Previously: Danny and Tucker have a bro-date at the Nasty Burger and bond over their history with bullies. Tucker invites himself over to FentonWorks and then convinces Danny it would be a good idea to fetch Sam, too, even though she's grounded. And perhaps most importantly, Tucker begins to realize how private Danny is about his ghost-half, how odd it is for him to no longer have to hide his identity, and gives him a pep talk.

Up now: friendship-fluff, yaaaaayyy!

The Plunge

Sam was bored.

Like, super bored.

She'd already finished her homework for Monday, and there was only so much she could work on ahead of time before the very idea of schoolwork became sickening. A fully book-noted copy of A Tale of Two Cities sat on her bedside table, swollen from its time in her hands. She had spent the last fifteen minutes wondering if it would be worth it to pick it back up and review the most recent reading assignment, maybe try to predict what topic Lancer would assign an essay on, but she was reaching a level of boredom that bled into downright laziness. The thought of moving right now was too much, which is also why she soon vetoed a) finding out what Grandma Ida was up to, b) working out in the Manson family's personal gym, and c) scrounging around her closet library to find a book to reread.

So she continued lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, generally hating life, and wishing that she could have joined her friends at The Nasty Burger.

Hah. She snorted. She must be losing it. She held a great deal of disdain for The Nasty Burger, even if it did make a mean tofu patty melt. There was a point, however, when eating the same tofu patty melt and side salad got very, very old. She tried not to think her sudden desire to go to the restaurant had anything to do with the fact Danny was there. Because that was ridiculous. She was just bored. She had nothing to do. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, both of her boys made her happy. They were fun to be around, and honestly, it would have been well worth suffering through another Nasty Burger meal just so that she could spend time with them.

But then again, literally anything would have been better than this.

Sighing, Sam flipped over onto her side and flung her hand out for her headphones. She found them after a bit of struggling and absentmindedly got to work untangling the wires as she looked out her balcony doors. She'd opened the curtains earlier in the afternoon, hoping the sunlight and view outside might inspire her to draw or write, but it was a lost cause. It was a beautiful day outside, she noted, yanking on the wires. Maybe she would go sit out on her chaise later. Not that feeling sorry for herself was going to be any less boring outside, but maybe the change of scenery would—

Thud.

An earbud fell from Sam's fingers, and she froze, frowning. When the noise didn't repeat itself, she shrugged and scrolled through her iPod, looking through her playlists for something she could immerse herself in. Finding nothing that fit her mood, she scowled and was about to switch her search to "Artists" when she heard it again, louder and sharper.

A knock.

Sam shot upright, her iPod and headphones forgotten in the mess of her unmade bed. She eyed her bedroom door in confusion. Her parents were in the city for work, Grandma Ida usually hollered at her from the first floor if she wanted her, and the housekeeper had already come and gone.

No one should be knocking. No one in the household could be.

The knock sounded again, from behind her, and she flinched in surprise, turning toward the glass of her balcony door windows with raised eyebrows. When she saw no one there, she almost laughed at herself. Was she so desperate she was imagining things now? There was no way…

A flurry of raps started to pound away at her windows, obnoxious and demanding, and she launched herself out of bed, realization dawning as she approached the windows. There was only one person who ever knocked at her door like that, and she'd told him, time and time again, that it was completely unnecessary because dammit, Tucker, why are you such a needy little—

The noise stopped almost as soon as it started, and Sam threw her balcony doors open.

"—whole household know we're here, why don't you?" Danny's disembodied voice nearly made Sam jump, and she spun to the right, eyes scanning the empty space in front of her.

"Not my fault our girl's feeling a little slow on her feet this fine afternoo—ow. C'mon, man!"

"Oops," Danny said, hardly sounding sorry at all. "Didn't see you there."

Sam's eyebrows rose, and a slow grin grew on her lips.

"Ha ha. You are so, so funny. Sam, tell him that was a cheap shot."

"Saaaam, tell him he's being a baby."

"Saaaaaaaaaam."

"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam."

