#mc:ethan

“I still can’t believe you got in here,” Katie chirped, following Danny as he strode across the campus of Hollywood University. “I mean, I know you’re super talented and everything… but it was pretty lucky that you were able to get someone to pay for you.”

“Lucky, yeah.” Danny gave a small shake of his head.

“I can’t wait to go to college,” Katie continued. “This place is amazing. It looks like heaps of fun!”

Danny smiled. “Whoa there, slow down. You’re not even in high school yet.”

“Yeah, I’m yet to see how good your school really is. But I’ll be done with that in a few years, anyway.” Danny led them into the platinum dorm building and Katie gasped. “Wow, this is so cool! Do you really get to live here?”

He laughed. “Sure, that’s why it’s so expensive.” He let them both into his dorm room Katie looked around for a minute or so.

“It’s so big!” she remarked after a while. “For a dorm, I mean. I didn’t know you could even get dorms with double beds.”

“Yeah, well, that c--”

Katie held up a hand. “Ew, don’t even go there, Danny!”

“You know me too well,” he mused. “But anyway… I haven’t seen you in ages. Sit down. How’s everything going at home?” Katie climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged at the head. Danny sat opposite her, mirroring her position. “How’re Mum and Dad?”

“Well, maybe you’d know if you actually called,” she said pointedly. “But they’re good. It’s weird not having you around, though, and I think they miss you more than they let on.”

“What about you? Do you miss me?”

Katie grabbed a pillow from behind her and threw it at him. “No way!”

Danny chuckled. “Sure. What about school? How’s that going?”

She grimaced and shrugged. “It’s awful.”

His face fell. “Yeah?”

“Okay, it’s not that bad,” she amended. “But loads of people are obsessed with you and it’s weird. Then they work out that you’re my brother and they keep asking me if they can meet you or I can get them your autograph or something.”

“Ah.” Danny’s smile returned. “Sorry.”

“Could you, like… not be famous until I’m finished school?”

He laughed. “Not really.” He paused. “Are you serious, though? About people being obsessed?”

Katie rolled her eyes. “They’re so annoying. They always talk about you and how great you are and they spend all their time watching videos and looking at pictures of you and-- oh my god, can you please stop modeling. If I see another picture of you in underwear I’m actually gonna puke.” Danny grinned. “And they spend ages talking about rumours of who you’re dating and how they wish it was them, and they’re, like, thirteen, so ew.”

Danny shrugged. “You learn pretty quickly how to handle stuff like that. There’s no way I’d ever date any of them, and they know it.”

“Some of them I’m not so sure…”

“Aw, come on, Katie. Are you really telling me you’ve never had a crush on a celebrity?”

She folded her arms and made a face. “Like I’d tell you if I did.”

“Go on,” Danny prompted. “Who’s your favourite actor right now?”

Katie glared at him for a few seconds, before sighing. “Fine. Because you’re way too new to all this to have anything to do with him… Chris Winters.”

Danny gave a sudden cough of surprise, gawking at her. “Chris? Really?”

“What?” Katie asked, smiling sheepishly.

“I take it you’re not as obsessed with him as your friends are with me, yeah?”

She shrugged. “No way. But he’s still my favourite. Why?”

“He’s, uh… Well…” Danny smirked, trying to picture what her reaction would be. “He’s a pretty good friend of mine, actually. He’s a really sweet guy.” He watched her eyes widen as he continued. “Don’t tell anyone, but he’s actually playing a big role in my next movie, after he’s finished filming his current one, so I’ve been working with him for a while. In fact, I just got back from Thailand a few days ago because he’s filming there right now. He and I have known each other basically since I started at Hollywood U, and… Well, I’m kind of sleeping with him.”

“Shut up!” Katie exclaimed, whacking him a few times with another pillow. “Why would you even tell me that?” she continued as Danny laughed loudly. “Is any of that even true?”

“Yes!” Danny answered. “Every word! We’ve been dating for a while now. He’s taken me out a few times.” Katie gave him an unimpressed look. “Seriously! You know what? How about I give him a call. That should clear things up for you.”

He quickly pulled out his phone, and Katie’s expression turned to one of horror.

“No! No, Danny! Don’t!”

“So you believe me now?” he teased, scrolling through his contacts to find Chris’ number.

“Danny, please!”

“I thought you were a big fan of his,” he said, switching the phone to loudspeaker and holding it out of her reach as it rang.

“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “You can’t just call him! I’m not ready! What do I say? Danny, hang up right now! Danny!” She grabbed his arm, trying to get him to drop the phone. “Danny, please, just--”

“Danny?”

