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stardustbarbarians · 4 months

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Why'd You Go?

A Sequel to Dial Drunk

A Samuel Kiszka / Daniel Wagner fic

Tags: angst, almost fluff (Danny takes care of Sam), making amends

Trigger Warnings: alcoholism, blood/injury, vomiting, fighting, implied drunk driving, referenced car accident

Words: 4.4 k

A/N: This is for @runwayblues specifically and also that anon who asked about a part two. I love you both <3. Cover made once again by the wonderfully talented @ofthecaravel. Title taken from Orange Juice by Noah Kahan, or my favorite Noah Kahan song. Also yeah this is riddled with angst and I'm not sorry. But enjoy! <3

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Feels like I've been ready for you to come home for so long

The ride from the Sheriff’s Station was tense, filled with nothing but silence. Though Sam knew to keep his mouth shut and attempt to stay Daniel’s anger, he still couldn’t help but smile as he sat beside him. His batshit, backwards, insane plan of getting Daniel to talk to him again had somehow worked in his favor.

Periodically, Daniel would glance over at Sam. And every time that happened, his frown would deepen as he took in the sight of Sam’s saccharine grin. But he never commented on it. Instead, the pair remained silent as they drove on through the night, nothing but the sound of the rain pelting the windshield filling the vacuum of voices.

Sam hadn’t even realized they had pulled up to Danny’s house until the latter had gripped his steering wheel so tight his knuckles bleached of color. He couldn't see it, but the man was gritting his teeth fiercely as well, but he’d realize as soon as Daniel spoke.

“How drunk are you,” he growled through his teeth, not even bothering to look over in Sam’s direction. He kept his gaze locked so intensely at the rain slithering down his windshield, Sam irrationally believed that it would start boiling.

“What?” he dumbly asked, feeling like his brain was swimming in molasses.

With a measured, yet heavy breath through his nose, Daniel asked again.

“On a scale of one to ten, how drunk are you?” It was spoken so slowly, each word deliberate and pointed like he was speaking to a toddler. Which, to be fair, Sam was acting like one.

Taken aback by Daniel’s malice, Sam blinked a few times as he took in the sight of his ex. Danny was still pointedly looking in the exact same spot he had been, his nostrils flared and the steering wheel creaking beneath his grip. It was dead silent, save for the windshield wipers squeaking against the glass every second that passed. That was how Sam knew it took him ten seconds to respond.

“I guess an eight and a half…” he slurred, already regretting consuming as much tequila as he had. If he closed his eyes for too long, his head would spin worse than that fair ride that pinned you against the wall as it twisted around.

Daniel’s sigh was heavy as he bonked his head against the steering wheel. Sam thought he heard Danny muttered a “god help me” under his breath before turning the car off and throwing his door open. The rain was incredibly louder outside. Before Sam even fully registered what happened, his door was being opened and his seatbelt became unbuckled.

“Let’s go,” Danny barked, wrapping Sam’s arm around his shoulders and slamming the car door closed with his foot.

Sam didn’t say anything, able to ascertain how bad Daniel’s mood was even through his alcohol muddled brain. But he couldn’t keep that stupid grin from his face. This scenario was bringing up a lot of past memories of the two of them going through nights just like this one where it would end with them both satiated sexually.

And then Sam was rudely thrown out of his reminiscing when Daniel all but tossed him against a brick wall so that he could unlock his front door. And due to that, Sam felt the scrape on his arm reopen.

Before Sam could say anything about it to Danny, the drunken idiot was being tugged inside and manhandled into a seat so that the sober man could take off his shoes. It was probably the most aggressive Daniel had ever taken care of Sam, and frankly, Sam didn’t understand what he’d done to deserve that.

“Dan, are you maaaaad at me?” Sammy asked, whining like a child. Without really meaning to, he also flashed the man his puppy dog eyes.

All he got in return was a scowl.

“Did you really just ask me that?” Daniel’s response was clipped, his tone laced with uncut rage just barely repressed for the sake of accommodating the stillness of the early morning hour.

“You’ve been angry at me since you picked me up from the station and I deserve to know why,” Sam demanded, attempting to sound as adult as he didn’t feel. Attempted to, anyway. He was way too drunk and his demand had come across as a child threatening a temper tantrum if he didn’t get his cookie.

For a moment, Daniel seemed as if he was going to answer that honestly, Sam noticing how his body was tensing up like it used to before he rose to Sam’s bait before one of their huge arguments. But then, like a balloon deflating, Daniel just cast his attention away from the drunken idiot and stood from his spot.

“It’s too early for this shit and you’re way too drunk for this,” he breathed, rubbing his temples with his fingers, “so lay down on your side and try to sleep. I’m going to leave my door cracked so I can hear if you throw up, but do not even think about going in there, you understand?”

Sam, not knowing anything Daniel just said at him, stared blankly at the sober man.

“Do you understand me?” Daniel asked again, clamping his hands on either side of Sam’s face so that he was looking Danny in the eyes.

“You’re so pretty,” Sam gushed. If this were a cartoon from the 60s, hearts would’ve been floating out of his head.

“You are fucking unreal,” Daniel spat in disgust, ripping his hands away from Sam’s face when the latter melted into his grip.

Able to recognize that Danny was leaving, Sam grabbed at his sleeve and tugged Danny towards him. “Noooooo, you’re not done taking care of meeeeeeee.”

Sam swore that he heard Danny growl under his breath before he turned to face Sam. If he hadn’t been so drunk, he might’ve jumped at the amount of annoyance and anger burning in Daniel’s eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Daniel hissed, yanking his arm away from the drunkard’s grip. Sammy was pulled forward just a touch before he let go of Danny’s sleeve.

“My arm! It’s all cut up and-” Sam made the mistake of glancing over to his actively bleeding elbow, a river of red sluggishly making its way down towards his hand. As he noticed how much blood was pouring out of his wound, he felt his stomach violently churn and lurch.

Suddenly, Sam felt his skin turn cold as bile began to climb its way up his throat. He clamped a hand over his mouth to ensure that he wouldn’t vomit all over Danny’s floor before he shot up from his spot in the chair. His eyes snapping open to the size of dinner plates, Sam ran for the kitchen sink. It was only a few paces away, but he still sent a prayer to whoever would listen that he made it.

The sound of his retching was disgusting to his own ears. Sam couldn’t imagine how vile it was for Danny who was stone cold sober. It wasn’t pleasant. He’d always hated throwing up, the way it would burn your throat and leave your teeth all gritty and coated in plaque. The taste was the worst part. Sour like the Devil and repulsive in the worst way. Liquor never tasted pleasant the second time around.

With a tremendous sigh Sam heard between bouts of sickness, Daniel walked over to the drunkard and gathered Sam’s long locks in his hand and stood by as Sam puked up the sorrows he attempted to drown. Sam noticed how he’d grimace with each retch, but he stayed put. And at one point, Danny even patted Sammy’s back when he moaned in absolute misery. Though, if Sam could see Daniel’s face, he’d have been able to see the exasperation written all over his features.

When Sam’s stomach stopped convulsing and forcing all of the tequila he drank out of him, he spit into the sink to attempt to rid his mouth of the horrible taste. Of course, it was no use and that godforsaken bitterness lingered. With another pathetic groan, Sam slowly pulled his head out of the sink. Daniel dropped Sam’s hair and turned the faucet on, spraying away Sam’s vomit from the stainless steel.

Sam, his head no longer spinning but feeling as though it was comprised of television static, sank to the floor as he leaned against the cabinet beneath the sink. He held his head in his hands and simply closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the water rather than his own shame. He didn’t know how long he had sat there like that before Daniel interrupted his pity party by handing him a glass of water.

“Stay there,” Daniel tiredly sighed before Sam heard him leave the room. The drunkard downed that water, saving the last gulp to swish it around in his mouth and spit it back into the glass before setting it off to the side.

Sam, not knowing what to do and simply wanting his misery to cease, began humming Old Man by Neil Young to try and calm himself. It was halfway through the first chorus that Daniel returned. He held a tube of toothpaste that was half empty, a toothbrush still in its packaging, and a white box with red letters nearly entirely rubbed off. Sam instantly recognized it. It was the first aid kit that Danny’s mom had given to him after he had cut himself while cooking and had no band-aids to speak of. She insisted that the two of them keep it when she showed up for dinner the next Sunday, Sam taking it from her because Daniel was stubborn about the whole affair.

After Danny had set the items on the counter, he kneeled down next to Sam. “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Sam felt himself be hoisted to his feet by his not-bleeding arm. His wooziness returned as his blood rushed from his head, having to lean on the counter to stay up-right. He still had to keep his eyes closed lest he allow himself to be overtaken by his headrush. He heard Daniel ripping open the packaging of the toothbrush before poking Sam with it. Sam blearily opened his eyes before accepting the toothbrush and reaching over Danny to grab the toothpaste. Once Sam finished brushing his teeth, he held up his arm towards Danny who was holding a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol in his hands.

Sammy hissed in pain as Daniel wiped down Sam’s wound, seeing Danny roll his eyes from the coroner of his. Biting back the urge to call him out like he would’ve ten months prior, Sam simply let out a sigh. He thought Danny was being unnecessarily rough with him, but also knew making a comment would result in a fight. But then, thinking about it, anything Sam would’ve said probably would result in a fight.

With that thought, Sam realized how he felt significantly more sober than before he had thrown up. And here he was just thinking that was just a myth.

“Seeing blood has never made me throw up like that before,” Sam tentatively spoke, hoping to make some kind of conversation with Danny that wouldn’t cause a row. He watched as Danny threw one bloody cotton ball away before picking up another and pouring isopropyl on it.

“Well, drinking a bar dry of their liquor might have that side effect,” Danny spat, refusing to look at Sam.

Sam, forgetting himself, scoffed at the statement.

“That’s fucking rich coming from you.”

With that, Daniel finally looked Sam in the eye again. And Sam wished he hadn’t. Just like every other instance that night, Daniel’s eyes were burning with an unfettered rage. But, unlike the other times, Sam realized that Danny’s restraint had snapped.

“So that’s how this is gonna go, huh?” Daniel’s grip on Sam’s injured arm tightened; not enough to hurt but enough to feel it.

“You and I both know there was a point in time where you could drink me and an entire bar of drunks under the table,” Sam spat, each word forcefully delivered as he stared down his ex.

“That was a year ago, Sam!”

“Oh, so that makes you better than me, right?”

“I wasn’t the one tossed into the fucking drunk tank tonight, was I?”

Once again, Sam laughed bitterly. “Yeah. You’re right. You weren’t. Tonight, anyway.”

Sammy watched Daniel’s hand holding the cotton ball curl itself into a fist. He also watched as his jaw clenched in anger. Danny, before he could really get into his anger bred out of offense, took several breaths to center himself. Perhaps needing a distraction, Daniel went back to tending to Sam’s bleeding wound.

“You have no right to act all holier-than-thou with me, Daniel,” Sam hissed, gripping his free hand onto the side of the counter so hard his knuckles drained of color.

“Don’t you bring up my past-”

“Our past.”

“Right. Our past. You were right there next to me while we drank ourselves nearly to death. What’s your fucking point, Samuel?!”

Sam was gritting his teeth, his jaw going sore from the sheer force of it. “My point is that you can’t only blame me for what happened!!”

Danny ripped his hand off of Sam’s arm, the action making the drunk man’s skin throb. It only fueled Sam’s anger.

“I changed! The whole fucking town changed after that! You, Samuel, are the only one who didn’t!! Dont you find that fucking strange?? Or are you too busy trying to drown yourself in alcohol every night to fucking notice?!” Daniel cried, his tone beginning to border on hysterical.

“Oh, I am so sorry, your highness! I guess that I am the fucking problem!! It’s my fault, everyone, because you weren’t an adult responsible for your actions!!” Sam argued back rather immaturely, waving his arms around as he yelled.

“You know that last time I drank I ended up passed out, face down in the snow of our backyard. That was ten months ago,” Daniel growled, his hands curling into fists.

“Oh, so I’m just pulling you down, huh?! God, you always had to blame everyone else besides yourself,” Sam spat back.

Again, Daniel stopped. This time, it was right before he said something, his mouth poised open ready to strike. But, then he snapped it shut and closed his eyes again.

“Why did you call me, Sam? Why do you always call me?” The only way Sam could describe the look Danny was giving him was “wounded puppy”.

It was spoken so quietly, so frailly that it made the other pause. He was far from prepared for how the atmosphere had shifted on a dime. While Sam struggled to comprehend the change, Daniel finally finished cleaning and bandaging Sam’s wound, dropping his arm and shutting the first aid kit.

How could Sam answer that? With the truth?

I always call you because every minute that passes without you is pure agony for me. I call you when I’m drunk because I’m too much of a coward to do it in the light of day and sober. I only call you when I’m arrested because it’s the only good excuse I have to call you. I love you and I need you to come back, no matter how toxic what we had was.

When Samuel failed to answer and the oppressive silence of the darkened hours before dawn became too much, Daniel spoke again.

“What do you want from me?”

That… That was something Sam could answer.

“I want answers, Daniel.”

Danny let out a tired sigh at the statement, his eyes casting downwards. It was silent once more after that, only the sound of Danny’s nails nervously rapping on the counter filling the void of sound.

Sam counted. Two minutes had passed before he scrounged up the courage to speak again. It felt like a century.

“Why’d you go?”

Daniel turned his body away from Sam, placing both hands on the counter before him. “You know why.”

“No. I deserve better than that. You can’t just pick up in the middle of the night without a fucking word and expect me to be satisfied with ‘you know why’!” Sam felt his heart rate pick up as his anger spiked again.

“You would know if you ever paid attention to me,” Daniel growled under his breath, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he clenched it.

“Maybe if you hadn’t screamed at me every fucking night, I would’ve been more inclined to listen!”

That made Danny snap again, his palm slamming down onto the counter so hard that it rattled the rest of the house. With that, Sam took a step back involuntarily.

“IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THROUGH TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE TOO DRUNK TO STAND! AFTER-”

Daniel cut himself off, his words seeming to catch in his throat as his emotions changed from outraged to haunted in the blink of an eye. Instantly, Sam knew what Daniel was remembering.

Sam could hear them too, the sound of the tires screaming against the pavement as they braked too quickly, the glass shattering around them as Sam covered his neck to save it from the razor-sharp shards. The feeling of traveling in slow motion as the ice of the road sent them careening into a telephone pole to avoid the bright headlights speeding towards them head on. The sensation of no sensation in Sam’s right arm until he attempted to move it, and was suddenly overtaken by blinding pain. The wail he released at the agony sounding foreign to his own ears.

“I had to leave,” Daniel shakily finished, his hands quaking as he ran them over his face, “Being around… being around alcohol like that…”

At that point, Danny looked up at Sam, his eyes dripping with sorrow and repressed guilt. Sam felt tears of his own threaten to fall, his chest painfully twisting at the sight of his love in such turmoil. He felt especially helpless when Danny broke down into tears, folding in on himself as his shoulders began shaking.

Biting his lip and throwing caution to the wind, Sam took the steps to get to Daniel before wrapping his arms around the crying man. To his complete surprise, Danny leaned into Sam’s embrace and clutched at Sam’s still damp shirt.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Sam soothed, resting his head atop Daniel’s. He began running his hands over Danny’s back, praying it would offer any comfort to his ex.

“You weren’t the one driving,” Danny whispered between sobs.

“But I was the one who convinced you to go out drinking that night,” Sammy reminded, his guilt punching open a previously haphazardly bandaged bullet hole in his gut.

Danny remained silent after that, save for his sniffles.

“It’s just as much my fault as it is yours.”

“We were lucky no one died,” Daniel squeaked, his voice cracking halfway in. He burrowed deeper into Sam’s embrace.

“You were lucky you walked away without a scratch. I had to wear an arm cast for months,” Sam teased, even laughing weakly. Well, he attempted too, anyway. It seemed to only manage to make Daniel feel worse.

“I’m sorry-”

“I’ve already forgiven you.”

Another bout of silence permeated the air, this one much less tense, however. Sam, selfishly, was happy. He was finally holding onto Daniel again after almost a year of not even seeing him once. Not for lack of trying, of course.

“And, really, I should be the one apologizing to you.” Sam suppressed his very strong urge to kiss Daniel on his forehead, knowing it was inappropriate. But, damn, if he didn’t want to shower him in kisses until it got through to Daniel just how sorry he was for all the pain he caused him.

Daniel pulled away. And Sam, reluctantly, let him. The both of them wiped away their tears, their eyes casting anywhere that wasn’t each other. This was different from earlier where they feared looking at one another would result in a fist fight; this time around, it boiled down to awkwardness.

After a moment of wringing his hands, Daniel cleared his throat and made an aborted motion with his hand. “I’m… let me get you some dry clothes before you catch death.”

And with that, he disappeared down the hall. Sam, now alone with nothing but the darkness and his thoughts for company (both of which he despised), distracted himself by looking around Daniel’s kitchen for something to eat as his stomach rumbled. But as it clenched in phantom pain of how violently he had retched not even an hour earlier, he settled on finding something to drink.

Right as Sam finished pouring himself a glass of orange juice, Daniel returned with fresh clothes clutched to his chest. Without a word - despite him making a failed attempt at speaking - Danny simply handed them over to Sam.

“The bathroom is down the hall and to the right; first door,” Daniel informed, not able to hold eye contact with Sam for more than a second.

With a quiet “thank you”, Sam accepted the clothes and went off to change. He couldn’t help the wistful smile on his lips as he recognized the pair of sweatpants Danny handed him as an old pair of his own. He thought he’d lost them. After he pulled those on and an old t-shirt, Sam threw his wet clothes over the curtain rod so that they could dry properly. Taking a deep breath, Sam left the bathroom and went to face Daniel again.

“I wasn’t sure if they would fit,” Danny admitted, playing with the hem of his own sweatshirt.

“Y-Yeah, they fit well…” Sam nervously played with his hair, pushing it out of his face and tucking it behind his ears.

Once again, the air was permeated with an awkward silence. There was so much still left unsaid between the two. They both wanted to say so much, yet didn’t at the same time. More accurately, they didn’t know how.

Sam, his heart pounding harder than a war drum, was the first to speak.

“Is there any reality where I get to call you mine again?” Sam smiled nervously, the poor thing only lasting on his lips for a second before it fell.

That made Daniel look Sam in the eyes, clearly caught by surprise. Sam watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes darting away from Sam again.

“I… I don’t know. You haven’t seemed to grow or learn from our… the incident.”

“I’ll quit, I swear,” Sam quickly promised, taking a step towards Daniel in his haste to prove his willingness and eagerness. It seemed to be the wrong thing to do as Daniel reacted by taking a step backwards.

Judging by the other man’s reaction, he hadn’t meant to. But it was too late. Danny’s actions spoke louder than his words. Sam hung his head, dropping the hand he had reached out to his former partner.

“We weren’t good for each other, Sam.”

“Please, just give me one more chance. I promise I’ll be what you deserve this time around,” Sam begged, knowing that if he didn’t have that one last shred of dignity left, he would be on his knees before Daniel.

Still, Danny didn’t seem convinced. And Sam, knowing that he wouldn’t change Daniel’s mind that night, simply sighed and resigned himself to that.

“I know my behavior tonight or over the past few months proves nothing, so how about this. I get help and quit drinking; and if in three months I’m not sober or close to it, I leave you alone forever. I want to prove to you how much you mean to me, Daniel. Please give me the chance to do that.” Sam was trying his absolute best to try and catch Danny’s eye, achieving his goal at the last moment.

Sam felt studied beneath Daniel’s watchful eye, his very soul being peered into by that amber gaze. After what felt like an eternity, Danny seemed to come to a conclusion.

“I’ll help you.”

“W-What?”

“If you really mean it, I’ll help you get sober.”

Sam froze for a second. It was hardly what he was expecting. But once his brain kicked back online, Sam felt his entire body come alight with hope.

“I am. I really am. I hate the direction my life has gone. But, won’t you be at risk?”

Daniel failed at suppressing a smile. “While I appreciate your concern, I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t think I was strong enough to handle it.”

“Then I would love nothing more,” Sam breathed, a smile of his own spreading across his lips.

“But, this does not mean we’re back together, you understand? I won’t even consider that until I think you’ve proved you are worth a second chance,” Daniel firmly reinforced, gesturing with his hand as he spoke.

“Completely understood,” Samuel enthusiastically confirmed, all but buzzing with excitement at simply the prospect of a second chance at being with Danny again.

It was at that moment that Sam realized that the sun had begun to poke its eager head above the horizon, weak rays of light needling their way into the window of Danny’s kitchen.

“We should at least try to get some sleep,” Daniel implored, his eyes staring regretfully at the very early morning rays of sun, “you can sleep on the couch.”

Sam nodded, glancing at the couch aforementioned.

“Can I hug you?” he blurted out, regretting it as soon as the request left his lips. Of course he would say no, it was still way too early in their very tentative attempt at rebuilding their relationship. He was a fool for even thinking-

“Alright.”

Not for the first time that night, Daniel Robert Wagner had surprised Sam.

With a smile on his face that displayed exactly that, he carefully took a step forward. When Danny didn’t move, Sam took another. Then another. Then another. Finally, he tentatively wrapped his arms around the man in front of him; Daniel copied the act.

Sam had to blink rapidly to keep himself from crying. It was no use. The tears fell down his cheeks on their own accord as Daniel squeezed his former lover, pulling him closer.

“Thank you,” Sam shakily whispered.

When the two pulled apart, Daniel gently wiped away a tear on Sam’s cheek and then made his way to get some sleep. As Sam stood alone in his ex’s living room with dawn rapidly encroaching, he felt, for the first time in a very long time, like he had something to look forward to. For the first time since he awoke alone in his formerly shared apartment ten months ago, Sam finally cared; it was freeing. With Daniel at his side, he would conquer his demons.

