11 said.
"Pronounce them by syllables…and maybe some inflection. But that does seem true. All the video game characters you used have been fighting game characters. Who's next? Cassie Cage?" BCFW asked off the top of his head.
"Already said, no Mortal Kombat." NeoMark responded.
"Yeah, I can agree with that. But at least we're back… sort of." PF1991 said, gesturing to them being outside.
"Got 'em!" 61394 said.
"About time. I want to see who Danny's dating next." Luiz4200 said.
"So, where IS Deadpool? Work? Job?…Chimichanga stand?" BCFW asked.
"The trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine came out recently, so he's going to do a quick bit of promoting it at the mall before he comes back." NeoMark explained.
"Of course. Well, let's hope he doesn't take too long..or runs into someone who will make him forget about us again..." FP11 said, recalling how easily distracted the merc can be.
"He's probably getting chimichangas too. It took him long enough to realize he could go out to eat chimichangas." 61394 said.
"Or is he hanging out with the other Deadpools of the multiverse?" PF1991 asked.
"As long as he keeps the potty mouth out…." FP11 said before cheering up. "Is the break over for Danny now?"
"I hope his next date is a rich girl." Luiz4200 commented. "All those reviews about the idea made me like it even more."
"Let's find out." NeoMark said as 61394 opened the door.
Danny hovered off the ground, acting as if he were on a bed as Bloom hovered next to him, acting as if she were sitting down as she listened to him.
"That sounds like quite a day…" She said.
Ignoring secret identities, he told her the entire day he went through, even about Vlad's cloning schemes. Though Bloom wished to get even with this Vlad person for what he did, she was content to learn he's been taken care of.
"Yup, so rest assured that he won't be bugging you or my next 4 dates." Danny said to her.
"Good to know." Bloom said before straightening herself and crossing her arms. "So… how many girls have you kissed or been kissed by today?"
Danny, realizing he shared a little too much, cleared his throat and sat up in the air.
"Well… uh… you did say that we're still seeing people and I want to at least go through all 30 dates before I make a choice who to be with. After that, that's the only girl I'll kiss." He said as his face turned red.
"That's true. Granted, you are the only boy I've kissed on these blind dates…" Bloom admits with a shrug.
Danny blushed upon hearing that.
"Oh...uh...I see..." Danny said, not sure what else to say.
Bloom sent him a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, I'm not mad...though I am kinda bummed that I didn't get here sooner..." She said with a shrug.
Danny registered what she just said.
He thought about everything that happened today and noticed how many girls he's kissed or been kissed by.
Well, I've had good luck this long… He thought.
He had the idea but wasn't sure if he should do it. He didn't want to make Bloom regret meeting him..
"I do wish I got to meet these girls, and see the looks on their faces like every girl who kissed you..." Bloom said as she got on the ground and stood up.
As he hovered closer, the ghost boy made his decision.
Well, she did want to get here sooner… He thought, deciding to go for it.
"Bloom..." He began.
"Yeah?" She asked.
Quietly, Danny straightened himself, staying off the floor as his feet were high enough so that he was about an inch above Bloom. He placed his hands on her bare shoulders as she placed her hands on his chest. She smiled up at him in an affectionate manner.
Danny suddenly kissed her on the lips. Bloom momentarily kissed him back before her eyes were wide and she stood there. Upon opening her eyes, and realizing what he was doing, Danny pulled back, surprised with himself
"Oh… oh crud… Sorry...I...I got way too used to kissing today that… the way you said it… I thought you wanted me to kiss you..." He stammered, apologizing profusely as his face turned red.
Stupid! What's wrong with me?! He mentally berated himself.
Bloom blinked. She was surprised but she wasn't angry. If anything, she laughed a little.
"Gutsy of you, but I was gonna kiss you anyway..." She said, laughing it off. "At least now I know why so many girls did that today...you're a better kisser than I thought.."
"You... think so?" Danny asked, blushing hard.
Bloom giggled, finding his reactions to kissing her so suddenly adorable, another reason she couldn't be upset with him.
"Sure do. Here's the proof..." She said as he kissed him just as suddenly as he kissed her.
Danny was surprised but soon melted into the kiss. After a few moments, they separated.
"That's some solid evidence…" Danny said with a happy sigh.
"And I don't plan to stop showing any…" Bloom said as she kissed his forehead innocently after she hovers above him.
Seeing both of them now off the ground, Danny couldn't help but want to spend more time with her without letting gravity get between them.
"So...wanna fly...see where this takes us?" Danny offered.
Bloom smiled and nodded.
"Sounds good..." She said as they began to fly up around in the clouds together.
The two flew together, going past clouds and letting their hands make trails in them before getting closer.
They held onto each other and kissed again.
The authors stepped in, seeing Danny in Bloom's arms.
"Darn it… we missed a lot." NeoMark said.
"No worries!" Deadpool said, showing up.
"When'd you get here?" FP11 asks.
"I'm everywhere right now, alongside Wolvie. Anywho… I brought some help!" Deadpool said as he gestured for someone outside to get in. "Do your thing!"