"Oh my God," Sam said. And she thought she missed these two losers? She thought it might have been a good idea to leave them alone with each other for a day?

Unable to fix her usual scowl on her face, she blindly reached forward to dig her fingers into whatever fabric she could find. The moment her fingers hit something solid, she almost withdrew in shock. It felt as though she'd burrowed her fingers into a snowdrift of mist, and it took her an embarrassing moment to overcome the sensation. Readjusting her grip, she ordered, "Get your asses inside!"

She almost stumbled when she dragged them forward, expecting more resistance. It felt as though she were carting a few balloons through her threshold, rather than two teenage boys, and she realized Danny must be in his ghost form. Her heart fluttered with a strange excitement. Feeling a little slow on the uptake and telling her inner fangirl to chill the fuck out, she released her cargo and shut the balcony doors behind her.

She turned back around to find Tucker and Phantom standing in the center of her room. Tucker sported a wild grin, and he crossed his arms, smug and proud. Danny, on the other hand…Sam almost had to laugh. It looked as though he, in an unnecessary show of gallantry, was trying not to appear too interested in her room. He was failing miserably. His distraction served her well, though, and she was able to watch him for a few precious seconds.

He was different, when he wasn't in combat. Yesterday, there had been a hardness to him, a focus and gravity that reached his eyes. He had been colder, too, with all the intensity of a battle-hardened and experienced veteran. It had been a severe contrast to the snarky, cocky Phantom she'd grown used to seeing on TV, the hero who goaded his enemies and laughed like he was having the time of his life. It had been a shocking contrast to Danny Fenton, too, who may have been a bit sweeter and more pensive than his alter ego, but who also had that same goofy air about him.

Today, Phantom looked more human than he ever had, even though his alien eyes glowed just as brightly, and his form appeared just as semi-hazy, as the day before. He shuffled his feet as his gaze darted around her room, and he slouched, as though trying to make himself smaller, or less noticeable, in the large space. If Sam hadn't known any better, she never would have believed that this boy could take command and lead legions of ghosts to battle and stand strong against the Ghost King Pariah Dark, much less deal with the annoyance known as The Box Ghost.

It made her more aware of the truth than it had before: there was still a lot about Danny Phantom that was a mystery to her.

He must have sensed her staring because suddenly, his green eyes met hers, and she had only a moment to feel embarrassed that he caught her ogling before he smiled shyly at her. "Hey, Sam," he said, voice echoing.

"Um, hey," she said. A belated sense of disbelief hit her, and she began to smile, unbridled happiness soon overtaking her. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're rescuing the princess from her tower, of course," Tuck announced with a bow. "Danny's gonna take us out in the field today."

"Shut up," Sam said in a whisper. Danny was watching her reaction with a strange expression on his face, and she launched forward, taking his shoulders in her hands. Startled, he flinched, feet rising off the ground. His gloved hands hovered near her waist, but then he shoved them to his sides, and his feet hit the floor again. She couldn't even imagine what he was thinking as he blinked at her in wide-eyed astonishment, but she was ecstatic and didn't care who knew it. Shaking his shoulders back and forth, she asked, "You're kidding, right?"

"Not kidding," Danny said quietly. When Sam beamed, he studied her for a moment before finally smiling. With a laugh, he reached up to remove her hands from his shoulders. His eyes twinkled with humor, but he dropped her hands nearly as soon as he touched them, as though they were toxic.

Or perhaps…as though his were toxic.

"If I had known this would be your reaction," said Danny with his shy smile, "I'd've invited you and Tuck over ages ago."

Eyes wide, Sam asked, "What?"

Coming up behind Danny, Tucker flung an arm around his shoulders. Again, Phantom started. This time, Sam was paying attention. She saw the flash of panic, the hardly restrained reaction to Tuck's proximity, and the expression on his face phase through a kaleidoscope of emotions, ranging from confusion to frustration, before finally settling into an awkward, but elated acceptance.

"This idiot seemed to think we'd be bored or something," Tuck said. "Couldn't believe his ears when I told him otherwise."

