Pas de Trois

Chapter 3: "It's time for things to be different."

Danny sat on Slade's bed, watching as he shoveled clothes into the brand new set of suitcases Danny's mom had bought him. They'd been back in Georgia a week and Slade was already packing for the move.

"We don't leave for 3 weeks," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're going to look for a place next weekend," Slade said. "And your mom asked for help packing the rest of the house so I wanted to get my stuff done first."

"You're too good to her," Danny said. "She's gonna want me to help now too."

"She's your mother, and she's just selling her house so she can move to New York with us," Slade dropped a stack of white t-shirts into the open suitcase. Did he know how good he looked in those shirts? It was almost a crime.

"What else would she do?" Danny reasoned. The truth was he would do anything for his mama. Slade was almost as much of a mama's boy as he was, even though Danny's mom wasn't his real mom.

"You haven't started packing yet?" Slade asked.

"Nah, I'll get to it," Danny said. Slade stopped what he was doing.

"Aren't you excited to get out of here?" Slade asked.

"A little," Danny shrugged. He hadn't really thought about that part much. Just getting into SAB was a lot to get his mind around.

"I'm so ready," Slade stood up and stretched. His t-shirt rode up and Danny could see his tan stomach. Slade was so proud of the wispy hairs that were growing there. "I've wanted to get the hell out of here my whole life. It's finally happening."

"It hasn't been that bad," Danny tried not to pout. "Not the past few years, right?"

"Ugh, don't take it personally," Slade stepped over his suitcase. He dropped onto the bed next to Danny. "You're the reason I've made it this long."

"Okay," Danny said. That made him feel better but it didn't seem to register with Slade.

"I'm only this excited because you're going with me," Slade went on. He nudged Danny. "You know that, right?"

"No," Danny admitted.

"You should know that," Slade said. "I never thought about doing this without you."

"Really?" Danny looked at him. Slade nodded.

"You're my rock, Dan," Slade's voice got softer. "I'm not me without you."

"I know," Danny's heart sped up. "That's how it's always been. You and me."

"Always," Slade said. "This is gonna change a lot for us but you have me, okay?"

"Okay," Danny wasn't sure what Slade meant by that but it got his mind racing. Things were definitely going to change when they got to New York.

"I mean, how can you not be excited?" Slade asked. "I've been waiting so long for this. We'll finally be in a place where no one cares what you do or that you're not exactly like everyone else. No expectations. No one who knows our past. We can just be ourselves."

That was when Danny realized how close Slade was sitting. Danny could actually feel the warmth coming off his body. He dropped his eyes for a second, looking at Slade's lips. No one cares what you do...we can just be ourselves. Was there a chance Slade was thinking anything like what Danny was?

"I'm excited," Danny said, looking at Slade again. "I want all of that too, I just," he paused, trying to decide how to say what he wanted to say. "I was scared we wouldn't get into the same school."