Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom... the great and talented Butch Hartman does. If it wasn't for him, this fic would not be here.
Author's Note: For all of those that were fretting over this chapter being the actual last chapter, I assure you, you have two more (other than this one) on the way. If you haven't been paying attention to the titles of the chapters, with the number we're on (besides the number page it is), then you'd be all set. This is the eighth out of ten chapters, so, to confirm some fears, this story will be coming to a close soon.
However, who's to say I'm leaving the writing bizz' and never writing Danny Phantom fics again? To let you all in on a little secret, I'm starting a whole new project, for a LiveJournal community. The project is called '30romances' and it includes a series of thirty (yes, three-oh) one-shots, all about D/S romance. Be on the lookout for that, as well as the ending of this story.
I wanted to say how much every review means to me. If I had the time, I would reply to every single one of them; but, sadly, with school and everything in the way, I haven't had a second to spare. I wish I did, believe me.
Now, onto the next chapter!
Ten Things a Sweet Guy Would Do
Chapter Eight:Try to Secretly Smell Your Hair, but You Always Notice.
September 19, 2005
After finally deciding to leave Tucker where he was with his mystery girl, Danny walked Sam home. He knew he could've flown her home, but she was soaking wet, and he didn't want her catching a cold with the wind that would be blowing in her face when they flew. Also, he didn't want the time to end between them just yet. It was only ten o'clock, since they had ditched the dance before it ended, and they still had a while to themselves before any curfews kicked in. Ha, like any curfews existed in Sam's house.
Reaching the Manson mansion, he felt the grip on his heart tighten. With all of his might, he did not want to end their evening, and, someplace in his heart, he knew she didn't want to, either. That night had been a very eventful night, and if he had anything to say about it, it wouldn't leave them just yet.
Hooking her arm around his, linking them, she spoke softly, "Sometimes my house gets lonely at night. Even though I like blasting my music really loud, it just lacks something... people to talk to." She paused, then spoke again, "I know I talk to you and Tuck on the phone, but it's not the same. Sometimes you just need someone."
"Are... are you asking me to stay with you?" he asked shyly, not sure if he should push the question, but decided to anyway.
Nodding slowly, she said, "You wouldn't mind, would you? You know as well as I do that I like my parents gone, but you also know that I'd rather be in a big empty house all alone with you."
A big... empty... house...
Alone... with Sam...
"I'll run home real quick and get changed, then come back here. Does that sound all right? It'll give you time to take a shower or whatever and get cleaned up... you know, less salty and all that. Though you do taste good," he smirked, remembering their earlier make-out session on the docks.
She blushed, and he thought she looked radiant there in the moonlight. He leaned against her, for they were side by side, and their pace towards her front steps slowed.
"Thank you," she breathed out in a whisper. "It means a lot."
"Anything. Anytime."
And she knew it was true.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, they faced each other, and Sam gave Danny a huge hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes, Danny. You've been there for me more times than I can count. Every day with you is a mini-adventure in its own."
He chuckled as he held her closer, "If it wasn't for you, those adventures wouldn't even exist."
Smiling, she felt herself falling in love for a second time. "You flatter me too much, Danny. But, so I don't turn into an icicle, I'm going to go inside and get changed. If I'm not out of the shower by the time you get back, just pick a movie for us to watch, okay?"
Nodding, his grip around her became looser, "That sounds good to me. I'll be back soon."
Carpe diem.
He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers lightly, tasting the sweet, salty taste that lingered from the ocean air and the ocean itself on her lips. He felt her tense briefly, but that was for only a second at most. Staying there for what seemed like an eternity, savoring her taste, he was intoxicated. Pulling away slowly, he smiled and blushed at the look in her eyes.
"Be back," he said before turning ghost and taking off into the air.
She leaned against her front door with a dreamy smile on her face, watching him fly away.
