#techno goth

Danny wasn’t used to feeling really extreme positive emotions.

Negative ones? Oh, absolutely. He was very familiar with those, thank you very much.

But ever since Manny tumbled through the ghost portal on what should’ve been a normal Tuesday, Danny had been feeling a lot more of the other kind. The kind that made his chest feel weird and his face warm. The kind that sent a buzzing, almost electric energy through his core.

Even if his energy left Danny reeling half the time. Even if he was a complete gremlin.

Manny was wild and chaotic and so different from the people Danny was usually around. But somehow, that was… nice.

A breath of fresh air.

And okay, maybe Danny had grown a little fond of him. As a friend, of course. Just a friend.

Manny definitely didn’t make his heart skip or his face heat.

Absolutely not.

Why would anyone even think that?

But Danny did feel himself relax when Manny was around.

…Unless he got his hands on one of his mom’s ghost weapons. Then, suddenly, Danny was very stressed.

Always casual, always grinning, Manny would wave him off with, "Relax, Fantasma! My grandpapí lets me use his weapons all the time!"

"Based on what you’ve told me about your grandpapí, that doesn’t make me feel better!" Danny snorted, already plotting a way to liberate the Ghost Grabber from Manny’s possession.

Going intangible and slipping in front of him worked just fine.

"Hey!" Manny squawked, eyes going wide as the weapon vanished from his grip.

Danny smirked, twirling it in his hands. "Snooze you lose, mi amigo!" He made a show of tucking it away behind his back.

Manny narrowed his eyes and twirled on the spot, trying to snatch it back, but only ended up shoving Danny in the process.

Danny gasped dramatically. "Rude!"

Manny made another grab, but Danny was faster, shoving him back playfully and keeping the weapon out of reach.

Manny’s expression shifted instantly. "Oh, so that’s how you wanna play it?" His smirk was devastating as he strutted forward, closing the distance until they were chest to chest.

Danny’s breath caught.

The sudden closeness made his skin buzz—his core hummed in response, and every nerve where Manny was practically leaning into him went haywire.

He must’ve hesitated just a second too long, because Manny took advantage—grinning triumphantly as he swiped the Ghost Grabber back.

Danny just stood there, brain buffering.

Manny blinked, brow furrowing as he caught Danny’s expression. "You okay?" His tone softened. "Your eyes are glowing." Then, grinning a little more awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "Sorry. Didn’t mean to actually make you mad."

Danny blinked back at him. "Huh?"

He wasn’t mad.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught his reflection in one of the metal panels in the lab. Lo and behold, his eyes were very much glowing green.

Oh.

He must be more worked up over the game than he thought.

"Oh, no big deal," Danny lied, forcing a casual shrug. "Just don’t want you to get hurt." He turned quickly, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pocket. "Ready to head back upstairs?"

Manny eyed him for a moment, then nodded, putting the Ghost Grabber aside. "Lead the way, Fantasma."

Danny prayed Manny didn’t hear the way his breath shook as he climbed the stairs.

~

Sam’s mansion was the perfect place for a sleepover. Spacious, private, and with a bed big enough for all four of them to sprawl out comfortably. They had everything—snacks, video games, and absolutely no adult supervision.

Danny was trying to be normal. Casual. Totally fine despite the fact that Manny was here. In his pajamas. Being cute.

Danny was in denial mode. Hard.

And then Manny started unpacking his overnight bag.

Sam, ever observant, raised an eyebrow when she spotted a small makeup bag among his things. "You do makeup, Manny?" she asked, trying to sound casual but failing just slightly.

Manny grinned, eyes twinkling. "I’m flattered you think my eyes look this perfect naturally."

Danny short-circuited for a second.

Sam pounced. "Okay, this definitely means I get to do goth makeup on you," she declared, hopping off the bed and immediately pulling a large kit from her vanity.

Manny lit up with far too much enthusiasm. "Oh, hell yes. Can we do, like, the rocker emo goth look instead of the more traditional stuff?"

Sam tried not to look too smug but absolutely failed. "I think I can manage."

Danny blinked.

Since when did Manny know about different goth aesthetics?

Manny, meanwhile, started pulling out some of his own products. "Okay, here’s the stuff that’ll match my skin, because I am definitely not white."

All three of them laughed at that, and Danny forced himself to focus on setting up his Switch with Tucker, not on the fact that Manny was somehow more attractive while talking about foundation shades.

Danny and Tucker settled into a game while Manny and Sam gleefully did each other’s makeup, whispering and laughing like they were plotting something (which they probably were).

Then—

"We’re done!" Manny announced proudly.

Danny and Tucker looked up, and Danny froze.

Sam looked good—her usual makeup was already dark, but the tweaks Manny made softened it, giving her a different, almost softer edge.

Tucker grinned. "I like how Manny did your makeup, Sam. It’s different and cute!"

Sam flushed, twirling a strand of hair. "Thanks."

Manny pouted. "What about me?"

