Chapter Text
Coming out of Casper High mid afternoon, Danny and Tucker made their way down the school steps. Students trickled out the front doors in small groups and split their own ways as the duo began their trek to Fenton works.
"Man, I'm glad Sam didn't come today." Danny said, grasping his backpack strap slung over his shoulder.
"I know, right? She would've been miserable." Tucker replied, pocketing his PDA with a light frown on his face.
The day went well. Steady, in fact. They seemed to have kept off of Dash's radar and stayed on Mr Lancer's good side with the English assignment. Not to mention that it was pizza day at the cafeteria, the only good thing that the cooks knew how to make. Yeah, today wasn't so bad, it just felt empty without Sam by their side.
"She should be feeling better by tomorrow, right?"
"Honestly, I think she'll take the rest of the week off. If it wasn't for that ghost..."
"Oh god, don't remind me, I still feel awful." Danny said with a look of mild horror, still traumatised from the night before.
A pause in their conversation prompted more memories from last night.
Phantom, two feet above the ground, felt paralysed as he looked on and watched as Tucker ducked undercover from the ectoblasts firing in all directions from what looked like a regular bedsheet type ghost, only this one was different, this one screeched and wailed and gnawed it's black teeth, blood dripping from its mouth, staining its torso.
"We'll give her a call tonight, see how she's doing." Tucker said, dragging Danny out of his thoughts.
"Or we could head over, see how she's doing in person?"
"Or we could leave her be and let her rest."
Danny didn't like that idea, he was worried and felt guilty and ashamed that he couldn't prevent her injury. As minor as it was, she couldn't find the strength to come to school the next day, when he'd hoped to apologise again and ask how she's doing again and to offer her anything she needs again. He made his mind up right then.
"I'll fly over tonight then, when everyone's gone to bed."
"Sure, don't forget to bring her homework and tell her you love her."
"What?" Danny gasped in shock, a deep red blush covering his cheeks.
"Nothing." Tucker looked away with a sheepish grin and quickly changed the topic.
"We still need to do some research about last night's ghost, I've downloaded some pdf's which I'll send to you and Sam to see if there are other ways to dispell it if the thermos didn't work."
They turn the corner and can see the large Fenton works sign in the distance, two blocks away.
"Race you." Danny smirked, and sprinted off before Tucker had a chance to realise what was happening.
With a loud "hey!" from Tucker in the background, Danny slowed as he neared the steps to his front door and tried the handle, locked. Hmm, his parents are out, Jazz would still be at school studying in the library, looks like he and Tucker have the house to themselves. Danny pulls out his keys and unlocks the door just as Tucker catches up out of breath.
"That's cheating, you had a head start." He pants.
"Come on, the computer in the lab is free, go down and fire it up while I get some coffee brewing."
"Sounds like a plan."
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Later that night, Danny flew Tucker back to his house.
They soared through the night sky, clear and full of stars, street lamps illuminating the buildings below them, his best friends arm slung over phantoms shoulders.
"Look, all I'm saying is if we go back tomorrow, what if we make things worse, pissed it off even more. If its trapped there like we think, what harm will it do if we leave it alone?"
"It's different though, what if when we found it there, we let it loose?"
"If we did then don't you think we would've seen it again by now?"
"I don't want to chance it, we need to find a way to deal with it permanently."
"Don't tell me you're going back there by yourself."
"No, I'm going to Sam's, like I said."
"You'd better."
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Once he'd said his goodbyes to Tucker, and reassured him he wasn't going to do something wreckless, Danny took off into the air once more and set course for Sam's House.
With a backpack full with his thermos, his laptop, his phone, both his and Sam's maths homework, a couple of pens, pencils, markers and 2 cans of Sam's favorite soda, Danny sped across the rooftops when a blue puff of cold air burst it's way past his lips.
"Of course, I thought it was too quiet tonight."
Taking a quick glance of his surroundings, there was nothing to be seen in the empty streets. A brief pause, his breath held in his lungs, then glass crashing from a shop window a few blocks down caught Danny's attention.
Cackling laughter and bursts of light flashed from the window, Danny wasted no time reaching the building, turning himself intangible and flew through the ceiling.
"Oh, come on! What the hell are you doing here? In a pet store of all places?"
....
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Danny finally arrived at his destination. Peaking through the window to find Sam laying on her bed, light from her laptop illuminating her face, in her black pyjamas and a cast on her leg.
He knocked on the glass, and smiled as Sam startled.
Waving him in, he floated through the glass and landed with a soft thump on the plush carpet, and settled on the edge of her bed.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" Danny said with concern in his voice.
"Fine. Hey, you need to sign my cast." Sam says with a playful smirk. Danny half expected her to be more upset about being injured, or at least, as upset as he is.
After the escape from the warehouse the night before, with Sam cradled in his arms and Tucker following not too far behind, all Danny could think was this was all his fault. Sam got injured because of him, because he was too late, too late to swoop in and protect her from the falling scaffolding from the ghost fight, that cost her her ability to run to safety. He's the hero, isn't he? And he couldn't save her from something as simple as falling debris? What kind of hero-
"Danny-"
Sam could see the distraught look on Danny's face and he caught himself looking down at her cast. It could've been a lot worse, but still.
