THIS IS THE WORST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN LIKE OFFICIALLY
OH MY GOSH
BUT I JUST HAD TO
I COULDN'T NOT
YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
*AGRESSIVE FLUFF FEELS*
I don't own Danny Phantom
UGH JUST DON'T EVEN I CAN'T RIGHT NOW OKAY
Tooth Hurty
March 8, 2014
Danny Fenton never experienced such a fierce internal struggle as he did the moment Dash Baxter punched Sam Manson square in her mouth. On the one hand, there was the option of chasing Dash down and beating him into oblivion, since there seemed to be no teachers around to witness such an act of violence. But on the other hand, there was Sam, sprawled out on the ground and clutching her bleeding mouth, in serious need of some tenderness and comforting.
Oh, the choices.
His head spun woozily as he watched Sam carefully withdraw her hand from her mouth, amethyst eyes widening at the way her palm glistened with her own blood. Dash's splutters and expletives became part of the dull roar in his ears.
How in the actual hell did that just happen?
It started out normally enough. The school day ended and Danny had to cling to his locker door to avoid being swept away by his classmates, eager to vacate the building and start their three-day weekend. Tucker lounged against the lockers on Danny's right, cackling at Danny's fearful expression. "C'mon, man, you fight ghosts daily. You're scared of a little after-school rush hour?"
"No," Danny grumbled back, yanking the appropriate books out of his locker and dropping them into his bag at his feet. "I just don't like being hassled, that's all."
"Speaking of being hassled," Tucker muttered. Danny peered around his best friend's stomach and grimaced at the sight of Sam. She was storming down the hallway, irate scowl on her face, and at her heels trailed Dash.
"For the last time, Baxter, no. I won't help you with your stats homework." Sam growled, not bothering to look at the jock as she approached Tucker and Danny. Tucker raised an eyebrow as Danny straightened, both boys watching Sam unlock her locker on Tucker's other side.
"C'mon, Manson, why not?" Dash whined. He leaned against the lockers on Sam's other side, ignoring Tucker and Danny. "I'll get Paulina to buy you a purse or something."
Sam spared him one disparaging look before turning her full attention back to her locker. "If you think bribery is gonna work on me, you've got another thing coming." She said loftily.
"Why won't you help me?" Dash demanded, drawing himself up to his full height, an impressive 6'7".
"Because you torment my best friends on a daily basis and I don't appreciate it." Sam snapped. She slammed her locker shut and flung her backpack over her shoulder as Tucker and Danny drew up on either side to flank her. "Now stop asking before I report you to the principal for harassment."
Dash gaped at her. She turned on her heel and began to walk away, Tucker and Danny slightly in front of her. "Hey!" Dash called. Sam jerked back a little, causing Danny to turn and gasp. Dash's beefy hand was enclosed around Sam's wrist. "I'm not done talkin' to you!"
"Let go of me. Now." Sam said, her voice low and dangerous. From the corner of his eye, Danny could see Tucker shudder. They both knew that tone well; it usually came just before Sam made use of her combat boots. They had long-since learned to cower in fear when she spoke to them like that. It had become instinct.
"Or what?" Dash sneered.
"Or you and I are gonna have a problem." Danny said, interjecting himself between Sam and Dash. Dash threw his head back and laughed, his grip around Sam's wrist tightening enough that the jock's knuckles were white.
"What, are you threatening me now?" Dash asked, grinning down at Danny. His amusement with the situation made his blue eyes sparkle.
"Not threatening. Stating facts." Danny stepped forward, glowering up at Dash. He could see Sam struggling to free herself from the corner of his eye, but he could not chance a glance at her at Dash's suddenly irritated face. "Let go of her. Now."
"Y'know what?" Dash said quietly, narrowing his eyes at Danny. "I've had just about enough of you, Fenton." He curled his free hand into a fist. "Get out of my face so I can use your girlfriend to get a better grade in stats. You can have her back when I'm done with her."
"Let. Go. Of. Her." Danny spat through clenched teeth. "Now."
He saw the movement from the corner of his eye and after three years of ghost fighting his instincts had him ducking before he was even aware of what was happening. One second, he was nose-to-nose with Dash Baxter, and the next, he was staring at Dash's knees. He heard the unmistakable sounds of fist hitting flesh, Sam crying out, Tucker gasping, and a body hitting the floor.
"Oh my God!" Dash cried. Danny stood and turned slowly, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Sam was sprawled out on the floor, on her side, hands over her mouth. Tucker dove down beside her. "No!"
"She's bleeding!" Tucker declared. He gingerly took her wrists in his hands and tried to pry them away from her mouth. Sam's eyes were screwed shut, but Danny could clearly see tears streaming down her face.
