#Danny is so used to tinkering at home that he doesn’t stop when he leaves Amity

[leafyeyes417]

Prompt: Danny goes to Gotham U for college. Whether or not it’s for engineering he has a tinkering habit when not busy with homework. He is also quite broke and doesn’t want to start dismantling the coffee machine in boredom. Slightly sleep deprived he goes around Gotham and unknowingly dismantles many of Joker’s traps. Including the ones that are supposed to go off if his heartbeat stops.

[raineydays411]

Ember

Tony Stark X Daughter!Reader 

Warning: Child neglect, swearing, angst, death 

Summary: After being kidnapped by Hydra, Y/N does some reflecting on her home life. Especially her relationship with her father

italics = past pov

Bold= thoughts

Italic bold= ghosts 

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You never thought your life would end like this. Alone, trapped in a Hydra cell, full of anger and resentment for the one man who was never supposed to break your heart. Of course, up until now you had been pretty optimistic your father would realize the error of his ways and miraculously spend years making up for years of missed recitals, ignored achievements, and multiple other offenses. You always forgave him because, hey the man was a member of the Avengers, what should you expect having Tony Stark as a father? 

But right now, as you lay on the cold, damp floor, writhing in pain from whatever glowey nuclear shit those assholes injected you with, you can’t help but remember the mistreatment and neglect bestowed upon you by your father. 

It was, it was September Winds blow, dead leaves fall

You’ll always remember that September day. The day your entire life had changed 

You were only eight when Loki tried to take over New York. You and your mom were coming home from the store when all of a sudden, people around you started to panic. Looking up, you saw a large portal in a once clear blue sky. Creatures appeared out of no where, destroying anything in their way. Your mother, terrified, took you by the hand and headed for a near by building. But, it seemed that others had that idea as well. Before you knew it, your vision was overwhelmed by the bodies of citizens trying to escape the chaos outside. After a few seconds, you found yourself in a crowed parking garage and no idea where your mother was.

You never saw her again after that.

After three days of searching, the police declared her dead and you were sent to live with your godmother, Pamela Isely. 

She was good to you. She held you through nightmares, told you stories about how your mother and her met, and even taught you how to take care of plants. The only complaint you had was that she would usually leave you alone every once in a while and come back with a lot of money, and occasionally, a loud blonde woman in a clown costume would come through the window and pinch your cheeks too hard. Other than that, you got adjusted to your new life quickly.

Four months passed and your life changed again. It was a cold September day, and you had just got home from school. As you walked into the apartment, you immediately felt a tension in the air, and you saw a man at the table with your Aunty Pam, who looked extremely uneasy and pale. They stared at you until your Aunt spoke.

“Y/N...you’re going back to New York.”

Those words alone made the floor fall from underneath you. You had just settled down. You finally felt comfortable without your mother in the world and now this?? Then the man cleared his throat, causing you to snap back into reality. 

“Y/n, my name is Tony Stark”

 You knew that name, he was the man in the metal suit who helped save New York. You didn’t care at the moment though, you just wanted to know why you were leaving your aunt.

Ignoring Tony, you looked at your aunt and whispered,

 “ Did...did I do something wrong?” 

Immediately, Pams eyes filled with tears as she quickly gathered you in her arms and responded with a loud, 

“Oh no, darling of course not”, She then proceeded to tell you the uncomfortable looking man at the table was in fact your father, who up till now you had never met. In fact, you never even fathomed the idea of having a father as your mom had always told you that you were a gift from some fairies she helped. You turned to the man who quietly sat at the table and looked over the man who was said to be your father.

He was definitely a handsome man. He wore a fancy looking suit and some tinted glasses even though he was inside. His hair was dark brown and messy, as if he was tugging or running his fingers through it. His skin looked to be am olive color but it was hard to tell as he looked kind of pale in the light of the small apartment you called home. You thought it was odd he hadn’t said anything other than introducing himself. 

“ Is it true? Are you really my dad?” You asked in a quiet voice.

He finally spoke, “Yeah kid, I’m your dad”

To you, I did surrender

Two weeks, you didn’t call

It’s been two weeks since you were taken by Hydra. Two weeks since you were injected with that mystery substance. You didn’t die, at least you don’t think you did. But you didn’t exactly feel alive either. You were colder than usual, like your body temperature lowered. You slept longer than normal especially the first three days after you were injected. The guards had to wake you up just to get you to eat. But the most worrying symptom of all is that your eyes were the same shade of neon blue as the liquid that was injected into your body. And everytime your eyes turned blue, something weird would happen. 

For example, the first time you noticed your eyes were blue, you woke up from the first long sleep.The second time, you thought you heard voices, screaming in agony and despair.This was odd because you were the only one in that cell block. As you came back to reality, you realized that you could see other ghostly figures in the once empty cells, and that you were floating three feet above your bed. 

Within the two weeks you were in that cell, you learned that that day you were injected, your heart did stop for an hour until you miraculously sprung back to life with a loud gasp, scaring the absolute shit out of the Hydra guards that were tasked with disposing your body. That would go through physical changes as well. Your once brown skin would change to a pale ghostly blue. And your black kinky hair would change to a shocking neon blue to match the color of your eyes.