"What? Danny!" Sam exclaimed. "Really?"

Danny's smile became sheepish. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Sam exclaimed, punching his shoulder. "So? What's the plan?"

"Well," Tuck said, "Danny's folks wanted to go out and hunt down some natural portals, update their maps of the spectromagnetic field in Amity. And this one—" he jerked his head toward Phantom "—apparently has a new power they want to play around with."

"Sounds wicked cool."

"It's not really," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think I can sense natural portals. When and where they form, I guess. We might not find any, given how out of whack everything's been since the Shift."

"Still cool, dude."

"Very cool," Sam agreed. "And useful."

"And, Sam, that's not even the best part!" Tucker said. "Danny was gonna try to get some training in!"

Sam felt her cheeks burn with the force of her smile, and turning back to Danny, she asked, "We'll get to watch?"

Danny snorted. "My parents wouldn't just let you stand by and watch. If you want…"

"I want," Sam said immediately, not even waiting for him to finish.

"That's what I said!" Tucker said. "Mr. Fenton'll probably dismantle an ectogun for us if I ask!"

"I can't believe you'd rather take it apart than shoot it."

"Both are important skills," Tucker said flippantly. "Right, Danny?"

Phantom nodded. "Jazz and I had to learn how to clean and do maintenance on an ectogun before we could shoot one."

"Makes sense," Sam said, recalling the conversation with her parents the night before. "I'd do anything to learn. If I don't get to learn to shoot today, then someday."

"That's the spirit!" Tuck exclaimed. Poking Danny in the side, he added, "Yo, glow-boy, you ready to go?"

"Glow-boy?" Sam spluttered with a laugh.

Danny gave Tuck a little shove, though even he couldn't hide his amusement at the nickname. His smile died quickly, and eyeing Sam with an uncertain frown on his face, he asked, "You're okay with this, Sam?"

"Yeah, of course! Why in the world would I—oh." She grimaced, glaring at her bedroom door for a moment. It didn't take longer than a heartbeat for a devious smirk to replace her scowl. Her parents wouldn't be home until later, and Grandma Ida was cool. In fact, Sam wouldn't be surprised if the crazy woman knew exactly what was going on, even now. Sam wouldn't get caught. She hadn't yet.

Phantom was still watching her intently, and with deliberate care, she swiped her bag from where it hung on her bedpost, shoved her phone inside, and threw the strap over her head. "Let's get the hell out of here," she said. "Grandma will cover for me."

Danny's eyes lit up, and he allowed himself to float, taking hold of Tucker and wrapping an arm around his waist. He drew Tucker close and held out his free hand to Sam. His snow-white hair fell into his eyes, and with a playful and endearing enthusiasm, he asked, "Well?"

Sam allowed him to wrap an arm around her waist, and her heart skipped when her feet left the ground, the abrupt loss of gravity sending her teetering in an automatic attempt to reorient herself. Her gracelessness in the air wasn't too noticeable: Danny steadied her quickly, pulling her to him and readjusting his arm. Despite herself, she shivered against him.

"Ah, sorry," Danny said. "Should have warned you…"

Sam ignored the comment, far too exhilarated at the sensation of weightlessness that had overcome her. If hovering a foot above the ground was this fun, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from laughing out loud when they started flying. "How is this possible?" she asked instead. "We're not too heavy for you?"

Sam felt Danny shrug, and Tucker leaned around Danny to say, "I asked him that too. I wasn't satisfied with his answer."

"I didn't have a chance to really think about the 'how's and 'why's of my powers when I was more concerned about the 'what's." Danny said. When both Sam and Tucker raised their eyebrows at him, clearly finding his lack of curiosity insane, there was a defensive edge to his tone as he clarified, "Getting a handle on everything kinda took priority for awhile."

