#and then Danny's gaze told her: You know it's serious
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#h50#McDanno#steve mcgarrett#danny williams#catherine rollins#3x17#h50 original quotes plus a little something from me#she joked it's their man date#and then Danny's gaze told her: You know it's serious#secret not secret code#1x05 mentioned
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mistake
pairing: tara carpenter & female reader
summary: in which tara makes a mistake she can't undo
word count: 3.4k
warnings: violence, blood, stabbing, blood & death.
author’s note: feel like my writing is deteriorating, so sorry this might not be the greatest.
When you heard that Mindy and Ethan had been separated from the rest of the group, you immediately knew nothing was going to go according to the plan.
Everything had happened so fast. First accusation news about Sam had streamed on television, then Quinn's bloody corpse had fallen on top of you, then Anika wasn't able to make it across the latter, her bloody hands and Ghostface's shaking had made her slip. You had lost two of your friends in less than fifteen minutes.
You hadn't heard of the killings in Woodsboro until you had met Tara the first day of junior year, but she made sure to tell you everything that had happened the closer the two of you got.
Based on everything you had heard, you understood why Sam was so protective over Tara, the Carpenter sisters had been through more than normal people have in a lifetime.
However, even though you were nothing but nice and understanding towards Sam, she didn't seem to like you.
The first time Tara had brought you home to the apartment, Sam had kept a burning gaze on you for the whole time, like she wanted to burn you alive.
You thought that she would warm up and eventually trust you like she seemed to do with Anika, Quinn and Ethan, but she never did.
And it only got worse once Tara had called you her girlfriend in front of her, a huge disagreement broke out, so big that Sam had sent you out of the apartment.
You never got to know what Sam had said after that, but you did know that the glares you got from Sam only worsened and so did the small comments she would make about you when she thought you didn't hear.
Such as now, when Sam and Tara were walking in front of you, the theater being the destination. You had this gut feeling that Sam was currently talking about you. You just knew she was, even tho you couldn't hear her voice nor did you see her head moving like it normally did when she spoke, you knew.
But your mind changed thoughts when she rapidly turned on her heel, stopping when she was in front of Danny who had been walking closely behind you, alongside Kirby.
"Not you." She said, her voice cracking.
"What?" He answered almost immediately, like he had been expecting it.
"Don't trust anyone remember?" Sam replied.
You watched the scene with worried eyes, what Sam said reminded you way too much of something she had told Tara when she thought you weren't near. "We don't know you.. not really."
His face expression looked hurt, almost taken aback when Sam spoke. "You know me."
"You're not Woodsboro." She spoke quickly, rage lacing her voice.
Tara looked down at her shoes after that was said, her lips finding a home between her teeth. You knew she was scared, because you were as well. You had no idea how things were going to go down, you had never experienced something as brutal like this before.
You were seconds away from putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, before she looked up at you with tears pricking her eyes.
"That goes for you too." She swallows thickly, trying her hardest to look into your eyes.
You furrowed your eyebrows, panic rising through you. "W-what?" Your voice came out as a stutter, not believing what she had just made it's way out of her mouth.
Tara just nodded unsurely, her eyes looked sad and were filled with doubt. You couldn't understand why. If she was sad about it, why would she say it?
"Tara I- you can't be serious." You spoke again, voice growing shakier by the minute.
She knew very well how terrified you were about the situation as it was, and yet she still chose to leave you out of the plan alongside Sam's unknown fuck buddy? If it didn't make you shake out of fear you would've been infuriated.
"You're not Woodsboro." She stated, same thing as her sister but in a different tone, she'd tried to sound calm, but her voice was filled with uncertainty, shaky with worry.
You knew she was right. You weren't Woodsboro. You had never been to the place nor did you knew it existed before Tara came along. But the fact that she didn't trust you enough to know for certain that you weren't Ghostface, made you feel the need to fall apart. Did she really think you would kill your friends? Let alone hurt them?
The thought made your eyes sting, and before you had the chance to wipe the tears away, they fell.
"Tara please I promise I-" You felt embarrassed, being so vulnerable over basically nothing.
All eyes were on you as you tried to keep the tears from falling, you felt ridiculous. But you were terrified.
You couldn't stand the thought of being left alone in this situation. Not only because you were scared of being alone, but also because you had to protect Tara.
Although you knew Sam would do a perfectly fine job of keeping her safe, but you wanted to do it, you had to. You wanted to prove to Sam that you loved Tara almost the same amount as she did, you wanted to prove to Tara she could trust you with her life.
You could see that Tara wanted to give in, tell you that you could come along and that she trusted you with her whole being. Her eyes were filled with regret and doubt. But you could tell that she wasn't going to change her mind anytime soon.
She just watched you, biting her lips hard enough to draw blood. Seeing the look on your face just made her want to squeeze you in a hug hard enough to make you faint.
You looked so scared, and the fact that she knew how scared you were about the whole situation, made everything worse. She had noticed the terrified look on your face that hadn't left since the attack at the apartment, your trembling hands and the layer of tears in your eyes that never fell.
Tara actually thought that you looked more scared than both Sam and her combined.
"Y/n please just stay here." She tried to reason, as if she wanted this. But she did want it. She wanted you to be safe.
You wanted to argue, tell her that you would refuse to come along. But you knew that you wouldn't get anywhere with it, Tara was stubborn, she always got what she wanted somehow. And you didn't want Sam to see you argue with Tara, that certainly wouldn't help you get on better terms with her.
So you gave in, even though you knew Tara's life was at stake. Sam will take care of her, you tried to tell yourself.
You quickly wiped the tears on your cheeks with your hand, even though everybody had already seen them.
Tara's eyes never left your figure as she watched your trembling hands. "Fine." You almost spit, voice cracking with worry.
Tara nodded at that, happy to hear you give in. You didn't pay attention to anybody's reaction other than hers, they didn't seem to matter.
She walked closer to you, placing a kiss on your faintly tear stained cheek. "Be safe." She said, as if she wasn't the one that was about to walk into a situation that she would either leave traumatized or not leave at all.
"Be safe." You repeated, before you watched them all walk away towards the building.
Seeing as Sam turned her head to Tara and whispered 'good call', as they walked away.
But when you turned around to try and make a decent conversation with Danny, he was nowhere in sight. Making even more worry creep in your bones.
***
You had been pacing around in the same place and pattern for 20 minutes without any progress, Danny was gone, and your phone was dead.
The streets where dead and empty.
You had half a mind to just run to the theaters and do the exact opposite of what Tara had instructed you to. But you knew well enough that both of the Carpenter sisters would quite literally murder you if you stepped a foot into their plan.
But eventually the worry and stress got to you, like it always did. You didn't care if you were going to get murdered whether if it were by Tara or Ghostface, if it was for protecting Tara, it was a good reason.
However, before you had the chance to change your mind or consider the other options, a glove-covered hand landed on your face, covering your mouth tightly.
The yelp and screams you tried to make was inaudible, nobody could hear them.
You felt a surge of fear and panic, unable to hear your own scream. The street grew eerily silent as you struggled to break free, your heart pounding in your chest. Rush of intense vulnerability and confusion, as you desperately searched for a way to escape the grasp of the unknown assailant.
But you knew who it was. It was Ghostface.
You tried to kick them with your legs, but none of them seemed to hit. The person was holding a strong grip on your mouth, and the other arm was firmly placed around your waist. You were unable to move out of any of the grips, the person was too strong. And you weren't.
Your panic was making it harder to breath, and you were beginning to feel as if you were about to faint any second.
You tried your best to remove the grip with your hands, gripping hardly on the muscular arms, trying so hard to get them away from you.
The tightened arms had veins all over them, yet another reminder that it was impossible for you to get away.
It was Danny, you tried to tell yourself over the ringing in your ears. It had to be Danny. He had left the second you were alone with him. It had to be him.
Muffled screams and ringing ears were the only noises you could make out. If the person behind you was speaking in a voice changer to you or not, you had no idea.
The panic you felt was replaced with relief when the thought of using your elbow to hit the individual behind you entered your mind.
But you never got the chance to do that.
Seconds before your elbow was about to meet the Ghostface mask, you felt a sharp pain in your lower abdomen.
All of the movements you were making stopped the second you realized what it was.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Seven times you could feel the sharp piece of metal enter and exit your abdomen. A gasp escaped your mouth after every single one of them.
You tried to scream, but nobody was around. Your wide eyes scanned through the street, yet again seeing that nobody was there. It was all empty.
Normally the streets of New York would be filled with drunk teenagers and late night workers, whether it was night or afternoon.
But when the news about the killers got out, everybody stayed inside. Some people didn't even bother to leave for work, and of course no parties. Even the homeless people seemed to have found another place to stay at.
You didn't realize that numbness was spreading through your legs until the potential male had slowly began to loosen the grip he had on your figure.
Before you had time to think, he had completely let go.
Suddenly you felt dizzy, you couldn't feel your feet, you couldn't feel your legs, you couldn't feel anything.
You could barely feel your legs giving up, nor did you feel your body hitting the ground as you tried to cover up the damage that had been made on your lower stomach.
Regardless the sharp pain in your body that almost made it impossible to breathe and the dizziness that got worse every time you moved, you tried to crawl towards the fence that was just centimeters away.
Your hands bloody from trying to add pressure to your wounds made trails on the asphalt.
You couldn’t tell if you had placed your hands on the right place, considering that the stab wounds were all over the place. And you didn't even dare to look down, because you could guarantee that it wouldn't be a pleasant sight.
Your eyes were starting to close by themselves and you were struggling to keep them open.
Everything hurt.
The pressure you were putting on the wounds was now becoming lighter, your hands didn't seem to have any strength left in them.
Tara would be here soon, you thought, desperately.
She would be here soon, everything would be okay; no more Ghostface attacks, no more Sam hating you, and no more unexpected death cases of your friends.
Your mind focused on Tara.
Her brown hair, her beautiful brown eyes, her dimples and her breathtaking smile. Her voice, her touch, and her joyful laugh.
Your eyes closed, and this time you couldn't stop them. The pressure on your wounds was no longer existent. The color in you was gone. You were gone.
Last thought being the girl you wanted to marry.
***
Tara left the building with a lump in her stomach, as big as a bowling ball.
Her body was filled with worry and guilt, but a part of her felt relief. She was relieved that everything was over now. No more Ghostfaces. She was done with them, truly.
Tara couldn't wait to see you. She was going to tell you that the decision she made was right, that she was happy you stayed behind, because you stayed safe.
But when Danny had walked into the theater, tackling all kinds of officer in his way, he was all alone. You weren't there, you didn't come with him.
Danny told them that the two of you had lost sight of each other rather quickly after they'd left, that you probably just needed to be alone and breathe for a moment.
Tara knew that you would be upset with her, for not allowing you to come with them, for not letting you protect her, like you always told her you would, even if it meant dying.
Although she had hoped for you to at least come to see if she made it out alive.
Danny had called the cops and ambulance to arrive at the place as soon as he got the chance. That's why the only thing in Tara's sight was ambulances, police cars and the fire department.
Chad had miraculously made it out alive, same with Mindy and Kirby. And even though that made Tara want to cry out in happy tears, she couldn't let herself feel anything until she had seen you.
Safe and secure. Like you should've been.
Panic began to rise within Tara as minutes passed without any sight of you.
Sam stood beside her, trying to sooth her younger sister with comforting words. But they didn't make anything better for her.
After the whole showdown, the two Carpenter sister's had talked, really talked.
Sam had tried to explain to Tara that she didn't actually hate you, the opposite really. She thought you were lovely and a perfect match for Tara. But she didn't want to take any risks.
She wanted to show you the walls to her trust weren't easy to break. And then she thought that if she acted rude towards you, you would eventually leave; meaning there was no need for Sam to let her guard down and open up to people she didn't know.
But Sam knew how much Tara loved you, she had been listening to her sister's rambling about you everyday.
That's why Sam could feel her heart sinking down her entire being when her eyes met with a stretcher where a body was placed, a morgue sheet on top of it, which was filled with blood.
Sam prayed that it was somebody else. That you had walked somewhere else to breathe just like Danny had assumed.
She felt the need to distract Tara before she had the chance to see it, but it was too late.
She had already seen it.
Tara screamed out your name in a sob, straight away assuming that you were the person underneath the white cover.
The woman who had been pushing the stretcher had stopped, turning around to try and give the man behind her any sort of information about the deceased individual.
Tara's legs moved faster than she could process, Sam following shortly after.
Heart pounding, hands trembling. With a swift of motion, she grabbed the edge of the wrap and pulled it upward, revealing your pale and peaceful face.
The vibrant hues that once painted your face were now gone, leaving behind a pale and ghostly visage. The colors had been drained from you, you no longer looked like yourself.
Tara could feel herself gasp loudly at the sight, turning around with a hand placed on her mouth.
A surge of sickness overwhelmed her. A gut-wrenching sensation, as if her stomach was about to revolt. She felt like she was on the verge of throwing up, basically feeling the acidic liquids rise within her.
It was you. Her girl. Dead. Gone.
Sam had the same reaction to the sight, gasping and putting her hand on her mouth, preventing from letting out any tears or sounds. Chills running down her spine.
Stop it. Pull it together. Tara. Tara needs you. Sam told herself.
Gaze shifting from your body and the bloody sheet upon you to her younger sister, who was sobbing beside her, about to fall down to her knees.
But when Sam put a hand on Tara's shoulder, she stood straighter. "No!" She shot up, voice raspy.
She looked at you again, but this time not caring for the feeling inside of her throat that threatened her. "She's not dead." Tara spoke again, trying to convince herself that you were alive, that she could save you.
"Tara-" Sam tried, but Tara had no interest in listening to her sister.
"Y/n. Baby, look at me." Tara gently brushed her fingertips against your cheeks, but quickly pulled away when she felt the chill that pierced through her body, for they were once a source of warmth and comfort, now distant and cold.
You were always warm.
The tears streamed down Tara's face, leaving even more mascara smudges on her cheeks, falling and leaving marks on her blue shirt. The shirt that you had gotten her.
"Sam, Come on! help me please" She begged for her big sister's help, still hoping that you could be saved.
At that sentence, the woman who had pushed you turned around, she seemed to have heard Tara's pleads and begs, filled with hope, wishing that you were alive. "Oh honey, this girl has been deceased for over an hour...we can't save her."
The woman spoke apologetically and looked at Tara with sorrowed eyes. "I'm so sorry." She ended. Tara was about to scream at the lady, yell at her and tell them to at least try, you weren't gone. There was no way.
But before Tara got the chance to argue, Sam had pulled her into her chest, embracing Tara with a hug. And at that, Tara broke.
The sobs left her mouth faster than she could take them in, she didn't have any space to breathe.
"She's gone." She cried, her tears staining the older woman's shirt. "And I wasn't there to help her." Tara rambled, talking rapidly before the next sob would escape.
Sam didn't know what to say. She just stroke her younger sister's hair, trying to soothe her sobs.
She had never seen Tara this vulnerable and emotionally ruined, not even when she had reunited with Tara at the hospital the previous year.
Tara's body shook violently as each sob left her mouth.
It was a mistake. It was all a mistake.
Tara had been so confident with her decision only minutes before. She thought she had made the right move.
But it turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.
A mistake she couldn't take back, and had to live with for the rest of her time alive.
#jenna ortega x reader#tara carpenter#tara carpenter x reader#jenna ortega#jenna ortega x fem!reader#vada cavell x reader#wednesday addams x reader#mabel x reader#melissa barrera x reader#sadie sink x reader
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I'm just a simple guard, man
Part 6 of my Danny is an Arkham Security Guard AU (og tumblr post)
[Read on AO3] [Read on FF.net]
<< Prequel - Clown around and find out | First Part
There was silence and tension as they watched Batman go through the motions, tying up the unmoving but awake Joker and moving him to somewhere closer to the entrance. Joker was surprisingly responsive and lucid, just mellowed and obedient. Somehow it made it better — if he was a vegetable Jason knew Batman wouldn’t let that go until Danny undid what he had done.
Danny.
The Ghost King.
Jason didn’t know exactly what that meant. Heck, until today he didn’t know that ghosts were kind of a thing. Mythical creatures, he could buy. Apparitions, imprints of conscience that were unavenged — that he could buy too. But a Ghost King implied an organized society with status and a legal organization. A power structure.
“Oh yeah, forgot to mention that.”
He turned towards the doctor well aware his face showed every emotion.
“The fuck?”
“Did that really happen?” Duke was trying to keep calm, but his eyes were wide open and his hands slightly trembling.
“Yeah?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“But—”
“How the heck—”
“ — how did he do that —”
“ — did he set him on fire!”
“ — and is he even human?”
“Children,” Alfred stood from his seat, positioning himself between the brothers and their guest. “Let her breathe.”
“It’s okay, Mr. — uh…” She blushed as she realized she never asked for his name.
“Alfred,” the butler smiled, “Alfred Pennyworth.”
“Mr. Pennyworth,” she nodded politely. “I’m fine. I am aware that after that… theatrical spectacle, explanations are needed.”
“Indeed.” Batman cut in the conversation. “Proper explanations are in order. After I deliver the Joker to Arkham.”
“You can’t be serious!” Did the old man go crazy? Back to that place?
Jazz frowned, seemingly sharing his thoughts. She leaned closer to the microphone and spoke in a controlled voice. “Where are you delivering him? In the hospital.”
Bruce took way too long to answer, so Tim did it for him. “Through the front door?”
Jazz didn’t find it funny. “Wait for me.”
“What?”
“I said, wait for me.” Jazz reached for her discarded jacket, eyeing the door to the elevator back to the manor. “Joker is my patient and I need to be there.”
“What for?”
She turned to look at Jason. “He doesn’t deserve to be left at the mercy of some of the people in the Asylum. They could—”
“He can rot for all I care.”
The vigilante walked up to her, getting in her way and using his height and build to scare her into submission. Jazz held his gaze, defiant, muscles tense and ready to throw down if needed.
“You don’t know that place like I do.”
Jason huffed. “Whatever the inmates want to do to him, he deserves it.”
“I wasn’t talking about the inmates.” Her teal eyes steeled with fury. “Arkham has a history of staff abusing their authority.”
Duke glanced at Alfred, unsure what to make of that statement. He quietly stood up, getting ready to intervene in case Jason decided to get violent; but Alfred held him back with a gloved hand on his shoulder.
“Again, he deserves it.”
Tired of craning her neck to look up at him, Jazz stepped back. “He deserves the judgment of the people he’d hurt in the past — something my brother and I can promise you will happen.” Given what they saw in the camera feeds, nobody doubted the siblings could ensure it. “But I’m not going to tolerate that my patient spends his last years alive being unnecessarily abused.”
“I told you—”
“What do you think,” she interrupted Jason, her gaze cold and her body tense, “will happen if someone dies full of rage? If in their last moments they wish they could enact vengeance on those that harmed them?” She narrowed her eyes, knowing her words were hitting something in him. “What do you think will happen to the Joker’s soul if he’s abused and tortured at Arkham, and probably killed, after he crosses the Veil?”
“I—”
“A huge pain in the ass, it’s what will happen.”
The tense silence could be cut with a knife. Duke couldn’t understand how Jazz not only managed to stare down the six foot something tank that Jason was, but she also commanded the attention and respect. He was a newcomer to the place and he had done more than enough crazy stuff during his time in a gang; but he still struggled with openly challenging Jason and Cass. And Tim, but that was when the vigilante fell into his weird mumbling-in-the-dark episodes.
“I’m taking you there.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the garage section of the cave. Jazz yanked her arm free and stopped to cross her arms.
“I can walk on my own.”
Jason bristled, opened his mouth to continue their fight, but apparently that was when Alfred had enough.
“If you want to get there in time,” his voice was neutral, controlled, and his face wore his signature arched eyebrow, “I'd recommend leaving right now.”
His tone was final.
Jazz and Jason looked at each other, frozen under the certified Alfred glare. They nodded and walked quickly towards where Jason’s signature red bike was parked.
***
Arkham Asylum was a mess when the duo arrived — police cars flooded the entrance, and the Batmobile stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the red and blue lights flashing around.
Jazz cursed under her breath. She would have preferred to not turn the situation into a circus.
They managed to walk through the sea of cops and civilians looking in the compound from the metal gates. Funny enough, the few guards blocking the way didn’t move to stop them once both glared at them at the same time.
Jazz made a beeline at the Director chatting animatedly with Batman. Black Bat was standing a bit back with Red Robin, probably discussing what just happened with Danny, but the Arkham doctor didn’t care about them.
“I demand I see my patient.” Jazz didn’t beat around the bush.
The Director blinked and slowly looked away from Batman, as if he couldn’t believe someone had the audacity to interrupt this moment. “Miss Fenton—”
“Doctor.” She corrected him.
The man cleared his throat, throwing a nervous glance at the silent Dark Knight.
“Doctor Fenton,” the word was spit like it was a curse, “your shift doesn’t start until eight.”
“But the Joker is my patient and I know he’s in there.” She gestured at the looming Asylum with her hand. “After such a traumatic event I need to see him.”
Someone coughed a laugh behind the Director. At least the man had the decency of hiding a smile.
“The Joker is not going anywhere, Miss— Doctor.” He added when she glared at him. “You can schedule a session tomorrow. That is, if your patient is up for conversation.” With that, the man deemed their conversation over and turned back to Batman. “Once again, thank you so much, Batman. I’m not going to ask how you did it this time, but we will certainly appreciate the results.”
Jason was as happy as everyone else that Joker wouldn’t be a problem anymore, but the way this bastard was treating Jasmine was outright criminal. He squared up for a fight and tried to step forward, but a cold hand on his forearm stopped him. Jazz moved her eyebrows up and her eyes went over his body before she looked back towards the police. Several new vehicles joined the party — all the Gotham news channels were here to record the event.
And he wasn’t wearing his suit. Right.
He nodded and remained where he was, but made a gesture towards where the Director was waxing poetry about how good Batman was for their city and how much the city owed him.
Do you want me to beat him up for you? He wanted to ask.
Jazz chuckled, hiding her smile behind her hand. She shook her head and patted his arm a few times.
“Thanks,” she whispered, “but not today.”
He didn’t know how serious she was. This was the same person who pulled a gun at Red Hood and five seconds later forced him into a therapy session. The same lunatic that was excited about having the whole bat flock in her apartment so she could question them.
For the first time since the alarm sounded about Joker’s escape, Jason let himself relax a little bit. Jazz was crazy enough to take on Arkham’s finest and leave victorious.
“Director Kallwick,” her voice was pure steel, “I’m afraid it’s imperative I see my patient after such a traumatic—”
“I think there’s something you are not understanding, Miss Fenton.”
“And what is it?” She crossed her arms.
The Director raised an eyebrow, now fully facing her. It didn’t escape Jason how the man squared his shoulders to look bigger and overpower Jazz. He had seen that behavior way too many times, in many different situations — and he didn’t like it when men like the Director used it against people that couldn't fight back, specially women.
He glanced at Bruce, trying to gauge how much the old man would flip if he intervened anyway. He trusted Jazz, but he really didn’t like the Director right now.
“I’m positive that after today’s… development,” he smiled, “things at Arkham will definitely change. For the best, of course.” He raised an eyebrow. “Starting with streamlining our staff and making sure we count on experienced doctors to treat the patients that really need it.”
Was he implying…?
