Exquisite

…He was beautiful. It was a given. He was beautiful in a way that could pull connotations out of one's head that were meant for women. The way his thin, yet almost bruising-pink lips seemed to pull back and reveal his crooked teeth; the way his nose upturned slightly, making it seem like a delicate feature about him; the way his blue eyes held such intensity in their plainly ordinary shape; the way his skin seemed to be so transparently thin that he somehow always seemed bruised from the colors underneath, and yet never was there much more than a faint blemish to his actual features; his eyebrows were thick and dark, much like the mess of hair that sat on his head that almost seemed to accentuate all of the other previously mentioned features. His bangs always seemed to be in the way of one of his eyes and flaring out in inappropriate places, the rest of it cropped short.

It made Dash think he looked like a lesbian. He had also always been small- petite even- with the way his clothes always easily feel from his shoulders, pants with the simple removal of his belt… so it made him easier to physically push around. He could blame it on whatever he liked, but something about Danny Fenton had always attracted Dash's ire and a simultaneous kind of attention in the form of attraction.

Maybe it was the attraction that gave way to the ire, or the ire that resulted in him noticing things that resulted in the attraction. Either way… He wasn't fond of the conflicting feelings. He'd much rather just keep at his old habits of bullying the poor kid with the occasional admiration for when he was actually useful and turned out to be the leader sort if you let him. If you let him. Making the question arise to be, was he really a leader then if he had to be let into such positions?

Regardless, Dash couldn't pinpoint when he started dating obsidian haired girls, nor when their hair seemed to get shorter and shorter as he worked his way through them. It just happened in a gradual manner until it struck him one day. It had happened by accident of course- he had mistaken his girlfriend for Fenton. It made him angry- furious- and he instantly and without explanation dumped her, leaving the poor thing in tears in the burger joint.

It was disgusting. Dating someone who looked so much like a boy- or did he look too much like a girl? That had to be it… Fenton looked too feminine, too petite and meak and yet simultaneously held a hidden strength about him along with some boisterous qualities. He was going to shove the kid in a locker tomorrow- maybe worse… Shove his head in a toilet, make some other kid piss on him while he did- something!

He was going mad! And he had no idea why! Why?! What exactly was it about the ridiculous kid that made him feel like he was losing his head? He tried to talk to his dad about it- he told him to stop being such a faggot and stop thinking about boys so much. Be a fucking man. Stop being a little bitch. Dash shut up about it. He didn't bother asking his mom- she probably wouldn't have much to say that was of any use anyways, being a woman…

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

He should punch him- hell, he was going to punch him! The stupid, cheeky little brat! He did it on purpose! He had to have! It was all his fault and everyone found it fucking hysterical! They found it hysterical that Fenton finally managed to pants him back without touching him somehow! He covered his mouth with his hand, but it was obvious by the way his snickers could still be heard and the way eyes lit up that he found it funny.

"Sorry, Dash." Fenton said, sporting a smile with one side of his bruise-pink lips being higher than the other up on his face. Dash quickly fixed his pants, jacking Danny up by his shirt, and slammed him onto one of the lunch tables. Out of everyone here, Danny's laughing set him off the most. "What, you think this is funny, Fenton?!" His eyes instantly grew wide, his crooked smile instantly shrinking away.

He leaned in close, his mind reeling with threats, punches he could be throwing… But he kept Danny's humiliation strictly to Danny this time. "Or maybe it would be funnier to you if I yanked your pants down along with those stupid boxers everyone's gotten a good look at once or twice and showed off the dick that's probably about as small as your brain."

He harshly shoved him away, the only place for Danny to go was further into the table. Dash turned on his heel and stormed out, everyone going hush-silent in an attempt to either hear or watch the fight break out between them. Danny sat up, rubbing his collar bone, all of the color, what small pigments there were, drained from his face. "Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked, quickly running to his side while casting occasional glances towards the door in case Dash came back. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" He grumbled, fingers still rubbing at his skin.

When had Dash gotten so vulgar? Sure, he was always a dick, but… He had never spoken like that to him before. He'd usually either run away out of humiliation or get back at him later- It left Danny stunned. Maybe he was always like that and Danny had just somehow over looked it? "Danny, you sure you're alright? You look like you just saw a ghost." Tucker snickered at his own lame joke. "Ha, ha." Danny drone, rolling his eyes as he pulled himself from the table.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

It was his grad party. Everyone was allowed, so long as they were in the same graduating class, but that didn't exactly limit the number of guests. That also meant Fenton and his lame friends were invited too. Dash remembered the last time the brat came to one of his parties… He shoved the memories out of his head like a tech geek who was small enough into a locker and chugged a beer.

Sure they weren't in college yet- but it was never too early to start learning how to throw frat parties. He was going to a community college on barely passing grades and a full scholarship. He could have done better in school, sure. But he'd much rather put effort into sports. If he was stuck there anyways, he may as well do the bare minimum and keep at what he loved. It's not like any other department got the kind of treatment jocks did, that was a given.

No art student or drama kid or tech nerd went to colleges on full rides. Partial, maybe- if they were lucky. But full on? Dash had never heard of it unless it was particularly an art school or something of the like and even then…

Kwan came with a car full of beer from his brother, Fenton and his usual tag-team arriving at the same time. "Hey, Fenton!" Dash yelled, making him jump like some kind of small animal. He couldn't exactly place it. It was too nervous for a hamster, yet not high enough for a rabbit, and not nearly as skittish as a rat. He let the thought go and forced him and his friends to help carry the beer inside.

"Woah! Where did you even get all of this?" Danny asked, practically amazed while more loose can were piled into his arms. "Kwan's brother." Dash said with a proud grin that he couldn't even bother hiding, even around Fenton. "Dude!" The tech geek yelled, his voice pitching. Even the goth seemed pretty happy with the contents.

