I was watching Danny Phantom the other night – I don't actually remember which episode, but I know for sure that it was Danny Phantom – and ever since then I've just been obsessed with DP again. So I was thinking about what sort of fic I might be able to write for it – because I really wanted to write a DP fic – and decided to listen to some Taylor Swift to see if I could get a spark of inspiration, and what should come up first but "Tim McGraw"? I thought a song-fic was in order then and just started writing, with this lovely fic you're currently reading being the end result.

So, as I already said, this fic was inspired by Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw" but it's, of course, not a song-fic in the typical sense; I haven't done a traditional song-fic in years now...

Anyway, this was inspired by the first and last few lines of it:

He said the way my blue eyes shined
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said "That's a lie."

Now I, of course, put my own little spin on it. Not to give anything away, but whom in the Danny/Sam pairing has blue eyes again? *hint hint*

So this takes place after the series finale, so Danny and Sam are dating and Tucker is mayor, everyone knows Danny's secret, and yada yada yada, you know the drill by now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or the song that inspired it, that privilege belongs to Butch Hartman – I think – and Taylor Swift respectively. If I were either of them, I would probably still be writing fanfiction, but there would most definitely still be new episodes of Danny Phantom coming on. And in my version, they would be *gasp* getting older. Yeah, that's right, I went there. And DP would be more for teenagers and young adults than children. Because I would never stop laughing if Sam was allowed to call Paulina a skanky bitch/whore. And/or if Danny was allowed to call Skulker a crafty motherfucker – or something of the sort. I mean, ever. There are just all sorts of colorful language out there for Danny, Sam, and Tucker to utilize and I would just die laughing if they could – and did – utilize it...

Okay, enough of my jabber, here's the story you came here for. Enjoy!

Title:
The Way Your Eyes Shine (Tim McGraw)

Formerly Known As:
The Stars (Tim McGraw)

Fic:

"You know, Sam?" Danny Fenton asked, arms tucked under his head as he lay under the stars next to his girlfriend Sam Manson. It was just a little after one in the morning and the pair of sixteen years old were supposed to have been home ten minutes ago, but somehow they found themselves unable to move from their spots on the lush grass on a hill over-looking their home of Amity Park. They each knew what sort of trouble they were risking by being out this late, but on this sort of night – the kind where the stars were twinkling extra brightly, the wind only held the slightest of a chill, the moon seemed to be smiling, and the air just seemed to hold a special sort of magic about it – they really couldn't be bothered to care much at the moment.

It was the summer between their sophomore and junior years and the pair had been dating for a little over a year and a half now, though to look at them one would think they had just started dating, as they still seemed as though they were still in the honeymoon period, as it was. They were always touching each other in some way or another, holding hands, kissing, whispering in one another's ears, walking to class together, giggling about something or another, always smiling and exchanging meaningful glances… If one thought about it, it was almost the exact same way they'd been acting before officially getting together, but of course no one ever thought about it, as it was enough that the pair were finally together and money could now be collected from any bets that were made pertaining to the two and the relationship that had been budding between them for years now.

So far, this summer had been a fantastic one for the pair; minimal ghost attacks, going out on dates, sneaking out and breaking curfew, staying up too late, sleeping too much, exploring new interests, spending time with their families and Tucker, watching TV, just enjoying their summer being young and in love. They had it lucky, they knew; the ghosts were laying off them for some reason, but eventually things would pick up again, so they made sure to make the most of their time, as they were doing this fine night.

The day had started out as any typical lazy summer day for them, waking up around one, having a late breakfast, surfing the internet, maybe capturing the odd ghost or two before dinner, and then Danny picking Sam up for their date around sevenish. They went to see the latest horror movie that was playing at the town theater, had a nice, quick fight with Skulker, and then flew around for a while before coming upon a nice grassy hill where they landed and spent hours just... talking. And kissing, settling in after some time of switching between the two to watch the stars and just enjoy the peace and one another's company. Danny's words were the first to be spoken in almost a half-hour now, breaking the calm silence in the most gentle and beautiful way Sam could imagine.

