Chapter 1

(Set right after Memory Blank in season 2)

Sitting on the cold concrete of her balcony, Sam Manson leans her head against the metal banister and sighs. She's furious with herself for even momentarily wishing she didn't know her childhood best friend, Danny Fenton.

She wouldn't be sitting here thinking if he never met her, Danny wouldn't be half-dead right now, he wouldn't have to risk his life on the daily to protect their shitty hometown. But, instead, he's barely passing his sophomore year of high school, his sleep schedule is inhumane, and it's all Sam's fault. Every bruise on his body is because of her. You can't convince her otherwise.

Of course, she loves the intense rush of adrenaline ghost hunting brings, not to mention the pride of protecting their town. She loves being this dorky high school student by day and a badass superhero by night, but does Danny? She can't help but wonder if his life would be better off without her.

Even in her self-pity moment, she knows Danny holds no hard feelings towards her - he somewhat enjoys his undead secret life, but that doesn't stop the guilt wave that washes over her.

All he wanted to do was go to a party, live a normal teenage life for once, but she held a movie over his head.

He saves her life regularly. Fuck, she practically killed him. And she dare not allow one night where Danny could pretend he's a typical sixteen-year-old?

'What kind of friend am I?' she thinks as she runs her fingers through her raven locks.

Danny always put her and Tucker first, no matter the consequences. So she throws a fit the one time he doesn't?

Amid her pity party, she hears her phone buzz. Glancing down, she reads a text from the boy currently haunting her thoughts.

Ghost-Boy: What're the chances you have notes for our English quiz Monday? A ghost may or may not have eaten my notebook.

Something about the text brought up emotion in Sam. Here Danny is, this town hero fighting to keep Amity Park safe, killing himself in the process, yet he still finds time to ask her about something as mundane as English Homework. She can't help but be smitten by his charm and humor as a smile breaks out on her stressed face.

Something about the guilt of the day mixed with late-night overthinking made her want to do something grand for Danny.

She hops to her feet, rushes into her room, and grabs her black bookbag. She digs her notebook out and tosses it on the bed as she runs to her closet. She quickly changes into a pair of spandex shorts and a Casper High tank top and grabs her skull-patterned overnight bag from the closet. She tosses the notebook, a change of clothes, and a few toiletries from her in-suit bathroom in the bag and tosses it over her shoulder. Then, she sneaks out of her bedroom quietly, making sure not to wake her sleeping parents. When she finally makes out the front door, she lets out a massive sigh of relief.

She starts towards her black BMW but opts to walk the two blocks after a quick sniff of the fresh spring air.

'Maybe the fresh air will clear my head.' she thinks as she starts down the sidewalk towards the Fenton's.

—

Walking into his room after a much-needed shower, he digs through his dresser for a pair of sleep pants and pulls them on. He uses the towel from his waist to lazily dry his jet-black hair. It's still damp, sticking to his neck and face, when he tosses the towel into his hamper.

He crosses to his desk and checks his phone, frowning in disappointment that Sam never texted him back. He knows the goth of the night isn't asleep at a mere midnight, and he could really use help on the upcoming test. But, honestly, after the day they've had, he just wants to hear from her, to know she's okay. As tough as Sam is, Danny knows she has a huge heart and is more than likely blaming herself for her wish today.

He sits the phone down with a sigh and crosses to his full-length mirror to check out a new forming bruise. A light tap on the window interrupts him, causing him to turn to see a blushing Sam balancing on the ladder outside his bedroom. Waving sheepishly, she motions for him to let her in.

Danny rushes to the window and throws it open, surprised when not only his best friend but her overnight bag falls into his room.

She flops backward onto his twin-size mattress and lies breathless for a moment, her chest heaving from the two-block jog followed by climbing a ladder to the third floor of the Fenton house, her overnight bag in tow. Not to mention she's flushed from the sight of her once lanky best friend shirtless before her. It's like overnight Danny transformed from this scrawny little boy to the fit ghost fighter before her.

'Woah, Sam, calm down. What are you doing checking out your best friend.' she thinks to herself.

She knows he's off-limits, really she does. They've been best friends since elementary school; a moment of lust would never be worth ruining that.

"Sam?!" Danny asks in a loud whisper.

"Shut the fuck up dumbass, do you want your parents knowing I'm here this late?"

The last thing her budding anxiety needs is Jack Fenton busting through the door in his ridiculous sleep hat swinging around the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick.

