Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny walked with his best friends, Sam and Tucker, wondering what on earth they could possibly be planning. He knew his friends best, and knowing their suspicious looks and grins, he knew they were up to something.

“Come on guys, I can practically hear you both scheming,” he finally said, raising an eyebrow at them.

“What? No….” Sam said, laughing at him. “Why would we ever do that?”

“Yeah man, you’re just being paranoid,” Tucker said, giving him the fakest ‘innocent’ look he had ever seen.

“Guys!” He half yelled jokingly. “Okay then. Completely random question. When do I need to free up my schedule?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said, looking questioningly as the sky. “Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.”

Danny chuckled before rolling his eyes at them, enjoying their antics.

When they finally made it to the school, Danny breathed in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air before going into their educational prison. Not that it was actually that horrible, but he sometimes wished he could get out of it for even a day. Especially today, with it being his birthday and all.

He was finally 18 years old today, and man was he excited for it. He knew his parents were planning something big, and Jazz had even come home to celebrate it, which had made it all that much better.

It was the first time in a long time he had been this excited about anything, and he wasn’t going to let this good feeling go, even if it was a school day.

He walked with his friends into the school, heading straight to his locker. He knew that to everyone else it was just another Friday, but to him, it was his day, and he was going to spend it cheerful and pleasant.

Putting his things away and grabbing what he needed for his first few classes, he caught up with Sam and Tucker, who were waiting for him outside their first period class.

“So, you’re really not going to tell me anything?” He asked.

“Nope, because there’s nothing to talk about,” Sam said pointedly, turning and walking into the room.

“Yeah man, we don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tucker added, also going into the room.

Danny just smiled and followed them, knowing that whatever it was, it was going to be good. He could tell from Sam taking over and shutting down the conversation before Tucker could spoil anything for him. He knew his friends best, and they knew him. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Taking his seat, he opened his textbook and went to the chapter they were currently working on.

As they waited for their teacher to enter the room, a few students looked over at him and told him happy birthday. He just said thanks and smiled, knowing deep down they were just being polite.

Over the years, he had become less of an outcast at school. He had gotten better grades, became more fit, and apparently better looking, not that he cared. It took him almost dying to realize that things like that didn’t matter. These people were all so fake, every single one of them, so while he made small talk and nodded along, he made sure not to get too close with any of them. Sam and Tucker were the only real ones. His best and only friends. They had never betrayed him or made him question their friendship.

The only thing that really bothered him was that he was slightly lonely. Over the years, Sam and Tucker had both dated people on and off, but he never had. Too afraid to make a connection where he would have to be open with them and express his true feelings and emotions.

So while he was romantically deprived, he was still perfectly happy with his current lifestyle. He had his family, he had his friends, he was going well in school and was on a good track to make it into the space program to become an astronaut someday. His future was ahead of him, now all he had to do was not screw it up.

Seeing the teacher walk in, Danny quickly focused on his schoolwork, not wanting to get behind.

Like always, he was one of the first ones done in his class, so he’d started daydreaming. Thinking about what his surprise could be from his parents. Maybe, just maybe, they’d gotten him a car. Now that would be perfect. That way, he could actually go somewhere and not be recognized as his parents son. Not that he was ashamed, at least not anymore, but he hated when people would come up to him and start talking to him like they knew him. No one ever knew him. And even if they actually knew his parents, that didn’t mean they knew him. Things like that really aggravated him, and as it kept happening, he stopped going out, or at least long distances. If he could get there and back on scooter, that was about as far as he’d journey.

Looking over at Tucker and Sam, he watched as Tucker passed Sam a note, which she carefully folded under her and hid, only opening it when the teacher started grading papers again.

It made Danny laugh silently, glad some things never changed.

He knew that as they got older, of course they would change and reshape as people, but to know that Sam and Tucker would always be Sam and Tucker to him, gave him hope for the future.

They had changed a lot over the years, especially now that they were all seniors together.

Sam had changed looks randomly, choosing to wear more variety since they had gotten older. Recently she had grown out her hair, but had the side of it shaved and dyed purple, as well as the underneath, much to her parents horror. She was also rocking a dark purple halter top with a black leather jacket, paired with a black high waisted pleated skirt with chain accents and fishnet stockings and her signature combat boots.

Tucker’s look was a lot more simple, especially since he didn’t like to change his look often. He was wearing a pair of green cargo pants, as always, alongside a Dumpty Humpty t-shirt and a light yellow jacket with a grey hood and a pair of brown leather boots. He’d also started wearing a red cap instead of his beret and had allowed his hair to grow out some, but still kept it rather short.

And Danny himself had changed too. Right now he was currently wearing a pair of light ripped blue jeans, with a red plaid pullover and a white shirt, also sporting a pair of red vans. He had also tried out a few new hairstyles, but had ultimately decided to keep it long on top and shorter in the back, allowing it to stay messy on top but somewhat styled. He had also experimented with coloring it before, but where it was so dark, he had had to have Sam bleach it. And seeing himself with light hair had reminded himself of Phantom so much that he’d had a panic attack on her bathroom floor. He’d decided to never try that again, or at least until he’d come to terms with his past.

Glancing back as his open discarded notebook, he started to doodle in it, like he always did when he finished his assignments or tests early and had nothing else to do.

Going to a blank page, he started drawing random lines, trying to create something out of nothing. Most of the time, he would start out with some scribbly lines and somehow make it look like something. And Sam and Tucker always had to guess what he was trying to make. Sometimes they were really good, others not so much.

Today he was just scribbling, not really trying to create anything. After a bit, he started to see something in his mess of lines and shading nonsense, and when he turned the page to the side, he was almost shocked to see what he had made.

Somehow, without realizing it, he had made the Danny Phantom logo. Now it wasn’t the greatest he had ever made, but it was a pretty scary thing to see when he hadn’t meant to make it.

Phantom was something he tried to think about very little, especially since it still felt fresh to him, even though he knew it had been a few years. No matter how many times he tried to forget him, forget about ghosts, forget about everything, he never could. At the end of the day, it had happened. Like everything else that had happened, but he had been able to put most of that behind him.

Every once in a while he’d see a news article about the missing people and it’d mess him up for a day, but then he’d pop back to being his regular self again.

Looking at the logo again, he pulled the paper out if his notebook and folded it up before putting it into his backpack, not wanting to look at it anymore.

He just started working on another doodle, but after a moment, he realized it was also a logo of Phantom in disguise.

Frustrated and confused, he closed the notebook entirely and decided to spend the rest of class looking out the window. Not that there was much to see, but he’d deal with it. He just wished he could do something actually relaxing, like listening to music or playing a video game, but no such luck. This was school after all.

Hearing the bell go off, Danny collected his things and made his way out of the classroom, hearing Sam and Tucker right behind him.

He went to their next class and sat, turning to talk to Sam and Tucker, hoping to eavesdrop on something about tonight. But as soon as they got near him, they stopped talking and sat, getting their things and getting ready for class.

“Ohh come on guys, really? Nothing?” Danny pleaded, looking at his friend with distain.

“Nope. Sorry,” Sam said, smirking at him. “Guess you’ll have to be surprised.”

“Ha! Surprise!” Danny said, pointing at her, laughing like a child. “Made you say it!”

“But you already knew that Dude,” Tucker said laughing, shaking his head at him.

“Yeah, but this time you admitted it,” Danny said gloating.

It honestly did make him feel good, knowing he had as least gotten them to say it was a surprise.

“Okay Mr. Party Pooper, we get it. You hate waiting for surprises,” Tucker said, giving him a raised eyebrow with a smirk, “but can’t you at least go along with the surprise? You know how unfun it is when we try to surprise you and you act like you knew the whole time.”

“That’s because I do,” Danny snorted.

“Yeah, well, you’re not supposed to,” Sam cut in, crossing her arms.

Just when Danny was going to retort, a girl in their class walked up to him, making him turn and look at her.

Emily Thomason, a senior who had skipped a grade and was in this class with them. She was a cute girl, and quite popular, being a cheerleader and all. She was short for a girl their age, only around 5ft. She had strawberry blonde hair and the sweetest personality. She was a girl Danny had once had a crush on, only to never try to date her for fear of having to open up to her. He still wasn’t ready to let anyone in, no matter how much time passed.

Looking at her and smiling he said, “Hey Emily.”

“Hi Danny. I just wanted to come over here and say ‘Happy Birthday’,” she said, smiling at him brightly. “Ohh! And I got you this card. I hope you like it,” she added before handing him a blue envelope and blushing lightly.

He smiled more genuinely before saying, “Thanks. That’s really sweet of you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to!” She said a little too forcefully before saying, “I wanted to make sure you knew I wanted you to have a good birthday.”

“Thanks Emily. That means a lot to me,” he said honestly. 

She just nodded before running back to her seat.

He watched as her friends circled around her, probably asking her what she’d said and what he’d said. It made him chuckle, and feel like garbage all at the same time. He really liked Emily, a lot, but he didn’t think he was ready for a relationship, maybe ever.

He glanced back as Sam and Tucker before seeing their expressions and sighing.

“Well, I don’t know if you caught on, but she obviously likes you,” Sam started, giving him a knowing look.

“You know why I can’t Sam,” he stated softly.

“Why not?” Tucker asked, gesturing to her across the room. “She likes you, you like her. That’s the perfect reason to try.”

“I just can’t,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to end the conversation there.

And luckily for him, the teacher chose then to walk into room, signaling for everyone to settle down and begin.

All day Danny was distracted. Not that he wasn’t usually distracted, but today felt more quiet and still than usual. It wasn’t something that Danny minded, but it made him a little antsy.

What he didn’t like was the feeling he was being watched. It hadn’t been until lunch that he really noticed it, and maybe it was just his ever increasing paranoia, but Danny would have swore up and down that someone was stalking him.

As the school day continued, his anxiety just increased more and more, almost to the point he’d wanted to ask to go home so he could escape the feeling.

As their last class came to a close, Danny breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be going home. When he was ready to go, he gathered his things and started to make his way to his locker, only to slam straight into Emily Thomason.

“I-I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, eyes wide as she turned to look at him.

“No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking.” He said, reaching out and almost touching the side of her face before pulling his hand away quickly. “Are you okay? I hit you pretty hard.”

She just blushed before nodding, smiling embarrassedly.

“That’s a relief,” he said before moving to get out of her way.

“Wait! Ummm…” she said, reaching out and grabbing his sleeve.

Looking at here she had a hold of his shirt, he frowned at her, confused. “Did you need something?”

“I, well, I was wondering. Maybe, if you wanted—I wanted to,” she stuttered, barely making sense, “would you wanna go out with me—sometime?” She finished, looking at him hopefully.

He looked at her with wide eyes, not sure how to respond. He wanted to so badly. He really liked Emily. She was so genuine and kind. A really nice person amongst a sea of lies and plastic smiles, but he was so afraid to let her in. Not wanting to hurt her feelings he admitted, “I would.”

Her face lit up then, smiling brightly, making her look like an angel. She was too good for Danny and he knew it, but that didn’t mean he wanted to lose this opportunity. He knew he needed to try eventually, to get out of his shell, and if not now, when? He was 18 now, an actual adult, at least legally. This was the time to take control of his life and stop letting it control him.

“I’m so glad,” she said, looking at her friends across the hallways and smiled excitedly, causing them to make little excited gestures back at her.

Danny just watched this and smiled, knowing that she was happy, and that made him happy. Even if it only lasted one date or a hundred. It was worth it to see that bright smile directed at him.

“Oh yeah!” she said, pulling out a piece of paper and writing something on it. “That’s my number. Why don’t you call me sometime? That way we can set up that date.”

“I’d—be honored,” he said softly, making her blush again and run off to her friends, giggling and whispering to them animatedly, causing some of them to squeal in that excited girl way. He watched as a nearby boy jumped at least a foot off the ground from being startled by it, making him chuckle.

He then finally made it to his locker to collect his things. It was these moments that made him enjoy being young and alive. Just experiencing life day by day. And now, he was going to go out with this gorgeous girl he liked that actually liked him back. He felt lucky, a little too lucky for him, but he’d take it.

Meeting with Sam and Tucker, he saw them smirking at him. Rolling his eyes, he walked pasted them, knowing exactly what they were going to say.

“And I thought you weren’t going to date her,” Tucker said, giving him a sly look.

“I wasn’t, but she asked me out, and I couldn’t say no,” he said simply.

“Ohh? And was that before or after she gave you her number?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Before—wait, how did you—?” Danny started, questioningly.

“Someone may or may not have asked what your last class was and I may or may not have told them and waited to see what would happen.” Sam said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wow Sam. Plotting against me. I see how it is,” he said, pretending to be struck.

“Calm down you baby,” Sam said, laughing. “You’ll thank me someday.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, but he smiled, knowing it was true.

Leaving the school, he started to walk towards his house before he stopped and asked, “are we supposed to come home straight after school or sometime after?”

“Ummm, I don’t know,” Tucker said, looking just as confused as him.

“Maybe to be safe, wait here while I call no one in particular,” Sam said, walking away and typing on her phone.

Danny snorted and rolled his eyes before yelling, “Gee! I wonder who Sam is calling!”

Stop, she mouthed as him, making him chuckle. Nothing was better than this. Waiting for her to finish, they watched as other students left the school, heading towards their intended destinations.

After a minute, she returned and said, “okay, just a bit longer, so many we can go to Nasty Burger first. Hang out and waste time.”

“Sounds fantastic to me,” Danny said, smiling wide before walking towards her.

They walked and talked, enjoying the day. It was a perfect day for Danny, when he felt that feeling again. Someone was there. He knew it. Looking around, he tried to see who it was, but as hard as he tried, he spotted no one.

“Danny? Are you okay?” Sam asked, looking alarmed.

“Ummm—yeah. Sorry. I’m just,” he paused before releasing a breath. “I feel like someone’s watching me.”

“Sorry man. I thought it’d been getting better lately,” Tucker said, concern clear in his voice.

“Me too, but apparently not,” Danny spoke, looking at the ground now.

His friends just shared a look before trying to change the topic, trying to lighten the mood again, but no matter how much they tried to distract him, Danny continued to feel watched.

When they finally made it Nasty Burger, Danny felt relieved, hoping to escape the eyes following him. Ordering and sitting with his friends, he enjoyed the atmosphere that the Nasty Burger continued to keep even as the customers changed and aged and shifted, it had stayed their lovable eating establishment.

Danny ate and talked with his friends, trying to push the uncomfortable feeling away, but it lingered. No matter what he did, he felt those eyes on him. It got to the point where he was starting to hear his breathing getting heavier. He could hear his heartbeat rushing in his ears and it felt like every light in the building was pointing at him.

He knew he was on the brink of having a panic attack, but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t make it go away. The walls around him seemed to be closing in and all he could focus on was that awful feeling. He knew it had to be coming from somewhere, but where?

Looking up jerkily, he startled his friends who had been having a chat while they thought he had zoned out peacefully. Now that they saw him, Tucker stood up quickly before going to sit beside him and grabbing his shoulders, steadying him.

“Danny, man. It’s okay. It’s me, Tucker. I’ve got you, buddy. I’m right here. Everything is okay.”

Danny could barely hear him though. All he could hear was his blood rushing through his veins. He tried to focus on Tucker, but it was like he was unable to do anything but hyperventilate as he lost control himself.

It was a few minutes later when he could finally catch his breath, gasping for air. He had experienced his fair share of panic attacks in the last few years, but he hadn’t had one that intense in a long while. It made him feel guilty, knowing he’d worried his friends and ruined their nice day out.

What a good birthday this was becoming.

When he had finally calmed down completely, Sam and Tucker just watched him, waiting to see what he would say. Looking at them embarrassed, he mumbled, “sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Sam said softly, giving him a look. “You know it’s not your fault. And you don’t need to feel bad about it. I just wish we could do something to help you better.”

Danny gave them a weak smile, glad to know he had them, but hating that they had to deal with his crap.

“And no negative thoughts. It’s your birthday! And a big one! We need to be celebrating!” Sam said, standing up quickly.

“Is it finally surprise time?” Danny asked jokingly, still not the most energized after his scare.

“Yeah, I think it is,” Sam said, holding out her hands to him, forcing Tucker to get up too.

Danny smiled before grabbing her hands and allowing her to pull him up.

Leading him, Sam smiled and walked quickly, forcing Danny to have to keep up. He smiled at her, knowing she was just trying to keep him happy, which was slightly working as he watched her almost trip while trying to get him to go faster. Laughing softly, Danny allowed her to keep pulling, soon accompanied by Tucker who grabbed his other wrist and was also pulling him.

“Guys, I can only go so fast,” he said.

“We know, so go faster,” Sam joked back, making him snort.

It took then only a few minutes more to finally make it to his house, but when they stopped in front of his house, he was almost nervous to open the door.

Walking up his front steps, he pushed the door open into a dark living-room. Turning on the lights, he was bombarded by a loud, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” As confetti fell on him from a confetti canon his dad had shot at him.

He laughed and smiled widely at his family, happy with his surprise. Seeing not only his parents, but his sister too was just what he needed to brighten his day.

“Happy birthday little brother,” she said once she came over close to him.

“Thanks Jazz,” he said before accepting the hug she engulfed him in.

“When did you get so tall?” She asked, finally pulling away to look up at him.

“Guess I sprouted up while you were away,” he joked weakly, smiling at her.

Jazz looked at him concerned before looking over at Sam and Tucker.

They came over to her before Tucker whisperer, “he had a panic attack at Nasty Burger just now.”

“Ohh,” Jazz said looking at him with wide concerned eyes. “Danny, I’m so—“

“I’ll be okay,” he said quietly, not looking at her anymore.

“Yeah you will,” Sam said a little louder, standing next to him. “Especially today, because we have cake and gifts, which we all know you love.”

“Those are excellent,” Danny said a little more enthusiastically, still smiling.

“Then I suggest we cut the cake first,” his mom said, bringing the attention to the cake at the end of the counter.

Singing happy birthday to him, he blew out his candles and thought about what he should wish for. Knowing it was a horrible idea, he silently made a wish and smiled at his family and friends who cheered for him and proceeded to cut and serve the pieces. It was quite a few hours of enjoying his favorite people’s company, eating cake, opening gifts, and just merry fun before Sam and Tucker declared that they needed to get home. Danny was sad to see them leave, but loved all the more that they had went through all the trouble to set up this surprise for him. It made him feel appreciated and cared about.

Going to his room alone, he laid on his bed and closed his eyes, breathing and thinking of his mostly wonderful day.

And when he was finally getting over it, he felt that feeling once more. Eyes opening and jumping up quickly, Danny looked around his whole room before backing up into a corner of his room, looking at his empty room in terror. When he felt afraid enough to try and make a run for it, he finally heard a gravely voice emit from somewhere before him, freezing him to his spot.

“Look what we have here. Prey. Helpless and cornered. You don’t know what such a sight does to me. Makes my blood boil. Makes my instincts fight my resolve to not pounce on you. It would take less than a minute to pin you beneath me. Make you powerless under me. But we haven’t seen each other in a bit, so I thought we could get reacquainted before the games begin. What do you say?”

Danny listened with wide eyes as he heard the words, but was unable to recognize the voice associated with it. When he finally found his own voice, he shakily asked, “Wh-who are you?”

“Ohh Fenton, did you already forget me? I thought we were closer than that,” he heard before seeing a figure appear in front of him.

Looking up at him with wide eyes, all he could choke out was, “Phantom?”

Chapter Text

“But we—I thought—,” he tried, only to be cut off by Phantom.

“Did you really think you’d be able to keep me out forever?” He said, coming closer to where he stood, reaching out and gripping his chin harshly, forcing his face up. “You may have closed all of the existing portals, but I made it my mission to learn to create my own.” Phantom’s expression never changed from his dark gaze. “With enough power and strength, I tore my own hole through reality, creating a portal the same way Wuff did all those years ago.”

Danny looked at him in horror, not knowing how to respond to him. Deep down, he had missed this being in front of him, wanted so often to see him one more time, at the least to apologize for what he had had to do that day all those years ago, but now he regretted that, seeing this evil version of Phantom before him.

“If you’re worried about ghosts entering this domain again, you can be rest assured, I opened it in a place no one but I can enter.” Phantom added a bit softer, making Danny’s eyebrows squint in confusion, because that wasn’t even one of his many concerns at the moment.

“I—,” Danny started, but stopped when he realized he had no idea what he wanted to say. What does one say to the ghost half of themself they locked away for a few years that reappeared out of nowhere?

“You’ve changed a lot,” Phantom spoke, turning his head to the side to look at him from a different angle. “But I’ve changed a lot too, haven’t I? Guess that’s what happens when you haven’t seen someone in a few years.”

Danny felt his eyes tear up, knowing that he was the reason for that. He felt helpless and awful. He had betrayed him, his other half. He’d locked him away, seemingly indefinitely. He was a horrible person.

Phantom stared at him deeply, watching as his tears filled his eyes and started to roll down his cheeks. He couldn’t look away as Phantom’s eyes followed the tear before he moved forward and did something unexpected.

Bending down, he licked up the line, starting from his jaw all the way to directly below his eye. When he pulled away, Danny watched him with a more shocked look than his initial fear. What just happened?

Phantom let out a snort before turning his face back to look at him straightforward. Raising an eyebrow at him, Phantom asked, “Why must you look so stunned? Does everything I do surprise you or are you just barely comprehending that I’m here?”

Danny didn’t know what to say so he just stared at him. Really taking in his appearance. It had been so long since he’d seen him, and the difference was…unreal. What was really interesting was that he looked nothing like Dan Phantom, which was a major relief.

Phantom did look like an older version of himself, just a much colder version. His hair was similar to what he remembered, but longer and more uncontrollable on top and shaved underneath. His body was completely different, however, with him being significantly taller than Danny and built noticeably more muscular. Where Danny was fit in a lean kind of way, Phantom looked like a bodybuilder, which was very intimidating, especially being caged in by him. He also held himself more confidently than Danny, which didn’t help him feel less like a mouse cornered by a cat.

One thing he was very pleased to see was that Phantom still had his bright green eyes, which made Danny feel less threatened than if they had been red like Dan’s had been. But what he had happened to noticed were Phantom’s fangs, which glinted menacingly when he spoke, making Danny wince. He definitely looked like a vengeful ghost now.

His outfit was quite a bit different too, most noticeably his lack of the Danny Phantom logo. His suit was also significantly darker than before, somehow looking to be made of shadows and not just a dark material. Where before his suit had been white and black, it was now black and dark grey, but hard to tell where one began and the other ended. He also noticed that unlike before, his suit looked more like an armor, like it was made for battle.

Looking at his transformation, Danny realized that he wasn’t that scary, but was still incredibly shocking to see. And the more he looked at him, the more confused he felt as Phantom just watched him back, holding his face in place.

Hearing a noise from out in the hall, Danny looked in that general direction, only to remember that Phantom was taking up his whole view, so trying to look was pointless. Looking back at Phantom, he watched as the ghost tilted his head, listening to the sound too before it faded away.

Danny, unsure what to do now, just closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He had always feared that this might happen one day, that Phantom would find a way to escape and hunt him down, but he never thought it would be on his birthday. It seemed that much crueler to him.

“You look so peaceful. So accepting. Like you know I’m going to take you, so you just give in.” Phantom said, making Danny scrunch his eyebrows together, keeping his eyes shut.

But before he could even ask what Phantom meant, his eyes shot open, taken aback by what Phantom was doing to him. He was kissing him. And not just a simple peck on the lips, but an actual kiss, where Phantom’s frozen lips were pressed fully to his burning ones, sealing him in a shocking sensation that was both painful and pleasurable.

Not moving an inch, Danny stared at him as he kissed him, not knowing how to respond. After his initial shock, he found his eyelids starting to dropped. He had never felt this way before. Had never been kissed by someone so passionately before. It made him feel lightheaded and yet his thoughts were racing. Ignoring all of them, he just leaned into the kiss, or would have if he could move.

Danny felt as Phantom pulled away just slightly, allowing him to catch his breath before slowly leaning forward again and capturing his lips once more, but this time in a short and sweet kiss. When he pulled away this time, Danny slightly followed him back, causing Phantom to barely noticeably smile. It was so faint, Danny thought he might have imagined it before he started talking again.

“Looks like you enjoyed my gift,” Phantom’s words were husky coming out of his throat, followed by him kissing him gently once again, causing Danny to gasp into his mouth from the almost nonexistent phantom kiss. “Happy birthday, my Love.”

Still pressed against him, Phantom sighed before saying, “I’ve missed you dearly.” Phantom lifted his hand gently, moving from his face to his hair, running his much larger fingers through his messy tangled strands. “I don’t blame you, for what happened. I know it was Clockwork who made you lock the portal in the first place. He was afraid of what would happened if I had secured my obsession.”

“You’re obsession?” Danny whispered, feeling worried now. 

“Yes. You, Fenton. You’re my obsession. And why wouldn’t you be? You’re my other half. My human half. You belong to me. Belong with me. We were made as a perfect match. And now that I have you back, I can finally be complete once more.”

Danny just shook his head at him, confused. “But—you didn’t want to combine when we last spoke. Why would you change your mind now?”

“I never said anything about merging. You are going to rule by my side, as my prince.”

“Prince? Phantom, you’re not making any sense.” Danny said, still slightly scared of what was happening at that very moment.

“I forgot. You haven’t seen me since before The Battle of Takeover.” Phantom said, the angle showing off his razor sharp canines. Danny swallowed. “For the last few years, I have been ruling the Ghost Zone as the Ghost King, or the Shadow King, as I have been deemed.”

Danny didn’t know what to say. Ghost King? 

“I know it’s a lot to take in. A lot has changed,” his expression was neutral and as cryptic as ever, but his eyes held a lot of emotion behind them too, even if he couldn’t fully decipher the meaning hidden within them.

Phantom leaned forward then, angling his head to expose his throat, allowing ghost to lightly rake his teeth across Danny’s throat, causing him to whine softly. He felt Phantom exhale before moving to the side of his throat next, nipping and sucking on the skin there too, causing him to moan a little too loudly.

Feeling weak in the knees, Danny slightly felt himself fall forwards before being caught by Phantom, who steadied him. But in the next moment, he had picked him up bridal style like all those years ago, easily carrying him to his bed before dumping him in the center of it.

Danny only had a moment to gain his thoughts before he felt Phantom join him, easily covering his body with his own.

“You’re so perfect my Love,” Phantom spoke softly, lightly stroking his cheek with his all too cold hand, “I cannot wait to make you fully mine.”

Danny was just going with the flow before he heard that, which made his panic slightly come back, but Phantom had started kissing him again, silencing any thoughts he might have had.

It was as they kissed that he felt Phantom pulling on his shirt, slowly lifting it up his chest to try and get it off.

“Phantom—“ he tried when their lips parted, but it only lasted the moment before his shirt was off before Phantom’s lips were back on his. It was almost like he knew exactly how to keep him from protesting. Working his pants off too, Danny was left underneath him in only his underwear, making him feel extremely self conscious.

He almost didn’t notice when Phantom went from wearing clothes one second to the next being completely nude, except for how much colder his body became, no longer being insulated by his ghostly clothing. 

Kissing him deeper than before, Danny felt as Phantom reached between them and started trying to pull Danny’s underwear off, only for Danny to finally protest.

Phantom pulled away then, looking at him with scrunched eyebrows before continuing. Removing his underwear with his ghostly power before tossing them somewhere else.

There was nothing separating them. Danny was terrified. He had no idea what to do, and absolutely no time to learn now. He watched as Phantom’s eyes examined him, talking in his whole body, making him want to cover up, but he was frozen stiff.

“Gorgeous,” he huskily growled before getting back on top of him, kissing him with renewed vigor.

Danny let him lead, not knowing at all what to make of this predicament. They fought in their kiss, soon to be dominated by Phantom who had the upper hand by being on top of him, pinning him beneath him. They kissed for a while before he felt Phantom’s hands start to explore his body, causing him to reach out and wrap his arms around his neck, trying to stabilize himself.

It was then that he felt Phantom caress his ass, causing him to tense up. Phantom just changed the angle of their kiss before continuing, massaging his cheeks gently, trying to get him to relax.

After a bit, Danny did finally relax again, allowing Phantom to squeeze and caress his flesh. But it was when he circled his tight hole with a single finger that he started to make protesting sounds again.

“Hush,” Phantom said when he ended their kiss, allowing Danny to catch his breath. “I’ll go slowly. I’ll take care of you.”

Bringing his hand to his mouth, Phantom stuck his finger into his mouth before bringing it back to his hole, pressing against his tight ring. He cried out, only to be cut off by Phantom’s kiss. It was so cold. All of him was.

He felt as Phantom pushed forward, finally breaching his little ring, but he didn’t stop until he was knuckle deep. Danny clawed his nailed into Phantom’s back, breathing deeply through his nose while Phantom just held him close, kissing him deeply.

Any and all movements felt weird and uncomfortable, so when Phantom started to pull out, Danny made a sound of protest in his throat and dug his nails in tighter, lifting his body off the bed as he clung to his other half.

Phantom just kissed his cheek as he started moving the finger in and out, trying to get him adjusted.

Pulling out entirely, Phantom brought his middle finger to his mouth, coating that one in his ghostly saliva before aligning the two fingers at his entrance, making him tense up.

“You have to relax as much as possible. Tensing just makes it worse for you.” Phantom said, burying his face in his neck and biting lightly.

Gasping out loud, he felt his body relax and Phantom force his fingers in, making him feel a stretching, burning pain. He tried to move away from it, but Phantom just kept him in place, slowing forcing them deeper into him. When he was buried knuckle deep once more, he stilled, allowing Danny a breather. He was honestly already exhausted, and not much had happened other than his unused hole being assaulted.

Phantom pulled away from his neck and kissed him again, distracting him as he moved his fingered once more, slowly thrusting to get him adjusted quicker. Pulling them out, he put a final finger into his mouth, his ring finger.

Looking down at him, Phantom said softly, “last one.”

Danny felt worse hearing that, but he knew that fighting back now would be quite pointless. He was literally already inside of him. Feeling the three fingers against his hole, he tried to force himself to relax, but thinking it was easier than making it happen. Phantom just started sucking his collar, causing him to moan, relaxing enough that he was able to force his fingers into him.

Fuck, he felt too full and the continuous stretch was making his hole feel like it was ready to rip apart. He was just ready to get this over with.

The fingers went knuckle deep before thrusting into him, no waiting this time, causing him to cry out in pain, digging his nails in once more, feeling the worsening pain as his hole felt the affects of being pried open without proper lubrication.

When he finally felt the hand leave his hole, he was almost relieved, feeling Phantom lift off of him. But then he felt Phantom try to turn him over. He protested, but he was eventually turned on his stomach. Danny felt as Phantom aligned his dick with his abused entrance, making him whine softly. Phantom just kissed the back of his neck before finally getting his head at the perfect angle to thrust into him.

Danny’s eyes widened as he was stretched open. Wider than he could have ever imagined. And the pain that accompanied it was excruciating. Clenching his teeth, he breathed in deeply, wishing he could force this pain away. Phantom nipped at his neck, giving him a pleasant feeling to distract from his pain, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make him want more.

Phantom, not even letting him get halfway adjusted, started pushing more of himself in, against Danny’s wished. Danny felt tears falling down his cheeks as he tried to control his ever increasing gasps and groans, but it was useless when Phantom just kept adding more pain. Finally hilting himself, Phantom stopped, giving Danny the chance to breathe once more.

Phantom hummed, kissing along his neck and shoulders, which he would have appreciated had he not been stuffed so completely with the man’s dick. When Danny had finally stopped clamping down on him, Phantom started pulling out slowly. Danny whined in pain, but Phantom just kept pulling before stopping and thrusting back in, hilting himself once more. It was a few more rhythmic movements like this before Phantom started moving faster, finding more of a steady rhythm.

Soon finding a good steady pace, he started thrusting. Phantom continued to kiss and lick and bite him, making him feel pleasurable tingles as he was fucked. Phantom getting faster and putting more power behind his thrusts, Danny started to crying out with every motion, forgetting he needed to be quiet. But Phantom just kept pistoning into him, thoroughly ruining him.

When Phantom finally finished, he held Danny close, slamming himself as far as he could inside him, cumming deep into his channel. Danny just fell forward, no longer able to even consider holding himself up. Phantom soon followed, covering his body with his.

To be honestly, Danny sort of loved it. Feeling Phantom on top of him made him feel safe—secure in a way he hadn’t in a very long time. 

When he closed his eyes, he thought he heard the ghost whisper something, but he tuned it out, too exhausted and dead to the world at this point, even when he felt Phantom's mouth return to his throat, the last thing he remembered being the slightly painful feeling of sharp teeth and an icy tongue.

Chapter Text

Waking up the next day, Danny barely stirred, thinking about the extremely odd dream he’d had. He frowned, lifting his arms to try and push himself up, but let out a groan instead when he felt his entire body ignite with burning sensations. He felt so much pain everywhere that it caused him to fall back to the mattress in a heap.

“Don’t move,” he heard somewhere near him, making him tense as he registered the deep voice. “You’re body needs rest so it can recover faster.”

Glancing over slowly, he eventually saw Phantom, fully clothed, sitting on his bed next to him, looking down at him. Eyes widening, he realized his dream wasn’t a dream at all. It had actually happened. He and Phantom had…

Panicking slightly, he shifted his body again, causing him to hiss.

Phantom sighed before saying, “if you’re just going to keep moving, I’m going to have to restrain you, and trust me when I say, you don’t want that.”

Danny tried to relax, but his thoughts were racing faster than he could possibly keep up with. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths one after another, trying to calm down, but his stress induced mind was panicking. 

“Phantom?”

“Yes?”

Danny took another deep breath, “I don’t know how to feel right now.”

Phantom just let out this empty chuckle, making him feel even more tense. “Feel about what?”

“What’s—what exactly is happening right now?” He barely forced out, his words breathy and weak on his tongue.

“I thought I made that clear,” Phantom spoke, sounding completely seriously, just as serious as his overly calm expression. “I can’t be without you anymore. I tried, but the longer I went, the more I felt my mind slipping.”

Phantom looked away from him, letting out a cool breath before closing his eyes, leaning his head back against his headboard. Danny just watched him, refusing to look away as he continued talking. 

”I’ve learned so much from being on my own in the Ghost Zone. This feeling that I have—it’s obsession sickness. All ghosts have an obsession, the thing we desire above all else, which makes us—who we are essentially.

“When we split the first time, that Phantom’s obsession was playing the hero, being the savior, but it was useless because what made Danny Phantom so powerful was being able to outsmart the ghosts as a human and a ghost. So they’d just went back to being original Danny.

“But the second time, we didn’t choose to split. We were forced apart, so it ripped the actual ghost and human halves apart, without our intervention. Which split us perfectly, with no specific outline.”

That made Danny think. He was pretty accurate. All he had been thinking about was how much he didn’t want the split to happen. He had been desperate and afraid.

“This is who we were meant to be, Fenton. ”

Danny just stated at him, not knowing what to say. He knew his silence probably wasn’t helping, but he didn’t want to say the wrong thing either.

Phantom sighed, looking back down at him again. “I know you probably don’t believe me. It look me a while to really put it all together myself. Think along these lines, when you go through your day-to-day, do you still think of yourself as a part of Danny, or just Danny?”

He lay there in silence, the thought really ringing in his head before he freaked out, realizing Phantom wasn’t being rhetorical and was waiting for an answer.

“I—I think of myself as…Danny?”

“Good. Because you are Danny.” Phantom shifted on his bed, bringing Danny’s eyes down to his sculpted body before forcing them back up. He was not going to ogle Phantom. “You’re what Danny would have been without my influence.”

“What?” He asked, incredibly confused.

“When you got electrocuted in the ghost portal, it fused ghost DNA with your own DNA, creating a sort of half-ghost half-human hybrid. But that ghost DNA didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It was from some other ghost that had existed at one point, or a combination of a few. It was forced into your being and created what we were, a halfa. After that day, you changed. You became more confident, more powerful, and started becoming a true halfa from prophesy, but it wasn’t actually you. It was us. A human—and a ghost.”

Danny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was absolutely insane. It was all too complicated and yet so simple. It made him feel sick.

“When they split the first time, it wasn’t done properly. It was based on traits—the serious one and the fun one. The hero and the party guy. Old Danny had split them based on what he wanted, not who we actually were.

“But this time, we didn’t decide. I was removed from you. It was the first time I had truly awakened, the ghost living within your body. It took a moment for me to really register that I was existing, but then, I saw you. Injured, helpless, unable to defend yourself. I felt all these emotions and feelings like you’d never believe, all centered towards you and your wellbeing. I vowed then that no matter what, I would protect you and make sure that nothing ever harmed you again.

“You became my obsession from that very moment,” he said, his expression neutral as his voice just seemed to get rougher. “The one most important thing in my whole existence. Without you, I wouldn’t exist.”

Danny’s mind was racing with so many thoughts, most of them involving Phantom, but none actually sticking long enough to speak or do anything else. Everything was a lie. Everything I thought was true—it never had been.

As the panic started to set in, Danny felt a cold hand caress his cheek, shocking him into focusing on Phantom once more. They stared at each other silently before Danny forced words out of his mouth.

“Where—where is everyone?”

”Out.”

Danny frowned, watching the ghost as he moved to lay next to him, reach up to play with his hair.

“Ohh.” He wasn’t able to think much of anything else, his thoughts now swirling around the being that had decided to make his presence known in the most invasive way possible.

They laid that way for what felt like an eternity, Phantom continuously brushing against him, touching him in any way he could. Danny, getting fed up with the attention, finally decided that he was willing to chance the pain if he could sit up.

Moving his arms, he tried pushing himself up again, much to Phantom’s concern.

“What are you doing?” He asked calmly, pulling himself to a sitting position to watch him struggle.

“I—want to sit up,” he forced out, breathing heavily.

“I highly advise against it, but I’ll help you if you’re adamant.”

Danny struggled for a bit longer finally caved in, nodding to the frozen being. Phantom just sigh before moving to crouch on the bed beside him.

Danny felt the shift as he moved overtop of him. He waited until he felt cold hands under his armpits, the much larger fingers digging into his flesh before lifting him up. It did shoot pain through his lower regions, but he just gritted his teeth and let him continue. He was done lying around. He was then flipped so his back was to the headboard, Phantom keeping him up before moving to sit behind him, letting Danny rest against him. Sighing, he leaned into him, adjusting to their new position. He had to admit, it was nice to lean against a wall of cool flesh. Looking down at himself, Danny blushed, realizing something he probably should have noticed when he first woke up.

“Ummm, Phantom? Wh-where are my—clothes?”

“On the floor. I didn’t want to move you after our lovemaking.”

This caused Danny to blush, hearing Phantom say such a thing. He didn’t know if it was the wording, or the way he said it, but it sounded so incredibly intimate he thought he might pass out from how much blood was in his cheeks.

“W-well, c-can I put some on now?” Danny stuttered, feeling his face burn.

“You shouldn’t move that much, but if you’re just uncomfortable by your visible nudity, I can always move the blanket on top of us,” Phantom offered.

Danny just nodded, feeling very not confident in his voice right now. He watched as the blanket floated through them and hovered over them a bit before falling on top of them, covering his body.

He glanced to the side, wanting to thank Phantom, but stopped when he realized something: Phantom’s hands had never left his sides, so he didn’t touch the blanket to move it.

“H-how—how did you do that?”

“Do what? The blanket? It was just intangibility,” he said overly calmly.

“You didn’t even touched it. How did you make it move?”

Phantom slightly snorter then, causing Danny to tense, not knowing how to react to Phantom’s strange reactions to his words.

“I keep forgetting how long it’s been. I’ve acquired and mastered an abundance of new powers, many that rival even the greatest warriors we faced as children.”

“Oh—ohh? Really?” Danny asked cautiously.

“Would you like to see?” Phantom spoke softly, but the way he rolled his words made them sound slightly flirtatious, causing Danny to freeze, not sure if he should answer or not.

“M-maybe?” He said, unsure.

Danny felt as Phantom shifted, bringing  his right hand out in front of them. One moment it was empty, dark and clothed, the next he was holding the stem of a bright blue rose. He blinked, shocked by what just happened.

“What—?”

“It’s called reshaping reality. I thought about what I wanted and made it appear by forcing it into existence. Things like this don’t take much power because it’s like drawing on a piece of paper. Not there, then there the next. Though some can be much more complicated. Like changing people’s memories, especially if you change too much in a short time. It can actually break their mind.”

Phantom barely chuckled at that, causing Danny to feel sick. He made it sound like something nonchalant, like breaking people’s minds was a normal thing. Maybe to him it was…

He then handed the rose to Danny, which he took in a shaky hand.

“It feels like a lifetime ago, being Danny Phantom with the minimal powers we had back then, fighting all those minor ghosts. If we had half the power I do now, our fights wouldn’t have lasted five minutes.”

Danny didn’t respond, he couldn’t. Everything seemed so lost to him. Half? How many does he have now? What all could he do? Just how much power does he actually have?

Danny felt his breathing pick up, felt the room start to spin around him before he felt cold hands return to his hair, slightly freezing the longer ends and making him gasp in surprise. He wondered if Phantom knew he was shocking him out of anxiety attacks or if he just liked touching him. Maybe a little of both…

Phantom moved his frosted hands then, dragging one down the side of his neck before resting at his collar bone. The cold caused Danny to tense, leaning towards the cold hand to try and protect himself. But he let out a small shout when he felt sharp teeth nipping the area of his throat he had exposed. Phantom pulled away then, but not before lightly biting his shoulder too, causing him to moan breathily.

