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dp-marvel94 · 2 years

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The Sanctuary

Summary: Danny finds a little ghost girl swinging at the park. Not just any child, but the spirit of one who once lived in Amity Park. With help from some friends, will he be able to help her through this?

Words Count: 5,353

Also on AO3 and FF.net

For @briarlovesu Someone in Amity dies and becomes a ghost. Danny has to help the ghost through their death. The other ghosts stop attacking to welcome and respect the moment. Meanwhile the town has to grapple with the idea that ghosts use to be human is finally clicking in their minds. (PR220)

The Lunch Lady runs a soup kitchen. (PR223)

Note: This is hypothetically set post Face to Face, though specific knowledge of that story isn’t needed. The important thing is, Danny’s parents know about him being Phantom and fully accept him. His relationship with the ghost is pretty different from canon, much friendlier, since Jack and Maddie found out about him being half ghost before he’s even seen another ghost and have been helping him figure out all this ghost stuff since.

Danny floated through the portal, a somber expression on his face. His heart was heavy but… he took an unnecessary breath, pausing at the edge of the island housing the portal. He could do this.

The boy’s eyes drifted, taking in the Zone in front of him. It hadn’t changed much since the first time he’d seen it. The same swirling green clouds, the same floating doors, the same abandoned rocks. Yeah, still pretty much the same except… the corner of his lips turned up…. One big addition.

With that, the half ghost flew forward, into the open air. There, not far in front of him, hung a large, rectangular building, suspended in space. Greenish-red brick, tall windows, and three stories high. Other than the altered color scheme, it was a perfect replica of Casper High.

Danny approached, quickly landing on the front steps. He opened the front double-doors and called. “Hey! Anyone here?”

A commotion rang out from somewhere down the hall, chattering voices, laughter, and music. The boy’s ears twitched at the noises. He recognized that song.

Danny followed the voices, deeper into the building. He turned a corner, coming to the open doors of a library. He floated into the room.

“Hey Ember.” He gave the rocker ghost a wave.

The fiery-haired teen looked up from where she was strumming. “Hey, Babypop.” She acknowledged with a nod.

“Danny!” An excited voice called his name.

The half ghost turned, eyes lighting up. “Sidney!” He held his hand for a fist bump. “What’s up?”

The monochrome ghost lifted his own hand, reciprocating the gesture. “Not much. I’m just working on the book you recommended.” He held a copy of The Martian. “It’s really great.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Danny teased.

Sidney shook his head. “Of course you did.” Then he waggled his finger. “But you, buster, still have to read Out of the Silent Planet.”

“I know, I know.” The half ghost waved him off. “It’s next on the list, I promise. School’s just trying to kick my butt right now.”

The full ghost’s mouth ticked down slightly. “Oh yeah… I remember what that was like.”

Danny gave him a sympathetic smile. “Hey don’t worry. It’s almost summer. Then I’ll have plenty of time to dive into the mile-long book list you gave me.”

That earned a chuckle from the other boy.

“Anyway.” The half ghost continued. “I can’t really hang around for that long so I should… uh… go ahead and deal with this.” With nervous hands, he fumbled for the thermos on his belt. A pit grew in his stomach at the thought of the inhabitant.

Sidney must have picked up on the anxiety, his smile dimming. “Who’d you bring this time?”

“Oh, it’s…a….” His voice quieted, tinged with sadness. “It’s a little girl.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour earlier

Danny flew through the dark sky, a Fenton Phone in his ear.

“There’s a ping about a block from you, sweetie.” His mom said. “It’s coming from the park, I think.”

“Okay.” He turned around a building, the grassy field and trees coming into view. He slowed as his ghost sense billowed out of his mouth. “I just sensed something too.” His eyes flickered across the area, searching for the tell-tell glow of another ghost. His gaze fixed on… “There, in the playground.”

“Can you see what it is?” His dad asked.

“Not yet.” The boy drifted closer. “It doesn’t feel very strong though. I’m gonna get closer.”

“Be careful.” Mom reminded.

Danny rolled his eyes. “I always am. Besides, this’ll be easy. I’ll just get it in the thermos and be home in ten….”

The boy trailed off, eyes widening. There, in front of him, was the ghost and… his mouth dried, heart sinking like a stone. There was a too long, too silent pause as he just watched. Then…

“What is it, sweetie?” The woman asked, concern leaking into her voice.

“It’s… It’s a kid.” On the swing was a little girl with black pigtails, wearing flowery overalls. “She’s… god… she’s maybe six?”

Neither of his parents replied for several heartbeats. In that time, Danny just watched. The little girl swung silently, pumping her legs to lift herself higher. Her blue-tinted face wrinkled in displeasure, a far away look in her eyes.

His mom finally spoke. “Danny, do you want me and your dad to come? We can help.”

Danny opened his mouth, wanting to say yes. His heart ached, threatening to break. Because… because this little girl was way too young to be… to be a ghost. He was used to dealing with animals and blobs and the occasional adult ghost. He’d even met other teens like him but… a literal child? How could… how could he do this? The boy took a breath, preparing to beg his parents to come and take over. But then…

The girl’s expression shifted, clarity entering unfocused eyes. The swing’s chain creaked, the movement slowing. She looked up, gaze meeting his.

Danny’s core ached. There was… there was something familiar about her. “No. I can… I can help her.” His voice quieted. “I need to.”

“Alright, Danno.” His dad replied, voice ringing with sadness despite the normally cheery nickname. “We’ll be here if you need us.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” The boy said softly. With a nod that his parents didn’t see, he moved to take out the earphone. “I…uh… I think I should… I mean, it’d be better if…”

“You don’t want us in your ear?”

Danny sighed, relieved his dad picked up on what he was meaning. “Yeah.”

“No problem.” There was a click, his dad’s line closing.

“Good luck, sweetie.” Another click as his mom sighed out.

With that, Danny was alone with the little ghost girl. He straightened, feeling her eyes on him.

The boy stepped forward, offering his best attempt at a smile, despite his heavy heart. “Hey there. Can I join you?” He asked, motioning to the swing beside her.

The girl’s eyes flickered from him to the empty seat. Then she nodded.

Danny took that as a yes. He carefully approached, coming to sit in the empty swing. Silence fell for a moment, the boy trying to put his thoughts in order. How did he even start trying to convince her to come with him?

He took a breath. “So, what are you doing out here so late?”

The little ghost shrugged, looking down.

“Well… I saw you swinging earlier. You were going really high, weren’t you?”

That elicited a nod.

“I bet you really like the swings.”

Another nod.

Danny bit his lip, nervousness flaring. He’d yet to get any words out of her. He kept trying. “I really like them too. My mom took me and my sister to this park all the time when we were little. The swings were my favorite when I was about your age.” He glanced to her face. “How old are you?”

The girl opened her mouth but then closed it, looking down again.

“Come on. You can tell me.” No response. “Alright, I’ll guess then.” Danny shrugged, forcing the corner of his mouth up. “You’re… four.” He guessed, deliberately low.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

The boy blinked, as if surprised. “I’m wrong? Is it higher or lower?” He waved a hand. “It must be higher so.. Four and a half? Or… Five?”

Danny let the words linger, his eyes brow raised, while the disgusted frown deepened.

Then, when the boy thought he’d have to try pushing again, the girl muttered. “I’m six.”

The half ghost blinked, surprised. “So you do speak.” He offered a teasing smile. “I was way wrong, huh?”

She crossed her arms, nodding fervently.

Danny sighed, taking pity. “I was just messing with you, ya know?” He lifted a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. How was this so hard? They hadn’t even gotten to any of the hard parts yet and he was already sucking. The boy took a breath. Maybe he should try something different. “It’s just… I was worried. It’s so late and I saw you out here by yourself. So… I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” It wasn’t completely the truth but… it was a start.

The girl responded to the words, turning to look at him with tilted head. A pit started forming in the boy’s stomach. He could have sworn he’d seen her before

Something in the girl’s expression softened. “I’m waiting for someone.”

The half ghost blinked, genuinely surprised. “Who?”

Her brow wrinkled in thought. “I don’t…. I don’t remember.” A troubled look passed over her face.

Danny’s own brow furrowed. “Do you remember how you got here?”

The girl’s frown deepened. “I think… I got hurt really bad.” Her eyes widened slowly. “The crosswalk was green… so I could cross the street, like my teacher said. I stepped out and…” She flinched back, a pained expression suddenly marring her face. “I… the car was goin’ so fast and… I hit my head. Someone yelled and… and…” She sniffled, bursting into tears. “It got so cold… It hurt so much.”

The girl’s chest shook with sobs, her small frame seeming to curl in on itself. The sight sent a stab of pain through Danny’s heart. His own eyes threatened to water. He… he hated this. God… he was watching a little dead girl cry and…

Another sob. And… Danny wanted to reach out and comfort her. He… he should but…. Tentatively, he stood, stepping in front of her. He bent down slightly. “Hey, it’s-”

The girl threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder. The boy stiffened momentarily, startled. Then, he carefully wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

"It's gonna be okay." He whispered, trying to sooth her. "You're safe now. You're going to be okay." The boy poured all the heart, all the belief that he could into the words. He wanted to believe it. He needed to but…

His own tears were threatening to well, because…He realized where he recognized her from. It was on the local news, a story about the tragic death of an elementary schooler. The images flashed through his mind. A little girl's smiling picture. Police tape. An officer asking the public for any information about the vehicle and the driver who'd hit the girl and ran.

Gracie Watkins. That was her name. Danny had just started middle school at the time. He hadn’t known her before but…

A memorial, one he’d passed everyday for weeks on the way to and from school. A fence a block from the elementary, lined with candles and teddy bears and Gracie’s picture. People stopping for a long moment to leave a memento, their faces sober, eyes watering. Bowed heads, mumbled prayers. And… one of his classmates falling to her knees, weeping.

Danny remembered standing there, awkward and confused. Then… eyes widened. Lizzy Watkins. The same dark hair as the picture, the same nose. She has a sister, right? Or… his stomach dropped. She had a sister.

The knowledge had left him feeling nauseous, a pain stabbing his heart. It hurt, seeing her cry. And yet.. He was ashamed to say he’d walked away instead of even trying to offer her comfort.

Soon after, Lizzy had disappeared. According to one of her friends, the family had moved away. They couldn’t bear living in that house anymore, not with their Gracie gone. And yet…

Now, Gracie’s ghost was in his arms, crying into his shoulder. How long had she been here? It had been almost four years. Had she lingered, invisible and immaterial the whole time? Or did she just manifest now? He hoped for her sake it was the latter.

The girl hiccupped on a sob and Danny hugged her tighter, more confident now. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.” No matter what, she was here and she needed him. The boy soothingly rubbed her back, just like his Mom did to him when he cried.

Slowly, so slowly, Gracie’s tears ceased. She sniffled, the sounds of her sobs quieting. After a long moment, she pulled away from him.

“Better?” Danny gently asked.

The girl whipped her nose with her hand, looking down. She nodded.

The teen let out a relieved sigh. “I feel better after crying too. Sometimes you’ve gotta let it out so…” He trailed off, unsure how to proceed.

Gracie looking oddly at her hand made the decision for him. “It’s glowing.” She wiggled her finger, as if checking that the light was in fact coming from her skin. “I feel weird.”

Danny frowned at the assessment, his stomach flopping. “You’re…” He hesitated. Could he tell her this? Should he tell her this? But… how could he justify not? “You’re… a ghost.”

She nodded, as if that explained everything. Then… she looked up, taking him in with furrowed brow. “Are you a ghost too?”

Danny blinked once, surprised. Then he nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

Gracie gave an understanding hum. Then she asked. “What’s your name?”

Danny blushed, sudden embarrassment and shame washing over him. “It’s Danny.” He couldn’t believe he’s forgotten to tell her who he was… or to ask her own name. “What’s yours?”

The girl opened and closed her mouth, her brow wrinkling in thought. A troubled pause passed over her. Then… “I don’t know.”

The boy’s heart ached at the words. But he still offered reassurance. “That’s okay. A lot of ghosts don’t remember at first either.” That was true, according to what Sidney and Ember had told him. “You can figure it out later… or even pick something different.”

Either way, he wasn’t going to share her name from the flyers, not with the pain and confusion it was likely to cause her. Anything related to their previous life was touchy for a lot of ghosts and if she was to remember her past, it should be on her own terms and in her own time.

The ghost girl nodded. “Okay.” She looked up at him. “Did you pick out a different name?”

Again, another expected question. Danny let the corner of his lip rise in a bittersweet smile. “Yeah. Some of the other ghosts call me Phantom. It’s like… a last name, I guess. But my friends still call me Danny.”

The girl paused at the answer, a thoughtful look on her face before she looked up at him, a sad, desperate hope shining in her eyes. “Are you my friend?”

Danny’s eyes softened. “Of course. I’ll be your friend if you want me to.”

“I want you to be my friend.” She tentatively drifted forward before wrapping her arms around him again.

The boy’s heart ached. He returned the hug. “Hey, it’s okay. I know… I know how you feel.” He swallowed. “I got really hurt and turned into a ghost, just like you. I was really scared and sad and confused too. But things got better. My best friends and family helped me. I made new friends too, with other ghosts who helped me figure stuff out.” Danny comfortingly ruffled her hair. “Do you want to meet them, some of my ghost friends?”

The girl bit her lip. “I don’t know…”

“I know they’ll want to meet you. And we can help. Me and my friends made a place to help people who are hurt and lost, like you. It’s called the Sanctuary.”

She looked up. “Sanctuary?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. It looks like a school. There’s a library with so many books. Not as many as the Ghost Writer’s library but it’s a comfy place to read… or listen to Ember play guitar. There’s a gym to play in. I like to play basketball with Johnny but I'm sure we can find some games and toys you like." The corner of his lip turned up. “The garden is really nice. There’s a bunch of rooms to sleep and rest in too. And the cafeteria… the Lunch Lady makes the best soup and grilled cheese.” He patted his stomach. “It makes me hungry just thinking about it.”

“I like grilled cheese.” The ghost girl said tentatively.

“Yeah!” The boy patted her on the back. “What do you say? We can go, you can meet everyone. And we’ll get some grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup.”

The girl still looked unsure. She let go of him, stepping back tentatively. “But… I’m supposed to wait for someone. What if… they come back and I’m gone?.” There was just a hint of doubt in her voice.

The words squeezed Danny’s heart. He bit his lip, debating. He wanted to convince her to go with him willingly, not just suck her up in the thermos. And if she was waiting for someone who wasn’t coming….

He lowered himself to kneel in front of the girl, their eyes meeting. “You’ve been waiting long enough. Besides, you can’t stay here. Let me take you somewhere safe.”

The ghost girl’s eyes fixed down, her arms wrapping around herself. “They’re not coming, are they?”

The boy’s shoulders fell. “No, I don’t think so.” It hurt to say but whoever this faceless person was, one of her parents, her sister, even a friend, they didn’t know that their loved one had returned as a ghost. And the thought of them seeing her, when the girl herself couldn’t remember them…

Danny took a breath. “So… will you come with me?”

Listlessly, the girl nodded.

The boy frowned, opening his arms to offer another hug. It was all the comfort he could give. She stepped forward. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After briefly convincing Gracie’s ghost to let him capture her in the thermos, Danny left the park. His heart felt like it was rippling itself apart. That was… that was horrible, awful. This was… a dead child. A little girl and.. One who’d lived in his town, who he could have met before. Sorrow and anger warred in him. She was too young, way too young to die. She’d been hit by a car, a hit and run, and to his knowledge, they never figured out who ran over her. There was no justice for her, not closure for her family. But now… her spirit was in the device at his hip. And she didn’t even remember her name. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. It shouldn’t have happened.

The boy rubbed his face, coming to his street. At least he’d found her and was taking her to the Zone. But… guilt swirled. He’d done so horribly, trying to comfort her. He… he sucked at this. He’d convinced her to come but… did he really make things worse, just make her more scared and sad? His sister, even his parents would have done a better job. But he… he thought he could help. He thought he could make things better. Why… why wasn’t he any good at this?

Letting out a sigh, Danny let his eyes drift to the driveway. There was the GAV; it looked like his parents were back. He invisibly phased into the living room before returning to visibility.

“Mom, Dad.” Both adults looked up from where they were eating a post-patrol snack. He gently shook the thermos. “I’ve got her.”

A pained expression crossed his mom’s face. “How did it go?”

The boy shrugged sadly. “Okay, I guess. I…” He rubbed his face. “It was Gracie Watkins. I don’t know if you remember but… the first grader who died in a hit and run four years ago.”

Both his parents’ eyes widened. Grieved looks passed over both their faces. “Oh, Danno, I’m so sorry, son.” His dad tried to comfort.

The boy shook his head. “Just…it was a kid and… and someone who lived here. She didn’t… she didn’t even remember her name.” He lowered himself in the air, now just floating just inches above the ground.

The woman reached out to hug him. “I’m glad you found her, then.”

Danny’s eyes fixed down. “Yeah.” He lightly returned the hug before pulling away. He wiped his watering eyes. “I’m gonna take her to the Sanctuary. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

“Bye sweetie.” “See you later son.” Both of his parents offered parting words.

The boy waved listlessly. With that, he floated down the lab stairs and into the portal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the Sanctuary, Danny uncapped the thermos and pressed the release button. Blue light shot forth, leaving the pig-tailed ghost girl sprawled on the floor.

The half ghost floated forward, Sidney at his side. “Hey there.”

The girl looked up, blinking as she took in her surroundings. “Where am I?”

“This is the Sanctuary." Danny asked, offering his hand. The ghost took it, letting herself be pulled to her feet. Danny then motioned to the glasses-wearing boy. "This is my friend, Sidney."

"Hello." The nerd smiled. "Danny said you're from Amity Park too."

The girl nodded, even if she sounded unsure. "I think so?"

Sidney gave her a sympathetic look. "It's still a little fuzzy, isn't it? That's alright. It takes a bit for things to come back. But I know you'll remember soon."

The little ghost seemed comforted by the words, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

Danny let his own muscles untense at the reaction. He turned to Sidney. “Is the Lunch Lady here?”

The nerd nodded. “The last I checked, she was in the cafeteria, like always.”

“Alright.” The half ghost looked down, addressing the little girl. “What do you say we go get that grilled cheese I was talking about?”

The six-year old nodded. “We can get some soup too? And… can Mr. Sidney come?” She looked down, suddenly shy.

The monochrome teen chuckled. “Of course.” He offered a hand which the girl took.

With that, the trio floated out of the library and down the hall, the younger between the teens and holding each of their hands. They passed a corner and the cafeteria came into view.

“Oh. Do you smell that?” Sidney said, eyes widening in excitement. “Someone’s cooking up something special.”

The little ghost perked up a little at the words, eyes drifting from the floor to the door. The two ghosts and half human passed over the threshold.

Danny’s gaze flickered around the room, empty except for the Box Ghost, before landing on the kitchen window. “Lunch Lady?” He called, getting the ghost’s attention.

She turned around from where she was cutting up vegetables. “Well, good afternoon, Phantom. Sidney.” She gave a friendly greeting. Then, her eyes widened, expression softening. “Who do we have here?”

The half ghost’s heart lurched at the question. “Uh… a new ghost. I found her in Amity.”

Sadness flickered across her face for just a moment before the soft, friendly smile returned. “What’s your name, little missy?” She asked.

The little ghost wrinkled her nose, shoulders falling. “Don’t remember.” She muttered.

The Lunch Lady floated closer to the window while the trio also approached. “Well that’s just fine. You’ll remember soon enough. Now,” She bent down slightly, more at eyes level with the little girl. “What can I get you, sweetheart?”

“Grilled cheese?” The child asked, hopefully.

The old woman chuckled. “Of course.” She leaned through the window, patting the girl’s head. “Oh, you’re a cheddar and provolone gal, I see. Golden brown bread. And… chicken soup.” She hummed, eyes moving up to the two teens. “I’ll get you boys some sandwiches too.” She stood, waving them off. “Go sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”

Danny smiled, already drifting towards the table. “You’re the best, Lunchy.”

“I know. I know.” She waved her hand again. “Now, shoo. I have work to do.”

The trio of young ghosts floated through the chairs, quickly approaching a certain blue skinned ghost in the back of the room. Danny picked a seat, lowering into it and motioning the little girl to do the same.

She sat, before frowning up at him. “She touched my head and…. said how I like my grilled cheese. How did she know?”

“That’s her gift.” A man’s voice said. Danny turned to find the Box Ghost moving from his table to theirs, taking the seat across from the youngest ghost. “The Lady makes the best food, ‘cause she always knows exactly how someone likes their food. Like how they like their eggs or their favorite grilled cheese.”

The little girl’s eyes widened, slightly. “Really?” She asked, a little awed.

The man nodded enthusiastically. “She’s the best cook in this part of the Zone. Getting to have her own kitchen here and feed folks makes her so happy.”

Danny let the corner of his mouth turn up. “Yeah. I’m happy she’s happy.” Considering how badly things had gone in their first meeting, the half ghost was glad she agreed to work with him on The Sanctuary. “Plus, she does make the best food.”

The statement just seemed to make the younger ghost more eager. She squirmed in her seat, glancing back at the kitchen window.

The half ghost decided to change the subject. “So Boxy, got any cool new boxes?”

That got the girl’s attention. “Boxy?” She tilted her head at the blue-skinned man.

“Box Ghost.” Sidney elaborated.

“That’s the terrifying, fearsome Box Ghost to you.” He lifted his hands, summoning boxes out of thin air. “ My might is unparalleled! The world will tremble at its corrugated cardboard doom!” He curled his fingers as if they were claws, laughing faux evilly. “Beware!”

The two teens both chuckled. At the same time, the corner of the little girl’s lips turned up.

“You laugh at I, the menacing Box Ghost?!” The overall-wearing ghost pointed at the two teens. “You’ll face my cubical wrath!”

With a wave, Boxy sent boxes right into both of the boys. The empty cardboard lightly hit Danny’s chest and the boy threw himself backwards, exaggeratedly falling out of his chair. He sprawled on the floor as more boxes landed on him.

The half ghost fought back a laugh. “I’ve been bested! Oh, truly horrifying Box Ghost, mercy! Have mercy!” He held up his hands, surrendering. A box landed squarely over his head. “Hey!”

The little girl let out a giggle. Danny’s eyes widened. He quickly lifted the cardboard blocking his vision and his gaze fell on the youngest ghost. She was looking down, lips pressed closed but her cheeks quickly turning green in a blush.

The Box Ghost grinned. “Someone appreciates my magnificent cubes.” He held up a finger. “I have just the box for you.”

With another wave, he summoned a new box. This one was covered with brightly colored flowers and butterflies with a crank at the side. “I got this one from a ghost at the edge of the Barrens. Her name’s Dolly. She collects, fixes, and makes toys. I traded a whole box of antique toy cars for this beauty.” He rubbed the side of the box. “That’s the incredible thing about boxes. Anything could be inside. Old toys, books, family photos, someone’s insect collection. It’s a mystery.” The blue-skin ghost looked down at the little girl, his grin softening. “Do you wanna see what’s inside?”

The young ghost nodded excitedly.

The Box Ghost turned the crank. A song started playing. Pop goes the Weasel, Danny realized. The music ramped up, happy and energetic. Boxy kept turning the handle, a quiet mechanical whirring just below the nursery rhyme. A soft hum sounded beside the half ghost.

“All around the mulberry bush,” Danny turned to the side; Sidney was softly singing along.

The modern teen smiled, mouthing the words himself. “The monkey chased the weasel.”

He braced, excitingly watching the little ghost girl for her reaction to the next part. But…

‘The mon..key… thought…’ Danny’s mind supplied the words, even as the tone wound down instead of up. ‘it was aw…fully fun…’

The song whirled to the stop. Danny looked to Sidney, both’s brows starting to wrinkle. Then-

“POP!” Something fuzzy sprung out of the box.

Both teens and the girl flinched back at the surprise. Then, the little ghost burst out laughing.

“Goes the Weasel!” Boxy sang the last part, loud and off key. The girl just giggled harder.

The Box Ghost beamed proudly. “Isn’t it great?” He held the box out to her. “You don’t see many unicorns in the box, huh?”

The girl took the toy, rubbing the stuffed animal with one hand. “It’s so pretty. And soft.”

The Box Ghost gently patted her on the back. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

The girl lowered the lid, slowly turning the crank. The song played and… Pop! She giggled as the unicorn popped up again.

“Sounds like someone’s having fun.” The Lunch Lady’s voice interrupted the scene.

