#on the other side of the portal Danny is chastising his parents

[redhoneysugarorange]

At some point, I'd like to think Danny would offhandedly say something about traveling back to his home town, Amity Park, for a month or so.

When the batfamily ask about it, he says his parents wanted him to look over something. Danny asks if they'd like to go with him, but those present couldn't be away for so long because of various reasons (vigilante business like open cases or other undercover work). So Danny shrugs, hugs them goodbye, and promises to make them something cool when he gets back.

Danny kept in touch with the batfamily until a week and a half in, where he didn't answer any calls and his phone kept going to voicemail. It's radio silence. The batfamily resolves to figure out what happened to him, and travel to Amity Park.

I imagine that once the family gets there, they realize that there's something really wrong with this town. They do ask around about the Fenton's and Danny, and people talk about how the Fentons tend to be smart but kinda off their rocker. This the batfamily gets to learn more about Danny.

(Let's just say they were shocked to learn about Danny's fistfight with the Mayor, him saving an endangered species, and seeing the various strange objects the Fentons have created around town.)

The people will then make offhanded comments about not seeing the Fentons in a while, and they were wondering why the roads were safer.

The investigation leads to the definitely not legal house of the Fentons. The batfamily are slowly learning and coming to some correct and some incorrect conclusions as they make their way through this heavily armed homely house, looking at the pictures of Danny and his family and friends.

(... There's a girl who looks like him, just younger. Danny has only mentioned an older sister who they could clearly see in the pictures, who is this?)

The search ends at a locked heavy metal door with fancy security, the most sleek part of the entire house, seeming to lead to the basement. With a growing sense of dread, the batfamily attempt to get through the door. Eventually they break through the door, and ready themselves to look for what was beyond.

A wrecked lab empty of people, green glowing stains splattered about, and a large empty frame of some sort of portal were not at all what they were expecting.

(is this just an excuse for the family to go to Amity? Mayhaps... But I think it would be a perfect opportunity, the batfamily so rarely leaves Gotham in these fics. Let them figure out some things about their seemingly normal practically their father figure. )

I love every fic That has Danny still being Phantom even while in the DC universe but sometimes I just want my little guy to flex his intellect and be all around little mad scientist that only sometimes uses his powers to pick up a screwdriver

Danny is smart.

He knows he is brilliant.

He may have been outshined by his family when he was younger, but that was because his focus was on something else, and frankly, being born last into a family of geniuses made one feel like one wasn't as intelligent as them.

He constantly compared himself to them, knowing that they had already achieved what he was doing and falling further and further behind in his self-wellow.

Then Danny left Amity Park and went into the real world.....he found his intelligence got him far. Danny was exceptionally brilliant when he was working on machinery, chemistry, and, above all else, engineering.

Maybe it had something to do with watching his parents repurpose any household item into a completely new technology that affected beings from different dimensions simply because they used math.

Or maybe it was that his brain was always moving, always connecting, and constantly processing. Danny didn't realize that people couldn't just make whatever idea came into their heads a reality.

Hell, his dad heard about Mr. Freeze's ray and he made a copy in two months. Danny made Mr. Freeze's ray in two weeks. He made other ghost tech in that same amount or enough to arm his schoolmates in one afternoon.

The point is that Danny is good at what he does. Put a screwdriver in huis hand, and he be off until whatever hair brain idea he had a physical form.

Everyone in Amity Park knew this as a fact about the Fentons/ Since they moved in, there was nothing but experiments one right after the other. Sure, they wasted it on things like Ecto-studies, but his parents made their money from somewhere before the world learned about ghosts.

Danny's parents had many, and he means many, patents. Everything from a brand of microwaves to vehicle parts.

His parents created them, sold them to partial rights to companies, and then wasted whatever money they got on some new experiment for a ghost that had not yielded any fortunes.

He thought he could do the same. Just apply to anywhere that would take him after creating a portable phone changer on one's wrist. He figured it would have gotten less attention than he did hadn't he just shown up at Wayne Expo as an unknown inventor through his parents contacts.

Danny had felt relatively small with his foldable plastic table and his four cardboard boxes of his invention while everyone had booths and screens, and a few even had prominent speakers with people in suits that cost more than his house

. Danny felt like a little kid trying to sell lemonade in the five-star hotel lobby. Everyone walked right by him without a glance, or they jeered and mocked him.

That was until Bruce Wayne wandered over. Kind and charming the man, maybe he wasn't the brightest- but he stood there listening to Danny excitedly explain how moving the hand on the bracelet caused it to charge, so walking around with it was all the kinetic energy it needed.

His ward- Dick Grayson, in all his tiny ten-year-old authority, had purchased a bracelet from Danny. It had been the only sale he made that night, but it was the only one he needed. Bruce had called him to offer him a position at WE.

Like his parents, Danny enjoyed his freedom, so instead, he offered to be a freelance inventor. He would show the Wayne's first dibs but go where the wind took him. He made them if he found buyers who weren't trying to ice him out of profits.

Unlike his parents, he didn't waste the funds past his travels. Slowly but surely building up a fortune over time.

Danny still went out as Phantom, but over the years he invented random gadgets and chemicals that he would ship to Bruce for a healthy paycheck. Ussually he makes something that the rich man off-handedly comments on.

"Oh Danny, I just loved skydiving, but I'm scared Dick's parachute will get stuck."

Danny invented one with small rocket blasters Bruce could manually control into landing for his son.

"I always enjoy undersea diving. The tanks are a killer on my back. Jason was almost weighted down by them too."

Danny created a breathing mask that had the tanks in smaller easier-to-carry cylinders.

"Tim really loves his computers. Wish I could take the whole thing with me when I go out!"

Danny had a working computer on a heliographic wristwatch the next month.

It was awesome. Danny traveled a lot but always found time to call and speak with Bruce. He got to know the man well over the years, found himself chatting with him for hours, and even spent his visits to Gotham at Wayne Manor as a guest.

Bruce's kids were a riot to be around. He would often go away for a while only to return and find that they had grown in numbers. He loved them like his own and found himself a confidant among the children.

It was he that Dick called to whispers about his insecurity within Bruce's home. He would go to all the gymnastics and mathletes shows he could catch, cheering the loudest among the rich parents as Dick outshone the rest of the children.

Danny had practically flown home to rip Bruce a new one until the man admitted to his gapping son that he had applied to be his father mere months after taking him in.

It was Danny that Jason spoke to when Dick and Bruce's fights were too loud. He would take the boy on trips, and talk for hours about books to calm down, then he had sat Bruce and Dick down to rip another new one.

It was no surprise that Jason had called him when he had tried to run away to confront his birth mother. He had been there to see the bitch arrested before she could hurt Jason.

It was Danny that Tim often sought out to showcase his photos. He always made sure to call the boy right before he was meant to sleep, regardless of which part of the world Danny was on, to wish him goodnight and talk about their days.

Tim always brightened whenever Danny caught his skateboard competitions or club performances. He was the one who found out Tim's biological parents neglected him after the boy told him, and he was the one to help Bruce win custody.

Then came Damian, who was as scared as he was angry. Danny adored him and saw so many ghost-like mannerisms in him that connecting to the boy wasn't hard at all.

Bruce didn't seem to understand that his son was used to outlined expectations and grew irritable when he felt he failed them. He was the one that help Damian get used to his environment and was the one the boy was much more willing to try new things with.

Steph and Danny often got along well with their sense of humor, but mostly she followed him around, seeking approval that likely missed out from her parents. They would sit down and talk about her future and what she wanted in life, and he even let her practice her makeup on him and giggle about boys.

Sometimes, it felt like she didn't have to be the tough girl from the rough part of town. She could be a teenage girl without a care in the world. At least, that's what she claimed Danny made her feel like.

Cass didn't talk much, but she didn't have to for Danny to not see how much she enjoyed their days out, too.

He loved taking her to see the arts, to sit and listen to music together, and most of all, to see her slowly bloom into a sociable young lady so different from the closed-off girl that first arrived at Wayne Manor.

Duke was still relatively new, but Danny could spot the wild, unhinged look in his eye that would have made him a proper Fenton. The two often spent their time playing video games and working in the community together.

Duke seemed to enjoy when Danny invited him to tag along on short trips, especially when the two would go camping. As someone who grew up in the city, he had never been fishing until Danny taught him how to reel in a big one at a lake a state over. The whole Wayne family had cheered the dark skin boy on as he held the trout over his head for the photo.

Alfred treated him like one of the family sometimes meeting up with Danny on his travels for a cup of tea or a nice phone call to gossip about Bruce.

Danny loved it but adored when the Waynes would help with his inventions. Even if all they did was sit in his makeshift lab inside his RV or the west wing of Wayne Manor like Bruce did, having them made his hands fly faster and his calculations sharper.

Sometimes, he caught the strangest, softest look on Bruce's face when Danny would be wielding.

Danny was so used to this lifestyle that he would forget about his ghost powers. It's not like he really needed them.

That came to head when he returned to Gotham on a whim, wanting to surprise Bruce for his birthday by taking the other man out to dinner somewhere fancy he happened to stumble across the scene of Scarecrow holding the Waynes- his Waynes- as hostages at an award ceremony in the new mental hospital they had funded.

Danny hadn't thought.

He saw the Fear Gas vents open and pulled one of his gadgets. He threw it as hard as he could at Scarecrow, watching with satisfaction as it bounced off the manic's head- knocking him out and spinning in place as it activated.

It was a miniature vacuum- meant to gather pollution in the air to hopefully clean up their planet- sucking in all the green smoke before it could harm.

He three out of the other five at the goons that had tried to gas the spectators before, pressing his anti-gravity plates- reversing them to slam the goons into a heap and officially knocking them out.

Danny took down the Rouge in under a minute.

"Bruce! Kids! Are you alright?" He cried rushing the stage to the stunned family. He helped them out of their bonds, gentelly tracing the bruise on Bruce's face with a soft whine. "They hurt you."

"I'm alright, darling," Bruce muttered, leaning into his palm. "I'm better with you here. What was that?"

"Oh just a-"

"Look out!" Dick suddenly screams as a flash of ice comes from nowhere. Danny tucks Bruce onto his chest and rolls away from the ray's pathway. They land with his friend on his back and Danny leaning over him in a protective hunch.

Quickly, he stops his foot against the ice, pressing the heel back and watching bursts of electricity from his built-in tazer race up the ice to the beam of Dr. Freeze.

The man doesn't have time to react before spamming and hitting the ground. Danny scoffs. "Using a ray with a cryogenic laser beam so last season. Invent something new, you one act poney."

Bruce stares up at him with those soft eyes again, and Danny smiles now that he is sure the Danger is gone.

"Is there nothing that mind of yours can't do?" Bruce asks and Danny laughs helping him to his feet as police swarm the place.

"Find me a date, maybe." Danny jokes, "I haven't had one since you took in Dick.""

"Neither has Father!" Damian shouts from behind them. Danny bemussingly watches the young boy march up to gesture at the mortified-looking man.

Despite his father's obvious embarrassment, Damian does not seem bothered to shout for everyone to hear. "He may swing both ways but hasn't acquired a suitable spouse. What says you, Danny? You could assist in correcting this error."

"Sure, I'll take him out." Danny laughs, patting the boy on his shoulder, knowing he hates to have his hair touched. Damian all but melts into his hand like his father seemingly smug. "I know a great club to meet some great people in Metropolis!"

Damian's smug look fades away as Bruce's eyes fall. "I meant for you to be Father's sp-"

"Danny, would you mind explaining those tazer shoes?" Bruce cuts in, throwing a arm over the inventor's shoulder. "They were dazzling!"

"Oh, Bruce, I'm always happy to explain my creations!"

Damian pouts as the two walk away, acting like a married couple to the scattered spectators. If only his Father would just man up and tell Danny that he's practically been his second Father all these years, they need to officiate it.

Tim sighs, placing a hand like Danny did on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dami. This time, we will surely succeed in the Parent Trap plan. Maybe before Danny gets lost in the lab trying to invent a way to warp travel."

"Don't even joke, Tim," Jason says. "Danny would figure that out. He created the Zeta Beams to make it to my senior play. He'll figure out warping if we ask him to."

"Dad's the best," Steph laughs, and they all agree, determined more than ever to make Parent Trap happen.

[miss-nov]

Over-Emotional: Danny Phantom Oneshot.

Original idea by @amabsis on their post right here!!

[Originally written on a reblog of the prompt but it went all screwy and left an incomplete version so I made it it's own post and I've made a few grammar and spelling edits. Sorry for any confusion!!]

(This is the first thing I've ever written for the DP Phandom so I apologize if it's a little OOC)

⚠️(TW: DESCRIPTIONS OF A PANIC ATTACK AND GORE!!!!!)⚠️

  Danny drifted through the skies of Amity Park, following the streets which were slick with recent rain. The stars twinkled merrily above and the beams from the street lights seemed to buzz through the comforting, crisp air. Not a sound disrupted the mellow atmosphere and ghosts had appeared to leave tonight alone and retired to their lairs. A soothing night such as this would have been Danny's favorite; it would have been a much needed break from his overly stressful life.

  Yet Danny couldn't shake off the creeping apprehension even as he twisted in and out of alleyways back into the lit roads.

  His parents had been working tirelessly  on a project that they wouldn't tell him and Jazz about. Jack, their father, would always jump at the chance to describe what he was doing and couldn't keep his antics quiet for long. Maddie's, their mother, eyes would have brightened as she recounted the innovate idea she had conjured and the necessary calculations she could toy around with. These facts coupled with Jazz and Danny casually inquiring about their latest project would make them incredibly ecstatic.

  But whenever the two had asked about it, put off by the unusual quiet of the parents, had only been given an amused smile and an occasional wink.

  Tonight, before Danny's patrol and during dinner, Jazz had managed to weasel some information out of them. Though, it left more questions than answers.

  "So, you guys have been in the lab a lot recently," Jazz said conversationally. "Working on some new ghost stuff? It seems important if you're spending most of the day down there."

  Maddie had given her a deliberate look like someone who'd finally decided to take a second cookie.

  "It's our greatest invention yet," she said lowly and excitedly. "I think your dad and I have found the solution to our little ghost problem."

  The siblings gulped and tried to suppress their shudders.

  "It's not going to hurt them is it? Phantom and the other ghosts." Jazz's voice was even and didn't show a hint of a tone shift.

  "Surprisingly, no. No harm will be dealt to them. It's not like they can feel anyway. That's exactly the problem," Jack chimed excitedly before going back to his ectoplasm contaminated lasagna.

  "Besides, we wouldn't want to hurt the object of our daughter's affection.  We all know about your crush on Phantom," Maddie teased but then added with a small frown. "Though it's not healthy to have a crush on ghosts at all."

 Jazz gave an aggressive gagging noise and Danny was torn between hysterical laughter and a gag of his own. Dinner resumed as normal —well, as normal as you could get being a Fenton— and Danny took note of the fact his parents had refused to say anymore.

  Danny was busy going over and dissecting the conversation and lax in his attention to his surroundings by the inactivity that he didn't notice the two shadow-cloaked figures tailing him. The taller one with a broader build was holding an intimidating gun, that looked like it was straight out of an eighties sci-fi movie, on his back.

