Danny is not okay.

He had just gotten back from shoving a very offended Spoiler out of the second story window with a broom when he discovered Red Robin hacking into one of the family computers and had to whack him too.

The broom was getting used a lot today, huh?

In Danny's defense, he had locked up the portals and lab tight before activating the houses security system. Unfortunately, Vlads murderer - some guy named Deathstroke- had used a Fenton product to do the crime, and now his parents (as oblivious as ever) are out hunting the hit man for revenge. Jazz was in on a girl's trip with her friends for a week, and his friends are both out of town with their respective families so the three of them had no idea any of this was going on.

Now here he is dealing with a bat infestation. He hopes his parents will forgive him for blowing up the computer, but he really doesn't want his parents going to jail. And with half the stuff on the computer being destructive mad scientist inventions and the other half being plans/tools to commit horrific atrocities and genocide of an entire dimensions worth of sentient beings?

Jail. Jail for a thousand years. Can't let that happen. So Danny is on his one man mission of throwing ninjas with daddy issues out various windows over and over again. This can't last forever! They have a city to return to, right?!

Well, turns out he was right! Too bad they were all now in what Danny could only guess was a new world full of talking monsters that kept trying to eat them!

At least the house came with them so they had shelter. Why did mom program the teleporter to activate without coordinates put in anyway. What where these monsters? Where is Nadiria supposed to be in the galaxy? Where they still in the milky way? Was it safe to fanboy about being on another planet? Can Danny become a "monster wrangler" alongside the bats so they don't get eaten?

Can danny manage to hide his identity as a ghost/ "monster" from the bats while they're trapped in this freaky place?

Nomu!Danny aftermath if its okay. Maybe Eraser gains a new son in this chaotic mix of events?

lmao stop giving me reasons to torture my son. Out of the thirty ish asks in my inbox almost half of them are angsty leave him alone lmao

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

Shouta Aizawa was a simple man. He liked cats. He liked coffee. He liked sleeping. He does not like children (even if Hizashi insists he's lying to himself). He especially does not like children who have been more or less tortured every single day for months.

Or rather, he hates that it happened to them. The actual child in question is pretty okay.

He's skinny-far past the point of healthy-with dark messy hair that's a little too long, and cold blue eyes that track every movement his doctors and nurses make.

And then he surprises him and the Detective in the best way possible.

"I'll tell you everything."

There was no hesitation. No fear hidden behind his eyes. Just a cold determination to get back at the man who did all this too him.

The story makes Shouta want to throw up. The kid had been force fed quirks because he was dead. And that had also been hard to swallow. But Tsukauchi seemed just as flabbergasted, so Shouta could only guess that the kid was telling the truth. That he was forced to be a one-man Nomu.

He didn't keep every quirk All for One forced on him. Sometimes they were taken, and replaced with new ones. Sometimes he was overwhelmed with quirks, just so All for One could watch him writhe in pain on the floor, groveling like a dog at their feet. It was sickening, and if Shouta wasn't used to sickening stories, he probably would have thrown up.

Instead, he had the stomach to save it for the privacy of his own home.

"What are your quirks?" Tsukauchi asked him, and Danny, the kid, could only shrug.

"I don't...I'm not familiar with all of them. I know I have Night Vision and Danger Tingle. There's this really neat one where I can..." He lifted his hand, and with his pointer finger he wrote his name in the air, a bright green trail following every movement. "Air Script? I think that's what I'll call it. I can...I can feel more. But I don't know what they are. He wanted me to-to lose myself, I guess. Like all the other Nomu had."

"Why didn't you?" Shouta can't help but ask.

"I wanted to remember. My parents, my sister. My friends. Are they..." he looks to the two men with pleading eyes, desperate for some good news.

"We're looking into it," Tsukauchi tells him gently. Danny presses his lips together before nodding. Tsukauchi presses him with one last question. "Do you know what the League's end goal is?"

It ultimately amounts to nothing, as they both suspected it would. But Tsukauchi doesn't seem disappointed. He just thanks Danny for his time, and promises to come back when he has more answers about his family, the Fentons.

When Tsukauchi disappears down the hall, Shouta allows himself to sit down in the uncomfortable plastic chair next to Danny's bed before sighing tiredly. He hasn't allowed himself any proper rest. They were busy during the camp, and then villains had attacked. And then he had to go on live TV, essentially blowing himself out of the Underground scene permanently now that everybody knew his name and face and quirk, and then, not even a few hours alter, he's being called to the hospital because of some kid who may or may not have been a part of the League. He's glad to see he isn't, but he's more than a little worried about what kind of mental state the kid is in. Even if he seems fine now, he can pinpoint the signs of struggle in a heartbeat.

"How are you feeling, kid?" He asks. Danny just shrugs as he fiddles with the scratchy blanket that's covering most of the boy's injuries.

Everything kind of hurts. And I'm tired," he admits after a few quiet moments. "I'm...I'm worried. About my family. I'm worried about what will get leaked to the media. Sure, you guys can't exactly tell people I'm a halfa but-but people will probably find out anyway. And that I'm not quirkless anymore. It's just...Stressful, I guess."

It's a lot more than Shouta was expecting to get, and he's more than grateful for it. Danny, at least to them, is willing to open up. That's going to help with his recovery going forward.

"I understand," Shouta says, quiet and gentle in a way he only ever uses for little kids who are on the verge of panicking. "Why don't you try and get some rest. I'll be here."

Icy blue eyes meet his, and they pin him in place. Shouta feels rooted to the spot from the boy's gaze alone. He waits patiently, blinking slowly as Danny searches for answers to the questions he probably isn't going to ask. And after a few minutes, he finally lets his shoulders relax.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

------

The news that Tsukauchi brings about Danny's family isn't good. There was never a missing person's report filed by the family because they themselves were dead. At least, that's what Tsukauchi suspects. There weren't any bodies, but there were three large piles of dust in various spots around the house, and with the League involved, it's not hard to put two and two together.

But if the news isn't great for Shouta, it's absolutely devastating for Danny. Before Tsukauchi is even able to speak, Danny just knows from the look on the man's face. He breaks down, curling in on himself, and doesn't allow anybody to touch him. Still, Aizawa offers his hand just in case. And after a few minutes, Danny grips it like a lifeline with far more strength than he should logically have.

And after a few hours, he finally uncurls his limbs, but does not let go of Shouta's hand. He looks desperately to Shouta, with red rimmed eyes, pleading for any good news he could possibly muster.

"What's-where am I going to go?" He asks. His voice is raspy, and Shouta presses a glass of water into his hands before answering.

"I'll be enacting my emergency foster license. I'll be your legal guardian for as long as you want me to be. However, U.A. is building dorms for the students and staff, so we'll be living on campus instead of a normal apartment. I've already spoken with Nezu, though, and he's created an extra room for you in my dorm, so you don't have to join the other kids if you don't want to."

"U.A? The hero school?" He asks. Shouta nods, and the kid seems satisfied enough with the answer. He leans back into his bed and closes his eyes. And after a few minutes, with a broken voice, he says, "My sister went there. She was in Present Mic's homeroom."

And Shouta doesn't have to guess about who he's talking about. He remembers flashes of bright red hair, of Hizashi absolutely gushing over the girl despite the fact that they're not allowed to play favorites. He remembers her wit and her strength and her intelligence. God, she was so smart. Smart enough for even Nezu to be impressed. And she had been a force to be reckoned with.

She had been Danny's older sister. Obviously not something he was ready to talk about, not yet, but it's obvious from the tone of his voice that he admired her.

"She was amazing," Shouta tells him. Danny just nods, and grips his hand a little tighter.

"She really was."

----------

The day after they move into the dorms is the day Danny gets let go from the hospital. All of his injuries have been taken care of. The only thing they really need to worry about is getting him back to a healthy weight, but with lunch Rush at the school and the fact that the kid eats like a horse, Shouta doesn't think it'll be to big of a problem.

Unlike everybody else's dorms, Danny's is bare. They haven't had the chance to go and get anything he wanted from his home. They need to do it eventually, both for his things and to see what he wants to keep of his family. Shouta promises to be there. It seems to be the only thing keeping the boy from completely breaking down at the thought.

His class is loud and excited when he introduces them to Danny, but after Momo's tactful, gentle greeting the others follow suit. He can't help but feel a little bit of pride at how well they're treating his kid.

Because...Even though it's only been about a week since they officially met, he is Shouta's kid. Shouta's son. It's probably too soon to say any of those complicated emotions out loud, especially in the face of recently finding out his family's demise, but Shouta speaks that truth in his head as often as he can. Because his kid has been through a lot, and he only wants to help him as much as he can. In any way that he can.

So when Danny sleeps in their dorm in the teacher's building he doesn't push him away or tell him to go socialize. He holds him tight as he cries through a nightmare until they both fall back asleep.

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

Cleaning out the Fenton's home is a larger task than Shouta thought it was going to be.

They have a team to help them. Some grunts Nezu is paying for that help pack and move anything Danny wants to bring to his rooms back at U.A. The other things, he goes through and debates on whether or not he's keeping or tossing them.

Of his sister's possessions, he keeps a couple of scrapbooks, her diary, and an old beat up teddy bear wearing a lab coat. He snoops around a bit longer until he finds a blue headband and ties it around the bear before moving onto his parent's room.

There's even less here that he decides to keep. Like his sister's room, he keeps all the phots he can get his hands on. He also keeps a pair of red goggles, and an old slip of paper that's got a fudge recipe on it. He adds a few journals his parents have written thorough, illegible notes in, and heads downstairs.

Every picture on the wall goes into a box and sent to Danny's room. he's never been one for pictures, but this is all he has left of his family. The only proof that they ever existed. He's holding onto them as tight as he can for the rest of his life.

He doesn't care about the TV or the furniture, or the decorations. In fact, he doesn't even spare it a second glance before leading Shouta down to the basement where his parent's lab is.

Everything is covered in a fine layer of dust, though neither of them point it out. Instead, Danny leads Shouta around the lab, placing odd gadgets and weapons into some sort of safe with a heavy duty lock. He tells the movers that this goes into the most secure storage they've got, and Shouta wants to ask questions, but he knows that now isn't the time.

Throughout this whole process, Danny hasn't hesitated. He's firm in his wants to keep and throw away. But when he reaches the octagon on the back wall of the lab, he hesitates.

Danny stares at it for a long time. Minutes pass. So many that Shouta's knees start to ache from how still they've both been. But eventually, Danny walks over to the panel on the wall, presses a few buttons, and unplugs a cord that's tapes to the baseboards next to the console.

Danny takes it a step further and sends his fist through the whole thing. Sparks fly, and metal creaks, but Danny doesn't even flinch. It took no effort at all to destroy his parent's lifework. He has no idea how he should feel about it outside of the fact that it was necessary.

After that he moves towards the filing cabinet, and instead of looking through it, he completely destroys that, too.

"Ghost shit," is the only explanation Shouta receives. Which probably means it's information sensitive to Danny and other ghosts. Information that could harm them if it came into the wrong hands. So he doesn't question it. It's his house, after all.

The trip back to U.A. is quiet but not uncomfortable. When they get back, Shouta helps him carefully unpack all of his model rockets and helps him place all of his Thirteen and Mirko posters on the walls. And, for lack of anything better to do, he painstakingly helps Danny place glow in the dark star stickers on their ceiling, both in his dorm, and in the one they share. There's so many that Shouta could probably read with all the lights on. He kind of loves it.

And when everything is said and done, Danny gives him a small smile along with his thanks.

It is the first smile that Danny has ever given him.

Shouta thinks, for the first time, that Danny truly is on his way to recovering, in his own way.

He's glad that he's there by his side to help.

Medium Despair

For @sapphireswimming

.

Danny woke up gasping for air and fighting against his sheets. By the time he’d recognized his surroundings, he’d already rolled off his bed. He dragged in ragged, shuddering breaths. He could breathe. He could breathe. He wasn’t suffocating. He wasn’t at school, in his locker or otherwise. He could move he could stand. He did stand, skin prickling with the memory of electricity.

“Sydney?” he called, softly. “Is that you?” He could see a glowing form in the corner behind his dresser, and with that dream there weren’t a whole lot of other people it could have been, but it was polite to ask. At least in Danny’s opinion.

The ghost slid out, slowly, flickering. “Sorry, Danny,” he said, and he really did sound remorseful.

Danny might believe it more if it wasn’t 2:20 in the morning on a school night, and this wasn’t the third time Sydney had done this. Still, Sydney was something like a friend.

“What is it, Sydney?” he asked. “Did something happen at the school?” Casper High was one of the most haunted buildings in Amity Park, which honestly didn’t make sense.

Danny had done his research. The school was old, sure, but Sydney was the only person who had ever actually died there. That didn’t stop the Lunch Lady, Technus, and a whole host of others from hanging around the place, although most of those others were pretty weak. Hardly strong enough to even interact with Danny or other ghosts.

Sydney shrugged.

“Then what’s wrong?”

Sydney looked down at the ground. The puddle of not-light he cast on the ground – visible only to only Danny and other ghosts – rippled and glimmered.

Danny frowned. “I have fun talking to you during the day, Syd, but I do have to sleep. I’m human, you know?”

“I know,” said Sydney.

“So why are you here?” asked Danny, briefly spreading his arms in exasperation and the dropping them to his sides again. He was still unsettled by the dream he’d just had.

Being close to ghosts while he was sleeping was just a recipe for nightmares. They weren’t always about their deaths, but more often than not…

Sydney’s death was a particularly unpleasant one. Danny did not expect to get back to sleep. Not tonight. Hence his annoyance.

“I need to…” started Sydney, before trailing off. “I need…”

“Sydney?”

“Warn you.”

“About what?”

“Not what they seem,” whispered the ghost. He looked away and phased out through the wall.

Danny’s frown deepened. Usually, Sydney was much clearer than that. Sometimes, talking to Sydney, Danny forgot he was talking to a ghost.

Danny sat down at the edge of the bed and tried to work a kink out of his neck. He caught himself scratching at his skin as if he wanted to pull it off a minute later.

It was always like this since the accident. Especially after he had a dying dream.

Forcibly, he stopped himself. His skin was fine. There was no electricity flickering under his skin. He was alive. He was safe. His body was his body. His body.

(He was not floating above it, light as air, staring at its waxy pallor, at the glassy, empty eyes.)

He was alive, alive, alive.

Awake.

Not dead.

Slowly, he laid back down on the bed. He was alive, awake. A medium, yes, associated with more ghosts than could possibly be healthy, either physically or mentally, yes, but alive. Definitely, clearly, alive.

He didn’t like it when ghosts woke him up. Especially when they came with ominous warnings about the future.

Maybe Sydney would let Danny track him down tomorrow, but Danny doubted it.

.

“Something’s off,” said Danny, staring up at the tall front of the school.

“Yeah,” agreed Sam, “it’s Spirit Week. When the teachers participate in medieval rituals to brainwash us into supporting the troglodytes that ‘represent’ our school in sports.”

“I was going to argue,” said Tucker, “but that is about what it’s for, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Danny, “I don’t think it’s that. Probably. Unless there’s a ghost that appreciate the pun?”

“You appreciate puns.”

“I’m not a ghost,” said Danny, frowning at Sam.

“That’s true.”

Danny sighed. “I just have a bad feeling about this. I know you can’t see like I can, but… be careful. If you do see anything weird, let me know.”

“Hey, Danny!”

“Oh, I changed my mind. Kill me now, I want to be a ghost.”

Jazz ran up and threw an arm around Danny’s shoulders. “You left so early!” she said. “Are you excited about Spirit Week, too?”

“No,” said Danny.

Jazz paused, looked at Danny more closely. “You look terrible,” she said. “Maybe you should talk to the counselor?”

“Pass,” said Danny.

“You know, you’ll have to talk to me in more than monosyllables at some point.”

“Do I?”

Danny rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go to talk to Mr. Lancer about my speech! Have a great Spirit Week, guys!”

She ran off.

“I will never understand her,” declared Sam. “But I think she does have a point about the counselor. Maybe they’d be able to help with the nightmares? At least the non-ghost-caused ones.”

“All my nightmares are caused by ghosts.”

“Eh,” said Tucker, giving a half-shrug.

“Will it make you feel better if I agree to go?”

“Yes,” said both Sam and Tucker.

“Ugh. Fine,” said Danny.

.

Danny walked though the deserted hallway, pass in hand, study hall abandoned behind him as he looked for the counselor’s office. He’d never been there before, but it should be around here somewhere, right?

A cold hand settled on his shoulder.

“You must be Danny Fenton! Your sister told me all about you.”

Danny turned to look up at a tall woman. She was dressed a lot more flamboyantly than Danny would have expected.

“Yeah? That’s me. Who are you?”

“I’m Penelope Spectra. Your counselor! Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong with you?”

“Uh,” said Danny. There was something unpleasantly an unexpectedly pejorative and assumptive about that statement. Weren’t counselors supposed to tell you that there wasn’t anything wrong with you? That your feelings were valid.

He shrugged. He couldn’t put his feelings into words.

(Couldn’t open his mouth for fear of cold leaking out past his teeth, his soul exhaled with his breath.)

(Why did he feel this way?)

“Why don’t you step into my office?”

The room was… not what he expected.

“Sorry about the dust,” said Spectra. “I’m just moving in. They upgraded me.” She smiled, showing all her teeth. “So… like I said, your sister told me a lot about you, and I have a few things I’d like to try for your laz—Excuse me. Your difficulty with staying focused. It happens sometimes with traumatic brain injuries, that a promising young mind can be—Well. In any case. I am here to support you and find a way for you to succeed. What’s troubling you?”

Danny’s ginger perch on the dusty chair turned into a frustrated slump. “Nothing,” he said. He pushed himself back up. “I should go—”

“Oh, just humor me,” said Spectra. “There has to be some reason you came. Anxiety? Stress? Social pressures?”

Danny shook his head and stood up.

“Nightmares?”

He sat back down.

.

Danny leaned over the table to whisper to Tucker during English, when they were supposed to be reviewing vocabulary words.

“Have either of you seen the counselor before?” asked Danny, after what was easily the worst week of his life. He was starting to have suspicions, but…

“Yeah,” said Tucker. “When you were in the hospital. He was pretty cool.”

“He?” asked Danny. “He?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been seeing a ghost for the past week.”

“Ghost therapist? Well, if it’s working…”

“It isn’t. She’s from hell. I swear. A literal demon from hell.”

“Exorcism?”

“Exorcism.”

.

Jazz didn’t often come to school after hours, but she’d left several important things and she was the student body activity director, voted for and everything.

Important thing #1, her speech, which she had to practice.

Important thing #2, the—what was that?

Already spooked by the late-night atmosphere, she ducked into a doorway and peeked at the place she’d seen movement. There weren’t many classes held down that hallway, and she didn’t come down this way often, so maybe she was just—

No. That was her little brother and his friends conducting some kind of satanic ritual over a wastepaper basket.

Their parents were terrible influences. She was going to give them a stern talking to when—what what what what WHAT—

What had she just seen?

She looked back around the corner to see the… whatever it was dissolve in smoke and fire and shadows. Then Danny and his friends started cleaning up as if this was a perfectly normal Thursday night.

Jazz… Jazz was going to process this. Later.

She turned around and walked straight back out to her car. There was, after all, nothing that important.

.

“So,” said Danny, leaning towards Sam on the bleachers as he watched his sister give her speech. “Looks like we saved Spirit Week.”

“Never say that to me again,” said Sam.

“But we did. Look at all this spirit-filled people.”

“You were literally the only victim.”

“But Sam~”

“It does seem less grim, though, doesn’t it?” asked Tucker, contemplatively. “You are no longer the goth bird of happiness.”

“Maybe a bit,” allowed Sam. “I think that’s just because everyone’s glad this week is over, though. No offense, Danny.”

“None taken. I’m glad it’s over, too.”

I don’t normally write fan fics, not to mention actually share them, so I’m super nervous, but whatever, here we go This is based on the comic by @horrendoushag because I saw @lexosaurus‘s tags. Also some inspiration from some other fics seeing as I’ve read a lot of them.

