Team cocoa

The grasslands just outside of Amity Park were quiet, save for the soft rustle of leaves in the chilly breeze. Manny tugged his jacket tighter around himself, teeth almost chattering, but he kept his mouth shut. No way he was going to complain. Not when Danny was lying beside him on the old plaid blanket, his blue eyes sparkling brighter than the sky overhead.

This was a special night. Danny had hesitantly invited him to come out and watch a meteor shower, and Manny had agreed a little too enthusiastically. Danny had warned him to dress warm, but even the cold couldn’t dampen the thrill buzzing in his chest.

The sky had darkened, and stars flickered to life above them—way more than Manny ever saw back in Miracle City. Too much light pollution there. But here? With Amity Park’s soft glow far in the distance, the sky felt vast and endless, like he could reach up and grab a handful of stars. It was unreal.

“It should be starting soon,” Danny declared, sitting up and pointing toward the stars. “It should be a decent one. This is a more normal one that isn't affected by ghosts like some of the others can be.”

Manny snorted, shaking his head. “Only in Amity Park would you have ghostly meteor showers.” He gave Danny a lopsided grin. “What, do they light up green and scream at you?”

Danny laughed, nudging him with his shoulder. “Sometimes! There’s a whole theory that ghosts mess with space debris. Tucker and I tracked one that looked like a giant glowing skull once. Scared the crap out of some joggers.”

Manny couldn’t help but laugh along, warmed by Danny’s enthusiasm. He hadn’t expected to feel so... comfortable. Maybe a little cold, but his chest felt warmer than it had in a long time.

Manny looked up at the sky and remembered that Danny had always loved space. He had several NASA hoodies, which was also very bisexual of him. Then he had offhandedly mentioned a few times that he had wanted to be an astronaut before all the Phantom stuff took over his life. Every once in a while, he would ramble about the stars, but he often closed up when he noticed he was rambling—like he didn’t think anyone wanted to listen.

Manny hummed and looked between Danny and the sky. “Hey, Fenton.”

Danny pulled his eyes from the sky to Manny and hummed in response, a curious look on his face.

“So, I know shooting stars aren’t exactly stars,” Manny started, scratching the back of his neck. “Care to explain what they actually are?”

“Oh. That’s easy!” Danny instantly lit up, his whole face brightening like someone had flipped a switch. “They’re just tiny bits of rock and ice burning up when they hit the atmosphere. But the colors they burn as depend on what they're made of—like, sodium makes them look yellow, and copper makes them look blue or green.”

Danny paused to take a breath, his hands moving animatedly as he explained. Manny just watched, completely captivated—not by the sky, but by the way Danny’s excitement seemed to glow. He couldn’t help but smile, soaking in every little detail of how Danny’s nose crinkled and his eyes widened as he talked.

“And, like, they can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a pebble. Most of them don’t even make it to the ground, but when they do, they’re called meteorites. And sometimes they’re magnetic, depending on the minerals! It’s crazy, right?”

Manny blinked as he processed the information, trying to keep up with the rush of words. “So, not stars but more like doomed space rocks?”

Danny grinned, the corners of his mouth quirking up in that way that made Manny’s heart stutter. “Yeah, that sums it up pretty well.” Then his eyes went back up to the night sky, a faint smile still on his lips.

Manny couldn’t help but look at Danny fondly as the stars reflected in his blue eyes, making them shimmer like they held a whole galaxy inside.

Suddenly, Danny gasped, his hand shooting up to point at the sky. “There’s the first one!” His other hand smacked against Manny’s arm, making him jolt.

Manny chuckled, his own brown eyes widening as he looked up just in time to see a handful of streaks shoot across the sky. “Oh, wow,” he breathed, his voice awed. “That’s... that’s crazy.”

Danny chuckled softly, and before Manny could even process it, he felt Danny’s hand resting on his thigh—light and warm. His heart did a little flip, but he stayed focused on Danny’s voice as his other hand returned to pointing out the meteors.

“This shower is caused by a comet passing close to Earth,” Danny explained, his tone brimming with enthusiasm. “The shooting stars are just pieces breaking off as it flies by. It happens every year, but sometimes the debris trail is thicker or thinner, depending on how much the comet has shed.”

Manny hummed, his eyes tracing the glowing trails that faded almost as fast as they appeared. “That’s... really cool,” Manny said, and he wasn’t just talking about the sky.

Danny hummed, his smile soft. “I'm glad you think so.”

Danny started talking again, rambling about meteor speeds and space facts, and Manny just listened, enjoying how passionate he was.

Then Danny spoke up again, his voice thoughtful. “Do you make wishes on shooting stars?”

Manny blinked. “Actually, no. Most people in Mexico think shooting stars are bad omens—like evil spirits flying across the sky. You’ll see old women cross themselves if they see one go overhead.”

Danny glanced at him, eyebrows raised, before laughing softly. “As someone who has actually seen haunted or spectral shooting stars... they’re more right than they think they are in some ways.”

“Are you sure this one isn’t a haunted comet?” Manny teased.

Danny rolled his eyes but grinned. “Pretty sure. If it starts screaming or throwing fireballs, though, we’ll know I was wrong.”

Manny laughed, bumping his shoulder against Danny’s. “What, the great El Tigre can’t handle space ghosts?”

“I’m not about to fight cursed space rocks and get my ass even more cursed than it already is,” Manny snickered.

Danny chuckled warmly as he leaned against Manny’s shoulder. “Would you want to wish on one of these?”

Manny didn’t look at the stars. Instead, he looked at Danny. “I think I’ve got what I want already, mi vida.”

Danny sputtered as his face darkened, “You and that Rivera hopeless romantic streak, I swear.”

“What? It’s a good character trait,” Manny rebuffed gently, pressing a soft kiss to Danny’s cheek. “And you like it.”