Disclaimer: Danny Phantom, the world set within it, and the characters in it are not owned by me - that privilege belongs not only to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon, but also just as importantly to the vast team of co-writers, co-directors, animators and all other staff who laboured over its creation and development. Without their efforts this fanfiction would not exist, and neither would a good portion of what struck me in the first place in one of the most childhood-defining cartoons in my life.

There were several reasons why I had not flown to Paulina's house before.

Some are obvious - just flying into a woman's room without her permission was just creepy, even if I was her boyfriend, which would just extend this already ostentatious reach of power past the line - but of course, there was the chance that she was busy downstairs or even busy upstairs to even bother with me. Or maybe she was just not in, and I would be just endlessly waiting at her windowsill for her to come up for me.

But today I took that risk - I flew straight to her room and knocked at her window, my line of vision askew from the pane, before waiting. No answer. I pursed my lips; of course she probably wasn't in, it was just after dinner. Maybe I should try again; it would be pointless to have to wait here and knock every few intervals to check if she was in. Maybe it was safe to peek in? She didn't answer after all, so she must not be in… but then again, maybe she didn't want her room to be seen in the first plac-

I jolted back to attention when I heard footsteps, my heart rate's pace picking up slightly now. After a brief pause, with some rustling of fabric or paper, and the sound of the window frame swinging away from me, I heard a familiar voice.

"Danny!"

"Paulina, hey," I greeted as amicably and quietly as I could. "Can I come in?"

"O-o-oh, absolutely!" she stuttered, the exhilaration in her tone unmistakable. "O-one second yeah, hold on."

Quickly, she darted to her bedroom door, clicking the lock at her door before dashing back to the windowsill. She showed no effort in hiding the glee from radiating from her face. "Alright, come in."

A subtle, anaesthesia-like floral aroma hit me as I floated inside, and even against the setting sun, the soft brown wood tones of the floor and table complemented the white walls and bed sheets to emit a warm, inviting aura. I wondered if she had been perpetually expecting a guest like me to waltz into her room or if she was truly this immaculately tidy; it was starting to become difficult to separate my vision of a hotel penthouse suite from where I was right now.

"You want something to drink?" she asked, gesturing to an intricately designed teapot stationed at one of her nightstands. "Coffee tea water?"

I laughed, letting myself stand again. "Paulina, I'm your boyfriend, not some random house guest. What's with the pleasantries?"

She sulked a little bit, walking back over to me. "That's exactly why though, isn't it?" she rebutted. "This is the least I could do anyway."

I held her hand in mine, once again finding myself in my own personal haven of comfort. "You're not wrong," I admitted. "Just to be invited into your own personal quarters is a blessing on its own too, of course."

"So what brings you here, anyway?" she asked, peering at me with her curious turquoise eyes. "Are we not going to the island today? Or perhaps you want to go somewhere else? Or even spend the night here?"

I frowned. "Won't your dad think that something is up if I spent the night here?"

She shook her head. "Papi only knocks to say good night at like, 10pm, if I'm here, otherwise nobody really cares. I wouldn't mind if we just spent the night here anyway." A sly grin crept up on her face, her right hand idly forming a stick-man, with her index and middle fingers moving by my chest. "Turn on some Netflix and chill about for a couple…"

I grinned as I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and my mind began to race. Did she really mean it literally or was she really waving a giant, checkered flag in front of my face? "T-that's not what I had in mind today. I mean… I mean the spending the night at your house part."

She giggled lightly, tracing her index finger against my chest in circles now. "So where do you want to go tonight, hot stuff?"

"Well… before that, I wanted to visit you first because - you know Amity Park Beach, and how much you hate it?"

Her eyebrows knitted together closer, and she squinted slightly. "That's probably an understatement, trying to swim there is like trying to run a marathon in a mall on Black Friday. You're suggesting we go there, when people might still be there? Why not just go to the is-"

"We are going to the island again today," I interrupted her, and I could see a tinge of palpable confusion form on her mien. "But I was just thinking just that. If it's so hard to swim on the regular beach then maybe…"

"Ah," she said, catching on instantly. "So you want me to change before we go?"

I nodded, and she eyed me mischievously. "Does that mean mi héroe will join me too? Or are you just getting an excuse to see me in a swimsuit?"

I grinned in response, ignoring the fact that I literally just did that today. "Well, someone has to watch out for you in case you need some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes in playful mocking. "Just don't be one of those guys who takes every opportunity to flex on me, yeah?"

"Wouldn't I be the only guy there anyway? Who would be my competition? The seaweed?"

She planted a quick peck on my cheek. "You can fly me there tonight, right? You wait outside the window and I'll knock when I'm all freshened up okay? Unless you need to do something else yourself."

