Well, this wont be my best work, but it'll still be here. Numbuh 5 on my Danny Phantom Slash Stories.

Danny took a quick but extremely carefull look at his surroundings before going ghost and turning invisible, then flying off into the night. He had told his parents that he was going to the movies tonight, but it had been a lie. He told Sam and Tucker that he wasnt feeling well and was staying home that night; that too was obviously a lie.

He noticed that since he was 14 years old, lies seemed to play an integral part of his life. And from age 15 up, the lies only seemed to pile on and pile on. He lied to his parents, his teachers, his sister, and now he was lying to his friends. At least, he thought bitterly as he flew to his destination, he wasnt lying to ONE person anymore.

He had stopped lying to himself.

Since he was sixteen, he had been lying to himself about something very important about himself. It was Sam that was telling him and being the living example of never lying to yourself and always being true to yourself; it was ironic that when he finally stopped lying, it would be HER that would be hurt from him 'being himself'.

Call it years of paranoia from fighting ghosts, but paranoia kept him alive. THIS was no exception.

He finally found his destination and descended, transforming back into his human form and walking through the door of the completely unassuming building. Most anyone would think that it was abandoned, but that was far from the truth. The ground floor was empty, yes, but the underground held the true secret. He walked down some stairs and was met with a bouncer-a thirty-year-old woman who looked like she could snap professional wrestlers in half. He took out his ID and showed it to her, and she nodded, stepping aside so he could go in.

And go in he did. He stepped inside and felt the weight of his lies lift from his shoulders; it wouldnt last, but for now, it would have to do. He'd had a rough week, and he really needed to be here. As he walked over to the bar and ordered sour green appletini (his favorite drink), then walked over to the most heavily shadowed area and sat down, his eyes surveying the room.

Technotic trance music was playing, laser and strobe lights flashing in tune with the beat. Most of the guests in the room were dancing to their own styles, not caring who saw. No one cared who saw. All of them came here for the same reason-freedom from judgement. Danny was no different. He saw two women in leather bondage practically intwined with each other. A young man in fishnets and a skirt was dancing with an older man in a muscle shirt and tight denim jeans.

One would have to be as blind as Helen Keller to miss that this was a gay club.

And that was where the truest extent of Danny's lies bridged to. For the past two years, Danny had been fighting with his own sexuality. Fighting and losing as the homosexual side completely kicked the hetero's ass. He had been self-accepted but still in the closet for nine months now, and for the moment, he was comfortable that way. He had perhaps the strongest sense of self-preservation while still remaining true to himself in the world, and it was so ironic, it was bitter.

He wanted nothing more than to tell his loved ones that he was gay, but he feared their reactions. He also feared the reactions of his peers at school. That was why he hid in the shadows at the club; in case anyone recognized him.

Danny sipped his appletini. Yet another thing to add onto his growing list of lies-underage drinking at the age of 18. But he never indulged, he just needed a little something to get him to loosen up, if ANYTHING.

A song struck up on the loudspeakers, one that Danny recognized. And he wanted more than anything to dance to it, but his stupid 'sense of self-preservation' kept him from doing so. What a world it would be, he thought, if people could just be themselves with no judgement, no prejudice, no nothing. He snorted. Keep dreaming, Danny, and maybe one day Vlad will quit chasing your mom, Skulker will lay off the hunting of your pelt, and your parents will quit hunting ghosts.

He took another sip of his drink.

"...What th...I THOUGHT that was you, Ghost Child!"

Danny spewed his entire mouthful of drink out on the table and whipped around to see quite literally THE last person he expected to find here.

Technus was staring down at him though those odd lense-eyes of his, grinning. Danny couldnt seem to find the will to say or do anything but stare. The techie ghost circled Danny's table for a moment before sitting down across from the halfa, much to said halfa's shock. They had a stare-off for a moment, then Technus leaned back in his chair. "Well," he said, drumming his fingers on the table, "THIS is certainly a surprise, seeing YOU here, of all places."

Danny gulped. 'Shit,' he thought. 'Shit, shit, SHIT.' Why, God, WHY did it have to be Technus, the ONE ghost who could never shut his mouth about ANYTHING that found him here? "...What...what are you doing here?" he managed to ask. Technus raised a brow.

