Chapter 7: How to Deal with Hangovers

Hey guys. Seems that I'm on a roll with these updates so far. I guess graduating from college can give a guy that extra time and energy to concentrate more. So this and the next three to five chapters will cover the down time in between my original story and its sequel, 'The Man Who Sold Them Out'. Other that that, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. I do not own Danny Phantom. R&R and Enjoy!

***Fenton House, 12 PM***

The weekend. A time of the week were everyone, young and old, can relax from the stress of work. The Fentons were no exception. Instead of working diligently on a new weapon experiment or test, Jack was relaxing on the couch, watching the channels go by, while Maddie did some light cleaning.

The siblings were another matter. For the entire morning, Jazz had been doing her best to go about her normal weekend routine. The only difference was that she had to cover for her little brother whenever he parents asked why he hadn't woken up yet. Lucky for her, they had only asked twice. Still, she knew their curiosity would eventually win out and they would check on him.

Currently, she was going to wake up her brother so he could get out and moving to work off the remains of his hangover.

This caused the redhead to chuckle to herself. Her sixteen year old brother certainly led an interesting life. Fighting dozens of different ghosts and now getting into a relationship with one of his enemies.

"Little brother. Time to wake up." Jazz said as she opened the door to Danny's bedroom. Inside, Danny was just as Ember had left him. Softly snoring, the boy was sleeping on his bed, the sheets coming to his chest. A small smile was at the corner of his mouth, either from remembering the previous night's activities or whatever he was currently dreaming about.

"Come on, Danny. You need to get up." The elder Fenton sibling continued, walking over to her bother's bed and lightly touching his arm.

This time she got a slight response from him. Danny groaned, the little smile he had disappearing from his face.

"Ok. I tried to do this the nice way. Now I have to do it the Big Sister way." Jazz said, a mischievous grin spreading on her face.

Turning her back to her brother, she loudly said, "TRUST FALL!", before falling backwards onto her passed out brother.

As soon as she landed on Danny, he let out a pained groan.

"You promised not to do that again." The younger sibling mumbled as he pushed his sister off him. To his annoyance, she was laughing up a storm and it was increasing his already throbbing headache. "Besides, I thought you were supposed to be all grown up and the mature one."

"I think I learned after the first Youngblood encounter that there is a time and place to act like a kid again. This just happened to be one of those time." She giggled before standing back up and looking down at Danny.

His eyes were bloodshot and his face was starting to turn green.

"Come on. Let's get you to the bathroom." The redhead said. Grabbing his arms, she pulled the boy out of his bed. Danny stumbled before leaning heavily on his sister.

"Can you walk by yourself?" She asked.

Danny took one step and almost fell face first to the floor if it wasn't for Jazz's quick reflexes.

"Ok...That's a no." The sister said, struggling to keep him on his feet. Throwing his arm around her neck, she helped him hobble out of the bedroom and into his bathroom. As soon as she knelt him down on the tile before the toilet, Danny vomited. As to bowl filled with bile and alcohol, Jazz did her best to keep him from falling into it.

"How much did you have to drink last night?" The elder Fenton sibling asked once he came up for air.

"A swig of Jack Daniels...six rum and cokes...three boilermakers..." The boy mumbled before emptying his stomach again. "And five mouthfuls of Fireball."

"You had to go all out on your first time of drinking, didn't you?" Jazz sighed, gently rubbing his back.

Despite how he was currently feeling, Danny managed to chuckle.

"Can't say...I wouldn't do it again." He panted before throwing up again. Spitting out the last of the bile in his mouth, he flushed the toilet before putting his back against the bathtub.

Danny's body was covered in sweat and his face had gone from sickly green to a flushed red. His head was throbbing and there was a constant ringing in his ears. All in all, the black haired teenager felt like shit.

Still, he would gladly relive this pain knowing that Ember and him were now together.

"Feeling better?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah. Much better." He said, a smile returning to his face.

"Good. Can I trust you enough to be able to shower yourself or..."

"Jaaazzz" The black haired boy said in an annoyed tone.