Danny paused his game of Doomed and slid his over-sized set of headphones to his neck with a sigh at the knock on the door. He wasn't expecting Sam or Tucker to come over, and he knew that Jazz was at the library working on her thesis, so that really only left one or both of his parents as the one responsible. He swung his chair slightly towards the door as the knocking continued. "Yeah?" Danny called, voice raised. "Danny, can we come in? We need to talk with you." As suspected, it was his parents. Yes he'd forgotten to clean the lab again, and yes he'd only barely passed most of his classes, but this wasn't anything new for him. Besides, classes had only just ended for the semester, so it was unlikely that that was what they wanted to talk about since report cards hadn't even been sent home yet. Mentally preparing himself, he decided that he'd just have to let them come in and talk his way out of whatever it was they had to say or just accept the in-coming grounding. "Uh. Yeah, I guess." His mother opened the door and stepped to the side to allow his father space to enter the room.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Danny asked nervously. Maddie's lips were pulled tight and if the hood of her hazmat suit had been pulled back, Danny was sure the fire in her eyes would have been enough to make him shrink even further into his seat. Glancing towards his dad's more expressive face in hopes that he had just misinterpreted, Danny could see that he was just upset as his mother, though with a hint of confusion mixed in as well. "Would you care to explain this, young man?" She held up her phone for Danny to see the screen. From where he was sitting, he couldn't really see what the fuss was about. "It's, uh, twitter?" he shrugged before crossing his arms. "Danny-boy," his father stated sternly. "Alright, alright. Let me see," he grabbed for the phone. As he browsed through what his mother had passed to him, Danny felt his stomach flop in a mix of fear and embarrassment. "Well, Danny?" she tapped her foot impatiently. "What's all this about you dating that menace, Phantom?" Danny winced and sunk further into his chair. He never expected his parents would go on twitter in the first place, let alone find his profile. Phantom had had his own twitter profile for only a week before he'd been assaulted by people claiming ghosts weren't real, that they were his biggest fans, that he was scum that needed to be eradicated, people asking if he would date them, and other uncomfortable comments. Danny had learned to either ignore them or play along and quickly became known for his shitposts. The fact that he was dating himself had started as just a joke with Sam and Tucker to try to aggravate Wes, it had been inconceivable at the time that his parents would ever find those tweets. Yet here they were. "I can explain?" He could not explain. "Well let's hear it then, Danny," his mom replied, raising an eyebrow. The impatient foot tapping continued as he stared at the bedroom floor. He brought his hand up to rub at his neck, a nervous habit of his, as he wracked his brain for an excuse. The uncomfortable silence dragged on for what felt like hours to Danny, though was only about a minute before his dad broke it. "Danny," Jack soothed, placing his sizable hand on his son's significantly smaller shoulder, "we understand that you're getting older and starting to make a lot of your own decisions, but your mother and I are worried about you. It just isn't safe to spend so much time around such a dangerous ghost." "Phantom isn't dangerous." "I know Phantom is very popular with kids your age, but he is dangerous. He pretends to protect the town, but who knows what he could do if he decided to stop faking it," Maddie added. Danny jerked away from his father's hold and jumped out of his chair, only barely able to stop his eyes from glowing an unnatural ectoplasmic green. "No! Jazz and I keep telling you! Phantom doesn't pose a threat to humans." Jack narrowed his eyes with skepticism, and Danny was sure his mother was doing the same beneath her goggles. Letting out an exasperated huff, Danny continued, "You guys are too caught up in your 'research' to even consider that a ghost could be good. When was the last time you even talked with a ghost?" "Danny..." his mother started. Both of his parents had heard this same argument from Jazz plenty of times by now. "No, listen. You never listen. Phantom isn't going to hurt me!" "You can't know that." "Yes! I can!" "And how is that!" Maddie's lips impossibly pressed even thinner, her whole stance becoming more aggressive. "Because I'm Phantom!" His parents seemed to deflate at this outburst. As soon as he realized what he'd said, his hands flew to his mouth and he allowed the cold rush of invisibility to run over him. ---- It had been two weeks now since Danny had accidentally revealed to his parents that he and Phantom were one and the same. While the experience had been less than pleasant at the time, in hindsight it had been a pretty stupid way for his secret alter ego to come out. Jazz had come home not long after the confrontation. When she found out what had happened, she had some words of her own and stormed out to find Danny. As soon he returned safely, the whole family sat down to have a civil discussion about the news that Danny had been half ghost for almost two full years before they found out. To Danny's relief, his parent's had instantly accepted him, though that didn't stop them from feeling like they were at fault for what happened to him. Most of those two weeks since the outburst had been spent assuring his parents he was okay and that he didn't blame them. In fact he liked being part ghost. All things considered, things went much better than he thought they ever would have. Though that didn't stop things from being a little awkward when it came to Danny using his powers. ---- Danny and his friends slid into their usual booth at the Nasty Burger, Sam making sure to sit as far from the trays with meat as she could lest her stomach turn at the smell. Tucker lifted his Nasty burger and took a large whiff before shoving it into his mouth. "Sho how are your parentsh adjushting to you being Phantom?" "Please swallow your food before talking, Tucker," Sam rolled her eyes. Danny picked up one of his french fries and mindlessly dipped it into his ketchup. "I think they're doing alright. I'm still kind of hesitant to transform in front of them though." "I understand that. You basically lied to them for the past two years. It's going to take time for them to be completely comfortable with your ghost half," Sam said, picking at her slightly wilted salad. "Ugh, you sound like Jazz," Danny groaned, tossing his uneaten fry back onto the tray. "I know it's going to take time for them to get used to it." "They did say they want to support you, dude," Tucker gulped down the rest of the greasy burger. "Maybe you just need to expose them to a little more of your ghostly side," he wiggled his fingers for emphasis before pilfering some of Danny's fries, "Just use your powers around the house more often, man. Think of all the things you can do without worrying about getting caught now!" Danny glared briefly at the fry thief before turning back to his food with a sigh. "Maybe you have a point, Tuck." "Of course I do." "Maybe talk to Jazz about this plan first, just in case." "Better point," Danny replied before smacking Tucker's wandering hand away from his food once again. "Ouch! You weren't even eating those!" "They're still my fries." For the rest of their lunch, the group of teens mostly chatted about what movies they were looking forward to, which ghosts had been most annoying lately, and what other plans they had for their summer vacation. Eventually though, the trio had to go their separate ways. Sam's mother had plans to drag her daughter to some sort of benefit for the umpteenth time and Tucker had promised a group of his online friends that he'd help them out in some new game they were playing, so Danny waved goodbye and headed home by himself. It wasn't long before he'd arrived at his own doorstep and made his way upstairs. Danny considered dropping into bed and taking a nap before some ghost inevitably dropped in, but found himself wandering over to Jazz's room instead. Seeing the door was ajar, he quietly rapped on the door frame until his sister looked up from whatever she was working on. "What's up, Danny?" Jazz asked, a small smile on her face as she scooted her chair away from her desk so she could look at her brother while they spoke. He shuffled into the room and leaned against the wall. It took hardly any time for Danny to explain what he had discussed with Sam and Tucker, leaving Jazz looking pensive. "It actually seems like a pretty good idea to me," she finally said. "I think it might be good for all three of you. Especially since Mom and Dad aren't trying to shoot you anymore," she smirked. Danny let go of the tension he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thanks, Jazz." "No problem, little brother," she smiled gently. Danny sent back a small smile of his own and left the room, allowing Jazz to return to her work. --- "Danny?" "Yeah, Mom?" he called from the living room. "Can you help me with dinner, sweetie?" Rather than gather the energy to stand from his relaxed position on the couch, Danny tucked his phone into his pocket and allowed the cold feeling at his core to overtake him. There was a bright flash of light and suddenly where there had sat the blue-eyed, black-haired Fenton, was instead the blindingly bright white hair and toxic green eyes of his Phantom form. Now was as good a time as any to start using his powers around his parents more often. He let the weightlessness that came more naturally in his ghost form take over and lazily floated into the kitchen. "What did you need help with?" his voice echoed ominously. His mother jolted in surprise before once again composing herself. "I was just hoping you could reheat the leftover mashed potatoes to go with dinner," she started hesitantly. "I'm not interrupting a fight with a ghost, am I?" "Hm? Nah," he replied.    "A-alright then." Danny hovered on over to the refrigerator and stuck the entire front half of his body inside. He soon emerged with the cold bowl of potatoes and popped them into the microwave. At least they were less likely to come to life since they'd only been in there a day or so. Maddie watched her son flit about the kitchen like this was the most normal thing in the world. She absent-mindedly cleaned up the mess from preparing the night's meatloaf and supposed that for Danny, it probably was the norm. If he'd been half-ghost for nearly two years, then it would be sillier to expect him not to use his powers from time to time. "So how long until the meatloaf is done?" Danny questioned. The microwave was still running, but rather than continue to float in various places around the room, he had instead elected to change back into his human form and play around on his phone. "Just a few more minutes." "Awesome." They settled into a comfortable silence, Danny tapping away at a game on his phone and Maddie putting the finishing touches on the sides for their dinner. The quiet was only interrupted when the shrieking of the microwave alerted them that the potatoes were hopefully done reheating. "Danny, go get your father for dinner," Maddie said as she went to take the meatloaf out of the oven. "Okay," Danny replied without even looking up from his phone. In an instant, Danny Fenton had once again been replaced by Danny Phantom. Maddie stared in wide-eyed confusion as her son bent down onto the kitchen floor and stuck his head into the basement below. Jack happened to be looking up at the clock when he saw a shock of glowing, white hair sink through the ceiling. He felt his jaw drop as his the rest of Danny's head followed. There was a moment where they stared at each other, neither saying anything. "Dinner's ready," Danny finally relayed. Jack managed to shake himself out of his stupor. "Great! Thanks, Danny-boy!" The ghostly head of his son retreated back through the ceiling. It was going to be a while before Jack and Maddie could be completely comfortable around their son in ghost form, but at least Danny got to be a little shit in the process.

Who, out of all the 'adults', are the best parents? Are they there, emotionally and physically, are they making sure their kids are okay, mentally and physically?

Ooooo, I love this question; it gives me a chance to gush about the dynamics of this freaking AU more!!!

Elias is a pretty good dad in that he makes sure his kid is clean, eats all his meals, and he even engages with him about whatever his interests are, but there’s this sort of underlying Bad Vibe that Jon’s been getting since he was a toddler, in that he feels like his dad has some kind of ulterior motive (which he does), and it’s beginning to take it’s toll on their relationship. He’s also weirdly invasive and tbh it’s pissing Jon off.

Gertrude is there for her kids a bit??? Kinda??? She’s emotionally neglectful of Jon (though not on purpose), and she kinda just let’s Sasha do as she pleases while only checking on her occasionally. She’s trying to provide some level of support to both of them, but at the end of the day it’s obvious that she’s uncomfortable with being a mother figure to them.

Simon is a really fun dad! He’s always taking Mike on trips around the world, and he always knows what Mike likes/is obsessing over, but he kinda sucks at the actual “taking care of your kids” part of parenting. Like, if it weren’t for Mike being a smart and resourceful kid, he wouldn’t get fed very often because Simon just kinda... forgets to buy food. This has led to concern from a few outside sources, but Mike insists that he’s fine (he’s not).

Nikola is fucking batshit insane as a mom, but she also knows everything about her kids’ lives and how to make them feel better??? Like, she knows the full names and phone numbers of all of Tim’s friends, and she makes Danny laugh whenever she has to pull splinters out of his knees, but good lord is she neglectful when it comes to Everything Else. Her priorities are so weird, and again, she sucks at feeding her fucking kids; all they ate before running away was McDonald’s and whatever they could fish out of a dumpster.

Annabelle is the polar opposite to Nikola in that she knows fuck all about Sasha’s personal life and interests, but she sure af fed and took care of her needs when they lived under the same roof; only the best for the Mother of Puppet’s daughter! She’s actually trying to make an effort now to get to know Sasha better, but it’s not exactly for the greatest of reasons. Manipulative older sister who needs to let someone else be the parent.

Trevor is, as usual in this AU, the all time best parent of the bunch. He may be living out of a stolen car and not have a lot of money to his name, but he never lets his girls go hungry (though he definitely does most days). He’s also a very emotionally affectionate dad, always there to listen to the girls vent about shit, and he has pretty damn good advice for them afterwards, too! Altogether a really good dad, and his daughters appreciate him so freaking much for it.

Peter is... neglectful, obviously. He wants to be a good dad to Martin, but he’s going through a lot emotionally/mentally, and it doesn’t exactly help that Martin is inadvertently the reason for a lot of his problems right now. As a result, Martin has taken to almost taking care of Peter instead, as he’s learned to cook for both of them, do laundry, and clean up the house all on his own. Needless to say, the other kids are amazed that Martin is so adult-like and every rational adult in Peter’s vicinity is very concerned.

Alfred Grifter is fun like Simon, but somehow even more neglectful than him. Seriously, this dude just left Melanie to play her Gameboy backstage while starting murderous riots, and then when she was, like, nine years old he packed her a bag (which contained at least seven knives and three guns) and told her to go find herself some people that could protect her better than him. He’s not malicious towards her in any way- he adores his “little muse” as he calls her- but good god is he hopeless at actually parenting a child.

Gerard is fucking Trying, and that counts for something, I swear it does. He’s a bit young to be taking care of a kid that’s Melanie’s age (I’ll list the ages of the adults soon, I Promise), but he’s very quick on his feet and he knows how to keep her entertained most of the time. He can’t cook very well, so he resorts to takeout a lot, yet he still tries to get Melanie to eat her greens whenever she bothers to stay still for a few minutes (to varying degrees of success). A really awesome big brother, but a struggling single dad.

Michael is in a similar boat to Gerard, but with 60% more panic attacks. Oh, and he has THREE kids to take care of, so that’s fun (no it isn’t). The Stoker brothers are easier to manage, since Tim’s been taking care of Danny and himself since he was a little kid (not great), but Michael’s real troubles come from baby Helen! He tries so hard to take care of everyone, and he at least puts dinner on the table every night, but it’s a miracle if he can get through the day without sobbing in his kitchen while Danny tries to comfort him (much to Michael’s horror, because he knows this could have bad long-term effects on the kid).

Oh good god, I should include the Admiral, shouldn’t I? Well, he’s... good, I guess? Every morning there’s two servings of decent breakfasts waiting for Oliver and Georgie, and whenever they get home there’s food on the table and in the fridge, but he doesn’t actually parent them all that much. He bats at their hands when they do something reckless or dumb, but that’s about it. He also gives very good kitty cuddles, but they’re not exactly parent cuddles, ya know?

In conclusion, everyone is a little bit not great at being parents, but they’re fucking trying and that’s enough for most of them.

Hand in Mine, Into Your Icy Blues

Words: 2872

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child neglect, implied abuse

Hey hey, you you, prefer reading fics on ao3? https://archiveofourown.org/works/27850118

AU where ghost hunting is a respected profession and captured ghosts are used as tools in order to find other ghosts, *insert Danny angst because I love seeing the boy suffer*

The Fentons are America's top ghost researchers, famous for their work, infamous for their neglectful habits. Jazz finds their newest research subject down in the lab.

It was weird to live with the fact that your parents are “big shots” in their profession when you have to come home to them every day. Especially when you didn’t seem to know your parents at all when all you saw of them were the shadows behind their studies.

Growing up as an only child was, in the nicest way possible, lonely. Which is why Jasmine Fenton found herself raised by the books on her shelf and the curiosity in her heart. Sure, her parents were there at the start, it would be cruel to leave a newborn baby to fend for herself, but the moment she showed signs of independence.

It was fine. Everything she could ever need she could find on her own. She taught herself to cook, to clean, to spell the extra difficult words in her 3rd grade English class, to solve the laborious equations in her honors Pre-Cal class. She earned the food she made, she reveled in the clean citrus smell of her room, she earned the praise from her teachers. And when she found she couldn’t connect to the other students, she just reminded herself that she didn’t need the warm embrace of a mother, the thunderous laugh of a father, nor did she need friends. She could take care of herself.

Which is why she found herself sat in front of the only thing her parents ever shielded her from.

-

It was a sad sight to say the least. It seemed like it was more bruises and taunt broken bones, if it even had bones, than skin. She had always been known for her soft heart, always giving others second chances even when they were undeserving. Which is why she found herself in front of the very thing that shouldn’t ever be shown that kind of weakness.

Apart from the obvious signs of abuse, it was all teeth and claws, snarling at her even now. She was sure that if she were to let it out, it wouldn’t hesitate in killing her and her parents.

The growl that erupted from its chest broke her away from her thoughts. The cold basement floor seemed to get colder as she stared into its eyes. There was a flash of something before his gaze was consumed by guarded anger.

“Hey, it’s okay,” the closer she got the more aggressive it seemed to get, “it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. Look!”

She opened her palm to reveal a cookie she had snuck down with her. If Pavlov taught her anything, it’s that the favors of any being, be it a dog or undead monstrosity, can be won over through positive stimuli.

“Here see, I’ll have some too! It’s really good, I’m sure you’ll like it!”

At this point in her life, she wasn’t really sure of anything anymore. Life had been so much easier when her parents were just some far to reach superheroes she barely saw. She used to think like them, that ghosts, if you could even call them that, were just balls of left-over emotion from when a person died. That ghosts were some kind of monster in the closet that her parents could just scare away with their presence. That they were less than the dust bunnies under her bed. But there were skeletons in that closet too. Awful, immoral experiments, living dissections, and the screams. She doesn’t hate her parents, far from it, she loves them with all her heart, but the studies they were a part of? The less empathic members in their field? Hunters? Those were fair game to hate.

She split the cookie into two messy halves, popping one in her mouth as she nudged the other closer to the teeth in front of her. The teeth glared back.

“Okay, I get it, I’ll be on my way, but this isn’t the last you’ll see of me.”

With that, she got up, dusted her jeans off, and with her took the only light present in the basement lab.

She didn’t catch the small ‘thank you’ that followed.

-

Once in her room, Jazz let the tears slip. Whatever was in her parents’ basement was really pulling at her heartstrings. The thing looked to be no older than 15 years old, it was a child. But looks can be deceiving. She couldn’t begin to count how many of these child ghosts had attempted a massacre, how many of them seemed innocent enough to fool someone out of their own free will. Child or not, whatever was in the basement was dangerous. She was playing with fire here. But the look of hurt in his eyes seemed real; felt real. And, if anything, he seemed more at risk of being hurt by her rather than the other way around. He was as thin as a twig and too exhausted to do much of anything. If she could only-

Jazz shook the thoughts out of her head, plopping herself on her bed. Since when had ‘it’ become a ‘he’? And more importantly, why was there fear in his eyes?

“Jazzy pants, we’re home! We’ll be in the lab if you need us. “We left 20 bucks on the dinner table, go ahead and order some take-out for yourself!”

She sighed as she pushed herself off and out of her room. As she dialed the number to the first restraint that came to mind, she couldn’t help her thoughts wandering to the bag of bones locked in the lab just beneath her feet.

“Hi, thank you for calling Shanghai Inn what can I get started for yah?”

“Yeah, can I get some Vegetable Chow Mein and two Egg Rolls please?”

-

By the time her parents had finally stepped out of the lab, the food had long since gone cold. She tiptoed down into the basement and cracked open the door into darkness. There was a green glow and something of a soft hum emanating from something shoved in the corner of the lab. Taking a deep breath, she mustered up the courage to fully plunge into the shadows and crept towards the covered cage. One hand holding a plate of Chinese take-out, she fumbled with her phone until it pierced the darkness.

Almost instantly the hum ceased, again plunging her into a deafening silence.

“Hey, um, I’m back and I brought more goodies!”

There was a sudden sound of rustling before a quiet sniffle was heard. At that, she closed the distance between her and the cage in front of her and she peeled back the sheet over it.

She almost threw up there and then.

It- he was barely holding himself together, literally. He was tightly hugging his bleeding torso. A less perceptive person would’ve pegged it as the remnants of whatever was the creature’s last meal, but Jazz saw the jagged cuts he was trying but failing, to conceal. He’d been vivisected. He’d been vivisected by her own parents.