Jazz hummed, regarding the man with as much contempt as she allowed herself to show. “I know you don’t like me, Mr. Kallwick. You never did. I know you hired me because you needed cannon fodder to sacrifice and keep the Joker entertained.” She smiled. “I’m young, but I’m not stupid. And I know men like you — weak, scared, and cowardly.”
“Hey there young—”
“I know you’d rather let your staff die than develop better and healthier outlets for patient’s destructive tendencies.” She lifted a hand and walked closer, poking the man’s chest. “I know that you look the other way when guards and doctors mentally and physically abuse inmates because you actually think they deserve it.” She poked him again.
“I don’t—” He went to grab her hand.
She moved away from him so quickly and so smoothly that it looked like a dance step.
She smiled. It wasn’t nice. “And I know all about what you’ve been doing with the funds and donations.”
Even in the middle of the noise from the crowd at the gates, you could hear the man loudly swallow.
“I know about the embezzling and the bribes and the interesting filing mistakes and convenient registration mishaps, Mr. Kallwick.” Her eyes slowly turned greener. It was subtle, but you could see that her usual teal color suddenly looked greener than blue. A trick of the lights, you could think, but the bats knew better. “I know you don’t care how or why the Joker is unresponsive, but I do; and if you want me to stay in my lane I highly recommend you stay in yours.”
The man processed her words, the thoughts clear in his eyes. He was probably thinking how she could have found out, or who told her, or how was he going to silence her better.
Jason saw the switch to the later thought as clear as day.
Bruce saw it too.
Before the man said or did anything else, the tall and quiet shadow of Batman placed himself behind Jazz, one hand on her shoulder as an obvious sign of his support. The other two bats placed themselves on the sides of the Arkham doctor, arms crossed, looking down at the man who was realizing too late the mistake he made.
***
“Are you still mad?”
“Hm.”
“You sound like the old man.”
Jazz glared at him, violently stabbing her ice cream cup and breaking her plastic spoon.
“You may need to deal with those anger issues. Have you thought about going to therapy?” He said with a bright smile.
She stood up, not caring about attracting attention. Who was going to pay attention to them, Jason didn’t know. It was way early in the morning — or late at night, it depends on how you see it — and Jazz had demanded they go to the closest ice cream place that was open.
Luckily he knew a place, because of course only in Gotham someone would be crazy enough to have an ice cream shop open at this hour.
“Some vigilantes, and some rogues, really like ice cream. It is an untapped market.” The man running the place said when asked, shrugging like it was obvious.
Jazz sat back down, now with a new spoon, and continued eating her sweet monstrosity of layered chocolate and dulce de leche.
“If you are this mad I highly recommend you take it with Bruce. I’m sure he will be very understanding and accept your feedback.”
She kicked him in the shins, rolling her eyes at his sarcasm.
“Whatever you say, mister Daddy Issues.”
It was his turn to kick her, but she was expecting the movement and moved away before he made contact. She smirked, taking another bite of her ice cream with a smug smile on her face.
God, he hated older siblings and their knowing smiles.
He prepared to kick her again..
“Don’t even try,” a new voice said, the person taking the empty chair on their little table. “Jazz is like a ninja when she really wants to.”
Jason wanted to differ and explain he had trained with literal ninjas, but the speed at which she whipped a gun on him not that long ago came to his mind. Was it a liminal thing? Or a Jasmine thing? Maybe a Fenton thing?
“Hey.”
“Hey back at you.” Danny sighed, taking Jazz’s ice cream cup and biting directly from the top layer. “That bad, huh?”
Jason bit his simple chocolate cone, watching the siblings talk.
“She’s mad because B scary dog privileged his way into making the Arkham Director submit and it undermined Jazz’s authority. She did a neat speech and everything.” He shook his head. “All wasted.”
She huffed and stole her ice cream back. “I didn’t need his support.”
“I know you don’t.” Danny glanced at Jason. “But it’s better if you have Batman’s backup, yes?”
Jazz ignored him.
Jason took the chance to look at Danny, trying to find anything that was different about the young man. He still had the scene back with Joker burned in his mind.
King of the Ghosts.
He would have never guessed, given the scrawny and sleep deprived raccoon of a man sitting next to him. He was still wearing the same shirt and under the fluorescent lights of the ice cream shop, it was easier to see the scars on his arms and hands — and the ones peeking from under his collar.
“Spit it out.”
“Huh?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “You have questions. Ask.”
“I don’t—” He tried to deny it, but thought better about it. Jason bit his ice cream and cleared his throat. “I want to ask about —”
“Of course you want to ask about what happened.”
A soft thump! came from under the table, and given Danny’s glare at Jazz then she probably kicked him for the sass.
“What do you want to know?”
“Why are you being so forthcoming?”
“I’m feeling charitable today.” Another kick from under the table. “Ok, ok! No need for violence.” He sighed. “Jazz’s right. This is not my territory. If we want to stay, we have to play nice with you guys.”
The way he said it, and the way he made a face when he said it, told Jason that Danny was really struggling with trusting the bats with the information. Trust issues he could understand — one wasn’t in their line of work without being betrayed or hurt enough to warrant these issues.
No. It was something deeper.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
There were many questions burning in his mind and he didn’t know how long they had. “Why… Gotham? Why Arkham? Why a guard?”
“You just wasted your time man. You already know the answer for that.” He pointed at his sister, who nodded in agreement. “I followed her.”
“And I came here because I was interested in the rogues.” She added, licking her spoon clean.
Jason shook his head. “I meant — why is the King of the Ghosts… just… here?” He lowered his voice, glancing at the ice cream man. The man was half asleep on the counter and clearly not listening. “Don’t you have better things to do?”
Danny responded with a dry laugh. “I have no interest in being the king of anything.”
“But?”
He looked away, suddenly very uncomfortable.
Jason glanced at Jazz, but she was glaring at the table.
“What happened?” He poked the siblings, trying to be soft. It was obviously a touchy subject, and whatever happened was painful enough that they’ve been avoiding any mention of their past before Gotham like the plague.
“It was… It happened a few years ago. I defeated the previous Ghost King, but nothing happened for a while. I thought… I thought things had calmed down since ghosts stopped attacking my town so often. And then, after I graduated highschool, the Observants started harassing me about taking the throne.”
“Did they hurt you?” Jason didn’t know what these “Observants” were, but he could guess from context.
Danny shook his head, stealing Jazz’s ice cream again. “They were fucking annoying, but they couldn’t touch me. As the Prince, I was technically their superior and untouchable.” He bit the cold treat and chewed. Somehow Jason wasn’t surprised Danny never got a brain freeze. “It was a few more years of avoiding them and trying to keep peace in town, as well as trying to get to know the Infinite Realms.” He chuckled again. “I even considered, for a moment, that being King wasn’t even that bad.
“It was a pretty normal day when it happened. I went to the mall with my friends. Sam, she — She had a fight with her parents and went there to cool down and cheer her up. The ghosts came first,” he pushed the ice cream back to his sister, and avoided Jason’s eyes, “but nothing was out of the ordinary. We fought. I defeated them. More and more kept coming, faster than I — than we could contain them.”
“I was away at college, but I later learned that it was a massive all out attack on just Danny.” Jazz placed a hand on Danny’s. “It was a coup attempt.”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know that so many people were against me being King, and all that time they were planning the attack, and if I just paid a little more attention… If I wasn’t so—”
Another kick under the table. Danny cleared his throat and tried again.
“The GIW came as well. Things went from bad to worse, and by the end of the day it was an all out war between us, the ghosts doing a coup and the GIW. With our parents at the head of the attack.”
Jason frowned. “But you guys knew they worked with the GIW.”
Jazz gave him a warning look. “We knew they collaborated and consulted for them. We knew about the patent weapons.”
“But we didn’t know that they’d lead an attack on me.”
Danny did a brief pause to breathe, and stole more ice cream from his sister. She just pushed the cup towards him, apparently done with the treat.
Jason followed where the siblings were going. “They knew you’d be at the mall. That… That Phantom would be at the mall.” Danny looked up, his tired eyes confirming his thoughts. “They knew.”
It wasn’t a question.
Jazz nodded anyway. “We don’t know how long they did, but the truth is they knew about Danny. And went for him anyway.”
Minutes ticked by. Jason and Danny made quick work of their ice creams, lost in thought. Jazz checked her phone, frowned, and typed a few messages before putting it away.
“People died.”
Jason blinked at the non sequitur. Danny swallowed the last of the ice cream and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Neighbors, friends, people I knew. That day. They were fine and then they were dead.”
Guilt. It was clear as day.
“Is not your—”
“Don’t.” He cut him off. “Please.”
Jason nodded and decided to move on. “So you won the fight?”
“Barely. The ghosts were either captured by the GIW or retreated when they became outnumbered. Tucker and Sam managed to mess up with the idiots in white’s machines and weapons long enough for us to retreat. But we knew that wasn’t the end of it.
“We packed what we could and I hid at Sam’s, with the excuse that I would help her while she recovered — she broke her arm at the fight. We were a hundred percent sure if… if Jack and Maddie actually knew I was Phantom or not, but just in case.”
“I stayed. They didn’t target me so we were positive they didn’t know about me being liminal, so I stayed home.”
The vigilante frowned at Jazz. “What for?”
“Someone had to monitor them to see what they knew exactly. I also hid away any weapon they could potentially use against Danny.” She shrugged. “Not that it actually helped, because neither came back home in the weeks after the incident.”
“They were at the GIW base.” Danny crossed his arms and leaned back on his seat. The young man looked tired. “Because of course there was work to do with the captured ghosts.”
Jason hummed. “So they’ve been working on experimentation since then?”
Jazz shook her head. “We were telling the truth when we said they weren’t involved in that, at least not by the time we left Amity Park. Back then they were more involved in investigation on ghost containment and weapons research.”
He nodded, and turned back to Danny. “And the coup?”
The young man cursed under his breath. “Dealt with them.”
Jason waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What—”
“Listen, man.” He slapped the table and stood up. “That doesn’t matter. They don’t matter. I dealt with it. I accepted the damn crown and then told everybody to fuck off. And they have done that so far.” He breathed in, breathed out. “I’m nobody’s king, I’m just a simple guard now, okay? Nothing more, nothing less.”
With that, Danny walked away and left Jazz and Jason simmer in the tense silence. He looked at her, trying to gauge if he had said the wrong thing, but Jazz appeared apologetic.
“Before you ask — I don’t know either. Nobody does. He just… after we took down the GIW base, he took the captured ghosts back to the Realms. He came back two days later, hurt and barely coherent, and never spoke of what happened there. To anybody.” Not even me, the hurt statement was implied. “He was… changed. He didn’t say what happened but from what we could piece together it was bad, very bad.”
A myriad of possibilities crossed Jason’s mind. How bad is “very bad”? How much did Danny stir things up at the Realms that he had remained unbothered ever since? He tried to map the scars that he saw, and grimaced at the idea of two straight days of fighting after doing a raid to the GIW base.
Danny was done. With being a hero. With fighting. With trying to do the right thing.
What was even the “right thing” here? Going back to being the King of a dimension that doesn’t want him and he doesn’t want in return? Give it up, and risk someone worse taking control of so much power? Destroying the GIW? Going after their own parents?
He thought about the Joker. He asked Jazz when she was back from checking on the clown, and she willingly shared some details about his state. Jason never felt sorry for the fucker, but gained a new appreciation for Danny and his abilities.
The power to take someone’s soul and seal it inside their bodies — what else could he do? What other otherworldly and potentially devastating powers did he have at his disposal?
What else was he choosing not to face? What else was he running away from?
He stood up and followed Danny outside, finding him standing in the cold morning rain of Gotham. It wasn’t pouring, but it was easy to get soaking wet if you underestimated it.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
Both ignored the door when Jazz quietly followed them out of the ice cream shop.
“Good.” The younger man looked up at the gray sky, maybe looking for the sun. Water droplets fell down his face, and he welcomed them with a relieved, albeit tiny, smile. “Because I don’t have anything else to say.”
Jason rolled his eyes. What a drama queen.
He glanced at Jazz, who was shaking her head. “Whatever you say, edgelord.”
She pulled Danny to her chest for a hug, which he only protested with a tiny grumble. Jason chuckled before he was pulled in too by a surprisingly strong grip.
“If I have to suffer sisterly hugs then so do you.”
Jazz giggled but welcomed the addition to her arms, not caring that she could barely hold both of them and her arms fell short. She squeezed them harder towards her chest, humming in delight.
Great, she was a hugger. Jason really didn’t need another Grayson in his life.
<< Prequel - Clown around and find out | First Part
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The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)
A/N: Please remember you love me -Danny
Words: 2,282
Series' Masterlist
Previous Chapter // Next Chapter
Listen to: 'As It Was' -by Harry Styles
XXI: Don't Forget to Hold Your Grudges, Ladies!
Arachne's portraying me in the middle of a fight. In the tapestry, I look taller and older, I've got a fierce gaze as I lift my sword to kill a monster, and lightning strikes behind me just the right way to make me look menacing.
"Now, that's the daughter of Olympus," I think appreciatively.
Arachne turns in my direction. I yelp at the horrible sight, and the creature hisses. "LEAVE!"
The ground crumbles under me, and I smell a sulfuric scent that suffocates me.
Ara sits up gasping for clean air, feeling the emptiness in her gut as if she were still falling. It takes her a moment to gather her thoughts, but she's almost certain that in her dream, she was falling straight to Tartarus.
Someone knocks on her door and Hedge walks in without waiting for a reply. "Rise and shine, Strategus! Valdez says the ship's about to land."
"I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..." Jason doesn't finish his sentence, too amazed to think.
Ara, however, isn't eager. The dream she just had told her what she needed to know, and she doesn't want to leave the ship.
"Plans?" Hazel inquires. "Nico has until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."
Ara takes a moment to hype herself up before she speaks. "I'm going with Annabeth and Percy."
Annabeth scowls. "No! This is my mission—"
"Percy can't walk around Rome alone, I'll be keeping the numbers even," she replies, eyes fixed on the town ahead so they can't see the fear in her eyes. "We won't follow you when it's time to part ways, you have my word."
"Fine," Annabeth grumbles, having no option but to give in. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"
"Um... hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"
"Absolutely."
"And, uh... Leo," Hazel adds awkwardly. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."
"Yeah, no problem."
Piper draws out her dagger and Ara steps back looking at it with contempt, but no one seems to notice. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."
"Good idea," Percy continues. "How about we plan to meet back here at... what?"
"Three this afternoon?" Jason offers. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."
"That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull," Hedge mutters. "Percy, Annabeth... Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."
Ara makes a face. "Man, I'm going with them, don't get your knickers in a bunch."
"We'll be back soon," Percy gives Ara a fleeting look before walking away. "Good luck, everyone."
Ara walks forward, her gut twisting in knots but deciding that once she leaves the ship she'll be leaving her fear too. Before she departs, though, Leo seizes her wrist.
"Look after yourself," He tells her.
Ara kisses his cheek and mumbles. "I'll see you soon."
Percy and Annabeth end up super glad that Ara joined them, she's the only one who can kind of speak Italian.
They decide to get food so they go to a restaurant near the river. Ara spaces out for a while, brooding on her dream and her prophecy, giving Percy and Annabeth a moment to be as cheesy as they please.
"So," Percy bites on his thin pizza. "Did you know Ara had a crush on Mike?"
She snaps out of her thoughts. "Are you serious?"
"You had a crush on Mike?" Annabeth raises a brow. "I thought you liked Nico!"
"Right?" Percy continues.
Annabeth's eyes turn sadder. "He was a brother to Lily. I can see the appeal, er... for you, I mean. He was always on your side, looking after you. Kind of like Leo, if Leo knew how to fix people instead of machines."
Percy swallows his food, looking slightly guilty. "I've always had this feeling Lily never forgave me for what happened..."
"I think she blames me more," Ara admits quietly. "Maybe she has the right to be angry... about everything," the girl stabs several pieces of lettuce with her fork, but she doesn't eat them. "I come here to try and show her that he didn't die in vain, and now..."
Now I'm dying, and she won't even know that I'm sorry.
"You know, this feels like the old days," Annabeth tries to lift their spirits. "When it was just us."
"We're missing Grover, nervously chewing trash," Ara retorts.
"This is exactly like the old days," Percy responds, having none of it. "You two hiding things from me, and I have no option but to follow blindly. Did you know she decided to become a daughter of Olympus a year before the war?"
He stares at Annabeth pointedly, and the girl heaves a sigh. "No, but it makes sense." She looks at Ara. "Your mother talked you into it, didn't she?"
Ara shifts in her seat awkwardly. "Not like you think. She was trying to make me feel proud of who I was when I didn't have much to hold onto. I made the choice."
"I think you refuse to see it how it is," Annabeth's gaze isn't as resentful as Percy's, but there is some kind of concern there. "Maybe it's better like this if you want a somewhat nice, sane life. My mom isn't my best ally nowadays..."
Percy eyes both girls, worried at how defeated they sound. "Annabeth, you don't have to do this."
"You'll have to trust me," she says firmly. "You've got to believe I'll come back."
"I believe in you. That's not the problem. But come back from where?"
"Now, that..." Ara lifts her fork and stares at the lettuce, "is the question..."
The roar of an engine cuts through their conversation: a couple of vintage-looking adults are approaching, and Ara knows right away these people are 1. Not mortal, and 2. Looking for them.
"Why, hello," the guy slips off his bike.
"We've had the most lovely morning," the woman tells them as if they're all old friends.
"Oh, gods," Annabeth stammers. "How—how... ?"
Ara kicks her brother's foot. "You know them?"
"No. But you guys do look familiar," he hums. "Are you that guy on Mad Men?"
"Percy!" Annabeth gasps.
"What? I don't watch a lot of TV."
"That's Gregory Peck!" Annabeth exclaims like that would mean anything to Ara and Percy. "And... oh gods! Audrey Hepburn! I know this movie. Roman Holiday. But that was from the 1950s. How—?"
"Oh, my dear! I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, thousands of years ago. But you're so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband..."
"Tiberinus. God of the River Tiber," he shakes Percy's hand and winks at Ara.
"Yeah, I see the Aubrey Hepburn," Ara observes the couple with interest. "I'm Ara, this is my brother Percy, and this is Annabeth."
"Uh, hi. Do you two always look like American movie stars?" Percy asks.
"Do we? I'm not sure, actually. The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I've rather lost track over the centuries."
"Okay," Percy glances at the girls. "But... you're here to help?"
"My naiads told me you were here." The guy turns to Annabeth. "You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?"
"Uh..." Annabeth hands him the disk and the letter. Ara can't help but notice she's glowing scarlet. "S-so... you've helped other children of Athena with this quest?"
"Oh, my dear! Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I've been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He's just dreamy!"
"Thank you, my dear. And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I've helped many of your siblings... to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!"
Percy's hand moves across the table and grasps Annabeth's before she can get up. "Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a little farther."
"But you can't, silly boy!" The lady laughs. "You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants! The way will appear in your friend Piper's knife. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone."
"Indeed," The god nods. "Annabeth must face the guardian of the shrine by herself. It is the only way. And Jacksons, you have less time than you realized to rescue your friend in the jar. You must hurry."
"But—"
"It's all right, guys," Annabeth eases them. "I need to do this."
A split second goes by in which Percy realizes he can't work his way around this. "You're right," he struggles to speak. "Be safe."
"Safe? Not at all! But necessary," the goddess beams. "Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're on your own."
Annabeth kisses Percy and then hugs Ara. The girl squeezes her tightly.
"If you get yourself killed," Ara whispers. "I'm forcing Hades to spit you out. Don't make me break the rules, please."
Her friend chuckles. "Noted."
Percy and Ara watch Annabeth climb onto the Vespa and leave with the gods.
"There she goes," Ara says plainly. "Let's go."
The boy glares at her. "How can you watch your oldest friendship go on a life-threatening quest like it's nothing?"
Ara sighs without looking at him. "If I had a crisis every time someone I love goes on a quest, I'd have to be institutionalized."
Percy sounds even more frustrated. "You weren't like this."
She locks eyes with him. "When you were sent to Calypso's island, Hephaestus said enduring your absence would be helpful in the future, and it was—"
"So you're saying it's my fault—"
"You were the first person to hand me a sword," she reminds him. "Maybe you didn't believe I had it in me to become more than just a mildly decent warrior, but yeah, I'd say you sort of encouraged this."
"That's not true!" Percy stops her before she crosses a road without looking at both sides. "I believe in you, but if you had the brains to think twice before trying something dangerous, maybe I wouldn't freak out as much—Quests aren't games, Ara! I wish you stopped acting like they are!"
The girl snatches her arm away. "I'm not a ten-year-old anymore, Percy, I know what I'm doing! Stay out of my way!"
Ara pushes past him and quickens her pace.
Ara stays with Hedge after she and Percy go back to the ship. Piper hands her Katroptis and tells her she can keep an eye on everyone. Ara holds it, and her entire body buzzes with familiarity.
Ara tries to imagine what it felt like to be on the run, with only that dagger to update her on the state of her old motherland. She wonders if the remains of her primal life marked all of the rest, frightening her with thoughts of solitude and exile.
Aphrodite says she isn't Helen, and Ara doesn't want to be Helen, but sometimes she can see Helen reflected in her words and actions, and fears it'll take her to the same end.
She gives the dagger to Hedge. "Here, you can look for those baseball scores and keep an eye on everyone, I'll be at the helm."
The satyr eyes her intently, sensing her stress. "You alright, Strategus?"
Ara walks to the control board and changes the subject. "Do you know how to use this, Coach?"
He goes to her. "Only you and Valdez know how to operate that labyrinth of buttons and levels."
"I'll show you what each one does, and you must try to memorize it."
Her prophecy might come to fruition today, so she has to leave everything in order in case she doesn't come back after they get Annabeth from her solo quest. Ara acts like she's just making conversation with Hedge to pass the time, she teaches him how to use the control board, mentions where she keeps an emergency stash of drachmas, and then, talks about where she keeps the pictures, what things she wants to give to Percy after they return, to Lily and Leo...
Hedge listens with a funny look in his eyes and that's when Ara realizes she's been using charmspeak. She's so anxious about leaving, that the satyr gets the full blast of it. But being honest, it's better this way.
Not even five minutes have passed when the satyr comes back and shoves the dagger into her hand. "You should see this."
Ara grabs the blade and the visions clears: Percy, Jason, and Piper are face-to-face with the giant twins. Behind them, a large bronze jar is set between two large praetor chairs. Ara drops the dagger and picks up her Octopi backpack from under the control board.
"Hedge, you saw where the others are?"
"No, but I can look for them."
"Cool. I'm going to help these guys."
"You can't go alone!"
Ara hesitates but in the end, she picks up Piper's dagger. "Stay here and wait, I'll contact you once I'm done."
"Strategus!"
Ara runs out with Lily's dagger on her belt and Almighty in her pocket.
Next Chapter ->
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First Dance // S.F.K
a/n ~ Just a short, sweet, blurb for an idea I couldn’t get out of my head!
“Out of all the songs you could have chosen you chose that for your first dance?” Her maid of honor rolled her eyes, trying not to move as the hair stylist worked on her updo.
She giggled slightly, eyes fluttering shut as the makeup artist talked her through the next few steps in her makeup look. Memories of the first time they met playing through her head.
They had stumbled across each other in a bar one night. She was huddled in the corner of the room, sitting in one of the more hidden booths as he had the time of his life riding the mechanical bull, cowboy hat and all.