“Look!” The little girl held up the Unicorn-in-the-Box. “Boxy gave it to me.”

The older woman looked at the Box Ghost proudly. “That’s a beautiful find, Charlie.”

“Not a beautiful as you, Ms. Georgia.” Boxy (the apparently named Charlie?) said fondly.

The Lunch Lady blushed. “You spoil me, hon.” She bent down, placing the tray on the table. She motioned to the pot of soup as she spoke right next to Boxy’s ear. “This has those blue-sparkly carrots you brought me. I still can’t believe you found a delicacy like that and brought it to little old me.”

“Of course, I did. You deserve the best.” The man answered, eyes still soft and fond.

Lunchy blushed again, sitting down. She leaned to the side, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Well, thank you, dear.”

Danny just stared at the exchange, blinking. He slowly looked at Sidney, pointing at the couple(?). “How long have they…”

The ghost nerd shrugged, looking just as surprised as Danny.

“Stop gawking, you two.” Lunchy (Georgia?) chastised. “Let’s eat.”

She passed out bowls, giving a square one to Charlie who grinned at the dish. Grilled cheese sandwiches were handed out as well and the group ate in quiet discussion.

“Favorite food?” Charlie asked.

The little ghost stared at her half eaten sandwich, stars in her eyes. “This is the best thing ever.”

Georgia laughed, bopping her on the nose. “Well, I did make it just for you, little Missy.”

The girl wolfed down the rest of the sandwich, eagerly starting on the soup.

“Slow down.” The man chastised, even still chuckling.

The youngest ghost lowered the bowl, nodding in answer. Soup spilled down her chin.

Georgia clicked her tongue, wiping the girl’s face with her apron. “And that’s why you slow down.”

The two adults asked the little girl other questions. About her favorite color, animal, toys. Any topic they seemed to think off. Danny stayed for what was probably far too long, asking his own questions but mainly watching and listening. He smiled softly at the interactions.

The girl’s head nodded, eyes blinking tiredly.

“Someone’s getting sleepy.” Charlie said.

“Na, ‘m not.” She muttered.

Georgia chuckled. “Sure you’re not, sleepyhead.”

Charlie stood, gently picking up the little ghost. And Danny’s heart squeezed again, but for a more pleasant reason than it had earlier.

“Let’s get you to bed, Missy.” Lunchy said, patting the child on the back.

“Missy?” The girl muttered. “Tat’sa name, right? I like it.”

Boxy ruffled her hair. “Well, talk about it in the morning.”

The two adults floated off, carrying the girl off. Georgia lingered in the doorway of the cafeteria, looking back as the two teens. “Thank you for bringing her here.” She smiled softly. “Now, you should be home, sonny. I’m sure your folks are worried.”

With that, the woman disappeared. Danny stared after for a long moment, his eyes starting to water again but for a different reason. Maybe it was exhaustion. It was late and it had been a hard day. But… he breathed out, a knot of worry uncurling in his chest.

His friend floated forward, putting a comforting arm around him in a side hug. “I think she’s gonna be okay.”

Danny turned to Sidney, a relieved, hopeful light in his eyes. “Yeah, I think so too.”

#Danny Phantom #phic phight 2022 #Phic Phight #my fic

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five-rivers · 4 years

Note

imagine if at a christmas truce party the ghosts discover that danny has a second obsession of space

Wrote a fic~ *does a little dance*

"Here's your invitation to the truce party," said Skulker, dropping the letter by Danny's head, "and here's the duty list. Pick something." He shoved a piece of paper into Danny's face.

"You know," said Danny, testing the rope Skulker had tied him with, "you get a lot better at chasing me when you're doing it for non-murder purposes."

Skulker scowled, but Danny knew better than to take his apparent facial expression as a sign of his true emotions. After all, the face Danny could see wasn't really Skulker's. It was a mask. One the tiny green jellybean inside could manipulate as he pleased.

"What do you mean, 'duty list,' anyway?" Danny blew the paper off his nose.

"It's a list. Of duties. For people who want to attend the party. You can't possibly imagine that one ghost does it all on their own, do you?"

"I don't know. Some living people are really into the holidays. Wouldn't surprise me if there was someone over in the GZ Obsessing."

"There are," said Skulker flatly. "But going to those parties is risky."

"Oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense. So, is this, like, a potluck deal, or white elephant, or do I have to come set up, or what?"

"Read the list, whelp!"

"I would," said Danny, "if you held it far enough away for me to see what was written on it. "My eyes don't focus that close."

Grumbling, Skulker adjusted his position.

A lot of the things on the list were already checked off. The rest looked dangerous (fighting the Krampus), time consuming (holly acquisition, with a stupidly high number of branches listed next to it), expensive (providing new holiday table settings), confusing (Danny didn't know what a 'consoda' was, or why he would fetch offerings from it), or simply extraordinarily unappealing (after party cleanup). Except for one.

One that caught Danny's eye because of a very specific word that was included.

"Why's the star all by itself?" asked Danny.

"Because the star is important," said Skulker. "Adding the star to the tree is what starts off the real celebration. A star needs to be impressive. Dramatic! Not one of those little dinky tinsel things you can find at human stores."

Part of Danny knew he shouldn't- But when had he ever listened to that part of himself?

Actually, that wasn't really fair. He listened, otherwise he'd be fully dead instead of just half.

Still.

(The idea of making a star made his skin feel sparkly and fuzzy, like his whole body was half an inch from the surface of freshly poured soda, but all over.)

"I'll take it," he said.

"Humf," said Skulker. "Don't screw up, or you'll be in for a beating as soon as the truce is over." He made a mark by the name and started to fly off.

"Hey! Aren't you going to untie me?"

"Nah."

"He's late," said Desiree, sharply, glaring at Skulker as if he had any control over what the whelp did or did not do.

She wasn't the only one.

"He's not late yet," defended Skulker.

"You shouldn't have given him the star as a choice," complained Technus, his voice squaking like a poorly connected computer speaker. "You should have just told him what he'd have to do. Something that wouldn't ruin the party. He's a teenager! Teenagers are easily distracted."

"I didn't know you were a teen, techie," drawled Spectra, who really shouldn't have been at the party at all, seeing as she wasn't, and never had been, invited. Skulker was hoping someone would find a way to throw her and her little minion out before midnight.

"It's TECHNUS, MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY, CONTROLLER OF ALL THINGS ELECTRONIC AND BEEPING."

"I am sure Sir Phantom is on his way," said Princess Dora, softly, ignoring Technus's continuing rant with the ease of long practice. She would not be here the whole evening. Her kingdom had its own, separate celebrations, but they wouldn't start for well over half a human day. "He is a very responsible person, and he was speaking to me about stars just earlier this month." She frowned, slightly, swirling the darkly luminous wine in her glass. "That is, I think he was talking about stars. The conversation was somewhat difficult for me to follow."

"Oh, no," said Desiree, putting one hand delicately over a smile.

"What?" growled Skulker.

"It always bothered me a little, you see, but I hadn't realized quite why until just now." She was barely even trying to hide her delight. "The second time I fought him, it was during a meteor shower."

"So?" asked Amorpho.

"He was rather cross with me during the fight. At the time, I thought it was because he was missing that girl's party, or because of the whole memory wiping thing, but in retrospect..."

"Just spit it out already," said Skulker.

"I do believe you gave the task of making the tree star to a ghost Obsessed with outer space."

Inside the suit, Skulker's true hands slip off his controls for just a moment. "Oh, Ancients," he groaned.

"We're not getting a star this year, are we?" asked Ember.

Phantom chose that moment to barrel through the door. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, looking and sounding more like a little kid than Skulker had ever witnessed. "Am I late? No, I'm not. Never mind. I'm not sorry. What do you think?"

He held out the... thing in his hands for the assembled ghosts to view. It was... It was definitely a star. A round blue star. Complete with solar flares and sunspots. Animated flares and sunspots.

"How the hell?" whispered Walker in the background, despite the fact that he and his pink prison really had no room to talk.

"Is it no good?" asked Phantom, managing to shift his weight even though he was floating. "I turned the brightness way down so that everyone could see the details, but I think I could turn it back up again without too much trouble." He blinked up at the other ghosts, and Skulker noticed with some unease that his pupils were currently shaped like crescent moons. "I mean, the other one exploded, but I think I've got it, now."

All of the ghosts slid back, just slightly. Not that they were afraid of explosions, but, well, being cautious didn't hurt.

"Er," said Dora, "what is it, exactly?"

"A star! A blue giant, specifically. Well, a model of one, anyway, but I think it's a good model. I mean, it's a blue giant right now. I've got it set up so that it'll go through the whole life cycle of a massive star. Or, not the whole life cycle, because that would include the nebula, but the life cycle from this point? It'll change color and expand as the night goes on and it uses up its 'hydrogen'- I've scaled the expansion, though, don't worry, it won't take over- and then the core will collapse and the outer layers will be ejected, and- BOOM!- supernova!"

"Ghost child," said Technus, in a more strangled than usual voice, "are you telling us that's a bomb?"

"No, it's a star," said Phantom, blankly. On closer inspection, the crescents in his eyes were not the only modification to Phantom's appearance. He had pale green and silver stars scattered liberally across his nose and cheeks, and similar shapes in the black of his costume.

In the background, Desiree was dying of laughter.

"Don't you think a supernova might be... dangerous?"

"Oh, a real one, sure. But I tested one before I brought this, and all it did to me was singe my eyebrows off, and I was standing really close."

"Whelp," said Skulker, searching for some reason to reject Phantom's 'contribution,' "how is that even supposed to stay on the tree? It's just a ball."

"Oh, it'll float wherever I tell it to, don't worry, I've tested it!"

It perhaps said something about ghostly parties that the sudden detonation of the tree topper several hours later, the subsequent glee of the supposed superhero in attendance when the room was filled with star-shaped glitter and confetti, and the attempted homicide on the part of several glitter-unfriendly ghosts was not the most exciting series of events to occur that night.

#danny phantom #ask #answer #fic

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lexosaurus · 3 years

Text

Going Angst Week 2021: Family/Friends

Read: [1: Birth] [2: Instinct]

Continuation of the No One Knows AU plotline.

---

Everything had changed since the accident. The biological differences were obvious. He glowed, his hair inverted, his eyes turned green, he had ectoplasm running through his veins, he was cold, he didn’t need to breathe as much in human form—the list went on.

But the psychological ones were easily more terrifying.

And nothing scared him more than the way his friends and family were treating him as of late.

He knew that deep down he would never be able to match the way he acted when he was fully human. But that didn’t mean that his heart didn’t skip a beat every time someone shot him a worried glance, every time someone asked if he was alright, every time he caught himself doing something wrong.

He wasn’t human anymore. He wasn’t even sure what he was now, and Vlad seemed to have too much fun emotionally torturing him to give him a straight answer.

“You up for a movie tonight?” Tucker asked, leaning across Danny’s desk.

“Hell yeah,” Sam said. “My house?”

“Oh, you know me too well. What do you think, dude?”

Danny realized that both teens were looking to him for an answer.

He wanted to stay home. Hanging out with either of them meant there was a chance they would see him slip up, and he couldn’t have that.

“Sure.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound too pained.

“Perfect!” Tucker clasped a hand down on his shoulder.

Danny tried not to duck away.

“So we’ll go to Sam’s after dinner. I can bring snacks. Anything you want in particular?”

The thought of eating anything was nauseating. “No. I’m fine.”

“Alright, I’ll just bring the usual then.”

But Danny should have known that something was up. After all, it had been a while since they’d done a movie night. And lately, Sam and Tucker had been acting...oddly.

Well, that was nothing new. Danny thought that as time went on, they’d forgive him for being a bit jumpier than usual and everything would go back to normal.

Except, of course, it didn’t.

The past few weeks had been especially hard. It seemed like they constantly had something to say, but never did. The worried glances had only increased, and the silent conversations seemed to only grow.

Danny had been trying his best to act normal, act human, but it seemed like the more he tried, the worse they’d get.

So of course, in between the first movie and second, the elephant in the room finally stomped all over Danny’s metaphorical floor.

“Hey, Danny.” Sam glanced over at Tucker. A moment passed between the two before Sam nodded and turned back to Danny. “We really need to talk to you.”

Dread pooled in his stomach. He knew exactly where this was going. “I can start the next movie if you want?”

“No, Danny. Listen, can you just sit down for a second?”

His ghostly instincts were begging him to run, but his human side forced him to sit down.

“Listen, we know that...well, Jazz told us about the lab accident.”

Danny could have sworn his heart stopped beating.

“She said it was pretty serious? And she was surprised that you hadn’t told us?” Sam fidgeted with her black rings. “We didn’t say anything to you because we wanted you to be the ones to confide in us.”

“That and we didn’t want you to get upset that we were talking to Jazz about you,” Tucker interjected.

“Right, and Jazz only told us because she was worried. And honestly? We’re really worried too.”

Any oxygen left in Danny’s body was sucked out of his throat like a vacuum.

They’d found out. They knew the truth, they knew he was a freak of nature half ghost and they were going to out him, they were going to tell his parents, they’d tell the school counselor, and Danny would have no one and he’d have to run away to become Vlad’s apprentice and he’d change, he’d be corrupted, he wouldn’t make it out alive.

“I’m just wondering why you didn’t say anything?” Sam asked, her violent eyes brimming with concern.

“I…” Danny’s mouth felt like it was lined with cotton. He tried to swallow, but it was like swallowing sand. “I didn’t want you to worry is all.”

“Yeah, and we get that,” Tucker said carefully. “But, I mean, we’re your best friends. And dude, you’ve been...well…”

At Tucker’s helpless glance, Sam took over. “You just have been acting really off lately.”

“Sorry.”

“No!” Sam nearly leapt out of her seat. “Danny, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. I mean, hell, if I nearly died in a lab accident I’d be acting off too. It just, you know, it explains a lot. It must have been really terrifying.”

Danny didn’t trust himself to say anything.

How much of his personality had shifted because of Phantom, and how much had shifted because of the accident? Were his ghostly instincts really creeping up that much into his human form?

Would he ever be the same again?

Did they know?

“Is there anything you wanna talk about?”

“We’re all ears, dude.”

He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t say a word. Not without outing himself as Phantom, and that was bound to backfire on him in the worst way possible.

Oh god, he was acting too suspicious. He needed to save this.

“I’m good.”

There was a beat of silence.

Sam leaned forward. “Danny...I don’t mean to sound like Jazz, but bottling stuff up isn’t—”

“I’m fine!” Danny snapped. “I didn’t say anything and I’m sorry, but you know it’s not every day like you’re nearly electrocuted to death in your parents’ ghost portal.”

“Is that what happened?” Sam’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my god, Danny.”

“Holy shit,” Tucker agreed.

Danny threw his arms out. “Ta da! I survived, I’m fine. Nothing to talk about.”

“Danny, I—”

“No.” His tone was final. “Drop it, seriously.”

Another beat of silence passed, and then Sam finally sighed. “Fine, but I’m telling you as your friend that if you ever need anything, we’re here for you.”

He wished he could have trusted those words. But he knew they were nothing more than a farce.

It would have been cruel to hold onto false hope.

Still, he tried to smile. “Thanks.”

Even though he knew he hadn’t fooled anyone.

---

Maddie’s POV

Maddie watched her son from across the kitchen table, just as she’d done every night for the past several weeks. Quietly, as inconspicuous as possible, always watching.

Ever since the lab accident, he’d been….different. Jack hadn’t noticed, but to Maddie the changes were far too obvious. The dropped spoons, the flash of green behind his eyes, his limbs losing visibility without him even noticing, their ecto-inventions that always seemed to go off around him.

One day, she even saw him walk through his bedroom door.

At first, she thought it was just a simple case of possession. But there were telltale signs of possession, one’s that Jack, for all his enthusiasm, always failed to take into account.

Sure, Danny’s eyes flashed green every so often, but most of the time they were blue. Human blue.

And then there was his personality. In cases of possession, the ghost would be completely controlling the body. But in Danny’s case, he was still very obviously Danny. Still the sweet boy she always knew him to be, but he was just...different. Jumpier. Scared.

Like he knew he was living a lie.

And then, just a few weeks after Danny’s run in with the portal, a new ghost appeared.

Of course, Maddie didn’t make the connection at first. The ghost was obviously new, and didn’t seem to have a grasp on its powers. Its fighting was laughable, its ectoblasts nearly always missed, and it seemed to constantly forget about its core powers.

Not to mention, its hair was white. Danny had black hair.

But then the ghost gave itself a name: Danny Phantom. And that was when Maddie decided to take a second look at it.

It was Danny’s height and build, its voice sounded similar to Danny’s, it seemed to know all of Danny’s classmates, it used a Fenton thermos, it wore a hazmat suit that looked eerily similar to the ones in their basement closet—not to mention that Danny’s hazmat suit had gone missing recently.

On its own, one small correlation didn’t mean anything. But when the little similarities kept piling up, then Maddie had to draw some sort of conclusion.

Just what was the conclusion though?

The Danny across the table had gone to school like any other human child, he’d eaten his meals like anyone else, he’d hung out with his human friends, he talked with his human family. On paper, he seemed normal.

Human.

But his grades were in a downwards spiral, Jazz had expressed concern about him and his friends, he’d been breaking curfew, and there were times when she’d peak into his room at night to find him gone.

He could have been just experiencing trauma from the accident. Maybe he was rebelling. There were so many explanations for his behavior that didn’t involve ghosts.

But then he’d do something ghostly or a weapon would beep around him or Phantom would fly nearby, and her red flags would be raised once again.

Maddie learned long ago to trust her red flags.

The Danny across the table took a bite of his salad, and his face immediately scrunched up.

Maddie felt sick.

He swallowed, and Maddie could see his eyes watering. “Is there something wrong with the lettuce, Mom?”

She feigned innocence. “Hmm?”

“I don’t know,” he prodded a carrot on his plate. “Something just seems off.”

“Tastes fine to me,” Maddie said. “I just bought this lettuce today. Jazz, is yours okay?”

“Yeah,” she said.

Maddie suppressed a grin. She could always count on her “facts and research only” daughter.

“It could be the dressing? I used a new brand tonight. It’s healthier than the other stuff.”

That, or it was the small amount of blood blossoms she’d blended into the vinaigrette.

“Maybe.”

But it couldn’t end here. She needed to know. She was a scientist, she had to see the experiment through.

“Eat the rest of your salad, honey. I’ll buy the other brand tomorrow, okay?”

Danny carefully put another forkful of salad into his mouth. He gave a small wince, but swallowed.

“Good boy,” she said. “I have fudge in the fridge for when you’re done.”

“Oh, fudge?” Jack exclaimed. He shoveled the rest of his salad into his mouth. With a mouth full of food, he said, “Thanks, Mads! You’re the best!”

“You’re welcome sweetie!”

Jazz made a face. “Gross, Dad.”

Jack laughed and bantered back at his daughter, but Maddie had already tuned out of the conversation. Her only focus was on Danny, whose face was now just too flushed to be healthy. Still, he forced himself to eat.

There was just no question. No doubt about it.

No matter how Maddie looked at it, this was proof enough.

Danny Fenton wasn’t human. The portal hadn’t nearly killed him, it probably did kill him. And now here he was, pretending to still be a part of the family while using Phantom to distract them from the fact that he was a ghost.

It was a truly elaborate ploy. And if Maddie was anyone else, his plans probably would have worked.

But she was Maddie Fenton. She had a PhD in ectobiology. She’d been researching ghosts for twenty years.

Dinner ended, and the children went upstairs to do homework. Although, if Maddie looked, she was sure Danny wouldn’t actually be in his room. And if she went outside, like she’d done in nights past, there was no doubt she’d see Phantom soaring through the skies.

But she knew. She knew. She knew.

She slipped a white business card out of her jacket pocket, grabbed her cell off the counter, went into her bedroom, and dialed the number.

It rang once, then twice, then stopped. A deep voice sounded from the other line. “Maddie Fenton? I figured I’d be hearing back from you. Have you made your decision?”

“Yes.” Her voice was mechanical, as if she’d only called about a malfunctioning weapon. “I have. I agree to the partnership.”

“Excellent. And the terms are to your liking?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. We’ll be in touch tomorrow to sign the official contract. Will your husband be involved in this, or are you working alone?”

Maddie closed her eyes. “The contract will be for my name only.”

“All right, then. We’ll talk tomorrow. You won’t regret this.”

“I know.”

---

#danny phantom #the life cycle of a half ghost #going angst week 2021 #phicc #my writing

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bubblegumbeech · 3 years

Text

The Librarian’s Trick

Day one Ectoberhaunt: Trick or Treat

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34213519

Wes was certain this Cassius guy was a ghost. He had to be. Humans didn’t live on the outskirts of town in large decrepit clock towers that Wes was pretty sure didn’t exist last week .

Humans didn’t have red eyes and white hair (unless they had a condition called Albinoism, Wes had looked it up. But Albinoism also meant they had no melanin anywhere and Cassius Dark was decidedly tan in an admittedly attractive but decidedly not Albino kind of way)

Humans didn’t have fangs when they smiled but normal teeth whenever Wes tried to point out that He had FANGS. They were right there!!!

Humans didn’t spend all their time either with Danny Fenton (who was Also very much a ghost!! Which should be in the list of proof but no one believes it so it’s seperate but still!) or mysteriously absent.

And humans didn’t seem to know everything all the time but talk like a bad astrology website.

So Wes was going to find a way to prove it.

His first try had him sneaking a “ghost translator” he didn’t remember the stupid name Fenton’s dad called it when he bought it with his allowance, into the library where Cassius Dark supposedly worked.

Supposedly, because while he could be found there, Wes had never actually seen him doing anything other than reading. And it was never a book Wes recognized, like, he wasn’t reading the Twilight series or anything. The last book Wes saw had been a large ancient looking tome written in a language Wes didn’t recognize. But Everytime he tried (subtly! He was super nonchalant about it!) to take a picture it ended up blurry!! And No Kyle, it wasn’t because he was bad at taking photos .

But that didn’t matter because Wes had a different plan now. He was going to use the Fentons’ new version of their “ghost translator” thing, and see what happened. It was supposed to be both a translator and a truth decoder at the same time. So no matter what a ghost said, the device should say what they actually mean. Or something.

With Danny, a bunch of innocuous stuff went off around him, but people always hand waved it as faulty tech. Wes wasn’t sure that was the case, in fact he was positive it wasn’t. But if he could get something useful to build up from, that would be a good start. And every good reporter needed a start.

He stepped up to the Library’s front desk, where Cassius was sitting reading what was clearly a spell tome if the different summoning pentagrams in the open page Wes could see were anything to go by.

“Welcome Young Weston,” Cassius said, the hint of a smile hidden behind his red eyes as he closed his book. Wes could swear they were glowing slightly. Geez did this guy get his ‘how to pretend to be human’ classes from Fenton ?

… that would certainly explain why no one ever believed Wes, since that was a long beaten dead horse in his closet.

He, very discreetly, had the device hooked up to one of his earphones, which he kept in one of his ears like any normal less than perfectly mannered teenager as he asked Cassius Dark his questions.

“Excuse me sir? Do you work here?” he started with, it was a more or less innocuous question and one he actually wanted the answer to.

Cassius Dark smiled. “I do.”

My Job is all that was, is, and shall be. That which I set as my goal is beyond mortal comprehension and those I call master shall fall to my machinations. But yes, I get paid for sitting at this desk and answering questions sometimes. I am a ghost, fear me.

Wes tried not to sweat too obviously. What the fuck?

“Can you tell me where the journalism section is?” Wes decided to make a tactical retreat, at least his voice didn’t crack.

“Straight back for eight shelves and then turn right. It’s next to the Non-fiction books.”

I know what you’re looking for, I know why you are here. I know the exact time of your death and what will happen next. Your efforts amuse me though. I am a ghost, fear me.

What Wes did next was not exactly fleeing. But it wasn’t not fleeing either.

He’d have to try something else.

The next thing he wanted to try was a bit riskier. If you thought about it a certain way. But it also wasn’t if you thought about it the way Wes did.

He was going to use a phase-proof net.

Genius, because unlike the translator machine thing, it would actually stop the ghost from attacking Wes if it got angered. Which it would, probably, since Wes was throwing a net at it.

The plan was really simple though, he’d gotten a very large net, paid extra for the little aim thing, practiced half a billion times of his brothers before they went to the parents and got him grounded for a week, and then memorized the path Cassius Dark took in the mornings to go to his “job” at the library.

