Writing - Blog Posts

Should I be writing?

Yes, I should.

Why did I just fail my second consecutive hour of temple run 2?

Cause you're not minding your business.

Quick,

I need a non awkward way to tell your mom that your best friend has moved into boyfriend status.

God, if only I could stop thinking about queers kissing long enough to write about queers kissing I'd be so productive

Work had been so painfully slow for the last two hours and while writing me (an asexual) and my coworker (an asexual) have been jamming out to the sluttiest songs known to man

My little sibling showed me this website, oh my god is it so helpful. So, I made a chart with what I headcanon everyone's heights to be. The website is https://www.heightcomparison.com/ it will save lives

This one is for grammarly.

I see you.

I see you after all you've done to me.

You come in, sweep me off my feet, correct my comma usage and wrap me around your little finger making me dependent on you.

You taunt me with your premium features, making me wish I had just a little more money to fully commit to you and you never go on any good sale.

Then you drop me into a filthy hole with the rest of the garbage by incorporating ai that can't tell the difference between its and it's and leave me to rot.

So I move on, I find something better than you could ever be. Just for you to flash a 50% off sale in my face like we were nothing. Like I never meant a goddamn thing to you.

Now you want me back?!?!

After all this, this how you want to wine and dine me back into your arms?

Well, I won't play your game. I've grieved our parting already and now I feel nothing but utter indifference toward you.

Y'all chapter 6 is genuinely one of my most favorite things I've ever written. I'm smitten. And I'm trucking. It'll definitely be out in a day or two. I hope yall like it just as much as I do

When you're on vacation and you told yourself to take a break but the next chapter is physically consuming your every waking thought.

Of All The Stories In The Stars, Ours Has Yet To Be Told (62761 words) by StarsWhisper Chapters: 7/? Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dash Baxter/Danny Fenton Characters: Danny Fenton, Dash Baxter, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Paulina Sanchez, Kwan (Danny Phantom), Valerie Gray, Pookie (Danny Phantom) Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), on the way to college, mentions of child abuse, Mentions of homophobia, Redemption Arcs, Bisexual Danny Fenton, everyone becoming good friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Second Chances, lots of classical literature references, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Lots of Crying, Some hurt/comfort, almost everyone has shitty parents, More tags to come as I think of them, Suicidal Thoughts, This is heavily inspired by marichat, stealing lots of headcanons from tumblr, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, not entirely canon compliant, I stole the pieces I like and combined them with fanon to get what I wanted, this was supposed to be a slow burn, Dialogue Heavy, some spooky shit will be snuck in here, Mutual Pining, Dissection, Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton, lots of astrology references, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), horror aspects will be in here, but also cute fluff, Asexual Character, Mentions or pevious eating disorders Summary: It's the end of senior year and Dash and Danny are having the worst time of their lives. Dash's father finds out he's queer and tries to kill him. That lands him in prison with divorce papers. Dash goes to therapy to cope and learn how to change his behaviors while taking some time off from school. He now needs to learn how to navigate the world and figure himself out. Danny fears he'll never figure out what he wants for his future beyond being the hero of Amity Park forever and he's running out of time to figure it out as he watches everyone he knows move on without him. Plus there are always the people hunting him down that he has to worry about on top of that.

~

Danny lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, feet idly kicking the air as they dangled off the side. He listened to his phone ring, anxiety settling in his stomach. He'd already tried twice that day to get a hold of Jazz with no luck. He knew she was busy, but he couldn't help the little voice telling him his parents had gotten to her first. The phone was two rings away from going to voicemail again when she picked up.

"Hey, bro! What's popping?"

Danny snorted, laughing at her choice of slang words. Ever since getting to college, she'd been trying her best to sound cool and he was beginning to suspect Mr. Lancer had given her one of his 'how to be hip' dictionaries. "The only thing that should be popping, is you popping open a real dictionary."

Jazz sighed comically. "There's that younger brother sarcasm I've missed."

Danny rolled his eyes, a faint smile on his face. "How are you, Jazz?"

"Oh, I'm fine. The summer semester is kicking my ass. I've got seven essays, two research projects, and a group presentation all due by the end of the week, but, yeah, I'm fine."

"Jesus, Jazz, do you even have time to breathe?"

"I do right now. I'm sorry for missing your other calls. Is there something going on?"

"I understand you're busy. Nothing crazy, I just, uh, have Mom and Dad talked to you at all?" Danny chewed his bottom lip so hard he tasted blood.

"No," Jazz snorted. "The last I heard from either of them was a few days ago and all Dad sent me was a cat meme on Facebook. I figured they've just been too busy with ghost hunting to check up on me." The frustration in her voice was tense like she couldn't decide if she wanted to be sad or mad. She cared about her parents, but she harbored a lot of resentment about how the two of them were raised. "Why?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, cause I wanted to be the one to tell you that I've decided to go to college."

Jazz screamed. Danny ripped the phone away from his ear, only daring to bring it back when he couldn't hear her anymore. "Danny! That's amazing! Where are you going? What program are you doing? What convinced you?"

"Well, I had a talk with Mr. Lancer-"

"I knew he'd come through for me," Jazz whispered under her breath.

"And," Danny chuckled, "he was talking about this program here at Amity Community that I kind of liked. After some thinking, and admittedly a little pushing from Dash, I-"

"Dash? Dash Baxter? Since when are you two hanging out?"

"Uh, I haven't told you about that? Never mind, not important right now. I, well, I decided to be an astronomy teacher. A professor if I can swing it."

Jazz screamed again. "That's such a good choice! It's so you! Oh my gosh, my brother, a professor!" She gasped. "We can share our theories about classroom behavior now! This is going to be so great!"

Danny felt a huge wave of relief hit him, shaking a lot of his parents' disapproval off. He sighed, "Thanks, Jazz. I'm glad you think so."

"Mom and Dad didn't take it so well, huh?" Jazz's voice lost a lot of its excitement, a hint of bitterness glazing over it.

Danny glared up at the glowing stars on his ceiling. "No, not really. They're mad at Mr. Lancer for even putting the idea in my head. But, Mom said it was a start and I'll for sure want to change my major to biochemistry by the end of the semester when I've realized what it is I've gotten myself into."

Jazz hesitated, her voice careful. "And Dad?"

Danny's heart constricted. "He's just glad they have at least one genius kid."

"I'm going to lose my shit." Jazz hissed, knocking something over. "This is why I don't come home for Christmas. Don't listen to him, Danny. He should be proud of you. If he knew of half the shit you did in his lab, he would be proud. I'm proud of you."

"I miss you, Jazz." He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "They were a lot kinder when you were around."

"Only cause I had to kick their asses anytime they said some bullshit about you." Her voice softened. "I miss you too. But, hey, look at how great you're doing without me."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, but how much better could I be doing with you?"

"Oh! Speaking of old inside jokes, how are your, um, extracurricular activities going? Wink."

"You don't have to say wink." Danny jokingly rolled his eyes.

"Then how will you know I'm winking?"

"You're such a dork."

"I know you are but what am I?" Jazz laughed. "But, seriously, how are things going on the spooky side?"

Danny took a deep breath, flashes of the night before entering his mind. He stood up to pace his room, hoping to shake them off. "Uh, good, good. Just the usual. The ghosts might be on vacation, there have been fewer attacks lately. So, that's nice."

"You hesitated. Danny, you know you can tell me, right? I wouldn't ask if I thought I couldn't handle it."

Danny exhaled, long and low. "Okay, they were," he swallowed, his breath shaking, "They were dissecting a ghost in the lab last night. She was in real bad shape when I found her."

Jazz gasped. "Was it someone you knew?"

Danny shook his head, briefly forgetting she couldn't see him. "No, but, God, Jazz, she, she couldn't have been older than sixteen. She wasn't even a threat and they had her- she was completely, her arms were covered in-" Danny paused to take a deep steadying breath. "It was bad. She was in a lot of pain and the house reeked like they'd been at it for hours."

Jazz's voice carefully held no emotion. "What happened? Did they say anything about it?"

"Not to me. I got her out without them noticing. When they got back to the lab and found out they argued for a minute before I interrupted them." He stubbed his toe, hissing at the contact.

"That's- I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Do you, maybe, wanna talk about how you're feeling?"

Danny sat back down, twisting the sheets in his fingers. "Not really. I kind of want to forget it ever happened."

"Okay, that's fine." Jazz took a breath, then forced a teasing tone to creep back into her voice. "Then maybe you can explain this photo of you and Dash Baxter that both Tucker and Sam sent me."

"What?" Danny sat up straight, panic settling into his veins. "What photo?"

"It seems like a movie night at Sam's. You're asleep on his shoulder and you two look pretty cozy."

"That was an accident! I didn't mean to fall asleep. Okay, but, listen, I have to tell you about Dash." He proceeded to tell her everything from the beginning, how he had stopped messing with them a few years back, how he patched Phantom up, how Danny invited him to hang out, the whole story up til yesterday.

"So, what I'm getting out of this is that a pretty jock boy said thank you and you fell in love with him."

"I'm not in love with him! Why does everyone keep saying that?" Danny huffed, face warm.

"Uh, 'cause you're acting like it."

"I just, think he's cool. You know, I've mixed these feelings up before with Sam. This is probably just the same thing. I don't like him, I just think he's cool."

Jazz giggled. "Danny, please, I never heard you talk about Sam the way you just talked about Dash. You totally like him."

"I don't think I do. I mean, I do like being around him, a lot. As both Fenton and Phantom. He doesn't really act different between the two of them which is… nice. But if I liked him, I'd have to tell him I'm the same person, and then what if freaks out and starts acting differently again? I like this Dash. I like the way things are. I don't want them to change." Danny knew he was whining, but Jazz started it.

"Of course change is scary. And I'm not gonna say that you should tell him 'because of what could be' or anything. It's your relationship with the guy, you get to decide what you tell him. What I am saying is that you should be honest with yourself and you should have told me! You have a crush on a boy and you didn't tell your sister! I'm hurt."

"Uh, maybe!" Danny protested. "Maybe I have a crush on a boy."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Jazz sang.

"Don't you have like twenty essays to do or something?" Danny quipped.

Jazz bellowed a hearty laugh. "Yeah, I do. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Thanks for talking to me, Jazz."

"Anytime, bro. Love ya."

"Love you too." Danny hung up. He sighed and collapsed back on his bed, feeling better than he had before. He should make it a point to call his sister more often.

~

Danny: Hey, if I wanted 2 wear eyeliner, where would I start?

Paulina: Aaaaaaa!!! U liked it that much?! this is perfect. I haven't taught any1 make-up in a minute! R U busy? I could B there in ten minutes.

Danny: Would it B ok if i came 2 yours instead? parents have a bunch of dangerous experiments lying around this morning

Paulina: Oh, yeah that should B fine. I'll have everything set up by the time U get here. I'm so excited!

Danny: :D

Paulina has created a group chat.

Paulina has added Kwan, Dash, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie.

Paulina has sent a photo.

[The photo shows Paulina standing next to Danny in her huge vanity bathroom. They're holding their hands up in the peace sign gesture, winking, and sticking their tongues out. They wear matching eyeliner.]

Paulina: I am a goddess at make-up

Danny: Can confirm. I've learned from a master

Sam: Since the goddess can get you to do something I've been trying to convince you to do for years, I'll gladly bow

Tucker: Smthng U want 2 tell us, Sam?

Sam: Only that I can recognize talent when I see it

Valerie: But can Danny do it on his own?

Danny: I did Paulina's!!! She's been teaching me all day. This shit is hard

Dash: I didn't think you'd get to Paulina's level in one day

Danny: Oh, I'm nowhere near her level. She's a master. However, I can tell U the difference between liquid and felt tip eyeliner.

Sam: Prove it

Tucker: How's he supposed to prove it?

Valerie: He could do your eyeliner

Tucker: No thank U. That shit takes forever to get off. Never again. Why aren't we volunteering Dash for this?

Dash: Because I'm not back for another two weeks. And by then he'll be better at it so you won't be able to make fun of him

Danny: :(

Paulina: I can't believe ur all doubting my teaching skills

Sam: We're doubting Danny's art skills

Danny: >: (

Kwan: Yo!! Looking good, bro!

Danny: :) Thanks, bro. I knew I could count on U. The only 1 that has my back 4 real

Dash: I thought it looked cool

Danny: :D

Valerie: Anyone want to meet at Nasty Burger? I've got a craving for fries

Tucker: Say less, I'm omw

Sam: I'm down

Dash: :(

Danny: You'll be there in spirit :)

Kwan: Woooo! Party!!!! Dash, we can Skype you

Dash: That's okay, we're going on a hike here in a second

Paulina: That's what you get for abandoning us for a month

Dash: :(

~

Sam: I can't believe our resident nurse friend is gone right now

Dash: ?

Tucker: Danny needs stitches and Sam doesn't want to do it

Valerie: What'd he do this time?

Dash: This time?! How often does he need stitches? Is he okay?

Sam: More often than you'd think. He's a magnet for trouble

Tucker: He's fine. Just jumped in front of a car crash to save a kid. A piece of shrapnel gouged his leg.

Dash: Why isn't he in the hospital?! Is the kid okay?

Valerie deleted a chat

Valerie: Danny doesn't like hospitals. Why didn't he let Phantom handle it?

Sam: There weren't any ghosts involved. He wouldn't have shown.

Dash: Is everyone okay though? What's happening with Danny?

Tucker: The kid is worshiping Danny as we speak

Danny: Aw, worried about me Dash? ;)

Danny: Every1 is ok though. I got stitches. The kid is a little shaken, but otherwise unharmed and he's not worshiping me. He was just scared. It doesn't look like a serious crash either.

Dash: My friend jumped in front of a car, of fucking course I'm worried.

Tucker: Eh, he does this often. You'll get used to it.

Dash: Often!? Why?

Valerie: Acknowledging it only encourages him

Danny: Who else was going to save that kid? I think I prefer him over U guys

Dash: What did I do?

Danny: Ur exempt

Tucker: Simp

Danny: I will haunt ur ass Tuck

Tucker: No U won't. Ur too nice

Sam: It's true, that's a hollow threat and you know it

Danny: I can be threatening >=(

Paulina: Glad ur ok Danny! Hate to disagree with U guys, but Danny can be scary when he wants to be

Dash: Yeah, have U ever seen him mad? He's a wall of terror and rage

Valerie: How do you two know that?

Paulina: We used to be bad people.

Dash: U pick on the wrong kid once and suddenly Danny Fenton turns into ur worst nightmare

Danny: :D See?

Sam: Ur still not haunting Tucker

Tucker: I have bestie privileges

Danny: True. But I do too and I will not hesitate to send the blackmail photos I have saved.

Tucker: What photos?

Danny: ^u^

Tucker: Danny, what photos?!?!

~

"Go long!" Danny launched the frisbee through the air, watching Youngblood and Cujo race after it. Youngblood caught it and threw it back. Cujo spun around and came charging back toward him.

He caught it, narrowly dodging Cujo as he jumped after it. This time when he threw it, he used a little bit of ecto energy to throw it further. Cujo took the lead on this chase, Youngblood protesting.

"Hey! Cujo! Let me get it! You can't even throw it!"

"You'll never tire them out, you know." Ember huffed, scribbling music notes in her notebook.

"I know." Danny collapsed on the ground next to her, sinking into the soft grass of one of the ghost zone's islands. "I'm not trying to. Just making sure they don't get bored and try to cause chaos in the living world."

Ember huffed and picked up her guitar. "I've been doing just fine keeping them in check." She played a few chords, shook her head, and adjusted the strings.

"Yeah, you have. Thanks for that. I'm sorry I haven't been visiting as much lately."

She picked her notebook up and changed something she had written. "Yeah, what gives? That new boyfriend of yours better company than us or something?"

Danny tensed. "You know about Dash?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "The whole zone knows about Dash. Well, anyone who cares about Phantom, knows about Dash. Johnny has been itching to tease you about it."

"Great, well he's not even my boyfriend. So Johnny can lay off." Danny watched Youngblood and Cujo fight over the frisbee.

Ember hummed. "You know he won't. I think Skulker already has a plan to use him as bait too. You'd better keep an eye on him."

Danny groaned flopping over to stare up at the swirling green void. His vision filled with a giant green dog, dropping slobber over him like rain as it deposited the Frisbee next to him.

"Gross, Cujo!" Danny sat up, turning intangible so the dog spit would slide off of him.

"You're supposed to throw it back!" Youngblood huffed, sitting next to Ember. "This isn't fun anymore. I want to play pirates."

Danny raised an eyebrow at him, turning tangible again. "Do you remember what happened last time you played pirates? You sent three people to the hospital and leveled a whole city block."

Youngblood rolled his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal. They're all fine."

"People got hurt. That's not fine." Ember said gently.

"Ugh, big kids are no fun. It's fine because they'll just show up here if they get hurt. It's not like they disappear."

"It isn't fine," Danny soothed. "People aren't supposed to be here until they're ready. If you bring them here too early, it makes them really sad." Danny could tell Youngblood wasn't listening to the conversation anymore. Cujo butted his arm to get Danny to pet him.

"And you aren't supposed to be able to see me anymore. Rules are just dumb words that don't mean anything."

Danny tried to contain his frustration as he petted Cujo. He sighed. "Okay, why don't we play astronauts? We can use your slingshot for a spaceship again."

Youngblood brightened. "Okay! I'll go get it. C'mon Cujo! Help me carry it." Cujo barked and the two of them sped off toward Youngblood's door.

"Aren't you glad you're missing time with your boyfriend for this?" Ember sneered.

Danny frowned. "He's not my boyfriend. And I haven't just been spending all my time with him. I've been trying to apply for college and turn the antibiotics for the Fenton Venom into a vaccine. That way Pandora doesn't have to worry about distributing antibiotics to ghosts who are scared of her. You know, important things."

Ember huffed, ripping a page out of her notebook and throwing it at him. "Whatever. Just bring him to my next concert so I can make fun of you."

"No promises. Giving up on your song?" Danny threw the paper back at her, laughing.

