#Phantom is a ghost yes but he helped them a lot of times
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Monster (or not?)
It was a normal day for the Justice League, nothing special had happened, but Batman seemed to have a bad feeling. So when the alarm went off, he was prepared for almost anything.
Unfortunately, not much can prepare you for a 10-foot ice-covered, invincible Eldritch in the middle of Gotham. As much as the League tried, they didn't seem to do any damage to it (Jason was the first to notice that the creature wasn't attacking, just defending itself; he frowned at the observation).
From there, many strange things began to happen. First: A group of people dressed in white (which, frankly, they had never seen before in their lives) fanned out around the League, giving them weapons capable of harming the "creature" and pointing out to them that it was a "ghost", giving information about it.
Second, a pair of colorful scientists stood at the center of all the agents in white, though they seemed to be arguing with each other. One looked murderous, while the other looked... tired, almost guilty.
Third and last, a group of students kept trying to get closer. Jason thought they were suicidal until he heard the girl in purple tell them to leave "Danny" alone. She seemed to be silenced quickly, but the detail stuck in his head.
With a bad feeling, Jason turned to the college kids. A red-haired girl stood in the center of them, holding a chunk of ice? and watching the creature at the center of it all. While the League dealt with the agents in white, Jason decided to listen to them.
"He's my brother," the redhead said as soon as she saw him, "he's not a monster, they broke his core, please, you need to understand"
Jason looked at the creature again, although its body was mostly black, he could see ice covering a crystal in the center, it looked broken, he suspected that was his "core". At the same moment, Bruce finished talking to the men in white and accepted the weapons.
Danny was frightened and panicked. His form changed when his core broke in the middle of a fight, the GIW had shot him, and he didn't know how to retreat to his original form. His words came out only in Ghost speak, and the heroes around him looked ready to kill him, which didn't help his ice control.
#dpxdc#Basically the GIW broke Danny's core#and that thrilled his ghost side#which transformed into an Eldritch as a defense mechanism#Jack feels guilty#Phantom is a ghost yes but he helped them a lot of times#it doesn't feel correct to hunt him#Jason released the situation was not what it seemed at first#dp x dc#dc x dp#Martian manhunter is confused#he feels the creature in panic#but Danny's toughs are on ghost speak too#The GIW is a secret goverment organization#they usually avoid the heroes#because they know the heroes could stop their operations#Amity is isolated from the rest of the world#so the heroes doesn't know what happens there#Sadly Danny's battle happened in Gotham#he was chasing Skulker who found another “halfa”#he defeated Skulker but his parents grabbed him off guard#Skulker was chasing Jason signal btw#His friends and sister found the piece of his core and released what happened#eldritch danny
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It takes a lot to break a ghost. After all, even death didn’t keep them down for long, not in any way that mattered.
There is, however, a sure fire way to utterly crush a ghost’s core without even touching it.
Find their grave, and defile it.
It is the height of cruelty. It is the ultimate act of disrespect. It is violation, of the deepest kind, an act that can never, ever be allowed to go unpunished.
As Danny stared at the remains of the toppled over rock tower that Tucker and Sam had made for him all those years ago, to honor his death, he wasn’t sure if he could survive this.
——
Please.
Zatanna looked around. The magician knew better than to write off the sound as a trick of her mind.
You have to help him. Please. He’s just a child.
“Who? What’s wrong?” Zatanna asked, heart aching for the grieving whispers of the young voice.
My brother. His grave. It’s been destroyed. Please.
Zatanna’s hair stood on ends. “What’s his name? Where is it?”
Amity Park. His name is Phantom. Please. Hurry.
Her heart skipped a beat. Phantom. The name of the Infinite Realm’s Champion, the future king.
“Shit. I’m on my way. Can you lead me there?”
I can’t. I won’t be here for much longer. Tell him Jazz sent you. Please. Help him. Help him.
“I will.”
When Zatanna portals out of her dressing room, she catches a flash of red hair.
——
“CONSTANTINE!”
“Gah! Zatanna?” John Constantine fell out of his chair, legs slipping from their place propped onto the table.
“Emergency! Infinite Realms level. Someone destroyed Phantom’s grave.”
Constantine scrambled upwards, pulling on his coat as his mind all but bleated like a highland goat at the sound of “Infinite Realms” and “Phantom’s grave.” Destroying a ghost’s grave might destroy the ghost, but if they survive the initial splintering, right before their final death, they’ll explode in a ball of fury. Normally, it would be slightly less of a problem. Normally, it wouldn’t be the most powerful ghost in the Infinite Realms. Normally, this wouldn’t happen. Normally, even if it did, it wouldn’t risk a war none of the universes would win. The Infinite Realms loves prince Phantom. Their grief over this… even if he survives, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“You contact the League. I have to go fix this, right now.”
John doesn’t bother going for his hottle, because he unfortunately needed to do this sober.
“Go, go!”
——
Danny doesn’t turn even as he hears the crunch of grass blades. He sits, staring blankly at what used to be his grave marker.
“Hi, there,” it’s a woman. She sounds sad. Danny understands, because all he feels is a whistling hole where his heart used to be. “Are you Phantom?”
Danny sighs, ice crackling at his lungs. He knows, when this is over, he’ll find it in himself to rage. If he doesn’t shatter from this, he knows he’ll take Amity out. Perhaps he’d spare this one. It’s been a long time since anyone bothered visiting or even knew about his grave.
“Your highness…your sister sent me. Jazz?”
That got Danny’s attention. Glowing green eyes peeked from the curled ball of ghost to stare Zatanna down.
She swallowed.
“She… had red hair?”
“Why are you here?” Why did she send you? He doesn’t say. Zatanna seems to understand anyways.
“To help. Please, will you let me help?”
Danny looks down at the ice freezing her feet to the ground and thinks of the kind set of her eyes, the steel backing her spine, the carefully nonthreatening posture. Yes, Jazz would send this kind of person to help him.
The ice melts.
“Thank you.”
Danny watches as she approaches his destroyed grave. She glances back for his permission. He shrugs. It’s destroyed. Nothing would ever bring it back.
And then, he was proven wrong.
Zatanna’s eyes glow, and the stones began melding itself back together- no, it was reversing the damage and zooming back to its proper place.
“Oh.”
The damage to his core was still there. But… he won’t kill this one at all.
Or her friends, who stand at the edge of the clearing with the soul-torn one standing at the helm.
“Is this… alright, your highness?”
Danny stares at Zatanna. His voice is hoarse but… but it’s not on the verge of insanity anymore.
“Do you always come to graves without an offering?”
He knows he’s being rude. He’s past the point of caring. Zatanna’s response is to pull a bouquet of lilies from behind her back.
——
Phantom’s face is so young, and it’s even younger when he smiles.
“Not always,” Zatanna replies, rolling her eyes. But when she settles the flowers down, they’re gently placed.
“Can you magic clovers around it?” Phantom asks, that note of painful hope cracking her own heart. She wonders how old he was when he died.
“Of course.”
A field of clovers surrounds the rock tower, and Zatanna adds four layers of heavy wards around the area when she grows them. Phantom notices, and looks up at her with… trust.
“I am Zatanna. Your sister, Jazz, sent me.”
“Okay. You can call me Phantom.”
——
“I want their heads.” Danny says.
“We don’t kill.”
“Then hand them over to us, for they have hurt the Great One. They will answer for their crimes.” Frostbite settles a hand on Danny’s shoulder.
“Alright.”
“Constantine.”
Constantine somehow manages to drag Batman away to hiss in his ears.
“Shit in a hole, Batsy, I’m not fucking with the Infinite Realms. My demons won’t fuck with the Infinite Realms. Destroying a ghost’s grave is an act of war, and an act of complete violation, and we’re lucky Phantom liked Zee enough not to completely bring ruin to our universe. So shut up, and get the bastards that did this.”
“Hm.”
——
Zatanna sits in the visitors chair, Batman’s and Constantine’s disgruntled selves standing behind her.
“How old are you, Phantom?”
“Hm?” The future King looks exhausted, understandably. “Oh, sixteen.”
“You’re… sixteen? That’s how old you look, right?”
She’s hoping that he’s older, that he’s a millennia and a half years old. Because if he wasn’t, whoever broke Phantom’s grave, broke the grave of a child.
“No, I’m sixteen. My body looks fourteen. I died when I was fourteen.”
Constantine swears.
Batman straightens and walks out, fists clenched.
Zatanna eases the hum of hunting magic at her finger tips and smiles at Phantom until he sleeps.
Then, she gets up, and hunts.
#zatanna#danny phantom#dc x dp#batman#bruce wayne#the Justice League#john constantine#the consequences of destroying a final resting place#crisis averted#ghost prince danny
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DCxDP: Professional Protector of Love
Danny Fenton moves to Gotham to start a second branch of Fenton Works. At least on paper, in reality, he is there to try and fulfill his obsession now that Amity Park has become too peaceful once he was officially crowned king.
His parents had been overjoyed he wanted to help the family business grow. They had been super supportive the day Danny revealed he was a halfa to them.
His dad even sat him down to apologize for all the hateful things he said about Danny through the years. His mom had been a little less vocal emotionally but she had also given him a deeply severe apology.
When they learned that Danny had been the one to save the town over and over again from invading ghosts, Jack jumped for joy that his son was a ghost hunter and a darn good one at that. They joined Team Phantom, keeping the world safe, and helped Danny hide his hero activities.
It really felt like Danny was part of the family business. It was a blast, even though they remained the town quacks for the first time Danny didn't mind. His parents knew he was a Halfa and they loved him anyway. That's all he needed.
When Clockwork came knocking when he was sixteen to explain that ghosts had chosen to follow the rules of conquest thus Danny was next in line for the throne, to be crowned at twenty, the Fenton's celebrated like Danny had been selected to the best Ivy schools. It meant a lot since realistically Danny didn't think he was getting anywhere with his grades.
His grades were terrible but Jazz helped him get his high school diploma by the skin of his teeth, and he was content with it. Once he graduated high school Danny felt adrift.
Amity Park hadn't been attacked in years due to him being announced as heir of the throne and no ghost would disrespect him by attacking his haunt. It was poor manners to attack the King. Ghost cared a lot about etiquette. Many of them existed because of etiquette.
The thing is Danny's ghost's existence depends on his obsession with Protection so when the ghost stops giving him something to protect Danny falls into his sub-obsession: love.
Sub-obsessions were like a secondary focus for ghosts. It was something that could grab their attention and even help them keep form but not as strongly as their main. It had its cons and pros like most things in life.
For one it wasn't as straightforward as the main obsessions. Protecting someone weaker in any situation was easier to physically do than trying to explain love and get it to appear in life. There are multiple versions of love, which makes things a little better, but Danny still has to depend on others for that to fuel him.
Danny likes to think of main and secondary obsessions in terms of running and jogging. Both got you to where you needed to go. One was just faster, and much more draining to do in the long run. The other took patience and tenacity but was rewarding over time.
The other notable characteristic of sub-obsessions was that they only appeared to ghosts who had an elemental core. Most had their common core- a core portraying to how a ghost came to be, either by death or being born in the Zone.
Danny was a rare few that had an ice core form around his common core. Most elemental ghosts were considered nobility in the zone and their rare appearance granted them special privileges.
One such privilege was attending high-class galas in the zone where he dined with the most important of beings. This was before he even knew he was going to be Ghost King.
It was at one of these Galas that he met Cupid- yes that Cupid- the ghost of love happily explained his Sub-Obession after his own core recognized a kinder spirit. Cupid said that if Danny could not be part of the love he could help others find the different ways love worked and that would help hold him over.
It was a challenge but Danny figured he could use the Greek words of love to help him satisfy his obsession.
He found that if he let his core guide him, the answer to any form of love issue would appear to him. Like his ghost breath activating, it was his sight of people who glow in different colors, telling him what type of love they were currently feeling.
Eros: romantic, passionate love colored red.
Philia: intimate, authentic friendship colored yellow
Storge: unconditional, familial love colored green
Philautia: compassionate self-love colored blue
Agápe: empathetic, universal love colored white.
Danny wanted to keep his secret identity as Phantom under wraps openly told being he could see "auras" that explain what to do.
Some called him crazy like his parents, but that changed the day after Danny spotted the soft red mixed with a chipper yellow glow around Dash and Kwan. He had pulled both individually to the side to talk about it- Kwan had been less hostile than Dash on his meddling- and only after successfully making them confess and start dating did people notice.
He became known around Casper High as the go-to person whenever they needed advice in any relationship. He even helped Sam finally connect with her parents.
Danny had a gift for it- and whenever he made them feel more love of any kind the more powerful did he feel. It was the same rush as rescuing someone but darn if it didn't have a kick to it. And everyone in Amity Park starts tripping over themselves to talk to him and hear his opinion on the issue.
Sam jokingly told him to start charging people. Tucker took the joke as gospel and created him an email and an online store. He had linked Danny's store to Fenton Works- since the business license was so open-ended- and Danny Fenton, Professional Protector of Love worked under Fenton Works before they finished their junior year.
Danny adored working as a protector of love, but his main obsession needed fulfillment so Jazz suggested a move. Take his love work to the most dangerous city in the county. Protect people by night as Phantom and by day give the downdraught citizens some help in bettering their relationships.
His parents helped him pick out a store with an apartment on the top floor, Tucker as both tech support and a clerk for his small store section of Love Charms, while Sam joined up as a receptionist.
His two best friends were going to be his roommates while they studied at Gothum U for their degrees. He would pay them but until he had a solid client base it wouldn't be a lot.
Both seemed fine with the arrangement since Danny was letting them live rent-free with their own rooms.
Jazz and his parents remained in Amity Park but they swore to visit whenever they could.
It took seven months of work but the store was ready- he styled it to look like ancient Greek Cupid-inspired decore. He also had to get all the legal work out of the way and get familiar with the city before he tried to depute as Phantom.
He figured that for now he could stick to protecting humans from ghosts, vengeful spirits, and the busload of curses that cluttered Gotham. Danny would leave human crime to the Bats while he settled. He would step in if he happened upon a situation but he wouldn't go out of his way to find it.
"Danny, do you need anything for the aura reading?" Sam asks typing away at her desk computer. She took her job seriously. Tucker was typing away on his personal laptop, likely working on some homework. "The first customer is already in the consultation room."
Danny adjusted his pure white suit with small colored lines. He had it specially made to have all the colors he saw in love as his uniform. He wanted to give off the Prince vibe of his ghost status.
"I'm good!" He calls back to her, walking down the soundproof room- to give his clients the privacy they deserve- and giving his best professional smile at the boy sitting on the plush couches inside. He designed the room to look like a Greek palace and he hopes the others appreciate.
"Hello, Mr. Wayne. I hear you need professional help with protecting the various types loves in your life?"
"Tsk." Damian Wayne, in all his twelve-year-old glory, raises his chin. "I am capable of protecting them just fine. I merely... need further information on how to show my fondness is all."
Damian glowed green- which meant he needed help connecting to his family or at the very least learning how to talk to them. Danny's smile widens. "You came to the right place for that. Let's start the ready yeah?"
#dcxdpdabbles#dc x dp crossover#Professional Protector of Love#happy valentine's day#Danny is a love guru#In a way#Took some liberties with Ghost cores#Damian found out about someone who can explain love and went Sign me up#None of the bats know Danny is here#Danny out here to fix relationships and and kick ass#Tucker and Sam just want to live rent free
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I'm so sorry I didn't get to finish but as Dan's Teekl is a Phoenix snake and he takes after Vlad since of dressing
When something big is going on the magical world and they need King Phantom's help he decides to bring along his children this is how the Justice League finds out just like Robin is a past dumb title so is Klarion all the Justice League deal with a bunch of hyper up chaotic children who have been antiheroes let's find out
I wanted this to be just like a we are robbing thing except with Clarion all of them showing off the fact that Teekl have never been a cat would be so funny to me
Anywho I haven't been able to come up with anymore ideas for Dan is Klarion but I did come out with this one hope you find it funny sorry that I messed up on the first part of the writing
Okay... so version one got deleted, per my rant post notices... so here is version two hopes to that it will still be as good... also... i didn't remember how I ended this the first time soooooo yea... sorry again for having messed up in between...
[Link to the first part of the Ask here!]
I hope this will still be as enjoyable....
------------------
Vlad didn't regret a lot of things but he regretted having told Bruce Wayne that he had a way of summoning the Ghost King. Why you ask? Because Bruce Wayne apparently leaked that information to the Justice League.
Well originally Vlad had told Bruce only about this because he was after the deal he had wanted for years with Wayne Enterprise. That man had been able to avoid Vlad for years now, and during his years when he hadn't been a redeemed man it had infuriated him.
But he was a redeemed man now. He had reformed his entire Company and since Wayne Enterprise was contracted with the Justice League, he had felt it was appropriate to boost that his Company had valuable connections too.
He also just wanted to rub it into Brucie Waynes face that he wasn't the only one with big name Hero / other worldly connections department. Okay it might have been a bit of an ego thing left. But he was a redeemed man.
And because he was a redeemed man he had not used his ghost powers to throw Batman out of the window the hero had used to barge into his hotel room at 3 -goddamn- AM only to demand the method on how to summon the ghost king.
No sir, Vlad was a redeemed man, he was nice now, a good guy.
He only grumbled and demanded the reason, which apparently was a demonic thread to the magical world that indirectly could wipe out the entire world itself. Great, little badger will not be amused hearing about that.
Daniel would be cross with him for using the summoning stone in the middle of the night but Batman was giving him a valid reason to use it. Surely Daniel would understand right? Plus Vlad could use that as change to see the little badger again. It had been a while since he last saw him.
Well Vlad regretted agreeing with Batman with the condition that he would be the one to do the summoning. That man in a bat suit did not hesitate to drag Vlad with him then bringing him, blindfolded mind you, to a place where he then was faced with several heroes, including but not limited to the Justice league.
Just great.
At least Vlad got to inform Danial about the situation and the reason for his summon as Ghost King via summoning stone, even if that blond British man had scoffed when he saw Vlad pulling it out, about the situation and what the little badger could expect the moment he stepped out of a portal.
What Vlad did not expect were several RED portals opening and similarly dressed young adults as well as one teen stepping out of them.
"Sup old man! Mom told us you called him about some world ending problem!" Dan greeted him in his Klarion get up, perfectly styled hair and his ghost pet, a phoenix snake, Snape (yes Dan named his pet after a mage from a wizard movie series) on his shoulders. Vlad could feel the distinctive illusion magic around the pet and he was pretty sure everyone without ghost powers were not able to see through it.
"KLARION?!" One of the present heroes yelled.
And of course all of the kids had to answer in reflect turning to where the voice came from at the same time.
"Yea"
There was a brief moment of silence in which Vlad face palmed.
"Ah sorry, that was on reflex. Old habits die hard!" Ellie laughed, she had grown into a young woman and was currently wearing what looked like a black suit crossed with a 90s style witch dress.
"I am the current Klarion, lose that fucking habit already." Dan grumbled annoyed as he crossed his arms glaring at every sibling that had answered to his alias.
"I am telling mom you cussed." Ellie instead grinned instead, before she looked around for a moment before her eyes landed on Nightwing, her face instantly lighting up. "ROBIN! I mean Nightwing! I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Do I know you?" Vlad could feel sorry for the hero, but these where the phantom kids, so he wasn't in the slightest and he was still cross with he heroes for waking him up at 3AM!
"I am hurt! Don't you recognise me!" Ellie gasped and Dan unashamedly elbowed her for acting so familiar.
"Misrule." He warned her. Ellies current Anti-Hero -Chaos Agent- Alias Vlad remembered. A name she specifically chose because it sounded like Miss Rule and she knew that the word play would annoy Nabu. That girl had some serious beef with the Ancient of Order.
"Oh shush little brother! Let me reconnect with the kids I used to mess with!" She shushed Dan ruffling his hair and nearly messing up his horned hairstyle, before turning back to Nightwing. "Don't you remember my lovely Armadillos? Though I only know you were the Robin I first meet because I looked into Grandpa Clock's time mirrors..."
There was a brief moment of silence on the other side where the heroes stood and Vlad swore he could have heard a pin needle drop.
"Oh god..." One of them finally spoke up as apparently some kind of realisation sunk into the heroes. But before Ellie could add anything more the one Vlad recognised as Red Robin cut in.
"Klarion is like Robin!"
"RR what are you...?"
"The title of Klarion got passed down like Robin!"
There was another brief moment of silence before Dan, Ellie and the rest of their siblings burst out laughing.
"It took you idiots this long to see that?!" Dan called them out, laughing as he hugged Snape.
Vlad would probably feel sorry for the entirety of the heroes before him if he wasn't amused by this himself, even he had seen the differences whenever 'Klarion' got passed on.
"For your information, I was the first Klarion, so i could mess with Nabu." Ellie grinned. "I was also the one that used a bit to much eyeliner."
"I never got the the horned hairstyle right."
"I was the one with a fancy black suit."
One by one the phantom kids listed of all the differences in their versions of Klarion until they all looked towards the youngest Dan, the current Klarion.
"What?" He grumbled as his elder siblings grinned at him.
"Fucking fine. I use a suit similar to the old man's style and I like to do more than just mess with Nabitch." He muttered after enduring his siblings stares for.
"And you cuss." Ellie grinned brightly causing the rest of the siblings to to chuckle.
Vlad recognised the look in Dan's eyes and before the kids could break out into an argument or a brawl, depending how violent Dan was feeling, he coughed loudly to get noticed by everyone.
"World threatening situation." He reminded everyone. "Where is your mother? The Ghost King?"
"Oh Mom is already dealing with the situation." Dan shrugged. "We more or less came to watch and see the heroes suck and fail at 'Order' to rub it into Nabitch's face."
Vlad really wanted to scowl the kids and he was going to but then the heroes cut in again.
"Can we get back to the thing about Klarion being a title passed down like Robin? With how many different Klarions did we have to deal with over the years!?"
"Red Robin not the right time..."
"Yes the right time! So many comments from Klarion make sense now! Like the first time he went right up into my face!"
"Red Robin!"
"Oh that was still me! The first Klarion!"
