#still can’t have her with Danny cause of his parents

[cjsmalley]

Anne Summers:

“What?” Buffy said disbelievingly, sure she had misheard.

Giles polished his glasses harder, “Travers was quite clear; if you don’t take the child, the Council will have no choice but to dispose of her permanently.”

Buffy looked out into her backyard, watching Hope and Spike play a rousing game of chase; with Dawn in the college dorms and Willow and Tara moved into their own apartment, they had the room.

With Danny paying the bills, they had the finances as well.

But another kid? A legit Potential? A half-demon Potential? Hope was only six and just showing her mutant ability consistently, copying everyone around her when allowed.

“What’s this girl’s demon half?” she asked, crossing her arms as she watched her Mate and their daughter play.

“It’s—” Giles made a phlegmy sound before shaking his head, “translates as ‘The-Ones-Who-Feed-On-Emotions’. She’s like a vampire but instead of bloods she eats—”

“Feelings,” Buffy finished shortly, “what feelings, Giles? Happiness? Sadness? Is she part Dementor?”

“Any feelings,” Giles replied, “but, from our research, positive ones directed at her are best for her development. Positive emotions in general are better than negative ones. But she also requires formula and does soil herself.”

Buffy nodded curtly before whistling; Spike left Hope to play by herself and came jogging into the house, “What’s goin’ on?”

Giles explained the situation again.

Spike raised a scarred eyebrow, “Well, Buffy, ‘m game.”

“You really think we can handle another kid?”

“Honestly, Slayer? Didn’t think we could handle one; but we’ve done alright by her, what’s another one. Hope’s in school most of the day anyway.”

“But remember those first few months?” Buffy reminded gently, “if not for our friends we would’ve fallen apart. And Anya and Xander are trying for their own.”

Spike snorted, “Not like I could forget that; demon girl’s too honest sometimes. But we still have the witches and ol’ Rupert. And the whelp needs the practice still if they’re tryin’ fer a sprog. We did alright. An’ ‘sides, could you really live with yourself if they kill a kid an’ you coulda stopped it?”

Buffy sighed; he was right. There really was no choice to be made.

“We need time, to explain this to Hope, to have a Scoobie meeting, to get the gear we need, but we’ll take her,” Buffy told Giles, “tell Travers a week. And if she comes to us injured or anything like that, there’ll be Hell to pay, several of them.”

“Of course, Buffy,” Giles agreed.

Later that night, the Scoobies all gathered around a meal. Buffy stood up, gaining their attentions,

“So, Travers contacted Giles,” Buffy began, to groans, “I know, I know. But he had a…good reason.”

“Are they paying you yet,” Anya questioned.

“No, sadly.”

And then Buffy told them what was happening.

“I thought Mommy and Daddy couldn’t have babies,” Hope spoke up, ‘cause Daddy’s penis doesn’t work right.”

Buffy had decided to be very blunt with her daughter when she asked questions about the human body; blunt but age appropriate. So Hope knew most girls had vaginas and most boys had penises and together they made babies using a special dance with the penis inside the vagina. She also knew that Spike couldn’t help make babies like most boys even though he and Buffy could do the special dance.

“We’re adoptin’, Mite,” Spike replied to her question, “do you ‘member what that means?”

Hope nodded, “It’s when a Mommy and a Daddy make a baby but can’t take care of it so they give it a new Mommy and Daddy. Like me! My original Mommy and Daddy are dead so Uncle Danny brought me to you and Mommy!”

“Very good, Hope,” Giles praised, “now, this little one your parents are adopting is extra special. She’s half demon and could be like Buffy when she grows up.”

“A Slayer?” Hope cocked her head; she knew all about her Mommy and Daddy’s night job, that they fought monsters, “how can she be half-demon and like Mommy?”

“We do not know yet,” Giles answered, “but the Council, you met them when you were younger, they needed to give this girl a new, special Mummy and Daddy so they asked Buffy and Spike. Because of you, really.”

“Me?”

“Well, yes,” Giles said, “they have proven able and willing to handle your abilities so it is hoped that they can handle the girl’s more…unique qualities.”

“Yeah, her vampire powers,” Xander snorted, “doesn’t anyone else find it suspicious that they just happen to have a half-vampire kid for Buffy and Spike?”

“She’s not half-vampire, not really,” Willow shook her head, “she’s an emotion eater. Not a blood-drinker.”

“Still, G-man explained her as an emotional vamp,” Xander argued lightly, “the Powers-that-Be must love these two or something. But, yeah, Buffy, of course we’ll help.”

“So will we.” Tara added for her and Willow.

“I’m in,” Dawn nodded.

And so, plans were made, and necessities were bought and soon a Council flunky dressed as a Social Services Worker was handing over custody of the nearly newborn girl who didn’t have a name.

She was blonde and blue eyed and could easily pass as a Summers child, lack of green eyes notwithstanding.

Spike seemed pensive as he took in the baby without a name before looking up to Buffy, “Slayer, Buffy…could we…perhaps…name her after my mum?”

“Of course,” Buffy agreed before questioning, “what was her name, Spike?”

“Anne…her name was Anne.”

Buffy smiled softly at her Mate and said, “Anne Summers…Annie…yeah, that sounds perfect. Guys,” she turned to their friends, allowing Spike a moment to compose himself, and older daughter, in Willow’s arms, “meet Anne Summers.”

The positive energy that resulted kept Anne fed for days.

Wished Away 9

Tylers meet Phantoms:

“Christ, Mum,” Rose said as she took in how Jackie, Pete, and Tony were dressed, “we’re just meetin’—”

“Royalty!” Jackie squeaked. They were all done up like they were meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace itself!

“Honestly, Mum, they don’t care,” Rose rolled her eyes, grabbing her mother’s wrist and tugging her through the console room and to the wardrobe room, “I told ya ta dress casually. Let’s just hope the Ol’ Girl has clothes fer ya.”

It took about an hour to get everyone redressed, in things much more casual but still nice, before Rose led them back to the console room.

Jackie was clearly anxious, “Are ya—”

“’m sure, Mum. Danny an’ Sam don’t do formal unless they have ta. Unless you’re an annoying subject or someone threatenin’ war, ya don’t even have ta call ‘em by their titles. They’re just Danny an’ Sam ta family.”

“Lookie what I found,” Jenny bounded from the innards of the TARDIS, holding a tiny bike helmet.

She went to her toddler uncle and put it on him, making sure it fit right, “Landings in the Realms are worse than normal ones. The TARDIS does Her best but the Realms give her…nausea? A headache? She just doesn’t do good.”

“Oh, goody,” Jackie said lowly, hugging a strut for dear life already.

“Let me protect Anthony,” Bad Wolf came out, holding out her arms; without hesitation, Pete handed his son over.

Bad Wolf settled Tony in her arms, against her chest and shoulder, and then spread her feet and crouched slightly, clearly bracing for impact; she stayed steady even as the TARDIS began Her flight.

Everyone else was thrown about the console room, the Doctor and Jenny barely holding on to work the console, but Bad Wolf and Tony did not move an inch.

The landing was rough, just as Jenny said it would be, throwing even the Time Lords to the grated floor before the TARDIS stopped quaking.

Jenny recovered first and stood up, rubbing her shoulder, to peek out the doors, “We’re in the Palace. Uncle Danny and Aunt Sam are waiting…”

Slowly, everyone picked themselves up and Rose reemerged, straightening with some popping from her knees.

Jenny led the procession out, racing to hug a man and a woman, “Uncle Danny, Aunt Sam! How’re you?”

Danny and Sam chuckled and hugged her as one, “Good, doing good. You?”

“Perfect!”

She let go of them to drag Jackie, who was hesitant, forward, “This’s my Gran, Jackie. Mum’s side, duh. Completely human. He’s my step-granddad, Pete, and Mum’s holding my uncle, Tony.”

“Yer Majesties,” Jackie tried to curtsy even though she was in trousers, “an honor ta—”

“Oh, enough,” Sam chuckled, “didn’t they tell you? We don’t do formalities with family.”

“Family?” Jackie’s eyes were wide, “I know Rose said—but—”

“We count Clockwork as family,” Danny explained, “and he’s claimed the Doctor as family. The Doctor and Jenny. Rose’s basically married in by this point. Common-law, you understand. That makes her family our family. Welcome to the Palace, your home in the Infinite Realms.”

“My god,” Pete muttered, somewhat disbelieving.

“Not a god, not yet anyways,” Danny winked.

“Where’s Dani?” Jenny burst out, “Is she still in school?”

Sam grinned, “With Anakin, in the nursery. We let her stay home today.”

“Oh, Gran! Can I introduce Tony to Anakin? Please!” Jenny nearly begged.

“Anakin’s our youngest,” Danny explained kindly, “around Tony’s age, actually. We also have a nanny looking after them, Nanny Clara. He’d be perfectly safe.”

“Well…” Jackie looked to her husband, who nodded, “if you’re sure.”

Jenny cheered and took Tony from Rose, dashing off with him deeper into the Palace.

“Jenny knows the Palace as well as anyone,” Sam assured, “and if she gets lost, she can flag down a servant for help. She’s heading directly for the nursery. It’s the most defensible part of the Palace.

Danny stood up, helping Sam, “C’mon, we can talk over food; stay close, Tylers. Doctor?”

“Rose and I can bring up the rear,” the Doctor agreed, taking Rose’s hand as they began walking.

The Palace was a gothic masterpiece, in a very literal sense, though even Sam had wearied of all the gloom and had sought artists and artwork to fill the halls, soft, plush carpets and tapestries to keep the warmth, glassworks to fill the once barred windows. Statues and busts dotted the hallways, some classical, some avant garde

Masters had given their masterpieces, their magnum opuses; they were paid handsomely of course, in either coin or material.

Oils, watercolors, acrylics, textiles, glass, all created for Her Majesty the Ghost Queen. For His Majesty the Ghost King.

It wasn’t yet a riot of color, nor would it ever be, but it was more alive.

Jackie gasped and the group stopped, turning as one to see what had captured her attention.

“When they said the family was huge…”

Ah, it was the most recent family portrait; all the children were gathered around Danny and Sam, all in formal wear.

“We…sometimes people sell the souls of children to me,” Danny started, causing her and Pete to whip around to him in horror, “I know, it’s horrible, isn’t it? But anyways, we adopt the kids. Only Dani—Danielle—isn’t adopted.”

He pointed out each child and gave their backstory.

“Good Lord, you were young!” Pete said at Damian’s story.

“Old enough to be king,” Danny shrugged helplessly, “it…it wasn’t easy, we had help, so much help, and we made mistakes…”

“All parents do,” Jackie told him softly.

“So we’ve been told,” Sam smiled just as softly, “and we’ve learned and made new ones with each kid.”

Danny coughed and continued to point out kids and tell stories, until all had been covered and then they moved on.

As they neared the dining room, Danielle and Jenny joined them with each holding a toddler.

“Oh my,” Jackie said, taking in the Anakin Skywalker; she knew who he grew up to be, or would have if he had not been adopted.

“We’re hungry, Dad,” Danielle said.

Danny waved them into the dining room where the smaller table was already set for a meal; there were two chairs with booster seats and Jenny and Danielle put Tony and Anakin in them before sitting beside them and helping them get food.

The group chatted over the meal, Jackie and Pete slowly relaxing at how easy going the Royals were, and generally had good cheer.

After the meal was done, Jenny asked, “Do we put their photo up on the family wall now? I know you’ve got me, Dad, and Mum…”

Danny chuckled, “We can, if they’re okay with it.”

“Family wall?” Pete questioned.

“We keep walls of pictures of the extended family,” Sam explained easily, “you know, like Rose, the Doctor, and Jenny. Harry’s and Neville’s parents. Damian’s paternal birth-family. The Royal Portrait is just the immediate royal family. The walls are for everyone and everything else.”

Danny and Sam led the group out of the dining room and down another hallway; the walls were plastered with photographs. Some were professional, most were candid and amateur.

A common camera sat on a small round table; a high-end camera but nothing too expensive or professional.

Danny picked it up, saying, “If Jackie, Pete, and Tony don’t mind—”

Jackie decided it would be a family photograph and dragged the Doctor in; Rose and Jenny came without complaint.

Danny took a set of pictures.

After that was done, it was decided it was time for the Tylers to leave, taking pity on the still disgruntled TARDIS.

They were, however, invited to the next family gathering.

[tanglepelt]

Dc x dp idea 27

Ellie starts to destabilize again. She’s off traveling and just happens to be in Gotham. She pick pockets a phone of one of the bats civilian personas.

They notice. Just after they get back to the manor. So now they are gonna track it down. Whoever probably assumes they left it somewhere. There first thought isn’t gonna be someone invisible turned intangible to steal a phone.

Checking the tracker they see it’s in an abandoned factory or something. Ellie is passed out green ectoplasma under her.

She ends up in the batcave. Danny tracks her there. No care in the world it’s a hidden underground base. He is getting to Ellie and nothing is stopping him.