Right now he was hiding in one of the leafier trees, right above the path that Cassius always used, waiting.

And waiting.

And… waiting.

Honestly he was about to go home and was fairly certain this guy was going to be like, super late to work, when he finally appeared.

Wes wasted no time aiming, making sure the trajectory was absolutely perfect, and firing the net off. He was just about to jump in celebration, watching the net as it curled slightly around its target, but before it could hit and wrap around him, Cassius was suddenly not there.

Or he was, but just a little bit to the left, so that the net sailed harmlessly past.

Wes cursed.

The third one was fool proof. It had to be.

Which was why Wes was staring at a large conspiracy board, covered in paparazzi-esque shots of the librarian and random notes he’d taken, all connected with a dizzying amount of red string.

“Kyle, seriously. I need to figure out what kind of ghost he is or he’s always going to have the upper hand!!”

Kyle just rolled his eyes and continued playing his video game, as if he didn’t care that Wes had set up his very important planning and plotting in the middle of the living room so long as it didn’t interfere with his own plans.

“It has to be pretty powerful, he was able to dodge my net before it even touched him. And the translator thing clearly said ‘my goal is beyond comprehension’ or something,” Wes mused, “and he also said his job was like, everything?”

Wes checked his notes, “yeah, ‘all that is was and shall be’. What could he mean by that?”

His very annoying and clearly not taking this as seriously as he should brother just chuckled. “I don’t know Wes, maybe he can see the future?”

That… no. That’s way too OP. Just the thought of it sent a shiver down Wes’ spine. There was no way a ghost could see the future right?

Right?

He had to test this theory.

But how do you even test something like that?

“Kyle, how would you test if someone could see the future?”

“Throw something at the back of their head and see if they dodge?” He answered way too quickly.

Wes thought about it for a moment. “No, what if they just have really good reflexes?”

“Oh huh, I guess that could be true. No idea then.” He shrugged and Wes had to fight the urge to throw something at the back of his head.

Whatever. He had to make plans.

He’d tried just throwing things. It was risky, and kind of terrifying, but Kyle was right it was the first that came to mind.

But Cassius never dodged. He was always just, not where Wes thought he was. Or Wes had really bad aim, which he didn’t!!! He was a basketball ace!! He had great aim! And great situational awareness!!

So why couldn’t he hit Cassius Dark?

Obviously it was because he could see the future. And the smug smile he always had when he knew Wes was looking reminded him an awful lot of a certain other Phantom.

Ask him about his family.

Easy enough. Especially without the Fenton’s weird translator because that might have been a bit terrifying. And also this time he had back up.

He dragged Kyle by his sleeve into the library.

“Mr. Cassius!”

Cassius looked up from his book, removing the delicate reading glasses balanced on his nose. “Can I help you Mr. Weston?”

“Yes!” He smiled broadly, taking out a small notebook that he had used to take notes on the suspicious and ghoulish things going on around town until it was mostly shreds of paper. “I’m writing an OP ED on the town library, and would like to know more about the librarian. Can you answer a few personal questions?”

Kyle snorted and Wes had to elbow him in the side to get him to shut up. He was here as back up, not to ruin his plan.

“So,” he began, “is Cassius a family name?”

“No.”

Wes nodded. And then frowned. Did ghosts have families? Supposedly they were alive once right? At least that was the general idea, Wes thought.

“So what can you tell us about your parents? Like, what’s your father’s name?”

Cassius raised an eyebrow, and had a soft smile filled with good humor. Wes felt it hit him like a threat. What was this ghost hiding?

Well, other than the fact that he’s a ghost.

“I can’t tell you much I’m afraid. My mother is long gone and I never had a father.”

Kyle grimaced and elbowed Wes himself before saying, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s no matter,” Cassius replied, still smiling, “I may yet see her again.”

Ah, so either she wasn’t dead or he’s convinced she became a ghost too. That made sense. It could be his unfinished business as they say among the paranormal hunters. At least, the not fight-y and crazy ones.

“So Dark was your mother’s name?” Wes asked, wondering if he could maybe find any records on her where he had failed to find them on Cassius himself.

The smile slid right off his face. Wes and Kyle both felt the subtle chill in the air as Cassius leaned back and looked off to the side, as if to glare at something that wasn’t there. “No, I’m afraid Dark is my ex-husband’s name.”

“Why keep it?” Kyle asked, completely ignoring the danger of the situation.

The smile came back, except this time instead of soft and barely there as if he were indulging a child, it was sharp and twisted. He chuckled at an inside joke no one else in the room would ever understand and then he said, “Well, it’s not like he has any use for it now.”

Wes paled. Had he killed his husband?!

After a hasty retreat from the library Wes treated Kyle to a milkshake and fries at the nasty burger just as he had promised. Payment for going along with his ‘weird ghost theories’.

But Wes couldn’t eat, he was too busy thinking. This one actually helped! He found information about the ghost’s previous life! He had a mother, but not a father, and had a husband.

With the current politics it was one of two options. Either he was from a previous culture that allowed men to marry each other, or he was a more recent ghost than Wes had been expecting. He had already taken out his laptop and was scrolling through obituaries with the surname Dark, trying to think if he knew any off the top of his head that might have been in town when they died.

Nothing particular came to mind.

Wes’ thinking was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious slurping noise from his brother. He shot him a glare, but Kyle didn’t react. Wasn’t even looking at him. Instead he was looking out the window and watching one of the daily ghost attacks with Phantom playing hero as always.

“You know, it’s kinda cool that they’re hiring actors to build the town’s lore like that,” he said, clearly ignoring the obvious evidence of ghosts right outside his window.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Wes groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He needed coffee or something, it was a shame the Nasty Burger only served sludge no sane person would drink.

Kyle finally looked away from the window, his eyes wide as if he was the one confused. “You know, how they got the librarian to say he was married to Pariah Dark? And then imply he’s the reason he’s a ghost?”

Wes felt like the seat underneath him had suddenly disappeared. “Where did you get That from?!”

“He said his ex-husband was named Dark! Pariah Dark’s Ghost Zone show is the first thing that comes to mind!” Kyle argued back. “Isn’t it?”

Holy shit this guy was married to the ghost king.

He thought back to the ominous answers he’d gotten that first day from the Fentons’ translator. Maybe he should leave this one alone.

Wes was at the library, studying quietly and absolutely avoiding the librarian. Not that he’d seen him today, but it didn’t hurt to keep his head down. With any luck the guy had a short memory and would forget Wes had been trying to find a way to out him to the town.

A portal ripped from the air in front of him, sending a static energy throughout the library and causing Wes’ hair to stand on end. It was a swirling purple, deeper and more… well more than most of the natural portals that Wes had seen appear around town.

He wanted to scream, but years of living in Amity Park had fully trained that out of him. Screaming was the number one way to get a ghost locked on you as their first target. Especially if you were there when the portal opened.

Before Wes could even think to duck under the table he was using a figure stepped out of the portal, poised and composed. He had a deep purple hood that seemed to swirl with the fabric of galaxies and a large ornate clock embedded into his chest. His skin was a rich blue and he had glowing red eyes.

Wes recognized him immediately.

“Oh, hello Mr. Weston, is there something I can help you with?” Cassius Dark asked.

#Danny Phantom #ectoberhaunt 2021 #clockwork dp #wes weston dp #background dark ages #Bee's writing #fanfiction

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taggerbug · 3 years

Text

Krel Fic Rec List, Pt. 1

I’ve been kicking around the idea of making a Krel-centric fic recommendation list for a while, but only just got around to it. Whoops! Just as a disclaimer, I won’t be able to fit every Krel fic in here, so there might be a part two, depending on if I have time.

Fics that are not bold are complete. Fics that are bold are in progress.

-- Longfic, Plot Heavy --

Wizards: The Ones Who Stayed by AkozuHeiwa - Rated T - 137k

Where do I start? This is a pre-Wizards sequel to 3Below, featuring Krel, Steve, Seamus, most of the central cast, and some truly incredible original characters as they contend with existential threats based on Arthurian lore and a side of Gaylen’s Core theory. There’s strong themes of whump and hurt/comfort, threaded between well-crafted plot threads that meet in a devastating conclusion. Ako is an amazing writer and their effort really shines through here.

Legacies by AkozuHeiwa - Rated M - 20k (so far)

Yes, there is a sequel to Wizards: The Ones Who Stayed (Wizfic for short), and it’s being posted on a weekly basis right now!! Legacies has only just started, and it’s already intriguing - so much so that I took three pages of paper notes on the latest chapter to aid in my theorizing. Krel’s back, along with Toby, Douxie, Steve, and a few of the OCs from Wizfic in a story that’s got so much angst already that I’m almost afraid to find out what happens next.

As Above, So Below by Taggerbug - Rated T - 40k (so far)

Yeah, this is mine! It’s inspired by Danny Phantom fic and is full of angst, speculative biology, and ethical dilemmas. I felt weird writing a review since I know what happens next, so here's a summary from Ako:

“ AASB is an in-progress multi-chapter fic full of angst and intrigue. The suspense through each chapter keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it looks like it's going exciting places with an interconnected plot and mysterious enemies and compelling OCs. Krel's plot in particular looks extremely angsty and exciting, so definitely check it out!” - AkozuHeiwa

Base II by just_another_author01 - Rated T - 15k (so far)

Now this is a real find. Krel is arrested by a military research base, where he encounters other aliens and some suspiciously sympathetic staff. There are several well-written original characters and some very intriguing worldbuilding. Definitely worth getting into before it updates!!

Odin’s Eye by AzTheDragon - Rated G - 14k (so far)

I don’t usually read HTTYD fic, but this crossover caught my eye because Krel and Jim aren’t often written together. It starts with some unexpected time travel and suspenseful unnamed monsters, and the mystery only grows from there. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this one is going!

Ricochet by Depreshroom - Rated T - 6k (so far)

A post-Wizards whump and hurt/comfort fic that places Krel at a crossroads with the Arcane Order and his friends, with hints of Krel’s connection to Gaylen. Calamity occurs, and Jim and his friends have to find a way to solve it. This fic is just getting started, but shows a lot of promise.

stay up, like a good fight by Euphoriette - Rated G - 9k (so far)

After the events of Wizards, yet another apocalypse descends on Arcadia, with Krel at the center of it. He’s being pursued by Akiridion zealots who are determined to capture him by any means possible, resulting in angst and heartbreak. I’m looking forward to getting my heart ripped out in future chapters for sure!

-- Ships --

The Limit Does Not Exist by PurpleRose244 - Rated G - 178k - Space Camp

This is a must-read for space campers, a completed longfic that has it all - angst, hurt/comfort, four-armed hugs! It’s mostly canon compliant to 3Below but with more focus and development on space camp. It’s pretty long, but ends with a satisfying conclusion

Somos Algo by jetblock - Rated T - 22k (so far) - Space Camp

A space camp canon divergence, focusing on a summer in which Krel is trying his best to fix the Mothership while Seamus deals with being held back from the space program by his father. Slow burn ensues.

Win First, Think Later by Lobel - Rated T - 17k (so far) - Space Camp

After Krel is left behind in Arcadia, he looks forward to finally getting to spend time with his friends. However, he still has to confront - however unwillingly - the aftermath of fighting Morando and losing his parents. Even worse, he hasn’t adjusted to living as a human as much as he’d like to believe.

The View From The Sky by AkozuHeiwa - Rated G - 2k - Hammerhack

A fluffy one-shot of my favorite gaymers (Toby and Krel) who get dragged to a ski resort by Aja and Jim. It’s so sweet it makes me blush!!

California Friends by spideyfool - Rated G - 2k (so far) - Hammerhack, Starry Knight

A series of delightful one-shots with various rarepairs.

-- Gen. One-Shots --

Bitter Water by spideyfool - Rated T - 5k

This one-shot is a really interesting take on Krel’s relationship with Aja and his dead parents, and features some vivid body horror - so be sure to read the tags! Some excellent hurt/comfort, and Starry Knight (Krel x Jim) if you squint.

Press Restart by spideyfool - Rated G - 1k

An extremely interesting character study of Krel, consisting of snippets set throughout 3Below. Very introspective and thoughtful.

And these dark roads aren’t so lonely by YellowMagicalGirl - Rated G - 1k

An ominous one-shot exploring the concept of Krel contemplating the use of Gaylen’s Core and dark magic to bring his parents back from the dead.

---

This list is in no way comprehensive, so feel free to add on any Krel-centric fic recs!! :)

#tales of arcadia #3below #krel tarron #toa #3 below

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cordria · 3 years

Note

If you're still doing the ask thing, 20 and 33 and i was thinking savant par with maybe Dani as the baby but in case you don't ship or simply don't like the prompt, 97 and 84?

Had a rough week, sorry for no updates. I had the idea for this one right off the bat, but had no time to write it. Such is life, I suppose. This AU doesn’t fit into my other ‘ask-game’ stories, btw.

I don’t really ship anything, so I ran with it. :)

20+33+97+84 (Teacher + baby + married to the job + time travel + savant par + Dani) Wooph. This was fun.

Tucker crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder into the door frame, watching his students stream down the hallways and out of the school. Lockers slammed as laughter and chatter echoed around the school. One kid paused just long enough to wave and shout, “Bye Mr F.!” as he raced by.

“Bye Danny B.,” Tucker said, fighting back a smile. This year, there were seven Danny’s in the fourth grade - a relatively low number for Amity Park Elementary. Ever since Phantom had become a thing, ‘Danny’ had become the number one boy’s name for the local area.

The original Danny either hated it or thought it was hilarious, depending on the day and how ghostly he was feeling. Tucker’s lips twisted as he wondered which it was today.

Tucker watched the boy escape out of the school, free for the rest of the day, and sighed. He wasn’t quite done. He had a literacy assessment coming up he had to prepare for before he could head home. To his quiet apartment. Alone. His shoulders dropped just a touch as the school quieted and he headed back into his classroom.

Being alone hadn’t been in the plan. But, to be honest, teaching hadn’t been in the plan either. Tucker had grown up dreaming of getting a tech job where he’d be rich and somewhat-famous-in-the-right-circles, being able to go to a comfortable home after a long day of work and having someone to talk to and play games with, and go out and do things with, and cook with, and sit at the table and eat with…

But Tucker had made the mistake of falling for someone who couldn’t return his affection. Tucker had done his damnedest to break himself out of it. He’d dated nearly a hundred different people, trying to shake the feeling. At least a dozen of those people he should have fallen head-over-heels for, been content to settle down and spend the rest of his life with them.

He hadn’t. He sat through every date, part of him frustrated that this was the wrong person. And so he’d turned his frustration into focus. Graduated in less than three years with a teaching degree - because it was quick and easy and a solid plan for getting away from Amity Park forever. He could teach anywhere. He could get away… from the one person he needed to.

When Principal Lancer the day he graduated called him up with an incredible job offer, Tucker found that he couldn’t refuse. His mouth said ‘yes’ even as his brain threw a tantrum over it. And even though he could have gotten a job anywhere else - that was the plan - he moved back to Amity Park. Got an apartment next to Danny’s.

Now, with the object of his affection flying around, making the news, and - two or three nights a week - dropping in to join him for supper, Tucker hadn’t been allowed to forget. To relax. To move on.

Tucker snorted at his own thoughts, a smirk on his face. He sounded like a ghost in his head.

He didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about ghosts. Because then he’d think about Danny, and about the fact that he should have been able to find someone to get married to, and he should have been able to move away, and he should have been able to-

He settled down in his chair and stared blankly at his computer. Literacy assessment. Right. He needed to get ready for that.

Really, he should be proud of everything he’d accomplished the last three years. He was one of the highest ranking teachers in the school, even though he was so new. He had poured his soul into this job. Instead…

His eyes drifted to the windows, restlessly scanning the sky for the hundredth time that day. It was “I need to find a new town,” he muttered - and not for the first time today. With a shake of his head, he forced his attention to the screen.

“Tucker!”

Tucker’s head dropped down into his arms on his desk at the sound of Danny’s voice. “I’m honestly cursed,” he muttered.

“You okay? And what are you doing in a classroom?”

Tucker raised his head, eyebrows furrowing, and blinked at the Danny standing in his classroom. It was definitely Danny, but it also wasn’t. This one was quite a bit older, thinner, and had a confused expression on his face. “Who are you?” Tucker asked.

“You’re a teacher in this universe?” The older Danny laughed and shook his head. “Never saw that happening to you.”

“Me either,” Tucker said, slowly standing up, processing ‘in this universe’ slowly through his head. He decided to roll with it rather than question it. Questioning ghostly things usually caused him headaches. “What am I in your universe?”

“Started a tech company, made a bazillion dollars, retired at thirty.” Toxic green eyes studied him. “Definitely not a kid person, though. Maybe that’s why Clockwork sent me back here.”

Tucker blinked a few times. “What?”

The older Danny held out the bundle he was holding. “Here. I guess this is for you.”

Tucker took a few cautious steps forwards. He felt the little goosebumps rise on his arms when he stepped within Danny’s aura, the strange little flutter in his chest that none of his other dates had caused. With pursed lips, Tucker snagged the object and took a few quick steps backwards.

Danny frowned, his forehead wrinkling. “You okay?” he asked.

Tucker felt a shiver run down his spine. The Danny in this universe never noticed how Tucker didn’t like standing within five feet of him. The Danny in this universe didn’t notice anything if it wasn’t related to being a hero. “Yeah,” Tucker whispered. “What is this?”

“Look.”

Tucker slowly unraveled the blankets, eyes widening as he realized he was holding a baby. Light skin, thick black hair, and the tiniest little fingers. He shifted his posture, maneuvering the bundle so that he was cradling the sleeping child correctly. “What is this?” Tucker repeated, looking up.

His classroom was empty. Danny was gone.

Tucker felt his stomach drop to his toes knowing, deep down, the strange older Danny wasn’t coming back any time soon. He glanced back down, unconsciously running the tips of his fingers along the child’s cheek. A few pieces of paper folded into the blankets caught his attention and Tucker took them out, using one hand to carefully unfold them. A birth certificate that listed Tucker as the father, a social security card, and a court order that listed Tucker as having full parental custody of the child. “What the hell?” Tucker whispered.

The child squirmed, yawned, and opened its eyes. Tucker felt the rest of his organs follow his stomach by heading to his toes.

The baby’s eyes were inhumanly green.

#Danny Phantom #ask game #whee!!#birdwafflecereal

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pencilofawesomeness · 3 years

Text

Author Self-Interview

tagged by: @ljf613

Name: Pencil

Fandoms: *deranged laughter* Too many. I have written (and published) work for Fairy Tail, Genshin Impact, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Voltron: Legendary Defender, the Arrowverse, ~Disney~, RWBY, and Transformers: Prime. I have also written for Seven Deadly Sins, My Hero Academia, DC/Batman, Avengers, Danny Phantom, and soooo many others, but those are all WIPs and such. As for fandoms, well, there’s Miraculous Ladybug, Tales of Arcadia, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tower of God, and more. I bounce around, and I never really leave anything behind, even if other interests are more at the forefront.

Where do you post: AO3. I used to, waaaaaay back in the dark days, post on ff.net, but not only have I forgotten my password, but I don’t like the interface as much, nor the things I posted when I was a Child, so AO3 it is.

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Of Dragons and Fairies, so says my AO3 statistics.

Most popular oneshot: Sparks in the Night, which I by no means expected, being that it was a fun little thing I wrote pretty much in one night. Technically it’s two chapters, but I originally wasn’t going to post the second part I wrote, but decided to later, so I would’ve made it a one-shot, probably, had I thought things through. Besides, it’s only 3k, so that’s a one-shot in my book.

The “real” most popular one-shot would be Never Forgotten by Pencil-actually-made-it-one-chapter logic.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: F-favorite? Oh. Oh well, um, I have really, really enjoyed the How to Raise Your Dragon Slayer series, far more than I thought I would when I started Of Dragons and Fairies for the kicks and giggles. That said, my favorite installment so far is probably The Eighth Tower, but one of my favorite things I think I have written is a massive one-shot that’s an MHA-style FMA fic, except that I lost it in a harddrive crash and haven’t re-written it. ;-;

Fic you were nervous to post: I don’t know if I’m ever really nervous? I generally post things and accept whatever outcome (even though I always hope it’s well received, because I’m a selfish author who likes validation). That said, it would definitely be United. That story was, and still is, one of my favorite brain-children, but I guessed that it wouldn’t be popular, and I was right. I haven’t written on it in a long time, though I have always wanted to circle back to it eventually; I just figured I had time to follow my current interests, since nobody else was chomping at the bit. One day my child, one day...

How do you choose your titles: Heh. Heheheh. HAHAHAHA. Very carefully, actually, even though sometimes I try to just slap something on a page anyway because it needs one. Most of the time, I try to capture the theme of the story—or at least one of the core ones—and allow it to both serve as a descriptor and as a note that would tie the story together and highlight the theme. Though I do appreciate allusions, and I like to include those as well. (If anyone wants to send me an ask about how I came up with a specific title, I will gladly give my thought process.) Unfortunately, chapter titles—as much as I try—rarely get as much inspiration as the fic title.

Do you outline: Y— Yesssssss.... Sort of. I try. Ironically, my most comprehensive outlines exist as Spotify playlists. That said, HTRYDS probably has the best outline of anything I’ve written, though Tales of Valor had a decent outline as well.

Complete: Mostly just one-shots—I’m actually pretty bad at completing things, heheh—but there’s a few. Outside of an ongoing series, Finding Home is my only completed multi-chapter. Inside of a series, but existing as comprehensive arcs, I have Of Dragon and Fairies and The Eighth Tower.

Edit: Oh! And it’s short, but The Recruitment Spiel is an Art But Destiny Took the Fun Out of It is complete! And multi-chapter. Yeah.

Do you accept prompts: Kinda. I’m accepting prompts and ideas for extra scenes for the HTRYDS series, though I’ll tailor them to fit my canon if necessary. Generally, I have so many things of my own to write, any prompt I got would be placed in the back of the line (unless I got super inspired, which happens) but I do enjoy prompts, provided they’re not super shippy or specific.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write about: Well, that untitled I-have-to-write-it-again oneshot for FMA that I mentioned is definitely something I want to do and post eventually. As for what I’m actively working on, I am really excited for the next HTRYDS arc (I’ve been trudging through TLS to get to it, ngl) which will be titled Demon Tales. There’s also this Seven Deadly Sins TOG AU I’ve had rolling around, though I may not continue that the way I had planned because 4KOTA gave me more ammo.

Stories you’re most excited to read: Hmmm. I have quite a few things queued in my Marked for Later list, some that I’ve started and some that I wanted to check out, but as to what I have been currently reading/following, the Poisoned Dreams Continuity by StrangeDiamond (AO3), which is currently inbetween fics, and Homuncular Nature by Otaku553 are a couple of things I have been following. I also read a lot of Webtoons, and I have some Tower of God to catch up on, and Room of Swords and Lore Olympus are always welcome updates. I’m currently perusing some of my Marked for Laters, and in regular searches, to see what my next few reads will be. (Feel free to send me recs, but I also got a hefty stack of ATLA fics to check out, I know.)

tagging @therosefrontier @ladylynse and @blueskyscribe (if y’all want to, of course)

#tagging game #writing #shameless self plug #fairy tail #htryds #voltron #genshin #disney #arrowverse #this was fun

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phantoms-lair · 4 years

Text

The Ghost Town Job Snippet 4

(Not much Leverage Crew in this. Also I planned for this to take place right before Kindred Spirits, before I remembered Lancer bringing up Vlad’s becoming mayor in part one. So for the sake of this fic, Kindred spirits happened after Eye for an Eye)

"So," Valerie’s voice was no less threatening than usual. "If you knew Vlad was scum the whole time, why didn't you tell anyone?"

Phantom looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I think I've made it pretty clear since before he landed in Amity Park I hated him."

"Yeah, and most ghosts hate the living. Why not share the details you obviously had?" Valerie folded her arms at him.

"First off, that's not true. Second, I didn't know about that until we found her today, Third..." Phantom trailed off and looked away. For a moment Valerie though he wasn't going to finish. "...My mom."

"Nice try. Ghosts don't have Moms." Valerie charged her weapons in threat.

But Phantom looked more unimpressed than threatened. "You do realize I used to be a normal human, right?"

It felt like a punch in the gut, because no she very much did not. It was easy to fall into the thought pattern of ghosts being these malevolent alien beings she'd somehow forgotten they were people that had died. "What does you Mom have to do with anything?" she hoped she didn't sound as shaken as she felt.