They carried it inside and the party ensued as it had without for the few minutes they were outside. Nothing too particular of note happened aside from the general happenings at an unsupervised, drunken teen party. The thing that probably stood out the most to him- and that he would potentially remember even after his drunken stupor- was the group playing spin the bottle in the corner.

Fenton had been playing, laughing hysterically at his place against the wall at his friend's misfortune until it was his turn. He was practically caught in a trap between the pair and not going to get away from kissing the other guy it had landed on- they wouldn't let him. He seemed like someone from another school who had weaseled his way into the party- not that Dash cared.

They forced Danny up, he stumbled- from his own clumsiness or the booze, who knew- and practically fell into the guy's lap, his back on the guy's knees. The guy was quick to thread his hands in the back of Danny's hair and pull his head back, bending down to kissing him deeply, almost as if to prove a kind of point. Or maybe (hopefully?) just embarrass him more thoroughly- thoroughly to the point where Dash swore he saw tongue. He watched Fenton's eyelids squeeze together harshly around the same time. There were wolf whistles and taunts while Danny was stuck on the guy's lap until he decided to let him go.

He heard the obnoxious laughter of his goth friend who took joy in his predicament. "Do you think he'd be pissed if I took pictures to blackmail him with?" The tech geek asked her, his phone already out. The group kept obnoxiously cheering the unknown kid on while Danny was practically helplessly stuck until his assailant decided to let him go.

It could have been five minutes- could have been one. Who knew. By the time he finally pulled away, Dash had never seen Fenton flush with such color. He didn't know his lips could bruise into a deeper shade than they already were. "…Dennis." The guy introduced with a laugh while Danny studied him with wide doe eyes and attempted to catch his breath. "…Hi…"

"You?" The dick whose name was apparently Dennis asked while attempting to assail Danny's neck, one arm wrapped around him like a snake while his free hand spun the bottle again. Danny pressed his shoulder to his neck in an attempt to block Dennis and tried to wiggle away, to no avail. He had only managed to pull himself more into Dennis' lap, almost curling his upper half around Dennis' back. "Danny…" Dash caught his mouth moving in the familiar name, but he couldn't actually hear it. His hearing could have been hindered by either the blood rushing to his head or the concentration he had on the amount of blood that had rushed to Danny's face. When he flushed with life and embarrassment, the rest of him seemed to as well. His ears, his shoulders, his fingertips…

"Hey!" Dash called, irritated. "No faggy shit!" He said, pointing a finger at Danny and Dennis while the rest of his fingers gripped the can of beer he was holding. …D & D… He should kill them both right now. He saw Danny jump, the bite he had on his lip instantly being released as he tried to wiggle away again, Dennis letting him go. "S'okay. I get to make out with this gorgeous girl now." He said, giving a cocky smile to Paulina, who the bottle had landed on, who giggled in return. "I better get as much attention as Danny did." She teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Dash seemed to relax when Dennis just as intensely made out with Paulina as he had with Danny. The guy was probably just a bisexual fucking sleaze- a whore who couldn't pick which end of the spectrum he preferred- being a faggot or being normal. …Even still, for whatever reason, he wanted to punch the kid…

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

It was supposed to be simple. Dash would go to college and never deal with half of the people- or hopefully less- that he had in high school. Yet, as luck would have it, he wouldn't have to worry about college- or even sports for that matter anymore.

He howled in pain while the ghost kid tried to remove the rubble from his leg, looking terrified for him. "Daaahh, oh man, oh man…" He grumbled to himself, forcing pieces of the shattered building off of Dash's leg. There were sirens, the ghost kid flew off, calling for their attention. Dash was loaded up, the ghost kid was gone.

His leg was broken. He couldn't play sports with a broken leg. How was he going to go to college without everything being paid for? He barely passed any of his classes- he was supposed to be able to get out of this shitty little town! To be a famous football star! This wasn't…! No, this wasn't supposed to happen! Damn that ghost!

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Jazz couldn't tutor him this time, too busy with her own college classes and electives and community service work. However, Fenton, for whatever reason, offered. "…Why would you wanna help me out? I've been nothing but a jack ass to you." Dash looked at him from his hospital bed, utterly confused.

"…I know. But I also know what it's like when things change and you're not quite sure what to do with yourself anymore. It sucks. …So, yeah, you may have been a jerk, but being the bigger person means helping you out anyways."

Dash shorted, rolling his eyes and looking at a bland hospital wall. "…Fenton, you're too nice for your own good, you know that?" Danny chuckled, flashing him his teeth. "So I've heard. But if that's my worst trait, I guess I lucked out then. I mean you'd also technically be indebted to me and maybe stop trying to beat me up." He said, looking up at the ceiling and swinging one of his legs absent-mindedly with a chuckle. "Besides, I know if you try, you'll get through it no problem- you're stubborn like that." Danny said, flashing him another smile while he laughed. Dash couldn't tell if that was a compliment or an insult.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"Mmm… No, that's not right. You see behaviorism is-" Dash pushed himself away from the table, wheeling himself to Danny's fridge. "I don't care, I need a break." He said harshly. Danny sighed and watched Dash rummage through his fridge for a minute, but decided to let it go. "…Alright, why don't I get us some lunch or something?" He offered. "Hey dad!" Danny called out into the house, not sure exactly where he was.

"Yes, Danny-boy?" His dad asked, quickly entering the room in an almost comical fashion. "I'm gonna order a pizza- you want anything?" His dad sighed heavily. "A ghost for this new experiment me and your mother are trying to do, but I don't know if you can help with that." He said, but quickly perked back up. "But in terms of pizza? All of it- give me the whole nine!" Danny chuckled and nodded. "Okay, I got it." He pulled out his phone while his dad left the room, hopping up on a counter.

