#sorry for typos/misspellings the closer it gets to 9 the less time i have to actually check lol

[datawyrms]

Floating a Question

Dannymay 2020 Day 14 - Breathe (This was meant to be connected to Science/Gloves but tbh the link is tenuous at best.)

“I think you’re getting ‘Truce’ and ‘friends’ mixed up, Phantom. I’m not going to just forget you’re the scum that ruined my life.” Valerie scowled at the ghost, trigger finger itchy to just blast him for being so presumptuous.

“I know I’ve said it like eighty nine times, but no I didn’t.” The ghost gave an eye roll, but hovered slightly further away from the huntress and her board as he flung the thermos on his back. “I’d still rather not be enemies, you know.”

“Right, that’s why you narked on me to my dad. Because you’re such a nice slimeball.”

“Hey! I am so not slimy.” he kicked his feet up, as if pretending relaxing on an invisible lawn chair would make him less dangerous. “In my defense I kinda needed to steal the Ecto-skeleton before you did. The suit would have killed you anyway,” a small shudder interrupted the snappish retort. “Probably would have killed me if I didn’t luck out at the end there.”

“Newsflash, you’re already dead. And who said I even needed you to decide what’s best for me, huh?” Her suit helpfully prepped a shoulder gun, not bothering to suppress the smirk as the black suited ghost fumbled into an upright position, breath coming more quickly as he tensed to dodge. Not that she’d fire first. She wasn’t letting this ghost of all things make her break a truce.

“Okay, okay! Sorry! Well intentioned dick move! My bad!” He kept his hands up, still clearly expecting some sort of attack.

“Ghosts don’t know what well-intentioned means.”

“You want the textbook definition? I can probably do that. I was totally passing English.”

“No I don’t, Phantom. Just because you’re a decent fake doesn’t mean I fall for it. You can knock off the breathing thing, you’re glowing and twenty feet in the air.”

Instead of looking offended, her nemesis smirked. “Says the other ghost hunter who’s floating twenty feet in the air while glowing.”

“With assistance!” Being similar in any way to this pest wasn’t a welcome thought. Ever since she’d found out about Danielle ghosts had gotten complicated. Even though they shouldn’t be, she was human and different than the usual creeps that came to town. Yet now she kept noticing things that shouldn’t matter, like how Phantom kept up the breathing act, or the usual pack of terrors would remember her. They didn’t usually banter as much as the ghost boy insisted on, but they were starting to feel more like real people with personalities. Obnoxious ones that should be shot and shoved right back to the dimension they came from, sure. It was easier when they were all like that stupid dog, but now she couldn’t help but hear more of the words. They’d stopped being meaningless babble, just in case one really was like Danielle, and not really a ghost at all.

Which is why she agreed to this stupid truce in the first place. Even if Phantom was doing his level best to make her regret it.

“That wasn’t a qualifier, so I’m still right,” the so called hero relaxed a bit.

“You caught your pal. Shouldn’t you be vanishing off to wherever the hell you go to?” Instead of wasting her time, ideally.

“Youngblood is not even close to ‘pal’.” he grimaced. “I actually wanted to ask a question,”

Her brow furrowed, wondering if she should be shooting after all. “You know I barely tolerate you, ask someone in your fan club.”

“Little problem with that. Barely tolerating me makes you the best person to answer this. You’ll actually be honest.”

“If this is some sort of trick-”

“It’s a question Val, what kind of trick could I pull? Not sure if you’ve noticed, but you’re immune to my thermos.” 

The ecto blaster in her hands gave a high pitched whine of warning. “You don’t get to use my name, ghost.”

Phantom let out a long sigh. “See! Perfectly honest. Feel free to use mine, it’s nicer than ‘scum’ or whatever you like to call me.”

Again with the breathing. Why did he insist on doing that? It made him seem more human than he had any right to be. “Then get on with it. I actually have things to do.”

“What do you think ghosts are, exactly?”

They stared at one another in silence for a long minute. “I’m looking at one. What kind of stupid question is that?”

He looked more frustrated at her answer than he usually did when she shot at him, pressing his face into his hands with a groan. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.” his head snapped back up “Okay. You’re looking at a ghost. What am I to you, then?”

Well, that was easier. “An ectoplasmic, smart mouthed, life ruining pain in the rear.”

The ghost rolled his eyes “Again with the-whatever,” he cut himself off, flipping upside down to look down at the huntress, managing to bring that irritatingly human face closer to hers without technically moving. “You don’t think that about every ghost, right?”

“Everyone checks the life ruining and pain in the rear boxes nicely. Oh, and I should have added ‘should stay in the ghost zone where they belong’. Happy?” her scowl turned into more of a confused grimace when the ghost actually smiled at that.

“Everyone! So you do see we’re individuals!” The sheer excitement over being insulted was a little disturbing. Would it really make sense to fake being that excited over one aspect of her answer?

“Well I answered your question, so now you owe me.”

“Pretty sure every time I offer help you don’t need it from ‘ectoplasmic scum like me’” he made air quotes for emphasis before flipping back upright. “What do I owe you then? Letting you capture me isn’t gonna happen, before you suggest that. Had enough of that last time, thanks!”