"Vlad's obsessed with her. He currently thinks he can slime his way into her heart through his money and good image. If he loses that-" Phantom seemed to shrink in on himself. "He might go for being more direct, like not letting her have a say."

Oh. Oh &$*) Valerie switched her weapons off and flopped down. This was too much in way too short a time. Her mentor she'd been trying to make proud was an amoral madman creating half-ghost clones in the basement of his manor, Phantom was a teen like her who had died, and was trying to protect his mom. And this wasn't even starting on the thief who'd broken into Vlad's house. "Anything else You want to tell me to shatter my world."

“'Want' is a strong word." Phantom grumbled.

Valerie groaned. "What is it?"

Phantom looked like he really didn't want to continue. "The reason he's trying to create a half ghost kid is, okay, you need to promise you're not going to do something stupid." He started pacing midair. "What am I saying, of course you're going to do something stupid. You've been manipulated and lied to and of course you want to hurt him, I want to hurt him."

"Phantom-"

"But when you find out you can, you'll go after him and he's in public and be exposed, and then he won't have any reason to hold back."

"Phantom-"

"He's gonna kill Dad. It's easy enough to stop his covert plans, but if he goes brute force full power I can't stop him, I-"

"Danny!" She didn't like using his first name, not when he shared it with someone she actually liked, but she hoped it would be enough to snap him out of the spiral he was heading into. Sure enough, he head snapped up and his eyes looked, for lack of a better word, haunted. "I don't just hunt for revenge, I do it to protect people. No matter how much I want his head on a pike, I won't put someone else in danger. Including you family." The thought that he had one still made her stomach twist, but she had to get past it.

He took a deep breath (why did he need to breath???) and let it out slowly. "Vlad's half ghost."

That made no sense, which actually helped her keep what little calm she had left. "You want to break that down for me?"

"There was an accident in college and- actually better example. Remember that Ghost flu thing? Where everyone seemed to be getting random ghost powers?” “I remember,” Valerie said dryly. She almost destroyed so much of her things through accidental ecto-blasts. At least it gave her practice for controlling the cube lasers in her upgraded suit.

“Like that, but more powers and permanent. And he’s got 20 years to get those powers under his control. In addition he has alliances with a lot of ghosts like Skulker, so minions too."

"So all this is trying to create someone like him?” It didn’t excuse what she saw, the failed clones, the dissections, but it was at least understandable.”

"Not just anyone, he's trying to recreate me. My mother's child who would share something with him, something one no else would. He's trying to recreate me as their child."

Valerie suddenly understood why Phantom had thrown up when the got out of the house, she could feel her stomach twisting. "Her human DNA?" God she hoped the answer wasn't what she thought.

"Probably mine too."

"Fuck." Because what else was there to say. “We have to save her.”

“I know.” There had been such a temptation to just grab her and get out, but he’d overheard the same conversation between the intruder and whoever she was talking to. The girl wasn’t stable yet and removing her from the pod would kill her. “Maybe we should help the lady who broke into Vlad’s.”

Valerie gave him a look. “You want us to work with a random thief?”

“One, she is a very good thief to get through all of Vlad’s defense. Two, she wanted to save the girl as much as we did, and was stopped for the same reason. Three," Danny threw his arms up. "What could we do next? She's half human. She's going to need food, clothes, a safe place to sleep at night. I can't supply any of that for her. If thief lady is an adult who'd care for her, she can give her a much better life than I could." "What about your family? Wouldn't they be happy to have a part of you that's still alive?" Phantom winced and Valerie realized how cruel a statement that was. But before she could apologize (no matter how much is galled her) Phantom spoke first. "I want to believe that. I want to so badly. But I don't know. Mom and Dad...they don't like ghosts. They think we're all monsters. And while I want to think they could look past the half ghost thing and see her as a person I'm not sure." There was a lot to unpack there, and for the most part Valerie didn't care to. Too many paradigm shifts in one day, she wasn't going to start feeling sympathy for the ghost who ruined her life. "I miss this morning, when my only concern was whether I could blast you out of the sky."

Phantom snorted. "And I miss thinking you were so low on the danger scale you needed Kwan to beat people up for you. Disabused me of that real fast."

Valerie sat up, studying the ghost who hadn't seemed to think he'd said anything unusual. But when he had described was when she'd been one of the popular kids, a status she lost before becoming the Huntress. A time in her life Phantom had no reason to know anything about. Unless... "Did we know each other? Before you died?"

Phantom winced, though whether it was from the mention of his death or the detail of his former life he'd accidentally brought up she couldn't say. "I wouldn't say we knew each other. Like I knew of you 'cause you were one of the A-list kids, but it's not like we ever spoke before the accident."

He'd attended Casper High before dying in an accident. His parents were anti-ghost. And Valerie realized she filing away clues in her mind. Somewhere in this horrible day she'd discovered Phantom had been a person like her. And if she needed a diversion to keep her from lighting up the mayor, uncovering the mystery of who Phantom has been was a hell of a distraction.

#Leverage #Danny Phantom #The Ghost Town Job #Ghost Writing

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harmonytre · 3 years

Text

Random DP Dream

I had a dream about Danny Phantom. Keep in mind I know very little about it, so please no spoilers. It was supposed to take place in the “first episode” and was a POV dream, meaning I shared a body with Danny. Our thoughts were split into mine, his, and ours. He couldn’t hear my thoughts unless they were close to his and he’d consider it his subconscious or something. This will be in first person. Danny’s thoughts will be in italics and mine in bold. Both will be in both and thoughts after the story will be in (parentheses).

Anyway, it started off in my house, arguing with my older and younger sister. They were both daring me to dye my hair white. I lost a bet at some point, so I HAD to, but we were deciding what type of white.

Our dad and some of the scientists came in and said it was time. We rushed to get ready to go to the lab in the basement, and our mom was late. While we were waiting, my dad lectured me on types of ghosts, from yokai, phantoms, banshees, etc. I looked at the diagram in my hands as he said something about “the ones in the middle are like snake people.” They were sorted by height and included whether they could interact with living beings.

I spotted Doraemon closer to the right and on the left were taller ghosts called Guardians. Dad explained about them being rare legends who protect other ghosts. I recognized one as one of the scientists in the room, based on “previews” of the show. At least, in the dream. There was also something to the left of the snake people that would prove important. I think they were called Thaglamites? Oh cool.

Our mom finally arrived, so I got ready. They strapped me to a chair. Everyone including my siblings would simply watch. I volunteered for this. Based on a comic on tumblr, I also expected to try fixing a broken panel and meeting the Grim Reaper, but neither of those happened.

The chair entered the machine on a conveyor belt. I waited a few seconds, then screamed out in pain with a bright light. The next part was pretty trippy. There were lots of flashing lights and images and sounds. Why would they put that in a kids show? Reminds me of the banned Porygon episode of Pokemon. At one point, there were people that looked like a photo turned on Difference and Divide, or similar to the “still a piece of garbage” meme. (Also, the song “Seasons of Love” got stuck in my head during this scene and by the time I woke up.)

Eventually, we stopped in a hallway like thing, with quartz columns and a red carpet. We were blocked off by things you see in banks, but more regal with golden stands and red material. (Yes, I mean we. This was the one part of the dream I saw Danny separate from I. Almost as if it was an out-of-body experience eyyyyyyy. I don’t know if Danny also experienced it. I did.)

All of the people in the line, including Danny were brightly glowing. Some were sad, some angry, some content. I started shouting. “I’m not supposed to be here! It’s not my time! I can’t be dead!”

“Why, kid?” Says a middle-aged man. “Because you’re younger? Grow up. You’re dead, deal with it.”

“No, because I still have things to do.” (Danny then listed things I would not know, as they are part of HIS life, but I will try to remember.) Besides, I knew it was not true, because there wouldn’t be a show if Danny straight up died in the first episode. “I have to go to school. I have to take care of my little sister. I have to be there for my family!” Suddenly, he popped out of view. Just simply gone.

I stayed behind a little longer and saw some people’s reactions. “So, we just say important stuff we still have to do?” And they started shouting. None were successful.

I finally joined Danny’s POV again. I was outside the school. My family was unpacking from the SUV. My parents were teachers and it was the first day of school for the others. They were all sad. I knew why, but Danny had yet to figure it out. I was happy I was alive again. I tried to speak with them, but they never heard. They spoke softly about Danny, but they needed to go to school. (Either they weren’t allowed enough time to grieve the loss of a family member, or this was at least a few weeks later. But school was supposed to start a few days after I left. Ah, the first then. Or they want to make sure they get signed up for classes early. My family’s like that. Oh, okay.)

I was sad and cried against a neighboring car. My appearance was the same in the car mirror? Yet, I was nonexistent. I followed my family inside, hoping to find something somewhere to help. Our school consisted mostly of humans, but had the occasional monster too. (Including other fandoms apparently.) Still, no one could see me.

But, someone did. Or at least I thought so. And it was the one group of people I DIDN’T want seeing me. My bullies. They chased me through the school, to the confused faces of others. A flower popped out of the floor. “Hi, I’m Flowey the flower-AUGH!” One of the bullies nearly trampled him. (This is what I meant by other fandoms, but it’s the only one I recognized. What about the yokai one? Shush! I saw an episode of that years ago.)

I tripped and it hurt. I hopped on a table, then realized. They couldn’t actually see me, just things I move or affect. Although no one could feel me, I could move objects. They didn’t even know it was me! Yeah, they’re the type to randomly fight air. Yet, somehow, their punches still stung. I hung to the ceiling and stayed still. They slowly went away, huffing. I sighed and dropped to the ground. I couldn’t even pass through objects. Lame. (And your puny strength was still the same. That hurt our arms. Shut up.) I leaned against the table, contemplative.

A teacher called out names from the doorway to the gym. One name caught my attention. “Danny Fenton?” My head flew up. He was staring directly at me. I looked around me, as if he was calling someone else. “Yes, you Danny. Come on in.” I walked in, extremely confused, yet a little excited that someone saw me! But is it dangerous? I’ll find out, I guess.

There was a rectangle table set up on one side of the gym. There were six people already seated. One of my friends, Sam, gestured to me to sit in between her and another girl. (I had to look up Sam’s name. Yeah, because you haven’t even watched the show. You’re probably writing me out of character too. Yeah probably.) Sam looked smug. The teacher spoke up as he stood on the opposite side of the table.

“Welcome, fellow Thaglamites.” I thought back to the diagram before. They were invisible to the human eye, but could interact with objects. Yep, fit the description. But why was Sam here? I saw her often, so I could definitely see her? Did she die recently?

As I was on the edge of waking up, the rest blurred. So all I can remember is the other girl flirting with me which I was uncomfortable with, the Guardian scientist I knew being a guest speaker, finding out there were multiple ways to become a Thaglamite (so Sam DIDN’T die), and learning Thaglamites COULD be seen after some practice (Sam was one for years).

Anyway, this was fun to write and probably very far off from the actual episode. I should get around to watching it someday asdfghjkl. (Also, I now realize Doraemon is not a yokai. He’s a time travelling cat.)

#dream #writing #Danny Phantom #Flowey #Doraemon?#this was fun to write lol #HarmonyTRE

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srsly-messed-up-fruitloop · 4 years

Text

Tug of War (Ch 2)

prev - next

Word Count: 1,756

A month has passed since Danny and Wes had served their detentions (unfortunately Mr. Lancer’s favouritism didn’t extend to Casper’s basketball players). However, like always in the past, the chowder incident didn’t deter Wes from trying to expose him. And like before, Danny just ignored the lunatic’s attempts. At least he hasn’t tried taking any more of his stuff from their shared locker since.

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Slamming his locker shut, Danny made his way to find Tucker. It was Tucker’s suggestion to go on patrol right after school since he had something planned later in the evening. However, no matter how many times Danny asked, he wouldn’t say what that something was. Too bad Sam was on vacation now. For sure she would’ve been able to squeeze the truth out of him.

When Danny approached his friend, he was kneeling, with his entire upper body swallowed up his locker.

“Uh, Tuck?”

Without budging from his position, Tucker responded, “Yo Danny, just give me a sec. I just need to finish with this wiring.”

Danny just stood there, observing in the various tools surrounding his friend before his eyes finally settled on an empty box for a George Foreman grill.

“Tuck...you didn’t...”

“Aha!” Tucker exclaimed enthusiastically. He backed out of the locker and admired his work. “Now let’s test this baby out.”

Danny watched wordlessly as he plugged something in a makeshift AC outlet inside the locker. A light beaconed from the top shelf, and there he spotted the grill.

Meanwhile, Tucker jumped up in glee. “Yeah baby! Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!”

“But…” Danny paused as he noticed the stack of textbooks on the floor by his feet. “What about your textbooks?

Tucker motioned to the empty space at the bottom of the locker. “Thank god Sam took home her shoes, I’m just gonna dump ‘em all there.”

“And Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s going to be furious.”

“Let her, I’m doing her a favour. I’m pretty sure you can grill vegetables too,” Tucker said as he began cleaning up.

Danny stooped down to help him. “How did you even get the time to do this?”

He shrugged. “Just did it all in my spare.”

“Wait, you have a spare?”

“Yeah, last period. You didn’t know?”

Danny struggled to recall if Tucker ever told him this. His mind has been a whirl since school started. “I guess I forgot. Hold up, why don’t you go straight home then? You don’t have to wait for us.”

“Nah dude it’s okay, I actually get a lot more done studying at the library here than the entire evening at home,” Tucker assured as he placed the last tool in his backpack. He stood up and fished out his PDA from his pocket, checking off ‘Install grill’ from his to-do list.

“I see what you mean,” Danny understood, remembering how much of a distraction his parents were at home. Now that Jazz had left for Stanford, it seems that his parents have doubled their efforts to spend time with him. He gets it, they missed Jazz a lot. And in less than a year he’ll be gone off to college too (hopefully). Still, they were pretty distracting, especially when they had a new invention or discovery to show off. Thankfully he had a spare next semester.

“So Tuck, before we start, are you gonna tell me your ‘special plans’ later?” he inquired for the last time, trying to inject as much ‘Sam’ into his voice.

“Nope,” he replied, popping the ‘p’.

Danny pouted. Before he could say anything else, he gasped when an icy fog escaped his mouth.

“Guess we’re starting patrol at the school today,” Tucker stated nonchalantly as he activated the ghost radar on his PDA.

Looking both ways down the hall and confirming no one else was around, Danny transformed.

Meanwhile, peering around the corner of the hallway in his basketball uniform, Wes seethed as he witnessed Fenton’s transformation for the seventeenth time! And like always, he didn’t have his camera with him. Why did basketball tryouts have to be today?

“Dammit!” he exclaimed, angrily stomping back to the gym.

How many times does he have to watch Fenton expose himself before the school finally takes a hint? Why are they so damn oblivious? Three years have passed and he still has yet to open anyone’s eyes to the truth! And Fenton has been masquerading as the town’s hero the entire time!

He doesn’t have much time left. Once he leaves for college, he’ll lose his chance. Sure, he could continue posting on his blog, but the seven visitors he gets every month either think it’s a joke or never heard of Danny Phantom. And who knows where Fenton’s heading after high school. He’d probably be stuck relying on his old evidence. Which isn’t even that effective, considering all the convincing it’s done so far.

Time is running out. He refuses to let all these years go to waste. He’s dedicated his whole being to this. He cannot fail, he needs them to believe him. Otherwise, what has been his purpose all this time?

He can’t—they have to eventually believe him, right? He cannot go down that path again; the world needs him to prove this.

He’s the only person who can.

But what else he could do? He’s come to realize that Mr. Lancer gifted him the perfect opportunity to get close without faking being friends. Yet, except for the thermos that one day, Fenton hasn’t stored anything suspicious in their locker. Fenton must be keeping his weapons in his stupid sidekicks’ locker. That doesn’t help him at all!

There must some advantage to this sharing lockers thing. Some way...the memory of Fenton’s furious green eyes flashed through his mind.

That’s right! Fenton’s temper brings out the ghost in him. And Wes has the perfect opportunity to get under his skin. Once the ghost loses control in front of everyone…

Then he’ll finally fulfill his purpose.

A yawn escaped from Danny as he trudged into school the next day. On autopilot, he grabbed his supplies from his bag and went to phase it into his locker. Except, when he leaned closer and his arm was halfway through the door, he stopped and sniffed. Something reeked.

Scrunching up his nose, he cautiously opened the door and cringed as the stench hit him full force. His eyes darted around the locker until they settled on the source of the offensive smell.

Wes’ basketball uniform. It was innocently lying crumpled at the bottom of the locker, but the stink it was emanating was criminal. He suddenly felt the urge to hurl.

Didn’t Wes ever hear of deodorant? He didn’t know whether to feel disgusted or concerned.

He was tempted to toss it into the trash bin in the hallway, but that would mean touching the smelly jersey and shorts.

Unable to stand it any longer, he kicked his locker shut and quickly retreated to his homeroom, backpack still on him.

“Yo, Danny, you okay?” Tucker asked worriedly, noticing the sick look on his face when he sat down beside him.

Danny shook his head as he placed his books on the desk. “No. I…” he began, pausing when he saw his locker partner enter the classroom. “I need to talk to Wes,” he finished before abruptly standing up and striding towards him.

“What do you want, Fenton?” Wes coldly demanded.

“You left your gym clothes in the locker.”

“Yeah, so? I’ll need them again for practice tomorrow.”

“Wes, they stink.”

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “It’s not that bad. You should feel lucky you’re not sharing with any of the other jocks.”

“You’re hardly a jock.”

“At least I’m something. Something real. You—you parade around this false loser facade, but I know who you really are Phantom,” he declared, poking him right in the chest. “And one day I’ll expose your true colours to the whole world.”

Danny really wasn’t in the mood this morning. Batting away Wes’ accusing finger, he cut straight to the chase, “Look, please just don’t keep your bas—”

“No.”

The two boys met each other’s eyes in a glaring contest. Neither side wanted to back down. After a moment, Danny continued, “Why not?”

“I’m just as entitled to keep whatever I want in there as you are. You don’t hear me complaining about your ghost hunting equipment.”

He was truly starting to lose his patience now. “No. Instead, you take my lunch and get us detention for spraying it on everyone.”

“Any other day I could’ve exp—”

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

The two boys jolted as the bell rang.

“We’re not finished here,” Danny grunted before heading back to his seat. Why didn’t he just get rid of that horrible stench right then and there? One ectoblast would’ve surely turned those clothes to ashes.

“Sausage?” Tucker offered when Danny sat at their lunch table.

Danny eyed the smoke swirling from the meat. “Did you just make those?”

“Yup, here, try one,” he said while picking up one with a pair of tongs.

Before accepting it, Danny muttered, “Sam is going to be so mad.”

“I know. Anyways, what went down between you and Wes this morning?”

Danny swallowed a mouthful of sausage before he started, “He left his clothes from basketball practice in our locker.”

“And...?”

“Tuck, they stink.”

“My dude...” He pulled out a can of Foley and pushed it across the table. “You’re lucky that we’re friends. I’ll let you borrow it, free of charge.”

Danny scrunched up his nose from an overly musky smell coming from the so-called cologne. “Tuck, this will just make it worse.”

Smirking, he smoothly replied, “Precisely. How do you figure I got Sam to take her shoes home?”

“Oh,” he realized, matching Tucker’s smirk with his own.

“FENTON, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CLOTHES?” Wes shrieked when he stomped over to his desk the next morning.

Feigning innocence, Danny raised an eyebrow and responded, “What are you talking about?”

“My uniform, you—YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T TOUCH MY STUFF!”

“And I didn’t.”

“Liar.”

Technically, he wasn’t lying. He just sprayed a little Foley at a certain spot in their locker. Okay, maybe not a little.

“I didn’t touch anything. It’s not my fault you’re just realizing how much your clothes stink,” he shrugged indifferently.

“I’ll...I’ll get you back for this Fenton!” Wes promised before stomping back to his seat.

Danny turned to an amused-looking Tucker and they both began to snigger.

#i MUST finish this before classes start #i have just over a week #i can do this #next chappie's a christmas one #hush ik it's august #fic #tucker #wes #grooveactuallywrites #tug of war

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astridianmayfly · 4 years

Text

land among the stars

Summary: Danny’s dreams die with him.

----

And so when Danny ventures into the portal, it is dark and cold and vacuum-like and within, he feels gravity’s burden ease up on his shoulders. He lets himself indulge in the fantasy that this is a rocket ship of his own design; Sam and Tucker are his fellow astronauts. If he were to crane his neck to give them a shout, he isn’t sure if the sound-waves will quite reach their ears.

But all this is before his hand flips the switch, and the curious light germinates from the portal’s frontmost generator. He stands stupefied. It’s a supernova in his basement, and his chest flares up in happiness at the thought.

So the beam grows and grows and grows as Danny stares dumb, transfixed.

It’s like hydrogen and helium and the elements that concoct those other elements out in the distance; It’s like fire. Danny is reminded of last year, of when the Columbia crew burned inside their shuttle upon re-entry. All those people, remade into a flaming comet.

He tries to turn, tries to run. It all happens too fast. Before he can let out so much of a “Houston, we have a problem!” to Tucker and Sam, he is ignited and swallowed, hurtling back towards the ground.

Danny finally accepts he is no longer in space when he hears his own screams bouncing off the cavernous walls.

* * *

“Jazz, will you shut up for one second? I need to focus .”

Jazz gapes at the outburst, then closes her mouth. She’s sitting on the countertop, glancing down at Danny’s pencil, granite tip crumbling into the form. “...I was just asking what you were doing!” She pops off the counter, looking a bit miffed. Danny almost laughs; her expression is in stark contrast with Jazz’s usual, put-together appearance. Satisfied, Danny turns back to his form.

Jazz walks behind Danny. On her way to the stairs, she hovers over him to see what he’s writing. Danny is considerably annoyed.

“Jazz, take a hint!” Danny puts his hands over the paper, but Jazz is too quick for him. She grabs the corner, effectively snatching it out from under Danny’s nose.

“ 11th grade interest survey… ” she reads--

--Danny grabs the bottom of the page, turning it intangible. “Ah! Danny!!” Jazz’s hands go through the page.

He smirks in success, page in hand. “Well, you’re being nosy. As usual.”

Jazz huffs. Then, she brightens, assuming the role of a cheery big-sister-role-model once more. “My grade had to do that, too! Don’t worry, I mean, no one is going to read it, it’s intended as a personal brainstorming exercise--”

“Yeah, I get that. But I still need to think.”

“What about--?”

Danny wordlessly shakes his head, interrupting her. “I just….. don’t know. Anymore.”

Jazz cocks her head. “You sure about that?”

Danny keeps shaking his head.

“I got a lot going on,” he finishes lamely. The implication is plenty clear.

Jazz leaves him alone at the kitchen table, after ruffling his hair affectionately. She treks up the stairs.

From the top of the landing, she looks down on him. Danny rolls a pencil back and forth, back and forth. In her mind’s eye, he becomes Little Danny, wishing on a shooting star. It’s so vivid. Must be a memory.

When I grow up, I’m gonna go to space!

A flash of sympathy strikes her chest.

* * *

Phantom comes home later, through the window. In another timeline, one Danny Fenton may have had to fit himself through the crack at the bottom of the windowsill.

This is the universe where Danny can manipulate solid matter. He goes through the window in the most literal sense.

Just another night, chasing the Box Ghost away from the warehouse on the pier, beating Skulker to a pulp. Little nicks dot his chin, there’s probably a few bruises under his hazmat. The big injuries are (thankfully) not as frequent as they were when Danny started the job. He winces, thinking about that first wound: a slash from Skulker’s blade. He remembers crying out when it sliced into his skin, and touching two fingers to the gash revealed his Not-Blood.

No more than an hour later, the cut had completely vanished. It was then that Danny had decided it was better he take the punches than somebody who bled red and whose heartbeat was easier to silence.

Rather aimlessly, Danny floats over to his posters, as if this wasn’t his room and he didn’t wake up next to them every day. He isn’t sure what he hopes to accomplish by studying them intently.

His eyes cast their unearthly glow upon the animated images of astronauts, various model rockets, and NASA logos adorning the walls. The only thing the green light matches is the friendly glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.

He hovers to his bed. When he arrives, he lays poised over the mattress, still. His throat is hard. Danny closes his eyes and searches for solace beneath his false sky.

* * *

“Guess what I put for my college-interest thing.”

Danny rolls his eyes, shifting so his back presses harder against his locker. “Oh, I dunno. Vegetable major? Vegan specialist?”