"…Yeah, hello? I want to place an order for delivery. …Two pizza, one large peperoni, and one more large with literally everything you can put on a pizza minus anchovies with extra cheese with cheese crust and a two liter of pepsi." Dash stared at Danny like he had lost his mind. "…Yup. …No, this isn't a prank call I swear- it's the Fenton ho- …Yup. Yeah. …Cash. Okay, thanks." Danny hung up and looked back over at Dash to see what he was doing. "…Pepperoni is okay, right?" The ex-jock shrugged and rolled himself back over to the table, making a face at his psychology homework.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Danny popped a mixture of skittles, M&Ms, and Reese's pieces into his mouth. "You know I don't know why you even bothered to offer. He's still being a dick, right?" Sam asked while the previews for other movies played. They were currently in her home theater, Tucker working on getting himself some popcorn. "I guess- but he's loosened up a bit. I don't know if it was because he got hurt or if he actually is feeling a bit obligated to not since I'm helping him, but either way." He popped more of the disgusting mixture into his mouth.

Sam sighed and flopped back into her chair. "I should push him out of his wheelchair…" she grumbled, Tucker coming back with his popcorn. "We talking about Dash?" He asked, sitting down. "Yeah. Sam's still pissed I'm tutoring him." Tucker munched on some popcorn while the preview changed. "I mean I can see why- but the better question is why you even offered. Yeah, he may end up being indebted to you or whatever, but the second he doesn't need you anymore he's gonna toss you like a football, dude. You were better off just leaving him to stew in his own juices for a while."

"Exactly!" Sam said, holding her arm out to Tucker, as if to emphasize him and the point he had made. "Yeah, but… I mean I thought about it and it just didn't sit well with me. Dash is a jerk and all, but…" He wasn't "a bad guy"? No, that was completely and utterly a lie. Dash was a terrible person- just not villainous was all. "I don't know, maybe it's a hero complex or something…" Danny grumbled, shoving more food into his mouth.

"…This is disgusting, I don't know what possessed me to think it was a good idea." Danny said, putting more of the junk food into his mouth. "We tried to tell you." Sam said, crossing her arms. "I meant the junk food, not Dash." Danny said, rolling his eyes. "…I wasn't talking about Dash anymore." Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "…Oh." Well Danny felt embarrassed.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"I mean do you know how shitty it is to try to pick up girls like this, Fenton? Well probably not since you can't pick up girls normally." Danny tried balancing the pencil on his fingers while Dash ranted during their study break. "It sucks! And then this one chick complained that the wheelchair gave her bruises on her legs or something when she gave me a-"

"OH-KAY!" Danny said, shoot up. "I need to go feed my dog. Yup. Yup. I'll be back. I think I also need to take him for a walk." Danny didn't need the mental image of whatever Dash was about to relay to him. Seriously, didn't he vent about this kind of thing to his friends? Danny went up to his room, calling for Cujo.

"…Come on, buddy I know you're in here somewh- there you are!" He said, picking up the small ghost dog. "Wanna go for a walk? Yeah? Come on!" He said, his voice raising in pitch as he spoke to him. It was eventually found out that Danny had a ghost dog- and it was just as equally found out that his parents were to leave him alone unless they wanted a disaster on their hands.

Danny put the leash on the dog, Cujo bounding happily down the steps. "…You know I never got why you named it that stupid name in the first place." Dash said, eyeballing the ghost dog. "Cujo isn't stupid- you ever hear of Stephen King? Cujo was the name of one a rabid dog in one of his books." Dash's face scrunched up. Danny was tempted to make a smart comment about Dash not being able to read, but he held his tongue.

Danny sighed and went back upstairs, hauling Cujo with him, who wasn't too keen on the idea. "Hold on, buddy…" He rummaged through some things before pulling out a DVD. Danny came back downstairs and tossed it at Dash. "You can borrow that. If you wreck it or lose it, I'll let you fail your next physics test." He warned before closing the door.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"Fenton that movie was so lame!" Dash groaned, tossing in onto the table. "But you watched it?" Dash snorted. "Yeah, I did. The stupid dog was just big- it wasn't even that scary. I mean like all you had to do was beat it the fuck up or make a run for the house. Like seriously…"

"What, are you kidding me? That was totally scary! Not everyone is a quarterback, Dash! So you gotta think, if you know you can't outrun this huge- no, massive dog, he's gonna get you and tear you apart! Plus like I may not be a parent or anything, but I do have Jazz. I'd totally lose it if something happened to my sister."

"Okay, but come on- you wouldn't try to distract the dog better or beat it up or something? I mean she just sat there! Her kid died for a bit because she wasn't doing anything." Dash countered, proving he indeed had watched the movie. "Yeah, but she tried a lot of stuff. It's like throwing a bloody steak into the water and then hoping the shark won't eat it or something. Like you can try to get it to swim away or something, but it's ultimately going to come back for the steak!"

"Your analogies are stupid, Fenton!" Dash hissed, pointing a finger at him. Danny shot up out of his seat, slamming his hands on the table. "No they're not! You're stupid if you're not getting them!" There was throat clearing from the doorway. "…Boys." Danny's mother said, making her son quickly sit back down. "…He was making fun of Stephen King…" Danny grumbled, sounding rather pathetic.

His mom went over and mused his hair. "Oh, I know you like him, sweetie. But not everyone is going to have the same interests or passions as you. You may defend things that may have flaws in them because you love them so much. Likewise, you may be totally valid in your argument, but people just may not want to see it because they don't care enough for it. Now, why don't you boys finish up your conversation and start studying while I start dinner- sound good?"

Danny's cheeks seemed to puff out a bit, almost like a kind of sciuridae. However, he did let it go, if not with a heavy sigh. "…Alright. What do you want to start with?" He offered, not looking directly at Dash.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Dash had tried to stand. The key word was "try" considering, in spite of him attending rehabilitation for an entire semester, he hit the floor and took Danny down with him. Or more particularly, under him. Danny groaned, Dash's weight knocking the air out him. "Crap, sorry Fenton." Dash apologized, using his arms to push himself up and remove himself from Danny. Danny rubbed the back of his head, sure it would swell up later.