"Not giving up, starting over. You giving up on getting over your crush?" She scribbles more in her notebook.

"You're not gonna drop this are you?" Danny wound his fingers around the ghost grass, ripping some chunks out and watching them blow away on the breeze.

"Nope." She popped the 'p', readjusting her guitar on her lap. "It's kind of the most interesting thing going on right now. Since I've given up on taking over the world, I have to entertain myself with your whole 'will I, won't I' thing."

Danny pouted. "Kitty and Johnny's 'will they won't they' isn't more interesting? What about your boyfriend? Is he not entertaining enough?"

"Uh, no. For one, Kitty and Johnny are annoying and they always get back together so it's boring at this point. And no, he's too busy trying to come up with a way to hunt you and the boy you want to kiss so bad it makes you look stupid." She struck a few chords on her guitar, nodding and writing it down.

Danny gasped, shoving her playfully. "I do not look stupid."

"Yes, you do. You fell in a goddamn lake." She grinned and motioned to her guitar. "You know, I could always help out with a well-timed love spell."

Danny frowned at her, eyes flashing in annoyance. "Not a chance. I'm not letting you put a spell on Dash."

"Aw, you care about him." She mocked. "Why don't you just fucking tell him?"

Danny huffed. "I don't know. Maybe I don't want him to freak out when he finds out I'm dead. Or not completely dead if he prefers Phantom. Oh god, what if he does prefer Phantom? What would I do then?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you're a mess. Look, I can't give you the best advice as someone who literally died because she got stood up. But, just ask yourself if you're willing to be lonely for the rest of your life because you're too scared to let someone take your feelings seriously. Don't be an idiot."

"I've got it!" Youngblood called, returning with Cujo who was balancing the slingshot on his back. "I call going first!"

"Coming!" Danny called. He smiled at Ember. "For someone who doesn't have a lot of advice, that was pretty good stuff. I like you better when you're not trying to take over the world."

"I know, you tell me all the time." Ember played more chords on her guitar. "Go play with the kid before he loses his mind."

Danny chuckled as he got up and flew over to Youngblood. "Alright, Commander, are you ready for launch?"

~

Danny: Hey, how's Cali?

Dash: It's fun. My aunt Cassie is teaching me the secret family recipes

Danny: :o any chance I can blackmail U into making those for me?

Dash: Yeah, you can ask nicely

Danny: Can U make them for me?

Dash: What's the magic word?

Danny: Ambivalent

Dash: I can withhold my cooking

Danny: This is cruel and unusual punishment

Dash: Weird, I don't think your texts are coming through

Danny: I refuse to beg

Dash: Then I refuse to share my secret family recipes

Danny: :(

Danny: :(

Danny: :(

Danny : Please?

Dash: Ok, you win. Hope you like chicken kebabs

Danny: <3 U have issues with Reggie yet?

Dash: Ugh, of course. My mom has put him in his place a couple of times though. It's been cool.

Danny: Let's go, Mrs. Baxter!

Dash: She says you can call her Jessica btw

Danny: Is ur mom reading ur texts?

Dash: No, she just asked who I was texting

Danny: Aw, she loves me <3

Dash: Don't encourage her. How are your stitches?

Danny: Still worried about that? I'm fine. It's no big deal.

Dash: It's kind of a big deal. I'm just glad you're okay. I seem to remember you promising a game night when I got back. Wouldn't be able to do that if you fucking died on me

Danny: Did I? I just remember saying we needed to hang out

Dash: No, I distinctly remember you saying that you'd help me get revenge on Tucker

Danny: Ur going after Tucker and not Sam?

Dash: Sam kicks ass. I don't think anyone can beat her. Tucker threw a blue shell at me. That's unforgivable.

Danny: Ok, u have convinced me. I'll help u with ur revenge scheme.

Dash: How upset is he going to be when he finds out I've turned you against him?

Danny: Immensely. He'll never let me live it down. U had better make it worth it

Dash: I'll get some practice in. Wouldn't want to let you down

Danny: Hope ur cousins are good practice then

Dash: Nathan might be, he hasn't left the game room since we got here.

Dash: I need to help with dinner, text you later?

Danny: Yeah, tell ur mom I said hi!

~

Danny, on his stomach, lay on his bed, one elbow supporting his head, red pen spinning in his other hand. An astronomy textbook lay open in front of him, a page already underlined with significant notes in the margins. He'd ordered the basic books for the classes he'd be taking ahead of time so he could use the second half of summer to get a jump start on his studies. He'd need the extra time if ghost attacks ramped up again in the fall.

Granted he was working off the textbooks the teachers had used the previous year so it might all be for naught. But he figured any information was good information, plus he liked seeing the pictures from the telescope.

He was underlining another sentence when his phone rang. He reached over, stretching to grab it from his nightstand, not even bothering to hide the smile on his face when he saw the contact picture. He dropped his pen and answered the call.

"Hey, Dash, what's-"

"Do you have to have your boyfriend fight all your battles, dweeb?" A voice he'd never heard before shouted a small distance from the mic.

"Shut the fuck up, Reggie!" Dash's voice was loud and pissed. "You're the one insisting you know everything when you're just sitting here talking out of your ass."

"Like some kid from Amity Park would know than me. I'm in-"

"Your seventh year of college, yeah, I think that's too many for an associate's degree, making you more of an idiot than a genius!" Dash snorted. "Danny, have you seen Mission to Mars?"

Danny resisted the urge to laugh. "Yeah. Are you calling me to settle a debate about a space movie?"

Dash sounded like he was ready to commit murder. "Yes. Reggie over here thinks that the movie is completely scientifically accurate."

"It's not." Danny closed his textbook and pushed it out of the way. He rolled onto his back to give his elbows a break.

"I fucking told you," Dash shouted, presumably at Reggie.

"What does some fresh high school graduate even know?" Reggie bit back.

"More than you asshole! He's going to get an astronomy degree and I don't think you even know what campus you stumbled onto."

Danny bit his lip to keep from laughing, a warm feeling bubbling up in his stomach.

"Boys, please," an elderly voice called, "the kids are in the next room."

"What part specifically are you arguing about?" Danny asked.

"The part where he takes his helmet off and instantly freezes. You were just talking about it the other day."

"You were actually listening to me rant about the effects of space on the human body?" Danny couldn't help the fluttery tone creeping into his voice. He wrapped his free arm around his stomach trying to contain the small butterflies forming there.

"I'm gonna be sick," Reggie hissed.

"Am I on speaker?" Danny picked at the loose threads on his jeans.

"Yeah, sorry, uh, can you explain to him what happens when an astronaut takes off their helmet in space?"

"Space is freezing, obviously they'd freeze," Reggie shouted disgruntled.

"Okay, first off," Danny started, understanding exactly why Dash hated this guy, "It doesn't matter what would happen because an astronaut would not be able to remove their own helmet. It has to be sealed and pressurized from the back, meaning they would need a partner to put it on and take it off properly. So, there's your first inaccuracy."

"What are your fucking sources for that?" Reggie spat.

"Fucking NASA." Danny snorted. "Fucking google it if you don't believe me. Although, I assume Dash already tried that."

Dash coughed, trying to cover his laugh.

"Whatever," Reggie huffed. "They'd still freeze if they could."

"Not immediately. The first thing that would happen is their skin would develop extreme sunburns from exposure to unfiltered ultraviolet light. If they didn't immediately exhale, their lungs would expand like a balloon from the unbalanced pressure. Parallel air expansion within their ears and sinuses will cause the tissues to rupture. Any moisture in the eyes, mouth, and throat will boil and vaporize. The rest of the liquids in the body will also start to boil and trigger extreme swelling in the muscles. Then the vaporization will cause localized temperatures to drop and then they'll begin to freeze. But that's not the end. Any body fluids that are left can and will escape the body however they can; crying, vomiting, urinating, defecating, all of it boiling on emission. And then they'll run out of oxygen causing hypoxia to take place. Within twelve seconds, they will have lost consciousness so at least they won't have to feel most of this. And if they're not re-pressurized within two minutes, they're certainly dead. And you can imagine the consequences of surviving."

The line on the other end was silent for a few moments. Danny thought he'd gone a bit too far and maybe ruined his reputation with Dash's family. The butterflies in his stomach were turning to stone. He stared at the stars on his ceiling, nerves eating away at him.

Dash, finally, broke the silence, his voice bold and full of pride. "Anything to say to that Reggie? Or did you not understand half the words he said? I thought you knew everything?"

Danny felt warm and gooey inside with the tone of Dash's voice. He was proud of him. Danny may as well be melting. He rolled on his side, curling up in an attempt to contain himself. He fidgeted with the edge of his blankets.

"Whatever," Reggie muttered. "Your boyfriend is creepy as hell. I'm going for a smoke." He heard a door close.

"Yeah, whatever, Reggie, you sore fucking loser," Dash muttered. Danny tried to keep his heart from jumping when Dash didn't correct Reggie on their relationship for a second time.

"Good job, Danny!" Dash's mom whispered nearby. "I owe you one."

"Thanks, Jessica." Danny giggled.

There was some shuffling and muttering on the other end before he heard another door. "You're off speaker now. Thanks for that. I've never seen Reggie so uncomfortable."

Danny's laugh was bubbly and he was embarrassed at how uncontrolled it was. "Anytime. It's nice to know you actually listened to my little space rant."

"Of course, I was listening. And look, it came in handy. Anytime you want to rant, I'm ready to listen."

Danny's face burned, tears pricking the corner of his eyes. His cheeks ached from how long his smile had been there. "Cool," he wheezed. "I'm always here to listen to you too. If there was anything you wanted to talk about."

"Really? Cause my grandma has been trying to teach me how to knit. I could tell you all about different types of yarn and needles."

Danny laughed, every nerve in his body alight with sparking nervous energy. One conversation with Dash was putting him through a lot of emotions in a very short time span. He would be lying if he said he hated it. "Then please, go on, knitting master. I'm all ears."

"Dash!" Dash's mom called faintly from the other room. "We're about to start the next movie! Danny can wait a few more days to have you all to himself!"

Dash sighed. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait to hear all about three-sided yarn until I get back. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, later." Danny breathed, closing his phone as Dash hung up. He breathed out shakily, cradling his phone to his chest. His heart was racing under his fingers.

Dash had called him to prove a point about astronomy. And he was proud of him for his answer. And that made Danny feel very weak in the knees.

Oh boy, he might be in trouble.

~

Dash adjusted the temperature of the water at the kitchen sink. He was washing the apples they had, making sure to scrub all the pesticides off. He handed each one to his niece Janice who was peeling them at the kitchen table. His grandma sat next to her, mixing pie crust and humming a song.

"Dash, can I ask you something?" Janice asked, setting a freshly peeled apple in the wooden bowl on the table.

"Yeah, what's up, nerd?" He grabbed the last apple, pulling its sticker off and running it under the water.

"That boy that you keep texting, do you like him?"

Dash froze, the old yellow wallpaper with its red birds suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. "Maybe," he drawled. "Why do you want to know?"

Janice shrugged. "Reggie keeps saying mean things about it and I told him if he hurt your feelings about it I'd kick his ass. So, if you did like him, I was going to have to go to war." She struggled to pull a stem out of one of the apples. Their grandma passed her a small knife.

Dash grinned at the thought of his twelve-year-old niece fighting his twenty-five-year-old cousin. She would win. "You don't have to go to war for me, Janice. Just ignore Reggie. He's just a mean person."

"That's not an answer to my question, though." She stood up and got a glass down from the cabinet, filling it with the homemade juice from the fridge.

"I'm curious too." His grandma spoke. "With the way you called him the other day, I'd have thought you two were already dating." She winked at him.

Dash laughed to shake the nerves off. Calling Danny had been impulsive, he just wanted to put Reggie in his place. But he'd been thinking about how happy Danny had sounded since it happened. He turned off the sink and grabbed a cutting board and a fresh knife to start cutting the apples. "Well, if you two gossips need some to satisfy you, then maybe I'll admit to liking two boys."

Janice gasped, plopping back down in her seat. "Drama. Is one of them Danny?"

Dash nodded. "Yes, one of them is Danny. Don't you dare tell him."

"Who's the other one?" His grandma asked, adding more water to her mixing bowl.

Dash didn't really know how to explain Phantom to people who lived outside Amity Park. Ghosts weren't as common beyond their strange little town so they didn't really need ghost superheroes anywhere else. "Uh, just this other guy from school that I've been hanging out with."

His grandma sighed. "I wish I was still young enough to play the field like that."

"Grandma!" Janice gasped, scandalized. Their grandma just laughed. Janice grimaced. "Which one do you like better then? It's Danny, right?"

"You just want me to like Danny because he likes space." Dash slid the apple chunks off the board into a small bowl on the very end of the old wooden table.

"Uh, duh." Janice huffed. "Would it even work with this other guy?"

Dash sighed, remembering how disappointed Phantom had been in him the last time they talked. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" His grandma asked, waddling over to the oak cabinets in search of the dough roller.

"I don't know, gram. I haven't seen him in a while and we just have… different lifestyles. It might be a nice experience, but I don't think it would work long-term."

"There's nothing wrong with experiences." His grandma mused. "They're a part of life."

Dash gave her a small smile. "When did you get old enough to be so wise?"

She cackled, setting the roller down next to her bowl and moving her chair out of the way. "When did you get old enough to be worrying about boys?"

"Touche."

"So," Janice took a long sip of her juice, maintaining eye contact the whole time, "when are you gonna tell Danny?"

Dash frowned. He finished slicing the last apple and walked over to the sink to wash the cutting board. "I don't think I will. He's trying to figure out what he wants from life and I think I'd just get in his way."

"Why can't he figure it out with you?" Janice said with all the sting of honesty that children provided.

Dash didn't even know how to begin low self-esteem to her. His mind raced, trying to come up with a good excuse. "Uh, well, I just think he deserves the best and I think there's better than me."

"I think he's the one who gets to decide what he deserves." His grandma smiled. "You put yourself down too much Dash. We all have darkness in our past, but it doesn't make our present light less deserving."

Dash didn't get a chance to reply as his mom came bustling into the kitchen. "How's it going in here?"

His heart dropped when his grandma smirked at him. "Good. Jessica, dear, did you know your son has a crush on not one, but two boys?"

His mom turned a curious, twinkling eye to him. "I did not."

Janice was practically falling out of her seat. "Aunt Jes, you have to convince Dash to marry Danny so he can bring him to the next reunion so I can have a space buddy!"

His mom gasped, clapping her hands together. "You have a crush on Danny? That's wonderful! You already have my approval."

"Gram, you're a traitor," Dash grumbled. She playfully shrugged, as if she did nothing wrong.

His mom was never going to let him live this down.

Chapter 4 is Finally done!

Of All The Stories In The Stars, Ours Has Yet To Be Told (41076 words) by StarsWhisper Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dash Baxter/Danny Fenton Characters: Danny Fenton, Dash Baxter, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Paulina Sanchez, Kwan (Danny Phantom), Valerie Gray, Pookie (Danny Phantom) Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), on the way to college, mentions of child abuse, Mentions of homophobia, Redemption Arcs, Bisexual Danny Fenton, everyone becoming good friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Second Chances, lots of classical literature references, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Lots of Crying, Some hurt/comfort, almost everyone has shitty parents, More tags to come as I think of them, Suicidal Thoughts, This is heavily inspired by marichat, stealing lots of headcanons from tumblr, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, not entirely canon compliant, I stole the pieces I like and combined them with fanon to get what I wanted, this was supposed to be a slow burn, Dialogue Heavy, some spooky shit will be snuck in here, Mutual Pining, Dissection, Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton, lots of astrology references, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), horror aspects will be in here, but also cute fluff, Asexual Character Summary: It's the end of senior year and Dash and Danny are having the worst time of their lives. Dash's father finds out he's queer and tries to kill him. That lands him in prison with divorce papers. Dash goes to therapy to cope and learn how to change his behaviors while taking some time off from school. He now needs to learn how to navigate the world and figure himself out. Danny fears he'll never figure out what he wants for his future beyond being the hero of Amity Park forever and he's running out of time to figure it out as he watches everyone he knows move on without him. Plus there are always the people hunting him down that he has to worry about on top of that.

~

Sam slammed her piercing kit down on the counter, her jaw going slack. She stared at Danny with bug eyes. “You kissed Dash!?”

“Almost! I almost kissed Dash.” Danny protested, squirming in his chair. The weight of everyone’s eyes made him want to curl up under a rock and never leave again.

“As Phantom?” Valerie exclaimed. “Are you crazy?!”

“I just got a little distracted!” He denied.

“I told you guys,” Tucker sighed teasingly, “Danny just can’t resist a pretty jock. I mean, remember how hard he crushed on Valerie?”

“Playing tennis does not make me a jock.” Valerie scoffed, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

“No, but tennis and ghost hunting, does.”

Valerie grinned, “So, what you’re saying is, Danny just likes it when mean people are nice to him.”

“Hey!” Danny squeaked.

Sam sighed as she rifled through her kit for the right needles. “Seriously though, Danny, are you trying to get caught?”

“No.” All this questioning was starting to make Danny feel small. He really didn’t like feeling like he’d done something wrong; it made his skin itch. “I just… I don’t know. He’s really…”

“Pretty?” Valerie snickered.

“Yeah, I mean, no! That’s not-”

“Why not just kiss him as Danny Fenton?” Sam huffed.

Danny slumped in the chair, glaring at the floor. “I, I don’t think I like him in a romantic sense.”

“That’s not very convincing coming from the guy who was two seconds away from kissing him.” Tucker chuckled, getting up from his seat to go through Sam’s DVD collection.

“That doesn’t really mean anything, Tucker you and I have kissed!” Danny hissed.

“We all know you’re not above kissing the homies.” Valerie giggled as she started the popcorn machine. “But I don’t think you count Phantom and Dash as homies.”

Danny groaned, running his hands down his face. Sam slapped his hands away.

“Stop touching.” She chided. “You might have crazy healing powers but you still don’t want to deal with an infected piercing.”