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry!" Dash was blubbering repeatedly, stumbling backwards from the scene. Danny remained frozen in indecision.
"C'mon, Sam, just let me..." Tucker finally pried her left hand away from her mouth. She opened her eyes cautiously and parted her lips slowly. "Oh my God!" Tucker stood and whirled around to face Dash. "You chipped her tooth!"
Something inside Danny snapped and within seconds he had Dash pinned to the ground. He could hear himself bellowing insults at the bully, whose nose appeared to be curiously broken. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, making it difficult to process what he was doing; he could have been swinging, he could have been hitting, but he also could have been sitting on Dash's chest and screaming in his face. Dash was frozen in shock beneath Danny, eyes wide in disbelief at how quickly the seemingly scrawny teenage boy had gotten him pinned to the ground.
Hands were grabbing him by the upper arms and pulling him off of Dash. He became aware that the teachers had finally showed up, and they were attempting to break up the fight. Mr. Lancer had a firm grasp on Danny's left arm, and he was the one that restrained him as the others carefully lifted Dash up. Dash was pinching his bleeding nose, head hanging in misery and bruises beginning to form around each eye. He did not look up as he passed Danny.
"Mister Fenton." Mr. Lancer said firmly. Danny glowered at Dash for a moment longer before turning his attention back to his English teacher. "What in the name of Mark Twain just happened?"
"Dash was harassing Sam and I stepped in. He tried to punch me but I ducked and he hit Sam instead." Danny recited, chest still heaving. He glanced to his right, just to find Tucker and Sam missing. His backpack was gone as well. "Can I go find them before you give me my punishment?"
"I believe they went to the nurse's office." Mr. Lancer said evenly. "And it sounds as though this was an aggravated attack. I don't think punishment will be necessary for you, so long as Mister Foley and Miss Manson can give me the same account. Go on," he gestured down the hall. Without needing to be told twice, Danny hurried in the direction of the nurse's office. His anger with Dash was momentarily subsided, if only because he knew he could resume where he left off later that night as a certain Phantom. At that moment, he just wanted to check on Sam.
He found her and Tucker in a small, private room in the back of the nurse's office. She was sitting up in a cot shoved against the wall, one arm wound protectively around her stomach, the other holding an ice pack to her face. Tucker was fidgeting uncomfortably in a plastic chair by the door. They both looked up as Danny rushed in.
"Are you okay?" He asked breathlessly, sliding on to the end of the cot and leaning toward Sam. She nodded, her eyes drooping slightly.
"They gave her painkillers, she's almost gone," Tucker explained when Danny threw him an alarmed look. Danny nodded in understanding, turning back to Sam.
"Can I see?" He asked, raising his hand and pausing mid-grab. She shrugged indifferently and dropped the icepack. He cupped the side of her face gently as she tilted her head back and parted her lips, giving him the perfect view of her chipped left tooth. It did not appear that much had broken off, thankfully. He released a long, slow sigh of relief, stroking his thumb bravely across her cheek before dropping his hand. Her head fell back into place and she replaced the icepack on her face in one fluid motion. "Are you still bleeding?"
"A little," She said, twisting the hem of her skirt between her fingers.
"Did you call her parents?" Danny asked, turning to face Tucker.
"They're on the way. She's already got an appointment with their dentist for later tonight. He's staying open late specifically for her."
"Dang," Danny grunted. "They're fast."
"Did you break Dash's nose?" Tucker asked, leaning forward excitedly. "They made us move while you were still swinging, but it looked like -"
"Yeah, I did," Danny said sheepishly. Tucker laughed appreciatively.
"Good! That'll teach him to mess with any of us," Tucker leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee. Danny felt a warm pressure on his arm. He turned to find Sam leaning toward him, her free hand on his arm and her eyes locked with his.
"Thank you," she whispered. Her icepack was all but forgotten on her lap and Danny found himself frozen in her gaze. He swallowed hard as she continued leaning toward him. He gasped when her lips brushed lightly across his cheek.
She jerked back and groaned in pain, quickly pressing the icepack back to her aching mouth. "Don't kiss people right after you chip a tooth," she advised them in a muffled moan around the ice.
Tucker guffawed. "Oh my God! I can finally use this joke! Hey, Sam, what time is it?" Sam was glaring at him. "Nothing? Nada? Alright, that's cool. I'll tell you what time it is. It's tooth hurty! Get it? It sounds like two-thirty!" Despite the fact that his cheek still tingled where her lips touched him, Danny managed to keep a completely straight face as he stared at Tucker. "Come on! That's quality dental humor right there!"
"If you don't shut up I'm gonna break your nose, too."
OH MY GO D JUST KILL ME AHSDGPOAIS
Thanks for reading!
- Tori