Come Fly With Me
Okay, just so you know, I am a short little mixed child, and I don't even own my own clothes (my parents do), so why would anybody think that I own a cartoon like this? Oh, and Gotta Be Somebody, by Nickelback, isn't mine either. It's on my ipod, cuz it's the awsomest song in the entire world, but I don't own it. Boo-hoo, Too bad, so sad. Now READ!
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She watched the moon outside her window, entranced. Her room was illuminated by the silvery glow, coming from her opened curtains. A slight breeze swirled in, making the strands of her hair that weren't tied up rustle against her pale skin. She inhaled softly, filling her lungs with the sweet scent of the peaceful night. Closing her eyes, she listened to a cricket chirp out a rhythm-less melody somewhere off in the distance.
Only rarely did she ever experience serenity like this. She loved her friends, (and her family a little bit less) but only when in solitude did she actually feel like she was understood. It was a mutual thing really, with her and the loneliness; they both understood what the other was truly like. She laughed at herself, realizing that she was doing it again. Feeling misunderstood by everybody was something that all other teenagers her age did, and she had sworn off thinking like anybody else did.
A star in the inky backdrop etched a streak across the sky. A few seconds later, so did another, and then another. She watched them with a look of wonder, and for a moment envisioned herself twirling downward along the meteors, her body alight with the magical white brilliance that only stars ever seemed to have. She closed her eyes again as the shower continued, sinking down into her warm pillows and felt something deep inside her expand as she started wishing.
"They're a lot more beautiful when you're actually up in the sky," a voice said, sounding not too far away from her face. She lifted her eyelids slowly, for she thought and dreamed and wanted his voice far too often for it to catch her off guard. The figure of a teenage boy materialized in front of her, hovering a foot above her mattress. He could have been a part of the darkness for all she knew, but his bright green eyes glinted with the light of the moon and his hair shone silver against the night. A faint glow seemed to surround him, like he had taken a sliver of the stars' light and wrapped it around his frame. All this was gone in an instant, however, and a flash of blue ignited at his torso, illuminating the entire room and bathing both their faces in the light. Then it was gone, and with a soft thud, he lightly landed cross-legged onto her bed.
"Hi, Sam," he greeted, the corners of his mouth gently turned up. She gazed up at him, slightly transfixed by her favorite color in his eyes. The icy blue was so vivid and deep, even though slightly muffled by the darkness. She hadn't even noticed just how quickly her heart began to race.
"Hi, Danny," she said quietly, not wanting to pierce the stillness with her voice. "You couldn't sleep either?"
He shook his head. "No. So I decided to fly around, just to clear up my mind, you know? And then I saw the meteor shower, and somehow that led me here."
She exhaled softly through her nostrils, propping her head up against the headboard. "I'm glad you associate rapidly burning chunks of space rock with me." She said sarcastically, looking up at him through her thick long eyelashes.
He chuckled, and she could hear the rumbles from deep within his chest, although she was on the opposite side of the bed. His laughter only lasted for about two seconds, but she saw the way his shoulders moved and how his eyes glittered and felt her breath catch in her throat. He smiled at her.
"Hey, do you wanna, maybe, come fly with me?" The question itself was simple, but his eyes searched hers as if her answer would give him one in return. She hesitated, unwilling to admit to herself that she didn't want to go with him if it meant him seeing her blush. She was smart enough to know that 'flying' meant 'touching'. "It's okay if you don't want to," he said hastily, reading her face and guessing the answer. "I just thought-"
"I'd love to." She interjected. He climbed off the bed as she pushed the covers off her, making the sheets rustle as she got up. She was wearing baggy black pajama pants with skulls, crossbones, and guitars, and a plain white tank top. Barefoot, she walked out onto her balcony where Danny was already waiting for her. She held her face up to the sky, feeling the cold, crisp night air hit her skin. The dull, yellow glow from the streetlights shone onto the street, illuminating an empty road. Everyone was fast asleep.
Quickly, so that even she barely saw it, he flashed a bright blue color and then his ghost self was standing there. He floated up lightly, like a balloon floats up when you let it go, and hovered over her, stretching out a gloved hand to her.
"Ready?" he asked, his expression suddenly eager.
"As I'll ever be," she replied, and lightly placed her hand in his, ignoring the all-too-familiar tingle that came whenever their hands touched. His fingers closed over hers and she felt her feet leave the cold stone floor, lifting higher into the air until her body was level with his. He grinned at her and she giggled, thoroughly enjoying the entire scene: she and him, floating in the air, hand in hand.