For two weeks, you learned the ins and outs of your newfound powers. Two weeks of being pushed to your absolute limits by power hungry scientists. Two weeks of learning the names of the dead around you in those cells. 

It took two weeks, to realize that your father truly didn’t care about you.

And looking back on it, you should’ve known

Your life, goes on without me  My life, a losing game

It had been a year since you had moved into the Avengers Tower with your father. It had taken you a while to warm up to the team and for the team to get used to having a child around. But once you all got to know each other, it was like having multiple aunts and uncles. Especially because you were around them more than your own father. 

Unfortunately, once you had settled in and gotten to know everyone, Tony had locked himself away in his lab. Tinkering on a new project for weeks on end, ignoring his responsibilities as a new father.

Now, this didn’t really affect you till you started school. Tony had forgotten to pick you up multiple times, causing you to wait for hours on end till either Steve or Pepper realized that you hadn’t come home and rushed to the school , only to see you waiting on the front steps talking the ear off of the unlucky teacher who had to stay behind to wait with you.

Of course word got around that Y/N Stark was being forgotten at school everyday, thus prompting the kids at school to taunt you everyday after school.

“Where's your daddy Y/N??”

“I bet he leaves you here so you can get kidnapped so he doesn’t have to look at you”

“Your own dad doesn’t even love you”

Once you got to middle school, you joined as many after school clubs to hide the fact that there was no one to pick you up. And a small part hoped that it would be enough to gain your fathers attention. But it didn’t happen.

“Daddy! I made the volleyball team!”

“hmm, oh that's great kid, can you pass me that wrench”

“Dad! I’m in the robotics club”

“Y/N I’m really busy right now”

“ Hey dad...can you help me with--”

“Not now, go ask Pepper”

No matter what you did, you could never get his attention long enough. Nothing you did was good enough. You never got so much as a “welcome home” or a “ have a good day at school kiddo”. And you were fine with that. You were, because you knew that even though he didn’t show it, Tony Stark really did love you.

But you should, you should not doubt me You will remember my name.

After learning the extent of your powers, which included; flying,the ability to talk and see the dead, energy blasts, floating through walls, and the ability to shut off your powers at will. You decided it was time for you to make plans to escape. 

You’d like to think that you were really good at pretending. 

You did it on a daily basis, really. You pretended to be happy, not to notice Tony’s neglect, like you didn’t see the pity glances the rest of the team gave you. So convincing your captors that they finally broke you down wasn’t really a challenge. 

“....fine..i’ll help you” You said in a tired weak voice.

The two guards were startled at first, not expecting you to speak so suddenly

“You..what?” The younger of the two asked in a suspicious tone.

“I said I want to help you” you repeated a little louder. 

The first guard looked to the second, obviously confused at your sudden change of heart. They had a silent conversation with their eyes, as if debating on whether this was a trick or not. Finally, the older of the two turned to you and said,

“This better not be a trick, Stark.”

And with that, he started to unlock the door to your cell. 

“Okay, now I can either fight them now  and make a break for it, or I can wait till i get to the--” 

Your thoughts were cut off by a loud wailing, piecing your ears and automatically giving you a headache. Wincing in pain you look around the empty cell blocks and try to locate the spirit that’s making all that noise. When you see it, your heart breaks. It’s a young boy, around your age. The first thing you notice about him is that he had white hair, kinda Danny Phantom. As you continued to stare at the boy, his head suddenly turned and you both made eye contact, the movement startling you enough to make you jerk in the hold of the guards

“ HEY, eyes forward!” shouted the older guard. “There's no way out, if that's what you're looking for’ He said in a smug tone.

“I said I wanted to join you, why would I want to escape?” You reply, irritation dripping from your words.

“Just don’t pull any tricks kid.”

God does he have any other lines, you think to yourself mentally rolling your eyes. Sounds familiar.

Oh Ember, you will remember

Oh Ember, one thing remains

“Y/N I’m busy, go as--” “I know, go ask Pepper”

“Oh kid, I’m sorry I forgot” “ yeah, I know”

“You’re on the volleyball team” “ yes dad. For four years now”

“Y/N! I’m gonna be in the lab with Peter so try not to bother us.”

“Y/N me and Peter--”

“Good job, Peter”

“Hey Peter--”

God were you tired of that name. You never ever felt the feeling of envy and anger as much as you did when Peter came into your life. 

In fact, you were still healing from almost losing your family you found in the Avengers. Your dad didn’t want you around the “traitors” as he privately called them, so you were secluded. Watching them from afar and yearning for the comfort of hearing Steves pre-war stories, helping Clint pull off the most ridiculous pranks, helping Wanda teach Vision how to cook, and most of all you missed talking to Natasha. She reminded you of your aunt Pam, mainly because they both had red hair. You hoped that your father would understand this loss and step up now that you really needed a connection, but no. He decided that Peter Parker deserved all his attention. So you stopped trying as hard.

