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ghostly-penumbra · 1 year

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Seven Ways to Summon the Ghost King

Chapter Seven: Family Call

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [here]

Ao3

Summary: How can you say no to such a pressing call?

... no, really, Danny would love to know.

Notes: There are big spoilers for The Sandman comics. And I mean HUGE. As in, the culmination of the comic HUGE. Ye be warned!

- - -

“Brother, I stand in my gallery and hold your sigil. Please come through.”

“I am –ha!– in the middle of something right now.”

The being dressed all in white blinked, unimpressed, “I am worried about your safety, please come through.”

“Just… need… to kill them all…”

Dream of the Endless, no longer known as Daniel Hall, sighed in exasperation.

“Twin brother I am in my gallery holding your sigil, and I summon you.”

“Don’t you- stop that! Shit! You, kid, if you win this match in my name, I’ll make ya my apprentice!”

There was a fervid screech, and finally, his brother passed through where his portal portrait was.

Death of the Endless, pretty much still Daniel James Fenton, was spat out of his portrait and landed headfirst on the floor of the Dream Lord’s gallery.

“Hello there, twinsie dearest.” Danny deadpanned, crossing his arms as he glared up at his twin brother.

It was a curious thing, their twinship. Daniel Hall and Daniel James Fenton had both been born the 3rd of April of 1990, effectively making them the same age, but Daniel Hall had been in the womb for almost two years, making him technically older in existence, and Danny Fenton had been born premature.

Now, Death had already been there when Dream had first come to exist, because everyone had the potential to die long before they could even dream for the first time, so that Death had been Dream’s senior. But, this was a different Dream and a different Death, and the current Dream had taken his position in 1993, whilst the current Death had done so in 2023, giving this Dream work seniority.

Then again, this Dream had been a toddler when the position was given to him, and this Death had already been thirty-three, a whole adult by that point.

In the end there were too many factors to tell who was older than whom but since Desire and Despair had chosen to be twins, why couldn’t they?

“Hello, little brother.” Dream smiled down at him.

Knowing they wouldn’t reach a definite conclusion didn’t stop them from bantering over who was the older brother, however.

“I saw you had been summoned to the Waking world and through the eyes of one of your invokers, noticed you were nonplussed. I’m worried, brother.”

Ah, yeah, he might have knocked a kid out cold with his presence. It happened. And- she got better!

“That was two hours ago, baby bro. Having trouble measuring time in the Living world again?” He teased even as he held up a hand to be helped up.

“Au contraire, Death. I know just fine how long it’s been but I also know you can take care of yourself amongst a crowd of teenagers, powered or not. Alas, you took your time, and I grew restless.”

Dream lifted his brother up and got a snort and a friendly shoulder shove as a reward.

- - -

The brothers stood next to each other on Dream’s balcony, overlooking his Kingdom. Well, Dream stood, whilst Death sat on the railing, with his feet hanging down, back in his human living form as a 33 years old adult.

(He was already dead long before he became Death, so there was no need to kill him a second time. The fact that he was alive and could choose to be so whenever he wanted was of no consequence. It was more likely one of the reasons he had been a perfect pick for it.)

Danny broke the silence, “They couldn’t have done anything to me, even if they had tried. You know that.” He threw a pebble at the far-off lake and saw it skip endlessly.

Dream didn’t look at him. He didn’t need to have his predecessor’s memories of his entrapment to know what it had done to him. Even after the incident with the Dream Vortex, he had been proud and unyielding. Arrogant.

A human lifetime of imprisonment later, and as soon as he was free, he started planning his demise.

“Poorly done?” He asked instead.

“No, not at all,” Was his twin’s answer, “The circle was perfect, so was the chanting, and if there weren’t any trapping mechanism that was there on purpose. This one kid had a journal, the one who had the idea to summon the concept of Death to their dorm, filled with the knowledge we took with us when we left.”

He wasn’t talking about Dream, because Dream still walked the Waking world and interacted with humans in a more regular basis than his predecessor. It had been Death who, tired and grieving, had chosen to step away from the living, and only show himself to collect them and guide them to their next step; and as the King of Ghosts, he had taken all ghosts, spirits and shades with him, freeing them if they were trapped, helping them move on if they were still hesitant, and forcibly dragging them if they refused to stop wreaking havoc.

And he hadn’t been the only one; Heaven had finally stopped it’s wayward angels from going to Earth and, as Death would put it, “fucking shit up”, and the souls that resided there could no longer be summoned either.

Same thing with Hell; the gates had been closed so that the damned could only enter, not leave. There were no more demons making deals and messing with humanity anymore.

“That shouldn’t be possible. You made sure to kill all that knowledge in the Waking world.

Death sent a glare to his brother. He had not ‘killed the knowledge’, he had just taken it to his castle in the Ghost Zone, where only the dead resided. Shut up.

“And they won’t see it in their dreams, either.” He chose to say.

“Never.” his brother reassured quickly. The Dreaming would not inspire anyone in ways that could harm any of his siblings.

“Yeah, I thought as much,” Death huffed with a smile, “There was a…” He continued, knowing better than to use the word ‘thing’ when referring to someone that could think and feel. “… a being attached to this kid’s soul. It- he is something neither Didi nor I had ever seen.”

He let his words remain in the space between them, and knew his twin was seeing them written out in the air in front of him. (Much likely in comic sans, the asshole.)

“Not in a physical shape, at least.”

His brother said nothing, and only watched him reach revelation on his own even if it still was in his realm. He could be an ass patient like that.

Danny thought about it, looking for the words to explain his mind to the collective subconscious of the multiverse.

“That being is a bridge, for knowledge on us, not just us Endless, but many non-mortals, on our realms, how to call us, how to find us, how to appease us… how to trap us.”

This time he did see the words hanging between them –and it was comic-fucking-sans–, a bright toxic green that read trap. He put a hand on Dream’s shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

“He didn’t put the trapping sigils, and they wouldn’t have stopped me in this form.” Even after becoming an Endless, that little trick of his didn’t stop working. Things meant to contain the dead had no power on him when he chose to be alive, and vice-versa. He could get his siblings out, too, should they need it.

He wouldn’t sit idly whilst he knew he could help. He could protect.

And, if anyone tried to go and tell him of rules and limitations, he could kindly point them to his Obsession and how it predated his duty as an Endless, how it had been part of him for almost a decade, and how the change in his nature had not managed to override it from him, no matter how much it tried.

Not wanting to continue with that topic, Dream said instead, “Did you have fun? Annoying or not, it’s been a while since you spoke with someone your age who still had a heartbeat.”

On cue, rings of light swept Danny up and down, turning him back to his ghost form, looking fourteen years old, right before his growth spur, with baby fat still on his cheeks and, if he lowered his guard long enough, sometimes he still moved like that hunched, awkward teen still discovering who he was.

“It was cool, actually! Most ‘these kids were nice, and they had a bunch of cool video games; is not like any of them were a real challenge, but new competence is always welcome. Their universe didn’t have DOOMED, though, even if they are three centuries after the game was invented, but I fixed that, so I think they’ll be okay.” He said, knowing damn well he would be going back soon as the war started, to collect several of the people they loved and admired. “I may have won at DDR, but that girl sure got the Spirit Award.” He turned a mischievous smirk at his brother and found him grimacing and holding back a sigh, which only got Danny to laugh out loud at him, his smile so wide his eyes were half-closed in joy.

- - -

“Things are changing.” Danny said as they stared at the night sky, this time from the Waking, Living world where they had been born, four thousand and fourteen years ago.

“They always do.” Dream was a prime example of that.

“You know I fuckin’ hate chess analogies-” And he did, so much that the last time he had touched a chess board had been to throw it at Vlad’s annoying face. “-but… ugh, the pieces are being set, something’s gonna make a move, and we’ll have to face this new… board.” Danny scrunched up his nose in distaste. Fucking analogies. “And we need to move, too,” he continued nonetheless, “we gotta be ready, ‘cause if what’s coming next is what I think…” He didn’t finish his sentence, because he genuinely didn’t know how it’d all turn out. People would die, but they always did, as for the rest…

“Brother, please speak plainly.”

But Death couldn’t, he didn’t dare voice his concern here in the presence of both Father Time and Mother Night and speak it into reality. He wouldn’t fuck it all up again, when it was the ones he loved whom suffered the consequences. It had always been that way.

So he chose his words carefully.

“… the mascaraed will fall, there is now a bridge between what we tried to hide, and them. I don’t doubt there are others across the multiverse-” connected, drawing the others to themselves, “-it’s just that-” I haven’t been there, I haven’t paid attention, I stopped protecting them, “I didn’t notice before.”

“And when the game board is changed,” Dream continued in his brother’s stead, knowing how his thoughts spiralled, “if we don’t adapt to the new rules-”

“We adapt.”

Dream blinked, and turned to fully look at his twin brother.

Even still in his ghostly, Endless form his eyes were their icy blue, and they didn’t have that bright ethereal shine of their own, but instead reflected the street lamp next to their bench, the full moon above them, the stars in their mother’s body and the stars on Dream’s own eyes. Danny’s blue eyes shone with the world around them, alive.

There was no question in those eyes, no hesitation. This was something he was willing to speak into fact, into truth, unshakable.

They would adapt, because the other option was the end, everything and everyone leaving, everywhere. Danny locking the door with key and-

Being left behind, alone and Endless, please don’t, I don’t wanna, don’t make me-

“We adapt.” His brother echoed, his eyes human and green, a sign of affection, an oath of support, with their parents and anyone that cared to see as witness.

Danny breathed in again, not needing but wanting to, and rested his forehead on his twin’s shoulder.

“We got preparations to make. I may have already started. Let’s go, bro.”

Under their Father’s watchful gaze, two Daniels stood and left the quiet park of Amity and prepared for the future.

FIN

- - -

And so ends my first multi-chaptered fic written outside an event! Thank y'all for being with me these days and for all your lovely comments I haven't gotten around to replying!

Whatever they are, I would love to read your thoughts on this, because it was this chapter I wanted to write all along. There is a heartbreaking lack of Danny Phantom/The Sandman crossovers, and I feel it.

Real life is awful right now, so I don't think I'll get to write more of this concept, of Danny being Death of the Endless, but do feel free to come yell at me in my ask box anytime!

Also, a sidenote I can finally say: Something funny I'm noticing in the DPxDC area is that people are giving Danny the "all souls will be mine in the end" role as part of being the King of the Infinite Realms, and I'm like "uh, no, that's Death's bit, a canonical DC character. you guys are trying to make Danny Death" WHICH IS WHAT I JUST DID LMFAO

Anyway, thanks for reading ❤️

#Danny Phantom #The Sandman #The Sandman Comics #Danny Fenton #Dream of the Endless #Daniel Hall #ghostly-scrypts #DPxDC #of a sort #minor character death #implied character death #you'll hate me for it #iykyk #post canon #CrossOver #Danny Phantom CrossOver #The Sandman Crossover #ask me about this ask me about this ask me ab

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joshkiszkasgothgf · 1 year

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crushcrushcrush - Daniel Wagner (Enemies to Lovers)

What happens when your nemesis becomes the only person you can rely on?

Warnings: 18+, Angst, cursing, mention of assault but someone stands up for you 👀, choking (not in the way you think), talks of a panic attack.

(Please let me know if you know who’s pic this is. Also should I write more to this?)

✨Masterlist✨

Daniel fucking Wagner.

Bane of your existence. A stolen guitar pick in kindergarten turned a lifelong friendship into a different kind of commitment. It was your lucky guitar pick and that curly haired, brown eyed asshole knew it. The last thing you had from your dad and Daniel lost it.

Sam thought the whole deal was over dramatic and above his pay grade. The lanky bassist tunes his acoustic, speaking to his older brothers like the pair of us don’t exist, and if he sees us glaring at each other he hasn’t said anything. Cunt. You huff and move to pour yourself something stronger.

Now, one of the many blessings curses the universe gifted you was a bull like stubbornness. You could mean mug and stare with the best of them and many a man had tucked tail and run in the wake of your anger. It seemed to have one exception though. A 6 foot Adonis of a man with the sweetest heart, yet he’s staring you down like you’re about grow snakes from your head and turn him to stone.

The inner child who yearns for their friend weeps at this cruel twist of fate, but the hardened young adult you’ve become has no problem stuffing the feelings down. Out of sight out of mind, like mother always said you think bitterly.

Now you wouldn’t openly admit how many times you’ve thought of Danny as something other than your mortal nemesis since that fateful day in 2005, but it’s definitely more than 0, which is what it should be. It brings you no end of shame. It’s embarrassing how much time you spend watching him when you know he can’t see.

Not in a creepy way!

This isn’t a ‘YOU’ situation, just a -parish the thought- a crush. Have you stuffed the feelings way down and locked them up with chains and spikes and booby traps along with your heart and your vulnerability? Yes. Would your therapist advise that? Probably not, but it hasn’t backfired yet.

The boys’ manager interrupts your staring contest with Daniel as he announces the boys have 5 minutes to show time. Sam stands from the couch, walking over to clap his partner in crime on the shoulder, wrapping his arm around him.

You look on in envy.

Why couldn’t he have been more careful? I trusted him, your inner child seems to wail. You rub your eyes, forcing away the tears pricking there. You had tried to let it go time and time again, had even tried to apologize for over reacting. It just ended in a fight.

“Hey, kid! Happy birthday,” Jake rasps, wrapping you in a hug. He had already done this earlier, but you assume he could sense your discomfort with Daniel no longer occupying your vision.

“Thanks. 23, I’m a quarter of the way to 30, woo!” You tease, holding your hands up in mock celebration before dropping them around him in a tight hug, pouring your gratitude into it.

Jake laughs, giving you a squeeze as if to say ‘I feel you. You’re not alone.’ He pulls back, his hands holding your biceps at arms length. “Let’s look at you,” he says in his Oliver Reed accent, “Yes, wonderful. Your working out to be a fine human being, darling. We’re grateful to have you.”

The comment makes you misty eyed and the laugh that follows is watery as you muster an “Aw. Thank you,” wiping away a few errant tears.

What you don’t see is how Daniel’s jaw clenches and his shoulders tense. A muscle in his cheek twitches as he watches the scene as discretely as he can manage.

Jake notices, but doesn’t call attention, just pulls you forward to press a brotherly kiss to your forehead. “You’ll always be family and we’re lucky for having met you,” he leans in whispering, “even Daniel,” turns on his heel and marches away to torment his twin.

A hiccup of surprise works it’s way out of you and you almost feel MORE surprised at that than Jake’s brazenness. You mull it over a moment more then file it away for later, deciding it was time to talk to Sam. Taking a couple deep breaths you make your way over. This has been the closest you and Daniel have been since the day.

“Break a leg, guys,” your voice is firm and encouraging much to all three of you’s surprise. You even manage a small smile and an awkward wave at Danny. Without waiting to hear them respond, you breeze off to take your place at the barricade.

The guy’s security guard leads you out to be in front of the barricade and the crowd screams excitedly. You wave and say ‘Hi’ taking pictures of the crowd and capturing their excitement and anticipation.

It’s not long before the guys are running on and the curtain is dropping. You capture some of Josh’s theatrics and Jake’s sweet smiles to people in the crowd, even manage to snag a couple good ones of Sammy interacting with the crowd.

You attempt to snap a couple of Danny from the pit but they never turn out right. All of them are blurry or over saturated. Cursing you snatch up your equipment and run around to the side to climb on stage just in time for the drum solo to begin.

You’d watched Danny do this quite a bit now, but something about tonight was different. Like he has something to say that he can’t formulate in words. He plays like he has something to prove and it’s a mesmerizing sight.

Keeping the camera to your eyes you move around snapping tens if not hundreds of pictures of Daniel in his element, doing what he loves. You don’t worry about checking them now, looking at them could mean missing a good shot.

The entire solo is captured on your SD card and you take a big breath as you realize just how much you’re gonna have to sift through tonight. Laughing you just happen to see the last picture you captured out of the corner of your eye before the preview disappears. Gasping you fumble with your camera, pulling up the gallery and selecting the last one.

You’re convinced you will never capture another photo more beautiful in your life. Daniel is standing after his solo, a proud smile on his face. He looks so overjoyed… and absolutely fucking jacked, holy shit.

Your jaw drops and you pull the camera a little closer to check that it’s actually there when Josh clears his throat, scaring you.

“You’re standing in my spot. Don’t you know the stage is all mine,” he teases, smirking knowingly.

“Shut up,” you mumble, scurrying away to take pictures of Sammy at his piano.

The rest of the set rushes by fast and before you know it the boys are saying goodbye and heading back. You snap some sweet moments between the boys and the fans, dropping your camera to hang around your neck as you follow them back towards the green room.

You’re about to reach the end of the barricade when some guy grabs your camera strap. He’s drunk and belligerent and clearly oblivious to the fact his grip on your camera is choking you. He’s slurring and drawling about how you’re the prettiest person he’s ever seen and he hopes you’re single cause he wants you.

Arms flailing, hands slapping at the man, trying desperately to loosen his grip you feel your head begin to swim and black pricks at your vision, then suddenly gravity takes hold and your gasping and spluttering in the floor.

Shuffling and yelling sounds around you and you curl up a little trying to stay out of the way as you cough and regain your breath. You hear the sound of bone and flesh meeting bone and flesh and a pained grunt followed by angry yells and exclamations of support for the person who threw the punch.

Just as you’re getting your bearings they’re torn away again as you’re lifted up and cradled in someone’s arms. Looking around you gasp when you see a mess of curls. “Daniel, what are-“

“Shut up,” he grunts. Seventeen years he hasn’t spoken to you and the first time he does it something so very…

“Rude,” you grumble, “I almost died. Least you could do is treat me with better bedside manner,”

Daniel snorts, shaking his head. He looks down in a way that causes his hair to obscure his face from where you are in his arms. “You okay?” He asks simply.

Taking a moment to assess your current state you immediately have a panic attack as the adrenaline finally wears off, tears begin to stream down your face as sobs tear through you. Your hands clutch at Daniel like you’re falling and you’re scared.

“There it is,” Danny cradles you tighter, glaring at anyone who tries to get in his way. He finds the first empty room and closes the door pressing his back up against it. He slides down it, maneuvering you so you’re sitting up, face buried in his neck. “Let it out. You’re safe,” he whispers, dropping a kiss to your head. “Breathe.”

His hand rubs your back in soothing circles and he breathes in and out slowly and methodically until you begin mimicking his actions. “Good,” he coos, patting your back.

You realize the room you’re in is a dark closet and you silently thank Daniel for finding the one place you’d feel most comfortable in this situation. Sitting up you take a bigger, deeper breath. It’s shaky and a little sob leaves in the exhale, but it’s stronger.

Danny watches you closely, making sure you’re coming out of it okay. “How are you feeling?”

You shrug, slipping from his lap and to the floor a little bit away from him, picking at your nails, “Like something traumatic just happened and the one person I wanted in that moment was the one person who got to me quickest.” It’s scary to admit, but it feels freeing.

Daniel smiles at you softly for the first time in almost 2 decades, remembering some far off time -a time just like this a million years ago when a curly haired, brown eyed asshole found you hiding from the fireworks and held you much like he had tonight. “I’ve missed you,” he whispers, barely audible and you would have missed it if you weren’t centimeters from him.