"Oh." A brief sweep of guilt dampened Sam's enthusiasm, only to be followed with gut-gripping horror. Memories of yesterday's ghost attack, when the emaciated ghost-dog's slavering jaws snapped mere inches from Phantom's throat…that was the least of it, wasn't it? Of course Danny had needed to put survival before scientific curiosity over the past year! Between the ghosts, the GIW, and the Shift, Danny had been through trials she could only imagine in her worst nightmares.

It bothered her that it was so easy to forget the reality of it all: the world Danny lived in half of the time could be cruel, ugly, and violent. Danny hadn't had the luxury to mess around, to learn or play. Not nearly as much as Sam would like to imagine he did, at any rate. Not nearly as much as he pretended too, either. Reality was much bleaker and far, far darker.

She couldn't forget that again. If she truly wanted to be a ghost hunter, she couldn't afford to.

And with that thought followed a shocking revelation, one that she couldn't help but voice, the force of its truth nearly taking her breath away. "You never wanted to be a hero," she murmured. "You never wanted any of this."

Tucker shot her a look that very clearly said, are-you-kidding-me-right-now-Sam? and she suspected she had missed something, something kind of important. Whatever it was, Tucker seemed to think she'd overstepped somehow. That much was clear.

What exactly had happened this afternoon?

Despite Tucker's expression, Danny didn't seem phased. In fact, he stared with vacant eyes out her French doors for a moment, and with a hint of a smile, he finally admitted, "Not at first."

She almost dared to ask And now?, but before she could, Danny's smile grew, and they started to rise in the air. "But now I can't imagine life any other way."

Sam gasped, her stomach fluttering, and it was hard to hang on to the profound moment when she knew they were about to fly.

"We're going to go through the wall," Danny warned. "It will—"

"It feels like taking the polar bear plunge!"

"…I still can't believe you've done one of those, Tuck."

"I can verify," Sam offered. "Lake Michigan. Last winter. I had to hear this fool complain for weeks after he got sick."

"Ha!" Tucker said, looking smug. "There. Told you so."

"You're insane."

"Says the ghost boy who stands his ground against baddies like Plasmius and Pariah Dark."

"Says the kid who hangs out with said ghost boy despite that," Phantom retorted.

There was something Sam didn't quite like about how Danny said that, but she dismissed it, saying, "Alright, boys, you're both pretty. Now can we go? I want to polar bear plunge through the wall."

With a quick glance at Tucker, Danny smiled and said, "As the lady commands. Here we go!"

Despite the warning, Sam gasped again when the icy sensation snapped through her. She didn't have the time to flinch as Danny shot forward and through the wall, her gut swept out from under her.

She didn't shriek. Nope, not even a little.

A burst of light, a whirl of wind, and they were outside, climbing in the sky. She didn't have the opportunity to truly appreciate that returning to tangibility felt like getting draped in a blanket of sunlight. She couldn't even think to describe what invisibility felt like either. The sensation of flight was all that mattered.

Adrenaline spiking, her heart raced, every inch of her tingling with elation, and her cheeks split with the force of her grin. Danny accelerated away from her house, her hair whipping around her, the ends flying into her mouth as she barked a laugh. When she gagged, spat her hair out, and began to laugh harder, Sam felt more than saw Danny's eyes on her. She didn't have it in her to feel self-conscious, and she turned her gaze toward the city. "This is amazing!"

Danny chuckled beside her, and Tucker giggled manically on his other side, whooping when Danny, in a fit of playfulness, allowed them to plummet a few feet. Sam's brief yelp had Danny laughing, and obviously hoping to get a real scream from her (not going to happen), he dipped and ascended, zig-zagged and swerved, accelerating and decelerating. Danny performed to the reactions of his friends, providing a personal roller coaster ride.

Or so it felt to Sam. She could tell this was nothing but a leisurely stroll for Phantom. She'd seen him tackle turns and dives with far more speed and skill on the news, but today, it seemed he'd much rather watch them experience flight than chase the adrenaline rush himself.

The ground below them sped by, blurs of color making it nearly impossible to appreciate the sight of Amity Park from above. She tried to ask Danny just how fast they were flying, but being the troll he was, he offered her an evil grin and shot forward, speeding up to the point where the wind blew unwilling tears right across her temples and into her hair.