Danny and Katie fell silent as a voice came through the phone. Katie’s mouth hung open and Danny smirked, bringing the phone between them.

“Hey, Chris!” he said, trying not to laugh at the look on Katie’s face.

“You caught me at a good time,” Chris remarked. “I was just about to head to bed. I can’t talk for long, though.”

“We’ll make this quick, then,” Danny agreed. “You enjoying your last few days of filming?”

He could practically hear Chris’ smile when he spoke. “Thailand is beautiful, as you well know, Danny. And filming’s been pretty fun, but it’d be even better if you were here with me.”

“I bet you’re keeping pretty busy, though.”

“I’ll never be too busy to miss you, Danny.”

Danny looked pointedly at Katie, who blinked a few times.

“Well, when we’re filming Permanent Wound, we’ll see each other every day on set,” Danny reminded him.

“And off set too, I hope,” Chris replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Katie. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve only ever heard good things about your skills as a director.”

“Wait, now are you talking about on or off set?”

“Both,” Chris answered. Katie grimaced.

“Well, I’m looking forward to it, too. And, uh, Chris?”

“Mhm?”

“My sister, Katie, is over right now and I’m sure she’d love to say hi.” Katie shook her head furiously. “She’s a bit of a fan.” She facepalmed as Danny spoke. “Here, you’re on loudspeaker.”

“Hey, Katie!” Chris greeted. “Danny’s told me a bit about you. How’s it going.”

“Uh, g-good!” Katie stammered, shooting Danny a sharp glare. “H-how are you?”

“I’m doing pretty well,” Chris answered. “I’ve been filming in Thailand for the last few weeks and I’m heading back to L.A. in a few days. I’ll definitely be catching up with your brother, so maybe you could join us sometime. I’d love to say hi in person.”

Katie blushed, unable to speak.

“If that’s alright with Danny, of course,” Chris added.

“Sure,” Danny shrugged. “Just as long as I get you to myself as well.”

“That’s a guarantee. But the three of us could grab coffee, or something,” he suggested. “My schedule’s pretty packed with premieres and promotions for the movie once I get back, but I should get a day or two off before the L.A. premiere. Sound good?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” Katie managed to say.

“Well, we’d better let you get some sleep,” Danny chimed in. “But it was great talking to you, Chris. I've been missing you."

"I miss you too, baby. I'll send you the details of my flight home as soon as I know them." A brief silence followed. "I'll, uh, I'll see you in a few days, then."

Danny gave a distant smile. "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, Danny. I love you."

Danny rolled his bottom lip between his teeth momentarily. "See you soon, Chris." He hung up and, after a few seconds, he looked up at Katie. "Satisfied?" She nodded quickly.

"Yeah, but don't ever do that again!"

Danny laughed, moving to place his phone in his nightstand.

"He, um... He said he loves you," she remarked, and Danny froze. "And... you didn't say it back."

"Yeah," Danny said after a moment. He finished putting his phone down and turned back to her. "I know."

"Don't you love him too?"

Danny opened his mouth to reply, then closed it a few seconds later, sighing. "I care about him a lot," he eventually answered. "I don't think I'm ready to bring love into it." Even the word felt strange on his tongue, he found. "He understands."

"Well... At least that clears one thing up."

"Hmm?"

Katie grinned. "The rumours about who you're dating. Chris Winters."

Danny gave a small chuckle. "That's certainly part of the truth..."

"What do you mean?" Katie looked confused. "Oh, are you dating a few people, like with Berry and Ash?"

"Not exactly, no."

"So... you're dating a few people?" Danny nodded. "But separately?" Another nod.

"But they all know about each other and they're all fine with it," he added.

"All?" Katie raised an eyebrow. "So more than two, then?"

"More than two," Danny confirmed.

"Wait, if you're dating lots of people, then are there any, like, secret ones? That you don't want the media to find out about? There's got to be, right?"

Danny felt his cheeks pale slightly.

"Oh my god, I'm right! Tell me everything!" She shifted forwards onto her knees.

"Katie..."

"Oh, come on, Danny! Like I'd ever tell anyone!" She gave him a pleading expression, and he shook his head, smiling slightly. "Okay, so who would you not tell people about? It can't be someone you work with because that'd be like Chris and you're an adult anyway... Is it one of your teachers, or something?" she guessed. When Danny didn't say anything, she gasped. "What? Danny! You're dating one of your teachers?"

