Archive of Our Own ^beta

"This means nothing," Kenickie told himself for the hundredth time, lying on Danny's chest at the drive-in. Danny was going away for the summer to lifeguard at some beach, while Kenickie got a job lugging boxes around. They probably weren’t going to see each other again until school started.

The sound of gunshots in the movie was drowned out by his own heartbeat in his ears. A strong hand rifled threw Kenickie's hair. This was more intense than anything he had done with a girl; hell, he would never even let a girl think about touching his hair. He felt things for Danny that he knew he should be feeling for girls, things he had pushed Eugene Felsnic down in the hall for feeling.

The credits began to roll, and the flood lights came on. This was the worst part. Dislodging from Danny with the sobriety of the lights. Kenickie crawled over the center console and slid into the front seat. It was all elbows and no grace. Danny laughed from the backseat, head thrown back. If it were anyone else, Kenickie would have punched them right in the jaw, but when Danny did it, all he could do was laugh too.

Danny opened the back door and walked around to the front seat. Kenickie never knew how he remained unfazed by it all, like his skin wasn't buzzing as much as his own.

"I'm getting a car for next year," Kenickie announced, "so you won't have to drive me around to movies anymore."

"I don't mind, you are the chillest to hang out with." Danny had an arm around the passenger seat as he backed out of his spot, "It's a nice brake, you know?"

When they got to Kenickie's house, it was well past his curfew, and all the lights were off. He was going to get an earful from his mom in the morning.

"Your mom's probably going to get a nasty call from mine tomorrow," Kenic couldn't even look over. His stomach on knots.

Danny put his hand on Kenic's knee and shook him a little. "Don't worry, my mom will definitely hear worse this summer."

There was a quiet that fell over them, heavy and meaningful. Kenickie felt like he should lean over and kiss Danny. Feel the plush of his lips, drag his fingers over his stubble. Instead, he jokingly punched Danny on the side, savoring the brief contact.

"I'll see you over the summer, right, Danny?" He tried to keep the pitiful hope out of his voice.

"Yeah, we definitely will."

They did not.

Kenickie spent the entire summer doing back-breaking work; every red cent went to saving for a car, and he even cut back on cigarettes. During the day, he was so tired he could barely think, but as soon as his head hit his pillow, his mind ran straight to Danny.

When school finally started again, he walked into school with more swagger than he had ever before. Why shouldn't he? He finally got his car and was about to show it off to all the boys. Doody, Sonny, and Putzie were impressed, but those guys would be impressed if he had biked in a circle.

When Danny showed up, Kenickie's feet were moving before he had realized it. He ran up to him, nearly knocking them both over. And the first thing out of Danny's mouth was about some chick he had seen over the summer. Kenick wasn't jealous; he had no reason to be. He got a car, and he was going to see a lot more girls because of it.

Kenickie was parked outside Danny's house, combing his hair into place before calling him down. The pep rally had already started, and they were going to be fashionably late. He wasn't picking up anyone else; they were going to have 15 minutes alone, maybe 20 if they hit stop lights. This was going to be their first time alone for months, and Kenickie felt like he was getting his first cigarette after an 8-hour shift.

Danny climbed down from his balcony and jumped into the passenger seat. "Hey, this is a pretty nice ride," He said, sliding his wide hands up and down the dash, "plenty of room in the back too."

"Heh, yeah. It's some pretty nice wheels, right?" He was peacocking, but he loved it when Danny complimented him. It all just felt right, like that girl from the summer didn't mean anything, and it was just the two of them again.

It was the last turn before getting to school, and Danny put his hand on Kenickie's shoulder. "Hey man, pull over here real quick." Kenickie did what he was told.

When the car had stopped, Danny turned in his seat and reached his hands out to Kenickie's face, looking at him with piercing blue eyes. Kenickie's blood ran cold. Their faces were less than 4 inches apart, and every fiber of his being told him Danny Zuco was going to kiss him. Before his mind could get too far away from himself, Danny tucked some of Kenickie's hair back into place.

