Timeframe: End of freshman - beginning of sophomore year of college.


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There was a certain way of doing things when you were a couple. You officially ask someone to date you, you officially have a first date, you officially have a first kiss, you officially move in together… yada yada, on and on. The point is that when it comes to dating there was like a certain set of unspoken rules. But then again, when had they ever followed rules? Especially those rules? So far it seemed they had broken every one. So she didn't know why she expected this one to be any different.

Sam opened her eyes and saw that it was still very dark. The waxing moon showed in the crack between her black drapes. The green numbers on her digital alarm clock blinked 2:27am rhythmically. Her room was very quiet. So she was beginning to wonder what had woken her up when she heard a deep intake of breath next to her, followed by a slow exhale.

Apparently sometime in the night, Danny had crawled into her bed.

His messy black hair spilled over the pillow like a wild animal's, and from the nasty cut stretching from his brow to his jawline you'd think maybe he was a wild animal. Seeing that fresh cut made her a more than a little angry. If that turned into a scar some ghost was going to have hell to pay from one pissed off girlfriend.

He'd only made it halfway under her blanket before passing out apparently. One of his legs hung off the edge of the bed, one arm rested on his chest, and the other was thrown haphazardly behind his head. His mouth hung wide open as he breathed deeply in his sleep. She bit back a laugh at the sight of him.

Sam had been living in this apartment for a year and Danny was starting to spend more time here than he did at his own home. Sometimes he slept over, but it was usually on accident. Usually, he at least tried to make it back home, even if it was in the early hours of the morning. He said it was easier on his parents, whose worry about Danny's ghost fighting was never-ending. They always worried themselves sick if he stayed out all night. So Sam was used to falling asleep next to him and waking up sometime in the night or the morning to find that he had gone.

So it was kind of surprising in a really pleasant way to wake up and find him sleeping in her bed, as though he lived here and that was just normal.

She scooted closer to him under the blanket and nudged her head up under the arm resting on his chest, letting it fall behind her so she could take its place. His body was very cold but that never bothered her these days. Her cheek pressed up against his bare chest and she wrapped her arm around his stomach.

Then she felt his limp arm tighten around her. Whoops, she didn't mean to actually wake him up. Danny didn't exactly get a good night's sleep very often.

"Mmmmsammy," he mumbled sleepily, reaching his other arm around her and squeezing tight.

"Hi sleepy," she whispered through the dark. She thought about asking him what he was doing here, but he answered her anyway before she could voice the thought.

"Skulker. Chased'mm… all'rrround town. Or.. chased me. Y'know." His words were garbled with exhaustion. "But ahh gotmm.. thermos.."

She wanted to ask why he came here instead of flying home. But she didn't. She made a mental note to make sure Skulker did some extra time rotting in the thermos before they released him back into the Ghost Zone. For that cut he gave Danny obviously.

Danny's slow heaving breaths told her he'd passed out once more. She fell asleep to the rhythm of his breathing.

In the morning when she woke he was gone.

But when she went into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat he was smiling at her through a mouthful of cereal. Sam couldn't help grinning as she joined him at the table.

So yeah, maybe Danny never gave the official 'I propose we move in together' boyfriend speech that boyfriends are 'supposed' to give. Maybe it happened more gradually, like the way they fell in love.

Maybe it was official on the day he just came straight to her apartment after work instead of making a show of going home first. Maybe it was official on the day he left all his laundry in her dryer. Maybe it was official the day she came home to find him unloading bags of groceries into her fridge. Well, their fridge.

Who gives a shit about conventionality anyways?