Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters.

Author's note: in this story, they're both seventeen and Phantom Planet never happened.

Curfew

...

Sam knew something was up when Danny didn't answer his phone.

He always answered whenever she called, whether it was three in the morning or he was sick. Hell, his arms could've fallen right off and he still would've found a way to answer the phone.

Her level of curiosity increased when she called Tucker and asked about Danny, only to be informed that he hadn't been answering the phone for him either. That's when she decided to drop what she was doing, which was pretty much nothing, and swing by his house.

It was quarter to ten in the evening, so she figured she'd hurry up before her ten o'clock curfew hit. Since it was chilly outside, she slipped into a jacket and put on her favorite boots before heading downstairs. She was on a mission with one goal: talk to Danny.

She couldn't just call up Jazz and ask about him because the girl was far away at a University. That, and she didn't want to get the whole family involved if the situation ended up not being too serious.

It was Saturday; they usually hung out every Saturday, but for some reason, he cancelled their plans last minute. He promised he'd tell her why later, but later never happened because he failed to pick up the phone when she called him.

Deep down, she just felt like something was wrong. If he was busy, he would've sent her a text to inform her of that. It was also strange that he didn't answer any of Tucker's calls because the two of them always told each other everything.

There could've been many reasons why he didn't answer the phone, but instead of sitting down and thinking over those reasons like any logical person would do, she remained adamant on discovering what was up.

She made it downstairs, but she couldn't get to the front door because her parents were sitting in the kitchen. She didn't feel like being interrogated by them, so she considered going back up to her bedroom and sneaking out the window.

Fortunately, Ida was in the kitchen as well and caught her gaze. They both had a silent conversation with just their facial expressions for several seconds before the elderly woman winked at her. At first, she was confused about that, but when she saw her grandma start distracting her parents for her, she grinned.

She managed to slip out of the house without being spotted, but rather than cheer about it, she immediately took off down the sidewalk. Danny's house wasn't that far of a walk away, so she figured she'd get there a little more quickly if she ran.

The wind blew through the evening air with a powerful passion, sweeping her hair from her shoulders and into the air. She almost stopped right there on the sidewalk because the strength of the wind was causing her eyes to water, but she continued on regardless.

She reached her destination shortly after that, absently glancing up and around the sky in hopes that Danny was flying around or something. When she didn't see him, she exhaled softly and made a beeline for the front door.

She raised her hand, ready to knock, but the faint sound of yelling coming from the other side of the door instantly made her freeze in place. She listened closely, trying to figure out what exactly that noise was. When she couldn't determine the source, she crept towards the window.

When she peeked inside, the first person she saw was Maddie. Her hands were on her hips and her face was twisted in ire, like she had been yelling at someone. That made Sam feel a bit nervous because she rarely saw the woman pissed off like that.

For a second, she thought that Danny was the one being yelled at until Jack slipped into view. He looked angry as well and was saying something back to Maddie, who shouted at him in return. That's when Sam pieced together the fact that they were both arguing.

The way Maddie cupped a hand over her mouth and craned her head towards the staircase told Sam that Danny was home. She was most likely trying to keep her voice down so the Halfa wouldn't be able to hear them fighting, but Sam had a feeling that he was already aware.

After backing away from the window, she moved down the steps of the house and rounded the corner, heading to the backyard. Danny recently started leaving his bedroom window open a little so that she and Tucker could get inside in case of an emergency, so that was her official choice of entrance.

She climbed up the ladder, nearly slipping because it had rained earlier that day and the equipment was still damp. Her boots didn't exactly make the process any easier, and for a second, she considered kicking them off. Luckily, she reached the top by then, so she decided against it.

She cupped her hands along both sides of her face and peered through Danny's bedroom window. It was somewhat dark, save for the faint glow of his nightlight. The window was cracked open just a bit, so instead of knocking on it, she pulled it up and climbed into the room.

"Danny?" She kept her voice nice and gentle so that she wouldn't startle him if he was in there. She heard him gasp in response, which instantly told her that he was both present and startled. After she fully entered the room, she lowered the window and turned around.

He was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the side of his bed. He was rubbing at his eyes and sniffing, which was a telltale sign that he had been crying. Sam's heart abruptly sank and her expression softened as she entered protective best friend mode.

She hesitantly crossed the room and went around the bed to the other side where he was sitting. "Danny, what's wrong?" Seeing him cry was a rare sight for her because he usually never did it around anyone, hence why he was doing it now; he was by himself.

Well, up until she arrived.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he insisted, continuing to wipe at his face. "Just tired." She didn't buy his words, obviously because she wasn't a gullible person. She sat down beside him, shrugging out of her jacket with a deep frown.

"Tired people usually sleep, not cry." She then paused. "Well, unless they can't sleep. Then they might cry, but for some reason, I don't think that's the issue here."

He said nothing in response to her and just stared blankly ahead. She could still hear his parents arguing downstairs, though it wasn't loud enough to be distracting. He definitely heard them anyway because he shifted uncomfortably and shuffled a hand through his hair.

"I'm only here because you weren't picking up your phone," she explained. "That does seem a bit obsessive now that I'm saying it out loud, but I just wanted to check on you. Is... that why you haven't been answering me or Tucker?"

For a minute, he was quiet, but then he murmured, "I'm fine, Sam. Really. Sorry I worried you guys." He was completely avoiding the subject of his parents fighting, and while she wanted to leave the topic alone as well, she just couldn't bring herself to drop it. He was upset and she wanted to cheer him up.

"Danny." She said his name firmly, but there were evident traces of compassion in her voice. Through the dim light in his room, she saw him turn his head towards her. "How long has this been going on for?"

He looked away from her and lifted his hand to his forehead with a defeated sigh. "A few days," he answered quietly. "Today, it got worse. Much worse. I heard one of them mention the 'D' word at some point in the argument."