He sat atop the bull, back straightened as he held his cowboy hat securely in his hand, his arm outstretched as he waved it around above his head. The drunken belly laughs that escaped the man enough to coax her out of her corner, her feet moving of their own accord as she made her way to where he sat.
She leaned up against the bar, elbow planted firmly on the top of the bar as she leaned all of her weight onto it, resting her head in her hand. He quickly lost the battle against the bull, the piece of machinery tossing him off as more laughs escaped him.
He stood quickly, fixing his now disheveled shirt as a man who she could only guess was his friend approached him. He clapped a huge hand down on the boys shoulder as he bent at the waist to pick up the now discarded cowboy hat.
She watched as the two boys made their way to the bar, quickly turning on her heel and ordering another drink as they sidled up next to her. He turned his attention to her, a shit eating grin on his face as he placed the hat on her head.
“I’m Sam, but I don’t think I caught your name.”
“He’ll get a laugh out of it, he knows the significance.” Her friend side eyed her, trying her best not to move.
“Okay but like Cowboy Take Me Away? You can’t be serious.” She nodded, eyes glistening as they landed on the cowboy hat that sat on her vanity, one she had made special for their first dance.
“You watch, he’s gonna love it.”
~*~*~
The twins' toasts didn’t go as planned as British accents slurred their words and more unfinished thoughts than coherent ones poured from their lips as they giggled, holding their flutes of champagne up in the air. Sam rolled his eyes hard, bringing the palm of his hand up to his forehead as she shook her head, a fit of giggles bubbling up out of her chest.
“I told you an open bar was a bad idea.” She whispered, raising her glass to toast the boys as the DJ announced the start of their dances.
Sam stood first, his brothers causing quite the ruckus as they cheered him on. But he only had eyes for her, a wide grin pulling the corners of his lips up to the corners of his eyes as he held his hand out for her to take. She slipped her hand into his gently, pulling herself to stand as she intertwined her fingers with his.
“May I have this dance, Mrs. Kiszka?” His voice was soft, lifting her hand to press a gentle kiss against her knuckles.
“You may.” She giggled, her gaze landing on Danny as Sam turned on his heel. A curt nod of her head all the boy needed to excuse himself from his table and slip out of the room.
Sam shook his head as the beginning notes of the song began to play, unable to place the tune as his hands found her hips, pulling her as close to him as he could. She settled her arms around his neck, a soft smile spreading across her lips as he bent to press a soft kiss to her forehead.
“I said I wanna touch the earth, I wanna break it in my hands. I wanna grow something wild and unruly.”
Sam cocked his head to the side, pursuing his lips as he continued wracking his brain, trying to figure out where he knew the song from. She caught Danny slipping back into the reception area, eyes glued to them as he skirted around the room, quickly coming up behind Sam. A well placed smile and discreet thumbs up from her was all he needed to place the cowboy hat on Sam’s head, a hearty chuckle escaping his chest as he clapped his best friend on the back.
He reached up, pulling the hat off of his head to get a better look at it, boyish giggles bubbling up his throat as he replaced the hat, his gaze searching for Danny in the crowd. She scrunched her nose, pulling her hands forward to cup his cheeks.
“I said, Cowboy , take me away, fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue. Set me free, oh I pray, closer to heaven above and closer to you.”
She sang along, tears welling in her eyes as giggles erupted from him, his loving gaze never leaving her face as she sung along, throwing her arm up in the air as he spun her around. He rested his head against hers, eyes fluttering shut as they continued their dance.
“This was the song in that bar! When I gave you my hat.” He exclaimed, his voice loud enough for only her to hear. She nodded, carding her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.
“The same hat you’re wearing now, only it’s a little more bedazzled.” She giggled, knowing the embellishments that had been added to the hat she had gone home with all those years ago.
“I’m not gonna have to ride a damn mechanical bull again to prove myself am I?” He chuckled, wrapping his arms tight around her waist. She shook her head, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose as the song came to a close.
“No, no mechanical bull, not this time. Maybe just the toss of a lasso and hope we can sneak the hell out of here after you dance with your mom.”
He leaned forward, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss as the crowd in the room clapped, whistles sounding from one corner of the room, reminding them they weren’t alone in the moment as they celebrated becoming Mr. And Mrs. Kiszka.
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CALL MY NAME
Danny Rand x Y/N x Dick Grayson
Part 4
__________________
"Thank God you're alive."
Dick Grayson felt like his world collapsed when he was told that (Y/N) was shot. Not the arm, or leg, but center chest during a mission that he left because he thought she could handle it.
Especially with her old team.
"I'm fine. It didn't even leave a mark," She lifted up her shirt to show that there was no scar, not even a scratch, where the bullet entered.
"Still, I thought. . .I thought the worst, baby," Dick whimpered, his entire demeanor almost crumbling at the thought of the woman he's loved more than anything else just dying.
And he blamed himself.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let my guard down."
"No, no, this is not your fault. You saved ninety kids from absolute hell on earth, (Y/N)."
"No, I didn't," You dismissed, walking around him and towards the kitchen.
"The team did. Nova extracted the kids while Luke kept watch, and White Tiger and Spiderman apprehended the traffickers who weren't murdered. I just laid there, and Danny had to fucking carry me back like a baby," You groaned, remembering how useless you felt on your own mission.
"You called him Danny."
You looked up at him, and without the domino mask and in the comfort of your own home, you could tell now more than ever that Dick Grayson was frustrated yet nervous.
"Yeah. . .? So?"
His brows furrowed, "He's Iron Fist. You called everyone else by their hero alias but him."
"Are you fucking serious right now? What's wrong with you?" You immediately got defensive, trying to turn the narrative but you've always called him Danny. Only on the battlefield did you call him Iron Fist.
"You've gotten closer to him and I don't like it."
"He was my teammate, and he just saved my life! So sorry if I called him by his birth name," You were confused.
Did he not trust you?
After all this time?
"I could say the same shit about Zatanna," You crossed your arms.
"Zatanna is not the topic of this discussion."
"But when she is, Zatanna is some amazing sorceress! She's undefeatable, she's changed so much! God, first she's a nuisance in our lives and now she's a saviour for respecting our relationship?!" You yelled at him. Zatanna always made it clear that she wasn't going anywhere when you and Dick got together, but he always shoved her away.
"Zatanna is not the one always looking you up and down like you're some meal!"
You stepped back, "What are you talking about?"
"You're a Widow, (Y/N). Figure it out for yourself."
You did notice it. The way that Danny always gravitated towards you at meetings, the way he would subtly and 'accidentally' brush his hand against your thigh, and the way he stared. Maybe no one else noticed but you recognized it well. It the same stare he gave you after a mission where your suit was ripped and you had to get it fixed, and as mature and zen as Danny is - he was feral.
Only moments after you dropped it off to have it fixed and made your way to your room, you found Danny waiting outside with a clenched jaw and a lustful gaze.
That night was your first time together.
And the thought of that look made you shiver.
"I'll talk to him. Danny is the most respectful man I know, and he would never make a move on me," You expressed. He always asked, no matter the situation. Being raised by Monks can teach a guy a thing or two.
"After this, after SHIELD has all their shit fixed, I don't feel comfortable with you being around him anymore. I know its a lot to ask, but-"
"It is," You cut him off, "even if I were to just hang with Luke, Sam, Peter and Ava - Danny has always been their friend. They're a group, so I can't just tell Danny to fuck off when I want to see them. And it's been years since I've seen any of them. I want to repair the friendship we had."
Dick sighed, not knowing what to do. He loves (Y/N), he knows he always will, but the mere thought of Daniel Rand being the constant in her life made him jealous. She even said Danny was her first love, and as much trust that they've built up, he wanted to be selfish.
He wanted Iron Fist to go away.
"Then I want to talk to him."
Her head snapped up.
"To Danny?"
He nodded, "I need to know, man to man, that he no longer has feelings for you. That I can trust him."
(Y/N) felt off. Yes, this is a good thing, they should talk this out and clear the air. But Danny compared to Dick? Danny doesn't lie, and if he still has feelings for her, Dick might very well lose it.
But she still said, "Okay."
#iron fist imagine#iron fist x reader#danny rand x reader#danny rand imagine#usm#ultimate spiderman#dick grayson imagine#iron fist
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“you know, i reckon our bond is definitely strong enough to endure whatever it is that you need to get off your chest.” Connor to Sarah
Day 4 of the Advent Writing Challenge!
Sarah cast a wary glance at her...Hell, she didn’t even know what to call him. Because Connor Rhodes wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t her friend either. Sarah knew you didn’t stick your tongue down your friend’s throat like they were prone to doing when they were around each other. They just slept together.
No one even knew they were doing that (except Ava but that because she caught them on the roof, passing a piece of gum between them with each kiss)
Yet it was easy to forget when she spent the night at his place and he spent the night wrapped around her like a very large space heater. (she even started to keep a change of clothes at his apartment) Or when he chased her across the bed the next morning as he pressed kisses everywhere he could reach on her body while she laughed (his beard tickled in the most delicious way)
Or when they took showers together and helped her wash her hair, because he watched her one day and saw long it took her because of how she had to care for her curls. Or when he’d towel her off and wrap her in one of his t-shirts with a kiss to her cheek. A promise of a grilled cheese and tomato soup. Or hot chocolate. It was nice and easy.
Until Robin Charles blew back in town. And with her bringing an uncertainty that Sarah was sure hadn’t been there with Connor before. It wasn’t that Sarah didn’t like the epidemiologist. On the contrary, Sarah thought that given the chance her and Robin could’ve been really good friends and the other woman was always nice to her when they did interact.
But Robin Charles was also Connor’s last serious girlfriend. The one she was the rebound from. Sarah was a little jealous and maybe a little insecure too, if she was being completely honest with herself. But did she have the right to be? Connor wasn’t her boyfriend and he wasn’t her friend.
“Sarah?” Connor prompted again, in a soft voice. His hand moved to her knee squeezing it. Sarah’s gaze found his. She opened her mouth to explain somehow without it coming out that she was jealous of his ex-girlfriend. But then his phone lit up and the name on it said: ROBIN CHARLES.
And her phone buzzed in her pocket. She knew that was Justin Voight. He said he would pick her from work today since Olive had him already out to get Danny’s cake for his first birthday tonight. Where Sarah was expected to be because it was a family dinner. Which was fine. Hank had always made the best food and Hank had asked her to talk to Justin anyway, because he was worried his son was falling into his old habits and according to her pseudo father, no one had Justin’s ear like she did.
Sarah stood up, shaking her head. Connor moved to grab her hand. So she gave him a tight smile, “It’s not important. I have to go, okay?”
Connor looked doubtful, but nodded as he pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her lips. “See you tomorrow?”
The phrase sounded like a question, but Sarah shook her head in answer to it. “I have tomorrow off. But you have a good time at your dinner with Robin. It’s tonight right?”
But she didn’t let him answer as she squeezed his hand one last time before dropping it and making her way to the ED entrance.
If only Sarah knew she’d make her way to Chicago Med the next day...in an ambulance...with a bullet wound in the side of her neck. All because her talk with Justin had been pushed back a day and her best friend hadn’t been falling back into old habits. He was trying to protect a woman from a criminal.
If only Sarah knew how Connor reacted when he saw it was her on the gurney. How Ava constantly was pushing him back to the elevator before that...before he could see who it was. How she told him there was a mistake that he was paged because she had it. It was her case now.
If only Sarah knew how Connor almost fell to the floor, if Jay and Will hadn’t been there to steady him. How Erin Lindsay looked from her unmoving body to Connor with suspicious eyes. If only...
#Rheese#One Chicago#Chicago Med#Connor Rhodes#Sarah Reese#tw: injury#injury tw#felicitysmoaksx 25 advent writing challenge#my writing
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Sloan's Rosary: Chapter Thirteen
Jordan did not like the idea. In fact, he was fairly positive it was the worst idea to have ever occurred to Sarah. Ever. But after she’d recovered from the previous night’s visitation Sarah had been determined.
“You have unfinished business here, Jordan,” Sarah told him, eyebrows low, “I can’t let you keep cleaning up after me.” She looked over his shoulder and when Jordan followed her gaze Danny was not-so-subtly watching from the window by the front door, “You have to talk to him eventually.”
Jordan snorted, “I don’t think you’re the one to be giving advice just yet.” Sarah stuck her tongue out at him as Saddie pulled up in his truck – a white four door. She flinched when she saw it.
“Talk, Jordan,” Sarah reiterated after a breath, “Talk.” She slowly made her way towards the truck. Saddie got out to throw her bags in the back. And then, as any worried brother would do, he hovered.
Saddie stood directly behind Sarah as she climbed into the passenger seat. She was noticeably shaking, “You sure you’re ok to travel?” She was thin, excessively so, her clothes were swallowing her.
“I’ll be fine, Saddie,” Sarah said as she straightened in her seat, her hands still shaking, “Let’s go.” He closed her door and crossed the front to his own. He met eyes with the man he expected was Jordan. They shared a skeptical look.
“Don’t let her wear the rosary,” Jordan told him, a serious expression on his face. It had Saddie watching Sarah out of the corner of his eye throughout the drive.
Her expression remained a mask with dark circles and a hint of a smile. It was one of her worst if you asked Saddie. Looking underneath was like looking below the earth’s crust. There were layers constantly shifting, pushing against each other. Fear, sadness, confusion – a mixed turmoil shifting like waves over a solid ball of pain.
When Saddie looked at his sister he could see the pain she was in – see the way she was destroying herself over Sloan.
“Do you want to go home first?” Saddie asked her, straightening in his seat. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as Sarah turned to look at him, “Or do you want to go straight to the hospice to see Abe?”
“I…” Sarah’s mouth hung open as she looked down at her lap. She drew out a familiar rosary. Saddie hadn’t seen it since before Sloan had died. There were still spots with dried blood stains and a pale red tint to the entire strand of pearls.
“Sarah?” Saddie pulled over to park on the side of the two lane road. He watched as Sarah ran her fingers through Sloan’s rosary as he had seen her do with her own growing up, “What’s eating you?”
She shook her head, “Abe, we should go see Abe first.” Sarah looked up at him, sniffling, with the echo of a smile on her face, “That’s why I’m here, right?” Saddie waited a few minutes, eyes narrowed suspiciously on his sister.
Sarah sucked at managing her anxiety – she got excessively fidgety, her eyes would flit between two spots in front of her, never focusing, and her breathing was a few decibels higher at least. So, Saddie waited. He let dozens of cars pass them.
Rose Meadow was only another ten minutes from where they sat. The meadow that surrounded it to the north was visible. The colorful flower buds that usually dotted the meadow were absent. Saddie didn’t know much about flowers, but they were in the tail end of winter now. He’d expected to see the beginnings of color returning like it was back in Alabama.
“Alright,” Sadddie let out a sigh and put the truck back in gear. He drove the familiar streets, taking a few shortcuts to the medical clinic’s parking lot. The hospice was next door. Their parking lot was tiny so backing was pure hell.
Not that the medical clinic was much better.
Saddie walked with Sarah through the halls until they got to Abe’s room. He paused outside the door and turned to look at her. She was still fiddling with the rosary, “Do you want me to go first?”
“Yes.” Sarah was quick on that one. She sat down on the bench in the hallway and stared straight ahead. Saddie had no clue what to do in this scenario. So he just went in. When Saddie saw Abe lying in that bed all the worries about Sarah washed away.
Abe nodded his head in greeting, a toothy smile on his face, “You look a bit winded, kid, maybe you should lie down.” Saddie laughed, taking a seat beside him with a sardonic grin.
“I’ll have you know I drove all night to see you, old man, even picked up Sarah in Houston,” Saddie leaned back in his chair, acting as haughty as he possibly could, “You should be a little nicer, I think.”
Abe shook his head, “And ruin the sixty year streak I’ve had going?” Abe scoffed, “You drove from Alabama, not Alaska.” Saddie chuckled and leaned forward, “How’s your father doing?”
“Came straight here,” Saddie confessed, “Sarah’s a bit…I don’t know. She said here first.” Saddie scratched his hand through his barely there hair. Abe placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Well, tell the stubborn bastard he raised a good son,” Saddie smiled down at the floor, blushing, “And I’ll try not to drink all the beer before he joins me upstairs.” Saddie laughed again, a rock forming in his throat.
Abe looked at the seated man beside him. He’d watched Saddie grow up more than he had his own son. They were closer too. Adam was the definition of a free-spirit. He’d resisted every bit of discipline and structure that Abe had tried to enforce. And with Sloan Abe hadn’t even tried. Abe never understood either of them.
“War changes people,” Abe leaned back into his pillow, eyes on the ceiling, “You always think it’s the people around you that are doing it, but really…” Saddie was looking up at him, eyes wide and curious. “Your father could feel it. He got out after our first tour.”
Saddie tilted his head, “That’s why he got out?” While Abe had freely answered most questions about his service, Gabriel Michaels was always mute on the subject of his military time.
“Yeah,” Abe nodded, mind a few decades in the past, “Thought he was talkin’ silly at first. But after twenty years I turned around, realized I hadn’t seen a deployment or my son in six months.” Saddie kept quiet, “Georgia was right to stay here, to give Adam a bit of stability. I thought the structure of the military would be enough, but…” Abe looked down at Saddie again, a sheepish grin and twinkle in his eye, “She was always right. Bout almost everything.”
They sat there for a while, staring at each other. Abe’s eyebrows raised. Saddie scrunched up his, “What are you trying to say?” Saddie leaned back in his chair again, fidgeting. Abe smiled at the gesture.
“Don’t make my mistakes,” Abe pointed his finger at him, “You’ve asked for war stories and hero-worshipped that uniform since you could toddle your way into my closet, but I was wrong more than I was right when I wore it.”
“Are you telling me to get out?” Saddie scowled, affronted. His spine straightened along with his lips, “I love what I do.”
“Stay in the army another year, another twenty. I don’t care,” Abe’s eyes narrowed on him, “But you make sure it’s not your everything. Find a girl, find a guy, find a hobby.” Abe pointed his finger at him, “I don’t want you to look back and find you’ve got an empty house and a box full of medals. Don’t be me.”
Saddie spent another ten minutes sitting with Abe – avoiding the topic of his social life. The conversation flowed instead through innocuous topics until Abe started coughing.
“I’ll get Sarah,” Saddie got up, worry etched into his face as he watched the old man double over in pain.
In the hallway Sarah sat with her shoulders hunched as she stared at the floor, the rosary wrapped around her white knuckles. Saddie placed a hand on her shoulder and Sarah looked up, “My turn?” Saddie nodded as she stood, Sarah slipped the rosary into her pocket.
His eyes followed the movement. Jordan’ warning still fresh in his mind. For the next half hour Saddie paced the hallway – waiting for Sarah, worrying about Sarah, and generally just wondering what the hell to do about Sarah. It was a hell of lot easier than thinking about what Abe had said to him.
When the pretty nurse walked past him to do her rounds, Saddie smiled at her. She smiled back as she went from room to room. He heard laughter in most of the rooms as she went in and he heard hers as she left on more than one.
“How’s Mr. Acker doing?” the nurse stopped him outside Abe’s door. Saddie did a quick up and down – brown hair, kind eyes, and her name tag said Marigold. He caught her eyes pulling back up as he glanced back to her face.
“He seemed cheerful, Miss Marigold,” Saddie smiled at her again, “He was coughing pretty bad towards the end. My sister’s in with him now.” She nodded approvingly, lips puckering to the side as she thought, “Is he really sick?”
Marigold drew her lips back in, “Are you family?” Her eyes darted to the floor as she frowned, “I’m only allowed to release information to family or his medical power of attorney.” Saddie could tell by her tone it probably wasn’t a positive prognosis, so he didn’t bother pushing it.
“No,” Saddie shook his head, looking down at his feet, “Not family. He’s my dad’s best friend. We’re close. He probably wouldn’t want me to know anyway.”
“He’s quite stubborn,” Marigold pressed a hand to Saddie’s arm and his eyes shot up to hers. He nodded, letting a smile tug at his lips again. It was getting hard to smile though. There was a feeling of sadness washing over him that he couldn’t quite identify.
Saddie focused his attention on the pretty nurse. He hadn’t recognized her. “Are you from Rose Meadow?” Saddie tilted his head to look at her with narrowed eyes.
She laughed at him but nodded, “I moved away when I was eight. Moved back a few months ago to help my aunt with her kids – she just had her second set of twins.” At that, Saddie laughed too.
“That’s unfortunate. My mom always said the hardest part about my sister and I was that we constantly outnumbered her,” Saddie told her, nodding towards Abe’s door, “She and dad always recruited Abe to help keep us in line.”
“Your sister and you are twins then?” Marigold looked to the door as well, “Do you look a lot alike? My aunt had fraternal girls and then identical boys.”
“Alike enough I guess,” Saddie shrugged, looking back at Marigold now, “More so when we were little, before Sarah got glasses.” She kept puckering and then pursing her lips. Her mind worked quick.
Marigold looked up at him, “Is this the same Sarah everyone’s been talking about?” Her eyes were creased in concern while Saddie’s widened in surprise.
“Why would they be talking about her?” Saddie’s voice pitched lower then, almost afraid, “It’s been almost a year since Sloan died. She hasn’t even been to town in months.”
“The meadow,” Marigold offered with a shrug and raised eyebrows, “Because she ran into the meadow after Mr. Acker collapsed. Weird things have been happening ever since.” Her eyes darted to the door, “Everyone thinks she disturbed the meadow.”
Saddie scowled. The meadow. His whole life, and probably long before that, the meadow had been almost sacred. The resting place for the town’s namesake – the founder’s young daughter who died of tuberculosis. Or measles. Or typhoid fever. Or smallpox. It depended on who told the story.
“Mr. Montgomery has been particularly grumpy about it,” Marigold rolled her eyes, “Apparently his bread hasn’t been rising right. And one of the veteran nurses mentioned that there’s been more bad weather the last few months – especially wind over by the meadow.” Marigold smiled, cheeks rounding out, “I don’t think its Rosie that’s been causing it though.”
“Rosie?” Saddie sighed. He’d had such high hopes for this woman too. “You don’t actually believe in all those ghost tales about the meadow being haunted do you?”
Marigold frowned then, “What? You never played in the meadow as a kid? Never saw her?” She seemed quite insulted, crossing her arms and cocking her hip expectantly.
“No,” Saddie put his hands on his hips, “Since ghosts aren’t real I didn’t play with one. And Sarah never let me come into the meadow. She said I’d upset Rosie.”
“Duh!” Marigold threw up her hands, “Rosie only likes girls.” She turned away from him then, spinning on her heels, to go into Abe’s room. She flipped her hair behind her as she went. Saddie scoffed.
It was only a few moments before she came back out. Her eyebrows drawn low and her lips pursed as she waved Saddie over. Marigold pressed another hand to Saddie’s arm as she passed him.
Saddie stopped in the doorway to see Sarah in the chair beside Abe’s bedside.
Her head was bowed, resting against the mattress. Abe was lying motionless, almost like he was asleep. “Sarah?” She looked up at him, eyes empty, “Are you ok?” He took a few steps into the room, “Abe’s gone Sarah.”
Sarah was up and out of her chair before Saddie could register that she was moving. He shouted after her as she pushed him out of the way. And when she didn’t even slow he started running after her.
Marigold and the other nurses at the station at the end of the hall looked shocked as they watched Sarah fly past them.
Despite having considerably more experience running than his exercise-phobic sister, Saddie couldn’t catch up to her. By the time he got to the door of the hospice she was all the way up the street.
This was not a story he would be sharing with his unit when he got back. Being outrun by sister – his less than a hundred pounds soaking wet, probably anorexic, had never run more than a few feet in her life sister. And he’d lost her. In a town of less than 2000 people. He’d lost her.
“Who did I kill in a past life to deserve this?” Saddie grumbled to himself as he made his way back to the hospice. He went straight for his truck. Sarah’s bag, and her phone, was still sitting where she left it on the floorboard on the passenger side.
Apparently he wasn’t so incompetent – it took him less than a minute to break her passcode.
Saddie searched her contact for the one person who might know what the hell was going. Because Saddie was getting answers. Now.
-.-.-
The next chapter is up on my patreon and will be public March 3rd. You can also support me over on ko-fi.
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Amethyst - Chapter Fifteen
We all gasped in horror. My heart skipped a beat and my entire body began shaking as I followed Maddie's gaze. Her eyes were cold, and fixed on someone. Eventually, her gaze led me to none other than Lisa, who just stood there agape, with a wide-eyed Mackenzie at one side, and Danny with a dropped jaw on the other. Everyone's eyes were now on Lisa.
"M-ME?!" She cried. "You can't be serious, surely..." Yet her words trailed off as Maddie's piercing gaze remained unwavering, fixed on her like she was some sort of traitor.
"It's got to be her. She's the one who mysteriously discovered the Pokemon." Maddie stood up, towering over everyone in the room with her intimidating presence.
"I-it wasn't me! I swear! You think I'd ever try to harm a Pokemon in any way?! That's NUTS!!!" Lisa screamed, tears pricking her eyes.
"Lisa was with me and Mack all along. She didn't do anything! We would've seen! And that Pokemon already seemed to be there behind the bush!" Danny protested, resting a hand on Lisa's shoulder protectively.
Maddie then turned to Buzz to explain her wild accusation. "I don't trust her as far as I could throw her. I mean look at what she and her brother are wearing! T-shirts that are in support of TEAM MOON! They're outwardly supporting pure evil criminals and they're not even ashamed enough to hide it!"
Buzz sat there, conjugating for a second, before rising from his seat, prompting Jordan to do the same. "Maddie has a point. Y/N told me that your were a little too infatuated with the idea of Team Moon, but after witnessing it myself, I can safely say it's not normal behaviour, at all."
"But you have to believe us! We had no idea what Team Moon were really capable of when we first started out our gym mission!" Mackenzie protested, whilst Lisa covered her face with her arms. "And Buzz, you even told me to keep trying to get into Team Moon myself just so I could help you with your mission!"
"I can't believe any of you think I'd actually dream of bringing harm to ANY Pokemon..." Lisa sobbed, now making no attempt to hide her catastrophic devastation. Her face was red and tear-stained, and her sullen eyes just screamed of heartbreak. "I love my Pokemon so much... I always have... they're like my babies... Mackenzie, Y/N, Danny, you know me better than this!"
I opened my mouth, desperate to speak in defence of her, yet words completely failed me. I was speechless. I didn't know what to think. Every single time I had encountered her, Lisa couldn't go more than five minutes without mentioning her overwhelming desire to join Team Moon. And the fact that she had been the one to discover the Pokemon wasn't helping her case. Yet, my heart was desperately trying to figure out another explanation in the hope of this not being true. Tears threatened to penetrate my eyes, and a deafening silence overtook the meeting room.
"I knew it..." Lisa sniffed. "I knew you wouldn't stand up for me when I needed you to. You're just like everyone else."
"And now you're playing the victim?! On top of everything?!" Maddie demanded. "You really are something else, Lisa. You're insane. And that's why I have to put a stop to your pursuit, for the safety of Taldourse."
"What are you talking about?!" Danny exclaimed. "You can't disqualify her from the gym challenge! You don't have the authority to do that!"
"Maybe not, but I do have the authority to make sure she stays clear of my gym. Lisa, you're officially barred from my gym. I don't want you anywhere near Krodania, do you understand me?"
"Surely you don't have to be so harsh on her," Jordan interjected. "Look at her, she's just a kid, she's clearly been through so much in her life, she's been brainwashed by the media that glamourises Team Moon. It's the propaganda machine."
"I don't care. I can't trust her around my city's Pokemon." Maddie shook her head, remaining firm in her stance.
"Please, can't you just let us explain?" I begged, although honestly I had no idea what to say anymore, or what to even believe.
"I've made my decision. Anyway, I've got a gym to run." Maddie then turned around and made a swift exit. The rest of us then turned back to Lisa, who was still shivering and sobbing uncontrollably.
"She's right... I brought this all on myself..." she mumbled, completely defeated. "I've been such an idiot! I can't believe I've been worshipping literal human scum this whole time, just because of some stupid dumb aesthetic magazine!"
"Lisa, it's not your fault, so many people get sucked in by Team Moon's propaganda. Even I understand that now," Danny attempted to comfort her, yet it was pointless.
"Dad?" Jordan asked, as our eyes all shifted towards Buzz.
There was a pause, before the bald man responded, "I don't know what I think, honestly. I just need to dedicate my time into ensuring no other Pokemon come to harm like this ever again." And with that, he got up and left the room, with Jordan following him.
"You know what? Screw this. It's over." Lisa tore her moon headband off of her head, and threw it onto the ground.
"What are you talking about?" Mackenzie inquired.
"The gym challenge! Everything! My life! My dream! I QUIT!" She stormed out of the door, and Mackenzie followed her anxiously, leaving just myself and Danny in the room.
"What a mess..." I commented.
"No kidding..."
****
The wind on Juniper Mountain was bitter, perhaps even more so than before. The cold atmosphere ran so much deeper than just the weather, though, as thoughts kept spiralling in my mind that I just couldn't shake.
I knew Lisa wasn't evil deep down, even if she did seem like a bossy jerk at first. The way she had just comforted me without question when I had that moment of doubt back in Acuada, and the way she was always fiercely protective of her Pokemon and her friends. It didn't make any sense at all for her to have done this.
And, perhaps more importantly, I had no idea who could've been the one responsible for the typing error in that Aron's skill pool. Could it have been Team Moon? No, they'd have to be insanely stealthy and fast to be able to do that to a Pokemon in the middle of a big city and have nobody notice them. And surely, if it was them, the Elite Four would be onto them? When I had run into Seraphina back in Ridgeburn, she hadn't mentioned anything about there being any injured Pokemon around. It just didn't make sense!
Lisa was only nineteen years old. She had lived a pretty sheltered life, with only Mackenzie and her Pokemon for company for the most part. Sure, she had a very clear lack of social skills, and she struggled to communicate effectively, but there was no way in the name of Arceus that she had done this. She knew absolutely nothing about machinery, and she was still learning the ropes of types of different Pokemon. Whoever had done this was someone experienced, confident, and knew exactly what they were doing. This person knew how to operate machinery and use it for their own twisted, malevolent purposes. And whoever it was, I had to find them fast. I had to put a stop to whatever it was they were trying to do to the Pokemon of Taldourse.
For the sake of myself and my future.
For the sake of the legacy of Champion Kossi.
For the destruction of Team Moon once and for all.
And, perhaps most importantly, to clear Lisa's name.
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Phic Phight 2022: Tiptoe
This fic uses a combo of 2 prompts by @phan-pheeking-tastic and @catalystofthesoul
Characters: Danny, Jack, Maddie, Val
WC: 4415
Summary: The reveal didn’t go like he thought it would.
[ao3] [ffn]
---
The reveal didn’t go like he thought it would.
It was a quiet affair, much quieter than Danny anticipated. His parents hadn’t yelled or screamed, they just stood there, guns poised to shoot him into oblivion, one smoking from use.
And there was Danny, on his hands and knees on the damp pavement, staring into their eyes through his black bangs.
He remembered how Maddie whispered, trying to insist that it wasn’t him, that it was Phantom tricking them both, but when Danny met his father’s gaze, he knew that it was all over. Jack Fenton was nothing if not a family man. And although oblivious to many things, Phantom wasn’t someone who could fool him so easily like this.
Danny remembered bowing his head, waiting for his father to take that final shot. Just waiting as ectoplasm dripped on the ground like a clock ticking away the time.
But that didn’t happen. They didn’t shoot.
They didn’t yell.
They didn’t scream.
They simply turned around and walked away.
And that hurt more than anything else.
Danny wasn’t sure if he could go home. He didn’t know if they would let him into their house, if he expected them to say, “Well, the jig is up! Back to the Ghost Zone with you, spook!”
So he curled up in the alley for far too long, pressing himself against the wall and swallowing the lump in his throat until he couldn’t swallow it any longer.
Something, sometime later, snapped inside of him. His vision blurred, and he sobbed.
But like everything else that night, his sobs weren’t a loud affair either. They were quiet, muffled, in some desperate attempt to control the situation, his emotions, to not alert anyone, his parents.
Eventually, the tears dried—even though it felt like he still had more to give—and the raw emotions left him exhausted. He wanted to go home.
If he even still had a home.
He decided to risk it, and thankfully his parents hadn’t put up the ghost shield like he was afraid they would. Even so, he didn’t go through the front door. Instead, he phased through his window and flew to the bathroom.
The rest of the night was robotic. Mechanical. Wash the ectoplasm (now blood) off his body, brush his teeth, and drag himself into bed.
And that was the reveal. There was no spectacle, no heartwarming embrace, no I still love you’s and promises that everything would be okay.
Just silence. Whispers. And rejection.
Jazz found out the next morning. Jack and Maddie told her what happened, that Danny was Phantom, and she just said that she knew. She’d known for months.
And that was when the yelling started.
“What do you mean you knew?” Maddie said, her voice tightened in a dangerous warning.
Jazz, however, wasn’t intimidated by this. “I mean I knew. I knew he was Phantom.”
“And you didn’t think to—to tell us?”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“Wasn’t your—” Danny heard her slam her silverware on the table. “Jasmine Arabelle Fenton, how could you be so irresponsible? Danny is a ghost! Our son is a ghost and you didn’t think it was important to tell us? Are you serious?”
“He’s a half-ghost.”
“Doesn’t matter! He’s still inhuman!”
Chairs squeaked, and something was knocked over.
Then Jazz’s voice started to raise. “How dare you try to blame anything on me! You wanna know why Danny didn’t tell you? Why I didn’t tell you? It’s because of you both! You openly hate ghosts, you talk about your experiments and the shit you’d like to pull on Phantom all the time! Don’t you get how scared—”
“That’s why you should have told us!” Maddie hollered back.
“Oh, so it’s fine to have hated ghosts all these years, but now that Danny is one, you realize it was hurtful? Real fucking—”
“Enough, Jazz!” Jack roared.
“You both are completely blind! So blind to everything this whole time! And maybe you would have known what was going on with Danny if you’d just opened your eyes a little!”
“How were we supposed to know, huh?” Maddie yelled. “What the hell were we supposed to think, that our fourteen-year-old human son was a—was a ghost? That he died and we didn’t even notice?”
Jazz exploded. “YOU DIDN’T NOTICE BECAUSE YOU NEVER PAY ATTENTION! You’ve never noticed a goddamn thing, and whose fault is that?”
“Jazz!”
“No! I won’t sit here and listen to you two try to put yourselves as the victims here!”
There was stomping, footsteps. Danny hovered invisibly in the hallway upstairs, itching to get closer, but also not wanting to alert anyone that he was listening.
“I’m done! I’ve fucking had it!” Jazz’s voice cracked.
“Get back here!” Maddie yelled.
But Jazz had already turned the corner and was flying up the stairs. Danny had just enough time to press himself into the wall as he watched Jazz run by, her face red and streaked with tears.
Danny wasn’t hungry after that.
He left.
He didn’t have a plan in mind. The clouds rolled in overhead, signaling a storm on the way, but that didn’t phase him. It wasn’t like ghosts could get cold anyway.
People recognized him on the street. Children cheered, waving to him as he flew by. Teenagers pulled out their phones to try to get that viral TikTok moment, and adults simply gawked at him, some with fear and others with excitement.
Danny didn’t acknowledge anyone today. He normally would, but then that would mean he’d have to smile at them, and…no, he couldn’t manage that.
He went from building to building, laying atop the cement roofs and staring up at the graying sky, occasionally switching locations when he got bored. The time ticked by, not that Danny was aware of it, until a chill bit his skin and a raindrop splashed on his face.
Danny jolted upright, shocked out of his stupor, to find that the sun had apparently set long ago. He pulled out his phone, but there were no missed calls or texts from his parents.
His heart plummeted, and he put his phone away.
That was fine, he was fine.
A few more raindrops fell onto his skin, and the smell of the air changed to one of cool pavement. He hung his head down, feeling as the rapidly increasing raindrops started sticking his hair to his forehead, but he didn’t move.
What was the point?
It was dark, it was stormy, and there was nowhere else to go.
“Hey!” A voice called out.
Danny flinched, wondering who in their right mind would be crazy enough to come out on a day like tonight, but there was no one else on the roof.
“Phantom!” the voice tried again, and this time Danny was paying attention enough to look up rather than down, and he was met with the descending form of the Red Huntress, who had her blaster pointed at him and cackling with charged electricity.
He wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Of all the nights for her to come looking for a fight.
“Leave me alone, Red.” Danny flopped back onto the ground, spreading his arms out wide. More rain hit his skin, but he didn’t blink.
Red hovered above him, likely contemplating whether to kill him right here or capture him and kill him later. Whatever her decision was, Danny didn’t care.
And then she did something that Danny would never have predicted in a million years: she put her blaster away.
Danny would have made a snarky remark about her going soft, but he wasn’t about to push his luck with this.
Fortunately for him, Valerie apparently had no such reservations. “Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Phantom didn’t respond.
She lowered herself till she was within jumping distance from the ground. On her mental command, her hoverboard folded into her shoes, and she splashed on the roof next to him, putting her hands on her hips as she looked down at him.
Even with her helmet blocking her face from view, Danny was positive she was glaring.
“Why the fuck are you out here? It’s raining.”
“I could ask the same about you,” Danny shot back, though his voice had no bite.
Valerie’s had plenty. “Well I’m out here because I got home from work to find you’re dumbass ectosignature was pinging me from my roof. What’s the deal, Phantom?”
Danny blinked, sitting upright. Sure enough, he recognized this part of town. “Sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“Well, congrats.” She crossed her arms. “What’s gotten into you anyway?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit. I’ve never seen you look so depressed before. I didn’t even know you could get depressed.”
Danny shrugged. “Happy to prove you wrong then.”
She shivered. “If you’re gonna be difficult, can we at least do it inside? It’s fucking freezing out here.”
“Uh…” Danny felt his face morph into the most incredulous look he could muster. “I’m a ghost?”
“And what? Ghosts can’t go inside all of the sudden? What are you, a fucking vampire?”
“No, I—I just…you really want me to go in your room?”
Valerie threw her hands up. “Phantom, it’s fucking cold! Come on before I change my mind.”
“Okay,” Danny said dumbly, following her lead into the roof staircase. As soon as they stepped inside the narrow stairs, she deactivated her suit, and Valerie came into view, still wearing her Nasty Burger shirt.
“Your dad won’t be mad that you’re bringing a ghost into your apartment?”
“My dad’s at work.” Valerie shivered and then turned to glare at him. “You’re fucking cold, you know that?”
“So I’ve heard.”
Danny followed Valerie to her apartment, phasing the water off his body before he stepped inside. Her apartment was cozy. It was small, but with remnants of her past upper-class life scattered throughout. The couch looked too upscale and comfy to have been purchased recently, and some of the vases and decorations that were mounted around the room were almost certainly keepsakes from before.
A pang of guilt hit Phantom. It hadn’t been his dog, sure, but keeping Amity Park residents safe was his responsibility.
Valerie didn’t seem to notice his distress, fluttering about the kitchen putting a pot of coffee on and breaking out sandwich bread and peanut butter. “I’m fucking starving,” was her only explanation.
At that, Danny’s stomach growled. He didn’t remember eating anything today.
Valerie looked at him like he had two heads. “You eat?”
“Uh…surprise?”
Groaning, she pulled out two more slices of bread. “Hope you like peanut butter and jelly, because that’s what Chef Valerie is bringing to the kitchen.”
Danny felt his lips twitch up. “Gordon Ramsay could never.”
“Damn straight.”
Gaining a bit more confidence, Danny stepped forward into the kitchen and collapsed onto one of her counter stools. He propped up his head onto his hand and stared at the black and gray subtle swirls on the island countertop.
“So…” Valerie rocked back onto her heels. “Why were you on my roof?”
“Huh? Oh…I don't know.” Danny glanced away from her. “I uh, can’t go home. I guess.”
“Why not? It’s your lair, isn’t it?”
Danny jerked up, surprised, to see Valerie’s pointed look. “My what?”
She waved him off. “Your home, it’s just your lair, right? All the ghosts live in lairs in the Ghost Zone. You were the one who told me that.”
“Oh…I actually don’t have one.”
“You don’t?”
“Or, maybe I do. I don’t know, I’ve never checked. I don’t really know how it all works.”
“How do you not know if you have a lair? Don’t they just, I don’t know, manifest when you die or something?”
Danny tapped his chin in thought. “I guess, probably. But when I go to the Zone, I usually just stay with Frostbite.” At her lost look, he quickly added, “It’s, ah, an island in the Far Frozen. It’s pretty much floating Antarctica.”
She shivered. “That sounds horrible. And you go there? Well, remember to never invite me to your lair whenever you find it.”
Danny gave her a weak thumbs-up.
“So…” She poured the coffee, trying—and failing—to not look too curious. “If you can’t go home, and home isn’t your lair, then you can’t go to the Far Frozen?”
If Danny was more responsible, he would have just lied. In fact, he should have just lied and said yes, he got in a fight with Frostbite, he just needed space.
But, in fact, Danny wasn’t that responsible. He also was far past the point of caring. If his parents already knew his secret and had all but rejected him, then there was nothing Valerie could do or say now that could possibly make him feel worse.
“My family on Earth. They found out I was their son.”
Valerie’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, and she lowered her cup of coffee from her lips. She stared at him, processing his words until she finally managed to emit a simple, “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Like, your family family? Your parents from when you were human?”
“Yeah.” Despite his previous good humor, he heard his voice crack. He ducked in embarrassment and tried to swallow the new lump in his throat.
“Fucking hell, man.”
Danny blinked rapidly, sucking back the tears that threatened to spill. No way in hell was he going to cry to Valerie.
“I’m guessing they didn’t take it well?”
“Not at all.”
Valerie wordlessly offered him a cup of coffee with his sandwich, which he was almost relieved to take.
“What’d they say?” she asked.
“That’s the thing, they didn’t really say anything at all. They just left.”
“You think they thought you were lying or something?”
“No. No, they knew. There was no way I could have lied.” Danny replayed the events in his head, his mind pausing at the image of Jack’s face as soon as it hit him what Danny truly was. “They knew, and they left. We were outside, and they just…went home. Left me there. I don’t know.”
“Ouch. That’s cold.”
Danny nodded, sipping his coffee. It burned his tongue, but he didn't care.
And besides, he was a ghost. His tongue would be healed in an hour.
Valerie bit into her sandwich. “I’m sure they just need time or whatever. I doubt they expected that their son would have turned into Phantom.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I mean, what are the chances, right? Of all the things I could have become, I became the ghost protector of Amity Park.” He grinned bitterly. “It’s the worst thing they could have imagined me doing. They hate ghosts, they always have. Now not only am I a ghost, but I’m the one that hangs around Amity Park that they see every day. I should have known. I did know. I just never expected them to…I don’t know, I would have thought they’d at least say something. I just didn’t expect them to walk away.”
“It sounds like they’re just shocked. Give them time, they’ll come around.”
And so he did.
Days passed, and Danny gave them space, he gave them time. He only spoke unless spoken to, he didn’t make unnecessary noise in the house, he didn’t annoy them, he didn’t really talk to them at all. He showed up for family meals when Jack requested them on Sundays and otherwise, he kept to himself.
He was a model son.
And days passed, which turned into weeks. Danny kept waiting for them to stop him as he was leaving the kitchen at night, to ask him to sit down, to talk to him, to bring up Phantom, to tell him that either they loved him or they needed him out by midnight. He kept waiting, kept waiting, kept waiting.
But they didn’t say anything.
They hardly looked at him, and when they did, it was awkward. Like they had forgotten that this was the same kid they’d spent the last fourteen years raising.
More than a few times, when Danny left the room, he could hear his mother crying.
As time passed, his disgust in himself only grew. His parents had spent their entire careers developing the information and technology to hunt and dismantle ghosts, and now he dared to become the ghost that they hated the most? And live with them? Force them to look at him?
He was terrible.
Phantom was supposed to make people happy. He was supposed to make people feel safe and secure. He was supposed to protect people.
And yet here he was making his mother cry by just existing.
The weeks continued until a month came to pass. A month of awkward stares, tension, whispers. A month of Danny hiding, of him staying out late—far past curfew—and his parents not saying a word. A month of them treating him like…
Like a ghost haunting their home.
Sunday sit-down dinner came again, and like the past four Sunday dinners, Danny found his eyes glued to his plate, quietly eating. The tension was palpable, and none of Jazz’s frail attempts at initiating conversation could crack the feet of ice they’d encased themselves in.
Finally, the dinner ended, and the Fenton family quietly settled into their roles. Danny was scraping food into the trash cans when Jazz threw the sponge in the sink, flipping off the faucet.
“Okay, everyone!” She announced, turning to face the family.
Danny blinked up at her.
“Everyone into the living room! I’m calling a family meeting!”
Maddie looked at Danny uncomfortably. “But Jazz, we need to clean up from dinner first.”
Danny looked away, his stomach suddenly hollow despite having just eaten.
“I don’t care, I’ll clean them later. Let’s go, we need to talk.”
And with that, Jazz grabbed Danny’s arm—who did not yelp, thank you very much—and all but dragged him into the living room with their parents in tow.
“Jazzercincess, what’s this about?” Jack asked, settling onto the couch. “Is everything alright?”
“No, everything is definitely not alright.”
Maddie looked away guiltily.
“Ever since you guys found out about Danny, this house has been completely unbearable. Watching the three of you try to interact at all is painful. I’m sorry for butting in, but I refuse to live in a house where nobody can stand to be in a room together.”
“Jazz honey, that’s not true. We love both of you very much.”
“Oh? Then why have you both decided to stop acting like Danny was a member of this family too?”
Danny felt his face heat up. “Jazz, it’s fine. Really, it’s fine, I don’t care.”
“Bullshit, Danny!” Jazz smacked his arm, turning back to their parents. “I know Danny is Phantom. Sorry, but that’s the truth! You can’t just hide away and pretend like that night never happened!”
“We’re not pretending like it never happened,” Maddie said sharply. “It was just very shocking to us both and your father and I need time to process it is all.”
“It’s been a month. If you haven’t processed it on your own by now, then this intervention is definitely needed.”
“Jazz, honey—”
But Danny had heard enough. He phased away from Jazz and stood. “Listen, I’m sorry, okay? I know neither of you wanted me to end up like this. I’m sorry for being a disappointment, I’m sorry. I never wanted to be Phantom, it just happened. I get it, it’s fine, I’ll just go.”
