#as a ghost to fight and the increased ghost energy everywhere and whatever makes her able to escape. theres closure on her being dead | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

darks-ink · 6 years ago

Text

Grounded

Prompt: Valerie is underground. She's not sure how she got here, but who needs memory when you have a data log recording your hunt? Oh jeez. The file's corrupted, and she's only getting disjointed fragments... Prompt by: @catalystofthesoul Word count: 6,140

[AO3][FFnet][more Phic Phight fics]

When Valerie woke up, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark. Dark, and cramped, and dusty.

The second thing she noticed was that she was wearing her ghost hunting suit. The armor was wrapped protectively around her.

Then she realized that she wasn’t lying in her bed. Or her room. Or, hell, even the building where she lived. The cramped space she was in was completely unfamiliar to her.

Which led to the fourth thing she picked up on; she was underground. It was too dark to make out much, though. She wasn’t even sure how she could see anything, but for the moment that wasn’t important. The dirt and rocks and– was that debris from a building? Yes, it certainly seemed to be – it was all pretty clear.

So, she was somewhere underground. She didn’t know how deep, and she didn’t know how she had gotten here. It looked like a building had collapsed on top of her. Had one? It wouldn’t be unreasonable, with the damage ghost fights tended to cause.

She could find out easily enough, anyway. Because it didn’t matter that she didn’t remember what had happened – she had her suit, and her suit had data logs. Logs which included audio and video, nowadays. She simply had to watch the newest file and figure out what had happened to her. Based on that, she could figure out how to get out again. How much rubble was above her, really? Could she dig her way out, or would she have to rely on someone else?

Was she close enough to the surface that someone could find her before she died?

Valerie shook off the morbid thoughts. She had to focus on the here and now. It would be fine – she would get out of here.

Her suit wasn’t quite cooperating, but Valerie managed to summon her helmet – why hadn’t she been wearing it? – and got the log to play on her helmet display. Or, what was left of the file. It seemed that it had somehow gotten corrupted.

The video was almost incomprehensible, blown out beyond use. It simply showed flashes of green and black and white – nothing else. The audio was more useful, but only slightly. It was filled with static, but occasionally it broke up enough for her to hear snatches of voices. Still too staticky to recognize, but anything was better than nothing.

“…watch out!” and “…s dange…” and even a very frantic “Va-” which dissolved into static as the voice increased in volume.

Nothing she could use, right now. It didn’t tell her anything about where she was or how she had gotten there.

She shifted into a sitting position. With her previous plan a failure, she decided to try and examine the non-existent light. It wasn’t bright but it was enough for her to see – somewhat, at least. An opening to the surface, perhaps?

But a frantic examination of the cramped space revealed no light source. The light seemed to come from nowhere – everywhere she looked was equally bright. For some reason, she seemed to be able to just… see, despite the (almost?) complete dark she was in.

It didn’t make any sense. Actually, no, scratch that. It did. It was probably just a feature from her suit, since the thing was stuffed full of those. Sure, she had never noticed this one before, but that didn’t mean anything. After all, what else could be giving her apparent night vision?

Still, it was hard to see. If she just had a light, maybe she could find an opening of sorts. This was, unfortunately, a feature she knew her suit lacked. It was full of all kinds of things that made hunting ghosts easier. A light was not one of those – ghosts naturally emitted light.

But even though her suit had no way to comply to this request, and thus shouldn’t respond in any way, a tingle deep inside her still answered. It was an eerie feeling, one she didn’t recognize, a cold crawling in her chest–

Suddenly blue ectoplasm burst to life around her hand. She yelped, waving her hand around frantically to extinguish the flickering light. But the ectoplasm stubbornly stayed lit.

Still half-panicking, Valerie started to realize that it didn’t hurt. Somehow.

As she calmed down, she also realized that the cold energy in her chest hadn’t left – it thrummed with energy still, in her chest and down her arm. She saw the ball of ectoplasm flicker in sync with the beat of whatever was in her chest.

She wasn’t sure what drove her to her next action. It just… made sense to her. The energy, the cold in her chest, had seemingly responded to her silent question for light. So then, commanding it to go away should–

And it did. The ectoplasm extinguished itself on her silent command.

It was like controlling her suit – yet nothing like it at the same time. Because this, this was energy – a cold power – centered in her chest. Her suit was metallic – and while yes, it was controlled by her mind, she couldn’t feel it. It wasn’t part of her actual body. Not like this.

She bent her head down, looking at the armored hands in her lap. Slowly turning them around, she examined the suit that covered her, still. It looked like her usual suit – black with red detailing – and the plates seemed to be the same as always. A strong tough material, but light enough not to constrict her.

Valerie had never bothered to figure out where this armor had come from.

She wondered if maybe she should have.

The ball of cold in her chest hummed in accordance with her emotions. It seemed to seep more power into her body, but she didn’t know what that was supposed to achieve. It didn’t feel like the ectoplasmic blast from before – not as strong, and spread across her entire body rather than focused in a specific part of it.

Closing her eyes, Valerie chose to focus on the feeling of her actual body instead. The slow but strong beat of her heart. The comforting feeling of air rushing through her lungs. The shifting of muscles as she moved even the slightest bit.

When she opened her eyes again, nothing had changed. Not that she had expected it to, but…

Wait. With the way she was sitting, with the way she had her head angled, she should be seeing her own body. Her arms and her legs.

She wasn’t.

Freaking out a little, Valerie twitched – barely restrained her automatic response to stand up and back away. What the hell was happening?

The energy in her chest responded, and it drew back its power. Immediately her limbs started to fade back into visibility. Valerie sighed at the familiar sight.

Until she realized what it meant.

Shit. Shit.

Had a ghost somehow settled into her body, like a partial overshadowing? No, surely not – she seemed to be in full control over the powers. Had her suit somehow granted her ghost powers, then? Had she become some sort of human/ghost hybrid?

Oh. Well. She supposed that that wasn’t entirely impossible. She had met Dani, after all. Phantom’s cousin, who was somehow half-ghost.

Valerie didn’t know how the girl had become that way – or had she been born like that? – but then, to be fair, she didn’t know how she had become like this, herself. Perhaps that was just part of the affliction – just like ghosts weren’t supposed to know about their deaths.

If that was the case, then Valerie would be more than happy to settle for remembering everything else. She would rather remember her life, her friends and family and loved ones, than know what had happened to her. That, she might be able to figure out. Memories? Those couldn’t be replaced.

But now that she was thinking about Dani… Didn’t that girl have a second form, a more ghostly one? One that resembled Phantom?

The cold in her chest (a ghost core, she assumed) pulsed in answer. A sudden flash of light blinded her, and she slapped her hands over her eyes in a hopeless attempt to protect her vision.

