Danny Chae popped the last piece of gum into his mouth, his heart suddenly heavy as he realized the pack was completely empty.
Shit.
He fumbled around the ledge behind him, grabbing his backpack and tossing the empty packet inside. After his incident, if one could call it that, he had decided rooftops were a much better place to store super-things.
He absently brushed the arm of his new suit, as much as he hated to admit it, it really did make all the difference.
Much to his chagrin, so did the video.
Someone had went out of their way earlier to say thank you after he had stopped some idiot with a flamethrower from decimating a cluttered traffic stop.
No one had ever said thank you before.
Speaking of thanks, I should thank Elliot. He thought before groaning, laying his head down on the railing behind him.
Danny knew that he should do no such thing. This wasn’t for him, it never was and it never would be.
And yet.
A small part of him was growing convinced that there was some good in Elliot Edison.
Deep down.
Deep, deep, down.
Danny ran his hands through his hair, frustration suffocating his thoughts.
He wasn’t any better in all of this, not really. His frustration with Elliot was mostly because he was attracted to him. Attracted in the way it made him not think straight.
Not that he thought straight to begin with.
But...irrationally. And who could blame him? Elliot played into all of his weaknesses, and not just the aesthetic ones. He was blonde, obnoxious, charming, well-read, funny, awkward, witty…
Danny frowned, groaning again, shit, I really like him, don’t I?
In his defense, he didn’t want to. He had tried not to. But there was something so intangibly magnetic about that dumbass.
Danny picked up his phone, scrolling through texts from Valerie.
He felt bad that he kept sticking her with baby sitting duty.
Vally Girl: Oi buttmuch, ur boyfriend is home now.
Danny: Not my boyfriend. Thank you.
There was a pause.
Vally Girl: If he’s not ur boyfriend 1) stop getting me to trail him when ur busy
Vally Girl: B) stop talking about how pretty u think he is...and about making out with him. Bleh.
Danny: i listen to your stories…
Vally Girl: My type isn’t sociopath. :P
Danny sighed, putting the phone down. While Val may very well have had a point, Elliot was clearly not a sociopath. From what Danny could tell, he was just someone who lost their way and had things they wanted. It was a mindset he understood all too well. It had struck him very early on that Elliot was probably looking for an excuse to be better, he just hadn’t found it yet.
And the more time he spent with him, the more that theory seemed to prove correct...and while probably a bit of self-indulgent narcissism, Danny kind of liked the idea that he was what was inspiring Elliot to be better.
Danny went to put his phone away when it went off again.
Dickweed: Guess who’s now the official Merlin interviewer-thing for the Gazette?
Danny paused, snickering as he typed.
Danny: How soon is too soon to change your name in my phone to “daddy”?
There was a long pause this time, Danny reveling in how many times he watched Elliot type, only clear and begin typing again.
He’s taking so long, oh god I killed him.
Dickweed: ...please don’t make that joke
Dickweed: You’re already entirely too good for me.
Dickweed: It makes me feel dirty and advantageous.
Maybe I want you to, Danny thought before literally slapping himself in the face. Calm down, ya nasty. Let’s see if we can get him to a third date before you get all weird.
Danny inhaled sharply, Still...he’s so fun to fluster…
Danny: Yes sir.
Dickweed: ...I hate you
Danny: You hate me? So if you’re free tonight you don’t want to go see a movie?
Dickweed: Movie? That’s an awfully normal date.
Danny: What exactly were you expecting? We can always hunt aliens if that more your thing.
Dickweed: No, no. Movie is preferable.
Danny snickered, sending off a suggestion for the movie and time. He hoped he would be able to pay attention to whatever they saw, but on the off chance something else caught his attention he suggested the most boring ones first.
He absolutely hated how giddy he felt, but he also knew he needed to keep his wits about him. This wasn’t the first guy he liked, not by a long shot, but this was definitely the first time things had ever gotten quite this far. Danny had, for as long as he could remember, been a bit of an awkward and standoffish kid. Not awkward in the way that was charming, not like Elliot, but awkward in the sense he genuinely had no idea of how social interaction seemed to work. It was a class he felt he had always missed. Perhaps it was how he grew up, the isolation of money can have that effect, but whatever the cause he had always just had a fundamental lack of understanding when it came to people. The few people who had warmed up to him and taken the time to actually get to know him had taken exactly that: time. This mixture combined with his family’s rather old-fashioned views had put quite the damper on any dating life he could have had.