She dropped to her knees, the meal in her hands forgotten. That seemed to startle him back to reality because he began his growling again. This time a lot more defensive and a lot less forgiving.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s just me see? It’s just me.” She said as she put her hands up in what she hoped was a universal surrender.

He seemed to study her as his head tilted, growl dissipating. In another life, she would’ve called it cute, adorable even, but right now she was trying her hardest not to scream out of instinctual fear. After he seemed to deem her safe enough to his standards, he went back to picking at his chest, the quiet hum returning to the room.

“I don’t know if you can understand me, like, at all, but I can help you with that,” she pointed to his exposed chest. She hadn’t noticed it when she first walked in, but it seemed to be the source of the soft glow in the room. He was sluggishly bleeding what she guessed was the ectoplasm her parents studied.

Again, he responded with empty eyes and a head tilt.

Were her parents right? Was this an unfeeling killer she was kneeled in front of? Of course they were right, how could she, someone who’s never even thought of looking into ghosts before, compete with the two most respected researchers in the field. Hell, they’ve got to have their PhDs mounted somewhere in this lab. She should’ve known better. She should’ve-

A whine echoed through the lab. She looked up from her lap to find the dead’s eyes locked on her. Once he seemed sure that her attention was on him, he gave a slight nod of his head, gesturing to his shredded torso.

“You want me to help?”

Another nod.

“Okay, alright, that’s good- I mean, not good, but, okay”

She scattered away from the injured boy, mentally making a list of materials she would need to stitch him back up. She would need a first aid kit, naturally, she would also need some kind of suture that would actually hold, the Fenton net might. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to do the task at hand. The poor kid wasn’t in any shape to move, so how could she tend to him from outside the cage? Unless-

“Okay, for this to work we’re going to have to trust each other okay?” she paused, was she really going through with this? “I’m going to have to be able to trust that you won’t just randomly decide to kill me and make me your next meal,”

At that, he made an adorably disgusted face. Ancients he was definitely growing on her.

“and you’re going to have to trust me to not cut you open or something, deal?” she pressed her pinkie into the cage. She didn’t know why she did it, it was a childish gesture she grew out of ages ago, she was 18 making a deal for her life for crying out loud, not some child promising friendship, to a dead who probably didn’t even understand the gesture nonetheless.

The boy gave a small smile a wrapped his own pinkie around hers.

“Deal”

It was small, if she hadn’t been overanalyzing his every move, every sound, in fear of her life, she would’ve missed it. But she didn’t.

“You can speak?”

Everything in her parents’ research pointed to the fact that ghosts were incapable of complex thinking, they were just echoes of a former person after all. Yet here this boy was, spitting in the face of her parents’ years of research.

A small nod was all she got in return.

“Okay,” she was starting to think her vocabulary was slowly diminishing to just the word ‘okay’.

“Alright, I’m going to go upstairs and look for what I need to fix, that,” she gestured to him, “I brought this up here,” she said as she picked up the overlooked food, “It’s not much, and not very healthy, but it’s all I have at the moment and It’ll do. Feel free to munch on it all you want, I should be back in a minute, my parents went out with some old college friends and shouldn’t be back till tomorrow afternoon.”

He simply watched her ramble on in fascination. She didn’t know where these mother-hen instincts were coming from, but she wasn’t complaining. The kid was nothing short of adorable.

“uh- anyways, you probably want this,” she said as she pushed the plate into the cage.

She watched in mirrored fascination as he sniffed the food and began eating it. That didn’t faze her though, what caught her by surprise was that he very clearly knew how to use the chopsticks provided with the meal, especially with one hand fighting to keep himself from spilling onto the basement floor.

Leaving him to finish the meal, she set to finding the supplies in her mental checklist. Once she had what she needed, she made her way down into the lab, making sure to swipe the keys hanging by the entrance to the lab.

She unceremoniously dropped everything in front of the ghost boy, startling him into a flinch. She winced.

“Sorry.” She sent a sheepish smile to the kid who sent his very own.

This is the moment she’d been dreading. There was no way she would be able to stitch him back up and keep him locked in the cage. She would have to defy her parents’ one rule. Never trust a ghost. But her parents had been wrong before. They said ghosts can’t feel pain, yet the ghost boy wined every time he placed accidental pressure on his wounds. They said ghosts can’t form complex thought, and yet he could, enough to speak to her at least. They said ghosts don’t need to eat, that they sustained themselves through ectoplasmic energy, yet here he was eating, using chopsticks.

“Okay, I’m going to let you out, but remember our deal,” she could still go back, she could still take all evidence of tonight, lock herself in her room and pretend this never happened. But as she looked into his green eyes, she couldn’t help but noticed the pale freckles splashed over his cheeks, noticed the way his hair frizzed from the dampness in the air, noticed the way her parents had left her with this supposed monster. The monster that was now attempting to balance one chopstick over the other.

“I trust you, and you trust me.”

With that, she unlocked the cage and instinctively stepped back.

She was expecting teeth and claws like when she first came across him, or maybe a slow crawl towards her, what she hadn’t expected was a pair of pinprick green eyes latched onto her in fear. He was scared of her.

She slowly made her way towards him, exaggerating her movements as to not startle him.

“You think I can carry you out of there? It’ll be easier for me to work out here rather than in there.”

There was a stiff nod before she carefully picked him up bridal style. He couldn’t weigh more than 50 pounds which she had no idea whether or not that was in a healthy range for him. Careful to not further aggravate his injuries, she put him down gently onto a clear area on the floor.

“Alright, I’m not going to lie, this is going to hurt, a lot, do you want me to talk to you while I do this?”

A nod.

“Okay, is there anything you like, or do you just want me to talk random?”

There was a hesitant look on his face before speaking for the second time that night,

“I like space.”

“Oh, well, I don’t know too much about space, but I do know some neat stories I can tell you!”

That’s how she found herself telling story after story of the few constellations she knew while stitching up a ghost kid she met not even 24 hours ago. A couple of stitches in and her hands began shaking, but the boy didn’t seem to mind. He was lost in her words and the worlds she was building for him. She hadn’t even noticed she was done until she went for the next stitch only to find an unmarred surface.

“and in his anger, Poseidon created Scylla to wreak havoc on seas and the seacoast!” she waved her fingers at him.

“Cetus”

“huh?”

“He created Cetus, not Scylla, she’s a six headed monster.” he cheekily pointed out, sticking his tongue out for good measure.

“Okay mister know-it-all,” she cheekily grinned, “I think it’s time to head to bed.”

She quickly checked her phone to confirm it was half-past 4 in the morning and way too late (early?) to be discussing sea monsters.

Pocketing her phone, she looked up to see a terrified look yet again plastered on the ghost’s face.

“Please don’t put me back in there!” he wheezed, “I promise I won’t cause any trouble and you won’t have to see or hear from me ever again!”

“Hey, breathe, remember what I said about trust?”

He seemed to make a point of nodding at a neck-snapping speed.

“Well, right now, I can’t trust my parents, so come one, you’re staying in my room until further notice!”

“...really?”

It would be hard. Sneaking in extra food for him, keeping him quiet, hell, just explaining to her parents how the ghost in their lab escaped from right under her nose, was going to be tough. And her parents weren’t stupid. Neglectful? Yes. Valued their work over their own daughter? Understatement of the year. But it was worth a try for him.

And sure, she had always said she was fine being on her own, she had even declined her parents’ attempts to get her a kitten when she was 12, arguing that she was better off on her own, a lone wolf of sorts. But now, looking into the eyes of a kid, ancients he really was just a kid, who’s seen much more pain than she could ever imagine, having a little brother didn’t seem half bad.

“Yeah little bro, let’s go”

Verboten 2 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary:   AU. When Danny was five years old, he went missing for 2 weeks. In the years that follow, his family tried to make sense of what happened, only for the truth to be discovered years later.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, language. Be prepared for some very weird things

Parings: Danny/Sam

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr. This fic is very heavily inspired by folklore surrounding mysterious wilderness disappearances

Chapter 2

“I’m honestly surprised your parents allowed you on this trip, Danny,” his friend Sam mentioned as they and their other friend, Tucker, packed their bags onto the bus.

The now seventeen year old Danny shrugged as he focused on trying to make sure his bag wouldn’t be squished in the luggage compartment of the bus during the trip. He brought a foldable telescope with him in case he had a chance to stargaze, and he didn’t want it to get broken.

His school, Casper High, had some sort of deal with one of the local National Parks. The school was allowed to camp at the park at a reduced rate as long as the students helped the Forest Rangers with some minor tasks. Both parties considered it a win-win situation as the Park Service received some extra hands, and the school was able to pride itself on the survival and conservational experiences its students received. Technically, the trip was voluntary for seniors, but the teachers indirectly pressured the students to participate.

“To be honest, I’m more surprised they convinced Tucker to go,” Danny eventually replied after he was satisfied with the location of his bag.

“You’re telling me!” Tucker whined as he waited for his two friends while he fiddled with his PDA. “My mother actually threatened to stop making her meatloaf for me if I didn’t go! They said, “It would be good for me”. Can you believe that?”

“I think a little bit of hiking do you some good.” Sam poked him in the stomach for emphasis.

As Tucker shouted in protest, Danny and Sam exchanged a glance. Tucker did not like the outdoors, and he was very vocal about it. His world primary consisted of technology, and while it was amazing what he could do with his handheld and twenty minutes, his physical prowess was lacking.

“But seriously, Danny,” Tucker injected after he finally fended off Sam, “how did you convince your parents to let you come?”

Danny shrugged as he headed towards the door of the bus. Shouts from the teachers made it clear they would be boarding soon. “It seems like the school board managed to somehow convince them. All I know is that they had a meeting with them to raise concerns and to tell them I wasn’t going to go, but they came back stating it was fine. It must have been one heck of a persuasive argument.”

“That’s because my mother was involved.” The boys glanced over to see Sam angrily kick a rock out of the way. Her parents were often a taboo topic. “I thought I told you she was on the school board. I don’t know the full details of it, but I know she was preparing counterarguments to objections.”

“I’m honestly surprised your parents are so gung ho about this trip. You’d think they’d consider camping beneath them.”

“It’s because of the prestige. They can brag that their daughter and their daughter’s school has ties to a government agency.”

While Danny raised an eyebrow, he admitted it seemed petty enough of a reason. Sam’s parents were very wealthy and liked to show off their wealth, much to their daughter’s dismay. They often argued with her regarding her appearance, music tastes, friends, after school activities, and other issues as they believed their daughter’s choices reflected poorly on them. However, they were usually fine with their daughter’s activism regarding conservation and animal rights as long as she didn’t go too far with it, such as the time she tried to stage a break out at the local zoo.

Their conversation ended as the boarding began. The three somehow managed to get the back of the bus, which allowed them to continue to talk without interruption. Most of the other students tended to avoid their group. They didn’t know why until one of the band members, Mikey, once asked Tucker how he put up with being so close to Danny. Confused, Tucker asked him to elaborate.

According to Mikey, a lot of the other students felt unnerved by Danny. As polite and quiet as he tended to be, there was something odd about him that no one was directly able to pinpoint. Mikey said he thought it could have been his eyes, citing how at times it almost seemed like Danny saw the world in a slightly different way than the rest of them. Tucker just laughed it off and explained that Danny had a traumatic event as a child so he often seemed unusually reserved. Mikey seemed to accept that answer, and afterwards, at least some of the students involved with the band were more open towards Danny.

The Fentons moved to Amity Park two years after Danny’s disappearance, so the majority of the student body was unaware of the event. If he was honest, Danny would never have told Sam and Tucker what happened, but his parents’ eccentricities forced the issue.

When his parent’s found out about Sam’s activism the first time she and Tucker visited their house, they made her swear she would not take their son into the woods with her. When he was finally allowed to take them to his room after Sam promised she wouldn’t, he hesitantly explained why they were so intense. His friends were very understanding, though they were just as puzzled about the entire thing as he was. Tucker even offered to hack into the old case file if Danny ever decided to look into it.

Sam did mention that it did help explain why they sometimes caught him staring off into space. She figured he was probably traumatized by something he couldn’t quite remember. Danny mentioned his sister once told him something similar, but he honestly didn’t remember anything that happened.

What he never admitted to his friends was that he knew why he sometimes seemed distant. Ever since his disappearance, he sometimes saw figures out of the corner of his periphery. Usually, he thought it was another person, but when he tried to check, whatever it was had disappeared. More recently, however, the figures seemed to let him glimpse them for a second or two. He could never make out anything other than the vague shape as a person. Since no one else seemed to notice them, he figured it was some weird sort of paranoia due to a repressed memory.

….

About a half hour after they left, Danny received a voicemail from his parents. He had forgotten he had put it on silent, but there was no way he could call them back while he was on the bus since Mr. Lancer was the chaperone for his bus, and that man was a stickler for the rules. Instead, he made a mental note to call them back as soon as he had permission as he clicked the play button.

His mother’s voice sounded absolutely frantic. “Daniel, you call me as soon as you get this! I don’t know what came over us, but we never should have let you go without some sort of protection. I should have never have let you go. If the teachers won’t let you call us, jest remember to never be the last or first in line, and never, under any circumstances, go anywhere alone. And, this is important Danny, if anyone you don’t know offers you food, don’t take it.” His dad could faintly be heard in the background talking about some sort of weaponry he made.

“And here I thought only my mom could sound like that. What was that about?” Sam asked. Her raised eyebrow told him she wasn’t going to let it drop until he had an answer.

“I think my parents finally realized I was going into the woods,” he replied as he put his phone away.

“I thought you said they were fine with you going,” Tucker chimed in while he rummaged through his back for a snack.

Danny didn’t immediately answer. He glanced away for a moment before finally he decided to open up about something which had been bugging him. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but my parents almost seemed like they were in a daze after that school meeting. They were so adamant I was not going to be allowed to go on that trip, and then they just changed their minds and stopped voicing their concerns. It was so weird that I actually called Jazz.”

It was true. He had called his sister at collage because of how out of character it was. While Jazz understood his concern, she reassured him one of the teachers or other parents managed to ease their concerns, and/or they realized some of their worries were silly and unfounded. He tried to tell her there was something more to it as she couldn’t physically see how off they were, but she just told him he was being paranoid and to enjoy himself.

Tucker whistled. “It must have been weird for you to do that.” Both Sam and Tucker knew full well how Jasmine “Jazz” Fenton tended to overanalyze almost everything. As a result, Danny often tried to avoid asking her questions regarding why a person would act in a certain way. The resulting explanation was often too lengthy to be interesting.

“As weird as that is, do you really think anyone in Amity would do something like drug or hypnotize your parents?” Sam argued.

“I… I don’t really know. Look, I never told you guys this,” Danny sighed as he steeled himself, “but, there has been a second incident prior to us moving. Our old house had a wooded area behind it. It wasn’t dense or anything, and you could see in it for like a half mile… but, according to my parents, and Jazz confirmed it, I went missing again for several hours in those woods. I don’t remember saying this, but they said I mentioned something about my playmate from the forest in Arkansas payed me a visit. There’s been an unspoken worry that this guy is following us for some reason.”

Neither of his friends said anything for a while until Sam spoke up. “That’s really messed up, but do you really think that’s the case? How would this person be able to find you? Do you even know what he or she looks like?”

He shook his head. “You know my parents are big names in fringe science. It’s possible he found us that way. I know that it’s really unlikely… It… It’s just… it was too weird, you know? With how my parents go on and on about other dimensions and being spirited away, them just suddenly changing their minds went against everything they believe.”

“Don’t worry, Danny. You’re with us and a bunch of other students. We’ll keep an eye on you.”

“And if something does happen, Sam can chase off the bad guy with those boots of hers. Ow!” Tucker glared at Sam as he rubbed his shin. “That was a compliment.”

She just snickered which caused the two to start bickering. The familiarity of it helped ease some of Danny’s worries. He knew he was just being paranoid, and that it was very unlikely anyone did something to his parents. It was just that he couldn’t shake off his uneasy feeling.

….

Their camp ground was in the Cuyahoga Valley region which was on the outskirts of the Allegheny plateau. The hills in the area were rolling due to the plateau and ancient glacial activity, but they were nowhere near as large as the ones found closer to the mountains in the next state over. Like many forests in the plateau, it was surprisingly old and dense.

Danny was unsettled by it. The hardwood trees blocked out a large percentage of the sun which cast permanent shadows on the area. Not only was it unlikely he would be able to stargaze, he kept thinking he saw something peek out from behind the trees. Chalking it up to paranoia, he decided to focus on the interior of the bus until they reached their destination. He didn’t need to freak out this early in the trip.

Due to the amount of students, the school split them into groups of about thirty and split them around the park. His group was sent to a series of cabins near one of the ranger stations. There were five or six assigned to each cabin. Thankfully for Danny, Tucker was also assigned to the same cabin.

After Mr. Lancer told them some general rules, they were told they had an hour to settle in before they would met up for lunch. The unpacking was fairly uneventful, though Danny was dismayed to learn some of the football players would be in his cabin. Most of them tended to leave him alone, but the one, Dash, liked to bully him. It was strange since he was the only person aside from Sam and Tucker who would come anywhere near him. Thankfully, other than a warning to keep his weirdness to himself, the football players decided to ignore him and Tucker.

He unpacked fairly quickly, so he decided he had enough time to try to contact his parents. Stepping outside, he tried to make a phone call. Someone picked up on the other end, but the signal must have been poor as the call was extremely choppy. After several minutes of trying to figure out what she was saying, he told her he would ask the Rangers if they had a land line he’d be able to use before he ended the call. He frowned as he checked the bars on his phone. There signal was strong enough that the call shouldn’t have been that choppy, but it was a cheaper phone since he had a bad habit of breaking them, so that could have been the reason.

They ate lunch at a mess hall in the camp complex. It was a fairly modest meal, but the beef and gravy was surprisingly good. Danny mused it was probably because his parents often experimented with cooking which often created strange results. He was also surprised that there was a vegetarian option available for Sam, but the school must have called ahead to let them know.

When they were finishing up, Mr. Lancer announced that one of the Rangers had an announcement. Danny glanced over to see a stern man, possibly in his late thirties, move towards the front of the room. He was fit and weathered, but every once in a while, there was a haunted look in his eyes.

The ranger, Rusty, gave the group a rundown of the general rules. He then paused for a moment before he spoke again. “This is unprecedented, but we are going to need your help for a search for a missing person.” Murmurs of excitement ran through the students. “This is a serious matter, and I request you pay attention. We have our search and rescue people and volunteers out right now looking for a twenty-two year old male. He is Caucasian and was last seen in a red jacket and blue jeans. He goes by Aiden.”

“Because you are not properly trained,” Rusty continued, “I only ask that you walk along the nearby trails for a couple hours in groups of two or more. Each group will be given a walkie-talkie. If you see or hear anything strange, call it into us. Don’t go off the trails. We don’t need more people getting lost today.” He fell silent and seemed to argue with himself for a moment before adding, “If you hear what sounds like screaming, particularly a woman screaming, call it in immediately. Large cats sometimes make that kind of sounds, and we definitely have Bobcats around. Luckily, they tend to avoid people, but we do like to know when we have signs of them.”

Twenty minutes later, the teens separated into their groups. Each group was provided a map, compass, and walkie-talkie. Rusty took them to a large map posted outside the Ranger station and explained a little about the area. The trails he wanted them to take circled the surrounding area and were well marked. Before he let them go, he again warned them to report anything off, but did try to reassure them by letting them know other rangers would be regularly sweeping the area.

“Well, isn’t this a reassuring start to our trip,” Tucker sarcastically mentioned as he tried to figure out the map.

“It can’t be helped,” Sam told him as she ripped the map out of his hands and corrected it before handing it back to him. “They must be desperate if they’re asking students to help.”

“Hey, I’m not used to replying on handheld maps.”

“You could try bringing it up on GPS,” Danny mentioned as they headed towards the one trail.

“That’s a great idea!” Tucker fiddled with his PDA for a moment before turning back to his friend. “Are you okay, dude? You sound a little off.”

“Oh, I guess this would hit a little too close to home,” Sam mentioned as she examined his expression.

Danny sighed as he glanced away from her. “Kind of. Even though I don’t remember it, I was in this exact same situation before. I hope they find the guy, at least for his family’s sake.”

The trio fell silent as they began their walk on one of the easy trails. They didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, though Tucker complained starting about halfway through the hike. Sam tried to distract them by identifying some of the local flora, but it only worked for so long.

By the time they made it back to camp, it was almost dinner time. Danny was glad to be back around the group. Although he never mentioned anything to his friends, he felt as if he was being watched the entire time. The trees seemed oppressive at times, and he was honestly surprised he didn’t have a panic attack while they were on the trail.

After dinner, he asked Rusty if there was a phone he would be able to use. Rusty told him that he would have to wait until the morning because they needed the line for the search. Danny understood and thanked the man.

Before he had a chance to head back to his cabin, Rusty called out to him, “While you’re here, make sure you never go off on your own.”

“I know. I mean, my parents drilled that into me for years,” Danny admitted with a shrug.

Rusty examined him closely before stepping closer and whispering, “You’ve witnessed something strange in the past. I can tell by the look in your eyes and how tense you are. In any heavily wooded area, the more open you are to the unusual, the more likely it might show up again.” He walked off without another word. Unnerved, Danny returned to his cabin and waited for his friend.

Tucker still wanted to complain about the amount of walking they did when he returned to the room, which prompted a discussion regarding how in the world Sam was able to enjoy things like that. Danny was about to bring up what the ranger told him when the football players burst into the room. Normally, Danny would just ignore them, but this time, he was intrigued by their excited whispers.

“Hey dweebs,” Dash addressed them, much to Danny and Tucker’s surprise, “did you hear what happened?” An evil grin appeared on his face when they told him they didn’t. “Kwan overheard the rangers talking earlier. You know that guy they were looking for?”

“Yeah,” Danny answered, “Did they find him?”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t alive.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. They’re saying he’s dead.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of chapter notes :

The Cuyahoga (Ky-ah-HOE-ga) Valley is a real place. I chose it for some very specific reasons. 1) The forests in that area are extremely large 2) I’m fairly familiar with the landscape and weather as I grew up in another part of the Allegheny plateau 3) The parks in that area are a bit unusual as you have a mix of privately owned and government owned areas which I’m using to my design as there’s more leeway with what they can and can’t build in those areas 4) some old towns have been “swallowed” by the national park including one famous “helltown”

The Allegheny (Al-ah-gain-ie) plateau is one part of the Appalachian Mountains, which are said to be the oldest mountains in the world. You don’t really have the high peaks or rock terrain associated with other ranges since they’re so worn, but there are a lot of hills, valleys, creeks, and streams. There are also a lot of coal mines since it’s a coal rich area. What’s also very strange about the plateau is that you can be in a town or suburbs, but within 15-20 minutes, you can be on the outskirts of a deep forest. There are also some swamps and marshy areas within the plateau as well.

Also, a lot of the names for natural landmarks in the Allegheny plateau originate from the tribes who originally settled there. There are even some burial mounds in the Cuyahoga area.

McDanno Proposals #1

For @mcdannoangelwolf who asked for McDanno proposal involving Charlie somehow. I did a few McDanno proposal scenarios and they can be found in my fic here! 

"Uncle Steve!" Grace ran into Steve's open arms.

Steve hugged her and even spun her around. "Hey, Grace. How was school?"

"Good. Nothing exciting to report though. What are you doing here? Where's Danno?" Grace asked as they walked over to Steve's truck.

"Your aunt's birthday is coming up, so he went with Eric to go do a bit of shopping. I told Danny I'd pick you up," Steve replied.

Grace smiled, "You didn't have to. I could have gone to the Grover's with Will."

"What? You're not beginning to get embarrassed by me too are you?" Steve asked with mock hurt. And okay, maybe actually hurt. He knew he teased Danny when he moped about Grace entering her teenage phase and didn't want to hang out with her parents much anymore. Steve could handle it because he knew Grace really, deep down, loved her parents...and that she thought Steve was cool.

She rolled her eyes. "Only when you start acting like a dad. But you know I love hanging out with you."

Steve smiled as he took off. It made him a bit worried about the subject he wanted to talk to her about though. He pushed it to the back of his mind. Right now, it was time to spend time with his girl. "Well, there's something I actually wanted to talk to you about, but I also think it's been a while since we've had one of our Steve-Gracie days."

"True. So where are we going?"

"I was thinking of getting some shaved ice?" Steve suggested.

"Always a classic."

~~

They spend a good hour just catching up. Grace tells Steve about school, college choices, her and Will. Steve, in turn, tells her about the things he can tell her about Five-Oh. The whacky shenanigans, crazy bets, and wild stories that are on the family-friendly side.

"Are you and Danno okay?" Grace blurted out.

When they first got together, no one was really surprised. They apparently tried to keep it a secret, but that only resulted in some hilarious moments in the building. Once it was out in the open, they were no different...other than people could tell when they did it because Steve would have the biggest and stupidest smile. Or that their protectiveness was fiercer, as well as their jealousy.

Grace knew that they had a bit of a relationship problem when Joe passed and then the thing with Greer. But they worked through it and it seemed like it was back to normal.

"What? Yeah, yeah...we're fine. We've...we've worked it out. Sure some days we have moments but they pass." Steve reassured her.

She sighed in relief. Out of all of Danno's partners, Steve was the best for many reasons. He was strong and resourceful and helped keep Danno safe. Steve was also witty and sharp and kept Danno interested mentally, and loved him so damn much. Sometimes though, that love leads to them making bad decisions. In recent events, Steve leaving without keeping in touch with Danno. Grace had given Steve an earful, that's for damn sure.

"So...what is it then?" She asked as she sipped from her milkshake. Steve seemed to want to talk about something serious, so when the shaved ice was gone, they stayed and ordered something else.

Steve fidgeted for a moment, but Grace didn't hurry him. It wasn't every day that Steve acted like this...unless he was in trouble. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, even though her mind jumped from one crazy scenario to another. With Uncle Steve...it was all too easy.

Grace was pulled out of her thoughts when Steve pulled out a ring box and showed it to her. Her eyes widened comically as she reached for it, "No way!"

Steve blushed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yes way...well, hopefully. I...I love him. I know we've talked about it not mattering, ya know. It's just a piece of paper and our love was bigger than that but...I want to. I want to legally call him my husband. I want to be given rights in case anything happens. I'll try to make sure they don't but...I don't want to be pushed aside if they do."

"Not to mention if you guys ever get arrested, you can't be made to testify against each other," Grace said teasingly.

Steve chuckled, "Yeah, there's also that."

"Oh my god! This is amazing!" Grace said happily.

"You think so? Cos...I'm kinda here asking for a blessing."

"Really?" Grace cooed, it was so cute.

"You mean the world to him, Grace. You're his baby girl and your opinion matters. Your opinion also means a lot to me too...I want to ask Charlie too but more towards when I actually ask Danny. Charlie-"

"He's not the best secret keeper, no." Grace agreed. She scooted over and hugged Steve tightly. "I love you and I love you guys together. You make him happy and you've always been part of our family. You have my blessing. But if you hurt him...just know that I have enough blackmail to get Eric to get rid of evidence for me." She said very seriously.

Steve laughed and pulled her into another hug. "Mahalo, Gracie."

"So! How are you going to do it?"

~~~

"Hey Charlie, how's it going?" Steve asks and holds his hand in a high-five.

Charlie high fives him and smiles, "Hey Uncle Steve! Where's Danno?"

"Oh, he went to go pick up Gracie from practice today. I told him we'd stay here and get some homework done, yeah?"

"Okay. It's not hard. Just gotta practice some spelling." Charlie said as he grabbed his backpack and pulled out his workbooks.

Steve helped him set up and let Charlie explain to him what his teacher said and what was needed for today. They settled in and Steve helped Charlie when needed. He knew he had some time. Grace would distract Danny for at least an hour.

"So Charlie...you know how much I love Danno, right?" Steve began.

Charlie nodded. "Danno loves you too...even if sometimes you make him lil mad."

Steve chuckled, "I know. It's part of why I love him...and you know that we're dating right. That I'm Danno's boyfriend?"

"I've seen you guys kiss, even if there's no mistletoe." Charlie snickered, as a kid talking about 'love' would do.

"That's right. Well, I can't help it. I just love Danny so much...and I was wondering...what do you feel about having another daddy?"

Charlie furrowed his brow, confused. "Like Stan?"

"Eh...sort of. Kinda...I mean me. Do...would you like if I became your other daddy?" Steve asked, not wanting to really get into the whole Stan thing.

"But you are already, right?"

"Well, I do love you like a son. And I help you with homework, and I tuck you in with Danno...I do a lot of dad things. But legally, I am not...but I want to be. I...I want to marry Danno."

"You do?" Charlie asked happily.

"I do." Steve nodded. "But I need your permission...can I be part of this family?"

Charlie chuckled as he leaned over and kissed Steve's cheek, "You already are. But if ya wanna marry Danno, you should!"

"Really? Oh thanks, Charlie...then can I ask you for a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you draw up a card for me to give to Danno, asking him?"

~~~

"I can't believe I'm indulging it," Danny muttered as he served pancakes for dinner.

"It's once in a while babe. And you promised pancakes for breakfast but we didn't have time." Steve said.

Danny rolled his eyes before cutting up Charlie's pancakes in manageable pieces. Charlie was a bouncing ball of energy, so Danny said, "Little syrup...you're so hyper today. What? Did you eat your weight in sugar?"

"No..." Charlie chuckled, looking between Steve and Grace.

"What? What's with the look?" Danny asked with suspicion.

Steve knew that if he wanted this to work the way he wanted to, it would have to happen now. "Charlie's made you a card, and he can't wait to give it to you."

"A card? What's the occasion?" Danny asked.

"You need an occasion to get a gift from your kids?" Steve teased.

"No, but...that smile was really suspicious. What are you plotting?" Danny 'demanded'.

"Go get it and put Danno out of his misery," Grace told her brother, trying and failing, to hide a smile herself.

"Kay!" Charlie wobbled off his chair before running to go get the card he made with Uncle Steve. He ran back and handed it to Danny.

Steve made sure he was sitting in the right place. So the moment that Charlie gave Danny the card, he could reach into his pocket and grab the ring box and be prepared to drop down on one knee.

Danny grabbed the card and opened it. He stared a bit at the writing, not because he couldn't read it but because he was a bit confused by 'Will you let Uncle Steve become Papa Steve?'. Danny put the card down, ready to ask Charlie what he meant when he gasped. Steve was on one knee, ring box held out to Danny, a shy smile on his face. "So? Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

Steve placed the ring on Danny before kissing the hell out of him. The kids get up and hug them. Danny complains, but not really, about all his loved ones ganging up on him but...he's so damn happy right now he could burst.

like looking in a mirror - ao3 link

an au fic in which phantom isn’t what he seems. aka, i take my “what if danny isn’t actually phantom” idea and make it angsty. it got very out of hand, very fast. 

Danny Fenton couldn’t tear his eyes away from the TV. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. It couldn’t. 

Phantom, they were calling him. Amity Park’s new hero, menace, monster. Whatever you wanted to call him. He wasn’t any of those things to Danny.

Sam couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “...Is no one going to say it?” 

Tucker shot her a warning look. “Don’t, Sam.”

“What? Isn’t it freaky? That ghost looks just like Danny.” 

“I know,” Danny said, too quietly. Sam had a hundred theories lined up already, but Danny was already standing up before she’d even gotten a chance to speak. 

“...Danny? Where are you going?”

“I’ve got someone to find.” 

The door shut. 

Sam looked to Tucker, incredulous. “Did I strike a nerve? It wasn’t an insult, it’s just- Look at him.” She gestured wildly at the news, still broadcasting footage of Phantom flying across the sky. “It’s not like Danny’s dead. Who the hell is that, and how does he look so similar?”

Tucker hesitated. The idea was almost too awful to contemplate, but Danny had clearly thought the same thing he had when that familiar figure made his way across the screen. He stood up, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I don’t blame you for not knowing- It happened before you moved to town. C’mon, I’ll tell you on the way. We should find Danny before he does something stupid.” 

---

For once, his parents’ ghosthunting technology was coming in handy. Danny never believed in this stuff before- honestly, part of him still didn’t,- but somehow, it seemed to work. The machine detected ectoplasm, and Phantom may as well have been a beacon for all the power he gave off. 

This is bullshit, Danny thought, even as he followed it like a compass. 

It led him to- of course it lead him here. The observatory. The project had been abandoned a while back, but the skeleton of the structure remained intact. The metaphor didn’t escape him. On the contrary, it was pretty much punching him in the face. Abandoned telescope, abandoned dreams, abandoned life. 

It wasn’t hard to hop the fence. Okay, it was- It took like, 15 minutes, a few falls and a whole lot of swearing, but he finally made it to the other side. The machine in his hands was beeping faster, like a frantic heartbeat. 

Shut up, he silently willed it. It didn’t.

Making his way carefully through the rusted doors of the place, he couldn’t help but feel a chill. Somehow, he didn’t think it was from the temperature. He turned the machine off and stuffed it into his back pocket- At this point, he didn’t need it to feel the energy radiating off of the place. It was everywhere. Wrapping his arms around himself, he stepped to the middle of the circular room. 

“I know you’re here,” he called. 

No response. 

He gazed up at the unfinished ceiling, narrowing his eyes. “It’s me.” 

Still nothing. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. “James. I know it’s you.” 

Just like that, he felt the energy in the room shift. He still couldn’t see him, but he knew he was there. A quiet voice echoed out from the shadows. 

“...how?” 

“You’ve been all over the news, man. Amity Park’s newest hero, I’m hearing.” 

“not that. how did you know it was me? i’m not exactly... normal looking.”

Danny let out a halfhearted chuckle. “You know we have the same face? Can’t exactly change that with a fancy new hair color.” 

“...”

“...Besides, it’s not like I’d forget my own brother.” 

“...you got me.” 

There he was, finally. A dark shadow right in the corner of Danny’s eye. No- There he was again. More solid, more... real. 

Not by much, but enough. 

“...Hey.”

“...hey.” 

Danny had been thinking this over the whole way here, but everything he’d planned to say seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden. What was there to say? It had been years since it had happened, and part of him still couldn’t accept it had happened at all, even now. It didn’t seem... real. 

Ghosts weren’t supposed to be real. It was supposed to be nothing but the made-up fantasy that got his brother killed. That stupid portal. It was less of a portal and more of an electrocution hazard, which Jazz had pointed out, not that either of them had listened. Not until it was too late, that is. It hadn’t worked. Why his parents had tried again after that, he had no idea, but they had, and now he was here. Against all odds, he was here. 

Meaning he’d been there all this time.

And Danny had left him behind. 

“You look...”

“older?”

“...Yeah.”

“so do you. guess that’s how this works.” 

“Maybe.”

They’d always joked about some psychic twin connection. Danny might’ve made some quip about it now, but the humor he often used to cope was starting to feel hollow. James was here. Not alive, but here. What the hell was he supposed to say?

“I... missed you.” 

“i know. i missed you too.” 

“Why didn’t you come home? I had to see you beating up ghosts on the news to realize you were back. Could’ve said hello.” 

There was humor in those glowing green eyes, but not much. “think i didn’t try? mom and dad had a nice hello waiting for me in the form of big ol’ ectoguns.” 

“...Oh.”

“yeah.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“it’s not your fault.” 

“Not just about this, about- About everything. That stupid dare. Not... Not looking for you out there.” 

The phantom’s form solidified a little more, just enough to see that familiar smirk on his face. 

“what, you think you should’ve summoned the dead just to bring me back? doesn’t work like that, buddy. you probably would’ve just gotten a demon.”

“It’s just...” Danny’s voice wavered a little, and he took a deep breath. “It’s just not fair. Why you? Why’d this have to happen to you? You’re back now, but you’re still...” He swallowed, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill the entire time. “You’re still...”

Denial was the only thing standing between Danny and a full-on mental breakdown. He’d figured it was an impostor. If not that, a coincidence. If not that, some weird dream. A hallucination. Ghosts weren’t supposed to be real. James was gone. 

And yet, here he was. 

“Why aren’t you angry? It was my dumbass idea, and you’re the one that kicked the bucket. You should be pissed as hell. You should hate me.” 

“...”

Danny’s voice was shaking. His shoulders, too. James drifted a little closer, concern making its way onto his ethereal face.

“Why don’t you hate me?” 

Everything went cold. For a moment, Danny thought he’d been dunked in cold water, until he noticed the gloved arms wrapped around his shoulders. James had made it the rest of the way across the room, and was hugging him as tight as one could when they weren’t fully tangible. Danny froze, then slowly lifted his arms to return the hug. James seemed to be getting more solid by the moment, and now that there was a shoulder there to cry on, Danny did. He let it all out- The repressed guilt, the self-hatred, the sadness, the loss. He cried until he couldn’t anymore. James stayed there, solid as a ghost could be. 

“...maybe i was a little pissed at first,” he spoke softly, after what seemed like forever. “okay, a lot pissed. it was a dumb idea, and a dumb portal. but i had a lot of time to think about it while i was gone. lots of ghosts get so pissed and so sad that they just lose themselves completely. go nuts. turn into a big ol’ murder monster or whatever. i didn’t want to be... that, especially not when i knew you were out there probably hating yourself enough for both of us. besides... you’re my twin, dude. i don’t think there’s anything you could do to make me hate you. so i learned to live with it, y’know? well... not live with it, but you get what i’m saying.” 

“...Kind of,” Danny sniffled.

Phantom pulled away from the hug and grinned. “what i’m saying is that i’m okay, danny. it’s okay. i’m back. and besides- you know what i can do now? check it out.” He raised a hand, which immediately began to glow. In his palm, tiny, glowing green stars began to form. It seemed to be taking a little bit of effort, but after a while, he clapped his hands together and then raised them, letting the stars loose. Throughout the observatory an ectoplasmic galaxy soared around them, and James’ face was full of light. He looked... happy. 

“see? isn’t it sick?” 

“Y-Yeah, I guess so,” Danny chuckled, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Guess being a ghost has a few perks, huh?” 

“yeah.” Phantom smiled, then gave a small sigh. “listen. don’t tell mom and dad, okay...? they won’t... get it.” 

“Are you sure...?”

“big ol’ ectoguns, danny.” 

“Fair point. I’m... sorry.” 

“holy shit, danny.” James smacked him lightly in the shoulder. “stop apologizing!”

“Sorry!” Another smack. “Ow! Okay, okay, I get the point!”

“good.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but a sudden chill came over the room, even worse than before. James looked suddenly agitated, and soared quickly to the window. The stars vanished. “listen, i really wanna catch up more. like, you have no idea, i missed you so bad. but i wasn’t the only ghost the portal let out. there’s lots more, and they’re mean, and i’m pretty sure there’s a new one out there right now. i better go make sure they don’t kill anybody else.” 

“You don’t have to do it all by yourself.”

“i’m the only one of us who doesn’t have to worry about getting killed. i’ll see you later, okay?” 

“Wait-”

“i won’t disappear, promise. show me all the pokemon games i missed when i get back.” 

And with that, he was gone. The room was suddenly several degrees warmer, but emptier, too. Danny wasn’t sure how long he was standing there before a voice from behind him made him jump.

“DANNY!”

“Ack! Sam?”

Upon leaving the observatory, there they were- Sam, pacing around and calling. Tucker, lying facedown in front of the fence, clearly having messed up his footing.

“Danny! There you are,” she exclaimed, jogging over as Tucker managed to get to his feet. “We were worried you were going to get possessed.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry about before, by the way. I didn’t know.”

“Are you alright?” Tucker asked, finally having made his way over. 

“Not really,” Danny replied.

He’d spent the last few years feeling like half of a pair. It had always been Danny and James, Danny and James, Danny and James, until one day it was suddenly just Danny. But now... now? 

His missing half wasn’t missing anymore. Different, yes. Weird, for sure. Probably just as annoying as he’d ever been. But not missing. 

Danny glanced over his shoulder, back at the empty observatory. It didn’t seem so foreboding now. 

“...But I think it’s gonna be okay. Eventually.” 

Writing Commission - memories were made to be forgotten (but you weren’t)

Hello! Back at it again with another writing commission I did - and this one is for Danny Phantom and Father Time (which is father/son Danny and Clockwork). I hope you guys enjoy it! (Dear Danny Phantom Truce Partner, I promise I will get you story finished soon, please don’t hate me.) 

                                                             ⁂

Summary: Danny Fenton was friends with a ghost named Clockwork; a ghost that could control time. It sounded cool, when he thought about it, but the problem was that Danny had absolutely no memory of ever being friends with a ghost. He may have been fourteen, and, admittedly, yes, he had gotten himself zapped by his parent’s Ghost Portal last week, but he wasn’t an idiot. Who actually believed someone when they told them they had amnesia, after all?

Fandom: Danny Phantom

Relationship: Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom & Clockwork

Characters: Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom, Clockwork

Rating: Teen Audiences

Word Count: 3,472

Transaction Amount: $10 (USD)

                   memories were made to be forgotten (but you weren’t)

                                                              ⁂

Danny Fenton had, like every bored teenager before him who had too much free time during study hall, daydreamed unlikely possible scenario after unlikely possible scenario to try and alleviate at least some boredom until it was time for lunch. Nowhere in his daydreamed scenarios, however, had Danny imagined that he would be held captive by a ghost called the Master of Time who claimed that Danny had amnesia and that they were actually ‘good friends.’ Danny may not have been the top of his class, but he had seen basic safety videos like every other fourth grader. 

He had also been brought up on his parents and their research and stories and knew how dangerous ghosts, and anything associated with them, could be. Danny had learned that well enough last week after his parents’ Ghost Portal and his… accident with it. He hadn’t gotten in trouble for it, though, and he was perfectly healthy, so he was taking that as a win! 

No, the real trouble for him was the fact that he was facing down a ghost after waking up somewhere he had never seen before with absolutely no memory of why he was there or what he was doing or what was going on. His parents, his sister, his friends, absolutely no one was nearby, so that left Danny to try and bullshit his way out of the situation as best he could because otherwise he was probably going to be the next ghost his parents studied. 

“Look, man, I’m not saying I don’t believe you, here, but…” There was absolutely no way Danny believed a single word out of the ghost’s mouth. Really, though? Him? Friends with a ghost who claimed to be able to control time? As if. “Look, it’s, uh, it’s cool, and all, I guess, to know that ghosts are real, but are you sure you don’t want to talk to my parents or something about all of this?”

“Well,” the ghost said – ‘Clockwork’ he had said his name was, which, right, totally fake name. “At least you haven’t lost all of your memories… Can you tell me the last thing you remember, Daniel?”

Danny immediately made a face, because Daniel, before shaking his head, denial and a refusal to answer anything at the tip of his tongue before he paused and thought that maybe arguing with a ghost wasn’t the best of ideas. He would just have to comply until his parents rescued him, although… It could take them a while to notice he was missing… 

Gathering his thoughts and shoving down his panic with enough force to make him feel exhausted already, Danny crossed his arms. “I remember I was just sitting in my room, er, doing homework, and then suddenly I wake up here.” At least, if anyone asked him he had been doing his homework. “You know. Kidnapped. And in danger-”

“Daniel, if I wanted to harm you then you would already be dead.” That was supposed to reassure him?! “The fact that you are here, unharmed and not even bound, should, at the very least, dissuade you from the idea that you’ve been abducted, yes?” Oh, god, this ghost was worse than his sister. 

“Yeah, so, uh, I understood all of those words separately and junk, but-” Danny cut himself off as he saw the ghost moving towards him. Danny’s immediate reaction was to raise his arms, squeeze his eyes shut, and pray for a miracle, but instead he felt his body move before he could even think, rapidly stepping back and to the side and dropping into one of the defensive positions that he half-remembered his mom maybe teaching him years and years ago. 

The ghost stared at him, looking as caught off guard as Danny felt before he was moving back and away from him, looking at him curiously and oh, god, Danny hated when people looked at him like that. It meant they were studying him. Maybe Danny could pretend he was just… stretching? 

Before he could rush to defend himself with an excuse, though, Clockwork made a soft, curious noise, “Only the memories, then, but not the instincts…” Oh, god, Danny was in a horror movie about to be sacrificed or cut to ribbons, wasn’t he? 

After dropping his… whatever he had been doing, Danny moved jerkily a few feet away, at least getting a piece of furniture between them as if that would help matters. “Look, just… what do you even need me for?” 

“Ah, I had wondered if that paranoia of yours was developed or innate.” Was- Was the ghost taking shots at him after kidnapping him? What a jerk. Danny would be so glad when someone showed up with some kind of plan to get him out of there - hopefully soon. “If you’ll recall, I informed you that we have a positive relationship and you have amnesia. It’s safest for you here-” 

“Why would it be safe here and not with my family?! Or in a hospital?!” Actually, Danny should definitely be in a hospital if he had amnesia or something, so the fact he wasn’t meant this ghost was definitely lying. “No offense, but I’m not a big fan of believing in something that’s obviously a lie. Now let me go.” 

The last few words echoed for a few seconds, Danny trying to keep his glare up as mentally he panicked because what had just happened with his voice? Instead of even so much as cracking, which Danny admitted, at least to himself, sometimes happened when he was emotional, his voice sounded like it had gotten deeper and it sounded… menacing. Like Danny could actually back up whatever threats he made - a good thing, but also a weird thing. 

“Daniel,” Clockwork sighed, sharp and tired, as he met his gaze with a frown, moving forward again. “I only have your best interests in mind.” The ghost hadn’t even fully finished talking before Danny was scrambling back and grasping at something - anything - to protect himself because he was suddenly filled with the overwhelming urge that words like that only came before pain and- 

It was as sudden and shocking as the Fenton portal had been, Danny feeling like the breath had been stolen straight from his lungs as ice crawled through his veins, something in him building and building before snapping out, Danny staring with wide eyes at the sudden dome-shaped wall of green that appeared between him and the ghost who looked as surprised as he did. 

“Well, I suppose that’s proof enough that your memories were merely suppressed instead of erased altogether,” Clockwork said cheerfully, as if Danny hadn’t just- Just- He didn’t know! Danny didn’t know what he had done, but suddenly there was this thing between him and Clockwork and Danny somehow knew, with everything in him, that he had caused it and how had he done that? “Daniel…?”

“I just…” Danny stared at the green-tinged ghost, just on the other side of the shield, or wall, or something that Danny had made. “I… What did I just do?” 

Looking down at his hands, because he somehow really had done that, Danny froze at seeing he was wearing gloves where a second ago there had been nothing. What’s more, he realized, the gloves were a pure, bright white that looked to be glowing and, after twitching his fingers, Danny realized they were his hands. They also weren’t the only thing that had changed. 

While Danny didn’t exactly have a mirror to look in, he didn’t need one to see that everything he was wearing was different. Whereas before he had been wearing jeans and one of his shirts, now he was wearing what looked like one of his parent’s hazmat suits only it was pure black with white boots and it, like the gloves, were glowing a soft white. 

“What…” Danny swallowed sharply, looking back up at the green thing he had made that slowly seemed to fizzle out and fade away to reveal Clockwork staring at him as if afraid of him. “What happened to me? What did you do to me?”

Clockwork was silent for a moment - which meant he was thinking up a lie Danny would believe. Well, if Clockwork thought that was gonna work on him, then he had another thing coming because everything was- It was insane. “Daniel… do you remember your parents’ portal and possibly an accident involving it?” 

“I- Hang on, what?” Danny blinked, some of his panic draining out of him at the question that had taken him completely off guard. “How… how did you know about that?” Because no one should have really known about that. Yeah, sure, his family technically knew, but his friends had been the only ones to be there. 

“Well,” Clockwork chuckled, as if Danny wasn’t questioning everything he thought he had known about the world. “I did introduce myself as someone close to you, didn’t I? You’ve talked to me of that incident yourself, Daniel.”

“Yeah, nice try, buddy,” Danny scoffed, shivering as something about his voice sounded wrong. It sounded like it had… echoed. “You-” What was wrong with his voice? “You introduced yourself as the Master of Time. No way you didn’t use some weird ghost power to see what happened yourself because there’s no way I would ever trust a ghost.” 

Clockwork sighed, something fond and amused as if this was all some sort of game to him. “You were very untrusting at this age, weren’t you?” 

Danny felt a spike of anger because was this guy fucking serious?! Danny was stuck in a place that he had never seen and had been kidnapped by a fucking ghost! This was the opposite of just simply being ‘untrusting.’ “If you think for one second that I would ever trust you, then you don’t know me at all.” 

What broke up the suddenly tense silence between them wasn’t Clockwork, but a loud snapping sound that reminded Danny of ice breaking and cracking near the beginning and end of winter. It also sounded like it had come from him, and Danny couldn’t help his startled glance down, eyes wide as he saw that ice had formed around him.

Except… Saying that ice had formed around him seemed too simple. No, instead it looked like it was coming from Danny, ice rapidly spreading out from around his feet as frost climbed up his arms in spirals and loops that almost distracted him from the fact the ice at his feet acted as a mirror. He half wished that it had distracted him completely, but instead Danny was staring down at what was basically a mirror that showed he… didn’t look like Danny Fenton. 

His eyes were flickering between a toxic green color and a bright, icy blue and his hair- His hair was a bright snow white that matched the frost crawling up his arms; frost that was starting to spiral and wrap around his shoulders and sides.

“I’m…” The glow around him wasn’t from the suit, Danny realized slowly, and then all at once; as bad things always were. “I’m a…” It was from him. The glowing, the ice and snow, the shield, all of it had come from him. 

Snapping his head up, Danny looked at Clockwork, hating how his voice came out weak and scared, but unable to help his question of, “Am I dead?”

“What?” Clockwork blinked, as if surprised Danny would ask that and maybe that was why Clockwork thought Danny trusted him if he really had lost his memories; because he was a ghost, too. “No- No, no, no, Daniel, you aren’t dead-”

“Don’t lie to me!” Danny shouted, hating at how the sound was almost a scream more than anything else. “I’m- Look at me! I’m a ghost, and I don’t know what kind of world you’re living in, pal, but if I’m a ghost then I-” 

Danny’s words tangled around a hitch of breath, the realization hitting that… he had died. That was the only explanation as to what had happened to him. He had somehow died and become a ghost and maybe he really had lost his memories or this ghost was just trying to use him, but either way he had died. 

“Daniel.” There was something in Clockwork’s voice, something soft and caring and enticing enough that Danny found himself looking at him before he could realize it. The ghost’s expression matched his voice. “Daniel, if you believe nothing else I say to you, then believe this. You are not dead.” 

“But I’m…” The words died on his tongue, Danny to scared to say them. It was obvious enough what he had been about to say, though, Danny thrusting his hands out as if to emphasize the point. Spirals of frost had near overtaken his body, at that point, and the ice cracked again as it grew more at his feet. For the first time in a very long time Danny realized he was absolutely terrified. 

“You, Daniel James Fenton, are something very different,” Clockwork said gently, floating a few inches closer slowly and gently. “Listen carefully to me?” It sounded like an order as much as it did a request, but something about the way it was said had Danny nodding shakily, latching onto the words as if they could make him stop feeling like he couldn’t breathe- Could he breathe? Did he need to? 

Clockwork nodded back, voice still soft, “Thank you. Now, you don’t have to close your eyes, but it might help with what I’m about to tell you to do. There should be this feeling of warmth in your chest, somewhere close to your heart. Do you feel it?”

Danny opened and closed his mouth, hundreds of arguments and words dying in the back of his throat before he shivered as he felt the frost reach the back of his neck. It started to look and feel more like ice than it did frost, and it was terrifying enough that Danny shut his eyes on instinct. 

“Ssh, it’s alright, Daniel. You’re alright.” Years and years of his parents’ lessons screamed at him to not trust a thing the ghost in front of him said, but something deeper had Danny relaxing just the smallest amount, even as he hated himself for it. “Do you feel that warmth?” 

“I…” Danny didn’t open his eyes, terrified at the spreading feeling of ice, but he did try to feel for whatever Clockwork was telling him about. A feeling of warmth near his heart sounded impossible with how cold he felt, but slowly, slowly and surely and deeply, Danny felt something inside of him that he could call nothing but warmth. “I think I do.” 

“Good. That’s good.” Clockwork’s voice was still soft, and something about it made Danny think he was relieved. “I want you to visualize yourself holding that warmth and then clutching it with both hands. Do you think you can do that?” 

He wanted Danny to what? “I- I can try?” Even if nothing happened it was still a distraction from whatever was happening to him and, well, how hard could it be? Danny was good at daydreaming, after all, and it was easy enough to picture that feeling of warmth as if it were a small, glowing ball - something orange, maybe. It would be something orange and yellow with maybe a few red tones thrown it. 

Danny could picture holding something like that easily enough, and while it did take some focus, he could picture clutching it within both of his hands and squeezing- 

Danny’s eyes snapped open as he felt the warmth suddenly crash over him like a bucket of hot water, bright light flashing in front of him and forcing him to blink his eyes quickly before he looked down and saw the ice that had been climbing up his body was gone. The suit or whatever he had been wearing, as well as the glow, were also gone, leaving nothing but human skin and his typical outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m…” 

“You’re not dead, Daniel, and you are also not a ghost - at least, not quite,” Clockwork laughed, something in his tone that made Danny think he really had been worried for him. Looking up, and slightly startled at seeing Clockwork so much closer, Danny stared at the hand that was held out to him. 

Danny took it hesitantly, surprised when Clockwork pulled him forward and out and away from the pile of ice that had been building up around his feet. “Did I… really cause all of that?” It looked like that one small part of the room had gone through winter itself, covered in ice and bits of snow. 

“It’s a long, long story,” Clockwork chuckled, this time his laugh soft and barely there before he was moving Danny’s hand, gently, to rest over Danny’s wrist. “You know how to find your pulse?”

“Yeah, of course I do,” Danny frowned, fingers searching out his pulse absently for a few seconds before he was nodding to himself as he found it. “See? It’s right…” Danny trailed off, blinking as he realized that he had a pulse. To have a pulse, though, he needed to be alive, which meant he wasn’t- He wasn’t dead. “I have a pulse.”

“You have a pulse,” Clockwork confirmed, smile flicking into something larger for a moment. “Do you still believe you’re dead, then?” 

“I mean, it feels slower than it probably should, but, uh… it’s still there,” Danny admitted, letting his hands drop to his sides as he stared at Clockwork, who had just helped him through what would probably become a metaphor for a panic attack. “So, you, uh… You really aren’t here to hurt me or anything?” 

“No, Daniel,” Clockwork said, slowly and gently setting a hand on his shoulder. It felt familiar. It felt nice. “I’m here to help you if you can finally believe that.” 

Danny would never be able to explain it to himself or anyone else later if he tried, but in that moment the only thing he could think to do was rush forward and throw his arms around Clockwork, hugging him tightly as his hands buried in the cloak like it was second nature. 

Clockwork, on his part, didn’t even hesitate, arms sliding around him in return and making him feel safe. “I know this is difficult for you, Daniel, but you will be safe. You’ve lost quite a few of your memories, but we, both myself and your friends, are working hard on getting them back for you. I imagine it can’t be easy to believe me… but can you try?” 

“I…” Danny swallowed, feeling his throat working in silence for a few moments before he pushed himself back just enough to see Clockwork’s face. Danny couldn’t see a trace of a lie or anything else. If anything, Clockwork looked more worried than Danny did. “I don’t believe you, but…” 

This was someone he knew. Now that his panic and fear had faded away, Danny could tell that this was truly someone he knew; someone who cared for him and wanted to help him. That- That had to be more than enough, right? 

“I don’t believe you,” Danny said more firmly, hands clutching tightly at the other’s cloak. “But I trust you.” It was the first thing Danny had said that felt true to him. “Is that enough for right now?” 

“Oh, Daniel…” Clockwork said his name softly, like it was something important. “That is… That is more than enough, Daniel.” 

Danny smiled, ducking back in to hug Clockwork tightly for another minute before he finally cleared his throat and stepped back out of the, admittedly nice, hug. “Okay- Okay! So, uh, obviously this is pretty crazy and weird, so can you maybe explain a bit more about that whole amnesia thing and maybe why I can do that?” Danny asked, gesturing towards the pile of ice that didn’t look like it would be melting anytime soon. 

Something he said must have been funny because Clockwork was laughing, but he did lean forward to ruffle Danny’s hair in a motion that felt as familiar as the hug he had given him. “Yes, Daniel, I can explain why you can do that. It might take a while, though.” 

“Good thing you’re the Master of Time and all that, then,” Danny joked, staring at Clockwork and giving a wider smile because, well, maybe ghosts weren’t as bad as his parents had made them out to be. 

Somehow, Danny thought to himself, even if these supposed memories of his never came back, well… He had a feeling that everything would be okay. 

It was a good feeling.

Bad Moon Rising - Part 5

Warnings: angst A/N: FRIDAY THE 13TH-- let that sink in folks  Word count: 1.9 K+ The photos and GIFs that I use are not mine. Credits go to the owners.

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Sam Kiszka x O.C. [Jane Morrison]

Bad Moon Rising Masterpost // Fanfiction Masterpost

Jane was already on the bus on her way to Nashville, Tennessee. Her head was resting against the cold window and her eyes were halfway closed. She was tired, cold and just to top them all, she was starting to get carsick. She wished that Sammy would’ve come with her, but his promises from the evening prior that they’d go on a hike maybe in British Columbia once she’d come back home encouraged her to pull through it.

As she sat in the nearly empty bus, Jane couldn’t take her mind off Sam. The way how he had always been there for her and the way she made her feel – both of these were constant thoughts in her head, urging her to get off the bus and return home, in his arms. She already missed the taste and feeling of his lips on hers and the warmness, comfort and safe feeling of his arms. She wanted to go home.

Meanwhile, from the comfort of his home, Sam was thinking of Jane. He was thinking of skipping two or three days in the studio to go visit her, but then he thought that he would come off as too clingy in front of Jane.

He walked around the house aimlessly. He drove Jane to the bus station early in the morning. Now it was only 8 am. He looked around the kitchen, wanting to eat something. The fact that outside was pretty gloomy didn’t help elevate his mood in any way. Sam felt like now that Jane was away, the sun went away, too. With a sigh he pulled a can of beer out of the fridge and popped it open. He looked at the can for a couple of moments before taking a sip and putting it away. His mind was blank, covered in a thick layer of dullness. He got unused to it with Jane around him all the time, but now that she was gone, it came back, and it came back stronger than before.

Jane fell asleep and woke up only multiple hours later, when the guy from the seat in front of her poked at her shoulder because they got to their destination. Jane was slightly startled, but she forced a smile while whispering a “thank you” to the stranger in the dark coat that woke her up. She looked out the bus window. The sun was hidden beneath the grey clouds that were announcing that rain was on its way. She also saw a man, not that tall, standing in the station, his hands shoved down his jean pockets. He had a patch sewed to his jacket, but Jane couldn’t really make out any other words other than “club”, so she guessed that that was the guy waiting for her.

In no time she was off the bus, her small sports bag thrown over her shoulder. She approached the man as she took in a deep breath. “Hi, are you uhh – mister Curtis?” she asked with a forced smile.

“Yes, that’s me, you must be Jane Morrison. Call me Adam though,” he answered and shook her hand. “May I help with your bag?”

Jane softly shook her head, politely denying his request. It was much chillier in Nashville that day than it was in Detroit the day before. She wished she were still with Sammy, her Sammy, the person who opened her eyes to the beauties of this world.

On the way to her rented apartment, Adam couldn’t shut up for sixty seconds, but Jane pulled through it and tried to be as polite as possible.

The room was actually quite nice. The mattress of the bed was a little too soft for Jane’s tastes, but in rest it was all right. She sat down on the wooden floor the suitcase that she had brought from Detroit and started unpacking as a mean to pass the time. It didn’t take her long to finish unpacking since she hadn’t brought too many things, so soon enough she found herself overwhelmed with boredom. She wasn’t in the mood to watch TV, nor to read anything. She wasn’t sleepy either.