"I found this place just a few weeks ago," he said with a careless wave of his hand. "I was just flying around when I literally heard the music of the gods!"

"Music of the...? You mean techno?" Technus snapped his fingers.

"Bingo, that was it!" he said. "So I came down in here and just couldnt leave! I mean...making music with technology! And the atmosphere!" He gestured around them, his grin broadening. "Who knew the both of us had the same taste in subculture, eh?"

Danny didnt know whether to laugh, cry, or fly screaming from the club. "...This is a gay club," he said. Technus arched his brow again.

"...Yeah, so? You couldnt tell?" he replied sarcastically. Danny felt a twitch in his jaw.

"...You...you're...?" Technus heaved an exasperated sigh, and if his eyes were visible, Danny was sure he could see them rolling.

"Did it come to ANY surprise to you, Ghost Child?" he asked, giving Danny a pointed look. "Were you NOT at the last Christmas Truce party? Did you NOT see me trying to get Skulker under the mistletoe?"

Danny remembered that party; Technus had been attempting to drag the mech under the mistletoe, and Skulker was almost breaking Truce by nearly pummeling the other ghost into the wall. So Technus had picked on Vlad instead (Danny still had those pictures on his cell phone just in case of blackmail); but he had always assumed that it was because Technus had way too much to drink.

"...I...you...wow." Danny put his face in his hands. "...I mean...wow."

"Nice to know you're finally on the same page as everyone else in the Ghost Zone," Technus said. "Though...I didnt know that YOU were inclined to my end of the ballfield..."

'SHIT!' Danny screamed in his head. "No!" he hissed to the techie ghost. "You CANT say ANYTHING about me being here!"

"Why?" Technus asked, sounding genuinely confused. "It's not like anyone cares in the Ghost Zone..."

"Yeah, in the GHOST ZONE, maybe!" Danny pleaded. "But HERE, especially at my SCHOOL, I'd get my ass kicked for it! I'd get hounded wherever I went! And I'm not too sure, but I dont think my parents would like it, either! PLEASE dont tell anyone I was here!"

Technus was now staring at him with an unreadable expression. It was a few moments before he said, "People would actually DO that to you if they knew?" he asked. Danny gave him a 'DUH!' look and nodded. "...I've been dead longer than I thought...I thought it was acceptable nowadays..."

"Well, not everywhere in the world can be West Hollywood," Danny replied dryly. He leaned back in his chair. "...I come here just to get away from lying to everyone, if only for a few hours."

Technus looked around the room. "...So, why are you sitting here in the shadows instead of dancing, or sitting up at the bar?" he asked. Danny shook his head.

"For THIS reason," he replied, gesturing between them. "In case I ran into someone who knew me."

Technus folded his arms. "Seems like a pretty lame reason to miss out on the fun," he said. "I mean, who CARES if someone sees? You're here, you're queer, get used to it!" Danny gaped at him, and Technus smirked, turning toward the DJ stereo system and holding out his hand. Danny saw Technus's ghost powers flare up, and the current song change into something else that was dancable. Then the lights dimmed slightly so that almost everyone looked to be in some shadow or another. When Technus was done, he held his hand out to Danny. "Come on."

Danny stared at Technus's hand. "...What are you doing?" he asked warily.

"WE are going to dance," Technus replied, grabbing Danny's wrist and dragging him away from the table. Danny resisted the urge to freak out, and tried fruitlessly to pull away.

"No! I cant just...! I mean, I...!" He yelped when Technus pulled him closer to him, almost chest-to-chest, and put a finger on his lips.

"You dance through two songs, and I promise not to tell anyone," he said. Danny almost felt like crying, but at the same time, he was beginning to see how foolish he was acting. There was no one else here that he recognized; Technus was only here because he was first attracted to the music. Danny heaved a sigh and nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll dance. But you have to PROMISE...!"

"I swear on my own powers, I wont tell." Technus grinned and curled an arm around the halfa's waist. "You forget that I was alive during a time where it wasnt...exactly acceptable to be homosexual."

