Reaching Out
Happy Valentine's Core Exchange to @creoastra! I really hope you like it!
@valentines-core-exchange
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Danny had heard rumors that Penelope Spectra had found a new haunt. Frustrated that he had to leave Amity Park to find her, he flew as fast as he could, sweeping the region. He was not surprised that his ghost sense finally went off when he passed the local community college.
“What, you couldn’t find any teens to make miserable so you’re going for college students now?” Danny flew closer to Spectra and fired an ectoblast at her. She dodged out of the way, cackling.
“I can see your aim hasn’t improved,” Spectra shot back. “And where are your little friends? Did they finally tell you they don’t like you?” Her smirk grew.
“I – no! They like me!” Danny shot another blast, this one hitting the mark. She hit the ground and rolled. He flew closer to her, feeling his belt to make sure his thermos was easily accessible.
“But they don’t want you, you know,” Spectra said, already getting to her feet, seeming unperturbed by the attack. “Not the way you want them.”
One long, agonizing second tore his heart in half.
“You don’t know that! You – you can’t!”
“Why not? You know I can see all your fears. You know I can tell how you’re still scared that they judge you for being transgender.” She might as well have hit him over the head. “That you’ve been pining for your friends, too afraid to tell them.”
Danny realized he had stopped attacking and was letting her monologue. But… she was right. She was always frustratingly accurate when she tried to get to him. Knowing that she twisted things to make people miserable didn’t make it hurt any less, or make it easier to ignore.
Danny redoubled his efforts, shooting a blast of ice at the ghost. In an attempt to not give her more ammo to use against him, he said nothing. But she didn’t need any, and deftly dodged out of the way of the ice.
“You’re a half-dead freak. Who could love a thing like you? You know, most kids would go to their parents for romantic woes. But yours are more concerned with hunting you down than helping you. You have nobody; you are utterly alone.”
“Shut up!” Danny flew forward and punched her square in the face, sending her flying into a wall. He followed it with an ectoblast to the torso. And then another, and another. She crumpled to the ground, twitching with each attack. He stopped when she stopped moving.
Before she could get back up, Danny uncapped the thermos and captured Spectra.
She always went right for the jugular, but that didn’t make it true. Back when Danny fought her the first time, she lied about Jazz calling him a loser. But Jazz had said nothing of the sort. In fact, Danny realized, he wasn’t alone. He could talk to Jazz. She’d know what to say.
–
Danny came home to find the living room silent, and Jazz sitting on the couch with a book. “Hey, are you busy?” Danny asked. “I could use some advice.”
Jazz’s face lit up. “I’m never too busy to offer advice!” she said.
“Can we go upstairs?” Danny said. “I don’t want Mom and Dad to hear us.”
“Of course,” They made their way upstairs and into Jazz’s room. Jazz took a seat at her desk, and Danny sat on the edge of her bed.
Danny fiddled with the zipper of his NASA hoodie. “So… I ran into Spectra today.”
“Oh no,” Jazz said. “Whatever she said, you know she’s just trying to get into your head.”
“Seems like she’s already in there, reading my thoughts.” Danny’s tone was bitter.
“Tell me your worries, little brother. I’m here to listen.”
Danny slumped onto the bed. “I may as well put it out there. I like Sam; I have for a while. Apparently that’s a surprise to nobody.” He gave a dry chuckle. “But I like Tucker too. I want both of them. But they’d never go for it. You’ve seen how they’re at each other’s throats half the time.”
“Yes, and they’re inseparable the other half of the time. You’re all best friends for a reason. How do you know they’re not interested in anything more?”
“I guess… but I don’t know. I want to be a regular human guy, but I’m not really human, and I’m not really a guy, and they deserve some normalcy in their life.”
“You stop that. Trans guys are guys, and that includes you. And you are human, in all the ways that count. You’re not wrong, though, that going out with a trans person presents unique challenges.” Jazz nodded thoughtfully. “And dating a half-ghost superhero does as well. But Danny, they’re your best friends. They understand you better than anyone else. If they do want you, they know what they’re signing up for.”
“You said ‘if’ they want me. How can I know? I don’t want to make things weird between us. I can’t risk our friendship on this.” Danny sighed. “I appreciate the pep talk. I’m just… scared of what they’ll say.”
“I can’t know how they’ll react. But I know it won’t ruin things. You mean too much to them for them to throw away years of friendship. Think of it this way: Best case scenario, you gain a wonderful girlfriend and boyfriend. Two partners who would do anything for you. Worst case, they’re not interested in you that way, but you still have two best friends who care about you. I think it’s worth a shot.”
Danny smiled. “Thanks, Jazz. I’ll talk to them soon.”
–
Danny’s stomach flipped in circles as he watched Tucker and Sam eat their food. They were at a nice Italian restaurant; Sam had offered to pay for dinner, and Danny thought Italian food would have enough variety that everyone would be happy. Tucker dug into his spaghetti and meatballs with fervor, while Sam delicately picked at her eggplant parmesan.
His best friends were so different from each other, and that’s what he loved about them. He longed to reach over and touch them, brush Sam’s hair out of her face, playfully rustle Tucker’s beret. But it would be weird. But if he could just tell them how he felt… His stomach did another flip. He wasn’t sure he was ready.
“Danny, are you okay? You haven’t touched your chicken francese.” Sam looked at him with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Danny lied. He took a bite of his chicken. The flavor of the lemon-wine sauce was vibrant. He knew this place was a good choice. But the delicious food didn’t calm his nerves.
“I know you, dude. You look like something’s eating you.” Tucker observed. Okay, maybe Danny wasn’t as good a liar as he’d hoped.
“I just have a lot on my mind,” Danny said. He couldn’t believe he was going to confess his feelings to his crushes. He wanted to scooch closer to them in their roomy booth, and he knew that if he just told them how he felt, maybe they’d let him. Or they’d say it was weird and they didn’t want to be friends anymore. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing them.
“You can tell us anything,” Sam said. “You know we won’t judge you.”
“Probably,” Tucker added, with a chuckle. Sam glared at him, but the effect was lessened by her smile.
Danny chuckled. “I know. You guys know my biggest secret. I trust you with my life,”
“Then what’s on your mind?” Tucker asked.
Danny took a deep breath. The smell of delicious Italian food grounded him, helped to pull him out of his head a little. He could do this. Jazz believed it would be okay, and he trusted her.
“I… have a crush.” Danny started. “On you.” He looked between the two of them. Tucker frowned.
“Man, I knew you two had a thing for each other, but I’m kinda third-wheeling it here.”
Danny clarified, “Both of you.” He hid his head in his hands. “Is that weird?” he mumbled into his hands.
Tucker sounded much more lively when he said, “Dude, it’s not just me? I’ve been into you two for ages, but I didn’t think I stood a chance.”
Danny unburied his head from his hands. Tucker and Sam both had huge grins on their faces.
“I’ve had a feeling you liked me ever since the Ember thing, and I like you too,” Sam said. “But I like Tucker too, and I didn’t feel right asking you on a date and leaving him out.”
Danny’s voice was cautious when he said, “So you both like me back? And each other? I hoped, but I didn’t think it would actually come true.” The room looked so much brighter after that revelation. His heart fluttered with excitement.
“Does that make this our first date?” Tucker asked as he speared a meatball with his fork.
Sam laughed, a pure, crystalline sound. “I think so!”
Danny couldn’t help but laugh too, overcome with unbridled joy. His two favorite people in the whole world wanted to be with him. Danny put his arm around their hips and pulled them both closer to him, sliding them along the booth until he was sandwiched between them. Sam turned bright red, and Tucker sputtered. But neither protested.
“That’s better,” Danny said. Sam snuggled her head into Danny’s side. Tucker put a hand on Danny’s thigh, the other hand still focused on his meal. “I love you guys.”
–
Danny flew through the roof of Sam’s house, startling her when he landed in her bedroom. Tucker was already there, laying beside her in bed. Their conversation stopped immediately when they saw him clutching his side, ectoplasm leaking between his fingers.
“Oh my God, Danny, what happened?” Sam exclaimed.
“Technus got a lucky shot in,” Danny grunted through the pain. “I got him though. Can you take a look at this?”
“Yeah, of course.” She cleared a space on the floor and put down a towel for Danny to lay on. She sat at his side, and Tucker kneeled beside him as well. As Sam examined his injury through the rip in his suit, Tucker held his hand and rubbed soothing circles with his thumb.
“How bad does it hurt?” Tucker asked softly.
“I’ve had worse,” Danny said. Sam prodded at the wound and Danny let out a small moan.
“You know I love hearing you moan, but not like this,” Tucker joked. Danny chuckled weakly.
“This is going to need stitches,” Sam said. “I’ll go get the supplies. Tuck, keep an eye on him.”
Danny groaned. He hated getting stitches, but he knew even with his enhanced healing, he would lose a lot of ectoplasm (or blood, if he transformed) if they didn’t stitch it up.
“It won’t take long, and you’ll feel better afterwards,” Tucker promised. He petted Danny’s head, running his fingers through his white hair.
