HSR 8
ATTENTION, CHAPTER 7 HAS BEEN REDONE! PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THE CHANGES!
Flash back:
"Avast ye Peter Pan, ye be a treading on my good side." Youngblood said. He and I had been on good terms lately; actually most of the ghosts had been sympathetic toward me, with a few exceptions of course. Spectra wanted to feed off my misery, but right now I was playing with Youngblood like I was ten.
"Peter Pan?" I asked curiously he pointed his sword at me as I lay against the pirate ship's deck that was currently floating in the park.
"Yeah, you know, because you're the boy that never grows up?" He broke out of pirate lingo. I laughed.
"And that makes you?" I prompted.
"Captain Hook Duh… I mean, I be Captain Hook terror of the eleven seas."
"Squack, that's seven…"
"Whatever."
(Suffering Spooks…)
"Dude you don't look so good." Tucker said, I looked down at him.
"Well… all my ectoplasm has rushed to my head so…"
"You know what I mean." Tucker rolled his eyes.
"Right." I said sitting cross-legged on the ceiling and looking up as if Tucker was on the ground.
"Why are you up there."
"Thinking, easier to do this in ghost form because no matter what I said earlier, my bodily fluids are the same as they'd be on the ground." I sighed. Tucker crossed his arms.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Have you ever heard of crossing over?" I asked. Tucker nodded.
"Sure like when a spirit is stuck on earth they have unfinished business that holds them back… why?" then a light bulb went on over his head, "Danny." He said in a warning tone.
"Dude, I'm twenty eight, twenty eight. I still look fourteen, and let's face it, I act it too. I'm not going to grow old, what if I just crossed over. I'm only half dead so I don't know if that would work, and not to mention I don't know how I would do it. But if I'm going to stay a teen forever maybe I just need to let go. I can't watch you grow old. Sam is out there… she has her own business, she… Tucker I love her."
"It's about time." Tucker smiled at me.
"But too late." I sighed, "I love her and though we may be the same age technically, I am still physically fourteen. That opens up a whole new world of awkward man."
"So get old already?" Tucker said as if it was the simplest thing to do. I sighed floating down slowly and flipping over.
"Get old… how?"
"Well… that reality power you got, make yourself old." Tucker shrugged.
"Thought about it… don't know if it'll work. But I was seriously considering it at one point." I shrugged, "Where is Sam anyway."
"Getting ready for the reunion already." Tucker said, I stayed floating cross-legged eye level with Tucker.
"Does it really take girls that long to get ready?" I asked, Tucker shrugged.
"Dude, you haven't been around women for a while have you?" Tucker asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Only manifestations Tuck." I said, "nothing really real."
"So can I see him?" Tucker asked throwing me off.
"See who?"
"Me… your manifestation of me that is." Tucker said. I rolled my eyes.
"Why?"
"It'll be cool." Tucker smiled.
"Whatever." I closed my eyes.
"Whoa." Said the younger Tucker's voice.
"Dude, it's a mini me!" Tucker said sounding very childish. I opened my eyes.
"Yeah."
"Danny?" the younger Tucker asked.
"Tucker meet Tucker." I said. Young Tuck looked at me confused.
"That's me?" Young Tuck asked, "I'd never wear my hair in braids."
"Well you do mini me." Tucker said.
"Well you could at least wear a beret… here's mine, I have a lot more at home." Young Tucker handed Tucker his beret.
"Thanks." Tucker smiled putting the beret on, "Hey, they still fit, you think I can take all the ones from my old room back with me?" Tucker asked. I shrugged.
"They're yours Tuck, no matter how old you are. Everything is there."
"So…you're really serious about this?" Young Tuck asked. I nodded, "Weird."
"So you aren't really me, you're just a made up fantasy by Danny."
"Strange, I don't feel made up." Young Tuck said starting at the words by Tucker.
