Chapter 37: He ends up with both
Jay blew a bubble with his mint gum as he and Daniel stood behind the counter.
Pop!
Jay took the popped bubble back in his mouth as Vasco and Zoe hung around the store, Zoe reading some news for the final book in the Half-Light trilogy and Vasco working out
with Daniel in doing sit-ups.
"..."
Daniel smiled as he laughed, "Jay, stop flirting."
Vasco looked at Jay who smiled back at Daniel who was slowly coming up, to count he had done exactly 52 sit-ups, a new record without breaks.
'Daniel's getting thinner.... He's losing his curves...' Jay thought, he noticed Daniel was slimming down and his face was beginning to look more like his other body's.
'He's working hard... so I should work hard too in knowing all the powers I can master,' Jay thought as Daniel continued to push himself to exercise.
After 250 sit-ups with Vasco and some breaks every 50, Daniel was doing push-ups when Crystal walked in.
"Oh, hi Crystal!" Daniel greeted with a smile, Crystal smiled back as Zoe frowned and moved closer to Daniel.
"Hi Daniel!" Crystal greeted, she went to but an energy drink and an iced tea presumably for DG.
Daniel rung her up and with a wave she was gone.
"Piggy I don't trust her... she seems suspicious," Zoe said crossing her arms under her bust.
"What? Crystal isn't hiding anything," Daniel replied, he was confused and Jay placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"..."
"Not you too, Jay... Vasco you believe Crystal isn't hiding anything right?" Daniel asked the male drinking chocolate milk.
"She seems suspicious. Be weary, small Daniel," Vasco's words of wisdom of the night.
Daniel sighed and thought to himself, 'How should I prove to them that Crystal isn't hiding anything besides the secret we share?'
-----
Bam!
DG looked at the small box, lotion bottle, and iced tea bottle placed before him.
He eyed Crystal suspiciously.
"I said I just wanted an iced tea. What are these other two things? " DG asked causing Crystal rolled her eyes at the question.
"Read them." Crystal said, DG picked up the box labeled Yukata Atom-Thin Ribbed and Sensei-Dots* and read the slogan.
" 'If you go into heat, package your meat'... is this what I think this is?" DG asked with the straightest face on the planet before he stared at Crystal like she'd lost her mind.
Crystal smiled innocently as DG read the bottle that had smaller writing on it under the obvious label, 'Lube'.
" 'For when you want to make it easy to slip in and out'," DG read as Crystal tried not to snicker.
DG blinked at her blankly and she blinked back innocently.
"You really think I'm going to take advantage of him in this state? Horrible." DG shook his head at her in disappointment.
"What? Never! I meant for you to use it when he's sober inbetween at least 3-5 years, if not you'll have to buy new ones," Crystal remarked, shaking her finger in DG's face,
"Remember protection is very important! If not babies will be made."
DG rolled his eyes at her.
Crystal heard her watch beep, "Oh, I have to go to work! Remember DG, use protection!"
Crystal walked out as DG looked at the box and bottle before him, taking them and throwing them in one of the kitchen drawers. He took the iced tea bottle to the living room
where Daniel was still asleep on the couch.
Threading his fingers in Daniel's hair, he popped open the cap of the bottle before taking a sip.
'She got the wrong brand again...' DG thought, 'This one is too sweet.'
Daniel let out a small moan in his sleep, DG looked over at him and reached over to rub his back.
'He might need to barf, so it's best if I get a bucket for him.' DG thought as he got up and got a small red bucket from underneath the kitchen sink cabinet and placed it near
Daniel's head on the couch.
'He better be fully sober when he comes to, if not... well I have plenty of rooms to lock him up in,' DG thought.
----
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Daniel smiled as he played patty-cake with Jay for no reason whatsoever in the store, it was too early in the morning meaning there was little to no customers this time of day.
They had played tic-tac-toe earlier, then lemonade, then rock-paper-scissors, and finally patty-cake for the current game. This was their 36th time playing it.
Jay grabbed both of Daniel's hands in his, giving them a squeeze.
Daniel laughed at this as he said, "Jay! I told you this isn't how you play the game!"
Jay smiled before leaning in and giving Daniel a flurry of kisses on his face, their hands still clasped together.
"Okay! Okay! We'll play it your way!" Daniel laughed before giving Jay the same flurry of kisses with vigor.