“Fine.” Danny busied his hands by picking at the loose threads in his jeans. “Okay, maybe, I am willing to admit that, possibly, I find him, somewhat, physically attractive.”

Valerie snorted, accidentally missing the bucket and spilling popcorn kernels all over the kart. “You think? Nice detective work, Sherlock.”

“But!” Danny continued. “But, I only like him platonically.”

Tucker sighed, setting some DVD cases on the table. “Danny, have you heard of this river in Egypt?”

“I’m not in denial, Tucker.” Danny huffed.

Sam cleaned the skin around his eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. “Sure, you’re not, big guy. Silver or gold?”

“Silver.” Danny pouted.

“You know it’s okay if you like him, right?” Valerie asked, hitting start on the machine and grabbing the broom to sweep up. “Don’t get me wrong, we’ll tease the hell out of you, but no one would be mad about it.”

“Yeah, dude,” Tucker added, still going through the DVDs unable to make a decision. “Dash helped me pass History, so if you wanna tap that then-”

“Good to know, Tucker.” Danny hissed. “But I don’t. Besides, it’s not like it would work out between us anyway. There’s no way he doesn’t have a football scholarship to some fancy university out of state. So, can we just drop it?”

“Are you going to keep hanging out with him as Phantom?” Sam pulled some gloves on and set all her tools on her tray. She grabbed Danny’s face and tilted it to the side, using a marker to mark where the piercing would go.

“No, I wasn’t planning on it. But, he does have a terrible habit of showing up wherever Phantom is.”

“Yeah, because it’s Dash who showed up outside your house.” Tucker cackled.

Danny huffed, crossing his arms, and accidentally turning invisible from the embarrassment.

“Hey!” Sam chided. “I kinda need to see what I’m doing here.”

“Sorry,” Danny muttered, taking a deep breath and reappearing.

“If you keep doing that, he’ll find out before the first movie is over.” Valerie wheezed.

“He would find out if they ever got here. Seriously, they’re like fifteen minutes late. Where are they?” Tucker complained.

“I don’t know.” Danny checked his phone. “I’ll call them as soon as Sam’s done with my eyebrow.”

“You kissed Phantom!?” Paulina screeched.

“Almost!” Dash protested, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were going numb. “Almost kissed Phantom.”

“What was stopping you!” Paulina turned in her seat, fighting against the seat belt as her nails dug into the armrest. “You had the dreamiest guy in the whole town an inch away from you and you didn’t kiss him?! Are you sure you’re even gay?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Dash pulled over in front of Kwan’s house, honking to announce their presence. “He was just looking at me like-”

“Like he wanted to kiss you? Duh! That’s what you do when you’re trying to kiss someone!”

Dash ran his hands through his hair. “I know! It’s just that his eyes were so-”

“Whose eyes? What are we talking about?” Kwan asked, sliding into the back seat.

Paulina whirled around, propping herself up on her knees to see over the headrests. “Dash had a chance to make out with Phantom and didn’t!”

“What?!” Kwan shot forward, pushing Paulina back into her seat, and craned his neck between the front seats to stare at Dash. “Dude, are you sure you’re gay?!”

“Guys,” Dash groaned. He wanted to scream. “I’m a coward, I get it. It’s just that his eyes looked so familiar and I-”

“Oh, you guys were getting familiar, huh?” Kwan laughed, raising a teasing eyebrow at his friend.

“Kwan, please.” Dash sighed.

“What do you mean, familiar?” Paulina huffed. “Like someone you know? Or like the ‘this is what home feels like’ hallmark romance familiar?”

“Uh, not that. I don’t know, really. He was just really intense and it seemed like I’d seen that look somewhere before.”

“Oh shit,” Kwan muttered, a giggle just beneath his tone, “You weren’t thinking about Fenton as you were about to kiss Phantom were you?”

“What?!” Dash screeched, choking on air as he whipped around to stare at Kwan. “No!”

Paulina covered her mouth with her hands, gasping dramatically. “No way. I knew it.”

“No! Knew what?! I wasn’t!” Dash sputtered, knowing full well he was not doing a good job of looking like he was telling the truth. “Why would I be thinking about Danny?”

“Oh, please.” Paulina jokingly rolled her eyes. She shifted in her seat again, too much excitement coursing through her to sit still. “Like you don’t have the biggest crush on him.”

“I do not!”

“Bro,” Kwan leaned forward again, putting a hand on Dash’s shoulder, his eyes serious, “he literally left the amusement park wearing your jacket.”

Dash swatted Kwan’s hand away, ears burning. “That doesn’t mean anything! Paulina steals my jacket all the time!”

“Yeah, platonically.” She waved him off.

“And I platonically gave it to Danny. You saw how the sun was making him feel after The Zipper!”

“You mean, the ride you challenged him to go on with your totally platonic flirting?”

“I was not flirting! I was trying to make him feel better about the ride!”

“Aw, you’re in denial,” Paulina cooed.

“I’m not-” The sound of his phone ringing cut him off. Danny’s name flashed on the screen.

Paulina leaned over to look. “You don’t have a profile picture set for him? Maybe you don’t have a crush.” She said it like it was the most tragic thing to happen in history.

He ignored her. He cleared his throat and answered, hoping Danny wouldn’t notice how embarrassed he was. “Heyyyy, what’s up?”

He also ignored Kwan and Paulina’s laughter.

“Hey, yourself.” Danny chuckled on the other end of the line. “Where are you guys? You’re like half an hour late.”

“Oh, uh, we’re outside Kwan’s house. He’s talking to his mom, you know how moms are.” Dash chuckled, clearing his throat.

“Ask them if they’ll pick up the pizza since they’re late.” Sam’s voice called from somewhere behind Danny.

“Can you, uh-”

“Yeah, we can do that, no problem, none whatsoever.” Dash slapped a hand over his eyes. “Tony’s?”

“Yeah,” Danny laughed, “Tony’s. It should be under Sam’s name.”

“Okay, yeah, we’ll head there now.”

“Try not to take forever, yeah?” He couldn’t see him, but he could feel Danny grinning at him through the phone.

“No promises.” He chuckled, hanging up the phone. Paulina and Kwan were smiling at him like a pair of Cheshire cats. “What?”

“Yeah, we can do that, no problem, none whatsoever.” Kwan mocked.

“No promises.” Paulina dramatically swooned, her hand pressed to her forehead.

“Shut up,” Dash muttered, earning more hyena cackling. He pulled away from the curb, changing direction to Tony’s.

“Wait, so have you seen Phantom since?” Paulina asked once he had acquired the pizza and was back in the car on their way to Sam’s.

Dash sighed. “No. And honestly, I probably fucked that up. He freaked out so bad that he fell into the lake.”

“Well,” Kwan drawled solemnly, “you can always kiss Fenton to make up for it.”

“Oh my god,” Dash huffed. “I do not have a crush on Danny.”

“Whatever you have to say to make yourself feel better.” Paulina giggled.

“Does anyone know what Sam’s house looks like?” Dash asked, changing the topic.

“No, but it looks like your boyfriend is waiting for you.” Kwan joked.

Danny was sitting on the curb outside a huge mansion-looking house. He stood and waved them into a parking spot in the driveway. Dash turned to Paulina and Kwan. “Not a word,” he hissed.

They stepped out of the car. Danny helped Kwan with the pizza. “You guys actually made it in a reasonable time.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Kwan explained, side-eyeing Dash. “You know how moms can be, ha-ha.”

Dash barely heard the exchange. His eyes were glued to the shiny piece of jewelry in Danny’s eyebrow. “Is that new?”

Danny gingerly touched the piercing, holding the pizza boxes in one hand. “Oh, yeah. Sam just did it.”

“Sam did?” Paulina chirped, eyeing the jewelry. “It looks like a professional did it!”

“She did all her own piercings. She practically is a professional by now.” Danny turned and ushered them up the stairs. They followed him.

“Sam actually lives here?” Kwan asked, gaping at the building.

“It’s a bit of a sore spot for her. She’s not the biggest fan of her parents' money, so try not to say anything about it.” They followed Danny through a huge kitchen.

“Wow,” Paulina whispered, “it’s bigger than mine.”

“What made you decide to get an eyebrow piercing?” Dash asked as they left the kitchen and traveled down an expansive hallway.

“I figured I could use a new look as a present for graduating. What do you think, am I cool yet?” Danny quirked said eyebrow.

Dash felt his ears start burning. “Sure, nerd, keep dreaming.”

Danny laughed. Dash’s stomach fluttered. He might throw up.

“I dig it,” Kwan said as they stepped down a staircase. “Matches the whole emo thing you’ve got going on.” The stairs ended in a huge theater room.

“He’s actually got more of a grunge thing going on.” Sam corrected. “It’s as goth as I could get him to go.”

“You brought the food! My saviors!” Tucker cried, grabbing the pizzas from Kwan.

“Thank god,” Valerie huffed, salting the popcorn buckets she’d just filled, “now we can finally pick a movie.”

“Ooh, Valerie!” Paulina squealed. “I love your makeup.”

Valerie looked her up and down for a moment. They’d talked on the phone for a while on Senior Ditch Day, but this was the first time they’d talked in person without Paulina throwing a poor joke at her in a few years. Valerie ultimately decided Paulina really meant no ill will and smiled at her. “Thanks! I love your belly button ring. Is the butterfly for your sister?”

Paulina gasped. “You remembered?”

“Of course. We were best friends once. I also remembered to use low-fat butter, just for you.”

Paulina looked like she was about to cry. “You really are the best of us.”

“Uh-oh,” Kwan teased, “We’d better start a movie before Paulina loses it.”

“Okay, well, we’ve narrowed it down to five choices.” Danny set the pizza he was holding on the coffee table next to the two liters and red solo cups. “American Psycho, The Creature From The Black Lake, 50 First Dates, Nightmerica The Return, and Legally Blonde.”

Lots of arguing ensued but Sam eventually conceded her vote in exchange for the best chair in the room. Because Kwan and Tucker had never seen it, they picked American Psycho first and 50 First Dates second due to Paulina's insistence.

Dash picked a seat on one edge of the couch, Tucker taking the other end of the couch. Sam and Paulina took the big, fluffy chairs and Valerie and Kwan took the bean bags. Danny put the disc in the player and sat between him and Tucker.

Dash pressed himself against the armrest as much as possible. It wasn’t because he was nervous, absolutely not, it was just that Danny was cold again and Dash preferred to stay warm. Paulina waggled her eyebrows at him. He glared (pouted) back.

Once everyone was settled with popcorn, pizza, and soda in hand, Sam hit play on the remote.

Dash found it hard to focus on the movie. For one, it just wasn’t a movie that he would enjoy. And for two, it was hard to focus on anything other than how Danny kept leaning into him. Every time Dash shifted to put space between them, Danny was taking it up again and pressing against him.

He’d stolen a few glances at him to see if he was doing it on purpose. Danny seemed just as bored and uninterested in the film as he was. But he didn’t seem to be paying attention to Dash or messing with him.

Dash shifted again, pressed as far up against the edge of the couch as he could. It was only about two minutes before he felt the icy chill of Danny’s skin against his again. It was like an ice cube was melting and oozing cold directly into his cells. Dash briefly wondered if he had chronically low iron or something.

Dash tried to return his attention to the movie, but the next scene happened to be a sex scene and he diverted his attention again. It was making him really uncomfortable. He supposed that was the point in this movie but he hated it in just about every movie and he usually turned them off the second it was even implied one was coming.

Sam scoffed. “Was this directed by a man?”

Danny leaned forward- brushing against Dash- and grabbed the DVD case off the table. He flipped it over and read the back. “This says it was directed by one Mary Harron.”

“Ain’t no way,” Valerie said.

“And she’s also credited as the writer.”

“I find that hard to believe, but whatever,” Sam grumbled.

“Does anyone even actually like sex scenes? They’re always so uncomfortable and unnecessary.” Dash huffed.

Danny turned to look at him but didn’t say anything. It was like he was trying to analyze something about him and it made him nervous.

“In horror movies, they tend to be,” Valerie muttered.

“But in romance movies,” Paulina sighed, wistfully. “It’s the best part. When the couple finally admits their feelings for each other and lose themselves in the throws of passion, it’s so romantic.”

Dash cringed, his nose wrinkling so hard it hurt. “Really? It seems so tedious and messy and uncomfortable for the actors.” Danny was still looking at him; he shifted again, letting the armrest dig into his ribs, but it did nothing to ease his anxiety.

“I wouldn’t think so.” Paulina continued. “I’d love to be in a romance movie with either Jensen Ackles or Penelope Cruz.”

“Ew,” Dash shuddered. “Wait, what?”

“Ooh,” Valerie chittered. “Way to come out, Paulie.”

“Thank you. I’ve been waiting for the best moment.”

“See, Dash, I told you we weren’t homophobic,” Kwan smirked.

“Thanks, Kwan.”

“So, we have another bi person in our midst.” Sam teased, smirking playfully.

“Another one?” Paulina twisted around to survey the group.

Danny sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from Dash. “One day I’ll get to do my own coming out.”

Paulina squealed. “I knew it! I knew you were queer! Bi fist bump!”

Danny leaned over Dash to bump Paulina’s fist. Dash took a deep breath. A mistake. Danny was wearing some kind of warm-smelling cologne and Dash just wanted to take another breath. But he controlled himself.

"What gave me away?"

Paulina gestured at him. "Lok at you."

"Fair," Danny laughed. He turned back to Dash. “Have you ever heard the term ‘asexual’?”

“Like in biology? One cell splitting or something?”

“As in the sexuality.” Danny shifted to face Dash and their knees touched. Hurt crossed Danny’s face when Dash yanked his away. “Someone who identifies as asexual feels little to no sexual attraction.”

“You’re saying there’s like some kind of spectrum? People actually feel a lot of attraction?”

Danny laughed. “Have you seen how Tucker talks to women?”

“Hey, not my fault I appreciate the better things in life.” Tucker defended. “And I am totally with Paulina on the romance movie thing. Why else would you watch them?”

“For the story?” Dash cringed. “We should talk about something else. I don’t wanna think about what Tucker’s talking about.”

“We can talk about the fact that Paulina and Star were totally dating,” Sam said.

Paulina’s face fell. “We actually broke up.”

“You were dating star?” Dash gasped.

“Yeah, I was. But, recently, we just didn’t see eye to eye on some things. So I called it off.” Paulina sighed.

Star was the only one of his previously close friends who hadn’t reached out to him. He really hoped it wasn’t him that caused them to have an argument.

“I’m sorry, Paulie,” Kwan muttered. “I had no idea you guys broke up.”

“It’s okay. It’s for the best. How did you know, Sam?”

Sam shrugged. “You two were always together and shared a bunch of clothes. I thought it was obvious.”

A woman on screen screamed. Everyone snapped their attention back to the movie they forgot they were watching.

“Is anyone even enjoying this movie?” Tucker asked. A chorus of no’s answered him. He got up and ejected the DVD. Sam took it from him and chucked it in the trash.

“Anyone want more popcorn?” Valerie asked, standing up and heading for the machine.

“Absolutely,” Tucker chimed, heading over to help her. “Can I get extra salt on mine?”

Paulina gave a long, heavy sigh and sank from her chair to the floor. She dramatically flopped onto her side, throwing her phone across the room.

“What’s wrong?” Kwan asked, dumping an obscenely large amount of butter on his popcorn.

“My boss just texted saying he needs a new look for the magazine with a new model. By tomorrow. How in the world am I supposed to do that? It’s like 11 pm.”

“Where do you work?” Danny asked.

“I’m a make-up artist for a high-end fashion magazine.”

“Hey, just like you’ve always wanted!” Valerie cheered. “But, isn’t that a little bit of an unreasonable ask?”

“It’s the beauty industry.” Sam scoffed. “Of course it’s unreasonable.”

“She’s not wrong.” Paulina agreed. “It’s why I want to start my own brand, to change the industry. I don’t suppose either of you would help me out?” She batted her eyelashes at Sam and Valerie.

They shook their heads.

“Sorry, Paulie, but I don’t want my face all over a magazine. I have to have control over my image for my scholarships.” Valerie explained.

“And I don’t want to be seen in anything other than my signature look. It might give my parents ideas.”

Paulina deflated, looking miserable.

Danny frowned. “Does it have to be a woman model?”

Paulina looked up at him, hope shining in her eyes. “No, just someone I haven’t showcased before.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Really?!” Paulina scrambled up from the floor, bouncing excitedly on her toes. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. If it helps you keep your job, what’s the harm?”

Paulina clapped, doing a happy little jig. “Dash! Keys! I have to go get my bag!”

Dash dug into his pocket- not fast enough for Paulina’s liking- and tossed her his keys. She caught them and ran excitedly up the stairs.

“Oh, so I can’t do your makeup, but Paulina can? Does someone still have a lingering crush?” Sam teased.

“Yeah, Sam, because helping a friend not get fired counts as a lingering crush.” Danny's frown deepened.

“You should go cleanse your face then. It’ll save her a lot of time.” Valerie suggested.

“I have aloe vera in there,” Sam added as Danny headed for the bathroom. “It’s a nice primer!”

“Why’s he need to do that?” Dash asked, eyeing Valerie and Sam’s makeup and trying to imagine it on Danny.

“Makes the makeup go on smoother and helps it not to clog pores.” Sam shrugged.

“Man, you guys have to do so much every day. I respect it.” Kwan said.

“I’m totally getting pictures to use as blackmail for later.” Tucker chuckled.

Valerie rolled her eyes. “I think blackmail only works if someone is ashamed of it. Danny seems pretty comfortable with himself.”

Danny returned to the theater room at the same time as Paulina. She was glowing like a golden retriever who’d just gotten their favorite snack.

“Okay, sit in my chair while I get things set up.”

Danny sat.

“You guys wanna play Mario Kart while we wait?” Sam asked, already walking over to set up the Wii.

“Duh!” Tucker cheered.

Sam handed everyone but Kwan a controller. “We’ll have to take turns. It only allows four players at a time.”

“No problem,” Kwan said. “It’ll give me time to learn your weaknesses.”