“Danny!” Jazz sprang up.
But he was done. “No, really, it’s fine.”
“Son, wait.” Jack’s voice was pained. “Wait, I’m sorry, sit down.”
“No, it’s—” Danny blinked, and he felt a tear spill over his eyelid. He ducked his head down, trying to hide behind his bangs. “It’s fine.”
“No, honey—”
But Danny was already gone. Transformed and out the door before they could finish their thought.
It was fine, it was fine. He didn’t care that his parents were still processing, he didn’t care that his parents couldn’t stand to be in the same room as him for a simple conversation, he didn’t care.
Tears blurred his vision, and he could have turned intangible to avoid the tree branch that hit his shoulder, knocking him onto the dirt, but he didn’t.
He wheezed, feeling the grass tickle his cheek.
He was fine.
The stars were out tonight, and Danny couldn’t think of a reason to move. He traced them with his eyes, naming each of them as he went. He found Saturn, bright against the sky, and even saw a satellite trail by.
He was fine.
The Earth turned as the hours passed, and with it, new stars appeared, new constellations, new things to look at.
He was fine.
He wasn’t sure how long he was laying down in the field. He didn’t know how much time had passed. He wasn’t aware that the grass had grown damp in the chilled night and that dew was soaking his jumpsuit.
He was a ghost, and ghosts didn’t feel cold. He didn’t need to go home, he could just be outside. Right here.
Eventually, he heard footsteps, but he didn’t bother to move. Whoever it was would likely just snap a photo of him and leave.
“Clear night, huh?”
Danny sat up, twisting around to see his dad’s giant figure hovering beside him.
He swallowed thickly and nodded, turning his attention back to the stars. He was in Phantom form, and his dad hated Phantom. He would probably just tell him off for missing curfew and then would leave.
After all, Jack Fenton would sooner be caught dead than interacting with Phantom casually.
“I remember when your mother and I took you to Cape Canaveral. You remember that? We went to the space center?”
Danny nodded, the fuzzy memory coming to surface. He had been young at the time, but he remembered the big rockets, seeing the prototypes and pieces from the Apollo missions. It was an older memory, from back when they were still a happy family.
Back before Danny ruined it.
“One of the nights we drove out from our hotel and took you guys to see a rocket launch. You remember that? You were so tired, I think Jazz fell asleep at some point, but you were so excited. I’ll never forget that.”
Danny chewed on his lip. He remembered that too. “The sky turned orange.”
“Yeah!” Jack’s voice brightened. He sat down beside Danny. “We were a couple miles away too, but you could still hear it like it was right in front of you. You remember that?”
“I do.”
“That was such a fun trip. I loved spending time with you and Jazz.”
Not like now, Danny wanted to say. You can’t enjoy spending time with me anymore because I’m a ghost, right?
Jack sighed. “Danny, I know I haven’t been the best father lately. And I’m sorry. I…no, there’s no excuse. I should never have left you alone that night. We shouldn’t have walked away.’
Danny ducked his head.
“I’ve replayed that night over and over so many times. Every time, I see myself walk away from you. And every time, I wish I could take it back. I wish I could have had the courage to turn around.”
“It’s fine,” Danny said, his voice tight. “I get it. I’m fine.”
“It’s not fine. It’s never okay for a parent to do that to their child.”
“No, it’s—it’s—” Danny wiped at his eyes. “I’m half-ghost, so I know that…that you never wanted this. I know that.”
Jack was silent for a moment. “Danny, I was never upset at you for being half-ghost. I was upset at myself for ever letting you get hurt. When I saw you…well, all that I could think of was that a parent is supposed to protect their kid. And there I was with a gun that I’d just tried to kill you with. It was never about me being disappointed in you.”
“Oh.” Danny sniffed, his walls starting to crumble. “Then why have you—you and Mom been like this? Why have you guys been acting like I’m…I don’t know, like I’m the boogeyman or something?”
Jack wrapped his massive arm around him, pulling Danny in close to his side. “Son, I’m sorry. We were scared for you and we're both so mad at ourselves for letting you ever get hurt, for making you feel unsafe in your own home. We never ever wanted either you or your sister to feel like you couldn’t come to us about anything. And we’ve been so preoccupied with this, that we forgot about what really matters right now: that we’re a family, and families need to be there for each other.”
He squeezed Danny’s arm. His cold, Phantom arm. “You’re our son, Danno. Nothing will ever change that.”
Danny felt his shoulders shake as a sob wracked through his body. And just like that, a month's worth of confusion and pain were free.
He curled in on Jack’s side, gripping his jacket in his fingers just like he used to do when he was a kid. Tears poured out of his eyes in a stream, soaking into his father’s clothing. He gasped for air, and more sobs poured through.
“It’s okay. Let it all out.” His father rubbed his arm gently. “I’m so sorry.”
“I thought—” Danny choked out. “I thought you—you guys hated me.”
“No, we could never hate you. We love you, both of you. We were just scared, and we should never have let that change the way we acted around you.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
At that, another wave of sobs took over Danny. All this time he thought that his parents were disgusted by him, that they couldn’t bear to see his face any longer, and yet that wasn’t true.
He was wrong.
He cried until the tears finally dried and his shoulders stopped shaking. He cried until exhaustion seeped into his brain and involuntarily triggered his transformation back into human form. He cried until every last morsel of anger and pain was expelled from his body.
And then he leaned into Jack’s body, slumped in fatigue, as they both looked up at the clear night sky.
“It’s a beautiful night.”
Danny nodded, his eyes half-lidded as he fought away sleep.
His father nudged him. “Let’s go home, Danno.”
Danny nodded.
Home sounded wonderful.
---
Cat's Prompt: It's dark, it's stormy, there's nowhere else to go.
Pheeking's Prompt: It's been a month since Maddie and Jack saw Danny transform, but they haven't had the nerve to talk about it yet. Danny's avoiding them as much as possible. Jazz is not having it and stages an intervention.
Thanks for reading!!
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Coffee Ghost 2
For the lovely @spookyyarn
More coffee ghost shenanigan snippets lol. Or gossip and rumors from his earlier sightings (like before the whole campus knew about it)
This got away from me...it was a drabble...and then suddenly it wasn’t...
---
"Hey Coffee Ghost," a voice asks, pulling Danny out of his thoughts.
"Yeah?" Danny looks over to see a student looking up at him from beside the book shelf.
The girl is very obviously recording this interaction.
"Can you touch things?" she asks.
Danny pointedly lifts his pink thermos to his lips to take a drink.
She pouts.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
She gestures animatedly to the floating books circling his head.
Danny sets his thermos down to pull a book off the top shelf and hold it in his hand, "I'm not sure what the point is."
"I wanted to prove a point that ghost's can move things physically, that it's not all telepathic."
"Ah," Danny blinks off the visible spectrum, letting the books fall loudly onto the top of the bookshelf.
The girl jumps, looking around wildly.
"It depends on the ghost," Danny says, fading into existence behind her and pulling a book from a shelf down the aisle.
"Uh..."
Danny fades from view, the book disappearing with him, before reappearing on top of the bookshelf with the books floating around his head again.
"Now if you don't mind," he says, flipping a page, "I have homework to finish."
"Right, yeah, sorry," the girl wanders away.
---
"No, I'm not gonna ask him," Oscar shoves back on Eugene.
"Well, I'm not asking him," Eugene shakes his head.
"Someone has to," Davis says.
"Oh, for the love of-fine!" Aiden slaps his hands on the table, stomping away from the group.
Coffee Ghost looks up from where he's taking notes on Fenton's project.
"What's up?" the ghost asks, turning back to the readings of the machine.
"The guys and I were wondering if you wanted to play soccer with us," Aiden says.
Green eyes blink slowly before gazing with eerie seriousness upon the larger boy. Aiden subtly shifts his weight. A cold settles in the room.
"You're serious," Danny declares after a moment. The pressure dissipates immediately.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Aiden asks.
Danny arches an eyebrow, shifting his ghostly tail around pointedly.
"We know you have feet, stop being an ass!" Oscar shouts at him.
That startles a laugh out of Danny, tail splitting into feet. "Yeah point, but still."
"So you gonna play with us or not?" Davis asks.
After a beat, Danny shrugs, "Why not."
"Yes!" the three boys at the table high five.
---
"You did tell CG the time, right?" Victor asks, arms crossed.
"Totally," Eugene nods. He looks at the other boys, "Right?"
"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Oscar agrees.
Davis tilts his head thinking, "....actually..."
Victor facepalms.
A green portal opens up behind him and Phantom tumbles out in dramatic fashion. The portal closes with a pop.
"Oh good, I made it in time," he says. "Would've helped if I was told when to begin with."
"So how did you get here on time?" Davis asks.
"The god of time adopted me," Danny answers.
A cricket chirps in the quiet evening.
"I feel like we should not touch that," Victor declares. "Yep nope, we're gonna play some soccer."
"Can you, I dunno, not be floating?" Eugene asks.
Danny drops down onto the grass.
The attention shifts and Danny starts to float up again.
"Can you stay on the ground?" Aiden asks.
"Oh," Dany blinks green eyes at the space between his feet and the ground. He drops silently to the ground.
As the attention shifts, Danny floats upwards again.
"Aw c'mon man!" Oscar whines.
"Sorry!" Danny drops again, "I don't normally need to stand on this side!"
"Is this going to be a problem?" Victor asks.
"No." Danny lifts an inch off the ground slowly before dropping quickly.
"You sure?"
"Definitely." Danny says.
---
It is a problem.
For all of the first 10 minutes.
The guys decided to change the rules and invent quidditch soccer.
It is now the most popular game on campus.
---
"I still think he's cute," Tamara says with a pout.
"And I'm telling you that that's creepy," Lorraine insists.
"Just cause he's cute, doesn't mean I want to bone him," Tamara insists.
Lorraine puts her hands on Tamara's shoulder, turning her to meet her gaze.
"Tam, darling, wonderful person that you are, and I say this with all the love in my heart for you," Lorraine gives her friend a shake. "You are by far the sluttiest ho I have ever met. You 100 percent want to bone the ghost."
Tamara sputters.
Lorraine makes a face.
"Yeah," Tamara sighs. She bolsters. "Can you blame me? I mean, look at him!"
Phantom is seen flopped backwards over a tree branch sleeping. It is oddly reminiscent of Dali's clocks.
"Yes, very attractive," Lorraine deadpans
Phantom sneezes hard enough to slip off the branch and faceplant.
"I truly understand your deep desire," Lorraine continues in the same deadpan.
"Oh, shut up."
---
Danny rubs his face, blinking blearily at the students blowing him around the cafeteria. He should probably put a stop to this.
Definitely on the list of things to be done.
He sips from his bowl-mug.
A particularly big gust sends him upwards and over the heads of the students.
Maybe, but not today, he thinks as he turns to fly through the ceiling.
---
Amanda Doodle is really excited to be giving the tours to the student prospects. All the bright faces not yet downtrodden about life and the banes of existence. It's adorable, really.
"And here is the student lounge," Amanda opens the door to lead the students in. Strangely the room is encased in solid, oppressive darkness.
"Is it always so cold in here?" one of the teens asks.
Toxic green eyes blink into existence to stare at them.
Before anyone has the chance to scream, Amanda shouts, "Coffee Ghost! Turn on the damn lights!"
The lights blink on revealing CG filling a more normal sized mug with coffee looking absolutely wrecked.
"Why are you so loud?" he whines pathetically.
"Because you're being unnecessarily creepy," Amanda pinches her nose before plastering on a smile to look at her tour group. "This is our resident Coffee Ghost-"
"Yo."
"He's harmless as long as you don't leave the coffee pots empty."
"I take offence to that," Danny sniffs.
"Says the ghost who is actually hung over," Amanda says, unimpressed.
Danny blinks out of sight before appearing right in front of Amanda's face, eyes glowing toxic, sharp teeth on display.
Amanda barely flinches.
"Is that a challenge?" he asks, voice echoing.
"Nope," Amanda says, putting a hand on his chest to push him back, "Don't scare my tour group."
"Or what?"
"Or I won't buy you that caffeine monstrosity from Gracenote," Amanda says.
There's a moment of tense stare off.
Danny shifts, tension disappearing out of the room and his body in a blink.
"Fine, you have a deal," he says before blinking out of existence.
"Is this normal?" one of the parents hiss-whispers.
Amanda shrugs, "He's more bark than bite, the most he'll do is slime you with lime jello."
---
Amanda walks out of the Labs to show her tour group the dorms.
She really should have expected it.
Why she didn't is beyond her.
The bucket of jello is cold and slimy as it's dropped onto her head.
The sound of a camera shutter has her looking up to see CG taking a selfie with her.
"You're a menace," she says.
"Absolutely," he gives her a wink before vanishing.
---
Phantom floats through the chem wing of the Labs. The hallway is filled with students either heading to or from class.
"-ease, I really don't have-" a broken voice drifts out of the sea of students.
Danny immediately freezes and zeros in on the source of the voice.
He finds one student surrounded by a bunch of other, larger boys.
"-it's not that hard, you can do it," the second largest says.
"But that's not really-" the smaller boy shuffles on his feet.
"What's the big deal?" a guy, Danny still doesn't know if his name is Steve or Stan, crosses his arms.
Danny floats closer and fades into view, "What's going on here?"
The group jumps in surprise, the small center one lets out a startled yelp.
"Max here is too chicken shit to ask out his crush," Tony says.
"Hey!" Max, the small boy, exclaims.
"We were trying to help," Steve/Stan says.
"Any ideas?" asks one of the other guys.
"I've heard girls like flowers, maybe get her a small bouquet?" Danny offers.
"Oh!" Max pales significantly and looks ready to cry.
"Wait, what, what's wrong?" Danny asks.
"Max has a crush on a guy," Tony explains.
"Huh, okay," Danny says, "I think giving him his favorite flowers is still a good idea."
The guys stare at him.
"What?"
"Guy's don't get flowers," the first boy says.
"Do you not want flowers?" Danny tilts his head.
"You're supposed to give girls flowers, not the other way around," Steve/Stan says.
"That's not what I asked," Danny frowns. "Do you personally not want flowers?"
The group shares a look, and shuffles around a bit.
"I like flowers," Max eventually says.
"And I'm sure your crush would love getting some," Danny smiles at the teen. "Also hard to misunderstand flowers."
"Yeah okay," Max takes a deep breath, "That's what I'm gonna do, thanks CG."
"Sure, good luck."
---
Danny Fenton walks up the path to the Lit building.
"Uhm, Danny!" a voice calls out making Danny pause and look up.
Max jogs up to him, with something behind his back.
"Oh, uh, hey, what's up?" Danny asks.
"I um- so uh," the smaller teen stutters before thrusting a bouquet of blue bellflowers.
"Wha-," Danny exclaims in surprise.
"Willyougooutwithme?" comes out in a rushed squeak.
Danny's face darkens several shades.
Several students have stopped to watch, as surreptitiously as possible. Which is to say, they were as obvious as a hiding ostrich. The group of guys from last week are standing awkwardly behind the stop sign watching the interaction.
"Uh," Danny swallows and steps back. "I, uh, appreciate the gesture and the sentiment, but I'm not interested in dating right now."
Max looks about ready to cry.
"Oh Ancients," Danny swears in Sogdian, before giving the guy a smile. "The flowers are beautiful, Max, I'm sorry I can't return your feelings."
"Oh, okay," Max sniffs.
Danny makes eye contact with Tony who sighs and walks over to the pair.
"No hard feelings man," Danny says as the group come to the rescue of their friend.
"Yeah, okay," Max sniffs again, rubbing his face, walking away.
Tony gives a little wave as he slings an arm over Max's shoulder.
---
Anjie sits cross legged at the top of the bleachers with an apple balanced on their head.
"I feel like this is a terrible idea," Miles comments from the row over.
"It's fine, I trust him," Anjie says.
"Last chance to back out," Phantom calls from where he's floating over the middle of the football field.
Anjie lifts two thumbs up at him.
Danny raises a hand to point a finger at them and fires a small ectoblast.
It hits the apple dead on, leaving a perfect hole through it.
"Wait a fucking second," Miles' shout turns into a shriek, "You can shoot fucking lasers?!"
---
#danny phantom#college shenanigans#coffee ghost#phanfiction#crackfic#im stopping here so i don accidentally write a 4k fic#nona writes
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high by the beach [jonathan pine]
summary: Jonathan Pine x reader ; you are the oldest daughter of Richard Roper. needing an escape from reality, you sneak out to the beach for a quick joint. what you didn’t expect was for Jonathan Pine to catch you.
warnings: smoking weed, age gap (still over 18!) , underaged drinking/smoking, sexual tension
a/u: yes, this is 100% based off the song “high by the beach” by lana del rey :) enjoy!
*°:⋆ₓₒ ₓₒ⋆:°* *°:⋆ₓₒ ₓₒ⋆:°* *°:⋆ₓₒ ₓₒ⋆:°* *°:⋆ₓₒ ₓₒ⋆:°*
You didn’t belong there, to say the least. You sat alone at a small empty table at one of your father’s late night parties. His parties were always extravagant and flashy. It seemed as if he only threw the parties just to remind everyone how wealthy he is. These events always made your ears ring with annoyance. Summers always felt like this. Your mother would send you and your little brother Danny to visit, but it never seemed like Richard ever has any time for you and your brother.
After finishing yet another glass of champagne, you sighed and ran your fingers through your hair. You still had one year to go before you could legally drink alcohol, though Roper and all his excessive friends never seemed to care. Suddenly, ears perked up upon hearing your name being called.
“Sister! I’ve brought you some sweets!” your little brother Danny called, setting a napkin full of cookies down on the table. You smiled ruffled his brown messy hair.
“That was very kind of you, Danny, thank you.” you laughed, picking up one of the cookies. “Are you having fun?” you asked. His face lit up with excitement.
“Yes, loads!” he confessed. You were glad at least one of you were having fun. “I made a friend yesterday, too.” he said. You raised an eyebrow, trying to remember if you had seen any other children his age here.
“Oh really?” you asked, chewing a bite of cookie. “What’s their name?” Danny’s smile became wider.
“I’ll go fetch him, I want you to meet him!” he said quickly before running off. Before you could open your mouth to protest, he was already gone. You sighed deeply before picking up another cookie, hoping this new friend of Danny’s is an old enough child to understand boundaries and not talk for hours on end.
What you absolutely did not expect was for Danny’s new friend to be a full grown man. A handsome one at that. The man sauntered up to your table holding Danny’s hand, wearing a navy blue suit that hugged his body perfectly. He looked like the perfect gentleman.
“Hi there.” he spoke, voice smooth as silk. “Name’s Jonathan.” he put his hand out to shake yours. You looked up at him, trying to wear your friendliest smile. When you took his hand to shake it, you nearly melted. His grip was firm yet not too tight and you could swear there was electricity coming out of his fingers.
“Pleased to meet you.” you finally said after clearing your throat. “I’m Y/N.”
“Y/N.” he repeated, testing your name on his tongue. “The pleasure is all mine. Your brother is quite the company.” he chucked, smiling down at Danny. The younger boy beamed proudly, looking back up at you.
“I wanna go look for dad, Y/N.” the young boy said.
“That’s fine.” you said with a nod, leaning back in your chair trying to remain calm. You could still practically feel Jonathan’s eyes roaming all over you.
“Come on, Jonathan!” Danny exclaimed, grabbing the man’s hand again. “Once I’m done we can go play!” this made Jonathan chuckle.
“Why don’t you go on without me for a little, Danny.” he said gently pulling away from your brother’s hand. The boy complied and began to walk after flashing you and Jonathan a smile. You took a deep breath after Danny traveled off while Jonathan pulled a chair up.
“So how is the all famous Y/N Roper doing this fine evening?” Jonathan teased with a chuckle. His words made you blush easily.
“She’s doing just fine.” you said in the best flirtatious tone you could muster. “But she would probably be much better with a refill.” she spoke scooting her empty glass towards Jonathan. He cocked his head at you slightly before standing to his feet, a bit more hesitant than usual.
“Well of course, I am a gentleman.” he joked before grabbing your glass. “So what can I get for you tonight, darling? Water? Punch?” he continued.
“Punch?” you asked nearly offended. “More champagne will do just fine, thank you.”
“Champagne? Danny says you’re only twenty.”
“So?” you ask. “My father doesn’t care if I drink at this age. I also don’t think he’d be very pleased you’re making me wait for a drink.” you said almost in a whisper, the previous alcohol in your system making you confident. You knew your father probably wouldn’t care if Jonathan retrieved a drink for you or not, you only wished to appear authoritative for the upper hand on the man.
“Well, my deepest apologies, Miss Roper.” Jonathan said playfully before shooting you a wink. “One glass of champagne coming right up.”
You giggled as you watched Jonathan walk off to fill your glass. The way he strutted away while his height allowed him to tower over the crowd gave you intense butterflies. You really couldn’t believe you were spending the night flirting with an older gentleman, as proper and handsome as they come. It excited you to no end.
When Jonathan returned back to your table he arrived holding two champagne glasses, one for you and one for him. The two of you continued to talk to allow yourselves to get to know each other. He told you stories of serving in the military and you told him stories of previous summers spent here with Danny. You and Jonathan were quite an attractive pair to be seen and when it ended up catching Frisky’s attention, things took a turn.
Frisky was a smart man. He never failed in intimidating anybody. That’s why Richard Roper put him in charge of keeping an eye on you and Danny to prevent the two of you getting into any trouble. Knowing Jonathan’s flirty antics, Frisky deemed this a solid opportunity to step in.
You caught a quick glimpse of Frisky hastily making his way to your table. You gave a sarcastic deep sigh at him, knowing exactly why he was so worked up. Once the bulky man stopped at your table he crossed his arms and lifted his chin towards Jonathan.
“And what do you think you’re doing, Pine?” he said in a serious tone. Jonathan didn’t seem too phased by him.
“Well, I’m just having a drink here with Miss Y/N.” he replied almost bored.
“Yes, Miss Y/N Roper. I know what you’re up to.” Frisky snapped.
“Frisky, please!” you interrupted. “I’m a grown woman, if you should be babysitting any of my father’s family it should be Danny.” you argued with him. Though Frisky was stubborn.
“I don’t want to hear it, Y/N. Pine, get up.” he waved his hands at Jonathan. “Go find Danny and put him to bed, it’s late.” he demanded. Jonathan didn’t put up any further struggle. He calmly rose from his chair and took one last sip of his champagne. He then gave you a gentle smile and bowed his head.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Y/N.” he said sweetly.
“Thank you, Jonathan.” you nodded. As he walked away with Frisky you sank in your chair slightly before sighing. ‘Well there goes that excitement.’ you thought. You were growing quite tired of your father and his men treating you like a mere child when you’re an adult. Standing front your seat, you finish off your glass before storming off to your room. At this point, the party just felt like an inconvenience.
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
Your eyes felt heavy with sleep by the time you were sure everyone had gone to bed. Though you were in dire need of rest, you couldn’t seem to relax. It was 1 a.m. and you decided to settle your nerves with a late night walk. The punishments for being caught were severe but you were confident in yourself to know you wouldn’t be caught.
You quickly packed a small bag for your walk, including a jacket along with your stash of three joint of weed and a lighter. You always enjoyed a quick light up when you felt a bit tense. You tip toed silently down the stairs and out the back doors. From the pool’s patio, you had a beautiful view of the ocean. You decided to walk down to take your quick walk in the beach.
