AN: A sidestory that takes place during Danny's college years without any prior interaction with Hell.

"They look at time like they are watching a parade: one thing after another, passing by in sequence right in front of them. I see the parade from above - all the twists and turns it might, or might not, take."

This is one of those alternate paths.

#

Danny Fenton flew over the coastline, the cool breeze ruffling his hair. It was spring break, and after a grueling semester in college, he needed this escape. If the flyer was right, this was where the concert was about to take place. As he approached, Danny saw people gathering near a stage. Danny touched down in a nearby alley and turned back to human form. Walking toward the stage, Danny noticed a tall, dark-skinned man standing by the stage and surveying the crowd. Danny could make out the Staff badge around his neck. Danny waved at the man.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't seem opposed.

"Hey there," Danny said with a friendly smile. "Name's Danny. Just wanted to confirm the concert times and stuff."

The man studied him for a moment. "Name's Vortex, but my friends call me Tex." He extended a hand.

Danny shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, Tex. So, what's the plan for today?"

Tex glanced out at the crowd. "The general party's going on, but the concert doesn't kick off until six. Plenty of time to grab a drink and enjoy the vibe."

"Sounds good. Thanks for the heads-up."

Tex gave him a nod. "No problem. Enjoy yourself."

Danny rejoined the dozens of college students on the beach, already feeling the stress of the past semester melt away. This was exactly what he needed.

#

About an hour later, Danny was busting it down with everyone else. Ever since becoming a half-ghost, he didn't need to worry about getting sunburnt. Considering the usual weather, he couldn't often have the warm sun on his skin and the soft sand beneath his feet.

The track changed, and Rap music thumped through the air. Danny had a fruity cocktail drink in hand that someone had passed from a shared cooler earlier. Danny preferred the sweet stuff over the hard ethanol taste. The hero was feeling pleasantly buzzed as he moved to the beat. The crowd around him was just as lively.

As Danny danced, the gunshots over the radio sounded realistic. When no one around him seemed to react, he shook it off. In the corner of his eye, he noticed a goth girl with striking white hair weaving through the crowd. He didn't think much of it, but she was with a different person every time he saw her, guiding them somewhere out of sight. Danny attributed it to the usual college kids hooking up. It wasn't his place to judge anyone for being a little more adventurous during spring break. He took another sip of his drink as he continued to dance.

#

When 6 PM struck, the stage lights flared to life. Smoke began to plume across the stage. The setting sun blended with the stage lights for an orange and pink glow. The music from the speakers got louder. Danny turned his attention to the stage. Through the thick smoke, a shadowy figure appeared. Her silhouette in the smoke made it seem like she had horns, wings, and fangs. The crowd roared.

"Alright, spring breakers! Y'all ready to get fucked up and make some BITCHIN' BAD CHOICES?!"

The smoke cleared, revealing the woman behind the voice. She was stunning, with light brown skin and ombre blonde hair that cascaded down her back. She wore a pink, ruffled mini dress with white trim and a star emblazoned on it.

"Verosika!"

Danny glanced over to see a fanboy ripping his shirt off to reveal her name scrawled across his chest. The crowd's cheers grew louder.

Verosika smirked. "This is your final boarding call. All aboard~" The words "Fuck you, Blitzo" flashed across the screens behind her.

Danny raised a brow. "Who the hell is Blitzo?"

" Pack your bags. Sun's out. Take a vacay, babe. Take it straight to Bone Town. "

Danny couldn't help but think her voice sounded lovely. But there was something else, too—a strangely familiar sensation. It took him a moment to place it, but his eyes narrowed slightly when he did. The feeling reminded him of Ember, who literally captivated audiences with her music. Verosika's voice had that same enchanting quality, though Danny was more resistant to it now, having dealt with Ember's siren-like powers before.

Around him, the crowd was definitely under Verosika's spell. People were swaying, moving closer together. It was like their inhibitions melted away. Couples and strangers were making out, grinding on each other more than usual at a college party.

Danny caught a glimpse of a shorter, dark-skinned girl sucking on a popsicle in an overly suggestive manner, clearly catching the attention of a guy nearby. The girl tackled the guy before Danny could register it, and the two started making out, which left little to the imagination.

Couples of all kinds were getting together. Was it the music? Probably. But as far as Danny could tell, no one was getting hurt. People were just vibing, letting loose, and enjoying themselves.