"Aren't I heavy?" she asked, curious, as he led them higher and higher into the sky. It didn't feel like he was lifting her with strain, more like he was trying to keep her afloat.
"Nah," he said, swinging her above him and twisting to face her as if trying to prove this. "It's kind of like being in water - or space. Only you can breathe."
"Lucky flying ghost kid." She muttered under her breath, and he laughed again, sending shivers down her spine. He latched his other hand around her wrist and pulled them upward, higher and higher and faster and faster, until they were high enough that they had to dodge an oncoming cloud.
"Where are we going?" she shouted over the wind, for he was flying at about a hundred miles per hour.
"You'll see!" he called back at her, and veered to the right. "You're gonna love this!"
She opened her mouth to ask again, but abruptly he stopped, and she almost collided into his side.
For a few brief moments, she couldn't breathe. And not just because they were about two thousand feet above sea level. Danny had flown her up past the highest building in Amity Park, and she could see the entire city from where they were. Tiny cars here and there looked like many multi-colored fireflies, their lights blinking on and off. Windows glittered, streetlights shone, signs twinkled, and the ocean below them seemed to be breathing gently, in and out. It was like the whole town was sleeping with a nightlight. She thought it looked absolutely breathtaking.
But all this took merely nanoseconds to be processed in her mind.
"Oh, Danny, it's-"
Her words were drowned out, though, because at that moment, he had tucked his knees in, leaned foreword, and the next thing she knew they were pelting headfirst into a dive. She screamed and clutched his arm, and he let out and exhilarated, manic laugh. Butterflies formed in her stomach, but whether they were from the dive or from being in such close proximity to him she couldn't tell. The wind was whistling in her ears, and she could make out the shingles on rooftops, coming nearer and nearer. She braced herself for impact, closing her eyes and hugging herself closer to him, tensing her muscles. His arms were wrapped around her frame, but she was too terrified at the moment to notice.
All of a sudden, she felt him hitch his body up so that there was a swooping sensation in her stomach, and then they were soaring upwards towards the starry sky again, not even close to crashing into anything.
A strange noise, something between total relief and complete terror, escaped her throat as she opened her eyes to see the town far beneath them. She was still trembling, both hands had a fistful of his shirt, and her face was pressed tightly to his chest. In a moment of madness, she thought he smelled wonderful - like the night air. But her saneness was instantaneously returned to her and she practically launched herself away from him. She would have fallen, too, if he hadn't grabbed her right wrist and pulled her gently up to his level. Her face was blank.
"Sam?" he asked gingerly. "Are you okay?"
She turned to look at him, her face no longer expressionless, and grinned triumphantly. He couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Oh, my God, that was so much better than any roller coaster I've ever been on. Wow, that was amazing, but I got so scared! Did you see me? I was hugging you like a baby!" she tilted her head back and laughed, losing herself for a moment in the brilliance of the stars. Her jet black hair had come undone, and it was hanging loose down her back like a silky curtain, moonlight shining down on it.
They hung there for a few minutes, talking and laughing about different things, feeling more alive there, with each other, than they had ever felt before. Then, a shooting star, not too far away from them, arched through the sky, illuminating their faces to each other. Suddenly, he turned towards her.
"Do you want to know what I wished for?" he asked, running his free hand through his bright silver hair. She studied his face, noting that there was a spark in his eye that hadn't been there before.
"What?" she asked carefully, remembering that the last time he'd had that look, he'd been on a date with Valerie Grey.
"I want you to dance with me."
She couldn't help it; she laughed. She laughed so hard that he had to wrap his arms around her waist so she could clutch her sides with both hands and pull her knees in.
"I'm not really the dancing type, Danny." She said when she was finished, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. But all signs of humor vanished from her face when she saw his disheartened expression. Her heart dropped-had she really done that?
"Aww, come on, Danny, I was just kidding. Nobody's ever asked me to dance with them before, you know." But I'm glad you did. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll dance with you."
"You're only saying that because you feel bad for me." Mumbled Danny, not meeting her eyes.
"No, I'm not." She pleaded, pulling on his hand. "I just – I thought you were joking. People don't usually dance in mid-air."
He looked down, sticking out his bottom lip, obviously not convinced. She felt awful now, seeing as he was using his puppy dog face on her. She huffed, sending a white puff of air out from her lips, and placed both hands on top oh his shoulders.
