#Danny will follow the rogues later | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ginnsbaker · 2 days

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fic: if i bleed (you'll be the last to know) (8/?)

Part summary: Leigh heads off to Palm Springs with Danny, while you grapple with what to do about your feelings for her.

Pairing: Leigh Shaw x Fem!Reader, temporary Leigh x Danny | Word count for this part: 5.000+ | Warnings : Slight angst | Author's Note: No, I did not forget about Danny still not being honest with Leigh and R not tattling on Danny. Just let these loose ends dangle for a while. Anyway, enjoy! :)

The morning after you gave Leigh a puppy for her birthday, your phone is flooded with texts from her, filled with questions ranging from vaccine schedules to the best chew toys. She shares a story about how Rogue, their previous dog, had always been Matt’s, and how she often felt left out of his care. Now, with Logan, she feels a full sense of ownership and is eager to get everything right.

You still flinch slightly whenever she mentions her late husband. It’s as if she forgets that you and Matt had something significant too, as if you weren't once the secret he kept close. Sometimes, you wish you could just erase his presence, simplify everything about your relationship with Leigh.

But you recognize that it’s selfish to wish him away, because Matt was a significant part of Leigh’s life, a major influence on who she has become. And who she is today is a lovely person—someone you've come to admire very deeply.

[6:20 AM] Leigh: Logan’s an angel, slept through the night.

[6:35 AM] Leigh: So, house training... how do I make sure Logan doesn’t turn my bed into his personal bathroom like he did five seconds ago?

You grimace at the message, picturing the hassle of laundering the sheets and possibly needing to call a cleaning service for the mattress.

[6:54 AM] Leigh: And shots? Rogue was all up to date because Matt was on it, but I’m clueless. Where do I start?

As you work your espresso machine, a grin spreads across your face, the kind that makes you feel like a complete fool but in the best possible way.

[6:56 AM] You: Good morning! You’re lucky I don’t bill for text consultations 😆

You typically charge $18 for a twenty-minute chat with a client.

[6:58 AM] Leigh: Oh. How much do I owe you? I want to pay.

Your smile falters a little at her missing your joke.

[6:58 AM] You: I was just kidding. Your texts are more than welcome, Leigh.

Feeling bold, you follow that up with something you've been wanting to make clear since last night.

[6:59 AM] You: This is what friends are for, right?

Waiting for Leigh’s reply feels like an eternity, and you're about to send another text to walk back your hint at friendship when your phone vibrates.

[7:00 AM] Leigh: I’d feel better paying. Can I drop by the clinic later?

Reading her message, you're hit with a rush—excited at the thought of seeing her, yet downhearted she's talking about paying, as if that's what's between you. But then, those little typing dots appear. You're practically holding your breath.

[7:00 AM] Leigh: We’re friends, which is why I’m paying.

It's a good thing you don't have a roommate, or else you'd never get away with grinning like an idiot at your phone. It's a bit ridiculous, you think, how high school this all feels—waiting for a glimpse, a moment, anything.

[7:01 AM] You: Absolutely, come by anytime. Looking forward to it 🙂

You hit send and lean back, trying to act like you didn't just have a mini celebration over a text.

And then, spurred by Leigh texting you first thing in the morning, you decide to add her on your social media accounts. You spend an extra fifteen minutes getting ready that morning, simply because you lingered longer in the shower, listening to songs that remind you of Leigh and how this crush is dangerously close to becoming something uncontainable.

[10:13 AM] Notification: Leigh accepted your friend request.

As it turns out, Leigh is a serial texter.

It’s odd, really. For someone who might come across as reclusive and somewhat untouchable, she is surprisingly talkative over text. The messages start coming in more frequently after this morning's exchange, just moments after you've finally left home to drive to your clinic. What's even more interesting is that this time, they're not about Logan.

And they’re all unusually random and unrelated to one another: memes that make you laugh out loud, articles on topics ranging from the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence to the best way to juicing recipes. You find yourself waiting for these messages, eager to see what tangent Leigh's mind has wandered off to now. You get into it, dissecting the articles she sends over with the seriousness of a scholar. You type back your thoughts, trying to sound as insightful as possible, maybe even a bit witty, hoping to impress her. You imagine this might be her way of initiating deeper, intellectual conversations between you two.

So, when you send back a paragraph or two analyzing the latest article she's shared, maybe touching on its impacts on modern society or offering a counterpoint to the author's thesis, Leigh's responses aren’t what you expect. Instead of engaging with the discussion, she sends a simple thumbs-up emoji or, even more baffling, a random factoid about her day, like her opinion on the Kani salad from a sushi bar near the Beautiful Beast gym.

[12:15 PM] Leigh: [sent a photo] Just some store-bought crab sticks and diluted mayo. Don’t try it. Their saké though is 👌👌👌

You wonder why she’s having Japanese rice wine this early in the day.

[12:22 PM] You: Thanks for the heads up. I know a place for authentic Japanese food. You want to check it out with me some time?

Your text remains unseen for the rest of the afternoon.

You find yourself staring intently at the wall clock in your clinic, keenly aware of each minute slipping by, and with it, the dwindling chance of Leigh arriving before the doors lock for the day. As it nears 8 in the evening, Suzie is already wrapped up in her end-of-day tasks across the lobby. Leaning your cheek on your palm, you watch blankly as she meticulously arranges her desk, perfectly aligning each item, then moves on to gently pull the blinds closed on each window.

Suzie’s not blind. She throws you these knowing glances every time you let out one of your heavy sighs. Finally, after you've probably sighed loud enough to be heard next door, she stops what she's doing and plants herself in front of you.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

You try to look puzzled. “Nothing. Why?”

Suzie rolls her eyes. “Please, you’ve been mooning over that clock and sighing like you’re carrying the world on your shoulders. What’s up?”

You crack a smile, partly at her description, partly from being caught moping like a lovesick teenager. “It’s just… I thought maybe Leigh would come by. She said she would,” you say, wincing at yourself when the last part comes out a bit whiny.

Without missing a beat, Suzie pivots from her closing duties and makes her way over to you.

She’s not delicate with you this time. “You’re doing that thing again. Waiting around for something that’s probably not gonna happen. It’s not doing you any good.”

You know she's hitting the nail on the head, but it's tough to swallow.

Suzie continues, “You're young, you're attractive, and it's honestly weird that you're pining over your ex's ex. At first, I thought it was kind of adorable, in a bizarre, romantic-comedy kind of way. But now, it's like you're always hung up and disappointed.”

“Thanks for saying I’m young when I’m five years older than you,” you say with a sheepish smile, hiding your disappointment that she isn’t saying the things you want to hear, such as the possibility that Leigh just got busy.

Suzie shakes her head in disapproval. She's fed up, and her next words aren't going to be sugar-coated. “Snap out of it!” she barks, the command hitting you like a cold splash of water, and you jerk back in your chair, wide-eyed. Seeing you shrink back, quivering, she softens a bit and shifts back to the harmless receptionist you’re used to.

“Look at me, Y/N,” Suzie says, ensuring she has your full attention. You manage to meet her gaze, even though your eyelids feel heavy. “It's not fair to Leigh, either. You're giving meaning to everything she does—or doesn't do. It's putting her in an impossible situation. And honestly, it's not fair to you. You're missing out on your own life, waiting for someone who... well, who might never show up the way you want her to.”

Suzie knows she’s being tough, but sometimes love means being the friend who won’t let you settle for anything less than you deserve.

“I hear you, okay? It’s just… it’s the way I’m wired. I latch onto a person like a leech, refusing to let go until I see it through,” you mutter, shielding your face with your hands, a bit ashamed to even say it out loud. You get so tunnel-visioned, missing out on maybe better things and experiences because you're stuck on one track. You fall hard for your choices, never by chance.

“Good. You know what’s wrong with you,” Suzie says softly.

You let out a weak chuckle, the sound tinged with a bit of self-mockery. You're half-hidden behind your hands, peeking out at Suzie as if she's got all the answers. Suzie pries your fingers away from your face and then pinches your cheek so hard, you start to whine a bit.

“Ow! What was that for?” you protest, rubbing your assaulted cheek.

“That's for being a pathetic little bitch.”

“Excuse me, I'm still the one signing your paychecks,” you shoot back, trying to sound offended but it’s hard to keep a straight face.

“Sure thing, boss,” she laughs, and you join in.

“Okay, so what do you suggest I do then?” you ask as the last of your chuckles die down.

“Go on a date,” comes her swift response. “All that stuff they say about love finding you when you're not looking? Biggest lie ever.”

You look at her curiously, assessing her physical features. “W-With you?”

“Dude, no! Not with me!” Suzie exclaims, laughing nervously. “I mean, sure, I'd take you out if you weren't my boss, but I don't see that happening anytime soon unless you fire me.”

“Got it, got it,” you say, still chuckling. Suzie realizes too late that you were just teasing her and huffs. “Not with you. But seriously, go on a date? Just like that?”

“Yeah. Just meet someone.”

“You make it sound like it’s easy.”

“Because it is,” she says with a shrug. “Here. Give me your phone.”

Leigh doesn’t know what to do with the fact that you may or may not have feelings for her.

So, she does what she does best: Pretend.

Leigh pretends you’re not EspressoEyes. In her mind, it could just be a coincidence, and you might not be the person who wrote to her advice column. Without any concrete evidence, she holds onto this notion, using it as a shield to fend off the uncertainties and doubts that would follow if she believed otherwise.

Leigh pretends because she needs your help to figure out how to care for Logan. Because maybe she wants to be friends. When you join her for a run, you don’t press for conversation, a rare companion who's not afraid of silence. Having you around feels like having Matt around, in a way that she's reminded of him when you talk about the same things you like, the same books you've read, and the same music you listen to.

Leigh pretends it doesn’t bother her in case you are EspressoEyes. She’s no stranger to turning heads as she walks down the street, accustomed to the attention. There's a certain power in being desired, and Leigh revels in it. But the idea of you liking her doesn't quite make sense to her; it's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It’s not because you’re a woman—she’s been with women before. What Leigh can't wrap her head around is that you, of all people, could actually be into her. After all, she hasn’t exactly been her most charming self since you two met. Even her best friend is keeping a cautious distance. She’s been wearing down the people closest to her, those who are supposed to like her the most.

And this bewilderment doesn't sit well with Leigh. She is someone who thrives on understanding, on knowing where she stands with people and why. So, when pretending isn’t enough, she does what she does second-best: Avoid.

She must have been waiting in her car outside your clinic for the better part of the evening, debating with herself about what to do next. She's parked just out of view, positioned so she can see the clinic entrance without being too conspicuous. She hasn't eaten dinner yet, her stomach growling, but she remains glued to her spot across from where she knows you're waiting for her.

Ever since you subtly asked her out through text, she’s been on edge, second-guessing her actions (texting and sharing posts on the internet with you all morning, what was she thinking?) and wondering what they might have meant to you. Leigh didn’t mean to leave you hanging—she did come to your clinic, sort of. She remembers typing out a response to you, something witty and non-committal, but her finger hovered over the ‘send’ button before pulling back. It felt like too much, too soon. She needed time to think, to figure out why the idea of checking out authentic Japanese food with you left her feeling so conflicted inside.

Leigh's guilt gnaws at her as she sits there, wrestling with how to extricate herself without causing further confusion—or worse, hurt. Eventually, it all comes to a head. She finally gives in, typing out a message to you on her phone with a shaky urgency.

[7:53 PM] Leigh: I'm so sorry, something came up. I can't make it to the clinic after all.

Your reply comes quickly, much to her astonishment, especially since she hadn't opened your message all afternoon.

[7:54 PM] You: It's fine, don't worry about it. I can have Logan's supplies delivered to your place if that works better for you.

Reading your text, Leigh bites her lip, another surge of guilt washing over her. Your kindness, your willingness to accommodate her, only complicates this predicament further.

[7:54 PM] Leigh: Yes, that would be great, thank you.

[7:54 PM] Leigh: How much do I owe you?

As she starts nibbling at her cuticle, Leigh is eager to resolve at least the financial aspect of her obligation. Though she knows she owes you so much more than just Logan’s supplies.

[7:56 PM] You: Like I said, it's on the house. But just this time ☺️

It’s still too generous. But Leigh knows better than to argue further, concerned that insisting might hurt your feelings.

[7:56 PM] Leigh: Thank you. I won’t forget this.

[7:57 PM] You: 😊😊😊

Leigh sighs, remembering her promise that you could visit Logan anytime. She hopes you won’t take her up on that offer too soon, at least not until she has a chance to sort herself out.

Danny isn’t too bad once you get to know him. That's what Leigh learns after more than two months of dating him.

Initially, Leigh wasn't sure what to make of Danny. Their shared wit and sarcasm often put them at odds, like two alphas vying for the upper hand, each one not willing to back down, always aiming for the last word. Yet, in their calmer moments, when the competitive edge fades and they're just enjoying each other's company, Leigh finds something unexpectedly comforting about being with him. He has this confidence about himself that Matt never had, knowing exactly what he wants—and that's her. His straightforward approach makes everything about being with him feel predictable. And lately, she's starting to see predictability as a good thing, a sign of stability. This is a welcome change from the uncertainty that often left her anxious about the future. Plus, all these traits spill over into the bedroom, making the sex between them feel effortless and satisfying in a way she’s never experienced before.

Despite all this, there are days when Leigh finds herself merely tolerating Danny's affections. A part of her remains tightly locked, still bruised from losing Matt, and she's not sure if those doors should—or even can—open again. To compensate, she often says yes when she can, whenever her mood permits her to be giving and amenable.

And it is exactly why she says yes when Danny asks her to go to Palm Springs with him this weekend.

The getaway feels like an extended lazy morning where the concept of time blurs into insignificance. They drift from one hotel restaurant to another, luxuriating in the art of doing absolutely nothing. This routine isn't new to them; it’s the same one they slip into whether they’re at Danny’s apartment or Leigh’s place—only now, the scenery is different, and the sheets they tangle in are expensively soft, boasting a thread count far beyond anything either of them owns at home.

They're lounging by the pool, sipping Margaritas—Leigh with a book in hand and Danny absorbed in his phone—when your name comes up in conversation.

“So, how are things between you and Y/N?” Danny asks, not looking up from his phone.

Leigh stiffens slightly. She carefully moderates her tone, her face schooled into an expression of indifference as she marks her page and looks over at him. “What about me and Y/N?”

“I don't know... are you guys friends now?”

If Leigh weren’t so preoccupied with her own personal concerns about you, she might have recognized the underlying worry his question poses. What he's actually trying to figure out is whether you've come clean to Leigh about his role in Matt’s secret affair with you.

“Yeah, I guess we are,” she says. To say otherwise would be a lie, because you’ve been nothing but good to her. Danny seems satisfied with this answer, nodding before returning his attention to his phone.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering,” he mumbles. He's back to mindless scrolling, but Leigh can sense the tension from two feet away.

“No, tell me,” Leigh insists, placing her book on the side table between them with a definitive thud. Danny mirrors her actions, setting his phone face down and turning to her with a seriousness that clashes with their otherwise relaxed afternoon.

“I just don't get why you'd be friends with Matt's mistress,” he blurts out suddenly.

Leigh is taken aback. They've never fully discussed what transpired between you and Matt, so she hadn't realized he was paying such close attention to her interactions with you. Believing that he wasn't privy to all the details, she quickly jumps to your defense.

“Y/N didn’t even know Matt was married to me,” she explains, trying to clarify the misunderstanding and protect your integrity.

“Yeah? And you just took her word for it?” Danny doesn’t bother to hide his skepticism, and it irks Leigh more than usual. She doesn't understand why every conversation with Danny has to turn into a challenge or an argument.

“There’s no evidence to suggest otherwise,” Leigh replies, her voice tightening as she struggles to keep her frustration in check. “I mean, I even went through your phone to see what Matt had been saying to you, and there was nothing there indicating that Y/N knew he was married.”

Danny feels a lump form in his throat. Fortunately for him, Matt hadn't mentioned anything in their texts about Danny being Nick either. He has been debating whether to disclose his role in everything to Leigh. But things between them have gotten serious, and Danny's not so sure he should come clean. Part of him wants to delay—perhaps until they are married with kids, when he's more certain that Leigh won't leave him over a past mistake.

“Look, I'm not saying don’t trust her, but... she used to be in love with Matt, right? You don't think there's a chance she resents you even a little?”

Leigh stops for a second, Danny's words prompting her to consider aspects she hadn't really thought about before. Wrapped up in her own insecurities, jealousy, and pain when she discovered the truth about you, she had never stopped to consider your perspective—how you might have felt learning that the man you had feelings for was married. Did you feel just as fooled and stung as she did? The thought bounces around her head for a moment. From what she can recall, nothing in your behavior has ever suggested that you're a bitter ex. But then, what if you're just exceptionally good at masking your feelings?

Do you really like her, or is it all an act—a scheme?

But then, she remembers the night you gave her Logan, how your smile was nothing but warm, your eyes bright with something that, looking back, Leigh realizes might have been admiration. Not even Danny looks at her like that, whose gaze is always bridling yearning and a desire to possess. Leigh shakes her head, almost laughing at the thought of Danny being right about you.

“Danny, honestly,” Leigh finally says, trying to put an end to the discussion, “if what you're saying is true, I can handle it myself.” It seems the quickest way to close this topic, knowing that debating it could easily consume their entire afternoon and completely derail the purpose of their vacation.

“But doesn't it hurt, having her around? Like a reminder that Matt went for someone else?” He's playing on a different fear now, not questioning your integrity, but poking at the scars Leigh's tried so hard to heal.

Leigh wants to admit the pain never went away. She’s merely learned to co-exist with it. It's like the weather for her: on some days, her mind is a landscape of clear skies, but when the storm hits, it's relentless. For now, she chooses to keep this pain private, unwilling to give anyone the leverage to use it against her or even attempt to fix her. It's her burden to bear, and hers alone.

“No,” Leigh answers, reaching for her book again. “I don’t see it that way anymore.”

Leigh ends her nearly year-long social media hiatus by posting a series of photos from her Palm Springs vacation with Danny. Sharing such personal moments publicly is uncharacteristic for her, especially given her minimal online presence over the past months. Maybe it felt like sending a message to everyone that she’s doing okay. That they can go back to seeing her as just Leigh again—a single, actively dating woman in her early thirties—not as the young widow she was in her late twenties.

Danny's friends are the first to swarm the comments. They tag Danny, peppering the feed with teasing remarks, their comments ranging from jokes about the desert heat to compliments on the couple's sun-drenched physique. It's all typical, light-hearted friend banter, until one comment sharply disrupts the mood:

“Yo, isn't that your brother's wife?”

Leigh deletes the comment within seconds of seeing it.

A few hours later, you ‘like’ her post. Leigh's eyes fix unblinkingly on the notification. She's been idly wondering if you'd seen the post, and now, you’ve confirmed it yourself. But what does that ‘like’ mean?

Is it a nod of approval, a silent indication that you're happy for her? Regardless of what it means, Leigh discovers she was sending another message—one that’s exclusively for you. It tells you that whether you're EspressoEyes, whether you harbor any feelings for her or not, it no longer matters.

She's with Danny now.

Returning from Palm Springs, Leigh feels different—like she’s turned a corner or something. She feels refreshed, and she wants to take on something, such as Drew’s grievances about her advice column. She picks one to start with, something about anniversary ideas, and she's got the perfect story for this.

It was one of those anniversaries with Matt, the kind that stands out from the rest of his surprises because it's so quintessentially him—albeit a little nerdy. He took her away from the city's glare to a secluded spot where the sky was a blanket of stars, untainted by artificial light. After laying out a rug for them to both settle on, he began the painstaking process of setting up a rather complex telescope. It took him nearly an hour, but the wait just made the moment even more special. With the telescope finally ready, Matt pulled out this old, crinkly constellation map and started hunting for one specific star. It was one of the last times Leigh remembered them being truly happy—deeply in love, free from the shadows of Matt’s depression, Leigh’s instinct to fix things, and the small lies that slowly eroded their relationship.

When he finally located it, he excitedly guided her to peer through the telescope. There it is—a tiny speck of light, but it's theirs. Matt turned to her with a bashful smile and revealed that he had 'bought' that star for her.

Leigh shares this story with her reader, emphasizing that it's about understanding what truly moves your partner. For her, it was that star—simple, unexpected, and insanely romantic. She tells her reader to find that one-of-a-kind thing, that personal touch that says “I love you” in a way that can only come from them. Just like Matt did with a star and a starry night.

