Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/747891.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Teen_Wolf_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Danny_Mahealani/Jackson_Whittemore, Lydia_Martin/Jackson_Whittemore
  Character:
      Danny_Mahealani, Jackson_Whittemore
  Additional Tags:
      insecure!Danny, Sexytimes, Canon_compliant_through_Season_2, Backstory,
      public_school_is_a_cruel_cruel_place
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-04-04 Words: 4910
****** And in the Dark, I Can Hear Your Heartbeat ******
by XaviaAndromedovna
Summary
     It might not seem it lately, but Danny and Jackson really are best
     friends. And friends is all they'll stay if Danny has anything to
     stay about it. Because high school is about image, and Jackson's
     image has no room for Danny in it, despite Jackson's attempts to the
     contrary. But the two of them can't seem to hide from each other no
     matter how hard they try, and when Danny finally gets pulled into the
     craziness of Beacon Hills for good, he realizes that being friends
     isn't good enough.
     After all, Jackson really is his type.
Notes
See the end of the work for notes
“Oh and FYI,” he moves in and flashes Danny his seduction face, that cocky
combination of jock-boy features and sexual power that rarely fails. “I’m
everyone’s type.” Danny is too busy processing to do anything but accept
Jackson’s newest odd project, because as Jackson walks away, he is suddenly
reminded for the first time in years of just how slashy his best friend could
be.
~~~
Jackson is the only one who still plays dinosaurs with him. In fact, he’s the
only one he does a lot of things with nowadays. He doesn’t get why, but at
least they don’t openly make fun of him like Greenberg. Not like Danny cares;
he doesn’t really want to share Jackson, and though Jackson totally could have
been popular like Scott and Stiles, he prefers to hang out with Danny. It makes
him feel funny inside when he thinks about that, but he keeps it to himself.
The last time he tried to describe it, his teacher laughed and said boys didn’t
marry other boys. When he asked Jackson why, he shrugged and said that marriage
is for old people.
Jackson was a happy, carefree boy, and probably the kindest person Danny has
ever met. So when Jackson comes to school one day looking scared and spacy,
Danny gets to playing detective; today’s mystery: the case of the sad best
friend. One of the many things the boys have in common is that they like to
keep their personal issues to themselves. No matter what stupid stuff is going
on in their lives, playtime is fun time, like they’re the only two people in
the world and all that matters is whose turn it is to hide. But something tells
Danny that today is different. This isn’t the Jackson he knows, and it scares
him. So he investigates.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing Danny”
“Yeah right, I’m not stupid!”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Danny’s making it worse, and it’ll take some
smarts to turn this around.
“I have an idea!” Danny unthinkingly grabs Jackson’s hand. A group of boys
sniggers as they pass, but he’s already dragged his friend behind a wall before
he lets him go.
“We’re not supposed to be back here.”
“yeah well this is a secret game, so we need to be somewhere they won’t follow
us.”
“I don’t really wanna play right now.”
“Pleeease?” Danny deployed his rare but always effective friendly smile, and
Jackson knew he was going to end up playing whether he wanted to or not.
“Here’s the rules. We both take turns telling the other something secret, and
the first to make fun of the other has to… give the winner their snack!”
“Did your mom make more of those chewy things?” Danny grins; that question is
as good as agreement.
“Yep!”
“You’re on! You go first.”
“I know how to say Stiles’ name.”
“Really?!”
“Mhmm! But you can’t tell him I know!”
Jackson shakes his head, eyes comically wide. “I promise!”
“Your turn.”
The answer comes a minute later and several degrees quieter. “I’m adopted.”
“Oh.” Danny doesn’t know what to do with this information, or why it’s a
secret. “How long have you known?”
“They just told me this morning.” That distant look asserts itself on Jackson’s
face. Danny’s urge to make everything better goes into overdrive.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Just, don’t tell anyone, okay?”
Danny smiles encouragingly, “that’s rule number two; all secrets stay secret.”
It’s a totally Danny gesture, even though Jackson’s the only one who’d notice.
He rewards his best friend’s efforts with what would become a totally un-
Jackson move.
“Thanks.”
“Boys! You know you’re not supposed to be back here!” The recess monitor takes
them inside to their teacher. On the way, Danny whispers something he forgot to
mention.
“Rule number three. In the case of a tie, the game ends when we hug it out.” As
such, though they’re quiet the rest of the day, when the kids are marched off
to their busses, the game doesn’t end until they hug before parting ways. And
if Jackson lets out a few secret tears, then that’s just him owing Danny a
turn.