He tried to get his thoughts straight, tried to come up with some reason or another to make him release him, but when all else had failed, it was actually his body that saved him. All of a sudden, his stomach growled, loudly, making him thank his lucky stars.

“I had all but forgot about food. I haven’t eaten in so long,” Phantom said softly, sounding slightly distant. “Do you want something specific? I can create it.”

“I, ummm—” Think, Danny! “I want to go out.”

“You really shouldn’t be moving that much so soon.”

“But I’ve been not moving this whole time, and I had to have been sleeping for a while before this, so I’ve been resting for hours. I want to get some fresh air.”

Danny was still for a bit before he felt the body behind him vanish. He blinked before looking around, spotting him now next to him.

“Sorry, I just wanted to be able to help you up easier.”

Nodding slightly, Danny started to move before remembering once more that he was naked under his blanket.

“Can—can I get up and get changed by myself?” Danny asked embarrassedly, no longer looking at him.

“Danny, you’re sore. I’m not sure you can.”

“Can I at least try?” He pressed.

Sighing, Phantom just nodded before saying, “I’m not leaving, but I will give you your privacy.”

Danny nodded, blushing slightly. Trying to move his lower body was a nightmare. He just gritted his teeth and tried to keep moving, ignoring the pain that blossomed all over his body. He scooted himself to the edge of the bed slowly. Feeling accomplished, he tried to stand and found that his legs felt like noodles. He walked shakily, but halfway to his closet, he fell forward, his legs giving out. Lucky for him, Phantom caught him a second later, saving him from a very painful face-plant into his bedroom floor.

“Thanks,” he managed, letting Phantom help him walk to the closet.

When he got there, he propped himself up in the doorway, and reached for the closest pants and shirt he could grab. Choosing a pair of blue jeans and a blue NASA shirt, Danny decided that was good enough, and would have pulled them on if he hadn’t realize he still needed underwear. 

Cussing himself in his head, he looked towards his dresser, wishing his underwear would just materialize next to him. And, like magic, they did. Or they did in the hands of a very specific ghost.

“I know you wanted to do this on your own, but you just kept staring at it and I thought you could use a hand.”

He gave him a weak smile before taking the offering. He tried putting them on himself, but quickly realized it was a horrible idea once he’d bent down, sending pain up his lower regions and up his back. 

He had completely frozen up from his pain, which had him in a very awkward half bent over position. 

“Do you want some help?” Phantom called to him softly from where he had went back to his bed, watching him struggle.

“Yes, Phantom, I want some help,” he finally admitted reluctantly.

He was baffled however, when the underwear disappeared from his hands to miraculously on his body, followed by his shirt and pants and a pair of socks and shoes. All in less than a second.

Thinking back on what Phantom had told him he frowned, “wait, if you can magically put clothes on my body, why didn’t you do that earlier?”

“I didn’t want to,” he said honestly, like it was the most normal thing in the world to admit.

Hearing things like that from Phantom made him embarrassed in a way he couldn’t explain. It had taken him by surprise that Phantom would like him at all, but to hear him admit it so openly was another thing. It made him remember that this wasn’t his Phantom. This was the new Phantom, one he barely knew.

“Are you ready?” Phantom asked, clearing his throat almost nervously if his face wasn’t so lacking of emotion. “I didn’t know where you’d want to go, but I assumed I’d fly us there. It’ll be easiest that way.”

“Ummm—can we go to Nasty Burger?”

“I haven’t thought of that place in so long,” Phantom said, his voice light, almost nostalgic sounding. “That sounds good to me.”

He then walked over to him, but instead of just taking his hand, he picked him up bridal style, causing Danny to gasp, looking up at him with wide eyes. Other than last night, the last time he’d held him like this was when he’d been injured and defenseless. Looking away, he tried to keep his heartbeat calm and his breathing still, but he felt like he was failing miserably at both. 

He tried not to react as Phantom lifted them, phasing them through the wall and taking them quickly to his favorite hangout restaurant. They landed softly a good ways away, but it was at this moment that he realized a few things. 

“Phantom—you can’t go in there. You’re obviously a ghost, and ghosts haven’t been spotted in years. If you show up, they’re going to know something’s up.”

“It’s no concern of mine,” he said calmly.

Danny was about to ask him when he watched a green aura enveloped him before Danny was left looking at a completely different person holding him.

Danny gasped. Phantom looked human. His hair was white still, but the roots were dark, making it look dyed. And his eyes were still green, but a regular non-glowing green—not that of a ghost. And he was now dressed in human clothes. A pair of black jeans, a dark grey t-shirt and a leather jacket, and a pair of black boots. He practically looked like a model, and that alone took Danny’s breath away.

“Wha—?”

“I just altered my form. It is honestly quite easy to learn, we probably could have done it if we had known about it.”

“Ohh…neat,” he said quietly.

Walking in with Phantom was like walking in with a celebrity. Everyone looked up at them, nosy about the newcomers, but usually when that happened, they’d look away immediately after. Not this time. Every single person just kept starring at them.

Danny caught sight of a group of A-listers starring at them, whispering and pointing. He could practically feel the girls ogling Phantom from a distance. Some weren’t even pretending not to, proudly looking up and down his whole body and making gestures Danny decided to ignore.

Getting in line, Phantom just stood there calmly while Danny was practically sweating bullets. He hated to feel stared at. It would always get to him, making him feel like he was in some sort of danger. And no matter how much reassurance he had that he was safe, he never truly felt that way until the feeling went away completely.

He tried to steady his breathing, calm himself. He glanced at Phantom who was standing straight and tall, not caring in the least bit that everyone in this entire building was looking at him.

Danny took a deep breath and tried to empty his mind. Reminding himself that he knew who was looking at them, and they were only looking at Phantom, not him, but it didn’t really help. Feeling his blood rushing in his ears, he almost wanted to collapse right there, but just then, he felt freezing cold fingers in his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

Looking up at Phantom he heard him say something, raising an eyebrow at him. The words however, went in one ear and out the other.

He frowned. “What?”

Phantom didn’t respond at first before, “Are you okay?”

”I—“ No. Not really. “Y-yeah. Doing fine.”

Phantom scrunched his eyebrows then, but the woman at the register had called to them then, asking if they were ready to order.

“Ohh, yeah we are.” He said, smiling at her, causing her to blush slightly.

Seeing it caused Danny to tense all over. He had never—ever seen Phantom smile. And he was just doing it for a random girl taking their order? What the hell?

He didn’t even get a chance to speak before Phantom was ordering his regular, the same thing he had been ordering since they first started coming there. It caused his heart to race. He remembered?

The girl never even glance at Danny, just staring at Phantom and looking at her register as minimally as possible. 

After his order, Phantom finally looked up at the menu before asking, “Do you all have root beer floats?”

She looked at him startled before saying, “Sure! I can make you one,” quickly, making Danny glare slightly, knowing for a fact that they most certainly did not have that as an option.

“Great. That too, please,” before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wallet.

“Okay, that’ll be $13.78,” she said happily, looking at the ghost in front of her.

“Sounds good,” he said before pulling a twenty dollar bill out of it.

Danny just watched her take the money, concerned and suspicious. Where could he possibly have gotten money from?

She handed Phantom back the change, making sure to brush against his hand, making her look at it confused. Danny knew she couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to comment on it, but he was highly mistaken.

“Ohh wow! Your hands are freezing!” She exclaimed loudly, making Danny wince.

“Sorry about that. I’m anemic. Tends to make my hands cold to the touch .”

“That’s crazy!” she responded, nodding her head way too enthusiastically as she handed him the receipt as well.

Phantom just smiled back, taking it before walking with Danny to a nearby table, waiting for their food to be ready.

When they sat down, Danny was relieved when Phantom sat across from him, not next to him like he had feared briefly earlier.

He stared at the ghost, so many thoughts and feelings fighting within himself as he noticed the way he relaxed his expression and sat emotionless once more, blocking everything out around them.

Danny on the other hand thought he probably looked like a nervous wreck. He could practically feel the stares and the whispering. It was like there was a spotlight on them and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape it .

As he zoned out, he didn’t notice Phantom’s frown or his face when he scanned the crowd around them, realizing that the looks from the people were pushing him to the brink of a meltdown.

Danny had just started to hyperventilate when he felt Phantom’s cold hand touch his cheek, making him jerk to look at him. He saw him sitting next to him now, blocking the view of most everyone in there.

It did help him calm down, not feeling as many stares on him. But when he saw the person closest to them, he let out a tiny shout. It looked like a still frame, a frozen moment in time. Looking around the restaurant, he saw that everyone in there was. They were all frozen.

Looking at Phantom with wide eyes he said in almost a whisper, “You can manipulate time?”

“No,” he said quickly, sighing. “I can only freeze time. But it does come in handy sometimes. I don’t use it often because it can leave me feeling quite drained if I keep it up for too long.”

“Ohh, okay,” he said, feeling slightly less freaked out. So he did have limits.

Danny was now more concerned about Phantom than he had been when he thought he was here to kill him. He could literally freeze time. What else could he do? It was a horrifying realization that this was just one of his new abilities, including the ability to reshape reality apparently. If he could do all that, where did it end?

Feeling better he said, “can you unfreeze time? I’d hate to make you waste your power.”

“No problem Love,” he said softly before waving his hand and making the world move back in motion once more.

Danny just watched in amazement as the people started talking like nothing had happened, like they had no idea they were just frozen in time.

Phantom stared down at him, making him smile slightly, but he was startled when their number wasn’t called, but instead the girl from earlier brought their order over, making sure to hand Phantom the root beer float he had specifically asked for. He looked confused before thanking her, signally for her to leave, but she just stood there, looking at him expectantly.

Danny felt uncomfortable, wishing she’d leave, but before he could say anything himself, he heard Phantom say a little coldly, “don’t you have to run the register?”

She looked startled before she said quickly, “Ohh! Yeah? Sorry—about that. Sorry.”

Phantom was slightly glaring at her before he looked back at Danny, raising his eyebrows, which actually caused Danny to laugh slightly.

Feeling a lot better, Danny started eating his food, enjoying the greasy meal, and actually enjoying Phantom’s presence. It felt…safe. Something Danny couldn’t tell if he liked or not.

When he was almost done, he noticed a familiar face approach their table. A few actually. He frowned.

“Hey Danny,” he heard Paulina say, smiling at him incredibly fake.

“Hey…Paulina,” he mumbled back before she was speaking over him, obviously not actually wanting to talk to him. Figures.

“I see you have a new friend, care to introduce us?” She said, giving Phantom a seductive look.

Danny watched as the group of A-listers surrounded their table, covering the only exit, making him feel trapped.

Phantom just kept his face neutral as he responded himself, “Shadow,” making her smile.

“It’s nice to meet you Shadow. I’m Paulina, Danny’s friend from school. So, how do you know Danny?” She asked, biting her lip slightly.

“Well, I’m actually Danny’s—“

“Friend!” Danny cut in, drawing the attention to him once more, making Pauling laugh at him.

“Obviously. I just wondered how you too met.” She said, rolling her eyes at Danny before looking back at Phantom and smiling like a vixen.

“Well, I’ve known Danny since we were both young. I used to live near him but my family moved. Now I’m back,” he said simply, looking around the group of teenagers who stared at him.

“You’ve known this guy for years and never introduced any of us, how inconsiderate of you Danny,” Paulina said, causing some of the girls to snicker behind her.

“Well, he just got back yesterday so…” Danny started, but saw the look on Paulina’s face and stopped.

“Ohh come on Danny. We both know you could have at least mentioned you had a friend coming back here to Amity Park. I mean, now that you’re taking Emily out, I thought—“

But Danny froze and stopped listening when he heard Phantom said, “Emily?”

Chapter Text

Danny felt his breath catch in his lungs, afraid to make a sound. With everything that’d happened, he’d forgotten about Emily. Looking over at Phantom, he saw that he was now looking at Danny, giving him an empty unreadable look, one that made Danny swallow.

“She’s a cheerleader at our school, and as of yesterday, Danny’s girlfriend.” Star said almost flirtatiously, causing Danny to wince and look away from Phantom.

Technically, he and Emily weren’t dating, but he’s agreed to go out with her. So a situationship? Ohh Zone, relationships were so complicated.

As he focused intensely at the table, he actually felt Phantom relax slightly before he huffed slightly, sounding like a laugh to anyone else, but Danny knew it was a scoff.

“Yesterday? Danny, why didn’t I hear about this amazing girl?” Phantom said with an edge to his voice, looking back at him, but Danny refused to look up from the table.

“She and Danny have been crushing on each other for over a year now. You should have heard her yesterday! Gushing all through cheer practice about you accepted her date invitation. If it was anyone else, I might have thrown up, but we all know Emily is the definition of a sappy dreamer,” Paulina continued, not reading Phantom’s venom for what it was.

“Really? Over a year now?”

Phantom leaned back, raising his arms up and setting them on the back of the booth, making himself seem bigger, and making Danny shrink nervously. He hated feeling intimidated like this. After what happened all those years ago, he had started taking his training seriously, working out in his free time, and eating healthier. It was something Sam had encouraged him to do to keep himself busy and in a nice routine. And it honestly helped, but he didn’t do it to an extreme, so while he was left being lean, he wasn’t built like Phantom.

“Ohh yeah,” Star chimed back in, much to his dismay. “She was below our grade, but she skipped her sophomore year, so when we became juniors, she did too. And I guess it started then, especially since they were paired up in Advanced Biology together. They made quite a team, or so I was told.”

“Interesting,” Phantom said darkly, causing Danny to grit his teeth, afraid to say anything, even to end their onslaught. “So Danny, when will I get to meet this lovely lady?”

That caused him to panic, hearing the threat behind those words. He needed to keep them apart, no matter what it took.

“I-I don’t know,” he whispered, knowing Phantom was looking at him with dark eyes.

“She’s probably at the mall right now,” Star said, pulling out her phone. “She just posted a picture of her and Jessica there.”

“Wonderful! Come on Danny, let’s go meet your date,” Phantom said way too excitedly, making Danny’s look at him with wide eyes, breath catching in his throat.

“Wait—!” He called, but Phantom was already standing, making the group surrounding their table move for him.

“Ahhh! You guys are already leaving? But we were just getting to know you,” Paulina said, fake pouting.

It was things like that that made Danny’s skin crawl. The obvious fakeness about people. And she was one of the worst. The plastic queen. She was just a web of lies spun by expensive silk. It may look beautiful, but it was just for show, and getting too close might trap you.

“Sorry guys,” Phantom said, smiling brightly at the group of A-listers, making Danny look at him with wide eyes. Maybe his smile was intended for something that didn’t represent happiness. “We were just stopping by for a bite anyway. We have a whole day planned out. Catching up, you know?”

The girls looked disappointed, but the guys seemed cool about it, saying they’d hang another time, which Phantom agreed to cheerfully, saying anytime with his eerie wide smile.

Danny felt sick. He knew this was going to end badly. He just wished he could have done something about it, anything to fix this before it even happened. He stood then, standing next to Phantom who stood taller and straighter than everyone in the group, making even the tallest football player look small next to him. 

Phantom moved to leave the group then, causing Danny to move quickly to not get caught up in the group, afraid to be surrounded by so many bodies. To this day, he didn’t specifically have a problem with small spaces, it was the inability to escape that made his heart race and his body panic with fear. Able to maneuver his body enough to get away from the group of popular kids, he was able to see Phantom walking out of the restaurant, leaving him behind. He dashed out then, not wanting to be there alone for another minute.

Seeing Phantom waiting for him a ways away, he breathed a sigh of relief, heading towards him before he stopped in his tracks, seeing his facial expression.

Phantom’s wore a look of malice, giving him a wicked glare, filled with so much rage he almost wanted to bolt, but knew that even if he tried, Phantom would just catch him. There was no escaping him. Danny swallowed, backing away a bit, not sure what to do or say. He knew it wasn’t his fault. He and Phantom were living different lives now. And he hadn’t seen him in years. He couldn’t possibly be that mad at him, could he?

Danny looked up at him, meeting his eyes, hoping that he would no longer be looking at him with so much unspoken hatred, but he was disappointed to see that he was giving him the same dark look, making him wince.

“Who is she?” Phantom’s voice was venom, making him shiver from the weight the words held.

He wanted to say anything than what he knew the truth to be. Danny had wanted to date her, maybe even begin a life together. Out of any girl he had met, she was the only one who brought purely sunshine to those around her. She even made him feel better to be in her presence. She was the one truly good person he had met since…

Danny let out a small shout when he felt Phantom’s hand wrap around his wrist, pulling him forcefully down the sidewalk before dragging him into a nearby alley. He just looked at the ghost with wide fearful eyes. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was afraid. Truly afraid. He had no idea what Phantom would do to him.

Phantom stopped when they were in the middle of the alley, turning to face him before pressing Danny into the brick wall, making him wince.

He watched Phantom, refusing to look away as the ghost took a deep breath before lifting his other hand to his face, caressing his cheek as he spoke softly. “Danny my Love, who’s the girl?”

Feeling tears start to fill his eyes, he had to calm himself before speaking.“S h-she is a—girl from school. I—I met her l-last year when we were —“

“I heard all of that,” Phantom said harshly, cutting him off, “I want to know your relationship with her. Who is she to you.”

Danny took a shaky breathe before closing his eyes. “W-well, we’ve never really t-talked outside of school. She asked me out yesterday and I s-said y-yes, but—“ Danny was cut off when the hand holding his face started to burn his skin, causing him to hiss in pain.

Phantom released him as once, but he didn’t pull away, their bodies still so very close together in this blind alley.

Danny’s eyes flew open, wincing as he took in the glare on Phantom's face, making him hold his tongue. Eyes widening and trembling slightly, Danny tried to keep calm but he couldn’t control his bodies reaction, revealing his true terror from the way his body shook.

Phantom let out another cold breath, his gaze still dark as he bared his sharp teeth. “But?”

“W-we never made plans. Sh-she gave me her n-number, b-but I never gave her mine. I—I can s-stop things now and it’ll be like it never h-happened.”

Phantom’s expression never changed, but he did take a step back, letting Danny relax just slightly. “Or, I can change it so it never happened in the first place.”

“What?”

Phantom stared at him, his face still angry before he must have realized Danny was honestly confused. The ghost sighed, finally relaxing himself. “Reshape reality. Make it so she doesn’t remember and nobody else does either. All I have to do is erase the core memory from her and it’ll make everyone else forget as well, since it would at that point, have never happened.”

“Why—?” Danny started, feeling more worried by the second. 

“So it never happened.” Phantom said again, only firmer this time, making Danny stop talking immediately.

He looked away then, not able to look at the ghost without feeling the animosity oozing off of him. “W-would it erase my memory too?”

“Yes. I’ll make sure of it,” he said coldly, making him close his eyes, tears starting to trail down his cheeks. This—this was too much.

“W-why?” He asked, knowing he shouldn’t.

“Because. You’re mine. You always were, and you always will be.” Phantom’s words could almost have been romantic, if not for the forceful way he spoke them, like he was trying to make Danny believe them. 

Danny closed his eyes then, feeling the anxiety moving through him in waves, making his entire body shake. 

“You may not have thought about me every single day that we’ve been separated, but you were all I could ever think about. Everything made me think of you. Every single fucking thing. And now that I have you back, I’m not letting anything stand between us. Especially not some stupid girl,” Phantom spoke roughly, making him swallowed. “I can’t lose you again. I won’t. I’d rather kill every single fucking thing on this whole damned planet than possibly lose you to someone else.”

Phantom closed the distance between them again, gently taking his face in his cold hand before sighing, “I just want to protect you and keep you to myself.”

Danny just stared up at him, exhausted as his thoughts raced. It had been an emotional rollercoaster of a day, and it had just started.

“Time to go,” Phantom said after a moment of them staring at each other, making Danny tense all over, knowing what would happen next. Phantom reached out towards him, but he didn’t grab him. Instead, he just held his hand out towards him, offering it to him. 

Danny stared at it, so many things running through his head, but most of all, thinking about what would happen if he didn’t take Phantom’s hand. This ghost—his ghost—had already made his intentions clear. And from his earlier statement, it seemed that the only line he wasn’t willing to cross was his own. How long until he did something truly awful? How long until he killed someone again? How long until he hurt me?

Danny shakily reached out, allowing Phantom to grasp his hand and lift him into the air.

He hoped he’d never find out.

Walking in the mall with Phantom was only a little less nerve racking than sitting in the Nasty Burger had been. This time, people definitely pointed and whispered, but it was such a crowded place, Danny was able to pretend it wasn’t entirely at them, even when it clearly was.

Danny looked around nervously, trying to spot the angelic girl, but was so caught up in keeping up with Phantom that he didn’t even notice when he walked right into her.

“Danny!” She exclaimed, looking surprised to see him. She was practically beaming.

“Ohh, h-hey Emily. Funny, ummm, funny running into you here,” he said, knowing he sounded higher pitched than usual.

She gave him a strange look before looking at Phantom next to him, giving him a curious smile.

“Who’s your friend?” She asked, looking at Danny once more.

“Ohh, this is…” he had forgotten the name he’d used at the restaurant.

“Shadow,” Phantom filled in, giving her a smile, the same one he’d given to the cashier at Nasty Burger. Danny looked at him worriedly. Now I really need to pay attention to his facial features. They obviously mean something.

“It’s nice to meet you Shadow. I’m Emily,” she said, extending her hand towards him.

“So I’ve heard.” He spoke a little too harshly, accepting her hand in a formal greeting.

She just smiled at him and finished their friendly handshake, looking at Danny when she was done.

“So what are you two guys doing here? Just hanging out?” She spoke sweetly, looking up at him with those innocent bright eyes. It made him feel guilty, knowing why they were there. To erase her from his life. Or at least the intimate parts.

“Y-yeah, something like that,” he said, feeling nervous. He needed to calm down .

“Well…” Jessica said from beside Emily, clearing her throat. “Since you and Emily planned to go out anyway, and there’s four of us here, why don’t we make this into a double date?”

Danny looked at her, taking in the way she was checking out Phantom and knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Yeah!” Emily said enthusiastically, smiling at him widely before exclaiming, “unless you guys are in a hurry or have other plans.”

Danny glanced at Phantom worriedly, but he just shook his head and said, “sure, we have all day.”

Danny didn’t like anything about this plan, especially because he knew Phantom’s ultimate goal. Whatever happened next was in Phantom’s control, and that could lead to a heck of a lot of trouble on the way.

Emily winked at him before taking his arm in hers, linking them together while they walked. If this wasn’t their first and last date, Danny would have actually been excited about it. Instead he was glancing behind him, watching as Jessica and Phantom talked quietly. He seemed to be carrying a good conversation with her. To anyone else, he probably looked interested in her, but Danny saw the glint in his eyes.

He looked back towards Emily then, seeing the look she was giving him.

“I’m sure Shadow can handle Jess, Danny. You don’t have to worry about him.”

That’s not who I’m worried about, but he just nodded, giving her a tight smile.

“So, did you ladies have any ideas about where you’d like to go on our little date?” Danny heard Phantom say loudly, trying to catch their attention too.

“Ohh! Well,” Jessica started saying, glancing at Danny before looking at Phantom and finished, “We were planning to go to a party tonight, if you guys would be up for that.”

Phantom looked at him before saying, “Sure. Why not?”

Danny just gulped and looked at Emily a little nervously.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to Danny. I don’t usually go to these sort of things but it was Jess’s turn to choose and this was her pick.” Emily said softly, letting him know he had an out.

“N-no. We can. It’ll—be fine,” he said, instantly wishing he hadn’t. Especially when he saw Phantom’s dark look, directed right at him. 

“Perfect! So, we can all go in my car,” Jessica said, turning and heading towards the mall entrance, throwing a quick flirtatious look towards Phantom before continuing walking away.

Danny felt majorly screwed. He knew this would end badly, but what all would happen tonight, he had no clue.

Danny had felt sick ever since they got in the vehicle. Phantom and Jessica had talked pretty much the whole time, and Jessica had decided that blasting music full volume with the windows down was the only real way to drive. He knew how rude it was that he was constantly staring at Phantom, but he was worried about leaving him with the teenage girl, even if he was sitting a couple feet away. He knew the ghost—knew his past—Jessica didn’t. And her trying to get close to him—it was a bad idea. 

Every so often he’d glance at Emily as well, catching her looking out the window. He felt guilty. There was so many things he wanted to say to her, but the thought of Phantom being so close, listening to them have a conversation, it terrified him. So they sat in silence.

When they pulled up to the place, he realized that it was an A-lister’s party. He frowned when he saw the abundance of popular high schoolers littering the front lawn, as well as the blinding lights and music blaring. It was amazing no cops had been called yet, but seeing how it was a rich kids house, they probably had connections inside the police force anyway.

Getting out first, he walked around the car and opened the door for Emily, who gave him a small smile before getting out.

“Thank you, kind gentleman,” she said jokingly, making him chuckle before saying, “anything for you, mademoiselle.”

They both laughed, remembering the first time they’d done that. It was in Advanced Biology, last year. He’d been early for once at school and had taken his seat like regularly. After a minute, he saw a really short girl trying to get the door open from the outside, unable to use the latch because of the abundance of books she was somehow carrying. He had gotten up and pulled the door open for her. In his effort to look at her in the eye, he’d sort of bowed to her, which had made her laugh. 

“Well thank you, kind gentleman,” she’d said to him, making him blush and respond, “A-anything for you m-mademoiselle.”

Which had made her grin, giving him the biggest smile he had ever seen. He was so transfixed that he hadn’t notice everyone in the classroom watching them before someone yelled, “get a room!” Which made the whole class laugh, and for the both of them to become absolutely embarrassed. But it was the first time they’d really interacted, and he hadn’t regretted a second of it afterwards.

Looking at her beautiful smiling face now, it saddened him to know he could never truly be with her. Phantom would never allow it. He glanced towards Phantom then, catching the ghost glaring at them, which made Danny move slightly in front of her, shielding her from Phantom’s malicious look.

“You guys ready to go in?” Jessica asked excitedly, making Emily smile at her before looking at Danny.

“I am,” she said, smiling brighter at him.

“Let’s party like the night don’t stop,” Phantom said, grinning darkly before turning and walking towards the front door.

Danny swallowed. Zone, please save them all.

Chapter Text

Danny hated walking up to the brightly pulsating house. The closer he got to it, the more dread he felt, but he knew there was no other choice. He was out of options. Passing through the doorway, Danny was hit with the sound, so much that he cringed. Why would anyone want to be at a place like this? It’s awful.

He walked around the tightly packed crowd as best he could, but even with how huge the inside was, Danny found that there were bodies covering every surface imaginable. It was just a cacophony of hormones, booze, and loud noises, none of which he really enjoy.

Finally making their way into the living room, he found an area that wasn’t so packed together. He let a small breath before glancing at Emily, seeing that she was looking at a group of her friends who just happened to be standing nearby. 

He leaned closer to her. “Do you want to go hang out with them?”

She glanced at him before nodding. “If it’s alright with you. Being in crowd like this make me nervous, so I enjoy being able to stand around people I know.”

“No, I get it,” he said, watching as she gave him a small smile. 

He took her hand, pulling her close behind him as he guided her towards the slightly large group of girls. They all looked excited to see her, some hugging her while others just waved. It was when they noticed Danny with her that they voiced their surprise by the couple joining them. 

“Ohh my god Em! You got Danny to come to one of these?! I thought we’d never see Mr. goodie goodie here!” One girl shouted over the music, making another chuckle. Millie, he thought her name was.

“Yeah Danny! How’d she convince you?” Another girl joked, Racheal, making him laugh halfheartedly. But he didn’t get to answer before Emily was saving him.

“Come on guys! Knock it off. We’re here to have fun, not interrogate.” She said, making a few girls roll their eyes.

“Sure, girl. Whatever you say.”

It wasn’t even a minute later before the girls started chatting loudly, laughing and gossiping with Emily, who smiled and looked a lot better to be in the vicinity of her close friends. Danny on the other hand just stood there awkwardly, barely paying attention to what the girls had to talk about. What he was really thinking about was Phantom. 

As soon as they’d entered the house, Jessica had grabbed the ghost’s arm and had tugged him in a completely different direction, which had horrified Danny. No one just touched Phantom, but of course she didn’t know that.

What he was really worried about were her true intentions with the ghost. Danny had heard the whispers of Emily’s best friend, especially from the male population in their high school. While she acted sweet and innocent at school, there was a different side of her when it came to these parties, and that was what Danny was most afraid of.

Glancing around the room, he tried to catch sight of his ghostly companion, but didn’t see any sign of him. Looking at one of Emily’s cheerleader friends, he leaned in a little before asking, “hey, have you seen Jessica? She came here with my friend and I was wondering where they might have disappeared to.”

The girl looked at him questioningly before pointing to the staircase and saying, “I saw her go upstairs earlier with a hot guy, but if they went up there, you should probably leave them be. Those are the hookup rooms upstairs.”

Danny looked at her wide eyed before saying, “Ohh—kay. Also, where’s the bathroom?”

“There’s one upstairs—“

“Thanks!” He yelled before quickly making his way towards the staircase, not wanting to waste anymore time. 

Going up the stairs was a hassle in itself, especially because of the couples making out on them, not caring who was trying to climb up them. Once he finally reached the top, he saw a hallways of nothing but rows of doors, making him sigh. This was going to be a nightmare.

Looking at the doors one by one, he looked at them and somewhat listened to the noises coming from them. Most were unconcealed moaning, grunting, and obvious creaking sounds, so he passed those quickly and kept going until he stopped in front of a closed door that was completely silent.

He bit his cheek, frowning at the door before reaching out and grasping the handle, which made him gasp. It was cold to the touch, like touching solid ice. Knocking gently, he turned the handle before letting the door swing open slowly, a little too relieved to see an empty room. Or what looked like an empty room.

He took a nervous step forward, then another before swallowing. “Ph—“

All too quickly, he felt a hand rap around his wrist and yank him inside, making him shout before a hand closed over his mouth.

I’m gonna die.

The fear that course through him was instant, but just as quickly, his body collided with one that was much colder than his, letting the shock bring him back down to earth, and letting him finally realize the hand that had grabbed him was ice cold. Phantom. He relaxed before trying to look around the spare room they were currently occupying, but it was insanely dark, too much to really make out anything. He lifted his head, feeling the person release their hold on his mouth, letting him gasp. 

“Phantom?”

”Hmmm?” Definitely him.

Danny sighed before his thoughts went to a certain unaccounted for girl. “Where’s—“

“Elsewhere.” Phantom whispered, caressing his face gently, making Danny shiver from his cold touch.

While he couldn’t make out much, he could see Phantom's eyes glowing in the dark, making him feel just a bit better. Danny swallowed before opening his mouth, ready to continue asking about Jessica, but Phantom shocked him by connecting their mouths in that split second. 

Danny gasped, not sure if he should be allowing this to happen instead of finding the missing girl, but it wasn’t up to him. It all depended on the man in front of him, who had apparently planned this all out from the beginning.

Danny tried not to react when Phantom's hands moved to his hips, pulling them closer as he started moving them deeper into the room. He felt as Phantom spun them around, making it so he was the one to hit the bed frame. He started to sit down but Phantom kept him upright, not letting him go.

Disconnecting their lips, Danny tried to catch his breath as Phantom stared talking again, his voice husky. “I know what you’re thinking, but not tonight. For now, I’m going to make you feel good, okay?”

Danny was confused by that thought before he felt Phantom shift away, leaving him wondering before he felt his hands return to his waist, unbuttoning his pants. 

He felt his face heat, the dots finally connecting as he felt Phantom slowly sliding his pants and underwear down his thighs. It was something he hadn’t thought of—having intimate moments with Phantom in ways other than just kissing and sex. The idea of Phantom giving him head made him flush all that much more, especially knowing that it was him kneeling in front of him at that very moment, literally grabbing his dick.

When he’d felt the cold hand wrap around his member, he was actually surprised at how turned on he was, especially since his burning hot dick was being surrounded by Phantom’s frozen touch. He could barely breathe, could barely move as the ghost held him. It was all that much worse since he couldn’t see anything, just had to feel everything. 

“Ph-Phantom?” He whispered, his voice strained as he tried to keep his voice down, but not even a second later, he felt the ghost take the head of his dick into his icy mouth.

It was the most intense sensation he had ever felt in his entire life. He barely kept himself from shouting, groaning as he reached out and buried his hands in Phantom’s hair, trying not to fall over or embarrass himself.

Closing his eyes, Danny felt as Phantom took him deeper, not gagging at all as he deep throated him, making him moan. Danny could barely concentrate on anything but the feeling of his dick being consumed. It was like nothing else in the world mattered in that moment than he and Phantom. He kept his eyes shut, his fingers tangled in the ghost’s longer hair as he felt Phantom expertly bobbing up and down on his dick, not once coming up for air.

Because he’s a ghost, duh. He doesn’t need to breathe.

Feeling stupid, he felt his face burn again before he moaned a little too loudly, feeling Phantom suck on his cock a little harder, making him focus back on him once more. He tried to keep himself quiet, but he knew it was easier said than done, especially since Phantom was doing this like he was a cock sucking pro. Danny almost wanted to ask him if he’d done this before, but his train of thought was cut off when he felt himself starting to get close.

Nearing the edge, he started bucking his hips slightly, trying to chase his pleasure, but he felt Phantom wrap his arms around his legs, keeping him in place. Moaning frustratedly, he gripped Phantoms hair tighter, making Phantom groan on his dick. That just caused him to feel a new sensation, making his moan even louder. He hoped he didn’t sound like any of those people he’d accidentally heard earlier. 

Knowing he was about to cum, he started pulling Phantom’s hair, trying to get his attention before moaning out, “Ph-Phantom w-wait—” but he was cut off when he felt his release wash over him.

Phantom didn’t pull away like he would have assumed, instead he took him as deep as he could, practically swallowing his cock. Danny felt a tidal wave of pent up energy leave him as he came, making him feel much better than he had all day.

He had bitten his lip, trying to keep quiet when he came, but he’d groaned loudly, feeling incredibly embarrassed as Phantom released his dick, pulling away from him altogether. Danny let go of his hair instantly, breathing out heavily as he just stood there, his body completely spent. 

He didn’t even have enough energy to react when he felt Phantom brush his hand against his cheek again, cupping his face. 

“You can lay down.”

He all but fell backwards, letting the bed catch his fall. He heard a chuckle before feeling the bed dip as another body joined his, feeling Phantom move his arms under him and lift him further onto the bed. He just laid there, all too relaxed as he felt Phantom pull him close.

It had been so long since he’d felt so truly content. So carefree and safe. He sighed, smiling to himself as he felt the ghost next to him kiss the back of his neck. 

“Phantom—“ he started, but the ghost bit him a little roughly, making him whine. 

“You’re okay. Just let me take care of you.”

He stretched, feeling his back pop as he felt Phantom’s mouth move from his throat to his jaw, just trailing kisses lazily along his skin. 

He smiled to himself, his mind so calm and happy as he enjoyed the post-sex haze he had been left with, or would have, if his thoughts hadn’t reminded him of the girl he had come to this party with—or the girl that was still seemingly missing. 

Eyes widening, he tried to pull away from  Phantom, but the ghost’s arms had locked around him, keeping him rooted in place.

“Phantom! We—we can’t just—if anyone saw—and she—she doesn’t—“

“My Love, relax. No one will see us here. And you haven’t been gone but for more than a couple minutes. Once you entered this room, I paused time. It’s just been us this whole time. Haven’t you noticed how quiet it is?”

With everything that had happened, Danny had barely paid attention to anything in his surroundings, but now that he’s mentioned it, it had gotten extremely quiet.

“I know how you feel about all of this. I just wanted to give you something nice before I made you forget,” Phantom said quietly.

He just stayed silent as he felt Phantom slowly caress his body, lightly teasing his side with the ends of his fingers.

”Okay.” He whispered.

And just like that, it was like a switch was flipped. One second everything was silent and peaceful, the next the house came alive, the party sounds filling their background once more, startling him into tensing. Had it always been that loud?

Phantom sighed before pulling away from him a moment after, moving to stand in front of him to help pull him up.

“It’s time to end this, once and for all.”

Danny just gritted his teeth.

He was left alone for another second as Phantom gathered his abandoned clothes on the floor, handing them to him so he could get dressed. When he was done, he felt Phantom take his hand, leading him away from the bed and seemingly towards the door, which was opened to allow light to pour in from the hallway and blind him. 

He flinched, trying to shield his eyes, but Phantom just started leading him down the long hall. Blinking the pain away, Danny was all too grateful to noticed the lack of people in the hallway, meaning no one had seen them leave the room together. 

“Find Emily,” Phantom said softly, getting his attention. Danny turned to him, frowning as the ghost stared at him. “Bring her up here. I’ll do the rest.”

Danny swallowed, but he listened, walking down the stairs through the lip-locking couples until he had entered the living-room once more.

He wandered around for what felt like forever, but eventually found his way back to Emily, who was smiling at him. 

“Hey stranger,” she said.

“H-hey, how’s, ummm, everything?” He said stupidly, still feeling kind of off from his hookup with Phantom. He really didn’t want to think of that while looking at the girl he still liked.

“Not too bad. Have you seen Jessica? I haven’t seen her or Shadow at all since we split up.” She asked, sounding a little worried. 

“Ummm, I think they went upstairs,” Danny said, watching as Emily frowned. 

”She couldn’t still be up there though, could she? Jillian told me the same thing.”

Danny shrugged. “Have you tried calling her?”

“Twice. Straight to voicemail. She hasn’t even looked my messages.”

Danny swallowed. “I’ll message—Shadow.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a small smile. 

Danny pulled out his phone, staring at it before feeling like an idiot. Phantom doesn’t have a phone. 

He stared at it for a moment before going to his keypad and thinking about something before tensing, feeling a hold hand wrap around his wrist. 

“Stall,” a voice whispered, making him gasp before he barely nodded, going to his messages instead. He typed his own number and started to fake message before he turned back to Emily. 

“I don’t think his phone’s turned on.”

Emily looked worried. “Jessica never avoids my texts. Do you think she’s okay?”

Danny hated the words about to come out of his mouth. “Maybe—she’s just…preoccupied.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, sounding upset.

“You know…too wrapped up in—” he cut himself off, not wanting to say anything more. 

She frowned before her eyes went a little wider. “Ohh. Well, I hope she comes back sometime soon. She’s my ride and I’d really hate to have to walk from here.”

Danny laughed nervously at that. Hopefully she’ll come back at all. 

It wasn’t much time after that that Phantom came up to them, looking concerned.

“Hey, sorry to intrude, but Jessica said she needed to see you. Said it was urgent.”

Emily looked at Phantom with wide eyes before moving closer to him, “where is she?”

“Upstairs. Here, I’ll take you to her.”

Phantom then started leading them through the crowd. Taking them back up the stairs, somehow avoiding every making out couple, before heading down the long hall and stopping outside the room they’d left mere minutes ago.

“In here,” he whispered, opening the door slowly.

“Jess?” She called, looking into the dark room.

Hearing no response, Danny watched guiltily as the blonde girl walked into the dark room. 

Phantom turned to him, giving him an all too familiar neutral look.

“Wait here.”

Danny felt his breath catch, staring at the ghost before him. “But—“

”Please my Love. I’ll come retrieve you when I’m done.”

He looked towards the room before looking away, nodding once. 

Phantom brushed his hand against his cheek before entering the room, leaving him alone in the hallway. 

What should have felt like minutes felt like centuries. He stood there by himself awkwardly, feeling all the worse when he saw a couple exit their room, giving them a grimace as the guy glared at him. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, but still he felt worse about what was happening in the room behind him. He felt sick to his stomach. He knew there were so many choices he could have made, and yet…he’d let Phantom win. Had let him ruin his life. Well, maybe not ruin it. But he was definitely dictating it. 

Danny felt as tears fell down his cheeks, thinking of the girl he cared deeply for forgetting all about their memories and all the little things they had shared trying to get to know each other. It hurt more than he could have possibly imagined. 

He allowed himself to slide down the wall he’d been leaning again, wrapping his arms around his head. This was all—it was too much. Phantom was—he was— 

“Alright my Love.” Phantom’s voice brought him back, making him blink away his tears as he looked up at the disguised ghost. “Your turn.”

Phantom reached down towards him, making his breath catch. He hadn’t realized Phantom would need to physically erase his mind too.

”Wh-what?” He choked out, but Phantom's face never changed. 

“I need to erase her from your mind too, so nothing can trigger the memories to come back.”

Danny stared at his extended hand, eventually allowed the ghost to pull him up, guiding him into the room as well. 

He was both happy and upset to see Emily lying on the bed. She looked so peaceful, just sleeping on the left side of the mattress. Phantom lead him towards the bed, sitting gently on it before having him get onto it as well. 

They were barely a foot apart, Danny staring at Phantom in the eyes before looking away, closing his eyes. He wasn’t ready. And he never would be.

He flinched when a frozen hand cupped his face, turning his head until he was facing Phantom once more, but he refused to look at him. Looking at him would make it real, and he didn’t want this to be his reality. 

He didn’t react when he felt Phantom gently kiss his lips, but he did relax, just a little.

