Does Heaven Even Know You’re Missing
Paring: Established Bucky X Fem!Reader (Sugar)
Summery: Just a snippet Sugar and Bucky. Steve is alive. Part of the Sugar AU. Inspired by a song of the same name by Nickelback
Warnings: Nightmares, comfort, fluff, no use of Y/N, Not beta'd all mistakes are my own
Word Count: ~1005
Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! <3
Read Too Sweet here
Whimpering, you heard whimpering as you stirred awake which caused you to jolt upright and look around. Looking at your phone after you snatched it from the bedside table it read 4:03am. You felt him thrashing a little next to you and the whimpering got louder. Quickly you turned and leaned over him, he was squirming, there was a very evident sheen of sweat over his entire body.
He had been working on staying in bed for the whole night, it was proving to be a difficult task these last couple weeks. A difficult mission seemed to have rocked him in some way he refused to discuss with you. He didn’t want to scare you, but he was scaring you more by hiding it. He was a stubborn man, proud and terrified you would look at him differently if you knew everything going on in his tangled web of a mind.
He had told you once that the first time he stayed in bed all night was the first time you stayed over, he didn’t start in bed and end up on the floor in the living room like always. You brought peace to his soul, calmed his racing thoughts and soothed his worries. With you in his arms, he felt safe.
You quickly pulled the blanket down and off him so he wouldn’t feel confined, you touched the lamp stand, casting a dim amber light over you two. His eyelids were fluttering as his eyes moved frantically under them. You touched his cheek softly and stroked it gently.
The first time he had a nightmare in bed with you, was scary. You had to call Steve to help. Now you have a routine, you didn’t leave. His grip on your waist wouldn’t allow you to anyway.
“Bucky,” you cooed softly, “Bucky,” you stroked his cheek gently again and you felt his grip tighten momentarily on your waist. His fingers flexed and gripped the soft fabric of your night dress. He moved and turned over you, tucking his face into your neck and inhaling deeply.
One, two, three, four, five deep breaths later he collapsed on top of you. His weight was comforting and his intangible murmurs as he came too were almost relaxing. You gently stroked his hair and rubbed his shoulder.
“Just say you’ll stay and never go,” he mumbled into your ear, his hot breath fanning over your neck. “Never leave me here alone,” your heart broke at the desperation in his hoarse voice.
“I’m not going anywhere,” you murmured softly into his ear as you kissed his temple. “I’m here forever,” you hugged him tightly. He whimpered into your neck and shifted so you were tucked safely next to his large body, cradled into his chest.
“The day I finally felt alive,” he said, his voice trembling as he gripped your mid section tightly, holding you tightly to his chest. “Was the day you fell into my life,” he whispered into your hair, his hot breath fanning over your scalp.
“Bucky,” you said softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he snuggled closer.
Sleep didn’t come easy again, every twitch of him against you made you wake up. Every deep breath made your breath hitch. You were afraid he was slipping again, back into his mind. You feared he was caging himself into his mind, screaming for help he wouldn’t dare ask for.
You felt hot tears well up in your eyes and your breath stuttered out as you tried to calm yourself. He was the one who was having nightmares, he was the one scared and here you were crying because of how it made you feel. You felt selfish. You cared so deeply about him, you fought so hard to make him realize you were there, forever. You weren’t going anywhere.
“Sugar,” his voice was coarse and thick with sleep. “Honey,” he cupped your tear streaked cheek and turned your face toward him adjusting so he was propped up on his arm. He peered down at you, his eyes swimming with so many emotions you couldn’t place just one. “What’s the matter?” He asked softly.
You brought your hand up and stroked his stubble covered cheek and let the tears come freely. “I’m worried about you,” you whimpered out. You hated how emotional you were, you were so quick to cry when emotions got high.
“Ssssh,” he pressed a firm kiss on your forehead. “I’m fine sweetheart, it was just a nightmare.” You took a few deep breaths and tried to compose yourself.
“It’s more than just a nightmare,” your voice was small, fragile. “You’re slipping again,” you didn’t want to sound like you were accusing him of anything. Something in his eyes broke, you were prepared for him to do what he would usually do, put a wall up and ignore it until it exploded out of the seams. His shuddering breath caught you off guard.
“I am. I’m sorry I tried to hide it,” he said softly, he was half lying on top of you, his big hands holding your head and stroking your face, his hot breath fanned over your face as he stared into your eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll leave. If you knew about the things I’ve had to do. The things I’ve done.” You went to speak, he shushed you again. “Not before. Now. The things I do on missions. I’m not sure I’m a soul you can save my sweet angel.”
“Bucky,” you placed your hand over his and slipped your fingers between his. “I’m not leaving. I promised you.”
“Heaven is going to come for you one day. When they realize you’re missing,” he murmured and rubbed his nose against yours.
“I traded an eternity to come and hide away with you,” you whispered back, relaxing under his weight as he settled.
“I’m never gonna give you back,” his voice was soft, and he pressed a gentle kiss on your lips. You were his sugar, his sweet angel, his everything.
Feel free to send me a message if you have a request or would like more, or would like to be added to the tag list ❤️
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A Pretty Damn Good Solution
Egon Spengler x Reader
Prompt: When Egon finds out you’ve been having nightmares all week, he decides to find a way to help you by conducting a sleep study.
Warnings: Nightmares, panic attacks, sleep deprivation, and insomnia.
A/N: This is GN!Reader with no pronouns specified. The Egon brainrot is so real so please enjoy this incredibly self-indulgent fic I wrote to the cope with my work stress induced nightmares. Crossposted on my AO3 adriansglasses.
You woke up breathing heavy, in a cold sweat. You hear quick, clumsy footsteps running through the hallway of the firehouse. At first you’re confused. You’re still out of it and you’re scared. Suddenly Egon is busting through your doorway. His glasses are crooked, his pj shirt is buttoned incorrectly, the buttons not matching the holes. He has a proton pack slung over his back. He must have been in a hurry to get to you.
“Are you okay?! I heard you scream.” He looks at you with confusion. “I thought one of the ghosts had breached the containment unit.”
“I’m sorry. I just had a nightmare.” You apologize, still trying to collect yourself. You’re shaking like a leaf.
“Oh.” He looks at you sadly, taking off his proton pack. He sits on the bed, straightening out his glasses. The bed dips, shifting you towards him.
“I apologize for my appearance and demeanor. I was under the impression you were in danger.” He looks down at his shirt, fixing his buttons.
“I’m sorry I worried you.” You say, sheepishly.
“No, don’t be.” He draws out the o on the no, speaking softly, inflecting his tone upwards to try to bring you comfort. He gives you a soft smile, to match his tone.
You sit in silence for a few minutes. Egon isn’t quite sure what to say, but you don’t mind. Despite his awkwardness, he was still deeply comforting.
“I forgot to ask. Are you okay?” He breaks the silence.
“Not really. I’ve been having nightmares all week.” You begin to fidget with a string on your blanket.
“(Y/N), why didn’t you say something?” He asks.
“I didn’t wanna bother anyone.” You shrug your shoulders.
“You’re living in a building with several scientists who care about your well being. I assure you that you wouldn’t be bothering us. We could have helped you. You should have at the very least spoken to Peter. His concentration is psychology.” Egon tried not to lecture you, but he was confused as to why you were suffering alone instead of asking for help. He didn’t like to see you in pain.
“I guess I thought I should be able to deal with it on my own.” You avoid eye contact. Egon finally puts the pieces together. It wasn’t always easy for him to read social que’s, but he could read his friends easily enough.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. Everyone has nightmares. They could be caused by a number of reasons. Typically mine are caused by stress, but I’ve since figured out how to get a handle on them through scientific means. Where they used to be constant, they’re now more rare for me.” He sympathizes.
“I didn’t know you had nightmares like that. I’m sorry.” You respond.
“They’re handled.” He pauses for a moment, thinking. “I believe it would be beneficial for me to conduct a sleep study on you starting tomorrow night, with your consent of course.”
“Do you really think it’ll help?” You look at him, desperate for an answer to your problem.
“Yes. I’ll have everything ready tomorrow night, but do you need anything before I go?” He asks.
“Can I please have a hug?” You request. Usually you’d be embarrassed, but right now you didn’t care. Egon had been the greatest comfort you’d had in the last several nights.
“Of course.” He smiles, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. The hug is awkward at first, but you both relax into it. He’s warm and his pajama shirt is soft. While Egon’s presence is always calming, his steady breathing and heartbeat do wonders to bring you back to a more relaxed state. He begins to rub your back. “We’ll get to the bottom of this and just remember you’re not alone.”
————————————————————————
The next night you’d shown up to Egon’s lab as requested. You’re surprised to see he’s set up a cot with your favorite blankets and pillows. He was nothing if not observant.
“I gathered some things from your room in an effort to make you more comfortable.” He speaks, walking around the room, pressing buttons and moving things around.
“Thank you.” You smile. You sit down on the bed and Egon begins to fit wires to your forhead.
“May I?” He asks, gesturing to your chest.
“Um yes- yeah uh that’s okay.” You blush. Egon moves your shirt over and attaches wires over your heart. “I really appreciate you doing this.”
“Of course. It’s no problem, really. Do you need anything before you go to sleep? Can I get you a glass of water?” He asks.
“No, but can you explain how it’s gonna work again?” You lay down, attempting to get comfortable.
“While you’re asleep I should be able to see any changes in heart rate, breathing patterns, or brainwave activity. I can collect all the data I need and all you have to do is sleep.” He explains.
“Seems simple enough.” You give him a smile, despite your nerves.
Egon leaves the observation area and the lights dim. You close your eyes and fall asleep.
About 2 hours into the study Egon starts to notice a rapid elevation in heart rate and your breathing becomes heavier and inconsistent. He scribbled down notes, watching your brainwave patterns until you shoot up gasping. You start to pull at the wires attached to you, not remembering why they’re there. Egon enters the room with his journal and pen in hand. He approaches your bed.
“You’re okay. You’re in my lab, remember? I have to say that was quite interesting. How long did it feel like you were stuck in that nightmare?” He asks.
“Uh I- I don’t know, like hours?” You debate, trying to catch your breath.
“You were asleep for about 2 hours, but you only entered REM state about 15 minutes ago, which is when you started dreaming.” He takes down more notes.
“Only 15 minutes?” You ask, your voice and body shakey. Egon pulls a chair up to sit next to you. He lays his journal on your bed and takes your hand in his. He begins to feel your pulse. You instantly start to calm by his touch. He’s observant of this. He decides to keep holding your hand even after he’s done checking your pulse in an effort to keep you calm. He writes with one hand and holds your hand with the other.
“Can you tell me a bit about the dream?” He asks.
“I was alone in the firehouse and the containment unit broke and I was being chased by a demon. I woke myself up before it caught me.” He gives you a look. On one hand he feels bad that you were so scared, but on the other hand he’s intrigued.
“How did you wake yourself up?” He asks.
“I have like this thing I do if I need to escape a dream. I feel like I’m pushing and pulling and clawing my way out of reality, like I’m trying to swim through molasses until I wake up.” You tell him.
“That’s amazing. From my end your adrenaline spiked enormously. I didn’t realize you were doing that on purpose.” He scribbles down some more notes.
“Yeah. I guess that’s a thing I do.” You say awkwardly. “Did you get anything useful?” You ask.
“Yes, but I’ll have to run more tests throughout the week.” He closes his journal, turning to you. He realizes he’s still holding your hand. He doesn’t let go. He was so excited by the scientific aspects of the experiment he forgot why he was doing this in the first place. “We’re going to figure this out, but until then I’m here.” He smiles at you, giving you a look of sympathy.
————————————————————————
The next two nights went similarly to the first one. You would have nightmare and Egon would remind you everything was okay before sitting down next to you to take notes as you recounted the dream. Your dreams were often about being chased or not being able to save someone. You would usually use your emergency escape out of your dreams. Talking about your dreams helped. It gave you an outlet and it aided Egon’s studies. The two of you had fallen into a routine and it was starting to help.
Tonight was different. Egon watched as your heart rate spiked and your breathing patterns began to change. Your brain activity was off the charts. He knew you’d be up soon. He watched as you tried and failed to pull the emergency break. You begin to thrash in bed. He wonders why you haven’t woken up. He enters the room just in time for you to shoot up screaming and covered in sweat. You begin to hyperventilate, crying out. “Egon!” You cry for him. Tears start to stream down your face. He runs to your bed.
“It was just a dream. You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m here. Everything is okay, (Y/N).” Egon tries to keep his voice calm, but he speaks with urgency. He places his hands on your shoulders, trying to ground you. You can’t get your breathing under control.
“I- I couldn’t get out! I couldn’t get out! I was stuck and I couldn’t get out!” You’re speaking a mile a minute.
“(Y/N), look at me. You’re awake now. You’re safe. I won’t let anything hurt you. I need you to try to breathe with me. (Y/N), what’s three things that you can see?” He asks, trying to bring your focus back to reality.
“I can’t” You sob, unable to focus.
“Yes, you can. What’s three things you can see?” He repeats.
“I see your journal. It’s in the chair.” You try.
“Good that’s two things.” He smiles.
“Your pen is on the floor.” You continue.
“I dropped it when I rushed in to check on you. What’s two things you can hear?” He asks.
“The clock is ticking really loudly and- and I can hear… the heater is on.” You tell him, listening closely.
“Good. What’s one thing you can touch?” He asks.
“Can I touch you?” You ask, hesitantly.
“Yes, thank you for asking.” He smiles. You grab his hand, beginning to trace all the lines and wrinkles on it. You learn every detail of his fingerprints. Tracing the indents and following the patterns comforts you.
“Are you feeling a bit better?” He asks.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just having one of those moments where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what‘s fake. I woke up from a nightmare, but it was just another nightmare. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a dream inside of a dream before. I thought that was just in movies.” You keep tracing his hand.
“No, it’s real unfortunately, but so am I and so are you. This is real.” He gestures between you. Part of himself means that the two of you are real and your interaction is real, but another part of him meant something different. The care you have for each other is real too, very real.
“I hate that I’m still tired. I don’t wanna go back to sleep, but I know I have to.” You sigh.
“Would it make you feel better if I stayed in here with you?” He asks. While he’d usually be too awkward to ask this, his solution is based in science. All of his research points to his presence being a comfort. This gave him more confidence.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” You hope you’re not being an inconvenience.
“If I minded I wouldn’t have offered. I want you to feel like you’re not alone.” He gives your hand a squeeze.
“I think that would help me a lot actually.” You start to shift, laying back down in bed. Egon gets up to turn the light back off, kicking off his shoes and lab coat before getting back into bed with you.
“I figured it might.” He smiles. He always loved when his scientific theories were proven right, especially one that benefited both of you so much. It brought both of you comfort to be in each other’s arms. Egon’s presence was enough for you to sleep soundly for the rest of the night and he was happy to know that you felt safe and calm. Even if it was only a temporary solution to your problems, it was still a pretty damn good solution.
“Goodnight, Egon.”
“Goodnight, (Y/N).”
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tech hunter, more like friend hunter amiright?
fanfiction
ao3
word count: 5930
Tucker's best friend has gone missing. At least Phantom's been defeated by the Tech Hunter and the ghosts have fled Amity Park. @lavendarlily
been sitting on this one all month
Tucker walked into the school feeling the best he had in a long time.
He wasn’t woken up last night by his equipment going off all night long. He’d gotten a full night’s sleep for what felt like the first time in forever. All thanks to his victory he’d had over Phantom.
He’d finally been able to corner Phantom the night before. He’d been distracted by a ghost he was talking to. Tucker walked up behind and landed the best hit he’d ever gotten on Phantom before. It punctured a hole straight through his back and chest and caused Phantom to stumble forward. The ghost he’d been talking to flew away before Tucker could even look at him.
Phantom turned around to look at him. His eyes widened ever so slightly.
“Checkmate, ghost.”
Tucker didn’t stay to see what happened. He knew he’d gotten him that time. He pulled his hoverboard out as Phantom fell to the ground and flew away. Phantom didn’t deserve anything more, the ghost scum that he was.
Heading down the hallway, Tucker saw Sam at her locker.