Oh Ember, So warm and tender You will remember my name

You walk into a room with a singular table and no windows. Sat at the table was a bald man writing in a notebook. The two guards lead you to the table and make you sit opposite of the bald man. He looks up at you and smiles.

“So, Ms. Stark has finally decided to comply?” He asks in a smug tone. You roll your eyes and answer back in a sarcastic tone,

“Yeah yeah, just cut the crap and tell me what you want me to do.”

The bald man just smiles and looks at you, as if trying to read your mind to figure out your motives. 

“Well”, he says, leaning back into his chair. “Lets get down to business.” He then proceeds to talk about the process of join his team and what you will be doing. But you don’t hear a word of it. Because you were going to escape this hell hole one way or another. 

“Well then, lets get you changed.” said the bald man. “Yeager, Jennings, take our guest to to her new room. 

“Huh so they do have names.” You think, as they pull you out of the chair and into the hallway. Walking back into the cell block, you make eye contact with that white haired boy again. He’s quiet as he watches you walk back to your room, then he disappears. 

You finally get back to your cell and notice a pair of black spandex, black halter top, grey boots and some black gloves on the floor. Changing into them, you take your hair into a pineapple with a hair tie they had given you. Looking into the piece of metal you used as a mirror, you changed into your ghost form. Suddenly, you hear a male voice behind you.

“Don’t let them know you can do that.” 

You startle and turn around, only to see none other than the white haired boy. He looked equally as startled as he realized you can see and hear him. 

“Why not?” you asked, changing back to your normal self.

“Because, they won’t ever let you leave.You’re already the first one to survive the injection. If they realize you can go ghost, they’ll do everything in their power to control you.”

Your mind flashed to Bucky. How Steve told you that they kept him. Brainwashing him over and over till he just became a weapon. You were not going to let them do that to you. You looked back at the boy.

“Can you help me get out of here?” you asked hopefully. The boy looked at you and said, 

“Well I’ve got nothing else to do.” You let go a sigh of relief. You were about to say something when you heard Yeager and Jennings walking down the hallway.

“They’re coming” You whisper, “ what do I do?”

“This base is small. All the people here are the only ones who know about it. They’re all going to be in the training room you’re being taken to. Wait till you get there, phase into the floor to the basement and blow up the heater. That should cause the whole building to cave in” 

You again don’t get to respond, as the two men finally get to your cell and unlock it. You walk out of the cell, head held high and allow them to lead you to the training room. Despite the look of confidence, you were dreading the next few moments. 

“So how come I’m the only one here?” you ask, even though you know the answer. The older guard looks at you and says

“You’re the only one who survived.” You fake a look of shock and look forward as if the news made you uneasy. And it did. It made you mad that these people didn’t care that they were murdering innocent people. They couldn’t hear the cries and the wails of agony these poor trapped souls emitted. In a way, it was ironic. Back at the tower, you were the poor soul nobody could see. And now you were surrounded by them.

Your heart, your heart is rendered Your loss, now bear the shame

This was the last straw. There was only so much you an take before you broke and this was it.

 Tony didn’t intend for you to hear it, but god did it hurt all the same. One phrase shattered your whole world. 

“You know Spiderling, your kinda like the kid I always wanted to have.”

An tense silence filled the common room. The first time in months you were able to see th eteam and they had to bear witness to this. Of course they did, who else would give you that stare full of sorrow and pity. You barely even noticed though. You were too busy looking at the “heartwarming scene.”

“that's such bullshit” Oh, how you wish you had a camera if only to capture the look of pure “oh shit” painted on Steve's face.

“What..what was that kid?” Asks your father. You turn to him, a fury in your eyes that nobody has ever seen.

“THAT IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT.”  You scream. “ FOR EIGHT YEARS I HAVE TRIED SO HARD FOR YOU TO LOVE ME. EIGHT YEARS I JOINED CLUBS, GOT THE HIGHEST GRADED IN CLASS AND FOR WHAT?” 

Tony and Peter look at you in shock “Y/n..wha..what are you talking about?” Peter asks in a baffled voice.

“Oh eat shit Peter! You know exactly what I’m talking about! Do you not find it weird, that your new mentor spends every single second of free time he has on you and not with his daughter?? Or are you so needy for some sort of parental validation that you don’t even care??” 

Deep down you know it’s not Peters fault. Hell, you two probably could have been good friends if your dad wasn’t such a tool. 

“Hey kid, I don’t know what's gotten into you, but that was way over the line.” Said Tony in a stern voice. Your eyes harden.

“Oh, did I hurt your poor little spiders feelings?? I didn’t even know you cared about other peoples feelings Tony? Or is it just your daughters that you ignore ?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t ignore you, stop being so over dramatic.”

OVERDRAMATIC?? DO YOU REALIZE THE ONLY THING YOU KNOW ABOUT ME IS MY NAME??” You are now sobbing. “ Do you even know my favorite color? How old I am?” 

