MONDAY 10 PM

"Danny?" Sam asked. She and Tucker stalked down a darkened hallway, searching for their friend. They walked through numerous walls and floors in their search.

"Where could he have gone?" Sam stomped down the hall.

"Away?" Tucker suggested. This was feeling much too similar to the last time Danny had disappeared on them. Together they considered the idea. Sam and Tucker left the castle, headed for the edge of the Keep's island.

Sure enough, that's where they found Danny. He sat at the very edge, legs over the side of the island and kicking idly. He didn't even look up at them, just stared down into the depths of the Ghost Zone.

Danny was as far away from his problems as he could be without actually committing to anything. It was such a him move that it hurt.

"I'll be inside in a bit. I just gotta clear my head." Danny said sullenly. Sam and Tucker exchanged a look. They weren't gonna leave him. But he didn't seem like he was much in the mood for talking either.

Sam and Tucker sat down on either side of Danny. Sam interlocked her fingers with Danny's. He looked at their conjoined hands but didn't pull away. Tucker put an arm across Danny's shoulders.

"What'd you think of the food, Sam?" Asked Tucker.

Sam thought for a moment.

"The food was really good. I think I've grown on Lunch Lady. She can tolerate me now instead of murder at first glance," Sam let herself laugh. They all knew what they were doing. Their casual conversation was an effort to get Danny out of his head, and distract him.

"I think she just couldn't take off your head with Dora sitting right there." Tucker countered.

"Maybe, or maybe I'm just more suave than you think." To accentuate the point, Sam raised Danny's hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Danny immediately went a stark shade of red- he yanked his hand out of hers. But in doing so he launched himself right into Tucker's open arms. Tucker hadn't expected it either, but didn't miss the chance to wrap Danny into a big bear hug. Danny tried to wiggle out of it, but Tucker just squeezed him tighter. Danny stopped when he realized his arms were trapped, and Tucker was a lot bigger than he was.

"Traitor!" Danny twisted his neck to look up at Tucker. Tucker just rested his chin on top of Danny's head. Sam watched on, amused. She pulled herself over and joined in the hug.

"Both of you are traitors." Danny sulked.

"Did it work?" Sam asked with a smile that only Tucker would see. Danny didn't deign to give her a response.

He did choose to speak a moment later.

"...I can't breathe."

"Yes you can." Tucker and Sam replied in unison, before squeezing him tighter. He was a self-sacrificial idiot, but he was also their idiot. Just as much as they were his.

If only any of them actually thought to bring up how much they mean to each other. The fact went unsaid, a silent truth. They were in this together.

TUESDAY 2 AM

Danny tossed and turned. He wrestled with the blankets, kicked and scrabbled to try and get some sort of comfort. But his mind continued to spin. There was still just so much he didn't know. And that really, honestly he didn't actually want to know. But he needed to know. Before it was just him, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz against the world. But now he had so many more he was expected to protect, to stand up for, to be there for and to do any number of duties he wasn't yet aware of.

Danny tried switching to human form to make his core quiet down (calls of 'protect' startling him awake). It helped for a moment, until instead of sinking into the mattress he was sinking through it. And the shock certainly didn't help him sleep. Danny had to yank at the covers and spur his delirious mind into action, telling himself 'No, the bed is solid, now act like it!' As soon as he pulled himself up he snapped back to Phantom. His core stuttered in a sort of mimicry of his heartbeat.

There was a thin sheet of sweat on Danny's skin. It made everything feel sticky, dirty. The blankets clung to him. Enough!

Danny rolled out of bed with a huff and let his feet guide him to wherever they wanted to go. He wasn't all that surprised at where they led him. Danny stood in the middle of the dim hall, trying to make a decision between two doors. 'Sam, or Tucker?' He shifted from foot to foot. Danny really shouldn't bother them, they were probably asleep. And he wasn't a kid, he didn't need someone to help him sleep. He was fine on his own- should be fine without anyone. But he wanted them. Was that so bad?

Tucker was probably still up. He was always a night owl. But then again, so was Sam. And they were in a weird place, so he wasn't sure if they would've gone to sleep right away or not. Tucker usually stayed up playing games and doing stuff on the internet, but they didn't have that here so would he still be up?

One of the doors swung open, and Danny was startled from his debate. Sam peered out of her door, blinking at him owlishly. She seemed surprised to see him standing there.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked, voice low. Not trusting himself to speak, Danny nodded. Sam stepped out and nudged her door shut. She was in her pajamas and a polka-dot robe. It looked soft.

Without a word Sam offered her hand, which Danny took. Her nails were painted lime green, though the polish was chipped in places.

"What are you doing up?" He asked quietly. Sam shrugged. Together they walked down the hall a short way. Sam rapped on Tucker's door. It opened after just a moment.

"Couldn't get to sleep either?" He questioned.

"Nope." Sam replied. Then she stuck out her other hand in Tucker's direction. Confusion passed over his face but he put his hand in hers.

"Where are we going?" He asked. Danny was fine just being along for the ride.

"Danny's room. He has the biggest bed." She said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Danny wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't that. Didn't mean he was any less pleased with it, though. Maybe with them both close by his core would finally shut up. Danny yawned, showing a row of pointed teeth. Almost on cue both Sam and Tucker yawned right after him, making them all laugh.

"We really are all made for eachother," Sam remarked. They all fell into Danny's bed, still chuckling. The sentiment stuck with Danny. He couldn't wish for a better pair of people.

With his people nearby, Danny fell fast asleep. His ghost form dropped without him even knowing, but he didn't sink. He counted breaths as he drifted, not fully succumbing until he heard both Sam and Tucker's breaths even out.