Danny hummed. He still kept both heads under control, but it was rather tempting to join in. Still, the voice in the back of his head told him to hold himself back just in case things got fucked up. Granted, he wouldn't turn someone down if the night ended without issue and a girl approached him.

" V-time, free time, baby, relax. Self-care, no hair, Brazilian wax. Hornt up succu-bus to the beach. Catch some rays while catching some D. "

#

Danny noticed Vortex standing at the side as the crowd grew more frenzied. More people losing themselves to the music and each other. Danny figured it was probably time to move to a different spot and let everyone have fun. The front was getting too heated for his liking anyway.

Danny caught Tex's eye and waved at him, just like before. With a smile, he walked over to the hulking bodyguard.

Seeing that Danny wasn't rushing the stage or causing trouble, Vortex allowed him to come closer. "Oh, hey, man. You enjoying the show?"

Danny grinned. "Gotta say, your boss does good music."

"Pop is cool, but I like my fair share of rock."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm a fan of alt-rock myself."

Their conversation was interrupted by a fanboy suddenly bolting toward the stage.

"One sec, my guy." Vortex charged forward. He crossed the distance and delivered a brutal punch that sent the fanboy crashing headfirst into the ground. The impact was enough to make Danny wince, but he couldn't help but whistle at the sheer power of the hit. Vortex then grabbed the dazed man by the collar and dragged him away, effortlessly hauling him toward the back of the crowd. Vortex waved for him to follow.

"Some people..."

Verosika continued to whip the crowd into a frenzy.

"Now, who wants a piece of this?!" Verosika tossed a bottle into the ocean with a splash. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the Beelzejuice mixed with the saltwater, and an octopus swam through the golden spillage. Within seconds, the octopus that made contact with the liquid began to convulse. In a grotesque and rapid transformation, it started forming into a monstrous, twisted amalgamation of scales, tentacles, fins, and fangs.

#

Danny and Tex relaxed and watched Verosika's performance. The crowd was still wild, but the two were content to just chill on the outskirts. Danny sipped his drink.

As he scanned the area, Danny noticed the goth girl with white hair from earlier. This time, she wasn't just passing through the crowd. She was making her way directly toward them—specifically toward Vortex. She seemed a bit nervous.

"Sup?" Danny gave her a nod when she got close.

The girl quickly glanced his way, acknowledging him with a slight nod as well. She continued moving till she got close to Tex. Tex didn't seem to notice until she got his attention with a surprisingly soft punch to his arm.

"Heyyyy... you...!" She was clearly anxious.

Vortex turned to face her. "Oh, hey. You're the girl workin' for my boss's freaky ex."

Danny took another sip of his drink. "Your bosses used to date?"

"I don't judge her taste." Vortex shrugged.

"Yeah, he's kind of an asshole." The girl chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry if that's weird."

Vortex put up a hand. "It's cool. Her beef ain't mine. I'm not paid enough to care."

"Yeah! Yeah. I'm Loona!" Loona's voice was a bit higher-pitched than before.

Danny couldn't help but stifle a laugh at how flustered she seemed. He handed her a beer can from a nearby cooler and raised his drink in a small toast. "I'm Danny."

Loona quickly took the social lifeline.

Vortex raised his own and decided to play along. "Okay." He mimicked her tone with a playful smile. "I'm Vortex!"

"That's hot... I mean, like, literally, y'know, 'cause vortexes... y'know, they give off heat. Probably. Right?" Loona bit her lip.

"Uh, yeah." Vortex found her awkwardness endearing. "I guess."

Danny hummed. Loona was obviously crushing hard on Tex. Her attempts at flirting were... well, they were something. They were somehow worse than Tucker's. Deciding to help her out, Danny gave her an encouraging smile. "No worries, Loona. Take a breather. It's all cool here."

Vortex agreed. "Listen to Danny-boy, girl. We're all vibing here. In any case, my friends call me Tex."

"Oh, yeah? I wish I had friends," Loona blurted out, then immediately chuckled nervously as she realized what she'd said.

Danny couldn't help but facepalm internally for her. She was trying.

Loona quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean... No, I mean, I don't... I... I don't have friends."

Danny's lips thinned. Helping her seemed harder than he'd thought. She was clearly out of her element.