I met her lips with mine, my arms looped behind her as I felt myself again losing myself into the familiar sensations of comfort and happiness surround me, the soft feeling of her lips mixed with the slippery tactility in our salivas mixing, feeling her breath spill into my nostrils and hitch erratically with my touch - it was like second nature at this point.

"I'd be ecstatic to fly you there," I complied after pulling away. "Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting, princess."

And so it finally began.

If there was another thing that saddened me a little this morning, it was that I hadn't gotten the chance to take in the view of Paulina, who earlier had been clad in a purple one-piece that hugged her body nicely. If anything, tonight was an excuse to make up for what I had missed, except now in a more intimate setting, just for me now.

But if you would believe me, that wasn't exactly why I wanted this.

Understandably, Paulina had gotten a little cold feet at first, not knowing if I was able to carry her weight, even after I had assured her that I would fly lower to the ground. But it didn't take long for her to realize that, of course, I was strong enough, and quickly she let herself go and be enthralled by the view as the world flew past us, her eyes growing wider in child-like wonder as I slowly climbed in altitude. Of course, I don't know anybody who wouldn't be at least somewhat spellbound being so close to the clouds and stars without being enclosed in the metal body of a plane, with the buildings of the city just simply brown and gray concrete squares passing below. But for me of course there was something special now, carrying the one I loved bridal-style and enjoying the wind rushing past us and the twinkling landscapes around us. It was like the initial exhilaration from years ago had returned to me.

I phased back into reality with her and placed her gently on her feet on the shore. Strangely enough, Paulina had taken a little longer than I had expected to get ready, even taking into the time to put on her make-up, do up her hair, take a shower even. It made me wonder what she had in mind.

"You wanna stretch a little bit before we take a dip?" I offered, putting my hands behind my head. The weather tonight was absolutely perfect - somehow even as the sky was about to turn black, the wind was light enough to feel like gentle kisses on my skin, the temperature still somewhat warm.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Then… shall we change?" I grinned mischievously, which she reciprocated.

"You first."

"Aww, isn't the saying 'ladies first' for a reason? Or is chivalry truly and finally dead?"

"Perhaps the most chivalrous thing would be to check the temperature to make sure it's safe for poor little me," she feigned a look, and I had to stifle my laughter. "Or are you not heroic enough to do something like that?"

"Alright, alright," I relented. "Just don't stare too hard."

Never in my entire life have I ever attempted something like this - never mind in front of my years-long crush - but I'd already played too deep into this to back down. It was weird to have to maintain such a deliberately slow pace in unzipping my jumpsuit, and then even weirder to maintain it while withdrawing my arms and slinking them out of the suit, all whilst standing still. My eyes flickered back and forth between down and at her, who looked at me with the same wonder that filled her eyes when we flew here. What was I even supposed to do with my legs? I stepped to the side several times, as I pushed the jumpsuit down past my waist, and then, still as slow as I could without reaching an excruciating level, stepped out one leg at a time, my left leg first, and then finally, my right leg.

Something twisted had come up in my mind after Dash had been dragged out earlier today, and I couldn't help myself from getting it as a makeshift trophy, tainted with the honour of the gratification I had felt back then. Thankfully the colour and brand of the speedo were a dime a dozen, making it too easy to purchase the exact copy of it - and what better time to use it than with my girlfriend, anyway?

I flashed my teeth naughtily at her, slowly twirling around with my biceps curled. Thank the heavens that I hadn't done something similar to this to her 4 years ago, now that I've actually gained some muscle from all that ghost hunting - the results of which were clearly shown in the way that she could not peel her eyes, flooded with captivation, off of me. "I'm glad you like what you see, babe," I crooned, eliciting her to squeeze her lips together into a thin line, her eyes gazing away as her face turned red.

"You do realize that this is even better than what I had envisioned in my dreams of you, right?" she blurted, the words scrambling out of her mouth and making me blush with her candidness.

"Hey, if anything I was scared you'd think I was a wimp or whatever," I consoled, coming over to her and cupping her face with my hand. "It's assuring to see you react like this."

She sighed. "You're really hot, you know. Especially in those trunks. Don't be such a downer on yourself."

"I-... Thank you, Paulina," I said earnestly, the heat in my cheeks now reaching my head. "I-... ah. But, I've already done my part. Now it's your turn."

The smile returned to her face. "And now it's your turn not to stare," she warned emptily, stepping back to put on her show.

As she sauntered about, she teased the edge of her blouse up, before releasing, going back up and lifting just enough to show her lower torso, before releasing, and then, finally, slowly, excruciatingly so, lifting it above her head. It was impossible to look away even if I wanted to, the way she tilted her hips back and forth, all the while having the same seductive smile on her face, her hands reaching back to fluff her hair occasionally. It seemed so effortless in the way she unhooked her jeans, every movement of her hands turning another dial up within me. The urge to rip those jeans off her continued to burn with an increasing intensity, but I nevertheless remained motionless, simply only subject to watch her slowly, torturously so, pull them down before finally discarding them to the side.