Two paths stretch out in front of you. You appraise both choices and choose the one you’ve been passing up for too long now. Fuck it. It’s my birthday, you think. “I’ve missed you too.”

Daniel laughs in relief and you find yourself laughing as the weight lifts off you to. It’s not gone, but it isn’t so hard to bear on two sets of shoulders.

✨Masterlist✨

#greta van fleet imagine #greta van fleet #danny wagner #Daniel wagner #danny wagner fanfiction #Danny Wagner enemies to lovers #danny Wagner angst #danny Wagner imagine

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thelastspeecher · 8 months

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The Pirate Prince

I mentioned a little bit ago that in my Pirate AU, Angie and Stan's son Emmett eventually becomes the next Pirate King. Here's a sort of origin story for that.

——————————————————————————————

There were some benefits to have a nervous nature, Emmett considered as he snuck into his parents’ bedroom. His parents and siblings were all at a festival in the Gravity Falls town square. Being anxious and uncomfortable in large crowds, Emmett had been allowed to stay home.

I mean, it ain’t like I’m lyin’. I really don’t think I’d enjoy the big kerfuffle goin’ on today. But I did play it up just a tad to make sure they’d let me stay home. With everyone out of the house, he could finally snoop in his parents’ room. From the outside, they were straitlaced pillars of the community. Angie cooked for the poor and sick, while Stan mentored young people who lacked parental figures. But Emmett knew it was all an act.

Behind closed doors, his parents taught all their children how to pickpocket, swore like sailors, had mysterious scars, and walked like they were ready for danger at any moment. The last one, Emmett recognized because he himself behaved in that way. He had a feeling, however, that his parents weren’t on edge because of severe anxiety.

After all, Stan taught Emmett how to see through lies from anyone. Even Stan himself. And some of the lies Stan told were remarkably thin. It was almost insulting, the expectation Emmett would believe his father changed his name to avoid sharing it with a pirate. Or that Danny and Daisy’s early memories of time with pirates were just confusion over spending their first few years of life on a merchant ship.

Emmett opened the door to his parents’ room and strode confidently over to the closet. Inside were his ma’s many lovely dresses, though a few surprisingly masculine articles of clothing were hidden at the back. Emmett nodded thoughtfully. The trousers helped his theory, but they were far from conclusive. His older sister Daisy preferred trousers, for one thing. He knelt and began to stick his fingers in between the floorboards, looking for a loose one that could be pried up. Underneath a box of bonnets, he found it. It only took a small amount of effort to lift the board, revealing a chest below. Emmett huffed. His parents definitely weren’t making it easy. But he had plenty of time before his family returned.

He lifted the chest up and carried it into the bedroom proper, where he had better lighting to look at the contents. Naturally, it had a large lock on it. A lock that was swiftly picked by Stan’s best student. Emmett set aside the lock and paused. Now was the moment of truth. He lifted the lid of the chest. His breath caught in his throat.

The lessons he’d learned in class came flooding back to him. His twin was always fascinated by pirates, and asked question after question from their teacher when they discussed the ongoing piracy scourge. The voice of his teacher echoed in his head.

“The most famous pirate in recent memory was Sally McGowan, previously known as Sully McGowan, the last Pirate King. Her blade, a gift from her first mate and rumored lover, Stan Pines, was named Wasp’s Stinger, a reference to the ferocity hidden under her small stature. When she and her first mate disappeared, so did the blade that killed hundreds.” Emmett cautiously picked up the cutlass that rested on top of the chest’s contents. His fingers traced the letters that were etched into its blade. He didn’t have the ear for languages that his younger sister Cadenza did; he’d never become properly fluent in the Irish his ma tried to teach her children. But he knew enough to translate what was written on the sword.

“The stinger of the wasp.”

Emmett’s heart began to race. The distinguishing features of Sally McGowan his teacher had told them about resounded in his ears, aligning with his ma’s physical appearance perfectly. Blonde hair. A large nose. Eyes the color of the sea. Shorter than average and very sensitive about that fact.

He set aside the sword and continued to dig through the chest. A few other weapons were there, including brass knuckles. Brass knuckles were the reported favorite of Stan Pines, a former cabin boy who never properly learned swordplay and who, supposedly, looked eerily similar to Emmett’s dad, Stan McGucket. The weapons were wrapped in more clothing, these bloodstained and torn, but apparently still full of sentimental value. Hidden at the bottom of the chest was a pendant, made of an opal surrounded by gold. Emmett frowned.

Don’t recognize that. And it don’t seem like Ma or Dad’s style. Probably somethin’ they plundered and decided to keep as a souvenir. He set it aside as well. Finally, wrapped in a fine white fabric that seemed like part of a wedding dress, he found a piece of wood. His fingers brushed against it. It smelled of the sea and had a mark where a limpet had been pried off. Again, he wasn’t sure what it was. Nothing about it seemed remarkable or worth saving. But Emmett’s suspicions had been proven long before this point. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He let out a swear that would make most people gasp, but his parents would barely register as a bad word. His family would be home soon.

Emmett quickly put everything back in the chest, aside from a small dagger that he slid into his boot.

It’s their own fault for teachin’ their kids how to steal. They should expect us to “borrow” things here and there. He lingered on the cutlass of the last Pirate King, but knew that theft would be discovered far faster than lifting a simple dagger. With everything other than the dagger placed in the chest again, he locked it, put it back under the floorboard, and shoved the box of bonnets over it. He quickly glanced around the room as he left. It was like he had never been in there.

When his family returned, Emmett was reading a book on the couch. Caleb and Cadenza eagerly began to tell him all of what he missed. Emmett smiled and nodded, but couldn’t stop thinking about his parents. The unassuming woman and man who raised him had once been the scourge of the high seas.

If they could do it…maybe I could, too.

#I have Ideas to make a second part to this origin story #but this is what I've got so far and it's enough to post so it's getting posted #enjoy some Emmett-centric content #Emmett McGucket #Stangie Family #Pirate AU #my writing #speecher speaks

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cecexwrites · 1 year

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Writeblr Intro

My name is Cecily, but you can call me Cece. I'm in my 30's and I primarily write fanfiction. I do have a large original project in the works though.

My Pinterest Fic Masterlist Character Masterlist

My Current Focus(es)

Small Town Paranormal

An Original Universe

Witches and Werewolves, Vampires and Demons- all hidden in plain sight. From a supernatural sanctuary created by a vampire to a college for witches. Small Town Paranormal is a series of stories all connected by their shared universe

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A Blaise Zabini Fanfiction

Torn apart four years ago by the impending war, the Zabini's and Fawleys reunite for an old family holiday tradition- an entire summer on a Grecian Island. Pushed together for the first time in year, Blaise and Reid Fawley have to learn to navigate their new circumstances. Not to mention her boyfriend, his memories from the Battle of Hogwarts and a past mistake coming back to haunt them

OC(s): Reid Fawley (Jessica Alexander) Tate Fawley (Luke Eisner)

Story Masterpost

Nevermore

A Rabastan Lestrange Fanfiction

Merit Vander Wende hates me.

A fact she's never kept secret, but when her darling fiancé crossed me he all but signed her death warrant.

Merit might hate me, but she will be mine.

OC(s): Rhiannon Lestrange (Sydney Sweeney) Merit Vander Wende (Rachel Zegler)

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TBA

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A Disney Descendants Fanfiction

Once upon a time, King Adam declared an end to the darkness. He sent the Villains to the isle and magic became obsolete. Twenty years later, his son is ready to make things right by bringing over the children of the Villains he banished. Including the daughter of his father's greatest enemy, Gaston. Galston is just looking for a good time. She definitely didn't mean to be the catalyst for a war decades in the making

OC(s): Galston Legume (Kaia Gerber) Cedrick Facilier (Luka Sabbat) Quinn Queen (Rachel Zegler) Aleksander Westergaard (Danny Griffin) Winter White (Matt Cornett)

Red Riding Hood

A Disney Descendants Fanfiction

All her life Scarlett's been stalked by The Wolf. Always looking over her shoulder, terrified of the dark. After the death of her only protector, Auradon is her only hope. Fate has no hold on her.

OC(s): Scarlett Edon (Maia Mitchell)

Beyond the Star and By The Angel

A Shadowhunters Fanfiction

It all started with the Academy. When the Academy finally opened it's doors to warlocks, Max Lightwood-Bane was the first to jump in, alongside his older brother, of course. Neither of them had any idea that when meeting Romy Thornhill they would be meeting the woman who would change all their lives forever. (part of the Angels and Demons Series)

OC(s): Rowena 'Romy' Thornhill (Meg Donnelly)

Swing for the Fences

A Sandlot/Stranger Things Crossover Fanfiction

The summer of 1962: Scott Smalls and Benny Rodriguez along with their baseball crew did the impossible, they rescued their ball from The Beast. Cementing their friendship for until the end of time.

November 1983: Scott Smalls is getting a divorce, living in Hawkins Indiana with his two kids. The day his best friend Benny, and Benny's daughter, move to Hawkins to help him with the transition to single parenthood, Will Byers- Scott's daughter's best friend- goes missing and the mystery of Hawkins beings to unravel.

OC(s): Lou Rodriguez (Jenna Ortega), Emma Smalls (Mckenna Grace), Phillip Smalls (Walker Scobell), Charlie Baker (Felix Mallard)

Read it on: AO3

My Finished Stories

Prince of Ruin

A Theodore Nott Fanfiction

Once upon a time, long long ago, The Nott family and The Selwyns were the closest of friends. Two families who loved each other with their entire souls. Did I mention that was a long long time ago? Now, Theodore Nott can't stand the Selwyn Twins, especially the loud and rude Cordelia Selwyn. However after a incident of revenge gone wrong, Theodore finds himself stuck with the woman, until death do they part (Part one of The Serpents Club)

OC(s): Cordelia Selwyn (Model fc is Vika Bronova, actress fc is Odeya Rush), Bastian Selwyn (Model Fc is Alessandro Dellisola, Actor fc is tentatively Tanner Buchanan) Story Masterpost

#writeblr #intro #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #disney descendants fanfiction #shadowhunters fanfiction #original fiction

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roadtogracelandx45 · 1 year

Text

Freeze| Blue Bloods One Shot

Summary: After hearing the call for an officer down, Libby Reagan and her training officer Renzulli rush to the scene and knowing she was faster Libby went after the shooter.

@prettyinpayne

masterlist coming soon

Central Park New York

“You know your brother Joe spoke very highly of you.” Sergeant Renzulli said, watching his new partner. Libby Reagan-O’Malley beamed before shaking her head, “I hope only good things. He and Danny use to talk me into stupid stuff when I was younger.”

“Like what?”

“I would rather not talk about it, I will break out in hives if I do.” She laughed.

“You have a twin brother right?”

“Yes Jamie, he is at law school.”

“Smart kid.’

“Very smart. I should have followed him out of New York.”

“Why?”

Libby rubbed her lips together and twirled her straw around her almost empty glass.

“I got accepted into Northwestern, which was my top school. I wanted to go so bad.’

“Then why didn’t you?”

“My husband stopped me from going and he got so mad when I decided instead to get my bachelors degree in criminal justice and join the police academy.”

“He should be proud.”

“Keyword should be.” She said, “he wants to drive a wedge between me and my family.”

Tony started laughing long and hard at that, her family, the Reagan family was infamous for being tight knit.

Always checking in.

There had even been rumors about her grandfather and father having her and her older sister Erin followed on their dates.

Which Tony himself said he would do if he ever had a daughter.

He watched her mouth twitch in a smile for several long minutes before speaking up, “If you are unhappy Libby, then you need to change that. You are a Reagan, you don’t need a man to be happy. And no offense Michael is an ass.

”

That got her to laugh, “That is true. But he won’t let me leave. I have spent more time at my parents house than I have in the last 4 years. Just to get away from him.”

“You need to leave him, if I can tell you aren’t happy, then your family definitely can.” Libby nodded her head as she went to talk, static filled the air, “10-24 officer down! We need back up!’

Libby’s blood ran cold as she stood up, quickly knocking her chair over.

One thing she had always feared being in a family that housed not only the commissioner but the chief of deans and two other officers that one day those calls would be involving one of them. And hopefully this time was one of those situations that didn’t involve them.

“10-4 show us responding.” Tony said as they rushed out of the diner and down the street to their squad car.

Libby’s heart was in her throat as she threw herself out of the car. Her hand trembling as she grabbed ahold of her gun.

Her partner was on her heels.

“We need more back up. NOW!” Renzulli shouted into his radio.

“They came out of nowhere!”

Riker shouted, putting his hands on the bleeding wounds that his partner had.

“What way did they go?”

“That way!’ She glanced over her shoulder at her partner who nodded quickly. Out of the two of them, she was the quickest.

Having been on track and softball in high school as well as an avid runner now so she had a better chance of catching the shooter.

She tore down the path quickly, her heavy belt banging against her hips and upper thighs.

“I really need to become a detective so I don’t have to wear this stupid belt!” She muttered to herself, “HEY! FREEZE!”

The prep wasn’t a man like she was expecting but a teenage girl, close to her sister-in-law Mary’s age, in fact she was friends with Mary, she just couldn’t put her finger on the name.

Her radio had static as Tony radioed for more backup for her and a bus.

The girl turned around and looked at her, her gun trembling as she pointed it at her. Libby raised her gun and pointed it at her.

“I don’t want to shoot you.”

“Do it! Shoot me!’ The girl shouted.

She was trembling from head to toe, she obviously was frightened by what she did.

“I am not going to shoot you. I need you to put the gun down now.’

Running footsteps alerted her that she wasn’t alone now.

“You okay Libs?” her older brother Joe asked, coming to a stop at her elbow, his own gun drawn.

“Yes.’ She answered as their older brother Danny joined them. They had been surprised when Renzulli’s voice came onto the radio calling for backup.

They wanted to be with Libby to shield her from this. They could survive if it was anyone else that answered the call but since it was their little sister they wanted to be with her.

“Look, I am going to put my gun away.” Libby said, flipping the safety back on and putting it back in the hostler and holding her hands up.

“See, we aren’t going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

“Talk? Yeah right!” The girl laughed, wiping her eyes off on the back of her hand.

‘Your name is Tessa right?” She asked, taking a step closer to her, her two older brothers following her.

“How do you know that?”

“I am Mary’s sister-in-law Libby.’

“I heard about you.” Tessa started waving the gun around, “Her mom doesn’t like you very much.”

Libby glanced out of the corner of her eye at Danny who gave a slight nod. He didn’t want to take a shot at the girl. Girls like this were innocent.

“I heard your brother was killed.” Libby said, 'In Attica.I am so sorry, I don’t know if I would survive without any of my brothers.’

“The guard killed him! He did nothing wrong!”

“Michael told me what happened. There was a riot, your brother Randy was involved in it.’

“No! That's not true!” Tessa pointed her gun at Libby who held her hands up and took another nervous step forward.

“Tessa, it is true, I am sorry.” She said, “Grief is an unspeakable thing.’

“What do you know? You live in an ivory tower and everything is good and wholesome.’

“No, Tessa, that's not true at all. Last year, my son MJ, died. He was a year old and he was hit by a car. He died on the way to the hospital.”

Danny made a noise deep in his throat, he would never forget that day, hearing Libby scream and then hold her son's crumpled body to her chest. He never wanted her to live through something like that again.

The driver had been distracted texting and hit the youngest Reagan grandchild. The grief that Libby had been in had been heartbreaking.

It was something that he never wanted to see again. It had just been recently that she started to come back to them and be apart of their family again. And they wanted that for as long as possible.

Tessa watched the pretty police officer for several long minutes before squeezing the trigger. The gunshot sounded like a broom breaking loudly and as if in slow motion the bullet flew through the air and landed in Libby’s midsection. Joe grabbed a hold of her elbow and helped her lower down on the ground.

“Libby?!’

Another loud bang filled the air and Tessa crumbled to the ground face first. Riker had come up from behind her and shot her.

“We need another ambulance over here!” He said into his radio before going over to the trio.

“I am okay.” She gasped between breaths of pain. “I don’t think she hit anything.” Danny reached his hand out and put it on her stomach. It came back bloody.

“Oh shit.” She muttered, “Mom is gonna be so pissed.”

#ash writes #oc: libby reagan halstead #series: thin blue line #blue bloods fan fiction #blue bloods imagines

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streamsofstardust · 2 years

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OKAY!! as someone who's been in a similar situationship as Danny and Kenzie, it feels very icky. My sisters (also twins, wild) are the same age as Josh and Jake, and I'm 22. I dated one of my sister's friends who was 5 years older than me in high school and after graduating. It was the most unhealthy relationship ever, constantly being told how mature I was, being coerced into sex waaayyy too young. Man saw me for the first time when I was 12 years old, and he was 17 and was like yep she's the one?? Looking back now it's fucking gross. Anyways I hope Daniel is doing well

I'm so sorry you dealt with that i can't even imagine

i feel like a major thing people are disregarding is that it literally does not matter that she's the older party and is at fault. regardless of mojo jojo's gender, she's OLDER like considerably older and there's a natural power imbalance. and yeah I'm sure she's manipulated him into plenty and I'm not going to sit here and say i know either of them bc i definitely do not (danny hmu tho) but do you really see danny as the argumentative type? or the type to just put up with mango's bullshit to avoid drama.

he was a fucking MINORRRRRRR. truly cannot stress that enough. she knew him when he was a fucking kid and it's gross. like i personally couldn't see him any other way if i was her. im 23 and i feel like 20 year olds are children like ???

the relationship isn't healthy and that's purely going off of the psychological aspects of it. and given that she's 26 she's fully aware of that. not to mention she lives on social media and i guarantee she's seen people comment on the situation so i know damn well she's at least somewhat conscious of it

#the letter m

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goodfish-bowl · 2 years

Text

A Machete and a Silver Chain

Danny Phantom and Gravity Falls Crossover

Summary: Dipper knows something is off with that new guy working the night shift at the only gas station in Gravity Falls, Danny.

AO3 Link

Words: 1927

Notes: Was supposed to be for Crossover Danuary Week 2022, but meh, better (super) late than never.

Dipper wanted proof. He craved it. He wanted to show Mabel that the cute guy she’d been doting on for the past few days was a threat. Dipper had the insatiable need to prove that Danny, the night shift employee at the only gas station in Gravity Falls, wasn’t human.

This Danny guy had started working there some time a few weeks after the twins had arrived in Gravity Falls. Candy and Grenda had quickly told Mabel about the development, including all the rumors. Danny was from out of town, looked to be in his teens, but when asked, said he was 18. No one knew him, he was a complete stranger. He never gave a last name, only to call him Danny. No one even had an idea where he lived, but the only time he was ever seen was late at night, working his shift at the gas station desk.

Now, when Dipper had first met the guy, he’d seemed nice (Wendy seemed to like him an uncomfortable amount, which only upset himself further, not that he would admit it,) but he sent chills down Dipper’s spine when those striking blue eyes stared at him a second too long. Mabel immediately fell in love (despite the fact that the guy was clearly not interested and at least a couple years older than her), but that wasn’t really surprising. The trio of girls giggled and gossiped about him, making up all sorts of stories about who he was and where he came from. Dipper was forced to listen to as many different iterations of cheesy romance tropes as he could remember. Runaway prince, undercover agent, runaway undercover agent, runaway undercover agent that was actually a prince…

“Maybe he’s a vampire or something?” Dipper threw out there.

Mable gasped, “I wonder if he sparkles in the sunlight?!”

“No!” Dipper exclaimed, “Vampire’s are dangerous, Mabel, and they definitely don’t sparkle.” Dipper quickly brought out his journal, quickly flipping to the page on vampires and shoved it in his twin's face. “See?! Dangerous! Vampires only look attractive so he can lure you away and eat you!”

“But the danger, Bro Bro, it makes the romance so much sweeter… a forbidden romance…” Mabel swooned, and the other two girls joined in.

Dipper groaned in agony, “Fine! Get yourself eaten. I’m going to actually do something about this!” He declared, jumping from his position on the bed and stumbling out of the room.

Dipper rushed through the Mystery Shack, nearly falling down the stairs, nearly tripping Grunkle Stan, punched in the code to the vending machine, and rushed into the hidden spaces below.

“Grunkle Ford!” Dipper called once the elevator reached the second floor.

“Ah, Dipper,” Grunkle Ford greeted, “Just in time! I could really use your help cleaning-”

Dipper cut off Grunkle Ford before he could get much farther, flipping to the page he had just shown to Mabel, and showing Grunkle Ford in turn.

“I think the new guy at the gas station is a vampire,” Dipper stated.

“Oh?” Grunkle Ford hummed, hand on his chin. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard of a vampire in Gravity Falls. They typically prefer more populated areas, but I suppose an isolated town in the middle of the woods has its own benefits,” Ford mused. “Can you describe him?”

Dipped nodded, “Yeah, um…” Dipper thought back on his meeting with Danny, “He’s really pale, he most likely says he’s older than he is. No one ever sees him during the day, only during his shift at the gas station. No one knows where he lives…” Dipper tried to think of something else, when another memory resurfaced, “His hands are super cold! Like holding onto something frozen. He didn’t show his teeth when he smiled. Oh, oh, oh! And his eyes! They’re really blue, but they do that thing, like a cat! Where they glow!” Dipper had almost fainted when the lights flickered and he saw bright green eyes in the dark, not that he was going to tell Grunkle Ford that.

Grunkle Ford seemed to think about it for a moment, “Yep, that sounds like a vampire, alright. Dipper, do you remember how to get rid of a vampire?” Ford asked.

Dipper pondered for a moment before answering, trying not to look at the book for the answer. ”Wooden stake or silver?” He guessed.

Ford grinned, “Those will hurt the vamp, but not kill it. To kill a vampire you need to behead it.”

Dipper paled, “Behead?!”

Ford sighed, tired but sympathetic. “Vampires are dangerous, Dipper,” Ford explained, “If we don’t get rid of him, he could hurt a lot of people, that’s not even counting the people he might have already killed.”

Dipper gulped, not liking the idea, but agreeing that it sounds reasonable, “Alright, I guess. But we have to make sure first. Do you have anything for that?”

Ford hummed in thought, snapping when he obviously had an idea, and began rummaging through some drawers in the lab. Dipper watched anxiously. He really hoped Ford wouldn’t just outright kill Danny. Sure, Danny could be a dangerous vampire, but he could also just be a weirdly creepy guy. Dipper didn’t like the idea of hurting someone who didn’t deserve it. (Dipper didn’t want to think about how Ford probably wouldn't have checked to make sure Danny is a vampire first if he hadn’t mentioned it.)

Ford pulled out a thick silver chain with a cross dangling from it with a triumphant shout. “Silver! It won’t kill him, but it will certainly do the trick of proof. The cross is iron too. Won’t hurt a vamp, but it works on a lot of other things,” Ford explained, and Dipper mentally jotted down notes. (He would physically jot them down later.)

Ford checked the clock, “Six o-clock, sun sets in a couple of minutes,” Ford turned to him, “Are you ready?”

Dipper nodded, swallowing his doubt and the dreadful feeling in his stomach that something bad was going to happen.

Dipper carefully watched Danny through the window to the gas station. Neither Dipper nor Ford could find out how Danny had arrived, he had just walked out of the back like he had been there the entire time. (They’d been staked out here for about an hour and a half, watching people come and go, Danny had only been on shift for about a third of it.) Ford was waiting until the lull in late night activity, so that there were very little chance of them being interrupted should something go south. Mabel was most definitely asleep by now, but Dipper was helping people, so he’d stay awake for as long as it took.

Ford gave Dipper a light shove somewhere around 1:30 am, jolting the boy away from his half-doze. Dipper gave a small, started yelp at the sudden contact, only to be shoved quickly down by Ford. Danny was looking over in their direction, eyes narrowed. Dipper stiffened, there was no way a normal person would have heard that. Ford and Dipper stayed frozen for what could have easily been twenty minutes, before Danny went back to paying attention to whatever he was doing on the laptop set up in front of him.

Ford handed Dipper a machete when it was time, one that was sharp and light enough for him to use. He still held it unsteadily.

“Hide it under your jacket. I’ll be the one to check, you’re my back up,” Ford ordered, and Dipper nodded, slipping the machete into the back of his jacket.

They emerged from their hiding spot and casually walked into the gas station, a small bell announcing their arrival. Danny looked up for a split second, blue eyes piecing them, before he returned to his work. Dipper still felt like he was being carefully watched, the uncomfortable chill of the machete against his shirt feeling like it was burning him. Ford beckoned him to a place between the shelves and away from the cameras, a blind spot, then began gesturing with his hands in some sort of code.

Ford agreed that there was something up with Danny. Dipper was supposed to stay crouched down until Ford signaled him. Ford was going to approach Danny now.

“Young man, could you take a look at something for me real quick?” Ford asked, pretending to be the old man he really was.

“Huh?” Danny asked, looking up somewhat surprised, “Sure, I guess?”

“I have this old chain, and the clasp is broken, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be. Do you think you could latch it for me?”

Danny shrugged, “Sure thing.”

Ford pressed the silver chain into Danny’s hand. No reaction. Danny looked at the chain.

“Huh, this is quite the piece,” Danny hummed. Then he went to grab the cross to get a better look at the cross.

Danny let out a startled gasp when he made contact with it, yanking back his hand in shock. The cross had burned him, not the chain. Ford lunged all the same, easily clearing the counter, and making a grab to pin Danny on the ground. Danny shouted and grunted, trying to get Ford off of him and Dipper rushed out of his position and gave the machete to Ford across the counter. He couldn’t see the fight on the ground behind the counter, but from the sound of it, Ford was barely able to keep Danny down.

In that second when he handed off the machete, Dipper got a glimpse of the situation. Ford had his arm pinned against Danny’s throat, who was snarling back, sharpened canines snapping and scratching at Ford trying to escape, eyes blown wide in panic and doused in a toxic green Dipper had never seen before. Ford snatched the machete and held it to Danny’s neck, the point drawing a thin line of blood. Danny froze, muscles still drawn taunt, and Ford rasped on top of him, holding Danny in place.

“I don’t know what you are,” Ford growled, “but the only beings I know that are burned by pure iron are much more dangerous than vampires.”

Danny didn’t say anything, probably due to the machete at his neck, and Ford’s attention seemed to be drawn to something Dipper couldn’t see.

“I wasn’t hurting anyone,” Dipper heard Danny whisper, sad and solemn, but it was nearly drowned out by Ford’s startled shout,

Ford shot to his feet and snapped his head around, looking for something. Ford easily cleared the counter, and Dipper glanced over it. Danny was gone… but he had been there just a second ago. He had heard the creepy teen speak. But no one was there now. Ford rushed through the gas station for a minute or two, looking for someone that wasn’t there, before slumping in on himself with a tired sigh.

“Grunkle Ford,” Dipper asked hesitantly, “What happened?”

“He got away,” Ford admitted, exhausted,“He slipped right through the floor once he was able to gain his bearings. I don’t think he’ll be coming back here anytime soon either.” Ford glanced at the machete and approached Dipper. “But this wasn’t a wasted trip, look.”

Dipper glanced at the blood on the tip of the machete. It was red and green, a neon toxic green to be exact, but neither was able to fully mix with each other, creating a marbled effect.

“Do you know what Danny is?” Dipper asked, almost fearing the answer.

Ford looked down, shoulders tense and jaw clenched.

“Dangerous.”

#danny phantom #danny fenton #goodfish writes #crossover danuary week 2022 #crossover #tw:blood #gravity falls #dipper pines #ford pines #and a little bit of Mabel

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hiimkay · 2 years

Text

Her Seat (Imagine)

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x female!reader

Word Count: 1.7k words

Summary: You and the twins had been closer than most for your whole lives, and you’ve fallen in love with the older of the two. You’ve grown to be an integral part of the Kiszka family, even laying claim to your own specific seat near the fire pit. None of them are prepared to lose you so soon.

WARNINGS: Mentions of a car accident, mentions of death and a body, portrayal of grief and sadness.

I’m starting off with a sad one, I still want to share it though to see what you guys think! I can’t remember when exactly I got this idea, but I’ve been slowly working it into what it is now, and although it’s nowhere near a perfect product I think it still conveys what I wanted it to. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!

You had always been like an unofficial Kiszka child. The boys' parents and yours had been friends since high school, meaning you were almost always having dinner together or celebrating Christmas as one big family. You had your very own special log to sit on out near the Kiszka's large fire pit in their back yard. It was your seat, nobody was allowed to sit in it unless they wanted to feel your wrath. You had even carved your initials into it once when you and Jake fought over it.

You and Jake were always super close, you both took mostly the same classes in high school, studied together, got the same part-time job, did almost everything together. Jake was even the first to find out about your crush on his twin brother and your second-closest friend, Josh.

All throughout high school, you had slowly been developing feelings for Josh. You’d go see him in every play the theater program put on, you’d help him study for classes he struggled with, you even gave him advice about girls he liked. Then you’d always tell Jake about it later, about how much you hated that Josh liked other girls, about how you wished he'd notice you like he noticed the other girls, and Jake would always listen. He offered to talk to Josh on your behalf once but you refused, saying that if it was going to happen it should happen naturally when in reality you were just terrified of what would happen if he did say something to Josh.

Graduation came and the boys really started working on their music. You would sit in during garage rehearsals and give feedback when asked for it. You loved watching Josh develop his sound, Jake improve his guitar playing, and Sammy bounce between keyboard and bass like it was second nature. Danny was a wonder on the drum set and pulled the whole thing together. When Josh would run lyrics by you, your heart would melt. You began to feel like a member of the band, even though you couldn't play an instrument well enough to keep up.

One night, Josh was running some lyrics by you after the rest of the guys had packed up and left for bed, leaving the two of you alone. Josh was reading lyrics that seemed to be written either for or about a girl, and finally you couldn't keep yourself from asking.

"Who are these about, Josh?" The question definitely caught him off guard.

"I don't know, it's just something I came up with. I don't really write about anyone in particular." You had hoped his answer would be different, but a part of you felt relieved that he wasn't writing about anyone specific.

"You could write about me..." You muttered, glancing over his scribbled words.

"Do you want me to?" You froze, realizing you hadn't mumbled as quietly as you thought.

That night was the beginning of your relationship. You and Josh became what everyone always thought you and Jake would be. You went wandering in the forest together, went to see indie movies in the theater together, you were always pushing each other to try something new. You became his muse and his biggest fan after his parents, of course. You still maintained your friendship with Jake, which he was thankful for. It was rare for you to not be at the Kiszka household for one reason or another.

As Greta began to produce music, with the release of their first EP, you knew Josh and Jake would both be super busy. As much pride as you felt in them, you couldn't help but miss the time you used to spend with your favorite boys. On a whim, you bought Josh a necklace to wear, and a matching one for yourself. The small compass charm hanging from the chain meant to you that you would always find each other, and Josh wore it every day after you gave it to him. When you had bought it, you felt kind of silly for thinking he’d like it, but seeing him wear it so proudly made any regret or doubt you felt disappear instantly.

While the boys were occupied with music production and the planning of a possible tour, you decided that it would be the perfect time to check off a few things on your bucket list. You traveled to the Upper Peninsula for a few days and saw Mackinac Island, you traveled to each of the Great Lakes, you took an art class and got into old film cameras and drawing, just silly things that you never thought you had time for before.

On your way home from one of your list adventures, a pickup truck crossed the center line and came straight for you. The truck was going plenty over the speed limit and you didn't have enough time to get out of the way. Your car was completely totaled, and you were killed on impact.

When the police arrived at your front door and asked your parents to identify a body they believed to be yours, they completely broke down. They didn't leave the house at all and didn't speak to anyone. It took a week for anyone to come check on them, and it was the boys' mom, Karen, who finally broke the silence. She showed up at your house, worried because none of them had seen or heard from you or your parents all week.

They let her in, broke the news to her and relived the pain all over again, only this time, there was someone there feeling it with them. Karen felt as if she'd lost a child too, and she hurt even worse knowing that she'd have to break the news to her boys. She left your house after a few hours and headed home, making sure your parents knew that she would always be there if they needed anything. When she made it back home, the boys were eager to hear about why you hadn't called, texted or stopped by to see any of them in a week.

The silence that fell over the Kiszka household was deafening. Jake didn't know what to say or do after finding out that his best friend was gone. Josh wouldn't believe it, at first. He denied it relentlessly, sure that you would be home soon and that your phone had just died while you were out. Sammy felt like a part of him had been torn out, and Danny didn’t have any reaction at all, at first. The first night, Jake laid in his bed and cried as quietly as he could. Josh sat up in his bed, feeling numb and empty as the moonlight slowly transitioned to sunrise.

It finally all came crashing down on Josh when your parents told him to go see you. He went alone, entering the funeral home like he was about to prove everyone wrong. Maybe your parents had misidentified a body, maybe you were still out there somewhere. His heart fell through his feet when the funeral director offered him the compass necklace you always wore to match the one around his neck. When he saw you, he couldn't help but break down. The way you looked, so cold and pale, was nothing like how you were when you were alive. All of the light and energy you radiated was gone, you were nothing but a shell laying under a white sheet, a few noticeable wounds from the accident littering your skin.

Your funeral was very bittersweet. The entire building was packed with people full of love who knew you and wanted to pay respects, and almost everyone was hurting. Your mother sobbed loudly in the front row and your father sat next to her, trying to hold his own composure. Jake cried quietly, staring at the simple green urn you were now resting in. Josh cried more noticeably and Karen held him to offer some sort of comfort. After the service, your mom offered the Kiszkas a smaller urn that matched the larger one, feeling that it was only right for your second family to have a piece of you as well. The twins got memorial charms for you, and the rest of the ashes found a spot on their mantle next to one of your senior pictures. Josh put the memorial charm on the same chain as his compass, that way you’d always be with him and as close to his heart as possible.

It took a while, but eventually the boys returned to making music and headed out on tour. Danny finally felt the full weight of your absence, not having you there to cheer on his skills on the drum kit when no one else would. Josh had written a song about you with the help of his three brothers and wanted to perform it during their tour, so on their very first night he wore the compass necklace with your memorial charm. Under the setting sun, as they stood on stage, he pressed the charm to his lips and glanced up at the sky before beginning the show. You became his lucky charm, both literally and figuratively after that.

After the boys returned home from an extremely successful tour, the weather started to chill and their dad was outside burning some brush and fallen branches. Josh walked outside to join him, needing some fresh air and familiar comfort. He hadn't been able to focus on anything other than the hole in his heart and the empty side of his bed since he got home.

His world stopped spinning as he watched his father reach for your log. Your log, the one with your initials carved into it, the one you almost fist-fought Jake over, the one right next to his own log.

"That's her seat." He mumbled, taking the log from his father's arms quickly.

"Josh-"

"It's her seat, dad! This is her spot, this is where she sits and we can't get rid of it!" Josh shouted, his voice breaking as tears clouded his vision. His dad looked at him with sympathetic eyes and squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to try and burn her seat. We can leave it where it was."

"She'll still sit in it, even if we can't see her there. I know she'll be there. She's always there."

#josh kiszka #greta van fleet #gretavanfleet #joshua kiszka #imagine #josh kiszka imagine #gvf #gvf one shot #josh gvf #short story

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ladylynse · 3 years

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Dimensional Displacement [FFN | AO3]: Danny has a love-hate relationship with the Fenton Booo-merang. This time, it didn’t do him any favours. This time, it knocked him through a portal—and from what he can glean from the Water Tribe siblings he meets, odds are, there’s a reason for that.

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For @geronimo-alonzi as a thank you for donating to my ko-fi. (Yes, they won my fic giveaway, but I finished this one first.) Loosely based on this three sentence fic.

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Danny had been clobbered in the head by the Fenton Booo-merang more often than he’d like to admit, let alone count, but this was the first time it had knocked him through a portal.

That wouldn’t have been a particularly bad thing if the portal hadn’t immediately closed behind him.

One minute, he’d been minding his own business in the Ghost Zone, coming back from a visit with Frostbite that Jazz must have forgotten about if she’d sent the Booo-merang after him. (Sam was stuck with her parents at some fancy dinner party thing somewhere and Tucker was working on designing a computer game for his comp sci assignment, a class neither Sam nor Danny was in, so it had to have been Jazz.)

The next minute, Danny was…. He didn’t even know where he was. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. He’d caught the Booo-merang before either he or it had hit the ground, but once he’d righted himself to look around, there was no familiar skyline or something equally useful to him. There were only trees and rocks and dirt roads as far as the eye could see, even from a considerable distance up in the air.

Well.

That wasn’t quite fair. He could see a silver river cutting through the trees in a path roughly parallel to the road, but in terms of helpful things, he was coming up empty.

He didn’t even know which direction he’d need to fly to get to a city. It was too light out to see any distant glow of city lights against the scattered clouds, and all he could smell when he breathed in was fresh air and pine needles and something else—moss? The general mix that was pretty much mulch on the forest floor?—that was decidedly natural, not the signs of human activity he’d been hoping for. Sure, following the road or even the river would get him somewhere sooner or later, but what was he supposed to do, pick a random direction or go eenie meenie minie moe?

Danny did another loop above the trees, looking for some sign of anything, and came up with nothing.

“Come on!” Danny yelled at the patch of blue sky where the portal had closed. He spun in a circle, the Booo-merang clutched tightly in his fist, but it didn’t pull in any direction, and he didn’t catch so much as a glimmer of the familiar green of the Ghost Zone. “Just open up again already!” It was as effective as he’d expected it to be, which was not at all, but screaming out his frustrations made him feel a bit better. “Now! Please?”

Unsurprisingly, the portal didn’t listen.

Out of appealing options, Danny threw the Booo-merang. Logically, he knew it wasn’t the Infi-Map. Logically, he knew that the universe did not often do what was convenient for him, even if he sometimes got incredibly lucky in a fight. Logically, he knew that the chances of the Booo-merang deciding to reprogram itself to find portals just because it had done it this one time (likely coincidentally) were slim to none.

Illogically, he didn’t expect the stupid thing to circle around and hit him in the back of the head again.

Danny cursed and landed to retrieve the fallen Booo-mang from the roadway, muttering under his breath about how much he’d like to just dismantle the thing and hide the pieces. He wouldn’t, of course. It worked too well to risk Sam, Tucker, and Jazz losing the ability to find him if they really needed to. It had been dicey enough the few times his parents had decided to try to ‘fix’ it, only for disaster (Vlad) to strike in the meantime.

That didn’t mean Danny couldn’t fantasize about bashing it against a rock, though. There were plenty of those around.

“That’s a weird looking boomerang,” someone said from behind him, and Danny nearly jumped into the air right there.

He didn’t, mostly because he was getting used to Sam and Tucker trying to surprise him, but it was a near thing.

He wasn’t used to people sneaking up on him. His ghost sense was reliable, Dash made more noise walking around than even Jack Fenton, and, well, most of the people who hunted him couldn’t be subtle if they tried, especially since a good chunk of them liked hearing their own voice. He’d only ever really had to worry about Jazz, and self-preservation in the face of tickle attacks had given him the ability to be extra sensitive to her presence whenever she was in a certain mood.

The two who’d caught him by surprise now must have come from the trees on the other side of the road, and he hoped that meant they hadn’t seen him do anything particularly ghostly. Granted, neither of them was screaming, so he should be safe. They didn’t look terrified, either. Wary, maybe, but not scared.

Danny guessed that they were both somewhere around his age. Siblings, by the looks of them, but probably not twins even if they’d both decided to leave the house wearing oddly styled blue clothes today, at least compared to the usual jeans and T-shirt combo Danny was used to seeing. Unless he wasn’t anywhere near the States anymore? Or unless he’d been flung through to a different time. But the boy had spoken English, and it hadn’t sounded funny to Danny’s ears, no lilt of a foreign accent or strange phrasing that he associated with Shakespeare or something.

The girl was his height, the boy a bit taller, and they were both staring at him.

They probably thought he was the one who was dressed strangely.

The boy pointed. “Your boomerang,” he repeated. “It looks weird.”

The girl elbowed him in the gut—none too gently, judging by his immediate wheeze—and hissed, “Sokka!”

Yeah, those two were definitely siblings. And even if the girl wasn’t older, she definitely had the annoying (and annoyed) sister tone down pat. Danny had heard (and been on the receiving end of) the same from similar exchanges with Jazz more than once.

“Sokka’s going to apologize, right, Sokka?”

The boy frowned and then threw up his hands. “Right. I apologize for saying your boomerang looks weird. It looks interesting.”

The girl stepped on his foot, and he yelped. “What was that for?”

“You know what that was for!”

“It’s fine,” Danny said. He still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Maybe the portal had dumped him out in the middle of some historical re-enactment thing. Granted, there should really be more people around if that were the case—or at least hidden cameras. He was better at spotting them now. Vlad and his creepy spy tendencies aside, Danny had gotten good at noticing (and avoiding) cameras so he didn’t let his secret get caught on tape. (There were a surprising number of places in Amity Park not under video surveillance, or at least not under real video surveillance even if they had fake cameras out; he could practically transform in the middle of the street sometimes.)

Still, nothing about this felt staged. It didn’t even feel like one of his enemy’s tricks, some giant setup that was meant to trap him or whatever. That’s not to say Danny was wholly convinced this meeting, whatever it was, was merely chance—he didn’t particularly trust Clockwork not to arrange things as he saw fit without warning anyone—but it didn’t feel overly contrived, either. There was just….

Something felt off, and he couldn’t explain what it was.

“It’s fine,” Danny repeated, since the two were looking at him dubiously, but the familiar phrase felt strange on his tongue, almost like—

Wait.

“Okay, this is going to sound like a weird question, but where are we?”

The boy, Sokka, blinked. “Did you hit your head or something? We’re in the Earth Kingdom. Or, wait, do you mean where in the Earth Kingdom? Look, if you need new supplies, there’s not much in the last few villages, but we’re about a day from—”

The girl elbowed him again, and he fell silent. Danny could see the growing suspicion on her face for what it was, could see suspicion settling on the boy’s face as well, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d asked the wrong question or because he’d asked something at all. He’d been paying attention this time, watching Sokka’s lips, and Danny didn’t have to be a good lip reader to know that he hadn’t been saying the words Danny had heard.

Well.

More accurately, he hadn’t been saying them in English.

And Danny, in answering, had somehow not been speaking English.

That was not, as far as Danny was aware, something Clockwork could do to him.

He didn’t know a ghost who had power over language, though, unless the Ghostwriter had something else up his sleeve and this mess was it. Nocturne would be able to pull anything in a dream, but Danny couldn’t see why he’d bother including something that would be an obvious tell like this, so it shouldn’t be him even if he had decided to come back. More likely, it was someone he hadn’t fought before, someone who had targeted him, seen an opportunity when the Booo-merang had hit him and seized upon it to throw him…here.

Wherever here was.

The Earth Kingdom, apparently.

“Um.” The girl still looked like she expected him to start fighting, and her stance…. Danny didn’t recognize it, but he did know that she looked ready to move at any moment. Her brother had taken her cue and, while Danny hadn’t been paying attention, pulled out a boomerang of his own. That couldn’t be good. “Look. I know how this sounds.” How he sounded, more like. If he had some accent he couldn’t hear because he wasn’t speaking their language properly, whatever it was, this had to be a setup after all.

Someone had sent him here to be dealt with. By this world, this dimension or construct or whatever it was, if not necessarily by these two people.

Granted, Danny wasn’t sure why someone would go to the trouble of letting him understand and be understood in the first place if that were the case, since he could get in just as much trouble without speaking the native language.

Surely he wasn’t actually supposed to help someone here, right? This wasn’t even his world. Or the Ghost Zone. Whatever was going on here was most definitely not his business.

Except now he was in the middle of it, so if there was something going on, it would be beneficial to find out what it was sooner rather than later.

This wasn’t some Jumanji kind of thing where he’d been tossed into a game and had to do whatever it was to get out again, was it? It didn’t feel like the time he’d gone into Doomed, but that had been intentional, and this….

Okay, no, he didn’t have enough information to speculate, which meant he needed to get some information out of these two in order to get somewhere. “I just…. I was kidnapped and dumped here for some reason, and I’m trying to find my way home.” That was close enough to the truth that it shouldn’t raise any red flags. Hopefully. “My name is Danny.” Introducing himself as Phantom, even in ghost mode, wasn’t something he wanted to do when he had no idea how these people felt about ghosts. Besides, it wasn’t like they’d ever see him as Fenton. He just needed to stick to the ground and pretend to be a normal human being, which he could most definitely do—at least when the sun was bright enough that his slight glow was basically nonexistent. He doubted it would be terribly noticeable even under the cover of trees.

“Danny,” the girl repeated, not relaxing her stance. “That’s an unusual name.”

Sokka just cocked his head at Danny. “Why would anyone kidnap you?”

It was spoken like it was an innocent, thoughtless question, something that could be brushed away with a laugh, but Danny could read an underlying tension in each of their faces. Sokka was waiting on his answer, and so was his sister. Danny’s response might very well determine what happened next.

Consequently, Danny didn’t miss the fact that Sokka didn’t offer up any potential explanations that he could jump on.

Another lie wasn’t going to do him any favours, not when he knew so little. “I don’t know.” He could guess, but he didn’t know. From the looks of it, though, these two wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Chances were good they wouldn’t be particularly satisfied with his suspicions, either, which was that someone wanted him out of the way for whatever they were planning—or maybe that someone had decided they wanted to have a little fun with him at his expense, if world domination wasn’t on the table. “My parents are inventors. Maybe that’s why?”

“That doesn’t explain why whoever took you would leave you here,” Sokka pointed out, and Danny wished these two weren’t so smart. “If you were taken because you were valuable, you wouldn’t have been left behind unguarded.”

“So maybe they kidnapped the wrong person and realized that I wasn’t who they wanted?”

Sokka exchanged glances with his sister before murmuring, “We can ask Toph. I mean, it’s possible they found us, but if he is really a Fire Nation plant picked solely for his eye colour, they’d have at least dyed his hair and given him some normal clothes.”

Danny decided not to ask who the heck picked people for something based on eye colour and not skill or merit or experience or something normal like that. Aside from derailing the conversation from anything potentially useful, Danny was pretty sure Sokka hadn’t realized he’d been overheard, and it wouldn’t be in Danny’s best interests to let them know how good his hearing was.

Still, he took the opportunity to tuck away the Booo-merang before they could ask any questions about it that he wasn’t up to answering. Maybe it would make him seem like less of a threat if they didn’t think he was ready to use it as a weapon—not that he knew how to use a boomerang as a weapon, but he was pretty sure Sokka hadn’t pulled his out to see which of them could throw it farther or throw it properly—and maybe then they’d trust him enough to answer his questions. Hopefully. He was perfectly willing to meet this Toph if it meant figuring out where he was and how to get home, especially since it would be easy enough for him to cut and run later.

The movement was enough to draw the attention of the siblings, though, and both pairs of eyebrows rose. Had they not expected him to make what he hoped would be taken as a gesture of trust or were they wondering how the heck he’d gotten it into his pocket? Maybe they thought he was trying to hide it, which wouldn’t help matters at all. Then again, if they thought that he thought it had been a subtle move, then maybe—

No.

He had to stop doing this. He didn’t know enough about these two to try to guess their thoughts, let alone what actions they might take against him.

Danny shifted on his feet, glad they hadn’t jumped to attacking and that they weren’t even asking questions about the Booo-merang, since practically anything about it would be difficult to answer. At least they hadn’t seen him flying. Even for people familiar with ghosts, unknown ones tended to be cause for concern until their threat level was assessed, and Danny didn’t want to invite trouble and immediately find out what this world had that messed with ghosts. Sure, he wanted to know what could hurt him here, but finding out while it wasn’t actively being used against him was infinitely preferable.

“Where did you say you were from?” the girl asked after a beat, even though they all knew he’d never said anything about that.

“Nowhere you would know,” he hedged, which was true enough.

“We travel a lot,” the girl said, and her brother snorted.

“What Katara means is, try us. If we can help you get back to your family, what do you have to lose?” Sokka offered Danny a grin, and his stance had visibly relaxed, even if he hadn’t put his boomerang away. It might be just for show, especially since he still had a weapon out, but at least the girl hadn’t drawn any knives or something like that. “Look, from one guy to another, you don’t need to make up some crazy story if you’re a runaway or something like that. We’re basically runaways.”

“We’re running towards something, not away from it.”

“We were almost runaways.” To Danny, Sokka added, “Gran caught us, but she let us go.”

Katara rolled her eyes, and Danny looked between the two of them as Sokka continued talking. It was obvious that they’d changed tack for some reason, no doubt trying to get him to trust them, but the blatant switch made him uneasy. Did they not realize how obvious that was or was this just their usual dynamic?

“I’m from Amity,” Danny eventually interrupted. He knew from the way that they were looking at him that neither of them had forgotten he had yet to answer the question. He’d already told them they wouldn’t know the place, so technically he could’ve said Amity Park, but for all he knew, these two had been sent to get information out of him, and the less he told a potential enemy, the better.

Come to think of it, maybe he shouldn’t have told them his real name, and maybe he should’ve just made up a village name rather than dropping heavy hints about his hometown.

“Which is near—?”

Danny ignored Sokka’s prompt. He didn’t even have a good enough idea of the geography of this place to make that up, especially when there was a chance they knew the area, runaways or no. “Do you know where I could get some water? I haven’t found any since I woke up.” That wasn’t true, but they wouldn’t know that unless they were getting some more intel about him from someone unseen.

The siblings looked at each other again, and then Katara faced him and said, “We’re headed to the river. Come with us. You can get your water, and we can share our catch if we get anything.”

“Wait, I didn’t agree to share my meat!” Sokka exclaimed. Katara’s only answer was a dirty look, but it was enough to have Sokka subsiding into grumbles.

“I’m not hungry yet,” Danny said, which also strictly wasn’t true, but he knew he didn’t need to eat much.

“You might be hungry by the time we’re finished,” Katara said over Sokka’s griping.

Danny hesitated, trying to figure out how weird it would be if he made up some excuse not to go with them. What were the chances that this was a trap when he’d brought up the river—or at least water—before they had? It wasn’t that he thought they’d be able to take him out if it came to that, even if Jazz had more experience fighting normally than he did, since he typically relied a lot on his powers when he could.

These two might be better fighters than him—there were almost certainly better hunters, given how silently they could walk—but he’d always have something like intangibility in his back pocket if it came to it, and they wouldn’t. Still, when it came down to it, he wasn’t used to fighting humans. What if he didn’t pull his punches enough and seriously hurt one of them?

“You can tell us about Amity,” Katara added. “We’ve never been there.”

Danny really hoped that was true and that there wasn’t a place in this world called Amity that they knew well. Still, when they started walking, spreading out so he was always in sight and they never had their backs to him, even when they hit the trees on the other side of the road, he kept pace with them. “It’s pretty much like you’d expect.” Except for the ghosts. At least his ghost sense hadn’t gone off here. Yet. “This is probably the farthest I’ve ever travelled from home.” He couldn’t get much farther away than a completely different dimension that (probably) wasn’t as connected to his world as it was to the Ghost Zone, anyway—unless he counted when he’d time travelled, but he wasn’t about to bring that up.

Katara opened her mouth to ask another question, maybe to press him for details, so Danny cut her off. “What about you two?”

They looked at each other again. How many times were they going to do that? Hadn’t they already decided how far to trust him? Danny knew it wasn’t very far, but they’d clearly decided he wasn’t going to straight up attack them at this precise moment, so even if they didn’t tell him the whole truth—

Sokka gestured at their clothes. “We’re Water Tribe.”

He said it like it was obvious, like Danny should’ve known already, but of course it explained absolutely nothing.

“Southern Water Tribe,” Katara added unhelpfully, despite Sokka’s frown. “We wanted to see the world, and now we are.”

As cover stories went, it was better than Danny’s. Barely. “Right,” he said, wondering again why he’d been dumped in the path of these two. “It’s a nice world to see.”

Somehow, that was the wrong thing to say, because they were both looking at him like they’d expected him to say anything but that. “What?”

“There’s a war on, you’re supposedly kidnapped and dropped off somewhere in occupied territory without any of the proper paperwork, and the best you can come up with is it’s a nice world to see?” Sokka turned his incredulous look from Danny to Katara. “He cannot be Fire Nation. This kid is more sheltered than Toph was supposed to be.”

Danny, who had stumbled at the word war, kept walking and hoped they hadn’t noticed. If they had, maybe they’d think he’d tripped over a tree root or fallen branch or hole or something. They weren’t following a trail, so that was a perfectly reasonable explanation, right?

“It’s all right,” Katara said as she reached out to touch his arm, and, okay, from that gentle tone, which was a complete change from anything earlier, it must mean she had noticed, knew he hadn’t tripped over anything in the terrain, and—from how she was looking at him now—thought it wasn’t surprise that had tripped Danny up, either. “Trust me, I know what it’s like to be a little naïve until you have a chance to leave home for the first time, but unless you’re got a camp around here, you’re not prepared at all.”

Sokka finally put his boomerang away and smirked at Danny. “We at least left home with supplies.”

“Did you have to run without any warning?” Katara asked, giving her brother a pointed look.

“Oh, uh, kinda.” Danny winced, knowing that had to sound like a lie. “I…I didn’t really plan on leaving when I did. This just…happened.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow, but Katara said, “You don’t have to worry. We’re the last people who would turn you in to the Fire Nation.”

Right. So the Fire Nation were the bad guys, at least according to the Water Tribe and, if he was putting things together correctly, the Earth Kingdom, where they were. Meaning the Fire Nation had invaded the Earth Kingdom if this was occupied territory. Danny thought about asking why these two had come into occupied territory themselves and then decided he didn’t want to risk getting into a discussion that would show off how little he knew. If they had decided he was a runaway who knew practically nothing about the world, well, that worked in his favour.

“Thanks.” Danny wasn’t sure what else to say. “Why are you helping me, though? Won’t that put you in danger?” That had to be a fair question in this situation.

“We can’t help everyone,” Katara said quietly, “but we can help some people, even if it’s just a tiny bit. Sometimes, that has to be enough.”

Danny really didn’t know what to say to that, because she certainly wouldn’t understand if he said he knew the feeling, so he smiled weakly in thanks and let the conversation drop.

They were still watching him, but they were more subtle about it now, and it didn’t look like they were watching him more closely than they were watching everything else.

Being downgraded from a threat was a win, though. Danny hoped he didn’t do anything to mess it up.

“There’s no shame in being a refugee,” Sokka said after a moment. “Being from a richer family might’ve bought you an isolated childhood, but it wouldn’t guarantee your safety.”

“We won’t try to hold you for ransom if you tell us where you’re really from,” added Katara.

Danny glanced at her. “I said I was from Amity.”

“I could say I have a platypus bear as a pet,” Sokka interjected. “That doesn’t make it true.”

“We know what it’s like, thinking you understand the way things are and then realizing how little you know,” Katara said quietly. “It can be overwhelming.”

“And it would explain why you’re in your nightclothes,” Sokka said. He’d come in range of Katara’s fist, but he danced out of the way as she swung in his direction. He hadn’t even needed to look at her to know it was coming. “You didn’t know enough to keep your valuables hidden and got robbed your first night on your own, didn’t you?”

“I—” Danny knew it was an excuse for his ignorance being handed to him on a silver platter, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep up with a lie like that when he knew so little. “These aren’t my pajamas,” he said instead. Let them believe what they wanted to believe; that would make his life easier. Even if it blew up in his face somehow, he could truthfully say he’d never said they were right.

They might be suspicious that he hadn’t outright denied it, but then again, he’d already told them something a lot closer to the truth.

“Uh huh.” Sokka glanced at Katara again, and she gave a slight shake her head that Danny didn’t understand.

“Let’s get you some food and water first,” Katara said. “Then we can see about finding you other supplies.”

Danny decided not to point out that they’d already told him it was slim pickings for supplies around here. Not that he had the money to pay for anything, but Sokka had already guessed that. Besides, they thought he was running around in his pjs.

Judging by the sour look on Sokka’s face, he’d evidently translated his sister’s words to mean that she wanted to give him some of their supplies, something Sokka clearly wasn’t sure he approved of.

Katara must have had similar thoughts on Sokka’s expression, since she murmured, “It’s this or bring him with us, and you know what’s safer.”

Katara might not have minded that Danny could overhear her last words, but Sokka closed the distance between them, pulling his sister farther away from Danny before hissing, “It’s not the only option, and you know it. We can’t afford to give away any of our supplies, and just because Toph can make sure he’s not coming in with the intention of stabbing us in the back, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t blab to anyone once he figures out who we’re travelling with. You know as well as I do that that wouldn’t take very long.”

“He’s just kid.”

“Technically, like Aang keeps reminding us, we’re just kids. Who very much cannot afford to so much as drop him off in the next village. Show him the river and teach him how to catch and cook his meals? Fine. Picking him up as a stray when he’s not bringing anything to the table? Not fine.”

“He’s lost.”

“So? He’s not hurt. He’s already in a better position than some refugees. He’ll survive until he can walk to the nearest settlement. Then he can try to get help from people who can actually give it.”

Katara bit her lip and slowed to a stop. “There’s something else.”

“What?”

Danny very much wanted to know the answer to that—what had Katara figured out?—but he tried not to react so they didn’t know he’d been listening in. He deliberately turned away and stared around the trees instead, a mix of deciduous and evergreen. He couldn’t pick out any specific types of trees—nothing distinctive like oak leaves that he could see—and, as far as he could tell, the woods were utterly devoid of critters. He had no idea if that was because this world wasn’t real or if it was simply because all the animals in the region had had warning of their coming and hidden accordingly.

Danny knew his disinterest wouldn’t be very convincing, but if he was lucky, they’d think he’d given up on trying to eavesdrop.

“There’s something…off about him. Not necessarily something wrong, but something different. I can’t…. When he asked about water, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t hiding any on him or nearby in case it was a trap, and— He didn’t feel the same as you or me. I can’t explain it. Toph might have a better idea than I do. Or…or Aang.” The last word was a barely audible whisper.

“You think this might be a spirit thing?” Sokka’s response was closer to a suppressed shriek than anything else, and Danny winced.

“I think he might be spirit touched,” Katara answered, and Sokka’s sharp inhalation was painfully audible. “I wasn’t good enough back then to notice anything about Yue, but—”

“Fine.” Sokka’s voice had gone flat. “I don’t want to shun someone and accidentally anger the spirits. I’ll teach him to fish. You go back and interrupt advanced earthbending practice and pick a meeting place, but make sure everyone’s packed in case this doesn’t go the way you think it’ll go.”

“I know to be careful.”

“We all know to be careful. Some of us just need more reminding than others.”

Katara didn’t say anything else, but she must have nodded or done something similar because Danny heard Sokka stalk back over to him. “Katara’s going back to talk to the rest of our group about what we might be able to spare,” he said as Danny turned back to face him, “and I’ll show you how to fish in the meantime. If you don’t catch anything, I’ll give you one of mine.”

Danny wasn’t about to admit that he’d overheard their entire conversation, so he smiled and said, “That sounds great, thanks.” It didn’t stop the uneasiness from settling in his gut, though. Sure, now he knew these people believed in ghosts, and Sokka’s response made it clear he didn’t want to get on their bad side, but Danny had no idea what being spirit touched meant. He didn’t know if that was seen as a good thing or a bad thing.

More to the point, if it was a bad thing, he didn’t know if these people had something suitable with which to attack spirit touched people, since if they did, chances were good that it would work on him.

He was not lucky enough to get a free pass here.

Still, the odds were good that he’d be able to escape if they did attack since he’d know to be on watch for something, and he wasn’t about to turn down an offer of food. He had no idea when a portal would open and he’d be able to go home. Until then, the best he could do was survive.

He’d survived this much, and his life had hardly been a walk in the park since the accident, let alone before. He wasn’t about to let some ghost fling him into an unknown world and succeed in taking him down. He needed to get out of this to kick their butt and prove to them that they couldn’t get rid of him that easily.

Assuming this wasn’t all a series of genuine coincidences and not the result of the careful manipulation of events.

Danny didn’t want to think about that, though.

He had a much better chance of getting home if there was someone he could beat, and he was going to get home.

Somehow.

(see more fics)

#danny phantom #atla #avatar the last airbender #danny fenton #sokka #katara #crossover #fanfiction #dp fanfiction #atla fanfiction #my writing #ladylynse #snippets #crossover snippet #geronimo-alonzi

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snackleggg · 3 years

Text

Loud music and hard of hearing conspiracy

~~~

An Unidentified Flying Ship one shot

~~~

The music was blaring loudly but from the hallway at least it was a little muffled. Not entirely, Wes could still pick out the words to whatever awful pop song was playing if he focused but it was muted enough that he could at least ignore it.

How did I end up here?

A week ago everything had been fine, normal. Then everything went downhill.

It started when everyone was getting hyped about prom because it was only a week away. What was once an occasional subject that was mentioned once or twice in conversation quickly dominated the forefront of everyone's minds.

Of course with it came everyone talking about dates and Wes had rolled his eyes at the relationship drama that would proceed the school dance.

"What about you Wes?" His twin brother Kyle had asked.

Wes at the time was glaring at Fenton from across the cafeteria, totally zoned out from the world around him and whatever conversation was going on at the table but his brother's question had reeled him back in.

He blinked, turning his attention to Kyle who sat beside him "What about what?"

"Are you going with someone to prom?" One of the others at the table asked. Oh so the conversation had drifted there.

Before Wes could answer no, he was going to be too busy trying to gather evidence to expose Fenton someone else at the table went "I'm pretty sure he wants to ask Fenton to prom"

Wes' brain blue screened for a moment but when he saw everyone at the table nodding he was immediately snapped out of his stupor "wha- NO! Of course not! Why would you even think!?" Wes fumbled but then Kyle put his hand on Wes' shoulder.

"Bro, no offence but we all know you have a crush on Fenton and that you're just using your conspiracy theories as an excuse" Kyle said while looking at Wes sympathetically.

"I don't- I'm not using anything as an excuse, Fenton is Phantom! How can you guys not see it!?" Wes said, he was pointedly ignoring the heat he felt rush to his cheeks.

Another person at their table just shook their head in pity "Oh you poor thing, still in denial about your feelings. You know well still accept you no matter your sexuality right Wes?" They said and Wes heard his brother mumble something about how sad it was Wes thought ghosts were real.

At this point Wes was left completely speechless at the way all his friends seemed to agree with the outrageous notion that he had a crush on Danny Fenton. A crush.

Wes just stood up and walked away with his tray of half eaten slop. He could hear his friends sighing over how hopeless and oblivious he was.

It didn't stop there though.

Later that day at home Kyle, Wes and their older brother Easton were in the living room together quietly doing their own things. Kyle doing some homework, Easton texting someone and Wes looking over all the pictures he had gotten of Phantom after the fight earlier that day, unfortunately all were too blurry to make out anything Wes could actually use as evidence.

Then Kyle broke the comfortable silence.

"Hey Easton, you think you can give Wes some advice for asking his crush to prom?" Kyle asked, not even looking up from the algebra equation he was doing.

If Wes had been drinking anything he would've done a spit take, instead he settled for just staring at his brother in growing horror.

"Hmm? Crush? Oh you mean Jazz's younger brother?" Easton asked as he looked up from his phone. Wes already knew that Easton was good friends with Jazz Fenton but he became even more horrified by the fact that he had immediately connect the 'crush' Kyle had mentioned to Danny Fenton.

Kyle just nodded and Wes was still too shocked to say anything as he looked between his brothers.

"Well, you can never go wrong with chocolates and just straight up asking" Easton said with a shrug before looking back down at his phone.

Finally Wes regained he ability to speak "NO! I don't have a crush on Fenton!" Wes exclaimed.

"Wes you shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for help. I'm your brother, you can't really hide the fact that you have a huge crush on Fenton from me" Easton said simply and some part of Wes was thankful that neither of his brothers are currently looking at him because he knew his face was probably almost as red as his hair.

The larger part of Wes though was shocked and horrified by what his brother had just said.

Not for the first time that day Wes just got up and left without another word.

The rest of the week didn't fair any better.

Anytime Wes inforned his brothers or friends that he was going to tail Fenton to finally expose that he was Phantom they just rolled their eyes before going "Are you finally going to ask him to prom?" And everytime without fail Wes would turn bright red before stomping off in whatever direction Fenton had ran off to, muttering under his breath about how he did NOT have a crush on Fenton.

Finally, Friday he snapped.

"WHY!? Why does everyone think I have a crush on Fenton!? I thought it was obvious that I hate him!" Wes yelled after Kyle had off handedly asked if he had asked Fenton to prom yet.

"Duh, it's because you're pretty much infatuated with him" Kyle stated like it was obvious.

"I'm NOT infatuated!" Wes said.

"Then what do you have to say about all those pictures you take of him? Or following him and his friends around? The fact that you have an entire notebook filled with little facts about him that no one else would care to notice?" Kyle pointed out.

"That's all evidence! It's me trying to expose that he is really Phantom!" Wes argued.

"Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that but you can't live in denial forever bro. I mean why would you need to keep a catalogue of his interests or have so many photos of him just being normal and not at all 'ghostly' " Kyle said while making air quotes "that stuff can't be used as evidence so why still keep it?"

"Because! Be... because..." Wes stopped. Why did he keep all of those things? They weren't particularly helpful in exposing Fenton so why?

"It's cause you like-like him. Prom is tomorrow so I'm sorry to say your denial made you miss your chance to ask him out" Kyle said while patting Wes on the back.

Wes once again stood from the couch and walk away, up to his room and slammed the door behind him.

He spent the whole rest of the day just laying on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He went to prom the next day because some of his friends insisted he couldn't miss it.

For most of the night he had felt numb, especially as he watched people dance and talk and laugh together while he practically glued himself to the wall.

Then he spotted Fenton and Wes was hit again with his brothers words 'it's because you're pretty much infatuated with him'.

Wes hated to admit it but Fenton actually looked good. He wore a white dress shirt with a dark green bow tie and black slacks. It was simple but he pulled it off quite well and Wes couldn't help but notice how the flashing lights of the gym reflected off of Danny's ice blue eyes. How the constantly changing angle of the light highlighted his face a hundred different ways and none of them looked unflattering, at least not to Wes.

The music was loud, he could barely hear people standing right next to him so of course Wes couldn't hear what Danny and Sam were talking about on the other side of gym but Danny seemed to laugh at something she said and Wes couldn't tear his eyes away. He could almost imagine the laugh in his head, light and easy becoming a soft chuckle towards the end.

Wes looked down at the plastic cup full of punch he held in his hand. He could practically smell that someone had spiked it.

He soon found himself stumbling out of the gym because everything was so bright and loud and he needed more space between himself and Danny, definitely more than just a gymnasium's length at least until he figured out why the heck he felt his face flush when he thought about Danny's laugh.

So that's how Wes ended up sitting on the cool tile floors of the school's empty hallway. The lights were off so it was dark but the smallest bit of light poured in through the high up windows front the street lamps outside so it wasnt pitch black, even if it was hard to make out any details of his surroundings.

He didn't know how long he sat there staring at the swirling cup of liquid in his hands.

Eventually he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and he didn't need to lift his head to know it was Danny.

"Hey Wes" Danny's familiar voice echoed a little in the empty hallway, it wasn't the same kind of echo that his voice gained when he was Phantom Wes absentmindedly noted. He heard Danny sit down next to him on the cool tile floor.

"What brings you out here? Would've thought you'd be in the gym with your friends" Danny said.

Wes jostled the cup a little with his hand before gesturing to it "I think someone spiked the punch" Wes said instead of giving a straight answer to Danny's question.

"Oh? Good thing I was never a fan of punch. You good?" Wes could've sworn he heard actual concern leak into Danny's voice.

"Yeah, I only took a few sips" Wes shrugged and he leaned backwards against the metal lockers that lined the walls.

"What about you? Why're you out here?" Wes could now see Danny in his peripheral vision quite well. His legs were spread out straight infront of him unlike how Wes had his knees tucked against his chest. He also seemed to be leaning against the lockers behind them, looking relaxed against the cool metal.

"Technus decided to try and take over the DJ booth. I managed to stop him pretty quickly but I needed a breather so I came out here" Danny said, making a vague gesture with his hand.

"Hmm" Was Wes' only reply. The source of all his troubles, both old and new was sitting right next to him and they were holding a proper conversation like real people. No threats of exposing identities, no witty banter or mocking remarks.

To someone who didn't know any better it would almost seem like they were on civil terms with eachother.

What kind of terms are we on?

They weren't friends, not by a long shot. But enemies seemed too strong a word now that Wes thought about it. It wasn't like they were physically hurting eachother like Danny's other enemies. It was less literal battling and more metaphorical and figurative battling.

But after tonight would I even be able to do that anymore?

Wes couldn't just ignore the revelation forced upon him. He wasn't one for ignoring the obvious and when Kyle presented the evidence he had to admit his feelings were a tad obvious.

A comfortable silence was now between the two and Wes turned his head to look at Danny directly. His breath caught in his throat.

Danny was completely relaxed leaning against the lockers behind him. His hair was slightly disheveled, more so than usual. His eyes were closed and he had a faint smile on his face. The dim light shining in made his pale skin look like it was glowing, giving him an ethereal look. Wes was pretty sure that he could only glow in ghost form but that didn't stop the way the light reflected to make it seem otherwise. Wes also became hyper aware of the fact that they were sitting very close to eachother, if he leaned to the side a bit they would be brushing shoulders.

'Yeah, super obvious' Wes thought as he felt a blush find it's way onto his cheeks.

Wes managed to pry his eyes away and looked back down at his cup of spiked punch.

"Screw it" he mumbled before downing the whole thing.

"Hmm? What was that?" Danny asked as he peeked an eye open.

"Screw it" Wes said louder as he grabbed Danny by his collar and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Danny froze in place as Wes pulled back. The blush stood out against Danny's pale skin and Wes knew he was probably as red as tomato as he spoke "Wanna go dance? With me?" Wes asked cautiously.

Danny blinked before a doppy smile found it's way onto his face "Yeah, sure" he said.

Wes pushed himself up and held out a hand which Danny took without a moment's hesitation.

#danny phantom #danny phantom fic #my writing #wes weston #kyle weston #easton weston #danny fenton #unidentified flying ship #ufs #one shot #ficlet #drabble #my first time writing Wes #how'd I do?

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t00turnttrauma · 2 years

Text

Westerberg: A Cautionary Tale

Part Two: Entering The Real World

Warnings: bulimia, eating disorders mentioned and depicted, bullying

I wasn’t supposed to post this until tomorrow morning but I have no self control. I also really want to just stick it to that anon from last night.

Word Count: 4.8k+

Tag list: @teddiie @parodsal000 @wordvomit-foryourmind @doodle417 @gretasmokerising @theweightofstardust

Songs: Beautiful, Candy Store, Apex Predator, Stupid with Love

The semester was beginning to settle in. The first two weeks were over, and routines were beginning to cement. Every day, Danny went to class, ate lunch at the special table, and then spent the night reliving his lunch time with Damien and Y/N. They would laugh, talking over some Netflix series that they were barely watching. They came up with potential plans to mess with and topple their social standing. The two boys laughed it off, thinking nothing of how adamant their girl-friend was about ‘taking Sam Kiszka down once and for all.’

Danny was still on the fence about hanging out with the Kiszka brothers. He felt a little out of place, having to have things explained to him, things that Damien didn’t even know about. He also noticed that people paid more attention to him. Girls stopped him in the hallway, flirting shamelessly. They would grab his bicep, smiling up at him and inviting him out for drinks or to their dorms. Despite being prepared, Danny denied every time. He wasn’t sure how to feel about all the attention. He’d never had it before.

Sam was even scarier up close. He had a certain energy of him that was hard to discern. His eyes never stopped moving, scanning every room he was in and seeing who he could manipulate into doing his bidding. While he was on edge about him, Danny couldn’t help but admire how Sam took complete control of any room he was in. All eyes were always on him, and he loved the attention. He basked in it, flashing smiles at the girls who would do anything for a chance to be with him.

Jake was nervous. His eyes darted around the room, just like his younger brother’s. Instead of finding people looking at him, they looked at Sam. He was cool and collected on the outside, but on the inside, he was chittering to himself. He walked with his head high, but his shoulders were permanently slumped. He tried to help Sam, giving him insight into the world like a normal older brother would. Instead, he was shot down immediately. He often looked to his older brother for comfort, but Josh was never paying attention.

The oldest of the three, Josh, wasn’t stupid or dumb, he was a little bit of a ditz though. It was probably credited to the amount of pot he smoked in the mornings, clouding his brain. His grades were less than average, but good enough to stay in school. He’d giggle at the times Sam snapped at Jake, his brain unable to see the pain on his twin’s face or see the seriousness in Sam’s vicious words.

Classes were beginning to become easier. Danny learned the way of the textbooks, being able to decipher the meaning. He found the answers quickly, usually two sentences away from the definitions. His only struggle was Partner Sciences. For two weeks, he had worked with almost everyone in the room, Damien and Y/N included. They’d played board games during class as Professor Turner observed who took what role. She took diligent notes. Danny often took charge of the games, consulting the rules and defusing any potential bombs. Damien was like Danny in that way, using humor to tone down other student’s annoyance. Y/N was the opposite. She worked herself up, getting angry when the game didn’t go her way. Now, the class was beginning to gear up for the semester long project. They would have to create a presentation on any topic of their choosing, no matter how obscure, and give a ten-minute long presentation for the final. If he had it his way, Danny would partner with Damien. The two could easily find a topic they both liked and talk about it for about five minutes each. Monday morning, though, Professor Turner handed out partner assignments.

“Mike and Y/N. Damien and Blaine. Victoria and Carly. Danny and Erin.”

Danny felt his body tingle as he quietly smiled to himself, glancing at Erin who was looking at him. Just his luck, he was paired with the hottest girl he’d ever seen. She smiled at him, moving her backpack from the space in front of her and motioned for him to sit down. He took a seat, introducing himself.

“Danny.”

“Erin,” she smiled. “So, what are your hobbies?”

Danny told her all about himself from his favorite color to his preferred golf club. She giggled when he mentioned that he’d named each one he had this season. He felt proud of himself as he listened to her. She was a cheerleader, president of the celibacy club, and in Student Government. She was spread pretty thin across her schedule, making meeting times hard. They agreed on Sunday afternoons, meeting after lunch and then walking to the cafeteria together. As the project neared, they would be able to meet more often, which he was looking forward to.

Damien hadn’t had much luck with Blaine. Since getting to know him, Damien had become a little desperate, pining after someone to love him back. The thought depressed Danny as he believed his best friend and teammate deserved the world and someone to love back. He’d had his eye on Blaine for a while, but learned that he had a boyfriend in Los Angeles, waiting for their next break. Y/N and Mike had made the most progress of the three of them. They’d already picked a topic, which they were keeping secret, and planned to meet later that afternoon.

Danny met with Josh after class by the library, walking to the cafeteria together. They met with Sam and Jake. The younger brother looked incredibly annoyed with Jake. He talked on and on about something he’d heard through the grapevine the entire time they were in the lunch lines. Danny stood to the side, waiting for Josh to finish ordering. He noticed how the girl behind the counter hadn’t looked away from Josh. With other customers, she watched their hands or their plates to see what they were ordering next. Instead, when it was Josh’s turn, she stared and made eye contact until he turned away. He also noticed how after he thanked her, her cheeks turned red, and Josh had a goofy grin on his face when he turned away.

“What’s that about?” Danny teased, nudging him lightly.

Josh shrugged. “I think she’s kind of cute, y’know?”

The taller of the two glanced back at her, seeing how focused she was on serving the lasagna. “I see it.”

Once back at the table, Sam rolled his eyes. “That girl again?” He scoffed. “Josh, you can do so much better.”

Josh shrugged. “She’s nic-“

“Jake, I bet that you won’t go ask her out.”

Jake rose from the table without a second thought. He sauntered over, going directly to the food, and leaning over the counter. She turned around, asking a question. He nodded his head, motioning for the girl to walk around the counter. He lowered his head, flashing a smile at her, leaning casually against the nearby counter. She smiled back politely, but she looked completely uninterested in whatever he was saying. She shook her head for a moment before tilting it to the side and apologizing. Jake returned, slumping into the seat. “She said she can’t give me her number because she’s working. She said that if I saw her around campus, I should ask again.”

Josh was staring at his plate, a red hue on his cheeks and ears. Danny changed the conversation. Jake was majoring in music or something similar. Danny followed them to their table. He searched the room for his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. He was half-listening to Sam talk about a bassline. The brothers had a band in high school. Danny was never cool enough to get into the bars they played. He spotted Y/N walking in, waving. She nodded her head at him, scanning her card and walking away. He watched her go through the line, spotting Damien by the soup bar and finding a table.

“Y/N is, like, totally weird,” Sam said, breaking Danny’s train of thought. “So is Damien.”

He followed Sam’s gaze, landing on Y/N and Damien who were laughing at a sandwich they’d carved a hole in the middle. “I think they’re okay.”

Josh sipped his drink through his straw, sharing a glance with his younger brothers. “If you say so.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Danny asked, genuinely curious. He internally cringed at how he phrased his confusion. He glanced back at his best friend who was now sitting alone as Damien had a class to get to. She scrolled through her phone, unphased. Jake nodded. He started to open his mouth, but he was cut off.

“Shut up, Jacob,” the youngest snapped, ripping open a bag of carrots. His brother dropped his head, staring at the food on his tray while mumbling out an apology.

The four of them ate lunch in silence, stopping by the bathrooms after and standing around. Sam was fixing his hair in the mirror. Jake stood by one of the stalls, meekly calling out for Danny. He wordlessly raised a single finger to Josh, going to do a real friend’s job. He covered his nose with his shirt, helping Jake deposit his lunch once again. He pretended that the was unbothered by the bile on his finger. After two retches, Jake was satisfied with his results, asking Danny to step out of the handicapped stall first.

“God, Jake, bulimia is such a girl’s thing,” Sam scoffed.

“Maybe you should see a doctor,” Josh offered, concerned for his brother.

“Yeah, Josh,” Jake whispered as he pulled a toothbrush from his jacket pocket. “Maybe I should.”

Danny ignored the comment. Jake was a wrestler before Sam came to school here, having lost and gained pounds quickly. He developed unhealthy habits, throwing his lunch up every day was part of it. He washed his hand, focusing on the finger that was just down the younger twin’s throat. The door creaked open, Damien standing there. Sam didn’t care, continuing to fix his hair and button up. Damien walked back out, but not before sharing a look with Danny.

“What are your plans this weekend?” Josh asked, glossing over the tension.

Danny shrugged. “I had practice, but they canceled so I was thinking about going home for a day or two.” He immediately cursed himself for mentioning his plans to go home, but they didn’t seem to catch it. Instead, Jake hesitantly opened his mouth, glancing at Sam to see if he’d snap. Seeing no reaction from him, he asked what the practice was for. “I play golf.”

The three brothers gasped, immediately chattering over one another.

“Ew, golf is for old men.” “Only losers play golf.” “That’s like social suicide.”

Danny was immediately embarrassed, changing his attitude to match the disdain for the outdoor sport. “Yeah, I wanted to quit but I got a scholarship which was cool. Now I’m kind of stuck.”

Sam smiled. “I will gladly slam your hand in a car door so you can get out of it.”

There was a twinge of honesty in his voice, a glint in his eyes that made Danny’s stomach churn. Sam then invited to give him a ride home. Danny was unsure of what that meant. Turns out, that he could return his train ticket and carpool with them for the four-hour drive home. It was a little tiring, but they dropped him off at the rose bushes his mother spent years perfecting.

It was a surprise visit, one that he was sure his family would enjoy, until he realized that the front door was locked, the garage door was also closed, and all the lights were off. He peaked through the kitchen window, checking for the tell-tale sign that his family had gone out for the weekend. Sure enough, the toaster was unplugged, and the fish tank was turned off. His mother had once read a horror story of a family’s house that had burned down when a gust of air from an opened vent knocked a paper into the toaster and set everything alight. The fish tank was the first thing his sister took care of in the morning after brushing her teeth. She’d wipe the sleep from her eyes, feeding the pets and watching them swim around happily for a few minutes before getting along with her day. He tested the windows and doors, finding all of them locked. He sent the Kiszkas a text.

Hey, I guess my family went away for a while. Can I stay with you guys? It’s totally fine if I can’t

He took a seat on the front porch, hoping that his family was just grocery shopping or something. He heard back from Josh within minutes. He then barreled around the corner in the same car, throwing the passenger door open for him. The drive to their house wasn’t super long, but it was heart racing. Josh took the corners sharply, practically going on two wheels. Danny was pretty sure that he hit a curb at some point and he also didn’t remember there being a speed bump on the main road out to their neighborhood. He followed Josh into the house, seeing Jake at the counter cutting up an orange and his mom standing at the stove.

“Hi, Mrs. Kiszka, it’s nice to meet you.”

She turned around, a glass of wine in hand. “Danny, I have heard so much about you,” she gushed, pulling him into a hug. “I’m going to make some drinks after I finish this.” She pointed at the bar. “Let me know if there’s something you prefer. My boys usually have margaritas and salty dogs, but I was a little crazy back in the day. I was a bartender for a while so I can whip up almost anything you’d like.”

“Alcoholic?” Danny gulped. He’d never had a drink before.

“Of course!” She poured herself more wine. “If you’re going to drink, I’d rather you do it in the house. God, I love my boys.” She took a sip. “Listen, our house is your house, so do not be afraid to ask or anything. Snacks, drinks, condoms.”

Danny nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Josh took him on a tour of the house, leading him to the basement that the three of them shared. There were three beds and a pullout couch. The room smelled of vanilla, oranges from Jake’s plate, and the faint smell of weed. Danny set his things on the pullout couch. There were dividers pushed back, probably pulled out when it was time for bed. Sam was laying on his bed, barely acknowledging Danny’s presence. He read a magazine, circling something on the glossy paper.

Josh ran his fingers along the bookshelf, looking for recommendations. Danny watched curiously, looking at the titles. There were classics like Huckleberry Finn, Emily Dickinson poems. The most well loved book, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Danny pulled it from the shelf, recognizing Sam’s writing in the annotations in the margins.

“This is the burn book,” Josh said, pulling out a scrapbook. Sam glanced over before going upstairs. “We write all this shit about everyone we don’t like.”

Danny was curious if he was in the book. Before he could get his hands on it, though, Jake had opened the book and ripped out a page. He folded it up and tucked it in his jacket pocket. “Go ahead.” He opened it and read through it. He recognized a few faces from high school.

Amber DeLessio, gave a blowjob to a hot dog

Josh pointed at the cut-out yearbook photo. “Yeah. That birthday party was weird,” he chuckled.

Bethany Price- uses super jumbo tampons- can suppress her gag reflex/ super slutty

Y/N Y/L/N- probably a dyke, Dresses like a librarian who can only find the statues of Jesus attractive

Kaitlyn Warrens is a fat virgin- only half true

Jake nodded. “That one was me.”

Danny wondered what half a virgin meant, making a note to google it later. He flipped through more of the book, reading the insults. Freak, slut, loser, short bus, white trash, poser, burnout, bug eyes. The handwriting switch between three different forms of scriptures. He was horrified by the time he reached the end of the book, where there were three blank pages. Josh pulled a school magazine out of his backpack.

“I’ve been dying to put this guy in here, but I never had anything to write about.” He flipped it open and ripped out a photo of Damien. “This guy just pisses me off. I’m sure you have something about him.”

Danny shrugged, his mouth blurting out faster than he could stop himself. “He’s too gay to function, I guess.” He instantly felt guilty.

Jake wrote it down for him, smirking as his twin cut and glued the photo onto the page. One of them added lard ass at the bottom. Mrs. Kiszka came downstairs, bringing a tray of drinks with her. She took a laundry basket with her, the washing machine whirring upstairs soon after. Danny took a drink, swallowing down the burn and wincing. He felt his body relax with the alcohol. He settled into the couch, spilling every secret he’d learned. When he realized what he’d done, he could have sworn that Jake’s hair grew another inch, confirming Damien’s theory. Danny stopped drinking soon after, but the damage was done. Sam was eerily quiet the entire night, stirring up a feeling in the guest. Josh and Jake enjoyed having a new friend around, so maybe it was just that. Jake liked the idea that he wasn’t snapped at for saying something that could be considered stupid by some people. Josh just liked Danny’s company. He was nice and didn’t have a mean bone in his body, a decent change from his younger brother. The night soon came along with dinner, and they ate together downstairs, their conversation still going strong well into the night.

In the morning, they played a few rounds of croquet in the yard. It was only September first, and the weather was mild. It was a little muggy in the morning, but it was nothing compared to the region’s humidity in the summer. Danny picked up a mallet, the red one. Sam walked up.

“You can be blue,” he said, simply trading the equipment and setting his designated ball in the grass.

The guest didn’t fight it. He understood that things like that were sacred. Jake took green while Josh picked up yellow. The four of them played for an hour, sipping on mimosas, and munching on finger sandwiches. Between round six and seven, they decided to take a break. Josh silenced the group, taking in the sounds of nature. It was only nine am. Birds chirped happily, and squirrels ran in the branches of the soon to be yellowing trees. The wind wasn’t too strong yet, giving a gentle caress of their cheeks. The moment was ruined when their neighbor decided to turn on their lawnmower.

With the moment ruined, Jake leaned on the mallet, using the stick to support his weight. “Have you seen any cute girls you like?”

Danny adjusted his sunglasses. “There’s this girl who I was partnered with for a class.”

“Who?” Josh asked, taking his shot. The ball tinked off the arch, rolling away. “It’s your turn, Kiszka.”

“No, it’s Kiszka’s turn.”

Everyone turned to look at Sam, but he was gone. Danny took his turn. “Her name is Erin Samuels.”

For the second time in the past 72 hours, the twins gasped. They quickly warned them of Erin and her situation. “She’s Sam’s ex. They were steady for a year.”

Josh agreed. “They lost their virginities to each other and everything. Trust me, you do not want to get in the middle of that.”

“It’s also against the Bro Code.” Jake then outlined a few rules in the unwritten Guyble. Pretty much, it was a long, complicated list of who Daniel could and couldn’t date when it pertained to Sam. Besides their sister, Erin was the only girl he cared about enough to keep on the list.

Interestingly, Erin hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend or any other kind of partner. She flirted with Danny much stronger than he had been with her. He was confused, taking all of the information in. He saw the appeal. Erin had it all, the looks and the brain and the reputation. Sam had the looks and popularity. Together, they had enough ambition to run a company that would stomp Amazon out of business. He decided that, for his own safety and not just because the twins told him so, he would see if Erin went for him.

The morning faded into the afternoon, and it was soon time to leave. Stopping by his house, Danny still found it empty, just like it was Saturday morning. He was disappointed, but his family couldn’t wait around for him to surprise him. He’d learned his lesson, reminding himself to tell them when he was coming home.

The drive back was boring. Sam was still quiet, texting at lightning speeds before putting his phone back down. About a minute or two later, he would do it again, this time with an eye roll or a scoff. Danny was in the backseat with Josh, a suitcase between them. Jake drove, fiddling with the stereo. He finally found a station he liked, bobbing his head along with the music. Instead, Sam turned it off by slamming his hand on the button. It sounded like he grumbled something, but it could have just been how he stretched his legs and placed his feet on the dash.

“We should go shopping,” Josh said, pointing at the outlet mall they were about to pass.

It wasn’t too late in the afternoon and there was only about an hour left in the drive. Still, Danny wanted to make it back to campus before dinner closed. Sam nodded. In response, Jake turned the wheel to the left, pulling into the parking lot. Danny was not a big shopper. He was more of a ‘have a list, get in, get out’ kind of guy. His new friends were not like him. They perused the stores, going to each and every rack. They tried on outfit after outfit, debating which ones they looked good in so they could pick up more girls. Josh didn’t look too interested in flamboyant outfits. While his brothers looked at scarves and jewelry and other accessories, Josh looked at a few t-shirts. Danny walked over, nudging him.

Josh let out a heavy sigh. “That girl from the caf. Her name is Kelsey.”

“When did you learn her name?” Danny asked. He was genuinely curious as they’d been together constantly in the cafeteria.

“Someone called her name one night.” He held up a shirt. It was a band tee for Rush. “I wore one of Jake’s shirts one day and she complimented me. Then I went and listened to all of their music in hopes of talking to her about it.” Thankfully, Josh kept talking. “Every time I see her, I get all flustered and nervous.”

Danny clapped him on the back. “The time will come, my friend. The time will come.”

“Danny, come try this on,” Sam called, holding up a green bomber jacket.

He put his arms through. It fit well, reached his wrists. He stretched his arms around, trying to ignore Sam’s smirk in the reflection. The fabric, overall, was comfortable. With the soon to be changing weather, this could be his staple piece for the season.

“I don’t know…”

Sam approved of it quickly. “This is made for you, Daniel. If I was a girl, I’d tap that.”

Josh nodded. “Very symmetrical.” He turned him around. “If you cut it into two parts, you’d have matching halves. That’s very important.”

“Of course, if you were to lose a little bit of weight, like two or three pounds, you’d look great.”

“What do you say?” Sam asked. “Erin is sure to love it.”

Danny stared at his reflection. Sam was peering over his shoulder, the twins standing in front. Despite being loyal to Damien and Y/N, he saw this as an opportunity to better himself.

“Okay!”

When they were back on campus, they all went their separate ways. Danny knocked on Damien’s door but received no response. Y/N’s dorm was also unsuccessful. He returned to his own dorm, finally alone. He kicked his shoes off, dropping his shirt in the hamper. Despite the grumbling in his stomach, he was more tired than hungry. He chugged some water, lifting the covers. The cafeteria was closed by now and the contents of his mini fridge were leftovers that had been sitting there all weekend. He was about to climb in when someone knocked on his door. Expecting Damien, he whipped the door open.

Instead, there stood Erin, smiling up at him. “I think we should get started on our project.”

He let her in, quickly finding a shirt and putting it on. The two brainstormed ideas, setting up a strict meeting schedule outside of class. The two were obviously attracted to one another. Their knees touched when they looked at her laptop. She would gingerly touch his arm, testing the waters. He would smile, asking another question about the project but he had that grin on his face. When they were happy with their progress, Erin left, promising to see him later. She seemed to be drawing out goodbye, slowly inching her way to the door and bringing up new topics. Then she checked her phone, to which she left abruptly.

Danny fell asleep, dreaming about Erin. He liked her brunette hair, long and flowy. It looked soft, like she took extra good care of it. Her nails were just as well-groomed, probably manicured on a routine basis. He wondered what would happen if he asked her out on a date. The dreams soon turned into nightmares, Sam ruining his life at Westerberg College.

In the morning, Danny was well-rested despite his disturbing dreams. Erin promised to see him in class, but she was nowhere to be seen and he couldn’t do much of the project without her input. He pretended to work diligently, wondering where his partner was. Y/N caught Danny’s arm after class.

“Have you seen Damien?” She asked.

Dan didn’t even know he was missing. “I haven’t seen him since Friday, I think.”

She hummed, walking the opposite direction and probably to her dorm. Danny made his way to the cafeteria, his stomach shouting at him for some kind of sustenance. He observed Josh, watching him look around the cafeteria for Kelsey. He watched his shoulders slump a little when he noticed that she wasn’t there. When he turned around, Josh was wearing another band tee, this time with a Motley Crue logo on it. Danny felt for him and wanted to give him a pep talk. Instead, someone shouted his name.

Damien ran up, shoving a red envelope into Danny’s face. “I got back to my dorm last night and this was taped to the door. Can you believe it?” He gushed.

Danny took the envelope, reading the note inside.

Hi Damien, I know that you don’t know me, but I really like you. I was hesitant about writing this to you, but I might leave more. From, Secret Admirer

Sam walked past, flashing a smirk at Danny. His stomach dropped, realizing that he beans he’d spilt over the weekend were coming back to bite him in the ass. Danny tried to talk his best friend down, telling him that it could just be a prank, gently hinting at the truth. Instead, Damien brushed him off, spotting Y/N at the other side of the room. He ran over, showing her the note. Her face lit up, happy for her friend. Danny went to the Plastics table, angrily taking a seat. While he was fuming, he wouldn’t show it, but his mouth would express it anyway.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

Sam looked offended. Jake turned to his tray, refusing to look up. Josh watched the test of egos at the table, sobering up in an instant. “And why not? You’ve been with us this entire time, and now you’re pulling at my dick?”

Dan shrugged. “That’s messing with people’s emotions, Sam. You’re better than that.”

“Are we going to have a problem?” He snapped. “Listen closely, Daniel Wagner.”

The raven-haired boy could feel his fear rising, but he didn’t dare move or show any sign of weakness. Despite Sam’s control, he couldn’t have someone challenging him in such a public place.

“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” Sam scoffed. “I can do whatever I want to anyone I want, and no one says shit to me.”

Danny swallowed, looking at how happy Damien looked with the envelope in his hand.

“Are you in, or are you out?” Jake asked.

“I’m in.”

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doitjake · 3 years

Text

The music in us - P1

Jake kiszka x reader

warnings: none.

Requests: “two rockstars meeting in a festival, and both bands hanging out cause they are both friends with the struts, then jake starts falling in love w this person because of their personality, talent and charisma, they start to match in the second day of camping at the festival and then the bands have to play in the same day, jake tells his feeling and the reader doesn’t know how to react.”

A/N: this was an incredible request and I took a while to post it because I wanted it to be at least reasonable haha. this is the first part, i will probably post the second part on saturday or sunday. I hope you like it and if you want to see a specific scene in the second part comment here or you can send me a message / question!!

Requests here: https://forms.gle/6uMRSCzFvyR2FgZPA

Being in a band with your 2 best friends and your cousin is definitely awesome, until the first week.

"POPPY WHERE'S MY FUCKING HAIRBRUSH?" A super angry drummer was seen getting on the bus.

"Ana, can't you speak a sentence at a normal voice volume?" That was Lexa, our guitarist or our mother, whichever you prefer. She performs both functions very well.

"No, I can't." She walks over to Poppy and snatches her hairbrush out of her hand. "At least not when vocalists with superiority complexes steal my stuff." She walks to the small bathroom on the bus as Poppy showed her the middle finger.

Even inside the bus you could hear several bands doing sound checks and stages being finalized outside. We had arrived at the Summer Rock Festival a few hours ago, it would be three days of festival, we would perform on the second day, after our friends from The Struts and before the boys from Greta Van Fleet.

"Luke texted me, he and the boys are already heading to the bar." Lexa stands up fixing the bottom of her beautiful dress that looked like it was straight out of the 70's, "So if we don't want to be late our dear drummer had better get out of this fucking bathroom soon."

"Hey, no swearing, Mom." I walk past her grabbing my leather jacket from the seat. "Ana! Let's go!"

By the time Lexa and Poppy are outside I am trying to find my cell phone amidst a pile of clothes, Ana finally comes out of the bathroom.

