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eyesofcrows · 4 years ago

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He’s a Fenton (Phic Phight)

For @going-dead

PR: Ghosts now being pretty much common knowledge, at least in the Midwest. A lot of colleges are offering ecto-studies as a course. Danny seems to know too much on the first day.

B-dug, b-dug, b-dug. Dug-dug.

Professor Lee Wilhelm is not bothered by the rhythmic bouncing of the ball from the back of his class. In fact, he expects a few from the bunch that wouldn’t take the course as seriously as others. After all, it is Intro to Ecto-Biology.

It’s coming from a black-haired boy, who is skillfully bouncing the ball off of every surface and always managing to catch it. If Lee wasn’t supposed to be teaching a class, he’d be impressed. The boy’s been yawning every five minutes, almost like clockwork actually, and didn’t seem to pay the least but attention. Again, expected.

“And that’s the syllabus,” Lee concludes. “Moving on, bring out your ‘Entry to Ecto-Studies’ textbook. We’ll be doing a light overview.”

Lee hadn’t wanted to teach Ecto-Biology; he wanted to teach Entomology and even had an entire lesson plan planned out. But he, unfortunately, brought the interest of ecto-studies during his interview and they’ve stuck it on him. It isn’t a bad job, he had taken it after all, but he had significantly less passion in it. But he wasn’t lying about the interest, so he’ll try his best to teach the subject efficiently. The ghost wildlife and insect section could fulfill him for his entomologist love.

Ecto-Biology is an extremely new field, only opened as of recent years. It’s only an elective since there isn’t much information regarding ghosts. Leading scientists are carefully studying the molecular distinction of material in the ‘Ghost Zone’ and are baffled by the implication that there is a life after death.

He uses the projector and shows off a PowerPoint. “First and foremost, we’ll be going over Ghostly Obsessions for the next two weeks. As you may or may not know, obsessions are the cornerstone of a ghost’s existence. Most of the ghosts that people have studied have more destructive—”

“Professor Wilhelm?” a voice asks, and Lee’s eyes follow to meet the same disinterested boy. He has his hand raised lazily but a furrow is clear on his face. He didn’t even notice when the ball had been put away.

“Yes?” he points at the student.

“The material’s outdated. Like, super old and almost completely wrong.”

“Sorry?” Lee asks confused, but the student nodded as if it’s an actual apology.

He continues, straightening out his bored stature, “Yeah, the whole ‘destructive obsessions’ theory’s been disproved for some time. It was a stereotype back in the day when the only ghosts that’d come to the human world wanted to cause mayhem and calamity. Nowadays, with the political situation of ghosts and humans being settled, the research shows that the entire spectrum that scientists have yet to study.” The boy speaks with the confidence that Lee would have if this class was Entomology—he really wishes that he’d gotten it—and the steady voice of a diplomat. Some of the other students that shared the boy’s previous appearance (half-asleep and uncaring) now show rapidly increasing interest.

Lee’s mind whirls as he tries to make sense of what was just fell off the youth’s tongue. He hadn’t picked the textbook, you see. It was what was given to him off the bat. There was supposed to be another Ecto-Biology professor, however, they dropped out—which is why the university was desperate to fill the space—but not before filling out the application for the provided textbook and getting it approved by the Board.

“Anything else to add, Mister…?” Lee trails off, half-peeved. He puts a hand on his wooden desk and leans into it.

Even so, Lee had also based his entire lesson plan for the semester on the textbook and is not prepared to rewrite that

The student once again oblivious to his professor’s emotions, nods again. “Yeah, I read a bit into the book before class, and the section with the evolution of a ghost’s appearance is wrong too.” He skims through the book for a second before jutting a finger at a page. “Here it is, ‘A ghost’s appearance grows depending on the increased strength of their obsession.’” He closes the book with strong conviction, gaining the entire attention of the class at this point.

“That’s not true. A ghost’s appearance changes when their obsession branches. A popular example is Youngblood, the ghost only seen by children. His obsession is playing and having fun, but his outfit changes according to what game he wants to play. Sometimes it’s pirates, others it’s cowboys, et cetera.” The student who seemed uninterested only moments ago spoke so inviolable that Lee didn’t believe he could dispute at all.

Lee is not the type of professor that stifles a student if they have more knowledge—his RateMyProfessor made that clear—nor to do confrontations either. However, it mostly small information like how baby bees don’t have stingers or how varroa destructors kill off entire bee colonies. (Again, he’s not an ecto-scientist, he is an entomologist.) He didn’t think that the Einstein of Ghost-Biology would appear to an introduction course.

Lee smiles as kindly as he can—his RateMyProfessor also says that his expressions are an open book no matter what impression he tries to give off—and steeples his hand against the desk harshly.

“It sounds like you know a lot about the subject. But if you had a problem with the material, you could’ve emailed me when you first got the textbook.” He tries to wean off the annoyance, but the uncomfortable stares of the other students say that he didn’t do a good job.

The student sighs, still not noticing Lee’s tone. Lee didn’t know if he’s the most oblivious person in the world or he’s just choosing to ignore it. “Yeah, I guess that would’ve been better,” he says conversationally, losing his authority but also putting too much casualness in his words. “Truth be told, I wanted an easy course—”

Lee can’t help the eye-twitch.

“—But I read enough to know there’s misleading stuff in this and I want others to know the correct information. Especially since Ecto-Biology is new and this might be everyone’s first impression on ghosts.”

Lee hears whispers around the classroom now and his brow knits together. He caught a few that questioned Lee’s credentials and position as a teacher. His teeth grind because he hadn’t wanted to teach this course. Dammit, why couldn’t they just have given him Entomology? Now there’s going to be a black mark on his record and his job is in jeopardy.

Lee knows he can’t blame the student, his intentions are good and valid. He knows he shouldn’t have just taken the job because it was the only position handed to him. But he had to scrap some respect before he gets a whirlwind of complaints from his students. Maybe the sack if they’re determined enough.

“Pardon me for asking,” he tries to be polite. “But what are your sources, if you don’t mind?”

A look of surprise appears and a sheepish smile instantly replaces it. The student puts a hand to his neck as if embarrassed. “Oh! Sorry, Professor, I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? I got caught up in the moment. Hi, I’m Daniel Fenton, I go by Danny. My parents are, sort of, Jack and Maddie Fenton.”

The claim punches Lee straight in the gut.

Even some of the students snap their heads to him with gaping maws. The whispering stops and is replaced with shocked silence. Even someone not interested in Ecto-studies knows of the scientists that discovered an entirely new dimension. The married couple is basically the leading scientist in the field and makes discoveries daily.

He looks shy, contrasting with every other impression he’s given off, as his eyes sweep the room. “I should’ve started with that, shouldn’t I? Gosh, I must’ve sounded super pretentious. Sorry, sorry.”

Lee struggles to respond, “It’s fine, Mister… Fenton.” He chokes on the name a bit. “I hadn’t realized you were an expert- an actual expert with ecto-biology.”

“No, no,” Danny shook his head, “You were treating me like any other student. Please, continue. I can contact you later.”

Lee does continue, though he tries no to go too in-depth with the information. He’ll do more research after class and change the lessons to be more according to newer research. He needs to increase his credibility before he makes a complete fool in front of his students. Damn, they probably don’t think he’s credible at all by now. If too many students drop the class, he’ll be out of the job.

He plans to cry when going home. Maybe his wife could say just the right things that’ll make everything alright as she always does. And she does, she says he’s a good teacher and he can bounce up. It fills him with enough confidence to not just quit.

The next day, Lee sees that four students dropped the class. As much as it is discouraging, it’s less than he thought would do so. He managed to study more of the research, even if the public knowledge seems to be between old and new research. The first lesson is rushed, but it’s more up-to-date than before.

He’s in the classroom an hour early, sipping on a coffee thermos and editing the PowerPoint for last-minute mistakes. He hasn’t felt this stressed since his actual college days.

Someone knocks on the door nearest to his desk.

“Come in,” he yells, not wanting to stop the flow of focus he has. It’s thirty minutes before class, but he won’t stop a student from coming a little early. He hears the door creak open and doesn’t look up from the laptop. The student’s steps echo and he could hear them pause right in front of his desk.

“Professor Wilhelm?” a timid voice asks him and Lee immediately recognizes the voice.

He lifts his head and makes direct eye contact with the student. His persistent typing ceases at once.

“Mr. Fenton, hello.” His tone is stiff.

Danny Fenton looks nervous and is wearing more presentable clothing than a hoodie; it’s a red polo and his hair looks combed a little. In his arms is a large cardboard box that looks ten times his weight. It’s so large that Lee could barely see Danny’s nose.

“Um,” he says with a stutter, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry about yesterday, you were right about the email thing.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Lee insists, “I should’ve gone over the credentials of the textbooks beforehand. I shouldn’t have pushed any of my frustrations onto you.”

There’s a clear look of guilt on Danny’s face. He kicks his leg back and forth in a little. “Well, anyway, I asked a friend of mine to express ship something as a sorry. Don’t worry, she was more than happy to help me with this.”

Danny lays down the cardboard box to the side of his desk so Lee could see. Danny proceeds to open it and reveal its contents.

“It’s honestly fine, Mr. Fenton. You didn’t need to…” his eyes catch sight of what’s inside. “Get me anything…” Danny hands him one of the copies of the book from the box, and Lee’s hands tremble a little as he looks down on it.

The Whys and Hows of Ecto-Biology: 6th Edition. It’s the Fentons’ latest book. Actually, he swears that the latest is 5th Edition. He remembers trying to get a copy last night but it got bought out too quickly for him to even go to the checkout. How unlucky.

Danny’s foot continues the move rhythmically, “I hope it’s not a problem that it isn’t officially published.” Thus confirming Lee’s suspicions. “There’s twenty in this box, but there are three more boxes right outside the door. I really don’t know how many students take this class but I hope it’s enough.”

Sincerity riddles his voice and Lee feels tear prick his eyes. He doesn’t ever remember a student that went through so much effort for him. At most, they gave him a trinket or two. He sniffs a little and Danny looks concerned instantaneously. The very face makes Lee laugh a little.

He scoots his chair back and stands up, putting on the widest smile he’s ever had. The suddenness shocks the boy slightly and he jumps a little.

“It’s more than enough. Now c’mon, let’s get those boxes from the hallway. I don’t want them gathering dust already, Fenton.”

#phic phight 2021 #phic phight 21 #phic phight #danny phantom #danny phantom fanfic #phanfic #danny fenton #College age Danny #I love making college Danny #Imma do more in the future #my writing #writing

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currentlylurking · 4 years ago

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Phic Phight: Good Parents

Maddie Fenton nearly kills her son trying to take down Phantom. Jack Fenton nearly kills him again, trying to tear the ghost from him.

Clockwork, one of the most powerful ghosts in existence, is tired of the people he cares about getting hurt.

(Based on a Phic Phight 2021 prompt by @five-rivers. And also the same Phic Phight 2020 prompt. Part 1 here.)

(WC: 5273)

When Danny was fourteen, he would never remember to dodge.

It wasn’t his fault entirely - human instincts would say move, and ghost instincts would say turn intangible. He’d get confused and overwhelmed in the split second he was expected to make a decision, and would do nothing but take the hit. It was a normal reaction for someone as newly half-dead as he was.

As far as his friends were concerned, they could fix this by throwing small things at him - erasers, pencils - to train him to avoid the bigger, more dangerous things that were thrown his way. The main thing this taught Danny was how to smack the small objects out of the air, which the trio considered a victory nonetheless. At fourteen, they hadn’t found any real groove with their ghost hunting, but didn’t want to seem weak - so they laughed, lied, and pretended.

A week before his fifteenth birthday, Danny caught a mink ghost in the thermos. Half distracted by it, when he saw something small fly towards him, he smacked it right out of the air.

He didn’t see it burrow into his palm. But he felt the pain, and he saw his parents high-five. That was more than enough to spark panic, and Danny fled.

He almost went to Sam or Tucker’s place - almost. A block away from where he’d been shot, Danny fell out of the sky. He hit a sloped roof and rolled, shoulder getting caught in a gutter and flipping him face down when he headed for the ground. His shoulder caught a fence, and in the split-second before he turned intangible it jabbed his shoulder out of its socket. He fell to the ground, a cry of pain only silenced by how deep his face ended up in the bags of trash.

“Mads!” His father shouted, too close. “It’s over here!”

Danny ran again. He thought about flying, but the rush of pain that hit his core when he tried to lift off kept him firmly grounded. His chest felt as if it was about to cave in, and he barely ducked between two parked cars in time to avoid the GAV barreling out of an alleyway, past him, and down the next street before his parents could stop.

He reached his own house before he reached either of his friends’. Had he had a clearer head, he would have contacted his sister and begged her for help - but in this panic, all he could think was that he had to get away.

So Danny destroyed the window to his parents’ lab with the lid to a tin garbage can and a few harsh kicks, and slipped into the lab amongst the broken shards. He stumbled, fell on his battered face, but forced himself up and through the open portal. He slipped off the metal edge, and fell into the Ghost Zone.

And fell.

And strong arms grabbed him tightly, snatching him out of mid air and urging him, gentle but intense, to stay awake.

.-.

Danny failed the ‘stay awake’ request. When he woke up, it was in a double bed with simple, thin purple sheets. An ectoplasmic bandage on his hand went all the way up his arm, keeping it bent at the elbow. He was still in his ghost form, but most of his jumpsuit was gone. The room smelled sterile, with an overtone of purified ectoplasm. Soft ticking echoed off the blue-grey brick walls, and Danny found the source easily - Clockwork, in his elder form, sitting right beside him.

“You should see the other guy,” Danny said through a raspy voice and a forced grin.

“I have,” Clockwork said. The chair he’d been sitting on scraped against the stone as he stood - well, floated, Clockwork never had legs - and reached out an ungloved hand to press against Danny’s forehead. “Your temperature is still too warm, I’m afraid - the nanobots have severely damaged the cooling factor of your core.”

“Nanobots?” Danny repeated, “Ugh, so ew. How long have I been here?”

“Approximately four days,” Clockwork said, “breathe in deeply for me, please.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but did as he was asked. “Oh, ha-ha, you stole that joke from Tucker. Come on, how long has it really been? You’d better use your time travel powers so I’m not late for class today.”

Clockwork said nothing.

“...Kinda spooky there, Clockwork,” Danny said slowly. “Are you... going to tell me, or...?” He laughed awkwardly. His ribs hurt. Clockwork floated back a bit, and changed to his adult form. “‘Cause - cause four days is a while, and I was - I was kind of out of it, yeah, but - but that’s too long. It’s too long.”

“I’m sorry,” Clockwork said gently, and took Danny's hand. “You were suffering from a severe ectoplasm deficiency. I did everything I could, as fast as I could, but you were delirious and your form was deteriorating. I know you’re not comfortable spending this long in the Ghost Zone.”

“Yeah no - no shi -” Danny cut off, panting. “Oh no my parents are gonna freak.” He rolled out of the bed.

Clockwork caught him. “What are you doing?!” He scolded, and tried to place Danny back on the bed - he pushed against Clockwork, scrambling to get up. “Daniel, I’ve just barely gotten you stable! You are not leaving this room!”

“But my parents -”

“They tried to kill you!”

Danny stared at him. The tears welled up, and Clockwork immediately leaned in, apologizing for shouting as he rested a hand on Danny’s back - Danny barely registered the words, but leaned into the touch.

“They didn’t know,” Danny said, wiping his eyes on a bare arm before the tears could run down his face. “They didn’t know.”

“Daniel,” Clockwork said softly, “I know you don’t want to -”

“My parents love me,” Danny said. “If they knew, then they’d understand everything about ghosts, and - and I’m going to tell them, when I’m ready, but they’ll just feel so bad about the stuff they did when they didn’t know... but they love me.”

“You can love someone very much and still hurt them,” Clockwork said. “Your parents nearly killed you with this, Danny. We were both very lucky you managed to find me so quickly - this is the best possible outcome you could have reached. Those nanobots were specifically calibrated to destroy your ectoplasm. Not anyone else’s, yours. This was a murder attempt, Danny - regardless of everything else, that is fact.”

“It’s not,” Danny’s protest was weak, even to him. “My parents love me. B-besides, they’re my parents, I can’t - I can’t turn my back on my family. I need my family. O-otherwise,” He swallowed and looked at the floor.

Clockwork hummed. He was silent for a long while, switching to his child form for a moment before he returned to his elder one. “Daniel, there is... a potion, of sorts, that is available in the Ghost Zone. All of its required ingredients are guarded by the Observants, but I could grab some and brew a small batch. It is called a Miamenso Draught. Have you ever heard of it?”

“No,” Danny said, and wiped the last of his tears away. His throat still felt dry, and he could feel the tears holding place by his eyes. “What’s it do?” He looked up at Clockwork, “is it some kinda love potion thing that makes people like ghosts?”

“No.” Clockwork reached around with his other hand to brush Danny’s bangs out of his eyes. He wasn’t wearing his gloves, and Danny could see the patchwork of old scars that covered Clockwork’s hands. “A Miamenso Draught removes memories.” Danny paled. “There’s a targeted version, which only removes specific memories, and a more general one. I know you feel responsible to your parents, but -”

“Whoa, whoa,” Danny pulled away. Clockwork dropped to his adult form for a second, then to his child form. “You’re going to drug me?”

Clockwork frowned. “Of course not. Nor your parents - not without your consent.”

“Yeah, well, I do not consent.” Danny huffed. His ribs hurt again. “My parents love me. When I tell them, they’ll - they’ll accept me. I know they will.”

“And if they don’t?”

“They will.”

“Danny,” Clockwork said, back in his elder form, “the Miamenso is reversible. If the worst did happen, and you were severely injured like this again, we could give them a chance to prove to you and themselves that they are capable of looking after a half-ghost son despite everything. A few simple tasks - you could decide which ones - and you all would be reunited. Until then, you could stay here - my home will always be open to you, no matter what.”

“But... I’d get drugged. Or they’d get drugged.” Danny shook his head and tried to ignore how dizzy that made him. “No. No. Absolutely not. My parents love me.”

“I believe I already made this point, but you can love someone with your entire being and still hurt them with your lack of understanding.” Clockwork sighed. “It’s just something to consider. A way for you to be safe from being hurt again while they still don’t fully understand.”

“But they will.”

“And if they don’t?”

“They will.” He tried to sound as sure as possible, though Clockwork kept watching him with sad, wide eyes. “I know they will. My parents love me. Even if I agreed to your amnesia drug plan, we’d never use it, so - look, if I agree will you shut up about it? My parents love me.”

“We’ll have to set conditions,” Clockwork said calmly, “but I’m not going to wind you up any further. I promise that will be the last we speak of it, if that’s what you want. At the very least, my door will always be open to you.”

“Nope. Never have to set anything. Won’t happen. No promises, either, because we don’t need them.” Danny said, shaking his head. His vision blacked out for a second, and he caught only a flicker of concern from Clockwork before the other ghost was trying to lay him back down. “My parents love me. They’re good parents.”

“I know, Danny,” Clockwork said gently, “I know.”

.-.

That was two years ago.

Currently, Clockwork had taken the chance to give Danny some pain killers. Despite his initial loopy reaction, he was now sleeping soundly and had been for the past hour.

Good. He could sleep as much as he wanted. He had almost died, after all. For the time being, Clockwork had something else to prepare.

When Jasmine had left for university, Danny had smuggled her a small portal generator. While it was still imperfect and took hours to recharge between portals, it was functional. Given the time Clockwork had left his message about her brother’s state, and how long the generator would take to recharge between portals, it should be ready right about -

The front door opened. Clockwork greeted the three in his entrance way with a grim look.