“It’ll be okay my Love. Trust me,” Phantom said softly, his words almost sounding…kind. 

Danny wished he could, but he was afraid. He had no idea what it’d feel like, but he expected pain as he felt Phantom cup his face with his frozen palms. 

“Relax and when you’re ready, take a deep breath.”

He felt the air fill his lungs, but his body was tense as he waited for the pain to come. He gasped, feeling a sensation like snow coating his skin as he was struct with a sensation of overwhelming calmth and peacefulness.

He stared at Phantom, watching the ghost barely smile at him before closing his eyes. 

Was this how he felt? At peace?

Breathing soothingly, he allowed his mind to open and his guards to be let down, accepting the feeling presented to him.

And then, he was swept into the darkness.

Chapter Text

Danny woke up feeling better than he had in a long time, which was surprising. Looking around his room, he let his thoughts wander before the memories from the days before struck him.

“Phantom,” he whispered.

Standing up quickly and looking around his room, he dashed out into the hallway and down the stairs. He searched frantically around the house, dashing straight through the living room into the kitchen, but he had absolutely no idea where he could be, and that was a problem in itself.

He let out a huff before plopping into a chair, deciding he wanted to get something to eat before going on this wild goose chase. He’d barely had anything but lunch yesterday because of someone. Looking around exhaustedly, his eyes landed on the fruit basket already sitting at the table. He grabbed an apple, staring at it before taking a huge bite, enjoying the juices on his tongue.

“I’ve never seen something so delectable in all of my existence,” a deep voice called from behind him.

Turning quickly, he saw Phantom walking up the lab stairs, coming towards him.

“Phantom? Why were you down there?” Danny asked, looking at him confused.

“I was checking out the ghost portal. It astounds me that your parents didn’t get it opened before now,” Phantom said, standing next to him now, barely an inch separating their bodies. “I had assumed all those years ago that it wouldn’t even take a week before it was opened once more, but I was proven wrong. What surprised me more was that every portal between our plains had been locked up, even those we never knew about. I went searching all through the Ghost Zone. But even the oldest and most sacred of portals had been sealed.”

Lightly stroking his cheek, Phantom looked down at Danny with his usual neutral expression, but that didn’t keep him from fearing the worst. His heart was racing in his chest. 

“How did you convince them to keep it locked up for so long? I can imagine they weren’t all that thrilled.”

Danny looked up at him with wide eyes before looking away, swallowing hard. 

“I—I put a lock code on it. One they never figured out.”

“What’s the code?”

Danny thought his heart was gonna beat out of his chest, but he took a deep breath before standing his ground. “No one but me knows that code, and I promised to keep that portal locked away forever.”

Phantom sighed before cupping his cheek, turning his face to force him to look at him again, seeing the ghost’s overly calm face.

“You know that I made it here without that portal. I can just create more and more portals as I see fit.”

He furrowed his brow. “Then why do you want to open that portal so badly?”

“That portal means a lot to me,” Phantom said rougher than usual, his voice almost strained sounding.

“Why?” Danny asked, feeling all sorts of confused. “It’s just a portal—“

“It is not just another portal,” Phantom insisted, eyes glowing brighter with what looked to Danny like fury. “That portal is our portal. It’s where I was bound to you. It was  my passageway to existence. It’s where I came to be.”

Danny felt guilty. He stared at the ghost standing above him, his face obviously upset as he glared down at him. But he’d made a promise to Clockwork to keep it sealed away, and he’d hate to break that promise.

“I—I understand that. I really do. But that portal is what allows the rest of the ghosts to enter this plain. I can’t let that happen again. I won’t do that to the people of Amity Park. Things are finally back to normal here. People feel safe again, and no one’s mentioned ghosts in years. If that portal was opened and the ghosts returned…”

Phantom just stared at him for a while, no longer glaring, but he didn’t look happy before turning invisible without a word.

Danny tensed. “Phantom?”

He stood up, ready to go looking for him when he heard familiar voices from the room adjacent to him. 

“Thanks Mrs. Fenton. Is Danny upstairs?” He heard Sam ask.

“He might be in the kitchen by now, but you’re free to check—“

“I’m in here!” He called, smiling again.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Tucker asked once they’d joined him, giving him a fist pump.

“Nothing much, just enjoying my nutritious breakfast,” he said, holding up his half eaten apple.

“Nice,” Sam said, smirking at him. “Ohh, by the way, how’s it going planning a date with Emily? I thought you would have told us about it before now, but we never heard from you yesterday, so I thought I’d ask.”

Danny gave her a confused look before saying, “Emily? Why would I plan a date with her? I barely know her.”

Sam and Tucker shared a look before turning back to him, visibly distressed.

“Are you serious? Emily? The girl you’ve been crushing on for over a year now? The angelic beauty who won over your heart from her sweet and gentle nature? The girl you were paired up with in Biology for a whole school year last year. Are you for real, Dude?”

“I—I honestly don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I was never paired up with Emily. I was paired up with Sam. And what do you mean crush? You guys know I haven’t liked anyone in years. It’s too hard…” he said, glancing away. All of this was making his head hurt. 

“Danny, I can’t tell what’s happening right now, but somethings definitely very wrong,” Sam said, glancing at Tucker.

“Yeah, man. This is weird,” Tucker agreed, looking nervous. “It’s like—you’ve forgotten all about it…somehow.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Danny said, feeling incredibly nervous himself. He swallowed, his thoughts starting to collide as he remembered what Phantom had told him about erasing memories. But if he had, then why—?

“Danny, what aren’t you telling us?” Sam asked, moving closer to him.

“I—I don’t know…” But he knew he was a bad liar.

He swallowed again, backing away slightly as his friends looked concerned and worried before Sam looked suspicious. 

“Danny—“

But she was cut off when the lights above their heads started flickered slightly as the room became incredibly colder.

”What the hell?” Sam whispered, her eyes widening as the shadows around them shifted. They moved across the floor before pooling in the center of the room, gathering into one much larger creature.

They were left staring at a hulking shadow beast, it’s entire body much larger than the three of them together as it seemed to stare back at them, even though it had no defining features.

”Dude!” Tucker shouted, lifting his PDA towards it, but before he could scan it, the monster lifted an indistinguishable hand before all the lights in the room went out.

Sam groaned, barely able to open her eyes as lights blinded her. 

She frowned, turning her head to see Tucker next to her, in a state of complete disarray. She tensed all over, seeing him frozen to a chair of solid ice, his arms and legs held in place by large chunks of the frozen liquid. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was also in a similar state of imprisonment. 

“Tucker,” she called, watching as the teenager next to her startled, looking just as panicked as she felt. 

”Sam, what’s—“

But they stopped when they caught sight of a dark figure emerging from the shadows, looking at them with hostile eyes.They both gasped, staring at the man walking closer towards them.

Sam narrowed her eyes before whispering, “Phantom.”

The ghost just smiled darkly, showing off his glistening fangs.

“Where—“ but a second thought struck her. “Where’s Danny? What have you done with him?!” Sam yelled, her voice accusatory.

He just stared at her, his face just as cold as it had been years ago, just more mature now. “Why do you remember Danny liking Emily?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Sam yelled, aggravated.

Phantom glared at her before closing the distance between them, taking her face in his hand and digging his nails into her face. She winced, tears filling her eyes from the force, but refused to shed them.

“Don’t get smart with me, Samantha. I asked you a question, and I expect you to answer me.” Phantom said coldly, still glaring at her. “Properly.”

“We—didn’t—do—anything,” Sam said, gritting her teeth as he scoffed at her.

“You must have done something. Kept something that doesn’t allow ghostly influence. What was it?”

Sam looked at him with slightly wide eyes, not answering his question from the shock his words had filled her with. He’d tried to influence them? Why?

Phantom gripped her face harder, shaking her head side to side violently, making her bite her tongue.

“Answer me. What do you have?” Phantom demanded, before stopping and shoving her face away, turning to Tucker.

“What about you. Do you have an answer for me?” He said almost mockingly if his tone wasn’t so monotone.

Sam glanced at him, seeing the way he just stared at the ghost with wide fearful eyes, not even trying to hide his panic.

Phantom huffed before taking a step back, looking away from them. “You’re lucky you’re Danny’s oldest and most loyal friends. If you weren’t, I’d have killed you already. But understand, my patience runs thinner by the second. So please, before we all do something we regret, tell me what’s keeping my power from affecting you.”

She gritted her teeth, not wanting to answer him before he let out this deep breath, closing his eyes and giving them this wide grin. If she hadn’t known him from before, she might have actually thought it was a kind gesture, but she knew him. Knew that this version of Phantom didn’t show emotions, and definitely didn’t smile. 

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll be forced to kill you. And I’d hate to have to do that.”

Sam swallowed, staring at the ghost standing before them. She knew his words weren’t just empty threats. He was serious. He really would kill them. 

Sam barely whispered, “My earrings.”

Phantom zeroed in on her before his face returned to his overly empty expression, moving back towards her. She flinched when he reached towards her face, but he just moved her hair out of the way, seeing the gifted pair of earrings that looked like ghost deflecting tech. Pulling them out of her ears, he looked at them before freezing and crushing them, letting the broken remnants fall to the floor in front of them.

Phantom just stared at the debris before turning to the other teenager. “And yours?”

“I—I don’t know,” Tucker said, looking even paler now.

“Really? No clue? Guess I’ll have to break every device I pulled off of your person.” Phantom said, going to a nearby table and holding up his PDA.

“No!! Please! Not my Baby! I—I’m sorry! Please! It’s the keychain—on my PDA! Just please don’t break her!!”

Sam watched as Phantom looked back down at the PDA in his hand, to the small sphere shaped keychain that was attached to it like a fancy charm.

Sam let out a defeated sigh when Phantom destroyed that one as well, the pieces joining the others on the floor.

They all stared at the pieces, no one making a sound before Phantom looked back towards them, his expression unreadable.

“Any more?”

Sam’s eyes went wider, before she loudly scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. “Because we’re just decked out in ghost repellent.”

Phantom's eyes narrowed further. “A single ghost repelling device on each of you? Sounds a little lax for ex ghost fighters.”

The ghost returned to the pile of devices he’d pulled from Tucker before holding up another. “Similar ones over and over again, however, that sounds more your style.”

They all looked at the small keychain dangling between them. Phantom touched it before it froze, cracking and crashing pathetically to the floor. “won’t you look at that. Another ghost device. Shocking.”

Sam glared at him, but held her tongue, letting him express his thoughts out loud. It wasn’t something she’d expected of the once so stoic ghost, but she wondered if a few years alone had eventually lead to the unconscious habit. 

Once he must have been satisfied, Phantom turned back to them, his eyes leveling on her. “Keychains for the tech geek, and what for the gothic beauty? All jewelry?”

Sam somehow found herself blushing. It had been a while since she’d thought of her crush on Danny, especially his ghost side, and while she knew he wasn’t actually flirting with her, the use of the word ‘beauty’ had stopped her anger in it’s tracks and had her heart racing. 

She couldn’t even form words as she looked away from him, refusing to meet his eyes as he returned to her side, brushing his icy cold hand against the side of her neck before finding a necklace there. He pulled it up, looking at the pendant and removing the artifact from her body. 

“Let me guess, gifts from Danny over the years? Something he thought you’d actually like and would willingly keep on as much as possible? You always were so picky with your fashion choices.”

She watched as he broke that one too, the truth ringing so true in his words, she almost wanted to let herself cry then, just so he understood how much he was hurting them by doing this, but that sort of thing wouldn’t work on this ghost. He was solid ice, frozen to the core. A lack of humanity after all.

She tried not to react as he browsed the rest of her body, looking amongst the rest of her regular jewelry before his gaze landed on her wrists, where she was currently wearing a ghost repellent bracelet, but she hoped if she didn’t bring attention to it, he’d bypass it. 

After a moment, he nodded at them, turning to Tucker. She watched in horror as Phantom’s hands glowed before he brought them to the boys ears, cupping his palms flat against them. Tucker’s eyes went from panicked and terrified to glassy before he slumped in his chairs. He hadn’t even been able to scream before he had passed out. 

She stared at Tucker’s unconscious body before looking fearfully at Phantom again, shaking her head. “Phantom, whatever you’re doing, you better not—“

Phantom didn’t react to her shouts, standing before her before covering her ears the same way, looking at her deeply in the eyes. She wriggled in her chair, trying to pull her head away, but it was a useless struggle. There was nowhere for her to go.

“Relax. It’s painless. Then you can go back to before you knew I was here. When you were oblivious to my presence.”

Sam stared at him with fear before she let out a deep breath, trying to steel her emotions like the monster glaring down ar her. “Whatever you’re trying to get away with, it won’t work. You know this better than anyone. The bad guys don’t win in the end.”

“Good thing I’m not a bad guy then,” Phantom said.

If his expression hadn’t been so solemn, she wouldn’t have believed him. But his face was relaxed and his eyes were clear. He was serious. Sam frowned at him.

“Do you really think what you’re doing is okay? That whatever means this is accomplishing is worth it? Because it’s not. There’s never a good enough reason to do what you’ve done.”

“To you, maybe. To me, he’s worth everything,” Phantom said before activating his power on her.

Danny sat in the kitchen, confused on what he’d just been thinking about. One minute, he was standing and eating an apple, the next, sitting at the kitchen table with a finished apple.

He frowned before shrugging, giving up on the passing thought. If it was truly important, it’d return to him eventually.

Pulling out his phone, he smiled before sending a group message to both Sam and Tucker, asking what they were up to. What a better way to spend a free Sunday than with his best friends? Not getting an immediate response, he sighed before looking around the room, wondering what he should do to distract himself in the mean time. His thoughts were halted however when he saw Phantom materialize in front of him, spooking him.

“What the heck?“ he exclaimed, looking at Phantom surprised. “What are you doing? Anyone could come in here and see you!”

”Not likely. What are you up to?” Phantom asked, his face impassive.

Danny frowned, not certain if he should be worried about Phantom's deflection or not. “I’m…not sure. I was going to see if Sam and Tucker wanted to hang out, but they haven’t messaged me back yet, so… I’ll probably have to find something else to do with my Sunday.”

“We could hang out,” Phantom said, still staring at him.

“Like yesterday?” Danny joked, raising an eyebrow at him as he weakly smiled. “Eating at Nasty Burger to get swarmed by my classmates, just to go to the mall and get swarmed by single girls wanting your number. I think I’ll pass.”

“It’s not my fault.”  Phantom said almost defensively, his eyes narrowing just slightly. “Maybe if you’d be a little more clingy it’d keep the ladies away.”

Danny found himself blushing at that, not wanting to retort as he looked away. 

While yesterday hadn’t been horrible, he’d really hated the constant attention being around Phantom brought him. Danny hummed, trying to think of some things they could do that wouldn’t involve other people.

“Or…we need to escape the public eye.”

Pulling out his phone, he started looking up movie screenings and times. He did happen to find something he’d been wanting to see that he hadn’t made time to watch yet. Danny looked up the next show time and was happy to see it was around an hour away.

“Okay, I have an idea,” Danny said, looking up at a slightly frowning Phantom. “ But first, I need to shower and get ready.”

Phantom narrowed his eyes but did nod at him. “Alright.”

”I won’t be long. We’re on a time crunch.”

Phantom just barely rose his eyebrows, but didn’t comment anymore as he left the kitchen and went to his bedroom. Grabbing a change of clothes, he headed back towards the bathroom, trying to take the quickest shower of his life. 

When he was done and dressed, he found Phantom waiting for him in his bedroom, lying on his bed. Danny froze, staring at the relaxed posture of the ghost in front of him. There was this—distinctly inhuman quality in the way he looked, even disguised as he currently was, looking like a regular hot guy just chilling on his bed. He was just too good looking—too perfect. 

It was an amazing and yet startling thing to notice, that he and Phantom no longer shared the same face. Danny couldn’t actually describe it in detail, but the way Phantom had grown into his features, it was just noticeably different to Danny’s own adult features. 

Danny walked closer to the ghost, wanting to getting a better look at that ethereal face, but once he was a few feet away, piercing green eyes met his solid blue ones, making him gasp. How long had he been looking back at him? 

Phantom didn’t react much more than sitting up and looking at him, his eyes trailing over his body before looking back up at his face. “Ready to go?”

Danny nodded, smiling at him. “Yep.”

Phantom stood at once, moving towards him before offering his hand. “Where to?”

Danny looked at his offered appendage before frowning. “Ohh, I was wanting it to be a surprise.”

Now Phantom looked truly surprised, his monotone face now featuring his eyebrows at the top of his forehead, or as high as Danny imagined they’d go on his immaculate face. “You want to surprise me?”

Danny shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Just like, surprise activity.”

Phantom just stared at him before finally closing the distance between them, narrowing his eyes before taking Danny’s chin in his hand, tilting his head up gently. “Awfully suspicious.”

Now Danny gave him a look of his own. “Alright detective, whether you like it or not, I’m still gonna go, so either come get surprised, or I’m gonna enjoy it by myself.”

Phantom just gave him a scoff before leaning down, capturing his lips. Danny tensed for only a second before leaning more into the kiss, really enjoying the way Phantom's cold lips pressed against his own.

He pulled away a moment later, staring down at Danny before doing something that shocked him even more. Phantom leaned into him again, but just pressed their faces together, so their noses brushed. Danny was stunned, but more than that, he could feel the way his face was flushed all over. 

“Fine, but I get to plan the next surprise.”

Danny wasn’t at all sure if that was a good idea, but he just hummed, not responding until Phantom pulled away, just giving the ghost a smirk. 

They left soon after, slowly heading back down the stairs, which he never even thought about, especially as he passed no one in his immediate family and headed straight out the front door. Once free, he started walking towards the movie theatre rather quickly, realizing how much time they had wasted.

Every once in a while Danny would glance over his shoulder, catching sight of Phantom behind him. At first the idea of him being so close made him feel nervous, but now it almost made him feel safe. Danny hadn’t really notice when it had happened, but sometime since Phantom’s appearance back in his life, he’d fallen into an easy calm with him there. It was like his presence was something he’d been missing, something he needed. And now that he was back, he felt better, whole again.

Danny still wasn’t happy about the eyes that followed them, watching Phantom’s every move. He wondered if it was possible to make him look less attractive on purpose so they’d attract less attention, but having to ask Phantom that would be very defeating, especially since he’d have to admit he found Phantom attractive. And he wasn’t willing to do that.

It took them barely any time to get to the theatre, and when they walked in to buy the tickets, Danny watched as Phantom scanned the movies playing before stopping on a particular title. He walked over to the ticket booth and asking for 2 tickets to their movie, Danny felt Phantom stay close to him, listening.

When they walked away, Phantom leaned over him before saying, “why am I not surprised?”

Danny just grinned. “I’ve been wanting to see this for a while, but hadn’t found the time to go. Now you get to experience it with me.”

“Experiencing it with you, huh?” Phantom said a little too deeply, making him look away quickly, biting his cheek. His voice was just so…

“Do you want popcorn?” Danny asked, still averting his eyes.

“Get what you want. I don’t have cravings like that anymore.” Phantom whispered, looking at the theatre food with a neutral expression.

Danny frowned, watching Phantom. It was something he’d wanted to ask him about in the future. What was it like to experience human things after living in the Ghost Zone for so long? Choosing a large popcorn and a drink, Danny went to pay for it, but he was stopped by Phantom who already had the cash out and ready. Danny decided to ignore it, biting his cheek as Phantom got his change and they made their way to their stadium. Walking in, Danny noticed that there wasn’t too many people already there.

They went straight to the back, getting the seats right under the projector. Danny, leaning back in his seat, glanced at his ghostly companion. Phantom was watching the screen before them, his eyes glowing brightly in the dark room. 

Danny stared at him again. This ghost—his ghost—had been closer to him than another person could ever imagine. Until recently, they’d had the same memories. It was only in the past few years that they’d become different people, and that was what Danny worried about. How much different was he?

After a minute of constant staring, Phantom glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“N-nothing,” Danny said, looking down at his popcorn before grabbing a handful.

Phantom looked down at his popcorn container before taking it from him.

”Hey—“ but he’d just moved it to sit between them, holding it casually.  Danny glanced at him before snorting, knowing what he was doing. Leaning closer to him, Danny took another handful, popping a few pieces into his mouth as he started actually watching the trailers.

Danny had had a really nice time at the theatre. The movie was just as fantastic as he’d thought it’d be, and spending time with Phantom had actually been relaxing and enjoyable. They’d barely talked during the movie, only to make little remarks about what was happening, but it had been nice while it’d lasted.

Leaving together, they tossed the empty containers away and stood outside in the sunlight, Phantom looking only barely inconvenienced, while Danny felt like the sunlight was his enemy.

“It burns,” he hissed, shielding his eyes.

“It’s not that bad,” Phantom said, but he had to disagree.

“Easy for you to say, you’re used to being a living shadow in the daylight.”

“Ohh?” Phantom said, almost sounding like he was making fun of him if his voice wasn’t so monotone.

“I get it, don’t believe me, but I’m blind now, so you’ll have to guide me from now on,” Danny said sarcastically, reaching out and trying to grab his arm.

“Alright then, my Drama Queen,” Phantom said, linking their arms.

Danny didn’t respond, covering his eyes with his free hand as he felt Phantom leading them somewhere. After a minute, he braved himself up enough to look through his fingers, but Phantom stopped at once, covering his face with his own hand.

”Phantom—“

“I’m supposed to be guiding you. So stop looking and let me do my job,” Phantom said, his voice almost sounding playful with the way he said the words. Danny huffed but kept his eyes closed, letting Phantom lead him. They walked for a while before Danny felt a strange chill in the air. It almost felt like the temperature had dropped significantly.

Nervously he turned to where he’d assumed Phantom to be. Swallowing, he asked quietly, “Phantom? What’s happening? Where are we?”

He didn't get an immediate response, but they did stop a moment later, Phantom moving to stand right behind him. Finally, after a long pause, Danny felt Phantom remove his hand, placing them on his waist instead. 

Danny too curious to wait anymore, opened his eyes, trying to figure out where they were, but he gasped instead.

“Welcome, to my Kingdom.”

Chapter Text

Danny looked around in shock. It was definitely the Ghost Zone, but it looked very different from when they’d been here last. Where there used to be very few ghosts just casually going about their business, there seemed to be a lot more now. He saw so many different islands too. Entire villages of homes and new land masses. And they were standing in the middle of it all, in a ginormous frozen castle.

Danny honestly couldn’t believe his eyes. He knew that it’d been a long time since he’d last been here, but he thought it would still be the same as he last saw it, or restores to before. Now, it was truly something different. Not just a zone, it was a kingdom.

“What—when—how?” Danny shoved out all at once, making Phantom barely chuckle.

“I took it upon myself to create a kingdom worthy of myself and all of the ghosts I rule over. It didn’t take too long, and my new powers came in handy as those surfaced.”

Danny looked at the different structures down below them, amazed at all the change's. Like before, there were still places he had once seen, like the Acropolis of Athens, the Far Frozen, Walker’s Prison, and in the far distance, Clockworks tower. He saw how each was somehow connected in a belt that made them all attached yet still their own islands. He also saw entirely new places he’d never seen before.

He wished he could go down there and look around. It had been so long, but he knew it would be a horrible idea. He needed to leave immediately.

“Phantom I—I can’t stay here. I can’t be here. I need to go back. Now,” He stressed, turning to look up at Phantom.

“No, you don’t. You’re always welcome here. Besides, I know how much you’ve missed this place. It’s written all over your face,” Phantom said softly, almost fondly.

It was true. He had missed this place, but it wasn’t his world anymore, not how it was Phantom’s. And he could no longer protect himself. He was defenseless in this entirely different Ghost Zone.

“What would happen if another ghost saw me here?” Danny asked him nervously. “I’m a sheep amongst wolves, Phantom.”

”I’ll be with you, protecting you the entire time.”

He looked up at frozen king, seeing the way he looked down at him. His face was monotone, yet somehow soft. Danny wanted to trust him, trust his judgement, and yet…

Phantom took his hand, pulling him closer to his body, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts before cupping the back of his head. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you again. I promise you.”

Danny felt his breath catch, feeling the power behind his words. He understood the meaning behind it, remembered Phantom's resentment towards himself for them being defenseless and injured in the past, but it was still so…baffling. To know how entirely this ghost cared about him. 

“Okay,” he whispered. 

Phantom only stared at him a moment longer before lifting them into the air, flying them away from his castle, towards the places below. Looking back at the castle, Danny was actually taken aback by how large it was. His castle made Aragon’s Kingdom look like a joke. It was breathtaking too, made entirely out of ice, yet wasn’t the slightest bit see-through. That puzzled Danny, but he didn’t feel like asking. 

Once they had landed, Danny stayed right next to Phantom. Being here, in this ghost world, entirely human and without any ghost fighting gear, he felt a lot more paranoid than usual. It was—an awful feeling. 

Not even a moment later, Phantom startled him by wrapping something dark and soft around his shoulders. Frowning, Danny looked at the cloth that was secured on his person, realizing it was a cloak.

“I thought it might comfort you,” Phantom said upon seeing Danny’s look.

Danny smiled gently before finding the hood and pulling it over his head. “Thanks.”

Danny didn’t know where to begin. He wanted to see the places he loved most from when he was a child, but he also wanted to take in new sites. He was suddenly hit with a wave of sadness, upset that Sam and Tucker were not here with him. He missed riding in the Specter Speeder with them, checking out the Ghost Zone together. And their crazy map they’d made trying to keep track of all of the places. He could almost laugh now, seeing how they were all so much closer together and easier to see. 

Looking around slowly, he tried to see where they’d landed, but it was almost impossible to tell from his spot.

”Where—“ he stopped when he heard a familiar sound, bringing his attention to behind them. 

He tensed. There was Ember, tuning her guitar while Kitty and Johnny were bickering about something. Danny just watched them in shock, being hit with the nostalgia of seeing some of the ghosts he used to fight all those years ago. 

Phantom must have noticed his reaction before he followed his eyes and frowned.

“They won’t bother you,” Phantom said softly, making Danny slightly glare at him.

“So you say!” He whispered harshly.

“Even if they did want to attack you, there are rules against fighting in public spaces.”

Danny just blinked at him, actually shocked by his words. “Really?”

Phantom nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Danny didn't know what to say to that. He’d assumed there was some sort of legislation, but actually being told there were rules and regulation—it was crazy to him. Danny just nodded back, biting his cheek as he started walking. 

He tried to look casual, but Danny knew in a world where most everyone knew everyone else, a random person in a dark cloak was probably a strange sight. 

When they got closer to the group, Danny noticed immediately when they caught sight of him, all three of them one by one quieting as they looked at him confused before looking past him and seeing Phantom. They all straightened immediately, looking alert and slightly afraid.

“Shadow King.” Johnny said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Fancy seeing you around and about.” 

Phantom stopped directly behind Danny, making him feel a chill up his spine. “I thought I’d go for a stroll.”

“Who’s your friend?” Kitty asked, giving him a catty look.

“A guest,” he said vaguely, making Danny feel all the more uncomfortable, becoming the center of their attention. 

“Is that so?” Ember asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she continued fixing her guitar string. “You’re standing awfully close to your guest.”

Phantom glared at that. “Is there a problem with that?”

The blue ghost looked up immediately, her eyes meeting Phantom's before looking away once more. “My apologies, Shadow King. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

It was an awkward silence before Kitty moved closer to them, bending to try and look at his profile more. Danny felt his face redden. 

Kitty frowned. “Do I know you? I could have sworn I’ve seen you around here before.”

She moved closer to study his face under the hood but he just shied away, not at all liking how close she had gotten to him.

”Kitty,” Phantom spoke much colder, his voice making the ghost jump back.

”Sorry, my King.” She backed away and went closer to Johnny, who had just been silently observing them the whole time. 

“No, I think you’re right, Kitten. I’ve definitely seen that face before. But where…”

Danny wasn’t all that sure what came over him, but he slowly reached up and lowered his hood down, only to be met with three very shocked ghosts.

“Ohh my Zone. Johnny!” Kitty exclaimed, grabbing her boyfriend’s arm.

“A human? How in the zone did you get a human here?” Johnny asked, looking at him even more intensely now. “Unless the portals been opened…”

Danny realized that this had probably been a bad idea, but glancing over his shoulder at Phantom, he noticed the overly calm expression on his face. If he wasn’t worried, I shouldn’t be either, right?

”Not unless it’s been within the last half hour,” Ember said, finally standing up to move towards them, staring at him now. “You’re from Amity Park.”

Danny felt his eyes widen. He wouldn’t have expected any of these ghosts to recognize him so personally, but of course, he’d been targeted by Ember as a human—but that was a long time ago.

”What’s it been, 3–4 years? The portals still sealed, yet Shadow suddenly shows up with a random human.” Johnny didn’t look very impressed, but Kitty smirked. 

“Definitely not random.” She turned to Ember. “You ever seen the Shadow King act so protective before?”

Ember didn’t look as interested in Danny as she was staring at Phantom. 

“Did you finally find a portal?” Ember asked pointedly, narrowing her eyed at him.

”That is none of your concern,” Phantom said but just as harsh, making the other two ghosts look between them with slightly wide eyes. “The human world is off limits anyway. You know that.”

“Damn. I was really wanting to see how it’s been without us,” Johnny said, making Kitty glare at him.

“No, you just wanted to see the girls,” she growled at him, making them start a new fight.

“He kinda looks like what I’d expect your human form to look like.” Ember said nonchalantly, her gaze bored now as Kitty and Johnny looked back at him. 

“Hey! He does kinda look like that!”

“But I thought they were the same person, right?” Kitty asked, looking between them confused. “How can they both be standing here before us?”

“I thought his human side died,” Johnny said, making Kitty hit him. “Owww! What the hell? I assumed wrong, okay? He’s half ghost one minute, full angry ghost the next! I thought it was a rational thought!”

She just continued to glare at him before she walked up to Danny again, looking directly at his face curiously and smiling. “You are Danny, aren’t you?” She smirked, “You’ve aged well.”

Johnny looked at her quickly before shouting, “hey!”

“I mean, look at him. He’s no longer a scrawny little kid. He’s an adult, Johnny. And with that, comes better looks,” Ember said jokingly, winking at Danny.

He knew she was joking with him, and yet he still grimaced, looking away from her as she frowned in return. “Hey Baby-Pop what happened to your quick-witted comebacks? You used to be so fiery, so full of spirit. What’s wrong with him?”

Ember had turned to Phantom, who glared at her in return. “He’s been through a lot.”

She didn’t look very pleased by that response, opening her mouth to most likely continue her questioning when Kitty moved to be right in front of him. 

He looked at her, seeing the way that she gave him a sympathetic look rather than a cruel one. “Danny, hun, are you—okay?”

He stared at her, shocked by her question. He honestly didn’t know how to respond. Was he okay? He didn’t feel very okay. He felt sick to his stomach. It was like a spotlight had been turned to him, a crowd awaiting to eat him alive.

He swallowed. “I—“ How do I respond? Do I just say yes like I have so many times before? Do I admit I’m uncertain? Or do I finally try to help myself by saying that I’m definitely not okay. I’m not—

He jumped when a cold hand took his, grabbing his attention as he turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes met glowing green orbs and he felt his thoughts calming down. Phantom…

“Do you need to sit down?” Phantom asked, his face nonjudgemental as he just looked at him, waiting for an answer. 

Danny could only nod, not able to form words anymore. The problem was that he had no idea where he could sit at, unless Phantom meant the ground—

“You can go to our house…no one usually bothers us,” Johnny offered, alongside Kitty nodding her agreement. “And it’s close by. Just the next bridge.”

Danny heard Phantom respond, but the words eluded him as he felt strong arms lift him, Phantom picking him up bridal style before carrying him after the other three ghosts.

They weren’t wrong. It was barely any time at all before they’d made it to Kitty and Johnny’s place. It was honestly surprising, seeing that they resided in the most human looking ghost house he had ever seen. It was rather large, being two stories and slightly isolated from the neighboring houses. 

Danny barely glanced over when Johnny lead them towards the front door, shoving it open to reveal the most insanely built house he’d ever seen. There were so many endless hallways and doors everywhere, he assumed they had portal like rooms everywhere. It was almost impossible to imagine all of these doors functioning properly, but he knew the Ghost Zone worked differently than his home, so he tried not to think too hard into it.

Danny looked up at Phantom holding him, feeling the way his cold seemed to seep into his bones. He wouldn’t admit it, but it was a comfort. He rather enjoyed being close to Phantom, especially skin to skin, but that was a thought for another time. 

He closed his eyes, letting his ghost take him further into the maze of doorways. He didn’t open his eyes again until Phantom sat him down on a plush surface, which he soon learned was a long couch. 

“Better?” Phantom asked, but Danny didn’t respond verbally. He didn’t know how to. So instead he nodded slightly, watching as visibly Phantom exhaled.

”I think we’d all like to know what the hell just happened,” Ember said a little sharply, looking at Phantom intensely.

“Nothing you need to be worried about,” Phantom said softly as he continued to look at Danny, but she just continued.

“He almost fainted in the street! Of course we’re gonna be worried!” She yelled, making Phantom finally turn to her, giving her a hard glare.

“He’s fine,” Phantom spoke through gritted teeth, making Kitty and Johnny look uncomfortable.

“Just look at him! He looks traumatized! Whatever happened to him—“

“Drop it!” Phantom said a little forcefully, silencing the room.

Danny had flinched from the volume, but he just continued to stare at the ghost crouched before him. After a second, he leaned forward before shoving his head into his chest, capturing his attention once more. He felt Phantom’s hands run through his hair a moment later, cradling his head to him as he shielded him from the other ghost. 

“Some—awful things happened to us in our past, which ultimately lead to us getting separated and staying apart,” Phantom offered them, but he didn’t say anything else, which was answered by Ember’s scoff. 

“That sounds—“

”S—not—ly-ing,” Danny started, but his voice was slightly scratchy, which resulted in his mumble of partial words.

Phantom shifted them so he could sit next to him, giving him a look. “Don’t strain yourself.”

Danny just glared at him weakly. “Mmm fine.”

Phantom just gave sighed. “Please—just relax.”

Danny glared harder, but Phantom gave him a look, resulting in him sighing and lying back on the couch again. He rolled his eyes before looking past him, seeing the three ghosts watching them, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and amusement. 

“So you do have a heart,” Kitty joked, looking at Phantom, who tensed up.

Phantom shifted on the couch again, sitting next to him and leaning against the back. “Tell anyone and I’ll kill you.”

If his voice hadn’t been so serious, it might have sounded like a joke. Might have. But Danny watched as the other ghosted grew uncomfortable before Ember cleared her throat. “Well, this has been fun, but—“

Kitty gave her a dirty look before hissing, “You are not leaving.”

“I have a life too, ya know.” Ember glared back at her, before mumbling. “And a will to live.”

”Your man isn’t even at home right now. He’s off with Technus building some new hunter gear. You were just complaining about it!”

“Yeah, well—“

”Kitten,” Johnny started, rubbing his eyes. “If she wants to leave, just let her.”

Danny frowned, looking at the arguing ghosts. He glanced from them to Phantom, seeing the way he just watched as well. He must be used to this. Danny however, didn’t want to be the reason everyone around them was uncomfortable. 

He shakily stood up, getting everyone’s attention, especially Phantom’s. “We’ll—leave.”

He started moving towards a nearby doorway, but he was stopped by Phantom, who had blocked his way. “I don’t suggest that.”

Danny glared at him. “You—can’t—“

”This place is a maze.”

Danny frowned, trying to look past him, but Phantom sighed. “The doors and rooms change as you move through them. If you don’t know the pattern, it’ll trap you. It can be quite a challenge to escape. On top of that, you’re exhausted. I really don’t want you to overwork yourself when you’re not feeling good.”

Danny swallowed. He wasn’t wrong. Usually after a really bad attack, he’d let his mind and body calm down before trying to do anything that required stress, but he felt like they’d overstayed their welcome.

”Help me. Then,” Danny whispered. 

Phantom frowned, but he had started to nod before Kitty interrupted them.

”You don’t have to leave!” She stressed, her face concerned. 

“Yeah,” Johnny said, turning away from Ember, who at least looked slightly embarrassed. “We invited you to our place for a reason. Stay as long as you like.”

Danny bit his cheek, but he smiled anyway. “Thanks.”

Phantom took his hand and lead him back to the couch, guiding him to the stop he’d been sitting in prior, but he chose to stay standing.

“Would you guys be up for watching a movie? ” Kitty asked, making Ember groan.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Kitty said glaring at her.

It was a little tense before Ember finally gave in, plotting down on the other end of the couch. “Fuck it! Fine. But it better be something good.”

Danny smiled at that, looking up at Phantom who rose an eyebrow at him. Danny smirked, patting the spot next to him, still cold to the touch where the ghost had vacated the spot prior.

Phantom moved easily, giving him a look before moving his arm around the back of the sofa, above Danny. He just rolled his eyes, leaning heavily against the chairs armrest, hoping this wouldn’t be strange or awkward, especially amongst other people.

3 movies later, Danny was actually enjoying himself. He was half leaning against Phantom, watching a horror movie about a haunted house. Original. It was getting towards the end when Danny stretched, making his back pop. It was so loud it startled Johnny, who had started drifting off. 

“What?” He’d shouted. 

They’d all glanced at him, but only Ember, Kitty, and Danny had laughed, Phantom had just stared at the confused ghost. 

“Fuck…” Johnny said, blinking and rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”

”Late,” Kitty said, smirking at him. “Not that it really matters. No real night and day here.”

“Yeah…” Johnny yawned loudly, getting him a giggle from Kitty.

”Looks like someone needs a nap,” she said, standing up and pulling him from the couch.

”Kitten,” he whined, but she clicked her tongue. 

“Nope! No buts! You need some rest.”

Kitty smiled, turning to Danny and Phantom. “Stay as long as you’d like, but we’re gonna find the bedroom.”

”I’ll show ‘em out,” Ember said, standing up and stretching herself. “No one needs to hear that.”

”Ember!” Kitty shouted, but Ember just grinned. 

“Hey, you’re the one that said it,” she joked, sticking her tongue out as she walked towards the nearest doorway.

Kitty just rolled her eyes before glancing back at them. “Sorry, but you know how she is. Anyways, please, feel free to stop by anytime. We’re happy to host.”

Danny smiled. “Thanks, Kitty.”

She smiled one last time before pulling Johny the opposite way, the ghost complaining the whole time as his girlfriend started hissing at him. 

Danny just turned to Phantom, catching the ghost watching him. 

“Ready?” asked Phantom, raising an eyebrow at him.

Danny just nodded, turning to Ember, who was just watching them. She narrowed her eyes at them. 

“Tell me the truth, what’s your guy’s deal?”

Phantom glared back at her, but she just continued. 

“Because from my point of view, you two went from the hero of Amity Park, to a human and the King of the Ghost Zone. And for one of you, that was a major shift in both personality and rationality. You can give me all the bullshit you want, but for an emotionless tyrant, I see the way you look at him.”

Phantom didn’t react other than moving closer to Danny, making the girl smirk. “Protective too. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you actually love him. Or…are in love with him.”

Phantom glared at her now, clenching his jaw. 

She shrugged at him. “All I’m saying is that it’d be awfully convenient for the wrong person to learn of your little…obsession.”

One second, Ember stood before them, the next she was encased in sharp spikes pointed straight at her. Her eyes went wide, her pupils trained on the one targeting the center of her chest, right where her core was located.

”Think it’s smart to threaten the one that lets you exist?” Phantom growled.

Phantom had moved to stand in front of Danny now, mostly blocking his view of the female ghost, but Danny knew what was happened.

”It wouldn’t be a threat if it didn’t mean anything.”

There was a moment of silence before Danny heard Ember let out a loud laugh, grabbing his undivided attention. 

“Fuck. I’m right, aren’t I?” More silence. 

“That human—him right fucking behind you—he’s your obsession. The single most valuable thing in this world to you.” She let out another laugh before sighing, sounding almost heartbroken with how full of emotions it was. “You know—there were all sorts of bets. Theories about your obsession and your weakness. To think, it was a living breathing person—someone you hid on the other side of the portal. No wonder you forbade us all from entering it—not that anyone’s ever found a working one.”

She coughed, almost sounding like she was choking, which made Danny move past Phantom, seeing that the ghost had started driving the stakes through her, causing her to feel pain. 

Danny grabbed Phantom’s arm, “hey, wait—“

She smiled, her eyes trained on him. “I get it though, I really do. I learned your little secret, and now you’re gonna do what you did to so many others—get rid of me.”

Danny’s eyes went wide, looking from her to Phantom’s face, his eyes cold and uncaring as he stared at the woman he was about to kill. Danny shook his head. 

“Phantom, please don’t. This—it isn’t right—isn’t fair—“ but Phantom didn’t even look at him. He just continued to stare at Ember as she stared back at him. 

“I knew it’d happen eventually—I never was one who did well with authority—especially not royalty.”

But Danny wasn’t okay with it. He gritted his teeth before going in front of Phantom, standing between him and Ember. “Stop.”

Phantom glanced from her to him, his eyes still bitter, but his attention was solely on him. Danny let out a shaky breath. 

“I—I can’t let you do this. I couldn’t stop you before, and honestly, I hadn’t wanted to, but this—it’s not the same, Phantom. She—Ember—she’s not hurting us.”

