#non-genius Danny who is hiding that he has powers now

[zeestarfishalien]

“I’m obviously the better twin.”

“He’s obviously the better twin.”

Their combined words echoed across the cave far longer in the silence that followed their words than it felt like it should have. It was difficult to tell if any of the other bats and birds were even breathing.

A frown marred Damian’s face, despite having said the same harsh words as his twin. Danny saying the very same words left a sort of bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn’t even the words themselves but more the resignation and dismissal of his own worth that ate at Damian’s gut. Someone stabbing him would have hurt less than Danny’s next words.

“You don’t need someone like me. I’m not motivated enough and all that to be like you guys. I’d just get in the way.”

Dick, ever the one to try to find compromise, spoke up. “There’s more ways to help than just fighting…”

“Listen,” Danny interrupted, “it’s not like I’m dumb but I’m not a genius like you all. I suck at strategy and sitting around on my hands, the only thing I’m really good at is being cannon fodder or a distraction. I’m not competitive or ambitious and I’m certainly not about to start trying to be any of that. That ship has sailed and sunk.”

“Danny, I-“

“It’s fine Damian.” His bitter smile contradicted the words. “It’s important to know one’s own strengths and weaknesses, right?”

[bubblegumbeech]

The Librarian’s Trick

Day one Ectoberhaunt: Trick or Treat

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34213519

 1:

 Wes was certain this Cassius guy was a ghost. He had to be. Humans didn’t live on the outskirts of town in large decrepit clock towers that Wes was      pretty sure didn’t exist last week    .

 Humans didn’t have red eyes and white hair (unless they had a condition called Albinoism, Wes had looked it up. But Albinoism      also     meant they had no melanin      anywhere    and Cassius Dark was decidedly tan in an admittedly attractive but decidedly not Albino kind of way)

 Humans didn’t have fangs when they smiled but normal teeth whenever Wes tried to point out that      He had FANGS. They were right there!!!  

 Humans didn’t spend all their time either with Danny Fenton (who was Also very much a ghost!! Which should be in the list of proof but no one believes it so it’s seperate but still!) or mysteriously absent.

 And humans didn’t seem to know everything all the time but talk like a bad astrology website.

 So Wes was going to find a way to prove it.

 His first try had him sneaking a “ghost translator” he didn’t remember the stupid name Fenton’s dad called it when he bought it with his allowance, into the library where Cassius Dark supposedly worked.

 Supposedly, because while he could be found there, Wes had never actually seen him doing anything other than reading. And it was never a book Wes recognized, like, he wasn’t reading the Twilight series or anything. The last book Wes saw had been a large ancient looking tome written in a language Wes didn’t recognize. But Everytime he tried (subtly! He was super nonchalant about it!) to take a picture it ended up blurry!! And No Kyle, it wasn’t because he was      bad at taking photos    .

 But that didn’t matter because Wes had a different plan now. He was going to use the Fentons’ new version of their “ghost translator” thing, and see what happened. It was supposed to be both a translator and a truth decoder at the same time. So no matter what a ghost said, the device should say what they actually mean. Or something.

 With Danny, a bunch of innocuous stuff went off around him, but people always hand waved it as faulty tech. Wes wasn’t sure that was the case, in fact he was positive it wasn’t. But if he could get something useful to build up from, that would be a good start. And every good reporter needed a start.

 He stepped up to the Library’s front desk, where Cassius was sitting reading what was      clearly     a spell tome if the different summoning pentagrams in the open page Wes could see were anything to go by.

 “Welcome Young Weston,” Cassius said, the hint of a smile hidden behind his red eyes as he closed his book. Wes could swear they were glowing slightly. Geez did this guy get his ‘how to pretend to be human’ classes from      Fenton    ?

 … that would certainly explain why no one ever believed Wes, since that was a long beaten dead horse in his closet.

 He, very discreetly, had the device hooked up to one of his earphones, which he kept in one of his ears like any normal less than perfectly mannered teenager as he asked Cassius Dark his questions.

 “Excuse me sir? Do you work here?” he started with, it was a more or less innocuous question and one he actually wanted the answer to.

