#- off ghosts in their base while figuring out how to close both portals and coming up with increasingly bizzare ideas to do so

[wandixx]

"There is only so much you can for the dead" part 2

continuation to this, I should probably make an original title at some point

trigger warnings: graphic describtion of Danny's death

Moments of blissed, deadly stillness felt unfairly short. It was less than blink of an eye, less than a drop of darkness after he asked Team for the last time to leave and before he woke up, in exactly same state that he was when portal spat him out. He could barely perceive his limbs, and what he could, was consumed by agonising pain.

Fuck, he hated Death Days. Absolutely horrible experience.

His nerves were on fire, electricity dancing and burning across them. His veins and lungs and nostrils and ears and stomach and eyes and mouth and every little crevice of his body was filled with ectoplasm, like liquid fire and evaporated ice, drowning him at every attempted breath. He was crushed by an unimaginable weight, at the same time as his body exploded. He was just coherent enough to feel his bones breaking, cells bursting, his very molecules being rearranged and destroyed and rebuilt but not coherent enough to tell if his scream was anything louder than a whimper.

He was in the middle of the crowd that screamed louder than he could handle, as if every person who ever got to Ghost Zone used this exact moment to let out all of their anguish, hands dragging and pulling and squeezing and brushing at every inch of his skin. He was alone like no one was ever before, in silence that was deafening. He could be stomped to death any second without anyone turning his head, and so separate from everything that he could be only existing being.

He couldn’t help but wait for Death, merciless and brutal, whose twisted children invaded his bed time stories since he could understood words, whose corrupted children he was taught to hate. She was hideous and horrifying, but against everything, she was familiar and he wanted, needed, to see one intimate face in the situation that was so wrong, wrong, wrong. He waited for her to rip his last breath away so everything would stop.

If he had a scrap of himself that could feel worse, it’d cry when he felt her getting away from him, slipping between the fingers that were both tense and limp, impossible to control but possible to feel, broken and twitching. She was getting away but pain wasn’t lessening, maybe even getting worse, to the point where it was only thing that filled his brain.

And then it all stopped. No pain, not even any left over typical to how injuries worked, just a moment of weird pressure against his palm (just like the button), that soon stopped too.

He was in his human form, but in the hazmat he wore just before the accident. Something was wrong about it all. Something in his body made it feel like not his. Something in his chest was too light and too quiet and some intrusive thought made him want to claw on his rib cage until he ripped it open and realized what was missing.

Breathing seemed to easy, enough that he got lightheaded. It got a lot harder when he realized.

He couldn’t feel his core.

Before he managed to come to terms with that, there was a gentle pressure on his hand again.

And the pain returned.

*-*-*

Danny didn't wake up abruptly, with a choked scream and phantom burns. He also didn't wake up slowly, not in the nice, relaxed way at least, when the line between dream and reality is blurred beyond recognition. He woke up in pain, feeling like he wasn't even sleeping before, just… somewhere else while his body was destroying itself again for what felt like decades.

It took some effort to connect with his body after he woke up. To be able to move even a finger. Even longer, to open his eyes. Actual ages to sit up without urge to scream.

After seeing the absolute wreckage of the room, he kinda wished it took him longer. It looked like a warzone. Electrical burns on the walls and ceiling, random puddles of bubbling ectoplasm eating away anything they touched like an acid, and what little stuff there was before, was almost all broken beyond recognition, either by whatever force was doing its thing during his death day show or ecto. When he looked at it a bit more, it seemed to go in spiral around him.

It was kinda sad that the cookies went to waste like that. He was curious who brought them in though.

Thank fucking Ancients that Team listened to him and nobody was there when the whole mess was going down. They would probably join him on the other side of the veil otherwise.

He saw it all only because of his ghost enhanced in dark vision (thank Ancients he stayed in the ghost form) because apparently his Death Day shorted out both main electrical circuit and the emergency one. Thankfully, according to his ears, it only reached this and rooms next to him, instead of the whole Mountain.

Fuck. He really hoped Robin gave him some sort of back-up back-up room because otherwise he was dead. Or well, dead-er.

He rolled out of the bed, barely catching himself from smacking on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Though some would argue he didn’t catch himself if only his face didn’t fall to the floor like the sack of potatoes.

Only then he caught sight of big, ecto-green circle that embed itself into the wall right over the bed. It had familiar vibes. Really familiar…

He had to tell the Team about it yesterday.

*-*-*

M'gann was sitting on the needles, just like everyone else. Sure, Phantom asked them to forget about him and essentially ignore whatever was happening to him, but there was no way they'd actually be able to do it. Case in point, first time alarms about shorting out of the electrical circuit in the room. They run there so fast that they had door open to see what was wrong before the absolute onslaught of electricity and ectoplasm and something else turned off the alarms thirty seconds later. Truth be told, they couldn’t do much, not without risking becoming second ghostly member of the Team, they’ve been there and ready. Conner tried to come in anyway, with his invulnerability and such, but they had to drag him out when despite extensive dodging he got hit five times by the time he got two steps into the room. Also, there wasn’t really anything he could do to help.

So they just spent last almost twenty hours alternating between different things to keep themselves occupied enough to not fall asleep and distract themselves from quilt but not enough to not be able to drop it at the moments notice if it was needed. First plan was to nap in shifts if it was necessary but it quickly became apparent that sleep was impossible with how worried everyone was and when M'gann proposed to just shut down their brains with her powers, everyone got really defensive. Well, no was no. So they just sat, at the moment in awkward silence because every topic that wasn't Phantom felt too inane and every topic that was Phantom felt too… just no. No name for why, just no.

M'gann was about to get up to make another batch of peanut butter and oatmeal snacks that took few minutes to make and could be dropped at any second, when Conner practically jumped in his seat, tilting his head to hear better. Robin perked up from whatever he was doing on his wrist computer at the same time.

"Phantom left the room!” they exclaimed at the same time, jumping out of their seats.

This head start didn’t matter by the time everyone ran or flew out to the corridor, racing against clock to the room where they left Phantom. It didn’t seems so before, but now M’gann just cursed their past selves for not waiting somewhere closer. There wasn’t really any place where they could stay instead, unless they set camp right outside his door, but it still. They should be there five minutes ago, like Wally, who obviously run off.

They heard Wally speaking before they’ve seen him.

“Hey, hey calm down. It’s fine, they’ll be there in a second, just chill. They’re right after me, whatever happened, we’ll help you in just a moment, you don’t have to run. You’re barely standing. Phantom, calm down”

M’gann barely made it around the corner and she thought she had seen Kaldur actually smacking into the wall. He brushed it off.

Phantom looked beyond rough. It seemed like Wally, who had ghost’s arm across his shoulders, was only thing holding him up. His feet were firmly on the ground, not in his usual way, when he looked just a breeze away from flying, but in this fully human way, which was unsettling. His face was gray instead of his usual almost tan, eyes wide and terrified.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he muttered, not looking at anyone in particular “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”

“Phantom, it’s fine. It’s fine, we know about the room, it’s fine,” Robin said, trying to placate him. It didn’t quite work. Ghost was on the verge of hyperventilating, which was a bit weird to see on someone for who breathing was voluntary.

“It’s not about room”

“I’m sure it’s fine anyway”

“It’s anything but. I’m sorry-”

“Shut up and tell us what happened if you’re so sure we will be pissed”

“Artemis!”

“Portal”

“What about it?”

“Portal is what killed me.”

M’gann didn’t like how the whole situation looked before, but it suddenly became much worse.

“My Death Day made another one”

[mandowifey]

What kind of father figure behaviours would Miguel have?? I’m thinking protective af

Oh boy oh boy oh boy BUCKLE UP.

Father!Miguel O'Hara Headcannons

Warnings: ANGST, SO MUCH ANGST, Mentions of child loss, death, violence, this is canon Miguel, reader can give birth but is not gendered. Mentions of trauma, depression, bad brain times. He's a broken man, yknow?

× × ×

First and foremost, Miguel is scared.

This is a man who had lost it all twice. He had watched his child die. He had lapsed so terribly into himself that he was able to rationalize stepping into another man's life and pretending to be him. He isn't right minded, he's broken and hurting.

All that self blame and doubt chokes him sometimes.

He hurts, constantly.

When you tell him you're pregnant, everything goes still. Fatherhood is something that had always been just outside of his grasp, and now it was here right in front of him. He doesn't fill with light, or smile and laugh, but he does look at you like he's seeing a ghost. There is fear in his eyes, not of you or the baby, but himself.

Because what if he fucks this up again?

Miguel can not stand the idea of opening himself to that pain. He already shoulders that guilt every day, rewatching videos of himself with his daughter. Can he even find room in his heart for another child? He almost feels like it is a betrayal, that he was never a good man to begin with if he were so willing to move on.

When your face drops and your eyes brim with tears, he pulls out of it.

One of Miguel's best abilities is being strong for others. He can be what you need right now, and he will.

Cue the absolute nightmare of expecting his child.

Aside from you being sick, Miguel worries, constantly.

The man can hardly focus on his work. He always asks one of the doctors to go check on you or have you in contact with him. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean the multiverse loses its importance. But god is he distracted.

"Have you been eating enough?"

"Taking your vitamins?"

"How much water have you had?"

It'd be cute if you didn't know better.

You know how much he has lost and you know that he is petrified of losing you both too. Not to mention you are certain he feels undeserving of another chance, especially after destroying an innocent alternate universe.

The way he looks at you tells you everything; he thinks you are made of glass. Something fragile that could break any moment. While you try to assure him that isn't the case, he still worries.

Once you start showing, it's over.

He is constantly caressing your stomach, holding you close, breathing you in. He thinks you smell so good pregnant. Miguel loves to feel your belly, cooing to you about how good you look carrying his child. You don't doubt for a second he loves you.

Miguel is protective, most assuredly. When you want to go walking around the base or go grab snacks he is on you like a shadow. Always watching, always protecting. He makes sure the other spider folk don't bump you, and offers to carry you when you mention your feet swelling.

God, he'd love to feed you. Checking on you constantly if you're hungry, offering to run and grab any cravings you ask for.

When you get further along, he likes to talk to the baby. Speaking in Spanish occasionally but mostly asking if they are giving you trouble.

"They are gonna have my attitude, I know it."

Oh boy, when the baby comes?

Ohhhh boy.

First off it is a way bigger deal than it has to be.

That man would be in the middle of a job and get a ring on his watch.

"JESS, I GOTTA GO."

And she looks at him in time to watch him clawing back into a portal.

Him running full speed, throwing himself against walls and scratching down them to get to your room faster.

His mask withdrawing to show messy hair and wide brown eyes, coming to your side and taking your hand.

"I'm here, Im here." As he kisses into your damp hair.

You get to surprise him, twice.

He didn't know the sex, and didn't know you were having two.

When he see's his daughters for the first time, his eyes leak. The smile on his face stretches miles, his arms open as he cradles them into him. Oh he'd be melting.

You'd never seen him cry, but that day he does.

He's so proud of you, telling you how well you did and how much he loves you.

"Okay Miguel, gotta let me hold one." You laugh.

He's inseparable from you. Looking at those babies with such love and surprise, unable to believe that he was a father, again.

When you fall asleep with the girls tucked in your arms, he stays up and pets your hair.

And he promises himself that this time it will be different.

Your babies would be HELLA protected.

Good god, he is like a hawk with those girls.

Always watching, always making sure they were safe. He'd have eyes on them constantly.

Miguel is a good man at heart, and now he wants to make things right. He'd dedicate as much time to your family as possible, asking Jessica to stand in for him as often as possible (until she herself has her child).

He'd want to teach them to be like him. One of your daughters can stick to walls, and the other has tiny claws like he does. You enjoy lounging on the couch while he climbs the walls with the girls giggling after him.

Your family is beautiful, blissful. He protects all three of you.

And while sometimes you have to hold him at night and assure him that its okay to move on, he knows he's doing his best. He wraps you in his arms and looks at the baby monitor screen, watching the girls sleep. He begins to doze as you pet his hair, assuring him they were just fine.

Miguel would fall asleep against you, head tucked in your neck and strong arms locked around you.

And he would believe it was okay to forgive himself.

[invis-o-william]

Day 6: Immortal AU

Danny leaned back in the grass, the wind brushing his white gravity defying hair back away from his forehead, and sighed. Amity Park had changed a lot over the years. What had once been a fair sized growing metropolis was now a sprawling city blending urban technological feats of science with older infrastructure that had been in place for over a hundred years.

One thing that hadn’t changed too much though, was its main cemetery. Others had cropped up on the outskirts of the booming city, but this one, the original burial ground, stayed intact even though no new burials had occurred there in decades.

“Sorry for not visiting sooner,” Danny said, “the Realms have kept me on my toes lately. Clocky has had it with the Observants and is trying to get rid of them as a whole. Good riddance I say.”

He chuckled at the last sentence. “I know you were never a fan of how much they interfered when I first took the throne, so I figured you’d be happy to hear that at least.”

Danny’s eyes followed a pair of children nearby happily playing on the sidewalk with gliders that seemed so similar to the Red Huntress’. Danny frowned. So much had changed over the years, and he was starting to feel like he couldn’t keep up anymore.

“I had something I wanted to tell you about too..” He trailed off and turned to look at the headstone next to him. While it was old, as was every grave in this section, this one had been well cared for. Cleared of creeping plant life and with any and all dirt meticulously brushed off. The inscription read:

Dr. Jasmine “Jazz” Fenton

B. March 31, 1988 D. May 6, 2070

Beloved Mother, Sister, and Professor

“I decided to stay in the Infinite Realms full time now. With my duties as King, and the whole new zone developing there I just don’t have the time to patrol Amity Park anymore. Not that there’s a need to anymore.” He sighed the last words. It was true, after a few decades of kingship, Danny had figured out how to balance the limits that ghosts could venture to the mortal plane and the damage they could cause there.

His role on Earth as Phantom had long been redundant now, and there was no one here for him anymore. All his friends had long since died, as were even Jazz’s grandchildren. On Earth, Danny felt truly and utterly alone.

“Of course I’m going to still come and visit you guys,” Danny said, “other than that though, I think that’s it. People around here are starting to think I’m a fairy tale anyway.” He didn’t think he would ever stop visiting the resting places of his family, his friends. They had meant too much to him not to, and he never wanted to forget them, never wanted to forget who he was.

Danny stood from the grave he had been sitting in front of, glancing at its inscription. It was worn and harder to make out than Jazz’s, but it still clearly read;

Daniel “Danny” Fenton

B. February 12, 1989 D. July 17, 2031

Gone too Soon

Danny still smirked at the irony of it. A grave for a halfa that would never truly die. He had stayed physically stuck in his thirties for centuries now, and wasn’t sure that would ever change. Looking back to his sister’s headstone, he knelt down and placed a rose encapsulated in ghostly blue ice at its base.

“Happy death-day Jazz.” he said with a smile, “I’ll come visit you soon.” With that he turned and with a wave of his hand opened a portal to the Infinite Realms. A familiar woman with a mop of long white hair peeked out of it.

“Thanks for the privacy Dani. Do you want to go see Sam and Tucker now?” he asked his clone. She grinned with enthusiasm before jumping out of the portal to join her “older brother”. Once the portal was closed, they both changed from ghost to human and set off down the rows of graves to visit their departed friends.

[some-1writes]

something’s missing?

The umbrella academy x f,platonic reader

warnings : female reader, TUA!sibling, swearing

i don’t know if this should be a series, i may decide after seeing if this one does good, it’s based after the first episode of the first season, if i messed anything up constructive criticism is welcome,hope you enjoy reading it, much love 🫶

Being the eighth child that Reginald Hargreeves adopted was never easy, especially with the gift that the young lady had, her gift was cloning herself which is super cool and fun but the downside was that she never aged, so currently she’s stuck in a fourteen year olds body with the mentally of an adult.

Saying that she never got to move out of the luxurious place she calls a home because no one would sell her an apartment, they always told her ‘your to young sweetie’ ‘ you don’t have a stable income’

she never pushes it.

So here she stands in her blue cargo jeans, complemented with a lavender purple long sleeved shirt, with her black high top converse, completed with her brown leather coat that reached just above her knees, her soft brown hair was in a half up half down style to show off her pierced ears filled with golden jewelry, this day she didn’t put in her contacts so she wore her glasses to complete her ‘funeral’ look.

She looks up from the book she’s reading as she heard the door open and close, she got up to get a closer look and as she did she saw her sister, well adopted sister, Vanya. She walked up to her and said “haven’t seen you in a while musician.”

Vanya looked at her and gave her a small smile “seems like we’ve all been busy, right?”

Y/n walked to her and gave her a small hug showing how much she missed the girl. “Crazy how the old man signed out, am i right” she said while chuckling. No use of crying over someone that was a shit person.

“ya it-“ before she could continue both the lady’s saw Allison.

“you came” allison said in basically a whisper because of how low she was speaking

“ya i did, i should probably go though, i don’t think anyone wants me here” Vanga had replied in the same tone, as she said that Diego walked by and said “you don’t belong here, not after what you did” as he began his walk up the stairs.

“Your seriously doing this today?” Allison replied

Diego didn’t reply but carried on his walk upstairs “ way to dress for the occasion by the way.” Allison scolded “At least i’m wearing black” Diego responded with

“i’m sorry he’s a grumpy little bitch.” y/n said to Vanya all she got back was a ghost of a smile

y/n left the hall as Vanya and Allison continued to talk. she walked back to the library to sit down and wait for the rest of her siblings

——————

eventually the rest of the siblings joined her, but the atmosphere was tense it was as if everyone had knives in their throats and if they spoke it would cut their necks open, slowly but surely, everyone was doing their own things, Diego looking out the window, Allison drinking something.

Luther was the first to break the silence “um… i guess you we should get this started. So i figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown say a few words, just at dad’s favorite spot.” after that Y/n decides to zone out not wanting to hear the oncoming agrument.

——————

it’s been a few minutes until Y/n decided to tune back in just as everyone started walking out, she joined not knowing why but went to her room. locking the door and ignoring the music that started playing coming from across the hall in Luther’s room.

After a few seconds there was a bright flash of blue light that filled her room she looked out the window looking at the courtyard seeing the blue looking portal thing, she rushed out her room to get there before anyone else, soon they all joined her.

The heavy wind was making all the leaves on the floor lift and move around the area as everyone stood dumbfounded and the blue light

“What is it!?” Vanya exclaimed

“Don’t get to close.” Allison replied like the mother she is

“yeah, no shit, looks like some temporal anomaly, either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two” Diego reported to Allison

Y/n looked at him as if he was stupid and replied “black holes are only in space dipshit, we are not in space, never have been never will be. excluding Luther of course.” Diego gave her a look as if he’d just been insulted.