As her breathing calms, she listens for voices in the Fenton house. She's relieved to hear silence aside from Jack's snores down the hall. Danny smiles at her as she sits up, finally convincing herself no stray Fentons would burst through the door. Danny sits beside her, an amused grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he asks as he turns to face her.

She sighs, running fingers through her hair as she avoids his eyes.

"Something I didn't realize was crazy and risky until I was halfway up your ladder."

"It's crazy my parents haven't noticed that ladder yet."

They both laugh, for a moment forgetting the intensity of the night.

"Let's face it, your parents aren't the most observant."

"I guess they never thought little Danny Fenton would have a pretty girl crawl into his room late at night," he says as he winks at a blushing Sam.

She hits him in the chest and giggles, "I'm here with the English notes you requested. I can't sleep, so I figured we could study."

She reaches for her overnight bag and tosses it on the bed in front of her. Then, she digs out her notebook and throws it onto Danny's lap.

He glances down at the notebook in confusion.

"Why didn't you just text me? We could have met up tomorrow instead of you risking an internal grounding for sneaking out." The smirk on his face gives away that he's not the tiniest bit upset about her late-night visit.

Sighing, Sam scratches the back of her neck, "Look, today was difficult. I can't help but feel guilty, so if helping you with English notes is something I can do, then I want to do it. I kinda act on impulse if you haven't noticed." She quickly notices that Danny is spacing out and smirks. Of course, he would get bored halfway through an answer to a question he asked.

What she doesn't know is he's all too distracted by the skin exposed when Sam scratches her neck, the small tank top hiking up a tad bit as she raises her arm; her skin looks so soft and pale like she's some type of porcelain doll. The sight isn't helping his teenage mind concentrate. He just can't wrap his mind around the idea of Sam Manson sneaking out of her parent's house to climb into his bedroom window.

While he not-so-subtly checks her out, he notices wet blood trickling from her hand. He picks it up and investigates the cut.

"You're hurt. How did you manage this on a two-block walk?"

He stands and walks to his dresser, pulling out his heavily used first aid kit. He grabs a tissue, alcohol wipe, and bandaids before walking back to Sam.

He sits on his knees in front of her. They both blush as he takes hold of her bleeding hand. He uses the tissue to wipe away the blood, followed by the alcohol wipe to clean the wound. Finally, he covers the cut with a Danny Phantom bandaid.

She looks at her hand, still in Danny's larger one, a joke about owning his own merch dying on her lips as she stares at him. Her body warm from the amount of care he's showing over just one tiny cut.

'He's your best friend.' She thinks to herself.

"I must have scratched it on the ladder... Wait, you have merch now? Where did you even find bandaids?" Okay, she can't entirely pass up bringing up the merch.

He laughs as he rubs his thumb over the wound, smoothing out the bandaid.

"What can I say? I'm sorta a big deal," he says with a wink.

Laughing, she reaches behind her for a pillow and throws it at his chest.

"Phantom is a big deal. Fenton is just a dude that's going to fail his English test Monday. Let's get to studying; it's the least I can do after today."

Still holding her injured hand, Danny brings it to his mouth and kisses the cut before pulling himself up to sit beside her on the bed, still holding her hand. Danny smirks as he notices her red face. He loves that he has this effect on her. Swallowing, Sam is unable to find her words after feeling Danny's lips on her palm.

"Sam, you know I'm not upset about the wish, right? We talked about it; it isn't a big deal. So you don't owe me anything."

'He's your best friend. FRIEND' She's worried that with his supernatural hearing, he knows her heart is beating a mile a minute. But, one glance at the smirk resting on his lips, and she's confident he can.

"Is it better?" he asks as he finally releases her hand, gently placing it by her side.

She takes a moment to look at Danny closely for the first time tonight, finally noticing the slight blush tinting his cheeks. It comforts her a bit, knowing she has a similar effect on him. She wonders if he understands it better, wonders if his heart is beating as fiercely, if his thoughts are as wild. At least she can take comfort in knowing she isn't alone in what she's feeling tonight.

"Much, thank you."

They sit in comfortable silence for a moment before meeting eyes. Taking in this new, intense emotion that's taking over their bodies. Sam is the first to tear her eyes away, lowering her gaze. However, her eyes land on his bare chest, heavily breathing - much like hers. Maybe, just maybe, he's just as nervous.

She finds herself staring at his toned chest for much longer than appropriate - is any time really appropriate when he's your best friend?

'Oh my God, what am I doing? Since when do I check out my best friend? He's staring right at me! Oh shit, he has to notice.' She internally panics as she tears her eyes away from him.