Danny isn’t in a talking mood when he shows up. He just creates an ice dome and pushes them out of his way. Grabs Ellie opens a portal and leaves. Ice left behind. I like the belief ghost ice won’t melt unless the person who does it wills it or it’s melted by ghostly means. So it sticks around.

About 2 or so days later. The two pop up again. This time not at the gate but past the security at the front door. Ellie returns the phone and Danny informs them the ice should be gone now. He just panicked and forgot about it.

Obviously the bats are gonna investigate

[piece-of-pierce]

Danny picked up some traits from his parents. He got his mom’s flexibility and reflexes, his dad’s love of anything chocolate flavored and abnormally great cardiovascular health. The trait they both passed on (to Danny AND Jazz) is an intense need to learn everything they can about what they don’t like.

Jazz remembers what it was like when Uncle Hammond passed and Aunt Alicia got different. She’s terrified of her own emotions effecting her like that some day, so studies psychology like there’s no tomorrow.

Jack and Maddie bonded over their shared fear and death and resulting desire to learn everything they could about it.

Danny can’t stand clowns. They’re dishonest and hide who they are behind heavy makeup and outlandish costumes. Freak show kicks that dislike into a full-on phobia though, so he goes all in on learning everything he can. How does clown school work? What are the requirements to be a clown? What rules do they have to follow? If he knows their limitations, he knows their weaknesses. He will not be caught off guard again.

That knowledge sits in the back of his mind like a comfort blanket. Every so often he’ll dip back in and research if there’s anything that’s changed. He wants to keep on top of any information about his greatest enemies.

Finally, he manages to graduate high school with a 2.7 GPA and 31 on the ACT thanks to his Math and Science scores (and a carefully managed brawling schedule with his rogues). Thanks to those, he managed to get a partial scholarship to Gotham U for Physics and Engineering. He still isn’t sure how he managed that, but he’ll happily take it.

What he won’t take is this FALSE Clown trying to cause trouble right before finals! He’d kept on top of his shit all semester and wasn’t gonna let anyone kidnapping him and some other people off the street get in his way.

Later, the Bats manage to find where the hostages were held because one of them waved down Robin. As in, all the captives had gotten free and when they found the right warehouse, it was to one young man berating the Joker.

“You’re nothing but a modern rendition of the town fool!”

[tomboy014]

But if Batman won't adopt Danny... who will?

Starfire, and she is all over her new little brother!

Shortly after establishing the Teen Titans, Robin (Dick) introduces “Phantom” to the group, because seriously, he’s not introducing him as “Danny.”  Kinda defeats the purpose of a secret identity when you use your name in your superhero moniker.  And shows Phantom his room.

Robin’s actual goal is to get Phantom to join the Titans, but even taking short cuts through the Ghost Zone, Jump City is still a good ways away from Amity Park, and he has parents, so… It’s still a nice gesture and all, and Phantom will come visit, but no.

Still, he’s never met other teens who are heroes in their own right like he is, so he’s excited to meet Robin’s new team.  The other Titans think it’s a little weird for this not-member to have his own room in the Tower, but the place is huge, and Robin trusts him, so it’s fine.  It’s a bit awkward at first as they’re all still getting used to each other, but Phantom quickly makes friends with all of them.

But it’s his friendship with Starfire that grows first and fastest.  As soon as he finds out she’s an alien from another planet, he latches on and must know everything.  Starfire more than welcomes the attention. While she knows the Titans care for her, they’re not always… receptive to the traditions and customs of her culture. Phantom, on the other hand, is enraptured as she tells him about her culture, her holidays, the planets she’s been to, everything.

So she asks if he’d be interested in learning Tamaranean? Yes! 100%! Absolutely! Phantom picks up the language quickly and returns the favor by helping Starfire with her English. While the ability to absorb language through lips is handy, it’s by no means perfect, and Phantom helps her with things like contractions, slang, idioms, etc.

It also helps that after a couple sparring sessions with each other, Phantom and Starfire realize just how durable their partner is.  For Starfire, the people and things on Earth can be so delicate. And for Phantom, if he doesn’t watch himself and hurts a human too badly, it’s just more justification to call him an “evil ghost” that should be ripped apart molecule by molecule. Both are thrilled to finally be able to fight all out again without worrying about the consequences if they lose. And Starfire also uses it to teach Phantom some Tamaranean martial arts for aerial combat so maybe he’ll stop crashing into so many walls.

But what really changes the relationship is the Body Swap incident (not to be confused with the Freaky Friday incident). Similar to what happened with the Puppet King in Switched, Phantom and Starfire switch bodies while fighting an enemy.  Unlike what happened in Switched, Phantom and Starfire and two teen powerhouses with green energy powers triggered by emotions. And the emotional triggers they use are in the same ballpark. Starfire’s “unbridled joy of flight” to fly is very similar to how Phantom revels in the pure freedom of flight he feels. Both get angry when they use blasts. It’s very much a “if you believe in it, you can do it” kind of power set. Starfire can’t really figure out Phantom’s more ghostly abilities like invisibility or intangibility, but they very quickly adapt to each other’s shared powers on the fly during battle.  But there’s one power Starfire wants to use against the hordes of minions that Phantom won’t share the trigger for: the Ghostly Wail.  He tries to tell her it’s not a good move, that it’ll use up too much power, it should only be used as a last resort, it’ll cause too much collateral damage, etc., but Starfire wants to know, and eventually he tells her.

“T-terror… and desperation.”

Starfire rushes to give Phantom the biggest hug ever because those are such horrible feelings, and she doesn’t want to imagine what conditions must have led to him developing such a power because no one should have to feel such feelings. He is right; and that is not a power she needs to use to win this battle.  The minions are defeated, the villain is forced into a temporary retreat, and the Teen Titans return to the Tower to regroup and plan.

However, Starfire doesn’t know how to power through and hold onto Phantom’s ghostly form, and as soon as the adrenaline from the fight wears off, rings of white light spread out of her middle, and Phantom turns back into Danny in the middle of the living room.

But more importantly, everyone needs to get out of the way RIGHT NOW because while Phantom can ignore his biological needs for days, Danny can’t, and Starfire has never had to pee this badly ever in her whole life and everyone needs to MOVE, PLEASE! as she rushes into the nearest bathroom.

Phantom/Danny is now panicking, because even as an alien, he’s pretty sure she’s bound to notice that some bits of male anatomy that should be there are… missing.  He’s begging her, through the door in Tamaranean, not to tell anyone about his secret.  He’s not ready to come out yet, and he’s honestly pretty scared he’s about to lose her friendship, too.  Starfire doesn’t really care. So long as you’re a strong warrior, Tamaraneans don’t care what’s going on in someone’s pants, and she’s just relieved she didn’t have to figure out different plumbing while in his body.  Starfire opens the door.  While she knows that the people of Earth are not always as understanding, Danny need not fear her.  She will not tell anyone he's trans until he is ready to tell them himself and supports him and goes in for a hug.

Except you haven’t washed your hands; gross!  They both laugh it off, but when Starfire goes to wash her hands, the water freezes.  The cold energy in Danny’s core is building, and Starfire doesn’t know how to let it out.  They need to switch back to their own bodies soon, or Danny’s body, and Starfire, might not survive.  A little more training so Starfire can turn back into Phantom, and the Titans are ready for the final act, take down the final villain and Starfire and Phantom are back in their own bodies. 

But after that, Phantom is no longer Starfire’s friend.  Danny is her little brother, and she tells him her name is Koriand’r, or Kor’i for short.

<<Prev Next>>

[that-weird-thing-in-the-woods]

~{Heyyyy you feral gremlins! I’m back, I got all my personal stuff handled but I’ll still be little slow on posting…this stuff but don’t worry I’ll still be posting anyway to this freak of nature I call a post!}~

•Pomegranates•

Why was it always when Tim was about to finish whatever he was doing at the time and actually sleep for once without being forced or passing out it when a new villain decided to start making trouble.

So here was Tim and the rest of the Bats fighting a new villain and Tim was to sleep deprived to care what the villain was saying and just focusing on not passing TF out and hoping luck was on his side for him not to get hit to bad so he can just go to sleep after this.

But apparently luck fucking hates Tim.

The villain grabs a pendant around their neck and pulls it off and throws it at Tim as the villain was about to lose and as the pendant falls on the ground in front of Tim but before any of the bats can do anything.

Tim is surrounded by a dark pink-red mist and Tim only has one thought before he is teleported to somewhere and passed out.

“I should have just fucking slept.”

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

As Tim wakes up, he expected something like a lab or something similar….but he was not expecting this.

He was surrounded by a forest with dark oak trees from what Tim can tell but right now Tim needs to focus on getting back to Gotham or finding where he is, so Tim starts walking north.

After about 30 minutes Tim started to notice a few things that makes Tim more sure that this was not a normal forest.

First was the trees and forests itself was very odd

A figure in a dark pink-red dress that was partly covered by a soft black cloak and black hair that is covering most of his face as he looks down and hums a song that Tim doesn’t recognize and he was sitting on a black old bench by a large lake with some pomegranate trees making shade over the figure and lake.

But before Tim can take him all in, he steps on a tree branch causing the figure to look over to where Tim is standing.

And that’s when Tim sees the figures blue-green eyes and pale face but that’s not what caught Tims attention it was the very visible baby bump.

And it seems the figure saw him too.

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Summary•

Danny was taken by the GIW or well he was given to them after his parents found out he was phantom and with Jazz gone off to college and Sam and Tucker out of town due to family so they can’t help.

Dani and Vlad [They have a somewhat better relationship but Dani still loves Mama Danny better] somehow get this information and decide to leave because all them are the only halfas and it’s not safe.

So Vlad and Dani break into the GIW base where Danny is being held and cause some property damage and probably kill a few GIW agents in Vlads case before they find Danny and book it out of their back to the Fenton portal as it’s the only portal to The Ghost Zone that isn’t a natural portal [Vlad shut his TF down before going to get Danny so the Fentons and GIW can’t get to The Ghost Zone and Dani, Danny and Vlad aren’t coming back]

And as they book it to the portal, Dani and Vlad get shot badly and this causes Dani’s body starts to destabilize and Vlads in no condition to hold her core in his body so Danny takes it and before the Fentons and GIW can’t get their ass Danny managed to power the portal up and throw himself and Vlad through and Wail back to the portal to destroy it.

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Little Things•

-They are in Vlad’s Lair, usually ghost have to be 100 before they get a Lair but halfas just have one no matter their age

-Vlad is a overprotective fuck of Danny ~{AND IF I SEE ANYONE SHIP THEM FROM ONE OF MY POST YOU AND GETING BLOCKED!!! THAT IS A CHILD AND HIS GODFATHER}~

-They have so many pomegranate trees because Dawn makes Danny crave them and Vlad can change his Lair anyway he likes so he just put them in so it’s easier for everybody involved [Vlad, it’s easier for Vlad]

-Vlad doesn’t let ANYBODY in his lair

-Vlad will still some times call Danny his son and call Dawn his daughter…yes it’s still weird and it causes horrible misunderstandings 

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

•Outfit•

Danny’s appearance

Nothing really changed with Vlad besides having scars and having to use a cane when in human form [which he is almost never in anymore] and Dawns a fetus so she doesn’t really have a form.

-•—••••••••••••••••—•-

~{Anyway hope you gremlins enjoyed it, byeeeee}~

[phantom-dc]

Vivisection Deception

“Yes, dad. I will vacuum the living room. Yes, I will also do my homework. No, I won’t forget the Ecto-filter. Love you too, say hi to mom and Jazz for me, bye!”

Danny hung up the phone. Sitting back into the booth at the Nasty burger, he got back to his burger. Tucker took a big bite, before talking with his mouth still full:

“So, your parents and sister are all out of town for the whole weekend? They had no problem leaving you alone unsupervised?”

Sam looked at Tucker with disgust, warning him to empty his mouth first. Danny nodded, agreeing with Sam:

“Yeah! Jazz wanted to explore different universities for when she graduates, even though that’s still a few years away. Still, mom and dad agreed to drive her if they could combine it with a visit to a convention for the Occult. Pretty sure they’ll be the only “scientists” there again, but that’s not my problem. Mom decided that she I could stay home alone. A sign of trust, Jazz called it. Something about "improving through positive reinforcement", I guess.”

Sam finishes her salad, and looks jealous. Danny invites both her and Tucker over for a weekend of gaming and fast food, but both decline, to his surprise. Sam groans, frustrated:

“I would love a weekend with no parents! Mine are forcing me to this, rich people yacht party. Mom keeps saying I might find a nice boy there, so I know it will be a weekend full of mom trying to play matchmaker with snotty rich boys. YUCH!”

Tucker apologizes as well. His parents are taking him to visit his grandma this weekend. He hasn’t seen her in a while, so he can’t cancel it, either. Danny looks a bit sullen about that, but smiles through it:

“Guess I’ll have the weekend to myself then! Maybe I can actually get this book report for Mr. Lancer done… Or I can even play a bit of Doomed!”