#dp x dc#dpxdc#dcxdp#crossover#danny fenton#danny phantom#dick grayson#tim drake#ellie phantom#dan phantom#dc robin#Klarion is a title passed down like Robin#Ellie created the first Klarion#dc Nabu#mom danny#ghost king danny#Ellie is the first klarion#Like Dick was the first Robin#Dan is the current Klarion#Tim wants answers#he is hung up on the there were multiple Klarions fact#Vlad was sort of in the know#He is responsible for the reveal...#not really#but the kids wanted to see Danny beat up a big bad demon#Part 2
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Our Well Deserved Break
Its
Shenanigans (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Time again!~
-x-x-
Danny, our boy the Ghost King, looking over a small team going over relic's given or 'offered' to Pariah Dark over the years both before and after he was sealed away. As they're taking inventory of the chaotic offering room, they stumble across a certain artifact.
This artifact is able to summon a set number of people (it does have its limits) of the users wishes to them and it sets up a barrier around the surrounding place so no one summoned gets out. You know, those kinds of artifact's certain people use to summon heroes and or villains into a room and have them fight to see whose the strongest or for a tournament, Yeah that kind of artifact!
Danny, who found the item, takes a look at after being told what it does. Then out of the corner of his eye he spots himself in a mirror in the room and see's his crown floating above his head and feels the full weight of his responsibility since before and after his crowning. Yes he had help with his advisor, despite how cryptid he can be at times, and of his council but still the weight was a bit too much for a teenager like him.
An idea struck his mind when he hears the ticking of a clock behind him. Without saying a word Danny looks back and raises an eyebrow at Clockwork whose staring at him in silence as well. He glances at the item, tilts his head a bit before...
Smiles in only the way CW knows would both be good for Danny and amusing for him. He nods and says "One weekend should be fine. All timelines will be paused for them. I suggest telling your friends to help prepare for your guests. Enjoy and have fun my King."
"YES!" Danny's voice echoing in the offering room made many ghosts in the room jump for a bit.
This was totally going to be fun!
-x-x-
When the following weekend arrived, young and very stressed teen heroes from across the multiverse are suddenly pulled from their worlds and are summoned into the Infinite Realms. Before any of them can panic or start fights a voice rang out above them and when they looked they could see a young teen, with a crown floating above his head, white hair, and glowing green eyes sitting on a throne.
He smiled and said
"Welcome fellow stressed out Heroes and Heroines to Phantom's Keep! I'm King Phantom, recently crowned fifteen year old, and this is the Infinite Realms! The birth and ending of the multiverse afterlife! Now don't worry none of you are dead or anything like that. I summoned you all here for one reason and one reason only..."
Here Danny paused, just to troll a tiny bit, and could see some of the more tense heroes readying up for a fight or at least argue to let them go. He grinned though and then said.
"And thats.... TO HAVE FUN!"
After that he floated out of his throne and with a flourish in the air he waved his hands and his throne room changed with party decor all around. Tables off to the side appeared with food and drinks from well everywhere and anywhere the multiverse, balloons rose from the ground and floated upwards, streamers flew across above to attach themselves to the other sides, the castle lights shifted to a dim and music began playing from somewhere.
Danny grinned brightly down at them and their shocked faces. oh that's funny, thank goodness Tucker is recording this and Jazz is gonna scrapbook this party for him (she plans on making them for all the guests as a party gift later, you know to remember how fun the party was)
"Now all of you are stressed out teen heroes with a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders! Believe me, I know that feeling, been there done that still doing it even now! But! My advisor says this will be both fun for me and good for you guys to spend one whole weekend here to de-stress and have fun! I do have some ground rules though. One your timelines are in fact PAUSED, you don't have to worry about calling your parents or if you got mentors to let them know where you are at. Two you are all heroes here, many of you are from different worlds and if you are from the same world they already know or CAN be trusted with your real identities but you are NOT required to remove any masks or de-transform or anything like that, if you wish there are masks on that green table over there you can stick on if you want to keep your identities hidden and are spelled to stay on and fuzz the minds of anyone trying to remember your looks once its on, even if they catch a good look at you right now it'll fuzz their memories of you once the mask is on and even after the party don't worry we thought of the time. Three, boys and girls rooms will be at different wings within the Keep! Just ask any of the maid or butler ghosts that will be joining us shortly and they will guide you to the rooms! Fourthly! There are sparing rooms if you wanna test your strengths with others, I only ask please don't get too carried away. We are here to have fun not make enemies! and lastly PLEASE DO NOT try to leave the castle, we are in the very afterlife of the multiverse people, its like the ocean and even I find it hard to navigate it sometimes. Portals can open up to any and all worlds, different timelines, etc etc. I have key items here in the castle that can pinpoint YOUR timeline and world so when the party is over I can send you home no problem, so again please do not attempt to leave."
Danny paused to take a breath, okay ground rules set up and warnings given. He could see the absolute bewildered looks on all the heroes faces and held back a laugh. He smiled however when one of the teens, mask on his face already and dressed in green, yellow, and red asked 'Why?'
"Why? Well... I think its time us teens get to have some fun without worrying about the next big bad or world ending event. Even if just for a weekend, we do deserve a break. So... Lets have some fun for once!" Danny responded.
#danny phantom#danny fenton#dp x dc#blue rambles#crossover#writing ideas#random idea#danny phantom dc#dpxdc#well hints of dpxdc#still putting it under it though because yeah totally would summon Robin#which Robin? eh anyone of them I guess#Danny uses a relic meant to pull people for tournaments and uses it for a party instead#CW gave his blessing cause he knows it'll both be good for Danny and fun for him to watch#the Heroes pulled can be from ANY worlds#all crossovers are welcomed#he knows the stress of being a teen hero#and wants other teen heroes have a weekend to de-stress#Jazz thinks it'll be a good thing for Danny too#let her brother have some teen fun for once#Sam and Tucker are helping out keeping everything going smoothly#and they get to have fun as well#CW and Danny's council are keeping the normal annoyances away from Danny for now#LET THEM HAVE FUN#o(*￣▽￣*)o
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Is it Canon or Fanon?
A little over a week ago, I received a very thought-provoking ask that wondered whether the Fenton parents could be considered good parents after everything they've done throughout the show. I did leave a response to that ask, and you can find the original answer here. But even afterwards, it had me thinking:
Why did we start depicting Jack and Maddie as Bad Parents to begin with?
I aim to answer this question through canon evidence to see where this argument might have come from. Now, something to keep in mind is that we still tend to ignore canon a lot of the time, so there may be some people who won't take this meta to mean all that much anyways. But for the purpose of fanfiction, we have to acknowledge that there needs to be an in-universe explanation to these events and sadly, the 'it's a Butch Hartman show' or 'it's an early 2000s cartoon' excuses don't really cut it.
So let's start with some basic stats. There are 49 episodes to the Danny Phantom cartoon (we will not be using the Graphic Novel, A Glitch in Time, for examples); 20 for the first season, 17 for the second, and 12 for the third. If you looked this up on Google, you might notice that these numbers don't line up with the episode list provided. This is because I counted any two-part episodes as one for convenience's sake. Season 2 has three two-parters: "Reign Storm", "The Ultimate Enemy", and "Reality Trip". Season 3 has "Phantom Planet".
Jack appears for 43 of those episodes, although he does not have any speaking lines in the episode, "Frightmare". Maddie, on the other hand, appears in 40 episodes. The three episodes that Maddie does not appear in, but Jack does, are as follows: "Memory Blank", "Flirting With Disaster", and "Double Cross My Heart".
Let's Start with Season 1:
"Mystery Meat": Jack is shown as dismissive to Danny and his friends' preferences, telling them, "True, I've never seen a ghost, but when I do, I'll be prepared. And so will you, whether you want to be or not." Later on, when Sam and Tucker are visibly shaking and Danny is panting from exhaustion, he doesn't realize something is off about this. When Jazz offers to drive Danny to school, the Fenton parents quickly assume that she's a ghost and go off to track them down... even despite her previous argument that she was mentally an adult (should I be concerned that Jazz called Danny an 'abused, unwanted wretch' to make a point to their parents?) A POINT TO MADDIE, she worried about hurting Jazz if she really wasn't a ghost but Jack quickly dismisses that, as their ghost-hunting device only hurts when gets into human hair (spoiler alert, it gets into Jazz's hair). She also insists that Danny is not a ghost, but unfortunately she ultimately doesn't try to stop Jack when he insist Jazz is a ghost. Standing aside and letting abuse play out does not mean Maddie is innocent of hurting her daughter too.
"Fanning the Flames": When Jazz and Danny are struggling to study for an upcoming test, Jack decides that they should put their kids into the 'Fenton Stockades' which is basically an iron maiden. And yes, the Fentons have an entire floor that is meant to torture people. I feel like that should probably be addressed at some point. A POINT TO MADDIE, she stood her ground and refused to let him put their children inside, and even locks him inside instead.
"Teacher of the Year": After hearing displeasing news about the state of Danny's grades in a parent-teacher conference, Maddie lectures Danny by saying, "Get this straight Danny. You're a Fenton. Fentons get As. Or in your father's case, B minuses." Before this, when Danny tried to explain himself, Jack shuts him up with, "Now that's enough of your sass talk mister." Do a lot of parents act like this? Yes. Does that make this a good, conductive way to help your child improve their grades? No, it does not. In fact, Maddie's response in particular probably reinforces the idea that Danny doesn't fit in with the rest of his family and further proves that Jazz is the favorite child. Not a great parenting moment.
"Fright Knight": In this episode, Jack tells Danny, "If I didn't consider it a sign of weakness, I'd weep with joy!" Not a very promising sign when a parent tells their child that it's wrong to show emotion. It's especially telling, however, when it's crying from joy and not even sadness. Yikes.
"13": This is the episode where Jazz 'dates' Johnny briefly, and we see Danny stalking them on their dates. I've seen people give Danny a decent amount of flack for that as well, so this would be a good time to say that the Fenton parents were there too and even encouraged him to keep stalking his sister. Danny was wrong to ignore Jazz's privacy like that, but he definitely learned it somewhere.
"Public Enemies": Here we see more of the Fenton parents' aggression towards ghosts. We get a line from Jack: "I'm gonna tear that ghost kid apart into a million different-" Notice something here? He recognizes that Phantom is a ghost 'kid' and yet still fully intends to shoot at him with the intent to hurt if not straight-up kill him. The only time Maddie disagrees with him is to insist that she does the dirty work because she has better aim than him. These are not the type of people you should let children stay with.
"Maternal Instincts": Okay, I gotta say it, this is a really cute episode. We get to see Maddie reminiscing over how close she and Danny used to be and wishing they had that bond again. Unfortunately she does get some points docked off for deciding what they should do as a bonding activity instesd of asking what Danny wanted to do and maybe learning more about his interests and who he is as a person now that he's a teenager. But there is this really sweet moment where Maddie tells Danny 'I love you' at the campsite which absolutely melted my heart and then later on when she saves Danny from the ghosts, Danny tells her she's awesome and gives her a hug. So sweet. But then she kinda ruins it by asking her son to act as a distraction and- Please do not ask your teenage children to keep skeevy old guys 'entertained' when you know he's a creep. A POINT TO JACK, while all this is going on he's defending his daughter and even shouts, "Back off, she's a minor!" That's some Dr. Doofenshmirtz energy right there, I respect it. He also talks about making Jazz an action figure, which was a really cute moment amidst the chaos.
"The Million Dollar Ghost": This episode is filled with some great Danny-Jack bonding moments and goes to show how much Danny cares about his father that he's willing to get caught to make Jack feel better about himself. We also get to see how much Jack cares about how Danny views him and he wants to be someone in Danny's eyes. Unfortunately, this is the episode where Danny gets lectured for not doing all his lab chores, such as cleaning the beakers and changing the ecto-filtrator- despite knowing that the portal could blow up if they don't change in time and knowing that Danny is bad at cleaning his own room. And we literally get a scene where Jack knocks something over and tells Danny to clean it up because he was too busy running around to do it himself. Is it important to give children chores? Yes, it teaches them responsibility. You should not be asking them to deal with hazardous, dangerous chemicals that can literally cause an explosion capable of killing people. Something to keep in mind.
Now let's look at Season 2:
"Doctor's Disorders": In this lovely (sarcasm) episode, we have Jack saying to Danny's face: "Poor Jazz. She's always been my favorite." I don't feel like this one needs much more explanation for how horrible this is. Also, this isn't really too relevant to the bad-parent-thing and more to the "they wouldn't take Danny's reveal well under other circumstances" thing, because Maddie literally says to Tucker: "Everybody knows humans can't have ghost powers." Which would technically, probably, dehumanize Danny in their eyes.
"Identity Crisis": There's one line in particular in this episode I wanted to point out, which is from Jack where he says, "Safety features? Why, safety features are for punks." ...I know this is probably supposed to be a joke, but when you think about it, it's even worse than you might think. In fanon we do tend to stress how forgetful the Fentons are when it comes to lab safety, but it's one thing to forget and it's a whole other thing to purposefully dismiss it. I could even argue that we're doing the Fentons a service by characterizing them as simply forgetful.
"The Fenton Menace": This is one of the episodes I referenced in the original ask as well, for its... plethora of concerning material. There are lines such as, "Whether it's air land or sea I won't stop until we capture a ghost and tear it apart. Molecule by molecule." A POINT TO MADDIE, she told her family she loved them by saying, "Nothing like spending quality family time with the people you love." However she immediately loses those points when she and Jack attempt to 'spin the crazy' out of Danny. The episode transcript reveals Danny's reaction to this, which is described by, "Danny screaming, his face and hair flying around. Zoom out to show him strapped to a table, which is attached to a metal arm. Zoom out to show the metal arm connected to a centrifuge-like device on the ceiling." As well as, "Danny is shaking, hair sticking up with bags under his eyes." Is this supposed to be a joke? I wouldn't know because quite frankly, I'm not laughing.
"The Fright Before Christmas": So in this episode we learn why Danny hates Christmas! Which is because he got peed on by a dog. As a baby. What kind of parent lets their baby get peed on by a dog? Again, child neglect is a criminally punishable offense, and if they had left him out, in the cold, with dog piss on him, we could have had a lot bigger problems here. They also ignore both their children for most of this episode due to their arguing, although they go back later on and tell Danny that he shouldn't be alone for Christmas and where was all this concern before?
"Secret Weapons": Ah... This is the episode where it happens. Here we get the infamous interaction. Please note how a ghost is referred to as an 'it'. Not a person, not even a kid. But an 'it' that can feel pain that will go ignored.
Jazz: "Does it hurt the ghost?"
Maddie: [laughs] "Oh, Jazz! You know your father and I don't care about that.
Jack: "Yeah! If we hear it scream, then we know it's working."
"Micro-Management": At the very end of this episode, Jack makes a comment to Danny, "I'm so proud. Our boy finally has the physical prowess of a 60 year old president. Here's to you son." Clearly it's meant to be a compliment, but I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't take this as a compliment.
"Masters of All Time": This one takes a more distressing turn, because after Maddie catches Danny for snooping around, she has his strapped down to a table and fires a laser at him to interrogate him, thinking he's a ghost (though the laser doesn't hit him, just threatens him, which... isn't much better). And this is after he's already insisted that he's her son. He is still very clearly a child, and even if she doesn't believe that he's her son (for admittedly understandable reasons, people usually remember when they bear children), the fact that she strapped him to a table at all does not look favorably on her. Especially when he very clearly believed that she was his mother, and he was her son. And she still did this to him. Yes, there were time shenanigans involved, but that doesn't make this any easier on Danny just because he knows the truth.
"Reality Trip": This episode showcases that the Fenton parents can actually be decent parents. While they have a hard time believing the truth at first, they do eventually accept it. However, it is still important to remember that Danny could have never known what their reaction would be, so his fear is understandable and rooted in real concern for his life. Here are some of the best points from this transcript:
Jack: "Imagine, our own son has had ghost powers all this time and has kept them a secret from us. [confused] But we love him! [turning to Maddie] I wonder why he didn't trust us enough to tell us."
Jazz: "[sarcastically] Hmm, let me guess. [mimicking Jack] "Hey, Maddie, let's destroy the ghost!" [mimicking Maddie] "No, Jack, let's dissect the ghost." [mimicking Jack again] "I know, let's catch the ghost and rip it apart molecule by molecule!" [normal voice, sarcastic again] You guys are so understanding."
[Jack and Maddie drop their gazes, ashamed.]
Moving onto Season 3:
"Eye for an Eye": This is more a passing mention, but Jack seems to be a little obsessed with the GIW and huge fans of their work, and you do see it some more in "Livin' Large" later on in the season as well.
"Girls' Night Out": We see Jack trying to make an effort with Danny in this episode again. I did point out in the original ask reply that Jack was obviously trying to be a good father for Danny, which definitely deserves some points. However, it is still important to point out how generally uninterested Danny was in the bonding activity. It goes back to how Maddie ignored the chance to give Danny a choice, and how dismissive they tend to be towards him. I still want to award Jack a point for looking for advice from 'Father/Son Relationships For Stupids!' but I do so half-heartedly. Their interactions in this episode definitely reek with discomfort, but considering everything that has gone down in between now and "The Million Dollar Ghost", that does make sense.
"Torrent of Terror": This is another instance of extreme lack of safety precautions- the airbags don't deploy? In the GAV??? Somewhere out there, OSHA is crying.
"Forever Phantom": Maddie and Jack show a lot of anti-Phantom rhetoric in this episode. So this tracks how uncomfortable and/or threatened Danny might feel at home. Some examples include:
Jack: "He keeps this up he's liable to make people forget he's nothing but a putrid rancid ball of self-aware protoplasm."
Maddie: "Don't be fooled sweetie. He's up to something. Remember that time he attacked the mayor? Or stole everyone's Christmas presents? Once a filthy ghost always a filthy ghost."
"Livin' Large": Something to remember, the GIW intend to fire a missile into the Ghost Zone after gaining access to the Fentons' portal. While they didn't have the password right away, it cannot be understated that the Fentons basically gave away their house in exchange for wealth. Thankfully the missile was just a fake and not a real weapon of mass destruction, but do not mistake this to mean that- had it been real- the GIW wouldn't have gone through with it. And the Fenton parents would have been just as responsible.
And that concludes our canon research for this argument! Let's wrap things up with some stats. Of the 49 episodes in the show, we have evidence in 21 episodes. That is roughly 43% of the show, and this does not include comments that Danny has made about his parents and how they treat him. Obviously, at the end of the day, human error is possible. There is always a chance that I could have missed another piece of information, or perhaps another thoughtful addition to this list. However, 43% is no laughing matter.
Yes, the Fenton parents had their shining moments, but with all the other evidence presented that overshadows those little gems, can you confidently say that they are good parents? And most of all, if you were in Danny's shoes, would you say the same thing?
It's easy to excuse this as a cartoon. When you're writing in this world, playing with these characters, that excuse instantly evaporates.
Thank you for reading, I hope you all learned something about the Fenton parents like I did.
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Hello, hello! Per ceilidh's request - a Soap x Reader ficlet from the prompt thingy.
#11 "You tricked me."
I was heavily inspired by that tiktok sound (iykyk)
Rating: M
CW/TW: brief/vague torture, threat of SA (doesn't happen), manipulation, dark!Soap
Being a medium in the military isn’t that much different from being a medium anywhere else.
The rules are roughly the same. Don’t talk to ghosts in living company. Don’t join idiotic 2am summoning circles. Try to help the ones you can; try not to lose sleep over the ones you can’t.
Oddly, there aren’t as many ghosts on a base as any given suburban house. Depends on the base, of course, but a reassuring number of former-military souls continue to their final rest. Even if their bodies (or parts of it) don’t make it back, tags and a symbolic burial usually suffice.
The 141’s main base only has a handful. A few you’ve already gotten closure for, sent off into the beyond. The others you’re working on, or already know they’re a lost cause. Most of them are even friendly!
There’s a corporal that haunts the mess and laments mashed potatoes. A captain appears in Price’s office occasionally, his residual energy glaring down at reports and rustling at phantom papers. On the range, you sometimes speak to the ghost of a prostitute murdered by some piece of shite back in ye olde times. She doesn’t talk back – can’t with a crushed windpipe – but she smiles when you have the privacy to acknowledge her.
Your favorite, though, is Johnny. He’s a comparatively new spirit, by your estimate. Lots of energy, still coherent. You can’t tell how he died by looking at him, but that’s not unusual. It could have been internal bleeding, or a stroke despite his youth. He won’t tell you his last name despite all your asking, always just laughs.
“Yer no’ gettin’ rid o’ me tha easily!”
He always lays the Scottish accent on in a thick velvet blanket. You want to wrap yourself up in it.
Yes, the rules for being a medium are the same, even on a military base. The main one: don’t get haunted by feelings.
That was never a concern, never even a thought, until Johnny. Until you caught his eye around Price’s shoulder during your introductory tour. He followed you for hours, interjecting little asides that put your selective hearing to the test. Always orbited just close enough to send chills down your spine and goosebumps up your arm.
You confronted him when you’d finally been dismissed back to your barrack, whirling around as he popped his mohawked head through the door. Despite yourself, you made quick friends with him.
He’s an unusual ghost. Doesn’t seem tied to a particular place or thing on base. Isn’t trapped along the same paths he walked in life. He’s always solid or near solid, doesn’t waver at certain times of day. You’re utterly charmed by his unorthodoxy, by his miraculous non-existence. And by the fact that, while he knows your secret – as all spirits do – he seems more intrigued than solicitous.
It's not that you blame other ghosts – the coherent ones – for wanting help. It’s torturous to toe that line, not alive but not at peace. Stuck and dwindling little by little. You can’t imagine what it feels like, but you can sense from some that it’s frightening, and cold. No, you’re not bothered that they ask for help. Or with the ones that are just angry; they have every reason to be.
Johnny, though… he’s special. You don’t feel so alone with him, even if the room looks like it to an outsider.
“Oh, aye, that’s pure dead brilliant. You know they’re sending you to Russia?”
You flick Johnny a glance. He’s leaning over Price’s shoulder, peering at the briefing docket that’s actively being explained. You don’t mind the extra or early info. Saved your ass a couple times before.
Your lack of response ruffles his feathers though. He stalks through the table to Gaz, flicks his pen right off the surface. You snort softly as he curses under his breath and ducks to retrieve it, trying not to interrupt Price. You make eye contact with Johnny, blink and minutely shake your head. He can see the twitching at the corners of your mouth anyway.
He smirks and wades through solid objects back to you. His presence looms behind your shoulder, an uneasy flicker at the edge of your consciousness. Like this he seems bigger, inhuman beyond ghostliness. Rougher and darker in the corner of your vision. You’ve done a double-take and gotten teased for skittishness enough times by now to quell the urge to check. It’s always just Johnny.
