#astrofox

               Kwannodded with a small curl of his mouth. "She was always an amazing dancer.I still think she should have gone to school for it. Maybe she'd be dancing ona big stage performing for thousands rather than on the street for whomeverwalks by. But," he shrugged, "we never could convince her togo."

               "Notsure why I had to wear sunglasses though." Danny glanced sideways at theman beside him as he lifted an eyebrow curiously.

               "Justa, um," Kwan refused to look at him as he scratched at his cheek with afinger, "precaution."

               Dannyeyed the man suspiciously. "Well, that doesn't sound like you're nottelling me everything or anything."

               Kwanoffered him a smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

               Hismouth drew into a frown. Danny didn't like thinking Kwan was withholdinginformation from him, but maybe Kwan had a reason for it. He sighed, decidingit was sometimes best not to push too hard. Sometimes a person didn't want todiscuss things until further down the line in a relationship. Maybe it was asecret of Paulina's and Kwan didn't want to betray her trust by telling Danny.Even knowing these possibilities, Danny couldn't ignore a little frustration.

               "So,um, she's wearing her hair differently now, isn't she?" Danny remembered whenshe served them the first time Danny met Kwan at Prestige.

               Kwanbobbed his head. "Yup. About a week ago, she decided she wanted to trysomething new. When she turned up at Prestige next time, she had an undercut."He leaned in close, cupping a hand over his mouth. "I think it was becauseof a recent breakup, but she'd probably punch me for suggesting it."

               Dannythought he could understand the reasoning. If he had a bad break up, he mightfeel the need to do something to shake things up in his life. He nudged Kwan inthe ribs with his elbows, cracking a small smile. "I promise I won't tellher you said that."

               "Ohgood." Kwan breathed out like he was relieved. "I don't think she'dlike me saying anything about it. So," he slipped his hand into Danny'shand, lacing their fingers together, "is there anything else you want todo?"

               Dannycontemplated the question. Kwan wanted to take him to see his friend dancesince the first time they met. Now that it was done, Danny didn't have anyplans. It was still early afternoon, and he didn't have any work meetings tointerrupt their time together. He didn't need to go off and do something overlyromantic, though. He was happy enough just spending time with Kwan, even whenit was just sitting in a quiet apartment with a nice cup of hot coffee andlistening to the rain against the windows. Sometimes, it almost scared him howmuch he had fallen for Kwan and how quickly, but it also excited him. When hewasn't in Wisconsin, he was thinking about how long until his next visit, thenext time he would see Kwan in person and get to spend his free time with him.

               Dannywas about to respond when something caught his eye. It was just a simple sign,handmade with paints, but it was colorful enough to catch people's attention."How about that?" He tried not to sound too hopeful as he pointed tothe sign. He lifted his gaze to Kwan, trying to gauge the man's reaction by hisfacial expression.

               Kwanturned to see the sign, and his eyebrows lifted, mostly in surprise. "Ifthat is what you want." He lifted their clasped hands and kissed the backof Danny's hand.

               Danny'sface burned at the small show of affection as Kwan pulled him along in thedirection of the event in the park. There wasn't a large crowd when theyarrived, only a few people scattered around as what looked like a father andson set up things before the launch.

               "WhenI was six, I always dreamed of being an astronaut," Danny admitted toKwan. "I was obsessed with learning everything I could about space. I evenbegged and begged until my parents agreed to send me to space camp over thesummer. But," he sighed, lifting his head to frown at the blue sky,"it was a lot harder to achieve that dream than I thought."

               "Doyou regret that you never reached that dream?"

               Dannysnapped his gaze to Kwan after hearing the hint of sorrow, maybe, in the man'svoice. He tried to get a read on Kwan but couldn't pick out any emotion on hisface. Then Danny shook his head. "I used to be sad about it. But my job'snot so bad. And," he bit his lip as he stepped closed, almost leaning intoKwan, "I never would have met you if I had become an astronaut."

               "I'mglad I met you too." Kwan sneaked a quick kiss to Danny's temple before anoise distracted them.