 Cassius Dark smiled. “I do.”

 My Job is all that was, is, and shall be. That which I set as my goal is beyond mortal comprehension and those I call master shall fall to my machinations. But yes, I get paid for sitting at this desk and answering questions sometimes. I am a ghost, fear me.

 Wes tried not to sweat too obviously. What the fuck?

 “Can you tell me where the journalism section is?” Wes decided to make a tactical retreat, at least his voice didn’t crack.

 “Straight back for eight shelves and then turn right. It’s next to the Non-fiction books.”

 I know what you’re looking for, I know why you are here. I know the exact time of your death and what will happen next. Your efforts amuse me though. I am a ghost, fear me.

 What Wes did next was not      exactly     fleeing. But it wasn’t      not     fleeing either.

 He’d have to try something else.

 2:

 The next thing he wanted to try was a bit riskier. If you thought about it a certain way. But it also wasn’t if you thought about it the way Wes did.

 He was going to use a phase-proof net.

 Genius, because unlike the translator machine thing, it would actually stop the ghost from attacking Wes if it got angered. Which it would, probably, since Wes was throwing a net at it.

 The plan was really simple though, he’d gotten a very large net, paid extra for the little aim thing, practiced half a billion times of his brothers before they went to the parents and got him grounded for a week, and then memorized the path Cassius Dark took in the mornings to go to his “job” at the library.

 Right now he was hiding in one of the leafier trees, right above the path that Cassius always used, waiting.

 And waiting.

 And…      waiting.  

 Honestly he was about to go home and was fairly certain this guy was going to be like, super late to work, when he finally appeared.

 Wes wasted no time aiming, making sure the trajectory was absolutely perfect, and firing the net off. He was just about to jump in celebration, watching the net as it curled slightly around its target, but before it could hit and wrap around him, Cassius was suddenly not there.

 Or he was, but just a little bit to the left, so that the net sailed harmlessly past.

 Wes cursed.

 3:

 The third one was fool proof. It had to be.

 Which was why Wes was staring at a large conspiracy board, covered in paparazzi-esque shots of the librarian and random notes he’d taken, all connected with a dizzying amount of red string.

 “Kyle, seriously. I need to figure out what kind of ghost he is or he’s always going to have the upper hand!!”

 Kyle just rolled his eyes and continued playing his video game, as if he didn’t care that Wes had set up his very important planning and plotting in the middle of the living room so long as it didn’t interfere with his own plans.

 “It has to be pretty powerful, he was able to dodge my net before it even touched him. And the translator thing clearly said ‘my goal is beyond comprehension’ or something,” Wes mused, “and he also said his job was like, everything?”

 Wes checked his notes, “yeah, ‘all that is was and shall be’. What could he mean by that?”

 His very annoying and clearly not taking this as seriously as he should brother just chuckled. “I don’t know Wes, maybe he can see the future?”

 That… no. That’s way too OP. Just the thought of it sent a shiver down Wes’ spine. There was no way a ghost could see the future right?

 Right?

 He had to test this theory.

 But how do you even test something like that?

 “Kyle, how would you test if someone could see the future?”

 “Throw something at the back of their head and see if they dodge?” He answered way too quickly.

 Wes thought about it for a moment. “No, what if they just have really good reflexes?”

 “Oh huh, I guess that could be true. No idea then.” He shrugged and Wes had to fight the urge to throw something at the back of      his    head.

 Whatever. He had to make plans.

 He’d tried just throwing things. It was risky, and kind of terrifying, but Kyle was right it      was     the first that came to mind.

 But Cassius never dodged. He was always just, not where Wes thought he was. Or Wes had      really bad aim,    which he didn’t!!! He was a basketball ace!! He had great aim! And great situational awareness!!

 So why couldn’t he hit Cassius Dark?

 Obviously it was because he could see the future. And the smug smile he always had when he knew Wes was looking reminded him an awful lot of a certain other Phantom.

 4:

 Ask him about his family.

 Easy enough. Especially without the Fenton’s weird translator because that might have been a bit terrifying. And also this time he had back up.

 He dragged Kyle by his sleeve into the library.

 “Mr. Cassius!”

