[Third Person Pov]
"Sam, darling, who is this?"
A woman's voice echoed from behind them, causing both Danny and Sam to freeze as if they'd just been caught red-handed.
They turned around to find Sam's parents standing there, staring at the two of them with clear interest—more specifically at their linked arms and hands.
Sam almost broke away on instinct, but she froze the moment she felt Danny tighten his hold. She glanced over at him in momentary surprise. A small smile threatened to break across her face; she quickly looked down to hide it and returned the gentle pressure of his grip instead.
She forced her expression into something more indifferent. "It's not any of your business. Don't worry about it."
Danny glanced at her warily for a second, then turned toward Sam's parents and greeted them with the polite composure Alfred had drilled into him.
"Greetings. My name is Daniel Fenton. I've known and been friends with Samantha for many years. It's a pleasure to finally meet you both."
Sam turned her head and stared at him like he'd just grown a second head as he calmly shook her parents' hands.
"What a polite young man," Pam, Sam's mother, said, clearly pleased with the introduction.
"Daniel Fenton… I take it you're Bruce Wayne's new ward then," Jeremy, Sam's father, said as he returned the handshake.
"That's right," Danny answered, continuing the conversation as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Sam kept looking back and forth between them, her lips curling off to the side. 'This is more embarrassing than I thought. I hate this,' she thought privately.
"You've known each other since Gotham Elementary? Oh my, you two really do go far back," Pam said, surprised by the information. She turned toward her daughter. "If you actually had friends, why have you never invited them over? It feels like a missed opportunity."
Sam ground her teeth together and grumbled, "Because it's not any of your business who I'm friends with. I didn't want you guys controlling that part of my life as well."
"Oh, stop it. You're going to give people the wrong idea," Pam said, waving a hand and shaking her head in exasperation. "Just because we're looking out for you doesn't mean we're controlling."
Jeremy looked at Danny apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. I'm sure you're already aware that Samantha has always had a strong sense of… freedom."
"I'm aware," Danny replied with a faint grin.
Sam looked both offended and a little hurt to see him agreeing so readily with her parents.
"However," Danny continued, still wearing that pleasant smile, "I believe that's one of the best things about her—and something I really appreciate. She doesn't let anyone or anything stop her from expressing how she feels."
Sam froze where she stood. Her face rapidly turned bright red with a mixture of shame and embarrassment.
Jeremy and Pam turned toward each other, clearly never having seen their daughter look so flustered before. She looked like she was about to spontaneously combust. The two of them shared a secret, knowing grin before Pam quickly focused back on Danny.
"So… what did you say your relationship with our daughter was again?"
It was Danny and Sam's turn to glance at each other. For a brief moment both of them held back what they truly felt, then turned back toward Sam's parents.
"We're friends," Sam answered for them. "Just really close friends. That's all."
"That's right," Danny reiterated. "We're just two friends who've known each other practically our entire lives."
The words felt heavier on both their tongues than either of them wanted to admit—a quiet sentiment they shared without needing to say it out loud.
"Can we go now? Is your interrogation over?" Sam asked impatiently. She hated every second she had to stand there explaining—or rather, carefully not explaining—her complicated relationship with Danny.
"Very well. We'll get out of your hair for the time being," Pam sighed, finally relenting. "We have other families we need to socialize with, after all."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Daniel," Jeremy said, offering another firm handshake. "And thank you for being friends with our rebellious daughter."
"I'll show you rebellious…" Sam muttered under her breath as she watched Danny politely shake her mother's hand next.
"And you should definitely come over sometime when you have the chance," Pam added with a warm smile. "I would love to learn more about you and hear how you and my daughter became friends in the first place."
"If you would have me, I'd be honored to come over," Danny replied smoothly, concluding the pleasantries with the same practiced politeness Alfred had taught him.
The moment her parents walked away, Danny's shoulders finally dropped as he released the tension he'd been holding. "Phew… that was so nerve-wracking," he sighed in relief, placing a hand over his chest.
"That was awful and embarrassing, that's what it was," Sam grumbled. Even so, she made no move to let go of Danny's arm.
"It wasn't too bad," Danny said with a lopsided smile, scratching his cheek with one finger. "They seemed like good people."
"That's only because we're in public and they have an image to maintain," Sam scoffed, quickly dismissing his claim.
Danny looked at her with growing concern. "Are they really that bad?"
"Not in the way you're thinking," Sam replied with a quiet sigh. "Most of the time it's just this… suffocating feeling. Everything I do, everything I wear—it's always under scrutiny. It's like I'm their doll or their puppet, and they're the ones holding the strings."
Danny listened carefully before offering an empathetic smile. "I didn't grow up in this kind of environment, so I can't say I know exactly what you're feeling. But in the time I've been Bruce's ward… I've learned how suffocating it can feel trying to live up to everyone's expectations and never mess up."
Sam stared at him for a long moment. Then, without really thinking, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
Danny froze, staring at her in surprise. "What was that for?" he asked, the tips of his ears already turning faintly red.
Sam became flustered just as quickly. "It was a way to express my appreciation," she said, reaching up to grab the small handkerchief from his chest pocket and carefully wiping the lipstick off his cheek. "For trying to understand… and for how you defended me against my parents. It means a lot. Thank you."
"Uh… sure. Anytime," Danny replied, becoming just as flustered. His heart was beating in irregular, sporadic bursts against his ribs.
The two of them continued walking through the gala in a slightly awkward silence, both trying to recover from the fresh wave of embarrassment that had washed over them.
"Huh? Is that who I think it is?" Sam suddenly said, motioning toward someone standing off to the side.
Danny followed her gaze, and his eyes widened in recognition. "Is that… Valerie?"
Valerie stood near one of the tall windows in a fancy yellow dress, staring out into the distance with clear disinterest.
Sam and Danny exchanged a look of mutual surprise. Neither of them had expected to see her here. They promptly headed over.
"Valerie?" Danny called, the word halfway between a question and a greeting.
"Huh—oh." She turned when she spotted them. Her gaze flicked down to their linked arms for a second, and one brow rose. "I expected to see Danny here… but what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at Sam.
"What am I doing here? What are *you* doing here is the better question," Sam shot back, staring at Valerie with open confusion.
"I came with my uncle Lucius," Valerie said flatly, motioning toward the far side of the room where Bruce and Lucius Fox were speaking with other Wayne Industries board members.
"Lucius Fox is your uncle?!" Danny exclaimed in disbelief, struggling to process the information.
"Yeah. And what of it?" Valerie asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"Nothing… I'm just surprised, that's all. I wasn't expecting it," Danny replied with a half-grin, his mind quietly sorting through everything he remembered about Valerie from his past-life knowledge.
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters and my other patron exclusive content on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3