It's only after she closes her laptop that Leigh realizes tears have been streaming down her face.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

It takes a moment to recognize who you've just bumped into. This encounter isn't as jarring as the last; it’s merely a brush of shoulders as you both maneuver to avoid incoming traffic. That ‘incoming traffic’ turns out to be none other than Leigh Shaw.

She's beaming up at you, and it looks genuine despite the sparse interactions since she last canceled on you. You’re still catching your breath, your heart racing from the speed of your run and something else entirely.

“At least I didn’t make you crash on the pavement this time. I'd say that’s significant progress,” you quip, drawing a soft laugh from Leigh. Last week, you made the firm decision to compartmentalize your feelings for Leigh, resolving to see her strictly as a friend. Yet, when faced with reality, such resolutions seem trivial, particularly when that reality includes Leigh smiling at you with her effortlessly charming grin—a smile that, despite your best efforts, still sends a familiar flutter through your stomach and makes your knees feel like they're made of something much less solid than bone.

“Speaking of progress, Logan’s due for his vaccines this week, right?” You remember the schedule clearly, not just because you’re good with dates, but because Logan has become somewhat of a shared responsibility between the two of you—or at least that’s how you still see it.

“Oh, right. I promise I'll swing by. No bailing this time,” she says, chuckling, but there’s a serious undertone that tells you she’s committed to making good on her word this time.

“You better not,” you tease, “Can’t have Logan missing his shots. He’s still very young, and it’s critical we build up his protection against—”

“I won’t, Doctor,” Leigh cuts in, giving you a playful salute that makes you blush. “So, where are you off to after this? I was actually about to grab some donuts for breakfast—”

Leigh pauses mid-sentence as a woman appears at your side. She’s stunning—slightly taller than Leigh, clad in a sports bra and tight yoga pants, with sneakers on her feet. An absolute goddess; even Leigh can’t resist a quick, appreciative glance.

“Who's this?” the woman asks with a British accent, adding the perfect touch to her 5-foot-7 frame.

“This is Leigh,” you introduce quickly, noting the surprise in Leigh's expression. “Leigh, this is Sara.”

“Lovely to meet you,” Sara says warmly, extending her hand. Leigh shakes it, though her movements are somewhat mechanical. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh?” Leigh’s smile is strained. “Nice to meet you, too.”

You quickly steer the topic back to Leigh's breakfast plan, asking where the donut place is. “It's just down that street,” Leigh points vaguely, but then stops short. Almost as an afterthought, she adds, “Actually, I just remembered I've got to pick up something from the laundromat.”

You frown, thrown by her sudden change of tune. “Are you sure? We could grab a bite after the run.”

“No, really, I should get going. Maybe next time!” Leigh replies hastily, already stepping back, her exit swift and decisive. As she hurries away, you're left there, watching her leave, trying to figure out what flipped her mood from happy to wanting to escape so quickly.

“Shall we?” Sara nudges you gently, already jogging in place.

You give Sara a nod, but as you start running, you can't help but sneak one last look back. Leigh is quick to put distance between herself and the park. With a sigh, you turn your full attention back to Sara, who’s already picking up the pace, chatting about a new trail she wants to try next weekend.

“Let's go,” you mutter, mostly to yourself, as you push your legs to match her pace.

Meanwhile, Leigh walks briskly to a different restaurant, forsaking her initial craving for donuts. She can’t quite explain why she fabricated an errand; all she knows is that she needed to get away from you and Sara. Earlier, she couldn't help but notice how close Sara was standing to you, assessing you with a look that seemed a bit too interested. Leigh keeps turning over Sara's words in her mind, puzzling over what she meant by saying she'd heard a lot about her from you.

Why were you talking about her with Sara? Who exactly is Sara to you? Just a friend, or something more?

And what Leigh finds even more perplexing is why she's so troubled by needing to know the answers.

#unbetad #my writing #my fic #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen #leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw x female reader #leigh shaw #sorry for your loss au #leigh shaw x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #sorry i had to tag wanda x reader for visibility

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 1 year

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Danny had been following...ok, stalking his bio dad for a while now. He didn't have anywhere to go after Amity blew up and Clockwork just came out of no where almost a week after the initial incident to pretty much say, "Hey! You're adopted! Also you're a clone baby! This is the name and main alias of your parent and here's how you get to your home dimension!" Then he was gone.

Ancients.

Again, its not like he had anywhere to go and he had nothing better to do. So following around his fourteen year old father (his original?) and his scary bat mentor around a gross crime filled city at night seemed better than nothing. It felt kinda wierd calling him dad in his head but at the same time he didn't want to call him anything else. His inner Jazz said it might be his subconscious grasping for any safe or familial connections it can find, but whatever. He'll call him dad. Who will ever know?

He knows Clockwork told him not to interfere with any of the battles here. He was only ever meant to be a fly on the wall (actually he wasn't even supposed to be here but the old stopwatch couldn't really stop him) but it was so frustrating to see this Red Hood guy appear one day and start hurting his dad and not being able to do anything without exposing himself.

But nothing prepared him for the new Robin.

He hated the new Robin. He had everything Danny ever wanted and he chose to treat his family like that? The anger he felt towards RH was nothing compared to what he felt towards the new little bird. Damian would look around whenever he was alone, likely feeling they eyes on him from Phantoms intense glare. Good. He wanted the kid to know he was unwelcome.

Danny may have died at eight and become a superhero, but that didn't mean he couldn't hate another child vigilante if he was given enough reason to. Danny stopped aging after the explosion that ruined his afterlife and his inner Jazz had a lot of theories about that but in reality he knew why.

He had been waiting.

He knew the bats were mortal and one day Batman would be too old to fight and Robin -now Red Robin- would need a protégé of his own, right? Then he'd pop in and reveal himself as Tim Drakes long lost clone son and everything would be perfect.

Damian didn't just put a wrench in those plans. He ruined them entirely! If Batman is replaced by Damian than Red Robin will likely always be a sidekick.

And sidekicks don't need sidekicks of thier own.

So Phantom made it his afterlifes mission to make Damians stay in Gotham as miserable as possible to make him leave. He would make sure Damian would go back to whereever he came from at the first available opportunity, even if he had to possess the whole city to do it.

----

Danny took cover with some other kids in a nearby clothing store. The riddler was one of Batmans common rogues and was dangerous. He and the others watched in horror as a third party, likely a gang of some kind that didn't appreciate a hero battle on thier turf, stupidly fired a freaking rocket launcher at the two of them. The projectile missed the mark by a large margin and hit a nearby business tower, sending rubble and debris down of the two fighters. Riddler was quickly pinned while Batman eventually got pinned after a few really cool evasive maneuvers. Red Robin went to assist while Robin went to fight the gang members. A lucky shot from one of the gang members got RR in the leg, sending him down momentarily.

Danny managed to rally the other kids to help dig Batman and Riddler out from where they were trapped by stealing a bunch of black hoodies for them to wear and ripping up a black shirt for them to wear as blindfolds. They could see out of them just fine, but it would hide thier identities from all parties.

Together they rescued the pair and Danny silently rejoiced at helping Red Robin limp away and treat his wound at a safer location. As much as he wanted to let this interaction last, he knew he had to bouce once RR started asking him questions.

Phantom later looked at himself in the reflection of a piece of building material. He had been told before that a ghosts appearance could change based on significant events in thier afterlives. Seeing his former symbol on his chest had disappeared and the smooth crisp edges of the black blindfold that had materialized on his face he knew what had happened. And he knew he would do anything to be with his father again.

His efforts to get rid of Damian intensified.

#fanfiction prompts #prompts #dp x dc #danny fenton #danny phantom #robin #damian wayne #tim drake #red robin #batman #bruce wayne #oh boy #tim drakes clone baby #stalker clone baby phantom au #danny: why wont you go away?!?!#damian: i swear someones out to get me!#tim: its probably bad karma for all the stuff you did

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aprocessionofthoughts · 7 months

Text

To lose control

ai-less whumptober 2023 day 6- mind control fandom- Danny Phantom x DC TW- loss of control summary- Danny's been working part time for the JLD when they come across and artifact he'd hoped to never see again.

ao3 ai-less whumptober masterlist Part 1 of ITR

Danny had been a consultant for the Justice League and part time member to the JLD for over a year now.

They both thought he was just a human with a connection to the occult. He planned to keep it that way. He didn’t really want to get back into hero-ing. He had had enough of that and was quite happy that most of his rogues were now his friends. And any ghost that wasn’t friendly was often taken care of by his parents who had greatly changed their views after he had told them his secret.

With his luck, he should have known that all his work at keeping Phantom a secret from the heroes would eventually go down the drain.

********

Danny paced by the side of the warehouse waiting for the League to finish taking down the summoners. He was merely here to help with the cleanup and to help determine which artifacts were dangerous and to collect any tomes for the JLD to review later.

Danny thought that Constantine could handle that on his own, but apparently since he was still ‘new’ the League had thought it necessary to send him so he could get more experience.

Finally, his comm dings and he makes his way to the door.

Constantine is inside along with the Bats, Danny really only recognizes Batman and the current Robin, the rest look familiar but he can’t remember any names.

Though that one with the red helmet sure feels familiar. Almost as if…

He’s cut off from that train of thought when he senses pick up another familiar energy reading. One that makes him freeze in place, eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?”

Danny stumbles back. Holy Ancients! That’s Batman. How had he gotten so close without Danny noticing? Oh right, he was distracted by the energy he had hoped to never feel again, already he could feel memories trying to pull him into a panic.

Danny ignores the Bat who’s looming over him in favor of looking around the room. There was obviously a fight and Danny can see a summoning circle in the center of the open space with knocked over candles around the edge and piles of scattered herbs. The scent was making his nose prickle.

Danny ignored it as well as the Bat who seemed to be getting broodeir. Where was… There. He zeroed in on one of the cultists. A cultist who was wearing a necklace with a red gem. A very familiar red gem.

Danny lets out a small gasp and Batman follows his gaze, his own eyes narrowing.

“What is it?”

Constantine is turning to them too, as are the other Bats.

“What’s wrong, mate?”

Danny can see the other Bats tensing,

Danny opens his mouth to tell them about the dangerous artifact, no need to tell them about said artifact’s abilities, when the cultist looks up and meets Danny’s eyes. Then he grins his eyes glowing faintly as the shard of crystal also glows.

“Look what we have here.” comes the raspy voice. “And here I’d been upset when our ritual was ruined.”

“What’s he talking about?” says the bat with a blue bird shape across his chest. Robin is starting to approach the cultist.

“His necklace—”

“Stop.” says the man and Danny’s jaw clamps shut. He can feel the Red starting to haze his vision and he fights against it.

“Mind.. control..” he rasps, his body twitching as it fights to throw off the gem’s effects.

Robin has nearly reached the cultist.

“Stop him.”

Between one blink and the next Danny finds himself having flung Robin away. Everyone is ready to fight now and the Red is still fighting to take over his vision.

“Run!” he manages. He doesn't want to fight them. Not if they don’t have the proper equipment. They don’t know what he is, what he can do. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody, except maybe the cultist.

“Strange, that you have a ghost working for you. Though I’ve never seen one look so human before.” Danny hears the cultist say, but he can’t move. He feels like a passenger in his own body. He can see everyone giving each other uncertain looks. They haven’t moved yet, but they will soon if they don’t think Danny’s a threat.

The bats have started to move towards him when the cultist says, “Attack.”

Danny feels the Red wash over him as he fires an ecto-beam at the nearest bat. At the last second, Danny’s able to redirect it to miss.

At least everyone’s on higher alert now.

But his body keeps trying to attack everyone and even though he’s fighting it, Danny knows it will only be so long before he succumbs to the Red.

As he’s grappling with Batman he manages to grunt through gritted teeth, “Find– Manson–”

Then the cultist shrieks, “Get over here!” and Danny finds himself putting up a shield between the cultist and the hero wearing black and blue. “Get me out of here.” the cultist growls.

Danny turns to grab him, making them both invisible and intangible as the Red drowns him.

He can only hope that they’ll find his friends before he does anything too terrible.

Then, there is only Red.

#ailesswhumptober #ailesswhumptober2023 #day 6 #mind control #Danny phantom #batman #dp x dc #dp x dc au #fanfiction #Danny fenton #john constantine #bruce wayne #all the other bats are mentioned #hurt/no comfort #open ending #cultists #in the red

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wolfjackle-creates · 1 year

Text

Ghost!Robin Part 7

All right! Here's part 7. I hope you enjoy. I don't think I really have any opening notes to go over this time, so I'll just leave it there. Check out the ask game I posted yesterday if you're interested.

This week you get a bit more than usual at 1.6k words.

First, Previous

----------

“What was that you meant about me being Jazz’s second dead boyfriend?”

Over his surprised laughter, he heard Jazz’s groan from across the hall. Yeah, he really did like Jason more than Johnny.

“One of my former rogues, Johnny 13, pretended to be human and started dating Jazz for a period. He was trying to mold her body into a vessel for his equally dead girlfriend Kitty. He had a similar bad-boy vibe to you but was actually awful. We might be cool now, but I’m still pissed he did that.”

Jason blinked at him before a slow grin took over his face. “So Jazz has a history of bad choices, does she? She always acts like she’s always had it together.”

“Oh definitely not. No child raised by our parents could have it always together.”

“Jazz refuses to talk about your parents, will you tell me what they did?”

Before Danny could answer, Jazz shouted his name. “Danny! If you’re done apologizing to Jason, start helping me explain!”

Danny rolled his eyes to Jason. “Later, I suppose. Duty calls! Come on, you’ve got to have a lot of questions, dead boyfriend number two, and yours will get priority answers.”

Jason’s surprised laugh made him grin despite the deepening glares of the other Waynes.

Surprisingly, it was Duke who blurted out a question in a high, freaked-out voice first. “Why do you have a crown?”

Danny, who’d turned and took all of one step in the direction of the dining hall, paused and turned back around. “How can you see that?” And then he realized the ground was still littered with broken glass and ceramics. “Never mind. Later. Let me clean up the broken glass and stuff first. Least I can do.”

Bruce’s hand landed heavy on his shoulder. “No. You will answer our questions now.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, no. Look, the short of it is that I died when I was fourteen because I was stupid. It didn’t take and now I’m only half dead. I have a ghost form and a human form and all the standard ghost powers. The main ones being invisibility”—he turned invisible for a moment—“intangibility”—Bruce’s hand fell through his shoulder—“and gravity manipulation.” He raised in the air until he was floating a foot above the floor. “I also have some more unique powers, such as ice.” With a wave of his hand, ice grew around the shards of glass.

Alfred and Duke quickly backed away from the mess, but once every piece of broken china was encased, the ice stopped growing.

“So, if you’ll just tell me where I can dispose of the shards, I’ll be happy to do it. And this way no one has to be at risk of hurting themselves cleaning broken glass. Plus I got up all the fine powder, too. No little bits that can barely be seen but will fuck up your vacuum cleaner.”

“A handy skill,” said Alfred before anyone else could speak. “I will lead you to the bins.” To the rest of the group, he said, “Jason, would you and Duke collect the desserts from the kitchen and set up the dining room? As it appears we are all allies here, there is no reason to have this conversation standing in a hallway when we could have it sitting down with good food.”

“Alfred—” started Bruce.

Only to be cut off by the butler. “Master Bruce, I will be quite safe with the young man, I am sure of it. Jason’s… ghost has explained a few things already.” Only the slight pause before the word ghost betrayed that the man wasn’t entirely at ease.

Tim stepped forward. “Let me come with you both, Alfred?”

With a put upon sigh, the man agreed. “Very well, Master Tim, if you must. Mr. Danny, please follow me.”

“Yes, sir.” Danny followed obediently, the ice floating along behind him with barely a thought.

“You don’t need to make any sort of gesture to control the ice?” asked Tim.

Danny shook his head. “Nah. It’s my ice. It’ll do what I want it to. Most ghost powers are based on thought and emotion, honestly.” They took another turn. His castle didn’t even have this many hallways.

“So when you said the ghosts in Amity, you meant that literally.” Tim acted like it was a revelation.

“Of course I did. Shortly after my accident, ghosts started attacking on a regular basis. Took years for me to get things under control and by that point I’d already failed out of high school.”

“But if it was so hard… why didn’t you call the Justice League?”

Danny threw back his head and gave a hysterical laugh. “And then have to fight an overshadowed Superman? Or, worse yet, speedster? No. No thank you. Never. A representative of Justice League Dark stopped by about six or eight months after I got my powers and I told him to keep everyone out of my haunt. He gave me a phone number in case I came across something I couldn’t handle. But I kept being able to handle it, so I never used the number.”

“Overshadowed?” asked Alfred, “I do not believe we know that term. Ah, here we are.” He opened a door that led outside to a drive where a collection of garbage bins sat. “That container there”—he pointed—“is for glass recycling. Will the ice leave the bin filled with water?”

“Not at all. It’ll be completely gone.” Danny had the ice hover over the bin and made it disappear slowly enough that the shards were released without any falling outside the container. No water remained to show how he had transported them.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Danny. Now, overshadowing?” he asked as he held the door open for the boys to precede him inside.

“Oh, um. It’s like possession. Ghosts can take over a living being’s body. But when we do, we don’t have access to memories or knowledge or anything. And after the ghost leaves, the human just doesn’t remember anything from the time they were overshadowed.”

“And is this another of those basic ghost powers you have?” Tim’s voice was hard.

“Yes,” Danny answered simply. “It feels gross, though, and I’ve only done it a handful of times. Ever. First on my dad to get out of some school trouble, but I kept making things worse. After that on my friends and Jazz, with permission, so we could document limitations and if it hurt humans. Far as we could tell, it doesn’t.”

“You sound like a very conscientious young man. I have no doubt you use your powers responsibly.”

Danny laughed. “I screwed up more than a few times before I found ghost mentors. And ghosts are always a little chaotic, so some messing around is not only expected but encouraged.”

Alfred smiled. “I’m sure we will love hearing some of those stories as we get to know you and Ms. Jasmine better.”

“I can’t… I can’t tell you everything. There’s far too much and so much of it just doesn’t matter on Earth that it’d be pointless to go into.”

Danny saw Tim open his mouth to speak, but Alfred cut him off before he could. “I only want to know one thing: will Jason be all right?”

Danny smiled in relief. “Yes. That I can promise. I don’t know for sure how best to help him, but I’ve some ideas and I’ll consult with my doctors. They’re the leading experts in human-ghost biology.”

“Then I am glad you came tonight and were able to notice something was wrong. Thank you.”

With a shrug, Danny just said, “It’s literally my job. This is what I do.” Up ahead, he could see the doorway back to the dining room.

“If it’s your job, how much do we owe you?” asked Tim.

That question brought Danny up short. “Owe me? What are you talking about?”

“If you’re doing this for work,” said Tim as they entered the dining room, “Then you need to be paid somehow. If not by us, then how?”

“What are you lying about now, Danny?” asked Jazz, shaking her head at Tim’s question.

“Nothing! Tim asked why I’m planning on helping Jason and, besides the fact that he’s dating you and I’ll obviously help, I just said it’s literally my job. You heard his reaction to that!”

Bruce grunted. “Then I suppose you know where your explanations should begin. What is your job? A full explanation this time, please.”

“Right, yes, I can totally do that. I’m so great at explaining things.”

Jazz snickered at that statement and Danny poked her as he sat down next to her. Tim and Alfred took their seats as well.

“Now, Mr. Fenton.”

Danny winced at the name. “Don’t call me that. I’m not allowed that name anymore.”

“Danny, your job,” repeated Bruce, face expressionless.

“Right. Um… Well, I do just kinda do whatever is necessary or find someone who can. Because, um, well, I’m… kinda the High King of the Infinite Realms? There’s a bunch more titles after that but I refuse to memorize them because ugh.”

Danny looked down at his plate, not wanting to see everyone’s reactions. Jazz must’ve made sure he got a piece of pie because it sat in front of him. It looked so good. Did they even know about the Infinite Realms? Justice League Dark members did, but did Batman? Jazz reached over and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

----------

Looks like Danny found another excuse to delay the interrogation! (I honestly forgot about the broken glass before Duke spoke up and asked about the crown. But I did always plan to have Danny clean it up.)

Tag List: I'm getting posting errors, so I'll be splitting the tag list in two.