Danny pleaded with Phantom, watching the way his eyes barely narrowed before turning back to the ghost in question. 

“Not yet.”

Danny shook his head. “Phantom—she’s Ember—“

“Yes, I know that. She hypnotized all the adolescents to fall in love with her. She forced you to fall in love with Sam. She plays with feelings and emotions—that’s her thing, Danny.”

”Through music,” he stressed, looking up at his ghost like he was crazy. “She hadn’t even—“

”With her voice.”

Danny frowned, turning to look at Ember, who was slightly wide eyed. She looked positively stunned. “Wait, what—“

”She’s playing off your sympathy right now—sympathy that I don’t have.”

Danny frowned, but looking from Ember to Phantom, he realized how cruel the glint in his eyes were, how dead set he was on ending Ember, and Danny realized this ghost might not be all that composed. 

He swallowed. “Phantom—you have the wrong idea. Ember—she was just trying to get you to admit what she already suspected. Your reaction right now—you’ve already given her an answer. She—she’s no longer messing with you. You can let her go.”

Phantom didn’t say anything else, but Ember started panicking then, realizing how close she was to being no more. 

“Sh—Shadow King! I’m sorry! I’m so very sorry. I—I never meant to threaten you! Not really! I—fuck! Please! Please don’t kill me! I won’t tell anyone anything! Nothing will ever come out of my mouth ever again!“

Phantom looked at her before his expression seemed to slightly lighten, scaring Danny even more. There was that smile again. Or at hint of it. It was so—so lacking of joy that it seemed almost maniacal—

“You’re right. I could just mute you instead.”

Danny frowned, looking at the ghost in confusion before turning to Ember just in time to see a spike go through her throat, making Danny let out a choked scream. He felt the horror through his whole body as Ember reached for her throat but all she could feel was the large spike sticking out of it.

Danny couldn’t even react, backing away as the green blood started flowing from the wound down the spike. He couldn’t believe it—couldn’t look away. Phantom had—he’d—

The spikes retreated all at once, leaving just a bloody Ember in their wake, the ghost girl reaching towards her neck before seemingly taking in a non-existent breath and glaring at Phantom.

“Think twice next time before threatening me again,” Phantom said harshly.

Danny furrowed his brow, looking from Phantom to Ember. Next time? 

He looked towards the ghost girl, expecting her to fall over dead any moment now, but other than glaring at Phantom, she didn’t show any other sign of movement. 

“Come on,” Phantom hissed, turning to him and taking his arm. 

Danny was speechless as Phantom lead him past the injured girl, through a long series of seemingly random rooms before they were once more outside. 

“Wha—“ but Phantom sighed before turning to him. 

“We’ll talk about this more once I get you home. It’s late and you’ve had a long day.”

Danny frowned but let Phantom take his hand and guide them back towards his castle, where he dropped him off once more. 

“Alright Love. Close your eyes,” Phantom said, making him glare.

“What? Why?”

“I’m taking us back.”

He glared harder. “I get that, but—“

”Danny, I don’t have the patience for this. Please, just close your eyes.”

Danny glowered at that, but eventually shut his eyes.

He tried not to react as Phantom picked him back up, and especially when the temperature picked up all at once, but he did open his eyes when Phantom set him down outside his house. 

He frowned, looking up at his front door. “Why—“

Phantom didn’t say anything, just went invisible, making him blink.

“Phantom? The hell?”

When he didn’t get a response he glared again. “Great. I tried to have a good day with you and instead you ditched me after trying to kill someone. Aren’t you a swell date to have.”

”I’m still here,” Phantom's voice came from somewhere behind him, making him jump. 

He took a second to collect himself before glaring again. “Could have fooled me.”

”You need to go in by yourself. Your parents know you’re not home.”

Danny blinked before looking back at his front door. He slowly made his way towards it, opening it and letting himself inside, only to be greeted by his parents. 

He saw his mother look at him first before his father, who both glanced at him with smiles. 

“Hey, Dann-o!” His dad called, alongside by his mother’s, “hi, sweetie! Did you have a good birthday weekend?”

He smiled at them, feeling almost better. “I did.”

“Thanks wonderful. Look at you, my little boy, all grown up. It makes a mother want to cry.”

Danny just rolled his eyes, but he stayed smiling, even after they told him goodnight and he went to his bedroom. It was when he was lying on his bed that Phantom spoke again. 

“I’m surprised they remembered,” he spoke, his voice rough and bitter. 

Danny turned to the ghost, frowning at him. “They—stopped being so neglectful when my panic attacks started getting really serious. I think it was when they realized how much they’d put me—us through. I think—I think they blame themselves, for me acting this way.”

Phantom frowned at that, turning towards his bedroom door before sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down at him. 

“I’m sorry. About everything.”

Danny gave him a weak smile. It was pathetic and it didn’t know any teeth, but it was as genuine as he could muster at the moment. “I am too.”

They stayed like that for a long time, Phantom just looking down at him as he stared right back, memorizing that way too gorgeous face above him. 

“Phantom?”

”Hmm?”

”Were you really going to kill Ember?”

”Yes.”

Danny hated the way he didn’t hesitate to answer him, but at the same time, he felt more confident in him knowing how brutally honest he was. It was both a blessing and a curse.

Danny stared at him, wondering if they’d stay in that position forever before he yawned. When he opened his eyes again, he was startled to find Phantom standing above him now, towering over him.

”I’d better go. You have school tomorrow.”

Danny frowned but remembered that it was Sunday. “Ohh, right.”

Phantom started to turn away, but Danny frowned after him. 

“Wait—aren’t you going to kiss me goodnight?” He joked, but Phantom didn’t react, making him feel worse.

”Never mind.” He mumbled, turning on his side as he prepared to go to sleep, but he was stopped when a cold hand caressed his face, followed by a press of cold lips against his own. He closed his eyes, leaning into the soft kiss. 

When Phantom finally pulled away, Danny smiled. He opened his eyes slowly, prepared to say something when he paused, realizing his ghost was gone.

“Phantom?”

He sat up, looking around before feeling a cold touch along the back of his neck, stiffening him instantly. 

“Goodnight.” He heard Phantom whisper in his ear before those frosted lips pressed to his throat right where his hand had been, making Danny shiver. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ve got some important matters to attend to in the mean time.”

Danny frowned but nodded anyway. “Ohh—okay. Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, my Love,” Phantom mumbled before pulling away, leaving Danny feeling all too warm once more.

Chapter Text

Waking up to his alarm, Danny groaned, using his pillow to cover his face. It always seemed like he never got enough sleep on school nights. Finally convincing himself to get up, Danny sat up and looked around, wondering if his ghostly companion had ever returned in the middle of the night.

“Phantom?” He called softly, but heard no response. Guess not.

Shaking his head, he stood up, knowing there was only so much time before school. Getting changed and ready all too quickly, Danny made his way downstairs, heading towards the kitchen. Seeing no one in there, he felt an odd sense of déjà vu, feeling like something was off almost.

Danny tried to not think about it as he looked around at his choices of breakfast. He shrugged, deciding on an apple like yesterday, only to pause.

He frowned, picking up a green apple from the fruit basket. Danny stared at the apple, observing it. It was green. He distinctly remembered the apple being red yesterday, like every apple he’d ever eaten there. Deciding against eating it, Danny sat it back in the bowl. 

On his way out, Danny paused when he saw his mother in the living room, looking through a catalog. He watched her a moment before deciding to ask about the strange phenomena. “Ohh, hey mom? Why, ummm, why did you get green apples at the store this time? Instead of red?”

She seemed to pause as well before looking up at him, frowning as well. “I always get green apples. They’re your father’s favorite.”

Danny looked at her, truly confused before shaking his head. “What? No—“ but he stopped, a strange thought filling his head. He frowned before giving his mother an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I must have forgotten.”

His mother did match his smile, but her eyes were full of concern and sympathy, both things he hated seeing from his mother after he’d been doing so well lately. Well, not most recently, but before Phantom had returned.

Before Phantom. Now that was a crazy thought. Before he had returned, Danny had finally started to feel normal. He had started relaxing more in public, was more willing to go out with his friends again, and had stopped literally looking over his shoulder. Now—now he was back to square one. A nervous wreck of a human. Sadly for him, it wasn’t all paranoia and an unconscious feeling of being watched. There really were eyes watching him from the shadows. There really was a person stalking him. It just happened to be his other half trying to ‘protect’ him. Which, Danny could argue, wasn’t doing much good for his mental health.

Leaving out the front door, Danny was extremely nervous for some reason. Probably because he had been with Phantom for an entire weekend and now he was nowhere to be seen. He was defenseless. Walking slowly, he eventually made it to his meetup spot, seeing Tucker and Sam already waiting for him there.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” Tucker called, holding out his hand.

“Nothing much,” he responded, doing their handshake.

When they ended it, Danny smiled, pulling away from them. They stood that way for a bit before Sam cleared her throat, giving him a strange look.

“So…I was gonna ask, why didn’t you message us at all this weekend?” Sam asked, looking a little sad. “We get that it was your birthday weekend, but we thought we’d still get some best friend time.”

“Yeah dude, we were a little worried about you,” Tucker agreed, causing Danny to frown.

“But I did message you. I sent a message yesterday morning.” Pulling out his phone and seeing the message in their group chat, he was shocked to see it was still in his keyboard, never having been sent. “Ohh—sorry. I guess I forgot to hit send.”

“It’s okay,” Sam said, her smile a bit tight. “As long as you’re okay.”

“Yeah,” he said, forcing his smile to look more convincing. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

His friends just looked at him, giving him mixed expressions before Tucker gave him an awkward chuckle. “So, what were you up to this weekend?” 

“I, ummm,” Everyone at Nasty Burger saw you with Phantom. You need a perfect excuse, “I ran into someone—somebody that I used to know and we…hung out.” Great. Not suspicious as all…

“Someone you used to know? Did we know them?” Sam looked a little confused, and very concerned.

”No,” Yes. “They were only here for a little bit, but then they moved.”

“Ohh, well that sucks. How, uhh, how long are they visiting for?” Tucker asked, sounding a little awkward.

“No idea. I haven’t asked,” probably forever.

“Well, any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Hopefully we can meet them?” Sam hinted at him, making Danny internally panic.

He took a shaky breath before nodding. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

“Ohh, what was their name again?” Sam asked, frowning. “Sorry, I don’t remember if you said.”

“Shadow,” Phantom. Yeah, the same Phantom we locked away. Funny, story, he broke the barrier and forced his way in. Crazy, right?

“Ohh cool name. Well, they seem nice, especially if they came back here just to see you,” Tucker added.

It was almost like he was both more anxious and more relaxed at the idea of Phantom’s return. With him, he wasn’t truly sure what could happen. Especially since his surprise yesterday. It had been nice up until the end. But the whole situation reminded him to the fact that Phantom is different now. He was no longer just the Phantom they had locked away in the ghost zone. He was way more than that now.

”Yeah, he’s a…really cool guy,” Danny said, letting out a weak laugh. 

Sam rose an eyebrow at him. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

He looked at her quickly, swallowing before shaking his head. “What? No, it’s just—“ he was trying his hardest to say that right thing. “I haven’t seem him in years and…it’s kinda awkward and scary. He’s so—different than what I remember.”

Sam gave him a soft smile. “That does tend to happen when you go from children to adults.”

Danny felt himself blush but for the wrong reasons. He looked away, feeling the way his face burned, the flushed skin refusing to calm at the innocent words. “Y-yeah.”

“Come on, we’ve got to get to class,” Sam called, smirking at him as she and Tucker turned to head towards the school. 

He followed their retreat, looking over his shoulder towards the empty sidewalk behind them. He sighed. 

Please. Let this be an okay day.

Class was exceptionally boring that Monday, his mind racing with thoughts of Phantom. He hoped his suspicion was incorrect, but he remembered Phantom giving him the rose, reshaping reality. Changing memories was included amongst that list, or so he remembered thinking. Did that also mean altering memories? 

Danny knew that even without being half-ghost, his body had a significant contamination of ectoplasm, meaning certain ghost devices affected him, but other things never did. Would Phantom’s ability to Reshape Reality affect him less than other humans? Or was he wrong about the whole thing? Had Phantom made him forget and no one else? He knew Sam and Tucker had anti-ghost devices on them, and little things Danny had gifted them over time, like the bracelet Sam was currently wearing or the keychains Tucker had on every device he owned. They weren’t much, but Danny hoped they’d help deflect a little bit of ghost influence.

Danny thought about asking his friends about any of his theories, or maybe try to learn if his memory was a false one or not, but he thought better of it. No need to make them suspicious when it didn’t seem to be affecting them. Better to ask Phantom about it later. If he was brave enough to do so, anyway.

All through his classed, he felt anxious, wondering if his paranoia was from the students all around him, or Phantom possibly watching him, following him. He’d hope he wouldn’t do that since it made him uncomfortable, but ghost obsessions were a little finicky to handle. Danny being a person with feelings and needs might not be enough for Phantom’s ghost obsessive mind to allow him privacy and space. 

Leaving from school that day, Danny thought about how much his life really had changed since there had been no ghosts. Sure, he was older now, everyone was, but his life had changed a lot in just a few years. He was no longer loser Fenton, for start. He wasn’t particularly popular, but he wasn’t bullied by them anymore, and Danny appreciated that. He was one of the top of his class, following in his sister’s footsteps to be a role model student. On top of that, he was on track to get into the space program. Without ghosts interfering with his life, he was able to become the student his parents had always dreamed he’d be. It was actually one of the main ways he’d gotten his parents to keep the portal closed, explaining that with no ghost activity, he was actually able to study properly and keep better grades.

He sighed, looking towards where Sam and Tucker usually waited on him before he stopped, seeing a strange gathering of girls across the street, surrounding someone really tall with bright white hair.

Oh no…

Danny glanced at his friends once more before making his way towards the group, catching Sam’s eye who gave him an odd look. He just kept his head down, continuing towards the group.

He took a deep breath once he stood behind them, having to psych himself up to squeeze himself through their bodies. Closing his eyes, he started shoving his way into the crowd, getting a lot of shouts from upset teenage girls before he stopped right behind Paulina. Of course, the ringleader that she was, she was the one distracting him, talking a mile a minute. The main thing he was grateful for was that Phantom donned his human disguise, leaning casually against a building. 

He stared at that almost alien human face, seeing that his all too bright green eyes were now trained on Danny as he barely rose his eyebrows. 

Though there was very little Phantom did in the ways of showing expression, one of the main things Danny had caught on to was that the ghost used his eyebrows more than any other facial feature, especially when it was an emotion he wasn’t all that willing to show to others. Like amusement. 

Danny glared at him. 

It was at that very moment that Paulina turned, seeing him and giving him a seductive smile, one he knew was more intended for Phantom than him, but it still made him feel all gross inside. “Ohh hi Danny! I was just keeping Shadow company while he waited for you.”

Danny tensed when the girls around them started whispering, looking from him to Phantom and trading secretive smiles, ones he really hated being the reason for. 

“Th-that’s—nice of you,” Danny mumbled, now facing the dark haired beauty. “Paulina.”

She smirked at him. “Happy to help. By the way—“ but she was cut off when Phantom finally pulled away from the wall, moving to tower over them now. He heard the way the girls gasped, taken aback by the larger than life ghost, who was staring down at him now. 

“Ready to go?” Phantom asked him, making him nod, afraid to try and speak again.

Phantom then turned from him to the crowd, barely narrowing his eyes before addressing the girls surrounding them. “Alright ladies, we’re off,” he called, securely taking Danny’s shoulder before guiding him out of the group. This caused multiple responses from the girls, mostly groans, but intermixed with many giggles and hushed whispers.

Danny let out a relieved breath once they’d exited the crowd, feeling much better to have escaped the compacted bodies, but his fear returned only moments later when he saw Sam and Tucker right in front of them, looking at them flabbergasted.

To anyone else, Danny Phantom hadn’t been seen in years, so they wouldn’t see a random person and assume it was him in disguise. But Sam and Tucker weren’t random people. They were his best friends, and had been up close and personal with him many many times prior. And while Phantom did look significantly different to the Danny Phantom they’d remember, he still looked close enough to be suspicious. Maybe too suspicious, especially touching Danny so casually.

Danny let out an awkward chuckle, grimacing instead of smiling. “Hey, guys…”

Sam rose an eyebrow at him before looking up at Phantom and back at him. “Hey, Danny. Wanna introduce us?”

Danny felt himself flush, finally pulling away from Phantom, but he did put on a small smile when he looked back and caught Phantom’s calm expression. Better than a glare or a visible frown.

Calming his nerves, Danny gestured to Phantom before saying, “Sam, Tucker, this is Shadow. Shadow, these are my best friends, Sam and Tucker.”

Sam and Tucker both blinked, looking from him to the ghost and back again. Sam looked a little suspicious before Phantom gave her a smile, which Danny definitely hadn’t expected. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Danny’s told me a lot about you,” the ghost said rather nicely, making Danny internally freak out. Could he have always acted like this? What the hell?

Sam looked surprised again before smiling, moving a little closer to them. “He has? Because we only heard about you this morning.”

Danny turned to her quickly, giving her a look, but she purposefully avoided his gaze. 

“To be fair, I only learned about you two over the weekend,” Phantom joked, making Sam smirk and Tucker finally unfreeze from his initial shock. His friend glanced at him before turning back to Phantom. 

“I mean, never too late to get acquainted.”

Tucker held out his hand towards Phantom, which he instantly accepted, pulling Tucker into one of those bro hugs that guys did. Tucker grinned when he pulled away. “So, whatcha doing out here, man?”

Phantom shrugged. “Thought I’d see if Danny wanted to hang out, but I realize now that I’m interrupting.”

Sam shook her head quickly. “No you’re not. We were hoping to meet you sooner rather than later.”

Phantom gave her a hint of a smile before turning back to him. “I mean, as long as Danny’s okay with me tagging along.”

Danny stared at him. This was Phantom. His Phantom, pretending to be a normal guy and asking his permission to stay. He stared at the ghost until he found himself nodding, which Sam and Tucker smiled at, their smiles oblivious.

“So, where to?” Tucker asked, looking at Sam.

“I think it’s—Danny’s turn to host.” Sam said, looking at Danny expectantly.

He frowned. Was it? Because he was under the assumption it was Sam’s turn to host, but her eyes were clear, her expression much too calm to be plotting. Or maybe she was just that much better at hiding it now.

He shook his head. “Yeah, sure, but—“

“We could go to my place,” Phantom said suddenly, making all three snap their necks to look at him.

“You have your own place?” Sam asked, to which Phantom just nodded. 

“Yeah. And it’s not too far from here.” Phantom pointed in the opposite direction than Danny’s house. “But I get if—“

“So this isn’t just a visit? You’re moving here?” Sam asked, looking at the ghost curiously. 

Phantom rose his eyebrows, staring down at the much shorter goth girl, but he slowly nodded. “I planned on it.”

She narrowed her eyes just barely before turning towards the direction Phantom had pointed. “Alright Shadow, lead the way.”

Danny looked after her, swallowing as he realized the look in her eye, one he hadn’t seen in a while. She was intrigued. And she was determined. 

Danny looked up at Phantom, but his ghost just gave him a strange look before moving past him and walking down the sidewalk, followed closely by Sam and Tucker sticking closer to him. 

When Sam had moved to speak with Phantom, Tucker turned to him. “Dude, why didn’t you tell us your friend looked like a runway model.”

Danny felt his face blush. “Well—“

”Because we both know I’m straight, but damn, that is a beautiful man.”

Danny knew he must have been as red as a tomato, because Tucker laughed. “Okay, now I see your earlier dilemma. Bro’s become sexy as fuck and now it’s hard to look at him and remember before, right?”

Danny just slowly nodded, turning to look at Phantom’s back, seeing the way he leaned slightly to the side to speak to Sam. 

Danny wasn’t sure the feeling that set in his gut when he saw them together, but he knew seeing Phantom's smile look so genuine when he turned to look at Sam’s face made him feel almost sick. They looked so—

“Danny?”

He looked at Tucker so quick he almost thought he’d trip over his own feet, but he kept himself steady. “What?”

Tucker looked a little stunned, but he pointed to the couple before them. “I was saying that Sam seems to like Shadow. Do you know if he’s single?”

Danny blinked before finally looking at his female best friend, seeing the way she was looking at Phantom and feeling the pit in his guts sinking further. “I—I’m not—“

”Hey, I’m not trying to set them up or anything,” Tucker said, raising his hands in defense. “You know and I know how Sam is with her partners, but…you know.”

Danny did know. What Sam wanted, she usually got. And currently, Danny feared she might just want a certain sociopath. 

Zone, save them all.

They made it to an apartment complex a little under 10 minutes later, a not too shabby one either. Danny looked up at it with wide eyes.

”Dude!” Tucker shouted, grinning wide. “Hot and rich. What else?”

Danny just let out an awkward laugh, refusing to look at Phantom as the ghost pulled out a keycard. He used it to unlock the main entrance, holding the door open so they could enter before him. 

“Thanks,” Sam said as she passed him, quickly followed by Tucker and Danny, the latter feeling a cold breath across his neck as the ghost shut the door after them. 

Danny shivered but ignored the feeling as Phantom moved past them to guide them towards the little elevator on the other side of the room. The wait was short before the doors dinged for them to get on. 

Sam and Tucker took one side as he and Phantom took the other, but where it was so narrow, Danny hated how close together they actually were. Phantom had had to reach around him to press the little ‘4’ button, which scared the shit out of him. And Tucker had laughed at his reaction, which he’d glared at him for. “Sorry,” he’d mumbled, but it hadn’t helped at all. 

When they finally arrived at the 4th floor, Danny got off first, feeling nauseous when he heard Sam make a random joke to Phantom that he’d laughed at. He ran to the opposite side of the hallway, soon followed by his friends and Phantom, who all gave him mixed reactions. 

“You okay?” Phantom called, actually grabbing his attention. 

Danny stared at him, almost wanting to answer when Sam cut him off. “He’s claustrophobic.”

Phantom narrowed his eyes just barely, but he nodded, moving towards him. “Not much further. Promise. And my place is an open concept, so plenty of room for everyone.”

Danny just nodded when Phantom pressed his hand to his back, leading them towards the last door on the end. Danny thought it was pretty convenient, if not a little suspicious, but he kept his mouth shut, watching as Phantom pulled out a small key and opening his front door. 

Phantom turned back to them, giving them a charming smile. “After you.”

But Danny didn’t move. In fact, he moved away from the door so Sam could walk past him, entering the apartment first, closely followed by Tucker. Danny still didn’t move, however, just stood there and frowned at his ghost.

“What are you doing?” Danny asked softly.

“Nothing my Love,” Phantom said as he bent down towards him, seeing the way his face went back to neutral in his presence, looking calm and relaxed once more. It was actually scary to witness, the shift in personality. “I’m just trying to put on a good front.”

”By lying to them?” Danny asked, making Phantom raise his eyebrows. 

“I can’t exactly tell them who I am.”

”I know that!” He hissed, turning to the door, making sure the others weren’t close by. “I mean this! The dazzling personality you’re presenting them with. You’re smiling and joking with them! You never smile or laugh—not even with me.” Danny’s voice had trailed to a whisper, looking up at the ghost with a way too honest of an expression before looking away. 

“Danny—“

”Shadow? Danny? You guys gonna come in anytime soon?” Sam asked, making them realize she’d come to check on them. 

Danny just gave her an awkward smile before following her into the apartment, surprised instantly by the scene before him. It was honestly exactly how someone would expect an apartment to be, except extremely clean. It looked lived in though, which confused Danny a lot. Looking around, he saw all sorts of nicknacks as well as casually placed items such as photographs and art. Things to add life to a building.

Picking up a photo, he was shocked to see it was of Phantom and an older woman, someone Danny had never met before. Glancing at Phantom with a wide eyes, Danny watched him take a seat on the couch ever so calmly. 

“So, this is my place. Hope it’s not too cluttered, I hadn’t actually been expecting guests.”

“It’s nice, man,” Tucker said, shaking a bit, “if not a bit cold.”

“Sorry, I’ll turn off the air,” Phantom said, standing back up and going to the thermostat. 

“How long have you been back?” Sam asked, giving him a small smile.

“I had my stuff moved in about a week ago,” Phantom answered, going and sitting back on the couch. “But I had to get some things sorted out before fully settling back down here, so I’ve only been back since Friday.”

“Danny’s birthday,” Sam exclaimed like it was a coincidence.

“Yeah,” Phantom said with a slight chuckle, shifting to look at Danny. “He mentioned that over the weekend. I’ll have to remember to get you something.”

“No, no. It’s cool,” Danny said, grimacing now. He hated that the attention had been brought back to him, especially as he was being nosy with the things around Phantom’s house.

“I insist,” Phantom said, giving him a look. “For old times sake.”

Danny couldn’t look away, just bit his tongue and winced. “Sure, I guess.”

Phantom turned away from him then, but he still felt the lingering effects of his stare. He could feel how warm his face was getting, alongside the smirk he saw Tucker wearing. Zone, kill me now.

”It surprises me that we never met when you were here all those years ago.” Sam said, slightly frowning. “I mean, Amity park is a pretty small town. I would have thought—“

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Phantom said, finally letting his body sink into the couch. Danny watched him as he moved to sit in the small chair nearest him, trying to get comfortable himself. Phantom had turned to him then, giving him a small smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes, Danny finally noticed. “The building I used to lived in was close to Danny’s home, which was really the only reason we met. He’d come home from school one day and I’d been outside talking a walk. We bumped into each other, started a conversation, and quickly became acquaintances. Friends by the time I had to move away.”

Sam looked more intrigued by that, opening her mouth to seemingly ask more questions, but Phantom cut her off. “But that’s enough about me. Why don’t you guys tell me more about yourselves? Samantha?”

Sam froze, looking at Phantom with shock before forcing a smile on her face, trying to act cool. “Excuse me?”

Phantom paused, staring at the goth girl, seeing the way she narrowed her eyes at him. “Is something wrong?”

”My name is Sam. Sam Manson. No one—and I mean no one calls me Samantha.”

Phantom seemed to need to process his mistake before responding. “My apologies, I hadn’t realized—“

”Did Danny tell you my name was Samantha?”

Phantom didn’t respond, but Danny thought he was gonna throw up. Any answer at this point was the wrong one. Because one meant Danny had betrayed her, the other meant Phantom had assumed. Danny swallowed. 

“No,” Phantom said finally, sounding a little confused. “Your name is Samantha, though, right?”

”My legal name, but it’s not my name,” she stressed, looking completely upset now. “Only my parents call me Samantha, and even then, I ask them not to.”

She looked deep in thought, biting her lip before slightly looking dazed. “Well, someone else used to call me that too. A—a long time ago.” The room was tense as everyone watched the goth girl, who looked deep in thought before settling her eyes back on Phantom. 

“Phantom,” Sam whispered. 

She looked like she was internally fighting with herself, but Phantom just frowned, shaking his head. “Phantom? What’s that mean?”

She frowned. “Danny Phantom. The ghost boy.”

Danny was impressed how surprised Phantom looked at that. “You personally knew the ghost boy?”

Now she narrowed her eyes. “So you do know of him?”

”Well, yeah,” Phantom said, snorting at her. “I was here when ghosts were abundant. I just hadn’t thought of him in years. Or any of the other ghosts for that matter.”

Sam blinked. “I—I thought you were much younger when you and Danny were friends.”

”Nope,” Phantom said softly, looking at her deeply in the eyes. “Teenagers.”

Sam frowned. “Danny—“

But Tucker had nocked something over, causing a huge crash across the room. Everyone froze, Danny and Sam’s eyes going wide as they all looked at the picture frame and broken glass all over the hardwood floors. 

“Ohh, shoot,” Tucker mumbled, looking at Phantom with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, dude. I—“

”It’s not a problem,” Phantom said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. He was only gone a minute before returning with a paper towel, a small plastic bag and a trash can. “I’ve broken plenty of them over the years. It’s what happens when your family gifts way too many photos.”

Tucker let out a small laugh. Sam smiled at that too, but Danny frowned. He really wanted to ask about the strange people in his pictures, because obviously Phantom didn’t have a family, but he couldn’t in front of Sam and Tucker. He just hoped he’d be able to remember once they were gone. 

When Phantom finished cleaning up the broken glass, Tucker picked up the frameless photo, studying it. “Is this your family?”

Phantom smiled. “Yeah. That’s me, my mom, and my elder sister.”

Danny frowned further at that. He narrowed his brow at the ghost, but he just took the photo from Tucker, moving towards what Danny assumed was a bedroom. He disappeared for a few seconds before returning, a small smile on his face. “My mom makes us take family photos a lot since she loves photos so much. That one was from a couple years ago, so I definitely have a newer one somewhere around here. Just haven’t unpacked it yet.”

Sam went towards some of the collection of photos on a shelf, picking up one. “Your family looks…wonderful.”

“They truly are.” Phantom smiled then, making Danny suck in a deep breath when he realized Phantom wasn't looking at Sam, he was looking at him. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Danny tried to keep his blush to a minimum, which helped when Sam gasped. “Danny! Why didn’t you tell me you guys took photos together!”

Danny’s eyes widened. Probably because I’m just as shocked as you are. He stood up at once, moving towards Sam to see what she was talking about. He looked over her shoulder, barely holding in his gasp of surprise. In her hands was a photo of Danny, looking perfectly like his 15 year old self, but next to him was a similar yet different boy, his hair dark like his but his skin was a bit darker and his eyes were bright green. Danny couldn’t believe his eyes. Phantom must have created this. The photo was of them standing next to each other, Danny grinning at the camera while Phantom smiled at him. 

“You guys looked so cute,” she said, holding it so Tucker could see. 

“Dude! You looked, like, crazy similar,” he said, looking back at Danny before smirking. “What happened?”

Danny glared. “Genetics.”

Tucker opened his mouth, but Danny hit him. “Oww, Dude! Not cool.”

Phantom laughed, attracting Danny’s attention. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought it was a real, pleasant sound coming from the ghosts mouth. “Everyone in my family is pretty tall, as you can tell from my mother and sister here.”

Sam and Tucker glanced at the photo he’d pointed to, which did show the two dark haired women being only half a foot shorter than a blue haired Phantom. 

“That was only half a year ago,” Phantom said, pointing to the younger woman. “At my sister’s graduation celebration. It might have been a better celebration if she wasn’t going for her doctorate.”

Danny looked at the girl, narrowing his eyes to try and place her in his mind, but he couldn’t. She truly looked like a real woman, but one he’d never met. It was insane to think of. That Phantom had designed a family for himself. Danny found himself shivering from discomfort. 

“You never answered my question,” Phantom spoke, his eyes centered on Sam again.

”What?” She asked, her face confused now, but Danny saw the way she bit her lip. She hadn’t expected him to bring it back up after she dodged it. 

“About the ghost boy. You knew him? Enough that he called you the wrong name?”

Sam looked speechless, her face sudden panic before scoffing, turning away from him. “I—I mean, I wouldn’t say I knew him, just that we—we’ve talked and he called me the wrong name. He—he was probably just teasing though. You know—ghost shenanigans.”

Phantom narrowed his eyes at her, seeing the way she actually blushed at that. Danny noticed it too, frowning at his best friend. 

“Sam—“ he started, but Phantom took over at that moment. 

“Ghosts do love their shenanigans.”

Sam turned back to the white haired ghost, frowning before Tucker spoke up.

”Danny Phantom was different though. He was a good guy.”

”Was?” 

Danny’s friends looked at Phantom, the room becoming increasingly uncomfortable. 

“Because he’s gone,” Sam said quickly, glaring at Tucker. “Right Tucker?”

”Y-yeah.” Tucker looked embarrassed, but it didn’t help anything. 

Danny just sighed. He knew Phantom was just messing with them as this point. He was just trying to make them mess up. And why wouldn’t he? He was pretty much a sadist at this point. Or if he wasn’t, he was definitely leaning towards it. 

He stood up, following the ghost when he excused himself to put away the trashcan full of glass. He watched Phantom open a cupboard before placing the trash can inside of it. Walking over to the ghost, he gave him a disapproving look. 

“You need to stop.”

Phantom looked up at him slowly, just barely raising an eyebrow at him. “Stop what?”

“Seriously? You’re bringing too much attention to yourself. Talking about yourself like that? It’s borderline narcissistic.”

“I’m just having a bit of fun,” the ghost spoke softly, giving him a look, but Danny scoffed at him. 

“Sure.”

Phantom moved to stand in front of him, placing his hand on his hip before pulling him close. “I know what I’m doing. You don’t need to worry about me.” But Danny refused to meet his eye.

He heard the ghost sigh before a cold hand caressed his cheek and slid to his jaw, lifting his face to meet his gaze. 

“My Lovely other half, I’m not going to reveal anything.”

”Phantom—“ but he had pulled their faces together, kissing him lightly. 

Danny found himself giving into it before he heard a voice from behind them call out. “What the hell?”

He turned quickly, seeing Sam and Tucker a few yards away. Their eyes were wide as they looked between them, Sam shaking her head as Tucker looked pale. Danny thought he was gonna throw up. How much had they heard?

“You—” She started, pointing at him. “You called him Phantom. And then he fucking kissed you.” She looked a mix between sick and horrified, moving one of her hands from the picture to her mouth. “What the actual fuck is going on?”

Phantom moved to stand directly behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist at the same time he’d started pulling away. The result: it looked like Phantom was forcing him to stay by him. 

Sam narrowed her eyes, focused on Phantom and not him. “Let him go.”

Phantom just tightened his hold, however, glaring at the goth girl. “Never.”

She looked from him to Danny, her eyes widening as she seemed to be connecting more dots. As well as Danny’s surrender to Phantom’s stronghold.

“Danny—that’s—and you’re—why aren’t you—?“ she shook her head. “Did you…know?”

Danny just swallowed, his fight or flight really working against him as he tensed up and his body chose shutting down instead. He wanted to deny it, wanted to choose whatever didn’t make his friends look at him like that, but he had never been a very good liar. Well, him without Phantom, anyway. 

“None of this is your concern,” Phantom spoke coldly, making Danny’s friends tense up at the obvious switch in his tone. 

“Not our—“ Sam started, cutting off as she looked between them. “I can’t believe this. You’re supposed to be locked in the Ghost Zone! You’re supposed to be—“

”Well, not everything is as it should be,” Phantom said a little harshly, at the same time, ice had moved from him, across the floor, and covered his friends’ feet, affectively freezing them in place.

Danny shouted, reached for them, but Phantom had grabbed his hands, pulling him back to press his back to Phantom’s chest. 

“Isn’t that right, my Love?” Phantom asked him. 

Danny felt tears start to fill his eyes as he turned to barely look up at the cold face of his ghost—true fear starting to sink into his bones. “P-please—“ he started, his voice barely a whisper, but Phantom just shushed him.

“I do love to hear you beg,” he mumbled, the vibrant eyes tracing his terrified face. “Unfortunately, you have nothing to beg for. I’m not going to hurt them.”

Danny frowned, confused before Phantom leaned closer towards him, whispering. “This—was an unforeseen circumstance.”

Danny swallowed, not really understanding what he meant, but he didn’t want to ask when Phantom pulled away from him, leaving him to weakly hold himself together in the center of the ghost’s kitchen. 

“Danny! Danny please! Snap out of it! What did you say to him?!”

“Nothing to tell guests,” Phantom said almost cruelly, making Danny flinch, but he couldn’t move. All he could do was vaguely listen as his thoughts floated around him. “Good thing you’re not gonna remember any of this anyway.”

Sam’s eyes went wide, looking from Phantom to him. “Danny! Please! You have to—“ 

Phantom reached out, cupping his hands around her ears, causing her to scream. 

“Hush!” He hissed at her, causing all of them to jump. 

Sam shook in his hold, looking at him terrified before his hands softly glowed. Her eyes went wide before they rolled back in her head, causing her to slump backwards. Phantom shifted his feet, catching the girl and unfreezing her all at once, lying her down on the ground gently.

Danny just stared at her. He knew what was happening, and yet had never seen it done before. It was actually kinda scary, remembering Phantom telling him how he could erase and rewrite memories, but to see it be done…

Danny looked up, meeting Tucker’s eyes. Their stare off was strange. It was like Tucker was pleading with him, but knew it was a lost cause. Danny—he wasn’t responsive. He wasn’t actually here right now. Or if he was—his thoughts were disconnected from reality. 

He watched as Phantom stood up, moving to stand before Tucker. 

“What—what did you do?” Tucker finally asked, his face a mask of barely concealed horror.

”Nothing to worry about,” Phantom mumbled, cupping his hands over his ears as well. 

It took a bit longer for Tucker to relax, his face tensed before it went slack under Phantom's hold, the teenager’s body falling limp against the ghost.

Danny just stared. He watched Phantom release his ice shackles before lying him next to Sam, a strangely calm sight. 

He didn’t react when Phantom moved towards him, cupping his cheek with his ever so cold touch. 

“I never meant for you to witness something like that,” Phantom said softly, his voice almost apologetic. 

Danny didn’t respond, not even when Phantom lifted his face and kissed him again. Danny just stood there, letting Phantom hold him before he pulled away himself. 

Phantom frowned at him before turning back to their unconscious guests, letting out a sigh. “I’m going to take them home, okay? Don’t wanna risk them waking back up here.”

Danny just blinked, barely feeling himself breathe. What was this feeling? The weightlessness? And yet, he knew he was existing. It was like—existing but in third person. 

Danny flinched when a cold hand returned to his body, but this time against his throat. He looked up, seeing Phantom standing before him. 

“I want you to lay down on the couch until I return, okay?”

Danny found himself nodding, Phantom guiding him towards his large white couch before easing him onto it. 

Phantom watched him for a second before frowning, looking like he wanted to say something before muttering, “I’ll be right back.”

Danny didn’t respond this time as Phantom bent down to grasp Sam and Tucker’s hands, making them all go invisible.

And then, it was just him. 

Chapter Text

Danny waited for what felt forever before being able to stand up and gain his bearings. It was all just so much—too much. He needed to clear his thoughts. Going back to where the photographs were, Danny picked up random ones and was amazed to see the same women from before, as well as fake human Phantom and random other people here and there. Curious, Danny decided to explore more of the apartment.

The first place he looked towards was the door Phantom had entered through earlier, where he had taken the broken picture. Danny walked to it slowly, pushing the door open after only a second of convincing himself. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but a neat and tidy bedroom wasn’t it. He moved through it slowly, seeing that there were plenty of knickknacks all over the place, but also a closet, which intrigued his interest even more. Was it full of clothes and such? Was it left empty? He walked to it easily, taking the handle and pulling it open.

Danny took a second to process what he was seeing before gasping, backing away in complete shock. It was neither full of clothes nor empty, because what was in front of Danny was a ghost portal. He hadn’t expected to find anything ghostly in this place, thinking of it as just an extension of a human disguise for Phantom, so to see this—to almost realize what it meant, he was baffled. 

As he backed away, he was jolted back to the world around him when he hit an ice cold body, freezing him to his core.

“Found my secret, huh?” 

Danny couldn’t respond, couldn’t move as he registered that it was Phantom behind him. He felt as Phantom pulled away from his back, moving around him before stopping at his front, looking down at him. Phantom had rose his eyebrows, looking down at him curiously.

”You don’t need to act so petrified. I’m not mad,” Phantom said, making Danny blink. “Honestly, I’d been planning to tell you, but then I went and invited your friends along.”

Phantom then sighed, looking back towards the portal. “Guess I made matters worse.”

Danny frowned, tilting his head up to look up at Phantom. The ghost looked down at him with a strange empty expression. “Made you fear me all over again.”

Danny thought about that. Did he fear Phantom? Yes. That was a given. But was he afraid of him hurting him? That was a completely different story. Danny wouldn’t put it past him, but at this point in being reunited with him, he didn’t think he’d go out of his way to cause him pain. Quite the opposite in fact. Danny let out a deeply held breath, staring into the glowing green eyes staring down at him and he swallowed. He slowly shook his head, which gained him a slight shift in the ghost’s eyebrows. 

“No?”

Danny shook his head again. 

“Well, if you don’t fear me, them how do you feel?”

Danny stared at him. He wasn’t sure if it was a game at this point, but he felt the need to express himself in the only way he could that didn’t involve words. He reached up slowly, his hands shaking as the ghost just watched him back. Then, using one hand to steady himself on his shoulder, he used his other hand to run his fingers through his hair. He grabbed a handful before pulling his head down, bringing their faces together.

Phantom met him easily, connecting their lips and kissing him back gently. Danny sighed, tilting his face as he felt Phantom grab his hips, pulling them closer together. 

Danny moaned softly into the kiss as he felt Phantom's hands exploring his body, one trailing under his shirt as the other caressed the skin of his lower back, feeling like ice licking up his skin. 

Phantom was the one to break the kiss, looking down at him with an expression full of emotion before giving Danny a barely there smile. Danny’s eyes widened. 

“I’m sorry I never smile for you. Emotions aren’t really my strong-suit. I know what people want to see, what humans expect, which is why I was smiling so much earlier, but I don’t want to lie to you.”

Danny frowned, but he did force himself to smile right after, which made Phantom shake his head. “None of that. Smiling doesn’t equal being okay. If you don’t want to smile, that’s fine. And if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine too. I just want you to be comfortable with me.”