  Maybe I should head back, Danny thought to himself. I have so much homework due and a test tomorrow. A pop quiz in calculus and a lab in science. I have to meet Nathan at my study hall period and at lunch. Liz needs my help…

  On and on the list went as Danny subtlety started flying home. Just thinking of things that needed done was making him more anxious and tired.

  "Phantom, we'll have you now," Jack cried, his voice echoing in the hollow streets.

  Danny turned around, slightly aggravated when he was struck by a violet beam and plummeted, crashing to the sidewalk.

  "Jack! I told you to wait," Maddie chastised as they walked over to Danny who had barely sat up.

  His head swam and Maddie and Jack looked like the reflections of a carnival fun house mirror. Though his vision corrected itself quickly.

  "I think you might have given him a concussion. But that doesn't make sense, ghosts don't have brains," Maddie said, slightly confused. She reached out to gingerly place her fingertips on Danny's temple and he flinched.

  "Don't touch me!!" Danny had yelled louder then he meant to and his voice came out with an extra echo; like he had been about to use his ghostly wail. The three stilled before Danny began crawling backwards, keeping his eyes on Jack and Maddie at all times.

  "I don't wanna hurt you," Danny whimpered and tears sprang to eyes like a line of men ready to battle. Why the hell was he crying!? He didn't cry easy, at least not of late, and he'd been in these situations and worse without crying so why was he breaking down now??

  Maddie looked at him with wide eyes and her hand, which had still been suspended in shock, dropped to her belt and Danny panicked.

  "Don't hurt me!" Danny tried to pick himself up to fly, to get the hell out of dodge but when he went to stand his vision and black an —god why were his veins burning with adrenaline???

  Danny's chest was caving, that was the only explanation as his ribs seized and threatened to crush his lungs. His heart had left its place and sprinted from the back of his throat down to right beneath his collarbone before starting all over again. Has his hands always been this sweaty??? Tremors wracked through his limbs —he couldn't deal with this now!! He needed to finish his Hamlet essay, and review his history notes, and hadn't Liz asked him to buy popsicle sticks for their art project??? That's what he had forgotten!! He can't think of this now!! Maddie and Jack could easily catch him now —but oh, God was he screwed when —if— when he went to school the next day.

  "Phantom, you're having a panic attack," Maddie said calmly.

  "No, shit there, Sherlock." Danny bit his bottom lip to prevent another scathing comment from escaping. Usually he had better control of his mouth believe it or not. He put his head between his knees, closing his eyes and trying to focus on, well, nothing. He felt tears slip from his eyes and barely stopped himself from screaming.

  "You know what a panic attack is?" Jack titled his head as he scanned over his shaking form.

  "Jack did you put the settings up too high while we were following him?"

  "Of course not! I was very careful not to bounce anything out of place. You've Done the math, four times, it should be perfectly calibrated." Jack twisted the purple and silver metallic gun in his hands, giving it a thorough look over.

  "What the fuck are you two talking about!!" The scientists' head whipped back to see Danny's eyes glowing a tad brighter than before and his mouth transfixed into a snarl. Maddie slid a careful hand to her holster.

  "Our newest invention. Ghosts, well most of them, are just whispers of feelings that people once had. They can't actually feel and so they do bad things or... or they mimic human behaviors really well to make it seem like they do, like they're human." Maddie's voice trailed off at the end as if seeing if he would explode.

  Danny felt that normally he would have but he started to hyperventilate. How was he going to reverse it??? Was there even a way to do so or did they not include a reverse button by mistake (on purpose?) like they had mistakenly put the 'on' button inside the portal??

  "We're going to take you to the lab. Check your... concussion and to stabilize your mood. Run a few tests..."

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodoh—

   They would strap him down and cut and lay his chest open like a butterfly steak and their hungry eyes would roam over him and their hands would devour him by pulling at his nerve endings and removing his organs and Danny would scream until his voice was hoarse and then some like a helpless lamb. Would he bleed blood or ectoplasm when they drained him? Would they take turns as he bleed out?? Or would they flow out together like some sort of demented, holiday dinner?? Or—

  "Phantom! You need to calm down." Maddie was at his side (when had she gotten there?) and was squeezing his hand. Danny briefly noted her eyes were filled with worry as her goggles hung at her neck. "Just breathe with me okay, please."

  "Breathe with her, buddy" Jack, who sat on the other side of Danny, whispered as he gently rubbed circles on the boy's lower back. "It's gonna be okay. We aren't going to hurt you."

  Danny wanted to say a smart aleck remark about them not having the same sentiment five minutes ago but instead focused on his breathing. He faced his head skyward and tried to count the stars. Nothing but him and the stars, no home— just the stars.

  Danny was reminded of the time he went stargazing with the rest of his family. A rare occasion as Maddie and Jack seemed to always be working. They had smiled so big at him as he pointed out constellations, awestruck. Jazz had nodded along as she listened attentively with a smile of her own. The night hadn't been more clear in months and more stars then usually were out. The picnic blanket they laid on was soft and him and Jazz had rested in between their parents and God they had been so happy then—

  Danny let out an involuntary sob. The melancholy seemed to come from the depths of his chest but at least it seemed to push out the panic.

  "Phantom," Maddie asked as she huddled closer to him. Phantom, not Danny. It hadn't really bothered him before; they didn't know it was him so why would they call him by his name?

  But it still made him cry harder. He wanted to tell them. He wanted to so, so bad.

  Jazz had urged him to tell them. But Danny had always been afraid. Scared that they wouldn't want him anymore.

  Now the sadness had overwhelmed the fear and the panic. He felt so isolated even when his parents were next to him, right there, trying to coax him into being calm. He had to tell them. He had to do it now because he wouldn't be this impulsive again.

  He felt the white rings gloss over him and heard Jack yell out "Phantom". When it was over he heard them gasp.

  "D-Danny," Maddie choked out.

   "I'm so sorry," Danny said through his tears. He chanted it over and over again as his parents reassured him that he had nothing to be sorry for and that they should apologize.

  The three sat there for quite some time, huddled close and crying together.

  Soon they would head home and take care of Danny's quickly healing concussion and reverse the effects of the gun. They would ask questions tomorrow after school but, for now, they tucked him into bed, something they hadn't done since he was eleven, and gave him their good night kisses on his temple before creeping to their room unaware of Jazz watching them from her bedroom door. She would text Sam and Tucker an explanation and ask them to give Danny the answers to the homework in the morning. She slipped into bed and fell asleep.

  The streets were barely slick with rain anymore. The stars twinkled merrily and the street lights buzzed. The crisp, cool air was calm and mellow. The night soothing and the Fentons were a family once again.

[fungalnebula]

Prologue

Chapter One (will be linked when published)

Please leave critiques and suggestions in replies and/or reblogs!!! Click the cover image for a surprise!

There was a large tube inside the basement of the Fenton building. It was closed off by a large, military grade door, securing the emptiness of the tube. This machine had been sitting in the basement of the Fenton building, unused, since its conception two long years ago.

“Danny, why didn’t you tell us about this?” One of Danny’s best friends, Sam, asked as Danny punched in a code to release the contents of the empty tube. “This is so cool!”

Sam loved the Ghost Aesthetic. Danny felt a little bad for not telling her about the broken portal because of that.

“It didn’t work so I thought you guys wouldn’t care,” Danny said. “It was broken anyway…”

“Dude, it’s still a ghost portal!” Danny’s other best friend, Tucker, exclaimed. “Even if it doesn’t work, all the bones are still there.”

“I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t know it would be that interesting.”

“Are you insane!?” Sam exclaimed, “this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Let me take a picture of you!”

“No way, Samantha.” Danny groused, “there is no way I’m getting in that thing. What if the reason it didn’t work is because of loose wires or something? I don’t want to die.”

“You won’t die and you know I hate it when you call me Samantha,” she chastised. “You said it’s been broken for years! There’s no way it’ll work if it hasn’t already. It’s like a dead bear, it can’t hurt you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Danny laughed at her analogy. “You can still fall on a dead bear and get maimed by its teeth AND SLASH OR claws, Samantha.” Danny mocked Sam, waving his hands with each syllable of her name.

“Yeah, bad metaphor, just get in there. You won’t get electrocuted or anything. Your parents probably disconnected it from the power when they gave up on it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Danny finally conceded, “let me at least wear one of the suits my parents made for me. You know, just in case.”

“Is it insulated?” Tucker chuckled.

“Yes, Tucker,” Danny retorted. “It is insulated, as a matter of fact.”

Danny walked to a cabinet labeled “Ecto Suits” and pulled out a white jumpsuit with a black collar. He adorned it as well as some black gloves and black boots. He noticed Tucker smirk as Sam attempted to suppress a snort. Danny stuck his tongue out at his two best friends in the world. He’d do anything for those jokers. Danny zipped up his new outfit and took a hesitant step towards the defunct portal.

“You guys really want to do this?” Danny had to force this last word out of his throat. He had been assured that he was safe, but was he really?

“Yeah,” Sam was gentle now. “You’ll be fine. All I want is a little picture of you in that neat thingy.”

Tucker put his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Don’t worry man, it’s unplugged.” Tucker pointed to a plug on the ground nearby, assuming it was the power source for the portal.

“That makes me feel a bit better.” Danny sighed, relieved. He took another few steps and was in front of the portal. It was eerie and echoey. “Oooo” Danny made a noise and heard it bounce off the metal walls inside.

“Go on,” Sam pushed Danny lightly.

“Hey! Okay, I’m going!” Danny took a step inside the portal. It felt … empty and big. Much bigger than it was. Longer too. The tube felt more like a tunnel at this point, Danny could see the end of the tunnel, but it felt like it was miles away. Danny felt heavy just taking one step inside. He took another and felt his body weigh him down even more. It was just the anxiety, Danny thought to himself. Your body gets heavy when it’s dreading something, right? But there was nothing to worry about, Danny assured himself.

Danny took a few more steps inside the portal and turned around to face the outside. He tasted ozone and he felt like his blood was made of lead. There was the quietest of ringings bouncing around in his head making him somewhat dizzy and his eyes felt like they were vibrating.

“Danny?” Sam asked.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?” Sam looked concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s a bit spooky in here, though,” Danny let out a slight chuckle. “I’ll just suck it up for the picture.”

“Yeah, alright…” Sam trailed off. “Can you do a cool pose? Maybe put your hand against the side and lean or something?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Danny began to place his hand on the side of the portal. As his hand neared the wall, the taste of ozone intensified and his nose started running. His hand was almost to the wall when Sam snapped a picture with her polaroid camera.

“Oops,” she looked nervous as she took out the not-yet-developed picture and handed it to Tucker.

Danny knew she wanted a better shot so he finally put his hand on the wall. Millimeters before his hand made contact, Danny’s fingers felt like cold metal replaced all of his bones. He let his hand rest on the wall to his left as he felt a button depress. Immediately, his heart started racing as he felt panic run up his chest. Daniel Fenton suddenly felt the most excruciating pain he had ever and will ever feel in his life. He felt hundreds of knives stab him at once in every single nerve in his body. An army of knives marched through his nervous system, stabbing down hard with every step. This march of pain within his body moved incredibly fast but at the same time that it moved agonizingly slow.

Danny didn’t feel his throat open up to release a blood curdling scream of pure, horrific pain. He didn’t feel himself drop to his knees, but he did feel that militia of marching, stabbing pain start again at his knees. All he saw was green, neon green, everywhere. He tasted blood and ozone, the lower half of his face, beneath his nose, was wet and sticky. His lips felt like they were drenched in lip gloss that tightened at every breath he took. His left wrist felt like he had laid on it for hours and suddenly moved. Danny knew he was dying.

When his face smacked the metal floor of the now functioning portal, he didn’t feel his nose break, just the pain get more intense and the struggle to breathe increased with his mouth submerged in a shallow pool of blood escaping his nose like a dam had been opened. Danny didn’t feel himself being dragged by his friends out of the portal and he didn’t see the horrified looks on their faces when they saw all the blood and smoke coming from his body. He didn’t feel Tucker grab a broom and poke him with it, he didn’t hear Sam smack Tucker and throw the broom to the wall. Danny didn’t hear his sister pound down the stair and scream at the sight, he didn’t hear Sam wailing and sobbing and pleading with Danny to please wake up, he didn’t hear her whisper, “I’m so sorry Danny, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault, why am I so stupid,” to his head. He didn’t hear his sister, Jazz screaming through her tears at Tucker, “What happened to him? Why is his hair white? Where did all this blood come from?” He didn’t hear Tucker crying, “I’m sorry, I thought it was unplugged, I’m so sorry Jazz, I’m so sorry.”

Danny did hear a ringing, though. He heard waves too. Or was that wind? Danny heard someone whisper but they were so far away.

Then, Danny saw black. Danny saw black and a very dark red. “What did you say?” Danny tried to say, but it was so much less than a whisper. Danny heard a thump, like someone dropping down to sit on a tile floor and the red he saw got brighter.

God, his eyes were so heavy. His lips felt like he had just eaten Elmer’s glue, like he used to do in Kindergarten. When Danny smiled a slight smile, as much as he had the strength to, his lips cracked and he relaxed his face to appease the pain.

Daniel Fenton cracked his eyes. Slowly, sound came back. A ringing gave way to someone screaming, “How could you let this happen? I thought you cared about him.” Someone else bawled, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want this to happen. Please, I’m so sorry, I love him so much.”

Danny was confused. Did he just walk in on someone's death? He couldn’t have, his back was cold and against the tile floor in… his basement? Who died in his basement?

“Oh, god.” Danny felt his stomach drop to his toes. “Did Tuck get hurt by some of Mom or Dad’s ghost shit?”

The room went silent. Danny pulled his eyes open, worried by what he might see.

“What the fuck was that Samantha,” Jazz had murder in her eyes. “Tell me what that was right now.”

“What was what?” Danny asked. He saw Jazz huddled over something in the middle of the room with Sam and Tucker near her. The body wasn’t Tucker’s.

Danny walked over to Jazz and his friends when Tucker looked his way and screamed as loud and as hard as he was capable of screaming. This spooked Danny who took a step to the side and looked at what was on the ground.

It was him.

Danny was looking at his own body on the floor. His now white hair was singed, his left arm was black, contrasting against his pale skin which had been exposed by a large rip in his not-so-insulated suit. It looked like the hand and half of the arm on the left side of the suit had burned off.

Suddenly the body moved and Danny saw the ceiling and his Sister looking over him. He turned his head and saw two scenes. He was looking at Sam while also looking at the now functional ghost portal with a different set of eyes. Danny moved his head back and was now only looking at his sister again.

Danny attempted to move to a sitting position, coughing droplets of blood when he tensed his muscles.

“Oh, my god.” Jazz breathed a sigh of relief, “Danny! Don’t sit up, here. I’ll help you.”

Jazz sort of dragged, sort of pushed Danny’s body closer to the wall, glaring at Tucker and Sam when they moved to help her. Jazz picked up Danny’s head and sat him against the wall of the Fenton Laboratory basement and inspected his face.

“God, Danny.” Jazz’s voice was soaked with concern. “There’s blood all over this place. Your nose is broken.”