"Just promise you won't do that with me in the room again…" He grumbled, standing up. "…Then how do you expect me to get back in the chair?" Danny looked down at him for a moment. "…You're not going to." Dash instantly misinterpreted. "What so you're just gonna leave me on the floor?!"

…Danny withheld his sigh. "No, you moron- I'm gonna put you back in it." He went over to Dash's wheelchair and locked it so it wouldn't move out from under him. "What- you?" Dash snickered. "…I mean if you really want me to I can leave you on the floor." Danny offered as an alternative. "Fine- I get it, I get it." Dash grumbled. Danny bent down, locking his arms around Dash. "Alright, you're gonna use the table to help you out. Ready? One, two-"

"Wait on or after-"

"Three-!"

The weight applied to the end of the table Dash had used was too much, making it tip over and forcing them both back on the floor. Papers scattered everywhere, notebooks hit the floor and pencils rolled off somewhere into the kitchen. "Son of a…! Shit…!" Dash groaned, trying to recover the wind that was knocked out of him. Danny let out a pained hiss while he tried to see straight, his head having once again hit the floor. "Jeeze, Fenton- you're head's gonna swell like a balloon; It's already bright red!"

"Who's fault do you think that is?" He grumbled, removing himself from Dash and rubbing his head. "Yours- you didn't say if it was on or after three." Danny raised an eyebrow and debated if he was going to shoot him. "…You ever watch movies?" Dash looked at Danny like he was dense. "…Yeah?"

Danny nodded, standing up a bit before flopping right back to the floor and groaning, holding his head. He paused for a moment, trying to recover. "…Do you ever hear them say "after three"? Because if you have a movie where they say that, I'd love to watch it." Danny said, scrubbing his face with his hands before removing them completely.

"…No, but I know movies where they have this argument." Danny sighed heavily and from his throat. "…Okay, we're going to try this one more- and if I fall I will probably pass out, so let's not mess this up again." Danny approached Dash again, who sat up. "…You know, I was probably better off doing this on my own."

"Uh-huh." Danny replied sarcastically. However, truth be told, he may have been right- possibly. "On three." He reiterated, wrapping his arms around him again. "One… Two… Three…!" He pulled Dash up, grunting and flopping him into his chair.

It was the slightest gust of air- and it was natural- but the place where it hit his skin… The nape of his neck… It made Dash instantly jumped backwards. Danny gave him an odd look. "…What?" Dash studied him intensely, almost gauging if he did it on purpose or not. "…Nothing. Forget it." Danny narrowed his eyes, then raised an eyebrow. "…If you say so."

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"…It's normal!" Dash insisted. "I can see if this was normal if we were really close friends, but we're not and this is weird to me! Tucker even sleeps on the floor!" Danny insisted, still fussing. "Well then you get your ass on the floor cuz I sure ain't!" Dash shoved at him instead of trying to hold him still. "Yeah right! It's my bed, get out! Besides, all I gotta do is push your fat ass onto the floor and you can't get back up!"

"Try it, shrimp!" Dash taunted, still pushing at Danny, who was much like a ferret or minx the way he kept almost falling off of his bed, and yet fluidly pulling himself back up and around Dash. Danny finally managed to shove Dash off of the bed with a satisfied grunt, turning over and throwing the covers over his head. Dash glared up at him and yanked the covers, and in turn Danny, onto the floor. "OW!"

"Will you two shut up! I have a final tomorrow!" Jazz yelled from the other room, making both boys shrink into themselves in guilt. Danny tried to quickly jump up onto the bed, but was constantly yanked down or held back by Dash, resulting in hissing grunts and objections to one another.

Danny's mom had somehow made out that Danny was now friends with Dash based on him tutoring him and willing letting the jock eat as he pleased in their house. In turn, she had insisted he stay for dinner more often, and tonight she had insisted he just spend the night considering the weather outside. "I'd hate to make your parents drive in that- it's not safe! You can sleep in Danny's room, I'm sure he won't mind."

He had minded however. "Ugh! Forget it, I'll go sleep on the couch or something!" Danny groaned, trying to crawl away, just to have Dash pull him back by his ankle. "Whhaaaaat?!" He hissed at him. "…Help me in the bed." Danny rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"You are so needy for someone who's supposed to be such a tough guy- you want a stuffed animal while I'm at it?" Danny asked, pulling up embarrassing moments for Dash- who threw a pillow at him. "I'm gonna suffocate you, Fenton!"

"Oh, ho! Big word! So you are paying attention during classes!" He snickered while trying to escape Dash, who was using his arms to crawl towards him and simultaneously keep a grip on him. Danny managed to wiggle free and run to the other side of the bed, taunting Dash with the pillow he threw at him. "Come on, zombie legs!" He teased, making Dash growl and lunge for him, taking Danny to the floor. "…Ow…" He grumbled, Dash attached to his lower half. He sat up the best he could and rubbed the back of his head. Dash grabbed the pillow and shoved it over his face, Danny eventually tapping out, screaming a muffled, "I give, I give!"

Dash tossed the pillow, a triumphant grin on his face. "Alright, then- now, help me up." He demanded. "Well you need to let me up first." Danny reminded. Dash pulled himself off of Danny- who quickly jumped over the bed and dashed for the door. "You little- get back here, Fenton!"

Danny's sprite like laughter could be heard from the hallway. "Make me!" He went ghost once he was downstairs, phasing through the wall and heading for Tucker's house. He'd crash there for the night, Dash could fend for himself.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"…So… Dash Baxter is currently in your bed?" Tucker questioned again while Danny lounged on his floor. "On the floor if he's still being a big baby about it- all that upper muscle and yet none of it managed to go to his brain." He said with a snicker. Tucker just stared down at him for a moment. "…Uh, Danny?" He asked, turning on his side. "Yeee-ayh?" He asked, fixing the pillow Tucker gave him.