 Cassius looked up from his book, removing the delicate reading glasses balanced on his nose. “Can I help you Mr. Weston?”

 “Yes!” He smiled broadly, taking out a small notebook that he had used to take notes on the suspicious and ghoulish things going on around town until it was mostly shreds of paper. “I’m writing an OP ED on the town library, and would like to know more about the librarian. Can you answer a few personal questions?”

 Kyle snorted and Wes had to elbow him in the side to get him to shut up. He was here as back up, not to ruin his plan.

 “So,” he began, “is Cassius a family name?”

 “No.”

 Wes nodded. And then frowned. Did ghosts have families? Supposedly they were alive once right? At least that was the general idea, Wes thought.

 “So what can you tell us about your parents? Like, what’s your father’s name?”

 Cassius raised an eyebrow, and had a soft smile filled with good humor. Wes felt it hit him like a threat. What was this ghost hiding?

 Well, other than the fact that he’s a ghost.

 “I can’t tell you much I’m afraid. My mother is long gone and I never had a father.”

 Kyle grimaced and elbowed Wes himself before saying, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

 “It’s no matter,” Cassius replied, still smiling, “I may yet see her again.”

 Ah, so either she wasn’t dead or he’s convinced she became a ghost too. That made sense. It could be his unfinished business as they say among the paranormal hunters. At least, the not fight-y and crazy ones.

 “So Dark was your mother’s name?” Wes asked, wondering if he could maybe find any records on her where he had failed to find them on Cassius himself.

 The smile slid right off his face. Wes and Kyle both felt the subtle chill in the air as Cassius leaned back and looked off to the side, as if to glare at something that wasn’t there. “No, I’m afraid Dark is my ex-husband’s name.”

 “Why keep it?” Kyle asked, completely ignoring the danger of the situation.

 The smile came back, except this time instead of soft and barely there as if he were indulging a child, it was sharp and twisted. He chuckled at an inside joke no one else in the room would ever understand and then he said, “Well, it’s not like      he     has any use for it now.”

 Wes paled. Had he killed his husband?!

 5:

 After a hasty retreat from the library Wes treated Kyle to a milkshake and fries at the nasty burger just as he had promised. Payment for going along with his ‘weird ghost theories’.

 But Wes couldn’t eat, he was too busy thinking. This one actually helped! He found information about the ghost’s previous life! He had a mother, but not a father, and had a husband.

 With the current politics it was one of two options. Either he was from a previous culture that allowed men to marry each other, or he was a more recent ghost than Wes had been expecting. He had already taken out his laptop and was scrolling through obituaries with the surname Dark, trying to think if he knew any off the top of his head that might have been in town when they died.

 Nothing particular came to mind.

 Wes’ thinking was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious slurping noise from his brother. He shot him a glare, but Kyle didn’t react. Wasn’t even looking at him. Instead he was looking out the window and watching one of the daily ghost attacks with Phantom playing hero as always.

 “You know, it’s kinda cool that they’re hiring actors to build the town’s lore like that,” he said, clearly ignoring the obvious evidence of ghosts right outside his window.

 “What the      hell     are you talking about?” Wes groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He needed coffee or something, it was a shame the Nasty Burger only served sludge no sane person would drink.

 Kyle finally looked away from the window, his eyes wide as if      he     was the one confused. “You know, how they got the librarian to say he was married to Pariah Dark? And then imply he’s the reason he’s a ghost?”

 Wes felt like the seat underneath him had suddenly disappeared. “Where did you get      That    from?!”

 “He said his ex-husband was named Dark! Pariah Dark’s Ghost Zone show is the first thing that comes to mind!” Kyle argued back. “Isn’t it?”

 Holy shit this guy was married to the ghost king.

 He thought back to the ominous answers he’d gotten that first day from the Fentons’ translator. Maybe he should leave this one alone.

 +1

 Wes was at the library, studying quietly and absolutely avoiding the librarian. Not that he’d seen him today, but it didn’t hurt to keep his head down. With any luck the guy had a short memory and would forget Wes had been trying to find a way to out him to the town.