“Danny,” Sam said.

“Upstairs,” Clockwork replied, “asleep.”

“Alive?” Tucker asked.

“As much as he was before.”

The three of them relaxed, and Clockwork floated aside to let them in. Danny’s friends ran past him, but his sister held back.

“Did you do the... you know,” she mimed taking a drink.

“Miamenso Draught?” Clockwork clarified, “I did.” Jasmine nodded, lips tight. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s better he doesn’t know what they did to him.” She sighed, and Clockwork kept pace with her as she started swiftly up the stairwell. “He probably didn’t make any conditions, did he?”

Clockwork shook his head. Jasmine sighed again. They came to the edge of the stairs, the door to Danny’s room open, with Sam and Tucker already in place at the sides of his bed.

“I’m going to kill them,” Sam hissed, her hands wrapped around one of Danny’s. “Tucker, I swear to whatever ghost god there is, I am going to kill them.”

“As long as I can help, I’m not protesting.” Tucker said.

“Don’t talk about murder next to him,” Jazz scolded, and lowered her voice as she approached. She waved a hand over Danny’s face - he continued to sleep soundly. “Don’t talk about our parents, either. He took a Miamenso, he won’t remember.”

Sam and Tucker’s confused looks were quickly swapped for glares at Clockwork.

“What’s a Miamenso?” Sam asked.

“Mia menso...” Tucker said, “that’s just ‘my mind’ in Esperanto.” Their glares got stronger. “What did you do to Danny?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Clockwork asked. He had, admittedly, seen that was a likely possibility but to be actually confronted with it was... strange. He’d genuinely thought that Danny would tell his friends.

“Don’t threaten Clockwork,” Jazz said, “Miamenso is a ghost thing. Just let me explain, okay?”

She took the lead, and relayed everything Danny had told her - the suspicion and judgement in Sam and Tucker's eyes was quickly dismissed. Clockwork’s tense posture relaxed a fraction.

The group lapsed into silence, Sam and Tucker absorbing the information. It would be difficult to process for anyone - Clockwork could still remember when he first learned of it. The Observants had not been pleased. Though admittedly, when it came to him, they never were.

Sam broke the silence with a bitter laugh. “Well, damn,” she said, “I wish I could forget my parents.”

Clockwork frowned. “The Miamenso Draught is a process to brew. For total erasure of memories, it would take a month to brew. With how specific Danny’s was, it took closer to a year.” Sam opened her mouth. “We would also have to confront the issue that unlike Danny, you’re not technically my responsibility. We’d have to go through the Observants, and they get... irritable whenever I broach the subject with them.”

“Okay,” Sam said, “I was joking, but okay.”

“Oh,” Clockwork said. “I knew that.” He hadn’t.

Thankfully, Danny started to wake up again before that conversation could continue. Clockwork backed away as Jazz sat down beside him, holding his left hand with both of her own. “Little br- Danny?” There was a collective wince at her correction. “Can you hear me?”

“Jazz?” His voice was still raw. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting you,” she squeezed his hand.

“But you have college,” Danny said. His head lulled to the side, looking to Tucker. His eyes moved to the right, looking at Sam. “You guys have school.”

“And you almost had a funeral, dude,” Tucker replied. He and Sam sat on the bed as well, pressed close to him. “So, what do you remember? Drink anything weird lately?”

“Tucker,” Jazz said, the warning written all over her face.

“No...?” Danny frowned. “Uh, Dad gave me some water?”

Three teenagers stared at Clockwork. The fourth vaguely looked his way, not really focusing.

Clockwork swallowed. “Yes, I did.”

“Hi, Dad,” Danny said. “I didn’t see you.”

“Hello, Danny,” Clockwork said gently, “Sam, could you give him some of that water please?”

“...Sure.” She reached over slowly to grab the glass. “Danny, do you think you can sit up?”

“Maybe?” Danny pulled his hands back from Jazz and tried to force himself up. The heels of his palms pressed against the mattress and his arms shook, but he didn’t make any headway until Tucker helped him. Sam held the straw to his lips as Tucker shoved the pillows behind his back to prop Danny up. It was a touching sight. Clockwork’s arms ached as he held his staff too tightly, trying to resist the urge to rush over to help them. Danny was in relatively competent, well practiced hands, and he would just get in the way.

The glass of water hadn’t been more than half-full in the first place, and had been sitting out for hours at this point. Danny finished all but a few drops within seconds. Sam passed it to Tucker, who held it out for Clockwork. He took it back.

“Do you think I can have something that’s not water?” Danny asked.

“If you think you’ll be able to stomach it,” Clockwork replied. “We could try a simple soup, if you would like?”

Danny nodded - then he winced, a trembling hand moving to his head. “Oof,” he said. Sam rested her hand on the small of his back. “Sorry, I’m just dizzy.”

“You don’t have to apologize, little brother,” Jazz said gently. She sucked in a breath. “I mean, Danny.”

Danny lowered his hand and frowned. “Why are you being weird? I know you’re my sister, Jazz.”

It was like a weight Clockwork hadn’t registered was lifted from the room. Jazz’s movements were lighter. “Oh,” she said, “and I know you’re my brother, of course! And Clockwork...?”

“Adopted me when I was small,” Danny said slowly. “Seriously Jazz, I’m the one who got messed up. Why are you being so,” he pulled a lopsided face and gestured vaguely at his ear. Jazz covered her mouth with her fist and looked away from her brother.

“Because she’s worried,” Sam said, “Obviously. You scared her, Danny. You scared all of us.”

It was Danny’s turn to look sheepish and uncomfortable. “Yeah,” he said, “but I’m fine, I survived, and Dad’s looking after me. You guys can go, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Sam scoffed. Tucker laughed. “No way,” she punched his arm.

“You’re stuck with us, dude.” Tucker said with a grin, “no exchanges, refunds, or store credit.”

Danny gave a crooked grin back, and the four humans seemed to pull tighter together. Unfortunately, Clockwork couldn’t take the time to enjoy their happiness. There was a loud crash downstairs as they threw the door open, and the Observants shouted in fury.

“Clockwork!”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he said, and smiled at Danny before he left. “I’ll bring the soup with me once I return.”

The Observants were waiting for him in the foyer. Clockwork paused on the stairs, looking the trio of them over. Normally they only came in pairs.

“You left the door open,” he said, and gestured to his front door.

“Where have you been?” One snapped.

Clockwork stayed on the stairs and made an effort not to roll his eyes. “On the second floor. These stairs are not just for decoration, you know. They go to another level.” The Observants glared. He continued, “You do know what stairs are, don’t you?”

“This attitude will get you nowhere,” Two said, her voice cold. Clockwork’s lip twitched - she normally only showed up when the Observants decided to pretend they cared about him. It was wholly unpleasant. So Clockwork ignored her.

“There has been a growing anomaly for the past several hours!” Three shouted. “What could be more important than fixing that? No excuses!”

“No excuses!” One repeated.

That... hm. Clockwork flew past them, into a mirror room.

“Answer us when we speak to you,” Two said, and was doubly ignored out of spite.

Using the mirror, it wasn’t difficult to locate the anomaly - it wasn’t a major one, just a simple issue where a natural portal had pulled someone from their time by a week. All they knew about the future were three digits of a lottery draw. Clockwork froze time and got to work - they were back in their own time within a minute. Simple, really. He returned to his tower and set time back in motion to see three Observants still floating there.

Still waiting.

“Yes?” He said.

“Why did that take so long to get to?” Three asked.

Clockwork raised an eyebrow. “I believe you said ‘no excuses’ twice. Are you aiming to get a third in before you leave?”

“If it was really such a quick fix,” Two said, “then you would have done it without prompting. You have proven yourself capable of that, at the very least. So why the delay?”

“And why are you suddenly pretending to care about my reasons?” Clockwork replied.

“Why are you so resistant to tell us them?” Two pressed.

Clockwork held her glare. “I fixed the anomaly. You can leave now.”

The Observants stared at him for a few moments longer before, mercifully, they did just that. Clockwork waited until the door clicked shut before he moved. It was simple enough to prepare a simple broth for Danny. He moved it from the pot to a sturdy, wooden bowl, retrieved a spoon, filled the glass of water back up, and started back to Danny’s room - though, he did pause at the mirror room for a moment to retrieve three medallions.

He entered Danny’s room in the middle of Danny desperately trying to convince his friends and sister that they should be in school.

Danny half sat up in his bed, making stiff gestures as he talked. “You guys can’t miss stuff - Dad, back me up.”

The other three teenagers stared at him. Clockwork’s core twisted, and he set the soup down. He looked back up to Danny’s desperate blue eyes.

“They can stay for a bit longer,” Clockwork said, “but yes, they will have to leave eventually. You still need rest, Danny. That is why I would like to give the three of them these.” He handed Jazz, Sam, and Tucker each their own medallion. “You may put those on, and when you take them off, you will be transported back here.”

Tucker nodded. “Right, right, just like with -” he cut himself off, staring at Danny. “That time with the thing.”

Danny gave an unimpressed look, spoon of soup halfway to his mouth. “You mean with evil future me? Seriously, stop being weird.” He blew some frost onto the soup before he put it in his mouth and automatically pulled a face. “Eugh, now it’s too cold.”

“Would you like me to blow on it for you?” Jazz offered.

“Uh, no? I’m not a baby.”

Clockwork shook his head at the bickering and reached a hand over to cradle the edge of the bowl. Focusing on the contents inside, he aged the soup by a few minutes in under a second. “It should be better now, Danny.”

Danny tried another spoonful before he nodded - which seemed to make him dizzy. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz returned to silently trying to help in small ways. Clockwork returned to trying to keep his distance.

“I have work to do,” he said, “but I won’t be far. Call me if you need anything.”

“Got it, Mr. Danny’s Dad,” Tucker said awkwardly. Danny frowned at him and Sam punched his shoulder.

“We will,” Jazz said.

“See you later, Dad,” Danny said, “thanks for the soup. Love you.”

Clockwork was not an emotionally expressive being. With the Observants, showing any emotion other than mild annoyance had never gone well for him. Typically, he was very skilled at keeping his feelings under a metaphorical mask. But every word, every movement, every ‘Dad’ and ‘love you’ from Danny had already chipped it away. Clockwork was nearly crying when he turned away.

“Of course,” he said.

.-.

At 3:14 am, Vlad was awoken by his cat losing her mind at something outside his window. This was followed by floodlights and the beeping of industrial vehicles.

He barely had the time to put on anything more than a robe and concealer before several crashes and a car alarm were added to the mix.

Vlad made his way to his front gate at 3:32, where much to his unfortunate lack of surprise, Jack Fenton was unloading several incredibly dangerous antighost weapons.

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “What in butterscotch’s name is this?”

Jack turned to face him, holding something that would certainly violate the geneva convention if ghosts were given proper rights. “Vladdie! You’re up! I tried to call you for ages!”

“Yes,” Vlad said, and did not unlock the gate. He’d had the man’s number blocked for months, how had Jack not realized that yet? Stupidity could only go so far. “What is this?” He asked again, “If I wanted anti ghost equipment, I would ask for it.”

Thankfully, at that moment Maddie stepped off the truck. Haloed by the floodlights, she looked every bit the angel Vlad knew she was. She set some sort of oversized dreamcatcher down beside a bazooka. “We’ve written up a fake bill of sale,” she said, “we need you to pretend to buy all of our ghost hunting equipment so we can get Danny back.”

Vlad raised an eyebrow. “Maddie, my dear, you know I’m always willing to lend a hand -”

“See!” Jack interrupted, throwing an arm around the woman he did not deserve, “I told you he’d help!”

“-However,” Vlad continued, “given that it is barely passed three thirty in the morning and I received none of the fabled calls Jack placed, I’m going to need ever-so-slightly more than that.”

“A ghost took Danny,” Maddie said, “it won’t give him back unless we get rid of our weapons. Vlad, please.”

Vlad frowned. While he wasn’t surprised - something like this was bound to happen eventually - he was annoyed. Any self-respecting ghost should know that he had repeatedly claimed Daniel. That boy would be his, and he wouldn’t settle for any less. He unlocked his gate and stepped out to join Maddie and (unfortunately) Jack. “Which ghost?”

“It called itself Clockwork,” Jack said.

“...Ah.” Well. Hm. That was... certainly something. “Where was this bill of sale you created?”

Maddie smiled and went to retrieve it, abandoning Vlad with Jack. Fortunately, Vlad was well practiced in ignoring him.

He knew of Clockwork. Most ghosts with more than a trace of self preservation did. They were a being who could see all of time itself and had united the original Ancients who dethroned Pariah. The concept itself would be terrifying enough if Clockwork was a neutral party. Instead, they worked for the Observants - the near-tyrannical council who had declared themselves judge and jury of the Ghost Zone in the absence of a King. Clockwork was their weapon, their pet attack dog and bounty hunter who could quite literally delete anyone their masters disagreed with.

Vlad had attempted to track them down once, when he was young and foolish, and was thankful he hadn’t succeeded. He had plans, and the last thing he needed was the Observants to take notice of them - like it appeared they had taken notice of the Fentons.

They must have something that posed a danger to the poor Council, and sent Clockwork to steal Daniel so they had some sort of leverage. Since now Jack and Maddie were clearly not acting in the spirit of the decree to ‘get rid’ of their ghost hunting weapons, it was likely Clockwork would respond to this by simply destroying Amity Park in its entirety. Yet again, Vlad was stuck dealing with the mess Jack Fenton had made.

Maddie returned before Jack could ramble any further about the specifics of his triangular laser knife, which would certainly hurt a human regardless of what he claimed. She offered Vlad a piece of paper and a pen. He read over the contract twice before he signed it, just to be sure.

“Thank you, Vlad,” Maddie said with a brilliant smile.

Jack slapped Vlad on the back nearly hard enough to knock him over. “Good job, V-man! Maddie, scribble on a witness signature and let’s finish unloading.”

Vlad watched Maddie switch to a different colour pen and forge a signature. He said nothing. Jack grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him to the truck. Vlad pulled his arm away and began to examine the weapons which had already been dumped at his front gates. Some he recognized, some he didn’t. Many were clearly fire hazards that had been haphazardly thrown together. Honestly, it was a miracle it had taken this long for a ghost to take Daniel away from them - malicious intent behind the action or not. Mature ghosts got a bit strange when child ghosts were involved.

Vlad took a moment to examine some of the weapons piled at the base of that horrendous oversized dreamcatcher. It appeared that the bazooka was one of their oversized portal guns, just a different model. It also had a bayonet attached, for some unknown reason.

“Think fast, Vladdie!” Jack shouted, and Vlad made the mistake of raising his head in time to see Jack throw a vacuum at him. Vlad ducked and raised an arm to shield himself - not that it did him much good, when Jack’s terrible aim instead slammed into the dream catcher and flung an avalanche of trash around him.

Thankfully, nothing actually injured him. Vlad scoffed and straightened up. “Do you mind not trying to kill me -”

Jack had a gun pointed at him.

Maddie had a gun pointed at him.

Vlad looked down, and his hands - ghostly and translucent. He looked down at his normal human hands, and the frame of the dream catcher around his feet. He looked at himself, normal and human. He looked at himself, wispy and ectoplasmic.

His two halves rushed back together and fused instantly, before either half of Vlad could consider what he was doing. He - a full hybrid in human form - took in a deep, ragged breath, and placed a hand to his chest. His core churned within it. He looked up.

Maddie and Jack still had their weapons raised.

This was not ideal on any level. He’d have to salvage it as best as he could. He tried to form a duplicate and cast them out, a story about possession on the tip of his tongue when -

“You’re like Danny,” Maddie said.

Vlad stopped. He stared at her. How do you know that?

“The portal -” Jack started the blabber, his gun still raised. “The portal! You and Danny were both hurt by portals! Vlad, I’m sorry - I’m so sorry. If I had known - Vladdie, I’m sorry.”

“I would appreciate that more if you lowered your weapons,” Vlad said. He wasn’t sure what else was appropriate to say. “How do you know about Daniel? Did he tell you?” That didn’t make an ounce of sense.

“We can fix this,” Maddie said. She still had her gun raised as well. “Vlad, we got so close with Danny. We can remove the ectoplasmic mutation, and you can have a normal life!”

Vlad could only stare. “What.”

“We couldn’t save Danny,” Jack continued, “That ghost got to him - Vlad, please, let us save you.”

It clicked, then, in a way it should have before. “Oh.” He knew why the Observants had sent Clockwork to intervene. He understood.

“Vlad?” Maddie said, “Please -”

“Get out.”

They didn’t move, and at not-quite-four-in-the-morning, Vlad decided he didn’t care what they saw. He screamed at them, the blacklight rushing over him until Plasmius stood in the middle of everything that had killed the only other being truly like him.

“GET OUT!”

He teleported, then, back to his home, to his cat, and slammed on the button that would trigger every sort of human or ghost shield he possessed. They sprung up around the edges of his fence, barely pushing Maddie and Jack away an inch. He could still see them now, from his window, as they stood there, likely in the same clothes they had worn to kill their son. The window frame Vlad gripped burned under his palms, pink flames jumping from the wood to his curtains.

He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Everything he had worked for - everything - meant nothing if he was alone again. If the woman he had worked so hard for had killed the only other person who could possibly understand him.

And she didn’t even care.

***

Actual prompt: Clockwork gets sick of how Jack and Maddie treat Danny and spirits him away. Jack and Maddie have to prove to Clockwork that they’ll do better by completing his challenges. Whether or not they succeed is up to you. (Bonus: Clockwork does something to Danny so he no longer recognizes Jack and Maddie when he sees them in order to make sure Jack and Maddie have to follow through.)

I saw this prompt get resubmitted, looked at how many people wanted a continuation of this, and went like ‘I think legally I have to write this.’

#Danny Phantom #Phic Phight #Phic Phight 21 #Team Human #Currently talking #things i write #Using ALL the tags this year lmao #god imagine if the rules of invisobang had let me write this fic. how wild would that be.#good parents

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q-gorgeous · 4 years ago

Text

Ghost Farm

fanfiction

ao3

The GIW need ghost samples to conduct experiments. Why capture ghosts when you can make your own? prompt by @mystyrust

word count: 2609

warning: offscreen character death

gosh this prompt

Danny yawned as he walked into the school. He walked up to Sam and Tucker and was just about to greet them when heard Paulina sobbing into Dash’s chest by her locker.

“Woah.” He said. “What’s happening?”

“Star’s still missing.” Sam whispered.

“It’s been a week since her parents filed that report and no one’s seen any sign of her since then.” Tucker looked at his PDA. “No one has anything new to report online. I think it's starting to really wear on Paulina.”

“Maybe when we patrol later we should check up on some other places rather than just the ghost hot spots.” Danny said, looking back at Paulina. “Maybe we’ll be able to find something while we’re out.”

“Maybe.” Sam said. The first bell rang and they started heading to class. “But if we’re being realistic, a week is a long time with this kind of thing. She could be long gone out of Amity Park by now. Or, you know.” She whispered that last part.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try looking around though.”

The three of them walked into Lancer’s class. The empty desk next to Paulina felt like it took up the entire room and many of their classmates were trying not to look at it. The final bell rang and Mr. Lancer turned from where he was writing on the board.

“Alright, class.” He said somberly. “Let’s get started.”

QQQQQ

“We’re having no luck down here, Danny. What about you?” Tucker called through the Fenton phones.

Danny flew past the arcade and an ice cream shop and stopped, floating in front of an alley. “Nothing here. I think we can call it for-”

Danny’s head whipped towards the sound of trash cans crashing around. He floated into the alley slowly, looking around. When he came out the other end there was no one there.

“Are you okay, Danny?”

