[attr="class","danny"]weeks pass before she finally reaches out. he had spent the first two weeks glued to his phone, glancing at it at every passing minute, hoping it'd buzz with a text from her. for two weeks, he sat in vain, but even after the third week there was a part of him that hoped for the best. and sure enough, the text finally came.

he hadn't expected it to be so awkward. but she did kinda ghost him, so it was hard to just pick up where they last left off.

"hey, serena," he says, approaching. the smile he wears is held back a little by the situation. still, he tries his best. "how...how have you been?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]he shakes his head when she apologizes. "oh it's fine. don't worry about it, really. i'm just glad you reached out again." he follows her finger to the trail and nods. "that sounds lovely."

they walk in silence for a bit. he considers breaking it a few times, though he'd always get stuck on what to say. thankfully, she breaks it for them, and her words leave him speechless for once. he's too stunned and confused to do anything but listen. he nods every now and then to show that he's listening and to show that he's engaged, but he's otherwise silent until the end.

he glances down at the manila folder, skims it briefly, and chuckles when he sees the figure.

"that is...a lot of money." more than he would've made in a regular job as a fresh graduate. his finger taps against the back of the folder as he thinks.

he sighs, then starts his speech.

"thank you for explaining. for the record, i don't blame you for what you did, but i accept your apology." heart in his mouth, he considers his options, but whatever option he runs through eventually meets the same conclusion. "to be honest with you, serena, i don't really care about the paparazzi or interviews or whatever. all i wanted was to spend more time with you because i really liked your company."

he breaks into a smile, forgiving.

"if this contract will let me do that then yes. i'll sign it."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]"i'm sure."

his gaze follows hers to the ground. the idea of resenting someone or something is so foreign to danny that it hadn't even occured to him that she felt that concern. he pauses a bit after to

"i don't think i could ever resent you, serena." let alone anyone; but this, he keeps to himself.

he closes the folder, bringing it up to his chest.

"i'd sign this right now to prove my point but...i don't have a pen."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]"right." he laughs, nodding. he should probably take the time to read through it properly. he'll do it later. "of course."

one of his hand finds his pocket as they walk, the other still holding on to the folder. his eyes drift along the trail, appreciating peace that only comes from living in such a small town. it's vastly different than wyndon, and though he misses it on occasion, this feels more like home.

"it is. i got homesick quite often when i was in galar. i wanted to come home but never really found the time to." he smiles, warm. "i'm glad i'm back now, though."

they walk for a bit more before he notices a familiar building off to the side.

"would you like a drink? there's a bar over there that's quite nice. owners are really nosy, but then again everyone is here."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]the inside of the dancing furret looks homey and comfortable. it's decorated mostly with wooden furniture apart from the pristine marble counter. it's already empty this late at night — the people of oldale don't get up to much past ten. he holds the door open for her as they enter.

a pair of familiar eyes dart over to them: robbie, the owner, bellows a laugh but otherwise keeps to himself. his wife, melinda, pokes her head from behind the counter. they share a soft giggle before returning to their business, and much to danny's surprise, keeps mostly to themselves.

moments later, they're sat in a comfortable corner booth with drinks promptly served. he decides on a dark beer.

"right. where were we?" ah. his life. "to be honest with you...nothing exciting really happens here, which was why i left to do my degree in galar. i studied marketing."

he raises his glass towards hers, toasting, before sipping.

"galar's nice. i picked up a bit of the accent and also some of their habits, i suppose. like day drinking."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]he laughs because he is definitely not a businessman. he might have gotten his degree but he's done virutally nothing with it. it just sits on a shelf in his parent's living room, collecting dust.

she questions further.

"good question." he takes another sip, searching for answers. "i'm not too sure. i got more into battling recently and that's going pretty good. might challenge some of the gyms."

"but i guess now the plan's changed a little. for the better, of course." his eyes drift down to the folder, then back at her. his voice drops into a tease. "so, when i sign this, it basically means i'll be your boyfriend, won't it?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]he watches how his question makes her flush. she flusters over her responses, stammering, and it's honestly adorable. by the end of it, his smile is as bright as it had been the night they first met.

"oh i'll be trying my best, don't you worry. i'm pretty confident i can win them over." he chuckles, then gestures to robbie for another drink. he orders the same as hers, now warmed up after his beer.

her jest is met with another smile, genuine.

"it'll be fine as long as you're there with me."

his second drink arrives and he sips a fourth of it away.

"what crazy ideas are they going to make me do? sounds daunting. but also fun."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm