So Alone (No You're Not)
My @invisobang fic! Sequel to last year's Invisobang fic. Find the links for that here.
It must be read first for this to make any sense at all :)
Word Count: 23,439
Summary:
Phantom's Keep. Much nicer than the old name. But all is not well and stone is not yet set. Danny navigates all of the expectations that are laid out for him as the rising Ghost King and what it really means. Not only for his human life, but Sam and Tucker's as well. Would they really be better off without him bogging them down?
Ao3
FFnet
This post has only the first chapter, you have to go to Ao3 or FFnet for the rest!
MONDAY 8 PM
âI guess we have some time to kill.â Sam wondered aloud. She was laying across the bed, kicking her feet idly. She picked at one of the fur blankets.
The room was full of various drapery and furs. Which made sense, seeing as it was a room fit for a king.
Yeesh, Danny still felt strange thinking about that. It felt like just yesterday Clockwork had popped into his room and demanded a meeting. Only for Danny to discover that, apparently, the GZ itself had chosen him to be the next King and oh, yeah, if he didnât accept then the entirety of the Infinite Realms would destabilize. No pressure, right?
And if the Realms collapsed, Earth was next on the chopping block. His obsession made the choice for him, no way could he let something like that happen.
Yeah. That was a fun Monday afternoon. A whirlwind of the next two weeks went by, and now the trio were at the Keep. Pariahâs Keep to be exact. Danny felt shivers down his spine as he looked around the room.
Pariah probably used to live here, didnât he? An unwanted thought told him to tear it to shreds, for what that tyrant had done, but it was washed away by his morals. Doraâs people had already done so much to restore the wartorn Keep, he didnât want to cause any more damage.Â
Mattingly -Doraâs Kingdom- were spearheading the heavy project that was restoring the Keep. Dora herself had also been largely helpful in just organizing things, stuff Danny had no idea how to do. She even got him teachers to help him learn all the things he needed to know, if he was ever gonna be a good King. Heâd never be able to thank her for all sheâs done, but he certainly planned to try.
Sam stood up, walking around the bend in the room, where they hadnât yet ventured. She found a door she hadnât noticed at first.
âCheck this out!â She shouted, waving them over. Danny came, but Tucker stayed where heâd collapsed on the bedâs pillows. The only response he gave was a tired sigh. When Danny neared he saw Sam, holding open a heavy door. What he saw behind it was shocking. It was a humongous closet, probably almost the size of his bedroom, if a bit narrower.
Sam entered first, surveying the clothes on either wall. She eyed the various pairs of shoes on the bottom shelves. She grabbed one that looked like it would hurt if thrown, but probably wouldnât leave a bruise. Danny ducked out of her way as she exited, clearly on a mission.
Sam rounded the corner and lobbed the shoe at Tuckerâs head.
âHey!â He shouted, when smacked in the forehead with a heeled boot. Tucker shot up, grabbing the shoe and returning fire before he even realized what heâd been holding.
âWhat- where did you find a shoe?â Tucker questioned. Sam just took a step back and gestured to the closet. Tucker got up from the bed and looked curiously into the open doorway.
The closet was packed to the brim with clothes, but not unorganized. It was separated into three distinct sections, presumably one for each of them. Dora must've had a hand in picking out the wardrobes, because they were themed in their respective favorite colors. She was the only one who they were vaguely familiar enough with to know such a thing. Although it was also the colors most of them wore every day, so that probably clued her in. Or maybe it was sheer coincidence, who knows?
To the right was a wall of blacks and purples. It was ordered between tops, pants, skirts, and dresses. There were three pairs of shoes- black flats, what looked like black riding boots(one of which was missing), and a short pair of heels. The entire selection really looked like itâd been pulled from a renaissance festival, which Danny supposed was kinda Doraâs style.
Itâd been a while since heâd been to one of those. The last time was probably in Middle school when Jazz-
Jazz.
Heckity.
Dannyâs promise came back to him suddenly, the one heâd made with Sarah. His core rumbled slightly, nervously, in his chest. If he didnât tell Jazz about the fight with Dash in the next week, Sarah was gonna tell her for him. Danny lets loose one time and it bites him in the butt. Of course, just his luck. If Jazz got that video without any context she would immediately turn and start trying to psycho-analyze him. He wouldnât be able to hide anything from her if she was looking for it.
Really, Jazz deserved to know what was going on. But Danny didnât want to tell her. Thatâd be like making the whole thing real- if it wasnât real enough already.
Danny turned back to the room. That was a future Danny problem. (Not Dan, to be exact. Just Danny-but-a-week-from-now. He didnât want to think about what will have happened in that week).
Sam pawed through her selection of clothes, humming at some of the options. She got a disgusted look on her face when she saw a ballgown. It was at least purple, but still way out of Samâs usual style. Danny floated to watch over Samâs shoulder and saw a tag on the dress in ghost speak. Sam turned and held it up for him to read, and Danny did so aloud.
âEvery girl needs at least one. From Dorathea.â
âI guess,â Sam said sarcastically. She shoved the dress back into place, intending to forget about it no doubt.
To the right of the closet was a sea of yellows, gold, and various neutral browns. Clearly meant for Tucker. There were comparatively fewer clothes for him than Sam, though it was still a full wardrobeâs worth. Tuckerâs eyes sparkled as he marveled at the selection. His was organized similarly, and was just as medieval. But that didnât seem to bother him. He pulled a few things off the racks and judged them against himself in the mirror. They all looked to be around the right size, if a bit small for him. Tuckerâs growth spurt had done him very few favors, so far. (That didnât keep Danny from being salty that the top of his head only came up to Tuckerâs nose.)
Finally, at the end of the room was Dannyâs section. An ocean of blues and silver. As well as some whites. A pop of green or two. Danny ran a hand along the fabric. It felt cool beneath his fingertips, obviously not of the Real World in origin. It was native to the GZ, it would seem. That was interesting. He wondered, who in the GZ made clothes? Did full ghosts even have a need for them? And what were they made of? Where did they sell them?
Danny realized suddenly there was so much he didnât know about the GZ, and its culture. Guess thatâs what happens when the only things you do in an alternate dimension are fight and meet up with a time god. And also become High King, apparently.
Sitting on a mannequin was a cape that made Dannyâs core skip a beat.
It was a floor-length cloak, with a hood of white fur. The length was ombre, starting at a deep navy blue and ending in a dark teal-green.
Flashes passed before Dannyâs eyes, memories of Clockworkâs time mirror and the damning image itâd shown.
Danny stepped forward gingerly. He reached out to the cloak so that he could feel the fabric. It was soft, and cool in his hands. Like a breeze. The fur was a stark white, maybe even brighter than his hair. The clasp was expertly crafted, mimicking Samâs logo perfectly. It was a work of art, but Danny couldnât help but hold ill will towards the garment.
A stray thought in his head said to burn it. Let it reduce to ashes in his hands. To take control of the story narrative. But he knew he couldnât do that. He never would have, the future is the proof. And if that didnât make him feel a bit hopeless, what would?
Danny abandoned the cloak and perused the rest of the clothes. He whistled lowly. He was particularly drawn to a rack of flowy dress shirts. He felt the material- it was soft and silky. Danny walked to the other side, hand tracing across the clothing yet again.
He marveled at how it all hummed ever-so-slightly under his fingertips.
As Danny was going through his clothes, Sam was pulling things off the rack. She went over to a floor-length mirror that hung in the closet and held things in front of her, comparing their styles. A sudden sharp grin crossed her face.
âWhat do you guys say to a bit of a fashion show?â She suggested gleefully. Tuckerâs head popped up.
âSounds like a plan to me,â He agreed. They looked to Danny. He shifted awkwardly.
âI suppose it canât hurt. We just gotta make sure to put everything back.â His friends both shot him thumbs up.
âSince it was my idea I wanna go first, you guys out so I can change.â With that Sam shoved them out of the closet, left to her own devices.
âI wanted to go first.â Tucker mumbled. He threw himself into a plush chair that sat next to the bookshelf.