He turned back around. “Yeah, I think some cat was getting into one of the garbage cans over here or something.” He flew back out of the alley.

“Okay, well then-”

Danny stopped listening to her when he saw something laying on the ground. He touched down on the concrete and bent over to pick up a pink clip.

“Hey Sam.” Danny asked. “Dash and Kwan were talking about taking Paulina for ice cream, right?”

“Yeah?” She said, confused. “Why?”

“I found Paulina’s hair clip on the ground.”

A heavy silence settled between the three of them.

“She probably left with them, right?” Danny asked. “They wouldn’t have left her alone here?”

“There’s no way they’d just leave her there. Not with Star missing.” Tucker said.

Silence hovered over them again for a few seconds before Danny spoke. “You guys go home. I’m gonna fly up and down the streets over here again.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.” Danny took off, flying above the buildings and scanning the ground below him. “Be careful getting home and let me know when you get there.”

They both gave him affirmatives and he looked up and down each street. In fifteen minutes he got notice that Sam was home and ten minutes after that so was Tucker.

He let out a deep breath, a bit more relaxed now that he knew Sam and Tucker were safely at home. He had a bad feeling, but he hadn’t seen anything suspicious along the streets or in the alley, so maybe Paulina did leave with Kwan and Dash and she just dropped her hair clip.

He turned around to start heading back home. He dropped down in between his house and the neighbor’s and transformed. Before heading inside, he let Sam and Tucker know he was home and he turned off the Fenton Phones and put them in his pocket.

Danny opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He greeted his parents who sat waiting on the couch, his mom reading the paper and his dad cross stitching something. He yawned and started heading upstairs to get ready for bed.

After brushing his teeth and changing in the bathroom, Danny crossed the hall into his room, closing the door and turning off the light. He flopped down onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself.

He hoped Paulina was doing better tomorrow.

QQQQQ

Paulina was missing.

She had never come home last night and her parents called all her friends, asking if they knew where she was. No one had seen her since yesterday, and her parents filed a missing person report. It spread like wildfire through the school.

Dash and Kwan in particular looked horrified and close to hysterics throughout the day. They didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t even really look in anyone’s direction when their names were called.

It took until lunch, but soon word spread that one of the underclassmen was missing too. One of the band kids. No one had seen him since last night either and he just happened to live in the area that the ice cream shop was in.

It didn’t stop there either. Day after day, more and more kids were disappearing. Mikey, Dale, Sarah, more underclassmen. It was getting to the point where they cancelled school until someone had some answers.

That didn’t stop Sam from going out and searching for any clue she could find though. The first time Danny had seen her when he was patrolling on his own, he scooped her right up and took her home, scolding her.

When his mom got a panicked phone call from Sam’s hysteric mom, his heart dropped into his stomach. His hands went numb and he stared at his mom until she got off the phone and walked over to where he sat on the couch.

She pulled him into her arms tightly and whispered into his hair.

“Sam’s missing.”

QQQQQ

“Come on, Danny!” Tucker yelled through the computer. “You can’t just walk around waiting to be kidnapped! If you get kidnapped how are we gonna fix this?”

“What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working, Tucker!” Danny yelled back. “I can only cover so much ground when I don’t know what I’m looking for and you can’t be out there. I can barely do any patrols as it is, my parents are always coming up to my room to check on me. I don’t see any other way to do this.”

“What if you don’t come back either?”

Danny paused. “I have to come back. If I don’t come back then neither does Sam.”

Tucker sighed. “Just. Be careful.”

“I’ll try to be as careful as I can while being kidnapped.”

Tucker made a face at him just before Danny logged off. Transforming, Danny jumped into the air and flew out the window. He flew around town a bit before dropping off into the alleyway he found Paulina’s hair clip in. The areas that the kids were last seen in seemed to be all over town, but he couldn’t shake the sound that the garbage cans had made that day out of his head.

Pressing his back against the wall, Danny transformed and strolled out, walking down the street. There weren’t many people out most days now. Most of them were too afraid of going outside and getting snatched up like all the teenagers.

He’d been walking for fifteen minutes before he heard the crunch of gravel underneath tires behind him. He didn’t turn around and kept walking forward. Footsteps rapidly approached him and suddenly a bag was over his head.

“Hey!” He shouted.

“Are you sure we should take this one? What about his parents?”

Someone else scoffed. “They’re too dumb to do anything about it. They won’t even know where to find him. Just help me get him in the car.”

They picked Danny up and hauled him back towards the car. He heard the trunk open and they tied his wrists together before shutting the trunk heavily above him. Soon the vehicle was moving and driving away.

Well, he accomplished what he sent out to do. It wasn’t very comfortable though.

They must’ve been driving for at least an hour because by the time they stopped, both of Danny’s legs were asleep. The trunk popped open and he could feel the cold air rushing in. They pulled him out and placed him on the ground, yanking him back up after he almost collapsed from the pins and needles feeling in his legs.

They walked him to an entrance where he could hear key cards being scanned at multiple points. They led him through squeaky hallways until they stopped and were suddenly lifting him up onto a bed? No, a stretcher. They strapped him down and once he was tightly bound they ripped the bag off of his head.

Danny scrunched his eyes up at the white light bouncing off the bright white walls. Looking around, he saw two faces staring down at him. Agent K and Agent O.

“The GIW?” Danny said. “What the fuck? Why are you kidnapping humans?”

They ignored him and started pushing him down a very long hallway.

Rolling down the long hallway, Danny can hear the moans and groans, most of them coming from ghosts. He looks around and sees room upon room, windows letting him see the people inside each of them.

His heart drops when he sees Star. She’s floating inside her room, a small husk of a ghost. When she sees him, her eyes immediately light up with rage and sparks fly off of her as she bounces all over the room.

In the next room is Paulina. It doesn’t look like she’s a ghost, but it looks like she’s sick with ghost powers again. She’s pressed tightly against the wall she shares with Star. She hiccups and a ghost sense floats out of her mouth.

As they push him by, he sees everyone. Mikey, Dale, Sarah. All of the underclassmen that went missing. Even Dash was there. Each one various levels of dead, alive, and sick.

They reach the end of the hallway and his pulse is spiking, his heart hammering in his chest. He hasn’t seen Sam anywhere.

He clears his throat. “So, uh, wanna share what you guys are doing here?”

“Ghost studies.” Agent K clips out.

“Right. Why are you kidnapping humans then?”

“It’s easier to make ghosts than to catch them.”

“What-” Danny stops and his eyes widen. They can’t be serious. Making ghosts? His thoughts go back to Star, bouncing around her room like a comet and his blood runs cold.

They roll through a set of double doors and when they open they’re in an operating room. His thoughts are buzzing and he can hear the click and ping of metal objects being placed on the counter. They’re just about to roll a utensil cart over to his stretcher when he hears a scream that fills his veins with fire.

Without even thinking about it, Danny rips his wrists out of the restraints and punches Agent O in the face. He falls into the cart and all of the tools clatter to the ground. Danny shoots an ectoblast at each belt binding his ankles to the stretcher and hops off the bed, facing Agent K, glaring at him, hands filled with ectoplasm.

“You’re a ghost!” Agent K exclaims before Danny kicks him in the stomach.

“And you’re scum.” Danny snarls. He shoots an ectoblast into the side of Agent K’s head, knocking him unconscious.

Transforming, Danny jumps up into the air and starts flying from room to room, looking for Sam. He finally finds her in another room in a different hallway, another agent sticking a needle full of ectoplasm into her arm. She screams again.

As the agent is reaching for something else from a tray, Danny picks up the tray, sending its contents flying, and smashes it into his face. The agent tumbles to the ground and Danny grabs his keycard. Picking Sam up, Danny phases them out of the room, locking the agent inside.

“Sam! Sam, are you okay?” Danny asks shakily.

She shakes her head. “We can’t worry about me right now. We have to get your parents and the cops.”

“But-”

Sam shakes her head again. “Some of these kids won’t make it long enough for you to patch me up. They’ve been sick for too long.”

He looks at her for a few seconds before nodding. He shoots up into the air, holding Sam close to his chest as he flew as fast as he could back home.

He flew straight into the living room, halting abruptly when he saw his parents standing there. They stared with wide eyes at Sam in his arms and started reaching for their guns.

“Wait!” He shook his head. “We need your help! I found out where all the kids are!”

Maddie’s gun clattered to the ground. “Where are they? Was Danny with them?”

“Danny’s fine, he’s not there.” He said hurriedly. “They’re in a GIW compound outside of town. We need to hurry.”

“Let me just-” Maddie started reaching for Sam.

“No! We can’t waste any time.” His grip tightened on Sam. “She said she’ll be fine for now but there are kids who won’t make it much longer. They need our help more right now.”

“Okay. Okay, Jack. Get the keys for the van and a couple of bazookas. You take Sam to the van and direct us to the compound. I’m going to get in touch with the police.”

They all piled into the van and Danny directed them toward the compound. Danny kept a close eye on Sam and Maddie stayed on the phone until they reached the compound, giving the police the address. The van slammed through the brick wall surrounding the compound and straight into the front wall of the building.

They all jumped out, Danny still carrying Sam, and he keycarded them through all the locked doors until they got to the wing full of students. Maddie covered her mouth as she looked at them.

Soon the police got there and they began to cart out the agents that remained in the building. Paramedics came in to take care of the kids who were still alive while Jack and Maddie worked on calming Star and the other ghosts down.

Danny let go of Sam’s hand slowly as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance. He turned around and flew back into the building where he found his parents trying to comfort a distraught Star.

He floated up to her and held a hand out. She looked at it and her eyes darted up to his face, recognition flashing through them. Tears welled up in her eyes and she stood, wrapping her arms around him as she sobbed.

He loosely wrapped his arms back around her and waited with her until she was ready to go.

QQQQQ

Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat closely together on top of Danny’s bed. They had just gotten back from the memorial held for all the kids that died inside the compound. Danny and Tucker each held one of Sam’s hands, gripping them tightly.

Sam took a deep breath and let it out shakily, her fingers twitching and going through Danny’s hand before settling back in place.

Danny hoped to whatever deity there might be that this would never happen again. No matter what anyone thought of the ghosts in Amity Park, they had never stooped low enough to kill someone. They weren’t collecting humans for a ghost farm.

He glanced up at the window, looking at the night sky. A ghost flew through the night, sparking brightly like a comet.

#gorgi writes #danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 21 #phic phight 2021 #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #star #paulina sanchez #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #phic

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going-dead · 4 years ago

Text

Lightning Scars and Listening Ears

Phic phight prompt by @datawyrms : Danny Phantom's jumpsuit is hiding a secret he'd rather not reveal to anyone. (feel free to be metaphorical if you want.) l

Team Human: @currentlylurking

Most citizens of Amity Park often forgot that Phantom wasn’t human. Sure he would fly through the skies, turn invisible, and shoot ectoplasm at the ghosts who would attack the city on a daily basis, but the way he acted when not saving the city always seemed so alive. That’s where the problem lied though. The ghost kid wasn’t alive, a fact that Amity Park never actually thought much about.

Phantom was playing around with some kids in the park when it all happened. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence to see the boy play with the younger citizens of the city, under their parents supervision most of the time. Seeing him give them piggyback rides and playing tag was actually a common sight when there were no ghosts to fight. Phantom had six different kids hanging off of his arms and legs, apparently trying to tackle him and get him to fall down. The group of parents laughed at the sight as the teenage hero fell to the ground admitting his defeat in a dramatic flourish. “Ahh you got me! Foul villains, you will regret this!” He laughed as he lunged at the closest kid and launched a tickle attack. Childish squeels rang out as the uncaptured children ran trying to avoid being tickled. The little girl in his arms was finally released from her attacker when she turned on Phantom and started to tickle him back. His laughter attracted the other kids who scattered and they joined the counter attack.

“I yield I yield!” He flailed his arms as a dozen little hands tickled any spot they could reach. The kids slowly let up their assault leaving the teen gasping for breath.

One of the children, the girl who started the attack on Phantom, pulled on his arm. “Mr. Phantom? What’s that did you get a owie?” She asked pointing to his neck where part of his jumpsuit wrinkled down revealing a few red raised streaks maring his skin.

Phantom froze eyes jumping over to the adults just a few feet over who had stopped their conversation to try to see what the young girl was asking about. He quickly pulled the collar of his suit back into place. He gave the girl and the other kids surrounding him a pained smile. “Yeah I did get an owie. Don’t worry though I’m fine, doesn’t even hurt anymore.” Suddenly blue frost escaped his lips, the adults sitting nearby never saw him more relieved to have a ghost show up than in that moment. He gave quick goodbyes to the kids before shooting off to find the day's threat to the city.

All the adults gathered waved over their respective kids. While they trusted Phantom to get rid of the threat it was always smart to stay inside during a ghost attack. A loud boom sounded in the direction where Phantom flew off, shaking the ground. They all gave each other uncertain looks. “My house is closest we can take shelter there.” One of the men said leading everyone away.

After a block of running the group was almost to shelter when the ghost fight moved over their heads. The adults grabbed onto the children doing their best to shield them from the flying debris. They held the kids against their chests as they watched the sky in horror. They didn’t recognize the attacking ghost, but it was certainly doing a number on Phantom. The rest of the battle lasted at most a minute when Phantom managed to suck up the ghost into his thermos before he seemed to wobble in the sky and falling to the ground creating a small crater where he landed.

The man who was leading the group passed off the kid he was holding to the man next to him. “David what are you-?”

“Brian just hold her.” He ran over to the fallen teen and picked him up in a fireman's carry and rushed the rest of the way to his house.

Once he arrived he kicked open the door and placed the teen onto the couch in his living room. He looked down trying to assess the situation. Phantom’s jumpsuit was torn in numerous places exposing spots of his arms, neck, and chest that had splatterings of green ectoplasm across the exposed flesh. He started taking the rest of the jumpsuit off of the teen wanting to make sure there were no hidden injuries underneath. Behind him he could hear his husband and the other parents come through the door. “Get me a wet rag and some warm water!” He yelled behind him.

Once he was handed the items he started working on cleaning up the cuts and wiping off the ectoplasm. He silently thanked any higher being out there that he took a first aid class a few years back. The wounds actually seemed less severe than what David initially thought, that or the kid had some seriously advanced healing. One of the parents led the kids upstairs while the rest of them crowded around David and Phantom.

Once Phantom was as patched up as he could be David finally sat back and actually took a full look at the boy. His breath caught in his throat as he examined the body infront of him. In the end all he could get out was.“Oh my god. He’s- he’s dead.”

“What the hell do you mean? Of course he’s not, I can clearly see him breathing right now.” One of the parents protested.

David shook his head. “No.” He went to run his hands down his face before spotting the blood- no the ectoplasm covering them and settled for grabbing onto his husband for support. “No, I mean he’s a ghost.”

“Well yeah he’s a ghost it’s not like that’s news now is it?” Brian said running his hand up and down his husband's back.

“You guys don’t get it.” David pulled back. “Think! Look!” He ran his hand through his hair, staining it green. “Look at him.” He pointed at the teen’s unconscious body. There were lightning shaped scars running all over the boy’s body, from the base of his neck trailing all the way down to his ankles. Those weren’t the only scars marring his body though, small scars were scattered all over his body, there was a rather large one on his abdomen in the same spot where he was hit the other week fighting off a ghost who was attacking the high school. The gathered adults looked back at Phantom’s face. As he slept he almost looked like a normal teenager, there were small bags under his eyes, his closed eyes hid the toxic green color, and the glow surrounding him was almost nonexistent.

Three things seemed to dawn on the parents all at once.

1: Phantom at some point had died

2: He died young, at most he was just out of middle school when it happened.

3: From the looks of it he didn’t die in his sleep but painfully. They all silently hoped that at least it wasn’t drawn out.

As they all looked at each other they couldn’t help but think of their own children who were just upstairs. Did Phantom have a family? Did his parents miss their little boy? Do they know that Phantom was their son? Even worse, the boy had a jumpsuit on when he died, was his parents the cause of his premature death?

Of course if Phantom was conscious, didn’t have to worry about the whole identity thing, and could read their minds the boy would quickly put their minds to rest responding; yes, no he sees them daily, god no, and sorta it really was more of a case of teenage stupidity than his parents fault though.

Two of those issues though were quickly resolved as two white rings shocked the group out of their grief for a boy they hardly knew. The rings traveled across the boy’s body replacing bare skin with street clothes and white hair with black. Everyone looked at Phantom(?) confused, the boy in front of them was very unghost-like and the scratch on his face that was previously bleeding green now had a red where the scab was forming.

“What the fu- wait isn’t that the Fenton kid, Danny I think?” David asked looking back at the other parents who were in the same amount of shock that he was. Actually he was positive it was him, his older sister Jazz used to babysit their daughter and he would sometimes come along. If someone was going to respond they were cut off as the boy in front of them started to stir and open his eyes. He sat up almost falling off the couch in his panic, thankfully David was quick enough to catch him. “Woah there Danny, be careful you took a pretty bad beating out there. Hell I’m surprised you’re already awake to be honest kid.”

Danny gave him a thankful smile as he steadied himself. He froze once he caught a glimpse of his hair, his eyes shot down to his clothes. He looked back up and noticed the group of adults in front of him. “Now before you jump to any conclusions there’s a very reasonable explanation for this, or there will be just give me a few minutes.” “Wait so does this mean you’re not dead?” Brian asked.

“Brian you can’t just ask that! What if it’s a sensitive subject?” David scolded his husband then looked over at Danny. “Sorry about him.”

Danny looked over to the men who for some reason had hope in their eyes. “What? It’s fine. I mean I guess no- well yes- no- sorta- it’s complicated.”

As Danny looked at the numerous questioning eyes he sighed. It’s not like he could convince them that it was a trick of the light or something. And he did owe them since they patched him up better than he would have been able to at home in his bedroom. But before he could start he turned to David. “I’ll tell you guys everything but first um… is that my ectoplasm in your hair and on your hands? Because if so you probably should wash that off, prolonged exposure isn’t harmful per say but you could start to glow or something if you don’t wash it off soon.”

David looked down to his hands, apparently just now remembering he was still covered in the boy’s ectoplasm and rushed to the bathroom to wash it off. He’d worry about why the sight of his own blood- ectoplasm didn’t phase Danny at all later.

Once David returned, now free of ectoplasm, Danny sat down and started from the beginning. At one point in the story he must have started to cry because he was handed a tissue box, which he accepted with a thanks. By the end he wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes, one of the adults had to go into the kitchen to compose themselves. Danny didn’t really understand why though, sure he sort of half died, but he didn’t see why it would affect any of them. “Hey! It’s fine, I’m fine it’s not a big deal! I mean it’s not like it only happened to me. Vlad went through it too like 20 years ago.” Danny seized up after he said that. “Don’t tell him you know about him though! Me not telling anyone about him is the only reason he’s not trying to fully kill me when we fight. That and he has a weird obsession with my mom and me.”

David paused at that. “So you’re telling us that not only did you go through a highly traumatic situation at a young age, but the only adult that even knows about it has tried to kill you multiple times?”

“I mean I guess but Jazz, my sister, knows about it too and she’s older than me and my friends.”

“Danny she’s also still a kid, an older one sure, but she is not an adult. Even if you didn’t go to your parents, was there no one else you could have talked to about it with? A therapist maybe?” David asked.

Danny laughed. “Ah no, Jazz tried having me go to the school therapist but she turned out to be a ghost who wanted to try to cause as much pain as possible. She even almost killed Jazz in front of the whole school.”