"…You don't think any of that is weird?" Danny stopped and looked up at him, laughing. "Dude, what are you talking about?" Tucker furrowed his brows together, wondering exactly how dense Danny could be. "Well, I mean… It's one thing for him to share the room with you- it's another for him to be okay with you both sleeping in the same bed, don't you think?"

"I think he did it just to annoy me." There was silence between them, Tucker not seeing how Danny had a problem with it and Danny confused as to why Tucker would see a problem. "…I'm going to bed." He finally said, turning over on his side and pulling up the blanket he was given.

It wasn't weird- it wasn't. Just being in the same space wasn't weird- maybe because it was Dash that Sam and Tucker decided to look at everything so critically… Still… It wasn't weird. It wasn't. It's not like either of them were seriously considering sleeping in the same bed or something. Dash had just insisted he take the bed, putting himself in it and Danny insisted it was his bed and Dash get the floor. Dash countered with the fact that they either share or Danny can get the floor.

Danny argued, trying to push him out of the bed and ended up in it a bit. Dash teased him and asked if he wanted to share, saying some guys did it, so it was normal, and then it went from there. That was all. Maybe in his explanation to Tucker, he skewed some details he should have kept. Either way…

…Maybe… It was their relationship in general that Sam and Tucker found weird? How Dash used to beat on Danny and was now probably passed out in his bed. The change between them was one of a quick progression, so it was a bit odd, but that was all. Nothing too spectacular.

If anything, Danny was glad it was how it was now. Dash needed him for a lot of things and in turn it softened him up to Danny. They were getting along mostly and Danny would pick that any day over Dash shoving him in a locker again like when they were in high school. Hell, maybe Dash had gone so far as to mature. …Who knows?

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"…You're throwing a get well party…?" Danny said slowly. "Yup." Dash said with a heady nod. "…For yourself…?" He said, even slower than before. "Eyup." Dash said with another nod. "…Alright I'm in." Danny instantly decided. Dash could walk on his own now, but there was still strain and effort that needed to be put into it. "I take it you need help setting up?" Dash was glad Danny was quick on the uptake. "Yeah. Bring that nerd and goth to help out too."

"It's Sam and Tucker, the least you can do is call them by their names if you're recruiting." Danny reminded, loosely pointing a finger in his direction. "Whatever. Just have them help out and buy stuff, yeah?" Dash said again, doing a wheelie in his chair. "Fine- only if they want to, though. And you're not gonna make us set up and then boot us out, right?" Danny asked with narrowed eyes. "Yes that is exactly what I'm going to do." Dash said, rolling his eyes. "Well I never know with you- you used to shove my head in toilets, what was I supposed to think?" Danny reminded. "Ey, key word is "used to", Fenton."

"Yeah, just because you can't get down to the level of the toilet with my head in your hands…" Dash stopped doing wheelies, his chair dropping to the floor as he stared at him for a moment. "…I could be a dick and test that theory, but I'd much rather have you doing all the setting up and shit I can't right now."

"Oh, so a personal slave and tutor? Well don't you have it made." Danny said in a sarcastically high voice. "I'm gonna chuck somethin' at you again." Danny quickly shot up in his chair, making an obnoxious play-by-play.

"And Dash picks up the pencil! He readies the throw… And it connects! Goal! An instant touch down folks! Danny Fenton is down and out for the count!" He said in his best dramatic announcer voice, practically throwing himself back in the chair with his head lolled over the edge of it. "…You're a fucking loser." Dash said with a snicker. Danny shot up, looking directly in Dash's eyes.

"Says the one who's at my house when he doesn't need to be." Danny countered. "What happened to all your old friends- out grew you since you busted your leg- or maybe-" Danny gasped dramatically and threw himself at Dash's feet, dramatically lounging all over his wounded leg. "You.. You like me?!" He said in his best girl voice.

"…You know I got one good leg I can still kick you with right now, Fenton." Dash reminded. "Yeah and I can punch you in the dick right now." Danny countered in his regular voice, getting up. "…The guys have practice a lot of the times when I'm free, that's all- and I don't like you. I just wanted you to help set up." Danny snorted, his shoulders jumping. "Right. And you couldn't wait until another tutoring session?"

"Shut up." Dash grumbled, debating if he could wheel over Danny's foot fast enough. "Oh no- oh, oh…!" Danny pantomimed choking as he dramatically feel to the floor, mouthing words since he could no longer talk on account of Dash's wishes. "Get up." Dash said, lightly smacking the side of his head.

"Is this the part where I start singing like in the Little Mermaid?" Dash just stared at him, blinking mutely. "…Fenton. I need you to lie down on the floor so I can run over you with this wheel chair a couple times." Danny snickers and darted away, hoping up on a counter. "Oh, so Sleeping Beauty then?" He offered.

"How are you this big of a nerd?" Dash asked, honestly in disbelief. "Hey, if you haven't ever had a Disney movie marathon and sang every single stupid song, you are missing out on life, Dash." Danny criticized, hopping off of the counter. "Bullshit."

"No, seriously! Like I don't understand how people like you live without at least doing it once!" Dash rolled his eyes. "That musical shit is for girls and faggots." Danny crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Nuh-uh! You're just being- a, a dick, b, a dick, c, a fucking dick, and d, homophobic. Come on, you're having a movie marathon with me then- since you seem to have nothing better to do right now anyways." Danny said, quickly pushing Dash's wheelchair into the living room.

"What- hey, no way! I ain't no little girl!" Danny rolled his eyes and kept pushing in spite of Dash trying to use his hands to stop him. "Dash, I know you watch romance movies- so just think of them as romance movies with singing is all." Dash grunted, begrudgingly, in response. Danny planted him by the couch, going into his room to get a few movies.