After successfully sneaking through the large property you finally found a spot to relax on the vast beach. There was a full moon illuminating the night sky, allowing you good skylight in the darkness. You sat down upon the sand close to the shore and opened up your bag. You wrapped your jacket around you to act as a blanket in the wind. Then you lastly picked a slim joint out of your bag along with a small yellow lighter. You clicked the lighter and put the flame towards the end your joint to burn the end. Afterwards you put the joint between your lips and took a deep drag. Inhaling the smoke, you closed your eyes and felt the wind blow against your skin. You began to relish in the light headed feeling as your body began to relax. After an exhale, you began to take another puff.
“Excuse me?”
You jumped upon hearing a voice next to you. You looked up at the figure above you, only to find the one and only Jonathan Pine standing talk above you. You quickly exhaled the smoke and attempted to hide the joint.
“What are you doing at this hour?” Jonathan asked you in a slightly hushed tone.
“I could ask you the same.” you stated sitting up straighter.
“Couldn’t sleep. Just wanted to get some fresh air.” he calmly explained. He was wearing a fitted t-shirt and grey sweatpants with his blonde curls a bit of a mess. It was definitely quite the outfit change from the party but he still managed to be probably the most attractive man you’ve seen.
He looked out to the waves for a second before bringing his gaze back to you. He gave you a shy smile before speaking again.
“May I join you?” he asked politely. You were relieved when you realized he wasn’t going to snitch to your father about sneaking out or drag you to his room. So you moved your backpack and pat on the sand beside you.
“Of course.” you replied. He sank down to the ground and got comfortable in his spot. There was a bit of silence with nothing but the sound of waves crashing in the night. After a couple seconds you placed your lit joint back between your lips to take a puff. Jonathan watched with a smile.
“Weed?” he asked with curiosity. He wore a smile that told you you didn’t have to hide it from him.
“Yeah.” you admitted. “It helps me relax.” you said turning to look at him. He chuckled a little while shaking his head.
“My my, little Miss Roper. First we drink champagne at the party underaged and now you’re smoking marijuana?” he mocked a tsk and winked. “You’re a very naughty girl, Y/N.” he said darkly.
You giggled and blushed profusely at his comment and you could feel your heart begin to race.
“I’d love to.” he said before taking the items from your fingers. “Would you help me, darling?” he asked handing you the lighter. You accepted with a playful smirk. Once he placed the joint between his lips you raised the flame to meet it’s end. He inhaled deep, expertly intaking the smoke. He held his breath before blowing out the smoke into the wind. He chuckled lightly before taking the joint from his mouth.
“Do you want to join me? I have an extra.” you offered with a smile. Jonathan smiled at you, watching as you pulled out a second joint and your lighter. He hesitated to answer at first, making you think he would decline. You were pleasantly surprised with his answer.
“Good?” you asked with a smile.
“Very.” he laughed, his head falling back slightly.
You both continued to laugh, the two of you already buzzed. Jonathan took another drag of his joint before clearing his throat.
“We should do this more often.” he joked, leaning into you slightly. You laughed and took another hit.
“What? Sneak out and get high?” you asked. Jonathan scoffed while tapping some ash off his joint.
“Technically, you’re the one sneaking out. I’m allowed to be out here, I’m an adult.” he teased. You rolled your eyes.
“I’m an adult too, I don’t care what you think.” you sassed back. Jonathan raised an eyebrow at you.
“You know what I really think?” he asked, his voice deepening. You shivered at his tone, looking up to meet his bright blue eyes, finding his face much closer to yours.
“What?” you asked.
“I think you’re beautiful.” he whispered in your ear before looking down for your reaction. You could feel your face heating up from his comment. Jonathan’s cologne overtook your senses as you leaned in closer to him.
“I think you’re high.” you replied, breaking into laughter. Jonathan chuckled before raising his head.
“Yes, but you are too.” he said. You opened your mouth to speak but before you could protest Jonathan’s lips crashed against yours. You melted into him, deepening the kiss. Jonathan pulled away before looking into your slightly red eyes.
“Jonathan Pine, you are exquisite” you sighed, before bringing your lips back to his. The kiss was more passionate this time, the both of you relishing in the taste of each other and the euphoria of your high. Everything felt so perfect. Jonathan laced his fingers into your hair, making you whimper. You broke the kiss with the older man, allowing both you and him to breath. Jonathan lifted your chin with a finger, raking his blue eyes all over you.
“And you, Y/N Roper, are perfection itself.”
#aesthetic#tom hiddleston#thomas william hiddleston#tom hiddleston fanfiction#fanfiction#the night manager#jonathan pine#jonathan pine fanfiction#jonathan pine x reader#tom hiddleston x reader#fanfic
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The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)
A/N: Somebody pls give this girl therapy -Danny
Words: 2,213
Series' Masterlist
Previous Chapter // Next Chapter
XVII: Am I Clinically Depressed or Is It Puberty?
Ara goes to the port railing where Percy is staring at the sea with a scowl.
"It's not you," she tells him. "Whoever took them doesn't want you to see."
"But how can they keep me out of the loop like that? I don't like it."
Ara chuckles. "You sound like me."
Percy shakes his head. "Been a while since you sounded like that," He turns and leans his back against the railing. "Annabeth and Jason told me you went ballistic last night."
Ara makes a face. "You know I could've been worse."
"Yeah," Percy laughs, which sounds wrong at the moment, but he can't help it. They have a hard time being serious when they're left alone. "Many things happened yesterday, huh? I heard Reyna wanted to hold a witch trial or something."
Ara turns and leans on the railing the same way he's doing. "That was an option."
Percy looks at her knowingly. "You almost went with her." Ara keeps her eyes ahead and nods. Her brother sighs deeply. "I can't even be mad at you... I get it. It's not easy to step aside, you were brave."
"I have this urge in me," the girl gestures at her stomach. "To protect the whole world at my expense. There must be another way, but..." she shrugs. "Look at me, doing the one thing I didn't want you to do."
Ara meets Percy's eyes, her gaze is worn and unsettling, like a cry for help she's yet to utter.
"It was worth it, in the end," she continues. "I protected you and the others just like you protected me all those years," she sniffs and scratches her nose. "You regret being my brother yet?"
He snorts. "We were on a ship like this one when I placed the offer," Percy leans his head on top of hers. "And you snubbed me."
"You did it out of pity."
"Only a little."
"See, this is why Annabeth would've been a better sister—"
"You take that back—"
"OVER THERE!" Jason calls out suddenly.
Percy and Ara turn and lean over, they spot three pink bubbles erupting from the sea: Frank, Hazel, and Leo.
"Thank Poseidon!" Ara looks at Percy and pats his back. "See? Told you someone had kidnapped them!"
"Don't say it like it's a good thing!" He scowls at her.
Piper jumps overboard out of excitement and wraps her arms around Leo, fussing over him. The trio seems fine, so that's a comfort. They promise to explain everything once they change.
"You should change too," Jason nudges Ara's arm as he lands next to her. "You're covered in weird stains... And you stink of fish."
"My new aesthetic," Ara mutters.
"Incredible," Jason hums. "These are really good brownies."
"That's your only comment?"
"What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"
"I know," Frank's mouth is covered in chocolate. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."
"That, is incredibly disgusting," Hazel states with aversion.
"No, no, he's onto something," Ara grabs a brownie, dipping it into the preserves. "Oh gods, that smells amazing..."
"Pass me the jar," Jason elbows her.
"They didn't want to meet me?" Percy insists while Jason, Ara, and Frank devour the basket of brownies.
"It wasn't that," Hazel says awkwardly. "Just... undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."
Percy nods, still frowning. "But they didn't want to meet me?"
"Come on, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth hits his arm lightly. "We've got other things to worry about."
"She's right," Hazel says. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."
Hazel stares pointedly at Ara knowing she's the most hostile towards her brother, but Ara shrugs. "It'll be fun, rubbing in his face that I've saved his life like four times by now..."
Piper places a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"
"What?" Leo's been fussing over the control board, making sure everything works well. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or flying, if we can get the stabilizer fixed by then. What do you think, doll?" Ara nods with her mouth full of brownie, she gives a thumbs up for confirmation. Leo smirks. "Great."
Jason pauses his eating and frowns. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."
"And that's only part of the problem," Percy adds. "There's the Mark of Athena, too."
Annabeth opens her bag and pulls out the disk. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's... It's blank!"
Ara chokes and Jason has to hit her back so she breathes. "What?!"
Percy grabs the golden disk. "It wasn't like this earlier?"
"No! I was looking at it in my cabin and..." Annabeth stops to think. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."
"What did it have on it?" Frank fidgets. "And what is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."
Annabeth holds the disk at eye level. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts... the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."
"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," Piper suggests. "But what is the Mark?"
"The coin."
"What coin?" Percy and Ara ask.
Annabeth shows them a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."
She hands it over so the rest can examine it until it reaches Leo. "An owl. Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription—Area Of Effect?"
"It's alpha, theta, epsilon. In Greek it stands for Of The Athenians... or you could read it as the children of Athena. It's sort of the Athenian motto."
"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper hums.
"Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter..."
Ara claps once when Annabeth finishes the retelling. "So that's what happened when the door closed! I got so worried!"
"I should have been there for you," Percy says with sympathy, holding Annabeth's hand.
"But that's the point. No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to... to the source."
"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Frank quotes as he takes the coin from Leo. "Won with pain from a woven jail... What is it... this thing at the source?"
"A statue," Jason says. "A statue of Athena. At least... that's my guess."
"You said you didn't know," Piper scowls.
"I don't. But the more I think about it... there's only one artifact that could fit the legend. I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"
"I know. I figured it out, Jason," Annabeth sympathizes. "I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together... Don't you see? It could heal the rift."
"Hold on—What statue?" Percy asks.
"The Athena Parthenos," Annabeth explains as she takes the coin. "The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."
Ara remembers Lily and Malcolm geeking about it a long time ago while talking about impossible dreams—one of them was to visit Rome and find the statue. It's funny, Ara's dream was to work for Hephaestus, but now her reality has surpassed that old ambition by a lot, and yet, she isn't happy.
"Okay, I'll bite," Leo sighs. "What happened to it?"
"It disappeared."
"How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?"
"That's a good question. It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"
"By Romans," Jason says. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."
"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since. Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena... a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue... hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."
"So if we—I mean you—" Percy continues, "find the statue... what would we do with it? Could we even move it?"
"I'm not sure. But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe... maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."
"This could change everything," Piper says in awe. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..."
"I have to succeed," Annabeth states. "The risk is worth it."
"I've spent my whole life hearing you say stuff like that," Ara points out. "And you wonder where I got my suicidal tendencies..."
Percy tosses a crumbled-up napkin at her. "Not funny."
"I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, Annabeth, but you're right," Hazel says gravely, ignoring the siblings. "We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"
"It could kick some serious booty," Leo concludes.
"That wasn't the way I'd put it," she scowls. "But yes."
"Except... No child of Athena has ever found it," Percy adds. "Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"
"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank points out. "Woven, like webs?"
Now that they've gotten to this point, and Annabeth's mentioned the spiders, Ara's got a clear idea of what's waiting for her friend, and she hates it. "We need to talk," she says.
"No, we don't," Annabeth scowls. "You've got your own trials to worry about."
"What?" Percy looks at her sister. "What trials?"
Ara forgot Percy doesn't know about her prophecy. Her mind races trying to find an excuse but Piper saves her from the awkwardness of the moment. "We'll deal with that when we get to Rome. It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."
"Yeah," Percy tries to sound cheerful. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth... or Ara."
"I'm glad you think that way," Ara grabs another brownie. "'Cause Janus talked to me while we were at the Fort—"
"What?" Percy interrupts her. "What did he want?"
"He's a recurrent visitor, that's not important," she points at the disk Annabeth's holding. "He showed me that when I talked to him. I have to do something, and we need to know what that is."
Annabeth gives her a sour look. "How does Janus—"
"Trust me, that's not relevant at this point." Ara cuts in. "I didn't say anything because, well—I couldn't even breathe when you brought me back to the ship."
Annabeth sighs. "And then Shrimpzilla happened..."
"But I'm telling you now," Ara presses. "And we'll figure it out together."
"Wait, no. Let's go back to Ara being stalked by a god," Percy frowns. "'Cause that—"
Leo presses a button and Festus spits out a large cloud of steam, interrupting Percy's train of thought.
"Well!" He grins. "Good pep rally, but even though our General took care of the bigger issue, there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores!"
Everyone gets up, but Hedge's bat pushes Ara away from the others.
"Sorry, Strategus," the satyr says. "You've done enough for a day."
"What—says who?" She scowls.
"All of us," Jason replies.
Everyone's looking at her. "But—"
"No buts!" Leo pushes through and holds her by the shoulders. "You've taken care of us enough for a day."
Ara looks at him and doesn't know what to think. Having him this close makes her uneasy for many reasons and she's never appreciated not having answers at the ready when she needs them. She pushes his hands away, and although she does it gently, Leo's smile vanishes.
"Alright."
The boy remembers what Hedge said the night prior, and guilt washes over his face. "Hey—"
She stops him and glances at the others, then lowers her voice. "We'll talk after dinner."
Next Chapter –>
Taglist.
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#twoidiots writing#pjo fanfic#leo valdez fanfic#doo#leo valdez x oc#heroes of olympus#percy jackson and the olympians
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The First One
Part of the Driving Mr. Tovar Universe
Description: This is based on an ask by my dear @deadhumourist concerning how the Tovar's would react the first time one of the kids brought home a significant other.
Thank you so much, Ani, this was so much fun!!
Rating: Mature 18+ONLY
Warnings: Cursing, kissing, protective!Pero, adoptive concerns, a hint of angst but more like.. the good kind?
Word count: 4220 (1457 words added)
Masterlist of the original story
”Hey mom, can I talk to you?” Alice quietly asked during a slower segment of the Hitchcock movie she was watching with you.
“Of course you can, sweetie. What’s up?”
She squirmed a little in her spot, curled up next to you on the sofa. The two of you had a rare evening to yourselves this Friday, since Pero, Emma and Johnny were out camping in the woods, just for fun.
But Alice was fifteen now, and at that age where certain things didn’t feel grown-up enough for her to wanna do anymore, and she’d begged to get to stay home instead, so you’d let her.
You weren’t about to let her have the house to herself for a whole day yet, though, so you’d stayed home with her for some girl-time, which she’d surprisingly enough not objected to in the slightest.
When there was no one around to look cool in front of, she seemed to like just spending time with you, and you’d had a lot of fun together all day.
You’d played boardgames and talked about silly and serious stuff alike, while eating take-out, which almost never happened, because if Doris found out… Ugh, you shivered at the mere memory of her rage from the time she’d caught you carrying home a bag from The Angry Dragon.
It was getting late, and The Birds was the second film of the evening, sparking a random and fun discussion concerning old versus new filming techniques, and what made some old movies charming while others were just bad.
But you were both getting pleasantly tired even though you were only halfway through this one, and the conversation had been winding down for a while already, so whatever it was she was bringing up now, you felt certain it had nothing to do with the film.
“Well… I’ve kinda been hanging out with this boy in school,” she started, and she was clearly nervous saying it, but it seemed like she also really needed to air this out, like she’d been holding it in for some time. “He’s not in my class but he’s the same age, and his name’s Danny.”
“Okay. Is it a friendly sort of hanging out, or more than that?” you asked, inferring from her tone and the fact that she’d waited to bring it up until it was just the two of you, that this was probably more than a simple introduction to a new buddy.
But you made sure to keep your tone light and your expression inviting, so she’d know that either way, you weren’t gonna throw a fit.
“Um… We’ve kissed. Twice,” she carefully admitted, not blushing but very deliberately keeping her eyes away from meeting yours.
“Was it good?” you wondered, letting her hear a slight smile in your voice, just to make her more comfortable, and it seemed to work.
She met your gaze for a moment, grinning a little before dipping her head back down and needlessly fiddling with her blanket.
“Um, the first one was kinda… weird. Like, awkward and… just fumbling. But the second one was better.”
“Good,” you encouraged, liking everything you heard, which apparently surprised her. “Always be suspicious of a boy that age who’s already a good kisser.”
“He told me that it was his first time too.”
“That’s a really good sign. Boys often feel pressured to make it seem like they’re experienced, so if he’s owning up to that, then he’s probably an honest kid.”
“I think he is. He’s kind of a loner, like, no one really talks to him, but he’s really smart and he likes games and puzzles. Not like ordinary jigsaw ones, but like Rubik’s cubes and stuff,” she explained, getting more excited the more she realized that you were only happy for her.
“He sounds interesting. You really like him, huh?”
“Yeah. I really do. And I was kinda hoping…”
“It’s okay, you can tell me.”
“Well, it’s just… We were talking at lunch yesterday, and I’ve been telling him about you guys, and he really wants to come here and meet everyone, so I promised I’d ask, but-…”
“Honey, of course he can come, we’d love to meet him,” you cheerfully interrupted her rambling, eager to let her know just how fine this all was.
Alice, however, turned nervous and uncertain again, squirming in her seat and dropping her head a fraction, even biting her lip, which she almost never did.
“But, what about… dad?” she pondered, and suddenly your own enthusiasm deflated.
“Oh. Right,” you contemplated, biting your own lip while you mulled it over.
He might be on the short-list for Father-of-the-year Award, again, but he was fiercely protective of his children, and this was something new to him.
Pero wasn’t good with new, or unknown. Or most people.
You’d talked about it a few times, loosely. And he’d always said that he dreaded it, but since it was inevitable, so long as the person any one of the kids chose was a good person, he’d find a way to be okay with it.
But unfortunately, thoughts and reality were two very different things, and you already knew that this would be far too much reality, way too soon, according to his reasoning.
“Good point,” you chewed, while your mind worked a mile a minute.
“Danny’s a good guy, I don’t want dad to scare him away. I’ve tried to explain that he can be kinda unnerving, but I don’t know how to describe it so Danny will be prepared, but not too scared to visit, and I don’t know if I should talk to dad first or if that might just make it worse.”
This was clearly the real reason why she’d brought this up at all, and especially why she’d chosen this time and circumstance to do it. Because this mattered to her, and she was seriously scared that it wasn’t gonna work out.
Well, screw that.
“No. No, neither of us are gonna talk to dad first,” you declared firmly, having made up your mind on what would be the best course of action here. “You invite Danny to dinner tomorrow, and don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it.”
“Mom… this sounds like a terrible idea.”
“Why? Because your dad doesn’t like surprises?”
“You can’t possibly have forgotten what happened the last time you tried to surprise him?” she cautioned with raised brows, but you just waved it off.
“Let’s not dwell on past mistakes, okay.”
“Aren’t you the one always telling us that that’s how you learn?”
“Look, if Pero knows this boy is coming, all he’s gonna do all day is build up tension, which will inevitably fall on poor Danny at some point.
I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I really think it’s best if he doesn’t know,” you reasoned, and she seemed to surrender then.
“Okay, you know him best. But if this ends terribly, just know I’m blaming you.”
“Fair enough.”
-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-
“I still don’t see why we could not have gone up to the hotel for dinner, or at least brought food back here. It’s Doris’ meatloaf today…” Pero grumbled for the third time after learning that you’d decided to cook this Saturday dinner.
Not because there was anything wrong with your cooking, he just didn’t understand why you’d go through all that trouble when you knew that there would be delicious food on offer without you needing to sweat by the stove for two hours.
“Because today is a special occasion, and the least we can do is cook properly,” you chirped, and he felt a very uncomfortable chill travel down his spine.
“What special occasion?” he nervously blurted out before it occurred to him that if it was something he should’ve known about, he’d just revealed the fact that he didn’t.
But you didn’t respond, you just started humming a little while beginning to set the table, so his brain immediately went into search-mode, looking for some significance to the date. Was there a birthday or anniversary he’d missed? Or was something coming up, maybe?
He couldn’t think of a damned thing.
It wasn’t until he clocked you setting an extra plate on the table, he started thinking that he possibly hadn’t missed anything at all. But before he’d had a chance to ask you about it, the doorbell rang.
“Belleza… What’s going on?”
You came to stand in front of him, putting your hands on his upper arms, as if preparing to hold him back, which of course only added to his sense of trepidation, just as Alice bounced past the kitchen to go answer the door.
Bounced.
Alice Williams Tovar did not bounce. Ever.
“Honey, listen to me. You are not gonna freak out on me right now, do you hear?” you ordered, trying to force him to focus on you, but his eyes and ears were locked on the closest visible part of the front hall, where he could hear someone walk in.
Not even registering what you’d just said, he tried to step past you, but you actually shoved him back. Gently, although leaving no room for any misinterpretation of your intentions, which were clearly to keep him away from whoever had just entered his house.
“Our oldest daughter is introducing us to her first boyfriend,” you whispered then. “And I’m gonna need you to be okay with it, love.”
Well, he certainly heard that. Too fucking clearly.
“Boyfr-…?”
Oh, god.
Oh, no.
No, no, no… not yet! He wasn’t nearly ready for this, she was only fifteen, it shouldn’t happen for another twelve years or something, right?
Fuck! He suddenly felt as though ants were crawling under his skin, and he was about ready to start pacing when your hands shifted to hold his cheeks, caging him in, just before you kissed him.
And it wasn’t some little peck either. It was a real kiss, so full of passion and love it fully intoxicated him in no time at all. He knew you were distracting him, using the fact that your touch and affection always soothed him, as a means of keeping him calm. But it made no difference whatsoever. He was entirely powerless to resist the effect you had on him.
His hands seemed to move almost on their own, finding your waist to pull you closer, having completely forgotten that there were other people around.
“Eeeeew! Go to your room if you’re gonna do that, there are kids present. Gosh!” Emma dramatically exclaimed, the same second she walked in on the scene.
She could always be relied upon to unfailingly give her honest opinion, and not ever hold back. Which was refreshing most of the time, but this time, also fortunate.
Because just as you and your husband pulled away from each other, Alice came into view in the doorway to the kitchen, holding the hand of a scrawny, dark-skinned boy, smiling nervously at everyone.
And for a moment, the adoptive father forgot that he was supposed to be suspicious of the kid, when he realized how much he resembled what a young Sam might’ve looked like.
Pero had never seen any pictures of his best friend as a child, but he was so familiar with his features that he’d recognize them anywhere, and this kid was similar enough to make his heart ache with sorrow and longing.
It left him standing there, dumbly staring at the boy without a word of greeting or welcome to offer him, because his throat had suddenly decided to close up shop.
You didn’t miss a beat, though, turning towards the young pair and doing what you were supposed to do as a mother, and it never failed to amaze him how you just knew how to do that, even with something completely new and unknown.
“Hi, you must be Danny,” you smiled warmly, extending a hand to the boy, which he took without hesitation.
“Uh, yes, ma’am.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and you’re very welcome to our home. You can call me Peg, and this is my husband, Pero,” you continued, before bringing him over to meet your lesser half.
He had always considered himself lesser than you, but on this occasion, it felt even more appropriate than usual. He had to literally bite his own tongue to bring him back to reality and remember that this was actually happening.
You had your arm draped over the boy’s shoulders in that maternally protective way you always did when you introduced your own children to strangers, which was only one of many things which made your husband realize how worried you really were right then.