Jay wrapped his arms around Daniel who held onto Jay's shoulders as he gave him affectionate pecks across his cheeks, nose, and lips.
"..."
"I love you too, Jay." Daniel remarked as Jay swooped him down for a deeper kiss, Daniel curled his fingers in Jay's hair until Jay stood him back up.
"..."
"Yeah... I still am conflicted about DG...." Daniel said, he wondered why Jay had suddenly brought him up, Jay frowned slightly.
"..."
"You don't really mind that I like him too? Possibly in the same way I like you?" Daniel was wondering why Jay was so open to this, this was unreal.
"..."
"You still hate DG.... Jay, c'mon I don't even think he likes me back." Daniel said, Jay felt his eye twitch.
'So naive... how does he still think DG doesn't like him?' Jay thought as Daniel held one of his hands in his, 'Maybe he needs the person to outright say they like him to get it
through to him.'
"We have to go back to school after New Year's soon..." Daniel muttered as Jay looked to him and nodded.
"..."
"Yeah, I'll definitely spend New Year's with you and the puppies! I'll call mom too to give her a greeting too!" Daniel said.
"..."
"New Year's Resolution? Hmm... probably to earn more money to help mom and to improve my body... physically and mentally," Daniel said, "How about you Jay?"
"..."
Daniel exploded red as he said, "Jay! No, we're not discussing doing 'that' to celebrate the New Years! Be serious!"
Jay shrugged as Daniel patted his arm in embarrassment.
"..."
"Okay, that's normal." Daniel said with a smile, Jay kissed Daniel's cheek and sat on the floor.
"..."
"You're going to rest for a bit? Sure. I'll wake you up when our shift is over." Daniel replied.
Jay closed his eyes behind his bangs and fell asleep.
Meanwhile Daniel looked down at his hands, thinking, 'It's hard to choose one.'
---
Awakening in his taller body after a couple hours and parting ways with Jay to go and switch bodies, Daniel woke up to see DG's face over his.
His eyes widened as he gulped the water and pill that DG had slipped in his mouth.
'What? What did he slip inside me?' Daniel thought as he gulped the water and pill down as DG pulled away.
"You're up," DG said, "Are you sober?"
Daniel blushed as he looked away from DG's eyes, heart beating faster, he nodded in response and thought, ' How is he so casual about doing something like this?'
DG smiled a small one but you could clearly see it.
'His smile is nice, it makes him more approachable and kind,' Daniel spoke aloud, "You should smile more..."
DG raised an eyebrow as he said, "Hmm... no thanks."
Daniel sat up slowly as DG wrapped an arm around Daniel's waist, loosely.
"Why not?" Daniel asked.
"Because." DG replied.
"Yeah?" Daniel pressed for him to continue.
"Too much work, I might pull a muscle if I smile too much." DG said, Daniel felt the other's head fall onto his shoulder.
"Did you stay up and take care of me?" Daniel asked, DG nodded.
"So now, since you're up.... I'm going to sleep. Night," DG said before he fell onto Daniel's lap, out cold.
Daniel blinked in disbelief.
'He literally fell asleep in a second...' Daniel thought, DG's face was more relaxed as he slept, less intimidating and more in a way innocent.
Daniel felt his heart skip a beat and his face heat up.
'He looks kissable.... What am I saying?' Daniel thought as he slapped himself internally.
'Remember, Jay has feelings... he hates DG.... yet he tolerates him for my sake... meanwhile DG seems to hate Jay not even calling him by his first name and is definitely hiding a
lot inside...' Daniel thought, he was moving closer to DG's head without noticing.
Daniel apologized to Jay internally as he thought, 'Maybe one kiss wouldn't hurt... I'm sorry Jay! I'll make out with you later!'
Nervously, Daniel shifted closer to DG's face, gently as possible he moved DG's head up.
'Here goes...' Daniel thought as he slowly kissed DG.
---
SNAP!
Jay fell onto the ground, his levitation spell that he had casted on himself that cost extreme focus was broken.
'DG..... I'll murder him... I know he did something... I can sense it...' Jay cursed the other once again.
---
Daniel pulled away as he blushed to rival a stop sign, he covered his face.
'I'm awful, I'm awful, I'm awful...' Daniel chanted, he felt the weight come off his lap and hands pry the hands he had on his face.
