#danny why are you using ace bandages

[fishbrain-glubglub]

The fight was going on forever, and Danny was exhausted.

Plasmius had appeared in Amity Park, flaunting some evil plan or whatever. Danny had honestly stopped paying attention after the fourth "Little Badger" and was just trying to figure out a way to escape so he could not study for his upcoming Biology exam and maybe catch more than five hours of sleep in a night.

At least the "not studying" part seemed to be going well for him.

"Honestly, Daniel, I expected more from you." The vampire-imitator blasted a pink ecto-ray at the boy, who didn't have the energy to dodge, and was sent sprawling onto the nearest rooftop, oozing ectoplasm from various cuts across his body. His healing factor was slowed due to lack of rest, and his body was utilizing more of his ecto-energy to just stay in his ghost-form, let alone try and counter-attack. If it wasn't for the fact it was a weekday, Danny would've put more effort into fighting back so he could spend the next day resting.

"Sorry to disappoint, Vlad." Danny rose slowly to his feet, hoping he wasn't shaking. "Not everyone can lounge around in an oversized mansion making thousands of dollars by just breathing."

"Oh, but you could, my boy. All you have to do is-"

"Renounce my father and become your loyal son, blah blah blah." Danny rolled his eyes and held his still bleeding side, praying to keep his ghost form long enough to escape. "You're so predictable. Is there anything you think about that isn't pining over my mom and bribing my loyalty? Get a cat or something."

Plasmius growled and sent another blast to the boy, knocking him back to the ground. Coughing up what felt like three lungs, Danny looked up at the looming fruit loop and shuttered before his ghost form finally dissipated. Ectoplasm transformed into blood and began staining his normal clothes before he was picked up by the back of his shirt. As Danny was turned to face Plasmius, he noticed the frown on the halfa's face.

"What," growled Danny, baring teeth slightly bloodied from his nose. "Was my beating not satisfying enough for you?"

Instead of replying, Vlad set Danny on his shaky feet, stabilizing the boy by holding him under his arms. Settling himself next to Danny, Vlad transformed back to his human form, the frown never leaving his face.

"Oh, now are you going to prove your superiority by beating me in human form?"

Vlad's grip tightened around Danny, digging his fingers into the boy's side, tensing the wraps around his chest Danny had forgotten about.

Oh shit.

"Care to explain, Daniel, what these are?" The man dug his fingers into the wrap again, causing Danny to wince.

"None of your business, Candy Pants." he bit out.

Vlad hummed before narrowing his eyes. "Despite what your naive young mind believes, I do care about your well being."

"You have a wonderful way of showing it."

"And because I care," Vlad continued. "I must insist that if you are to be binding, you are to do it properly and only for the maximum allotted hours for your safety."

Danny's blood ran cold as his entire body stiffened. There was no way that Vlad, after a single interaction, knew what the wraps around Danny's chest were for. "I don't know what your talking about."

"Oh please, dear boy, spare me your pathetic excuses. I know improper chest binding when I see it." Vlad had begun to guide Danny to the edge of the roof, glancing around to check for bystanders before turning the duo invisible and floating them down to the alley below before they emerged onto the sidewalk. "I might be old, but I am not oblivious."

Panic started to settle deep within Danny's core as Vlad led him down the street. The man seemed to be busy on his phone, typing away, probably doing boring rich people things Danny was too poor to care about. He didn't even think he had enough energy to phase out of Vlad's grip or even run down the street without collapsing. He could only hope that Vlad would take pity on him and leave him on a corner so he could crawl his way back home and get many three hours of sleep before starting his day over again with a new set of bruises.

To his surprise, waiting at the corner was a limo with the driver holding open the back door like in the movies. Danny glanced up at Vlad, but the man was still engrossed in his phone, barely sparing a glance at the driver as he dragged the boy into the back, signaling to the driver to start driving.

"I would say I'm surprised at the kidnapping," Danny snarked, trying not to get too comfortable in the admittedly luxurious seats while also trying to push down his rising panic. "but you've already tried to kill me on multiple occasions, so I'll just wait until we get to the torture chamber I'm sure you have hidden in your basement."

Vlad let out a sigh, still not looking away from his phone. "Relax, Daniel."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being kidnapped." He wrapped his arms tightly against his aching chest as Vlad sent him a short glare, flashing red eyes before returning to his phone.

Seriously, what was going on?

He must have nodded off without realizing it, because when he opened his eyes, the neon sign of Fenton Works was shining through the window. Vlad, no longer on his phone, seemed to be patiently waiting for Danny to rise from his much needed slumber.

"Take a photo, it'll last longer."

Vlad only rolled his eyes before exiting the limo. He motioned for Danny to follow, tapping his foot impatiently on the pavement.

After sliding out of the back, Vlad placed a surprisingly gentle hand on his back before guiding him up the steps to the front door.

Before he could slip inside and collapse on his bed for the foreseeable future (until his alarm went of in the morning), Vlad's hand shifted to his shoulder, squeezing for a moment before turning the boy to face him. There was a glimmer of something different in the older man's eye than Danny hadn't seen before. The only word his sleep deprived brain could conjure up was sympathetic. But that couldn't be true. This was Vlad after all.

"If there ever is a time where you need anything..." The man's eyes glanced down to the hidden bindings for a moment before looking back to Danny. "specific your parents might not be aware enough to fund, I am willing to support those endeavors."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "What game are you playing at, Plasmius?"

"No games, dear boy." Vlad patted his shoulder before withdrawing his hand completely. "As I have stated, I care for your well being. Despite our differences, we are more alike than you think. I have a certain understanding that others might be unable to comprehend."

Danny's sleepy brain tried to read between the lines, but he had clearly spent too much energy just trying to stand up straight. Vlad noticed, huffing out a laugh to himself before turning back to his limo.

"Wait!"

Vlad turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not gonna..." Danny licked his lips. "You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

That weird glimmer returned to the fruit loop's eyes. "It's not my place, Little Badger. I'd be quite the hypocrite if I went around 'exposing' your secret."

Danny frowned. "Why?"

Vlad flashed his perfect human teeth. "You'll understand soon enough. Rest well, son" He turned back around and reentered the back of the limo, riding away from a bewildered Danny.

Shaking his head, Danny entered his home, surprised at the lack of parents hovering at the door demanding why he was past curfew. Not wanting to press his luck, he rushed upstairs to his room, shutting the door quietly and ready to sleep until he was 20.

Before he could collapse into bed, however, he noticed the decently sized package waiting for him. It was in a plain black bag, no decals, no logos, nothing. Curious, Danny looked in the bag.

He gasped.

Inside was a stack of skin-colored binders. Proper binders from those websites Danny browsed every so often, unsure on how to ask his parents to buy one. Despite the risks, he had opted to just use ace bandages knowing the abundance they had due to the injuries of ghost fighting. My chest isn't that big. He would reason with himself. I'll be fine for a few hours.

It was never just a few hours, though. As long as Danny existed outside his room or the comfort of Sam or Tucker's room, the bandages were there, squeezing his chest to create the illusion that created enough serotonin to get through the day. Sure, he bound longer than he should, but he was already dead, right? What was the harm?

There was a note at the bottom of the bag, somehow written in familiar snobby fruit-loopy handwriting.

Daniel, I pray that you only use those horrid bandages for their intended purpose from now on. This bag should contain enough garments to last you a while, though with your track record, you'll require more within the year's end. Regardless, I expect you to be safe and take care of yourself properly. I am not above overshadowing you just so you don't permanently damage your ribs by being, as you so eloquently call me, a "fruit loop." I look forward to our next exchange. Vlad Masters

Danny stared at the note, rereading it again and again just to make sure it wasn't a prank and Vlad's pet ghost vultures weren't going to pop out of the bag and capture him for Vlad's gloating Packer-filled pleasure. It seemed too good to be true.

Nothing happened though. The garment stayed where they were and Danny's ghost sense didn't alert him to another threat.

The boy smiled, surprised at the tears forming in his eyes. "Thanks Vlad."

In the morning, if anyone noticed that Danny's shirt didn't seem as rumpled at his chest or that his smile seemed brighter than usual, no one commented. They let the boy go about his day, glancing out the window seemingly staring off into space, his smile never failing for a second.

[phantomphangphucker]

Legless On Maim Chap. 4: The Government Is Firmly Not Doctor Prescribed

For Ectober Day 9: Rain. 

Danny is annoyed but not surprised, Lewis is impressed but not surprised, Valerie is just surprised; but everyone’s a little confused.

Lewis pushes open Danny’s door around seven a.m., two coffees hugged to his chest and bags slung over his shoulder. He’s pretty sure Danny has a bit of a caffeine addiction. Putting one cup on the table before pausing and looking down, there was a pair of legs in red boots laying on the ground. The first place his mind goes is ‘goddamnit Vee, don’t leave out corpses’, but this is Danny. So that is definitely not a dead body, or part of one.

Depositing the bags to the side before walking around the bed to see who they’re attached to, seeing someone -clearly a girl- in a full-body metal ninja suit. Kicking at her feet, because really? Who? Why? Only for her to jerk awake, take one look at him and jump out the window.

Lewis blinks for a second before walking over to the window and watching whoever fly off on a hover-board? Shaking his head and looking at Danny, was he friendly with another hero type? Lewis tilts his head, well actually, he had seen her in a few videos...usually shooting at ghosts, including Phantom. So was she actually here on friendly terms or did Danny just knock her out....and then fall asleep himself. Which even Eddie isn’t enough of a reckless trash-fire to do.

Deciding not to wake up Danny near his hands, he’d rather not make his bruising worse or bruise the other wrist, he pokes at the tail through the sheets. Only for Danny to effectively ensure Lewis is very awake by his tail wrapping around Lewis’s torso and slamming him into the bed; which is honestly more painful than expected from a somewhat soft bed.

Danny growls for a beat before recognising Lewis’s scent and letting go of the guy, chuckling awkwardly, “sorry ‘bout that”. Watching as Lewis straightens his doctors' coat before waving Danny off, “at least you didn’t break a cast this time. Though I absolutely did wake you up near your tail to avoid getting attacked”.

Danny chuckles, “waking me up without me being full attack mode is a pointless task. At least half my fights start with me being awoken suddenly”, grumbling, “really does a number to my sleep schedule”.

Lewis chuckles, “ghosts and criminals, things of the night”, before pointing at the floor where the girl had been, “now, why was there an unconscious ghost hunter in red on the floor? I’m only guessing she’s a hunter because every video with her has her chasing ghosts”, pointing at Danny, “including you”.

Danny glances at the window, part of it still laying on the ground, before shaking his head, “she came and said hi, we’re friendly. Everyone calls her the Red Huntress”.

Lewis snorts and shakes his head, she sure didn’t seem friendly from what he’s seen, “by that you mean friendly to Danny Fenton, right?”.

Danny smirks slightly, he was working on getting her friendly to both sides of him but it was more than a work in progress, “yeah. Destroying Phantom is one of her life goals and videos?”, smirking and raising an eyebrow, “you been looking me up doc?”.

Lewis shrugs but points to Danny’s coffee, Danny smiling with ever so slight surprise and sipping at it while Lewis speaks, “I’m a curious man and you did tell me who you are. Though that may have only given me more questions”.

“Oh?”.

Lewis nods and downs the rest of his coffee before it gets too cold, that may likely not bother Danny but Lewis prefers reasonably well-temperatured drinks, “from what I looked at, Phantom and Fenton act wildly different. Yet neither seem like the you I’ve seen since you’ve been here. And you did say your Phantom form was just an inversion of how you looked upon death, so what’s with the symbol? Obviously you made the Phantom name after dying, yet the symbol obviously means Danny Phantom”.

Danny snorts and stretches out his tail some, wiggling the rest of his body a little as well, “can’t act the same in both forms, that’s suspicious, and you’re not from Amity. You don’t really know of me. So no point playing up the weakling or the hero around you”, chuckling and tracing a little DP over his chest with his tail tip, “there’s a wild story there. Inadvertently un-half died so had to half off myself again. Added the symbol to my original suit in black beforehand”, sighing happily, “re-half dying was worth the style points”.

Lewis scrunches up his eyebrows, “so you’ve died half-way twice? That seems highly illogical. And it sounds like you had the choice not to, yet did it anyway full well knowing what you’d become?”. At least that’s one way to eliminate the debate of whether or not he had a choice being the way he was.

Danny smiles and nods eagerly, “of course, I wouldn’t have me any other way. I’d do it again, as many times as needed, to stay Phantom. And I also made myself technically never get born once, fixed that obviously”, shaking his head, “mom almost dissected me that day. One of four times I’ve been strapped or chain down to some instrument of torture”.

Lewis shakes his head, deciding to not touch how someone could make themselves not exist while still being in existence enough to correct that, that’s a paradox if he’s ever heard one. “Strapped to torture instruments is a bit commonplace for Eddie and that was before even becoming Venom. Since then I think they’re at two. And both Eddie and Vee would say the same about being Venom. They could have stayed separate, honestly glad they didn’t. I don’t think anyone else could support Vee and Eddie would just implode on his own”.

Danny chuckles, he damn well hopes most people couldn’t even tolerate supporting Vee’s ‘diet’, “I’d implode too. One thing I’ve learned and know well. Be something or someone long enough and you can’t go back. Even if your body or life does. My ghostly instincts and Obsession are just part of me at this point”.

Lewis dips his head at Danny, made sense. Eddie is probably too used to Vee healing him and being functionally indestructible, that he would probably accidentally kill himself. “Humans are adaptable things. But reverting is like breaking a habit, most will fail miserably”, tilting his head and remembering another question, “and nether you nor Eddie are truly human fully. That’s a much bigger change. There’s no special fancy name for what’s Eddie is, he just gets called a host. But, if I remember correctly, you mentioned a word I haven’t heard before, ‘halfa’? Is that what you are?”.  

Danny blushes slightly, stupid tongue, “heh, that’s the word. Half creature, hybrid, half-ghost, half-breed, half-formed. If someone’s really a dick, bastardisation”.

Lewis frowns at the last one, because that’s the appropriate reaction. The term was rather accurate but probably not appreciated, “that’s a lot of ways to say half something, half something else. Most seem a bit insulting”.

Danny snorts as Lewis gets up to throw out the two empty cups, “the whole alive and dead thing is a bit of a spit in the face to both and existence in general. So it makes sense”, pointing at Lewis, “your friends are natural technically. Humans playing host to other organisms is commonplace and Symbiotes, from what you’ve said, naturally have hosts. So hosting a Symbiote is natural really. But halfas? Nothing natural about that. It’s like a major glitch in the universe. Something abominable. Don’t really bother me though”.

“That’s good?”, well at least he didn’t seem to mind, positives. Shrugging slightly and setting bandaging to the side, “well Vee’s rather viewed a bit like that for being not evil. But that’s not the same of course”, picking up a garbage can and smiling cheerily, “now I was thinking we ought to get those casts off. Would make people think you’re doing better and let you move around some”, shrugging at Danny’s smile, “course you’ll still be bandaged up, no way you shouldn’t be, and-”, lifting up a larger bag, “-you’re wearing braces”.

Danny groans exaggeratedly at seeing the guy pull out two long ones with hinges -obviously for his arms-, two for his wrist and fingers -but hey! At least it looks like he’ll actually be able to move his fingers, not bend them though-, and what looks like a bulletproof vest with lots of straps and ribbing. Great. Least the bandaging mostly looks like ace wrapping, which he uses for nastier wounds or breaks here and there. So that’s familiar enough. But...Danny smirks slightly, “so I can just get out of the casts now?”.

Lewis nods and makes a point of not jerking from Danny just sitting up and throwing his arms out. Basically breaking apart all of the castings and hitting Lewis with a few pieces. Danny chuckles, “I make no apologies”.

Lewis shrugs, “well, I did take your legs”.

“And you didn’t even give me proper payment! Those were fantastic rare samples of a unique species I’ll have you know”, Danny waves a finger at him before stretching out in genuine, eyeballing the door all the while.

Lewis just motions for Danny’s arm and starts wrapping it up. Danny raising an eyebrow, “are you wrapping everything?”.

Lewis, securing it, “everything should, normally and logically, still be casted. You’re already getting a good deal here”. Danny huffs but lets Lewis do his job.

Lewis would admit, if asked, that he is absolutely marvelling over Danny’s healing. He was in perfect condition and just like the work Vee can do, it’s always incredible to see healing like this. Though he is definitely getting some strange side-eyeing from Danny as he inspects Danny’s bodies work.

Danny, meanwhile, thinks it’s probably for the best that Lewis doesn’t usually deal with conscious non-drugged patients. He could see Skulker going over his pelt like this, like an appraiser looking over a sought after collection, a hunter grazing their fingers over their favourite trophy prize, a cat eyeballing the best meal they’ve had in weeks. Lewis is again, really really weird, “dude, if you try to steal my body for display or something, we are going to have issues. One fucker doing that is enough, thank you very much”.

Lewis glances at Danny as he’s snapping on the second arm brace, “your body does good work. I like admiring good work, preferably my own but still. And who wants to display you? That sounds more than a little worrying”.

Danny chuckles, “I’m practically a one of a kind creature Lewis, my pelt is the trophy prize of trophy prizes. Skulker, a collector and poacher, is more than just a little fixated on me”, shaking his head and grunting a little from the finger braces, definitely not comfortable, “he has a display section specifically assigned for me and is pretty much my personal stalker at this point. Makes good pie though”.

Lewis shakes his head, “your life is complicated”, and motions for Danny to sit on the edge of the bed so he can put on the torso brace; Danny’s tail swishing around some.

Danny spreads his fingers repeatedly and bends them as much as he can at the first knuckles, which isn’t much, as Lewis moves around the back to finish securing the last brace; which he’s sure is pretty similar to the feel of an actual bulletproof vest. “You’ve got no idea. And there’s schooling on top of it, which my sister’s probably going to be bringing by today, so heads up for that”.

Lewis nods curtly, “noted”, and steps back to assess and admire. Readjusting a few things to look better. Symmetry matters.

Danny, deciding to mess with the guy a little for being a bit creepy, promptly transforms under the braces, also changing them like he did to the battle suit he used to fight Pariah. Hand and wrist braces turning white, the rest all black with his insignia over the chest of the torso brace. Green circles at every joint and white lines tracing the edges, black lines for his wrists and hands.

Lewis blinks and coughs, firmly startled and a bit confused while Danny’s looking over the design with a small smirk. Hearing him mutter, “not half bad actually”. Lewis shakes his head some and inspects one of the arm braces, “how and why?”.

Danny shrugs and transforms over the braces, making them seemingly disappear. Which Lewis gives him a seriously unimpressed and slightly insulted look for. Danny chuckles as he changes back human, braces reappearing completely normal. Lewis shaking his head and tapping on the arm brace, “you just altered -absorbed?- and recreated mass. Mass that wasn’t even your own”.

“I'm an impossible thing. Logic need not apply. When I’m all ghost, my organs and bones are optional. I can literally be just a bunch of floating vaguely person-shaped ectoplasm. Don’t ask me where my clothing and what not goes when I transform”, shrugging, “running theory, my ectoplasmic flesh just coats everything and absorbs or alters it”.

Lewis tilts his head, he didn’t exactly know what happened to Eddie's body or anything really either. Sometimes Venom could peel back to show Eddie’s face or body being right there, the next you could be staring down a throat that clearly wasn’t attached to a human. Illogical. Pointing at Danny, “you know, that’s pretty similar to running theory on what Vee does. Symbiotic flesh seeps out of Eddies pours and coats him. Sometimes absorbing him sometimes not, very illogical indeed. Vee also pretends to be Eddie’s clothing by doing that sometimes. Makes a very convincing leather jacket”, shaking his head with a slight smile, “just one that might bite you”.

Danny chuckles and stretches out again, trying to get a feel for these things, “Tuck once made a joke that my transformation rings eat my human stuff and clothing, then vomit it back out when I change back”, before letting Lewis re-securing and check over all the tubes and wiring attached to him.

Lewis checks his watch and laughs, with the way the Venom transformation happens it did look a lot like Vee eating Eddie’s face. While Danny floats off the bed and swirls around the room a little. Floating to look over Lewis’s shoulder, “let me guess, you’ve got more actual work to do today?”.

Lewis nods, probably oddly unfazed by the floating teen, “indeed, cutting it close already. Mostly just phone calls, paperwork and dealing with the underlings”, patting Danny’s shoulder, “at least attempt to stay in bed mostly, other people do show up here you know”.

Danny waves him off, “pfft I’ve vacuumed my house in ghost form before. Really is the easiest way to vacuum the walls”.

Lewis pauses at the door and looks back at him slightly, “who vacuums their walls?”.

“Fenton’s”.

Danny floats around the room, checking out random things, though being careful to not pull off any of the monitoring crap stuck to him. Don’t want to go giving Lewis a heart attack or something. Eventually running out of that to do, so he tests out the range of motion on every single section of the braces. Which, hint, was not very much.

Around noon he’s pretty much just laying in bed fiddling with his fingers and waiting for lunch, when Val/Red comes in through the window a bit aggressively and does a roll across the ground.

Danny blinks, “uh hey, again”, as she springs up and deactivates her helmet. Danny instantly frowning and sitting up at her looking slightly disheveled and worried. “What is it?”.

Valerie glances out the window at the vehicles, “didn’t want those guys seeing me and wondering why the Red Huntress was here”, looking back to Danny, “out of casts I see. It looks...way less serious”.

Danny smirks, “yeah”, moving his arm around and bending his fingers as much as he can, “still annoying though. Kinda feel like I’m in a battle suit myself though”.

Both of them look out the window as it starts raining, Valerie smiling, “do I ever have good timing”.

Danny squints, something seemed kind of...off, “yeah......”, tilting his head at Val, “what guys? My folks are here too?”.

Valerie sighs and shakes her head, slightly annoyed and not really sure nor caring why they were here, “no, it’s those idiotic G.I.W. their cars stick out li-”.

Danny promptly cuts her off, hiding his panic for now, “what? Are, um, sure they’re here?”, Danny looks at the stuff hocked up to him, figuring out what order to get rid of or deactivate them while alerting the staff as late as possible.  

Valerie squints at him, a little confused, the G.I.W. were just confusing and annoying that’s it, “yeah, they always wear those super clean white suits and the pompous sunglasses”.

“Ah fuck”, Danny prompt floats off the bed and to the window, looking out and indeed seeing their damn vehicles, one that is definitely a heavy-duty ecto-entity transportation vehicle, “fuck me”, squinting more at the rain, it was a really bright blue. Intense colours and him altering colour palettes was normal in Amity, but here? Was he already ecto-contaminating this place that much?

Now Valerie is both confused and a little worried, not to mention startled by Danny just...floating. Watching the tail vibrate like static, clearly upset or freaked out. She’s just going to assume Danny’s tried this floating thing already or it comes naturally with the tail, “what is it? I know they’re annoying but I highly doubt they’d be visiting some kid. Even if you’re a Fenton”.

Danny glances at her before zipping over to all the devices hooked up to him, fiddling with them as he responds, “you see the big van? Like an armoured truck? They are absolutely here for me. And if they find me, they’ll shove me in that and take me to who knows where for lots of painful experiments”.

Valerie blinks, judging by how focused and panicked he seemed -not to mention how he was deactivating machines, tearing sensors off, and cutting through any tubes that were more impeded in him- he was serious about this. But why?, “that doesn’t make sense Danny. Why would they do that? You’re a human kid”.

Danny looks at her a little stunned that it wasn’t obvious before zipping back to the window, he couldn’t go out this way, he’d be spotted and he’d rather not start showing off his powers to Val. Floating around was probably already pushing it. Plus, hospitals had tons of exits. “I’m a human kid with a ghostly tail and ectoplasm in my blood. The hospital took samples from me when I arrived, they would have access to that. My folks' samples they don’t”, turning to her as he floats against his door and listens, whispering to her as she walks over quietly, looking a bit more serious now, “they’ve come after me before, I tricked them so they dropped it. Can’t do that again cause the device I used was destroyed”, Danny doesn’t even have to ask if she’s helping him get out of here, partly because it would be easier if she didn’t partly because he knows she’s going to help even if he asked her not to, as he expertly gets the lock open and sticks his head out.

Valerie grabs him and yanks his head back in, whispering, “what do you think you’re doing?”, gesturing at his tail, “if they’re after you then that getting spotted is the worst thing you could do”.

Even if people did spot his tail, people can write a quick glimpse off as a trick of the eye, “I can’t stay here”.

Valerie dashes back to Danny’s hospital bed, it still hurt that he even had one, and yanks off the top sheet. Tossing it at Danny and whispering, “then hide it, I’ll carry you. You know damn well I can be sneaky”. The fact that he doesn’t even complain about that, instead just lays on the ground and coils the tail up tightly, tying the sheet around it and his waist; really makes it clear he’s very serious about this.

She picks him up, firmly pushing off her mild freak out overdoing that and how light he is, while he throws an arm around her shoulder and neck. Promptly sticking her head out the door and booking it towards an empty hallway.

Danny makes a damn point to pay attention to his senses, smelling for people or where he can smell more fresh air -likely closer to an exit- as Val runs impressively quietly. Of course, him getting carried is damn embarrassing and the jostling isn’t pleasant, if he was actually still injured this would probably hurt like Hell. “Left.....Right......Right....”, pointing at one of the bridges, “over that, exit”.

Valerie huffs and makes a point to walk more casually, even if they get some weird looks no one really thinks much of it, “Danny, you memorised, the building? Just how, cautious are you?”.

Danny just grunts as they get across, looking over the railing to see Lewis talking to two clearly annoyed G.I.W. agents, “as much as needed”.

Valerie follows his line of sight just before she starts manoeuvring to a stairwell, seeing three agents talking to Danny’s weird -seriously who says stuff like that?- doctor, “fuck, you’re right”. Then muttering as she starts down the stairs, “I’m not hurting you am I?”.

Danny grunts as she gets open the door to outside, logically he should be in pain but that would make her feel bad, “I’m fine, let’s just go”.

Valerie plops Danny on the ground, activates her helmet only, and sticks her head out into the pouring rain, looking around for a clear coast.

Danny looks at the rain and his bandaging, chuckling, “Lewis is gonna be pissed”. Untying the sheet, because honestly the goal was to be totally unseen now, thank you rain for the poor visibility in that regard. Floating over near her though not sticking his head into the rain, and muttering, “don’t give me shit for not being carried anymore. I’d rather be able to zip off if I have to”.

Valerie side-eyes him but nods, it made sense, she might have to play distraction or something. Plus, the rain made it incredibly darker. At least it will likely be a while before anyone comes out here to look for them so they’ve got time to wait for a good while.

Lewis was walking to the front desk to check over somethings and make a couple drop-offs, when he spotted the three white-suited men. Making a point to not stare or looking at them, or chuckle for that matter, they looked like nock off Men In Black agents. Guys In White, Hell that was a complete rip off actually.

Ignoring them as one agent asks the receptionist, “Agent S, government agent. We need to see some patient files-”.

“I’m sorry sir, if you’re not family or the patient we can’t release that kind of information”.

Lewis nearly chokes and laughs at the Agents response, “we do your taxes. All the ones for the people who were brought in from the car crash in Amity Park, files now”.

The receptionist gives them a disbelieving look and takes her sweet time looking over the guys' badge, “sorry sir, I still can not release that information to you”.

“Where are their rooms located?”.

The receptionist, who’s obviously mistrustful of them now. Lewis almost thinks she should get a raise for putting up with this, as she responds, “many are in special intensive care or discharged. Those still here are not allowed unapproved visitors-”.

“Where are their rooms, we will come in with a warrant”.

She completely ignores their comment, “-All approvals are being handled by their respective doctors. If you wish to see any of them you will need approval”.

One of the other Agents steps up, “who are the doctors”, that’s supposed to be a question but it sounds like a demand.

Lewis, deciding to catch them off guard a little, “I am one”.

The receptionist functionally exits the conversation at this point and goes back to her work. Not wanting to deal with these blowhards or Dr. Lewis. Taking the finished paperwork from the strange surgeon. She was more than happy to hear he would be going away for a while to help look after his patient, whose parents he was apparently friends with. How they could tolerate him was a bit of a mystery but from the little interaction she’s had with them, they were weird too. Possibly more weird.

The one identified as Agent S steps towards Lewis, “how many patients”.

“That information is private”.

All three agents flash their badges, “not from the government it’s not”.

Lewis makes a damn point of inspecting the badges, which are real annoyingly enough. Still doesn’t matter, “you need a warrant then”.

One of the agents types away and not even a second or two later the receptionist is handing Lewis a warrant. Lewis nods at it, these guys were fast, why couldn’t the guys who actually do his taxes be like that? Clearing his throat, “I don’t have many in my care at the moment, as I usually handle surgeries. I’m not sure how helpful that will be to you”, waiting for a beat while they stare before continuing, “as it stands, I’m looking after three. Only two from the crash”.

The three nod, before agent S speaks, “file and room location for both”.

“Why?”.

“We are with the government”.

Looking over the warrant quickly, nothing about files or rooms, “not good enough. Friends and family only”. Lewis has a feeling that these guys are used to throwing their positions and titles around.

One of the other agents steps forward, “then we want to see your superior”.

Lewis smirks, he loved doing this, “I am the superior”.

The agent squints at his name tag and snaps, “the hospital head then”.

Lewis restrains a chuckle, that was going to get them nowhere fast. Giving them her number anyway and fetching a coffee while he waits. Hiding his smirk with the rim of the cup at the clearly frustrated agents. No way Ms. Leevy would go against Lewis’s decision over visitation of all things, especially for a special case patient or one very wealthy woman, both of whom Lewis himself worked on. He was strange and disliked but everyone knew he was damn good. It was a rare day in Hell when he was actually questioned. It had probably been years since he had been actually.

Frowning ever so slightly as the Agent clearly makes another call, likely his own government superiors. Lewis stands up as Agent S comes back over, “take us to their rooms and provide their documentation now”.

Lewis doesn’t get a chance to respond as the receptionist calls him over and hands him faxed in documents, looking a little frazzled. These guys actually got warrants, just like that once again. Danny was right to be cautious of them, but this functionally ties Lewis’s hands. And considering these guys will shoot rockets at teenagers, he’s got no doubt they’ll storm the building if he refuses at this point. That would put everyone in the hospital at risk and likely wouldn’t do much in the way of stalling.

Making a damn point of using the slowest, most annoying, and glitchy computer they have, Lewis goes about opening up Lilly’s file. Taking the long way instead of using his personal code to bypass things. But blinking when he finds the file, it was severely corrupted. Most of the files were practically unusable, even the descriptions and names were hardly intact.

Agent S snapping, “what’s wrong, why does it look like that. Unencrypt it”.

This gets the receptionist's attention again as she looks over and squints, muttering, “that’s not encryption. What in the world?”.

Lewis shakes his head, confused and a little stumped. Moving over to what he knows is Danny’s file to find it looks the same. It’s like a virus came in and took bites out of it. One file even crashes the computer when he tries to open it. The screen showing a little spinning PDA for a second before turning off completely. Danny’s friends were officially a little terrifying. What kind of hacking or programming did Tucker even use to do something like this? The kid better well have a back up of Lily’s file, Lewis kind of needs that.

Lewis shakes his head at the screen and stands, turning to the receptionist, “have the IT guys look into that”, before turning to the Agents, “warrant or no, you’re out of luck. Flies are damaged”.

Agent S snapping with clear distaste and ego, “rooms then. I’m sure your hospital isn’t so horrible that the rooms can get corrupted or doctors forget their patients' rooms”. Clearly these government dogs were pricks.

Lewis holds up his finger as his pager goes off, no one should be paging him at this point so something was clearly going wrong or there was an emergency. Checking it to see that it was a vitals alarm from Danny’s room. Seriously hoping that’s because the kid disconnected stuff, not actually having an emergency. Good thing Lewis messed with the alarms from Danny’s room. The nurses would simply be notified that Danny had been transferred rooms and to clean up the room. So to give the nurses time to do their jobs, Lewis takes the slightly longer route to Lily’s room and isn’t surprised at all when they aren’t too interested in Lily. He’s even less surprised Danny’s gone and the room is clean.

Looking at the agents and, restraining a smirk, says, “oh no, guess they’ve been misplaced”. The agents are unimpressed.

Meanwhile, Valerie and Danny smile at the backlot clearing out, hadn’t taken even remotely long. Valerie suiting up fully to stay dry and blend in a bit better. Plus her board would be quieter than running through puddles. Looking back to Danny, who’s sitting on the ground, tail wrapped under his torso. The less floating he does the better, he doesn’t want to seem too used to this. Valerie asking, “you good just riding piggyback on my board? I’m fast and I think I can steer better than you can use the tail”.

Danny nods as she activates her board, holding gently around her neck; letting his tail just float about in case he has to run/fly off. Nodding again as she asks, “good to go?”. Before shooting off.

However, Danny near-instantly stiffens, yelps, and yanks his tail to curl in between the rest of his body and Val. Wincing and shaking slightly from every raindrop. This was not normal rain. hissing out, “go back, fuck, ow. Fuck”.

If Valerie hadn’t been concerned by the comment she would be by the fact that she can’t fell Danny’s tail moving at all and it seems like his muscles are shaking and spasming. So she promptly flies back. Pretty much having to peel Danny’s stiff and definitely seized up arms from around her neck. Grabbing the sheet they left behind and patting off the rain a bit frantically, which she’s now noticing looks way too brightly coloured.

Danny groans, this shit fucking hurts. Goddamn G.I.W. twats. They probably were spraying this crap or some shit. Jerkily pushing himself to sit up against Val/Red’s leg after he gets some control of his muscles back, he can feel that stuff burned his skin too. Looking down at his, smaller than it should be, tail and finally noticing the lack of movement. Trying to float or bend it and utterly failing. This was not good. Leaning forward and scooping his hand underneath it, lifting it only for it to behave like a limp soggy noodle. Letting go of it for it to just flop to the ground. Looking up at Val/Red, who’s frowning, Danny clears his throat probably sounding a little shocky, “heh, l-let’s hope this isn’t...permanent”.

Valerie nods jerkily, having a ghostly tail was weird enough, losing legs was horrible enough, not being able to use what he does have would be downright cruel. Moving and helping Danny to stiffly lay on the ground. Deactivating her suit and looking at her dry clothing and skin, she couldn’t just give him her suit, it was part of her body. But if they could put something else over him....pointing at him, “just wait here”, before booking it back into the building.

Danny’s hoping she’s got some kind of idea, because he’s a sitting duck here and he can’t even doing anything about that really. Dragging himself over to a wall and flopping onto his side, groaning a bit and trying to ignore the spasms. Grabbing his tail and pulling it up to his face so he can inspect it. It taking a few tries because of wet braces and the super malleable composition of ectoplasm that’s only barely holding the form of a ghostly tail. But he manages and it was ragged instead of smooth and little holes in spots. Danny could also tell his bodies ectoplasm had been pretty heavily depleted. Which is starting to make him a fair bit tired, not to mention weak. Which only serves to annoy him and make him more paranoid.

And what if his tail couldn’t recover from this? Zone knows what’s in that ‘rain’. What if he won’t be able to fly or float anymore? That would, that would be awful. He’d rather his legs not grow back at all, ever, than not fly again. Pushing down his rising panic as Val comes back with rubber aprons.

Valerie’s pretty well positive he’s either going into shock or something worse with how wide-eyed he looks, not to mention the shaking. Quickly wrapping him in the aprons and making a damn point to make sure all of him is covered, especially the tail. Looking kind of like a Danny burrito at the end, trying to make this seem less shitty, she chuckles slightly, “you look silly”.

Danny looks at her speaking a bit awkwardly, “prick”, before jerking and wincing in pain, feeling his Core do the closest thing it can to seizing up. This felt an awful lot like the Plasmius Maximus. Which, for once, was actually encouraging. That wore off after a while.

Valerie grabbing his shoulders, more than a little worried, “Danny. Are you okay?”.

Danny grunts, “not really. My ectoplasm’s basically seizing up now”, nodding his head stiffly at her, “suit up, we still need to get out of here”.

Valerie frowns but does as she’s asked, “Danny, I didn’t even know you had ectoplasm in you before. How bad is that?”.

Danny chuckles a little hollowly, “everyone in Amity does”.

She looks to where she knows his tail is a bit judgingly as she lays him over the nose of her board, “not enough to set off detectors or form ghost tails, Danny. You even said you have a lot in you even before now, more than everyone else”, patting his back and grabbing on to him, “you good to try again?”.

Danny nods as she creeps out, “I’m fine, go. And yeah I guess I did. Something similar to this has happened before, minus the burning-”.

Valerie cuts in as she crouches and speeds off, making sure to keep a good grip on Danny, “burning!?!”.

Danny grunts, “yeah, felt like someone was dripping acid on me-”.

Cutting in again, “how did you not scream from that?”.

“High pain tolerance. My house is an accidental death waiting to happen. Anyway, if this works like the other thing did, I’ll be fine in time”, Danny’s pretty well clinging to that idea and freaking out would not be helpful at all right now. He doesn’t have time for a freakout.

Valerie ducks behind some cars, grumbling, “well you still should get treatment from your folks or the....doctor guy, for it. Can they even treat your, er, ectoplasm? What if it doesn’t get better at all”.

Danny grumbles as she has to backtrack again, there were more agents showing up, “yes but my ‘plasm’s usually just left alone to do its thing. And I don’t really know. My tail would probably fade away, other than that. I really don’t know”, he could make a few guesses, but not only does he not want to voice them but she’ll ask some questions. Because really, there was only three options. He’d die fully, he’d come fully back to life, or he just wouldn’t be able to use his ghost stuff and side anymore. All of them are fucking horrible and he is firmly not thinking about that. Instead grimacing at what’s functionally crowds in every direction. Some with agents some not. Grumbling, “damnit, can I use your com by chance? Make phone calls?”.

Valerie’s got no clue what he’s up to but she’s got nothing, so she puts a spare pair of her suits headphones into his ears and shoves a little remote into his hand. Muting the call on her helmet for privacy, “here, I’m not listening. Do whatever plan you have”.

Danny smiles and calls Tuck, speaking as soon as he picks up, “don’t ask, where you at?”.

“We’re both in Amity dude, what’s happening?”.

“Seeing a marching band“, their code for the G.I.W. are here, “little red bird’s joined the black parade”, meaning the Red Huntress is helping Danny, “patch me to doc man. Because you fuckers are a long way off. Got a probable fake-out make-out in mind“, mentally groaning over their phrase for saving Danny ass through trickery, “and can’t use little red bird, marching band’s got eyes”. It was way too easy for them to get spotted if Val/Red just flies off and he’s not about to risk her secret like that. Besides, the G.I.W. are stupid but not that stupid.

“Noticed, hacked and cracked. Hold your knickers.....and done. Connecting. Don’t ghost us”, with that Danny hangs up so he can talk with Lewis and probably so Tuck can watch what the G.I.W. are doing. Least it sounds like he deleted Danny’s file or something similar.

Seconds later Lewis picks up, sounding a bit incredulous, “hello?”.

“What’s up doc? You got a car right?”.

“Yes. It’s in the west bay lot. I have a lot of questions. I’m in the bathroom holding my pager, which firmly can not take calls, to my ear. How?”.

Danny chuckles and looks up at Val/Red, “not speaking to you right now. Hey driver, we need the west bay lot”, leaning his face back down so no rain can possibly get on it as she flies off cautiously and clearly a bit confused. “I’m back doc. Don’t question the powers of the very geek. Just meet us by your shit and grab the shit I came in with. All of it. Even scraps”.

Danny can practically hear Lewis’s smirk, “that’s easy. Confiscated it days ago. See you soon”. Danny smirks as he hangs up.

Danny chuckles slightly, body feeling a ton better but ectoplasm still not usable, “we’re good to go. You’re basically dropping me off with Lewis. No one will think something weird of a doctor going out for late lunch or early supper”.

Valerie shakes her head, “I didn’t even understand half of what you said. But you got lucky with your doctor”.

Danny simply smiles as they near the parking lot. Danny spotting some well-dressed guy walking with a large briefcase. As they get closer and Danny squints, it’s clearly Lewis. “Dude walking with a briefcase. Looks weird without his doctor coat”.

Valerie’s just assuming Danny knew whereabouts his doctor would be, since she can barely see the person.

Lewis spots the Red Huntress -how does that board of hers work?- and promptly unlocks his car, signalling for the back doors to open. Managing to get to the car just after the girl dumps what looks like a rubber black garbage bag in the back seat. The girl pointing at Lewis and speaking with an oddly deep voice, “I don’t care what he says, give him medical attention when safe”, then promptly flies off out of sight.

Lewis hops in the car, tosses his briefcase onto the floor in the back, and starts the car as he closes the door. Turning around and speaking as he uses the back window to reverse instead of his camera so that he can see that Danny’s indeed here, wrapped in rubber? And not in a way Vee would like Eddie to be. Shaking his head to clear that image and speaking, “I have even more questions. Guess we’re heading to Amity a little early huh?”, and then fucking drives off.