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#greta van fleet #greta van fic #sam kiszka #samuel francis kiszka #sammy gvf #danny wagner #daniel robert wagner #samuel kiszka x daniel wagner #sanny gvf #sam x daniel

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scarletsaphire · 1 year

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But Tonight (Then Tomorrow): Dannymay 2023 Day 5- 10 minutes vs 1 Hour

Ever since he can remember, Danny could see the future, even if it was just glimpses and feelings. Ever since he can remember, he's been having a dream about sickly green and burning bones. For almost as long, a ghost in purple with a clock for a chest has been there to comfort him.

(On Ao3 this is a 2 chapter piece, with the first chapter being the 10 minute version and the second being the hour. I will be posting both chapters in this post. The one from clockwork's perspective is the 10 minute one, and Danny's is the hour.)

It would be a decade before Clockwork would introduce himself to Danny by name. It was not an event he would remember fondly, and it would take a lot of time and effort to repair Clockwork’s image in the boy’s eyes. That was ok. Clockwork had both.

Just before their “first” meeting, Clockwork will be banned from interacting with Danny. His “accident” would shake the Infinite Realms and the Material Plane alike. It would be a momentous occasion, one that the Observants would not let him meddle in, barely let him watch. That was ok. Clockwork knew what would happen, and had spent many subjective years figuring out the best course to keep Daniel safe, and would make the timeline as it should be. Clockwork would not forget what he had to do. It would hurt, but it would be worth it in the end.

Before Daniel’s accident, Clockwork would not intervene. He could have. Part of him feels that he should have. He had been hearing the poor boy's death screams since the first instance this timeline caught his attention. It was a horrible way to die, a horrible, agonizing death. It would be a lie to say Clockwork would stop it if he could. Just because it was for the greater good, just because Daniel would be happy at the end, and the world would be better for it, did not mean that Clockwork was happy to sit aside and watch Daniel half-die,

All of that was a decade in the future. Now, Daniel was having a premonition, though he would call it a nightmare, of electricity and green and pain and ghosts. Daniel had gone to his parents before. It had not ended well. Even at the age of 5, Daniel did not need to use his precognitive abilities to know that it would not end well again. If Clockwork did not intervene, Daniel would cry quietly into a stuffed animal Jazz had given him, an old one of hers with a homemade astronaut helmet, nothing more than a wad of paper towels and safety pins. He would fall back asleep, eventually. Nothing catastrophic would happen.

But Clockwork did not have to sit on the sidelines for the good of the timeline. He was not banned from interacting with the poor child. Daniel would not remember this night as anything more than an odd dream.

10 years in the future, Clockwork would not be able to hold Daniel against his chest as the poor boy sobbed. It was not the future. It was the present. And right now, his child was scared and alone, and Clockwork would be there to wipe away the tears and sing him back to sleep.

----

Danny could not remember when he saw the future for the first time. He suspected it was before he could remember it. His parents would sometimes tell of a story of Danny as barely more than a toddler, throwing his favorite baby food on the floor in a fit of disgust, something that rarely happened with him. They had given him one of the jarred foods instead of the homemade one. He had narrowly avoided a bad case of food poisoning that the rest of his family suffered from that week. He thought that that was probably the first time that it did anything, but he couldn’t say for sure.

For the most part, Danny’s premonitions were very minor. A feeling of unease about taking a specific candy at the dentist. Deciding that he wanted to play in a different part of the backyard than he normally did. Talking to his mother instead of his father, or vice versa, or just forgoing them altogether and talking to Jazz instead.

He was 7 when he got a premonition that he can say for certain had consequences. Danny had had a dream the night before the 3rd week of first grade. There would be a new kid at school. He’d have a missing front tooth, and he’d talk a little funny, but that’s cause he’s new to the town, and he’ll trip going to introduce himself to the teacher. Danny saw in his dreamlike haze the boy crying in a tree, just barely in the fenced off playground, hiding him from the view of everyone else. He saw the kid growing up quiet and reserved, his first impressions scaring him away from connecting with the rest of the class. He’d move away a few years later, because of ostracization from the rest of the class.

That day, when Danny was getting ready for school, he slipped his new gameboy color into his bag when his parents weren’t looking. There was a new kid at school, missing a tooth and who talked a little funny. The teacher introduced him as Tucker; Tucker, presumably, would’ve done the same, but when he went to go to the front of the class, he tripped on his shoelaces and returned back to his seat instead.

Danny found Tucker directly next to the tree he had been hiding next to in his dreams. When Danny sat down next to Tucker, he tried to wipe his tears away. “What do you want?” he’d ask, as Danny rifled around his bag.

Danny pulled out the console. “I thought you looked lonely. The other kids don’t like to share the swings anyway. Do you like Mario?” The two boys spent the rest of recess trading the console back and forth, laughing and joke fighting over who was better.

Tucker would become Danny’s best friend for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t be the quiet boy Danny had seen in his dreams, and wouldn’t leave Amity Park for a long time. They’d go through a lot together. (Danny couldn’t see what, exactly, they’d go through. It happened sometimes, when he tried really hard to see something important, or about him.)

Sam joined the friend group during 3rd grade. She wasn’t a new classmate or anything like that, but before she had kept to herself. Not always willingly, oftentimes sitting inside during recess because of acting out against the teacher, but it still had the effect of making her an outsider. Danny and Tucker had found a puddle after a heavy rainstorm. In it there had been a frog. A small frog, sure, but that was still exciting. They had been daring each other to touch it or lick it, when Sam walked over.

“That’s not very nice to the frog, y’know,” she had said, her pink dress scratched up a little too thoroughly at the hem. “What would you say if I went around threatening to poke you?”

Danny and Tucker looked at each other. “Well, what do you think we should do with it?”

Sam pushed her way between the two of them, so that she too was kneeling at the pond with the frog. “I think that we should build a shrine to him and make him king of the trees. Then we can bring him acorns and make stew in his pond.”

Danny and Tucker shared a look. Tucker pulled a face. Danny shrugged. After a moment, Tucker shrugged back. “That’s as good as any idea.” he said, standing up and brushing the damp earth off of his pants. “But I call dibs on naming the frog, and I wanna call him Skeletor!” Sam and Danny both agreed that was a good name for the frog, and they all went and gathered up sticks and rocks and leaves to build a little shrine for Skeletor. When they got back, Skeletor was gone. They built him a shrine anyway.

That night, as Danny drifted to sleep under glow-in-the-dark stars, he felt more than saw that he, Sam, and Tucker were going to be close friends. It was a friendship that would last a lifetime. (Something about that thought felt off to Danny. He couldn’t quite place it, but the word lifetime just didn’t fit right in his head. He couldn’t think of a better one, and couldn’t figure out why it didn’t fit.)

Danny would not see big things. Little feelings here and there, a certainty where something wasn’t guaranteed, a sense of deja vu before someone says something. His premonition was almost entirely little things, with the occasional dream thrown into the mix that showed something a bit more serious. That’s why the nightmare of green was so weird to him. Prophetic dreams felt different, to Danny. Regular dreams would be weird, disjointed, hard to remember. They felt different, both during the dream, and after. So Danny was certain, with the kind of certainty that only someone who could see the future could muster, that this nightmare was prophetic. He couldn’t say what it was prophesying for the life of him.

Nothing happened in the dream. That’s what was strangest about it. It would start as almost complete darkness, and would suddenly turn into a blinding, toxic green color. It would hurt, in the way that dreams sometimes do, dulled and fake but that didn’t stop it from being unsettling, the way he could feel a heat crawling through his skin, into his bones, into his brain. He would wake up in a cold sweat every time he had it. It was never any different, ever since he could remember.

The first time he had it he had gone to his parents, grabbing onto his father’s hand with tiny fingers, pulling to get him to wake up. Most parents, when they heard their young child had a nightmare, would offer comfort. “It’s only a dream, baby,” they’d say in a soothing voice. “I’m here, your safe. Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Others might try to distract the child. “Oh, there there sweetie. How about we go get you some nice warm milk and a cookie, and Mommy’ll tell you a story? Do you like that idea?” Other parents still might ignore the kid. “Just go back to bed,” they’d grumble, turning over and back into sleep.

His parents did none of those. Upon hearing that their child, 5 years old and tearful next to them, had had a nightmare, they had started a ghost hunt. If it wasn’t his parents, that might’ve helped. Drag the kid around to see there’s nothing hiding in the closet, under the bed, behind the curtains, to assure them that there’s nothing here that can hurt him. His parents did not do this. They came into Danny’s bedroom with guns of green goo that stained his rug and singed his walls, his father clutching a camera they swore could see ghosts, pointing and shouting at places for Danny to shoot. They hadn’t stopped until the sun started to come back up. Danny had hidden in Jazz’s bed, tucked up against her. She offered him the words of comfort that his parents never had. (When he was older, he’d realize that she was only 8 when she did that. Barely older than him.)

A few weeks later, when Danny had the dream again, he promised that he would keep it to himself. His skin crawled with the heat, the wrongness, the static, but he wouldn’t tell his parents. He wouldn’t wake Jazz. He cried silently into a teddy bear Jazz had chosen for him, one of her own since many of his were now contaminated by ectoplasm.

The presence behind him was cold. Not unwelcomingly cold, but cold nonetheless. He knew that it was a person; he didn’t need to turn around. He knew that this person was safe. They felt familiar, in the same way the people in his dreams often did. The ticking sound that emanated from them calmed Danny, if only slightly. Danny did not turn around to look at whoever it was, whatever it was, that wrapped their arms around Danny, that pulled him into a comforting hug of cool fabric and smooth glass.

“You’re ok, Daniel,” the person whispered into his hair. “You will be ok.” Their voice was strange, Danny would notice later, when he thought back on the moment. Echoey and alien, but not in a bad way. All of them, besides the feeling of familiarity, was alien. Danny clung onto purple fabric and shook with silent tears, and the person began to rock back and forth, humming an unfamiliar tune.

Danny would wake up the next morning, with cheeks red from dried tears, tucked soundly into bed and clutching Jazz’s teddy bear. He would assume it was just another dream, a pleasant one, for the next few days. Then he’d realize that he had never had a clock like that on his wall before. He wouldn’t take the clock down. The ticking sound was comforting.

This person would visit him many times over the next few years. Most of the time, they would come after the dream, when Danny was shaky and distraught and couldn’t go to anyone else for comfort. They never told Danny their name, but they told Danny many other things. They were like him; or rather, he was like them. Danny could glimpse small parts of a nearby future, while they could see it all. (Danny had asked them about the green, once. They had just smiled at him sadly, stroking his hair. “Unfortunately, some things are best kept secret, even from you, little timekeeper.”) Sometimes, they would come even when Danny didn’t have the dream, but when Danny was stressed about some thing or another, and just needed someone to talk to that wasn’t his parents. When Danny was 7, he started calling them Grandfather. The name fit them.

They appeared the night of Danny’s 13th birthday. They had talked, for a bit; or rather, Danny had talked, and they had listened. It wasn’t until after Danny had talked about all of the things he had gotten to do today, after he had tired himself out from talking, that they spoke. “This will be the last time you’ll see me, for a while.” Danny frowned.

“Why? What’s happening?”

“You will know, soon,” they hugged Danny close, pulling him tight. “I want you to know that I will still be there, even if you cannot see me, or feel my presence. If you ever doubt that, just look at this.” They handed Danny a necklace, with a pendant that looked almost like a gear. “It is yours. Just like I am, to an extent.” Danny took it and put it around his neck. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

“It’s about the dream, isn’t it?” His voice was a whisper, barely heard over the ticking of the clocks.

“You are always so smart,” they said as way of answer. “I promise you, Daniel. You will be ok. It will not feel it, for a time, but it will be ok.” They left suddenly, simply disappearing where they had stood. He did not reappear.

Danny Fenton was just 14, when he felt what it was like to die, fully awake and aware for the first time. It carried with it a sick sense of deja vu, almost a sense of relief, to know what he had been seeing all those years. All of it was washed away by awful, unbelievable, terrible, awful pain.

The small premonitions Danny had had when he was alive and well became much worse after his half-death. Before, he would get a sense of deja vu when someone would say something, as if he had heard it before in another life. Now, he found himself knowing people’s words before they spoke, knew where to sit to avoid Dash’s gaze, knew what his parents were making before his parents did. (He knew where and when ghosts would attack, knew where their attacks would go before they did it. He was grateful for that.)

The dreams happened more often, but they became less clear, more muddled, having him wade through possibilities like mud. He almost missed the dreams of green and fire. (Electricity, he corrected himself. It was not fire that coursed through his bones. He knew that now.) On nights like that, he would clutch the medallion close in cold, sweaty hands (too cold hands, for someone alive), and cry. They did not appear.

It was much later, after he had made a mistake. He had known it was a mistake, before he made it, but it still hadn’t stopped him. He felt like he didn’t have much of a choice; either he fails, or he cheats. He assumed that the feeling was him getting caught, where he’d fail anyway. Something much, much worse happened.

A far too familiar figure, with a far too familiar voice, looked at him disappointingly. Danny suppressed a cry, suppressed the urge to grip at the medallion around his neck. The feeling of wrong he had ignored with the test was stronger now. He would not ignore it again.

Clockwork, he had introduced himself as, did not act familiarly with Danny. He started to doubt himself that this was the same ghost who he had considered his Grandfather for so many years. “Let’s see if you have what it takes to face that future, little timekeeper.” Danny knew, then, that whatever happened next was a test. He didn’t see it, in the way he saw so many other things. He didn’t have to. He trusted them.

#danny phantom #dannymay2023 #dannymay day 5 #danny phantom fanfiction #clockwork #danny fenton

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kawaiijohn · 2 years

Note

*scrambles in* Hey remember that Egg thing for a dp promt we talked about on that discord server *runs away*

After literally 2 months of not writing shit, I'm back.

Here's the animation of the story this fic is based on.

And here's the fic on Ao3

Rating: T Warnings: Existentialism, Death, References to depression and alcoholism, a lot of weird time bullshit. Characters: Danny&Clockwork

Hatching Inside the Egg

He was trying to fix the portal, when he died.

It was a freak accident. Unfortunate and anything but unremarkable, but fatal nonetheless. It was not a painless death, but the pain only lasted him a moment. His brain was so utterly fried and his body so burned he was better off losing consciousness before the end, trust me. It was a zap, and then nothing.

And that’s when he met me.

“What… happened?” Daniel asked, shaking. His black hair had turned shock white from the force of electrified ectoplasm, unlike anything I had ever seen. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. There wasn't a point in softening my words.

“There was… my parents' portal, a big wire on the ground. I tripped and then… the button-”

“Yes,” I said nodding. I have not been the best at comfort, yet I floated to stand in front of him.

He shuddered, hugging his arms closer. “I… I died?”

“Yes, but everyone does, given time.” I said, polishing the clock on the end of my staff.

I watched Daniel as he looked around. There was nothingness around us, just him and me. As I do with all humans before me, I tried to look at his past. But I realized something bizarre. His past was beyond my sight- completely obscured. I looked to his future, and found nothing- no other lives planned, nothing beyond this accident of his. Daniel Fenton was an anomaly- I could not see where he was meant to be, nor where he was destined to reincarnate. There was only nothingness when I viewed him.

He was not connected to anything but himself.

He was a paradox, a past looping into a future in an endless mobius strip. He was something that should not be, something that should not have reached here.

Perfectly Dead, yet not.

Perfectly Alive, yet not.

And yet how very interesting he was.

“Where am I?” He asked, interrupting my train of thought. “Is this the afterlife or something?”

“You could say that,” I said, staring him down as I tried to figure him out.

He swallowed nervously. “Are you God?” He asked, both clearly afraid and in disbelief.

“Yes, I could be called God.”

I did not wish to tell this fascinating paradox that I was one of many Gods, at least not yet. Something within my very core wished for me to comfort him before I figured out his sentence, where he could even go after this.

Before I could parse my thoughts, I was interrupted yet again by soft sniffling.

"Sam, Tucker... Jazz. My parents-"

“What about them?”

“Will they be okay without me?” He looked up at me, tears in his eyes.

I chuckled at the familiar, yet uncommon question. “That’s pleasant to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your loved ones.”

He looked at me with eyes full of guilt as he wiped the tears away.

To him, I didn't look much like God, or sound like one either. To him I looked like a toddler, or an adult, or maybe even an elder. All forms of indeterminate gender and race. Maybe I most looked like an authority figure- more a beloved grandparent or teacher rather than the almighty.

I took another moment to look through time before I gave my response.

"Your loved ones will be fine, given some time. Your parents will remember you as their perfect son, they love you dearly and had not had time to grow disappointed in any sort of failure. Your friends will grieve but become closer to each other over it, and your sister… she will use your death as a motivation for her future studies and career, and do much of it in your memory. If it's any consolation, even your bullies will feel guilty for how they treated you, and many will turn over a new leaf."

I watched his shoulders sag in relief, and yet my Core panged in guilt at the amount of information I felt the need to conceal, if only for his sake.

His parents, lost in their grief will try to dismantle the portal, but will not be able to. Ghosts will run amuck in his hometown without a line of defense. Amity Park will be largely abandoned within a year without any sort of protector, only to be put under martial law by some sort of organization. And although most leave, his parents will remain to try and defend their home town in his name. His friends will go through intense periods of grief and regret- survivor's guilt, as it were. Samantha will rage and Tucker will shut down, both succumb to unhealthy coping mechanisms for years before they both get clean for each other. And his sister, a brilliant mind who will fall into a bottle as most of the Fenton line does when handed grief on a platter like this. She will succeed, but she will be a shadow of her once shining self.

And still, this paradox before me, I have no idea in my eons of existence where to place him.

"At least they'll be alright, I guess," Daniel sighed. "So is this the part where I go to heaven or hell or whatever?"

“No, those are not where you are to be. In fact humans are to be reincarnated-" I started.

“Oh! So like Hinduism!!” he interrupted.

“Every human religion is correct in its own way. Now please, Daniel, walk with me.”

He followed along as we floated through the void. “So, where are we going? Is there a special place to do this thing or-”

“No, it’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

We floated along in silence as I contemplated what to do with for all intents and purposes was a lost soul, a human without a connection to the cycle. An unfortunate loner surrounded by nothing but those so unlike him. There was no instruction manual on what to do with a being such as he- others had died in similar portal accidents, but had always awoken on the mortal plane to live the rest of their existences before coming to me. Daniel somehow came straight to my doorstep, and had always been separate from the rest.

How could a being so perfectly Other, so perfectly Liminal, find its way here unassisted?

It was confounding, it was wonderful, it was-

"So if we all just kinda reincarnate at the end, what's the point to living for like seventy something years if we just turn back into babies in the end? It seems a bit pointless if you ask me." Daniel hopped between patches of swirling green void as if they were stones in a stream, a childish action that only some of the youngest of humans have done before me in this place.

“Not exactly,” I said. “Humans have the knowledge of their previous lives inside of them, they just can't access them most of the time.”

I stopped floating and took my staff in both hands, facing Daniel. “The human soul is deeper, more expansive, and brighter than you can imagine. The human mind can only contain so much without frying. Think of it as putting your foot in a pool to check if it's warm or not. You put a small piece of yourself in, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had."

"I guess that makes sense then. But will I ever remember?"

I sighed. Young Daniel had not yet caught on to his differences. “Humans live such short lives, most just haven’t stretched out and felt the rest of their immense consciousness yet. If one were to stay here long enough, they would begin to remember.”

There was a beat of silence as the boy thought. “So, how many times have I been here already, then?”

I stilled the staff in my hands and stared him down. "Humans have been reincarnated an innumerable amount of times, and they will continue to do so until they are ready for the next step. Your sister, Jasmine, was previously a mechanic named Joe in the year 4,123 AD."

“Wait wait wait... you sent Jazz back in time? Like, you can do that?" Daniel stammered out, unsure of what all to ask.

“Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are somewhat different where I'm from.”

“And where are you from if not the universe or this weird green space place?" Daniel had crossed his legs and begun floating as we talked.

“I come from somewhere else, and there are many others like me. But currently, it's beyond your understanding, and best if we don't speak of it just yet.”

Daniel pouted like the child he refused to say he was. He sat and thought, tumbled the words around in his mind before speaking. “So wait, let me get this right- if I can be reincarnated as pretty much everyone or anyone whenever the hell you want me to be, I might have interacted with myself at some point?”

I smiled sadly at the boy. "It happens to humans all the time, not that any of them would ever know with their memories locked away. But as far as you're concerned, you're a peculiar case."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked me. "I'm gonna get reincarnated too, right?"

I looked at the boy without emotion. I still did not know how to place this boy in the grand scheme of things, and as he stared at me in fear I felt the need to prod deeper. "I am sorry, Daniel. I don't believe you will."

His expression was filled with soul crushing pain as he sank from his position. "I always felt like the odd one out, and this is just beating it into me harder that I'm some sort of freak."

"You may not belong to humanity's universe like everyone else, but neither do I, nor any of my brethren." I responded, rubbing soothing circles into the boy's back. "Your existence is a paradox, you are not here or there, not alive or dead- at least not truly. How you even came to be here is a mystery."

"None of this makes me feel any better, you know."

"Well, maybe if I tell you what my theory is concerning you, Daniel. it is currently clear that you are more like myself than all of the rest of humanity. You see, this universe- where humanity reincarnates over and over into different people, I created. Every human that has ever lived, or will ever live, is a reincarnation of the same consciousness over and over and over again."

"Why would you even do that? What's even the point of it all, if everyone is the same person forever and ever." Daniel looked up at me from where his head was tucked into his knees. "What do you even gain?"

“The reason I made this whole universe, is for humans to mature.”

He looked me in the eye in disbelief. "You want humans to mature? Why would you tell me this?"

"This entire universe, Earth and all its planets and stars and everything, was created for humanity. It exists so that with each new life lived, humanity's intellect grows and matures."

Daniel groaned in confusion. "I don't understand... They hurt each other, and they love each other. Shit I even tease my friends and I love them, so why would you make a consciousness do all this??"

I stand tall, my eyes gleamed with light in the swirling green void. “Every time they victimized someone, they victimized themself. Every act of kindness they’ve done, they’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by humanity as a whole.” My words echoed with power before this strange anomaly of a boy as my form wavered between ages.

He swallowed, although he no longer needed to. "Why do all this though, what do you get from it?"

"Because, humanity is like me. They are my child."

"Woah, so like- Sam, Tucker, Jazz? They're all the same baby God?" he asked, incredulous. "That's a little weird for me to grasp, but I can kinda get it. Even if it's still super weird."

"Yes, that is true. It can be a bit weird of a concept for someone as young as yourself I suppose." I chuckled. "But they're still growing, and will continue to do so until they have been every human through all of time."

"So the universe... the whole thing... all the stars and planets and galaxies- they're all..."

"An egg," I finished. "And one that still has a very long time before it's ready to hatch."

Daniel sat before me, uncrumpled from his previous ball like posture, and pondered a while. "So what happens to me now? I'm not like the rest of humanity, so does that mean I just stop existing?"

"No, it's much more complex than just ceasing to exist. Although, it is rather strange you managed to manifest in your universe without my notice- your existence to me is not much unlike a secondary fruit growing within the main one, or maybe even an egg with two yolks." I chuckled at the image. "Simply put, you seem to be a separate entity inside of the universe I created for humanity, and have matured much faster than they. You just managed thatch inside the egg, somehow."

"So... what does that mean for me?" He asked, astonished.

"I believe, with what I have seen of the time after your death, I should give you a second chance." I answered, brandishing my staff. "It would be remiss of me to extinguish such a lovely anomaly as yourself, to snuff out young surprise life of my kind would wrack me with guilt. But I think I have an answer..."

I lifted my staff above my head, and allowed power to course through it. "I think for the benefit of all humanity, I will send you back. To the moment of your death. The nature of such a death will create... some problems, but it will allow you to mature fully alongside the rest of humankind, albeit without your current consciousness reincarnating." My staff chimed with the toll of bells. "You will live alongside humanity, until the very last of humans cease to exist, upon which you will join me here once again as my child alongside your beloved humanity. And in doing this, I will be able to observe your personal development through time instead of remaining in the dark about you."

"So, what I'll be like... immortal?" Daniel squinted at the light coming off of my staff.

"It will be a sad, lonely existence in the end. You will watch your loved ones die, but will make bonds with others as time progresses. I feel you will be happy growing alongside humanity; a protective older sibling to it, if you will." I smiled at him as the light enveloped him completely. "Unfortunately, you will not remember our meeting, not until you have lived your life. We will meet again someday. At least, when the time is right."

As he began to dissolve back to his universe, Daniel cried out. "Wait! What can I call you? You're like, my god parent- literally. I want to know what to call you."

And as he faded completely, I answered.

"Clockwork, master of the concept of Time. We will meet again, my son."

And I sent him on his way.

#danny phantom #dp #dp fanfic #phanfic #lost time #dp clockwork #danny fenton #existentialism cw #death cw #alcoholism cw #my fic #answered #sketchygainedyoursoul

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obsidiancreates · 3 years

Text

Born This Way (Because Of Negligence Towards Basic Scientific Safety)

(IDK how far apart the Fenton kids are in age, so Jazz is an Undetermined Age Where She's A Toddler But Also Very Verbal. Maybe it's the Genius Genes letting her learn faster. Let's go with that.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie coughs, spitting out another glob of ectoplasm. "Well, at least know it's not an issues with the cooling system."

Jack sneezes out the ectoplasm stuck in his nose, and then grins and stands triumphantly. "Still a step towards success!"

Jazz frowns from where she's playing with her doll, safe within a Fenton Anti-Ghost Toddler Chamber. "Mommy, you should cover your mouth." She points at her own mouth. "Mr. Wummy on TV says dat getting weird stuff in your mouth is bad."

"Mr. Wummy is a cartoon, dear. We're seasoned scientists, we know what we're doing." She wipes herself off, and sits down. "If there were any side-effects to accidental ecoplasmic consumption, we'd know."

"But what if Danny doesn't like it?" Jazz point at her mother's belly.

Maddie pats her belly. "The baby is still just a fetus, sweetie. It can't tell what it does and doesn't like yet. And why are you so sure it'll be a boy?"

"Because I'm your baby girl. So now you need a baby boy!"

Maddie tilts her head and smiles lovingly at her daughter. "Oh, you're adorable." Nothing cuter than Child Logic.

Maddie stands back up, and puts her hands on the workbench. "Now, let's see about that firing mechanism..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie brushes her teeth, sighing when her toothbrush comes away glowing green. "We really messed up a lot of experiments today. I think I swallowed a whole ghost's worth."

Jack spits a similarly colored mouthful of toothpaste foam out. "At least it doesn't taste as bad as it smells."

Maddie puts her hands on her belly, the bump now quite obvious. "II hope we're right about it not having side effects."

Jack's expression softens. He gently pulls his wife into a comforting hug. "The doctors all say he's as healthy as can be, Mads. You don't need to worry."

"I still worry anyway, though."

"Of course you do. You're his mom! But we'll worry together, and if you ever need me to, I'll do the worrying for us both! While you relax and give him more tips on how to avoid ghosts once he learns to walk."

Maddie giggles, and sighs. It'll all be fine... nothing to worry about.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jazz has her arms crossed, a teddy bear hanging from one hand. "Five times!"

"Yes, and did we mention we're so proud that you can count so we-"

"Five times!" She shouts again, waving her little sticky toddler hand at them. "I saw you eat the bad green stuff five times!"

"We didn't eat it," Maddie says patiently, "It got into our mouths by accident."

"You swallowed it!"

"Only a tiny bit, only on accident, dear."

Jazz puts her hand on her mom's belly. "Danny is gonna be here soon and he's gonna be mad!"

"He won't even know it happened, sweetheart."

"Yes he will! He'll be the smartest ever, just like me and like you and like daddy! And he'll be so upset and never stop crying!"

"Babies do that anyway, sweetie." Maddie rubs her belly. It's true, Danny is due any day now. And yes... there's been some extra Ectoplasm Incidents lately. Maddie just can't stay awake sometimes, and... well. That's not exactly good when working on ghost hunting machines.

"Your baby brother will be perfectly fine," Maddie assures. "He's a healthy baby boy, and he'll be just as healthy when you meet him."

Jazz lights up at the mention of meeting him. She can't wait!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jazz bounces excitedly in her dad's arms. She gets to meet her baby brother! Finally! She's going to read him bedtime stories, and protect him from closet monsters, and show him how to throw a tea party!

Jack chuckles. "Calm down, sweetie, you don't get to play with him quite yet! He's still very fragile."

"But he's okay?"

"Yes, he and Mommy are both okay. Better than okay."

Jack knocks on the hospital room door, and they enter.

Maddie is holding Danny, and it looks like she fell asleep. Jazz gasps, even though all she can see so far is the blanket bundle.

"He's tiny!"

"Very." Again. Ah well. Jack had always hoped one of his kids would groww up to be taller than him, but maybe it'll have to be a grandkid.

He walks over, and smiles at his sleeping wife. "Okay, let's be quiet," he whispers. "We don't want to wake mommy."

Jazz nods seriously.

Jack sets her on the bed, and Jazz carefully crawls closer to Danny. She moves the blanket to get a good look at his face, grinning widly-!

She frowns. "Where is he?"

"What?!" Jack hurriedly picks up the bundle, making Maddie startle awake. "Holy-"

"Jack? Honey? What is it?!" Maddie's tone becomes increasingly panicked.

Jack, looking a bit pale, hands the bundle back to her. She gasps.

It's empty, and freezing!

"Where- where is-"

And then suddenly. He's there.

Fast asleep, wrapped up snug and tight. His little face still red from being brand-new to the world, his tiny tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he snoozes.

He disappears again.

Maddie thinks she's about to pass out.

Finally, Jazz breaks the horrified silence. "I told you to cover your mouths!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny sleeps all the way home, and all the way up to his room. Jazz is waiting by the bassinet, and peeks in as soon as he's placed down. She frowns. "Mommy, his hair is white. He's not old."

Maddie sighs. "No, he's not. Apparently it just... does that, sometimes."

Danny yawns, and opens his little eyes. Jazz's own eyes widen as well. "He's glowing!"

"Yes... that happens too."

Danny screws up his face, and starts crying. Maddie picks him up and rocks him. "Poor baby... he's so cold."

"Why?" Jazz tilts her head.

Maddie sighs. "Well... your father and I... we think he's half-ghost."

"How?"

"... Probably... the ectoplasm," Shame burns in Maddie's veins.

Jazz, wide-eyed, reaches to to try and touch Danny. "Is he dead?" She doesn't sound sad, because it looks to her like even if he is dead, he's still alive.

"No!" Maddie shuts the idea right down. "He is a very healthy, living boy! But he's... different."

"Are you gonna trap him?"

"Wh- Jasmine, why would you ask that!"

"He's a ghost."

"No! No, we never treat him like any other ghost. And he's only partly ghost, so it barely counts. Now, Mommy has to feed him so he can go back to sleep. How about you go pick a movie for tonight?"

Jazz nods. She takes that job very seriously. There's a science to picking movies.

She heads off, and Maddie looks at Danny's sniffling little face. His eyes are back too baby blue, but his hair isn't quite black yet.

At least he's still visible.

At least the side effects seem mild.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's about 6 am when Jack bolts up too use the bathroom. On his way back, he decides to check on the kids.

Jazz is asleep, cuddling a stuffed animal. Jack smiles.

Danny is also asleep, wrapped up in a cute little onesie and floating above the bassinet FLOATING ABOVE THE BASSINET?!?!

Jack runs over and grabs Danny from the air, pulling out a Fenton Ghost-Whapping Baton!

And then he looks at Danny, who's whining, and sees sleepy glowing green eyes looking at him.

"Oh. Um, sorry, son." He puts away the baton. "I thought a ghost was stealing you."

Danny yawns. Jack sees a cold breath puff out of his son's mouth, despite the room being temperature-controlled to keep him toasty during the nights.

Jack puts Danny back into the bassinet. He leaves, and comes back a little bit later with some equipment.

He sets up a rudimentary ghost-shield to keep Danny from floating away during the night, but won't trap him. He can still float a little, if need be.

"The scariest ghost we've faced yet," Jack mumbles. He kisses Danny's forehead, and sits there until Danny falls asleep. By then, Danny is human again.

Jack leaves, and in the morning he and Maddie begin working on some upgrades for Danny's room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny babbles happily as Jazz plays peek-a-boo with him.

"Boo!"

Laughter.

"Boo!"

More laughter!

"A-boo! A-boo!" Jazz can't stop grinning. She's a great older sister! Look at her go!

She takes Danny's hands, and moves them over his face. "Now, where's Danny? ... Here he is! Oh."

Danny isn't there. But his clothes are, and something's inside of them. And Jazz is still holding two chubby baby arms, even if they're cold and invisible.

Jazz stares for a second, and then speaks. "... Peek-a-boo?"

Danny reappears, and squeals with laughter!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie sits down to give Danny his bottle. She's brought him out shopping with her so she can grab some replacement parts that fried in their latest invention, the Fenton Ecto-Extractor!

Jazz had thrown a fit when she'd heard the name, and it startled Jack so bad he'd turned it on too early and it completely collapsed on itself! It took half an hour to convince Jazz that they weren't trying to use it to make Danny normal, just using it for themselves now that they know it can cause... strange things, to happen.

Danny drinks the bottle with no issue, and burps as soon as she starts his back. Really, he's a pretty easy baby. Except for the ghost part.

Maddie is getting him back in the stroller when Danny's face screws up. She watches a cold, visible breath leave his mouth, and then he starts to scream. Sobbing, wailing baby screams, attracting the concerned and/or annoyed attention of most people around them.

"He's just tired," she assures loudly. His breath is still puff out in cold clouds, even though it's perfectly warm in the mall.

Maddie quickly picks him back up and hugs him, bouching and singing to try and calm him down.

Danny starts to quiet down. She puts him back in the stroller, but as soon as she does (as soon as he looks behind her with those bright, bright green eyes) he starts crying again.

She sighs and picks him up, hurrying back to the car. She'll just come back for the parts later. Clearly, something is upsetting him.

Something that she just can't see.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jazz leans away from Danny, grinning. "There!"

Danny is propped up on her bed. Maddie and Jack needed to quickly decontaminate themselves, and so Jazz had to watch Danny for just a minute.

And in that minute, she's does some redesigning.

Danny's fluffy white hair has a little bow in it, and she's put some of her kiddie makeup on him.

Danny disappears for a second, and the bow falls. When he reappears, it's not on his head anymore. He looks at Jazz blankly.

Jazz crosses her arms. "No fair! I was making you pretty!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie stumbles into Danny's room. She flicks on the light, and turns off the Fenton Ghost-Shielding Hanging Mobile. She reaches in and pulls the crying Danny out of the bassinet, shushing and rocking him.

Danny's eyes are bright green again, and Maddie can see his breath. "Oh, you always get so worked up when this happens," she says softly. "Is the cold upsetting you?"

Danny doesn't answer, just cries more.

Maddie takes him to her and Jack's room, and lays down with him on her chest. Jack rolls over in his sleep and puts his arms around her, cradling both of them.

Danny falls back asleep soon, and Maddie sighs. She can still see his breath, but at least he's calm now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jazz holds up her drawing, and shakes her head. She goes back to scribbling, and moves closer to Danny. "This is black," she says to him, pointing at the crayon she's using. She picks up another color. "And this one is red."

Danny stares as Jazz keeps scribbling. Jazz assumes that means he's learning.

"I'm going to let Mom and Dad know I saw this in my closet," she says seriously. "I think people know you're special and want to steal you!"

Danny blows a spit bubble by accident, and laughs when it pops.

Jazz's eyes hold more determination than ever. She scribbles with the fury of a million warriors. "You're very valuable." She learned that word yesterday. "So you need lots of protecting."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you think this will make her feel better?" Maddie asks as she closes the panel.

Jack lifts his soldering mask and nods. "If one thing can make a person feel safe, it's fifty anti-ghost devices hidden in their walls!"

"I just worry about that doodle. What if something really got in?"

"Mads, you personally handcrafted every single sensor put up in the kids's rooms! If a ghost had gotten in, we'd know! To get past then they'd need deep knowledge of exactly how our deigns work and how they detect ghost energy, and no ghost has that!"

"You're right, you're right. Still, I hate to think she might be having nightmares about something like that. It looked like it had devil horns."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Peek-a-boo!" Jazz grins at Danny. "Peek-a-boo!"

It never gets old for him! No matter how many times they play, Danny loves it!

"Peek... a-boo!" Jazz does little jazz-hands.

Danny disappears, and Jazz grins. "Where's Danny? Where'd he go?"

Danny reappears, and-

"B-b-boo!"

Jack and Maddie dart into the room! Maddie swoops Danny up, eyes wide!

Danny giggles, and says it again. "Boo!"

Maddie and Jackie both tear up. In unison they shout, "HIS FIRST WORD!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny gnaws on the toy with his little baby gums.

"I can't believe it. Already teething," Maddie sighs, holding him. "Seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital."

Jack wipes his eyes. "He's growing into a young man already."

"Oh, Jack, stop it, he's not nearly a young man."

"But he will be before we know it!"

Maddie pats her husband on the back comfortingly as he begins to blubber.

Maddie closes her eyes, thinking about those early months with Danny, figuring out how to prepare for his floating and invisibility, learning to not panic when his eyes and hair changed color, learning that sometimes when they do his clothes change color as well...

She's startled out of her thought by something warm and wet on her lap.

She looks down to see the teething toy on her thigh... and a whole lot of nothing where Danny's head should be.

Then it' back when she blinks, and he's beginning to whine for his toy.

She quickly picks him up off her laps and retrieves it, giving it back to him.

So... the ghost abilities are still developing, then. She'll have to let Jack know about this later.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Daniel Fenton," Jack says, the most serious Jazz has ever seen him, "You're in big trouble this time, mister. I don't know how you did this-"

Jack shakes the empty tube of baby snacks, safe for teething babies.

"But I will get to the bottom of it!"

"Look like he already did," Maddie jokes, setting Jazz's breakfast down for her.

Jazz laughs, because it sounds like a Smart Adult Joke and she thinks those are funny, even when she doesn't understand them.

Danny babbles, smacking his chair's food tray.

"Oh no you don't, mister! You're getting regular baby food this morning and that's all!" Jack grabs the jar of food, and holds up the spoon. "Now, here comes the Fenton Ghost-Tracking Copter!"

He puts the spoon up to Danny's mouth-

-and right through his head.

He gasps and pulls back, and Danny's head reappears. He babbles, smacking the tray again.

Maddie drops her fork. "I can't believe I forgot! That's what I was going to tell you about!"

Jazz looks at her parents. "You didn't know he does this?"

They both gawk at her. "You did?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny reaches up and grabs Jazz's nose. Jazz wrinkles it, and he laughs.

Jazz sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes, and Danny laughs even harder!

Jazz looks at her parents as they finish setting up the picnic blanket. "I'm the funniest big sister ever!"

"You sure are, sweetie!" Maddie scoops Jazz up and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "You get it from me."

Jack laughs. "It's true! Your mother could get the whole Ghost Hunting Club laughing out HAZMAT suits off all day long back in the day! ... 'Course it was just the three of us, but still, three's a crowd!"

"May as well have been doing stand-up," Maddie says, setting Jazz down on the blanket.

They enjoy the little outing, the sun shining but not beating down, the cool breeze just enough to crispen the air but not freeze.

And then Jazz looks at Danny. She sees glowing eyes, and a puff of breath come out of his mouth. "Uh-oh. Mommy! He's gonna cry!"

Maddie picks Danny up right as he starts to wail. She hugs him, and is shocked. He doesn't feel cold this time!

Is he just cold inside?

Or is there some other problem?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack rubs his ears. "That child wails like a Banshee!"

"He could very well be doing exactly that," Maddie points out. "We still don't know what other abilities he'll develop as he ages!"

"Or how well he'll be able to control them. ... Mads... should we homeschool him?"

"It's a little early to worry about that, Jack."

"I know that tone, you're worrying about it too."

"... We can't just keep him isolated from the rest of the world, Jack. It'll be unhealthy for him. And what if it makes him lean into his ghost side too much?"

"So you think we should let him go to school."

"Yes. ... But not pre-school. We'll teach him to not use his abilities around other kids, and then send him to Kindergarten."

"... Alright, Mads. If you think that's what's best, then that's what's best!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come on, that's it! Yes, yes, WHOO!" Maddie picks Danny up as soon as he walks over. "Who's a strong little Fenton? Who's the best little boy at walking in the whole wide world?"

"Danny!" Jazz cheers from the couch.

"Danny!" Maddie and Jack both cheer at once.

Danny laughs and squeals, kicking his legs and flapping his arms. His first proper Walk! Not just a step or two and then crawling, that was real walking!

Jack takes Danny, holding him aloft. "You're a real butt-kicker in the making, son! You'll be as strong as your old man someda-"

Jack feels something bump him, hard.

He shouts as he goes down! Danny going with him!

But as Jack meets the floor, he feels Danny's weight disappear from his hands!

He lands with an "oof", and looks up to see Danny floating above him, surrounded by a faint white aura. Danny looks down and babbles, sucking his thumb. Then... he moves.

He's only ever floated in place before. But as he looks down at his dad, he kicks his little legs and moves! Moving right across the room!

And then he looks behind his dad, and his breath comes out in puffs. He starts crying and wailing hysterically.

Jazz peers at where Danny is looking. "Mommy, hit the air with the stick!"

Maddie gently grabs Danny. "Why, sweetie?"

"Danny is scared! So we have to protect him!"

Maddie grabs her Fenton Baton, and gives the area Danny was looking at a good thwack. She expects it to go right through the empty air.

Instead there's a loud zap! There's a cry of pain! And then a semi-transparent form zooming out of their house!

Maddie's jaw drops. Jack scrambles to his feet and grabs every ghost weapon in radius, forming a protective circle around the family with them!

Maddie looks at Danny, who's now calm.

And his breath isn't visible.

Hmm...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We're just seeing if my hypothesis is right," Maddie assures.

Jazz sobs, clinging onto her leg. "NOOOO! HE'LL GET HURT! OR STOLED!"

"Stolen, sweetie. And Mommy and Daddy would never let that happen."

Jazz scream-sobs again.

"What if we can promise you the ghost will be in a big, big box?"

Jazz looks at her mom with watery eyes. "Like around Danny's crib?"

"Yes, like that."

"But-but he's so little."

"It'll just be a second, sweetheart."

Jazz sniffles again. "... Can I hold the stick?"

Maddie smiles softly. "Yes, sweetie, you can hold the stick."

A couple hours later, Jack and Maddie return home with a ghost in a box. It's yelling something, but the box is soundproof.

Jack sets the box down, and goes to grab Danny. He comes back, and holds Danny firmly while walking towards the ghost. Danny's eyes are covered by a too-big hood on his little shirt. He can't see, or hear, that there's a ghost nearby.

Danny's breath comes out a visible puff about two feet away from the ghost, and he starts crying. Jack steps back a ways, and Danny's breaths become normal again. He settles down.

Jack walks closer. Puff of breath, and crying.

Jack steps back. Normal breath, calm Danny.

"He can sense ghost's," Maddie says, looking in awe at her baby boy. Her face breaks into a grin. "He's his own portable ghost detector! He'll never be caught unawares, he'll be able to always defend himself!"

She runs up to Jack and hugs them both, kissing Danny's little forehead. Danny babbles.

"He'll never be caught unawares," Maddie says again in relief. "Oh, this makes me feel so much better."

"Mommy? ... Does that mean we're haunted all the time?"

Maddie's relief hardens and breaks in her chest.

All those times Danny's Ghost Sense has gone off inside! All those times!

She pulls away. "Jack, we're upping our security!"

Jack nods. "Time for FentonWorks 2.0!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny giggles as his dad chases him around the house. He phases through doors and turns invisible in hiding places, always giving himself away with laughter.

Jack grabs Danny just before he phases through the next door. “Gotcha!”

Danny laughs, happy little kid squeals that you can hear through the whole house. Jack puts Danny on his shoulders and heads into the kitchen. “He’s getting pretty good at running! Say, whatcha making, Mads?”

“Meatloaf. Would you mind helping?”

Jack sets Danny down at the table and helps Maddie make dinner, while Danny eyes something on the counter.

“Cookie.”

Maddie looks over. Danny is staring at the cookie jar. “No sweetie, no cookies yet.”

“Cookie!”

“Not yet.”

Danny starts to cry. “Cookie!”

Maddie walks over, and gives Danny his binkie. Danny refuses it af first, but once he has it he calms down fast.

He looks at the cookie jar still, though.

And, slowly, he lifts out of his chair. He kicks his little legs, pushing himself forward. He plops down on the counter, and reaches into the jar with an intangible hand.

He pulls out not one, but two cookies!

He gets so excited that he starts waving his arms, making happy noises.

Jack looks over. “What? Maddie, he’s gotten into the cookie jar!”

“I’ve got it!” Maddie walks over and scoops Danny up in his old Anti-Ghost-Phasing Blanket. Soft, warm, and totally ghost-proof.

Danny whines. “Cookie!”

“I said not yet, honey.” Maddie grabs the cookies and puts them on the counter. She safety pins the blanket around Danny like a little cape, except it takes away his powers.

Danny sits in his chair, throwing a fit! But to no avail. Eventually he just sits there, tear-faced and angry.

And then Jazz walks in. She looks over at the cookies, and then at Danny.

She walks over and snatches them off the counter as quick as she can! She casually walks over to the table, and hands them to Danny.

Danny brightens up. He shoves one cookie in his mouth, and gives the other back to Jazz. His original intention.

Jazz smiles, and scarfs the cookie down just before Maddie turns around.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why?” Danny looks at his mom with wide, innocent eyes.

Maddie’s heart aches. “People might get scared.”

Danny frowns. “Scawy?”

“No, no, you aren’t scary. But the... idea of ghosts, for a lot of people, can be scary.”

Danny thinks, and then walks over to the fridge. “Scawy.”

Maddie looks at the drawing Danny is pointing at. It’s Jazz’s drawing of The Ghost.

The one that’s been haunting them for months.

Black horns, it looks like. Red eyes. Deathly blue skin. It makes Maddie shiver, knowing it had direct access to her children for so long.

Danny starts to cry. “I scawy!”

Maddie scoops him up. “No, no sweetie! You are nothing like that monster, nothing like it at all! And you never will be, I promise!” Maddie hugs him tightly. “Oh, my poor baby... how about we take a break? Do you want to help Jazz paint something?”

Danny sniffles, and nods. They head upstairs, leaving the talk for another day.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kindergarten, Jack,” Maddie says, packing the little lunch box. “He’s already in Kindergarten!”

Jack is already openly sobbing as he makes Jazz a sandwich.

“Do you think he understands what he needs to do?” Maddie asks no-one in particular, just worrying.

“He understands perfectly!”

Maddie jumps a little, and turns around to see Jazz smiling proudly. Danny stands right next to her, a shyer smile on his face. Maddie tears up at the sight of him with his little backpack and school outfit on.

Jazz looks at Danny. “Go ahead! Show them what we practiced!”

Danny puffs out his chest to look strong. “I won’t go through anything, turn invi-invisi- um, turn not-seeing-me, I won’t fly, and, um... and if I feel another ghost, I’ll use this!” He pulls his little Fenton Emergency Pager out of his pocket.

Maddie wipes her eyes. “Perfect, honey,” she says, letting the pride seep into her voice. “Oh, my baby boy! Growing up so fast!” She picks him up and kisses his face. Danny wraps his arms around her neck.

“Do I have to go, mommy? They’ll think I’m scary.”

“Oh, honey. You aren’t scary, I promise.”

“... What if I need to be scary?”

“Mommy will come be scary for you.”

“She very good at it,” Jack chimes in, shivering a little as he remembers the time a ghost attacked while Maddie was buying Danny’s first pair of little shoes. By the time it was over, Jack almost pitied the thing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie gives Danny one last hug. “Remember, calls u anytime you need us, okay?”

He nods. “I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Jazz.”

“You’re just going to school, not saying bye forever.” Even as Jazz says it, her lip wobbles and her voice cracks.

Danny floats up to the car window give her a hug, before being quickly held up by Maddie to cover the power use.

“That’s the only time today you’ll do that,” she reminds him.

Danny nods.

Eventually... the goodbyes are done being dragged out. Danny’s family drives away as the teacher leads him inside.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny sits on a swing by himself, not sure what to do.

Usually at home he plays using his powers. He doesn’t know how to be good at tag without making it so people can’t touch him, or how to play hide-and-seek without turning invisible.

He kicks the sand. This is stupid. He misses Jazz. He can play with her.

“Hi.”

Danny looks up. Another young boy is standing in front of him, holding some kind of electronic. The boy holds out his hand. “I’m Tucker.”

Danny shakes his hand, focusing very hard on keeping it a real hand. “I’m Danny.”

Tucker shows him the electronic. “Want to play my game?"

Danny looks at it. It’s a coloring game. He nods.

They pass it back and forth between each other for a while, both coloring in different parts of the same picture.

Eventually it’s time to back in. Danny and Tucker ask if they can sit closer together.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, how was it?” Maddie asks, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she picks Danny up. “Have fun?”

“I made a friend!” Danny yells! “His name is Tucker and he’s really nice!”

Maddie relaxes. “Oh? How did you meet?”

“He let me play his coloring game!”

“That’s wonderful!”

“We made a tower out of blocks and it was the strongest ever! And I never used my powers!”

“I’m so proud of you, sweetie!”

Maybe Maddie can stop worrying now. ... Probably not.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What if we gave it big scary horns?” Danny says as he doodled something in crayon. “Like the thing that watches my window.”

Tucker looks at him with wide eyes. “A monster watches you?”

“My parents don’t let it touch me. They hunt ghosts.”

“Oh. Do you hunt ghosts?”

Danny shakes his head. “I’m too little.”

“Oh. Me too.”

“You should give it bat wings.”

They both look up. The quiet girl who usually sits in the back is standing in front of them, her hair pulled back in a tight black braid and her clothes perfectly pressed.

Danny looks at the drawing, and nods. He adds the wings. “We’re drawing the monster from that story we heard today.”

The girl sits down. “I bet it had claws. And could breathe black fire!”

Danny adds them on. “You’re really smart!”

The girl nods. “I am.”

“I’m Danny.”

“I’m Tucker!”

The girl grins. “I’m Samatha.”

“Wow... that’s a long name,” Danny says, eyes wide. “My sister has a long name too. Do all girls have long names?”

Samantha thinks. “I dunno. I haven’t met all girls.”

“Oh. We don’t know all boys, either.”

They spend the rest of free time coloring. Once it’s over, Samantha moves to sit with them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, how was today, sweetie?”

“I made another friend! She’s really good, and her parents make her have long hair but she wants it short, and we made this with her!” He shows Maddie the drawing.

Maddie grimaces a little, but turns it into a smile. “It’s lovely, dear. Looks... a little like Jazz’s picture.”

Danny nods.”The monster in the story lived in the window. So does this ghost.”

“... What?”

“He lives by my window. But he can’t come inside, so I make faces at him and make him mad.”

Maddie speeds up a little. “Danny, we’re going to be altering your windows when we get home. Okay?”

“Okay.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny leads Sam and Tucker to his room with his tiny arms full of snacks. He brings them inside, and proudly stands in the middle. “This is my room!”

"Cool!” Tucker exclaims. “Whoa, you have a computer?”

Danny shakes his head. “That’s to keep ghosts out. Ghosts hate us.”

“You’ve seen some?” Samantha asks, eyes wide.

Danny grins. “So many!”

“Can we see some?”

“Sure, I can even-”

They hear a gasp in the doorway. Turning to look, they see Jazz. “Danny, you didn’t let me meet your friends!”

Danny looks horrified. “Oh no!” He runs over and pulls Jazz into the room. “This is my big sister Jazz! She’s the coolest big sister!”

“I’m Tucker!”

“I’m Sam!”

Jazz grins. “Guess what I learned yesterday?” She points out of the room. “How to use the remote!”

The trio of toddler’s eyes sparkle. They cheer for Jazz as all of them descend, ready to Take Control Of The TV!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“-and this is The Box Ghost,” Danny says, showing his friends the doodle him and Jazz made at home. “He’s silly. He wants to be scary, but he isn’t.”

Tucker and Samantha nods like it the most important thing they’ll ever learn.

Danny pulls out the next drawing. “This is Scary, the ghost from my window.” It’s a new drawing, a little more detailed thanks to Jazz being better at drawing now. And Danny having seen the face so, so many times. “I don’t see him anymore. Mom and Dad kicked him out of the window.”

“He’s ugly,” Samantha says, wrinkling her nose.

“He looks stinky,” Tucker agrees.

Danny looks over at the window. “Shhhh! He’s here!”

Tucker and Samantha look at the window. They see nothing.

They look back at Danny. They see little puffs coming out of his mouth, and his eyes are the wrong color.

Danny pulls his pager out. “It’s okay. Mommy will come scare him away.”

“We can’t see him,” Samantha says.

Danny nods. “He’s hard to see.”

“Do you have to have glowy eyes like yours?” Tucker asks. “I have to have glasses. Are your eyes like Ghost Glasses?”

Danny thinks, and then nods. “I guess so. ... OH NO!” He covers his eyes. “You aren’t supposed to see that!”

“Why not?”

“Mommy said it’s a secret! You’ll think I’m scary!”

“But it’s not scary.”

Danny tilts his head, still covering his eyes. “It’s not?”

“No, it’s cool!”

He slowly uncovers his eyes. “... Do... you think this is scary?” He holds out his arm, and makes it invisible.

Tucker and Samantha gasp! Danny pulls his arm back, about to cry. They think he’s scary, they won’t be his friends anymore-

“That’s so cool,” Samantha says.

“I wanna do that!” Tucker exclaims.

Danny can’t believe it for a second. And then he grins. “I can do more stuff too! I’ll show you at my house!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie paces the floor while Danny sits on the couch, his little face burning with shame.

Jazz sits next to him, arms crossed. Jack stands in front of him, Maddie pacing beside her husband.

“You told your friends?” Maddie asks again.

Danny nods, keeping his head low. “I didn’t mean to. I saw Scary, and my eyes turned green, and I can’t fix that.”

Maddie sighs. “I know, sweetie, but you showed them more after! We caught you flying them around your room! How can you even carry both of them at once?!”

“It’s easy when I’m a ghost,” he says, still keeping his head low. “Everything’s easy when I’m a ghost.”

Maddie stops pacing. “Oh, sweetie... I know it must be strange for you to suddenly have to hide it.”

Danny nods. He sniffles a little.

“It’s for your own safety, son,” Jack says. “You understand that, right? We just want you to be safe.”

“Other kids can be mean, Danny,” Jazz says. “I’m smart, and some kids are mean to me for that.”

“But Samantha and Tucker aren’t mean!”

“No, they aren’t,” Maddie concedes. “... I guess what’s done is done. Danny?” She kneels down in front of him and gently lifts his head up, wiping his tears away. “We aren’t mad. We’re worried. They’re your friends, but they also don’t understand this the way we do.”

“... Can you make them understand?”

Maddie nods. “We’ll absolutely have a talk with them. You can go get them from your room right now, even. But Danny? No-one else. Okay? These two kids are the only kids you will ever tell. Promise?”

Danny nods, still sniffling. “Promise.”

Maddie puts on her HAZMAT glove and holds out her pinkie. “Fenton promise?”

Danny links her pinkie with his, letting it go ghostly. “Fenton promise, Mommy.”

“Okay. You can send your friends down now.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny waits for his mom to come pick him up, Samantha and Tucker sitting next to him.

Samantha looks up suddenly. “I don’t like my name.”

Danny and Tucker look at her.

She stands up. “From now on, my name is... is Sam!”

Danny and Tucker clap, because they learned that’s the polite thing to do when someone has a dramatic moment like this. They learned it from watching the older kids do a play.

Sam sits back down. “I’m Sam,” she says happily. “Sam.”

“Sam is a good name,” Danny says.

“Easier to write,” Tucker says.

“Yeah.” Sam is very proud of her new name.

They wait a bit longer, and a long black car pulls up. Sam stands up, but her parents don’t step out.

A tall, white-haired man does, one none of them have ever met before. He smiles down at them. “Hello, Danny. Hello, Danny’s friends.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Danny’s parents,” he says, giving a slight bow (or maybe just bending over to hear them better since they’re so much shorter than him).

“I don’t know you,” Danny says, accusatory. “Mrs. Emma told us about people like you!”

The Man shakes his head. “I’m not a stranger, I promise. Your parents and I are very close.”

“I don’t know you,” Danny says again. He steps between The Man and his friends. “I’m gonna tell Mrs. Emma on you.”

“Danny, really, your mother called and asked me to pick you up.”

“You liar! She always picks me up!”

“She’s fighting a ghost right now.”

“She leaves fights to come get me!”

The Man sighs. He grabs Danny’s arm. “Stubborn like your parents. Come on, I promise you’ll be fine.”

“NO!” Danny yanks his arm, trying to get away. “LET GO OF ME!”

“Stop making a scene!”

“LET GO! YOU-”

Danny gaps, a puff of breath coming out and his eyes turning green.

“S-Scary,” he whimpers. “SCARY! MOMMY! MOMMMYYYY! SCARY HAS ME!!! HELP!!!”

Danny yanks again, Tucker and Sam finally running inside to get Mrs. Emma!

The Man scowls. “I’m trying to help you, little badger!”

“YOU’RE THE SCARY IN THE WINDOW!” Danny looks at him with bright eyes, tearful and afraid. “GET AWAY!!!”

Danny’s little hand glows green, and suddenly The Man is clutching his stomach instead of Danny’s arm. Danny runs inside, right into Mrs. Emma’s arms. He sobs to her as she frantically calls the police, trying to read the plate of the car speeding off into the distance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie hands Jazz a Baton. “This is in case this ‘Scary’ come after you,” Maddie says, still shaking a bit. “Okay?”

Jazz nods.

“Danny, this is for you.” Maddie hands him a black-and-white suit. “This is to keep other ghosts from sensing you, okay? So wear it under your clothes.”

Danny nods, still crying.

Maddie looks at Sam and Tucker. Their parents were late picking them up, but with the attempted kidnapping it was decided that they’ll stay with The Fentons for a few hours until their parents could get them.

“You two get these.” She hands them Fenton Pagers, and Fenton Fun-Sized Ghost Stunners. “They can hurt people too, so only use them on ghosts. Or if someone tries to do... what you saw today, ever again.”

Sam and Tucker nod.

“And Danny? From now on, wait with Mrs. Emma until we come inside to get you.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“And when I get my hands on this ‘Scary’, I promise you’ll never have to worry about him again.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny looks around to see if anyone is watching. He, Tucker, and Sam are crouched under a desk in the classroom while everyone else is out at recess.

He holds out his hand to the stack of paper, and closes his eyes. For a second, nothing happens.

And then it glows green, and a small beam shoots from his hand! Tucker and Sam gasp!

“You’re like a superhero!” Tucker exclaims, standing up.

“A ghost superhero!” Sam says, standing up too. “You need a superhero name!”

Danny shoots up, smiling widely. “What should it be?”

They all think for a long, long time.

Sam perks up. “I know!”

She grabs a book from the corner. The book is a Halloween one, mostly for pictures with just a few words. She flips to a page, and points to it. “This word! It means Ghost!”

Danny and Tucker peer at it. “How do you say it?” Tucker asks.

Sam grins. “Phantom!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Phantom?” Maddie says, looking at the doodle.

Jack nods. “Apparently Sam came up with it! Our boy wants to be a ghost hunter after all!”

“Superhero, this says.”

“Same thing!”

“Jack, what’re you making there?”

Jack holds up the suit, one of the prototype Anti-Ghost-Detection suits for Danny. “I got out my old needlepointing stuff and am making him a superhero costume! See, it’s a P!”

Maddie squints, trying to get a better look at the outline. “It looks like a D.”

Jack looks at it. “Hmm. I guess from some angles. But it’s a P! Or, DP! Danny Phantom!”

Maddie’s expression goes soft. “Awww! Okay, you keep making that, and I’ll hang this doodle on the fridge! But no actual ghost fighting until he’s at least fourteen, right?”

“Absolutely!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny steps into the school “Halloween Party” with his hands on his hips and a bright grin, looking like a mini-version of his dad behind him.

“Aww, and what are you dressed as, Danny?” Mrs. Emma asks.

“A superhero ghosthunter!” Danny says proudly. “My parents made this for me!”

“It’s great,” Mrs. Emma says genuinely. “Alright, go mingle! We’re going to make paper jack-o-lanterns later so now is the time to trade candies!”

Danny walks over to his friends, still striking the pose. Tucker, dressed as a robot made out of cardboard boxes, pouts in slight jealousy as Danny comes over. Sam, dressed as a vampire, grins. “P for Phantom!” she yells.

Danny runs over faster. “Yeah! My dad put the logo on!” He shows it off proudly. “I’m gonna be the best ghosthunter ever!”

“You can work from the inside!” Tucker says, getting over his jealousy thankfully quick. “Make them think you wanna haunt stuff too!”

“Yeah!” Danny strikes another pose. “But I’m actually going to catch them all, because I’m Danny Phantom!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny and Jazz are playing with dolls in the living room. “Pow! Take that!” Danny shouts, making his doll punch Jazz’s.

“Nooo!” Jazz cries out in a husky voice. “But how? I’m The Scary! Nothing can not fear me!”

“I don’t fear you!” Danny waves the hand of his doll, making laser noises. Jazz shakes her doll around, making dying noises. “I’m Danny Phantom, the strongest ghost boy ever!”

“Nooooo!”

Maddie chuckles, watching them. “That Scary better watch out for more than just us.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Where are we going?” Danny asks again.

“It’s a surprise!” Jack says again, still as excited as when the road trip started.

Danny huffs, looking out the window again. “Why couldn’t Sam and Tucker come?”

“Because they’re spending Summer visiting their families,” Maddie says. “And so are we, sort of.”

“I though Auntie lived in Spittoon,” Jazz says.

“She does! This is different.”

After hours (years in the minds of the kids), they pull up to a mansion. All fo the boredom washes away instantly, Jazz and Danny cramming into the window to see it!

“Are we rich?” Jazz demands to know.

“We’re well-off, but not quite. Welcome to your honorary Uncle Vlad’s house!” Maddie cheers.

“Vlad was out best friend in college!” Jack says, grinning. “He got back in contact with us a few years ago and we’ve been thick as thieves since! He asked us too come over this weekend, and we thought we’d surprise him and let him meet your two at the same time!”

Danny and Jazz cheer! THEY GET TO STAY IN A MANSION!

The family piles out of the car, and stand in front of the door! Maddie and Jack make sure Jazz and Danny look extra nice, and ring the doorbell!

It takes a long minute, so they ring it again!

Finally, a man opens it up! “Oh, Maddie, Jack, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear-”

Danny shrieks. His eyes are glowing bright as they can, his breaths giant puffs! He holds up his hand and send a little beam right into Vlad’s side!

Vlad falls back with an “Oof!”

“Danny!” Maddie scoops him up. “What on earth has gotten into you? Oh, Danny!”

Danny is sobbing pointing at Vlad. “It-it’s him! The-The Scary! He-he tried to take me!”

Maddie and Jack freeze. Slowly, they both look at Vlad. Jazz pulls out her Baton.

“Vlad?” Maddie says coldly.

“Didn’t I only invite you two?” Vlad wheezes.

Jack points a ghost detector at Vlad. It goes off.

“Now, now, I can explai- AGCK!”

Jazz starts happening him with the Baton before he can finish his sentence. Maddie hands Danny to Jack. “Sweetie, close the door and take Danny back to the truck. I need to have a word with Vlad.”

Jack does as told, holding Danny in his lap and soothing him.

“He-he tried to take me,” Danny sobs again.

“Don’t worry, son.” Jack hugs him tightly. “No-one’s ever going to be able to do that. We’ll always keep you safe. We promise.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And what do we always wear while testing new devices?” Maddie asks, handing Danny a Fenton Ghost-Zapper that would use Danny’s own ghost energy to work.

Danny grins, and puts it on. “Face mask!”

“Because?”

“Because lab safety is very important!”

Maddie grins. “That’s right! And who do we thank for reminding us of that every time we’re in the lab?”

Danny points. “Jazz! Thank you, Jazz!”

Jazz grins proudly.

#danny phantom #Danny Fenton #Jazz Fenton #jack fenton #maddie fenton #vlad masters #vlad plasmius #kidnapping tw #attempted kidnapping #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic

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reallydumbdannyphantomaus · 3 years

Text

not to make a legit au or anything, but consider a danny phantom au where The Accident (TM) happened to danny much earlier in life. like when he was a toddler earlier. and his parents are well, well aware.

danny, however? danny is not.

his parents, afraid of what they'd done had happened to their son, figured out a way to surpress his ghostly attributes and, though they leaked out in other ways, they always found some way to explain it away in order to protect themselves keep him safe.

eventually, whatever inhibitor they developed comes off, and now danny is at the mercy of his own powers. he never learned to control them, and they've been building inside him for a decade. he destroys a good city block when they're unleashed, entirely unintentionally.

he's angry, he's guilty, and he feels like something is destroying him from the inside out, so he runs away, for his safety and for everyone else's.

but his friends and his sister are not interested in letting him leave them behind so easily. they follow along after him, try to get him to trust that they won't leave him or lie to him, all the while plenty of other unsavory characters noticed him and are searching for him for their own purposes...

#danny phantom #why the fuck is there a legit au on this blog #why did i do this #get it off #dpau #bug posts #anyway danny was gaslighting for the majority of his life in this au so he has major trust issues!!#i think I'll call this tell your kids the truth au #tell your kids the truth au

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q-gorgeous · 3 years

Text

If You Go Out of This World Today

fanfiction

ao3

The Accident didn’t turn Danny into a half ghost, but instead allowed him to see, hear, and physically interact with the very real ghosts that are now pouring through the portal (Alternative: Danny’s always been clairvoyant, but after the accident he finally sees all of the ghosts he’d grown up talking to) prompt by @sapphireswimming

word count: 3358

yo another prompt hidey hey

Ember had been chasing Johnny and Kitty through the Ghost Zone when it happened. Suddenly she was tripping her way through a natural portal that had spontaneously formed in front of her and she tumbled straight into the human world. Before she could stand back up, the portal had closed already.

Looking around, she could see that she was in a bedroom. The walls were painted blue with stars stuck to the ceiling. There was a night light plugged into the wall and as she looked around her gaze landed on a small boy who was sitting straight up in his bed. He had black hair and blue eyes and he was staring at his closet with wide eyes.

“Hello?” He called. “Is someone there?”

Ember stays quiet, not ready to announce her presence. A few moments later though, a woman walks in through the door.

“Danny, are you alright?”

He points to his closet. “I thought I heard a weird noise. Can you look?”

She nods. She walks over to the closet and opens it, sticking her head inside. Looking back and forth, she calls back out to Danny.

“Nothing in here.”

“No ghosts?” Danny asks, lifting his blanket up to cover the bottom half of his face.

“No ghosts.” She confirms. “We’d know if there were ghosts in the house.”

Ember nearly snorts but holds the sound back.

“Now, it's time for bed.” She walks over to the bed and starts tucking him back in.

“Mommy! Can you sing me a song before I go back to sleep?” He begged.

His mom smiled and sat down on the bed beside him, brushing his hair out of his face. Then she began to sing.

“If you go out of this world today

You’re sure of a big surprise

If you go out of this world today

You’d better go in disguise.”

Ember frowned. That’s not how she remembered this song going.

“For every ghost that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Wretched ghosts?

“If you go out of this world today

You’d better not go alone

It’s pretty out of the world today

But safer to stay at home.

For every ghost that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Ember didn’t know what to make of this woman or her parody of this lullaby. Why was it about ghosts? Most people didn’t even believe in ghosts.

“Every wretched ghost, who’s been bad

Is sure of a treat today

There’s lots of wonderful things to do

And wonderful tests to try.”

Ember stared at the woman in horror. Did they study ghosts? Why did they hate ghosts so much?

“Beyond the clouds where nobody sees

They’ll hide and seek as long as they please

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Ember stood frozen to the spot where she stood. Realistically, she knew she should be escaping and trying to find a way back to the ghost zone right now. If this woman managed to find her and capture her, who knows what she’d plan on doing.

But on the other hand, what kind of mother sings about experimenting on ghosts to her kids? What if he’s in danger? The way his mother had sung that last verse had unnerved Ember, and while it seemed to have put the boy to sleep, it still left a sour taste in her mouth.

Looking at the boy in the small bed, her resolve hardened. She’d stay and watch over him. Or at least stay long enough to figure out if he’d be okay.

QQQQQ

It was a few days later when Ember first let something slip. Danny was watching cartoons in front of the tv downstairs and she laughed at something that happened in the show. Danny’s head had whipped to the side and looked in her general direction with wide eyes.

“Hello?”

Ember took in a sharp breath. Most humans couldn’t hear or see ghosts. She just happened to find one that could, but at least it didn’t seem like he could see her at all. She shouldn’t start talking to him but…

“Hi.”

His mouth dropped open. “Why can’t I see you?”

“Uh, well. Because I’m a ghost.”

“You’re a ghost?” He gaped at the empty air beside her head. “Mom-!”

“No! Shh sh!” Ember started waving her hands in a “no” motion even though he couldn’t see her. “Don’t tell them! If they found out I was here they’d try to trap me!” She had found the Fenton’s lab two days ago, and while it cemented the idea that this was a dangerous place for a toddler, it also scared the shit out of her.

“Trap you? How can they trap you if you’re a ghost?”

“Your parents are very smart people. They have all sorts of stuff that they’re building in the basement.”

“The basement? What’s in the basement?” He started climbing off the couch.

“Nope, nope! You’re not going down to the basement. It’s too dangerous down there.” Ember stood to block his path even though, again, he couldn’t see her.

He let out a whine. “That’s what mommy and daddy always say. I’m a big boy now! When will I be able to go into the basement?”

Ember shook her head. “Not for a long time I’d hope.”

Danny groaned and climbed back onto the couch, laying face down on it instead of facing the tv to watch the show. “Why can’t I go down there when they’re down there all day?” He asked quietly.

Ember frowned at him sadly and sat down beside his head. “Even big boys like you need to be protected from dangerous things. But! How about we hang out together? We can be buddies, small fry.”

Danny scrambled up into a sitting position excitedly. “Like an imaginary friend? Except for real?”

She chuckled. “Sure. Like an imaginary friend. Let’s go with that.”

Danny cheered. “Come on! Let’s go play superhero in my room!”

He charged up the stairs and she followed slowly after him, chuckling.

QQQQQ

“You’re doing what?” Johnny asked incredulously.

“Staying here.” Ember watched as Danny swung on the swings, his mother tinkering with an invention in her hands as she sat on the bench.

“What’s the fun in that?” Kitty asked. “What’s the point in staying here if no one can see you? How are you going to scare any of them?”

Ember scoffed, her brows drawing down as she looked at them. “I’m not here to scare anyone.”

“Then why are you here?” Johnny asked.

Ember fidgeted where she stood, looking at Danny. “I tripped through a portal into that kids room when I got here. Everything seemed pretty normal until his mom started singing a song about experimenting on ghosts.”

“So what? He’s not a ghost.” Kitty said bluntly.

“No, but what kind of parents sing about torturing something to their kid? I looked around their house and they have a lab full of weapons and a dissection table and everything! I don’t think it matters that he’s not a ghost, that’s not a safe place to be in. Half the time his parents forget to come up and feed them and his older sister has to make something to eat for the two of them.” Ember sighed. “I know what it’s like to come from a shitty home situation. I just want to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

Johnny and Kitty shared a sad look. Kitty spoke up. “We get that too, but what about your safety? If they’re ghost hunters they probably pose more of a danger to you than they do to him.”

Ember snorted. “As if. I don’t know how they got to be where they are but they are probably the most air headed scientists ever. They think their tracking devices are locking onto Danny somehow instead of me. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you end up fading-”

“What’s fading?” Danny asked suddenly.

Johnny yelped as he was interrupted, not noticing the boy approaching them. Ember chuckled.

“We can talk about that later. What are you doing over here, small fry?”

“I heard you talking to someone else. I wanted to come see who it was. It’s also boring playing by myself.” Danny pouted and kicked his foot in the woodchips.

“Well you’re in luck, little dip! I’ve got two great friends here who would love to play with us!”

“Wait-” Johnny said, waving his hands back and forth.

“What do you want to play?” Ember continued, ignoring him.

“Oohh, we can play ice cream man!” Danny said excitedly. He started running towards a plastic counter thing that was built into the playground. “Ice cream! Get your ice cream!” He shouted.

“Why are you dragging us into this?” Johnny asked.

“Loosen up a little bit, he’s just a kid. It’s not like you guys have to stay. Hello Mr. Ice Cream Man!” Embered said cheerily as she walked up to where Danny stood at the counter.

“Hello! What can I get for you today?”

“Hm.” Ember looked above Danny’s head at a pretend menu. “How about a strawberry ice cream cone?”

“Coming right up!” Danny bent over and reappeared a few seconds later with a pile of woodchips that he poured all over the counter. “Order served!”

“Thank you! Wow! Om nom nom, so delicious!” Ember said, pretending to eat her ice cream.

Danny swept the woodchips off of the counter. “Next!”

Johnny rolled his eyes but Kitty pulled him forward. “Hi! Can we get an ice cream sundae for two? It’ll be so romantic.” She fluttered her eyes at Johnny and he made a face at her.

“Coming right up!” Once again, Danny bent over but this time when he dumped the woodchips on the counter, it was an even bigger pile. “Order served!”

Kitty made pretend eating sounds and Ember was about to walk back up to the counter when she heard the voices of a couple of kids nearby.

“Can we have some ice cream?”

Two kids about Danny’s age walked up to him. One had big glasses on his face and the other had her black hair done up in two pigtails. Danny stared at them for a few seconds before responding. “Right! Yes. What flavors would you two like?”

The kid with glasses whispered in the girl’s ear and she approached the counter.

“Mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough?”

“Coming right up!” Danny bent over once again and picked up two handfuls of woodchips, placing them on the counter. The girl stared at them for a few seconds.

“Order served!”

She giggled and picked them up, bringing them close to her face. “Mmm, this is the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had.” She nudged her friend beside her, who was staring sadly at the woodchips.

“Huh? Oh.” He picked up his own pile. “Om nom nom. So good.”

The girl laughed again. “I’m Sam. This is Tucker.” Tucker waved. “Did you want to come play in the sandbox with us?”

He stared at her again, eyes wide, before his face split into a grin. “Sure! What are you guys playing?”

Ember waved goodbye to Johnny and Kitty as they announced their goodbyes. She followed Danny and his new friends across the park to the sandbox.

“We were just going to see how big of a hole we can dig.” Tucker says, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I think we can get to China.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time for that Tucker. My mom wants me home by four, remember?”

His shoulders slumped. “Oh yeah.”

Ember chuckled at them. Having friends Danny’s age will probably be good for him. She hasn’t seen one kid come over in the couple weeks she’s been staying with him.

“Wait what time is it now?” Danny asked.

He only got two shrugs in return.

“Come on, let’s go talk to my mom. Maybe we can convince her and whoever brought you guys to get us ice cream instead of playing in the sandbox.”

Sam and Tucker’s eyes lit up and they hurried after Danny as he ran to the bench where his mom sat, who had finally put her invention away and was reading a book instead.

“Mom, Mom! What time is it?”

She checked a watch on her wrist. “3:15. We’ll be leaving soon though, so you better finish anything you still want to do.”

Ember silently laughed at the panic that appeared on Danny’s face. “Can we find Sam and Tucker’s parent and get ice cream instead of staying in the park? Please?” He clasped his hands together and started begging, Sam and Tucker following suit.

“Who are-”

Maddie finally looked up at the three kids standing in front of her. “Oh! Why hello there! Danny! You made some friends!”

“Can we pleeeease get some ice cream?”

“Pleease?” Sam and Tucker chorused.

Maddie chuckled. “I don’t see why not. We have to go find your guardian first and ask them if you two can have some though.” She stood up and started packing her book back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

The three kids cheered and Sam and Tucker ran their way over to another bench on the other side of the playground.

“Mom! Me and Sam made a new friend! We were wondering if we could all get ice cream together!”

Tucker’s mom looked up and saw Danny standing shyly behind his mom, who waved.

“Hi, I’m Maddie and this is Danny.”

Danny waved.

“Hi! I’m Angela.” She looked back at Sam and Tucker. “You guys made a new friend? I think that’s cause for celebration.”

“We can get ice cream?” Sam asked.

“Yes, we can get ice cream.” Angela said, smiling.

All three kids cheered and started following their moms as they walked out of the park. Ember smiled. While she liked spending time playing with Danny, these were kids his age that he could actually see. She was happy for him.

QQQQQ

“Ghosts aren’t real, man.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, a furrow in his brow.

Ember looked away from a book she had finally learned how to pick up and turn invisible after years in the human world to see Danny and his friends looking at each other in frustration.

“Ghosts aren’t real. There’s no scientific evidence of them.” Tucker said, looking back at the tv where their game was paused.

“Well what about my parents' work? Their lifelong passion?”

Tucker shrugged. “There’s gotta be some explanation for whatever findings they have. It can’t be explained by ghosts. Have your parents ever seen a ghost?”

“No but not everyone can see ghosts.”

“Huh?”

“It’s called being clairvoyant.” Sam said. “It encompasses different kinds of things but it can apply to seeing the future or seeing ghosts and other things like that.”

“Do you believe me Sam?” Danny asked.

She shrugged. “It’s something I’d like to believe because I think it’s interesting but I can’t, not without solid proof.”

“But I have solid proof!”

“Okay what is it then?” Tucker asked, putting down his controller.

“I can hear ghosts. I’ve had one living with me for half my life. You know, Ember?”

Sam and Tucker shared a look. “You mean your imaginary friend?” Sam asked.

He shot her a look. “No, she’s not my imaginary friend. She’s a ghost that accidentally fell through a portal from the ghost zone and she’s been my friend ever since.”

Tucker took a deep breath. “No offense, dude, but I think you’ve got whatever your parents have that makes them go off their rockers. It’s probably just all in your head.”

Danny bristled. “I’m not crazy.”

Tucker rolled his eyes. “And I’m the pharaoh Duul Aman. Your parents are crazy. Even Jazz believes that and she’s lived her whole life with them too. Just drop it already. We’re not kids anymore.”

Tucker unpaused the game and after a few moments Danny turned back to the screen stiffly and started playing again.

After that Danny started talking to Ember less and less. She’d ask how his day went at school and she’d hear him mumble something about voices in his head and ghosts, but he didn’t respond to her. Which was fine. Teenagers did that. She was his friend but she could very well be another sort of mother figure to him, so it made sense.

One day when she asked him about his homework he finally exploded on her.

“Stop! Just stop talking! I don’t know if you’re a ghost or not but that’s crazy! Everyone at school thinks my parents are crazy so it must be true. I’m crazy. I’ve let myself believe an imaginary friend that I hallucinate about has been real for too long. It’s time to grow up.”

“Danny-” She started.

“No!” He shouted. “You’re not real! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”

Ember felt her heart drop into her stomach and she floated away from him. He looked around him, listening for her, before he took a deep breath and went back to his homework that he was working on.

QQQQQ

Ember didn’t stick around at Danny’s house as often anymore. She’d go fly around town on her own more and sometimes went back to the ghost zone for a couple days before another portal opened back up. She had just floated through the walls into the living room for the first time in a week when she heard Danny and his friends talking in the lab.

She felt prickles on her skin. Danny was fourteen now. She didn’t need to watch over him as much anymore. He was old enough to watch over himself now. But she had a bad feeling about the lab. His parents had recently finished building their ghost portal but it ended up not working.

She slowly floated down the stairs, apprehensive about being down there with all the weapons again, but just as she hit the bottom step and looked up, she saw a bright flash of green and heard a scream that rattled her to her very core.

Danny was in the portal, screaming and screaming as the portal turned on around him. Sam and Tucker were shouting his name from outside the portal, tears streaming down their faces.

Ember flew across the lab quickly and was about to reach into the portal but the ectoplasm powering it began to burn her skin. She hissed and pulled her arms away.

After a few more agonizing seconds, the swirling of the portal settled into a more gentle rhythm and when Ember reached out, the burning sensation was gone. She was about to reach in to find Danny when someone tumbled out and onto the floor.

Her heart dropped as she took in their appearance. It must’ve been Danny’s ghost. He was an inverted version of his human self, wearing the jumpsuit his parents had just finished for him two weeks ago.

“Danny?”

Sam’s quiet, croaky voice filled the lab. Danny lay on the floor unmoving for a few moments before he groaned and opened his eyes.

“Sam? Tucker? What happened?”

Sam’s bottom lip wobbled and Tucker stared at Danny with wide eyes. “Danny. I think- I think you-”

Tucker was interrupted as a bright flash of white light appeared and lit up the room. It traveled up and down Danny’s body, revealing a human boy.

“Ugh.” Danny groaned. “That did not help my growing migraine. What was that?”

Ember leaned further over him to get a look at the burns on his face when his eyes opened. He looked at Sam and Tucker first, and then his eyes kept traveling and met her own. His eyes widened and a shocked look appeared on his face, one she could feel mirrored on her own, as he looked straight up at her.

He whispered, his voice small and shaky.

“Ember?”

#gorgi writes #danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 21 #phic phight 2021 #Ember McLain #danny fenton #maddie fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #angela foley #johnny 13 #kitty #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #phic #team ghost

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supercasey · 4 years

Text

Dumb thoughts on the Child Avatars AU

I dunno, just some dumb ideas I’ve had since I started talking about the AU online/brainstorming about it. (Putting it under a readmore for everyone’s sake)

The “Daisy kidnaps Jon” situation in this AU is Daisy riding her bike to Simon Fairchild’s mansion, holding a water-gun up to both Mike and Jon’s heads, and ordering them to ride with her to the grocery store to buy soda and hang out at a nearby playground for the day. Cue Elias flipping tf out when Jon isn’t at Simon’s place when he goes to pick him up later, Simon being half asleep because he was napping while the kids hung out, and Mike getting soaked by Daisy before he agrees to go with her, and since this happens in, like, late fall or early winter, he gets pneumonia afterwards and can’t hang out for awhile, leading to the kids jokingly saying he’s dead. Btw the only reason the trio was found is because Basira was invited after they made it to the park, and she convinced Daisy to let the boys go home. Daisy literally only kidnapped them because she wanted to play with someone.

Also the Buried!Daisy arc is Daisy getting eaten by a Buried controlled sandbox and Jon jumping in after her. The rest of the kids, who thankfully witnessed this, spent the next three hours digging for them, with Breekon & Hope eventually joining in to help since they were in the area. Daisy and Jon form a trauma bond afterwards and are now best friends.

Jon keeps getting marked by shit and it’s stressing Elias out because hE’S NOT READY FOR THE WATCHER’S CROWN YET!!! He needs more time to prepare, but his son is literally getting marked faster than fucking Sonic.

Speaking of Sonic, seeing as the “Console Wars” (Sega vs Nintendo) are happening during this time period, the kids take the rivalry Very Seriously. The biggest arguments are had between Sasha, Daisy, Julia, and Mike, who are all on Team Sega, and Jon, Martin, Tim, and Danny, who are all on Team Nintendo.

Sasha, close to tears she’s so angry: “Sega DO what NintenDON’T, Tim!!!”

When Martin was born, he only had one thick clump of curly hair that was white, but as he’s grown older and entered the Lonely multiple times, more of his hair has begun to turn white. As of the time of the AU “starting” (so when he’s 8 years old), he looks like he has white highlights in his hair.

Trevor isn’t a fully-fledged Hunt avatar yet, but the girls more or less are, so if you’ve ever watched Wolf Children, that’s pretty much the situation Trevor is currently trapped in. His daughters keeping changing into wolf pups and running wild as he frantically tries to hide their powers from anyone who isn’t Gerry.

(All of the kids secretly know already, even Basira.)

Basira is pretty much the only “normal” kid of the avatar children, save MAYBE for Tim, but he’s been deeply marked by the circus and has a few tiny powers (think S3 Jon as he was figuring out some of his powers, but wasn’t a full-on Archivist just yet).

The season 1 gang (including Danny) are the closest group of friends in the AU, save for Daisy and Basira’s friendship, and they hang out a lot at each other’s homes on the weekends.

Adelard usually brings Jane with him for his “trips” away from the institute, so it’s not unusual for her to be gone for long periods of time. But she always sends postcards and gifts to the institute for everyone!

Helen is three years old, so theoretically she should be able to talk, but she rarely does so, preferring to communicate via giggles and laughter. Only Jon, the Stoker brothers, and Michael can understand her, and they take turns translating for everyone else.

Whenever she’s brought to the institute, Helen takes to toddling around after Jon and Martin, giggling up a storm the whole time. Jon finds it a bit annoying while Martin is endlessly amused by her antics.

A list of the guardian’s/adult’s ages before I fucking forget (as of when the AU “starts” in 1994): Gertrude Robinson - 62, Elias Bouchard “Jonah Magnus” - 51 (200+), Peter Lukas - 55, Simon Fairchild - 83 (300+), Gerard “Gerry” Keay - 30, Michael Shelley - 32, Alfred Grifter - Unknown, Adelard Dekker - 48, Nikola Orsinov - 30ish (100+), Annabelle Cane - 34 (Unknown), Trevor Herbert - 47, Agnes Montague - 25ish (60+), Jude Perry - 35, Jared Hopworth - 29, The Admiral - 10.

The “good” parents all keep trying to set up some kind of PTA meeting so they can actually talk about how to raise these supernatural kids properly, but it keeps going horribly wrong; last time they tried, Alfred Grifter and his band showed up and nearly made Simon go deaf, so no one wants to initiate the next attempt at a meeting.

Tbh, at this point the Fear rituals are more successful than Elias’s shitty attempts at forming a PTA.

At some point in the AU Gerry, Michael, and Trevor all pitch in to buy a decently big house together, which leads to some serious Shenanigans now that Melanie is around Michael and Trevor’s kids/wards... let’s just say there’s gonna be a lot of knife related accidents.

Gerry taught Melanie how to fight when he took her in and it is the single worst decision he’s ever made in his short, goth life, even if he’ll never admit it. Melanie can now beat the shit out of everyone but Julia and Daisy, and it’s pure chaos every time. Tim puts up a decent fight, but he’s been spoiled on easy wins over his brother all his life. Jon tries and fails to so much as push her. Martin runs away crying before Melanie even throws the first punch. Needless to say, the other kids are very cautious about playing with Melanie now.

None of the kids have an education of any kind except for Mike. I’m serious; the only kid who’s decently educated is being raised by Foxy Grandpa Off His Shits McGee! Julia and Daisy have had some public education but not much, Elias refuses to do anything but home-school Jon yet he sucks shit at math, Tim and Danny don’t even know what a school fucking looks like, Melanie and Jane were too young to go to school when they became avatars, Martin has only recently been allowed near other kids so fuck public school (Peter can do math but Nothing Else), Annabelle fucking forgot to give Sasha any kind of an education outside of Web stuff, and Helen is still a very small child. None of these kids have gone to school for more than a few years at most and dear g-d is that gonna suck for them later down the line.

As a result of this, Basira has taught the other kids a few things when she’s come over and insisted on playing “school” with everyone, but she’s still just a kid and can’t always get them to pay attention during her lessons.

Because of this Rosie, Gerry, Michael, and Gertrude have all started making an effort to more or less home-school all of the kids, which has gone... well enough, I suppose. However, things have recently taken a weird turn since Jon keeps giving everyone the answers to assignments/tests via telepathy.

Jon: Whoa, you can make tea all by yourself, Martin!? Martin: Yeah, I’ve been doing it by myself since I was a toddler. I can also do laundry, mop floors, vacuum, and cook a few things, too! Tim: Wow, that’s really cool, Martin! I wish I could do stuff like that. Gertrude, off to the side: *Gives Peter a horrified look* I’m sorry, but did Martin just say he’s been making tea on his own since he was a toddler? Peter: ╮(╯ _╰ )╭ Unfortunately, I’m severely depressed.

Yeeeeeeeah, Martin’s in a similar childhood situation to his canon one, but at least there are people actually willing to help him out of it in this universe. Also, Peter will clean himself up at some point here, he’s just still dealing with more or less disowning himself from his family and learning hoe to not be so lonely.

Speaking Of Which, the Lukas family are pretty big antagonists in this AU, primarily through Peter’s mother (I’ll come up with a name for her later if I can’t find it on the wiki), who is trying to kidnap Martin and more or less feed him to the Lonely so Peter will get over his “childish feelings” and return to being her favorite child.

And yes, she DOES accidentally kidnap Jon instead at some point... this kid can literally not avoid getting kidnapped.

I like to think Mike and Julia are really good friends in this AU, being the closest in age and all. They hang out a lot since their dads are both so chill and won’t get upset about it, the two of them mostly just playing video games, watching movies, and biking around their respective neighborhoods together.

(Also they may or may not be responsible for a statement that involves a woman seeing a “flying wolf” passing over London... they’ve yet to confess to it, but Elias is dead certain they’re behind the incident.)

The worms incident is 100% Jane’s secret worm collection getting fucking loose... she was keeping them in the walls “for safe keeping” and No One Fucking Knew, not even Elias, until Jon saw a spider, punched the wall, and Revealed them.

Jon and Tim got their scars because Jane lost control of the worms and they burrowed into the kids. Cue a very panicked 999 call from someone in the institute and Child Services almost getting involved, but Elias managed to cover it up.

Afterwards, Jon is incredibly self-conscious about his worm scars, but Martin tells him “now we both have freckles!” and it honestly makes him feel a little better about the whole thing.

Also Adelard makes an effort to track down a child psychologist/counselor with institute ties so he can get Jane some therapy/help controlling her powers. He loves her to the moon and back, and he’s terrified of her getting traumatized by what she accidentally did.

During the incident, a Notthem gets loose from Artifact Storage and attacks Sasha, but seeing as Sasha is of the Web and the Notthem is connected to a Web artifact, it only manages to really hurt her, but thankfully not kill her. She ends up hospitalized for a few weeks, but comes out fine later on. The table mysteriously disappears afterwards, and no one knows if it was Gertrude or Annabelle’s doing, but either way, the kids never have to deal with a Notthem again.

At some point I wanna get into Jon’s paranoia in season 2 for this AU, but I’m considering changing it from being because of the Jane Prentiss issue to be because of Mr. Spider almost killing him. I dunno how exactly it’ll play out, but I think it has a lot of potential!

Okay, before I end this post full of weird rambling ideas for the AU, I wanna make a list of the powers that the kids have at the time of the story “starting”/the ones they develop down the line because Jonny Sims himself said that all avatars have different powers, and I really wanna infodump on my thoughts for the kids!

Current powers of Jonathan Sims-Bouchard: Can simply know things whenever he wants to (so long as the Eye lets him, but the Eye sometimes keeps him from knowing anything he isn’t mature enough to handle), can compel people to tell him things (the other kids are better at resisting it, and so are other people touched by the Eye), can survive on very little food if he’s fed mostly statements/other people’s trauma, can non-consensually feel the pain and emotions of the people around him, has some weak telepathy powers, and he can subconsciously summon tape recorders.

Future powers of Jonathan Sims-Bouchard: Increased healing abilities, can know most anything if he tries, ability to resist other Eye avatars’ compulsions, can survive purely off of statements/other people’s trauma, can choose whether or not to feel the pain and emotions of the people around him, has much stronger telepathy powers than before, can force himself into people’s minds and read their thoughts, and he can summon tape recorders at will (though some still show up without his knowledge sometimes).

Current powers of Martin Blackwood-Lukas: Can disappear into the Fog for several hours at a time (he cannot be seen by anyone but other Lonely avatars while in the fog), can summon clouds of fog that he can momentarily hide things in (including people), can “banish” most anyone into the fog, and has “Sea Captain Eyes” (he knows where the Tundra is at all times, and can lead someone to it without a map or compass).

Future powers of Martin Blackwood-Lukas: Can change his hair color at will (only to red, white, and a mix of the two colors), can see much better in the Fog and can find anyone he’s pushed into it, can more or less teleport using the Fog, and he has what’s more or less a pocket dimension of fog for storage/hiding his friends from danger (think the inside of Gems in Steven Universe).

Current powers of Tim Stoker-Orsinov: Can make small bipedal toys “come to life” for a few minutes at a time (they can’t talk or communicate; only move around and perform small tasks/dances), can tell when a Notthem is masquerading as someone else, is supernaturally talented at gymnastics, and can dance alongside the creatures of the Stranger without being fully corrupted by them.

Future powers of Tim Stoker-Orsinov: Better control over the powers he already has as well as a high tolerance for the Spiral.

Current powers of Danny Stoker-Orsinov: Can order around creatures of the Stranger against their will, can tell when a Notthem is masquerading as someone else, can dance alongside the creatures of the Stranger without being fully corrupted by them, is supernaturally talented at gymnastics, and can change his voice to anything he likes (not always intentionally, though).

Future powers of Danny Stoker-Orsinov: Can more or less “teleport” to other circus locations by walking into theaters, can now change his voice to whatever he likes with his knowledge and consent, can take over as the Stranger’s ringmaster if necessary, can trigger a mesmerizing dance whenever he’d like, and has a high tolerance for the Spiral.

Current powers of Sasha James-Cane: Can communicate with spiders and have them send messages to other Web avatars, can read minds if she tries really hard, can “trap“ other entities in large webs that she can summon (takes a lot of energy), and she has Spider-Man-like abilities (can walk on walls and ceilings, can carry much more than her weight should allow, etc).

Future powers of Sasha James-Cane: Can now read minds without too much effort, can navigate almost any area that’s being controlled/influenced by the Web, can create webs without nearly as much effort as before, can transform her body to have more arms, legs, and eyes, and she now has venomous fangs (which can thankfully be controlled and/or hidden).

Current powers of Alice “Daisy” Tonner: Can turn into a wolf at will/when she’s especially emotional, can smell blood from several miles away, and has supernatural senses/physical abilities.

Future powers of Alice “Daisy” Tonner: Can now track most any monster she’s hunting once she gets at least one good look at them, can communicate with other Hunters via howling, and can navigate the Buried if needed (though this is very triggering for her and will cause her to pass out afterwards).

Current powers of Julia Montauk: Can turn into a wolf at will/when she’s especially emotional, can smell blood from several miles away, has supernatural senses/physical abilities, can track most any monster if she knows their name, can communicate with other Hunters via howling, and she can shift into a bipedal werewolf when she feels like she’s in danger.

Future powers of Julia Montauk: All of her previous powers have drastically improved, plus she has better control of them now.

Current powers of Basira Hussain: She has common fucking sense, something almost none of the other children have.

Future powers of Basira Hussain: She common sense AND she has a werewolf GF now. :) ((No dating for the babies, not until they’re at least teenagers))

Current powers of Melanie King-Grifter: Can listen to Grifter’s Bone without being damaged in any way, the music of Grifter’s Bone makes her powers exemplified for a period of time after she listens to it, the smell of blood triggers her to become violent, she can summon sharp weapons (knives, swords, etc) from thin air, and she can see a red aura around other people who have been marked by the Slaughter.

Future powers of Melanie King-Grifter: She has much better control of her abilities now, she can perform Grifter’s Bone songs for people and keep them from dying/going feral, and she can now also summon other weapons from thin air (guns, baseball bats, etc).

Current powers of Oliver Banks: Can see people’s deaths a week in advance via his dreams, he sees dark tentacles around people who are going to die soon, can see but not talk to ghosts, and he can smell death on anyone who’s undead/controlling other people’s bodies.

Future powers of Oliver Banks: Can raise the dead and control them to do his bidding (takes a lot of energy), can speak cat (not End related; Admiral related), and he can cause people to die within the week if he touches them in his dreams.

Current powers of Georgie Barker: Can see a “death countdown” over people who are going to die within the next thirty days, doesn’t feel any fear whatsoever, can see but not talk to ghosts, and she sees a dark sludge staining the clothes of people who have been marked by the End.

Future powers of Georgie Barker: Can bring people back to life for a minute or so by touching them (think Pushing Daisies type powers), can speak cat (not End related; Admiral is best cat dad), and she can communicate with ghosts much better now.

Current powers of Jane Prentiss-Dekker: Can summon bugs of most kinds from her mouth and under her fingernails, can communicate with bugs, and can fight off most diseases without any trouble.

Future powers of Jane Prentiss-Dekker: Can now completely control bugs via a hive mind effect, can summon bugs from anywhere on her body, has much stronger healing abilities than Jon, and she can see invisible bugs crawling on the skin of those who the Corruption wants her to get rid of (it’s hard for her not to give in to it’s desires).

Current powers of Mike Crew-Fairchild: Can levitate/fly at will, can summon clouds of any kind (rain, thunder, snow, etc) in any conditions, has much higher resistance to the weather/temperature, and he can “banish” people into the Vast at will.

Future powers of Mike Crew-Fairchild: Same as before, but with slightly better control than he had as a teenager.

Current powers for Helen Richardson-Shelley: Can change the world around her to be more like the Spiral (adding more doors, changing the colors of things, causing hallucinations, etc), can change any door into a doorway into the Spiral, and she can amplify her voice (very hard to control as a baby).

Future powers for Helen Richardson-Shelley: Can now summon doors that lead to the Spiral from thin air, has much better control over her powers and abilities than before, can morph her body to be longer and sharper at will, and she can “banish” people into the endless hallways of the Spiral.

((Holy shit, that took awhile))

Anyways, here’s a playlist I made for the AU, feel free to scream at me for my very weird taste in music: Pinky Swear That You Won’t Go Changing

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thelastspeecher · 3 years

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Best Revenge AU - Skins and Stones

Wow, a title that’s actually kinda clever for once. What a rare occurrence! Anyways, here, have Junior getting his power in the Best Revenge AU and thus resulting in his world effectively getting turned upside down.

——————————————————————————————

“We’re gonna need to dig out Junior’s child leash for Emory,” Stan said to Angie. He, Angie, and the kids were at the park, enjoying some fresh air and letting the oldest three run off their extra energy. Angie looked over at Emory, who, along with his twin Emmett, was a few months old. She raised an eyebrow.

“And you can tell that how?” she asked.

“He’s got that same devious look in his eyes.” Stan held up his son. “See?” Angie laughed. Junior ran over. Stan set Emory back down. “Hey, kiddo. Done on the playground?”

“Yeah. Can you play some soccer with me, Dad?” Junior asked eagerly. Despite being eight years old, his power hadn’t manifested yet. Thankfully, he didn’t seem bitter about it, even after Danny and Daisy’s powers came in when they were toddlers.

“You got it! Think you can handle the boys on your own, Ang?” Stan asked, already getting up. Angie rolled her eyes.

“Ya say that like I haven’t watched twins before,” she scoffed. Stan kissed the top of her head. “Go play a match with yer son.” Angie pulled the family’s soccer ball out of the stroller and handed it to Stan. “Junior, don’t go easy on him, okay?” Junior grinned.

“Wasn’t plannin’ on it, Ma.”

“Let’s see how many goals you can score on your dad, eh?” Stan said, following Junior to the flat patch of grass they used to play soccer on. “Go long.”

“Wrong sport,” Junior said, but complied, walking away from Stan. Stan set the soccer ball on the ground. “Any day, old man!” Angie laughed.

“He sounds just like ya, darlin’!” she said to Stan.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Stan said. “Ready, Junior?”

“Yep! Hit me!”

“All right.” Stan kicked the soccer ball. The second his foot came into contact with the ball, Daisy shouted from the playground.

“Junior!”

“Yeah?” Junior said, turning to see what his sister wanted.

“Wait-” Stan started. Before he could do anything, the soccer ball collided soundly with Junior’s face. “Junior!” Junior fell to his knees. “Shit!” Stan rushed over.

“What happened?” Angie called.

“He got hit in the head!” Stan shouted back.

“Oh, shoot!”

“Junior, you all right?” Stan asked, crouching next to his son. He put his hand on Junior’s shoulder. “You gotta look at me, kid, so I can see the damage, okay?” Junior looked up. Stan gasped.

“What?” Angie asked, joining the two. “Is his nose-” She gasped as well. “O-oh.”

“What?!” Junior squeaked. “What’s wrong?”

“I- uh-” Stan stared at Junior’s stone-gray skin. “…I don’t know.”

“Is my nose broken? It doesn’t hurt-” Junior touched his face. His eyes widened. “What’s wrong with my skin?!”

“Nothin’, dear, nothin’,” Angie said quickly. Stan ran a hand through his hair.

“Angie, I’m not opposed to making the kid feel better, but I don’t think we should lie.”

“No, it’s not-” Angie smiled at Junior. “Yer power came in, honey.”

“Huh?”

“I recognize it. Look at yer hands.” Junior did as he was told. He gaped. “You have the ability to turn yer skin to stone. Very useful to protect ya from things like gettin’ hit in the face with sport equipment.”

“Whoa,” Junior whispered, still staring at his hands. “How do I…” A shimmer passed over him, accompanied by his skin returning to normal. “Whoa!” He looked up, grinning ear to ear. “I’m a super!”

“You sure are,” Stan said. He ruffled Junior’s hair. “Go play with your sisters for a bit while your ma and I talk about this, okay?”

“Yer gonna have me get some lessons on my power, right?”

“Of course,” Angie said. “Now, go play with yer sisters.”

“Got it.” Junior jumped up and ran over to the playground to join his sisters. Stan and Angie stood.

“Where are-” Stan started, looking around. His gaze landed on the stroller, sitting nearby. “…Did you put the boys back in the stroller before you rushed over here?”

“They’re infants, Stan. I couldn’t leave ‘em unsupervised.”

“I know, I was just surprised you managed to do that so fast.”

“I’m quick on my feet,” Angie said, putting her hands on her hips. She sighed. “So. Junior’s power…”

“Yeah, there’s nothing like that in your side of the family, is there?” Stan asked. Angie shook her head. “Shit. It’s from Max.”

“Yessir. His grandfather and one of his older brothers have it. They call it ‘stone skin’.”

“Clever,” Stan muttered. Angie frowned at him.

“That ain’t the attitude I want to hear right now, okay? Junior’s got a power what we can’t help him with!”

“Is it really that bad? I mean, his skin just turns into rock sometimes. It’s not like you and Lute making tornadoes before you were toilet-trained.”

“Just ‘cause he can’t cause natural disasters on accident don’t mean that he can get away without trainin’,” Angie scolded. “He can’t be turnin’ into stone randomly!”

“He’ll figure it out. I mean, I did.”

“Why would we force him to figure it out on his own when we can find him a teacher?”

“Because the only person who could teach him is Max,” Stan snapped. “Remember? The man who abused you?”

��Bethany has been keepin’ an eye on him fer me. Since leavin’ the hero life, Max has been gettin’ his life together. Becomin’ a better man.”

“Angie…”

“One or both of us can be there during every lesson,” Angie said firmly. “Max knows full well that we can both take his ass down if he so much as gets a toe out of line.”

“Maybe there’s someone else who can-”

“There isn’t.” Angie met Stan’s eyes. “You know Junior needs lessons. And you know Max is the only person we can trust to teach him right.”

“Fine,” Stan spat. He kicked the ground. “We’ll get hold of Max and make him teach his biological son how to use his power.” He groaned. “Fuck!” Angie crossed her arms.

“I know yer not happy, but-”

“Angie. We have to tell Junior the truth.”

“Pardon?”

“He’s gonna figure it out! He’s got a power that isn’t from your family and isn’t from mine and a complete stranger is gonna have to teach him how to use it!”

“I-” Angie stared at Stan in horror. “Oh, no. Yer right.”

“God, Max is just- he’s gonna slip right in and take over my job as Junior’s dad.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he will. He’ll tell Junior he’s his real dad-”

“No,” Angie said firmly. “He won’t.” Stan looked at her. “I’ll contact Max and explain that Junior has a power from his fam’ly that he needs help controllin’, but say that he can’t tell Junior ‘bout their relation. All we’ll tell Junior is that he was sired by my ex-husband, who I left ‘cause he didn’t treat me right.” Stan nodded.

“Sounds good. I mean, I wish this wasn’t happening. But it’s the best option.”

“Yep.” Angie leaned against Stan. He put an arm around her shoulders. “That’s a conversation we can save fer home, though.” They watched Junior, Danny, and Daisy playing on the playground, their excited shouts carried by the wind. “We don’t need to ruin their fun trip to the park.”

“Yeah,” Stan said dryly. “We’ll just completely ruin his life later.” Angie elbowed him roughly. “Ow.”

-----

Stan closed the door to the nursery. On his way down the hall, he poked his head into Danny and Daisy’s room to check in on them. Their nightlight offered a faint glow in their room. Thankfully, they appeared to be asleep. He finished walking down the hall and entered the living room. Angie and Junior were sitting on the couch together.

“Boys are down,” he said, sitting on the other side of Junior. “The girls are asleep.”

“Good,” Angie said. Junior kicked his pajama-clad legs.

“Why are you lettin’ me stay up past bedtime?” he asked curiously.

“We have somethin’ to tell ya,” Angie said. “And we figured that it would be best to tell ya when yer siblin’s were asleep and couldn’t hear.”

“…Oh.” Junior looked back and forth between Stan and Angie. “Am I- am I in trouble?”

“No, little bean,” Stan said firmly. “You’re not in trouble. There’s just…” He sighed heavily. “I’m gonna cut straight to the chase. You got your power today.”

“Yep!” Junior grinned, showing off the gaps from his recently lost baby teeth. “Stone skin, right, Ma?”

“Yessir,” Angie said, stroking Junior’s straw-blond hair. “Did ya notice anything…odd about yer power?”

“Well…” Junior furrowed his brow in thought. “It’s different from my sisters’. Actually, it seems different from all the powers on your side of the family, Ma.” Angie nodded.

“That’s right. You didn’t get it from me.”

“Then I got it from your family, Dad?” Junior asked Stan. It felt like someone was squeezing Stan’s heart.

“You got it from your dad, yeah.” Stan put his hand on Junior’s shoulder. “But not from me.” Junior frowned. “Bean, technically, I’m your stepdad. Your ma got pregnant with you before I started dating her.”

“You- you’re-” Junior stared at him. “You’re not my real dad?”

“Junior, you have two dads: the one that made ya and the one that raised ya,” Angie said. Junior looked down at his hands. “Sweetie?”

“I-” Junior looked at Angie. “Who- who was the dad that made me, then?”

“My ex-husband.” Angie ran her fingers through Junior’s hair. “I was married ‘fore I met Stan. But it went sour and I had to leave fer my own safety. I didn’t know it, but I was pregnant when I left. With you, little bean.”

“Does he know?” Junior asked quietly.

“Your biological father knows about you,” Stan confirmed. “He saw you when you were a bit younger and connected the dots. You look like him, after all.”

“Yeah,” Junior mumbled. “I guess- I guess I know why I don’t look like you, Dad.” He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell him about me right away?”

“It wouldn’t have been safe,” Angie said softly. She took a deep breath. “He actually- he actually hurt me when I tried to leave him.” Junior’s eyes widened. He stared at Angie in horror. “Don’t tell no one, honey. Yer dad – Stan – is the only other person who knows.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police?” Junior asked.

