Welcome back!

the beforehand stuff:

1) sorry about chapter three. not only was it horribly random, out of place, and just plain bad, it also ended on a very strange note. I was so caught up in finishing the chapter and uploading it that I didn't put enough thought into the actual quality of the work.

2) this chapter was also rushed to make up for it, so it's not my best work either.

shoutouts

Bunny Bubble - glad i've kept your interest! -hugs back-

crazyvi - thank you! i'm trying..

Chaos inducer - Yay! I'm so glad you like my work and that you gave me positive feedback about Ember's OOC behaviour. thank you, and I hope my chapters aren't becoming as lame as I feel they are.

etc.

this is a disclaimer. it states that i do not own danny phantom. sad, but true. you all know the show would be so much more interesting if i were in control -evil grin-

sorry for the late update, i've been doing a lot of fanart for the story and debating if i should put it up or not... i LOVE drawing pictures to go with stories, or inspired by stories i read, so if anyone is interested in seeing my art (it's not good but oh well) or even being uber nice and drawing for me, or maybe even requesting that i draw something for their fic, please let me know...

okay! once again, thank you all for being so patient with me!

Silent Departure

Chapter 4 - Guilty Pleasure ((Normal POV))

"Danny, wait!" Sam and Tucker call, running to catch up to their friend.

"Jazz is driving me home," Danny replies irritably.

"But, Danny..." Sam pleads.

"You're not still mad at me for earlier, are you?" Tucker asks cautiously.

"Guys, please," Danny begs. "I just want to be alone tonight."

"But we're your best friends," Sam tries. A stern, yet somehow depressed glare from Danny is enough to silence her until he leaves with his sister. Sam then adds absently, "even if you are an emotional wreck."

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Danny says nothing on the ride home, and as much as she wants to break the tense silence, Jazz bites her tongue.

I've hurt him enough, she tells herself. He needs to be a teengaer... without my 'help'.

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The frustrated child even ignores his parents as they try to greet him. Before they can even inquire about his day, he's upstairs. Jazz enters the house as Danny slams and locks his bedroom door, and the elder teen begins convincing her parents to focus on anything besides their son.

As soon as Danny is locked in his room, the phantom takes over and flies through the Ghost Catcher. Danny Fenton falls onto some conviniently placed pillows, while Danny Phantom flies over to the bed and sits to wait. Instead of being glad to be alone together as they usually are, the boys seem uneasy, and maybe even annoyed. Fenton carries the pillows to the bed and hands them to the Phantom, who in turn puts them neatly in their place. Fenton sits casually next to his lover, leaning back slightly and transfixedly staring at the ceiling. "How can ghosts adapt so quickly?" he asks suddenly. The phantom looks at his, puzzled by the inquiry. The young Fenton continues, "When we first got together, all I had to do was kiss you, and you were'nt all Mr. Bigshot Superhero anymore. Then today, you shed a few tears and suddenly Ember's on our side."

"You adapted too," the phantom replies quickly, allowing a tiny smile. Fenton flinches at the words, but manages not to break his gaze. The phantom sighs and looks out the window. "As for Ember, she may as well be a teenager herself, so she's just compassionate."

"Or she has something up her sleeve," Fenton mumbles. The phantom sighs again. The sentence is followed by an uncomfortable moment of silence between the boys, then...

"Daniel..." Danny Phantom says slowly. "If you had the chance to never interfere with ghosts ever again, but agreeing to such would mean that I had to..."

"NO!" Danny Fenton cries immediately, glaring hard at the phantom. The latter jumps at the word and looks at his lover, only to see a look of utter terror on his face. "Don't you ever...!"

Stunned by the fierceness in both the human's voice and expression, the phantom has to struggle to turn away and hang his head in shame. Slowly, Fenton hugs his other half. Just as slowly, the hug is returned.

((Danny Phantom's POV))

We sit in silence again, resting our heads on each other's shoulder, facing away from one another. After debating it a few times, I am the first to move. He jumps a little and I feel his arms tighten ever so slightly around me. I lift a hand to carress his cheek, while holding him close with the other arm. He blushes lightly, still upset. I hate seeing him like this, and I hate being the cause of it. He understands, somewhere inside, but whether or not he's aware of this is the question.

"I love you," I say, trying hard as I can not to let my voice shake. He opens his mouth slowly to reply, but I go on, "I love you with all my heart. I don't want to cause you all this stress, but I know in my heart that you care for me just as strongly as I do for you. I never want to leave you, and I know that you would never want me to leave, but sometimes when I'm upset, I lose the ability to make good judgement."