Danny felt himself blushing; not just because he was closer to Technus than he'd ever been next to fighting the ghost, but also because he had forgotten that Technus had been at this game longer than he had, and had in fact seen the worst plays. So he resigned himself to his fate and let Technus take the lead.

As he led the dance, Technus found his thoughts focused on the Ghost Child. He had been shocked to find the boy in THIS club, of all places. Last he checked, Danny had been dating the Goth girl. But he could completely understand; for the longest time, he had to 'play straight' to keep from getting lynched. But he had found acceptance in the Ghost Zone; no one gave a damn whether you were gay, straight, bi, or into bestiality. You were dead, who cared? He truely did think that times had changed since he'd died.

His eyes drifted to the young man of his attentions; without the suit to hide the boy's figure, he had to admit that Danny Phantom looked...good. Danny was currently wearing a pair of black denim pants that were deliciously form-fitting, to be perfectly honest. He was also wearing a button-up blue plaid shirt over what Technus assumed to be a white tank top. Even with the shirt, Technus could see that the past four years had been very good to the Ghost Child.

Ah, if only they werent mortal enemies...well, immortal enemies, so to speak.

...And if only Vlad wasnt such a hardass about the 'personal safety' of his 'Little Badger'. Vlad knew Technus's personal tastes and had an inkling that his godson had similar inclinations. He specifically told Technus to stay away from Danny. But that was last year, when the halfa was seventeen. He was legal now.

Technus kept his smirk on the inside so as not to rouse suspicion in the halfa. Not that he had ulterior motives for being here, no...he just didnt want to scare the 'Little Badger' away with the knowledge that he was the biggest pervert in the Ghost Zone (probably the main reason why Vlad warned him away from Danny).

But Vlad wasnt here right now, and Danny was quite literally in the palms of his hands.

"...What's your name?"

The out-of-the-blue question snapped Technus out of his perverted thoughts. "What?" he asked. "You know my name, it's..."

"No I meant...your full name."

Ah. The boy meant his 'human name'. Hardly anyone in the Ghost Zone continued to use the names they had when they were alive. Hell, Ember's 'human' name had been Emily.

"Nicolai Techovsky," he replied. "Technological researcher and developer. Died at age thirty-one from a lethal electrical shock." He smiled at Danny. "Enough information for you?"

Danny blushed. "...I...you didnt have to...tell me all that..." He knew that the 'life and death' thing was a pretty personal subject that was to be avoided unless the person in question WANTED to tell. He let out an undignified squeak when Technus pulled him closer; Danny had grown a lot over the yeas, but Technus was still taller than him by at least six inches.

"I WANTED to tell you all that," he replied. "It's what you've been thinking, right? You want to know more about me?"

"Well...yeah..." Danny admitted. "I mean...you're actually very tolerable when you're not monologuing." Technus laughed, and Danny swore the strobe lights were flickering in sync with his voice.

"And you're very delectable when you're not twarting my plans or hitting me," he replied. His hand stroked it's way to the small of Danny's back. "But what gets me is...how someone as strong as you worries about what other people think. You're able to kick the bolts out of Skulker on a daily basis; HOW is it you cant seem to utilize that same power to defend yourself in case someone SHOULD find out?"

Danny lowered his eyes; he KNEW that he could just fight back, but that would go against his own code of honor. What was more important? Hitting a bully or hitting a villain?

'But what was more important,' the voice in the back of his mind murmured back, 'defending yourself for just being yourself, or getting beaten for it?'

'Good point,' Danny thought back.

"...I just want to avoid the fight," Danny spoke to Technus. The ghost made a thoughtful sound and put more pressure on Danny's lower back, closing that last bit of space between them.

"If only you could use that same logic with ghostfighing," he murmured back. Danny blushed harder and tried to look Technus in the eye to tell him exactly why he fought ghosts, but felt uncomfortable staring back at his own reflection in the lenses, and averted his eyes. "...You never look me in the eye," Technus remarked, raising one hand to slip a finger under Danny's chin and tilt his head up to make the halfa look at him. "Why?"

"Um...the...your, er..." Danny gestured awkwardly around his own eye area. Technus looked confused for a moment, then he grinned.