You’re paired with your lieutenant, Ghost. He’ll be watching with his sniper while you’re on infil. Usually, you’re paired with Gaz, but he and Roach will be at the other end of the compound taking out a target.
When the team is dismissed, Ghost only pauses long enough to give you a nod before skulking off. Not unusual for him; you take no offense. Johnny, however, is scowling something fierce after him.
For whatever reason, he’s never been a fan of your LT. The one time you asked, the lights started flickering and Johnny dismissed the question with a sharp “just don’t like him.”
You suspect that it’s because Ghost was your mentor when you joined the 141. The two of you spent the majority of your time together, training you up to run with the rest of the squad. Due to his constant proximity, your ability to respond to Johnny was greatly hindered.
Still is with how observant Ghost is. Have almost blown your cover several times and had to really watch yourself, and your reactions. You think Johnny might resent him for that.
Back in your barrack, though, Johnny happily chatters while you gear up for the mission. Base gossip and bits of intel he shouldn’t know and shouldn’t tell you. It’s standard ritual for you two; he likes to talk, and you’re accustomed to listening. You hum in the right places, storing tidbits away for your own amusement later.
A playful tug to your bitch-strap makes you yelp, then laugh when you catch Johnny’s grin. He does it again, loosening one of the buckles on your thigh. You swat him uselessly, retightening it only for him to pluck at your bootlaces while you’re occupied. He’s got so much energy, for a ghost. So adept at interacting with the physical world.
“Quit it!” you giggle, trying to dodge his darting hands.
“Why should I?” he chuckles. You curse as he gets a finger in your harness and jerks, misaligning it with the rest of your gear.
“I’ll banish you,” you lie, wriggling various straps back into place.
“Oh, sweet girl, it would take a lot more than you’ve got to get rid of me now.”
It’s an odd turn of phrase for him, but it’s the tone that draws your gaze. There’s an unfamiliar, inky darkness in his voice that pools in the pit of your stomach. You frown, open your mouth to ask what he means. But just like that, his electric smile is back, eyebrows arching as he nods to your bedside clock.
“You’re gonna be late.”
“Shit!” You snatch up your backpack and fling it across your shoulders. “I’m gonna kill you, Johnny!”
“Can’t kill something that isn’t alive,” he cackles as you sweep out the door.
You make it the transport just short of reprimand, though that doesn’t stop Ghost from narrowing his eyes as you duck into your seat. Gaz has already started a lively conversation with Roach, and Price is staying back this time.
You miss Johnny already. He may not be trapped in any particular part of the base, but he can’t come with you on missions or leave. The spaces where he’s absent feel colder and quieter. Everything seems just a bit… off. A song missing an instrument, a rainbow lacking one color.
You’re not sure when that started happening, when Johnny became such a vital part of how you perceive the rest of the world. When did longing for him become a chronic illness?
“Focus up!” Ghost barks in your ear.
You blink, shake your head, and take stock bewildered. Gone is the transport and the rest of your team. It’s just you now, hidden behind a generator, presumably about to infiltrate the target.
How?
When you try to recall, you have vague recollections of exiting the transport. Hiking to the compound. Splitting off with a few parting words amongst the lot of you. It feels watery at the edges, more of a vivid dream than a waking memory.
“Yessir.” It jumps instinctively from your tongue while you flex your cold fingers, trying to coax the nerves back to life.
You take a deep breath – lungs aching like you’ve held your breath too long – and continue with the mission. There’s no room for error now, or idle daydreams of noncorporeal men with wicked smiles.
The building is only three stories and you’re not meant to clear it. Just get to the server room, collect the information, and slip away with minimal enemy contact.
Maybe that’s why you don’t realize that something is wrong at first. You’re supposed to be avoiding guards, so you don’t notice the lack of them. Things do go right, sometimes, the intel can be good.
But it’s the quiet the finally prickles at your awareness. You may be more attuned to the dead, but you have a sense for the living as well. Always made you the worst to play hide and seek with. Now, you can feel that this building is vacant, deprived of any souls.
“LT, something is wrong,” you whisper, frozen mid-step.
“What is it?” he asks.
“It’s too quiet.”
To his credit, he doesn’t dismiss you immediately. “How?”
“I think the building is empty. Have you seen anyone?”
“Negative.” A pause as he considers, maybe scans the other windows for signs of occupation. “Sit tight, I’ll update Price.”
There’s barely a heartbeat before you hear distant gunfire. Too much and too soon for the plan. Roach and Gaz weren’t supposed to neutralize the target until you were collecting intel.
“Fuck,” Ghost snarls. “Get out of there!”
You’re already sprinting for the stairwell. Nearly pop your ankles leaping down, boot treads catching on the edge of steps. No one is chasing you, but your team needs help. Gaz is shouting in your ear, the channels reconnected for ease of communication. The situation is devolving quickly and violently.
“Almost there,” you report.
Your foot hits the last landing before the ground floor when the building explodes.
---
It takes three tries to get your vision focused. There’s not much to see once you do. A concrete room tinted by bare yellow halogen. There’s a drain in the floor just in front of you and old blood dried in the corners. It smells like rust, infection, and despair. Your head pounds; your entire body aches. Being tied to a metal chair doesn’t help the post-explosion soreness.
You’ve been stripped down to your fatigues, no boots. There isn’t a door in any of the three walls you can see, so it must be positioned behind you.
Confirmation comes about a minute later. Three sets of boots entering your little box. Only one of them walks into your line of sight; a mean-looking man with face tattoos and a gold tooth. He asks if you speak Russian, and though you do, you spew a string of English profanities and threats at him. The backhand you get in return says he understood you.
The questions start as soon as he switches to English. They want information; they always do. What you had been sent to collect and why. Who Roach and Gaz were sent for and why. You don’t speak a word. Even when the pain starts, and then doesn’t stop. You lose track of time, the head injury floating you on the edge of consciousness within the first thirty minutes.
Hours – days? – later, the man takes a step back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
“It’s alright,” he tells you, “I like taking my time, and we have plenty. Your friends think you are dead.”
That, you think through the haze, is probably true. You thought you were dead too.
“Perhaps next time we try something… else,” he muses, running a finger down your neck. “You are not as pretty now, but… prettier than you will be later, da?”
Ice forms in the pit of your stomach and climbs up your spine. It was always on the table, you know that, but facing it is something else.
Whatever expression you’re making seems to satisfy him, because he laughs heartily and finally leaves you alone.
Alone, with the promise of his next visit looming.
You squeeze your eyes shut. There’s a dripping sound nearby that you realize, vaguely, is your own blood. Maybe you’ll bleed out before he comes back. You time your breaths with it, using it as a count to get your wild and unsteady heart under control.
Reality washes over you in waves. There is no escape. Your team thinks you’re dead. Eventually, you will break and/or die. You might even become a ghost, join the collective that darkens the edges of this very room, a thing of pain and fear and rage without any coherency or singular will.
You didn’t even give Johnny a proper goodbye.
That somehow hurts the worst. Johnny, hearing second-hand that you’ll never make it back. No one to mourn with him, to offer any comfort. He’ll be alone with grief and then beyond, no one to tell his jokes or stories to.
You miss him more fiercely than you ever have. Part of you is glad he isn’t here. You know him, know he’d be too stubborn to leave you. He’d stay and watch, helpless, as you were tortured and killed. It would tear you apart to do that to him even though it wouldn’t be your own choice.
But… an awful, selfish part of you longs for him. Even just being able to see or hear him would soften the pain and fear. Would make this hell on earth almost bearable. You want to leave this world with Johnny whispering in your ear, maybe even join him when your body finally goes cold.
Given the choice, you would want him here.
You want Johnny. No, you need him. Regret ever leaving him behind, even though he couldn’t come with you. You’d do anything to change that now; anything to be with him again.
Anything?
It’s an unbidden thought, almost intrusive. Doesn’t even feel like yourself asking.
“Anything,” you whisper aloud, just to hear something other than your own despair. “Johnny…”
“You called?”
You jolt, head snapping up so fast it makes you dizzy. The world spins but he’s there, right there, crouching in front of you, arms balanced on his knees.
“Johnny?” you whisper.
Were you closer to the brink than you thought? Is this some sort of final hallucination as you slip into death?
“In the flesh.” He tilts his head, snorts. “Well, in a manner.”
“How…?” you ask, eyes already stinging.
“Told ya, you called. I’d never – hey, now, hey. No need for all that,” he soothes. He wipes the tears from your face. You can feel the warmth in his fingers. “This is a happy occasion.”
You huff in watery amusement, shaking your head. “Did you lose your glasses when you died? I wouldn’t call this celebration-worthy.”
His eyes scan over you, flicker dark. “It will be, don’t you worry.”
You blink, try to focus. Exhaustion and injury and chemical rush are making it difficult, but you know things are off. He shouldn’t be here, least of all because you called. And… something else too. Something in the way he’s holding his shoulders and the twitching around his expression.
“Johnny, really,” you say, “why are you here?”
“You offered me anything, and I’m here to collect.”
Between one blink and the next, his eyes are black. Pitch black, from corner to corner. You suck in a breath, try to jerk back but there’s nowhere to go.
His grin is sharp enough to cut yourself on.
“I’ve been waiting for that,” he sighs.
He leans in, lips parting. His tongue rolls out, long and split at the tip. Licks a luxurious, burning trail from your chin to your temple. You make a sound borne of confused pleasure and fear, high in the back of your throat.
He shushes you, plants a slow kiss at the corner of your mouth. “My brave little lass, finally offering herself to the demon she’s been courting.”
The word bounces against the walls of your cell and burrows into your brain. Demon, demon, demon.
Johnny is…
“You tricked me,” you sob.
He cocks his head, onyx eyes soft with avarice. “Tricked you? No, angel, I’m saving you.”
His hands pet over the cruel ties around your ankles. The itch of them digging into your skin falls away. Gentle thumbs rub circles over the imprints the left behind. Hope and relief pounds hard in your chest.
“I’m only taking what you so willingly and enthusiastically offered,” he explains in hushed awe. Like you’ve given him such a wonderful gift, the greatest gift. Suppose you have.
“I’m going to take such good care of you,” he croons. His arms wrap around you, almost like a hug. His fingertips trace down your bruised arms to the cuffs biting your wrists. Those too fall away, and you find yourself reaching for him so quickly, folding into his chest, free of that wretched chair.
“There’s my girl,” he murmurs, a hand curling into blood and sweat soaked tangles.
“It… it is you, right?” you ask. “You’re my Johnny?”
“Always, angel,” he replies, “it’s always been me. I will always be yours. All you have to do is say yes.”
You tilt your head back, catch the wicked curve of fangs as he speaks. He smells like heat and woodsmoke.
“Yes to what?” you ask.
“To everything,” he answers, deep and rough. “You offered anything, and I want all of you.”
You should say no, you should throw yourself away from him.
There is not an inch of your mind or body that wants to leave the safety of his arms. This is Johnny, your Johnny, hellfire and all.
“And… in return,” you venture, “I get… you?”
“Eternally.”
Then it really doesn’t need much more thought.
“Yes. Please.”
“Good girl.”
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Seeing Double
Part One, Part Two, Part Three
Summary: A ghost who looks a lot like Phantom comes to him in search of protection, and their newest member instantly agrees. He calls her his little sister, and sooner or later, Phantom also might end up with a new brother.
*bangs pots and pans together* @vixen-uchiha, @starlightcat04, @blueliac, @lenacraft, @admiralwidow, @fuckingfaraway, @little-apricot-orchard, @sithlordchimchnga, @buymeanewlaptopty, @deeterzz, @jaylaxyart99, @phant0mc1d3, @idiosolcrasy, @dehydrated-bread, @randomenglishmajor, @mushroomymoss, @skylernightmare, @rubber-ducky-your-the-one, @confusedshades, @that-random-fangirl, @impulsiveasshole, FINAL ROUND OF JUICE, GRAB YOUR CUPS!!!
“And that’s why I have... complicated feelings about Danielle being here.” Conner finished. Black Canary sat across from him and was leaned forward a little to listen. It felt good to finally get something like this off his chest.”It’s not anything against Danielle specifically. If it’s the safest place for her like Phantom says, then she can stay as long as she needs. It’s...” He trailed off, not knowing how to put the reason into words.
Luckily, Black Canary knew what he was implying by what he had already told her.”You also want Superman to be there for you like Phantom is for Danielle.” She said. Conner clenched his hand into a fist, but only for a second. She was right. He silently nodded.
“It’s not just that, either. Sometimes I want to be included in their sibling activities. I want to hang out with them. Not Superman. Not as often as before, at least.” He added. He thought himself pretty rude for thinking that. He wasn’t nearly as close to Phantom as Danielle. He wasn’t related to him in hardly any way, and they only recently started hanging out the way friends did.
And yet here he was, wanting to be part of their little group.
Black Canary seemed only a little bit surprised by this.”You want to be their brother?” She asked.
Conner shouldn’t have been taken aback by the suggestion when he began thinking about it. Yes, he wanted to be close with both of them the way they are with each other. Yes, he wanted to protect them both. And yes, there was a small part of Conner that wanted to be able to look to Phantom for help.”I... I think so. If that’s what it would mean.” He said. He’s heard of people calling others they’ve fought many battles with “brothers in arms” and those who are simply close to one another their brothers as well, regardless of wether or not they’ve survived fights together.
Canary smiled a little bit and nodded for him to continue.
“But what am I supposed to do about this? I’ve been mostly ignoring it because they have a bond with each other that I don’t have. I can’t just butt in on it.” Conner said. He wasn’t wrong, and Canary knew that. Then again, she also knew something that would make that feeling disappear.
However, she knew that it wasn’t her place to say it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Around thirty minutes later, Black Canary now sat across the from Phantom, who was floating above the recliner instead of sitting in it. She had only very recently been able to make a small breakthrough with the ghostly teenager. Since his arrival, he’s been trying to avoid opening up with almost anything she’s tried to talk with him about, but soon after Danielle came, he finally opened up a little. Maybe it was the fact that someone he was more familiar with was there with him. Or perhaps it was because of the very thing he’d mentioned during their last session.
Phantom was alternating between eye contact and staring at the floor.”You mentioned something last time. About Conner.” She said.
“I’m worried about him. The others have their families, but...” He trailed off. He opened and closed his mouth a few times while he struggled to find the right words. This was pretty common during these sessions, and Canary knew to be patient.”Can I be mean for a second? Say something I probably shouldn’t?” He asked.
Canary nodded.”Nothing leaves this room.” She assured him.
Phantom looked her in the eyes.”Superman is a coward.” He said bluntly.
Canary was taken aback by his choice of words, but didn’t let it show and remained silent for him to explain.”He has a clone, practically a literal son, but he refuses to see him almost as anything but non-sentient. Why? Is it because he’s too much of a coward to step up? Why won’t he at least apologize for what he said last visit and admit he was wrong!” He said.
Phantom’s tone and volume had raised up, which sounded like the start of a rant. He rolled his eyes as if disgusted.”He’s acting like a deadbeat with the way he does his best to ignore Conner’s existence! Seriously, the way he treats him almost makes me want to...”
Canary raised an eyebrow slightly. The ghostly teen let out a sigh.”This is gonna sound weird, but it makes me want to have Conner as my little brother so he doesn’t have to feel the way he does. But I can’t treat him like a child and just make him leave the room whenever he comes.” He said.
Canary nodded in agreement.”That’s may be true, but your motive is in the right place. It’s incredibly kind of you to be so worried about your friend that you’d be willing to become something of a new role model or guardian for him. Especially since he’s older than you.” She said.
Phantom lifted a hand and shook it side to side.”Eh, only biologically. Definitely not chronologically.” He said.
~~~~~~~~~~
Conner and Phantom were talking about their day when Wally had come in to tell them, specifically Conner, that Superman was coming in a few hours. Phantom’s reaction was immediate; zipping out of the room through the wall and vanishing. He came back a second later with an important to ask Conner.
It was a task that’d keep him busy from having to interact with Superman, which he really wanted at the time. All he had to do was watch Danielle and prevent his original from even seeing her.
And so here he was, doing a simple dog puzzle with Danielle in his bedroom.
Conner finished sorting the edge pieces from the rest and picked up a corner piece.”So you’ve never been to the ghost zone before?” He asked.
Danielle shook her head and held an edge piece near the corner piece to see if it would match.”No, Phantom says my core’s too weak to survive going through the portal. He says he’s working on a solution to fix that, though. “Even if it’s just for one trip,” he said.” She explained. The piece was incompatible, so she moved it to the size. She picked up another one. That one fit. The young ghost picked up another edge piece. Conner let out a small hum and helped her search for other pieces.
He had found it infuriating to discover that he was practically half of what Superman was in terms of superpowers, but Danielle didn’t seem too angry about being not as strong as her brother. Maybe it was because he was so nice and encouraging to her.”You’re lucky to have a brother like Phantom.” Conner said. Danielle nodded in agreement and looked up at him.
She knew by now that he was also a clone like her and had so many questions, but stopped when he started to get upset a few weeks ago. He didn’t know if anyone explained the situation to her yet.”Don’t you have a family?” She asked. Conner remained quiet.
Rejection from the very person that’s practically the reason you’re alive hurt a lot. He kept his anger under control, though. At least, he tried. If she had asked this months ago, he might’ve yelled at her or something. Now he was better at controlling himself until he could hit something, but he still wanted so badly to just explode. To hit something and shatter it to a point beyond repair. But he couldn’t. Not here. Conner shook his head.
Danielle frowned a little, but then she suddenly sat up. A big smile appeared on her face.”What if you were my second brother?” She asked.
Conner paused. He’d been pushing the developing want to become her and Phantom’s brother. He strongly believed that it wasn’t right to intrude on their relationship as siblings, especially when he wouldn’t exactly be the best brother with the anger issues he’s working on. He glanced over at Danielle with a very shocked look.
She was smiling at him so hopefully. Conner almost didn’t want to say no. Scratch that, he didn’t want to say no at all. And even if he did, would he be able to resist that pleading look?“That would be nice.” He finally said. Danielle took in what was probably the most dramatic gasp he’d ever heard and practically lunged at him for a hug.
She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a bunch of static and pings. Conner soon smiled and hugged back.”You know I can’t understand you, right?” He asked.
“Oh, right! Sorry. But this is the best!! Now I have two brothers, and one of them is a clone like me!!” She cheered, switching back to English.
Suddenly, Phantom’s head poked up through the floor, startling the both of them.”He’s gone. What’s this I hear about a new brother?” He asked. Danielle let go of Conner as Phantom floated up and smiled.
“Can Conner be our new brother?” She asked. Phantom’s eyes widened a bit. He glanced over at Conner, who shrugged.
Why did he shrug? That was stupid.
Phantom glanced between him and Danielle, then smiled.”Sure, why not?” He said. Danielle threw her arms into the air and cheered. Phantom floated over to Conner and gave him a hug.”Guess you’re stuck with us now.” He said, then laughed.
Conner didn’t really get it. He said that like it was a bad thing.
#danny phantom#danny fenton#danielle phantom#dani phantom#Danielle#yj conner#Conner#conner kent#black canary#young justice crossover#young justice#danny phantom crossover#yj x dp#dp x yj#phantom now has a new brother#i hope this works!
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I think Danny Phantom fandom is absolutely sleeping on the sheer dumb bulshittery Danny, Sam and Tucker generate on the regular and it’s a fucking shame. Like, the three of them have exactly one (1) single braincell between them, and the only one to use it at least semi-regularly is Jazz. You literally can’t leave them for five minutes without them stumbling into some new bullshit every single time. Granted, a lot of times bullshit finds them first instead of the other way around, but by god will they make the situation worse. They run into the situations with the same reckless abandon the cockchafers fly into any solid obstacle in their way, and you’d think that at least one of them will be the voice of reason, and you’d be dead wrong.
Danny? He thought pranking a murder happy millionaire with a vindictive streak the size of Grand Canyon was a great idea. And then, like a moron, he decided to use equally murder happy government agency with a huge prejudice against ghosts and a vendetta against him, personally. Absolutely nothing that could go wrong with that, obviously!
(spoiler alert, things did go very wrong very fast)
Tucker? A valid choice at the first glance, except he is always down to commit crimes for either his friends or just for funsies. Remember that time he ran an obviously illegal babysitting scam business? Or that time when he brainwashed and then dimensionally displaced the whole school into Ancient Egypt setting? Another notable instances of Tucker being a menace, in no particular order: organised o pro-meat protest in a few hours, tried to shoot a ghost with his phone as a projectile (and succeeded), sold Sam out to a ghost out of sheer pettiness, gave Skulker an alarm-induced ptsd, almost killed Danny that one time (don’t worry, Danny was fine) and in general committed to being bullshit-enabling gremlin.
Now Sam would seem the most grounded and reasonable out of three of them, but it is what SHE wants you to believe. She is just as, if not more, unhinged as the boys, she just hides it better. Remember that time she trashed the castle and antagonised a few dozen of armed guards, while having no back up, no weapons, no allies and while being in some shithole in the Ghost Zone? And then basically told a tyrannical asshole with op dragon powers “fuck you and your entire kingdom” in the face? And then rode another dragon who put said asshole through a wall? Good times.
They all seem like perfectly reasonable people at the first glance, and then Tucker and Danny would dare each other to lick that weird glowing green rock, and Sam would roll her eyes and groan about how stupid boys are, and then Tucker would dare her to lick that glowing rock too, and Danny will say, “Come on, Tuck, it’s okay if she’s too afraid to do it-”, and yes, Sam and her mother have many disagreements on a lot of things, but both her mother AND Granny did not raise a fucking bitch, move over, Tucker, or so help her the spirit of Pandora-
They all end up absolutely miserable in ecto-containment units sick as hell with ecto-flu and on all questions answer that no, they don’t know how this happened, maybe it was ghost attack last week, they did get blasted by that green goo, after all, but really, they have absolutely no idea, honest. Jazz suspects something, but she also has no proof and therefore can’t prove anything. In the end, it was one of the worst weeks in their life and they all ended up swearing to not do it ever again.