Paulina pulled a little square folding table from her bag and pulled the legs out to the right height. She locked them in place and began putting products on it very meticulously. “He said something bold and fierce.” She muttered to herself.

“I don’t know if I could be considered ‘fierce’,” Danny mumbled.

“Nonsense.” Paulina turned and grabbed Danny’s face, tilting it from side to side and analyzing the planes and curves. “You totally have the cheekbones for it. I’m gonna have to mix a custom foundation though, you’re really pale.”

“His undertone is orange,” Sam called, selecting Bowser on the screen.

“No fair,” Valerie shouted. “You always get Bowser.”

“You snooze, you lose.”

“Thanks, Sam!” Paulina turned to her makeup setup, grabbing a disc and squeezing product onto it, mixing it with a brush.

“This is why I choose Luigi.” Tucker boasted. “No one ever takes Luigi from me.”

“Dash, pick Yoshi,” Kwan whispered, still loud enough for everyone to hear him.

“Why?” Dash loudly whispered back.

“Just trust me.”

The foundation was cold as Paulina painted his skin. He resisted the urge to pull away, sitting almost perfectly still. Paulina was muttering under her breath. Danny closed his eyes so she could focus without scrutiny.

“Starting with Rainbow Road is just pure evil,” Tucker whined.

“Are you allergic to glitter?” Paulina asked.

Danny peaked at her over at the table now. “Uh, no. I don’t think so.”

“Perfect, I have this new moonstone highlight I’ve been dying to try on someone but it’s got glitter in it. So, we’re going to do a smokey eye with the moonstone highlight, black lipstick, and maybe a green blush? Then we can do like an ocean theme.”

“Sounds more like a galaxy to me,” Danny replied, looking at the colors she was grouping together.

“Oh! That’s actually perfect! Summer galaxy! Now, I just have to come up with a tagline.” Paulina put a dark purple and a light pink next to the green. “He said he wanted bold. Space is pretty bold. We can even do like star freckles or something.”

“You had better keep that blue shell to yourself, Foley,” Dash warned.

“Sam, tell me you did not just throw that banana at me,” Valerie screamed.

Paulina picked up a much fluffier brush, a contour palette in her hand. “Are you ready? We’re getting into the complicated stuff.”

Danny nodded, grinning at her. “Make me beautiful, Paulie.”

“Eat my dust suckers!” Tucker cackled.

Kwan slapped Dash’s shoulders. “Dash! Dodge, dodge, dodge!”

“Stop backseat karting, Kwan!”

Danny found that his smile wouldn’t leave his face. He really hoped that wouldn’t mess Paulina up. The room was bathed in a nice, comforting aura and it made him want to giggle. To see everyone getting along so well, made him extremely happy. He kind of wanted to tell everyone. But he figured that wouldn’t be the best thing to say while they were in an intense Mario Kart round. He did giggle when Paulina’s brush tickled his nose.

“Someone seems happy,” She giggled with him.

Danny shrugged. “It’s just really nice to see everyone getting along.”

“You call that getting along?”

“I know where you live, Gray!” Sam hurled three green shells at Valerie.

“Bring it on, Manson! Bring it on!” Valerie dodged them all.

“Dash, please,” Tucker begged, “we’re friends, right?”

“Right now, Foley, we’re mortal enemies.”

“Go for the throat, Dash!” Kwan cheered.

Danny laughed again. “Yeah, I would. Considering there was a time when we couldn’t even be in the same room without wanting to kill each other. I count this as a win.”

“No!” Tucker wailed. “I was so close!”

“Read it and weep, people. Read it and weep.” Sam whooped.

Dash sighed, passing his controller to Kwan. “So much for trusting you.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you suck.”

Paulina grabbed a separate brush, dipping it into one of the galaxy colors and brushing it onto Danny’s cheeks. “Thank you, by the way. I owe you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I used to let Jazz and my cousin practice makeup on me all the time. I’m comfortable in my masculinity. No big deal to help a friend.”

“Good, because I’m putting a lot of glitter on your face.”

“I see how it is, Valerie,” Tucker muttered darkly. “Kwan, team up with me?”

Kwan shook his head. “You’re on your own. Every man for himself.”

“No! My go-cart buddy has abandoned me in my hour of need!”

“How’s it going over here?” Dash asked, leaning over the edge of the couch to watch Paulina work her magic. Danny cracked his eyes open to look at him. “It looks like space threw up on you.”

“Good, that’s what we’re going for. Danny has amazing bone structure. Richard is going to love him!” Paulina squealed.

Dash smirked at him. “How does it feel to have amazing bone structure, Fenton?”

“Like I’m some kind of king being pampered.”

“Okay, time for lipstick. Open your mouth like an ‘o’.” Paulina instructed.

Danny did as he was told. He could see Dash watching intently out of the corner of his eye. He winked at him. Dash startled and looked away.

“Okay, you need to let that dry and then we can take some photos.” Paulina turned away to start cleaning up her table. She took her tools to the bathroom to clean them.

“How does it feel?” Dash asked.

Danny pressed his lips together, humming. “Kinda buttery. Like sticky, melted butter.” An idea popped into Danny’s mind and he grinned at Dash. “Wanna feel?”

Dash’s eyes went wide. As he was fishing for an answer, Danny gently gripped his jaw, tilting his head to the side. He pressed his lips firmly to Dash’s cheek, dragging his hand down his jaw before letting go and pulling away with an exaggerated ‘mwah!’.”

Dash jolted away, crimson spilling over his cheeks and ears. He brought a hand up to his cheek in disbelief. Danny howled with laughter.

“Stop flirting with the enemy, Danny!” Tucker laughed.

“Aw, feeling left out, Tuck?” Danny stood up and walked over to Tucker.

“Do not distract me right now, Fenton. I'll never forgive you.” Tucker warned, leaning away. Danny ignored him, planting another kiss on Tucker’s cheek. Tucker swatted him away, swerving into a banana peel on the screen.

“I will get my revenge, Danny. Just you wait!” Tucker threatened with no real heat behind it.

Danny laughed so hard he was losing his breath. Sam rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t even think of bringing that over here.” Valerie hissed. “I’m about to win.”

“Hey!” Paulina screeched, returning from the bathroom. “I said to let it dry! Get back over here so I can fix it.”

Danny obediently sat back in the chair.

“Uh-oh,” Kwan snickered, poking Dash in his side. “Someone is self-destructing.”

Dash glared at him, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in. He rubbed the lipstick off his face. Danny was pretty proud of himself- he’d examine what that meant later.

Paulina reapplied the lipstick. “I mean it this time, mister. Let it dry.”

Sam handed her controller to Dash and wandered over to admire Paulina’s handiwork. “Wow, you look very pretty, Danny.”

Danny struck a pose, batting his eyelashes. “Tell me more.”

Sam grinned, a playful shine in her eyes. “You're pale white and ice cold. Your skin is all sparkly. I know what you are.”

“Say it then, Sam.” Danny giggled, unable to keep up the character.

Paulina gasped. “I’ve turned you into a space vampire!”

“Please, he’d have to be impossibly fast and strong for that.” Valerie chuckled.

“Yeah, no offense, but Danny has never been the poster boy for impossibly strong.” Kwan laughed.

“If you’ve seen him text,” Tucker added, “then you’d know he talks exactly like he’s from this time.”

“Has everyone in this room seen Twilight?” Danny jokingly rolled his eyes, standing from his chair. “C’mon, Paulina, let’s get these photos taken so we can start the next movie.”

“Hopefully it’s a better one this time around.” Sam huffed.

Dash will not admit that he paid more attention to Danny and Paulina’s photo shoot than the last round of Mario Kart. And if he thought sitting next to Danny had been hard before, it was downright torture now.

Apparently, if Danny was actually invested in a movie, he talked a lot. He kept leaning over to whisper things to him and while he knew, logically, in his brain, that whispering was all Danny was doing, he couldn’t help but remember the feel of Danny’s lips against his cheek every time. His heart would not stop racing and he was pretty sure he was sweaty now.

Tucker did not seem to share this problem. Every time Danny leaned over to whisper something to him, he just whispered back or laughed and turned his attention right back to the movie like it was no big deal. Dash tried rationalizing it by reminding himself that they had been best friends for longer than Dash had known them and he simply wasn’t as used to Danny’s antics as Tucker was.

It unnerved him near the middle of the movie when Danny had been quiet for more than five minutes. Dash glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He was slouching back into the couch and periodically slowly blinking his eyes like he was fighting off sleep.

Dash shifted to give him more room to fall asleep if he needed to. But only a few moments after that, he felt a weight hit his shoulder and froze as Danny’s hair tickled his chin.

“Uh-oh,” Valerie laughed, taking a picture on her phone. “Dash has been chosen.”

“You’re in it for the long haul now, Dash.” Tucker cackled, also taking pictures.

Dash tried to ignore the blackmail obviously being collected. “What am I in?”

“You know when a cat falls asleep on your lap and under cat law, you aren’t allowed to disturb them? Consider yourself under Danny law. He has insomnia and doesn’t sleep much. So, when he does sleep, we try to let him get as much as he can.” Sam explained, doing better than the others at hiding her picture-taking.

Dash glanced down at him. He could understand the struggle with sleep. Usually when he was having issues, he took Pookie on a walk. He wondered how Danny dealt with it. Casually, he shifted the angle he was sitting at so Danny could fit against him more comfortably. He slipped his hand around his waist so his shoulder wasn’t jutting against Danny’s back. Okay, he could handle this.

“Whipped,” Kwan whispered at him. Dash flipped him off.

Dash was a little worried that he could barely feel the rise and fall of Danny’s breaths. With him this close, he should be able to tell how he was breathing. And he was slightly colder than before if that was even possible. He wondered if his insomnia played a part in his temperature. Or why he slept like a dead person. A small sense of deja vu hit him, but he shook it off.

“Well, I think that movie was more horrific than the last one,” Sam exclaimed as the movie came to an end.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a rom-com?” Paulina asked.

“I think they’re getting their genres mixed up.” Valerie yawned.

Danny started blinking awake at the sound of everyone talking. He stretched and froze when he felt a body behind him. He looked back at Dash and Dash really wished Paulina wasn’t as good as she was at her job because the colors she’d put on really brought out his eyes.

“Sorry,” Danny muttered, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” He started scooting away.

Dash dropped his hand from his waist. “Oh, not a problem.” He stuttered. He really wanted to tell Paulina to shut up. She wasn't saying anything but she was grinning at him and he knew what she was telling him. He squeezed his elbows, keeping his eyes away from Danny- who was probably more embarrassed than he was.

“Who’s picking the next one?” Tucker asked, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Not me." Valerie stood, stretched, and began to pick up her trash. "It’s like 2 am. I’m tapped out.”

“I agree,” Kwan mumbled, following suit. “It’s bedtime.”

Danny also stood, picking up his plate and cup. “I’ll help clean up the popcorn.”

Everyone else jumped up to help clean, not wanting to be the only one not helping. Except for Tucker, who stretched out on the couch once he had it to himself. “Sam,” he whined, “I’m too tired to go home. Can I crash here?”

“Yeah, unlike Danny, my parents actually like you so if they find you down here you’ll be fine.” Sam put all the DVD cases away.

“Why don’t they like Danny?” Paulina asked, tying off a trash bag.

“Take your pick. My parents are dangerous and I’m a bad influence.” Danny mocked.

Dash snorted. “You? A bad influence?”

“That’s what I keep telling them!” Sam huffed. “If anything, I’m the bad influence.”

Once the room was put back together, everyone started gathering their things; Sam pulled a spare blanket and pillow out of the cupboard for Tucker.

Dash cleared his throat. “Did you want a ride home, Danny?”

Danny looked up at him, nerves plain to see. “Oh, I was gonna go to the observatory after this. Not home. But I appreciate the offer.”

“What’s at the observatory this late?” Kwan asked.

“There’s supposed to be a comet that’s just bright enough to be visible without a telescope tonight. I was gonna try to find it.”

Dash shifted his weight from foot to foot, fiddling with his keys in his pocket. “If it doesn’t bother you, I could tag along once we drop off Paulina and Kwan. You know, for safety reasons. In case there’s a ghost attack or something.”

“Safety reasons,” Paulina whispered.

Danny’s eyes seemed to glow with renewed excitement. “Really? I mean, yeah, if you don’t mind being out that late.”

Dash’s heart squeezed so hard in his chest he thought he was having a heart attack. “Yeah, I don’t mind at all. I’ll go get the car started so it’s warm for you. Thanks for having me, Sam.”

“No problem. See ya later!”

Dash grabbed Paulina’s big makeup bag for her and headed for the stairs. He did a couple of breathing exercises on the way to the car to calm his anxiety. His phone pinged.

Paulina: Not a crush, huh ;)

He ignored her text. He was just hanging out with a friend. She was completely wrong. In no way was this a crush.

Danny climbed into the front seat as soon as Paulina was safely inside her house. “You know how to get to the observatory right?”

“Yeah, isn’t it, like, way past closing though?” Dash waited for Danny to put his seat belt on before heading back onto the road.

“Oh for sure. But there’s a hill around the back that has a really nice view.”

“Man, you’re like super into this space stuff, huh?” Dash teased.

Danny gave a short laugh. “I wanted to be an astronaut. I’ve been to every space camp within 150 miles of here and I have all the space shuttle simulations on my computer. I even had Sam teach me astrology just because it involved space. So, yeah, I guess you could call me obsessed.”

Dash glanced at him. “What do you mean, ‘wanted’ to be an astronaut?”

Danny leaned back in his seat, frowning. “Well for one, they only choose like a hundred people every two years to go into the space program. And for two, I learned you don’t really make livable wages off being an astronaut alone. And it’s already hard to leave Amity Park, let alone the planet.”

“Jazz has managed though, right? What’s stopping you from figuring it out?”

Danny sighed. “I’m not as strong as Jazz is. Plus, I’m needed here.” He didn’t let Dash respond as he leaned forward and pointed at a dirt road. “Take this service road, it will lead you to the employee parking lot at the base of the hill.”

Dash did, tapping his hands against the wheel. “Are you sure we’re allowed to be back here?”

Danny quirked an eyebrow at him, his voice taking on a teasing tone. “I never took you for someone afraid to break the rules.”

“I’m not afraid.” Dash sat up straighter. He cleared his throat. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re talking about.”

Danny laughed. “Dash, it’s 3 am. No one cares.”

“I know. It’s just what if a police patrol comes by-”

“Trust me, they never patrol back here. We’ll be fine, scaredy cat.”

Dash huffed. “I’m not scared.” He parked in the spot closest to the hill.

Danny was about to step out of the car but Dash stopped him. “It’s kind of chilly out there. Do you need a jacket?”

He shook his head. “I’m okay. The cold doesn’t affect me that bad.”

“Dude, your skin is already like ice. My letterman is in the back, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Danny’s heart skipped a beat. He did like Dash’s jacket, but some voice nagging in the back of his head said it was a bad idea. “Really, I’m okay, it’s not that big of a deal-”

“If it’s no big deal, then just take the jacket.” Dash leaned around the seats and yanked his jacket from the back seat. He shoved it into Danny’s hands before he could protest. “It’ll make me feel better about being out here in fifty-degree weather.”

Danny pinched his mouth close, any protest he had dying on his lips. He tore his eyes away from Dash to stare at the jacket. Realistically, he knew that normal people, people who were alive, would be concerned with how cold they were. Dash was just trying to keep a friend safe and comfortable. He sighed and pulled the jacket on, crossing his arms at Dash. “Happy?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Dash smiled.

Danny huffed, stepping out of the car. He led Dash up the hill, going slow so Dash could see where he was avoiding loose rocks and such. The top of the hill was bare, covered in nothing but grass; a perfect view of the sky away from all the light pollution and no tall trees or buildings to block parts of it.

Danny laid down, actually a little thankful for Dash’s jacket when the chill of the grass bit into him. He patted the spot next to him and Dash followed suit, wriggling around to get comfortable. The stars glimmered above them hiding the comet Danny was searching for.

“So, is a comet just a meteor with a tail?” Dash asked after a long moment of silence.

“A comet is made of dust and ice and other space matter that orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit. A meteor is a piece of space matter that has breached Earth’s atmosphere and it turns into a meteorite when it collides with Earth’s surface.” Danny explained patiently. “And actually, comets have two tails, an ice one and a gas one. The gas tail called a coma, forms when-” Danny stopped talking as he turned to look at Dash, whose eyes were wide and confused.

“Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble like that.”

Dash shook his head. “I might be a little lost, but I don’t mind. Keep talking.”

Danny's heart stuttered in his chest again. He looked into Dash’s eyes, shocked at the genuineness he found there. “Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you with my nerd stuff.”

“I asked. Plus we’re literally sitting on a hill in the middle of the night just to look at your nerd stuff. It’s okay for you to talk about it. I just might have to interrupt you with questions every now and then.”

Danny smiled at him, warmth spreading through his veins making his fingers curl into the fabric of Dash’s jacket. “Wow, you are like an entirely different person. I really, really, like this Dash.” Danny forced himself to turn back to the sky so he didn’t have to see Dash’s reaction. “So, a coma forms when…”

Dash was not paying attention. He was a big liar, completely not listening. His heart was beating so loud it nearly drowned out Danny’s voice as he rambled about physics and dark matter and stars and things way beyond his understanding. The moonlight was shining off his hair and the sparkly makeup he still had on. With the way Paulina had done, he was practically glowing just like a galaxy. And his eyes sparkled like they were full of the very stars he was talking about. He was so full of life and joy and Dash was completely enamored.

Paulina was right.

He was so screwed.

“Look!” Danny scooted over, pressing himself against Dash and pointing at the sky. “There it is! It’s kind of dim, you might have to squint.”

Dash squinted, trying his best to follow where Danny was pointing. “I don’t see it.”

Danny moved his finger, tracing a constellation and ending just below it. ‘See Lyra? It’s right below it and slightly to the left. It’s the one that looks blurry because of its tail.”

Dash leaned further over, nearly leaning his head on Danny’s shoulder. “Lyra?”

“The constellation, it’s like a little box.”

“Oh,” Dash gasped. “I see it.”

