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Danny had spent months preparing to move to Mexico.
Paperwork, packing, planning, and spending an unreasonable amount of time on Duolingo—he’d done all of it. He’d taken Spanish in high school, sure, but let’s be honest—when had he ever studied or paid attention? He’d been too busy skipping class, fighting ghosts, and dealing with a lot of life-threatening nonsense.
As usual, his past self had absolutely screwed over his present self.
Manny, on the other hand, had been shockingly patient. For once in his incredibly chaotic life, he had become a beacon of calm, helping Danny actually learn Spanish, even when his accent made half the words sound questionable at best.
They’d been dating for almost five years by this point, so Danny had picked up a lot of Spanish just from being around Manny and his family. But living in Miracle City? That was a whole different beast.
Which was why they were currently curled up together on their tiny couch, Danny sprawled against Manny’s side, trying to hold a conversation in Spanish without sounding like a total idiot.
Manny had his arm lazily slung over Danny’s shoulders, idly twirling a lock of his messy black-and-white hair between his fingers. "Okay, mi amor," he murmured, voice teasing. "Tell me about your day. In Spanish."
Danny huffed, shifting to get more comfortable. "Ugh. Okay. Um…" He focused, carefully stringing together his words before speaking.
"Hoy, uh, fui al… mercado." He paused, then grinned. "¿Ves? Eso fue fácil."
Manny smirked. "Uh-huh. Y después?"
Danny frowned in concentration, mentally translating as best as he could. "Compré frutas. Um… mangos, plátanos, naranjas. Todo bien. Pero…"
Manny raised an eyebrow. "¿Pero qué?"
Danny hesitated for a split second before deciding to just go for it. "Pero… peleé con un bandido esqueleto."
Manny blinked. "…¿Perdón?"
Danny grinned sheepishly. "En el mercado."
Manny pulled back slightly, staring at him. "¡¿Peleaste con un bandido esqueleto en el mercado?!"
Danny nodded. "Sí."
Manny ran a hand down his face, groaning. "Y yo soy el caótico."
Danny snorted, shaking his head. "Oh, you are."
Manny opened his mouth to argue, but Danny shot him a look—one of those fond, amused, I know exactly who you are and I love you anyway looks. The kind that always made Manny’s heart stumble in his chest.
Danny shifted slightly, tapping his fingers against Manny’s knee as he thought for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, he spoke again—his voice softer, a little hesitant, but completely earnest.
"Cada día contigo es una aventura y disfruto cada segundo de ella."
Manny froze.
Danny had clearly practiced the sentence, but there was still a struggle in his pronunciation—like he was carefully pulling each word out from memory and trying his absolute best to say it right.
Manny’s heart skipped in his chest.
Danny grinned, clearly proud of himself, even though Manny could hear the mistakes in the sentence. His very American accent had definitely butchered some vowels, but—oh, Dios mío, the effort. The way he tried. The way he meant it.
Manny felt like he had just been swept off his feet.
"You—" Manny had to pause, blinking rapidly before managing, "You practiced that."
Danny nodded, still looking pleased. "Yep."
Manny let out a breathless laugh, running a hand through his own messy curls. "Damn."
Danny smirked, watching the effect it was having on him. "Did I get it right?"
Manny exhaled sharply. "Mostly," he admitted. Then, voice softer, he murmured, "It was perfect."
Danny beamed, and Manny, still feeling like he might just combust, reached out to gently cup his face, brushing his thumb along his cheek.
Then, without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed him—slow, warm, full of affection.
Danny melted into it, purring softly, and Manny smiled against his lips.
When they finally pulled back, Manny sighed dramatically. "Ugh, fine. You win. You’re the romantic one today."
Danny chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the tip of Manny’s nose. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
Manny rolled his eyes, but he was grinning.
They curled back into the couch together, Danny tucking himself against Manny’s side, feeling lighter than he had all day.
Maybe moving to Miracle City had been stressful. Maybe his Spanish was a mess. Maybe he still had a long way to go.
But right now? Wrapped up in Manny’s warmth, hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, knowing he had someone in his corner—
Yeah. It was all worth it.
~
A few days had passed since Danny’s grand romantic Spanish victory, and now he found himself following Manny through one of the many bodegas scattered across Miracle City.
The atmosphere here was chaotic but welcoming—a stark contrast to the big-box stores back in Amity Park. People actually knew each other here. There was warmth in every greeting, familiarity in every exchanged word. It was different, but Danny was growing fond of it.
Manny was a fiery man—loud, animated, impossible to ignore—but he was also well-loved. He fit in perfectly in Miracle City, weaving through the narrow aisles with the confidence of someone who belonged. So, it wasn’t a surprise when an older woman, a warm smile on her face, suddenly placed a hand on Manny’s arm.
"¡Aye, Manito!" she greeted, her voice affectionate. "¡Ha pasado un tiempo! ¿Cómo estás?"
Manny grinned. "¡Hola, señora! ¡Me va bien! He estado muy ocupado con mi galería y con este chico."
Danny, trailing behind, mostly followed the conversation. He was getting better. The words weren’t just a blur anymore. He caught time passing, how are you?, gallery, and—
Oh. Oh, he was this chico.
The woman’s attention turned to him, eyes warm and curious. Danny braced himself, took a breath, and did his best.
"¡Hola, soy Danny! Soy el novio de Manny. Me acabo de… mudar aquí."
The woman lit up. "¡El novio!" she gasped, delighted. Without warning, she reached up and pinched Manny’s cheek. "¡Es guapo! ¡Buen trabajo!"
Manny immediately flushed, swatting playfully at her hand. "¡Ay, señora!"
Danny, who absolutely knew that word, flushed as well. But he recovered fast, flashing a grin and responding with, "¡Muchas gracias, señora!"
The woman beamed, clearly pleased with him. "¡Ay, qué educado! ¡Bienvenido a Miracle City, corazón! Vas a encajar aquí muy bien."
Danny caught most of that—welcome to Miracle City, something about fitting in—and it made something warm settle in his chest.
"Gracias," he said again, a little softer this time.
She gave them both a final knowing look before patting Manny’s arm one last time and returning to her shopping.
Manny, still looking slightly flustered, turned to Danny with a huge grin. "Okay, that was impressive."
Danny blinked. "What?"
Manny nudged his shoulder. "Esa fue una conversación completa, mi amor." He wiggled his eyebrows, clearly so proud. "You didn’t just talk—you listened! And you understood!"
Danny’s ears burned, but he couldn’t stop the small, satisfied smile that tugged at his lips. "Well… yeah," he admitted. "I mean, I live here now. Gotta get good eventually."
Manny beamed. "You are getting good. I’m so proud of you."
Danny, completely overwhelmed by the sincerity in Manny’s voice, immediately tried to deflect. "I mean, you did most of the talking—"
"Nah." Manny slung an arm around Danny’s shoulders, tugging him close before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "You killed it, guapo."
Danny groaned, shoving at Manny’s chest—but his blush completely betrayed him.
Manny just laughed, dragging him down the next aisle.
Danny let himself be pulled along, heart lighter than it had been all day.