Another Day In Paradise | Danny Johnson x Reader

Pandora

"Be careful," Norman grimaced, standing so close your shoulders were brushing and clinging his textbooks to his chest, "I don't like him." He almost seemed possessive of you, like a mother bear- of course, Michael had those exact same vibes from his place towering just behind you radiating distrust. 

"I'll be fine, guys, I can handle myself," You say and fight the urge to roll your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips. With your backpack slung over one shoulder and your skates tied over the other, you start forwards towards Danny's motorcycle, where he's already stood and waiting. You reach the bottom of the steps and spin on your heel, flashing a farewell salute and a wide smile that you hope it reassuring. "I'll be careful, I promise. I'll try to get it done quick so I'm home asleep at a regular hour." That promise alone smoothed some of the tension out of Norman's shoulders, and he nodded his head, returning the smile with a smaller one of his own. 

"Have fun, (Y/N)." He said with a wave, and just before you turned around you heard Michael add in his usual low voice,

"Call me if you need anything. Anything at all and I'll be there." That made your heart swell, and your grin became goofy and thankful. You held out your hands in the shape of a heart, realizing that these were the best friends you'd ever had in your life and you loved them to bits. At last, you turned back to Danny and continued forwards with a new bounce in your step. Danny smiled at you as you approached, small but real, not the stupid smirk you always desperately wanted to wipe off of his face. 

"Look who's happy," He hummed as he stood up straight from his place leaning against his motorcycle, grabbing his helmet dangling off the handlebar, "Is it because you get to spend the whole evening with yours truly?" You pretend to gag and roll your eyes, shaking your head dramatically. 

"God, no, I was just savoring my last moments of freedom." 

"Ha ha," Danny laughed, sarcastic, and pressed his helmet into your chest, "You're wearing this. I'm not being responsible if you fall off the back." You were about to object when he suddenly let go, your own hands racing to catch it before it could fall. "Throw your stuff in here," Unlatching the clasp on his heavy-duty topcase, Danny flipped the lid up and motioned with one arm for you to drop your bag and skates into the storage container. It was surprisingly spacious, fitting both items with next to no trouble as well as Danny's own nearly-empty bag on the top. He had to press down hard to get it shut now that his backpack was there too, but he still go it closed and let out a victorious snicker before turning to you again. He took the helmet from your hands and set it on the seat of his bike. "Okay, base instructions- first off, do you have a hair tie?" You shook your head dumbly, and he let out a sigh and nodded his head. "Lucky for you, Mandy loses hers all the time. Here," Danny pulled his sleeve back to reveal the old, almost invisible traces of the bruises on his wrist and the scabbed over surface of his healing knuckles. His nails were painted pale blue, with little red mushrooms that looked way neater than a child could do. As you swiped the hair tie from him you also grabbed his hand and pulled it closer to inspect the pattern.

"What, did you do this yourself?" You ask with an adoring smile that you hoped passed as a teasing one. 

"Wha- No, no definitely not," Danny tore his hand away again and his cheeks went rosy, "That's, like, lame and-"

"I think it's cute. You should paint mine sometime. So, am I tying it in a bun or a ponytail or what?" You changed the topic so fast that Danny hardly had time to process the words, let alone think up a way to hide the way his cheeks heated even further at the compliment. 

"Uh- You- Y-Yeah," He stuttered, fiddling with his fingers and then quickly scraping them through his hair to regather himself, "Yeah, a low ponytail. Just to keep the hair out of your face." You hid your face by letting it fall to the floor, reaching your hands behind your head to tie your hair tight.