Then, she had an idea – what about going for a walk around the shopping center? There was enough time until that night’s gig started and she could use a little walk. Maybe she would get something for Sam from there. She instantly started making a list in her head of all the records that Sam had ever mentioned that he’d want to get and she smiled to herself.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Jane hung her camera around the neck and was out the door, strolling on the sidewalk.

“Hello ma’am, excuse me, where is the closest shopping center?” she asked politely a woman who was probably five years or so older than her. Jane really liked the way she dressed – with skin tight leather pants, knee-high boots and a leopard print shirt, with lots of jewelry around her neck and on her hands.

“Sure, darling. You cross this street and you keep going straight, until you reach the next street corner. There, you turn right and keep straight until you see it,” she answered with a smile on her lips.

The red light turned green and she crossed the street, along with the other people waiting to do so. There she parted ways with the woman who helped her; Jane kept going ahead, while the woman turned left. Jane kept the instructions in mind and strolled down, looking up to the sky from time to time. It looked like the sky was cornered from every direction by the skyscrapers that shadowed the streets.

A bling sound from her phone made her snap out of her thoughts and she slowed down her pace as she pulled out the phone.

Hi honey, hope you are having fun in Nash! Wish I were there with you :( I just left practice and I’m going for a drink with Danny and maybe some thrifting, too. Feel free to call me whenever you want! Kisses! Sam x

A smile bloomed on her lips and her heart fluttered as she re-read the text again. Sam called her “honey”; Jane didn’t know that he could get even sweeter than he already was, but yet there he was. She pushed the phone back in her pocket as she made a mental note to call Sam as soon as she gets where she set to go.

When she reached the next street corner, she remembered that she had to go right from there. She stopped at the red light and crossed her arms over her chest, softly tapping her fingers to her arm following a rhythm in her mind. When the light turned green, she started crossing the street. She always looked both left and right before crossing a street, just to make sure, but only this one time, she forgot to do so.

She was about midway on the crosswalk when the thought that she forgot to check the street crossed her mind. She violently turned her head right, and saw a car approaching fast, with no chances to stop before it reached her, but still too fast for her to back up to safety.

She felt as if time stopped as well as the things around her. In those moments she remembered all of her happy and sad memories from her life.

In no time she was back in the day she first stepped inside the new place she’d call home in Frankenmuth. She remembered seeing three boys and a girl peeking at her and her parents as they moved in all their belongings. She remembered seeing Sam for the first time, his first words to her being “Hey, wanna listen to some music with me?”. She then remembered her graduation from Frankenmuth High and that one time she went with the Kiszkas camping in Michigan’s wilderness.

She remembered meeting her ex-fiancé at a concert and their first kiss, then their breakup and all the heartbreak. Then she remembered Sam coming in the fitting room and staying with her while she bawled her eyes out and then she remembered the moment when she realized that Sam was the person she was actually in love with. She remembered their first kiss and the way her heart raced every time since then and the way his lips felt on hers and on her skin. She remembered everything.

“Sam, I...” was all she could whisper before the sense of reality came back to her and time started flowing again.

***

Sam looked down at his phone, nervously turning the screen on and off and wondering why didn’t Jane call or text him by then. It was getting late and he was starting to have a bad feeling forming in his stomach. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shrug it off.

He jumped on the couch as he turned on the TV and scrolled through his list of contacts until he reached Jane. He touched her name and her profile showed up. As a contact photo, he chose one that they had made together in last year’s summer, while on a trip in Washington State. She had a radiant smile on her face in that picture as she kept with one finger a strand of Sam’s hair over her top lip, like it was a mustache.

Sam smiled at the memory and pressed the call button. As he waited for an answer, his heart deepened in his chest.

A terrible accident took place earlier today in Nashville, Tennessee, mid-day on one of the main streets, downtown. A woman got hit by a car, driven by a drunk man. Thankfully, the ambulance got there quick enough to assure that the woman won’t lose her life, even though she is gravely injured.

Sam looked at the TV screen as in front of his eyes flashed images of a wide street and a car crashed a few meters after the crosswalk. Then the news channel played a video submitted by a vigilante showing doctors rushing to a woman lying on the street.

Sam let his phone fall from his hand on the couch as the video zoomed in on the chaotic movements of the doctors, rushing the woman to the ambulance. The face wasn’t seen, but Sam spotted it – Jane’s camera; the one she never left behind. To confirm Sam’s biggest fear, he also saw one of the patches that they had sown together to the synthetic camera strap.

Sam’s heart started pounding against his chest, making an unbearable noise, almost driving him crazy. “No, no, no,” he kept whispering to himself as he stood up from the couch absentmindedly and started pacing around the room in circled, running his hands through his hair.

He eventually reached the stairs leading to the upper floor where he had his bedroom, an extra bathroom and a balcony. He let himself fall on the bottom stair and grabbed ahold of his head in his hands. “Fuck…”

Tears started threatening to roll down his cheeks as soon as he let his head fall back. Bringing his knees to his chest and holding them there, a first tear fell, wetting in one spot his white t-shirt. The affectionless and dull voice of the TV reporter, the loud heartbeats, the clock ticking nonstop on the wall – it all drained out. It was silent, as if the universe wanted to let him remember, think, pull himself together and do something.

Tags: @myownparadise96​, @satans-helper​, @jeordinevankiszka​, @littlegeekwonder​, @songbirdkisses​, @pomegranatecurses​, @angelstraightfr0mhell​, @freeeshavacadoo​, @karrotkate​, @mountainofthesunn​, @bigthighsandstupidguys​, @november-rain-roses​

Ectober Day 23: Soul- This Is A Little Bit Much Chap. 2 - Even Plains Of Reality Need Souls

Danny’s one part impossible, one part too powerful for his own good, and one part a series of existential crises.

Jack shrugging as Maddie speaks, “well it shouldn’t do anything. We never tested it out in such a way. If a ghost had any reaction they’d probably look human. Which would probably cause them to go into some form of ghost shock”, Maddie’s eyes widen, “wait, sweetie did, did someone get Phantom to use it?”.

Jack looks excited and bounces in his seat slightly, while Danny nods, “yeah and then a little after seeing him Technus apparently tried to flee. And a bunch of people were commenting that his ecto-blast was way brighter and stronger. Also, this”, Danny shoves his phone into the centre of the table. His parents giving it the single most confused expression he’s ever seen on their faces.

His moms muttering about how ‘ghosts can’t even glow like this’ and how ‘strength increasing isn’t even a possible function’. While his dad stares, thinking face on. Before speaking up, “maybe it’s showing the Ghost Zone”.

Danny blinks, mumbling around the spoon in his mouth, “what?”. Maddie also seems confused, as she raises an eyebrow at her husband.

Jack taps his chin and nods, “think about it. The Ghost Mirroring Key was designed to show a persons base ghost. And what makes up a base ghost is a persons true self, their soul. A reflection of what really makes them, well, them. The Ghost Zone makes ghosts, gives them their ectoplasm. So at their very base they’d be the Ghost Zone?”.

Maddie shakes her head, “ghosts at their base would still have to be separate otherwise they wouldn’t have a form at all. And being in a base state, if that affected strength at all, should have made Phantom weaker”.

“Well, maybe he’s more connected to the Ghost Zone like this?”.

“Being more connected with the Ghost Zone should logically just make him look more ghostly”, gesturing to the phone, “not this”.

“Maybe it just hyper-concentrated his ectoplasm?”.

“Then his skin would be green, not black”.

Danny looks down at his phone and blinks, thinking of how, exactly, he became a halfa. “What if, what if Phantom was created closer to the core or epicentre of the Zone? Had more pure ectoplasm?”.

Maddie scrunches up her eyebrows, “I’m not sure if that’s even possible sweetie”.

Jack slams his fist into his hand, “wait! Phantom’s weird, we know this. This is another example of that. Maybe Danny-boy is on to something here. Maybe Phantom isn’t a ghost in the traditional sense. A dead being that was once living”, Danny’s officially feeling nervous and regrets speaking. Then his dad throws him through a loop, “what if instead, Phantom is a ghost of the Ghost Zone itself. A personification and culmination of the Ghost Zone. It would explain him trying to keep ghosts in the Ghost Zone. That’s where the Ghost Zone would want them to be. Why he finds and rounds up ghosts, the Ghost Zone’s way of keeping an eye on and effectively leading ghosts. Why he can be outside of the Ghost Zone indefinitely, because he is it. Why he always seems to know where ghosts are, the Ghost Zone should be able to sense the location of any ghost. Maybe our sensors and barriers and weapons don’t always work on him because they’re made for regular ghosts, not an embodiment of the Ghost Zone. Why he’s so strong, he has the whole Ghost Zone at his disposal”.

Both Danny and Maddie are gaping at him. Before Maddie nods, “yes that, that would make sense. It would also mean that all laws and norms generally assigned to ghosts might not necessarily apply to Phantom. Which we already know many do not. It would also explain why he’s so human-seeming. The Ghost Zone is the other side to our world. If we were to take that further, that would make Phantom the ghost of humanity itself as well. And that would explain why he’s protective of humans”.

Meanwhile, Danny’s attempting to not have a complete existential crisis. Combining what his folks said with what Danny knew of how he half died. He was literally infused and half offed by the entirety of the Ghost Zone. His parents, they could be right. Excluding the never alive/human bit. Because really? His obsession didn’t make any sense for him to have as his obsession. He’d never been all that protective before? Or a fighter? Oh fuck, was he literally the will of the Ghost Zone? And being the High Ghost King, he literally ruled over all other ghosts. His word was basically law. So was Phantom, was Phantom literally a combination of Danny’s ghost before he became a halfa -because let’s be real, becoming a halfa changed his base ghost - and the Ghost Zone itself? Looking down at himself, if it wasn’t for Phantom, would his base ghost even look anything like he did now? Oh Ancients he needs to stop thinking. Deciding instead to blurt out, “so what you’re saying is, Phantom’s basically ghost god”, which honestly just gives him another crisis. Because what was a god? An immortal being that watched over their world, or in Danny’s case, world’s? Who possessed massive, seldom rivalled, and unheard-of power? Who leads and guided the people of their world(s)? Who could see everything from a wildly different point of view and existed in a state that was nearly unique? Because fuck, that was Danny. He was just lacking the whole omniscient and omnipresent thing....Which ClockWork did have....and he was Danny’s advisor and mentor. Danny...Danny is not sleeping tonight.

Maddie and Jack blink at Danny before exchanging a look and nodding. Maddie speaking into her hands while staring at the screen, “it would seem so. It’s the only thing that makes sense. But I wouldn’t say he’s anything like the way gods are written about in books and I wouldn’t say he truly knows”.

Danny can’t help but think, no fucking shit.

Jack nods again, “it would explain his growing too. If he was really just a teenager when he showed up. The Ghost Zone itself would only have human ageing to go off of, so it moulded its personified self after that”.

Maddie looks at Danny, smiling a bit softly, which he honestly can’t comprehend right now. He’s too busy having one crisis after another, while she talks, “teens often don’t know who they are or what their role in life is. So it only makes sense that he wouldn’t know just what he was. I suspect the other, normal, ghosts don’t know exactly either”, Maddie goes wide-eyed and asks Danny, “wait, you said Technus fled from him right?”.

Danny just nods numbly.

“What if that’s because he could see or sense that Phantom was the Ghost Zone?”.

Now Jack looks worried, “so we may have inadvertently revealed Phantom in a sense? Mads, you don’t think that could be bad?”.

Danny can instantly see both of them worrying now and looking guilty. So Danny decides he should be the only one have a mental freak out tonight, “um actually, none of the ghosts seem to view Phantom as a normal ghost. Skulker literally screams about him being unique. And people have seen Spectra mock him by calling him an unnatural freak. And-”, Danny blinks realising he was literally worshiped, like a god, “-and, I’ve heard there are ghosts who...who worship him. Call him the Great One and Saviour”. Danny’s basically whispering by the end. He’d always just passed off the Far Frozen's people’s words as fanciful compliments and shows of respect. Never giving them much thought other than the fact that it was a bit embarrassing and seemed unnecessary.

Maddie nods, looking a bit more relaxed, “that’s good then, we didn’t mess things up. I hope. But that, that just confirms it. There’s no way he’s a normal ghost at all. He’s something more. The Ghost Zone itself”, while Danny tries to not look like his brain stopped working, Maddie frowns, “but why would ghosts treat him unkindly then? Call him such things?”. Maddie sighs, giving herself the answer, “maybe he wasn’t supposed to exist. Maybe something horrible happened, something went wrong, and he came to exist. That if he didn’t exist something bad would have happened...”.

Jack rubs his temples, “maybe they resent his power or affection for humans and simply take whatever cheap shots they can?”.

Danny blinks, technically they were both right. All ghosts insulted each other. That was just a ghost thing. But his mom, well, the answer was yes. Regardless of him existing or not, Pariah would have happened. The G.I.W. would have tried to blow up the Ghost Zone. OverGrowth would have awakened. Hotep-ra would have been summoned. Nephitius would have tried to remove gravity. Phantom was needed in every situation. And when he was the one who needed to be stopped, and needed to be protected; ClockWork showed up. The world(s) were literally dependent on him, he could either destroy it all or keep protecting it. You know, after the whole ‘King of the entire Ghost Zone and ghost species’ thing, you’d think nothing could really shock him anymore. But Ancients, he was a goddamn god. The embodiment of the Ghost Zone. Personification of the afterlife. Death given form. The very soul of the underworld. But he was also alive, a person, a teenager, and perpetually in over his head. Oh, and tired. Really damn tired. And not just physically.

Danny looks at the kitchen clock before getting up and putting away his plate, “well I’m going to go to bed and pointedly not think about how our local teenage town hero, who sometimes faceplants into buildings or forgets to dodge. Is probably a godly embodiment of an entire realm and it’s will”.

Halfway up the stairs, his mom calls out, “you forgot your phone sweetie”.

Danny mutters, “oh, right”, before grabbing it and heading back upstairs.

Danny flops onto his bed and calls Sam and Tucker.

“What’s up dude? Ghosts?”-T

“What’d your parents say about sorta ghost you? Mine rolled their eyes and complained about it not being girly enough”-S

“Oh shit yeah. Mine complimented me but made me promise not to die. Three times”-T

“Come to think of it, mine didn’t ask me about that at all”-S

“Is that really surprising though? Your parents are the most selfish people ever”-T

Groaning, “tell me about it”-S

There’s a pause for a while.

“Uh dude? You’re being awfully quiet”-T

“Should we be worried?”-S

“Ugh”-D

“Okay that was more ‘I hate my existence’ than ‘my half life’s in danger’”-S

“I’m, like, eighty percent mental crisis right now”-D

“Dare I ask, why?”-T

“Did they say they’ll love and accept you if you ever became a ghost? ‘Cause yeah that is exactly the kind of thing that would give you, of all people, a crisis”-S

Danny blinks up at the ceiling a couple of times, “uh, oh yeah right. That did happen. Forgot about that”-D

“You...the guy who constantly worries about their folks not accepting them, forgot your parents accepted you? Well sorta at least?”-T

“What else happened Danny”-S

“Ugh, just belgerfuncklederck”-D

Tucker wheezes in laughter some, “care to try again dude?”-T

“Uh, in between my folks blatantly stating they expect me to become a ghost and actively wanting me to be powerful. Which just, like, what? I mean yes. Just, like, yes please. I honestly cried. Then there’s them going to call a truce with Phantom, which yay. But then it’s all ‘should I tell them?’, ‘would they feel the same?’, and...and oh Ancients they asked me not to die”-D

Tucker snorts, “little late”-T

“Were they manly tears or did you blubber like an idiot?”-S

There’s another pause in the conversation before Danny barely whispers, “is it really? Am I dead or just, like, the Zone?”-D

“Dude what? You’re supposed to say ‘hey that’s my line’. Your question doesn’t even make sense. And you ignored Sam’s jab”-T

“I thought we were already past the whole “I’M NOT DEAD!!!’ thing?”-S

“I showed my folks the photo. A photo. Image. Thing that captures our likeness to suspend it forever in existence to show off to whom ever’s willing to look at our mugs. Thingys we look at with our eyeballs, whatever the fuck. Of Phantom me all fucked up glow bug-”-D

“Uh, you know I’m not one to question your mental state. But do we need Jazz?”-T

“Tuck, goddamn fuck. Ancients and shit. Just no, fuck. Just fuck no. Ugh. Fuuuuucck. Hebergebber nerugh”-D

“This seems like an overreaction and definitely a call Jazz thing”-S

“Please don’t. I mean, fuck, uh, I’d say I’d hang up if you did but, like, fuck, how do fingers work?”-D

“I mean yours have ectoplasm in them so they probably work a little differently”-T

Danny points aggressively at the phone, though internally grateful for the slight distraction, “you. Shut the fuck up. I, uh...what? Fuck, I forgot what I was going to say. Why was I even calling?”-D

An exaggerated sigh, “Ancients Danny”-S

“Something to do with your parents, mental crisis, and you questioning your deadness. Which yeah, you were over that”-T

Danny blinks up at the ceiling, “Uuuuuuugh. Fuck yeah. That. My brain don’t feel like workin’ no more”-D

“Then stop thinking! You’re really good at that”-S

“Not good enough apparently. Look, like, fuck. So, like... fuck. The picture right. My phone and shit-”-D

Tucker cuts him off, “don’t think you actually mentioned your phone yet, so that’s progress”-T

Danny’s screws up his face and starts laughing; and he just sort of keeps laughing.

“Dude, it’s not that funny”-T

After a while, with Danny still laughing, “Uh... you okay?”-T

“You broke him Tucker”-S

Danny wheezes and flops his hand/phone down onto the bed. “Ancients fuck, holy shit. Good goddamn”, snorting and wheezing some more while his friends muffled concerned voices come through the speaker. Shaking his head, “how the fuck does mash potatoes and peas change the universe”.