"Just checking." She chuckled before standing back up. "When you're done, check your desk. Ember left you her number and probably wants you to text her."

With that, she turned around and left the bathroom.

"Jazzy Pants! Was that Danny waking up?" Her dad called from downstairs.

The eldest Fenton sibling sighed at her father's name for her before walking down to the living room.

"Yes, Dad. Danny just got up and is taking a shower right now." Jazz replied before plopping herself on the couch.

"When did he get home last night? We went to bed around midnight and he hadn't come home." Maddie asked.

"He, Sam, and Tucker pulled an all night movie marathon and he came home around six in the morning."

"Funny. I didn't hear him come in." Jack mused.

"You could sleep through a hurricane, dear." Maddie chuckled. "As for me, I was fast asleep and I probably couldn't hear anything over your father's snoring."

"Maddie!" Jack moaned, much to the amusement of the Fenton women.

***Meanwhile, at Sam's Mansion***

***Knock, knock, knock!***

Inside her bedroom, Sam turned over in her sleep.

***KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!***

This time the knocking was louder, causing the goth girl to stir a little.

"SAM! OPEN UP!" An extremely annoyed Tucker yelled.

"Ugh." Sam groaned as her tired eyes cracked open. Turning over to check her clock, she saw that it was noon.

"Fuck me." She mumbled before throwing off the sheets and stumbling to the door.

"I'm coming! Just quit pounding on the door!" The goth said irritably.

As Sam opened the door, she saw an annoyed Tucker glaring back at her. The boy had bags under his eyes and a scowl on his face. She saw his eyes momentarily widen and roam her body that she now remembered was only clothed in bra and panties before they returned to her face.

"Do you have any idea what I had to endure last night?" He asked.

Sam sighed. She knew she had to face the music in concern to Tucker's torture but she was still reluctant to do so.

The goth took a deep breath before replying "No."

"Almost 8 hours!" He growled. "You know how much I shit I pushed out of my body?"

"No." Sam sighed again.

"In all honesty, I don't even know. I didn't think my body could produce that much but your little 'persuasive technique' proved me wrong."

"I'm sorry. I let my jealousy get the better of me." The goth said.

"Glad to see you realize that now." Tucker muttered to himself before speaking to Sam again. "You owe me. Big time."

"Yes, Tucker." Sam sighed.

"I'm not joking. Get dressed because you, Danny, and I are going to the Nasty Burger to talk this out."

"Am I to assume that I'm buying?" She asked, rubbing her temple at the headache slowly forming.

"Yup."

"Fine. Give me ten minutes so I can get showered, dressed, and text Danny." She said, ready to close the door.

"Wait." Tucker said, causing Sam to pause.

"What now?" The goth asked.

"Why don't you ever go to the pool in a bikini? As your friend, I gotta say you have a great body." The geek said, his eyes freely roaming her body again, pausing to inspect her legs, panty clad waist, and her B-cup breasts.

"Eyes up here, Tuck." Sam said, snapping her fingers in his face to bring his attention to her face. "While I'm flattered that you find me attractive, I hate the sun and I refuse to conform to skin tanning."

"Isn't that bad for you? I read in an article that not enough sunlight could be detrimental for your health and make you lethargic. Besides, our skin naturally tans and you can prevent skin cancer by just applying sunblock." Tucker reasoned.

This threw the goth for a loop.

"One. Since when do you read anything other than comics, textbooks, and Playboy to find a medical article like that? Two..."

Sam paused. Tucker had her with his reasoning. She knew that plants required sunlight to live and flourish. It stands to reason that humans would also require the same, to an extent. He was also right about sunblock and natural tanning.

"Two?" Tucker said, hoping Sam would admit he was right about healthy habits for once.

"Shut up, Tucker." She said, refusing to acknowledge his logic and shutting the door.

"I'm right. She just doesn't want to admit it." He chuckled to himself. Taking out his phone, Tucker quickly began texting Danny.

***20 Minutes Later, Danny's Room***

Turning the water off, Danny grabbed a towel and began to dry himself off. He felt a little better than when he woke up and the four ibuprofen he took before getting in the shower were starting to kick in.