Danny let his face go back to neutral, staring up at Phantom and feeling so many things, but he settled on nodding. 

Phantom moved them then, leading Danny towards Phantom’s massive king sized bed. “Come. Lay with me.”

Danny let Phantom pull him with him, the ghost making sure he was comfortable as they settled in the center, Danny tucked against Phantom’s side.

“Are you feeling any better now?”

Danny nodded, hearing Phantom hum. 

“Do you want to rest?”

Danny knew he probably should, but he shook his head, lifting himself so his face was barely a few inches away from Phantoms.

“Ohh? Energetic now?”

Danny rolled his eyes, but he found himself letting out a small snort, moving so he was lying on Phantom before taking his face in his hands. They stared at each other before Danny captured his lips once more, trying to express in one kiss everything he felt and more.

He jumped when Phantom’s hands returned to his hips, keeping their bodies close as the ghost flipped them, careful not to crush him, but ultimately taking control of their kiss. 

Danny let out a whine when Phantom pulled away, but he calmed when the ghost started playing with his shirt instead, slowly easing the material up his stomach before leaving it bunched on his chest. 

Danny didn’t react at first when Phantom lowered his face to his stomach, pressing lazy kisses from right under his chest to his belly button. He did however, feel his face heat when the ghost looked at his waistband before looking back up at him.

Slowly, cold fingers pressed under the material, teasing him as his pants were unbuttoned and he was undressed in the dimly lit room.

He reached out, wishing his mouth would just form words, but he was left mute as he tried to convey his thoughts and emotions with his eyes only. 

Phantom went from teasing him to alert and focused on his facial expressions almost immediately, lifting off of him before aligning their bodies again, pressing a quick kiss to his lips once more. 

“Too fast?” Phantom asked once he’s pulled his mouth away. 

Danny let out a shaky breath before just barely nodding. 

“Sorry.” 

Then Phantom claimed his mouth once more, dominating their kiss as he reached between them to rub against Danny’s clothed penis.

Danny gasped into the kiss, arching his back, but Phantom just pressed against him harder, rubbing up and down his member in time with his racing heart. 

It was then that Phantom finally started pulling his boxers down, exposing his all too hot penis to the cold air. He bit Phantom's lip, getting a slight hiss from the man above him.

Phantom released his lips, but not before licking into his mouth, getting him to whine loudly. 

“I love your sounds.” Phantom’s voice was a deep vibration against his throat, his sharp teeth nipping into his exposed skin. “I could listen to just them for the rest of my existence and I’d never get tired of them.” 

He forced his eyes open, watching Phantom as he lifted off of him slowly before tracing his eyes over every inch of his exposed body. “Gorgeous.”

Danny felt heat course through him, especially when Phantom reached out, taking his dick into his frosted hand. Danny groaned low in his throat, loving the feeling of the cold wrapped around his steadily thickening member.

He glanced down, meeting Phantom’s eyes as he moved over his body, pressing kisses over every inch he could reach. 

“Ph-Ph—ahh“ but he was interrupted when Phantom finally took his dick into his mouth. Danny couldn’t contain the small shout, but quickly muffled it with his hand, pressing the back of it against his lips so he could bite down.

Phantom took him easily, sliding his member to the back of his throat, much to Danny’s horror and pleasure. He reached down, still trying to smother his sounds with one hand as he tried to steady himself by gripping Phantom’s hair, but the ghost wasn’t being kind to him, practically devouring his cock as he tried to control himself. It was just so much. After a minute of relentless pleasure and borderline pain, Danny felt himself starting to lose himself. He started gripping Phantom’s hair harder as he started thrusting up, but Phantom was much stronger than him, holding his hips and forcing them to stay in place. 

It was torture. It was just too good as he started getting louder, biting his fist now as he tried not to scream, but he was getting to close, so ready to—

Without warning,  Phantom released his cock, making Danny voice his frustration.

“None of that, my Love,” Phantom said, standing up and making his clothes disappear. “I can’t have you coming just yet.”

Danny stared at his body in amazement. He truly was a god. His body was practically sculpted, every part of him more impressive than anything Danny had ever seen, including his cock. It was standing on end and looked like a monster, not that Danny was going to complain, but he knew why he had hurt so much the first time.

Phantom returned to his position overtop of him, kissing him roughly as he started gripping his sides. Danny moaned into his mouth as Phantom lifted him off the bed.

Danny reached up, wrapping his arms around his neck, feeling the cold press of the ghost’s body against his own. It felt right—smothered the fire ignited under his own flesh.

Once they were in a seated position, Phantom moved from his lips to his jaw, tilting his head back to bite along his skin. Danny couldn’t get enough. He didn’t fight when Phantom grabbed his waist, twisting his body so he was now facing away from him. Phantom teased his sides, running his hands along his hips and stomach before trailing up to his chest, lightly pinching his nipples. 

Danny arched away from him, opening his mouth to finally force words out of his throat when Phantom took ahold of his shirt, finally pulling it over his head.

Danny gasped, feeling Phantom press fully against him, hugging his body from behind.  The cold from Phantom’s ghostly skin sunk into his own, causing an almost intense burning from how starkly the difference was. 

“Ph—antom,” he whined softly, getting a hum from the man behind him, kissing his collar. 

”Do you hate being teased, my Love?” Phantom asked him, his voice almost smug from the way he rolled his words. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you waiting for long.”

Phantom wrapped his arm around his waist before helping him into a doggy position, kneeling behind him as his ass was left in the air. He heard another hum before cold hands pressed to his cheek, causing him to gasp. He tensed when those hands spread him apart, and jumped when cold air hit his hole.

”H-hey!”

He heard Phantom barely chuckle before a kiss was pressed to the tip of his spine, making him shiver. “So sensitive.”

Phantom patted his cheeks again before pulling away, getting off the bed entirely and moving to a side table. “I love watching you squirm. I’m no longer affected by the elements, but you, my Love, most definitely are.”

Danny heard him moving things around before he heard a click of a lid and a pleasant hum from his now standing counterpart.

Danny glanced towards him, watching as he glanced at him. Phantom barely raised a single eyebrow before he was gone.

Danny gasped, confused and shocked before he felt something cold and wet against his once again exposed hole, causing him to shout. He was even more surprised by the stretch he felt in his ass, feeling fingers pressing inside of him. 

“Thought I’d take my time,” Phantom spoke huskily, making Danny freeze, realization coming to him. Phantom had froze time without him. He had been preparing him without his knowledge for who knew how long. But Danny had to admit, it hurt significantly less than the first time, feeling the stretch from at least 2–no 3–fingers stuffed inside his ass. He moaned when he felt the pull, feeling Phantom retracting from his stretch orifice. 

“Think you’re ready?” Phantom asked, but Danny didn’t even get to open his mouth before he felt his cock aligned with his entrance, causing him to whine.

He felt when the head of his cock started pressing inside of him, the difference startling as his body tried to adjust to such a large object being forced into him. 

When Phantom finally stopped, Danny let out a relieved breath, so pleased that there had been no pain, just a small ache from so much being stuffed inside of him as once. And appreciative of Phantom letting him get used to him again before fucking him.

He sighed as Phantom trailed his hands along his lower back and stomach, lovingly stroking over his body as he just stay hilted as deep inside of Danny as physically possible. 

After a few more seconds, Danny finally grew restless, shifting his hips forward as he tried to get Phantom to move.

He heard a hiss behind him before cold hands gripped his hips, the body behind him pulling away and out before pressing back in, slowly but confidently, causing Danny to stifle a moan. 

He was confused at first, feeling Phantom only pulling out rather slowly, shifting his hips with every thrust before a tingle ran up his spine, making him release a less tame sound, which in turn caused him to grow embarrassed. Phantom stilled again before he pulled out a bit rougher, thrusting back in with significantly more force, and this time, causing him to release a much louder moan.

Danny could only feel how hot his face was as Phantom targeted the same spot over and over again, sending pleasure and embarrassment through his whole being, but quickly the pleasure outshines the shame, Danny practically shouting his enjoyment as Phantom increased his pace. 

Danny could barely contain himself as he felt his release approaching, lifting his hips higher as he buried his face in a pillow. With a final thrust and a muffled scream, Danny came. He felt like a damn breaking, cumming hard all over to bed beneath them. Itwasthebestorgasmofhislife.

He felt weightless, his body a slump of useless flesh and bones as he felt Phantom chase his own orgasm, the ghost gripping his hips harder as he pulled Danny’s lower body against his, slamming himself as deep as physically possible before groaning deeply in his throat. 

Danny was both surprised and startled when Phantom's cum was unloaded into him, both because of how much and how fucking cold it was. It caused him to tense all over, groaning into the pillow under his face. Strangely, he didn’t remember it being this intense last time, but he hadn’t remembered a lot from last time. 

Exhausted, Danny finally allowed himself to fall over, along with Phantom who followed him easily, pulling them close together. Danny felt Phantom move them so his arms were protectively around him, lightly trail his fingers along his side and stomach, seemingly memorizing him with his touch.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” He heard Phantom say.

Danny, after a few seconds of his brain misfiring the thought, he turned, trying to look at him and failing. 

“Really?”

”Of course, my Love.” Phantom kissed the back of his neck, causing a chill to run down his spine, the little fire in his guts leaping once more. “The most wonderful, spectacular thing of all my existence.”

Danny snorted, but he found himself smiling, especially as Phantom continued worshipping his exhausted body, caressing and kissing any and every place he could reach. 

“You can rest, if you want,” Phantom spoke softly, kissing the spot right behind his ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

With that, Danny nodded his head and closed his eyes, telling himself that he was just closing his eyes, even as he felt himself drifting off.

Chapter Text

Danny woke up on Tuesday feeling a lot better than the days prior. Being woken by his alarm, he had lifted up from the bed easily, stretching tall before tossing off his covers and moving calmly towards his closet. 

There was this—strangely good feeling coursing through him, an overwhelming calmness that left his thoughts clear and focused as he did his mundane routine for school. He was ready and heading downstairs in a little under 20 minutes, which for him was insane. Usually in the mornings, he was rushing to get himself ready, and racing the clock to be to school on time, mostly from oversleeping and ignoring his alarms. But today, there was no worry, because he was up, smiling, and ready to go.

Grabbing his things, he made his way towards the kitchen but was stopped in his tracks when he was met with a sight he thought he’d never see again: his parents using a ghost detector. Looking at them closely, he was truly concerned to see his mom’s face pensive while his dad looked scared. It wasn’t a usual for his parents, especially his father who was usually much more ecstatic when it came to ghosts and ghost equipment.

“Mom? Dad? Is everything…okay?” He called out, making his way towards them.

“Ohh! Hi Danny,” his mom said all too quickly, moving the device out of his line of sight by hiding it behind her. “Are you ready for school already?”

He narrowed his eyes then. She was deflecting. She was definitely hiding something.

“What’s going on? What are you hiding?”

His mom stared at him a moment longer before sighing, looking up at his dad before pulling the device back from behind her, letting him see it once more. 

“This—old gadget detects ghostly influence as well as records ecto-levels in the surrounding areas. We hadn’t even realized we’d left the gear turned on, but over the last few days it’s been picking up on some of the largest surges we’ve ever captured. Even when there were ghost attacks every week, none were of this category or magnitude. Whatever is causing them…it’s powerful. We fear it might draw attention before too long, especially if any other ghost hunters have been monitoring the area over the last few years.”

Danny listened to his mother in barely contained horror. Phantom was causing spikes in the ecto-levels? This—this was bad. Very bad.

“What—what do you think…will happen?” He asked nervously, actually fearful of their  honest answer.

“Well,” Maddie started, looking at the device again. “If—we leave it alone, hopefully it would go away on its own. But I fear if it steadily keeps growing, it will eventually start to cause some serious damage.” She sighed, looking back up at him. “These numbers—it’s unheard of. No ghost hunter has ever recorded an ecto-level of this magnitude, definitely not in one place. I was checking the charts and there was only one who was anywhere near this level, but that was when Amity Park was completely taken over by ghosts. And the levels weren’t even half of what they are now.”

The fight between him and Pariah Dark. Was Phantom really that much more powerful than Pariah? It was…a terrifying thought.

“That’s…scary,” he finally said, not knowing what else to say. It truly was scary. The ghost that was obsessed with him was strong enough to probably destroy him and a significant amount of the earth in a single blow. Maybe even the whole world…

“Hopefully it’s just a glitch in the system,” Jack cut in, but his face said otherwise. “For a ghost to have this much power, they’d have to have a lot of willpower or be extremely unstable.”

”Their obsession could be a major factor too.” His mother added, making him tense all over.

“Their obsession?”

“Their fixation. The reason they have for continuously existing.” 

When Danny didn’t react, his mother sighed before turning and heading down towards the lab, leading to Danny and Jack follow her.

Danny frowned as he saw her running around the lab, pulling out different files she had apparently stashed away a long time ago. Getting closer, he realized they were files they had made about the ghosts of Amity Park, most notably, ghosts he’d fought at Danny Phantom.

“Good,” she said, looking up and seeing them watching her. “These ghosts I have pulled up have very obvious obsessions, especially from their powers and their ecto-levels. This one for example,” she said, pointing to a picture of Ember, “is obsessed with fame. To be known and loved and cherished. I am almost certain she was once human. Possibly killed in an accident involving a show.”

Danny looked at her with wide eyes, amazed she knew that about Ember. And the idea that she was once human made sense too. He swallowed.

“She’s definitely a powerful ghost, but only on stage. Without an audience, she’s just another lower ghost.”

He watched her flip to another file, this one showing a picture of Skulker. “This one, however, is a lot less powerful. He relies on his exoskeleton to protect him, and uses little to no actual ghostly powers to help him. He’s definitely obsessed with hunting rarities, but it’s a means to an end. An endless endeavor he’ll never be satisfied with.”

Danny frowned at that, feeling a little pang of guilt as his mother flipped to another file, but instead of staying on it, she picked up the book and flipped to the end, landing on a rough sketch of Pariah Dark. He hissed through his nose.

“This one,” she went on, “was the most powerful ghost we had ever encountered. While obviously not impossible to defeat, it was obvious he was truly powerful, and not just from stealing power, but from the need to have power. He was obsessed with ruling, of being the most powerful, and in his obsession sick mind, he almost made it happen. Almost.”

Danny watched the emotions flicker over his mother’s features before she cleared her throat, shutting the files once more. 

“What all these ghosts have in common is that they desired things they had to obtain, obsessions that had to be maintained. This newest ghost however,” she said, pulling up the levels, “they seem to be quite powerful on their own.”

Danny watched the graphs his mother was pulling up, bringing up Ember’s graphs again, but this time on a time scale. 

“Ember’s graphs are the easiest to show as an example. Her power was influential from the start. As she gains popularity, she’s able to influence more. Her power growing as people feed into her need to be loved and chosen. Also expressed from these little bursts in ecto-levels from when she first took over.”

Danny looked at the little spikes in the chart, steadily getting bigger before dropping off altogether. 

“And of course, she was defeated by the ghost boy and seemingly banished back to the Ghost Zone once more. But these charts—“ his mother flipped to a new chart, this one making his eyes bug out. “There is no little bursts. There is a constant ecto-level being maintained, but when power is being unleashed, it’s all at once, almost as if this ghost saves its power to create these incredible feats of colossal proportions.”

Danny swallowed, looking at the large spikes on the graphs. There was a lot more than he thought there should be. 

“While I’ve thought up many possible reasons behind this, my leading theory is that this ghost has somehow actually obtained their obsession. And with it secured, they’re trying to maintain keeping it.”

Danny felt like he was floating, his mind racing faster than it had before. She was right of course, Phantom had obtained his obsession, but Danny wasn’t sure if the rest of her theory was true. Was Phantom as powerful as he was in his need to keep him, or was he this powerful because he had always been powerful? It was definitely a thought that would bother him for a long time. 

“Hey mom?” He asked, feeling ready to throw up as he made himself ask the question he wasn’t ready to hear the answer to yet. “What do you think would happen if a ghost that obtained their obsession lost it?”

His mother frowned. “Like with Ember? How she was gaining power and lost it all at once?”

He shook his head. “Like—what if their obsession was something…fragile. Something irreplaceable to them. And they—that thing broke…beyond repair.” 

His mother looked shocked by that thought before looking back at the charts she’d been showing him. “I couldn’t say for certain. But for a being of pure chaotic energy, losing the thing that connected them to their rationality, I can imagine they’d probably lose their mind.”

Danny feared he’d throw up.

He turned quickly, running up their stairs and going straight towards the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him, trying to calm his racing thoughts, but all of his fears were being realized all at once. He was human. Mortal—fragile—a being with an expiration date. He wasn’t going to last more than 80 more years, which had never bothered him as much as it did right now. It didn’t help that Phantom wasn’t just any powerful ghost—he was the ghost king now. And Danny, being his living, breathing obsession, was now a walking target for anyone that wanted to usurp him.

Not really certain what to do with these thoughts, he left the bathroom and went to the living room, gathering his abandoned school things and waiting there. Waiting for what, he wasn’t certain until he sensed it, the cold presence suddenly behind him. Feeling a kiss placed on the nape of his exposed neck, he shivered from the sudden chill.

“Hello, my Love,” he heard Phantom whisper next to his ear, “did you rest well?”

“Y-yeah,” he said, kicking himself from his lack of speaking skills at that very moment.

“Everything okay?” Phantom asked, his tone a little flat as he pulled away from him, moving to look directly at him.

Danny tried to think of something—anything to say—but nothing came to mind. Instead, he felt his body becoming uncomfortably hot, sweat starting to cover every inch of his body as he stared at the ghost before him.

“Danny?” Phantom spoke with a little more concern, bringing his cold hand to his forehead and touching it slightly, narrowing his eyes as he pulled away. “You’re warmer than usual. Maybe you should stay home today.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, instead he slightly started choking, unable to take a real breath. He couldn’t really control his thoughts either, his head starting to spin, feeling overwhelmingly dizzy. Danny struggled to keep himself afloat, closing his eyes. He was finding it hard to control any part of his body, his legs going limp as he slightly fell forward, thankfully getting caught seconds later by Phantom.

“Danny?” Phantom asked, actually sounding almost worried, holding him as close as possible to his body. The cold body did feel good against him, but he barely paid attention to it, feeling like he was paralyzed. “My Love, what—“ but the ghost cut off, hearing a noise from somewhere near them. “Hold on.”

Danny kept his eyes closed as Phantom made him intangible, the feeling actually somehow alleviating some of the panic in his body. He reached out, grasping Phantom's shirt as he tried to force words out of his mouth, but the air wouldn’t leave his lungs. He felt like a living statue, frozen in time as he forced his eyes open, looking up at Phantom weakly, who was now holding him in the middle of his room. 

Phantom was frowning at him, his eyes full of emotion as he scanned all over his face. “Danny, my Love, I don’t know what’s happening right now. Can you speak to me?”

Danny barely opened his mouth, but his thoughts spiraled at that exact moment, making him clench his eyes shut, trying not to throw up. 

”No? What had I read about—Panic attacks? Anxiety attacks? Is this—that?”

Danny just stayed frozen as Phantom held him close, trying to calm himself down, but his chest was starting to constrict again, the pain getting worse as he couldn’t breathe. Danny lifted his head slowly, looking at Phantom before opening his mouth, trying to beg his body to stop betraying him and tell the ghost he was suffocating, but he was helpless. 

Phantom frowned, looking between his mouth and his eyes, scanning over every inch of his face before leaning down, connecting their lips.

While the idea seemed crazy, Phantom didn’t hesitate before blowing frosted cold air into his lungs, which caused him to gasp from the shock the chill gave him, finally letting him take a deep breath once more.

Danny took deep breath after deep breath, clinging to Phantom after the ghost had pulled his face away, just watching him try to stabilize himself. After a minute, Danny grimaced, a horrible headache starting in the back of his skull. 

Phantom just pulled him back against him, hugging him a lot tighter than Danny thought his body could handle. But he didn’t complain, turning his face to tuck it into the crook of his arm, just letting his ghost keep him safe.

After a long drawn out silence, Danny finally made a move to pull away, lifting his head to look up at Phantom, who was blankly watching him now.

“M’ sorry,” he mumbled, sounding hoarse even to himself.

“Why are you sorry?” Phantom asked him, frowning deeply. “It’s not your fault.”

Danny frowned, looking away, but Phantom just cupped his cheek with one hand, slowly stroking it with his cold thumb. “My Love, you have nothing to be sorry for. It’s okay. I was just worried. If anything, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”

Danny stared at him before the words really clicked in his head. “You’re—sorry?”

Phantom nodded. “I am. I should have done more research on panic attacks. I knew you’d had a few in the past, but I never thought it’d be something so…intense.”

Danny didn’t respond right away, but he did lean into the ghost’s cold body again, sighing. He tried to gather his thoughts before looking back up at him again. “You did.”

”Hm? Did what?”

”Help.”

Phantom stilled holding him, looking down at him before frowning again, but he nodded. They stood that way for a long time before Phantom changed the way he was holding him, gathering his weak body in his arms before leading him towards his bed. 

Phantom helped him sit down before sitting next to him, taking his hand as he frowned at him. “I understand that these things can be quite common, but I think I remember reading that they’re usually triggered by something. Did something happen?”

Danny refused to meet his eye at first, staring at the floor before glancing over at where their hands were, feeling guilty. “I—I heard—something. It—made me—freak out.”

Phantom frowned deeper at that. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Danny didn’t respond at first before biting his cheek. He hadn’t even realized he had started to cry before he felt Phantom wipe his cheek. He watched the ghost before him, not moving an inch as he started to lean forward, kissing him ever so gently.

Danny shut his eyes tight, not allowing himself to think about it as he let Phantom pull him closer, half holding him as they kissed on his bed. Phantom let him pull away first, leaning his head against his shoulder, feeling completely drained. 

“No.”

”Okay,” Phantom whispered, just letting them sit in comfortable silence.

Danny closed his eyes, feeling his heart beating. It was surreal to him. He found himself remembering back to when they were one person—when he had been Danny Phantom—when his core was the only thing he felt in his chest. He wondered if Phantom thought back to when his own chest had a heartbeat. When the ghost had been both himself and Danny Fenton. 

Danny lifted his head, looking up at him. “Do you miss being alive?”

Phantom tensed, but he soon shifted to look back down at him. “No. I don’t.”

Danny found himself frowning at that, looking away from him, but not even a second later, Phantom spoke. “Do you miss being a ghost?”

Danny bit his lip before slightly nodding. “Sometimes.”

Phantom hesitated before opening his mouth, but before he could say anything, there was a shout from downstairs, reminding them that Danny was on a time limit. 

Phantom glared at his door, but for some reason, it made him laugh. Phantom glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow, but Danny just shook his head. 

Phantom didn’t look all that amused, but he looked less gloomy as he stood up, towering above his sitting position. 

“I don’t know how long you need to recover after a panic attack, but you don’t look the most…” he didn’t finish, and Danny didn’t blame him. 

He sighed before forcing himself up, reaching forward and leaning heavily on Phantom.  “I’ll—be okay. I had to before.”

Phantom furrowed his brow, looking almost pissed. “You used to go to school right after having panic attacks?”

”Used to have attacks at school,” Danny admitted, looking down at their feet. 

Phantom’s hands had moved to rest on his waist, keeping him upright. The hands squished him then, but he tried not to react as he winced. 

“The people made me a little paranoid,” Danny whispered, biting his lip as he tried to put it in the right words. “It just—constantly felt like I was being watched—like I was in danger. And of course, I couldn’t exactly go to a licensed specialist for it. Not without all the lies I’d be telling.”

Phantom watched him, but he didn’t react as Danny let out a small choked sound, still overwhelmed with everything. 

“Honestly, I really wish I could just forget what happened there.”

He pulled away then, standing on his own for a bit before slowly walking to his bedroom door and leaving his room altogether. He felt Phantom following him every step of the way, the ghost his living shadow as he made his way down the hall and the staircase. He stopped in the living room for a second before spotting his abandoned schoolbag, grabbing it and heading out the front door.

He walked slowly, knowing he was most likely already late, but not caring either way. He’d make it to the school eventually. As he went, he felt a sudden cold presence to his left. He tried to ignore it before he felt a frozen hand take his own, causing him to stop in place. Glancing over, he was surprised to see Phantom in his human disguise.

“What are you doing?” Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Walking you to school.” Phantom spoke simply, making Danny stare at him.

”Seriously?”

Phantom just glanced at him. “Yes.”

Danny couldn’t control his reaction, blushing deeply as he stared at the ghost. He looked away just as fast, but not before catching Phantom’s expression, the ghost raising a singular eyebrow at him. 

“I just want to support you as much as possible,” Phantom said softly, squeezing his hand gently. “It’s harder to do that when I can’t just be next to you at all times, but this way, I can at least be more than an imaginary boyfriend.”

Danny almost wanted to laugh at that before he realized the word Phantom had used. “Boyfriend?”

They stared at each other for a bit before Phantom opened his mouth, hesitating. Danny wasn’t used to this side of Phantom, the part of him that knew he was obsessed with Danny yet also understood that Danny was a living being with free will.

He stared at the ghost a moment longer before laughing softly, a small grin on his face. “Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?

“…Yes.”

Danny found himself grinning wider, looking away from him as he shook his head. “I don’t know. Sounds complicated.”

Phantom frowned before Danny turned back to him, wrinkling his nose at him playfully. “There’s my Phantom. Then there’s the Ghost King. And the human disguise, Shadow. Sounds like a lot of boyfriends to keep up with.”

Phantom rolled his eyes, but he did tilt his head slightly to the side, his expression less cold than usual. “Is that so?”

”Yep,” he said, tugging on Phantom’s hand as he walked a bit faster, pulling the ghost to make them walk faster. 

Phantom didn’t respond at first, but after a second, Danny heard him let out this scoff-like sound, but turning to look at his face, he saw his barely there smile. Holy shit—Phantom had laughed. He’d made Phantom laugh!

Phantom stared at him, his eyes slightly narrowed before stopping in place, tugging him back to his front. Danny had let out a yelp, but he had no reason to fear, Phantom steadying him easily and hugging him close. 

“How about I uncomplicated it for you?”

Danny felt his eyes go wide. Phantom’s voice had been a growl from how deep it was, making his heart skip a beat. 

“Ohh?” He asked stupidly, not really moving as Phantom cupped the back of his head, running his fingers through his hair. 

“No matter my appearance, my title, or my name, there is and has only ever been one thing in this universe that truly mattered to me: you. I’d kill for you and I’d die for you. I’d end this world for you, if I thought that was what it’d take to keep you safe. You’re everything to me.”

Danny was speechless. “Phantom—“

”Would you be mine?”

Chapter Text

Danny had spent his whole morning thinking about Phantom. Mostly, about his answer to the question the ghost had asked him. He had stared at him, baffled that the ghost had actually presented him with a choice, and more surprised that he hadn’t even thought about it before blurting out his answer. Phantom and he had just stared at each other before Phantom got that amused look on his face, his eyebrow lifting high on his brow before he’d pulled his face close and kissed him. 

Danny found himself sighing, thinking of that kiss. He really liked kissing Phantom. There was something about his cold touch against his all too warm body that sent chills up his spine, almost like an adrenaline rush. 

He found himself smiling when the bell rang not that long after, signaling to Danny and all the other students that it was time to leave their current classrooms and make their way to their next classes. 

Danny gathered all his things slowly, trying to hide his flinch when a cold hand brushed his arm, letting him know his ever-constant companion had returned to his side. He had tried all day to keep his reactions to a minimum, but it was difficult when his ghost decided he wanted to tease him through every single one of his classes, going as far to press lingering kisses to the back of his neck. 

Danny glanced around cautiously, letting out a breath when he realized he was the last one in the classroom. 

“You’re driving me crazy,” he mumbled, keeping his face down as he left the room, heading towards his locker. 

“Good,” he heard whispered into his ear, causing him to shiver. 

He bit his lip, keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself as he finally saw his locker, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a certain prissy cheerleader leaning against it. He glared, seeing that an entire entourage of cheerleaders were swarming his locker, which he thought was an honest mistake at first before the dark haired girl looked over and spotted him. 

“Hi, Danny!” Paulina yelled, making him wince at her loud high pitched voice. It was moments like this that he wondered what he ever saw in her, other than her pretty face.

“Ohh—h-hey…Paulina,” Danny said, finally approaching his locker. 

He felt extra uncomfortable with the rest of the cheerleaders glancing between the two of them, a couple girls whispering before giggling, making him grimace. It was once his lock was undone that Paulina fully invaded his personal space, making him shout in concern once she’d pressed herself against his side. He just stared at her wide-eyed, not at all understanding why she’d be touching him at all, much less pressing herself against him so suggestively.

“As you know, or as you should know, the school is hosting a dance this Friday and I wanted to know if Shadow would be available.” Paulina said as she looked up at him through her lashes, making quite a few of the cheerleaders groan and whine in their obvious jealousy of her asking Danny first.

Danny almost wanted to scoff in her face, but trying to stay civil, he just cleared his throat before speaking, “h-honestly, I’m not quite sure what he’s gonna be up to this Friday, but I could ask him?”

He tried to hide his flinch when a pair of cold hands pressed flat against his hips, a cold mouth pressing against the side of his neck, making him bite his lip so roughly he feared he’d make it bleed. “No.”

“Thanks Danny! I really hope he can make it!” Paulina spoke cheerfully, not even realizing Danny wasn’t listening to her anymore. The teenage girl grinned before leading her popular girl unit away, leaving Danny and the invisible entity alone once more. 

Danny let out a slow breath, which came out much easier once the ghost had released him, or most of him anyway. He glanced down, feeling a ring of cold around his wrist. He was a little confused by it, but he decided to ignore it for the real issue at hand.

“Do you have to make my life difficult?” Danny muttered.

“Yes,” Phantom said a little harshly, but Danny just scoffed it off. 

“I swear, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were jealous,” Danny mumbled as he started switching his things in his locker for the things he needed to put away. He didn’t get a sarcastic response like he expected, but he did feel the hand around his wrist tighten, making him wince. 

He tried not to react too much, but when the ghost didn’t release him, the icy cuff started to burn. “Ph-Phantom, stop.” 

He glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to him before he started to pry at the ghost’s iron fist. “Phantom, please. You’re—you’re hurting me.”

The cold was gone instantly.

Danny let out an instant breath of relief. “Thanks,” he whispered, but he got no reply.

It was after he finished preparing for his next few classes that he finally glanced at his wrist, feeling the slightest hint of discomfort. He paused, a little shocked and concerned when he noticed a visible ring around his wrist, one that looked too much like an imprint of a certain ghost’s hand. He stared at it before gently rubbing it, wincing at the pain that flared there.

Using his other hand, he covered the abrasion before making his way towards his next class. He went straight to his seat, just trying to act like everything was okay.

He had to take a few deep calming breaths before facing forward, pretending to be prepared for learning. 

You’re fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. He just kept repeating those words to himself, even when the lack of cold around him told him a different story.

It was around lunch when he finally saw his friends again. After the horrible spectacle that had happened at Phantom’s the day before, he had no clue how he was supposed to act around them. Were they mad? Sad? Did they remember anything? Everything? 

Deciding to man up and get it over with, he walked towards them slowly, giving them a nervous grin before sitting across from them. He swallowed, not very confident in his choice after he saw the expressions on his friend’s faces. Sam’s was definitely upset, and Tucker’s wasn’t much better.

“H-hey, guys. What’s up?” He asked pathetically, not really knowing what else to say.

“Nothing much. Just you blowing us off for some guy you haven’t seen in a few years,” Sam said coldly, slightly glaring at him.

He raised his eyebrows. So this is how it works? He’d changed the entire memory. She truly thought they didn’t hang out yesterday at all. How…unnerving.

“I apologize. I know it was…abrupt—“ he spoke cautiously, not wanting to use the wrong descriptive words, “—but I really had no idea he’d come here.”

“It wasn’t cool man,” Tucker said, looking hurt. “And it was Sam’s day to host. We were gonna watch ‘Trinity of Doom!’, remember?”

He frowned, remembering that Sam had said it had been his day to host. What had she been planning?

“I’m—so sorry, guys,” he said, feeling both guilty and conflicted. “I just—I haven’t seen Shadow in years. It was really nice, ya know? To hang out—to catch up with him. It was—a nice change in my usual afternoon plans.”

He cringed when he realized what he had implied, making Sam almost look feral with her wider more pissed-off eyes. Ohh no. He was in deep trouble.

“A change in your afternoon plans? Danny, we’re your oldest and dearest friends. You never change your plans. Never. What’s going on with you?”

“I—I just—I’m—I—I-I-I—“ He had become a stuttering mess, not at all certain what he needed to be saying.  He was flushing all too soon, too lost in his messed up speech to realize he’d started hyperventilating. He thought he heard one of his friends speaking to him, but he could barely hear anything at that point, his heartbeat filling his ears alongside a ringing in his right ear.

He closed his eyes then, starting to get lightheaded as a slight twinge shot through his thoughts. He winced, lowering his face to the table. It was agony, his body hot and clammy as he felt completely sick to his stomach. He was ready to throw up when he jolted, feeling a cold hand pressed flat against his cheek. He sighed, letting the sharp feeling ground him as it lightly caressed his sensitive skin, trailing down the side of his face and soon cupping his jaw. 

“Breathe,” he heard whispered huskily into his ear, making him finally take another deep breath in. Phantom. “You’re doing so good my Love. Just keep breathing.”

He sighed, wishing he could lean into his touch, but he just let the ghost continue to pet and stroke him as he let his breathing even out. After a minute, he finally gained the courage to lift up and look at his friends again, who were both staring at him with wide concerned eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, her eyes moving over every inch of his face. 

He nodded. “Sorry, I, ummm—“

Tucker shook his head. “We know, dude. No need to elaborate.”

It was a little awkward before Sam cleared her throat, his face solemn now. “We thought—sorry.”

He frowned, giving her a look before she shook her head. “I—I mean—we—I really thought you were finally getting better.”

He had too. “I mean, I’m not perfect, but I’m definitely better than before.”

His friends both smiled at that. 

Tucker made a sound in the back of his throat, giving him a small grin. “So, what did you guys do yesterday? You and Shadow, I mean.”

Danny, completely taken aback from the change in topic, found himself blushing. Ohh, he definitely didn’t want to talk about that.

He worked his jaw, trying to come up with someting—anything to day, but Sam was already raising an eyebrow at him. “What’s that expression for?”

”Nothing!” He’d practically shouted at them, making his friends look at him even more baffled than before. 

“Are you really okay?” Sam asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry now.

”Yep,” he forced out, nodding his head quickly, which made it start spinning again. He grimaced, shutting his eyes before finishing his thought. “N-never better.”

”Not gonna lie, dude,” Tucker started, sounding a little concerned himself. “You’re not acting too—okay—right now.”

Danny sighed, lowering his head again before speaking once more. “I’m sorry, I just…” he felt those hands return to him, lightly trailing along his arms, giving him a little encouragement. “I have a lot on my mind.”

”Like what?” Sam asked him, her voice much softer than before.

”You know. School. Life. Shadow,” he muttered, which gained him a hum. 

“What about Shadow?”

He glanced up, seeing the way his friends were looking at him, which made him swallow. “I—I like him. A lot.”

“You like him?” Sam asked, her voice laced with concern and something else. “You like him or you like like him?”

“I—” He felt his face flush, watching as Sam’s eyes narrowed on his. 

He knew he wasn’t ready for this conversation. It felt like he was going to pass out. He stood abruptly, startling Sam and Tucker, who both looked at him in shocked before he bolted, running towards the exit and out into the hallway.

He took deep breaths as he started pacing in a wide circle, running his fingers through his hair.

“I can’t do this!” He whisper shouted, knowing Phantom was there to hear him.

Phantom materialized a moment later, looking like Shadow and frowning at him.

“Danny, my Love, you need to calm down,” Phantom spoke, voice calm as he followed his rapidly moving body.

“I’m not ready to talk to them about this! To admit I like—any guy!”

Phantom didn’t respond, but he did look towards the door. 

Danny stopped then, following his gaze towards the lunchroom doors. Not even a second later, Sam and Tucker burst through, both looking extremely worried.

“Danny!”

”Dude!”

They both calmed down when they locked eyes on him, but Sam moved to his side immediately, reaching towards him before pulling her hand away again. She knew he had a thing about touching.

”What happened?” She asked, looking beyond frazzled.

Danny stared at her, seeing the concern in her gaze. He took a deep breath before letting it out, nodding slowly. “I—I like like Shadow.”

His voice was barely a whisper. He watched Sam stare at him, slowly furrowing her brow before her eyes went wide. “Ohh—“ she took in a deep breath, “Oh Danny, I—I never meant to—“

Tucker came to them too, looking just as confused as Sam just had. “Never meant to what?”

Sam glanced over towards their friend before looking back at him. “Danny. You’re allowed to like anyone you want to, no matter their gender.” She let out a small sigh before giving him a small guilty smile. “If it makes you feel any less alone, I’m bi. I only realized it about a year ago, but I never really knew how to bring it up. It’s so…awkward to talk about!”

Danny felt his eyebrows lift. “Really?”

She nodded, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Yep. And I realized it at the most…awkward moment of my life, which—is a story for another time.”

Danny gave her a weird look before she glared at him. “The point is—! I know how challenging it is to understand and accept these new feelings. It’s like…learning a new side of yourself you never knew existed, but it’s still you, deep down.”

He nodded, biting his inner lip before shaking his head. “It’s all so… I thought I liked girls—and only girls—but I don’t know anymore. I haven’t liked anyone since…” he trailed off, the thought dissipating in his mind. He frowned, looking between his friends and laughing awkwardly. “I’m just—so bad with people now, and—“ he shook his head. “Shadows different. He makes me feel things I can’t even begin to express. I like being around him. And I—I want to be with him.”

He looked at his friends and saw their calm accepting faces. They both seemed equally shocked, but also caring. Compassionate. They didn’t hate him.

“Sexuality is about finding what makes you happy,” Sam said, smiling at him gently. “It’s not always what they look like or what gender they are or are not. It’s about how they make you feel. Does he make you happy?”

He didn’t even think about it, he just nodded, smiling awkwardly as he blushed again. Gosh, he felt so…weird. But in a good way.

“Yeah. He does.”

“Then that’s all that’s important,” Sam said, opening her arms towards, silently asking him if he wanted a hug.

He gave her a tight smile before accepting it, letting her hug him tightly. “Thank you. For understanding,” he mumbled.

”We’re your best friends,” Sam said, pulling away and giving him a loose grin. “It’s what we’re here for.”

”I don’t feel like I helped that much,” Tucker said, his expression a little embarrassed. 

Sam and Danny both gave him a look before laughing. 

“Sometimes support can be enough,” Sam said, holding out her arm to let Tucker join their hug. “Bring it in?”

Tucker just rolled his eyes before hugging them both roughly, making them all laugh. It was just like old times. Once they’d stepped away, he felt the cold return, a featherlight stroke across his cheek, making him shiver. He found himself smiling, even as his friends moved on without him.

Chapter Text

Leaving from school that afternoon was much like the day before, seeing a group of girls swarming across the street, making him roll his eyes. 

He glanced away from the group, wishing he could be anywhere but there when he caught sight of his friends looking at him, smiling at him and giving him waves and thumbs up.

At least their supportive.

He grinned awkwardly before running across the street, pausing only briefly before shoving into the group of girls once more, who were a lot less pissed to see him than they had been the day before. If only they knew…

He stumbled when he broke through the crowd, taking a moment to glance up and see Phantom raising an eyebrow at him. He felt a blush come to his face before he saw Paulina glance his way as well.

“Hi, Danny!” she said, just as enthusiastic as she always was.

“H-hey Paulina,” he called, grimacing at her.

“I was just telling Shadow about the dance this Friday,” she said, shifting closer to the ghost, making Phantom frown at her.

“Ohh, c-cool,” Danny failed to say calmly, glancing back at Phantom to see his subtle glare before looking at Paulina instead.

“As I was saying,” Phantom started, smirking slightly. “I’m flattered, but I don’t think my boyfriend would like that very much.”

There was a lot of gasps from the group, girls completely baffled by his statement.

“Boyfriend?!” Paulina shouted, looking pissed.

The girls surrounding them backed up slightly, but Danny assumed it was mostly away from Paulina and not his ghost admitting his homosexuality.

”Shadow, I—I thought… You never mentioned having a…a significant other.”

“You never asked,” he said, barely smirking still.

Danny thought he saw a hint of cruelty behind his sharp expression, but Paulina didn’t notice. The teenage girl looked ready to combust, her eyes blazing before she turned on Danny, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Why didn’t you say something?” She spat venomously, making Phantom glare.

“He doesn’t have to tell you anything,” Phantom hissed, standing to his full height, practically a giant above Paulina, who finally looked at him with visible fear. “You could have always asked me. I would have told you happily.”

She looked ready to retaliate when Phantom bent down towards her, giving her a hard look, “It’s a new relationship as well, so I haven’t exactly been screaming it from the rooftops, especially since my partner isn’t out yet.”

Danny reached out then, taking Phantom's hand and tugging on it lightly. In that moment, he never thought about how it would look to the group of girls watching them like a reality tv show. There were low murmurs almost immediately, someone even taking a photo which made him jump, pulling away but it was too late.