"We're gonna start in chronological order, so Snow White." Dash groaned, burying his head in his hands at the realization that Fenton was a bigger nerd than he let on. "Oh, suck it up." Danny said, smacking his good leg as he plopped down on the couch next to him.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"Aw-haw, cute." Jazz whispered quietly to herself. Dash and Danny were both passed out in the living room with the title screen of Treasure Planet looping. Danny was laying close to Dash, his arms on the armrest of the couch, his head laying on his arms. Dash was doing the same, but in his wheelchair, both of their heads touching, hair musing together. "…And you guys say you aren't friends." She teased in spite of them not being able to hear her. She got her water like she had intended to and went back to her room, a smirk on her face.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"…A cemetery?" Dash asked, an eyebrow raised. "Yes. I helped you set up for your party, and as much as I would honestly like to stay, I'm terrified of failing this final. The date got pushed up because the professor had to take leave the last week of school. So, I'm going where I know it'll be quiet." Danny said, slinging the bag he had brought with him over his shoulder.

Dash didn't understand him. Why would he want to go into such an unsettling place just to study? Why not just go back home? Why was he so worried, anyways? Why not just relax and party? If anything, Fenton usually got good grades, so Dash didn't understand it. "What, seriously? You're gonna go to such a weird place to study?" Danny shrugged while Sam and Tucker came back from the kitchen.

"Alright, food is all set up." Sam informed them, her hands on her hips. "Hey, you two- convince Fenton he's being a total dweeb right now. He's leaving to study- in a cemetery." Sam shrugged as if it was out of her hands. "Yeaaaah… He does that." Tucker admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. …That was even more obscure to Dash. "…What are you studying black magic or something?" He said with a snort.

"…Yes." Danny finally said in completely seriousness after small debate. "…Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go raise the dead!" He said, wiggling his fingers in an ominous manner. Sam rolled her eyes and Tucker chuckled at him, Dash still in disbelief that Fenton was ditching one of his parties for something so obscurely boring.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

The party wasn't over yet, but Dash just wanted some air. It was well into the evening and Dash occasionally wondered if Danny would wander in after his studying. Seriously, their sessions were only about three hours or so- how long could the kid sit in such a place like that? Wouldn't his parents get worried or better yet Jazz? He pulled out his phone, dialing his number.

"…Ey yo, Fenton- you still being a lame ass and studying?" There was a chuckle from the other end of the phone. "Aw, you care!" He could hang up right now. "That's not answering the question." Dash reminded. "Yes, Dash. I'm still studying- and before you ask, yes. I am still in the cemetery." Dash snorted. "What, seriously? Just quit it and come party already- least you can do after having to set up. Stop being a dweeb. Even your goth friend- who I would think would be more in places like that than you- is here. How fucked up does that sound to you?"

"…Not very. Sam is actually can make for great conversation and is pretty fun to be around. People tend to overlook that based on how she dresses." From Dash's end of the phone, the people and the music could be heard as clearly as if you were there. You could practically almost see the color from the strobe lights that pulsed with the music. From Danny's, you could practically hear the dead talking since the strain to hear anything at all could make you delusional.

It was quiet, Dash listening to Danny's end, Danny listening to Dash's. "…So is that it?" He finally asked him. "Er, yeah, I guess. Hurry up and finish so you can party with us, yeah?" Danny felt a smile tag at his lips. "You know, if I didn't know any better Dash, I'd say you actually wanted Danny Fenton at your party."

"Bullshit. The help just get a free pass is all." The comment was harsh and instantaneous, but it was so much like Dash that it didn't even faze Danny. "Yeah, who you seemed to go out of your way to recruit." Danny reminded. "Shut the hell up and go back to studying dead bodies or whatever weird shit you're doing." Danny laughed, and for an odd reason, Dash took note of how light it sounded. How he could practically see Danny tip his head back to let out the bubbles of sound. He hung up without saying anything, forcing himself back into his party to distract himself.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

He decided he may as well walk. He had been doing wheelchair tricks all night, so his arms were a bit worn out. It shouldn't take him that long to find him since he was driving, so he didn't bother taking the wheel chair in the car with him. He drove around until he saw a familiar figure well off into the sea of headstones.

He parked his car and got out, in disbelief that Fenton was still out here this late. He watched him put down his pen, blowing warm air on his hands as he sat there in the usual t-shirt and jean combo. He had a high powered LED flashlight pointed up into the air so he could see what he was doing, his music playing out from his ipod, but even still, Dash found it odd he was still here. He went just to see, thinking that calling again would be suspicious or he may just wake him up. So it was best just to drive and see if he was there, if not just leave.

He had actually almost missed him. If he hadn't caught the glimpse of him that his headlights had cast, he would have overlooked him. "Hey, Fenton!" Dash called, the cold making it a bit harder to walk. Danny jumped, his head snapping towards the voice that called him. "The fuck you still doing out here? It's cold!" Danny just stared at him for a moment before looking around.

"…Holy crap, it is." He spoke as if he honestly hadn't realized it. "…You serious right now?" Dash said, sitting down next to him in the grass that had already accumulated dew. Danny rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "…Yeah. What time is it?" He asked, grabbing his ipod. "Holy crap I'm in a cemetery at 3am. I'm gonna die." He said with a laugh that didn't seem appropriate for what he had just said.

Danny started packing his things up, a smile on his face as residue from his earlier laughter. "…So do you normally go on 3am drives in the cemetery, or…?" Dash stood up, brushing his backside off. "I just wanted to make sure your stupid ass wasn't still out here was all." Dash admitted, deciding it was best to be honest, knowing he'd only stumble in a lie.

"…Oh? You didn't want to call me like you did earlier?" He asked, giving Dash a crooked grin. "Shut up, Fenton." Dash said, shoving him back into the grass. "Ouf!" Danny rubbed his chin, the wet grass making it easy to unearth it as well as it's dirt. "…I should totally go steal your car and leave you out here for that- not like you'd be able to catch me if I stole your keys." He said, shooting him a cocky grin.