(they do end up doing it again two months later)
#phandom is SLEEPING on the sheer comedic potential of those three committing crimes together I swear to god!!!!#like I do understand that this fandom loves it’s angst and all#and sam danny & tucker in the same scene together will more often than not end up in stand up comedy instead of angst#but god#GOD DO I WISH THERE WAS MORE OF THOSE THREE BEING DUMBASSES TOGETHER#like imagine them doing idk a heist together or smth#the panic the destruction the potential for reality defying bullshit#the ABSOLUTELY committed eco-terrorism off screen I know I was there#Sam was there bcs of obvious reasons and ended up organising an uprising#tucker was there bcs he’s always ready to commit crimes and stick it to the government#danny was there as moral support only and ended up on wanted lists of at least 7 countries#sam manson#tucker foley#danny fenton#danny phantom
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The Story of Us. Two: The Memories Start
Bruce stared in shock as Danny Fenton floated in front of them with his legs crossed beneath them. The ghost blinked a few times before a wide grin spread on his face and wow was he beautiful. Bruce mentally shook himself, this was a serious moment, and they needed help. And if Danny could provide that help, it would be great. But also, he was even more attractive now than when they had last seen one another.
Danny was dressed in long purple robes with a black trim, and a staff with a caduceus on the top rested in his slack hand. He had the same white hair only now it was long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail, the sides of his head shaved close to the scalp. A dark black tattoo started at his right cheek and dipped down into his robes, beautiful whorls and shapes that if Bruce stared deeply at it, was the language of ghosts written into his skin. He was beautiful beyond compare.
“Brucie?” Danny asked, squinting his eyes as he leaned forward in the air, trying to get a better look at him. “This is what you became when you decided to become a vigilante.”
Bruce thanked the ancients that the cowl covered most of his face because he knew he was blushing.
“You guys… know each other?” Green Lantern asked, looking between the two.
“Of course we do!” Danny said. “But we don’t need to worry about that, I’m here for work,” he told them and looked the members of the Justice League over and held back a smile.
“What is it?” Bruce asked, giving him a tired look, despite the fact that it likely did not have the same effect that Danny was used to when they were in their twenties.
“I knew you became a vigilante after I left but I never really had time to keep up. I didn’t realize you had a whole little superhero group,” he crooned, floating past the barrier, causing Constantine to jump in alarm before he floated around Bruce. “Are you a bat?”
“Yes, Phantom, I’m the Batman,” he said with a sigh, already knowing the teasing he was going to get from his childhood friend. Danny knew better than anyone what his fear of bats was like, and from the snort that came from the ghost, he was likely already thinking about it.
“Adorable,” the halfa said before he sobered up. “Okay, I’m done.”
Bruce watched as his friend composed himself, squaring his shoulders back, lifting his chin up, and cast a steely look at the heroes in front of him.
“I am Phantom, high healer of the Infinite Realms, who summons me?” He declared and Bruce’s heart skyrocketed.
Danny had become a healer? He knew that his friend had left for a war in the Infinite Realms but he had never heard from him since; the fact that he had continued on to his goal to become a doctor of some kind had Bruce feeling beyond proud of his friend. It had been a goal that they shared at one point, becoming medical professionals together.
Wonder Woman stepped forward and bowed in front of Danny. “Phantom, we are the Justice League; our teammates have fallen ill from a mysterious illness and we have been unable to find out what is wrong with them. We learned that you were one of the greatest healers in the universe and hoped to make a deal with you to help them.”
The halfa gave her a small smile. “No need to bow, I’m no royalty,” he said, raising a hand. “And there’s no need to make a deal. I’m more than happy to help you. A friend of Bru-Batman’s is a friend of mine,” he said, glancing over at Bruce.
Bruce stepped forward. “I’ll catch you up on the situation,” he said and Danny landed on the ground, his feet hitting the floor without a sound before he glided over to the vigilante.
“You’ll have to catch me up on a lot,” Danny murmured, glancing over at Bruce, his eyes that bright, beautiful green that he hadn’t seen in so very long. “It’s good to see you again,” he whispered softly.
“It’s good to see you too,” Bruce murmured, bumping their shoulders together and ignoring the looks of horror he was getting from the rest of his team. “You’ll have to catch me up as well, you know. High Healer?”
Danny’s blue skin turned a bright green as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, it’s no big deal, though,” he said awkwardly.
“This is so fuckin’ weird,” Constantine muttered.
“Tell me about it,” Hal Jordan said in response. Bruce just held back a smile before he launched into his explanation of what happened to the supers and how they were in a coma. The two made their way into the medbay where both Damian and Tim were waiting beside their friends.
“Phantom, these are my sons, Robin and Red Robin,” Bruce said and Danny let out a coo as he looked at them.
“You have kids now?” He exclaimed before he froze at the sight of Clark. “Oh fuck.”
Bruce’s heart dropped at that as he remembered the state of his friend and colleague as well as Clark’s family. “What is it?”
Danny said nothing as he rushed over to Clark and spread his hands, a green hue glowed from his palms and over the super’s body. “I’m glad you summoned me,” Danny murmured. He stepped away from Clark’s body once it had taken on the glow and stepped towards Conner, ignoring the way that Tim balked.
“Danny, what’s wrong?” Bruce demanded, feeling himself panic.
“It’s a Kryptonian poison,” Danny murmured. “They call it the Bacterial Blight. It comes from the plant Blister Ivy. It’s an uncommon plant, especially now that Krypton is gone.”
“How do you know anything about it then? What are you doing to them?” Damian demanded, glaring as the same green light covered Conner’s body and he turned to Jon’s.
“It’s a stasis spell, it just freezes them in time so that they don’t get worse,” Danny explained. “I’m a healer for the Infinite Realms, I’ve learned some from the Kryptonians in my dimension but I’ll have to consult with them about this.”
Danny then launched into an explanation of what exactly the Blister Ivy was and the three vigilantes listened in horror. The plant was uncommon, even when Krypton still existed because of how dangerous it was. The plant was worse than even the most poisonous plant on Earth. It was a tiny plant that could only be found in some snowy regions and bloomed twice a year for three weeks. The plant itself had thick, spear-shaped leaves, usually a light red color with flowers that tended to be light grey, brown, and bronze. They grew in small numbers and even were easy to get rid of because of how rarely they grew.
The plants had a defense mechanism that allowed them to produce a powdery substance. If the substance got into the eyes, mouth, or nose, the victim would soon find themselves experiencing symptoms that grew worse and worse as time went by.
“It starts with a cough and a fever,” Danny said, looking down at Jon. “They then fall into a comatose state as we see here. If you had waited any longer before summoning for help you would notice that their veins would start to bulge out, the color changing to a bright green, then the organs would start to shut down one by one while the skin starts to develop bright blue blisters.”
“That’s exactly what their symptoms were before they fell comatose,” Tim murmured before he looked Danny over. “How could you tell just by looking at them?” He accused, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Bruce glanced over at Danny curiously, his son had a point, that was a rather fast diagnosis.
Danny gave them a small, secretive smile. “I’m just that good,” he said with a wink before he let out a chuckle and walked towards Clark. “In all seriousness, I just had to look at him. If you look closely, you can see his veins were already starting to turn green, not only that but there are blisters forming along his face,” he said and ran a finger along the top of Clark’s cheeks where sure enough, tiny blue blisters were already forming.
“So what do we do? How can we save them?” Bruce asked him, a frown on his face. “How long do we have to find a cure before their organs start shutting down?”
Danny shrugged. “All the time we need, right now they are all under stasis, and we’ll keep them under that stasis spell until we collect the ingredients. I’ll have to talk with a few of the Kryptonian doctors who have passed over already and see if we can recreate the cure. It’s likely going to be quite a few Kryptonian ingredients and that means it’ll take longer for me to collect them.”
“How on earth can you get ingredients native to a planet that is gone?” Damian snarled out, the twelve-year-old’s eyes already red-rimmed. Bruce stepped forward and rested a hand on his youngest son’s shoulder.
“Phantom is a very old friend of mine, if anyone can find these ingredients, it will be him. We just need to trust him, but our friends will be well once again,” he said softly. Damian sniffed, rubbing his nose just a little before he nodded his head.
“Alright,” he said and looked over at Danny. “Save them, please.”
Danny gave him a small smile and nodded his head. “I can do that,” he said.
The halfa looked over the three supers and ensured the stasis spells were fully set before he looked at Bruce. “They’re under a stasis for now. We can start focusing on the rest now,” he said softly.
Bruce smiled and walked towards Danny and, despite the fact that both of his sons would likely hold this over his head for the rest of his life and would never let him forget, he leaned forward and pulled the man in for a tight hug. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“Anything for you, B,” Danny said softly, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Bruce’s shoulders, hugging him tight.
The two walked down the hall of the Watchtower together, Bruce’s cowl tucked underneath his arm as he glanced at Danny.
“High Healer, huh?” He asked, quirking up an eyebrow in curiosity. Danny chuckled and shook his head.
“It’s a pretty long story,” he said, changing from his ghost form into his human form, giving Bruce the perfect opportunity to see just exactly what his childhood best friend looked like now. His hair was still the same, only that familiar dark black color, he had the same crystal blue eyes that continued to haunt Bruce’s dreams even twenty years later. Freckles were smattered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, that same tattoo trailed down his face and along his neck. For a man who Bruce knew, was forty-three years old, Danny looked barely thirty-five. He still had the same short, slim build he had when they were in their twenties, still barely hitting five foot seven compared to Bruce’s six foot. Gone were the fancy healer robes and staff, in its place Danny wore a pair of worn jeans and an old NASA t-shirt that had Bruce reminiscing about old times.
“I’d love to hear about it sometime,” Bruce admitted as they continued walking. “Also, your room is still the same as you left in the manor. You’re welcome to stay there while we figure this out. If you want.”
Danny gave him an amused smile. “I’ll think about it, B. I do have a house in the Ghost Zone I can continue to reside in.”
“I know, but if it makes it easier. Besides, I’d like to get to know my best friend again,” he admitted hesitantly, feeling a sort of openness that he had never felt with anyone aside from Danny. Bruce knew he was awkward and bad at feelings, he knew that he couldn’t communicate for shit. But with Danny it was different, it was easier. If anything it was too easy, it was like his mouth lost control and said things before he even had a chance to actually think them through.
He didn’t remember being this embarrassed about it when they were teenagers, though. If anything he had once been thankful to be able to know that he could talk to Danny about anything and everything without feeling like an emotionally constipated asshole, as his kids would so eloquently put it.
“Yeah, we really are shit at keeping in contact, aren’t we?” Danny laughed, throwing his head back with the action. “Twenty fucking years with no contact, we suck.”
“We were busy. I became Batman and then became a father and found myself busier than I ever expected. And you apparently joined a war and became a high healer,” Bruce said, giving Danny a teasing look.
The ghost groaned. “Oh my Ancients, I’ll tell you about it eventually. It’s just a very long story,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
“I’m going to hold you to it,” Bruce said smugly, bumping his shoulder against Danny lightly.
Read the prologue and chapter one here
#dpxdc#dp x dc#danny phantom#dc x dp#dp x dc crossover#dis writes#batman#dc x dp crossover#batpham#dis dreams
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Becoming a Mother
Diana helped King Phantom (please call me Danny) look for a suitable candidate to help save his daughter, but none were suitable. Some women said yes, but they were either being forced to, or they had hoped to seize control of the Infinite Realms for themselves. She had hoped to find a willing candidate but she had promised that if she couldn't find anyone she would be the one to do it.
At first it had seemed like a burden but as her child (yes her child) began to grow she could only see motherhood as a blessing. And with Danny by her side she felt safe. It might have also been because Danny had taken her to his original dimension where superheroes and villains weren't so common. Her mother also talked her into having two of her sisters guard her during her pregnancy. He also had her stay in his living realm home which has a security system that could rival the Watchtowers.
She kept in contact with her team and Danny helped them come to his dimension to throw a baby shower. She was extremely grateful to his family for accepting her.
Thankfully there were no complications with her pregnancy but the same couldn't be said with her relationship with Danny. At first he was extremely overprotective of her and Danielle but after a stern talking to and the threat of a beating he has never experienced he backed off. Then there were the weird but not unwelcomed intimate moments between them. He always asked if he could touch her stomach, which more often than not led to them smiling at each other, then came foot and back massages, then the slow nights snuggling together.
Those moments kept happening until the end of her pregnancy. Now she didn't know what to think.
Then came her daughter Danielle Jasmine Fenton-Prince. She had kept Danny's eyes and nose, but everything else she got from her mother. She is the most adorable little girl and everyone in the League loves her.
Then came the discussion on whether she should live in her father's or mother's dimension. After a lot of fighting it was decided she would stay in her father's dimension because it was safer and according to Danny didn't have any speedsters the messes with time every other week. Diana will be knocking some speedsters head later.
Diana also got Danny to agree to let Danielle regularly visit Themyscira to learn about her people's culture and to train.
Diana really didn't want to leave her daughter in a different dimensions, even if she could visit anytime. But it is safer and her enemies would find it nigh impossible to get to her because Danielle's father is the Ghost King and he would deploy his entire forces on anyone who would hurt their daughter.
Diana really can't wait for the day that she and Danny could charge into battle with Danielle beside them.
#dp x dc#danny phantom#dc comics#wonder woman comics#danielle is wonder woman daughter#danielle is danny phantoms daughter#danny phantom x wonder woman?#danielle phantom#diana prince#justice league#danny phantom and dc universe are sperate#danny dimension traveling#wonder woman dimension traveling#diana in her very bias opinion thinks danielle is the cutest baby ever#ghost king danny#danny is overprotective#diana threatens danny#adult danny phantom#danny doesn't like the flash family#diana will hurt the flash family
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For all the mess that is Phantom Planet, there is something i really like about it and that is the fate of Vlad Masters when he tries to turn the asteroid intangible.
What i'm refering to is the conversation that Vlad has with Jack before leaving the spaceship, which is pretty well written in contrast to the rest of the episode.
Jack: ¨How could you hold the world hostage like that Vladdie? And after the good fortune you've had in your life.¨
Vlad: ¨Good fortune?! You infect me with ghost DNA then steal the love of my life and you call that good fortune?¨
Jack: ¨I infected you? You mean…¨
Vlad: Yes fool! It was your bumbling that made me what I am today!
There are plenty of aspects that i like about this conversation, but the part that gets me is ¨It was your bumbling that made me what I am today!¨.
Because that's basically who is Vlad at his core. He blames his bad actions on the accident and Jack. He doesn't see himself as a villain. He believes that his justified in his own actions because of his own victimization, in the sense he is never at fault of why others leave him or why things go wrong for him, it always someone else's fault, or Jack's.
Vlad's villain/antagonist arc in the main series is bit by bit loosing everyone that cares about him, either because he pushes them away or they find out what type of person he truly is but he never realizes that he is the reason this happens. He is so absorbed in his own delusion that he can't see what he is doing wrong. In result he ends up more frustrated that he already was, and thus more alone.
When Jack tries to explain to Vlad that he didn't intend to hurt him and what happened was an accident there is a moment that Vlad... stops walking, turns around and listens to what Jack is telling him.
It is interesting because it is almost like there is a part of him that wants to know what Jack has to say, even if moments later he doesn't care about that.
Jack: I never meant to hurt you. What happened was an accident. I'm your friend, Vladdie. I've always been your friend.
Sadly for Jack, he finds out that ¨his friend¨ has become a very different person from the one he knew back in college.
Vlad: I'll remember that when I steal Maddie from you and make her my queen!
Which leaves Jack rightfully devastated that he has been friends with someone who was lying to him all this time.
Vlad flies to the asteroid and finds out that he can't touch it because it is made out of ectoranium, a sustance that ghosts can't touch and get hurt by it.
Then he realizes how screwed up he is because 1) The Earth is really doomed since he can't make the asteroid intangible and 2) he revealed his own ghost identity to the whole world and he ¨will be forever hunted¨.
Vlad: Ecto-ranium? Then I can never touch it. No ghost can. That means…the Earth is doomed. And even if it wasn't I could never go back. I've revealed…my true self. I'll be forever hunted.
Seeing that he is in real trouble he happens to ask Jack for help, minutes after he revealed what type of person he is to him, leading to one of my favourite exchanges in the series:
Vlad: Jack, you have to help me. You wouldn't turn your back on an old friend, would you?
Jack: An old friend? No. You? Yes.
And just like that Jack punches the fire jets control and leaves Vlad stranded in the middle of space, almost as a final ¨screw you¨ to his ¨best friend¨.
Desperately Vlad calls out for Jack's name only that this time there isn't anyone to answer him back. That is the moment Vlad realizes that he finds himself truly alone now, that he ended up pushing away the person who cared about him the most and that everyone on Earth hates him now. Or as he says it in ¨A Glitch In Time¨ novel: He has nothing to return to.
Then he flies away, not having the courage to get to see the Earth getting destroyed because of the asteroid.
I personally like this a lot because Vlad wasn't defeated in a epic battle, put behind bars or anything of that stuff. He was ¨defeated¨ by pushing away someone when he needed his help the most, in a sort of karmatic way.
Due to his obsession with controlling everyone and forcing people to ¨love¨ him he ended up in the way he hated the most and tried avoiding all this time: Completely alone, with no one that wants him around.
And to me, that's a satisfying way to end his arc in the main series since, again, his arc wasn't about him taking over the world or the Ghost Zone. It was about the way he treated others and how his obsession with power drove everyone away.
What it is more, i think it is one of the scenarios that makes the most sense to me for the development he gets in ¨A Glitch in Time¨ because he has to lose everything or being shown that his actions wouldn't get him what he was trying to achieve.
#danny phantom#vlad plasmius#jack fenton#phantom planet#I wished this scene could have been way longer#Because it is a very cathartic moment#Tbh this scenario could have been applied in any other type of plot#That involves just Vlad...losing the last thing to a real friend he had
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come away, oh ghostly child... (pt 2)
( PT 1 <-) (-> PT 3)
For about 3 months now, there's been a ghost in Gotham. He's young, maybe 3 or 4.
The people of Gotham have come to accept this ghost (who says his name is Phantom) as a regular part of life, just like the heroes, villains, and other general weirdness surrounding Gotham. He has his own twitter and tumblr tags, #phantomwatch and #gothamsnewson respectively. He's as much a part of the ecosystem as the rest of Gotham.
She kept her promise, the city is his playground.
But Danny is lonely.
Maybe that's why he starts to frequent the heroes' haunts more often.
Nightwing is Danny's favorite. He's kind, more so than even his parents had been to him in his hazy memory. He's strong, too, and he protects people. And he's like Danny- he has a secret identity! Nightwing puts on a mask to keep himself safe, just like Danny.
The other vigilantes are the same, but some of them smell- literally. They reek of rotting, decayed, corrupted ectoplasm. It's gross. Icky. They're still fun to be around, but Danny wishes he could help. The one time he did try to approach one- Red Hood- to help, the vigilante had been busy.
That night, though, Gotham visited him in a dream.
"Danny, my lovely child, you are not my only. These Bats, they are my children too. They are your friends, your brothers. They are safe. They will keep you safe. I know you are lonely, little one. They will keep you company."
The night after that dream, he resolves to meet one of his new brothers. Nightwing is kind, surely he wouldn't mind!
And so, that night, he follows Nightwing! On the way, while Nightwing is resting, there is a churro stand. The smell is heavenly, and he's so hungry, so how can he resist?
So he approaches the churro stand.
"Hello, Mister. Can I please have 1 churro?"
The man running the stand doesn't take kindly to Danny's appearance.
"Back, foul demon! Evil Creature!"
The look on the man's face as he grabs a cross and exits the stand to go after Danny makes him remember his parents, chasing him with ecto-guns and weapons. It makes him cry. He sobs, his wails filling the street, echoing off the walls unnaturally.
"No, no, no! Stop, stop, please!"
The man does not stop his berating. Instead, he raises his cross over his head, intending to bring it down on Danny.
The man does not get that far, because Nightwing has grabbed his hand, and is saying something to the man that makes him flee back to his churro stand. Then, Nightwing kneels down to him.
"Hey, buddy. I'm sorry about that guy, are you okay?"
Danny wails, because he's scared, and he still remembers.
"Hey, hey, Phantom, can I touch you?"
Danny looks up at Nightwing, kind Nightwing, and nods.
Nightwing picks him up, and then they're flying, a different kind of flying than he's used to, and despite himself, he giggles because it's fun and feels funny.
They settle on a roof, and Nightwing moves Danny to his lap, carefully checking him over.
Danny reaches up to Nightwing's face, brushing his gloved fingers over the black mask.
"Yeah, that's my mask. It keeps me safe."
Danny knows all about that.
"I'll be quiet so you can be safe," he whispers, "They can't find out. That would- that would be very- very bad."
Danny wonders what Nightwing needs to stay safe from. He hopes it isn't right around the corner!
"Yes, shh, they can't find out. Very good, Danny."
Danny reaches a finger up to shush him, scared.
"Shhhhh! If they find us, they'll disstect us. Molcle by Molcle..."
Danny wants to cry again. He doesn't want Nightwing to be dissected!
Nightwing cups Danny's face with his hand, and suddenly, Danny feels a lot safer.
"It's alright, Danny. They can't get us up here."
They can't get us... Danny's safe. He's really safe!
Danny lets his ghost form fall.
Suddenly, he's very, very tired...
...
tags: @basilf1res @angelheartgamer @justgray15777 @terzatheunderscorerima @phantom120 @undead-essence @crazydoughnutlady @big-flrda-kys
(tell me if this works, im still very new to tumblr ;-;)
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Phantom's Number 1 Fan Part 3
John Constantine calls a joint Justice League and Justice League Dark meeting.
It's not something he wants to do. He barely works with the LJD, but at least that lot understands his work and knows what to do and where to go.
The JL members always ask questions and forget proper manners when working with the paranormal- John isn't the most well-mannered bloke around, but even he knows to permanently say goodbye to ghosts so that they don't follow him home- and it's like trying to teach an intern while dodging bullets.
He prefers to avoid the whole origination, especially since Bruce's death; everyone has been walking on eggshells, and there is a sense of disorganization drenched in grief that John breaks into hives just thinking about, but this is big.
Bigger than he can handle it on his own or with just the JLD. Even if the whole group gives the bats not-so-stable glances as they filter in.
John notices that one of Batman's brats is missing- the smart one- but he has heard that the kid suffered some kind of psychotic break from his father's death. It's sad, really, mainly because John used to believe that the third Robin was the one with the good head on his shoulders.
What's worse is that the Third Robin up and ran off, having gone off the grid when he refused to accept Batman's death. The boy hadn't said anything besides, "The portraits told me!" after having a miniature breakdown in his home.
It didn't help that around this time, the boy teammates had all dropped like flies except for one. So yes, John knows it wasn't a big surprise that he lost it, but it was still sad to see. Kid is only seventeen.
He hopes they find him soon to give him the help he needs. John would offer a spell to try and find him, but he needs to learn about the kid better, which means his spell can only point in a general direction.