“Dear god.” David sighed. “All right, we will all keep your secret on one condition.” Danny cringed and looked down at his lap, of course there was a catch. He just hoped it wasn’t anything too bad like letting them run a bunch of experiments on him whenever they wanted to. His ghost injuries were bad enough to hide from others, he didn’t need to have to explain away needle marks or something. “You’ll see Brian once a week for therapy sessions. He’s a licensed psychiatrist.”

“Wait what?” Danny looked up confused.

“Oh don’t worry I won’t charge you of course since we are forcing you to do this, and obviously you can choose the day of the week. I usually don't work fridays or the weekends but if those are the only days that work I’m sure we can rearrange some of our family time to make room for you.” Brian smiled. “Now it’s getting pretty late isn’t it? I’m sure it’s about time everyone here starts to head home now hmm? Of course if you aren’t feeling well enough Danny I can call your parent’s up and just let them know you’ll be staying here. I’ll just tell them you were injured in a ghost fight, not exactly lying now is it?”

“Um no I’m fine enough to walk home thank you though.” Danny said. Everyone started saying their goodbyes and calling the children down to get them ready to leave. Danny was the last one left, he was almost out the door when he was stopped by David handing him a piece of paper.

“Here are our numbers, I also wrote down where Brian’s office is, you can set up your appointment over text. As well as our address, you can stop by or call us for any reason Danny and I mean it okay, any.”

Danny looked down at the paper and pocketed it with a nod. As he left he felt almost lighter for some reason. Maybe having adults who knew and didn’t want to kill him but actually wanted to help him wasn’t so bad after all.

#Danny phantom #phic phight 21 #Phic Phight #dead writes #My fic

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mr-lancers-english-class · 4 years ago

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Forest Ghost

Phic Phight 2021 let’s go!!!

Prompt from KC: Summer Camps is not complete without a courage test of walking to the haunted woods at midnight. Amity Park campers are weirdly prepared for this. Other campers are not sure how to deal with that.

AO3

Mikey didn’t really consider himself a daredevil. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you asked his classmates, or his parents, or his teachers, or heck, even his boss, they’d all say, without a moment's hesitation, that he was a coward. Maybe not as much of a coward as Fenton, but that was more a lack of convenient getaways than actual courage. If Mikey had Fenton’s seemingly supernatural ability to always just up and leave before the ghost-of-the-week appeared, he would. As it was, he was only able to run away maybe half the time. The other half of the time, he hid as best he could and hoped for the best.

Say what you want about bravery and cowardice, it had been a sound strategy so far. He wasn’t dead yet, which was more than could be said for the ghosts he avoided. Mikey knew he was a coward, and he didn’t care.

“Mikey, what the unmitigated fuck?” The stage-whisper carried between the trees, twisting and curling like mist. Mikey shuffled himself around to face his co-counselor, balancing precariously on the log that had fallen across the small brook three summers ago.

“What?” His voice rang out into the night. Aaron jumped at the sudden noise, and began frantically shushing him, voice still barely into the audible range.

“Shh! Dear god, what the fuck, don’t you know this place is haunted?” Aaron had moved to stand at the base of the improvised bridge, and Mikey could tell they were debating whether or not to join him on it.

“Really? Doesn’t feel like it,” Mikey said, just as loud as before but now more thoughtful, more considering. “There’s not enough…” He paused, and gestured vaguely in a windmill motion. “...You know?”

“I really don’t. And I swear, there’s a ghost out here. Caty saw it!” Aaron hadn’t moved onto or away from the log, and was instead wringing their hands and pacing. “At least, she said she did. And Caty doesn’t scare easy-”

“Caty? Caty wouldn’t know a ghost if it came up and threw a cardboard box at her.”

“What?”

“Believe me, if there’s a ghost out here, it’ll be too weak to do anything besides stand there and glow funny.” Mikey turned back around, and began to continue his way across to the other side of the bridge. “Would be interesting to talk to, this far from any portals. Probably couldn’t though, this far from any portals. Not enough ectoplasm to keep anything stable for a conversation.”

“Mikey, you are saying a lot of things that make very little sense right now,” Aaron whispered, still on the opposite bank. “Can we please just go? I’d really rather not meet any angry spirits tonight. I’m on Morning Duty tomorrow, and you know how bad the kids are at seven in the morning.”

“Just five more minutes? I want to check if there’s any residual ectoplasm, or anything else fun. Besides, you were the one who wanted to go ghost-”

Mikey cut himself off as the world in front of him began to shimmer and twist, sparks flitting through the air as a vaguely humanoid shape began to coalesce in the empty space ahead of him. He could taste the burnt coppery tang of old ectoplasm in the back of his throat, feel the faint tingling of static electricity, smell the distant ozone of a long-dead portal.

“Holy shit fuck what the hell!” Aaron had given up on the pretense of a whisper, and instead let their shouts carry through the dark woods. The ghost had stopped forming, just a faint silhouette of energy with barely-discernible arms reaching out to Mikey. “Mikey what the fuck is that?!?!”

“Looks like an imprint. Old one, if I had to guess. I’ve never actually seen one, they don’t really form near open portals; there’s always enough energy for a full ghost. Hi! I’m Mikey. Can you hear me?” Mikey held out his hand, as if to grasp the ghost’s own hand and give it a firm shake. The ghost didn’t react. “Hmm, shame. I don’t think it knows I’m here. I wonder what called it to manifest. Hey Aaron-” Mikey turned back to look across the brook and found himself alone. He hadn’t even heard Aaron leave. “Huh. I mean, you’re just an imprint,” he muttered, turning back to the glowing form. “Not like you could hurt me-”

The ghost was holding his still-outstretched hand and tilting it’s head.

“Oh. Okay. So you can see me. Cool.” He shook his hand up and down, and the ghost’s hand followed the motion half a second behind. Mikey let go and pulled his pack around to dig through for a notepad.

“Can you talk? Or, I don’t know, do you know ASL? Or can you hold a marker? I brought a whiteboard,” Mikey grunted, pulling the whiteboard and two dry-erase markers out of his pack. “I’d love to ask some questions, talk a little bit- Huh.” He looked up to where the ghost had been to find himself completely alone. “Dang. That’s, well, huh.” He shoved the writing tools back into his bag and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey ghost! If you can hear me, I’ll come back tomorrow night! Stay safe! Bye!”

#Danny Phantom #Phic Phight #phic phight 21 #phic phight team ghost #my fic

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bubblegumbeech · 4 years ago

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Stumbling in your Sleep

Phic Phight prompt fill for @the-only-wife

It was the ticking sound that woke him.

Danny yawned, blinking sleep out of his eyes and stretching out his sore muscles. Looking around only served to confuse him though. He wasn’t in his room anymore, and he wasn’t downstairs either (which sometimes happened with his body’s penchant to fall through not only his bed, but the floor). He was in a large, heavily shadowed room that was on the edge of familiar, and it was taking him a moment to place it in his sleep fogged mind.

“It’s not healthy to fixate on what could have been,” came a deep, familiar voice from behind him.

Startled, Danny spun around to see Clockwork floating a few feet away. He was in his eldest form, long knitted beard and all, and was gazing past Danny towards something further in the room.

Following that gaze, Danny saw what exactly Clockwork had been talking about and flinched, flying quickly away from it and over towards the Ancient.

It was a Thermos, horridly familiar and just- sitting there on a pillow as if for display.

“How did I get here?” Danny asked, putting Clockwork between himself and that thing .

Clockwork hummed, stroking his beard a moment before slowly answering, “I suppose, the likely answer is that you were having a nightmare.” He lowered a hand to Danny’s shoulder and led him out of the room and back into a more familiar part of the clock tower. “Let’s get you some tea before I send you home, it might calm your nerves.”

Danny followed, eager for distance, before asking, “the likely answer? Does that mean you don’t know?”

“Despite what you and certain others seem to think, I am neither omniscient nor a mind reader, I cannot see into your dreams,” Clockwork said and Danny chuckled softly. “Besides, Nocturn would likely be unappreciative if I was interfering in his domain.”

“You know Nocturn?” Danny asked stopping and tugging lightly on Clockwork’s cloak so that he’d stop as well.

He did, lifting one of his eyebrows and answering with a dry tone, “of course I do, I know everyone.”

Because of course he did. It wasn’t like he didn’t just tell Danny that he wasn’t omniscient, that was clearly a different skill set to someone as determined to be mysterious as Clockwork. Danny found himself wondering if the intrigue surrounding the older ghost was not mostly of his own creation, an attempt at seeming aloof and beyond comprehension while simultaneously laughing behind everyone else’s backs.

A wash of amusement filtered through the ambient ectoplasm of Clockwork’s lair and Danny scowled up at him, “I thought you weren’t a mind reader?”

Clockwork tried to hide his smile, unsuccessfully, and nodded, “I do not need to be, to hear the accusations you make towards me,” he guided Danny to the main room of the tower where the screens were kept along with the relatively recent addition of a couch and coffee table. There was warm tea, purple and slightly glowing, already waiting for them.

“So I’m right then? You are just messing with us all the time?” Danny grabbed his own cup, dubious, Clockwork wouldn’t poison him right? He would know whether a half ghost could drink something if anyone did.

If Danny was expecting an answer, he’d be dissapointed, but when a ghost spent enough time with the mysterious Ancient it became increasingly clear that straight answers were not something they would get in large supply. So instead he rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea, Clockwork could be as obnoxious as he wanted after saving Danny’s family like he did.

The least Danny could do in return, was accept his eccentricities.

“Do you remember your dream?” Clockwork asked and Danny shook his head. There were bits and pieces, sure. Certain emotions and feelings that flashed to the surface when he closed his eyes or tried to think about it. He’d never been good at trying to recall something once he was awake, and despite Jazz once offering to buy him a dream journal to ‘help him decode his inner turmoils’ he’d never felt the need to try and change that.

He sighed into his tea, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I know you’re busy.” There was no way he was going to get a decent amount of sleep now, especially since he’d have to fly all the way home first and he didn’t even know how late it already was.

Clockwork’s lips twitched slightly upwards, “Daniel you’ve never once cared before how busy I am when you’ve come to visit,” Danny flinched, well he wasn’t wrong , “and besides, I quite enjoy your company. It’s no trouble at all.”

“Ah,” Danny didn’t know how to react to that, he was pretty sure he was nothing but trouble, especially with a certain future of his locked up in that other part of the clock tower they’d been in, “thanks?”

His host sighed, taking the time to sip his own eerily glowing tea. The silence stretched, but not uncomfortably and Danny found himself starting to drift towards sleep again, the struggle to try and keep his eyes pried open quickly becoming a losing one.

That was probably his cue to leave, as nice as it was to just sit here and not worry about things like classes and ghost attacks, he was probably already pushing it close to the first bell at school. He stood up and Clockwork’s eyes followed, “I have to head out, thanks for the tea Clockwork. I’ll try to be more considerate the next time I drop by.”

There was a small pinch between Clockwork’s brows, something he wasn’t saying or that Danny wasn’t hearing. “I’d rather you didn’t,” he assured and Danny let out a chuckle. He’d probably respond with something equally sarcastic, if not quite as dry, if he wasn’t so tired.

Clockwork seemed to be of the same mind, “Daniel, when was the last time you slept through the night?” He asked it as a question, as if he didn’t already know. Then again, maybe Danny was giving himself too much credit, it was entirely possible Clockwork didn’t waste his incredible power watching to see if Danny bothered to sleep at night.

“Yesterday,” Danny lied, a yawn built behind his jaw as if to discredit him but Danny held it back stubbornly. It didn’t seem to work though, as Clockwork’s lips tightened. He looked over at his screens, eyes flicking quickly over each one while his fingers tapped a steady rhythm against his staff. That, combined with the gentle ticking of clocks and general comforting atmosphere of the other ghost’s lair was making it more and more difficult for Danny to keep his eyes open.

He flinched awake fully as a hand shook his shoulder, shit, did he fall asleep standing up?

“Daniel,” Clockwork’s hand was still on his shoulder, practically holding him up at this point, “you can always sleep here.”

Danny shook his head, “I don’t have time-”

“Daniel,” Clockwork interrupted, his expression flat.

Oh right.

“I don’t want to…” he tried, “It’s just, you already help me all the time, you’ve fixed so many of my stupid mistakes and-” and Danny was tired of being a burden. He was tired in general, but ancients was he tired of that specifically.

He was tired of seeing his friends lose sleep to help him as back up, he was tired of constantly having to go behind his parents backs and lie to their faces he was tired of watching as Jazz’s once perfect grades started slipping just enough because of all the time she spent helping Danny with his and he was especially tired of knowing that he wasn’t worth the effort in the first place.

Not if he could turn into that .

But Clockwork didn’t let go of his shoulder, in fact, he pulled him closer into a hug, a real, full hug like the ones he used to get from his parents before they started wearing their weapons and he was scared to get near them. “I’d rather you slept here than wandered around the realms half asleep. Who knows where you’d end up,” he said, speaking gently into Danny’s hair.

“You would,” Danny said before losing the battle against another yawn and relaxing fully into Clockwork’s arms. “You know everything. Can I really sleep here?”

“Of course,” Clockwork released him, leaving one hand on Danny’s back to guide him to a staircase he hadn’t ever noticed before. Just how big was this clock tower anyways?

The room Clockwork took him to was a little bigger than the one he had at home and nothing like what Danny had expected. Most of the tower was colored with dark purples and muted greens, with the occasional brush of silver or brass from the multitude of gears and cogs that littered the floors and walls. This room however, was full of dark blues and greys, a swirling galaxy floating above a single full sized bed that Danny easily sunk into when Clockwork led him to it.

He blinked up at the stars, they were perfectly accurate to the night sky above Amity Park if it didn’t have the light pollution and had to stop himself from counting every constellation rendered there in perfect detail or he’d fall asleep just like that without even bothering to thank Clockwork for offering to stop time for him.

“You made me a room.” It should have been obvious, of course, but Danny hadn’t fully processed what the room and it’s decorations meant until he’d said it out loud and Clockwork didn’t even try to deny it.

Clockwork fazed the blankets through Danny in order to pull them over him properly, tucking him in. Danny was almost tempted to ask for a bedtime story, just to see how he’d react. “Yes, I made you a room.”

Danny frowned, he didn’t understand, “why?”

“I suppose it’s a bit of an excuse to have you visit more often,” Clockwork said, ruffling his hair before sitting at the foot of the bed, “and an offer for you to get some proper sleep before you sleepwalk into someone else’s lair and I have to fight for custody.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Danny mumbled into the pillow, his eyes drifting shut.

The last thing he heard before he drifted off was a soft chuckle and a gentle reassurance that he needn’t worry about anything like that just yet. Maybe, if someone like Clockwork could see the absolute worst of Danny, the monster he could become, and still care enough to make him a room and be sure he slept, then maybe Danny couldn’t be as terrible a burden as he thought. Surely Clockwork, who could see all the futures stretched out below him like a parade, wouldn’t waste his efforts if he didn’t think Danny was worth the time.

He dreamed of stars and ticking clocks and didn’t worry for once about how soon he’d have to wake up.

#Danny phantom #Clockwork #lost time #Phic Phight #phic phight 21 #a nice short one to make up for the last one #short and sweet #bee’s writing

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gottacatchghosts · 4 years ago

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honey, you’ve got a big storm comin’

This is for Phic Phight 2021! I’m on Team Ghost, with team leader @ecto-american!

Prompt: Danny Fenton has been kidnapped! Unfortunately for his kidnappers, he finds this hilarious.

Word count: 1648

Prompt by: @currentlylurking

Characters: Danny, Jack and Maddie (mentioned)

Warnings: slight language

Extra notes: i had a looot of fun writing this one. i love this trope and i wanted to finish it before april fool’s day was up!! :3

[writing tag] | [Phic Phight 2021 tag] | [My fills] | [fic index]

FFN/AO3 links to come following the end of the event.

Being snatched up on the street on the way home from school—walking, for once—was not how Danny expected his afternoon to play out, but, alas, here he is. At first, he was too shocked to do much except put up the token protests; yelling, kicking, the works. Then, as reality set in, he found himself too dumbfounded by the sheer audacity of these bitches to do much more than stare at them blankly.

“Huh,” he says, the fifth time in the last twenty minutes.

“Would you knock it off?” one of his kidnappers snaps, slapping his hand against the table he’s standing over. Tweedledee and Tweedledum are hunched over a tiny laptop screen while Danny sits, unwillingly, tied to a chair with the most weak sauce knots he’s ever seen in his life. Seriously. Cujo might be able to tie a better knot.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Danny says, faking a yawn as best he can with his wrists tied behind his back. He leans back and kicks his feet out—his ankles aren’t even tied. Amateurs. “Though, I gotta say… This is the worst kidnapping I’ve ever been a part of.”

Thing 2 gives him a weird look, then returns to his scrolling and typing. Thing 1 groans and slaps a hand on the table again. “I’m getting sick of your mouth, kid.”

“Hey! You’re the ones that grabbed me. I didn’t ask to get taken here against my will.” Danny pouts and gives them his most pitiful look. “I’m just a poor innocent kid. A simple child on his way home from another day of school.” He sniffles, forcing his eyes to go watery. “How could you do something like this to someone like me?”

The second goon scoffs. “You’re the Fenton kid, yeah?” He looks up and pins Danny with a look. “Your parents are scientists. They’re sure to pay a lot of money to get you back.”

Danny squints at them. “If you actually knew anything about me or my parents, you’d know already how bad of an idea this is.” He snorts. “My parents aren’t the kind to just sit back and let someone else do their dirty work.” He pauses and sits up straighter. “Wait. That came out wrong.”

The two men don’t seem to have been paying much attention. They both start laughing. “Yeah, right. All scientists are eggheads. What’re they gonna do? Bust in here and rescue you themselves?” Goon One laughs even harder as if his own words are the best joke he’s ever heard. “Give me a break.”

Danny rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up now. You’ll see.” With the men distracted, he carefully phases his wrists out of the rope and crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Wake me up when they get here. Or rather… Don’t bother. I’ll know.”

The laughter slows to a stop as Danny tilts his head back and closes his eyes. “Hey…” Grunt Dos starts, sounding confused. “How’d you get out of those ropes?”

“I was a scout when I was a kid,” Danny says, lying. “Knots are easy.”

He can hear the head scratching from across the room—the darkened room; these two really went all out with the kidnapper aesthetic, what with the single chair under a single lit bulb in a tiny, dank room. Danny thinks they might be in someone’s basement. “I coulda sworn I tied those tight?” Number One mutters to himself.

Danny snorts and covers it with a cough. These two are just… so dumb. Even without ghost powers Danny doesn’t think he’d be intimidated by the two of them. Barring the initial grab and the transfer from the vehicle to this room, neither of them had so much as laid a hand on him, not even to whack him upside the head for his unusually smart mouth. Even now, the two are keeping their distance.

Well. Maybe it’s about time he turns up the heat—by turning it down, of course. These two deserved to get fucked with a little.

Danny takes a deep breath and focuses on the tight ball of ice in his chest. Usually, he keeps it under lock and key, otherwise he tends to shed cold like an open freezer. Now, however, he loosens his grip on and lets the ghostly cold rush through his veins. He keeps his eyes shut and his breathing regular as he slowly infects the room with his ethereal chill.

He moves a hand to the rope that held his hands and freezes it over entirely, something small and inconspicuous to coat in a layer of ice to help him maintain his focus on his cold. Frost spreads from this focal point and within minutes, it’s cold enough that the three of them are breathing out colds of smoke.

He doesn’t open his eyes right away, waiting for the tell-tale glow to die down. Sure, his cold powers don’t turn his eyes weird colors, but they still glow, and the last thing he wants to do is give these losers any reason to suspect he’s anything but a poor innocent civilian.