~~~
Danny takes this forgotten turn one day in 8th grade, when he invites Jackson
over for The Talk.
He had realized early on that his relationship with Jackson would only hurt
both of them. Hearing the way his dad talked about ‘fags’ like they would
personally hurt his son, Danny developed a plan when they started middle school
to keep Jackson safe. He was getting good at making plans.
“Step 1: Get you a girlfriend.”
“But I don’t want a girlfriend.”
“Jackson, people think we’re dating. Trust me on this one.”
“Who would I date?” Jackson had long since mastered the deathly-bored tone he
hurled at everyone.
“Lydia Martin” Jackson burst into a rare giggle fit. By the time he realized
Danny was stone-cold serious, he started to question his best friend’s sanity.
“How exactly will that help me? She’s the school nerd! Besides, Stiles would
hate me more than he already does.”
“That’s Step 2: Take down Scott and Stiles!”
“How do you plan to do that?”
Danny positively beamed. “Lacrosse.”
Jackson joined in a conspiratorial smirk. “I could totally beat them in
lacrosse!”
“So once you’re more popular than them, and once you’ve got a new girlfriend,
you’ll be the most popular guy in this school.”
“So what?”
“So no one messes with the popular guy. Especially with Step 3: Make people
work for your friendship.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re too nice. In like, every movie ever, the popular guy is mean to
everyone. It’s because you have to make people want to be friends with you. If
you give them friendship for free, they can stop being friends at any time.”
“Makes sense. Just one question.”
Danny faked exasperation, “whaat…”
“Do I have to make you work for it too?”
This was a new Jackson smiling at him. It was a dangerous smile, a confident
one, one that predicted Danny’s plan would come off swimmingly. Danny found it
extremely hot.
And when this plan had gone off without a hitch, when Jackson and Lydia were
the new it couple and Danny was destined to fade into obscurity as he planned,
somewhat bitterly, it was only in the context of the Secret Game that Danny
felt comfortable telling Jackson the real reason for the Plan.
“Danny, we’ve been friends since 3rd grade! Just tell me what’s wrong!”
This is not how things were supposed to go. Jackson’s chasing him down a
hallway, not nearly as apathetic as Danny needs him to be.
“Let it go, Jackson.” Jackson doesn’t let it go. He pulls Danny into a
serendipitously empty classroom.
“Secret Game, now.”
Danny rolls his eyes and gives him his best diva face. Jackson dishes it right
back.
“You have to start Jackson, that’s Rule Number 4.”
“Since when?”
“Since I came up with this stupid game.”
“Fine. I think the plan is stupid because I can’t hang out with you anymore. I
don’t care if everyone calls us gay, we know it’s not true and that’s all that
counts. Now spill.”
Danny wants anything but to say what he has to say, because he’s about to push
away his best friend forever. But Jackson’s secret cannot stand, because it’s a
lie, and if the truth can save him, then Danny would tell him the truth. He’s
always been a good friend like that.
“You’re wrong.” The silence is thick. Jackson knows better than to push it. “I
am.”
“You are what?”
“Gay.” There’s a split second where Danny wonders if Jackson’ll freak out and
try to hurt him, but the way Jackson just shakes his head chuckling, inching
closer and closer, he’s more worried about the opposite reaction.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because it’s not your problem.”
A hurt look overtakes Jackson’s face instantly. “Dude, you will always be my
problem. You’re my best friend. You can trust me.” Danny refuses to meet his
eyes. “Okay, new plan. Step 1: You and I hang out tonight. Step 2: You come out
to everyone like it’s no big deal, because it’s not. Step 3: You kick the shit
out of the first person who thinks otherwise. Step 4: Take over the school,
then the world.”
The childish grin Jackson sports with its hints of menace and cockiness is
contagious, and soon the two are embracing, the end of this round.
~~~
Two weeks later, Danny is out and proud, and accepted for it. His popularity
skyrocketed with the beatdown he put on Greenberg, making him, Jackson, and
Lydia the new world order. It’s weird for Danny, having everyone try to be his
friend. He’s not sure he likes all the attention.
When Jackson comes over one night, he definitely doesn’t want the attention. It
started out being a great time, the two boys just hanging out like always, and
getting in bed together as they’ve done since they met. When they were younger,
they had invented another game, one that was decidedly less innocent. And
Jackson wanted to play it now.