"We're not dating, exactly, just--"

"That's so risky, Danny! Are they hot? What do they teach? Do they treat you differently from all their other students? Oh my god, this is just like--"

"Shut up!" Danny hissed, reaching forward to cover her mouth with a hand. "Of course he's hot," he replied quietly. "He teaches Hollywood 101, which is basically an introduction course to working in the industry. And no, he doesn't give me special treatment. If anything, he's even worse to me than he is to anyone else."

Katie pulled his hand away. "You mean he's usually really strict? Does he get you in trouble a lot? Oh! And does he ask you to stay after class? That's so bad, Danny!" she giggled.

Danny could feel himself beginning to blush. "Shush!" Katie giggled more at his embarrassment. "Most people just think he hates me, really. He’s a nice enough guy, but he’s brutal as a teacher.”

Danny was saved from any further conversation by a knock at the door, and he quickly jumped up to open it. Sighing with relief, he welcomed Ethan into the room and shut the door behind him. Ethan pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek.

“I have a meeting soon so I can’t stay long,” he began, “but I’m free from about six, and I thought you might want to go out, if you don’t already have plans. There’s a Thai place I’ve been wanting to take you to, and we could make a date of it… Grab dinner, maybe head down to the pier, go back to mine for the night…”

Danny smiled warmly. “That sounds wonderful.” He pressed his lips against Ethan’s for a few seconds, his arms lightly circling his waist. Eventually pulling away, he turned back to Katie and dragged Ethan further into the room. “This is Ethan,” he announced. “He’s my… agent.”

Katie smirked. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Danny glared at her, then looked to Ethan. “This is my little sister, Katie.”

“Hey, I’m not little!” she shot back, folding her arms.

Danny shrugged. “You’re smaller than me, and that’s what matters.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ethan said, stepping forward and extending his hand.

Katie shook it, then gave him a small hug, which he returned. “Are you really Danny’s agent?”

Ethan laughed. “Yes. I was pretty lucky to snag him on his first day here. He’s my best client to date, for sure.”

“Your best client to date?” Danny smirked, throwing an arm around him.

“For sure,” Ethan repeated, grinning at him. “Well, I only really intended to stop by here a minute or so, so I’d better get going. I hope to see you around, Katie.”

“It was nice meeting you,” she replied.

Ethan nodded and walked back towards the door with Danny. He stopped before leaving, wrapping his arms around Danny and pulling him close. “I’ll pick you up at six, then?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait,” Danny purred, reaching up to fiddle with Ethan’s tie. “Don’t wear yourself out this afternoon, okay.”

Ethan leant forward to rest his forehead against Danny’s. “I’ll see what I can do.” He brought their lips back together for a few moments, before pulling back with a small sigh. “What did I possibly do to deserve you?”

“Nothing remotely bad enough,” Danny chuckled, opening the door for him. “See you in a few hours.”

“See you, sugar,” Ethan grinned, giving him a small wave.

Once he was gone, Danny slowly turned back into the room and walked lazily back over to the bed.

“Well, I like him,” Katie said, as Danny sat next to her.

“Me too,” he sighed, lying back on the bed. “He gets really busy, so we don’t get to go out much…” He smiled up at the ceiling for a few moments, before looking back at her, clearing his throat. “You, uh… You like him?”

She shrugged. “He seems nice. And you two looked so natural together. It was cute.”

“Yeah, he is…” Danny breathed, and Katie laughed.

“You’d better have told him you love him,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything more obvious.”

“Huh?” Danny sat up again.

“You’re completely smitten, you idiot.” She shook her head, amused. “Both of you. How can you not see that?”

“Well, I mean…” Danny trailed off. “I do really enjoy spending time with him…”

Katie furrowed her brow and stared at him for a few seconds. “Do you love him?”

Danny frowned. “Katie, I--”

“It’s a simple enough question, and I think the answer is pretty clear, too. Do you love him?”

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, before Danny glanced down. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Katie gave a small squeal and pulled him into a hug. “Danny! This is perfect! He seems really sweet and he’s cute, too, and he obviously loves you… You need to tell him!”

“Maybe later,” Danny muttered softly.

“‘Maybe’?” Katie gasped. “I get that maybe you’re not ready to say it now, but you have to tell him sometime! What if he thinks you don’t? You can’t leave it too late!”

“Yeah, I know,” he said quietly, then smiled. “What about Chris? Why didn’t you insist I say it to him?”

“Well, I didn’t really see you interact,” she explained. “Maybe you have that kind of chemistry in person, but I didn’t see that. But with Ethan, you just… I dunno. You clicked. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so in love.” Seeing him chew his lip slightly, she sighed and hugged him tighter. “Don’t rush it, just work on it, okay?”

Danny gave a small nod, then shook his head. “What about you?”

