Something was wrong with him.
Valerie could tell from everything he did. The way his eyes were constantly fixated on the ground. The line between his brows from where they were ever so slightly furrowed. The way he pulled away from her when she went to touch him. The tension in his body when she did manage to initiate contact.
All in all, he was obviously upset and she couldn't figure out why. The only thing she did know was that it must have something to do with her. She slowly grew more and more irritated, and he grew more and more aloof. It was bound to come to a breaking point sooner or later.
It ended up being sooner.
Danny was in the living room, looking over what she recognized to be FentonWorks lab reports that must've come from his parents.
"Hey, I'm running to the store for a few things. Do you need me to get you anything?" She asked, purse already on her shoulder and Danny's car keys in her hand.
He shook his head, not looking up from the report he was reading.
Valerie swallowed a biting comment. Instinctively she leaned down to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek, as she usually did when they parted ways. Danny leaned away from the contact, and finally she found herself at the end of her rope.
She stood, angry tears in her eyes. "I can just leave. Move somewhere else," She ground out, "if you don't want me here then I don't want to be here." She had no clue what he caused this sudden change in him, but she would rather suffer the pain of getting over him than try and live with someone who so clearly didn't want her around.
Danny winced, looking up at her with sad eyes. "Val," his voice cracked with disuse, "I... maybe that's a good idea." He looked like he was in pain even as he said it.
Valerie had been half expecting an answer like this, and she had really expected to feel more heartbreak than anything. She expected to feel sadness like she had never known. Instead, she just felt angry.
"And you think you can just tell me to get lost without any explanation as to why? I don't even know what I've done to you to make you hate me!" Her hands landed on her hips, mostly in an attempt to keep from punching him. Violence wouldn't solve this.
Danny frowned deeply, hands reaching up as if to touch her before stopping short. "I don't hate you." He whispered, gaze dropping down again.
Valerie snorted. "Well what else am I supposed to think? I can't read emotions you know. If something's wrong you have to tell me."
"You can't read emotions," he looked up at her, "but I can."
She froze. "What?"
He nodded, shame making him fold in on himself. "Everyone's emotions. I can... I can sense them."
She blinked at him, almost forgetting her anger as she stared. "When did this start? You never told me before."
He shrugged. "A week ago?"
"Around when you started acting like an ass to me?" Valerie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
He winced again, but nodded. "I'm sorry. I just... I haven't had a new power develop like this in a long time and it's... you're not going to like this."
She quirked a brow. "Tell me."
He took a deep breath. "You remember that I told you I draw power from emotions?"
She nodded.
"Right. Well it used to be kind of a bonus. Like, sometimes I'd accidentally scare my sister or something and get a boost. Or, you know, I'd fight you and your anger would just make me faster or whatever," He shook his head, "But it's not like that anymore."
Valerie frowned. "So... what's different?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, lips curling in disgust. "I'm hungry." He whispered.
Valerie blinked at him. "I'm confused. Are you not eating?" She couldn't help sounding concerned, even though she was still pretty upset with him for hiding this rather than just coming clean.
He shook his head. "No, I'm eating food but... I think I need more than that."
Valerie understood. "You need to feed on emotions. That's why you can sense them a lot more." It used to bother her a lot more - the reminder that he really was a freaking ghost - but in this moment she only found herself thinking of ways to help.
He nodded, still refraining from looking at her.
"Well," she said, putting down her bag and the keys and sitting on the couch next to him, "what kind of emotions can you, uh, eat?"
He tensed at her proximity, but didn't move away. "I don't really know. Negative emotions for sure."
She nodded. "Can you just try and feed off of me?" She asked. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
He stared at her, eyes wide with his shock. "I, um, I don't really know."
Valerie eased herself closer to him. "So try. I know I'm pretty mad at you for not just being honest with me."
He shook his head, shifting away from her. "Val, stop. I'm not going to use you like this." His expression left no room for argument. Not that such a thing would be enough to deter her.
"I'm giving you permission to help me help you. So," she opened her arms, "come here." She didn't know what would happen, but she did know that she loved Danny and she would do anything to help him, just as he would for her.
He huffed out an incredulous laugh. Valerie was too brave for her own good sometimes. "I don't want to hurt you." Even as he spoke his awareness of her emotions began to grow. There was fear, which bothered him, and a little anger. There was concern. But more than all of that there was love.
"I'll tell you if you are. But honestly, I'd rather you figure this out with me than some innocent when you become too hungry to resist." She went with the logical explanation for her decision. Danny was a hero; first, last and always. Protecting others would speak to him louder than any sappy declarations of trust.