When Valerie pulled her hands away and blinked the spots from her vision, she could immediately tell that the space around her grown brighter. This was not very surprising – ghosts glow, after all. Dani had.

A glance down confirmed her suspicions. She was glowing – and her colors had gotten flipped around.

She was still wearing her armored suit, but now it was white with blue highlights. She wasn’t entirely sold on the color, but she supposed it made sense – the ectoplasm she had controlled earlier had been blue, too. And Vlad had blue eyes, which had turned red when he became a ghost. It made sense that her suit had done the same in reverse.

Her helmet had disappeared. Apparently it didn’t carry over, possibly because she hadn’t worn it when she first became half-ghost. Or whatever had happened, exactly. Something like that, probably.

There was no mirror to check her appearance, but Valerie could guess. Dani’s black hair had become white when she had transformed, and her own suit had done the same. Presumably, her hair had thus also turned white.

She wondered, briefly, what color her eyes were. But she dismissed the thought almost immediately – it wasn’t important for the moment.

Okay, okay.

Alright.

Focus on the situation. Sum up everything she knew. Stay calm.

So, here’s what she knew. She was somewhere underground. She didn’t know how she had gotten there. She had somehow become half ghost – and had somehow broken her suit in the process.

That was it. That was everything she knew about her current situation. That was… that was just sad.

But, back to the plan. Step one was easy; get out of here.

Now, that was easier said than done. But… ghosts could turn intangible, yes? She had even experienced it before, herself. Phantom had turned her intangible before, when they had broken in the Fenton’s lab. How hard could it really be to mimic that? To turn herself intangible and fly up using her hoverboard?

Assuming she could summon said hoverboard. But, well. Only one way to find out, right?

She pushed herself to her feet, remaining somewhat crouched. There wasn’t a lot of room in the tight space. But there should be enough for her hoverboard, at least.

Thankfully, it responded to her mental command. It formed underneath her feet, the hum of its engines somehow echoing in her core. It, too, was now white with blue accents. An ectoplasmic construct, rather than her normal board?

Weird, but whatever. It seemed to work just fine, as she hovered slightly above the ground. As long as it would work, she wouldn’t question it.

She angled herself upwards. The dirt and debris that greeted her wasn’t an encouraging sight, but… she would be fine. She promised herself – and she had promised her dad.

Valerie thought of the tingly feeling that had washed over her when Phantom had turned her intangible. The core in her chest responded, and the feeling once more spread throughout her body. It was… It was weird, using ghost powers like this.

Doubtful that the intangibility would last long, Valerie threw herself upwards as quickly as possible. She encouraged her board to go as fast as possible – and her core too, for all that it mattered.

A few long moments, she saw nothing but dirt and darkness. And, oh god, what if she turned tangible now – but then the fresh outside air greeted her. Oh, and how she had missed it. She hadn’t even realized until now.

It didn’t take long for her to start taking in her environment. The area where she had emerged was in ruins. No one was nearby – evacuated, most likely, based on the damage. Large pieces of debris laid scattered around, a couple crumbled walls indicating where buildings had once been. Soot covered the ground, clear signs of a fire long conquered.

What had happened here? How long… how long had she been underground?

Her core surged once again, but this time not with power. Not really. Instead it seemed to emit a wave of heat – like she had passed too close by an overheating appliance. Or stood too close to the grills at the Nasty Burger.

“Val?” a soft echoing voice asked, cautious.

She whirled around to see Phantom there, a shocked and… pained?… expression on his face.

Repressing her automatic response – a grimace and a reprimanding over using her name – she instead greeted him. She was too tired to be hostile. Not physically – maybe physically – but mostly mentally. “Phantom.”

Then she remembered that Dani was Phantom’s cousin. She would need help with this, she was sure. And who better to ask than someone who was familiar with this? With being half ghost?

Valerie licked her lips, then hesitantly asked, “Do you… have a way to contact your cousin?”

“My cousin…?” Phantom eyed her, confused and a little wary. “Why?”

She shifted, uncertain. Dani, she might trust, but Phantom she didn’t. Well, a little perhaps, but not much. But she didn’t see a way around this.

“I think… I might’ve become part ghost, too. Somehow.” She looked away from him, glancing around them instead. “I don’t know what happened – can’t remember – but…”

“Stop,” Phantom said, holding up a hand. Then, in a tone that was clearly meant to be soothing, he continued, “It’s okay, I get it. You died Val, alright? But that’s okay – being dead isn’t all that bad, right? You don’t have to lie to yourself, to pretend otherwise.”

And now a flicker of her usual hostility returned. How dare he. How dare Phantom act so condescending, like she didn’t know what she was talking about. How could he!

Her anger thus kindled, she felt her core eagerly respond to her anger. Ghosts were emotional creatures, she knew. It made sense that her core would be eager to lap it up.

Blue ectoplasm stated swirling around her clenched fists once more. Her eyes felt like they were burning – but not like tears, it was different somehow.

Then her core just… quietened. Seemingly gave up. Its power faltered and once more the bright white light washed over her – this time she could barely make out the white rings – and then suddenly she was human again. Or as human as she could be, now.

The light show apparently did a good job of shutting Phantom up, at least. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Then he groaned, deeply and passionately. “Of course,” he muttered, dragging his white-gloved hands down his face. “Of course it had to be her, of all people.”

“Excuse me!” she protested, her core flickering up once in annoyance. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Phantom groaned again, flapping a hand in her direction to wave off her concern. Then he moved the hand on his face to pinch his nose instead.

“If you’re looking for help for the halfa thing, you don’t have to try and contact Danielle. Not that that would’ve been a huge success, because I don’t know where she is, either.”

Frowning, Valerie crossed her arms. “Phantom, you’re making even less sense than usual, and I’m not in the mood.”

The ghost nodded, looking away from her for a moment. When he turned back to her, his expression was sheepish. “I, um. I’m also half ghost.”

Her jaw dropped, and she looked Phantom over once more, critically. It wasn’t hard to imagine him human – he already looked fairly human, and his similarity to Dani was honestly frightening. Just flipping his hair color back to black was enough.

She didn’t know how to feel about this, though. She’s pissed and exhilarated and upset and–

Her clenched fist hit him in the upper arm, and Danny yelped, flinching away from her. “How could you!” she yelled at him instead, digging her still-armored fingers deeper into her palms. “I can’t believe you! You’re one of my best fucking friends, and you–”

Shaking her head, she glared at him. Her core eagerly supported the glare with more burning in her eyes, which seemed to be doing a good job of intimidating Danny. She can’t believe this. One of her only friends knows this, knew what she was dealing with and how to handle it–

But he also let her hunt him. Hunt him and hurt him despite knowing she didn’t want to hurt human beings. And as Phantom, he has done bad things. To her, and to Amity Park.