Tony looks at you, eyes wide.”Y/N...” You cut him off

“Just forget it. I understand now. I will never be important to you. Not like Peter apparently is. I just wish it didn't take me eight years to figure that out.” And with that, you run out of the room, tears running down your cheeks and ignoring the calls of your father, the team, and Peter. 

You run for a few blocks and cry in an alleyway. not the smartest idea but you were too upset to care. And as you cry, you don’t notice the dark shadow behind you before its too late and the world goes dark.

Like dead trees, in cold december  Nothing but ashes remain

The hydra base was now engulfed with flames.  Your body was tired from phasing through the walls, and your head hurts from those energy blasts. But one thing brings some happiness in your heart as you watch all the souls that were trapped there realize they are free. All but one, the white haired kid. He walks up to you. 

“So you did it.” He says with a smile. You smile back. 

“Yeah I did.  Thanks to you.”

“Blue suits you.” he says with a blush. You squint at him for a second and let out a chuckle. 

“Thanks” ,You’re both silent for a few seconds, watching the souls leave. You speak up again. 

“Why aren’t you leaving like them” You question him.

“I don’t know, I guess my time here isn’t up.” he says looking out at the horizon. You nod and look at around trying to figure out where you are. 

“So, what are you going to do next” he asks. Your body stiffens as you are filled with resentment.

“I’m going to visit my father.” You say, eyes glowing a neon blue.

You will remember my name.

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A/N: HI!so this is my first ever fanfic! i hope anyone who reads this enjoys it!! Let me know what you think and what i can improve on!💕

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Danny Phantom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Wesley Weston
Characters: Danny Fenton, Wesley Weston, Jazz Fenton, Maddie Fenton
Additional Tags: Walker is mentioned repeatedly, Phantom Family AU, Revelations, being a lil shit is genetic apparently, Danny swears in stars and constellations and space stuff, Wes swears with cuss words
Summary: Prompt from Tumblr: I wish you would write a fic about Danny being a little shit to Vlad by revealing him to Wes.
Wes comes over and nearly gets Danny’s half life ended, which leads to further family revelations that leave Danny’s head spinning.