“You?!” Paulina shouted, looking at Danny like he was a plague, her teeth pulled back from her teeth and everything. “You knew I liked him and you just—smiled and nodded about me asking him to the dance! How—how could you?!” She shouted, glaring at him. 

Danny watched as she reached up, gripping a handful of her own hair before taking deep breaths, looking ready to pop when she turned all at once, shoving girls put of her way as she exited the circle.

Looking back at Phantom, he saw his empty expression at the girl’s retreat. He opened his mouth, ready to say something when the girls around them got loud all at once. Phones were pulled, photos taken, and a lot of giggles and grimaces. This was going to be the biggest gossip in school.

Danny felt the heat return to his face, staring at the female students surrounding them. They were all looking at him, whispering to each other as they grinned, but it was the ones glaring, the ones that looked disgusted by him that was making his adrenaline pick up, that made him want to—

Phantom took his hand then, moving in front of him before addressing the girls around them. “Move.”

Danny felt a shiver of déjà vu, watching as the teenagers silenced themselves before backing away, letting him and Danny exit their hoard. He lowered his head, allowing Phantom to guide him as he walked them down the walk, only stopping when they could no longer hear anyone but themselves. After a silent stretch, Phantom finally cleared his throat, grabbing his attention.

“You okay?”

Danny really let the thoughts sink in. Was he?

“I—I don’t know,” Danny eventually said, staring at Phantom as the ghost just looked back at him. “The idea of all of these people knowing, spreading our relationship like a rumor, it’s…”

“You’re afraid,” Phantom said softly. “Of all the attention it’ll bring you.”

Danny stared at his tired expression, seeing the understanding plain and clear. It was open—honest. He swallowed. “Yeah.”

Phantom took his hand again, pulling him towards the nearby building’s outer wall, crouching down next to it before sitting, tugging Danny’s hand to have him do the same. Once resting, Phantom glanced over at him, giving him a small grimace of a smile, one that made Danny’s heart quicken.

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Phantom said, looking away from him again. “We all experience fear.”

”Even you?” He joked weakly, but Phantom nodded slowly, making him stare at the ghost.

”Even me.”

Danny just looked at him, really seeing him. This was Phantom. His ghost. But he was so much more than that. He was the Shadow King—the Ruler of the Ghost Zone. And the most powerful entity on either side of this dimension. The thought of him being afraid of anything…

Phantom had closed his eyes, letting Danny stare at his almost relaxed posture before he turned back to him. “I feared I’d never see you again.”

Danny stared at him, not wanting to believe his words, but he looked too serious, his expression too open for the words to be a lie.

”Guess you don’t have to fear anymore,” Danny said stupidly, which was followed by staring and silence on both of their ends.

He felt himself blush as Phantom reached over to him, taking his face in his hand before stroking his cheek gently. “Guess not.”

Danny didn’t pull away as Phantom leaned towards him, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. 

Danny sighed, relaxing into it as Phantom tilted his head more, trying to take over their kiss when someone cleared their throat, making Danny fling himself away from Phantom, truly shocked. He glanced up, mortified to see Mr. Lancer standing there, looking very disappointed in him. What the hell?

“Boys,” he said, looking at Danny before looking at Phantom, seeing the sudden confusion on his face. “While I know this technically isn’t school, nor is it during school hours, I know there must be better places to be doing…that.”

His words left Danny red faced, but Phantom stood up, looking down at the teacher as he addressed the older man.

“We apologize, sir. We got a little carried away,” Phantom spoke smoothly, turning back towards him before reaching down, expertly helping him up.

“I could see that,” Mr. Lancer said, looking a little embarrassed himself. “Well, enjoy your afternoons boys. Preferably in a more private location.”

Danny wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole, but he had no time to escape before Phantom was speaking again, making him tense all over.

“We’ll do just that, Mr….”

Mr. Lancer looked surprised before letting out a exhale. “Mr. Lancer.”

Phantom made a sound like he was enlightened. “Danny’s old english teacher. He’s mentioned you. You were one of his favorite teachers.”

Danny whipped his head around so fast, he was surprised it didn’t snap off. 

Mr. Lancer looked equally surprised. “Really?” The teacher glanced at him before looking back up at Phantom, his face almost…proud. “Well, I must say, I’m delighted to hear that.”

Danny just awkwardly grinned, not really knowing what his goal was. He had to have a good reason to embarrass me like this, right?

Danny turned then, focusing hard on Phantom’s face, narrowing his gaze as his disguised human eyes started to just noticeably glow. The ghost smiled, but it was sharp, too much to truly look pleasing to the eyes. “Since I have you here, I thought I might ask about something school related. Danny mentioned a dance happening this Friday. I was wondering what the policy was on inviting outside guests?”

Mr. Lancer looked confused for a moment before almost seeming to be dazed.

“W-well, we—don’t usually allow outsiders to join our after-school activities.”

Phantom narrowed his eyes just barely. “Why?”

”Liabilities. Especially with all the ghost attacks that had put so many students lives in dangers.”

Phantom blew out a breath. “But ghosts are no longer an issue.” Mr. Lancer looked confused by his words, his face slightly going slack before Phantom moved closer to him, narrowing his gaze even harder. “What about an exception?”

“I—I could get—a permission slip—if you want to accompany—Daniel to the dance,” Mr. Lancer spoke almost robotically, looking glassy eyed now. “After all, h-he is an excellent s-student.”

“We would appreciate that,” Phantom said, glancing at him.

“M-make sure t-to p-pick it up t-tomorrow, ohh-kay D-Daniel? He’ll h-have t-to—“ Mr. Lancer paused, frowning at them. “F-fill it out b-before—“

Phantom smiled sharply, looking like a predator before addressing the high school English teacher. “Thank you, Mr. Lancer.”

“H-have a g-good d-day, g-gentlemen.”

Danny watched, completely bewildered as the grown man walked away without another word. Danny shook his head, turning to Phantom with questioning eyes. 

“What the hell? What just happened?”

”Hmm?”

Danny glared at him. “With Mr. Lancer?”

“I gave his mind a little push in the direction I needed.”

Danny swallowed. What did that mean? “L-Like—mind control?”

Phantom glanced at him before shaking his head. ”Coercion.”

Danny didn’t think that sounded any better, but he nodded anyways, glancing away from the ghost who had started walking away. He bit his lip as he followed him.

Gaining the courage, he forced himself to walk faster to catch up with the ghost, grabbing his attention as he called his name.

”Phantom?”

He stopped, looking back at him. It was almost awkward before he sighed, turning to give him all his attention.

”Yes?”

Danny cleared his throat. ”Wh-where are we heading, exactly?”

Phantom blinked. “I… Nowhere in particular.”

Danny frowned. “So we’re just—walking?”

Phantom nodded. “I used to do it a lot, in my castle. When I couldn’t rest.”

Danny frowned, watching the way his eyes seemed to slightly glaze over. He had never seen this exact look on Phantom’s face, though he had seen similar. He had however, seen that thousand mile stare on other ghosts. It was a symptom of Obsession Sickness. It would lock ghosts up in bouts of psychosis. And a mentally unstable creature of chaos was never a good thing in a realm of fragile humans.

Danny panicked. Without thinking, he moved directly in front of Phantom, grabbing his sleeves and gripping them roughly, looking up at his empty expression. 

“Phantom, can you hear me?” He hissed as he glanced at their surroundings, so glad no one else was around. ”You need to snap out of this! Please, if I really am your obsession, my presence should keep you sane, shouldn’t it?”

When Phantom didn’t respond, Danny changed his hold from his arms to his chest, gripping his shirt and pulling his face down, kissing him roughly. As first, the ghost didn’t react, but all at once, he felt those cold hands lock around his waist, a strong body pulling him flush against them, encouraging their intimate display. 

Danny sighed, leaning back to look at Phantom as the ghost held him expertly. 

“Are you—okay now?” Danny whispered, giving him a small frowned. 

“Yes, I—“ Phantom frowned, looking away from him as he seemed to gather his thoughts. “Sorry about that, I—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Danny whispered harshly, watching as Phantom flicked his gaze directly at him. “Why didn’t you tell me how serious it was?”

Phantom frowned, but he didn’t move to say anything.

Danny glared. “You lost touch with reality. Right in front of me. That’s—this is serious, Phantom. How long has this been happening?”

Phantom still didn’t answer, making Danny try to pull away, but Phantom didn’t let him go. “I should have known it was more serious than you were letting on. Of course you have severe Obsession Sickness—you were locked away for years! And it’s—it’s all my fault.”

Phantom tensed at him words. “None of this is your fault.”

Danny let out a small unamused laugh. “I did this to you. I locked you away and made you lose your mind. This—I should have realized—“

“There was no way for you to know that,” Phantom said a little softer, sounding beyond exhausted. “Danny, you’re not the one who left. I did. I ran away like the selfish ghost I was. And I only realized the truth when I was kept away from you.”

Danny didn’t want to respond to that—he couldn’t— so they just stood there, Phantom lightly trailing his cold fingers across the edges of his skin and through his hair.

Phantom sighed. ”I don’t like that you blame yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Danny swallowed, his emotions swelled all over again. When he still didn’t respond, Phantom gripped the back of his head, lightly tugging on the ends of his hair and forcing him to look up at the ghost. 

“Daniel Fenton,” Phantom spoke low in his throat, causing Danny to tense up. He’d never heard Phantom say his whole name before, and he definitely hadn’t heard him say it like that. “My wonderful other half, whom I cherish more than every other creature in existence, you can’t blame yourself for every bad thing that happens in this world. You didn’t cause me to lose my mind. I did. This was my fault, and deep down inside, you know that too.”

Danny knew what he meant, and yet— “But—“

“No buts. You know I’m right. You know that between the two of us, the blame is solely my own. You didn’t force me to cross, and it was my crossing that sent everything else into motion. You were just a stepping stone, my Love.”

Danny bit his cheek, chewing on the damaged flesh there, but he didn’t deny his words. He knew there was no point. 

Phantom leaned down, giving him a strange look before connecting their lips in a gentle embrace. Danny sighed into it, letting the cold spread through him as the ghost held him close. 

When they pulled away, Danny was suddenly hit with a thought, one that almost shattered his perception of existence. He had known the truth, and yet…

Phantom, this all-powerful slightly unhinged being, was a ghost. Which, of course Danny knew that, but the actual reality of the situation hadn’t until that very moment. Ghost’s were immortal. And humans—Danny—was not. He wouldn’t live forever—not like Phantom. He was going to expire someday, and when that day comes…who knew what would happen.

Staring at Phantom, he knew his face must have betrayed him, because his eyes narrowed on his face.

“What’s with that face?”

“What face?” Voice too high, crap.

“The one you’re still making. What are you thinking about?” Phantom asked a little forcefully, pulling away slightly.

“Y-you know—it’s like—well—“ but the words weren’t making sense, leaving Phantom glaring before he took his hand and pulled into the air, making him shout.

“Phantom—what?!—“ but they were just floating.

“Relax,” Phantom said, his voice calm but his face was still upset. “We’re going to my place. We need to have a talk.”

Absolutely fantastic.

Chapter Text

It took no time at all to arrive, but that just made Danny more nervous. He didn’t want to arrive so soon. Or at all, really.

They flew straight through the walls, Phantom dropping him directly on his bed before landing on the ground himself, looking incredibly upset.

“Alright. Talk,” Phantom said, his expression cold.

“I—I don’t—“

“No excuses. You looked terrified, Danny. And that—it bothered me. I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t let me.”

Danny swallowed. “It—it’s not—“ He let out a deep breath. “It was just—a bad thought. Something that happen to upset me, but—“

“A bad thought?” Phantom mumbled, his expression shifting to one of slight concern. “Like a negative thought that’s been plaguing you? I can help with that.”

Phantom held out a glowing hand towards him, which made his breath catch. He shook his head quickly, not really certain how to approach this. He hoped admitting his fears wasn’t a mistake, because he really didn’t want to, but he knew Phantom would break him down eventually. It was just a matter of time.

“Phantom. You know that I’m human, right?”

His words were soft and nervous. He watched as Phantom lowered his arm down, squinting at him now. “Of course I do.”

Danny nodded. “The thing about that, is ummm,” he swallowed again, not really knowing if he needed to work up to saying it or just blurt it out, but his anxiety chose for him. “We—I—will someday, eventually… Die.” His last word was a whisper, but he knew from the way the temperature in the room dropped that the ghost had heard him.

Phantom stared at him, his face unreadable as Danny stared back. It was getting colder by the second, with Danny starting to shiver as they stood in complete silence. 

Then it all changed. It was so sudden, Phantom across the room one moment to being overtop of him the next, pressing him into the sheets. Danny screamed, the sudden change startling him, especially when he realized their new position.

Danny took a deep breath, tracing Phantom’s face, fearful that he might have triggered the ghost into an obsession craze, but his eyes weren’t cloudy. They were as vivid green as ever, meaning he probably was just upset.

“Regular humans die.” Phantom finally spoke after a moment, making Danny tense. He stared at the man above him, hearing the deep rumble of his words. He couldn't answer, not wanting to interrupt as he stared at Phantom’s face. “But you’re not a regular human, Danny. You’re my human. I won’t let you die.”

Danny shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to collect his thoughts. “Phantom—I’m aging as we speak. Soon enough, I’ll be twenty, then thirty, and as the decades keep rolling around, eventually I’ll—“

“No. You won’t,” Phantom said, pressing his cold hand against the curve of his throat, making his cold bite into his all too warm skin. “I can pause anything in time. Including you.”

“Pause me? Like—freeze me in place? Make me into a—a statue?” Danny asked, finally meeting Phantom’s eyes again. Would Phantom resort to that? Turning him into something to worship rather than to have and hold? It was a terrible thought.

“No, pause your body in time. Not your mind,” Phantom said softly. “Your mortality is something I’ve thought of a lot, especially recently. The idea of losing you… I’ve come up with many ideas on how to keep you the same as you are now. Most impossible, but there were a few that seemed…feasible.”

Danny blinked. “Have you tested any of these ideas?”

“Yes and no. My tests were mostly done on plants, but I know from experience that I can continuously stop the time of an individual living entity without stopping their conscious thought.” Phantom frowned. “The tricky part is learning how to maintain it, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Danny didn’t know what to say. What to think. Could he actually become immortal? He knew if it was up to Phantom, he’d force it into existence, but the idea—it just didn’t seem possible. Not with him still human, anyway. 

“What would it feel like? To be frozen in time?”

Phantom stared at him, seemingly thinking before his expression relaxed once more. “You would feel undead. Your hair would stop growing, your heart would stop beating, your body would stop producing heat.”

“Like a ghost?” he asked softly.

“Yes.”

Danny blinked. He seemed sincere. So open and honest about the idea. So much that Danny wanted to trust him. Wanted to.

“When…would you want to do it?” Danny asked cautiously, looking at him nervously.

“Well, I figured it would be best to let you finish school, so you can move somewhere far away and disappear,” Phantom said monotonly. 

Danny stared at him another moment, but when he didn’t say anything else, he just nodded. Until the end of his senior year. Less than a year. Less than a few months, and then… he’d be frozen. Forever.

It was as he thought this that the cold spreading through him started to burn, especially around his still restrained wrists, causing him to wince. 

“Phantom, you’re—you’re hurting me,” he said weakly.

Phantom pulled away instantly. “Sorry.”

From this new position, Phantom was kneeling over him, his legs spread by his own. There was something crazy attractive about it, looking up at Phantom's handsome form. 

Danny felt himself blush, biting his cheek as he turned his head away. 

“Now what’s that look?”

Danny let out a barely concealed groan, getting a hum from Phantom in return. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you liked me or something.”

Danny turned back to glare at him, but Phantom was gone. Shocked, he shot up, moving to try and get up, but strong arms wrapped around his waist, keeping him place. 

“Tell me, my Love, do you like what you saw?”

Danny could barely control his breathing now, leaning his head back against the cold being as he leaned forward, pressing a bone-chilling kiss to his collar, lightly nipping the exposed skin there.

“I—I—“ but Phantom had chosen that moment to actually bite him, causing him to scream. The feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Like ice filling his veins. It burned, and yet—

“Please—!”

Phantom pulled away, pressing a gentle kiss to the spot. He hissed. 

“I cannot wait to make you immortal.” Phantom spoke as he pressed his face against his own. “It’ll be perfect. You’ll come live in the Ghost Zone with me, as my Prince. And with your body frozen, my ice will no longer affect you. I’d no longer hurt you.”

Danny frowned, pulling away slightly to try and look at him, but Phantom went intangible, leaving Danny alone once more before he was in front of him again. Danny gasped, turning to look at the ghost, but Phantom had grabbed his waist, pulling him on top of his lap. Phantom stared down up at him, his eyes tracing his face as he sighed.

“You’re so pretty, especially when you’re blushing. It might be my favorite thing about you,” he spoke softly, leaving Danny baffled. He hadn’t even realized he was blushing until Phantom had pointed it out. 

He reached up, feeling how warm his cheeks were before turning his head away, but Phantom had used his hand to grasp both of his, pulling them down towards his lap. 

Danny turned to glare at him, but seeing the gentle look in Phantom's eye, the heat died almost instantly. 

“Phantom—“

The ghost leaned forward, lightly biting his earlobe before whispering. “I want you bare before me.”

Danny swallowed, lowering his head, but he didn’t respond when Phantom pulled away a moment later. He did jolt when he felt a kiss pressed to his cheek a moment later, bring his face back to his lovers.

“What do you say?”

Danny just stared at him, not reacting until Phantom released his wrists, letting him half pull away before reaching down to undo the button on his pants and pull his shirt over his head. 

Phantom just watched him silently, his eyes never leaving his as he got on his own knees, working his pants and underwear down his thighs. He stopped when he got to his knees, having to lay back on the bed before he could finish removing the garments. But soon enough, he was lying completely naked before him, his knees bent and in the air from the pathetic struggle to get his clothes off.

He looked back at Phantom, seeing the ghost staring back at him, just as naked as he now was. He felt his blush return to his face full force, but forced it away as he lifting his gaze to the ceiling. 

There was something about this that just felt embarrassing. He was just so open—so exposed. It was terrifying and yet—thrilling too. But he assumed that last feeling was only present because he was with Phantom. Because no matter how fearful he was, deep down, he knew he trusted him above all else. 

He spread his legs more, getting a better view of Phantom’s bare body, but the new position also gave Phantom a full shot of his full body as well. But he didn’t think of it until he saw Phantom glance down, raising his eyebrow just noticeably. 

“Teasing me now?”

Danny moved to close his legs, but Phantom moved between them in a split second, his palms pressed flat against his knees to wedge them wide open. His expression was dark, seductive. 

“You can’t take it back now,” his voice was guttural, making Danny chew on his lower lip. “You have to live with the consequences of your actions.”

”Do I?” He weakly forced out, biting his tongue as he heard how stupid and bratty he sounded. He tried to come up with something else to say, but he stopped when he heard Phantom’s soft hum.

He watched as the ghost trailed his hand from his inner-knee to the underside. Phantom was focused solely on his legs, hooking his hands under his joint as he forced his leg to bend back towards his middle. Danny couldn’t move as Phantom did the same with his other leg, forcing them towards his chest so he was entirely on display. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” Phantom whispered, but Danny still heard them.

The words rang through his head, filling his thoughts as he and Phantom made eye contact, letting him register how flushed he’d become once more. Danny closed his eyes tight, trying to calm his racing thoughts, but cold air blown across his face shocked him, forcing his eyes back open as he gasped. 

”Eyes on me,” Phantom said almost smugly, but his expression wasn’t crude. 

Danny did just that, especially when one of his hands moved to his ass, massaging the flesh there before moving to his hole, which was quickly tensing up from the stark difference the cold digit was pressing against it.

Phantom didn’t seem bothered however, just looking back up at him as he grimaced, waiting for the pain that would inevitably come. Danny frowned, however, feeling a slick wetness against him instead. 

He glanced down, seeing a bottle of lube that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. If he hadn’t known the strange ways of the ghost, he might have been surprised, but he decided to ignore it in favor of focusing on Phantom finally pushing a finger into him. 

Danny grit his teeth, lying his head back to focus on the ceiling instead. He wasn’t sure if he liked this or not, but he did like Phantom, and that was all that really mattered right?

“Zone, you’re so perfect. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more. The best thing that could have ever happened to me.” 

Danny didn’t know what to say to that. But he did moan when Phantom pressed as deep into him as he could, pressing against his pleasure button inside of him. 

“My other half. My heart. My soul. I’d do anything and everything for you.”

Phantom didn’t give him any warning before pulling out, pressing in quickly and withdrawing just as quick. 

Danny thought he was going to scream. Phantom was absolutely rocking his world, with just a singular finger. Or maybe it was his very apparent praise kink he didn’t know he most definitely has. Either way, his cock was insanely hard and he was embarrassed by how close he was to coming right there.

But he was saved when Phantom pulled out altogether, looking down at him with half-lidded eyes. “Do you want me to continue warming you up, or do you want me to begin?”

Danny didn’t know what to say. He frowned, looking at his face as he thought about his massive cock and blushed. 

“C-con-tinue.” He whispered, feeling ashamed even as Phantom didn’t react at all. “Please?”

Phantom nodded, returning his hand to his lower region, pressing not one, but two wet fingers this time. “Anything for you, my Love.”

Danny braced himself, but he was never truly ready for Phantom to penetrate him. It was like getting fucked by a popsicle. Phantom’s cold was just such a drastic change for his warm body to handle, especially a place as sensitive as his asshole. It didn’t help that before Phantom, he’d never played with himself down there before. Sure, he had thought about it a time or two, but he’d never actually did it. And here was this arctic ghost, shoving his massive frozen fingers as far up his rectum as physically fucking possible.

“You’re doing so well, my Love,” Phantom spoke softly, starting to pull back out.

Danny hated the way his cock twitched at that. He wondered how long Phantom had been planning to do this to him—how long he’d known it would work as well as it did. Or maybe—maybe he was just learning it too. 

Danny barely held back a moan, closing his eyes as he felt another finger being pressed against his rim. 

“Last one, Beautiful.”

Danny just gritted at his teeth as the third finger was forced into him, making his see stars as he was forced to take all three of them as deep as he could thrust them almost immediately. Danny shouted, trying to tense around him, but he knew it was a lost cause. Did he really think he could force Phantom out of him now? He’d agreed to this. Now he had to deal with the consequences.

Danny moaned weakly as Phantom pulled his fingers back out, thrusting back into him slower than the time before, but it ached just as much if not more.

“You’re doing so good, Danny. Taking my fingers so well. Stunning my Love.”

Danny couldn’t help the sound that forced it’s way up his throat, or the fact that he almost came right then and there, if Phantom hadn’t of pulled out once more, leaving him empty and begging for more.

He frowned, trying to lift his head, but he felt Phantom’s legs pressing against his own, letting him relax once more.

He didn’t fight as Phantom hooked his hands under his knees, half lifting him off the bed to help align them as Phantom kneeled above him. 

“Ready, my Love?”

Danny opened his mouth, not getting a single word out before he felt Phantom press the head of his body against his hole, causing him to gasp. He was still so large. 

Danny still didn’t understand how that was fair, but he wasn’t complaining as the ghost started pressing into him. Instead, he whined, letting out a breathy sound as the stretch took his breath away.

“Zone, you look so perfect like this,” Phantom groaned out, hilting himself inside of Danny, causing the human to moan again. “So fucking attractive. So fucking good.” Danny couldn’t begin to express how turned on he was.

Phantom started pulling out then, which in turn caused Danny to start clenching down around him, trying to keep him inside even though he knew the ghost would be thrusted back inside. 

On a particularly angled thrust, Danny gasped, arching his back as fireworks lit up behind his eyes. He almost thought he’d start crying from how wonderful it felt, especially as Phantom targeted that specific spot, but he held himself together, as least for another few thrusts.

All too soon, he found himself cumming hard all over his chest, but he barely cared as the orgasmic pleasure flooded his brain, leaving him a moaning blissed out mess. What made it both better and worse was that Phantom was still thrusting into him, still chasing his own pleasure as he watched him. 

Phantom just changed his grip on his legs and started thrusting harder, causing Danny to whine. He wondered if the ghost was trying to impale him as deep as fucking possible, which was proven true when Phantom hilted himself as deep as possible before starting to cum deep inside of him. 

Danny let out a whine as the cold filled his lower regions, the ghost thrusting a few more times as he came, seemingly chasing his own high. 

And then, they were still.

The room was left in silence expect for their breathing, which was only really labored on Danny’s end, since he was the only one between them that needed to breath.

Once he had calmed down, he took one final shaky breath before calling the ghosts name. “Phantom?”

”Hmmm?”

”Can—can we rest a bit?”

He was both relieved and disappointed when Phantom pulled out of him, leaving the ghosts sticky cum to drip from his stretched hole.

”Of course, my Love.”

Danny smiled as he felt Phantom move to lay next to him, wrapping his arm around his waist as he pressed flush against him. They laid like that for a long time, Phantom just holding him as he relaxed on the soft sheets. It was almost too good to be true, this gentle moment between them, but he savored it, letting the weight of the world fall away from him as he focused on just himself and his ghost, choosing to forget everything else, even for a short while.

Getting home that night, Phantom had decided he needed to walk Danny home like real couples did, which Danny found both amusing and rather sweet. It was on their way home though that Phantom had taken his hand, his expression blank. Danny, seeing his lack of emotion for what it was, smiled in return, letting the ghost take him home.

When they finally reached Danny’s front door, Phantom stopped them, pulling him close. ”Phant—“ but the ghost just tilted his face up towards him before kissing him, which he returned enthusiastically. It lasted only a few seconds, however, before the front door opened, startling Danny.

He was horrified to see how mother looking between them, her eyes wide. “Is this…a new development?”

Danny felt his face flush, looking at her before yelling. “Mom! Ohh my—why?”

But Phantom just chuckled, extending his hand towards her. “Hello, Ms. Fenton. I’m Shadow.”

Phantom had spoken so calmly, his small smile matching the nice act he was presenting to Danny’s mother. It was bittersweet. He almost wished… Danny pushed the thought aside. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Shadow. I assume you’re Danny’s boyfriend?” She asked, looking between the two, but Danny refused to answer.

“I am,” Phantom said finally, smiling at him.

The look made Danny’s heart ache. He wanted to see that face more often. To see the love and the care in his eyes, but there was something about—even now—that was still incredibly cold. Danny felt a shiver run up his spine.

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you then!”

Danny flinched, hearing the edge in her words. He knew what she was thinking. He looked at her face, giving her pleading eyes, but she ignored him. 

“Shadow, dear, would you like to come inside? I’m sure Jack would like to meet you too, and of course to keep Danny company.”

Danny gave him a quick glare, but Phantom didn’t even glance at him, nodding. “I would be honored.”

She smiled sweetly, moving back into the house, but Danny stopped him as soon as Phantom tried to enter the house.

“Ghost Hunters. Remember?” He hissed, but Phantom just scoffed. “I’m serious! They have ghost detection in the walls.”

“Former Ghost Hunters. And those have long since been disabled. I’ve been in there with you, remember?”

“Y-yeah, but—!” He whispered harshly, but Phantom stopped him.

“My Love. Relax . It’s going to be okay. Don’t think of me as a ghost. I’m just your boyfriend right now. Your human boyfriend.”

He frowned. He wanted to fight against that logic, but Phantom had sighed, taking his hand as he guided him towards his own living room. They walked straight towards the couch, Phantom taking the seat on the end while Danny sat next to him. He tried to smile, tried to look anything but uncomfortable, but it was hard when he felt the cold creeping along his skin, the knowledge that the man next to him was a very dangerous ghost staring down his very lethal ghost hunter mother. It was the worst possible scenario.

“Awe, aren’t you too just so cute,” his mother said, smiling at them. “Let me just go find Jack. He’s probably in the basement.”

Danny tensed at that. “Why, ummm, why is he—down—in the basement?”

Maddie looked at him quickly before glancing at Phantom and clearing her throat. “Well…we’re just doing some sweeps of the surrounding areas. Looking for any…strange activity.” She stared at him, her eyes all too focused and clear as she rose a perfectly sharp brow as him.

Danny furrowed his, but nodded. He didn’t comment anymore as he watched her turn away, moving through the kitchen doorway and disappearing from sight, leaving them alone. Danny tensed when he felt Phantom shift beside him.

“Strange activity?” Phantom finally asked, his expression back to normal.

“You know…”

Seeing Phantom’s all too blank expression, he sighed. “Ghost activity.”

That made Phantom narrow his eyes just a millimeter, but he didn’t move to say anything. Now it was Danny’s turn to glare. “Whatever you’re doing, reshaping reality and who-knows-what-else, it’s apparently so impressive in ecto-levels that it woke up mom and dad’s equipment.”

Phantom rose his eyebrow. “Ohh?”

Danny let out a scoff. “Apparently they’ve been recording some record breaking readings. Higher than Amity Park has ever seen. And the rest of the world for that matter.”

Phantom just lifted both eyebrows now.

“This is serious, Phantom!” Danny hissed, glaring at him. “When you use any power, it signaling back to all of my parent’s devices that there’s a massive threat in the area. That’s why they’ve been keeping an eye on it. Even in retirement.”

Phantom frowned. “I see.”

Danny glared. “I don’t think you do.”

But before he could continue, his parents burst through the kitchen door once more, grabbing both of their attentions. Phantom stood at once, which made Danny frown, confused, but he slowly stood as well.

“Dan-O!” Jack yelled, making Danny feel his face flush. His dad walked over to them, grabbing him in a big hug, which made him tense up. His dad was always the affectionate one. When he pulled away, Jack turned to Phantom, smile still evident on his face. “And you must be the suitor.”

Danny choked. He’d never heard his dad say anything like that in his life, and the surprise made him instantly want to die right there on the spot. “Dad!”

“Shadow,” Phantom said easily, extending his hand towards his father.

It was at that exact moment that Danny realized something, looking between the two men with wide eyes. Phantom was the same height as his father. All his life, he’d never met anyone close to his dad size, because he was just a beast of a man. To realize Phantom's height matched Jack’s…it was kind of a shock. He couldn’t stop staring as they shook hands, his dad’s thankfully still in protective gloves.

“It’s nice to meecha, son.”

”The pleasure is all mine,” Phantom said smoothly, pulling his hand away to wrap it around Danny’s waist.

”A gentleman I see,” Maddie said, a strange smirk on her face as she looked between the two.

Danny swallowed. His mother had moved to stand beside her husband, her face smiling yet intrigued as she took his arm, leading his father towards the other side of the couch, so they were sitting across from them. Convincing his dad, simple. Convincing Maddie Fenton? That was a completely different story. If anything set off any alarms for her, it’d be a battle to the death to reassure her she was wrong in the first place. That was just her expertly trained instincts, which were usually right.

“So, tell me son, how did you and our Danny-boy come to fancy one another, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Danny wished the Earth would swallow him right then and there.

“We’ve actually known each other for a while,” Phantom said, his face calm and open. “I used to live a few buildings down, but my family had to move away. I recently moved back to Amity Park, and running into Danny, we’ve quickly reconnected and decided to start a relationship.”

“That is just so sweet!” Maddie exclaimed, grinning at the ghost.

Danny let out a breath. Of course Phantom knew what he was doing—what he needed to say. He knew these people, knew how to impress and get on their good side. Why had he been worrying?

“You know, Jack and I were long time best friends before actually starting something more serious. We were lab partners in college and everything.” Maddie looked lost in thought, reminiscing, which made Danny roll his eyes, but Phantom was watching the woman.

She cleared her throat, her face slightly embarrassed. “My point is, I think it’s better to know your partner as a companion and a trusted ally before anything more serious comes about.”

”I couldn’t agree more,” Phantom said, his smile almost genuine as Danny bit his cheek. 

Maddie’s smile widened, looking from Phantom to him and giving him a wink before she seemingly noticed something, frowning at him.

”Danny, hun, what—what happened to your wrist?” Maddie had stood up, moving towards him to try and take a closer look, but he’d covered it quickly. “Nothing!” He practically yelled.

His mother looked baffled by his outburst, looking ready to ask more questions when he shot up, turning and making a beeline to the nearest bathroom.

He practically threw the door open, slamming it shut behind him before locking it. He’d had to calm himself down before looking at his wrist, seeing the marks she was looking at. A not so subtle freezer burn ring around his right wrist. 

Danny had been covering it with things, mostly long sleeves, but in his own home, he usually was comfortable enough to wear short sleeves like he hadn’t really been able to do in public for a long time now. Sitting there, next to Phantom, across from his parents, he’d pushed up his long sleeves out of habit, and had given his parents a view of the still healing puffy, reddened irritated skin.

Staring at it nervously, he tried to come up with something, but his ideas were a blank. The problem was that she’d already seen it. There was no ‘it’s nothing’ after his loud display of it obviously being ‘something’. The worst was his running away. Covering his wrist with a sleeve would just make everything worse. No, he needed to actually disguise it—but how? As he panicked, he heard a soft knock at the door, making him freeze.

“Danny?” He heard Phantom call softly. “Will you unlock the door?”

He honestly didn’t know if he wanted to, but he slowly reached a shaky hand to undo the latch, letting the ghost in before realizing how stupid the whole scenario was. If he’d said no, Phantom could have just come in anyway. 

He glanced up, seeing the frown on his boyfriend’s face, who was looking towards his wrist.

”I’m sorry,” He whispered, which made him pause.

”It’s fine,” Danny said, shrugging as he moved towards the ghost, but Phantom had clenched his jaw.

”No. It’s not.” 

Danny sighed. “Does it really matter? It happened and there’s evidence. Evidence we need to hide. Can you do something? Cover it up somehow?”

Phantom frowned at him, but after a long staring contest, he eventually reached out, taking his wrist gently in his hand before bringing it to his lips.

Danny felt himself blushing as the ghost kissed his inner wrist directly over the injured skin and within the second, the mark was gone. He blinked, staring at it, confused what had actually happened.

When Phantom released it, he pulled his hand towards him, poking the skin and hissing when it still sent signals of pain through him.

”I’m unable to heal it. I could only disguised it.”

Danny nodded, but took a moment to contain himself before speaking again. He gave Phantom a weak smile. “Thanks.”

The ghost stared at him, his face a monotone mask as he nodded, turning to pull away, but Danny reached out, grabbing his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

”Hey,” he called, frowning at him. “Please, don’t blame yourself. It’s just a little burn. Nothing that won’t heal itself.”

Phantom didn’t respond, but he did take his hand gently, holding it as he guided him back towards the couch, where his parents were looking at him worriedly.

His mother stood up at once, moving towards him, but he just gave her a weak smile. “Sorry for—running off like that. I forgot that I’d burnt myself in AP Chem today.”

His mother’s eyes went wide. “You did what?”

Danny shook his head. “Mom, I can assure you, it’s no big deal.”

”A chemical burn is absolutely a big deal!” His mother said loudly, trying to grab his arm, but he pushed himself behind Phantom, who frowned.

”It’s not a chemical burn. It’s a regular freezer burn. I accidentally touch a beaker when we were studying endothermic reactions. We were dissolving ammonium chloride in water and when we were recording the physical reactions, I accidentally brushed my arm against the colder part of the beaker.”

His mother was still frowning. She didn’t look very convinced, but he gave her a pleading look. ”Why isn’t it wrapped properly?” 

He blinked. “I—was—letting it breathe?”

His mother sighed. “Honestly, Danny, it’s like you were never raised in a lab. A burn needs to be covered at all times to prevent anything touching it or contaminating it. Will you at least let me take a look at it?”

He bit his lip, glancing at Phantom who was just looking back down at him. “I guess?”

His mother glanced up at Phantom before taking his other arm, guiding him towards the kitchen, alone. “We’ll be right back. Don’t go nowhere.” She called almost playfully behind them.

Danny frowned, glancing back, but Phantom had walked back towards the couch, taking his seat as he gave him a small smile.

Danny swallowed, letting his mother drag him towards a kitchen chair before opening the cupboard with the emergency first-aid kit tucked away in it.

”Why didn’t the school call me? Surely your teacher—“

”I tried to not make a big deal out of it,” Danny said honestly, biting his lip nervously as his mother reached for his sleeve. “You know how I am with drawing attention to myself.”

Holding his breath, he was both surprised and relieved to see a small thin blotch on the back of his wrist, more similar to an actual mark he’d have received if his story was real.

”Well, at least it’s not that irritated. But injuries, especially ones made during experiments, are very important. Next time, maybe try going to visit the nurse. Or you could always just call me. I’m always willing to help.”

He nodded, not wanting to think about it anymore as he watched his mother put an antibiotic ointment on it before wrapping it with gauze.

”There. Good at new.”

He smiled, but where the ointment wasn’t applied all over his burn, he was starting to feel a dull ache along his entire wrist.

”Thanks.”

His mother smiled at him before grabbing a pain reliever and a glass of water. “Now, take these. And you should probably head straight to bed. You’ll need lots of rest.”

Danny sighed. “Mom—“

”Don’t go around arguing with me, young man. Not after walking around for who knows how long with an open wound.”

He bit his cheek before nodding, standing up and following his mother back towards the living room, where Jack and Phantom were apparently chatting away.

Maddie looked between them before smirking. “Sorry to cut this short, but Danny really needs to be lying down soon. It is a school night after all.”

Phantom glanced at Maddie, nodding his head. “I understand.” He stood up, glancing between the two parents as he addressed them together. “It was lovely you meet you both, Mr. And Mrs. Fenton. I hope to be invited over against sometime.”

Maddie smiled brightly as she moved towards Jack, standing before him. “Please, you’re welcome anytime. Just not too late on school nights.”

Phantom chuckled, glancing at him before he walked over towards him. Danny bit his lip. He wanted to say goodbye, but he really didn’t want to do it in front of his parents. And he really didn’t want them to watch them kiss of all things. Absolutely not.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Phantom said softly, smirking at him.

Danny furrowed his brow, not at all certain what his dastardly look meant before he spoke again. 

“Maybe then we can talk about going to the school dance.”

Danny’s eyes widened to saucers as his mother let out a surprised gasp. “There’s a dance coming up?”

”This Friday,” Phantom said, glancing at his parents. 

His mother looked a little hurt, making him grimaced.

“I hadn’t mentioned it because I wasn’t going to go.” He turned, glaring at Phantom. “Sam, Tucker and I were just going to skip it, like usual.”

“But now you’re going because you have a date,” Maddie finished, grinning. “Ohh, how exciting! I’ll have to get your suit pressed and refitted. Or maybe we should buy a new one.” His mother had turned away from them, no longer actually including them in her thinking out loud, making Danny sigh.

“No. Mom, seriously—“ He started, but his dad had shook his head.

“Too late.”

Danny let out another deep breath. “I know.”

Glancing at the clock, he realized how late it actually had gotten. He turned to Phantom.  “You should probably go.”

Phantom glanced at him before nodding, plastering his small smile back on his face. “Care to walk me out?”

Danny just rolled his eyes, but he did follow him towards the door, stopping only once Phantom had reached for the handle.

He frowned as the ghost opened the door, taking a step out before looking back at him expectantly. Danny blinked before realizing what he wanted. He grabbed the door, pulling it shut behind him. 

Phantom dropped his expression almost immediately, but he didn’t look upset or anything. Just—tired.

“I think that went well,” Phantom said softly, to which Danny agreed.

“Me too,” Danny mumbled, looking towards the side windows nervously. He wouldn’t out it past his parents to spy on him. They definitely would have before.

”I’ll be heading back to the Ghost Zone for a while.”

That caught his attention immediately. “What?”

Phantom sighed. “I’ve been disappearing for too long. And while they are used to me not being there every second of every day, they’re not used to me being missing for an entire day. There’s…rumors spreading around. Ones I need to put to rest.”

Danny frowned. “When will you come back?”

“Tomorrow. I just don’t know what time. It might be later than you’re used to.”

Danny nodded, looking at their feet. “Okay.”

He felt at Phantom caressed his cheek, tilting his head back before giving his a soft look. “I do love you.”

Danny felt his heart race, unable to form words as Phantom leaned down towards him, kissing him fully on the lips. Danny leaned into it, wishing he could express everything he felt and more into the kiss, but he was left almost powerless as Phantom finally pulled away. 

“Be good,” he said, making Danny glare before Phantom seemed to slightly chuckle at him, his eyes filled with a certain light Danny wasn’t used to. “I’ll be back before you least expect it.”

Danny found himself nodded, feeling ready to explode as Phantom finally pulled away, turning away from him as he started walking down the sidewalk, leaving Danny to look after him.

He felt sick to his stomach, turning back towards his own front door before walking inside. He shut and locked the door quickly, not sparing a look towards his living room as he went towards his bedroom, left with a head full of racing complicated thoughts. 

As he jumped into bed, bypassing his usual nightly routine, he was left plagued with question after question, the thoughts circling his mind as his need to sleep was put on the backburner.

What would it be like to be frozen?

How much longer did he have on his plain?

When would Phantom return?

He shut his eyes tight, trying to force his thoughts to quiet down, but no matter how many he gave useless single thought answers to, one question always remained, the answer more complicated than anything he could give a simple answer to.

Did he really have a choice in all of this?

Chapter Text

Wednesday was by far the most awkward day that week. It felt like every student in school was aware of his existence, their eyes following him as heads turned and whispers were muttered.

Walking with Sam and Tucker, Danny tried to keep calm, acting like nothing was wrong, but his friends weren’t stupid. After another girl near them started giggling, catching Sam’s eye as she hurried off towards her group of friends, the goth girl finally snapped.

