[Third Person Pov]
"Danny," Sam asked, a dark look settling in her eyes as she stared at the phone still in his hand. "What exactly are you planning on doing with that phone number?"
"What is there for me to do with it?" Danny asked, staring down at the screen in pure bewilderment. The whole encounter still felt like it had come out of nowhere.
"Come on, Sam. There's no need to be jealous," Tucker said, a mischievous grin already spreading across his face.
"Jealous? I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous? I have no reason to be," Sam protested, scoffing defensively while shooting Tucker a murderous glare that could have melted steel.
Tucker's smirk only grew wider. "Well, in case you were… there's no need. You and Danny are going to be each other's date at the gala, aren't you?"
"Date?!" Danny and Sam both exclaimed at the exact same time, whipping their heads around to look at each other in complete confusion.
A second later they both turned on Tucker and punched him hard in the shoulders out of pure embarrassment. Tucker cried out and hugged himself protectively, wobbling in place.
"You're just talking nonsense," Sam muttered, a faint pink coloring already blooming across her cheeks.
"Yeah… what she said," Danny added, though he paused for a moment, glancing down at his own fist with a flicker of mild confusion.
"Danny, you coming?" Dick called out from nearby, standing beside the black limo that was already waiting for them.
"Huh? Oh—yeah. Later, guys," Danny said, offering a quick final wave before jogging over to join Dick.
As the limo pulled away, Danny glanced back through the window at Tucker, then down at his own fist again. 'Is it just me… or did Tucker fill out more? What was that about?'
---
Date: June 15
Time: 7:45 PM
Location: Wayne Manor
Alfred stood beside Danny in the private dressing room, carefully helping him get ready. With practiced hands he adjusted the three-piece suit, straightened the collar, and smoothed the sleeves until everything sat perfectly.
Once the tie was settled firmly into place, Alfred gave Danny's shoulder a light pat and offered a faint, approving grin. "Looking proper dapper now, young Master Fenton."
"Thanks, Alfred. Always appreciate the help," Danny replied with a slightly stiff grin. He still couldn't shake the feeling of being a bit awkward and out of place in such a refined, fashionable suit.
His hair had been slicked back neatly, and the belt sat firmly around his waist. For a moment Danny almost didn't recognize himself in the mirror. Still, he couldn't deny there was a certain quiet charm to the look, and that realization slowly eased his smile into something more confident and sincere.
It wasn't long before Danny was walking into the gala alongside Bruce, with Dick standing opposite him. The three of them moved as a small unit down the grand hallway.
When they entered the main ballroom of Wayne Manor, the soft murmur of conversation briefly dipped as several heads turned. The three of them naturally drew attention—particularly because of how distinctly similar they looked. Matching black hair and blue eyes became far more noticeable when the three of them stood side by side.
Bruce immediately began socializing with the other attendees, guiding both Dick and Danny along with a light hand on each of their shoulders. He moved through the room with practiced ease, introducing them to board members of Wayne Industries and various Gotham elites.
"I'm sure you remember Richard," Bruce said smoothly to one older gentleman.
"Hahaha, how could I forget? He's growing into a proper young lad," the man replied with a warm chuckle.
Bruce then gestured toward Danny. "And this here is Daniel Fenton, my other ward who has recently come under my care."
"I've heard quite a bit about him," the man said, turning to Danny with genuine interest. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young Daniel. Nice to finally put a face to the name."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Danny replied politely as he shook the offered hand. "I didn't realize I was that famous."
A soft round of chuckles passed through the small group.
The same scene repeated several more times as they moved deeper into the ballroom. After the fourth or fifth introduction, Danny began to zone out on occasion, his polite smile still in place even as his mind started to drift. Dick, already far too used to these events, quietly stifled a laugh when he noticed Danny beginning to dissociate.
"How are you holding up?" Dick asked with an amused grin once they were finally allowed to break free from Bruce's endless introductions.
"Better than last time, that's for sure," Danny replied as the two of them found a quieter spot along one of the walls. He gave his hand a light shake, flexing his fingers. "Who knew socializing could be this exhausting?"
Dick's attention suddenly shifted toward the grand entrance as another wave of families began filing in. He nudged Danny lightly with his elbow and motioned for him to look.
Danny followed the direction of Dick's gaze—and immediately froze.
Sam was walking in with her parents. She wore an elegant purple-and-black puffy dress that somehow still managed to look distinctly her, paired with a decorative purple choker around her neck. Soft purple makeup framed her eyes, and her hair was styled into twin messy buns. Despite the polished appearance, her face was set in a tight grimace that made it very clear how annoyed she was to be there.
Dick rolled his eyes the moment he noticed Danny's completely dazed expression.
Across the room, Sam felt someone's gaze on her. When she spotted Danny, the earlier grimace melted away almost instantly, replaced by visible relief.
She walked over, stopping in front of him with a slightly awkward posture. "Hey."
"Hi…" Danny answered, still taking in her appearance up close.
"Staring a little too hard, don't you think?" Sam teased, her cheeks warming as a small grin tugged at her lips.
"Huh? Was I? Sorry…" Danny replied apologetically. Then, more sincerely, he added, "You just look really great. I couldn't take my eyes off you."
"Oh." Sam's face grew noticeably warmer.
"No—wait, that came out weird and way too forward. What I meant was—" Danny interjected, already starting to panic.
"No, I don't mind it," Sam said quickly, pushing the puffy skirt down a little. "It was flattering. Thank you. I think you look great too. You clean up very nicely."
Dick stood a short distance away with a completely straight face, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them. After a few seconds he simply muttered, "Yeah… I'm out. I'm not staying here for this. It was nice seeing you, Sam."
"Huh? Oh—yeah, you too, Dick," Sam replied as they both watched him walk away without another word.
Once he was gone, Sam and Danny looked at each other for a moment. Then they both broke into quiet chuckles as they realized just how awkward they were being.
"Ugh, I hate wearing these stupid dresses," Sam grumbled, still trying to push the voluminous skirt into a more comfortable position. "They're so constricting."
"I know what you mean," Danny said, adjusting the tie around his neck. "This thing has been trying to strangle me for the last thirty minutes."
Sam moved to stand beside him, her gloved hands folded behind her back. After a short pause she said, "You know… I was thinking a bit about what Tucker said earlier."
"About what exactly?" Danny asked, glancing at her in mild confusion.
Sam didn't answer directly. Instead she swept her gaze across the crowded ballroom. "All these people came with a plus-one. A date. And I just came with my parents."
A small smile slowly spread across Danny's face as he started to pick up on the hint. "You know, that's a really funny coincidence."
"Is it?" Sam asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"It is. I just so happened to be at this gala without a proper date. It's the only thing I'm really missing." Danny held out his arm toward her. "What do you think? We help each other out. We can be each other's plus-one for the night, and everyone's happy."
Sam's smile widened as she slipped her arm through his, linking them together. "It's not the worst idea I've ever heard. But don't think too much about it—I'm just doing this as a favor to you."
"You do me the greatest of honor," Danny shot back with a sly wink.
The two of them laughed quietly between themselves as they began walking through the gala side by side, keeping mostly to themselves and bantering back and forth as the evening continued around them.
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