Danny Fenton was having a weird and not particularly pleasant week. His Dad had finally encountered the Box Ghost, who took one look at him and glitched out like a Bethesda character before apparently regaining his memories. Apparently, the Box Ghost was Jason Fenton, older brother of Jack Fenton. The Box Ghost was Danny’s Uncle. That was weird as fuck to discover, especially when he implied that Box Lunch would be a person he’d have to deal with soonish. He was going to have a cousin. His already living cousin, Wes, had decided later that week to ruin Danny’s life by asking him right in front of Jazz and Mom if he still had that giant green dog thing he’d crashed a game with. Danny dragged him up to the third floor of Fentonworks, shoved him into his room, and learned very quickly that Wes had figured out that he was Phantom the moment he focused on him. “Orion, man, you can’t just imply I’m a ghost in front of Mom or Dad!” “Why not?” Wes stared at him like he’d grown a second head - he hadn’t, he knew the sensation - and Danny took a moment to redirect the energy surging to his eyes over his skin and outward. It blanketed the room in a wave and left what Tucker had described as the feeling of touching an old tv and feeling static on your fingers all over the place. Wes rubbed his arm and raised a brow at him. “Wes, tell me what Jack Fenton is going to think if you tell him ‘hey that ghost kid you shoot at all the time is your kid’? Actually, no, how the fuck did you even figure it out?” “You look like you put on your suit and then someone turned on the color inversion filter on their camera. Blue skin, white hair, black and white suit.” Wes paused and poked Danny’s cheek, looking him in the eye. “Your eyes should be orange instead of green though if that were the whole case. How’d this happen? Last time I talked to you, you n Tucker were talking about building a motorcycle that could fly.” “The hoverbike has sorta been put on hold, I’ll admit,” Danny grumbled, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. He pulled his hands away from his face and Wes was still there, tall and stupid and overly observant. “If I tell you what happened, do you promise not to out me to my parents?” “I-should I treat this like you’re in the closet?” Wes snorted at the idea. “Closeted dead guy. Alright, I can get that. But uh, if you’re dead, why are you still…” he wiggled his hand and then gestured at Danny’s room. “In a house with ghost hunters?” “Well, to start with, I’m not actually dead. Not entirely, anyway.” Danny sat down on his bed and Wes followed, and after taking a moment to triple check that Vlad’s bugs weren’t in his room with another wave of energy, Danny told Wes the story of the Accident. It was a short story, but he was slow about it. He’d never really discussed it with anyone, Sam and Tucker just sort of knew better than to bring it up and Jazz probably thought he’d tell her himself in his own time. By the time he finished, Wes looked almost as uncomfortable with the situation as Danny felt. “You know, not to sound like a cheesy 90’s cartoon character but this is why you shouldn’t give in to peer pressure.” Danny snorted and laughed at that, and Wes grinned even when Danny elbowed him. “Ok, so I’m putting together that you did a bunch of dumb shit and found yourself decided to be a superhero. What the fuck was up with the dog, or the mayor getting kidnapped? Your eyes were fuckin red when you stole a bunch of shit that one time too.” “Ok in order of what all happened: Axiom labs euthanized their guard dogs and one of them came looking for his squeaky toy but forgot where it was and no matter how many times I shoved Cujo back into the portal-” “ Cujo ?” Wes snorted and ruffled Danny’s hair. “Have you been reading the stuff Sam gives you or did your emo phase just never really end? You have the emo bangs.” “I do not!” Danny huffed, running a hand through his curly hair that, well, Wes couldn’t really ruin a mess, could he? “You’re the one with actual bangs, sasquatch hunter.” “Acknowledging that Big Foot is real doesn’t mean I’m gonna go and shoot it.” Wes crossed his arms and rested them on Danny’s head. “By the way, any idea when that growth spurt is due?” “Bold words for someone with his shins within targeting range.” “I can and will put you in a headlock Astroboy.” “I can slam dunk you through a hoop like your precious balls.” Wes said nothing to this and simply leaned more onto Danny’s head. “If I snap my neck because of you I’m suing. Anyway no matter how often I yeeted Cujo back into the Ghost Zone-” “I beg of you to call it something cooler. Call it the afterlife even, just. Please.” “He just kept digging his way out. So, I looked at his tag, saw that he came from Axiom, and we ended up in there, while getting shot at by the Red Huntress-” “Valerie, right?” “H-” “She appeared as the Huntress literally the same time the dog shit was happening, and I am getting increasingly worried that no one has noticed that she sounds the same in her Red Huntress suit as she does in the Nasty Burger mascot suit.” Wes dropped his arms to Danny’s shoulder, but still rested his chin in his hair, humming loudly. Danny slid into that spot between and snorted when Wes fell onto the bed. “I can’t tell you how pissed she was that I outed her to her dad about being the Huntress so that she wouldn’t get herself killed fighting Pariah Dark. Pretty sure if you tell her or anyone else about that, she’ll shoot you.” “I mean, it’d probably get her swarmed by so much hostility she stops shooting at you, so that’d be a plus. I’d just come back and bug you anyway.” “You’re a jerk, but I guess you’re alright.” Danny flopped back. “The mayor thing was a ghost, this douche bag prison warden named Walker in the GZ who decided that since I broke out of his prison I owe him over a thousand years and he’d make my home a prison instead.” Wes stared at him, clasped his hands flat against each other, and took a deep breath. “There are so many things wrong in that sentence. Why were you in ghost prison?” “I did ghost crimes.” Wes looked and sounded like he was in some deal of pain, and Danny couldn’t help but grin. “Dad’s anniversary present for Mom fell through the portal while I was cleaning up by shooting things into their proper place,” he covered Wes’ mouth as he opened it, “and so I flew in after it, but it was a ‘real world item’ as though the Ghost Zone is fake somehow, and that was ‘Against The Rules’ according to Walker.” Danny rolled his eyes. “I got the present out and back to Dad but I had to like, get to him at your mom’s place.” “Did you fly all the way from Minnesota to Arkansas for a present?” “Arcturus, no, not with my powers.” Danny laughed, laying back on his bed. “That’d take me like, 8 hours at top speed. No, I used the Speeder.” “Have you modified it to get into space?” “Not yet.” “Do you have permission to mod it for space travel?” “Do I have permission to be dead?” “Touche.” “Anyway, Walker is stronger than me, even when possessing a human, so when all eyes and cameras were on me he possessed the mayor and dragged me back inside to make it look like I was dragging him in. Whole invasion was his idea.” “Danny?” “And then with the robberies when my eyes were red, did you know about Circus Gothica? Cause me and some other ghosts were under the control of the ring master of the circus, Freakshow, who had this freakin crystal ball thing that could control ghosts attached to his staff. It shattered after a very long fall, thank Astrea.” “That’s really fucked up. You’ve had a fucked up life.” “Yeah.” Danny shrugged. “I guess I have.” “Know what’s more fucked up about this?” Wes had a too big grin on his face and Danny narrowed his eyes. “Do you remember my mom’s last name?” “Wal..ker… no. ” The two of them were thundering down the stairs in seconds, Danny half shouting in the livingroom. “ Mom was your dad, by chance, a law enforcement officer, or jail warden or something?” Mom looked up at him from the staff she was tinkering with on the table - note to self, sterilize the table before dinner - and blinked at him a couple of times before smiling and nodding. “Why yes, he did. Warden James Lamont Walker ran the Spittoon prison when he was alive. He was a good man, if a bit strict.  To my and Alicia’s fury and grief he was murdered during a prison break.” Mom stared off in the distance, the air around her curling with a dark cold that Danny was sure only he could see. Then she softened up a bit and smiled softly at them. “Why?” “No reason, auntie, I was just curious about something and Danny thought we should ask you.” Wes played with the hem of his shirt while maintaining eye contact and Danny wondered if he had a tell for awkwardness like that. Then he realized he was rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you have any pictures of him?” “Oh, yes! They’re in the shed! My boxes are actually labelled.” “Uh oh, careful, Dad might hear of organization and come to tear it up,” Danny said with a laugh, half dragging Wes out the back door. When they were out of his mom’s considerable ear shot, Danny said softly, but with feeling, “Fuck.” “Got locked up by grandpa, huh? That’s like, the worst way to get grounded ever .” Wes snickered and watched Danny run-walk up to the shed, hand glowing so softly you could only see it by staring directly at it as he turned the knob. “There are odds, slim ones, that this is a whole different Walker. It might even be his first name.” “Who the hell names their kid Walker?” “Walter, Wayne and Wesley Weston.” “Alright then.” For a few minutes the two of them searched through the mess known as the Fenton Family Shed for a box with a label neither had thought to ask for. Eventually, they found one labeled Scrapbooks and carefully eased it out of the mess of it all. “Y’knonw, Danny,” Wes said as they opened the box and started flipping through scrapbooks with just enough care not to damage them. “I’m feelin kinda good about investigating a ghost with you. Is this how it is with you n your boyfriend and best friend?” Danny almost tore a page out, turning to stare at Wes. He must’ve felt the temperature drop for a second because he looked up with a raised brow. “What?” “Boyfriend?” “Tucker. Tucker Foley.” Danny’s jaw dropped and Wes’ confusion morphed into a shit eating grin. “You know, Tucker spends most of his time with you Foley? The one you build shit with all the time? The nerd that you get sick in sync with? I’ve seen you lose a pencil and then he puts one behind your ear while you look for the one you lost. You made him a custom gaming computer disguised as a console.” Danny’s face burned red as a tomato at this point and he shoved Wes. “Shut up I’m not dating Tucker!” “I have to ask Jazz about this now, you’re killing me.” Wes snorted and flipped a page. He blinked down at the scrapbook and pointed at a picture. “James Walker. This look anything like him?” Danny took the book and looked at the picture. Looked at the several pictures of the man with his daughters, wearing a black pinstriped suit in a handful of them. And he let out a long, loud groan. “I hate this week, I hate it so much.” Wes started cackling and Danny scowled. “That reminds me.” He kicked Wes in the shins and grinned. “Much better. Also, Wes, I gotta tell you. I’m not one of a kind, as far as my living status goes.” “Oh what, there’s another Schrodinger’s little shit flying around out there?” Wes rubbed his ankle and hissed. “Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but that fruitloop we call a mayor may have been elected because he possessed literally everyone that was voting.” Wes went silent and stared at him, and Danny nodded. “Think you can pester him instead of me? He wants to kill Dad and thinks that he can get Mom if he does that.” “Danny. My Dad works for Masters.” “This puts you in the perfect position to mess with him, I say. Just act like you’re there to see your dad.” “You oblivious asshole. I fuckin love you, cous.” “Same here, skyscraper.”