Tucker’s eyes find his PDA again, snorting. “That’s literally Sam .”

The sarcasm goes over Sam’s head. “I’m into the poli-sci thing since it’s a pretty general degree with a lot of applications. My goal -goal is becoming a lobbyist, and honestly, I’ve lost all interest in being a lawyer or annoying-ass politician, so…” She pauses. “A lot of people don’t know what they’re gonna be when they grow up.”

“So?” Danny’s a little sharp in his response.

Sam is a little taken aback. “...Well, I just meant that it was pretty cool that we all know what we like.... It’s important to find your interests early.”

Danny knows Sam is trying to be encouraging, motivational even, but her words sting. He goes to open his locker, hoping neither Sam nor Tuck can see his flushed face.

“...Danny?”

He breathes, face stuck inside his locker. “... Yeah?”

She shakes her head. “Uh, never mind. See you in Lancer’s, yeah?”

“See you.”

Danny slams his locker door a little too forcefully as Sam and Tucker walk in the opposite direction. He withdraws the interest form from his notebook.

If you had one choice, what would you like to major in?

The accompanying line does not list anything with the prefix ‘Astro-’, the sort of thing that has always caught Danny’s fancy.

It is left vacant. He feels as hollow as the blank space.

He thinks he is beginning to come to terms with reality. The harsh truth simply is that Danny can’t save the otherwise-hopeless world in the stratosphere.

* * *

It gets easier, eventually. Still, he finds old modeling glue in his rug when the Fenton Thermos rolls under his bed. The family photo album reveals Danny’s pastHalloween costumes, aged six to ten, donning the same Armstrong-inspired spacesuit. His telescope begins to collect dust. One day, when it doesn’t hurt so much, he’s going to pull it out again. Rave on about Cassiopeia, like the good old days on the roof. Maybe Jazz would stop giving him that face, then. Maybe Sam would stop so subtlety prodding him, asking why they didn’t stargaze as a group anymore.

He starts having the dreams he had when he was younger. He’s floating in the void, surrounded by those teeny pinpricks of brightness.

They used to be happier. In blurry memories, in vague dream-like logic, he remembers playing with the colored stars, touching them; he remembers they were fuzzy, he remembers they were warm. They would wink as the moon would wax and he thinks that he had giggled. But it was so very long ago. It was so long ago.

The new dreams, they’re mostly the same. Same inky atmosphere, same lonesome hum. Yet these cold stars, they swirl around him at 299,792 kilometers per second. The white dwarfs pass him by.

Extending outstretched fingers towards them, he can never quite reach.

#my writing #danny phantom

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five-rivers · 4 years

Text

Exile

Prompt by @halfaqueen. My goodness, this took forever to write. I have no idea how it got so long.

Danny hadn't realized that exile was still a thing, but when he and Jazz had gotten expelled, and their parents had been banned or barred from basically all public places, and all of them had gotten restraining orders of one sort or another, and dozens of lawsuits had been filed against Fentonworks... Well... Officially, it wasn't exile, but that was what Amity Park was clearly aiming for with this harassment campaign.

He watched his city, his haunt, disappear over the horizon from the back window of the GAV. It was all he could do not to cry out aloud. Leaving like this felt like tearing part of himself away.

"Don't worry, Danno!" said Jack, leaning over the back seat. He wasn't driving, as he had lost his license early on in the city's war against them. "Just give it a few weeks! They'll be begging for us to come back, what with all the ghost that'll attack!"

This did not make Danny feel better.

"Jack," said Maddie, drawing out her husband's name. As clear as day, her tone said, Don't get their hopes up.

"You betcha! Because nobody can catch a ghost better than the Fentons, that's for sure!"

Jack Fenton hadn't ever been good at reading things as abstract as tones.

"They think they can stop the ghosts by closing the portal? Please! If it was as easy as that, we'd have closed it ages ago!"

Danny cringed, and sunk lower in his seat. No. None of that made Danny feel better.

Amity Park had hired other ghost hunters, blatantly replacing the Fentons, but Danny didn't know how good they were. He didn't know how good he should hope they were, either. On one hand, he wanted them to be bad, so that Amity Park would drop the restraining orders and he could go home. On the other, he wanted them to be good, so that Amity Park would be safe, so that everyone would be safe and no one would be hurt. But, then, if they were good, and everything was fine, that meant that Amity Park didn't need him any more, that he wasn't helpful, and, even though it was selfish, part of him wanted to be needed.

But, worse, what if they were good enough to defeat the more common ghosts, but then someone powerful come through, someone big, and they couldn't handle it? What if the new hunters worked for the GIW and would send the ghosts they caught off to be experimented on?

Danny had warned away as many ghosts as he could about what was happening before they left, but it didn't seem to be enough. And what if that warning got to someone who would see it as an invitation? As an opportunity to strike, now that he, Phantom, was gone.

He'd been so worried, stressed, and paranoid that he'd made himself sick. He was probably going to make himself sick again before the day was out.

"Where are we going, anyway?" he mumbled.

"Didn't we tell you?" asked Maddie. Danny shrugged. "We're visiting some relatives of Jack's. They have an interest in the supernatural, and they offered to let us stay with them while we look for a more permanent solution."

"Yep!" said Jack. "My favorite cousin, Cory! She's not quite a ghost hunter, but she has that Fenton blood for sure!"

"Cordelia Nightingale," said Maddie. "I don't think that her branch of the family has been Fentons since the sixteen-hundreds."

Danny swallowed. He was not a fan of the name 'Nightingale,' all things considered. It reminded him too much of pain and Sam pushed up against a wooden stake.

He decided this, on top of everything else, was a bad omen. He bet that 'cousin Cordelia' was going to turn out to be a ghost or, somehow, something worse. Like a witch. Or she had something like Freakshows staff. Or she grew blood blossoms for fun. Or she was part of a cult.

Ugh, why did that sound like something that might happen? What was his life?

Half gone, that's what.

Jazz patted him on the knee. "Maybe it'll be nice?" she said, hopefully.

"Maybe," said Danny.

He didn't have high hopes.

Sam probably would have liked the house. Danny didn't. The Gothic architecture only accentuated his fears. He frowned up at the spikes on the railing and the darkly painted boards. No. He didn't like this house at all.

He wanted to go home.

But, at his mother's prodding, he bent and picked up his suitcase. Most of his things were still at home and, if this lasted longer than a week, would then be put into a storage locker along with the rest of the family's belongings, to await a time when they once again had a house of their own to live in.

Jack bounced up the steps and pressed the doorbell with his thumb. Almost at once, a thin woman with graying brown hair opened the door. She wore a black turtleneck and a dark, straight skirt that ended at her ankles. Somehow, she made the outfit look practically Victorian.

"Cory!" exclaimed Jack, giving her a trademark Jack Fenton hug.

Both Jazz and Danny cringed slightly. That felt a bit too familiar for someone who he hadn't seen for literally their entire lives. Danny just hoped this wouldn't be Vlad all over again.

But, to his surprise, Cordelia gave Jack a thin smile and hugged him back. She extracted herself and stepped away from the door, into the house.

"Please," she said, "come in. You must all be tired. Amity Park is hours away."

One by one, the Fentons passed through the door, Danny bringing up the suspicious and paranoid rear.

"You must be Jasmine and Daniel," said Cordelia, closing the door. It wasn't quite dark inside the house, but it did feel rather dim. It smelled sweet, but dusty. Like flowers. Old, dry flowers.

"Jazz and Danny, please, Ms. Nightingale," said Jazz.

"Call me Cordelia. We're family, after all."

Was that ominous, or was Danny just paranoid? Well, it wasn't paranoia if people really were out to get you, right?

His breath went cold in his mouth, and something moved out of the corner of his eye. He whirled, trying to trace it.

He couldn't see anything. His ghost sense hadn't gone off.

"Danny?" said Maddie. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just thought I saw something."

"Probably my cat," said Cordelia, calmly. "She's a shy little thing, but curious. Don't be surprised if you don't see her again."

"Right," said Danny, doubtful, but not wanting to press the point.

"Now, I've cleaned out rooms for you upstairs," she gestured, and began to lead the way.

Danny started to follow, but another shadow moved at the edge of his sight, this one distinctly humanoid. He turned again, trying to find what cast it. There was nothing. He hurried to catch up with the others.

"Do you live here all alone?" he asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Oh, no," said Cordelia. "This place is much too large for one person. I let out rooms to some nice young ladies who work in town. None of them are here right now, of course, but I'll introduce all of you at dinner."

Well, there went that theory. He glanced back down the stairs. There was definitely a chill in this house.

"You didn't have to give us this much space," said Maddie, snapping Danny's attention back to the conversation. "We should pay you."

"Nonsense. You're family, and those rooms weren't being used anyway. Here, this one has a king mattress, so you two will want this one, even if it is a bit tight, and Daniel, Jasmine, you two take the ones on either side."

Danny and Jazz shared a look. It was a lot easier for Jazz to cover for Danny, or for Danny to sneak into her room for help, when they were next to each other. But there was nothing to be done. They shrugged.

It didn't matter who took which room. Jazz went left. Danny went right.

The room was a lot like the rest of the house. Old-fashioned and dark. It was also meticulously clean and decorated like something out of an old movie. It looked like a set piece. It really did.

Then again, Cordelia did say she had just cleaned the rooms. It wasn't anything to get nervous about, even if it did make Danny feel like he was the main character in a horror film.

He put down his suitcase.

"The bathroom is just down at the end of the hall. The schedule is posted next to it, make sure you write down when you want to shower, so you don't disrupt anyone," said Cordelia, still talking to Jack and Maddie in the hall. "The kitchen is downstairs and in the back. If you take the last of something from the refrigerator, write it down on the shopping list. Otherwise, go ahead and make yourselves at home. Freshen up, take a nap. Dinner is at six."

"Do you want any help with that?" asked Maddie. "You're cooking for an awful lot of people."

"No, no, I'm more than used to it."

"Alright. Did you catch all that, kids?"

"Yes," said Jazz.

"Yeah," said Danny. He wanted to look for whatever was giving him this chill. He didn't like the idea of something supernatural sneaking up on him or his family while he slept.

He couldn't find it, and it was driving him crazy.

There was something in this house, even if Danny couldn't see it as anything but a shadow in his peripheral vision. Jazz couldn't see it at all, but she believed him after that whole thing with Youngblood.

Even if they couldn't find the thing, however, they found lots of other... things. Creepy things. Dead-eyed porcelain dolls. Dusty portraits. Bundles of dried herbs. Weird sculpture things. Light fixtures that should have been updated before Danny was born. A stuffed cat. A closet full of brooms.

"You know what I haven't seen?" asked Danny, as it turned five o'clock.

"No," said Jazz. "What? Ghosts?"

"A litter box," said Danny.

"That doesn't really mean anything," said Jazz. "It could be in one of the bedrooms, or there's a cat door and the cat goes outside."

"Maybe," said Danny. "Let's check out the yard."

This far from the nearest town, the yard was big and cut into a forest that loomed darkly over them even in the bright sunlight. The yard itself was full of flowering plants, but...

"I think these are all poisonous," he said. "At least, a lot of them are."

"Isn't that normal for decorative plants?" asked Jazz. "They weren't bred to eat."

"Yeah, I guess," said Danny, frowning. "But would you necessarily want a cat out here with all this?"

"Cats are carnivores. They wouldn't eat the plants. Can you see the neighbors?"

"No. Too many trees."

"How far away are we, I wonder?"

"It can't be that far," said Danny. "Not if her boarders commute to town."

"That's true. We're not in the wilderness." Jazz scanned up and down the height of the trees. "Not really."

"Maybe a little bit," said Danny. He could imagine some of those trees being hundreds of years old. The ground might not have been untrod by human feet, but... "Does everything here just sort of feel... off? Or is that just me?"

"I don't know," said Jazz.

Gravel crunched in the driveway, audible even from the other side of the house. Jazz and Danny walked to the corner of the house so that they could see around the corner and watch what was happening.

A small white car was pulling into the driveway. It stopped next to the GAV. As they watched, three young women stepped out. One of them had long, dark hair and wore a red sweater and skirt, reminiscent of Cordelia's. The second had pale blond, almost white, hair and wore a deep brown shirt and skirt. The third had red hair, and wore white. All of them had wicked looking boots and matching leather purses.

"Okay," whispered Jazz, pulling Danny back around the corner. "I... Maybe they just like to match?"

"I hate this so much," said Danny. "I want to go home."

"Maybe whatever is going on here is friendly?"

"We are literally never that lucky," said Danny. "I hope it's just a ghost. I can deal with ghosts. It's probably a ghost."

"Really?"

"No. Let's go in. We're going to have to meet them eventually."

"This is Sofia," said Cordelia, indicating the dark haired woman. "This is Alison." She put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "And this is Morgan." She nodded at the redhead. "Girls, these are my cousins, Jack, Maddie, Jazz, and Danny."

Three sets of eyes moved sequentially from Jack, to Maddie, to Jazz, to Danny. They stayed on Danny.

"It's nice to meet you," said Sofia, still looking at Danny.

He tried to hide his discomfort. Could they tell he was half-ghost? He hoped not. That was his trump card if everything turned out as badly as he feared and he had to get his family out in a hurry.

What he wouldn't give for a piece of concrete evidence right now. Without it, his parents would never listen to him. They hadn't with Vlad.

They were still looking at him. Jazz slipped in front of him.

"So!" she said, brightly. "Dinner?"

Danny pushed back in front of Jazz. "Yeah! It's six, right?"

"Well, it sounds like the kids have inherited that good old Fenton appetite! Huh, Cory?" added Jack

"Yes, yes, come along. Girls, why don't you go ahead and get the table started. No, Maddie, the girls know how I like it, I'll show you later. You just sit down and relax." Cordelia disappeared into the kitchen.

The three younger women moved smoothly around the room, pulling plates and silverware- real silver silverware- from a china cabinet. They set the long table in the middle of the room with rigorous formality. There were more kinds of forks at each place setting than Danny had seen even when having dinner at Sam's. They topped it off with two candelabras.

Cordelia emerged with a casserole dish. Whatever was in it was thick, roughly cylindrical, and covered with a thick red sauce.

"Wow! Is that a roast?" asked Jack.

"Yes," said Cordelia. "I always make this when new guests arrive. The girls have all had it."

The 'girls' nodded as one, and retreated to the opposite side of the table. They almost moved in sync with one another.

Cordelia put the roast on the table, and went back to get side dishes. This gave the three women more time to stare at Danny.

On occasion, Danny did want attention, acknowledgement, what have you, but this scrutiny would have been a bit much even when he was at the height of his 'look at me' phase. He kept a tight hold on his core to keep himself from flickering invisible.

Cordelia came back with two serving dishes full of green... things. Possibly vegetables, but Danny didn't recognize them. She then started to, with excruciating slowness, carve the roast.

The slow exposure of the meat under all that sauce was enough to make Danny vaguely ill. It was too... wet. Too vibrant and too gray all at once. He swallowed against the smell.

"Wow!" said Jack, as Cordelia dropped a slab of meat on his plate. "This looks great, Cory! What kind of meat is it?" He was already sawing away at the flesh. It was all Danny could do to keep himself from slapping it away from him.

"Beef," said Cordelia, smiling at him as she carved. "Locally grown and harvested. It's an old family recipe, from before our branches split and we were all Nightingales."

"You mean Fentons!" said Jack around a mouthful of meat.

Cordelia's smile turned brittle. "However you would like to put it, Jack." She went around the table, serving herself last.

Danny made no move to pick up his utensils. The women on the other side of the table ate while watching him, barely looking at their food. Jazz was the only one who seemed to notice, and when Danny caught her eye and shook his head, she put down the bite of meat she had picked up, turning her focus to the vegetables.

"So," Jazz said, "what do you three do?"

Sofia's eyes flicked briefly to Jazz. "Graphic design," she said.

"That must be interesting."

"It's a job."

Danny didn't eat that night.

"I have some granola bars," said Jazz, grabbing his arm before he entered his guest room. Not that he intended to sleep there. Or anywhere.

"You keep them," he said. "I'm fine. You didn't eat much, either."

"You didn't eat anything," said Jazz.

"I'll be okay." Danny flared his eyes. "I've got an extra reserve, remember?"

"If you say so," said Jazz. She was frowning. "Danny... Let's share a room tonight."

"What?"

"I don't like how those three were looking at you," she said. "I can't believe Mom and Dad didn't notice..."

"They don't notice anything," said Danny. He pulled Jazz into the dubious safety of his room. He didn't want to have this conversation out in the hallway. "Wait," he said, eyes flicking over the room. "Where's my suitcase?"

Jazz shrugged. "Kind of reminds me," she said, not quite whispering. "I was thinking about barricading the door."

Danny hissed through his teeth. "I put my thermos up here when we went to eat. It's gone, too."

"If this were a horror movie, this would be when we yelled at the screen for the characters to leave."

"Think we can convince Mom and Dad?"

"Maybe together?"

Danny shrugged. "Let's give it a try."

They left the bedroom, and knocked on their parents' door. There was no answer.

Jazz frowned. "Maybe they have their earplugs in already," she said. "Can you, you know." She made a gesture where her arms crossed each other.

"Let's see," he said, going back to the bedroom. He waited until Jazz shut the door to turn invisible and phase through the wall.

Passing through the wall felt... odd. Like walking through layers of cobwebs. He shook his head as if to clear it and surveyed the room. Jack and Maddie were already in bed. He made a face and stepped back into the other room, becoming visible and tangible for Jazz.

"They're asleep," he said, shaking his head.

"First thing tomorrow morning, then," Jazz said, wringing her hands. "Maybe- Do you think we should sleep in the GAV? Put up the ghost shield?"

"I'm not even sure that this is a ghost," said Danny. He walked around the bed, part of him still looking for his missing suitcase. "But you have a point, I just..." He glanced at the wall his room shared with his parents'. If he and Jazz slept in the GAV, Jazz would be very safe, but their parents would be vulnerable. If he stayed here, and Jazz slept in the GAV, she'd be safer than sleeping alone in the house, and his parents would be safer, but if something happened to her, he wouldn't be able to react to it, he wouldn't be able to protect her. "I don't know."

"Let's at least go down and look. Maybe you left your suitcase in there, after all?"

"I don't think so," said Danny.

"We can get the weapons locker."

Danny blinked. "I almost forgot about that. Yeah. Let's go."

They were halfway down the stairs when Jazz grabbed his shoulder. "What?" whispered Danny.

"I can't hear anything."

"Huh?"

"This house is old. These stairs creaked when we were walking on it before. Why isn't it now?"

Danny bit his lip. "Let's keep going." He put his hand on Jazz's and made them both invisible.

"I can't see my feet," said Jazz.

"Just be careful," said Danny, continuing down the stairs. "I'm going to phase us through the front door, okay?"

"Fine."

It was still twilight when they stepped outside, the first stars just beginning to show. It wasn't hard for them to navigate, slipping around the white car, but when they did, and finally got a good look at the GAV, they froze.

Jazz said something very un-Jazz-like. Danny let his invisibility fade.

"What happened?" asked Jazz, in shock.

"It looks like someone beat it with a crowbar," said Danny, almost reverently, touching the crumpled metal. "A really big, really fast crowbar."

"Danny, this glass is supposed to be bulletproof."

"And ghost-proof," agreed Danny. "Let's go barricade your room. Think it can get through a dresser?"

The thing about being under high levels of stress for long periods of time was that it was tiring. Exhausting, even. So, even though Danny didn't intend to sleep, he did.

He woke up unable to move, something heavy weighing down his chest. His eyes fluttered open. Something huge and dark, the shadow he'd only glimpsed before, loomed over him, pressed down on him. He could see Jazz's bright hair hanging off of the bed above him. He tried to call out, to warn her, to get her to run, but he couldn't speak.

He couldn't breathe-

When his eyes opened again, light was weakly streaming through the thick glass of the windows, making the dust in the room sparkle gold. He sat straight up, breathing hard. He was still in Jazz's room, the dresser pulled across the doorway. Why do that and then leave him here? It didn't make sense.

"What's wrong?" asked Jazz, voice deep and crackled with sleep. She yawned.

Danny told her.

"That sounds like sleep paralysis."

"Like what now?"

"Sleep paralysis," said Jazz. She yawned again. "Some people get it. They wake up, but they're still asleep and they can't move. And also they hallucinate."

"That sounds fake."

"You sound fake."

"You know what? That's fair. That's actually fair. This whole situation sounds fake, so why not add sleep paralysis to the whole thing? It's better than an actual literal demon." He took a deep breath. "What do we do now?"

Jazz licked her lips and ran a hand through her hair.

"We tell them that the GAV has been trashed, that those women were staring at you like they wanted to eat you all dinner, and that your clothes were stolen. And then I'll spell it out for them, if I have to."

"What, that this place is probably haunted or possessed and Dad's cousin is a witch?"

"No," said Jazz, making a face. "That'll probably only make them want to stay even more. That those three are probably pedophiles who stole your clothing and wrecked the GAV so we couldn't leave, and that neither of us felt safe sleeping alone. Sorry. Then we'll make them call a cab."

"No, no, that's fine. That's a better explanation than I could come up with. Let's do that. I would honestly rather stay at Vlad's than here."

"Yeah," Jazz dragged her hand through her hair again, and grimaced. "Let me get dressed, first. Do you see my brush over there?"

"No," said Danny.

Jazz looked around the room. "Actually... Where is my suitcase?"

"It was-" Danny stopped. "It was in that corner when we came in, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," said Jazz. "Okay, forget getting dressed. We're talking to Mom and Dad now." She swung out of bed and made her way to the door.

Danny phased through her, so he would reach the dresser first and easily pushed it out of the way. He stuck his head out the door, looking both ways for Cordelia and the borders.

The door to the room next to Jazz's, their parent's room, was open.

"Shoot," said Danny. He walked over. "They're not here."

"Downstairs? Maybe they went to get breakfast." Jazz emerged from the room crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe," said Danny. He had a bad feeling about this.

Cautiously, they made their way down the stairs and peered into the kitchen. No one was there.

"Hello, children," said Cordelia, directly behind them.

They jumped, both trying to get away and spin at the same time. Jazz clipped her elbow on the doorway and almost fell. Danny caught her and pulled her back up.

"If you are looking for your parents, you just missed them."

"What do you mean?" asked Jazz, a little more sharply than she usually would.

"I mean, they just left," said Cordelia mildly. "They took that vehicle of yours to town to go shopping. Something about not eating me out of my house. It was very kind of them."

"But the GAV was wrecked..." said Jazz, even as Danny gave a tug on her arm.

"Was it?" asked Cordelia, smiling. "It seemed fine when they left. You should get dressed, though, Jasmine, and, Daniel, are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?"

"Our clothes are gone," said Jazz.

"You left them in your car? Well, no wonder you're looking for your parents. I think I might have some old clothes that will fit you. Come along, now." She turned.

Possibilities tumbled through Danny's head. A large part of him wanted to just grab Jazz and fly away to find their parents in town, but he estimated that there was a pretty good chance that they weren't in town, but trapped here somewhere. Jazz had apparently made that same calculation, because she was giving him the 'don't you dare use your powers' head shake.

Fine. Okay. Play along it was, then.

Cordelia lead them into a dusty ground floor room full of chests. She opened one, knocking free a number of cobwebs. "These are a little old fashioned, I'm afraid, Daniel, but it has been a while since a boy your age lived here." She handed him a small, neat stack of clothing. "And these are for you, Jasmine. I wore them when I was about your age. I grew a few inches, after that."

"Right," said Jazz, already backing away. "We'll just go... change... then. Right Danny?"

"Yeah," said Danny.

Jazz didn't speak to him until they were back upstairs. "What now?"

"Now," said Danny, "I go ghost and see if Mom and Dad are trapped in a dungeon under the house or something. If not, I take you and get the heck out of here. If they are, I rescue them, we get the heck out of here. We'll steal Cordelia's car or something."

"Not much of a plan."

"Don't kid yourself. We never have a plan. Do you want to get dressed, first, or...?"

"Pass."

"I'll have to bring you with me. I don't want to leave you alone up here while I'm searching," warned Danny.

"I know. I don't want to be alone here, either."

Danny took a breath and-

Did not go ghost. He doubled over, gasping for breath, transformation rings flickering to nothing around him as the shadows pressed inward, suffocating him. The huge fingers around his chest- The almost-human silhouette-

"Danny?" asked Jazz, alarmed, shaking his shoulder. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

"Not," wheezed Danny, "sleep paralysis."

The shadows crept up over his eyes and everything went dark.

