#but cannot find him

[wolfjackle-creates]

The Two Ghost Motel Chapter 4 (Final)

Finally finished the editing on this one!

Story Summary:

Danny is tired. Endless ghost fights with too many responsibilities and too little time; he barely passed sophomore year. When Ember visits town for a bit of fun, she mentions the Two Ghost Motel, a place of peace and refuge for restless ghosts who aren't ready to cross over. “I’m fine, Ember.” Danny’s got a home and friends. He’s fine, really. But when his parents begin experimenting with electricity to destabilize ghosts, it’s too much for Danny. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Tucker can host him for the night and he’s left wandering in the night, alone. Then he sees it: The Two Ghost Motel. He checks in. “Welcome.”

AO3 Link

Tumblr: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Word Count: 5.6k

Warnings: Minor Original Character Death

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Danny ran, hand tight around Jay’s, ignoring his friend’s attempts to stop him.

He didn’t even slow when Jay yelled, “What happened? What was that ball that fell when Matt disappeared?”

All Danny knew was that they had to get away. So he kept going, dragging Jay with him. Within moments, they were at the sign. Only… Amity didn’t wait for them across the sidewalk.

Nothing waited for them at the edge of the parking lot. Just a thick fog that blocked sight of everything past the boundary of the motel property. His head spun, looking in all directions for some sort of break in the barrier, but there was none. Desperate, he shot an ectoblast at the fog, hoping the light would help him see what was past it, only for it to fizzle upon making contact.

His core thrummed in fear and he shot a more powerful blast, but the same thing happened.

“Phantom!” shouted Jay. “Answer me!”

“We’re trapped,” said Danny. Carefully, he reached out a hand. An invisible barrier stopped him from pushing into the fog. He could no more cross the boundary out of the motel than he could’ve walked through walls before his accident.

“What happened to Matt?”

“He— He was Ended, Jay.” Danny turned so he was facing his friend. He was glad the goggles hid the fact that he was tearing up, but they also prevented him from wiping them away. The world blurred around him. “This place, it’s sucking away the life force of ghosts. That’s probably why I’ve been so tired lately. It’s stealing my strength. Trying to wipe us out until there’s nothing left and we fade. Like Matt. And most likely Alan and Tom before him.”

Jay took a step back and glared at him. “Then what are we doing out here?”

“Getting out, of course! This place will kill us!”

“We’ve both been there, done that. And we can’t just leave everyone else here while we run off to save ourselves. We’ve got to save them all.”

Danny opened his mouth to protest. He wanted to go home. Jazz and his parents and Sam and Tucker would be worried sick. Jay needed to get out, too. He could come back with weapons, better prepared.

But if they got out, would he even be able to find his way back? Would escaping mean leaving all the ghosts he’d seen to their fate? His shoulders slumped. “You’re right. Of course you are. Sorry, seeing Matt’s core shatter like that… No. I won’t let it happen to anyone else if I can stop it.”

Jay’s eyes widened. “That was his core? The thing you told me about before?”

“Yeah…” Danny sighed and looked back towards the motel. He didn’t want to get a single step closer to the building, but it couldn’t be helped.

“How do you think it’s eating people?” asked Jay.

Danny held his hands out. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of something like this before.”

Jay grinned at him. “Then I guess we’ll just have to figure that out. And we’ll stop it. Then we’ll free everyone. And then we can go home to the people who are waiting for us.”

Danny huffed out a laugh and slipped his hand into his pocket where he gripped the bouncy ball. “You make it sound so easy.”

Jay grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in the direction of the hotel. “Not easy, but it is simple. Now, let’s go check out the roof like we’d planned. Just, instead of looking for records, we’ll be looking for what makes this place tick. Once— Once we’ve got everyone out, then we can grieve for Alan and Matt and Tom.”

“You’re right. I’ll be okay. We have to get out first.”

Jay nodded, and the rest of the journey to the roof was made in silence. By unspoken agreement, they avoided the passage where Matt and Alan once played jacks and flew to the roof.

Once in position, Jay pointed to a vent. “This is what I used to crawl in. I can show you the passage that leads to the main office. I didn’t explore much beyond that, though.”

“Then we’ll start with the office before branching off to see where else they lead.”

Jay grinned at him and removed the grate. He was much more efficient and quiet at it than Danny would’ve been.

Without waiting, he dove in, leaving Danny to scrabble after him. He grit his teeth and bit back the scolding he wanted to give. Jay did know the way, so having him lead made sense. Mostly the vents looked like what he’d expect from movies, however thin, ectoplasm-green tendrils wound their way through the metal. Jay didn’t waste time, so Danny couldn’t examine them too closely, but it looked like they were almost part of the metal rather than something added to it.

In the end, they arrived at the grate near the ceiling of the main office in less than two minutes. The path had only branched twice and both times, they took the right passage.

Jay pushed himself to the side and Danny took advantage of his intangibility to squeeze in next to him. From the grate, they could see the receptionist frozen in her default position. Only one ghost was sitting on the couch, and another was standing by the vending machine.