“Hey, Sam!” He shouted, speeding up in her direction.
When he called her name she looked up as if she had been spooked. Her eyes were wide as they scanned the hallway and finally landed on him. She tried smiling at him but Tucker could see that it was tight. That it was fake.
“Hi, Tucker.”
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked. “You look like you’ve a ghost. Or something equally terrifying.”
She pushed her locker closed. “I’m fine. I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
“Oh?” Tucker smirked at her. “Did you finally get some alone time with Danny?”
She shoved him. “Gross, Tucker. No. I just couldn’t sleep. I kept having nightmares.”
He frowned. “That sucks. What were they about?”
The look she gave him was haunting. What could she possibly have dreamt about that was having this kind of effect on her?
“I don’t want to talk about it. It doesn’t matter. It really wasn’t even that bad anyways.” Sam smiled another tight smile at him. “Let’s not be late to class.”
He followed behind her. “Have you seen Danny?”
She shook her head and kept her eyes ahead of her, not looking at him. “No. Not yet.”
Tucker pouted. “He didn’t tell me he was sick today. Unless he’s just sleeping in again. Have you figured out what’s been up with him lately? Why he’s always late and skipping class all the time?”
She shook her head again. “Not a clue.”
Tucker watched as she walked ahead of him into their class. That was weird. She wasn’t quite being standoffish but… She was definitely being avoidant. What was that about?
He followed in behind her and walked to his seat. The bell rang and Mr. Lancer started calling names.
“Dash Baxter?”
“Here.”
“Danny Fenton?”
Tucker took another look around the classroom. Danny wasn’t in here either. He hoped he wasn’t getting sick. But knowing Danny and his sudden change in attendance, he wasn’t very confident that he was sick anyways.
The day passed slowly. With Sam acting strange and Danny missing, there was nothing to keep him occupied.
He was starting to get worried though. Danny didn’t normally skip the whole day if he was going to be late or skip classes. Maybe he was just sick. He couldn’t shake the feeling that was starting to creep up on him though.
He was glad that the ghosts had disappeared with Phantom’s defeat. It meant that his attendance wasn’t so bad, even if it wasn’t nearly as bad as Danny’s. He wondered where all the ghosts were. It was odd that he hadn’t picked up a single ghost on his scanner yet today.
He walked into the lunch room and grabbed his food from the lunch line. When he was done, he looked around the cafeteria and saw Sam sitting at their normal table. With Jazz?
They looked to be talking in hushed whispers. He started walking towards them with his lunch tray in hand. Jazz looked up past Sam’s shoulder and whispered one more thing before she smiled at Tucker.
“Hi, Tucker.”
“Hey, Jazz. Is Danny home sick today?”
Jazz shot a look at Sam before her eyes darted back to Tucker. “I’m not sure. I actually haven’t seen him since school got out yesterday.”
Tucker frowned. “Oh. That’s weird.” He placed his tray on the table and sat down to Sam’s right. Her backpack was in her lap and she shuffled it to the left a little bit. “Has he ever done that before?”
Jazz shook her head. “No. I thought maybe he’d gone to one of your guy’s houses. I was expecting to see him at school today. I’m starting to get worried.”
“Yeah.” Tucker rested his chest in one of his hands and started picking at his food. “Me too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam didn’t know what to do.
She’d been walking around with the thermos containing Danny in it all day. She’d been taking her backpack with her everywhere. Even to the bathroom with her. She couldn’t just leave it somewhere. Not with him inside of it, at risk of bleeding to death if he got let out.
She especially couldn’t let Tucker see it. Couldn’t let him see the contents screen. Couldn’t even let him know she had it.
He knew she didn’t carry the Fenton’s ghost weapons with her. She didn’t endorse them. The ghosts were still beings. She didn’t think it was right to hurt them. It would be suspicious for him to find a partially full thermos in her bag.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, though. Who could she go to? Who could help her? She thought about talking to the Fenton’s. They were the leading ghost experts. Surely they would know what to do.
But she’s heard what they’ve said about Phantom. How they wanted to tear him apart molecule by molecule. Her only saving grace would be that Danny was in his human form when she sucked him up. Would that be enough to convince them that it truly was their son inside of the thermos? She wasn’t sure.
She sat in class, Tucker right behind her, gripping her backpack. She hadn’t been able to focus at all and this was only her first class of the day. She could only imagine how the rest of the day would go.
She lay her head down on her desk, still clutching her bag close to her.
Sam had been tailing Phantom for the last couple of minutes. She had a few questions about ghosts that she wanted to ask him and was hidden around the corner while he talked to another ghost. She was hoping she could wait until the other ghost left. She didn’t want to risk getting mauled.
But before her or the other ghost could do anything, the Tech Hunter flew down into the alleyway Phantom was in.
She’d never been this close to Tech Hunter before. She always wondered who it was under that mask.
She peeked around the corner just in time to see Tech Hunter’s weapon go off, shooting a hole into Phantom’s back all the way through his chest.
Phantom stumbled and slowly turned around, clutching the new hole in his chest with his hand.
“Checkmate ghost.”
Sam’s heart stopped.
No. No no no. It couldn’t be.
She didn’t want it to be true, but his voice was too recognizable. She’d heard it everyday since they met in elementary school. There was no denying this.
That was Tucker.
Tucker, a cold blooded hunter. A murderer if Phantom’s expression was anything to go by.
He jumped into the sky on his hoverboard and flew away. Phantom fell to the ground. She finally rounded the corner and walked up to him.