Friday evening, Phantom is flying back home. He has just seen Sam & Tucker off at the airport, and was looking forward to a weekend of peace and quiet:

“Man, sometimes I just forget how rich Sam is! I didn’t know her family has a private jet-“

Suddenly his Ghost Sense goes off. Getting into a battle stance, Phantom looks around. He is just in time to dodge a pair of claws heading straight for him! Turning around and shooting an ectoblast, Phantom tries to figure out who the ghost is. When the ghost taunts him at becoming slower every day, Phantom recognizes his voice:

“Bertrand! I am SO not in the mood for you!”

Bertrand laughs, and says that he was hoping for that. He attacks Phantom again before flying off, taunting Phantom to chase him. After a few hours Phantom lost his trail, and heads home. De-transforming before going inside Fentonworks, Danny is annoyed he’ll have to deal with Bertrand, but at least Spectra wasn’t with him. She’s the real threat.

When Danny steps inside, he finds the house is a mess! There are cannisters with Ectoplasm throughout the house, and the temperature is set to near freezing. Confused and suspicious, Danny goes to the lab. There he finds the cause of the mess:

“Mom?? What are you doing home? Aren’t you supposed to be with Dad & Jazz on her University trip?”

Maddie turns to Danny and quickly puts a strange gasmask on him. She is wearing one as well, along with her safety goggles:

“Hello sweetie! Quick, put this mask on! The samples we managed to collect give of Ectoplasmic fumes, so you’ll have to keep wearing it in the house, ok?”

Danny follows her advice, and puts it on. He again asks her what she is doing home, when Jack enters the lab as well, also wearing a gasmask and his safety goggles. Danny thinks the fumes must be pretty dangerous if his dad is wearing the goggles. He usually forgets to put them on. Jack gives Danny a big hug that would cause many regular humans severe backpain:

“Son, you’re home! We were worried sick when your mother and I got home early and you weren't here. Jazz thought we were “hurting her chances” to get into the school of her dreams, so she sent us home.”

Danny rolls his eyes, knowing exactly what kind of antics his parents could get up to when left unsupervised. He asks Maddie what is up with all the cannisters in the living room. Maddie apologizes, while turning the heat down even further:

“We managed to find a way to extract even purer Ectoplasm from the Ghost Zone! We took so many samples we can’t even fit them in the lab, this will be great for our research! Oh, but I am sorry, sweetie. The samples need to stay very cold, so we can’t turn up the heat. If you need, I can get you more blankets?”

Danny sighs frustrated, not looking forward to a weekend of cold. He declines Maddie’s offer, instead opting to go to bed. It is very late after all. Which is when Jack blocks the way upstairs:

“Don’t think you can distract us that easily! Or did you honestly think we didn’t notice?”

Danny is confused, but before he can answer Maddie interrupts him:

“That’s right, it IS late! In fact, it’s 2 hours past your curfew! Now why do you keep doing this, Danny? We’re not asking much of you, only that you come home at a reasonable time! Just because we weren’t supposed to be home yet, doesn’t mean you can stay out until who knows when! You are grounded, young man! You’re not allowed out this weekend, and hand over your phone!”

Danny tries to protest, but it’s in vain. Handing over his phone, he heads to bed, dejected. As he lies in bed, freezing, he wonders if things would be easier if he could just tell them what he was doing. Judging from that time with Freakshow and the Reality Gauntlet they would accept him, right? If they knew he was Phantom he could just tell them he was hunting Ghosts…

Saturday turns out to be the worst. Danny is woken up forcefully by his dad, who tells him he isn’t allowed to sleep in as long as he is grounded. Sleepily, Danny goes downstairs, a blanket around him and that stupid gasmask on his face. He asks Maddie how he is supposed to eat breakfast with that thing on. Maddie seems to think for a bit, and says that he is right. She will allow him to go out to get himself something to eat.

Danny quickly races upstairs, a bit confused about that break of curfew but not wanting to lose the chance to get out off the house. After getting dressed Jack tells him to get home back after immediately, or else he’ll be worse then grounded! That was a few hours ago. Cursing his bad luck, Danny races home:

“Please, please, PLEASE be too busy in the lab to notice I’m late! Of course the Ghosts also decide to ruin my weekend! First Ember doing an impromptu concert at the Nasty Burger, which means I can’t get breakfast. Then Johnny & Kitty are fighting it out at the food court in the mall, so I can’t get lunch either! If mom & dad send me home without dinner…”

De-transforming and entering Fentonworks, Danny looks around. The living room is still a mess of cannisters and the place is freezing, but he doesn’t see his parents. That means he might be able to bluff he was home for a while and they didn’t notice. If he can just get his chores done before they come upstairs…

“DANNY! COME DOWN TO THE LAB, NOW!”

Hearing that, Danny groans. This weekend is going from bad to worse! Putting on a gasmask, he heads to the lab. There he finds Jack & Maddie preparing a table with a big drill attached to it. Danny lies that he going to do his chores quickly while they are still busy, and empties the Fenton Thermos into the Ghost Zone without them noticing. When he turns around, he is not prepared for what happens.

The next moment he is trapped in a ghost-proof net, shot from a Fenton Net-bazooka. Confused, Danny asks what is happening, but receives no answer. Instead, Jack electrifies the net, causing Danny to instinctively transform into Phantom to protect himself, before passing out from the pain.

When he comes too, he is in hell. His parents saw him transform outside on new camera’s that Danny didn’t know off, and denounced him, both as a human being and as a son. They see his act of releasing the Ghosts back into the Zone as a sign that he too is evil. Danny is cuffed to an examination table and his powers are restrained. He is truly trapped as Maddie makes the first incision. Hours pass and Danny wonders how he can still be alive and conscious. He wishes he wasn’t. He didn’t know what was worse, the pain or the constant venom coming from his parents mouths, calling him all sort of horrible things. They must truly hate him. Danny, now terrified of every move his parents make, can only think of one thing:

Escape.

He must get out of here or they’ll kill him for good! He needs to get as far away from here as possible! For once, it seemed his Fenton Luck decided to show mercy. When they reached his Core, Jack had grabbed a remote. Shouting with a sick glee that he had the drill ready for this, he pushed a big red button. Maddie looked up, shouting that was the wrong remote, but it was already done.

With a loud noise, the cuffs popped open and Danny was free! Not thinking for a second, he shot into the roof, out of Fentonworks and towards the horizon. He need to get out of there! He’s never looking back!

Inside the lab, Jack & Maddie look at the spot Phantom fled through the ceiling. Suddenly Maddie begins to laugh:

“HAHAHAHA!!! It worked! That was absolutely delicious! He’ll be miserable for the rest of his life!”

Taking off the gasmask and goggles, ‘Maddie’ reveals herself to be Spectra in disguise! Next to her, ‘Jack’ morphs back into Bertrand.

“A brilliant plan, truly! Not only are we rid of that little Freak, but the misery of his little friends will be a great dessert!”

Spectra takes out Danny’s phone, seeing several missed calls from the real Jack & Maddie. Throwing it on the Ectoplasm and blood covered table, she decides to go celebrate. Heading into the Ghost Zone to get Ember and Kitty to repay the favor, neither Spectra not Bertrand notice the Portals Ectofilter beeping dangerously, since they had inadvertently prevented Danny from replacing it.

Outside, the Fenton RV rolls up. Jack, Maddie and Jazz are worried sick since Danny isn’t answering his phone. Jack is about to open the car door when the Portal explodes, taking Fentonworks with it. Months later the Fentons still blame themselves for leaving their son home alone. Police reports will later say that the only casualty is Danny Fenton.

Several states away, homeless boy Danny Nightingale attracts the attention of several heroes and villains alike…

[savanir]

DP x DC prompt [19]

A couple days ago, or maybe it’s been a week now, there had been a horrid storm.

It had been bad enough on the surface but underwater it had caused extremely powerful currents that have dragged a very young Garth away and into the unknown.

He really should have listened to Atlan and stayed put…

Lost and alone, a Little Garth has found himself a lot closer to the surface than usual, the sea currents are still churning pretty bad and he simply can’t navigate his way back to anything remotely familiar.

At this point he’s quite hungry and tired, and he’s found that catching something is somewhat easier nearer to the surface.

However, now something entirely different has caught his attention.

still safely tucked away under the waves. Garth is watching two surface dwellers. judging by size they should be even younger than Garth is, which probably means their caretaker(s) are nearby.

Garth is about to leave them to it and go his own way when he catches on to the erratic kicking movements of the smallest one.

oh, he’s pretty sure surface dwellers aren’t supposed to stay underwater that long, that is if Atlan’s stories are correct.

And even though he’s somewhat terrified, he finds he can’t just… though he probably should…

Well, he ends up saving Danny from drowning.

Jazz and Danny’s parents are busy with a supposed haunted shipwreck and not paying attention.

But by saving Danny Garth found by Maddie and Jack. Who are worried that Garth is there all alone which is like... kinda hypocritical but whatever.

No ghost, but they got a sea boy!

and that quickly has them reassessing their disappointing conclusion that the wreck isn’t haunted, clearly the ghosts are somewhere underwater! After all, the ship was lost at sea and simply washed ashore.

Garth can’t really communicate that great with the Fenton’s. He doesn’t know english, and they do not have telepathy, the only thing he can catch from them is impressions of their emotions, which does make figuring out “yes” and “no” a bit easier.

At first he decides to accept their offer of shelter and food simply because he’s tired and hungry, and they seem like good people even if they are from the surface.

Then Garth makes the mistake of getting attached. All of a sudden he’s put in a eldest brother role. Jazz is determined to teach him english with her kid books and Danny has been attached to him like a barnacle ever since Garth got him out of the water.

And Garth’s needs aren’t even remotely treated as some sort of annoyance, they make note of his need for lots of water and adapt easily.

Everything is extremely overwhelming but thankfully for Garth they don't make the offer to take him with them to Amity Park right away.

They are on a family trip so they stick to the sea for another week and a half or so. After that they ask if he wants to just come with, Danny basically begs him, having an older brother seems like the best thing ever to him.

And Garth ends up taking the offer cause the last week was better than most of his lonely life so far, even if everything is weird and difficult and he can't communicate right.

[hpgal]

DC x DP : Those Glowing Green Eyes

CW: Blood, Gunshot Wounds, Violence

TLDR: Danny is on the run from the GIW and ends up in Gotham heavily injured where he gets found by a gun wielding vigilante.

Word Count: 2313

Everything hurts.

But when did it not?

But this time it wasn’t just injury number 67942 causing these aches and pains, though it did contribute to it. The mental anguish of being ran out of my own home and turned away by those I loved. Because I was a ghost. That pain was worse than the wound in my side.

Now the GIW is chasing me across the country and my last scuffle with them left me hurt worse than ever. They’ve been pushing hard this time around, new toys, more numbers. It was ridiculous. Seeing my own family there made me hesitate when they jumped me too. I didn’t react, just stared in horror as my own mother aimed a gun at me and my own father cheered her on.

Despite it all, I am still convinced there is hope. That there was. But when she pulled that trigger, all hope was gone. 

Now, that leads me to the present. Somehow I escaped and now was walking around with a gunshot wound in my side, a bum wrist and I think a head wound in an unknown city. Thank The Ancients for the luck I had with a portal to The Ghost Zone being nearby. I fell through it but had to immediately find another door to the mortal realm when I saw Vlad nearby, who has also been hunting me since this began. 

So here I am, in a dark, dank city. The ectoplasm here is toxic as hell and tastes like multiple smokers' houses smashed together and death. Night was falling and it got cold here fast. That could just be my core or it could be that I am slowly bleeding out. That was unclear at the moment.

Either way, I walked the street looking for shelter, mostly ignored by others or simply stared at. Honestly, I did not mind, I didn’t want the attention. Even with the toxic ectoplasm here I could heal up quickly and bounce back to the Ghost Zone to expel the toxicity of it with the help of the feeder ghosts and be good as new. It was abundant here, not nearly as much as Amity Park but it was a close second. That little fact told me this city reeked of death which meant it was probably also dangerous.

Maybe once this whole my parents and the government trying to murder me passes, I could come back here and purge the toxic ectoplasm as Ghost King. Because that is the only thing left for me to do, become Ghost King since my human life seems to be over. I have no clue what there is left for me to do with everyone I loved and the U.S Government wanting me dead

Too bad I can’t fully exercise that power of King until I come of age next year. I could’ve resolved this and just hid in the Ghost Zone for the rest of my undead life. Vlad wouldn’t be able to touch me then. Curse my stupid half alive and half dead existence, no other ghost would’ve had to wait but the council likes to be a pain in my ass. Probably in spite of Clockwork in all honesty, I half joke to myself.

My mind reels as I think about home, my friends, even Vlad. All of them had turned overnight. Even Jazz, though she showed hesitancy at every turn. Their eyes seemed to have a tinge of red when I saw them attack me for the first time, reminding me of Freakshow and his mind control abilities. That was the only thing I could justify holding out hope. But I didn’t see that in my moms eyes this time when she shot me.