Of all the times to wish he could duplicate invisibly, now is definitely the hardest time he’s had pushing away the disappointment. Maybe after this he can get together with Sam and Tucker and squeeze in a quick power training session.

“What the hell?” one of the chuckleheads says through chattering teeth. “What happened to the heat?” Danny opens his eyes in time to see him turn and slap the absolute shit out of his partner. “I told you to pay the heating bill!”

“It’s like seventy degrees outside!” the other man yells, rubbing the pain from his arm. “Why do we need heat at a time like this?”

Kidnapper A gestures at the room around them in answer. Kidnapper B squints and scratches his head like it’s the first time he’s ever seen it. “Huh,” he says, an echo of Danny earlier.

“God, you’re such a copycat,” Danny snips, crossing his arms again. The cold never bothered him anyway. “Let me go,” he says, if only to continue his shitty, internal Frozen reference. The irony of his words is not lost on him. But, hey. At least he’s the only one that’s aware he’s making a terrible joke.

“Yeah, right.” Bert scoffs. “We’re not idiots.”

Ernie elbows him and turns back to his typing. “Well. I’m not. Him I’m not so sure of.”

Danny rolls his eyes and taps his feet against the floor. The chair slips, briefly, and Danny has to scramble to not fall onto the floor, but the absolutely buffoons don’t appear to notice in the slightest. He wonders if he can just… get up and walk out. Their passive perception has to be ridiculously low if they don’t notice any of Danny’s abysmal stealth and sleight of hand rolls.

Though. To be fair. They think they’re dealing with a normal kid.

Danny yawns, loudly and, testing the waters, rolls to his feet in one smooth motion. The first guy doesn’t notice, having turned his attention to the phone he pulled out of his pocket, but the second one looks up, eyes blowing comically wide.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” he yells, making his way around the table.

“Stretching my legs,” Danny says, doing just that. He bends on the waist and touches his toes. “My knees hurt if I sit in one place for too long.” With a quick flick of his wrist, smooth, hard ice coats the floor near the table.

Computer guy pays his no mind as he continues his way around the table. As soon as he steps on the ice, he lets out a scream as he goes down, busting his ass on the floor. “Shit!”

Danny stands up with a dramatic gasp. “Oh my god, are you okay?” he asks, voiced pitched up, laying it on extra thick. “Wowie, that was quite a fall!” He lays a hand on the side of his face. “Poor thing.”

Phone guy looks up with a shout of his own. “You dick, I did pay the bills! You’re such an—what happened to you?”

Danny looks up at the single light bulb dangling from the ceiling. Please. Someone. Anyone. Give him the strength to deal with This Shit. “He fall down go boom.” He shakes his head. “Tragic.”

The dumb duo gives him looks that could kill. Too bad, so sad, been there done that.

Before either of them can make another move or make another sound, Danny hears the distant sounds of doors slamming and tires screeching. And not just any tires—the distinctive sound of treads like those used on the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle.

Danny smirks. “So, you guys must be from out of town. Maybe you’re just renting this place or you’re new here or you don’t get out much. Whatever it is, you can’t be native to Amity Park, because if you were, you’d know something. Specifically, about my parents.” There’s a crashing sound from upstairs. The men exchange frightened looks and the man with no more ass trips to his feet, also hitting his knees on the floor.

Danny moves to lean against the wall, melting his ice as he sweeps past. Eat your heart out, Elsa. Or would Jack Frost be a more appropriate comparison? Eh, details. “The thing about my parents is that they don’t just sit around when someone threatens their kids. My dad is built like a brick shithouse and my mom is a black belt.” There are footsteps on the stairs—he knew they were in a basement—and Harry and Marv’s eyes widen comically. No, really, it’s hilarious.

“They also drive what’s basically a tank.” Danny gives a shark’s grin. “So, honey? You’ve got a big storm comin’.”

#danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 21 #dp fanfic #fanfic #my fills pp21 #danny #kiera writes fics #i love this prompt so much #this trope is super fun #happy april fools lol #i couldn't stop meme-ing

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echoghost1 · 4 years ago

Text

What You Fear The Most

Word Count: 1538 For: @blueoatmeal

Summary: What if his ghost form was less human-looking? What if he looked every bit the monster his parents had always told him ghosts were?

You can read on AO3 or down below the cut!

Edit: I added a summary

Danny crawled out of the portal. Hand over hand, he pulled himself forward as he stretched and reached for the familiar tile floor of the lab.

He had to get away from the portal. It was too bright, and everything hurt, and he just wanted to crawl into a cool dark hole and never come out again.

Everything hurt but the strange sour buzz of the portal wasn’t touching him anymore so he collapsed onto the ground.

He wasn’t sure how the portal felt sour, but it did.

He lay there for a few moments, he wondered if the portal was the source of the buzzing or if his head was somehow filled with bees.

That didn’t make any sense at all. But with the whole feeling of a flavor thing, he couldn't be too sure.

He opened his eyes and stared at the tile below him.

It finally dawned on him that if the portal was making noises, and being bright, and feeling sour, that meant it was on.

He bolted up and turned to look at his parent’s, now working, invention. How had he, a simple high school freshman, managed to make his Ph.D. having parent’s greatest life work, work?

Also, that was incredibly painful, but he wasn’t dead?

Right?

He looked down at his hands and nearly screamed.

Scratch that. He did scream.

His hands, they weren’t his hands. You could hardly even call them hands at all. They were long skinny pitch-black claws.

He frantically searched the rest of himself to find it only got worse from there.

His whole body was as black as night, impossibly skinny and much longer than he remembered being a mere five minutes ago. He scrambled to the bathroom just under the stairs and stopped when he saw his reflection.

Only it wasn’t his reflection.

It couldn’t be! Could it?

The stranger staring back at him; the thing in the mirror was a monster.

It was hard to make out the details in the dark, everything was so dark in the place where he stood, even darker than the unlit room should be. Everything but the eyes.

His eyes. They were just pinpoints of light. Green light.

Just like the portal.

He didn’t just fix his parent’s machine. He also proved them right.

He proved them right by becoming the very monster they wanted to destroy.

Should he let them know what happened? Should he go and find them? Should he let them see him like this? Would it make him a better son if he let them destroy him?

Would they even know it was him?

He was glad there was a shower down here.

It was meant to be used in case of a spill. In case of a lab accident.

Well, this certainly qualified as a lab accident, didn’t it?

He climbed inside the unused shower and pulled the curtain closed.

He found his dark cool space to hide after all.

==============================================

He woke up to the sound of voices.

He groaned and rolled over.

Except he was not in his bed, or any bed, and rolling over led to face planting into the cold tile floor and accidentally pulling the shower curtain down on top of himself.

A couple of shower rings bounced harmlessly off his head but he still complained about it anyway.

He had just sat up and freed himself from the curtain when the bathroom door burst open.

“Danny?!” his mom called out to him before rushing over to pull him into her arms. “Oh Sweetie, we’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“I’m sorry.” he apologized into her shoulder.

She leaned back on her heels and looked him over, “What are you even doing in here?”

“I don’t,” he looked at his hands and found that he was himself again. Maybe that monster thing was a dream?

But if that was a dream how did he end up here?

“I don’t know.”

Her relieved smile from finding him instantly vanished, “What do you mean you don’t know? What’s the last thing you remember?”

Being a monster.

“I think…” there had to be an explanation. Something that made sense and, hopefully, wasn’t horrible. “I think I saw something.”

He couldn’t look at her anymore. What if she saw what he saw? What if he turned back into that thing again?

“Do you remember coming down here? Down to the lab?”

He nodded. “I just wanted to take a look. Maybe if a different pair of eyes looked it over, the mistake would be obvious. You know, like when you have someone else proofread your paper before you turn it into the teacher?”

She nodded, “That was a good idea sweetheart, but why did you come down by yourself?”

“I thought if I found it I could surprise you, and if I didn’t you wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

She pulled him into another hug and kissed his forehead, “You’re such a sweet boy! How did I get so lucky?”

He held on to her, he felt so bad for making her worry about him. He tried so hard to make sure she didn’t have to worry about him.

That’s why he didn’t tell her about how the other kids at school picked on him all the time.

She pulled back again, “So did you figure out what we missed?”

“Kind of? I think I accidentally touched something. There was a click and it-” he didn’t finish. He couldn’t.

“It turned on,” she finished for him.

He just agreed.

“But why are you in the bathroom?” she asked with a concerned smile.

He looked to the mirror above the sink remembering those haunted green eyes and all the darkness. “I think I saw something.”

“What did you see?”

“I don’t know. A monster? It was too dark. I only really saw the eyes.” he looked back to his hands still unsure how much of what he saw was real.

“Were you trying to hide from it?”

He nodded and felt stupid for the tears that were threatening to spill.

“It’s okay, Baby. I won’t let it get you.” She hugged him again before she stood, “now let’s get out of here.” She held out her hand and he took it.

He wanted to ask her what she would do if it was too late. What would she do if it already had him? What if it was him?

But he didn’t ask. He just followed her lead.

He stumbled over the downed shower curtain but his mom was able to keep him upright.

His legs felt funny.

It was sort of like the tingle like when they fell asleep, but also not. It was more… spicy? Or was it sour again?

That wasn’t right.

He looked down and his legs looked normal enough.

“You okay?” his mom asked when she noticed he wasn’t following her.

“I think my legs fell asleep.”

He also might have hit his head at some point because these thoughts aren’t making any sense. How could he feel in flavors? Why was he doing that?

Should he tell her about that? No, she’d only worry. He didn’t want to worry her.

They walked out of the bathroom and past the portal. He did his best not to look directly at it.

They walked upstairs and she sat him on the couch. She put a blanket on his shoulders and told him to sit tight while she made him a cup of hot chocolate.

She said it would help warm him up.

He didn’t notice he was cold.

He didn’t contradict her. He just accepted the warm drink when it was offered.

He was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, what he had seen was some sort of hallucination. Maybe by the shock of what happened?

Oh, that was a bad pun, even for him. Also, too soon?

He shrugged it off. It was his accident, he could decide when jokes were too soon or not.

Besides, it was probably not real. Or at least not what it seemed. Maybe a ghost did get out and was just messing with him.

He obviously wasn’t a ghost himself. His mom had just checked his pulse and everything.

He was only cold because he had passed out in the bathroom.

He looked down at his cocoa to blow at the steam but stopped.

His reflection wasn’t right.

The eyes.

Those piercing green eyes stared back up at him.

It took everything not to scream. Took, even more, to not chuck the mug across the room.

He loved this mug. He wasn’t going to let this stupid hallucination-ghost-monster-thing make him break his favorite mug.

He blinked hard, purposely, and willed the image away.

He looked again.

It was still there.

The dark shadowy creature stared back at him.

He opened his mouth to try to get more air in. Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe?

It mimicked him.

Only it didn’t have a normal mouth. Its mouth opened like someone was ripping fabric apart. The edges were jagged and sharp.

He snapped his mouth shut.

It followed suit.

He looked up and just drank the cocoa.

It was ice cold.

#phic phight #phic phight 21 #blueoatmeal #Danny Phantom #AU #Fear Form AU

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moipale · 6 months ago

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WIP GAME

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. tag as many people as you have wips. people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

thanks for tagging me @pricklenettle :> (or, tagging my main blog anyway, teehee)

here are my fanfiction wips! please (do!) feel free to ask about any of em :>

band au interlude 1 ; ember

band au interlude 2 ; luck trio

crash course - phic phight 21

dannys remnants haunt phantom - phic phight 21

dp hs au Actually

everyone takes turns looping au

fenton made phantom - phic phight 21

fenton-phantom bodyshare

isatideas.txt***

the rate of suicide on earth c is no longer zero percent

triple star system

widowhanzo friendship

within the atrocity

***isatideas.txt - euphrasie & the king - hollow knight fusion - memory musings - the other Realization fic - king is also aware of the loops loopstyle - mirabelle & change god antagonistic love - abt the party & closeness - aftermath of Being Frozen - pmd2 au - see phone notes

i'm NOT tagging that many people lmfao. @kkachis @the-awesome-cabbage @openphrase123 @minhmynchi @lunagalemaster @imaginarypasta hey mutuals what are we up to

#thinking #like 90% of the actual wips are danny phantom. isatideas.txt is just a text doc with vague ideas in a list #considered including my original fiction wip titles here but . nahhh

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underforeversgrace · 1 year ago

Note

ask game: 8, 12, and 21!

from this ask game!

8. shortest completed fic you wrote this year

at 345 words, fang u for ur help is my shortest work! it's goofy and I love it

12. favorite character to write about this year

Jack Fenton. Easy. He's the most blorbo-ist blorbo to ever blorbo

21. events you participated in this year

I participated in so many considering it was my first year in Phandom... anyway:

Phic Phight

DannyMay

Invisobang

Ecto-Implosion

Phandom Christmas Truce

I feel like there's another I can't remember but????

#Grace asks #Grace answers #Ask game #Thank u Berry!!

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eyesofcrows · 4 years ago

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A Ghost in His Bonnet (Phic Phight)

Two prompts this time! Outsider POV of the crazy things that college student Danny Fenton gets involved in & Danny is struggling to be taken seriously later in life (college or work) it probably has something to do with the fact that he still looks 14

For @mystyrust and @bubblegumbeech

uh, and I’ll tag @phicphight cuz why not?

The University knew about Daniel “Danny” Fenton (whiz kid or neanimorphic?), especially after having the ki- student on campus for a good two, going on three, years. He’s that teenage-looking boy you’d see in the corner of your eye and, the next second, disappears. Nobody knows how he does that, but it adds to the mystery of him.

Needless to say, Danny Fenton is the University’s “Ghost Boy.” He’s the scary story you tell the freshman about. The man who gets the most unbelievable rumors that not even his dorm mates know are true or not. And, no matter what, Danny never bats an eye on any accusations. Never confirms or denies. This only gets the fabricated stories to increase.

“He’s a modern-day genius, skipped every grade in high school.”

“Oh, him? He has powers, the professors keep an eye on him so he doesn’t go rogue.”

“Danny’s parents are scientists. He accidentally got infected with a chemical that stopped his body from growing.”

“You see that boy? No one knows why he’s here. People say he’s a hit-and-run victim that haunts the University.”

“He accidentally got buried alive when the campus was first built.”

“He died during midterms from sleep deprivation. Great for the students, terrible for him.”

The most common rumor’s the ghost one if it isn’t obvious. From his messy lopped hair and pale-white skin, his appearance only supports the theory. It’s gotten to a point that his dorm would tease him with the ‘Ghost Boy’ title.

But the mill keeps moving and it’s a fruitful scare for new students. This time, the victim of the grain is Wes Weston, criminal science major and self-named paranormal investigator.

_________________

“There’s this boy,” Wes’s student guide tells him in an above whisper voice. “Some say he’s a professor’s kid, but others say he’s the ghost of a boy that died when Infinity Hall was still a small clinic. Nobody knows his name, but most call him Ghost Boy.” She has this smirk that makes Wes roll his eyes, but he still stores the info in the back of his head.

He doesn’t have a reputation here, unlike his high school. Nobody sees him as the person who accused his substitute teacher of being a vampire and his neighbor’s dog as a werewolf. He knows that it must be some new student hazing, but she had just released a bee in his bonnet and it is buzzing loudly.

He forces the bee quiet though because he didn’t want to make that reputation. The University is far away from Wisconsin and he had a chance to reinvent himself. Sure if they do have a Conspiracy Club or something of the like, he wouldn’t mind joining. But he will not stalk- study people anymore.

The student guide shows him more of the campus, the mini-mall, and the rest of the halls. The buildings themselves have a very welcoming appearance; all of them are tall brick buildings with sky-high pane windows and great wooden staircases that lead up the next floors. There are intricate stone canopies along the walkways to the classes and beautiful parapets above. Flowers line the sides. It doesn’t appear to be the site of a place that has a haunting.

However, even with the easing of the beautifully flourishing flowers and architecture, Wes’s bonnet bee hums loudly at the back of his neck. Why did he have to be such a paranoid person?

Days pass and the bee is still. He finds his classes well enough and makes friends with his roommates. One is a greasy-haired guy named Spice—he’s fairly sure the guy’s a junky but he’s only seen him use legal marijuana—and Miles, who has a habit of snarking in a somehow kind manner. They’re fairly cool and he’s glad that he has good roommates in the first year of college. He’s heard enough horror stories about bad roommates to make him fear for his life.

It isn’t long after that he does see the so-called “Ghost Boy.”

It’s in the dead of morning, the sun barely making skids along the sky and the air still chilly from the night. Wes is at the library, accidentally stumbling on a supernatural research paper while trying to find sources for his essay. It wasn’t his fault that the electromagnetic field of the nonliving is more interesting than philosophy.

It’s dark since the overhead lights don’t operate until 10 AM. He’s using a green lamp to read and take notes. No one else is there, mostly because it’s still the beginning of the semester and exams haven’t started up. Well, that’s what he believes anyway.

Wes spots a figure in the corner of his eye, half-expecting it to be Miles giving him an early scare. (The man had discovered Wes’s infatuation with anything supernatural and it has not been a good couple of days.) He has a prepared shout in his throat when his eyes land on a teenager.

He’s beneath the skylight, which is the exact center of the room. The moon’s beam showers him and he almost looks transparent. His white complexion has light bouncing off his skin, and it makes his surroundings glow. Dust motes swirled around and his head tilted up, looking at the stars that stare back. He can’t make much out in the low light but he tries his best to.

His pitch-black hair falls messily and even Wes could notice that his eyes were a chilling green. He’s wearing a faded band shirt that’s so beaten up that Wes couldn’t tell what it used to be. The boy is standing, unmoving. His eyes are knitted together as if in deep thought.

Wes doesn’t know what to make of the scene, it’s almost unnerving.

He’s about to call out and ask why the boy is there until he starts to move. The pale boy does a full-body shudder—unsettling to see a boy start shaking for no reason, even for only a second—and parts his lips. Wes half expects him to say something but, instead, a wispy breath of air escapes his mouth.

Wes looks down confused. It couldn’t be that cold, could it? He cups his hands near and blows a steady stream of air and carefully watches it. Not even the faintest cloud appears in them.

His eyes move back up, but the boy’s not there anymore. He hastily stands up, not caring as the chair is sent crashing to the floor—that’s a lie, he glances very apologetically at the seat and mutters a sorry—and dashes to where he last saw the boy.

No matter where he looks, it feels as if there wasn’t anyone there in the first place. He hadn’t heard the boy move at all.

The clouds above move and close the moon behind it. It’s completely dark right now, the only light coming from the lamp that’s still lit. The darkness reminds him of the boy’s hair and the green lamp are his eyes.

_________________

He swears to Miles and Spice that he met the Ghost Boy when he meets with them in their room. His roommates laugh at him instead.

“Dude, c’mon,” Spice giggles, “Ghost Boy’s a legit student here. You probably just saw him for a sec.” He’s on the top bunk, his head hanging upside down off the bed. His hair, which usually is in a ponytail, flows freely down like a river of tar. Wes used to wonder how he does that without feeling a head rush, but it’s pretty much a Spice thing.

Miles nods in agreement. “I know you’re a freshman and I should encourage this behavior to the extreme as your junior—”

Wes scowls which gets Spice to laugh loudly, interrupting Miles for a moment.

“—But Ghost Boy’s seriously just a normal guy. I think he has some chronic illness that makes him look fourteen.” Miles pauses and a no-nonsense expression appears. “It’s noncommunicable so don’t start avoiding him like the plague. And treat him like any other person, the only thing different with him is how he looks, not his head.”

Wes cringes at his own accusation and nods towards Miles. He didn’t want to be a jerk to someone who has a medical problem. However, that doesn’t stop the theories from stinging his brain.