“Jackson—“
“C’mon Danny you know the rules.” Danny can feel Jackson’s smirk where it’s
caressing his neck. “No talking. Let’s start over.” Jackson goes back to
kissing Danny’s always-smooth skin. Danny huffs in frustration.
“Jackson, seriously. What are you doing?”
“Danny please.”
“Dude, I told you, you’re not my type.” He lifts him to eye level, his face
allowing no possible misunderstanding.
“You’re not mine either. So what?”
“I don’t want to confuse you.”
“I’m not sure I’m the one who’s confused.” Jackson smiles coyly at the boy
beneath him, but realizes that that’s not going to get him anywhere with the
kid who invented that persona for him. “Look, Danny, being with you is the only
time I can be myself, alright? This isn’t about sex, or power, or gay or
straight for me. I just wanna make you feel the way you make me feel.”
Danny can’t breathe. The problem is, Jackson really is his type— he practically
invented Danny’s type— and that confession inches above his face with nothing
between them but two pairs of boxers is about as good as a love song.
“This is the last time,” he whispers before pulling Jackson’s lips to his.
~~~
Something weird’s been going on with Jackson lately, and it’s taken a toll on
their friendship. It’s like they’re friends in name only; this whole rivalry
with McCall (though totally understandable given how hard they’d worked to
overthrow him) has made Jackson really hard to bear in the past year. Besides,
Jackson’s not his problem anymore. Now that he’s getting what he needs from
Lydia, they’ve finally started growing apart as planned.
So when Jackson gives him this project and tells him what it is, he’s very
worried, but mostly confused. This is such a real-Jackson request, but that
one-liner in douche-Jackson’s voice is really throwing him. Luckily, the video
is just what Jackson said it was: him in bed. No kinky sex or made-for-Danny
porn-love-whatevers (Danny wasn’t quite sure what to expect). Although, if
Danny’s being honest, it’s a little more creepy just watching him sleep.
He looks down for just a moment, but when he looks back, he moans in memory at
a slight motion his best friend makes in his sleep, and it brings the loss of
his virginity into sharp mental focus.
~~~
Somewhere during making out, he had flipped Jackson onto his back and was now
kissing his way down his chest. He stands up to take off his boxers, and as he
does so Jackson licks his lips as he watches, his hand resting lightly at the
hem of his own boxers, as if an invitation for Danny to rip them off of him.
Danny accepts.
And suddenly the game is on. They know the rules: no talking, no moaning, no
coming. The first one to break the rules… well, they don’t exactly remember the
punishment because like the Secret Game, it’s never come up. They’re always
interrupted before either one can win. Eventually they stopped playing, because
it became less of a winnable game and more of something a little too intimate.
But there will sure as hell be a winner tonight, though the existence of a
loser is up for debate. Soon they’re rutting against each other, panting hotly
into each other’s mouths, hands exploring, pulling, pushing, tugging, grasping,
caressing. Danny starts moving to go down on Jackson, but Jackson roughly pulls
him up and crawls beneath him to start it off. If Danny didn’t know any better,
he’d say Jackson was the gay one, not that he’s complaining. Just for tonight,
Jackson can say he’s whatever he wants to be as long as he doesn’t take Danny
out of his mouth right now.
At some point Danny loses control and starts thrusting into Jackson’s mouth,
causing the less-prepared boy to gag. Danny goes immediately into best friend
mode and brings Jackson’s face to his with a concerned expression. Jackson
kisses him to assuage his fears, and reaches under the bed to grab the bottle
of lube he knows Danny stores there. He squirts a bit on Danny’s finger, and
not for the first time tonight Danny’s confused as to what exactly his angle
is. When he leads Danny’s fingers to his hole, Danny goes wide-eyed, realizing
just what Jackson wanted him to do. While Danny’s thrusting his fingers inside
him, Jackson is in heaven, his hips bucking and his head thrashing about. He
reaches around frantically for what turns out to be a condom, and Danny just
stops. He looks to Jackson for as explicit consent as one can provide in
silence, which Jackson enthusiastically gives with a smirk and a nod of his
head. Danny knows cheating when he sees it, so he decides to even the playing
field. As he’s thrusting himself into his best friend, he starts jacking the
other boy in rhythm. Jackson breathes in sharply. Danny chuckles, knowing that
it was almost a moan, but Jackson rolls his eyes, and pulls him down for wet,
passionate kisses that make it easier to hide the borderline disqualifying
sounds he’s emitting.