Danny chuckles and unwraps the aprons as quickly as he can with his stiffness and without getting any of the ‘rain’ on himself. Pushing himself to sit up and stuffing the aprons under the seat. “I bet you do. But no, should probably hold off on going to Amity. You’ll be followed and it’d be suspicious if you do that before you’re scheduled to be off work. You’re just taking a late lunch is all”.

Lewis stares at him through the review mirror, Danny just left needles stuck into his skin and let himself be tossed around, “take out the needles. Seriously. And I am not just letting you run off and I definitely can’t take you out for food in public. Leaving you in here all day would be more risky than you just hiding in a hospital closet”, watching the road though squinting, Danny’s tail was strangely still, “what’s going on with your tail?”.

Danny huffs a little and yanks out the couple things still hooked into him, before grabbing the brief case and digging through his clothing pockets, “the rain’s not rain doc. It’s an anti-ecto solution. My ectoplasm is functionally paralysed right now. It burned the Zone out of me too. So yes, I need to be rewrapped for burn-ah! Yes!”, lifting up his little keychain thermos and poking the uncram button, making it return to a full-sized thermos.

Lewis isn’t sure if he’s unimpressed at his work getting ruined again or impressed that it happened so quickly. “I can’t keep bandaging on you for even a day, can I? And how is a thermos useful? And was it shrunken before?”.

Danny shakes the thermos with a smirk, “this is the most useful thing I have. And yes, folks built a shrink gun like a year ago. Built and repurposed parts from it to build into one of my thermoses. That way I can have a thermos keychain and never be without one”.

Lewis furrows his brows, just how many logic-defying things had his old friends made? “The laws of the universe don’t apply to Fenton’s, in general, do they? And that doesn’t answer how the thermos is useful”.

Danny actually laughs at that, though suppressing a wince for rattling his paralysed Core, as he checks to make sure the thermos is actually empty, “pretty much. It’ll seem less weird after dad accidentally sucks the house into an alternate dimension a few times. Dream catchers that spit people in half and heavily weaponised jumpsuits, yes those suits they wear are weaponised, seem a lot less odd comparatively”, Danny’s firmly enjoying Lewis’s slightly confused expression, and confusing the guy is a welcome distraction. Smirking slightly, he opens the thermos at the car roof, the beam shooting out but of course doing nothing as he puts the cap back on.

Lewis nearly jerks the wheel, not expecting Danny to start shooting his car, deadpanning, “why did you shoot my car? What does that do? And just how weaponised”.  

Danny puts it to the side and sorts through the briefcase more for a pair of Fenton Phones, “you got a screwdriver kit? And it’s a capture device. I don’t just beat ghosts up till they leave. I catch ‘em...in a thermos”.

Lewis digs around in his dash compartment and hands back a kit, whose taken to laying across the seats, “well you are not going to be catching any ghosts. So what are you using it for”. Glancing in the mirror to see Danny tearing apart one of what looks like a green wireless earbud with a mic that’s sitting on his stomach, “and those?”.

Danny holds up the intact one, “Fenton Phones. Name says it all, gimme your pager”, explaining more as Lewis just does it and starting to take that apart too, “I'm fusing the communication bits of the one Fenton Phone into your pager. That way we can communicate”.

“I have a phone you know. And those pagers cost money”.

Danny rolls his eyes, “phones can be tapped. Fenton Phones can’t be. They also can’t be traced”, looking at Lewis’s face through the review mirror, “you could just wear it but that would be noticeable. Or do you want me to take apart your phone”.

Lewis, recognising when he should just go along with whatever a weird friend wants, promptly nods, “you can have the pager”, like how you just don’t try to share food with Vee, best let them have the whole plate, or bowl. Clearing his throat, “but I’m still not letting you run off or stay in the car. Since you won’t go to Amity then what?”.

Danny lifts up the thermos and shakes it, before finishing up the pager and testing it. Smiling with a nod and handing the pager back, “I’m hiding in the thermos. So technically, I am catching a ghost, me. Then you just jab the cram button and hide it where ever. Could even shove it and thusly me, in you wallet”.

Lewis gives Danny seriously dubious eyebrows through the review mirror, “you can fit in that?”.

“It’s a Hell of a lot comfier than the vacuum. And dad accidentally crammed -shrunk- me once before so that’s safe too”. Danny leans forward and uses his elbows two perch himself up on the centre console, tail just flopping unceremoniously on the ground as he holds up the thermos and starts pointing at buttons, “cram, uncram, capture, and this last one’s release. You’ll have to uncram the thermos and then use the release button to let me out”.

Lewis is genuinely considering labelling this as the weirdest day he’s ever had. And it’s just over half over, “so you want me to just, carry you around in a tiny thermos for hours on end? So you can avoid the government officials crawling all over my hospital?”.

Danny nods a bit erratically, “yes, exactly. You could leave me in the car or your locker, if you have one of those. Sure I’ll be a little cranky and sore, it’s not the Taj Mahal in there. But it’s safe and they won’t be able to detect me with scanners”.

“They have scanners for you? Seriously?”.

Danny rolls his eyes, “no, all ghosts. So do my folks. I set that stuff off if they’re sensitive enough regardless of form. I set them off even easier now it seems, blaming the tail for that. My parents' scanner even says, ‘you’d have to be a moron to not spot the ghost directly in front of you’. The ghost grabber adds ‘beware’ after every word I say. And the boomerang will always aim for and hit me if someone throws it. There’s a really long list actually”.

Lewis shakes his head, this was a bit absurd, “and yet they still don’t realise you’re half ghost? Even with their devices point-blank telling them you are a ghost?”.

Danny shrugs, “people are blind, like I said. Anyway, I’mma hide before my luck runs out and G.I.W. drives by or something”.

Lewis almost wishes he pulled over as Danny aims it at his face, gets hit by a blue beam and seems to basically dissolve into Danny coloured mist and gets sucked inside; thermos clattering to the ground. Lewis waits till he gets to the little diner to grab the thermos and hit the cram button. Looking at his pager and pushing the new green button, “you good?”.

Danny’s voice coming through the pager, “I’m fine doc, just go eat and don't be suspicious. I can hear through the thermos by the way. And yes, even I qualify this situation as rather weird even by my standards”.

Lewis shakes his head, clipping the thermoses little key chain on his wallets inside zipper and zipping the whole thing closed, “glad I’m not the only one”, before heading in for food.

One of the annoying things about his ectoplasm being disabled, Danny thinks, is that he can’t move around. Since the thermos basically dissolves and hyper condenses ghosts into just their pure ectoplasm. Sure you could make/keep that ectoplasm you shaped...if you could actually move your ectoplasm. But at least he was alone in here. Though hearing Lewis go about his day is more than a little strange. Even seems slightly invasive when he’s dealing with patients. Which is hardly ever actually. But he does learn that Lewis really does watch what he says around others. Speaking all professional and calming like with some girl named Pepper. But it does keep him somewhat entertained.

Lewis: “mam, I would ask you to leave the transfusion line in”.

Danny doesn’t even need to ask to know how big of a mess tearing out a blood transfusion line would make. Largely because he, like an idiot, has done that repeatedly.

Pepper: “well then get one that doesn’t poke holes in me”.

Lewis: “I apologise as that isn’t something the hospital currently offers”.

Pepper: “well then make it. You’re the big head guy aren’t you?”.

Lewis: “mam. No place offers that because it doesn’t currently exist”.

Pepper, who Danny is imagining is making some kind of shooing motion, “then go make one. I’ll wait”.

Lewis: “maybe someone will see to that. In the meantime, you do need this. So please allow nurse Joy to help you out. I’m sure you’d like to be on your way”.

Pepper: “absolutely not. I will not have something icky like that being jabbed in my skin. And do you even clean the blood? I hear you just take it from any weirdos who just show up. I’ll just find another hospital where they can give me what I want. How would you like losing your paycheck?”.

Lewis: “I can assure you we have extremely high standards for both the blood we take and provide to patients. You were sent here because you needed the best care possible, which we have and can provide as best as you allow us to”.

Pepper: “pah! Then stop jabbing me with things. Use the needles on the commoners with no standards. Treat me like a doctor, would you treat a doctor like this?!?”.

Lewis: “without question yes. Everyone receives the same level of care, as we hold ourselves to the highest standard”.

Pepper: “bullshit! No doctor would let their skin, that they likely spent good money taking care of, be marred for some silly blood thingy”.

Someone Danny’s assuming is a nurse: “mam please, Dr. Lewis has other duties to perform. All you need to do is take the treatment as you need i-”.

Pepper: “I don’t care what other patients he has! They can all curdle and die! Give me what I actually deserve”.

Lewis, sounding a little too cheery, “I can certainly do that.....nurse Remfell, could you fetch me the sedatives?”. Danny snorts and laughs at that.

Pepper: “what! I do not need something like that!”.

Lewis: “then please take your treatment as you’ve been directed”.

Pepper: “this is harassment and coercion!”.  

Lewis: “you requested I give what you deserve. Which is simply what you need. Which is exactly the treatment we are attempting to give you”.

Pepper: “no, what I need is for you to speed up this process so I can go home to people who actually do treat me properly. You know, by not jabbing me with needles”.

Lewis: “if they were capable of indeed providing you with adequate treatment then I would feel comfortable releasing you to them. However, they are not. No one can rush healing, the body must take its time and it can use that time best while being treated properly”.

Pepper: “would you let this be done to you? I think not”.

Lewis: “I certainly would. The people here are highly skilled. I could demonstrate, if that would make you feel better?”.

Nurse Remfell, sounding cautious and barely above a whisper: “Doctor Lewis”.

Pepper: “oh don’t bother. You probably willing eat meat. So clearly your standards are a little lower than mine”.

Lewis: “you’ll find most doctors are quite healthy eaters, including the very much necessary amount of meat. Though I can assure you that I have a friend with a far more specialised and refined palette”. Danny officially wonders just how often Lewis drops random info about his friends. And man would Sam ever be able to get into one Hell of an argument with Lewis and his friends.

Pepper: “then maybe they should do your job. Since you clearly don’t know about nutrition at all”.

Lewis: “that is not my department but I can assure I am very well informed in that regard. I don’t believe anyone would exactly like them to be the ones digging around in them”.

Nurse Remfell, again sounding cautious and slightly pleading: “doctor, don’t you have surgery in a little while?”.

Lewis: “I do. But maybe they’d enjoy some diet tips from miss Pepper as an apology for holding me up from doing what is in my title”.

Pepper: “hmpf, they don’t deserve my wisdom for free”.

Lewis: “then you’re going to let everyone here do their jobs and get you and other patients fixed up?”.

Pepper: “not if they’re going to stick Me with more damn needles”.

Lewis: “Nurse Remfell, please have Dr. Meyer sedate and help treat Miss Pepper. I would do it, my hands are steadiest of course, but I’m afraid I have other responsibilities”.

Nurse Remfell: “yes doctor”.

Danny chuckles as he can hear Lewis leaving and the door closing. Though he’s not really looking forward to overhearing surgery of all things.

Surprisingly it’s not that bad when you can’t see shit. Plus there’s no nightmarish screaming cause Lewis doesn’t run around dissecting conscious beings. In fact, Danny spends most of the time naming off what instruments he knows by sound. It’s probably concerning that seems to be most of them. But saw on bone is a pretty darn unique sound and something like scalpels he could tell just by how Lewis seemed to be moving. Though he is a little surprised by just how often Lewis uses a bone saw. He’s not sure if that’s just normal or if Lewis just really likes sawing into bones. If it was anyone else the answer would be obvious. But it’s the guy who makes cakes for vigilante serial killers and makes designs out of and in people’s bodies for fun.

Danny also gets a bit surprised by just how much idle chitchat goes on, which Lewis is firmly not involved in. In fact, whenever it sounds like he gets relatively close they quiet down. It would be funny that Lewis seemed like the operation rooms ‘shut your yap and work’ button, if it weren’t for that being kind of...sad. Lewis wasn’t kidding about not being exactly well-liked. Which Danny’s a bit miffed about, the guy was great! Weird...but great. Would any other doctors or nurses pull even half the shit Lewis has for him at this point? No, so maybe they should stop being dicks. Plus Danny would have figured at least someone would ask about the run-in with the G.I.W. but they either didn’t care or didn’t want to deal with or question Lewis.

Lewis takes the time in-between surgeries to check in with Danny, tapping the green button mostly just to make sure he’s heard, “you still good?”.

Danny gets a little caught off guard by Lewis’s voice being louder, but it does make it obvious he’s talking to him, “I’mma dandy Danny. Been napping here and there. You really do rub people wrong, but they’re dicks so fuck ‘em. Also, you use bone saws a lot”.

Lewis screws up his face a bit, “I’m going to guess you figured that out by sound? In which case, how do you know what that sounds like that well?”.

“I’ve been playing a game of guess the medical tool. And dude, you won’t like that answer. No one does”.

Lewis shakes his head, “you've used one haven’t you?”.

Awkward chuckling, “here and there. It’s a much more pleasant way of smoothing over the ends of ribs I break off than metal files. And it’s a lot easier to just remove my ribs and access my spine through the front than try to go the back way”.

Lewis honestly feels ever so slightly like he’s talking to Vee. Talking about the disposability of body parts and the inconvenience of the human, or somewhat human in Danny case, body. “You’re not wrong and it is definitely better than a garage tool. You have an impressive pain tolerance”.

“Comes with the hero duties, I’ve been getting slammed into concrete at over five-hundred mph since my first weak. The first time I got cut in half was a trip though. Aren’t you supposed to be bone-cracking?”.

Lewis blinks, okay Danny was almost definitely more durable than Venom, “us surgeons get pretty decent breaks in-between most times, but yes. Though I would frankly rather have you hovering around for conversation than most of my underlings for assistance”.

Lewis gets up and straightens out his coat while Danny responds, “that would probably qualify as insanely creepy for either one of us to be doing. Me being an unauthorised voyeuristic helicopter. You being the guy doing the nitty-gritty while conversing with the sorta dead. Though technically, I could probably function as an assistant. Pretty sure that would be highly illegal though”.

Lewis chuckles, it would make work more interesting and enjoyable for sure...and less likely for him to be transferred. Though the hospital might freak out a little from someone actually seeming to be genuinely friendly with Lewis. “It would be, though I best get back at this point. Enjoy the surgery soundtrack”.

Danny just chuckles quietly.

Lewis snaps off his gloves as he leaves the OR, shift officially over and done with, so he can go deal with the mess Danny’s functionally made for him. Missing files, government dogs, a transferred patient that’s actually just completely missing, bandaging to redo, a technical fugitives belongings stashed in his car, a random hunter that will probably want to check in on Danny, how to explain Danny going home way sooner than planned -to both the hospital and his two hunter friends-, oh yeah and a super-powered half-dead teenager trapped in a thermos the size of his pinky nail stuffed in his wallet. Eddie’s and Vee’s problems were definitely a lot simpler, partly because they usually ate them. Just a couple of dead bodies, which sometimes were the problems.

Walking casually back to his car and hopping in, pushing the green button, “I’m going to take you to my place for the night if that’s fine?”.

“You do have a wife right? How you gonna explain this random kid? If you’re gonna leave me in here all night, then you owe me some serious pancakes or something”.

Lewis chuckles and shakes his head as he drives home, it was a bit of a long commute but he didn’t mind much. “Do you know how I met Eddie? Through my wife. They used to be engaged. And when the whole Vee and being Venom thing happened she let Vee body snatch her to save Eddie’s butt. Said body-snatching also included biting a mercenaries head off”, chuckling some more, “found out from Vee later, pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to find out, but Vee went back into Eddie’s body from Anne’s via a very intense kiss”.

“Was it right after the whole...uh, taking a bite out of crime...thing? That will never not be fucked up by the way. But okay, you’re wife’s weird too”.

Lewis smiles warmly, of course she was a bit strange, have to be to tolerate him. And he can’t really be bothered by Danny still disapproving of murder and cannibalism. But at least he was making jokes about it now instead of having a mild meltdown, positives Lewis. “As I was told, it was explicitly directly after, Vee was very pleased about that. Anne, not so much. Eddie...I really don’t know but I’d say he was cool with it. And yes, she’s a bit odd herself. She’s also a lawyer”.

Danny laughs, that was a bit ironic that someone working within the law was explicitly and emphatically friends with two someone’s severely outside of it, “a morally questionable lawyer, a morbid socially unacceptable doctor, a moonlighting murderer muckraker reporter, and an exiled body-snatching alien. That’s one Hell of a quartet. Got a name yet?”.

Lewis raises an eyebrow, name? Though yeah they were an odd group, “no? What do you mean by name? And in that case, you’re an over-protective paranoid hero halfa”.

Danny chuckles, that was accurate, “true story. My group are the Defect Quartet. ‘Cause we’re all too strange and outside of the norm to be anything but defective. Used to be the Weirdo Trio before Val came along. Before that, the nerd herd. The goth, the geek, the gunner, and the ghost. An insanely wealthy vegan social activist goth, an absurdly carnivorous hacker geek, a riches to rags pessimist weapons enthusiast, and a punny battered ghostly hero. Though I’m usually called the graceless or the gauche. Since the ghost thing ain’t public knowledge”.

Lewis shakes his head, so this was a teenager thing. “Well ‘defect’ definitely doesn’t suit my group so to speak. We’re all rather successful and accomplished”.

“That doesn’t mean shit. I was on the cover of genius magazine once. Saved the purple-backed gorillas from going extinct”.

“That’s one thing, not a career”.

“I like how that’s your response, not general confusion. We’re teens, we shouldn’t have careers”.

Lewis nods, very true, but with how Danny lived, “what do you even intend to do? Eddie only gets away with the vigilante side gig because he’s his own boss mostly and even when he’s not, he’s on his own schedule. He can only really do that because he had already built up a name for himself. That and he lives extremely low budget”.

Danny groans exaggeratedly, adults and their ‘what are you gonna do with your life’ and ‘you need to think about your future young man’ and ‘what are your plans? How are going to support yourself’ and ‘hobbies are fine but you need a real focus’. Groaning a second time for emphasis, “don't know ‘bout Val. Sam’s the only heir in her family, she doesn’t really have a choice what she does, Manson’s don’t work. Tucker’s either going into politics, the government, or rising up into ownership of a tech company. I wanted to be an astronaut but my physiology makes that impossible, if my folks chill it with the ghost hate then I’ll probably take over FentonWorks. Otherwise, I got nothing. Well, human wise anyway. Could just fuck off to the Zone-”.  

“Kid, no. Running away is not how you fix or achieve something. You’re right about NASA though. We’ve got a long drive, so what else you got?”.

Danny groans again, “nada. My grades are shit, I’d have to be able to run my own schedule and be able to drop it like someone just set it on fire at any moment. Because superheroing is not a side gig, it’s the main gig. And technically, running off to the Zone isn’t running from my problems. I belong there as much as I do here. Sure I was born here, but so were most ghosts”.

Lewis tilts his head, so that was another different, Danny valued and placed the vigilantism as top priority. And fine, ghosts did belong to the Zone. “that’s fair. But what would you even do there?”.

Danny snickers making Lewis a little cautious of the response, “ghosts are pretty free things. Build and protect your lair, satisfy your Obsession. If you’re part of a clan or kingdom then it’s a fair bit more”, chuckling because at this point might as well just startle the guy, “if I moved there I’d probably rise to claim my place as King properly”.

Lewis coughs, unsure if that’s a joke, “King?”.

Danny chuckles, Lewis able to hear the shit-eating grin in his voice, “I’m a prince, Lewis. In two kingdoms actually. A knight in four and worshipped as a god by one clan. Don’t ask how that last one happened because I don’t know. They’ve been calling me ‘Great One’ and ‘Saviour’ since I first ran into them”, Lewis is silent so Danny laughs and just continues, “Sam’s also a Princess in one and knighted in two. Tuck’s a Baka, meaning prince but in Egyptian, in one and knighted in two. Val’s the exception”.

Lewis blinks and watches the road before shaking his head, Danny’s life was legitimately completely crazy, “you absolutely have the strangest life. I’m not sure if I should fear the idea of you being a king”. He clearly could act the role and have a commanding presence, but he was firmly still a disaster.

“You should have seen the other guy! He was so bad they locked him in what was basically a coma for, like, over a thousand years. When he woke up they all fled. I found out and through some crazy bullshit wound up beating him back into a coma. The other king who became my punching bag, abducted and tried to forcibly wed Sam, trapped his kingdom into a no happiness allowed technology-free dark age and abused his sister. His sister’s queen now but I’m considered prince and heir to the throne should she fade”.