Walking into his room with a towel around his waist, he walked over to his desk. There sat his phone and a sticky note. On the note was Ember's number, a message saying to text her once he woke up, and a kiss print.

"I think I could get used to having a girlfriend." Danny chuckled before picking up his phone. Turning it on, he saw that he had a new message from Tucker.

Meet us at the Nasty Burger at 1. Sam is buying lunch and we need to talk about last night.

The black haired boy let out a groan.

"Guess I have to face the music." He said.

Texting back to say that he would be there, the youngest Fenton then began to text Ember.

***Ember's Realm***

Ember woke from her sleep when she heard the sound of her phone going off. Groaning, she rolled over to her nightstand and checked who had texted her. The ghostly rocker immediately perked up once she saw that it was Danny who had messaged her.

Morning, Blue Flame. Thanks for leaving me your phone number. How are you today?

Ember giggled. Not even a day together and he had come up with a nick name for her.

I'm doing fine. Glad to hear you're awake. How are you feeling today? And, not that I mind, how did I earn the name Blue Flame?

Thinking she would jump in the shower, Ember stripped off her bra and panties and began walking to her bathroom. Just as she turned on the water, she heard her phone go off again. What Danny replied made her laugh.

When I woke up, I felt like shit. Jazz had to help me to the bathroom. Threw up several times. My head feels like it went a couple rounds with Mike Tyson. Other than that, not too bad. I'm going to the Nasty Burger to meet up with Tucker and Sam to talk about last night. If you can come over, I would appreciate it. As for the nick name, a blue flame is the hottest kind of fire :)

Underneath this message came a picture of the black haired boy. He was standing in front of his bathroom mirror in nothing but his black boxers. His face was a little pale and there were dark circles under his eyes but he still managed to put on a smile for her. Under the picture was another short message.

This pic doesn't really do me justice or capture how bad I still feel :P. Sorry about the lack of clothes. Just got out of the shower.

Ember smiled. She liked the new nick name (Much better than the generic ones Skulker used). She could also tell how tired her new boyfriend was from his picture. Still, he managed to put on a smile just for her.

"Time to repay the favor." Ember mused to herself before walking over to her full length mirror and taking a picture of her nude body while putting on a cheeky smile. Once she was satisfied with the picture she began texting away.

I love your new pet name for me, Babypop. Hangover sickness definitely sucks for first time drinkers. Don't worry though. I'll help you build up a tolerance. I'll meet up with you and your friends there later. I'm about to jump in the shower myself ;)

Sending the text and then the picture, she set her phone down and stepped into the shower. As the water ran down her body, she couldn't help smiling at the memories of last night. The break up with Skulker, inviting Babypop to the concert, enjoying the concert, the drinking, the love making, and even getting caught by Kitty and Johnny.

Scrubbing in shampoo and conditioner, the ghostly rocker hoped that Danny's friends would try to be nice to her. Granted, she was sure that Sam would still be cautious around her and it would take some time for her to get over her feelings for Danny. The nerd...He was a mystery. While he did seem to like her music (If his terrible rendition of her signature song was any indication) and was a crucial part of Team Phantom, his loyalties could be swayed from time to time if money, tech, or his pride was on the line.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ember rinsed her body off one more time before shutting off the water and grabbing a towel. The convenient thing about her hair was it dried itself and she would never have to worry about it going out. Deciding to forgo tying her hair in her usual pony tail, she let it cascade down her back, the ends touching the top of her lovely bum.

Picking up her phone, she saw that Danny had replied.

While I'm flattered that you sent me the picture, you really didn't need to.

Ever the gentleman, Danny was. Chuckling at his reply, the ghostly rocker finished drying herself off. Tossing the towel over a bar, she then walked down to her living room and kitchen. In the kitchen, making a mimosa, was Penelope Spectra.

"Morning, Penny" Ember said to her misery loving friend.

"Morning, Ember" Spectra responded before taking a sip from her drink. "I thought I was the only one in our trio that was an exhibitionist."