In the end, it’s a photo finish. As Danny reaches his last stroke, Jackson
tightens and the two of them collapse in a giggling heap.
“A tie. Typical.”
“I guess that just means we’ll have to play again sometime,” Jackson says with
as much meaning as he can muster. He wants to write a monologue about how he’ll
never leave his only real friend no matter how shitty life gets. He wants to
tell him that he can always trust Jackson, that he would never willingly hurt
him. Jackson wants to tell him something he hasn’t told anyone in 6 years. He
loves him.
“Jackson—“
“Yeah, I know. Last time, I promise.” Jackson lays a chaste kiss on Danny’s
lips and pulls him into a spooning position, drifting off to the new memory of
his first time.
~~~
It isn’t until he opens his eyes post-orgasm high that he realizes Jackson
isn’t just on his computer screen. He’s in Danny’s door frame, watching him
with equal parts arousal, amusement, and shock.
“Told you I’m everyone’s type.” He shuts the door. Danny scrambles to cover
himself, but Jackson saunters over and puts his hand over Danny’s, a sultry
attempt to lessen the distance between his hand and the other teen’s newly
spilt milk.
“Don’t…”
“C’mon, Danny, stop pretending.”
“You promised.”
“You lost.”
“What? I— no, this totally doesn’t count.”
Jackson knows he’s won. “Oh this totally counts.”
“Whatever, you won. Congratufuckinglations, so what?”
“You don’t remember what the original deal was, do you?”
That’s Jackson’s conniving voice. Danny is even less comfortable. “Do you?”
“Of course,” Jackson grins, removing his hand and sitting on the bed. Danny
quickly moves to wipe himself up. “We were debating continuing with the ruse
that Lydia and I were the couple of the century or acknowledging what was going
between us. If I came first, then us was just me being horny, and if you came
first then it’s because there was something there.”
“That sounds like, the opposite of logical.”
“Yeah, well, a deal’s a deal. We have something, Danny. I don’t know what, or
how, or why, but it’s there. You and Lydia are the only two people in this
world who truly know Jackson Whittemore, and the only two that give a damn
about him. Everyone else thinks I’m a heartless douchebag, but you two ground
me and remind me that I’m not what I make everyone think I am. I don’t feel
like I have to try around you. I… I… damn it dude, don’t make me say it.”
“Say what?”
Well, he had to say it sometime. “I love you.”
He stares—outright stares— at Jackson before shuffling around the room getting
dressed. There is no way he can look him in the eyes right now, otherwise he’ll
give everything away. Everything they’ve worked for will crumble in an instant
with just one stray glance.
“Well, don’t.”
“What are you so afraid of?” Jackson is defiantly watching Danny’s naked form,
and can clearly see what it’s doing to the other boy. It’s rare these days, but
he’s not actually trying to be an ass. He desperately wants Danny to be as
comfortable with this relationship as he is. “It’s funny. You’re the gay guy
who wants nothing to do with the guy you just jacked off to, whereas I’m the
straight guy who only wants to be with his male best friend.”
“See, that’s what I’m afraid of, Jackson. You’re straight. You shouldn’t be
doing this.”
“You’re so hung up on labels! Dude, of anyone you should be the one totally
okay with me not being 100% straight.”
Danny knows he has a point, but it’s hard for him to pretend he’s okay with
himself, let alone Jackson. “You’re not the only one putting up a front. I
mean, I know that every treats me like my sexuality is no big deal, and I try
so hard to seem like it’s just another piece of me, but I think about it every
day. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, to become just another
statistic when some homophobic asshole decides to treat me the way I see
myself. I spent so long being told I was disgusting and evil, it’s hard not to
believe it.”
“Wow…” The whisper from Jackson breaks so many taboos they’ve set up for each
other. It’s a judgment, pure and simple. Well, maybe not so simple. “I never
realized…”
“Well that’s my real secret.”
“I just lost, didn’t I?”
Danny snorts. “Yeah, you did. But hey, that makes us even, doesn’t it?”
“As always.” Jackson takes this as permission to move in closer. He draws his
best friend into the most raw hug they’ve ever shared. Danny doesn’t want to
admit that it’s all he’s ever wanted. Jackson does. “I’m not scared.”
“Of course not, you’re Jackson Whittemore. I didn’t design you to feel fear.”
Jackson takes Danny’s face into his hands and places the lightest of kisses on
his lips.