               Therocket built by father and son soared into the sky, leaving behind a trail ofsmoke. Danny tilted his head back, watching the rocket ascend until it reachedits peak. He whistled lowly at the height it managed. It was a fairly wellbuilt rocket to achieve such height. The father clapped a hand to his son'sshoulder, both excitedly watching the result of their hard work. Danny smiledat the sight, recalling times when he would blather on and on about space andastronauts and rockets to his parents, who would smile and nod along toeverything he said, taking an interest simply because it interested him.

               Kwanmoved to stand behind Danny then wrapped his arms around the man, envelopinghim in a warm embrace. "I miss you every time you have to leave," hewhispered, his chin basically resting on Danny's shoulder.

               Dannysighed sadly as he leaned back into Kwan. He knew they hadn't known each otherfor a long time, but he felt so comfortable with Kwan that it sometimes feltlike they could have known each other for years. "Yeah," he agreedquietly, "I miss you too."

               "Whatif I went back to Amity Park with you?"

               Dannyspun around at the question, his blue eyes growing wide. "Wait." Hefrowned, placing a hand against Kwan's chest. "No," he shook hishead, "I don't want you leaving behind your home for me."

               Kwanblinked at the refusal. Then the corner of his mouth twisted in an amusedsmirk. "I was just talking about for a visit. I'd like to see where youlive. You could introduce me to your friends and family. Unless," hepulled back but took hold of Danny's hands, "that's too soon for you. Idon't want you to think I'm rushing things."

               "I won't be long," Kwan said, rolling his eyes at his friend. "I just want to take a look around before it gets too dark." His aunt had loaned him her cabin out by the lake so he and his friends could spend the last week of summer there. She grumbled something about teenagers and just wanting an excuse to party all day without responsibility when she handed him the key. After working all summer, being yelled at by customers, Kwan thought he deserved a little fun with his friends.

               He walked off the path from the road to the cabin and weaved through the trees of forest, taking in the beauty of the nature surrounding him. The sounds from the cabin faded away the farther he walked. The birds chirped. Twigs snapped under his feet. The leaves in the trees rustled in the light breeze. He could just see the lake through the trees until he turned, walking away from the lake. After Dash suggested the idea two weeks ago, Kwan couldn't stop thinking about the trip to the cabin. He even had his camera with him in case he spotted a deer or something while he walked.

               When he heard something snap somewhere ahead of him, Kwan stilled, listening carefully. Then he heard some rustling. He reached into his bag, bringing out his camera. Even though he thought about being able to snap some pictures of wildlife during their stay at the cabin, he didn't actually expect to happen upon anything this soon after arriving. He crept forward, trying to move as quietly as possible to avoid spooking whatever animal had made the noise. He raised his camera, ready to take pictures, when he got closer to the source of the noise.

               He hit the button to take the picture before he even registered what exactly he was seeing in front of him. Slowly, the camera lowered along with Kwan's jaw. He could not have actually seen what he thought he just saw. The man in front of him tugged on the pair of jeans he grabbed from a pile next to him. A naked man in the middle of the forest was odd, sure, but that wasn't what had Kwan's eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.

               The man bent down to grab the shirt folded up on the ground. When he did, he half turned to Kwan, who dropped his camera. It clunked as it hit the ground, and Kwan would have cursed at breaking it if his attention wasn't so focused on the other man. The sound, though, alerted the man to the fact that he was no longer alone in the woods. He jerked upright and twisted to stare at Kwan as his blue eyes grew wide with shock, and maybe a little fear.

               "Danny!" Kwan gasped, hardly believing what he was seeing.

               "Uh, Kwan." Danny's eyes darted around the woods like a spooked animal searching for the best escape route. "W-What are you doing here?"

               "My aunt has a cabin around here," Kwan answered without thinking. "Were you," his brow creased as he pointed at the other man, "just a wolf?"

               "No!" Danny snorted, laughing awkwardly but couldn't look Kwan in the face.

               "Really?" Kwan stared flatly, not buying the total lie. "Because I'm pretty sure I just watched you change from being a wolf."

               "Pfft! Are you sure you're not thinking about a movie you watched recently?" Danny quickly pulled on his shirt instead of continuing to stand around shirtless. "I mean, there are some pretty awesome movies with werewolves in them. But that's not a real thing."