The door would be set below them in the same wall to the left. It wouldn’t take more than a handful of steps to reach, but the receptionist would have to be incapacitated or distracted if they were to make it.

Danny caught Jay’s eyes and jerked his thumb back to indicate they should back up. This time, Danny took the lead. It gave him the chance to examine the green tendrils, but they seemed to be flush with the vent. With his gloves on, he could detect no difference in texture or temperature between the regular metal of the vent and the tendrils.

When they reached the point where the vents branched, Danny led them down the way they hadn’t gone before. However it was disappointing. It led along the the length of the motel and branched into the guest rooms. First floor rooms had outputs near the ceiling; second floor rooms had them near the floor.

They reached the end of the path without finding anything useful. Jay led them back, and the remaining branch of ventilation was a mirror of the first. By the time they had explored everything and returned to the roof, night had fully set in.

“We have to get past the receptionist, don’t we?” asked Jay.

“I can’t think of anything else to do,” admitted Danny.

Jay nodded. “So how do we do this?”

“I’ll go through the front door, you go through the vent.”

“Ugh, I never get to do the fun things.”

Danny bumped their shoulders. “If you had the proper training, I’d totally take you in guns blazing. But you don’t and we don’t have the weaponry available for you to make up for it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Jay pouted, but continued, “So what next?”

“I’ll fight the receptionist. As soon as you get an opening, I want you to jump down from the vent and get through the door. Do not go further than you have to until I can join you, though.”

“Wish I could use powers like yours. Do you have any backup weapons for yourself?”

Danny waved him off. “I’ll be fine. And you need them more than I do.”

“You know, it’s a bad idea to rely on powers so much. What if something happens and you can’t use them?”

Danny shrugged. “I’ve always figured it out.”

“So far,” retorted Jay.

He sighed. “I’ll keep it in mind. Now, let’s split. Don’t do anything until I have the receptionist’s attention entirely on me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Worrywart.” Jay turned and retreated back into the vent.

Danny shook his head and flew off the side of the building to enter the office. This time, he didn’t pay any attention to the ghosts in the room. He stalked right up to the front desk and slammed his hand down with his key.

“I’m checking out.”

The receptionist didn’t respond. A glance up at the vent assured him Jay was in position.

“I said—” Danny picked up the key and slammed it down on top of the ledger “—that I’m checking out.”

Sure enough, touching her precious book was enough to wake the receptionist. Her from transformed once more: hair transforming into flames, eyes going red, and hands changing into claws.

“I told you before: You do. Not. Touch. My book!” The last words rose to an inhuman screech.

“Then let me leave!” yelled Danny back.

Smoke came out of her nose as her eyes narrowed. She leaned down, getting her face close to his. Her teeth were pointed and green not-ectoplasm dripped from them. “You will never leave,” she growled.

Danny rose into the air to even out their height difference. “Oh, you will regret trying to hold me captive. I’ve fought scarier things than you.” He shot a blast of ice at her and dove out of the way of her return fire.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jay phase through the vent grate and land in a silent crouch on the floor. For a moment, it looked like he had a yellow cape and a black mask over his eyes. Danny blinked and he was once again in jeans and a t-shirt and gripping the knife.

He couldn’t let himself get distracted. He took several running steps in the opposite direction to keep her attention on him.

“You might be on fire, but your aim sure isn’t!” he quipped as he ducked another attack. Danny shot an ectoblast at her face and immediately followed it up with a sharp spike of ice.

She dodged the ectoblast, but the ice pierced her chest. The receptionist let out a cry of pain as Danny laughed in celebration.

The door behind the receptionist banged shut as Jay succeeded in running past her. The noise caught the receptionist’s attention. “Who’s there?” she demanded.

The distraction was just enough. Danny pulled out his thermos and aimed. She was sucked in and Danny ran after his friend.

“You made it!” exclaimed Jay, lowering the knife as soon as he recognized Danny.

Danny grinned and spun the thermos. “Yep. She’s in soup time.”

Jay groaned. “That’s terrible. Is that really what you call it?”

“Damn right it is!” said Danny. He clipped it back on his hip. “So where are we now?” They were in at the top of a set of old, wooden stairs. A single bare light bulb illuminated the landing they were on, but the bottom of the stairs was cloaked in darkness. “Ready to see what’s down there?”

Jay bumped shoulders with him. “Let’s do this and then we can get home.”

Danny lit up his hand with ectoplasm just as he had earlier that day and took the first step. The wood groaned under him. He immediately rose up a few inches. “Fly. I don’t know if it’ll hold our weight,” said Danny.

The stairs went down farther and farther. A hand on the walls confirmed these were also warded against ghosts so they had no option but to continue on the path.

“How far down do you think these go?” asked Jay.

Danny shrugged. “We’ll find out, I suppose.”

Finally they reached the end. The floor was uneven cement and more not-ectoplasm dripped down the walls. A few feet in front of them stood a metal door.

“Do you think this one will open?” asked Danny quietly.