Danny realized he couldn’t feel the ground beneath him the second he felt himself fall an inch and hit the ground. He saw a flash as he noticed a ring of light circling around his waist.

“Sam,” Jazz screamed, “what the fuck? My brother almost dies and you think this is the best fucking photo op to snag?”

“I’m sorry Jazz, I-I,” Sam stuttered, “I saw something.”

Jazz turned her head back to her brother, and gasped. “Danny! Your hair is back to normal!”

Barely audible, Danny mumbled; “myhairwasn’tnormal?”

“It was white,” Sam whisperspoke.

“And your suit went all reverse,” Tucker added at full volume from halfway across the room.

“I taste metal,” Danny stuck his tongue out, it looked like he had just been licking blood off of something.

“Probably from all that blood in your mouth.” Jazz’s forehead was the rocky mountains of concern. “And on your chin, down your shirt, all over the floor. God, Danny. We need to take you to the hospital.”

“No!” Danny and Tucker yelled at the same time.

“I’m fine, I feel fine, watch this!” Danny stood up and quickly fell back down demonstrating how not fine he was.

“Sorry, I just hate hospitals,” Tucker murmured. “I didn’t mean to say that…”

Sam waved a polaroid in the air, then gave it to Jazz.

The picture showed a bloodied Danny on the ground wearing a reverse colored “insulated” suit. It’s just a fucking picture of my almost-dead brother, Jazz thought. Then she saw it. There were two rings of light around his waist that looked like they were revealing the outfit Danny was wearing when he went downstairs. A NASA T-Shirt and blue jeans were peaking through the two circles of light. Jazz looked at Danny again and realized he wasn’t wearing the black version of his ecto suit anymore. It went away with the white of his hair.

“Danny, you’re still going to the hospital with me.” Jazz insisted. “Your nose is broken.”

Danny touched his nose and was immediately met with searing, red hot pain.

“Don’t touch it, idiot!” Jazz smacked Danny’s hand away from his nose. “When a part of your body is broken, that’s not an invitation to touch it!”

Danny looked at Sam and Tucker, scared.

Sam smiled at Danny. “We can talk about it after you go to the hospital. Do you want to have a fucked up nose for the rest of your life?”

Tucker walked closer to Danny and put his hand on Danny’s head. “I’m so fucking happy you’re okay, dude.”

“Can you walk?” Jazz asked as she stood up and reached for Danny’s hand.

Danny grabbed her hand and tried to get up for the second time. He watched his hand disappear from his sister's hand as her grip tightened around nothing. Danny fell back to the floor and screamed at his missing hand before it came back.

“Danny,” Jazz hissed, “we are going to the hospital now.”

Danny stood up on his own and followed his sister up the stairs to her car, parked outside. They drove to the hospital.

[kinglazrus]

Crystal Heart

Phic phight 2020

Submitted by @that-dumbass-on-a-horse: Ghost sickness. Maddie and Jack try to fix it, but make it worse instead

Summary: When a ghost boy becomes a ghost man, his body goes through certain changes. And when his parents find out and try to help him, they inevitably almost kill him in the process. Almost.

Warnings: non-graphic body horror (melting)

Word count: 7248

I had to look up pictures of blood cells under a microscope and that was actually super cool. I love it when fanfiction involves fun research

As soon as Maddie saw the green flush on Danny's cheeks, she knew what it was. Some dastardly ectoplasmic pathogen from the Ghost Zone had infected her baby boy. It must have been from all the time he spent in the lab. Too many times, Maddie had caught him sneaking up from the basement with a sheepish look on his face. Occasionally, Sam and Tucker were with him. Maddie would have to get them tested for whatever illness currently afflicted Danny.

"I'm telling you, I feel fine," Danny said, looking anything but fine. He lay in bed, cheeks flushed an unearthly green. Sweat shone on his forehead.

"Good try, mister. Maybe I'll believe you when you stop covering your mouth like you have to puke," Maddie chastised her son. Standing with her hand on her hip, she shook her head. She had heard of teens faking illness to get out of school; it was so touching to know her boy wasn't like that.

"Mom, really, I'm fine," Danny insisted. He covered his mouth as he spoke, earning a very pointed glare from Maddie.

"I've already called the school. They know you're staying home today. Don't worry, your father and I will get you fixed up."

Panic and desperation filled Danny's eyes. It warmed Maddie's heart to see it. Who knew he cared so much about his classes? With how his grades had been dropping over the past year, she thought he had given up on school.

After pinning Danny with one last stern look, Maddie left his room and headed down to the kitchen. There should be a few packages of chicken noodle soup in the pantry for her to make. They usually kept a well-stocked supply dry soups, pastas, and other side dishes for the days dinner came to life. Maddie scanned the shelves, dragging her fingers across the various boxes, and grinned when she found the one she wanted. Pulling it out, she saw there was only one package left. It looked like they would need to restock soon.

Maddie quickly set to work making the soup, throwing the mixture of noodles and powder into a pot of water, turning the stove on low to simmer, and setting the oven timer to remind herself when to check it. With that done, she headed down to the lab.

Jack was hunched over his workstation, beakers laid out on the counter in front of him. Bubbling mixtures of various consistencies and colours filled the beakers, steam rising from more than a few even though they weren't set over heat.

"Danny's staying home today," she told Jack. "I think he caught a ghost bug."

"No son of mine is gonna get taken down but a ghost! I'll squash it like a fly!"  declared.

Maddie smiled fondly and shook her head. "No, Jack. Not a bug ghost, a ghost bug. He's sick."

"Oh. Well, we'll squash that sickness anyway! And then we'll squash the ghost that gave it to him! And then we'll squash Phantom!"

"You said it, honey!" She kissed Jack on the cheek before heading to her own station. Taking a test sample kit out from the cupboard, she pulled out a Fenton Swab and a Fenton Tube. They were nearly identical to the standard cotton swab and sample tube they were modelled after, except the Fenton versions were designed to withstand ectoplasm's acidic properties. They also had the word Fenton on them.

"Whatcha doing, Mads?" Jack asked, briefly looking up from his work.

"I want to rule out environmental factors. Danny spends so much time down here, and he never wears a jumpsuit since his got misplaced. We need to make sure the portal doesn't contain any contagions that could make others sick," she explained. Sticking her thumb against the DNA scanner, she opened the portal doors.

Green light spilled over the lab floor, rippling over the metal panels. Carefully, Maddie took the Fenton Swab and stuck it in the portal's swirling mass. It wasn't like sticking something in water. The ectoplasm in the portal had no resistance. Even though it looked opaque from afar, up close it more resembled a colourful mist. Swirling her hand around, she dragged the swab through the ectoplasm, coating it thoroughly.

It was mesmerizing. Despite how long she and Jack had studied ectoplasm for, she still didn't understand how its state of matter worked. It could go from solid to gas in an instant, or hang in the air like a fog and become liquid the moment it touched something. Sometimes it took minutes to dissipate, other times it took hours. There were so many contradicting circumstances, it was fascinating.

Perhaps ectoplasm was its own state of matter that couldn't be defined by Earthly physics.

Maddie waited until ectoplasm was practically dripping off the cotton end before pulling her hand back out, dropping the swab into the sample tube. Analyzing it would be easy enough. They had studied samples from the portal before, but ectoplasm's most consistent trait was how inconsistent it was. You could take two ectoplasmic samples from a single entity one week apart and their surface properties would be completely different.

The one core characteristic was a unique pattern of crystallization, visible with careful observation under a microscope. Each ghost seemed to have their own pattern. In some cases, they were highly personal. The ghost who liked to shout about boxes all the time had a square crystallization pattern.

If she could isolate the ectoplasm making Danny sick, she could compare the pattern with the portal and see if they matched. If they did, then she could study the rest of the portal sample and see what was making Danny sick.

Maddie tapped her foot as she placed a drop of ectoplasm on a slide and put it under the microscope, setting the rest of the sample aside for later testing.

"No need for that!"

Maddie paused just before putting her eye to the lens, turning to face Jack instead.

He grinned widely at her, holding out one of the beakers from his desk. "I've got our solution right here!" He wiggled the beaker. The thick purple substance inside barely jiggled. "It's the newest version of ecto-dejecto. This time, it actually works."

Reaching out, Jack took the sample Maddie had put aside. He stuck the swab into the purple goo; it stayed standing upright when he let go. The goo around the swab hissed and steamed.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Maddie asked.

"Uh, maybe?"

Green bubbles bloomed across the top layer of goo, quickly expanding upward. Jack yelped and dropped the beaker as the ectoplasm foamed over his hand. The beaker shatterd as soon as it hit the ground, glass shards going flying. The goo kept expanding, fizzing and frothing as it changed from purple to green, growing until it was a mound as big as a medium sized dog. With a few final hisses, the ectoplasm settled.

"It doesn't work yet, but it will," Jack said, confidence unshaken.

"I know it will," Maddie said. She had complete faith in her husband. Jack might bumble around sometimes, but his mind was truly brilliant. Where other people looked at things and saw only what was on the surface, Jack saw everything. He always excelled more on the chemistry side of things, even if he had a few mishaps every now and then.

It's what made them such a good team. Maddie handled the math, physics, and most of the weapon construction while Jack handled the ideas. She brought his head out of the clouds when he went too far. He raised her up so she could see all the possibilities and push them farther.

"Well, hey, I've got more ectoplasm to test with now," Jack said. He bent down and prodded the quivering mass.

In the silence, Maddie heard the oven beeping upstairs.

"Oh, shoot, Danny's soup." Maddie leapt out of her seat. She snatched a spare swab and sample tube from the counter and took off for the stairs. "Don't forget to clean up the glass!" She tossed the words over her shoulder, hoping Jack heard her.

On the stove, the pot was boiling over. Water hissed as it doused the element, steam and smoke clouding over the stove. Maddie grabbed a tea towel and shoved the pot off the element, accidentally splashing more water out.

"Oh, no," she grumbled, shutting off the stove. She took in the mess with a defeated sigh. There was more soup on the counter than there was in the pot. The timer must have gone off some time ago, or she had set it for too long. Tossing the tea towel over the spilled soup, she left it there to soak up some of the mess and went to the fridge instead, hoping they had something she could give Danny.

Her prospects were slim. Some questionable lunch meat that was about to expire. A door full of condiments. A ceramic pot that rattled every few seconds. Its lid was tied down to keep the reanimated fruit cocktail from escaping. Overall, the fridge was woefully empty. Maddie really needed to go grocery shopping.

She ended up taking a carton of orange juice from the door, pouring a glass, and decided Danny would have to settle for this until she came back from the store.

"Danny, sweetie?" Maddie asked, gently knocking on his door. It creaked open. Peeking inside, she saw his empty bed. A clatter from the bathroom drew her attention. "Oh, Danny." She shook her head, setting the glass of orange juice down on his dresser, and headed down the hall.

The door was shut. Soft white light shone underneath it, not nearly as bright as it should have been. One of the lights above the mirror must have burnt out again. Gently, she knocked and called Danny's name.

"Uh, just a minute!" Danny said.

The light under the door flared, then settled. Maddie heard the toilet flushing, followed by a quick burst of water from the tap. Finally, the knob turned, the lock clicking out of place, and Danny eased the door open. He kept one hand over his mouth.

"Hey, Mom. What brings you here?" he asked. Behind his palm, Maddie saw his lips twitch into a smile.

"You do, young man. I told you to stay in bed," Maddie said, crossing her arms.

"Bathroom. Had to go. You know how it is," Danny said. Using his elbow, he bumped the door open wider, his other hand pressed against his head. He squeezed past Maddie and shuffled backward toward his room. "But bed sounds like a great idea. In fact, I think I'll have a nap. No need to check on me or anything. You don't even need to open the door!"

He chuckled weakly, sidling into his room, and kicked the door shut.

Maddie wasn't sure what to make of all that. Danny hadn't even shut off the bathroom light. Reaching through the doorway to do just that, she noticed something odd. The toilet lid was down. Danny had the habit of leaving it up, no matter how much she reminded him not to. It was a small detail, but an curious one nonetheless. She decided not to dwell on it. More than likely, he was finally starting to build up the habit.

Maddie was halfway down the stairs when she remembered she needed a spit sample from Danny. Heading back up, she paused on the landing when she heard Danny talking, voice low.

"I don't know what's wrong." He sounded panicked. "I've only been awake for a couple hours but it's getting worse."

Maddie stopped. Instead of pushing Danny's door open, she crept forward, holding her ear against it. While she would never let Danny get away with eavesdropping, as his concerned mother, she had the right to listen in on his conversation.

"I don't know. My mouth was kind of hurting yesterday, but that's a whole other thing, right?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Tucker! I'm being serious here! First it was the blush, and then it was my hair." Maddie frowned at that. "What's next? My eyes?"

Danny's dresser rattled—she hoped he saw the orange juice—and he groaned. "Yep, it's the eyes now!"

Maddie really should go in there. Her baby was clearly panicking and needed her help.

"I don't care about my teeth!"

In a minute. She would go in, in a minute.

"Ugh, fine, whatever." Maddie heard Danny shuffling around, drawers opening and closing. It lasted for a full thirty seconds before he spoke again. "Okay, I got it. Happy now?" His words slurred slightly, as if he wasn't closing his mouth all the way.

Deciding enough was enough, Maddie pushed the door open without knocking. "Sorry, Danny, I forgot that I... needed..." The excuse died on her lips as she got a good look at Danny.

Green swirled in his eyes and a white streak cut through his hair. Danny spit out the large Saturn pendant of his chewable necklace and whispered into his phone. "Tucker, I got to go." Tossing his phone back into his bed, he stepped forward and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Mom, I can explain."

"Oh, my poor baby, you're so much worse than I thought," Maddie said. She rushed forward, taking Danny's face in her hands, and turned his head to the side so she could examine the streak in his hair. His bangs were white from root to tip. Using her thumb and forefinger, she pulled his eye open wide and examined his iris.

It looked like the infection was spreading. She thought it was a simple case of contamination, but that wouldn't do this. The green blush, yes, but changing his hair and eyes? Altering his physical and chemical makeup? This was serious.

"I'm sorry, Danny. Your nap has to wait. You're coming down to the lab with me now." Taking Danny by the wrist, Maddie pulled him out of his room.

"It's really not what you think!" Under his breath, he added, "I hope it's not what I think, either."

"Danny, your father and I are experts. Whatever you think it is, it isn't. Your dad is working on a cure right now. But at the rate this is accelerating, I can't let you out of my sight. I have to check all your vitals and keep detailed notes about how this progresses," Maddie said. "This is nothing like the ghost flu your father and I had."

"I still say that was just a regular flu."

"Now is not the time for your sass." Maddie dragged Danny all the way down to the lab.

Glass no longer littered the floor, although the blob of ectoplasm still sat beside Maddie's chair. Pulling the chair out, she pushed Danny into the seat and wheeled him across the lab to the medical station. Setting him out of the way in the hollow of the safety shower, Maddie opened the cupboard beneath the eyewash station and pulled out what she needed.

Beyond the run of the mill first-aid kit, the lab had a few tools you would find in a standard health clinic.

Danny squirmed and tried to leave his seat a few times, but Maddie kept pushing him back down. She didn't let him stand until she had taken his vitals, checked his eyes, nose, and throat, and gave him a thorough physical exam.