She snarled, but this time Danny didn’t move. He just raised his hands placatingly.

“Valerie,” he begged, “Please calm down. I’m sorry, okay? But if you calm down, I promise that I’ll explain.”

Valerie took a deep breath, then held it for a long moment. He was right. She had to calm down. She couldn’t let her anger rule her, not again. That was how Vlad had manipulated her, controlled her.

That couldn’t happen again.

When she felt like she was calm again – or calm enough, at least – she nodded at Danny. She still felt agitated – both in the angry and in the energetic way – but she could deal with that.

Danny nodded back, and then light washed over him. He dropped the last bit of distance to the floor, having returned to, well, Danny. Danny Fenton, instead of Danny Phantom.

God, how had no one seen that before? Were they really this blind?

“Can you retract your armor?” he asked her as he moved closer. He went slow, clearly still cautious. She couldn’t blame him.

With a frown, she tried. The armor seemed fried, the nanotech set together and refusing to come apart again. And it seemed to have disconnected from her mind – every time she tried to call on it, her core responded instead.

“No,” she finally answered, looking back at Danny. “I think it got fried. It’s not responding anymore – only my core is.”

Danny nodded, looking thoughtful. “That makes sense. Your armor, or, well, this version of your armor, was made by Technus. Since it’s an ectoplasmic construct, working via ectoplasmic energy, the signal might be blocked by your own ectoplasmic energy.”

He slowly reached for her arm, and she didn’t move as he grabbed it. He inspected her arm – or more accurately, the armor covering it – with a creased brow. Finally he shook his head, somewhat disappointed. “I think we might have to break you out of it. I don’t think it came with a release-all function.”

“No, because that would’ve been too easy, huh.” She sighed, but silently agreed. At least the helmet hadn’t come back when she had shifted back. Small mercies.

“Let’s take cover behind that wall.” Danny pointed towards one of the more intact walls, a couple feet away. “The area was evacuated so people will probably stay away, but better safe than sorry, right?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, trudging over there. She felt tired and she just really wanted to sleep. It was a weird kind of exhaustion, bone-deep – or deeper, perhaps. Like her very being was tired.

They sat down on the dirty floor, uncaring about the soot stains their clothes would surely gain. Or, well, Valerie’s armor would probably be fine. Danny’s jeans? Hopeless.

“So how do you plan on getting this stuff off of me, anyway?” She quirked a brow at Danny. He remained silent for a moment, considering the question.

Then his eyes brightened – literally started glowing, but blue instead of the green associated with Phantom – and the temperature around them dropped. He held out a hand, and slowly but surely, ice started forming above the palm of his hand. It gathered, crystal by crystal, in the shape of a knife.

Then it dropped into his hand, apparently fully formed. Danny offered it to her, a shaky grin on his face. “Here, you take this one. I’ll make another one for myself.”

“Jesus Danny,” she muttered under her breath, but she took the knife anyway. Carefully she started wedging it underneath some of the plating on her arms. It was a good excuse to look away from Danny. Seeing him use his ghost powers was… discomforting. She knew he was half-ghost – that he was Phantom.

But knowing and knowing were different things. Seeing was believing. And for all that she knew, she didn’t believe. Had yet to connect her mental images of Phantom and Danny, despite them being one and the same.

“Too much?” Danny asked with a laugh, having conjured up a second ice knife with more ease. He gestured for her leg, and after a moment of hesitation, she stretched it out for him.

“A little bit, yeah.” With a snap, the piece of armor she had been worked on broke off. For some reason, the armor acted more like actual plates of armor instead of nanotech, now. “How much of your power can you use in human form?”

“Ehh.” He wiggled his free hand for a moment before turning back to the armor. “Most powers can be used in human form just fine, although it’s harder to do. They tend to be weaker as a result, but it’s not a direct limitation. Some powers are even too easy to use in human form. You might’ve noticed the feeling of your eyes burning, earlier?”

She nodded in answer, glancing up from where she was working. “Yeah,” he continued. “That was your eyes glowing. It’s a real pain, has almost blown my cover so many times. Usually happens when you’re angry – or it does for me, at least.”

“That sucks.” A snap as Danny broke off part of her leg armor. “But all your powers work in human form? Ectoblasts, intangibility, flight? All of it?”

“Well, yeah.” He dropped the knife to wriggle the remainder of the plate he had broken. “My really strong one, the Ghostly Wail, I’ve never tried. But if everything else works I don’t see why that one wouldn’t.”

“I don’t think that I’m familiar with that power.” The knife in her hand creaked as she put too much force on it. She was a little amazed that it wasn’t weakening in the heat. “Also, that name is stupid as shit.”

Danny snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks. And be glad you haven’t seen it – it’s kind of a finishing move for me. I don’t use it often – too much damage.”

“Then when have you used it?” And how had he gotten it? Why would he – as Danny or as Phantom – need a power that destructive? Did it reflect on him, who he was, somehow?

“That’s… a long story.” He pulled loose the rest of the piece he was working on, falling onto his back as the thing suddenly gave. He grimaced at the soot on his clothes, but went right back to work. “I’ve never used it here. Well, I have in an alternate reality, but that doesn’t count. And never around people who could’ve gotten hurt.”

“That’s a bold claim, ghost boy.” She wrenched another piece of her arm armor loose, freeing most of her left arm. “Because you keep telling people you never hurt anyone, but I know you have.”

Danny also broke away another plate, huffing angrily. “Yeah? And you’ve never hurt anybody, of course.” Then he sighed, and continued with a more subdued tone. “Look, I try my best, alright? But I’m only human – or, well, you know what I mean. There is only so much I can do.”

“And that involved kidnapping the mayor and robbing jewelry stores?” She shot him an unimpressed glare. “And that’s not to say anything about that ghost dog at my dad’s work.”

The boy groaned, driving his knife a little deeper into the armor that covered her. But he remained careful – he had yet to nick her. “Look, the thing with the dog wasn’t my fault, okay! He was just looking for his toy, and he kept coming to me, probably because I was the only ghost around.”

Another piece of armor snapped off, and Danny shifted around to get better access to the next part before he continued. “As for the rest… The mayor was overshadowed by a ghost named Walker, and he grabbed me. The robberies were…” He paused. Seemed to consider his words for a moment.

“The robberies involved a man named Freakshow. He had a staff which he could use to control ghosts – including partial ghosts. Ask Sam or Tucker if you don’t believe that he controlled me.” He looked up at her, his blue eyes big and watery. “I promise, Valerie, that I never intended to hurt anyone. Least of all you.”

