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"Lil' bro, I don't know why you're so interested in all this lovey-dovey stuff all of a sudden." Daniel Sorensen's big sister said to him one tranquil evening, twirling a few strands of spaghetti noodles in her fork before eating them. "You're just eighteen, still maturing and in the process of learning how the world works. I'm not letting my only brother get emotionally manipulated by some potential jerk. Matter of fact, I'm not letting you date until you're forty!" She exclaimed dramatically, her mouthful of pasta almost making her speech unintelligible.
Danny scoffed indignantly. "Okay, so if Ryder were here, who is also eighteen by the way, would you say the same thing to him?"
Avery Sorensen, more famously known by her pilot moniker Ace, rubbed her chin in contemplation as she chewed her spaghetti. She swallowed, and let out an exasperated sigh. "First off, that is some of the poorest logic I've heard come out of your mouth. Second off, Ryder is not my responsibility, you are. I'll tell you this though, he's a smart kid. Knows how to take care of himself and stuff." She sipped at her soda, letting it flow down her throat and wash away any remaining remnants of pasta that had somehow gotten lodged in there. "Oh, and another thing: if Ryder ever plans on paying attention to his love life and stuff, he's the only person in the whole world that I'd trust to choose a lover wisely. Like, even if he doesn't have much experience with those kinds of things, I'm positive he'd still be able to tell which kinds of people are okay to hang around with, and which aren't. Telling the bad apples from the good ones, y'know? It's just that…”
Danny barely paid attention to his sister’s words anymore as he slipped into a pleasant daydream, a wide, drowsy grin spread across his face. His head felt heavy as he laid it upon his pale hand. Danny hummed contentedly as the adorably innocent image of a smiling Ryder popped into his mind. He began reaching his outstretched arms towards the other boy in an attempt to hug him, only for reality to settle back in when a cold, wet sensation overwhelmed him and caused him to awake from his stupor with an alarmed yelp.
Upon opening his eyes, he was met with the unamused countenance of his big sister, holding a glass that he assumed was once filled with water. Looking down at himself, seeing his drenched clothing, confirmed his suspicions. "What gives, Ace?! You could've shook me awake instead of splashing water on me!" He complained. Ace cleaned the glass and put it back into the cupboard. "Now that that's over with, have you listened to anything I was saying before you got caught up in your little trance?"
"Uhh..." An unknowing sound passed Danny's lips as he tried to recall what had been said to him not too long ago. "Something about Ryder?" Ryder was what came to mind immediately. Something about him choosing a lover wisely. But why would Ryder's love life be brought up at dinner? Why was he suddenly feeling very forgetful? And why did his body feel so warm and fuzzy every time he thought about Ryder? He felt his lips curling up into a dopey smile, and the first sparks of another daydream beginning took life in his imagination.
Ace downed the last drops of her soda, crumpling the can and throwing it away. "Well, yes, but do you remember what I was talking about right after him?" She questioned. She exhaled sharply through her nose when she found her little brother caught in another reverie. Instead of soaking him in another cup of tap water, she gripped his shoulders and gave him a firm shake. With a startled shout he woke up once again. He groaned softly, looking up apologetically at his sister. "S-sorry for almost daydreaming again...uh, thanks for not dumping water on me this time..." He chuckled awkwardly. "So uh...did you say something earlier, sis?"
Ace rolled her eyes apathetically, sighing quietly. It was a miracle her sanity hadn’t completely been erased yet when her brother’s idiocy tugged at her patience constantly. Gathering her composure, she spoke. "Do you know what I was talking about earlier? Surely you can remember.”
"Uhhhmm..." Again, Danny made a clueless noise, trying to remember what exactly Ace had been discussing just a few minutes ago. "You were talking about how soft Ryder’s hair looks?" He responded innocently.
If Ace still had her soda, she most likely would have spat it out at jet-like speeds, completely taken aback by Danny's answer. Instead, she found herself choking on her own saliva, coughing into the sink and wheezing uncontrollably. Whether the wheezing was from her absolute incredulity or from her oncoming laughter at her brother's stupidity, she was unsure of. One thing was for certain though: if Danny's unexpected answer was related to his short-lived daydreams, and those daydreams are exactly what Ace thinks they are, then she might just have the solution to why Danny even bothered bringing up the subject of romance in the first place.