The Warners then entered the room, carrying with them several large funnels
"Sibs! Do it!" Yakko went as they put the funnels into the ears of the authors.
"Apply water…" Dot said, opening the monitor's top like it was the top of a teapot and pouring the water into it.
"Time to drink!" Wakko said as he picked up the monitor and poured from the screen into everyone's heads.
All of them drank up its contents and instantly learned what they missed out.
"Whoa!" All of them went.
"When could they do that?!" NeoMark asks.
"Don't think about it." Deadpool said.
"Thanks for the recap, guys." 61394 told the Warners, shaking the water out of his ears
"You're welcome." The three went as they left as quickly as they came.
All of them began to see just what they've missed go through their minds.
"Huh… quite a lot happened. A lot more uplifting than my break, though I'd personally have included the rest of the girls too." FP11 said.
"I miss these old school cartoon antics." BCFW wiped a tear from his eye, though his mood lowered as images of clones flooded his mind.
"Learning about Bloom being a princess will likely make Danny afraid of losing her back to Sky." Luiz4200 said.
"Kind of gross and weird how we learned this, huh?" NeoMark asks.
"Yeah, it was..." PF1991 said.
"Ah, Vlad is doing another clone scheme." 61394 said. "I get a quarter every time he does that."
"Don't you mean if you had a quarter every time he tried a clone scheme?" Deadpool asks.
"No, a witch I helped with her love life set it up so every time Vlad does a clone scheme, I get a quarter." 61394 explained.
"Is that why you revived the thirty something clones in Danny and Penny" Deadpool asked
"No I did that because I was bored" the chaotic author answered
"So, now that we're up to speed, what are Danny and Bloom doing now?" FP11 asks.
The screen went back to the two, who were still playing amongst themselves in the skies.
"Ah… back to them being most likely to be everyone's favorites." Deadpool said.
"What makes you so sure?" FP11 asks. "For all we know, he might pick Kim or Marinette."
"At this point, he probably will." NeoMark said with a smile.
"Or Daphne." Luiz4200 says.
"My money's on Bloom or Vanessa…maybe Clawdeen, but that's not a close third." BCFW chimed in.
"So… now that we're back… who is next?" Deadpool says.
"Good question..." FP said.
NeoMark took a deep breath.
"Okay… I'm gonna come clean and be 100% honest here. This next spot was the hardest choice to make for who gets in. I already said I'm not a fan of Daria, both the show and the character, since I have very little exposure outside of memes. I did find one character I figured would work. And this was a character that, I'll be honest, I only knew slightly better than Daria, and was all set to use her. That said… Flower Princess11 contacted me after I asked if there was a character she didn't use in the original story." NeoMark said.
"Wait, that's why you asked me about Daria?" 61394 asks. "I couldn't help much with that one."
"It's true. He asked me and I gave a few ideas." FP11 said.
"Is the girl Jessica from Wheel Squad?" Luiz4200 asks.
"She gave me a character I knew very little about, to the point where I didn't even remember that they existed. But because she likes this character and she was the author of the original, plus some digging into this character, and the fact that they're part of a franchise that had a bit of an unexpected boost of love last year… don't expect this to be a thing next time I do a multi-series crossover or whatever but… yeah, this character won me over." NeoMark said with a shrug.
"Okay, I'm curious to see whoever this is." 61394 said, he and PF1991 pulling out some snacks
"Happy to see this character get a shot. Someone not from the original that I brought up." FP11 said with a big smile.
"So… here we go." NeoMark said. "Originally, replacing Daria and the entire Bevis and Butthead franchise was Sharon Spitz from Braceface. But she has now been cast aside for this, and in her place, we're going with…"
Special thank you to all the authors who helped me on this.
Break's over, now let's see who is next. And yes, I was serious about FP11 suggesting a character that wasn't in the original. Who? You'll have to find out.
pokemon fan 1991: Hmm... not sure. I'm gonna say Takato. No comment.
guardian1989: Thank you.
Invader Johnny: It's always good to have actual friends.
cybirddude: 1. Not sure id I'll feature Jojo or Shaman King. 2. Maybe, but suicide is too dark. 3. Maybe. 4. No shotgun weddings. 5. Maybe. 6. I will consider the idea of multiple children. 7. I'll find something to do with Paulina. 8. I'll consider it.
KaminaJr: No. Not as familiar with that. Not sure. I don't know what is. Never played. Not familiar with Macross. Or that one. Flame Princess, maybe? Don't know what that is. Wish I played that.
silverwolf7791: Yup.
NateRiver: Maybe. I think they can get away with Kula Diamond as a name. Maybe. He'll probably have kids. Maybe, but I see some of them being harder to deal with, like Utroms. If he can remember what he learned of them.
amit . avrahsmi: Sure was.
Leonardo: I heard.
NiteOwl18: Thank you.
djinn: Well, he can't call on Drakken for a while.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Tucker and Val. Maybe. That happens automatically because I don't have one yet. Happy. One has been announced, but I don't really have a preference.
UltimateHater: Probably not. No. Be Cool. Maybe but maybe not. No.
61394: I'm sure his taxes will skyrocket.
Fiction Realm: True but I found what I did funnier.