“Phantom!” She shouted and she ran over and knelt on the ground next to him.
His eyes opened slowly and he turned to look at her. “Sam…”
She stopped for a moment. “You know my name?”
He tried to sit up but she stopped him. “Don’t move. That’s a nasty injury.”
“Sam…” He struggled to lift his arm around to his other side and grabbed the Fenton thermos that he carried around with him. He placed it in her hand that she extended to him.
“Phantom?” She asked quietly.
“Put me in the thermos.”
“What? You want me to capture you?”
He took a deep breath. “I’ll… bleed out if I stay here like this. Put me in the thermos. It’ll act as a… stasis of sorts.”
“But-”
A bright ring appeared around Phantom’s waist. It was like nothing she’s ever seen before.
“Put.. me in… the thermos.”
The rings separated and Sam covered her mouth with her free hand.
“Get help.”
The rings disappeared and before her sat her best friend, bleeding out. She stumbled with the thermos in her hand and pressed hard on the button. It sucked him up into it and she pulled it against her chest.
Shaking, she leaned back against the wall. What was she supposed to do? What if the thermos didn’t actually keep him in a stasis? What if he just bled out inside the thermos instead? She didn’t know how to fix this.
How did she fix this?
“Sam.”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she shot up in her seat. She whipped her head to the side and saw Tucker pulling his hand back.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, a concerned expression crossing his face.
She shook her head to try and clear and took a deep breath. “Yeah. I just- I must’ve fallen asleep. I had another nightmare.”
She stood up and he moved to let her by.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? Maybe it’ll help you make sense of why you’re having nightmares.”
Checkmate, ghost.
She shook her head again. She knew why she was having nightmares. “No, it’s fine. I’m okay. I’m sure they’ll stop happening soon.”
He stopped prodding at her after that and they made their way to their next class.
Sam felt like she couldn’t breathe and like she was suffocating all through class until their third hour came around. They separated and walked opposite directions down the hallway and she finally felt like she could relax. Like she wasn’t in danger.
She was still tired and was still nodding off in class but without Tucker sitting behind her she was able to focus on class a little more. She still held her backpack in her lap for safe keeping though.
She was on her way to lunch when she bumped into Jazz in the hallway.
“Hey, Sam, have you seen Danny?”
Sam’s heart jumped into her throat and she tried to swallow back the tremble in her voice. “Danny?”
“Yeah. He never came home last night. I’m worried. I was hoping you or Tucker had seen him today.”
Sam swallowed and swung her backpack around to her front. “I have to tell you something.”
Jazz frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this alone. Maybe you’ll have some ideas.”
Sam opened her backpack and pulled the thermos out a little. Jazz’s eyes opened wider.
“Yesterday- yesterday I saw something. Tech Hunter had ambushed Phantom and hurt him real bad. Phantom told me to pull him into the thermos but he transformed before I could do that.”
Jazz raised a hand to cover her mouth.
“When he transformed back, he turned into-”
“Danny.” Jazz whispered. Sam looked up at her, shocked.
“He told you?”
Jazz shook her head and met Sam’s eyes. “I found out during the whole Spectra thing. He doesn’t know I figured it out.”
Sam nodded. “But there’s something else.” She looked around them and pushed the thermos back into her backpack. “Tucker is Tech Hunter.”
Jazz pulled back, her eyes wide and a hand over her chest. “Are you sure? Tucker didn’t really seem like the type to-”
Sam nodded again more vigorously. “I’m sure. He had a helmet on but I’d recognize his voice anywhere. I’m sure it was him.”
Jazz started walking towards the cafeteria. Sam followed beside her. “What are we going to do? Did Danny say anything to you besides to get him into the thermos?”
“No.” Sam shook her head. “Just that it would put him into a stasis and to get help. There wasn’t time for him to say anything else. He was too badly hurt.”
They got to the cafeteria just as Jazz closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They paused outside the doors for a moment before Jazz pushed her way in.
“What do we do?”
They walked to the food line and grabbed trays and grabbed food to set on it. Jazz sighed. “I don’t know. We might have to do some research on some stuff before we decide. This is the most scared I’ve ever felt.”
“Me too.” Sam whispered.
Sam walked them to her usual table and Jazz followed suit and sat down across the table from her.
“What about your parents?” Sam asked, leaning across the table. “They might know how to help him.”
Jazz grimaced. “They might be too biased to see past the fact that he’s Phantom. They talk about what they’d do if they ever got him all the time and I don’t want any of it to become a reality. But worse comes to worse-”
Jazz paused as she looked over Sam’s shoulder. She leaned forward to whisper at her.
“We’ll do our own research first. Then we’ll try my parents. Tucker’s coming.”
Jazz looked back up and smiled at the boy who was walking up behind Sam. Sam tensed up and she was afraid to look behind her.
“Hi, Tucker.”
“Hey, Jazz. Is Danny home sick today?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’d been a week. It’d been a week since Danny went missing.
No one had seen him since he left school that day. Not a single person. How did no one see him at all? Where could he have gone?
Tucker had even done a few searches of his own. He’d flown around town on his board, looking for any sign of Danny. He was lucky that the ghosts were still gone, otherwise it would pull from him time searching.
And Sam was still acting weird. He could understand that she was upset about Danny missing but… It was different than that. Any time he saw the haunted look in her eyes he tried to comfort her about Danny. Tell her that they would find him. It took her a moment to process it, like she had to remember that he was in fact missing.