Lewis shakes his head, yeah was kind of hard to do worse than that, “so, tyrants then? Who the heck’s ruling the first one?”.

“Uhhhh, no one? Hasn’t been ruled in forever so no ruler is basically the norm now. Kind of unnecessary. But for, like, who does the duties. A collection of asshole ghosts who can only watch but never interfere. They hate me. Like, a lot. Tried to assassinate me once. Anyway, that particular throne is more representative. A figurehead but with power if they want. Sorta a make it your own and do whatever you want kind of role”.

“So the Queen of England? But with even less responsibilities? That barely counts as a king or prince”.

Danny chuckles, “so long as nothing threatens the entirety of the Zone or ghosts. I’m understating the role a bit. See humans are all broken up yeah? You’re not united under the Earth or whatever. Well, ghosts are united under the Zone as a whole. Meaning there’s a ruler of the entire Zone. The King, or Prince right now, Of Ghosts. The Ghost King, the Ghost Prince. Yeeeeaaaaah”.

Lewis pulls into his driveway and just stares forward for a bit, “are you, are you trying to tell me you’re the rightful ruler of an entire species and dimension?”.

“Yes? Pretty much yeah. And your car turned off. We there yet? You gonna let me outta here?”.

Lewis is nearly having a mild freak out of his own. This random child of long-time friends is the prince and thus future king of an entire species. Basically the most powerful ruler even remotely possible. And he’s in Lewis’s wallet, complains about weak coffee, gets beat up by bullies, and his seemingly biggest problem is what his folks think of him. The utter normalcy of that is kind of jarring but also really calming. Shaking his head, “yes, yeah. Your tail working yet?”.

Danny snorts, “looks like I freaked ya again. And I don’t fucking know dude, I don’t actually have a body at the moment. Jus a disembodied voice and mind floating in a thermos full of ectoplasm”.

Lewis tilts his head, Vee’s probably said that before; being a technical liquid and all. Just floating in a test tank thing instead of a soup thermos. Shrugging and taking out his wallet, unclipping the thermos and going through the motions of getting Danny out. Which is still very strange. As Danny comes out via another bream of light, basically laying across the shotgun seat and looking slightly disoriented.

Danny shakes his head and smirks, “THE DANNY IS FREE! FOR NO CYLINDRICAL SOUP CAN CAN HOLD HIM!”.

Lewis looks at the thermos and quirks an eyebrow. Danny, spotting this, promptly grabs his thermos, “and I’ll be taking that back now”. Which Lewis chuckles at. While Danny looks out the window at Lewis’s house, tilting his head, huh, it was a bit smaller than expected.

While Lewis looks down and notes that Danny’s black tail is wiggling somewhat again, good. Before getting out of the car and holding the door open, “you should probably make yourself invisible at least until we’re inside”.

Danny chuckles and does that as he floats out after Lewis. He was damn happy to be floating again, zipping around the house some and winding through things; Lewis unawares. Even if it was a bit difficult and jerky. Shaking his head at Lewis holding the door open a bit awkwardly. Whispering at him, “I can go through things remember? Didn’t need to open the door at all”.

Lewis rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he heads into the kitchen, “that would be rather rude of you”.

Danny chuckles as he seats himself on one of the little stools, coiling his tail up in case this ‘Anne’ walks in. Popping back into visibility, and petting the cat that comes up, “I’ve stolen people's cups of water while flying through airplanes. It’s actually so common it’s something planes flying over Amity warn their passengers about, the random dead teen who might fly through the floor and take your drinks or food. But at least he says thank you?”.

Lewis shakes his head as he starts on making a noodle dish, “at least most of that is free”. Mixing in the broth and debating what else to put in, tilting his head around, “what kinds of veggies and meats do you like?”.

Danny shrugs, he’ll eat almost anything, “I’ve eaten sporks. Just don’t serve me toast and you’re good”.

Lewis points at him as he gets peppers and celery, “Eddie and Vee have eaten probably a little of everything at this point. Doesn’t mean they don’t have tastes”.  

Danny stares at him and waits for him to turn around before grabbing one of the knives on the table -why do they keep them on the table of all places?- and just swallows it.

Lewis gives him a rather unimpressed look, which Danny’s slightly miffed about. At least Sam looked at him with disgust. While Lewis says, “those are expensive you know”. Danny rolls his eyes and phases the knife out of his stomach and waves it around, stabbing one of the larger pieces of pepper as Lewis puts his plate down.

Both turn their heads to the door as they can both hear a key going in the lock. Lewis blinks and realises a slight error on his part, looking at Danny quickly, “wife saw me googling you as Phantom. Doesn’t know names or what your human self looks like, so positives”.

Danny groans and glares at Lewis, he can smell it’s a girl and it matches the other prominent human scent in the house so he transforms and glares a little harder at Lewis. Taking the knife out of his mouth and stabbing another pepper a bit unnecessarily aggressively, “not cool doc“. Of course, this means there’s no damn point in hiding the tail, so he just lets it wind around the stool legs.

Lewis shrugs, he wasn’t about to claim to be perfect, as Anne walks in.

Anne looks at the table only glancing at the glowing black and white teenager with a knife in his mouth for a beat before nonchalantly taking off her shoes, “hi honey and hello patient that someone is decidedly not supposed to be bringing home”.

Lewis smiles, “guys with guns came to abduct him”. Danny glares at him slightly. While Anne shakes her head, “at least they weren’t successful this time”, as she walks up and kisses Lewis on the cheek and sits at the table.

Danny looks at her, “seriously? That’s all the reaction you’re gonna give me?”.

Lewis just smirks as he eats his food. Anne looking Danny over before giving him a sweet smile and patting his head, “interesting voice you’ve got, just don’t go making Dan a tag-along for blowing up rockets”.

Lewis looks between the two a little awkwardly as Danny winces, which Anne definitely notices and raises an eyebrow at Lewis. No one saying anything for a bit before the cat sticks his tail in Danny’s face. Effectively breaking the growing tension as Danny chuckles, “if your name’s Maddie, I will be very concerned”.

Anne shakes her head, “mines Anne”.

“No, the cat. An evil Frootloop has a cat named Maddie”.

Anne shakes her head, “no, he’s Mr. Belvedere”. While Lewis finds it arguably quite creepy one of Danny’s enemy’s named their cat after Danny’s mom.

Danny smiles and pokes the cat, mentally shaking off the whole ‘Dan’ name, figuring he should probably attempt at getting used to that since his folks are going to call Lewis that too. “Well hello then. I probably smell pretty weird”.

Lewis thinks that’s probably an understatement but he was used to Vee’s scent by now so more strange smelling people isn’t probably all the weird.

Mr. Belvedere meanwhile, is just pleased that this strange smelling and looking creature isn’t attempting to bite him. Even if this one seems to be a predator just like the other one. This one seems at least a little similar to the other glowing creatures he sees sometimes. He likes to chase the little ones around but this one is clearly far stronger. He can tell when It touches him, the power thrumming under Its long paws so similar to the twolegs he lives with. Like the other strange creature, this one can look just like the twolegs he’s familiar with. He finds that is quite a useful trick, blending in with potential prey and tricking other predators into underestimating them. He’s seen how the occasional twoleg that fancies Itself a predator wound up the prey for the other strange creature. He hopes that one enjoys Its plentiful meals. Tilting his head at this strange creature, wondering if It stalks twolegs too. Putting on a protective front, because these are his twolegs, and demanding, “you best not hunt my twolegs”. He had to bat at the black part of the other strange predator before It got the messages to not nip at his Twolegs. Only he gets to do that.

Danny looks at the cat, which has his ears pinned back and Danny can easily pick up on the stiff battle-ready posture. How he partly blocks Danny’s line of view of Anne, it was obvious the cat was being protective. Officially glad this is a cat, not a dog, as cats were much more sensitive to ghosts. Meaning kitty would be able to somewhat understand ghost speak. Making sure to keep his fangs retracted, “I̛’̶m a̕ ͠p͏͏̧r͞͝o̵͟͜t҉͘e̷̸c͝͏̛t҉įv̴͞e̛ th̢̡i͜͏̵n͏g̵̵͝.̸̸ ̕͠I͠ ̕do̸n’͝t͟ ̧h̸̡ar̵m͢ ̵͞͞m͠or̨͟͞t̨a̛lş”. Mr. Belvedere seems pacified by that and promptly stalks off, laying on the ground to clean over his fur.  

Lewis quirks an eyebrow, “what was that about?”. While Anne laughs lightly, mouthing ‘wow’, before saying, “he listened to you I think, that’s quite the feat”.

Danny chuckles and rubs his neck, “he was being protective of you. So I just told him I wasn’t a threat. Cats are more sensitive to ghosts, so they can understand us to a degree”.

Anne tilts her head, “you’re a ghost?”, looking at Lewis, “why would a ghost need a surgeon?”.

Danny smirks and stretches his arms out some, “okay cool, you didn’t go opening your yap much”, shrugging, “but you know shit. You’re murder buddies know shit. Don’t know your wife though. So maybe”.

Anne nearly snorts over ‘murder buddies’, very similar to ‘murder friends’ and a bit surprised that someone Dan described as ‘more moral than every doctor ever’ is tolerant of said murder friends. Shaking her head but smiling slightly, “I’m surprised you’re okay with those two. Pleased, but surprised. Which is good, because I absolutely will protect them if you threaten them”.  

Danny chuckles a bit meanly but finishes off his food before responding, “you could attempt to sure. There’s a reason people make entire careers out of and dedicate their whole lives to fighting things like me, yet still find themselves unsuccessful and outmatched. But I’m no threat, so long as my humans aren’t threatened. I’m not okay with what they do, I’m okay with why they do it”.

Anne crosses her arms, “I've helped destroy body-snatching world-destroying aliens. I can fight very dirty”.

Danny snorts, “a lawyer? Fighting dirty? Why I never. Won’t do any good though, I never expect fair fights”, tilting his head and chuckling, “that’s what happens when you’re archenemy’s entire thing is being underhanded and fighting dirty. Not to mention one of the wealthiest people in the world, basically a mad scientist, and politically skilled”.

Lewis and Anne share a look, Lewis pointing at Danny, “that sounds a lot like Drake. Filthy rich mad scientist with his foot in politics. Also had the other surviving Symbiote”, looking at Anne, “Riot right?”, at Anne’s nod Lewis continues, “Riot was older, stronger, more abilities and pretty well played into Drakes desires to trick him”.

Anne nods, “Drake was a fool”.

Danny tilts his head, that was freakishly similar to Vlad, “so Drake’s the crazy entrepreneur who brought them here from space? Which by the way, is still super awesome because space! And yeah, that’s sounds really similar to the Frootloop. Just both Drake and Riot combined into one batshit crazy prick. Throw in a bunch of lackies and way too much free time”, tilting his head and pointing at Lewis, “and didn’t you say crazy human was trying to improve humanity or something? Make them able to survive in space?”, at Lewis’s nod and the curious look to his eyes, Danny continues, “yeah, my unlovable Frootloop pretty well never has good reasons for anything. Very selfish and will do anything from attempting to blow people up with nanobots to cloning and very extreme inhumane experimentation”, shrugging, “usually it’s for power, even more money, to murder one very specific guy, to get the women he’s Obsessed with, or to force me to be his son”.  

Lewis nods, conceding that those motivations weren’t remotely positive and got progressively more strange. Anne shakes her head ever so slightly, “Drake would likely have approved any inhumane practices to get what he wanted. Even if he had marginally better reasons”.

Danny points at her, “Frootloop does everything himself. His lackies are basically just scouts and attack dogs. Who would have thought, a sorta politician dirtbag who actually does the nasty work”, yawning and nodding at Lewis, “soooo, you gonna trace lines on my skin with your silver sharp friends?”.

Anne makes a point to not visually react to that, this kid, who’s name she still didn’t have, was quite a bit like Lewis, Eddie and Vee. There was also a level of restraint and caution to him, was a bit like her.

Lewis shakes his head but gets up to fetch his supplies, “that won’t be necessary for redoing bandaging and burns. Though please let me take off the braces”, pausing to point at him, “and make them actually on you”. Danny rolls his eyes but transforms under them to make them on top but Phantom designed.

Anne blinks, that was almost as startling as Vee randomly becoming or changing Eddie’s clothing. Looking to Lewis, “I’m truly impressed a ghost can get injured enough for all that”.

Lewis shouts from a few rooms over, “he’s not! Just pretending to be!”.

Anne looks to Danny with ‘why are you putting him through this?’ eyebrows. Danny chuckles, “the hospital and my family would be suspicious if I didn’t play injured. Since none of them know I’m a ghost and thus heal super fast”.

Lewis comes back in and pulls a stool over by Danny. Anne looks at him slightly unimpressed, “do I want to know? Or is this a plausible deniability thing?”.

Danny sighs and leans back wistfully as Lewis removes the second wrist/hand brace, “I wish more people didn’t question my crap and just wrote it off as ‘I probably shouldn’t know’”.

Anne levels him with a slight glare, “Eddie knows not to abuse it, you should know that too. Especially since it’s clear you’re going to be close with and involved with my family. Eddie’s an asshole but he only keeps the highly legally questionable actions to himself”.

Danny gives a bit of a shit-eating grin, “my existence is highly legally and logically questionable”.

“Does it involve murder? No? Then I want to hear it”.

Danny rolls his eyes, “most ghosties didn’t die pleasantly so technically.....”.

Lewis looks at Danny with a slightly unimpressed glare, “considering what little you have said of the how, I don’t believe murdered applies to you”.

Danny points at Lewis after slipping off the torso brace, “at the very least it’s negligent homicide. Because seriously? who leaves a secondary on switch inside an inter-dimensional portal and forgets about it. And who dares someone to walk inside it?”.

Lewis points at him, “and who willing does it? Also, I need this suit off”.

Debating who’s at fault and the definition of ‘the crime’ is pretty normal for Anne, just not usually debating it with the ‘victim’ when it’s about murder, “verbal dares can’t be reasonably proven and won’t hold up before any court of law. If you walked in of your own free will, likely aware of the fact that doing so was almost certainly unsafe, you’re the one who committed negligent homicide”, waving her hand around, “but no one’s going to charge the dead with their own death. If someone tries, then consider me your lawyer, because I absolutely want to be on that case”.

Danny blinks and starts laughing, unzipping and peeling off his suit and letting it float around his waist, simply phasing off the bandaging, “lady you do not want to be my lawyer. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t even hold up in ghost court. Besides, I don’t care if I get charged with shit. I’ll just blow up the prison again. Or make time paradoxes so they can’t sentence me to destruction, again. But I’m a minor and it’s partly my parents' fault. Family house is a death trap. There’s probably a million cases of negligence to be made”.

Lewis, asking the thing that really matters as he inspects Danny’s skin, noting that it’s much colder now and the scars are barely visible, “you destroyed a prison? Why?”.

While Anne frowns tightly, that would be negligent if what killed him was just left around in the house unsecured. Definitely child endangerment as well. But he had made it clear enough that he doesn’t want them in trouble, “yes, that does change it a fair bit”, tilting her head, “though being a lawyer in ghost court would certainly be a new challenge”.

While Danny points at Lewis, “I’ve blown it up once or twice a year so far. The Warden hates me, so he gives me every charge he can think up. He’s made new rules on the spot to charge me with it. Last time he yelled the sentence I owed it was, like, over fifty thousand”, while Lewis just looks slightly impressed, Danny points at Anne, “ghost laws are probably both less and more complicated. Minora law, Majora law, the Seals, Commons Of The Deathless Unfades, Commons Of The Undead, the Kings Decrees, and The Law Of Ages”, shrugging, “ghosts are pretty lawless though, so unless you really fuck up, no one really gives a damn....except Walker, who’s that one Warden”.

Anne leans forward as Lewis finishes wrapping Danny’s arm, letting Danny lower his arm...well one anyway as he wraps the other, Anne inquiring, “is there books on these? Could you borrow them?”.

That was not what Danny was expecting, she really likes what she does, “Walker’s got his own special rule book, A.K.A. it’s not official at all. But yeah there’s books. Not for the Commons though, those are, like, forbidden knowledge for mortals; even many ghosts. And there isn’t any Kings Decrees right now”.

Lewis eyeballs Danny who blushes slightly, making it very obvious that these decrees were basically his to make. While Anne quints slightly, “why would law be forbidden? That is explicitly a disclosure violation”.

Danny shakes his head as Lewis goes about putting the braces back on, “Commons only apply to those specified. And they know about what they entail”, yawning again, course he knew what both Commons were about. Since ClockWork was an Unfade and Danny was an Undead.

The two adults shake their heads and basically carry the partly floating sleepy teen to the spare bedroom. Eddie wouldn’t mind and Vee would only bitch about the strangers' scent for a little bit. Anne nodding, “that’s a bit better then”.

Danny mumbles from the bed as Anne’s dragging Lewis off. “By the way doc? Tots forgot. Undead’s another term for halfa”.

Lewis crawls into bed seriously wondering what was in this special section of ghost law -still pleasantly surprised that was a thing- that applied to Danny.

Anne wakes up that morning and walks out of the bedroom door, hearing someone going through the kitchen. Walking in cautiously only to see a black-haired teen inside one of the cupboards, watching as he sticks his head and one arm out, box of crackers in his mouth. “Who are you and why are you in my house?”.

“Yurf iimpif’d ve”, she stares him down so he spits out the box on the ground, “you invited me. Technically Lewis, but still”, before slipping out of the cupboard and grabbing the crackers.

It clicks pretty much as soon as she sees the kid has a black misty tail instead of legs; same as the ghost. Then mentally slapping herself for not recognising the face and hairstyle, “you’re the patient. You look very human for a ghost. You also still haven’t told me your name”.

“That’s me! And-”, Danny gets cut off by the microwave.

Microwave: “Crap fuck I think it work-oh bullshit you idiot, we’ve been trying for-no seriously I swore I heard him-oh that’s crap-I don’t care if it’s crap you better have found him-why does no one believe in me?-because you’re a fucking cree-hey! Look at me I’m glori-more like dead, I will personally shove my boot up your ass if y-oh I’d like to see you try! Go on! My ass is fucking wide-what the fuck is wrong with both of you? How bout I just start shooting stuff?-go right ahead fuck if I care-if you destroy Cheryl I will shank you with her corpse!-”.

Lewis walks in at this point looking like he slept hard yet was still impeccable, he grabs a coffee and just stares at the microwave.

Microwave: “-oh shove it you walking animal corpse garbage bag-no you shove it ya fucking lawnmower-I vote we feed both of you to the plant-she has better tastes than that-at least she enjoys some proper mea-HOW ABOUT YOU LOWJACK YOUR ASS OFF AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL-oh don’t you get smarmy with me, I fucking hijack shit-do I care? NO, just fucking-how about this you two colossal twats! YOU BETTER PICK UP OR ONE ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT IS GOING TO JACK OFF YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE INTO THE SEA!-why the fuck would I do that to a house?-are you claiming to have even an ounce of standards?-”.

Danny lays on the floor and just starts wheezing and mutters, “how the fuck do you pick up a microwave call....”.

Lewis points his coffee cup rim at Danny, “I’m more curious about how they called a microwave”.

Anne shakes her head, “I’m just glad I’m a morning person”.

Microwave: “-oh GO EAT SOCK-wait shut the fuck up! I totally heard someone-of course you fucking did! You’re probably confusing some old lady!-”.

Anne, sounding almost offended, “I’m not that old”.

Microwave: “-oh fuck damn a lady! Hello-the fuck is wrong with you? We’re trying to make sure someone’s not fucking dead or some shit! She probably thinks you’re like twelve-he is twelve-oh fuck you! I could totally date an older woman!-so what I’m hearing is you’re twelve-FUCK OFF AND EAT A TEN FOOT SNOW MONSTER! IT FITS WITH YOUR STUPID DIET!-OH YOU WANNA GO THERE BLOODMOUTH! HOW ABOUT YOU FIND THE FIVE FOOT ONE FIRST!-”.

Danny wheezes but shouts at the microwave, “five foot four you asshole!”.

Microwave: “FUCK OFF DANNY THIS DOESN'T INVOLVE YO-DANNY!-ARE YOU OKAY! -DID YOU DIE!-IF YOU’RE BEING DISSECTED PLEASE DON’T SCREAM BY THE MIC!-WHAT THE FUCK TUCKER?!?-”.