"Ah." He raised his hand to his eyes for a moment, then pulled his hand away, and Danny could see normal, narrow eyes; other than the fact that they were red, yeah...but they were normal. "Better?"

"...Yeah." Danny's rebuttal for ghostfighting died in his brain.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself now," Technus said after a moment. "You're halfway through song number three."

Danny listened out for the music and realized that it had indeed changed. He took a quick glance around and saw that no one was paying him the least bit of attention; they were too busy focusing on their own dance partners. He looked back at Technus, who had yet to let him go. And yes. He WAS enjoying himself.

Technus suddenly let him go, but then grabbed his hand and walked him to the bar, where there were to seats availiable, and sat them both down. "Blue Hawaii," he told the bartender, then looked at Danny, who sighed.

"Sour appletini," he said. They both got their drinks, and Danny saw Technus zap his with a bit of what looked like blue electricity before sipping it. He noticed Danny looking at him and grinned.

"Want to try it?" he asked, his fingertips sparking. Danny shook his head.

"No thanks," he replied quickly. Technus grinned more broadly.

"Wont kill you," he said. "It just gives it a little extra...buzz, you might say." Danny eyed his fingertips warily, then sighed for the umpteenth time and slid his martini glass over to him. Technus gave it a tiny zap of electricity, then slid it back. Danny stared at it for a moment before taking a tentative sip.

It WAS just a little buzz; his lips and tongue tingled, but it seemed to bring his tastebuds alive. He took a swallow of his drink and put it back down. "...Wow."

"Thought you might like that." Technus took another swig of his drink. "You need to loosen up more, Danny." Danny blinked, his glass halfway back to his lips.

"...You know my name," he said, sounding genuinely surprised. Technus rolled his eyes.

"Of COURSE I know your name, silly child!" he said. "Everyone in the Ghost Zone knows your name! It's been, what? Four years since all of us were acquainted?"

"Yeah, but I never hear any of you actually SAY my name," Danny replied. "It's always 'Ghost Child' or 'brat' or 'whelp' or 'halfa' or even 'Phantom'. It's never been 'Danny'. The only one who comes close is Plasmius, and he calls me Daniel." He took another tingly sip of his drink.

"It's because 'Phantom' is your ghost name," Technus replied, sounding as though Danny should already know this. "When we fight, you're a ghost to us, so we dont use your human name. We speak to you on our terms. If anything, you should be honored because even though you're not completely ghost, we put you on the same level as us. It's why even when Skulker speaks to Vlad even when he's in human form, he's always referred to as 'Plasmius'. Get it?"

Danny nodded, knocking back the last of his drink. "...If only we could speak like this during the Truce parties," he muttered. "We'd get more understanding between us."

"Yeah, well, everyone's too busy getting smashed and resisting temptation to break Truce," Technus replied. "But yes...this is good too." He guzzled down the rest of his drink and picked up the cherry on top of the remaining ice, making sure he had Danny's attention before flicking it suggestively with his tongue and eating it.

Danny gaped at Technus; where the hell was THIS side of the techie when they were fighting? 'Maybe didnt want to mix business with pleasure,' he thought dryly.

Technus turned to the DJ system again and with a subtle gesture, made the song change again, the lights dimming to near darkness. Danny looked around at the darkness before he felt Technus grab his arm and pull him to an empty corner. "Transform," he said, his voice extremely close to Danny's ear. Danny jumped a little and looked at Technus in confusin.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Danny was still confused, but he transformed as he was told, suppressing his ghostly glow. "Okay, what now?" he asked. Technus replied by taking off his cape and tossing it elsewhere, where it vanished, and pulling Danny chest-to-chest to him.

"I wanted to dance with YOU," Technus replied, his red eyes glowing in the dark. "Danny PHANTOM is fearless. Danny PHANTOM isnt afraid to take risks..." He reached up and stroked Danny's white hair. "...And besides...I, Technus, Master of Technology, finds Danny PHANTOM all the more beautiful."

If his ghostly glow wasnt obvious, Danny's blush sure as hell was. He had never been called beautiful before, LEAST of all by a ghost, and let alone one of his supposed enemies. Before he could find a reply to that, he felt Technus's lips over his own.