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew, @rowanaway-fromthisbs, @vythika96, @tired-yet-awaken, @themirrorghost, @emeraldcorpral, @all-mights-asscheeks, @darkhinauniverse, @blep-23, @phandomhyperfixationblog, @larkcoe1, @thegatorsgoose, @job-ross-the-second, @britcision, @lenacraft, @bubblemixer, @androgynouslordofescapism, @purefrickingspite, @leftmiraclechaos, @lizisipancardo, @starlight-sparks

#dpxdc #danny fenton #alfred pennyworth #tim drake #bruce wayne #duke thomas #anger management #my writing #bruce does feel bad about calling danny 'fenton'#but he's awful about apologizing #and danny can't read him the way the other bats can #alfred is just happy that danny will be able to help jason #both of them #he wants his grandkids to be happy and healthy #and they too often arent

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little-pondhead · 1 year

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Rejected Threads Pt. 1

[This is a series where I post the bits and pieces I decided to cut out of their final fics due to various reasons. I welcome anyone who wants to pick this up and make it their own. You do not need to ask for permission to use it, but I would like to be tagged in whatever you make. Just so I can see it :) ]

[Everything here is unedited and may ramble at times. Enjoy!]

---

Okay, so maybe Danny still had a thing or two to learn about being a ghost. It’s not his fault, really! Being dead doesn’t exactly come with a pamphlet introducing you to the afterlife! Although if his friends were here, they’d just berate him, saying this whole issue could have been avoided if he used his common sense, not his ghost sense. Which is fair. He’d give them points for that.

But come on. How was Danny supposed to know about the GIW’s latest invention? Honestly, it felt so cliche that Danny wanted to smash his head against a wall. He’d been hit by a shrink ray. Except it didn’t work right on ghosts, because it was made by normal people who’d never even seen a drop of ectoplasm in their life, so instead of shrinking him it de-aged him. He looked like a four-year-old! Ancients, he was never going to hear the end of this from Jazz.

Well, that was if he ever managed to make it back home.

Right now, he was leading the rogue government agents through the streets of some damp city jungle, swinging through gargoyles and avoiding blasts with a few nudges from the city spirit here and there. A few pedestrians screeched from the ground level and had to dive out of the way of the GIW’s armored van, but Danny was confident they wouldn’t be seriously hurt. A constant stream of energy was flowing between him and the city spirit, giving the spirit the strength needed to pull civilians away from the fight with a few shadowy fingers. In exchange, Danny was suddenly living life in the third person. He could see for miles around him, feel the heartbeat of the city underneath his fingertips, and hear the quiet whispers of children and shades settling down for the night. The city spirit was everywhere and had no problem lending their senses to Danny so he could get away. He knew he’d have a headache later from overstimulation, but right now it was a godsend.

From his enhanced view, Danny saw one of the agents lean out of their van, raising a gun toward his shadowy figure. They fired. He dodged. Is this how flies felt? Everything felt way too slow, and he could run circles around them with ease. Maybe once Amity’s spirit developed more, they could lend a hand like this one was. It was incredibly useful, if not draining. He probably wouldn’t have been hit by that stupid shrink ray in the first place if he could see behind him. Ope, Danny refocused his thoughts, almost missing the next swing. He should be paying attention more.

Where should I lead them? Danny asked the city spirit.

The spirit took a moment to reply, struggling to form human words. North. To the park.

Gotcha. After a moment, a thought crossed his mind. What’s your name?

…I am Gotham.

Nice to meet you, Gotham. I’m Danny Phantom.

Danny. The little king of the stars.

“What? No!” Danny was so startled by Gotham’s words that he really did miss the ledge of a building this time, falling like a dead weight for about twenty feet until he caught himself. He still stumbled as his feet hit the pavement, but it was a lot better than becoming a smear. Danny glanced around frantically, but there was no one on the street and he was still invisible. He could hear the screech of tires a few blocks away, almost missing the turn as the agents tried to follow him.

Now that there was some semblance of a plan in place, Danny needed to keep these guys on his tail rather than lose them. The shrink ray put off some very nasty vibes, which is how the GIW was tracking him, but maybe they could use a little guidance. Danny rose into the air once more, and at Gotham’s prompting, shot an ectoblast high into the sky, letting it explode like a firework far away from any buildings.

The Bats will notice, but this is the only way. Gotham remarked. It was getting easier to understand them the more they talked. I will hide you if it is your will.

Green eyes tracked the process of that damned white van for another two blocks, just until Danny knew their scanners would pick him up once more. Then he was off like a rocket, starting their little game of tag all over again as he led them closer and closer to the menacing grove of trees in the distance. Who are the bats? He silently asked.

The Bats. My knights.

You have knights?? That’s so cool. Danny panted, swerving to the left. His form flickered for just a moment, putting him onto the visible spectrum for a mere second before he was gone again. Don’t worry about me, I’ll hide myself for now. Once they’re gone from your borders. You should rest after this, I can feel the strain this has on you.

Little king is tired as well. Keep your strength.

Nah, I’ll be fine, Gotham. You were kind enough to offer me refuge until I figured things out. The least I can do is take care of my host.

Hm….

Gotham’s mind retreated from his own for a moment, pulling back so he could focus on the fight. Danny appreciated it. He finally reached the trees, shadows extending to greedily pull him into the depths of the park. Danny obliged, letting the shades and wayward spirits guide him toward the center of the property. The GIW was still hot on his heels, plowing down vegetation like it wasn’t even there. A ripple ran through Gotham like they were waiting for something, and Danny almost stopped to see what the issue was, but Gotham just kept nudging him along. Danny trusted the other spirit and floated silently next to a gnarled and crooked tree that stank of chemicals and twitched whenever he turned his back. Beyond the tree was a vast patch of land filled with mutated plants and dense fog that Danny definitely did not want to breathe in. There was a broken down and shabby glass greenhouse in the distance, the source of the plants and fog. Well, this was as far as Gotham wanted him to go, so this was where he’d make his last stand.

The GIW agents tore into the clearing, skidding to a stop a few meters away. Out climbed three men, guns charged and already pointed at him.

“Reveal yourself, Phantom! We know you’re there!” One of them, Danny remembered him as Agent R, barked. His gun was the biggest, and Danny was sure he’d be the hardest to dodge. Gotham shushed his thoughts, calming his nervous core, and told him to wait. To stall.

Stall for time? He could do that. “You’re so mean!” Danny flipped upside down, fading into existence. He gave the men a sharp grin, one too shark-like to be human. “We were having such a fun game of tag! Why can’t we keep going?”

Agent B, a short guy with a bright red mustache, stepped forward and jabbed his weapon toward Danny. “This is not a game, ghost!” He squeaked. “You are in violation of section two, paragraph three of the First Anti-Ecto Act. By order of Agent Alpha, you are hereby under arrest for unlawful-”

Danny snorted. “Sorry, Agent Alpha? What, is his first name Chad? Is his boyfriend’s name Omega?”

“His name is Mike Foxtrot! You insensitive bastard!” Agent B spat.

“Agent B!” The third man, who was probably their leader, slapped a hand down hard on his subordinate’s shoulder. Danny didn’t blame him. This was the most information he’d ever managed to worm out of them in less than two minutes. He mentally pats himself on the back for the new record.

“Listen, guys.” Danny raised his hands in faux surrender. “You may have turned me into a preschooler, buth-” He blushed violently. He bit his tongue, ruining the intimidating effect he was going for. “But I can still kick your ass seven ways to Sunday. Whaddya say we leave it at this for now?”

“Absolutely not, Phantom.” Agent R ordered. “You are to come with us quietly or we’ll be forced to use extreme force.”

“Extreme force?!” Danny shrieked, losing his smile. “You already use extreme force! I’m a fucking kid, you psycho!” Rage built in his chest, and green made his vision swim.

Let it build. Gotham urged. Let yourself cry.

Danny sniffed, still ranting. “And now that I’m an even smaller kid, you want to arrest me?! What did I even do wrong?”

“You are a class 7 ecto-entity, Phantom. Your very existence is illegal and dangerous.”

Danny let a few tears drip from his eyes, falling onto the weird plants below. A few flowers twitched out of the corner of his eye, turning to face him like a human would. The trees surrounding the cleaning seemed to lean in, looming ominously as their roots thrashed under the dirt. They were trying to reach for something, but Danny didn’t mind it. Gotham whispered that the plants were no danger to him right now, so he just kept working himself into an emotional frenzy. “I DIED!” He cried. “IS BEING DEAD A CRIME NOW?!”

Gotham shivered. Wail. They instructed. Danny did.

“WHY DO YOU KEEP HURTING ME?!” His scream echoed throughout the city, carrying all the pain and anguish he could muster on such short notice. The connection he had to Gotham strengthened for those few precious moments, supplying him with enough energy so he wouldn’t pass out and transform. He did, however, collapse into the crooked tree, barely noticing how the branches seemed to cradle his limp body. The agents were blown back from the force, tumbling head over heels as their weapons were lost in the wind and their van tipped over. The nearest trees suddenly burst forth with staggered movements, surprising even Danny. Dirt was thrown everywhere as roots reached up to grab the men, restricting their movements to an almost painful degree.

This whole thing was so unexpected that Danny just kind of sat there, being cradled like a baby by the creepiest tree in existence, listening to Gotham’s victorious hums as the GIW agents struggled against their new bonds. More roots took on a life of their own, twisting and bending their way through the van, smashing all the equipment, and tearing apart weapons without hesitation. It was just so bizarre. Small footsteps from behind made Danny’s ear twitch. He glanced over his shoulder.

Approaching him from the fog was a beautiful woman who looked like she’d been made of plants herself. Her hair was a startling red, similar to Jazz’s, and her skin was such a rich and vibrant green it couldn’t have been body paint. Strands of ivy and flowers of all sorts were woven into her hair and clothes. Danny almost pegged her for the reincarnation of Gaea but thought better when he felt none of the Realm’s influence in her soul. No, this was a mortal woman who felt more like a daughter of Undergrowth than Sam ever did. He didn’t feel afraid, however, and instead allowed the tree to lift him to eye level with the woman.

Pamela Lillian Isley. Gotham whispered excitedly. My precious gardener.

“I am Poison Ivy,” The woman declared. “What are you doing near my lands, kid?”

Danny rubbed the tears out of his eyes furiously. “Sorry,” he sniffed. “I just-they were-” He broke out in hiccups, and couldn’t complete his sentence.

Poison Ivy, for her part, was curious about this obviously meta kid who’d stumbled across her beloved greenhouse. It wasn’t hard to feel the disturbance from all the way across the city, and her pace doubled when she felt a child’s tears fall onto one of her ferns. She didn’t despise children, and so had no plans to hurt whomever she found. But she knew that the fog surrounding her precious greenhouse was toxic. Then she’d arrived just in time for the kid to let out the most inhuman cry she’d ever heard. It was full of anguish and pain, shaking her to the core. It sounded like the kid was dying. She wasted no time capturing the three men who were hunting the kid, using the roots of nearby oak trees to give them a little squeeze. As an afterthought, she also destroyed their equipment and van. Everything looked a little too high-tech for her liking. The kid looked worn out, dazed, and exhausted. She made sure the tree he was in held the boy gently while he stammered, struggling to answer her question.

“They don’t like me. They -hic- keep trying to hurt me.” Danny finally managed to settle on a response. Poison Ivy gave the three men a deadly stare. How could they hurt such a tiny kid?!

“Well, I don’t know how to help you kid, but I can direct you toward one of the Bats. They’ll probably take you home.” She said, still staring straight into the eyes of one of the men. He seemed especially uncomfortable with the vines wrapped around his torso.

The kid shook his head adamantly. He floated gently upwards, an apology dripping from his lips. “Sorry, but I’ll find my own way back tonight. Feel free to do whatever you want to those men, they’re mean to me so I don’t care. And thank you for your help, Miss Isley.”

Startled by the use of her real name, Poison Ivy turned back to where the kid had been floating, but he had disappeared without a trace. Because of course he did.

She sighed, turning back to her prisoners. “Now what should I do with you?” She asked to the empty air. The only response she got was a rustle in the wind and a grunt of frustration from a man with a red mustache.

---

Final ficlet can be found here: Kicking Names and Taking Ass, All Before Naptime

#rejected threads #danny phantom #dp x dc #dc x dp #dpxdc

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gilbirda · 1 year

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Another Harley Quinn

Sequel to "The After"

Go to the first fic: "Deal"

A few weeks after the news of Joker's death spread around Gotham, a bonfire was lit on the roof of Joker's abandoned Funhouse. It wasn't rocket science to know who had done it or what she wanted. Maybe it was time for Jazz to have a talk with Harley Quinn.

[Read on AO3][Read on FF]

---

There was only one person crazy enough to go back to Joker's Funhouse and start a bonfire on the roof.

It wasn’t a question of who could be waiting there, or what she wanted to talk about, but a matter of who was going to go there and talk to Harley Quinn, who had been in hiding for a while.

“It’s okay, I can take this one.”

There was silence on the other side of the comms - not that Jazz found it unusual. She knew that Bruce and the others thought of her, she knew they didn’t exactly accept her or liked her, in the case of Timothy and Bruce at least.

She tried to not let it get to her, but Jason was extra sweet anytime they went there for a visit, so he knew she didn’t have a good time on these visits.

“Are you sure?” Batman’s voice betrayed nothing of his actual thoughts. “Harley can be-”

“Positive,” she didn’t let him undermine her authority again. “I’ll deal with her. Will update later.”

Jazz turned off the comms with a sigh, conflicted. She had been taking turns with Jason on who patrols every night, and when it was her, coordination was impossible with the bats - and it didn’t have to do with the tentative truce they had going on.

She was as capable as her partner but every damn time she tried to take initiative and deal with things on her own she was second guessed and subtly questioned.

It was tiring.

Jason knew, of course, and he said he would talk to Bruce about it, but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so she asked him to give Bruce a chance to come around on his own.

She really wanted to stay positive, to focus on what was important and what they wanted to achieve in Gotham - family or no family, she followed Jason to the city and no matter how much it hurt to be painfully aware of not being wanted, she would still be at his side as long as he wanted her.

(And he did want her. He wasn’t good with his words, but always tried to let her know he wanted her there.)

It was easier playing the anti-hero of Gotham with him, but sadly tonight Jason was busy and he wouldn’t be able to give her warmth to fight the ghosts of her past.

But for the moment, she could deal with Harley on her own.

She was just a human woman, no matter what others said. No matter what Bruce said. Misguided, yes. Violent, yes. Erratic, also yes.

But evil?

Harley wasn’t like Joker - she cared about things, about Gotham, about people.

Jazz landed on the rooftop of the abandoned building without making a sound, but still made her steps noticeable for the woman looking up at the stars.

“You cannot see stars in Gotham,” Harley commented, munching on some food. “It’s a shame. Smores?”

The Ghost removed her mouth cover and sat down next to the woman, accepting the freshly made smore.

It was delicious.

(Danny would have liked it.)

“That you cannot see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Even in the darkest night with thickest clouds there is that invisible light.”

Harley pondered her words for a second, humming. Her expression betrayed nothing of her thoughts.

“Is that what you are? An invisible light?”

Jazz hadn’t said that with that meaning, but didn’t want to elaborate. She shrugged.

Harley’s eyes zeroed on the gesture. She hummed again, tilting her head, observing her as much as Jazz was observing the rogue.

“Is he really dead?”

“Yes.” After a moment of hesitation, she added: “I killed him myself.”

It would be too much information to share that the Spirit of Gotham possessed her body and used her as an instrument, a conscious puppet consenting to be a medium for revenge. Gotham wanted the clown dead, and Jazz was more than happy to help.

Harley narrowed her eyes. “He has been back before.”

“Not this time. He is not coming back, I swear.” Jazz shoved the rest of the cooling smore in her mouth, her mind going back to the feeling of Joker’s warm blood on her hands, on her face. It was everywhere, her vision completely red. “Slit his throat so he wouldn’t have the last laugh either.”

That had been all hers, though. She found his voice annoying as hell.

The other woman threw her head back and hollered at the night sky, unbothered by the noise. She had a nice voice, a nice laugh. More authentic than the other clown. Whoever considered her to be a mere sidekick, a bland copy of Joker, never heard her laugh.

“Good riddance.”

Jazz nodded, sharing the sentiment.

“Did it hurt?”

“When I fell from heaven?”

Harley laughed again. “I like you, girlie.” She shook her head, as if trying to also shake away the heavy air that had been covering her like a shroud. “Did you make it hurt?”

Jazz watched as Harley made another s’more at the bonfire, vaguely registering the kindle was all rubble from the Funhouse. Her eyes stayed on the burning smiling face of the Joker, maybe a poster or something, remembering his face as he realized he wasn’t going to bounce back from her attack.

“I think it hurt more to know he wouldn’t make a spectacle out of it. We kidnapped him directly in front of Black Mask’s face and then killed him in an abandoned building no one cared about.”

Jazz accepted the new s’more, blowing on it to cool the melted sugar down.

Joker had pleaded, he had begged, he had offered cash. He had offered her a 50% cut of his operations. He had asked if Red Hood paid her enough for this. If he was worth it.

If he had anything else to say about her partner, she didn’t know, since that’s when she decided to cut his vocal chords.

“And if someone saw, they only saw Hood’s baiting Batman into direct confrontation. He is the flashy one for a reason. I take care of the covert stuff.”

Harley hummed, finishing making her own s’more.

“Does he- I mean, not that I’m trying to meddle or anything - For reals! I just… you know, I just-”

“Just ask it, I’m not going to get mad.”

The woman didn’t look convinced but nodded anyway.

“Does he treat you right?”

Honestly? She should have expected the question, given current company.

Jazz knew what people whispered behind her back, and it wasn’t just the “Ghost” identity they had given her already.

Hades and Persephone, Bonnie and Clyde… Joker and Harley. As they settled into the roles of Heads of the Crime Underworld of Gotham, it was inevitable that their story got romanticized to hell and back. It didn’t help that they weren’t hiding their relationship - many times they had held hands and leaned on each other in places they could be seen, and people talked in the Underworld. Damn gossips.

They didn’t mind whatever people said about them, but comparisons were inevitable, and it didn’t surprise them when rumors of a new Prince of Crime and his own Harley arrived to their ears.

Soon it was obvious that the Ghost was no Harley, that she had an equal role in the new organization, that she was as deadly and in charge as her partner; but the damage was already done. People were a bit rougher with her, expecting her to fold, expecting her to crumble and call for “her boo”.

Expecting her to go insane.

“I mean, not that I could actually give any legal advice,” Harley continued talking when Jazz didn’t say anything, “my license was revoked. I’m just- Well, I don’t know what I wanted to do, actually.”

“He treats me well.”

Harley abandoned all pretense and turned to fully look at her in the eyes.

“Are you sure, honey? I’ve heard-”

Jazz hummed, lifting one hand to stop the other woman. “Whatever you heard is not true. Him and I… we understand each other. And our relationship is based on trust.” At Harley’s raised eyebrow, she added: “Is not easy, it is not without its problems, but distrust almost cost us everything once already.”

Silence fell on them as they looked at each other, analyzing each other.

“You love him.” A nod. “And he loves you.”

“Without doubt.”

“He told you? With actual words?”

“Yes.” She looked away. “Many times.”

Since that day where they worded their actual feelings, it came easier and easier to say it. She said “I love you” when he made her favorite tea, he said “I love you” when she cuddled to his side to read on a quiet afternoon. He said I love you without words more often than not, with kisses and touches and soft gestures - but he noticed she enjoyed it more when he said the words.

Jazz felt her cheeks burn thinking about it. It was still quite new, but not unwelcome; she really enjoyed his smooth voice dipping lower when he said those words in the dark of the night, when they were in bed.

“So it’s real.”

“Huh?”

Harley laughed again, giggling into her hand. “You really love him.”

Jazz didn’t know what to respond so she didn’t say anything.

“Good.” She nodded a few times, decided. “You guys can stay, then.”

Both chuckled at the idea. If it seriously came to it, Jazz was confident she could overpower Quinn, even more with Jason at her side, but the sentiment was nice. It was good to know that there were people in Gotham ready to fight if another Joker rose to power.

Jazz felt the presence before Ivy made her appearance, but she didn’t act on it. Better to not act wary or antagonistic, first impressions and all of that.

“Darling,” Pamela’s voice was smooth like honey, but hid as many thorns as her vines. “What are you doing talking to The Ghost?”

The exasperation as she said it made it sound like this was a common argument.