She sighed, looking away from him to focus on the armor. “I just… I don’t know, Danny. I thought I knew you. I’m just…”

“Tired?” he finished for her, smiling a little. “Yeah, half dying does that to a person. It should get better over the next few days – or maybe you just get used to it, I don’t know.”

They worked in silence for a few moments. Then, quietly, she asked, “How did it happen to you?”

“Accident in my parents’ lab.” He licked his lips, unsure. “Electrocution via the Ghost Portal. Sam and Tucker were there, which helped, I think.”

She nodded, but didn’t say anything. At least he had had Tucker and Sam. They might not know anything about ghosts, or how they functioned, but they were good friends.

And she would have Danny. He was a good friend too. And he knew about this, about being half-ghost.

“You’ll be fine,” Danny assured, apparently picking up on her silent distress. “You won’t be alone, okay? I can help you. We’ll meet for training – until you get your powers under control, at least.”

“I don’t even know what to do afterwards,” she confessed, pulling off the entire glove on her left hand. She shifted to her chest armor now – it would be too awkward for Danny to work on that. “I’ve just… I’ve been the Red Huntress for so long now. I can’t imagine not doing anything as her. But the suit is fried, I can’t use it anymore.”

“You still have it in ghost form.” Danny broke off the boot, and then shifted to her other leg. “And as far as anyone knows, the Red Huntress died in the attack today. If you use your ghost form instead, you can work off of that. Tell everyone you died and came back as a ghost.”

She hummed. “And that way I can clear your reputation as well. Say that as a ghost myself, I finally understand that not all ghosts are bad. That you weren’t lying.” She freed the first corner of the chest plate. “That’ll explain our sudden truce, at least.”

“Do you really mean that, Val?” Danny grinned at her, bright and hopeful. “A truce, just like that?”

“You’re my friend, Danny.” She sighed, toying with the ice knife for a moment. “And… things are weird, but. You’re still my friend. And I could really use that right now.”

A snap as another piece went off of her leg. “Then I would be happy to accept your truce, Huntress. And I would be more than happy to help you in whatever way possible.”

The second corner of her chest piece came loose, and Valerie peeled the entire thing off in one go. “Much appreciated.”

She moved to take apart the layered plates on her ribs, but paused when she couldn’t see her hands. “Uh. Speaking of help…?”

Danny looked and barked out a laugh. At her glare, he quietened down again. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just used to having that happen to me. Uh, try to focus on being all visible. You can feel your body, yeah? Try to imagine seeing it too.”

She followed his advice, and her hands came back. She set the knife to her ribs. “Thanks. Is that, uh, a common problem?”

“Was for me.” He only sounded a little sorry, the bastard. “But your suit works roughly the same, right? So it might be easier for you. And I’ll be there to help you, too.”

“Can’t be too soon,” Valerie grumbled, yanking the first plate loose. After that one, the rest followed in a cascade. “I’m not very excited about the prospects of accidentally blasting my dad in the face with an ectoblast.”

“Yeah, Tucker wasn’t very excited about that either.” Danny loosened her other boot, too. “Although you won’t have to worry about that for a bit. It was a few months before I did my first ectoblast.”

That tickled her competitive side. “Yeah? Funny, because an ectoblast was the first thing I did when I woke up.”

Danny looked up from her leg, frowning. “Oh. Yeah, I guess you did summon two earlier. Maybe we should work on that – you might’ve gotten it earlier because it’s similar to your guns.”

“Joy o joy.” The plates on the other side of her ribs tore off, too. She moved to the ones covering her stomach, now. “We should… probably start working on control soon, then.”

“Probably,” Danny agreed, tearing the last plate of armor off of her legs. He hesitated as he looked her over – she pointed to her back, and he smiled gratefully as he moved over. “I can drop by tonight, if you want? I sneak out of the house all the time for patrols, but Sam and Tucker can handle those for tonight.”

“You’re not afraid that they’ll get hurt?” Working on the plates on her stomach while Danny was at her back wasn’t ideal, but she would make do. “They don’t even have armor, do they?”

“I’m afraid every time one of them goes out,” Danny confessed, quietly. She could hear him shifting, but she couldn’t see him while he was behind her. “And I was afraid every time you went out, too. None of you have – had – ghost powers, but you all keep going out anyway. And that scared me. Because I couldn’t always be there. I couldn’t always keep you safe, especially you, Valerie. Because you wouldn’t let me.”

An uncomfortable silence fell, broken only by the sound of their knives scraping past the remaining bits of armor. Finally Danny broke it again, voice heavy with unshed tears.

“I thought you died, Valerie. And it would’ve been my fault. Because I didn’t beat the ghost fast enough. Because I didn’t catch Cujo before he ruined your life. Because I didn’t stop Vlad before he turned you into a ghost hunter. Into his little puppet.” A sigh, weary. “Because I wasn’t good enough.”

Shit. She wasn’t any good with emotions, with comforting people. But she had to try, at least. Danny was her friend, and he was genuinely broken up about this. Blaming himself for something completely out of his control.

“Danny,” she said, as gently as she could. “Don’t be a fucking idiot.”

She reached behind her to grab his hand – settled for his arm when she caught that instead. She met his eyes over her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, okay? It was my decision to hunt ghosts. I kept going out, knowing how dangerous it could be – how dangerous it is.”

“But–” he started to protest, but she shushed him.

“If anyone is to blame it’s Vlad, alright?” She turned to face him properly, trying to convey the right emotions. “It was Vlad who gave me my first weapons – my first suit. It was Vlad who kept pushing me on and on. If you’re gonna blame anyone, blame him.”

Danny laughed, his stony expression finally breaking. She smiled back. “Alright, alright. I’m fine with blaming Vlad.”

“Good.” She turned forward again, breaking another piece of armor off. They were getting close, now. “Because I just realized that there is another problem.”

“Uh oh.” A snap as Danny took off a part too. “What’s wrong now?”

“My dad.” The last piece went, her torso now free of armor. Just the few on her back and her right arm left. “He knows that I’m the Red Huntress – which you already knew because you revealed my secret identity to him. If I tell everyone that the Red Huntress died, what about him?”

A sound somewhere between a growl and a groan. Then a loud crack as another piece of armor went. “I dunno. You could… tell him that it’s a new feature of your suit? And that you lied about dying as an excuse for your truce with Phantom?”

She snorted as she turned to offer him her arm. She didn’t want to risk stabbing herself by trying to remove it left-handed. “That might just be the worst lie I’ve ever heard, Danny, and I’ve heard you tell a lot of shitty excuses.”