...Did he just go deaf? He couldnt hear anything besides the rushing of his own ecto-blood in his ears. He was also sure he'd gone blind. He could only FEEL; and right now, he felt like he was recieving a minor electrical shock that was coursing through his entire body. He could also feel the bass of the music that was playing, beating in time with the rhythm of the shocks. And it felt good. It felt REALLY good. He slowly loosened up and relaxed into the moment...whatever that moment was...

When Danny finally came to his senses, he was aware that his arms were around Technus's neck, Technus's arms were around his body, and they were skill kissing. He was also aware of the fact that he didnt care.

Technus was right; PHANTOM was the fearless, risk-taking one. FENTON was too careful, too paranoid, too wary to enjoy something like this.

He made a mental note to come to the club as 'Phantom' instead of 'Fenton' from now on.

Danny arched slighly when Technus sent another minor jolt of electricity into his body through his fingertip. He could feel the techie grin against his lips in amusement. Perverted jerk, Danny thought humorously. He inhaled slighly, then let some of his ice powers out through his breath, feeling Technus's hands clench into his back with shock. He pulled away, and Technus let out what was left of the ice breath in his mouth.

"...Forgot you could do that," he said. Danny gave him a smirk and ran a hand through Technus's long hair.

"Come to Amity Park more often, and you wont be so quick to forget," he teased right back. Technus made an odd purring sound in the back of his throat and pulled Danny in for another kiss, which Danny returned.

Danny didnt realize that Technus had made the lights come back on, illuminating the room.

And still, no one paid them any attention.

Danny flew back into his room and made absolutely no noise as he transformed back into his human form and stripped off his collared shirt.

It had been an...eventful night, if you could call it that. Sneaking out to a gay club and making out with Technus? If you would have told him THAT four years ago, he would've never gone inside of that Portal, and he'd continue to be Danny Fenton, hiding behind fear and insecurities forever. But he was Danny Phantom most of the time, and he was getting tired of hiding and lying.

He had fun tonight. He wasnt ashamed to admit it. He liked dancing. He liked talking to Technus. He REALLY liked kissing Technus. And the Phantom inside refused to stop doing those things because of stupid fears. He had options. If his parents kicked him out, he'd go live with his sister, or even Vlad, if need be. If the guys at school tried to kick his ass, he'd kick theirs first. If his friends didnt accept it, then they werent really his friends.

Ironic that the one to put things in perspective was one of the biggest nutjobs in the Ghost Zone.

Danny put his cellphone on the bedside table and crawled into bed. He was tired, and he needed his beauty sleep if he wanted to keep impressing Technus...

...Damn it, Phantom, go to sleep!

Danny pulled his covers up and closed his eyes, only to open them when his cellphone vibrated, letting him know he had a text. Groaning, he picked it up and pressed the button to read it.

I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY, EXPECT TO SEE YOU SAME TIME NEXT WEEK.

-NICOLAI

Danny blinked. ...How the hell did Technus get his cellphone number? After a few moments of thinking, he snorted; the pervert probably picked it up from groping him all night. He pressed 'Reply' and sent an answer, then flipped it shut and put it back on his nightstand and went to sleep.

Just a few moments later, Technus saw something come up on his lens-like eyes. He mentally 'clicked' on it.

I'LL BE THERE.

-PHANTOM

Technus smirked, leaning back in his chair and sipping his third Blue Hawaii of the night. He couldnt wait until next week.

A FEW MONTHS LATER

Danny flew to the annual Truce party, feeling happier than he'd ever felt around Christmas time. He was feeling happy because this was the first year that something hadn't happened to bring him down.

A few months ago, he had told his parents about his sexual preference. They had both been very quiet when he told them, but after a few minutes of very awkward silence, his mother hugged him and told him that she loved him no matter what. His father needed a little more time, but the next day, he too hugged Danny and told him the same thing.

Next, Danny told his friends. Tucker had been "Well...whatever floats your boat," while Sam had been very quiet. She didnt speak to him for about three days, then she had asked him if he was SURE. He told her that yes, he was SURE, and he had been SURE since last year. She was still getting used to the fact that he would never be hers, but Danny was happy that she wasnt abandoning him or anything. As for school...he wasnt exactly dressing in rainbow colors and holding up a big sign that said "I'M HERE, I'M QUEER, GET USED TO IT!", but he wasnt about to deny it if anyone asked.

