Darling (Danny Phantom exe Fanfic)

8

Danny's POV

I had been having a good time with my friends until Crystal showed up. Sure, she was my ex, but we were in the same year, and I couldn't exactly avoid her. We had dated for two years before I found out she had cheated on me with one of my closest friends. When she sat down beside me tonight, I knew something was off.

At first, I tried to ignore her, but when I felt her hand on my thigh, I had enough. I turned to her, irritation flaring. "We need to talk."

She bit her lip in a way that she probably thought was seductive and nodded. I rolled my eyes internally.

We moved to a corner, away from the others. "Look, Crystal, I know what you're trying to do, and I'm telling you to stop. Whatever we had is over. I don't want to lose the fragile friendship we barely have."

"Why, Danny? Don't you still like me?" she purred, running her hand up my arm.

I yanked her hand away, my patience wearing thin. "No, I don't. And you know I have a girlfriend."

She sighed dramatically. "I know what I did was wrong, but can't we go back to how we were?"

"No, Crystal," I said firmly. "I love Ashley, and I'm not interested in anything with you."

Before I could react, she grabbed my face and kissed me. I was about to shove her away when I saw Ashley standing a few feet away, her face pale, eyes wide with shock. This was Crystal's plan all along, and I had walked right into it.

I pushed Crystal off me, anger boiling over. "What the hell, Crystal?!" But it was too late. Ashley had already seen, and the hurt in her eyes was more than I could bear. She turned and ran before I could stop her.

"Shit!" I muttered, taking off after her, but the loud music made it hard to call her name. When I finally got outside, I spotted her being dragged by two guys, clearly in trouble. My heart leaped into my throat as I sprinted toward them.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" I shouted, my voice louder and more threatening than I thought possible.

The men looked up, startled. One of them smirked, clearly unafraid, and tightened his grip on Ashley's wrist. "Or what?" he challenged.

Fueled by adrenaline and rage, I didn't think twice. I lunged at him, punching him square in the jaw. He stumbled back, releasing Ashley, who immediately backed away.

The other man charged at me, but I ducked and threw a punch to his gut, then another to his face. He groaned and fell to the ground, dazed. I turned back to Ashley, who was watching with wide eyes, tears still streaming down her face.

"Ashley," I breathed, stepping closer, my heart pounding. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, but her expression was a mix of fear and confusion. "I saw you... with her," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"It wasn't what it looked like," I said desperately. "She kissed me, but I pushed her away as soon as I realized what she was doing. I swear, Ashley, I didn't want that."

She looked at me, searching my eyes for any hint of deceit. After what felt like an eternity, she finally nodded. "Okay, I believe you."

Relief flooded through me, and I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight. "Thank you," I whispered into her hair. "You don't know how scared I was when I couldn't find you."

She let out a shaky laugh, her hands gripping the back of my shirt. "You're squeezing me too tight," she murmured, though there was a smile in her voice.

I chuckled, loosening my hold slightly. "You're just so precious to me, Ashley. I never want to lose you."

She looked up at me, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears. "I was so scared, Danny. For a moment, I thought everything we had was gone."

I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, my thumb gently caressing her cheek. "Nothing could ever make me give you up, Ashley. Not a misunderstanding, not Crystal, not anyone."

Her lips trembled as she tried to smile. "When I saw you with her, I felt like my world was falling apart. I didn't know what to think."

I sighed, pulling her closer so that our foreheads touched. "I'm sorry, Ashley. I should've seen it coming. Crystal was trying to mess with us, and I let my guard down. But please know that you're the only one I care about."

She nodded, her breath hitching as she leaned into me, seeking comfort. "I believe you, Danny. I just... I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," I promised, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment, we stood there in silence, just holding each other as the chaos of the city continued around us. The world felt like it had narrowed down to just the two of us.

Then, she pulled back slightly, her eyes searching mine. "By the way," she began, her tone lightening a bit, "when did you learn to fight like that? You never told me about your secret combat skills."

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. "Well, darling, there's a lot you don't know about me," I teased, leaning in closer. "But before we dive into that..." I placed my hand on the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to mine. "Let me make up for the mess Crystal caused."

With that, I kissed her, soft and slow at first, but as the tension between us melted away, the kiss deepened, becoming more urgent. It was as if we were both trying to erase the pain of the night, reassuring each other that we were still solid, still together.

Third person POV

But just as the moment was intensifying, her phone rang, slicing through the heated atmosphere like a cold breeze. Danny groaned, burying his face in her neck in frustration, but he didn't stop.

"I have to take this," she mumbled against his lips, trying not to laugh at his displeasure.

He huffed, pulling back with an exaggerated pout. "Fine, but this isn't over," he warned playfully.

She chuckled, sitting up and grabbing her phone. "Hey, Brandon," she answered, glancing at Danny.

"Hey, are you guys okay? I saw you both run out of the club, and I was worried. I tried calling Danny, but he didn't pick up," Brandon's voice crackled through the phone.

Ashley smiled, her heart feeling a bit lighter. "We're fine, Brandon. Danny's with me."

Danny raised an eyebrow, mouthing, 'Who is it?'

"Brandon," she mouthed back, stifling a laugh at Danny's exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Okay, just wanted to check. Take care, and I'll leave you two alone," Brandon said, clearly sensing that he was interrupting something.

"Thanks, Brandon," she replied, hanging up the phone and turning back to Danny, who was now grinning at her mischievously.

"Where were we?" he asked, his voice low and teasing as he reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward him.

Ashley's laughter filled the street, a sound that made Danny's heart swell with happiness. All the tension and fear from earlier faded away as they lost themselves in each other, knowing that whatever challenges they faced, they would face them together.