Dragon Bride Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Danny Phantom parody: Tier 1/Patreon Request

Chapter 6 

Chapter 7 Love

Dash’s Pov

Love…

Why did I have to say love?

I wasn’t lying, I meant it, but it just slipped out, and that makes it worse.

High School isn’t bout love….that’s what my dad told me.

My dad….

He drilled so much into me its hard to forget. You can’t be puny son, if you’re puny you’ll be eaten alive in High School. Which started my early days of protein shakes, weight lifting, and my dad coaching me in sports.

I loved sports...loved being the proper term. I used to enjoy playing in the park and having a friendly game. When my dad saw I had a knack for athletics, he pushed me into them. “Sports isn’t about fun!” he said, “it’s about dominance and victory. Sports were my ticket to popularity.” He always said I had to be popular, that High School would be my glory days, it’d be all down hill after that.

My dad was controlling my life, I’m sure someone smarter than me could figure out the reason. Anything that wasn’t manly, cool, or athletic wasn’t allowed. “You think you’ll still be popular if they find out you like this?” I didn’t know. What was wrong with liking a stuffed animal, or a video game, or a comic book?

I started hiding stuff from my dad after that. Anything that didn’t fit his views. It made me feel things, things I didn’t like or really understand. Frustrated, I’d go to school, hang with my “popular” crowd, its hard for me to call them friends. Friends can tell each other things, friends can be there for you and you for them.

There is a memory of when I was younger, and some bully came to the park and was messing with one of my friends. I stood up to him, and we got into a fight. The bully ran off and I was a mess. My friend was so scared, he got my dad. I didn’t know what he’d think or say, but he was proud of me. Proud that I could take a punch and fight back. I think that was the first time he said he was proud of me…

Now look at me...I’ve become the bully I stood up to as a kid. Younger me would call me a jerk. I’d say he didn’t understand, but I don’t know who’s right anymore. I can’t even remember my friend’s name. I...just stopped playing with him, we drifted apart...I don’t know what happened. Looking back I don’t even remember what he looked like. He’d probably hate me too…

I can’t tell Kwan what I’m feeling, I can talk to him about sports and what’s “popular” but nothing else. I’ll admit talking to my jock bros about sports did help me like sports again, but we don’t talk about much else. Do you think I can talk to Paulina of Star about my feelings. That I miss my mom, or wish my dad would get off my back, that I could have someone anyone to talk too. For a long time I always had to put up a front, I have to be the popular jock that’s what we were working for.

For so long I believed in my dad’s bullshit. That I was a failure if I wasn’t strong, that I was a failure if I didn’t put my all into sports, that I was a failure if I wasn’t popular. When I told him I had to study with Jasmine Fenton, he told me I had to hit on her, ask her out, and get a date with her. That’s how it works right? You study, get close, then you start making out and forget about the pointless text books. His words, and Jasmine probably would have been someone I could have talked to, she’s older, smart, wants to be a Psych major. She probably could have helped me, but I burned that bridge by listening to my dad.

She opted out of tutoring me, saying I had no interest in learning. She was only half wrong, I hate feeling stupid, I hate it. Not just being stupid but feeling stupid. Dad says all I need in life is to read, write, and do basic math, anything else is unnecessary. He thinks I just need to be able to read a contract, sign it, and make sure I’m getting my money. It didn’t help the teachers seemed to not care about my bad grades so long as I scored a touch down. It made me think my dad was right, that this was the world I lived in, my place was here, there was nothing else for me beyond that.

I dated girls, but I’ve never been in love with any of them. It was like I was just filling a role. I was the big dumb jock, and she was the pretty cheerleader. It always felt empty, just to spike out popularity, have some fun and it was over. Dad approved, always happy to meet whatever girl that wanted to be my arm candy for the month. He was always so “proud” throwing gifts my way for being a “man”.

If Mom was still around she’d probably have something to say about how I treat girls and how they treat me. She wouldn’t approve of a lot of things going on in my life before I made a deal with him.

...Fenton…

He was puny, he was weak, he wasn’t the smartest, or the richest, he was just there. He had friends, friends he could talk to, hang out with, and just be free with. I’ll admit, it made me jealous, and he became the main target of my frustrations. I bullied a lot, but Fenton was always special...he was different...I was always drawn to him.

In the showers I was checking him out. If my jock bros messed with him I got pissed. I made it clear he was mine. When he worked so hard to be popular I had mixed feelings. He started standing up to me, with a fire in his eyes that made me feel things. When Paulina said he was dating the goth girl, I got angry, I was envious, but not of Danny but of Sam. She had something I wanted, even if I didn’t get what at the time. When ghosts started popping up in town, Fenton showed his courage, he helped us save our parents from a ghost pirate. He gained more of my respect, but that opened the door for emotions I couldn’t handle or process.

Things got worse, I started slipping in practice. My game was off. My mojo was really off. Fenton started slipping into my mind more and more, I couldn’t take it anymore so I confronted him. He was weirdly understanding, so we made our deal and we did things…

Oh fuck did we do things…

Things I didn’t realize two men could do together but fuck was it hot!

Fenton opened up a whole new world for me, he was there for me and helped ease my troubles. In these moments we could be together and not be bully jock and puny nerd, we could be Dash Baxter and Danny Fenton. We made it a secret, I got to keep my popularity and my shallow empty world and I got to be with the boy I realize I was crushing on.

I loved him…

Fuck...I fell in love with him…

Maybe I was always in love with him and I was just too stupid or stubborn to realize it. No...it was fear...I was scared to realize the truth. I couldn’t stay away from him though, if I was smarter maybe I’d have realized that. I had to be closer to him, I had to be near him any way I could, even if it was a REALLY BAD and STUPID way.

Since the deal things have been so much better. When I realized my feelings, it was the little things I realized what made me love him. In my head I kept thinking of the things he does, trying to find some proof that it was just the sex, but with each mental check I just proved how much I wanted him. I wanted our worlds to become closer together…

Fenton’s being haunted by a ghost, messed with him. Not the first time, we all got ghost powers once and everyone in the school was dishing out weird ghost stuff.

It was a shock but it didn’t break my love for him. After we talked, he was so cute and flustered. My walls came down and it slipped out. I used the L word, why fucking why. Everything was so perfect now I’ve said something that could ruin everything. I began to stumble, back pedal, do anything to try and take back that slip. It was hard because I meant it. If I was lying it’d have been easier. I love Danny Fenton! I can scream it in my head but taking that step outside was also hard. It’d have been simpler if it was just the sex, love makes things complicated.

As I fumbled over myself Danny said something that made it all better. “It’s okay.” He took my hand and it felt okay. He kissed me and all my worries and fears were pushed away. We kissed, and made out. Our clothes falling by the wayside. I knew...I knew in my heart...my love for Fenton was only gonna grow...this wasn’t a small spark...it was a flame…

Love makes people do stupid things, but I think it was making me smarter.

-x-

If I knew then what I knew now, maybe I could have helped him, maybe I could have stopped that bastard. Maybe...if I hadn’t tried to take it back and embraced my love for him then and there. I could have been there to stop Danny from being taken away.

To be continued