Danny dropped his hand, crossing them across his chest and the two of them watched the comet cross the sky in peaceful silence. A gentle breeze started making its way across the field. Danny could feel Dash fidgeting next to him, wanting to say something but refusing to do so. Danny let him figure it out, not wanting to rush him. The comet was moving pretty fast and he lost track of it a couple of times.

“You said you know astrology too?”

Danny hummed. “Not as much as Sam, but yeah, I know some. If it has to do with space and the stars, I’m in. Why?”

Dash pointed at the constellation from before. “So, do you know the story for Lyra?”

Danny nodded.

“Can you tell it to me?”

Danny drew in a breath; he'd never been asked to tell the stories before. Usually, it was Sam telling him. “I mean, yeah, but it’s a sad one.”

Dash shrugged. “Not everything needs to be a happy story. So, will you tell me or not?”

Danny shuffled around, getting comfortable, ignoring the way his and Dash’s sides were still pressed together. “Lyra, or the lyre, is the story of Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope, and Eurydice, a beautiful wood nymph. Orpheus was said to have a voice so beautiful, even rocks would listen to what he had to sing.”

Danny could feel Dash’s eyes on him, and it took all his self-control to keep his eyes on the stars. “One day, Orpheus was playing his lyre and it drew a gathering of people and beasts. While he was playing, he spotted Eurydice among the crowd. Long story short, he talked to her and they fell in love and got married.”

“That’s kind of fast,” Dash commented.

“It’s mythology.” Danny shrugged. “But, unlike other mythology stories, these two were actually, properly in love. Which ended up being their problem.”

“Being in love was their problem?”

“Yeah, sorry, foreshadowing. One day while Orpheus was away, Eurydice was taking a nap in a nearby field. When she awoke there was a snake by her feet. She panicked and it bit her, killing her. When Orpheus found her, he was extremely distraught. He couldn’t live without the love of his life. Hermes took pity on him and showed him a way that he could walk to the underworld to try to convince Hades to let her go.”

“Hermes is the messenger guy, right? Why’s he getting involved.”

“For the sake of not spiraling into several other interconnected stories, let’s just say there’s a lot involved. So, Orpheus begins a long journey, we’re talking weeks, of walking and dodging obstacles to get to the underworld; fighting off ghosts, getting past Cerberus, the whole nine yards. He finally makes it there and gets a chance to talk to Hades. He begs for his wife to be returned to him. Hades refuses.”

“Of course he did. You can’t just return people to life.”

“Well, in a last attempt to win the god’s favor, he sings them a song about love. Hades' wife, Persephone, hears and is so moved by it, that she also begs Hades to let Eurydice go.”

“So, just like that he gets what he wants?” Dash hadn’t taken his eyes off him the entire story. Danny finally turned to look at him and a strong wave of deja vu hit him. Memories from the lake flooded his mind, making his face warm. He focused his eyes on Dash’s forehead, the only safe place he could stare at while he finished the story.

“Not quite. Hades wants to listen to his wife, but, like you said, he can’t just go around letting people return to life. He has a job to do. So, he issues them a challenge. If he and Eurydice can walk back the way Orpheus had come, with him leading the way and her following behind, then she can live. The catch is he can’t turn around to make sure she’s following him.”

“Can’t she just tell him she’s there?”

“She’s dead. She can’t speak. He’ll have no way to make sure she’s there. But, that’s the test, right? Does he love her enough to trust that she’ll follow? They turn and go. Over the weeks though, doubt starts to set in. How does he know this isn’t Hades trying to trick him into just leaving? What if she’s lost hope and turned around a long time ago? What if she never followed him in the first place? Finally, after several long weeks of his own psychological torture, he sees sunlight. They’ve made it! He runs for the exit, excited to finally have his wife back. As soon as the sunlight touches his skin, he turns around.”

Dash gasped.

“But, she hadn’t stepped into the sun yet. She hadn't run like he had and was still a few feet behind. She waved goodbye and he watched as she disappeared from sight, this time forever.”

“That’s so idiotic. Why the fuck would he turn around? He was so close!”

Danny let his eyes slip down to Dash’s, surprised at how invested he was in the story. “He didn’t do it because he was an idiot. He did it out of love. He was so excited that he ran ahead and didn’t think about her catching up. He loved her too much to not turn around and share his joy with her. In some of the re-tellings, she trips and he turns to catch her, but her feet are still in the shadows. Every time he turns, he turns out of love. That’s why it’s a tragedy.”

“But he worked so hard.”

“Think about it, would you let your partner walk all the way through Amity Park without turning to check on them?” Danny watched as Dash thought about it; really thought about it. Several emotions crossed his face and Danny desperately wanted to know exactly what he was thinking.

Dash sighed. “No, I guess not. I’d be too worried a ghost got them. What does he do after that then? Wallow?”

Danny chuckled, messing with the buttons on Dash’s jacket. “Pretty much. He does go back to the underworld to convince Hades to give him a second chance because he was so close, but Hades refuses. So, he leaves and becomes super depressed, singing only sad songs. He refuses to get married again and rejects a bunch of women. And they get so mad at him that they tear him apart limb by limb and throw him and his lyre in the river where it floats to the isle of Muses and they give him a proper burial so that he can be reunited with Eurydice in the underworld. And they put his lyre in the stars so it couldn’t be played by anyone else.”

“Wow, okay.” Dash finally broke eye contact, giving Danny room to breathe, and pointed vaguely in the direction of the constellation. “And it’s just that square?”

Danny reached up and grabbed his hand, helping him trace the constellation. “That square and these stars. It's supposed to look like a lyre.” Danny studied Dash’s eyes as they traveled down to their hands. A bright red rose to the surface of Dash’s face. Another memory of the incident a few days before rose to his mind, and Danny dropped Dash’s hand. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up exactly where he told his friends he wouldn’t.

And now Dash was staring at him, a conflict clear in his eyes, and they were so close. And Danny really needed to stop creating these situations. Because he was weak, and it was so very hard just to break eye contact. Just as it looked like Dash had made up his mind about something, Danny sat up and scooted away, creating a distance between them. His heart pounded. “Also, Lyra’s constellation contains the star Vega, which is the second brightest star in the northern sky.”

Danny took a deep breath, hoping that wasn't the most awkward thing he'd ever done. (Considering the last time he fell in a lake, it's not.) And hoped that his science fact would be nerdy enough to ruin whatever vibe had been happening.

Dash blinked, missing the cozy atmosphere. He sat up, clearing his throat. "Which one is the brightest?"

Danny, relieved, pointed to another star in the sky. "That would be Arcturus." He stood up, offering Dash a hand. But he was quick to let go once Dash was on his feet. "It's getting late, we should probably get going."

Dash nodded.

Danny turned, hoping the cold breeze would cool the heat in his face as they descended the hill. "Careful, " he called back, "some of these rocks are loose." They continued picking their way down the hill, it was slower going down than it was going up.

"Hey, Danny?" Dash asked about halfway down. "Could I- ack!" He stepped on a loose stone and lost his balance, tipping forward as the dirt rushed from under him.

Danny turned around, reaching his arms out to catch Dash's shoulders; steadying them both before they toppled down the hill. Dash was holding onto him for dear life. "Damn, that was close. You okay?"

Dash's face was bright red and he was a little shaky as he pulled away, finding his footing before completely letting go of Danny. He coughed. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. Could I ask a question?"

Danny was happy to let him change the subject, not wanting to dwell on the event. "Yeah, what's bugging you?" Danny turned and led the way down the hill a little slower this time, making sure to be extra careful with where he put his feet.

Dash was quiet for a moment, almost like he was hesitant to bring it up. "How would, uh, how would someone know if they're asexual or not?"

"Well, I think that's something only you can decide. But little to zero sexual attraction means you don't feel attracted to sleeping with someone." They reached the bottom of the hill. Danny waited patiently for Dash to dig through his pockets for his keys.

"But, how would you know? Especially if you've never had sex. What does that even feel like?" Dash finally got his keys out and unlocked the car.

Danny raised an eyebrow at him as they climbed into the car. "You've never looked at someone or talked with someone and thought 'wow, I want to tap that?' or anything along those lines?"

"No. I always just kind of figured people just did that because it's what they were supposed to do, not because they actually wanted to." Dash started the car, turning on the heater for Danny.

"How did you figure out you were gay?"

"I tried flirting with girls because, again, I thought it was what I was supposed to do but I didn't really care for it. Then, uh, a guy flirted with me at the movies and I was like, oh, that's what everyone's talking about." Dash pulled out of the parking lot, driving slowly because Danny's house wasn't far away and he didn't want to end the conversation too soon.

Danny had the passing thought that these car conversations were happening a lot frequently. Maybe he should have been worried about that, but he found he didn't mind. "And you didn't want to sleep with that guy?"

Dash shook his head. "No. It kind of felt like sleeping with him would ruin whatever was happening."

Danny gave him a reassuring smile. "It sounds like you might be ace."

Dash squirmed in his seat. "But, I still want a partner and to kiss people. It's just.. you know, the other stuff that's weird."

Despite himself, Danny laughed. Dash's ear burned as he pouted.

"I'm not laughing at you, I promise. It's just-" Danny paused as another bout of laughter escaped him. "It's- you're allowed to say the word 'sex', Dash. It's not like it's forbidden." He took a deep breath to reset his lungs and quell the laughter. "And you can be ace and still kiss people. Kissing isn't inherently a sexual thing. It mostly falls under romantic attraction."

Dash pulled up in front of Danny's house, letting the car idle. "Wouldn't kissing without sex bother people though? I mean, I assume it would because non-ace people want that kind of stuff in their relationship, right?"

Danny shrugged. "People kiss all the time without it escalating. And not every relationship needs sex for it to work. That's something that wouldn't bother me. So, you've just got to find the right people who think the same."

Dash went quiet. Danny glanced at him to find his face on fire and his nails digging into the steering wheel. He was looking at him like he wanted to crawl under a rock and also like Danny held the entire world in his hands. It was how he looked at Phantom.

It sunk in what his words were implying. He pinched his mouth together, eyes going wide. He was in trouble. He was in big, big trouble. And he needed a way out fast.

He forced a laugh to relieve some of the pressure. "Oh, yeah, and before I forget, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with us to the new Nightermerica movie next week? It's Sam's favorite series so there's no way we're missing it."

Smooth, Fenton, smooth.

Dash sighed, deflating like a balloon. He wanted to ask him what he meant but didn't want to push. "I would, but I can't. My mom and I are going on a three-week trip to California and we leave on Monday."

Danny wouldn't lie, he was a little disappointed, a pang gripping his heart. "Oh, you're going to be gone for that long?"

Dash looked away, staring out the front windshield. "Yeah, it's for a family reunion. It's technically going all month but my mom doesn't like leaving for very long. The Amity Jitters get her really bad."

"Do they bother you?" Danny asked, glad the conversation wasn't as dangerous as it had been a few seconds ago. Though his heart was still racing, keeping him in fight or flight mode.

"Yeah, but my cousin Reggie is going so I was going to feel like my skin was peeling off anyway."

Danny laughed. "Not a Reggie fan?"

"He's the worst. He thinks being in college makes him the coolest ladies' man ever, but then he only dates freshmen. So he's super creepy and then he tells us all about it."

"Ick." Danny made a disgusted face. "Well, I hope you survive."

"Yeah, me too."

Danny chewed his lip. This is where he would get out of the car and they'd part ways. But, now that he knew he had even less time with his friend than he thought he would, he didn't want the conversation to end. Something itched in the back of his brain, bothering him and making him question why it even mattered to him. "Can I ask," his voice sounded tiny, even to him, "Are you going out of state for college?"

Dash looked surprised at the question. He shook his head. "No. I'm staying here at the community college."

"Really?" Danny instantly felt some stress leave his body. He had no idea why he was so relieved, but he'd take it over worrying about how much time he had left with Dash. "I figured you'd be going to some fancy football university or something."

"I'm not… really into the whole football thing anymore, if I'm honest. Don't get me wrong, it's still fun to play every once in a while, but going pro was something my dad pushed for. That kind of poisoned it after a while. And I don't want anything to do with him, so pursuing the career he wanted for me is out of the question."

"I'm sorry," Danny muttered.

Dash waved him off. "It's fine."

"So, what are you going to do then?" Danny twisted in his seat, finally undoing his seat belt so he could sit more comfortably.

"Well, my current plan is to get my general education degree just to have some kind of higher education under my belt and then probably find a trade to go into. I could be a mechanic, or a personal trainer or something. I haven't decided yet." Dash sighed just to clear his lungs. He finally looked back at Danny. "What about you?"

It was Danny's turn to look away, nerves making him a little uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I am going to college. Until Senior Ditch Day when Mr. Lancer tried to convince me to become a teacher, I wasn't sure there was a reason for me to. But, I don't know. I'm still trying to decide. If I did go, I would go here."

"Do you want to be a teacher?" Dash pried.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. He said I should teach astronomy which would be kind of fun. I'm just not sure if I'm cut out for it. And then there's the whole 'the Fenton's are a family of geniuses' thing. My dad might be disappointed if I don't go into something science-y like Jazz."

Dash placed a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't astronomy science?"

"Yeah, but not the science they want."

"Well, I don't know about the whole family disappointment thing, but as for you thinking you're not cut out for it, I can tell you you're wrong. I mean, did you see the way you spoke about dark matter tonight? You have the passion for it. And if my physics grades were anything to go by, you definitely have the ability to teach people. I think you'd make a great teacher. If that is what you wanted to do."

Danny's heart nearly stopped right then and there. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he felt a little dizzy. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You kind of make learning fun." Dash gave him an impossibly soft smile before dropping his hand. "Maybe you should talk to your parents about it?"

Danny sighed. "I don't know. They don't listen very often."

"Well, I can't really tell you what you should and shouldn't do when I don't know your situation. But, if you want to get closure on it, it might be worth a conversation."

Danny was quiet for a minute, thinking it over. It could be worth it if he could get them to consider what he was saying and not push their own agenda.

"What about Sam, Valerie, and Tucker?" Dash asked when Danny had been quiet for a minute.

Danny blinked, trying to focus on the conversation. "Uh, Valerie is trying to get into a big university out of state, but Sam and Tucker are staying here. What are Kwan and Paulina doing?"

Dash exhaled partly in relief, partly in sadness. "Paulina's already been accepted into a beauty school in New York and Kwan is trying to decide between two football scholarships, both out of state. He's going to be an English major but he's excited to have a way to pay for it." He tapped at the steering wheel, a nervous habit Danny noticed. "Can I be honest?"

Danny nodded, definitely not watching the curve of Dash's neck as he breathed.

"I'm actually really glad you guys aren't going anywhere. I'll miss Valerie, but with both Kwan and Paulina gone, I was not looking forward to being the one left behind. I especially didn't want to lose you guys after we just barely became friends."

Danny needed to get out of this car before he did or said something he couldn't take back. He, stupidly, opened his mouth to reply. "Me too. I-"

Dash's phone ringing cut him off, startling him out of his weird daze. As Dash scrambled to answer it, Danny cleared his throat and sat back in his seat. He ran through a few breathing exercises to get his heart rate under control.

"Hey, mom," Dash answered. Danny couldn't hear the voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm fine. Danny and I were watching a comet- yes, that Danny." Dash sighed affectionately. He looked at Danny. "My mom says hi."

Danny laughed and leaned over to project his voice into Dash's phone. "Hi, Mrs. Baxter."

Dash jokingly pushed him away. "Yeah, we know it's five a.m. I'm dropping Danny off at his place. Then I'll come straight home. Yes, I promise. Okay, love you, bye."

Danny couldn't help but smile. "It's nice that she calls and checks on you." He glanced at his house and wondered if his parents even remembered he was out. Or if they even realized what time it was.

"Yeah, she got home and was worried a ghost got me when she couldn't find me."

"I guess, I should let you go then, so she doesn't have to worry anymore." Danny pulled open his door and stepped out into the chilly breeze.

"I'll see you when I get back?" Dash asked, tapping at the steering wheel again.

Danny snorted. "Think you can get rid of me? You're stuck with me now, Baxter, whether you like it or not."

"Good," Dash grinned.

Danny closed the door and waved as Dash drove off.

It was only when Dash turned the corner did Danny allow himself to break down. "'It wouldn't bother me.' 'You're stuck with me'. Come on, Fenton. Get yourself together." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the front door and only then realized he was still wearing Dash's jacket. He sighed, dropping his head harshly against his front door as he searched for his keys to unlock it.

Maybe three weeks away from Dash would be a good thing. Maybe he'd be able to kick whatever stupid fixation he had on him by the time he got back and they could just be friends. He pushed the front door open, immediately freezing in his tracks, his entire body going rigid.

A dark, acrid smell was permeating the air.

He knew that smell.

Ectoplasm.

It was thick and heavy, like it had been around for hours. The door to the lab was open.

He tiptoed over, careful not to make any noise as he listened for his parents. There was clanging coming from downstairs. Not the practiced kind his parents made, but something more desperate.

The overhead lights weren't on. The staircase was completely dark. He crept down them, one at a time, avoiding the creaky spots. As he got closer, he heard muffled screaming. He turned invisible and peeked into the room.

He wanted to throw up.

The exam table was out, in the center of the room, surrounded by smaller tables holding a wide variety of tools; scalpels, medical scissors, forceps, bone-saws, almost all of them covered in dull green ectoplasm.

Laying on the table, chest carved open and pinned in a gruesome display, was a ghost girl. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. Her arms and legs were strapped in metal cuffs to the table. A muzzle tied tightly around her face was keeping her screams quiet.

Her chest was cut completely open, muscle tissue and skin being held back by dissection pins. Her core was exposed; it pulsed a slow, dark orange, illuminating the sawed bone of her rib cage and the slimy organs underneath.

She was crying as she thrashed about, spilling ectoplasm over the table and floor as she tried to free herself.

Danny shuddered, climbing back up a few stairs to get the scene out of sight as he tried to control his breathing; the smell of decaying ectoplasm in the air wasn't helping and now was not the time for him to have an anxiety attack.