âHow long do you reckon sheâll be?â Danny asked.
âNo clue,â Shrugged Tucker. Danny elected to sit on the bed.
Surprisingly, Sam only took a few minutes. She waltzed out like a model.
Sam wore a dark purple shirt that had bell sleeves, which ended around her elbows. Around her waist was a black corset, which had plum roses embroidered into the panels. It was tied in the front with a ribbon. There was a jeweled belt over the corset that had a small chain hanging down off of it. It was offset, dangling off her hip. She wore flowy black pants that disappeared into her riding boots.
Sam had never really been a fantasy goth, but her outfit was certainly striking.
She held up two cloaks, each with a furry black hood. Danny hadn't even seen she had cloaks.
"Black or purple?" She asked, holding either up to her shoulder. Danny was out of his depth. They both looked okay? Fashion wasnât his forte, he usually stuck to graphic t-shirts and jeans. Maybe a flannel if he was feeling it.
Tucker hummed.
"Maybe black?" He suggested with a shrug. Sam raised a brow quizzically. She tossed it over her shoulder, hastily putting the other back on its hanger. She struck a pose.
âYou look kinda like a knight,â Danny remarked. She looked ready to ride into battle in a medieval period drama.
âYeah?â Sam asked. She spun, watching the various frills and cape flutter. There was a wide grin across her face.
âDo you think they expect us to wear this stuff?â She asked quizzically. She did another spin, in the opposite direction.
Briar had mentioned something about (insulted) their modern clothes, so perhaps? They wouldn't just be there for no reason, right? Oh Danny was already dreading having to pick out clothes, if that was the case. He hoped it wasnât.
âHonestly, I have no clue.â Danny replied.
âI dunno,â Tucker added with a shrug. Sam made a âhmâ sound.
âWell I donât want to get changed back into my own clothes yet, so one of you go ahead.â Said Sam, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder. When Danny didnât immediately volunteer, Tucker spoke up.
âI guess Iâll go.â He said, getting up from his seat.
âAny suggestions?â He asked in Samâs direction. She stepped back into the closet and Tucker followed suit. Danny didnât want to get up, he just flopped back on the bed.
The sudden movement made Dannyâs head hurt. It reminded him suddenly how heâd been in a fight with Dash not even 12 hours ago. Injuries in his human form always lasted longer, though not to the same extent as if he was completely without his ghost half. Just⌠sluggishly.Â
His nose in particular was throbbing, each pulse of his core (heart?) making him feel like his head would explode from the pressure. Not a good reminder. He transformed, and a bit of the pain drifted away. Being in ghost form helped a bit, but not nearly as much as he would have liked.
Sam and Tucker talked for a bit, their voices warbling through the walls from the other room. Sam left Tucker on his own a few minutes later. Tuck was in there for a while, longer than Sam had been at least. He practically slammed the door on Sam, even if he shouted an apology a split second later. Samâs footsteps quieted, then got louder. She wandered over to the bed where Danny laid, and he could feel the shift when she sat down.
âDâyou think he thinks heâs hiding his sudden interest in fashion?â Sam asked. A smile found its way onto Dannyâs face.
âHe probably thinks heâs getting away with it.âÂ
âYeah, probably.â The conversation petered off. Danny heard the pages of a book turning, and that explained the detour Sam had taken. She paid a visit to the bookshelf.Â
Danny was hit by a wave of boredom. But he didn't want to waste what precious battery life his phone had. Thus, he was left with nothing to do.
He got bored rather quickly. And by quickly, it was about five minutes later. He finally got up from the bed and decided to explore the room a bit more. If he was gonna be staying here, he might as well familiarize himself with it. In his search. Danny discovered two doors in the back corner. One led to a bathroom, much like he had expected. (Or, at least, wanted it to be. Did full ghosts have any use for a bathroom?)
The most immediate, stand-out feature was a large tub set into the floor. The floor was tile, but the walls of the tub were dark wood, maybe Mahogany? Danny only knew about that type of wood because it made his Dadâs allergies act up. And heâd learned a bit about it in shop class.