"Mom!" Danny whined when Maddie lifted shirt. She ignored him, looking over his body for signs of discolouration. There weren't any, yet. She suspected it was only a matter of time.

"Jack, how's that ecto-dejecto coming?" she asked.

"Almost got it!"

"Ecto-dejecto?" Danny paled.

Maddie sent him a reassuring smile. "It's okay. We're fixing the recipe so that it destabilizes the ectoplasm rather than makes it stronger. It will make it easier for your body to flush out the toxins." Her eyes dropped to the pendant around Danny's neck, his conversation with Tucker returning to mind. "What was Tucker talking about with your teeth?"

She had only spared them a brief glance when checking Danny's through, more concerned with hidden rashes or pustules.

"You were spying on me?" Danny's cheeks flushed in anger. "So not cool!"

"Danny, I'm your mother and I'm worried about you. You're sick."

"I'm fine! That doesn't make it okay to spy on me."

"You'll understand when you're older."

Danny tipped his head back and groaned.

"Now, open your mouth."

Danny squinted at her, which earned him nothing but a motherly glare. Stubborn but relenting, he slowly opened his mouth. Maddie rolled her eyes at her son's antics. Once his mouth was open wide enough, she checked his teeth. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"What's bothering you about them?" she asked. The hair and eyes were undoubtedly ghost-related matters. So far, Maddie was inclined to agree with Danny that his mouth pains were simply a coincidence.

"My gums just started hurting yesterday. Like there was a lot of pressure or something," Danny explained.

"And the necklace?"

"Chewing on something kind of helped, I guess. That was the first time I tried it, but it felt okay."

Something about that resonated with Maddie. She leaned back, frowning. It sounded like what happened when children teeth. When Danny was a baby growing in his teeth for the first time, he chewed on everything to make it stop hurting. Maddie had to throw out so many of his stuffed animals because he chewed on them until they were too dirty to keep.

"Can you pull your lips down?"

Danny obliged, raising his chin so Maddie could get a better look. The gums looked fine, no bumps or bulges, and his teeth were still in line.

"Top lip," she said.

Hooking his finger under his lip, Danny pulled it up. Maddie's eyes widened immediately. On the left side, between his canine tooth and lateral incisor, the sharp tip of a new tooth poked out of his gums. It looked like it was growing over his other teeth.

"You have an extra tooth," she declared.

"A what?" Danny shouted. He ran his fingers along his top teeth, pausing to feel the new one growing in.

"It's fine," Maddie said, waving off his concern. "Your father had one growing behind his incisor in college. He just had to get it removed. It's not related to whatever this," she gestured to his hair and eyes, "is."

"Oh." Danny deflated, looking relieved, although he didn't take his finger out of his mouth. He kept touching the new tooth. Swivelling in the chair, he leaned toward the wall, examining his reflection in the shining surface.

"Mads! I did it!" Jack's heavy steps thudded across the lab as he pounded over.

Content that Danny was occupied and wouldn't slip away the second she took her eyes off him, Maddie focused on Jack. He bounced on his heels, holding out a test tube filled to the brim with a yellow-tinged liquid.

"It's all about using the ectoplasm's natural properties against itself. If we can lock it in a liquid state, the ectoplasm loses hold of its form and liquifies! Just watch." He scurried back to Maddie's workstation.

With a careful tip of his hand, he poured a single drop of ecto-dejecto on the solidified ectoplasm. Sickly yellow patches spread across its surface. The ectoplasm started breaking down. Sloughing off in chunks, layer upon layer melted away, dripping down to the floor until only a wide green puddle remained.

"It's perfect! Pass me the syringe."

Jack got the needle ready in record time. Maddie wasn't concerned about giving Danny the ecto-dejecto without doing trials on living creatures first. Anti-ectoplasmic agents, by their very nature, did not harm living tissue. They isolated and attacked ectoplasm and ectoplasm alone. For this reason, anti-ghost weaponry was completely harmless to humans. Ghost shields, ghost guns, none of them could hard people.

It was also was the very same reason why Maddie and Jack did not have strict rules barring Danny and Jazz from the lab. They wanted their children to be curious. What better way to promote an interest in science then let them explore it in a safe manner with chemicals and compounds that would not harm them?

Danny was still examining his reflection, although he was probing something on the right side of his mouth instead.

Maddie pushed up his t-shirt sleeve. "Hold still, sweetie," she said, and stabbed his shoulder with the needle. Pressed the plunger, she injected him with the ecto-dejecto.

"Ow!" Danny flinched, jerking around to face Maddie. His gaze caught on the needle in her hand. "What was that?"

"Don't worry, you'll be all better by tomorrow," Maddie assured him.

"No, really." Danny stood up. He swayed, careening into the wall, and gasped. Staring down at his hands, he flexed his trembling fingers. "Seriously." He looked up at Maddie, helpless. "What was that?"

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

"Danny!" Maddie dropped to her knees beside him, Jack joining her a second later. Panic overwhelmed her. That shouldn't have happened. The ecto-dejecto was perfect. It should have worked flawlessly. Instead, Danny's skin around the injection site was quickly turning a dark, sickly green. His breathing was shallow, and his eyelids fluttered.

Pressing two fingers to Danny's neck, Maddie felt his pulse, erratic. What happened? What went wrong? What did Maddie do? She couldn't shake the feeling that she had just sent Danny to his grave.

"Mads." Jack's voice snapped her out of her spiralling thoughts. "We need to get him to the hospital. I'll carry him up to the RV. You call Jazz. We'll get her taken out of school."

"Right. Right." Maddie nodded, swallowing thickly. She had never been more thankful to have Jack by her side. Right when her vision started narrowing and all she could see was one outcome—Danny dead, Maddie his murderer—Jack was there to pull her up.

Moving back, she gave Jack room to gather Danny up. Jack was a big man, with thick arms and heavy-looking hands, but he cradled Danny so gently, as if he was a baby again.

"See the big picture, focus on the little steps," Jack said.

"Big picture, little steps," Maddie repeated. The words rang out in her head, over and over like a mantra. Big picture, little steps. Saving Danny, calling Jazz. Her phone was at her workstation. While Jack carried Danny upstairs, Maddie sprinted over to her station, snagging her phone off the counter. She easily found the number for Casper High.

"Casper High, this is Connie Burjan."

"H–hello Ms. Burjan." Maddie took a deep breath and smoothed out her voice. "This is Madeline Fenton, calling for Jasmine Fenton. I'm her mother."

"What can I do for you?"

"There's an emergency and we need to pull Jazz out of school. She needs to be with her family right now."

"Of course. I'll call her to the principal's office. I hope everything will be alright."

Maddie gave a rueful grin. "So do I." She hung up and headed upstairs.

Jack already had Danny in the back of the RV, laid out on one of the benches. He looked so small curled up on his side, shaking and shivering. Seeing him like that sent a surge of loathing through Maddie. She did this.

"You take Danny to the hospital. I'll pick up Jazz," Jack said, motioning to the little-used family car.

"No, we can't," Maddie said. She cursed softly. "We never got the transmission fixed."

They used the car so little. It was a relic from days past, the same vehicle Jack had in college. These days, they preferred the RV both because of its size and its ghost defenses.

"We pick up Jazz on the way," Jack said.

Maddie didn't want Jazz to see her brother this way, but she nodded anyway. They could leave Jazz at school for the rest of the day, but that didn't feel right. The whole family needed to be together.

Jack climbed into the back with Danny, sitting on the floor rather than the bench opposite his, while Maddie got in the front seat. Starting the car, she practically tore out of the garage, ripping through the back alley behind their house. She may have been a less hazardous driver than Jack, but she was just as fast.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay," Jack whispered. Looking in the rear-view mirror, Maddie saw him running his hands through Danny's hair in a soothing gesture. It reminded her of when Danny was little. He used to get sick so easily, stuck at home for days on end with a cold or flu. One of them would sit with him until he fell asleep, reading books about astronomy and brushing his hair like Jack was doing now.

Maddie's grip on the steering wheel tightened. This was nothing like back then. The bruise on Danny's arm had spread, a spotty discolouration taking over the whole limb.

When they got to the school, Jazz was already waiting outside, standing on the front steps. She ran up the sidewalk the second the RV came into view, bounding toward the vehicle. Jack threw the door open for her.

"What happened? Ms. Burjan didn't say," Jazz said. Her gaze fell to Danny. She paled, cupping her mouth. "Danny!"

She clambered into the car, leaving Jack to shut the door again, and immediately knelt in front of her brother. Her hands hovered over him before she touched his forehead, feeling his temperature. "What happened?" she asked.

"He was sick. Some kind of ghost sickness. We– I gave him ecto-dejecto to flush it out," Maddie explained shakily. She couldn't meet her daughter's eyes.

Jazz stared down at Danny. Gnawing on her thumbnail, she kept swivelling her head back and forth, glancing between Danny, Jack, and Maddie. She looked conflicted.

"Jazz?" Jack asked, seeing the same indecision as Maddie.

"You can't take him to the hospital," Jazz said. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Danny, and pulled him into a protective embrace.

"Jasmine! Your brother needs a doctor!" Maddie said.

"No, you don't understand!" Jazz shook her head vigorously. "You can't take him, they'll– they'll find out."

"Find out what?" Jack asked.

She bit her lip, holding Danny closer. Whispering an apology in Danny's ear, she raised her head and glared defiantly at Maddie and Jack. "They'll find out Danny's not human!"

Maddie slammed her foot on the breaks. Jack's arms shout out to brace himself on the sides of the RV. Jazz yelped, sliding forward, and curled around Danny to protect him as he fell halfway off the bench.

Panting, Maddie turned around and stared at Jazz. "He's what?" she asked.

Jazz shifted, putting herself between Danny and Maddie, as if he needed protecting from her. "He's not human," she repeated. "He's... his accident. It did something to him." Shaking her head, she continued, "If you take him to the hospital, they'll report him. It's in that stupid ecto act the G.I.W. have. Any cases of ecto-contamination need to be reported so they can take care of it."

Maddie's mind refused to process that information. She heard it, loud and clear, but she couldn't comprehend it. Of course Danny was human. He was her son, her baby boy, her flesh and blood. She brought him into this world. To say he wasn't human was just ridiculous. Impossible. No accident could change someone that much. No accident could take away someone's humanity.

The streak in Danny's hair stood out, glaringly bright, against his dark locks. The bruising had spread to his neck now. It would only be a matter of minutes before it touched his cheeks, too.

"Jazz, what happened to Danny?" Maddie was afraid of the answer.

"I can't tell you," Jazz whispered. "It's not my secret. I already said too much. But anything that could help him? None of that is going to be at the hospital. If ecto-dejecto did this to him, he doesn't need human medicine."

Maddie paled.

"Jazzypants," Jack said softly, reaching out.

Jazz scooted back, taking Danny with her. "We have to go back home. And you have to promise me. You have promise that, no matter what you find out, you won't hurt Danny."

"Jazz–"

"Promise!"

"We promise," Maddie said.

"Okay." Jazz nodded. "Okay. Let's get Danny home."

Facing forward, Maddie turned the RV around.

—

The couch was hardly sanitary. Jack and Maddie had to carry it in from the garage, and it was covered in dust. Maddie told Jazz as much, but her daughter refused to let them put Danny on the examination table.

"I can't let him wake up like that, lying there, with you looking over him," Jazz said. "It's his worst nightmare."

It broke Maddie's heart to hear that.

Jazz sat with Danny, his head in her lap. She had taken Jack's place stroking his hair. Maybe that was for the best. Based on what Jazz said, Danny wouldn't react well to either Maddie or Jack being the first face he saw if we woke up.

When, Maddie corrected herself. When he wakes up.

The couch sat all the way across the lab, as far from Maddie and Jack as it could get. Not to keep Danny away from them, but because they hadn't cleaned up the puddle of ectoplasm on the floor yet. It was a medical hazard, not to mention an accident waiting to happen, but they had other things to focus on right now.

Maddie forced herself to look away from her children, a heartfelt scene, and turned back to her microscope. She had a sample of Danny's blood underneath it and was looking for signs of crystallization. If she wanted to treat him right, she needed to know just how ghostly he was, and if he was even sick in the first place.

Danny himself said he didn't know what was going on.

Zooming in forty times, one hundred times, four hundred times, Maddie scowled in frustration. She could see his blood cells, but she couldn't see any crystallization. It didn't make sense.

"Anything, Jack?" Maddie asked, pulling back from the lens.

Jack, sitting beside her, leaned forward and scrutinized the computer screen. It was plugged in to the microscope, showing the same view Maddie saw of the sample. He shook his head.

"I don't get it. It should be there," he said.

Maddie nodded. Switching out Danny's sample for the ectoplasm from the portal, she shifted closer to Jack and scoured the screen. The image was blindingly bright. Unlike human blood, which could be seen as individual cells when you looked close enough, ectoplasm remained one solid mass no matter how far you zoomed in. The only thing that seemed to change was how large the crystallization lines were.

In the portal's sample, they swirled together in spiral patterns. It mimicked the way the ectoplasm moved in the portal itself.

Maddie wondered how that worked. Other ghosts had some form of conscience that seemed to influence and be influenced by their ectoplasm, resulting in unique patterns. The portal, however, had no consciousness. Perhaps all ambient ectoplasm from the Ghost Zone would bear an identical pattern. It was something they would have to look into, once Danny was fine.

Staring at the bright screen too long hurt Maddie's eyes. She was forced to look away, rubbing spots out of her vision. There had to be something they were missing.

Jack drummed his fingers on the table and hummed.

"What is it?" Maddie asked.

"Ectoplasm isn't blood," he said.

Maddie blinked, confused. "Yes?"

"So, why are we looking at Danny's blood like it's ectoplasm?"

Maddie blinked again. Her thoughts snapped into place. "Of course!" she shouted. She switched the ectoplasm with Danny's sample once again, zooming the microscope in to one thousand.

"Enlarge the image," Maddie said.

On the computer keyboard, Jack tapped a few keys, doing as asked. The image blew up to fill the screen.

Maddie pointed to one of Danny's red blood cells. "There," she said. She traced her nail along a thin line just barely visible, cutting across the cell. "Ectoplasm is one solid mass, as far as we know, but blood isn't. The crystallization appears on the individual cells, not around them."

"You found something?" Jazz called from across the room.

"You betcha, Jazzypants!" Jack whooped, throwing up his arms.

Maddie left him to celebrate, focusing instead on the pattern she could see. It looked like starbursts. Of course they would, this was Danny. She expected nothing less from her space-loving son. Scanning the image over and over, she tried to see if she could tell exactly how ghostly Danny was. The crystallization appeared fainter, but there was just as much of it as any ectoplasmic sample, simply reduced to a smaller space. Maddie's gaze caught on one of the cells in the corner of the image.

"That's odd," she said. "Jack, look at this." She beckoned him closer, pointing to what had caught her attention. "That cell there. It's the same swirl pattern as the portal.

"You're right," Jack murmured, fascinated.

Tapping her finger on her cheek, Maddie kept staring. There was something else about the pattern, something that nagged at her. It was almost familiar, which should be impossible because every ghost was unique.