After a few more deep breaths, he worked up enough courage to transform into Phantom. Keeping himself invisible, he flew around the house, looking for his parents.

He found them in the ops center. They were bent over a piece of equipment, tinkering away; both had green stains all over their jumpsuits.

He left- not caring what they were doing at the moment as long as it didn't involve dissecting ghosts- and flew back down to the lab. Part of him wondered how his parents were able to just leave a girl like that and go work on something else. Even if she was a ghost. Before he went down the stairs again, he duplicated himself, leaving the duplicate to stand guard at the door.

The last thing he needed was to get caught and be the next ghost on that table.

He descended the stairs, quickly this time. He needed to work fast. The girl was still fighting against her restraints. He focused on turning himself visible while keeping his duplicate invisible.

He held his hands up in a peaceful gesture and slowly approached the table where she could see him. She screamed louder, voice ragged and raw. Her movements became more jarring as she tried to get away from him.

"Hey, don't worry." He tried to keep his tone as soft as he could despite how badly he was shaking. "I'm here to get you out."

She sobbed, more tears falling down her face. She didn't stop trying to get away from him. He stopped walking.

"I promise, I don't want to hurt you. But we have to go fast before those people come back. I need to put you back together first. Is that okay?"

She flopped against the table, still sobbing, but giving up. Danny took a deep breath and approached the table. Now that he was closer, he could see patches of blackened skin all over her arms; necrotic wounds. He glanced at the tables nearby, spying the Fenton Venom on one of them. Tears pricked his eyes. There were so many wounds on her arms. How long had she been here? What were they doing to her?

He shook his head. He didn't have time to freak out. "Okay, I'm going to remove these pins first. It might hurt. I'm sorry." He spoke mostly to keep himself focused more than to calm her down.

He pulled the first pin out, dropping it on the floor. She screamed, thrashing against the restraints again and splattering ectoplasm all over him. He waited til she stopped before going for the next pin. "I'm sorry. We've got a few more of these to go."

He pulled the second pin out, this time closing his eyes to avoid the spray. He took a moment to focus and see what his duplicate was seeing; the coast was still clear. He returned his focus- dizzy and shaky with the effort it took to split his concentration- to the girl in front of him pulling out the next pin. This time she didn't scream. Danny pulled the pins out a bit faster.

He half expected her skin to go back to where it belonged once it was free of the pins, but with the Fenton Venom in her veins, she was healing slow. He wished he had left some of the antibiotics here instead of storing them in the ghost zone. But he couldn't have his parents find out he was messing with their stuff behind their backs.

He searched the drawers around him for some surgical glue. As a full ghost, she'd heal back the way she was supposed to given enough time. But he wanted to help speed the process along and give her core some protection.

Her muscle was slippery as he fit it back against her bones. Her skin rubbery as he glued it back in place. He wasn't going to forget the feel of it against his gloves anytime soon.

Guilt washed over him. He'd been sitting in front of his house with Dash for half an hour while she'd been sitting here with her body flayed open. If he'd just come directly inside instead of prolonging their conversation, he could have gotten her out sooner.

He shook his head. He didn't need to think like that. How could he have known she was down here? She hadn't been here when he'd left for the party. He had no way of knowing. And he was helping now.

He took a deep breath as he glued the last bit of glowing skin in place. "Okay, let's get this muzzle off you. Please, don't scream. They're nearby."

She nodded and turned her head so he could undo the ties to the muzzle. She didn't say anything once it was off. He dropped it on the floor and leaned over the tables toward the key rack. "My name's Danny. What's yours?"

Her voice was raw and strangled. "Emma."

"Okay, Emma," he grabbed the key for the restraints, "let's get you home, yeah?"

"My mom was right." She sobbed. "I should never have come here."

Danny unlocked each restraint quickly, helping her sit up once the final one was off. "I'm so sorry, Find Pandora in the ghost zone. She has medicine for your arms." He helped her to her feet, looking away from her as ectoplasm dripped from the seams of her wounds. She leaned on him as they stumbled to the ghost portal.

"Thank you," She whispered, disappearing inside.

Danny sighed and collapsed to the ground the second she was out of sight. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was her form still splayed out on the table. Pressing his hands against them did no good; the swirling static made him more nauseous than he already was.

Somewhere, his duplicate heard his parents' footsteps. Panic set in and he stood up too fast. He ran back to the key rack, putting the restraint key back in its exact spot, and grabbed a mop. He ran it over the drops she had spilled on her way to the portal. His parents couldn't know how she got out, just that she did.

Through his duplicate's eyes, he saw his parents stumble into the kitchen, invention in hand and clearly sleep-deprived. He recalled his duplicate, tripping when they merged. With three seconds to spare, he got the mop back in its place and turned invisible.

"What in the world?!" His mom screeched, halting just inside the lab.

"Leaping, gallivanting lizards!" His dad cursed, frantically running for the table. "How did it escape? Maddie, did you use the extra strong restraints?"

"Of course! Are you sure you put the muzzle on right? What if she could wail?"

Danny flew through the walls back up to the front door. His parents had started arguing a lot more lately so he was used to it, but he did not want to hear them argue about who forgot what torture method. He changed back to his human form and opened the front door. Then he slammed it as hard as he could, hoping they would hear it.

"I'm home!" He shouted, walking toward the lab. The smell still hung heavy in the air; he'd be sleeping with his window open tonight. They were still arguing by the time he reached the lab again. He tried not to look at the table. "You guys are still awake?"

His voice cut through and they turned to look at him.

"Hi, dear," his mom muttered, rubbing her eyes. "How was your party?"

"Never mind the party," his dad huffed, sounding a little frustrated, "what's all over your face?"

Danny touched his cheek. He had completely forgotten Paulina had put makeup on him. That had been so long ago it felt like another lifetime. "Oh, uh, Paulina wanted to practice her makeup skills. I used to let Jazz do it all the time, so I figured-"

"Figured you'd let her make you look like a girl?" His mom elbowed his side. His dad choked. "I mean, it looks good! Space, just like you like."

Danny clenched his fists at his side. "Boys can wear makeup too, Dad. It's not like-"

"Why are you home so late?!" His mom interrupted when she noticed the time. "It's almost six in the morning!"

Danny crossed his arms to hide how badly his nails were biting into his palms. "I'm nineteen, Mom. I don't need a curfew anymore."

"Adult or not, there are still ghosts out there, young man. Surely your party didn't go this long. What else was so important you'd risk your safety?"

"There was a comet that was visible tonight. Dash and I went to go see it."

"I told you this astronaut business was going to get him in trouble." His dad pointed at his mom.

She ignored him, her eyes lighting up. "You were out with a boy?! Alone? At the observatory?"

His dad caught onto what she was saying. He grinned at his son. "That's where I took your mom on our twelfth date! Good job, Dan-O!"

"No, it's not like that!" Danny protested, getting angrier by the minute. He wished they would just listen to him for once.

"Oh, Danny why didn't you tell us?!" His mom pulled him into a hug. "You should invite him over for dinner!"

He squirmed out of her grip, slipping on a puddle of ectoplasm on the floor. He did not want to be having this conversation in this room. "We're not dating! He went with me in case there was a ghost. For safety reasons!"

"Well, I like him already! He sounds like a smart boy, caring about safety!" Jack-the-safety-takes-too-much-ghost-hunting-space-Fenton said.

"Have you guys even eaten dinner?" Danny changed the subject, already turning to head up the stairs. He couldn't stand to be in the lab any longer. His parents followed him.

"Good idea, Danny. I do feel a bit faint." His mom answered.

Danny plopped down into a chair at the kitchen table as his parents set about getting themselves bowls of cereal. If he wasn't so mad, he would have offered to make them something. He took a few calming breaths. "So, I wanted to talk to you guys about something."

"Is it about this boy you're seeing?" His mom squealed. "Is he cute? Is that his jacket you're wearing? Do I know him?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're not listening to me. I'm not seeing him. And yeah, Mom, you've met Dash a ton of times. But that's not what I wanted to tell you."

"You're getting old, Danny. You've never even brought anyone home. We'll be old and gray before your mom gets to make someone dinner." His dad sat down, bumping the table as he did so.

Danny stood up from the table. "You know, let's just talk about this later. It stinks of ectoplasm everywhere and I'm tired." It was true, he just wanted to shower and try to get the image of Emma out of his mind. The only reason he was attempting to have a conversation with his parents was because this was the first time he'd properly seen them in the last three days. And something about what Dash had said, prompted him to try.

"No, No, I'm sorry, honey." His mom rushed. "What did you wanna tell us?"

Danny stared at her for a moment, debating if this was even worth it. It wouldn't be. He knew that. But some part of him was yearning to know what they would think of his decision to be a teacher and he caved. "Uh, well, I've decided to go to college."

"Finally!" His dad cheered, spilling part of his cereal on the table. "Yale with your sister or Harvard?"

Danny could already feel the pit of despair opening in his stomach. He avoided his dad's eyes. "Just the community college here in Amity Park."

"Well, that's a start." His mom covered, kicking his dad under the table. "So what are you going for? Biochemist? Biomedical Engineer? Microbiologist? Astronomer?" She wiggled her eyebrows at the last one like she was in on some inside joke.

"Close," he wheezed. His hope that his parents had changed their view on careers went down the drain as they stared at him with anticipation and excitement in their eyes. His heart squeezed and he scuffed his foot against the floor. He shoved his hands into the pockets of Dash's jacket, gaining a little confidence as he remembered what he had told him. "Uh, I want to be an astronomy teacher. A professor, if I can manage it."

His gut twisted as he watched his father's face visible fall; his crow's feet disappearing with his smile. His mom did better at keeping her smile on her face, but it no longer reached her eyes.

"Well, we had one genius kid," his dad muttered. His mom kicked him again.

"What made you want to do that?" She asked, voice tense.

Danny wished he had never brought this up. He coughed, clearing his throat so they wouldn't hear his voice shake. "I mean, I like astronomy and Mr. Lancer said I'd make a good teacher. So, I've been thinking about it and-"

"Oh, well that's fine then." His dad sighed. "If someone else told you to do it, then you're practically guaranteed to change majors in your first year. We have nothing to worry about, Maddie!"

Danny couldn't believe how his dad had hit the point head-on and still refused to see it. Did he even hear himself?

"At least it's a start." His mom agreed. "You can at least get your generals done while you decide." Her words left no room for argument.

"Right." Danny bit out. He spun on his heel and started walking out of the kitchen. "I'm tired. Goodnight."

"Night, Danny!" His mom called, cheer returning to her voice.

"Goodnight!" His dad shouted, and then when he thought Danny was out of hearing range, he whispered to his mom. "I knew that Mr. Lancer wouldn't leave well enough alone when he kept showing up here his freshman year."

"Sometimes, teachers just don't know when to leave the parenting to the parents." His mom sighed.

"And to think Danny wants to be one of them!" His dad's laugh was boisterous.

"Maybe we should call Jazz. Have her talk to him. He always listens to her more anyway."

Danny sprinted up the last couple of stairs, slamming his bedroom door. As soon as it was shut, he felt the tears finally spill onto his cheeks. He shouldn't have told them. He shouldn't have said a damn word. He was desperate for their approval but he shouldn't have said anything. It always ended like this.

He couldn't hold a candle to Jazz the golden genius child. He wouldn't be good enough for them no matter what he did. Teacher or superhero, they hated both.

He stormed into his bathroom, yanking his clothes off and throwing them into his laundry basket. He felt slightly bad for treating Dash's jacket like that but he just wanted to get the smell of Emma's blood and the feeling of his parents' laughter off his skin.

He turned the shower to its coldest setting, finding a bit of comfort in his element. It was a stark contrast to the hot tears carving their way down his face. He wiped them away and watched the colors of Paulina's makeup fall through his fingers. He had liked how she'd done his eyeliner. Maybe as a way to piss his dad off, he'd ask her to teach him how to do it.

Done with his shower and wrapped in a towel, he grabbed his basket of clothes and took it to the washing machine. He threw an extra bit of detergent in there (checking Dash's jacket would be fine first) to make sure the smell really got out and then he marched back to his room, slamming his door again just because he could.

He put on his comfiest pair of Pj's, cracked his window, and collapsed in his bed. He sniffled, a few tears still trying to escape his eyes. He wished Jazz was awake. He wanted to talk to her before his parents did. He knew she'd be supportive of his decision. And he wanted to tell her his news before his parents ruined it.

He buried himself under his blankets, hoping they'd be enough to keep the monsters out of his mind while he tried to sleep.

The blankets never did anything to help.

We english speakers need more words for Laugh that have different emotional connotations. I can feel the authors of the past shaming me from the great beyond as I attach adverbs to every he laughed. Cause He laughed shyly, he laughed sadly, and he laughed softly, are all different vibes and there's too many adverbs everywhere but I have no alternatives that work for the situation!

Y'all chronic illness and work is kicking my ass this week. I'm only about halfway through chapter 3's first draft. If I hadn't had to help a coworker break into their car cause they locked their keys in there, I would be further, but duty calls you know.

The best comedy bit I've ever seen in a show (from a personal perspective) is in fact, Mr. Lancer swearing in classical literature titles. It's always so perfect for the situation and makes me cackle every time. Whoever thought of that deserves an award.

To everyone who's left comments on my silly little story, thank you! I've been giggling and kicking my feet about them. Might fuck around and frame them on my wall

Yall, just got the first draft of chapter two done in one day. I am so proud of that. Anyway, when I promised Danny more screen time I delivered but I added so much Sam and Tucker screen time that I had to cut the chapter in half (more like 2\3 and 1\3) in order to not make it too long. Expect chapter two within the next couple days!

That feeling when you make the world's best joke but only people in the venn diagram of being in the Fandom and also enjoy classical literature will understand and everyone irl lies not in the middle.

To the author who first gave me the advice to rewrite not edit, you deserve more credit than you're given. Absolutely changed my life. Wishing you well, pookie

I know that it's okay to be cringe and everything, but I'm kind of regretting my whole "don't delete any of your writing because 1) you'll be able to track your progress as a writer and feel better about your current writing and 2) you don't wanna be the asshole who deletes someone's comfort story" rule because I wanna start posting fanfic again, but I don't wanna be tied to all the cringe I wrote pre 2020.

scream- desperate, full of emotion

ex. “Please!” He screamed, tears streaking down his face.

yell- typically to convey a message, or a war cry

ex. “Let’s go!” She yelled, raising her sword.

shout- almost always to convey a message, typically just so the other person is able to hear them

ex. “Did you do the homework?” He shouted from the other room.

MY NEW GIRLFRIEND Y’ALL, STAY BACK

it’s so pretty <3333

FIGURE SKATER READER AU ᯓ★

Figure skater!reader is gentle. She's sweet, kind, and the most loving person you'll ever meet. Her heart is as soft as snow, yet warm like a fire on a winter day. Every move she makes embodies a quiet strength; she's grace in human form. While she might not actively seek attention, she gains it nonetheless, because everyone, even those with the coldest of hearts, are drawn to the sincerity in her eyes and the elegance with which she carries herself.

Huge thanks to @leona-hawthorne for helping me with the moodboard! You never fail to show your talent 🤍 And to @riddleshire for the wonderful idea!! I'm excited for when you write again!

au list

©ur-local-wizard translating, republishing, copying, or claiming my work as yours is not permitted. all my work belongs to me and me only. thank you!

𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏, 𝒎𝒆? 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚? // WC: 1.4k

— feat. disassembly drone N x worker drone reader

synopsis. N is out on patrol when he catches you inside a class room finishing up some homework, once you’re done he walks you home and stays for awhile.

— content warnings. its just fluff, hand holding and a cheek kiss ;3

— authors note. I DONT KNOW HOW TO WRITE FOR ROBOTS, tried my best guys I know some things lore wise but ehh….i had to add random things for it to fit all together ANYWHO love this little guy he’s so adorbs (this is not proof read btw…)

 N trudged through the dimly lit hallways of the school facility, his joints creaking slightly after a long and tedious patrol cycle. All he wanted now was to shut down for recharge, but duty compelled him to remain vigilant. He peeked into each classroom as he passed, scanning for any signs of unusual activity or potential threats.

Just as he was about to move on, a faint sound caught his attention from the next room up ahead. Cautiously, N approached the doorway and peeped inside. There, across the room, was you—seated at your desk with a look of deep concentration etched across your screen. Your optical units were focused intently on your laptop, typing away to what seems like an essay.

N found himself transfixed, unable to tear his gaze away from you. The way your brow seemed to furrow ever so slightly, the subtle shifts in your posture as you worked—it all captivated him. He couldn't help but just admire you.

Time seemed to slow as N stood there, covertly observing. All he knew was that he didn't want this moment to end—to tear himself away from the sight before him.

After a few more minutes, you sat back with a satisfied nod and began powering down your computer. N's core fluttered nervously—now was his chance. "Hey bud, you headed home soon?"

His voice startled you, and your gaze met his with a smile. "Just wrapping things up here." You closed your laptop and set it inside your backpack while N fidgeted.

Why was it so hard to find the right words around you? Taking a steadying vent of air, N plowed ahead. "I was thinking, uh, since we both go the same way and all...wanna walk together?" His speech stumbled as flustered static crept in. "For! Uhm, for safety purposes of course."

"You trying to ditch patrol again, N?" His display flashed a brighter yellow in embarrassment. Of course you'd seen right through his feeble excuse. But to N's relief, your tone was teasing rather than accusing.

"No, no, honest!" he rushed to clarify. "I just...want to make sure you get home safe, you know? You never know what's lurking around." N chuckled awkwardly, feeling his face heat further. "But no pressure! I'll leave you be."

He started to scurry off, but you called after him. "Wait up, doofus; I was just messing with you. Sure, you can tag along."

N almost tripped over in excitement as he turned back to you. "You serious? I mean, of course you're serious; why wouldn't you be? Just didn't expect-" He cut himself off, seeing your amused expression. "Right, shutting up now. You, uh, are you ready to head out?"

You gave a final check that your desk was clear before nodding. "All set."