Klause came running out with a fire extinguisher and put it on to blow towards the blue thing, nothing happens so then he threw it into the hole, the fire extinguisher just disappearing “what is that going to do?” Allison said to him

“i don’t know, do you have a better idea” Klause said while rasing his hands in a defensive way, just as he said that a face appeared in the middle of the hole, a familiar face as he was pushing himself out of the floating thing, he managed to do so but fell from said height and landed on his stomach.

“Is it just me or do you all see a mini Five?” as Klause said that, the suspected lifted his head looked at everyone and exclaimed “Shit.”

——————

we’re all inside now looking at Five with looks of curiosity. wondering where he’s been all this time, Five walks around getting stuff for his famous peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

“what’s the date? the exact date.” Five said while sighing

“the 24th” Vanya replied

“of what?” Five said slightly annoyed

“March”

“Good.” Five said

“So are we gonna talk about what just happened?” Luther said

Five remanded quiet after what was said, Y/n didn’t think this was going anywhere so she walked out to the library and looked at Fives portrait.

a little while later five walked in and stood next to her, giving Y/n a small shove and said “Now tell me why the hell your still so young?” Y/n giggled as he said that “my gift, apparently it has a downside.” Y/n replied, she looked up a little as she was a bit shorter than the boy standing next to her. “i’ve been this age for 16 years, just after you left. Been a bitch to buy my own apartment, or getting a job, but i won’t get wrinkles anytime soon” she laugh out, Five letting out a small chuckle with her. “why do you look so young?”

“i’m actually 58 but coming back i got stuck in my 13 year old selves body, kinda a shit deal, don’t you think?” Five responded to the question, while looking at Y/n he noticed how little she’s changed, sure she was a bit taller but other than that she still had her long brown hair and the same sense of style with her gold jewelry and her outfits have barely changed too.

Y/n looked at him and pulled him into a hug which he reciprocated and she whispered in his ear “ i’m glad your back Five, missed annoying you.” Five pulled back and gave her a smile “Glad to be back”

Y/n then walked around him to go back to her bedroom as Five watching her retreating figure, he wonders how much he’s missed out on by being away.

Five shortly leaves the library after Y/n 

[griffintail]

A Successful Test

Summary: What if Nikki had successfully lead Tommy to the test sight but the reader comes to help the young boy?

Pairings: Platonic! Tommy x F! reader, Mentioned Wilbur x F! Reader

Warnings! : Angst, Depressive thoughts, Death

A/N :Psst, there’s now a Part Two

        Tommy heard static from the walkie on his belt, taking it off to give it a good smack (which usually worked), but only static continued to pour from the device.

        “Damn, my walkie’s busted, what about yours Niki?” Tommy looked to the older woman as he put the device back on his belt.

        “Oh, I left mine back at my base.” Niki lied, hers safely tucked deep in her inventory bag. “Come on, not much further.”

        The young boy rolled his eyes at her persistence but followed none the less to this so-called giant forest of spruce trees. He just wanted to get his damn hotel finish, why couldn’t he just cut down the wood around them?

        Niki was being forceful though, whenever he tried, she’d just pull him along as he rambled on to fill the void of silence. Tommy hated how she was acting. This wasn’t like how she used to be back when…L’Manberg was still standing. God, why couldn’t have (Y/N) met up with him like she promised? Maybe it would be a lot different instead.

        He frowned at the thought of his older sister figure. If only his stupid walkie was working, he’d ask her where she wound up. Maybe she got caught up in her research again; she wanted to see if she could successfully resurrect Wilbur before Dream had the chance in hopes, everything would right. She didn’t trust Dream as far as she could throw him and Tommy didn’t blame her in the slightest.

        Tommy smiled fondly at the thoughts of (Y/N). She had been the only one to visit him and Ghostbur. Of course, he suspected she just really wanted to see the ghost of her boyfriend, but she always assured him that she wanted to spend time with him as well. There were times when she’d bring him gifts to help his progress that he’d hide so Dream would never find them. Dream…did find them though and Tommy went into hiding with Technoblade. The hug she had given him when she found out he was alive and well.

        The scolding was a much less fond memory in his mind but he was still glad to see her. And the scolding he got after getting his discs back alive! That was much scarier than going against Dream.

        Tubbo nor Tommy had told the older woman they were going to their possible final battle. It was their battle and they knew she also walked with only one life left to her name. They weren’t going to let her lose it protecting them…again. But, when she had walked through that portal after Punz, Tommy couldn’t explain how much relief filled him as (Y/N) gripped a netherite ax and wore her best gear as she glared daggers at Dream. Of course, after they got the scolding, but the relief in the moment was greatly needed.

        However, he hadn’t seen her as much after Dream’s declaration that he could bring Wilbur back. She had been researching ways to bring him back before, but after Dream’s announcement, her time spent pouring over books was increased by tenfold. (Y/N) did like Ghostbur but both she and Tommy missed their Wilbur. So, she had cut back the time she had spent with the younger boys but they both understood. Tommy just missed being able to talk shit with her and going to her for comfort when he remembered…the bad things.

        Between all his thoughts, thinking about (Y/N), he didn’t notice he had stopped talking and now Niki was slowing down. Tommy frowned deeply, there wasn’t a tree in sight.

        “Nikki…what’s going on?” Tommy asked her, his hand resting on the Axe of Peace, a little suspicious of her intentions.

        “I’m not sure.” She muttered before taking out an ender pearl. “Wait right here. I’m going to look ahead.”

        Tommy huffed as she threw the pearl and was further away from him. He waited a moment before shaking his head.

        “Fuck this shit.” He murmured, turning back towards the spruce forest behind him.

        As he did, he squinted his eyes seeing a figure sprinting towards him.

        “…(Y/N)?!” He looked at her surprised.

        Before he knew it, he jumped back as his sister figure appeared in front of him after the shattering of a pearl. She looked disheveled and most certainly was out of breath.

        “We got to fucking go.” She said frantically, putting a pearl in his hand.

        “What? What’s going on? Nikki just…”

        “THERE’S NO TIME!” She shouted, startling Tommy. “THROW THE GOD DAMN PEARL! I’ll be behind you!”

        Tommy wasn’t going to ask her twice. He threw the pearl towards the forest and landed right at the tree line. Shaking his head, he went to look around him, jumping once more when he heard something loud go by, the leaves on the trees being disturbed by the object. Looking up, Tommy’s eyes went wide.

        “That’s one of Tubbo’s…” He muttered, the nuke going to land.

        He followed the path of where the object was about to land and his eyes went wider.

        “(Y/N)!” He screamed at the top of his lungs.

        The young woman was still standing in the middle of the field, hands on her knees as she smiled softly to herself. She had no more pearls and she had no time, but she didn’t mind.

        She saved Tommy and that’s all she wanted…

        “SHIT! (Y/N)!” Tommy shouted as he started to sprint for her, but it was too late.

        Tommy was thrown back at the intensity of the explosion, his ears ringing loudly, eyes shut tight at the light, and smoke filling the air. He coughed as his arms shook trying to push himself up.

        It was a lie; she’d still be there. He had to be dreaming! He’d wake up and she’d tell him he was alright! Just another bad dream!

        Giving another cough, he blinked his eyes open and saw the hole in front of him. This time, he choked on a sob as he shakily stood up. There…there was no way she would have survived…

        Closing his eyes tightly, he wished it all to be a nightmare. It was all a nightmare.

        But the ringing in his ears told him otherwise.

        The smoke in his lungs told him otherwise.

        The emotional and physical pain coursing through his body told him otherwise.

        With his eyes still closed, he took the walkie off. Even if it was broken, he knew it would show him the one message he always hated seeing. The message of a lost life. Opening his eyes, tears filled them while his hands shook.

        (Y/N) blew up.

        Even though he couldn’t hear it, Tommy screamed as he threw the walkie away from him in the snow. He screamed with anger, pain…sadness.

        His legs gave out on him and he fell to the ground, giving another scream before he pulled his legs close to him. She shouldn’t have done that.

        None of this should have happened!

        How did this happen!?

        Tears fell rapidly down his cheeks as he coughed and sobbed.

        All the bad thoughts from exile came rushing back and he gripped his hair.

        This was his fault.

        It should have been him.

        She wouldn’t have been here if it weren’t for you.

        “Tommy!”

        Tommy startled as he felt someone holding his shoulders, the ringing in his ears had died down slightly. Looking up as he sobbed, he saw Tubbo. His best friend…the maker of the nuke…

        “YOU KILLED HER!” Tommy screamed, jumping back from the other boy. “YOUR NUKE KILLED HER!”

        Tubbo had tears in his eyes well, having gotten the message as well. He hoped it wasn’t true. He looked at the crater…a successful test…but at what cost?

        “I—I warned everyone! I—No one should have—Why were you—?” Tubbo was running his hands through his hair frantically.

        Jack stood at the edge of the crater, away from the pair as he kept his anger in as best, he could. She fucked up and got an innocent killed with Tommy still breathing.

        “What happened?” Tubbo whispered to Tommy.

        Tommy almost didn’t hear him with the remaining ringing left in his ears but he caught it. The blonde shook his head frantically as he held his head.

        “She…She saved me…Then that fucking nuke came and killed her!” Tommy yelled.

        Tubbo shook as he hugged himself, staring at the crater. He’d…he’d caused this…

        “Why were you out here?!” Tubbo took his turn to shout, tears pouring down his face. “I told everyone not to come to snow biomes!”

        “My walkie was busted! Nikki didn’t have hers!” Tommy held his head as the pain was overwhelming.

        First Wilbur! Now…now (Y/N). None of this could be fucking real!

        “Nikki? What does she have to do with this?!” Tubbo cried in frustration and sadness.

        “I—I don’t know! Ok?! I can’t think Tubbo!” Tommy screamed. “I—I can’t do this right now. I have to go.”

        And Tommy ran. He just ran and ran.

        (Y/N) had been with him through so much. The founding of L’Manberg, the revolution, the skirmishes after, the election, Pogtopia, Wilbur’s betrayal on the both of them, his exile, the final stand for L’Manberg!

        They fought together, they laughed together, they smiled together.

        And all he could think about was how he would brush her off, how he didn’t need a woman to help him, how he used to make fun of her and Wilbur’s relationship, how he never told her how much he loved her being like a sister to him, how he never told her how much he appreciated her help…

        Tommy fell into the snow, gripping onto his jacket as he sobbed.

        He sat here breathing when the world had lost one of the best…

[13thdoodle]

Home is Where You Want It To Be

title be hard

Day 2 Dannymay : Home

This is based of Flip DP AU continuation from this and this

word count : 1032

“Hello Daniel.”

“Clockwork!” Danny looks up at the voice with excitement. Clockwork hovering slightly next to the bed before taking a seat next to Danny. Danny was about to hug the time ghost before fumbling and realized how long it has been since he last went back home. Home? Clockwork’s place? He’s not sure anymore. “I-- I uh.. Umm s-sorry I haven’t gone home in a while.. I’m okay tho! I just-- it’s--”

Clockwork pulls the boy into a hug to soothe him. “Shh shhh it’s okay, Danny. I’m not angry or anything. I just want to see how you’re doing.”

“Me?” Danny finds himself surprised. He shouldn’t be, of course Clockwork would worry about him.

“Yes. How do you like it here?”

“I.. I guess I like it fine.. I just… “ He hesitates. Does he really like it here because he’s human or because something else? “I… don’t know.”

“What’s wrong?” Clockwork asked. Danny rubs the back of his neck and shifts his seat on the bed. He’s not sure how to answer it. It’s such a simple question and yet, Danny can’t figure the answer. What is wrong? Is there anything wrong? Where he is right now should feel right and yet...

Clockwork only looks at the boy as he gathers his thoughts. As a being of time, he has all the time in the world and more. What’s a fraction of infinity if you cannot give them to your son?

“That’s rich coming from Mr. I-talk-in-riddles,” Danny replied before he can stop himself. He slaps his hand to cover his mouth. Clockwork chuckles.

Eventually, Danny sighs and says, “So, a lot has happened since I left. I met new people, learned new things and I.. I.. see Vlad… again… not that I want to but-- no wait why am I saying this? You already know this, you know everything!”

“I do,” Clockwork replied, with all the patience in the world for Danny. “But I want you to tell me what has transpired. Sometimes talking through an experience would help you untangle what knots you had in your mind, if not, it would at least lift a weight off your chest.”

“I see you have mastered the art of the silver tongue, young man.”

Danny flustered from the remark, “Sorry…”

“No please, continue,” Clockwork smiles at him. “What were you saying about… Vladimir?” Both make a face on the name.

Danny tells Clockwork more about what went down in Vlad’s castle. And how he ran off afterwards. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to go back through the portal or just stayed in the human world. Clockwork face grew grim the more Danny tells his story. The temperature of the whole room drops significantly. But if Danny noticed, he didn’t show it. The boy caught up by spilling everything out to the ghost who has been there for him the whole time. How he wondered back to the Fenton Works instead. And that they gave him the place to stay until he figured things out.

“I still can’t believe that’s his actual name,” Danny mumbled to himself. “But yeah,” he finally said with more vigor.

“So, I met Vlad again and there was this whole thing and I fought him and I… lost… and then Vlad took me back to his castle and--” Danny took a deep breath.

“And he… was trying to perfect his own clone to be his son because like hell I would and uh… In the process I found… I found out about how I-- why i’m like this. Why I'm a halfa. And it was not fun.”

“I mean.. I’ve always known I’m a halfa, that I’m half human half ghost, I know that. But it’s just… weird… knowing how I end up like this and that I’m still… more less… a human. I kinda always treat it as a disguise, to blend better with everyone else but… now? The Fentons offered me the option to stay here until I figure things out. and … that’s.. What confuses me.”

“What is?”

“A choice. That… that I can choose to stay, I can choose… to be a human. Or a ghost. And… I don’t know what to do, which one do I choose?” Danny pulled his legs close to his chest.

“There’s so much I want to see in this world, so many new things. But I’m.. also a ghost. Most of my friends are all in the Realm. And... I don’t want to leave you.” He looked up at the ghost.

“Oh Daniel,” he smiled at the boy.

“If you would like my opinion,” Clockwork offer, “you don’t have to choose. You are a ghost and a human. You shouldn’t have to choose one over the other. Because you can walk on both planes, the living and the dead. Your circumstances are unique to you (and a few others), but it shouldn’t have stopped you from exploring both worlds to your heart’s content.”

Clockwork sighs and strokes the raven haired boy, “I’m sorry that I’ve made you feel like it was never an option for you. That you feel like have to make a choice now. Because, again, you shouldn’t have to. I used to think that you’ll be safer staying in the Realm rather than expose you to the possibilities of finding out about your past, or Vlad. But I see now that it was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that. You belong here as well.”

“Wherever you decide to stay, do know, my doors are always open for you, and that will never change. Even if you don’t feel like it anymore, The Clock Tower will always be your home, should you wish for it. If the world wears you down, you are free to come by. I will be there, ready with some tea and your favorite cookies, to welcome you home. "

"And know, that I will always look after you, no matter where or when you are. So, if you ever need my help, or even just feeling lonely, call my name, and I will come running, okay?”

Tears welling up in Danny's eyes and he hugs Clockwork tightly. “Thank you, Clockwork”

Clockwork returns the hug and pats the boy’s back. “Any time, son.”

[ectoentity]

Warped Mirror

Decided to write something based vaguely on the “Spork AU” idea. Instead of Episode 1 Danny meeting Episode 50+ Danny, though, I was curious about a Danny who never became Phantom meeting one who had. This first part is just establishing Human!Danny’s world.

I’ll post it to AO3 when I have the rest of it finished.

---

Three kids stood before a giant machine in the shape of a door. It should have been humming along and glowing green, with a great hole to another world in the middle. Instead, it was cold and silent. 

“They spent years working on it,” Danny explained, “and then nothing. Mom and Dad have been moping in their room all day.”

Tucker looked around at the portal and the hodgepodge of computer parts attached to it. “It’s probably a loose wire somewhere. I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”

“In the meantime, this would make for an awesome picture,” Sam said with a smile. She held up her polaroid camera. 

“Oh no, you’re not getting me anywhere near that,” Tucker immediately walked away from the portal.

“Come on! When they get this thing working we’ll never be allowed near it. Besides, it’s not like it’s going to do anything right now.”

“Then why don’t you get over there and let one of us take the picture?” Tucker asked.

“Because neither of you know anything about lighting or framing a shot. Please?” When she saw that Tucker was not going to budge, she looked over at Danny with wide, pleading eyes. 

He looked anxiously at the portal. So far none of his parents’ inventions had really worked, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t dangerous. Still, Sam was right. It was pretty cool, and getting a picture with the thing could be a good way to keep a memory.

“Yeah, okay, let me put on a jumpsuit in case there’s a live wire or something.”

Ten minutes later he was suited up in the white-and-black safety jumpsuit his parents had made for him. It wasn’t really a hazardous materials outfit - there was no full hood or respirator, or even goggles. It was made of something that was supposed to repel ectoplasm and certain chemicals that his parents used and was insulated against minor shocks, so it would have to do. 

“Oh, no no. I’m not taking your picture while you’re wearing that,” Sam announced. Danny was about to argue, but she reached over and pulled the sticker of his dad’s face off of the suit. “Now you’re good.”

Danny laughed. “Good thinking, Sam. Wouldn’t want to be immortalized in your photos with that on me.” He walked up to the portal. It was a massive piece of machinery, nearly six feet in diameter and deep enough to fit a car. He paused at the entrance. It was hard to imagine it as anything other than a creepy machine in the basement. If it had worked, it would have opened into a whole other world. 

Tucker, meanwhile, was watching while anxiously tapping a foot. He had expected Danny to give in to Sam’s pleas. He was so predictable and utterly clueless. One of these days they would both realize that they were both desperately crushing on each other and they’d-

There was something plugged into the wall. Tucker wasn’t sure what it was, but he had a bad feeling about it. 

“Hold up!” he shouted. Tucker went over and unplugged the cord from the wall outlet, and checked around for more outlets just in case. When he didn’t find anything else, he called back, “Okay, I think it’s alright now.”

“Good thinking, Tuck,” Danny’s voice echoed in the portal. “Hey, Sam, is this good?”

Sam set up her shot. “Looks great! Just hold there a second.” She counted down before the flash went off. The camera whirred and produced a polaroid. “Lemme take a couple more,” she said before swiftly doing so from slightly different angles. “That should be good!”

Danny started to walk out of the portal. Something caught his foot. He tripped and fell backwards, flailing his arms wildly in hopes that he would catch something. His right hand hit the side of the portal. It stabilized him for a second, but then the wall clicked. Danny stared down at his hand, a chill lancing up his spine. He hadn’t hit the wall. His hand was resting on a button marked “ON.”

“Oh my god,” he blurted.

“Danny? Are you okay?” Sam called. He could hear them both scrambling toward the portal. 

“I’m good! I just tripped!” Danny got out of the portal as fast as he could. “My parents put the on/off buttons on the inside! If Tucker hadn’t unplugged it…” All three teens stared at the portal. Danny could have died, just for tripping over a stupid wire.