“Yeah, well, what am I supposed to say?” He twisted the knife under one of the plates on her arm. “’Sorry Mr. Lancer, I just gotta go punch Skulker real quick’? I bet that that would go over well.”

“Yeah, ha ha.” She rolled her eyes at him, kicking him gently with her right foot. “But seriously, Danny, how did you tell your parents?”

He froze, knife hovering just above her arm. Why did he–

Oh. The Fentons hunt Phantom. They don’t… they don’t know. They must not know – they love Danny too much to keep it up otherwise.

The guilty expression on Danny’s face confirmed her suspicion.

He never told his parents.

“What the hell– Really, Danny? You didn’t tell them?!” Her fists clenched, and she felt heat building up behind her eyes. Making them glow, no doubt. “Why the fuck not?! Why would you let them hunt you?”

“I–” He fidgeted, then fell silent again. Went back to work, prying off the last bits of armor remaining on her arm. “I never… told anybody. Sam and Tucker were there for my accident. Jazz saw me transform – and then didn’t tell me until like a year later – and Vlad… Yuck. Vlad found out because he punched Phantom until I ran out of energy and transformed back.”

The plate he was working on came loose, and he moved to the last one – the last one beside her glove, that was. “I just… I know I should’ve told them. I almost did so many times. But I… I was scared. Am scared. And I know that they love me more than they hate ghosts, but…”

He fell silent. Valerie let it linger, content to sit in the quiet. The only sound was Danny’s knife scratching along the armor.

“You gotta tell them,” she finally said, as the last piece broke in half and released. “Sooner or later they’ll find out, Danny. Won’t it be better to just tell them, on your own grounds? Instead of having them find out when you get, I don’t know, shot down?”

Danny doesn’t answer, just dug the knife into the glove – loosening the connections so she can take it off. It clicked loose, and finally she was free.

“Yeah, you’re right.” The knife in his hand suddenly fell apart, melting into water. The one Valerie had laid aside followed the same fate. “I guess… I guess I should. Before it’s too late.”

She smiled at him, and he shot her a hesitant grin back. “Good. And I’ll tell my dad as well – about me, that is. Not about you or Dani. Or Vlad, I guess.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Danny scrambled up onto his feet, then offered his hand to her.

She took it, dusting the soot and bits of armor off of herself. “So I’ll see you tonight at my place?”

“Yeah.” He smirked, then shifted to his ghost form – to Phantom. All the ash and dust had disappeared off of him – even his hair was immaculate and white. “See you tonight, Val.”

Then he launched himself off, leaving her to pick her own way back home. She tracked the direction he went, and realized she was just a street away from her apartment in Elmerton.

“Jerk,” she laughed under her breath. Then she walked home, the core in her chest humming in pleasure.

#phic phight #phic phight 19 #danny phantom #valerie gray #danny fenton #dp fanfic #dp fanfiction #phanfic #phanfiction #dark writes #i was staring that this prompt wondering what i wanted to do with it #and my brain went 'halfa valerie' and then that happened #it was gonna be normal length and then Valerie decided to have a really long talk with Danny so #i might've missed some typos and such so lemme know if you spot any #also p sure this one IS my last Phight entry #bc Spider-man happened

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heyheyitsstillgay · 6 years ago

Text

Escaping the Eyes

Phandom Phic Phight Entry #1 based on a prompt from @gottacatchghosts

#TeamGhosts team leader: @ibelieveinahappilyeverafter

Also available on FFN ; Next Entry

Words: 2,411; Status: Complete

Preparing himself as he clicked open the lock, he walked out of the cubicle and over to the sinks.

There it was again. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Adamant to ignore it, he kept his eyes straight, washed and dried his hands and left the room.

It got worse. Contorting his face into a casual bored smirk, he waved to the friends waiting for him. Waved as though his skin wasn't currently trying to crawl away from him.

"Come on man, are you tryin' to make us late?" Called the tall blond, turning away and leading the group down the corridor.

"I'm sorry," Danny retorted, "did you want to arrive at English early? Personally I don't want to be sat at a desk listening to that voice drone on for a single second more than necessary." He snickered.

A sigh escaped the purple lips of the dark haired girl next to him.

"And you wonder why you're failing English."

"Hey! Don't act like you find it remotely interesting. You were complaining about the poetry he's assigned us for the whole of lunch break."

"That's because it's a billion years old written by fancy white guys who weren't even trying to include any of the symbolism we're supposed to be able to see."

"Maybe you're just not looking for their visions hard enough?" Her girlfriend teased.

Despite their apparent running late for class, Dash felt the need to break apart from the front of the group. Of all the gazes on them currently, it was Nathan's he took issue with specifically. How many times did the girl he was unashamedly drooling over have to say no before the geek got the message? Sooner or later the kid was going to get his glasses broken from being stuffed into his locker at the wrong angle. Serves him right. Two less eyes on them. Two out of hundreds.

Needless to say, Danny didn't focus in class. He took his seat, at the far back right, like always. To get as far away from the teachers scrutinising gaze as possible. To get as far away from everyone's dissecting glare as possible. Of course, that feeling was still there. Something still studied him. It was almost tangible, wind clawing through and ruffling his hair. Externally, boredom seemed to weigh him down, slumping backwards in his chair. In reality he was clenching his jaw and leaning away from the stress biting at his neck. Oh my god, can he spend one second not being torn apart, please?

He can't help that he's 'special' or 'better' or 'skilled'. He was born to successful parents, very well off inventors. They have an… interesting hobby. They just had to rope him and his sister into it. He's a Fenton, that comes with intelligence and precision. His dad's gene pool perfect for muscle development, his mom's skills perfect for fighting. Fentons were supposed to be ghost hunters, he'd been raised to defend, protect and fight from a young age. He enjoyed it, learning 'ghost hunting skills' was about the only time he actually saw his parents because they were so busy with the family business.

The school bell was like a starting horn. Sure he'd been roped into being on the football team, how couldn't he with his athleticism? But track had always been one of his favourites. Over the sound of chairs scraping against the floor, he yelled a "Laters!" to his friends as he threw his bag over his shoulder. He bolted out of the door.

Too many, too many, too many. He weaved through the groups of people beginning to form in the hallways. No way was he spending one more moment than necessary here. Sure he loves the friends he's made but, there's always just, so many eyes. So many people. Looking up to him? Watching him? Another one of the cool teens who could have no imperfections. Having to exist around the sheep who ate at his soul with just their stares, day in, day out. A nightmare. It drains him, makes him feel dead on his feet. Slamming out of the doors, smirking in anticipation, he darts behind a shed.