Danny, still processing, blinked. "Oh! Uh—" He coughed, trying to will away the warmth creeping up his face. "You look really good. Rocker’s a good look for you. You should send a picture to Frida."

Manny bounced, instantly grabbing his phone. "Oh, you’re right!" He snapped a quick selfie, fired off a message, then turned back with a grin. "Your turn!"

Danny’s entire soul left his body. "Uh? What?"

"Yeah!" Manny gestured wildly. "We all have to look goth and fabulous now."

Sam perked up. "Oh! I get to do yours, Tucker!"

Tucker sighed dramatically but was already sitting up. "You act like you’ve never done it before."

Sam beamed and immediately got to work.

Danny, meanwhile, was trying so hard to fight the big, pleading puppy eyes Manny was throwing at him.

He lost.

"Fine," Danny grumbled, sitting up as Manny cheered victoriously.

Danny closed his eyes as Manny started, relaxing as gentle fingers brushed against his skin, blending, smudging, fixing. The feeling was soothing in a way Danny didn’t expect.

It wasn’t fair.

Because now Danny was fully aware of Manny—his warmth, his touch, the way he hummed softly while working. And worse, he liked it.

Manny pulled back. "Done!"

Danny blinked open his eyes.

Manny froze.

Sam and Tucker both paused.

Danny frowned. "What?"

Manny’s expression shifted slightly, concern flickering behind his golden eyes. "Uh… you okay? Your eyes are glowing."

Danny blinked again. "Huh?"

Manny scratched the back of his neck, looking a little awkward. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to, like, actually make you mad or something."

Danny tilted his head, confused. "I’m not mad."

But then he caught his reflection in the massive vanity mirror Sam had.

And yeah. His eyes were glowing.

Danny froze.

"Oh," he muttered. "I… huh. Must be more worked up than I thought."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a look.

"Are you sure they only glow when you’re mad?" Manny asked cautiously.

Danny shrugged. "I think so? But I’m decidedly not mad right now."

Sam squinted. "Weird."

Tucker hummed. "Suspicious."

Danny, desperately trying to ignore the way his heart was currently trying to punch through his ribcage, cleared his throat. "Anyway! What’s next? We watching a movie? Playing something? What’s the plan?"

Sam smirked. "Oh, we definitely have to play a game now."

Manny, fully back to being excited, perked up. "Ohhh, Mario Kart? Because I will destroy you all."

Danny sighed in relief, eager for any distraction from whatever just happened. "You wish, Rivera."

As they all settled in, Sam leaned closer to Tucker, muttering just loud enough for him to hear:

"Did you see how fast he started glowing?"

Tucker snickered. "Oh, yeah. He’s so screwed."

Danny had no idea what they were whispering about. But he was pretty sure he didn’t like it.

After a brutal Mario Kart session, Sam had whooped everyone’s asses in every single race.

Tucker and Danny weren’t even surprised—Sam was stupidly good at video games, and Manny, new to their usual gaming nights, took every loss deeply personally. He whined dramatically the entire way back to the bed, flopping onto it with a loud groan of defeat.

Danny, on the other hand, was already half asleep and barely made it onto Sam’s oversized bed before melting into the mattress.

Manny, of course, had to be extra about it, throwing himself onto the bed with an exaggerated sigh. "I have been betrayed by my own reflexes."

Sam rolled her eyes but smirked, settling in next to Tucker, who immediately rested his head in her lap. She started playing with his hair, massaging his scalp like it was routine.

Danny, content and sleep-heavy, grabbed the nearest blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders with a pleased sigh.

Then Manny scooted closer.

Danny barely even registered it as Manny snuck under the blanket, pressing in against his side and resting his head on Danny’s shoulder.

Danny hummed in contentment.

Sam chuckled, eyes flickering over to him. "You’re glowing again, Danny."

Danny blinked at her sleepily. "’m not."

Manny leaned in, voice warm with amusement. "Yeah, you are."

There was a beat. Then, casually, he added, "But you’re also purring. Are you a broken cat?"

Danny, too tired to properly process that, scrunched his nose. "I’m not mad and purring at the same time—what?"

And then Manny gasped.

With a sudden burst of realization, he grabbed both sides of Danny’s face, smushing his cheeks slightly as he grinned. "You glow when you’re really happy!"

Danny froze. His brain buffered.

And then his face burned.

Sam, ever the agent of chaos, hummed thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, totally. It just got brighter."

Danny groaned, trying and failing to hide in the blanket.

Manny grinned even wider, practically vibrating. "Something you wanna tell me, Fantasma?"

Still sleepy and soft, Danny mumbled before he could think, "I… yeah, I’m happier when you’re around."

Manny squeaked.

Actually squeaked.

"Oh wow," he breathed, looking absolutely thrilled. "I’m going to make it my life’s goal to make you glow as much as possible!"

Danny groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I’m not going to survive that."

Manny just laughed and snuggled in closer, grinning to himself as Danny’s eyes continued to softly glow in the dim light of the room.

Sam and Tucker?