“Red!” Harley launched herself to the woman’s arms, hugging her as hard she could. “I just wanted to have a chat.”

Ivy hugged her girlfriend back, but her eyes stayed on Jazz’s, distrust evident in her expression.

“We are cool, we are cool!” Harley insisted. “Just needed to check a few things but we are besties now, right, Ghost?”

Jazz stood up in one movement, smiling at the pair. It was no secret that these two were together, and the amount of mischief they got up to was astronomical - but neither actually had stepped on their Crime Empire’s toes, so they never had to interact before.

“The bestest of friends.”

“See? I told you there was nothing to fear-”

Jazz ignored them when her phone pinged, taking it out to see who was writing to her. Jason, checking in that Harley hadn’t tried anything suspicious and if she was okay. She texted back that everything was fine and that Harley was actually very fun to talk to.

>Good

>There’s pizza for dinner btw, and I made extra dough

Was he implying…?

>> Are you sure?

> I think it’s time we introduce ourselves to the Sirens

They had discussed revealing themselves to other rogues, the ones they could make some kind of functional network with. They didn’t have to be friends, but a certain amount of trust so they stayed put and didn’t try anything funny like undermine their authority or try to overthrow them.

The Sirens were a good first option. Never after making a power play but always ready to make deals with the big fish in case it came in handy later on.

“I said, he’s cool!” Jazz looked up to find Harley pouting and stomping her foot a bit. “Hood is not like him.”

“Because she said so?” Pamela pointed at Jazz. “No offense.”

“None taken. Actually, you guys can meet him in person if you want? He is making pizza and said there’s enough for everyone.”

Ivy narrowed her eyes.

“There’s stuff for a vegetarian one, if you wish.”

“I want mine with extra pepperoni!” Harley lifted her hand, all smiles and excitement, nothing like the worried abuse survivor Jazz found making s’mores in the cold night. “And olives. Do you guys have olives?”

“I can ask.”

Both turned to check on Pamela, Harley’s puppy eyes doing wonders to make the woman cave in.

“Just one pizza and we are gone.”

Jazz smiled as Harley cheered. It was nice seeing Harley so happy, so alive. She never met her back when she was still with Joker, but she had seen enough footage to see the difference now.

It made sense that she was worried that another Harley Quinn situation could happen to her. It felt nice, having someone care for her like that.

Like an older sister.

(Was this how Danny felt?)

Jazz shook her head. Being stuck in the past was no good, is not what Danny would have wanted of her. She was sure of it - he would have laughed at her being all fuzzy thinking about her boyfriend, smiled at her trying to be a serious crimelord, and enjoyed flying around Gotham’s skyscrapers with her.

Some days, it was difficult to keep that in mind.

Today it was easy, though, thinking about the warm kitchen waiting for her, thinking of Jason humming to a song on the radio as he prepared the pizzas, a safe haven from all the noise and the fights for power, and Batman’s distrust and Tim’s subtle poking for details about her brother’s death.

“Pizza!” Harley screeched, jumping into Ivy’s arms so she could carry her towards their destination.

Jazz smiled, stomped on the bonfire to kill it off, and jumped from the roof without checking if they followed.

Jason was safe. Was quiet. He provided a comfortable silence where she could cry and laugh and mourn and experience joy without the pressure of honoring Danny’s memory or not. Jason never expected her to. He never expected her to be anything. Sweet, sweet nothing.

There was no one else she would build a Crime Empire with.

---

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#danny phantom #batman dc #danny phantom fanfiction #jazz fenton #jasmine fenton #jason todd #jazz x jason #anger management ship #jazz/jason #dp x dc #dc x dp #batpham #dpxdc

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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 2 years

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Pitch for a MCU miniseries: “A Larger Universe - Tales from Marvel”

Plot Summary:

As a standalone, anthology miniseries, each episode is a different “tale” focused on heroes who haven’t gotten the spotlight in the main MCU. But the REAL reason why this miniseries is being made is to fully integrate the Marvel Television shows into the main MCU canon.

So, under the guise of “highlighting unexplored heroes”, the show is actually completing the merger of the Marvel TV shows that came before Disney Plus/Phase 4.

Hypothetical Episode Line-Up:

1) Quake: Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-turned-S.W.O.R.D. agent Daisy Johnson is sent to deal with a rogue cell of Flag Smashers, who are still around despite the loss of their leader (purpose of this episode is to address “Agents of SHIELD”).

2) The Other Carter: In the 1950s, Agents Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa follow a lead on the assassin responsible for shooting Agent Jack Thompson (resolves the cliffhanger from “Agent Carter”).

3) The Man Who Can’t Speak: In Honolulu, Hawaii, a young couple befriends a mute man (Black Bolt) who claims to have come from the empire of “Attilan” a city located on the Moon. Thinking he’s insane, the couple later learn that the mute man is who he says he is and that he needs their help in finding a way back to his people (this is a soft reboot of the “Inhumans” show).

4) Sister Grimm: While fighting in Xialing’s underground fighting ring, Wong befriends a young witch named Nico Minoru. Seeing her potential as a magic user, Wong offers her a spot in the Sanctum Sanctorum as his mentee/protege (purpose of this episode is to address “Runaways”).

5) Light & Dark: Damage Control agents Sadie Deever and P. Cleary, coming off their run-in with Kamala Khan, are assigned to a lead on another pair of people with superhuman abilities, later revealed to be Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen (purpose of this episode is to address “Cloak and Dagger”).

6) Adventure into Fear: Wong and his mentee Nico Minoru learn about a supernatural being who has been terrorizing the streets of Los Angeles. The two of them go to investigate and discover that the supernatural being is Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider has been hunting the demon-human hybrid siblings, Daimon and Ana Helstrom (purpose of this episode is to reintroduce Robbie Reyes and to address “Helstrom”).

7) One Bad Night: Jessica Jones and Luke Cage follow a lead on the secret identity of Spider-Man. This turns out to be a mistake when the two of them learn that a crazy murderer is killing anyone who follows the fake lead. But the bad news for the murderer is...Frank Castle decided to follow the lead as well (purpose of this episode is to address “Jessica Jones”, “Luke Cage”, and “The Punisher”).

8) The Legend of K’un L’un: Shang-Chi returns to Ta Lo in order to bond with his aunt, Ying Nan. While there, he is challenged by an arrogant martial artist known as “The Iron Fist” to a friendly duel to see who is the superior fighter. Depending on Marvel, this could either be Danny or Colleen. (purpose of this episode is to address “Iron Fist”).

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raplascl · 2 years

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Katey sagal sooner or later song

#KATEY SAGAL SOONER OR LATER SONG SERIES#

Emilio Rivera as Marcus Alvarez (Seasons 1-7).Annabeth Gish as Deputy Sheriff Althea Jarry (season 7).Kenneth Choi as Henry Lin (season 7 guest season 1 recurring seasons 2-3 & 5-6).Robert Patrick as Les Packer (seasons 6-7).Peter Weller as Charles Barosky (seasons 6-7).CCH Pounder as Tyne Patterson (seasons 6-7).Harold Perrineau as Damon Pope (season 5).Walton Goggins as Venus Van Dam (seasons 5-7).Benito Martinez as Luis Torres (season 5 recurring season 4).Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Vivica (season 4).Danny Trejo as Romero "Romeo" Parada (seasons 4-5).Rockmond Dunbar as Lieutenant Eli Roosevelt (seasons 4-6).Paula Malcomson as Maureen Ashby (season 3).Sonny Barger as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz (seasons 3-6).Kenny Johnson as Herman Kozik (seasons 3-4 guest season 2).Mitch Pileggi as Ernest Darby (season 3 recurring seasons 1-2 guest season 6).Brian Van Holt as Kyle Hobart (season 1).Tom Everett Scott as Rosen (seasons 1-2).Ally Walker as Agent June Stahl (seasons 1-3).Sons of Anarchy is the story of the Teller-Morrow family of Charming, California, as well as the other members of Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original (SAMCRO), their families, various Charming townspeople, allied and rival gangs, associates, and law agencies that undermine or support SAMCRO's legal and illegal enterprises. Main articles: List of Sons of Anarchy characters and List of gangs from Sons of Anarchy Opie kills Stahl to avenge the death of his wife, Donna. While Opie, Chibbs, and the Prospects are all en-route following Stahl. Jax, Clay, Bobby, Tigger, and Happy are hauled away to jail. After the club returns from Ireland and brings home Abel, agent Stahl double crosses Jax and tells the club about the side deal Jax made with her, unaware that Jax and the club had it planned all along knowing Stahl would back out of the deal. Upon learning of her grandson's abduction, Gemma suffers a cardiac arrhythmia and collapses in the Teller-Morrow lot. Father Kellan Ashby's sister, Maureen, contacts Gemma at Ashby's request and tells her Abel is safe in Belfast. The return of A.T.F agent Stahl twists the facts about the murder of Donna, Stahl attempts to make a deal with Jax behind the club's back. She returns to Charming to reunite with her grandson, unaware he has been kidnapped. Gemma struggles when she takes Nate to his new assisted living home, and he pleads to be taken back to his house. Gemma has been hiding in Rogue River, Oregon with Tig at the home of Gemma's father, Nate ( Hal Holbrook), who suffers from dementia. SAMCRO is said to resemble the real Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, hence the appearances from David LaBrava (Happy), Chuck Zito (Frankie Diamonds), Rusty Coones (Quinn), and Sonny Barger (Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz) who are all real Hell's Angels members. As Vice-President and later President of SAMCRO, Jax struggles with the everyday dealings of the club and the legacy of his father, the founder of the club. SAMCRO is involved with gun-running throughout the western United States and deals with many rival gangs and politicians and authorities. Įach season involves two parallel plot lines that intertwine and overlap: the first centers on the personal life of Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and his immediate family while the second deals with SAMCRO ( Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original). In February 2015, he said he would not work on the prequel, likely to be titled "The First 9", before 2017. In November 2013, Sutter indicated he was in talks with FX to make a Sons of Anarchy prequel set in the 1960s.

#KATEY SAGAL SOONER OR LATER SONG SERIES#

The series finale premiered on December 9, 2014. The seventh and final season of the series premiered on September 9, 2014. The sixth season aired from September 10, 2013, through December 10, 2013. The season 4 and 5 premieres were the two highest-rated telecasts in FX's history. The series' third season attracted an average of 4.9 million viewers per week, making it FX's highest rated series ever, surpassing FX's other hits The Shield, Nip/Tuck, and Rescue Me. Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 3, 2008, on cable network FX. The show stars Charlie Hunnam as Jackson "Jax" Teller, initially the vice president of the club, who begins questioning the club and himself. It follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in California's Central Valley. Sons of Anarchy is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter. Occidental Studios, North Hollywood, California " This Life" by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers For the fictional motorcycle club depicted in the show, see Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.

#Katey sagal sooner or later song

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airis-hunter · 2 years

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I just came up with a Danny Phantom scenario

Pitch pearl AU

So Danny's dad is teaching him to fight ghosts In the ghost zone because the ghost portal got opened and Danny's parents are using the ghost portal to teach danny and jazz how to hunt ghosts. One day Jack and danny run into Phantom and Jack ends up taking down Phantom, who is now laying on the ground injured and danny feels like this is wrong, so he steps in front of Phantom and convinces his dad not to hurt him somehow in the end. When they leave Phantom ends up following danny and pops up every once in a while to protect Danny from rogue ghosts or bullies at school and sooner or later they end up falling in love, all while hiding it from Danny's parents and fight ghosts.

#danny phantom #pitch pearl #danny fenton #writing ideas

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geekgirles · 3 years

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Your Heart

Chapter 7 -- Black Hearts

Word Count: 15131

READ ON AO3

For many, the Ghost Zone landscape would be chilling, at best, and nightmare-inducing, at worst. Unlike Earth and its well-defined limits, both natural and manmade, the Infinite Realms consisted of an infinite abyss of floating ectoplasmーif you travelled, you knew where your journey would start, but not where it ended. Most people didn’t even know when it ended, either.

Only a few experienced visitors were knowledgeable enough to recognise each and every one of its landmarks to guide them. Fortunately for Danny, he was one such experienced visitor. As well as an inhabitant.

Maybe he didn’t know the Ghost Zone like the palm of his invisible hand, like Sojourn had in his day, but seven years of travelling back and forth between dimensions had certainly outlined a pretty accurate map of the dimension in his mind’s eye. That, and the fact that the Far Frozen trusted him with the Infi-Map now and then also helped.

But even he had to admit, crossing over to the other side during his first few months as halfa had been terrifying. His past self would never have been able to believe he’d one day be flying around what was on the other side of his parents’ portal like he walked down the halls of Casper High every day of the week for four years.

Indeed. Getting to see the Ghost Zone for the first time had been even more mind-boggling than getting used to suddenly being able to walk through the walls, disappear, and fly. Compared to Amity Park, his kingdomーhe didn’t think he’d ever get used to calling it thatーwas a haunted house, sponsored by Bill Gates and provided with cutting edge animatronic and holographic technology, and open all year long.

Well, it would have been sponsored by Bill Gates if it weren’t for Vlad overshadowing him and selling the company to himself years ago.

Considering he’d rather die (twice) than buy anything belonging to VladCo, Danny found himself being very glad the Ghost Zone was no haunted house, after all.

Now, however, he’d learned to appreciate the Infinite Realms for what they were; unpredictably beautiful. The once creepy light coming from the floating ectoplasm now reminded him of the groovy vibes one got from a lava lamp. Both substances were, in fact, pretty similar! Since ghosts created their own lairs, he didn’t have to worry over solving any sort of problem related to lack of affordable housing; unlike what he’d have to do had he been, say, mayor of Amity Park? President of the United States? And the repair damages were minimum! Ghosts didn’t usually throw rocks at their own roofs, so battles inside the Ghost Zone were rare.

Of course, that last one thing was a bit of a double-edged sword. Because it meant that while he didn’t have to worry about the possible destruction of the Ghost Zone, it also meant his subjects usually blew off steam in Amity Park...which then came to bite him in the ass in the form of a very angry mob of ghost-hating citizens.

The joys of living in two parallel dimensions at the same time…

Shaking those thoughts away, Danny refocused his attention on the current task at hand; patrolling the Zone in case anybody chose to ignore his orders and go against the witches during their next visit.

He’d be lying if he said nobody had warned him of the reaction his plan would most likely get from his subjects, both Frostbite and Clockwork let him know several times, long before he even sent the letter to Lady Arcana. Well, in all fairness, Frostbite had warned him; Clockwork just kept smirking at him with those all-knowing, secretive, red eyes of his. The only real warning he’d got from him was when he asked for his opinion on what’d happen and the Ghost of Time limited himself to raising his eyebrow at him with a, “What do you think?”

When he wanted to be, Clockwork was an invaluable ally and a great mentor. But that was only when he wanted to be, mind you. The rest of the time his smug crypticness was enough to make Danny want to throw himself off of a cliff.

But they’d both been right when they told him his subjects would not react kindly to the presence of witches in their realm. Who would’ve known phantom tomatoes acted just like the Fenton Foamer? If it didn’t put him in immediate danger, he would bring some home for his parents.

In the end, the only way to convince them to let the witches in was to ensure a powerful ghost would keep an eye on them at all times. Skulker would escort them to his lair, and from then on he’d be watching them himself.

Even if the spirits had eventually given in to his request, Danny knew better. He’d be a fool to think his advice would be heeded by every single inhabitant of the Ghost Zone. He had far too many enemies for that.

While most of his adversaries had turned into more of friendly rivals than outright enemies over the years, being capable of having civilised conversations with him whenever they weren’t trying to waste him or enslave Amity Park, there were many others who refused to bow down before a halfa. Ever since Pariah Dark was defeated the first time, ghosts had got used to living in anarchy, being able to do whatever they wanted as long as they were smart enough to not invade a more powerful ghost’s turf. So following some random half-ghost’s orders after centuries of chaos and freedom was out of the question for them.

On the one hand, many of Danny’s detractors were actually as delusional as the Box Ghost. More often than not, he’d be battling rogue spirits with barely formed physical bodies who were in way over their heads. Normally a few ecto-rays, some quick banter, and a little bit of Fenton Thermos was enough to take care of them.

But, on the other hand, the few more powerful ghosts who weren’t members of his usual rogue gallery truly sought to dethrone him. If they eliminated him in the process, even better!

Obviously, the most notorious member of this group was none other than Plasmius. The older halfa had orchestrated Pariah’s return with the intention of defeating him and becoming the next Ghost King himself, after all. And for what? To have his teenage, much less experienced archnemesis steal the crown right under his nose.

Danny had to admit, if it weren’t for the high price to pay that came with the honour wearing the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire (an ‘honour’ he didn’t even want to have in the first place), he would’ve enjoyed screwing over with the fruitloop like that.

Ever since he became Ghost King, Vlad’s plans had been few and in between. Maybe a few attempts at making his life a living Hell, some shudder-worthy upgrades on his Maddie Programーhe swore, if he had to listen to a hologram of his mother call that demented creep ‘lambchop’ one more time, first, he was going to barf, second, he’d see red, or in his case, greenー, perhaps a few ill-conceived attempts at getting him to join him…

Despite Vlad’s inactivity, however, Danny knew better than to think he was just getting sloppy. Knowing Plasmius and his love for playing chessmaster, he was patiently biding his time. Sooner or later, he’d hear from him, and it wouldn’t be good.

Still, even if he was his greatest enemy in terms of personal interactions, Vlad wasn’t his most menacing foe in terms of sheer danger.

Spectra and Bertrand also wanted him gone, due to seeing his intervention as interference with their misery-sucking plans. Indeed, since he became Ghost King Danny was extra careful with who left the Ghost Zone and who was absolutely forbidden from even looking at a portal twice.

For example, knowing Kitty, she’d just want to go out on a date with Johnny, and, on paper, there was nothing wrong with that. Trouble came when Johnny ogled and hit on other girls with his girlfriendーrightーbesideーhim! Honestly, if he were Kitty, he’d pummel Johnny, too. Especially because his actions more often than not resulted in a jealous ghost girl causing mayhem.

The most useful life lesson he’d learned while going through puberty was also one of the firsts: girls were scary. And that seemed to apply to all girls regardless of their species; humans, ghosts, witches, gorillas…

Spectra was no exception. Due to her need for misery to keep herself young and powerful, the shadowy ghost needed to learn how to get under her victims’ skin to exploit their weakness to the point of making them miserable enough to harvest. And, Danny knew from experience, that was far more frightening than any other ghostly power Spectra could ever possess.

She saw beyond people’s masks, no matter how carefully crafted they were, and got inside your head. Not only did she know your biggest fears and insecurities, but how to exploit them and make them all come true. She forced you to live your worst nightmares over and over, almost as if she were Nocturne's far more malevolent accomplice, reaping your fears like a farmer would reap wheat.

Spectra threw those insecurities in your face, reminding you that you weren’t good enough, explaining to you why you weren’t good enough, and assuring you would never be good enough; all in that sadistic, cheery tone of voice of hers. Just thinking about it was enough to send chills down his spine.

But what was truly the most daunting thing about Spectra was that, for years, she’d been feeding off of some poor kid’s low self-esteem and personal issues under the pretext of being a psychologist. Her office back in Casper High before he found out the truth and defeated her was full of pictures of her and sickly-looking kids; her previous victims. Dozens of kids who were completely at her mercy because she’d spent years roaming freely around Earth, blending in, long before he was even born, let alone had the accident. Dozens of kids who’d surely been as deeply traumatised as he’d been. Or, even worse, dozens of kids Spectra managed to push over the edge, under the guise of helping them.

That psychotic old hag and her lap dog had a special place in his black list just for their mere potential of becoming a threat, let alone when they truly were threatening. As a result, one of the things he wasted no time in as soon as he became Ghost King was to ensure they wouldn’t be going back to Earth in a very long time.

Needless to say, his interference with their ‘feasts’ was enough to have them declare war on him. Well, let them come. He’d be waiting for them.

Another ghost who tended to give him quite a headache whenever he felt like taking his turn at challenging him was the Fright Knight. Back in their first encounter, his first Halloween after gaining his powers, Danny believed he was a formidable foe. Incredibly powerful and hellbent on turning the world into his nightmarish kingdom, the Fright Knight used to be one of his most dangerous adversaries.

Key word being ‘used to.’ Well, that was two words, but whatever.

In their next encounter, which, coincidentally, also happened to be when Pariah Dark was released (thanks again, Vlad), the almighty, terrifying, ‘flaming sheets of doom’ Fright Knight had been relegated to errand boy.