Why? This wasn't right. It was supposed to go away. If he was truly alone then how can he still feel it? His senses are heightened now, he knows that that's why his school life is so much more difficult than it used to be, ever since the accident. His body can't be lying to him about feeling something nearby, if it is then he may go insane.

"Hey Phantom." He scowls as he finally notices the techno-geek crouched in the dirt.

"I told you not to call me that, especially when I look like this. The hell are you doing here Foley?" Calm washes over Danny as Tucker looks back to his PDA.

"Waiting for you. You realise it's painfully obvious that you always hide behind here-"

"I do not hide."

"-after school at every opportunity and that you're never seen leaving this spot either. Sure morons go to this school but I didn't take you for one of them."

Danny knows Tucker doesn't understand him. Sure, the teen was there when it happened but that was all, he was still a nerd. Tucker wants attention from other people, Danny wants to be left to his friends and hobbies without everyone else's judging looks. Thoughts running through their heads, about him, as though they knew anything about him. He used to want to trade places with Tucker, he came across as kind of a loner but he has the ability to blend into the background, to do what he wants without scrutiny from everyone. When people look at Danny, they could be thinking anything about him; jealousy, loathing, admiration, hatred. When people look at Tucker, their eyes gloss over him, no second thoughts needed. When Danny glares at the people who look at him, it's out of envy that they don't know what it's like to live in a constant spotlight. Being in the A-list is so much, too much, it burns, his skin bubbling and melting under the pressure.

"Then what do you suggest?" Danny folds his arms and stands with his shoulders back.

"Dude, mix it up a bit, there are other places to hide in this school. Or just like, walk off school grounds like a normal person and duck into an alleyway on your way home."

"Yeah? Because normal people duck into alleyways?"

Eyes still locked on his PDA, the boy sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

"You're not normal anymore, man. If you're so insistent on hiding yourself then you should make it so no one will guess where to find you." Tucker stood from his spot on the floor and hoisted his backpack on.

"Tsk, whatever." Danny mumbles as he turns away.

No one is looking at him anymore. Otherworldly energy thrummed from within, Danny grasps at it, pacing forward slowly and increasing his speed, light surrounds him as he envelopes himself in the instinct he'd been suppressing all day. Mid-jump, he vanishes.

It's like surfacing from water. He inhales deeply and soars. His hair pushed back by the breeze, body spinning occasionally from the thrill of it all. He doesn't have to look down to know that the earth is moving away from him, or rather, he is pushing free of it. He reaches out his hand above him as the clouds near his fingertips. They don't feel like anything but they were still magnificent. The world morphed to pinks and blues and yellows as he moves through them and drops the invisibility. He doesn't need it anymore. No one could see him up here, he may as well not exist. It's bliss.

The stark green glow of his eyes reflect onto the clouds as he races above them. He can't stop the laugh that escapes his throat, so he doesn't, he doesn't need to.

Time passing is shown by the oranges swarming in the sky. If he pictures the clouds as a couch then he can just lounge among them. It's still too bright out to see the stars but that doesn't bother him much. There's always later, if he awakes at night from the cold again, he can come see the stars then. Some day he's gonna decide to be stupid enough to go further and see how close he can get to touching them without killing himself again like a total imbecile. Is it supposed to be worrying that he looks forward to it? He doesn't think he's meant to. Death has had a strange beauty and grace ever since he became part ghost about four months ago. It's so much happier than he expected it to be when he was human. Times like these, getting away from it all, makes him want to go through another tomorrow, to do it again. He has so much hope, he wants to stay here forever.

He doesn't, obviously. He has to eat at some point. Remind his parents, hilariously, that he's not dead.

He doesn't change back to his other form when he reaches the ground. Just casually strolls around as if the fact that he's glowing shouldn't be a big deal. He curls into himself to keep from being too recognisable as his human counterpart. No one gives him a second glance. It's like he's still invisible. He didn't try this for the first two months after the accident but since the beginning, other ghosts have been popping up everywhere. His parents have been overjoyed with the hunt, regular people give them a wide berth and try to pretend like the dead aren't floating among them.

He loves that. Doesn't even have to be invisible for people to look through him now. A blanket of calm envelops him for the whole walk. Arms hanging loose at his side, he takes in the beauty of the sky and trees from the ground and grins to himself. He doesn't notice any other ghosts on his way back, which is kind of a shame. Danny loves hanging out with the spirits, no one around even stops to wonder what they're doing, too busy backing away attempting to give them as much space as possible. It was Saturday tomorrow, he'd normally meet up with Ember and her friends and mess around on the high-street. He'll have to find something else to do this weekend though, she's been super busy working on an upcoming album for the human world. Danny had promised he'd tell his human friends about it, spread the hype around Casper High. She'd jumped at the idea, offering backstage passes for himself and his friends. He'd had to turn her down of course, there's no way he's being spotted with VIP passes to a concert as Fenton when he could hang from the rafters and prat around as a Phantom instead.

It's odd how he can sense that more people look at him as Fenton than they do when he's Phantom. He could float into Nasty Burger via the wall and the people inside would actually try to avoid his gaze. Thrilling.

His stroll home is quiet, even the voices in his head are calm. There are never more than two pairs of eyes on him at a time. Even then they always look away quickly. Transforming back in the alleyway by the side of his house, he scales the drain pipe to get into his room.

It's funny how much he enjoys being at his house too. There's a basement full of devices being designed to hunt things like him. It doesn't bother him, it's the portal in that room that makes it all worth it.

He's been there before, the first time was about a month after the accident. Spirits live there, they're actual people, a whole manner of shapes, but they all glow, like him. They glance at him with only mild curiosity and then they move on with their afterlives. Understanding is beginning to form for his parents obsession. It's like a whole other world. Green as far as you can see but there's more to it than that. So many greens, so many shapes and textures and things with purposes he can't even begin to comprehend. He really wants to though.

The beings there speak in a strange language too, he's heard them, is somehow able to understand them. Crowded around the portal, he's overheard rumours. Someone said they saw a being that was half ghost half human. It took a moment to think, maybe that's what he was? Everyone around the ghost who spoke about it laughed though.

"A creature of both worlds, you say?" They had been shaking their head in disbelief, "don't be ridiculous, something like that couldn't truly exist."

In a moment of courage and curiosity, Danny had nudged a child at the edge of the group, the boy was dressed like a wizard, a skeletal owl perched upon his shoulder.

"Y'know," Danny whispered, "I'm a human who can make myself look like a ghost, what does that make me?"

The kid who was already holding back giggles about the current topic burst into all out laughter. He curled his knees up into his chest as tears formed in his eyes.

"Stop it! That's so silly!" the boy exclaimed.

"No, I'm serious, I can." Danny smiled.