Tex softened his tone. "It's cool. We're just hanging out. No pressure."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, just relax. We're all just here to have a good time."

Loona took a deep breath. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right. Uh... Thanks."

Tex smiled. "Having fun?"

Loona's earlier tension finally melting. "Right... fun."

Danny leaned back, relieved that the awkwardness was starting to fade. He glanced at Loona. "You like the music?"

She shrugged. "Nah. I'm more into Alt rock."

Vortex chuckled. "So is Danny."

He raised a hand. "Guilty."

Loona smiled more confidently this time and latched onto the conversation hook. "That's cool. So, like, what bands are you guys into?"

Danny smirked. "Ever heard of Dumpty Humpty?"

#

As Danny, Vortex, and Loona continued their conversation, they were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a large red figure.

It had horns and yellow eyes. "Am I... interrupting something?"

Danny's eyes widened in shock. His ghost sense wasn't going off, so that was probably good. His imagination went off. 'Was that a demon?!' He fought to keep his mouth shut, glancing over at Vortex, who seemed completely unbothered by the creature's presence.

Vortex shrugged. "Nah, man. Just having a conversation."

The demon, who Danny quickly gathered was Loona's adopted father, poked Vortex in the chest. "Conversation' leads to HPV!"

Danny blinked at the twisted logic. He was sure he was missing several steps in that analogy.

Loona laughed awkwardly at Danny and Vortex. She then grabbed the demon by the arm, dragging him away. "Come on, Blitzo, let's go."

As they walked off, Danny couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

Blitzo glared. "I saw you talking to those guys! What were you thinking?"

Loona groaned. "Chill out, Dad! We were just talking."

Danny watched them go, then turned to Vortex, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. "Uh... You see what I'm seeing, too, right?"

Vortex waved it off. "Just don't say anything about it; he probably won't hurt you."

"Right..." 'Great. Just great. A demon at a beach party. This is totally normal.'

Danny could hear the argument between Blitzo and Loona escalating. It was clear that Blitzo was not happy.

Vortex sighed, finally deciding to intervene. "Hey, dude. Why don't you chill out?"

Blitzo whirled around to face Vortex. "Why don't you stay out of it?! Okay, this is our business!"

Blitzo held up a drawing with his tail, a crude diagram that showed an illustration of him killing a human, which apparently equaled money, and that money was somehow connected to a horse. "Literally!"

Danny stared at the picture. He didn't like where this was going. "Uh... Tex, should I be worried?"

Vortex shrugged. "Honestly? Probably."

Danny glanced between Vortex and the still-arguing demon, trying to decide whether to trust Vortex or start preparing for the worst.

Loona groaned. "Fuck, Blitzo! Why can't you stay out of my face for, like, five minutes?!"

Blitzo crossed his arms. "Because I adopted you! And that should mean something!"

Loona grunted. "Oh, what does it matter?! You're not my real dad! I was almost eighteen!"

"It still counts!" Blitzo insisted.

"Well, it shouldn't!" Loona snapped. "I didn't need you then, asshole! I don't, now!"

Danny cringed at the heated exchange. 'Yeesh. Family drama.'

Loona hesitated, seeing the flash of pain in Blitzo's eyes. She tried to soften her tone. "Uh... Blitzo... I'm—"

Blitzo cut her off as he turned away. "Enjoy your break, Loonie. I'm gonna go kill something!"

Danny's eyes widened in alarm. 'Wait. He's gonna what?!'

As Blitzo stomped off, Loona let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Ugh..."

Vortex stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Damn, girl. That was savage." He gave her a sympathetic look. "You okay?"

Loona blushed slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. He'll get over it. He always does."

Vortex chuckled softly. "I'm glad you could stick up for yourself, at least. Mmm! Takes guts."

Loona offered him a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks."

Danny hesitated before speaking up. "Uh, Loona. I don't want to break the mood, but your... Dad meant that last thing metaphorically, right?"

Loona chuckled nervously, realizing she'd almost forgotten Danny was still there. She quickly tried to brush off his concern. "Sorry. My dad... likes to wear weird costumes to these events. I told him not to, but he never listens."

Danny eyed her skeptically, clearly not buying the explanation but unwilling to press the issue. "Uh huh..." He took a long gulp of his drink.