Even Vlad switched from the whole crazed rich fruit-loop routine of trying to make me his son to attempts on my life. By the Ancients, if he were there this last attack and not in the Ghost Zone, I would’ve been dead. I had no doubts about it. It was pure luck that he didn't notice me in the zone.

I grimace as I continue walking, holding my side, warm blood seeping through my white shirt and the bandages I put on it already. My vision and mind feel foggy as I turn a corner, instantly clearing for a moment when my ghost sense activates, sending a shiver down my spine, hair standing on the back of my neck.

Now?

Really?

I nearly groan both in pain and frustration at this change. I look around pissed off only to find a guy in a red helmet across the street. My entire being on edge as I see him. He didn’t look like a ghost but he gave the impression of having an association with ghosts. He had higher ectoplasm in his body than normal. Even more so than most Amity Park citizens. For a second I thought I saw the flicker of a core but just as quickly as I saw it, it goes away. 

Could he possibly be possessed?

The gears turn in my head as everything screams at me that he is bad news regardless. The moment this masked man steps towards me, I muster all the energy I can and start to run, my decision being made. There was no way I could fight in this condition. Every inch of my body, my muscles scream at me for this. My side burns and my vision is blurry at best.

I risk a glance back to see him following and pick up speed. Grateful for my inhuman abilities still being of use despite my injured state. It’d be easy to go ghost or phase through a wall on a normal day but this was not normal, even for me. There are so many ways I could lose this guy but no, I keep running, oblivious to anything except the urge to escape this new, unknown threat.

Him following me all but confirms my suspicions that he is bad news. I mean I saw those guns on his side. They could be loaded with anti-ghost bullets. I’ve been shot once today, I do not plan on doing that again. Ever. He has to be a hired gun by the GIW is the only explanation to this.

At some point in the chase, I look back to see he is managing to keep up with me, which in hindsight made so much sense with my injuries. I turn right only to find this was the wrong choice. Because of course that would be my luck today. I screech to a halt, nearly crashing to meet the dead end head on, a brick wall separating me from escaping. I lean against the wall in frustration before turning to see if he was in the alley yet.

I could just phase- ”Demon brat what have I told you about stepping in my turf?” Damnit.

I am so tired. I am trapped. I am injured. This day just freaking sucks.

I glare at him with as much intensity I can muster. If only I could use my powers, scare him away. Now that he was closer it was clear he was a human who experienced death. Not a ghost. Not a halfa like him, just a human. But if he did that then the GIW would be sure to find me again in no time. And the stranger called me a demon brat. That has to be some sort of slur to ghosts, although I am not familiar with slurs for ghosts. Is that even a thing?

I shake the thought away and focus on him. I look him up and down, taking in his appearance and movements, ready to fight back.

Despite the mask covering his face, I could feel this stranger looking at him up and down despite it being dark. Maybe his mask had some sort of night vision built into it. He was assessing and judging him. And I was doing the same to him between the glares, my superhuman night vision letting me miss nothing in this dark space.

He looked like what I imagined a human vigilante would look like. Except 10 times scarier like he wouldn’t care if he helped civilians or not. Maybe this guy was just here for an adrenaline rush or some other bullshit reason a normal human would act like this. The red mask was intimidating, he was well built and tense, ready to pounce on him like I was on him. Except he wasn’t fighting death itself right now so he for sure would win without me using powers. Maybe he is a hired gun by the GIW with how he is sizing me up.

The vigilante takes a step towards me, “Woah, woah, you're bleeding.” he seems to hesitate but I glare back up to him like a feral animal. This had to be a trick right? The care and concern in his voice wasn’t real.

I backed up against the cool brick wall behind me, sinking into a low stance, ready to jump and fight back. I let the wall support me where it could and where it couldn't, I sucked it up with gritted teeth. I had faced worse before. If I died here I’d probably become a full ghost anyways so I could haunt his ass for the rest of his life, exercising the full power of Ghost King just to be petty for the inconvenience. Serves him right for the scary vigilante routine. Too bad for him, I am scarier and I would not fall for cheap tricks.

I try to make myself as intimidating as possible. Hell, the blood seeping from my head and how ready I was to fight probably made me look like a feral, wounded, animal right now. I mean that is what everyone else thought I was anyways, right? I bare my teeth at him, my canines most definitely unnaturally pointed.

“Seriously, kid? Two can play this game.” The man takes a step closer, I watch, calculating. 

Then his eyes glowed green.

At least that had to be what happened under the mask. I felt the surge of ectoplasm being used when it happened and I snarl at him in response. This would be a harder fight than I thought. How did I miss the ectoplasm tainting him, enhancing him this way? The fact he could willingly do it meant he was trained and well versed in his abilities.

Well shit.

He seems taken aback at my response, not expecting me to not be frightened. Well tough luck buddy. “I can do that too.” I say with venom dripping off my tongue between gritted teeth, not willing to let this guy get the best of me.

I look up at what I presume are his eyes based on his mask and allow my own eyes to flare neon green, brighter than his. A show of power and dominance that some ghosts use to avoid a fight. Maybe I could avoid this fight entirely if he had the innate understanding many liminal beings had when experiencing this with or without knowing what it means. Either way it was clear he knew something.

“I have been hunted, shot, maimed, and tortured by much, much worse.” I threaten. “You do not scare me. And I sure as hell am not going to go down to a nobody like you.” My vision  continues to blur and darken at the edges as the adrenaline from the chase starts to wear down, the rapid heart rate pumping my blood much faster than I need it to be to prevent blood loss as more blood seeps from my wounds. That little trick took more energy from me than I anticipated.

The unknown man looks at me, his body language indicating he was confused and concerned. I nearly wanted to laugh but I needed all the energy in case I had to fight. “Shit.. you’re not Demon Brat. Kid,” he starts, his body relaxing ever so slightly, “you need help, let me help you.”

The man takes another step forward, holstering a pistol. When did he draw that to begin with?

I flash my eyes again, a bit weaker this time as I feel my legs start to buckle under me. No. Not now. I can’t go down now. Panic welling up inside me as I growl at him and try to steady myself against the wall.

“Go away,” I muster, throat dry, “this isn’t your problem.” I manage to say as my last attempts to get him to screw off.

The man takes another step towards him, now in arms reach, “Look, I know a doctor who might be able to help you. She-” I stumble a bit and he reaches out ready to catch me, still keeping from touching me, “Shit- kid. She won’t turn you away. She can help. She doesn’t share the identity of her patients. She treats the Bats. You can trust her if not me”

My body shakes at his words. Or maybe I was shaking the entire time. God it was so cold now. Almost as cold as being dead for real. And man do I have experience with that. My entire body felt so heavy and aches everywhere. It was almost peaceful, in a way. Except I hated how dark my vision had gotten and blurred.

Something about how he speaks and acts, I decide in my haste, wanting to not die a second time to trust him. My body relaxes, no longer ready to fight him. Was it a bad idea? Probably but I did not want to die in an alley this time. My vision darkens and the last thing I remember is falling into his arms as my answer to him.

Please help me, stranger.

--------

A/N: This was a fic I planned on writing but got burnt out after writing the first chapter so I figured I'd post it here, maybe it'll motivate me to continue it.

[justwannabecat]

It was quiet. That suited Danny just fine. After all, he had endured enough to realize that noise often meant something was about to happen. Nowadays the only times he heard something that wasn’t caused by himself was if Cujo came to visit. The first time it happened, Danny was afraid he would have to fight again, but all they did was play for a while. The second time he welcomed it, same with every time thereafter.

He had plenty of time to stargaze. Nobody really visited the Antarctic, so it was perfect for him. Cold, quiet, and with no light pollution, so he could see every single star in the night sky. He could see the Southern Lights as they dance through the air, he could trace the paths of the planets as Earth rotates.

He wanted to leave. He wanted to explore. He wanted to see all there was to see, get lost in the endless cosmos, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know if his human half would survive that long without food. He didn’t want to find out.

Besides, Jazz was here. She was still on Earth, and as much as Danny wanted to leave, he couldn’t. Not while she was still here. Even if he couldn’t bring himself to visit her, to see the disappointment that would no doubt be clear in her eyes, he couldn’t completely abandon her.

As with every time he thought about Jazz, he briefly considered visiting her, but decided against it. If she really wanted to find him she could use the Boo-merang. The fact that it hadn’t happened yet was enough proof that his presence was unneeded.

Besides, why would he leave? He has a sick tower made out of unmeltable ice! It’s been furnished with things that, admittedly, he may have stolen, but only things that would have been destroyed soon anyways! He doesn’t cause any of the disasters that endanger so many pieces of furniture, but he’ll take advantage of it! You can only sleep on hard ice so many times before you realize how nice beds really are.

The point is, he doesn’t leave unless he has to. And since he’s furnished the place, he hasn’t had to leave once. It’s been like a slice of heaven- No ghosts to fight, no hunters to hide from, no insane billionaires who can’t decide whether to kill him or adopt him…

Danny looked up at the night sky again. He could see Acrux twinkling brightly overhead.

It was quiet.

———————————————

“I’ve got bad news and worse news.” Constantine announced at the next League meeting. “Bad news, beings from the Infinite Realms are, from this point forward, unable to be summoned. Wouldn’t be too bad if we weren’t trying to make peace negotiations with them, but we are, so it’s not great.”

Batman remained visibly impassive, though anyone who knew him could tell just how unsettled that made him. “And the worse news?”

Constantine sighed. “So… Before they blocked themselves off, I spoke to one of them. The Guardian of Time. He told me that, due to his perception of all time, he knew we would lose. Luckily he doesn’t want humanity to die, but he told me that Phantom ghost has a medallion in his chest that makes him immune to his abilities. As such, our one hope of survival could be anywhere by now. The only things he could tell us were that he’s probably not far from Earth, because he still has living relatives.”

Superman straightened up. “That doesn’t sound like it’s worse news. We know Phantom is near Earth and that he’s got relatives here. Surely he would go back to them, right?”

“Well. I didn’t really get to that part yet.” Constantine shifted uncomfortably. “You have to swear to not tell anyone who doesn’t already know. This is like people learning your civilian identities. If you ever try to use it against them, hell, even insinuate that you’re gonna use it, then they will kill you, and they won’t face punishment from their court because it’s technically self defense. Understand?”

Everyone readily agreed. After a second, Constantine continued.

“Phantom is Danny Fenton. He’s what the Guardian of Time called a Halfa, half ghost and half human. His parents are the ghost hunters who started this whole thing.”

Tag list: @random-dude12 @overtherose @osnii @profounddestinyrebel @currentlyalivebutmentlyd3ad @thatonegirl10 @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @epilepticnerd @alcorbearson @hoarder-of-gender @sirtin @oddessy @naluforever3 @litlecameron @skulld3mort-1fan @nogenderonlyfrogie @screamingtofillthevoid @the-church-grimm @malice-of-the-sunrise @jaytriesstuff @legowerewolf @akikkobara @apointlessbox @midigeria @kumoko-yokai @antmeisteronion @lizz-blizt @anonymousf28 @keegan-parker @sailor-goddess @rowanaway-fromthisbs @yjfk @screechingnoises @myfloweryrose @derpxp @adeniumdream @56thingsinaname @demiourgias @alice-hazelwood @mur-ururu @blue-avis @rosecinnamonbun @babbling-babull @yumeyoruppr @haron-ghost-10 @icedbluesoul @busterkeel @cat-in-a-fedora @sadpersonmadeoffruitpunch

[strong-with-the-sarcasm]

DP x DC AU idea:

Regent!Jazz

Having been ecto-contaminated since conception, Jazz is the most Liminal being in the world, which has her develop a proto-core. As in, death has about 30% claim on Jazz and every year it grows stronger the longer she lives above the portal.

Can Jazz walk through walls, disappear and fly? Sorta, occasionally, and no. It depends on how much Ecto she has in her system, otherwise she’s just got her inherent strength.

Jazz inherited the Fenton Law Loophole tendency.

She swaps out her psychology books for books on Realms Law, spends a week locked in her room with them in fact. It concerns Danny and co., because what is Jazz up to?

Jazz claims regency thanks to three factors:

1: Danny unconsciously views her as a third parent thanks to her raising him in a neglected household. She got him to fourteen before she looked away for a minute, ok?

2: Danny is a minor in both human and ghost culture, therefore he’s baby and needs time to grow up without bearing kingly responsibilities, right?

3: As mentioned before, Jazz is the most Liminal being in the modern age, with a slowly developing proto-core. This allows her to be able to not only survive the Infinite Realms on a long-term basis, but able to step up as Regent at all.

————

Sam and Tucker, while Liminal too (thanks to them getting flooded with it with Danny’s death) still have a ways to go in terms of contamination- give it a few more years in Amity Park and they’ll start to show more symptoms of death-claimed, though they’ll never be able to surpass Jazz. Not even Jack and Maddie Fenton could ever say that, considering they wear Hazmat suits daily that has limited exposure, but were also adults when first contaminated- the ecto would take a lot longer to bond to adult molecules than that of a just-conceived child.