They landed far too soon for Sam's taste, and as she stumbled a bit on the landing, regretting the loss of Danny's solid presence, she struggled to catch her breath. "That was incredible. How do you...?"

"If it was my choice, I'd be up in the air far more often," Danny admitted, and as if to prove his point, he sighed and reluctantly planted both feet on the ground. After a quick sweep of his surroundings, his eyes narrowed, and he took a hold of one of Sam and Tucker's arms, pulling them into invisibility. "And it would be far easier if they would give me a break already."

They were standing along a row of tall hedges, thick enough to provide privacy to the Fentons' property but not quite thick enough to hide the movement of reporters, Phantom fans, and what looked like protesters with signs lingering across the street.

Sam's temper rose like a tsunami. "They're still doing this to you?"

"Yeah, a bit. It died down for a little while, but after the attack on the school, it's gotten bad again. With the Portal's activation next week, there's been more protesters, too. I guess I should be happy that no one tried to catch us at the Nasty Burger, Tuck." Sam couldn't see Danny, but the guilt in his tone was clear. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone snapped some pics."

Sam felt Tucker shrug, waving away Danny's concerns. "So long as they got my good side, dude."

Usually, Tucker's chill, nonchalant attitude drove Sam insane. She needed to be on top of things, always. She needed to be in control, to have all her priorities and values outlined and color-coded. Tucker was the exact opposite, and it was impossible not to feel some secondhand anxiety whenever he left something until the last minute. It was just as hard not to feel frustrated whenever the things that riled her up merely rolled off his shoulders. At times like these, however, Sam appreciated it, his honesty and carefree personality like a breath of fresh air in a stale room.

Danny laughed. "What good side?"

There was a scuffle, and suddenly, Danny's hand left her shoulder. She and Tucker popped back into visibility, Tucker lunging forward into empty air and nearly kissing the dirt when Danny slipped away.

"Not cool, dude! Not cool at all!"

Danny laughed in Tucker's ear, causing the boy to shriek in surprise and try to whack him again. Sam joined Danny in laughing at Tucker's manic flailing as he tried and failed to land a hit.

She stopped laughing when Tucker suddenly jolted to a stop in the midst of his crazy twirling, his eyes widening. Her gaze followed his, and she found herself facing FentonWorks for the first time.

Sam blinked, her mouth popping open. "Um."

The two-story brownstone stood alone and neighbor-less on the cul-de-sac, its shutters a green so deep they looked black. A little shed stood some meters behind the attached garage, which was expanded to fit both the Ghost Assault Vehicle and a surprisingly normal sedan. Apart from the hedges guarding the property from the front and the clusters of pines overseeing the back, there was minimal landscaping, but what was landscaping compared to...

…the rest?

Chuckling at her reaction, Danny phased into view. "It's a bit much, but my dad insisted on the sign. You'd think we would want to maintain a low profile, but that's…" His gaze slid to the hedges momentarily. "He's proud of FentonWorks. We all are."

"…I was more curious about the massive UFO in construction on the top of your house," Tucker said, nonchalant as you please.

"Oh! The Ops Center. Yeah, that's an eyesore, isn't it?"

"What is it for?" Sam blurted.

"Um…" Danny floundered for a moment, staring up at the metal abomination. "You know what? I don't really know how to describe it. It's got an operations room, with virtual maps of the Zone and stuff. Since the Shift, we've been holding meetings up there with some of our allies, to keep unwanted people out of the lab while we're still working on the Portal."

"…you need a whole UFO for secret meetings?" Tucker deadpanned in disbelief.

"There's some broadcasting equipment up there, I guess? In case of power outs and other emergencies. Uh…" Danny narrowed his eyes at the Ops Center, thinking. "It can fly?" he offered.

"That…that can fly?" Tucker asked. "How in the world…?"

Danny elected to respond to Tucker's question with a mere shrug. "It's got a fully automated defensive system, too. The Ghost Shield it generates should theoretically be able to cover the whole block."