"Danny." She said, trying to look at him, but he turned his face away. "I want to dance with you. Please." She added softly at the end, feeling the need to be as gentle with him as possible.
His head snapped up immediately, and she almost let go of him in surprise, for he was grinning widely and impishly. In a flash, his arms had once more circled her waist and pulled her into him, so that she was pressed tightly against his chest. She felt herself go red, and suddenly the whole night seemed to have turned rather warm. She gazed up into his face, trying to not lose herself in his now blue-green eyes.
"Great." He said cheerfully, skimming over the awkwardness like it had never happened and rising them higher into the atmosphere. "But just so you know, I'm a little bit rusty."
"You were never even upset, were you?" she asked in an accusing voice. "That whole puppy-dog thing was really smooth, just so you know."
They both laughed, and then, almost…tenderly? He slid his feet under hers and moved her hands to his shoulders again. She noticed how close they were now, and grew warm, but this time it seemed to expand from her chest and radiate through her entire body.
He moved one foot back, and then the other, and then forward to the right again. She realized they were beginning to waltz, and matched her moves with his so that their dance flowed.
"You're really light on your feet," she commented teasingly as they floated. "It's too bad we don't have any music."
"Music?" he asked, the smiled. "Really, Sam? I thought you were above all that cliché stuff."
"It's not cliché, it's romantic!" she said defensively, then turned beet red and looked down at her feet when she realized what she said. What was she thinking, just blurting out her feelings like that? He was her best friend, he didn't feel the same about her.
"Hmm….you're right. It would be pretty romantic, huh?"
Did he?
"Okay," he continued. "Here's the deal. I will sing you a song while we dance, if you tell me what you wished for when we're done."
"Alright," she said, slightly nervous. "But if I tell you what I wished for then it won't come true."
He leaned so close to her that she could feel his breath on her lips, and she couldn't help but shiver slightly.
"I'll make it come true," he whispered, and goose-bumps erupted down her neck.
Then he drew back.
They rose up through a cloud, erupting softly into a blanket of stars and moonlight. He drew her ever so close to his warm chest and began to hum in her ear, his voice becoming visible as a crystallized vapor stretched out into the night air.
"This time, I wonder what it feels like, to find the one in this life, the one we all dream of, but dreams just aren't enough,"
She began to tremble: his voice was incredible, and this was her absolute favorite song in the entire world. How did he know? She'd never told anybody that she liked Nickelback – even though she owned just about every album they ever made.
They moved back and forth through the air, slowly rotating around each other, unable to take their eyes from the other's.
"So I'll be waiting for the real thing, I'll know it by the feeling, the moment when we're meeting, we'll play out like a scene, straight off the silver screen."
It was almost like a movie scene, she thought. A girl and her guy best friend, (who also happened to be the only person she'd ever fallen in love with) rotating slowly through the air under a blanket of stars, pressed closely to each other and dancing to a song he was singing. She sighed to herself, momentarily forgetting who she was as his eyes faded into their vivid, mesmerizing blue.
"So I'll be holding my own breath, right up till the end, is it that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with…"
They rose higher and higher into the night sky. She'd never been this high up before, and the moon was breathtaking. Its light shone on the surrounding clouds, giving them and ethereal glow. His hair was no longer silver; instead, like earlier, it seemed to be woven form the brilliance the moonlight fanned out around them. She barely noticed this, however, as it was his eyes that truly captivated her. No longer their ghostly green, they had returned to their human blue, and she thought they outshone all the other stars that surrounded them.
However, the expression they conveyed confused her.
"Cuz nobody wants to be the last one there, and everyone wants to feel like someone cares. Someone to love with my life in their hands, there's gotta be somebody for me like that."
Why was her looking at her like that? He'd never looked at anybody like that! With a lurch in her abdomen, she recognized the feeling in his eyes. It was as if she was looking into a mirror for thoughts and emotions. Of course, she'd never actually seen the expression on her face when her composure around him slipped, but she didn't need to. She was smart enough to know what his look meant when she saw it. Heart hammering, but with a feeling of complete bliss, she slid her head onto his shoulder, and her insides erupted into flames when she felt him run his hand through her hair.
"Tonight, out on the street out in the moonlight, and dammit this feels too right, it's just like déjà vu, me standing here with you,"
Could she possibly be imagining it? Could the husky velvet of his voice in her ear really not be meant for her? Could the look in his depthless eyes really not exist?Was she just imagining the way he was holding her? Her head was spinning, but that could have been because of the lack of oxygen there at twenty thousand feet above the twinkling lights of Amity.