Danny floats up and shouts right at the microwave, “SHUT THE FUCK UP! You’re confusing Doc and his lady!”.

Anne blinks, speaking into her hands, “confused might be understating it”.

Microwave: “Okay okay, shhhh shhhh, all o’ y’all shut up. Danny dude, you fucking asshole. Didn’t even fucking call. You better be fucking dying or I will personally finish what you started. Stitch and fucking ditch dude. Not cool. Now are you dying a horrible slow and painful death at the hands of a bunch of idiots that Sam will have to bludgeon to death?-bludgeon? Are you underestimating me? I will personally stuff their organs with bramble thorns, turn them into scarecrows and beat the others up with said scarecrows if those fuckers hurt hi-”.

Danny clears his throat, “not to get in the way of your dramatics Sam, but I’m fine. Am I not allowed to sleep?”.

Microwave: “USE LEWIS’S PHONE!”.

Lewis nods, “fair point”.

Danny sticks his arms out to the side, “I got distracted by politics!”.

Microwave: “Oh, that’s reasonable then. So you’re not being tortured or something?”.

Danny chuckles and shakes his head, “no Tuck, no I’m not”.

Microwave: “Oh good then. You, go tell his folks he’s fine and with doctor dude. Danny, you absolute asshole, Ancients are you lucky we were able to get your parents to not go on a search and destroy mission. They went to go see you, we went with ‘cause we knew shit was going down, and they actually saw those white-suit twats leaving with the big ass transport truck. They nearly nuked them on the spot. Your dad can be terrifying”.

Danny rubs his neck, of course this had caused even more problems. But yeah, he probably should have called someone. Well at least no one had gotten hurt and the reminder that they would assault the government for him was rather heartwarming. “Thanks guys, that must have been a bi-”.

Microwave: “DANNY SWEETIE! Are you alright!”.

Danny chuckles slightly, “I’m fine mom”.

Anne is extremely confused at this point. Danny was a ghost and was apparently still ‘living’ with his living family? And why were the teens she’s assuming are his friends asking if he’s dead or dying? Ghost does mean dead, Danny had already confirmed he was dead. Inside jokes possibly? Or, Danny could look completely ‘alive’ so maybe they didn’t even know?

While Lewis walks closer to the microwave, this is definitely the strangest house call he’s ever been involved in, “he’s perfectly fine Maddie. He spent the night in my and my wife’s spare bedroom. I apologise for not informing you but it was special circumstances”.

Microwave: “oh don’t worry about that, we get it. So long as Danny-boy’s alright!-but what about his injuries? He can’t go back to the hospital with those men there”.

Lewis taps his chin, “well, the best option would be to have Danny here go home and I’ll deal with the hospital before taking him over. That way he isn’t without a skilled doctor. My place is impressively well equipped, So he’ll be fine here in the meantime”.

Microwave: “Yes that should work fine, thank you Dan. We’ll give you back to your friends sweetie-so we can get your things ready!”.

Danny groans quietly, seriously hoping they didn’t do anything to his room. There was more than a few questionable things in there, especially in the walls and floor.

Microwave: “Alright you reckless idiot, it’s just me and Tuck now. Valerie’s off looking for asshole agents to shoot at-oh Danny dude, I took samples from the quote-unquote ‘rain’. Pretty nasty shit. Paraparetic properties, corrosive, toxic fumes, tranquillising properties. Just oof dude. And doctor dude, before you ask, yes I did have the other patients files and stuff, it’s in your pager-move aside Tucker, you better have some damn food Danny-”.

Lewis and Anne both gape slightly as the microwave pops open and an apple rolls out, Danny easily catching it and then pulling out what looks to be a pop or a milkshake in a fast food cup. Danny rolling his eyes as he puts it on the table, closing the door, “mother-henning me much? I’m sorry for worrying you guys okay? And I promise I’m a not any deader, just work on making sure my house is actually safe”.

Microwave: “done and done dude, you look after yourself for a change ya?-Danny? Are you dating Valerie again, cause you better fuckin-AND I’M HANGING UP!”. The microwave beeps and Danny can’t help but float towards the ground and laugh.

Danny floats up and leans against the counter and picks up the apple, pointing at Lewis, “hopefully an apple a day won’t keep this doctor away. Whatcha gonna tell whoever the Zone happens to be above you?”, taking a bite out of the apple.

Anne shakes her head, that was almost as confusing as when Vee starts talking in Eddie’s head in the middle of conversations. Getting up and heading to get dressed, “you’re stranger than just a ghost, aren’t you?”.

Danny glances at the microwave, fuck it, “half-ghost!”. Danny gives her points for not even pausing in her walking.

Taking another bite and looking to Lewis, pointing over his shoulder and swallowing, “she’s used to weird crap getting dropped out of nowhere huh?”.

Lewis nods, firmly more curious over the apple that’s leaving green smears on Danny’s face, “Vee’s very blunt and sometimes gives way too much detail. What kind of apple is that?”.

Danny takes a sip of what he knows is a milkshake...well, ectoshake, “ghost food. Zones gots its own flora, fauna, ecosystem, etcetera. Part of how my body works is absorbing free-floating ectoplasm and converting it into my own. Expelling used stuff as latent ectoplasm. Kinda like breathing. Human side lets me self produce though. But-”, holding up the apple, “-ectofood is like putting on an oxygen mask or getting a transfusion. That, and just tastes good”.

Danny’s a little concerned as Lewis leans over the ectoshake, “don’t drink that. You’ll hurt yourself”. Lewis waves him off, “corrosive, toxic, poisonous; I remember. I like my throat and stomach intact”.

Danny wipes his face and both turn, hearing Anne’s heels clicking on the floor. Danny shakes his head at the sharp pantsuit, “please tell me Eddie doesn’t also dress absurdly impeccably and put together? Cause I dress like I fished my clothing out of slightly bio-hazardous dumpsters and am usually basically swimming in my clothing”.

Anne laughs slightly while Lewis laughs more noticeably, Anne shaking her head, “Eddie and well-dressed don’t exist in the same dimension. He often wears the same clothing for days and his clothing is usually lifted off criminals. Vee is his clothing sometimes”. Lewis nods, speaking and pointing at Anne, “he looks more put together when Vee has literally dressed him”.

Danny sighs, firmly ignoring that this guy just wears his victims clothing. Chuckling a little awkwardly, “I wore the same shirt and pants for a year. Didn’t even notice for the first four months. Kinda busy being all kinda dead. Though they were washed. I just happen to have three different pairs of the same clothing. Well one got destroyed via impalement, way too much blood”.

Anne blinks, Eddie said that once about his hair when he got himself drenched once. Lewis was right, they had a lot in common. Nodding with a smile at Danny, “you’ll get along, be good for Eddie I hope”, patting Lewis’s shoulder before giving him a quick kiss, “smart man, see you later, Dan dear”.

“Always honey, enjoy your day”.

Danny suppresses a wince and continues with his food while Lewis waves at him, “I’m going to deal with the hospital”. Danny just chuckles and watches him go.

Danny sits watching tv and chipping away at the ectoshake, chuckling over how much more erratically his tail’s vibrating and wiggle when left to its own devices now. Ancients did it ever make it easy to tell how healthy he, particularly how healthy his ghost half, was. Curling the tip into his hand and giving it a good more awake look over, there was still tiny holes but they were pretty well done away with at this point. Definitely hurt a little, but for him that wasn’t really noticeable.

Putting down the shake and deciding to float around some, use up a bit of the excess ectoenergy. It was practically singing in his veins and peaking in on Lewis would just be a little too boring right now. That’s one aspect of being in a powerful position that Danny is pretty well not envious of; dealing with underlings, paperwork, and being the one at fault if shit goes south. Sure Danny already got blamed for just short of everything by many adults; Phantom and Fenton. But that wasn’t for, like, executive decisions or situations with many good choices. Most of Danny’s crap was either: protect and thusly deal with/get blamed for the fall out (poor grades, damages, skipped class, being noisy, anti-social, pissing off hunters in general) or let someone or something be genuinely harmed. Pretty easy obvious choice. One he knows he can’t really choose differently on, Obsession and all that. Leadership and powerful roles were less black and white.

Danny snickers and starts intangibly snooping through Lewis’s cupboards for weird foods or anything funny really. Only for a box of caramelised eel to fall through his head, “alright that’s pretty odd, at least it’s not, like, Venom’s leftovers or something”, Danny frowns, what would he do if he came across that? It’s not like he wouldn’t be able to tell, the smell would tip him off immediately. If it was just like....a chunk...he’d probably just stare at it and nope the fuck out, close the fridge or cupboard or whatever. Just firmly ignore it. But something like....a full-blown body?....he’d probably either freeze up or freak out. Or go really batshit. He’s never actually seen a dead body since the whole...Dan...thing. So it probably would not trigger good, kind, happy, parts of his brain. He imagines it would go one of two ways. Either it would bring out his inner Dan, which would be really bad. Or he’d go exactly the opposite, like when he actually dealt with him, protective and resolute. Which would be more likely, hopefully.

Lewis is firmly tickled pink, as far as his hospital was aware Danny had been transferred to Amity’s hospital. Which seems to have downright ridiculously horrible paperwork and systems for keeping track of patients; a lot of that actually seems to be Phantom’s fault because he just shows up with people randomly, even at two a.m.. People even seem to just leave without even bothering to check-out. That and apparently files get corrupted and possessed somewhat often. Lewis somehow doubts Danny and his friends are at fault for all of it. So no one will really raise any eyebrows at not being able to find Danny in the Amity hospital system. Even with Lewis still acting as his doctor and supposedly going between the two hospitals. Pushing his study door open, all that really mattered now was when Danny wanted to head home and watching out for those agents. Because, of course, if the same three agents spot him at the Fenton’s house it’ll tip them off.

Looking around the living-room, slightly surprised he’s not watching tv and resting like he should be. Walking into the kitchen and quirking an eyebrow over what he’s sure is part of Danny’s tail sticking out through the sink countertop; looks a bit like someone just left a sliced in half black circle on the counter, that moves. Which definitely reminds him of Vee, just seeing random bits of black something was pretty come-by. “What are you doing?”, walking over as the tail just moves through the countertop and slips fully through it like it’s not really there. Before Danny’s head just pokes up through it, “snooping, seeing some of the weird stuff people have in their house is interesting and a good way to find their suspicious shit”.

This just serves to remind Lewis just how paranoid Danny is, “well I wouldn’t recommend doing that at Eddie’s apartment. If those two have something hidden I’d rather it stay that way. Anyway, the hospital thinks you’re in Amity’s hospital. But your cities hospital has probably the worst systems I’ve ever seen, so you not actually being there won’t be noticed”.  

If anything Danny’s actually more likely to look through their place, partly out of morbid curiosity and partly just out of needing to make sure there’s nothing bad. Shrugging and phasing out of the cupboards/sink, sitting on the countertop, “if you’re fine with possibly accidentally setting off a weapon or some other device, then snooping the Fenton household is really interesting even if you live there. But yeah, shouldn’t really snoop my room in truth. And you’re still going to be functionally moving in right? Cause if you now have to go through Amity’s hospital for approval, that’ll be a problem”.

Lewis pours himself some coffee, pushing a cup to Danny as well. It was fairly obvious why looking for hidden stuff where Eddie, or more specifically Vee, lived was probably a bad and unpleasant idea. There is no way either of them clean up everything, and he firmly doubts Vee doesn’t take home snacks; whether Eddie knows or not would be debatable. The only things Lewis can think Danny might hide would be stuff good for his ghost part, medical stuff, and maybe weapons. “What could be so bad in your room? Other than to your parents anyway. You are a teenager after all. And you do have a lot in common with Eddie, the things he hid from his, I don’t really wann-”.

Danny pulls a face and cuts him off, “Lewis! Ancients no! Even if I did hide or have whatever I think you happen to be implying -which I don’t, do you seriously think I have time or focus on that?- why I’d be concerned about that? My room’s probably a weapons and bio hazard”, shaking his head and glaring at Lewis’s smirk, “stop that you”, rolling his eyes at Lewis just smirking more, “ignoring your bullshit now. As I like to say, my room would make a crime-scene investigator cry, the cleanup crew might just quit outright”.  

Lewis quirks an eyebrow, “okay, why? Also, why would it be a problem if I needed Amity’s hospitals' approval? I don’t, but curiosity”. Amity’s Hospital didn’t seem to have much in the way of actually followed rules and regulations. Sure his hospital was a little lenient, from what he’d research it seemed every hospital that dealt with Amity Parkers was, but his hospital was still much more likely to say no.

Danny chuckles, he’d almost like to see some poor out of town investigators go through his room with a fine-toothed comb, “I give myself and get medical treatment in my room Lewis, and I don’t have to worry about infections; so how clean my tools and supplies happens to be doesn’t really matter. If you pulled up my carpet and rung it out, it would bleed. And since I can phase through stuff-”, Danny sticks his cup through the wall and just leaves it in there, “-my walls and floor are my cabinets for everything really questionable or dangerous. I know for a fact there’s at least six bombs in the floor. Lots and lots of stolen property, powerful ghost artefacts. One of my walls is filled with blood and ‘plasm bags, if someone cut that wall open they would literally get a bloodbath”, taking his coffee out of the wall and sipping at it, “and because Amity’s hospital doesn’t allow anyone under their insurance to go inside FentonWorks. I’ve had the hospital head flat-out say he’d put me, as Phantom, on payroll purely to deal with them and their house. Because being dead apparently counts as a preexisting condition that makes me excluded from their insurance”.

Well, Lewis thinks, that’s one way to get out of covering employees; Anne would have a field day with that. And if Vee heard how Danny keeps his room, apparently anyway, they’d nag at Eddie over ‘why can’t we keep snacks in the walls? Eddie?!?’. Which is probably a conversation that would horrify both Eddie and Danny in two very different ways. “I’m going to guess you turned that offer down? And if I can handle being around Vee when they didn’t like me and saw me as the bad guy who attack them with the noisy death machine, I can handle the Fenton house”, pointing his cup at Danny, “and why did you do that to your room? As a doctor, especially your doctor, I definitely can’t approve of using dirty tools and just leaving your mess around”.

Danny rubs at his neck and glances at the clock, Lewis probably didn’t work till the afternoon, “death machine? Now it’s my turn to guess, they have a weakness like how anti-ecto stuff hurts me. And you’re damn right, I am on no one’s payroll”, rolling his eyes some, “and it’s either I leave it in my room, can’t go dumping samples from me anywhere, or I burn it. Once they get really bad, I always burn them. With ecto-fire to be specific. Also, I’m lazy where I can be, namely my own health”, pointing at the clock, “I’m guessing you don’t work till late?”.  

Lewis shakes his head, at least Danny was honest, “correct, late shift today; and I’d say you should care about your health but that would be of as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Though you do have a point, considering your friends destroyed all your samples”, shaking his head with a slight smile, “your guess is right. Loud high pitched sounds and fire, so MRI’s aren’t such a good idea. Basically vibrated right out of Eddie’s skin, lots of screaming and what was basically a seizure”.  

“Oof, sounds like how I died. ‘Cept even more screaming. Like, the entire Zone heard that shit. Also-”, Danny lifts up a finger and lets an ecto-flame burn above it, “-I can be a firebug. And yeah, I’m called a self-sacrificial fool for a reason. I’m durable enough to afford to be”.

Lewis shakes his head, just how many powers did Danny have? “Still should at least somewhat care about your own self. You better not set my friends on fire, and at this point, you might as well just give me a list of abilities instead of just dropping them one by one”.

Danny points at him and telekinetically brings over the rest of his ecto-shake, “they better not hurt my humans. And dude, I frequently forget my powers. That list will not be complete”.

Lewis isn’t sure if that’s worrying, impressive, or sad. Watching the floating drink and Danny drink from it without dropping eye-contact, “a list would still be nice and I won’t make promises for them but I genuinely believe they’ll behave”.

Danny grumbles, “they better”, before leaning back and shrugging, “yeah I guess randomly springing that, kind of lost the dramatic flare after the duplication stunt”.

“Yeah, not sure you could pull something more strange. At least Vee’s ability to make multiple heads out of Eddie doesn’t result in a whole nother separate body”.  

Danny gives a devilish grin before opening his mouth and making an arm pop out and wave at Lewis before opening seventeen eyes all over it and making them strobe blue and green. Biting the arm off to dissipate into green fog, seeping into the skin on his face. Smirking at Lewis’s obviously restrained shock, “a lesson best remembered with me, never tempt or encourage body horror. I love that shit”.

Lewis blinks a few times, he’s both interested to see just how far or extreme Danny could take this and completely wanting to nope out of seeing that. “I am legitimately going to ask you to never give Vee ideas. They do enough weird shit to and with Eddie’s body. Can you just, replicate any part of your body anywhere and without limit?”.

Danny nods, “pretty much. But it uses up ectoplasm and I don’t have an endless supply of that. I think the most heads I’ve had at once was, like, thirty-two. I max out at four full duplicates. Duplicates take way more energy than just general body manipulation. I could pretty well just fill this room with random body parts via body manipulation”.

Okay Lewis does not need to see that, still extremely interested though. He won’t say no if Danny just does it or offers. He’s not going to make a request though. “So that’s body manipulation, duplication, intangibility, invisibility, transformation, levitation, pyrokinesis, healing factor, heightened durability, and heightened senses. You also said you had most of the same as my friends. So enhanced strength, speed, and just in general defying logic”.

Danny shakes his head, but chuckles, “Ancients fine, that’s not even half”, Lewis quirks an eyebrow as Danny just starts counting off on his fingers for added flare, “so to add on to what you listed. Everything’s ecto-energy in some way generally. Energy beams, blasts, discs, waves, balls, shields and constructs. Repulsion field and power absorption. Enhancement, as in I can increase my strength beyond its natural level. Electrocution and more general shapeshifting. Photokinesis, Ectokinesis and cryokinesis. Ghost sense and absolute dark vision. I learn super quick, about fourteen hours for new skills or languages. Immunity to some ghost attacks in general, and some anti-ghost stuff while human. Working on teleportation and portal creation, possibly a sleep ray”, Danny tilts his head, “um, oh right. Exorcism, as in I can tear a ghost out of someone; might be able to tear Vee out of Eddie like that actually. Overshadowing of people, technology, and dreams. Like, you know how Vee is basically inside of and able to control Eddie? Yeah that’s basically overshadowing. Possessing someone or something”, chuckling, “could maybe possess Vee, who’s basically possessing Eddie. That would be a trip. And lastly, my sort of trump card power cause it’s super fucking strong. My Ghostly Wail, a super-sonic wail. If I really try I could take out entire cities with it”, shrugging and chuckling a bit awkwardly Lewis just staring at him with a slowly cooling coffee, “did warn ya and then there are the powers I had only temporarily. Weather manipulation and reality control. Oh, also had a time medallion fused in my chest for a while, which excluded me from time itself. By the by, reality control means I could basically do anything. Turned a lady into a duck, altered some people’s memories, altered time, turned a ghost back into a living person; probably a few other things that I don’t really remember”.

Lewis is honestly wondering if there’s anything Danny can’t do. “You have more power than any one person really should have”.

Danny chuckles and nods, “yeah, though many of my abilities are literally just general ghost shit. Every ghost can use body manipulation, invisibility, intangibility, flight, overshadowing, ecto-beams/blasts, shields, enhanced strength and speed and senses and healing, body manipulation, duplication, photokinesis and absolute dark vision. You just have to learn how. Most ghosts don’t learn how to do everything they’re capable of doing, I do because it always seems to wind up being needed”.

Lewis shakes his head, that was a bit ridiculous. Ghosts were absurdly powerful beings, “question, why haven’t ghosts just taken us over? Because that would be really easy to do”.

Danny chuckles, “four reasons: humans are seen by many as lesser and thus not worth the effort, have zero interest in the mortal world at all, getting into the mortal world is actually not that easy and ghost can’t actually stay, and lastly, ghosts like me exist to stop the ones that do want to or try to. But in the end, ghosts care about their Obsessions first and foremost, so unless their Obsession is something like ruling or humanity there’s no reason to want to take over mortals”.

Lewis shakes his head as he goes to get packed to take Danny home, “well that’s comforting, this sounds like a pretty good note to decide to get the probably disturbingly powerful being back to his home. Which I’ve honestly said to Eddie too, come to think of it”.

Danny chuckles as Lewis walks off, “well it's not hard to be more powerful than humans”, Lewis coming back in only a little bit later, “and yet we often come out on top. You seem more powerful than most ghosts, judging by all the fighting, yet you’re part human”.