Seeming to accept his change of subject, she pulled back from the hug and folded her arms. “What about me?”

“Are you seeing anyone at the moment? Any crushes?”

“Hell no!” she laughed.

Danny smiled. “You make it sound like it’s ridiculous.”

“Well…” Katie gave a half shrug. “I guess I wanted to talk to you about that…”

“Yeah?” Danny crossed his legs, sitting opposite her. “Is everything alright? Is someone giving you trouble, or…?”

“Oh, no, everything’s fine!” she said quickly. “I just…” She took a deep breath. “I think I might actually be aromantic.”

Danny nodded. “That’s fine.”

“It is?” Her shoulders slumped. “I mean… obviously it is. But it’s okay with you?”

“Of course.” He reached out and put a hand on her arm. “Nothing wrong with that. But I know it can be a big deal telling people, so well done. I’ll always have your back.”

A wide smile stretched across her face, and she gave a relieved laugh. “I just thought… Well, I know sometimes that kinda thing isn’t really accepted by people, even other people who aren’t straight. I see people invalidate asexuality a lot, so I’d expect it would be even worse for aromanticism, because even less people know about that. I know a few ace people in my school’s GSA, but no one who’s aro. I feel… pretty alone sometimes. Like no one will ever really be able to love me because I can’t handle romance.”

“Hey…” Danny soothed, initiating a hug of his own. “You’ll always have me. And, besides, I know a few aro people and some of them are in perfectly happy relationships.”

He felt her shrug. “I know some aro people are okay with romance, even though they don’t feel that way… But it just makes me really uncomfortable and even though I really want to have some kind of relationship, I know I can’t…”

Danny shook his head. “Relationships don’t have to be romantic, Katie. You know Ash? He’s just the same - aromantic and completely romance repulsed. But look at him and Berry… They couldn’t be happier.”

Katie pulled back. “Ash is aro and romance repulsed?” she asked, surprised. “But… weren’t you…?”

“We were in a relationship, yeah,” Danny finished. “Just not a romantic one. If you really want to be with someone, then just work out your boundaries and make them clear. Work out what you’re uncomfortable with, and get rid of those things. He always said to Berry and me that what he wanted in a partner was a best friend. Even in a romantic relationship, you should look for someone like that, too. You can just skip out on the romance.”

“That’s… that’s really a thing?” She looked shocked, but excited. “Because that’s what I want. I want to be able to spend my life with someone and for it to be a committed, steady relationship, but without it being romantic. And that’s what they have?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. You should go talk to them about it sometime.”

Grinning, Katie pulled Danny back into yet another hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“No problem,” he chuckled. “But I’ll warn you now… from my experience with Ash, you’re probably gonna come up against some rough patches. Romance is so widespread and ingrained into society, and as someone who doesn’t relate to that, it might get you down a little, but remember you can always find people to talk to about that. There’s me, and then I’m sure he’ll be there for you, too. He’ll understand. He told us that a lot of his trouble was that he didn’t have any other aro people he knew that he could talk to, so I know he’ll be able to help if you need someone.”

“You’re the best, Danny,” she murmured into his shoulder. “I don’t know why I was nervous to tell you. I haven’t told Mum and Dad because I don’t think they’ll understand, even though they’re fine with you, so I thought maybe you’d also not understand. Sorry…”

“It’s fine, Katie. I’m really proud of you for telling me, and I do feel pretty honoured.” He sighed. “You’re probably right about Mum and Dad, though… I’m sorry…”

She shrugged. “I’ve accepted that I might not be able to tell them for a while. I’m just glad I can talk to you.”

“Always,” Danny smiled.

They stayed in the hug for a few more seconds, before Katie quickly pulled back.

“Ugh, that’s enough sentimentality for today!”

Danny laughed. “I hear you! Come on, how about I show you around some of the campus?”

“That sounds great!”

An Open Letter to My Love

Danny,

I'm not traditionally good at this kind of thing unless I have to put my game face on for a client, but I knew this would be worth a lot to you. Just don't be surprised if this is much more... casual than either of us are used to coming from me.

When I first met you outside of Blitz that first night you were out with Addison, I knew you were different. Not just as a client - although you do have that star quality that I love - but as one of my best friends and now as my boyfriend. The Stones, Ratzik, and the Benefactor can say whatever they want about you; but I know the real you inside and out. Not that many people are able to say that.

If I'm being completely honest here, this letter isn't necessarily just from me. So many other people wanted to say something to you, but they didn't really know how to say it.

So I'm basically taking their words and putting them here.