How one ghost could be so infuriating and familiar at the same time was incredibly vexing. In a way he was right, the sooner the ghost boy was gone, the happier she should be. She shouldn’t want anything from this pest. “Why do you bother with the breathing?” It was a foolish thought. Just because Phantom resembled Danielle didn’t mean the reverse was true. He’d said as much himself.

The simple question seemed to throw him. “You try talking without expelling air and let me know how that goes. Duh.” he tried to play it off, but looking away and pulling an arm behind his back almost broadcasted the ghost was lying. Danny was similar, he couldn’t manage to lie while looking you in the eye.

Valerie shrugged, attempting to feign disinterest. “Should have known a ghost would just lie.”

“It’s not a lie.”

“Lying by omission is still lying, ghost. Which I’m sure you know.” she paused, making sure the ghost was still paying attention. “Can’t keep up the ‘ghosts aren’t bad’ image all that long without slipping up, huh?”

Phantom squirmed under her glare, muttering something under his breath. “I do out of habit, alright? Don’t know why you care now but there you go.” he rubbed at the back of his neck, toying with the collar of his jumpsuit. “Honestly I didn’t think you’d believe anything I said anyway.”

“Neither did I.” Maybe admitting that to her nemesis was a mistake.

“Like I know you don’t like me, and yes I’ve screwed up, but I really do mean not all ghosts are evil Va-er...yeah.” he frantically stumbled over her name, rather ruining the attempt to appeal to her.

“Uh huh. Maybe I’ll believe it when ghosts aren’t attacking my town on a daily basis.”

“Okay, fair, but really-” Phantom stopped himself, biting his lip as those unsettling green eyes stared Valerie down. He took two more tries to actually start talking again. “Shooting first isn’t always the right answer.” the ghost stopped yet again, searching for some sort of hint in the fed up ghost hunter’s face.

“I have a life, Phantom. Get on with it and get lost.” She shouldn’t be hearing him out, she should be yelling at him to stop endangering people and go back home already. Homework couldn’t be worked on with him roaming around unchecked.

“Okay! Like some ghosts do come here just to be a problem, I get that, but not all of them.”

“I assume this leads to saying you’re one of the ‘good’ ones?” her scowl deepened, but the ghost shook his head in a hard no.

“No, I mean some of them are just upset and need a little help, and they won’t stop showing up until that’s dealt with.”

“Well if someone didn’t keep cramming ghosts into thermoses before I could waste them, they’d stop being a problem.”

The ghost let out another groan, pulling at his face. “I was like you at first! If I’d known not all ghosts just wanted to fight I might have been able to keep Cujo from ruining your life, okay? So okay, yes, I ruined your life! Just...not how you think I did.” the ghost’s shoulders tensed, looking a bit unsure if he’d actually meant to say all of that.

“You’ve got about five seconds to try and make that make sense,” her free hand tightened into a fist, trying to not let the anger of this ghost gloating over his actions make her be the one to break the truce. She was human, she was better than this thing.

“I didn’t get why he kept coming back. I guess he figured as a ghost I’d be able to help him? So I’d put him back in the ghost zone, but he’d just get out again because he needed to find something that was here. If I’d figured that out instead of just trying to force him back there probably wouldn’t have been as much lashing out and damage, and yes I really am sorry it wasn’t on purpose-he just wanted his toy Val. He was just a confused puppy.” his rambling only increased in speed as he went, as if mishearing might make it better.

“So out of all ghosts you try and make a case for the only one I hate more than you. Seriously?” That monster was a puppy? That wanted a toy, really? She was this close to ramming her board into the floating menace.

“Have you ever seen him since?” It was more of a plea than a question.

“Why should I pay attention to exactly what ghost animal I’m shooting at, huh?”

“I think you’d notice the ghost who ruined your life, as someone on the other side of that grudge.” Normally it would be a snarky comment, but the ghost didn’t even make it sound like a jab, just a statement. “You don’t have to believe me, but you’d believe a human, right?”

“Not someone just repeating your stupid story that makes you look better, no.”

“How is saying I messed-no I’m getting distracted.” he clapped his gloved hands together, taking another steadying breath. “Ask your dad what happened to Axiom’s guard dogs. He should know that. And maybe think about it?”

“If you touched even one hair on my dad’s head-” she nearly growled, trying not to enjoy how the ghost seemed to jerk backwards in fear.

“I swear, I haven’t even looked at him. This is something he’d know because of his job, not because of ghosts or anything.” the ghost twisted, legs melting away into the wispy tail she usually saw retreating in the opposite direction. “Thanks for not shooting me?”

Before she could even give a retort the ghost zipped off, out of human sight in moments and vanishing from her radar soon after. She really needed to figure out how that menace managed that. She wasn’t going to ask her dad such a stupid question. She hadn’t seen any dogs at Axiom.

She was going to ask him, wasn’t she. Stupid ghosts, making simple things complicated.

#dannymay2020 #Danny Phantom #valerie gray #yes that title is a pun an i have NO SHAME #my stuff #who best to run ideas by when trying to prove something to your ghost hating parents? #your ex who personally hates half of your guts! #great idea danny #i have two modes #goofball fluff or total angst #there are no other settings #sorry for typos/misspellings the closer it gets to 9 the less time i have to actually check lol