When he woke up, he was wearing different clothes. Very different clothes. They were all white and loose. He wasn't sure if he should call them robes, but they had that kind of feeling. His shoes were gone. He was in his guest room, on the bed. Jazz was nowhere to be seen.

Danny should have taken his family and run as soon as he saw that not-ghost shadow. He swallowed, shaking, and clenched his fists. It was still here, watching him. He could feel it, even if he couldn't see it.

Okay. First step, get out of here.

He swung his feet off the bed. As soon as they touched the floor, something twined around his ankle and rapidly climbed up his leg. He gasped and yanked himself back, trying to free his knee from the shadow twisted around it. It held fast, firmly squeezing his thigh.

Danny growled. This wasn't the first shadow he had fought. He gathered ectoplasm in his hand and poured energy into it until it burned brighter than magnesium. The shadow retreated, and Danny scrambled to stand on the middle of the bed, ectoblast still in his fist.

"Now, now, no need for any of that."

Cordelia stood in the doorway, not the least bit surprised to see Danny wielding supernatural powers.

"Where's my family?" demanded Danny.

"Safe," said Cordelia, neutrally, "and they will continue to remain so."

Danny shifted, and the bed springs squealed. "What do you want?" he asked.

"My heritage. Come along. I will explain as we go." She turned in the doorway and looked over her shoulder. "Our shadow will not trouble you, should you follow now."

Danny clenched his jaw at the threat but gingerly climbed down from the bed and followed Cordelia across the frigid floor.

"Our last common ancestor was Elizabeth Nightingale," said Cordelia. "She was married to James Fenton. They had two children, John Fenton-Nightingale and Mary Fenton-Nightingale." She paused. "Elizabeth was knowledgeable in what would have been called witchcraft, and she was very, very good at it."

They climbed down the stairs to the first floor. All of the lights were off.

"But, as these things happen, she died. A mistake with a summoning." Cordelia turned into a long hallway Danny had missed in his earlier explorations of the house. "John and Mary were divided on how to handle her legacy. John," the name was said with anger, "decided that Elizabeth's craft, her knowledge, was evil, and decided to destroy it. He burned generations of Nightingale knowledge in a single night. When Mary tried to stop him, to salvage her mother's legacy, he tried to burn her, too. He denounced her as a witch."

"I'm sorry about that," said Danny. "I really am." After all, he knew exactly what that felt like. "But I don't see what that has to do with us. That was hundreds of years ago. A bit late for revenge, don't you think?" A sufficiently disturbed ghost wouldn't, but Cordelia was, as far as Danny could tell, human.

"This isn't about revenge," said Cordelia. "Besides, it has everything to do with you. Of the two of us, you are the one who met the man, Phantom."

"What are you talking about?"

"There's no need for you to play coy with me, young man," said Cordelia. "Why else do you think I put so much time and effort into getting you here? The magics to turn your town against your parents weren't child's play, after all." She bent and seized the corner of a rug, pulling it up and back to reveal a trap door. "Neither was calling the shadow to keep you bound." She lifted the ring handle on the trap door, pulling it open. "After you."

Danny stared down the dark hole below. There was a metal ladder, but he couldn't tell where it ended. A very faint light from somewhere to the right reflected off of some of the rungs.

"Is this where you reveal you're a cannibal?" asked Danny, unimpressed. "Is that what horror movie this is?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Hardly. Although you and Jasmine refusing to eat with us last night made everything harder than it had to be."

That definitely wasn't Danny's stomach growling at the reminder that he hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday. "Drugged, was it?"

They stared at each other over the trap door.

"If you refuse to cooperate, we can always use Jack. Or Jasmine."

Danny's lips twitched as he held back a snarl. "Fine," he snapped, angrily climbing down, into the hole.

It turned out that the ladder wasn't terribly long after all. It descended into a basement of normal height.

That was, however, the only normal thing about the space. Far from simply being unfinished, the floor of the basement seemed to be stone. So were what little he could see of the walls. It was like the basement had been carved from one huge piece of bedrock, but that couldn't be possible. Danny didn't know, well, anything about geology, but he was pretty sure houses usually weren't built on stuff like this.

To the right, there was a small table with a single burning candle on it and two chairs, one on each side. Beyond that, Danny could make out a circle on the ground marked with chalk.

The cold feeling that had been plaguing Danny since yesterday was a hundred times stronger in this room. His core was alert, but the relief that his ghost sense usually brought just never came.

The strain was beginning to ache.

"Sit down," said Cordelia, indicating the chair closest to the chalk circle.

Danny complied, tense, and Cordelia moved the candle to one side, taking out a book and setting it on the table. The book was old and singed, the edges of the leather cover and several of the pages burnt and curled. Cordelia stroked it, reverently.

"This is all that Mary managed to salvage from the flames," she said. "Just this one book, out of so many. All that knowledge lost. Elizabeth was the last one to have it."

Danny heard movement in the dark corners of the room and turned his head to Sofia, Alison, and Morgan emerging, all of them in robes similar to his own, but in their own colors. They came close, and grabbed the back and arms of his chair.

"You asked me what I wanted. I want Elizabeth Nightingale."

A surprised laugh, almost a scoff, forced its way between Danny's lips. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't exactly have her in my back pocket. Do these pants even have pockets?"

"You might not have her," said Cordelia, annoyance creeping into her otherwise level tone, "but you can get her. Bring her back from beyond."

"Uh, not sure what's in your book, but, contrary to popular belief, not all dead people know each other. She might not even be a ghost. She might have moved on."

"She hasn't," said Cordelia, almost smiling. "Not with the summoning she was doing. We are going to send you to her, and you are going to bring her back." She tilted her head to one side. "We could do this with any blood relative. The original plan was to use Jack, but your condition makes you so much more open to this kind of thing. Your chances of success are much higher."

Danny crossed his arms. "And if I don't succeed, you'll make Dad and Jazz try."

"That's right."

"Why don't you do it?" asked Danny. "You're a blood relative, aren't you?"

"Sadly, the ritual requires four people."

"Yeah, that's the only reason, huh?" said Danny, because he liked to antagonize people he couldn't strike back against in other ways, and also because he was an idiot.

"As I said, we can always use one of the others if you do not cooperate."

"And you'll let us all go if I do?"

"If you bring back Elizabeth, yes."

"Fine," said Danny. "What do I need to do?"

"Very little," said Cordelia. "Give me your hand. Your right hand."

Reluctantly, Danny held out his hand. Cordelia took it and wrapped a thin, white cord around it.

"That will lead you to her."

"I thought you were sending me to her," said Danny.

"You won't be in exactly the same spot," said Cordelia.

Then she whipped a knife out from under the table and sliced deeply into Danny's hand. He pushed back, away, holding his bleeding hand close to his chest. The only reason the chair didn't tip back was because the other three witches were holding on to it.

"Go stand in the circle," ordered Cordelia.

In a fit of pique, Danny phased backwards through the three women holding the chair, not bothering to wait for them to move away to let him go. The shadow pushed uncomfortably against his shoulders, but did not otherwise protest.

The circle was simple, no runes or symbols, just a single line of white chalk on the dark stone. Danny stared at it for a long moment, before stepping over it and standing at the center, his elbow dripping blood as it ran down his arm from his hand.

"Alright, girls, you know what we need to do," said Cordelia.

Danny stood in a field of washed-out red grass. Overhead, the sky billowed with rolling, boiling gray clouds. They seemed too close. The air smelled of smoke. The horizon was blurred and warped, as if Danny were looking at it through thick, wavy glass, or as if in a dream.

This wasn't the Ghost Zone.

He took a deep breath, the smoke washing through him. Okay. He was here. Now he needed to find Elizabeth Nightingale.

He looked down at his hand. The white cord had been turned red with his blood, and it had grown longer, reaching back over his shoulder.

"Eat your hear out, Ariadne," muttered Danny. He looked over his shoulder.

A forest was on fire.

The tall, straight, slender trees burned from their tops, like candles. Their trunks were bare, entirely free of leaves, needles, or branches. Danny should have felt the heat, even at this distance. He didn't.

The bloody cord led between the trees.

"Right," muttered Danny, "because nothing can be easy."

Resigned, he started walking towards the trees and discovered that the 'grass' on the ground actually consisted of thin-walled ceramic-like tubes. Fragile ceramic tubes. The ones he stepped on shattered and cut into his bare feet. He hissed, resisting the urge to hop around and get even more shards stuck into him. The bottoms of his feet felt wet and hot. He tried to phase the shards out and couldn't.

"Is this hell?" asked Danny, aloud. "This has to be hell. Ancients."

He couldn't feel the shadow near him anymore, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Despite the 'grass,' he hesitated to try and go ghost to fly over it. He didn't want to pass out onto the tubes and break them even more. He didn't want those shards in his face or hands.

The squelching of his blood as he shifted his weight decided it for him. He couldn't walk over all of this.

He sent one last look around him for the shadow and summoned his rings. He was relieved when they flowed smoothly over him, transforming him into a ghost, into Phantom.

His normal hazmat suit did not appear, however. Instead, the white robes he had been dressed in turned black. Danny frowned at this. He was not a fan. He wanted his hazmat back.

Whatever. There were more important things to focus on. For example, both his blood and the cord had turned a lurid, ectoplasmic green. Much easier to see against the red-hued backdrop of this world.

He lifted up off the ground and flew on, occasionally pausing to pull shards out of his feet. His accelerated healing made the wounds scab over quickly. The cut on his hand, however, continued to bleed freely. This was beginning to concern him. He didn't have an infinite supply of blood. Or ectoplasm. Whatever.

As he approached the burning forest, he expected to start feeling heat, but even when he was right at the treeline, hovering midway up the impossibly tall, thin tree trunks, he couldn't feel anything. It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold. The smoke didn't smell any stronger.

Even so, he knew fire didn't have to be hot to burn. Fire was a chemical reaction, and Danny had no intention of being one of the reactants.

That was, if this place obeyed anything like normal physical laws. Since the trees hadn't actually burned down at all, the fire staying at the same height, he had to conclude that they didn't.

Still. He was going to stay away from the fire. Briefly, he considered flying over the forest, but the cord angled ever so slightly down, and he didn't know how the cord would fare trailing through the fire. Nothing the witches had said made him think it was indestructible.

He flew under the fires. It was bright underneath the trees, in a sort of inverse of a real forest. Bright, dry, and somehow brittle. Danny flew cautiously. This might nor be the Ghost Zone, but he didn't trust it not to have carnivorous landscape features, and even Earthly forests had their dangers. Lions and tigers and bears.

Oh my.

The angle on the cord began to point down more sharply. Danny was getting closer. The forest was also becoming stranger. The tree trunks bled, and glowing eight-legged flies licked at the ichor. Flowers of sickly fire bloomed from the ground in intricate geometric patterns.

Then, amid the burning brightness, Danny saw a house. A big house. A castle, even, its sides built into the burning trees, its pennants alight with flame, smaller fires moving, no, patrolling the battlements.

Danny quickly went invisible. He had a horrible suspicion that Elizabeth would be in the dungeons of that castle. The cord was going to make him hilariously easy to see, not to mention that he was still dripping blood. This was going to suck so much.

But as Danny approached, the fire creatures did not appear to have noticed the cord at all. Some of them even passed through it without slowing down.

Okay. So, as shocking as it was, Danny had actually caught a break.

Slowly, relying on the fire creatures to open the doors, Danny made his way through the castle and down. Down. Down.

The walls down here glowed, as if with heat, but it was a dull, old, tired glow. A rosy cherry color that burned Danny's eyes and made his head pound. Doors in the walls were made of wood that burned from the inside, veins of embers streaking their surface. The bars set in them glowed white-orange.

The green cord snaked across the floor and wove in between the bars of one of these doors.

Danny stopped. He was quite sure Elizabeth was behind that door. But...

Was freeing her the right thing to do? He had gotten the impression that she was dangerous. At least as dangerous as those witches. Even to save his family, should he set someone like that loose on the world?

But Danny had made this decision and all decisions like it the moment he died in the portal. That was the essence of an Obsession.

Besides. Elizabeth was family, too.

He held out his hands, letting frost form on his fingers and palms and pressed them against the door. Once again, he wondered why he couldn't feel any heat. He should. His ice should at least be registering the pressure, the power drain, of something trying to melt it. It didn't.

Ice spread over the door, extinguishing the light and making the metal creak. Feathery tendrils wound up the bars and encased the hinges. The wood began to fall into ash, as if the fire had been the only thing holding it together, and the bars clattered to the ground.

The inside of the cell was incandescent white. The only dark spot was a huddled, burnt black figure in the corner. The cord let straight to it.

Danny, very emphatically, did not want to go into that room. He hovered at the threshold.

"Elizabeth Nightingale?" he called, softly. If the falling bars hadn't alerted the fire creatures to his presence, he wasn't going to ruin that luck by speaking too loud. "Elizabeth?"

The figure abruptly lurched sideways and fell. Danny flinched. Bit by bit, the figure clawed their way towards the door, dragging itself onward.

Danny could hardly bring himself to watch. Part of him wanted to help. Part of him wanted to run far, far away and never come back.

But, at last, the ruined and horrible body made it to the threshold. It reached up with a claw-like hand and grasped Danny's ankle. He cringed at the feeling of the flaking burnt flesh, but didn't try to shake off the hand. He bent slightly, unsure if he should try to help the figure up.

"You," rasped the figure, ash falling from its jaw, "not from here."

"Um," said Danny. "No. I'm not."

The figure began to pull itself up. As it did so, it sort of began to piece itself back together. Danny had seen similar things before, with ghosts returning to their base form, healing, after an unusually devastating attack. Usually, though, it was slower and usually-

Danny abruptly pulled away. Usually ghosts who were doing that were draining his energy to do it. He glared.

"One of mine?" asked the figure, that was now decidedly feminine. It finally drew itself to its knees. Her knees. "One of my," she coughed, "grandchildren?"

"I'm a descendant of yours, I guess," said Danny, cautiously. He wasn't quite pressed up against the far wall, but he was close.

"You came for me," she said. Her voice was still too rough and dry for Danny to detect any emotion in it.

"I was sent," said Danny, flatly. "If I pick you up, are you going to start draining me again?"

She didn't respond for a long time. "No," she said, finally.

"Great," said Danny. "Let's go."

Elizabeth wasn't hard to carry. She wasn't much larger than Jazz, and he flew her around all the time. The problem was, he couldn't seem to extend his invisibility to her. Any power he sent to cover her was simply absorbed.

"Okay," he said, finally. "We'll just have to be fast, then." Mentally, he began to map out the path he would have to take, and how many doors he would have to blow down. It made for a discouraging picture.

"They can't harm you," croaked Elizabeth.

"What?"

"Pure soul. They can't harm you." She reached up to trace his chin and cheek with her still-charred fingers. "You don't feel the heat. You can't. You can't be harmed."

"Uh. Yeah. I don't think that's how it works. I stepped on some sharp stuff when I first got here, and, let me tell you, it hurt."

"The fires can't burn you. Sending you was clever." Elizabeth seemed to have exhausted herself at that; her hand fell back into her lap.

Right. Well. Whatever. The fires hadn't burnt him yet, but he had stayed well away from them. He was going to continue to do so.

He took a deep breath and flew out of the dungeons as quickly as he could. As expected, the fire creatures spotted him quickly, and they began to shout and shriek in a language Danny couldn't even begin to understand.

They also threw fireballs. And fire spears. And fire chains. Just, a lot of things made out of fire.

It was a good thing Danny had ice powers. Otherwise he would have had a hard time combating all this. A few fireballs passed far too close to his head for comfort. His ice also seemed to be unusually effective on doors.

Finally, Danny was able to get above ground, and, no longer constrained to follow the cord around his wrist, he escaped through a window. He spiraled up, almost high enough to hit the underside of the flames licking at the trees, and then dove away.

"So," he said, "what now?"

"You don't know?" Elizabeth looked a lot better now. Almost human.

"I wasn't given a whole lot of information when they coerced me into doing this. They just said to follow the cord to you, and I did that." Speaking of which, what had happened to the cord? It had just vanished, without Danny even noticing. "I was half-expecting to just get zapped back the moment I found you."

"Coerced?"

"They said they'd make my dad or my sister do this, if I didn't, and they can't fly."

"They're alive."

"Yeah."

There was something like a frown on Elizabeth's face. "They shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah. You don't have to tell me that." More shrieks were approaching from the direction of the castle. "They did this with one of your books. Please tell me you know how to get out of here."

Elizabeth licked her lips. Her tongue was pink. "We go out where you came in," she said.

Danny looked at the trees around him. He only knew where the castle was because of the noises coming from that direction. Otherwise, everything looked the same in every direction. He was pretty sure that even if he went back to the castle, he wouldn't be able to tell which direction he had approached it from, and after that...

They were screwed.

"Follow the blood," said Elizabeth.

It was better than nothing, Danny supposed. His green blood did stand out against the red, but he's been high in the air when he shed it. Following that trail was going to suck, and it still required going back to the castle and avoiding all the fire creatures.

Some of this must have shown on his face, because Elizabeth said, "Not like that, boy, look." She pointed to the small puddle of ectoplasm that had dripped from his hand while they had been talking.

Flowers and vines were growing from it. Ghostly green and blue flowers and vines. As he watched, the vines grew longer, the flowers opened wider.

"Oh," Danny said. "I guess that makes things easier."

Easier was, of course, a relative term. Was following the trail left by ghostly plants growing out of Danny's blood easier than stumbling blindly around the burning forest? Yes. Was it easy? No. No it was not. Especially not with the fire creatures hunting them through the trees and how far apart the blood spatters could be.

Still. Danny was able to follow the trail for an hour before the fire creatures caught up to him.

When they did, they seemed almost, confused. They didn't attack. It was like they were waiting for something.

Danny would have run, but he was worried that he'd lose the trail if he tried to do that, and he didn't think he'd be able to find it again. He and the fire creatures stared each other down. Every few seconds, one of them would make a noise and another would answer.

Rapidly, Danny was becoming surrounded. He would have to make his move soon. He really didn't want to lose the trail, but he didn't think he could win this fight.

Too many enemies. Too much fire. Maybe if he flew straight up, he-

The fire creatures attacked. Danny ducked, wove, and conjured shields of ice and ectoenergy, but there was a limit to what he could do against this many attackers, especially while carrying Elizabeth.

He saw a ball of fire coming that he couldn't dodge and instinctively twisted to spare Elizabeth.

It splashed against him harmlessly.

Everything stopped. The fire creatures froze, even their flames going still, as though they were videos that had been paused. One began to wail, and then they all fled, disappearing into the brightness of the forest.

"A pure soul," said Elizabeth again. She patted his shoulder. Her skin was a burnt red, now. Her eyes were as blue as his were when he was human. Her frown was deeper, more obvious. "It was clever to send you... but they shouldn't have."

"Sure," said Danny, a little surprised. He scanned the trees, trying to see if any of the fire creatures were waiting in ambush. Seeing none, he continued.

They reached the field of tubes, and Danny followed his blood trail back to where he had lacerated his feet.

"Now what," he said.

"Land," said Elizabeth.

Danny grimaced, remembering what had happened to his feet the last time he had tried to walk here. He landed carefully on what looked like the thickest part of the vine growing from his blood-

-and was abruptly back in the chalk circle in Cordelia's basement.

The shadow pounced on him. Unprepared, Danny dropped Elizabeth and fell. Pain sparkled along his limbs as the shadow pulled at his ghost form. It was too much. The lack of sleep, the hunger, the stress, the energy he had spent finding Elizabeth and bringing her back, the blood loss and pain from the wound in his hand, his inability to protect his family, and now this attack. He curled up, trying to protect his head and hand, and abandoned his ghost form.

"Stop this at once!"

"Grandmother, I-"

"Call off this shadow."

A beat. "Very well." The shadow stopped its assault, and Danny stumbled up and out of the circle, scuffing the lines beyond all recognition. Cordelia and Elizabeth were the only women standing. The boarders were all kneeling, faces hidden.

"Grandmother, many times great grandmother, I greet you. I am Cordelia, the last descendant of your daughter, Mary, and I have labored long to bring you back to this world, so that your works will not be lost."

Elizabeth, Danny noted, was standing very straight, her skin sunburn-pink in all but a few places, her arms crossed over the burnt rags of what might have once been a shirt. She did not look pleased.

"So my works won't be lost," repeated Elizabeth.

"Your son betrayed you," said Cordelia. "He burned all your books, all your magics. This is all that survived." Cordelia held up the singed book.

Elizabeth pressed her eyelids together briefly. "And so, you forced your cousin, a child, into that place after me, rather than coming on your own?"

"There was no choice-"

"There is always a choice," said Elizabeth, cutting her off with a sharp gesture. "Better that book should have burned as well, and I was imprisoned forever. You were lucky in my captors. Others would have delighted in taking a pure soul as an ornament for their court, even if they couldn't have harmed him."

"You can't mean that-"

"I do. Is it true you have imprisoned the other members of this boy's family?"

"He would never have agreed, otherwise. Please, this is all we have left of our heritage. We need you. This was all necessary. I beg of you, teach us."

Danny began to back away, to the ladder. Maybe if he got out fast enough, he could trap them in the basement and look for Jazz and his parents.

"Do you know how I wound up there? In that place?" asked Elizabeth. "I went too far, and I ignored the rules. What's your name?"

"Cordelia."

"Cordelia. Cordelia Nightingale-Fenton?"

"Just Nightingale."

"I begin to see," said Elizabeth.

Danny was almost to the ladder. Maybe he could tap into his ghost powers a little bit and float up, quietly.

"If you had come to get me yourself, if you had even asked him-" Elizabeth gestured to where Danny had been. Both women did a double-take, and then their eyes traced up to where Danny currently was.

"What are you doing?" hissed Cordelia. This was the first time Danny had seen her visibly angry.

"Stop," said Elizabeth, grabbing Cordelia's shoulder. "What is your name, boy?"

"It's Daniel Fenton," said Cordelia, when Danny didn't answer.

Elizabeth considered Danny for a moment. "Go to your family, Daniel. Whatever curses or enchantments Cordelia cast on them should be lifted. Including that hate curse." She ran her fingers down Cordelia's arm. "Why on earth did you cast that?" Her eyes flicked back up. "Expect to receive my correspondence, Daniel Fenton."

Danny found Jazz and his parents in the attic. Their luggage was there, too, and Danny and Jazz's missing clothing. Maddie's cell phone was going off. Danny ignored it. He started shaking them. Slowly, they came awake.

"Danny?" said Jazz. She scrubbed at her eyes. "Ugh, what's that sound?"

"Mom's phone is going off."

"What?" said Maddie, groggily. "My phone?" She fumbled at her pocket. "Yes, what is it? Yes, this is Doctor Fenton. What? Well," this last word was a bit snide. "It's about time. We'll be there before the end of the day." She snapped the phone closed. "Jack, sweetheart, wake up, we're going back home. All the charges against us have been dropped, and they want us to look into a ghost attack. Apparently, Phantom didn't show up. As we knew he wouldn't."

"Huh? Ghost? Where?"

"In Amity Park, Jack."

"In Amity Park! Alright!" said Jack, jumping to his feet, and grabbing most of the luggage. "I knew they wouldn't last two days without us! Let's go, kids!"

He ran down the stairs. Maddie took a moment to look around, pursing her lips. "How did we get up here?" she asked. She shook her head, dismissing the question. "Do either of you kids know where Cordelia is?"

"She went out," said Danny. "To town. She won't be back 'til later."

"We'll have to leave a note, then. You two should get dressed before we go, or you'll have to try and do it in the GAV bathroom."

"So what really happened?" asked Jazz, after Maddie went down the stairs.

"Long story," said Danny, throwing on a pair of jeans, "and we really do need to leave. Fast." He took his luggage and rushed down the stairs.

Danny watched Cordelia's house shrink in the rear-view mirror of the GAV, right up until it shimmered out of existence like a mirage. He clenched his teeth. He had seen worse.

He turned in his seat and put his hands in his pockets, intending to brood over what had happened, but his hand encountered a stiff piece of paper that had definitely, absolutely, not been there before. Well. Elizabeth had said to expect her correspondence.

He pulled a crisp white envelope out of his pocket. On the front, in spidery cursive, was his name. He turned it over. On the back flap was written the name Elizabeth NF.

She was family. Distantly. He put his thumb under the back flap, and began to open the letter.

#danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 2020

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lexosaurus · 4 years

Text

Everything Was White – Part 8

part [1] / [7]

read on [ffn] / [ao3]

---

Something was pushing Danny awake.