Of course, I'm starting off with Berry and Ashton. They both love you to pieces, and you and I both know that. Both of them want you to be happy and not to worry about them (more than you usually do, I mean). They're excited that you're moving on up in Hollywood, and they can't wait to see what you're going to do next (and hopefully help in any way they can).

Ren misses you a lot. He really wants to be your bodyguard again, but he understands if that's not possible. Crash and Tyler love him, and they wanted me to tell you that despite everything that happened, they're all really happy - for you and for themselves.

Addi probably already told you how she feels, but I'll gladly say it again - she's really happy at how far you've come. She's happy she got to spend the quality time with you that she did, even though it was only a casual thing.

Chris is really sorry for the way you guys ended things. He really is. And honestly, so is Trace. Both of them want you to know that despite everything that you and Chris have been through, it was originally Trace that started making bets that you'd end up with me. (Should we really be surprised?) They both want you to be happy, and they're sorry for how things ended.

Diego misses you too. He knows you both have your day jobs, but he just wants to spend time with you again even if you're just friends.

Lance wants you to at least humor him and go on a date with him. (If you agree, I'll make sure it never gets out. I don't want a world-class Bianca Stone hissy-fit on my hands if I can help it.)

Aria... She's really upset that she's not around too much anymore. Everything I know is coming from Aphrodite, so it's reliable information. Expect a present from her in the next few days.

Victoria wants to start working with you again. Cass is pretty excited about that, and hopefully schedules will work out.

Last but not least... there's Hunt.

Now, to be perfectly honest, Hunt gave me the idea to write this in the first place because this was originally going to be just from me. I thought it was only fair that when I decided to add more people, he would be included in this.

He misses you like hell. He's forgiven you for breaking his heart, and he wants you to know that after everything the two of you have gone through, he still loves you and wants nothing less than the best for you. Diego finally convinced him to go out on one date with him. Hopefully it works out.

...Remember when I said last but not least?

That was kind of a lie. I sort of meant other than me. (Yeah, yeah, I'm conceited, I know.)

I love you, Danny, with all of my heart and soul. You're my best friend, my favorite client, and the one person who knows me better than I know myself.

Our song came on my playlist first thing this morning, and I knew that today would be a good day to do this:

There's a little something in your private safe. I changed the lock so you can't access it just yet, and I promise that I'll change it back tonight.

Happy birthday, sugar. I'll see you in a few at your dorm.

Love and regards,

Bidding War, Part 1

Danny cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, staring at his reflection nervously. He glanced at Harrison, who he could also see in the mirror, who shot him an approving thumbs up.

“They’re gonna love you, Danny!” he grinned. “You’ll have them all in a frenzy!”

Harrison was hosting a series of fundraiser events and he had convinced Danny to sign up for the date auction. A room full of eager bidders was waiting just down the hall and he would have to spend the night with the winner until midnight. He knew that a lot of his friends were in the crowd, but most of them were still up-and-comers with hardly enough money to win him if anyone successful had a go.

Danny sighed. “That’s not exactly what I’m worried about,” he muttered under his breath, forcing a smile at himself.

“Aw, c’mon, man!” Harrison walked up to him and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. “Even if you end up with someone you don’t like, it’s only for a few hours. And it’s for charity! Besides, you’ve got some loaded friends. Well, I say friends…” He winked at Danny. “I’m sure they’ll be all over you. I can tell you’re gonna bring in some serious cash, Danny!”

“Yeah?” Danny mused, hardly listening to him. He usually didn’t get nervous before anything, but the thought of potential strangers bidding on spending the whole evening with him was starting to make him feel slightly sick. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and Harrison rubbed his back, grinning.

“While you're out there, just remember to smile and look confident. For the first thousand dollars or so, you’ll probably have some bidders who aren’t too serious, so don’t worry about them. Remember that whoever wins has got to respect you, too. Just because they’ve bought you doesn’t mean they own you, okay?” Danny gave a small nod. “I’ve gotta go, but you should be on in about half an hour,” he advised. “Gotta get them warmed up before we bring you out, hey?” With a final grin, he strolled out of the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Danny alone.

Danny sighed, readjusting his tie for what felt like the millionth time. It was going to be a long half hour.

About half an hour later, a young man entered the room and ushered him backstage. He peered out at Harrison, who was enthusiastically congratulating a woman from the crowd who seemed to have just won the auction for the man preceding him. He looked carefully at the large audience and swallowed hard, trying desperately to find a familiar face. He didn't have any luck, but told himself that that was just because he couldn't see their faces properly from the side. He hoped that was it.