 A portal ripped from the air in front of him, sending a static energy throughout the library and causing Wes’ hair to stand on end. It was a swirling purple, deeper and more… well      more     than most of the natural portals that Wes had seen appear around town.

 He wanted to scream, but years of living in Amity Park had fully trained that out of him. Screaming was the number one way to get a ghost locked on you as their first target. Especially if you were there when the portal opened.

 Before Wes could even think to duck under the table he was using a figure stepped out of the portal, poised and composed. He had a deep purple hood that seemed to swirl with the fabric of galaxies and a large ornate clock embedded into his chest. His skin was a rich blue and he had glowing red eyes.

 Wes recognized him immediately.

 “Oh, hello Mr. Weston, is there something I can help you with?” Cassius Dark asked.

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

Merry Christmas Truce!

Merry (late) Christmas @gggoingghost! I’m so sorry this took so long, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! For those wondering, the request was: 

Gggoingghost asked for “Danny with angry eyes, Danny not being able to control his powers, or Danny and Dash post phantom planet messing with each other”

Being myself, I of course had to make a drabble that included pieces of all three. It’s post Phantom Planet and not as long as I wanted, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Merry Christmas!

                                             ☪ I have a tip jar! ☪

An enraged shriek echoed throughout the halls of Casper High and had most of the students ducking to cover their heads or hide in open doorways. Danny Fenton only watched with pride and amusement as the source of the shriek, Dash Baxter, looked at him with blue hair, skin, and clothes. “Fenton!”

The jock took a single step forward before the warning bell rang and everyone scurried to class once realizing they weren’t about to be attacked by any ghosts. Danny quickly fell in line with the other students and snickered when he heard another enraged yell that secretly covered up what Danny knew was Dash being impressed. This prank had been his best yet, after all.

“Mr. Fenton. Do I have to worry about any ghost attacks interrupting my class today?” Startling at the question, Danny looked to where Lancer was staring at him as if he already knew what Danny had done, which, yeah, that was always creepy.

“No, sir, just a bit of a mishap with Dash’s locker, it looks like.” Danny gave the best ‘I’m a hero and you can trust me!’ smile he could, not surprised when Lancer didn’t even so much as blink. While everyone knew who Danny was, now, Lancer seemed to have known even before then.

“And what sort of mishap did he have, Mr. Fenton?” Lancer was a terrifying human being, Danny decided, and he would not be answering that question.

The late bell cut him off before he could even try, thank God, and Danny instead watched as Dash slid into class with a half second to spare, panting for breath and covered in blue paint. Lancer looked at the paint and then looked to Danny with narrowed eyes.

“If it helps the paint is non-toxic,” Danny put in cheerfully, noticing Dash’s relieved look. He had probably swallowed some, then, but that was why Danny made sure to get the type of paint that dumb children could and would eat!

“Mr. Fenton. You know it’s against school rules for tomfoolery like this. Don’t think you’ll be excused just because of your… town volunteering.” That was a great way of saying Danny chased off rowdy ghosts for a half-living.

“Of course, sir.” Danny took a step back to stand next to Dash before setting his hand on Dash’s shoulder and focusing for a moment on his intangibility. There was a half second where he felt panic at seeing everyone looking at him using his ghost powers, but then he quickly pressed it down when he reminded himself that it was okay, now. “I don’t see any paint on Dash, though.”

The paint slid off and landed in a puddle on the floor, Danny beaming while Dash rolled his eyes with a grumble and walked to his seat. Lancer looked to the puddle before looking back to Danny. Giving it a second of thought, Danny hesitantly tried to phase the part of the floor the paint was on by using his foot and gave an even wider grin when it worked.

“Go take a seat, Mr. Fenton,” Lancer finally sighed with a tone that carried nothing except exhaustion. Danny couldn’t blame him, really. Lancer probably hadn’t expected to one day teach a half-ghost studen

“I take it you and Dash are still on your prank war, then?” Sam asked, half-yawning and trying to look bored as Danny fell into his seat. “His last prank was funny, and you know it.”

“It called for revenge,” Danny said as seriously as he could manage before he gave a snort of laughter. “Besides, you know this is the only way to deal with his weird guilt-tripped hero worship thing that he has going on.”