“It’s…complicated. When yer older, I can maybe tell ya more. But right now, I’m tellin’ ya all that ya should know. Okay?” Junior nodded. “Yer adult fam’ly members know the truth ‘bout yer parentage. But none of yer cousins or siblin’s do.”

“I sure hope Emory and Emmett don’t know,” Junior mumbled. Stan chuckled. “So…you’re tellin’ me this ‘cause I woulda figured out that I didn’t get my power from either of you?”

“Basically, yeah,” Stan said.

“Would you have told me the truth if I got one from Ma’s side of the family?”

“Not at this age,” Angie replied. “But when ya got older, yes.” Junior nodded slowly.

“Am I…am I gonna have to meet my other dad?” he asked.

“Only if ya want to.”

“I don’t,” Junior blurted out. Stan felt a weight he hadn’t realized he was carrying leave his shoulders. “If you had to leave him and lie to him to be safe, Ma, and he hurt ya on your way out, I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Angie said. Junior nodded vigorously, tears standing in his amber eyes. “If ya ever change yer mind-”

“I won’t.”

“-I’ll set up a way fer ya to meet,” Angie continued, ignoring the interruption. “But right now, we want to keep ya happy and healthy. Right, Stan?”

“Duh,” Stan scoffed. He put an arm around Junior’s shoulders and squeezed. “Junior, you know you’re my kid, right? Doesn’t matter where you came from or who made you. You’re Stanley Stanford Pines Junior. My son.” Junior sniffed loudly. He leaned against Stan.

“I- I know, Dad,” he said in a quavering voice. Stan kissed the top of Junior’s head. “Can I- can I go to bed now?”

“Sure thing. If you have any other questions or wanna talk about this more, you let me or your ma know, got it?” Stan said. Junior nodded. “Good. Want me to tuck you in?”

“Y-yes, please,” Junior squeaked. Stan scooped Junior into his arms and carried him to his room, right next to Danny and Daisy’s. Angie followed. She watched from the doorway as Stan carefully tucked Junior in.

“Good night, little bean,” Stan whispered. He kissed Junior’s forehead.

“Night, Dad,” Junior replied. Stan walked back to Angie. He turned off the light. Angie closed the door, then promptly leaned against it.

“Oof,” she muttered.

“Hey, I think that went pretty well.”

“Oh, it definitely did.” Angie groaned. “But I think it gave me a few gray hairs.”

“Nah. I’m gonna go gray way before you, Ang, and I’m not gray yet,” Stan said dismissively. Angie chuckled. “I could use a drink, though. Do you want one? Wait, you’re breastfeeding.”

“Yes. I am. But the boys can get by on the stuff I pumped and froze until the alcohol leaves my system,” Angie said firmly. “I’m gettin’ alcohol tonight.” She cocked her head, smiling at Stan. “Aw, like how we met.” Stan laughed. “Want to serve me up some whiskey?”

“Only if you grab the bourbon.”

“Deal.”

#I've got some stuff with Max and Ma Pines planned #but it's slow coming. the muse hasn't been hitting me with the frying pan of inspiration much lately #kaljsdfknadfs this AU quickly became less about Stan landing his nemesis' ex-wife #and more about Junior rip #Best Revenge AU #Stangie Family #Stanley Pines #Angie McGucket #my writing #ficlet #my stuff #speecher speaks #Junior Pines

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luytenae · 4 years

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Johnny Joestar Headcanons

So, I was really bored and decided to write about my favorite Jojo, 𝓙𝓸𝓱𝓷𝓷𝔂! This is a mix of headcanons with some canon stuff.

So, here we go!

✰ Johnny was that typical doll-like perfect baby: curly blond hair, pale skin, pink cheeks, little freckles and big blue eyes that followed everything with curiosity. The clothes he used to wear also helped to mantain that look: in the Victorian era, babies from wealthy families used to wear dresses with plenty of ruffles, laces, ribbons, buttons and frills -no matter their sex- and bonnets. Nowadays he still has freckles; although not that many. They’re mostly on his cheeks and arms.

✰As we know, Johnny is the youngest of two brothers (being Nicholas 5 years older tan him). This, plus the fact that he also looked really fragile, made his mother really over-protective of him. This was usually seen as Johnny’s being Anne’s favorite, but she only wanted to protect his youngest son. The way his mom treated him made Johnny a shy, yet kind, child. That kindness made him adopt Danny, as well as taking care of Slow Dancer even if he knew that she was old and almost ruthless.

✰ His hair gets wavy in humid weather. When he was a child his hair was a curly mess after taking baths, but now it simply curls in soft waves, which he tries to straighten as much as possible.

✰He was born in Danville, Kentucky; so he has a heavy Southern accent. But since the Joestar family used to constantly travel to Britain -and actually lived there for some years-, Johnny added some British idioms to his vocabulary, thus resulting in a funny combo of British slang said in heavy Southern accent.

✰He grew up in a wealthy family -his father was tied to aristocracy, and also was a famous racer and breeder, having won the Triple Crown seven times and owning farms to breed racing horses-, so he’s a little bit of a spoiled brat sometimes. This status also made him picky over certain things, like food or baths.

✰Johnny was educated to be a “British gentleman” and, even if his own personality sometimes makes him fail at it, he still tries to behave as polite as possible. One habit that stayed with him was the one to note everything down, showing off his fine calligraphy and his accountant skills. The Joestar kid also knows Latin and Greek, as he was schooled. He even went to Oxford for a short period of time.

✰Johnny has never been fond of dark colours; he has always preferred to dress up in light ones. Luckily, they suit him.

✰Since he was a child, he has proved to be very perceptive of his surroundings, as well as being able to read the mood quite easily. Johnny is also good at focusing, what makes him a really good shooter -probably hunting would have been one of his hobbies, if he wasn’t kind and compassionate-. He has proved to being able to shoot at little and/or moving targets, even if firing from odd angles and perspectives.

✰Johnny loved his mother, and would try to follow her everywhere like a duckling would follow its mother. It wasn't surprising that his first words were "mama". His next word was "horsie", and would enthusiastically say it as he pointed to the horses in the fields when the family decided to take a walk around the farm.

✰In the Victorian era, it was common for toddlers to rarely be in contact with their parents; as they were mostly raised by a nanny. He did have a nanny -whom he loved deeply-, but his mother was still around at all times; she was always there for him. Despite breaking this usual thing, he was indeed raised to be like the stereotypical Victorian child: proper, polite and quiet.

✰The youngest Joestar loved to visit the horses in the family farms, enjoying their company. His fondness for these animals evolved into his skills as a jockey; as he also is well-versed in equine science.

✰Johnny was five when he first rode a horse, and his father quickly considered him a genius. The young boy quickly started to believe this as an irrefutable truth, his ego beginning to grow. Although he indeed is a genius with plenty of skills that allow him to ride across many types of terrain, or even challenge fellow genius jockey -ahem, Diego Brando-; having such a big ego ended up wounding him.

✰Even if George did praise his early horse-riding skills, the rest of Johnny’s childhood was marked by a strained relationship with him. His father was unnecessarily severe, to the point of physically punishing Johnny. He also favored Nicholas immensely, belittling the younger one with constant comparisons. After Nicholas’ death, George was convinced that “God had taken the wrong son” and took out his sadness and rage on Johnny. This cruel behaviour caused Johnny great pain, and an enormous feeling of inferiority.

✰Anne's death was a big shock for the youngest Joestar. He felt like he had lost the only support he had in the family; his mother would comfort him after his father scolds and punishments. She also happened to die a short time before Nick's accident. Johnny was 9 when his brother died; and around 7-8 when Anne died. His father cruel behaviour towards Johnny hurt him, and the little boy was upset because he didn't entirely comprehend why his mom wasn't coming back.

✰The only one who calls him by his full name -Jonathan- is his father, and he despises it. Nowadays, hearing his full name triggers something on him, reacting with some kind of fear. He was used to listen to his father call him only to point out his mistakes and scold him; so hearing “Jonathan” makes him have that kind of reaction.

✰He is a magnificent horse tamer, as seen with Slow Dancer: the horse was introduced as wild and ruthless, but she warmed up to Johnny, to the point of helping him get on her by hoisting him and rolling him down his neck and into the saddle.

✰After his father disowned him and threw him out of the Joestar household, Johnny, in shock, decided to shut himself off. With this, he also created a vain and narcissistic facade in order to hide the sadness this rejection caused him.

✰He tried to take Black Rose -Nicholas’ horse- with him when he was disowned.

✰After he was disowned, when Father’s Day arrived, Johnny used to spend the day in a sour mood, secluded and probably drinking, trying to forget his lame childhood.

✰With his pride harmed, he decided to prepare for the Kentucky Derby, winning it at the age of 16. He made it out of spite, trying to prove his father wrong and growing his own ego; maybe he couldn’t defeat Diego back in the UK, but he won the Derby. He still believes that winning the Derby was his greatest accomplisment.

✰When he was shot and paralyzed, Johnny felt his own pride crushing him: everything he showed off suddeny vanished. Unable to ride again, the horse-riding promise fell into oblivion; he lost all the friends and respect he had earned as a jockey. No one came to visit, leaving him behind; even his own father disappeared from his life, not even visiting him in the hospital. For that, Johnny is used to being abandoned: he forces himself to not get attached to anyone, since he believes that they’ll probably leave him.

✰During his stay in the hospital, the nurses used to dose him with morphine. They did it in order to shut him up –the poor boy was in terrible pain-, but for that, he got addicted to morphine. Luckily, it was only for a short time, since he managed to get clean several months after leaving the hospital.

✰Due to having such a big ego, now his past glory crushes him. He hates how he lost everything in such a pathetic way; but also believes he deserves it.

✰Surprisingly, his arms and chest are really strong; because he is always using them to crawl around and to lift himself.

✰Due to his light complex and weight, he is terribly ticklish.

✰He is a Christian, and believes in Fate and karma, but in a kind of wretched way. Johnny believes that, throughout the years, Fate itself was taking revenge on him for his misdeeds; and that he deserved every misfortune he received. His obsession with the Corpse showed his obsession with karma too, and how he wanted to reset it to a neutral state, paying off his negative debt. His beliefs in Fate explains his lack of confidence and constant panic of losing everything, since he firmly believes that Fate could at any moment take away his hopes.

✰Johnny has depression and, for this, a lack of confidence. He considers himself a useless person, a burden, and unworthy of love. This gloomy perspective of life came from his youth, making him a pessimistic man.

✰TW//suicide. He has considered -and tried- to commit suicide; but he couldn’t. He claims that it’s because he’s a “coward that hates pain, and doesn’t have the balls to finish everything”; but, deep down, it’s because he holds on to even the smallest hope.

✰TW//self harm. He has several scars: the ones on his arms are smaller, and were self-inflicted -self-harm and suicide attempts-. He also has some scars on his legs, caused by wounds he got by trying to stand up, walk and ride; but the biggest scar is the one covering half his back, as a memento from the accident. The bullet left a mark, surgery made it ugly, and the abuse he endured during his stay in the hospital made it worse. Therefore, he now is ashamed and self-concious of his back.

✰Seeing his legs makes him feel weak, and he hates that. He also despises feeling as defenceless as when someone picks him up to carry him without his consent. He truly hates feeling powerless, and it also makes him incredibly angry -and lowkey sad-. He can only tolerate this if it’s someone who he deeply trusts and knows, and only if he has asked for it.

✰At first, he wouldn’t let anyone touch neither his legs nor his back; but after warming up a little, he would tolerate caresses and gentle pats.

✰He also hates when people look at him with sorrow or as if they were pitying him. He may be disabled, but he’s still perfectly capable of plenty of things. Usually, he will reject any kind of help as politely as possible, but his anger will show.

✰Meeting Gyro made him throw away his harsh facade. At first, he was uncaring of everyone else save himself, only maintaining a polite but cold demeanour towards people he met; but Gyro’s influence made Johnny slightly more friendly.

✰ Gyro also made a great impact in Johnny’s perspective of life; not all of a sudden, but in gradual steps. The Italian man gave him hope, helped him to knock out his lack of confidence, gave him some assurance and optimism and also was genuinely nice to him, making Johnny grateful for meeting him. He treasures their relationship deeply.

✰Johnny doesn’t belittles Slow Dancer for being old, as he knows that she has plenty of experience as a Racing horse, and plenty of stamina. He truly knows his mare, possessing great knowledge of her: he knows and perceives her abilities and limits, and is able to predict what Slow Dancer will be capable of. They have grown quite close to each other, and she ocasionally nudges and licks him gently. Johnny loves this.

✰Sometimes, to kill some time, he and Gyro will exchange curses and slang in their respective languages. Gyro finds American sayings strange.

✰Gyro and Johnny had a hard time understanding each other in the beginning of their relationship: the older man had a thick Italian accent, and Johnny had to decipher what the hell was he trying to say. After a while, they grew used to each other's accents, but Gyro still made fun of Johnny's.

✰ His determination doesn’t waver, despite having failed several times. Johnny focuses on his goals, and puts them above anything else. He is also willing to endure severe wounds in order to reach them. And if you also add his stuborness…

✰The man is REALLY stubborn. If he wants to get something, he WILL, no matter what. If he has to, he will be violent or kill his opponents. This is called as “dark determination flickering in his eyes”, indicating a ruthlessness which would make Johnny able to kill in cold-blood. For this, he may seem amoral and selfish, even extending this to the interest of his loved ones. Yet he isn’t truly amoral, protecting defenceless people and taking damage to protect the ones he cares about.

✰He’s rather impulsive and hot-headed, which makes him take action as soon as possible. Sometimes, he might end up regretting not thinking BEFORE acting.

✰ Johnny would do anything for his loved ones:

Even if he’s afraid of his father, he has always tried his hardest to live up to his expectations.

He loved Nicholas deeply and looked up to him as an idol, and blames himself for his death. After he died, he became guilt-ridden, believing that his brother’s death was his own fault and that he should have died instead.

He was willing to abandon the Corpse Parts he had to save Gyro.

(JOJOLION SPOILERS!) When Rina was struck with the Rock Disease, Johnny stole the Corpse to make it transfer the disease away from her, not caring who would receive it and suffer in her place. But when the disease transfered to his son, he healed him by transfering it to himself, dying in order to save his wife and son.

✰He’s the CEO of being done with everyone’s bullshit. He’s angry 85% of the time, and usually cries out of anger.

✰ He’s also a sarcastic little shit. Any stupid questions you make him will be answered with his fine sarcasm.

✰He’s HORNY! This is shown with his bug bite fetish and the fact that he has been involved in at least one threesome. He doesn’t mind empty sex either -as he slept with several girls who came to him only for his fame-. He’s also bisexual.

✰When it comes to affection, he prefers to show his emotions through actions. For him, they speak louder.

✰Regarding to affection, Johnny will deny it; but he is touch-starved. The man really loves hugs and physical contact. He likes to hold on tight and get as close as posible. Since he doesn’t usually speak out loud his emotions, he will show them physically. However, he would rather be held, feeling loved and protected.

✰He feels guilty when someone falls in love with him, since he believes he’s not worthy of happiness nor love. He tends to think that he’s making them waste their time on him, when they could be with someone who could provide them with what they deserve. He can’t help but compare himself to others, belittling himself.

✰When he has a crush, he will do anything to deny it. He doesn’t want to admit how someone began to be so important to him, and is afraid that “Fate” might take them away from him. If he has to avoid them, he will; just to get away and not face his feelings.

✰George does reconcile with Johnny, and feels ashamed of how he treated his own son. He claims to be proud of him now, and even gives Johnny Nicholas’ boots. At first Johnny was resentful and wasn’t planning on forgiving him, since he believed that his father was only coming back for his recovered fame. After a couple weeks he decided against that, forgiving George and honouring him by naming his only son after him.

✰Nicholas’ boots were one of his most beloved possessions, and were passed down as a family relic.

✰If Rina had allowed him to name their daughter, he would have called her Anne, in honour to his mother.

✰In Japan, the Joestar-Higashikata family lived in a farm. Although the place is designed in the Japanese traditional way, Johnny couldn't help but give it some Western touches, specifically to the barns. These ones were designed to be as similar as the ones his father had in Britain and Danville. It made Johnny nostalgic, but in a gentle and warm way; he purposefully made them like that, so he could remember his roots.

✰They were quite wealthy: not only for the Higashikata's fruit business, but also for Johnny's connection with the Japanese government.

✰As a horse-riding teacher, his pupils loved and respected him deeply. Johnny liked discipline -as he took his profession seriously-, but was also very kind to them, treating them with the respect he never received.

✰Obviously, he taught his children to ride as early as possible.

#jojo's bizarre adventure #johnny joestar #steel ball run

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pettywhite · 3 years

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❝ noah isabelle emerson ❞

35 ⋆ the broken ⋆ despondent ⋆ the gloomy day ⋆ the phoenix

tear soaked pillows ⋆ under eye bags ⋆ restless nights ⋆ apologetic ⋆ broken glass ⋆ oversized sweaters ⋆ messy buns ⋆ band-aids ⋆ heartache ⋆ meaningful tattoos ⋆ whiskey breath ⋆ passive aggression ⋆ bloody knuckles ⋆ bar fights ⋆ ripped jeans ⋆ holes in walls ⋆ cigarette burnt sweatshirts ⋆ black eyes ⋆ profanity lace yells ⋆ plaid shirts ⋆ leather jackets ⋆ sneaking out ⋆ empty beer bottles ⋆ smoke clouds ⋆ doc martens ⋆ black backpacks ⋆ sarcasm ⋆ ray-bans ⋆ mindless sex ⋆ sleepless nights ⋆ white powder lines

tw: alcoholism, car crash related death, death of a toddler

Noah grew up an only child, struggling with the fact that her father was rarely around and when he was, all her parents did was fight and argue with one another. It wasn't a stable household to grew up in, but it helped in molding her to become the person she is.

Her mother was a hard worker all Noah’s life. She juggled multiple jobs to keep her and her daughter's head above water. The house they lived in was inherited by her father and paid off by her grandparents, which was a bit of a relief. However, he never contributed to the household in general.

She really struggled to love her father and create a connection with him. When she was twelve, she learned the man was a playboy--regularly cheating on her mother and running off to gamble whatever money had managed to get his hands on.

It was also around this time that her mother decided to take her life back from being attached to Thomas Emerson. The divorce wasn't messy, but Noah feared moving and losing out on the home they lived in. Luckily, her mother got the house in the divorce.

When she was sixteen, her mother re-married Evan Jones. The two of them continued living in Miriam’s Well until Noah felt she was old enough to live on her own. Evan then moved her mom to the country where they now run a horse ranch and live a healthy life together.

When she was in college, Noah met Cain Oakley. Their love was a whirlwind and they married pretty damn quickly. With him, she had two children--Joy and Danny. When Danny was only three months old, her husband and daughter were killed in a car accident that left Noah with a life-long leg injury as well. If it hadn't been for her son, Noah likely would have lost her mind. And her life.

She now struggles with alcoholism and the ability to open her heart to people. But when she learned her father was ill, she found her way back to him. after years of not seeing him.

She runs Starlight Diner--a place her husband inherited from his family and left in her name as well. It keeps her somewhat sane, or so she claims.

plot ideas

the oakleys - her husband’s family! i imagine his parents are still alive and he had at least one or two siblings she can either be close with or have issues with. honestly, this is entirely open to play around with. i’d just love connections for her outside of her friends and if they’re slightly antagonistic, so be it.

the digital friendship - okay so this i’d like to see become romantic. but she participates in online group therapy that’s kept anonymous. there are people from miriam’s well and other places involved--mostly people who suffer from survivor’s guilt. it’d be interesting is this is someone she interacts with one a daily and maybe they do or don’t get along--i’m totally open to discussing. but it takes them time to uncover each other’s identities? we can figure out their backgrounds and gauge their chemistry.

sandbox love - please check out kai’s request here and make the rest of the crew! noah here is the broken and really needs the rest please.

starlight employees - “Soon after the alien invasion (or “invasion,” depending on your view), the Starlight Diner was founded. Located in the heart of Downtown, Starlight Diner boasts a large selection of space-themed items, including Nebula Nachos, Andromeda’s Apple Pie, and Parsec Patty Melt, among others. Over the years, as tourism has declined, Starlight has faced hard times, but they persist! Every year, they throw an Out Of This World™ party on the anniversary of the invasion, which is a hot ticket. The waitstaff all wear headbands with UFOs attached to them and are ready to talk your ear off about what they really think happened that fateful day in 1967. Starlight has grown in popularity again since the release of DOOMSDAY, and now, there’s often a wait for a table in the evenings.” -- all that information is copied and pasted from the google doc provided by our lovely admins. i’m working on a more cohesive request, but until then, please make the employees! i don’t have a solid list of positions right now, but don’t hesitate to ask!

starlight drive-in - a makeshift drive-in theater that only runs on weekends from memorial day to halloween, the drive-in is in need of paid volunteers to run the popcorn & concessions, check tickets, and make sure there’s not funny bidness happening. oh and to run the movies as well. these people are tight-knit and probs work at the diner too, but don’t have to! honestly, it’s all open, but please make them! fun shit!

#halfmoonrp #ch: noah emerson

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byorder-fanfic · 4 years

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The Mechanical Dragon

Summary: Marion Qing was born with a spanner with her hand, and Arthur Shelby was born with a paintbrush in his. The two spend their youth in Charlie’s Yard, with Peaky caps proud on their heads. But what happens when war tears their lives apart?