Nightwing looked downright ragged, but losing a father on the battlefield and a younger brother to his grief did a number on anyone.
John hates himself just a little for dragging the grieving family here. He does, but again, this is bigger than all of them. This is a matter of life and death- literally.
"Listen up. We have a bloody level ten on its way to Earth if it's not already here." His words cut through the muttering crowd, shutting everyone up. A level ten makes even the big, lousy Superman sweat. He snaps his fingers, allowing his magic to shift into the image of a King Phantom sitting on his throne- painted in the early 1200s and the picture that can be used to identify him.
The art style would have been almost modern if it wasn't for the unease that the painting could cause due to the glowing green from his majesty's portrait. They say the green was ectoplasm from the king himself- and that alone should warn others to not mess with him.
Everyone Justice League Dark member hissed through their teeth, sitting up straighter and a few even pale. John is once again grateful that they understand just how deep in shit they genuinely are.
"This is the Ghost King. He is not to be confused with a god or king of gods. He's something else entirely because he makes gods nervous. He is on his way here to kill whoever is dumb enough to threaten his pregnant fiancee, and I fear the rest of Earth will be collateral if we don't prepare-"
"That's Danny Phantom," A young voice cuts John off. He is surprised someone would talk over him in a level ten briefing. All eyes turn to Robin- er, the new Robin.
The kid is frowning at the image, his signature scowl already deeper than usual. He's also heard the new Robin was a spoiled boy who was not a team player.
"You know King Phantom?" John asks.
Robin nods. "Placeholder is obsessed with him. Half his room is covered with King Phantom's heroics."
"Do not call him that.," Nightwing hisses a second later. He frowned when Robin ignored him but returned to the room without further comment on the boy's cheek. "Danny Phantom is a low-level search and rescue hero. He pops up around the world but only sometimes interacts with people. Robin- Young Justice Robin- was obsessed with him."
The room gains an awkward weight as no one is willing to bring up the mentally unsound MIA teenager.
It's too bad for them. John has never cared about making anyone comfortable. "You said his room is covered in images of King Phantom?"
From the corner of his eyes, John catches sight of Zatanna's face. She's pale white, with a horrified expression as if though she was standing before the grim itself. Every other member of the Justice League Dark is in a similar state.
"Yes, he has a whole wall of posters and stuff." Nightwing conforms, and shit John knows who Phantom's after now.
The thing is, one just doesn't have pictures of King Phantom. No one knows why, but the Ghost King can not be documented. Not without having some kind of connection to the King.
Throughout history, the only ones who have ever had even one solid picture of the king- John's magic doesn't count cause he can't well hold the thing up forever- usually meant that the King would appear before them at one point.
There is also a myth if one could beat a member of the royal ghost family, then one wish is granted to them. If one can kill a royal ghost member, death can be overturned.
It's not true, obviously, for death is not easily beaten like that, but John knows that as an expert, would a mentally unwell teenager know the same?
It was also known that if the King appeared before you, something terrible would happen. The sighting of King Phantom often came as an omen and usually right before a terrible disaster.
In the last disaster, they lost Batman, and if King Phantom had shown up, where the Third Robin have spotted him? Where the Third Robin have thought the King could return the dead?
Not to mention the rumors!
King Phantom was hunting down a group of humans known as "The Bats." John hadn't put that much stock in that rumor simply because it could have been anyone- hell, when he looked up the bats seven different groups appeared, varying from boy bands to zoologists.
But if he placed the name "The Bats" next to the Third Robin's psychotic break, his obsession with King Phantom, and his intertwined fates...well, shit.
There is a slight chance that the Third Robin's fate could be intertwined with the Ghost King in a positive light, but John has learned to not be optimistic in his line of work.
"I think the Third Robin is gunning after the Ghost King's fiancee and unborn child in a misguided attempt to bring Batman back to life. He may have kicked started a war that humanity can not win," He announces. He hates to say. hates to even suggest it, but the needs of the many outweigh those of the few. "We have to find the Third Robin and attempt to stop him. If we can't reason with him, we must put him down."
Wonder Girl gasps a sob, pressing her hand against her mouth.
John hates himself a little more as she sobs; a few rushes to confront her, but no one is unaffected by the news.
"I'm ordering a hunt for the Third Robin," Wonderwoman speaks up to her steady leadership, returning everyone from their despair. "Every available hero will help. Do not use lethal force unless there is no other choice. We may be able to find him before King Phantom's armies arrive."
John just hopes they are not too late.
Meanwhile, across the plane of existence, unaware of the manhunt for his head, Tim Drake is trying to stare down a Yeti, attempting to put him in silk clothes that are just fabrics held together by strings.
"No."
"But-But- but you have such a flattering figure! You must flaunt it! The Great One will barely be able to contain himself if he sees you in this!"
"No. It looks like something you wear on a honeymoon to seduce your spouse. I'm not walking around in that."
"Well, you don't need to bewitch his majesty. You already have a child on the way." The Yeit mutters, considering the fabric in his claws with a frown. He is Frostbite's royal tailor and has been attempting to dress Tim for over an hour. Everything he's suggested so far looks like it came from those romantic fantasy games.
It's like they want to make him a sexy consort or something.
Tim's teeth grind against each other. He hates how often his role is reminded, how casually the yetis mention that Ra's expects a child from Tim.
He doesn't even know how that child will come to be, and it makes him sick. He's been bidding his time, waiting for his wounds to heal and to find a weakness in the frozen fortress, but so far, he is unsure how he will escape.
And Bruce is still out there, waiting for Tim to get him. He can't waste any more time here.
"How about this cloak?" The Yeti offers, holding up a dark metallic fabric that reminds TIm of his Robin cape. "If we are going for a more conservative look, something that screams power is just the way to make the masses wild!"
Ugh, he really needs to think of a plan soon.
#dcxdpdabbles#dc x dp crossover#Phantom's number 1 fan#Part 3#The Justice League made the wrong conclusion#Or John made the wrong conculsion#Tim is still being pampered but now they want to show him off like a trophy husband they think he is#Danny is vibing while new Ghost King Lore is dropping
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The Apocalypse Club
(ao3) (art 1) (art 2)
Valerie, Kwan, and Paulina find out Danny's biggest secret while Amity Park is invaded by a strange new ghost. Now, all four of them have to work together to save the day.
...If they can stop fighting each other first.
Hey!!! this is my @invisobang piece for 2023!!!! it hits in at about 15k words and i got to work with @minnowmarsh and @trolithfoxyflint for the amazing art that comes with it! now you crazy kids have fun reading :D
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“How,” Valerie said when she could talk again.
Danny shrugged and looked away. His face was tinted green, though whether from nausea or the swirling portal on the wall of the lab, she couldn’t say. Kwan didn’t look much better, ashen gray, hair sticking up in all directions from how much he’d been pulling it. Paulina’s eyes hadn’t left Danny’s face since…
Well, since.
“Is that the most important question right now?” he said, rummaging in the desk.
Yes, she wanted to scream. But it wasn’t, and she knew it wasn’t, just as much as she knew that he was avoiding the question.
But she was a professional. She’d worked with… Danny… before. She could put aside her personal feelings until they were safe.
“What’s the plan?”
“We need allies,” he said, still not looking at her. “The only place left to find them is the ghost zone.”
“What?” Paulina said. “You want us to—to go in there?”
“What about our families?” Kwan said.
“Isn’t it super dangerous in there?”
“Look, your families’ best chance is if we get help. And you don’t have to come with me, but I think it’s more dangerous to sit here and wait.”
Valerie rolled her eyes. How was she ever friends with these two? Here they were, whining about danger, when they were missing the most obvious issue with this plan. “Where are we going to get allies in the ghost zone? The whole thing’s just full of ghosts!”
Maybe it was a trick of the light, but for a moment his eyes flashed acid green. Her hand snapped to the ectogun on her hip. “You’ve worked with ghosts before, Val.”
“No, I’ve worked with you before, and who the hell knows what you are.”
The words spilled out her mouth like poison, acid. She didn’t know if she meant them or not, but she did notice his full body flinch.
(She filed away the sore spot for future reference.)
“Jesus, Val,” Kwan said, running his hand through his already messed up hair.
She looked away. “Sorry.”
“Look, I have allies in the ghost zone. Even some enemies who, push comes to shove, will help me out if only so they get to kill me themselves. I’ve never seen or heard of this ghost before, okay? If it’s this powerful, and I’ve never heard of it, that’s a really, really bad sign. We need all the help we can get and we can’t afford to be picky about where it comes from.”
Valerie stared harder at the wall. Her skin crawled at the thought of making nice with ghosts. “Easy for you to say.”
“I’m working with all of you, aren’t I?”
Valerie’s eyes snap to meet Paulina’s, then Kwan’s. She’d forgotten, somehow, that Paulina and Kwan (and she, once upon a time) had always treated him and his friends like garbage. She’d forgotten that for all that Phantom was her enemy, she’d once used his cousin (or whatever that relationship actually was, who the hell knows anymore) as bait to capture and torture him.
“Fine,” she said. Deliberately, she dropped her hand from her gun. “So how are we doing this?”
--
The ghost zone was a lot… greener than Paulina expected. It made sense, in retrospect: green was the color of ectoplasm after all, but in her head she always imagined it to have more of a Sam Manson aesthetic. Black. Maybe some purple. But deep and dark and depressing.
(Last time she saw Sam Manson, Manson’s eyes were totally black and she was clawing at Paulina’s face, spittle flying from her mouth. Not a totally unexpected reaction, she had to admit, but there was no intent or reason, just pure feral violence.)
“So,” she said, “where exactly are we going?”
“The Far Frozen,” Fenton said, hands white-knuckled on the steering. “I have friends there.”
“It, uh, sounds cold,” Kwan said. “I didn’t bring my jacket.” More like a swarm of zombie-football players had tried to drag him down by his collar and he’d only escaped by letting his letterman jacket slide off.
“Frostbite’ll have coats.”
“And what is Frostbite?” That was Valerie, still glaring at Fenton like he’d pissed in her Cheerios. Paulina really didn’t understand what her issue was. Sure, Paulina was shocked to find out that Fenton was her beloved ghost boy, but she was more awkward than angry. Valerie seemed to take the whole situation personally.
“He’s a yeti.”
“A yeti? A dead yeti?” Paulina crossed her arms. “Are you telling me that yetis are real?”
“Look, not all ghosts were once alive. Sometimes, they’re the ghosts of beliefs or ideals or stories. Things we used to think about and believe in. Pandora’s here, too, along with a lot of pantheons, but they won’t tell me if they were ever alive.” Fenton’s lips curled up in a little smile and his face softened. “I’ve been trying to weasel it out of them for months.”
They lapsed into another brief silence before Fenton spoke again.
“Look, if you have any other questions… now might be the best time. It’ll be a bit before we get to the Far Frozen, and I don’t know if we’ll have any time after that.”
Paulina had a million questions, but she couldn’t think of one she wanted to ask right now. How? Why? When? That could all wait until after the day was saved. Her nerves were still twitching and she dug her fingers into her wrist to stabilize, remember the now and not two hours ago, watching Star, black-eyed and snarling with one arm bent out of shape, leap for her throat. She said nothing.
“Are we… just gonna stay in the For Frozen?” Kwan said. “Like, while you save the world?”
“Far Frozen, and yeah. That was the plan.”
“I’m not staying in some frozen wasteland so you and your ghost buddies can fuck up saving the world.”
Paulina couldn’t help staring at Valerie. What the hell was she talking about? Phantom—Fenton—Danny had saved the world plenty of times before.
“I was talking about Kwan and Paulina, Val. I know you’d never stay out of it.”
Valerie curled her lip. “Just so we’re clear. I have to keep an eye on you, anyway.”
“What is your deal, girl?” Paulina said. “If you two are our best shot at saving the world, being pissy at each other isn’t going to help.”
“Stay out of it!”
“The world is ending! We don’t have time for you to be stubborn.”
Kwan shrank back at their raised voices. “Uh, I don’t think this is a good time to fight, either.”
“Of course you don’t. Since when do you ever think for yourself?”
“Hey!”
“Shut up! Just be quiet, all of you. Jesus.” Danny turned around to glare at them, his eyes flashing green. “Valerie and I have worked together before even though she hated me. We can do it again.”
Paulina wasn’t so sure about him using “hate” in the past tense there, but Valerie was nodding.
“I can put my personal feelings aside to save the world, and fuck you for thinking anything different. But then, I guess you never thought much of me, did you?”
“What are you—”
“Seriously? You have to ask?”
Paulina bit her lip. When Valerie’s dad lost his job, Valerie lost everything. Including her friends. Like Paulina. No, she thought after a moment, I suppose I don’t.
Danny groaned from the front. “I changed my mind. No more questions. Let’s just… be quiet.”
Paulina had to agree.
--
The Far Frozen was, in fact, cold.
Kwan shivered in just his black t-shirt, but truthfully, his letterman jacket would’ve only helped so much. This was a bitter cold, a deep-winter cold that took three blankets, a hot chocolate, and fuzzy socks to banish.
Kwan really hated the cold.
“Great One!” the yeti in front of them said, arms (one of flesh and fur, the other of ice and bone) spread wide like he was offering a hug. Was it some kind of yeti cultural thing?
Fenton jumped up and embraced the creature. Apparently, it was just an offer of a hug.
“What brings you to my domain?” the yeti said once he put Fenton down. “And with such strange company as well!”
Fenton rubbed the back of his neck. “We need your help, Frostbite.”
Kwan’s teeth started to chatter. Valerie and Paulina’s arms were dotted with gooseflesh, alongside his own. How was Fenton not fucking freezing?
“Can we have this conversation inside?” Paulina said, rubbing her arms.
“W-w-w-with jackets?” Kwan’s chattering teeth brought out a stutter. Embarrassing. “Ma-y-be a f-fire?”
“Of course!” the yeti said. “Your fragile human bodies require excess warmth to survive. Please, follow me.”
The yeti, who introduced himself as Frostbite, led them to a cave where they were each presented with a delightfully warm coat, almost thick enough to banish the cold from Kwan’s bones.
(Almost.)
Valerie spent the whole trek glaring at Frostbite like she expected him to turn around and start biting the second she took her eyes off of him. She kept one hand on her blaster the whole time. Kwan couldn’t imagine going through life with that kind of paranoia. It must be exhausting.
The cave itself was almost cozy. It was decorated, had furniture and artwork and books like it was someone’s office. With a jolt, Kwan realized that it was an office. Frostbite’s, most likely. On the wall, there was a portrait of Phantom (Fenton?) standing victorious. What the fuck.
“What’s with the whole ‘Great One’ thing, by the way?” Kwan said.
“It is demonstrative of our unending love and gratitude for the Great One, who saved us all from subjugation at the hands of the villainous Pariah Dark!”
Valerie snorted. “‘Villainous.’ Like you’re not.”
Frostbite tilted his head in confusion. Kwan hated to admit it, but it was kind of adorable. “I am unsure what your meaning is. I assure you that we denizens of the Far Frozen have no villainous aims with any friend of the Great One.”
“I’m not gullible enough to believe you.”
Frostbite opened his mouth to reply again, but Fenton cut him off.
“Just ignore her, Frostbite. You’re not going to change her mind and we don’t have time to argue. A new ghost is attacking Amity Park, and we need your help.”
--
It all happened so fast.
All four of them escaped by sheer luck. Kwan managed to dodge the football team and hide in the bleachers next to Paulina, who’d nearly been bitten by Star and Sam in the bathroom. Valerie put on the Red Huntress suit as soon as she realized what was happening, giving her some protection against the spreading infection. And Danny?
Well, Danny could fly.
Danny stumbled upon the other three by chance, checking through the school for anyone who’d managed to avoid the plague, though he didn’t have much hope. He’d found Kwan, Paulina, and Valerie—two useless people and one who absolutely hated him.
Still, he couldn’t leave them there, unprotected. He grabbed Paulina and Valerie hoisted Kwan on her hoverboard and they’d raced to FentonWorks.
He’d intended to stay in ghost form the whole time, but he hadn’t realized that the infected were still capable of reason, at least on some level. That their attacks weren’t mindless. That his mom could hit him with an ectogun that would short out his powers, however temporarily.
And now three new people know who he is.
Three new people who he can’t trust in the slightest.
(What if they tell people? His parents? The school? The Guys in White?)
But he can’t worry about that, because the world is ending.
“I see,” Frostbite said after Danny had explained the situation. “This is… worrisome. If it escaped—”
“It? Frostbite, do you know what this is?”
“Mm. It sounds like Pestilence.”
Danny frowned. “Like… pesto?”
Paulina scoffed and whacked Danny on the head. “No, idiot. Pestilence. Like disease and stuff.”
“Yes. Considered by certain branches of Christianity to be one of the four Horsemen that herald the apocalypse.”
“One of four? You mean there’s three other horse-guys?”
“Indeed. The belief in this specific end of days has largely died out in the modern day, so the Horsemen became ghosts. However, they were so dangerous, so suddenly, that we ghosts banded together three hundred years ago to seal them away. If one of them is out…”
“...then the others might be out, too.” Danny rubbed at his forehead. “This gets better and better. What are the other three?”
“War, Famine, and Death,” Paulina said, counting them off on her fingers. Valerie raised an eyebrow at her. “What? Everyone knows that.”
“You are correct, Delicate One.”
“Um, my name’s Paulina.”
“None of those sound good.” Kwan scratched his head. “Also, why is Death separate? Don’t War and Famine and Pestilence all kill people? Does Death extra kill people or something?”
Frostbite shrugged. “How should I know? I’m already dead.”
“Can you be dead if you were never alive?”
“In any event,” Frostbite said, “your best chance is to put Pestilence back before any of the others break free.”
“And how are we supposed to do that, ghost? We barely escaped in the first place!”
Valerie had a point: they knew what they were fighting, now, but it didn’t solve the problem of we can’t beat this guy. Danny rubbed his temples. Maybe if he could get Skulker to work with them, Skulker would help convince the rest of the Ghost Zone and they might actually have a shot.
“Your best chance is finding the Panacea.”
Danny scrunched his eyebrows. “The what?”
“Panacea is, like, a mythical elixir thing that can heal any disease.” Danny, Kwan, and Valerie stared at Paulina, who was tapping on her phone. She looked up at them and rolled her eyes. “What? Everyone knows that.”
“Okay, so where’s this Panaderia at?” Valerie said.
“Patience, Suspicious One. Allow me to explain.”
“What the hell did you just call me?”
“The Panacea is hidden in the far reaches of the Ghost Zone, near Pariah’s Keep.” Frostbite pulled out the Infi-Map from his desk and rolled it out on the desk. “Legend tells that Pariah wanted it for himself, but could never get through its protections.”
“Protections? Like—ghosts and shit?”
“Not quite. The story goes that there are three trials one must overcome to obtain the Panacea. The first is a trial of courage. The second is a trial of compassion. And the third is a trial of truth.”
Valerie threw her hands up in the air. “What the hell does any of that mean?”
“The legend does not specify.”
“Of course,” Paulina said, “because when the world’s at stake, you want as much ambiguity as possible.”
“Quite.”
Courage, compassion, and truth. Well, Danny was decently brave. He spent half his time fighting ghosts, at least, and protecting people. It had to count for something. Compassion… he could probably work on that part, but he did care about people. That’s why he protected them. Truth?
That was a little stickier.
He lied, all the time. It was for a good reason, but he wasn’t sure the trials would see it that way. Maybe he would just have to tell the truth in the moment? Ugh, this whole thing was so complicated.
Maybe Valerie would do better at the truth thing. Though, she also had a secret identity. Whatever. They’d figure it out.
Lost in his thoughts, Danny didn’t notice Valerie approaching him until her hand wrapped around his arm and she pulled him away.
“Woah, what are you—” Danny squeezed his eyes shut as he was yanked back into the bright light of the outside. The snow sparkled in the glow that permeated the Ghost Zone almost like sunlight, but half as warm.
“If you and I are going to do this, we should have a plan.”
“A plan for what? We don’t even know what these trials will look like.”
Valerie’s hand tightened around his bicep. “So you just want to fly in blind? Hide behind me and let me figure it out so you can swoop in and ‘save the day’ or some bullshit?”
“That is not remotely what I—”
“Save it! You’ve been lying to me this whole time. For years. And I—I actually thought that you cared about me, which is the really stupid part.”
“I do care about you, Val.” Danny reached for her arm and she flinched back. He sighed and stared at the ground.
“No, you don’t. You can’t. Ghosts don’t care about anything or anyone. You just like the attention. You like the praise. You may have everyone else fooled but I see what you are. No more tricks, Phantom.”
Danny choked out a laugh. “And you wonder why I lied to you.”
Valerie sneered. “No, actually. It all makes perfect sense, ghost.”
His eyes stung, which was stupid. They really didn’t have time for him to go cry in a corner because Valerie didn’t like him. But his feelings didn’t care about the facts, and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
“Whatever,” he said, and he tried to ignore how his voice cracked. “Let’s just get through this.”
“Yeah,” Valerie said. “Let’s get through this and then never talk to each other again.”
He’d really thought he could talk to her, if she ever found out. He’d really thought he could convince her. That hurt the most, he realized: he’d always known she’d be mad, but after what happened with Dani, there should’ve been room for them to be friends as Valerie and Danny and as Red Huntress and Phantom.
He was the stupid one, it turned out.
“Okay. If that’s what you want.”
Valerie turned away. “It is what I want.”
“Okay.”
They fell into awkward silence.
“So—”
Distant screaming cut Danny off.
Somewhere along the way, wires had gotten crossed in Danny’s brain. Screams of terror and pain were usually a sign that people should stay away. If some did get closer, it was usually out of curiosity and panic would take over once that curiosity was sated. Danny, of course, ran straight for the danger every time.
So he wasn’t surprised, exactly, when one of the yetis, eyes dripping black, lunged for him. He’d run into enough fights that ducking out of the way of her claws was second nature. Beside him, Valerie blasted the infected yeti away. Of course. Valerie was just like him: she ran into danger.
“We need to get out of here!” She fired again at another yeti, snarling in the snow.
Danny reached for the electric cold in his chest, but it was still weak and flickering from the gun his mom had used. He was powerless.
“Danny!” Before he could blink, something slammed into him and he was speeding away from the yetis on Valerie’s jetboard.
“Wait—Wait!” Struggling to stand on a fast, open-air vehicle, he pulled himself up using Valerie’s shoulder and she shot him a withering glare. “We can’t just leave them there!”