“Okay, this is weird, right?” She asked, getting a nod from Tucker. 

“Super weird.”

They looked towards him expectantly, but he was avoiding everyone’s gaze, including theirs. Sam frowned. “Danny?”

When he didn’t react, she narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s going on?”

He tensed at her harsh tone. Glancing up, he saw her suspicious look, making him swallow.“I…don’t know.”

“Seriously?” Sam said, her tone disapproving. “First of all, everyone in this hallway is staring at you. And that hasn’t happened since…” she cleared her throat. “Second off, instead of trying to avoid the stares—like you usually would—you’re just pretending like it’s not happening. Almost as if you expected this. So spill your guts. What don’t we know?”

He really didn’t want to answer, but his face answered for him, catching sight of a certain cheerleader who had made it her personal goal to ruin his life. He looked away quickly, feeling ready to throw up.

Sam had seen his look, following where he’d been looking. “The cheerleaders?”

Tucker looked surprised. “You have beef with cheerleaders.”

Danny sighed. “Not—all of the cheerleaders. Just…one in particular.”

Sam rose an eyebrow. “Which one?”

He knew his friends must have been looking between him and the cheerleading girls, because he heard them gasp a moment later. “You’re shitting me. Paulina? You have a feud with Paulina of all people?”

“Dude…” Tucker drew out, sounding highly amused. “What did you do to her? She looks positively pissed.”

Danny bit his lip, glancing back at the group. He felt his nerves eating away at him when he made eye contact with the dark haired beauty, who was glaring at him like she hoped he’d drop dead any moment.

“She likes Shadow. But, yesterday, when she tried to ask him to the dance, he admitted he wasn’t single.”

Sam sucked in a quick breath. “Ohh…”

”Yeah. It went downhill pretty quick.”

Both of his friends frowned, but Tucker was the one to look confused and asked, “wait. What does this have to do with everyone staring at you though?”

Danny sighed. “Shadow pretty much humiliated her, in front of the rest of the cheerleaders.”

Sam looked impressed. “Go on.”

Danny shrugged. “He didn’t exactly say he was with me, but he made it clear he was with a guy. Paulina just connected the dots and lost her cool. It was after she freaked and ran off that the rest of the cheer team started taking photos of Shadow and I. So, yeah.”

His friends looked sympathetic, but it didn’t make him feel much better, especially when the student body got louder around him before dying down just as quickly. He gave them a grimace of a smile. “What did I expect? I knew I was playing with fire the moment Paulina started talking to me to try and get closer to Shadow. I guess I just sorta hoped it’d be a passing thought to her, like every other guy she’s ever wanted or stolen before now.”

Tucker shrugged. “Beats me, man. Women are crazy.”

Sam glared at him, but their friend just laughed, pulling out his PDA. As Danny watched, Tucker looked at it a moment before frowning, looking deep in thought before glancing back towards them. 

“Hey, sorry to change the topic, but have either of you seen any of my keychains? I could have sworn I had one on every device, but I can’t seem to find a single one.”

Sam looked at him quickly, her eyes widening slightly. “Really? Because I can’t find some of the jewelry that Danny gifted me either. It’s like one day I had them, and the next, gone.”

Danny’s eyes widened then, which caught Sam’s eye. She turned to him, frowning. “Any ideas ?”

He felt his heart racing. He wanted to deny immediately, but he knew how that’d look, especially as he kept staring at his friends and not answering their simple question.

Sam narrowed her eyes, looking ready to question him again when the bell went off.

“Ohh, look at that. The bell. Let’s go to class,” Danny rushed out, turning and bolting for his first class. He could tell this wasn’t going to be a very fun day.

He’d tried avoiding his problems, but like everything in his life, they’d come back full force to bite him right in the ass.

Entering the cafeteria, he was disappointed to see not only a very pissed off cheerleader—who had stood up upon making eye contact with him—but a very annoyed goth girl as well, who was giving him a look that made him swallow.

Opting for avoidance, Danny decided to eat outside, gripping his tray tighter as he made a beeline for the exit door.  He let out a deep breath when he saw how empty the picnic tables were, only one other person. 

Upon getting closer to them, he was surprised to realize he recognized the guy sitting there, watching him.

He grinned, feeling a wave of joyful surprise as he closed the distance.

“Phan-Sh-Shadow,” he quickly corrected, realizing no matter how alone they seemed, they weren’t truly safe from eavesdroppers. Especially in a public school setting. “Wh-what are you doing here?” Like this, he wanted to add, but he stayed quiet, taking the seat next to his ghostly companion. 

“I thoughts I’d visit since I finished my duties for the day,” he said, raising an eyebrow at him. “I was going to message, but I saw you come out here on your own.”

Danny felt his body calm, feeling almost whole again now that Phantom had returned to him. He hadn’t realized how dependent he’d become on the ghost’s presence, but being without him for a few hours to suddenly having him again—it was such a relief.

“I—I really missed you,” Danny said, feeling almost pathetic until Phantom reached out, cupping his cheek gently.

“Anytime I’m without you is agony.”

It would have sounded like a simple flirt or a jest from anyone else, but from Phantom’s cold tone and face, Danny knew he was dead serious.

Danny’s eyes went wide. “Phant—“

“How’s school been?” Phantom interrupted, making him blink.

He had to take a second to collect his thoughts before letting out a small breath. “Well, my friends are suspicious of the missing ghost deflectors and Paulina’s pissed that I’m still breathing, so average?”

Phantom rose both his eyebrows this time. “Sounds stressful.”

He allowed his face to fall, really feeling the fatigue the entire situation had been giving him. “It really is.”

“Well,” Phantom said softly, shifting to sit closer to him. “Maybe this will make you feel better.”

Danny frowned at him, confused at not seeing anything. “What—?”

But he was immediately cut off by Phantom moving his hand into his hair, tilting his head back to capture his lips. Danny gasped, not getting enough time to register the kiss before Phantom was pulling away. 

Danny frowned, getting an almost curious head tilt from Phantom before he reached out, grabbing the ghost’s collar and pulling his face back to his.

What he hadn’t know, however, was that for that particular display, they’d had a full audience. Sam and Tucker, having seen his escape, had packed up as quickly as possible before following him outside. Paulina on the other hand, had just needed her anger to peak before making a big scene of standing up once more and going towards the same exit Danny had left through minutes before. Now here they all were, watching the couple locking lips in a very passionate display, initiated by Danny.

In reality, their kiss had only lasted a moment, but it’d left Danny breathless, his face flushed as he stared at Phantom as if he was the only other thing in existence.

He’d actually started leaning back into him when he’d been startled, a loud voice booming behind them.

“I cannot believe you would come here, and kiss in front of me—in front of the school! Just to—to make me jealous! To make me look bad! You did this on purpose! You selfish, stupid, awful—!”

Danny had been shocked to say the least. He stared at her, unable to form words as she puked up the most vain, self centered tantrum he had ever heard. As he sat frozen, he quickly learned Phantom apparently wasn’t as affected.

”You’re gonna stop talking,” the ghost said way too controlled, his words each punctuated with a hint of demand.

The dark haired girl did stop, but she didn’t look very excited about it. She was obviously still pissed about the whole thing. She glared at them, but Phantom didn’t give her a chance to continue as he stood himself, glaring back at the teenage girl.

“First off, you will never speak about my boyfriend like that again. Say what you will about me, but another negative word better never cross your lips when addressing him,” Phantom voice was a gravely warning, his voice a literal growl as the dark haired girl’s eyes widened upon hearing it. 

She looked ready to interrupt him, but his harsher glare silenced her once more, making her take a step back. “Second, it’s not our fault you didn’t know of our relationship and our status as a couple. It was fresh. We’d only just started dating, and we’d decided to keep it to ourselves. But when you’d asked me on a date, I decided to be forthcoming. I said I was taken. I never lied to you.”

Danny watched the cheerleader flinch, her anger slowly leaking off of her face in exchange for shock. He wondered if anyone had ever given her a taste of her own medicine. Probably not.

”I do apologize if I didn’t make my intentions clearer from the beginning, but I always expressed that I was there for Danny. That I was waiting on Danny. It’s not my job to make sure you’re in the know of everything in our lives, nor is it his. He doesn’t owe you anything.”

Danny felt his own face getting red, feeling the embarrassment and coming off of the popular girl. She looked ready to scream.

”Lastly, to say we did this just to make you look bad, to make you jealous, is incredibly selfish in itself. You are not the center of the universe. What my boyfriend and I do in our free time is our business. Not yours. So please, grow up, stop acting like a spoiled princess, and move on with your life.”

Paulina’s face was incredibly red, her body stiff and her eyes livid. She opened her mouth, seemingly ready to retaliate, but Phantom beat her to it.

“Unless you’re going to apologize, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself. Yes, I do know who you are, but that does not scare me. In this world, there will always be bigger fish in the tank, and trust me when I say, I’m one of those bigger fish.”

With that, Phantom had stood there a moment longer before turning, walking back towards Danny. He stared at the cheerleader, seeing the way she stood there dumbfounded. It was like she had never seen anyone stand up for themself, and maybe she hadn’t, but to Danny, it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.

He couldn’t help when he started grinning, especially when Paulina made this awful half scream sound, reaching up to grip her hair in large manic handfuls before running off in the other direction, back towards the cafeteria entrance.

“Wow,” Tucker said simply. “That was a lot.”

Danny looked towards his friends, embarrassment flooding his system once more. “Hi guys.”

Sam frowned at him, but Tucker gave him a small smile. “Hey man. Sorry to…intrude on all that.”

Phantom had sat down already, pressed to Danny’s side as he scoffed. “Some people just have to put in their places.”

“How did you know it would work?”

Phantom turned, giving her a quizzical look. 

Sam frowned, narrowing her eyes. After a second she spoke. “You just—put her in her place so easily. I’ve told her off plenty of times before, but she never took it to heart the way she just did.”

Phantom stared at her a moment before sighing. “Confidence.”

Sam frowned, “What?”

“I don’t back down, no matter who my opponent is. The moment you back down, they’ll think they’ve gained the upper hand. You need to show them their wrongs, and force them to back down.”

The goth girl stared at the ghost, making Danny’s heart race as she frowned before giving him a small nod. “Shadow, right?”

Phantom nodded, making Danny grin as Sam moved closer towards them, taking the seat across from them. “Welp, I’m sold.”

With that, Tucker joined the table as well, the tension leaving the group in favor for curiosity and comfortable silence.

Danny couldn’t be happier. He was honestly surprised they’d decided to join them, and more pleased when it wasn’t a meal full of questions. It was calm, Sam and Tucker talking softly and including them sometimes, but mostly, they allowed the couple to have their lunch in peace. 

Danny sighed, a cold hand having taken his and was caressing the warm skin it found there. He turned, giving his boyfriend a small smile as the ghost rose an eyebrow at him. 

There was something about this time that felt more natural. Perhaps it was that Phantom had dropped the act altogether, behaving more natural in front of his friends. Or maybe it was just that he was finally able to spent time with both his significant other and his best friends peacefully. Either way, he was happier than he had been in a long time.

After school, Danny was pleased to see that the cheerleaders had chosen to huddled away from Phantom instead of right on him, but of course, they were still staring at him, whispering and giggling like lovesick middle schoolers as they obviously talked about him.

Danny just had to let it roll off of him. It wasn’t like their crushes affected him anyway. As long as they stayed away, right?

He’d started making his way towards the ghost when he stopped mid-step, glancing at his friends, who were watching him with smiles of their own. He felt a sort of guilt flood his system, realizing how much he’d been prioritizing Phantom over them.

”H-hey, umm,” he swallowed, watching as his friends looked at him curiously now. “Do you guys maybe, uhh, wanna hang out with us?”

Sam frowned slightly as Tucker did the same, both looking uncertain as they glanced at each other before settling on him.

“I’m not so sure that’d be a good idea Danny.” Sam said softly.

He frowned, ready to reiterate when Tucker shrugged. “I mean, you know we wouldn’t mind, but it’s not just up to us. How would your boyfriend feel about us crashing your date?”

“I—I don’t think he’d mind,” Danny said, half smiling at them. “And you wouldn’t really be crashing anything. There wasn’t a plan to begin with.”

Sam smirked as Tucker snorted, but they both seemed on board. 

“I mean, sure, if Shadow’s fine with it,” Tucker said, grinning at him. “After all, we should try to get to know your boyfriend.”

Danny rolled his eyes before letting out a small laugh. “Great, well, let me tell him first before we make plans.”

He turned, not even looking before running across the street to Phantom, who had been leaning against a wall casually waiting for him. While his face was blank, his body was entirely relaxed, which Danny thought made him look more approachable than usual. 

He smiled. “Hey.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow at him, looking past him to where he assumed his friends were watching them behind him.

“Hello my Love. Are you hanging out with your friends today?” Phantom asked softly.

While he didn’t specifically say it, Danny almost heard the real question hidden within his words. Are you choosing them today?

“Actually, I thought we could all hang out today,” Danny said slowly, giving him a grimace of a smile. “If you’re okay with it, that is.”

Phantom didn’t respond at first, his face unreadable before he nodded. “Alright.”

Danny wasn’t sure what that exact reaction meant, but he put on a smile and turned to his friends, waving them over. Sam and Tucker were joining them a minute later.

”Hello again, Shadow,” Sam said, giving him a small smile.

”Yeah, sup dude,” Tucker added, his grin much larger.

Phantom looked taken aback before he let out a deep breath, putting a small smile on his face. “Nothing much. Just, wondering what the plans were for the evening.”

Danny frowned slightly, looking up at his much larger companion. “Long day?”

Phantom glanced at him, pausing before nodding slowly. “Very much.”

Danny wanted to ask more about it, but Phantom had reached out, taking his hand and pulling him closer as he looked down at him with kind eyes. “Do tell, where were you planning for us to go?”

Danny blinked, not expecting the choice to be solely his. He turned wide eyed towards his friends, who were both looking at him for an answer as well. 

Sam smirked. “This was kinda your idea, Danny.”

”But you don’t have to choose if you don’t wanna,” Tucker added, turning to Sam. “Weren’t we gonna go to—“

”Hey!” She called, cutting him off.

They all stared at her before she let out a small laugh. “No spoilers.” Sam turned to him then, winking before she asked, “Think you’re up for a surprise?”

Danny blinked, looking between his friends before glancing at Phantom, who was just patiently watching him. 

“Up to you,” Phantom said softly, but it was his calm exterior that made him nod. 

“Ohh—okay? Y-yeah. A surprise can be good.”

Sam stared at him curiously before turning. “Follow me then.”

Danny swallowed, but he did follow as soon as Sam and Tucker started leading the way, whispering amongst themselves.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were nervous.”

He flinched, turning to Phantom, who was just steadily watching him. 

“Yeah, well, I’m not very good with surprises.”

”Why?” Phantom asked softly.

Danny stared at him a moment before sighing. “I don’t like people plotting behind my back.”

Phantom snort. “Plotting involves negative intention. This isn’t that.”

Danny frowned, biting his cheek as he refused to answer to that. 

Phantom sighed. “My Love, those are your friends. Your best friends since you were kids. I truly don’t think they’d be conspiring against you, especially not this last minute.”

Danny snorted before glancing up at him, giving him a small half smile. “Thanks.”

Phantom gave him a look before pulling him along, forcing them to catch up with his friends, who pretended to act like they hadn’t noticed them slipping behind. 

Danny gave them an awkward smile, but he did actively try to calm his nerves. These were his friends. Nothing bad would happen. Or so he desperately hoped.

Danny was pretty surprised when he saw where they’d been heading. He’d stopped in place, causing Phantom to almost walk into him.

“The—Amusement Park?” He asked slowly, looking at his friends oddly.

“What better place to have fun and to get to know someone new?” Sam asked while smiling at them. “I thought it’d be a nice date night too if you guys decided you wanted alone time.”

Danny felt a wave of comfort and warm flood his system, making him smile. “That’s…really thoughtful of you, Sam. Thank you.”

She smiled. “Anytime. So, where to first?”

Danny didn’t even try to think of something, turning to ask Phantom when he saw the strange look in his eye, observing the large attraction theme park. 

He frowned at his ghost, almost worried he was having another episode when he glanced down, raising his eyebrows at him. “It hasn’t changed a bit.”

Danny let out a small breath. “Nope. Same old Amusement Park.”

“Have you been here before ?” Sam asked, looking at him curiously.

“A couple times,” Phantom said, looking lost in thought again. “Once with friends, another time on a bad date, but that was a long time ago.”

Sam and Tucker looked like they wanted to ask, but Danny glared at them, forcing them to drop the topic.

”So…” Tucker started, looking amongst the group before pointing over their shoulders. “Anyone up for the coaster?”

That was how they found themselves waiting in the longest line of the park, Danny shifting from foot to foot as he and Phantom stood in silence. Sam and Tucker on the other hand were having a nice in-depth conversation behind them, which somehow made their silence worse.

Bored and antsy, Danny decided to start looking around at the booths and games closest to them, wanting to make a plan for possible places he’d want to go next when he paused, spotting a strange person amongst the crowd.

He squinted, seeing a taller man wearing a dark suit, holding an odd looking device as he also browsed the crowd. As he watched, the man was looking into the device, lifting it and lowering it as he spoke into a small recording device. 

Danny tightened his hold on Phantom’s hand, lightly tugging on the appendage to silently get his attention. 

“Hmm?”

”Two o’clock,” he whispered, catching Phantom's eye as the ghost frowned at him. He opened his mouth, ready to elaborate when he realized the ghost was  glaring towards the man, no longer looking at him.

“They’re Ghost Hunters.”

Danny froze, confused and stunned by his words. “What? How—?”

“Froze time,” Phantom answered simply. “I spotted 4 of them, but those are the ones that match. If there are any dressed as regular civilians, I wouldn’t know.”

Danny felt his body tense up. This was bad. Really bad. If ghost hunters had shown up, that meant they had noticed the resurgence in ecto-levels. Who knows where this random team was from? What their true intentions were. Were they tracking them now? Did they know Phantom was the cause of it all?

”Danny, calm down,” Phantom spoke softly, staring at him now. ”I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just didn’t want to lie to you.”

Danny couldn’t respond as he felt his ears ringing, the fear gripping his heart as he struggled to take a single breath. 

“My Love, breathe.” Danny felt as cold hands trailed along his face, moving to the back of his neck to cup the back of his head, but it didn’t help him snap out of the feeling. It honestly made the fear worse. 

They were coming for them. They were gonna try and attack Phantom. They were gonna take him again. They were gonna—

Cold air hit his face hard making him gasp for breath as he was temporarily stunned, jolting in his boyfriend’s arms. He looked up at him quickly, seeing the look on Phantom’s face. 

“Are you okay?”

Danny just stared at him, feeling the adrenaline still filling his body, but it was slowly starting to drain, letting him slowly relax into him. 

“This’s…bad,” he mumbled, pressing his face into Phantom's chest. 

He sighed when he felt a cold hand brush through his hair, letting him know he was okay. That they were okay. That everything was going to be alright. 

“Everything’s fine,” Phantom reassured him. “I promise. Nothing bad will happen to you.”

”What’s bad things happening?” Sam asked, making Danny tense up.

He hadn’t realized Sam and Tucker had dropped their conversation in favor of paying better attention to them, but why wouldn’t they? They were his best friends. They had spent years trying to keep his secret. They knew him better than most everyone else. Besides a certain ghost who was currently holding him upright.

Phantom had frowned, turning to look at their eavesdropping companions. “Nothing bad is happening.”

Sam looked suspicious, staring up at the light haired ghost, but Phantom didn’t comment anymore before the line started moving again, forcing them closer towards the attraction, and by default, the dark suited intruder. 

Danny closed his eyes, begging and pleading that his friends wouldn’t notice, but of course, they weren’t your average clueless teenagers. He heard them whispering, Sam sounding obviously pissed as she hissed and spit what he thought might have been insults. Tucker, however, seemed like he was trying to keep a level head, whispering back to her before he suddenly stopped.

“Woah, hey. Do you guys see that guy over there?”

Danny flinched, but he turned, looking at the man Tucker was pointing out, who Sam had finally seen too. Her eyes were wide, her face paler than usual as she looked from the man to him, her understanding setting in. He just bit his lip, letting Tucker think out loud.

“You know what? That guy kinda looks like a…” their friend froze, looking wide eyed himself before pulling out his PDA, scanning the park through the camera on his handheld device. “I’m not crazy, right? You guys see him too?”

Sam nodded slowly. 

“Ohh man. This—this is—“

Sam turned to him quickly. “Danny…you didn’t…”

He shook his head.

”Your parents?”

He swallowed, understanding her train of thought. “No, it’s sealed. Trust me.”

“Then why are any of them here? I swear, of all the times—” She cut herself off though when she glanced at Phantom, narrowing her eyes at him.

Danny sighed, wishing so badly he could tell them the truth, but he knew how badly that would end. They could never know.

”You know that I know about the portal, right?” Phantom said calmly, making Sam and Tucker stiffen visibly.

“What?” Sam asked, making Phantom nod slowly. 

”I’ve been to his house,” Phantom said, sounding highly amused now. “I’ve seen it.”

“Yeah, well…” Sam seemed to be grasping at straws while Phantom let out a laugh of sorts.

”I also know all about his family. But that’s mostly because of my mom. She’s actually a Paranormal Researcher herself.”

Sam and Tucker both looked shocked. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. That’s why we moved here in the first place. And why we moved once the ghosts disappeared. She was always looking for the next hotspot.”

Danny bit his cheek, watching the entire conversation unfold. While he hated lying to his friends, he knew Phantom's stories were the only way he and the ghost were gonna have a shot at a normal relationship, short of having to admit that he was now dating the ghost who used to share the same body as him…

Tucker looked intrigued while Sam just stared suspiciously. Tucker pulled out his PDA.“How different is that to ghost hunting?”

“Think more along the lines of ghost observing. No capturing, but definitely charting and learning. She made all sorts of cool gadgets to track ghosts and such. She even got to interact with a few ghosts here and there.”

Sam stared at Phantom, her gaze cold. “Pretty convenient.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow, but when he didn’t speak again, she glared. “You and your boyfriend both happen to have a very similar upbringing.”

Phantom just shrugged. “I mean, it’s coincidental, but I don’t think we were raised similarly. I moved a lot growing up. And I was homeschooled.”

Sam didn’t seem very convinced, but Tucker had cleared his throat, hinting towards the Ghost Hunters. “Okay. Back to more important matters. Do you wanna know what they’re up to?”

Sam glared at Phantom, but she did nod, moving closer to their friend to look at his handheld device.

“Their technology is honestly really advanced. It took me a bit to hack into it, but like always, the Tuck-man is always on top.”

Sam rolled her eyes, but she nodded at him to continue. Danny was staring at him too, hoping it wasn’t anything related to the readings his parents had been capturing.

“Okay, so if what I am looking at is correct, they were alerted to a huge spike of ecto-plasmic energy some time Saturday afternoon originating somewhere near here, with another wave Sunday morning and Monday afternoon, resulting in some of the highest ecto-bursts that have ever been recorded.”

”How large?” Sam asked, but Tucker shook his head. 

“The scale is more of a ratio since the readings are too large for their equipment. It says here that they haven’t gotten another reading, but they’re hypothesizing it to be an energy leak.”

Sam looked pale. “Energy leak? Like, the Ghost Zone is trying to connect to our plain forcefully? That’s…” But she cleared her throat, refusing to meet Phantom’s eye. “That’s terrible.”

”My mom would beg to differ,” Phantom said almost jokingly, but his face didn’t match his tone.

“Yeah, well, your mom doesn’t understand the severity of the situation,” Sam said a little harsher than she needed to, making Phantom narrow his eyes. 

“I’d bet she knows more about it than you do,” Phantom’s voice was rough, his face colder as he stared her down.

They glared at each other, the air tense as the line started moving up again, forcing them to move along.

Danny bit his cheek as he looked between them, feeling extremely uncomfortable by the dark cloud lingering around them. Good first impressions.

“It’s dangerous.” Sam finally forced out, glancing towards the coaster before looking back at the ghost. “Ghosts don’t care about anything but their own selfish desires. If they were to find a way over, they’d stop at nothing to use us—to hurt us. That’s all they see us as, a means to an end.”

They didn’t talk for a bit, Phantom just staring back at Sam as she stared right back at him. It was an awkward standstill, which was only halted once a voice called out towards them. They’d been so distracted, they hadn’t realized they’d finally reached the front.

All four of them turned, seeing a woman smiling at them, standing next to a 6ft tall yard stick.

“You young-ins ready?” She called, pointing towards the two empty carts waiting for them.

Phantom nodded, thanking the woman before walking towards it, followed by a nervous Danny. The ghost took his seat first, reaching out his hand to help ease Danny down into the seat. Danny let out a nervous sigh. 

“You ready?” Phantom asked, locking the bar into place above his lap. 

“Uh huh,” Danny mumbled, seeing Sam and Tucker taking their seats directly behind them. 

They looked forward, a worker coming around and checking the seatbelts before moving back to the control station, signaling to a female worker further down the line.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” He finally asked, looking up at his ghostly companion.

“Not necessarily.” Phantom said softly, reaching out to take his hand. 

Danny started to respond but heard a few more shouts before the ride rules and regulation started playing, drowning out his voice. 

“As always, enjoy the ride!” 

With that, the coaster took off, sending Danny’s stomach twisted in knots, in more ways than one.

Chapter Text

Danny frowned, looking through the crowd before tensing up, seeing a man in dark colors in the distance. He was walking straight towards him, making Danny’s anxiety pick up before realizing it wasn’t a ghost hunter, just a random man in dark clothes. 

He sighed, forcibly relaxing his body as he released his death grip on Phantom's shirt.

Danny hated how paranoid his stressed out mind was. He had been acting crazy the whole time, pulled on Phantom’s hand and shirt the whole night, silently demanding to know if they were safe. And each and every time, his very patient boyfriend had reassured him that they were fine. And that the moment they weren’t, he’d deal with it. That he needed not to worry. 

Danny had just nodded, clinging to the ghost as the colder man held him, walking with his arm wrapped around his waist in a very intimate display. 

They turned then , walking between a new group of tents when Sam stopped, pointing towards the distance. 

“Hey, look, ring toss,” she said almost like a joke, but she turned to Phantom, grinning darkly. “Bet you can’t make a single one.”

The ghost narrowed his eyes before sighing. “Is that a real competition or another test?”

She smirked. “Whichever makes you play.”

Danny frowned when Phantom pulled away from him, reaching into his back pocket before pulling out his wallet. “Shadow—“ But the ghost was already walking away, goth girl in tow. 

Somehow, after an hour of egging him on, Sam had finally gotten under Phantom's skin, coercing him into playing her in match of balloon darts. She’d made a big deal of him not being able to hit a single balloon when he’d finally gave in, playing a single match and hitting every single balloon, resulting in him winning a food voucher for $5 at any stand of their choosing.

Sam had been stunned—she herself only being able to pop half of her balloons. It had started a competition of sorts—the goth girl challenging the ghost to any and every game they came across. The outcome—Phantom had won each and every game without fail.

Danny bit his lip as Phantom handed the money to the stall employee, the younger man handing him a bucket full of small rings. 

“Alright. One ring get’s you a small prize. Three get’s a large prize. As always, good luck and have fun.”

Before their very eyes, Phantom picked up three rings before handing the rest of the bucket to Sam, giving her a look. 

“Ladies first.”

Danny flinched, watching as Sam narrowed her eyes before facing the rows and rows of thin bottles stacked together. 

She took a couple, looking at them and the bottles before tossing one experimentally, frowning when it bounced off a bottle easily. She turned to Phantom. 

“You seriously think you’re gonna get this first try?”

Almost as if to prove a point, Phantom turned to the bottles and tossed a single ring, landing it almost flawlessly. 

They all stared in shock. 

“Winner,” the guy working the ring toss called, looking at the ghost impressed. “And first try too. That’s…never seen that before, honestly.”

Sam glared at him. “Show off.”

Phantom just rose an eyebrow. “I was just proving a point.”

She scoffed, but she did smile, turning back to the bottles as she tossed ring after ring, not landing a single one. 

Danny and Tucker had just watched, the former not even remotely surprised when Sam didn’t hit a single one and Phantom had made the other two like it was the simplest task on the planet. 

By his second hit, a couple people had started paying attention, and when he actually made the third, the ghost had a bit of crowd watching him, people pointing and talking about him out loud.

It was kinda stressful to Danny, who hadn’t wanted so much attention drawn to them, feeling as watched and paranoid as it was, but he’d smiled when Phantom had been given the choice between a large stuffed panda and a large stuffed gorilla and chose the panda. 

Phantom had turned to him, giving him a look before holding the large stuffed animal towards him.

He feigned surprise. “For me?”

Phantom just gave him a look. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, hugging the bear as his boyfriend hugged him from behind. 

“Mm.”

They started moving again, passing more games and food stands before Sam and Tucker suddenly stopped, turning towards him. 

“You know what, I almost forgot about that quiz that’s coming up.”

Danny frowned. “What?”

Tucker gave him a look. “You know. The quiz. In English.”

Danny furrowed his brow before the dots started connecting. This wasn’t about a quiz. He saw the looks on his friends’ faces, looking at him expectantly as they waited for a response from him. 

“Wh-what about it?”

”Well,” Sam started, staring at him now. “I was thinking, maybe we could come over later tonight. Study together.”

He frowned, swallowing hard as he hugged the stuffed panda harder, leaning back further into Phantom, who had tensed as well.

“I—I don’t know.” He felt his face flush, knowing how stupid he must sound to an outside perspective. “It probably wouldn’t be the best idea.”

“Why not?” Sam asked, a slight edge in her voice. “We used to study all the time.”

He clenched his jaw. “Years ago. When we were better equipped.”

Sam glared but Tucker sighed, giving him a small half-smile. “We’ll support whatever decision you made, but understand that this might be the last chance we have to ummm, study properly before the exam.”

Danny swallowed. They were serious. They seriously wanted to spy on Ghost Hunters.

“I—Can I think about it?”

Sam frowned, staring at him while Tucker gave him a sympathetic look. “Of course, Dude. Just know—the sooner the better.”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, I, umm. I guess I’ll message later. When I make up my mind.” 

“Sounds good,” Tucker said gently, holding out his fist for a bump before they all stood there awkwardly. “Guess we’ll see ya.”

Danny nodded. “Yep. S-see ya.”

His friends gave him mixed expression of concern before waving goodbye, Sam looking a lot more upset as she told him goodbye and followed Tucker in the opposite direction. 

Danny just felt the knots twisting tighter and tighter in his stomach, making him feel nauseous at the idea of ghost hunter investigating.

“You don’t have to go, you know,” Phantom said softly once they were out of earshot, giving him a calm neutral expression. Open. Honest.

“Yeah. I know.” His thoughts wandered then—to a dark, ugly part of his mind. He found himself laughing, though with no humor behind it. “It’s crazy. If we were still together, we would have done it in a heartbeat.”

Phantom stared at him a moment before sighing. “That’s no longer who we are. You’re you and I’m me. We're how we were meant to be.” 

“Sure,” Danny said almost bitterly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Phantom asked, sounding almost concerned as Danny pulled away from him.

He started walking away from the crowd, heading towards the sidewalk as he made his way home. He really didn’t want to be there anymore. He wanted to go home.

“Danny—“ Phantom had grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop right outside the park. They were alone now. “Stop. Talk to me.”

He gritted his teeth before turning to look up at his ghostly companion, the thoughts and anger swirling together to make a bitter gross feeling inside him. “If we’d never been separated, we’d be out there fighting ghosts and still be a hero. I wouldn’t be a regular pathetic human, stuck behind the sidelines while you were going mad, stuck in a prison I trapped you in.”

Danny felt angry tears fill his eyes, no longer looking at Phantom. He was filled with self hatred, and a lot of shame. It felt like everything was his fault, even though deep down, he knew it wasn’t either of their faults.

“I—why did this happen to us? Kidnapped, experimented on, tortured. We were a child when that happened. And they—they destroyed us. Destroyed me.”

He flinched when Phantom brushed his hand against his cheek, looking up at the cold face before him. 

Danny shook his head. ”Look at us. You have obsession withdrawal and I’m—I’m a mess. I can’t even fathom spying on Ghost Hunters without my fears returning.”

Phantom moved closer towards him, pulling him into his arms as he hugged him tightly to him. Danny tensed before forcibly relaxing his body, allowing the cold to envelope him. He leaned fully into him, pressing his face into his chest.

“I know that there’s nothing I can really say to make you feel better,” Phantom started, petting his cold fingers through his hair as he spoke, “but I want you to know that I’m glad we were separated. I think without their intervention, we never would have had the opportunity to become our true selves. To be the versions we always should have been.”

Danny stiffened before pushing away slightly, looking at him. “But what about everything they took from us? All the horrible things they did to us.”

Phantom’s expression darkened. “Trust me, I know my Love. That’s why I killed them and destroyed that timeline. But without their device, we probably never would have split apart perfectly. If anything good came out of it, it gave me the opportunity to be here with you, holding you close and being your partner.”

Phantom stared down at him intensely, looking at him like he was the center of his universe.

“I love you, Danny,” Phantom whispered, his face less cold than usual. “This existence wouldn’t be remotely worth it if I didn’t have you by my side.”

They stood in silence for a moment, Danny just staring up at the ghost before a certain thought crossed his mind.

“Phantom?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think—we could ever combine again?” He asked, mostly rhetorically, but felt when Phantom tensed up.

The ghost was staring at him intensely, his face an unreadable mask, but his eyes were filled with an almost foreign emotion, one Danny wasn’t sure how he felt about.

“I’m..not certain.”

Danny stared at his face. “But if we really needed to, like desperate situation worthy, would you do it?”

Phantom didn’t respond for a moment before taking a deep breath, closing his eyes as he opened his mouth. “I…would do anything for you.”

Danny’s eyes widened at his confession. “Phantom—”

“Alright. No more time for pondering,” Phantom said, turning them invisible as he lifted into the air, pulling him up as well. “You need to get home so you can get ready to go investigating with your friends.”

Danny looked at him startled. “What?“

Phantom gave him a knowing look. “We both know you want to help your friends more than your fear is holding you back. And if you’re really worried, wait for me to get back and I’ll tag along.”

Danny watched his face for a moment before nodding. “Thank you.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow at him. “Did you really think I’d let you go near Ghost Hunters by yourself?”

Danny blushed, realizing his earlier words had only been to make him feel better. Phantom had decided he was going to tag along no matter what Danny decided.

“Maybe I’m glad you’re stuck doing kingly duties so often.” Danny said jokingly, but he saw Phantom’s eyes narrow as he sat him down outside his house.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Danny shrugged. “Just that if you didn’t have responsibilities, you’d probably be following me 24/7, no matter my opinion on it.”

Phantom stared at his face before looking towards the night sky. “We both know this place isn’t as nice nor as innocent as it pretends to be. All I want is to protect you.”

Danny felt his face soften as he sighed. “I know that, but I’m an adult now. I may not be the most powerful entity on earth, but I am dating him, so I think I can handle myself sometimes.”

With that, he reached up, grabbing the back of his neck before pulling his face down, kissing him roughly. Phantom leaned further into it, gripping his hips as he pulled them closer together. When they finally pulled away, Danny smiled at him. 

“Too bad I have homework that needs done before going out to do some probably illegal investigating with my best friends.”

Phantom just scoffed at that. “Whatever you say, my Love.”

Danny didn’t respond as he pulled away, walking towards his front door as he pulled out his keys to unlock his front door. He paused, turning back towards him. “You’re not planning to show up as Shadow, are you?”

Phantom shook his head. “Nope. Just your shadow.”

Danny flushed before turning back towards the front door, pushing it open and letting himself inside. 

He relaxed upon seeing no one else in the house, running straight upstairs and into his bedroom.

Ghost Hunter investigation? What were they thinking? He rolled his eyes. They weren’t. They were just living in the moment, reliving the glory days, but still. 

He shook his head, pulling out his notebooks as he settled at his desk, trying to clear his mind as he tried to focus on anything other than ghosts and ghost hunters, but the nagging feeling stayed in the back of his thoughts, eating away at him as he started writing.

It was a couple of hours later when he finally finished his homework and another half hour before Phantom returned to him, making him both relieved and nervous.

He really didn’t want to do this. To go to a place they’d never been before, snooping around when it really wasn’t any of their business. Or he wished it wasn’t… Danny shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts when Phantom looked up at him, pointing towards his phone that was still lying on the desk.

”Are you gonna call one of them?”

He stared at him, the thought not registering before it suddenly clicked. “Ohh! I—yeah, I was just—just about to do that.”

Phantom just gave him a look. Danny sighed. “I’m just—not all that excited about it.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow at him. “You know everything’s gonna be okay, right? I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Danny stared at him before plopping into his desk chair, letting out a deep breath. “I know, but… It all just terrifies me. I don’t want to be anywhere near ghost hunters ever again. Especially ones that are infiltrating Amity Park for any reason.”

Phantom shrugged. “You better make up your mind quickly. It’s getting darker by the minute.”

Danny chewed on his lip before picking up his phone, going into the group chat and sending a message. “Okay, it’s sent.”

Within the minute, he felt his stomach drop, seeing the excited messages both Tucker and Sam had sent him.

”What’d they say?”

”They’re, umm, heading this way now.”

”Better get dressed then,” Phantom said softly, making him blink before glancing down at himself. “You’ll probably want to bring some hunter gear too. Just as an excuse in case you guys are caught.”

Danny thought he was going to puke.

”Not that I think you will,” Phantom said quickly, apparently seeing the expression on his face. “I just thought it might make you feel a little better. Less defenseless while you’ll be on your own.”

Danny froze. “On my own? Aren’t you coming?”

“Not the way I wish I was,” he said simply.

Danny felt conflicted. He wanted to ask what that meant, but he knew he had very little time to waste before his friends would show up. He went to his closet, looking through it before grabbing a simple black long sleeve shirt and black pair of jogging pants. Easy enough. Putting those on, he turned to Phantom, seeing the ghost watching him. “Good?”

”Exquisite,” the ghost said, making him blush from head to toe.

Danny turned then, leaving his room and going down towards the living room, wanting to be there when Sam and Tucker showed up. He let out a relieved sigh when no one was in the living room. 

He stood there, not really paying attention to anything when he tensed up, feeling a presence watching him. He turned, glancing around, but he didn’t see anyone, not even Phantom. 

“Hello?” He called softly, frowning when no one responded. 

He took a step, then another, but soon was stopped when his body was awash in a wave of solid cold. He jumped back, staring at the spot he just was, freezing again when he came face to face with a literal shadow. He was ready to panic when the dark figure lifted its hands in a sign of surrender, confusing him.

“Don’t worry,” Phantom called softly, appearing next to it. “It’s just my shadow.”

“Like Johnny 13,” Danny whispered, amazed as he approached the dark figure. Though very unlike Johnny’s shadow, this one looked like a perfect replica of Phantom, only entirely inky black. 

“Kind of,” Phantom said, watching as he reached towards the dark figure. “Think of it as a sentient clone. It can do anything I can do, except talk, but I’ll still be able to hear you through it. And it’ll be undetectable since it holds no core. Perfect to infiltrate the Ghost Hunters hideout.”

Danny stopped at once, turning back towards his ghost before his words from earlier hit him. “You’re not staying?”

Phantom shook his head. “There’s a dispute happening in the Ghost Zone currently. One I need to resolve quickly.”

Danny was devastated. He clenched his jaw before lowering his gaze, nodding all the same. He understood where Phantom was coming from. The Ghost Zone needed him, even if Danny needed him too. 

He didn’t hear Phantom move, but he did feel when a hand cupped under his chin, lifting his gaze to meet Phantom’s glowing green one. 

“I promise to return as soon as this mess is cleaned up. It shouldn’t take more than a day and my shadow will be here to help with anything you need.”

Danny glanced past him, towards the dark figure. While he knew it wasn’t Phantom, there was something about it that gave him a sense of comfort, taking a little weight off his shoulders. He gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

Phantom looked at him a minute longer before leaning down and capturing his lips. Danny hummed against his mouth, moving onto his tiptoes so he could press just a bit harder against him, trying to express how much he was really going to miss him. 

When they pulled away, Phantom gave him a lingering look before bending back down, pressing a frosted kiss to his cheek, making him gasp.

“Be good,” the ghost said softly, making Danny snort before giving him a small smile.

“I’ll try.”

Phantom nodded at him before fully pulling away. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

With that, Phantom finally disappeared, leaving Danny alone with the shadow creature. Danny glanced at it, both unnerved and very intrigued by it, but before he could really investigate it, he heard the doorbell ring, halting his thoughts.

He frowned before walking over to it and pulling it open, only to smirk upon seeing his friends.

“Ohh, wow,” Danny started, but Tucker just laughed.

”Great minds, my dude.”

All three of them were wearing mismatching dark outfits, complete with dark shoes and everything. Danny grinned, getting a sense of nostalgia from preparing to go on a ghost related mission with them. Of course, they looked nothing like how they used to, but back then their outfits weren’t intended to disguise them. They’d just been their regular everyday clothes.

“We thought we’d trying and look incognito,” Sam said, smirking as she entered the house. 