“Won’t know until we try it,” Jay whispered back.

“Get your knife out. And listen to me if it comes to a fight. I’m the one with experience in ghost fights.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”

Danny wanted to glare at him, but he knew from experience it was pointless with his suit. Only Sam, Tucker, and Jazz could reliably read his expressions as Phantom. Pure willpower was the only thing that kept his hand steady as he reached for the handle.

To his surprise, it turned easily under his hand. The door squeaked loudly as it opened.

A large basement room sat behind the door. In the middle, possibly growing from the floor or else sunk into it, sat a giant ectoplasm-green, pulsating mass. From it sprouted what looked like roots that were sunk into the very foundation of the motel. Some were thin, barely thicker than a pencil, but others were as thick as a tree trunk.

“This is what those things in the vents were,” breathed Danny. Something about the mass drew him closer and he took a step forward.

Jay grabbed his arm to hold him back. “We don’t know what it is,” he hissed.

“This is only the second time one of my victims has learned about me,” a voice echoed through the room.

The sound reverberated through Danny’s bones and his core thrummed with it. He didn’t know if he wanted to run towards it or far, far away. “What are you?” demanded Danny. He rose into the air and took a fighting stance. Jay remained on the ground, but had the knife in his hand, blade out.

Discordant laughter rang through the room. “I am the motel. It’s buildings and grounds but an extension of me, just like the bit of me that you tried to contain in that device you carry.”

“The receptionist?” asked Jay. “Is that why she’s so creepy?”

“There is no ‘she’; there is only me. I chose this form to entice ghosts to come visit. And it has worked better than I could have ever dreamed.”

The reminder had Danny tensing. “I won’t let you end any more ghosts!”

The thing laughed again, louder this time; the entire room shook with it. Danny wanted to slam his hands over his ears but held his position. It spoke again, “I’ve been here since before you were born, let alone died. Do you really think you can stop me? No. The last ghost to figure out what I was made a deal with me and I let him go. If you can think of a good enough trade, perhaps I’ll let you go, too. But the rest are mine.”

Jay, just loud enough for Danny to hear, said, “I don’t think it can move from that spot.”

Danny turned his attention to the ground. It was true, the being bulged around the floor where it was positioned. And the tendrils had obviously not changed position since the floor and walls had been built.

“What are you?” asked Danny again.

“I am what happens when creatures are born between life and death.”

“Oooh-kay. Got it, dude. But, like, do you have a name?” Danny ignored the way Jay snickered at his question.

The creature spoke with a boy’s voice, “I’m Matt!” Then, in a different voice, said, “I’m Alan.” Its voice got deeper and older said, “I’m also Tom.” Then the names and voices came faster and faster. Too fast to understand with some male, some female, and in many different languages.

As the voices overlapped, they also became louder. Before Danny could think of anything to do, Jay slapped his hands over his ears and shouted, “Enough!”

The creature stopped. “You asked,” it said in its original inhuman voice.

“Something I regret, not gonna lie,” said Danny.

“You can make me a deal or you can join the ones you’re searching for now. It makes no difference to me.”

“What deal did you make last time?”

The thing laughed again and next to him Jay tensed. “Had he not also been born between worlds like me—like you—I would not have listened to him at all.”

“I’m nothing like you!” protested Danny.

“We were both created between Death and Life. We are more alike than you know.”

Jay growled next to him. “Yeah, but he gives a shit about people and you eat them. I think that matters more than whatever similarities you think you have.”

“Tiny ghost. You’re already more than half mine. Soon you will join the rest of them. I’ve taken so much from you already, so much you don’t remember.”

“The deal!” shouted Danny to bring its attention away from Jay. “What was it?”

“Yes, the deal. Plasmius has been a very good help to me. He promised to send other ghosts my way. I’ve never fed so well in my life. So many of my rooms are occupied now. I had to add on more just for all those that have found me thanks to him.”

Danny flew back a foot involuntarily. Vlad had helped this thing? Was Vlad the entire reason the motel had made it’s way to Amity in the first place?

He shook himself. It didn’t matter. He could deal with Vlad later. Right now, he had to get everyone away from this monster.

“If that’s what you’re after, we will never have a deal.”

“Then I’ll take your power. How much greater will I be if I gorged on a prince, I wonder?”

Before Danny could even question the statement, one of the creatures tentacles tore out of the floor under them, sending cement flying.

“Jay!” Danny called as he saw his friend get tossed up; but Jay caught himself mid-air and gave Danny a grin and a thumbs up.

Danny nodded back and shaped an ectoblast into a blade that he shot at the tentacle even as it raced towards him. The appendage was torn in two, spraying him with more of the not-ectoplasm. He was grateful his suit kept it from actually touching him. His mask even filtered out most of the smell, though not quite all.

Jay was far enough away that he avoided being splashed. “Dude, you reek. Can’t you get a shower down here or something?”

Danny laughed. “If the sprinkler system reached down here, would it release water or more of that rotten ectoplasm or whatever it is?”