School was ending and Tucker had to struggle to find Sam outside in front of the school. He had to look for a few seconds before he saw her already all the way across the grass, walking down the road.
“Hey, Sam, wait up!” He waved his hand in the air.
She didn’t turn to face him and Tucker frowned. He jogged up to her and grabbed onto the handle on her backpack and pulled. He must have caught her off guard because her backpack started sliding off her shoulders and she whipped around, pulling it out of his hands and to her chest.
“Sam, are you okay?” He asked.
“I’m fine.” She said.
He frowned at her again. Then it dawned on him.
“Are you walking around with contraband in your backpack?” He smirked at her.
“What?”
He made grabby motions at her bag again. “What is it? Drugs? Weed?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Condoms?”
Sam hugged her backpack close to her.
“Tucker, stop.”
“What?” He smiled at her. “What do you have in there?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why don’t you want me to look at it so badly?” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Is it a secret? What kind of secret?”
“There’s no secret, Tucker.”
He frowned. “Seriously?” He reached forward and grabbed the front of her backpack and pulled.
She held on tight and pulled back.
Something was seriously up. He pulled hard and the top of the backpack opened, sending a Fenton thermos rolling across the ground.
Before he could even think about anything beyond the lit up contents screen Sam was shoving him as hard as she could. It knocked him to the ground and she scooped up the thermos and backed away from him.
“What the hell, Sam?” He said as he rubbed his behind.
“Have you ever heard of respecting someone’s privacy?” She shot back at him as she held the thermos to her chest.
His mind slowed when he saw how she was holding it.
“Sam. Why do you have that?”
“Danny gave it to me.”
Tucker shook his head. “His parents offered you one and you refused. Why do you have it?”
“It’s none of your business Tucker.”
He stood back up and took a step toward her.
“Who’s inside the thermos, Sam?”
She took a step back. She looked like she was afraid of him.
He darted forward and tried grabbing the device from her hands. She stepped out of the way and kicked out her heavy combat boot, catching his feet and sending him towards the ground again.
He groaned and pushed himself back up. “Give me the thermos.”
“No.”
“What are you going to do with a ghost anyways?” He turned to face her. “Aren’t you against hurting the ghosts and holding them hostage? What if you let it out and it hurts you? A ghost doesn’t deserve the safety you’re giving it right now.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She leveled him with a cold, hate filled stare. Her expression took Tucker aback. He barked out a laugh.
“What ghost could possibly be in there that you feel this strongly about?” He took another step towards her, followed by her taking a step back. “Ember? An ecto-puss? That dog that ruined Valerie’s life? What ghost is worth this?”
“Why should I tell you?!” Sam shouted at him. “You’re a cold hearted murderer that’s okay with ending a sentient being’s life! How awful do you have to be to want to kill someone?”
Tucker leveled a look at her. How did she get a hold of him? “He’s already dead, Sam.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re right. He doesn’t matter. Give me the thermos.”
“No.”
“Why are you so insistent on-” Tucker started but pulled back as Sam started screaming at him.
“You didn’t see what I saw!” Tears were streaming down her face now. “I saw you shoot him. One of my best friends became a murderer. And then I went to go help him. All he asked me to do was put him in the thermos. I didn’t understand and he transformed back before I understood.”
“He transformed back?” Tucker asked, confused. That wasn’t something he was aware Phantom could do. Did he have shapeshifting abilities?
“I don’t think Phantom is just a ghost.” Sam whispered.
“Ha. Yeah, what else would he be?”
“Our best friend.”
Tucker’s heart stuttered in his chest. “No. That can’t be possible.”
“It is.” She nodded her head frantically. “I saw it with my own eyes. He transformed from Phantom to Danny. It was some bright white ring that appeared around his waist. It’s not like anything I’ve seen another ghost do before. He went from bleeding ectoplasm to bleeding blood after he transformed.”
Tucker’s ears were ringing now. “How? How is he both alive and a ghost?”
“I don’t know.” He could hardly hear her whisper. “I don’t know what to do.”
“He’s just in there?” Tucker gestured at the thermos. “Dying?”
“He said he’d be in a stasis if he was in the thermos. That’s why he asked me to put him in there. He asked me to get help. But anyone that could possibly help wants to kill him.”
Tucker’s vision warped and spun. He staggered where he stood and he could feel bile rising up in his throat.
He tried to kill his best friend. He probably actually killed him. That was the nastiest injury he’s ever seen Phantom get. Phantom never had to go into stasis before. He could always regenerate and heal himself before.
Tucker leaned to the side and threw up.
He killed his best friend. His best friend was going to die and it was all his fault.
“What are we going to do Tucker?” Sam asked him. “You’ve got ghost stuff. Do you know someone who can help him?”
Vlad Masters flashed through his brain. He supplied Tucker with everything he needed to fight ghosts. And for some reason he didn’t understand until now, Danny absolutely despised him.
“I- No. I don’t have anything that can help him.” Tucker whispered. “I’ve killed him.”
He looked back at her and she was shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes. “Don’t say that. We have to believe there’s something we can do. If there’s nothing-”
“He’ll be gone.”
They stood there in silence for a few moments.
“We need to go talk to Jazz.” She said quietly.
“Jazz?”
Sam nodded. “I already told her everything. If we have no one else that can help us, we need to figure out how to talk to their parents. They’re our last option.”
The pit in Tucker’s stomach grew even bigger. How could he admit to his best friend’s parents that he killed him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tucker sat with Sam and Jazz in the Fenton’s living room. They were trying to figure out how to break the news to the Fenton’s about the situation with Danny.