Heavy with bliss and exhaustion, Sam was half-tempted to roll up on to her side and prop herself up on her elbow to get a better look at the boy as they spoke, but fought the urge and chose instead to watch the stars above them; It was a beautifully clear night with nary a cloud in sight and the stars couldn't look more stunning from their spot a way's above the city, so she decided she should enjoy it instead, as she could most definitely enjoy Danny's handsome mug just about whenever she wanted to. Since the time they'd started dating oh-so-long ago, a lot had changed. But a lot had also stayed the same...

Danny was still fighting ghosts, for example, but he didn't have to hide it anymore. He didn't have to come up with excuses; he didn't have to change into Danny Phantom in secret, hiding out in a phone booth as if he was Superman all the time. If a ghost decided to attack in the middle of class, he simply changed where he stood and slipped out in secret, sometimes taking Sam with him, sometimes going at it alone depending on which ghost it was. If he was in the middle of eating dinner with his family and Skulker or Technus or Ember or whoever decided to attack, he put his fork down and took whoever wanted to go along with him for the fight with him and he went, sometimes changing into Phantom, sometimes not. He didn't have to hide anything anymore. And it was such a freeing feeling.

Sam was still Sam, still independent and with her own way of doing things, still an ultra-recyclo vegetarian, but since she had started to date Danny, there had been an extra spring in her step, and she did tone down the Goth thing ever so slightly, some days opting for blue jeans and an eye shadow of a slightly lighter shade, sometimes even going as far as to wear a whole outfit without a trace of black in sight – those, however, were rare days indeed. She still clashed constantly with her parents over Danny and what she wore, her attitude with them, her breaking curfew on more than one occasion, but they also seemed to be granting her just a little bit of leniency whenever she told them she'd had to help Danny with a ghost problem; even parents like the Mansons could recognize when their child was a part of something bigger and out of their control. Even parents like the Mansons were proud that she had helped save the world, and so they granted her just a little bit of leniency. Just a little bit.

After the initial excitement of Danny's big revelation had died down, however, and everyone got used to Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom, things pretty much went back to normal, other than a few small things like Dash staying as far away from Danny as he could unless he had a really good reason to be anywhere near him, and Paulina informing Danny that she had always had a thing for him anyway – Danny and Sam both got a hoot out of it when she sauntered up to them in the hallway and told him that, as he was clearly with Sam now. She walked away in a huff when he informed her that he wasn't interested; Sam was all that he needed anymore. Since then, she had pretty much kept her distance as well, other than a few run-ins with Sam in the bathroom and the lunchroom during which she glared at the smirking Goth until they were out of each other's sight. Not bad changes by any means...

Other than those few small changes, things were basically like they usually were, days slipped away into weeks and months, months would become years and sooner or later they would all graduate and be welcomed into the real world, but at the moment, laying under the stars, that day was years off and not worth thinking about, especially when they realized all the issues that graduating would bring up. Instead, they pushed everything else out of their minds – school, Paulina, Dash, Tucker, ghosts, parents, graduation, life – and looked up at the stars. It was such a beautiful night out, why waste it worrying about things that didn't matter when exposed to the summer breeze and moonlight?

"Do I know what?" Sam asked with a smile, his half-conversation amusing her for some reason that was beyond her knowledge at the moment.

"Do you know that it's an amazing night to be young?" he asked, a smile on his face as well. Sam laughed and rolled up on to her elbow anyway, sure this was going to be an interesting conversation. She rolled so she was leaning over Danny's face, smiling down at him and looking into his eyes, tracing the outline of his smile with her pointer finger, making him smile wider.

"How so?" She asked.

"You didn't let me finish," he chastised playfully, moving a hand from under his head and catching hers. Slowly and gently then, he pulled her down onto him and wrapped his arm around her so her head was resting on his chest, his heart thudding perfectly in her ears.