With a wordless yell, another tentacle yanked free of its confines, sending concrete falling from the ceiling.

Danny dove at Jay, pushing them both just out of the way. He sent another ectoblade at it and this time they were both sprayed with its blood. Jay cried out in pain as it hit him.

“Shit, sorry!” Danny set Jay down. “Are you okay?”

Jay grit his teeth and nodded. “I’ll be fine. But I don’t think this knife is going to do much.”

Danny winced and threw up a shield as another tentacle pulled loose and a chunk of the ceiling nearly hit them. He formed an icicle and pinned the attacking appendage to the wall. Already he could feel himself getting tired and the fight had only just started.

“Can you make me a weapon out of ice?” asked Jay as he watched to make sure the pinned tentacle stayed trapped.

“Good idea!” Still maintaining the shield with one hand, Danny used the other to make an ice sword. He put extra focus into making the edge as sharp as he possibly could. “Will this do?”

Jay grinned at him and took it. “Fuck yeah!”

“Careful, blade’s sharp!”

The monster was clearly done letting them fool around. The floor shook as it pulled free two more large tentacles and hit the shield hard from both sides. Danny threw out his other hand and poured as much power as he could into maintaining the shield.

“I can’t keep this up for long,” he warned Jay through gritted teeth. “Hold onto me and I’ll drop the shield and fly us away.”

“Got it.” Jay wrapped his left arm around Danny’s stomach so they were facing opposite directions and held on tight. With his right hand, he held the sword out, ready to attack.

Another roar echoed, followed by a blast of flames.

Danny cursed and the double onslaught of flames and tentacles shattered his shield. He sent blasts of ice to block as much of the fire as he could, but he and Jay both screamed when they were burned by what he couldn’t stop.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he shot another ectoblade at a tentacle. This time, it only sliced halfway through before dissipating.

Jay had better luck and managed to cut the other one with his sword. Only to let out another yell when its blood splattered both of them.

Some landed on an area where the fire had burned through his suit and it felt like acid on the wound. Danny turned them both invisible and dragged Jay away, sending a wave of healing ice over both of their bodies to soothe the injuries.

“Thanks,” said Jay.

“We need to come up with a strategy,” said Danny.

“I think it’s sitting in something. A crack in the ground, looks like it’s filled with more of that green stuff.”

“What?” Danny turned to look, only to trip over one of the small tendrils.

“Found you!” yelled the creature as it pulled free another three larger tentacles.

Danny dropped the invisibility and focused on keeping the any debris from hitting them while Jay hacked at the tentacles with the sword. Danny used shields to block as much of the blood splatter as he could, though a few bursts of pain on areas where his suit was damaged and curses from Jay proved he wasn’t entirely successful.

The movement of the monster did allow Danny to see what Jay meant, however. The floor surrounding it was being torn up as much as everywhere else and, through the destruction, he could see the tell-tale swirling green of a portal.

“It’s sitting in a portal,” breathed Danny. “Half in this world, half in the zone.”

The moment’s distraction was all it needed, however. Danny yelled in surprise as a tentacle wrapped around him and lifted him high into the air.

“Phantom!” yelled Jay who rushed forward, sword raised, oblivious to the tentacle behind him.

“Behind you!” Danny shouted back.

Jay spun, slashing with his sword, but it was too late. He was captured, too. The weapon fell from his grasp as his arms were bound tight to his sides.

“Jay!” called Danny again. But the tentacle holding him rotated so he could no longer see his friend. Instead, he faced the giant mass that took up the center of the room.

In it opened a crack. Flames escaped the gap which widened as Danny was dragged closer. As it shifted, however, the ground cracked around it, making the portal more visible. Danny watched as it sunk a few inches.

“I’ve got you now, young prince! And a nice little bird for desert after.” The creature’s echoing laugh was going to feature in Danny’s nightmares, he just knew it.

Danny twisted and squirmed, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t shake loose. Not even his intangibility let him phase through the appendage holding him captive. He closed his eyes and reached for his core. His power levels were low, much lower than they should’ve been, but he pulled anyway and aimed through his feet.

The ectoblast hit the ground at the edge of the portal, sending chunks of cement and dirt falling into the Zone.

It laughed again. “How did you manage to win your position with aim that poor?”

Danny laughed. “Oh, you wish I’d missed.” He yanked on his core again and shot another ectoblast at the ground. More crumbled away and the creature sank a few feet into the portal.

The monster roared and every tentacle not holding onto it’s prisoners jammed into the walls and ceiling to hold itself steady. Chunks of the already damaged building fell all around them. Danny cried out as he was hit hard on the head with a slab of cement.

Cries that were echoed by Jay.

“You okay, birdie?” shouted Danny. His transformation threatened to wash over him, but he grit his teeth and pushed it back. He could do this. He needed to do this.

“Just peachy,” was the terse reply.

Danny didn’t bother replying, just closed his eyes, gathered as much power as he could, and let out one more ectoblast. This time, several feet of flooring broke apart and fell through the portal, destabilizing enough that the creature was relying on his anchors to the building to keep from falling through.