Danny chuckles as he stretches out, slides off the stool, and floats over to the door; inspecting his tail a little as he goes, “being part mortal gives me a big leg up on other ghosts. Being part ghosts gives me a big leg up on other mortals. Also makes me a mortal with ghostly needs and instincts. And a ghost with mortal weaknesses”.

Lewis closes the car door and looks back to where it sounds like Danny sat in the back, “mortal weakness? Your humanness doesn’t seem to be a weakness”.

Danny rolls his eyes, “I can still die Lewis. I still age, still change”, popping into visibility and pointing at Lewis though laying across the backseat to be hidden, “dead ghosts ain’t meant to change at the base level. Halfas do. Not healthy”.

Lewis tilts his head as he gets up to highway speed, Danny had a good point in a sense, ghost were dead. Weren’t part of the living world and thus didn’t really have to deal with living stuff. But clearly they could be destroyed, which is basically dying. “Well shouldn’t ageing be good for you? Being stuck at fourteen seems pretty unpleasant. Ghosts can be destroyed too, that’s basically dying”.

Danny sighs slightly, yeah that would be pretty shit but what would he be like as an old man? Heck maybe he would stop ageing or changing at some point. Who fucking knows? Halfas were a new species, everything was debatable, unproven, yet to be seen. Didn’t help that the only other natural halfa was one nut short of a fruitcake; not to mention rather reclusive. Shrugging, “being an old man won’t change my Obsession. I’ll still be doing what I’m doing now, might be a little difficult to do that. Ehh, hard to say. The other is as old as my folks, he does fine. Okay, he does fine physically. Dying and destruction is odder for me than humans or ghosts. ‘Cause if my ghost’s destroyed then my human’s still here. My human dies then my ghost’s still here. No halfa ever has done either though so everything’s hypothetical. Might not even be possible without the halfs being torn apart first”, Danny shivers slightly, different train of thought, “ghosts that are five thousand years old are nearly no different in base form or personality than when they first formed. That’s part of how they have their spot and place in the Zone, that makes me uncertain, unreliable, and unpredictable to ghosts. And a ghosts base body, skin colour, ears, eyes, hair, yada yada, is pretty well part of who they are. Some look more mortal, some not at all. And while humans are really damn adaptable, there’s a limit to that. Which is why my teeth and face hurts sometimes”.

“Go to a dentist?”.

Danny screws up his face before pulling himself up and leaning on the centre console, pushing up his upper lip and extending his fangs. All four sets of them, which yes, are too damn big for his face, “I’ll getz rightz on thatz”.

Lewis glances at them and yeah okay, dentist would be a bad idea. Though he’s very curious what x-rays of Danny’s teeth would look like. Seems to be those fangs are just part of him, not body manipulation. So there must be pockets in his jaw and skull for them to slide in and out of. Not to mention specialised extra muscles. Yeah, that likely would be rather uncomfortable. Also very obvious Danny’s not used to them, “fair point, grow into them? Eddie and Vee can do a lot of weird stuff with Vee’s teeth, and Vee’s got an obscene amount of teeth. Their face is sixty percent teeth. Though if you’re basically transversing unknown territory then just roll with it. That’s basically what Eddie does, though maybe actually attempt to figure stuff out instead of just shrugging at it”.

Danny chuckles, “maybe I willz grow to fillz ‘em. Andz I’m from a family ofz zvientiztz, ofz courze I ztudy the changez”.

Lewis shakes his head with a slight smile as Danny basically stabs his lower lip and starts bleeding, hearing him groan in annoyance as they enter Amity Park. ‘A nice place to live’ seems a bit funny for it being the most haunted place in the world and who’s town icon -Phantom’s symbol is everywhere, the town clearly likes him more than he’s implied- literally does not live, to public knowledge. Speaking as Danny runs his tongue over his -fangs clearly retracted- teeth and lip, “maybe try talking with them more instead of ignoring them. And good, everyone should be familiar with their bodies. Also, your town loves you”.

Danny rolls his eyes and grumbles, “just because they have the symbol for a famous ghost around doesn’t mean they’re doing it for anything other than popularity and profit. I’m a staple of the town, being a staple doesn’t necessarily mean well-liked. Like rats in New York and-”, Danny cuts himself off at smelling bleach and glimpsing the bumper of a white car, promptly turning himself, Lewis, and the car invisible and intangible.

“No one puts rats on t-shirts and pins. Also, does your town have weird tingly air? Because something is off”, Lewis blinks, firmly caught off guard as another car's bumper just goes through his own. Looking to Danny who looks slightly mischievous but has a sharpness to his eyes and they’re darting around slightly, in a way that implied lots of practice at making it not noticeable that he was looking for threats. “What’s going on? You can transfer you powers?”. If Danny could push his powers onto other things that was a power in and of itself. Manipulating other things and people.

Danny sends out a duplicate through his tail to look from above, easily spotting the Agents. Doesn’t look to be the same ones as at the hospital and they look to be carrying around water guns. Which Danny’s going the bet his own eyeballs, are filled with that ‘rain’ liquid. Wonderful. Original Danny hisses, “G.I.W.”.

Lewis restrains a sigh, at least Danny noticed quickly; paranoid but usefully so. Having to make a damn point of not jerking from a car driving straight through him, Danny of course hardly seems to pay it any mind. Though being able to just run red lights gives him a bit of childish joy. Struggling to keep a smile off his face as he picks up speed and just goes through a building.

Original Danny glances at him and chuckles slightly, “usually I go around buildings. You know, for peoples privacy? But yes, my powers are pretty fun”. Before growling, snapping his head to the side, and squinting his now glowing green eyes; as the duplicate spots one agent spraying Elliot -why doesn’t that kid just move out?- in the face.

Lewis isn’t sure what’s going on, glimpsing Danny’s tail vibrating and lashing a bit aggressively; and him clearly in attack mode. Under an hour into being back in his own town and he’s already picking fights. He just can’t slow down, like Eddie. Which is honestly the scariest part about Eddie himself, combined with having functionally no restraints or very few personal limits. Looking around to see a Phantom duplicate zip over to somewhere and restraining another sigh, before blinking and spotting the FentonWorks sign and the UFO? Danny wasn’t kidding about the strange house. Promptly parking and clearing his throat at Danny, it takes a few times before Danny glances his very bright eyes at him, “we’re just gonna sit here till other you is done”. Danny rolls his eyes slightly but goes back to staring out the window.

Danny, meanwhile, is happy the liquid doesn’t seem to affect regular ecto-contaminated humans. But he still floats aggressively, and invisibly, behind the agents. While Elliot looks extremely done with everything, shaking his hands off and then tossing them up dramatically and walking off, grumbling about the dumb stupid pain in the fucking ass gov asshole pricks.

Danny, feeling a little vindictive and mischievous, makes a point of giving the agents the seemingly worst luck ever. Tripping them up, knocking stuff in front of them, whispering creepily at them, making random growling sounds from alleyways. One agent grumbling, “I hate dealing with damn ghost lairs. Too bad we can’t just blow the place”. Danny growls low at that and unintentionally changes the colour palette of the buildings and sidewalk to be darker and harsher shades. Both agents glare around and scoff, “you’re not going to chase us off, filthy lair”.

“Maybe it should!”.

Danny tilts his head up towards the voice and sighs slightly, seeing the red-eyed ‘Phantom’ Amorpho. Promptly zipping up to him and yanking him out of the way of the agents water guns as they shout, “Phantom! Give it up you filthy ecto-entity!”.

Danny pops into visibility with Amorpho a few blocks over, pointing at him, “you don’t want that water shit on you. Also, the fuck are you doing posing in-front of billboards and shit?”.

Amorpho blinks and transforms into his natural state, “you’re back! I’ve been having my fun, haven’t caused any issues for you, so who says it matters”.

Danny rolls his eyes but chuckles, “oh yes, who says it matters that you’re making a whole bunch of new weird stories about me. At least general confusion suits me, though I did ask you to stay out of my town. Though fine, thanks for covering my ass. That water will paralyse you and burn you, now I imagine that would get you stuck in whatever form”, Danny grins a bit cruelly knowing how much Amorpho hates that. While Amorpho jerks slightly, turning his head towards where the agents are, “thanks then, I’m going to make their day. In the bad way”, transforming into an agent and walking off with a cruel smirk.

Danny shakes his head, at least he could leave the agents to Amorpho to mess with, being distracting was basically the guys specialty. Flying off back into the car and being resorbed by the original.

Lewis shakes his head, as Danny just smirks more and leans back in the seat, “someone I've got a truce with is messing with them now. He’s a tricky fellow so I doubt they get him, he’s pretending to be an agent himself”, Danny shakes his head, “he’s actually been pretending to be Phantom while I’ve been gone. He’s a true shift-shaper, can look like anyone. Harmless though, just a prankster that likes attention. Also, we’re visible and everything again”. Lewis can’t even imagine all the ways that kind of power could cause harm and mass panic, seems like only the less harmful ghosts had all the more dangerous powers. “Before we head in, because I know you won’t talk about this around Jack and Maddie. Is there a reason it just seems to be good or neutral ghosts with stronger abilities?”.

Danny promptly shakes his head, “it only seems that way because all the powerful bad ghosts are locked up or sealed away, so they can’t do shit. Like Overgrowth? Control over all plant life and turns people into fertiliser. Massive death count, enslaved Amity once. Vortex? Compete weather control. Makes massive storms and shit. Caused the ice age. Aragon can turn into a dragon. Pariah is literally one of the most powerful there is and he’s an evil bastard. Oh, and Spectra, she makes people depressed. Massive death count for her too”, Danny shrugs and coils his tail up, turning it invisible and throws his -pretty well shredded- hoodie around his waist, “there are just enough good guys to keep the bad guys wrangled. Well okay, and the Observants deal with the really dangerous ones”.

Lewis shakes his head as he gets out of the car and opens the back door, seeing as Danny can’t be just floating in. Danny points at him, “you aren’t carrying me, my pride took enough of a hit yesterday. And I can’t just ride piggyback cause with how injured I’m supposed to be that would be very suspicious”. Lewis raises an eyebrow, “you have pride?”. Danny flips him off for that, “all ghosts do. Prideful things by nature”.

“Huh, well I did not bring a wheelchair. Would Jack and Maddie have something?”.

Danny blinks at him a few times before laughing and nodding his head, “they always have something, they built a hoverboard I believe”.

Lewis is just going to assume hoverboards are basically commonplace here, as he knocks on the door.

To say Jack and Maddie have been busy would be a bit of an understatement. They’d like to say the first thing they did was start on legs and perfect them, but how could they? Having to face that fact, just accept what their boy had lost so quickly? No, but cleaning, organising, and getting to work on deconstructing bits from the first Spector Speeder for a little hover-board? That was easy enough, distraction enough. The house was probably the cleanest it had ever been, especially after finding out Dan would be coming to stay for a while. Finding out Danny would be coming home even sooner really made them stop and acknowledge that they needed to genuinely start building. Of course they both already had ideas, and had started building a little, but really hearing Danny actually eager to hear about them was the real kick in the butt they needed to build with wild abandon. But it wasn’t exactly going smoothly. Building actual robotic legs that could pass as normal legs, rather than an exoskeleton of sorts was a fair bit more difficult. Of course they needed neuroreceptors and the base shape and systems, all that they could build easily. But Danny was rather lean and short, there wasn’t a whole lot of room to work with. And they only wanted legs, no further areas of a full-body suit for space or support. And of course, they absolutely had to be able to work long term and completely safely. There were to be no running off of Danny’s life force or draining any substantial amount of his ectoplasm. The less he has to act as a battery the better.

So as it stands they had basic prototypes, and they were fully intending to ask Danny if he wanted them to bring them in for him to look at, try on, and help troubleshoot; when the G.I.W. situation had gone down. To say they were pissed at G.I.W. was another definite understatement. The absolute only reasons they didn’t hunt those men down or bust into that transport vehicle was Jazz and Sam pointing out how suspicious that would seem and Tuck assuring them that Danny was not in G.I.W. custody. The final nail in the coffin for them turning around to go back home and just wait, was Jazz somewhat sheepishly admitting to them that she had told Dan about the G.I.W. and that Danny actually dealt with them coming after him before. Because that meant Danny had a plan for this and Dan was smart. Not to mention, they knew from growing up with him that he had zero qualms over forgoing rules or normalcy. Even they acknowledged Dan was a bit strange, more so than them. They had strange interests and were both very intense and unapologetic about everything. Dan was strange on the very base fundamental level, so everything about him was at least a little off. But that was exactly why he fit and flowed well with them.

So they trusted their boy and put some faith in an old friend. Which thankfully paid off, even if that meant Danny coming home way sooner and functionally sent them into a bit of a frenzy. They couldn’t just have prototypes and ‘leg’ bits around, certainly that would be unpleasant for Danny right? And they couldn’t have Dan thinking the house was unsafe. Though they agreed to leave both children’s rooms be, the last thing they wanted to do was make Danny uncomfortable by going through his stuff or changing his area. Jazz would likely go on about how rooms were comfort zones and safe havens.

So they were a bit frazzled when that knock they had been nervously waiting for finally came. Maddie quickly fixing her hair as she opens the door to see Dan, “Dan, is he fine? Where’s Danny?”. Lewis puts up his hands and makes pacifying motions, “he’s fine, he’s fine”. While Maddie sticks her head out the door, spotting Danny sitting in the car. Seeing him in braces instead of casts feels like a breath of fresh air laced with gold, “DANNY!”.

Danny rubs his neck a bit awkwardly, partly because he didn’t have a full range of motion and partly because he hated worrying people, while Maddie runs over to him and squats down. Squeezing his shoulder before pulling him in for an almost tight hug, making sure not to pull him off the seat though, “oh sweetie, I’m glad those men didn't get to do anything”.

Danny’s not about to tell her that they did hurt him, but he does glance around with a cautious eye, “yeah, they’re pricks, aren’t they? They’re also in town, so let’s party over tripping up government dogs inside”. This instantly gets Maddie to snap up and look around, no way does she want to try picking Danny up. Not yet. Thankfully Jack, the dear, was thinking ahead; coming out with the little circular hover cushion with cushion walls around it, looking like a bowl. Course it also had a control panel, pop out trays, pop open cubby holes, etcetera.

Both Danny and Lewis resist chuckling or snorting at the device. Though Danny takes it and, with the kind of ease that comes from being overly familiar with how his parents build stuff, operates it easily. Lewis quietly muttering, “well shit”, the thing genuinely hovers and quietly too.

Jack and Maddie both beam as Danny just easily hovers himself inside and does a little twirl in the air. Jazz snickering from the hallway stairs. Patting the puffy thing after walking up, looking Danny over and nodding slightly, “you seem better, no more stiff casts”.

Danny smiles and makes a point of stretching out some, “oh it is much better, I have fingers again. Stick fingers, but fingers”. Bending his right fingers at her the little that he actually can. Which she giggles and shakes her head over.

Lewis looks at Maddie as she leans towards him, “is he really okay enough to be out of casts?”. Lewis nods, a normal person would definitely not be...well, a normal person would just be flat-out dead. But he had to downplay the injuries, “he’s a tough kid. Lucky too. So he’s good, just needs to be monitored to make sure, and keep up with the wrappings. Though I have a shift soon, so I can’t stay long right now”.

Jack claps him on the shoulder though his smile looks a little empty, “that’s too bad! You could’ve helped set up the spare room!”. Lewis chuckles and shakes his head slightly, “I’m sure I would have loved that. Though don’t worry about that too much. I’m hardly the picky type”.

Danny smirks and glances up towards his room, his parents could give Lewis the strangest room ever and he’d probably be unfazed. Whispering at Jazz, “please tell me they didn’t raid my room?”, saying ‘cleaned up’ would be stretching it, since cleaning wasn’t often their thing. Plus, genuinely cleaning his room would probably take more than three days. Jazz giggles slightly, “no worries little brother. They did actually clean the house though”, smiling and side-eyeing her parents, “lab’s a bit messy of course”.

Danny groans quietly, “it’s covered in leg bits, isn't it?”. She just nods quickly while Lewis comes up and pats Danny’s shoulder.

Lewis eye-balls the hover cushion thing, “somehow, this is stranger”, shaking his head, “I’ll be around in the morning, try not to destroy your bandaging”. Danny smirks at him, “no promises”. Lewis shakes his head and waves over his shoulder as he takes his leave.

Danny hovers somewhat awkwardly, focusing on keeping his tail invisible -which doesn’t fit all that well in the little cushion contraption-, while his parents walk over to him. Jack patting him on the shoulder, “did you pull a good one over on those agents?”. Danny smirks and nods, “to my knowledge, they don’t even know I was ever there”. Jack beams over that, while Danny glances up to his room, “cool if I rub my face in my blankets?”, he was going to enjoy his bed tonight, after flying around his town with a fine eye. Any ghosties are were going to get their asses kicked with a passion.

They honestly don’t want to let him out of their sight but Jazz is giving them a bit of a glare, clearly saying they should give him space. Jack squeezes Danny’s shoulder slightly and nods, “glad to hear it and go ahead Danny-boy. I’m sure Mads will have supper ready in a bit!”. And Maddie kisses Danny on the cheek quickly, who blushes and bats her off weakly. Before promptly hovering up to his room.

Sticking his head in, Danny’s just damn glad his room looks exactly as it did before. Locking the door and promptly ditching the hover cushion, stretching his tail out and letting it wiggle all over the place; before just flopping onto his bed. Laying there realising that being gone for a while has rather resensitised him to all the scents he’d gotten used to over the past years. Grumbling, “oh man, I really do need to clean. Kinda smells like someone died and rolled in lemon acid”. Was he going to actually do it? Probably not. Give it a day or so and he’d be nose-blind again. Sighing happily into his blankets, hard to actually be comfortable with the braces on though. Turning his head to the side and staring out the window, he could wait till nightfall.

Jack and Maddie watch him head to his room with worry, Jazz rubbing her mom's arm, “he just needs some time to adjust and enjoy being home”, smiling at her dad, “you know how unpleasant hospitals can be”. Not to mention calming down from dealing with the G.I.W.

Jack shivers slightly, hospitals were so annoying to be stuck dealing with. Before looking to the lab door and smiling, “maybe testing things out will get him back into the swing of things!”, and bounding down the stairs. While Jazz shakes her head with a small smile, “give him some time at least!”.

Maddie gives Jazz a soft smile and kisses her head quickly, “oh he’ll be a while, no worries. I’ll get to work on a good supper”. Jazz, full well knowing Danny will be annoyed but he really should not be eating anything heavily seasoned or tough, “remember it should be simple and easy to digest”. Maddie blinks and nods, “right, of course, thanks Jazz”. Jazz just smiles and shakes her head slightly.

Danny’s just glad supper went normally, even if he’s sure the food was very intentionally ‘guy who just had surgery’ friendly. Now he’s just curled up in his blankets and staring at the window. No way his folks weren’t going to check in on him before they went to bed themselves. He honestly wanted them to hurry up on that and go to bed, so he can leave and have a night out on the town.

Not even ten minutes later he coils his tail up and flicks it out of visibility, as he smells his folks approaching the door. Flipping over to face the door as he hears his mom ask, “you up sweetie? Can we come in?”.

“Yeah, go ahead”, Danny would throw in a joke about not being able to get the door but that would technically be a lie and would probably be really insensitive.

Jack and Maddie come in and sit on Danny’s bed, it was strange and bit painful that doing so pulled the blankets down enough to make what’s missing rather noticeable. The two parents share a look before Maddie brushes Danny’s hair around some, speaking soft and kind, “now you know we’ve been working on legs for you. We’ve got good frameworks and systems started, though we haven’t really been able to solidify or start on the attachment zone. So we were wondering if it would be alright to see the work Dan did?”.

Danny makes a point not to wince, it was clear she was trying to be kind and gentle, even if the whole...Dan...name kind of ruined the attempted effect. All three glance down to Danny’s waist and ‘legs’, while Danny mentally debates what to do.

[aggresivelyfriendly]

Hi babes! Chapter 4 for you! It’s a biggie!

Eternally grateful to the tripod, without @dirtystyles -and @bleedinglove4h I would fall on my face- maybe into someone’s cleavage if I timed it right!!

Ski Da Yo- Chapter 4

It's silly really, the entire scenario that she's found herself in. Ada could laugh, nobody would hear it over the music. It's loud, and people are taking turns at the stage. Though She could go join the group, she should, rather than lurking in the corner like a weirdo, fixated on a previous performance. She's not laughing, even at herself. She'd kinda drooling, way more embarrassing.

But she just had to watch him.