"Your the only one that tries to get men's attention through exhibitionism. I just like to go nude in my realm when nobody else is here."

"I'll make a dirty girl of you yet." Spectra chuckled before walking into the living room and plopping herself on the couch.

"So what brings you here?" Ember asked as she made herself a bowl of cereal.

"Ugh." The ghostly redhead sighed before stretching out on the couch in an overly dramatic pose. "I'm growing tired of Bertrand."

"Again? What did he do this time?" The rocker asked, taking her afternoon breakfast into the living room and sitting cross legged before her friend.

"It's not what he has done. It's more of what he doesn't do. Bertrand is so vanilla and bland. The complete opposite of what you would expect from a shapeshifter. On top of that, he just does whatever I want."

"I thought you liked it whenever people did whatever you wanted?" Ember asked before taking a bite of cereal.

"I do but I also want a man to...romance me. Have his own wants and desires. I want to ride him like a stallion one minute and the next have him fuck me like a bitch in heat." Penelope said, her eyes staring at nothing in particular while she explained her perfect man.

Breaking out of her daydream was Ember's laughter.

"Somebody's been reading Kitty's romance novels." The rocker teased from her spot on the floor.

"Shut up." The misery ghost muttered. "Just promise me if you find a decent single man to send him my way."

"Whatever you say." Ember said before taking another bite of cereal.

"So how was your night?" Spectra asked.

"Well..." She said, a smile coming to her face.

***Meanwhile, At the Nasty Burger***

"Welcome to Good Burger! Home of the Good Burger! May I take your..." An employee with dreads began to say before he was cut off by the manager.

"We talked about this, Ed. This isn't Good Burger, this is Nasty Burger. Now start delivering orders to the customers."

"Oh...Ok!" The employee said before walking off to deliver orders.

"Where did you find that guy?" Sam asked the manager.

"Yeah. It looks like he never left the 90s." Danny added.

"He came to town a while ago after his old chain restaurant closed down. Believe it or not, he knows his way around the kitchen and actually helped us stabilize our Nasty Sauce recipe." The manager said before the four of them glanced at the new worker.

"Look! I'm Grape Nose Guy! Bloopity, bloopity, bloopity, bloopity!"

"Still, he definitely has a few screws loose." The manager said before turning back to the three teens. "So what can I get you three today?

"Nasty Salad with water please." Sam said.

"A medium Double Nasty with cheese." Danny added.

"Ok. And for you, sir?"

Tucker had a determined look on his face before he gave his order.

"I'll have the Nasty Challenge."

Danny, Sam, and the manager looked at the boy in astonishment.

"You sure you want the Nasty Challenge, sir?" The manager asked. "I've seen your entire football team try and do the challenge and every one of them failed."

"Tucker!" Sam hissed. "Do you know how much meat is in that challenge?"

"12 half-pound burger patties, each topped with cheese and bacon, in between two buns along with a pound of fries." Tucker answered emotionlessly.

"I refuse to buy you that..." The goth began to protest before her friend turned to glare at her.

"You owe me." He growled.

Sam opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to find a comeback to his reply. When she didn't, she took a deep breath in and out before nodding her head.

"Give it to him." She said through gritted teeth.

"You do realize that if he fails, you'll be paying the seventy-five dollar price tag, right?" The manager said, trying his best to talk her out of this.

"Yes, but I owe him big time." Sam sighed.

"Ok." He said, ringing up the order and handing over the receipt and their drink cups. Once the trio sat down in a booth, Sam started off on Tucker.

"How could you do that, Tucker? I know I owe you for putting you through the laxative interrogation but did you really need to order the Nasty Challenge?"

"You didn't have to shit out everything you and your parents ate since birth!" Tucker replied.

"That is a complete exaggeration!"

"My bowels claim otherwise!"

What broke up the tense moment was Danny's chuckles.

"Since you seem to be having a grand ol' time by yourself, Danny, why don't you tell me the girl I was covering you for?" Tucker said rounding on his other friend.

"Fuck." Danny muttered under his breath before replying. "Umm...You know her and Sam got to meet her."