"If you can get 'em first, punk." Dash said, jingling them in front of him, almost as if in a taunt. Danny lunged for them, not sure when his half-hearted threat turned into a game. It resulted with Dash on the ground, Danny sitting on him and grabbing desperately for the keys. They had knocked the flashlight over, his music still playing.

"Gimme the- stinkin'– keys!" Danny grunted, grabbing for them while Dash tried to push him down his own body and off of him. "Make me, bitch!" Dash grunted back. "I'm… trying! Jerk!" Danny lunged forwards, practically pouncing on Dash's keys like a cat. "Ha! Got 'em!" He quickly looked back at Dash, then got up and made a mad dash amongst the tombstones.

Their game of keep away was thus turned into tag. They were playing tag in a cemetery… Danny was having a blast. He kept evading Dash with ease considering the ex-jock couldn't move as fast. "…Fenton!" Dash called, getting annoyed with every passing moment he couldn't find or hear him. The annoy eventually started to turn into worry. He hadn't fallen and cracked his head open, right? Shit like that happened in movies a lot…

Dash went back for the flashlight, calling his name in a neutral voice, not wanting to sound too annoyed or too anxious. "Fenton, come on! Seriously, I want to go home now!" He paused, listening out for him. He turned around, straining to hear anything from Danny. Nothing.

"Shit, come on Fenton…" He grumbled to himself. Danny jingled the keys by his ear and made Dash jump so far it was almost physically possible to see his heart drop into his toes. "SHIT, FENTON!" Danny's laughter reminded him of a kind of nymph, letting Dash swipe the keys back. "You're a little shit, you know that!"

He stormed off without waiting for him. Danny followed behind without much effort, a wide grin on his face. "You should have seen you jump just now, Dash. What did you think I was a ghost?" Danny had to actually put in effort to keep from laughing at his own, poorly made, joke.

"You're gonna be one when I'm done with you. You can walk your ass home." Dash hissed, heading for his car. Danny wasn't expecting a ride home, so he was fine with it. He would just go ghost and fly. Still, in spite of Dash's threat, he found he hadn't driven away yet. He popped open the door, calling, "Let's go, Fenton! I don't want to go to jail if you end up dead or raped or some shit." Danny snorted as he got into the passenger side of Dash's car.

"Yes, because I'm your type." Dash didn't reply, knowing damn well Danny potentially was based on his last girlfriend. Danny noted that the heat in the car was on. Surely Dash did that for himself- …right? Regardless, he put his hands over the heating vents, humming in contentment. "I didn't realize how cold I was 'till just now." Danny admitted.

Dash just sat there for a bit, his head tipped back. "…Dash? You okay?" Danny asked, finally looking over at him when he didn't reply to him again. "…Yeah, just a little tired from the party is all…"

"…Well do you wanna nap?" Danny offered, his voice quieter in consideration for Dash's exhaustion. "…Nah. I should just get you home and then go pass out in my own bed." Danny pulled his hands away from the vent, turning to face him better. "You sure? I mean I don't want us getting into a wreck because you dozed off. I mean it's not gonna kill me to stay out here anymore than I already did." Dash then remembered something he wanted to ask him.

"…Hey, Fenton. Why are you still out here anyways? Like your rents or sis didn't call you back home or nothin'?" Danny adjusted himself in his chair, wondering how he should phrase his answer. "…I know this is kind of bad to say, but my parents are kind of simultaneously overbearing and negligent. If we're within eyesight, they become overbearing, but if we're not, it's like we don't exist- now don't even get me started if ghosts get thrown into the mix. Jazz is a little different, but it's ultimately kind of the same thing but for different reasons."

She left him alone because she knew he was Phantom, but still worried just as much and probably more than she should if you let her. "…What, seriously?" Dash asked, turning to him. Danny nodded, putting his cold hands back onto the heat vents and avoiding looking at him. "…Yeah. I mean I've done this before and they've never noticed. They can get so caught up in their experiments or ghost stuff while Jazz can get pretty noisy herself, so I noticed when I started to have to study more, I'd catch myself out here more and more."

"I mean I guess Sam and Tucker know, but it's not like we've discussed it. They just know I go to the cemetery to study." Danny didn't know why he felt compelled to bring up Sam and Tucker, but he had. Maybe to avoid the awkward feeling he was getting about spilling his guts to Dash. "Why don't you just go to a library or something then?" Dash offered.

"…I don't know. I guess I just like it better here is all." Danny admitted, leaning back and slouching in his chair. "…It's nice. It's kind of got this solemn air about it that kind of makes you feel obligated to be respectfully quiet or in a good mood." Dash raised his eyebrows at Danny, swearing he had lost it. "Good mood?" He asked, not seeing how Danny got that kind of idea from a place where dead people's bodies were sent to rot. Danny nodded, his eyes lighting up a bit.

"Yeah. I mean it makes you grateful you're stuck sitting there and doing boring work- some people never got to that point in their lives. Plus sometimes, those graves haven't been visited in years- it's gotta get lonely… So, dead or alive, if someone were to come visit you just because, don't you think that's kind of nice after being alone for so long? And if you look at a lot of the graves, you can see the amount of love that got put into their tombstones based on how they were carved or what was put on them. You also get to see all of the different types of flowers and gifts people leave. So even though that person is gone, they're still being thought of and remembered fondly. I mean sometimes you see things that you know people had to either go out of their way to get or were shopping and just thought of that person and got it for them, even though they were dead."

Danny kept talking while Dash seemed to take note of every little thing. The way his eyes lit up while talking about all of those dead people, the way he spoke with his hands, the way he couldn't sit still as he spoke,… It was kind of… endearing. "And sometimes, even if you're just talking out loud to yourself, it makes you notice the mistakes you made in your work. So sometimes I'll talk to the tombstones and I find the mistakes a lot quicker than I would if I were home and trying not to bother anyone." Dash shook his head and rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep from smiling. "…Fenton, you're crazy, you know that?"