As you walked out of the school, N rambled on about his day. "Man, patrol was so boring today. At least now I get to hang with you for a bit." He swung his arms energetically as he walked alongside you.

As the two of you exited the school building, a cool breeze blew past. N shivered slightly despite having no organic components. "Brr, sure is chilly tonight. Glad I don't have to stand outside on patrol much longer."

You chuckled at his reaction. "Aww, does the big bad robot 'ave a wittle cold circuit?" N shot you a sideways glance, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Oh hush..”

Laughing, you slung an arm around N's shoulders in a mock hug. "Aw, it's okay, I'll keep you warm!" Much to your amusement, this only caused N to blush further while stammering incoherently. Smirking, you released your hold and continued on ahead.

As your optics adjusted to the darkness, you noticed N nervously scanning the shadows with his bright glow. "Relax bolt-brain; nothing is sneaking up on us tonight. You're the scariest thing around these parts," you teased, nudging him playfully.

N rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, better safe than sorry, right? Patrol's got me on high alert, I guess."

N shuffled closer to your side as you both made your way down the living quarters, wrapping his tail carefully around your leg. Though he claimed it was for protection, you suspected he simply enjoyed being close. Not before long, the row of housing units emerged into view.

"Well, this is me," you said, gesturing to the doorway of your home. N peered at it curiously. "Wanna come in? My folks are working overtime at the door again, so we've got the place to ourselves."

N hesitated, fidgeting anxiously. "I, uh, don't want to intrude or anything.”

"Don't worry so much," you said reassuringly. "Like I said, my parents are working late, so it's just us. And I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want the company."

N still seemed unsure, nervously twisting his hands together. His eyes flickered from you to the doorway and back again. You could tell he wanted to accept the invitation, but something was holding him back.

Sighing softly, you placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Look, I get if it seems weird since we're different models. But to me, you're just N—my friend. You've always got my back, and I want to return the favor. So what do you say? Wanna come in and hang longer?

After a moment, he smiled shyly. "You really see me as a friend? Even though I'm probably the lamest murder drone ever built."

You grinned and punched his arm playfully. "Duh, why else would I hang out with you? Now come on!!”

You led N down the hallway to your room. "Not much, but it's home. Make yourself comfortable."

Kicking off some stray debris, you plopped down on your bed and gave it an encouraging pat. "Park it, toaster." N did so nervously, taking in the cozy atmosphere.

With a flick of your wrist, you played some upbeat nightcore music; it played at a comfortable volume.

N sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, listening to the upbeat music pulsing through the room. "Cozy set up you've got here," he said, his gaze flitting around nervously.

"Yeahhh”  you replied with a shrug, leaning back on your hands. "So, being a murder drone. Bet that's...umm...murder-y?"

N couldn't help but chuckle at your lame joke. "Ha, yeah, I guess you could say that. It's uh, it's definitely something." He leaned back, debating how much to say.

"Mostly it's just... fixing up the ship, or stopping V from taking out another one of you guys, that sort of thing." His attempt at casual humor fell flat, but you nodded encouragingly.

"It can be tense though," N continued more seriously. "When intruders show up, lives get put at risk. The pressure to terminate threats efficiently, without fail...it's a lot." He took on a faraway, troubled look.

Fizzling out, N sighed softly. "Truth is... I'm not just some cold killer bot, you know? I care about protecting this place and keeping everyone safe. Including..." His gaze met yours shyly. "Including you."

Gently, you reached out to take his hand in yours. N jumped slightly at the contact but didn't pull away. "I know you care, you dork. You wouldn't keep risking your wiring to walk me home otherwise."

"Well, uh, it's just standard procedure! Gotta look out for...others and all that ha—ha…”

You chuckled. "Sure thing. We both know you just looovee my charming personality." Squeezing his hand reassuringly, you leaned in until your faces nearly touched.

"Listen N. Killing isn't all you are; it's what you have to.. Uh do.. And I like who you are—awkward jokes and all."

You gently lifted a hand to cup his cheek. N hitched at the contact, but he didn't pull away, instead leaning into your palm with a soft sigh. Gathering courage, you pressed a kiss to the cold metal.

When you drew back, N's smile could have powered the whole facility.

N's cheek plates flushed a deeper yellow as he leaned into your palm, still processing what just happened.

"I, uh...wow." Was all he could manage at first, a flustered chuckle escaping him. You smiled fondly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Are...are you sure about this?" He looked at you. "I mean, me? Really?"

"N, relax." You said softly, brushing your thumb over his knuckles in a soothing rhythm.

"R-right, sorry. I just... care about you. A lot." His gaze became unusually intense.

Your core swelled at his words. Leaning close once more, you pressed your forehead to his with a murmur. “Stay for tonight?”

Eyes closed, he nuzzled gently into the embrace. "Y-yeah. I can um.." he swallowed before he continued, “do that..yeah”

© yammpi3 2024. All work belongs to @yammpi3. You can repost if you want to support my blog/writing! Please don't modify, translate, or plagiarize in any way on ANY platform.

Fanfiction and scrolling through Pinterest are the things that provide me with a sense of purpose and joy… JOKING totally…joking

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⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Just a tiny reminder that this is a 17+ blog!! I will write suggestive content from time to time [smut] You as the reader are in charge of the content you consume. <3

⊹ ⋆｡˚ ( YAMI ) she/they. xvi. intp. witerally shigarakis loser gf. Multifandom blog. Semi-active, pls request!!

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LATEST RELEASES. one. two. three.

Tested by Time - Chapter 3 🌻

series summary; what happens when time suddenly decides to feed you snippets of a life you can't remember living? a life filled with joy and happiness that was cruelly ripped away - your mind plagued with just that. when a certain spirit is plagued by these memories as well, he’s just as confused as you. two hearts brought together through many millennia find they’re connected in more ways than one.

pairing; Yami Yugi/Atem x female! reader

reblogs/feedback/likes are appreciated & encouraged. DO NOT repost/steal any of my works.

chapter warnings; none

chapter word count; 1.5k+

chapter summary; it's time to visit the museum and see what you can find with Yami, with the help of someone, you find something unexpected.

a/n; and she returns with the long awaited 3rd chapter, a quick note, you know of the spirit, you’ve just not met him in person yet until now.

links; series masterlist | prologue | 1 | 2

Just as quickly as you had been asked, the next day came around and before you knew it, you were ready and stood outside the museum. Glancing down at the watch on your wrist, you saw you were earlier than you thought, maybe you were more keen than you had let on for this. Looking to the side, you watched as people walked in and out, excited chatter from them filling the air as you leaned against the wall. Your gaze then moves to the banners on either side of the door, taking in their design and the text. You didn't think this would be popular but like yourself, there were plenty of people who loved to learn about a place like Ancient Egypt. Turning your attention back to outside the museum, you caught the tri-coloured hair of the male you were meeting.

Walking down the steps, you walked forward and waved with a bright smile. Soft eyes looked at you before the male waved back, rushing quickly to your side. The action leaves them slightly out of breath, much to your amusement. "Thanks for doing this, (y/n), I know the spirit is excited as well". Letting out a giggle, you nodded and looked over your shoulder at the building. "It's no problem at all, Yugi, really. I've been eager to come here for a while, now I have the perfect reason". Looking back to Yugi, you tilted your head slightly. "Say Yugi, what should I call the spirit?".

Your question had taken both the young boy and the spirit of the puzzle by surprise. No one has ever asked what he should be called. Most people just referred to him as Yugi or the other Yugi, but you wanted to know what he wanted. Pondering, the young boy looked to the floating male at his side, waiting for his answer. After a few minutes of silence, your friend spoke out, giving you the answer, to which you smiled and nodded. "Yami, you can call him Yami".

When the coast was clear, the young boy stepped back before a bright light shone causing you to cover your eyes slightly. When the light dimmed and you glanced back up, you saw a slightly taller male standing there. His gaze was sharper, his eyes more stern and his hair a little bit different in style. Looking him over, you hummed and held your hand for him, offering a bright smile. "I take it you're Yami, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm (y/n) but I guess you already know that". Looking down at your hand, the spirit took a moment to take in what had happened before he looked back up at you. Now that he was using Yugi's body, he could get a good look at you. He could see why Yugi talked about you most of the time. Taking a hold of your hand, he gave it a firm shake and gave back a half smirk. "That's correct. It's nice to meet you too, (y/n)".

Looking down at your hands, something felt right about it. Sure, it was your friend's body being used but when Yami took over, things changed. The hand you held onto felt strong yet familiar at the same time. Deciding now would be a great time to let go, you laughed nervously before motioning behind you. "Let's get in there and see what we can find".

Once inside, surrounded by the exhibition on Ancient Egypt, you sighed in relief as you felt yourself relax. You didn't want to make a bad impression but you were almost certain you had done. Taking a moment to look around, you gauged where everything was, making a mental note of the best displays to look at before turning your gaze to Yami. "Okay, so I think I see some displays that might be a good starting point, but if you see anything let me know and we'll check it out". At hearing your words, Yami nodded and followed you to one of the displays, taking in how you spoke and the way your face lit up when you mentioned anything Egyptian. It was a sight that made him feel at ease. After a few minutes of you both being there, the spirit felt himself being pulled towards something at the back of the room. The footsteps beside you receded while you continued to gaze at the artefact in front of you.

A moment later, you looked to your side ready to ask the spirit's opinion on something, only to be met with a space. Turning around, you scanned the room but caught no sight of him. Sighing, you walked forward and began searching everywhere you could, finding anyone but the person you were looking for. After a good few minutes, you stopped before a door at the back of the room and bent over, letting out a frustrated noise and you wiped the palms of your hands on your legs. You were tasked with one thing, and one thing only yet you couldn't even do that. "Ahh, my Queen, it's nice to see you're finally here". The sound of the voice caught you off guard as you stood up and spun on your heel, coming face to face with the young woman who you'd seen in the papers a few days prior. The one in charge of running the exhibition, Ishizu Ishtar. "I'm sorry you must have me confused with someone else~".

The dark-haired woman shook her head with a smile before stepping forward, placing a hand on your shoulder. "I assure you I don't. I have something useful for you". Taking a step back, she motioned to her side before a male stepped forward, holding something in his hands for you. Looking from the item to the Ishizu, you held a hand out and let it hover over the item. Did you dare touch it, let alone take it? "Please, my Queen. We've been keeping this safe for five thousand years, it should be returned to you". Before you could protest any more, the item was placed in your hands. Looking it over, you felt a sense of familiarity from it. "Now, that door behind you, head on through and you'll find the person you've been looking for down the stairs".

Nodding your head, you turned around and walked through the door, descending the steps until you reached the bottom. For some reason, you trusted her words and her. Like she was someone you once knew. Coming to a stop at the bottom of the steps, you placed the item in your hands close to your chest before you walked forward, turning your head to either side to see if you could find him. "Yami! Are you down here!?". Up ahead, there was a noise which sounded like an answer to your question. Moving forward, you turned the corner and found the male you were searching for. "Here you are, I was wondering~". You stopped talking when you caught the tablet in front of you. You were almost positive you nearly broke your neck from the quickness of the double take you had done. Standing there in front of you was the person on the tablet, or you thought it was. "Yami?".

The spirit looked at your confused face before looking back at the tablet, you felt how he had when he first saw it. However, he'd had a good amount of time to get used to what he was seeing, taking in what the ancient tablet depicted. The more he looked at it, the more it felt like it was something from his past, that depicted his life before everything he knew was wiped from his memory. "It appears to be some form of ancient duel between the Pharoah and one of his advisors. I admit it's a bit of a shock to see someone who looks like me up there". Casting his gaze on you, he took note of the item you had ahold of. "I see you've found something as well. Anything important?".

Looking in slight confusion, it took you a moment to realise he was talking about the item you'd been given upstairs. Moving it from your chest, you placed a hand on top of it and nodded. "I hope so, it's a book of some kind but I'm not entirely sure what yet but fingers crossed it's something good". You turned your attention back to the tablet and noticed a section faded like it had been purposely damaged so it couldn't be read. "Say, you think this was important? Looks like something's been worn away on purpose". Raising your hand, you placed it on the glass in front of you as you took a step closer, there was nothing on this tablet aside from an image that screamed out to the both of you. That left the book in your possession, there had to be something in it and there was only one way to find out.

© springismss - don’t repost, copy, translate, steal or modify.

Opening the door to the outside, a soft breeze hugged you gently. It was the time of the year where everything was reborn and life started to fill every living thing.

Off in the distance you spotted something strange. As curious as a cat you walked forward, fingers gentle touching the various flora you passed.

Up ahead a figure smiled, offering a hand as you drew closer. “Oh my, a new flower! Right this way dear”.

Brushing past the vines that draped over a wall that had appeared, you found yourself pushed forward as light began to shine brightly. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. Blinking in confusion you opened your eyes and gasped at the sight.

Books. Books everywhere.

Over in the corner you spotted another figure. Walking over, you tapped the bell, eyes looking up at you. “Oh hello, welcome!”. Their voice was soothing and warm, easing you. “This is my library, here you’ll find works of many kinds. The more spicier ones are in the back there”.

Standing up, they offered you their hand and smiled. “Don’t worry sweet flower, you’re safe here. You can call me Lexa”.

Hello hello, welcome to my library!

This is where I reblog all works posted on my other account, @springismss.

I may, occasionally, reblog other posts.

Saving Grace - b. barnes

pairing; winter soldier! bucky x gender neutral! reader

reblogs/feedback/likes are appreciated & encouraged. DO NOT repost/steal any of my works.

warnings; slight sweating, mention of a weapon/injury

word count; 1k+

summary; when you find yourself at the mercy of the infamous winter soldier, the only target that’s ever managed to outrun him, you still feel sorry for him. he’s an individual who has no free will of your own, you on the other hand, have free will. that’s what leads to you doing something you didn’t expect you would do.

links; Marvel Masterlist | Masterlist

© springismss - don’t repost, copy, translate, steal or modify.

Chaos.

That's the only word you could describe everything you saw around you. Ruin, blazes, destruction. All of this because you were the latest mission of a long list of names for the male stood in front of you.

Your team stood scattered around, as he drew closer to you. An emotionless stare burning into you as you stood your ground not ready to give up just yet. The faint static in your earpiece was jumbled with a response from someone but you didn't care to listen.

Your body grew tired as you contemplated accepting your fate. You heard the stories for as long as you could remember. A male soldier who was the best at crossing off names. HYDRA's top weapon. The legendary Winter Soldier. You, like many, believed him to be a myth. A story made up to scare young kids into following the right path because they didn't want to end up the same way he did. Only he turned out not to be a myth, he was very much real.

"Hey, (y/n), come on! Get out of there!".

The sudden loudness made you jump slightly, your breath catching in your throat as you forgot how long you had it. The creaking of leather coming closer drew you out of your daze.

This was the day you were going to die. Sure, you had those thoughts many a time before but the people who tried to kill you in the past? This guy made them look like amateurs. At best, a child would do a better job than them.

Your eyes finally locked with the soldier's as you continued to stand your ground. Hands dropping to your sides as your weapon thudded on the concrete. You were tired. Tired of running. Tired of trying to convince yourself that this was all some crazy nightmare and you'd wake up soon.

"Fine, you win. I'm tired of this bullshit. I'm tired of running from you!".

Not once did the assassin react to your words. His gaze remained fixed on the target that had spent so long running from him. Once your name was crossed off, HYRDA would be pleased. You should have been one of the easiest for him to kill but somehow, you were the hardest one. Managing to escape his attempts to thwart you time again until he cornered you in some little city not too far from where he was told you resided. It would be over in a matter of seconds but those last few seconds to you would be the most painful you had ever felt in all of your existence.

Letting out a shaky breath you closed your eyes, enjoying the blackness before it became one of the last things your mind had seen. The assassin's kills were anything but painless, being able to rid the plant of your existence in seconds. You had your typical regrets of someone in your position. Of the life you never lived, of the life you'll never get to live. Maybe if you hadn't spent the past few months on the run, you would have lived your life to the fullest ready to accept this day. Now that it was here, you didn't want to leave.

"Just get it over with, Winter Soldier! I'm sure HYDRA will celebrate in some sick and twisted way when~".

Something caused you to look over the metal shoulder as your eyes tried to fixate on something happening. You couldn't quite make it out but yet, down in your gut, you didn't have the greatest feeling about it. Squinting you saw the faint glimmer of what your team called the best weapon in your grasp. From talking to the people who had managed to survive a shot from it, you found them to be in pain many months after. Some of the pain strong enough to make them want someone or something to finish the job off.

Piecing things together in your head, your eyes widened in horror as your legs began to move. A loud shot being fired was all you heard as you rushed forward, managing to push the assassin out of the way. The hot metal of the bullet fired piercing your shoulder as you landed with a grunt, your breathing rate increasing as you gripped the wound, hissing out at the contact. You don't know what made you move but something told you to save the soldier.

Judging by the look in his eyes, your reaction had taken him by just as much surprise as you.

Looking down, a small smile tugged at the corner of the sitting figure’s lips as they leaned over, placing a soft kiss upon the other's forehead. It had been a few years since that incident and they couldn't thank you enough for taking the first steps towards their freedom.

Sure, Bucky still had the arm given to him by HYDRA but he was planning on replacing it as soon as possible. The final piece of his horrible past as a ruthless killer. He didn't know why you had done what you had done but he was thankful. You may have been the only person to escape him for so long but maybe it was for that reason alone you had.

Cliché or not, you were his saving grace and he wasn't going to let you go anytime soon. Even if it killed him in the process.

First meeting - Ocarina of Time Link

a/n; firstly! i just want to say thank you for 100+ followers! y’all amazing and i love you all so much! secondly, i present to you another first meeting! little later than planned due to life and TotK overtaking my spare time! enjoy!

pairing; ocarina of time link x gender neutral! reader

reblogs/feedback/likes are appreciated & encouraged. DO NOT repost/steal any of my works.

warnings; mention of/implied death

word count; 1,716

headcanon/summary; We start one of our journies into the unknown, what lies ahead? Here we meet the fourth one of our heroes - the one that will go down in legend as the hero of time.

links; TLoZ Masterlist | Masterlist

© springismss - don’t repost, copy, translate, steal or modify.