As the new couple left the stage, Harrison stole a quick glance in Danny's direction and grinned. "Ladies and gentlemen and everyone otherwise, our next handsome bachelor of the evening is a young man of huge potential, both in Hollywood and as your date tonight. He's had great success on and off the silver screen as a director, an actor, and a model... Please welcome to the stage Mr. Danny Nelsen!"

Danny took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage, striding over to Harrison as confidently as he could and shaking his hand.

Harrison tipped his microphone away from his face and whispered, "You alright, kid? You're looking a little pale."

Danny gave a curt nod and Harrison turned back to the crowd, barely missing a beat. As he continued his introduction of Danny and briefly reminded the crowd of the rules of the auction, Danny's eyes wandered over the crowd again. He gave a huge sigh of relief as he spotted Ethan sitting in the second row, and his smile became more genuine. Ethan gave him a thumbs up, and he gave him a small wave in return.

“Alright, let’s get this started!” Harrison announced. “Do I hear $100 to start?” Ethan immediately raised his bidding card. “Thank you, sir! Now, do I hear $150?”

For the next few minutes, the bidding went up in increments of fifty dollars, mostly between Ethan and a few people who were probably the non-serious bidders that Harrison had mentioned. A few of them he recognised from around the Hollywood U campus, but most of them he had never seen before. At about $900, they began to drop out. Ethan bid $950, and Harrison grinned.

“What do you say, people? Do we have one thousand dollars?”

There was a brief silence, before a card went up near the back of the crowd. Danny tried to make out who the person was and blanched. It was Luke. At least he was still just a college student, Danny reminded himself, and was probably as broke as the rest of them. He wouldn’t get very far against someone like Ethan. The two of them bid back and forth, raising by $100 and then $250 each time. As they passed $3000, Danny started to feel a little uneasy, and looked closer at Luke. He was sitting with some of the other students from Rho Gamma who were whispering with him and cheering him on. Danny’s heart sunk as he realised that they had probably teamed up to try to outbid Ethan. He couldn’t think of anything worse than having to spend the whole evening with Luke, especially if some of the other frat guys were there, too.

The bids continued to rise and Luke and his friends weren’t looking any less confident. Ethan began to look slightly uncomfortable at around $6000 and Danny chewed nervously on his bottom lip. Harrison seemed to be loving the exchange and was bouncing around the stage, encouraging both parties to keep bidding.

When Luke bid $6500 and Harrison asked for $7000, Ethan grimaced and his eyes met Danny’s. Danny gave him a desperate look, but Ethan only gave an apologetic shake of his head. A couple of Luke’s friends pat him on the back happily.

“I have $6500 from the young man in the back,” Harrison called. “That’s… $6500 going once!”

Luke folded his arms smugly and smirked at Danny, who felt sick.

“$6500 going twice…”

Harrison glanced over at Danny, his eyes full of regret. ‘Sorry,’ he mouthed subtly.

“Any final bids?” he asked, stalling. “Any at all?” The crowd was silent and Danny looked back at Ethan, who was frantically talking into his phone. “Looks like we’re all done here,” Harrison continued. He opened his mouth to continue, when a stern voice called out from the side of the audience.

“$7000.”

A few people gasped and all eyes turned towards the new bidder. Danny’s mouth dropped open and Luke scowled. It was Thomas Hunt.

“A new bidder!” Harrison cried excitedly. “Thank you, sir! Do I have $7500 from the gentleman in red?” He turned back to Luke who indignantly raised his card. Danny was still staring at Thomas, shocked. He bid $8000 and glared at Danny, as if somehow this was all his fault. Danny glanced back at Ethan, who looked just as surprised as he felt, but was still on the phone.

Harrison seemed positively thrilled with the new bidder, and was gleefully accepting more bids from Thomas and Luke. “$11,000? Do we have $11,000?” he chirped excitedly, and Thomas raised his card.

They went back and forth for a while longer, until Ethan suddenly shouted, “$15,000!”

The crowd broke out in murmurs, and Ethan grinned up at Danny, clutching his phone proudly. Seemingly outraged, Luke folded his arms and shook his head. Harrison turned to Thomas.

“$16,000 from you, sir?” he pressed. Thomas shook his head. “$15,500?” Again, Thomas refused, and Harrison pouted. “Come on, sir, it’s for charity!” Thomas visibly groaned and reluctantly raised his card. Ethan countered with $16,000, and Harrison managed to get another bid from Thomas.