               "Danny, I know what I saw." Frowning, Kwan folded his arms. "You were a wolf then you changed back into you. I was standing right here when it happened. Plus you still," he reached up his hands and held them to the side of his head, flapping his fingers, "have your ears showing. And I can see fangs when you talk."

               Danny spun away from him, reaching up to feel the top of his head to find that, yes, he did have furry ears sticking up from his hair. After a moment, the ears vanished why before Kwan's eyes. When he faced the jock again, Danny grinned, showing off normal human teeth. "I don't know what you mean. No ears or fangs here."

               "Danny, just tell me what's going on." Kwan bent over and picked up his broken camera. Then he stepped closer to Danny. He was a bit wary after seeing the whole wolf to person changing thing he did, but he had known Danny since they were six. Maybe they weren't friends, but he always knew Danny as a nice guy. "I'll admit I'm trying not to completely freak out about this. But I'm not going to go running off screaming, 'Danny's a werewolf!' to everyone I see."

               Danny rubbed awkwardly at his arm with his gaze lowered to the forest floor. Uncertainty practically radiating from him, and Kwan could understand why the man was hesitant to talk to him about what happened. Kwan's best friend hadn't treated Danny the best since their freshman year. Trusting a jock probably went against his first instincts.

               "I came up here to camp," Danny said, reaching up to tug on his ear as he frowned. "The stars are a lot clearer up here, so I wanted to be able to observe them. Tucker and Sam came with me, but they had to head back early. It was late at night, and I was busy looking through my telescope. I heard some noise in the woods, but I figured it was just a rabbit or a deer or something. I hadn't really seen anything dangerous. Turns out it was a wolf." He laughed but there was no humor in it. "Who would have thought, right? I bit me right here." He circled a spot on his left thigh. "I really thought it was going to kill me. It dragged me into the forest. I kept trying to grab onto something to stop it, but it all just kept slipping through my fingers. I think I eventually passed out from the pain. Or maybe the blood loss." Danny shrugged like it didn't matter which one it was. "When I woke, it was morning, and I was somewhere in the middle of the forest. My clothes were basically shredded. I didn't have any scarring though. I thought my leg was going to be this horrible bloody mess, maybe even have some chunks ripped out. But there was nothing. I almost thought I dreamed the whole thing. How could that have happened and I didn't have a scar on my body?"

               "When did you realize the wolf wasn't just a wolf?" Kwan could only imagine how the experience terrified the other man. He swallowed thickly, not wanting to ever go through what Danny had.

               "Well, it kind of seemed obvious when night came, and I," Danny looked away, crossing his arms like it would somehow protect him, "changed. It freaked me out pretty bad. I didn't know what was happening. Just all of a sudden I was in pain and collapsed to the ground. I could pretty much feel everything as bone and muscle shifted and stuff. And then I was a wolf. And," he lowered his gaze in embarrassment, "I may have eaten a rabbit. I don't know. It was all really fuzzy that first time, and I woke up with a rabbit carcass next to me."

               "That would be pretty freaky."

               "Yeah. I've been getting better though!" Danny's brow furrowed. "I think. I've been trying to control it, and I think it's working. But I keep thinking: What if I can't control it before school starts? What if it's the middle of class and I all of a sudden lose control and change? I doubt people are just going to be okay seeing me change into a wolf."

               "Yeah," Kwan frowned, "I don't see people reacting well to that." He looked at Danny, and he could tell how panicked the other man was. This kind of thing wasn't something a person adjusted to right away. Danny was trying hard to gain control for his protection as much as for the protection of everyone around him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

               "What exactly could you do?"

               Kwan winced. "Probably nothing," he admitted with a defeated feeling. "I just - I want to help. If I can. You don't have to go through this alone."

               Danny actually seemed surprised by Kwan's answer. He probably never thought a jock would offer help, especially willingly. "Oh, um, thanks." He shifted his weight, seeming uncertain of what to say or do next.