She cleared her throat, coughing slightly. "Alright, bro, let me ask you this: what exactly do you think about Ryder? You think he's really cool or something?"
It hardly took a second for Danny to spout his answer. "Oh, that question's easy! I think he's a really sweet and awesome guy. He's very patient and very smart, and he's the best owner and leader the PAW Patrol could ever have. I also think he's very...handsome." There it was, the confirmation she had anticipated. "His eyes are such delicious shades of brown, like caramel or milk chocolate, and they sparkle so beautifully in the sunlight. His hair makes him look so much cuter, and I'm sure if I were able to touch it for just a second, it would feel so soft..." Ace noted how Danny's tone went from chipper and mildly obnoxious to husky and deep halfway through his personal perceptions on Ryder.
Danny never used such romantic vocabulary before, and hearing him use it for the first time ever to describe Ryder confirmed her suspicions. However, hearing him use it at all summoned a tiny fleeting thought inside her head, a thought suggesting her brother was perhaps not as brainless as she thought him to be. She could tell he was trying to convey his crush on Ryder as carefully as possible, likely aware of how delicate his passionate predicament was.
It was official. Her baby brother had a crush on Ryder, the teenager with knowledge most people his age did not possess. She knew she should've been happy that he had fallen for arguably the best person in Adventure Bay and not some ignoramus, but that was just it. Ryder possessed intelligence far beyond his years, and Danny's intellect was as sharp as a blunt rock. Ryder is careful with everything he does, Danny is more reckless and clumsy than stampeding elephants. It didn't take a genius like Ryder himself to understand that with behavioral differences like that, it was very likely Ryder would not reciprocate Danny’s feelings, wanting their relationship together to be nothing more than a simple friendship.
That was Ace's belief at the time, anticipating the painful rejection that was sure to come once Danny mustered enough courage to confess to Ryder. That was until Valentine's Day arrived and changed their lives for the better.
If there was one thing in life Ace did not expect to see in her own brother, it would be the ability to comprehend love. A week has passed since their conversation, and today was the day Danny planned to enact his 'master plan', or so he called it. Valentine's Day, a sweet annual event made to celebrate the existence of love, from friendly to romantic. Ace had met her fair share of girlfriends, most only lasting for a week before she ultimately broke up with them. Her reasons for doing so varied, ranging from inadvertently hooking up with problematic women and subsequently uncovering their immoral nature through their friends or their discourteous remarks toward her little brother to being unable to spend any quality time with them due to her job as a stunt pilot. Recently, though, just last February, she had caught the attention of a very close friend by the name of Katie, a renowned pet groomer and veterinarian who resided in Adventure Bay. The blonde looked so beautiful that day, her splendor reminiscent of an angel. Ace didn’t dare say ‘no’ when asked out on a date by the taller woman, not wanting to pass that chance to get to know her better by.
If only she hadn’t ended their date so brusquely, things would have gone much differently for the status of their relationship. Katie held no hard feelings towards her decision to remain friends with her, thankfully, sagely understanding her want to put their budding romance on hold. Rationally, she knew she had nothing to worry about. Katie was about as sweet and thoughtful as they come, the epitome of a perfect inamorata should anyone wisely choose to engage with her. Her time-consuming occupation, however, made juggling her love life alongside it very, very difficult. On one hand, she needed the plentiful sums of money her job generously supplied, but on the other, the temptation to spend as much time as she could with the gorgeous deity that was Katie danced tantalizingly in her mind. She didn’t want to fully commit to forming a romantic connection with her only to sever it uncompromisingly for work-related reasons.
It was times like these where making decisions appeared to be a Sisyphean task.
"Hey, Ace! You remember the plan, right?"
She was snapped out of her wistful thoughts by a familiar, obnoxious voice. Her eyes widened slightly when Danny's 'plan' came back to her in vivid detail. Danny had invited Ryder to a private picnic session at Big View Trail yesterday, and he accepted, though Ace assumed that was because he didn't want to disappoint her brother. Today's plan is a continuation of the previous one, only this time Ace was given a vital role. She would be Danny's coach, helping Danny should he stumble on his words trying to confess. She grumbled at remembering that part. She may have been through a few relationships, picking up a few cheesy one-liners and whatnot, but she'd never been with a girl as smart as Ryder before. She gulped nervously, uncertain of how acceptable her assistance will be in trying to help Danny win Ryder's heart.