"Jack, compare this sample to other ones we have logged in the system," Maddie said.

Behind her, Jazz called, "You don't need to do that!"

"Yes we do."

On the computer monitor, Maddie saw Jazz's reflection. Jazz carefully lifted Danny's head, sliding off the couch, and set him back down. Scurrying across the lab, her socks slipped on the metal tiles.

"Jazz, be careful!" Maddie swivelled her chair around, reaching out to Jazz, but was too late to catch her. Jazz's feet shot out from under her and she hit the ground hard. She groaned, rubbing her backside.

"You should be more careful, you almost fell into the..." Maddie's words died out. The puddle of ectoplasm was gone. "Jack, did you clean up the mess from earlier?"

"Hm? The glass? Yeah, I got it all," he said.

"No, not that, the–" A green blur shot across the lab.

Maddie leapt to her feet, instinctively reaching for an ecto-weapon, but she wasn't wearing any. The green mass zipped back and forth, moving erratically, too fast for Maddie to see. Until it stopped over Danny, hovering.

The ghost was small, about the size of a puppy. It had no arms or legs, just a shimmering body. Spiral patterns danced across its skin, shifting constantly. Yellow rash-like patches smothered the spirals in some places.

Maddie's gaze fell from the ghost to where the puddle of ectoplasm had been mere minutes ago.

"It didn't work," she said quietly, gaping at the ghost.

"Maddie, you should look at this."

"No, Jack, it didn't work!"

"Baby, you really need to look at this!"

Maddie turned, annoyed Jack wasn't listening to her, and froze. The computer had found a match in the crystal patterns. Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom, one hundred percent.

—

There were only so many dramatic revelations Maddie could handle in one day. First Danny had a ghost flu, then it was worse than a flu, then he was dying, then he wasn't, and then it turned out he was dead all along. Her heart couldn't take it.

She sat on the floor in front of Danny's couch, watching him sleep. The reanimated ghost slept with him, curled up on his back. It was almost cute. Normally, Maddie would have blasted the thing to shreds by now for even getting close to Danny, much less touching him. But right now, that ghost was a sign of hope.

Not only did the ghost recover from the ecto-dejecto, but it gained consciousness. Unless, of course, the portal was conscious after all. That thought sent shivers up her spine. What did that say about Danny, who shared key DNA elements with the portal's ectoplasm? What did it say about the newly birthed ghost that already seemed so attached to him?

It was just Maddie, Danny, and the ghost in the lab. Jazz and Jack had gone upstairs to eat, at Maddie's insistence. It had been a harrowing day and it was barely past noon. Inching forward, she rested her elbows on the cushion beside Danny, folding her arms. The ghost on his back shuffled and yawned, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her. She took that as a good sign.

Danny had stopped shaking not too long ago. The discolouration on his skin had started fading, although not the way Maddie wanted it to. Rather than disappearing completely, it was turning a light salmon colour, a couple shades pinker than a nasty sunburn. Judging by the yellow stains that had yet to fade from the portal ghost, Danny's pink patches would not disappear completely. The sight of them sickened her. Not because they were ugly—Danny could never be ugly to her—but because they were a sign of what she had almost done.

The first few seconds after learning Danny was Phantom, Maddie felt betrayed. How could her own son not trust her with something so monumental? The second thing she felt was a cathartic realization as all the pieces fell into place. The failing grades, the absences, breaking curfew. All their inventions reacting to Danny. It explained everything. Looking back, she should have seen it sooner. Maddie really despised hindsight.

She reached out and brushed Danny's hair away from his forehead, briefly checking his temperature. Disturbingly cold, but Jazz said that was normal for him. Maddie had no choice but to trust her information.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. How many times had she threatened Danny to his face, without knowing it was really him? All the experiments she and Jack had proposed, all the ways they would take Phantom apart to figure out how he ticked. It was horrible.

"I'm so, so sorry." She ran her hand through his hair. Her palm came away wet. Confused, she stared at the ectoplasm streaked across her hand. Pushing Danny's hair back, she checked his scalp for an injury, finding a viscous patch of skin. Before Maddie could process what was happening, Danny was already halfway gone.

"No, no!" She tried to hold him together, but it didn't work. Beneath her helpless gaze, Danny melted, leaving her kneeling in a pool of his ectoplasm, horrified. Her voice caught behind her tongue and refused to move any farther. Cupping her mouth, she croaked pathetically, squeezing her eyes shut. A horrible sob tore through her throat.

Maddie gripped the edge of the couch, punching the cushion. The ghost laying there squawked in protest. Maddie's head snapped up.

"You," she said. Pulling herself up, she braced herself on either side of the ghost. "This happened to you. You came back. How did you do it? Make him come back!"

Crying out in grief, she lowered her head against the couch, shaking. Danny was supposed to be fine. He was supposed to wake up and realize Maddie and Jack knew his secret. He was supposed to wake up and smile because he didn't have to hide anymore. He wasn't... he wasn't supposed to... he couldn't...

A soft white glow filled the room. Maddie opened her eyes, nearly blinded by the light. It came from the ectoplasm. Bright stretching over the puddle, rippling outward from the center at Maddie's knees. The ectoplasm started rising, the rings rising with it, cascading downward.

Slowly, a shape took form, growing out of the ectoplasm. A faceless blob that quickly grew a head, a torso, arms. An achingly familiar form. The ectoplasm creeped back together, sucked inward as the last of the rings faded, and Danny Phantom fell forward into Maddie's waiting arms. She buried a hand on his hair, pressing his face against her shoulder, and let out a broken laugh.

Danny shifted, his arms raising, wrapping around her. "Mom?" he asked, lifting his head.

Maddie wiped her eyes on her sleeve and pulled back so she could see him. He looked different. Where white strands had glistened in Danny's human hair, a black streak now marked his ghost form. His eyes were brighter. Green flecked sparkled on his cheeks like stars. Two new, sharp teeth sat over his canines and lateral incisors on either side of his mouth. He even looked a little taller.

The discolouration remained, though. Grey instead of red.

He tipped his head down, focusing on his body. Startled into action, he yelped and scrambled away, putting distance between them. "I– I mean, Maddie. Madeline. Madeline Fenton. What are you doing here?" he said in a false, deep voice. "In your own lab. What are you doing here in your lab?"

Maddie couldn't help it. She laughed.

"Mo– addie. What, uh, what's going on right now? Am I being punked?" Danny floated back, casting a nervous glance around the room.

"I'm sorry, it's just." She paused to giggle. "How did you ever keep this a secret from us? That voice is so terrible."

"Hey! I like my voice!" Danny shouted, dropping the false voice. His eyes widened and he quickly resumed the charade. "I mean, I like my voice. This voice. This is my voice. And you... you are still laughing."

"Danny..." Maddie wiped her eyes again, this time tears of happiness. "We know."

"You... know?"

"We know."

Danny gawked at her. All it took was Maddie opening her arms and he flew forward, crashing into her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied," he whispered.

Maddie nearly started crying again. "I'm sorry you had to."

"I just, you and Dad. Fighting ghosts is what you do, and I panicked and didn't tell you, and then it felt like I had waited too long. But I... how do you know?" He peered up at her, tilting his head.

"Jazz told us. We thought... we thought you were dying."

"I felt like it."

Maddie cringed.

"Oh, no, geez, I didn't mean it like that. I meant before you got me with whatever that was. I don't remember anything after that and now I feel kind of great actually," Danny said in a rush. Standing up, he flexed his fists and looked down. Following his gaze, Maddie saw he was examining his reflection in the floor. "Did I go through ghost puberty or something?"

Silence stretched between them for a second.

"Oh my god," Danny said, eyes widening. "I totally went through ghost puberty."

He leaned down to get a better look. Before he could, the portal ghost barrelled into his chest, throwing him back against the couch. The ghost zipped around him, nuzzling him and saying gibberish words. At least it sounded like gibberish to Maddie.

Danny caught the ghost in his arms, trapping it against his chest in a bear hug. "And who's this?" he asked.

"Your new best friend," Maddie teased.

"Damn. Sam and Tucker will be so disappointed." Danny flopped onto his back, holding the ghost above his head as if it were a cat.

Maddie felt a sense of calm wash over her. She didn't realize she had still been nervous, but hearing Danny's sarcastic voice, seeing him play with the new ghost, her worries finally disappeared. Everything was going to be okay.

[oldsilverblood5]

Childhood

Thankfully, the Fentons ghost hunting tech was less advanced in the past and sneaking into their home was easier than it had ever been. Without their modified warning system or ghost shield, Phantom was able to sneak in using all the blind spots they hadn’t discovered yet.

He only hoped he wasn’t so far in the past that they didn’t have a working ghost portal yet. That would really throw a wrench into his plans to get back to his own time. Still though, he had to wonder why he had to find Clockwork on his own. Surely if he weren’t meant to be here, the time ghost would have already intervened. Right?

There was no one in the main floor of the house, so Phantom headed straight for the basement. Once inside, he froze at the sound of an unearthly screech. It sounded primal, and hurt, and Phantom knew it had to be a ghost.

Phantom ground his teeth together. Normally, he would rush in to save whatever poor ghost had been captured by the Fentons, but he couldn’t risk any changes to the past. He tried to tell himself that this had already happened, and there was nothing he could do, but before he could work up the courage to go in and look for the ghost portal, he heard another scream.

This one sounding like a human child.

“Don’t let your fear control you, Danny. That’s what it wants.” Maddie’s stern voice spoke up.

Phantom’s core thrummed in confusion and fear, and he turned the corner to investigate the lab before he knew what he was doing.

In the middle of the lab was a large glass cage, it was long and took up a huge amount of space. Maddie and Jack stood to the side and observed the cage like the cold scientists they were. Inside was the screeching ghost, back facing Phantom and looking at something on the other side of the long box that was out of his vision.

The ghost lunged with the same animalistic screech that sounded very wrong to Phantom’s ears, and a small figure slid under the floating form. Phantom immediately recognised the other person in the cage as a child, and a moment later, he realised who the child was.

“Danny?” He whispered to himself in disbelief. Phantom watched the pre-teen version of his rival stand and fire a blast from his gun that just barely grazed the ghost’s shoulder. The ghost ignored the blast, and several more that did a better job of hitting it, as it quickly lunged back at the younger Danny.

Now with a better view of the ghost, Phantom almost gasped at the sight of them. Mottled green and grey skin, flaming wisps of red hair, solid black eyes and foaming mouth open in a snarl, showing off too big fangs. There was something wrong with this ghost. Something so very wrong.

They pounced on the child, holding him down with clawed hands, and proceeded to screech in his face. They leaned in to possibly bite into Danny’s face, but the young hunter reached up with an ecto-laced knife to slash into the ghost’s abdomen. The pain from the wound made them rear back and howl and Danny was able to kick them off. He was tackled again as he tried to stand, this time from behind as he was facing away when he stood, and he hit the ground with a groan. The scream that the child made when the ghost clawed deep into his back had Phantom struggling to hold himself back as he darted his eyes between the younger Danny and his parents.

Why weren’t they doing anything to stop this!?

Why were they just watching it? What was wrong with this ghost? And why was Danny in the cage with them?

All of a sudden, the ghost started shaking and screaming, a light on the metal collar they wore turned on. Normally, Phantom would have been horrified to see someone get electrocuted, but at that moment he was only glad they were no longer hurting the kid.

Jack stepped into the cage and the ghost disappeared in a whirl of the containment device he held. With the fight over, Maddie stepped in and crouched to observe her son’s back. The shirt was well and truly ruined, and several long lines of red peeked through, already dripping blood freely.

“It doesn’t look infected, but we can’t be too sure.” She stood without helping Danny up in any way. “Get into the safety shower. We need to scrub you down.” Danny looked up at her with wide eyes at the order.

“D-do I have to? You said it didn’t look infected.” He asked hopefully as he slowly stood, wincing the whole way.

“Even so, it’s safer to clean it before we bandage it. I know you don’t like the process, but you won’t be able to reach your back properly. Though, if it makes you feel more comfortable, you can keep your pants on.”

Going by the expression on Danny’s face, that would make him feel more comfortable, though it quickly fell into a chastised frown when his mother spoke again.

“But this wouldn’t be necessary had you been able to follow your basic training. Honestly, Danny, you should know better by now to not turn your back on a ghost.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Mom, I wasn’t thinking.” Danny lifted his hand as if he were going to rub the back of his neck, something Phantom knew his older self often did when he was uncomfortable, but winced and lowered the hand before it got there.

Seeing the action, his mother finally remembered the injury and led the way to the safety shower in the corner. “You’re quick on your feet Danny, but you let your fear control you way too much.”

Phantom could only stare, still in shock over the events. Getting over fear in a fight like that was easier said than done. Even Phantom was afraid of that ghost. They were tainted and twisted and wrong. He wondered what happened to them to make them that way. Though considering the Fenton’s were involved that was probably half the answer already.

Now that things were calmer, Phantom started paying a bit more attention to what was being said. He didn’t know that his rival had been afraid of ghosts when he was younger. Though with an experience like that, he couldn’t say he blamed the kid. This was his training?

“You want to protect people, don’t you?” Maddie asked as Danny tried to remove his ruined shirt. He couldn’t do it, so she grabbed a pair of latex gloves and some scissors. “To protect them from ghosts?”

“Of course, I do.” Danny stopped moving as his mother cut the shirt off. “I want to be a ghost hunter so I can keep people safe from ghosts.”

Phantom stared at the younger version of his rival. Danny Fenton had been a ghost hunter for longer than Phantom had been in Amity Park. But he had always been one of the best, a constant thorn in Phantom’s side. He was a Fenton, raised a ghost hunter, and just as much of a monster as his parents. But Phantom had never thought to wonder why.

“Well, you can’t protect anyone if you’re afraid.” Maddie continued, breaking Phantom’s thought process. “You’ll make mistakes like this if you aren’t thinking clearly, and only put yourself in danger. We won’t always be there to protect you if a ghost gets the upper hand. That’s why you need to train more. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mom, I understand.” Danny stepped into the shower.

“But don’t worry too much about it, kiddo.” Jack piped in cheerfully, “We’ll work more on your techniques before you fight a ghost again. Your aim could use a little work.”

If Danny was going to say anything in response, he lost his chance when the shower started up. Maddie had an extra hose she had turned up to a high pressure and was washing down Danny’s back. Phantom only watched Danny’s muscles clench at the pressure on his fresh open wounds for a moment before he decided he’d seen enough. He flew intangibly through the blast doors that hadn’t been ghost proofed yet, and he was in GZ open air.

He sighed and started the flight to the Clocktower. For once, he was glad it was so far away, it gave him plenty of time to think about what he had just witnessed.

First, there was the ghost. They were twisted beyond any form of recognition and Phantom knew that the Fentons had to have done something to them. But this was several years in the past, and Phantom had never seen anything like this before. It worried him that they could away with something like this for so long.