Finally Tucker gulped and broke the silence. “Want to see if your parents can get it to work now?”

Danny shook himself out of it. “Yeah! I’ll go ask if they forgot about that.”

They all but ran out of the lab.

---

The Fenton RV sped down the street, ghost alarms blaring. In the back, Danny got his weapons together as quickly as he could with all the jostling and swerving. They’d let Dad drive; time was of the essence.

“A level six!” Jack crowed from the driver’s seat. “Maybe even a seven! How long’s it been since we saw one like that?”

“About four months,” Danny grumbled. He still vividly remembered when the town had been drawn into the Ghost Zone and besieged with an army of skeleton constructs. He was not looking forward to a repeat of that hell. The Fenton Blaster in his hands whined as he attached the power source. 

“We’ll have to be careful, Jack,” Mom cautioned as she always did. “We don’t have the Ecto-Skeleton this time.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t call in the Guys in White?” Danny asked. They might not be the best ghost hunters, but they did have a lot more firepower.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Danny! I’m sure we can take care of this before they even notice something’s happening. Besides, your mom and I are still dealing with the paperwork from the last time they showed up.”

Danny shuddered. He was extremely glad that he didn’t have to deal with that aspect of ghost hunting. 

His dad pulled up to the mall with a loud honk of the horn and squealing tires. Danny and his mom ran out, blasters held at the ready. Dad backed them up with one of the Fenton Bazookas. 

The mall was already evacuated. Some people milled around outside, anxiously talking amongst themselves. In the year and a half since the ghosts had started attacking the town, people had gotten frustratingly complacent about them. The invasion a few months back had shown most people just how dangerous they could be, but a stubborn few always were more concerned with getting good pictures than their own safety. 

“Make way!” Mom shouted. “We’re here to take care of the ghost!” The crowd at least did part for them. A few people shouted at them. Some of it was words of support. A few tried to describe what they had seen - it was green, it was wearing all white, it was terrifying. Only a few made jokes or jeered at the Fentons as they passed. That was annoying, but it was a hell of a lot better than it had been a year ago. 

The deserted mall was an eerie sight. Everyone had left in a hurry, leaving lights on and store music still echoing through empty halls. The Fentons’ footsteps seemed far too loud. The weirdest part was that everything seemed intact. When the technology ghost raided the mall he usually left trails of rubble and discarded packaging everywhere. The box ghost would leave piles of everything that he dumped out of his beloved boxes. Various other ghosts had attacked the mall in the past, and they almost always left signs of their passing. Why was this one different?

“Come out, ghost!” Dad shouted, his voice easily carrying through the empty mall. “Let’s make this quick!”

“Curious.” The voice was quiet, but had the same unnatural echo of all ghosts. Danny held up his blaster, but he couldn’t tell where the voice had come from. Beside him, his mom turned on her miniature Fenton Finder. It beeped alarmingly quickly. 

“Two o’clock!” Mom shouted as she fired. Danny was only a moment slower, trying to fire a little ahead. The blasts didn’t connect with anything. 

“I mean no harm,” the ghost said. Its voice was way too close for comfort. Danny turned to his right and shot where he thought it was, but he still missed. 

“What do you want?” Danny asked. He didn’t really care. No matter what their obsessions were, ghosts only ever wanted to spread chaos and pain. Still, sometimes he could distract them by talking back. 

The ghost appeared in front of them. It was tall, with dark, green-tinged skin and a lighter beard. Its eyes glowed a soft yellow. A white robe and hood covered most of its body, rippling in a nonexistent breeze. 

A green beam from the Fenton Bazooka blasted towards the ghost. Its torso split apart to allow the beam to go through it. Danny grimaced. It was so gross when they did that. He followed his dad’s lead and started shooting the ghost. The ghost blocked all of his and Mom’s shots with a series of small green shields. 

“This is entirely unnecessary,” the ghost huffed. It had the audacity to look bored. 

“Then why not just go back to the Ghost Zone and leave us alone?” Danny shouted, annoyed. He ran off to the side, flanking the ghost. It finally started dodging the ectoblasts. If anything, though, the ghost just looked amused. 

“Oh, I shall. First, though…” The ghost flung its hand out towards Danny. He winced, anticipating the burn of ectoblasts. He took a step back and his foot sank. With a shout, he fell into the glowing green portal that had opened right behind him.

[ignisnocturnalia]

I think I've figured out how I want to write these (Exposition/mini story, when relationship is established HCs actually start) based on a previous statement I made, also ANOTHER REQUEST! All headcanons are placed at the back of the story part. Let's get this ball rolling!

Crow x Reader

"Now, if he ever flies too far from the nest?" Spider leans forward, "Boom." Your stomach made a flip at the kingpin's explanation, and you've never been more uncomfortable to have your Ghost out in the open. Some part of your mind is saying 'Who cares? That's the man that killed Cayde', but another half is saying 'He has no idea. It isn't fair to judge him for something he can't remember'.

That meeting had happened an hour ago and you couldn't get his dumb gray face out of your head. He looked so.. sad. Regardless, having a Ghost rigged with explosives did not sit right with you at all. Spider wanted you to help him with his Wrathborn problem? Sure, alright. When all of this was over, you knew exactly what you wanted your payment to be.

One large change about the new light that you've found impossible to ignore is diminutive he is. His commentary after successful hunts and small chats after a lure upgrade is administered are curt. Even more surprising is his willingness to present mercy to the corrupted Fallen. He is nothing like Uldren.

Acknowledging this division between his past and present self is when you start to realize that you like working with him. A lot. Probably more than just work, but will you admit it? No. Besides, you tell yourself, he really doesn't look like he's searching for a relationship while figuring himself out.

Petra often asks why you've taken to visiting the Tangled Shore so frequently now, and everytime you scramble to spit out an answer, something stupid like "Spider has a good deal running right now". In some part, it's true, since when you're not hunting Wrathborn you're showing Crow how to do Guardian stuff and explaining Last City life to him. His calm and curious demeanor is extremely cute, and the velvet sound of his voice does not help.

When Spider has both of you run point on a mission you always look to the rafters of the building to try and see him or listen for his steps. He's annoyingly good at stealth. The only time you ever had to be stealthy was in the Gorgon's lair and the Pleasure Gardens. You wish you could speak to him unfiltered; if Spider ever discovered your crush he wouldn't let you hear or see the end of it.

As the months dragged on and you came closer to catching the High Celebrant, you caught yourself anxiously wondering what lie at the end of it all. What if Spider didn't let you take him? And if he did, would Crow stay with you or do his own thing? Greedy little thoughts ran through your head as you thought of all the times you shared together, both of you visibly happy in your eyes.

As much as you'd like to live a runaway life with him and hope he felt the same, you knew it was wrong. He'd get restless, and you'd start fighting. Whatever he chose to do, is what you would let him do. Osiris has taken notice of your feelings, and the knowing glances he gives when no one else is looking sets your face on fire, acting like he doesn't have a thing for Saint always writing those letters when he's on death's doorstep; dramatic is what you say.

Soon enough, all of your close friends can tell you like someone, but they simply can't figure out who. Ironically, the day you work up enough courage to ask him to be your partner is the same day he pins the location of the High Celebrant. The morning is tense, and just getting ready for the big fight is sending energy through your body. Crow, on the other hand, seems much more grim. It makes sense, really; you're the one who's been slaying gods over the years.

You're guard is quickly brought up when Spider summons you for a talk in the main room. You listen to his next words with a fierce intensity.

"Do not let him so close, or spoil him with pretty dreams. Kill the High Celebrant. Break Xivu Arath's hold over my Shore, and you can claim any prise in my lair as your reward. You'll have earned it."

Hiding a smile, you nod and make your way to disembark on your mission; looks like you won't have to ask.

The Dreaming City was as mystical as ever, and you vaguely wondered if Petra had seen you come in. Making quick work of the scarce Hive, you found yourself in Harbinger's Seclude. The massive Cryptolith was impossible to miss, and a full body shiver racked you as you approached it. This was it.

Stabbing the lure into the roots, Crow's voice filled your comm channel.

"Ha! Tagged it! It's bleeding energy and on its way back to you." Your heart jumped at his excited tone. Nobody had any business being that cute. The trademark screech of a Hive portal drowned out all noise, and your next big fight ensued.

The next period of time was spent chasing the Celebrant through realms, until, that is, it sealed the last portal. Osiris had given weak condolences, but you weren't going to give up on Crow. Not today! The blight high above you twinkled teasingly as frustrated tears swam over your eyes as you attempted scrambling up the large Awoken statue, just barely missing the hand and falling back to the ground uselessly.

The silence was becoming overwhelming, deafening, even. Osiris continued to tell you to return to fight another day, but he was too important for you to just leave behind.

"Maybe there's enough Hive magic left in the lure to find another way through!" For once, your Ghost didn't parrot the obvious; you almost wanted to kiss him. Turning around with a new fire, you thrusted your lure into the crystalline floor over the last trace of the High Celebrant's blood. Sure enough, platforms much like those of the Dreadnaught revealed themselves over the edge of the bridge.

You wasted no time, racing over every gap and closing in on the blight. Palpitations overtook your heart when Crow's voice returned to the feed, spewing some kind of death message. Death wouldn't take him. Especially not if you had anything to say about it.

Jumping through the portal, you recognize the bitter feelings of anguish. This is exactly how you felt when Sundance's light washed over the Prison of Elders. Not again.

By the time you see the High Celebrant, all you're seeing is red. Faintly, you remember how Drifter said the Hive in the system were scared of you; good. They should be.

Bullets fly and the ether sings with each corrupted Fallen whose head flies by your gun. If you weren't so pressed for time, you would've strangled the Wizard that had your sought after stolen Light. Standing in the pool of green magic, you turn a furious glare on to the Celebrant and unload your heavy straight into its bony head. Something inside of you lurched in desperation to finish the kill when it summons a portal, trying to make for a retreat and trapping you at the center of the room.

"Crow! The portal!"

"I see it! Now finish it!" Just as he says those words, the trap falls and the portal across the room implodes, sending the High Celebrant to its knees. Your body erupts with power as you descend upon the Hive that killed Sagira and nearly killed Crow, sending it off with your super into the abyss.

Heaving a sigh, your brain finally has a chance to clear with no more present danger. In fact, your chest swells with affection as your Ghost confidently speaks of his trust in Crow followed by his reply.

"It's been an honor, Guardian."

Finally leaving the location, Celebrant head included, you decide to sleep on your short trip back. Your Ghost wakes you up before you land, and when you transmat your eyes immediately fall on Crow, who is safe and sound. Behind your helmet, you smile wearily at the former prince.

The moment you step into the Spider's lair, the air is thick with tension. You can tell the kingpin is pleased to have the Shore cleansed of Hive corruption, but also upset that he has to give up one of his prizes.

"It's done." You say firmly.

"So it is... so it is," he leans forward in his seat with a leer, "All right, Guardian. As promised, you can have a prized bauble from my lair as compensation for your... heroics." The last word rolls off his tongue with a quiet distaste, and you have no problem returning the feeling.

"I want... him." Jerking your head in Crow's direction, you can feel the energy crack through the room.

"Cute. Real funny." Your brows crease in impatience at his dismissive snicker.

"You said anything in the room." You do your best to keep your eyes off of Crow; a distraction now could be bad news. Spider lets out a terrible laugh as his guards step forward, readying their spears.

"Oh... You really want my little bird," he puts an uncomfortable amount of importance on the words "really want", "Fine. You can have him." The large Fallen turns his gaze to Crow, mockingly waving his arm upward.

"Fly away," he looks back down at you, "and get the hell out of my lair."

No further instruction is needed as you and Crow make your leave. As you exit the safehouse, both Glint and your Ghost come out.

"Now what?" Glint looks to Crow for an answer. The reality of the event settles on the Awoken, and he looks at you in a way he hasn't before.

"Why would you do this for us?"

As a formality, you've never taken off your helmet around Crow. He'd never seen, or even had an idea about your face, until... now. The tear streaks from the mission are still on your face, slightly visible in the dim light. Walking over to him, you slowly bring your eyes up to his. He doesn't move away, but you do notice with a flash of hope that a blush is starting to grace his cheeks at your proximity. Clenching your eyes shut, you close the gap between you two and press a kiss to his lips.

He freezes for a moment before placing his hands on your shoulders, and you pull back afraid that you've just made the wrong move.

"I... uh." His eyes dart here and there before settling back on yours. His face straightens out, and then he hesitantly leans forward into your range again. This time, he's the one kissing you.

Both of you leave the Tangled Shore together.

Relationship HCs

He never fails to pick you up during your special brand of greeting, which is running straight at him and jumping into his arms. You even do the little spin around like those movie couples

He's okay with subtle PDA like handholding, but nothing too extreme such as kissing in front of others; he prefers to keep more intimate moments between you and him

Surprisingly eager for cuddles with you at the end of the day

He will let you indulge yourself by doing stupid things every once in a while, like seeing how much whipped cream you can put in his mouth before he can't take anymore

There are times when you just talk about random stuff because he knows you like the sound of his voice

He usually has to calm you down whenever another Guardian stares too long. You see it as a threat, and you're ready to defend your glowing boyfriend with your life

When you're not busy with Vanguard tasks, you're bringing him to the planets that weren't swallowed by the Darkness and showing him the layout, along with whatever endemic life is present

He becomes enamored with Earth's crows, which you had expected

Whenever he has visions of his past, he'll tell you and you do your best to fill in with rudimentary details such as location or time; you hope he never remembers the moment when you had to kill him

You especially love playing with his hair, it's nearly softer than silk and you are intrigued by the white streaks at the front of his cut

Both of you will decide to sit down every once in a while and just touch each other's face; you prefer running your hands along his jawline and cheekbones while he'll brush just under your eyes and along your temples

Dates can range from a quiet, romantic dinner to hunting down large and difficult quarry

Whenever you find a Golden Age waltz piece, you bring it to him and give it a listen; these sessions always end with you two dancing and swaying with each other

Truly, a couple of many talents

NSFW 👁👄👁

The first time you get anywhere close to the act he's so unsure of himself you both stop and instead explore each other at the surface level

No matter how many times he sees you nude his face is a blushing mess everytime

The first few times you take the lead, but once you both get over the fact that you've exchanged pleasantries he's the one who figures out he likes to be dominant in bed

He's vocal to an extent, mostly heavy breathing/moaning and grunts to let you know exactly how good you feel

He's super into bondage (who would've known?) whenever you're the one tying him up

He always prefers the ability to see your face, and whether it's because he can see your face contort in pleasure or because he can lock with you in a heated kiss, you can't tell

His sides are usually ticklish, but they act more like erogenous zones when both of you are deep into it

He starts out rough since he isn't used to this kind of activity at all, but over time he finds a balance between being gentle and absolutely blowing your back out

He's likely to caress your arms and waist the whole time to add another sensitive layer to your already overstimulated body

He also likes draping his body over yours, and with how hot his chest is and the press of his lower body? You're not arguing

Once you finish, he either goes straight to sleep while huddling against you or you convince him to get up so you can shower together

I have 2 asks for Drifter HCs, but I'm implementing a personal/request system so I can keep my monsterfucker train going. The next HCs I'm releasing are for Nokris, then I'll do Drifter HCs, and for now my last personal writing will be for Ghaul

[ecto-american]

The Other Side

Phic Phight Oneshot for Kiinotasha and KC: (AU) Born a halfa and raised in the Ghost Zone by his mother, Danny struggles with his human identity when a permanent man made portal appears in the Ghost Zone.

On AO3 and FFN

-------------------

Danny never questioned his life until that man made portal spawned. He never forgot when he first saw it six years ago while playing with Youngblood.

Naturally, they were playing aliens and spacemen, Danny's favorite. Earlier in the play session, they had found it, and it was deemed part of their spaceship. It was just a metal outline, an octagon. Thick enough that they could sit, and they pretended that the limited space was the entrance. Obviously on the left side was space, and the right side was their ship. Eventually their moms called them home, and during dinner when asked about his day, he told his mom about it.

She frowned, and she asked him for more details. Having played on it all day, he described it perfectly. His mom paled, and she forbid him from going there again, but she didn't expand on why.

He saw no reason to be afraid. It was just a metal shape. There were far more dangerous places in the Ghost Zone. So the next day, he told Youngblood about his mom's weird reaction. His mom had reacted the same, but didn't say why. His dad explained that it was dangerous, but not what about it was dangerous. Danny didn't have a dad, but he was sure that if he did, he probably would have said the same thing. But neither child could get it. What was dangerous about a shape?

So they just played with it again the next day, and they lied to their moms about what they did.

Two years later, another ghost had join to make them a trio. Her name was Box Lunch, and she was honestly a lot of fun. But she was still a girl, and they didn't tell her about their secret fun location until they were sure she didn't have cooties. When they showed her, she instantly knew what it was.

"That's a ghost portal!" she exclaimed. Youngblood and Danny thought she was stupid. Ghost portals didn't stay anywhere permanently. They opened and closed at random, when the human world and Ghost Zone would temporarily merge and allow for a rip to tear. But it always mended back together quickly.

"No it's not," Youngblood scowled. Box Lunch made a face at him.

"Yeah-huh!" she insisted. "My mommy and daddy get into the human world all the time! She said some people there have been trying to make a permanent portal to here!"

"Nu-uh!" Youngblood argued. "My dad said that humans wouldn't do that, they're more afraid of us than we are of them!"

"Yeah-huh!" Box Lunch said more forcefully. "My parents were human once, they said that people constantly wanna hunt us in the human world! And that they're coming here!"

"If they're afraid of us, then why come here?" Youngblood challenged.

"What else would it be?" Box Lunch asked, crossing her arms.

"It's a weirdo ghost's lair!"

And as they bickered back and forth, Danny had remained quiet. He didn't know how to feel about any of this. His friends often forgot that Danny wasn't just a ghost. He was also human.

Not that he was a ghost who was once human, that died. He was both, and he always had been. Born that way, according to his mom, because his dad was human. Danny didn't know too much about him, and he never really thought to ask.

He knew that his name was Jack, and how he looked like. His mom had hung a photo of him in his room so that he'd know; blue eyes, black hair, with a square jaw and in a distinctive orange jumpsuit. The orange suit always reminded him of the blue one his mom wore underneath a lab coat. She said he looked just like his dad when he was in his human form, and he could absolutely see it. Though as a ghost he had white hair that he seemingly inherited from nobody, with his mom's light blue skin and yellow-green eyes. As a ghost, he matched with a black jumpsuit, though as a human, he preferred regular clothes.

Most ghosts had learned of Danny's true nature early on as the news slowly spread when he was born. They loved him and accepted him as one of them. He could go out into the Zone as a human, but it always felt weird. So he was always a ghost.

That night, as he got tucked in for bed, he decided to bring the metallic object up again.

"Box Lunch said that the big metal shape is a permanent ghost portal," he blurted out. His mom stared at him with wide yellow eyes, and so he knew that Box Lunch was actually right. "Is it?"

She sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I believe so," she confirmed. Danny sat up.

"Is that why you don't want me going near it?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. Danny cocked his head curiously.

"But if I'm also human, wouldn't they be okay with me?" he wondered. His mom paused for a long, long time. "I'm also one of them."

"I don't know, honey," she admitted. He could tell that she did know. She kissed his forehead. "I'll talk to you about it when you're a little bit older, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now good night, sweetie."

It was four more years before it really became relevant again. He had essentially forgotten about the unoperational portal as homeschooling, other friends, and general undead life had continued on for him and his mom.

Youngblood didn't age, since he was once human and died, and so as Danny got older, they hung out less. While Box Lunch, a born ghost, grew, he became distant from her too for unrelated reasons. Danny wasn't alone, however. For a while, he hung out with other ghosts who had died young before he met his best friend. He was a bit older than him when he had died, sixteen to his fourteen, but Johnny 13 (and his shadow) and him had almost instantly become friends and hung out nearly every day. Often his girlfriend joined them too. His mom also allowed him to keep a newly dead dog that had followed him home, that alternated from a puppy to a large hulking beast of a monster dog. Danny named him Cujo.

Ghost Writer provided lessons in the arts on Tuesdays and Thursdays for him and a few other younger ghosts, which did include Johnny and Kitty. On the other days, his mom homeschooled him in her passion: the sciences. His favorite memories were of him and his mother in her lab, doing home experiments and building a wide variety of things.

She indulged in whatever nonsense he wanted to build, which included but wasn't limited to: rock cannon, small spaceships, figuring out how they could grow potatoes on the moon like the man in the martian book did, using ecto energy to cook poptarts.

Often her friend, Technus, but better known to Danny as Uncle Nico, came by to do more of the tech-based stuff. Danny believed that Uncle Nico could do anything with technology. He was one of the ghosts that often went through the natural portals, and whenever he came back, he had something for Danny. Typically game consoles and games, but sometimes fun little useless knick knacks that Danny treasured deeply. He fixed those game consoles many times, and also showed him how to download and install cheats and mods to make them more fun.

And after a morning full of science or the arts, Danny would eat lunch then rush off to play with his friends, Cujo always on his heels.

Looking back, he never did much as a human. He had to resort to his human side to rest, or would default to it if he fell asleep. It felt weird being in human form amongst ghosts, and so he was just always a ghost. He never thought much about it, and nobody ever asked him to be a human around them. It was just how things were.

On the day he'd never forget, it was just him and Johnny. His girlfriend had opted not to come. Danny couldn't remember the original topic, but it made him remember the portal. As soon as he told Johnny about it, the two idly scratching Cujo as the dog slept in between them in puppy form, the ghost's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Dude! We have to check it out!" Johnny insisted.

"I dunno," Danny hesitated. "My mom said that I should stay away."

"Come on, it'll be sick! I've always wanted to go back to the human world," Johnny begged. "And you've never even been there, despite being half-human!"

Danny paused. Well, when you put it like that...

"Okay!" he agreed. He floated up from his seat a bit so he could untangle his legs to stand. Cujo immediately got up from his spot laying near them, tail wagging excitedly. "Let's go! I think I still know where it is!"

It had changed since he last saw it. It now had huge yellow and black doors in place of the previous blank space, and it seemed somehow bigger than he remembered it years ago. But it was unmistakably the man made portal.

Even now, he didn't get what would be too scary about it that his mom would encourage him to stay far away. It was just a door.

"This is so fucking cool," Johnny whispered as he touched the door. "Imagine...no more trying to hunt down a portal. We can just come and go as we please...seeing our lost loved ones...seeing my mom again…It's been so long...I dunno if she'd even remember me..."

Danny didn't say anything, but he did begin to think and truly wonder for the first time what his dad was like. His mom never talked about him, and he never really asked. He and his mom were happy, and he also had Uncle Nico. Was his dad kind? Did he also like science? Why wasn't he here? Did his dad even know about him?

"Do you think we can open it?" Danny asked. Cujo licked his fingers, and Danny scratched his head. Johnny glanced over his shoulder at him.

"I dunno," he admitted. His hand turned into a fist and he knocked on the door. "It seems really solid. I don't think we can just break it or something."

"Hm. Lemme see," Danny mused. He came closer, and he put his hand on the door. It was cold, and Johnny was right; it was metallic, just like the outer edge he used to play on, and it would not break easily. His finger traced the middle line of the two doors. "Hm. Maybe we can pry the door open."

"The humans made this," Johnny spoke. Danny stared at him. No shit. "No, no, I mean. Maybe you should do something to it as a human." Danny thought on this, and he shrugged. Couldn't hurt.

His transformation rings came and went, leaving him in his human state. He was just in a t-shirt and jeans today, and he stayed floating near the portal.

His hand had barely touched the portal when it opened for him.

Danny gasped in shock, jerking his hand back as it opened. Johnny had also jumped, going backwards a bit, and Cujo's fur went up as he barked. It fully opened, and he couldn't see anything but the green ooze. This wasn't anything like Uncle Nico had mentioned natural portals being like. They normally acted like a window you could see through. But it was an unnatural portal made by man.

"Maybe this isn't such a-" Johnny began, but Danny had already stepped through.

There was a weird in between area that shined bright blue that he never heard Uncle Nico describe. But in this in between, he could see exactly what the ghost had mentioned. He knew he was still in the Zone, but he could look out the portal into the human world like a window.

A man in an orange jumpsuit, with black hair that was graying, was sitting in a room that reminded him very much of his mom's lab. He was staring at the portal in confusion, likely because it had randomly opened, and Danny instantly knew who it was. He had no idea if his dad could see him, but he found himself rushing backwards, and back into the Zone.

The second he returned, he became a ghost again, and he silently began to fly away as he tried to process. Johnny asked no questions, only following, Cujo following them both.

That night, at dinner, he finally asked.

"What was dad like?"

His mom stared at him for a moment.

"Well, he was very sweet," she said slowly. "Very bubbly personality. Always went out of his way to help his friends." She smiled softly as she talked about him. "Adored fudge."

"Did he like science?" Danny wondered. His mom gave a short laugh.

"Oh boy he adored it. Not the best at it, but he had a lot of enthusiasm," he replied. "We used to do experiments together all the time."

Danny stared down at his food as he thought. He looked up to her, and he could tell that she already knew what he was going to ask.

"How come I never met him?" he wondered. She sighed.

"...He doesn't like ghosts," she replied. "Aspiring ghost hunter when I met him, actually. I was alive then. Had the same ambitions." At his shocked look, she laughed again. "I know, ironic. We had dated for about two years officially. But then...I died. It was winter, and I was driving late at night during a snowstorm. My car slid off the road, and into a river. And I died from my injuries. I found that I could disguise myself as human, and I was in denial. So I just...continued on."

"...Why?" he asked. His mom shrugged in defeat.

"I guess I just didn't want to admit that it was over. I hadn't done everything I wanted to do yet. I was still in college, and I felt like my life had been forcibly finished before it had even truly started," she admitted. "Jack had proposed, but I had declined. I was too afraid to tell him. He began pursuing ghost hunting more seriously as a profession and building weapons and portals. I found out I was having you, and he was so excited to be a dad. I began getting scared. I didn't know how long I could continue the lie. I didn't know how it all would affect you. Then the police found my car and body, and I knew I couldn't avoid the inevitable any longer. So I left. I had no clue how to face him, or even how safe you might be if we talked. Especially after you were born, and I realized that you were half ghost."

The more she talked, she more somber she became. By the end, she was sniffling a little. Guilt began to wash over him.

"Have you ever talked to him again? Like after I was born?" he wondered. She shook her head no. "How come you've never taken me to the human world?"

"I had considered it. But it's too dangerous," she explained. "Humans aren't like ghosts. If they knew that you were also ghost...you wouldn't wanna find out what happens."

"...Do you regret any of it?" Do you regret me?

She smiled softly despite the conversation.

"You were the best thing to ever happen to me," she told him. "I may have been very anxious about being alone, and how you may turn out despite it all. But you were born healthy and perfect in every way. You're absolutely the light of my afterlife."

Danny smiled back, feeling some reassurance. His mom stood up, leaning over to peck his forehead before picking up her plate. He heard Cujo scramble out from under the table, ears up in excitement.

"I think I'll finish this later," she told him. "I'm not too hungry tonight." She glanced down at the dog. "This isn't for you."

Cujo whined, following her as she put her plate in the microwave. Danny nodded, sparing a small smile to Cujo and ushering for him to come over. He slipped him a piece of chicken as his mom left.

Later that night, Danny couldn't sleep. He was too busy sorting out his rushing thoughts. He was of course still him. Nothing really changed, but there was this new growing emptiness. Danny was still Danny, but there was a whole other side to him that knew nothing about. It began to eat at him more and more. Who was this human side besides just human Danny who lived in the Ghost Zone? He didn't know.

He now wished that his mom had taken him to the human world before so that he could know. She did say that there was a risk in the humans knowing he was also a ghost, which he didn't get. The ghosts accepted him as one of their own, so why wouldn't the humans? He didn't get humans at all. And he needed to know more about them. He was one of them.

By breakfast, his mind was made up.

After an unusually boring lesson with Ghost Writer together, Danny immediately went to Johnny once their small class of sorts were dismissed.

"I have to go back." Danny couldn't breath for a moment. "I have to see what it's like. Like you said, I'm also human, and I've never been there. All my unlife, I've been a ghost, here, in the Ghost Zone. My dad's in the human world. And I need to know what it's like to be human. What it means. So I can maybe meet him one day."

Johnny nodded.

"I think I get it," he said slowly. "I'll come with you. Keep you company. I think I could pass for human pretty well, even if I have to say that I have some kind of sickly disease that keeps me pale."

Danny grinned.

"Thanks," he replied. "Come on."

It took no time at all to find the portal. Danny stared up at it, his breath once more stolen as he tried to think of a reason why he shouldn't go through it.

Nothing came to mind.

"It's okay if you don't wanna," Johnny said. Danny shook his head no.

"I have to do this," he replied. "I need to do this."

Johnny patted his back, and that was all the subconscious encouragement Danny needed to turn human and press his hand to the door. Once more, it opened. The fact that he's even able to open it made him know that this was something he was meant to do. He once again stepped through with Johnny right behind him.

[lyranova]

Confused Feelings

Hi guys! Here’s a small collab I did with my lovely little sis @crazyclownthanos 💕! It’s with our OC’s Ezio and Josslyn, I hope you guys enjoy this, it takes place when Ezio left Alistar and Leon in the mixer fic (which can be read HERE) and anyway I hope you guys like it I had so much fun writing it 🥰!

Taglist: @eme-eleff @flow3rbudz @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @ckjwnnbc

Word Count: 3,825

Warnings: Language

———

“ Excuse me.” Ezio Roulacase said to his friends Alistar Vangeance and Leon Vermillion before walking over to where Josslyn Silva was sitting and grabbed her hand and led her to one of the empty party rooms, the door slammed behind them.

Ezio let go of Josslyn’s hand and watched as the pink haired girl walked over and sat on the edge of the empty table, Ezio leaned against the door as he looked her up and down. Her dress complimented her figure well, her dress, jewelry, and hair were down in a nice yet subtle way. Her makeup was done in simple colors that really made her green eyes pop. She looked beautiful.

“ What are you doing here Joss? I thought you were out with Hikari?” He asked as he tilted his head curiously, Josslyn smirked a bit.

“ I am here with Hikari,” She told him with a shrug and she laughed softly as he looked confused.

“ How? I didn’t see her.”

“ That’s the point.” Josslyn told him, her smirk still in place, Ezio frowned before shaking his head and sighing.

“ What are you doing here Joss?” He asked again, in a slightly more serious tone.

“Why should it matter to you?” A brief pause. “It’s not like I'm your property.” She finished the sentence by sticking her tongue out. Ezio felt somewhat belittled by her sudden change from a straightforward drag to a comedian?

“Joss.” He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. Josslyn was startled by this sudden action

“All I’m asking is why are you here?” His grip on her grew tighter. Josslyn scrunched her nose.

“You’re playing with mist here.”

Ezio smirked playfully at Josslyn, that wasn’t the first time she had threatened him with her mist magic. Ezio let go of her shoulder and held his hands up as he backed up slightly.

“ Alright alright I surrender,” he said with a small laugh, admittedly he was a little scared of Josslyn and her magic, but he didn’t want to let her know that. He suddenly opened up a portal to the Purple Orca base and he grabbed her hand once again as he walked towards it.

“ I’m taking you home.” He announced before she yanked her hand out of his grip and glared coldly at him.

“ I told you I’m not your property!” She shouted, Ezio blinked in surprise. Hurt evident on his face.

Ezio hadn’t meant for it to come across as him being possessive of her, he was just worried about her. Especially since he knew what kind of guys were about to be coming into the tavern.

“ You’re right I…I hadn’t meant to come off that way, but please Josslyn. The guys that are fixing to come in here are really bad. Pleaseeee!” Ezio begged her.

With all her might and stamina she could muster she pulled her hand from his grasp. “You're such an idiot I swear, I got suspended from the purple orcas again.”

Ezio became dumbfounded. ‘Again….’ his mind echoed. “What did you do anyways?” He asked as he was fixing his posture.

She quickly whipped her head the other way, her arms crossed. She seemed embarrassed…? This was certainly new for Ezio.

Pouting her lips she muttered. “Thought I told you.”

“Eh? I can’t hear you.” He jerked his body forward, the portal continued to sit there.

“I thought I told you.” She muttered louder than before though Ezio had a hard time understanding.

“Speak louder.”

What Ezio didn’t expect on a night out was being punched to the wall by Josslyn. His head smashed against the wall, thankfully the wooden walls were thick enough to catch him. The portal to the purple orcas base immediately closed.

Ezio perked his eyes up when he heard the heel clicking as it met the floor. Crouching down to his level Josslyn whispered.

“I got suspended for setting up too many trap spells, all my squad mates ended up in a magic trap cube for a week. I kinda forgot all about them.”

Ezio rubbed the back of his head as he felt a small bump begin to form on the back of it. He let out a small sigh and shook his head when he heard what she did to her squad mates, it wasn’t surprising, and yet it was at the same time.

“ How did you forget about them in the cube?” He asked in surprise, he had to admit the embarrassed look on her face was pretty cute, but he wasn’t about to comment on it as he knew she would probably threaten to knock him into the wall again.

“ I dunno, I just did.” She mumbled with a shrug, she did have a tendency to forget about her squadmates, but she had never forgotten them for that long before.

Ezio stood up, created another portal, and held out his hand to help her stand.

“ C’mon I’m taking you home, as in home home.” She looked from his hand to his face, Josslyn went to open her mouth to argue but he quickly cut her off.

“ You can either come with me, or I can shout for Hikari and Alistar to come in here and take you home and I can assure you that you’ll probably be tied up and dragged while getting lectured by the both of them. Whereas if you come with me, all you’ll get is fun playful flirty banter as I walk you to your room.” Ezio said with a flirty smile, Josslyn just glared at him.

“ Please Joss?”

“I don’t know…” she muttered again. This was like trying to take a kid out of the candy store.

“Oh yeah now I remember! I told Rekka before I told anyone else!”

“Stop trying to change the topic!” An exaggerated shout came from him, which only led to Josslyn turning away from him again.

“Then quit being a pain in the ass.”

He groaned. Though quickly stopped mid through that groan scared to get another fist to the face. However she just sat there head still sitting in the same position.

“Listen…Joss I'm sorry I made you upset, that wasn’t my intention at all.” Slowly rising to her level, while still crouching down. His hand slowly moved up before grabbing her chin to face him. He saw those beautiful mint green eyes he adored.

“Quit trying to be a womanizer.” She muttered as she escaped Ezio’s grasp once more. Ezio looked visibly confused, she knew that he hasn’t had any luck in romance.

“Or maybe you’re just trying to be like my cousin.” She batted an eye at him, why was she getting territorial all of a sudden?

Ezio frowned at Josslyn words, ‘be just like her cousin’? What did she mean by that? And why did the look in her eye seem…jealous? Territorial? It was a strange look for her, one he didn’t recognize and he knew all of her looks.

“ Joss, are you jealous?” He tilted his head curiously, Josslyn suddenly had a surprised look in her eyes before turning away with a small blush.

“ N-No, of course not! Why would I be jealous?” She scoffed, Ezio’s frown only deepened at her denial. He looked towards the door as he heard Alistar and Leon’s voice’s grow louder and closer, he knew they were going to kill him for dragging them here and then suddenly abandoning them the minute he saw Josslyn. Ezio suddenly looked panicked as he grabbed her hand tightly and looked at her pleadingly.

“ Joss I can’t sit here and argue with you anymore, the minute those two come through the door I’m dead, like really dead, deader than dead, so dead that even a ghost would be surprised at how dead I am.” Ezio knew he was being dramatic but still, he wanted to get his point across. “ So please just come with me, we can continue this conversation once we get to your house but right now I need you to come with me!” He told her in a more commanding and urgent tone, he surprised himself as he sounded much more like his mother then his father in this instance.

“Don’t act condescending with me! Stop acting like a mother, for all I’ve known I’ve been on my own since twelve and I really did think I had a few people I can trust but it turns out you're not one of them! So. Leave. Me. Alone!!” She lifted a hand to slap though a sudden volt went through his entire body, like an instinct in a way.

Grabbing her wrist he whipped up a portal pulling her in first to prevent her from escaping. Though the only thing on his mind was when she made that remark about acting like a mother, but she has a mother? Why not compare her to him, though he seems like he’s only looking at meaningless clues.

A loud THUD was made as soon as the portal closed. Lying on the cold tiles in the black light.

“Joss?” He said softly.

He heard a faint groan, looking around it was hard to notice her, even if she has pink hair.

“Asshole I’m below you.”

Eyes shooting down on the pink haired princess who didn’t seem to be taken into kindly that he was laying right below him.

Ezio blinked and looked down, Josslyn was right he had landed right on top of her! He quickly blushed and jumped up, he scooted away from her until his back hit something hard behind him. When Ezio looked up, it was her bedroom door, he had transported them to the hallway of the Silva Residence. He let out a relieved sigh as he had managed to make it out in time before Leon and Alistar could get to him.

“ So, now since it’s just the two of us, care to answer a couple of my questions?” He asked as he pulled one of his knee’s up and propped his left arm on it, Josslyn rolled her eyes as she sat up.

“ I thought I wasn’t getting lectured?” She asked as she stood and crossed her arms, looking down at the pink haired young man.

“ I’m not lecturing, I just want a few answers. First, why did you just compare me to your mother? Secondly, why did you come to the tavern dressed like that? Thirdly, why did you compare me to your cousin? And Lastly,” his voice lowered slightly. “ why did you tell Rekka about your suspension before me?” He had to admit he was a bit hurt that he was the last to know about her suspension, he stood up at the same time as her and he crossed his arms.