The tentacle holding Danny loosened its grip just enough to allow him to pull free. He turned to Jay only to find he’d also escaped.

“What have you done?” screamed the monster as the building shook above them. The tentacles that had been holding Jay and Danny also shot forth to dig into the ceiling, but that only succeeded in it destabilizing further.

Now the holes were big enough to see through and so much of the building was crumbling that the creature was clearly struggling to keep its grip. Every movement just pulled down more of the building around them.

“Come on!” called Jay. “There’s a door over there!”

Danny grabbed his hand and turned them both intangible to avoid as much of the collapsing building as possible. It didn’t entirely work—some of the pieces hit them despite their intangibility—but it kept them from being completely buried.

Jay reached for the handle and it didn’t turn. “Fuck,” he cried.

Without letting go of his hand, Danny pushed him behind him and thought back to the martial arts lessons his mom had given him when he was younger. He kicked the door.

It shook in its frame, but held solid.

He grit his teeth and tried again. He felt a pull coming from behind him and looked over his shoulder. What the creature wasn’t knocking into the portal with it’s struggles was being sucked in.

“Shit!” cried Danny. He kicked the door again. On the fourth try, it finally gave. Though that could’ve been because half the wall next to it also collapsed. Danny didn’t care and flew through, dragging Jay behind him.

Instantly, he recognized the hallway. It was the one he and Jay had explored earlier, and the door he’d broken down, the one they couldn’t get through. He pushed forward, though it was getting harder to fly against the pull of the portal.

“Hurry up!” cried Jay.

Danny didn’t turn to look, just kept going. They were at the stairs and he was going up. He didn’t slow as they approached the door, just flew right through it. Luckily it let them.

He veered right, making his way to the parking lot and the entrance to the motel property. They had to make it through this time. From the corner of his eye, he could see the motel collapsing into the portal, sucking everything in.

“What about the others?” yelled Jay.

“They’re being dragged into the Zone! They’ll be fine. Better’n here at least. But we want to go back to Earth. We can’t afford to be lost in the Zone if we’re going to return to our families!”

“Promise?”

The pull was getting harder to fight, but they were almost to the boundary of the parking lot. “Promise!”

And he hit the fog. This time, it didn’t feel like hitting a wall. Instead it felt like flying into water. It was heavy and slowed him down. So, so hard to fight through. But he thought about Jazz and Sam and Tucker. He remembered the good times with his parents and school and evenings at the Nasty Burger.

“You’re going the wrong way!” called Jay.

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Trust me, birdie. This’ll get us home!”

Jay tugged on his hand, trying to pull him off course. Danny refused to budge and kept pushing forward.

And Jay let go.

Before Danny could cry out, before he could decide whether to go back or keep pushing forward, he was dropping out of the sky and landing hard on pavement. Completely drained, his transformation washed over him before he could even try and stop it.

“Jay? Birdie!” he called and looked around. He pushed himself up, only for his arms to give out. From what he could tell, he was in some alley between two buildings. Before he could figure out more than that, his vision spun and the world went black.

---

He heard voices. “…readings… nearby…”

Danny groaned. Whatever he was sleeping on was hard and his everything hurt. But he couldn’t muster up the strength to move.

“I think I heard something!” called a voice. A familiar voice.

“Mom?” moaned Danny. He forced his eyes opened and winced when a bright light shone in his face.

“Danny! Jack, Jack, come quick. It’s Danny!”

The light came closer and he pulled back. It turned off, and Danny could see him mom there, running towards him then kneeling in front of him. She peeled off a glove and ran her hands through his hair.

“Oh, sweetie. Your father and I have been worried sick. Where’ve you been? What happened?”

“Dan-o!” His dad sprinted around the corner and half collapsed to the ground right next to Danny. “You’re all bruised up! Was it a ghost? Where is it? It’ll regret the day it ever laid a hand on Jack Fenton’s boy!”

Danny huffed a laugh and pushed himself up until he was sitting. His dad immediately pulled him into a tight hug and Danny relaxed into it.

“I fought it off, dad. It’s not gonna come back.”

“That’s my boy!”

“Oh, but Danny,” said his mom. “You’re absolutely covered in bruises! And is that a burn? Let’s get you to a doctor, hun.”

“No!” Danny winced when his mom pulled back at his vehemence. “I mean… I just want to go home. Can’t I go home?”

“I don’t know, honey. I want to make sure you’re all right.”

Danny’s stomach growled. “Please, mom? I just want something to eat then to crawl into bed and not move for twenty four hours.”

“Come on, Mads! Boy’s a Fenton and we Fentons are tough. We’ll fill you up with ham and fudge, Dan-o.”

His mom sighed. “Oh, if you’re sure. And Jazz would kill us if we didn’t let her see Danny immediately.” Before Danny could do more than grin at her, she was continuing, “But I’ll be looking over your injuries and if anything looks out of place, we are going straight to the hospital. Got it, young man?”

“Yes, mom.”