"That's what's so cool about it. Danny has really been here ten years." Tucker explained, "And he needed copies of his two best friends to keep him sane. In fact I hear he's filled the city with people that used to live here, living and dead."
"That's enough of you." I said to Tucker, Young Tuck vanished.
"Hey."
"Don't tell them they aren't real, they tend to get violent." I said.
"So I would attack me?" Tucker asked.
"No, the manifestation of you as I remembered you would attack you." I said, "It isn't really you."
"That's weird." Tucker said. I shrugged.
"I'm a half ghost teenager who will probably spend the rest of his life here till I'm just a ghost, and that's not weird?" I laughed, "You really need to sort out your priorities dude." Tucker shrugged.
"I'm just happy you're alive. Man I hoped… but honestly I didn't know if you were… I really hoped, and I'm glad you are." I smiled at his words.
"I'm glad you got out ok, I never knew either… I just hoped as well. You and Sam both, I only knew Jazz got out because I saw her on TV a while back." I looked outside, "I want to go back and do it all over, this time I want to age, I don't care if my ghost half does or not, I just want to live like a human again."
"So how did Vlad age and you not?" Tucker asked curious.
"I don't know really." I shrugged, "My best guess is that he didn't get hit with as much ectoplasm, or maybe it's just something about me or one of my powers, maybe it's because of my obsession, or 'unfinished business' that keeps me from growing up normally. I don't know." I looked out the window changing back and landing on the couch, "I want to grow up. You know that time when you're a scared young adult and you have to go out into the world, I want that, I want to be scared, want to know that my life could change, because right now it just hasn't." I sighed, "On the bright side it has been ten years and I didn't turn into him." I said.
"True." Tucker said, "Maybe that's what's keeping you from growing up, you're afraid you'll become him, so you just won't grow up at all if that's what it takes." Tucker thought, "I sounds reasonable enough, well to me anyway."
"I does sound like something I'd do, sacrifice my happiness for the safety of others." I sighed, "But I don't think that's it, I don't know what is, but I don't think that's it."
"Danny?" Tucker asked, I looked back over at him.
"Yeah?"
"If you did grow up… what would you do?"
"I'd train to go to NASA probably." I smiled, "But first I'd ask Sam out on a real date… I'd get a job, study, become an astronaut, make sure my wife had a roof over her head and food to eat."
"Wife?" Tucker asked.
"I think I've asked her to marry me if I grew up, I think I would still if I could." I smiled, "I've actually thought about it a lot. I'd still keep the part time superhero gig, then I'd also be an astronaut, I could make enough money that Sam wouldn't have to work, though if she wanted to she definitely could. If she wanted to have children…" I smiled, "I think I could handle it, for the most part." I flopped back down sitting down on the couch.
"But… I'm fourteen still, I have to keep reminding myself that." I sighed, "Just because I've lived twenty eight years doesn't mean I am twenty eight. Plus, how would I explain my sudden appearance to the world, thought dead for ten years, reappears ten years later, still fourteen. Quite the head scratcher, don't you think?"
"Danny… Would you leave?"
"I can't." I stated.
"But if you could… would you?"
"I would definitely think about it. But there is still the ghost portal; I don't really want to shut it off. And everything here… I don't know if I could just leave it, though it doesn't seem like much to leave. I'll admit," I closed my eyes, "But I do want to get out… somehow, I think that would be my first step to growing up. But I just can't Tuck… I can't explain it but I can't leave."
"Danny, I'm your best friend man, and trust me when I tell you this," I opened my eyes and looked at the man before me, "This isn't healthy for you."
"I know Tuck, more than you know I know." I shook my head, "I want to… I really want to, but I… I just don't know what's stopping me."
"Maybe all that's stopping you is you." Tucker said. I nodded.
"Very possible." I looked up at the ceiling, "I'll try, alright, after the reunion, I will try and leave." My heart jumped slightly in anticipation, "My parents will be here tomorrow anyway."
"Glad to hear that." Tucker smiled.