Okay, so it was the second time that night that he 'broken in', but this time she gave him permission to come into her house. He didn't do it for a bad cause; he couldn't lie, either, and say that he didn't check up on her occasionally. Like, if she was home from school, sick in bed, he would check on her (with that convenient intangibility bonus of his). Being a halfa really had its advantages. He knew, however, those advantages would never be used for any type of evil. He already saw what would happen if he chose that path. And, to be honest, he was afraid. A life without Sam? Without his family? No wonder he had chosen to lose his humanity completely. He knew he couldn't take the pain and suffering of knowing that the ones that he cared for, and protected with his life, were long gone and would never had come back.
Shuddering at that thought, he walked in the direction opposite of Sam's room: the movie theater in the basement. This movie theater was adjacent to a bowling alley (which Tucker loved, though just a little less than Sam's credit card) and it was spacious enough to hold about fifty people who wanted to watch a movie on the fifty-foot screen. To put it lightly, her house was huge.
Sifting through some of the greatest movies of all time (which all conveniently were stashed in that very room), he tried to choose which movie he wanted to watch with her. He didn't want to pick anything too mushy and romantic; he didn't want the phrase 'I LOVE YOU' to be stamped in bright, red, bold letter on his forehead (just yet).
After a few minutes, Sam came downstairs, clad in silky lavender pajamas. The top barely passed her midriff and the bottoms were shorts. She was still out to torture Danny, right? Even though it may have seemed like it, she didn't forget the list in any way, shape, or form. Subconsciously, he managed to pull off the last thing on the list by dancing with her (very well, she might add). She didn't even know she was going to do that, and she sure as hell did not know that Danny would come up behind her. The next one was to try and smell her hair, but she knew she would catch onto that. Whenever he managed to get close to her... granted, she'd get giddy and she would lose her focus, but she'd notice. Right? Right.
"Okay! Who is ready to watch some movies? I know I am. What do we got?" she grinned as her step came with more bounce as she landed next to Danny, bumping against him.
The movie wasn't even halfway over with, and her head was drooped on his shoulder, her eyes shut. He knew she was fast asleep; she had passed out about twenty minutes ago. He just didn't want to move and wake her up. Turning his head slightly, he caught a whiff of something that piqued his interest. She smelled like lilacs, fresh in bloom. Of course, he knew what flower it was since he got them for her on her birthday one year, and she practically gushed over them.
Watching her face, memorizing every feature, he smiled and brushed a stray piece of hair away. He admired everything about her, even though he didn't make it known as much as he should have.
Moving his arm by accident, she began to slide downwards slowly and to the side, her head now falling softly in the direction of his lap. He moved her gently, hoping to not wake her up, so she'd be more comfortable when she did wake up, rather than all scrunched up and achy. He completely forgot about the movie; well, now he had a new movie to watch.
Danny didn't know how much time had passed, but he knew that he could spend forever watching her sleep. Now, he was absentmindedly stroking her cheek, a small, content smile on his face.
The list. The thought popped into his head randomly, and he began to wonder what ever had happened to that thing. He remembered he had it a few days ago, but, then it vanished. Maybe he put it through the wash without knowing? Good one, like he ever did his own laundry. Did his mom find it? Or, worse, Jazz? Or, worst of all... Sam? Could she be playing with him this whole time?
No, she'd never do anything like that.
Would she?
Sam shifted in his embrace and snuggled into him. More into his lap, though, but Danny wasn't complaining.
Being daring, Danny decided he wanted to smell her hair again. He didn't know what possessed him to do so, but he wanted to nonetheless. Leaning down, he smelled that intoxicating fragrance that was, in a way, only his to smell. It seemed stupid to be trying to take possession of something as silly as a smell, but he wanted every aspect of her imprinted in his mind. Was that such a problem? He was in love! That's a damn good reason.
She stirred again in his arms, and the next thing he knew, violet eyes were staring directly into his own. Was he just trying to smell my hair? Okay, that's creepy... but so cute. Mmm... he smells divineIs that Axe? Where's the warning label on him?
"Hi."
