NOTE: A Daniel x Jay fic yeahh. And of course it's Big Danny :)
Even if the winter cold seeped into his bones and snow fell endlessly, this was one of the few breaks Daniel ever got.
Going back to his mom was more of a danger now. Charles Choi might be gone, but Daniel still didn’t trust James Lee.
But should he really be worrying about all that now?
No.
Absolutely not.
Not when he’d finally asked Jay to come with him to the winter festival.
During New Year’s, he’d been busy dealing with Big Deal’s mess, the whole group wrapped up in that chaos. Heroes, maybe, but he still shuddered at the thought of what would’ve happened to his mom if he’d gone to jail.
But now wasn’t the time to think about that. He had met his mom. His uncle was still a deadbeat. And that was fine or fine enough. What wasn’t fine was how he had almost killed Jay. That guilt ruined him far more than Jay’s quiet forgiveness ever could. Jay hadn’t even fought back.
Time together had become so rare. When was the last time he’d gone somewhere with Jay? Just the two of them.
The guilt resurfaced but with it came a small, fragile hope. Relief, even, when Jay agreed to come with him. His heart had beat a little faster, his hands had trembled maybe from the cold, maybe not but his eyes had lit up when Jay texted that one word: Yes.
A “yes” that held so many possibilities.
A “yes” that healed the ache of missed chances.
A “yes” that told him Jay still felt comfortable with him.
Yes — Daniel’s heart said yes, too!
🍁
“Jay! Over here!” Daniel’s voice cut through the crowd, and Jay turned toward him with a small, shy smile. That smile softened even more when he realized how close Daniel was standing. Maybe it was just the crowd, it was really crowded but Daniel was close. Too close.
“Are you okay, Jay?” Daniel asked, placing a hand on his forehead.
Jay nodded quickly. Did he look unwell? Not today. Not when he finally had a chance to spend time with Daniel again. When Daniel tugged gently on his sleeve to guide him through the crowd, Jay felt something warm settle in his chest.
“Oh, look at that blonde guy.”
“No, the black-haired one’s cuter.”
“Aww, they’re both cute!”
Murmurs rose from the crowd, but no one dared to approach. Two 6ft tall guys like them, cute or not, weren’t the kind of people strangers walked up to.
Jay bought Daniel a candied apple and a few souvenirs, noticing how Daniel’s gaze kept flicking toward the ferris wheel in the distance.
“Jay, if you’re done,” Daniel said, “can we go to the ferris wheel?”
Ferris wheels.
Jay had seen enough movies to know what couples usually did there that soft kiss at the top. He’d even watched one like that with Joy once. But was he even allowed to hold Daniel’s hand, let alone kiss him? Probably not. Still, he was grateful just to be here, with him.
In his hurry to finish eating so Daniel wouldn’t have to wait, Jay nearly choked. Daniel instantly reached out, a hand on his back, passing him water, concern written all over his face.
“Jay, be more careful,” Daniel said with a laugh. “You even got crumbs on your face.”
He wiped them off gently, and his touch lingered a little too long before he pulled away. Then, together, they headed toward the ferris wheel.
🍁
“The city looks so big from here,” Daniel said, eyes wide with wonder.
Amid all the chaos, gangs, fighting, his two bodies, Daniel was still just a boy trying to figure things out. Moments like this, where he didn’t have to think about which body he was in or what technique he had to master, felt precious.
Jay didn’t bother looking out the window. Not because he didn’t care, but because the view in front of him...Daniel’s face lit up with genuine awe was enough. He’d missed that expression. Missed him.
When Daniel called his name, Jay turned.
“Jay.”
Daniel was kneeling slightly, head bowed, hand clutching Jay’s.
Jay froze. Daniel’s expression was so sad, so remorseful, he hated seeing it.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said quietly.
For a moment, Jay couldn’t grasp what was happening. Sorry? For what? His heart pounded as he tried to pull his hand away, but Daniel held on tighter.
“When you came to the Workers 1st Affiliate,” Daniel said, voice trembling, “I know what I did was unforgivable, but—”
Before he could finish, Jay wrapped his arms around him. Tight. His embrace silenced whatever apology was about to follow. Daniel hugged him back immediately, his breath warm against Jay’s shoulder.
When Daniel tried to speak again, Jay pulled away just enough to place a hand over his mouth, eyes firm, expression warning him not to say another word.
Daniel almost laughed at the sight, the way Jay’s nose scrunched up when he was angry, the rare flash of emotion in his usually calm face. But this time, Jay’s anger wasn’t really anger. It was something deeper, frustration that Daniel still carried guilt he’d already forgiven.
Daniel gently removed Jay’s hand, pulled him back into his arms, and sighed into the crook of his neck.
Not many words were spoken after that. They didn’t need to be.
What lingered instead was Jay’s smile, real and sweet.
Daniel realized then that Jay had never needed an apology. He never needed words to show love.
As their hug lingered a heartbeat too long, Daniel thought that maybe, not this time, but next time, he’d finally have his kiss with Jay on the ferris wheel.