And then there was Danny. Who couldn’t have been more than 12 years old, locked in a cage with a feral ghost while his parents watched and gave minimal advice. And the severe lack of worry from them when Danny was hurt had Phantom seething. They behaved so clinically in response to his injury, worrying more about a possible infection than if he was alright. The proper treatment of his wounds aside, it was as if they didn’t care at all. There was no asking if he were okay, no apologies for putting him in that situation in the first place, no reassurances that it would be okay other than no visible signs of infection. They didn’t try to help him up, didn’t express worry or concern, they didn’t even save the lectures until after they’d patched him up! Maddie just went straight into scolding him for turning his back on the ghost, and Jack was already talking about the next time he would be put in the cage with a twisted being who clearly wanted to kill him.

Despite not being able to, Phantom felt as though he might throw up. This was Danny’s training. The training his parents were putting him through so that he would one day be a ghost hunter like them. A ghost hunter that he wanted to be so he could protect people from the ghosts like the one they made him fight.

A sudden memory resurfaced in Phantom’s mind, one shortly after he’d met the youngest Fenton for the first time.

‘Stop it with the act already! I know what you are!’

If that corrupted facsimile was Danny’s first and only impression of a ghost before being allowed in the field, was it any wonder that he thought all ghosts were evil and monstrous beings?

This was wrong. It was all so wrong, and Phantom needed answers now. He never liked Danny, and he’d never seen the family interact outside of working together to take down some innocent ghost, but this was not what he expected. He needed to get back to his time and talk to Danny, now.

[dannyphannypack]

Happy Holiday Truce!

Surprise! I’m your secret Santa, @dannyphantomisameme ! I took your two ideas of the trio together in less-than-happy circumstances, and came up with this! kind of a hurt/comfort oneshot. I’m sorry it’s so late! I wanted to post this on Christmas, but it’s two hours into the 26th of December and I’m just now uploading it. I read through a draft I had written earlier this month and completely scrapped it, haha. This one isn’t much better, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless :)

As a side note, I had this all italicized and what-not, but Tumblr took it out. Let me know if anything is unclear.

It had been a month since the accident, and he still barely had any control.

Danny Fenton walked behind his friends with his head down. Sam was complaining about something her parents did the other night. Tucker had his nose in his PDA and was tripping over his own feet because of it.

Danny hadn’t told his friends about the accident. He didn’t know why. They were his best friends, and he knew he could trust them with anything and everything. But admitting what he was … some kind of ghostly abomination … it was too much. His parents had been studying ghosts since they were freshmen in college, and Danny had come to the conclusion that they were nuts around the time he realized Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy didn’t exist. Now, though? Maybe Santa Claus was real …

One month ago, three days before freshman year of high school, Sam and Tucker had been watching a movie at his place. His older sister had left to get psychology books from the nearby bookstore and, despite how straightforward that seemed, Danny knew that Jazz had a tendency to lose track of time. She probably had six equally boring-looking books spread out before her, debating if she should get the one with the science terms or the one with the theories. Meanwhile, Danny’s parents had left to go to the hardware store. Something about their newest invention not wanting to work. Danny had learned to tune them out years ago.

The movie ended a few minutes after Danny’s parents had left. Sam and Tucker had wanted to go into the basement laboratory to check out that invention Maddie and Jack had been talking about, but Danny knew the kind of trouble he’d get in for letting his friends into a highly dangerous, probably hazardous lab without any protection. Besides, he and Tucker had only recently met Sam. Danny felt that if Sam saw the state of the lab, she’d decide his family was too crazy for her to handle and stop hanging out with him. Maybe that was a little drastic, but Danny had an overactive imagination.

His overactive imagination was exactly what got him into trouble that night. After he’d waved goodbye to his friends, Danny went into the kitchen to grab a snack and stopped at the door to the lab. It was pretty inconspicuous looking—just a heavy wooden door that could have led into a food pantry or a storage closet—but underneath the door, a light flashed red across the kitchen tiles.

So he’d done the dumb thing. He had pulled his protective jumpsuit from the cleaning closet, brushed the dust off the front, and put it on. When he opened the basement door, cold air blew back at him. As soon as he stepped over that threshold, from yellow kitchen tile to cold metal, he had sealed his fate.

And now he was here, some sort of half-ghost half-human abomination that turned all of his parents’ research on its head. The worst part … his parents had always believed that ghosts were evil. Always. And Danny was scared because more and more ghostly things were happening to him. He fell through his bed. He absentmindedly floated to the bathroom in the middle of the night. He made the temperature in a room drop several degrees.

It wasn’t just the physical things, though. It was the mental things that really freaked him out. How he had wanted to jump out of his skin when his dad put a large hand on his shoulder. The way he could lose track of time staring at the endless, swirling green haze of the portal. The urge to hop into the air and not come back down.

He fought it. He couldn’t let himself do things like that. They weren’t human. They made him a freak. And if his parents were right about ghosts being evil? If giving into his urges made him more and more like a ghost? Forget it. An image of him as a ghost, laughing maniacally as he reached inside someone’s chest and pulled their heart out, came uninvited to the forefront of his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block it out. It was bad enough he had nightmares about it, but when he was awake, too? Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. He was losing it.

“You alright?” Tucker asked. Danny whipped his head up to meet his eyes. “Danny?”

“Fine,” he said. “Just stressed out about that English assignment, is all.”

“Ah,” Sam said. “You can always come to me for help, Danny. English is the only subject I’m good at.”

“Thanks,” Danny said, offering a smile. When they both turned around and continued walking, Danny dropped the smile and stared down at the ground again. He tried to focus his attention on Sam and Tucker’s conversation. Anything to keep him from thinking about ghosts.

“Two words, Sam,” Tucker said. “Meat. Connoisseur.”

“That’s a big word for you, Tuck. Mind defining it?”

Tucker used his shoulder to push her. “Meat heightens the senses, and my all-meat streak is fourteen years strong.”

“And it’s about to end,” Sam deadpanned. “The school board finally agreed to try a new cafeteria menu. I wore them down.”

“Wait,” Tucker said, putting out an arm to stop her. “What did you do?”

-

Danny’s stomach turned. He hoped it was the food on his plate that made it do so, but he was nervous that he was losing his appetite or something. Did ghosts eat?

“What is this?” he said, looking up at Sam. “Grass on a bun?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “First of all, that’s a slice of bread. Second of all, it’s shredded lettuce, idiot.”

Danny eyed the meal. “This is it?” he asked. “Isn’t their supposed to be another slice of bread and … something other than wet lettuce?”

“Look,” Sam said, and she folded the single slice of bread and took a bite. Around a mouthful of food, she said, “And you could have grabbed a vegan mud-pie.”

“Sam,” Tucker said, pushing his tray away from him. “Those things looked like mud pies. With mud. From the ground.”

Sam shrugged and took another bite of her half-lettuce sandwich at the same time that Danny got a horrible chill. It raced up his spine and made all the hair on his body stand up.

“Danny?” Sam asked, frowning. “What’s up?”

“Nothing!” he said, trying to look like he wasn’t freaked out of his mind. “Just a chill!”

Behind Sam, in the cafeteria kitchen, a partially transparent lady with sickly green skin floated past.

Danny’s eyes widened. He made a few incoherent noises before he was finally able to stutter out, “Gotta go to the bathroom!”

He raced out the door.

Okay, Danny, he thought to himself. That’s a ghost. What would my parents do? They’d pull out their weapons. I don’t have any weapons.

… Or did he?

No, no way, he chastised. That’s just … that’s just the ghost speaking. Snap out of it, Fenton.

Behind the wall he was leaning on, something crashed in the cafeteria kitchen, followed by a quick scream of surprise from someone who sounded suspiciously like Sam. The cold feeling came back tenfold, making his breath mist in front of him. How’d she get in there? Is she okay?

“Let her go!” Tucker shouted, sounding wobbly.

Oh, God, Danny thought, running shaky fingers through his hair. Tucker, too? I—I can’t just sit here! I have to—I have to—

Another crash. Tucker yelled.

Danny’s vision went green. Before he could so much as blink, he was in the cafeteria kitchen, floating high above the ground. When he realized what he was doing, he lost balance and fell to the ground in a heap. He picked himself up, noticing that he had suddenly donned white gloves. Where—?

He looked up. Tucker was gaping at him. From across the room, in the clutches of some sort of ground beef monster, Sam gaped, too. The ground beef monster growled and flew through the opposite wall with Sam in its grasp. She was gone.

Danny’s vision went green again, but he could see through the haze this time. He was flying again, this time close to the ground. As the wall approached, he instinctively went intangible and flew through it, the same way the ground beef monster had. He got scared halfway through, though, and ducked, which caused him to tumble across the high school hallway and hit the green lockers on the other side. The force of his impact dented the bottom locker, but he nonetheless scrambled into an upright position. “Let her go!” he shouted. At the same time, Tucker appeared at the end of the hallway.

The ground beef monster hissed in his face, spitting chunks of meat into his hair. Like swiping at a fly, it hit Danny with the back of its hand and sent him flying down the hallway. He hit Tucker and they both sprawled across the floor.

By the time Danny looked up, both the ground beef monster and Sam were gone. He stood, hoping for another flash of green that would cause him to inexplicably be able to control his powers, but it never came. Instead, a bright white flash made his gloves and black suit go away. His body felt heavy with the weight of gravity, so he fell onto his hands and knees and took a few big, shuddering breaths.

“Danny?” Tucker asked tentatively. Danny’s eyes widened as he turned to look at his best friend. Tucker’s own eyes were like dinner plates.

“I—”

An angry voice cut him off. “Either of you care to explain why you decided to destroy school property?”

Once again, Danny turned. Mr. Lancer, his English teacher, was crouched beside the locker that Danny had bumped into. It was worse than he initially thought; when Lancer touched the door, it swung open and came off its hinges in a crash. Books and papers spilled onto the floor.

Mr. Lancer scowled and stalked towards them. Without effort, he picked Tucker and Danny up off the ground and led them to his room with a firm hand on either teens’ shoulders. When they reached the door, the principal called out. “Mr. Lancer? Can I speak with you?”

Mr. Lancer pushed the two boys into his room. “Stay here,” he growled. With that nice sentiment, he slammed the door shut behind him.

“So,” Tucker said a few moments later. “How long have you …” He gestured wildly at Danny.

Danny closed his eyes. “I—” he breathed, still in shock. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I wanted to tell you.”

“Clearly you didn’t,” Tucker said, sounding cold.

“Tuck—”

“Whatever,” Tucker said. “We need to go find Sam.”

Danny stared at him.

“So, you know,” Tucker said, gesturing at him again. “Do your thing.”

Danny gulped. “I don’t know how.”

“You don’t know how,” Tucker repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I just watched you.”

“No, I mean …” Danny took another deep breath. “It just happens. I can’t control it.”

“It just happens,” Tucker repeated again, like a broken record. “Why’d it happen before, then?

“Uh …”

“Okay,” Tucker said, leaning against Mr. Lancer’s desk. “What had happened before?”

“It … It got really cold, and then I heard you yell, and I just … I blanked.”

Something in Tucker’s eyes softened. “Because you thought I was in trouble,” he supplied. “Okay, but how do we replicate that?”

Danny looked down at the ground and kicked at the tile floor. “Please,” he murmured, barely audible. “I don’t want to replicate it.”

“Danny,” Tucker said, visibly annoyed. “Sam is in trouble. You realize that?”

“I’m scared.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure Sam is scared, too.”

Danny shook his head. His vision blinked back and forth, from green to clear. “Stop,” he breathed. “Stop it.”

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Tucker crossed his arms and plowed on. “She could be dying.”

Danny put his hands on either side of his head. “Stop it!”

“She could be dead right now.”

Tucker watched as Danny went rigid, his eyes glowing green. It was scary, seeing him like that. For a moment, Tucker wondered if he’d made the wrong decision in provoking him. Then a ring of white light appeared, so bright that he had to shield his eyes. In Danny’s place was … Danny, but different. So, so much different. His hair went shockingly white. His jeans and t-shirt were replaced with a black jumpsuit. Tucker squinted. He recognized it, somehow. He remembered Danny showing him that jumpsuit a few years ago. But … it had been mainly white, not mainly black. It had changed. Like Danny.

So that’s why he’d been acting so weird lately.

Danny grabbed a hold of Tucker’s wrist. He flinched violently, but Danny kept his hold. Even through those white gloves, his hand felt cold. Standing next to Danny was like standing next to an open refrigerator.

He felt himself be lifted off the ground, and then Danny flew the two of them straight through the floor and into the school basement which, apparently, doubled as a meat locker. 

“Whoa,” Tucker breathed as Danny lowered him. His feet touched the ground, but Danny remained floating. Like a bullet, he shot through a wall of cardboard boxes and disappeared from sight. A second later, Sam screamed. Her voice bounced off the walls and created an eerie echo.

Crash!

Tucker ran down the carboard box hallway and turned. Against the wall, leaning on now-cracked cement, Danny groaned. 

“Danny!” Tucker shouted. He dropped down beside him, hands wavering over his form. What if he’d broken a bone or something? How was Tucker supposed to fix that?

“Tuck … ?” Danny mumbled, looking up blearily, his eyes blue once more. He gasped in fear, and at the same time that Tucker turned to see what Danny was looking at, a green bubble popped into existence around the two of them. Milliseconds later, a huge pile of frozen meat hit the shield and flew in every direction.

Tucker looked back at Danny, whose eyes were green again. He had his hands raised. When he dropped them, the green bubble disappeared without so much as a ‘Pop!’

Danny had done that? Tucker marveled. Danny reached out and grabbed Tucker’s wrist, pulling him to his feet and, after that, into the air. The ground beef monster swiped at the boys. Tucker closed his eyes and held his other arm up to block his face from the impact, but nothing happened. They’d flown straight through the ground beef monster’s arm. Using his other hand, Danny reached out and grabbed Sam by the wrist as well. She screeched, very un-Sam-like, and all three of them flew up through the ceiling and through the wall into the open air.

Danny blinked. When he opened his eyes again, they were blue and half-lidded. “Danny?” Tucker asked. Danny looked at him, took a deep breath of relief, and closed his eyes. All three of them fell the few feet there was between them and the ground. Danny transformed back.

“Danny!” Sam shouted, scrambling back. “What—?”

Tucker leaned forward and put two fingers on his wrist. “Oh, thank God, he’s alive,” he breathed. Then, turning to Sam, he said, “We need to get him home.”

In shock, blanking on what to say, Sam shut her mouth and nodded mutely.

-

Danny groaned. He felt like he’d been run over by a truck multiple times over.

“He’s awake!” Sam said, somewhere. Voices floated around him.

Blearily, he opened his eyes. Sam was leaning over him, her eyebrows furrowed. Behind her, Tucker sat with a matching expression. He looked past them at the white ceiling, which was decorated with faded glow in the dark stars.

“What are you guys doing in my room?” Danny asked, pushing himself upright. His head throbbed in protest, making him wince.

“Do you remember anything?” Tucker asked.

Danny blinked, confused. “Remember anything? I—” he started, but it all started coming back in bits and pieces. A ground beef monster. Flying. Grabbing Sam. Tucker finding out.

Tucker finding out.

Tucker finding out!

Danny jumped, sitting completely straight now.

“Whoa!” Sam said, holding onto his shoulder. “Calm down, it’s okay.”

Danny met Tucker’s eyes from behind Sam who, now that he knew Danny was alive and okay, was starting to look a bit annoyed. Danny had a lot of explaining to do.