_________________

A week goes by and Wes passes the meeting with Ghost Boy as an early-morning hallucination. A combination of sleep deprivation and his student guide’s story made him see things for a brief moment. No matter how realistic it was, it is just his imagination.

And then the right situation comes along that tells him it was not.

It’s around lunch and Wes is heading to the vending machine. He would have had lunch at Infinity Mall—Infinity Hall’s basically closer than twins to the mini-mall, thus dubbing it Infinity Mall—but his allowance had yet to come in. Besides, he’s feeling potato chips and a cereal bar anyway.

As he veers the corner, he is met with the sight of Ghost Boy standing right in front of the vending machine.

He takes a sharp step back, pressing his body against the wall that hid him from the kid- full-fledged adult. Wes doesn’t know why he’s hiding, but he thinks it’s connected to his embarrassment. If he has to ever talk to Ghost Boy—he needed to find out his name, honestly—he’d be awkward as hell. It’s like when he had to hand in his English paper to the teacher he tackled for thinking she was a selkie. Not fun for anyone.

He peeks his head around the corner to see if he left. To his dismay, he stays standing there. There’s an angry look on his face directed to the vending machine. He kicks at the machine a few times.

Ghost Boy’s eyes are clearly blue. Almost as piercing as his library encounter—which did not happen—but not green. Wes feels as if he should be relieved, but a chill runs down his spine at the sudden change of color.

“Stupid frickin’ money eater,” Ghost Boy mutters loudly. Then he takes a moment to think. He looks to his left as if he’s scoping the area and Wes quickly retracts his head.

Oh gosh, is this stalking? Am I stalking someone again? He physically shakes his head. I’m just waiting for him to leave, nothing to do with Ghost Boy. Nope. Not at all.

He waits before he juts a bit of himself to watch Ghost Boy again. He’s crouched down and Wes could barely understand what he’s doing from the angle. One thing’s for sure though, it looks as if he just pulled a bag of BBQ chips through the vending machine.

What.

In his hands were the chips and his annoyed face turns into a knowing, pleased-with-himself grin. He juggles the chip from hand to hand and walks away.

Wes, once again, scrambles as fast as he can to the place where Ghost Boy once stood. Nothing strange seems to have taken, also in a similar fashion as before. The only evidence that anything at all happened is his own eyes. Yet again, an almost repeat scenario.

Kyle, his brother, always said his hair is pulled over his eyes. Metaphorically and physically. His quiff would obstruct his vision sometimes and Kyle tells him that’s why he sees things (unfair coming from the man who has bangs covering the entirety of one of his eyes.) But people always say stuff about his hair—mostly because he’s a redhead—and it never has been in downfall.

He can’t be simply paranoid now, can he? He knows the saying is ‘once an accident, twice a coincidence, and three times a pattern’ but a coincidence is more than enough to get his bonnet in a twist.

He decides to put it to study.

_________________

“You wanna know more ‘bout Ghosty?” Spice repeats Wes’s question, pulling his lollipop from his mouth for a second.

Wes nods in affirmation, looking up to Spice from his desk. The older always conversed from the higher platform of his bed, and Wes couldn’t have the faintest idea why. In the end, it’s just another Spice thing to do.

Spice rests his head on the metal railing, the rest of his body belly-flat on his bed. His eyes wander the room lazily as he thinks. “Man, I haven’t talked to the dude in a while. Real cool though. Has the wildest stories, you wouldn’t believe. Pretty sure his name is…” Spice snaps his fingers a few times, trying to recall. “Randy? Tammy? Dah… Daffy? D something I’m sure.”

Wes hums at the new knowledge. Ghost Boy’s name starts with a D. It’s not the best lead and it is coming from a man who looks as if smoked something just before the conversation, but it’s better than nothing. He also had the slightest suspicion Miles would mess with him a little if he’d ask. Love the guy, but he does like to tease his supernatural obsession. And this is an investigation.

“Have you seen Ghost Boy do anything… spooky? Walk through walls? Disappear? Fly?”

“He’s much more unique than the other guys!” Spice smiles to himself in an inside joke sort of way. Wes stares at Spice weirdly but Spice completely ignores it.

He pretends he hadn’t even said anything and answers, “Ooh, one time I think I saw his eyes change color. I also think I took half a joint, and colors are always more,” he mimes two explosions with his hands, “POP! ‘know? Anyway, they turned green for a sec. Not like a grassy or a dark, full-on acid green.” He’s waving his hands comically while he speaks.

Wes thinks that’s all the confirmation he needs.

_________________

“Wait, you legitimately believe in the supernatural, no jokes?”

“Yes, for the last time, Miles.”

“Oh, sorry man. Hope I wasn’t mean or anything. But you do know I will still joke about this all, right?”

“It’d be weird if you didn’t.”

“Good. By the way, what’s your take on baby ghosts? Can two ghosts just… get at it?”

“Oh, what the hell-”

_________________

Wes actually puts off the ghost hunting business to pay attention to his classes. They started to pick up and he did want to get his Criminal Science degree.

He begins to notice whether or not Ghost Boy—now dubbed D—is around. Spots him on the opposite side of his class, hanging out with friends in the courtyard, and just casually walks by. The more Wes stares the more he’s convinced that D might be a normal student. But then he recalls his experience and his stoner roommate.

Before he knew it, it’s Halloween.

Miles lassos him into some student haunted house that is Infinity Hall. Spice tags along too, just because he likes to.

Wes wears his old basketball shirt that still fits him, adding some fake cuts on his face and arms for extra effect. He planned to go more zombie but the sentimental value of the shirt stopped him. Miles decides to wear a partly faded Captain Crunch shirt with some painted on red streaks. Spice went for a goth lumberjack, which isn’t any different from what he normally wears. Black and white flannel and his hair tied up in a bun.

He had to hand it to the Infinity Hall students, the building is incredible. The once comforting brick aesthetic now towers over them menacingly. The series of windows on every dorm room has not a single bit of light pouring out of them, vaguely impressive to see everyone in the hall work together to give the illusion. Vines coiled up at the sides in a rundown way; Wes finds that they are fake, obviously, but it’s extremely real in the darkness. Cassandra Hall—his own dormitory—pales in comparison to the dorm in front of him. They’d only put up a few cobwebs and tacky decorations.

“I’m pretty sure Danny’s the main planner this year,” Miles says conversationally, pushing past the large metal doors of Infinity Hall. “He makes a helluva good haunted house. He usually co-plans with Link, that’s the RA, but he got full reigns this time.”

A wicked expression crosses Miles as he looks at Wes, “He likes going full throttle, just so you know. Link’s the one that holds Danny back so don’t be surprised if you get a few nightmares from today.”

They’re in the main hallway, at least Wes thinks he is. Up till now, they’ve just been following Miles absentmindedly. Wes surveys the room and realizes that he has no idea where the entrance and exit are. He scoots closer to his friends.

A low fog is at their feet that obscures the ground below. Wes didn’t even notice when it washed in but it settles as if it has always been there. No matter where he looks, he can’t find the fog machine or the glycerine-water combination that’s pushing it into the room.

Spice nudges Wes slightly, he jumps in response and then glares at the taller male. Spice smirks a little and rolls the lollipop in his mouth to his cheek.

“Heads up, I chose Suspense Experience instead of the Jumpscare one. Also removed the Entertainment Package.”

Wes’s eyebrows knit together but Spice doesn’t elaborate. It feels as if Wes is the only one completely oblivious to what he’s going to experience. Even Spice is in on it, choosing the ‘experience’ they’re going to have.

As they keep moving, Wes sees there is a clear direction they need to head. A path lit by hanging lanterns, the type used in camping and at the lowest level imaginable, directs them. The walls are lined with broken mirrors and masks. Broken, wooden support beams scatter around them and the hall gets narrow.

Miles’ face contorts into a tight smile and Spice’s usual blazed, lazy face holds a steady stream of tenseness.

A boy’s giggle echoes behind them.

They snap in the direction, but nothing’s there. The sound of bells clinking together is the only thing left.

They continue into a narrowing path, a doll hung by a thread dropping suddenly at Wes’s face. He yelps loudly and his friends do the same. He pushes past it and leans towards Spice. He’s taller than all of them, even if it’s just skin and bones.

More dolls hang down in a random order, and it spooks them every time. They look to the walls and, sometimes, the masks would jut forward without warning. A clear mop of hair revealing and their heads tilting and following them.

With a few more scares and bells ringing, they make it to an open room. All of their relief is sucked out when they find themselves in a hall of full-body mirrors, numerous mannequins with jet-black hair and dragging white robes scatter it. Wes reaches a hand to touch one of them, hand jerking back as it connects to cold plastic. Yeah, they’re fake. As if the information made it any less scary.

“Dude,” Miles hisses, “Do you have a death wish?”

“Sue me if I’m curious!”

“Heaven forbid you to get curious, lest we all get attacked by a crazy banshee lady!”

Spice pushes them forward, gaining instant protests in the process. “The exit is right there, guys! Can’t believe I gotta be the sensible one here.” He mutters at the end.

They hesitantly walk toward it, jumping every time they see a not-mannequin staring. They never move from their place, but their hands inch towards the group whenever they draw close. It makes a creaking sound when they do, like prying wooden puppets open. With the long robes held higher, the red scratch marks on the fabric clearer in the dim light. It instantly has them recoil, only to almost walk into another not-mannequin.

They’re less than a few feet away from the open doorway when a howl of laughter resounds. It gains their attention.

All of the not-mannequins lift their arms straight and give a crooked point of a finger. They giggle and laugh in unison to create a symphony. The sound blends so much that it’s hard to differentiate who’s laughter is who’s.

Suddenly, a much taller, ganglier figure walks forward. Wes doesn’t remember seeing this one, but it is so tall and large that it couldn’t have gotten in through the entrance normally. It has the same hair and robes as the rest, but its back is hunched forward. Even then, it reaches the top of the ceiling with ease. There’s a clear, sickle of a smile plastered on its face and it creaks another step forward.

“Oh perfect dolls, in my walls.”

Another wooden step, this time the rest of them follow suit. A faint blur is in the background the continued sound of bells chiming.

“Would you let me keep you all?”

They all book it through the door as fast as they can, screaming and yelling and cursing loudly. An increase of masks on the walls blurs by. They catch a breath as the hallway makes a turn.

Spice completely sprawls himself on the floor, his lollipop long since lost. Miles’ hands are on his knees and seem seconds from collapsing. Wes leans towards a wall, taking numerous breaths.

“What… the hell did you choose, Spice?” Miles asks between breaths, glaring at the man.

Spice lets out a quiet laugh, his breathing getting calmer. “I did whatcha asked me to. Choose a scary option.”

“I said scary, not terrifying!”

“Well, I was high! You know better to stick me with something after I take a couple.”

Wes interjects, “Wait, it isn’t always that scary?”

Miles shakes his head, lifting his body back up. “It’s usually milder than this. Man, I did not realize how much Link holds Danny back, damn.”

Wes lifts his head and whips it to the left. He kicks Spice from the ground; he barely sees Spice through the fog but his faint outline is a good indication. Wes points down the hall.

“Hey… that’s the exit, right?”

The hall is long and thin like the rest, but there’s a light at the end. A distant rustle of leaves is distinct enough that all of their heads bend towards it. He knows what they are all thinking: freedom. With shaking knees, they walk as fast to it. There are more puppets and dolls from the ceiling and sides but they’re all too determined to get out.

They’re moments away and are almost jogging at this point, but stop suddenly.

Wes takes an unsteady hand and presses forward.

It’s glass.

A large glass pane separates them from the exit. The edges are obscured by the fog and props, but they can all see them clearer now that they are closer. It fogs up just a bit at Wes’s breathing and he sees his own, wide-eyed expression. He can map out every piece of horror and hopelessness in his eyes.

A giggle just like from the beginning echoes again. When they turn to the right, they see what has been making it.

A boy is sitting on a waiting room chair, swinging his legs back and forth. He’s wearing a rugged and crumpled suit and his black hair is gelled back.

“Where are you going?” His voice echoes as he asks.

His mouth doesn’t move. It only takes a moment to see that he’s wearing a porcelain mask. A quick look at the rest of his body and it almost looks as if the rest of his body is porcelain too.

“Don’t you want to be a doll?” He asks another question, standing up. He doesn’t sound as if he’s wearing the mask, instead of talking from every direction simultaneously. His legs clatter together and it makes a high-pitch ding. It sounds like bells.

The ringing bells were never bells.

It’s the sound of porcelain.

They all take a step backward as the boy continues. It’s unnerving how his mouth stays still. “You’ll be perfect. Forever! Don’t you want to be perfect?”

Miles grasps at Wes’s shoulder and they make eye contact. There’s terror in them. He points behind them, another open doorway. There’s also a light coming from there, just as the one next to them promised. The hall is completely dark, with no lanterns at all. The only thing illuminating it is the open door.

“Let’s go!” Miles urges, and it doesn’t take much convincing to run to the new promise of freedom.

Unlike the last time, the porcelain boy doesn't stay in his room. He sprints just as fast as them. The jingle of bells—no, porcelain flesh—reverberates. He laughs like he’s playing a game that nearly makes Spice trip on his feet. Wes grabs at Spice’s arm and drags him faster.

“Stay!” the boy screeches. “Come back! STAY!”

Wes feels like he’s in an actual horror movie, sweat clinging on his brow and adrenaline pumping.in his veins. He still can’t see the sides of the walls, an endless abyss to his left and right. It only makes the end light more alluring.

He nearly trips on a fallen doll, but he’s quick to bounce back up. Within a split second, he sees the boy behind them. Even with the porcelain mask, he can see the eye color.

Acid green.

Wes keeps running to the light, nonetheless. Heavy breaths escaping him and his legs beginning to ache. They’re echoed by his friends’ pants and footsteps.

Then it’s all bright.

He’s through the door and he tumbles into the grassy area right outside. He’s flat on the ground and is willing his body to take more breaths. His hands are free to clamp onto the soil below him. To his sides are Spice and Miles, both equally exhausted.

In a moment of panic, he faces his body towards the door they came from, terrified that the boy will continue to chase them.

He’s standing there right at the doorway, looking somehow disappointed through the mask. He doesn’t dare take a step onto the outside concrete. His chest doesn’t move up and down as rapidly as theirs, doesn’t even look like he’s breathing.

He takes a moment to look at them each in the eye.

“Fine. You’ll never be perfect.”

The wind slams the metal doors.

The echo in his voice never left, Wes realizes with the hammering of his heart. In the broken mirror path, the seemingly full hallway, the straight course of darkness, or even right outside the door, it always sounded haunting. He thinks (and hopes) that it’s a voice modulator, but an old buzz of a busy bee resurfaces.

It’s silence until Miles lets out a large whoop. He pumps his fists high in the air.

“That was amazing! He was all chase-y and we were all screaming!”

Spice shares the sentiment and speaks through deep breaths, “Damn good haunted house.”

Wes gives a queasy smile, “Yeah, yeah… Scary as hell.”

Miles barks laughter, “And Danny as a creepy child? Now that was perfect!”

And something drops in Wes’s stomach. The look of the small boy starts to become familiar. “Wait… does that mean-?” He does his best to iterate the question, even with his mind fuzzy with adrenaline. “Is Danny Ghost Boy?”

Miles huffs a laugh, “Yup, local Infinity Hall resident and Astrophysics major, Daniel Fenton. Also known as Ghost Boy.”

_________________

“You’re an actual ghost, aren’t you?” Wes interrogates, crossing his arms.

It took him until mid-November and two weeks of on-and-off stalking studying to initiate a confrontation. He manages to corner D—now dubbed Danny—in a fenced gazebo within the courtyard. Danny had the habit of drawing star maps in it, something about ‘natural lighting’ if Wes’s eavesdropping ears are believed.

Danny looks up in confusion from the wooden seat attached to the gazebo. He has a ruler in one hand, a pen in the other, and a large sheet of paper in his lap. His hair is in an unruly mess and he’s wearing the University’s sweater. His eyes are blue and no matter how hard Wes stares at them, they remain that way.

There’s a re-ignition in the very center of Wes’s being, one he can’t ignore anymore. The bee in his bonnet burrows inside of him and makes a hive of his innards.He wanted to keep his old beliefs back in high school, but this is too big for him to hold back. Ancient determination swarms him and the bees that stung him now hum with tenacity.

“Say again?”

Wes can’t help but glare, thinking the question sounded nothing more than mocking. As if his accusation has no basis.

“You,” Wes extends an exaggerated point to Danny, “are a ghost. I’ve seen your eyes change to green. Spice’s seen your eyes green too.”

A grin appears on Danny’s face that appears even more mocking, though in a more purposeful sense. “I don’t think changing eyes mean I’m a ghost. Plenty of studies show that eye color can change according to the season.” He’s twirling his pen in his hand as he speaks.

Wes’s eyes narrow, “But it wasn’t seasonal! Your eyes literally change from blue to green spontaneously.”

“Well, I don’t know else to explain it to you. It’s how my eyes work.”

“How about your disappearances? Care to explain how you can just vanish in thin air?”

Danny puts an elbow to a criss-cross knee and props his chin with his hand. He’s leaning in as if he’s amused by everything. All of his work is set aside to the empty space beside him.

“I just have quiet footsteps,” Danny shrugs. “Trick of the light too. And, not to be blunt, but I’m pretty short. It's easy to look past me.”

The temper inside of Wes bubbles up but he keeps himself planted in his spot. “Your voice echoed during Halloween when you were playing that creepy ghost. Even when you were right outside.”

Danny pokes his cheek with the hand beneath his head. “I mean, I never left the building. And the halls echo like crazy when you clear everything out. It's very effective, wouldn’t you say?”

Wes notes that Danny hasn’t refused the three accusations. He diverts it into something reasonable. It’s a very effective technique. It nearly works on Wes but he recalls a lecture that explains that a criminal does this to gaslight their innocence. But they sometimes don’t refuse because they are guilty and their mind doesn’t want to lie.

“How about this?” Wes roughly takes out a printed photograph from his pocket and shoves it in his face.

It’s a picture of Danny’s arm phased into a rosebush. Wes had taken it when Danny was playing frisbee with some of his friends. It had been such a small moment that Wes barely got it on camera. He’d been studying Danny for a good half hour, calling him obsessed, and it’s the first bit of a coherent lead he’d gotten.

Wes watched Danny like a hawk—not in a stalking way, only when Wes had some time on his hands—and the times Danny shows symptoms of being a ghost were slim.

Danny pokes the photograph down a little, giving it a gimlet look. “The angle’s pretty weird.”

Danny hands it back to him, and he harshly snatches. He examines it closely. And, yeah, the phasing could be passed off because of the awkward angle, but it's still proof!

It’s a sharp laugh that distracts Wes and has Wes scowling more ferociously.

“I’m sorry,” Danny wipes a tear from his cheek. “I’ve been accused of being an actual kid, eternal youth, and some sort of Benjamin Button, but never a ghost.”

Wes’s fists tighten up and his brow forms a permanent knot. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Danny shrugs again, “You’re the first, I guess. Something to be proud about, I tell you.”

It doesn’t sound very taunting, more like it’s something Wes should actually be proud of. But the knowing smirk makes any pride worthless. It's telling Wes that he doesn’t have enough evidence, that he can’t get more evidence.

He pockets his proof photograph and slams his foot angrily to the floor. He spins on his heels to the open entryway, giving one last glare.

“I’ll show you, Fenton! I’ll prove that you aren’t what you seem!”

_________________

“Bye guys, thanks for- Wes?”

“Shit.”

“Hey, Wes! What’re you doing in that tree? Oh, where are you going? Well, see you during study hall.”