The tub was big enough that Danny could probably sit in the middle and his head would be under the water. There was a ring of benches around the semi-circle tub. The bathroom was shaped like a circle, with large windows all around. White curtains filtered the mint green light that streamed in from outside. It bathed the room in a strange hue. Opposite the door was a toilet and to the left was a series of two sinks. Hung on the wall behind each were large, ornate mirrors. There was a rack to the side that held many white and dark blue towels, all folded to perfection.
As he left the bathroom, Danny wondered idly who all had put everything together. Heâd done that about a lot of things, recently. He had a lot of people to thank.
The next door was off to his left, along the end wall of the âL.â It was two doors, actually. A set of doubles that were white with silver accents. When Danny reached for the handle, his hand came back covered in dust. He wiped it off on his jeans before venturing inside. Sam noticed he was up to something and followed behind.
âWow,â Danny mused.
The room before them was long, with floor-to-ceiling windows at the end. They were covered by light curtains that seemed to drift ever-so-slightly, even though Danny couldnât feel any wind. The walls were a soft baby-blue. Straight ahead was a marble table with plush-looking chairs set around it. A vase of flowers was atop the table, again various colors of blue. Danny wasnât sure if any flowers in the Real World were even naturally blue, so they must be GZ flowers? He was probably wrong about that. He remembers hearing something about blue roses, once upon a time. Or was that from a video game?
âThis looks like a meeting room.â Said Sam.
At the other end of the room was a grand fireplace, though for now it was without a flame. In front of it was a long, wide table. It matched the style of the smaller one but on a much grander scale. This one was also surrounded by chairs, about six on each side and one at the tableâs head. There was no chair on the fireplace side.
Danny looked up and was almost disappointed. The ceiling was slightly slanted to the left and had some stylized rafters, but it wasnât the scene of stars heâd expected. It would seem the only room with such a roof was the ball room.
âDone! Whereâd you guys go?â Tucker shouted. Footsteps.
âWhoa,â He marveled as he entered the room. He looked around, absorbing the scene before him. Danny looked away from the scene to see Tuckerâs outfit. It wasnât as much of a⌠statement, as Samâs, but tasteful.
His shirt was a muted orange-yellow, with darker embroidery around the collar and the edges of the short sleeves. It was quite long, just a bit shorter than a dress would need to be to maintain any kind of modesty. Maybe tunic was a more accurate word? Danny pulled back on his memories from the books he used to read in middle school. Tucker got him into Dungeons and Dragons for a short stint, and heâd read all the manuals he could find cover-to-cover.Â
Danny was hit with the epiphany that this kinda felt like he was in the middle of a D&D campaign, when the group gets new outfits after starting a new plotline. Hm.
Underneath the tunic Tucker had chosen an off-white shirt with big sleeves. The collar of it just barely peeked out from under that of the tunic. His pants were mostly the same as Samâs. But in a rich brown. The pant legs were gathered below his knees, turning into something almost like leggings. He wore a pair of black flats.
And, of course, Tucker had a cape of his own. His was a medium brown, and draped off of his left shoulder. The belt which held it in place went under his right arm, around his chest. Tucker did a half-spin, watching the fabric ripple.
âNice!â Sam shouted. She and Tucker high-fived. He grinned at the praise. Tucker abruptly turned to Danny. He almost gave himself whiplash, spinning that quick. He schooled his expression into something serious.
âHypothetically, what would happen if you phased earrings into my ears and then let them turn tangible?â He asked, straight out of left field. It took a moment for the question to even compute.
âYou⌠want me to pierce your ears?â Danny said to make sure heâd heard correctly. Danny didnât care about Tucker wanting his ears pierced (honestly heâd probably rock it) he was just a bit hesitant it was just the method he proposed.
âYeah! I thought maybe if we did it that way, it wouldnât hurt as much.â Tucker shrugged. It seemed his earlier enthusiasm had faded.
âHonestly Iâm not really sure what itâd do.â Danny offered. He typically avoided turning things tangible inside other things. But what harm could it really do?
âLetâs try it!â
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