[siribear]

whisper’s on auto-pilot. deacon notices immediately when her far off stare doesn’t return as the brotherhood airship disappears. and when she looks at him? it’s why he wears sunglasses. eyes are the windows to the soul, they used to say, and hers has left the building.

‘we have to see what that’s about, right?’ she asks with no particular inflection.

deacon shoves his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching out to her. he slips his fingers around a little curved piece of metal fused to the one piece of brain she left intact. that carnage she left in her wake - the smashed flesh and bone - he can still remember what that’s like.

maccready follows them down from the fort, but otherwise stays silent. kid doesn’t seem like he knows where to go or what to do, after what he’s seen. honestly, he’s surprised the kid hasn’t broken off back to goodneighbor. but he keeps an eye out, and it allows deacon to brush up next to whisper.

‘i figure, we’ve been through a lot together, right?’ he begins, and there’s that thousand yard stare again. she turns her gaze forward, makes a little noise for him to continue. ‘so, i think it’s time you learn the big secret.’

‘another one?’ she intones.

‘nah. the big secret.’ when she doesn’t inquire again, he continues. it’s almost not fun, but she’s his partner and he’s got to coax a little of her back from the edge. ‘everyone thinks desdemona is the leader of the railroad. hell, that’s how she introduced herself to you when you first stepped foot into our little home. but, see, that’s not entirely the truth.’

he pauses, allows her to soak it all in. but there’s no encouraging grin when she turns to look at him. at least in her eyes he sees go on when before it started with i can’t.

‘in fact, i’m the leader of the railroad. desdemona is there just to throw everyone off. more operational security, if you will.’

‘uh huh.’

‘really. when you stepped in, she was ready to have glory mow you down, and what a shame that would have been. but i step in, i say i vouch for you, and bam, here you are. part of my little squad i founded.’

‘you founded the railroad?’