Despite his obvious nervousness, the kid extended his hand in greeting, and before the older man took it, still so befuddled with the whole situation that he couldn’t tell whether he wanted to crush it or not, Pero looked at Alice.
And she was scared. Genuinely frightened that her father was going to do something to make this boy too uncomfortable to wanna be with her anymore, and it broke his heart.
When he turned his gaze back to Danny, he realized that his own expression must be terribly harsh and unfriendly, because the kid was visibly trembling where he patiently waited.
So, Pero took a breath, met Danny’s eyes, and smiled at him. Genuinely, kindly, warmly. Because as much as this boy was unknown to him, he was the one his daughter had chosen, and she was a good kid. She wouldn’t have allowed him this close if she wasn’t certain he was good too.
“Welcome, Danny. It’s nice to meet you,” he finally said, taking the kid’s hand in a firm but not hard grip, and instantly saw both Alice and her boyfriend relax.
He was pretty sure that in his periphery, he saw you breathe a sigh of relief before proceeding to introduce Danny to Emma and Johnny.
Still, he remained on guard throughout the dinner, listening closely to the boy for any signs of dishonesty or deception, happily finding none. He really did seem to be a good kid, which made Pero more and more relaxed the longer he watched him, although he refrained from speaking too much, just in case his inexperience in these matters, not to mention his overprotective tendencies, might make him say something inappropriate.
Once the meal was over, Johnny wanted to play a game, and since the evening was still young, you all moved over to the living room and played Pictionary together.
The game made everyone loosen up more, and Danny revealed himself to be that kind of kid that even though he wasn’t great at something, he just went with it and had fun, and for some reason, Pero got the distinct impression that this kid didn’t have a lot of fun in his life.
He seemed hungry for it. Starved, even.
When the evening was over, and everyone had said goodbye to Danny, Pero offered to walk him up to the gate, earning him a suspicious look from you, and a downright terrified look from Alice.
“N-no, dad…” she tried to protest, nearly panicking in her belief that he was about to have some kind of stern talk with her boyfriend.
“Don’t worry, sunshine,” he softly assured her. “I know he’s important to you.”
He squeezed her shoulder affectionately, although it didn’t really help to ease her worry, and then left the house with the boy, who suddenly looked worried again.
Pero set a slow, leisurely pace which the kid mirrored, but he kept a six-foot distance to the older man, as if he was expecting to get a smack over the head, or something.
It didn’t take long before the silence became too pressing for him, though.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Tovar?”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask you, Danny,” he replied, earning a surprised reaction at first, before the boy’s expression quickly shifted into something like shame, or maybe just avoidance.
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.”
“What’s your family like?” Pero gently prodded, already suspecting he knew the answer.
“Um… they’re okay. You know, normal, I guess.”
Right. So, as he suspected, then. Most people who lived in happy and healthy families, were usually quick to highlight the positives, whereas those who didn’t, would more likely give vague or elusive answers.
“Hm. The reason I ask is because you seem like you have not had fun in a long time. And in case you didn’t know, that’s not normal for someone your age.”
The boy looked away then, shoving his hands in his pockets for a few steps, probably deliberating with himself and trying to buy a few extra seconds to decide how to answer. But then he suddenly stopped and turned to face Pero, who stopped to listen, curious to hear what the kid might be willing to share.
“Your family…” he started, and then paused as if he wasn’t sure about how to phrase what he wanted to say. “Alice told me about you guys. And about her parents and how she and her siblings came to live here and all. And I wanted to meet you, because honestly… I didn’t really believe that it could be as good as she described it.”
Oh. Yeah, that made sense.
“Danny… are you adopted as well?” he asked, inferring as much from the boy’s incredulity at this specific type of family dynamic.
He just nodded, looking away again, as though it was somehow shameful to admit.
“And your adoptive family, do they treat you well?” Pero continued, trying to work out why this child was apparently so unhappy.
“They’re not terrible. I know kids who have it a lot worse than me,” he tries to deflect, but the older man simply cocks his head to the side and waits, because he knows there’s more. “They drink a lot, you know? But they’re not violent or anything. Just… kinda indifferent, I guess.
Not like you. I mean, you and your wife, you both care so much, about everything. Like… real parents.”
“Because we are. That’s what we agreed to when we took them in. To be their parents, not their keepers,” Pero declares, and sees tears begin to build in Danny’s eyes.
“I didn’t think it could be like that. But Alice wasn’t exaggerating, your family is even better than she made it out be. And now I just…” he trailed off, ducking his head to try and hide that the tears were about to fall.
“Now… you have to go home, knowing exactly how much you’re missing,” the man finished the sentence for him, and that made the kid fall apart.
He started crying, slumping his shoulders and shaking from head to toe, so Pero stepped closer, pulled him into a tight hug and just held him, wondering if anyone in his life was ever available to give him that comfort, if and when he needed it.
-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-=¤=-
When you snuck out after your husband and Danny, it was just to make sure that nothing bad happened.
You didn’t expect it to, because Pero had seemed fine all evening, but Alice was beside herself with worry, so you’d gone anyway, just to make her feel better with the knowledge that Danny wouldn’t be completely alone with her father.
He was a trained killer, after all.
But while you were absolutely certain he’d never hurt the kid, possibly just give him a stern word or two, nothing would’ve prepared you for the scene which played out in front of you, mere minutes later.
If someone had told you, four years earlier, that Pero Tovar would one day voluntarily pull a complete stranger in for a hug, and then hold them while they cried, you would’ve put money on them being dead wrong.
But here he was. Holding Danny like he held you, or the kids, when you were sad.
Fighting tears yourself, just from how moving it was to see your husband like this, so caring and kind, when he could’ve easily just told the boy to be careful with his daughter and then promptly walked him out, you moved closer, but stayed hidden.
And when they eventually pulled apart, tears started to spill down your face as you were now close enough to hear the exchange between them.
“Danny, listen to me. You are welcome here any time. To see Alice, or just to feel safe. If at any time you feel like your home is not safe, or just not a good place to be, you come here, okay?”
The kid looked at your man with the most fragile hope you’d ever seen in a human being.
“You… you really mean that?” he asked, with a voice which trembled so badly you could barely hear him.
“Yes, I really do. I may not know what your life is right now, but from what I’ve seen of your behaviour tonight, I know that you’re not happy, except when you’re with Alice.
She doesn’t know about your situation, does she?”
“No. I don’t like to talk about it.”
“I understand. And she will too, whenever you decide to tell her,” Pero assured him, but Danny was still stuck on the kindness he was being offered, apparently unable to process that anyone could treat a stranger so nicely.
“You really mean it? I’m welcome here any time?”
“Any time,” your husband reaffirmed, and you felt certain he was expecting what the boy said next, but allowed him to get there himself, giving him an opportunity to grow by letting him take this step all by himself.
The boy shifted nervously, looking towards the gates, but clearly not eager to move closer to them. And Pero simply waited until it finally came.
“Then… could I, uh… stay? Tonight, I mean.”
From your vantage point, and in the dark, you couldn’t see your man’s face, but you still knew that he was smiling when he answered.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Laura, our housekeeper. She will take you to one of the guest rooms.”
He put his arm around Danny’s shoulders and led him towards the hotel, and you smiled where you stood, despite the tears.
You didn’t follow them, but you stayed there, waiting until Pero came back the same way, heading down to your house, intending to simply fall in beside him as he passed you. But he beat you to the punch, calling you out the moment he rounded the corner of the hotel.
“You can come out now, Angel.”
You knew that he would’ve noticed you following him, and it made you kinda proud of him, to see that the lack of active hunting and tracking or being around evil people, had in no way dulled his sharp senses, or made him lapse in his readiness to use them.
Perhaps, being around the soccer moms and hockey dads and all other variants of parents so much, he’d still had plenty of use for those senses.
“You, my darling husband, are a wonderous creature,” you praised while you moved out of the shadows and stepped into his open embrace as he reached your hiding spot, stealing a kiss while you wrapped your arms around his waist, and felt his close over your back.
“He’s a good kid. Just a little hurt.”
“How did you know? Because I’m pretty good at reading people too, and I didn’t see it,” you asked, genuinely wondering just how defunct your own senses might be getting.
“You weren’t looking as closely as you usually do, for Alice’s sake. And it was subtle. I did not guess that he was adopted, only that his family was perhaps not a very good one.”
“Well, regardless, I’m impressed. I really thought you’d be harder on the first significant other to enter this house.”
“Had he been a lesser man, I would have been,” he mused, but then he turned solemn and serious for a moment. “Did you notice his resemblance to Sam?”
That threw you for a second, as you recalled the boy’s face and made the connection.
“No, I didn’t notice that, but you’re right.
Is that why you froze up when he first walked in?”
“Of all the faces I might have expected to see in our house again… I was not prepared for that one,” he admitted with a sigh, but it wasn’t altogether sad.
As with all things involving his brother, Pero always saw and felt everything. Good and bad, happy and sad.
“You might have your hands full when Emma starts dating, though,” you cautioned, taking the opportunity to try and help him prepare for the next challenge, even if it probably wouldn’t happen for a while yet.
He tensed in your arms, frowning at you.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s into girls, and girls that age can be really tricky.”
“Oh. Well, my mean face works on pretty much everyone, so whomever any one of them brings home, if they are not nice, I’ll show them exactly how hard I can be.”
You just laughed at that, because after tonight, you were pretty sure that there wasn’t anything family-related which your husband couldn’t handle.
THE END
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#driving mr. tovar asks#pero tovar fanfiction#pero tovar x fem!reader#pero tovar x female reader#the great wall fanfiction#the great wall modern au#modern!pero#driving mr. tovar#pedro pascal characters#pedro pascal character fanfiction#sirowsky stories
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For dayton can you write being childhood best friends with him and you've always been there at his races and one day your running late so you don't get to see him before for his pep talk. And his race goes horribly and eventually when he sees you he gets angry and you get in to a argument. But eventually he makes it up to you.
A/N: Alright, here’s my first go at writing for Dayton White! I watched Logan Lucky and absolutely adored it. Dayton does not get the love he deserves! I decided Im going to make this at least a two parter, potentially spanning into one or two more. I really want to dive into the past with these two! This will focus more on their relationship growing up, while the second (and potentially third) part will contain more of the angst. Once again if I don’t write for a Seb character you like, just ask and I’ll try and gain access to it! I hope you guys enjoy. I also really hate to do this, but I recently quit my job due to a toxic work environment. Here is my ko-fi, if you can donate that would be cool, but if you can’t no pressure!!! Love you all ❤️
https://ko-fi.com/kyleey01
Pairings: Dayton White x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Fluff, no proofreading (I’ll get to it)
Word Count: 2.5k
You’re Always There Part 1
Your earliest memory of Dayton was meeting him at Memorial Park in your hometown. You were both 5 years old, new to the world outside of your home. It was the day before Kindergarten, and both of your parents wanted you to make new friends before the first day of school. Hopefully meeting someone in your class, they felt you wouldn’t be as scared being truly away from them for the first time. You only had a single mom, and she did everything for you that she could, even taking you to the park after her long day at work. Dayton had both parents, making it easier for him to let go and meet new people. His home was “complete” by societal standards.
“Mommy I don’t wanna go play on the slide. I wanna go home and play dinosaurs with you” you said looking up at your mother.
She kneeled down to look you in the eye, holding her shining gaze with yours looking both serious and concerned, “Honey, you know you go to school tomorrow. This is your chance to go meet someone new, maybe even have a friend when you go into school tomorrow.”
You were extremely hesitant. You loved your momma, and she loved you more than anything. You had friends on your street that you liked to play with, but your mom was never far away, only a quick yell and she would be there. This was different. She had told you she wasn’t going to be there if you needed her, and that you would have to wait until school was over to see her again. You cried for two days straight after you had the “school” talk. What were you going to do without your mom? She was your superhero, your friend, and the best mother in the whole wide world. You didn’t need anyone else. That’s what you thought, at least. Until you met Dayton.
“Go on chickadee, go make some friends. You’re a big girl now who can build pyramids with blocks and cut out dinosaurs with scissors, you can do anything” your mother said with a smile.
This was all you needed to muster up the courage to conquer the slide. You nodded at your mom and ran off towards the wooden playground. They really should’ve made these things plastic, with splinters and bee stings being common afflictions of being on the playground, but it didn’t matter to you. It was fun all the same.
You began to climb the steps of the huge castle, making your way through drawbridges and holes through the wood to get to the slide. There were two other little girls there, a little older than you, maybe seven. You mustered up a quiet “hi” but they didn’t hear you, already screaming and running off in a different direction. Just when your hopes of making a friend had been dashed, you heard another voice from behind you.
“Hi. What’s your name?”
A boy of brunette hair and ocean blue eyes was staring at you expectantly. You weren’t expecting anyone to respond except those girls, so you were timid at first. You opened your mouth to speak several times but nothing came out. You started to become overwhelmed, tears welling up in your eyes.
The boy noticed, looking at you confused. He had only asked you your name. However, his momma always said if someone was crying, you fix it.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me your name. Do you need a hug?”
All you could do was nod, strangely opening up to this welcoming boy. He smiled and brought you in for a tiny hug. He wants gentle, kind of rough actually as he swayed you back and forth with energy. He pulled away, hoping you had felt better. You did.
“I’m Dayton” he said, smiling at you.
You smiled back, with tear stains still on your cheek.
“I’m Y/N”
“Y/N, it looks like you need another hug” Dayton gave you another hug, holding you until he stopped hearing the faint sniffle that escaped your body every so often.
You pulled away, nodding to indicate you were alright now.
“You wanna go down the slide? My mommy is probably wondering where I am” Dayton asked innocently.
You nodded, relief washing over you that someone wanted to be your friend
“That sounds awesome.”
_______________________________________________
From that day forward, you and Dayton were attached at the hip. Elementary school had been a breeze. Thankfully, Dayton was in your class your first year. Although it didn’t stay that way, you would always find time to meet and play during recess. Recess time turned into meeting after school, and meeting after school extended into high school.
Dayton began racing during freshman year. Your school offered a racing club which allowed students to meet after school and go to various tracks in the state to see what it was like to race. You and Dayton had always gone Go-Kart driving on the weekends, but you never thought it would turn into anything serious. Dayton, however, has found his passion. He started building his own race car after school sophomore year, and even asked if you would come over to help. You knew absolutely nothing about building a race car, but Dayton wanted you to be there and that’s all that mattered.
“Y’know I know nothing about building a damn car right? Do YOU even know anything about building a car?” you posed to Dayton in an almost accusatory tone.
“As a matter of fact, Y/N, I have been studying how to build this ‘damn car’ for over a year now, so why don’t you put a little respect on Francine’s name?”
“Well, Dayton, I suggest you begin studying geometry before you fail the quarter. And you named the thing already? Is it your lover or you car?”
“It’s both” he gave you a weird wink, one on the left, and then another on the right in secession.
“You are absolutely gross, White. I can’t believe I ever agreed to go down that slide with you when we were five. It was probably all apart of your evil plan to keep me from being someone else’s best friend just so I could build this car with you” you rolled your eyes as you sat on the hood of his family car.
“God you’re so right. You caught me. Our entire friendship has been a sham, and it all led up to this moment. And now that I finally have you where I want you...” he said with a low growl, planting both of his hands on either side of you as you sat on the hood of his car.
“I’m gonna get ya!” He said tickling your sides
You shrieked, absolutely taken aback that his hands were all over you.
God, his hands were all over you.
Alright, maybe he is cute, but there was no way you two would ever date. You came to that conclusion a long time ago. Your crush developed in the 6th grade, which is absolutely astounding considering middle schoolers are anything but normal. Even in the most awkward stage of life Dayton still managed to be charming and cute as ever. You were determined to tell him, but he would never shut up about Stacey Waterson. You hated her with every fiber of your being. What was wrong with you after all? You had it all, at least that’s what your mom said. You were decently pretty, immensely funny, and his best friend. You shared everything together. What more could he want? Well, the answer to that question would be Stacey Waterson. He wanted her, and not you.
You came back to from the tickling after laughing for what seemed like minutes. Your sides were hurting from contracting your ab muscles for too long. You pushed Dayton off of you playfully, but he pounced back on you, pinning your arms above your head.
“Say the password and I’ll let you go” he stared you down, being absolutely serious.
However, you wanted to double check.
“You can’t be serious” you retorted back, completely flustered due to the situation you were currently in on top of the incessant tickling that occurred just moments before.
“Oh, I’m serious. Say the password and I’ll let you go!” He said with a huge smile on his face.
“Jesus Christ, let me go you dick” you said while struggling to get up.
Dayton made a loud buzzing sound in your face.
“Try again!”
“Dayton come on let me up!”
Dayton made another loud buzzing sound in your face.
“Come on Y/N, just one little word and this can all go away. All you gotta do is say..”
“Goddamnit Dayton, chicken! Chicken for fuck’s sake” you said waiting for his response.
Dayton made another loud buzzing sound in your face.
“I’m sorry, that’s the old password. There’s a new password” he smiled at you, knowing this was ridiculous.
You finally mustered up the strength to push him off of you.
“What do you mean the password has changed!”
The password “chicken” has been used in every single scenario since you first let. For whatever reason, You and Dayton found that word hilarious when you were at a birthday party in the third grade. It was Danny Henry’s 8th birthday, and of course it was chicken themed. Every child gets infatuated with a new thing every year. Danny happened to live on a farm, and all year he wouldn’t stop talking about getting a pet chicken. You all wore chicken hats, there were chicken plates, a chicken cake. There was even a “Pin the Beak on the Chicken” game which, if you do say so yourself, was way more entertaining than “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” You and Dayton lost it by the time your mom picked you up from the party, absolutely hysterical in the backseat. Ever since then, it was your secret password for everything.
“I was thinking we should change stuff up. Make up a new password, it has been seven years since we thought of one.”
“Oh yeah? And what is this new life changing password that is soooo good that our childhood memory is being brushed under the rug?” you question.
Dayton had an almost hurt look on his face, but he proposed the new password to you anyways.
“I thought the new password could be Francine. Y’know, I just think this is another great milestone in our friendship, working on this car and all. This day is really important to me and I’m glad you’re here” he said with sincerity.
You didn’t know what to say. This day did mean a lot to him, and your friendship overall.
You nodded in agreement.
“Alright, the new password is Francine. However, I will still be accepting chicken as a password in the future.”
Dayton smiled one of the biggest smiles you had ever seen.
“Deal. Now, let’s get this car on the road. We have a lot of work to do if I’m gonna be ready for my first ever official race next Saturday.”
______________________________________________
Race day was here. You woke up early next Saturday morning and drove over to Dayton’s house to pick him up to go to the race track. Dayton’s dad was taking his race car down in their trailer, but you and Dayton wanted to head to your special place before the race. It was eight o’clock in the morning and Dayton had until noon to get to the race track.
Ever since the 6th grade, you and Dayton would walk to this rock in the woods after school to talk about your day. Your mom got home at seven every night, so you only had four hours to do something before she got home and realized you were “missing.” You talked about everything on that rock, and that rock was also where you realized you had the biggest crush on someone since your infatuation with Paul Rudd in “Clueless.”
You pulled up in your beat up Dodge Intrepid, newly sporting your license. You grabbed some granola bars and bottles of orange juice to enjoy while sitting on the rock.
You both sat down on ground, leaning up against the thing. You both sighed and enjoyed the crisp cool morning air. Finally, you broke the silence.
“You nervous for today?”
Dayton looked down between his legs while chewing on his granola bar.
“I am absolutely terrified. I mean, what if I mess up?”
You laughed a little.
He looked at you with confusion.
“What’s so funny?”
You shook your head.
“it’s your first are Dayton. It’s okay to be nervous and even mess up. At the end of the day, everyone is going to be proud of you. We’ll all tell you how great you did because we know how much you care about this. You’ll do amazing.”
He smiled, almost not expecting such kind words to come from your mouth.
“You’re something else Y/N, ya know that?”
“Oh yeah? Stacey Waterson is something else too I bet” you said half jokingly, half serious.
He rolled his eyes.
“Who gives a fuck about Stacey Waterson when I have a girl like you to cheer me on and surprisingly gives the best pep talks.”
“Well the way I see it she was the one who got the invitation to prom, not little old me who will be spending that Saturday night in my basement playing my PlayStation.”
He shook his head again.
“I never asked Stacey to prom.”
You suddenly shifted to look at him square in the face.
“What?”
“I said, I didn't ask Stacey to prom.”
You were dumbfounded. He told you he was absolutely determined to take her. What had changed?
“W-Why? Why didn’t you ask her?”
He kept smiling and shaking his head.
“God Y/N, for being one of the smartest girls I have ever met you really can be dumb sometimes.”
“Excuse you, Dayton White, I happen to be taking AP U.S History, Honors Biology, and-”
That’s when you thought heaven had fell down from the skies and landed right on that rock.
Dayton had leaned in and kissed you. God, why did he have to be so charming?
He slowly took your lip into his mouth and gently sucked on it. You reciprocated by taking his top lip into your mouth and began moving your mouth with his. Time had stopped. It felt like you had molded into one person, enjoying the sensation of each other’s lips.
He finally pulled away, looking you dead in the eyes.
“Do you understand now?”
You nodded, still stunned by his actions.
“I think we better go. I wanna see this handsome boy I kissed win his first race.”
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Face to Face- Chapter 35
Summary: When Danny went through the ghost catcher, he expected to be cured of the ghostliness that had haunted him since the accident, not to wake up on the lab floor with his parents saying he’d been overshadowed but everything’s back to normal now. But why does Danny Fenton cry himself to sleep to then dream of flying? Why does Phantom, the ghost who was supposedly possessing Danny remember a life that wasn’t his? Most of all, why do both the human and the ghost feel that something vital is missing, in their very soul?
Or: Trying to cure himself of his powers one month after the accident, Danny accidentally splits himself but neither his ghost nor his human half know that that is what they did
First -> Last -> Next
Word Count: 5,122
Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net
Note: I'm back with a new chapter, luckily a little faster than last time. XD Since I posted the last chapter, I also posted my Invisobang story so I hope you check out that story if you're interest. After reading this update though, of course ;) Happy Reading!
In the lab, Fenton paced back and forth, anxiety buzzing in his veins. This was turning into the most stressful ten minutes of his life. Err...no, the accident was more stressful. Or telling his parents about Phantom. Or getting lost in the Ghost Zone just an hour ago. Or...actually he’d been under a lot of stress recently.
“Danny.” Jazz interrupted his frantic activity. “Is everything okay?”
The boy froze, turning to look at his sister. He bit his lip. Things weren’t okay but…. Fenton closed his eyes, slightly pushing his perception away from the lab to…. His breath hitched. Neon green bloomed in his mind’s eyes. A flash of blue and...the image was fuzzy, from a distance but...there in front of him were two ghosts on a motorcycle and out of the corner of his eye...Mom! His heart fluttered, beating faster in a mix of relief and anxiety. Phantom’s lips were moving but the exchange of words felt far away. Fenton couldn’t pick them up, nor those of the other three people. Finally, the other two ghosts left and...tears... Mom was crying. She was hugging him. She-
“Son?”
Fenton pulled back, gasping. His eyes blinked open. The...lab? Right, he was here in the lab, waiting for Phantom to come back with Mom. Mom….His heart ached, even as he let out a breath of relief. “We found her. Mom’s okay.”
“She is?” Dad asked, eyes widening hopefully.
Fenton nodded. “Phantom’s got her. They’re flying back now.”