She felt furious not because of the questions he was asking, but furious at herself for feeling furious. She squeezed her hands into balls. Why, Why, Why? She wanted to leave

“If you want answers you’ll have answers.”

Ezio took Josslyn’s hands and began drawing circles with his thumb. He didn’t want to seem desperate nor sad, he just wanted to show her that he was more than a magic knight who flirted with girls.

Josslyn felt defeated. Shrugging her shoulders down she wasn’t even bothered to look him in the eye.

“You see the picture up above me.” From the castle window a dim light reflected on the portrait above her. “A picture of Nebra Silva?”

“That's right, my mom.”

“What’s so significant about it, it’s just a portrait of her with her short hair and wearing her normal iced blue uniform.”

“Not the point, you love sick idiot.” Now that kinda stung.

“My mom first noticed she got pregnant with me after she collapsed performing royal duties, the kingdom was shocked knowing that a peasant got her pregnant. The shocking part was that when I was conceived my dad almost left my mom that same night.”

Ezio opened his mouth to speak but got cut off when Josslyn placed a finger over his mouth.

“Let me finish.”

“Since I’ve become a teenager she’s always on my case about my business, and why I've been suspended multiple times from the magic knights, which I see why but the problem Is that she was once like me, parent or not she was sleeping around.”

“ So,”

When his voice tainted the air she looked at him, “You’re saying that I’m being hypercritical by always getting on your case, who I’m with, etc, Josslyn but that’s your mother of course she’s gonna be on your case.”

“That’s not what I mean!” She had to hold herself back from slapping him.

“Second question, I came to the tavern because I felt a little uh….”

“Admit it you were jealous.”

Josslyn felt flabbergasted.

“No I-“

“If you can’t admit it, you're just as big a hypocrite as your mom and I.”

Josslyn glared at Ezio’s words, she didn’t want to be like her mother and be a hypocrite. But for some reason she also didn’t want to admit she was jealous and that's why she went to the tavern, she glanced at her friend and saw confusion yet concern. She shook her head.

“ You don’t get it, just leave and go home.” She told him coldly before trying to move around him to go to her room. Ezio gripped her hands tighter to keep her from leaving.

“ No, you’re not walking away from this, not until you talk to me.” He insisted, he usually never pushed her, but tonight he felt like he needed too. He watched her bite her bottom lip in thought.

“ You want me to be honest?” She asked, when she saw Ezio nod she turned away slightly. “ I..I don’t know how I’m feeling. I don’t know why I went to that tavern, I just know that I needed to and that I needed to ruin your date with that girl because the thought of you being with someone else hurt me.” Josslyn told him softly, Ezio blinked at her words.

“ To me, it sounds like you were jealous, and that you want me to be with you. Do you feel like this often?” He asked as he continued to rub circles on the back of her hand.

“ Only when you go out with other girls.” Josslyn mumbled, Ezio sighed softly as a warm smile appeared on his face.

“ Josslyn look at me,” Ezio told her, she glanced up at him. “ I love you Josslyn, I’m not saying this in the flirty way I normally do. I mean it; I love you, so much. I always have since we were kids.”

“You’re seriously joking?” Josslyn felt her heart strings being played.

“Josslyn you’re the prettiest girl I know, I love everything about you to your perfect neatly hair, your mint green eyes, your red cherry chapstick, your steam magic, I love everything single thing about you.”

She felt bewildered by this. Has her heart ever been touched like this before? She clenched her chest. Why can’t life be so simple? Why do these feelings called emotions come in our way?

“Now please answer this: why did you tell Rekka about your suspension before me?”

A sneaky smirk formed on her lips. “Seems like you're the jealous one now.” A crimson blush grew.

“W-Whatever.”

“Well for me telling Rekka before you it’s just y’know our families are close and I’ve known him since forever?”

“I’ve known you forever too.” He grumbled

Josslyn rolled her eyes for the fifth time tonight quite dramatically though a small smile graced her lips.

“I know Rekka has a crush on me, but I don’t like him like that. To me he’s family and anyway If I wanted to date him I can’t because my little brother has a crush on his little sister.”

For the first time tonight they laughed .

Ezio couldn’t help but feel slight relief when Jossyn admitted that she didn’t feel the same way about Rekka as he felt about her. Ezio watched as Josslyn laugh, it was such a beautiful sound, he always loved hearing her laugh and seeing her smile. That’s partially why he flirted so much with her so he could see it, instead he would mostly get an annoyed look or some flirtatious banter from her.

The two stood there in silence for a while, neither one really knowing what to say. Josslyn couldn’t really believe that he was being serious about his love for her, he had confessed too many times to loving her in the past, and yet somehow this confession felt *different* more serious than the previous ones.

“ So, where do we go from here?” Josslyn asked him softly, Ezio shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“ I don’t know. I know where I stand as far as my feelings for you, but do you know where you stand as far as your feelings for me?” He asked her kindly, Ezio watched as he saw a conflicted look in her eye. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“ I don’t know. I think I love you but…I just don’t know.” She admitted, her voice shaking a bit. Ezio’s smile turned sad as that wasn’t what he really wanted to hear, but soon his smile turned accepting and he squeezed her hand back.

“ It’s ok Joss, I think, I think what you need most of all right now is time. Time to figure out your feelings and work things out.” Ezio told her, his voice soft and warm it almost felt like a warm comforting blanket had been wrapped around her.

She sniffed a little, she couldn’t help but hate for herself again for feeling this way. It felt foreign to her.

Not knowing what move to make next she did the first thing that came to mind.

Hug him.

Ezio had swore he felt the world stop moving when she felt her hands wrapped around his neck. He hesitated to wrap his hands around her waist, but when he did he could feel her hugging even tighter. This was the highlight of Ezio's dazzling night out. He never intended a fun night at the mixer, to him confessing his love to the flaming sakura of house Silva. It felt too good to be true

As he continued to enjoy this embrace he heard her sniffs which had caused him to perk his eyes to her.

“Everything alright, Joss?”

“Yeah, I just hate this world.”

“Don’t we all?”

he listened as she made a small ‘hmph’ how in the world did he fall for her? A blessed feeling really.

Ezio held Josslyn tightly against his chest, he couldn’t remember the last time she hugged him like this. It had been at least 4 years or more, and that had been the first and last time she had done it. He frowned a bit as he felt Josslyn’s shoulders shake with laughter.

“ You’re so warm.” She mumbled softly against his shoulder, Ezio chuckled as his hands rubbed soothingly up and down her back.

“ See? I told you I was warm and you never believed me.” He said with a mock disappointed sigh, he felt her shove his shoulder playfully and he laughed again, this was nice. Just standing there holding each other, without a care in the world. When suddenly a tall man appeared in the hallway.

“ Josslyn! What are you doing out so late?! If your mother catches you, you’re going to get in trouble!” Helreignn, Josslyn’s brother Ace’s devil shouted. Ezio let out a shout as he jumped away from her, the pink haired girl sighed at both men.

“ Oh, did I interrupt something?” He asked as he looked between Ezio and Josslyn with a confused look on his face. Ezio clutched his racing heart as his face was pale.

“ You scared me half to death!” Ezio shouted dramatically.

“Oh wow.” He commented sarcastically. “How about we throw a pity party for you? promise I’ll save you a seat in my council in the afterlife.”

“I’ll have to decline on that.”

“You’ve met Helreignn before? After that rookie mission where the mountain exploded.”

“I’m not sure if I wanna remember.”

Helreignn whistled before cornering the small man.

“Listen here, dare a lay a finger on Josslyn again and I will not hesitate to strangle you with my arrows.” He said in a threatening tone as he cornered him while cracking his knuckles. Ezio was tall, but compared to that fright he felt so tiny.

“Helreignn.”

“Hm?” He whipped his head around to meet the young girls casual expression

“I think I heard Ace needs you for polearm training.”

“This late at night?” He said shifting his entire boy around.

“Yep, now go before he ends up losing an eye.”

Helreignn made a humming sound, he glared at Ezio then at Josslyn before walking where he came from with hands behind his back.

“Fine, but if he’s still hanging around here in 5 minutes you better pray to Odin.”

As soon as he left the premises Josslyn turned to Ezio.

“Sorry about him. But you heard what he said.”

“ Yeah I heard him,” Ezio said as he cleared his throat, everyone was wanting to kill him today it seemed. He looked at the clock on the nearby wall and sighed, it was getting late and he knew if Yami or his parents caught him out he would get into big trouble. “ It’s late anyway I need to start heading home.” He added as he opened a portal and began to walk towards it. He stopped when Josslyn grabbed his arm.

“ Will you,” she paused, biting her lip in thought. It was wrong of her to ask him to wait for her, especially since she didn’t know how long it would take for her to figure out her feelings for him. He smiled softly at her before he stepped up to her and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead.

“ I’ll wait for you, I promise.” Ezio told her softly before placing another kiss on top of her head. She looked up at him in surprise, she hadn’t been expecting him to say that, he was a known flirt just like his father was. But he looked serious, like he really meant what he said. Ezio pulled away reluctantly, his heart silently breaking as he let the love of his life go, even if it wasn’t permanent it still hurt.

“ Take all the time you need to figure out how you feel. I'll still be here no matter what you decide. Goodnight, Josslyn.” He said softly before walking through the portal that led to the Black Bulls base. All he wanted right now was to go to bed and just stay there for a while, but instead what he saw when he walked through the portal was a drunken Leon and a very drunk Alistar in front of the base.

[flutteringdreams-matw]

Out of Time (9)

First/Last

Read on AO3

Word Count: 4248

Previously: After realizing there's three possible outcomes of a looming battle with Dan, Danny asks Valerie, Dani and Vlad for their help.

Now: The calm before the storm. Aka things are about to hit the fan.

Link to the next chapter will be in the replies once posted. As always - please let me know what you think!

---

"Danny- you in here?" Jazz asked, opening her brother's door tentatively. To her surprise, she saw both Danny and Phantom in the room, both looking sombre and upset. She frowned slightly, looking between the two like a hawk. "Are you okay?"

Danny's eyes briefly flashed green as Phantom disappeared, smiling at his sister. "Yeah," he replied softly. His blue eyes watched her as she crossed her arms determinedly.

"Good, cause we're ready for you." Jazz observed Danny closely as he stood up straighter, a quiet reservation embodying him. She frowned as she examined him again. "You sure you're okay? We can postpone-"

"No," Danny said tiredly. "We really can't." He walked over to his sister, ignoring her suspecting gaze as he gave her a hug. Jazz bristled in surprise, but quickly returned it. "Love you," he murmured into her shoulder.

"I love you too," she replied, pulling away from the hug. She poked his nose affectionately, making the younger teen scramble away with a scowl. "Now come on, you're needed Ghost Boy."

With a devious smirk, Danny transformed and grabbed his sister by her arms. He turned them both intangible and flew up to the Ops Center. He dropped Jazz unceremoniously to the ground as he turned tangible again.

"Ugh! Danny!" Jazz protested, shivering slightly. "Give me warning next time!"

Danny chuckled, floating in the air as he watched Jazz try and recover. "You're the one who said they were ready. Where's that Ghost Getter attitude?" he teased.

Jazz glared half-heartedly at her brother before sighing. "C'mon," she said, gesturing to the crowded Ops Center.

Both Fenton children made their way into the room, weaving through many of Frostbite's subjects as they attempted to reach their parents. Maddie, Jack, Sam and Tucker were crowded around one of the screens. Jack saw them first.

"Kids! There you are!" he boomed, causing Sam and Tucker to jump in surprise. "Vladdy's on the T.V."

Danny exchanged frowns with his sister as they moved the screen. Vlad was sitting at his desk in the Mayor's office, looking stoic and political as the T.V. station ran a banner underneath him labelling it as a mayoral address.

"Citizens of Amity Park," Vlad began. Danny rolled his eyes at the condescending tone his arch-enemy used. "As you've been aware, local hero Danny Phantom has held a large dome of energy around our beloved town for the past four days. After a brief meeting with Phantom this afternoon, we now have true confirmation of what is afoot."

Maddie turned to her son, frowning in disapproval. "You went to Vlad?"

Danny shrugged. "He needed to know what was going on. The last thing we want is him making a story up and it causes people to get hurt." He turned back to the press conference.

"There is a dangerous ghost making its way through the Ghost Zone," Vlad continued. "Dangerous enough to cause many ghosts to take refuge here in our world. Phantom has put up this shield in order to protect our town from harm." Vlad folded his hands together, looking very grim. "However, this ghost has challenged our resident ghost and has thus threatened the safety of this town. Tomorrow, these two will clash somewhere in our world, with Phantom unsure of how much protection he can give us.

"The Fentons and I have created a contingency plan in case Phantom's shield is compromised, however it is very likely that this will rival our run in with the Ghost King last year. Unfortunately, it is too late to evacuate the town. Rest assured that your safety is our number one priority. We are asking you to stay indoors until we determine that it is safe to return to our normal lives. I must implore you all to be careful – the only warning we'll have is if this shield goes down.

"As for Danny Phantom – if you're watching this: Good Luck."

Vlad faded from the screen as Lance Thunder started his analysis on what he just heard. Danny let out a breath as he turned to his parents. "We ready to figure out a plan?"

Jack gave his son a reassuring smile. "You bet kiddo," he told him, leading the way to a large round table. Ethelwulf, Frostbite and Clockwork all sat waiting for them, with many more white yeti ghosts standing behind them. Frostbite grinned readily as he saw Danny approach, while Ethelwulf looked him over searchingly.

Danny ignored them, instead floated above the table and waited for his friends and family to take a seat. Green eyes found the large fold out map of Amity Park with various pieces placed strategically across it. A small frown appeared across his face as he saw the large amount of pieces outside of the shield.

"We still have about 10 hours before Dan attacks," Maddie said, snapping Danny out of his musings. He floated back, giving her his full attention. Maddie pointed to the large group that was furthest away. "Our intel shows that Dan is East of the town gathering his army." She gestured to the rest of the town. "Danny's shield will hold for a bit, but our main priority should be getting the Fenton shield up and running. Once that's up, it should cover the entire town – the only problem is we still can't isolate Dan's ecto-signature from Danny's."

"The good news is between Frostbite and his people, we're able to scan all the ghosts hiding in Amity Park," Jack told the crowd. "This way, the shield will still be able to protect the ghosts and the town from Dan's wrath."

Danny nodded, agreeing with the line of thought so far. "And you'll keep working on the shield?" His parents nodded. His frown deepened as he surveyed the plans now on the table. "We need to keep him out of the city at all costs." Danny moved closer to the table, pointing to a large structure on the map. "Until we get the Fenton shield up, we'll have to be divided." Maddie glanced at her son nervously, but stepped back as he started to take more command at the table. "We'll split up in two teams. Ethelwulf, Frostbite; you both stay here. With Ethelwulf's shield around the Fenton Portal, it's the safest point in all this. If anything goes down, you're the best people to defend it." He traced the outer layer of the map with index finger. "The Red Hunter, Danielle and Plasmius will be at the shield holding back the shadow army. If these things are anything like Vlad's copies, then there's going to be a lot of them."

Maddie and Jack exchanged surprised looks before addressing their son. "Are you sure you can trust Plasmius?" Jack asked him. "Or the Red Hunter for that matter? She did trap you and Danielle a few weeks back."

Danny didn't look up from the map, concentrating hard on his next point when he answered. "We've had truces before," he explained. "It's fine. Besides we'll need all the help we can get."

Frostbite cleared his throat. "My fellow Far Frozen brothers will also protect the town," the yeti ghost told the group in front of them, garnering murmurs of agreement throughout the crowd. "If any of the shadows make it in, we'll be ready Great One."

"Thanks Frostbite," Danny said gratefully, flashing his friend a smile. It quickly disappeared as he continued. "Unfortunately, I think that'll happen sooner rather than later." He turned his gaze to his parents. "No matter what Vlad's said during that press conference, we're going to need people to clear the streets and provide cover if needed."

Maddie stroked her chin in thought. "I think we still have time to reach out to the Ghost Emergency Response team," she said. Seeing the look of confusion on her son's face she elaborated. "We reached out to a few people after the Ghost King attack to help with evacuation efforts in the event we couldn't get to them in time. They'll be able to use some public spaces to get people to safety in a pinch. Plus, this was set up before Vlad was mayor; we don't have to go through him for his approval."

Danny eyed his Mom suspiciously at her tart tone but nodded his consent. "Okay, let's do that," he said. His eyes darted across the map in front of him, before he paused and sighed heavily. "I don't think there's any way I can keep the shield up and fight Dan."

"Especially if you're going to be an idiot and go off alone," Tucker said. Danny scowled at him. "What? We can see your self-sacrificing shtick from a mile away dude."

"Not exactly what I meant," Danny shot back, green eyes running over the map avoiding everyone's gaze. "I'm using my base powers to keep the shield up. If something's attacking it - the best place to keep it up around the town is to be right on it."

"Making you a sitting duck," Ethelwulf finished, yellow eyes scanning the map with quick precision. "Which is what Dan is counting on; he tested your abilities in your last battle. He'll wait until you're distracted before striking."

"Which is where Jazz and I come in," Sam jumped in, moving closer to the table and pointed to various sections of the town. "We can provide cover some extra cover on you from the highest points of the city." She pointed out four large buildings. "If we station ourselves up there, we can hit the ones that close in on Danny's position."

Danny stiffened slightly at the suggestion, eying the pieces outside of the shield again and the other two buildings that Sam had suggested. He let out a breath before looking up at his family and friends. "We'll need more than just you two. Mom, Dad, Jazz and Sam will be on these four buildings," Danny grabbed four mini pieces that indicated their side of the battle and placed them on the map. "Tucker, you'll be at FentonWorks working on the shield and be our eyes while we're out there. Apart from my parents, you're the only one who can work on those calculations." He moved another piece. "I'll be at the top of the shield, keeping it up until the Fenton shield is ready. Then we can regroup here and think about our next phase of attack."

"And if your shield goes down before the Fenton one is ready?" Sam asked sceptically.

Danny floated above the table, looking grim. "Then we fight," he said simply. He floated above the crowd, his face reserved as he surveyed the crowded ops center. "This won't be easy," he told the crowd. "In a different time, he destroyed the entire world. I want to say we'll make it… but there's no guarantee that we'd be back. If we fail – our worlds as we know them are doomed." The half-ghost crossed his arms. "Dan isn't invincible. If we work together, we can bring him down. Who's with me?"

A loud roar of approval echoed through the ops center from the members of the Far Frozen. Danny scanned the crowd and found Clockwork, regarding him curiously with his red eyes. Time seemed to slow as their eyes met, Clockwork searching for an answer from the young ghost. Clockwork gave Danny a brief nod of approval before Danny floated back to the ground toward his friends and family.