Maybe Jazz even leeched off some of Maddie’s contamination in the womb? Whose to say.

Where does DC come in?

Perhaps the vivisection route? It’s a tried and true method of getting Danny to Gotham, but I raise you- Jazz essentially “kidnaps” Danny, taking him away from his haunt once she is Regent.

Gotham is a city drenched, drowning, in tragedy and therefore natural ectoplasm for a powerful Liminal and Halfa to survive on.

Lady Gotham welcomes the two eagerly into her city and directs Jazz to the soon-to-form Lazarus pit- corrupted ectoplasm, but nothing Danny can’t filter out with time, it’ll heal him and whatever happened to his core after being ripped away from his haunt.

It does cause a rift to form between the two, but Jazz is firm in staying in Gotham. Right on the edge of Crime Alley to be specific.

Here we can slide in Vigilante!Jazz, who is pissed off at the world and needs to work out some excess energy. Enhanced bone density means that Jazz doesn’t have to worry about screwing up her knees with a few ‘superhero landings’.

Liminalality means that she can sense the weird guy in the Red Hood whose territory she keeps crossing into while beating the crap out of some criminals and escorting the night workers home.

Revenant!Jason…

….possible Anger Management/Hardcover pairing?

[Im thinking about continuing this, but idk. I do have like a page written out with Regent!Jazz]

Masterlist

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Universe Hopping and Reunion Trip Planning

Masterlist

Past, Present, and that of Space

Danny turned his camera off before turning back to the portal he just stepped through. Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Professor stood on the other side of the portal looking around his dimension.

“This definitely isn’t the weirdest thing we’ve done and seen but it's on the list.” Fry said as he leaned forward looking around Danny’s room. “Dude sick ceiling!” Danny laughed, smiling at the red head before nodding.

“I know right! Thanks for helping with my video you guys! It’s gonna be crazy popular. Once I am twenty-one I will definitely drop in to have a night in the space clubs with you all!” Fry laughed, nodding and he pulled his head back through the portal.

“Hell ya! We’ll plan the best night out for you right Bender!” Bender waved his hand after opening a beer and starting to chug it.

“Ya, ya whatever as long as we’re drinking I don’t care.” Danny snorted, rolling his eyes before looking at Leela who just smirked at him.

“Remember what I said, and please don’t share it with them.”Danny said, reaching out and shaking her hand. “They’ll use it willy-nilly, you’ll use it when needed.” Leela nodded as she returned the hand shake.

“Trust me, they won’t know anything. It was nice meeting you Danny, feel free to stop by anytime.” Danny nodded with a grin before they all stepped back waving to each other as Dani closed the portal.

“I’m going to have so much editing to do.” Danny groaned, causing his friends to laugh at him.

“You act like you didn’t fall in love with videography and editing. Sure it will be tedious but at least it isn’t a meeting with the Observants."

Val said, patting his back and Danny couldn’t help but nod. “Now I’m going to go take a shower. I still feel like I’m covered in that Slurm drink Bender poured on me.” Wes laughed before he punched Danny shoulder as Val walked past.

“Come on Danny, I’ll edit the first video you edit the second. Don’t worry I’ve studied how you edit, no one will know the difference. Besides with my curse I’d just have to tell people I had edited it and no one would believe I did.” Danny snorted, shaking his head as he followed Wes up to his room.

“Take the bed Wes.” Danny said place the USB with the first video on it before moving to grab his laptop.

“Danny I can't just take the bed from you I’ll sit in your chair you take…the bed.” Wes slowed his sentence as he turned around to see Danny floating in the air, legs crossed and leaning back slightly. “Oh, I’ll take the bed.” Danny snorted rolling his eyes as Wes set himself up on his bed.

“Alright so Jack and Maddie are Danny's parents, that means Bruce has a connection to them.” Tim said confidently before taking a few bites of his dinner in front of him. “It’s been a long time now but I think we can swing something especially with these coordinates to Amity Park. I was able to hack into the computer of Alicia Burgess and confirm through a few emails that they live in Amity Park.” Bruce nodded as he glanced around the table at his family as he thought on how to go about this.

“The question is how to go about it, I can’t just walk about and say I wanted a reunion. I didn’t even graduate with them.” Tim snorted softly, rolling his eyes as if Bruce was asking a stupid question.

Which in Tim’s eyes he was.

“Of course not, it’ll be you and Harley reaching out. Harely insisted on reaching out and finding two of her old college buddies wanting to have a reunion given their twentieth college reunion passed and neither they nor Harley went. As a celebration of having her sanity nearly fully back she decided she wanted to find them and decided you were going along with her.” Tim smirked, setting his fork down as he leaned back in his seat. “Of course, we couldn’t just let our adoptive dad go off on his own. Brucie would get into a lot of trouble left alone with just Harley. So of course I’ve decided to take my vacation time now and go with, and Jason is currently on his ‘summer break’ since he attends college during the summer. Cass is visiting so she’ll come to enjoy a part of her vacation with us and of course Harley’s fiance Ivy will be coming to meet these old friends!” Everyone looked at Tim as they thought over his plan and Dick was the first to speak up.

“I’m gonna have to be Batman again aren’t I?” Tim nodded, causing him to groan and earn an amused look from Bruce.

“Don’t worry Chum, I won’t leave you with the cowl for long I promise. Or you could go and I could pretend to be Nightwing.”

“NO!” Dick stood up pointing a finger at Bruce with fake over dramatic tears in his eyes. “I had to deal with continuous social media on Nightwing letting himself go the last time you went out as me! Never again!” The table burst into laughter as Bruce covered his face groaning.

“Really Richard?”

“Yes really! You had my criminals crying and thanking the lord when they realized I was actually Nightwing! People were going around saying how happy they were that Twink-wing was back! They were calling me TWINK-WING!!! You’re going on the trip or so help me Bruce, so help me I’ll go over the edge.” Bruce coughed not making eye contact with Dick as he looked at Tim.

“I look forward to our small trip Timmy, thanks for coming along with us.” Tim snorted, nodding as he started eating again. Jason looked around the table at everyone as Dick sat down taking some calling breaths.

“Sooo anyone but me gonna acknowledge it?” He smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back staring at Tim, who tensed eyes narrowing as he looked at Jason. “Okay, okay, I’ll say it. Tammy here is only coming along to see his internet crush.” In seconds Tim was over the table attempting to strangle Jason who grinned, grabbing and tossing him across the room towards the door. He was out of his seat in seconds and a slightly playful fight broke out between the two that had everyone but Bruce and Alfred cheering on either Jason or Tim.

“This will be an eventful trip.” Bruce said as he continued eating, ignoring the fight happening. Alfred said nothing as he watched the two, he could recognize it as a bonding fight over an actual one. So instead of getting on their case he simply watched.

“Phones?”

“Check.”

“Chargers?”

“Check.”

“Toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush?”

“Check, check, and check, honestly Master Bruce are you doubting my ability to sufficiently pack for a two week trip for you all.”

“What no Alfred I'm not I just-”

“He's just paranoid because he is leaving Gotham for longer than a weekend trip and is too hands on to calm down. Resulting in him micromanaging everyone.”

“Ah Richard, do me a favor, take your father off my hands so I may finish my job.” Dick laughed walking into the room grabbing Bruce’s arm.

“Now that I can do without a problem!! Come on B!” Bruce sighed letting Dick lead him out of his room and down to the library. “Stop worrying Alfred will have everything you need. You just need to make sure you have your belt on you.”

“I always have my belt on me.” He grumbled earning an amused look from Dick. “Do you have yours?”

“Of course I do! Do I look like Steph?” Seconds later a book hit him as Steph’s head popped over the edge of the bird nest Bruce had built for him. 

A small smile crossed his face as he looked up at the nest while Steph and Dick bantered back and forth playfully. Looking down from the nest and to Dick, Bruce felt as if he closed his eyes he could remember his little Robin. The boy who insisted to have the nest built so he had somewhere high up to rest and wait for Bruce to get home. He used it anytime he got hurt and put on bed rest, and the rest of his birds followed. It was the first change he had made to Wayne manor, apart from having Alfred remove all of his parents' pictures after their passing. Though those went up soon after Dick joined him, when Dick said the walls were bare Bruce jumped to show off the pictures. He hadn’t realized how much he missed them until then, and the family of three made it a day putting them all up together. Now his family had grown to twelve and their pictures had been added around. Surrounding his parents' photos as if to show off his kids to them.

He blinked when Dick punched his arm slightly gaining his attention. “Caught in memories old man.” He playfully pointed a finger in Bruce’s face, a twinkle in his eye that made Bruce smile softer. “You know you make me feel old when you do that! I’m still young, still beautiful.” He dramatically held his hand to his chest as he said the last sentence. Bruce couldn’t even hold in his laughter after hearing that come from his eldest. 

“Honestly Chum, let an old man remember his little angry filled nine year old who demanded a nest in the library so that he could wait for me to get home when on bed rest.” Dick snorted, looking away with a bashful smile.

“Ya that nest worked out pretty well, it's the perfect meet up spot.” He chuckled, punching Bruce’s shoulder before making his way up to the nest. “Come on B, relax with everyone before you leave.”

“I’m coming Chum.”

[lass-us-slay]

Alr so I was watching edits and came across Arlecchino and an idea popped into my head!

Danny Phantom as Arlecchino in DC also know as: Phantom the Knave Sovereign

(Still working on the name- Before we start I wanna say, I’m just trouble shooting rn and seeing what new ideas I could add with your guys input too. But so far this is what I have)

———

Ok so plot points:

Somehow Pariah Dark gets free of the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, either because of Vlad or the Observants

Pariah seeing potential in Danny (and cause he was already dubbed to take Pariahs place after he was old enough) starts trying to become Danny’s parental model (much like Vlad. But Worse.)

It was annoying at first, but slowly over time, Pariah started taking his role as Danny’s “Father” too far and twisted. Wanting to make Danny strong, stronger than he ever will be.

Then one thing leads to another and an identity reveal happens. Except the Fentons now pretend Danny Fenton no longer exists, and it’s just Danny Phantom that is an after image of their boy. Which pains them so they keep their distance, but still help what they think is left of their boy.

Danny is sad about that- but he has his sister Jazz and his two best friends! He can live with his parents pretending he doesn’t exist, atleast not as Danny Fenton no he can’t- he really can’t-

Then shit hits the fan, resulting in Danny’s home dimension into imploding into itself. (Which may or may not be the fault of Pariah Dark)

Luckily Danny is able to get out with Jazz!

But he’s too angry to rationalize himself after the death of his Haunt and almost all his fraid dying. He attacks and attacks Pariah and observers and whoever that threatens his last family at every turn.

More shit hits the fan, resulting in Danny getting cursed, which really hurts Danny. Enough to do weird ghost shenanigans to his biology, (via curse), and Jazz gets caught up.

Pariah sees a golden opportunity to use this to get Danny stronger to become the next king.

But Clockwork has had enough and steps in. Only to be promptly sealed away by the still acting king; Pariah Dark. Which Danny not even knowing as he’s out for the count thanks to the curse. (Jazz is the only witness. But Pariah can’t kill her because of Danny.)

More stuff happens and now Pariah is the acting Father of Danny and Jazz (with amnesia) who are in a ghost normal(?) orphanage with other kids.

Basically Arlecchino’s childhood happens to Danny and Jazz. Just that Pariah has decided to false make Jazz his “bio” kid to mentally fuck with Danny (smol child, and poor Jazz).

Danny still sees Jazz as his sis even if he doesn’t remember

After Jazz sadly doesn’t make it, Danny faces off Pariah once more for the first time. And consumes Pariahs Core into his, eating him alive so no more Pariah for the rest or eternity.

Then remembers- holy shit his names Danny! Not Peruere, which ew- (kidding I love the name-)

Anyways Danny gets mad at Clockwork only to find him sealed and the timelines fucked- and with Clockwork being so weak since the seal-ment, it’s up to Danny to fix the mess (and the one that was caused by the Observants once more with no one on the throne)

And so now Danny travels around timelines, picking up strays and adopting them (much like Batman, but better)

That there is the rough outline of the story!! I probably will make more but I just need to organize my thoughts before going into finer things (and art!)

Also I’d like to mention- while in the orphanage, Danny’s human side takes on more physical characteristics of his ghost form. Sorta merging the two forms into one? Not sure about it.

But Danny’s human form has definitely changed, and the curse is the same as Arlecchinos from Genshin (although would be nice if someone actually explained the curse to me fully- cause I don’t get it at all 😭)

Anyways that’s it- im thinking about interactions with the kids Danny Adopts and such but that’s for another time 💀

Aight peace ✌️

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Stupid thought: Ghosts under a hundred years are babies no matter how old they are. However it’s acknowledged their human ages matter.