“I know,” Danny said. He leaned into Tucker’s touch. “Thank you for being here. I know how much you hate hospitals.”
“Well, this isn’t a hospital,” Tucker pointed out. “It’s the sterile atmosphere I hate, not the medical procedures themselves. I’m okay. Just worried about you.”
“Well, I’ll be alright. You know me,” Danny said.
Sam reentered the room, medical supplies in hand. She sat down next to Danny and slid the zipper down his jumpsuit. She gently peeled back the suit to reveal a gnarly gash in his side. “Yeah, definitely needs stitches.” She gingerly applied a topical anesthetic to the wound.
“Don’t watch, you know it makes it worse,” Tucker said. “Look at me instead.”
Danny turned his head towards Tucker. He felt the needle pierce his skin, although the pain was dulled by the anesthetic. He winced. Tucker made a sympathetic face. He was so cute when he was worried, his brow furrowed, his mouth curled into a small frown. Danny winced again as he felt another prick of the needle.
“That’s it, you’re doing great,” Sam said as she carefully tended to the wound.
Danny turned to watch Sam as she worked, despite Tucker’s warning. He focused on her face, rather than her hands. Her hair was tied back, and she wore an expression of complete concentration. She was so caring, so sweet and loving when Danny was hurt. Even through the pain, Danny appreciated the care his girlfriend was showing him.
“There, all done,” she finally said. “You look like you could use some cuddles. Come on, let’s get you on the bed.”
Danny protested but when he moved, a jolt of pain shot through him. He allowed his partners to support him as he limped over to the bed.
Danny climbed into bed. Sam and Tucker carefully laid down on either side of him. Tucker nestled himself against Danny’s back. Sam snuggled up under the blanket, pressed up against Danny’s chest. Danny felt so warm with his two favorite people so close to him. It was a comforting kind of warmth, the kind that tells you that everything is going to be okay. And today, he believed it.
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Steph's Year of Recovery
So! Danny noticed that a new face had made it's way into town. Two new faces actually, an older lady known as Dr Leslie, and a girl about his age called Steph.
He first met them when he was at the hospital for one of his parents. They had stood too close to an explosion again, and he met them while he was in the waiting Area.
Dr Leslie was a strict but obviously caring older woman, who seemed to be the one taking care of Steph as a kind of maternal figure, or maybe more like an Aunt. She greeted him simply and then walked away to talk with the Secretary, leaving him to talk to Steph.
Steph was a blond girl in a Wheelchair, and he could see bandages piking out of her clothes as he talked to her. She explained that she had been in an Accident a few weeks ago that left her wheelchair bound for a while, and that she had come to Amity for their surprisingly good Medical Centers.
He and Steph got along really well, and by the end of it he asked her for her Number so they could continue talking later. They stayed in touch, and when she was finally permitted to leave the Hospital, he introduced her to his friends. They all got along like a House on Fire, both figuratively and in one memorable case very literally (Vlad had pissed them off okay!)
Eventually Steph recovered enough that she moved from a Wheelchair to Crutches, and their shenanigans got even more chaotic (Vlad hadn't even pissed them off, this time was just for fun)
The only thing Danny could complain about was the fact that Steph was hiding something from them.
She said that she had been in an Accident a while ago, which was why they had come to Amity in the first place. But Danny knew it was more than that.
He could sense lingering traces of Death coming from her after all.
...
Steph honestly loved her current life.
Sure she had lost everything, her home, her health, her friends, her life, but she had gained new things too! Like Danny and the Gang! They were honestly some of the best friends she had ever had, and for some reason they just clicked with her instantly.
Danny was interesting and funny, Sam was vegan and a badass, Tucker was smart and witty, they all fit with her personality perfectly! It almost felt like she bad been friends with them for years. (She ignored the way her heart skipped a beat when she saw them)
But she still couldn't shake the sense that they were hiding something from her.
She knew it had something to do with the Ghost Problem in the town. And wasn't that a kicker, there was a whole Supernatural Ghost Outbreak in this Town and nobody knew about it. Dr Leslie had said that Amity was off the map enough to hide from Bruce, but she hadn't mentioned it was hidden from the Justice League itself!
Danny, Sam, and Tucker definitely knew more about it than they let on however. Whenever a Ghost Attack would happen, at least one of them would rush off with some practiced excuse and return after the Ghost Attack was over all dirty. She could guess what was going on, and she really didn't like it.
(This had killed her, she had died doing what they were doing, she didn't want to lose them)
Eventually she had to confront them, coincidentally on the same day they decided to confront her.
"Are you Vigilantes?" / "Did you die?"
"..."
"What?" / "What?"
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