"So… would you tell an immortal boy what he's missed out in the real world?"
(Line breaker!)
Sam closed her eyes. This was it… after this everyone would know about Danny, he wouldn't be just hers anymore. Sam had already rememorized the way he smiled, the soft blue of his eyes, the curve of his mouth when he frowned, and the way his laughter sounded when they managed to make him laugh.
"Sam?" The knock on the door could only belong to one person, as well as that voice.
"Come in." Sam sighed sitting up. Danny was wearing a suit, he smiled looking at her.
"Wow… you look amazing." He smiled at her a longing in his eyes he tried to cover up. But Sam could see it, see how much it killed him.
"You don't look half bad yourself." Sam smiled.
"Well let's hope it's the human half that looks good." He laughed. Sam laughed with him, "I'd offer to drive you, but I still haven't gotten my license." He blushed.
"You were supposed to get it at sixteen." Sam joked.
"Too many things got in the way, and before I knew it, it was too late, like so many other things." He looked down. "Sam… I know it's selfish of me, but you didn't go out with any guys… did you?"
"Only if you didn't go out with any girls." Sam smiled.
"Nah… none were as pretty as you." Danny blushed rubbing his neck. Sam smiled, then the smile faded.
"Danny… I really thought I could do this but… well, you just make my insides go funny." Sam said then regretted even opening her mouth.
"You make me feel weird to… it's like I want to be with you, but you're just… so… different." Danny sighed sitting on the bed with her.
"You're so the same." Sam pointed out.
"Sam if I could be older for you I would… I…" Sam silenced him with her mouth. Danny's eyes went wide for a minute before he returned the kiss, eyes closing. After a minute or so they broke away.
"Sam…" Danny mumbled against her lips.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done that." Sam blushed. Danny rubbed his neck.
"Well strictly speaking we are the same age." Danny said, "It can't hurt to do it again can it?" Sam gapped at Danny.
"No I supposed not." Danny smiled impishly at her answer.
"Great, cuz I've wanted to do that since freshman year… probably before, but freshman year is when it really stood out for me." Danny smiled. He closed his eyes, "Sam… I love you."
"Danny…" Sam gently kissed the boy it felt so right yet so wrong at the same time, "I love you to." Danny sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry." He said, "I would be older if I could, but… I don't know how… I just…" he groaned, "This is not fair." I he held his head in his hands rubbing his face, "Can't this all just be a bad dream?" he asked himself.
"Danny… I would be young with you if I could too." Sam said, Danny looked up.
"Don't wish that on yourself Sam." He said sounding older still.
"I would." Sam said.
"I know, that's what scares me. You aren't supposed to be younger, I'm should have grown up right?" he cracked a smiled; "I guess I missed a memo somewhere."
"Don't beat yourself up over it." Sam sighed. Danny frowned.
"I've been doing it for the past ten years. What if I could have grown up, what then? We could be having a completely different conversation right now. You could be telling me to bring eggs and bacon home." Danny sighed.
"Wow Danny, you really thought of that." Sam said.
"Sam. I have limitless time on my hands, daydreaming is something I do as easy as breathing." Danny sighed. Sam smiled.
"Well let's Day dream a while longer." Danny nodded. Then paused.
"Wait." I closed his eyes and concentrated, soon a twenty eight year old version of Danny sat in front of Sam. Danny opened his eyes, "It's not real, but as long as we're dreaming right?" Sam smiled.
"Then we should never wake up." Sam said laying on Danny's chest as he pulled her against him in the bed.
"We always have to wake up Sam." He sighed.
"That's why we always go back to sleep again." Sam replied stubbornly.
"I'll give you that." Danny said pulling Sam to him, "You're dress is going to wrinkle though."
"I don't care." Sam said, "I have you."
"I love you." Danny whispered.
"I love you too." Sam said snuggling closer into Danny's chest.
Aaaaaaaannnd, Imma gonna leave that there. Enjoy dear readers enjoy.