“You didn’t design me to feel like this either.”
“So what do—“ Jackson’s phone rings.
“Fuck it, what were you saying?”
“Never mind, just answer it. It’s probably Lydia. I’ll let you know when the
video’s done restoring.”
“Alright fine. I love you, Danny.”
“See you later,”
~~~
Danny knows what he has to do, and never thought he’d have to be at this point,
but he is. He knows it’s irrational, because he knows now how Jackson feels
about him. But it’s better for both of them if he moves on with Lydia. He can
hear Jackson screaming “WHY?” in his head, but he ignores that question like he
has for years. He can’t be happy with Jackson because he just can’t.
So he finds himself at Jungle, making stink eyes at his ex-boyfriend and
getting plastered. Eventually, he takes the bartender’s advice and starts
dancing with this hotty who’s just what he’s looking for right now. Definitely
boyfriend material. And everything’s going fine until the smoke thickens and he
thinks he hears Stiles calling his name (which is just impossible), and
suddenly he’s paralyzed on the ground. When he’s wheeled out to the ambulance,
Scott runs up to him and starts asking questions. He gets through the
conversation with McCall— barely— and notices the odd collection of people at
the scene. McCall himself is the last person he expected to see within 100 feet
of Jungle. Stiles not so much, but judging by the sheriff’s face as Stiles
tries to talk his way out of it, this really is out of character. He sees
Cousin Miguel way in the distance— no wait, that makes zero sense. Whatever did
this to him, it’s definitely causing Danny to hallucinate, especially since
Miguel’s eyes seem to be glowing red. Danny decides that he’s out of fucks to
give, and tries to pass out on the ambulance ride, only to be continually
awakened by the EMTs.
~~~
Matt is definitely Danny’s type. And he just might be interested in Danny too.
Working together on Jackson’s video, while a blatant breach of trust, was
actually helping them bond a lot. Maybe Matt was the key to getting over
Jackson.
~~~
Nope, definitely not. It should concern him that his type is evidently serial
killers.
~~~
“And if you see me coming towards you, run the other way as fast as you can.”
The sheer panic in Jackson’s face, the confusion, the dead eyes Danny catches
sometimes, it’s all really freaking him out. He knows that he needs to be there
for his friend, but he has no idea how. For the first time, he feels completely
helpless to save Jackson from whatever turmoil is swallowing him whole. Not
just him, the whole gaggle of them: Jackson, Lydia, Scott, Stiles, Allison, the
Leather Triplets. Danny feels like the last to know and he hates it because
Jackson has been his to take care of since they met. No matter what was
happening they’re supposed to have each other. He thinks for a second that
there’s a contradiction there between this and his earlier plans to ditch
Jackson, but he’ll be damned if he isn’t there for Jackson when he needs him to
be.
“You owe me a secret when we’re done here.”
“Rule number four, dude. You first.”
The next thing Danny knows, Jackson’s dead on the field. The world stops.
People run and scream in slow motion. For Danny, the stadium lights never come
back on. The light in his world is gone forever. He’s kneeling by Jackson’s
body, one second away from completely losing it. As the corpse is wheeled away,
he starts a game they’ll never finish.
“I love you too, Jackson.”
~~~
He almost doesn’t answer it.
“Fuck rule number four, we need to talk.”
Jackson’s dead. He saw him die. Who the hell is texting him and how do they
know about that?
He must have hesitated too long, because suddenly he’s being dialed from
Jackson’s phone. He answers tentatively. “Who is this?”
“Don’t freak out.”
His first reaction is immense relief. But this lasts about a millisecond before
he’s at the top of his lungs. “WHAT THE FUCK JACKSON WHAT’S GOING ON?!”
“I’ll explain when you get here, just hurry. This is important.”
Danny is glad the sheriff is busy working on the murder of a living person,
because he tries to break the land speed record on the way to Jackson’s house.
~~~
It’s not just Jackson. The whole group of crazies is there, even Cousin Miguel.
And Mrs. McCall and the sheriff, and the Whittemores, and Allison’s dad. And
the vet from down the street. And the school guidance counselor. And some
creepy guy he’s never met and never wants to see again.
“What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know!” Mr. Whittemore shouts. Mrs. Whittemore
restrains him from standing up for what Danny assumes not to be the first time
in the past two minutes.
“Derek, if you please?” Stiles prods, physically and vocally. Miguel gets up,
and Danny throws Stiles a very confused glance.