"Yeah?" said the boy, his eyes shone "Wanna play a game with it?"

The boy, Youngblood he called himself, ended up dressed like an Olympic racer. They spent an hour or so running back and forth across a long floating rock. "Running on our feet of all things!" Youngblood had laughed, both moving as though gravity affected them. Danny even let him win a few times. He made a new friend. The best bit? Anyone who noticed, didn't care. This was his life now, no one back home would figure any of it out just by looking at him.

Ghosts didn't think he was anything special. He could be invisible just like the rest of them. He could be himself and he knew none of them even cared. Didn't even believe he was human, Youngblood had decided he could shape-shift, Danny had shrugged his shoulders and went along with it when the kid told anyone.

His human friends were fun. His ghost friends made him feel free.

Based on GottaCatchGhosts' Prompt - A-lister Danny Fenton likes to relax on his days off by hanging out around town as his nobody counterpart, Danny Phantom. (basically, an AU where fenton is popular and phantom isn't.)

I accidentally glazed over the "on his days off" parts and only dedicated two paragraphs to "hanging out" whoops, hope it's okay

#phic phight #phic phight 2019 #phic phight 19 #own post #owly writes #danny phantom #danny fenton #a-lister danny! au #[sam and tucker were there for the portal accident but were only around his house for a group project]#[yes sam is an a-lister too i rubbed my greedy goblin hands over this au to add some casual goth princess because i can]#i can't think of any warnings that apply but let me know if ive done messed up #teamghosts #ficlet

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thederailedtrain · 7 years ago

Text

The Magic Shop: Chaos [Two]

Teleporting via chaos magic was much different than the kind of transference spells Kira was used to. It was exhilarating, like speeding down the highway in a convertible, but frightening at the same time. There was a kind of intrinsic fear to it; fear that she might just wind up in any corner of the city, maybe even the world. Kira had to actively fight against her instinct to dissipate the spell with her neutral magic.

When they finally landed, Kira blinked the darkness from her eyes. For just a second, she swore she could see New York in ruins, a black mist swirling through the field just like the dream. But then she blinked one more time and her vision cleared to show the Central Park she knew.

There was something eerie about the Great Lawn at night, particularly when it was empty like this. Then again, it probably had something to do with the dark magic that swirled through every corner of the field.

Where are they? A voice whispered in her mind. Many voices, even her own, echoing the same statement. She knew they were there, she could sense them, but for the life of her couldn’t figure out their exact location. And by the time she figured out why, a very familiar laugh echoed through the lawn.

“You’re right on time,” Jasper sing-songed. “Oh, this is going exactly like we planned.”

Instantly, Kira could hear Gus growl on her right and sink into a crouch. His eyes glowed amber in the dark. He wasn’t the only one preparing for a showdown. All kinds of magic swirled around her as each Otherworlder gathered their strength.

“Come on,” He continued, voice somehow coming from everywhere at once. “Why don’t you just give it up now? Fate’s already sealed.”

A sudden swell of chaos magic burst from the trees, barreling towards the group. But just before it could hit, it crashed against an invisible wall. When the dark mist cleared, Kira could see Siobhan standing with a hand outstretched.

“Speaking as a clairvoyant, I wouldn’t be too sure of yourself, dear,” She spoke. The dim light of the park made it hard to see, but Kira could feel the sure grin on her face through the link. “And I’m confident we won’t be the ones on the wrong side of history.”

A laugh came from somewhere nearby, then suddenly it was all around them. That damn Harbinger laugh was never more terrifying than when it was issued by several dozen of them at the same time.

“It’s history! It’s not something that has sides!” Dustin cackled, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

“No, history only has victors, and they’re the ones who get to write it. I think Winston Churchill said that,” Jasper picked up before anyone could. “And tonight, we’ll be the ones making history.”

While Kira braced for another surge of chaos magic from the trees around them, she realized a second too late that her attention was misplaced. Sure, the Harbingers were preparing to loose spells of their own, but worrying about which one might fire on them first distracted her from another upwelling of energy. One that came from the very earth below them. Kira wanted to shout a warning, but she could already feel her panic reaching out to the others in the mental link. She watched several people try to brace themselves, but only Gus had the reflexes to jump out of the way in time.

With a loud crack, the ground split apart. Roots sprung up from tears in the earth, whipping around in every direction. Several people fell to the ground, but Kira and a few others managed to regain their footing. The magic felt familiar, and Cedric hiss of Mill across her mind only confirmed her suspicions. Even though he hadn’t said it aloud, Kira could still feel every ounce of malice in his tone.

Mill’s attack hadn’t really hurt anyone, but it had done exactly what he’d intended. With their formation broken, Harbingers suddenly sprang forwards from the shadows. Suddenly, everyone had broken off into fights against one or more Harbingers. Within seconds, the Great Lawn became a battlefield.

A cloud of chaos magic sailed towards Kira, and she raised a shield on reflex. She’d been fighting Harbingers for so many months now, it was practically instinctual. The realization of what this battle truly was hit her a moment later. They had to reach the Harbinger stronghold and take the grimoire back. This fight was only a distraction and Kira knew it. Even holding a shield here was a taking time she could be using to Belvedere Castle.

Across a haze of smoke and magic, Kira’s eyes met Cedric’s. She wasn’t sure if it was a subconscious message he’d sent through the link, or if had been hers. All she knew was that she didn’t a telepathy spell to understand what his look was trying to tell her.

Go, Cedric’s eyes said, I can take care of things here.

That was all the invitation Kira needed to drop her shield and begin running towards the other end of the lawn. Gus was at her side a second later, along with Salazar.

It didn’t take long for the Harbingers to catch on. Some followed after her, hurling all kinds of magic in her direction. Before Kira could summon up her shield once more, Salazar’s voice carried through her thoughts. Let me handle these guys, he told her.

As much as she wanted to protest - Salazar was supposed to be the one they were protecting, not the other way around - it took five seconds of watching him fight to realize that he was probably right. He could channel neutral magic much faster than Kira, dispelling blasts of energy before they got halfway to them. At one point, Salazar made a complex hand motion, then thrust his palm outward. His spell took no visible form, but Kira watched as it pierced through each of the Harbinger’s spells like the blade of a lance.

The power of the spell both awed Kira, and made her a little wary, a nervousness she soon attributed to her fear for Salazar’s wellbeing. She could sense the slight increase in his heartbeat through the link, and when she turned his way, she could see tendrils of black peaking out from under his jacket and slowly crawling up the side of his neck.