Loona shifted awkwardly, grateful. She glanced at Vortex, who gave her a reassuring nod.

#

By the time the first set ended, most of the drinks the crowd brought had already been burnt through. Vortex handed Danny a wad of cash to grab more drinks from the bar on the street. As he walked towards the road, people were still partying. By the time he reached the bar, Danny noticed a group of people lounging nearby. Their eyes were on him as he drew closer. It took him a moment to realize that the concert singer was there. In hindsight, Verosika's everything was hard to miss.

Verosika's gaze lingered on him, a slow smile curving her lips. Her succubus instincts immediately picked up on an innocence she wanted to bite into.

Danny, initially oblivious to the attention, ordered several bottles and cans and leaned against the counter while he waited.

It wasn't long before he heard footsteps beside him. He turned his head to see Verosika leaning on the counter with him.

"Hey there, cutie," she purred. "Having fun? Enjoying the show so far?"

Danny was slightly taken aback. "Uh, yeah. You were doing great out there. I can't wait to hear more.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find plenty of fun here." She moved a little closer, her fingers lightly brushing his arm.

Danny tried to keep his cool despite the way his heart raced. "Um, I'm Danny, by the way."

"Verosika. Happy to hear, Sweetie." She rested her chin on her interlocked fingers. "So, did you come to this shindig alone or..."

Danny felt his face heat up. "I actually came stag. I'm not from around here. Thought I'd check out the scene."

Verosika leaned in slightly, her breath warm against his ear. "Looking for a little adventure?"

"I... wouldn't be opposed... When I saw your ad for Spring Break, I thought, 'Why not?'"

Verosika chuckled. "Well, Spring Break is as good a time as any to cut loose and... try new things."

"That's one way of putting it... I kinda came here to decompress and have some fun."

Verosika's smile widened. "I think we're going to get along just fine, Danny. Who knows, maybe by the end of the night, I'll show you a different kind of fun."

Danny laughed away his anxiousness. High school did not prepare him for this. "Sounds tempting..."

"Oh, you have no idea." Verosika played a finger to his chin. "So, have you met any interesting people today besides me, that is?"

Danny's eyes blinked into clarity. "Actually, you might know one of them. Vortex is your bodyguard, right?"

Verosika was also surprised. "You met Tex?"

"Yeah, in fact, he asked me to come up here and get our group some more drinks."

"Yeah, he's a pretty chill guy. Does his job well." The pop star hummed with a smile. "Well, I don't want to keep him waiting.

Sure enough, the bartender came back with a case of drinks for Danny's order.

Danny wasn't sure how to respond, but the bartender handed him his drink before he could say anything. He took it with a grateful nod, using the moment to collect himself.

"Thanks," he said to the bartender, then turned back to her. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Verosika. Maybe I'll see you around later?"

"I'd like that." Verosika teased, her fingers trailing down his arm. "When we do, maybe we'll find something a bit more... exciting to do."

"I'd... be hard-pressed to say no."

"Before you go, meet the rest of my crew." Verosika motioned to another group sitting nearby.

Danny saw them with amused expressions. "Your crew?"

"Mm-hmm," Verosika confirmed, her eyes gleaming. "We're a tight-knit group, always looking for some fun... and maybe a little mischief. There's Josh, Coco, Apple, Kat, Milky, Kiki, and Ace.

"Hey!" He waved.

Danny received a greeting back with a few gazes as well. Milky, in particular, remembered him staring at her in the crowd and gave a seductive wink.

"It was nice meeting you up close in person, Verosika."

"Well, if you stick around after the concert, maybe we'll meet up again.

With that, he gave her a polite nod and walked away, feeling her eyes on him the entire time.

She gave a small wave of goodbye. "Don't be a stranger, honey." Honestly, ever since she saw Blitzo again, she'd been hiding her shitty mood. With Spring Break, she had a chance to vent a little of her frustrations. A good lay would also help keep those negative thoughts away. So, she followed her gut and eventually found this young man. Throughout their entire conversation, Verosika could tell that her earlier songs barely influenced him. She didn't expect that. If it were any other human, they would would be willing to drop their pants after a few words. This one showed interest and resistance. "Ooh, Mama likes a challenge."

#

AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, Salo Guzman, Traiton Moses, SonicSonicsSonic, KA012, and Monkey!

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