Danny shrunk into himself, giving him a sheepish smile. "…You think?" Dash snorted. "I know so. Weirdos like you are a special breed. I mean, I don't understand how you get all of that just from being around dead people all day." Danny put his hands back to the vent and thought to himself for a bit. "…Well, I mean I guess that could come with being surrounded by stuff like that all of my life. People have all of these negative connotations with death, but my parents always say potential in it. So even as a kid, I thought it was interesting or even a good thing in its own right." Danny admitted.

Dash saw the faint flush of color on his cheeks, and he knew it wasn't just from the cold… but he still did look cold. Dash took his varsity jacket off and tossed it at Danny. "If you freeze I'm not going to be held responsible." He grumbled. Danny blinked at him, a bit at a loss, before laughing. "What are you, drunk too?"

"Not nearly as drunk as you sound." Danny laughed at him again before putting the jacket on. "Holy crap this thing is warm!" Dash shot him a wide grin. "Ain't it? S'probably why girls always wanna wear it." And that was how their conversation died out. Dash slowly drifted off to sleep and Danny warmed up, then went back to studying.

After a while, Dash woke up with a jolt, stretching. "Wha' time's it…?" He slurred. Danny looked at his phone. "Five." He said, putting it back on the dashboard and returning to his book. Dash stretched, then popped his neck. "Alright, Fenton. I'm gonna drive your ghost crazy ass home." Danny closed his book and pulled his things from the dashboard so they wouldn't fall off.

"…You know Dash… You're not that bad to talk to when you're not being a jerk." Dash stopped rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "…I mean it. Tucker and Sam have always been with me, so I never really get to explain myself to them because they already kind of partially know. I mean it's not like they ever ask either because they're used to it. So… This was nice." Danny admitted with an affirming nod.

Dash kept staring at him for a while before shaking his head. "…You hungry? Let's get some damn drive through before we go home- my treat since you never went to the party." Danny chuckled, nodding. "Okay. Sounds good."

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"Ohmahgahwh." Danny said, mouth full of a wonderfully delicious manufactured burger while some lettuce dropped out of it and onto his lap. "Hey, no food on the jacket!" Dash lectured while Danny snickered and picked it up, popping it into his mouth. "This is so good, omg… How do people forget to eat, what?" Dash rolled his eyes and bit at his own sandwich before taking a sip from his soda.

He quietly sat in his car while Danny kept obnoxiously having mouth sex with his food. Apparently he had been out there so long he didn't eat dinner. "…You want another one?" Dash offered once it was practically gone. Danny nodded quickly, cheeks full of food. Dash chuckled and shook his head, putting his car into drive as they went through once more.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Danny hissed under his breath. "Shit…!" He forgot to give Dash his jacket back and to make matters more embarrassing, he had fallen asleep in it. Still, it was partially Dash's fault for being so attached to the damn thing and yet forgetting about it after dropping him off! He quickly tore it off of his person and threw it into his closet, mentally cursing Dash's name over and over.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Danny tossed the jacket onto Dash's lap. "Hey, I was wondering where that went!" Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you forgot to take it back from me that one night you came and got me." He reminded, leaving out any details. Dash was quiet for a minute before the memory clicking into place. "Oh yeah!" …Seriously, how dense was he?

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

…Dash knew damn well where his jacket had gone. It was just watching Fenton get out of his car in a jacket that was too big for him… The way it covered his hands all the way down to his knuckles, how even though it was completely buttoned, you could still clearly see half of his shirt underneath, how it was so long it went down to his thighs… He caught the words of "Fenton, my jacket!" being choked out of him. He looked too appealing in it. And the guilt instantly washing over him for outright having a thought like that forced him to drive away as quickly as possible.

He thought that. About another guy. About Fenton! He should have let him freeze! He shouldn't have given him his jacket! Even if he was so cold that he looked like he was constantly flushing with the way his fingertips and shoulders and nose were red… He should have let him freeze in that cemetery, because now his jacket smelled slightly different. It smelled faintly of Danny Fenton's room. He was going to have to wash it until the color was drained from it and even then he was sure to have sensory hallucinations for months. He wasn't a faggot- he was tough! So what the fuck was this shit?

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

"…You know, we never finished that list of Disney movies I wanted to watch." Danny said casually while munching on some crackers. "…You seriously gonna put me through that again?" Dash groaned. "Just the ones we didn't get to. Come on- I saw you tearing up at Lady and the Tramp during the pasta scene, don't you lie to me." Danny said, pointing an accusatory finger. "Shut the hell up, Fenton!" Dash quickly spat out, throwing a cracker at him.

Danny ducked, giving Dash what was becoming a signature sprite like snicker. "Come on, I wanna finish watching them!" Danny said, popping up from under the table. "Well then finish watching them! I don't see why you need me there." Danny pouted. "No way, that's not how it works!"

"How what works?" Dash asked, getting annoyed. "When you start something with someone, you gotta finish! Don't bitch out!" Dash threw another cracker at him, Danny disappearing under the table again. "I'm not a bitch, you're a bitch." Danny practically lunged across the table and stole Dash's crackers so no more could be thrown at him. Dash noted how he dragged himself across the table. "Then watch them with me!" Dash sighed heavily. "Fine you little shit! But only to pay you back for setting up the party." Danny wasn't going to bring up the fact that Dash had now used that as an excuse for a second time to do something nice with him.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Danny Phantom・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

A/N: So, I know I told my friend there wasn't going to be any angst, BUT IT IS LITERALLY WRITTEN INTO MY BEING AND IT WAS SO HARD TO SUPPRESS IT I AM SO SORRY. I tried to keep it at just the hints of sexism and homophobia.