By the time he could worry about it, he had become entirely too occupied with other things.
Super things.
That is, until he met that Elliot. That jackass seemed to warm up to him immediately, blackmail excluded it had been one of the most bizarrely vulnerable relationships he had ever experienced.
Next to Val, who’s first words to him were ‘I almost died once.”, but they were a different mess entirely. Val suffered from a very similar crazy, and thanks to that they were now bound together in eternal brotherhood.
Danny had come to appreciate Elliot.
He wasn’t sure if he should trust it,
But god did he want to.
~
Danny waited outside the theater, attempting to bury himself deeper into his own hoodie fruitlessly in defense against the cold. He should have been smarter than to shower and then immediately head over.
He was excited and never more embarrassed of being such.
They had went for a moderately boring movie, which was good news to Danny. Maybe being moderately interested would keep his moderately inconvenient hormones in check.
He found endless amusement in how juvenile this all felt.
First the conversation he, unfortunately, initiated about liking one another.
Then his increasingly awkward make-out-and-run sessions,
And to top it all off, an adult would just take Elliot back to his place and do things adults do when they like each other.
The thought terrified Danny, but not in a bad way.
Just a way he wasn’t sure he could handle yet.
“Is your hair wet?” An offended voice asked, Danny jolting as a coat was thrown over his shoulders, “I swear, I want to feel like my city is in safe hands but you can’t even take care of yourself.”
Danny turned, his face warm, “Well, hello Elliot. It’s lovely to see you too.”
Elliot fussed with his hair, frowning, “How long have you been out here?”
About forty-five minutes, “Only like, five minutes.” Danny said, hoping he was a good liar, “I’m not going to get sick.”
“If you do, I’m going to laugh.” Elliot said, grinning lopsidedly and making poor Danny’s heart seize in on itself.
“Jackass.” Danny muttered, wanting very much to kiss Elliot but not sure where he stood on public displays of….mutual attraction. Affection seemed like a stretch.
Elliot brushed a strand of damp hair from Danny’s face disapprovingly, “You look nice.”
Danny wasn’t sure if he should argue that he was only in a hoodie and jeans and Elliot’s nicely fitted, blue cable knit sweater and slacks were much more appealing, or say thank you.
Danny shrugged away his internal screaming, “You...uh….too.”
“Eloquent.” Elliot winked, “Let’s go in before you die of hypothermia.”
Danny tried not to visibly react as Elliot wrapped his arm around his shoulders, though judging by the older man’s fit of giggles it was definitely a noticeable and visible response.
They walked inside like that, Elliot draped over Danny, and Danny struggled not to focus on the soft smell of Elliot’s shampoo and the scent of pine trees and vanilla that seemed to be very much his natural smell. He also tried very hard not to focus on the heat of Elliot’s arm. Or the smell of coffee on his breath as he spoke.
Usually, for Danny, being overstimulated was a bad thing, his anxiety bordering on maddening.
This was a different beast.
This was overstimulation he could drown himself in.
Elliot flicked his nose, “You okay?”
Danny stared blankly, praying to every god he didn’t believe in that Elliot wasn’t suddenly a mind-reader, “Y-Yeah?”
Elliot laughed gently, “I was just saying it’s weird to finally go on a normal date.”
“Oh.” Danny replied, trying to calm his rapid heart beat.
“Danny, if you’re not feeling up to it we can rain check. I don’t mind.” Elliot said, unsnaking himself from Danny, “You seem out of it.”
I am out of it. Because I want to punch you in your stupid face. With my face. On the lips.
“No, no. I’m alright. Let’s get popcorn and go watch vampires murder each other.”
“Are you sure?” Elliot asked, clearly genuinely concerned.
His genuine concern broke Danny’s resolve.
Danny grabbed Elliot’s face, pulling it down to kiss him, instantaneous relief flooding the part of his brain that was screaming to do that.
He pulled back, feeling smug as Elliot was clearly breathless, “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“A-Alright then.” Elliot said, straightening his sweater as they approached the snack counter, “Let’s watch vampires murder each other.”
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