"How did that meeting turn out?" The Techno Geek asked.

"First there was a cat fight, followed by a long discussion about feelings and who liked who, and finishing off with Sam understanding what she did wrong and accepting that I've got a girlfriend."

"Ok. That answers why Sam seems more relaxed than yesterday but you still didn't answer my first question."

Danny sighed.

"Well..."

"Hey, Babypop." A familiar voice whispered in Danny's ear.

The trio turned their heads. There, sitting to Danny's left, was Ember. Currently, her hair was flowing down her back instead of in her usual pony tail. She wore her usual tank top but had decided on wearing some loose fitting black sweat pants instead of her skinny jeans. She smiled at Danny before leaning in to peck him on the lips. Once they separated, the rocker quickly turned invisible.

Tucker was astonished.

"YOUR DATING..." He started to yell before Sam put her hand over his mouth.

"Keep quiet!" Sam said. We are in a public restaurant and we don't need people knowing who Danny is dating."

The geek nodded his head in acknowledgement before the goth removed her hand.

Just then, the food arrived.

"Alright. A Nasty Salad for you." The manager said before handing the food to Sam.

"A Double Nasty with medium fries for you." He continued, giving Danny his meal.

"Last but not least, the Nasty Challenge for you." He said as another employee walked over with the gigantic tray of food. As it passed by, people began to get excited and turned their attention to the foursomes' table.

"The rules are simple, eat everything on the plate and no bathroom breaks. You can get all the soda and condiments you want but that is it. You win, the meal is free, you get $250, and a spot on the wall of fame. Lose and your friend pays the full amount."

Tucker nodded his head before he began to eat. The crowd cheered on the geek as he quickly consumed the first cheese and bacon covered patty before going to work on the second.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone try to beat the Nasty Challenge." Ember said quietly so only their table could hear.

"Me neither." Danny chuckled as he ate his meal. While the Nasty Burger was far from nutritional, it was definitely helping him overcome his hangover.

"I still can't believe you, Tucker." Sam huffed in annoyance as he inhaled a mouthful of fries before washing it down with a gulp of soda. "Do you know what they do to those animals?"

"No but its delicious." The geek replied before grabbing another burger patty and eating it.

"How could you possibly live with yourself for eating all that meat that was hormone injected and slaughtered for your consumption?" She tried again.

"Well, you don't see me putting a gun in my mouth, now do you?" He replied before letting out a tremendous burp. "Yes! More stomach room!"

"Half way there! Half way there!" The crowd chanted.

Sam groaned. "How do people find this entertaining?"

"For one thing, they aren't being scared off by ghosts. For another, there isn't much else to do in this town." Danny said.

"You can't say that this isn't somewhat interesting." Ember said.

Sam just grumbled incoherently in reply.

"Awww. Somebody is mad." Danny teased as he began to work on his fries.

"I'm not mad." The goth huffed.

"Yes you are." The rocker continued. "Your bottom lip is sticking out and you're mumbling."

"Neither of you are funny!" Sam hissed, trying to fight the smile from coming to her face.

"Yes they are." Tucker said as he finished the last of his fries.

This caused Danny and Ember to start laughing. Lucky for Ember, she couldn't be heard over the cheering from the crowd.

"ONE MORE BITE! ONE MORE BITE!" The restaurant roared as the geek came down to his last bite of cheeseburger.

With an overly dramatic flourish, Tucker downed the last bite and chased it with some soda. The crowd roared.

"TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER!"

"I could get used to this." The geek remarked as he was handed his money and had his picture taken for the wall of fame.

"Not with my money, you aren't" Sam said, causing Tucker to groan.

"Come on, Sam. Let Tuck enjoy his moment." Danny said as the four walked out of the Nasty Burger and into the park. Once they were sure they were alone, Ember became visible again.

"So. You and Ember?" Tucker asked as he massaged his food baby.

"Yup. Me and Babypop." The rocker said, giving Danny a chaste kiss to prove her point.

"Well, stranger things have happened." The geek said. "You mind telling me how this all started?"

The new couple nodded their heads before beginning their story on how they came together.