"Theoretically?" Sam asked weakly.

"We haven't tested it yet. You missed the weapons test earlier this week, though. That was pretty fun."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a look behind Danny's back as he turned, diving forward to gain a bit of momentum and flipping on his back to glide like a swimmer through water. He beckoned them to follow, and whatever questions they had were forgotten as they took off after him, trekking up the driveway.

When Phantom touched down on the top stoop, his gaze darted around for a moment before he made semi-awkward eye contact with each of them, his entire body rigid with tension. Sam couldn't help but notice he looked first to Tucker, and after releasing a breath he'd been holding, he set his shoulders and attempted a smile, that magical ring Sam had seen only once or twice before sparking into existence and traversing his body.

Even before the ring fully dissipated, Sam asked without thinking, "Does it blind you? When you transform?"

Unsurprisingly, Tucker snorted, earning him a vicious jab in the shoulder, but Danny, now human, went ramrod still, his eyes growing larger and larger with every passing second. "It's a legitimate question!" Sam defended. "An honest one too!"

Tucker continued to laugh, and Danny remained dead silent, his hand resting on the handle of the front door. Sam watched as the weird, contemplative expression on his face slowly morphed into one of utter panic. "Oh my God, does it?" he whispered in awed horror.

"Great," Tucker chuckled. "Look what you've done, Sam. You've broke him."

"No, I just—" Danny's hand fell from the door, and he triggered his transformation, staring directly through his friends in his concentration. Like a kid playing with an on and off switch, Danny allowed the otherworldly light to pass over his face a few times, his eerie green eyes interchanging with blue and back again as he manipulated the change.

Sam held her breath to prevent it from catching in her throat.

Finally, Danny grinned and settled into his human form. "Wow, Sam, you really freaked me out. I'd never thought of that until you asked, you know. It was like…one of those moments when you look at something utterly normal—like a phone—and think, 'holy shit, it's incredible that we can use this chunk of metal and plastic to talk to people miles and miles away from us,' you know?"

It was cute, how excited he was. "Sure," she agreed. "So what'd your investigation tell you, Sherlock?"

"I'm glad you ask, dear Watson," Danny answered. "It doesn't blind me. Weird, huh?"

"Is it, though?" Tucker asked. "Weird is your normal, isn't it?"

"I guess," Danny said, laying his hand on the door handle again. He pushed downward and froze. "Oh. Um, so…" He looked back at them, his bright grin dimming to a nervous smile. "Speaking of weird, I know you've met my parents before, but…I guess as a heads-up: they're a bit…in-your-face. And super nosy. They do not have a very strictly defined concept of personal space, and they are so energetic it's a bit…intimidating sometimes. If they make you feel uncomfortable at any time, let me know. I'll tell them to tone it down." Danny hesitated and then added, "And just…don't eat or drink anything without asking me first. We got a new fridge to keep food and experiments separate, but that doesn't mean anything. Trust me."

"That sounds most ominous," Tucker said in a mock-serious tone. "I almost want to ask..."

"No. No, you don't, Tuck."

"Dude, don't you think you're exaggerating just a…" The look on Danny's face made Tucker trail off. "Alright, maybe you're not exaggerating. I suppose you're going to tell us not to touch anything that's glowing radioactive green too?"

"Oh! Yup, that too. Thanks, man, nearly forgot that one."

"…you're pulling our legs. You have to be."

Danny smirked and, finally pushing the door open, said, "Welcome to FentonWorks."

I'm alive! And very nearly done with my P3 year in pharmacy school. Time flew by, guys, and I do apologize for this INSANELY long wait. I hope to have a new chapter posted far sooner than this one was.

Happy finals for all those taking them! Best of luck!

Up next: More bonding (feat. the Fenton fam), and OMG, what is this? Maybe some actual plot? (HUGE thank you to Lexosaurus, whose last review inadvertently inspired a slightly different direction for the fic, one I never would have thought of otherwise).

Oz out.