He was in his element, relaxed, on, charming, lit up like a Christmas tree. Merry, bright.

She'd never seen him like this, in the flesh. Glimpses, in the interviews she watched and called research. She'd seen the fuss there, agreed to the picture partly on the strength of it.

She could see it, what the fuss was about. And it was the first real glimpse she'd had, besides those moments she felt she had to steal from him to get on film. She was beginning to think there was a limited supply of Styles' magic. Perhaps, that was why she was only able to get a precious few minutes a day.

Watching him now, that did not seem to be the case. Harry was incandescent and she felt blinded by the light. She could chalk that up to all of her rockstar fantasizes brought to life, but it didn't explain everyone else's rapt attention on him, their enthrallment. Maybe they all had a grunge fetish too?

When she walked in and she clocked him, even with the stupid glasses that obscured his face, festive she supposed, he looked different.

On set he looked, perfect was the word that came to mind, but not in the way people usually meant. Polished and made up and proper in his prince clothes.  Perfect, fake. And anxious, like the film was a bit of an albatross around his neck. Or maybe the pressure.  And he looked like it was heavy, all the trappings trapping him. Ada worried over it. Like, the movie made him regress. Maybe it felt too familiar. He said that a lot when they talked about scenes, when he was frustrated with himself.

"I know just how he feels."

Because he had been there. Is that why he had such a hard time getting the shot? Because it made him freak out a little, feel like he'd not called his own shots for years? But he'd made these choices. Had agency. Maybe she could help him see it as therapeutic. Because it was a way to safely rebel - a redo, no risk.

She'd talk to him about it. They needed to have that drink. She could order him one now.

Ada shook her head. Not tonight. She didn't want to kill his vibe tonight. It was too lovely to watch, and to live she guessed. No shop talk.

He looked light as a cloud, and as soft edged too.  Nothing perfect or fake about him. His skin was a little slick under the stage lights, the ridges near his nose were shiny especially. He had glitter on his cheeks, but not like highlighter, like the glasses he wore were cheap, and shedding tiny pieces of shine.

But he did shine.

And he had sounded good.

Not everybody could sing Nirvana, in a chest voice no less.

She was weaned on that. And really into indie rock, especially grunge, while her dad was fostering 90's slick hip hop. It was a silly means of rebellion, but she took her opportunities to disappoint Garner seriously.

She remembered her dad had called the cover of in utero obscene, which made her laugh as he had just put out a video full of nearly naked females in bikinis, but anatomical drawings were obscene. Okay.

She had snuck a new copy in after he threw the first one away and poured over the lyrics in her baggy jeans and crop top with a flannel. Had a giant crush on Kurt, May he Rest In Peace, and when she met Dave Grohl it may have been the only time she was really starstruck.

Well, she felt like she had been hit about the head by a celestial being currently. Harry had it, that was for sure. How had she missed it? The bushel basket he'd been hiding his light under must have been thick. There was something obscuring her view or his personality definitely. Not tonight. Star power was all over him tonight; that was the boy she had signed up to direct. Right there, from those red carpet clips she'd watched. Those sold her and then she had watched concert footage, shaking camera and all. Those were another level. This silly karaoke gig almost matched the wattage when he was bedecked and bantering on stage. He looked dashing, and like he could carry a movie on his thick shoulder pads all with a joke on his vibrant lips. That man was in this building, singing one of her all time favorite songs. It had an effect.

Wow, the rasp in his voice. God, she was still reeling and hiding out in the back like her crush was nearby.

Her eyes widened.

That's what was going on! She was doing what she had done with Danny Diaz in 10th grade. She wasn't teenage dream obsessed about him, really. But, she'd paid him a lot of attentions, clandestinely. He'd been so cool, and was really into raving. Which, in hindsight, made his post high school life a little clearer. But he liked music that had nothing to do with her dad and he was cute, had long bangs and a shaved head and he could dance! She loved to dance.

She needed to go, before this bloomed like a cherry blossom and she fell off in a great big clump to wait for shoe marks. Like 10th grade, only less poetic.

The pathway to the door was clear. Her heels on the floor made a click click click, though nobody should be able to hear it. She turned back to make sure nobody was following her, was watching, and her heel caught, right in a crack in the concrete floor.

"Shit!" Her ankle twisted and her heard a crunch, that was not good, but her trajectory to the ground wasn't either. Her hands went out to catch her.

He smelled good, like leather a bit, smoky, with a sweet tinge. And he caught her and hoisted her up like she was feather light. She never felt like that, because she was the tallest of her friends, not even tall, just taller, and she had never been small. She had that insta baddie body before it was popular. Grown up in the big titty, little hippy 90's. She always felt huge.

But not right now. He had her, was righting her before her weight came down and she properly broke something. This felt like that time she'd sprained her ankle jumping fences to go skating with the boys. Stupid heels.

Back to the rom com moment she found herself in. He's caught her under the arms. His hands span her whole armpit and his fingers curled into her scapula. Ada spared a thought for how sweaty her underarms might be. Yuck! But she should be ok, she'd gotten properly ready, lots of antiperspirant. She knew that, took a deep breath and then realized she'd missed something. He's staring at her expectantly. The rockstar with the totally revealed charm. Harry.

"What?" It came out with no finesse, like a burp.

"You ok?" Harry was kinda grinning and loose, left eye more hooded than his right, and his breath, definitely 80 proof. She heard the shift and he's no longer got her in a dip fit for a tango . She felt like she'd been whirled and thrilled.

"Um, I think I'm ok." She realized they were still locked in an embrace when she tried to check her foot. Ada looked down at the place his hands had migrated to, on her hips. She didn't really need to look, she could feel all ten fingertips, like little bruise marks formed from hope not pressure. It saved her from looking at her own hands where they were full of the muscular forearms she knew to be covered in tattoos beneath the green button-up he had on. It was a a stall.

But Harry released her the minute he saw her eyeing his familiar hands. She had him well trained apparently. Massive walls between them. They were massively out of place at the moment, regrettable. She wasn't balanced on her feet yet either. Ada nearly fell before he steadied her with a rebound hand at her hip. She caught it to stand on one foot, for safety.

Her ankle circled around ok. She felt a twinge of pain, but it was entirely manageable. That was good. She'd probably need to stay off of it, no treadmill tomorrow, and she'd need to elevate it. Ice too, she could ask the bartender for some.  She was plotting how to locate an ace type bandage, and who would be best to ask for that. They may have some in makeup - they'd used them to bind breasts on Wildflower, but she couldn't think why they'd have them for this movie. Harry had perky nipples, but they didn't need to be bound. Stop thinking about Harry's nipples. The lowlight would thankfully mask her blush. Wait, Maybe she could ask his friend, Masa, he owned a gym.

Harry. She could ask him too. And that would be really easy because he was still right there. Holding her hand.

They had laced their fingers at her hip. Ada looked at Harry, he had a huge lazy smile on his face. Pleased as punch. She was punch drunk, though she wouldn't say it. He looked so young and toothy. Though the gathering of sweat at his hairline, little droplets above his upper lip, made him real. Imperfect.

She shook herself and their hands unlatched. "I need ice I think?" Of course she needed ice. What was she talking about? Who even was she? Next she's start babbling, and tuck her hair behind her ear and duck her chin.

"Yeah, and a way to put it up." His head swiveled around and he nodded. "C'mon." He gently took her arm and looped it around his shoulder. He was just tall enough.

The table was closer than she would have liked, a walk under his arms was worth remembering, but it was good for her foot. Harry sat her in a booth and put both hands out in a straight stay there motion then grabbed a chair and propped up her ankle gently. The wrong one, but she went with it.

"Be right back." He tripped a little as he looped off to the bar.  Ah, that looked normal. The trip to the bar was only the chorus of the song too. He didn't wait long for the bartender. The whole place seemed to be filled with their group, pleasantly vibrant, but not busy. . It was a quick exchange, with a little sign language thrown in. He was big on hand talking on a normal day. Gesticulating when he described most things. He was very full body engaged and engaging before scenes, before he floated away on her.

Huh, she just thought about that, Henry wasn't gesticulative. A little more in the Akio scenes.

She hadn't noticed that Harry had layered physical control into his performance. She found herself nodding. That was good.  Made total sense for a royal.

He was walking back to her now with a thin white towel and he was crunching ice in it.  Oh shit - she hadn't switched feet, she'd been watching him.

"Cold!" She flinched, "a little warning Styles!"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I figured me walking from the bar with a towel after I went over to get ice was warning enough." He curled his tongue a little at her and the ice gave her goosebumps.

Wow, maybe he needed liquid courage on set sometimes. All his nerves were gone.

"Usually someone tells you they are about to put ice on you, even nurses, unless they are trying to be little shits!" She arched one of her brows st him. They were her favorite feature and she used them to her advantage.

"You got me, just wanted to see you squirm, since you get to see me uncomfortable a lot." His slow cadence sometimes bugged her on set. It was another thing she could find irritating, during the literal 11th hour. Ada talked fast. She talked a mile a minute on set because they had shit to do and her brain was usually ten paces ahead of her mouth.

But it was kinda nice, the way he took his time.

"You sounded really good! When you were singing." Oh God he blushed. It was his job to sing, did he know that? "You moonlight in a Nirvana cover band often?" She flexed her foot where his hand was still moving ice around to find the sore ligaments, on the wrong foot. She followed the fire and ice.

He squawked a laugh. "No, just the one time, and only because Kunichi is so persistent. I think he could sell bad fish to a Tokyo chef!" He raised his eyebrows and Ada caught her hand just before she covered her laugh.

"So, it's not the song you've always wanted to sing? That wasn't you living out your teenage rock dream?" He shook his head, just hers then.

"Oh, it's a great song, I love rock." He moved his head like, obviously. His body of work spoke to that. "But I like a little more melody when I'm convinced to do karaoke," he made a drinking motion and she was laughing again. "I like disco divas and duets. And if there is absolutely nobody around to tell on me or god forbid, record, Britney Spears is a blast to perform." He'd placed his hand to block his lips from curious eyes and leaned in to tell her this secret. His lips were plump, they like to reach out and touch her faith.

She was thirsty.

Oh shit, did she just say that out loud? How much had she already had, while skulking in the shadows?

"Sure, what do you fancy?" Quicksilver grin, poisonous and enigmatic.

"Um," what had she already had? "A dirty martini!"

"How dirty?" He flashed his eyebrows.

"Very, three extra olives." She gave him her single brow, the one that she used to dare him when that was what he needed on set.

"Three olives!" He made a shocked face. "Well, I never." And he gave her the goofiest grin and went to grab her drink. He looked comfortable. Like a favorite hoodie she wanted to wear. She only got to really watch him one way. He was back quickly.

He sat by her when he put down her cloudy drink. She'd switched legs while he was away and thought she'd got away with it, but caught his eye as he was studying her legs and he smirked at her.

That was a damn good face. "You need to do that for the scene Monday, the one at the club." Ada segued seamlessly into shop talk. She was actually really excited about that one. It was set at a place she had frequented in her time here; she had really happy memories. She was feeling really excited too, this felt like an actual fresh start, she should have taken Harry up on his offer of a drink ages ago. He was a joy loose. This was the rapport they needed, him loose and smirky, handsome with a side of solicitous and cocky sauce. This was the Harry Styles she'd been waiting for!

🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

Harry felt like he should get an Oscar for this performance. For his steady hands, that he was currently sitting on, and the confident smirk. It wasn't all an act, but the amount of times he'd had to turn this on like a lightbulb in an interview was invaluable right now. It was mostly fake those times, maybe even faker now. He had been relaxed and joyous, and then he had been so relieved to see her smile at him, he just went with it. But the minute he walked away from her, the first time, for the ice, the nerves kicked in. But he faked it, like a seasoned porn star, because she was looking at him, and touching him, and holy shit! Ada Scott was hanging with him. He would keep the action and make the moans believable.

Wow! Was this the way women felt all the time? When they had to put on some performance for the man they were interested in, or for the men they weren't, but couldn't offend?

It felt easier to relax tonight. The day had set him up for success. Things had ended so well on set, and he'd been in the best mood, and had gotten brave. He'd gone to her trailer. To invite her again.  Harry was excited about the evening at the bar and seeing music, though he wasn't sure what it would be like, because it wasn't a gig, nor karaoke, some hybrid he had been told. He liked novel nights out.

But everybody was coming. His whole Japanese network, including Jeff and Masa and his girl!

Everybody but Ada. So he'd put on his man panties and went going to ask her.  She needed to be there, and even though she'd turned down all of his invitations and returned the replacement shoes, he was going to ask her again.  For the whole cast. They had months left and needed to bond.

He needed to bond with her. It felt possible after their day on set, her brow wasn't creased and she didn't speed walk away. She slowed down enough for him to keep up. They'd had a conversation, not about a scene. He'd kept up and not drifted away on her voice. She walked and talked fast. He liked it.

Masa loved to laugh at him, and was doing just that while he psyched himself up to go talk to her. "Just go ask the lady." He'd arrived to take him back to the hotel to Harry stalling. Masa was giving him a look.

His grin was presumptuous. Harry didn't like it. It felt like he knew. Yuki knee, Masa might. Harry did, know, but he didn't think he was so obvious. Did she know?

"You need a tutu?" Masa heckled.

"What?"

"Your mind is like a dancer on drugs," he made a flitting motion with his hands. "you might need a tutu for making the decision. "

"Oh fuck off, man!"

"Just go ask her. It's a cast party, I haven't even met her and she's supposed to be the leader. She needs to come. A leader should." Masa's brow shrunk.

"She is the leader, she's the boss!" He was full of defenses for her. "If you were allowed on set you'd see."

"Oh, I'm not allowed." Harry had neglected to outright tell him that, just let him be distracted, that would run out when they had to go on location. Whoops.

"You'd make fun of me, I've been totally fucking up. So you aren't allowed. At all."

"Isn't the movie about a royal fucking up?" Masa said after catching his wheezing breath. He sounded like a dragon with hay fever.

Hmmm, Harry'd have to have a think on that. That was a plot point he should consider when he was flagellating himself. Maybe he could use it, all his self frustration. He shook himself and jumped up and down like he was going on stage, when he turned around to tell Masa he was going, he was laughing at him, again.

"What now?"

"Are you going to punch her?" He gulped the air. "You do that before you box."

"I just need to hype myself up." Harry shook his head out.

"She must be really pretty."

"Shut up." She was really pretty, but it had been an asset today, made the scene work and Harry had decided he needed exposure therapy. So he needed to be around her, more. He was gonna go talk to her, get used to her face.

He strode to her trailer and stopped cold outside before he could knock. For once, it was not over nerves, but his jaw which had dropped to the floor. That sound as coming from her trailer.

She was singing. Well!  To Mary J. Blige's Real Love. And he wanted to sit on the little steps up to her door and listen.

So she could have gone into the music business, had everything going for her there. Connected daddy, pretty face, hot body, and pipes. Wow, she could belt! He had goosebumps. Her voice was rich and evocative. Deeper that he expected.

And he could not talk to her.  Not now. Now she was even more impressive.

So he did what any brave young lad would do.

He asked his manager to do it.

Jeff smirked, but sent the text.  And like the magic 8 ball he could be, he made the face he did when the outlook wasn't good.

So Harry had resigned himself to Ada not coming to the bar.  He was disappointed, but also relieved. Those two feelings must be dating as often as he felt them together when it came to Ada. If she didn't come, he could relax and have fun, let loose, but not bond with her, or have another chance to impress her. Or throw up on her. There would be alcohol involved again. He needed to gain back the ground he'd lost when he spewed at her feet.

A second chance at a first impression.

But Jeff seemed to be right, as he often was. Ada was softer with him after the last cut because he had done a good job. He'd work that angle to bond.

He resigned himself to having another kick ass day on Monday for him and Ada, and having a great time tonight for himself, free of expectations. He was feeling buoyant, Kunichi had noticed right away, pounced and got him on stage. First on the drums, which he played like a 7th grader after a few lessons, and then on the microphone.

God, it was fun. So fun. And he felt the perfect amount of tipsy, like tomorrow he'd need two paracetemol and extra water, a good sweat and nothing else.

He felt extra intoxicated when he spotted Ada. In tight jeans and a slimmer t-shirt than normal, and high heels. He tried not to stare at her ass on a sneaker day, he was doomed with the thrust the 3 inches gave her curves. She looked amazing, but she looked like she was leaving. And he'd just realized she was there!

The social lubricant in his blood didn't give him a chance to think better of it. He was walking to Ada. He got there just in time. Her heel stuck in a crease in the floor, and he caught her. It was every rom com moment he'd ever sat on his mum's couch moon eyed over in one.

He got to help her. And he was able to talk to her like a normal human, and get her a drink. All in the span of 20 minutes!

She seemed relaxed, her shoulders pressed against her tee nicely, but were down, easy. And she smiled at him, a lot.

He was trying his best not to think, he'd spin out. When he went to get her ice towel and then the martini, god, she kind of flirted, right? People flirted with him all the time, or went mute. She didn't do either until tonight. And he was buzzing, more off the flirting at this point than the alcohol.

The little insecure boy inside, the one who was really loud in new situations or around new people, especially people he admired, was chiming in about the stage. The stage cast a spell on people, and he worried about people who knew him from it or expressed attraction to that aspect of him.

It's why he'd always held back with Helene, regrettably.

He didn't want to make that mistake again, he'd made wrong assumptions that cost him Helene's affections. He didn't want to do that here, wanted to do the opposite. Part of him wanted to dive in, head first, but he wasn't sure. Rejection hurt no matter who you were, and though he'd had his share, Harry's skin was still cling wrap thin. He wanted her to like him too.  He wanted this to be real. Which meant he had to be honest, and open. But he was rushing it, like he did when he was crushing.

He was going to let this night be what he hoped it would be, a beginning. And he was that guy, the one on stage, with the smirk, and the wit. He was also less commanding, and lost his cool at times, but she'd seen that guy. He just needed to show her more of his best side, tonight, and on set.

He caught Kunichi motioning to him. Ah, he'd almost forgotten his promise.

He leaned back, let his arm brush her shoulder while he relaxed. He'd turn on the charm for just a minute, he could manage that, he wanted something he'd been a little consumed with for the better half of this night. And he wanted it from Ada.

He flexed the dimple and titled his head to the side. "This smile?" He pointed his finger at his lips.

"That's a good one, but no. The cockier one!" Oooh, he really did love that eyebrow. Gave him tingles.

"I will do my absolute best," he smirked and her lashes fluttered. "If you'll come up and sing with me."

[shitloadsofwrestling]

Anthony Carelli issues statement regarding Jim Cornette incident [October 10th, 2017]

In 2005, an incident occurred at Ohio Valley Wrestling that ended with student Anthony Carelli (later known as Santino Marella) being slapped by Jim Cornette, which led to Cornette being fired from OVW. 12 years later, after a multitude of burials from Cornette, he finally came face to face with Carelli last weekend at the XICW Cobo Legends convention, in an incident that was caught on camera. Carelli later issued the following statement:

Hi everyone, ok so here’s my one-and-only official statement regarding Cornette. He can definitely dish it out so lets see if he can take it too.  You will soon identify a reoccurring theme here, he’s complete bullshit, from head to toe.  My original stance from day one was to just let him rant and NOT to stoop to his level, and I tried to for a long time, but sometimes a brother gots to set things straight.  Its important to note that Cornette has been lying for so long about all this stuff that he actually believes it like an actually memory.   Some would say he’s a good bull-shitter.  But it’s actually called being a compulsive liar.  

12 years ago I moved to Louisville to train at OVW, after a month of the beginners class I was invited to the intermediate class where I would train with the legendary Rip Rogers.  At that time I was also invited to come and watch an OVW TV taping.  Upon arrival to my first ever TV taping I was told I could sit in the student area in the audience.  Keep in mind I’m with my daughter and simply a member of the audience, or so I thought.

The show starts, its great, and then there’s the debut of the bogeyman who was supposed to leave the arena through an emergency door directly behind us, no one gave me the 411, so as bogeyman was leaving he turned right towards us and I thought he was gonna do me a solid and scare my daughter thus creating a memory that she would never forget, so as a dad I was pretty stoked, and yes I was definitely smiling.  The bogeyman then jars the guard rail, we all run, and he exits out the door.  It’s all on YouTube if you care to see it. Actually I encourage one to do so, so you can see for yourself that I’m not laughing.  Hence BS #1.  There was never any agenda to the whole thing.  I wasn’t trying to be anything other than a fan.   I wasn’t part of the show, heck it was my first time there for show.  Gosh when I look back now I was so green to everything but I was definitely enjoying a pro-wrestling show with the rest of the audience.  The eagerness, the learning, the dedication, they’re all fond memories.    