As Danny would soon come to realise, the Ancient Spirit of Halloween was proud, but tremendously cowardly.

If he believed himself superior to his opponent, he would show no mercy. But the moment he was one-upped by someone else in terms of power, he’d cower and bow down in submission. Which made their personal relationship with each other all the more interesting.

In terms of power, Danny knew, maybe a little too smugly, that he had the upper hand. Whereas in their first battle he managed to defeat the Fright Knight just barely, years of ghost-fighting, of developing new powers, and of being in possession of the ring and crown (which he still refused to use unless it was absolutely necessary), had shaped him into a formidable fighter.

And the Fright Knight knew that, which was why he often avoided conflict with him.

In terms of respect, however, due to Danny being extremely young compared to other powerful ghosts, the way he ascended the throne and, to add insult to injury, the fact he was half-human, the medieval-like spirit refused to accept him as his ruler. Hence, his rare attempts at taking him down.

All in all, even if the Fright Knight quite wasn’t the same threat he once was, Danny knew he still should watch out for him. Because for all his self-importance, the Halloween Spirit really was undergod material, and that meant whoever employed him would be much worse than him…

Like Vlad.

Other than Plasmius, Spectra, Bertrand, and the Fright Knight, the other ghosts who challenged his rule were the god-like ones; Undergrowth, Nocturne, Vortex… But they usually kept true to their goals of world domination so it wasn’t much of an issue, in a way.

While he hadn’t had an encounter with any of his old nemesis for a while, it was all a matter of time before they chose to use his tentative alliance with the witches against him. Which brought him to his current patrol. As he oversaw the vast infinity of the Ghost Zone, steering away from Ghost Writer’s manorーanother lovely fella who didn’t quite like him, even if he surely wouldn’t try to usurp the throneー, Danny used his vantage point to make sure no suspicious activity was going on.

Just as he was about to call it a night, his eyes caught sight of three familiar silhouettes standing on top of a drifting chunk of rock not far away from him. Furrowing his eyes in suspicion, he sped up to catch up with them. In a matter of seconds, he’d flown across the distance separating him from his target until he was floating above the unimpressed expressions belonging to Ember McLain, Johnny 13, and Kitty.

The three of them seemed to be loitering around on top of the aforementioned drifting chunk of rock, looking bored and completely uninterested in anything around them. They almost looked like a bunch of teenagers just hanging out. Kitty was seated, cross-legged, on top of the bike seat, her elbows propped on her knees and her hands cupping her face. Beside her, Johnny was leaning against his bike, arms crossed. A few feet away from them, sitting on a rock with one leg crossed on her other knee, Ember was mindlessly tuning her guitar. That wasn’t suspicious at all...

Over the years, some of his most recurring opponents decided to upgrade their look, like Technusーthe guy was more fashion-oriented than Paulina Sanchez from high schoolー, while others remained mostly the same but with a few added upgrades to their modus operandi, such as Skulker.

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, depending on how you looked at it, the hunter’s girlfriendーhe had to physically stop his gag reflex from acting up whenever he so much as thought of those two as a coupleーchose to remain true to her signature look. The same flaming, blue ponytail; the same tight, asymmetrical, black outfit; the same haunting green eyes and exaggerated make-up that contrasted greatly with her deathly pale skin…

All in all, Ember was pretty much the same. Still loud, still vying for attention, still obsessed with leading teenage rebellion through music...And she still had the same awful taste in boyfriends. Although, he supposed, in a way Skulker wasn’t as bad a catch as her best friend’s beau.

Kitty did change her outfit, albeit slightly. Though she still favored her signature combination of black and red with just a touch of green, she’d abandoned her classical red miniskirt and fishnet stockings for a pair of skin-tight, red leather jeans. Instead of her mid calf boots, she currently wore a pair of black, ankle boots. She still wore a black tank top, too, only this time it was much looserーjust like she also had the same green pendant. As for her unruly, green hair...she chose to wear it up in two twin buns, fittingly shaped after cat ears, each on either side of her head; with two loose strands framing her face. A pair of fingerless, black biker gloves completed the ensemble.

Everything about her screamed ‘biker chick’, the only thing missing was her own bike.

Maybe, tired of Johnny blowing her off, she’d decided to show him she was as much of a biker as he was, if not more. Or, maybe, she opted to dress that way precisely to remind her boyfriend and everybody else just who was Johnny’s girlfriend.

Honestly, the girl was sweet (sometimes), but she was a mystery. For all the complaining she did about Johnny, that certainly didn’t stop her from getting a 13 ーhis unlucky numberーtattooed on her right arm. Danny just wondered if Johnny had a kitten or anything even remotely resembling one tattooed anywhere on his own body.

...on second thought, he’d rather not think about it.

Johnny himself had changed a little, too, although nowhere near as much or as drastically as his girlfriend. To be honest, he looked exactly the same as always, except for his blond hair now being long enough to be tied in a low ponytailーKitty was right; it was greasyーand foregoing his trademark jacket, opting for just wearing his white undershirt and fingerless gloves, instead. But now that Danny thought about it, didn’t he use to wear a long-sleeved t-shirt, too? Whatever, back in the day it was hard to tell with his jacket anyway. Other than that, he was the same Johnny 13 who once tried to trick Jazz into becoming a vessel for his girlfriend.

Suspicion spiking up, Danny floated over towards them, still keeping a respectful distance in case Ember felt like playing a killer riff for his ears only. “What’re you three up to?” He didn’t feel like beating around the bush.

Their heads shooting up at the sound of his voice, the three ghosts looked surprised for less than a second, before adopting the same bored masks again. Though, to be honest, only the girls appeared bored with his presence, Johnny, on the other hand, looked annoyed, his eyes narrowing in distaste on him.

“What do you want, kid?” He spat.

Danny had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. Again with the ‘kid’ treatment. It was always the ‘kid’ treatment. Never mind that he’d been a legal adult for three years now. “I asked you first, Johnny. But since you’re asking so kindly,” he deadpanned, voice dripping with sarcasm. He really didn’t have patience for this anymore, “I’ll repeat myself; what are you three up to?” He repeated, this time sounding more serious.

The biker ghost answered by letting out a puff of air, vexed. “What, now we can’t even chill in our own home? Are you going to give us a ticket for loitering or something?” He challenged, slowly making his way over to the halfa, trying to appear intimidating.

He walked calmly, almost calculatingly so, with his face morphed into a wicked grin, one that promised trouble. Once he was close enough to look Phantom in the eye, the two entered a silent staring contest, the tension between them flickering up. Even if the Ghost Kid looked much calmer than Johnny felt, he wouldn’t back down. “Your precious thermos won’t be of any help now.”

Side-glancing their testosterone levels rising from where she was, Kitty let out a huff. Hopping from the biker seat, she squeezed herself in between the two and separated them, both of her hands planted firmly on their chest. “Will you quit it, you two? Nobody’s buying this faux animosity you have going on.”

Knowing they’d been busted, the two jokingly moaned in disappointment, before sharing knowing glances and breaking down laughing. And all the biker girl could do in response was roll her eyes and shake her head, letting her face fall in her hand in exasperation while her boyfriend grabbed Danny by his shoulders and pulled him down, ruffling his snow-white hair with his knuckles. Really, the only difference between grown ass men and children was the size.

“Careful, dipstick. That techno geek of yours is going to get jealous if you keep flirting with others behind his back.” Ember said, watching everything from her rock with a smirk on her face.

“FYI, Tucker and I have an open relationship.” The half-ghost wasn’t above blowing a raspberry at her, making her roll her eyes in irritation. He also couldn’t prevent the snickers from escaping his throat at the sight of Kitty painfully elbowing Johnny on the side when he suggested if they could have an open relationship, too.

“With the way you’re constantly hitting on other girls, one’d think we’re already in one.” She pointed out hotly, her fist on her hips. “Besides, we both know you wouldn’t be able to stomach seeing me with other guys.”

“I can attest to that.” Danny added, remembering not-so-fondly the days he wistfully thought he was dating Paulina when, in truth, he was in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel. Johnny just rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to play innocent.

“But now seriously, what are you guys doing?”

“You know, it really is offensive that you see us doing absolutely nothing and your first instinct is to think there’s something going on.” The biker crossed his arms over his chest, displeased.

“Oh, ignore him.” Kitty told him, putting her hand over the halfa’s shoulder. Even if it’d all been a scheme to make Johnny jealous, Kitty had sort of developed a soft spot for him. As long as he didn’t get in her way, she was one of the less antagonistic ghosts. Danny, in return, often let her and Johnny ‘sightsee’ around Amity Park, as long as they kept themselves out of trouble. “Though we really are doing nothing. Is there a reason why you’d think otherwise, Danny?”

Before the green-eyed boy could come up with a good excuse, Ember’s mocking voice beat him to it. “Oh, please, Kitkat! You should know better than that; he’s obviously got his whities in a twist because of those three harpies that so generously grace us with their presence.” She said in a fake, sugary-sweet voice. Sliding her guitar over her shoulders, the popstar got up from her seat and walked over to the other three. “By the way, shouldn’t they be gone soon? ‘Cause I’d really rather they don’t become regular visitors.”

At the mention of the witches, the easy-going atmosphere immediately tensed up. Just like Ember, Johnny and Kitty were now looking at him, expectantly. It was obvious no ghost appreciated their presence in their dimension. Coughing uncomfortable, Danny rubbed the back of his neck. How did he put this in a way they’d understand? And, most importantly, that wouldn’t encourage them to kill him? “Let’s just say...there’s no expiration date for this.”

“What?!” Growling, Ember’s ponytail flared up, a clear indicator that she wasn’t taking the news well. “What the Hell does that mean, dipstick?”

“Yeah, man! Don’t you know what those rune-reading bitches did the last time we let them near us? What do you mean you don’t know when this’ll be over?!” Johnny demanded, summoning a spectral chain out of thin air. Beside him, Kitty had a hand over her lips. But rather than looking surprised, it was evident she planned to blow his Majesty one of her famous, other-worldly kisses.

Distancing himself from them by rising up once more, his palms up in surrender, Danny tried placating them. That was the problem of having friendly rivals: everything was cool between you until you said something that irked them, then they’d try to destroy without much reservation. “Guys, trust me. I don’t like this any more than you do. But it’s our only choice! Do you seriously want to let the Ghost Zone collapse?!”

That made them settle down. But their glowing, menacing eyes urged him to go on, demanding answers. Sighing, he tried to gather his thoughts. How could he explain to them what he barely understood himself? On their next meeting he was going to demand some answers out of Lady Arcana; no way would he let her hog all the information while he remained in the dark. “Apparently, the witches are a little...rusty, you could say. They’re not as in sync with the portals as they used to be, so the Witch Queen needs to put in the effort to find a solution. That’s why it’s taken us longer than expected to put an end to this”

“And how do you know she’s not lying through her teeth?” Ember questioned in distrust. “That’s what they’re good at; if they need anything out of you, they’ll earn your trust. But the moment they’re done using you, they have no qualms as to what’ll happen to you next.”

“Ember’s got a point.” Kitty agreed. “How do we know they’re not just using us to get something out of us only to ditch us the moment they got whatever that is?” Then, she gasped as a horrible realisation dawned on her. “Even worse...How do we know they aren’t the ones responsible for everything?”

As the three ghosts began chattering and theorising amongst themselves, Danny tried to get their attention back on him. “Guys...Guys, listen...Guys, come on…” Seeing as they wouldn’t be paying attention to him any time soon, he lost his patience. “Would you just listen to me?!”

Satisfied that his abrupt outburst had shut them up, he smirked, before growing wary again. “I understand your concerns, because, honestly, they're mine, too. I know we can’t let our guards down around them; they’re not like the rest of humans. They aren’t a group of ghost hunters with advanced tech, or even more halfas who decided to turn their backs on the Ghost Zone and create their own society. They’re humans that were born with powers; they’re freaks of nature!

“But they’re also our safest bet right now. The Guys in White are too busy looking for ways to haunt me down or for stores that sell all-white clothes to even know how the ghost portals work. Not to mention, they’re too stupid to realise that destroying our world destroys Earth, too.” He rolled his eyes at that. The only thing worse than a pain in the butt was a useless pain in the butt. “Vlad would demand I pass the throne to him in exchange for his help, and we all know how that’d turn out.” He felt a small sort of satisfaction at their cringing faces. “And no ghost understands the mysterious nature behind the ghost portals. The only beings who’ve ever been able to surpass the lass separating both worlds are the witches; I’m sorry guys, but they’re really our only hope.”

“How do we know we can trust them?” Johnny insisted, not one to back down.

“We don’t.” was Danny’s reply, and he felt more defeated than in any previous fight.

The three ghosts exchanged glances, a silent conversation going on between them. Out of the three of them, Ember was the most antagonistic; if she really wanted to, she wouldn’t hesitate to attack him. The lovebirds were a different thing entirely. Most of the time Kitty was content just hanging out, and Johnny’s main goal was to please her, for things got ugly whenever his girlfriend wasn’t pleased… Having said that, just like they could act as just another couple of teenagers or young adults (he never really asked for their ages…), they could turn on him in the blink of an eye.

Dreading their reactions, Danny kept himself aloft. Close enough so they wouldn’t suspect, but far enough so he’d have enough of a head start to get the Hell out of there.

Finally, the three turned their heads to look at him. The fiery spirit was the one to speak. “And what do you plan to do about it?”

Her question sent the snow-white haired boy reeling. What did he plan to do about it? In all honesty, it was a good question. Even if he hadn’t seen Lady Arcana and her kind in actionーbeyond a floating book being shoved in his face, that isー, judging from what had been recorded in the Far Frozen’s archives and Sojourn’s journal, they were to be feared. Danny knew how to deal with rogue spirits and even ghost hunters, since his powers usually provided him with the upper hand, but actual reality warpers whose powers he knew next to nothing about? He wasn’t so sure how he’d fare in a fight against them.

Still, he was nothing if he wasn’t resourceful, and holding their meetings in the Ghost Zone gave him a certain advantage over a group of foreigners. He’d find a way. He had to. “Everything in my power.” He answered truthfully.

“I see.” Even though Ember didn’t look particularly impressed with his answer, she let it go. Walking over to her previous seat, her friends following her example, she called out to Danny over her shoulder, fluttering her eyelashes innocently. “So, anything to report, dipstick? How’s the missus back home?”

“Har har… Very funny, Ember.” The Ghost King replied sardonically. “You know I’m single.”

“Then you’d better watch out for all your rabid fangirls waiting for their chance to claim you as theirs, baby!” The popstar cackled maliciously. “Seriously, they’re like savage beasts! Lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right time to pounce.” She sighed as her laughter died down, pretending to wipe a tear off the corner of her eye. “Sucks to be you.”

“At least Dash Baxter is not part of my fanclub, unlike some other ghost I know...” He retorted, smugly. His smirk widened at the sight of Ember physically shuddering in disgust.

“That was low.” She accused, and all she got in response was a noncommittal shrug.

Eying their conversation with increasing interest, Johnny couldn’t help but add his two cents. “Cut her some slack, man. At least Ember isn’t responsible for the dude’s gay awakening.”

Grinning madly, Ember high-fived him while Kitty rolled her eyes at their antics in amusement, obviously used to them by now. And Danny….Danny didn’t know why he even talked to those guys. Flinching at the implications behind the biker’s jab, he opted to not dignify that with an answer.

“Can we change the topic to...I don’t know...literally anything else?” He begged. He’d have to bleach his brain to get the image of Dash making a Danny Phantom shrine, not unlike Paulina’s, out of his head.

Covering her mouth to quiet her chuckles down, Kitty took pity on him. “Guess who’s going to improv classes in her free time?”

Oh, Kitty. Sweet, compassionate, clingy, jealous Kitty. That was why she was his favourite...after Cujo. And Wulf...and after Dora...she was far behind Frostbite, too, that was for sure... Basically, his favourite after any other ghost he officially was on better terms with. But, hey, the intention’s what counts. “You want to be an actress?”

“It’s a nice hobby.” She shrugged before pointing her thumb at her boyfriend, looking unimpressed. “I’ve tried getting Johnny to come with me, but he just won’t budge.”

Danny pretended he didn’t notice the way Johnny, oh so subtly, inched a little further away from her. “Sorry, Babe. You know I love you, but that’s your passion, not mine.”

“And riding bikes is your passion, but at least I’m still there to support you!”

Uh, oh. The classic bike over girlfriend argument...The ghost biker had better come up with a good enough retort or Danny would be stuck trying to do damage control when they took the fight outside. And by ‘outside’ he meant Amity Park. Landing beside him, Danny elbowed the teenager lightly on the ribs.

At first Johnny just glared at him, but when the halfa returned his glare with a pointed look of his own, he caught his drill. “Don’t be like that, babe! You know I could never replace you. Thing’s just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

There was a twisted irony in the fact that the very same ghost who once tried to replace his girlfriend’s physical form with Jazz’s was the one saying he ‘could never replace her.’

Bored with his answer, probably from hearing it a million times already, the green-haired ghost just turned away from him with a huff. “And yet, that doesn’t stop you from trying. Why don’t you ask Shadow for support? I’m sure he’ll rock the miniskirt…”

Noticing Johnny getting frustrated beside him, if the way he curled his hands into fists was any indication, Danny immediately sent a panicked look at Ember, silently asking her for help. The popstar, in turn, just made herself comfortable. She stretched before leaning back on her rock, her arms behind her head. She was clearly enjoying the show a little too much to want it to stop.

Growing frustrated himself, Danny chose to take matters into his own hands. “I think what Johnny means is that, while you’re a great help and things wouldn’t be the same without you,” he sent a meaningful look the biker’s way, daring him to try and contradict him, “he fears hindering you instead.”

That caught her attention. “Really?”

A quick jab on his side from the halfa was enough to get Johnny talking. “Yeah, totally. I...I already got in between your dream once, Kitten. I’d hate to prevent you from fulfilling it ever again.” He admitted, and the somber way he said those words made Danny realise there was much more behind those improv classes than what meets the eye. Even if it was doubtful he’d ever get a clear confirmation as to what exactly that was, he had a pretty good guess.

“Oh, Johnny!” Tearing up, a hand on her chest, Kitty threw himself at her boyfriend’s arms. “I love you. And I don’t blame you for anything, you know that, right?”

He sent her a small smile. “Just because you don’t blame me doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven myself, Kitten.”

The red-eyed girl felt like tearing up all over again, but for completely different reasons. Deep down, she knew it’d be a long time before she convinced Johnny he wasn’t responsible for what happened, if ever. But for now, she was happy just touching his forehead with hers, showing him she’d always be there.

Coming to stand besides Ember, a content smile on his face, Danny just watched the couple. The popstar, on the contrary, didn’t look as pleased. “You just had to help them reconcile, didn’t you? You couldn’t let me have my fun.”

“Isn’t she your best friend?” He raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. “Don’t you care enough about her to want her to be happy?”

“I care more about her than you’ll ever know, dipstick.” Her voice was laced with venom, as if warning him to not overstep his boundaries, and...something else Danny couldn’t quite decipher.

The few times he’d seen the two girls interact, like when they haunted Amity Park just for kicks rather than some evil agenda, Danny would get the distinct feeling that there was some sort of thing going on between them. And, he had to admit, with the way their boyfriends regularly got on their nerves, Danny wouldn’t be surprised if the two decided to be each other’s Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy and eloped.

But then...there were moments like this. Moments where Kitty would look truly happy in Johnny’s arms, almost as if they never fought. And Johnny? Johnny looked at her like she was the most wonderful thing that's ever happened in his after-life. And she probably was.

Whatever happened to them, it was obvious it interlinked their obsessions with each other. And given ghosts’ complicated natures, it was unlikely they’d ever leave each other’s side. Which meant whatever feelings Ember harbored, they most likely would never be reciprocated. He wondered if Skulker knew…

After what felt like an eternity to their viewers and a few measly seconds to the couple, Ember chose to continue the conversation where they’d left it, in hopes of finally breaking the ‘cute couple’ apart. “So, how’re your classes going, Kitty?”

She also chose to ignore the dipstick’s disapproving look.

“Wha…Oh! My classes. Yeah...” She remembered; her question bringing her back from Wonderland. She cleared her throat in an attempt to clear her head and her stomach from the little butterflies only Johnny could cause her. “Most of the time it’s cool, but sometimes it’s just…” She made a face, as if that explained everything.