Before Danny could pull away from his dad to push himself to his feet, he was being picked up. He relaxed into his dad’s chest and closed his eyes. He drifted, vaguely aware of his parents talking, of getting into the GAV, and of driving off.

Then he was being carried inside and he heard Mom calling for Jazz. He shifted, trying to force himself to wake up.

Dad set him down on the couch. “Waking up there, Danny-boy?”

From upstairs, he heard running footsteps and Jazz shouting “Danny!”

He pushed himself up so he was standing just in time to see Jazz practically fly down the stairs and tackle him in a hug that sent them both back into the couch cushions.

“Hey, Jazz.”

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? Never, Danny!”

Danny hugged her back tightly and tried to ignore how her weight pressed on the small rubber ball in his pocket. “I’ll do my best, Jazz. Promise.”

More quietly, she asked, “You’ll tell me everything, right?”

Danny nodded his agreement. “Tomorrow. I’ll want your help with something.”

“Jazz, let Danny up,” ordered their mom. Jazz obliged and shifted until they were sitting side-by-side. Mom nodded her approval and shifted closer to put a hand on his chin so she could examine his face. “What on earth did you get up to? It’s not just bruising, you’re bleeding, too! Jack, get the first aid kit.”

“You’ve got it, snookums!” And he ran out of the room, shaking the walls as he did.

“Mom, mom. It’s okay. I’m sure it looks worse than it is.”

“Daniel James Fenton, stop downplaying your injuries. All of this will have to be disinfected.”

And Dad was back, holding the kit above his head like a trophy. “One first aid kit coming up!” he exclaimed as he handed it to Mom.

“Thank you, Jackiepoo.”

Dad winked at Danny. “Now for the fudge! Nothing helps chase away pain like a large piece of fudge.”

Before Danny could reply, he was running back out of the room. He met Jazz’s eyes and they both broke out in giggles which made him mom tut and order him to remain still.

Danny was still worried about Jay and the other residents of the motel. But he’d look for them tomorrow. Tonight, he let himself relax with Jazz pressed up against his side and his mom fussing over him and his dad forcing a piece of fudge the size of his head on him.

He was finally home.

---

Hundreds of miles away, a boy opened his eyes only to find himself trapped in dark box. He banged on the top, but it didn’t budge move. His hands explored the space, looking for a knife. Or even anything sharp.

All he could find was his belt buckle. He pulled it out and used it to tear apart the wood of the box above him. Dirt greeted him on the other side, but he kept digging through it. Inch by inch for six feet.

When he pulled himself out of the ground, it was to come face-to-face with a gravestone.

For the first time in months, Jason Todd breathed.

-----

The End

Hope you enjoy! It's been so much fun working in a new genre.

[aquarines]

one thing about sam reid is that he will work the hell out of that leg

[maharellasa]

how I imagine this is gonna play out

[tiffanyachings]

she's the funniest person alive actually

[badxwolf]

"[Russell T Davies] made Rose an equal, not a sidekick. It is she who, on several occasions, saves the Doctor, rather than the other way round. As any parent with a daughter, I now look at Esme and think 'you could be the Doctor'. In 2005, as recently as that, such a thought would have been a pipe dream.

[Rose is] a woman with an independent mind, willing to confront received wisdom. Rose arrives on screen fully formed, one of the strongest female characters of any show, any year, painting a solid line directly to Jodie Whittaker. 

If you think about it, the relaunch in 2005 was actually the first chance to create the first female Doctor. Why not do it then? Perhaps we should be looking back on Billie Piper not as Rose, but as the Doctor."

- Christopher Eccleston in his memoir I Love The Bones Of You

[threeshadesoflime]

hey i forgot to upload this

[astrolavas]

thinking about the... potential clawthorne woodcarving mentorship.

+ bonus cuz also thinking abt how if hunter ever met dell's palisman and got reminded of flapjack, he'd probably feel bad abt making that association cuz he knows what it's like to be seen only as someone's different version (even though the bird wouldn't mind much so lol)

[foxflamingo]

*sigh*… I got dragged into the show by the gay ass purple fairy

I know he dragged you down too 🫵

[tea-n-ink]

Homesickness is where the heart is

[monabee-draws]

Dorian confessing his intention to return to Tevinter for good is so heartbreaking in the Tresspasser DLC. Because of course he does! It doesn't come out of nowhere, he tells the inquisitor as much before they even defeat Corypheus - he loves his home country and knows that he personally needs to be the one to fix it. Not any foreign power (including you and the Inquisition) but through internal change. And he's so blasé about it when he tells you, keeping his tone light, excited for his future work with Maevaris and the Lucerni! Of course, he didn't want you to find out like that but this is a good thing. He's happy! He's practically jovial!