Danny was finding it impossible to hide his grin, trying not to laugh at the competition between the two - his agent and very public boyfriend, Ethan, and his professor and secret lover, Thomas. The fact that they knew about each other only made it more amusing to him. He could tell that Thomas was secretly glad that Harrison was pushing him, because it meant that he had an excuse to keep bidding where there otherwise would have been no excuse. He was grateful that Thomas had saved him from Luke and his friends, but there was no good reason, from an outsider’s perspective, for him to continue now that Ethan was back in. He was wondering where Ethan had got his extra money from, though.

They were going up by thousands now, and Harrison managed to draw $19,000 from Thomas. Ethan bid $20,000, and gave a small sigh when Thomas bid $21,000.

“Can I get $22,000 from the gentleman in the second row?” Harrison prompted.

“$25,000,” Ethan offered, leaning back in his seat smugly.

Harrison and Danny both turned back to Thomas, who shook his head.

“Now, sir, you are missing out on the night of a lifetime,” Harrison spruiked. “How could you say ‘no’ to a date with this gorgeous young man?” He gripped Danny’s shoulder, while the director vibrated with repressed laughter. Thomas gave Harrison the coldest glare Danny had ever seen, and Harrison gave a nervous laugh. “Well, in that case… $25,000 going once… Going twice…” He took a last glance around the room, before returning his gaze to Ethan. “Sold to the gentleman in row two, for $25,000! Come on up!”

Ethan grinned and jumped to his feet, and made his way up onto the stage. He shook Harrison’s hand, and the host softly reminded him, “Just head into the next room to write up your cheque. The two of you have got to stick together until midnight, unless you decide otherwise - because you’re the one paying - and basically just keep everything legal and you’re good. Enjoy your night!” He clapped both men on the back, and Ethan pulled Danny into a hug as the crowd cheered.

“Come on,” Ethan said, taking Danny by the hand and leading him off the stage to applause. They heard Harrison begin to introduce the next date as they walked through into a room off the side of the hall. A young woman there had already prepared the cheque and Ethan took a few seconds to sign it. “There you go - $25,000.” He turned back to Danny. “You’re worth every cent.”

Danny shrugged. “Yeah, about that… You don’t have that much money to just throw away on something like this. You were out at $7000. What happened?”

Ethan have a small sigh, quickly checking his phone. “I think you’re about to find out. Let’s go.”

Danny followed Ethan out into the lobby, where one person was waiting for them.

“Chris? What are you doing here?” Danny asked, confused.

Chris pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and sauntered over to them. “Well, I couldn’t very well let you be snatched up by those godawful frat boys Ethan told me about, could I?” He pulled Danny in for a warm hug and a soft kiss, and Ethan cleared his throat.

“Chris is gonna make up the funds I can’t afford,” he explained. “He owes me about eighteen grand.”

“Huh,” Danny acknowledged, as Chris let go of him. “Well, thank you. There was no way I was going out with Luke tonight.”

Chris shrugged. “It was my pleasure. I do have a little something to discuss with Ethan before the night can formally begin, though,” he said, looking over at the agent.

Ethan sighed. “Give us a minute, Danny.”

Danny nodded and paced over to the other side of the room as the two other men talked. He whistled to himself for a few seconds, before Thomas suddenly walked into the room, obviously on his way out. He didn’t look at Danny as he passed him, but the director ran to his side and grabbed his arm.

“Professor!” he exclaimed, earning a derisive glare from Thomas. “I’m really glad I’ve got the chance to talk to you right now. I just wanted to thank you for stepping in there. Ethan sorted it all out, but if you hadn’t put in a few bids then Luke would have won.”

Upon hearing the name, Thomas sneered. “That was never an option, Danny. I knew Blake would organise something.”

Danny smiled. “Oh, come on. You don’t have to pretend. I know that, secretly, you were enjoying it. You didn’t know that Ethan would win, so you were seriously considering that you might, and you were looking forward to that, weren’t you? Besides, you kept bidding once he was back in.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “You know that’s because Byrd was just trying to drive up the price. I knew that Blake would continue to outbid me.”

“Because you know I’m worth that much?”

“Because I know he thinks you are.”

Danny sighed with exasperation. “Admit it. You liked having the upper hand, while it lasted. You liked the idea of winning me.”

“There’s nothing to admit, Danny. Now, enjoy your night. Your date’s waiting.”

Thomas straightened his jacket and moved to walk away, but Danny gripped his arm tighter. He quickly looked over at Ethan and Chris and, seeing that they weren’t paying the slightest attention to anyone besides each other, he leant up to press a hard kiss against Thomas’ lips. For a moment he felt Thomas kiss him back, before they drew apart.