He dropped his head in shame. “Look, guys,” Danny started. Sam let go of his shoulder. He pulled his knees up to his chest. “I’ve been keeping something from you.”

“That you’re part ghost?” Tucker asked. At Danny’s fearful expression, he held his hands out in front of him like, ‘calm down.’ “I’m joking.”

Danny sighed. “No, you’re right,” he said, fiddling with his blanket. “You guys know when we were watching that movie last month? When you guys wanted to check out the basement lab and I told you no?”

Slowly, Sam nodded.

“Well, after you guys left, I … went down there by myself. And my parents were building this big thing that looked like a hole in the wall, so I went inside and … and it turned on. It—” Danny gulped, unable to finish his train of thought. Instead, he said, “My parents were so excited when they came home. They said it was a portal to the ghost dimension. That they’d be able to capture ghosts and get ectoplasm samples a lot easier now. For experiments. And … I thought I just got shocked pretty bad, you know? That I was fine. But then things started happening …”

“Oh, Danny,” Sam said.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Tucker asked.

Danny put his head in his hands, unable to look them in the eye. “I was going to,” he responded. “I really was. And then my parents started talking about how they’d be able to dissect their first ghost. That they’d be able to ‘figure out what made these monsters tick.’ I got scared. I kept thinking, ‘what if they’re right? What if I am a monster?’”

“You’re not a monster,” Sam said, reaching out to him.

“But I feel like a monster, Sam.” When Danny looked up, his eyes glistened. A tear ran in a line down his cheek. “I want to … do things. Not human things. I want to jump into the ghost portal and not come back. I want to just … fly above the town for hours. Completely disconnected. And sometimes I’ll start floating around or something without even realizing it. And then today.” Danny raked a hand through his hair. “I just … blanked out. Everything went green and I stopped thinking. I’m so scared that if I let that happen again, I’m never going to be able to snap out of it. I’ll just be a ghost forever. I’ll forget about you guys, and my family, and my life …” He sniffed. “So I didn’t tell you guys. I didn’t want to drag you into it. I feel like a Dementia patient or something. Like you guys are watching me become something else. Watching me … die. And I didn’t want to admit that to myself, so… so I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry.”

“Danny,” Tucker said, eyes wide. “Man, I had no idea.”

Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “You’re not going to lose yourself, Danny. You’re not bad. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

“You saw what I did today,” Danny said, pulling back. “How can you be so sure?”

“You were protecting us,” Tucker said. “The whole time. When you heard me yell. When Sam was taken away. When you saved me from being crushed under hundreds of pounds of frozen meat. That was all you, dude. That wasn’t anybody else.”

“We’re going to figure this out,” Sam promised, “together. We’re here for you, Danny. We love you so, so much.”

Danny wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I love you guys, too,” he said.

Tucker jumped onto the bed, and the two of them hugged Danny until he feel asleep again.

It was the first night in a month where Danny didn’t have a nightmare.

[darks-ink]

Electricity - Ectoberweek 2019

A short one today, because I forgot that I’m really bad at writing pointless fluff. I just don’t get through my words if there isn’t at least a tiny bit of plot to support all the banter. But I also didn’t want to throw out my idea and write angst, so...

Rating: General Audiences / K+ Warnings: none! Genre: Humor, Fluff Words: 1,961 Additional Tags: Banter, Light-hearted, Puns & word play

[AO3] [FFN]

---

Lightning ran over Danny’s skin, simultaneously hot and cold, branching to cover every inch of his flesh. Its currents ran under his skin, electrifying and sharp.

He let out a breath laugh, twisting his arm to watch the play of energy and light where it danced over his skin.

“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” Sam said, leaning in closer. The light of the electricity, ecto-green in color, reflected in her eyes. “And it doesn’t hurt?”

“Not at all,” he assured her. Her, and Tucker, who maintained a careful distance. “It’s a little… electrifying, but it’s no more painful than any of my other powers.”

“Ha ha.” Tucker rolled his eyes, pushing his PDA a little further away. “You keep that power away from me, Fenton, until you can assure me that you won’t fry my electronics.”

“Aw, Tuck,” Danny whined, pouting at his friend, “but what if that never happens? How am I supposed to hug my bestest bro if he won’t let me come close?”

Danny shifted like he was about to stand up, and Tucker hissed at him like a cat. “Don’t you dare! You hear me, Fenton? Don’t!”

He laughed, but sat down again. “Alright, alright. Settle down already, Tuck, I’m just joking.”

Tucker huffed, disgruntled. “Yeah, uh huh. I’ll believe that when you stop having live electricity running down your arms.”

“Technically,” Danny said, lips twitching into a smirk, “it’s dead electricity.”

Both of his friends groaned, loudly, and Danny laughed. “Sorry! I couldn’t resist it!”

“You never can.” Sam shook her head. “It’s Tucker’s fault for giving you the set-up.”

“Hey! Don’t blame me!”

“Can and will!”

Danny rolled his eyes, cutting off the stream of lightning that was pouring down his arm. “Alright, that’s enough. Here, is that better, Tucker?”

The boy hummed. “Well, I suppose that it’ll have to do.”

---

The ever-constant buzz of electricity hummed under Danny’s skin. He felt restless, the energy crackling and demanding a release he couldn’t give it. Large displays of power were bound to set off all kinds of radars his parents had set up, never mind the damage that he would undoubtedly do to all the electronics in the house.

Really, he didn’t know what he would do if he fried the microwave. Rely exclusively on his parents’ cooking? Absolutely not. Not only would he rather die, he probably really would die if he tried.

Jazz looked up from her book, fixing him with a speculative gaze, and he stilled. Hadn’t even really realized that he’d been moving, jittering restlessly.

Although… now there was an idea.

“Danny?” Jazz asked, cautiously, when he stood up from his chair. “What’re you-- Hey!”

He quickly ducked away to avoid her swatting hand, his core quickly replenishing the little charge he had lost shocking Jazz. He’d been careful to restrict it; the zap had been little more than what she might get from static.

“You little brat,” she said, grumpily, but with an undeniable fond undertone. “Keep your static to yourself, will you?”

Danny hummed, pretending to think about it. Then, lightning-fast, he tapped her, zapping her again.

“Hey!” She glared at him, putting down her book entirely. “The first time I was willing to pass off as regular static, but there’s no way you could’ve recharged it that quickly. Are you going to tell me, or am I supposed to guess?”

“Eh.” He glanced over at the door, making sure it was closed, and that his parents were staying downstairs. “It’s a new ghost power. I can generate electricity, I think? But I’m having some trouble controlling it still.”

He tugged on his core, the electricity running through his flesh sparking through it, forming visible branches of lightning. The release didn’t last long, however, because he heard footsteps on the stairs and was forced to cut it out quickly.

“Huh,” Jazz said, briefly looking towards the stairs. Had clearly heard their parents coming up, too. “That’s pretty neat. Definitely something you would need to learn to control, though. Lightning is--”

“I know,” he interrupted her, rolling his eyes. “Believe me, Jazz. I, of all people, understand how dangerous electricity can be, especially when charged with ectoplasm.”

She made a face, clearly disgruntled by his interrupted, but nodded. She opened her mouth as if to add more, but the door to the lab slammed open, their parents entering.

Jazz shot him a look that clearly said that they would be talking about this more later, but…

Well, he might’ve pretended not to see.

He could handle it just fine without her, he was sure of it.

---

Danny yawned, idly twisting his locker open. Despite all the energy he could feel coursing in his body, he was still exhausted.

Well, he supposed that he might be tired because of the electricity. Generating so much charge so constantly was probably something he should be compensating with more food and sleep.

Ah, if only he could afford such luxuries. He could barely get enough sleep to support his body normally.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and turned his around forcibly, and he startled back to awareness. Dash loomed over him, face twisted into a snarl.

“Fenton!” he growled at Danny, hands balled into fists. “You ready for a bit of fun, huh?”

“I don’t know, Dash, what do you have to offer?” Danny taunted back, not feeling particularly threatened. He saw Sam push her way through the crowd already, Tucker right behind her. And even without them, well… Dash wasn’t all that scary if you fought ghosts on a daily basis, was he?

“You feeling smart, huh?” Dash reached forward, grasping onto Danny’s shirt, lifting him up slightly.

Then the boy suddenly let go, yelping.

Danny landed roughly, caught off-guard by the sudden drop. Blinked confused at Dash. Why had he…?

“What the hell, Fenton!” Dash flapped his hand a little, like he was shaking off a small hurt. “You think you can save yourself with a little static, huh? Well, too bad.”

He reached for Danny again, taking hold of Danny’s collar once more. And again, he was forced to let go, hissing between his teeth.

“Oy, what the--?”

“Leave him alone, Dash.” Sam shouldered her way past Dash, stopping right next to Danny. Crossed her arms and glared at him with her full goth fury. “Or are you bull-headed enough to try that again?”

Dash shot her a sharp look back, then shifted it to Danny when Sam failed to falter. Seeing that neither of them were responsive, he huffed loudly. “Ah, what do I care. I’ll see you, Fenton,” he narrowed his eyes at Danny, “some other time when your girlfriend’s not around to save you.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Sure, Dash, whatever.” As Tucker sidled in next to them, he called after Dash, “And she’s not my girlfriend, by the way!”

The three of them watched Dash walk a little further away, the boy digging a hand into his pocket to retrieve his phone. Then, suddenly, he shouted in anger.

His phone had died.

Danny winked at his friends, who both grinned back, knowingly.

Ah, it felt good to get a little petty revenge sometimes.

---

Danny walked into the kitchen, arms stretched out over his head. His spine crackled with the movement, his spine noisy as its vertebrae shifted into their proper alignment. He yawned, idly scratching his left arm.

The electricity under his skin was still present, strongest in the arm that had taken the initial charge of the Portal. In his ghost form, he could see the sparks shift along the scar it had left. In his human form, he had no scar, no monument to the accident.

Not until now, at least. The metaphysical scar formed by the constant currents of lightning, forever trapped in his skin, and ever-shifting.

He forcibly took his right hand away from his arm again. No scratching. He didn’t want to risk breaking the skin, releasing the power that laid underneath it. Baring the scar that laid underneath it.

Still, his core hummed in discontent. It continued to produce electricity, energy that Danny couldn’t release.

Licking his lips, he eyes up Jazz sitting at the kitchen table, breakfast in front of her. Maybe he could…

He snuck over to her. Not the stealthiest, perhaps, but stealthy enough thanks to the book distracting her. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, making sure to draw back enough power that it would be little stronger than static.

“Danny!” she yelped, jumping in her seat. “What--”

“Again?” his mom asked, her eyes narrowed as she looked away from the pan with eggs. “Danny, stop shocking your sister.”

“Sorry,” he said, pulling up his shoulders, feeling chastised.

“How do you keep getting so much static, anyway?” His mom shook her head, turning back to the pan, thus missing Danny’s panicked glance at Jazz. “It’s almost unnatural, how much charge you keep accumulating.”

“Unnatural?” his dad echoed, suddenly drawn into the conversation. “Why, it must be--”

“It’s not ghosts, Jack!” Maddie snapped at him, shooting him a sharp look. “Honey, not everything is the fault of ghosts.”

As his dad pouted, Danny shot Jazz a half-panicked, half-relieved look. She returned one much the same, although somehow much more comforting. Also somehow chastising at the same time.

Yeah, he was pretty sure he was gonna stop with the zapping other people.

At home, at least. No promises on using it against Dash.

---

Danny rose up, higher and higher in the air, arms flat against his sides and legs merged into a spectral tail. Even with the wind buffeting him, he could feel the electricity coiling underneath his skin, his jumpsuit.

Suddenly he stopped, the ghost chasing him not realizing until it hit him. He grabbed it, hands fisting the longer fur on its neck, and he grinned down at it.

Then, for the first time since he’d gained his new power, he let go of his grip on the electricity his core was generating.

Lightning crackled out of him immediately, lancing through his ectoplasmic flesh. Cleaved through the air with a booming crack like thunder.

But it didn’t hurt.

If anything, it was elation that Danny felt. Pure bliss, like an increasingly heavy weight was finally taken off of his chest.

The ghost he held yelped, and he released it, watched as it fled. He felt certain that it had been properly chastised, that it wouldn’t risk bothering him again.

Still, he yelled after it, “Shocking, right?”, grinning to himself.

He let the lightning crackle over him a little longer, branching over his arm and his chest and through the air around him. Then, after a long moment, and with a heavy sigh, he pulled back on his power again.

Well, he got to use his new power in a fight, at least?

Danny flew back down to the ground, made sure no one was watching him, and shifted back to human form. He stuck a hand into his jeans to pull out his phone, going to call Tucker and Sam so they could reunite. He’d lost them sometime during the fight.

He pressed the on button on his phone. Pressed it again, frowning as it didn’t turn on. Disgruntled, he held it down a little longer, waiting for it to turn on.

When he finally realized that it wasn’t turning, he sighed.

“Of course,” he grumbled to himself, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. “Of course the stupid thing got fried. Should’ve known.”

And he slumped off, hoping to find Sam and Tucker on foot.

(He was relieved to find, when he returned home and plugged his phone into the charger, that he had just drained its battery, and that the phone was otherwise fine)

[lonely-bored-writer]

Casper High Ch. 4

Danny Fenton spends a lot of time in his room, according to his parents- yet in all honesty he often flies out the window to attend to other ghostly matters. If he wasn't busy fighting ghosts, he was busy catching up with school work, or talking to his best friends over the phone or computer. Nonetheless, this past week consisted of Danny spending smaller amounts of time doing his normal everyday routine, and instead spending time with a certain Winchester.

It reminded Danny of all things he missed about having his friends around to physically interact with. He had gotten so used to eating lunch alone, and spending all of his time consumed with other things, it was nice to have new things to do. To have someone spend hours doing absolutely nothing with but enjoying each others company nonetheless was a refreshing break from his usually chaotic life.

"Wait, so Sam believes in Phantom even if he hasn't seen him?"

'Maybe Sam has added a bit of complication to his life,' Danny thought, it was odd but not totally unwelcomed.'

"I don't know, maybe, Tuck. Something Mikey said to him a few days ago brought this interest out." Danny sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. "He's spent some time doing research in the library."

"But every piece of evidence is gone right?" Manson asked, her attention being pulled from the black makeup she was applying, her back facing her computer screen so that the boys could see her face in the reflection of the large mirror in front of her. "I mean, everything with backing, damning evidence that could prove that Phantom isn't much more than a fable now."

"Well yeah, but we already know that some people believe the fairy tale stories still in the library." Tucker cut in before his raven-haired friend could respond. "We've got nothing to worry about Danny, it's like bigfoot, no one has hard proof- and any 'proof' is easily debunked."

"I guess you guys are right." Danny nodded, not able to shake the looming feeling that things wouldn't be that easy- nothing in his life ever truly was. "Anyways, how about we focus on the fact our Sammy has gotten a date."

"Ooooooh, that's what the make up is about? Must be a lucky girl." Tucker grinned, placing his chin on one palm, "Spill the beans, who is this chick."

"You're so lucky I'm hours away and you're safe from my boots right now." Sam glared, before continuing. "Her names Aino, and she transferred here a few months back. She's the one from the super glue incident in art class."