"Yeah, I remember. You chat with Ryder while I ease you into confessing to him." She responded, leaning against a tree. "Or at least I'll try to..." She whispered doubtingly.
"What was that, sis?"
"Gah-" She yelped, startled by Danny's interjection. "N-nothing! Let's just get this confession over with."
And so with that, Danny got to his self-designated spot on the picnic blanket, clasping his hands together and swaying his feet side-to-side in an inconspicuous act of anxiety. Ace sat at the base of the oak tree, mumbling to herself about how poorly Danny's confession is sure to go. They were so intellectually diverse, and the more she thought about their interactive chemistry, the further away Ryder's reciprocation for Danny's feelings seemed to get. They were like apples and cinnamon, she thought. They were a peculiar combination, and the taste of the unique apple could be unpredictable. Would it be delicious? Would it be repulsive? Ace supposed she was about to find out when she heard a faint rustling from a bush nearby.
She first saw the iconic crown of chocolate brown hair peek out from the greenery, followed by a colorful vest and the scowling countenance of its' owner. Ryder did not seem to approve of traversing through thickets and branches just to get to the private picnic. Danny perked up happily at the sight of his crush, disapproving appearance and all. "Heya Ryder! I've got everything all set up! You ready to eat?"
Ryder set his bad-tempered gaze onto the foolhardy boy, breathing irately through his nose. "You know, you could've tried to set up the picnic somewhere that wasn't so..." He observed the massive trees surrounding them, then looked back at Danny. "Difficult to walk through, to say the least."
Danny chuckled nervously. Ace grimaced. Seeing Ryder as mad as a disturbed hornet was definitely not a good sign, especially since he just arrived.
Ryder sighed, loosening the tension in his posture slightly. "Sorry I snapped at you. Me and the pups had to rescue Mayor Humdinger...again." He rubbed at his temples, walking to the picnic blanket to sit down and pacify himself. "Let's just say having to save that man since I was a kid has, uhh...really taken a toll on my mental and emotional state..." He said, his scowl morphing into a regretful expression as he spoke. "I mean, that doesn't excuse my behavior, but I guess it explains why I feel like blasting that stupid mayor with a rail gun or something. Makes me wish I actually let that elevator back in Adventure City crash and kill him, but I don’t think a ton of people would approve of me doing that…”
Danny knew he should be concerned with Ryder's mindset regarding the mayor of Foggy Bottom, but he couldn't help his oncoming laughter, knowing exactly how Ryder feels. "Haha! Yeah, I think everybody feels the same way." He empathized.
Ace watched as Ryder and her little brother began chatting away, as if they completely forgot about the picnic. Danny hasn't called on her once for help. Her time would come to help him, surely, but Danny seemed to be doing fine on his own. It almost made her feel insignificant, like he didn't need her help that much anymore. So she continued peeking from behind the tree, watching as they talked and bonded. She would've smiled at the scene if it weren't for how precarious the situation was. She wanted to look away, fearful of the rejection should Danny inadvertently do something to upset Ryder.
"Anyway!" Danny chirped. "We should start eating! I've got some real good treats from Mr. Porters' that should..." He paused dramatically, a humorous smirk creeping across his face. "'sweeten' your mood!" Ryder giggled at the joke as Danny rummaged through the picnic basket for the desired items. Wide caramel brown eyes looked in awe, pies and fritters and cupcakes practically flying out of the basket. Danny closed the top of the basket, looking back at Ryder with a grin. "Alrighty! That should be everything."
Ryder's voice was caught in his throat as he processed the ridiculous amount of treats Danny accumulated. "Wow, Danny...that's...um..."
"Awesome? Amazing? Awesomely amazing?" The redhead squealed, anticipating what was sure to be a positive reaction from Ryder. After all, who wouldn't react positively to a picnic full of sugary delights?
Ryder let out an awkward chuckle. "I was gonna say that's a lot of sweets..."
"Oh." Danny responded dryly, his grin curving slightly downward in a nervous frown. "Is...is that a bad thing?"
"Absolutely not. It's a great thing." Ryder reassured him as he reached to grab a cupcake. "You know, I don't go out on picnics much. I mean, there are a few times I'd go with my pups, sometimes Katie or even Mayor Goodway." He began, taking a bite out of the cupcake. "But with getting older and having even more responsibilities than when I was younger, it gets harder and harder to have any free time to do anything at all." He said sadly, gulping down the piece of the cupcake, savoring the taste of apples and cinnamon. "Thanks for inviting me to a picnic, even if it is private."