"You mean you have an excuse." his tone is rather cold, but he grins slightly so I know his words are meant to be taken playfully.

"So you understand?" I ask, smiling softly. He nods slowly, then hugs me close again.

"I hope this means you understand that the reasoning behind my moodiness today is such as well," he says. I hug him close, and he unnecessarily specifies, "The nasty comments... and snapping at you..."

"I do," I say tenderly, "You weren't completely out of line, though. I understand that you're sick of ghosts, and I am, too..."

"Except you..." he says defensively, sitting up and looking into my eyes. He lifts a hand to my cheek and I lean into his touch. "I could never be sick of you, even if you did somehow manage to get on my nerves. There may be times where I don't like you, but I will always, always love you."

I smile crookedly. His speeches are unneeded, but they mean so much nonetheless. "I know, my love." I lean in and give him the kiss he's silently begging for. He moans softly, almost unnoticably, and I can't help but smile inside. No matter how emotionally unstable our relationship gets, his sex drive never ends. As we part and open our eyes, I see his are just as I expect them to be - glazed over with lust. As much as I don't want to deny him, I open my mouth to speak.

"I can do the homework later, and Jazz is keeping Mom and Dad distracted in the basement," he says. I sometimes forget he can read my mind. He continues, "Despite what I told them, Sam and Tucker will call later to check up on me, and while the odds of a ghost attack are high since the incidents this morning and the fact that Dad is probably working on some new invention, I really don't care. I know we just got together last night, but the day has been stressful enough that we deserve release, don't you think?"

A tiny smirk plays with his lips, telling me that the last part was intentionally worded as it was. While he makes a point, I feel uneasy. However, I don't want to risk upsetting him any more.

((Danny Fenton's POV))

Something's up. He never thinks about it this much. I know I can be needy and he has a better sense of when things will go wrong... but...

Okay, so it's selfish fo me to expect to get what I want when I want it. It's stupid of me to think that sex will make everything okay... I know it won't, but, if we're comfortable with each other then it should be enjoyable enough to put our worries aside for a while.

I know we just did this last night, I already told him that...

I sigh. I am being selfish... incredibly selfish... my sigh got his attention though, and now he's into it... or at least acting the part. Seeing him smile alluringly while crawling towards me is almost enough to push my previous thoughts aside, however I still can't help but whine as his lips meet mine. At first he thinks nothing of it, but when I push him away instead of pulling him close, he looks at me with a furrowed brow. I tense a little, trying to decide if I should read that as anger or concern, but he reads my mind before I can speak.

"Maybe you are being selfish," he says honestly, running a hand through my hair. As if to emphasize his next point, he presses his lower body to mine and purrs, "But I don't mind one bit."

I open my mouth to protest, but once more I'm cut off. I blush as his tongue carresses mine, and already my pants are becoming too tight. He breaks from my mouth and kisses my neck while ever so slightly grinding his lower body to mine. I can't help but pant and moan softly, and he laughs softly in response. He pushes my sleeve aside and bites my shoulder, sucking gently on the skin. I wrap an arm around his waist and rest my other hand on the back of his head. He lets go of my shoulder and sits up to rid me of my shirt, and I lift my arms to allow him to do so. I don't like taking things this slow, but I'm greatful that he's even granting me this attention. He kisses my collarbone and down my chest and stomach, stopping at the brim of my pants and nibbling on it playfully. I watch him as patiently as I can and, with another soft laugh, he sits up and removes the article. He knows I get impatient, so he likes to tease to see how long I can hold up. I reavh up and tug at his short. He seems to find it amusing to to completely undress me before taking off anything of his own. He pries my fingers from his shirt, but before he can push my hands away, I grab his hips and buck my own while forcefully pulling his lower body to mine. My actions cause a slightly harder collision than I'd intended, but I manage to ignore the pain and actually use the moment to my advantage, flipping us over so now I'm hovering over him. Although he wears a complacent smirk, I can see interest in his expression. Now when I try to take his shirt, he obediently lifts his arms. After the article is removed, he places his hands on my hips and gently guides them down to his own. I allow him to, and offer a soft kiss as well, then I look into his eyes, and realize I can no longer see his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask quietly, ignoring that his hands are ever so slowly ridding me of my remaining garment.

"You," he smiles innocently. Well, as innocently as one can when so obviously in lust.

"Besides that," I grin, beginning to remove his pants.

"Well," he says matter-of-factly, "I was thinking what it would be like to switch roles."

"What do you mean?" I ask, moving back to pull his pants off. He sighs a little, understandably. His outfit is very form-fitting.

"I mean," he says cautiously, spreading his legs and pulling me between them, "Why don't you dominate me for a change?"