Strangely enough, I don't think Paulina has ever been seen by the rest of us - probably even by someone like Dash, too - in a bikini, or anywhere this close as scantily clad: and to say the sight electrified me would have been a gross understatement. This was probably what she had spent so long on - choosing such an erotic black two-piece, with intriguingly small pads on the top that was tied in a knot at the back. I raised a hand at my chin level below my nose, anticipating blood when she turned around and revealed her bottom piece to be a thong, similarly tied in knots at the side. When did she buy this? Had she been saving such a sensuous, tight, almost-too-small-for-her body bikini just for her lover? For me? The thought alone made my heart pound away like a jackhammer, and the blood rush to my thighs.

She eyed me slyly. "What's wrong, tiger?" she taunted. "My eyes are up here you know."

"Aww, and you have to taunt me about this too?" I playfully jabbed, walking towards her, doing my best to restrain myself from simply grabbing what's mine. "And here you are pretending you didn't have the same reaction as I did earlier."

"I don't remember my nose bleeding when I stared at you."

"My nose didn't bleed!"

Her smile grew even wider. "I saw your hand! It obviously did, you probably just wiped it off."

"I thought it would, but it didn't!"

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Are we gonna really do this?" I questioned, slightly ludicrous as I tried to contain my hysterical laughter. "Are we kids?"

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did t- mmph!"

When I grabbed her wrist and kissed her, it felt so distinctly different than the past few times I had kissed her, other than perhaps the time at the studio. Mere comfort evolved into fiery desire, a hunger that made every muscle in my body ache and ignited a wildfire that spread throughout my skin. I let out a low, feral growl, my tongue entering her mouth as I grabbed her other wrist, my body starting to fight for dominance over her without my accord. And right there, she was absolutely powerless, unable to touch me or free herself from me, subject to my doing and only mine.

I moved my lips down, tracing the side of her neck with my tongue until I met her collarbone, sucking at her neck, hearing her squeal in delight. Just the scent alone of her skin was enough to fan the flames within me, and mixed with the thin sheen of sweat that coated her, it made me just absolutely ravenous. Her exposed flesh felt so voluptuous and soft to the touch, like a sweet delicacy that I had been intentionally starving myself from for all this time - all I wanted to do was mark it as mine, kicking every instinct within me into overdrive.

But I knew what would be the best thing in the long run, and so I suckled against her skin one last time, placing my lips higher to make sure this hickey would be visible, before pulling away and releasing her wrists. I studied her face and knew right there and then that I had gotten the results I wanted - her panting was heavy, her eyes glazed over as she stared into mine, filled with the same desire as I had. I paused, awaiting a response from her, only to get none, and I let out a small chuckle.

I brought my lips closer to her ears to whisper, feeling goosebumps travel across her skin. "Enough wasting time, shall we? Last one in the water is a rotten egg."

And without hearing her answer, I ran towards the shoreline and dove into the sea.

It had felt great to have my mind finally cleansed, like a blockage had finally been dislodged from within me. Swimming in solitude was already so calming and serene, just the water and me moving through it, like carving out my own destiny in front of me. Swimming with someone you had adored for years only made the experience sweeter, serotonin pumping through me in addition to the peaceful state that I was in.

Embracing her warm body as we sat, already having had towelled off, at the seaside watching the waves was also so different - sure, the same magnificence and wondrous state of serenity was still existent, as if nothing could go wrong, nothing could possibly touch us. But at the same time, it made me just as restless as it did make me peaceful.

I hadn't honestly been sure at first, taking such a huge step - this woman didn't even know who I was as a human, after all. But something about the warmth of her skin, something about the softness of her touch and her body in front of me, the way her curious yet clearly parched eyes gazed into mine - it felt like looking into a mirror of my own sentiments.

When I kissed her - whenever I kissed her, even - everything just felt like it was in its right place. It sent every fiber of my being, every muscle of my body, every neuron in my brain into overdrive, but this time, the longer that she laid in my arms, skin to skin, lips to lips, fabric to fabric, the stronger and the more fiery the urge to become one became.

It was surprising to me how quick this was advancing, if anything - no words being said between us, just letting our lips do the talking, as she gradually turned around and leaned her body forward, forcing me to lay on my back, her body on top of mine. A thought struck me, which sparked a pang of anxiety, but immediately after I voiced it to her, she wordlessly reached over to where her pants were, and fished out a small square packet. The expression that I wore was enough to make her laugh, and even though, of course there were still other concerns (how would this work if I was a ghost, too?), my fears were greatly allayed just looking at her face, but more importantly, suffocated by the fires of desire that scorched my body.

"Don't worry, Danny," she had comforted. "We'll make this work, won't we?"

"Of course we will."

And so began the best night of my entire existence.