Danny blushed. Being this close to Ryder after so long...it felt like a dream. "You're welcome."
Ryder hummed as he continued eating the cupcake, practically devouring it whole. The taste of apples soothed him, a taste so therapeutic to him that nobody could understand why or how it made him as mellow as he is now. "And thanks for being considerate enough to get apple-themed sweets for the picnic. Well, assuming that's what all the desserts are."
"Yep!" Danny confirmed Ryder's thoughts. "Every last one of these sweets are apple-themed. I, uh...got them specifically for you..." The redhead's blush brightened to an intense red that rivaled his unruly hair.
Ryder smiled, grabbing another cupcake. "Aww, thanks! That's really nice of you." He frowned when he noticed Danny hadn't gotten himself something from the great pile of desserts. "Aren't you gonna eat something?"
"Nah, I'm good. Had a big lunch earlier." He answered, twiddling his thumbs nervously.
Danny observed the dense, tree-filled landscape around him, listened as the calm breeze flew past him. It was rather unfortunate there was no picturesque sunset to set the romantic mood, but at least everything else was perfect, and Ryder was as happy as can be, munching away on an apple fritter. Even with the stray remnants of the eaten sweets sticking to Ryder's face, Danny still found him beautiful in every sense of the word.
"Uh...hey, Ryder? I have something...important to tell you..." He started, his voice shaking with anxiety. This was it. "Y-you know, over the years, uh, we've gotten really close, and I wanna say you're, uh, r-really smart and kind and, uhh..." Ryder chewed and swallowed the last remaining piece of his fritter, staring at Danny with a peculiar glint in his eyes. "Uhhh...and uhh...r-really...really handsome and adorable and-"
A warm, passionate force silenced him, and any lucid thought Danny possessed faded into oblivion, along with any bodily autonomy as his arms numbly fell to his sides. His whole upper body felt like dead weight, and he was left completely at the mercy of whatever supernatural force was keeping him immobile. Ryder smiled into the kiss he initiated, pulling the stunned redhead even closer by the collar of his shirt. The taste of apples and cinnamon on Danny's own lips made his taste buds sing in delight. He wished this ethereal moment would last forever.
But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The chaste kiss ended, and Ryder snickered at the speechless look plastered on Danny's blushing, freckled face, eyes wide and mouth agape, occasionally swiping his tongue across his lips to taste apples and cinnamon. Ryder grinned widely, giving his crush a peck on the cheek. "I love you too, idiot." Before the taller boy knew it, Ryder was whispering in his ear. "By the way, me and the pups are having dinner with Mayor Goodway tonight. How would you like to come with us as a special guest?" Ryder's voice dropped an octave lower. "And maybe as my...boyfriend?"
As much as Danny wanted to squeal in joy for achieving Ryder's heart and getting invited to have dinner with him, he didn't have the energy to do anything but lie on the picnic blanket, mumbling and nodding happily. "Well, now that that's settled, I suppose I should go back to the Lookout and get ready for dinner." Oh, how badly Danny wanted to convey to him that he was beautiful just the way he is. "Oh, and thanks for a really awesome Valentine’s Day gift, Danny. You know me so well." Ryder winked before grabbing yet another cupcake and climbing through the greenery again, this time with a content smile spread across his blushing countenance.
Danny continued to lay on the blanket, daydreaming about the endless possibilities of the future now that Ryder was his newest boyfriend. His reveries didn't last long however as he was rudely awoken by a very annoyed Avery Sorensen, her foot tapping angrily and her arms crossed over her chest. Danny smirked. "So, uh, what was it you said about Ryder last week? Something about choosing a lover wisely?"
Ace stomped her foot near Danny's head, startling him. "You are NOT playing that card with me, Daniel." She grumbled. "Now, what happened to me being your coach? It looks more like Ryder did the job for me."
Danny's smirk grew even wider and more obnoxious. "Guess I just told you that so I could show you how much of an expert I am in the romance department."
Ace rolled her eyes dismissively. "Anyways, congrats, lil' bro." She smiled proudly. "Looks like you got yourself a boyfriend."