"So finish then." She mumbled, taking a hand and resting it next to her head as she propped it up by her chin so she was able to see his face now, feeling his chest through his shirt in as subtle a way as she could. His eyebrows popped up on his forehead and a goofy grin crossed his face, telling her that he knew exactly what she was doing and was waiting to see if she would say anything about it. She knew that if she asked him to, he would take his shirt off and let her ogle him if she would do the same for him, but why ruin a perfectly innocent moment? Just because they were teenagers didn't mean everything had to be about sex, she had reminded him before, and he had, surprisingly, agreed. In fact, their relationship was about sex so seldom that they brought great shame to teenagers everywhere, according to Tucker, who, now that he was mayor, was getting hit on by girls left and right – not that he would ever do anything with them, not while he was dating Danny's sister, of all people...

"I was saying," He started up again, running his hand through her hair. "That it's an amazing night to be young... And in love. Don't you think so, Sammy? Don't you think this is an amazing night?" he finished. Sam sat up all the way again and looked down at his face, into his deep blue eyes and nodded at him slowly, a hand still resting on his chest. She looked back up at the stars in the sky then and remembered what a beautiful night she thought it was before looking back into Danny's eyes, which were still locked on hers. She always felt so safe when she looked into them. So safe, so calm, so secure, so wanted, so... loved. A thought fluttered by that told her she would rather look into these eyes of his for the last five minutes of her life than at the stars above her head for the entirety of it, they were so amazing, and she grabbed it, sure it would be useful in its own way soon enough.

"Yeah, I do." She mumbled, looking into his eyes for a second longer before leaning down and planting a chaste peck on his lips, pulling back only seconds later. It was as innocent as they come and barely lasted a few seconds, but as she pulled back, Sam felt her lips tingle as though she had sparked a fire between them that would last for all of eternity. Danny's eyes had slipped closed and a sigh passed between his lips as she returned to her position with her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her. Her pulse thudding warmly against his ever cold fingers as he let his eyes slide open a crack and his hand wander up to her head, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger as they watched the stars a second longer.

Barely a breath later, Sam remembered her thought from before, the fluttering one that had planted itself firmly in her mind and made her smile as she formed it into a coherent thought that she could share with Danny. "Do you want to know something, Danny?" she asked.

"Yeah, Sammy – what?" She should have smacked him then, for calling her Sammy twice within five minutes, but the way he said it barely ruffled her feathers like it did whenever someone else did it. She was reminded of the affect he could, and constantly did, have on her before shaking the thought away, knowing she had the same effect on him, so it was barely worth complaining about.

"Do you know that the way your eyes shine put these gorgeous stars to shame?" She asked coyly, smiling as he laughed lightly in her ears. She closed her eyes and imagined him doing the same, his laughter fading out slowly and his arm tightening its grip on her slightly. He kissed the top of her head before 'hmm'ing for a second, holding her close as he replied softly,

"That's a lie."

She shook her head, reminding herself to bring a mirror with her the next time they planned on going off at night like this. He might not have seen it, but she did. She always would.

Danny Fenton's gorgeous blue eyes put the summer stars to shame that night, and every night, really. She would never forget that. Now tonight, not ever.

It really was an amazing night to be young and in love.

Now if only their parents would see it that way and let them off the hook when they got home a half-hour later instead of chewing them out for breaking curfew without a good reason...

Fin.

So, what'd 'ya think? Good, bad, too cliché? I was going for borderline fluffy goodness – did I hit the mark? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm sure something like this has been done already because, well, hasn't pretty much everything? But oh well; I enjoyed writing it, so that's all that matters. Do Danny and Sam seem OOC to you guys? I thought they might as I was rereading it, but then I realized that they're young and in love, drunk on the summer air and all that, so it's properly forgiven. That last sentence I just typed reminds me of Emily Dickinson's "I taste a liquor never brewed"; it's a great poem; I had to do a close reading of it for a poetry class I'm taking and I really enjoyed it, but I digress...

I just loved writing this one-shot. I'm doing NaNoWriMo, – National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who don't know – so this was a nice little break from wanting to absolutely strangle my main characters in my original work for not doing as their told. I am about 6,000 words behind at this point, and I, of course, blame Danny Phantom for that, but hopefully I'll be able to work on it all day tomorrow and get my ass caught up. In the meantime, though, I have to ask, are there any other Taylor Swift songs anyone thinks I should try to squeeze a DP fic out of? Just wondering...

Anyway, be sure to let me know what you think!

Always,
~Hisa-Ai~