Of one thing she was certain, however. This - thing, this feeling, the way her hand fit with his, it was just so….right. The extremity of this realization hit her like a wave, and she smiled, knowing that she would be experiencing much of this in later times. It wasn't a thought her mind had registered, more like a secret her hear had whispered to itself.
"So I'll be holding my own breath, could this be the end, is it that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with…"
He was smiling at her, and she was smiling right on back at him, and the stars were blurring all around them as they twirled in the air, no longer dancing to a rhythm. He had stopped singing now, and she missed the serenade, but he was humming in her ear, and she began to tremble, as his lips brushed her skin, and she turned her head to meet his eyes, and their noses were almost touching, and their lips were mere centimeters apart, and just before they could touch, she managed to breathe out: "Danny, wait."
"You don't feel the same, do you?" he whispered, and she winced at how bitter his tone sounded.
"No, no, it's not like that at all." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
His brow furrowed. "Then what is it, Sam? Why…"
"Because!" She answered, and her voice was pleading. "What if, say, we go down this road, and then later on we end up hating each other, and never speak to each other again? What if we don't stay together? What if we fight a lot, or one of us falls for somebody else? What if, when you're fighting ghosts, you get seriously hurt – or worse? What if one day, you let your secret slip, and the whole world starts worshipping you, and you get so caught up in all the glamour that you forget me and-" She stopped mid-sentence, because her throat had suddenly become clogged, and why was the whole world suddenly blurry?
She continued on. "That's why I've been playing it safe all this time, you know, with the whole 'just friends' thing. I can't not have you in my life, Danny, I need you!
He chuckled, and she was slightly distracted by how much she loved hearing him laugh. "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you? Sam." He placed his hand on her cheek and she closed her eyes, savoring the way his touch made her feel.
"I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Nothing, and I repeat: nothing, could ever make that feeling go away. The only reason I would ever leave you is if you wanted me to. If you start hating me, or if you fall for someone else, well, I couldn't stop you from walking away because nothing would make me happier than your being happy."
Danny stopped, then took a deep breath. "I'll always be there for you, forever, whether we're just friends or something more. And you'll always be my best friend, even when we end up married."
She laughed. "Are you proposing to me?"
"Not yet," he said, and grinned. Then his tone softened. "I need you too, Sam."
Her heart was fluttering as he pressed her closer to him. She felt his soft fingers intertwine with hers, and she bit her lip as she smiled.
"You know, this is what I wished for?" she confessed as he drew circles on her hand with his thumb. "So when did you finally figure it out? How I felt about you, I mean."
"Well it was somewhere between all the clueless jokes and your never-ending flirting." He grinned.
She opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off. "Relax, relax, I would never have known if Tucker hadn't told me."
"Tucker told you? Huh. Well when I get through with him…wait, what did he say?"
"He said that you've been in love with me ever since the fourth grade, your favorite color is blue because of my eyes, and that I'm a much better kisser than him, Dash, Kwan, or Gregor."
"WHAT?!"
"So it's true?"
"Which part?"
"All of it."
"Yes." Her cheeks were warm.
"Even the first part?" He pressed.
"Yes." Now her face felt like it was stuck in an oven, and her heart was pounding harder than in Gym class.
"So?" He asked, moving his face closer into hers.
"So what?"
"Are you going to say it?"
"Say what?" She asked, knowing perfectly well what he wanted to know.
"That you love me." He said calmly, like they said it every day of their lives.
"You first," she told him, tapping his chin.
"I already said it!"
"Say it again. Please?"
He smiled. "Sam, I love you."
She looked up, and met his sparkling eyes. "Really? Not just like?"
"Not at all. Way more than just 'like'. Your turn!"
She took a deep breath. Somehow, after all the times she'd thought it, whispered it, wanted to shout it out to him, it was harder than she realized it would be. But, she squeezed his hand, looked deep into his eyes, and said;
"I love you, too, Danny."
Grinning, he cupped her chin in his hand and said happily, "I know."
They kissed right as a meteor high above them blazed a trail through the sky.
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Fin.
Yaaaay it's done hooray. God, that was a cheesy one. You know that I was originally going to call it "Moonlight Serenade"? That's what the rough draft is titled, anyway. I wish that I had a guy like Danny. But then again, don't we all? Now could you and your beautiful soul and your exquisite fingers review this story? Pretty please?