This story was written entirely in QuickEdit, to kill off a plot bunny. Valerie/Danny, a single line with a twist of lime. Inspired by many others' Valerie-finds-out situations and a desire to do something unique.

This is likely going to get rewriten eventually...

Danny Phantom belongs to somebody else, not me, and no profit is being made off this story by me.

Trust

By Ryo Hoshi

Valerie Grey had trust issues. She had trusted Danny Fenton.

She did not trust Danny Phantom.

This would have worked very well, and there'd have been no issues, if they had been two different people. It might have even managed to work if she'd remained ignorant.

But not long after her 18th birthday, on a night she had her apartment to herself, he decided he should tell his girlfriend the truth.

Danny had stood there, in the doorway, nervously. She'd assumed that what he was holding behind his back was an engagement ring. Their relationship had been somewhat constant, and the way he and his friends had been acting nervous around her and the fragments of quickly-hushed conversation she kept catching had been hints.

Sam tracking her down and threatening to hurt her if she hurt Danny was more than a hint, in Valerie's opinion. She's simply smiled, and promised the goth that she had no intention of rejecting Danny.

It was with this expectation in mind that she let him in.

Then...he changed. Two bright blue halos swept over him, clothes changing, hair turning white and eyes green.

Danny didn't give her a chance to react. He told her the truth -- from the accident until now -- and then made her and offer.

If it was what it'd take to earn her trust...he'd let her do whatever she wanted to him: he trusted her.

Completely.

To the point of offering her a means of binding him.

(She promised herself to never, ever ask about the origins of the Fenton Fetters. It was best to assume they'd been intended to work on ghosts, but there was the Fenton Creep-Stick...)

Valerie had almost instantly suited up and pulled out her sidearm. He had just stood there, doing nothing to save himself, green eyes calm and...trusting.

All it would take was just a twitch of her finger to kill him, to destroy her enemy...

...she couldn't...

...but, she decided, while she might not be able to bring herself kill him now, she could hurt him.

However, she couldn't force herself to hurt him as much as she wanted to hurt him. When she hit him, kicked him, or just pushed him around, he put up no resistance. Whenever she looked into his eyes, she knew -- he trusted her still.

Danny had meant it. He would put up with whatever she did, if that was what it took to earn her trust for both sides of himself.

If he hadn't, Valerie would have felt guilty for what she'd eventually tried. Neither quite expected it, but...even bound to the bed, she knew he was willing if that was what she wanted. (He'd even been helpful, though he'd had to reassure her that he hadn't expected it to turn out this way.)

Afterwards, she gave up. She couldn't bring herself to test him any more, couldn't bring herself to keep doubting him.

And he did look uncomfortable, arms bound over his head and eyes dazed (and still trusting). He'd somehow managed to stay in ghost form through all of it, too.

It was clear, as well, that he still trusted her completely, even as beaten up as he was.

Valerie reached up and hit the release on the Fetters. Seeing the hopeful expression in his eyes, she sighed.

"I trust you."

Danny smiled, her heart skipping a beat, and pulled her close.