Danny waited until the ghosts left the Ops Center before taking a vacant seat and transforming back into Danny Fenton. Tired eyes scanned the table again, looking at the small pieces and the map with reservation. "If this doesn't work…"

"It will," Maddie told him sternly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be fine." Danny couldn't tell if she was trying to reassure herself as well.

"If there's anything this year has shown us, it's how to kick ghost butt as a family," Jack added confidently.

"Dad's right," Jazz told him, coming around Danny's other side, giving him a big hug. "Dan may have the power, but we have the numbers and heart. Remember that, okay?" Both Fenton parents joined the hug at their daughter's words.

Danny smiled softly. "I'll remember," he said. His family released the boy from the hug, smiling. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "This will work."

Maddie kissed the top of his head affectionately. "Get some rest sweetheart. We'll see you off in the morning." With that, the three Fentons exited the Ops Center, leaving Danny, Sam and Tucker alone.

Tucker walked over to the table, nudging Sam along the way and sat next to his best friend. "That was kinda weird…right? I mean… in a good way?"

Danny chuckled. "A bit, yeah." Sam finally moved to Danny's other side at the table, watching him intently. "This is the first time my parents are involved in such a big ghost attack and know all the stakes going in. It's made it easier….. but also so much harder."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

Danny shook his head, smiling softly. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad we're on the same side for once." He pulled out a small pouch from his pocket, putting it onto the table. His logo reflected the light from the Ops Center above him. "Can one of you ask Ethelwulf about these? Vlad gave them to me."

"I'm pretty sure that's a red flag and should be thrown out," Sam said, narrowing her eyes at the pouch.

Danny shrugged. "He said they're Ecto-Enhancers – something to help give my powers an energy boost. While I don't trust Vlad with a ten foot pole, I think he's actually trying to help. I'd ask my parents, but Mom's been acting strange about me interacting with Vlad. I don't think she knows anything, but she definitely suspects."

"Hence Ethelwulf," Tucker finished, watching Danny confirm with a nod. Tucker stared at the pouch as a few ideas raced across his brain. "Apart from Ethelwulf, Plasmius is the only other person who knows about half-ghosts on a molecular level. Maybe these will help us separate the two of you."

"If there's one time for his creepy clone experiments to come in handy, it's now" Danny replied with a grimace.

"Gross," Tucker said. He reached over, grabbing the pouch of Ecto-Enhancers and waved them in the air. "I'll get started on this – hopefully we can get that shield up before morning." Tucker stood, giving Sam an exaggerated look before moving quickly to the stairs. "Sam, make sure this one doesn't do something stupid without me. I am the brains of this operation"

Danny chuckled at the joke. "Don't let it get to your head, techie."

Sam shook her head at their antics. "No promises," she said slyly as Danny made a noise in protest. Sam caught Tucker's equally sly smile as he made his way downstairs, realizing suddenly that he left her alone with Danny on purpose; she nearly groaned in annoyance.

"Jerk," Danny muttered in amusement. He rose slowly, gripping the table to hold himself up. His arms shook as he looked over the plans again, blue eyes darting back to the large amount of pieces on the ground.

Sam frowned worriedly. "You're exhausted," she stated.

Danny nodded. "We really need that shield," he told her wearily. "If these numbers are right then I'm going to be putting all my energy into defending the town."

"What you really need is sleep." Sam replied sharply. Danny ignored her and continued to glance at the figures on the table. "When was the last time you actually rested without those time visions?"

Danny shrugged, turning his face away. "Few days maybe," he replied. He traced the outer layer of the map toward the top of the shield, frowning in thought.

Sam sighed, standing up and put her hand on his shoulder. Danny's body relaxed slightly at her touch but remained focus on the map in front of him. "You need to rest," she said softly. "You've been heading straight for Dan ever since he escaped. Not to mention, you've been flying around and using your powers quite a bit today. Isn't it time to take it easy?" Danny only hummed at the suggestion. Sam sighed again, bracing herself against the table as she looked out in the other direction. A few moments passed, neither one speaking as they stood in the Ops Center. Finally, Sam let out a long breath, steeling her resolve. "About earlier…"

"You were right," Danny told her, cutting Sam off before she had a chance to continue. He glanced at her quickly before his eyes returned to the map. "Before. This isn't just some ghost fight."

Sam frowned, confused at his reserved demeanour. "You told me you weren't afraid anymore," she accused softly.

"I'm not."

Sam turned to him abruptly, violet eyes flashing dangerously. "So why are you holding back now? What changed in a few hours?"

Danny sighed tiredly, his black hair covering his face from her view. When he finally spoke, it was so quiet it made the hairs on the back of Sam's neck stand up. "If we make it through this, then we'll talk."

Sam blinked before nudging him hard with her shoulder. "When we make it through this, I'll be waiting. You hear me? When." They stood quietly, Sam's last remark hanging in the air as Danny made no attempt to answer. She nudged him again. "Danny, when you make it back. Not if."

Danny raised his head slowly, smiling as he looked at her. Sam's eyes widened slightly at the changing emotions across his face. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "You're right." He turned away as Sam looked at him, concerned. "I think I'm gonna head downstairs."

Sam frowned; something didn't feel right. "You're not going to sneak off on our own are you?" she asked searchingly.

Danny shook his head and brushed her off. "Nah – you'll miss me too much," he replied lightly. She wasn't convinced.

With a small wave, he took off down the stairs. Sam watched him go, still frowning as she tried to figure out his sudden change of mood.

:-=-:

"A little early for an adventure, isn't it Halfling?"

Danny didn't turn from his position on the Ops Center, opting to look at the stars through the green shield around the town with a small smile. There were still a few hours before dawn and apart from the ghosts throughout the house, everyone was asleep. "Not an adventure if I'm still here."

Ethelwulf chuckled as he walked up beside the seated young ghost. "True, but you are your ghost self on a rooftop, alone, right before we do battle with that monster. Forgive me for thinking you were sneaking off without telling us."

Danny shook his head. "I couldn't sleep," he admitted. "Stargazing helps me clear my head." They looked at the stars in silence, Ethelwulf waiting for Danny to continue. Eventually, Danny sighed, standing up to face the black wolf ghost beside him. "I keep seeing various parts of how today will play out," he said dismally. "Regardless of how much planning we do, it doesn't seem like we're going to win."

Ethelwulf opened his mouth, but a voice beat him to it.

"What have I told you before, Great One?" Frostbite floated toward them, an eyebrow raised questionably at the younger. "About fears and battles?"

"I'm not afraid of Dan," Danny told them confidently. "I'm not facing him on my own so we have more of a chance than I would normally. But…" Danny looked up at the stars again, frowning. "In order to win, we need to know his plan. With these time visions, I think I have some idea of… how he thinks."

Frostbite and Ethelwulf exchanged confused looks. "Isn't that a good thing?" Ethelwulf asked him.

"If I'm right… then it's not a good thing," Danny replied seriously. He rubbed the back of his head. "It means that our plan doesn't account for him exploiting our weaknesses – which he'll definitely do. Dan has nothing to lose, meaning he's more dangerous than ever. He doesn't care."

Ethelwulf let out a soft "Oh," as he realized what the boy was trying to say. He lowered his head close to Danny's face, big yellow eyes looking into worried green. "Danny," he said gently. "Going into battle thinking you'll lose means you've already lost. The things that you need to fight for? That makes you more dangerous too."

Danny smiled sadly. "I want to believe that. More than anything."

Ethelwulf nodded. "Then do." Ethelwulf looked him over, frowning. "Though you're not completely healed from yesterday; are you sure you'll be alright on top of that shield?"

Danny nodded. "I'm good. The faster we get that shield up, the faster I can recover and kick his sorry butt out of existence. How's that going anyway?"

Ethelwulf sighed. "Tucker gave me the Ecto-Enhancers; Plasmius seems to know quite a bit about your ecto-signature Halfling. We were able to identify more of a distinction between the ecto-signature we have of you and his. It seems like the key here is your mid-morph sample – but until you're able to recover, I believe it's unwise for us to take that sample. Though, now that we know what we're looking for, we might be able to manipulate the shield enough for us to put it up. These Ecto-Enhancers should be safe if you wish to use them."

Danny nodded in confirmation. "Good to know – probably best to leave them here for now. Last thing I want is for Dan to get a hold of them." Danny looked away, making Frostbite and Ethelwulf tense slightly. "If anyone can figure out that mid-morph sample, it'll be Tucker. He's been working with my parents for so long and knows my powers pretty well. Will you-"

"Don't worry," Frostbite assured. "We'll make sure your family is safe. No one will get through."

Danny smiled gratefully, looking up at the stars again. "Thank you," he said simply. They were quiet for a few minutes, before Danny closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Clockwork," he called as he opened his eyes and faced his two friends.

Clockwork's spinning clock appeared promptly behind Frostbite, the latter shuffling aside for the Time Master to materialize. Once appeared, Clockwork brought his staff toward the ground, a grim smile directed at Danny.

"I think I finally understand," Danny said quietly. "When you told me that acting on the knowledge of time was a burden."

Clockwork inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I believe so," he said simply. "I'd ask you what now, but judging from that response, I can only guess."

Danny sighed again. "I need you all to promise me something," the half-ghost started, getting the attention of all three spectres on the roof. "If I….. If I stop responding on coms…..or if I go down…please don't come looking for me until my shield falls. Keep my family and friends away from it too."

The boy's request hung in the silence that followed.

"I've seen some….. things," Danny continued, green eyes pleading for them to agree. "I don't know if they're true – but I might have to make decisions out there that go against the plan to protect Amity- To protect my friends and family. I need to know that they're safe behind this shield. It's the only way I'll….Please – keep them from coming after me."

Clockwork looked at Ethelwulf and Frostbite's shocked faces as he floated past them, red eyes glued to the determined, pleading face of a fifteen year old half-ghost that started this. "I said once," Clockwork started, "That I'm inclined to trust your judgement. Through all those twists and turns of time, my view on that has never wavered Danny Phantom." Clockwork put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Time has asked so much of someone so young – this is the least I can do."

"Are you sure this is wise, Time Master?" Frostbite asked worriedly. "The Great One is still not healed. If he goes in alone –"

"Frostbite is right," Ethelwulf said, cutting the Far Frozen leader off. "Danny, this is ill-advised. You just said you're not fighting him alone – why do you want to prevent us from helping you in your time of need?"

"We have a plan right?" Danny asked, an eyebrow raised. "No matter what happens to me, we need to make sure it gets followed. We're more likely to succeed that way. If my shield is still up, I'm okay - I'm still alive. The last thing I want is for Dan to use anyone I love as bait."

The two wolf-like ghosts looked at each other and sighed, defeated.

"I will protect them with my life Great One," Frostbite told him earnestly.

Danny turned to Ethelwulf, who sighed deeply. Yellow eyes met green once more. "You are truly remarkable, Halfling," he said proudly. Danny's eyes widened in surprise. "I will honour your wishes – however if your shield falls, I will come after you myself. I will not let you die."

Danny smiled, looking at each of the ghosts directly before nodding. "Alright, then let's-" Danny's knees buckled slightly, cutting his train of thought off as he grimaced in pain. Frostbite and Clockwork moved toward the boy. Ethelwulf winced, swearing under his breath.

"Something attacked my shield," Ethelwulf said.

"Mine too," Danny ground out as he recovered. He looked up in thought, frowning as his eyes scanned the shield. He closed his eyes, trying to find where the attack on the shield came from before sighing. He turned to Frostbite and Ethelwulf. "If I'm not back in half an hour, wake everyone else up."

"This has to be a trap," Ethelwulf said. "Danny, you shouldn't go up there alone."

"He did say he wanted to divide my attention," Danny replied bitterly. "Probably, but I don't want to chance the shield. Ethelwulf, check on the one around the portal. I'll have my Fenton Phone with me – Frostbite, head to the control station and we'll stay in contact. I'll be gone thirty minutes tops. If I'm not back, tell my family…" he paused, looking conflicted for the first time on the rooftop. "Tell them… to defend Amity. To get the Fenton Shield up and running. To…to be careful. I'll be back as soon as I can." Without warning, Danny leapt into the air and teleported somewhere outside of the shield.

Clockwork sighed, breaking Frostbite and Ethelwulf out of their surprised stupors. "Frostbite," he called. "You heard him, get to the control panel. Ethelwulf, check on that shield. The faster we do that, the faster one of you can go after him."

Frostbite and Ethelwulf exchanged confused glances. "I thought you said you trusted his judgement?" Ethelwulf asked suspiciously.

Clockwork looked at the shield above. "I do," he replied simply, a small frown on his face. "That does not mean I have to like it."

:-=-:

Danny held his hand to the shield, concentrating on finding the point that was attacked earlier. It's too quiet Danny thought, eyes darting from side to side looking for a threat. "Frostbite?"

"I'm here, Great One," Frostbite's voice came through the Fenton Phone urgently.

"Anything?"

"No. All clear on the radars."

Danny frowned, more unease rising from within him. "Yeah, here too," he said, standing, on top of the shield. It was holding strong; if anything attacked while he was up here, it would hold. He looked down and saw the mass of black surrounding the town, faint dim auras outlining each of the shadows that Dan created. Danny swallowed nervously as he lost count. "I'm headed back now," he said evenly, attempting to mask his concern.

"I'll await your arrival."

As the line went dead, Danny gasped as his ghost sense came alive, the icy cold sending a small shiver down his spine. He tensed, left hand alighting in green as he readied for an attack, the right going back toward his Fenton Phone. He barely had time to react as a large amount of ecto-energy surrounded his senses. He cried out in pain as it subsided, falling onto the shield in a heap. He barely managed to see a pair of white boots before the world faded to black.

:-=-:

"Sam, wake up," Jazz said urgently, shaking the girl awake. Sam rolled over, squinting slightly at the person who dared disturbed her slumber. "Sam, come on." Jazz shook her again.

Sam blinked before she recognized the urgency in her voice. "Is it time?" she asked, sitting up quickly and rubbed her eyes.

"Sam, Danny's missing."

Whatever tiredness she was felt left Sam instantly. "What?!"

Jazz sat back with a worried frown on the bed, her red hair glowing slightly from the light in the hallway. "Frostbite said he went to check the shield and was supposed to be back an hour ago." Her teal eyes met Sam's violet ones. "Danny told them he was coming back – then the line went dead. Ethelwulf went looking for him, but they couldn't find him."

"Was there anything on the radar?" Sam asked, grabbing both her time medallion and the violet jumpsuit as she hastily put them on.

Jazz shook her head. "No – but Frostbite said Danny just disappeared. No teleportation or anything, just… gone. Like he was never up there; we're meeting downstairs to create a game plan."

Sam nodded, putting on her last glove. "Okay, I'll meet you down in a few minutes."

Jazz gave her a nod in confirmation. "Good, I'll go check on Dad then. He probably got an hour or so of sleep before Frostbite woke Mom." Jazz headed out of her room, a worried frown still across her face as she raced down the hall.

Sam let out a shaky breath as Jazz left. Her eyes drifted to the small clock on the bedside table - 4 am. Two hours before dawn. Two hours before the fight of their lives. Two hours to find Danny.

[dramaticnerdwithanxiety11]

Mother(Ghost) of Mine but Danny's parents come home

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227953/chapters/58372924 <THE FIC THIS IS BASED ON

@kattythingz @laylatheqhitta

btw I read like.. three chapters so far of the story but i'm already in love and I suddenly realized that you didn't include Danny's parents and wanted to write a oneshot of them showing up and just being really confused as to why Danny is suddenly a mom. Also, I modified Dan so he was slightly more physically a kid, so he looks like.. sixteen or something, instead of thirty.

(I also originally submitted this post to you directly katty so sorry if you get it-)

Clockwork was the reason Danny's parents had been gone for two months on a 'hunting trip' and Danny was just now finding this out when he flew to Clockwork Tower to try and figure out what the hell he was going to do when his parents are coming home today and he has two kids.

"What do you mean you know?!" Danny shouts, waving his arms around, easily more dramatic in his panicked state. He was trying to get this solved quick as well, since he left Dani and Dan in Jazz's care. 

"I mean exactly that, Daniel, I know they are coming back," Clockwork replies with a sigh, "I am the one who sent them away in the first place, I gave you time to be accustomed to Danielle and Dan, and now that you are you should be able to handle this as well," Danny went pale.

"Please, Clockwork, send them away again, I don't want my kids getting.. getting," he waved his arms around again, "Experimented on! Mom and Dad will probably pull guns out the moment they see them and shoot before asking questions!"

Clockwork turned away from the looking clock and towards Danny, "Trust me, Daniel, you can handle this. And if you can not, I can go back," he shrugged.

"Clockwork, I don't know about you, but I still don't want to watch my kids getting blown to bits, even if I know you can fix it," he ran a hand through his glowing white hair, "Please, Clockwork," he begged, not even entirely sure what he was begging for. Does he want his parents to never come home..?

"No, Daniel, I am sorry but you must deal with this alone," he turned back towards the looking clock, "You may want to be heading back," Danny looked at the glass and his eyes widened when he realized his parents will be pulling in in a couple minutes.

"You're a jerk, Clockwork!" he shouts as he shoots off out of the tower and towards home.

-=-

Dani is pacing, Jazz is guarding the Lab (where they're waiting for Danny to come back) and Dan is biting at his nails pretending he isn't about to combust with panic. They had their initial panic when Danny came flying (literally) into Dan and Dani's room (They had modified the guest room and completely forgotten that hey, it'll be kinda weird when Danny's parents come home and find the guest room turned into a bedroom for two ghost kids they don't remember having).

He was panicked and he gave them absolutely no further explanation than, "I'm going to clockworks, Jazz is in charge, she's waiting for you in the lab, do not leave the house!" and then he phased through the ground.

The kids, reasonably, panicked and ran down to the lab, hoping to get further explanation. Jazz is biting at her nails, staring at the closing portal. She turned when she heard them coming down, made a relieved noise and ordered them to stay in the lab while she stayed by the door.

It very much felt like some big bad murderer was coming to kill them, Danny and Jazz trying to protect them.

"Mom!" Dani shouted and Danny came through the portal, he turned towards them and let out a relieved sigh, flying over.

"Jesus christ," he pulled Dani into a hug, looking at Dan over her shoulder and seeing the jealous scowl on his face. He switched kids after a moment, "Okay, you guys need to stay down here a bit longer, okay?" he told them once he pulled away, "Don't make any noise, don't try and leave, just stay put, I'll come get you when I can," Dan and Dani turned to look at each other worriedly, before silently nodding to Danny, "Okay, I promise everything is going to be fine," and then he switched back to his human form and ran up the stairs.

"Jazz, they're gonna be pulling in in a few minutes," he warned, closing the lab door and locking it in the hopes it would slow down his parents if they tried to go down there.

"Clockwork isn't going to help?!" Jazz exclaimed, "What the heck does he think we're gonna be able do?"

"Not sure, but as it turns out he is the entire reason they left in the first place, and his only backup plan is to just bring me back in time to before-," he glanced at the door, having turned around so they could do their best to look casual for their parents. 