Danny is a baby. Johnny and Kitty aren’t. Both were killed during the Salem Witch Trials as witches. Shadow is in fact Johnny’s magic still sticking around. However they adapt to the times compared to other ghosts who died. They like their new style.

Johnny notices first and stops right away to talk to Danny who is stunned. He’s fought ghosts before who just attack?!

Johnny: You feel old but like I can tell it’s just echoes of power kid.

Johnny abandons his plans for Jazz and goes back to the Ghost Zone to talk to Kitty. Both come back and begin helping Danny with Ghost stuff. They become his ghostly parents/older siblings. Mostly older siblings.

So they aren’t rogues. Though they will cause mischief.

Then the GIW attack Danny after figuring him out. Vlad is a bitch and helps. Cause he wants to save Danny and be his ghost dad. Johnny and Kitty are around. They grab Danny when he’s injured and book it. They can’t go to the Ghost Zone though, cause the GIW tracked Danny to the place and realized his identity. Maddie and Jack are confronted and upon learning their son is Phantom… yank out their guns and shoot the agents. Jazz runs to the basement and wrecks the portal. All three are arrested.

Johnny and Kitty run with Danny all the way to Gotham where a natural stable portal is, hidden deep under the rock. Gotham’s Spirit stops then.

GS: He’s to human. He needs to recover here yes, but can’t go full in for to long.

They do take him to see Frostbite while Gotham does her thing. Arranging for an apartment to mysteriously become available, then to find a stash of dirty money, all that.

Johnny and Kitty manage to pass as meta. They hide what they are cause the old Laws say they have to.

Johnny ends up working with Jason as part of the Red Hood gang while Kitty works in a beauty parlour. Danny is in recovery. But when he’s okay, he begins working with Tucker (who along with Sam booked it out of Amity and are hiding out in a bunker Sam’s grandma has) to destroy the GIW.

Jason eventually gets roped into the chaos as he’s liminal. He is more then happy to blow up some government agencies. More so when Maddie and Jack break out with Jazz to run to Gotham to. Suddenly there are two mad scientists who work in Crime Alley with Red Hood.

Few people are happy. I’m not sure if this is during the early days (if so, Johnny murks the clown) or not but Batman is not happy. Meanwhile the Fentons are happily churning out gear for Red Hood cause both have little morals, Jazz is helping expose the GIW and the JL cause they all think they knew (they didn’t. New laws said the hotline had to be operated by a civilian who was easily bribed, thanks Luthor).

I have no idea where this would go other then ‘Johnny and Kitty are Danny’s ghost parents/siblings who run with him to Gotham and cause chaos with Jason and Danny is a baby crime lord’.

I mean you can go bad reveal Jack and Maddie but the idea of them going: you know what? FUCK THE GOVERNMENT before going evil is funnier.

[loveisfriendship]

Are you wifi?

Author’s Note: As a celebration of the return of my creativity. And as this is one of my stories which still gets a lot of love, I wanted to give "Are you Cinderella?" a part 2.

Can’t believe this one is from 2018. Time flies.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lis

A couple days after your spontaneous Pick-up-Line challenge, you were all on a lookout. While you and Danny were in a car together and Chin and Kelly as well. Steve was with Lou. You were all just talking about Valentins Day, and how horrible they went for most of you.

“Maybe Danny could have used some of the pick-up lines that we heard a few days ago.” Chin chimed in, making everyone laugh, you even more when you not only heard Dannys groan but saw him through his head back against the seat. 

“Please don’t remind them.” Danny said.

“Oh, I heard of the best ones.” Lou chimed in.

“I have some of my one, you know.” He adds, and all of you could hear the smirk in his voice.

“No, Lou. Now is not the time.” Danny retorts at the same time as you say “Oh please, tell us.” The other also encouraging him.

“My wifes favourite was `I'd like to take you to the movies, but they don't let you bring in your own snacks.’” Lou says, making everyone crack up.

“I like it a bit more smooth, so my favorite is ‘Is it OK if I follow you out of here? My parents always told me to follow my dreams.’” He continues, causing everyone to ohh and ahh.

“I heard a new one, from a friend the other night. ‘Your middle name must be Gillette. Because you're the best a man can get!’” Chin chims in.

“What? That’s really just awful.” Kelly replies, but laughs nonetheless.

“Hey Steve.” You say, making Danny groand already, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah?” Steves answers.

“Know what's on the menu tonight?”

“What?” he says, and you can hear the Kelly can barely hold it together.

“Me-N-U.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“Hey baby?” Steve says.

“Yes.” You answer, smiling and looking at Danny.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want to hear it.” He says.

“Are you wi-fi? Cause I'm totally feeling a connection.” Steve says anyway.

While everyone still chuckles, Danny looks at you.

“What? Smile Danno. It’ll do you good.” You say, nudging his shoulder.

“You think the one I have would have helped me with Melissa?” he asks you, making you gasp.

“Please Danno, let us hear it.” Steve says, everyone being completely silent, waiting on Danny’s line.

“If I had to rate you from 1 to 10, I'd give you a 9, because I'm the 1 you're missing.” He finally says.

Everyone whistles and Lou says “That’s even smoother than mine.” Followed by many “wow Danny.”’s by the others.

You take his hand and look him in the eyes. “Danny… That line?” you asks, making him hum, looking at you. “That would have been 100% better than what you gave her.” You say, bursting into a laugh, while Danny tries to tickle you.

Taglist:@geeksareunique@fandomoniumflurry @rahma29417 @letsstarsfalling@fairchild21 @fungk17 @woodworthit666 @honestlyoriginalthing @evyiione@everygoodusernameistaken16@littlewhiterose@reincarnated-ghost@princess76179 @damedoctoroftardis

[scarletsaphire]

Danny's parents are wrong. There is no such thing as ghosts, and the "portal" in their basement is nothing more than a hole in the wall. A hole in the wall that holds a nefarious illness that causes Danny to start rotting from the inside out. When other citizens of Amity Park begin to exhibit the same horrible symptoms, will they be able to stop it, or will the city fall to this mysterious virus? -- A little late, but here's my second entry for @ecto-implosion 2024! This one is with @justaphantomhuman whose art you can find here: https://www.tumblr.com/justaphantomhuman/768612892548513792/ectoimplosion-2024?source=share I hope you all enjoy!

The first other person who got infected, or at least that Danny noticed got infected, was the lunch lady. She'd been working at Casper High for as long as anyone could remember, with a picture of her next to the brand new lunch menu hanging in the back of the cafeteria, dated 1967 to prove it. 

She’d always been nice. Not overly so, not in an overbearingly, tooth rottingly sweet kind of way, but in the “always adds a little extra on mashed potato day” kind of way. The exact level of nice a lunch lady should be. 

Maybe Danny should’ve noticed something, when she started adding way more than a little extra mashed potatoes, both to his tray and everybody else’s. Maybe he should’ve noticed when she no longer seemed to reply to the students, working on autopilot and regurgitating a script of “Eat, eat, growing boys and girls need to eat!” He definitely noticed when the force of scooping pees cut into her wrist, and the now loose flab of skin fell into the less than stellar minestrone.

The horror sinking into his gut was almost enough to cover the piercing hunger.

He grabbed Sam and Tucker’s arms, dragging them away from the lunch line to the closest table they could talk freely at. 

“Whu- hey!” Tucker protested, but he didn’t try and break Danny’s grip. “What’s your deal?”

“Did you see that?” He hissed through clench teeth. He ignored their loose rattle.

“See you sacrificing my spot in line? You bet I did.”

Sam elbowed Tucker in the side, which did nothing to stop his protests. She was just better at drowning them out. “Saw what?”

“Her- her wrist. It just fell off. Into the soup.”

Sam paled, and Tucker cut himself off.

“Like…” Tucker asked, eyes darting to Danny’s neck where his skin was still red and loose. 

Danny nodded. “Exactly like that.”

Sam leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. “We can’t let people eat that.”

“Agreed.” Danny's eyes darted to the lunch line; students trailed back to the cafeteria doors and out into the hall. “But how?”

“Easy. Sam, scream that you saw a rat.”

Sam turned sharply to Tucker. “Why do I have to do it?”

“Because you’re a girl, and you can scream louder!”

“We both know that's not true! And besides, I would not scream at a rat.”

“Hey! I have a very manly scream!”

Danny would’ve bit his lip, if he hadn’t spent the last month training that reflex out of him. They didn’t have time for their bickering. They had to act fast.

He jumped up on the table, pointing towards the food line, and screamed as loud as he could. “Is that a rat?!”

To Tucker’s credit, the plan worked wonderfully. The students in line immediately dissolved into chaos, screaming and dropping their trays and running from the line. In some cases, they ran from the cafeteria altogether. 

Danny did not pay attention to the commotion. His eyes remained drained on the lunch lady, as she continued to spoon more and more soup into an abandoned, overflowing tray. Her grip on the spoon didn't waver, even as she began to wear through the bone, more and more splatters of blood mixing in with the soup below.

—

Maybe it was a good thing that the first zombie was revealed in such a public way. When Principal Ishiyama came to try and figure out what was happening, she immediately called the police. And of course, Danny’s parents, with their radio tuned in on police channels at all times, arrived first.

He wished he could've watched them work, but he couldn't; they’d evacuated the cafeteria the moment they arrived. 

“This is why you should bring your hazmat suit to school, sweetie!” Maddie had said, her voice muffled through the full face mask that she wore. Then she was gone through the double doors of the cafeteria to clean up the mess the lunch lady had made, both of the lunch line and of herself. By the time they were done, Danny had left the school grounds.

“Any ideas on how this could happen?” he asked, consciously fighting the effort to kick a rock down the sidewalk. He’d already splintered his toe nail in two once; he didn’t need to do it again. 

Sam worried at her bottom lip before shaking her head. “Not that I can think of. Unless you decided that you were sick and tired of beef paste for lunch?”

Danny threw his weight into her side, knocking her off the sidewalk for just a second. She laughed, then adjusted her course. 

“Maybe we’re looking at it wrong.” Tucker did not look up from his PDA as he spoke, fingers flying over the buttons. “Maybe it isn’t like the movies.” 

“Well, we don’t exactly have a lot else to go off of.”

“Yeah, my parents expected to find ghosts, not freaky zombie virus.” 

Tucker snapped his fingers and pointed at Danny. “But we have that!”

Sam and Danny shared a look. “What, ghosts?”

“Cause we definitely can’t handle ghosts and zombies at the same time.”

“No, of course not.” Tucker held up his PDA, letting Danny see some kind of study displayed on screen. “Viruses!”

Danny took a moment to digest the words before the substance became clear to him - it was on how viruses spread.

 “Its a place to start at least,” Sam said with a shrug

“I do think that's still like the movies,” Danny teased. “It’s not like zombie viruses are real.” He corrected himself after a moment. “Were real.” 

“I mean they kind of are though, present company excluded. There’s some kind of brain disease that takes over deer. And mind controlling funguses that kill ants.”

“Why do you know that?” Danny asked.

“It’s Sam, of course she knows about zombie diseases.”

“Fair point.”

“Anyway, viruses are normally transmitted through either touch and bodily fluid and stuff, or through the air. We’ve already established you weren’t swapping spit with  the lunch lady through any means-” Tucker ignored Danny’s pronounced gagging noise. “-so she must have gotten sick through the air.”

“That’s great!” Sam’s voice was full with as much fake cheer as she could ever muster. It all dropped with her next sentence. “Except that doesn’t make any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense! What else could have infected her?”

“Ok then, riddle me this. If it's transmitted by air, why haven’t either of us started peeling yet?”

“Well, obviously-” Tucker snapped before stopping both his sentence and his walk, leaving Danny to run straight into his back. 

Danny backed up quickly, hand flying to his nose. It came up covered with congealed blackish blood. “Aw, crap.” 

“I am so sorry dude, I didn’t think-”

“It’s fine,” Danny waved him off with his clean hand. “Just- tissues?”

Tucker nodded and handed him the small pack from his bag.

“It doesn’t look too bad at least,” Sam said, craning her neck to try and see the damage through the gore. “A little smushed more smushed, but not any more noticeable than the last three times.”

“That’s good.” Danny tore off two bits of the tissue and plugged them into his nose, then began wiping off the rest of it with the remainder. “Sam does have a point though. Anything that could infect her should’ve infected you guys by now.”

Tucker bit his lower lip. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Maybe it's just random?” 

“Maybe it is,” Danny said, looking at the soaked through tissue in his hand. He ignored the way his skin hung loose in some places, and the thin red marks that covered it. “Let’s hope that it randomly decides to fuck off soon.”

—

The lunch lady was in Danny’s basement now, with a pot of water colored brown and a lunch tray that drained back into the pot. It was almost impressive how quickly Danny’s parents figured out how to keep her contained. As long as she had lunches to serve, she was perfectly happy to sit there forever. Which meant that Danny would have a zombie in his basement for who knows how long. 

It’s not like he could judge much. There was a zombie in every room he was in anymore.