DG was staring right at Daniel who was blushing redder.
"Uh.... hi?" Daniel said, he smiled nervously.
"You...." DG said.
"I'm sorry!" Daniel said, he expected DG to slap him instead he felt lips press against his.
Daniel's eyes widened, DG pinned his wrist to the back of the couch and kissed Daniel more passionately and roughly.
Daniel kissed back until they separated to gasp for air.
"You... like me?" Daniel gasped as DG blinked in disbelief at him.
"You thought I didn't? I even said I like you to our face..." DG remarked.
"I thought you only saw me as a close friend.... Like Crystal...." Daniel replied, DG ran a hand through his pink hair.
"If I saw you as I do Crystal, I wouldn't have kissed you... I would've sent you out." DG remarked, he moved to sit by Daniel on the couch.
Daniel watched DG as he sat there, rubbing his hands in his hair in stress, Daniel opened his mouth wanting to say something but the only words that came out were "I love you."
Daniel covered his mouth and turned red.
DG looked at him in surprise.
"What?" DG said.
"Jay! I'm sorry!" Daniel cried as he covered his ears as if he was afraid to hear what DG would say.
"Huh?" DG said, Daniel was crying now.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I can't choose between you and Jay... I like you both... it's hard. It's just so hard to choose either one of you." Daniel said.
DG moved to hold Daniel close, he tried to shush him with reassuring words that it was okay to be conflicted but this made Daniel cry harder.
"I know I'm being dramatic.... I know this is out of character for me.... But this is the first time I've ever been in a situation like this... I don't know what to do anymore." Daniel
said.
"You're asking the wrong person... I'm biased remember? So obviously I'd want you to choose me and not that one..." DG said, Daniel sniffled as he looked up at DG.
"I want to slap you and kiss you at the same time right now.... One for not helping me and two because I love you... Oh my gosh.... How is Jay unaffected knowing that I like you too?" Daniel asked.
DG was surprised to hear this, "You actually told 'that' and he was indifferent about it?"
Daniel nodded, "He said he knows I'm confused... I reasoned with him but that it's hormones but he was upset to know that I still haven't decided I like you that way or not."
'Hmm... may the best man win... it's not the time to be thinking this...' DG thought as he pushed Daniel to lie on the couch and crawled over him.
"DG? What're you doing?" Daniel asked, he expected DG to say something like advice not this.
"Like I said, I'm biased... I think I'm the best option for you.... Imagine if Hong was in my position.... He'd be biased too." DG said, he cupped Daniel's face in one of his hands.
Daniel flushed, "Wait.... I'm still confused...."
DG sighed and moved closer.
Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, he was surprised when DG kissed his forehead and not his lips before assaulting him. DG got off of Daniel and stood next to him on the couch.
He looked at Daniel for a good while with Daniel returning his unreadable stare.
After a moment, DG sighed and said, "I'm going to bed."
Daniel silently watched the other go before he looked at his hands, tears falling onto his palms.
"I don't know who I want anymore... at first I wanted Jay but now I want DG..." Daniel curled up into a ball on the couch.
----
"Hey... hey... hey!"
Daniel groaned as he opened his eyes, he sat up in surprise.
He was surrounded by darkness, he looked up and saw Jay standing before him.
The same Jay with black hair.
"How do you always manage to be in my dreams?" Daniel asked.
"Plot reasons." he replied.
Daniel quirked an eyebrow.
"Look, you clearly didn't heed my advice from before..." the other said, he squeezed the bridge of his nose, "and this is why you're confused on who you want to be with..."
Daniel nodded.
"I'll tell you this, I'm not going to be biased for myself, " the flaw said, "Both of your options, though I hate that other guy too, are right for you."
"That's bad advice, I can't date two people at once...." Daniel said.
The flaw was silent.
"Sleep with them," the flaw said, Daniel sputtered at this straight-forward advice.
"But... that's extreme!" Daniel said, he scooted back from the flawed Jay.
"Well obviously kissing each of them didn't help make your choice... gotta move up to tier 15," the flaw said.
"No way, I'm not doing that, that's playing with their feelings...." Daniel stated.
"Then how do you propose you'd find out who you would be with?" the flaw said.
Daniel looked at the flaw where the eyes would be, he stared dead-on.
"That's up to destiny (AKA the Readers)."
And he woke up.