He turned his head away. Maybe if he wasn’t facing it, it would go away.

“Danny,” a soft voice whispered. He felt another gentle push. “Danny, it’s time to get up.”

He groaned and mumbled something incoherent.

“Come on, Danny. Wake up.”

That damn voice. It was familiar.

“Danny,” his mother said in a singsong voice as she nudged him again.

Ugh, his mom was waking him up. Which meant it was probably before his alarm was set to go off, which was so annoying and hadn’t he told her that he always set his alarms? Sure, sometimes he ignored them or outright slept through them, but he wasn’t so irresponsible that he would mess up on his first day of outpatient.

“It’s time for your first day! You have to get up!”

His eyelids lifted only for sunlight to assault his retinas. He snapped his eyes back shut and grumbled, “Go without me.”

He could feel his mother rolling her eyes.

“I can’t go without you, honey. Come on, didn’t you go to bed early last night? I’ll make you pancakes if you get up now.”

Right. He did go to bed early last night.

Why was he so damn tired then?

But then, as if his brain were waiting for that question, the memories from last night hit him all at once.

He had a nightmare. It was about being cut open, wasn’t it? And...something else. He couldn’t remember what it was fully about now, but he knew it was bad. Maybe it was that night. The one when Operative O visited him with the red bag.

The red bag.

Oh.

His eyes flew open and zeroed in on his nightstand where he knew he had shoved the bottle of oxycodone in last night.

Right. No wonder he was fatigued.

He should flush the pills now.

“Well, there you are! Welcome to Earth, Danny!” His mother joked, pinching his cheek.

He groaned and brushed her hand off his face, momentarily shoving the thought of the pills to the back of his mind. He couldn’t worry about that now with his mom in his room like this. She would get suspicious, and then she would figure him out, and then she would send him back to inpatient because he couldn’t last one day outside of the hospital without resorting to his own terrible methods of self-care.

“You need help getting ready at all? I can grab a shirt from your closet if you’d like?”

“Uh…” He glanced over to his closet. Instinctively, he wanted to refuse the help. He wouldn’t be able to rely on his parents to help him reach for clothing on hangers forever, so he should just practice as much as he could now.

But, oh man, he was so tired.

“Actually...yeah,” he found himself saying. “Can you just grab me a—a long sleeve? It doesn’t matter which color.”

Maddie hummed and made her way over to the closet while Danny focused on dragging himself from his bed. His wheelchair was right there, right next to his bed. He had to wonder how the hell he missed it last night during his... debacle.

Well, whatever. He wasn’t going to let that— any of that—happen again. So it didn’t matter.

“Is this alright?” Maddie held up a plain gray shirt.

“Yeah, thanks,” Danny responded, his gaze drifting back to the nightstand drawer.

He shook his head, forcing himself to look anywhere but there. He was acting too suspicious. He just needed to chill . It was fine.

He needed to get his mother out of his room now.

“You need anything else? Want me to grab pants? Socks?”

“No, it’s fine, I can get those.”

“Are you sure? I’m already up.”

“I got it.”

“Alright.” Maddie smiled. “I’ll get started on those pancakes, okay? Yell if you need anything.”

“Yeah. I will.”

She left, gently closing his door behind her.

His head dropped into his hands, and he sat there, trying to rub the fatigue from his vision. Damn, it had been a while since he felt this exhausted.

Okay, Danny, get it together.

He pulled open the drawer to see the orange bottle right there where he left it, its contents gleaming under the morning sun. This was it. Now all he had to do was sneak into the bathroom and dispose of the evidence in his toilet. If he did that, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone finding this, he wouldn’t get sent back to inpatient, and everything would be okay again.

Reaching down, his fingers brushed against the smooth plastic sides of the bottle.

This was it.

Danny went to wrap his fingers around the container when suddenly a light rapping sounded from his door.

“Danny? You in there?” Jazz’s muffled voice said. “Are you decent?”

“Just a minute!” Danny ripped his hands from the bottle and hastily shut the drawer. “I’m changing!”

“You need any help?”

“Ew, Jazz. I’m not a toddler!”

“Alright, alright! Just making sure. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Danny didn’t respond, instead choosing to focus on the morning routine that he established at the hospital. And by the time he dragged himself into the passenger’s seat of the GAV and shut the door, he wanted nothing more than for this day to be over.

Maddie hopped into the driver’s seat. “Alright, Danny! First day in your new program!”

“Yeah.” Danny unlocked his phone and checked his new messages from Sam and Tucker. His text the previous night was inescapably cringy to read again, but thankfully, his two friends seemed too excited by the prospect of hanging out with him that day to care.

“Are you excited?”

Danny glanced over at his mother, eyebrows raised.

“For your first day! This is a big step, you know.”

He felt his cheeks heat up and averted his gaze back down to his phone, shrugging.

Who cared how big of a step it was? Danny didn’t, that was for sure.

It was only the first time Danny was going to be in public since the big reveal, since returning from the Guys in White and inpatient. It was only the first time he’d be confirming to the world that yes, Danny Phantom couldn’t fly and in fact he couldn’t walk either, and Danny Phantom also slept on a concussion and was going into a building where there would be new people and he really just wanted to crawl into bed and never get up again.

“Are you nervous, honey?”

Everyone was going to know who he was. Not that everyone didn’t know who he was in the hospital, but this was different. This was a smaller group; it was more intimate. The hospital was just for stability, just enough to get him to a point where he didn’t feel like he was losing his mind anymore, but this was where the real work started.

Was he ready for this?

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s whatever. Same thing, just new people.”

Maddie made no move to continue the conversation, so Danny took this opportunity to lean against the window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. A car passed by him, and he saw a young child in the backseat. Her blonde hair was tied up into pigtails with two bright pink scrunchies, which bounced excitedly along with her rapidly moving mouth. Danny couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he watched as her mother broke out into a proud smile in the driver’s seat.

He closed his eyes. All these strangers around him were living out their lives, forming happy memories with their loved ones.

He felt nauseous.

Thankfully, Maddie didn’t try to initiate conversation for the rest of the drive.

The trek to the PHP was nothing like the short drive to school. Casper was under a twenty-minute walk from Danny’s house. It was a perfect location, just far enough away to escape the constant embarrassment of his parents’ gaudy experiments while close enough to be within a comfortable walking distance.

But this program was too far away to walk to. It was past the residential areas of Amity Park, past the shopping centers and restaurants, past the movie theater that still had a sign out for Dead Teacher Five. It was beyond Danny’s usual bubble of Amity Park, past what he knew to be home.

The car finally stopped at an office complex. He peeled his head away from the window and glanced over to see Maddie studying her phone.

“Yup, this is it. It should be on the third floor. They told me there was an elevator inside.” She pocketed her phone and unbuckled her seat belt. “Stay here, I’ll grab your chair.”

Danny looked back at the building. It seemed normal , nothing like the inpatient facility. There were no medical signs outside the building, no children’s play center and fenced-in field, no disabled schools on the property. It seemed like a normal brick office building.

Maddie opened his door, and he gingerly slipped from his seat to the chair. The distance from the GAV to his chair was far too large, and Danny was just thankful he’d managed to avoid falling face-first onto the pavement.

The visual loudness of the GAV had always been a sore point for Danny’s perpetual teenage humiliation, but today it felt especially unbearable. He could only hope the ground would open up and swallow him whole before anyone noticed them.

“I think the ramp entrance is on the side of the building.”

Danny frowned, looking at the front door. His first instinct was to insist that it was only a few steps between the main entrance and the pavement, that he could do it. Don’t worry, he wasn’t that bad at walking.

But that would mean his mom would have to help him and who knows what would happen then. What if someone saw him? What if someone took a video of him and posted it online? The news would spread it like wildfire, and then soon everyone would get to see Phantom struggling through a door. It would be trending in an hour.

“Okay, let’s do the ramp.”

The interior of the building was small and plain. Reading over the office list next to the elevator, Danny saw nothing out of the ordinary. On the first floor was a financial consulting office, a construction management company on the second, and on the third floor in blue letters were the words “Kaufman Health Center.”

The elevator door swung open with a ding, and—with some help from his mom—Danny maneuvered himself inside.

This was it. No turning back.

Not that he had a choice.

Danny tried to focus on his breathing. He was fine, this was fine. It didn’t matter that by the time he got home today, the entire internet would have leaked pictures and information detailing his recovery. What, did he think he was really entitled to privacy? Of course this wasn’t going to last.

He refused to acknowledge the sound of the elevator door opening up once again, but his mother pushed him out of the doors anyway. He hated it. He hated how his hands automatically took over and moved him to the door, hated how easily he pressed the accessible button next to the door, and he hated how little effort it took him to wheel himself into the lobby of the health center.

This wasn’t what he planned his life to become. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at school right now, messing around with Sam and Tucker, maybe texting during class, planning their next movie night or talking about how cheesy last week’s film was. He was supposed to be pretending Phantom and he were separate entities and that Fenton was nothing more than some random geek.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

And yet…

Danny peered up to see another teen gawking at him from across the lobby. He and Danny locked eyes, and the other teen jolted out of his trance as if he’d been slapped, his head hurriedly swiveling away as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets.

Danny glared down at his lap, his face burning. From the corner of his vision, he could see the teen move out of the lobby, but Danny couldn’t look back up at him. Was it shame? Embarrassment? The weight of his failures?

It didn’t matter. None of it mattered.

He was here. He was really here. It was a real place with real people and real problems, and he was now a part of it.

Maddie went over to the front desk and talked to the bubbly voice behind the counter, but Danny wasn’t listening to what they were saying. He refused to. It was just…

How did he end up here?

Another teen crossed in front of him, and Danny could feel the stares. But there was nothing he could do. Everyone was going to know now...everyone…

He pushed himself over to the wall near the couches. Maybe if he was out of the center of the room, he would be invisible again, just like he used to be as only Fenton. Maybe if he kept his head down and held his breath, nobody would notice him.

Maddie sat down in the empty chair next to him, her hand armed with a clipboard full of paperwork. Danny knew she had noticed his tense behavior—she had to—but thankfully, she didn’t say anything.

Danny watched her fill out his paperwork, making notes in the “medical history” section of the paperwork with the practice of someone who had been writing it for years.

How many nights had she spent, then, reading his reports over and over again until they were burned into her memory? How often did she open his files, checking and double checking every detail until she was cross-eyed? How often did Jack have to tug the files out of her hands so she could go to sleep?

Maddie deserved better. She shouldn’t have had to be dealing with him, worrying about him like this, taking him to the doctors and therapists every day. She shouldn’t have had to worry about the media hounding her, or her stupid half-ghost son who stupidly got revealed on national television.

No, she deserved so much better.

“Maddie? Maddie Fenton?”

Danny flinched, the voice shocking him from his pity party. He looked up to see a short woman in a park cardigan appear from the hallway. She strode across the blue carpet, her hand extended out in front of her.

Maddie stood and shook the woman’s hand. “Hello. Yu-Jin, is it?”

“That’s right.” She nodded, a bright smile decorating her face. “We spoke on the phone a few days ago, but it’s nice to formally meet you.”

“Yes,” Maddie said. She turned to Danny, placing her hand on his shoulder.

It felt heavy.

“This is my son, Danny.”

“Uh…” Danny’s hands fidgeted on his lap. Was this woman expecting a handshake? She hadn’t made any movements to get one, so did that mean she didn’t want to touch him? Or maybe she wasn’t allowed to since he was a minor? Was he being rude by not even offering a handshake?

Oh god, was he messing this whole thing up before it could even begin?

She gave him a short wave. “Hello, Danny. It’s nice to meet you. I’m the head therapist for your group, and I look forward to working with you the next few weeks.”

“Hi…”

God, he was so embarrassing. This was the first person he had met outside of the hospital who knew he was Phantom and he was just going to act like this? Completely incompetent? He might as well be back in the government compound, then.

“I understand this is a difficult transition, Danny,” she continued. “I hope we can help make this process a little easier for you. Everyone here is very kind, and I think this place will be a good fit for you.”

“I think it will too,” Maddie said.

Danny picked at his cuticles. He wasn’t so sure.

This woman seemed nice but she wasn’t... her. The therapist from the other place. Danny combed through his brain for a name, but came up blank.

Surely he would have gotten her name though, right? It might’ve been on a piece of paper somewhere? But Danny knew, deep down inside, that he never wrote down her name during his stay and wouldn’t be able to remember it. Not now, not tomorrow, not next week. It was simply gone from his memory.

The new therapist—Danny had already forgotten her name too—chattered on with Maddie about...Danny didn’t know what. He’d stopped listening. His mind was already drifting to other places.

He wondered if the redhead from inpatient was doing alright. He was too nice of a person to be in this situation. Danny couldn’t remember his name either...

“—and Danny?”

Danny’s head snapped back into focus. He blinked, surveying the quiet lobby before his eyes landed on the new therapist.

Oh, right. He was at the new building with the new people and the new schedule.

He was too tired to be here.

“Yeah?”

“I told your mother this over the phone, but it’s important I let you know as well that we can provide any accommodations you may need during your time with us. So please don’t be shy if you need any help with anything from us.”

Danny felt his eyebrows scrunch. Just what in the world was she talking about? Accommodations?

...oh.

“I—I don’t have...I’m human, I swear,” Danny stammered. “I, uh, I mean I’m not, but—but—it’s not—I’m not—”

“Oh heavens, no! My apologies. I should have been clearer. I was referring to disability accommodations. We build our therapies and activities to be done by anyone regardless of mobility, but occasionally, we may have to make slight adjustments for you. Don’t be afraid to speak up about anything, alright?”

“Okay.” Danny hoped his face hid his confusion.

She turned back to Maddie. “I’ll let you finish the paperwork up. Please feel free to ask Sharon any questions you may have. We keep copies of the schedule at the front desk if you would prefer a printed version. Danny, would you like to come with me? I’ll show you to our room.”

“Yeah.” His eyes flickered back up to his mother. Despite her calm expression before, now her face was pinched, her smile strained.

“See you later?” He didn’t mean for his voice to come out like a question, and he mentally kicked himself for doing so.

“Goodbye, Danny. I’ll see you for pickup, okay?” Maddie said.

Danny undid the brakes on his chair. “Bye, Mom.”

“Don’t forget we’re going straight to PT after.”

“Alright, I know.”

“I’ll bring you a snack to eat on the way. Okay?”

“Sure.”

“Would you rather a granola bar or a banana? I can bring both if you’d—”

“Banana.” Danny said, the words slipping out of his mouth with a speed that surprised even himself. He swallowed. “Banana’s good.”

“Alright, sweetie. Have a good day.”

Danny turned so he wouldn’t have to see his mother’s misting eyes. “Yeah. You too.”

“Okay, Danny?” the therapist said, waving him forward. “Come with me.”

Every eye in the room was on him.

Danny knew that this would happen. Ultimately, he was Phantom, whether he wanted to be right now or not.

But even then, every eye in the room was on him.

He hesitated, unsure if he should proceed deeper into the room or not. On one hand, he could act like he didn’t notice anything strange and go over to the small group of teens sitting at the table. On the other hand, he could say something. Introduce himself. Maybe if he spoke, people would snap out of it.

But at the moment, all he could do was stare back.

Maybe one of the teens would realize what they were doing and look away. Maybe one of them would speak first. Or maybe—

The door burst open with a loud, “Sorry I’m late, I—oh! Uh, hi.”

Danny blinked, staring back at the teen in front of him. She was tall, with thick blonde curls tied up in a ponytail. She stood in front of him, looking as if she had just run a mile.

“Uh…” Danny froze, unsure of what to do. He could wave, but that might’ve been weird. He should just talk, but he was pretty sure if he tried that, his voice would choke up.

Thankfully, he was saved from responding by the therapist entering the room. “Jessica, good to see you! Don’t forget to fill out the morning check-in sheet. Danny, you too. We fill these out each morning to establish a baseline for how we’re doing before our morning meeting.”

Danny followed the blonde girl to the table—making sure to sit at the corner, as far away from the other teens as possible—and grabbed a piece of paper. It was a simple questionnaire, and it seemed easy enough to do.

But everyone was still staring at him.

Why was he like a zoo animal on display?

Phantom was such a fascinating subject, isn’t that what he’d been told before his reveal? How fascinating he was as a ghost because he was just so different from the other ghosts? He remembered reading all the theories back then and laughing about them because he thought that nobody would ever get to the truth.

There were subreddits about him, countless usernames analyzing his fights and trying to pick apart what exactly made him so special. What made Phantom so powerful? Why did he do the things that he did?

The truth was far less glamorous than the theorists anticipated. As it turned out, Phantom was just some weird mutant half-breed. That was all.

‘How did you sleep last night?’ the check-in sheet asked.

What would it matter if he didn’t sleep well? It wasn’t like he ever slept before the reveal, and no one seemed to care. Why was it different now—because he was suddenly fascinating as a human too?

Danny felt the back of his neck itch, and he wondered if he’d be able to dig his pen into his neck and remove the ecto-suppressing chip himself. After all, what was a little more nerve damage to him?

‘Did you shower this morning?’

Danny didn’t even want to think about that. The stupid bench. It shouldn’t have felt any different from when he was in inpatient, but for some reason, it did. Maybe he thought that everything would suddenly go back to normal once he got home. Maybe that was what he wanted to happen.

But it didn’t.

And people were still glancing at him.

“Fascinating…” The operative studied the device hovering over his chest. “Your core has nestled itself right next to your heart, right in the center of your chest. It should be restricting your lung, theoretically, but its small size combined with your lesser need for oxygen makes the whole system work seamlessly. Truly fascinating anatomy…”

That particular operative hadn’t hurt him—not physically—but something about the way he was speaking made Danny feel sick nonetheless. At the time, Danny had chalked it up due to the fact that he was the Guys in White’s latest little test subject for what he assumed was the rest of his life.

But now that he was home, now that he was here under the stares of these new strange teens, he realized that maybe there was more to it than that.

Maybe, just maybe, Danny didn’t want to be fascinating to everyone else. Maybe he just wanted to fucking exist in peace. Maybe he didn’t want to be here.

Maybe he could still get his old life back.

The chair across from him moved, and Danny looked up to see the therapist sit down, clipboard in hand.

“Good morning, everyone.” The therapist beamed at the group. “We’ll begin our morning meeting in just a second. First, I’m sure you all have noticed, but we have a new peer joining us today. Why don’t we go around the circle and introduce ourselves so we’re all acquainted before we do anything else. Alright? I’ll go first.”

Danny wanted to point out that she’d already introduced herself, but then he remembered that he couldn’t remember her name and didn’t she read his file and already know that this was a waste of time because there was no way in hell his stupid brain would be able to memorize all these names?

But he bit his tongue.

“I’m Yu-Jin, and I’m the lead therapist for this group. I’ve been here for eight years, and I’m very happy to be working with you all.” She turned to the blonde girl. “Would you like to go next?”

The blonde girl gave Danny a quick wave. “I’m Jessica. I’m sixteen and I go to Brickstone High. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Mark,” said the boy next to her. He was tall, broad, and if not for the brown hair, could have easily resembled Dash Baxter. “Seventeen, and I go to Central High.”

A timid voice came next. “Maria. I’m seventeen.”

“Hey, I’m Arabelle,” a girl with teal hair styled into a pixie cut said. Her gaze flickered over to Danny once before remaining pointedly fixed on the therapist. “I’m fifteen and I’m from Elmerton.”

Danny took stock of the other teens. They didn’t seem like they despised his existence, at least. So maybe it could have been worse.

But the discomfort that was radiating off of each of them was palpable. Their eyes either didn’t leave Danny or avoided him like the plague. It was as if he were a feral beast poised to attack if a single foot stepped out of line.

Maybe you are a cornered animal, Fenturd. Isn’t that how Dash treated you? In the locker room that day?

“Danny? Would you like to introduce yourself?” the therapist asked, her voice cutting through his brain like a hot knife.

Danny surveyed the room one last time. If he did open his mouth and speak, then everyone would know how much he’d lost over the past months. Everyone would hear him, and any dignity he had left would evaporate in an instant.

But what choice did he have? If he didn’t speak, he would be sent back to inpatient, and he would never be able to return to Casper High.

This was so humiliating.

“Hi.” Danny paused. That was right! If he just focused on saying small words, he might be able to get through this intact. He could do this, he just had to be as direct as he could.

“I’m Danny.”

And just like that, everyone’s eyes had zeroed in on him.

Should he continue? Was it even worth it? Everyone here already knew who he was. They’d likely seen all the news footage of his disappearance, they probably knew about the court case, they’d probably seen photos and videos of his parents and sister and maybe even his classmates and old teachers too.

But if he didn’t continue with the introduction, would people just think he was being rude? Would they assume him to be some raging narcissist?

His head turned down to his lap where he watched his fingers twist together. He wished he had that stress ball right now, the one from inpatient. It would be so much better to have something like that in here.

“I’m sixteen.”

There. That was bound to suffice for his introduction. It was short, it was to the point, and it got out everything that this group would need to know about him for the rest of the day.

When was this program going to end?

“Welcome, Danny,” said the therapist. “We are happy to have you in this group, and we hope you feel comfortable here as well.”

He hoped he gave her a weak smile at the very least, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it looked like a grimace.

“Alright, let’s get started on our morning check-in discussion. Just a reminder to everyone that everything said here is confidential; it stays between us,” the therapist said. “So for the morning check-in, we’re just going to read off of our sheets so we can see how we’re all doing today.”

Danny’s brain short-circuited. He glanced over to his questionnaire, and it seemed to be positively glowing under the bright ceiling lights.

No. No way. They were going to make him share this? Just in front of everyone?

They couldn’t.

He looked up to see the blonde girl holding her sheet up in front of her. She was moving her lips, her face looking passive, bored.

Danny dug his fingernails into his palms. He didn’t understand why this surprised him at all. They all had to share personal details in inpatient, didn’t they? It wasn’t like any of this was new to him, so why did it feel so different?

Because it was different now. Before, he was confined in a space with teens, most of whom were taken straight from the hospital. They couldn’t leave, they had no one to gossip with aside from their therapists, and everyone was too busy getting used to their new medications to worry about each other.

But here? The teens here would go home at the end of the day. They would tell their parents that they were in a group with Danny Phantom and they might talk about him and even if the therapist said this was all confidential, was it really? He wasn’t stupid, he knew people would talk. He was a news topic, a national event, a celebrity.

He was Danny Phantom.

Or...he was.

He tried to grasp at his core, but it was still too dull and muted and he couldn’t feel it like he used to. His body wasn’t what it should’ve been. He was trapped in this faux-human bubble, and he needed to escape it.

Back in freshman year of high school, Danny had so desperately wanted to be popular. He wanted to be loved and respected by his peers, he wanted their acceptance. He remembered trying so hard to fit in. He tried buying the right clothes and going after the right girls and listening to the right music in the fleeting hope that maybe somebody would give him the attention he so craved.

If Danny had a time machine now, he would go back to that time, punch himself in the face, and yell at him to give up because you don’t want the attention, you don’t want it like this!

They said the grass was always greener on the other side, and Danny had never understood what that meant until now. He had the attention he wanted, but it cost him everything.

He wouldn’t be able to fit in here, not with him out as Danny Phantom. Not after everything that happened. Not after the Guys in White, the broken bones, the damaged nerve system, the memory and speech issues, the loss of everything that kept him whole.

This fame wasn’t worth it.

He was so stupid.

Being an invisible loser sucked, but at least he could still be Phantom when he wanted to be. Now the roles were reversed and Fenton just... sucked.

“Danny?”

Danny jolted up to see everyone—once again—staring at him.

What now?

“Would you like to share your check-in sheet with us?” The therapist nodded encouragingly.

Danny obediently picked up his paper. “Today I’m...I…” He felt his face grow red. He would take another day hooked up to the Guys in White’s ectoplasm machine to this. “I’m feeling okay. I—uh, I didn’t shower this morning. I took my...um…I—I took...I took...”

The sheet slipped through his fingers and fell onto his lap. He made no effort to pick it up again.

He kept his head low, his lips parted slightly, trying to form words that wouldn’t come out. He felt his eyes sting, and he forced the tears back because he was not crying right now, he refused to be like this in front of all these strange teens and he was not crying, damn it.

This sucked. He sucked. He wished he could skip this part of the day and go to PT. At least then he would be up and moving, focusing on strengthening his body, focusing on actually getting better instead of whatever this bullshit was.