‘not me by myself. there were three of us, johnny d and watts were the other two founders.’ it’s always strange, referring to himself in the third person. even when he’s talking to tourists, introducing himself as john doe. he tells so many lies, no one bats an eye when he’s actually telling the truth. ‘it’ll be... seventy years ago, now. something like that.’

whisper frowns in thought. after a moment, ‘you expect me to believe that you’re seventy years old?’ with a hint of amusement in her voice. there’s his girl.

he shrugs. ‘i did tell you i was old, just not how old. going under the knife helps me hide it.’ he looks to the sky and sighs wistfully. ‘we’ve done a lot of good since we started. saved a lot of synths.’ see, and this may be one of his favorite things about whisper. definitely in his top twenty - when he got to twenty he doesn’t know. but he can practically see the gears turning in her head. pinpoints the exact moment she knows it’s bullshit, but she lets him keep going.

and, hey, deacon’s no good at comfort, but he’s good at talking. ‘look, i firmly believe we’re the last line of defense between the institute and the commonwealth. and based on my last trip to the capital wasteland? maybe even the world.’

‘the minutemen are getting there,’ she mumbles defensively. ‘how is the railroad defending anyone?’

‘it’s not all about synths with the railroad. mostly synths, because who else is going to defend them, right? right?’ she shrugs and nods. ‘exactly. but more than that, we’re building a better, brighter commonwealth.’ here we go: ‘the railroad is the best,’ he hooks his arm around hers, ignores how she instinctively mirrors him, ‘noblest,’ he throws an arm in the air dramatically, ‘organization that’s ever lived. we’re-we’re - ’ he can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of him.

‘- having way too much fun?’ whisper finishes for him. not laughing, but there is a smile fighting its way through. being in the railroad for so long, deacon knows how to accept the small victories.

‘you’re catching on too quick, partner.’ he sighs, leaning into her. ‘maybe it’s time i retire.’

‘seventy years? you’ve certainly hit your peak.’

he snorts and untangles himself, wipes away kellogg’s blood on his jeans. ‘i had a point there. really, i did.’

‘go ahead.’

‘you, of all people, should know that other organizations are going to spoon feed you their own bullshit.’ he knows garvey got her with the minutemen, and deacon is still cursing himself for pulling his tourist out of the area so early. but at least she didn’t fall in with the brotherhood. ‘instead, look at what they’re doing. what they’re asking you to do; what sort of world they’d have you build and how they’re gonna pay for it.’

she stares at him, frowning again. ‘give me your assessment, then. what’s your opinion of the other groups here?’

‘i’ll skip over the smaller players. i don’t see you becoming a raider any time soon, even though the railroad doesn’t pay that well. or at all.’ she gives him a quick huff of laughter and he has to physically restrain himself from fist pumping. ‘so, the minutemen. you know i approve of what you’re doing there, but the danger comes when they get too big. you can’t be everywhere at once.

‘the brotherhood is the railroad’s second biggest enemy. between their tech and the bigotry, they’re trouble, especially under elder maxson. and the institute... i don’t think i have to elaborate.’

‘you missed one,’ she says.

he blinks. ‘did i? know something i don’t know, pal?’

‘what about the railroad?’

ah. ‘didn’t you hear me earlier? the best and noblest - ’ whisper elbows him in the ribs. ‘ow. that was the bad rib. but, huh, okay. you know i wouldn’t be here if i didn’t trust them. didn’t believe what we’re doing is the right thing.’

‘i know.’

‘but - ’ there’s always a but. ‘ - i wish we’d help people, too. not just the synths. kind of feels like we’re ignoring one group for another.’

‘you’re spread thin enough as it is,’ she reasons. absolves him and them of guilt. she turns to him with a flicker of her old smile. ‘but that’s what you’ve got the minutemen on your side for. picking up your slack.’

he elbows her for that one. his partner is rude. but she’s talking to him, and it’s a step in the right direction.

-

whisper wants to go directly to the police station. deacon vetoes, erring on the side of caution that screams showing up coated in someone else’s blood isn’t a good idea. he doesn’t let her come with him to hq, either - he can’t give tom that little brain piece without her noticing. she’s been off in her own world the entire walk to diamond city, but she’s still perceptive. she noticed the caravan leaving hangman’s alley before he did. the minutemen certainly are building up quickly.

diamond city security eyes them warily, but danny sullivan recognizes whisper and allows them in.

‘go on ahead, partner, i just need to talk to maccready here for a minute.’ she shrugs and heads into the city, promising to meet him at the dugout inn.

maccready waits, arms crossed. ‘gonna tell me to leave?’

deacon laughs, low and fake. ‘i’m not your boss, kid.’ it strikes a nerve, but maccready hides it well. ‘i’m just wondering how long you’re going to stick around.’

maccready’s gaze shifts to the entrance. and that’s why deacon wears the sunglasses: they hide everything. especially when his own gaze follows. ‘she hasn’t told me to go - ’

‘great. then you’ll watch over her until i get back.’ he claps maccready on the shoulder. ‘thanks, pal.’

the kid just laughs at him, but heads into the city anyway. at least he knows his partner’s in good hands.

-

he all but runs back to hq, eager to get there and back. (to whisper, he thinks, but, if pressed, he’ll never admit.) desdemona doesn’t look surprised to see him waltz back in through the secret tunnel. her expression only changes when she notices he’s alone. see, he reasons, even desdemona notices her absence. it’s not just him. obviously.