               Kwan glanced around, trying to think of how to fill the sudden awkward silence. "It's getting late," he noted, looking up to see the sky darkening. "I'm supposed to get back. We're going to barbecue. Um, I'd invite you-"

               Danny raised a hand to stop Kwan with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. If I showed up, there would be too many questions. Plus I'm sure Dash wouldn't want me there."

               "Sorry." Kwan frowned sadly. He hated to leave Danny to deal with his situation alone, but he couldn't think of a way he could help. His presence may not be helpful if Danny lost control and ended up attacking him.

               "You don't have to apologize." Danny shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Um, I'm camped just over there." He nodded his head backward and to the left to indicate the general location of his camp. "If you want to talk again or something."

               "Sure." Kwan grinned. "Maybe I can slip out sometime tomorrow."

               Danny nodded. "I'll see you around then." He turned to walk back to his camp but paused. "Um, so I've shredded up a lot of my clothes with accidental transformations." His cheeks darkened. "This is basically the last of my clothes that aren't completely ruined."

               Kwan almost laughed. "I can bring a change of clothes from stuff, though they might be a bit big."

               "That's fine." Danny smiled. "Thanks, Kwan. Um, I'll figure out a way to pay you back. For the camera."

               Kwan shook his head. "You don't really have to. It's was my fault for dropping it in the first place."

               "Yeah, but you wouldn't have dropped it if you hadn't seen me."

               "It's really fine." Kwan sighed in defeat when he saw the determination on Danny's face. "But if you feel you must."

               "I must." Danny bobbed his head. "And I should stop holding you up from getting back to your friends. So I'm just going to go now." He pointed to his camp as he backed up a step. "See you!"

                Danny rolled his eyes at the obvious excuse for Elle and Valerie to leave so Danny could have some alone time with Kwan. It wouldn't be their first date and they had spoke plenty of times on the phone and through texts and e-mails, but a thrill of nervousness still washed over him over the idea of being alone. They both wanted to see how the relationship went, what their feelings were for each other, before progressing to anything physical, but that didn't stop Danny from worrying about making himself look like a complete idiot in front of Kwan.

                "Do you want me to come with you tomorrow?" Danny asked as Elle and Valerie slid out of the booth.

                "I think we can manage it on our own for one day." Elle leaned in for a hug then whispered in his ear, "Try not to have too much fun with the hottie."

                "Elle!" Danny's face burned red, both embarrassed by her comment and how whiny his voice sounded.

                Elle stuck her tongue out playfully. "It was great meeting you again," she told Kwan. "For more than two seconds in the park."

                Kwan smiled in returned. "It has been a great pleasure to spend my evening in the company of two lovely and charming ladies."

                Valerie gave Danny a nudge in the shoulder. "Oh, he's definitely a keeper." She smirked at his blushing face. "Don't stay out too late, you two." She slipped her hand into Elle's hand and pulled her girlfriend toward the exit of the bar.

                "So your sister," Kwan said, leaning on the table and resting his head in his hand as he lifted his eyebrows curiously.

                "Pretty much always." Danny laughed with a nod. "I have this friend named Sam, who is a girl. When Elle was about six, she would say she was going to marry Sam one day." He shook his head with an amused smile. "My parents thought it was just a thing kids said sometimes. But I guess Elle always kind of knew she was more interested in girls than guys. I think the last time a guy asked Elle out, she was sixteen and punched him into balls for being a sleaze ball. She was sent home for a week from school, but I was kind of proud of her."

                Kwan cringed. "I'm glad that wasn't me." Sitting up again, he took a swig of his beer. "And your parents never had any problems with it?"

                "Well," Danny shrugged, "they're a little disappointed that we're not likely to give them grandkids. But they'd rather we be happy so they're supportive as long as, you know, we're not in a bad, abusive relationship." He picked at the label on his beer. "Ah, but there's also my older sister Jazz. She's a psychologist, and she's been with this guy for about three years now. My parents have been waiting for that phone call where my sister announces they're finally getting married."

                Kwan hummed as he nodded. "Sounds like you had a good family."

                Danny paused with his beer halfway to his mouth. Frowning, he placed the bottle back down on the table. "I'm sorry." He glanced toward Kwan. "About your parents."