The day had started like every other, with you waving goodbye to your parents before running the short yet seemingly long distance to Lon Lon Ranch to spend time with your best friend, Malon. It had been one of your father’s trips to Castle Town for business where you met a red-haired girl humming a soft tune on the path leading to Hyrule Castle. Ever since that day, the two of you had become inseparable, letting the hours run away from you both until it was time for you to depart back to your village.

As the sound of the ranch she lived on drew nearer, your pace picking up slightly as you made quick work of the small hill that lead up into your second home. Passing by a few of the stables you heard the sounds of the cows inside, some of the sounds belonging to new lives that you all thanks the goddesses for. The circle track of the ranch came into view a few seconds later with the horse pen, the few horse they owned happily running around inside.

You could see Malon’s red hair as you approached but the sight of green beside her caught your attention. This was someone new, someone you certainly didn’t know. The childish jealousy struck you but you kept moving forward reaching the two figures as you stopped, hands clasped behind your back. Whatever they were talking about had stopped as Malon looked at you, squealing happily as she jumped on you, hugging tightly as you giggled with her. “Ohhh, (y/n), I have someone you need to meet!”.

Turning her attention behind her back she grabbed the hand of the other child, pulling them towards you. That’s when you could see this was a boy, dressed in green with a small fairy dancing around him. Tilting your head, you leant forward and looked him over as you reached out to poke his cheek. The action took him by surprise as he jumped back slightly, a small giggle slipping past your lips. “(Y/n), this is fairy boy! Fairy boy, this is my best friend (y/n)”.

Tilting your head to the other side, you gave a look of confusion as you looked at the small ball of light now by his head before showing a grin. “Fairy boy? That’s a funny name! I like it!”.

Seven long years had passed since meeting this boy dressed in green, seven years of darkness and despair wherever you looked. The once bustling Castle Town had been destroyed, leaving behind derelict buildings and rubble, once the shops that welcomed people from all over the kingdom. Now no one dared to venture to close, not only due to the horrid sight of the once peaceful Hyrule Castle but the ReDead’s that roamed the town.

All trade had been moved to the once quiet village of Kakariko, the place you grew up in becoming inhabited quickly than you could have ever imagined. While you were proud to be one of the villagers who helped the new inhabitants settle in, part of you wished to go back to simpler times, back to when you were a child with no care in the world, where everything was considered normal.

The day had began like every other, checking in on various villagers to see if they needed anything, offering a hand to those who needed it. Next were the animals that had been moved over, making sure they were fed and watered with the occasional stroke for good measure. There’d been some whispers of a rumour regarding what one of the old ladies has seen the other day on her way back from the ranch. A young man dressed in green taking out one of the few Poes who were scattered around the field.

Something about the mention of a man dressed in green nagged at you for some time but your chose to ignore it, picking up your shawl and basket. You had to run over to the ranch to grab some milk, not that you were thrilled about it but the usual person who went wasn’t well so you volunteered. Of course you were over the moon you got to see Malon but the journey there, that was what you dreaded the most. The stories of the Poes you heard had you feeling uneasy. Really uneasy.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you took in a breath and waved off to some of the villagers, making the journey towards the place that was once responsible for the happier times in life.

One minute you were travelling back in the direction of your village, the next you were running in the opposite direction, trying your hardest to get rid of the group of Poes that were currently perusing you. If only you hadn’t stopped to chat to Malon for more than a minute, you would be nearly home with not a care in the world yet here you were, praying to the goddess that something or someone would interfere before you became one of the lost souls that was doomed to wander the field for eternity.

Skidding to a halt, you looked at the wall in front of you then to the side, a small opening just visible to you. If you could time it right, you would be high and dry until they gave up their chase, even if you had to wait out the night that was due to come. Looking over your shoulder, you saw the group come towards you. Taking off at a sprint, you gripped onto the basket praying you would make it. That was when you made the mistake of taking your eyes off the path ahead of you, looking back at them to see one disappear. Panic rose up in you as you saw the same Poe now appearing in front of you.

Stumbling over your feet slightly, you stopped and began to slowly walk back, breathing heavily as you began to feel the dread build up inside of you. Would it hurt? You heard people say that dying hurt, that you felt it run throughout every inch of your body before darkness took over, the goddesses welcoming you with open arms as you were into the afterlife, that was if you were one of the lucky ones. The rest were sent either somewhere else or doomed to roam their place of death until time ended. You felt so much regret at the the experiences you never had a chance to have. Here you were, all alone and so close to death.

Eyes landed on the lantern the Poe held, following as it was raised up and swung back, spinning around signalling it was close to its attack. Within seconds it began to move forward, spinning its lantern faster. Closing your eyes, you lifted your arms in an attempt to shield yourself. You knew deep down it was a pathetic attempt but you hoped, hoped that it would somehow save you. Bracing yourself, you finally accepted your fate as you waited for the lantern to collide with your head. Except that never came.

Peaking out from your crossed arms, you saw a flash of green before the Poe vanished into thin air, the others following within mere seconds. Blinking in confusion you dropped your arms slightly, taking in what had just happened. One minute you had been close to death, the next you were a confused mess. Looking up, you raised a hand and shielded your eyes, only to see a hand outstretched to you. Hesitating for a moment you reached out and grabbed it, finding yourself pulled to your feet. “You should be more careful you know, especially with those nuisances around here”.

The intrusion of the voice took you by surprise as you looked at your hero. Of course you knew you should be careful, you were more than aware of the fate you nearly endured. Still, it didn't mean whoever it was had to make you feel bad. Opening your mouth, you went to speak before deciding against it. Now was not the time, you had to get back home before everyone began to worry about you. Picking up your basket, you gripped the handle again and turned on your heel, preparing to make your way back towards Kakariko. Not before you looked over your shoulder. “Of course, forgive me for being so careless sir. Next time you’re around, please stop by Kakariko Village, I’d love to repay you for your heroics there”.

With a small smile you waved your hand and began to make your journey, not before he spoke making you stop in your tracks. You couldn’t quite make out what was said but you shrugged your shoulders none the less. A small ball of light flew past you and stopped, making a small tinkling noise as you tilted your head. A fairy? They were a rare kind, hardly ever seen unless it was with their chosen child of Kokiri Forest. It kind of reminded you of that day seven years ago when you went to visit Malon at the ranch, the fairy boy that was there, his fairy liked to make noises as it flew around.

A moment of realisation dawned on you as you turned around, now looking closer at the male in front of you. Dressed in green with a fairy, sounded awfully familiar to the young boy but the children of Kokiri never grew up so who was this? Taking a small step forward you placed a finger on your lip as you questioned silently. “Is that you fairy boy?”.

At the sound of the name, you could see what appeared to be the smallest of smiles tug at his lips. Something that showed you had gotten it correct. Yet you had so many questions, starting with how on earth he was grown up, it went against all logic. Of course, that meant he had a name, a name that you now wanted to know. As if sensing your question, he got on his horse and turned to face you, nudging the side of the steed to signal it was time to move. Not before speaking a few words, words that he knew you wanted to hear.

“Call me Link”.

First meeting - Twilight Link

a/n; it’s certainly been a hot minute but I’m back, this time with a work featuring the hero from a world filled with twilight. First posted to my Ao3 which can be found here

pairing; twilight princess link x female! reader

reblogs/feedback/likes are appreciated & encouraged. DO NOT repost/steal any of my works.

warnings; implied drinking, implied gender discrimination

word count; 1,635

headcanon/summary; We start one of our journies into the unknown, what lies ahead? Here we meet the third one of our heroes - the one who can change from a man to a beast and back.

links; TLoZ Masterlist | Masterlist

© springismss - don’t repost, copy, translate, steal or modify.

Loud shouts and chatter sounded as you wiped down a table ready for the next people who walked through the door to use. Things in Castle Town seemed to have been busier than usual judging by the number of soldiers and travellers in the bar. You could faintly make out some words but chose to ignore what was being said as you walked towards the front of the bar, wiping your hands on the towel at your hip. "H-Hey we *hic*~"

Rolling your eyes, you saw the soldier who shouted to you slump down onto the table in front of him, out cold, his group beside him poking and making fun of him for being a lightweight. You felt sorry for everyone in the bar in some way, they had fought in so many battles and they had so many upcoming ones that they just needed a bit of normality. Even if their normality was getting drunk and passing out. Scanning in the corner, you saw the slightly bent-over figure of the person you needed. Lifting your hands, you placed them on either side of your mouth, helping your voice carry over the ruckus. "Telma! We've got another one here!".

Upon hearing their name, the figure stood upright and looked over, a smirk tugging at their lips as they placed a hand on their hip. "Is that so, (y/n)? Well then, I better make sure they're on their way".

A wink accompanied their words as you laughed out, whispering "thank you" to the woman as she passed. You hadn't been in Hyrule for long and you had somehow managed to find somewhere in the bustling Castle Town. The view of Hyrule Castle right outside of your window was one that still took your breath away, even if you saw it daily. You tried hard to get a job, something to help you live but every place you tried was either not looking or didn't want a young woman working for them. The first time you heard their words you almost cursed the goddesses for being a woman but decided to smile and walk away, mentally cursing the small-minded people instead. You'd given up hope when you found yourself in the southernmost alley of the town. You just happened to notice the door and it piqued your interest, deciding to try your luck, you walked in and before you knew it you had been hired.

Safe to say you hadn't looked back and you thanked your lucky stars that Telma gave you a chance. After all, you were extremely popular with the young soldiers and travellers, in more ways than one. While it flattered you, you weren't interested. Not because you didn't want their attention, but because you were happy living your life as it was, besides no one had caught your attention. Not yet anyway.

Letting out a yawn, you wiped the bar and placed the few glasses that had been left in the sink, being sure to note to come back to them after you'd done another sweep of the bar to make sure you'd not missed any on the tables. There were only a few stragglers left but you didn't mind staying late than normal, especially when a certain cat kept you company behind the bar. Besides, Telma was expecting someone and asked you to let her know when they had arrived. After picking up a few more glasses, you headed back to your place behind the bar and set the items in your hands at the sink. The ringing of the bell above the bar door made you turn around, offering a bright smile to whoever walked in. "Welcome to Tel~".

Tilting your head in confusion, you looked around and back at the door, shrugging your shoulds when you saw no one new. Deciding it was possibly one of the few who were left inside leaving, you turned around and looked down at the feline at your feet before you began to wash the glasses. "You know, I'm sure I'm losing it slowly, Lousie".

The white cat just looked up at you and meowed, before she stood and stretched, plopping back down and curling herself back up in a ball. Letting out a small laugh, you hummed softly to yourself not paying much attention to the person who had stepped up to the bar, their eyes watching you carefully for a moment, taking in what you were doing and how you interacted with the feline at your side. They could have stayed there all day if they wanted but they had other matters to attend to. "Excuse me miss, can you tell Telma I'm here to see her now".

The sudden intrusion of the words made you jump, your grip on the cloth in your hands tightening as you felt your soul almost leave you. Placing the piece of fabric down, you wiped your hands and turned around, almost ready to give the person a piece of your mind until you met their eyes. Cliché as it sounds but time felt like it had stopped. You'd never seen eyes so blue in your life. Everything seemed to fade away, all there was in your vision was the male who seemed to be staring back at you. It took a moment for your brain to catch up with what he had said, blinking a few times to bring yourself back around. "Huh? Ohh, yeah. L-Let me just grab her for you~".

Walking quickly from behind the bar you walked to a small booth at the side and placed your hands on the table to make yourself known. Of course, Telma was busy with some business but you had your ways of making it known you were there. "Telma, there's someone here to see you".

Peaking from your side, the bar owner looked at the male who stood beside the bar, a bright smile shone on her face when she caught his attention and motioned him over. Looking over your should, you moved to the side when he reached the table and let him slide in as he seated himself down. "Thank you, (y/n). Can you bring us a couple of the special?".

Nodding your head, you smiled softly as walked back towards the area you had come from, feeling eyes on you as you moved.

Doing as you were asked, you brought two glasses over and bowed, excusing yourself to finish cleaning up after the rest of the bargoers left. You hated to admit it but curiosity tried to get the better of you a few times, wondering what business Telma had with this guy. It was nothing to do with you but you wanted to observe him a little more, as selfish as it sounded. You didn't know how long they were talking but soon the sound of Telma beside you at the bar brought you out of your little daydream. "Thank you for staying a little longer, that took a bit more time than I thought.".

Humming you nodded your head and stretched, placing your hands behind your back and untying your apron. It had been a long shift, not that you minded but you were ready to go home and curled up in bed. As if on cue, a yawn left your mouth and you shrunk down slightly in embarrassment, much to the amusement of the older woman. "Go on love, off you go. Take the day off tomorrow, you deserve it and don't worry, you'll still be paid".

Blinking, she must have somehow read your mind but you smiled nonetheless, nodding your head as you gave her a hug, bidding farewell to both her and Louise. Grabbing your cloak, you wrapped it around you and stepped outside the bar's door and carefully shut the door behind you. The cool Hyrulian air hugged what skin was exposed as a sigh of contentment passed your lips. Lifting your hood, you heard the sound of the door opening behind you moving to let the person aside as you slipped your arms under the material that now covered you. That's when a hand on your shoulder made you look and you were face to face with those eyes again. "Oh, it's you. Hope you had a good meeting with Telma, whatever it was about".

Offering a soft smile to the male, you removed your hand from under your cloak and lifted it up, holding it out for him to shake. "I'm (y/n) if you hadn't already guessed earlier and you are?".

The male looked at you and gave a small smirk, taking a hold of your hand and lifting it you his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. You felt like a fire had been lit on your face as you watched him closely. After a lingering few seconds, he placed your hand back at your side and smiled, waving to you as he walked off up the stairs. Looking at your hand, you blocked before looking back at the retreating figure. He hadn't told you his name and you'd be damned if he left without telling you. Rushing forward, you ran up the steps quickly just in time to catch him a few steps in front of you in the alley. "Hey! You didn't tell me your name, bluey".

The male stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder, something about the way he looked at you made you gasp. Was it the nickname you'd given him there due to his eyes or was it something else? You could see the somewhat inner debate before he continued to walk slowly, lifting his hand almost as if he was trying to stop you from following like he sensed you were trying to do just that.

"The name's Link".

Hello my lovely followers!

It's been a long time since I posted something on here.

I've been quiet on the posting front for a reason and I feel like I owe some form of explanation for my sudden disappearance.

TRIGGER WARNING - mention of death/passing.

Back in September my papa ended up being admitted into hospital with severe heath issues and that's where he stayed until he passed peacefully with me by his side in early November.

Since then I've had a lot of things to deal with including going back to work and getting back into a normal routine. Small victories help but I have an extremely long way to go yet.

While I don't feel ready to post to Tumblr yet, I have began posting on archive so if you would like to keep up with my works please head on over to there (link below) and see what I have posted. Give me a follow as well if you like to!

Hopefully I’ll be back soon and posting but for now I hope life is treating you all well and don't forget you're all beautiful souls who make someone's day 100% better.

Until the next post lovelies 🖤🖤🖤🖤

Daddy? - b. barnes

a/n; just a little headcanon on how I feel Bucky would react to his s/o being pregnant- worried and scared mainly.

pairing; TFATWS Bucky x female! reader

reblogs/feedback/likes are appreciated & encouraged. DO NOT repost/steal any of my works.

warnings; n/a

word count; 563

headcanon; Finding out girlfriend/fiancée/wife is pregnant.

links; Marvel Matserlist | Masterlist

© springismss - don’t repost, copy, translate, steal or modify.

Blinking in confusion, it took him a minute to process what was said and that’s when it had hit him. Did he hear what you had said correctly? You were pregnant?

Feels like his heart stopped for a moment. Part of him feels like this is the last thing he wanted to happen right now. The other half practically screaming for joy.

The internal conflict he felt soon showed on his face. Was he ready to be a dad? He certainly didn't feel ready. Not in the slightest.

He'd only just gotten back to being classed as a normal citizen, not only by his therapist but the government as well. He didn’t want to mess that up so soon with emotions that threatened to overflow.

How could someone who was known to be a cold-blooded killer, despite his now successful attempt to fit back into society be deemed fit enough to look after a tiny life?

He certainly didn't think he would be fit enough as his eyes glanced at the objects you held in your outstretched hands.

A scan picture in one hand, showing the tiny life slowly growing in you. In the other a tiny little bodysuit with the words "Sergeant In Training coming soon!"

The look on your face was one of pure joy as you looked at him, your joy dropping as you chewed your lip in anticipation for his actual reaction. You both knew it was bound to happen sooner or later - he couldn’t keep his hand off you half the time.

How it hadn’t happened earlier was beyond you. Yet here you were, proof in your hands as your figure began to swell slightly. "James? Are you okay?".

He'd been zoned out for so long he that didn't realise you had moved forward until he looked down, seeing your eyes look up at him as you continued to hold the items in your hands.

Wrapping his arms around you, he embraced you, holding you close to him as he smiled softly. His grip on you never fading as he rubbed patterns on the small of your back, afraid to let you go now you're carrying something precious to not only him but you. "Yes doll, I'm okay~".

Leans down and peppers kisses all over your face, enjoying the sound of your small laughs as you hug closer to him. “~Besides, I should be asking you if you're okay. After all, it might not be an easy pregnancy for you".

The reality is he's scared. Scared because he doesn't know if he's fit to look after something so small and delicate when they arrive.

Also, he’s scared for you. Carrying a super soldier's child was rumoured to be an extremely difficult time. All thanks to that serum once used. “James, I'm okay. As long as I take care, I'll handle whatever this little one throws at me".

He steps back from you after removing his arms, placing his flesh hand on your slightly swollen stomach. Your soft hum lulling him as your hands cover his.

He loves you. He adores you. He'll protect you and support you no matter how hard it is.

It's the least he can do, after all, you did that for him. You never backed down and you fought with such pride and love, he knows you’d do it again in a heartbeat.