‘deacon, have you heard anything about this air ship arriving in the commonwealth?’

deacon ducks around one of the support pillars, trying to find tinker tom. he’s not in his little corner, and there’s carrington giving deacon a dirty look but -

‘elder maxson’s brought his people here, full force,’ he tells des when she clears her throat. ‘whisper’s got a plan to get us up there, all official-like.’

‘speaking of,’ she inquires, ‘where is your partner?’

‘taking the night off in diamond city.’ where’d tom get to, anyway? it’s not like he goes outside. the institute is in the air they breathe up there, he’d say.

‘deacon.’ he stops in his tracks at what he dubs her mom voice. just not to her face. ‘if you’ve been running our newest agent into the ground - ’

‘we killed kellogg,’ he says with a shrug. like it’s an obvious thing. water’s wet, sky’s blue, kellogg’s dead. ‘so she’s taking the night off.’

desdemona blinks, stubs out her cigarette in an ashtray on her stone table. how they all haven’t suffocated from her smoking habits, deacon doesn’t know. ‘kellogg is dead?’

‘yep. and i’ve got this little thing here,’ he digs out the little biomechanical trinket from his pocket. ‘that might help us find where the institute is. but first i have to find out where tinker tom went to.’

tom, as if summoned, pops out from around a corner near the make-shift shooting range. ‘what’s up, dekes?’

‘i need to know if we can get anything off this thing. pulled it straight out of kellogg’s head.’

tom takes it out of his hands, holds it up reverently to the light. ‘i’ll clean it up. see what i can do. from kellogg, you said? oh, this will have tons of information, i know it. des, i’m getting started right away!’ he begins immediately, hooking it up to one of his computers. even carrington looks from him to tom to the piece of metal, muttering, from the brain?

deacon puts his hands on his hips and turns to desdemona with a grin. ‘our accommodating general has also agreed to let us station some agents in minutemen settlements. outpost zimonja especially.’

she shuffles through papers on her table, jotting down notes. ‘that’ll help us in moving synths out of the commonwealth.’ she hums, pleased. ‘well done, deacon. be sure to give my thanks to whisper as well.’

‘glad we brought her into the fold, now? or do you still think she’d be better off as a tourist?’

desdemona huffs and returns to her papers. ‘if i admitted you were correct every time you are, your ego would be worse than it is now.’ she casts him a side glance. ‘but she’s been a great asset. i heard about h2-22, and now kellogg? don’t you dare chase her off, deacon.’

‘wouldn’t think of it, boss.’

-

she finishes washing the blood off her hands, ignoring the stinging of soap in the cuts on her knuckles. if she thinks too much, she can still feel the give of his skull under the butt of the gun, the squelch of his flesh under her fists. whisper rubs harder.

in her room, rented by maccready after vadim recognized him, she undoes the buckles of her ruined combat armor. the splash of blood on her jeans isn’t so remarkable now that her hands are clean, and, besides, deacon’s the one with all the spare clothes. she sits on her bed and pulls her bag over and digs out a holotape from a separate pocket. whisper puts back the little piece of paper the flutters out in its wake.

what would nate think -

whisper loads the holotape, a little strip of clear tape peeks out, her husband’s lettering hi honey! visible, into her pipboy and presses play. immediately she hears the familiar chimes of a mobile. her hand goes to her mouth.

it’s a moment frozen in time, one she can almost see. on the tape, nate laughs and shaun coos, babbling nonsense. ‘just say it, right there. riiight there, go ahead.’ shaun coos again. baba, he says. m-ba.

whisper runs her hands through her hair.

‘i don’t think shaun and i need to tell you how great of a mother you are.’ she can hear the smile in his voice. the warmth. ‘but we’re going to anyway. aren’t we? you are kind, and loving, and funny. that’s right, and patient. so patient.’ he does something that makes shaun laugh again. ‘the amount of times you’ve kept her up late at night, little shaun. countless.’

‘look, with shaun and us all being home together, it’s been an amazing year, but even so, i know our best days are yet to come. there will be changes, sure, things we’ll need to adjust to. i’ll rejoin the civilian workforce.’ she knows how excited he was for that. ‘you’ll shake the dust off your law degree.’ it was on the wall before the bombs -

‘but everything we do, no matter how hard, we do it for our family.’

no matter how hard. she hiccups a laugh. ‘claire, i need help with this speech,’ he had said. ‘you know i’m not as good with words as you are.’

‘now say goodbye, shaun. bye bye,’ nate coaxes. ‘say bye bye.’

she can see him now, sitting on the couch next to their holotape player. he looks up to her, his blue eyes locking with hers, cheeks dimpling as she smiles at her. ‘bye, honey. we love you.’

the tape clicks off, leaving her alone in the silence. she sniffs and it’s deafeningly loud. she breathes, wipes her eyes, and stands. the holotape goes back into its pocket.

‘maccready,’ she says when she reaches him at the bar. ‘i need a drink.’