“Us getting infected doesn’t help anyone, and you trying to play hero to get on my good side won’t work anyway.”
“I’m not—” The jetboard tilted to avoid a leaping yeti. “Why won’t you listen—”
“I did listen to you! And you lied. So I’m done with that.”
Valerie angled down to the cave entrance where Kwan, Paulina, and Frostbite were and jerked to a stop. Danny couldn’t stop his momentum and tumbled off onto the floor of the cave, landing at Paulina’s feet.
“Um, hi?” Paulina said.
“We have a problem,” Valerie said.
--
Apparently the “problem” was a horde of zombie yetis right on Valerie and Danny’s tail. Paulina thought “problem” was underselling it a bit.
One black-eyed yeti burst through the opening, only for Frostbite to slam his flesh arm into it, knocking it into another oncoming yeti. He then hit a panel on the wall and sealed the cave shut. Panting, he lumbered over to Danny, green goo staining his pristine white fur, grabbed the map-thing off the desk, and thrust it into Danny’s arms.
“Great One and friends, you must take the Infi-Map and find the Panacea.” The yeti looked down at the goo (his blood?) and groaned in pain. “I fear I shall soon turn as well.”
“Frostbite…” Danny said, reaching out one hand like he wanted to comfort him. And wasn’t it weird, to think of a ghost needing comfort?
“Great One, you do not have time to worry about me. Help me by bringing back the Panacea and saving us all. You must go now, before I lose my rationality and attack you as well.”
Danny squeezed his eyes like he was staving off tears. “Okay. I—okay. I’m sorry.”
Paulina felt bad for the dork (hero), really, but they so didn’t have time for this. She latched onto his arm and yanked him away from Frostbite, who was starting to snarl. “Thank you, Mr. Frostbite,” she said. “Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Everybody hang on,” Danny said, opening the map. Paulina tightened her grip as Valerie and Kwan grabbed on. “Take us to the Panacea.”
Frostbite jumped at them, teeth bared, and the map whisked them away in a green light. Paulina wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but this was not it. The sudden acceleration stole a scream from her throat, and the rush of air brought tears to her eyes. The last thing she saw was Frostbite’s icy arm, outstretched, and then she could see nothing but motion.
There was nothing to do but hang on for dear life, then all of a sudden they were standing again, in a cavernous hall. Paulina wobbled on her feet, then vomited.
A hand rubbed at her back, and she turned to see Kwan, awkward half-smile on his face. “You okay?”
The hall was massive and crumbling, stone pillars in pieces. A mosaic pattern tiled the floor, and she looked up to see a perfect reflection in the roof, except for a couple of holes where the swirling Ghost Zone peeked through.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Except for, you know.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, that.” She bent over and spat a couple times, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. She’d lost her water bottle sometime in the multiple life threatening situations they’d been in in the past 4 or so hours, so saliva was her best option. “We weren’t supposed to be here. We were supposed to just sit there in that frozen wasteland and be safe. I can’t do this, Kwan.”
“But you have to, now,” Valerie said. Her voice was firm, but not unkind. “We’re all here, and there’s no half-assing this like you half-ass school, alright?”
“Excuse you?”
“We both know you could do just fine in school if you tried, Polly! You’re smart, girl. And we need smart on this mission, not smart trying to be stupid.”
Paulina stared for just a moment, then laughed. “Girl, that was the most backhanded compliment I’ve ever heard.”
Valerie rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched like she was trying not to smile. “At least it was a compliment.”
“Setting our bar real low here, huh?”
“Paulina, when my dad lost his job, you all dumped me as soon as you heard. I lost everything, and then I lost all my friends. You’re damn lucky I’m not just cussing you out.”
The words were almost humorous, but there was a bite to Valerie’s tone now. Paulina couldn’t blame her.
“Listen, I wanted to say—”
“Guys!” Danny's voice echoed through the chamber. “I found something!”
Paulina swore as Valerie and Kwan both ran over to where Danny stood in front of a massive double door.
“Is that—”
“Yeah,” Danny said. “I think it’s the entrance. The trials are probably through here.”
“So,” Kwan said, pushing on the giant stone doors, “how do we—”
As he spoke, the doors lit up and slowly, slowly, rumbled open.
“Huh,” Kwan said.
It was dark inside. The glow of the Ghost Zone seemed to come to a complete halt, swallowed by whatever was beyond the threshold.
Paulina didn’t like it.
“Let’s all go through together,” Danny said.
Paulina nodded, grabbing Danny and Kwan. She couldn’t speak, her mouth suddenly dry. Why was she here? She wasn’t ready for something like this. She couldn’t save the world! Oh god, she needed to get out of here—
As one, they stepped through the door.
--
Kwan blinked.
“What?”
It was the Casper High cafeteria, except the Casper High cafeteria should be overrun with Pestilence’s zombies right now. But there was Dash and Paulina and Star (wasn’t Paulina back—where—what—what… day was it? Tuesday? Right, right. They had an essay due in Lancer’s class. Of course. Kwan had stayed up all night writing about… writing about…)
“Dude!” Dash said, waving Kwan over. “You ready to pummel Brantford tonight?” The last part of his sentence became a shout, directed at the whole cafeteria. Students applauded. Dash stood with one leg on his seat and one on the table, a true showman. Over in the corner, Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley rolled their eyes. Dash threw his milk carton and beaned Fenton (Danny?) in the head. Milk splashed down his head.
Something twisted in Kwan’s gut.
Dash let out a roar and ripped off his shirt, tearing it in half. The cafeteria screamed in approval.
Kwan grinned up at Dash. For all his flaws, Kwan loved this guy.
(black, black blood dripping from his mouth and eyes, Dash snarling, reaching for Kwan—)
Kwan jerked back and tore his eyes away. Dash didn’t notice as his best friend looked for the exit. Kwan’s heart pounded. It wasn’t real. Not real. Just a bad dream. Or was this…?
In the background, Valerie (his friend? not his friend? no, no, they’d dropped her because she’d lost everything, right? but no, no that was cruel, too cruel even for Dash and Paulina, that couldn’t be right) was sneaking out the door just as Danny Fenton gasped and rushed in the same direction.
Something wasn’t right.
“Hey dude,” Kwan said, “I gotta run to the bathroom.”
Dash didn’t acknowledge him. He was leading the cafeteria in the Casper High fight song.
Kwan ran after Valerie and Fenton (Danny), bursting through the cafeteria doors just in time to see them turn the corner. “Wait!” he said, sprinting toward their shadows. Rounding the corner, he saw the Red Huntress and Danny Phantom (Valerie and Fenton—Danny, Danny, it’s Danny, Danny wants to be called his name, remember that he has to remember that—it was Valerie and Danny behind the heroes, he knew that, though he wasn’t sure how he knew) fighting a ghost.
It was massive and ugly, all claws and teeth and glowing fur. Kwan couldn’t see any eyes, but he’d learned after years of dealing with ghosts that that didn’t necessarily mean that it couldn’t see. It had six legs and two jaws that opened in concert to let out an earsplitting screech.
Glowing green spittle flew out of its unholy maw and landed on Kwan’s letterman jacket. Gross.
The ghost slammed Danny into a locker with one leg and used another to pin Valerie to the ground. It lowered its face to Valerie’s, ready to take a taste.
“Hey!” Kwan said, throwing the first thing he could grab—his phone—at the ghost. It bounced harmlessly off its head, but startled the ghost enough that Valerie was able to slip out of its hold and Danny was able to knock it down. A flash of light from Danny’s thermos, and the ghost was gone.
“Are you okay?” Kwan said. Valerie’s suit retracted and Danny transformed back into Fenton. Both of them were bruised, Danny cradling his ribs, but they were upright.
“We’re fine,” Valerie said with a glare.
“Hey,” Kwan said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m just trying to help.”
“Yeah, right.” Danny snorted and looked away. Kwan could still see milk in his hair.
Kwan frowned. “Look, I know it wasn’t much, but I’m just a guy! I did what I could!”
“Yeah, you did. Probably saved our lives with that phone.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“You only care because we’re heroes!” Valerie got in his face so he could clearly see the bruise lining her cheek. “You wouldn’t care if we were hurt because your bestie decided he wanted a punching bag. Helping the Red Huntress and Danny Phantom isn’t a risk to you. It makes you a hero! You’re so cool for helping to save the day. But you’d never help Valerie and Danny because what if someone saw ?”
“That’s not…”
“Face it, Kwan. You’re a coward. Always will be.”
Then they were gone, and Kwan was alone in the middle of a destroyed hallway.
--
“Kwan,” Dash said, “we need you to be on your a-game for this. They’ve got a real beast on their D-line, and you’re the only one with a chance of keeping him off me. I don’t wanna spend the whole game with my ass on the grass, so I’m counting on you, okay?”
Kwan blinked. They were huddled on the field, in full pads. Dash was giving the pre-game directions. It was gametime. Wasn’t it lunchtime? Or… was he… what?
“Kwan!”
“Uh, yeah! Yes. I’ve got it. Big guy, coming right at me. Yep.”
Was he going crazy? Something was wrong. Something other than what Valerie and Danny had said to him.
(And it was wrong, it had to be. He wasn’t a coward. He faced scary stuff all the time—a hazard of living in Amity Park. He couldn’t be a coward.)
The nameless d-lineman stared him down, eyes black as pitch behind the grill of his helmet. Kwan took a deep breath as he lined up against him. He could do this. This was easy. He was made for this.
A flash of green in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He turned his head just as Dash hiked the ball, and his mark blew right past him, laying Dash on the ground while Kwan stood, dumbly staring at the green he knew had to signal another ghost attack.
“Kwan!” Dash ignored the hand offered by one of the other offensive linemen. “What the hell, dude?”
Kwan jerked back. “What?” He took in the scene: Dash, with a clump of grass stuck in his helmet and dirt on his jersey. The ball, being moved backward by the referee. His teammates, glaring at him. “Oh. Oh, sorry. Just—I think there’s a ghost over there?” He pointed at the green light.
“So?” Dash said. “There’s always a ghost. Leave it for Huntress or Phantom to deal with. We’ve got a game!”
“Yeah. Yeah!” Danny and Valerie could totally handle it. They were heroes. It’s what they did. And football was what Kwan did. Division of labor and all that stuff.
And the thing is that Kwan was really good at football. He was the best left tackle in the state, easy. His coach said he could be the next Tony Boselli—though, hopefully without the injuries. With his mind on the game, no one got even close to Dash before he’d thrown the ball.
The forest glowed again. Kwan ignored it. There were eight minutes left on the clock for the second quarter.
A piercing scream floated over the field. Kwan turned to see Valerie, in her Red Huntress gear, slam into the ground head-first before being dragged back into the woods like a limp puppet.
“Oh shit.” This was bad. Valerie was hurt, bad. She wasn’t half-ghost like Danny. She was just a person. She needed medical care, and fast.
Could Kwan help?
Should Kwan help?
Kwan shook his head. Head injuries were no joke; he’d heard it from Coach often enough. Valerie needed help, and she needed it now. There was no time to wait for someone else to realize the problem.
He turned to leave the field.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dash said, catching his arm just as he reached the sideline.
“She’s hurt,” Kwan said. “She needs help.”
“We have a fucking game to play.” Dash’s fingers curled in the grill of Kwan’s helmet and jerking him around so their helmets clacked together. This close, Kwan could see the faint line of Dash’s eyelashes, the bright blue of his eyes. He thought about apologizing. He thought about kissing him.
How long had he been in love with his best friend? More importantly, how long had he let his best friend be an asshole because he loved him?
“I’m an idiot,” Kwan said.
“You don’t hear me arguing! Now get back on the damn field.”
“No.” Kwan almost continued, almost listed everything wrong with Dash, all the times he’d put everyone else around him down, all the people he’d hurt, how he’d hurt Kwan, even, but Dash would never, ever hear him. He knew that now. “I’m outta here,” he said instead, ripping off his helmet and sprinting toward where he’d last seen Valerie and Danny.
The world vanished.
Kwan blinked, and he was back in the chamber, staring at Valerie, Danny, and Paulina. “A test of courage…” he said to himself.
It was just like the room they first came into: a little more together, more whole, but otherwise almost identical. Across the room was another massive set of double doors. He turned around and saw the door, the first chamber beyond it. He’d barely stepped inside. It couldn’t have been more than a second or two.
“Yeah,” Valerie said with an eye roll, “that’s what we’ve been say—”
Kwan cut her off by sweeping her up in a hug.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry that I never stuck up for you. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry that I was too scared to help you even when I knew it was wrong.”
Valerie froze, stiff in his arms. “What?”
“You were right, this whole time. I was a coward and a jerk and I’m sorry.”
Kwan could feel Danny and Paulina’s eyes on him, but for right now, all his focus was on Valerie.
“What the hell are you—”
“I was a really terrible friend to you. We all were. You were hurting and we all made it worse.”
Valerie pulled back. “You’re serious. This… you mean this.”
“Yeah. I mean it more than anything I’ve ever said to you before.
“You—do you think I’ll forgive you? Just like that?”
Kwan let her go. “No. You always could hold a grudge.” He looked her in the eye. “I still needed to say it.”
Valerie nodded, a rough jerk of her head. “Okay. Just so we’re clear. Not forgiven.” She looked off-balance and confused. It figured, since Kwan had very much just dropped this on her with no warning. Whatever vision he’d received, it seemed like it was limited to him and only him.
“That’s okay. Let me know if it changes?”
Valerie stared at him for a long moment, brow furrowed, before it smoothed and one corner of her lips curled in a smile. “Whatever.”
Kwan grinned. “I’ll get there.”
Paulina coughed. “Uh, not to break up a tender moment, but can we save it for after we get the magic potion?”
“Unfortunately, Paulina’s right,” Danny said. “Not that this isn’t great, but we need to figure out the test of courage. We’re running out of time.”
Kwan was pretty sure he’d already seen it, but he didn’t even know where to begin with explaining. Instead, he said, “Danny! You, too! I was also a jerk to you, when you didn’t deserve it and I knew you didn’t deserve it. I’m so sorry about that. I wanted to be liked but I—”
“Woah woah woah,” Danny said. “I… appreciate it, but we really don’t have the time right now, dude.”
“No. No, see, this is exactly the time. I think this is my test, okay? Well, some of it. Part two, or whatever. Part one was this weird vision thing that I had to go through like some kinda fucked up dream. And I think part two is—well, bringing it into the real world.” Obviously, he couldn’t bring the ghost attack and the football game into this real world, but realizing he was wrong? Taking responsibility?
He could do that.
“How is apologizing to us a test of courage?” Danny said, head tilted in confusion.
“I was scared of… something really fucking dumb, now that I think about it. And I hurt people because of it.” Kwan glanced at Paulina, who was looking anywhere but his face. “I’m not going to let it control me anymore. And I’m sorry that I ever did.”
Silence for a moment, like the room was holding its breath, then the entire chamber began to shake. The doors at the end of the room swung open and revealed another pitch black unknown beyond them.
“Wait. That was it?” Paulina said. “You’re telling me the Ghost King couldn’t get through these trials, but Kwan did it by saying I’m sorry?”
“Woo!” Kwan said, pumping his fists in the air. Take that, Mr. Lancer’s final exam. Who was going to achieve nothing in life now? Not Kwan, he passed the Trial of Courage. Official and capitalized. Helping to save the world and all that shit.
“Well, let’s not look this particular gift horse in the mouth. Are we all ready for the next chamber?” Danny said.
Paulina coughed. “Hang on, does anyone have a breath mint? My mouth still tastes nasty.”
“Oh, yeah.” Kwan fished in his pocket and held out a stick of gum.
“Thanks.”
“Ooh, can I have some?” Danny said.
“Sure, dude!” He grabbed three more sticks of gum, handed on to Danny, who grinned, stuck one in his mouth, and held out the last one for Valerie. “Val? You want in on this?”
Valerie stared at the gum like she thought it might bite her. “Yeah,” she said after a moment. She took the gum with her thumb and forefinger, delicately. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s get a move on.”
As they headed for the inky blackness at the far end of the room, Kwan felt something grab his arm. He whirled around to see Danny, hand curled around Kwan’s elbow.
“Thank you,” Danny said, “for, y’know.”
“The gum?”
“No. Well, yes, but that’s not—I meant for apologizing.”
“Oh. Oh! Yeah. Honestly, should have done it forever ago. Just kept coming up with excuses, y’know?” Kwan laughed. “An apology was really the bare minimum.”
Danny let go of his arm and started walking again. “You’d be surprised. I can’t remember the last time anyone apologized for hurting me.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.��
“Dude, that’s messed—”
They crossed the threshold.
--
Paulina was much more confident going into the next chamber. These trials were easy! If all Kwan had to do was apologize, then compassion was probably something like saving a kitten and truth was something like—well, she was less sure about that one. Maybe just telling a secret? Or something?
Except—something was different. Last time, they’d walked in and immediately the chamber had brightened. Kwan apparently had some weird vision as part of his trial, of course, but none of that happened.
Instead, it was still pitch black, and she could no longer feel Valerie’s arm where she’d latched on, or Kwan’s hand. “Guys?” she said, and her voice was swallowed by the void. “Hello?”
“—see her haircut?—”
“—the look on his—”
“—honestly thought I liked her!”
Paulina’s voice, first a whisper, then louder and louder until she couldn’t hear her own thoughts. Her laughter, shrill and piercing, reverberated through the space. She pressed her hands over her ears, but it did nothing to block out the noise. Her head started to pound and hot tears leaked out of her eyes.
“Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!” She was sure she yelled the words, but she still couldn’t hear over her own laughter.
“Why? Why should I stop?”
“It hurts. It hurts!”
“Aw, but that’s never stopped you before!”
It was so loud. A sudden, sharp pain in her ear and she could feel warm liquid on the hand covering it.
“Please! Please! I’ll do anything!”
Suddenly, silence. Paulina fell to the floor with relief. She pulled her hands away from her head; the right one was wet and smelled of metal. Liquid dripped from her ear—had it started to bleed?
“Anything?”
“Yes! Yes, please!”
“Entertain me!”
“I—what?”
In front of her, stark against the black of the room, Valerie appeared, then Danny, then Mikey, then Sam Manson, then Tucker Foley, more and more and more of her classmates, standing and blinking in confusion at her.
But she was with Valerie and—or was she? But Manson was definitely not—this couldn’t be real. Was this real? She stared at her hand. Was she real?
“Paulina?” Valerie said. She sounded like she was underwater. The black of the room turned into a hallway. Casper High. It was—Friday. There was a football game she had to cheer for. She needed total focus for that. If only the stupid voice would leave her alone.
“I said entertain me!”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Valerie stared at her. “It’s your name, girl. Are you okay?”
“Make jokes! Like you always do. I gave you your material and everything!”
Material? Paulina looked at the crowd, and realized that all of them were… well, losers. The voice just wanted her to make fun of them?
Nothing she hadn’t done before.
“I’m better than you, apparently,” Paulina said, ignoring the pit in her stomach. “What were you thinking with that outfit?” It was a dumb, dumb comment. Low effort. It was just—in that moment, Paulina couldn’t think of anything to mock. Nothing about Valerie seemed worth jeering at.
Valerie looked down at her—admittedly, fine—shirt and frowned. “Jesus. What is your prob—your ear’s bleeding!”
Sure enough, pus and blood painted the palm of Paulina’s hand, and she could still feel something rolling down her neck.
(“Still”? When did this happen?)
“We need to get you to the nurse’s office,” Manson said, crouching down beside her. Why was Paulina on the floor?
“Oh,” she said. Manson offered her a hand up, and she took it. “Thank you. Sorry, Valerie. Your shirt’s fine.”
A piercing screech, metal on metal, filled the air. Paulina doubled over, hands back over her ears.
“That wasn’t funny, Polly!”
She could feel hands on her arms, but her eyes were squeezed shut and she could hear nothing but the voice and its (her) hideous laughter.
“You just want me to be mean!”
“Duh! Mean is funny, right?”
Paulina opened her eyes just enough to see Valerie, Manson, Foley, and Danny in front of her, concern in the lines of their faces. Danny’s mouth was moving.
“Look! It’s the little tech weirdo. He names all his phones. Like, unironically.” Foley stood up and directed other students away. Danny moved past her to do the same on the other side of the hallway. “Or the ghost kid. His parents were already freaks, and now he’s an extra special kind of freak. Easy money.”
“Please. Please just stop.”
“Entertain me, and I will. Tit-for-tat, babe.”
Paulina felt a sob jump out of her throat. Why wasn’t she just doing it? It hurt so bad. She’d do anything for it to stop.
So why wasn’t she doing this?
“I don’t want to!” she wailed. What she must sound like. What she must look like. Surrounded by people who had every reason to hate her, bleeding and crying and talking to nothing. “Pick something else!”
“But you do it all the time.”
“I change my mind, then!”
Was it that simple? All along? Could she just—change her mind? Be a better person?
“No you don’t.”
“I don’t want to hurt people anymore!”
The noise, somehow, got louder. Paulina vomited. Something wet trickled from her other ear. She wanted this to end. But she didn’t want to hurt people to do it. Why did she only get two options?
“So you’ll get hurt instead?”
“No!” She curled in on herself, falling back to her knees and closing her eyes again. “You’re choosing to hurt me. You could choose not to!”
“And, what? That’ll make it better? You’ll forgive me and we’ll be best friends?”
If Paulina could think clearly, if she could do anything beyond speak the first thing that sprung to her lips, she might have lied. She might have said “Of course I’ll forgive you” so the stupid voice might listen to her. This, however, was not a choice she had the brainpower to make right now.
Instead, she said: “Of course not! You’re a fucking asshole.”
“Then why should I?”
“Because I’m a person and it hurts!”
“You’re a little late to that realization, querida. Wasn’t Valerie a person when you ditched her? Do you think you can be Valerie’s friend again after this? That you can prove yourself to her or something?”
“I can’t fix it! But I can stop making it worse!”
The noise stopped. Blessed silence returned.
Paulina looked up through tear-blurred eyes and saw Valerie, Danny, and Kwan crouched over her. She couldn’t hear past the ringing in her ears
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her throat ached. She must have been yelling, before. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
The exhaustion hit her all at once. Her ears pulsed with pain as she continued to babble apologies. The ground shook beneath her and Kwan caught her before she could topple over. A hand rubbed at her back, soothing circles, and she curled into Kwan’s chest.
“Think ‘m gon’ sleep, now, mkay?” she said, and then she was out.
--
“Holy shit,” Danny said, collapsing next to Paulina and Kwan and brushing the hair out of her face. “Is she—is she okay?”