"Cousins by chance, twins by choice." She pulls up the sleeves of her jacket, just like mine, smiling at me.

I find my cell phone and slip my arm over Ana's shoulders, leading us to the bus door.

"Did I mention I hate you?" I ask coming down the small staircase and find Poppy and Lexa waiting for us to go.

"Hm, I guess not today yet." She goes to Poppy's side and pats her chin. "Stop drooling, Poppy."

Lexa and I turn to where Poppy was looking and find the 4 boys from Greta taking their instruments off the bus, about 50 feet away from us.

"Fuck you, Ana," Poppy starts walking towards the exit of the festival, where there is an avenue full of bars, nightclubs, strip clubs and karaoke places.

In less than 10 minutes we had already arrived at the bar and before we even entered Jed already called us shouting. "Hey, girls! Over here!"

It was always really cool to hang out with the boys, we knew each other because of Jed and Adam being friends with Poppy's older brother. We joined them and other people from the crew and some other artists at the festival and less than 2 minutes later several bottles of beer were already on the tables.

I looked at my band mates, we spend so much time together that it is fun to analyze them socializing with other people besides ourselves.

Poppy was probably the most outgoing of us, everyone liked her, she was always nice and polite to everyone and it was amazing to see men with long beards and leather vests making fun of a girl singing rock and then Poppy shutting them up, either with her talent or her knowledge.

Lexa was so calm that it is still shocking to me to see her play and totally transform on stage. She had a 70's hippie style that matched perfectly with her long blond hair and delicate features.

And Ana, my band mate that I have known all my life, my younger cousin. Certainly the strongest personality among the four of us, her life revolved around music, and I loved that about her.

Oh, of course. There's me too, but I don't think it's worth describing myself too much. I'm probably too dull around them. I wasn't outgoing like Poppy, I wasn't charming like Lexa, and I definitely didn't have as much personality as Ana.

My God, what a depression. I need another drink, one stronger than beer.

"Hey, I'm going to go to the bar. I'll be right back." I speak to Lexa receiving a nod in response.

Reaching over I choose the only drink capable of cheering me up.

"A shot of Jack Daniels. No ice please" I speak loudly so the bartender can hear through the music of The Who playing at the bar.

"I always thought it was the guitar players who were more into whiskey" A husky voice came over the music right in my right ear. "I thought bass players were more into vodka"

And then the seat next to me was taken by Jake Kiszka, guitarist for Greta Van Fleet, well I definitely can't compare to Poppy on the subject of "GVF FANGIRL", but wow.

"What about the vocalists and drummers?" I asked as the bartender left the shot of Jack Daniels in front of me.

"Vocalists? Probably some weird drink and drummers for sure are the beer guys." He smiles and turns the stool around facing me "I'm Jake" He holds out his hand to you.

"Y/N" I hold his hand.

"The bass player who made my theory go down the drain." He laughs arching an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe I'm an exception.

"Yeah, maybe there was a glitch in the matrix." He turns to call the bartender. "May I imitate you?" He indicates my glass with his head.

"You're the guitar player here, I think I'm the one copying you." I smile at him and he reciprocates, and shit, why do I think I could stare at him smile forever? And then I feel an arm on my shoulders.

"So you mean my friends are friends, and I didn't know?" Luke leaned one arm on me and the other on Jake, clearly not sober anymore. "Come on over to the table, antisocial people, your bands are waiting."

Luke releases our shoulders and looks at us. "Or are you guys busy planning to pick each other up?"

I could feel all my blood rising to my cheeks in a second, and thank God I had already swallowed the whiskey, otherwise I probably would have spit it all out.

"Of course not Luke." I gave a nervous laugh praying that I could disguise my embarrassment. Which only increased when Jake tilted his head to the side looking at me and gave a weak laugh and then getting up to walk over to the table.

Now there were more people at the table, including the other three members of Greta, and I sat down between Adam and Ana. "Please dig a hole and stick me in" I whispered to my cousin.

"With pleasure." She winked and smiled at me, "But may I know why?"

With the music loud and our friends talking around us I had to lean 'round to whisper right into her ear. "I was talking to Jake Kiszka and then Luke came over and thought we were going to kiss and I looked like an idiot."

"You always look like an idiot, cousin." He whispered in response. "But you want to kiss him?" Ana smiled mischievously.

"Oh my god, I was just talking to him."

"Well, you should kiss him, he's handsome." She picks up her beer and offers me a bottle.

"You say that because you have a crush on his twin." I open my bottle as I watch Ana choke on her own beer and cast a quick glance at Josh. "Oh come on, you can't disguise yourself." I laugh slapping our bottles together before taking a long sip.

"I don't have a crush on him." Ana squirms in her chair uncomfortably. "He's the lead singer, he has several women after him, and he must have a superiority complex just like Poppy."

"He seems pretty cool!"

"Y/N! ANA!" Poppy's voice managed without louder than the music in the bar, causing us to turn around and find 10 pairs of eyes staring at us. "Are you guys deaf?"

As I run my gaze around the table I realize that all the boys' crew have left, now it's just us, the boys from The Struts and Greta Van Fleet.

"Hm, hey!" I reply before Ana has a chance to cuss Poppy out.

"We're going to karaoke, the bar closes early today." Gethin gets up from the table, being followed by his bandmates, Josh, Sam, Danny, Poppy and Lexa.

"I'm in!" Ana stands up.

"I'm going back to the bus, I don't have as much energy as you guys." I stand up grabbing my cell phone and wallet.

"Let's go together." Jake speaks and I realize that he was the only one who hadn't gotten up until now.

"Ok" I say trying to look calm and not knowing why I am nervous, like a teenage girl who likes the popular boy.

I say goodbye to everyone and when I pass by Ana she winks at me, in a not discreet way.

After we pay for our drinks, Jake and I head out onto the streets of Chicago to return to the festival.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Jake asks as we cross one of the avenue streets.

"For sure, tomorrow and our days will have the best shows!" I look at him. "I feel like I might faint just remembering that I'm going to see Steven Tyler live tomorrow." He throws his head back and laughs. "Now you think I'm some kind of crazy fangirl." I smile.

"Oh, of course not." Jake returns the smile by looking at me. "The chances of me passing out at the Stones concert are not small either."

"So, you're a 'fangirl' for Keith Richards?"

"Definitely." He laughs again shaking his head.

"Does that mean that for you 'team stones' is right?

"Well, it's certainly a tough contest, but yes 'team stones'." He turns to me with the corners of his lips raised. "Team Beatles?"

"And a George stan with pride." I smile and wink at him amused. "Okay, important question."

"Okay, speak." Jake runs his fingers through the strands of hair that fall down the side of his face.

"Pearl Jam or Nirvana?"

"Is there a right answer?" He asks and I arch an eyebrow at him. "Okay, hm, Nirvana."

"You had a right answer! And you got it wrong." I smile. "Come on, Eddie Veder is almost a God."

Jake laughs and brings his hands in front of his body in a sign of redemption. "I don't disagree!"

And then I realize that we arrived at the festival some time ago and are now facing my bus.

"Thank you so much, for walking me here." I say to him, climbing up the first step of the entrance stairs, almost standing the same height as Jake.

"You're welcome!" He gives me a smile and puts his hands in the pockets of his black skinny pants. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

You smile at him and Jake moves closer and deposits a kiss on your cheek.

"Bye!"

“Bye, Jake!”

#greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fic #greta van fleet imagine #gvf #gvf imagine #jake kiszka gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #jake kiszka imagine #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka x reader #fanfic #imagine #jake imagines #jake x reader #jacob kiszka

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phantoms-lair · 3 years

Text

The Phantom Detective Redux Chapter 3

“Vultures, that’s definitely Vlad’s work.” Danny glared at the ceiling. He wished the little girl who also spoke English had told him that over the phone. He could have been flying around trying to find them instead of wasting time getting here.

In all of the mess of last night with him accidently turning Conan into a halfa (and wasn’t THAT unsettling? Was that a new power he could just do? Could Vlad?), he’d never gotten a clear answer as to why Vlad was after Conan.

Like, yeah the kid was scary smart, but Danny hadn’t realized it until he’d spoken to him and as far as he’d known Vlad hadn’t. And his initial guess that it was because he was the detective's son (in an attempt to blackmail said detective) was dashed by Conan admitting he was under a ‘witness protection program’. He doubted Vlad wouldn’t have done the research to show that.

He needed to find some way to keep him safe, but most of the methods he knew for keeping malevolent ghosts out weren’t exactly safe for Halfa use. Which Conan was now for unknown reasons.

He could think about that later. Right now he needed to track the vultures, save his fellow Halfa and-

His train of thought was interrupted by the door slamming open and the girl he had saved yesterday from Skulker storming in with Conan in her arms. She did not look happy.

This was borne out as she began yelling at them in Japanese, only for the small girl to say something involving his name.

“I don’t speak Japanese, but I am very fluent in being thrown under the bus.” Danny said with a mild glare as the angry girl turned on him.

The short walk to the Professor’s (it hadn’t been very far) had given Ran more than enough time to build up a heady steam of indignation. As much as she wanted to shake Conan-Shinichi and demand answers, she couldn’t do that right now. He wasn’t waking up, which scared her and fed her anger even more.

Shinichi had been lying to her. And Agasa had been helping him. And if one couldn’t give her answers, the other would.

She barely stopped to kick off her shoes as she marched in the door. The Professor was there with Ai-chan and someone she didn’t know. In any other circumstance, she’d be more discrete, but she was done.

“Hakase, why did I just see Shinichi turn into Conan? Why did he look so strange? What else have you been keeping from me?”

Everyone in the room looked at her in shock. Surprisingly, it was Ai-chan who spoke first. “Danny did something weird to him. We don’t understand what.” ‘Danny’ glared at her and said something in English. That was all the impetus Ran needed to turn on him. “What did you do to Shinichi?”

He responded in English again. Ran wasn’t doing badly in her lessons, but he spoke too fast and she was too flustered to translate.

Cona-Shinichi held protectively in her arms, she lashed out with her right leg. The boy ducked back, still shouting in English. Ran shifted her weight and struck again.

The kick should have smacked him in the head, if not for the fact that his head detached from his shoulders, floating half a foot above. There were twin thuds as Ran misstepped her landing and Haibara fell to the floor in a dead faint. Agasa didn’t look much better himself.

Danny reached up, grabbed his head, and pulled it back onto his shoulders. Conan was still out cold and the only other English speaker had fainted. Great.

He looked to the Professor in a silent plea for help while the kicky girl just looked at him in terror. The Professor looked at him with a bit of fear in his eyes, but he turned to the girl and began to speak. Danny only hoped they were friendly words.

"Ran-kun, I know was Danny-kun did was scary," And wasn't that underestimation. As much impossible as he had seen in the past day, that took things one step too far. "But he has been trying to help fix whatever it is he did."

"H-He's a monster!" Ran stammered, clutching Shinichi tighter to her.

Agasa winced. Not just for Danny's sake, but for Shinichi's as well. At least he hadn't been awake to hear it. "Danny-kun's not normal, it's true. But that doesn't make him evil."

"What is he?"

"A yūrei hanyou. At least that's as close a translation as Shinichi-kun and I got." Not much use in hiding that little tidbit when she'd seen him transform.

"You mean yōkai hanyou. A yūrei hanyou doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't and that's driven Shinichi-kun up the wall." Once quite literally. He'd paced to the end of the room and had gotten halfway up a wall before realizing what was happening. Gravity had temporarily reasserted itself, only for him to catch himself mid-fall, levitating a few inches above the floor before falling the rest of the way. But it didn't seem like a good idea to mention it at the moment. "That's the best translation we have though. Danny-kun doesn't speak Japanese."

Ran turned her attention to the harmless looking boy she's just seen decapitate himself. He was a monster and he'd done something to Shinichi, but apparently was trying to help? She needed answers so badly, but didn't think her English comprehension was good enough to understand them. She thought for a moment and cradling Shinichi in one arm she pulled out her phone. She typed a few moments then held up the screen for him to see. On one side was Japanese, on the other the words 'What did you do to him'

He looked at the screen then pulled his own phone out of his pocket and began typing before showing her 'I think he absorbed some of my ectoprism. I don't know how. It's never happened before.'

Ectoprism? Okay she didn't know that word. And somehow Shinichi absorbed it? 'What is ectoprism?'

Danny assumed she meant ectoplasm. 'Basically the essence of ghosts. The accident pushed a lot into my DNA.'

Ran felt a shiver down her spine at the idea of 'Ghost Essense' being shoved into someone's genetics. 'What kind of accident' She regretted it a moment later when he saw her question and just looked sad and uncomfortable.

He was claiming to be part ghost, was she asking about his death? Was that a taboo subject? Somehow the question 'Are you dead?' didn't seem any better. So she switched her question. 'How did you make Shinichi a child?'

He stared at her phone, but this time just looked confused. He fumbled with his phone a bit. 'What is a shinichi?'

She gave him a look and pointed at the child she was holding. He typed back and showed her 'Conan is a shinichi? I don't know why he was older. It was weird. Maybe it's because he's an adult for his age?

That gave Ran pause. Danny's answers had all been about ghostly things, none of it about Shinichi deaging. And the fact that he didn't seem to know his real name was even a name... "Hakase?" Ran asked in a dangerously sweet voice. "Is there a reason Danny-san, who I was just told was responsible for this, doesn't know Shinichi's real name, and in fact seems to think Conan-kun somehow aged up into Shinichi?"

"Ah well, that is to say, the part Danny-kun's responsible for, that only happened last night." Agasa definitely looked nervous as he helped Ai onto her bed.

Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, then why don't you tell me the rest of the story."

Well apparently whatever he'd said had been enough to turn her attention to the Professor. She was still mad, but not at him, so good? He had no idea what was going on, though.

He wished he had someone with him that could help him explain and spoke Japanese and English and... Danny smacked himself in the face then hit a contact number on his phone. "Jazz, are you free? I need some help?"

"Kisaki-san is talking to Mom so sure. Is this about Vlad?"

"Kinda, but not really." Danny sighed. "So Vlad's been targeting this kid I thought was the detective's son-"

"The one you thought could see right through you?"

"...Yes, and you will understand once you meet him, but that's not the problem. The problem is I...kinda turned him into a halfa last night."

There was silence on the other end, then "*What? Danny what the actual fu-wHAT DID YOU DO????”

"I just touched him Jazz. And it was like my transformation ring spread like fire over him." Danny ran a hand through his hair. "And now someone I think is his older sister is here, and I'm using google translate to try and explain, and there's something else going on she's mad at this professor guy over and...Jazz I need help." He heard her sigh over the phone.

"Send me your address, I'll be right there."

Danny hung up and texted her the number. He looked over to the girl and Professor, they were talking about something, something that seemed serious. Also that word shinichi kept popping up. It had something to do with Conan, and he really wished he could find a translation.

The more Agasa talked, the more Ran wanted to scream. She felt hurt, used. She looked at the child who wasn't still wrapped in her arms. She wanted to rage at him, but he still wouldn't wake up and that kept an undercurrent of worry beneath all her anger.

"Was this all just a game to him? A joke I was too stupid to figure out?"

"Ran-kun no he..." Agasa looked at the still unconscious Shinichi. "You've never seen the back and forth. It's torture. He used to scream..." Agasa shut his eyes. In a way he hated that Shinichi had become so used to the pain he didn't anymore. “There was a very real chance each transformation would kill him. As it is, he has permanent heart damage, barring this whole ghost thing that none of us understand."

"If Shinichi-kun were truly selfish, he could have started over. Left everything behind and began a new life. That would have been the smartest thing he could have done. But he clung to the one thing that made his old life worth keeping. He clung to you, because you were the most important thing he has. And he'd rather face death then leave you behind. He never took a cure without the intent to see you."

But Agasa was wrong. She had heard the screams. In the diplomat’s house, and after the case where Shinichi was being impersonated. She’s always convinced herself they were nothing, since nothing appeared to be wrong afterwards, but that sound had shaken her.

And Shinichi was still Shinichi after that last incident, which meant after being in that pain he’d immediately gone through it again

“How are you sure? About the heart damage?” Ran asked quietly.

Agasa was quiet for a moment. “Ai-kun had a bad cold and started to feel pain in her stomach. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound to check her organs, but she was scared, so Conan volunteered.” He didn’t mention that this had been carefully orchestrated. Not the illness or the kidney infection, but when Ai realized she might get an ultrasound she got the idea to give them a chance to check Shinichi’s internal organs in a way she normally couldn’t.

If the technician hadn’t been focused on the frightened little girl and looking at the screen when she held the scanner over Shinichi’s chest…

“I saw the scarring myself, on the ultrasound screen.” Agasa was very solemn. “He’s been cut off from the temporary cures since, but with so much damage already done-”

“Dai-job-boo-dee-sooka?”

They turned and saw Danny, looking at his screen. He was frowning as though he knew the pronunciation of whatever he was trying to say was off. Finally just turned his phone around so they could see what he was trying to say. Daijōbu desu ka Are you okay?

No, she was very much not okay. She fumbled for a moment with her own phone, now even less willing to put him down. ‘Conan’s heart is hurt’

Danny frowned. The kid was a bit young for romantic heartache so - oh. Oh no.

His face must have given something away, because her eyes narrowed. ‘What’

‘I had a bad idea’ he typed back. He didn’t want to say more, but the look she gave him demanded it. ‘Ectoplasm should not affect a normal person, but if he was probably very close to death’

The response hit Ran in the gut harder than any of the blows she’d taken during her matches. Whatever Danny had done to Shinichi had happened because Shinichi was dying. And he was dying because he refused to give her up.

A sudden knocking at the door startled them all. Danny brightened and ran for the door.

Ran and Agasa shared a confused look.

Danny came back with a young woman with bright red hair. "Hello, you must be Conan's older sister." The girl said in clear, but accented Japanese. "My name's Jazz, Danny's my little brother, he called me to help."

"Your brother?" Ran asked, even as she inwardly shrunk at the reminder of Danny still being under the misconception she had been until not to long ago. "Are you...like him?"

"One hundred percent normal human, if that's what you're asking." Jazz reassured. "But I've been helping my brother adapt for the past years, so I'm very familiar with what's going on." Of course the early days were her weak spot, as she hadn't known till about two months later, and hadn't been let in on everything till the stupid test incident.

"Do you know why he won't wake up?" Ran asked in a small voice.

Jazz asked Danny something in English, then nodded and turned her attention back to Ran. "Basically his system didn't have the ectoplasm reserves for what he tried to pull off to escape the creature that kidnapped him-"

The what that did what now? How many loops was she being left out of?

"-and his body strained itself trying to maintain. He'll sleep until his ectoplasm levels are back at a safe amount. The first time Danny tried pulling a stunt like that, he was out for four hours."

"His ectoplasm levels? I don't understand. Danny-san said that he'd absorbed some ghost-essence from him but..."

Jazz pinched her nose. "Right. Google translate. Okay, so normally ectoplasm, the 'Ghost-Essence', has no effect on humans whatsoever. But there are rare cases that involve a lot of ectoplasm and a fair amount of electricity that can alter a human body to the point where their mitochondria start creating it instead of the usual oxygen based chemical energy. This causes the person to exhibit certain ghost-like traits."