“I don’t know, man. That week he followed you around like a puppy or something was pretty cool.” Tucker tossed something at Danny that he caught with only a small fumble. “Stop taking your phone into ghost fights.”

“Aw, but Tuck, how else would you experiment with my phone if I didn’t need you to fix it?” Turning the phone on, Danny raised an eyebrow when it actually turned on. “You didn’t forget the power button this time, at least.”

“Hey, genius is all about trial and error!” Tucker looked to Danny with inventor’s pride that quickly vanished after three and a half seconds. “And not staying up until six in the morning. Can we get back to your weird kink thing with Dash?”

“Oh, yes, let’s talk about your weird kink thing with Dash,” Sam chirped more loudly than was needed, Danny knowing with everything in him that this was revenge for something he had done. It was probably because he had pointed out to Sam that her roots were starting to show. “Seriously, though, you two are just pulling on each other’s pigtails, now.”

“Should we talk about your weird kink thing with Paulina, then?” Danny raised his eyebrows, laughing when Sam stuck her tongue out at him with a silly grin. “Seriously, it’s been good. I can get out some aggression issues harmlessly, and he can still mess with me without feeling guilty about the whole bullying thing.”

“It helps that you can get away with using your ghost powers too, I bet, Mr. World Savior.” Wrinkling his nose at the title, Danny looked to Sam and frowned. “Hey, I didn’t come up with that one.”

“You know, I never thought I’d be upset over the fact I saved the world, but that title is really making me rethink things.” Grinning as both of his friends hid stifled laughter, Danny looked back to the front of the room where Lancer wasn’t even trying to corral the class. With summer coming up, Danny couldn’t blame him.

Things had gone back to normal after the mess with that stupid meteorite and Vlad’s stupid plan to get rid of it and Danny’s stupid plan to get rid of his powers- Well, no. Things hadn’t gone back to normal, but they were okay.

Vlad had come back to Earth and had agreed to seal away his powers as he got mental health, the ghosts were starting to cut back on how many times they almost accidentally killed humans, and the town of Amity Park was continuing on as always. The biggest difference for Danny, though, was the fact that everyone in the world now knew who he was.

He remembered Freakshow’s mess and the last time he had been found out, but he supposed saving the world kept the Guys-in-White off his back, at least. His parents had accepted him just like last time, too, and everyone he knew had stood by his side. There was a bit of hero worship he had to deal with as Fenton, now, but nothing bad had happened. The worst was when he and Dash had agreed to continue as normally as possible and Dash then proceeded to shove him into a locker.

Danny, with far too much glee, maybe, had immediately phased back out with a shit-eating grin that had started their current war. It was almost as fun as when he had to deal with the Box Ghost. The biggest difference in this new life, though, was when a wisp of cold air shuddered its way out of him and a few classmates looked back to him with wide-eyed looks.

Raising his hand, Danny waited until Lancer looked over at him before he gave an apologetic smile and pointed at the door. Lancer didn’t even pause in whatever latest pop quiz announcement he was giving as he waved Danny off.

“Good luck,” Sam grinned, propping her cheek up on her fist with a grin as she swung her feet out sideways in her chair to try and trip Danny up. “Feel good?”

“At least I don’t have to worry about attendance anymore,” Danny laughed, bumping fists with Tucker before jumping over Sam’s legs with a laugh and scrambling towards the door. No one yelled at him to stop and blessedly, besides another good look or two, no one cheered or made it into some spectacle.

That panic still gripped him with the cold sensation that took over his body along with the familiar rings of light, but it was easy to push it down as he launched himself into the air and phased straight through to the roof.

There was always that moment where his heart stopped, and he felt nothing except fear when someone looked at him expectedly during a ghost attack, but he knew he’d get over it in time. It was nothing big, after all, no matter what Jazz pestered him about.

“Afternoon there, ghost boy!” At the southern drawl, Danny groaned and looked to where Walker stood with two dozen of his guards. Of all the ghosts to fight, it had to be Walker.