As for Technus, he had been spending time with the techie ghost about once or twice a week at the club, and he wasnt ashamed to admit it (if only someone would ask). Sure, Technus was a big pervert, but he turned out to be a possessive big pervert, which became quite obvious just a month ago when some other guy tried to hit on Danny. When he wouldnt take the hint that Danny wasnt interested, Technus had shocked his ass fifteen feet away and kept his arm around Danny's waist for the rest of the night. It was oddly endearing, and a good break from having to be the hero all the time.

Danny touched down in front of the ghostly building where the party was being held and went inside. He waved to Walker and Skuker and grabbed a glass of warm cider before sitting down and leaning back on one of the couches in the room. He took a sip of cider and nearly spit it out when he felt an arm slip around his shoulders. He turned to see Technus grin at him before holding up a sprig of misletoe over their heads and hauling Danny in for a kiss.

THIS attracted the attention of everyone else in the room. "Heh, looks like Phantom caught Technus's eye this year," Ember said.

"Thank the gods," Skulker breathed.

"Whoa...Technus is really getting into it!" Bertrum commented, tilting his head as though to see at a better angle.

"...And...the Ghost Child...isnt pulling away..." Spectra added, mirroring her parter's action.

Silence.

"What's everyone staring at?" Plasmius asked, stepping up to them. Walker only pointed, and Plasmiius looked, then dropped his drink. "WHAT THE FU-! TECHNUS, GET OFF OF HIM RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Technus pulled away from Danny, who was still grinning like a loon from the sudden onslaught. "...Merry Christmas to you too, Technus," he said, straightening his hair. He turned to see Plasmius glowing pink with homicidal fury. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Plasmius!" he called over cheerfully, waving. He put his arm around Technus's shoulders.

Plasmius looked about ready to have a conniption. He turned to the Lunch Lady, who had been handing out the drinks. "Is he drunk?" he demanded, pointing to Danny. She shook her head.

"He's only had apple cider since he got here three minutes ago!" she assured. Danny shrugged and went back to kissing Technus, who tossed the mistletoe away.

The Wisconsin Ghost swore he could feel a heart attack making its way through his ghostly veins. Yes, he knew that Daniel had come out as gay to his parents (Jack never could keep his mouth shut), but he didnt know that Danny was involved with...with...THAT! And after he had specifically told him to stay away from his Little Badger! He would get his revenge tomorrow, he thought. There was no way in Heaven, Ghost Zone, or Hell he was going to let Daniel be tainted by THAT pervert!

The party dragged on into the night and wee hours of the morning. It was finally time for Danny to go. He gave Technus another kiss and waved to him before leaving. Technus grinned at the departing halfa, then winced when he felt a very strong hand gripping his shoulder. He turned to see Plasmius glaring at him.

"...I ought to kill you right now," he said darkly. Technus crossed his arms.

"A superfluous fate for someone who's already dead," he deadpanned back. "But if it's any consolation, I waited until he was legal, and I've never forced myself on him." Plasmius didnt look convinced, but the grip on Technus's shoulder lightened up a bit. "...I like him," he said after a moment.

"You wont hurt him?" Plasmius asked suspiciously. Technus shook his head. Plasmius took a quick look at the other ghosts remaining in the building. "...You'll protect him?"

"Even from you," Technus replied, smirking. Plasmius gave him a dirty look, but let the techie's shoulder go.

"If you ever hurt him," Plasmius growled, "I'll show you exactly why Daniel still considers me his worst enemy." With that, he teleported away in a quick flash of pink. Technus rolled his eyes and flew off toward his own lair.

"Drama queen," he muttered. He sent Danny a quick text and turned in for the day.

Back in the mortal world, Danny was once more getting comfortable when his cellphone rang. "Always when I'm comfortable..." he muttered, but picked it up regardless and pressed the button to view the message.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, DANNY.

-NICOLAI

Urgh...too...many...sour cream and onion...chips...

Well, next up is my Danny/Vlad. WHOO!