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Danny doesn’t really know what they’re doing when they press the “call” button under Bianca’s contact. She had been right, so so right, and they feel so scared and hurt. Sitting alone in the hotel room just reminds them of how fucking stupid it was to try and do this. All their closest friends either tried to talk them out of it or were clearly not happy about this. Even their mom.
The hotel room is cold, despite the summer heat outside, making Danny feel ten times worse than they already do. Their mom’s words still ring in their head, a reminder of poor decision making and a refusal to listen to friends and family. She had picked up the second Danny called though, and Danny knows she’s probably just pissed off and not completely disappointed, but the doubt is still there.
Calling Bianca though just feels like the right answer. Considering the extensive conversation they had prior to Danny agreeing to All Stars, they feel a responsibility to let her know everything that’s happened.
When the phone is answered, Danny’s voice starts shaking and they can’t stop from spilling it out to her, “Bia, you were right. You were so right and I’m sorry I should’ve listened to you-”
“Hey, hey, hold on,” Bianca says quickly, shushing Danny with a soft and comforting tone, “I’m in the middle of the street with Courtney, we’ll call you back ad soon as we get to the hotel, alright?”
“Ok, ok,” Danny replies, taking a few deep breaths.
“Just a few minutes, I promise,” and the call is abruptly ended.
Danny sits on the edge of the bed, eyes closed and trying to breathe, but it feels almost impossible. Was this the biggest mistake ever? Or the safest choice? There’s no going back now, that’s for sure.
The clock ticks on for an almost uncomfortably long time, but true to Bianca’s words, a few minutes later Danny’s phone starts ringing, Bianca’s Caller ID covering the screen. Danny answers without hesitation and is greeted by Bianca’s loving, concerned voice.
“Adore? What’s going on?”
Danny lets out a shuddering breath, and says the first thing that pops into their head, “You were right.”
Courtney’s voice then comes crackling over the phone speaker, almost catching Danny off guard, “Well don’t tell her that, her head is already big enough.”
Danny sniffles and smiles to themself a bit, Courtney’s words comforting them more than would have been expected. They hadn’t expected for Courtney to bw with Bianca today, but it is a relief. Her love and support is crucial for them.
“But it’s true,” Danny says, all the emotion in their voice is completely drained. They know Bianca and Courtney are sharing a worried look, this situation is common enough to know that look like they know the back of their hand.
“Why aren’t you in filming right now?” Bianca asks, even though all three of them already know the answer.
“I left,” Danny whispers.
“Oh, Adore,” Courtney murmurs, and the pain in her voice almost breaks Danny’s heart.
“I told you…” Bianca adds gently, and there’s not a trace of true anger in her voice.
“I know,” Danny mumbles, wringing their fingers anxiously.
Bianca had said
multiple
times that this was a bad idea, despite helping to pick out clothes for All Stars. Danny had assumed they would go compete, have a good time, and then shove it in Bianca’s face after they won. Now they struggle to remember a time that Bianca was ever wrong.
“Alright, what’s the full story?”
Bianca demands.
“Huh?”
“Come on, you can’t lead with something like that and then leave us parched.”
Danny bites their lip, “Well…”
The whole thing doesn’t take particularly long to tell, and the anger coming from the two on the other end of the line is almost tangible. By the time the story is finished, Courtney has made it clear she has some choice words to share with Drag Race.
“This is fucking ridiculous,” Bianca mutters.
Danny just sighs.
“When will you be home?” Courtney asks anxiously.
“I’m going to my mom’s house, and I won’t get there until late tonight,” Danny answers, looking around at their mess of a hotel room glumly.
“Want us to come over this weekend?”
Danny inhales sharply, wondering how they managed to be so lucky to wind up with these two beautiful people in their life. It doesn’t make sense. They haven’t done anything to deserve this, to deserve Bianca and Courtney, and yet… Here they are. Always with open arms and listening ears. Sometimes it feels like too much, too much love and warmth, but now Danny can’t fight against it. They just want to be with those two so fucking bad right now.
“Yes,” Danny answers after a moment of long silence, “Please come over. Please .”
“We’ll be there, I promise,” Bianca reassures them gently.
“See you soon, darling,” Courtney says, and then the call is ended.
Danny still feels lost, and lonely, but not… alone. At least not totally alone. And now they have something to look forward to. There’s no doubt Courtney and Bianca will be there in just a few days with pizza, beer, and cuddles. Lots of cuddles.
Packing is slow, almost torturous, but Danny manages to get it done.
Leaving the hotel is like leaving the Olympics. They don’t feel like a failure, but they do feel like they’ve let people down. It’s hard to say goodbye to what this place represents, though not impossible. Danny is more than eager to get to their mom’s soft embrace and their brothers’ teasing. But also Courtney and Bianca, those two have changed their life in an unpredictable way, and continue to do so all of the time.
Taking one last look at the hotel room, Danny leaves with Adore’s things in tow, ready to start a new chapter.