He removed the hazmat suit his mother had insisted he wear after he got upstairs. His dad was right where he’d been when Danny got home, crouched on the floor surrounded by tweezers, a magnifying glass, and a minefield of vials. “What are you doing?”

Jack threw Danny a beaming smile that was just barely visible through the hazmat hood screen. “Picking up all of the samples she left in the floorboards. Don’t want to let anything go to waste!”

“Oh. Well, good luck.” 

“Thanks kiddo! Oh, and your mother wanted me to tell you that there’s twenty dollars on the fridge. You and Jazzy pants are gonna need to get yourselves dinner.” He turned back to the floor picking off more tiny scraps with the tweezers. “Your mother and I are gonna have our work cut out for us. You know how it is, science waits for no man!”

“Thanks, but I’m not very hungry.” Danny’s stomach growled, betraying his lie.

Jack laughed. “You’re probably just turned off from everything at lunch. Why don’t you go place the order. Number for pizza’s on the counter!”

Danny nodded his head, then made his way to the phone in the kitchen. He was hungry. He was always hungry lately, and he knew damn well pizza wasn’t going to do anything to help. Still, Jazz would be getting home soon, and it would be nice for her to have something to eat. 

He ordered the veggie lovers pizza with extra mushrooms, just like Jazz always wanted but he’d always fought against. Danny had always held the opinion that if you were going to put that many green things on a pizza you’d be better off with a salad, but he wasn’t going to be eating it anyway. 

Danny had made himself comfortable on the couch while he waited for the pizza. His dad had finished prying skin cells from the floor and had returned to the basement, probably to begin analyzing the samples. Danny had been absentmindedly flipping through tv channels when the bell rang.

On  the other side of the door was a short fat man holding far too many pizza boxes for one order. “Box collector!” 

Danny blinked slowly. “Um… I think you have the wrong house.” He slowly began to push the door closed. “No!” the man bellowed, sticking his foot into the gap of the door. “You called to steal my boxes, I heard you, I heard you say it!” 

“Listen dude, I don’t know whats wrong with you, but I’m not trying to take anything from you!” Danny pushed harder, but the man didn’t budge. 

“Attempted thief! I have come to ensure that you have not taken any other boxes from the box collector!” He was getting louder and louder with each word, trying to push his way into the house.

“I said leave!” Danny grunted, pushing on the door as hard as he could. There was the sickening sound of bones cracking, and for a brief moment Danny stared at his hands still pressed against the door trying to figure out which of them had snapped. But his hands were fine, his fingers were fine, and neither of his arms weren’t bent weird or limp.

His eyes trailed down to the foot still in the door, blood spewing from the gouge the force had left. The bones were crushed together, some poking through the skin, revealing their splintered ends. 

The man on the other side of the door did not stop trying to force his way inside. He didn’t even pause in the box themed ramblings, stacks of pizza boxes still visible through the crack in the door.

“Mom! Dad!” Danny yelled towards the basement door. “We have an emergency!” There was a beat, then two where he didn’t hear anything, and he could almost feel his heart drop into his stomach. Then the pounding of footsteps on metal seemed to shake the house, and his parents threw open the basement door open with a crash.

“Danny! What’s going on?” Maddie said, Anti-Creep Stick gripped tight in her hands. 

“There’s-” The door was shoved hard against Danny, and he stumbled before regaining his footing. “Another one!”

“Another-” her eyes went to the bloody mess on the door frame before she nodded her head. “Jack-”

Jack didn’t need to wait for whatever Maddie was going to say, already running to the door to take the burden off of Danny. “I got it! Go help your mother.”

He ran to his mothers side. “I need you to think really hard. What was he doing here? Was there something he was focused on, something he won’t stop doing besides getting into the house? Anything you can think of.”

Danny nodded. “That’s easy. He’s been talking about boxes this whole time, and has like. A dozen pizza boxes. He’s been accusing me of trying to steal them from him.”

Maddie looked away from Danny, surveying the room. “Go to the storage closet upstairs and get as many boxes as you can. Dump whatever's in them on the floor, we can clean it up later. Bring them to the basement.”

Danny didn’t ask what the plan was, just taking off to do as she said. The storage closet had plenty of boxes of all sizes in it, all filled with dusty old junk that was soon sitting in sagging piles on the floor. He threw the boxes over the banister before following them down the stairs.

Getting them all into the basement was a tricky endeavor, but he managed, and soon Danny was standing in the basement surrounded by empty cardboard boxes and a slowly decaying lunch lady. His mother was nowhere to be seen.

“Mom?” he called out. 

“No mother here, just some delicious soup! Come on sweetie, have a bite!” the lunch lady said. Danny ignored her.

“Over here!” Maddie’s voice was muffled and came from underneath one of the workbenches. Danny made his way over, trying to push the boxes along with him. “Did you get the boxes?”

“As many as I could. What are you gonna do with them?”

“I’m going to trap him.” 

“...with boxes and a desk?”

“There’s a hole in the wall that leads to some kind of crawlspace,” Maddie said. “Pass me that?” She gestured to a sheet of metal, and Danny obliged. “If he does have this obsession with boxes, he should go straight in. And when he does-” Maddie let the sheet of metal fall, blocking the gap underneath the workbench. 

“Is that going to hold him?” 

“We’ll weld it on if we have to, but if our hypothesis is correct, then he shouldn’t even try to get out.” She lifted the metal plate back up and left it on the workbench. “Start tossing boxes into the space back there. I’ll try and lure him in.” She turned to the stairs to leave.

“Wait, no, you’re not going to act as bait!”

“We don’t have much of a choice!” she snapped.

“Let me do it instead.” Maddie stopped dead in her tracks, so Danny continued. “If its some kind of illness then I’ve already been exposed at the door, right? You’re better with welding too, and for all we know, he’s only mad at me.”

Danny could almost hear her inhale through the hazmat suit. “Fine. But be safe, and don’t get hurt.”

“I’ll try.” That’s all Danny could do.

—

Danny remembered Dorathea as a happy girl, bubbly and excited and always wearing old fashioned clothing. Something about her family being renaissance faire actors who had more costumes then clothing. She never seemed to mind, even when Paulina picked on her for it. Dora always said it made her feel pretty, and she’d spin in her full length dress and knock the pencil right off Paulina’s desk. No one ever knew if it was on purpose or not, but it got the bullies off of Dora’s case.

 The Dora Danny remembered was very, very different from the one in the hospital bed.

He knew she’d gotten sick. Really, really sick, the kind of sick that meant she hadn’t ever set foot in Casper High, hadn’t even set foot out of the hospital in months, but knowing that was very different than seeing it. She was pale, her lips almost blue, her cheeks sunken and wires and tubes glued to her scalp and stuck in her skin, leading to IVs and breathing machines and monitors that Danny couldn't even guess at their purpose.

What made it all worse was the work down skin from where she was cuffed to the bed. She was still straining against them, pushing her IV needle further into her skin, causing it to bulge and twitch with every movement. She was trying to say something, but the oxygen mask over her mouth made the words completely unintelligible. 

“It's lucky she was here,” Maddie said to Dora’s older brother, who was scowling at the Fenton’s from the other side of the hospital bed. “The data from her onset may help us save the entire town.”

“I don’t care about the town,” Aragon sneered. “I want you to fix her.”

“Well, given what we’ve seen of previous specimen, it’s likely that-”

“We’ll try our best.” Jack interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder. “Won’t we, Mads?”

The two of them locked eyes, before Maddie nodded. “We’ll do everything we can.”

It took a good hour for the Drs. Fenton to review Dora’s scans and records, and another twenty minutes for them to set the hospital room up the way they wanted. The whole time Danny sat in one of the uncomfortable visitor chairs, bored and confused. His parents had packed him into the car once they’d gotten the call without telling him what was going on, and the explanation they’d given him on the ride was lackluster, to say the least. Only that they’d need his help.

That left Danny to spend nearly an hour and a half sitting there watching Dora. It was clear that she was infected and not just in the way the heels of her feet were worn through from dragging them against the bedsheets. He could see it in her eyes. 

She wasn’t blinking, keeping her eyes wide and frantic and shining with a fevered, desperate need for… something. Danny didn’t know what. If he could understand her frantic mumbling through the mask she’d probably tell him, but that probably wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“You ready Danny boy?”

Danny tore his eyes away from Dora’s towards his father, smiling at him expectantly. “I would be if you’d tell me what we’re doing.”

“We’re studying the onset, of course! One of our good friends here at the hospital noticed her deterioration and thought it looked like something your mother and I are interested in, so they called us for a consultation!” Jack rubbed his chin. “Well, she said it looked like that weird mumbo jumbo we called science back in college, but close enough!”

“Yeah, I got that. Why am I here?”

“To help, of course!”

“I think what your father is trying to say-” Maddie cut in, “-is that we want you to help run some tests on Dora here, so we can measure her reactions, psychologically and physiologically.”

“Exactly that!” Jack nodded enthusiastically. “Seeing as you already know her, and your…” he trailed off, glancing down at the compression socks Danny wore around his lower legs. His parents had bought them for him, after they’d figured out, well, everything. “...unique condition, we thought you’d be the perfect fit!”

“Oh. Yeah, I can do that.” Danny stood up from the chair, trying to shake the chill that settled into his bones. 

“Wonderful! We’re going to sit over here and monitor everything. When we give you the signal, go ahead and remove the mask. Then just… talk! If we need something else, we’ll ask, okay?” His mom ruffled his hair before moving to the fair side of the room. She used to kiss his forehead, back before they realized he was a contagion risk, but she didn’t now. He missed it.

“Whenever you’re ready, Danno!”

It was almost surprising that Dora didn’t snap at Danny’s fingers when he removed the mask, especially with how she kept staring at him. The same fevered look in her eyes, desperate and needy and begging him for something, it made Danny almost feel like prey. It made the first words out of Dora’s mouth even more surprising. 

“Will you go to homecoming with me?”

 Danny blinked out of surprise more than necessity. “Um. What?”

“Homecoming!” Dora smiled wide, so wide that the corners of her lips seemed to stretch and crack. “It's soon, isn’t it? I’ve had the principal sending me every flyer and poster for weeks! So, will you go with me?”

Danny glanced back at his parents, but they didn’t seem to notice. His mother was engrossed in the display for the machines Dora was hooked up to, and his dad was scribbling notes onto a clipboard with such speed Danny was afraid he was going to break the pen.

Danny began to answer. “Uh… sorry, but I wasn’t really planning on…” He cut himself short as he saw Dora’s eyes narrow, her hands clenched into fists so tight he could see blood trickling from her palms. He quickly changed course. “But if its with you, I’d love to go!”

Her reaction to his yes was maybe even more disturbing, as she fought against her restraints in what Danny thought was celebration. The noises she were making were certainly celebratory, though definitely not intelligible. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke again. “Wonderful! We’re going to dance, and drink punch, and spend the whole night together! I need to practice so I don’t step on your feet!” She giggled, and began turning her body side to side. She didn’t even seem to notice the restraints as she kept twisting to her left, further and further before the sickening snap of what Danny could only imagine was a part of her spine breaking echoed around the room.

Dora’s smile never fell of her face, and her soft humming never fell from her lips.

Danny glanced to his parents yet again as he backed away from Dora, this time met with their looks of horror. Not at Dora and the scene in front of them, but the display. They weren’t writing anything down anymore. Instead, they shared a look, this one holding so much more weight than the one they’d shared when Aragon.

“We’re done here, Danny.” Maddie stood from her chair and started her way out of the room. “Your father will take you home. I need to make a call.”

–

Amity Park had emergency broadcast speakers. That was new information to everyone, including the speakers, if the surprised crackling noises that emanated from it were anything to go off of. When it finally managed to clear into an audible voice, it was a woman’s, cold and calculated. 

“This is an emergency broadcast from the United States Government. If you are hearing this, you are currently under quarantine. Any attempts to leave the bounds of Amity Park will be met with martial force. If you have any questions regarding the authenticity of this announcement, please contact your local government officials. If you have any questions regarding the conditions of your containment, please report to the city hall for a briefing performed by Dr. Madeline and Jack Fenton. Thank you.”

Danny assumed that the announcement was met with chaos. He could picture people yelling into the phone at the mayor’s secretary, people driving to the town outskirts to find the agents, dressed in full, pure white hazmat suits blocking off the road. He imagined people looking at themselves in the mirror, scouring themselves for signs of an illness they hadn’t realized they’d contracted. And then Danny pushed that from his mind, because his parents were wrong.

“We know why you’re all here.” His mother’s voice, amplified by the microphone on the podium, echoed through the walls. “And we want you all to know that we know how you think of us. How you think of our work and our research.”

Danny should’ve been out there with them. Jazz was, and she’d only been informed of the whole situation while Maddie ran through government phone numbers. She hadn’t taken the news well. She’d called their dad a liar, a kook, a fake scientist who was living in delusions. 