“Hey, Warden Norton, I kind of have school going on, you know! It’s against the rules to skip class and all that!” While most of the ghosts dropped by to ‘spar’ or even ask for advice, there were still ghosts like Walker who were out to take him down for whatever stupid reason they had.

“Speaking of rules, ghost boy, I heard you’ve been breaking some, lately. Weren’t you always keen on hiding that secret of yours?” The slow drawl made Danny’s skin crawl and the truth made it even worse because Walker… was right.

Danny had kept Phantom quiet for a reason, and the biggest was that now if he messed up as Phantom, then the whole town would look to Fenton for an explanation. He was really starting to understand why superheroes had secret identities once he lost his. It wasn’t that he felt guilty or that he didn’t want to help his town, but if something went wrong, then he’d never be able to escape it, although like hell he was going to let Walker know that.

“Come on, Walker, where’s the fun in keeping a secret!” Letting himself float off the roof, Danny grinned as he let energy flow into his hands, palms lighting up with that distinctive glow. There were some days he hated what had happened, but he could never regret it, not after he had lost his powers once. “Well? Are you coming up here or am I coming down there?”

The whole town seemed to hold its breath and Danny watched as Walker’s expression wavered for only a moment. A moment was all he needed. It was nice to know that the other ghosts knew just how strong he had gotten, too.

“Looks like I’m coming down, then.” Right. Deep breath in, hold, and imagine himself moving from one place to another in an instant. A disorientating second of an airless vacuum of nothing and Danny saw white in front of him before he fired a large shot with every scrap of gathered power in his palms.

Walker went skidding back with a grunt and his guards all took startled steps back that caused Danny’s grin to get even wider. There were some days he really, really liked ghost fights.

“Like the new power, Walker?” He had always tried to copy Vlad’s teleportation trick, and he had finally, finally gotten somewhere with it.

“You’re just rarin’ for a fight, aren’t you, ghost boy?” Walker already sounded out of breath and Danny grinned as he stood back up. “Well? Come on, then.”

Ever since his temporary truce with the ghosts he hadn’t really found a need to fight any of them, yet, which he had been thankful for. He had forgotten, though, just how fun it was to use all of his powers.

The cold of his ice powers were now more of a comfort than anything, and it was so easy to freeze all of Walker’s guards and suck them into the thermos one-by-one as he dodged their ‘attacks.’ It was so easy. He could still remember when he hadn’t even been able to defeat Lunch Lady, but it was so easy now.

At least, it was until he got distracted and didn’t notice Walker’s stupid new technology that had him crashing to the ground because fuck that hurt. He didn’t know where that gun had come from, but the red streaks that were still making his body shake didn’t really reassure him.

“You think a pair of red eyes is enough to scare me off, boy?” Walker knew how to use a gun, that was easy to tell just by his stance, and- Wait, hang on. Red eyes?

Glancing to where some of his ice was cracked apart on the ground, Danny blinked at seeing his eyes were indeed flashing between red and green. He knew his eyes could sometimes get red if he was really angry, but he wasn’t angry with Walker, just annoyed. What-

Another blast from that stupid fucking gun had Danny biting off a scream as he pushed himself back into the air and dodged the next blast. “Didn’t know you had to rely on weapons so much, Walker!”

“Why bother wasting my energy on you, boy?” Walker smirked, and Danny had a half second to wonder what was about to happen before Bullet was behind him and slamming his stupid weapon into his back. Another shot was fired, and Danny knew a second before it hit that this shot hadn’t been aimed at him.

The Fenton Thermos he had now that had lasted for the longest time yet, but one shot from that gun and it cracked apart before shattering into pieces, metal shards hitting the ground as the ghosts that Danny had managed to capture went shooting out back to their places behind Walker, the ghost meeting Danny’s eyes and smirking.

“Alright, then.” Now he was angry.

Pushing himself away from Bullet, Danny dragged up his ice powers and started freezing as many guards as he could, this time encasing more than just their feet.

“Gettin’ angry now, ghost boy? That’s what those red eyes of yours mean, don’t they?” Just ignore him. Danny wasn’t going to resort to his fourteen-year-old self and start attacking anytime someone yelled at him. He was sixteen and had been at this for two years, now. “How long you think you can put off that future of yours?”