"Hi," her groggy voice made her sound even more irresistible. Why does everything she do turn me on? What the hell is wrong with me? he thought, trying not to seem flustered by what was running through his mind.
"You were out for a while," he said, sitting straight up again, his back resting against the couch.
"I'm sorry about that," she said, somewhat sadly. "I didn't know how tired I was. It's really relaxing being in yo–"
Riiiiing! Riiiiing!
She sighed and got up, "Who the hell would be calling at this hour? Oh wait, it's probably my mother wondering if you're here with me. Or, Tucker, trying to find you to tell you how lucky he got with that mystery girl."
After watching her get up to make a beeline for the phone, he kicked back and just took in his surroundings; he looked at the pictures that adorned the walls in their expensive, bejeweled frames. One that caught his eye was one of Sam, sitting in the pinkest, frilliest dress he had ever seen in his life; the sleeves were puffy and the dress just shouted peppy things into the air. Sam couldn't have been more than five years old in this picture; then, she had no free will; then, she had no choice but to sit back and bite her tongue. The odd thing about this picture, however, was that she was smiling. She looked genuinely happy to be dressed up as she was, her hair in tiny ringlet curled pigtails.
A hand touching his shoulder made him practically jump three feet from where he was standing. It was like he was caught red-handed doing something he definitely shouldn't have done. Whipping his head around to his left, to the person who had touched him, blue eyes met violet. With a relaxed smile on her face, she laughed at his reaction; but, concluded that with his experience with ghost fighting and always being on the defense, it was pretty much normal. And, that he was a guilty man.
"I see you've found this picture."
"I'm surprised I've never seen it before," he said, dully noting that her hand was still on his shoulder.
"When we're in here I try my hardest to make sure this room is pretty much pitch black. And, no matter how many times I've tried, that picture will not come off of the wall. So, I'm pretty much stuck with that picture for as long as I live here." She wasn't looking at him anymore, and her eyes had drifted to the picture in question. "I looked so innocent back then."
"Who said you don't look innocent now?" he said with a playful grin.
She scoffed, "Please. Have I ever been innocent?"
"Well, in some areas... but ninety-five percent of the time, you're bold as the sky is blue," he spoke, his smile shining.
Removing her hand from his shoulder and tearing her eyes away from the picture, she moved across the room to the light switch to dim the lights on, as well as return the remote where it belonged. She moved to the couch and sat down.
"I know."
"You know what?" he asked.
"I know I'm innocent in that... gray area. Do you really think I have experience there? Everything's still so new to me."
He knew exactly what she was talking about.
Nodding, he said, "You think you're the only one? I'm trying to put one foot in front of the other and make sure I don't trip either one of us. I really believe you're better at it than I am."
"So, you mean," she paused, taking a deep breath, "that you want to be more than friends?"
His eyes widened and he suddenly felt more self-conscious than he had ever felt in a while. Walking over to her with shaky steps, he sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her, "We've passed the point of no return, you know that. Ever since we were young, we both knew that something was going on between us."
She nodded in agreement, then spoke softly, "I don't want to lose you as a friend if you don't want to be with me anymore."
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"In all the time you have known me, have you ever lost me?"
"No, I haven't," she said, somehow now fixated on one spot on the carpet.
"Then what makes you think that I don't know what I'm getting myself into?" he smiled, pulling her closer. "I've known you three-fourths of my life, and I want it to stay that way, until... until the day I," he paused, "well, become a full ghost."
She turned to him with a smile, not believing that this was happening. "Are you asking me out?"
"Do you want me to?" he shot back, an impish smirk on his face.
"Yes. Yes, I do."
"Then, there you go."
End Note: Now, I'm sure a lot of you are curious as to why they get together two chapters before the story ends. Well, I am the writer, and you have to trust me and realize I know what I'm doing.
Next up: Plan a Romantic Date Full of Cheesy Things He Wouldn't Normally Do Just
Because He Knows it Means a Lot to You.
That's a huge reason why they're together. And, besides, who doesn't want them together!
Please review! Make this story go out with a bang!
-A