Word count: 2499

Warnings: Mentions of racism, war, amputation, mental health

Author’s Note: This is an idea I’ve had for a while, and I hope I did alright. I have lots of Peaky Blinders OC one shots like this in my drafts, so look forward for some more! If I've said anything incorrect or offensive, please correct me. Hope you enjoy xx

Marion Qing was practically born with a spanner in her balled up fist. That's what her mother always proudly said to her friends, as they all watched the toddler graduate from jigsaw puzzles to pulling apart a clock that'd stopped ticking. Ever since she could walk, she had always trotted to where sparks flew and fires burnt as blacksmiths laboured over steel benches. Ever since she could talk, she had asked question after question about the hows and whys the mechanics worked. That was how she met the Shelbys. She had found her way through Small Heath to a little Yard that was thick in craftmanship and (although she did not know at the time) stolen bits and pieces she ached to tinker away at. Suffice to say, she had ran as fast as she could when a very surprised Charlie Strong found the ten year old sat on the floor, her grey dress thick in soot as she managed to work out how to fix the gramophone that had been collecting dust. Only, as she turned back to check that she wasn't being followed, she hurtled into the chest of a very surprised teenager, Arthur Shelby Jr, who had been sketching some horses from his Uncle's stables. After explaining her predicament, he had merely laughed and walked her back to Charlie, who was holding up the gramophone with an agape mouth that turned into a coy grin when he saw the girl slowly make her way back, holding hands with his eldest nephew.

"So, how'd you like a job?" He said. Although he'd deny it every time Arthur brought it up, the grumpy man managed the smallest ghost of a smile when Marion laughed and hugged him with her thin arms.

The rest is, as they say, history. Arthur had introduced her to the rest of his family, who had been more than welcoming to her. She and Tommy were the same age, and she was the best mentor for Ada, teaching the girl how to win fights against her brothers. Polly had been sceptical at first of the small girl with a loud voice and a joking personality to rival John's, but then Marion brought her a rose twisted from metal sheets she'd found, and her heart was taken with the little girl. The Shelbys had been her top defenders, fighting boys that made lewd comments and threatening to cut off the eyes from anyone who pulled their eyelids in a taunting manner. In response, she'd break the noses of anyone who threw slurs at the brothers and nearly killed one boy who'd gotten too handsy with Ada before the rest of them could lift a finger. Marion grew up like the boys, her skinny frame filling out into lean muscle and strong arms that proved she could fend for herself. She was a part of the Shelby siblings hand me down clothes cycle, always getting Arthur's old shirts and slacks that she'd have to cuff a dozen times to fit. She was permanently covered in oil and grease, which Tommy used as an excuse to avoid her plentiful hugs. Arthur, however, didn't care if he was in his Sunday best- he was already ready to drop whatever he was doing to hold the girl in his arms, coming away with second-hand stains and a big smile. When they joined the Peaky Blinders and rose their way to the top ranks, Marion had her very own razor blade cap that John had sewn for her (a little bit of his blood dried in the seams- he had nimble fingers, but it was a tricky project) as she paraded around Small Heath, safe and happy. Charlie was practically a father to her, since hers had died long ago, teaching her everything he knew and watching her learn things herself. As he got older, he'd just sit back and watch as Arthur and Marion slid under rusting cars, laughing along to their jokes and teasing that always occurred between the three musketeers of mechanics. When his sister died, Marion made him his very own frame with a black and white photo of the late Rose Shelby in. It was before the plague of Arthur Shelby Sr settled in her eyes, like death in the baby blue irises. She was shaking as she gave it to him, the only time she had, and ever will shake. She had been expecting a nonchalant reply or a little gruff huff, but he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly, whispering a soft 'thank you' in her ear.

When the boys went to war, she worked in the factory, building munitions for them to fight with. When she wasn't working, she was at Charlie's Yard to help out with the odd bit of work, and distract herself from missing the laughs of the Shelby brothers. She helped teach Finn to write when Polly was busy with business and Ada was off organising Communist meetings, and had helped him write many letters to be sent off to France. Sometimes, she'd help Martha with the kids, but she was never any good at babysitting. Rather, she fixed cribs and built a cot mobile for baby Katie. It was the second year after they'd left when the accident happened. Well, the factory called it an accident, but Marion knew it was a product of purposeful neglect and tight funds. As a particularly experience blacksmith, she'd been given the more technical work of building bombs and other explosives. One faulty piece of machinery, probably taken from Charlie instead of properly bought from a proper shop, and the trigger was set off. Thankfully, she had thrown it before she ended up all over the walls. Unthankfully, the explosion had blown her very heavy table (that was supposed to be secured onto the floor) into her. She'd trapped her leg, shrieking so the whole of Small Heath could hear. They'd had to amputate. It wasn't too bad, though. With a little bit of wood and nails, Marion had fashioned her own prosthetic. As a woman, she was used to strapping her stockings up, so, with a piece of leather, she managed to attach the limb to a sturdy garter to keep it on. She didn't go back to the factory, which had received an earful of complaints from every Shelby woman, and a lot of strong words from a red faced Finn and a morally supportive Isaiah Jesus nodding in the background. Instead, she stayed at the betting shop, doing errands where she could and fixing horse shoes and the like.

When the boys came back, they were in for a shock. Not only was little Finn taller than they remembered and Polly wasn't drinking so much, but their Marion had lost a bloody leg!

"Why didn't you tell us?" Arthur demanded as soon as he put her back on the ground. He'd picked her up and swung her about as soon as he saw her, before he realised there was a limp block where her leg should be.

"Wanted to see your face," she shrugged nonchalantly as John less-than-subtlety gawked at it, earning a nudge in the ribs from Martha. "I'm glad I did- it's a fuckin' picture, mate!"

The rest of the boys sent off to France had a similar reaction. It was the funniest thing she had ever seen when thirteen year old Isaiah and ten year old Finn were reprimanding fully grown blokes from staring at her. They'd both been there as she whittled the wood, offering to help at every single moment. It annoyed Polly endlessly, wondering why all the enthusiasm couldn't be devoted for doing errands for the betting shop. It was all false complaints, as the boys were doing something other than worrying for the next letter, and learning some useful skills, like woodwork. The boys also helped her with her surplus of jokes on the matter.

"How'd it happen?" Danny had asked the first night back, as they all sat in the Garrison, Freddie and Tommy in the middle of some sort of dispute the rest were attempting to politely ignore.

"Ah, well, it's a tragic story." She said it loudly and theatrically, clutching her chest. She no longer wore Arthur's hand-me-downs, opting for her own softer shirts that smelt fresh and new, until she spilled whiskey and petrol on it. Isaiah and Finn gave each other knowing looks. God knows how the boys managed to convince Polly and Jeremiah to let them come along. But, with two glasses of tap water and an understandable amount of clinginess to their family who had left for years, they were hardly in any trouble.

"She barely survived," Isaiah echoed as he attempted to get even closer under his father's arm (if that was even possible), who was watching him fondly.

"She's a true hero!" Finn raised his glass like he'd seen his brothers do plenty of times before, earning a scoff and affectionate hair ruffle from Tommy, as Arthur sat back in his seat, waiting to hear more. John wasn't there, instead he was spending his first night home with Martha and the kids. He was happy to be back and more than happy to babysit every day, especially with Martha feeling under the weather recently.

"Well?" Freddie asked, resting his elbow on the back of his chair.

"It was 1916," she said solemnly. Polly and Ada shared a roll of their eyes, going unnoticed by the boys. "Business was hard, me and my ma didn't have enough money for the flat." She let her face go blank, silently praying Finn could keep his giggles in for a second longer. "So I had to get money another way."

"You sold your leg?" Tommy sounded astonished, his wide eyes believing the lie she was feeding him. Then everyone started laughing, and he rolled his eyes.

"Nah," she grinned against the rim of her glass, as the rest of them shared snicker and a sigh and cocked their eyebrows at it. "Factory had faulty parts whilst I was building some explosives, it knocked a bench onto my leg and crushed it."

"Fuck," Danny whispered, looking at her with wide eyes. The rest of them looked at her sympathetically, a look she didn't enjoy.

"Oh well," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Guess I can join you idiots with one foot in the grave, hey?"

The Garrison was filled with laughter, Arthur bringing one arm around her as his booming voice carried through the room. They spent the rest of the night celebrating, instead of wallowing, something they were all thankful for.

Arthur was fascinated by it, always asking if it hurt or how did she make the joints move so well. Marion wasn't too bothered, happy to give him a distraction from his 'Flanders blues'. He was the only one she told about the phantom pains, and he confided in her about the nightmares, each holding on to the other in their struggles, each trying to help the other. When she asked him to paint it for her, he gave her the sweetest, wide-eyed look of astonishment that made her giggle.

"Are you sure?" He repeated that about a thousand times, more so when he actually set out the acrylics he got when he was younger.

"Yes, I'm sure," she'd always reply, with a roll of her eyes. The final result was beautiful. When Arthur had dragged her away from Charlie's Yard (cautious of the walking stick she'd been using whilst her leg was temporarily out of use), she felt excitement course through her, heart beating faster as she stumbled up the stairs to Arthur's little room. He'd sat her on the bed, leaving the stick on the floor as he turned around to show it off. She'd expected horses, as that was always the thing he'd draw the most. Instead, she saw red. From the ankle to the thigh, a scaly, scarlet creature coiled around the wood, intricately and painstakingly painted in a familiar fashion.

"A Chinese dragon?" Her voice was breathless. She'd grown up isolated from her culture, just like how the Shelby family had lost their Romani roots when their father forced them to settle. There were many Chinese families around Small Heath though, who spoke in Cantonese and Mandarin that she longed to understand, and wore pretty patterns that she envied. She'd told Arthur all this when they both got pissed on her eighteenth birthday, just a bit before Finn was born. That was the first time they'd kissed...and did other things, although they'd never spoken of it since she woke up alone.

"Yeah, I remember, y'know, that night..." he sounded unsure, eyes darting everywhere but in her eyes, hands twisting his cap together. "And, well, I thought it'd look pretty. So, I went to the suit shop, and asked for a pattern to copy. I wanted to make sure it wasn't...y'know, uh, offensive or nothin', but if it is, I can go over and try somethin' else, or-"

She cut off his blabbering with a rough kiss, teeth clattering and her giggles as his moustache tickled her. He hadn't had that at twenty one, but it wasn't an unwelcome addition. Her newly painted prosthetic sat between them on his bed, digging against her right knee as Arthur tried to pull her closer in his eager kiss. Thy broke apart, him blushing and her smiling. With an arched eyebrow, she pulled up her skirt (she didn't wear them a lot, but it made the process easier when she did), revealing to Arthur her knickers and the garter belt she'd fashioned after a few lessons from Polly, below the straps was the scarred stump, ending a few inches above where her knee once was. She noticed his wide eyes with a little bit of newfound shyness as she slipped the cushioned end around her scars, clasping the leather straps onto the belt with a few clicks.

"That's fuckin' amazing," Arthur whispered as she looked up at him. He started to blush again. "Listen, Mari, I...I want you to know that, when we were eighteen, right, and I...when we...well, I shouldn't have left ya." He sighed, looking down to his empty hands. His cap had fallen to their floor once his attention was diverted elsewhere, and he was attempting to replicate the twist of material with his rough hands. "I loved ya then. I love ya now. I just didn't know, still don't...how I'm supposed to be good enough for ya."

"You know," she said, admiring the dragon that flew up under her skirt (she was certain Finn and Isaiah were going to awe at the painting). "Just don't leave again, okay?"

"Okay," he breathed out, pulling her onto his lap (successfully, this time) as he kissed her again, making a silent promise to himself that he'd never let go.

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fluff #peaky blinders oc #arthur shelby #arthur shelby x oc #john shelby #tommy shelby #isaiah jesus #finn shelby #charlie strong #polly gray #ada shelby #freddie thorne #danny whiz bang #jeremiah jesus #martha shelby

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robinskey · 5 years

Text

Robin’s Confession (Steve x Reader)

Request: hey!! could you make steve x fem!reader where robin has a crush on steve’s girlfriend(reader) and robin gets drunk and tells steve this ! tyyy

A/N: Thanks for requesting, anon! I LOVE Robin, so this was a blast to write. Hope you like it!

Warnings: Swearing, underage drinking (legal drinking age in the US is 21)

Taking Robin with you to a house party was a truly terrible idea.

You’d told Steve this multiple times. Robin was only a year younger than you and your boyfriend, sure. But in terms of experience with alcohol, she was lightyears behind you. Until recently, Steve had been known as the “Keg King” of Hawkins High, and though you weren’t as interested in drinking, you’d been to your fair share of parties with Steve.

Robin, on the other hand, had never attended a party in her life. (Unless you count the annual Band Bash hosted by the mother of Gregory Allen, the star tuba player.) Sure, Robin had sampled some watered-down wine on special occasions, and she’d even managed to sneak a few sips of her father’s beer once at a particularly chaotic family reunion. Other than that, though, she’d never built up a tolerance to alcohol, unlike most Hawkins teenagers. Since there wasn’t much else for kids to do in the small town, drinking was more of a hobby than anything else; if you walked around without a red Solo cup, it wouldn’t be long before someone shoved one into your hand.

You didn’t want to expose Robin to that sort of environment. In many ways, Robin was more mature than you and Steve would ever be. However, you two had graduated, and she still had a year left of high school. You saw her like the little sister you’d never had-someone you needed to protect.

To Steve, though, Robin was his best friend. He wanted to hang out with her-outside of work, that is. He saw her nearly every day, but with her still in school and Steve working full-time, they rarely had a chance to see each other. Besides, Robin was always asking about you. Steve figured a party would be a great chance for all three of you to catch up.

One night, the two of you were cuddled up on his sofa, watching a movie together. Suddenly, Steve looked at you with his big, sad puppy dog eyes.

Before he even opened his mouth, you knew what this was about. One of your friends, Jennie, had just gotten engaged. She wanted to celebrate in the way any rambunctious, slightly-redneck nineteen-year-old would: by throwing a raging house party while her new fiancee’s parents were out of town.

“Fine,” you had huffed. “But please, please watch her, okay? Make sure she doesn’t drink too much before she even realizes what’s about to hit her.”

“You’re the best, baby,” Steve had said, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he hopped off the couch.

“Where are you going?” you called as he wandered into the kitchen.

“To call Robin,” he answered, “and tell her the good news.”

That’s how, a few days later, you find yourself in Jennie Hayfield’s boyfriend’s basement. You’re sitting between a somewhat-sober Steve and a definitely-inebriated Robin, whose head was laying in your lap. Steve sits a few inches away from you, just far enough so that his thigh doesn't accidentally brush yours. Usually, Steve would be the one you were holding. However, you’re not exactly pleased with your boyfriend right now; somehow, in the ten minutes you’d left him alone with Robin, she’d managed to down three shots of vodka.

So much for Steve being a “damn good babysitter.”

“You guys are my best friends in the whole wide world. I love you both so very much,” Robin is saying, her words slurring together. She gazes at you with glazed-over blue eyes and reaches up to boop your nose. “Especially you, Y/N.” Robin’s voice drops to a stage whisper as she adds, “Don’t tell Steve, but you’re my favorite,” then bursts into a fit of giggles.

“What are we going to do, Steve? Robin’s curfew is in an hour, and if we drop her off at her house like this, her parents will never let us hang out with her again.”

“Don’t worry.” The stage whisper is back. “I can be very discreet. They won’t even know anything’s up.”

“This is your fault, you know,” you say pointedly to Steve. “I knew this was a bad idea, but you insisted you could take care of her.” You finally break the unspoken no-contact rule to jab him in the chest.

“Hey, don’t blame this all on me,” he spit back. “You’re the one who left-”

“Mom, Dad, don’t fight,” Robin interrupts. She reaches up to touch your face again, this time patting your cheek in what she must believe is a soothing manner. “Don’t worry about me, Y/N. I’m a grown-ass woman who can take care of herself.”

“I know, babe, but I don’t think your real parents will see it that way,” you say, gently pushing her back up into a seated position.

You’re too busy being annoyed by your man-child of a boyfriend to notice how her cheeks turn pink as you call her “babe”. She huffs in protest as you slip off the sofa and onto your feet. Robin crosses her arms over her chest like a toddler preparing to throw a tantrum, which doesn’t help her “grown-ass woman” case.

“Where are you going?” Steve asks. Robin lays her head on his shoulder.

“To get her some water,” you say. “That is, of course, if I can trust you to actually keep an eye on her this time.”

“I kept an eye on-”

“Shh.” Robin muffles the rest of Steve’s statement by smashing her hand against his mouth.

“Thanks, Robin,” you say, then point your finger at Steve. “No more alcohol. For her or for you.”

“None for me?” Steve cries indignantly. “What did I do to deserve that?”

The words are barely out of his mouth before he regrets them. He’s never seen such fire in your eyes.

“Yeah, okay, sorry. No more alcohol.”

Robin and Steve both watch you walk up the steps. Even when you’re angry like this, Steve can’t help noticing how gorgeous you are-how those jeans fit every curve of your body just right.

Little does he know that he’s not the only one noticing that.

“Stevie, I have a question,” Robin hums, sitting up straight again.

“Okay…” Steve draws out the word. In the last half hour, Robin’s asked about everything from the plural of the word “octopus” to what he thinks happens when we die. Thus, Steve has no idea what is about to come out of her mouth.

“If Y/N dumps you, can I ask her out?”

Yeah, he certainly wasn’t expecting that.

Steve sits there in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he musters: “You’re joking, right?”

“Does this look like face of someone who’s joking?” she asks, scrunching her features together. “Besides, it’s just a hyp-o-thet-i-cal, Harrington.”

“I don’t really like this hypothetical, Robin.”

“Okay, fine. Different hypothetical: Let’s just say you...die in a tragic car accident. Would you, like, haunt me if I started dating your girlfriend?” Steve’s jaw drops as he stares at her blankly, so Robin adds, “After a respectful grieving period, of course.” When he still shows no response, Robin waves her pale hand in front of his face. “Hello? Earth to dingus?”

“Do you like my girlfriend, Robin?”

Robin rolls her eyes as if she’s talking to the biggest idiot in the world.

“Well, duh. Everybody likes Y/N. She’s the best.”

“That’s not...not quite what I meant.” Steve runs a hand through that glorious hair of his, trying to think of a way to phrase his question. Finally, he just blurts out: “Do you have a crush on Y/N?”

Robin’s eyes once again travel toward the heavens.

“Double duh,” she says with a laugh. “Your girlfriend’s hot, dude.”

Steve’s attempting to craft a response when he hears thudding footsteps on the stairs. You’ve returned with three water bottles and an ear-to-ear grin. You toss one to Steve; he fumbles, and it tumbles to the floor. He picks it up, twists the cap, and tilts it to his dry lips.

“Crisis averted,” you announce. “Danny let me use the house phone, and I got ahold of Mr. and Mrs. Buckley. I told them Robin and I are having a sleepover tonight. They probably think we’re laying in bed together right now.”

Steve makes a gurgling sound, nearly spitting out his water. You gently whack him upside the head.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Harrington,” you say. That’s when you notice Robin slumped against the back of the couch. With her fair skin and small features, she resembles a porcelain doll in slumber.

“She’s so beautiful,” you murmur, reaching out to comb your fingers through her cute bobbed hair.

When Steve stays quiet, you nudge his knee with yours.

“I won’t get jealous if you agree with me, you know. I know she’s not interested in you,” you say, shaking your head in amusement.

Steve swallows the lump in his throat.

Maybe not in me, he thinks. But she’s definitely interested in someone.

***

The next morning, Robin wakes up in a bed that definitely isn’t hers with a pounding headache and ringing in her ears. Sunlight filters through the curtains over the window. It lands on a framed piece of art on the wall that looks too expensive to even exist in Hawkins. There’s only a handful of families in the area who could afford something like that, so she automatically knows where she is.

Robin wanders into the hallway. From a distance, she can make out two figures sitting at the kitchen table, their heads bent together. Incomprehensible whispers echo across the kitchen. Robin starts to sneak up on them, planning to grab their shoulders and scream to scare the living shit out of them. But her plan is foiled when a sneeze she simply cannot contain tickles her nostrils.

The two silhouettes pull away from each other so quickly that they nearly bang heads. You and Steve awkwardly smile at Robin, who bares her teeth in a hungover attempt to smile back.

“What happened last night?” Robin asks as she takes a seat across from the two of you, rubbing her head.

“Vodka happened,” Steve says simply, and Robin nods. She raises a hand to her mouth and nearly gags at the repugnant odor of her own breath.

“I didn’t say anything stupid, did I?”

The silence causes Robin to look up. You and Steve are exchanging looks. Under the table, his hand rests on your knee. He squeezes it. You kick him.

“Oh, hell no. You’re the one who let her get drunk. You’re going to be the one to tell her.”

“Come on, baby,” Steve whines. “It’s really between you and her.”

“No, it’s not. She told you, not me. And then you told me. So, really, you’re the one who got me wrapped all up in this.”

“It’s not my fault I’m terrible at keeping secrets!”

“Secret? What secret?” Robin asks.

Then, it hits her. She groans, burying her face in her hands.

“You know, don’t you?” she mumbles into her arms.

“Yeah,” you and Steve answer.

“Oh, my god. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so dumb,” Robin stammers. “I understand if this is weird now, and you don’t want to be my friend anymore-”

Gentle fingers brush Robin’s wrists as you gingerly pry her hands away from her face.

“You’re not dumb, it’s not weird, and there’s no way in hell it’s going to stop me from being your friend,” you say. Steve gives your knee another reassuring squeeze. “And, if you’re interested, I have a single friend I could set you up with. She’s funny, smart-and way hotter than me.”

“There’s no way,” Steve and Robin say in unison.

You laugh and shrug your shoulders.

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

#stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x y/n #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #robin buckley #robin x you #robin x y/n #robin x reader #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley x you #stranger things fanfiction #parker-potter writes

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