He couldn’t do this.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, even if he really wasn’t sorry at all. He was pissed and his chest hurt and he was sick of sitting all the time and he wanted to leave.

“It’s alright, Danny,” the therapist said. “No one said this was going to be easy. Would you like to try again?”

He shook his head. He knew he wouldn’t be able to. He just couldn’t do this.

“That’s okay. Can everyone hand me their check-in sheets?”

But Danny didn’t want to pick up his questionnaire again because that would mean he would have to give it to her, this woman that he didn’t know and then she would have it and he couldn’t do that because then she would wonder what the hell was the big deal why Danny didn’t want to share his check-in sheet like everyone else did no problem and she was going to contact his parents and what if she shared his sheet with anyone else what was going to happen then?

“Danny, can I have your paper?”

Danny ripped the sheet of paper off his lap and thrust it out to her like it was a venomous snake.

“Thank you,” she said.

Danny refused to look at her face.

Who knew the great Danny Phantom would be defeated by a piece of paper?

He couldn’t imagine how he looked, head low, shoulders hunched, his movements stiff and uncoordinated. It was no wonder why everyone was staring at him.

Really, Daniel, Vlad would say. You can’t act like that and expect people not to notice.

Danny’s arm twitched, and it took everything in his power to refrain from pulling his hair out of his skull.

He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be around all these people. He didn’t want to have to pour out his feelings in front of these strangers.

Where the hell was Desiree when he needed her? He wanted everything to go back to the way it was. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t be here, and if this was going to be the rest of his life, then he didn’t want it anymore.

---

Sorry to those who thought this fic was abandoned! It’s not, it just took me too long to figure out how to write this chapter. But in doing so, I actually have the first draft of most of the next chapter written. So that’s good!

As always, a hugeee thank you to @imekitty for not only beta-ing this chapter, but helping me sort through the mess of thoughts that was the first drafts. Additionally, thank you so so much to @prydoniantrash for helping me with the PHP details!

Thanks for reading!

#danny phantom #phandom #fanfiction #phicc #my writing #everything was white #comment if you'd like to be alerted when updates are posted

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ghostsray · 5 years

Text

@wastefulreverie helped me write a fic (i wrote the story, and she edited my shitty writing into something good) based on a prompt @dannyphantomisameme came up with in the pbs server

basic summary: wes gets captured by the giw (TW: implied vivisection)

word count: 4591

___

By Danny’s standards, it was a normal day. And by ‘normal’ that entailed battling a large, snarling ghost wolf in the middle of Amity Park Park. But it was fine. After a year of experience, he was getting good at these daily fights, and the wolf provided no challenge for him. He captured the ghost with little difficulty, and the bystanders who were watching erupted into cheers. Well, most of them anyway.

“Fenton!”

At the exclamation, Danny reflexively turned his head. Realizing his mistake, he immediately regretted his decision. Wes Weston, smug as always, was standing behind him. Wes turned to the crowd and pointed out, “See? He responded to his name. He’s Fenton!”

For a split second Danny worried that they might listen to him, but fortunately, his worries seemed to be pointless. On cue, the crowd groaned and collectively rolled their eyes. Paulina put her hands on her hips. “Really, Wes?” She spoke with enough expertise to deny his claim since she always watched Phantom’s battles.

With wide eyes, Wes sputtered, “But—come on, that was solid proof!”

“Right,” Paulina dragged out. “Just because he happened to turn his head in your general direction when you happened to say a name that happened to be Danny Fenton’s last name.”

The fury on Wes’s face was almost comical. He gestured again at Danny and yelled, “He literally looks the same!”

A mischievous smile crawled onto Danny’s face. His voice carried a mocking tone when he spoke, “Gee, Wes, I don’t know.” Floating closer to the boy, he placed a hand under his chin and pretended to inspect the red-headed teen. “I mean, you look kinda similar to me, too.”

Dash laughed, lightly elbowing Paulina. When it came to watching Phantom’s fights, he did his best to accompany her. “I bet Wes is Phantom, and he’s just trying to frame Danny to keep his secret!” the jock conceived.

The steam out of Wes’s ears was nearly visible. “Seriously?” he seethed. He held out his arms Will Smith-style toward Danny and shouted, “How can I be Phantom if he’s right here?!”

“Duplication, duh,” Sam suggested. She and Tucker had been observing the entire exchange, straining to stifle their laughter.

Wes growled and grabbed a fistful of his hair. “Whatever, I’m leaving!” he decided. He fled from the park, ignoring the snickers from the crowd.

Phantom gave one last heroic wave to his audience before he vanished from the visible spectrum. A few feet away, no one noticed the flash of light behind a nearby tree, nor when Danny Fenton stepped out beside it. He joined his friends and watched the crowd disperse.

Once they were out of earshot, Sam was the first to speak. “Do you ever feel bad, bullying Wes like that?” she asked. The three friends met eyes for a moment. Breaking the tension, they all burst into laughter.

“As if,” Tucker choked. “That guy deserves it.”

Swallowing his laughter, Danny straightened himself. “Anyway, I’m sure Wes will be fine,” he pointed out. It’s not like Wes was in danger or anything, he was just… a jerk. Danny wouldn’t joke about it if it was actually serious. As it stood, the worst thing that came out of Wes’s wild accusations was some mockery from his classmates.

Danny grinned, kicking his shoes against the sidewalk. “So,” he gestured to his left, “Nasty Burger?”

Sam and Tucker murmured in agreement and the trio finally exited the park. On their way to the restaurant, they passed a bulky white van, but none of them thought much of it. It was just a white van; it wasn’t peculiar or anything.

The next day, Wes didn’t come to school.

Nobody really cared. Wes was known to cut class everyone now and then. Since adopting his obsession with Danny, he spent so many nights plotting Danny’s grand exposure that he either overslept or simply forgot about school.

Everyone simultaneously decided to enjoy this Wes-free time; any break from having his conspiracy theories shoved down their throats was welcome. Tucker even joked that this was like a vacation for them. The day passed, and Wes remained absent, but nobody thought much about it. People missed school all the time! He must have gotten sick or something.

With all his other problems, Danny easily put Wes out of his mind… until later that night. He’d finally managed to find some time to do homework (for once) when Jazz inevitably interrupted his study-time. She entered his room with a knock and held out a phone, gesturing for him to take it.

“Someone wants to speak with you,” she told him. Danny furrowed his brows. The only people that ever called him were Sam and Tucker... and they only called his cellphone.

He spun his desk chair around and accepted the phone. Before putting it to his ear, he asked Jazz, “Who is it?”

Jazz shrugged. “Some adult. He says his son is your friend.”

The only person Danny could think of was Tucker’s dad (Sam’s dad would be caught dead before talking to him). So why would Tucker’s dad be calling him? Doing little to filter his confusion, Danny raised the phone to his ear and answered it. He was taken aback when he realized that he wasn’t talking to Maurice Foley; it was Walter Weston—Wes’s dad.

“Hi, uh,” Walter started, “have you talked to Wes today?”

Danny thoughtlessly shook his head, then realized Walter couldn’t see him. “No?” Danny replied apprehensively. “He didn’t come to school today. Why?”

He heard rustling on Walter’s end of the call and assumed that he was pacing back and forth. “He’s not home. I haven’t seen him… not since yesterday. Out of everyone, I thought you might know something since he’s…”

“Obsessed with me?” Danny completed.

Walter hesitated, “… yeah.”

And suddenly, despite not caring about Wes, Danny was worried. Wes wasn’t the type to run from anything, especially away from home. And if he’s been missing since yesterday, then it was logical to believe that something must have happened….

But Danny didn’t have the faintest idea where Wes might be. He bit his lip and told Walter, “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything.”

Walter sighed, obviously disappointed. “That’s fine. Just… call me if you see him.”

The line was hung, and Danny tried to go back to his homework, but he found it hard to concentrate. He tried telling himself that Wes was fine, and that he probably slept over at some fellow conspiracy theorist’s place or something. Still, that night when he patrolled the city for ghosts, he made sure to keep his eyes out for any red-haired teen. He didn’t find Wes.

The next day, Wes was still absent. Like before, everyone else at school didn’t mind. Heck, nobody really even noticed. Those who had picked up on Wes’s disappearance had decided that he was sick and was spending his days at home. But Danny knew that wasn’t the case—not after his phone call with Walter.

“So you think Wes is missing?” Sam asked. They were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and had told her and Tucker about Walter’s call.

“He hasn’t been home for almost two days now. What else could it be?” Danny replied and ran a hand through his hair.

“Maybe he…” Tucker paused, trying to think of a good reason for Wes to spend two days away from home. He came up dry. “Okay, fine, maybe it’s a little concerning.”

Danny picked at his nails anxiously. “What if something bad happened to him because of me?”

Sam crossed her arms. “You mean because he chose to spend his time trying to expose you?” she pointed out with a defensive tone.

“Well, yeah…” Danny amended, “but I still feel kind of responsible.” He stared straight ahead, looking between the A-List and geek tables. “Remember that time he followed Skulker into the Ghost Zone to go after me?”

“You think Wes might be in the Ghost Zone?” Tucker wondered.

Danny shrugged. “It’s possible. Otherwise, someone would’ve found him already.”

“So… what?” Sam figured. “You’re gonna search the entire Zone for him?”

Danny seemed to deflate, but then he perked back up as an idea came to him. “Maybe I don’t need to scour the entire Ghost Zone….”

Hours later, after school was over, Danny made his way to the Far Frozen. He found Frostbite inside one of their grand caves and pulled him aside for a favor. Frostbite bristled hesitantly. “I am not so sure,” he expressed. “The last time I lent you the Infi-Map…”

“It won’t be like last time,” Danny assured him. “I promise. It’s just to find my friend.”

The frost giant pondered a while longer, but he eventually acquiesced. “Very well,” he said. He strode to the center of the cave and stopped in front of a floating chest encased in pale blue light. He unlocked the chest with a shard of ice and pulled out a golden scroll. Carefully, he handed it to Danny.

Danny nodded and thanked the yeti ghost. “I promise I won’t lose it this time,” he assured. With a sound resolution, he held the map a few feet from his face and declared, “Take me to Wes.” For a moment, nothing happened, and he wondered if he had been too vague; but then the map lurched, and Danny’s world spun as it pulled him out of the cave. The Ghost Zone passed in a whirl of green and purple before he was finally led straight to a newly formed natural portal.

Danny wasn’t exactly sure where he expected to land, but it certainly wasn’t here. As soon as he fell through the portal, he was greeted with the distinct scent of antiseptics and concentrated ectoplasm. It reminded him of his parents’ lab, but there was something else here… some sort of coppery smell? Danny glanced around and realized that this was a laboratory. But why would Wes be here? he wondered.

He inspected his surroundings more and found that there were tables with beakers, microscopes, and other standard lab equipment. Metal shelves lined the wall, containing what looked like… ecto-weapons? And in the center of the room...

Danny’s stomach did a sickening flip. He felt like he had just floated upside down at two-hundred miles per hour, but his feet were placed firmly on the linoleum floor. Danny fought his nausea and forced himself to keep looking at the ghastly sight.

In the center of the room was a metal table with leather straps, like some sort of demented operating table. It was long enough for a human to be laid on, at least six feet long. And in the dim light of the room, Danny could perceive the sheen of dark, crimson blood. So, so much blood.

Danny practically clasped his hands over his mouth to keep himself from crying out, an alarmed scream halfway up his throat. His stomach lurched again, and this time he was aware that he might… might throw up. Oh Ancients, not good not good not g—

He was subtly rocking back and forth to ease his stomach, to refrain from vomiting. The soft motion helped a bit with his nausea, but did little to soothe his abject terror. And suddenly, he was aware of nearby voices—both male—speaking nearby. To preserve his presence, he quickly turned himself invisible to avoid being caught.

He realized a moment later that the voices were coming from an adjacent room.

“Are you sure?” asked one of the men.

“The evidence is indisputable,” replied the other. “He’s a living human. One hundred percent organic matter, beating heart, lungs, brain—he only has trace ectoplasmic contamination, normal for Amity residents.”

The first man cursed. “So we got the wrong guy.”

Danny hadn’t even realized that he was subconsciously backing away from the voices until he bumped into a metal table. The force of the impact toppled an empty beaker over the edge, breaking it into innumerable shards.

The voices lulled. Then he heard footsteps approaching the door. Danny panicked and turned himself intangible, shooting through the opposite wall and landing in a new room. He realized too late that he had accidentally dropped his invisibility along with his intangibility when a weak voice prompted his attention.

“Danny?”

He instinctively turned to face whoever spoke his name and froze. It was like a vacuum had sucked all the air out of the room, leaving Danny’s lungs empty. In front of him was a shimmering, green barrier—most likely a ghost shield—and behind that transparent wall was… “Wes?”

Admittedly, Danny didn’t even recognize him at first glance. His usually tidy hair was mussed in every direction, dull and greasy. His cheeks were prominently sunken, like he hadn’t eaten in a long time. Not to mention, his bloodshot eyes were weary and tired, emphasized by the dark bags hung under his eyelids. Fresh bruises were peppered across his skin, mottling his skin in hues of blue and purple.

“What—” Danny’s tongue felt like it was tied in a knot, crossed over itself multiple times. “What happ—why—” He struggled to comprehend why Wes was like this, who had done this. Danny stepped close to the ghost shield separating them and pressed his hand against it, trying to move it through the barrier, but it was rock-solid.

Wes’s lips curled into a perturbing smile. His eyes were humorless, chilling. “Why?” Wes’s voice cracked. He sounded dehydrated, broken… Danny doubted he had drunk anything all day, or… maybe he had spent all day screaming. His green eyes misted over and met Danny’s own terrified, neon stare. “They thought I was you.”

His words hit Danny like a hard blow.

The joke that Wes was Phantom had existed for a long time, long before Wes was set on exposing Danny. But that was all it was—a joke. To think that someone genuinely would believe it….

It was then that Danny noticed the bandages wrapped around Wes’s bare chest. At some point, they had stripped his shirt, which allowed Danny a good look at all the new scars gracing Wes’s torso. The white gauze of his bandages was stained with fresh blood, and Danny was instantly reminded of all the blood he had seen on the operation table. Once again, his stomach plummeted—and so did he. Danny dropped to his knees and scoured his gaze across all of Wes’s injuries (that were his fault).

In his peripheral vision, Danny saw his own hand shaking from where it was still pressed against the shield. He considered turning human so he could pull Wes out, but Wes read his train of thought. “Don’t bother transforming,” he informed. “The shield works for both ghosts and humans—you can’t do anything.”

Danny’s eyes darted back to Wes. His chest crumpled at how broken his classmate looked. Wes didn’t deserve to be in this situation. As annoying as he was, he should never have been mistaken for Danny. Despite his helplessness, Danny’s core throbbed with dedication. “I’ll get you out,” he promised.

For a moment, Danny thought he saw a glimmer of hope in Wes’s eyes, a small light in the abyss of dull misery. But it was short-lived. The footsteps—the men from the other room!—returned. Danny whipped around to find a group of white-clad men holding ecto-rifles. Guys in White agents. Of course, how could he have been so blind? The Guys in White were the only organization inept enough to truly mistake Wes for Phantom, ignorant government cronies.

Danny didn’t have time to prepare when they raised their weapons, aiming to fire. Blasts assaulted him from every direction and Danny did his best to fight them off, using the ghost shield behind him to his advantage—unlike a regular wall, the shield would deflect all of their blasts back at them. However, no matter how hard he tried, he knew that it was useless; Danny was outnumbered, and he wouldn’t last forever. It was impossible to defeat them all and break Wes out of the shield before the next round of agents.

In the end, he was pinned under a ghost-proof net, bleeding in about three different places. An agent, a man with cold eyes and calloused hands, stood over him with a lopsided grin. “Looks like capturing the human wasn’t useless, after all,” he said. He placed a foot over Danny’s crouching form. “We got the ghost boy.”

Danny gritted his teeth. He was out of options, and at this point, he wouldn’t be able to escape with Wes. Sure, he still had the map, but he couldn’t just leave him behind… left at the GiW’s mercy...

But what choice did he have?

Danny glanced sideways and met Wes’s desperate stare. Guilt and defeat wracked his conscience and Danny clenched his fists. He didn’t want to… everything in him screamed not to do it. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Wes’s eyes widened. “What?”

Danny held the map in front of him, ignoring the agents’ curiosity and Wes’s gasp of realization. The red-headed boy crawled toward the shield’s wall, trembling as he fought tremors of pain, “No, no, don’t leave me—”

“Take me back,” Danny told the map, firmly holding onto the scroll. The GiW agent standing over him stumbled backward when Danny was pulled out from under the net. As he was whisked away, he heard one last desperate cry from Wes. And then, he was swallowed by a portal to the Ghost Zone, and everything vanished into green.

It was a matter of seconds before he was pulled onto a floating rock and collapsed on his knees. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that the portal he’d been pulled through had closed itself, meaning the GiW wouldn’t be able to follow him. Even though he knew that he was safe now, he couldn’t seem to calm himself down. His breath was still erratic and his hands—dang hands—wouldn’t stop shaking.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Wes and all the scars that had been marked across his pale body, followed by the image of that bloody table. Bile rose in his throat and he haphazardly swallowed it, forcing it down. If what he thinks happened did happen, then….

One of Danny’s biggest fears that he never spoke about, not even to Sam or Tucker, was the fear of being dissected. After all, he was threatened with it enough that it was a probable situation. His biology was rare; obviously getting him on a lab table was any scientist’s dream. His parents rambled on and on about dissecting ghosts that he dreamt about it too—being strapped to an examination table, crowded by scientists, sterilized scalpels digging into his skin. And in every nightmare, he was always the one staring into the eyes of the scientists, on the receiving end of their knives. Not Wes. It was never meant to be Wes.

He clenched his fists. It was never meant to be Wes. This was never supposed to happen, so Danny would make sure it never would… couldn’t… happen.

He made up his mind, stood from his rock, and propelled himself into the air. He knew the way to Clockwork’s lair like the back of his hand and was there in minutes.

“No,” Clockwork refused, upon his arrival.

Danny wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t make him any more content with Clockwork’s answer. “I know you saw what happened to Wes,” he pressed. “They… they thought he was me. It’s wrong. He shouldn’t have been captured.”

Clockwork’s red eyes studied Danny as he shifted into a child, unchanging. “So you’d rather they capture you, instead?”

Danny hesitated. Worst fear or not, Wes didn’t deserve what they had done to him. The images were burned into his eyelids: Wes’s body mottled with half-healing scars, curled up in a heap on the floor, and the sinister curl of the GiW agent’s lips…. He met Clockwork’s eyes with a determined stare. “Yes.”

Clockwork’s sharp gaze softened, shifting into an old man. “I’m sorry,” he stated, “I can’t help you.”

Danny clenched his fists. “So you’re just going to leave him there?” he accused, more desperate than angry.

“Of course not,” Clockwork replied with a staid frown. “He’s going to be released whether I interfere or not.”

Danny blinked in surprise. “Really?” he asked. Clockwork nodded and shifted into a young adult.

“The GiW have seen that he’s not a ghost. They’ll be sending him home by next morning.”

Instantly, Danny felt slightly relieved, but Clockwork’s news didn’t ease all his troubles. He believed the time ghost, seeing as he had no reason to lie. Still, he couldn’t help remember the blood across the table, slick and pooled across the metal surface. Wes’s dark bandages and his abject desperation when Danny left him alone with the agents. Even as a ghost, he found himself shiver. “He won’t be the same,” he realized, quietly.

Clockwork leaned against his staff and turned to look at the circular time window next to them. Danny couldn’t see anything but a swirling green vortex, but Clockwork seemed to discern something in the window. “He’ll heal with time,” he said, watching the swirling green window, knowingly. “You go home. I promise you will meet Wes tomorrow.”

Everything in Danny wanted to argue, to protest that he wanted to speak to Wes now. That he wanted Wes to be okay now, but he knew that it would be useless against the master of time. Reluctantly, he flew from Clockwork’s lair and (after returning the Infi-Map to Frostbite) returned to the human world through the Fenton Portal.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he was revisited by graphic images of Wes being tortured, tools of all sorts ripping him open, searching for evidence that he was Phantom—looking for something that only Danny had. He saw Wes pressed against the floor, clutching his bandages, and shaking as he bled. He twisted and turned until finally he couldn’t ignore the sunlight breaking through his curtains.

Normally, Danny flew to school, but something compelled him to walk today. Since it was earlier than usual and Sam and Tucker probably weren’t awake yet, he figured he’d walk alone. His body moved on autopilot, his legs carrying him mechanically to the direction of Casper High.

At least, he thought it was the direction of Casper High. He managed to deceive himself for a while until finally he looked up and found himself standing in front of Wes’s apartment building.

And there, sitting on the doorstep, was Wes.

Danny inhaled sharply. That action must have alerted Wes to his presence because seconds later the broken red-head lifted his head to meet Danny’s eyes. Danny lost himself in the emptiness of Wes’s eyes and realized that they looked just as tired as they had in the GiW facility.

“You’re okay,” Danny managed to say. Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true. After what he figured had happened to Wes, he was certain that he could never be okay. Who could?

Wes must have been thinking the same thing, but he kept his silence. His demeanor darkened and he growled, “No thanks to you.”

Danny gulped. “I’m sorry,” he expressed. His apology was heartfelt, but it did little to express his desire that none of this should have happened. He moved closer to Wes, who kept his posture still and guarded. “I didn’t want to leave you behind, but there was nothing I could do, and…” he trailed off and bit his lip. What could he possibly say to make up for leaving him? For any of this screwed up situation? He didn’t know, he couldn’t think. Staying up all night had stolen any coherent apology he might have been able to scrounge up. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, softly.

Wes’s eyes were glued to him, yet dark and unreadable. “Sorry for not trying harder, or for getting me into this mess in the first place?” he ground out.

Danny winced. “I—I never meant to… but you know I had to keep my identity a secret.”

“So you’re glad they caught me instead of you?”

Danny’s eyes widened. “No! Of course not—”

Wes cut him off by standing up. Danny didn’t miss the way that he winced when he moved, pulling himself to his feet. This time when Wes looked into Danny’s eyes, he didn’t mask his pain—Danny could sense his unfiltered agony and cringed.

“I told them I wasn’t a ghost,” Wes began, “but they didn’t believe me. Even after they ran all their tests, they thought I must be hiding my ghostliness in some way,” he emphasized bitterly. “So they…” A lump formed in Wes’s throat, and he turned his gaze to the sidewalk, letting his eyes roam across the sparkly concrete. He took a shaky breath, one so soft that Danny wasn’t sure he could’ve heard without his enhanced senses. He looked back to Danny and whispered, “They cut me up.”

Danny fell silent. He didn’t know what to say. After all, who could even respond to that? All he could do was watch, paralyzed, as Wes sniffled and wiped away a stray tear.

“It doesn’t matter,” the red-head finally decided. “They know now.”

That admission snapped Danny out of his guilt-ridden haze. “Know what?” He had a suspicion… but no. Not that. They couldn’t know that.

“I told them, of course,” Wes nonchalantly explained. “That you’re Phantom. They didn’t listen at first, but after realizing it wasn’t me, well… they did.”

Suddenly, Danny grew aware of the white van in his peripheral vision. A door slid open and men started stepping out of it, armed with guns aimed at the two of them. He knew, now, why Wes was sitting on the doorstep out in the open. They had been counting on his arrival. Wes was bait—and he had fallen for their trap. He felt his heartbeat accelerate, yet he didn’t look away from the broken boy standing before him.

“They were probably listening to our conversation,” Wes stated, eyeing the agents behind Danny. “If they had any doubts about what I told them, they’re gone now.”

The weapons whined as they charged. White boots crunched against gravel as they approached, closer and closer—

And Wes smiled, his first real smile since he had been taken. “You should run now,” he suggested. “I wouldn’t want you to go through what I did.”

Danny ducked at the perfect moment, barely avoiding getting shot. He felt the blasts from the weapons soar where his head had been a split second before and whipped around. He eyed the agents that were surrounding him, doing nothing to mask the fiery green glow in his eyes. It was too late. They know now, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

They know.

With one last glance at Wes, Danny turned himself invisible and kicked off the ground, using what limited flight he had in human form. Wes was right, he had to run—because once they caught him, it would be all over. He’d end up just like Wes, but they wouldn’t let him go. They’d keep him and use him as their sick little lab rat until he finally died.

He had to run… had to… run.

#consider this my entry for the last prompt of dannymay19 since i never made anything for that #danny phantom #wes weston #angst #fic #mine

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