Kwan held his fingers over her wrists. “I think so. Her ears are bleeding, though.”
“What happened?” Valerie said. “Your trial wasn’t anything like this!”
“I don’t know! It’s not like I’m an expert.”
“Stop yelling,” Paulina said, shifting against Kwan’s chest. “I can’t really hear you anyway.”
“Polly!” Kwan said, naked relief on his face. “Are you okay?”
Paulina pointed to her ears. “I can’t hear you, querido. My ears—it was really loud. In the trial.”
Dried blood still stained her neck. Danny had a feeling that “really loud” was an understatement.
In halting sentences, Paulina explained her trial. The voice, the laughter, the deal for making the pain stop. Danny was impressed; he wasn’t sure he would have withstood it, in her position. He could understand, now, how Pariah wouldn’t have made it through the trials.
They asked questions throughout, which Paulina couldn’t hear. It got a little better when they spoke slower and enunciated, but it would be a struggle until her ears healed, Danny feared.
“Let’s go over what we know,” Danny said, counting off on his fingers. “One, in both of the trials, only one person was picked to do the trial. Two, neither of you remembered it was a trial while it was happening, right?”
Kwan and Paulina both shook their heads, though Paulina winced as she did it. “It felt real,” Kwan said. “Like—I knew something was wrong, but whenever I tried to focus on that wrongness, it vanished.”
“I knew it was a trial at first,” Paulina said, throat scratchy, “but when it got too loud, I couldn’t really think straight. Then I was in school, and I completely forgot about the trial thing, even though the noise was still there. I forgot it wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Danny wanted to apologize to Paulina, for getting her involved in this, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t exactly appreciate it. She looked rough. Dried tear-streaks on her face that she hadn’t wiped off yet, hair a mess like she tried to rip it out, blood trails from her ears. They were pretty sure she’d burst both eardrums during her trial.
(It was a little over-the-top, Danny thought, to torture someone in a trial of compassion. Paulina had her flaws, sure, but that didn’t mean she needed to be hurt to learn a lesson. Kwan’s trial had really lulled them all into a false sense of security.)
(He could see, now, why Pariah Dark could never make it through.)
“Three, the trials seem to pick people on purpose.” His eyes slid over to Kwan and Paulina. “I think it picks based on those who… struggle the most with the thing the trial is all about.”
“Huh?” Paulina said. Right. She could only kind of hear right now.
“He said the trials picked us because I’m a coward and you’re mean.”
Danny winced. “That’s not—”
“Oh. Well, duh.”
“So, if truth’s next, it’ll be you, right?” Valerie said, looking Danny up and down.
“Hey!”
“You’re the one with the big secrets here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you forget that you have a secret identity, too?” Danny felt like Valerie was probably right, all things considered. His secret was, ultimately, way bigger than hers.
Still, she was getting on his nerves. He’d known she had a grudge against ghosts, especially him, but this was getting ridiculous. For fuck’s sake, she’d worked better with him on Skulker’s island, when she thought he was a full ghost.
“No, but my dad knows all about it. And so did you, apparently, though you lied about that, too.”
“Oh, wow, two whole people. Except that I told your dad, not you. And you never told me anything! I happened to find out on my own.”
“Uh, guys?” Kwan said.
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Okay, yeah. But we broke up because I didn’t want to endanger you. And now it turns out you can take care of yourself just fine!”
“Oh, so if you knew I was half dead, we’d still be together? That’s my fault now?”
“Of course we wouldn’t. But I lied to you to protect you. You lied to me to protect yourself!”
“Yeah! I did! Now think for, like, two seconds about what I needed protection from!”
“Guys!” Kwan said. “Could you stop?”
“You know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe it will be me. But not because I lie more than you. Maybe these tests are meant for humans only.”
Danny felt his eyes flash green. “So that’s what this is about? You hate me because I’m a freak?”
“I hate you because—”
“Okay!” Kwan said, jumping between them. “I think this conversation needs to stop immediately, before you both say… even more things you will regret. Valerie, dude, I know we’re just now trying to maybe be friends again, but as your maybe-future friend: you’ve gotta lay off.”
Danny stared and blinked at Kwan a couple times. Was Kwan… defending him?
“You’re taking his side?”
“Yeah, I am. I think you both need to cool down, but you’re wrong about this. And I think you know it, too.”
Valerie huffed. “I’m not wrong.”
Danny was so, so tired. “Okay.” He turned away and walked over to Paulina, who was still on the ground, and offered her a hand.
She stared up at him before grabbing on and pulling herself up. “She is wrong. She’s just… stubborn.”
Danny sighed. “You heard all that?”
“Bits and pieces. I got the gist. Hey, do you think the Panacea will fix my ears?” Danny opened his mouth to reply, but Paulina kept talking. “Never mind. What I mean is: sorry you had to hear that. I know you care about her, you know? It must really suck to hear this stuff from her in particular.”
“Yeah, I knew she wouldn’t take it well, but I didn’t think she’d take it this badly. I mean, she was okay with Danielle!”
“I’ll be real with you, I only caught like half of that, but, uh, who’s Danielle?”
Oh, duh. Danny smacked himself in the face. “Right, sorry. Danielle’s my half-ghost cousin. Well, we call each other cousins, but technically she’s my clone. She’s her own person, and all that but—yeah. Anyway, the guy who cloned her is also a giant asshole and he was planning to melt her down to study her remains, but Valerie helped me save her.” This time, he spoke a bit louder, and made sure to enunciate so Paulina could try to read his lips too.
“Dude. You have a clone?”
“Yeah.”
“Someone cloned you?”
“Yeah.”
“What the fuck?”
Danny laughed. “Yeah, that’s about right. He’s a real fruitloop, that Vlad.”
“Hang on—not Vlad Masters?”
Danny laughed harder. “Yep!”
“What the fuck, babe!”
“You’re telling me.”
“Why?”
Danny started to answer, then thought better of it. It was, after all, a long story, and he had a feeling that, although she was great at faking it, Paulina was still only catching parts of what he said. “I’ll tell you when your ears are better,” he said, tugging on his own then pointing at hers to make his point clearer.
Paulina rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m holding you to that! This is some juicy, juicy gossip”—Danny flashed her a panicked look—“that I will take to my grave and never speak of again.”
Paulina kept talking as they rejoined Kwan and Valerie. Mostly jokes about how he should change his ghostly outfit (“Seriously, querido, you’d look great in a crop-top!”) or about him out-gothing Sam (“You went and died! Manson will never be that hardcore.”).
Maybe he and Paulina could be friends after this.
--
Valerie was sure she was right.
She was sure she was right as she and Kwan waited in stony silence for Paulina and—for the others to join them. She was sure she was right as they walked in a group, the other three linking arms while she refused Kwan’s hand. She was sure she was right as they crossed into the black.
She was less sure when the room stayed dark.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” she said. She worried at her lip for a moment, then yelled, “I’m the Red Huntress! Is that the truth this thing wants?”
“Uh, yeah,” Danny said. “I already know that, Val.”
Valerie grinned, just a little. It wasn’t like anyone could see her, and the fact that he was here, too? Vindicating. “Well, look at that. It’s both of us!”
“Yeah? It’s both of us. Together. In some strange room. In the dark.”
“Okay, well I said my big truth. You say yours.”
“What? Why?”
“We need to get through this trial, dumbass!”
“Trial?”
“Yeah, the truth trial. Obviously we’re both in it—wait. You don’t know it’s a trial! Ha, then this is totally your trial and I just got pulled in for… reasons. I knew it!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why is it so dark? Where are we?”
Valerie waved him off, though he couldn’t see it. “Oh, that’s not important. What is important is that you need to tell the truth. Probably to me, which is why I’m here.” Yeah, that made sense. He needed to tell the truth about how he’d hurt her, how he’d hurt everyone, how he’d played hero to earn his fawning fans. He needed to stop pretending to be something he wasn’t. And she was here because she deserved to hear it directly from him.
“What truth? Again, Val, what are you talking about?”
“Stop calling me Val. We’re not friends.”
“What do you—”
“Did the trial make you forget? I know you’re a ghost.”
“Oh.”
“I destroy ghosts.”
“But… But I’m also a human.”
“You’re a liar, is what you are.”
“For good reason.”
“No, I’m a liar for good reason. You’re just a coward!”
There was a long moment of silence where Valerie could only hear her own heaving breaths. Then, softly: “Wouldn’t you be?”
“No!”
“Really? You wouldn’t be the slightest bit afraid that people would try to kill you?”
“No one would kill you.”
“You said you know I’m a ghost and then immediately threatened to destroy me.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Oh? How was I supposed to take ‘I destroy ghosts’ then? A joke?”
“Stop trying to turn this around on me. You’re the one who needs to tell the truth!”
“What truth? You already know the secret!”
“I’m talking about the rest of it! How you lie and manipulate people, how you fake being a hero, how you ruined my life!”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yes.”
“Is that really what you think?”
“I don’t think. I know.”
“Gah! It’s impossible to talk to you about this shit.” There was a rustling sound, like he was walking away.
“Hang on! You can’t walk away; you still need to complete your trial!” She ran to where she heard him moving, tripped, and then she was falling, falling, falling…
…and landing with a thud in the same black void.
“She’s a ghost! And I destroy ghosts.”
“But she’s also a human!”
Was that… her? Back when they had been talking about Danielle. Danielle, who was human and ghost and just a little girl. Valerie and—they had saved her from Vlad, who was also human and ghost.
“Was this a trick, too? Was Danielle a liar, too?” she yelled. No answer. “Where the hell did you go? We aren’t done here!”
“Valerie?”
Valerie twitched. That voice—
There, bright and glowing against the blackness of the room, was Danielle.
“Valerie!” Danielle said with a grin, flying forward and giving her a hug. Valerie returned it with stiff arms.
“Hey, you… Uh, I’m looking for your… cousin. Do you know where he is?”
“Danny? No, I haven’t seen him in ages. I’m kinda off exploring the world, y’know? Anyway, how’ve you been?”
“I’m—good. Look, I really need to find him.”
Danielle floated up and shrugged. “Well, he’s not here, but I can help you look.”
Valerie nodded. “Thanks, kid. And, uh, would you mind changing back to human?”
“Huh?” Danielle landed on whatever passed for the ground in this featureless void. “Why?”
“It’s just—uncomfortable, is all.”
Something strange passed across Danielle’s face.
“Oh. Well, I mean, I’ll be a lot faster if I can fly.”
Valerie clenched her fists. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth.
Danielle’s answering smile was tense as she lifted herself through the air. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Wait, if you leave how will”—Danielle zoomed away with an impressive burst of speed—“we find each other. Great.” Valerie groaned and slumped to the ground. “They just keep running away, huh?”
“Yeah,” Star said, “I wonder why that is.”
Star and Valerie were on a hill, watching the stars. Star was really good at finding constellations, seeing connections where Valerie saw points, seeing a picture where Valerie saw light pollution, so stargazing was always fun with her. She’d always loved space because of her name, she said. She wanted to know all about what she was named after.
The moon was full and bright. Valerie could see Star clearly, half-swallowed by the long grass. It was a cool, pleasant night. Peaceful, in all the ways Valerie was not.
(She was looking for someone. To do… something.)
“It’s ‘cause they know I’m right,” Valerie said.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe you need to be less sure.”
“What are you—”
And Valerie was falling again.
--
Detention with Lancer. Never fun, not even when he kicked his feet up and fell asleep. She and Phantom had both gotten it for skipping class to fight ghosts. The ghost himself was sitting in the back of the class, balancing his pencil on his nose and staring out the window.
After a long moment of silence, Phantom said, “You don’t have any questions for me?”
“Already know all the answers.”
“Oh yeah? Then why’d I fight Pariah Dark?”
“For attention.”
“I thought I would die.” Phantom’s tone was light, conversational. This isn’t a big deal to him, just a fact. “Like, all the way. I thought that suit was gonna kill me if Pariah didn’t kill me first.”
“You’re lying.”
The pencil fell to the desk with a clatter. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Whenever I say anything you can’t argue against, you just claim I’m lying.”
“It’s because you’re a liar,” Valerie said without thinking.
“See! There you go again. Not addressing my actual point, just deflecting.”
Valerie opened her mouth to refute again, then paused. Calling the ghost a liar had become reflex. She didn’t have to think about anything he said if it was all a lie, after all. Then again… “But you did lie to me.”
“Yeah. I’ve been lying to everyone for years now.”
“So why should I trust you?”
Phantom shrugged. “Have I ever hurt anyone?”
“That doesn’t mean you won’t start.”
“You could say the same thing about literally anyone, though.”
“You ruined my life!”
“You told me you liked being a ghost hunter. That you like your life as it is right now. Was that a lie?”
Valerie grit her teeth. “No.”
“Then why are you so upset with me?”
“Because you lied!” Valerie yanked her hair in frustration. “Isn’t that obvious?”
“Not because I’m a ghost?”
“No!”
Valerie gasped even as the word came out of her mouth. Lancer grumbled in his sleep at the front of the classroom and shifted to the side. Phantom grinned at her, showing off the fangs in his mouth.
“Wait, no, that’s not… I’m also mad because of the ghost thing! Ghosts are evil.”
“Am I evil?”
Yes, she wanted to say, but her lips wouldn’t form the word.
“Is Danielle evil?”
Danielle, screaming, dissolving into goo, and Valerie put her there—
“No.”
“Are you angry? Or are you using anger to cover the hurt?”
“I—I’m not—”
And Valerie was falling again.
--
“One of these days, ghost,” Jack Fenton said, shaking his fist, “I’m going to catch you and rip you apart molecule by molecule!”
“She’s a ghost!” Valerie said. “And I destroy ghosts!”
“Ghosts are nothing but the imprint of a human consciousness manifesting in ectoplasm after death,” Maddie Fenton said, shocking the ghost on her table as it screamed. “They don’t actually feel anything.”
And then—
Frostbite slammed the door closed, even though he got infected. Even though he was a full ghost and shouldn’t have cared about them at all.
And Danielle flew away, young and eager to explore the world. A child, who’d never really been free before.
And Danny—
Danny laughing with her. Danny hiding with her from Dash and Nathan. Danny forgiving her for being mean in school. Danny begging her to help him save Danielle (a child, who’d done nothing wrong and Valerie had given her away to a man who would destroy her). Danny, just as invested in protecting that stupid flour sack for their grade. Danny, revealing her to her dad, smug little grin on his face. Danny, who could’ve died that day and no one would have ever known what he’d done for them.
Something ached in her heart.
“No,” she said, choking on a sob, as the scenery around her changed again. “No, I can’t be this wrong.”
She was in a lab, now. Jack and Maddie Fenton stood to her left. To her right stood two GiW agents. On the table in front of her, strapped down, was Phantom.
Was Danny.
“Ms. Gray,” one of the agents said, “we were so pleased when you brought us your capture. Such a unique specimen will fuel our research for decades.”
Valerie swallowed. Danny stared at her, uncanny green eyes boring into her own. He didn’t say anything.
“Decades?” she said.
“Of course! We’ll take it slow; we wouldn’t want to destroy it before we’ve learned everything we can. Not like some people.” He looked over at Jack and Maddie, who rubbed their heads sheepishly.
Decades. Decades as a test subject. If Danny was just a ghost, it shouldn’t matter. He couldn’t feel anything.
Right?
Valerie couldn’t look away from his face. He looked scared.
“No,” she said. Her fingers clenched into fists
“Hm?” the other agent said.
“No, I won’t let you do this. It… This isn’t right!” With every word she spoke, she became more sure.
Danny was afraid. It wasn’t a lie or an act. He was really, truly afraid.
“Valerie?” Maddie said. “Dear, you know it’s not a person, right? It can’t actually feel.”
“You’re wrong!” She stepped forward, pulled out her gun, and blasted away the restraints holding Danny down. “I’ve been wrong, too. This whole time.”
“It’s out!” one agent said, pulling his ectogun and firing. “Recapture maneuvers, now!”
“What did you do?” Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Danny flew around the room, avoiding the ectoblasts from the agents and Maddie. “What did you do?”
“The right thing,” she whispered. And she knew that, this time, she was correct, and it hit like a bullet to the chest.
Then she was soaring, ripped out of Jack’s grasp, flying through walls and agents until she was outside the building, in Danny’s arms, free.
He set her down on a rooftop across the city. “Thank you,” he said. “I couldn’t—”
Heaving sobs burst out of her. “I’m sorry! God, fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“I—Huh?”
Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I just didn’t want to admit it. For so long, Danny.”
“Are you okay?”
Valerie laughed. “No. I’ve been convincing myself that I was right and ghosts were all evil all the time because if they weren’t… if they weren’t, then what was I even doing?”
Danny’s face, inexplicably, softened. “Val—”
“And then I found out your secret, and all I could think was that you lied. That you didn’t trust me. And I knew why! But if I acknowledged it, then I had to acknowledge everything. All the—all the ways I hurt you. What if I hurt other ghosts that did—didn’t deserve it either?” Valerie hiccuped. “I—oh, God, I’m a monster.”
“You’re not a monster. You’re human. This is the kind of mistake that humans make. Me included.”
“I would have let Vlad destroy Danielle if you didn’t talk me out of it. I would have been fine with it!”
“But you didn’t. Don’t torture yourself over things you didn’t do. It doesn’t help anything.”
Valerie’s throat was sore, aching with each new sob, but she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry. I made you a liar in my head so I could keep lying to myself. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Danny’s arms circled around her, and she let her head hit his shoulder.
“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”
--
Kwan didn’t expect Valerie to come back crying.
He’d kind of figured she’d get the trial. She’d been so sure it would be Danny that Kwan thought it had to be her. Like, cosmically or whatever. And after Paulina’s… whatever that was, he knew it would more than likely be intense. But ever since her dad had lost his job, Valerie had lost her softness, too. She didn’t cry when she was upset anymore. Instead, she got angry. She got even.
But when the light flashed on, Valerie was huddled on the floor, hugging herself, sobs heaving from her chest. Her face was dark and splotchy, dark stains of mascara trailing down her cheeks. Time was Kwan would have run to her, put his arms around her, rocked her back and forth. But this wasn’t that Valerie, and he wasn’t that Kwan.
He walked slowly, and knelt beside her.
“Valerie?”
“Oh God,” she said, choking through her sobs. “I—I really messed up.”
Kwan couldn’t help but turn his head and stare at Danny, holding Paulina up across the room. If she meant what he thought she meant… well, he couldn’t exactly argue.
“Yeah,” he said. She looked at him, tears still dripping from her eyes. “What are you gonna do about it?”
Valerie lifted a shaking hand and wiped at her eyes and cheeks and chin. “Ugh, nasty.” She looked tired more than anything. “Yeah. Yeah, I gotta do something, right?”
“You should probably start with walking. I don’t think he’s gonna come to you.”
Kwan stood with her, holding her elbow as her knees started to tremble. He glanced over her real quick, looking for any injuries like Paulina’s, but whatever had messed her up seemed to be more mental than anything.
That didn’t stop her from almost collapsing when she took her first step, grabbing on to Kwan’s hand at the last moment.
“Val!” Danny said, making an aborted gesture like he wanted to come over to help.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Just give me a sec.”
Kwan didn’t quite buy it, but she was determined. He kept his arm out, just in case she fell, but with each step she became steadier, almost normal by the time she reached Danny and Paulina.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was wrong about you. About everything. And I knew it, see, but I didn’t want to face it. So I just kept lying to myself. And I hurt you because of it. And I’m sorry.”
Danny froze, staring at Valerie in disbelief. “Oh,” he said.
Kwan looked over at the door at the far end of the chamber. He awaited the tell-tale rumble, the sign that they’d finished the last trial and the door was opening, but nothing came. Confused, he stared at Valerie, who shook her head.
“I don’t think I’m done just yet,” she said, sitting down in front of Danny. “I’ve done a lot of talking since this started. Said a lot of things… things that I regret. I haven’t listened, much. I think I need to listen, now.”
“Listen to what?” Danny said. “Like, what am I supposed to say?”
“Anything you wanted to tell me.” Tears spilled over her eyes again and her voice broke. “I’ll believe you. I swear.”
Danny laughed, just a little. “Even if I said the sky was green?”
Valerie pointed at one of the holes in the ceiling that revealed the swirling Ghost Zone outside. “Isn’t it?” she said.
Kwan couldn’t help but laugh at that, too, just as Danny and Valerie fell into giggles. Paulina mostly looked confused, but Kwan didn’t really have a good way to explain it to her right now. He waved her off.
“Well, I guess—Vlad’s a half-ghost, too. I thought you should know that.”
“Oh, uh, I already did. Know that, I mean”
“You did?”
Kwan held up his hands before they could get any deeper into that discussion. “Wait, wait—the mayor?”
“Yeah. He wants to kill my dad, marry my mom, and make me his evil half-ghost apprentice. So. It’s uncomfortable at best but sometimes I egg his house.”
“You egg his house?”
“After he cloned me, I figured all bets were off.”
“He cloned you?”
“Jesus, is that where Danielle came from?”
“Who’s Danielle?”
“My cousin. Well, technically, yes, she’s my clone, but that’s weird so we just call each other cousins.”
“Yeah,” Kwan said, feeling faint, “that makes the situation much less weird.”
Danny shrugged. “It’s just my life, dude. You get used to it.”
“Hang on,” Valerie said. “I don’t think we can gloss over the fact that Vlad Masters wants to murder your father, marry your mother, forcibly adopt you, and clone you, and the proportional response is egging his house?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “It’s not proportional but I’m not rich enough to do much more than be petty. If I reveal his identity to anyone then he’ll reveal me, too. Mutually Assured Destruction, and all that. Only so much I can do outside of that.”
“Okay. Okay. Shit. This is crazy. I hate this.”
“Tell me about it. How did you know Vlad was a ghost, anyway?”
“Oh, uh, I flew back to check on him after Danielle. And he was. Monologuing.”
Danny laughed again. “Of course he was. He’s such a little loser. You know his cat?”
“Yeah, Maddie—oh shit, that’s your mother’s name.”
(What the fuck, Kwan thought. What the fuck the mayor was so creepy.)
“Yeah, heh, well, the cat was my idea.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I told him he was so lonely and pathetic that he should stop trying to get my mom to love him since she never would and instead fill that hole with a cat. I still can’t believe he listened to me.”
They broke down into laughter again. Kwan thought it sounded a little hysterical, but he figured they deserved to go a little crazy.
After they calmed down a bit, Valerie wiped at her eyes. “What else?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, is there anything else you want to say to me? Stuff to tell me?”
