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Stiles could not talk quietly. Ever. At all. To save his life even. Or at least that's the conclusion Danny had reached some time ago. If you couldn't hear him making an obnoxiously loud noise, then you were simply fortunate enough to not be in the same room as him. Not that Stiles was unlikeable, he just lacked the ability to comprehend how much his voice carried. Especially when he was whispering. Danny could recall countless conversations between Stiles and Scott that he'd been apart of just by being in the same room. Thankfully, after a while he had learnt to tune out their voices automatically and for the most part this worked. It was only when certain key words caught his attention that he found himself an unwilling recipient of their conversation. On this particular occasion, it was his boyfriend's name.
Ethan.
It had taken a while for Ethan to break through Danny's promise to himself that he wouldn't date anyone else until he finished High School, but Danny was only human after all. That and Ethan was quite possibly the most alluring person he'd ever had the good fortune to meet. They'd met in the library of all places and Danny just melted under Ethan's gaze to the extent that he walked straight into another student. Ethan claimed it was adorable, Danny preferred to call it humiliating. If he's honest about it he knew from that moment his resistance was futile, but he stayed strong, even when Ethan introduced himself to a furiously blushing Danny. After that he seemed to develop the uncanny ability to be everywhere. Or rather if Ethan wasn't in one of his classes it was because his brother Aiden was, which really did not help Danny avoid thinking about the latter's charming brother. Once Ethan joined the lacrosse team Danny realised they may as well be friends with one another, after all they were teammates.
Less than a week later and Ethan had seamlessly stepped into the gaping void in his life that Jackson had left behind. Not that Ethan replaced Jackson, they'd been best friends for years after all, but he had never liked Jackson in the same way he liked Ethan either. Ethan was still flirtatious of course, but he never crossed the line as if he knew that Danny was in the middle of an internal struggle. Should he stay safe and keep his promise to himself, or risk getting hurt by becoming something more than friends? Self-preservation won out for a while.
Lydia quickly became frustrated with his relationship or rather lack of. She'd dated Aiden for a while but it had been based on something more physical than a genuine fondness for one another. Not that she didn't still disappear into a supposedly locked classroom with him every so often. Clearly that friendship still had something more going on but Lydia wouldn't admit that her feelings had changed into something more, so instead she tried to force Danny to admit his. Danny was sure that she must have said something to Ethan by now, but he never showed any awareness that Danny was slowly losing the argument for self-preservation.
Danny knew he was being a coward. He'd decided days ago that it wasn't self-preservation anymore to stop himself from experiencing what he so desperately wanted. It finally happened when the final bell rang and he had been walking to his car, only to spot Ethan already leaning against the door waiting for him. They had plans to go hiking that weekend so Danny presumed Ethan was waiting to discuss the plan, but Danny had a half-formed plan of his own. All the waiting and circling around what he wanted had built up until Danny's gentle manner was completely gone in that moment when he pulled Ethan firmly against him and pressed their lips together. If he'd had any doubt at all about Ethan's feelings for him (He didn't, Ethan was everything but subtle), then they were extinguished the second their skin met. For a first kiss it certainly wasn't chaste, it was the start of an all consuming passion even Ethan wasn't expecting. When they finally pulled apart Ethan linked his arms behind Danny to keep him close and whispered a heated "Took you long enough" against his skin. Danny had never smiled so much in his life.
Since that day they'd been inseparable, aside from classes they didn't share they would always be beside one another. Over two months later and they were still going strong even with McCall seeming to be under the impression that at any moment it was going to end horribly. He'd never outright said so to Danny but subtlety wasn't one of his strongpoints either. Ethan never bothered to pretend he cared for Scott, but he never showed any hostility towards him, at least in front of Danny. So when Stiles' voice broke through Danny's focus he never expected to hear anything nice, although he decided to listen anyway ready to defend his adoring boyfriend. What Danny didn't expect to hear though, was Stiles telling Scott there was no way he could kill Ethan as he is an Alpha werewolf after all and he had helped them. Any retort Danny had died in his throat in that moment. What the hell were they talking about? He didn't get the chance to hear anymore as the teacher shushed the class and for once Stiles was quiet. Typical.
