Going Ghost! (Young Justice)

[Third Person Pov]

"And why exactly are you telling me this, Danny… it's not like we're dating." Sam said, her face tightening into a small grimace the moment the words left her mouth, as if she immediately regretted how harsh they sounded.

"...Yeah, I suppose you're right." Danny answered quietly, his voice lacking its usual energy.

He lifted a hand to the back of his head, rubbing it awkwardly as he let out a small, forced laugh. "Haha, sorry. I guess I'm just being weird about it."

Sam could tell the smile he was trying to put on wasn't real, and that only made her chest feel tighter and her heart ach. "Uh, no, not at all…" she said quickly, reaching over and placing her hand gently over his, stopping his nervous fidgeting.

"I mean, we're best friends, right? We tell each other things. Maybe this is just… something that's been weighing on you, and you needed to say it out loud to someone." Her tone softened as she spoke, doing her best to reassure him without pushing too hard.

"We tell each other things, huh…" Danny muttered under his breath, almost to himself. A faint, self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips. "I guess you have a point."

"So, mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened?" Sam asked, raising a brow slightly. In the back of her mind, her thoughts were already racing. 'I have no doubt it was Ember… She really doesn't waste time, I'll give her that.'

Danny let out a small grunt and looked away, clearly uncomfortable. The idea of explaining everything to his 'ex-girlfriend' about what happened with his current 'fling' made his head throb. The whole situation was messy, and the more he thought about it, the worse it felt.

But at the same time, he knew that staying quiet would only make that guilt sit heavier in his chest. He was already hiding enough from her as it was. He didn't want to keep piling onto that.

"Go ahead… but I'm not sure I'll be able to answer everything," he admitted.

"Alright…" Sam said slowly, watching him carefully, taking in every little shift in his expression. "So, who initiated the kiss? Was it you, or the mystery girl?"

"Mystery girl…" Danny replied, still avoiding her gaze.

"Did you kiss her back?" Sam asked, her tone sharpening just a little as she leaned into it, clearly slipping into interrogation mode.

Danny hesitated. "Can I… not answer that one?"

"You don't have to," Sam said, leaning a bit closer to him, her eyes fixed on his face. "But I'm just going to assume the answer is yes."

"...Yeah, I did," he admitted after a moment, closing his eyes like he was bracing himself.

"Hmm, I see. Interesting," she said slowly, not elaborating at all.

She shifted slightly, resting her chin on her fist, almost like she was deep in thought. "Then did you enjoy it?"

"I plead the fifth, your honor," Danny said quickly, raising a hand to block his view of her as if that would somehow protect him. "The defendant begs for mercy."

"Oh? You're asking for mercy?" Sam replied, a grin spreading across her face. "Mercy is only granted to the guilty, you know. What exactly are you trying to imply, Daniel Fenton?"

"Uhh… is it possible to plead temporary insanity?" Danny shot back weakly, his voice wavering just a bit. "I'm sick. Clearly not thinking straight."

Sam couldn't help it—she started to giggle.

She knew she probably should have been more upset hearing that Danny and Ember had kissed. And, to some extent, she was. There was a small, undeniable sting there. But at the same time, she found herself enjoying this more than she expected—teasing him, watching him get flustered, seeing him struggle to keep up with her questions.

More than anything, though, what mattered to her was the fact that he told her.

He didn't have to. Not in this timeline, not with how things stood between them now. He could have easily kept it to himself, or let her find out some other way. But he didn't. He came to her, and he was honest, even with how much he'd been keeping to himself lately.

That told her everything she needed to know.

Once her laughter died down, Sam shook her head and gently pushed Danny back down onto the bed.

"Just go back to sleep, Danny. I think that's enough for today. You're still sick."

"Eh? But—" Danny tried to protest, starting to sit back up, but Sam cut him off.

"No buts," she said firmly. "You probably feel worse than you're letting on, especially after that pill you just took. Get some rest so you can recover faster." She paused for a second before adding, with a scoff that made it clear she wasn't entirely serious, "Unless you want me to cuddle you to sleep."

"Seriously?" Danny shot back, raising a brow at her, scoffing right along with her.

She stared at him blankly after hearing him scoff, her expression going completely flat for a second before she spoke. "You know what, make room."

"Eh?" Danny blinked in surprise as Sam suddenly moved, climbing onto the bed without hesitation. She kicked off her shoes as she went and settled in beside him like she had every right to be there, which only made his confusion grow.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her as she got comfortable.

Instead of answering right away, Sam shifted closer to his side and reached up, gently but firmly guiding his head down until it rested against her chest. She adjusted her position so he wouldn't pull away easily, keeping him there.

"I'm nursing you back to health," she said simply. "You're really stubborn when you want to be, so I'm making sure you actually fall asleep properly so you can get better."

Danny immediately felt heat rush to his face, his body going stiff for a moment as he became painfully aware of how close they were. "Is this really necessary?" he asked, clearly flustered.

"It's not," Sam admitted without hesitation, her tone casual. "But I don't really mind… do you?"

Danny didn't answer right away. There was a brief pause where he just stayed there, processing everything, before he finally spoke.

"...No."

"Then good," Sam said, a small, satisfied smile forming on her face. "Stop complaining and rest. Come on."

Danny let out a quiet breath as he slowly started to relax. Feeling her warmth, breathing in her familiar scent, just being this close to her again… it all made something in him loosen. The tension in his shoulders eased little by little, like he had been holding it for longer than he realized.

Almost hesitantly, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling himself just a bit closer as he closed his eyes.

Sam felt the shift immediately. Her own body softened in response as she leaned into him, adjusting slightly so he was more comfortable against her. Her own eyes drifted closed, her hand moving instinctively to rest against his head, her fingers lightly threading through his hair as she enjoyed the quiet.

They had both been missing this.

Even if things weren't the same anymore, even if it didn't mean what it used to, there was something familiar and grounding about it that neither of them wanted to push away right now. So they didn't question it. They just let it be what it was, even if only for a little while.

For Danny, in that small, quiet moment, it almost felt like nothing had changed. Like he had slipped back into the other timeline, back into what they used to be. His body finally gave in, the lingering tension fading completely as the medicine began to take effect, a wave of drowsiness slowly pulling him under.

"...Sam," he murmured softly.

"Hm?" she responded, her voice quiet as her fingers gently ran through his hair.

"...I really am sorry," he said, his tone sincere, the words barely above a whisper.

"It's alright, Danny. I forgive you," Sam replied just as softly, a faint, warm smile forming on her lips, even though he couldn't see it.

Danny had a suspicion she didn't fully understand what he was apologizing for, that she was saying it more to comfort him than anything else. But even so, hearing it made something heavy in his chest feel lighter, enough for him to finally let go.

It didn't take long before he fell asleep against her.

Sam didn't move when she felt his breathing even out. She kept one hand resting gently over his head, holding him close without tightening her grip, just enough to keep him there. After a while, she started to feel herself getting drowsy too, her body relaxing more with each passing second.

Once she was sure he was fully asleep, she leaned her head down slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head.

Then she settled back, letting her eyes close as she drifted off beside him.

It was a quiet, simple moment, but there was something about it that felt whole, like a small piece of something they had lost had found its way back, even if only for now.

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