Danny tilted his head to the side. “How come?”

“She says the teacher’s instructions are wild.” Johnny supplied, coming to wrap his arm around her waist.

“The other day, for example,” she started, leaning closer to her boyfriend in a manner that looked almost unconscious, “he told me, ‘try to act like you care, only to don’t care at all,’” she mimicked, lowering her usual pitch to a much deeper voice, “and I was like, ‘okay...?’”

While her two friends exchanged agreements on how weird the directions were, Danny’s eyes lit up. “Oh, so like in high school!”

The three of them just stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “What?”

“You know, high school. The epitome of acting like you care when you really don’t care.”

Now, instead of looking at him like he’d grown a second headーsomething he’d actually done when trying to learn to duplicate himself, as a matter of factーthey were simultaneously staring at him and exchanging nervous glances among them. The same way a group of friends would do during an intervention. It was Johnny who broke the ice. “Yeah…” He said slowly. “I don’t think that applies.”

“‘Course it does!” Danny insisted, throwing a hand in the air as if that would validate his point, the other resting on his hip. “Think about it, in high school you’re expected to care about your marks, your extracurricular activities, hanging out with the right group...But deep down you don’t give a fuck about school and all you wanna do is stay at home playing video games, chatting with your friends, eating junk food…”

There was a beat of silence. But whereas the ghost couple wondered just how traumatic his high school experience had been, the popstar looked contemplative, a finger on her chin. “...he has a point.” She said, and now Kitty and Johnny were looking at her like she needed medical help. “Take it from me, the personification of teenage rebellion. My powers would be useless if teens actually cared about their education.”

“Hm, I guess that makes sense?” Kitty conceded. “Alright, so I gotta act like a kid in high school. Got it. Thanks, Danny!” She smiled brightly at him.

“Don’t mention it.” He waved it off.

“Speaking of high school…” Ember trailed off, and the almost predatory look on her face was enough to make Danny want to flee right there and then. “Has the great Ghost King found himself a queen yet? I know you said earlier that you’re single but, c’mon. That can’t be right. ‘Cause I’m pretty sure your last girlfriend’s that Red Huntress chick you used to date in sophomore year.”

“Dude, you haven’t had a girlfriend since high school?!” Johnny looked both personally affronted and astonished at the revelation. “Are you gay?”

Luckily for him, Danny wouldn’t have to blast him with an ecto-ray; Kitty already took care of it. “Johnny! Have you learned nothing from Mean Girls? You can’t just ask people if they’re gay!”

“Pretty sure the actual line was ‘you can’t just ask people why they’re white.’” Ember pointed out.

“Oh, that’s right. Anyway, doesn’t matter. It was uncalled for.” Then she lay her concerned, red eyes on the halfa and he couldn’t help but gulp loudly. He knew that look. He dreaded that look. It was the concerned-older-sister-looking-out-for-her-baby-brother look. Jazz had put a patent on it long ago. “Is something wrong, though? Several years without a girlfriend is a little bit unusualー”

“And worrying.” Johnny added.

“ーfor a young man. Do you want to talk about it? Or, even better, how about I organise you a blind date, hm? I’m sure we’ll find you a nice girl in no time!”

Could there be anything worse than ghosts concerning themselves over his love life? “I fail to see how that’s any of your business.” He said flatly.

Ember just looked at him like he was crazy. “Um, hello? For better or worse you are our king, dipstick. How do you plan on continuing the bloodline without even a girlfriend?”

“I could just have Vlad make me some clones…” He mumbled to himself. It was meant as a joke, but the mere thought of letting that fruitloop anywhere near his DNA was enough to send chills running down his spine.

Not hearing the halfa’s poor attempt to joke, Johnny snorted in response to Ember’s answer. Shaking his head as he walked over to Danny, his thumbs hitched at the hem of his pants, the biker draped an arm over the halfa’s shoulders in an almost brotherly fashion. “Cut it out, Ember.” He chided with no real malice, before focusing on Danny. “Don’t listen to her, dude. She’s only asking ‘cause she thinks getting laid will help you blow off some steam, enough so you get off our backs for a while.”

“Johnny!” Kitty scolded him, feeling sorry for Danny.

“What? You know I’m right.”

“Actually, he is.” The popstar admitted. “Saw right through me.”

His face flushing green, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. This could not be happening. First, they try to butt in on his love life, and now they comment of his sex life?! Somebody put him out of his misery…

“Again, I fail to see how that’s any of your business.” He groaned in dismay. He could only thank his lucky stars Sam wasn’t there to witness such humiliation. Wait a minute...Sam? Where did that come from?

As he battled with his thoughts, he’d have preferred it if his enhanced senses hadn’t caught Ember leaning close to whisper to Kitty in her ear, “Dipstick’s got no action in weeks, I tell you.”

That was it. “Okay!” He exclaimed, a little too loudly, as he clasped his hands together with a forced, cheerful grin on his face. “As lovely as catching up with you guys has beenーit was great, reallyー, I really ought to keep on patrolling. Ugh, the busy life of the ruler of the Ghost Zone. See ya!” He waved them goodbye as he took off in the direction he came from, drifting away from them.

Before he was out of earshot, though, Ember shouted after him. “While you’re at it try to find yourself a girlfriend!” Then, she mimicked putting something on her ring finger before singing at the top of her lungs. “If you like it, put a ring on it!”

As they cackled at his expense, Danny stopped mid-air. Like he’d ever let her have the last laugh… He cupped a hand around his mouth, calling out to her, “I’m surprised you’re not egomaniac enough to only reference your own songs!”

In an instant, all traces of amusement on the popstar’s face were gone, replaced by irritation. “Fuck you!” She flipped the bird at him, while her two companions now laughed their asses off at her expense.

Meeting her rude gesture with a mock salute and a cheeky grin, Danny turned around, flying away at top speed. Now that he wasn’t surrounded by a group of dimwits, he was alone with his thoughts.

More specifically, he was alone with the thought of Sam.

He really didn’t understand how her memory had popped up out of nowhere, let alone why it’d popped up right when they were discussing his love life, or lack thereof. Not that long ago, the face that would’ve made an entrance would’ve been Valerie’s. Not because he still had feelings for her, although he’d admit getting over her took him a while, but because she’d been the only girl he’d ever had a long-term relationship with.

Okay, maybe saying ‘long-term’ was exaggerating a bit. They began a tentative relationship that lasted all throughout the astounding amount of three different dates, several shared lunch periods, and two weeks.

But seeing as any subsequent attempt at dating someone new either ended in one-night stands, if he was lucky, or in half-finished dates after which the girls would tell him not to bother trying to call them, and that wasn’t even the worst outcome possibleーsometimes he’d been forced to stand them up altogether because of a sudden ghost attackー; he could safely affirm his time with Valerie was his longest dating experience.

And it didn’t even count as dating because she broke things off before they agreed on going steady. Oh, joy…

So, really, even if his feelings for Valerie had long faded, there was still that feeling of familiarity bringing him comfort.

But that still didn’t explain why he’d think of Sam of all people! Sure, they got along fine and they’d seen each other a few times already (last time at the restaurant they didn’t even need Tucker), but there was no sense of familiarity! They were friendly acquaintances, and no more.

So Sam was funny, and smart, and probably the sassiest girl he’d ever met. Sure, her wits and snark were enough to put some of his most punny opponents to shame, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t run out of puns to make during a fightーsomething even he struggled withー, not like she was the kind to make puns, anyway. And that fire that would light up in her eyes whenever she spoke about doing what’s right, and animal rightsーbecause, really, could anyone react more adorably to a Purple Back Gorilla?ー, and the occult... Or the way she stood her ground because she knew who she was and she was so confident in the person she’d grown up to be!

...So what if he needed someone like that in his life back in high school? He couldn’t change the past!

Sam was probably one of the most amazing people he’d ever met, but that didn’t mean anything. Guys could admire girls without having feelings for them or wanting to get inside their pants, now, couldn’t they? If Sam were there, in fact, she’d point out they actually should be able to admire girls with no ulterior motive.

Danny did a double-take, changing course when he was a minute shy of crashing against someone’s door. Sighing in relief as he wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, he felt like smacking himself. Again with Sam! There was nothing going on between him and Sam!

Just because he thought she was cool it didn’t mean he was crushing on her or looking for ways to get into her bed. Speaking of...he also had the distinctive feeling she would pummel him to the ground if he so much as thought about it. He liked the feeling of breathing without wincing because one of his ribs was piercing his lung, thank you very much.

Besides, no matter how awesome Sam was, she just wasn’t his type. A guilty part of Danny had to admit, aside from his amazon chasing tendencies (thanks again, Dad), he had a soft spot for preppy girls. His first ever crush was Paulina Sanchez, Casper High’s queen bee and cheerleading captain from freshman to senior year. Even Valerie, despite losing her wealth over the Cujo accident, stayed true to her style from back when she was still popular, just...without the brand clothes.

Sam was not preppy.

He guessed that was a factor in how shocking it’d been to find out she, as a matter of fact, came from a rich family. With all the dough Jazz had later told him her family had, Sam could afford to use new shoes every single day and then throw them all into the trash when she came back home.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she preferred to buy her clothes from second-hand stores and add her personal touch later on, knowing the money would go to different humane organisations, or to buy them from independent stores.

“Those are a bit expensive.” she explained the last time he and Tucker met up with her at the You Mocha Me Crazy. “But the clothes are high quality and tailor-made, so it’s worth it.”

He couldn’t help but smile at the memory. That was Sam; always grounded and level-headed, with the greater good in mind.

On second thought, it was unfair of him to judge Sam just because she wasn’t preppy. Sure, she wasn’t his type, but she was still beautiful. How could she not be? With her sleek, black hair that looked so smooth it could put velvet to shame. Or those hazel eyes of hers that were a crystal clear reflection of her soul, full of emotion and mystery. Or her soft, plumb lips, always accentuated by her unusual purple lipstick, drawing your attention to them, almost begging you to kiss them…

The image sent him reeling, almost shooting through the eerie, ectoplasmic abyss of the Ghost Zone before he forced himself to come to a sudden halt. He could hear his heart frantically pounding in his ears.

WHOAH!

Where did that come from?!

Danny took a moment to steady his breath, using his hands to scrub his face. What was he thinking? Just like he had to tell Jazz over a hundred times in the drive back home from the restaurant, Sam was just a girl he knew. A pretty awesome girl, but just a girl.

Even if she were more than that, which she wasn’t, his life was too hectic to involve anyone else. Especially not someone who could be used as leverage against him. There would never be anything more between them. The sooner everyone accepted his life was too complicated to have a normal relationship, the better.

As Danny finally flew back to his lair, he did his best to ignore the way his heart was still fluttering in his chest.

............

They were back to square one.

Just like the last time, Danny had guided Lady Arcana and her entourage deep inside his lair until they reached the Council Room doors. Her Majesty’s two witches kept guard at both sides of the door alongside two of his own guards, while the two royals went inside to discuss. They were still far away but in front of each other, the same old large wooden table separating them. And Lady Arcana looked like she wanted to dissect him with her own hands while he was finding the sweet release of permanent death all the more appealing.

Why was it that progress never lasted with this woman?

Sitting down as regally as possible on her chair, Lady Arcana once again materialised a book seemingly out of nowhere. Only, this time, Danny noticed it was even more beautifully crafted than the last one. “I managed to bring this grimoire with me.” That must’ve been the first time she initiated a conversation. “Hopefully, it’ll have the answers we’re looking for.” Without warning, her violet eyes narrowed to slits, looking at him with as much venom as she could muster. “This is your only warning, if anything happens to this book while it’s in your territory, prepare to face the consequences.”

He’d heard of treating books with respect (mostly from Jazz), but this was ridiculous! “Wow, it must be a really important book. What is it, signed by the author?”

Sam fumed at his pathetic excuse of a joke. Great, like she didn’t hear enough terrible one-liners from hanging out with Tucker. Difference being, she actually liked hanging out with Tucker. “As a matter of fact, it is.”

That took him aback. “Wait, it’s got its author’s autograph? Really?”

She stopped leafing through the grimoire’s pages for a moment to meet his incredulous look. “Of course not! I mean it’s really important!” Bringing the book close to her face, she sneered. “What, is the crown so heavy it turns your brain to mush?”

“Oh, it’s heavier than you could possibly imagine…” Danny muttered through gritted teeth, mostly to himself. As if the Witch Queen didn’t know that already. The dark energy radiating from both the crown and the ring was pure torture, and enduring it a job made for Hercules himself. He was about to retort with a comeback of his own, when his eyes focused on the book’s cover, more specifically, on the golden letters making up its title:

Lady Arcana’s Grimoire

A spike of suspicion bubbling within him, the halfa wasted no time in pointing out his discovery, daring her to contradict him. “If you’re so smart to have a spellbook under your name, then how come you claim you don’t know how to solve the portal problem?”

If she thought she could just trick him like that, she got another thing coming. So what if she was the leader of a group of conniving spellcasters? He’d been fighting toe to toe with Vlad, the biggest, most manipulative bastard he’d ever met, since he was fourteen. Exposing her evil plans would be child’s play.

Slowly putting the book down, Sam looked at Phantom with what she was sure was the most dumbfounded expression she’d ever had. What was he talking about? “Excuse me?”

The green-eyed ghost edged around the table, getting close to her at a tauntingly slow pace. Maddening slow. When he was finally by her side, he got so close she couldn’t help but flinch back. “Oh, you know. Just wondering if perhaps you’re not taking me for a fool and pretending to help just so you and your witches can buy your time and attack us.” He got in her face, his neon green gaze so intense it almost burned. “Hm, Lady Arcana?”

For a minute, Sam just stood there, without moving an inch from her seat. Not understanding his sudden animosity. She’d be lying if she said there wasn’t tension in the air whenever the two met up, but most of the time Phantom acted cheeky around her, taunting her with his cocky attitude, as if gauging her reaction and trying to figure out when he’d get a reaction out of her. At most, he’d seem annoyed or resigned when working with her.

But this?

This cold treatment that translated itself into a literal drop in temperature in the room around her? His cool, accusing voice that made shivers run down her spine and the fire of aggravation light up in her heart? The way he looked at her like she was naked in front of him, and not in a lustful way, but in a way that made her feel like he could see right through her?

This was new, and she couldn’t say she liked it.

A dark scowl making its way to her face, the young sorceress spat. “What are you getting at?”

Danny was looking at her through half-lidded eyes, his smile more dangerous than the countless beasts lurking on the Ghost Zone’s most remote corners. “I’d suggest you undo whatever it is that your kind did to the portals, because let me tell you, I will not go easy on you just because you’re a girl.” He growled in a menacingly low tone.

Sam could only gasp in astonishment. But the feeling didn’t last long, soon being replaced with outrage. How dare he? Who did he think he was to accuse her and her people of putting their own lives in danger?! And all for what? To get back at a group of bodiless puppets? He had a lot of nerve.

“Listen up here, you jackー!”

“Uh, uh, uh!” Phantom cut her off with a sing-song voice, a scolding finger raised up and wagging right in front of her face. “A queen shouldn’t cuss like that, your Majesty. It’s not beckoning.”

The purple-eyed witch clutched the table with her hands so tightly, she could hear it splinting under her digits. But she didn’t care. He was taunting her, waiting for her to make the first move so he wouldn’t be accused of attempting against the life of the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park. After all, the punishment was different if an attack was in self-defence, wasn’t it?

She was about to make a mistake when his cocky voice distracted her. “I’m waiting, Lady Arcana.”

Again with the sarcastic tone. Why did her name have to do with any of this?! First he said whatever nonsense of having her own book, which was absolutely ridiculous because she was an avid reader, not a writer. Then he got impossibly close and had the nerve to mock her title, right before accusing her of causing the rifts, and now…

Now it hit her.

To Danny’s immense surprise, instead of retaliating, Lady Arcana limited herself to picking her precious book back up, her irate expression morphing itself into bored disbelief. “When you said I have my own book, did you mean this?”

“Considering it’s the only one with your name on it, then yes. That’s the one.” He deadpanned. What was she up to?

His eyebrows shot up to the ceiling when she sighed, looking beyond done with the entire situation. “If you must know, I’m not the Lady Arcana who wrote this book. She died centuries before I was even born. This grimoire,” she did the unthinkable and handed it to him, “is sort of her research journal. Everything she learned about magic during her time, it’s there. And since our respective species didn’t part ways until long after her death, it should have the answer to the portals as well.”

Listening to her explanation, he glanced down at the book in his hands. Gingerly skimming the pages, for he knew the witch would do well in her previous promise, Danny eyed its contents. Aside from the numerous runes he couldn’t understand and the mysterious drawings he didn’t know how to interpret, it was obvious that in spite of the book’s pristine condition, it had seen better days. The pages were yellowish and rough to the touch, their edges worn-out. And even if one could still make out the symbols, the ink was very washed-out.

In short, there was no way this book belonged to the woman in front of him.

Averting his eyes, he handed it back to get before floating over his own seat and flopping down on it. Ashamed by his actions, though not entirely convinced of the witches' innocence, he slumped down in his chair, refusing to meet her scrutinising, violet eyes.

Unfortunately for him, Sam was not having it. “Will you now stop talking about things you know nothing about?”

“I would if you at least let me know something!” He sulked, and Sam couldn’t believe to save her life that a ghost could actually act so childishly.

“Do you have the slightest idea of how frustrating it is to be at a disadvantage?” he went on. “You know what ghosts are capable of, you see them all the time on the news!” Okay, that was a wild guess, but it helped his case. “But I know next to nothing about you, and you refuse to even the ground. So excuse me for thinking you might be responsible for our current crisis because I see your name on a book that’s supposed to put an end to said crisis!”

When a few minutes went by and Lady Arcana still said nothing, he got worried. Either he’d crossed a line and ruined any chance of working together with her in the future, or he’d crossed a line and she was silently cursing him. A morbid part of him wondered if being turned into a frog would be easier than being half-ghost. Both predicaments had something in common; he could end up at someone’s dissection table.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. “You’re right.”

Danny was so astounded he shot forward from his chair, eyes wide. “Come again?”

The halfa resented the way she rolled her eyes at him. It was a legitimate question! “I said, ‘you’re right.’” She said, leaning forward and trying to meet his eye. She was finding it increasingly more difficult, and Sam had to wonder if it was due to his previous outburst or her own shame. “We’re both sticking our necks here, working with each other. My people might be secretive, but the least I could do is even the ground, as you say.”

Even if, ideally, Phantom was the last person Sam wanted to be honest with, having to lie to so many people in her life was taking its toll on her. And she figured, as much as she hated it, he had a point. It was hard trusting someone when they always kept you in the dark. Her own experiences with Wilhelmina proved that.

But she had to make some things clear, first. “Before I tell you anything, however,” a small, amused smile appeared on her face when she saw him deflate, “I gotta lay out a few ground rules.”

Phantom sighed. “Fine. State your terms.”

“You can ask me whatever you want, and I will tell you as much as I can, but there are things I simply cannot divulge. You must respect that. Got it?”

Knowing that deal could easily become a double-edged sword, against his better judgement, Danny nodded. “Got it.”

“Very well.” She leaned back on her chair, her back straight and fingers firmly clasped together on top of the table. “What do you want to know?”

The halfa didn’t even have to think of his question; it’d been plaguing his mind since he first met her. “How does your magic work?”

Well, that much she could answer. The young queen couldn’t help but see the irony in the way she was about to willingly disclose the very same information she’d viciously guarded from Danny to the Ghost King. “What you call ‘magic’ is the art of learning to control and manipulate one’s anima at will.”

“Anima?” Phantom tilted his head to the side. Sam couldn’t help but think he looked like a ghost puppy.

She nodded as she raised one hand to her eye-level, palm up. With a snap of her fingers, the same sparkly, purple mist he remembered from the floating book accident surrounded her hand. He could only look on, stunned. “Our essence.” Lady Arcana explained, mindlessly playing with the mystical energy, watching as it slipped through her fingers like water. “Believe it or not, everyone has an anima, not just witches. The only difference is that we know how to tap into and summon it.”

“So is it like my ecto-energy?”

“In a way. There is a difference, though.”

“Which is?” He urged her, but she just shook her head.

Danny was beginning to think that was one of the things she’d refuse to share with him when she clarified. “As with the portals, that knowledge was forgotten long ago. We don’t know what makes our essences different; we just know they are.”

