Danny didn't know what the hell he had got himself into.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, the desk hollowly pinging back at him as he stared numbly at the chalkboard filled with crude drawings of symbols in mythology that he couldn't even pretend to make sense of right now. His mind was on other things. Like come on, he just got really cool super powers! Or, well, Ghost powers. Whatever they were, he just got a boost up from nobody nerd to double life hero and he was really excited for that. And according to this Sam girl, he had been a great one in her life who saved people everyday, and it sounded so much better than the loser he was; always running away, always being a coward.

An electrical spark bounced between his fingers, prickling at his pores, and he stopped tapping, watching the green electricity fizzle and then sink back into his skin. He scowled. On the other hand, he was a bigger freak now than he ever was before, and this could draw the attention that he'd worked so hard to avoid getting because of his psychotic ghost obsessed parents (although now it was clear that maybe they weren't so psycho after all).

And on the topic of psycho, there was Sam herself. His eyes flickered to her - he had only recently realized she had most of his classes, and sat next to him in most of them, too- and she looked distracted, fingers idly picking at flecks of black nail polish. He had no idea what to think of her. She claimed that she knew him and Tucker since they were kids, but because of a dumb wish she altered the past and made it so they never met and messed everything up. He believed her - it was kind of hard not to after all the evidence she showed. But even before, a part of him really sort of kind of wanted to believe her - even before she showed up in that cute outfit, acting like she really actually wanted to flirt with him - him of all people. Even before that, back when she was spouting this nonsense, something deep in him wanted to believe that he was actually someone capable of such heroics.

Still, Sam had taken down a ghost all on her own, and it was either the most insane thing he'd seen a girl do before or the hottest. He tried not to linger on the latter and how he might have an attraction to girl ghost fighters, considering that his mom was one. Yuck.

He glanced to the side at the goth girl sitting next to him as Lancer droned on about constellations that he had already memorized by the time he was ten. He couldn't believe he never noticed her before, she definitely stood out in a crowd. All black and purple, a feeling around her that warned that she was not one to be messed with. He wasn't sure if it was the spiked bracelets, or the sour twist of her lips, or the way she held herself- head high and shoulders back- but there was something about her that demanded others not to belittle her.

Yet, she seemed so kind underneath in the few instances when they talked and he suspended his belief of her insanity. Like, she actually gave a damn about what happened to others. It was mostly in her eyes, a soft and warm lilac in close moments. Like when she had touched his chest after he turned into a ghost, telling him how cool he was….and when he had kissed her-

No Danny, not important now. He had to focus. He had no idea what their next move of action was going to be. Sure, he had the powers now, but now there was a genie-ghost on the loose granting twisted wishes and growing more powerful by the day and according to Sam, he was the only one truly capable of stopping her. It was kind of nice, to have someone believe in him so strongly, more strongly than he had ever believed in himself.

Checking that 's back was turned around, he leaned over to Sam's desk, resting his hand on her chair. "So, now what?"

Her pale violet eyes looked to him, putting her full attention his way. He was suddenly very aware of the heat from her body. Aware of that weird incense and freshly cut grass smell around her. Aware of her mauve painted lips that he had kissed - he had kissed her-

He lost feeling in his arm.

Wait, no, shit, he lost tangibility in his arm.

Sam kept talking but he didn't hear as he stared down in horror at his hand phasing right through a solid chair and then he went tipping onto the floor. Lucky for him, his cheek broke his fall and took the brunt of all the weight of his body.

Ow.

It was dead silent in the classroom. Then everyone broke out in obnoxious laughter. His ears burned, and stared up in mortification as the scuffed up loafers of his teacher appeared in his line of vision. " , I know that Astronomy can be dull," He said sternly, glaring down at him. He'd never had Lancer's patent troublemaker-glares ever directed at him before, he didn't even think the teacher would be aware of his name since he never spoke up. "but I would appreciate it if you did not take a nap in my class!"

He didn't focus much on what Lancer said after that. He was busy trying to figure out that phasing trick so he could melt into the floor. Way to go Fenton, embarrassing himself in front of the whole class and Sam. He was probably so much cooler in the alternate wish-time she was from, and now she was realizing how much of a loser this Danny was and regretting ever talking to him.

Despite his better instincts, he looked up to Sam.

And she was smiling.

Well, not so much smiling as grinning, and not in a mocking 'ha-ha-ha you're a lame loser' way. This grin softened her features, eyes that warm and magnetizing lilac. It was a fond grin, like she was recalling a nostalgic memory. Like he had done this before.

A little weight lifted from his shoulders. If he had embarrassed himself like this in front of her before and he hadn't screwed things up then, then maybe he'll be okay. They'll be okay.

Hopefully this whole power malfunctioning thing was just a phase.

Pun intended.

A meta-drabble inspired by the scene in Memory blank where danny accidentally phased when leaning toward Sam, and for some reason I couldn't stop the comparison to when he was leaning over Paulina, a girl at the time he was wildly attracted to. Basically, in the beginning with danny's powers, arm-phasing happens when he's nervous AND ITS CUTE AS CRAP

thanks for reading!