Jack had shown her Dora’s scans. The lunch lady, still in the basement with her lower legs swollen to the point of bursting because her heart had given up pumping, who still greeted the family with a smile and scooped them an ever draining bowl of soup. She’d stopped protesting, when the facts were in front of her.

That was why Danny hadn’t given up yet. He had more facts. He knew that they were wrong, that they were making a mistake. He was proof of that. They just didn’t believe him.

“We want to assure you that we are not overreacting. We are not working on fake numbers, and we are not wasting your time. We would be happy to explain our data to anyone interested, just like we explained it all to the CDC, and then the agents of the GIW who recorded the announcement that brought you all here today.”

They were making a mistake, getting everyone so panicked. It was all going to be just fine, like Danny was. Different, sure. It was going to be very different, but Danny had adjusted to the different just fine. The rest of the town would too. 

“We won’t try to put it lightly. We are all dead.”

It would take some time, and people would probably end up hurt. It would suck really, really bad. But it wasn’t death . It wasn’t the end of Amity Park, or the end of the world like they’d been discussing with the agents. It was just… a change.

“A few months ago, an airborne illness was released into the city, infecting everyone who lived here. It progresses slowly, eating away at the infected person's brain until they can no longer feel pain, until their body can no longer sustain themselves. They become solely interested in one thing, one activity or purpose that they dedicate themselves to while the virus continues to eat away at their bodies and the chemicals their damaged brain can still produce.”

Danny wasn’t a mindless shambling creature, he was still him . They’d done scans and tests to try and figure out how it happened, how Danny became an exception. They couldn’t figure it out. Not for certain, but they had a hypothesis.

“You may have heard of some incidents these past few weeks, of common Amity Park citizens suddenly going crazy. We believe the reason they were so susceptible to this disease is because of preexisting brain damage. The disease had less to do, and was therefore able to progress to its final stages quicker then in a healthy specimen. We don’t know how long the majority of us have yet. It could be weeks, or months, or hours. It is just a matter of time.”

The electrical shock from the initial incident had stimulated the virus in Danny’s body into its final stage too early. It didn’t have the time to cause the type of damage it needed to revert Danny to the mindless actions the other infected displayed. It would be impossible to replicate, they said. Danny didn’t believe them. They were wrong, their hypothesis was stupid, and they should never have tried to lock things down. People were going to panic over nothing. 

“We won’t hold you here any longer. Our advice to you all is to get your affairs in order. Call your loved ones who live out of town, hug your family, and find something you love to do. You’ll have the rest of your afterlife left to do it. If you have any questions, we will be in the town hall for the remainder of the day.”

This wasn’t the end of Amity Park. Danny knew it. They would all live to see tomorrow, and every day after it. He wouldn’t accept anything else. He couldn’t.

–

The sun was big and beautiful, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and red and yellow. Its blinding light was blocked by the leaves of the tree hanging over Danny headed, shielding his eyes from the worst of it. The day had been warm, inching just slightly towards uncomfortably so, but now that the sun was setting it was perfect. He took a deep breath that he did not need, letting the fresh air move through his lungs and into his body. 

“It’s funny, looking back on it.” Sam sat on his left, and Tucker on his right. It had become sort of a routine of theirs, to sit and watch the sunset together. There wasn’t much else to do in town anymore, since the power grid got shut down. “Everyone was so worried that it would be the end of the world, but we’re still here.”

Neither of his friends replied, but that wasn’t unusual. They didn’t talk much anymore. He didn’t really blame them. Jazz had talked about how trauma can cause selective mutism, and this whole thing had been traumatic, even if it had all turned out just fine.

“I’m glad I was right.” The grass was cool under his fingers, the ones on his left slick with moisture. It might’ve been warm, if things were different, but it wasn’t. He didn’t mind that. Cool meant water. Dew drops. Fresh rain. Warm was… not those. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I wasn’t.”

A soft buzzing sound came from his right. Danny didn’t turn to look; he didn’t need to. He knew what it was already. Bees. Only bees, buzzing by his ear, Nothing else. “I don’t need to. Everythings ok, and I still have you guys.”

It was instinct that his hand moved, following the cool liquid to its source, tracing the blades of grass and twisting roots to where they pushed into Sam’s wrist. The tips of his fingers were slick with her blood, but he didn’t think about it, and she didn’t care. Couldn’t care.

He closed his eyes as he turned and smiled at Tucker. He didn’t want to see the bulge of a radio speaker in Tucker’s mouth, bloody tears stretching along his cheeks. He didn’t want to see the dial he’d shoved into his eye, tuned to a station that no longer exists, spitting out nothing but the soft buzzing static.

“And we’ll always have each other.”

[maskedemerald]

Weaving Webs CH5

Here is chapter five of my Invisobang fic! The wonderful @pricklenettle did some fantastic art that you'll see embedded through out the fic!

You can check out the fic here or on AO3!

If you like this consider dropping us both a follow!

Warnings: Body horror, manipulation, Spectra is her own content warning, Burns, Spider - for like 2 chapters then it goes away.

The Fenton parents were there when the accident happened, they saw Danny die in an act of sabotage. Now they’re just trying to go on with the strange ghost that is all that's left of Danny. While their old college friend is wondering where the subjects of his revenge are.

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Chapter Five

Jack knocked on the door of Jazz’s bedroom. She’d been shut in her room aside from the occasional appearance in the kitchen for meals since the incident. It had only been a few days but he couldn’t help but be worried. She also wasn’t answering. He knew it wasn’t intentionally Danny’s fault, the ghost was downstairs waiting. Add on to that the ghost didn’t seem to have any intentional actions.

“Jazzerincess? We're watching a movie! Something fun!” He called through the door hoping that it would tempt her.

There was a long silence before a strained voice replied, “can't Dad, I've got too much catching up to do.”

He frowned, he should have expected that. She’d always been deep into her school work, it made sense that she’d throw herself into it even more now. What would Jazz call it? A coping mechanism?

“You sure?”

“Yes Dad.”

“Then how about we all help out in the kitchen?” He offered, that would help right?

“… no,” she said quietly, “I… just go away…”

Jack sighed, slumping as he moved away from the door. He’d been hoping for just a little bit of normal. For all of them. He’d managed to pull Maddie out of the lab and actually for once Danny was the easiest to get involved, but he tried not to think about why.

Jack trudged back down the stairs to the living room where Maddie and Danny were waiting. Maddie sat on the sofa, her limbs held close and taught, ready to move at a moment's notice. Her eyes not even straying up to him from watching Danny. He hated how uncomfortable everyone was. Even him.

He dropped onto the sofa, it sagged and Maddie tilted into him. She jolted and then relaxed against him, marginally. Danny looked up at him from where he was curled up on one of the arm chairs. Jack doubted he had legs right now with how twisted up he was. There was a questioning tilt to his head. The lights overhead flickered a little and a line scanned across the TV. It was just a little off from the consistent flickers that Danny caused.

“Is Jazz coming?” Maddie asked.

“She said no… I don’t think she’s doing well.”

Maddie sighed, “I don’t think any of us are. She’ll work through it in her own time. We can’t rush her. Just give her space,” she paused, “it's better that way anyway. At least up there she’s not near the ghost. Not in danger.”

“Right…” he glanced at Danny’s ghost, “you still want to watch?”

The TV fizzed with static, the screen sharply filling with snow. Danny shot off flying past the TV and up through the ceiling. Had he understood what was going on?

“I hope he isn't mad…” Jack frowned looking at where he had vanished.

“You saw how it reacted. We should go find it before it does something,” Maddie said, getting to her feet.

“It's Danny, Maddie. he'll come round,” Jack consoled.

“That was before he was a ghost… we still don't know when the other shoe will drop,” she looked away, “I don’t want it to but all the research says it will happen.”

Jack’s face fell. He didn’t want to think like that either. He wanted to think that Danny was different. He’d seemed so excited to be watching a movie together after everything that had happened but they couldn’t be sure if he really understood what was happening aside from them all sitting together. It was so hard to tell anything with him no matter how much Jack wanted to believe that he was just the same Danny. He wouldn’t be, there was no way that this Danny wasn’t different. Their research was certain of that. Their research said if a ghost didn’t get what it wanted then destruction and chaos was only a matter of time.

“Dad! Something’s wrong with my laptop!” Jazz’s voice called down the stairs.

Maddie frowned, “you check on Jazz. I’ll look for Danny.”

Jack nodded, he wanted to look for Danny too but Jazz needed support. Fixing her laptop was something even if it wasn’t as big an impact as he was hoping for. Both of them headed up the stairs but Maddie turned to go to Danny’s room. One Danny hadn’t been in at all the last few days. He’d mostly been sticking close to the rest of them. The chill that had vanished when Danny left returned at the top of the stairs. A confirmation that he was still upstairs and hadn’t looped back down into another room. That he hadn’t tried to go through the roof. Technically it was ghost proofed but there had never been a chance to test it with a real ghost.

Jazz's laptop screen was completely covered by a snowstorm of static. the speakers sounded like crumpling tinfoil and uncomfortably electrical. It would fizz and crackle as the static distorted Even more across the display. Jack tapped at buttons to no effect. Whatever this was, he was going to need his tool kit and a replacement screen. Maybe even a whole new laptop with the noise the speakers were making.

“Huh looks like your screen’s gone. Oh maybe we have something we can use in the lab!”

Jazz’s frustrated expression dropped and she paled, “no! No need. I’ll… I’ll just plug it into Danny’s monitor. No need for experimental things from the lab Dad.”

Jack deflated, right. Of course that was a bad idea. Even if it was sabotage they still didn’t know if anything else was affected. Jazz would want nothing to do with the lab after what happened.

“Right, okay no lab stuff. How about we check it with Danno’s monitor and if it's still funny I’ll take it to a repair shop tomorrow.”

Jazz nodded and leant over to reach the plug under her desk. She yelped and her chair clattered to the floor. She stumbled backwards leaving a clear view of under her desk. What he had thought was a light from her checking the plug already was actually the glow of Danny. The ghost was huddled under the desk, knees pulled up to his chest in a way that shouldn’t have been possible in the bulky suit if he wasn’t a ghost. His glowing eyes were watching them. His hands tangled in the power cable.

Jack startled, grabbing Jazz and pulling her back before he had a chance to think. Danny was unlikely to be a danger at the moment. He was probably just there because Jazz was.

“Danny?” Jazz breathed.

“Fizzzt crackle Jazz zpt Jazzy crackle fizzzt,” her speakers crackled as Danny twisted the power cable.

The noise was grating like nails down a chalkboard but at the same time there was something he was sure he’d heard in all that crackling static. It had been her name. Jazzy was something static didn’t normally sound like.

“Jazzy? Wait… are you… are you talking?”

“Ghost Speak! The tech interference is Ghost Speak! Mads, mads! Did you hear that!”

He was talking! There had been theories about the interference being an attempt to communicate in the research for years but there had never been definitive proof. Most recordings had just been white noise and the words too indistinct enough to actually be words. Even before this Danny’s interference had just been proximity based. Had he been trying to communicate all that time and only just figured it out?

Maddie whipped through the door, her pistol ready. Still expecting the other shoe to have dropped. Jack was less concerned, if Danny was going to do anything he would have before he was discovered.

“What happened?” she asked, aiming the pistol defensively.

“Danno’s talking!” Jack grinned.

“Talking?” She blinked, surprised. The weapon was lowered slightly.

“Fizzzt crackle lone? zpt lonely? Crackle sad fizzzt.” the laptops speakers garbled out.

Maddie stared. Jack let Jazz go, Danny wasn’t the threat. They were. He was a lonely child, a one that depending how much he remembered had been through something horrifyingly traumatic. And Maddie and him were treating him like a ticking time bomb. Jack had wanted to believe but he was still on edge. Expecting the worst despite his hope. He didn’t even hesitate to pull Jazz away.

Jazz sat down on her bed, more a slump than a sit. Tears down her face. Jack had a feeling she was also blaming herself for avoiding Danny.

“You’re not, we’re here Danny,” she muttered softly.

Jack pushed Maddie’s pistol lower and approached Danny, “it's alright Danno. We’re all here. You're not alone.”

“Fizzt Jazzt… Jazzt fizzt zpt lonely… Crackle”

It was hard to understand the words past the crackle and static. Not to mention the fragmented broken nature of the words. It helped that his eyes were focused on Jazz past him.

“Fizzzt missssss you… crackle Jazzzt alone Fizzt”

“Me?” Jazz questioned, “all this and you’re worrying about me? Oh Danny. I’m… okay okay, I’m not alright. I just…”

That was Danny, or at least some of Danny. A small confirmation that something more had carried over. He knew them, he could communicate and he was worrying about Jazz. Or at least that's what it looked like. He could see it in Maddie’s face. The way she still held the pistol that she was still wary. Still doubtful. It actually gave Jack a little hope that there was more of Danny in there.

“The movie is still on the table,” he offered.

Jazz nodded, “okay… I’ll try.”

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With that we have words for Danny! His mind's not all there and he doesn't know how to people but he speaks.