You Kiss Like a Little Kid
((Author's Note: Originally titled "Too Many Chances", I wrote this one a while back, and it originally stopped short. But, being the romantic sap that I am, I added onto it and changed the ending. So read on, and let me know what you think. : P.S. – All DP-related things belong to good old Butch Hartman, not me. - Do I really need to explain this? - The only characters I added are Jesse, Hannah, and Evan, who do not appear in the cartoon. Just read it, people.))
They were sitting on the pier again, the moon spilling over the still waters like her black hair over her shoulders. She was dressed in black, with a long flowing dress that reached her ankles and tied around her neck. The tiny faux gemstones trickled down from the neckline to her side, and he was just admiring her beauty. She stared over the horizon, swinging her bare feet idly. Her beauty was natural; she hadn't the need for layers and layers of makeup like all the other girls he'd met. (And he had never fallen in love with any of them.) She had been left alone at the formal dance, the third date in two months that had stood her up. But she didn't complain; she chalked it up to human stupidity and left with him instead of moping in the girls' restroom as most had done.
And here they were, sitting together in the sweet silence. And though he shifted with a slight hint of nervousness in his black suit, each other's company was not a hard thing to enjoy. The inches between them were almost comforting, because every time a boy broke another piece of her heart, he wanted to fill the empty space. But he knew she didn't need it right then -- not then, not ever. So sooner or later the feeling went away... but this time it was so strong he knew he could break at any moment. And break he did. She turned to face him, silent but dangerous, and he lifted his hands to her face. He pressed his lips to hers quickly and gently, and then moved away swiftly as he had come. "Danny?" she whispered. He could only stare at her.
"DANNY! DANNY FENTON!" a different voice demanded, breaking the stillness of the moment as he came to consciousness. With a loud, exhausted groan, Danny woke up to his roommate smacking his face with a little too much force.
"We're outta here, man. Today's the day." A dark-skinned boy grinned.
"Tucker, what time is it?" Danny asked, his voice deep and raspy, thick with sleep.
"Like, 12 noon, you idiot!" Tucker Foley laughed, yanking the dark blue comforter, revealing a boxer-clad and shivering Danny.
"Nice smiley faces, Joe," Tucker snickered.
Danny ran a hand through his midnight-colored hair.
"Gee thanks, Sucker," he shot back.
"That is so old, man. Now go get dressed! We gotta get going so we can get the heck outta here. Our years in college are finally OVER!" Tucker leapt up and punched the air excitedly.
At 22, the two boys were as rowdy and hilarious as ever. But slowly Danny was turning into a man, while Tucker was still craving parties and stupidity. Responsibility separated the two in maturity, but they were still the best of friends. And by two o clock, the boys were on the road home, bags packed and ready for the long, beautiful summer.
"It's finally summer, Tuck," Danny mused.
"Yep," Tucker responded sleepily. The two guys were sitting on Danny's front lawn idly, the warm summer sun beginning to set lazily behind the horizon. When Danny closed his eyes, he could still picture that dream and feel how he felt. It was early June, and the two guys had spent time with their families for the whole first week. Old friends had come from everywhere to reach home, that first year being the hardest, and had a huge party at Samantha Manson's house. Sam, as her two best guy friends and virtually everybody else adoringly called her, came from an extremely wealthy family. Just as the stars began to blink their nocturnal eyes, a loud honk erupted from a nearby vehicle. The two boys shielded their eyes at a pair of blinding headlights, belonging to a bright red Corvette convertible in Danny's driveway. Not his, mind you - Sam's.
"Hello, kiddies," she said cheerfully, slamming the glossy red door. "Hi, Sam," the boys chorused back to her. She took a running leap and jumped straight over Tucker, tackling Danny full- force and sending him almost into the street.
"You really have to stop doing that, Sam. Honestly. You're a grown woman now!" Tucker told her. She laughed and sat in between them.
"Why are you so uncharacteristically upbeat?" Tucker asked. Danny was still trying to gain his breath back.
"Oh, just a little announcement my wonderful fiancé just made," she grinned. She seemed to be bursting at the seams.
"Oh?" Tucker raised an eyebrow.
"Yep! We're leaving tomorrow morning for London! We're eloping... and we'll be there all summer!" Sam beamed.
"Wow, that's great, Sam!" Tucker grinned, the bit of black hair in a patch on his chin becoming emphasized with his smile. Danny just stared at her, blank- faced and beardless.
"Aren't you happy for me, Danny? I'm finally going to have a decent guy - forever! It'll be kind of hard for my HUSBAND to stand me up," Sam giggled.
Tucker laughed and quickly hugged her. They broke the hug and Sam stared at Danny questioningly. He broke his solemn glazed stare and forced a smile.
"That's awesome Sam. I'm glad you found yourself a winner." He didn't even hug her; she didn't reach for him. She just waved to both of them as she hopped into her car.
"Gotta do some last-minute packing. See you guys later!" she honked the horn at Danny's house and the boys waved lazily back.
"That's so cool," Tucker smirked.
"Yeah. The coolest." Danny said sarcastically. But before Tucker could ask what he meant, a beautiful dark-haired, chocolate-skinned girl walked up the sidewalk. She did a double take in Tucker's exact direction.
"Tucker? Tucker Foley?" she asked.
"That's the one!" He laughed.
"Hannah Baker, tenth grade." She smiled and motioned for him to come with her.
"So nice to see you again, Hannah," Tucker told her. He took her hand and waved to Danny. And with that, the pair walked away, leaving Danny to his jumbled thoughts.