Lifting the phone back to his ear, “Alright, I’m back. Not fully dead. Still fuck and, like, never going to look at mash potatoes the same again”-D

“Dude don’t do that. You know we do actually worry about you”-T

“Yeah Danny. Stitch and ditch is another thing we’ve established is bad to do”-S

“Heh. Yeah, well, you’re conversing with the equivalent of a puddle that apparently decided to eat a shift in reality for supper”-D

Sounding unimpressed, “what happened with your phone Danny”-T

“Okay fair enough on the shortness. I did kind of, uh, ghost? you there”-D

“You being awkward about puns is honestly more worrying”-S

Danny takes a deep breath and wheezes, words coming out in a rush and firmly reminding everyone that he doesn’t actually need to breathe, “my parents decided Phantom’s a literal god the embodiment of the Ghost Zone and It’s will. That he was created from the very essence of the Ghost Zone after something horrible happened. That he captures and sends home ghosts because that’s where the Ghost Zone wants them. That he’s protective of humans but earth is the other side of the coin and will become ghosts. That he’s so strong because he has access to the entirety of the Ghost Zone. That he knows where ghosts are because of course the damn Ghost Zone knows where ghosts are. And Ancients holy jerzerbelerbed. It, fuck, it accounts for everything. Except the half alive shit. But like fuck guys, I was zapped by the entirety of the Ghost Zone. Would I even look like Phantom if I had died normally? I mean fuck, you two make it clear all this ghostly crap changes how our ghosts would look. And my obsession? Where the fuck does that even come from? Why am I such a protective son of a corpse? And I don’t know if I’m just really fucking confused, weirded out, or fucking terrified. Because just what the fuck even am I? Like dead yeah sure, fucking dead. Partly. But like fuck am I really? My folks officially don’t even think so. Cause created from the Zone apparently doesn’t count as dead. And I’m literally worshiped and if I wasn’t Phantom and shit, you know how fucked we’d all be? Pariah and OverGrowth and goddamn Nephitius. Fucking Nephitius. No fucking gravity. Hurgerflebergederhurg. And, and the fucking King thing. I literally rule the whole damn place and a guy with fucking omnipresence and omniscience is my fucking advisor. I am a god. I. Am. A. Fucking. God. Like the Zone just got all up in me and decided ‘oh yeah this looks like a great place to push my will and being into!’. And I’m sitting here like what the fuck did my ghost originally look like? Did I even have one? Was I just some shell? Waiting to be filled by the void of death? Oh god that mental image! I did not need that! Oh Ancients. Aregerflagerdertic-“-D

“Danny shut the fuck up”-S

“-The Zone, fuck, it’s like the body of death and shit. So am I like the fucking grim reaper now? And oh fuck right, the, like, first fucking thing they said was ghost of the Ghost Zone. So am I even my own ghost at all? Or did like my ghost and the Zones ghost like fucking fuse. Or did the Zone fucking yeet my ghost back into me thusly making me alive again but then like, fuck, insert it’s ghost where my ghost should have been? Or did it-”-D

“Danny be quite”-S

“-make my ghost extra ghost to the point where it couldn’t possibly be fully ghost. Or maybe made my ghost so extra ghost that it literally became the Zone itself. I am I just, like, super ectoplasm absorbent to the point of just yanking it all into my very being? What the fuck am I? Like, what the fuck is up with half my shit? I highly fucking doubt Vlad half died looking like a vampire twat. But then what the fucks up with Vortex and Nocturne? The fuck are they? What the absolute fuck?!? And I am literally the strongest ghost there is. WHYYYYYY??? I’m only half one! And my core? The fuck is it ice for? Because the Ghost Zone is cold, that’s fucking why. And my obsession, my goddamn obsession! I’m not a protective person! Wait no, UGH! I uh ugh. Yes I am. I really fucking am. But just fuck, ugh. GAH! I DIDN’T USED TO BE SUCH A PROTECTIVE WEIRDASS! WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH ME! WHAT AM I!?! WHAT IS PHANTOM!?! WHO THE FUCK AM I!?! FENTON!?! PHANTOM!?! FENTON!?! PHANTOM!?! ARE THEY THE SAME FUCKING PERSON!?! AM I THE SAME PERSON AS MYSELF!?! AM I ME!?!-”-D

“DANNY!”-S & T

Deciding he really should probably just shut up,“I, um, FUUUUUUCK!”-D

“Dude it’s okay. You just unloaded a lot of shit. But dude, we’ve been over this. You are Phantom. He is you. You are yourself. And that’s fucking awesome. We all know this secret identity shit messes with you sometimes. But that’s not what this is, is it?”-T

Being a little pissy and hating himself for it just a little bit, “no Tuck, no it’s fucking not. I’m not even sure how to put it beyond, just what am I? Like ugh”, taking a deep breath, “halfa yes, obviously. Half human, half...ghost. But is the ghost half actually a ghost? Like my dead half? Or the Ghost Zone itself given form through me and thus changing me as a person in the process. I wasn’t protective guys. I wasn’t fucking protective”-D

“Alright, I’m going to try and unravel your word vomit from earlier. Your folks deciding something about Phantom doesn’t count for shit, they literally have only half the picture. They are constantly wrong about ghosts, Danny. They have made hundreds of incorrect assumptions about them that we know for a fact are wrong. So on this, what they think means nothing. It doesn’t matter. Now the idea of you, more specifically your ghost half, being the manifestation of the Ghost Zone; would make sense if you weren’t a halfa. But I’ll give you that the idea that your ghost form is a combination of both your natural ghost and the Ghost Zone’s essence makes sense-”-S

Danny cuts her off, “that doesn’t exactly make me feel better Sam”-D

“It wasn’t supposed to. Like you said, all this ghost stuff has affected our natural ghosts. Valerie’s probably isn’t the same either. But so what? That’s normal. For life to affect who we are as people. It’s just more extreme for us because it’s ghost stuff that’s happened in our lives”-S

“I think it just bothers you more because you notice it. Because you changed so suddenly. ‘Cause yeah, you never used to be such a protective bastard”-T

“Still not helping”-D

“Dude, we’re your friends and sidekicks. Not your therapist. That’s Jazz’s job”-T

Rubbing his eyes, “ass. But yeah, I know. But I couldn’t just sit on all of that and I definitively can not deal with Jazz’s psychoanalysing”-D

“That is incredibly obvious. And Danny, out of everything, your obsession is the only one that yeah, this is probably the only explanation for. Vlad’s powerful too, sure he’s weaker than you but just how much does he even use his powers? Hardly ever. Sure you could be right, but it’s not a sure thing on that. Your core is a major stretch, they don’t seem to have much of a reason to them ever”-S

“And Danny dude, so what? Even if the Zone fused itself to you and changed who you were, it made you the you you are now. So really, you wouldn’t be you if it didn’t fuse with you. And come on dude, you love who you are now. We ALL do”-T

Snickering, “shit Tucker, have you been going to slam poetry without me?”-S

“I, fuck, you’ve got a point there. But like guys, my protectiveness is, like, at least twenty-five percent of who I am now. And like the other shit? Feeling the need to send ghosts back without interfering with their ability to get back here? And come on, did I ever seem like I’d be the leader type? At all? I guess you’re right, it’s doesn’t really matter. I do love it, but it is quite literally impossible for me to have a remotely normalish life. Like, ever. You guys have that option. And okay point to you too Sam. I was being dramatic”-D

“Thank you for accepting your role as the teams drama queen”-S

“Pfft, you stage riots over what kind of oven brands stores sell”-D

“Ahh there he is. The wise cracking idiot has returned. Glad to have you back”-T

“I’m still fucked up”-D

“You, by your very impossible nature, always are. But that just makes you fit in better with us. We’re all fucked up. And dude, do you seriously think normal society could handle either of us either? And do you seriously think we’d drop this shit for normal lives? Naw man, you’re fucking stuck with us. We’ll be ninety years old, half blind and deaf; and will still be helping your ass. And then we’ll join the Zone and still help your ass. And Danny, you’ve always been the leader of our group. You’ve always fit in with and lead weird. So maybe the Zone just straight up sensed that shit in you. Knew you’d do it right and do right by it”-T

“Why, out of everything, is that comforting. Being deemed worthy by a dimension to get to become Its personification”-D

“If you blame it on your ghost pride, I will come over there and kick you”-S

Feeling the healthy amount of genuine fear that statement requires, “uh... it’s not because of my ghost pride”-D

“Good half ghost Zone god”-S

“I’m not sure if I should be saying too soon”-D

“Dude, you made dead jokes within an hour of half dying. You literally made a ectoplasm absorbent paper towel joke during your mild mental break down. If there is one thing in the entire universe that is definitively you, it’s a dark sense of humour with zero sense of sensitivity”-T

“You are on a fucking roll today Tucker”-S

“Oh shit, I totally did”-D, which just makes Danny start laughing again.

“Laughing in the face of everything is what you do”-S

There’s another pause in the conversation, as Danny mulls things over in his head.

“So just so we’re clear, my ghost half, Phantom, is at least partly the entirety of the Ghost Zone. That my obsession is a direct result of the Ghost Zone part of me wanting to keep all the ghosts inside of it aka the Ghost Zone and the Ghost Zone’s desire to stop mortals from becoming ghost prematurely. Oh, and the Ghost Zone’s desire to not be destroyed or for any of its ghosts to be destroyed. And that, due to all of this, combined with my immortality, absurd power -which is possibly because of being partly the Ghost Zone-, being High Ghost King, and how my ghost forms base ghost looked; that I am Ghost God. And that we’re all just okay with this?”-D

“Yup”-S

“Sounds about right dude”-T

“That’s really fucked up”-D

“You’re an impossible paradox and basically an entire dimension. I think being fucked up would be a requirement”-T  

“Ass”-D

“You feeling less freaked out by your own self now”-S

Sighing, “yeah. Still not keen with the fact that this definitely changed who I am as a person and not just giving me some quirks”-D

“You’re still you dude. Same as you’ve always been. Just more ghostly in an extreme and very saturated way. I think the way Phantom looked kind of proved and currently proves that”-T

Scrunching up his eyebrows, “oh?”-D

“Yeah that makes sense, your ghost self looks like you Danny. If Phantom was just straight up the Zone you’d probably look wildly different. Even all, I can’t believe I’m saying this, Mega evolved, you still looked like Danny”-S

Grumbling, “could have just imprinted off my form”, defeatedly, “but yeah fused with my ghost self makes more sense”-D

“No shit. So there, no more ‘am I me’ crisis”-S

Snorting, “yeah right. Danny never really stops having his crises. They just hide away for a while”-T

“Ouch, but true. I’ll probably flip shit and turn into a mental puddle again the next time I’m being pushingly or overwhelmingly protective. Or the next time I go to the Zone and can’t help but notice how comfortable I feel. And oh fuck, how did I never think that was weird?”-D

“I thought that was just a ghost thing?”-T

“No, fuck. I got eyed-balled funny three of the times I mentioned it around ghosts. Vlad being one of them. Come to think of it, CW’s the only one to not eyeball me funny about it”-D

“Guess that says a lot about all of us that we don’t even notice weird anymore”-S

“Well weirdness sensitivity level check aside, y’all should sleep. And I should stare at my ceilings glow-in-the-dark stars until I self actualise fully”-D

“Does that include accepting and loving yourself as being a dimension and your purpose as Its defender and lord?”-T

“Pretty sure he already accepted that last bit after becoming King”-S

“But now it’s on the god level Sam. That’s different”-T

Motioning his hands around wildly, “it’s different. It’s so fucking different. And fuck you Tuck....ah goddamnit it. Ain’t I fucking, like, lording over and ruling myself then? If I’m the fucking Zone or some shit, the Zone’s soul, and ruling the Zone. Fuck, Tuck you goddamn fuck”-D

Laughter, “dude yes, yes you are”-T

“You’ve actually achieved the highest possible level of individuality and self-sufficiency then”-S

“That's our Danny, taking ‘I am my own king’ to its absolute conclusion”-T

Facepalming, “how is that not supposed to be terrifying? Fuck y’all. I’m hanging up before y’all give yet another existential crisis”-D  

Danny hangs up to laughter and tosses his phone onto the corner of his bed, before turning over and growling into his pillow. Turning back onto his back to stare at his ceiling. Jabbing his thumb into his chest, “me, I am a fucking mess and I’m a fucking entire different realm of reality”. Snorting and barking out a laugh after a while, smirking, “wow the Zone really drew the short stick on Its personal meat suit”.

Staring at the ceiling till his eyes begin to unfocus and burn. Shaking his head with a slight chuckle, “but I guess I have been doing pretty well. And it infused itself into my being so easily that I wasn’t even aware for years”, shaking his head again, “Hell, I still wouldn’t be aware if it weren’t for my parents coming up with the weirdest theories. And I guess, I guess that means it really must be okay. For me not to notice. But still, it changed me into someone I wouldn’t have been. My very being, my soul, my ghost. Irrevocably bound and one with the Realm of the dead”. Raising an eyebrow before wheezing in a way that sounds almost like a laugh, “oh Ancients! I’m only half ghosts but technically I’m more ghost than any other ghost can ever be”. And oh god, ghosts are partly created by the Zone. So technically him. Does that make literally every ghost his child in a way? Ah fuck. And then, if he wants to be really dramatic about it, all living beings have their base ghost right? Technically that couldn’t exist without the Zone creating that as well. So then, every single living and dead thing was sorta the Zone’s child. His child...No wonder he was so fucking protective, goddamn. Everything was a child of his soul or part of his ghost. Or was a child of the thing, Realm, that he was the soul or ghost of. Ancients this was all so fucked up.

Shaking his head and roughly putting an arm over his eyes. Him, Danny, was just one big cluster fuck of escalations. A boy. A hunter. A halfa. A hero. A saviour. A king. A god. A universe. Was there no end to his existences surprises? He really fucking hopes so, because this? This bullshit was getting a little much. But hey, at least he was less ‘this is utterly horrifying’ and more ‘not this shit again’ now.

End.

these are ties that bind (2/8)

you can also find this story on ao3!

fandom: criminal minds

rating: t

(chapter) word count: 2,409

masterlist

summary: emily and hotch must pretend to be in a long-term relationship in order to foster carrie. shenanigans and serious conversations alike ensue.

two.

Hotch and the rest of the team flew back to DC the next day. Emily stayed back, claiming a “family emergency.” It wasn’t totally a lie.

That afternoon, she and Carrie went back to the house. Emily had offered to go alone and gather Carrie’s belongings, but Carrie insisted on seeing the house one last time. When they arrived, Carrie took her shoes off and stowed them in the closet, but Emily kept hers on, uncomfortable. The cracked family portraits were still on display in the living room, and Emily hurried Carrie past the blood-stained room. Carrie’s bedroom was eerily clean, all evidence of destruction tidied away. They worked in silence as they packed up her minimal belongings. 

Occasionally, Emily would ask Carrie if she wanted a particular item, and she would respond. Apart from her clothes, most of the objects that had once belonged to Carrie’s family had become crucial evidence for the prosecution. At one point, out of the corner of her eye, Emily noticed Carrie slip a small stuffed jaguar in her suitcase, covering it immediately with a t-shirt. She didn’t comment.

When they finished with Carrie’s bedroom, Emily asked if there was anything else she wanted.

“Just one thing,” Carrie responded, disappearing into what had been her parents’ bedroom.

Emily stood alone in the living room, wondering how Carrie could possibly be so composed. There was no love lost between Emily and her parents, but even she would never want to return to the site of her almost-murder. It seemed likely Carrie was putting on a brave face, which an uncannily Reid-like voice warned her could be indicative of an unhealthy reaction to grief. Emily made a mental note to schedule an appointment with a therapist who specialized in teens and bereavement.

Carrie emerged from the room, carrying a large book in two hands. It was a scrapbook, Emily realized, probably full of family photos, but Carrie stowed it in her suitcase before Emily could ask any questions. 

They exited the house. Before they entered the car Emily had rented, Carrie turned around and looked at the house.

“It’s the only place I’ve ever lived,” she said, her voice wistful. Emily wasn’t sure what to say. In this respect, she and Carrie diverged. As a child, Emily had been constantly traveling, never staying in any place long enough to put down roots. She settled for a simple acknowledgment. 

“It must be hard to leave.” Carrie nodded, chin wobbling ever so slightly. As they drove away from the house, she kept her face pressed to the window, long after the house was out of sight.

~

That evening, Emily called Hotch. Carrie was in the shower, and Emily was sitting in bed, enjoying the feel of the expensive cotton sheets against her legs. Hotch picked up on the first ring.

“Prentiss?” Emily drew unexpected comfort from his voice. At the house, she had felt out of her depth, self-conscious about acting sufficiently parental at every turn. Hearing Hotch reminded her that she wasn’t completely alone.

“We need somewhere to live.” The realization that her one-bedroom apartment would not be suitable had come only today. It was nice enough, located in a convenient neighborhood, but not large enough for two adults and two kids, even if one of the kids was only there part-time.

Hotch cleared his throat. “Haley got the house. I’m currently living in an apartment, as I imagine you are.”

Emily nodded, before remembering that he couldn’t see her. “Yes, so that rules out both of our current places.” As she spoke, Emily had a sinking feeling about what needed to be done. “Actually, I do know somewhere we could stay.”

Although she was loath to admit it, Emily did technically own a home. Her mother had given her the deed as a birthday present, the least subtle signal yet that she was supposed to settle down. At that point, Emily wasn’t even living in the area, but Elizabeth had insisted that Emily would find herself there one day. 

It was a picturesque house, two stories with a nauseatingly cliche white picket fence. There was a large front yard, if she remembered correctly, and a small garden in the back. It was even somewhat close to FBI headquarters, although she would have to remember to figure out where the nearest school was. In short, it was the perfect house for a husband and wife to raise two children in, a goal Emily would have scoffed at even just a week ago. Although she had resisted all attempts made for her to actually see the house, the keys still hung on a hook in her kitchen, taunting her.

“I own a house near Quantico,” she told him. “It’s big enough for all of us, but you’ll have to get it set up.” The photos of the house indicated that while the kitchen, living room, and dining room were fully furnished, Elizabeth Prentiss at least trusted her daughter to decorate a bedroom. Emily could bring her things for the master bedroom, but Hotch would need to furnish rooms for Jack and Carrie. 

At that, it registered with Emily that she and Hotch had another problem: what were they going to do about money? Pooling their finances would prove awkward when it came to their eventual divorce, but she wasn’t comfortable asking Hotch to pay for things when they both had a steady source of income. Emily filed that under problems to worry about later.

“Did you hear me?” Startled, Emily registered that she hadn’t been paying attention to what Hotch had been saying.

“No, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts,” she apologized.

“I said I could take some time off tomorrow to set it up and asked how I could get into the house.” Although Hotch was normally irritated when his team members failed to pay attention, his voice was calm, and Emily wondered whether Hotch was panicking as much as she was. Although he was already raising a child, this situation had been sprung on him with no notice.

“Oh, the keys are in my apartment. JJ has a spare key.” Emily had given them to her after a particularly bad case, a tacit agreement that JJ could check up on her at any time. “Tell her I’m lending you a book. Or I can call her if you’d like.”

“I’m sure I can manage. I did, however, have to shoot down speculation about what you were doing in Chicago,” Hotch warned, although he still didn’t sound particularly worried. “Morgan was guessing it was a poorly disguised affair before Reid reminded him that it couldn’t technically be an affair because you aren’t married.”

Emily smiled. She could always count on Morgan and Reid to bring levity to any situation. The sound of running water in the bathroom ceased, and Emily bid Hotch goodnight as Carrie exited the bathroom.

“Who was that on the phone?” Carrie asked later, when they were both in bed. Emily looked up from her book.

“That was… my partner.” One thing she and Hotch had agreed on: they couldn’t lie to Carrie. Neither one of them wanted her to make a decision to stay with them based on false information. And yet Emily couldn’t find it in herself to tell the truth. It sounded almost pathetic out loud; my life is so lonely that to foster a child I pretended to be in a relationship with my recently divorced boss. At least “partner” gave her plausible deniability towards what kind of relationship they had.

She half-expected Carrie to push for more information, but Carrie simply turned off her light, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Emily folded down the corner of her book to mark her place, turned off the other light, and joined Carrie in restless slumber.

~

On the plane ride to DC, Carrie took a nap on Emily’s shoulder. As Carrie slept, Emily reflected on the funeral the day before. She had expected a quiet affair, given that Carrie seemingly had little family, but friends and neighbors alike had turned out en masse to offer their condolences. The coffins of Carrie’s parents had been closed, makeup unable to hide their extensive wounds, but Danny’s child-sized one had been open.

Carrie had held Emily’s hand as they looked at him, his expression peaceful. Although Emily had seen many dead bodies, she found herself fighting the urge to cry, promising herself that she would stay strong for Carrie.

During the service, Emily sat quietly in the back. She hadn’t been in a church for many years, and as Carrie stepped up to the lectern to speak about her family, Emily couldn’t help feeling that she had come full circle. When she told the church she did not desire a child, they cast her out, and here she was, more than fifteen years later, bringing a child into her life. If she had been less cynical, Emily might have even termed it a rebirth, but as it was she simply slipped out of the service early to weep quietly on the steps of the church.

~

It was evening when they finally landed in DC, and though her stomach grumbled, Emily resisted the urge to pick up burgers at the airport. She was nowhere near as bad as Spencer when it came to eating habits, but she still knew she’d have to eat healthier with Carrie around.

Emily hailed them a taxi, having left her car at the FBI building with the assumption that she would return with the rest of the team. She gave the address to the driver and pulled out her phone to inform Hotch that they were on their way. He had called her quickly yesterday to inform her that he had set up the bedrooms and was in the process of moving items from his apartment to the house, but she wasn’t sure where he was currently staying.

“Your partner?” asked Carrie as she finished her call. From her tone, Emily thought the girl might be teasing her, but she couldn’t quite tell. She decided to opt for sincerity with her response.

“Yes. He and his son will be at the house when we get there.” On the call, Hotch had informed her that Jack would be staying the weekend. Carrie looked interested at the mention of another child.

“How old is his son?” Emily wasn’t actually sure, although she thought Jack had had a birthday recently. She and Hotch really should have learned information about each other, à la Parent Trap.

“Two?” she guessed. She hadn’t been on the team when Jack was born, but she knew it was only months before Hotch and Haley split up.

For the rest of the ride, they talked about starting a new school and the classes Carrie had previously taken. She was a smart girl, and Emily hoped that she would be able to remain motivated despite the circumstances. 