“And what about the spells?” Ever since Sam cryptically told him about them, Danny’d been racking his mind for answers, trying to put two and two together. But he always came out empty-handed. He just hoped Lady Arcana had the answers.

She sighed, and once again the halfa feared he wouldn’t get his answer after all, but once more she surprised him. “They’re intrinsically linked to our culture.” He couldn’t help but flinch when she sent him a meaningful look. “They’re also the reason why I call myself Lady Arcana...when that’s not my name.” She admitted quietly.

Understanding the best he could do was give her time, Danny leaned forward, resting his chin on his intertwined hands that were propped on the table in front of him. He waited with bated breath for her to speak. “To do magic, you have to know the secrets of the universe.”

“The secrets of the universe?” He repeated, eyes wide.

She nodded, pointing at her hand, the one radiating energy. “There is a secret language; the one the universe was created and communicates with. To do magic you need two things: to be in sync with your anima, and to know that secret language so you can get the results you want. Every spell we make we cast it by calling the secret name of whatever we set our minds to. Because of this system, in our culture names give you power. That’s why I go by Lady Arcana, because if anyone were to know my real name, it’d give them power over me.”

Danny had to force his mouth shut at her words. So witches were in tune with the universe on a whole different level than most people. A part of him couldn’t help but point out the similarities between the two, for if people were to find out his secret, he’d be completely at their mercy. Vlad had certainly used his secret against him in the past, the only way it didn’t do more damage than necessary was because he also knew his and could counter attack.

A part of him wished he could ask her the true questions plaguing his mind. Mostly, why? Why did her people sell ghosts out like that? Why did they choose ruining a centuries-long alliance was worth it? Why did they refuse to acknowledge the damage they’d done?!

Just why?

But the sharper part of him, the one who usually took charge of things when coming up with puns or ghost-fighting, knew that question would most likely go unanswered. And at worst it’d bring back the tension their, surprisingly, civil conversation had dissipated. So instead he chose to be the polite young man his parents raised.

“Thank you for coming clean to me, my lady. I…I understand it must’ve been difficult.” He tried to channel his best intentions through his grateful grin.

For a minute Sam just stared at the ghost in front of her, speechless. She had to admit, Phantom had proved he could be mature, albeit usually after enough jabs and pointless arguing, so it shouldn’t have come out as such a surprise that now he seemed genuinely grateful for her honesty. And yet, the sincerity in his glowing, green eyes, and the kindness radiating from his smile were enough to make her heart flutter, touched. The way he looked at her made him seem almost completely harmless, friendly, and caring.

It made him seem like Danny.

The past few days, after unexpectedly running into him in Verde Que te Quiero Verde, her mind always went back to him. A nice, warm feeling would bubble deep within her whenever she thought of his unruly, black hair, or his deep, baby blue eyes, or just his general kindness and alertness to the way other people feel… Sam would feel her face heat up whenever she remembered she still had his hoodie; or when she’d admit to herself that she didn’t know if she could ever give it back.

As nice as the feeling was, it certainly didn’t help when it clouded her judgement when she was carrying out her duties. Such as that very moment.

What was she thinking, comparing Danny Phantom to Danny Fenton?! They couldn’t be more different! Danny’s voice was rich and soothing, while Phantom’s had a certain echo that reminded everyone of his current state of being. Danny had absolutely no interest in following in his parents’ footsteps; he dreamed of being an astronaut and the Fentons had often neglected him and his sister in favour of ghost-hunting. Phantom was both a ghost hunter himself and the very ghost Danny’s parents were after!

And most importantly, Sam could actually put up with Danny’s presence, whereas she’d more than once wondered if spirits could be strangled.

While she appreciated the Ghost King’s bout of friendliness, she’d have to remind herself that he and Danny were two entirely different people. But for now, it wouldn’t hurt to show some gratitude in return. “Thank you for listening and respecting my request, Phantom.” She smiled back.

The king shrugged, the grin never leaving his face. “It’s the least I could do. Hey, if you have any questions of your own, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll see what I can do.”

Sam was about to thank him for his offer but decline anyway when she changed her mind, an idea materialising in her head. Using her two hands for support to get up from her chair, she walked around the wooden table between them and towards her host. She didn’t stop until she was almost within touching distance.

Propping herself up against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, in the most relaxed position Danny had seen her, she spoke. “If I ask a favour of you, will you grant it?”

“Depending on what you ask.” He replied truthfully.

She guessed that was fair enough. Unfolding her arms, she used one hand to point at him. “Please, refrain yourself from wearing...” she trailed off, vaguely gesturing to the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire, “that during our meetings.”

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. The only reason he wore the dreaded things in the first place was to keep her and her guards in line. If it meant not being vulnerable around them, he was willing to endure their torment. “You see, I wear these to show my very special guests just how seriously I take their visit,” Danny started, his voice dripping in sarcasm, before turning more serious with a menacing glare, his eyes glowing bright. “How do I know you won’t double-cross me the moment I take them off?”

Sam didn’t like the way this conversation suddenly turned from civil, to accusing. Again. “How do I know you won’t use them to double-cross me?”

“I believe I asked you first.”

Growing irritated, Sam clutched at her skin. “Simple; I’m not the one wearing that.”

There was a reason purple-eyed witches such as herself or Grandma Ida were so respected in their society; only they could resist the darkness their people so feared. And the dark forces radiating from the Ghost King’s crown and ring? They were vile. The age of eternal blackness, pain, and suffering they promised were enough to make her hairs stand on end. Therefore, seeing Phantom wield them so nonchalantly was a clear indicator that he was not to be trifled with.

Not uttering a word, Phantom got up from his chair and made his way to her. Sam had to fight the urge to flinch away from him in fright when he stood, imposing, in front of her. “Funny.” He said with a hint of sick amusement in his voice. “It was a gift from your kind.”

Sam could only gasp at his words, a hand to her chest and her feet unconsciously taking a few steps back. However, before she could fully register his words and react accordingly, the ground at her feet started moving, unprompted. Her body involuntarily swaying from the sudden tremors, she tried to keep her balance by hopelessly flailing her arms, in search of support.

But her efforts proved themselves fruitless when another, stronger, jolt tossed her down to the ground with a low thud. The only reason she even registered she’d fallen was the sudden change in perspective; Phantom, who, seemingly on instinct, had risen up in the air the moment the room shook, went from being in front of her to horizontal.

“What’s going on?” She choked out, too disoriented to even stand.

Noticing the turmoil in her voice, their previous conversation forgotten in favour of the current events, Danny was by her side in an instant, gently helping her up. This could only mean one thing. “Uh, no…”

“‘Uh, no?’” Lady Arcana asked, holding onto his arm for dear life. “‘Uh, no’ what?”

Before Danny could so much as offer an answer a distinct cry in a language he didn’t understand could be heard from the other side of the door. In the blink of an eye, a gust of bright yellow wind came crashing through the door, reducing it to smithereens. What was truly unbelievable, however, was the way the wind seemed to have solidified with the intention of bursting the doors open.

Fast as lightning, Lady Arcana’s trusty companions rushed into the room, looking for their queen. The teenagerーSusan, Danny believedーwasted no time checking over her leader. “Your Majesty, are you okay?!” As she asked, her bespectacled partner slid beside their queen, offering her to lean into her for support. “We were guarding the doors when suddenly the lair started trembling!”

“I’m fine, Susan. Stand down.” She reassured her. “Are you guys alright?”

“Affirmative, your Majesty.” The strawberry blonde one answered, adjusting her glasses with her free hand, the other still holding Lady Arcana by her waist. “But I believe we should leave immediately, whatever it is that’s going on, it’s not safe!”

“What is going on, anyway?” Susan hissed, clearly suspecting of the ghosts’ ulterior motives.

To Sam’s surprise, Phantom actually looked sheepish. He was fidgeting with his gloved fingers with an awkward smile on his face. “This may or may not be my fault…”

The dark-haired queen was in no mood for half-assed answers like that. “Explain.” She gritted out.

“I seem to have forgotten to take care of the latest black hole forming before it reached its mature state.” He admitted.

There was a moment of silence where one could've heard a pin drop, until Sam screeched at the top of her lungs, “You what?! How do you forget to take care of a fucking black hole!?”

“What did I tell you about swearing?” He tried to joke, but the scorching glare he received from her in return made him gulp. “I know, I know. I really meant to take care of everything sooner, but things kept popping up and getting in the way. But don’t worry, I’ll fix this.”

“How?” Susan asked, her arms folded over her chest and her eyes glaring daggers at him.

“That...I don’t know.” He admitted, looking positively sick to his stomach. “I’ve never had to take care of a black hole in this state. But don’t worry, you three can go back home. I’ll manage; I always do.”

An impending sense of doom made Sam’s stomach churn. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling Phantom wouldn’t make it if he tried to take care of the problem by himself.

And so, with a heavy heart, she turned to her witches, getting out of Stephanie’s well-meaning but suffocating grasp. “You two go back home, I’ll stay here and help him.”

“What?!” The two screamed in unison, and Sam could feel a bewildered Phantom looking at her like she’d lost her goddamn mind. She probably had.

Lo and behold, he was right there, agreeing with them. “‘What’ is right. You can’t stay here; your people need you!”

“King Phantom’s right, your Majesty.” Stephanie tried to reason. “What will become of the clan without you?”

“It’ll be madness!” Susan squeaked, looking scared for once in her life. “If anything, we should stay to ensure your safety!”

Touched beyond belief by their loyalty and devotion, Sam gently grasped their hands in hers. She tried to convey as much calmness as possible through her smile. “One way or another, the clan will find a way to revive from its ashes, even without me. That’s the way it’s always been. But I can’t live with myself knowing I stole two children from their families, and so, I must let you go.”

“B-but...your Majesty!” Susan whimpered, tears in her eyes.

Before she’d have a change of heart, the queen turned to the older witch. “Stephanie, you’re the better spellcaster. Take Susan with you and back to the clan.” Then she turned around and picked the grimoire up in her hands before passing it to her. “And take this with you. We can’t afford anything happening to it.”

“But what about you?!”

“I will do everything in my power to return to you.” She swore solemnly.

With a sad nod, Stephanie let go of her queen’s hand and took the younger sorceress with her. With a finger high in the sky, she cried out, “Omnes viae Romam ducunt!”

In a flash of forest green light, they were gone.

Now that they were alone (for Walker’s goons had returned to their boss the moment the shaking began), Danny turned to the Witch Queen. “What’s your angle?”

“I want to help you.” She said, never taking her eyes off of his.

“But what about your people?” He pressed. “Isn’t protecting them your top priority?”

“If what little I know of black holes and your world doesn’t fail me, letting one loose would mean the end of everything we know and love. So I am protecting my people.”

He couldn’t argue against that logic.

The moment was broken by the unanticipated feeling of being pulled towards an unknown direction. Noticing Lady Arcana staggering clumsily on her feet, Danny rushed to grab her by the shoulders in an attempt to steady her. Immediately, her own hands were grabbing firmly onto his.

As stable as his lair was, staying inside during a black hole would be dangerous and extremely foolish. Unfortunately, there was no time to explain. “My Lady, what I’m about to do might seem a bit crazy, but I need you to trust me on this. Can you do that?”

“What are youー?”

“Can you trust me?” He insisted, his bright, green eyes begging.

Under any other circumstances her answer would’ve been a definite ‘no.’ Phantom was a ghost and she was a witch. Her people had been foolish enough to trust them once and it cost them dearly. But at that moment, right then and there, against her better judgement, she did. When he looked at her like his life depended on her, she couldn’t deny him anything. Somehow, that terrified her more than the black hole.

“I do.” She breathed. “I trust you.”

One moment, he smiled at her so brightly Sam feared he might blind her. And on the other, he pushed her away from him, shoving her roughly to the stone wall. Fearing the worst, Sam braced herself for an impact that never came. Instead all she could feel was a tingling sensation coursing through her body before she landed on the dirt with a loud thud, but not hard enough to really hurt her.

When she opened her eyes, she was stunned to see she was outside of the lair’s confines, completely unscathed. How did she…? Her thoughts were put to a halt when she caught something from the corner of her eye that made her blood run cold, as well as her mouth drop in astonishment.

In front of her, in the middle of the infinite ectoplasmic ocean of the Ghost Zone, stood a ginormous swirl of never-ending blackness, engulfing everything within range. As she stood there, agape, the celestial body’s natural pull began to draw her in. Burying her heels in the ground, desperately clutching at the building’s walls for support, she suddenly felt a hand around her wrist, yanking at her in the opposite direction.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Phantom’s staring right back. “Don’t let go!” He instructed with a strained voice. He was using every bit of strength he had to fly them both in the opposite direction.

“How do we stop this?!” She cried out, holding onto him for dear life.

“I’m not sure!” He called back, his own hold on her never loosening. “As I said, I’ve never had to take care of a black hole under these conditions! The universe wouldn’t happen to have a code word for stopping this sort of thing, would it?”

She could only shake her head. “If it does, I don’t know what it is!” Oh, that was just great. The one time she needed her magic the most, and not only didn’t she have the answers, but she didn’t even know enough on the subject to find a mundane solution to it. If only Danny were there, he’d know what to do. “Ugh, why didn’t I pay more attention when we talked about Astrophysics!?”

At her words, a lightbulb lit up in Danny’s head. Astrophysics, duh! How could he have been so dense to forget his own area of expertise! All he needed to do was find a way to apply what he knew into a situation with a considerably smaller amount of money involved. To be more specific, he had about $3,75 in his pocket. As he struggled to keep both Lady Arcana and him safe, he kept looking at the black hole, studying its form and comparing it to every single piece of information he knew on them.

It wasn’t until he focused on his movements that it hit him. “I have an idea, but it might sound a little crazy.”

“Would you look at that? It goes with the entire situation we found ourselves in!” The sorceress chided with fake cheer.

“You can roast me with your sarcasm as much as you want later, but now I need you to listen to me.” He took her silence as a sign to continue. “I know what I have to do; I have to fly straight towards the black hole, but since I know it’s risky, I need you to run as far away as possible. Maybe even teleport yourself like your friends.”

“Are you crazy?!”

He shrugged it off. “A little. Please, it’s our only chance.”

Every second Lady Arcana didn’t answer his heart did somersaults in his chest. If it weren’t for his hands being a bit tied up at the moment, he would’ve started biting on his nails anxiously. After what felt like hours, she nodded. “Okay, but on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Put us down somewhere remotely safe and I’ll tell you.”

In a quick succession of movements, he went from holding her wrist to holding her bridal style, his mind too preoccupied in finding somewhere safe to notice the way her cheeks reddened at the sudden intimacy. When he put her down on the floor he could only gape as she rolled her skirt and tied it up so it now reached her knees rather than the floor. But what truly caught his eye was what she was wearing on her feet.

“You wear combat boots under your skirt?”

At that, she put on a blank face. Now it was not the time for stupid questions! “Have you ever run in high heels?”

Admittedly, he had not.

“Thought so.” She hummed. “Besides, if you want me to run away from here, this gives me a greater chance at getting away. More mobility and all that.”

“Fine, I get it. So, what’s your condition?”

She looked at him. Her initial plan was to ask him to remove the crown and ring during any subsequent meetings, but now that he was staring intently at her, waiting for her answer with bated breath right as he was about to do the unthinkable, she found she couldn’t ask such a thing. Swallowing loudly, she got close to him; closer than she’d ever been. As soon as they were close enough their bodies almost touched, so close she could make out the green blush adorning his features, she placed her hands on his chest and slid them up slowly.

Unbeknownst to her, to Danny it was maddeningly so. He could already hear his heart beating in his ears, her lavender eyes seemed to gaze deep into his soul, when he heard the distinct sound of something unclasping. Before he knew it, his cape had fallen to the ground. When he turned to look at her quizzically, she had an impish grin on her face. “In the words of the great Edna Mode, ‘no capes!’”

Despite himself, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics, even if said antics made perfect sense when he was about to fly into a black hole. “Okay, okay. I get it. No capes.” He grew serious again, sending her a meaningful look. “But you’d better run away, you hear me?”

“I will.”

With that they both turned their backs on each other, about to run off in different directions when Sam had the sudden urge to call out to him over her shoulder. “Oh, and Phantom?” He raised a questioning brow. “Please, be careful.”

Her request rendering him speechless, Danny limited himself to nodding before he took off in the direction of the massive swirl of energy.

Ghostly black holes were formed when two ancient lairs came into contact with each other, resulting in enormous amounts of uncontrollable ecto-energy. The usual protocol was to evacuate the areas near the decaying lairs and destroy at least one of them before disaster happened.

That was what he meant to do the other day before his encounter with Valerie forced him to spend the remainder of the day resting before going out with Jazz. By the time he felt better, he’d already forgotten all about it. Which meant he now needed to take desperate measures.

A black hole’s traction power didn’t come from its Singularity, but from its Event Horizon. In other words, it came from the swirling mass of matter surrounding it. Considering this was a rotating black hole, the Penrose Process was his safest bet. He turned himself intangible, in hopes of not being pulled into due to his lack of body mass, and flew straight to the celestial body’s Ergosphere; a region of rotating space-time around the hole.

Once inside, Danny didn’t waste a second to rev up until he’d reached his top speed, which he could only hope was enough, as he began moving counterclockwiseーthe opposite direction the black hole was rotating in.

After what felt like hours, Danny could feel his face light up in triumph when he registered the way the hole seemed to come to a halt. That was all he needed. With renewed vigour, the halfa pushed himself a little further, breaking his personal record, and forced the massive source of matter to follow his course. Only this time, rather than increase in size, it shrank ever so slowly.

Unfortunately, Danny was so caught up in the process he failed to see the side effect his plan was having on the black hole. With one last display of strength, it began to pull once more, except now the halfa had no place to go. Panicking, but knowing he couldn’t get away or all his efforts would be for naught, Danny resigned himself to his fate.

“Conjunctionis ligaveris!”

“Huh?” His brow furrowing in confusion at the sudden cry, his eyes soon widened in disbelief when he felt something wrap around his ankles and tug at him and away from the black hole.

Glancing down at his feet, he noticed the sparkly, purple, rope-like construction tied tightly around him. Trailing the rope to its origins, he gasped when he saw it was Lady Arcana who was holding onto it for dear life.

Did she just save him?

Finally, due to Danny’s ministrations, the colossal swirling void of darkness began to curl in on itself. Then, with a deafening sound, the black hole imploded in a burst of blinding light, forcing Danny to cover his tortured ears, and Sam to shield her violet eyes. Both of them holding tight with the remnants of strength they had left onto the witch’s improvised rope.

After what felt like hours, her ears still ringing, the queen lowered her arm from her face. She blinked repeatedly, willing the dark spots filling her vision to vanish. With her vision cleared, she gasped, frantically looking around in search of Phantom.

A voice behind her made her jump forward a few steps. “How did you do that?”

Whirling around, she couldn’t help but let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding when she saw the Ghost King looking at her. Although he looked far more surprised than she expected. “Do what?”

“You…”, he started. It just didn’t make any sense! “You grabbed me!”

There was a beat of silence before she spoke again. “...yeah, so?”

“You grabbed me and I was intangible!” He threw his arms up in the air, his mind still coming to terms with what'd just happened.

Realisation finally dawned on Sam. “Oh, you’re right. By definition, I shouldn’t have been able to touch you…” She trailed off.

“Well,” he pressed, “how did you?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She shrugged as she noticed the rope still tied to Phantom’s ankle, before willing it to disappear. “I just saw you in trouble and I knew I had to do something. I wasn’t really thinking when I did it, I just...did.”

She saw him mumble something unintelligible before his bright eyes lay on her, hard. She should’ve known this was coming, “Look, I know I said I’d run away. But, as I said, I saw you in trouble and I had to act! So there’s no need for you to lecture me about it. What’s done is done.”

“Actually,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile on his face. “I’m kinda glad you didn’t listen to me.”

Starting at his words, the two made eye contact. As she gazed, once again, upon his grateful eyes, his expression full of sincerity, she couldn’t keep her own smile from forming in her face. As they stood there, both royals could only think that, if they could work together to stop an infinite swirl of darkness, even trusting the other with their lives, then they should be able to work together to put an end to the crisis threatening their worlds.