"I like her." Tucker stated, matter-of-fact. "You have my blessing."

"Well thank you dad, not that I asked." Sam rolled her amethyst eyes, leaning out of frame to fix her eyeliner, using a smaller mirror to help with precision.

"I like her name." Danny added, smiling at the groan it got from Sam, "Besides, anyone who can somehow sneak thirty pounds of super glue into a school is perfect for you in my book."

"She's actually planning to do something similar with pudding in a few weeks actually."

"Nooooooo!" Tucker dragged, pressing a hand to his chest. "Sam you have got to marry this girl, or I will."

"I'm sorry Tuck, but she's not into guys who have already been married to their PDAs." Sam shot back in a heartbeat, pulling a laugh from her friends. Moving back, she turned to the computer. "How'd I look?" Sam had changed some since she left Amity, if only to become more… Sam- that was the best way to explain it. Her short black hair only got shorter, before the left sided became shaved down to spite her parents, a few new piercing decorated her left ear lobe, and a brow piercing rested on her right brow. Her outfit was a simple black tank top, grey shorts, fishnets and an oversize army green jacket over it all, finished off with none other than her favorite pair of chained combat boots.

"Perfect."

"Goth, and intimidating."

"Just what I wanted." Sam grinned, running a hand through her hair.

"So, when do we meet this lucky lady?" Danny laughed at the glare Sam flashed the camera.

"This is our first date." Sam deadpanned, unblinking, already done with her friends shenanigans.

"Dude, that's not the right question." Tucker chastised, tapping the camera. "What you meant was when is the wedding."

"I'm gonna go now." Sam hissed, her camera going black before signing off.

"How much do you want to bet we meet Aino in a week." Tucker laughed along with Danny.

"I bet in three days." Danny grinned, glancing over at the time before sighing. "I have to go on patrol soon."

"Don't fret dude." Tucker sighed. "I've got to finish a last minute robotics paper. It's a pain."

"Good Luck." Danny smiled, before the two bid their goodbyes. With a sigh, the halfa pulled himself out of his computer chair and made his way to his window. Time for another night filled with flying around the town for hours.

It was two in the morning when Danny found himself wandering around the park as Fenton. He did this occasionally when he couldn't sleep even if it served best to try to sleep anyways. By this time the park was often completely deserted so it was interesting to find someone swinging nonchalantly on the swings bathed only in the moonlight... and their own glow.

The shiver that raked down his spine, and puff of soft blue air was enough to confirm this was a spirit. Based on the softness of the glow and the much more human-like skin was also a large indicator that this spirit had yet to fully manifest.

"Hey?" Danny called out softly, making his way over to the swings. His only response was a glance. Danny was able to make out the light pink eyes, and scarred cheek. "Wanna tell me why your here at this time of night in a park?" Danny asked, settling himself next to the spirit.

"Where else will I go?" The ghost asked, kicking his legs softly.

"Maybe to the Zone." Danny offered softly, swinging slightly as well. The confused look he got confirmed his suspicions. "You don't know what that is, do you?"

"Is it like Heaven?" The voice wavered and echoed softly, like it wasn't all there, which matched the ghost's appearance perfectly in an eerie way.

"Not quite. You can make your own little paradise though in the Zone." Danny smiled, looking up to the moon. "A hunter has his own hunting grounds, a scientist his own lab, a singer her own studio, whatever you want. Your imagination is your limit."

"What's your name?" The ghost whispered, staring at their feet.

"Danny, though most ghosts know me as Phantom or the 'Ghost Child'."

"Wait, you're Phantom?!" The spirit looked over shocked. "You aren't as mean as I heard you would be."

"Depends who you talk to." Danny chuckled. "But for the most part, I just try to keep the peace."

"What's your name?" Danny asked after a lull in the conversation.

"Ekon." The ghost, now identified, responded. "I'm not sure how long I've been a ghost if I'm being honest."

"It happens." Danny explained calmly. This ghost used to be a human and it was obviously nervous and unsure- being harsh would do nothing except possibly permanently scar the ghost for the rest of their eternity in the afterlife. "Some ghosts could be dead for years before their consciousness manifests."

"How can I go to the Zone?" Ekon asked suddenly, turning coral pink eyes to Danny.

"Just have to go through a portal." Danny offered a smile. "Lucky for you, I happen to have one in my basement."

"You're a lot nicer then I expected." Ekon spoke, a twinkle in his eyes. "When can you take me?"

Danny paused, running a quick mental check over how he was feeling. He was all caught up on his homework, and he doesn't feel tired…

"I can take you now." The spark of hope that filled the spirits face was worth missing sleep tonight.

Danny needs to stop missing sleep. After so many all-nighters, and the caffeine filled drinks that he often times consumed allowed his body to grow a tolerance against the heavenly beverages, not allowing him to take advantage of their effects anymore. The plus side was he forgot it was a weekend, and was able to sleep an extra two hours before his internal clock woke him. That and the smell of bacon.

"Morning honey, how did you sleep?" Maddie greeted her son with a kiss to the top of his hair, setting down a plate of waffles and bacon in front of him.

"Thanks mom." Danny smiled, just now realizing how hungry he was. That most likely had to do with the hours he spent in ghost form inside the Zone, settling Ekon in and creating an amiable friendship between the new ghost and Klemper. "I slept alright, you?"

"Not very much." Maddie admitted, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Your father's catching up on sleep, but we're one step away from a giant break through."

"Really? What about?" Danny stifled a yawn, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth and dousing a heaping serving of syrup on top of his waffles.

"Your father and I think we narrowed down to the exact component in ectoplasm that give ghosts their abilities." Maddie explained. "If we can separate that component, we could very well apply those abilities to absolutely anything."

"That would explain the ecto-dogs in the fridge." Danny supplied around a mouthful of waffle, pulling a laugh from his mother.

"Swallow first, then speak." Maddie reminded, getting a sheepish smile in response. "And yes, it even opens the possibility of humans being able to use such abilities."

"What-" Danny choked, coughing slightly before continuing. "Wouldn't that turn them into a ghost?"

"Not quite." Maddie shook her head, pausing slightly to put her thoughts in order. "The healing factors found in these specters can do wonders in medical advancement if we can place the exact component."

"Ah..." Danny trailed, eyes trained on his half eaten waffles. His mind mulling over the information he learned and wondering if it was a threat or not.

"Well, I'm off to join your dad in his nap." Maddie stood, dropping her mug in the sink. She continued after dropping another peck on her son. "I left a bit of cash on the coffee table in case you plan on going out."

"Sleep well mom, love you." Danny waited until he heard the faint 'I love you' before standing to leave. He did plan to meet with Sam Winchester at the nasty burger in a few hours. It didn't mean he had to stay in his house until then- he could walk around Amity for a bit before making his way over.

"Hey Sam." Danny greeted with a smile, sliding into the booth across from the taller teen. "Sorry I'm late, my dad dragged me into one of his experiments." Danny offered an apologetic smile. In reality Danny felt bad for lying to Sam, on his way there he was stopped by Cujo who was dragging around a scared Ghostwriter. That had been quite a chase.

"You're good, I actually hadn't noticed." Sam returned with a sheepish smile, closing his laptop.

"What's the distraction this time?" Danny asked, settling in his seat and stealing a fry from Sam's tray.

"Creative writing." Sam sighed, laying a hand on top of his computer. "Mr. Leedee comes back from leave tomorrow, and I complete forgot about his project. Given we are just coming up with an idea list, we get partners tomorrow."

"Ouch, projects are never fun. Throwing in partners? That just makes it worse." Danny responded. "What's the topic?"

"We're supposed to write a story based on a fable, or fairy-tale, or urban legend we know about."

"That shouldn't be too hard. There's tons to choose from." Danny offered, receiving a sheepish smile back.

"That's the point, there are so many." Danny couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"What are your choices?" Danny asked, accepting the laptop as it was slid over to him. The raven haired teen's eyebrows furrowed at the list; the Winchester had only listened one fairy-tale while the rest seemed to be urban legends. "I'd say Hansel and Gretel. Less morbid then the rest." Danny deduced, sliding the laptop close.

"Well, let's hope my partner is fine with that." Sam offered back, before relaxing. A small silence passed between the two, the two teens taking in the food before them before conversation rose again. "Anything new?"

"Not really, I'm still waiting to hear about Sam's date with Aino."

"Sam had a date?" The youngest Winchester looked shocked.

"I didn't tell you?!"

"I never thought Sam would find someone to date in high school, especially with how you described her- nothing against her though anyways."

"Honestly, neither did Tuck and I." Danny laughed along with Sam, happy to see his new friend take an interest in his best friends. "So get this, Aino was the girl from this incident..."

[lilaclily00]

Apologies (2)

Reposting this part separately since I think most people missed it... Well, I’ve learned my lesson on reblogging to old chapters.

Danny Fenton secretly sort-of joins the family business.

Here’s Part 1!

AO3 link

@goinggoblin​ @pigte​

Part 2

Danny didn't know how it happened, but one of the shots he fired went into the portal and got it to start up. He stumbled back and blocked the burst of light from his face. He had finally adjusted and put his arms down by the time the footsteps bumbling down the stairs had stopped at his side.

"What's happening down he--" His mom paused as she stared into the green abyss in the wall.

"You fixed the portal, Danny-boy? You fixed it! It works!" Danny grunted as his father crushed him in a hug so suddenly he dropped the ecto-gun, which broke apart on impact with the ground. "That's my son!"

"How'd you do that?" Jazz asked, a little too skeptical, earning a glare from Danny as he was finally let go.

"Now, Jazz, you know your brother's very smart, too. It runs in the family." Their mom ruffled Danny's hair; he was still a little too focused on that ghost girl to appreciate it. He had no idea if she was still in the lab, or had run off to somewhere else in town, or made the escape back "home" through the portal the second she could. "Perhaps I should start having you kids help us in the lab more!"

Their dad patted the portal's rim affectionately. "Oh, it'll be a snap to get a new grant once we tell 'em this baby's on and running!"

"Now, Jack, we don't know if it even goes to the Ghost Zone yet," their mom chastised him gently, though excitement sparkled in her eyes. "Would you kids like to help run the tests?"

"Later. I think I'll head up to my room for a bit," Danny said, rushing up the stairs. He did not have the energy or patience for that right now. He also had to go inform Sam and Tucker about the ghost girl--he could count on them to help him deal with her if he ran into her again. No, when--he was not going to let her go without any consequences.

She had no right to ruin their lives. It only seemed fair to ruin her afterlife right back.

"Dude, are you sure about this?" Tucker peered over his best friend's shoulder, scrunching his nose at the otherworldly smell wafting from the box. Sam glanced back at the door of the shed, impatiently tapping her foot.

"What, you don't believe me?" Danny muttered, not quite hiding a bitter tone as he pulled contaminated, broken contraptions out from the next box. Where was that little laser, he swore it was in here...

"We do!" Sam protested, pulling at the wrists of her gloves. "I just--"

"Can't condone the use of violence, I know. It's not like it'll really hurt her, she doesn't have nerves," Danny reminded. He'd heard his mom say that about ghosts a while ago. He grinned when he recovered the laser at the very bottom, holding it out like a trophy then setting it aside.

"Well, yeah," she assented, frown forming, "but it also just seems a little too dangerous to use old equipment to hunt her down."

Tucker kneeled to help Danny throw the scraps back in. "Yeah, man. Your parents, the leading experts in ghost-hunting tech, thought this stuff wasn't worth keeping anymore."

"Because they don't have the time to fix them, not with trying to get their grants again, which are all for their newer projects." Danny slapped the top flaps of the box down and carefully laid the "CAUTION: ECTOPLASMIC WASTE" tape back over. "We, however, do have the time."

"Yup, time to contaminate ourselves for a senseless need for revenge." Sam crossed her arms, defiant as Danny stood up to face her, gloves tensed up into fists.

"You don't get it, do you? You don't even care, do you?!" Danny didn't notice his friends flinch. "We pretty much lost everything because of a ghost! They had all the anti-ghost systems on, but she somehow got through all of them! We can't take a ghost to court, and--" Danny closed his eyes and let out a huff. His friends didn't deserve to get yelled at like this. He opened them again, gaze fixed on his hazmat boots, then continued quieter, "And all the credibility my parents had is wiped out. The fact that the portal started will help, but still." He dropped down to the concrete floor of the shed, sitting as he pulled his glove off to scratch at his hair. "I haven't ever been into ghost-hunting, you know that, but my parents really don't deserve this. It's the only way I can help, you know?"

"Is... that why you haven't told them about the ghost girl?" Tucker shuffled to sit by his friend.

Danny nodded, glancing between his friends' wide eyes. "Yeah. I want to take her down myself."

School was surprisingly normal, except for Dash. Dash was acting weird.

With how distracted he had been on Monday, he hadn't noticed that Dash never bothered him, but it became increasingly noticeable over the next couple days. Danny passed by him and Kwan wailing on other kids in the halls, but he wasn't even acknowledged.

"Why is Dash ignoring me?" Danny whispered to his friends at Tucker's locker. "It's driving me crazy! I don't know what this means!"

"I'd take it as a stroke of luck and not question a good thing," Tucker shrugged as he poured notebooks into his backpack.

"But what if he's planning something big? Is there something I don't know about? What's going on?!" Danny cried out, pulling at his hair.

Sam swatted at his hand before he made any more of a scene. "I'm a little suspicious too. Nothing's ever stopped Dash before, though I wish you'd try harder to defend yourself." She glanced over at the bully himself, strolling down the hall towards them. "But I doubt there's enough room for big plans in his tiny brain."

"Hey, Foley!" Dash slammed Tucker's locker closed, leaning on it as he towered over the trio. "I've got a bad English grade to take out on you."

Danny was startled by how he nearly felt... offended. "Am I not good enough to be your personal punching bag anymore?!" he blurted out. Sam facepalmed as he put himself in front of Tucker to confront the blond.

Dash scrunched his nose as he studied Danny, a strange emotion in his eyes. "I made a deal to stop picking on you for a while." The three gaped, frozen. He continued with a smirk, "But it didn't say anything about your loser friends," as he side-stepped to grab Tucker's collar.

"With who? Why?" Danny asked as the shock wore off, but Dash was already dragging Tucker away, to Sam's protests. Why would someone do something like that for him now? Why would Dash go with it?

Oh. Danny swallowed, mixed emotions settling in his chest. Maybe more people knew about the lab accident than he thought. This very well could've been not just an act of kindness, but an act of pity. He didn't like that.

He opened his bedroom door with a sigh, ready to dig out the ghost weapons from under his bed and work on possibly getting them to function. He frowned when there was a box waiting on his desk. "I'd rather not have another surprise today," he groaned as he walked over. His interest was piqued by the note laying on top:

"For your ghost troubles. -V"

He cautiously opened the box, eyes widening at the goodies inside. "Maybe this is a good surprise," he corrected himself with a growing grin as he pulled out ghost-hunting equipment--new, clean, intact equipment, all painted black and icy blue.

"Look out, ghost girl." He playfully pointed one of the guns at the window. "You're gonna be sorry you ever messed with the Fentons."