This was the power of the Mark of Mixba’al, Kira knew instinctively. And then another thought came to her before she could stop it. Don’t burn yourself out, Kira warned. The way Salazar’s knowledge of the Mark bled into hers only served to increase her worry for him. He shouldn’t be drawing so much from it this early into the battle. They still needed him to neutralize whatever ritual the Harbingers had already started. There was no way Kira could do it on her own.

I’ll be fine, Salazar tried to assure her, shooting her a breezy smile. This is nothing. But it was impossible for him to completely hide his feelings when their thoughts were linked like this.

Kira was so deep in her thoughts, in Salazar’s thoughts, she nearly missed the shadows materializing in front of her. She stopped short, throwing up a shield as she did. Half a second later, three different spells crashed into it at once. The Harbinger’s magic was already growing stronger, drawing from the chaos of the fight, and Kira need a second hand to maintain the shield against their next volley.

Once there was a moment of pause, Kira dropped the spell. It felt like she’d been holding her breath and she was finally able to inhale again. Kira sincerely hoped that was due to all the running. She refused to entertain the other option.

Standing on the other side of the dark magic cloud was a Dustin, two other Harbingers at his sides. He laughed as he sized up the group before him, particularly when he noticed Kira’s heavy breathing.

“Come on! The party’s just started and you’re already ghosting?” Dustin cried.

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Salazar spoke up. For someone in the midst of a battle that could decide the fate of the entire magical community, he seemed surprisingly unfazed. “Forgive me, I’m an octogenarian. Keeping up with the hip lingo gets harder when you’re this old.”

For once, it looked like Dustin had absolutely no idea what to say. He just kind of stared at Salazar like he couldn’t figure out if he was lying. Taking advantage of his lapse in concentration, Salazar fired off a spell. It managed to push Dustin back several feet, but he remained standing.

But that might be enough, Kira realized. She looked to both Gus and Salazar and understood that they were on the same page. A quick glance ahead told Kira they were only almost halfway to the castle. If they could just keep pushing forward, they could keep getting closer to their end goal.

“Oh, you’re a tricky old bastard, aren’t you?” Dustin shook a finger at him, then suddenly launched an attack on Salazar. The look on his face was no longer a smirk, but a brutal grimace.

His companions didn’t waste any time joining the fray. The girl facing off against Kira was unusually fast at teleportation, which she used to fire off quick spells before dodging Kira’s. Thankfully, that meant most of her attacks were weak, and Kira was a quick caster herself. It was easy to defend against, but difficult to launch a counterattack. She wasn’t going to get any nearer to the castle like this.

If only she could figure out where the Harbinger would show up next. It wasn’t like there was any pattern to her movement, and Kira couldn’t exactly guess randomly without potentially hitting one of her allies...But she could look into where the Harbinger might wind up. Her clairvoyance - she’d never used it in battle before, but now seemed as good a time as any.

Closing her eyes, Kira built a shield around herself. If she wanted to do this, she was going to have to block out everything. That meant the sounds of battle both nearby and far away. The dozens of other people’s thoughts swirling around her head. The small bursts of magical energy ricocheting off her shield.

It all faded out until Kira was left with nothing but her thoughts. But all she found waiting in her mind was darkness. Searching around, she spotted a glimmer that could’ve been something. However, the harder she concentrated on it, the less she saw, like an afterimage of looking into a bright light.

No, Kira reminded herself, that wasn’t how divination magics worked. She faced away from the glimmer, let it tell her what to do. Slowly, she could feel her free arm raising of its own volition. The timing on this needed to be perfect - or close to it.

Unconsciously, Kira felt herself release the shield, turning at the same moment and loosing the spell from her other hand. Only then did Kira open her eyes to find that her attack had struck true. The female Harbinger lay on the ground, groaning, and Kira threw a quick sleep spell at her before she could shrug off the hit. Okay, that was one down, now she just needed to get back to the task at hand.

A stream of thought that was cut off a second later by a searing pain in her shoulder. No, not her shoulder - this was someone else’s pain she was feeling. It was Gus’s pain. His cry reached her ears a second later, and she turned to watch him tumble across the grass before suddenly digging his claws in the ground to correct his posture. He turned from the Harbinger he had been fighting to hiss a warning at whoever decided to attack him while his back was turned.

That hiss turned into a full-blown growl when he spotted just who it was. Of course it was Bryce. Who else?

The bastard laughed as he strode forwards, waving his hands like a professor indicating to the class to sit. “Down, boy,” Bryce taunted, prompting another growl from Gus. “Ooh, a display of aggression. Going raise your hackles at me next? Because you could probably stand to make yourself look bigger.”

Gus actually balked at him, holding a hand up. “Do you lot all share an insult book or something? That’s gotta be the sixth time one of you’s tried making dog jokes at me.”

“They are a little tired, I’ll give you that,” Bryce shrugged, his look slowly fading into a smirk. “But, hey, isn’t your girlfriend’s degree in animal behavior? I’m sure I could just ask-”

A pulse of anger ripped through Gus, hot and violent, threatening to tear him apart from the inside out. “Don’t you dare threaten Sophie!” Gus’s voice was so gravelly, he almost didn’t recognize it as his own. It took him a few breaths to reign himself back, and even then, he could feel that rage bubbling just beneath the surface.

Far from looking threatened, or even a little intimidated, Bryce just seemed pleased. “Ooh, so you really are a werewolf,” He feigned mild surprise. “I was beginning to wonder.”

“There isn’t an eclipse to hold me back this time,” Gus warned.

A sudden wave of fire passed over Gus’s head, stopping him from saying whatever was going to come out of his mouth next. He turned in the direction of the magic, already knowing what he was going to see. It was Kira, gaze locked onto something beyond his shoulder. The Harbinger he’d been fighting earlier, if he was understanding her thoughts correctly. Apparently the guy had tried to go after him while he was focused on Bryce. Sounded about right.

Don’t worry about me, Gus tried to tell her. Kira said nothing, and Gus was almost worried he hadn’t gotten through. Still, he could see her worry for him - he could feel it. She cared about his well being, that part was obvious, but she couldn’t hide her apprehension about his control. No doubt his best friend had caught that surge of animalistic rage earlier. But this was bigger than him, and Kira had to understand that. Besides, Gus went on. You’re the one with the more important mission here.

At that, Kira’s gaze flickered over to the castle. He could see it through her eyes. The massive structure hadn’t gotten any closer since the last time she’d looked at it.

Are you sure? Kira’s voice finally reached his mind and he grinned his assurance. Without another word whispered across their minds, she looked to Salazar. They both nodded once before running ahead once more.

Just trust me, Gus told her as she ran off. He finally turned back to Bryce, his grin widening into a proper snarl. I’ve got it handled.

#writing #my writing #the magic shop #n: the magic shop #katie writes sometimes

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