The rest of the day went by in a blur as Danny pondered the hidden meaning. Ethan was always making remarks about the lunar cycle, but whenever Danny asked why, his boyfriend would just give him a blinding smile and tell him to figure it out. After a while Danny had stopped wondering and just accepted it as one of Ethan's quirks. Now though he wondered, was there something more to it? He felt ridiculous at lunch, barely saying two words to anyone, the thought crossed his mind repeatedly that it was probably just a game that Ethan played where his character was a werewolf. It was plausible but something in his gut said that wasn't it. He could just ask him. Ethan kept shooting him concerned looks and asking if everything was okay. Danny could only nod his head in response. It didn't help either of them, Danny was wrapped in inner turmoil over a passing comment and Ethan was becoming more visibly distressed as the lunch hour ticked by. For a while he just looked at Ethan, really looked at him. The strong jawline, carefully styled hair, full lips he was so well acquainted with and the brown eyes that always held such warmth for him. It took Danny a moment to realise he was looking Ethan in the eye and to recognise the tentative smile on his face. What was he afraid of really? That was it he realised. He didn't know, which was exactly why he was afraid. He was scared of the unknown, the possibility of it being something terrible. Looking into those familiar brown eyes that still held such warmth his doubt left him. Sure it could be bad, but he loved Ethan enough to know that whatever it was they would get past it. They wouldn't lose each other over something trivial.
"Are we okay?" Ethan's unsure as he asks, carefully watching Danny's expression.
"Yeah, we are. Just got a lot on my mind."
"Do you still want me to come round later?"
"Huh? Oh - yeah of course"
"Right. I guess i'll see you later then."
Ethan stood up to leave but at the last moment turned back to kiss Danny goodbye. At least Ethan didn't think he hated him. God - what if he lets this push them apart? No. After school they'd talk about it - whatever it was - when there would be no one eavesdropping or any interruptions. With his resolve made Danny dumped his tray of barely touched food and left for his last class. It was one of the few that Ethan wasn't in, which meant that Aiden was, although they didn't sit near one another. When his teacher announced they were having a pop quiz he breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he enjoyed tests, but it meant he couldn't over think what he was going to say to Ethan. His class that always seemed to drag by seemed to be over in a matter of minutes. Aiden started making his way over with a certain brotherly look in his eye that made Danny sure he didn't want this conversation. Grabbing his bag and making a hasty escape, whilst pretending not to see his pursuer, he half walked half jogged to his car. There was no way he was talking to Aiden about this before his brother, and he would have found a way to get it out of him. Aiden was never afraid to push until he got what he wanted, even when it came to friends.
A familiar jet black bike was parked outside his house when he pulled up on the drive, its owner was already waiting by the front door. Danny gave the most reassuring smile he could manage whilst his stomach did backflips.
"Hey"
"Hi"
Neither of them could build up much enthusiasm. Danny led the way up to his room so they wouldn't be disturbed if his parents miraculously came home early. They wouldn't. They never did. Not that Danny really minded, they cared about working to put food on the table, rather than getting home before dark. Sitting down on the bed he patted the space beside him which Ethan sat in, his eyes never leaving Danny's face. Their hands found each others without either of them thinking about it. Deep breaths. One. Two. Three.
"So you're breaking up with me?" Danny supposed this was how it must look to Ethan, but he couldn't believe that Ethan would ever think it.
"No! Of course not. You know how much you mean to me." Ethan frowned in response, his expression more calculating now that he didn't understand what was going on.
"Then I've done something wrong? You've barely been able to look me in the eye today and I can hear how fast your heart is beating." Now it was Danny's turn to frown, was his heart beating that loud? That was the moment it all clicked in his head, why he felt like he knew what was really going on and all of Ethan's quirks that were actually clues. It all made sense; why Ethan knew the lunar cycle so well, the jokes about smells, claims of what he could hear and the flash of red he thought he saw from time to time in his eyes.
"You're a werewolf - but you've been trying to tell me that from the very beginning. You're a werewolf and I love you." Danny knew it was true, that it didn't change how he felt, after all Ethan had been giving him clues to figure it out himself this entire time. He could have just said it outright, forced the truth on him, but instead he let him realise on his own and decide how he felt about it in his own time. Ethan's face had split into the most dazzling smile Danny had ever seen - even after dating him for months. Lips collided with an almost tangible feel of relief. There were still things Danny needed to know but for the moment nothing else mattered and as they pulled apart Ethan whispered once more, "Took you long enough." to which the only response possible was Danny's own heart melting smile.
It took a while to get used to everything, the total lack of secrecy despite how barely concealed it was before. Ethan shifted for Danny the next morning when he asked to see what he looked like and took it in his stride. He learned of the Alpha pack and how they'd tried to kill Scott and the others, but failed when Ethan and Aiden turned against them. It was for him and Lydia apparently - Aiden claimed he was just supporting his brother of course, but fortunately no one believed that. Danny felt blessed to have someone so great in his life that loved him enough to risk everything for him. Soon he fell asleep entwined with Ethan, but not before realising something else he was grateful for: that Stiles Stilinski could not whisper.
Fin.