“I’ll get you next time, Fenton!”

_________________

Wes starts having a difficult time with his not-stalking.

Before, when it was a casual thing, he had no problem watching out for Danny, but now it’s downright impossible. He points a camera and snaps a picture; Danny looks behind him and throws up a peace sign and a stuck-out tongue. He looks as if he’s turning the corner and is, instead, waiting for Wes to follow him; then he makes some idle conversation that just riles up Wes.

The more determined Wes got, the more it escalated. He starts taking far away approaches, using a telescopic camera that he always keeps in its case to gain more distance. Watching to see if Danny’s shadow stays when he’s out of sight. He’s better at hiding if he thinks Danny is going to spot him.

It’s only increasingly aggravating that Danny seems to be improving at the same pace, yet one step ahead. He moves around fast enough that it takes a good second for his camera to refocus, he still manages to catch Wes off guard, and all with that amusement like he’s playing a game. Some kooked up version of Tom and Jerry that’s very fun to Jerry, but not kind at all to Tom.

Miles sets an intervention after a late-night and returning to the dorm.

Wes is pulled into the desk chair and is half-disorientated by the swiftness of it. He tries to say something against what’s happening but he barely gets a single word in.

Miles’ carefree expression has boiled down to something serious. Spice stands beside him but looks more lazily dazed than anything. He has one of his weed vape pens in his mouth and is keeping up with his left hand.

“Okay, that’s the fifth time you came, like, ten minutes before curfew. What gives, Wes?”

“Yeah, are you off getting high or something? Let me tell you, I can get you better stuff if that’s it,” Spice supports, and nobody in the room bats an eye. They already know it, with how many times Spice has offered.

Wes mimics Miles’ crossed arms. “I’ve been in the library.”

“And I’m a Business Major,” Miles says sarcastically. “Look, you better not have gotten yourself messed up with something-”

“Geez!” Wes waves away the accusation. “I promise I’m not doing any bad stuff.”

“Then what’s got you busy?” Spice asks, leaning against the frame of his bed and taking another inhale.

Wes puckers his lips subconsciously, not wanting the prepared speeches slip off his tongue. His roommates already knew he had an obsession with the supernatural, but will they react if he says he accuses Danny as a ghost? Wes has lost a good few friends in the past with his constant paranoia.

But it’d feel so good to say it. Share his research despite the reactions he gets because being heard is enough.

Wes wordlessly goes to his bed and leans down to take something from underneath it. Miles and Spice watch him curiously and it takes all of Wes’s strength to do the next few moves.

He’s gotten it all out and propped it up onto the chair he once sat on. He snags a ruler from the desk and slaps it at the dead center.

It is a corkboard, full of printed photographs and red yarn connecting points. At the top a push pinned title, “GHOST BOY IS A GHOST.” There’s the photo of Danny posing for the camera, messily written sticky notes, and articles about ghosts from Amity Park. There isn’t much online information about Amity Park online but it’s known for being a ghost-obsessed town and it is such a coincidence that Danny comes from it.

“This is Danny Fenton,” he says with all the confidence of a lecturer with ten years of experience. “I have reason to believe that he is a bonafide ghost.”

Miles tries to say something, maybe point out how insane it is, but Wes continues.

“I’ve caught him on numerous occasions doing actions that can be determined as unordinary,” his ruler moves along the yarn and onto areas with several blurry pictures. “His origins also connect to my theory. A past in Amity Park, self-established as the ‘Most Haunted Place on Earth.’”

“—Also the biggest tourist trap.”

“That’s obviously a cover. Simple hidden in plain sight tactic.” He corrects, glaring at the skeptic-eyed brunet. “But this fact—because this sure as hell went past just being a theory—is exactly why I have been going out later.”

Miles’ face scrunches and he has the biggest look of disbelief. His hands fell to his sides and his shoulders sag down. Spice has pocketed the weed vape pen and does a full-body lean. His face is much more amused.

“Man, I could not have been smoking that much. All of this,” Spice draws circles with his hand, “is not just a weird trip, right?”

Wes nods, taking the question seriously. “No, it isn’t. I, one-hundred percent, know that Fenton is an actual ghost.”

Miles covers his face with his hands and lets out a small screech. It somehow encapsulates all the anguish and the ‘what has my life become?’ energy in the high-pitch noise. Wes is all too familiar with it.

He peaks through his hands to stare at Wes. “You-you’re stalking Danny? Is that what this is?”

Wes rolls his eyes and takes a seat on the desk. His confident appearance drops and he’s just annoyed. “No, stalking would mean he doesn’t know I’ve been following him. That ghost even taunts me a few times when he catches me.”

More shock crosses Miles and he repeats his earlier screech.

Spice steps in, looking halfway to laughing. “Wait, new question: is this some weird kink thing?”

“WHAT? NO!” Wes sputters, almost falling and knocking the cork board off the chair. “This is me proving my research and Fenton… ‘letting’ me for his own amusement,” Wes growls at the floor, the annoyance in his voice more evident.

It is partly true that Danny had been more than lenient when it comes to Wes’s study. Usually, Wes’s subjects report him or threaten to file a restraining order at this point. Danny hadn’t even muttered a single inkling that Wes has been any sort of creep—which he isn’t, he’s a dedicated scientist—because Wes would surely have heard rumors if he did. Not a single soul, aside from the roommates he just told, know about his obsession.

Spice’s amusement increases but he’s leaning even more to the bed. It’s as if he’s moments away from jumping into it. “Ah, gotcha. As long as both parties are cool, I guess.”

Miles snaps back up, a brave face secures on his face, n. He looks Wes in the eye and steeples his fingers. “So this is all… consensual?” Miles pauses and whispers a low, “and crazy?”

“Don’t say it like that, Miles!”

“Well, I don’t know how else to phrase it! Acknowledged following? Look, just answer.”

Wes puts a hand to his cheek, finding it tiring to keep his head up. “Yeah, yeah. Not really negotiated but… understood? I really hate this phrasing.”

Miles stares for a very long time and Spice has wordlessly started to climb into his bed. He mutters a goodnight as he lays completely down. Wes could tell that he is tired—Wes is too—and the guy had an early class. They let him do so freely as they continued their staring contest.

“I’m going to talk to Danny about this,” Miles says with finality.

“Go ahead!” Wes grumbles a bit peeved that his friend would talk to the enemy. “He’ll tell you the same thing.” It doesn’t even sound convincing to Wes, but he hopes it suffices as an end to the conversation.

“Fine,” leers Miles and he rushes over to his bed. He gives Wes one last stink eye before he pulls the covers over his face. Wes could definitely hear him say, “I’m living with crazy people.”

Spice, who so happens to not be asleep, howls in laughter.

_________________

“So I talk to Danny—”

“Tell him all my secrets why don’t you?”

“Shh. Anyway, fine. It’s consensual or whatever—”

“And you couldn’t have believed me?”

“Stop interrupting! And yes, I couldn’t have just believed you. Both sides, remember? Back to my point, you’re only going to do your whole stalking thing on the weekends, okay?”

“Wha- you can’t just dictate when I study a ghost!”

“Weekends.”

“Weekends. Got it.”

_________________

“Hey, nearly missed you, Wes. You know, your friend is pretty cool. The whole weekend rule actually works better for my schedule. Ooh, do you want to plan by the hours? I’m the freest on Saturday afternoons anyway.”

“…”

“You good, Wes?”

“…you are an absolute menace, Fenton.”

_________________

A year passes.

Wes is just about to earn his Associate's Degree in Criminal Science. It would have felt a thousand times better if it wasn’t Danny’s last year in the University. The specter managed to evade everything Wes has thrown at him. He worked to the last day to gain that evidence but nothing became fruitful.

People, miraculously, have no idea about the ‘agreement’ between Danny and Wes. Danny’s friends don’t seem to know either—or if they did and they didn’t make it known—so this whole ordeal felt as if it never even happened.

Wes has bags packed and is ready to leave by the end of the week. He hasn’t said goodbye to Miles or Spice yet but he is when they get together on the last day. One last day at Infinity Mall and buying whatever they want. It doesn’t sound like much, but they never bought more than a five-dollar meal at the Mall in the place. Spice has been dying to buy this one display blender since the first semester.

He’s walking to the library when he feels himself dragged in by something. A hand secures itself on his wrists and another covers his mouth. Panic fills and he thrashes, but the adversary is much stronger than him.

And then he is being pulled through a wall. Shock fills his very core and his movement tenses and stills.

The room is cramped and he could feel cold metal prodding at his sides and several smaller objects. It is completely dark and it makes his heart thump loudly. The hands let him go and he pushes himself to the furthest wall, ignoring as he feels more stuff poke his shoulder blade.

Light fills the room in a second and he’s greeted with the sight of a goofy smiling Danny Fenton. His hand is on a chain connected to a low-hanging light bulb.

“What-!” Wes says loudly but Danny rudely cuts him off. As if kidnapping him isn’t enough.

“Wesley Weston—mega cool name by the way—I gotta say my goodbyes to you. I’m going to miss you, weirdly enough.” Danny has this nonchalant demeanor that makes Wes think it is any normal weekend. He’s gesturing wildly despite the tight area.

Now that Wes could see, he knows that he’s in a janitor’s closet. The metal shelves were what poked his side and he’s slightly leaning into a push broom. He moves a little closer, knowing his assailant isn’t an assailant but a stupid ghost kid.

“You—” he pokes at Wes’s chest suddenly, “—are the first one who’s ever accused me of being a ghost. I’ll say it again, that’s something to be proud of.”

Wes swipes away the hand harshly, bumping into some chemical bottles while he did. There’s that grin on Danny’s face that is scarily similar to the mocking yet amused smile from their first confrontation. Wes’s scowl that he falls back to is another akin to that day.

“Did you phase through the wall? And me?” Wes says accusingly, his teeth grinding together. He expects Danny to divert the blame to something else. Make some sense and say that it isn’t like that at all.

“Duh, I’m a ghost, aren’t I?”

Wes’s brain short-circuits. His mouth drops and whatever broom has been leaning on him is ignored.

Danny snaps his fingers in front of Wes a few times. “Dude, you are so broken right now. Bet I can get you to break further. Okay, okay, watch this.”

Another light starts up, but its white rings around Danny. They flow over Dann’s figure and his University hoodie turns into a black-and-white HAZMAT suit. His hair went from a black to a snowy white. And his eyes. They’re the acid green that Wes had wanted to see for the past year. His smile never changes, like a teenager just amused with life.

“Tada!” Danny exclaims and does jazz hands.

“I—?” Wes wants to say he was right, but he always knew he was right about this. “Why?” He asks instead.

“Like I said, you’re the only one to seriously think I was a ghost.” Danny shrugs, glancing at his gloved hand as if inspecting his fingernails. “Besides, you’re also the only person to never think of me as a kid. Sure, a ghost feels no better, but I’d take it any day from being mistaken as a kid.”

There's a sincerity that warms Wes just a bit. Though it gets overtaken by the fiery burn of knowing he’s right and that the supernatural does exist. A need to know takes over him and he thinks of all the questions that need answering. His obsession has finally met its justification and it’s absolutely perfect.

“Why now of all times?”

“It's consolation, for the both of us I mean. We’ve been playing this game for more than a year for ghost’s sake—and yes I say that unironically. I just had to let you know, you know?”

Wes slowly nods, because he does understand it but it is still off-putting talking to a glowing boy.

“So… can I get a quick picture? Or-or blood test. That’d be good too.”

A sickle grin creeps into Danny’s face and he shows all of his teeth. There’s mischief in his eyes and Wes knows it's because it leaked in through his head. It sends a small shiver in Wes's spine.

“No, no,” Danny chuckles a few times. “I’ve kept this secret for a long time, Wes. I didn’t tell you just to reveal it to the world.”

Wes’s shoulders drop and his brow knits. “Then why…?”

Danny laughs more heartily this time. He floats off the ground, surprising Wes, and leans in close.

“Because no one will ever believe you.”

Danny disappears at that, evaporating in-air. He leaves Wes alone in a janitor’s closet, half-dazed and confused. It takes a second for Wes to compute that he is completely alone. The magnitude of Danny’s asshole-ry then catches up with him.

He takes a small look around him and feels the words bubble from his mouth.

“FUCK YOU, FENTON!”

#danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 2021 #phic phight 21 #wes weston #danny phantom fanfic #phanfic #phic #Gosh i loved my friends OCs!#Thank you Fanona and Floral #Wes was pretty fun to work on #Sorry if anything's out of place or ooc #Colleg!Au #thought I'd mention that #College Danny is such a cool kid

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currentlylurking · 4 years ago

Photo

That’s right, we’re back for our third year! Feel free to follow us @phicphight to see the prompts and phics from the past two years!

What is Phic Phight?

Phic Phight is an event for Danny Phantom Fanfiction authors that is loosely inspired by Art Fight. In Art Fight, the participants are split into two teams, and score points for their team by drawing the opposing team’s OCs! We’ll be doing something similar.

Every participant will be able to create up to four prompts to enter and will be randomly assigned to either Team Human or Team Ghost. Team Ghost will have access to the prompts the members of Team Human wrote, and Team Human will have the same with Team Ghost’s prompts! You’ll get points with each fic you write, and whichever team has the most points at the end of the month wins!

This year, we’re also implementing Team Halfa - made up from the three returning writers with the highest word count from last year, they can write prompts from either team for full points - and everyone else can do the same with their’s!

When is Phic Phight?

Officially, Phic Phight will be from April 1st - 30th, 2021. You have until 11:59 pm PST on March 26 to join. After that, I’ll be in contact with everyone who’s joined with more information on their team and the prompts they’ll be working with.

How do we get points?

For every 10 words you write of a prompt, you’ll get 1 point. For every fic you complete, you’ll be granted an additional 20 points. You can also write fics based on your own team’s prompts, however, you’ll only receive half of your eligible points for doing so.

As a returning feature from last year, you can also get points for commenting on other people’s fics! For each comment you leave on another person’s fic on Tumblr, FFN, or AO3, you’ll be able to receive 1 extra point!

We’ll be keeping track of which prompts have had the most fics, who’s written the most, and which team gets the most points!

What should our prompts look like?

Your prompts should be a brief, 1-4 sentence summary of a fic concept you like. You will be required to submit at least two, but can do up to four if you’d like.

Don’t worry about duplicates of ideas, but please be sure to include any ships or trigger warnings that apply at the end of your summary. AUs are fine as long as they are widely known and not another fandom au. For example, a coffee shop au would be fine, but a Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU would not.

Due to the controversy surrounded them, prompts where a minor and adult are shipped together are not permitted in this event. Prompts that crossover with another fandom, have a heavy focus on original characters, or AU prompts that rely on intense worldbuilding known only to the author that cannot be simplified to fit the summary limit are also not permitted. Phandom OCs, such as Kyle, Wes, or Flynn however are permitted. If there is a problem with one of your prompts, I’ll let you know and give you a chance to alter it. You can find some example prompts in the FAQ!

I have another question!

We have an FAQ, where I give some more in-depth explanations about the specifics of this event in addition to example prompts. If you’re still confused, feel free to shoot me a message, here or @phicphight! ^-^

I like it! How do I join?

Fill out this form HERE. We’ll be in contact after the 26th with more information!

Aside from the Tumblr, we also have our own channel on the DP Fanfiction Palace Discord. You can access it easily by requesting the Phic Phighter role after you join! It’s the best place to be if you want quick access to any updates or changes in the rules! The link to it is right HERE!

Have a great day, everyone, and I hope to see you in the Phic Phight! <3

#Danny Phantom #Phic Phight #Phic Phight 21 #currently talking #here we go gang!!#It's included in the FAQ but in case you don't want to go digging:#you CAN use phic phight prompts for invisobang as well! Laz and I sorted that out a couple weeks ago #Meanwhile I've had my prompts planned since December #My one braincell demands Content(tm)

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q-gorgeous · 4 years ago

Text

If You Go Out of This World Today

fanfiction

ao3

The Accident didn’t turn Danny into a half ghost, but instead allowed him to see, hear, and physically interact with the very real ghosts that are now pouring through the portal (Alternative: Danny’s always been clairvoyant, but after the accident he finally sees all of the ghosts he’d grown up talking to) prompt by @sapphireswimming

word count: 3358

yo another prompt hidey hey

Ember had been chasing Johnny and Kitty through the Ghost Zone when it happened. Suddenly she was tripping her way through a natural portal that had spontaneously formed in front of her and she tumbled straight into the human world. Before she could stand back up, the portal had closed already.

Looking around, she could see that she was in a bedroom. The walls were painted blue with stars stuck to the ceiling. There was a night light plugged into the wall and as she looked around her gaze landed on a small boy who was sitting straight up in his bed. He had black hair and blue eyes and he was staring at his closet with wide eyes.

“Hello?” He called. “Is someone there?”

Ember stays quiet, not ready to announce her presence. A few moments later though, a woman walks in through the door.

“Danny, are you alright?”

He points to his closet. “I thought I heard a weird noise. Can you look?”

She nods. She walks over to the closet and opens it, sticking her head inside. Looking back and forth, she calls back out to Danny.

“Nothing in here.”

“No ghosts?” Danny asks, lifting his blanket up to cover the bottom half of his face.

“No ghosts.” She confirms. “We’d know if there were ghosts in the house.”

Ember nearly snorts but holds the sound back.

“Now, it's time for bed.” She walks over to the bed and starts tucking him back in.

“Mommy! Can you sing me a song before I go back to sleep?” He begged.

His mom smiled and sat down on the bed beside him, brushing his hair out of his face. Then she began to sing.

“If you go out of this world today

You’re sure of a big surprise

If you go out of this world today

You’d better go in disguise.”

Ember frowned. That’s not how she remembered this song going.

“For every ghost that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Wretched ghosts?

“If you go out of this world today

You’d better not go alone

It’s pretty out of the world today

But safer to stay at home.

For every ghost that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Ember didn’t know what to make of this woman or her parody of this lullaby. Why was it about ghosts? Most people didn’t even believe in ghosts.

“Every wretched ghost, who’s been bad

Is sure of a treat today

There’s lots of wonderful things to do

And wonderful tests to try.”

Ember stared at the woman in horror. Did they study ghosts? Why did they hate ghosts so much?

“Beyond the clouds where nobody sees

They’ll hide and seek as long as they please

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.

Today’s the day the wretched ghosts have their picnic.”

Ember stood frozen to the spot where she stood. Realistically, she knew she should be escaping and trying to find a way back to the ghost zone right now. If this woman managed to find her and capture her, who knows what she’d plan on doing.

But on the other hand, what kind of mother sings about experimenting on ghosts to her kids? What if he’s in danger? The way his mother had sung that last verse had unnerved Ember, and while it seemed to have put the boy to sleep, it still left a sour taste in her mouth.

Looking at the boy in the small bed, her resolve hardened. She’d stay and watch over him. Or at least stay long enough to figure out if he’d be okay.

QQQQQ

It was a few days later when Ember first let something slip. Danny was watching cartoons in front of the tv downstairs and she laughed at something that happened in the show. Danny’s head had whipped to the side and looked in her general direction with wide eyes.

“Hello?”

Ember took in a sharp breath. Most humans couldn’t hear or see ghosts. She just happened to find one that could, but at least it didn’t seem like he could see her at all. She shouldn’t start talking to him but…

“Hi.”

His mouth dropped open. “Why can’t I see you?”

“Uh, well. Because I’m a ghost.”

“You’re a ghost?” He gaped at the empty air beside her head. “Mom-!”