I’m then summoned to the back where Cornette is flipping out and proceeds to slap me several times.  He claims 17 but lets just call that Bullshit #2.  I had no idea what he was even talking about.  I remember saying just that, which of course got him even more mad.  I remember him saying “you are nothing in this business”, and I’m like yeah no shit I literally just signed up here a month ago lol.  He knew I couldn’t do anything, he took complete advantage of the situation, and he assaulted someone, period, and probably should have been arrested and charged for that matter.  He acted completely unprofessional and very much disrespected the business he claims to love, I say claims to love cause all he ever does is go on completely negative rants about various aspects and his personal opinions.  All that hatred and negativity must be such a heavy burden to carry around all the time.  He has become his own prison sentence, left to marinade in his own negative filth.  Thank God he has become a non-entity and quite frankly irrelevant for some time now.  His overall contribution to the industry has been quite damaging and by no means, is he an authority.  He was merely tolerated and permitted, by real men, to be around the business during one of the best eras in history.  Hey don’t get me wrong I’m not an authority either but I’ve been around great men in this business that truly are and trust me he is NOT on that list.  Most people in the industry generally think him of as an asshole and loser today.  Most, but not all.  There are those few that do like him and that’s 100% fine by me.      

He also said that Bogeyman was furious at me and wanted to kick my ass, so years later and after I got to know Marty pretty well I asked him about that night and he said he was just upset at his “wardrobe malfunction”.  They failed to calculate the effect that the ring lights would have on Bogyman’s makeup and it was proving to be an issue.  Thus the original source of that segment’s frustration is what I always thought.  So what are we at now, BS #3?

Cornette was subsequently fired and pretty much resented me ever since.  I don’t hate him. I don’t hate anyone but he was in the wrong and everyone knows it, especially him.  That is why he so desperately tries to put me down and make excuses as to why he acted the way he did.  The answer is simple Jim, because you are and insecure poor excuse of a man.  

I would get asked about it from time to time but mostly down played it as it really didn’t bother to too much.  I’ve endured much more than a slap, or 7, in my life.  I actually do have a few friends in the business that still like Cornette so I thought that perhaps we could have had a good working relationship if things had been different.  I was not opposed to learning from him, in fact I regret not being able to.  I was taught to respect my elders in life in general, and my seniors in the pro-wrestling business, and until this moment I have.      

Fast forward 10 years and I’m now forced to retire due to 2 neck surgeries.  My WWE career was a dream come true, an amazing 10 year chapter in my life, and I am forever grateful to all the fans all over the world.  I sacrificed everything important to me and risked it all to make it.  I gave it more than 100% and am quite proud to say that I made it on my own merit.  When I got hired almost 2 years after the incident and thanked Johnny Ace for not holding the incident against me he didn’t even know what I was referring to.  I had to actually remind him, which was nice cause it reassured me that my employment was by my own hand.   So trying to say that I was gifted my job is a big pile of BS, #4 in fact, and Cornette knows that too.  I get it, it’s quite simple, he’s just trying to press my buttons and stay relevant.  However it’s the time I spent away from my daughter that I will not allow him to diminish.        

My intention was not to be a comedy wrestler, (check out my Boris Alexiev videos on YouTube) but I was given a once in a lifetime opportunity and I ran with it, just like anyone would do in my position.  Looking back I actually love the fact that I was able to bring laughter into people’s homes, and for so many years.  It’s entertainment.  It’s my absolute favorite thing to hear from fans, that I made their family laugh.  I think laughter is the greatest indicator of having a good time.  I don’t know if he was just jealous because he was not athletic enough to make it in the ring as a wrestler or what, but he’s definitely made some poor comments over the years.  I actually heard through a pretty good source that he can’t even cast a fishing rod.  Now that’s uncoordinated.  You might as well hand your balls in if you can’t cast a fishing rod.  Look I’ve been given the stamp of approval by people that actually matter so I’m able to rest well at night when it comes to my in ring ability.  Sorry buddy but comedy is an essential component of Sports Entertainment.  Honestly shouldn’t you actually know that?  And btw Kay Fabe was ruined long before I ever laced up my boots.  I too wished it hadn’t been, but it is what it is.   We work with what we have, whenever we get our chance to do so.  The business has evolved, and it will continue to evolve.  Those that can’t adapt, can’t evolve, get left behind.  And please don’t hate on WWE, it makes you look really pathetic.  Vince has done a million times more for this business than you will ever be credited for.  Bottom line is he is one of the most successful people in the world, and well you are definitely not Vince.  Put it this way, when I grow up I wanna be like Vince, but if I ever end up like you, I will consider my life a failure.  

Little does Jim know that all those countless negative comments and rants just make him look like an unconfident bitter person that has no class.  That is why I never made a big deal about it because he was already doing a great job of tarnishing his own legacy.  He shits on the comedic component and my in ring ability but duh I’m from OVW so he’s actually shitting on himself and the company that he partly owns.  He’s also shitting on his ���friends” Rip, Danny, and Al, that all had a hand in my development and training, plus I can list off many great and iconic comedic wrestlers, 1st and foremost however is the late great Bobby Heenan.  Now you try and tell me that he had no place in wrestling and well I would have to say that you really don’t know as much as I thought you did about Pro-Wrestling Mr. Cornette.        

So one day I see that I got a voicemail from my friend Josh in Tennessee, then I get a text saying “omg I’m so sorry I didn’t know he was going to do that” then I get a call from Josh and he’s all upset about Jim Cornette tricking him in to calling me and then taking the phone from Josh and going on one of his classic rants.  Keep in mind I’m still in bandages fresh out of neck surgery so yeah I’m a little shocked that he could actually stoop this low.

So I mention the message he left in my shoot interview with Rob Feinstein and after it circulated a few people left messages for Cornette on social media letting him know what they thought of what he did.  So now his panties are all bunched up, yet again, and he goes off on his podcast actually denying the whole thing.  A blatant lie told to all of his loyal listeners, BS #5.  I guess he was ashamed of what he did so he just pretended it didn’t happen, and then proceeds to say again it anyway, lol, duh you just stooged yourself off shmarts.  Anyhow no skin off my back, it is what it is, and then he proceeds to call me midget, goof, etc. lol come on Jim you are known for a tennis racket, please tell me you are kidding me when you call me a clown, you were a red nose shy of being the biggest clown in wrestling history.  I think they call that “projecting”, like when he accuses me of disrespecting the business, when in reality its all he ever does.  He also stated that he will slap again the next time he sees me.

Fast forward to the Cobo Centre in Detroit last Saturday and his table is just 2 tables down from mine, so I know at some point we will have a chance to meet, as in actually meet, for the first time, since I don’t consider our first interaction an actual meeting, because no greetings and pleasantries were exchanged etc.

As I’m heading back down the hallway after I got a bite to eat, its Jim and I walking straight towards one another and no one is around, what a perfect opportunity to talk it over and hopefully hash things out.  I say Hello sir and I extend my hand to shake hands.  After all why not, peace is better then enemies right?  Its funny he looked shocked to hear my real voice, lol, mark.  He then proceeds to try to tell me about what happened 12 years ago like I wasn’t there lol, insults me, disrespects me, and then tries to walk away.  I remember being disappointed in how poorly he was dressed that day.  He made no effort at all to make himself presentable to meet his fans, visibly dirty clothing and in poor health I actually felt bad for him, until he decided to be a piece of garbage once again.  I said to him that I was hoping we could walk away from this with a new found respect for one another after possibly talking it out, and that I always regretted not learning from him.  I always hope for the best in people, like my mom.   He laughed and said that he had no respect for me, called me a joke, and that he should slap me again, that’s when I said to myself fuck this guy, there is no way in hell he’s going to punk me off after what he did all those years ago, so I said “do it” “please”, “slap me again and see what happens” trust me Jim it was not so that I could “sue” you. That’s what you see in the video.  Me cutting him off and saying “do it then”.  You cant make a claim like that and then walk away, at least not where I’m from.    It was at that moment that I saw his true colours.  He tried to run away and actually cried out for security.  I guess his wrestling instincts kicked in because he was a classic heal, brave guy when back up is around, but when its just him and the baby-face alone at the end, he begged off.  What happened to slapping me the next time you saw me Jim?  Then when he saw a fan and or security personnel his mock bravery started to kick in and he started to put on a show, Cornette style.  He was a complete bitch as I expected he would be, if it ended up going down this way, and when it was just the 2 of us, nose to nose, eye to eye, quite frankly a coward.  And believe you me I called him those exact words to his face “coward” and “bitch” and all he did was turn another shade of red.  He knows in his heart that I saw it in his eyes.  He can never say anything about it again because he backed down after shooting his mouth off so that’s BS # shit I lost count.  He also said publically that he decided to leave when we all know he was kicked out, escorted out in fact.  Taken out like the trash that he is.  So don’t forget to add another one to the BS list.   It was the perfect ending, the bully got what he deserved in the end.  

Sorry to all the fans that came out to the convention and show.  I really tried to put it all behind us.  Cornett had other plans.  Sometimes we just have to take a stand.

I hope the show was still a blast, well I’m sure it was because there were a great bunch of guys performing that night!

So I now get to have some closure from the original incident.  I get to return to my wonderful Canadian life, and come home to my hot Polish fitness model wife.  This week we are going camping up north to enjoy the beauty of mother nature, kayaking, hiking, fishing etc . . . . . let me guess you’re gonna go on a few rants this week.   Truly pathetic bro, sad, but hey enjoy them cause for a brief moment people are taking about you.  And we all know how important that is to you.  In the wrestling business you are always one headline away from having your spotlight taken away.  And since the shield has reunited . . . .well I guess its gone.

The End!    

Sincerely (so help me Jesus)

Anthony Carelli

[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “Batman” (1989)

Decided to rewatch this classic before I watch the new Justice League movie that’s out this week

I, for one, am so glad Danny Elfman brought the Batman theme back into “Justice League”

*jams out to the Batman theme*

JACK NICHOLSON

Billy Dee Williams!  And he’s only in it for like 5 minutes

Jack Palance! 

Oh my gosh, I forgot Prince did music for this movie

Aaaand it’s the Batman symbol!

Matte painting!  Matte paintings everywhere!

Why do they always portray Gotham as freaking packed?  I know it’s supposed to be a bustling metropolis but this is too much.

Why yes, random family, let’s take a shortcut through a shady ass alleyway.

What the...

Batman, brought to you by American Express

*Batman floats down behind the robbers*  Eeeyyyy!!

*Batman gets shot*  Welp, he’s dead.  End of movie.  Cue end credits music.

Gotta take your sweet ass time revealing your cape...

He raises his arms so high in the air in order to do it.

“I want you to tell all your friends about me.”  “What are you?!?!?”  I’M BATMAN! DAAAA NA NA NAAAA NAAAAA

Lando?!?

Mayor Borg?!?!?

“People of Gotham City, I [Harvey Dent] am a man of few words.”  Nah, he’s a double-crossing, no-good swindler.

All righty, unpopular opinion time:  I don’t like Jack Nicholson as the Joker.  I just don’t.  He’s just... Jack Nicholson in clown paint.  Plus they establish him as a character before he becomes the Joker.

Oh, and of course, they name the Jack Nicholson character “Jack”

So who’s the Lieutenant character again?

Heelllooo shady lookin’- oh it’s Jack Nicholson.

Bob the Goon!

Matte painting!

This movie should be subtitled “Matte Paintings:  The Movie”

Oh my God, Lando, what did they do to your hair?

Eeeeyyy!!  Bob Kane!

“Vale, will you marry me [Knox]?”  “Nope?”  “Wanna buy me lunch?”  “Maybe.”  “I eat light!”  Pffftt....

Story time:  the Quidditch coach/captain of the team here at college (who is notorious for being a flirt) asked me to buy him supper one time before practice.  I knew it was a joke but I told him “Nah, you gotta earn it” and I was applauded by the team

Obligatory purple Joker suit!

Obligatory Joker card!

Why is it such a big deal that Jack Nicholson is involved with that one particular moll?

You gotta hammer it in that Jack Nicholson’s gonna become the Joker

Why is there a casino set up in Wayne Manor?

Michael Gough!

Why is Vicki Vale dressed like she’s getting ready to be married?

I like that we don’t actually meet Bruce until like 20 minutes into the movie.  Plus they establish him as a mystery character- technically the main characters at the beginning of the movie is Knox and Vicki and then it shifts to Batman.  And then again, we don’t get a lot of background on either Batman or Bruce.

I never really had time to appreciate how great Michael Keaton is as Bruce Wayne but dang he’s good.  And I love the reasoning behind this casting:  there’s no way he could be seen as Batman and when we do find out, it’s a big shock.

Holy crap, how many cameras are set up around the manor?

Oh my gosh, Bruce has reading glasses!

Sound stage!

FreEEEZZZEE!!!

AN:  I’m only 25 minutes into this movie.  We gots a bit to go because I’m such a motormouth

Boom goes the dynamite!

Yes, let’s have a police shootout in a chemical factory!  Great plan, guys!

Man, Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon would be on the ball when it came to this situation.  Pat Hingle’s Commissioner Gordon just stands around and gives orders

Um, officers, you’re walking into a puddle of toxic chemicals...

In all seriousness though, I want Jack Nicholson’s hat

Never have I seen a smirkier Batman than Michael Keaton’s Batman

Well there’s also Kevin Conroy’s Batman

*Jack Nicholson falls into the chemical vat*  Welp, he’s dead.  End of movie.  Cue end credits music.

AXIS

Why were Jack Nicholson’s fingernails dyed green from the chemicals?  I know it’s comic book logic but still...

This scene in the dining hall is my dad’s favorite scene in the movie.

That is an impossibly long dining table.

Aaww, they’re having dinner with Alfred in the butlers’ quarters!

“Alfred’s great.  I [Bruce] couldn’t find my socks without him.”  Cue in Batman:  The Animated Series, Joker literally cannot find his socks because Harley’s not there.

That is no way to take bandages off properly, Jack...

Mirror... MIRROR!!

“You see what I have to work with here.”  Yeah, those are some shitty surgical tools there, buddy.

Oh, throw that shoe, Bruce

“Who the hell are you?”  “It’s me [the Joker].”  *sings* IT’S MEEEEEE

“Jack?  Jack is dead, my friend.  You can call me.. Joker!  And as you can see, I’m a lot happier!”

This freaking circus music though

*Bruce and Vicki cuddle while sleeping*  Cue Bruce going “Aw man, I can’t enjoy spending time with this awesome lady because I gotta brood, man.”

WHY IS HE UPSIDE DOWN?!?!?

WAIT ‘TIL THEY GET A LOAD OF ME!

Why the hell is Jack Nicholson dressed like that?

What kind of hand buzzer is that?!?

HAVEN’T YOU HEARD THE HEALING POWER OF LAUGHTER?  NOW GET OUTTA HERE!

YOUUU... ARE MY NUMBER ONEEEE... GUUUYYYYYY!!

How does Bruce Wayne AKA Batman not notice Vicki trailing him from his house to Crime Alley?

Random mime... more random mimes...

Why is Bruce just standing there?  Ooohhhh... wait a minute.. there’s this whole schindig about him recognizing Jack later in the movie

There is literally no reason why Jack Nicholson becomes the Joker since he’s already been established as Jack Napier before the whole ACE Chemicals thing. 

THIS TOWN NEEDS AN ENEMA!

Alfred just wants some grandkids, gosh dang it

How the hell did you get those pics, Vicki?

Oh my God, I hate that this Joker has this weird crush on Vicki.  I hate it so much.

“I’m in a mind to make some mooky.” Ugghh...

Oh my gosh, the Smylex commercial

Oh my gosh, the newspeople aren’t wearing any care products... pfftt...

What kind of cake foundation does Joker have?  That’s like the stuff we had to wear in high school

That waiter just addressed Vicki as “sir”

Did Joker write that message in crayon?

That elderly couple is dead after falling off the balcony like that

LET’S BROADEN OUR MINDS!

*jams the crap out to “Party Man” by Prince*

*One goon paints over a bust*  Hey look, it’s the Jared Leto Joker

What the crap is this music that plays?  It plays during one of the trailers for “The Shape of Water”

Oh wait, it’s the theme from something called “A Summer Place”

I quote the “one dollar bill” quote all the freaking time at my house.

The prosthetic work on Alicia looks pretty sweet, I gotta say

Oh, a little song.. a little dance... Batman’s head on a lance...

Oh my gosh, I forgot how much Kim Basinger screamed in this movie

They even color coded the cars for Joker’s goons

*The police get involved in an accident involving a farmer’s market truck*  NO, NOT THE CABBAGES!

There is no way in hell that Vicki only weighs like 108

Remember when the Batsuit was made out of rubber, you guys?

*Crazy, sword-wielding guy goes after Batman*  Seriously?  Did you not see “Raiders of the Lost Ark?”

For the Batmobile, it looks like they made the toy first before constructing it for the movie

Gotta love that Danny Elfman score...

*Vicki tries to see under Batman’s cowl*  Yo, Vicki, don’t distract Batman while he’s driving

The Batcave!

Why is there just this one random bat hanging out in a bird cage?

Forgot that Michael Keaton literally could not turn his head in the Batsuit

Oh my gosh, how short is Michael Keaton here?

Oooohhh nice transition!

How the hell did Vicki end up back there?

Gotta admit, that’s a nice apartment

“You see, my life is really...”  Batsy!

JUST TELL HER YOU’RE [Vicki] BATMAN!

I like how Bruce walks right by the fire poker in order to get a freaking tray to hit Joker with

YOU WANNA GET NUTS?!?  C’MON, LET’S GET NUTS!

EVER DANCE WITH THE DEVIL IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT?

“Never rub another man’s rhubarb.”  What?

There is no way in hell that Bruce deflected that bullet with the tray

Matte painting!

“Can you hear me?  Just the two of us.”  *sings “Just the Two of Us” by Will Smith*

Gotta admit, Michael Keaton’s Batman has an awesome thinking/pensive face.  It’s probably the eyebrows that help

What is it with families being targeted by random gun-wielding criminals in abandoned alleyways?

There’s no way that that’s Jack Nicholson playing young Jack Napier

Nevermind, it’s some dude named Hugo Blick

*scats the Batman theme obnoxiously out of tune*

Batman’s belt just slipped.  Never gonna un-see that

Why is it that every time this Batman is in the Batsuit and glaring at somebody, he looks like he’s really constipated?

Seriously, is there not a bathroom in the Batcave?

Is this another Prince song?

So where exactly did Joker find the time to find all of this stuff and prepare for an impromptu 200th anniversary parade?

The Batplane!

Matte painting!

“Me?  I’m giving away free money!”  And it looks faaaaakkkeee...

Something is up with that clown balloon’s nose... just saying...

Yeah, lets go after the Joker’s goons with a baseball bat, Knox.  That’ll go well.

I love the sounds all the buttons make on the Batplane dashboard

“My balloons.  Those are my balloons!  He stole my balloons!”  Iconic.

Hahaha he [Joker] used Bob the Goon as a step stool off the parade float!

*The Batplane pauses in front of the moon*  Eeeeyyy!!

*Joker pulls out the gun with the really long muzzle out of the front of his pants*  No comment

Again, why is Vicki Vale dressed like she’s either getting ready to get married or go to a wedding?

“Better make it ten [minutes].”  What makes this awesome is that ten minutes actually goes by both in-universe time and movie run time.  My dad actually timed it the first time I watched this with him.

Mad respect to Tim Burton for the aesthetic in this movie, I gotta say

The eyebrows on Batman’s cowl strangely match Michael Keaton’s.  Was this intentional?

*Joker “dances” with Vicki* Now see the last time I recall Joker dancing with somebody was the 5 second long Alex Ross scene with Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad”

Unpopular opinion time:  I like Jared Leto’s Joker better than Jack Nicholson’s Joker  *gets bombarded with hate mail and darts*

Eugghhhh Vicki’s pulling a freaking Jasmine from “Aladdin”

“You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses now, would ya?”  Cue Wreck-It-Ralph

How the hell did Joker pull Batman and Vicki off the roof like that?

Oh my gosh that 80s falling effect

Yeah no, from that drop, the Joker’s body would be a freaking mess

“The reign of crime [in Gotham City] is over.”  BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh hi Billy Dee Williams!

You know what would be awesome:  if Kim Basinger had a cameo somewhere in the Batman solo movie directed by Ben Affleck.  Just saying

Yoooo....