“Do I just walk up to them like ‘hey, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, second parents to me, I killed your son because he’s also that Phantom menace that we both hated?”
Sam shuffled in her spot. “We just need to start with he’s Phantom and injured in the thermos and that we need their help.”
“They don’t need to know it was you, Tucker.” Jazz said softly.
“Danny knew it was me. That whole time. He absolutely knew it was me.” Tucker shook his head. “Shouldn’t I owe it to his parents to tell them the whole truth? I deserve their anger.”
“You didn’t know it was him, though.” Sam said. “None of us did. None of us would have been able to tell. Who’s gonna think a dead kid is their living best friend?”
“I-”
“Hey, kids.” Maddie walked into the living. The three of them jumped at the sound. She smiled sadly. “Jumpy today, are we?”
Jazz nodded. “We’re just worried about Danny.”
Maddie’s smile fell. “Me too.”
Jazz looked up at her mom. “Actually, Mom, can you go get Dad? We have something we need to talk to you guys about?”
Maddie looked between the three of them concerned, but nodded and went to go get Jack.
“We haven’t figured out what we’re going to say to them yet though!” Tucker whispered. “What are we going to tell them?”
“Just let Sam and I handle it.” Jazz shushed him. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but we need to get it over with. The longer we stall the harder it’ll be.”
Maddie walked back into the living room with Jack trailing behind her. They sat on the couch that was facing them from the opposite side of the room.
Jazz took a deep breath. “We know where Danny’s been.”
“What?” Jack and Maddie exclaimed together.
“Why haven’t you told us? Where is he?” Maddie asked.
“He’s…” Jazz started but petered off.
Sam looked at her and picked up where she left off. “He’s Phantom. He’s somehow a ghost human hybrid. He was shot and he’s hurt really badly.”
Maddie pulled back. “What do you mean he’s Phantom?”
“I saw him transform with my very own eyes.” Sam pleaded. “You have to believe us. He’s hurt and we didn’t know who else we could turn to.”
“Where is he?” Jack asked quietly.
“He’s in here.” Sam pulled the thermos out of her backpack and held it up in her hands for them to see.
“He’s in the thermos?” Jack asked, shocked. “How is that possible?”
“You have Phantom in the thermos?” Maddie stood up.
“It’s Danny in the thermos. Phantom is Danny.”
“What do you mean that’s Danny? That can’t be Danny.” Maddie stepped forward and reached out a hand. “Give us the thermos.”
“You have to believe us.” Sam pleaded.
Tucker raised his arm in front of Sam to stop her. “Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I didn’t believe Sam at first either. I thought it would be impossible for Danny to be Phantom. But the more I thought about it the more it made sense.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m Tech Hunter. I was the one that shot him.”
Maddie inhaled a sharp breath and pulled her hand back like she’d been burned.
“I hated him.” Tucker whispered. “I thought ghosts like him were the scum of the earth. But looking back… He never retaliated against me. He always played on the defense and I never thought anything of it. I thought he was a bad shot. He’d joke around with me like he’d known me all his life.”
He stared at the floor, wrapping his arms around himself. “I never thought the reason he’d do that was because he actually had known me all his life. I just thought he was manipulating me.” He choked out a laugh. “It’s like they say. Hindsight is twenty twenty.”
“If this is true and Danny really is.. In there.” Maddie gestured at the thermos with a shaking hand. “What are we supposed to do? We don’t have anything to help ghosts and an injury of that magnitude might not be able to be helped by us and our medical knowledge.”
“Maybe you could help us find someone in the ghost zone who would know more about how to help him.” Jazz said. “Even if we find someone we’ll need help getting there somehow.”
Jack and Maddie exchange a glance between them.
“He’s our son, Maddie.” He said quietly. “We have to try, even if he really is Phantom.”
She turned to look at the thermos in Sam’s hands.
“Okay. We’ll help. Where do we start?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I was able to hack into Danny’s computer.” Tucker said. “He has files with information about all the ghosts he knows. There are ghosts in the ghost zone in some place called the far frozen that have a lot of medical know-how. They’ve helped him before. Maybe they’d be willing to help him again.”
Maddie nodded. “That might be our best option. We could try to do all we can here, but if that injury is as big as the two of you described it, there might not be much we can actually do ourselves.”
Tucker printed out the map Danny had made of the ghost zone and handed it to Maddie.
“He’s got this all mapped out already?” Maddie stared at the map with wide eyes. “We haven’t even made a trip into the ghost zone a single time yet.”
“This must’ve been what he was doing some of the times I thought he was blowing us off.” Tucker sighed and took his glasses on and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”
“We-” Maddie took a deep breath. “If Phantom is really Danny, we’ll both have a lot to make up for.”
Tucker looked up at her. “Are we horrible for not knowing he was Danny?”
Maddie shrugged. “It’s hard to say. I would like to think I’d recognize one of my kids anywhere… That I know them like the back of my hand, but…”
“We just couldn’t see it.”
Maddie nodded. “But getting to his yeti friends is something we can do to make it up to him. Let’s focus on that for now instead.”
Tucker turned off Danny’s computer and stood up. “I guess you’re right. What do we do now?”
He followed her out of Danny’s room and down the stairs. “We make sure the Specter Speeder is all good for ghost zone travel. Then we’ll prepare for the trip.”
“I think Danny’s notes said that the far frozen is cold. We should bring our coats and gloves with us.”
Maddie smiled. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”
They walked into the living room where Sam, Jazz, and Jack were sitting around the table. They were going over what looked like notes from the Fenton’s lab.
