Opera Cake

Huntress

Valerie pulled back her visor, revealing her face as she looked at him tearfully, "Why...did you change?"

He crouched down next to her on the forest floor, "Change you say? Valerie, you're a smart girl. I am sure that you have connected the dots. Me, Vlad, and Dani..."

She sobbed, "Danny...what happened to you?"

Danny shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about," He stood up, "I mean...didn't I prove you right? I'm a monster after all,"

Valerie stared up at him, taking note that despite the glow of his eyes, there was darkness. A yawning emptiness that she have only ever seen in the eyes of Vlad and the random murderers she came across.

This was not the boy she fell in love with once upon a time...

Valerie reached to him, "Let me help you,"

Danny looked at the offered hand before looking at his sluggish side, still an open wound but no longer bleeding all over the forest floor. He looked at her, "I think you will kill me before you would help me,"

Valerie flinched back, "I was angry! You...you killed...that's not the Phantom I know!" She sobbed, "I thought that I have to put you down! But then you...when I mentioned Dani, the old Phantom I know...he was suddenly there and I..." She looked at him and found no understanding, only...a closed door. She pressed her lips together, "I will help you. Whether you want it or not!"

Danny looked to the side before chuckling, "And what is in it for you?"

She blushed before admitting, "I...when you disappeared and...I came to accept who really are, I..."

"That ship had long sailed, Gray. It has sailed and sunk. There is no going back-!" His eyes widened as she cut him off with a press of her lips on his. Danny immediately felt his whole being rejecting her as he phased out of her hold and hissing at her, "How dare you?!"

Valerie stumbled back, "Danny?"

He punched at a tree, releasing his fury physically to take control of himself, breaking it before snarling at her, "Don't you dare come near me with such wanton behavior ever again! If you love your life, you would do well to forget such things, Huntress!" He glowered at her, "Consider your life a token of your friendship with my kin. If you ever approach me in such a manner ever again, I will kill you. I will pluck your heart from your chest and crush it before your eyes. That is my answer to whatever delusion you hold over me,"

With that, he flew away from her before plunging himself into the ocean upon crossing it. He wiped his mouth furiously, grumbling about pushy women. This have always been his reaction to any women who tried to pressure him into something he didn't care for. It was why his decision to accept Elsa's pushiness was novel to him. Because he actually wanted her to push him around. Even before he understood his own reaction to her with his mind, his instinct did.

At dawn, upon reaching Arendelle, he slipped into Elsa's room. When Valerie kissed him, goosebumps ran over him like squirming maggots. He felt sick. He felt wrong. He felt utterly violated. He would kill her but she have been nothing but kind to Dani and that was the only reason he held back. Valerie always have Dani's back, being able to break her out from GIW's containment camp the few times that Dani was caught.

Don't get him wrong. He was tempted. He was sorely tempted. But he could sense Dani's claim on Valerie. If he killed that bitch, Dani will be upset with him. And she was his kin. Kin took care of kin. That was the law of the Ghost Zone. In respect of her, he let Valerie live.

But there will be no second chances. Dani better put her to right or else...

"Danny?"

Danny snuggled up against Elsa, waking her up with his chill and kissing her collarbone. He wanted to cleanse himself of the Huntress's touch. So he kissed Elsa, wanting to forget about Valerie. Elsa, bless her heart, didn't ask him question. He knew that she could sense his unease and decided to help him instead of interrogating him. Honestly, with all the shitty things he had to do and gone through, Elsa was a balm and a blessing.

She was better than Louise Lane to his Clark Kent. She didn't question him, didn't judge him, didn't put him down. She just...accept him. Wrong side and all. Sure, part of that was his secrets to her but...he needed this. He needed her to be the one thing in his life that wasn't ruined by him.

So, even though it was wrong, even though people said that a good relationship was one without secrets, Danny needed Elsa to be his light. For this reason, she must not know sides of him that he hated. He will tell her about Valerie, though. He didn't want her to learn about it from someone else and misunderstood.

But, for now, kissing her to make him forget about other women.

Unfortunately, they were in her house so that means no heavy petting...