“No! Shh sh!” Ember started waving her hands in a “no” motion even though he couldn’t see her. “Don’t tell them! If they found out I was here they’d try to trap me!” She had found the Fenton’s lab two days ago, and while it cemented the idea that this was a dangerous place for a toddler, it also scared the shit out of her.

“Trap you? How can they trap you if you’re a ghost?”

“Your parents are very smart people. They have all sorts of stuff that they’re building in the basement.”

“The basement? What’s in the basement?” He started climbing off the couch.

“Nope, nope! You’re not going down to the basement. It’s too dangerous down there.” Ember stood to block his path even though, again, he couldn’t see her.

He let out a whine. “That’s what mommy and daddy always say. I’m a big boy now! When will I be able to go into the basement?”

Ember shook her head. “Not for a long time I’d hope.”

Danny groaned and climbed back onto the couch, laying face down on it instead of facing the tv to watch the show. “Why can’t I go down there when they’re down there all day?” He asked quietly.

Ember frowned at him sadly and sat down beside his head. “Even big boys like you need to be protected from dangerous things. But! How about we hang out together? We can be buddies, small fry.”

Danny scrambled up into a sitting position excitedly. “Like an imaginary friend? Except for real?”

She chuckled. “Sure. Like an imaginary friend. Let’s go with that.”

Danny cheered. “Come on! Let’s go play superhero in my room!”

He charged up the stairs and she followed slowly after him, chuckling.

QQQQQ

“You’re doing what?” Johnny asked incredulously.

“Staying here.” Ember watched as Danny swung on the swings, his mother tinkering with an invention in her hands as she sat on the bench.

“What’s the fun in that?” Kitty asked. “What’s the point in staying here if no one can see you? How are you going to scare any of them?”

Ember scoffed, her brows drawing down as she looked at them. “I’m not here to scare anyone.”

“Then why are you here?” Johnny asked.

Ember fidgeted where she stood, looking at Danny. “I tripped through a portal into that kids room when I got here. Everything seemed pretty normal until his mom started singing a song about experimenting on ghosts.”

“So what? He’s not a ghost.” Kitty said bluntly.

“No, but what kind of parents sing about torturing something to their kid? I looked around their house and they have a lab full of weapons and a dissection table and everything! I don’t think it matters that he’s not a ghost, that’s not a safe place to be in. Half the time his parents forget to come up and feed them and his older sister has to make something to eat for the two of them.” Ember sighed. “I know what it’s like to come from a shitty home situation. I just want to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

Johnny and Kitty shared a sad look. Kitty spoke up. “We get that too, but what about your safety? If they’re ghost hunters they probably pose more of a danger to you than they do to him.”

Ember snorted. “As if. I don’t know how they got to be where they are but they are probably the most air headed scientists ever. They think their tracking devices are locking onto Danny somehow instead of me. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you end up fading-”

“What’s fading?” Danny asked suddenly.

Johnny yelped as he was interrupted, not noticing the boy approaching them. Ember chuckled.

“We can talk about that later. What are you doing over here, small fry?”

“I heard you talking to someone else. I wanted to come see who it was. It’s also boring playing by myself.” Danny pouted and kicked his foot in the woodchips.

“Well you’re in luck, little dip! I’ve got two great friends here who would love to play with us!”

“Wait-” Johnny said, waving his hands back and forth.

“What do you want to play?” Ember continued, ignoring him.

“Oohh, we can play ice cream man!” Danny said excitedly. He started running towards a plastic counter thing that was built into the playground. “Ice cream! Get your ice cream!” He shouted.

“Why are you dragging us into this?” Johnny asked.

“Loosen up a little bit, he’s just a kid. It’s not like you guys have to stay. Hello Mr. Ice Cream Man!” Embered said cheerily as she walked up to where Danny stood at the counter.

“Hello! What can I get for you today?”

“Hm.” Ember looked above Danny’s head at a pretend menu. “How about a strawberry ice cream cone?”

“Coming right up!” Danny bent over and reappeared a few seconds later with a pile of woodchips that he poured all over the counter. “Order served!”

“Thank you! Wow! Om nom nom, so delicious!” Ember said, pretending to eat her ice cream.

Danny swept the woodchips off of the counter. “Next!”

Johnny rolled his eyes but Kitty pulled him forward. “Hi! Can we get an ice cream sundae for two? It’ll be so romantic.” She fluttered her eyes at Johnny and he made a face at her.

“Coming right up!” Once again, Danny bent over but this time when he dumped the woodchips on the counter, it was an even bigger pile. “Order served!”

Kitty made pretend eating sounds and Ember was about to walk back up to the counter when she heard the voices of a couple of kids nearby.

“Can we have some ice cream?”

Two kids about Danny’s age walked up to him. One had big glasses on his face and the other had her black hair done up in two pigtails. Danny stared at them for a few seconds before responding. “Right! Yes. What flavors would you two like?”

The kid with glasses whispered in the girl’s ear and she approached the counter.

“Mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough?”

“Coming right up!” Danny bent over once again and picked up two handfuls of woodchips, placing them on the counter. The girl stared at them for a few seconds.

“Order served!”

She giggled and picked them up, bringing them close to her face. “Mmm, this is the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had.” She nudged her friend beside her, who was staring sadly at the woodchips.

“Huh? Oh.” He picked up his own pile. “Om nom nom. So good.”

The girl laughed again. “I’m Sam. This is Tucker.” Tucker waved. “Did you want to come play in the sandbox with us?”

He stared at her again, eyes wide, before his face split into a grin. “Sure! What are you guys playing?”

Ember waved goodbye to Johnny and Kitty as they announced their goodbyes. She followed Danny and his new friends across the park to the sandbox.

“We were just going to see how big of a hole we can dig.” Tucker says, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I think we can get to China.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time for that Tucker. My mom wants me home by four, remember?”

His shoulders slumped. “Oh yeah.”

Ember chuckled at them. Having friends Danny’s age will probably be good for him. She hasn’t seen one kid come over in the couple weeks she’s been staying with him.

“Wait what time is it now?” Danny asked.

He only got two shrugs in return.

“Come on, let’s go talk to my mom. Maybe we can convince her and whoever brought you guys to get us ice cream instead of playing in the sandbox.”

Sam and Tucker’s eyes lit up and they hurried after Danny as he ran to the bench where his mom sat, who had finally put her invention away and was reading a book instead.

“Mom, Mom! What time is it?”

She checked a watch on her wrist. “3:15. We’ll be leaving soon though, so you better finish anything you still want to do.”

Ember silently laughed at the panic that appeared on Danny’s face. “Can we find Sam and Tucker’s parent and get ice cream instead of staying in the park? Please?” He clasped his hands together and started begging, Sam and Tucker following suit.

“Who are-”

Maddie finally looked up at the three kids standing in front of her. “Oh! Why hello there! Danny! You made some friends!”

“Can we pleeeease get some ice cream?”

“Pleease?” Sam and Tucker chorused.

Maddie chuckled. “I don’t see why not. We have to go find your guardian first and ask them if you two can have some though.” She stood up and started packing her book back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

The three kids cheered and Sam and Tucker ran their way over to another bench on the other side of the playground.

“Mom! Me and Sam made a new friend! We were wondering if we could all get ice cream together!”

Tucker’s mom looked up and saw Danny standing shyly behind his mom, who waved.

“Hi, I’m Maddie and this is Danny.”

Danny waved.

“Hi! I’m Angela.” She looked back at Sam and Tucker. “You guys made a new friend? I think that’s cause for celebration.”

“We can get ice cream?” Sam asked.

“Yes, we can get ice cream.” Angela said, smiling.

All three kids cheered and started following their moms as they walked out of the park. Ember smiled. While she liked spending time playing with Danny, these were kids his age that he could actually see. She was happy for him.

QQQQQ

“Ghosts aren’t real, man.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, a furrow in his brow.

Ember looked away from a book she had finally learned how to pick up and turn invisible after years in the human world to see Danny and his friends looking at each other in frustration.

“Ghosts aren’t real. There’s no scientific evidence of them.” Tucker said, looking back at the tv where their game was paused.

“Well what about my parents' work? Their lifelong passion?”

Tucker shrugged. “There’s gotta be some explanation for whatever findings they have. It can’t be explained by ghosts. Have your parents ever seen a ghost?”

“No but not everyone can see ghosts.”

“Huh?”

“It’s called being clairvoyant.” Sam said. “It encompasses different kinds of things but it can apply to seeing the future or seeing ghosts and other things like that.”

“Do you believe me Sam?” Danny asked.

She shrugged. “It’s something I’d like to believe because I think it’s interesting but I can’t, not without solid proof.”

“But I have solid proof!”

“Okay what is it then?” Tucker asked, putting down his controller.

“I can hear ghosts. I’ve had one living with me for half my life. You know, Ember?”

Sam and Tucker shared a look. “You mean your imaginary friend?” Sam asked.

He shot her a look. “No, she’s not my imaginary friend. She’s a ghost that accidentally fell through a portal from the ghost zone and she’s been my friend ever since.”

Tucker took a deep breath. “No offense, dude, but I think you’ve got whatever your parents have that makes them go off their rockers. It’s probably just all in your head.”

Danny bristled. “I’m not crazy.”

Tucker rolled his eyes. “And I’m the pharaoh Duul Aman. Your parents are crazy. Even Jazz believes that and she’s lived her whole life with them too. Just drop it already. We’re not kids anymore.”

Tucker unpaused the game and after a few moments Danny turned back to the screen stiffly and started playing again.

After that Danny started talking to Ember less and less. She’d ask how his day went at school and she’d hear him mumble something about voices in his head and ghosts, but he didn’t respond to her. Which was fine. Teenagers did that. She was his friend but she could very well be another sort of mother figure to him, so it made sense.

One day when she asked him about his homework he finally exploded on her.

“Stop! Just stop talking! I don’t know if you’re a ghost or not but that’s crazy! Everyone at school thinks my parents are crazy so it must be true. I’m crazy. I’ve let myself believe an imaginary friend that I hallucinate about has been real for too long. It’s time to grow up.”

“Danny-” She started.

“No!” He shouted. “You’re not real! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”

Ember felt her heart drop into her stomach and she floated away from him. He looked around him, listening for her, before he took a deep breath and went back to his homework that he was working on.

QQQQQ

Ember didn’t stick around at Danny’s house as often anymore. She’d go fly around town on her own more and sometimes went back to the ghost zone for a couple days before another portal opened back up. She had just floated through the walls into the living room for the first time in a week when she heard Danny and his friends talking in the lab.

She felt prickles on her skin. Danny was fourteen now. She didn’t need to watch over him as much anymore. He was old enough to watch over himself now. But she had a bad feeling about the lab. His parents had recently finished building their ghost portal but it ended up not working.

She slowly floated down the stairs, apprehensive about being down there with all the weapons again, but just as she hit the bottom step and looked up, she saw a bright flash of green and heard a scream that rattled her to her very core.

Danny was in the portal, screaming and screaming as the portal turned on around him. Sam and Tucker were shouting his name from outside the portal, tears streaming down their faces.

Ember flew across the lab quickly and was about to reach into the portal but the ectoplasm powering it began to burn her skin. She hissed and pulled her arms away.

After a few more agonizing seconds, the swirling of the portal settled into a more gentle rhythm and when Ember reached out, the burning sensation was gone. She was about to reach in to find Danny when someone tumbled out and onto the floor.

Her heart dropped as she took in their appearance. It must’ve been Danny’s ghost. He was an inverted version of his human self, wearing the jumpsuit his parents had just finished for him two weeks ago.

“Danny?”

Sam’s quiet, croaky voice filled the lab. Danny lay on the floor unmoving for a few moments before he groaned and opened his eyes.

“Sam? Tucker? What happened?”

Sam’s bottom lip wobbled and Tucker stared at Danny with wide eyes. “Danny. I think- I think you-”

Tucker was interrupted as a bright flash of white light appeared and lit up the room. It traveled up and down Danny’s body, revealing a human boy.

“Ugh.” Danny groaned. “That did not help my growing migraine. What was that?”

Ember leaned further over him to get a look at the burns on his face when his eyes opened. He looked at Sam and Tucker first, and then his eyes kept traveling and met her own. His eyes widened and a shocked look appeared on his face, one she could feel mirrored on her own, as he looked straight up at her.

He whispered, his voice small and shaky.

“Ember?”

#gorgi writes #danny phantom #phic phight #phic phight 21 #phic phight 2021 #Ember McLain #danny fenton #maddie fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #angela foley #johnny 13 #kitty #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #phic #team ghost

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going-dead · 4 years ago

Text

Phic Phight:Ghostly Inconvenience

Words:1672

@currentlylurking Team Human My First 2021 phic phight phic

Prompt from @Slyph-feather :Would love to see Danny dealing with some of the minor inconveniences/differences in being a ghost; slower heartbeat, sickly pallor, maybe not showing up correctly in photographs, etc... bonus points if this is like in the school setting (because I think that would be funny)

Danny thought he had all his ghost problems figured out, or at least was aware of all of them, at this point. Afterall he’s had his powers for almost a year now. He was wrong, oh was he wrong.

It was the first day of his sophomore year, no longer at the bottom of the high school food chain. He stood in line to get his picture taken for his school ID. Sam and Tucker had different classes for first period so they were off getting their pictures somewhere else. After a few minutes of board waiting it was his turn. Paulina skipped past him to get her ID and look at the picture she just took.

Danny told the photographer his name and she entered a few things into her computer before gesturing for him to stand in front of the camera. Danny tried to make a few last second adjustments to his hair. “Okay smile!” The camera woman called out as he was blinded by a flash of light.

Danny started walking over to the ID station but was stopped. “Oh hold on dear the photo came out pretty blurry I’ll have to retake it. It’s no big deal don’t worry you probably just moved too quickly after the flash went off, stay still after the picture is taken okay?”

Danny sighed but did what he was told. After another blinding flash and staying as still as possible Danny looked towards the woman. The camera woman bit her thumb staring at the computer in front of her. “Okay it still was blurry stay there I’m going to take a few at once one of them will turn out good.”

Danny was pretty sure at this point he was going to go blind as he blunk the spots out of his vision from the repeated flashes. Honestly this was getting pretty tiresome already. He walked up to the woman silently praying at least one picture turned out fine. She clicked through the photos face growing more and more confused with each one. “Uh is something wrong?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Almost all of the photos turned out blurry and the ones that didn’t are weird.” She saw his questioning face. “You’ve heard of red eye right? What happens when you take a picture and sometimes the eyes of the people in the picture show up red? Well I can’t say I’ve seen this version of it in all my years of photography.” She turned the computer to face him more. On the screen it was a photo of him. The area around him was blurred, the only thing in focus was him, almost too in focus, and what really shocked him was his eyes in the photo. His eyes were glowing green in the picture, almost like when you took a picture of a cat in the dark.

Danny felt like a deer in headlights, what were the chances that she would make the connection of him not being human? The woman just shrugged. “Well it looks like we won’t be able to get a proper photo today. You can use your school photo from last year for your ID for now until retakes in a week.” He let out a sigh, it wasn’t too bad though he didn’t really look much different from the year before. At most he grew two inches. Though it was weird that it happened. He wondered if it was because of his ghostly half. He didn’t exactly take many or really any photos of himself. Danny walked over to the ID station to explain his situation and hoped that this wasn’t how the rest of the day would go.

During second period it was time for the sophomores to get their health checks done. Though most students were pretty sure it was mostly just an excuse for the local college’s medical students to get some more patient contact hours and hands on practice. This time he did share a class with his friends which was nice. Though it wasn't like they could go into an exam booth together. Calling them booths was a bit of a stretch though really they were just four curtains with equipment to take vitals and a chair inside. There were about a dozen or so lined up in the gym.

“Daniel Fenton come to booth five please.” A man called stepping out of one of the booths as he pulled a pair of gloves on.

Danny walked over to said booth and pulled the curtain shut behind him. The man motioned for him to sit down in the chair. Danny obliged and sat down he bounced his leg as he watched the man prepare the equipment. “Alright good morning Danny. I’m Josh, I'll be doing your check up today. It’s just a simple overview of your health no need to be nervous. All I’ll be doing is taking your vitals and checking your reflexes and the sort. Any questions?”

Danny shook his head. He was nervous though, he couldn’t help it. He had tried his best to avoid any type of medical setting ever since the accident. It would be the first time since then that someone actually took a close look at him. But it would probably be fine right? Not like he would be giving a blood sample here or anything.

It went fine at first as the man -Josh- checked his reflexes, checked his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. He then affixed a blood pressure cuff to Danny’s arm and stuck a temperature probe in his mouth. Once the results appeared on the machines screen his head tilted a bit. “You usually run a bit cold? Hm your pulse is a bit slower than average than normal too.”

Danny silently cursed. “Uh yeah that's normal for me.”

“Well as long as it’s within your baseline there’s nothing really to worry about. I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs now okay? The stethoscope is a bit cold so be prepared.” Josh warned. When he started to listen to Danny’s heart he seemed at a loss again. “Give me one second okay? I’ll be right back.” He stood up and walked out through the curtain. Well that probably wasn't a good sign.

Josh returned a minute later with an older man in tow. “Danny, this is Dr. Bears he’s just going to double check something for me.”

Danny nodded his head giving the doctor an awkward smile. The doctor pulled out a stethoscope of his own and placed it over Danny’s chest. He seemed to listen for a few seconds before moving onto a different region. He gave a small grunt before motioning Josh over. “It’s faint but he does have a heartbeat.”

“Well I know that. He’s clearly alive, he's going to have a heartbeat Doc.”

Danny laughed awkwardly as he continued to watch the two interact. “Try listening again. You’ll probably have issues with the mitral and tricuspid regions though, even I could barely hear it.” The doctor motioned towards Danny before walking out of the booth.

A few minutes later a bunch of other medical students filled into the tent to try to listen to his heart beat. Danny wasn’t sure how he felt about being a case study for a bunch of med students but as long as they didn’t figure out his secret he wouldn’t worry about it too much.

By the time the bell rang to signal the end of the period half the college students there had listened to Danny’s chest. After emerging from the booth he was met with confused looks from his friends he waved them off promising to explain it to them later.

By the pattern that was emerging Danny was dreading third period. It was english with Mr. Lancer. After everyone took their seats Mr. Lancer stood in front of the class and clapped his hands to bring the classes attention to him. “Alright class I hope you all enjoyed your summer break. I have exciting news for this school year. Due to the grant given to our school we now have laptops for you all to use during class.”

The class broke out in whispers and Danny started to have a bit of hope for the rest of the day. Once the laptop cart was wheeled in and each was assigned and passed out to each student they were instructed to make accounts for them. The moment Danny turned the laptop on it gave him a shock. He let out a yelp and barely managed to restrain himself from knocking the thing off of his desk. He shook his hand trying to dispel the pain. He gave the laptop a hesitant poke, no shock. He started on his task of making an account, but was quickly interrupted by the screen glitching out. Danny groaned, occasionally electronics would bug out around him if he was in a particularly sour mood, of course it had to happen today. He waited for the screen to return to normal before trying to continue.

He just managed to get the account created when it gave him another shock. He yelled in shock once more. Immediately after the lights flickered and all the laptops in the room shut off and the one in front of him started to smoke. The whole class was staring at him and he shrunk under their gaze. They all had bigger problems though as his laptop caught fire and set off the fire alarms.

“Great Gatsby! Everyone out of the building now!” Mr. Lancer yelled ushering the teens out and leading them to the parking lot.

Once Mr. Lancer made sure they were all accounted for Sam elbowed Danny in the ribs. “Nice going Danny.” Danny just put his head in his hands and groaned while Tucker pat him on the back. Why couldn’t he just have a normal life? Or just a normal day for once in his half life.

#Phic Phight #phic phight 21 #danny phantom #team human

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