                Kwan shook his head and smiled, though it hardly reached his aqua green eyes. "It's fine. I got over that a long time ago. I'm much happier having gotten away from them."

                "Yeah, but," Danny lowered his gaze, "it still sucks. Parents are supposed to care for their children and love them no matter what. I know that's sort of an idealist view, but that's what I think, even if it doesn't hold true for all families." When he felt the brush of lips against his cheek, Danny jerked his head up then turned to the man sitting beside him.

                Kwan wore a faint smile that still looked more real than the last one. "I like that you have such a good heart. Your parents must be very proud of the man your grew up into."

                Danny blushed so darkly he was certain it reached even to the tips of his ears. "It's getting pretty stuffy in here," he said with an awkward laugh. "Do you want to go for a walk?" When Kwan gave a nod, Danny felt relieved. The Prestige was a nice bar, but a lot of people frequented it, making it feel a bit overwhelming for Danny when he actually paid attention to the noise made by all the chatting at different tables.

                Slipping out of the booth, Danny stepped aside as Kwan followed after him. Once they were outside, he felt like he could breathe again, and the cool night air felt good against his still heated cheeks. They walked along in silence for a few minutes before Danny couldn't take it anymore and had to say something to break it.

                "Is there anything going on tonight?" Their last date had gotten interrupted by a sudden downpour of rain while they were at a carnival.

                Kwan held a hand to his chin in thought but eventually shook his head. "Unfortunately, you stopped by on a sort of dead night. But if you have some free time tomorrow, we can hit the strip where Paulina likes to perform." Then a grin tugged at his mouth, and he grabbed Danny's hand. "But I have an idea."

                "Where are we going?" Danny asked as Kwan dragged him down the street.

                "It's a surprise!" Kwan tossed a grin over his shoulder then continued leading the way.

                Danny wasn't sure about a surprise. He remembered surprises from high school, which usually involved being shoved into lockers or having his head crammed into a toilet while a jock flushed it. But even though Kwan had the whole jock physique going for him, Danny doubted the street magician's surprise involved any of the usual torment from high school. Danny followed along after Kwan, wondering the whole time what the surprise could be. There were simply too many possibilities! But when they arrived at the park where they first met, Danny blinked in surprise.

                "The park?" he questioned curiously.

                "Yeah, there's this nice little spot around the center of the park. And at this time of the night, there won't be anyone else around."

                The comment only increased Danny's curiosity. What did Kwan want to show him in the park so late at night? The creepy thought of Kwan being a serial killer came to mind, but Danny banished that immediately. Kwan didn't strike him as the serial killer type. He hoped.

                After a few minutes, they reached a small lake in the middle of the park. The spot Kwan led them to had a tree near the lake's edge, and the low hanging branches stretched out over the water. Fallen leaves of gold and red drifted idly in the lake. It was a nice spot to sit and relax and simply take in and enjoy nature for a while. It was probably a grand sight to see in the daylight. But there was something about the way the silver light of the moon shimmered over the water of the lake that made Danny feel like they had stepped into some mystical realm.

                "This is nice," Danny said as they took a seat at the base of the tree, leaning back against the thick trunk. "Is this where you come to relax while doing street performances?"

                "Sometimes." Kwan wore a crooked grin, and Danny wasn't sure what to think of it. Lifting a loosely closed fist, Kwan brought his hand to his mouth. When he blew into his hand, tiny lights burst out the other side of his hand and danced about in the air.

                "Ah!" Danny gasped when he realized what those lights actually were. "Fireflies!" His mouth hung open as he watched the fireflies flying about them and over the lake, filling the area with their soft golden glows.

                "I thought you'd appreciate that trick." Kwan smiled, his gaze focused on Danny and the look of wonder on his face.

                "It's amazing!" Danny had never seen so many fireflies in one spot before, and the setting only made it seemed more magical. He smiled at Kwan. "Thanks for this. It's really-" He shook his head, not sure how else to describe it but as amazing. "No one has ever done something like this for me."

                "I hope I'm setting the bar too high on romantic outings." Kwan scratched at his cheek, appearing somewhat embarrassed.