The large man visibly sagged in his seat, tension easing. Jazz let out a sigh of relief. The human Danny let out a breath as well before flopping down onto one of the stools. The trio sat in silence for a small eternity, held in eager and somewhat nervous anticipation. Fenton’s eyes flickered to the portal, searching for any sign of movement. Then….the green mist rippled; he could almost feel the cold dampness on his skin. Fenton blinked and two figures slipped through the portal. The boy’s shoulders relaxed, face softening with relief.
“Mom.” He breathed, as Jazz exclaimed the word.
At the same time, Dad stood. “Maddie!”
The large man barreled forward, just as Phantom was moving to help Mom to her feet. Dad swept the woman and the ghost boy up in a hug.
“Jack.” The woman gasped, slightly surprised.
At the same time, the ghost boy let out a startled squeak. Fenton winced in sympathy.
“You’re both okay.” Dad continued, undeterred.
“Yeah.” Phantom breathed, squirming slightly in the hold. For just a moment, the ghost flickered intangible. Then he stumbled away from the pair of adults.
Both parents pulled out of their hug and turned to face Phantom. At the same time, Fenton stepped forward to stand beside his other half.
“Sorry.” Phantom blushed, looking down. “Didn’t mean to do...that.”
“It’s alright, son.” Dad soothed. “I got a little excited there.” A small smile graced his face. “I’m just so happy everyone’s here and safe.”
“Me too.” Jazz stepped forward, joining the rest of the family. She wrapped her arms around her mother in a hug. “You’re alright? Right Mom?”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m fine.” The woman nodded. “Your brother found me.” Mom looked up, her eyes meeting Phantom’s over Jazz’s shoulder. Her expression softened before her gaze flickered to the human Danny.
Fenton swallowed, feeling his stomach flop even as he held the gaze. After a long pause, the woman gave Jazz a pat on the shoulder and pulled out of the embrace. She then stepped around her daughter, approaching both versions of Danny. Her wide, misty eyes glanced between the two.
“Danny, baby.” Worry creased her forehead. “After you...after Phantom flew off...I thought...I didn’t know… if that would affect your other half but….” Her lips quivered. “Are you both okay?”
The human boy winced at the question, wrapping his arms around his waist. He glanced at his other half before answering. “We’re fine… at least physically.” His voice tapered to a whisper at the last word.
Guilt flickered across Mom’s face. “We have...we have a lot to talk about. But…” Her eyes shone with affection. “I’m so happy you came looking for me. And you came home.”
Phantom shrugged, trying to look casual. “I wasn’t gonna just leave you there.” He muttered.
The woman opened her mouth, thinking to reply. Her mouth closed and then she sighed. “Still...I was so scared, when you ran off. I’m...I’m just so happy you’re safe.”
Fenton looked down, guilt swirling through him. He remained still, even as his mom stepped forward, wrapping one arm around him and the other around his ghost half. “I love both of you so much.” She whispered.
A sense of deja vu overtook the human Danny as he couldn’t find it in him to reply. This had happened just minutes ago with Phantom, hadn’t it? And yet...the memory of that interaction passed through his mind, with the same conflicting emotions. He wanted to believe Mom’s words, he really did. But… ‘if Mom doesn't love you, then she doesn't really love me.’ Mom could say the words but if she didn’t really mean them...if she still didn’t accept Phantom….
The ghost boy pulled away and a moment later, his human followed. Both boys looked down, unable to look at their mother. Then there was a cough to the side. “Let’s go upstairs.” Dad said surprisingly softly. “Your mother’s right. We need to talk about things.”
Fenton looked up. He swallowed nervously, even as he nodded. The group of five trudged up the stairs, Dad first, followed by Jazz, then Mom, and finally the Dannys with Phantom coming last. The ghost glanced back at the lab, his eyes flickering to the portal. Fenton paused, brows furrowing as he noticed the action. Then he gently grabbed his other self’s arm and pulled him up the stairs.
No words were said; none were necessary, but emotions were shared through the touch. Anxiety, fear, relief, hope, pain. So many feelings. Fenton didn’t know how to handle them. Everything hurt but...he hoped. Mom had said she was sorry earlier to Phantom, hadn’t she? She was acting like she was sorry but…
Fenton looked up to find his mother sitting in the armchair, looking uncomfortable. In front of him, Dad placed his hand gently on his sister’s arm. “Jazz, please go upstairs. Your mother and I need to talk to your brother.” The words were serious and melancholic but said gently.
The other teen frowned, starting to argue. “But...I can help. Danny...he needs me-”
“Jazz, honey.” Mom interrupted. “Please. I...we can handle this. I know...I know I made mistakes.” Again, her cheeks reddened with guilt. “But… It will be okay; we can fix this.”
Jazz’s brow wrinkled, a severe look flashing across her face. Then her expression softened. She turned to look at both versions of her brother, who were still hovering nervously at the threshold between the kitchen and living room. “Danny, do you...want me here for this?” Her eyes flickered to their mother before her voice quieted. “I told you earlier, I’d go with you to talk to her if you wanted.” She frowned, raising an eyebrow pointedly.
Phantom blushed, his face turning green as he shifted nervously in the air. “No. It’s...it’s okay. Dad’ll be here.”
Jazz’s frown deepened, her eyes meeting Fenton’s. “Are you sure?”
The human boy nodded. “Yeah. It’s...you should go upstairs.”
His sister stayed staring for a long moment, still looking very much displeased. Then she heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine. I’ll go.” She turned back towards the stairs, her deeply worried expression changing into something severe and maybe even judgmental as her eyes passed over their mom. Then Jazz walked across the run and up the stairs. Soon, she disappeared down the hall and the sound of a door closing rang through the quiet house.
More tense silence froze Fenton in his spot, his heart pounding anxiously in his chest. His eyes carefully avoided the adults who were both now sitting.
Dad spoke up first, from his seat in the recliner. “Come on and sit down, son.” He leaned forward, patting the couch.
The pair of Dannys glanced at each other before Fenton started forward with his ghost half following after. Both sat side by side on the couch, shoulders tense and heads hung low. Fenton balled his fists in his lap. Now that his relief about Mom being safe had drained out of him… the pain, every word of that argument came flooding back. The human felt his ghost half shift in his seat beside him and so he looked to his side. Phantom opened his mouth briefly, looking like he wanted to speak, but then his jaw snapped closed. Fenton bit his own lip. He understood the feeling; neither of them knew what to say, how to start.
Mom made the decision for them. “Danny.” She started softly and Fenton looked up. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t...I shouldn’t have said any of what I said. I...I promised I would listen to you but... but I didn’t and…” She sniffled. “I just...I just yelled at you and…” Her voice shook with emotion. “You said...you thought I didn’t love Phantom. I...I made you think that but… I swear, I love you so much. You’re my baby and...I… I’d do anything for you. I love… I love you so-”
“Stop.” Phantom cut her off, voice pained. Fenton could feel his heart aching as the emotional dam broke. “You...you say that but… you said...you said I’m not supposed to be a ghost. You keep...you keep acting like there’s something wrong with me. And you wouldn’t even… even admit it. That...that you treat me different from Fenton or…” Mom winced at the words but they kept pouring out of the ghost. “Or barely look at me...or touch me… or…” Phantom sniffled, eyes watering. “I can’t...I can’t be what you want. I can’t be...be normal. I...I tried and this is what happened. All that horrible stuff you think...think about ghosts...you still think that about me. And…” His voice cracked, no more words able to come through as he started crying.
Fenton was crying too, feeling every single word in his heart even if they hadn’t been said with his mouth. He cried too, wrapping one arm around Phantom in a useless attempt at self-soothing. Even after Mom’s attempted apologies, even after she’d ventured into the Ghost Zone without a plan to find him, even after everything, the fears welled up. He felt sick with it, his insides churning.
The human boy barely registered when the couch shifted. “Danny. Danny baby, I’m… I’m so sorry.” Fenton looked to the side, following the sound of his mother’s voice. He winced. The woman had moved to sit beside Phantom, her arms wrapped around him. The ghost didn’t react, helpless in his tears. Mom pulled him closer. “No. I don’t...I don’t think that about you. I know you’re...you’re good. You’re not a...a monster. I never... never should have said that. I was wrong.”
Fenton whined, low in his throat. “Then why… why do you treat us… us differently? Why wouldn’t… wouldn��t you admit it?”
One of the woman’s hands moved to grab the human’s shoulder. “I hadn’t even realized it but… you’re right about… everything you… Phantom accused me of. I was treating you two differently. You were right about me… about me.... Hesi… hesitating to touch you… or look at you.”
“Why?” Phantom whimpered.
There was a pause, a sniffle. Then the woman answered. “I’ve been...I’ve just been so afraid.”
The ghost flinched, briefly flickering invisible. “Of...me?” The words were so quiet, so broken.
Mom shook her head vigorously. “No. No. Never. I’ve just...I’m...I’m so afraid of hurting you again.”
That made Phantom pull out of the hug. “What?” He frowned, Fenton copying the action.
“I’ve...I’ve already hurt you so much. The...the accident...the portal...my portal, my invention already hurt you. And...and I split you in half and…”
“Maddie.” Dad finally interrupted the words. “Both of us did that, not just you. That...this is both of our faults.”
The woman looked up, shaking her head. “No. But I’m...I’m the one that shot him, Jack. I...I shot you…” Her eyes flickered to Phantom. “I...I shot you and I’m...I’ve been so scared of hurting you again. I’ve been… been trying to keep you at an arm’s length to protect you. But I didn’t realize I was still hurting you.”
Fenton pursed his lips, at a loss of what to say. His ghost half had no such problem, anger briefly flashing across his face. “Yeah, well...you still did. You still….you still said I’m wrong and unnatural. You still said I’m supposed to be alive, like I have any control over that. You still said I wasn’t supposed to be a ghost.”
Mom glanced down, guilt darkening her checks before she looked up again. “You’re right I did say those things. I shouldn’t...have wanted you to be something you can’t be. It’s just…” She sighed, eyes watering again. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Ghost Danny grimaced, eyes narrowing harshly. “Really?”
The woman swallowed, looking even more guilty. “At least...that’s not what I intended. I meant...none of this was supposed to happen. The accident… it shouldn’t have happened. You...you shouldn’t have been hurt...you shouldn’t...shouldn’t have d...died because of my...my invention. But…” She gasped, voice trembling. “It was my negligence, my carelessness that did this to you. It was...it was my fault. You never should have been down there. I never should have made you clean the lab. It never should have been your responsibility.” She took a shaky breath. “But when...when I found you down in the basement after the accident..you weren’t...you weren’t breathing.”
Fenton gasped. “Really? I didn’t… I didn’t know that.”
Mom didn’t directly reply, pinching her eyes closed. “That was the worst five minutes of my life. I’d thought...I thought I’d lost you.” The grief was enough to bring new tears to both boy’s eyes. “But...your heart restarted and you seemed miraculously okay after the hospital and then...and then I learned about this…” Her eyes opened, looking at Phantom. “The portal...my portal killed you. It killed you. And...I’m so scared of losing you again. There’s so much I don’t know about ghosts. And-”
“No. Mom, that’s not…” Phantom interrupted. “You didn’t...you didn’t lose me. You’re not going to lose...to lose me.”
“I know that. I know that now.” Mom replied with conviction, looking at the ghost. “You’re still here. And that...that makes me so happy.” One hand moved to cup Phantom’s check. “I’m so happy you’re still here.” Her eyes moved to Fenton, her other hand touching his face. “I’m so happy that you survived. You’re still alive...at least partially.”
The words were not as comforting as she likely intended. The human Danny bit his lip. “But...what if...what if I wasn't?”
“What if I was just Phantom?” His ghost half continued the thought. “What if I was just a ghost?”
For just a brief moment, Mom’s eyes widened in surprise. A complicated mix of emotions crossed her face- wariness, uncertainty, fear, sorrow. Then she swallowed, a new determination passing her features. “Then...it would...it would still hurt but...I’d be happy to still have my son here, even if he was different.”
Ghost Danny didn’t pull away, even as hurt flashed across his features. Instead, his hand reached up to grab the woman’s other arm, the one that was reaching for Fenton’s face. The action drew his mother’s eyes. “But Mom…” He bit his lip. “I’m already different. That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to understand. I’m a ghost...a real ghost. And I don’t... I don’t want to be an exception just because I’m part human or because I’m your son. I just…” Tears ran down his face. “I just want you to accept me for who I am, ghostliness included.”
Mom’s eyes widened again, her hands pulling away. She studied Phantom’s face, before her eyes flickered to Fenton. “You...all of you thinks that.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement. Then the woman shook her head. “Of course you think that. You keep telling me that and…” An understanding passed over her face. “I’m still not listening. I...I really need to do better, don’t I?”
Fenton and Phantom didn’t say anything. What could they say? It was true and all of them knew it.
“Both of us should do better, Maddie.” Dad spoke, making both boys gasp softly. They’d forgotten that he was here. The man blushed, looking guilty. “I should have noticed what was happening and pushed to talk about things sooner.”
The human felt his heart clinch. Oh how differently things could have gone if they’d tried to have this conversation as the four of them first, instead of Mom and Phantom alone.
Mom shook her head. “That might be true. But… this is on me. I should have noticed.” Her eyes flickered between the two Dannys again. “I shouldn’t have made you feel like this. I was too caught up in my own grief and fear. I haven’t been the Mom that you’ve needed.” She paused, conviction shining in her eyes alongside the guilt. “I should have noticed you were hurting and... it was because of my behavior. I messed up but I want to do better.” She took a breath. “How can I do that? How can I make this up to you?”
For a long moment, both Dannys were silent, processing the apology. Fenton bit his lip. It...it sounded authentic. That conviction, admitting to mistakes, the willingness to take responsibility. And they’d...they had wanted this apology so badly. But...should they trust it? Maybe, start with….
The two Danny shared a glance, contemplating how to reply to the question. Finally Phantom sighed. “We don’t...we don’t know. Maybe…” He wrung his hands in his lap. “Don’t freak out if I use my powers or...you know...talk about being a ghost.”
“Yeah.” Fenton agreed, mustering all the confidence he could. “It’s not like it’s a bad word. It’s just...how I am now and...I’m okay with it.” The boy said the words and for once, no guilt accompanied them. They were...they were the truth.
The same could not be said of their parents. Mom’s lip turned down, her face reddening with guilt. “Sweetie...That...that should go without saying.”
“But,” Phantom softly argued. “You have freaked out….or…” He blushed. “You….well...you’ve looked at me weird, like you’re...un...uncomfortable.” Getting out the words was so hard. “So...so….I don’t feel like I can use my powers or talk about...stuff.”
“Hey, Danny-boy. It’s okay.” Dad said. “We talked about this, remember? You can talk to your Mom and me about anything. I want you to come to us if something’s bothering you. Or if you just want to talk. Or not talk, just hangout. We’re here for you.”
For just a brief moment, the guilt returned. Dad had said that last night. But...both Dannys were still hesitant.
“But you are right.” Mom continued. “This is your home. You’re supposed to feel comfortable here, like you can be completely yourself. And I have not been making you feel that way. And…” She took a breath. “You are a ghost and you have ghost powers. They're your powers.” The words were said with only the slightest hesitance, like they still hurt at some level but...Mom was trying. The woman put hands together, looking more determined. “So how about this? I gave my full permission to train your powers.”
Phantom blinked, startled. “What?” At the same time, Fenton asked more excitedly. “Really?!”
“Yes.” Mom confirmed with a nod of her head. She held up a finger. “In the lab with us and…” She glanced at the other adult, whose eyes shone with a hint of excitement. “We’ll have a training session in the next few days, before we finish with the Ghost Catcher. If that’s alright with you.”
The ghost boy looked at his counterpart before answering tentatively. “Yeah. We can do that but...what about just...general ghost power use?”
Fenton didn’t say anything, pleasantly surprised by the bluntness.
“Danny. They’re your powers.” Mom continued after a pause. “You said...it feels natural to use them. I meant what I said before, it would be cruel to forbid you from flying and… I do trust you.” She vowed.
There was a pause as both Dannys took in the words, again surprised. Phantom bit his lip. “You do? But…”
Mom reached out to touch his arm. “Yes, Danny. I trust you. And I should have never let that waver, not with this.” She comfortingly squeezed, eyes flickering to Fenton. “I know that having ghost powers hasn’t changed you deep down, not where it counts. You’re still my son who’s responsible and knows to be reasonably careful.”
“And to fess up if you’ve messed up or accidentally broken something.” Dad added with wide affectionate eyes. “Which you probably will. You’ve got my clumsiness.” The corner of his lip turned up. “And those powers are tricky. So, it’ll be alright, right son?”
“Um...yeah.” Fenton replied, with a slight blush as a warm feeling rose in his chest. Did that...was he actually starting to feel better?
“And speaking of fessing up…” Mom said. “I am so proud of you for talking about this with us now. And earlier...it took a while but you told us about your powers and you told us what the ghost catcher really did. And I’m proud of you for that.” The woman offered a slight smile. Then her lips turned down again, more serious. “You trusted me with the truth. And I know I’ve broken that trust. I want to earn it back. So...do you think we can work on that?”
Fenton’s heart squeezed. He glanced at Phantom and… “Yeah. We can...we can try.” And he would try. Both parts of him would but there was a lot of trust that needed to be rebuilt.
Mom gave a nod. “Alright. We can start with what we talked about, the training and freely using your powers. And…” Her eyes focused on Phantom, eyes again wide with conviction. “From now on, if you’re uncomfortable, tell me. This is your house; you’re supposed to feel like you can be yourself.”
The ghost’s lip twitch. “O...Okay.” Beside him, Fenton swallowed. Well...that was a tall order. He couldn’t...he couldn’t promise that.
Dad seemed to notice the discomfort. “Or tell me.” The man added. “Just don’t keep bottling it all up, son. Your mother and I just want to help you. We want you to be happy and safe.”
“And we’ll do everything we can to do that.” Mom continued. “Is there anything else you need us to do?”
The human Danny bit his lip and glanced at his ghost. Okay...they could consider being more willing to talk to Mom and Dad. And training and using their powers freely was exciting. But still, there was more.
Fenton sighed. “About your theories about ghosts….uhh….” The boy trailed off, unsure where to exactly start on the problems there.
“Your mom and I already talked about rethinking them.” Dad started.
“Or rather, throwing out the old hypotheses all together.” The woman frowned. “We need to look at everything with fresh eyes. And gather more information. Like I said...there’s so much we don’t know.”
“But what we do know is, we can’t assume any ghost we find will be thoughtless or emotionless.” Dad added with a nodd.
“Or malevolent.” Mom said. “We’ll proceed with an open mind and hope for the best. We do want to go through the portal at some point and observe ghosts in their native environment.” The corner of her lip turned up. “Maybe we can find some other humanoid ghosts to talk to...just talk to.” Her expression then shifted, turning more serious. “But...this won’t be until after we get you re-fused. As we’ve said, you’re our priority, Danny.”
Both Dannys nodded, considering the statement. Then Phantom agreed, biting his lip. “That sounds good. I’m...uh...glad you’re gonna rethink studying ghosts. Just talking’s good.”
From his seat in the recliner, Dad’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, speaking of talking to ghosts…” A hint of excitement lit in his eyes. “You said that you talked to a ghost who helped you find a portal back home. You said he was called...Sidney?”
Mom’s eyes widened, flickered to her husband and then to Phantom. “What?!”
“Uhh...yeah…” The ghost boy rubbed the back of his neck. “His name’s Sidney.” His eyes met Mom’s. “So...long story short, there’s like...a metaphysical line between me and Fenton because...same person. So I...uh...followed it to find him and the line led me to a portal that’s actually in Sidney’s lair and opens up into one of the locker’s at school.”
The woman blinked. “So… you found a portal...inside this ghost’s...lair?” Phantom nodded. “And it leads to...a locker in your school?” This time, Fenton nodded. “And this portal...you got back home through it?” Both Fenton and Phantom nodded. “Which means...you went back through our portal to find me.” Mom blew out a sigh, her voice a mix of surprise, amazement, and a little worry.
“Yeah.” Phantom shrugged, though his cheeks flushed green. “I wasn’t gonna leave you.”
The adult’s face softened. “Oh sweetie…” She shook her head. “So this ghost...you talked to him?”
The ghost boy nodded. “Yeah. He actually taught me some stuff about the Ghost Zone and uhh...ghost etiquette, I guess. And apparently...the ghosts have a word of people like me. We’re called halfas.”
Both adults blinked, taking in the words for a long moment. Then Dad’s eyes lit up. “Halfa! Human you said that earlier, in the Fenton GAV. What else did you learn?!”
Fenton slumped slightly, overwhelmed by the sudden excitement. “Can we...uh..maybe talk about this later?”
Dad’s expression fell, disappointed. A hurt look flashed across Mom’s face. “Danny sweetie...whatever happened, you can tell us. I promise we’ll keep an open mind.”
The human boy’s eyes widened slightly, guilt briefly flaring in him at the reaction. “No Mom, it’s not that. It’s just...there’s a lot.”
Phantom nodded. “I learned a lot. Tons. It’ll be...a long conversation and…”
“I’m tired.” Fenton continued, sudden weariness overtaking him as he yawned. “I heard...I saw everything that happened...in the lab.” He paused briefly, stomach only slightly flopping at the memory. “And...I got kinda pulled to Phantom when we ran off…” Mom and Dad both looked confused so he clarified. “My part of our mind...It’s like...I wasn’t aware of what our human body was doing because...I was with Phantom.”
Dad frowned. “So...like two people in one body? But...you’re the same person?”
Phantom shrugged. “Yeah it’s confusing. It didn’t last very long but...a lot happened and...I’m tired too...like mentally and emotionally so…” He trailed off, unsure.
Mom’s expression softened. “I understand, Danny. We can talk about that later. You can go upstairs and take a nap if you want to.” She moved from where she was stilling to crouch in front of both boys on the couch. “I’m so happy you’re back and you’re safe.” She leaned forward to kiss Phantom’s head... “And I love you so much. Phantom and Fenton.” And then Fenton’s. “Ghost and Human.” Neither boy flinched at the kiss, nor did they shy away as her eyes met Phantom’s before flickering to Fenton’s. “Thank you for talking to me and giving me another chance.”
“Yeah. Mom. We love you too.” Both Dannys said in synch.
And they did; that had never changed. Everything that had happened before, all the words and actions, all the pain, all of that hurt badly, so badly. But...that was because they loved their parents.
Mom stood and stepped to the side and Dad moved to kneel in her place. His big arms wrapped around the pair. “I’m happy you’re safe too. And...I know it was hard but...I’m glad all of that’s in the open now. Now we can start dealing with it and getting better.”
Fenton squeezed back, returning the hug. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“You’re right. Thanks Dad.” Phantom squeezed as well.
The man pulled away, his eyes watering. He enthusiastically patted both boys' knees. “Now go take that nap. I want you bright-eyed and bushy tailed to tell me all about your adventure in the Ghost Zone.”
That earned a chuckle from Phantom even as he blushed. “Yeah. That’s a word for it.”
Fenton shook his head, the corner of his own lip turning up. He glanced up, catching a slight glimpse of Mom’s subtle smile as Dad stood and stepped back. The human boy rose to his feet. “Come on, Phantom.”
“I’m coming.” The ghost also rose and floated beside his human as the pair went up to their room.
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