I do not own Danny Phantom.

Hormones

School Days

Brutal

Dash had the distinct thought that he had made a mistake. Fenton wasn't the little wimp anymore, not like when they were younger. Oh, he was still smaller than him but that difference was measured in millimeters instead of fractions.

And the kid was strong! Way stronger than he had any right to be, that's for sure. Dash went to the gym as often as he could afford and sometimes even more. Fenton shouldn't, couldn't, be as strong as him, not with when he had dedicated the majority of his life to becoming stronger.

Dash had always been stronger and faster than Danny. It was just the way it was. The sky was blue, grass was green and Danny Fenton was a squirt. It wasn't his fault, but he would, could and did take advantage of it.

Dash really didn't deal with change all that well.

Fenton hadn't said a word since he had insulted Manson. He just moved from where he always seemed to hover, just a bit behind her shoulder, to stand directly between her and Dash. That wasn't too strange; Fenton had always tried to stand up for her.

Dash respected that kind of decency. He respected it, but it didn't mean it didn't piss him off at the same time. Respect and admiration were very different things after all.

Usually, Fenton would just stand there, knowing that Dash was going to have to insult him. But today he actually had the nerve to turn his back on Dash, turning to Sam, continuing their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Are you even listening to me, Fen-dweeb?"

And so he shoved Danny. He fell forward, almost knocking the goth away, and blocked his fall with his forearms. Dash smirked and shared an amused look with his group; his fellow football players; his brothers. They understood that he had actually done the kind thing. He could have gotten physical.

He couldn't see the way Danny's eyes had flashed green, or Sam's panicked attempts to calm him down. He didn't hear the whispers that tried to calm, or the soft spoken venom that replied.

But he did notice it when Danny rose from his crouch, turned back, put his hand rather deliberately on his shoulder, and pushed.

Dash stumbled back a step. It was more due to surprise than anything else. Was this Fenton that just thought he could push him around?

"You'd best be careful Fenton. I might get the wrong idea 'bout that. You'd best apologize, before you scurry off into whatever hole you two were headed."

"No. I don't think I'm going to do that, Dash. You see, the way I see it? You owe us the apology."

Dash blinked. What the hell was wrong with the world? The sky was still blue, the grass still green and the quarterback was still king. So when did Fenton suddenly grow a spine?

"Sorry Fenton. I think you might want to repeat that. It sounded a lot like you said you wanted a fight?"

Amidst the hollers and laughs of his team, Dash smirked. That should put Fenton in his pla…

"Maybe I am. But I doubt you'd be worth my time Baxter. Run along now. Go play with your balls."

As far as comebacks went, it left a lot to be desired. It was childish, but more importantly, it had been lame. Had it come from any of the people he actually called friends, he would have laughed it off without a second thought.

But Fenton? Fucking Fenton?

Dash would later say that he honestly saw red. It seemed like spider-webs of crimson ringed his vision. He could vaguely recall that he had clenched his fist, but that's all he remembered until he woke up in Amity General the next day.

He'd later hear that it had been one of the more brutal things most of his team had seen.

Fenton had ducked under his punch, rammed his shoulder just beneath Dash's sternum, pushed and ran him into the lockers. He had then reached up, past the blond's flailing arms and punched Dash in the face one time, a brutal straight that had smashed into Dash's nose and then smashed his skull into the metal lockers. He had then let the unconscious teen go, exhaled and went on his merry way with Sam in tow, blood still dripping of his knuckles.

None of his team had been inclined to go after him. Not when his body had hit the floor. Kwan, good old reliable Kwan, was the one that had turned him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own blood and called to someone to get the nurse.

After that day, Dash never could quite find it in himself to bother Danny, Sam or Tucker again.

That had been scary. Downright terrifying, if he were honest.

He wasn't someone who liked violence. Except in ghost-battles, and they didn't count (did they?).

So why had that felt so right?

Danny would later rationalize that it was the best course of action he could take. A single punch, not a brutal beat down (why did he only now realize he didn't have to put up with that?). Was that all it took for a bit of peace and quiet?

He'd gladly take the punishment if it meant he could actually go through live without having to fight the urge to turn Dash and his cronies into little piles of ash.

So what if the rest of the school was very careful around him for the next few months? He had Tucker and Sam and they'd seen him do (and be) so much worse.

AN: Bullying a superhero. Never a good idea. Because everyone snaps eventually.

Anyway, this takes place in my Puberty-universe.

This isn't so much a focus point of my writing, but more of an attempt to get rid of some plot-bunnies and improve my writing.

I suck at conversations, descriptions, fight scenes, POV's and coherent plots.

… meh. Practice makes perfect.

Anyway, I'd like to credit Lily Fenton Phantom. The Puberty-verse was originally going to consist of that single titular one-shot, but now I'm probably going to expand it through a series of drabbles.

As always, read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

Post-Update AN:

To be honest, I never did like this chapter. Felt waaaay too much like a petty revenge fic, but I can't take it out without destroying the whole format of Hormones... So I just cleaned it up a bit. Hopefully it's a bit more coherent as it is now.

Written: 05/12/2013

Posted: 05/12/2013

Updated: 02/12/2014