(Kwan actually wanted to spend a little more time on the whole the mayor is an evil ghost thing, but this wasn’t his show.)
And Danny talked.
He talked about walking into his parents’ portal, thinking it was broken. About turning it on while he was still inside. About how much he sucked with his powers to start. About Ember McClain (she’s a ghost?) and Spectra (she’s a ghost?) and the Lunch Lady. About how scared he was, fighting Pariah Dark. About how much fun it was to fly. How funny it was to mess with Vlad.
Sometime, in the middle of all this, the door opened. Kwan and Paulina both felt the rumble, both looked at the door, but Valerie and Danny were too engrossed in their conversation to notice. Paulina opened her mouth to say something, but Kwan shook his head. The fate of the world didn’t rest on them moving immediately. Thirty more seconds wouldn’t matter.
After another minute, Paulina raised her eyebrows at him, jerking her head at the door. Kwan bit back an instinctive retort. She wouldn’t hear it anyway, and she wasn’t wrong. They couldn’t wait forever.
“Uh, guys?” he said, when there was a slight lull. “Not to interrupt, but the door’s open.”
Valerie and Danny’s head whipped around. “Oh,” Valerie said. “Right.”
Kwan winced. They’d been having a good time! Getting along! He’d been hoping for that since the beginning of this mess and now that they were there, he had to break the tender moment up. Unfair.
Necessary, but unfair.
“We’re done, right?” Danny said. “I mean, this last one should be the Panacea?”
“Should be,” Valerie said. “Unless we fucked up somehow. Or that legend was wrong.”
Kwan peered beyond the opening, but just like every other time, it was pitch black. They’d only find out for sure by walking in.
“Hang on a sec,” Danny said, eyes squeezed in concentration. Before Kwan could ask what he was doing, a bright white light engulfed the room.
When Kwan could see again, there was Danny Phantom, standing in place of Danny Fenton.
“Woo! Finally!” Danny said, floating up and doing a couple flips.
“Wait,” Kwan said, “could you… not do that before?”
Danny laughed. “Of course not, dude, or I’d’ve been in ghost mode the whole time. Ghost Zone is dangerous and all. That gun really knocked the wind out of me; I only just got the connection to my ghost half back.”
Kwan had been kind of avoiding thinking about Danny’s ghost half because he wasn’t really sure what to think. He didn’t have a problem with it, not like Valerie did, but it still felt… weird. How could someone be half-dead? Wasn’t it, like, painful?
Watching now, the grin on Danny’s face as he unleashed a bright explosion of ectoplasm like a firework over their heads, he knew there was nothing to worry about. Danny was half-ghost. Danny was happy about it.
It was good enough for him, Kwan decided.
He glanced over at Valerie. A smile played around her lips. Paulina was cheering beside her, elbow resting on Valerie’s shoulder. In a moment, they’d all link arms and walk through the last door, a truly united front.
Kwan cheered with Paulina as Danny landed. Valerie’s almost-smile became a grin. Danny bowed, a huge sweeping motion.
He could get used to friends like this.
--
“If we walk through this door and there’s another trial,” Danny said, looping his hands through Kwan and Valerie’s elbows, “I’m gonna be so pissed.”
Kwan and Valerie laughed, but Paulina groaned. “I can’t wait to find this stupid Panacea so I can stop missing all the good stuff! Stop being funny while I can’t hear!”
Danny couldn’t help laughing again as they stepped over the final threshold.
Immediately, the room lit up. Danny raked his eyes over the other, making sure none of them were shaken up or hurt like they’d been before, but they all looked the same.
“No trials?” he said, just to be sure.
“No,” Valerie said. Kwan shook his head.
Paulina rolled her eyes. “I still can’t hear you.”
Danny gave her a thumbs up, then pointed at her, and shrugged.
She giggled. “Okay, yeah, I’m good. No trials or anything, if that’s what you’re asking.”
With that settled, Danny examined the room for the Panacea. At the far end, raised on a pedestal on a dais, was a white, crystalline bottle, glowing just slightly.
The Panacea.
Kwan whooped and raced toward it. “Wait!” Danny said, afraid of another trap.
Kwan made it to the dais, but stopped at Danny’s shout. “Sorry! I got excited.”
“Yeah, I get it, but we need to be careful.” Danny floated up next to Kwan, Valerie and Paulina right behind him. “Maybe… Maybe you should all step back.”
“What?”
“Danny, no!”
“What’d you say?”
“Listen! I’m faster than any of you. If something gets triggered I’m more likely to be able to get away.”
“But—” Valerie started to say.
“Am I wrong?”
“No—”
“Look, I appreciate it. Really, I do, but I think it’s best if I get the thing. Just in case.”
Danny couldn’t exactly explain why, but he was absolutely certain that he needed to be the one to grab the bottle. Everything he said was true enough, but there was something else niggling in the back of his mind that said he was the only one who could do it. He couldn’t let anyone else touch it.
“What’s going on?” Paulina said to Kwan in what she probably intended to be a whisper but was loud enough for everyone to hear. Kwan pointed to Danny, then to the rest of them, then pointed to the other side of the chamber.
“Yeah, that doesn’t really help,” she said, “but thanks, querido.”
“Are you sure?” Valerie said, steady gaze meeting his own.
Danny swallowed. “I’m sure.” He wasn’t sure why he was so sure, but he was.
She bit her lip, then nodded and stepped back, pulling Kwan and Paulina with her. That trial really had changed things; just ten minutes ago, Valerie would never have listened to him like this.
Once they were far enough away, Danny took a deep breath and grabbed the Panacea.
It came off easily, but before they could take a moment to celebrate, a bright green box formed around him.
Of course it did.
Danny reached out to touch the green wall, and a painful zap had him yanking his hand back. So no walking through. Ugh.
“Oh, come on!” Paulina said, tearing at her hair in frustration. “We passed your stupid trials! Just let us save the world!”
“Don’t worry, dude!” Kwan said. “We’ll get you out of there.”
It hit Danny all at once, a certainty that he knew exactly what needed to be done.
Valerie had already run up to the trap, Kwan and Paulina close behind, and was examining it. Probably looking for a way to get rid of it.
She couldn’t, though. Not like that.
“Val! Take the Panacea!”
Valerie, sharp as ever, narrowed her eyes at him. She’d already caught on. “We aren’t going to leave you here, Danny.”
“You have to.”
“No way!”
“What’s happening now?”
Kwan pulled out his phone, typing something before showing it to Paulina. She gasped. “Are you stupid? We’ll figure something else out. Don’t go playing martyr on us now.”
“No, listen! You have to. This is my trial, okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Every trial picks something that we suck at, right? Well, this one picked me.”
Kwan frowned. “I don’t—”
“It’s trust. I—look, I’ll be honest, you three are not high on my list of people to trust with my secret. Or, at least, you weren’t.”
Valerie opened her mouth, then winced. “Okay, yeah, that’s… fair.”
“But how can this be a trial? No one else’s trial took place in the real world!” Kwan stopped himself, furiously typing on his phone to show to Paulina. “This is the real world, right?”
“It’s real,” Danny said. He knew it like he knew he needed to grab the Panacea, like he knew exactly what needed to happen next. “This trap won’t go away until we put the Panacea back. But when we put it back, it’s gone forever. We’ll never find it again.”
“So, if we get you out…”
“We lose the Panacea.”
“No, no, no! We’ll figure something else out. There has to be another way.”
“Guys, guys, chill. You just have to bring it back when you’re done, okay?” Danny held out the Panacea through the force field. It passed through just fine. “I’m not offering to stay here forever. Just until you get back.”
None of them moved to grab the bottle. “But… but how are we supposed to fight the ghost without you?”
It was a fair question, and Danny wasn’t sure how he would have answered it yesterday. But the Panacea would be Pestilence’s ultimate weakness. And they’d faced plenty of stuff on their own today.
Danny wiggled the Panacea. “You’ll figure it out. I’ve got faith.”
(He was lying, just a little. But this wasn’t the truth trial, and what was faith without a little doubt?)
Valerie hugged herself. “I don’t know that we can,” she said. She straightened. “But we have to anyway, right?”
“Pretty much,” Danny said with a laugh.
“Do you have, like, snacks? For while you wait? Do you even need to eat?” He opened his mouth to respond, but Paulina shook her head. “Never mind, I can’t hear you anyway. Just… be careful?”
He couldn’t do much else, trapped as he was. He smiled and gave Paulina a thumbs up.
Kwan reached out and took the bottle. “How come you get to know it’s a trial, anyway? I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
“How the hell should I know?”
“Fair.” Kwan started to move away, then paused. “We’ll figure it out. Promise.”
“I know,” he said. (Did he?)
“See you soon.”
Danny’s palms were sweaty under the suit. “See you soon.”
And they left.
--
Waiting sucked.
He was more bored and more anxious than he’d ever been in his life. Sure, he’d talked big about trusting the others. He even meant it. But he’d lost his phone somewhere in this whirlwind of a day, so he had no idea how much time had passed. An hour? Two hours? A day?
Okay, it definitely hadn’t been a day, but still. He worried. Valerie could hold her own, and Kwan could throw a decent punch, but was that enough against a veritable army? Even with the Panacea?
He wasn’t used to sitting aside and letting other people save the day.
(It was the right choice. It was the only choice. He hated it.)
He drummed his fingers on his knee. He tried a few breakdancing moves, fell, and laid on his back for ten minutes. His bladder started to ache. He thought about pissing through the barrier, but he couldn’t risk the chance that it would instead ricochet. He squeezed his legs together. He sang Billy Joel songs at the top of his lungs until his throat started to hurt.
“Jeez, you are not a singer, my guy.”
Danny’s head jerked up at Kwan’s voice. There, crossing the threshold, were Valerie, Paulina, and Kwan, hair and clothes a little messed up, but looking perfectly fine.
“You’re back!” He stood up and attempted to meet them, only to slam into the barrier, zapping himself once again. “Ow.”
“Of course we are,” Valerie said, a smirk in her voice. “Never a doubt.”
“This Panacea stuff is amazing.” Paulina pointed to her ears and wiggled the bottle. “Fixes everything. I love hearing and sound.”
Danny laughed, relief tingling down his spine. It worked. They did it. They won.
“Thank fuck,” he said. “Now get me out of here.”
“Hm, I don’t know,” Paulina said, tapping at her chin and frowning. “This stuff is pretty cool.”
Before an icy hand of fear could grip his heart, Kwan and Valerie were already yelling at Paulina.
“Polly!”
“Come on, girl.”
Paulina giggled, waving her hand. “Sorry, sorry. Wrong crowd.” She passed it through the barrier.
He snatched it out of her hand and placed it back on its pedestal. The barrier fell, and the room rumbled once again. As Danny stumbled to his friends (yeah, they were friends, weren’t they?), the chamber collapsed in on itself, leaving just the four of them, floating alone in the Ghost Zone.
“Guys,” Danny said, “I have to pee so badly.”
And they collapsed on each other, laughing. It didn’t help the burning in his bladder, but he could wait a minute or so more.
--
All four of them had split with little fanfare, exhausted from the day's events. He'd sent a quick text to Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, promising to explain everything tomorrow, and promptly fell asleep.
Jazz drove him to school and he gave her a rundown on the way. She smiled at him. Patted his shoulder. Said she was proud of him for making such a hard choice.
“Wasn't much of a choice,” he said with a shrug.
“That still doesn't mean it was easy. You did good, Danny. And now maybe you've got some more people, too.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe.”
The thing was, Danny had watched The Breakfast Club once, with Sam and Tucker. At the end, Sam looked over at him and said, “Bet they go back to school the next day and never talk to each other again.”
Tucker blew a raspberry at her. “Boo!” he said. “You're no fun.”
“Yeah,” Danny had said at the time, “They're all friends now. They aren't just going to give it all up to go back to how things used to be.”
“They spent one afternoon together in detention,” Sam said. “How life changing could it be?”
Danny pointedly did not think about that conversation as he walked up to Casper High the day after Pestilence's defeat. He didn't think about it as he pushed open the front entrance. He didn't think about it as he opened his locker. He definitely didn't think about it as he saw Dash shove Mikey to the floor.
Business as usual.
“Hey.”
Danny jumped, smacked his head on the locked door, and turned to see Paulina standing behind him.
Paulina giggle. “You good, cariño?”
“Don't sneak up on me like that!” Danny rubbed the stinging at the back on his head. “You'll give me a heart attack.”
“Can you get a heart attack?” Paulina tilted her head. Danny thought for a moment: his heart didn't actually beat in ghost form so theoretically...
“...Don't ask me that.”
“Hey, Fenturd! Leave Paulina alone.”
And there was Dash, looming behind him like Skulker, but only half as scary. Danny managed not to flinch as he turned to face him.
“I started talking to him, Dashie.”
Dash blinked in surprise. “Well,” he said, “he still shouldn't bother you.”
“He isn't.”
“Oh.”
Dash stood for a moment, mouth open, like he couldn't believe any of this. Danny could hardly believe it himself. But then Paulina rolled her eyes and said, “Seriously, Dash, that's enough. You can go now.” She punctuated her sentence with a dismissive wave.
“I—what?” Dash shook his head. “No, no, this doesn't make sense. Polly, are you—are you still possessed?”
Still possessed. Did Dash think that Paulina had been under Pestilence's spell? Or did he think she was somehow under Danny's spell? What exactly did everyone else think had happened yesterday?
“Just because I want to talk to Danny and not—”
“But he's a loser—”
“Don't talk about him like that!”
Dash's mouth flapped like he wanted to speak but no words came out. “I—you—what did you do to her, you little freak?” He turned on Danny, who had pressed himself into his locker, caught in the middle of this argument. Grabbing Danny's collar, he hoisted him up, knocking his head against the locker door again. Ow.
“I didn't do anything! Maybe Paulina just grew up!” Danny had never been good at keeping his mouth shut. Even now, when the obvious answer was to just get this whole thing over as soon as possible, he still had to sass Dash.
Paulina's perfectly manicured hand wrapped around Dash's wrist. “Seriously, Dash, he didn't—”
Dash ignored her, shoving her off. Paulina stumbled back, then hit the ground with a thud.
“Get off of him!”
And there was Kwan, pulling Dash off of him, arms looped under and around his shoulders. Danny sank to the ground, rubbing at his head. To the side, he saw Valerie help Paulina up before they both turned to glare at Dash.
Despite the twinge in his scalp, despite the stares of the rest of the school, despite his own lingering exhaustion, Danny couldn't help but smile. Take that, Sam. The Breakfast Club lives.
--
“Kwan?” Dash pulled away as soon as Kwan loosened his grip. “What the hell are you doing?”
Kwan ignored him and turned to Danny and Paulina. “You guys okay?”
Before either of them could respond, Dash shoved him. “Hey!”
“What is your problem, dude?”
“You're the one who suddenly came at me!”
“Yeah, because you were hurting Danny and Paulina.”
Dash blinked, like that hadn't occurred to him. It probably hadn't. Sometimes, Kwan thought that Dash didn't realize that everyone else in the world was a person, too. That they all had thoughts and feelings of their own. To Dash, everything was all Dash all the time.
(It wasn't entirely true, Kwan knew. He remembered a different Dash, eight years old, crying over Old Yeller and pretending he wasn't. Swiping at stray tears and yelling it's just dusty it's allergies don't laugh even though Kwan was crying, too. He doesn't know when exactly the pretense became reality, but he'd lost his Dash a long, long time ago.)
“Sorry Polly,” Dash said, not even looking at her. “But she’s acting weird. Fentonio’s using his parents’ ghost stuff to control her or something!”
“He is not!” Paulina yelled.
“Do you have, like, proof, or are you just pulling this insane theory out of your ass?”
They had long since attracted a crowd. Danny had slipped over to Valerie and Paulina at the front of the mass of students, and behind them stood just about every person in the school. Even Mr. Lancer, who by all rights should have been stepping in and stopping this, was standing by and watching. Like he was curious how things would go.
Asshole.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you need to back off of Danny and everyone else!”
Dash straightened up and pushed up his sleeves. “Oh yeah?” he said. “Who’s gonna make me.”
The crowd around them went wild, frenzied kids hooting and hollering at the prospect of a fight. Kwan made eye contact with Danny, Valerie, and Paulina. Paulina pointed at Dash, rolled her eyes, and faked a gag. Valerie gave him a thumbs up. Danny mouthed sorry at him. Behind them, Lancer hid his face behind a book.
Kwan wasn’t stupid. He knew what Dash was asking for. He knew Dash thought he’d win the fight, easy. He’d always won before, after all. Except—Kwan had been stupid in love with him. And a Dash who won was way happier than a Dash who lost.
The truth: Dash was a quarterback. Decently strong, for sure, but his main job was throwing the ball around. Kwan was an offensive lineman. His main job? Throwing people around. When the playing field was level, when Kwan didn’t pull his punches, there was no competition.
If Dash had thought about it for more than a minute, he would’ve realized that there was no way he was stronger than Kwan. But he’d long since lost that kind of self-awareness.
Kwan could be sad about all the ways Dash had changed tomorrow. Today was for kicking his ass.
Dash pulled his arm back to throw a haymaker. Without pausing to think, Kwan sidestepped the attack and swung an uppercut, hitting Dash square on the jaw with a nauseating click.
Dash flopped to the floor, mouth hanging open. Blood dripped down his chin; he must have bitten his tongue. For a moment, he froze, staring at Kwan in shock.
“You’re an ass,” Kwan said, “and I’ve been an ass right next to you. But I’m sick of it. Paulina’s sick of it. Everyone else in school is sick of it. I’m not holding myself back just to make you feel better. And I’m not gonna let you keep being a dick, either. So I suggest you stay down.”
Dash opened his mouth to say something, but Kwan cut him off. “I don’t wanna hear it,” he said. “Just… grow the fuck up, dude.”
And he walked past his oldest friend, bleeding on the ground, toward the cacophony of students and his 3 new/old friends.
“Jeez,” Valerie said, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder, “you’re so dramatic.”
“That was… public,” Danny said. The students started to disperse, heralded by Mr. Lancer. Lancer looked over at Kwan, nodded in something like approval, then shepherded people into their classrooms, leaving the four of them alone in the hallway just before the bell rang.
Kwan scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about that. Sorry you got in the middle there.”
“No, no, I mean… thanks for stepping in, but are you guys gonna be okay?” Danny’s eyes flicked between Paulina and Kwan.
They looked at each other. Paulina giggled. Valerie shook her head with a smile.
“Yeah, dude,” Kwan said. “We’re gonna be just fine.”
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The messenger
Dp x Dc prompt 2 uwu
imadgine danny moves to gotham for a new life and trying to no longer be a hero decides to therefore move to a place that already has heroes and enoght ambient ectoplasm to sustain healty or something. I imadine this appening after jason just started as robin
What danny seems to only realize after a couplt weeks in the city is that the other citicents can't see all the ghosts around them, or well any ghosts at all not even him when in phantom form and that is when he isn't invisible. Why can the Amity parkers see the ghosts? I believe that all the ecto exposure gave them the ability or smth.
So danny goes around greeting the Ghosts talking to them chilling in random corners and vibing with different ghosts talking about live and death. I imadgine danny would help some ghosts into the Zone to help them. After some time and many recently deseased asking him to deliver messenges to their loved ones he gives and finds the families friends partners pets and in very rare cases even plants of the ghosts to deliver the messenges. Some ghosts feel ready to move on afterwards and go to the zone others stick around and regularly chill with Danny. I imadgine some would also just always stick around with him and might help him out at times like reminding him of some stuff or warning him when he is about to get mugged or jumped or whatever.
The Gothamites after some time take note of the deadly pale young man delivering the last masseges of their loved ones. He soon becomes a legend and if he approaches you with the look of sorrow you just know someone died or you will recieve the saddest "they loved you, they missed you, they are so so proud of you, they are sorry etc, etc" at times it seems that if you touch the massenger you can see the ghost of the ghost standing with you after delivering the massege and asking if they have any last words for the person to be delivered. Afterward the boy and the ghosts would dissapear from view
The young boy wandering the streets at all hours that can't be mugged jumped or even suprised is the legend you can't find him if you search for him nobody knows who he is or where he'd come from or where he'd go.
Some would call him cotton eyed Joe
Some Says he is a ghost
Others say he is a Grim reaper
Some says he is the murderer of the people whose massenges he delivers
and then others don't believe in him until they saw him with their own eyes
Whoever he is he is sitting dangerously close to the edge of a building currently as Batman is watching him. Batman makes a step closer to the boy. In the exact moment said boy turns around. A sorrowful looks comes over his face. He makes a step closer to Batman.
"Bruce Wayne" The Boy spoke looking seemingly right throu the cowl and taking bruce by surprise
"What?"
"your Parents are so Proud of you they hoped to have more time to be with you in Person."
"they wh-"
"They never blamed you and want you to know that they are so proud of you and your new family and to never forget what is important"
"I- they- "
"Do you have a messege for them?" the boy asks touching the hand of bruce. Bruce sees a flash of his parents next to him before reflexively pulling his hand back and slowing down.
"Is-Is this real?"
wordlessly the boy touches his shoulder and he sees them a tear escapes his eyes and a soft "I am so sorry" escapes and after the blink of the eye the boy and his parents disapear.
This was not how bruce wanted this to go.
He didn't see the boy again but not because of lack of trying but because there is litterly nothing to find of him it is like he doesn't even exist unless he stopped aging at some point. He does look a lot like the missing fenton kid from a couple years back.
However after jasons death after Nightwing tried to kill the Joker he sees the kid again not a day older then when he first saw him this time however bruce was just bruce and not batman.
"bruce wayne"
"yes"
" Your son Jason"
"Can I see him" he asks looking hopeful but unsetteld he was never this open he already acted weard when the kid showed up the first time. This wasnt any betters.
the boy touchers his shoulder and there he is his Jason his youngest bird, the late robin. Tears well up at the corner of bruces eyes but not letting them fall.
"I am so so sorry. I wasn't fast enoght I couldn't protect you" bruce weeps
"There was nothing you could have done. He forgives you for not saving him in Time. He wants Justice for his death and want s you to take care of it"
"I will do my best" not a moment after those words left bruces mouth the child and his late son dissapeared and Bruce has a mission. He will destroy the Jokers live he will make sure he won't hurt anyone ever again. But he won't kill him.
#dc x dp#dp x dc prompt#danny phantom#danny fenton#batman#bruce wayne#jason todd#ghosts#the ghost wisperer danny phantom
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