Jazz turned with him, minutely confused before her eyes widen, "Seriously?! Oh my god," he ran a hand through the part in her bright orange hair and Danny nodded with a dramatic sigh.

"It's fine, we can, tell them before they have a chance to do anything rash," 

Jazz gave him a look, "Your first idea wasn't to hide them?"

"Where the hell would I hide two eleven year old ghost kids? I don't have an accessible lair and they sure has hell don't wanna leave," he exclaimed, Jazz went to respond before the loud rumbling of the Fenton RV interrupts them.

They both turn to the front door with wide eyes, look at each other, then sprint to sit on the couch and look as casual has possible. Three minutes later Maddie and Jack Fenton come barrelling through the door carrying as many bags as possible.

"We're home!" Maddie calls into the house, before turning and spotting them on the couch, "Oh! You're already downstairs," she laughs, "Can you help us with bags?" she request. Both kids give a varied response that implies a yes, give each other a worried look, glance at the lab door before smiling fakely at their parents and rushing outside to grab things.

"Are you sure you wanna tell them?" Jazz asks hushedly as they speed walk past their parents and begin grabbing bags, Danny nearly forgetting he's supposed to be a frail teenager when he went to grab half of them at once.

"What if I tell them.. I convinced you to come with me into the ghost zone, and I accidentally got stuck in something and it popped out two ghosts that were really similar to me, and they just kinda came home with us and now they call me mom?" he explains his fake story on the spot, fleshing it out slightly in his head.

Jazz hesitates slightly, beginning to walk towards the front door, "You could try..? And if It doesnt work-?"

"I get clockwork, or like, tell them the truth," he shrugs, "I don't know, Jazz! I just want to avoid them killing my kids," he feels the need to throw his arms in the air, and almost does, before remembering he's carrying a bunch of bags and would end up throwing them. Jazz give him a small smirk,

"You just called them your kids," she teases, and Danny lights up in blush.

"Shut up," he groans dramatically, kicking the door open the rest of the way so they can get through. Only to see his parents missing and the lab door open, "Oh shit," he whispers, before dropping the stuff in his arms and rushing down to the lab, "Guys?" he calls anxiously, looking around the lab. The ghost portal is open, Jack is looking at it confused and Maddie is already working on something at the table, it looks like Dani and Dan must've gone through the portal when they realized Maddie and Jack were unlocking the door.

"What's up, Danno?" Jack calls, reaching to close the ghost portal before turning to him.

"Uhhhh," Danny leans back, "Uhm, me and Jazz got the bags, what do you want us to do with them?" he asks, doing his best not to sound like he's covering something up.

Maddie turns to him, "Oh! Sorry we'll come up, don't worry about it," she smiles, setting her stuff down. Her and Jack make their way upstairs, Danny stepping out of the way and getting his hair ruffled by his mother. He follows them up and glances at Jazz who's standing by the door. 

'They're fine' he mouths and she gives him a weary look before smiling at their parents.

"Hey, uh, mom? Dad?" Danny calls, fiddling with his hands, they pause reaching for their bags.

The two adults share a look before Maddie asks, "What's wrong, Danny?" Danny fiddles with his hands.

"Uhm, so, me and Jazz went into the Ghost Zone and we ran into these like ghosts that looked kinda like Phantom but they were uh, not him and they somehow ended up just hanging out with us and we brought them home and this was at like the start of you being gone on your trip so we kinda just kept them here in the guest room and now they call me mom so I have ghost kids now and I really don't want you to kill them," he spits out, nearly choking on his words a bajillion times and pulling in a lungful of air once he's done.

Maddie and Jack stare at him for a second, seeming to not register what he just said before it's suddenly them bombarding him with questions, How far did you go? What was it like? The ghosts are friendly? Why did they take to you as a maternal figure? Was it safe? Were you safe? Where are the ghosts now?

"Mom, Dad!" Jazz shouts, causing the already reeling Danny to flinch, their parents pause their questioning before apologizing quietly, "We don't know where they are, we left them in the lab but they fled when you came downstairs,"

"I can go get them," Danny says quietly, quickly escaping the situation, he hears Jazz stop them from following him.

-=-

"Dani, Dan!" Danny shouts into the ghost zone once he's gone through the portal, floating in his ghost form. He doesn't get a response, so he calls again, moving further into the zone. Eventually he spots the bright white flames of Dan's hair and hears Dani's crying, "Guys?" Danny calls one more time, both of them jump up from what was very close to cuddling and turn to him.

"Mom!" Dani shouts, flying into him and sending them both spinning a few feet into the zone, "What happened?!"

"We saw Maddie and Jack come downstairs and left," Dan explains quickly, his voice a low rumble.

"It's alright, that was smart, but you guys have to come back now," Danny lets go of Dani, "You're going to meet my parents, and if they try and kill you we can live in the Ghost Zone for the rest of our lives," he laughs slightly, but it does nothing to ease the fear in both his kids' eyes.

"Okay, whatever," Dan grumbles, crossing his arms and floating over towards them, somehow seeming smaller than his usually bulkiness, Dani does nothing to mask her fear, and just nods slightly, curling inwards probably unintentionally.

Danny gives them a reassuring smile and begins the trip back to the portal with them.

-=-

Upon returning Danny made sure to transform before he went into the portal, so as to not give away another secret on top of his unintentional kids. It takes a minute for Dani and Dan to follow him, but eventually they do and they find Maddie, Jack and Jazz on the other side.

"Mom, Dad, this is Dan," he gestures to said character, "And Danielle, they're, uh,"

"We're Phantom's clones, who's first name is Danny so we've got similar names to him," Dani pipes up, talking a bit too fast for it to seem like anything but a lie but Jack and Maddie don't ask any more questions.

"And you.. aren't going to kill us or hurt us?" Dan asks, closest to the portal and refusing to come any closer in case they decide to try and kill them.

Maddie and Jack seem incredibly hesitant, before Maddie assures them, "No, of course not sweetie," she smiles gently, Danny looks back at his kids, "Uhm, you guys have been living in the guest room?" she asks, the kids nod, "Well, then I don't have to make you a room at least," she smiles awkwardly.

Dani and Dan's eyes widen significantly, "We can stay?!" Dani exclaims, flying higher into the air in excitement.

"Well, of course! You're like.. our adopted ghost grandkids!" Jack exclaims, throwing his arms out. Dani squeals excitedly.

Dan floats up next to Dani, "Do we have to call them grandma and grandpa?" he whisper to her, and Danny snorts when he hears it, covering his mouth. Dani giggles as well.

"I mean, I might," she shrugs, keeping her voice low, "We already call Jazz auntie," Dan nods in response, keeping his eyes trained on the adults.

"Thank you," he calls to them, "for not killing us," Danny and Dani both give him wide eyes, neither of them hear him act so sincere very often.

Maddie and Jack just give him a smile before Jazz claps her hands, "Who wants to make Pancakes?" 

"Oh, no! Last time you let them make pancakes you burned down the kitchen!" Danny exclaims.

"But, mom! We fixed it in the end!" Dani whines, "Plus Jazz will be helping!"

"Absolutely not! If anybody is making pancakes, it's gonna be Jazz and Jazz alone," he decides, "I will not have you two burning the house down right after you get accepted into it,"

Maddie giggles quietly at the fact that Danny of all people is really acting like a parent, and how casual the fact he's the mom to two ghost kids is for him and Jazz. Jack smiles fondly as they argue, Dan and Dani beginning to pick on each other's cooking skill, Jazz giggling and Danny looking absolutely exhausted. 

It's a happy ending, and that's all anyone ever needs.

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

[damianwaynerocks]

Ghosts in Gotham

Danny Phantom / DC Comics fanfic

Dedicated to: @dannyphantom-justiceleauge

Summary: The Batfamily has been through their fair share of the supernatural. That’s why they originally weren’t worried whenever ghosts started showing up in Gotham City. Until one day, something happens; Batman is captured and taken into the Ghost Zone. With no way to go in there themselves, the no way to fight the ghosts inside, the bats decide to call the person who can; Danny Phantom. Together, Danny takes Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne into the Ghost Zone before the Batman is lost forever.

Words: 2032

ch 2 Masterlist

Chapter 1:

-

Every city had its hero.

Gotham City? Batman. Metropolis? Superman. Central City? The Flash.

Amity Park? Danny Phantom.

Amity Park had mixed feelings about Phantom. Some said he was a helper, a true hero, keeping the town safe. Others said he was a criminal, doing nothing but wreaking havoc on the town. Either way, Phantom was known for one specific thing; fighting ghosts.

Which is what he was doing at the moment.

"I am!! The Box Ghost!!" a short, stocky ghost shouted. His eyes glowed blue and an aura of the same color surrounded the boxes crowding the back of a movie theater. "Beware!" he raised his arms and hurled three boxes at a figure who easily dodged.

"Come on, Box Ghost," a teenage boy with white hair and green eyes floating above the ground groaned. "I don't have time for this! I have to order the new Cheese Viking game before it sells out!"

"Beware!" The Box Ghost shouted again, throwing more boxes at the boy.

Danny Phantom rolled his eyes as his body became intangible, the boxes easily passing through it. He raised his arm, and a blast of bright green energy shot from his palm, hitting the Box Ghost square in the chest. The Box Ghost, with a grunt, was blown back into the brick wall of the movie theater.

Not wasting any time, Danny grabbed the thermos that he had strapped to his back and pointed it at the other ghost. In a flash of light, the Box Ghost was sucked into the thermos.

"Finally," Danny muttered as he took off into the sky.

Danny Phantom, his real name being Danny Fenton, was a sixteen-year-old halfa, or a ghost-human hybrid. He could switch between ghost and human form at will. He'd gotten his powers from an accident with the Ghost Portal, a portal in his home that was a bridge between the human world and the Ghost Zone, where every ghost resides.

Ghosts repeatedly escaped the Ghost Zone through this portal for one of three reasons; to wreak havoc on the human world, to kill Danny or both. Usually, it was the latter.

Danny returned to his house, passing through the walls of the building with intangibility and landing in the lab. He switched back to his human form in a flash of light, changing his hair color from white to black and his eyes from green to blue.

His family was made up of ghost hunters- aside from his sister -so they had an entire lab dedicated to ghost technology.

"Back you go, Boxy," Danny said as he released the Box Ghost into the portal. "Finally," he sighed, "Time to get Cheese Viking."

"No!" he shouted five minutes later at his computer. The new Cheese Viking, Danny's favorite game, had sold out.

"Danny!" a large man in an orange jumpsuit burst into the boy's room. "Are you okay!? Are you hurt!?"

"No, Dad, I'm fine," Danny replied to his father, Jack Fenton. "Except for that stupid Box Ghost making me too late to get Cheese Viking!"

He hadn't told his parents about his life as Phantom until he was fifteen. Well, it wasn't Danny who told them. His sister found him in his room passed out with a gaping hole in his side, and she had to tell their parents so they could help him.

Jack paused. "But.. you got him?" he asked cheerily. Danny smiled.

"Yeah. I got him." Jack slapped him on the back.

"Thatta boy!" he said with a grin. "Come on, Jazz got a letter from Wayne Enterprises and your mom wants the whole family to watch her open it!"

Jazz, Danny's sister, had just graduated high school and had applied for an internship at Wayne Enterprises, one of the largest businesses in the world. An internship there would kick-start her career in marketing. That was the reason she claimed, but Danny was sure that part of the reason was that Bruce Wayne, the billionaire who owned Wayne Enterprises, was cute.

"Finally!" Jazz, a girl with long red hair and a blue headband huffed. "I haven't been able to look for three hours! What were you out doing?"

"Uh, my job?" Danny smirked as he hopped over the back of the couch to sit on it. Jazz rolled her eyes.

"Open it, dear!" Their mom, Maddie Fenton, urged. Jazz grinned widely, opening the letter. Her smile grew, and she jumped up and down.

"I got it!" she squealed. "I got it!! I got the internship!!"

"That's great, Jazz!" the other three Fentons exclaimed at once. Jazz seemed to get even more excited as she continued reading the letter.

"And," she continued excitedly, "All the interns are expected to attend the next Wayne Gala with their families! All expenses paid!"

"Yes!" Jack cried. "We're going to New Jersey, baby!" As the entire family celebrated, Danny couldn't help but be suspicious. Jazz had applied late and while she was smart, she wouldn't have been anything special next to the other applicants.

Something was up. _

"So what, you think she only got accepted because of you?" A girl with short black hair raised an eyebrow as they walked through the halls of their high school. "Why, exactly?"

"Because, Sam," Danny responded to his girlfriend. "It's weird. I was looking at the Infi-map, and there's a portal to the Ghost Zone in Gotham that wasn't there a month ago. And get this? It's five miles away from Wayne Manor.”

"You think Bruce Wayne wants you out of the way for some plan?

"It wouldn't be the first time somebody did."

"But how would he even know who you are?" Sam Manson asked, "I mean, there's no way he knows that you're Phantom."

"Um, because he's Batman?" An African American boy walking beside them scoffed as though it was obvious. "Batman knows everything."

Danny and Sam laughed. "Tucker, seriously?" Danny shook his head in disbelief. "That conspiracy? Batman and Bruce Wayne have been seen at the same time in the same place multiple times.”

"Okay, well, you can clone yourself! Who's to say Batman can't? Or maybe it's a hologram! Or maybe it's one of his thousand children in the suit!" Tucker Foley counted on his fingers as he rattled off the various theories. His eyes widened, and he grabbed Danny's shoulders. "Dude, you have to get proof."

"There's no way I'd be able to get close enough to Bruce Wayne to prove anything."

"Then trick him!" Tucker said, his eyes bright. "Most of Bruce's adopted kids are boys with black hair and blue eyes! Just say you're an orphan and I bet he'll be like 'Of course you can stay, I am always down for more children."

"Okay, first of all," Danny began, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder and prying his friends arms off of him. “His son Damian? That kid scares me, he gives off Dash vibes. Did you see how he made that interviewer cry?"

A few months prior, a video had surfaced that showed Damian Wayne insulting a girl who was trying to give him an interview. The two-minute video ended with the girl crying.

"And second of all-" Danny was cut off as he was shoved to the ground. He looked up to see Dash Baxter, a muscular boy with blonde hair.

"Watch where you're going, Fen-freak," Dash sneered, "Before I shove your puny face into a locker!"

Danny gritted his teeth as he sat up. Dash had been picking on him from the beginning of high school. Two years later, he hadn't stopped.

On any other occasion, Danny would have said something in response, but Dash had already continued down the hall.

"Why can't you just zap him or something?" Tucker grumbled. "He's the worst!"

"Yeah, I know," Danny stood up, wiping dust off of his shirt. "But I can't. It isn't right."

"Your moral code is dumb," his friend snapped back.

"If you're going to Gotham," said Sam with a pointed look at Tucker. "Who's gonna be here to help with the ghosts?"

"I've got it covered," Danny replied swiftly, looking up. "Dani's coming down.  It'll be fine. I have to keep Jazz safe, and figure out what Brucie Wayne is up to."

__

"I am sure Father would have a better plan than to invite some under-qualified intern to the Manor."

A seventeen-year-old boy with spiky black hair rolled his eyes. "Damian, she isn't under-qualified. She meets all of the qualifications for the internship."

The first boy, an Arab thirteen-year-old with the same spiky hair and bright green eyes, scoffed. "There is no way a person from some backwater town would have received the internship if we hadn't needed her brother."

Tim Drake and Damian Wayne, the youngest children of Bruce Wayne. Damian currently held the Robin mantle, while Tim used Red Robin. The brothers were in a large cave decked out with a plethora of high-tech equipment.

"Okay, but you think every place outside of Gotham is a backwater town." Tim pointed out as he swiveled his chair to face a massive computer.

"Amity Park is a backwater town. The citizens there are animals," Damian retorted, crossing his arms. "You just cannot see that because you are also a backwater type."

Tim laughed as he realized what the younger boy was basing his opinion on. "Damian, please tell me you haven't generalized an entire city just because of one tourist from Amity Park ran into you and spilled soda on your shirt."

"It was my favorite shirt! And that cretin did not even apologize!" Damian spat. "The nerve!"

"Okay, well, put aside your dumb grudge and think about the objective," Tim responded. "I think, if you look within that thing you call a soul, you can see that letting one intern that you think is under-qualified is worth getting Bruce back."

"Tt. I suppose," Damian admitted begrudgingly. "If this Danny Phantom character truly has the potential to save Father."

"He's the only one who can." Tim reminded him. "We can't get into the Ghost Zone without a ghost, and I don't think any of the ones we've seen so far would be willing to help," He paused. "Plus, don't the Fentons make ghost hunting gear? Who knows, maybe they have a ghost sword."

After a sudden wave of ghost attacks in Gotham, Bruce had poured in countless hours of research to find out as much as he could about ghosts. He had discovered that they came from another dimension and that there was one person who was an expert at fighting them; Danny Phantom of Amity Park. It didn't take very long for him to uncover Phantom's true identity.

"Tim! Dames!" a voice shouted. "My boys!" Tim and Damian looked towards the stairs and saw a taller man with black hair and blue eyes jump the railing of said stairs, landing in the Bat Cave.This was their oldest brother, Dick Grayson, also known as Nightwing. He grinned brightly. "How's it going?"

"Making sure that we have every possible outcome of this mission prepared for." Tim replied as he continued typing on the Bat Computer. Damian nodded.

“Yes, and so I have decided that I shall accompany them on this journey."

"Damian, no." his older brothers said at the same time. Damian scowled.

"Why not? I am plenty capable of-

"Because people would get suspicious if Batman suddenly didn't have a Robin," Dick answered, strolling towards the younger boy. "That's why Jason, Tim, and Stephanie are going. They won't be missed," He gave Tim a nervous look. "No offense."

"None taken," Tim replied, waving his hand. "Sorry Damian, you'd just get in the way."

"But I have died before!" Damian huffed, his hands clenching into fists. "That combined with my skills- which are far greater than yours, Drake, I might add -makes me much more qualified than you."

"Little D, dude, I just told you," Dick ruffled his younger brother's hair. "It'll be suspicious if you're gone. And besides, I need you. We're a great team."

"But my father is in there-"

"Master Damian-" their butler, Alfred Pennyworth, interrupted the trio's squabbling. "You won't be going anywhere until your homework is done."

"Homework? Finding my father is much more important than an essay on why the Roman empire fe-"

"Master Damian." Alfred repeated in a low tone. "Now."

Damian scowled as he trudged up the stairs. It didn't matter how tough the person was. When Alfred told you to do something, you do it. "I will be going with you, Drake!" he called behind his shoulder. "I promise you that!"

Dick and Tim exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes.

"Children."

[cornholio4]

A Different Sort of Field Trip Fic

@cap-is-bi

This was based on a prompt on Tumblr by a user called Cap-Is-Bi and I hope they appreciate this.