And then you think about how familiar that tone of voice is. And remember his romance scene, and the nonchalant way he asks you if this whole relationship is just a one-time thing. And how he jokes and jibes with you in the bad-end future during In Hushed Whispers, to the point where Leliana calls him out on the obvious attempt at levity. Barring your brushes with his family, who elicit a kind of knee-jerk anger that cracks his usual mask, Dorian is very good at maintaining that emotional wall. So you listen as your heart breaks, as you consider how to respond to the lightness of him in this devastating moment, and you realise-

Dorian is terrified. The kind of scared where you can't really voice it, not in public, not even in private spaces when you aren't 100% in control. It's scary losing a parent, even one you're not quite reconciled with. To have to take his place and fill a role you've never fit, and somehow finally actually push forward with all the ideals you've been imagining to be so far away for many years. And to do all that on the opposite side of the world from the people who all made you finally believe it could be possible in the first place?

Dorian is so very used to being the brave one, the optimistically realistic one, that he can't possibly burden you - whose heart is breaking, whose Inquisition is failing, whose body is slowly killing them - with all of his own ugly fear. That wouldn't be very charming and dependable and Dorian of him, would it? More to the point, leaning on you would be both more burdensome to you and chafe against his own stubborn pride - not accepting favours is well-established during his romance-specific quest to retrieve his birthright. So instead of taking you aside somewhere quiet, consulting you about his final decision on the matter, and giving both of you the space to grieve, he...

Well he tells Varric. And Sera, and Bull, and Cole. Part of it is practice - how might they react? Part of it is in hope for advice on how to break the news. Varric and Bull are adept speakers. Cole's whole job is compassion. Even Sera's bluntness might help when you're chronically incapable of not sugarcoating things. But all it really does it make things worse, because its a distancing tactic. Nothing can truly prepare him for the crack in your voice, the sharp sting of your flinch and the perceived betrayal.

It's almost ironic, that his romantic lock-in asks you to decide if you're in for the long haul, when Dorian's entire arc is one that will inevitably draw him back to Tevinter. And specifically in such a way as to leave you. Because he does not want you tagging along (at least not now, not as the Inquisitor.) Dorian's fear in this moment is not fully centered on you, the man he loves, but there is certainly a part of him that is back in the Inquisitor's chambers on the opposite side of that question of 'do you want me to stay.'

Dorian Pavus' greatest fear is temptation, emblazoned on his tombstone in the Fade for all to see. And there you are, with your political power, ready to jump in and save the day once again on his behalf. And he's tempted. There you are with your familiarity and a space for him in the South that accepts him for who he is. And he's tempted.

There you are. Loving him. And well...

So he doesn't lower his voice to whisper to you, or hold you too close. He confesses in public where the crowds prohibit hysterics, he sips on precious wine, and he gifts you his sending stone. It is both distance and closeness all tied with a bow. A temptation that he can just about handle. Fear under wraps. Because if he lets you, you will - without even knowing - stop his entire life in its tracks. You represent everything he can never afford to lose to. And it is wretched how desperately he doesn't want to lose you.

[rodolfoparras]

Nothing just thinking about fucking Izaack’s throat til his voice turns hoarse, yanking at his hair as you work him up and down your dick, or tugging at his tie to keep him from moving away even when he’s choking on your length, watching the way he drools all over your dick, pre staining the pristine suit he’s wearing, eyes glassy and face burning red but still so eager to please you, and with the help of his hands and mouth it doesn’t take much before you’re tipping over the edge, cumming all over that prideful face, only half heartedly fixing up his mess of a hair before leaving him alone in his office with your cum all over his face

[tubbytarchia]

For the ranchers a bit more shleep i just really like charakters comfy and nice:Dc /nf

Eepies. Jimmy woke up to really sore wings but its okay because Tango

[random-fandom-society]

yeah I fell off that "daily sketch" thing pretty quick 🫠 oh well, have shadow being a good babysitter

[denkilightning]

morros corpse was still in the caves of despair when wu placed the golden scythe there. and based off the fact he didnt know it was there before sending the ninja there (with morro possessing ronin and telling them thats where the tomb is), he didnt find him there. imagine how haunting it mustve been for wu. learning you were Literally In The Same Location As The Body Of Your First Son And Missed Him By Just A Few Corridors.

[starry-bi-sky]

i have been unmedicated for the entirety of spring break and thus have had little interest in writing this down, but i have been thinking about this for the entire week (as well as a dpdc clone danny au that resulted in it becoming its entirely separate batman au that includes a teenage vigilante bruce wayne, an ocarina, and me entirely incapable of making a batman au without making bruce dirt poor but we're not talking about that) and so i've finally went 'fuck it' and forcibly grabbed my laptop. I will get this done in one sitting even if it kills me.

BUT. This is about neither clone^2 danny nor about who i am calling Ocarina Batman. This is about my Danyal Al Ghul Au and more SPECIFICALLY it's me thinking about his relationship with Sam and Tucker specifically.

Tucker and Sam? Adore this asshole (affectionate) with every fiber of their being. And it is very much a reciprocated feeling, but Danny's thoughts will not be delved into much other than he would kill for them.

Tucker? The only person currently capable of getting a deep, loud, belly laugh out of Danny. Sam can get him to smile and to laugh, but it's the kind that's a chuckle-under-the-breath. The quiet, looks-down-while-huffing laughter. Snorts once with laughter and then grins stupidly.