This time, the icy feeling that stole Danny’s breath away and stopped his heart wasn’t his own. Shock, pure and overpowering, filled him as he looked over to Walker. The man had never looked more smug.

“What was the name of that their future of yours, Phantom? Dan, wasn’t it?” Something heavy crashed into Danny’s back and sent him crashing down towards the pavement in front of Walker, Danny fighting back a scream as he heard some cracks from his back. “Eyes open, kid, I’m not done with you, yet.”

“You’re going to wish you were,” Danny grunted out, pushing himself up, energy sparking into his hands as he looked up to Walker. “Who told you that.” It wasn’t much of a question. He knew exactly who could find out about Dan and who would spread it as far and wide as possible.

“What can I say, it looks like we have the same therapist.” Fucking Spectra. “She had quite the story to tell about you, ghost boy. Handy that power of hers, isn’t it? Seeing one’s greatest fears. I bet she had a field day with you when it came to being afraid of yourself.”

“That’s none of your business, Walker.” Dan. It always came back to Dan. Of course that man was on Danny’s mind when he ran into Spectra a couple weeks ago. How could it not be? The world knew who he was and the world was always watching. If Danny were to slip up now, then there would be no redemption. There would be no chance of going back.

Danny had asked. He had flown to Clockwork the day after he had come out to the world and he had asked if something went wrong if he could turn back time. There were limits even to time control, it seemed. Clockwork couldn’t change an event that had been seen by the entire world. Not even the reality gauntlet would have been able to do that. There were limits to it all and Danny had long since passed those.

If something went wrong, then there would be no going back. If he became Dan the way things were now… they would never be the same. Things would never be the same.

“How’s it feel, boy, to know the entire world has its eyes on you? Makes it awfully easy to slip up, doesn’t it?”

For a second - a single second - Danny saw the green energy in his hands flicker into a dark red. It was enough for him to lose his focus on the power and for Walker’s guards to fire at him.

By the time he managed to get a shield around him, he felt like Dash and the entire football team had just found out Danny had ruined their lives and took it out on him. Walker hadn’t been a real threat in a while, but damn if Danny wasn’t remembering just how dangerous he could be.

“Is that all you got, boy!” The taunting roar seemed to echo through the air, and Danny slowly grinned. If Walker wanted to scream, then Danny could scream right back.

“I’m only just starting.” Sucking in as deep a breath as he could, Danny dropped his shield the exact same time he began to scream, or, really, wail. His ghost powers made it so his hearing automatically disappeared when he used this power, and he couldn’t even begin to try and keep his eyes open, but he knew it was working just by the sheer power he felt built up around him.

By the time he managed to close his mouth he was panting, but he still felt like he could keep the fight going if he had to. He really was getting better with… Ah. 

“You know, typically when I give the cold shoulder, I don’t do it this way.” A weak joke even for him, but Danny was distracted by the fact that almost an entire city block seemed to look like winter had struck early.

All the buildings were covered in ice and snow, and the road appeared to be cracked or even broken in some places. The city was probably going to yell at him for damages again or something, but, well, at least Walker wasn’t a problem, anymore? He was also nowhere in sight.

“Right. Well!” Danny nervously looked around, floating back into the air. He should probably get home and get a new thermos, first. Before he could even think about that, though, it suddenly felt like all the air had been stolen from his lungs and the entire world was plunged into darkness.

Before he could even panic properly, Danny gasped for breath as he saw he was… in his bedroom. He teleported? No. He hadn’t even tried. Did someone else teleport him? That could be bad. He needed to get back to Sam and Tucker and-

Darkness surrounded him, and he couldn’t breathe, and it was the exact same second of nothing, and then Danny was yelping as he was falling out of the air and landing on top of a large wooden desk and grunting as his head was the one part of him that didn’t hit the wood. He couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not, yet, and, oh. It was Lancer’s desk.

Blinking back as the entire classroom stared at him, Danny cleared his throat before giving what might have been an upside down and possibly concussed wave. “Hi, guys. How’s the pop quiz so far?”

Right. He might have a problem.