“What are you guys working on?” Maddie asked.
“We’re going over your guy’s formula for ecto-dejecto.” Jazz said as she turned over another paper. “That’s one that you guys just kinda scrapped and never fixed. We’re thinking it could help since it made all the ghosts you tested it on get stronger.”
“Once we find the right formula, we’re going to make a couple batches of it.” Jack said. “Aha! Here it is! Did you guys find anything on Danny’s computer?”
“We found some information on a medical center that’s located in the ghost zone somewhere.” Maddie said. “Danny has been mapping out the ghost zone too so we’ll be able to get there without much fuss.”
“That’s great!” Sam turned to face him. “Way to go, Tucker.”
“Thanks.” he shuffled on his feet.
“Jack and I are going to go downstairs and work on preparations with the ecto-dejecto and checking the Specter Speeder. You three gather together enough coats, hats, and gloves for everyone. After that you could start preparing some food for the trip.”
It took them a couple hours to get everything ready, but soon they had gathered enough clothing and food for everyone and made sure the Specter Speeder worked. Jack loaded a crate of ecto-dejecto in the speeder and turned around to face them.
“We’re ready to go! Let’s get Danny some help!”
They started the Specter Speeder and flew into the green swirl of the ghost portal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danny groaned. Everything hurt. Where was he? He could hear a faint beeping. Was he at the hospital? What happened? The last thing he remembered was-
His eyes shot open and he tried to sit up but his chest hurt too much.
He was in the hospital. What were the doctors told? Who found him? Did his parents know? Did the GIW? He had to-
“Whoa, hey. Don’t move.”
He turned his head and there standing to his left was Sam.
“Sam? You’re here? Where- My parents-”
She shushed him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re in the Far Frozen. Tucker found the map on your computer.”
His heart fell and he swallowed. “Tucker?”
She nodded. “He’s been waiting outside. He didn’t want to be in here when you woke up in case you didn’t want to see him.”
He looked towards the door. “He’s here?”
“Yes. He’s here.”
How did Tucker find out about him? Why is he even here? Danny thought Tucker wouldn’t want anything to do with him if he ever found out who he was. But he was just waiting outside his room because he was afraid Danny didn’t want to see him?
“Is anyone else here?” He asked.
“Your parents are talking to Frostbite about all this medical equipment they have here. Jazz is off learning how yeti society works.”
Danny chuckled, but groaned as it rattled his chest. He laid a hand on top of it gently.
“How long have I been here?”
Sam’s expression turned sad. “It’s been a little over a month. You were in some pod that Frostbite has in a different room for awhile too. It was supposed to help your ectoplasm repair the hole in your chest. You still have a bit of healing left, but the worst of it is behind you.”
He let out a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“What?”
“You saved me. You got me the help I needed. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you, Sam.”
“Danny, I-”
She stopped at the sound of shuffling outside the door. They both looked towards the doorway and saw Tucker just as he ducked out of the way. Sam looked back at him.
“Do you want to see him?” She asked softly.
Danny kept looking at the door. Tucker wouldn’t be here if he was just trying to kill him. He was respecting his boundaries and keeping his distance until Danny asked for him. Would they be able to go back to how things were before? Should Danny want that?
He turned his head back to Sam and nodded.
“Okay. I’ll go get him.”
She stood up and walked across the room and through the door. A few moments passed before she walked back in, hand in hand with Tucker as he followed behind her.
She stopped beside Danny’s bed. Tucker still wasn’t looking at Danny.
“I can give you two some space to talk. Unless you want me to stay here, Danny.”
Danny looked at Tucker and the shame and guilt in his face. He turned back to Sam and shook his head. “I think we’ll be okay. You should probably let everyone else know that I’m awake.”
She nodded and turned to walk away, shooting one last glance at them before she left.
His gaze went back to Tucker. He was finally looking at him. Tears were swimming in his eyes and his lips were trembling.
“Tucker-“ Danny started but Tucker cut him off.
“No. Don’t forgive me.” Tucker took a shaky breath. “I don’t deserve it. I was so caught up in my hatred with ghosts that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. I couldn’t tell I was fighting my best friend.”
Tucker pushed his hands up under glasses and covered his eyes. “You joked around with me. You never tried to hurt me. You were still acting like my best friend and I went and shot you.”
“Tucker-“ Danny closed his eyes. “No one knew. I didn’t tell anyone and no one could tell it was me.”
“Jazz knew.” Tucker said quietly.
Danny’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “She did? How?”
Tucker shrugged. “She said it had something to do with Ms. Spectra. She didn’t really elaborate much on it because we were focused on getting things figured out with you.
“Oh.” He looked down at his lap. “I still didn’t tell her though. I didn’t even know she knew.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Tucker whispered. “You could’ve avoided so many things if we had just known.”
Danny fiddled with his fingers. “I was scared. I didn’t want you guys to think I was a freak or for my parents to think I was a monster. You had already become Tech Hunter by the time I was considering telling you and Sam but you hated me, so I couldn’t. I didn’t know if your hatred would overshadow our friendship.” Danny looked up at Tucker again. “But I can see it didn’t because you’re here now.”
A sob finally broke its way out of Tucker’s throat. He leaned his arms on the side of Danny’s bed and lay his head on top of them. His sobs wracked his body. Danny lifted an arm up and slowly brought it down on Tucker’s shoulder. His sobs wracked his body harder.
“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Danny took a deep breath. “We’re okay.”
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