But Tucker? Tucker can crack a slew of stupid jokes and Danny will be incapacitated for the next five minutes because he's laughing so hard that he can't breath. He lands one well-timed pun or quip and Danny will be close to tears. His laughter is their favorite sound in the whole world.

Sam is lowkey jealous of this ability, and she's gotten a belly laugh out of Danny a few times. But alas, it is Tucker who wields this power and has gotten it the most times out of the two of them.

-

They're also both physically affectionate with Danny as much as possible. It started roughly around when they were 12-ish, a year since they befriended Danny, and they noticed that he sought after touch but never seemed to initiate (and was in some ways repulsed by it). They started slowly being more touchy with him. Hooking a finger around his to lead him somewhere, tapping his wrist, looping arms. Little touches, grabs, etc, to get him used to it, and once he started doing it back they started increasing it.

It's gotten to a point where he will now just. Lay on them. Like a lizard sunbathing on a rock. Leaning on their backs when they're sitting in class before the bell rings, his chin on their heads. He'll talk about anything with his arms looped around their shoulders.

If they're sitting on a couch at either of their houses, he'll lay his legs on theirs. Him and Tucker will press their feet against the other's and try and push against them (newsflash: Danny always wins, Tucker claims its the ghost strength but Danny's been winning since before his accident)

-

Naturally, both Sam and Tucker know where Danny keeps his weapons on his person, and are allowed to grab them off of him if they need it. His only requirement is that they don't lose his weapons if they take it and forget to return it immediately.

They both understand how big of a thing this is from Danny, and so they do their best to treat his weapons with a lot of respect and care because they know its his way of saying he trusts them.

-

Sam and Tucker are so fond of Danny it's insane. Like fr. That's their goddamn best friend, and they are so protective of him. Emotionally, physically, you name it. They will tear the head off a grown man if they need to, Danny's had scars since he arrived in Amity Park and Sam and Tucker both are going to find the person who put them there and make them pay for it.

One time, Tucker overheard a bunch of upperclass girls speaking nastily about Danny and about the rumors surrounding him, calling him names like 'freak', 'monster', etc. Danny was with him and heard it, and seemingly appeared unbothered by it, even telling Tucker that he was used to such rumors.

Tucker was so furious that hacked into the school system later that night and tanked those girls grades. They were kicked out of their clubs and had to go to mandatory tutoring for the rest of the year. He made sure to leave some way of letting them know it was him who did it.

And Sam doesn't like using her money for things, doesn't like abusing that wealth. So instead, whenever her parents talk bad about Danny, she causes a media incident that has her parents scrambling to deal with. She does something wild, outrageous by her parents' standards.

She heard some boys on the basketball team making fun of Danny once, similar to those girls had. She kicks up a fuss about something eco-unfriendly at school and forcibly holds a protest on the same day of the big home basketball game, forcing them to cancel the event and reschedule to a visiting school.

She anonymously donates money so that there's new uniforms for the team but oops! Looks like she "forgot" to donate enough money for them to get uniforms for all the team members, and strangely enough those boys in particular didn't get them! Looks like they'll have to wait until more money gets donated for the basketball team to get their new, nice uniforms. The old ones look so ratty in comparison, right?

And since the football team gets most of the sport money, that might just take awhile. And if (and when) they kick up a fuss? oops! Off the basketball team you go, :) such unsportsman-like behavior is unfit for the team.

(The only good thing about how corrupt the school system is is that she can use it to her advantage too.)

The both of them know that Danny suspects them for the sudden misfortune falling on these people, but he doesn't call them out on it. He's kinder than he used to be, but not kind enough to vouch for people who speak badly of him. Sometimes, he might just congratulate them on not getting caught.

Because Danny is their wonderful, hurt friend with a "slightly" Blue and Orange Moral code, and enough scars that people have been calling him a criminal (and worse) since he arrived in Amity Park when he was ten. And they'll be damned if he gets hurt anymore.

[justaz]

merlin’s secret being a visual thing. when he is around arthur or gwen or leon or morgana or [insert whatever character here] merlin seems pale and thin, almost like a ghost or an apparition. when the sun lands on him he reflects it like a corpse, he eyes seem dark and dull. he has this ethereal beauty to him, this otherworldly visage that leads many to believe he is of fae blood. he just doesn’t seem to be 100% human. but when he is ONLY with lancelot or gaius (cough or gwaine bc gwaine DEFINITELY knew) merlin is heartachingly human. merlin shines in the sunlight, colors are brighter and more vibrant around him, and his smiles are wide and his laughs are boisterous. he takes on color and leaves everyone wanting to know him. but when other join in or interact with the two, merlin shifts before their eyes so quickly and suddenly that they aren’t sure whether or not what they saw was a trick of the light. the idea still leaves them wanting more and wanting to see the merlin who is just so full of life but that merlin only appears for a small select group of people. merlin who has a guard so high that it has an effect of other’s perception of him.