A/N: A full summary… uhhhmmm… okay… I can do this…
…
Okay, the basic premise is Danny trying to figure out why Tucker and Sam insist on calling him Clueless 1. He has leads that he's going to follow but, true to all people, he is blind to what is right in front of him. And of course, ghosts will, as always, interrupt him before he gets anywhere.
But, as with most stories, this one has a… humble beginning.
Casper High School: To most, a mere distraction to the rest of their day. To others, a convenient place to meet with friends that their parents would otherwise… disapprove of. And to still others, it is both a salvation from watchful eyes but a restricting institution.
Sitting at the steps of this government-provided service were two teenagers, leaning on one another as they squeezed in the last few precious minutes of the weekend into getting some much-needed sleeping. The one on the left was really only half asleep, for he was listening to a new playlist on his beloved PDA. Scratching his head through his signature red hat, Tucker Foley mumbled in his semi-comatose state, saying something about Nuke Dukem...
The young man on the right was, in many respects, an enigma. His loose t-shirt rose and fell with his breathing, alternating between hiding and revealing his rather scrawny figure. Messy black hair covered eyes that were locked in slumber. Even though his eyes were shut, it was clear that bags were growing under his eyes, no doubt a result of his alter ego.
Amity Park's very own superhero, Danny Phantom.
Yes, it was rather hard to believe that the young, unpopular weakling Danny Fenton was the one whose eyes glowed a bright emerald and whose hair blazed as bright as fresh snow. He had fought every ghost that had haunted the city, from the comically foolish Box Ghost to the sinisterly clever Vlad Masters, otherwise known as Plasmius.
In the secret superhero's mind, a video of last night's ghost encounter replayed in his mind.
Much to his annoyance.
What appeared to be an overweight robber in overalls was surrounded by several toolboxes. "Beware! For once I empty these toolboxes of their useless metal pieces, their cubical power will be MINE!" he threatened in a rather oafish voice.
Standing across from him was Danny Phantom, staring at him with eyes at half-mast, completing an expression of annoyance. "Honestly, can't you get a hobby, or a girlfr-never mind." he said, sending a ray of ectoplasmic energy at the other ghost as he involuntarily thought of the disgusting chain of events that must've created the "Lunchbox Ghost."
The Box Ghost was forced back from the blast and forced against a wall. "Here, why not try picking up video games or something?" he suggested as he trapped the annoyance of an enemy into the Fenton Thermos for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.
With a sigh, he clipped the advanced soup container to his belt and glided clean through the roof, lest he be blamed for the mess The Box Ghost left in the hardware store.
Soaring over the skyline of the city, he looked up at the starry sky and smiled. Times of calm like this were few and far between, so he made sure to enjoy them to their – a sudden beep from his person ripped him out of his thoughts. Reaching into the pocket of his suit, he pulled out a small watch that read "12:00 AM" in a flashing green digital readout.
"Well, ya know, as nice as this is," he said in a tired tone "Making curfew would be really nice, too". Doing a quick flip, he soared home, expecting to greeted with a hearty "You're grounded, mister!" from his father and a "What are you doing out this late all the time?" from his mother.
With a slight cringe as he thought of what they'd do to him, he ducked into the alley and, with a flash of light, reverted back into Danny Fenton. Creeping up to the stoop of his house, he stepped back a bit as he saw someone already there, leaning against the side of the steps.
"What the…" he studied the shadow, trying to figure out who it was. It didn't help that the person's clothes were as black as the shadows around them, and that-
With a grin, he said "Hi, Sam."
With eyes that blazed of amethyst, even in this low amount of light, the girl known as Sam looked over at the boy whose own eyes now naturally shone with a vibrant blue. "Errr… Hi… Danny." She said rather sheepishly. "…What's up?"
Danny looked at her oddly as he climbed the stairs. "I think a better question would be why you're- Whoa!"
He was taken aback as Sam suddenly threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. "Oh, Danny, I was so worried about you!"
This got an even odder look from the halfa, who said, "Sam, it was The Box Ghost. Nothing to worry about."
Sam looked up at him with eyes that told of concern and another emotion that… he couldn't really identify. "But, Danny, you're my boyfriend now, and I have to-"
"Whoa, wait, what?" he asked loudly, trying to figure out if he had really heard that correctly. Looking at her with a ridiculously bright blush on his face, he tried to figure this out. "Sam… huh? When did this…"
The self-proclaimed goth suddenly looked annoyed as she gripped his right shoulder and shook it firmly. "Come on, Danny!" she demanded. "It's time to go!" Her grip seemed to tighten, causing him to wince. "Sam!" he yelped. "That hurts!"
"Come on Danny, get up!" she demanded, shaking him harder now. "We've got two minutes!"
"Two minutes until what?" he exclaimed.
"Two minutes until health class, and I don't know about you, but I am NOT being late. AGAIN."
With a gasp, Danny's head shot up from his friend's shoulder. Looking around, he saw that he was sitting on the stairs of Casper High. Apparently, he had fallen asleep and was lulled into a surprising and… somewhat disturbing dream.
In front of him was Sam, her hand still on his shoulder with an expression that seemed to combine annoyance with a large amount of disapproval. "Sam?" he asked weakly.
Her piercing gaze softened as she looked at her best friend, saying, "Yeah, Danny, it's me." Using his shoulder as a pivot point, she turned and plopped down on the stone step next to him. "You okay?"
Stifling a yawn, he replied, "Y-y-y-yeah, I'm alright." Stretching, he continued with "Just another fun night being a superhero."
Smiling warmly, she patted his back and said "Well, don't work at it TOO hard, okay?" Getting up, she offered her hand, which he gladly took as she pulled him up.
Smiling back, he thought of the dream, wondering why last night's recollection had been altered like that. Unbeknowst to him, a small part of his inner being wished it had been more than a dream, but this part of him was too small to even register in his mind.
"So, anyway, did you do the Health assignment over the weekend?" she asked.
His entire body seemed to freeze up as he stared at her, his eyes spreading wide. Almost as if on cue, the late bell rang loudly. From his viewpoint, the bell sounding may as well have been an executioner calling out his name.
Setting her hand on her hip, she looked at him tiredly and, despite knowing the answer, asked, "You didn't do the Health assignment, did you?"
Danny was deaf to this as he anxiously shook Tucker in some attempt to revive the techno-nerd.
Said techno-nerd was curled up on the concrete, cuddling his PDA like a stuffed animal as he replied with a smile, "Five more minutes, mommy…"
Oh yeah.
Danny was toast.
(A/N: Well, what do you think? No, this isn't a one-shot, so forget that. So, as they said here, please read and review. And, also, please make it constructive. Granted, unwarranted amounts of praise are nice, but if I'm doing something wrong, then don't hesitate to tell me, okay?)