“Danny!” Thomas hissed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Shhh.” Danny looked back over at the others who, fortunately, hadn’t noticed. “Thank you for saving me, Thomas.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll see you in class next week.” Danny gave Thomas a final kiss on the cheek, before releasing his arm. Thomas turned and strode out of the room, but not before Danny caught sight of a small smile on his face. Grinning, he walked back over to Ethan and Chris, who seemed to be discussing the date.

“--I’m paying for more than two thirds of this, so it only makes sense that I get to take him for at least three hours,” Chris was arguing.

Ethan shook his head. “If you wanted to buy a date with him, you should have come and bid for him yourself. $7000 is more money for me than $18,000 is for you, anyway, so there’s no way I’m giving him up after two hours.”

“Fine, we’ll go fifty-fifty. Two and a half hours each and I get the second half.”

“No way!” Ethan growled. “There’s no chance you’ll let him go at midnight if he’s with you then.”

Chris laughed shortly. “I’m not gonna force him to stay with me. If he wants to stay back at mine afterwards, that’s his business.”

“Yeah, and why do you deserve him more than me?” Ethan countered, folding his arms.

“It might have something to do with the fact that that I’ve paid more than twice what you have.” Chris folded his arms in reply.

“Oh, because you’re so rich so you automatically win?” Ethan responded, bitterly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Danny stepped between them and held up his hands. “Easy! However nice it is to have two gorgeous young men fighting over me, you’re not exactly getting anywhere, are you?” He paused, letting them relax. “Alright. We need to compromise here. Obviously it’s not fair if I spend the night with Chris, because it’s Ethan who technically won the auction, but I can’t spend it with him either, because Chris did pay quite a bit of money.” They both nodded. “So… What if the three of us spent the time all together?”

There was a short silence, before Ethan and Chris started speaking at the same time.

“I’m not spending five hours with him--”

“Maybe you’d like that, but that’s not my idea of a fun night--”

Danny groaned. “Guys!” he shouted, instantly silencing them. “In terms of actual value, sure, Chris paid more, but, really, $7000 means more to Ethan than $18,000 does to Chris. There’s no way of working this out fairly, unless you two both just compromise. I’m gonna go find a nice restaurant and grab some dinner. Hopefully both of you can swallow your pride for long enough to join me.”

Without looking back at them, he strode out of the lobby and into the evening air outside. He raised an eyebrow at the limo parked a few meters down the street, sure that it was Chris’, and began to consider restaurant options in his mind.

He sighed, beginning to walk down the street, until he heard running footsteps behind him and someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

“We’re sorry, Danny,” Ethan panted. “We’ll make this work.”

Chris, standing behind him, nodded. “I know a nice Italian restaurant a few minutes’ drive away that we can go to, if you want.” Danny thought of when Chris had taken him to Italy and gave him a bemused look. That was probably what he was trying to remind Danny of, given how romantic it had been.

Ethan shrugged. “That sounds nice. Danny?”

Danny nodded. “Sure.”

In Chris’ limo, Danny sat across from the two other men, and the three of them sat awkwardly. Well, Ethan and Chris looked awkward to Danny. Danny was amused. He looked between Chris, who was fiddling with part of his shirt, and Ethan, who had his arms folded and was staring down at the floor, and gave a small chuckle.

“If you two hadn’t paid so much for me, I’d probably just go back home,” he mused. “I thought with that price you’d be more interested.”

They both looked up.

“Of course I’m interested,” Ethan said quickly. “I just expected to have this night alone with you.”

“You could always have it alone,” Chris muttered.

“God, I’d’ve been better off with Luke,” Danny grumbled. At the protest of both other men, he shook his head. “Well, with Hunt, at least.”

Ethan glared hard at the ground and Chris looked confused, but didn’t say anything.

“We could always do this over two nights,” Ethan suggested quietly. “I’ve got you for tonight and then Chris can have you tomorrow.”

“Nobody can have me,” Danny replied sharply. “Tonight you both paid for me and can rightly do what you want, within reason, but you don’t own me, and especially not after midnight. Tomorrow I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

“What, you don’t want to spend it with me?” Chris asked.

“Seriously?” Danny exclaimed. “That’s not even the point! Can’t you two just get along for one night? You’re fine on set together, so why can’t you act more professionally with me?”

Ethan folded his arms. “I’d hardly call a date ‘professional’.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re fine dating a heap of people all at once, but I’m really not into this,” Chris added.

“I’m not asking you to date each other!”

“Well, I can’t date you with him here,” Ethan said firmly.

Danny scoffed. “Oh, grow up!”

“Maybe you should grow up and pick someone,” Chris muttered.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Danny tapped on the screen between their seats and the driver of the limo. “Could you please pull over?”