Going Ghost! (Young Justice)

[Third Person Pov]

Danny was still holding onto Sam's face, his palms cradling her cheeks as if trying to keep the moment from slipping away. Sam's hands remained wrapped around his wrists, quietly refusing to let him pull back just yet.

She chased after the fading sensation of his lips against hers, leaning in once more to make sure the quiet intimacy between them lasted just a little longer.

When they finally parted for good, the two of them simply stood there, close enough that their breaths still mixed in the cool night air. Both of them lingered in the soft, lingering warmth of what they had just shared.

"I…" Sam started, only to stammer as her thoughts suddenly spiraled into chaos. A heavy weight of guilt crashed over her out of nowhere. She glanced around the empty balcony as if the stone walls themselves might be judging her. "I'm sorry—I can't do this!"

Without another word she spun around and rushed back inside, her face burning red with a mixture of heat and shame, leaving Danny standing alone with his hands still raised in the air.

He blinked several times in pure confusion. "What just happened…?" he murmured, slowly lowering his arms as he looked around the empty balcony in bewilderment.

After a moment he reached up and lightly touched his own lips. "It was nice though…" he whispered to himself. "Did I do something wrong?"

A wary, uncertain smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as darker thoughts began to creep in. *Was I too forward? Oh no… did I mess it up?*

Danny stared blankly into the night, replaying the entire sequence over and over in his head. He searched desperately for any sign that she hadn't been willing, any subtle cue he might have missed that would mean he had accidentally pushed too far without realizing it.

Eventually he started lightly striking his forehead with the heel of his palm, scolding himself under his breath. "Stupid, stupid, stupid… just what were you thinking?"

A few minutes later Dick stepped out onto the balcony, clearly looking for him. "Bruce is about to begin his speech—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he found Danny crouched near the railing, both hands running through his carefully styled hair as he tried to pull himself back together.

"Huh? Oh… alright. I'll be over in a bit," Danny sighed, secretly grateful for the distraction from his spiraling thoughts.

"Okay," Dick replied evenly. "But before that, you might want to clean yourself up a little."

Danny looked down at his suit in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

Dick kept a completely straight face as he casually motioned toward his own mouth. "You have a little something…"

"Oh—" Danny's eyes widened. He immediately pulled out his handkerchief and began wiping at his lips. "I can explain. You see, what happened was—"

"Danny." Dick's deadpan expression never wavered. "I don't care."

"…Right. Sorry," Danny muttered, the apology thick with leftover embarrassment.

---

Meanwhile, Sam had managed to lock herself inside one of the quieter bathrooms. She stood in front of the mirror, cold water rushing from the faucet as she tried to steady her breathing.

Her reflection stared back at her with open shame—though the reason for it was far more complicated than simple embarrassment. She carefully reapplied her lipstick, barely able to meet her own eyes in the glass.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"

The reflection's voice suddenly spoke with a sharp, mocking sneer, making Sam freeze.

"Poor little Danny. He doesn't even know it, but you pretty much have him wrapped around your finger. It's almost cute watching him try so hard to rebuild what once was."

"Shut up," Sam growled, glaring hard at the mirror.

"I wonder how he would react," the reflection continued cruelly, "if he ever found out that the innocent, clueless persona you've been showing him was all an act."

Sam stayed silent, jaw clenched as she tried desperately to ignore the voice.

"Would he be heartbroken? Betrayed, maybe?" the reflection pressed, eyes full of contempt. "You felt it, didn't you? He clearly loves you. And how do you reward those honest feelings? By being a two-faced bitch who's constantly lying to his face, pretending she doesn't know any better."

The reflection leaned closer within the glass.

"How does that saying go again? 'Only the truth can set you free.' It's ironic, really. In trying to protect him… you might only end up ruining everything between you."

Sam gritted her teeth, her jaw clenched so tightly it ached. She forced herself to pause and draw in a slow, deep breath in an attempt to calm the storm inside her.

"I'm not ruining anything," she muttered under her breath. "Joke's on you. One of Danny's best qualities is that he's really understanding."

Her reflection gave a disdainful scoff and crossed its arms. "Wow. And the bitch gets bitchier. There's a limit to people's tolerance, you know. All you're doing is driving him away—straight into the arms of another girl. Ember's right around the corner, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike."

"I'm done with you," Sam grumbled. She finished fixing her makeup, shut off the faucet, and walked out without looking back.

Even so, her reflection still managed to get the last word.

"If you don't tell the truth, your heart will never be set free! You're only dooming yourself!"

Sam simply sped-walked back toward the main ballroom, where Bruce Wayne had already begun his speech.

---

Danny stood beside Dick near the raised podium where Bruce addressed the gathered guests.

"I want to thank everyone who has taken time out of their schedule to support this fundraiser," Bruce said, standing tall and speaking with quiet professionalism. "It is one that means a great deal to me—not only because of the benefit it will bring to Gotham City, but because it was first started by none other than my mother, Martha Wayne."

It was a side of Bruce that Danny rarely got to see. Most of the time the man presented himself as the carefree playboy billionaire; moments like this, when the real weight of his responsibilities showed through, always felt strangely grounding.

From across the room, Danny caught sight of Sam standing near her parents. Their eyes met for the briefest second before both of them looked away, neither quite able to hold the other's gaze.

Bruce continued for several more minutes, outlining the purpose of the fundraiser and the long-term plans he held for the future of Gotham. When he finished, he offered the crowd a charming, charismatic smile.

"Once again, I want to thank everyone, and I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening."

A warm round of applause echoed through the ballroom.

It took some time before Danny finally found an opportunity to speak with Sam alone again.

"Hey…" he greeted awkwardly, nerves already twisting in his stomach.

"Hi…" Sam replied in the same hesitant tone, eyes fixed somewhere near their feet.

"I wanted to apologize—"

They both started speaking at the exact same moment, then stopped and blinked at each other in surprise.

"You first," they said simultaneously again.

For a second they simply stared, then both broke into quiet, self-conscious chuckles at how perfectly in sync they still were.

"Actually… please let me go first," Danny said, his expression turning more serious and guilty. "I wanted to apologize for getting ahead of myself back there. I should have asked if you were okay with it beforehand. It was wrong of me to assume. I'm sorry."

Sam shook her head quickly. "Why are *you* apologizing? I should be the one saying sorry for running off like that. I didn't mind it as much as you think I did." She paused, then added more quietly, "In fact… I really liked it."

Danny's head lifted a little. "You did?"

Even knowing that Sam had once felt something for him in another timeline, he never allowed himself to simply assume those feelings had carried over unchanged. That uncertainty had quietly plagued him for a long time.

Sam pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. "I don't want you to think I ran away earlier because I hated it. Because I didn't."

"Then why did you…?" Danny asked softly. It would have been a lie to say the sudden rejection hadn't stung.

Sam looked away, unable to meet his eyes. If she did, she was certain everything she was holding back would spill out right then and there. "I have my reasons."

"I see…" he replied quietly.

A short, heavy silence settled between them.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, gathering his courage. "I know you might not really like dancing… but I feel like I should ask you anyway. Do you… perhaps want to dance?"

Sam's lips slowly curved upward. He was right—she didn't particularly enjoy dancing. But seeing how awkward and endearingly dorky Danny was being right now made something warm and fond swell inside her chest.

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