As they pulled up to the house, Emily hid a grimace. This was suburbia all right. Their house looked exactly like every other house on the street, the only difference being that Emily’s landscaping was not as well-tended, her grass not perfectly clipped. After paying the driver, Emily helped Carrie take their suitcases out of the trunk and carry them into the house. 

When she opened the door, Emily was immediately struck by how homey the house already felt. The lighting was softer than the overexposed promotional pictures had shown and Hotch and Jack had both left their shoes and jackets in the entryway. Most enticingly, though, Emily could smell food.

As Emily and Carrie stepped over the threshold, Hotch rounded the corner, having clearly heard the door open. He was wearing an apron in a charmingly domestic gesture that indicated he was the likely source of the delicious aroma. When he saw Carrie, he smiled, wiped his hands on the apron and extended a hand.

“Aaron Hotchner. It’s good to see you again.” The introduction was slightly stilted, but Emily knew Hotch communicated his feelings better with actions than words. From making sure Reid had enough coffee on cases, to asking JJ about Henry when they were on a tough case, to, well, agreeing to do this with her, Hotch’s caring side was on display much more than people often thought.

Carrie thanked Hotch for his generosity, which he assured her was no object at all. “Emily has told me great things about you.” He then turned his gaze to Emily, who was still standing in the doorway.

This was the point in the heterosexual fantasy where an actual wife would kiss her husband, but there was no way in hell Emily was doing that. Instead, she settled for pulling Hotch into a genuine hug. Although she expected no less from him, seeing Hotch act so kindly towards Carrie had warmed her heart. He seemed momentarily surprised at her actions but relaxed quickly. 

She released him from the hug just as Jack ran into the room, nearly colliding with Hotch. “Where you go?” Jack asked, then turned to look at Emily and Carrie.

“I’m right here, Jack,” said Hotch, reaching down to ruffle Jack’s hair. “Do you want to say hello to these people?”

Jack hid shyly behind Hotch but waved nonetheless, his little hand popping out from behind Hotch’s legs. Beside her, Carrie beamed in response and Emily realized that this was the first time she’d really seen Carrie’s smile, not counting her obligatory one as she greeted guests at the funeral.

Emily watched as Carrie knelt down to Jack’s level. “I’m Carrie,” she said, as Jack emerged from behind Hotch. “You’re Jack, right? How old are you?” He held up two fingers. 

“That’s cool. I’m a little older than you but I bet we’ll get along great.” Emily had noticed that after giving her report of what had happened, Carrie had barely mentioned Danny to anyone. She wondered what the siblings’ relationship had been like. Another note for the therapist, she supposed.

“Come see toys?” Jack asked. Carrie turned around to look at Emily, silently asking permission to leave the room, which Emily granted with a wave of her hand. As the two disappeared around the corner, Jack’s laugh carrying down the hallway, Emily caught Hotch’s eye. He was smiling too, and Emily suspected he was thinking the same thing she was.

This might just work.

Mistakes | Chin Ho Kelly One Shot

requested by: anon a/n: this is two requests merged into one. we hope you like it! warnings: VIOLENCE, alcohol, kidnapping, attempted stockholm syndrome, blood, starvation words: 2,109 el’s note; Please, do not read this piece if you are triggered by any of the above warnings, this piece does become semi-graphic and I don’t want anyone to be affected by it by reading it without caution! If not, please enjoy!

You had been looking forward to spending the night with your good friend Chin. Well, he was your friend that you wanted more than anything to be more.

You were one of the few people to stand by him when he was accused of stealing the drugs from the HPD evidence locker. You had stood by him when Malia had left him. You had been his biggest supporter when he joined the 5-0. You had always stood by him, it was the least you could do, but you sometimes wished you could have helped him get his old job back. But you were only a history professor, one of the best in the country, but still only a professor.

Wiping the sweat from your forehead, you placed the baking tray on the cooling rack.You had cooked all yours and Chin’s favourite foods and snacks, having planned a marathon of Police Academy. But you looked at the clock on your wall, noticing that he was late, it was odd, he was always big on being on time. You checked your phone to see if he had messaged you that he was going to be late. Nothing. Biting your lip you decided to wait before calling him. 30 minutes passed and still he hadn’t come. Grabbing your phone, you pressed his contact and the phone began to ring.

“Hello.” His voice sounded happy, music was on in the distance, what the song was you couldn’t tell due to the chatter in the background.

“I was calling to see why you were running late.”

“Late for?”

“The marathon, Chin.”

“Oh, I must have forgotten to text you. I’m out with Malia.”

“…Chin, I slaved away in the kitchen just to make sure that we could have fun tonight.”

“I appreciate that, I do. But Malia and I bumped into each other and got to talking. So we—“

“And you thought you’d just drop me?”

“Well, it’s not that important.”

“Not important? Well according to you standards then, it’s not important that she thought you stole those drugs and left you!” Recoiling as you shouted it at your phone. 

“You’re really bringing that up! You want to bring up exes, I can do that too. What did happen to that Graham guy? Oh yeah, he left you because the only thing you love more than yourself is the past! So why don’t you focus on yours and not mine? Cause unlike you, I actually want to hang out with Maria right now.” Your hands shook as you lowered the phone from your ear, tears running down your face. Graham had been your longterm boyfriend of 2 years, but had cheated and left you for a model. Chin knew how much that had hurt you, he had been the one to find you in the bath cradling a bottle of whisky.

The sadness was soon replaced by rage, so much that you threw one of your wine glasses across the room, the shattering feeling slightly cathartic. You then threw the other one, finding delight in your blinding rage. Ignoring the mess, you opened the bottle of wine drinking it without a glass. Stumbling over to couch, you switched the tv on, pressing play on the first movie of the marathon, unaware of the figure approaching from behind.

“You alright cousin?” Kono’s worried tone made Chin look up from his desk.

“What?”

“You look really down. The marathon go alright?” Regret washed over him, he knew he shouldn’t have mentioned Graham, but you also shouldn’t have brought up the incident.  So in his mind, the comments made by the both of you cancelled each other out.

“I didn’t up going.”

“What, why?” She asked, coming into his office fully.

“Well Malia and I—“ Kono scoffed, looking away from him. “What?”

“You ditched them for Malia? After everything she did to you?”

“I had every intention of calling to explain. But then she called and brought up the incident.”

“Because they’ve stood by you through everything and you still put them second.”

“I don’t put th—“

“You do! They’ve dropped everything in the past to make sure your alright, but you still choose the woman who left you for something you didn’t do.”

“I haven’t chosen Malia over—“

“Guys, we got a case. Danny’s already on the scene.” Steve informed them before rushing out to his car. He and Kono nodded in response, Kono turning back to give him one last glare, he knew she’d be bringing this up again.

Chin had decided to drive with Steve, his mind mulling over his entire relationship with you, going over all the times you had cancelled dates, meetings, parties just to be with him when he needed it. It was so much in his mind that he didn’t realise they had pulled up to your house. Dread filled his gut, his eyes met with Kono’s, her face morphed in terror. The pair proceeded to storm inside.

The house was a wreck, the couch turned over, shattered glass and spilt wine all over the floor. Worst of all was the copious amount of blood throughout the living room and kitchen. Chin’s heart dropped when he saw what was left of the food you had prepared last night. He saw Danny talking to a CSI, writing things down hurriedly. He looked around further, hoping he wouldn’t stumble across a body bag.

“Looks like a struggle took place after a forced entry. The blood splatter on the wall and remnants on one of the knives indicates that the victim fought back, possibly injuring the attacker before they were taken.”

“So our guy might be walking around with a noticeable gash in neck?

“Yes.”

“Thanks, keep us posted with any new finds.” Danny turned away from the CSI, finishing his notes, Chin walked up filled with anxiety.

“Where are they?” 

“You know the vic?” 

“Yeah, we were—are best friends. We were supposed to be watching a marathon last night. I was supposed to be here last night.” He trailed off, realisation dawning on him that he could have prevented this. Danny lead him outside, proceeding to ask him questions about you, your career, dating history and if you had any possible enemies. He did the same with Kono, who answered the same as him, her hand gripping on tightly to his own.

Steve made the executive decision to keep them both off the case, they could assist with information and from headquarters, but were not to engage with suspects or take the investigation into their own hands. Chin was there when Steve and Danny informed your parents, your mother crying into your father’s arms as it was explained to them that the phone lines were being tapped so that if any ransom calls came through they could be traced.

Chin felt like he was in limbo for the next two weeks, there had been no word from any kidnappers or from you. He had even heard Steve and Danny quietly discussing if they should start treating the case like a murder. It made his stomach churn, but he couldn’t let that stop him.

He was re-watching the security tape of your house from across the street, when he saw a familiar face in the bushes next to your house. It was Graham, he was dressed all in black, slinking quietly to your front door to force open the front door.

He had to tell Steve and Danny.

For the past two weeks you had been locked in the basement of Graham’s house, he had revealed to you that he planned to keep you there for the rest of your life. Apparently his supermodel girlfriend had left him, so his first thought was to kidnap you. He had given you a good beating for attacking him with the wine bottle you’d been cradling. From his actions during those two weeks, you guessed he wanted you to ‘fall in love’ with him again and to be his housewife. And for the past two weeks you had tried to convince him to let you go, you had gotten close several times. 

He was now pacing in front of you, he was paranoid that someone was going to find you, that you didn’t love him like he loved you. That tangent you had to restrain yourself from rolling your eyes. His hair was unkept, dark circles under his eyes, he looked more deranged than before. From your mattress in the corner you could hear him muttering to himself.

“Graham, maybe if you let me go…you wouldn’t have to worry about being found. I promise I won’t tell, I wouldn’t do that to you.” You promised while crawling as close to him as possible before the chains on your ankles and wrists tightened.

“No, no, no, you just want to leave me. You can’t do that, you’re mine.”

“What if…what if after you let me go…what if we started dating again, properly?” He perked up at the suggestion. Bile rose in your throat, but you’d say…do anything to get away from him. “Yeah, maybe we could even get married. You want that, don’t you? Big wedding with the rings, priest and veil.”

“You’d be mine forever.”

“Yes, just you and me against the world.” His smile made your stomach twist, he walked over to you, just as he started to lean down as loud crashing came from above. Multiple voices could be heard shouting. Your instincts kicked in pushing Graham over and screamed for help.

Graham shouted and punched on top of you, easily overpowering your starved body. His hands clasped tightly around your neck, cutting off your airways. You pried at his hands, trying to get him off you. Your eyes looked into his, but it was if he wasn’t there. Just as your vision began to fade, the door to the basement was ripped open. He squeezed tighter before he was suddenly ripped off you. His frame replaced by Chin, his eyes full of horror and worry.

“Ch-Ch-…” 

“Don’t, don’t talk. I got you, I got you, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

It was a month later, you had almost completely healed physically from the ordeal, the only visual remnants of the time was the bruising on your neck. But as your therapist made it clear to you, there was still a long time to go before you were mentally healed. He was working with you to heal and handle your PTSD.

It was after one of these sessions that Chin had come over to your new place, you having moved, not able to live in the last one after Graham. The pair of you chatted for a while, at one point Danny, Steve and Kono came over to check-in with you. You had grown fond of the two men, thanking the profusely for saving you, which they always replied that it was Chin who figured out it was Graham.

“So, how’s Malia?” You asked after the silence between the two of you had lasted for several minutes.

“I don’t know, I haven’t spoke to her in the past couple of weeks.” He admitted, but what you found strange was that he didn’t look sad about it.

“Oh, I just thought you and her were trying again…” You muttered, to which he shrugged.

“I guess I realised she wasn’t the one I want to be with.” His eyes meeting with yours, the look in them making it obvious to you what he meant. You immediately blushed, you had been wanting this for so long, but one major issue was in your way.

“I really want that to, but after everything with Graham, I don’t think I can…” You played with your fingers, the nerves eating away at you. His hands, stilled yours, bringing them to his lips and kissing them gently.

“I know, I’m not saying to jump into anything straight away. I just want you to know, that I’m done making the same mistakes of not realising that everything I was looking for in Malia was already in you. And that I’ll wait for you to be ready.” His profession made your heart swell and brought tears to your eyes. Which he gently wiped away with his thumb, his face was so close to yours you that you couldn’t breathe. He leant forward to kiss you gently before pulling away. “Though I’d like to do that quite a lot if you’d allow it.”

“I’ll allow it.” You breathed out, leaning in for another, ignoring his soft laughter.

written by: el

My Review of Angels of Death

Bound To Be Together - Ch. 20

McDanno, M, A03 A continuous story of Season 9 codas exploring the bond between Steve and Danny as they grow even closer.

Chapter 20 (9x20)

Danny wakes up slowly, his body reluctant to get up and face the day.  As has become his habit, he carefully tests his muscles to figure out if there’s anything that’s going to give him a problem when he tries to get out of bed – it’s a hazard when you spend so many days chasing after bad guys.

But the case of the community .38 was more a mental challenge than a physical one, and except for a familiar twinge in his knee, he doesn’t discover anything out of the ordinary.

The bed shifts and Steve flops over, spooning up against Danny’s back and slinging a heavy arm over his side.  He had come over late last night after his trip to California with Duke, making himself at home in Danny’s bed as if he belonged there – which, as far as Danny is concerned, he does.

Steve presses his palm flat against Danny’s bare chest, and snuffles adorably against the back of his neck.

“Good morning to you, too,” Danny mumbles, wiggling a little to get comfortable in Steve’s embrace. He drifts back into sleep, enjoying the feeling of having Steve all around him, sleep warm and relaxed.

Some time later Danny wakes to the smell of coffee.  He gets up reluctantly, pulling on a pair of shorts, and meets Steve in the kitchen. Disappointingly, Steve is fully dressed, and he gives Danny a wide eyed look of apology.

“I promised Junior I’d go to the range with him this morning, and then I’ve got a meeting at the base.”

“It’s okay,” Danny says. He coaches Charlie’s Little League team today anyway, and he’s got about a thousand errands to run after that.

“You’re free tonight, right?”

As if he’d have any plans on Saturday night other than hanging out with Steve.  “I can probably clear my calendar.”

“Good.  I’ll pick you up at six.”  Steve grins confidently at Danny, and gives him a slap on the ass as he brushes past on his way out the door.  Cocky bastard.

Danny’s at the grocery store later that afternoon when Steve texts him.

<i>It’ll be more like six-thirty.</i>

<i>Okay, that’s fine.</i>  It’ll give him time to get ready, Danny thinks.  He’s still in the t-shirt he wore to Charlie’s game, which may or may not have shave ice dripped on it from taking him out to eat afterwards.  <i>Where are we going?</i>

<i>That’s need to know.</i>

Danny shakes his head. <i>I do need to know, so I can dress appropriately.</i>

<i>No ties. Casual.</i>

Danny has learned from experience that the two of them have very different definitions of the word “casual.”  <i>Business casual or beach bum casual?</i>

His phone rings, and Danny picks up.  “What? It’s a reasonable question.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, Danny, just be ready at six-thirty.”

He loves Steve’s mildly exasperated tone.  “Steve, come on, I can’t afford to ruin another pair of dress shoes, not on the salary you pay me.”

Steve huffs at him. “I don’t set your salary, Danny, we’ve been over this.  Just wear whatever you’ve got on right now.”

“A stained t-shirt and sneakers?”

“Yes, perfect.”

“You’re an animal, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.”

By the time Steve picks him up, Danny has showered and changed into a clean black t-shirt, but he sticks with shorts and sneakers.  He suspects Steve is going to take him to one of his secret favorite places – he still manages to present Danny with new ones, despite how long they’ve known each other – and those tend to fall squarely in the beach casual zone, although often with hiking thrown in too.

His suspicions are confirmed when they drive up to the north shore, although he loses track of exactly where they’re going as Steve fills him in on his trip the day before with Duke.

“It was a little scary, seeing Duke standing over the guy, ready to fire another shot.  I guess he had a lot of pent-up anger over what happened to his partner all those years ago.  Said he hadn’t really talked to anyone about it.”

“Gee, maybe talking about stuff isn’t such a bad idea?”

Steve glares at Danny. “That’s what I’m doing, isn’t it?”

“So how do you feel about yesterday’s adventure?”

“It wasn’t so much what happened yesterday, as…”  Steve keeps his eyes firmly on the road as he speaks.  “Made me remember that night with my dad, when I was a kid, and he went out.”

Danny feels a lump in his throat.  He puts a hand on Steve’s leg.  “It’s okay to miss him.”

Steve glances over to Danny. “I know.  It’s… it’s more than that, though.  I guess it kinda made me feel close to him?  To finish off the case, and find that guy?”

“That makes sense. He’d be proud of you.”

Steve shrugs this off. “That’s not what I mean.”

Danny senses there is something he’s missing, which isn’t all that unusual when it comes to Steve and feelings.  He thinks back over what Steve told him about the night his dad responded to Duke’s call, and takes a chance.

“Maybe you understand why he had to go out that night, and, um, other times too?”

Steve nods almost imperceptibly.  He’s suddenly holding himself very still.

“Why he had to do a lot of things, to protect people,” Danny goes on.  “Even things that maybe didn’t go so well for you?”  Like sending Steve and his sister away from their home. Like putting an ocean of distance between a teenager and the only parent he had left.

They pull over to the side of the road, and Steve brakes just a tad too hard.  “I should have understood before.  I should have forgiven him.  He was trying to do the right thing.  He sacrificed, too.”

Danny gives Steve’s leg a squeeze.  “Kids aren’t often very good at that sort of stuff.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s not a dad’s job to need forgiveness.”

Steve seems to think about this for a minute, and then lets a long breath out on a sigh.  “Well, water under the bridge.”  He turns to Danny.  “Let’s go.”

Steve hefts a backpack onto his shoulder, and leads the way down a narrow path that eventually takes them to a deserted section of beach.  Steve continues on for a few more minutes, apparently searching for just the right spot, and finally stops under the shade of a cluster of palm trees and sets down his bag.

“This is beautiful,” Danny says, although it hardly needs to be said.  There’s a gentle curve to the shoreline, with waves breaking over the large rocks off to one side.  

Steve nods, letting a smile finally spread across his face.  “I thought you’d like it.”

Danny sits down on the plaid blanket Steve has spread over the sand, and examines the meal Steve has laid out.  Kalua pork, still warm and steaming when Steve pulls it out of an insulated container. Huli-huli chicken.  A dish of sweet potatoes – probably in place of poi, which neither Steve nor Danny like very much.  Two purple taro rolls wrapped in a colorful cloth, and a box of what Danny guesses are coco puffs.

When he meets Steve’s gaze, the serious look on his face surprises him.

“This should have been your welcome to the island, Danny,” Steve says.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you got here, but you never should have been alone, scrounging for food at a convenience store.  Chasing a perp without your service weapon.  No wonder you didn’t like it here.”

Steve turns and digs around in his now almost empty backpack, and then turns back to Danny, a purple and white lei in his hands.  He kneels in front of Danny and places the flowers carefully over his head.

“Aloha, Danny. Welcome to Oahu.”

Danny feels tears gather in his eyes.  He touches the orchids and inhales their fresh scent.  “Thank you.”  His throat is tight, and he begs himself not to actually cry, although he realizes he’s fighting a losing battle as one tear slips down his cheek.

“Hey, don’t…” Steve wipes Danny’s face with his thumb.

“No, it’s okay, I’m just…” Danny can’t really finish his thought, but Steve seems to get it, and smiles softly at him.

“Okay.”  Steve leans in, one hand still cupping Danny’s cheek, and kisses him.  Danny opens his mouth, letting Steve in, even as his breath still hitches with emotion. Steve pulls him against his chest, and Danny immediately protests.

“Careful, don’t squash it.”

Steve grins.  “All right, fine.  We need to eat now anyway, before this gets cold.”

Danny agrees easily, glad for the chance to calm down.  But in between bites he can’t help touching the flowers on the lei, feeling the smoothness of the petals.  Steve sees him doing it, and from the expression on his face, he’s almost as affected as Danny is.

Later, when they’re lying together on the blanket, listening to the waves crash against the sand, Danny finally finds his words.  “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”