It had been about a year since he had all silently cut ties with Tony Stark, he had been excited about getting the new suit and telling his classmates that he had an internship with Tony Stark. Most especially Flash Thompson didn't believe him.

However it all changed within a few weeks when he decided to look into more about the Sokovia Accords, he heard them mentioned on the news and how they were affecting the Avengers somehow. He read more into it and was stunned by what he had read. The Avengers would only be allowed to be deployed and allowed to help in a situation if an UN Accords panel deems it necessary, he could understand the principle of the idea but what if the Panel were too busy debating when the Avengers were urgently needed?

The articles said it was in response to not only Ultron but also the Battle of New York and Washington, were the governments really blaming the Avengers for stopping aliens and fascist terrorists? They talked about Iron Man was leading the support of the Avengers but Captain America went renegade on the Accords after a battle where Iron Man helped lead a squad to apprehend Cap's supporters in a german airport but the failure led to the capture of the culprit behind the bombing at the Accords signing.

Tony jsut said that Cap was going crazy; did he lie to him to take him to another country to apprehend people for just being Heroes?

The article talked about how the Accords affected Superhumans and how they would have to be tracked and registered, any Superhuman causing crimes would be sent to the prison known as the Raft indefinitely. Was Tony going to make him sign and follow orders like a good soldier?

This caused a huge broken pedestal towards Tony and he was still going over it when he felt into a portal. He was shocked to encounter many different Spider people from different Earths so it seemed that the Multiverse was real! Apparently these multi dimension vampires were hunting people with Spider powers so they were banding together to stop them. Most of them were Peter Parkers as well!

He met up with versions of him who looked like his Uncle Ben and the guy from Seabiscuit and a guy looking like his late dad as well as the guy from the Social Network. They were a trio and they could see he was down about something. He explained about the Accords and Tony and others patched in saying the Tony Starks of their world done the same thing; support any Superhuman laws while turning into a near villain himself. They promoted arrests without trials and laws as well as harsh conditions while also hiring super villains to catch them. More often than not the Registration Acts were defeated and Tony suffered. Some worlds reached a compromise but a lot of them had Tony manipulating Peter to support him at first.

Peter was in shock and horror and his rage towards Tony grew, it intensified when a glitch in his suit caused from a fight activated the Instant Kill Mode of the suit. Did Tony really put that into his suit.

He was in fury as when it got too damaged, he began tearing into it but the Peter Parker who looked like his dad said he could have a spare suit of his. After the Inheritors were defeated, they went back to their Earths with Peter wanting to have another adventure like that again.

But for now he would stay close to the ground.

In his new suit he began helping people as he usually did and was happy to address people with cameras. he told his class and Aunt May that he quit the internship due to his fury about something Tony did. They didn't pry too much, Flash still thought it was an excuse but he didn't care and Aunt May was disappointed but knew Peter had to have his reasons.

Peter was more than happy to find, share and like Anti Accords posts and articles. He had began ghosting both Happy Hogan and Tony (mostly Happy though) before blocking their numbers entirely. He focused on his schoolwork, hanging with his friends and being a true friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. He found the alien weapons dealing gang and their leader the guy in the Vulture suit. He managed to stop them but it turned out that he was Liz Allan's dad. She had to move with her mum and he was sad and a bit guilty about her having to go.

They had an amicable last conversation with Liz telling him that she hopes to see him again sometime and she was hoping that he would be her date for the homecoming dance. Poor Liz and her family...

He had to keep moving forward and deal with more stuff he finds. Whenever he saw criminals part of the anti Superhuman terrorist group the Watchdogs, he was more than happy to go at them and destroy their masks. There were footage of him trashing anti Superhuman bigots like the Watchdogs and when there were people with cameras, he was more than happy to give anti Accords words when asked.

He actually met up with Steve Rogers who was in hiding and he was more than happy to share his stories with Peter when he could contact him with the secret number he gave. 'Queens' and 'Brooklyn' as they gave their nicknamed themselves.

At this time support for the Accords were going down thanks to reports of the heroics of Captain America and his team underground, it was theorised they cease to be soon. Especially since Thaddeus Ross the biggest supporter of the Accords in the US Government, got himself suspended from the Accords Panel (which he acted like he ran) and from his position as Secretary of the State. He was expecting to face charges for the dozen squad he sent into countries without asking to try and apprehend Cap and he gotten into big fights with the Secretary of Defense. Ross kept going to his old military allies for help and was acting like he was in charge, the Secretary of Defense kept overruling him and telling that he is supposed to be their representative to the UN and other countries and not running military operations.

Inside anonymous sources he found said that Ross was trying to save face and stop the fall of the Accords but it seemed he burned many bridges with his arrogance.

However at Midtown he was dreading for a while, his class' field trip to Stark Industries. He didn't want to go but Aunt May convinced him to go by saying he could still appreciate the science there and what were the odds that Tony Stark would want to go out of his way to meet a former intern of his.

Peter stayed silent about it but figured that Tony may have forgotten about him, he hopes so and if not then he would probably be too busy as well.

There came the day and his class were on the tour and given their access cards, they got in and Peter was starting to enjoy himself seeing the work of the Stark Industries scientists. There were comments from Flash about Peter used to be an intern here and asking he got fired but he ignored them. When they were allowed to look around a display room Peter then saw through a door Happy Hogan who recognised him and did not look happy.

Peter groaned as Happy walked up to him and whispered "there you are, Tony found out that you would be with your class coming here and asked me to escort you to see him. Do you have any idea of how much trouble you caused? I spent so much time trying to contact you when Tony had been asking me about the reports you sent in and I had to tell him that you hadn't sent anything in a while. You kept ignoring our class and blocked us, Tony was beside himself when he saw that he could no longer track the suit he gave you and to see you in the new suit..." Happy was sternly telling him.

Peter was growing mad when learning that Tony was tracking him using the suit, "If Mr Stark wants to see me then he can come and see me himself. I thought you would have been glad to not have me bother you anymore." Peter whispered to him more harshly than he was intending.

He walked off to continue looking at the displays to Happy's shock as he made a call.

Later the class were stunned and excited to see Tony Stark there but Peter just groaned. "Long time no see Mr Parker, you had been ignoring my class ever since you just quit one day without warning. You think we could have a little talk to renegotiate whatever made you quit?" Tony said to Peter coming up with a big smile and Peter just groaned, the class being stunned by this but Peter just glared.

"Can we make it quick please." Peter said flippantly leaving them stunned as they went out the door. Peter looked up to Tony with a glare as he tried to smile at him.

"Can I first start by saying how are you doing as you caused quite a scare with you ignoring our calls. Plus what happened to the multimillion dollar suit that I gave you? Or where did you get your new digs?" Tony asked trying to look friendly.

"The suit got trashed fighting vampires from another world and another version of me gave me the new suit." Peter replied blandly and Tony gave a face showing that he did not buy the story one bit.

"Okay Mr Smartass can I say about learning how socially active you have been online, apparently you were more than happy to join the Anti Accords groups on social media as well as go after groups such as the Watchdogs. Apparently my advice on staying close to the ground didn't stick." Tony said disapprovingly and Peter scoffed.

"I am sorry that I don't support regulations that blames the Avengers for aliens invading or if there are terrorists about to commit mass murder. Sorry that I don't support regulations that thinks Superhumans should be tracked and thrown away without a key or any hope of seeing a lawyer if they seem like they step out of line. Sorry that I want to stop bad guys who claim they are protecting the country from Superhumans while causing damage and more than happy to invite criminals and former HYDRA thugs." Peter told him bluntly and Tony sighed.

"Peter these issues are more complicated than that and you are too young and immature to be involved in it. I had to work hard to protect you from the Accords people wanting to go after you and wanting you registered and tracked as well..." Tony told him and Peter snapped.

"So I am an exception, I get to be an exception so I can continue being your loyal soldier? Apparently you wanted a soldier and not someone standing up for the little guy. I am glad the Accords are going the way of the dinosaurs and that you can't have me tracked with a suit that you built an instant kill mode into." Peter snapped at him and Tony paused.

"We will have to talk about restarting the 'internship'." Tony said with air quotes but Peter shook his head and scoffed at it. "I am serious, you will have to start playing ball again or else I will tell your Aunt May..." Tony said only to be interrupted.

"I have been meaning to tell her myself but you tell her then I will tell her that the trip you brought me on was jsut so that you could use my as a soldier in a fight I should not have been involved in. That you lied to her and kidnapped me so I could be your weapon to capture Captain America for you, that you had me fighting on the wrong side of a war." Peter replied as he went back through the door.

"Son, come back here right now! You don't get to walk away from this!" Tony shouted shocking the class and Tony blinked, obviously forgotten about the class there in his anger.

"Sorry I don't want to hear anymore of you reprimanding me for speaking out against the Accords online. Telling me off for thinking that people shouldn't be locked up human rights forgotten just for having powers! That you were bullying me for sticking to my morals." Peter shouted faking tears in his eyes, he didn't want Tony to try and spin doctor this on the spot.

Tony sputtered and notices the looks that his class was giving him, Peter was being comforted by Roger Harrington who glared at Tony while saying "Mr Stark, I don't want you to be harassing my student for the rest of the trip. Be rest assured I will be calling his Aunt May about this."

Tony left wondering about what to do about this and Peter knew he would be getting questions from his classmates but he had a victory against Tony and if he tried to go after him as Iron Man, then well he has some special friends...

[inkribbon796]

The Marvelous Misadventures of One: S. Marvin Argentum Ch. 2: The Desert Sucks, So Says Marvin

Summary: Marvin comes with a plan, and trips over an adventure along the way.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

Marvin and Ghostbur went into Marvin’s childhood home and spent longer than he wanted to talking to his mom and promising to come back after the whole mess was over because he was already tired and just wanted a nap but it looked like he wasn’t going to get one.

She did insist Ghostbur come back with him because he’d already endeared himself and Friend to her.

With those promises and some tea, Marvin left the house with Ghostbur and they got back into the car and Marvin took it out of the driveway and about a mile away so he could pull over onto the road and the trio could plan.

“If I can win a duel against the Guildmaster, then I could take over and pull the Guild out of the alliance. If I time it right it will catch them off guard,” Taylor told him.

“Well that’s all good, but are the other hunters gonna[1] just let yeh[2] do that?” Marvin asked.

“No, unfortunately,” the hunter hummed in thought.

“Didn’t think so,” Marvin scoffed. “So we’ve got a group ‘a[3] mages that have had months ta[4] lick their wounds from the beat down Spade an’[5] Clubs gave ‘em[6]. We’re what? Two on several dozen?”

“Two? There’s three of us?” The hunter was clearly getting frustrated.

“Nah, he’s not gettin’ anywhere near ‘em,”[7] Marvin told them before Ghost could say a world, but he noticed that Ghostbur looked relieved. “Yeh[2] move the base yet?”

“No,” the hunter told him.

“Good, it’ll make ‘em[6] easier ta[4] find” Marvin grumbled in frustration, his messages weren’t getting through because when you live in the middle of nowhere cell service doesn’t exist. “I’ll try an’[5] get in contact with Chase when we pass through Egoton ta[4] get ta[4] Arizona. Maybe we can get back in time.”

“Why Egoton specifically?” The hunter demanded.

“Cause it’s a magical fookin’ town. We can wait until Egoton’s position shifts inta California an’ cut the drive in half.”[8] Marvin brought up a map of Egoton on his phone to show them.

“Yeah,” Taylor agreed. “When would that be?”

“Anywhere from right now ta[4] next month,” Marvin sighed.

“That’s too long,” Taylor told him.

“Would Marvin and his allies like to take a shortcut?”

Marvin actually jumped and Taylor was whipping out a staff to attack the Host but the Seer used his narrations to knock it to the side.

Ghostbur flickered back into visibility, smiling as he recognized the Host. “Oh, hello Host.”

“Fook, kid, are yeh tryin’ ta kill me?”[9] Marvin grabbed at his chest.

“The Host sensed that he was needed,” the seer grinned, Taylor was unsettled by the sharp smile but they didn’t say anything. “Would Marvin and his company like assistance? The Host could open up a portal right into Arizona.”

“Really?” Marvin looked back at him. “That’d be great actually.”

“If Marvin and his companions will get into their car, the Host will open up a portal for them,” the Host said and was already opening up a huge Void portal that visibly showed the “Entering Page” sign that was the trio’s destination.

Marvin sighed as he got into the car. “An’[5] here I wanted a break.”

The car started and Marvin drove them through the portal, the portal swirling shut in an instant as Marvin was racing towards the unfamiliar city. Ghostbur let out a delighted gasp, materializing halfway outside the roof of the car. “Shermy lives here.”

“Who’s that?” Marvin demanded

“Shermy! He can help us!” Ghostbur peeked back into the car. “He’s plenty strong.”

“Okay, neat, where does he live?” Marvin demanded.

“Let me—” Ghost said and possessed the car, taking it off in a terrifying way. With little regard for speed or other cars on the road.

“Ghostbur! Yer gonna kill us!”[10]

Marvin was able to get control of the car and Ghost helped with shouting directions and the blinker to warn Marvin when to turn. They stopped outside of a police station, Ghostbur an excited, jittery mess. While Marvin and Taylor were trying to calm their racing hearts.

“So, who are we here fer[11]?” Marvin groaned. “Not sure some police precinct I’ve ne’er[12] worked with are gonna[13] work with us.”

“Sherman,” Ghostbur smiled. “He’s Techno’s big brother.”

“Techno,” Marvin repeated. “The big pig brute has a big brother?”

Ghostbur nodded, still smiling. “I don’t remember him that well because I met him when I was Wilbur and younger. But I think he was nice.”

“You sure he’s not going to instantly attack us?” Taylor asked.

“I could go in and ask him?” Ghostbur offered.

“I don’t like the idea ‘a yeh walkin’ in there alone,”[14] Marvin protested.

Ghostbur frowned, but looked over and brightened up, “I don’t have to, he’s right there.”

And before Marvin could determine who Ghostbur was talking about, the young ghost demon shot out of the car and flew over to someone who had just stepped out of the police station. He was tall and built like a brick wall. And Marvin knew that was who Ghostbur had been looking for. He looked like Techno but had a nasty looking scar over his left eye and huge tusks jutting out of his mouth.

“Fook![15] Fook!” Marvin raced to get out of his car.

“Sherman!” Ghostbur smiled.

“Wilbur! Fuckin’[16] hell kid!” Sherman shouted. “Where the hell did yah[2] come from?”

“Oh, I’m with my friends,” Ghostbur smiled as Marvin raced over.

“You too, huh?” Sherman crossed his arms in front of himself.

“Hey, Shermy,” Ghostbur floated up a little bit.

“Nah, don’t think so,” the huge demon scoffed and pushed Ghostbur away. “It’s still Sheriff Thompson to you. An’[5] who the Sam-hell are you?”

Sheriff Thompson turned to glare at Marvin and the hunter.

“We’re with Ghostbur,” Marvin jabbed his thumb at Ghostbur.

“Ghost—” Sheriff Thompson scoffed. “Ain’t that hilarious. So I’m guessin’ yer join’ the Ol’ Man?”[17]

Ghostbur’s excitement seemed to, impossibly, go through the roof. “Phil’s here? He can help too.”

“Oh great,” Marvin hissed under his breath.

“Yeah, come on, junior, the Ol’[18] Man’s over at Church’s,” Thompson grabbed Ghostbur, seemingly, by the scruff of his jumper and dropped him away from him.

Thompson began walking away, his uniform changing into one that was a simple button-up and suspenders outfit.

“Where yeh goin’?”[19] Marvin asked.

“Over at Church’s there’s a club of sorts that may or may not be participatin’[20] in less than legal dealin’s.” Sheriff Thompson told them. “Tech an’[5] Philza are always there whenever they’re in town.”

“Aren’tcha[21] a cop?” Marvin glared at him.

“All the books check out,” Thompson shrugged. “Besides, humans aren’t allowed into the basement. USA loopholes only include humans. Besides, Techno needs an outlet when he comes to town. So we have the pit an’[5] any demon that wants a shot at his crown can get discorporated tryin’[22] to take it.”

“Laws about demons are always fooked,” Marvin hissed.

“Well that’s what happens when demons get to write state laws,” Thompson dismissed.

“So yer[23] Techno’s brother, how does that work?” Marvin asked.

“Look, normally Techno doesn’t talk ‘bout[24] his past, but I like ta[4] embarrass him so it’s fair game,” Thompson shrugged, Ghostbur floating next to him. The spectral demon was a good couple feet off the ground so he was at Thompson’s head height, almost scrunched up in a ball. “Tech an[5] I are a good fifty years apart. We come from another demon I killed a couple decades back ‘cause[25] he was causin’[26] too much trouble.”

“He had a name?” Taylor asked.

“Billiam,” Thompson answered. “He was obsessed with legates, you two know what those demons are?”

“I do,” Marvin said, the hunter giving them both odd looks.

“Right, so,” Sheriff Thompson. “I don’t quite know if he met one, or read about one, but he was obsessed with power and figured if he could get a legate reliant on him, then he could rule the world. At first he was experimenting on people lower class than him, but then he started working with his own when that failed. He only made two spawnlings by the time I got rid of him an’[5] his accomplice. The instant he realized I was just a normal demon he tossed me out on the street an[5] started trying to make a second one. Which was his mistake ‘cause[25] that was Techno.”

“So what type ‘a[3] demon is Techno?” Marvin asked.

“Don’t know, don’t really care,” Thompson shrugged as they reached a building that looked like some kind of library or a bar. There were people milling about.

All the patrons gave the Sheriff a quick nod or a brisk hello as Thompson led the trio down to a metal stairwell. Marvin could already hear the shouts and the loud cheers.

What Marvin saw as he came out to a spectator’s platform was a massive two-story hole in the ground where Techno was in there, fighting five other demons with an axe. All of them had various weapons.

With a slice of his axe one of the demons exploded into a puff of magic and the crowd screamed. The other four demons were discorporated just as quickly.

Marvin looked up to see a VIP stage where a young girl with long pink hair and a pink mask, standing next to the glass, pressing her face close to the glass as she bounced on her tiptoes. Philza was sitting in a huge armchair, watching the fight like a king watching knights in a jousting match. His fingers swirling and bobbing with some music in the room that he was listening to.

Marvin felt his magic coil around himself protectively, and that maybe stepping into this place was a mistake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. going to

2. you

3. of

4. to

5. and

6. them

7. Nah, he’s not getting anywhere near them

8. Because it’s a magical fucking town. We can wait until Egoton’s position shifts into California and cut the drive in half.

9. Fuck, kid, are you trying to kill me?

10. Ghostbur! You’re going to kill us!

11. for

12. never

13. gonna

14. I don’t like the idea of you walking in there alone

15. Fuck!

16. fucking

17. Isn’t that hilarious. So I’m guessing you’re joining the Old Man?

18. Old

19. Where are you going?

20. participating

21. Aren’t you

22. trying

23. you’re

24. about

25. Because

26. causing