Of course, Danny doesn't miss her watching him. If he's being honest, he really enjoys the staring. If he's being honest, he wants nothing more than to give in to his sudden desire to feel hold her, touch her, feel her body against his own. He wants to see how red her cheeks can get. He wants... Sam.

This is Sam. His best friend. His literal partner in crime. Someone he sees and talks to every day. Someone who knows every little embarrassing detail about him, and vice versa. How could, even for a second, he consider crossing the line with Sam and give into a moment of lust? He can't risk ever fucking up the most important friendship he's ever had. He can't imagine fighting ghosts or taking on the halls of Casper High without her by his side.

Let's face it, Tucker isn't exactly handy with the thermos, and while we're being honest, isn't the most graceful of sidekicks. Not to say Danny isn't grateful for his tech-savvy best friend. It's just between the two, Sam's the more reliable sidekick.

His mind runs rapid with ideas of Tucker falling down a hill, the thermos landing in a lack. Tucker, distracted with his PDA while the Box Ghost packages him like a present.

Tucker is a great sidekick, Dany would be a goner without his smarts, but as much love as he holds for his oldest friend, he knows Tucker isn't what one would call street smart.

Team Phantom would be doomed without Sam, which means Amity Park would be destroyed by ghosts in a matter of weeks. However, thoughts of the haunted town aside, he could never lose his best friend. The mere thought of Sam Manson never speaking to him again is worse than an eternity of fighting Skulker alone.

But there she is... staring at him again. Staring the way he's staring at her. Does he have the strength to deny her if she makes a move? Does he even want to? 'Of course not. One simply doesn't refuse Sam Manson.'

He clears his throat, hoping to clear his mind of R-rated thoughts staring his best friend.

Sam is doing her best to avoid looking at him, which causes him to freak out. Things are getting weird.

He tears his gaze away from her, landing on her overnight bag.

'Why didn't she just bring her book bag? Aren't we supposed to be studying?'

Curious, he asks, "So, what's up with the giant purse."

Visibly relaxing, Sam flashes him a sheepish smile, "It's not a purse. It's an overnight bag."

Danny raises an eyebrow and tries his best not to smirk.

"An overnight bag, hmm? I thought you came over to study. What subject did you have in mind, Miss Manson?"

'Fuck I'm flirting again. Do I not have an off switch?' Danny scolds himself.

Turning cherry red, Sam chokes and instantly regrets all of her life decisions. She mentally curses the inventor of bags and herself for not taking one fucking second to think before rushing to Danny's side.

"Well, it's already like 1am, and I figured I can just head back in the morning before your parents wake up, and I don't want to walk back in the dark, and I obviously will sleep on the floor and... Fuck I should have asked first instead of just showing up. I'm sorry, Dan-"

"Sam, chill. I'm just teasing. You know you're always welcome here," he smiles. Something about the way she rambles is too cute. It makes him feel all jumbled inside, knowing he caused her to feel that nervous.

"It totally doesn't have to be an overnight bag, we can study for a bit, and I'll head back. I just sorta rushed over here without thinking. Forget I said anything. It's 100 percent a large purse, not an overnight bag," Sam rambles, turning a brighter shade of pink with each word.

Leaning closer to her, Danny smirks, "So... It's not an overnight bag?"

Sam frantically shakes her head, "Definitely NOT an overnight bag."

Danny frowns.

Sam realizes he's only a few millimeters away from her face. She can feel his body heat radiating off of him. But heat is the wrong word, he feels more like a cold chill, and she can't help but wonder if it's his ghost genes or her own dirty mind causing her to shiver.

She curses herself as she notices once again, he's still very much shirtless. For the second time that night, she finds herself staring with wonder at his naked chest.

Danny fills with a weird sense of pride as he catches her checking him out. His beautiful, sexy best friend blatantly showing that she finds him at the very least somewhat attractive. He realizes quickly that he wants her to stay, no matter how bad of an idea the rational side of him thinks her staying could be.

He ignores his rational side as he reaches for her chin, lifting her face to meet his. Then, finally, he raises an eyebrow and says, "that's too bad."

So I've wanted to write a Danny Phantom fanfiction for years now, I know that the show ended YEARS ago so there may not even be an audience for it anymore, but I am starting writing school soon and figured I could get some drabbles and practice out of me on fanfiction. This is the place that started my love for writing. Note that I'm writing here purely for exercise so if things aren't 100% edited or perfect I apologize. This story here came to me after rereading an old Austin and Ally fanfiction I used to love.

PS: Are there any other adults out there reading fanfictions for their old kid shows still? I can't be alone xD.