Danny looks up at her, he needs to confess.
"I'm sorry, Sam, I'm sorry you got hurt, I should've been more careful-"
"Hey, don't worry about it, these things happen, right? It could've been a lot worse."
"I know, I keep telling myself that, but still-"
"But still, we need to figure out a way to get rid of that ghost, I've been doing some research on this specific type of ghost and I've read through the files Tucker sent me, and I think I have a good idea on what we're working with."
Sam brings the laptop closer and turns it around for Danny to see pages upon the screen filled with information from different historic and religious sites.
"Does it say anything about why the thermos didn't work?" He asked playfully. Of course, the Fenton thermos only being a recent invention, there wouldn't be any information that hasn't been put online by the Fentons themselves indicating its presence in the ghost hunting community across the globe. Sure, there have been other containment methods but for this particular ghost, the best method would be to remove it from this plane entirely instead of just bottling it up.
Other pages on the screen suggest cleansing treatments of the haunted area using a mixture of herbs, minerals and rituals, witchcraft. If that could work, maybe the Fentons have other means of ghost study to pursue, if they believed in that sort of thing, of course.
"Hoestly, this stuff is giving me a headache, I need a break."
"Good thing I have just what you need." Danny says, reaching for his backpack.
He pulls out his own laptop, the 2 cans of soda and their homework, which Sam gives a mild look of disgust.
"Great."
"You don't look at all enthused." Danny says with a cheeky smile, and pops open his can, passing the other one over to Sam who takes it gratefully.
A small awkward pause later and Sam has to snap Danny back to reality again.
"Look, I know you think this is your fault, so here's my obligatory I'm-not-a-damsel-in-distress talk, we're a team, we'll sort this out, and we can forget about it."
"It's not just that, I don't know, it's just that- I don't think I'll be able to forget about it. There's something about this ghost, it's terrifying." Danny says, setting his can aside.
"I know, ugly too." Sam smiles as Danny looks up, he remembers what Tucker said to him earlier.
Tell her you love her.
"I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to you, I couldn't imagine my life without you."
At this, Sam sits up and puts her can on her bedside table. They're face to face with each other now.
"I couldn't imagine my life without you either, and you're right, that ghost is terrifying, even more of a reason to fight it."
Tell her.
"This ghost fight seems to be putting things into perspective."
You love her.
"I know what you mean."
They don't know when they got closer, or when they started leaning in.
Danny lightly brushes his fingers across her cheek, tilting her head just so, and presses his lips to hers.
It's a little awkward at first, spending a few seconds in that position. Then someone, or maybe both, adjust their lips, and oh.
Oh wow.
The sensation is amazing, sparks running down their spines and they readjust again, and again.
Their arms begin to wrap around each other and oh god, they're actually making out, kissing. They don't even realise they've fallen onto their sides on the bed, eyes squeezed shut applying and reapplying firm presses of their lips together.
They stay that way for a few moments, or is it lifetimes, when a tune came from the bedside table.
They pull apart, dazed red faces inches from each other, before Sam sits up and grabs her phone.
"It's Tucker."
She answers.
"Hey, Sam, I know you're busy recovering and all and I know it's late but I think I have a lead."
"That's great, what've you got?"
"I've found a review online about a book at the town hall library, if we can get it checked out tomorrow we might be able to find a way to exorcise this ghost."
Sam and Danny look at each other with hope.
"What's the title?"
"Ghost hunting for dummies."
"Be serious."
"I'll make you laugh one day, I swear."
"Tucker."
"It's called 'witchcraft untold', there are only 2 copies in town, the other is at the 'Skulk and Lurke'. The review made it sound like a work of fiction, and maybe it is, who knows? But I think it's worth checking out."
Sam makes a mental note of the title. There are a few books she's planning on checking out, some including cultural and religious beliefs on the undead, magic and pagan rituals, and scientific findings surrounding ghosts. If this book Tucker mentioned is as promising as it sounds, things could be looking up.
"I've been meaning to go to the 'Skulk and Lurke' tomorrow anyway, so I'll keep an eye out for it."
"Thats great, we'll talk more later, get some rest."
" I will do, see you later, Tuck."
"See you, and say hi to Danny for me!"
Click.
They glance at each other, and Danny moves to stand up.
"I should get going, um..."
"Yeah, you're gonna need some rest too if we're gonna face this ghost tomorrow night."
"We?"
"Yeah?"
"No."
"What?"
Danny couldn't believe he had to say this.
"Sam, you're injured, there's no way I'm letting you come along..."
"You're not 'letting' me do anything, I'm going. We still need to figure out a plan before then anyway, when I get a chance to check out that book."
The air surrounding them starts to tense.
"How am I supposed to fight this ghost and protect you at the same time? Or have you already forgotten about last night?"
"Excuse me? Have you forgotten what I said only ten minutes ago? I'm not letting you go off and play hero all by yourself!"
"That is not-"
"Save it. I can take care of myself."
"Fine, I'll call you in the morning."
"Fine."
And with that, Danny turns towards the window and lifts off, phases through, and rises into the night sky.