"I can't have one of my T-birds showing up looking like a mess." Danny laughed, but did not move his hand that rested on Kenickie's cheekbone.

"Thanks, Zuk," he could feel his blush blossoming to the tips of his ears. Danny's hands didn't move; his eyes slipped down to Kenickie's mouth.

"Hey, there is that new Marmaduke movie coming out, you know. We should bring your ride and see how it does." Danny's eyes shot back up to Kenickie's.

"Yah, we should."

And just like that, it was over. Danny flashed his smile that smoothed over everything, and Kenickie was stuck back in the position he always was when it came to Danny.

A loud clang echoed along Thunder Road as Kenickie threw another beer bottle at the ground. The memory of Danny's dopey smile he gave to that Sandy girl had him seeing red.

How he had let the guys convince him to drive to Frenchie's, he will never know. The way she looked out the window was so dimmer made him gag. What does he even see in a girl like that?

He had taken Riz to park to clear his mind. He really tried not to think about Danny. But her soft black hair and piercing eyes just took him back too right before it all went wrong, just him and Danny in the car. It just came easier with girls when they looked like Danny, when they acted like him.

Danny's name had nearly come out of his mouth when he finished. It was a quiet drive back to Riz's house and a quick kiss goodbye. Kenickie was just going threw the motions untill he had made it here, throwing random shit at the road and watching it explode.

It felt like he had betrayed Danny in some untangible way; he had sullied their friendship with his strangeness. Tears pricked his eyes as he began to puke. The guilt had become too intense for his body to hold, coming out as bile instead.

He cried for the first time since he was a kid. He cried loudly, openly, knowing no one was around to hear. He cried for how he had ruined his friend and for himself. He cried until his face was red and his voice was hoarse. He cried until no tears or sound came out of him.

Then he drove home and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

His teacher, Mrs. Murdock, let Kenickie bring his car into shop class. She was like an angel when she told him he could. Danny was the only one who really saw the vision he had. And although he was trying to keep his distance, Danny was trying to drag him back.

One day in the shop, Danny pulled him aside to talk about decals. "No man, this needs white flames," he had made a sketch to show Kenickie. One arm was around his shoulder, keeping Kenickie close to his body. This was literal torture.

"Looks great, Danny, I'll ask Merdock for the stuff," Kenickie tried to pull away, but it of course couldn’t be that easy. Danny held on tighter, and Kenickie could feel his muscles move under his shirt.

"Hey man, I have something to tell you."

Kenickie needed to get out of this situation as fast as possible. "Yeah, what is it?"

"You know how I promised to see that movie with you at the drive-in this weekend?" Danny paused, waiting for some sign from Kenickie. He nodded. "Well, I've got to cancel. See, I'm taking Sandy, and I think I'm gonna ask her to go steady."

Kenickie pushed Danny away, hard. Harder than they had wanted to. "It's fine, man, don't worry about it."

Danny gave his easy smile, "Thanks, man, I knew you would understand."

Getting under his car as fast as possible was the only thing on his mind. He wore his thoughts so plainly on his face that everyone would know exactly what he was thinking, what he was.

Sliding under grease lighting, Kenickie tried to parcel out everything that had happened in that span of 3 minutes.

Danny was canceling plans, which was good. With everything Kenickie has been feeling, 90 minutes of Danny lazily rubbing up and down his back would be wrong. Danny canceling plans to spend time with Sandy? That was completely different, and that difference made him feel sick.

He rolled out from under his car and went to the bathroom. Splashing water in his face, Kenickieie focused on the cooling going threw his body. This will pass; he isn’t some gay, he needs to find Rizzo.

Grease Lighting was rolling out of the shop, guroge, Kenickie's shining pearl, ready to go. He was going to race the Scorpions, and he was going to win, but there was one person he had to talk to before he could.

Kinic walked up to Danny, trying his best to stay confident, asking a question he was not confident in asking. Finding a second was a big deal. The movie they had seen together before Danny disappeared and found a new life still meant something to Kinikie, and he wanted to see if it still meant something to Danny.