#danny phantom #dp #dp fanfic #my fic #your heart #danny fenton #sam manson #ember mclain #johnny/kitty #johnny 13 #kitty #oc #amethyst ocean #danny x sam #ghost king! danny #ghost king au #witch queen! sam #witch queen au #enemies to friends to lovers

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tired0artist · 3 years

Text

not enough (part five) the end

>part one< >part two<

>part three< >part four<

paring: female!V x Johnny Silverhand

warnings: domestic shit, fluff, a tiny bit of angst, misunderstanding, Johnny loves his girl, and she loves him, jealousy

————<•>————

Warmth surrounded V’s body as she slept peacefully. Her body completely surrounded by another one, arms around her waist tight yet gentle as if they were holding the most precious thing in the world.

The blissful moment was stopped by loud cries just outside of the bedroom door.

V sighed and snuggled her head in the pillow, mumbling.

“Johnny... your cat wants to come in...”

Johnny groaned and hid his face in V’s hair, while saying in a deep morning voice.

“Yesterday he was yours, when he scratched me and snuggled with you...”

“But you made me take him in”

“You searched the whole city for food to give him”

V kicked him under the covers “Just get up and let him in before he scratches the door”

“You go” Johnny said stubbornly.

“Johnny” she whined.

The man sighed “Okay but what do I get in return?”

“The love of your life, being veryyyy happy” V said, with a smile.

Johnny pinched her side, making her jump a bit “Low blow princess”

“Okay fine. I will wear that skirt you got me...”

“Hmmm... something extra to it?”

V opened her tired eyed and looked at the smirking bastard “I will let you fuck me in it. Will that cut it, for you?”

Johnny grinned and kissed her sweetly, before getting up to let the cat in.

The merc rolled her eyes and snuggled deeper in the sheets, hoping to get another hour of sleep. Nibbles jumped into the bed and squeezed his way under the cover to snuggle into V’s chest.

She opened her eyes and smiled at the little thing.

“Hey, there baby” she cooed as the cat purred as he fell back asleep.

Johnny snorted as he got back in the bed and wrapped his arms around her once again.

“Now it’s ‘hey there baby’ and few moments ago he suddenly was my cat”

V smiled and turned a bit to kiss him on his cheek “Did I mention that I love your grumpy ass?”

“Yeah, you did. Especially in my leather pants” Johnny said with a smirk.

V shook her head and put her head back on the pillow, enjoying the warmth that Johnny provided along with Nibbles.

Two hours later V woke up in the bed alone. Both her man and her cat gone.

She stretched and made her way sleepily to the kitchen, already smiling at Johnny’s voice.

“Off of the counter buddy or she’ll nag both of us”

V silently came around the corner where she saw Johnny making coffee. His long hair pulled in a messy bun, wearing his black pyjama pants and red t-shirt.

Slowly she made her way to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his arm to look up at him, saying.

“Busted”

He laughed and pointed at the cat “He doesn’t listen, not my fault”

V looked at the cat who simply meowed at her and walked closer to paw at her. She turned a bit to look at his food bowl.

“Johnny?”

“Hmm?”

“Why does our cat have a bowl full of cereal?”

Johnny looked at the food bowl in question simply shrugging “We’re out of cat food. Figured that he wouldn’t mind”

V looked up at the love of her life and bursted out laughing.

“What?” he asked in confusion “Food is food, V”

She kissed his cheek with a shake of her head “Oh you’re lucky that I love you, you gonk”

With that she pulled away and picked up their cat, putting him on the ground. Then she made her way to their fridge to make breakfast.

“After you drink your coffee you need to go out and buy him food. Our cat can’t survive on cereal, especially since we’re going out tonight”

Johnny grumbled under his breath as he drinked his black coffee while making a cup of latte for V.

“What was that Robert?” she asked, trying to act strictly.

He glared at her and said “Oh nothing, Violette”

“Dick”

“Cunt”

Meow.

They looked down at their cat who was staring at his owners.

Both lovers started laughing as Johnny said.

“Well said buddy”

V smiled at them, her chest full of warmth.

It was evening as V stood in front of the bar, cursing under her breath as she tried to pull her red leather skirt a bit down.

Whistling caught her attention and as she raised her head up she saw smirking Judy and Panam walking towards her.

“Not. A. Word—“

“Damn you look like a rockstar” Judy said with a mischievous smirk.

“Or rather a rockstar’s chick” Panam corrected with a grin.

V glared at them, her cheeks dusted with a bit of a blush. She was wearing a short red leather skirt, black and red SAMURAI t-shirt from that 2020 tour, fishnets and combat boots. Her black hair was left unchanged and a bit messy and her usually purple painted lips were now dark red.

“Fuck off”

The girls laughed and looked at each other asking.

“Johnny?”

V nodded still blushing “Johnny...”

They laughed again as V crossed her arms with a pout. It was no secret that she preferred wearing pants some turtle neck and a jacket. But Johnny, always insisted on her wearing something more ‘sexy’ from time to time.

Even when he was inside her head, he would nag her about only wearing one thing.

“Okay, if the comedian squad would like to join me. It would be fucking great”

Soon V and the girls were sitting in a large booth, drinking their drinks.

“—and Saul even agreed with me! It’s still so weird leading the family with him...”

V smiled saying “Well I’m not surprised he agreed it was a pretty good plan, Panam. Also I get the feeling, Rogue started nagging me to take over as a fixer and the owner of Afterli—“

“Holy shit, V! You never told us that!” Judy said in shock as she shared a look with Panam.

“I didn’t?” V asked out loud with a frown.

“Em no? The fuck V! That’s big!” Panam said, but as she saw V looking away she frowned asking “Aren’t you happy?”

V shuffled in her seat “I don’t know... I mean. I want to say yes and all, but Johnny and I... we still haven’t decided on what we want to do”

“You should follow your gut, V. It served you well so far” said Judy while taking a drink of her fruit and tequila drink.

“I agree. I mean that’s what I do with Saul all this time. And look I’m doing fucking great” added Panam while waving to a waitress to bring her another beer.

V smiled and nodded “Yeah. Yeah maybe you’re right”

The girls smiled at her just as V felt someone’s hand touch her hip. She turned, her hand already moving to punch whoever touched her, only for it to be stopped by a familiar metal arm.

Johnny grinned and brought her fist closer to his lips to kiss it, saying “I love the way you greet me sweetheart”

V rolled her eyes and looked behind her boyfriend where Kerry, Danny and Nancy stood. She smiled at the group saying.

“Hi!”

Johnny was quickly pushed away by the group as they all hugged and greeted the young merc, along with her friends.

“So you sure you don’t want to play with us?” Nancy asked with a grin.

“No, no, no I’m not good with the guitar or singing—“

“Bullshit. V has some talent, heard her humming few times and sing while drunk. She’s good” Judy said with a smile as V blushed.

“Huh I think that I only heard you humm once, when I was in the coma... but it’s a bit fussy” Johnny said with a frown.

Kerry grinned “Someone’s hidding their talent, honey?”

V’s face was ok fire as she crossed her arms “No. I’m good at breaking arms so if you wanna continue?”

The group quickly scattered with only Johnny left as he laughed and kissed her, slowly but deeply. As he pulled away he whispered “You’ll have to sing to me someday, sweetheart”

With that he walked away while calling over his shoulder “Love your ass in this skirt by the way!”

V rolled her eyes and turned back to her friends, ordering a drink as the girls laughed at her flustered expression.

During the night, the SAMURAI was playing in the bar. V smiled as she saw Johnny enjoying being back on the stage once again, along with his friends. He and Kerry worked everything out during the time that Johnny was back. Now SAMURAI was playing at least once a month in some bars, V was always there. Sometimes alone and sometimes with her friends.

Johnny always asked for her to find a place to sit where he could see her. He said that he felt better knowing that she was right there in the line of his sight. So tonight he definitely saw two guys come over to their booth.

“Hey there, beautiful” one of them said, leaning closer to V.

“Fuck off” she said rolling her eyes.

“Oh come on, pretty girl” the other one said.

Panam looked ready to stand up, but V signaled her to stay seated as she herself stood up to the two far taller men. One of them noticed her t-shirt and said.

“Oh you like SAMURAI? Well it’s your lucky day, beautiful. Cause we know the whole band” said the first one, with a grin.

The music was loud enough that both men didn’t hear both Judy and Panam snort, trying to stifle their laughter.

V raised her brow, deep inside kinda pitying the guys for how unluckily they chose the lie.

“Yeah! We’re even going to the after party with them! Back at Eurodyne’s apartment!” said the other guy.

She smiled wickedly and said in a dumbest tone she could manage “Oh really! Oh I looooove Kerry! He’s the best!”

The girls were almost shaking with laughter as V played her part.

“So eh.. you coming?” the guy asked as his friend smiled.

“Yeah sure, let’s go outside” V said with a smirk.

To no surprise. Once the guys grabbed V’s arms in a not so friendly manner and led her outside, into an alleyway.

“Now shut up. You’re going to with us”

V snorted “Yeah that’s a good one”

With that V pushed them away, kicking the closest guy in his knee, causing to snap back. Then she turned and punched the other and bigger guy, but he managed to duck. V picked up a pipe from the ground and hit the guy on the ground who was probably looking for his gun. As she did that, the other guy grabbed her around the waist.

“Fucking bitch! You’re coming with me!”

“Fuck off!” she screamed, hitting him on the nose with the back of her head.

The guy let go of her and she turned to pick up her pipe, when a gun shoot was heard.

V flinched as a body behind her fell on the ground with a loud thud. She looked up to see Johnny standing in the alleyway, his gun in his hand.

“Johnny—“ she started just as he shot the guy on the ground, who was unconscious right between the eyes.

Then he was walking towards her, his expression unreadable. When she was in the arm’s reach, he pulled her closer and hugged tightly.

She rubbed his back as he was trembling slightly. He would say that it was from the cold, but V knew what triggered him.

“Hey... hey I’m okay. No one’s taking me”

After a moment Johnny pulled away and touched her cheek saying “Don’t you ever do something like this again”

V bit her lip and nodded “Okay, okay I’m sorry. I just knew that they wouldn’t leave us alone and didn’t want to make a fuss in the bar”

“I don’t care about that. Just watching them grab you like that and take out of the bar—“

“Shh... I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t think, okay? I’m right here” V said, feeling bad that she cause Johnny to in a way, relive his trauma.

They stood there for a while just holding each other, before V pulled him back inside the bar. On their way there Johnny kicked one of the corpses.

“Fucking dogs”

V only rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. Once inside she and Johnny joined their friends at the booth.

No one seemed too worried, probably knowing that V could handle herself. Especially since Johnny went out to look for her.

Kerry smiled at them warmly and asked about what happened. V told him about the guys and he simply shook his head with a snort.

“So I’m guessing they weren’t your chooms?” V asked with a smirk, trying to lighten up the mood.

Kerry laughed and shook his head “Nah, maybe there’s some other Eurodyne in the town”

V laughed and looked up at Johnny who was still stiffly holding her hand, squeezing it every once in a while. As if he was making sure that she was right there with him. She pinched his side, bringing his eyes to hers as she said.

“Relax, I’m fine. We’re fine”

He nodded and kissed her hair, whispering “I love you”

“And I you” V whispered with a smile.

The rest of the night the band and V’s friends spent drinking at the bar. The odd bunch of people were all surprisingly getting along.

Nancy was really interested in Panam and her clan, already asking the nomad if she could maybe do an article on them. Danny and Judy seemed to only talk about the braindances and new technologies on the market. While Kerry, Johnny and V were talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

But the topic mostly surrounded Johnny and how he was when Kerry first met him.

“—and there was Johnny. Jumping out of the window of some new chick and running to my car, screaming for me to drive”

V snorted and Johnny shrugged his shoulders, his hand still holding his girlfriend’s hand.

“She never told me that she had a husband”

Kerry snorted “And you didn’t ask. You’re lucky the guy didn’t shoot your balls off”

V laughed and looked up at the man beside her.

“You really were impossible”

Johnny looked down at her and smirked “Sweetheart you had me inside your brain. It shouldn’t be a revelation for you”

“True” V said with a grin.

“Okay chooms, it’s time to start the party” said Johnny as he waved the waitress over, ordering a shit ton of alcohol.

It was around four in the morning, as the women all went to have a smoke in front of the bar, leaving Johnny and Kerry all alone.

“You’re not drunk” said Kerry, as he took a sip of his drink.

Johnny shrugged “I’m tipsy and someone needs to take us to our apartment. Seeing how V was barely walking, means that it’ll be me”

Kerry smiled at his friend saying “You changed, Johnny. And not because someone made you. You changed on your own. Never thought that I would live long enough to see it”

Johnny looked down at his own drink, saying “I honestly felt tempted to drink some more tonight. I didn’t want to remember how I got home and wake up with my head about to explode...”

“But?” Kerry asked, already knowing what his friend will say.

“But then I remembered V. And the thought of going home with her, drunk off of my ass in this fucked up city. Stopped being appealing” Johnny said, as his fists clenched “You know that when Alt was taken... I was both drunk and high. I couldn’t protect her and she paid the price for my stupidity. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, if V suffered because I choose ‘fun’ over her”

Kerry put down his drink and reached across the table to put his hand on Johnny’s shoulder “Johnny. What happened to Alt, will never happen to V okay? She’s the best mercenary in this city, has every fixer here backing her up and Johnny fucking Silverhand is by her side at all times. So she’s safer than most people are”

Johnny smiled and nodded, but the weight didn’t exactly leave his shoulders. Before he could thank Kerry, Judy came up to them.

“V’s calling you”

Immediately Johnny was on his feet, grabbing her and his jackets and leaving the bar. There he saw Panam, Danny and Nancy crouching next to sobbing V.

He kneeled in front to her asking “V? Hey, what’s going on sweetheart?”

V’s head snapped up right away as she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying.

“Johnny!! I thought that you left...”

Her words confused him as he said “V, I was inside with Kerry. You went out to smoke remember?”

She shook her head mumbling “I only smoke so that you would come out and talk to me...”

Johnny was a silent for a few seconds, before smiling at her “You could just ask, I would come along”

V mumbled something drunkenly and gripped his jacket harder, not letting go as tears were still streaming down her flushed cheeks.

Johnny sighed and looked up at Nancy who seemed to be the most sober “Call us a cab, will ya? I’ll take her home, she needs to sleep it off”

“Yeah I thought so.. I already called. It should be here any minute”

“Thanks”

The women nodded and headed back inside the bar with a short goodbye.

Johnny picked up V as she started calming down a bit, exhaustion taking a toll on her.

The ride home was mostly peaceful as V fell asleep on his chest in the cab. He then carried her up to their new apartment and put her in their bed.

After dressing her into her favourite pyjamas, wiping off her makeup and checking all the windows and doors, Johnny laid down with her.

The move of the mattress woke her up a bit, as she mumbled “Johnny?”

He hugged her closely and kissed her head, whispering “I’m right here, go back to sleep”

She snuggled into him and once again fell asleep, with his following soon after.

Next morning was tough for V as she groaned and pulled her pillow over her head.

“Rough morning, sweetheart?” Johnny asked with a smirk from where he was leaning against the door frame.

V raised the pillow a big and glared at him “Don’t you know it, bastard”

He laughed and went to sit by her side, rubbing her back slightly “If you’re gonna puke. I would rather you do it in the bathroom and not in our bed”

She flipped him off saying “You can bite my ass!”

And to no one’s surprise.

He did just that.

V jumped and threw her pillow at him “The fuck Johnny?!”

Johnny laughed and watched as she was rubbing her ass cheek.

“I did what you suggested, sweetheart”

She glared “Dick”

“Cunt” he said still smirking.

They stared at each other for a while, before Johnny finally stood up saying “I’ll go make you some breakfast, you have painkillers on the nightstand”

“Thanks” she mumbled already moving to get some.

By late noon V was feeling a bit better and finally got out of the bed. She was cleaning the kitchen a bit, when Johnny came in the kitchen handing her, her jacket.

“Get ready, we’re going out”

V took the jacket asking “Where?”

“You’ll see. I want to talk to you about something. So move your ass, so we can delta out of here” he said while going to sit in the living area.

Feeling confused as hell, V made her way to their bedroom and got dressed. She was just pulling her hair into a messy bun, as she walked out.

“Ready?” Johnny asked, getting up from their red leather couch.

“Yeah but—“

“No questions. Now let’s go” he said, taking her hand and walking out of the apartment.

Around 20 minutes later they pulled up at the familiar hotel. V got out and looked at Johnny in confusion.

“Pistis Sophia” she stated.

Johnny nodded and reached out to take her hand, leading them to the familiar balcony near the also familiar room.

Once there, he let go of her hand and leaned against the railing. Looking at the sun reflecting in the water.

“You know... I think that’s the place where I realised that I love you” he said, still admiring the view.

V smiled and also leaned on the railing, their arms touching “Mine was at your supposed grave, when you asked for a second chance... you smiled at me a bit awkwardly as if half thinking that I would tell you to piss off”

Johnny smiled, reaching over to take V’s hand in his metal one.

“So I fell first huh? That’s new”

V laughed saying “Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not exactly sure when I started loving you, I just know when I realised that I had these feelings”

They stayed silent for a little while, just looking at the sea as they hands stayed joined.

“Rogue offered to pass down the Afterlife to me. Along with being a fixer” V suddenly said, not wanting to hold it inside any longer.

Johnny looked at her with a small smile “I know”

V furrowed her brows asking “You know?”

“Yeah. She actually asked for my opinion on this”

“And what did you say?”

“That there’s no one else who could do it as good as you. Also told her to get out of her ass and ask you herself” Johnny said with a grin.

V laughed a bit, before asking “Do you really think that I should do it?”

“The question is, sweetheart. Do you want to do it?”

She looked down saying “I don’t know... we still didn’t exactly figure out what we want to do next and—“

“V” said Johnny as he touched her chin, making her look in the eyes “I want you to do what you want to do. Don’t look at me, just follow your heart”

V smiled and took his hand “I love you, Johnny. And I want to take Rogue’s offer, but I want you to be happy as well”

“I lived my life V. I did what I wanted, acted how I wanted and worked where I wanted. Now it’s time for you to do the same”

“But what do you want?” she asked, feeling unsure of the whole thing.

Johnny smiled and kissed her hair “I just want you. Our small apartment. Our ugly cat and to just wake up with you in my arms”

V smiled asking “So what? The great Johnny Silverhand going to retirement?”

He shrugged “Why not. I could do some merc work every now and then, if we’ll be tight on the money. Help you out at Afterlife and still play once a month with Kerry and the girls. But yeah, retirement sounds nice”

“Are you sure though? I don’t want you holding back because of me, Johnny”

“I’m sure, sweetheart. I just want to be with you” Johnny said, kissing V gently and slowly as the sun shined on them.

When they pulled away Johnny grinned at her saying “And to prove that, I want to ask you something”

V watched as he pulled away and pulled out something from his pocket. Then he opened his palm to show her two silver rings. She gasped and looked into his dark eyes.

“I know that, I didn’t propose to you first but who really gives a shit about sentimental crap like that. So, Violette Bakker. Would you like to marry me, right here in this dirty hotel?” he asked with a smirk, but his eyes were shining with warmth and love.

V teared up a bit, but still grinned saying “Well, Robert John Linden. I would love to marry you, even on the junkyard where they dumbed me”

He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her passionately, few tears escaping from V’s eyes.

When they pulled away, V took the bigger ring and tried to slit it on Johnny’s left hand. But the metal fingers weren’t exactly made for wearing rings.

“Oh... didn’t really think about that” Johnny said, frowning slightly.

V pulled the ring away and instead reached for Johnny’s dog tags. She pulled them off of his neck.

“What are you—?” Johnny started, but cut himself off as he watched V getting his ring on the chain, where it joined the tags.

She smiled at him and put them back on his neck, before doing the same thing to her own dog tags and ring.

“Now we can wear them the same way” she said with a sweet smile.

Johnny touched the ring that was hanging around his neck and smiled too, saying.

“I love you”

V also touched her own ring, saying “I love you too”

The pair stood there looking at each other, in the place that really started what they had now. Some might say that it was just an old dirty hotel. A place that didn’t hold any meaning.

But to Johnny and V?

That place meant everything to the start of their story and to the very end of it.

•the end•

•thank you for reading and following me! I have an rock fan V au on my mind so tell me if you would like to see me write about it.

Tag list (if you wanna be tagged leave a comment): @dartheldur @signwriting @missweatherwax @commanding-officer @lovinghunty @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @sillysallysings @iamshisan @mayhemhouse

#cp2077 #cyberpunk 2077 #johnny silverhand #johnny silverhand x v #night city #female v #v

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