"Yūrei hanyou." Ran whispered.

"In a nutshell." Jazz agreed, making note of the term. She'd take it over halfa, if for no other reason that Vlad must have approved of the term for it to be bandied about so much.

And now Ran understood what Danny had done. No wonder he'd had trouble explaining it, the concept shouldn't exist. This wasn't some one and done magical side effect of absorbing some ectoplasm from Danny, something that shouldn't have even happened if he hadn't been dying by inches.

Co-Shinichi was in the process of becoming a yūrei hanyou. That's why he'd looked so strange as Shinichi. Unbidden, every scary story about people becoming monsters flooded her mind. No. No she could not focus on that because obviously it wasn't true. Danny still had a close connection to his human family. His big sister had stood by him, she'd have to too.

(Though she had no idea how to define her relationship to him at the moment)

"I can answer any questions you have, but we might want to wait until he wakes up, I'm sure he has a bunch too." Jazz continued on, unaware of all the thoughts running through Ran's head.

"He speaks English, wouldn't Danny have-"

Jazz let out a frustrated puff of air. "Oh I have no doubt brother dearest tried explaining. But Danny's not," she glanced at her brother, "he's not the most adept at explaining things even when they're not deeply personal and he's not panicking all over the place, which it seems is what he's been doing. Not that he doesn't have reason. This nice family vacation has turned into a cluster." She sighed deeply. "But one thing I really need to impress is how important this is to keep a secret."

Ran felt something dark curdle in her stomach. That sounded enough like what Agasa-hakase had been saying to bring the bitter feeling back. "Why?"

Jazz clenched her hand worriedly. "Are you familiar with a law in America called the Anti-Ecto Act? It basically states that 'Ectoplasmic Entities', despite being sentient and sapient, are not living people and don't the same - or any- inalienable rights. And they don't differentiate between yūrei hanyou and true ghosts."

"If Danny was discovered, he'd be taken to a government facility. The Agents were boasting about all the painful experiments they were going to perform on him. Thankfully Danny convinced them they were wrong about him." She certainly wasn't going to go into the magic artifact with mind wiping capacity.

“But for a short time we had proof of how people would react to a yūrei hanyou's existence. Those that knew him stood by him, but..to anyone else, he was just a monster, a threat. And I don't know if Japan has an equivalent to the Anti-Ecto Act, but I do know that you place a greater emphasis on conformity than America does. And yūrei hanyou definitely break that mold."

Ran wanted to argue that Shinichi had never conformed to anything, not since preschool when he'd accused the teacher of trying to do something terrible to her. But she knew the difference between excelling and nonconforming, and the truth was Shinichi excelled, physically and mentally.

This was very different. If word got out Conan was Shinichi, these mysterious people in Black Clothes would kill him. If word got out he was a yūrei hanyou, his life would be effectively over. It felt like balancing on the edge of a knife. Shinichi standing on tiptoe, trying to avoid falling into ruin. "How did your parents take it?"

Jazz's expression darkened. "Our parents' work was instrumental in helping draft the Anti-Ecto Act."

"What? How could they?"

"They don't know. Danny always insisted if they did, they'd change. They'd love him anyways. But it's been two years and he hasn't told them. I don't think he's ever going to. In some ways he feels safer with actual malevolent spirits that definitely mean him harm, because he knows they can't hurt him the same way Mom and Dad can." Emotionally or physically. "It's not healthy growing up and hearing your parents talking about how much they'd enjoy ripping apart beings like you 'molecule by molecule'."

Ran shuddered. Hearing it that way, it sounded like the ghosts weren't the scary ones in this scenario. And if Jazz-san was right about Danny not being able to explain things well, Shinichi might have no idea of that added complication. "So what now?"

"The first month to month and a half are going to be the roughest part. His body doesn't know what to do with its ectoplasm, and will have trouble regulating its use. This results in ghost powers that randomly go off, especially in time of high emotions. After that he'll be able to control it more, no more passing out, for example, since his powers will simply fail rather than push him past his limits. Or accidental power usage. Once he hits the two month mark, he'll be fine, it'll just be a bit awkward until then."

Two months. She could keep it together for two months. “Is there any way to wake him up?” She asked. It helped being told this was normal, but not as much as him waking up would.

“We always let Danny sleep it off, although…” Jazz trailed off as she thought for a moment. “Would you be willing to let Danny hold him?”

“Why?” Ran was loath to let Shinichi go, and moreso to Danny, who was the reason Shinichi was turning into a yūrei hanyou in the fist place.

“His body needs ectoplasm right now, and barring letting it generate naturally in his cells, Danny’s the only other source we have.” Jazz explained calmly.

It made sense and she hated it. She held Conan a little closer and almost screamed as Danny suddenly changed in a burst of white light. The last thing she wanted to do was hand Conan over but…

But she’d seen those green eyes and white hair before. On Shinichi. Danny and Shinichi were the same, being afraid of one would be being afraid of the other, and she couldn’t bring herself to be afraid of Shinichi like that.

She reluctantly handed him over. Danny cradled him and his arms began to glow green.

Before she could change her mind, Shinichi’s eyes blinked open and he looked around blankly.

He felt...not warm, but it felt warm. Like in the laying in a sunbeam way, or being cozy in a blanket on a cold morning. But it wasn’t a temperature thing. It was weird.

He opened his eyes and saw Danny in his ghostly state. “Why are you holding me?” he asked dryly.

“More I’m recharging you.” Danny answered back in the same tone. He raised a glowing hand. “You used up all of your ectoplasm and knocked yourself out. Now that you’re back with us, hopefully your sister can calm down a bit. Also what’s a shinichi, she keeps using that word.”

His sister? Wait, he couldn’t mean… “Ran?”

“Who ran?” Danny asked, but Conan ignored him and looked around.

“Shinichi,” she said in a tone that meant the jig was well and truly up.

“Seriously, what does that mean?” Danny grumbled.

Conan gulped and flickered for a moment.

“Nope, gonna need you to stop that.” Danny chided him. “I know you can’t really help it at this point, but you’re still low on power.”

Conan was only half listening to him, half to the one person in the roof he didn’t know. “Invisibility and Intangibility tend to trigger as a fear response, and if he’s like Danny, he’s going to be on the verge of both of those until he’s more settled.” The young woman then turned to him. “Hello Conan, my name is Fenton Jazz. I’m Danny’s older sister and I’m here to hopefully explain things a little better.”

"Now keep in mind, the science of this isn't my main area of expertise, but between listening to my parents ramble my whole life, and helping Danny for the last two years-” Jazz began. She’d gone into full lecture mode. Ran and Agasa were sitting on the couch with Haibara between them, and Conan between Ran and a once more human Danny.

“- I've picked up a few things. Now mind you some of this will be theoretical, but I'll let you know when those things come up and - Danny are you falling asleep?" The last part was said in English.

"I don't speak Japanese Jazz, I'm not going to get anything from your lecture because I can't understand a word of it. Yesterday sucked and Vlad could be doing something at any moment, plus I was just used as a human battery. Lemme rest."

She rolled her eyes. "Ignoring my brother, let's go back to what makes a ghost."

"Death." Said Haibara bluntly.

"Yes, but also no. While the death of a living thing is certainly the most common way ghosts are formed, not all deaths created ghosts, nor are all ghosts the result of something dying. The real answer is ectoplasm.”

“A living being is made up of two parts, a body and soul. Bodies are well documented, souls less so. They're not physical and made up of what I'm going to call, for lack of a better term, spiritual energy. When a living being dies usually the soul passes over or dissipates - we've got nothing to help figure that out so we're not dwelling on it. But very rarely it doesn't. Instead the spiritual energy in the soul is converted to ectoplasm and the being becomes a ghost."

"Unlike spiritual energy, Ectoplasm is..." Jazz faltered for a word. "It's more in your face. Where the soul can't be seen, ectoplasm can't help but express itself. It can be solid or ephemeral, and can mimic any state of matter. It's potential can be almost limitless, however the potential in each individual ghost is limited."

"All ghosts have a core, which is a bit to a ghost what a soul is to a living being. Though it's a part of them, it can't be seen or extracted." Her parents had tried, which she didn’t like dwelling on. "But is ineffably a part of them. The core also functions a bit like a nucleus, as it defines what a ghost’s focus is, what powers they have, and their inherent nature. As a ghost's appearance tends to be a reflection of their self image, that can change over time. But the only way to alter a ghost’s core is by forcing them to experience something literally soul shattering. This...it's something that will never end well and that's all I'll say on the matter." She'd seen it happen to Danny in another timeline and she'd never let anyone go through that if she could help it.

"There are two more kinds of ghosts, but they're not what you want me to be here for, so I'm just going to touch on them briefly. Throw-offs are ghosts that are created by the will of other ghosts, formed of their own ectoplasm but as an independent being. Penelope Spectra, the ghost of an abusive psychologist, created a throw-off named Bertrand to act as her personal assistant. Likewise the self-styled 'Captain Youngblood', the ghost of someone who died as a small child created a parrot to act as both playmate and parental figure. Both of them can shapeshift to better suit their creator's needs, though without a larger sample size I can't say if that's a coincidence or a common trait of Throw-offs."

"The final kind are what I call Spontaneous. The limbo ghosts tend to be stuck in unless they find a way to the world of the living seems to be made primarily of ectoplasm and sometimes unlife just happens. This can range from barely sentient blobs, such as ectopusses, to beings of comparable human intelligence, like Skulker, whom you met yesterday. But for now let's move on to the rarest ectoplasmic beings, which is what you actually need to learn about. Halfas, or as you called them yūrei hanyou."

Jazz motioned to the small boy sitting between Ran and the now snoozing Danny. "Conan-kun here is the fourth to ever exist, as far as we can tell. We only have minor observational data from the first, the third was a special case, so mostly what I'm going on is Danny, since he and his friends have been cataloging data practically since day one."

Agasa nodded, pleased they had thought to do so.

"So yūrei hanyou are usually created by a living person being ground zero for a rift between worlds opening due to ectoplasm being charged with an incredibly powerful electrical current. And by which I mean ‘could kill several people in seconds’ powerful. Thankfully the ectoplasm changes it enough that the person exposed enters what I call the 'Schrödinger State'."

"Alive and dead at the same time." Conan said darkly.

Jazz nodded. "The person's spiritual energy is fully converted to ectoplasm without the soul separating from their body. This gives you access to a ghost form. In addition, as I explained to Ran-san earlier, the mitochondria in each cell are producing ectoplasm instead of it’s normal adenosine triphosphate, which allows you to manifest ghost powers in your human form. But your body hasn’t learned how to regulate it yet. That's why you're unstable right now. Not helping that is because of the energized ectoplasm that creates them, yūrei hanyou are by default some of the most powerful ghosts in existence."

"Really?" Ran asked with some trepidation. She didn't like hearing about ghosts, though the more lecture-like nature of Jazz as opposed to Sonoko's scary stories made it more palpable.

"As I said, despite what living in Amity Park might have you believe, becoming a ghost is really really rare. Much less than 1% of people who die become ghosts and those who do are mostly weak enough that if they make it to the land of the living they can't be seen, heard, or affect anything. Most ghosts need to find a way to siphon energy from elsewhere to boost themselves enough to do anything. Some feed off human emotions, others find a nexus point saturated in ectoplasmic energy. But the process can take years to decades depending on the abundance of the source. And that level of power, the type that takes decades to achieve. That's your starting point."

"Power absorbed through the environment or emotions is reliable, but temporary. They would constantly need to recharge to maintain a steady output." Hence Spectra's need to feed the misery that fed her. Without a flowing source her power consumption far outstripped what her core was capable of. "That's not to say ghosts can't become more powerful in their own right, just that it's not a quick process."

"Here's where we're entering some of the more theoretical stuff, namely how Ghosts can permanently raise their power. One theory is self awareness. Ghosts who are the result of dead humans tend to be composed of memories and emotions from when they were alive. And that in better understanding those, they deepen their own abilities. I won't say it's untrue, but as many ghosts wouldn't have the patience for it, it would be at least highly uncommon."

"Some, shall we say, rather biased individuals believe ghosts can strengthen themselves through human suffering. They are wrong. While ghosts can feed off human emotions, including negative ones, as we established before it's a temporary fix. Then we get to the theory I have the most faith in. Obsession fulfillment."

"What fulfillment?" Conan asked, startled.

Jazz winced. She was used to this part being common knowledge. "I mentioned ghosts tend to be made of emotions and memories. Usually there's something tying it all together into a drive. This drive, usually referred to as a fixation or obsession, is central to the ghost's being and usually forms their identity to a greater degree."

"It's...easier for yūrei hanyou. It's there, but more of a compulsion than an all consuming drive. Something they can choose to ignore, but it won't necessarily be easy to do."

"So I'm going to develop one of these?" Conan's voice was small.

Ran snorted. "Going to? You've been obsessed with mysteries and mystery solving since at least kindergarten. I really doubt there's going to be a noticeable difference."

"Going back to before,” Jazz continued, though it would be cute if Conan-kun’s thing was solving mysteries to be like his father, “it's my personal theory that the best way for ghosts to grow their core is by successfully doing whatever their fixation is focused on. It also explains the growth difference between Vlad and Danny."

Conan had been looking like he was halfway between sulking and being relieved, but he shot straight up at the mention of their culprit. "How so?"

"Vlad's fixation is about having things. Once he had his powers stable, it was easy for him to just take whatever he wanted through force or trickery. He's only been active twenty some years, but his power levels had risen to a degree it takes most ghosts centuries to obtain. Talking with other ghosts I've been able to chart a pretty steady growth - until two years ago."

Conan raised an eyebrow at Jazz's self satisfied smile. "What happened two years ago?"

"Vlad found three things he couldn't obtain through money or power. Ownership of the Green Bay Packers, since they can't be owned by an individual by their charter. The love of his college sweetheart, since Mom has standards. And for Danny to love him like a father and hate our actual Dad. Don't think I have to explain why that's not happening. But because of those three things, he wasn't getting what he wanted. He tried to get them, but it didn't strengthen him since he never actually succeeded."

"Danny's fixation is-" Jazz rolled her eyes fondly, "- being a hero. He's driven to help people who need help, even putting his personal safety at risk. It's something he sadly gets to indulge in often, sometimes multiple times a day. As a result Danny's growth has eclipsed Vlad to the point where he's almost caught up to Vlad's core power level in a mere two years."

It was good to know there was a strong chance Danny could supersede Vlad in not too much time, at least on one playing field, but that brought up a new worry. "So if my thing is solving mysteries, and I solve them fairly frequently, this is going to get worse?"

"Worse is a bad way to think about it." Jazz said gently. "I won't say parts of it aren't going to suck, especially for the next month or so, but it's not all bad. However illogical they may be, powers are useful as long as you have control, and that's something you can have with a bit of work. Can you honestly tell me there's no time being invisible would have been useful as a detective? Or walking through walls would have made an escape easier?"

He didn't like how easily past examples filled his head. Heck, if he's been invisible when spying on Vodka that night, he wouldn't be three feet high now. "I still don't like it."

"Neither did Danny at first. In fact he downright hated it. But now it's so much a part of him, I don't think he'd know what to do if he got back to normal." Honestly probably get himself badly hurt trying to protect other people. "Do you want me to keep going, or is that enough for one day? I know it's a lot."

"If there's nothing vital, I think I'm good." He had more than enough to dwell on.

"I don't know if Danny's mentioned this, but be aware around things meant to ward against spirits, they can be uncomfortable." Jazz advised. "Other than that you should be good."

Ran sighed and glanced at her watch. "We should probably go home. Dad will be getting worried."

"You go. I think I should stay here until I'm a bit more stable." Conan winced, "Imagine trying to explain any of this to him. And it's not like I can hide it." As if to prove his point, he started to sink into the cushions.

"Danny wake up!" Jazz said sharply. Danny shot awake and rolled forward, ready for a fight. Jazz simply pointed to where Conan was stuck in the couch. He rolled his eyes and turned his arms intangible to pull him out. "Would it be okay if my brother stays too? He can help Conan and act as a defense if Vlad tries to silence him again."

"Certainly. There's not a lot of extra bed space but there's somewhere Shinichi and he can go if needed." Agasa said

“Who’s Shinichi?” Jazz asked.

“There’s that word again,” Danny muttered.

There were awkward looks abound, but no one answered either sibling. Jazz sighed. “Unless you have anymore questions, I’ll see you tomorrow Danny.”

Danny blinked. “Tomorrow? Aren’t I going to the hotel with you?”

Jazz rolled her eyes. “I just said you should stay with Conan to help him manage his powers and in case Vlad makes another attempt.”

That made sense but…”I’m guessing, like most of what you’ve been saying, you said it in Japanese. The language you know I don’t speak.” He grinned, knowing he had her.

Jazz stared at him a moment, then pinched her nose. “Point to you. I’m still heading out.”

“Wait,” Danny stopped her. “In your lecture did you mention Halfa’s regeneration ability?”

“No, and you really should start using yūrei hanyou, like they do.” Jazz advised.

Danny rolled his eyes. “And why would I want to change the only word I’ve had for myself for the past two years.”

“Do you really think all those ghosts would use a word to describe Vlad that he didn’t personally approve of?”

Okay, any distance between himself and Vald was good. “Okay, but seriously. Please tell her about yurry hanyo healing.”

“Yūrei hanyou,” Jazz corrected his pronunciation. “And they’ve all had to deal with a lot of new information at once. Non essential things-”

“It’s essential. Trust me.”

Danny looked so serious Jazz sighed and gave in. “Before I go, brother dearest wants me to go into a little more detail on one of the perks of being a yūrei hanyou, namely their healing capacity. Though not instantaneous, they do heal much faster than baseline humans and can recover completely from injuries humans never could without so much as a scar. I have a theory about how it’s related to their core, but that’s far from proven.”

Injuries...like heart scarring. Ran gave Danny a grateful look. “Thank you.” Both for telling her and...she may not have liked the idea of Shinichi becoming a weird ghost hybrid, but from what she’d been told earlier, it very well have saved his life.

Agasa and Ai shared a look of their own. They’d need confirmation but if that were true it would be a huge relief to both of them. Conan glanced around and read the reactions of everyone except for the honestly confused Jazz. “You told them.” He accused Agasa.

“Yes he did.” Ran confirmed. “And I’m glad he did. And- we can talk about this later.” It was obvious Danny and Jazz didn’t know the truth about Shinichi and it wasn’t her place to tell them. “But rest assured, we will.”

Conan gulped and his form flickered again, before vanishing completely from sight.

“It’s a good sign your ectoplasm is regenerating.” Jazz said. “That being said, it’s obvious there’s something you’re not telling us, so if you’re trying to keep other people from figuring it out, you need to be better about the fact that you’re hiding a secret. I won’t ask what it is, we understand better than most how life or death a secret can be. But at least one of your secrets isn’t just your own.” With that, she walked out.

Danny sighed heavily. “I really need to learn Japanese.”

#Phantom Detective #Danny Phantom #Detective Conan #Ghost Writing #I have so many theories of how halfa's work #And Jazz became my mouthpiece #Ran hasn't forgiven him #not completely #but it's a big step forward

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