“Oh right, we should probably start with the basics. Danny, this is not my
cousin. This is Derek Hale.”
“Derek Hale, as in—“
“He was exonerated!” Stiles finishes hurriedly, anticipating the death glare
from Derek.
“Yeah, coming from you that’s not so comforting. Sheriff if you don’t tell me
why these two are violating a restraining order in addition to letting a known
fugitive into my house, I will sue your ass so hard—“
“DAD. Stop.” Jackson looks beyond tired. Not just physically exhausted, but
dead to the world. It’s as if his body came back and not his soul.
“Look, no one wants to be here right now, but there are some things we have to
settle,” Derek begins. “A lot of people saw Jackson die and will be asking too
many questions about how he’s suddenly alive again.”
“Yeah, why don’t we start there, Mr. Hale,” Sheriff Stilinski urges. “How
exactly is he alive?”
“He’s a werewolf.” Several people choke out a laugh. Danny would too, if it
weren’t for the pained, bored, or worried looks on all but three faces.
“You’re bullshitting me, right?” Mr. Whittemore is on the warpath again, and
before anyone can do anything, Jackson is on his feet, eyes glowing blue,
looking like something out of a cheap horror film. If anyone didn’t believe it
before, they certainly believe it now.
Derek picks up like nothing happened. “This conversation has been a long time
coming. There’s a lot we can’t tell you, but the important thing is that it’s
not safe for Jackson here anymore. He needs to get as far from Beacon Hills as
he can as fast as he can.”
“Why can’t he stay here?” Lydia’s question seems very unwelcome if Derek’s
eyebrows are a hint (and given Danny’s previous interactions with him, they
probably are). “If you and Isaac can avoid being caught for months why can’t
Jackson do the same?”
“Oh sure, because being on the lam is such a great experience—“
“Isaac don’t provoke her it’ll only make it worse,”
“Sweetie, just because you got a makeover doesn’t mean you can talk about me
like—“
“Are they always like this?”
Jackson’s done. He’s beyond done. He lets out a deafening roar, stalks out of
his seat, takes Danny by the wrist and storms up to his room. Once there, he
finally lets out a breath.
“Can I hug you? We’re tied right now and I think you need it.”
“That’s it? You find out I’m a werewolf and that’s all you have to say?”
“No judgment remember?”
“How are we tied?”
Danny looks at the ground. “I told you a secret while you were unconscious.”
“What was it?”
“I…told you I love you too.”
That’s it, that’s the one thing Jackson’s wanted to hear all night, all year,
since he met Danny. He accepts his offer by pulling him into a bone-crushing
embrace. He can still hear everyone bickering downstairs and deciding his life
for him as it’s always been decided for him, but all he cares about is the boy
in his arms.
“I wanted to tell you sooner,” he says eventually when, they’ve both calmed
down a bit. “But I didn’t know how.”
“I don’t care. You can tell me later. But right now, I just have one question.
If I asked you to leave Lydia to be with me, would you?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Okay. Then I’m okay with her knowing before I did.”
They smirk, then giggle, then roll on the ground crying from laughter, because
this is who they’ve been all along, two boys who experience unbearable joy when
near each other.
“She saved me. I was accidentally turned into an evil lizard thing instead of a
werewolf, and she brought me back.”
“You love her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! I’m not actually asking you to leave her, it’s just oddly nice to
hear. I know you two aren’t just for show. Otherwise I never would have set you
up.”
“You’re an idiot, you know that right?”
“Yeah, I think I’m beginning to realize that.”
“Well, technically I have to break up with Lydia for you anyway, because I won.
Also, I owe you food.”
“Haha, yes, yes you do.”
“Tell you what. I’m gonna take you out on a date. A real date, like, totally
cheesetastic cliché Hollywood Date.”
“Not if Derek has anything to say about it.”
“He doesn’t. He’s not the guy I’m sleeping with.”
“Well then it’s settled.”
Jackson puts on his douchebag face just for Danny’s amusement. “Damn right it’s
settled.” The two kiss, and kiss, and then much more than kissing, reveling in
whatever time they still have to be each other’s world. Maybe everyone
downstairs can hear them. But they don’t care, because no matter how much they
think they see or hear (or smell, as Danny will soon learn), they will never
feel the two of them the way they feel each other in moments like this, when
they’re just heartbeats in the dark.
End Notes
     Don't own Teen Wolf, or Florence, or anything.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!