That thought was enough to convince him. He slowly moved closer to her, almost feeling dizzy with relief as the proximity alone began to alleviate his hunger. Finally he reached out to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him until their bodies were flush, not an inch of space between them.
Feeding on emotions didn't require contact, but it made it a lot easier. That was why he had been so hesitant to touch her. He feared the temptation would prove to be too strong.
Valerie relaxed into the embrace, happy despite the circumstances that he was touching her again. "How do you feel?" She asked, head resting on his shoulder.
Valerie's strong emotions, negative and otherwise, were like a feast. The strength didn't surprise him in the least. Valerie felt with everything she had; he didn't need ghost powers to know that. "A lot better," he admitted, voice sounding much brighter, "what about you? Are you okay?"
Valerie nodded. She wasn't in pain or anything. Though she was very relaxed. "I'm fine. Really fine, actually." She pulled away just slightly. "I want you closer," she whispered, eyes falling to his lips.
Danny looked at her, and she was surprised at how much better he looked already. "I want more." He mumbled before putting a hand on the back of her neck and drawing her in for a kiss.
Valerie responded immediately, and they fell into an easy rhythm. She felt so calm. Heavy and lethargic, almost as if she was perfectly drunk.
He pulled away, much to her chagrin. She made a soft sound of protest.
"Come back," she mumbled.
He laughed. "I will. Are you okay?"
She smiled slowly. "I'm great. Come back."
"Hold on." He adjusted his grip on her before rising.
She relaxed in his arms, smirking when she saw that he was carrying her towards their room. "Geez, presumptuous are you Fenton?"
"I want you closer," he replied in a high-pitched voice, clearly trying to imitate her.
She laughed. "You sound like an ugly girl."
He kicked the bedroom door shut behind him and sat her on their bed. "You're pretty enough for both of us."
Valerie rolled her eyes. "I already let you ghost-feed on me Fenton, I promise there's no need for you to butter me up further."
"You say that in past tense, but I wasn't done," He replied, eyes flashing green.
Valerie's heart raced. She recognized her fight or flight instinct by now, but as she pulled him on top of her, she couldn't help but wonder if dating a ghost added some sort of third option.
Not that it mattered. She had already made her choice.
She woke up when she felt soft kisses on her closed eyelids.
She reached out, mashing her palm into Danny's face. "Stop. I'm exhausted."
Danny laughed. "Sorry, sorry. Hey," he poked her cheek, "look at me."
She opened her eyes, rubbing them furiously to try and wake herself up. She looked at him. "Yes?"
"How do you feel?" He looked relaxed.
She yawned. "I'm fine. Very tired. What about you? Feel better?"
He grinned. "Much. I was worried I'd only be able to use negative emotions but your positive emotions worked fine. I feel like myself again." He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "Thank you."
Valerie hummed. "I'm just glad I could help." She pressed her lips to his. "What time is it?"
Danny pulled away, reaching for his phone sitting on the bedside table. "4:47. Want me to buy you dinner?" He glanced over at her, already knowing the answer.
Valerie sat up, stretching. "Mmm, sex, a nap, and dinner? You're laying it on thick."
Danny laughed. "Least I can do." He tugged at one of her curls, watching it bounce back after letting go. "I'm sorry you're so tired."
Valerie waved a hand, dismissing his apology. "Well, maybe staying on top of things will keep it from being too bad." She stood, walking into the closet and pulling out a pair of shorts and one of Danny's t-shirts.
Danny rolled out of bed as well, reaching for a pair of sweatpants laying on the floor and pulling them on. "Are you saying you'd let me just… Feed off of you whenever?"
Valerie shrugged as she finished dressing. "I mean, you need to do it. Might as well be from me, right?"
He walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We're going to be incredibly careful though. We don't know what kind of effects doing this could have. What if it affects your strength? How long does it take you to recover? How does it work, really?"
She shook her head, smiling at him. "Danny, relax. We'll figure this out. You should speak to Clockwork about this. Or better yet, Frostbite. From what you've told me he's much more likely to give you a straight answer."
Danny nodded. "You're right. And he's helped me with new powers before."
"There you go," she reached up to gently pat his cheek, "now, I fed you so it's only fair you feed me. Want some pizza?" She ducked under his arms, passing him to walk to the living room.
He watched her go, slightly in awe of her. He smiled to himself.
Sometimes it felt really good to be part of a team again.
Sometimes it's just so nice to write a bunch of fluffy mush. I'd love for you guys to leave some suggestions! I can't promise I'll write all of them but I'm kind of always on the lookout for inspiration. If you don't have a suggestion, drop a review anyway! And if you want to interact even further you can catch me at grayyghost on tumblr. Until next fluff piece :)