But the first thing Danny asked Kenickie to do when he walked up to him was to punk out.

"What you want me to punk out?" Kenickie was dragging on his cigarette.

"No, I'm not telling you to punk out just… You know what I mean." Danny looked at his pleading.

"Hey, Danny, we've been friends a long time, right?" Kenickie bit his thumbnail, "Well you remembered the drive in the other night and the movie, and it was like the dude and the guy's best friend went with him, and was like his lutenit, like his second, you know?" he had to get it all out, had to ask before he punked out.

"Yeah, so?" Danny looked at him with those eyes again, the ones that stripped Kenickie bare. That could see his soul.

"I thought that maybe you could be my second on Thunder Road." He couldn't look back at Danny. He tried hiding himself, trying not to show too much.

"What do you mean?" Danny bent his head down, trying to look at Kenickie's face, look in his eyes, "You want me to drive with you or what?"

"No," Kenickie stared back, trying to read Danny's face. It wasn’t hard because when Danny realized what Kenickieie was asking, a huge grin bloomed on his face.

Kenickie, so exuberant by the confirmation, shoved Danny. Danny shoved back, and before they knew it, they were pushing and shoving and hugging. Their faces were so close that Kenickieie could kiss him right now. Danny looked over his shoulder, and Kenickieie did the same. All of their friends were watching. Kenickieie pulled away fast.

Kenickie drove up to the front of the school, and Danny was waiting for him. "Nice ride, hot-shot."

"Oh, just get in already, or we're going to be late for the race." Kenickie tried not to look as excited as he was.

Danny got into the car and leaned over to whisper in Kenickie's ear. he was so close he could feel Danny's breath on his ear, "I know the perfect way for us to be late."

They sped off. Kenickie whipped into a side street, which is well covered. As he put his car in park, he realized he had not thought this far. It was obvious Danny knew how he felt about him, but how did Danny feel? Would Danny still be seeing Sandy? Even more imminently, were they actually going to make out?

"Hey, Danny, are we-" before he could finish the question, Danny's mouth was on his hard and fast.

Kenickie took the opportunity he had always wanted and brought his hands to Danny's face, tracing his cheekbones and feeling his stubble. He felt Danny's smile on his lips, hands slid to his waist, and he started to pull him to the back seat.

For a moment, their mouths separated to more easily crawl into the backseat. Danny fell on top of Kenickie, kissing his jaw and putting a hand under his shirt. "You know," Danny said against his neck, "I always wanted to do this at the drive-in." He nipped Kenickie's collarbone and tried to pull off his jacket. he gasped. "I thought… I don't know."

"Danny," Kenickie said, grabbing the back of his hair and pulling him up to kiss him again. This time, he was prepared, ready to savor the soft, wet lips, mapping out his mouth.

Kenicke grabbed Danny's hips and dragged them down to his own. "Jesus," Danny grunted out, "Kenick, we can't do this now." Kenickie's own hips didn't stop. "I'm serious, you're going to be late for the race," he panted out.

"Oh shit, the race." he had completely forgoten.

Jumping over the seats, Kenickie hit the gas. Danny could barely crawl into the front seat, from Kenickie's reckless driving or his own laughing.

Kenickie had such little blood up north that it was a miracle they had even made it to Thunder Road without an incident. He shouldn't have been surprised that he got walloped in the head and couldn’t race. Danny, bless him, took over and drove like a madman.

Danny had insisted that he drive Grease Lightning to make sure Kenickie got home safe. "I can walk home, it's no big deal," he had said, rubbing circles in Kenickie's shoulder. How could he have said no?

"You know," Danny started, looking out on the road, "I was so relieved when you said that thing about being your lieutenant, I think I would be happy being that forever."

Kenickie smiled to himself. He gently grabbed Danny's wrists and brought his arm over his shoulders. He rested his head on Danny's chest. "This means everything," Kenicke thought to himself.