Sam felt bad because she didn't know about all that, but then again, it wasn't really any of her business, so she didn't bother asking him why he didn't tell her sooner. "I'm really sorry to hear that, Danny, but I don't think sitting in your room alone and listening to them argue is the healthiest thing for you."

"I've tried going for a flight, listening to music, anything, but my mind always strays back to the subject and I end up overthinking it," he replied. "That, and school is really stressful right now. I'm behind in most of my classes and I can't seem to catch up. Plus, all of these ghosts are popping up out of nowhere."

So, he was stressed. She was glad that he was actually opening up to her about what was wrong instead of dismissing the matter the way she expected him to. She leaned over and clicked on his lamp, providing the room with more light so that she could actually see his face.

Besides his nose being red and his eyes being puffy, he looked okay appearance-wise. A bit tired, but nothing too alarming. She just wanted to pull him into a tight hug and hold him close, whispering that it would be okay, but she refrained from doing that.

Instead, she boldly took his hand and interlocked their fingers together before placing her other hand on top. She didn't mean anything romantic by it; she just thought it was a method of comfort. Danny simply stared down at their joined hands, but she felt him squeeze hers a little.

"Everyone loses their cool every now and then. We're all flawed," she told him. "No family is perfect. Arguments are just a way to let off steam or stress from a bad day. The best advice I can give you is to not work yourself up over this. I know it's hard, but you cannot fix this."

He groaned and looked over at her. "I know I can't fix this, Sam. That's why I feel helpless. I want to help them."

"But you can't. They have to solve their differences on their own. Just know that none of this is your fault. I know it's scary, but you have to be strong through this. Not just for them, but for yourself."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I guess you're right." They lapsed into a comfortable silence, with Sam listening out for yelling downstairs. She heard nothing, so she assumed that Maddie and Jack had either stopped arguing or were whispering now.

"As for the school situation, you know I have no problem helping you catch up on your missed assignments. Me and Tucker have always covered for you and we'll continue to do so. The same goes for ghost fighting."

He briefly smiled at her, though it was a lackluster one. "I know, and I really appreciate you guys for that." His smile then fell and his gaze dipped back down to their hands. "I just don't want them to split up. They're my parents. This is hard for me, and I feel like I'm going through this alone because Jazz isn't here."

"Jazz is just a phone call away. She'll always have time for you. Always." She absently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb and flicked her gaze outward, staring at the wall. "Like I said before, you'll never be alone. Don't forget that you have me and Tucker here with you."

"Yeah, but for how long?" he asked quietly. "I mean, you guys are bound to get tired of me sooner or later."

Sam's eyebrows bumped together in a scowl. "That couldn't be further from the truth, Danny." When he didn't respond, she shook his hand and made him look up at her. "Hey. I promise that won't happen. You mean a lot to me." When she realized what she said, she quickly retracted her hands and blushed. "And Tucker."

He smiled again, but this time, it appeared much more genuine. "You mean a lot to me, too, Sam. And Tucker," he added almost mockingly. She chuckled once and playfully nudged his arm before averting her gaze. "Anyway, I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

"Please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure the whole 'in sickness and health' speech applies to best friends in need of comfort as well." She watched him rub at his eyes again with a small laugh that made her heart skip a beat.

"True, but still, I'm sorry. I should've answered your calls. I just didn't feel like talking to anyone," he explained. "It honestly slipped my mind that you'd get worried if I didn't answer."

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay." Sam curled a lock of her hair behind her ear and slid her eyes onto him. "Look, I know you're overwhelmed with everything going on right now, but you're strong, Danny. You're one of the strongest people I know. That's why I'm confident you'll make it through this."

Danny nodded, but instead of thanking her with words, he thanked her with a hug. She was tentative with it at first, but once his arms fully clasped around her, she melted into the embrace and returned the gesture. "You're right," was all he murmured.

They stayed in that position for half a minute before pulling away, but instead of completely separating, they stopped halfway and looked into each other's eyes. Their gazes battled each other long enough for Sam to start feeling butterflies in her stomach.

Then, Danny's head started moving closer to hers. She remained frozen, both out of shock and anticipation. She expected him to kiss her, but instead, he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Seriously. Thank you for everything," he whispered.

She closed her eyes as well and nodded gently. "Of course." Her voice was low and barely above a whisper, somewhat matching his. When she felt him move his forehead from hers, she opened her eyes, but then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes widened and she froze up again, but then she relaxed into the kiss a few seconds afterwards. She let her eyes roll shut, her heart fluttering when he clasped his hands on either side of her face. The way their lips connected and the tension between them felt like magic; yes, she knew it was cliche.

Still, the kiss was short and sweet, with them pulling away from each other just a few seconds later. She touched her fingertips to her lips, the feeling of his own still lingering there. A light blush dusted his cheeks, but his lips curled into a steady, growing smile.

"I, uh, sorry about that," he apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Sam laughed almost nervously and flicked her hand out in a dismissive manner. They fell into a semi-comfortable silence until it was broken again by her.

"So, you're going to be okay then?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Despite being thrilled about the kiss they shared, she found herself becoming much more serious when she brought that subject up again.

He nodded, his smile shrinking a bit. "Yeah. I'll be okay," he reassured her. "Thank you again. I just needed to get that out instead of holding it all in. Anyway, I don't want to hold you here any longer, so you're free to go."

The corners of her lips rose into a tender smile. "I know," she responded. Instead of getting up and leaving, however, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes. It was a bold move, but not much bolder than him kissing her was.

To her surprise, he slid his hand over hers and laced their fingers together before resting his head on top of hers. "Okay," he said softly, and she could practically hear the smile in his voice.