“Or as incognito as three teenagers decked out in all black can be,” Tucker joked, also joining them in the living room. 

Danny let out a small laughed. “Better than anything we’d have tried back then.”

Sam frowned at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Danny was a little confused from her almost defensive reaction, blinking before shaking his head. “I—I was making a joke. Just that—we weren’t always the best planners back then.”

Sam narrowed her eyes. “We had all sorts of great plans when we were younger.”

Danny gave her a look. “Not really. We were lucky, Sam.”

Sam looked ready to disagree when Tucker butted in, holding up his PDA. 

“Guys. Please. Not right now. I need to focus.”

Danny gritted his teeth before turning away from them. “I need to—go somewhere else.”

He turned, moving towards his kitchen as he went literally anywhere else. Knowing it’d be empty, he paced the small area for a bit, trying to calm his racing thoughts before his eyes landed on the lab door. 

He paused, thinking of what Phantom had said to him earlier, about ghost gadgets. He took a deep breath before moving towards the door, pushing it open easily before heading down. 

Out of any plan they could have had, choosing to do this on a Wednesday night might have been the only good decision they had made—Wednesday was his parents ‘date night’ or the evening his parents got out of the house to enjoy much needed ‘them time’. Which also made it the best night to mess with the things in the lab. 

He took a deep breath once he reached the lower level, looking around the dimly lit lab. This was the place that started it all. And truly it was. And it was his parent’s invention, the Fenton Portal, that they had to blame for it all. The origination of his powers. The gateway to the Ghost Zone. Anything and everything involving ghosts had a connection to that portal. Danny stared at it. The doors locked, bolted and sealed shut, with a password to keep everyone but Danny from ever even thinking about opening it once more. 

Slowly, he started walking towards it, bypassing his parents equipment and discarded inventions to make it to the other side of the lab. It was so fucking huge. And honestly, it really was. The thing was insanely large, almost unreasonably so, especially since the Specter Speeder hadn’t been invented when the portal was designed in the first place. Or maybe…

Danny shrugged off the nonsense theories, turning away from the portal before jumping, seeing the shadow watching him. He hadn’t realized anyone was with him down there, so seeing the shadow had actually scared him. 

“I—I didn’t see you there.”

The shadow didn’t react much, just moved to be closer to him and the portal. 

Danny, assuming it was looking at the obvious, gave it a small smile. “Like old times, huh?”

The shadow turned to him before nodding, making Danny pause.

“Wait—so you can interact with me. You just can’t speak,” he said softly, baffled by his discovery.

He stared at it before reaching towards it, wanting to know more about—to learn any and all he could before there was this loud startling sound from above him, making him shout. And just like that, the shadow was gone and a couple of teenage voices emerged, making him huff.

“Danny? You down here?”

He let out a huff before nodding, even though they couldn’t see it. 

“Yep! Come on down,” he called, hearing his friends make their way down the lab stairs, same as he had. 

He waited patiently, moving away from the portal to a desk chair his mother frequently used. 

Upon seeing him, his friends looked quite relieved, a reaction Danny frowned at, almost wanting to ask, but deciding against it as they closed the distance. 

“Hey, I’m sorry. About earlier,” Sam said, looking just a tab bit ashamed. “I guess—I hate thinking about us back then as childish little kids making bad decisions. I mean, I know we were a little immature, but I really do think we were a good team.”

Danny gave her a small smile. “I never said we weren’t.”

Sam smiled back.

He stared at her, feeling his emotions shoot to the surface again. He almost thought about being honest, of admitting how he really felt about the whole thing, but instead he pushed those thoughts aside, putting a calm and collected front on. 

Turning to their other friend, Danny rose his eyebrows. “How’s the tracking going?”

Tucker took a moment before glancing up at them, seeing both of them watching him. He cleared his throat. “Good. Where I’d hacked their systems earlier, I never disconnected the one way link, so I’ve been able to see where the devices have gone since then. The problem is trying to pick up the main one. There’s at least 15 of these things.”

Danny felt his stomach drop. “15? Of the same device?”

Tucker nodded. “What astounds me is that I only picked up 5 signals at the Amusement Park, but now that they’ve settled somewhere, it’s letting me see that there’s at least 10 other similar dormant signals.”

Danny felt his stomach drop. “Ohh, that’s…”

He had to focus to stay afloat, his thoughts going to dark places as the worst possible scenarios played out in his mind.

“Danny,” Sam called, bringing him back to the present.

He looked at her quickly, feeling ready to pass out when he caught his friends worried faces.

“You gonna be okay, man?” Tucker asked, no longer focusing on his PDA.

“I—I, ummm…” he tried to think of a good response, but nothing stuck as a good enough excuse.

Looking past his friends, he tried to come up with anything to say at that point when he stopped, seeing the shadow watching him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Phantom wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Everything would be okay okay. “Sorry. I was just…thinking of the past. But I’m fine—really.”

They both looked unconvinced, but nodded anyway.

”Why don’t we take a breather,” Sam said softly, pointing towards the stairs, but he shook his head. 

“It’s not this place,” he mumbled, turning back towards the lab. “It’s—them. The thought of being near anyone like that.”

Sam kissed her teeth before looking past him, taking account of the room they were in. “It’s crazy. Being back here.”

Danny let out a small relieved breath, thankful for the change in topic. “Yeah. I hadn’t been down here since our last deep cleaning, and when mom and dad wanted to show me—“ but he cut himself off. He hadn’t told them about that.

He swallowed, refusing to meet Sam’s eye as she narrowed her own. She turned, moving further into the lab before stopping near his mother’s notes and printed out graphs, still left on her desk from where she’d been trying to do more research.

“Woah—what?” Sam had bent over, looking at the charts and notes next to them from the past week. “These…your parents devices picked these up?”

Danny didn’t respond at first, seeing the way Sam picked up the pages, holding them up towards Tucker. 

“What do you think?”

Tucker furrowed his brow, moving towards the pages before letting out a low whistle, picking up the page for himself. 

“Holy—these readings are crazy,” Tucker said, looking beyond shocked as he took a photo of the charts. “Like, I don’t even want to imagine what could have created these.”

Sam looked at him before letting out a small hiss. “Could they have come from the Ghost Zone?”

”And be this powerful? I doubt it,” Tucker said, placing the chart back on the desk. “No, it would have had to be on this side.”

Sam frowned. “So—there really are ghosts on this side?”

Tucker glanced at Danny, seeming to think better of responding before typing on his PDA once more.

Sam shook her head. “But why aren’t we seeing any of these ghosts? They’ve never hidden their presence before.”

Tucker shrugged. “Who knows. All we do know is that there’s gotta be at least one ghost on this side of the plain, and they’re a lot more powerful than anything we’ve ever faced before.”

Danny shivered. Glancing around the room, he froze when be spotted the shadow, seeing it watching them again. He stared at it, not really thinking of how weird it’d be for him to stare into thin air.

He must have been looking for a little too long, however, because Sam turned towards it, only it had disappeared by then. Sam turned back towards him, her eyes full of worry. “Danny, you know I love you, but you’re really starting to freak me out.”

“Sorry.” He mumbled, glancing at the ground now.

Sam moved to touch his shoulder, gently squeezing it. He flinched, making her release him almost immediately. “You don’t have to be sorry. Just know we care about you. And if you’re not up for it—“

He shook his head. “No, I am. I just—I needed to clear my thoughts.”

Sam looked past him, pointing towards the tables full of tarp covered pieces. “What’s all that?”

Looking towards the covered half of the lab, Danny actually chuckled. “Fun stuff.”

He went towards the table nearest them, grabbing the edge of the tarp before tossing it off, uncovering the ghost hunter devices that had been hidden underneath. And also, uncovering layers and layers of dust. They all three started couching. 

“Crap. Forgot how long these had been abandoned.” Danny winced while Tucker chuckled softly and Sam grinned.

”Why am I not surprised?” Sam called, going towards the table and letting out a surprised shout. Picking up a Spector Deflector, she smiled at it before wrapping it around her waist, posing like a model. “How do I look?”

“Ready to deflect ghosts,” Danny said sarcastically, looking around the table too.

Tucker, no longer focused on his PDA, picked up a small tube and smirked. “Jack o’ Nine Tails.”

Danny let out a small breath as he turned to his friends, giving them a small smile. “I was thinking…” that grabbed their attention. Two sets of eyes settled on him, both curious as he stared right back at them, not saying a word. He swallowed. “M-maybe we should b-bring some of these th-things. J-just to b-be better safe than sorry.”

They both looked surprised. “Are you sure?”

He nodded, turning back towards the table. “Yeah, I mean, what’s the harm, right?”

His friends looked at him a moment longer before turning back towards the table, picking up a few gadgets here and there.

Danny had turned away, moving towards another table, this one still covered. Seeing a particularly bulky object under another tarp, Danny moved it aside to see what had been underneath it. He paused, seeing that it had been the Fenton Ghost Gloves, making Danny tense.

He stared at them, really taking into account the size and shape of the ghost instruments. He shivered. They looked so similar to the gauntlets. Turning away from them, he covered them back up, no longer wanting to think about them. Glancing back towards his friends, he tensed back up, seeing what Sam was holding, pointed towards him. 

“Fenton Thermos,” she said excitedly, making his eyes widen. He knew that gadget all too well, having been trapped in it one too many times.

As he stared at it, he thought about how that particular device had been able to capture both Johnny 13 and his shadow, making Danny realize it might not be the greatest choice with his silent protector going to be following them all night. 

“We don’t really need that,” Danny said offhandedly, but Sam gave him a hard look.

“Did you not hear Tucker earlier? Those readings indicate that ghosts are on this side. That means there’s ghosts in Amity Park. Of course we need a thermos. Why else would we have any of the rest of this gear if we weren’t going to bring a Thermos?”

Danny couldn’t even retaliate, especially as Sam picked up a Spector Deflector and held it out towards him. He frowned, watching her as she twisted to be right in front of him, wrapping the device around his waist and scaring the life out of him.

“Sam wait—!” 

“Danny, it’s okay,” she said softly, locking it in place before looking up at him. “You’re no longer a ghost.”

He frowned. Now Phantom couldn’t touch him, nor his shadow. This…was kind of a bad idea. But when he reached down to try and remove it, it wouldn’t budge.

“What the hell?” he muttered, tugging on it harder, but it stayed secured perfectly in place.

“It’s locked.” Sam called, looking at him like he was crazy. “So they can’t fall off. If ghosts really are back in Amity Park, we need all the protection we can get.” 

Danny didn’t have anything to say to that. She was right of course. Sam was just being prepared, and yet—

Sam frowned at him, watching him continue to tug on the belt. “Are you gonna be okay?”

He bit his lip, staring at her before shaking his head. “I’m fine. I just—I don’t want to wear this thing.”

She was watching him for a moment before  sighing, walking towards the area the belts had been before picking up a set of keys. “Fine, but you better bring some other form of ghost repellent.”

He nodded, grabbing the keys from her before unlocking the belt, letting out a small breath when it unlatched from his body. 

Sam just watched him, almost suspiciously before turning to Tucker, just catching the moment before he pulled off another tarp across the room, sending a wave of dust over them. Sam and Danny both started coughing loudly, the goth girl glaring at their friend.

“Warn us next time,” Sam wheezed before pausing, realizing what he’d uncovered. It was the Specter Speeder. It looked exactly as they remembered, huge and powerful, yet perfect for spying and escaping.

“Think we can get this bad boy up and running?” Tucker asked, yanking the door open with ease.

“Hell yeah!” Sam shouted, making Danny smile.

He watched them for a while before getting distracted by another tarp hidden in the corner. Going towards it, Danny frowned at it a moment before pulling the covering off, revealing the device underneath: The Fenton Ghost Catcher. The gadget that can separate ghost from human, or combine them.

He thought of Phantom, his ghost half. They had used this device before to split themselves, but they hadn’t been remotely how they currently were. He frowned, looking back on all that. It had been so long ago, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday. Being both Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom. The hero and the loser. It hadn’t been perfect, but it’d been nice to be both a regular citizen and the center of attention every once in a while. He wondered what it’d be like, to go back to that. To combine with Phantom once more. To be whole. He shook his head. But that wouldn’t be fair. Not to Phantom. His ghost didn’t want to be with him anymore.

He turned away, not having realized his friends were watching him, probably assuming what he was thinking. 

Before he could say anything, Tucker cleared his throat before smiling at him awkwardly. “Everything looks good on it. Wanna take it for a spin? Make sure it’s running smoothly?”

Danny nodded, finally dropping the tarp still in his hand. “Sure.”

He followed them, getting in the passenger seat and strapping in.

“How crazy is this?” Sam asked, grinning at him. “Finally, after all these years, I can now legally drive this thing.”

Danny snorted at that, knowing how little they’d cared about how legal it was back then. 

“Better late than never,” Tucker joked before taking his own seat between them. 

Sam rolled her eyes before looking at the controls, seemingly reacquainting herself with the controls before turning the key, which had been left in the center console. All of a sudden, they all stared wide eyed in amazement as the Specter Speeder came to life, ready for wherever it needed to take them.

Sam turned to them, grinning. “Ready?”

Tucker and Danny glanced at each other before nodding, both turning to Sam. 

“So, where are we three headed?” The goth girl asked, looking out the front windshield as the garage door started opening.

Tucker glanced at his PDA, frowning at it a moment before looking back up at her.

“Axion Labs.”

Chapter Text

Danny’s breath caught, but he knew it was technically better than it could have been. They were scientists, but they weren’t the ones that had hurt them, which…was a small win in his book.  

“Great,” Sam huffed, rolling her eyes. “Because a place that makes advanced technology is where we want to break into.”

Tucker grimaced. “At least we have somewhere to start.” 

Sam didn’t look all too excited, but she did nod at them. “Alright. To Axion labs,” she muttered, flying the Spector Speeder up and out the open garage door. 

Danny watched in amazement as they started speeding through the air, moving from his house towards the large secured facility on the edge of the city. It was nerve racking to say the least, but he kept himself calm. He could do this. He had to.

It took around 10 minutes to get there, but no matter how long he’d had to prepare, Danny felt his heart drop when he saw the place. He knew it was nothing like Paranormal Enterprises, but still, the idea of entering a laboratory filled with ghost hunters sounded awful.

They landed a little ways away from the facility, them all frowning worriedly when they saw the vast amount of armed vehicles parked outside.

“Those…seem familiar, don’t they?” Sam asked, glancing at Tucker, but Danny shook his head.

“I’ve never seen them before.”

Sam and Tucker shared a look before Sam cleared her throat. “It’s probably nothing. Let’s see if we can spot anything.”

Gathering themselves, they left the Speeder all at once before walking towards the large building.

Danny felt ready to pass out, not wanting to deal with this. He was terrified. He had no idea being this close to a facility of any kind would make him feel this way, but the closer they got, the more nauseous he became. 

“You gonna be okay?” Sam whispered, seeing his pale complexion. 

He nodded. “Yep. N—never better.”

She didn’t look very convinced, but she didn’t say anything else as they got closer to the first set of gates, large and looming above them. 

Danny swallowed. “How—?” But he hadn’t been able to fully ask before Tucker was already hooking up his PDA to a side panel Danny hadn’t noticed.

He blinked, watching as his friend typed away on his own device. It wasn’t even a minute before the red light on the panel turned green and the gates opened on their own.

Sam gave Tucker a grin before reaching for the gate and finding it unlatch, to which she gave them a thumbs up before going straight through it, heading towards the front doors of the large structure.

Danny wanted to call out to her, but he knew how stupid an idea that was, so instead he ran after her, followed by Tucker who was right on his tail.

“Determined as ever,” Tucker whispered, making Danny snort.

“When isn’t she?”

When they finally caught up to her, she was already at the buildings front entrance, pointing to a card reader attached to the front door. “Got this one too?”

Tucker rolled his eyes before smirking. “You know it.”

Danny frowned, watching Tucker get to work on his PDA, but unlike before, he didn’t try hooking it up to anything.

It took a bit longer than before, making Danny anxious at being in the open for so long, but eventually Tucker let out a small breath, grinning wide. “Okay. And this way, my PDA will act as a card in their system.”

They watched as he waved the device over the card reader. After a second, it blinked from red to green, signaling they could enter.

“Genius,” Sam complimented as Danny nodded.

“I know,” Tucker joked, going through the now unlocked front doors.

They moved quietly, heading straight before all freezing in place, realizing how unprepared they’d been. They didn’t even know where they were headed. 

Danny tensed when he saw how many cameras there were, pointed at literally every angle in that lobby. Were they gonna get caught immediately?

“Maybe we should have thought this through more,” Sam murmured as she stared up as well, but Tucker shook his head.

“I disconnected those earlier, but we’ll definitely need to get in and out as soon as possible. Who knows how long we’ll have before someone notices.”

Danny frowned, but Sam nodded. “Okay. Lead the way.”

Tucker gave them a small smile before turning, guiding them as he tracked the ghost equipment. It was a couple minutes of walking and tiptoeing in seemingly random directions before Tucker stopped, looking at his PDA in confusion. 

Danny’s thoughts were going a hundred miles a minute. He looked around anxiously, truly fearful he’d see someone round a corner and find them, but everywhere he looked, there was no one.

On his third turn, Sam reached out, taking his hand to try and calm him. “Hey.”

He connected their gaze, seeing her tired expression. “Relax. Tucker knows what he’s doing.”

He grimaced, knowing how his movements seemed to them, but knowing he couldn’t exactly explain why he was doing them. Honestly, he wasn’t all that sure why he felt the need to know where anyone and everyone was around him, other than needing to feel safe in his environment.

He let out a small breath, pressing his back to the wall as he squeezed Sam’s hand, getting a squeeze from her in return. 

“How about this, you look down and I’ll look up. Good?”

Danny turned to her, seeing her smirk and gave her a small nod. “O—okay.”

He turned, staring down the hall as he hoped she was doing the same, but it wasn’t even a second later that Tucker made a sound of understanding. 

“Ohh, okay. I figured it out. This way.”

Danny frowned, but followed them as Tucker rounded a corner, pointing towards a hidden door at the end of a long hallway.

”I was trying to find the entrance to this room, but it wasn’t exactly visible from where we were.”  

They walked towards it slowly before all stopping in front of it. After a second, Sam reached out, taking the handle and trying to turn it, only to frown when it wouldn’t budge.

“Locked.”

Danny was both disappointed and relieved, opening his mouth to offer an idea when he felt a wave of cold air across his face, reminding him of his lovely hidden companion.

He stared at the door, his eyes zeroed in on the door handle before seeing just the slightest difference. He reached forward, grabbing the handle when Sam finally let go, turning it with ease.

“The hell?” she whispered, looking at him in disbelief as he pushed the door open.

“Maybe it was just stuck?” Tucker offered, but Sam didn’t look convinced.

Danny didn’t say anything as he entered the room, the air instantly cooler than the rest of the facility had been. He shivered, not able to see anything from how dark it was. 

“Creepy,” Tucker offered as he looked around the doorway for a light-switch, which Sam found almost instantly.

”When have these sort of places not been creepy?” She asked in return.

”Fair enough.”

Once they could actually see the room they had entered, they quickly spotted the devices on the far wall, hooked up to large charging ports.

“Well that was easy,” Tucker said, going to the closest one and connecting his PDA to it.

Danny frowned, not really certain what he needed to be doing now. He stood stiffly, glancing around the room to make sure nothing seemed dangerous while catching sight of Sam moving closer to some of the more questionable objects in the room.

“Look at all of this gear. What is this? A ghost proof net?” She called, picking up a stretchy woven material.

Danny’s eyes widened. “Sam—“

She placed it back down just as quickly as she picked it up, looking at other items just seemingly abandoned around the room. She stopped eventually, finding something that caught her eye. “Ohh hey, look at this. I think this is a storage box for ghosts. Like a Fenton Thermos.”

Danny looked at it in horror. A lockbox for ghosts. Gaining the courage, he moved closer to it, only to shiver at the sheer size of it. It was fucking huge.

“I bet they think this energy is a ton of little ghosts,” she said, glancing at him. “Hence the large storage unit.”

Danny agreed with that line of thinking, but he assumed a more realistic thought. One very large ghost. Glancing back to where Tucker was, he frowned to see his eyes scanning the strange devices now bright screen.

“Finding anything?” Danny called softly, startling Tucker.

“Ohh, ummm. Yeah. Kinda,” he said, pointing towards the screen. “Take a look at this.”

They walked towards Tucker, seeing the devices screen showing many folders as well as links and messages. “So this isn’t the main device, but it is one of the higher ups. According to this folder,” he said, clicking on the small icon, “these people actually work for a company that charts abnormal paranormal activity. They’ve been doing it for many years now, but this is the largest thing they’ve captured by far.” Exiting the page, Tucker clicked on a couple other links, pulling up a few other pages. “Crazy thing, they actually recorded the first spike being on Friday, which—“ 

“Danny’s birthday,” Sam hissed, looking freaked out now.

“Yes,” Tucker continued, looking at them now. “But it wasn’t nearly as grand as these other three spikes, so it was only charted as a possible connection.”

Tucker clicked around a few more times, frowning at the screen as Sam started running her fingers through her hair, her mind obviously in overdrive.

“What bothers me are the notes on all these files. They recorded the smaller wave as a prototype wave, like a ghost experimenting with their power, which does seem possible, but also unlikely? Ghosts are pretty…you know.”

Sam nodded. “They don’t usually take the time for trial and error.”

”Exactly,” Tucker said, scrolling along the device some more. “What’s really crazy is all the notes on the other three waves, which have all been listed as twin waves. Apparently they weren’t just singular large spike, but a pair of ecto-bursts back to back, which intrigues them.”

Sam took a sharp intake of air while Danny just continued to stand stiffly, frowning at how much his friends were learning. What if they figured him out? But Danny shoved the idea away. Why would they assume it to be Phantom? Relax, Danny. You’re thinking crazy.

Danny let out a small breath before focusing on his friend again, seeing Tucker reading some noted on a separate document. 

“They’re theorizing it to be a pair of ghosts, one that’s leading and one that’s copying whatever the first one’s doing.”  

“But what are they doing?” Sam muttered, her eyes narrowed as she also looked at the devices screen.

Danny felt guilty. He wasn’t sure about Saturday or Sunday, but he knew Monday afternoon was Phantom changing Sam and Tucker’s memories, so he assumed that the other two pairs of bursts were probably something similar.

“Crazy,” he said simply, to which Sam and Tucker looked at him funny.

“More like horrifying,” Sam said. “This is proof of powerful entities stronger than Pariah Dark himself. And they’re just out there, doing who knows what to cause power bursts like that.”

Danny winced. “Sorry, I—I really didn’t know what else to say. I’m nervous.”

Sam’s face softened and she looked away. “I know. We’ll leave soon.”

Tucker gave him a sympathetic look. “I’ll download the files and then we can go.”

Danny smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

Tucker winked. “Anytime.”

They watched as Tucker started trying to download the files, but no sooner than he hit transfer all, they heard a commotion outside the door.

Danny stared at it, frozen in fear. Sam however, ran towards it, locking the door as they all refused to look away from it.

There were voices. And they were heading straight towards them. Danny thought he’d pass out, but just as soon as they heard them getting louder, they dropped off just as quickly, sounding like they were just making rounds in the hallways.

Danny let out a quick breath, thankful of their luck. But as he thought this, the handle started jiggling, making him tense up again.

“Do you have the key?”

Danny looked at his friends in barely concealed horror, realizing people really were trying to get inside there. It wasn’t a moment later they heard some soft muttering and then the footsteps leading away from the door, back the way they had seemingly come. 

“That—was close,” Tucker said, his eyes just as wide as Danny imagined his were.

“Too close,” Sam said, turning to Tucker and frowning. “How much longer?”

“A couple minutes at the least,” he said, face guilty as he looked at what he had transfered so far.

“We don’t have minutes,” Sam hissed, but she froze when one of the other devices started buzzing.

Walking over towards it, she frowned. Danny eased his way over to it as well, seeing a large flashing ‘warning’ across the whole screen.

“Is this normal?” Sam asked, but Tucker was kissing his teeth. 

As they watched, all but Tucker’s devices started glowing, showing the same alert across every device in that room, making the three panic when a loud alarm started blaring above them.

Danny reached up, cupping his hands over his ears. “How do we shut it off?”

Tucker shook his head. “I can’t. Not while I’m still downloading.”

They all looked at each other, their faces anxious before Sam pointed towards the device Tucker’s PDA was still hooked up to. 

“Could we just take it?”

Danny looked at her wide eyed before turning towards Tucker, seeing him look deep in thought. Danny felt his panic starting to set in, the fear of them learning something too close to home making him realize how much of a bad idea this really was. He bit his lip, trying to think of a good excuse as for why they couldn’t steal the machine, but the universe seemingly decided an excuse for him. 

One by one, the devices started sparking brightly, causing Sam to shout as she jumped back. “Holy fuck!”

They could only watch as the screens went offline one by one, the devices screens shutting completely down before the machines sparked and went up in flames. 

“We gotta go. Now!” Sam called, grabbing Tucker under his arms as she yanked on him. 

Tucker looked extremely upset, but he did disconnected his PDA and pull away from the last ghost hunter device, just as it started shutting down as well.

It was terrifying to witness, all the individual machines going up in flames as the alarms around them sounded louder than ever, accompanied by a smoke alarm. 

Danny squinted towards the far wall, trying to see if he could spot anything, but the smoke was really starting to thicken as there was no way for it to escape.

“Come on!” Sam shouted, reaching for him as well as she started pulling them towards the door, only releasing them to unlock it. 

Danny winced, the smoke starting to burn his nostrils as the fire started spreading through the room. 

“Sam—!” Tucker started shouting, but the goth girl had finally flung the door open, grabbing their wrists and yanking them into the hallway.

It was like everything had crashed at once. As soon as they escaped the room, they were hit with water from overhead, the sprinkler system apparently not set up in the lab with all the electronics inside. 

They looked around in a panic. 

“Tucker,” Sam hissed, looking up down the long hall with wide fearful eyes. “Which way is it?”

”That way,” he said, pointing in the direction Danny had been certain they hadn’t went down earlier.

Danny frowned, opening his mouth to say so when loud voices shouted from the opposite direction, making them all scramble away as they followed Tucker’s guidance.

It was hard to navigate, with water raining on them and Tucker unable to use his PDA, but they eventually made it to a side door, one labeled as a fire exit. Sam didn’t even hesitate to shove it open, letting themselves out and into the open air. 

“Holy—“ Sam let out a small laugh, turning back towards the door they’d just escaped. “That was…a lot.”

Danny just stared at the ground, not really wanting to think about how crazy dangerous that was, nor how they had almost gotten caught just a minute prior.

“We should keep moving,” Tucker muttered, glancing at the building. “They’ll evacuate any moment now.”

Sam and Danny nodded, running towards the large fence they’d entered through earlier.

Spotting the gate, Sam pointed. “There!”

They ran harder, hoping they wouldn’t get noticed, but as they ran, they heard voices behind them.

”Hey you!”

”This is private property!”

”Just you wait until we get our hands on you!”

Tucker screamed as Sam laughed, which only made it worse.

”Think this is funny? You won’t be laughing when you’re rotting away in prison!”

Danny didn’t turn back, closing his eyes for a split second to imagine being locked away. It seemed like an impossibility since Phantom would just steal him away if anything like that happened to him, he was sure. But the idea of getting sentenced. It was—

Danny gasped, feeling this incredibly powerful feeling wash over him, almost like getting rejuvenated. He felt braver, stronger, and in that moment, like he could take on anything. 

He looked towards the gate, narrowing his eyes as he bolted, passing both Tucker and Sam as he reached it first, shoving it open with all of his strength. He chose to ignore the horrible sound it made, holding it open as his friends joined him on the other side. Once they had passed him, he shoved the gate closed, hearing the groaning of the hinges as it locked itself back into place, but he knew they weren’t safe yet.

Looking towards where they’d left the Specter Speeder, he ran after his friends, catching up to them in no time as they all piled into it. 

“Go!” Tucker shouted, Sam slamming herself into the driver seat once more as she kicked it into reverse, trying to escape without being seen, but they knew how unlikely that’d be at this point, having destroyed thousands of dollars of ghost hunting equipment and running away.

Once the facility was no longer in their sight, Sam slowed the Speeder down, bringing it to a stop to turn around and finally start flying forward once more. 

They rode in silence for a while, the three of them just trying to wrap their minds around what had happened when Tucker turned to him. 

“How—how did you run like that?”

Danny frowned, turning to look at his friend, who was also frowning at him. 

“Like what?”

“You just—took off—like an Olympic gold medalist. I mean, I knew you’d been working out and such, trying to get in better shape, but that was…crazy impressive. You passed Sam, something you haven’t done since…” Tucker frowned, shaking his head now. “I guess I hadn’t realized how serious you’d gotten with your routine.”

Sam snorted. “Or maybe how serious he was about trying to impress his already perfect boyfriend.”

Danny narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “You know…”

He just kept frowning, to which she sighed. 

“Just that…he didn’t miss a single shot. At anything. It was like he’s never failed a single thing his whole life. He wasn’t cocky or smug either. He just…was. It can be pretty intimidating, especially of you’re trying to live up to those expectations.”

Danny stared at her, really taking in her words for what they meant. Her reasoning made sense, especially from her perspective that they were both normal human guys. But from Danny’s perspective, he already understood that he’d never compare to Phantom—because he was an all-powerful being. Phantom was basically limitless in what he could and couldn’t do, being a ghost and having no ties to the mortal plain, besides him.

He swallowed. “Yeah, well…” he had no words. No real explanation besides feeding into her assumptions. “I was already trying to improve myself. Why not actually put in the effort to make myself better?”

Tucker frowned at that, alongside Sam who couldn’t actually look at him because she was still driving. “You shouldn’t have to change yourself for someone else.”

”I’m not,” Danny forced out, feeling the misplaced upset and anxiety fuel his words. “I’m doing it for me, I’m just—It helps motivate me.”

Sam hummed, but stopped grilling him as Tucker gave him a small smile. “Whatever makes you happy, man.”

Then, his friend clapped him on the shoulder, sending an electrical current down his arm and through his whole body, causing him to hiss.

Tucker frowned, pulling away at once. “Sorry, dude. I forgot.”

Danny shook his head, too in pain to properly respond to him. “S’ fine.”

Tucker didn’t look convinced, but he nodded, turning back towards the front to look out the windshield once more. 

They rode the rest of the way in silence, Danny trying to keep his thoughts together as a realization struck him. The shadow. He hadn’t seen it, not that he really thought he would, but from the reaction he had to the Specter Deflector Tucker was currently wearing, he was almost certain it was hiding inside of him. 

The idea was both terrifying and amazing, mostly from how it affected him. There was no psychological influence like a ghost was inhabiting him, just a feeling of enhancement. It was like being a halfa again. 

He didn’t waste any time once Sam parked, shoving the door to the Specter Speeder open and running up the lab stairs. He just had to know, had to prove to himself he wasn’t crazy. He went to the nearest bathroom, slamming the door shut as he looked at his reflection. He stared into his eyes, not really knowing what he was expecting, but a whole lotta nothing wasn’t it. 

A minute later, he heard both Sam and Tucker calling after him, making him groan. “I’m in here! I’m fine, I just—really had to go!” He winced at his stupid words, not getting any responses to that as the house went silent once more.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm his breath as he finally felt a shift in the air. It felt like cold was leaking from his body, seeping out of him as he finally opened his eyes, finding the shadow behind him once more. 

He stared at its nonexistent face through the mirror, really trying to think of something to say, but it was just a combination of emotions at this point.

“You…enhanced me?”

It didn’t move, just staying completely still as he watched it for any sign of a reaction.

“I, ummm, I wish I’d been told you could do that,” Danny said as he finally turned around, coming face to chest with the humanoid creature. “I wish I’d been informed of a lot of things.”

He took another step closer to it, looking at its inky body before curiosity struck him.“Are you tangible?”

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but the shadow reaching forward to place its hand on his side hadn’t been it. He gasped, placing his hands on the shadow’s chest, finding it cold and sturdy before him. “Ohh, wow.”

He looked up at it, overwhelmed by so many thoughts and feelings about the shadow when an idea struck him. “He can see all you can see and hear all that you hear, can he feel all that you feel?”

The shadow hesitated before nodding once, making Danny smirk. “Ohh really?”

He reached up, caressing the shadow’s jaw. He found its skin to be smooth and delightfully cold as he trailed his hand towards the creatures neck, wrapping his hand there before applying pressure, silently demanding it to lower its head.

It moved towards him stiffly, watching him as he stared back at it. He smiled before getting on his tiptoes, pressing a kiss against where its mouth should be.   

It reacted almost instantly, cold hands finding his hips as he was pulled flush against it. He let out a sound of surprise, but leaned further into it, delighted when the shadow tilted its head, as it forced him backwards, pressing him into the sink cabinet. 

He sighed against it, but was unable to stop himself from moving one of his hands to the sink, trying to steady himself but instead knocking something off. 

There was a small crash, but from the bathroom being so small, it echoed off the walls, making it sound much louder and worse than it was. 

The shadow jumped away from him right as a loud knocking was heard on the other side of the door, startling Danny a second time. 

“Danny? Are you okay?”

He took a second to catch his breath as he nodded before forcing words past his lips. “Y-yeah. Sorry, I—I knocked something—“ he glanced down, seeing a full bottle of hand soap and frowning, “a bottle from the counter. But I’m good. Just, scared myself.”

”Ohh, okay. Do you need help cleaning it up?”

He shook his head, turning to see the shadow across from him, watching him as he tried to gather his thoughts. “Nope. Thank you, though.”

It was quiet after that, Danny hearing footsteps as his friend walked away, leaving him alone once more. Or as alone as he could be with a large looming shadow over him. 

Danny turned, ready to bend down and pick up the bottle when he saw the shadow already doing it for him, picking the bottle up as it stood back up, handing it towards him. 

He could only watch as he slowly reached to take the bottle, feeling almost embarrassed as his hand brushed against its, sending chills down his spine. He felt ridiculous, having such a reaction to this being that wasn’t even technically real, and yet—it most definitely was.

Danny took a moment to turn away from it, putting the bottle back where it belonged before looking at it in the mirror once more, seeing it looking at him as well. He felt himself blush, thinking of how similar it was to Phantom and yet was so unlike him. It was uncanny, and honestly such a crazy experience for him that he didn’t even think as he moved towards the bathroom door, unlocking it to let himself out, leaving the shadow behind him. 

He moved towards the living room easily, seeing them on the couch, looking at Tucker’s PDA. He was about to ask what they were looking at when Sam glanced up at him, her face all too serious. “Take a look at this.”

Danny frowned, moving closer to them as he sat down next to Tucker’s other side, looking at the screen. He furrowed his brow, seeing that they were looking at the files Tucker had been able to download before they’d been forced to flee. 

“This is crazy,” Tucker said, pointing to the different filed on the handheld device. “Apparently this company—“

“What company?” Danny asked quickly, making them both freeze.

“I’m not sure,” Tucker said, looking at him confused. “It hasn’t really—“

“Can you search for Paranormal Enterprises?” Danny asked, making both Sam and Tucker looked at him worriedly.

Tucker didn’t respond before exiting out of his current file, using the keyword search feature to try and find anything with that name in it. Within the second, they were looking at hundreds of search results, of both written files and videos files.

Danny watched as Tucker scrolled through the list before eventually stopping on a file titled ‘Project Ghost’. It was a sizable folder, full of both logs from teams and video surveillance, as well as many news articles.

”Can we watch any of those?” Sam asked, to which Tucker clicked on one randomly, which pulled up the video. 

They all stared at it a moment before Tucker clicked the play button. It was grainy, as well as having rough audio, but it was obvious that it’d been filmed in Amity Park. The screen showed a woman with large glasses and dark hair grinning at the screen, obviously happy about her job. 

“Day one of Project Ghost. We’re here in Amity Park on behalf of a very generous sponsor, none other than one Vlad Masters, as a way to try to track and eliminate the ghost population here in Amity Park,” the video was paused suddenly, but Danny had already heard enough.

“Vlad Mas—Vlad did this? All of this—everything that happened to me—was because of Vlad! I—I can’t believe it!”

Danny was absolutely pissed, no longer willing to stay and watch the rest of the video as he jumped up, starting towards the kitchen. He was so pissed in fact that he had been ready to storm down to the lab and take the Specter Speeder straight towards Vlad’s house to give him a piece of his mind, but instead, he’d been stopped by Sam.

“Danny! Danny stop!”

He froze, seeing the look of fear and concern on her face.

“There’s no point in confronting him. We separated Vlad from Plasmius, remember? With the Dream Catcher? His ghost is still in a Fenton Thermos we hid away for safe measures. He’s not the same guy he’d been all those years ago. Attacking him now, as much as I hate to say it, would just be really cruel.”

Danny gritted his teeth. “I just—I feel so stupid! I should have known. Why else would an entire enterprise focus on our little hometown, even with ghosts present.”

”You couldn’t have known that,” Sam said,  lightly tugging him towards the couch again. “Danny, it could have been anyone. It could very well have been chance. Not everything works out to be a perfect puzzle.”

He glared. “But this did. Everything—“

”No. Not everything.” She said, pointing back to Tucker. “It still doesn’t explain anything that’s happening right now. Why they’re back, who they’re now working for. It’s still a mystery.”

”Why not…find out,” Tucker muttered as he started scrolling through the documents again.

Danny turned to him, staring at his device in worry as he realized how close they were to real answers. 

Tucker frowned. “There’s…a lot of missing information. From what I can gather, those people that all mysteriously disappeared all worked at Paranormal Enterprises, which completely halted their efforts for improving themselves as a company. So their owner, James Moore—“

“Moore?” Danny whispered, feeling nauseous hearing the name.

“Yes. James Moore,” Tucker said, still reading through the files. “He decided in a last-ditch effort to sell to another company.”

“Axion Labs?” Sam asked, to which Tucker half shrugged.

“No… Well, sort of. They’re now both owned by the same mother company,” Tucker spoke, looking through the notes. “There’s…a lot of files on companies this one seems to have bought in the last few years.”

Sam and Danny looked at him both shocked, realizing how complicated this really was.

“Well, who’s the main company?” Sam finally asked when Tucker stopped talking.

He glanced up at them before clicking around some more before finally letting out a sigh, his face grim before flipping his PDA, letting them see a familiar logo.

“The Guys in White.”

Chapter Text

Danny yawned loudly in class, leaning his chin against his palm as he tried to force his eyes to stay open. Last night had been a shock, so much so that he hadn’t been able to get much sleep versus the anxious thoughts that had plagued him, which…was why he was now trying extra hard to keep focused on whatever his teacher was currently talking about. 

Narrowing his eyes, he glanced at the clock above his teacher’s head, letting out a sigh when he saw it had only been a couple minutes since he last checked. 

This had been his whole day. Absentmindedly trying to keep his head up as he kept falling asleep mid-lecture. As he sat there, Danny jolted when a cold mist hit his face, almost making him shout as his eyes were forced awake, centering once more on the board in front of him. 

He let out a groan, silently thanking and cursing the shadow. Besides his morning cup of coffee and the energy drink he’d chugged during his third period, it was the only thing keeping him going at this point. 

He turned his head to the side, closing his eyes as he felt a cold hand caress his cheek. He definitely couldn’t be upset at it for long when it treated him so sweetly, even if it was stopping his heart every so few minutes by scaring the shit outta him. 

Soon enough, the bell chimed from somewhere above them, signaling it was time to change classes once more. 

Danny stood slowly, gathering his things lazily as the other students rushed past him, apparently eager for their last class of the day. Normally, he’d be just as eager, but with how overly exhausted he was, Danny was just trying not to leave his pencil again. 

Once he was ready, Danny stumbled through the classroom and out into the hallway, a little upset that the shadow wasn’t right by his side. Before now, he’d felt the creature sticking to his side like glue, but he found he was lacking the cold draft that accompanied the invisible entity.

He frowned but decided to ignore it, walking pathetically towards the last class of his day. He feared how bad it’d be if the shadow really had left his side. It was the only thing that had kept him awake so far.  Without it…

Danny sighed. This was gonna be hell.

As he walked through the hall, he was stopped suddenly when a shock of freezing cold air hit his entire body, jolting both his body and his mind awake.

He gasped, wondering what had gotten into the shadow when a frozen hand caressed his cheek, a face pressing to his.

”Hello my Love,” A voice whispered into his ear, making him hiss at the rough voice of Phantom. “Did you miss me?”

He barely nodded at him, closing his eyes before he felt the cold touch leave him once more, forcing him to remember where he was and how strange he must look to anyone witnessing his odd behavior. 

He frowned, understanding that he couldn’t see Phantom yet, they were in the middle of the school hallway after-all, but still. It was a small disappointment to be so close and yet so far. 

“I missed you too,” Phantom whispered, pressing his hand against his cheek as Danny eyes went wide from the temperature shock. “I hate being away from you, even when I can leave my shadow to keep you company. It’s just not the same.”

Danny weakly smiled at that, but he wasn’t able to respond as he felt Phantom pull away once more. “Come. You need to get to class.”

He nodded slowly, walking with renewed vigor towards his last class of the day, his spirits refreshed at Phantom finally returning to him. 

He walked straight to his seat, smiling as he unloaded his things and sat for the last hour of the day. He was so glad it was the end of the day, even if he wasn’t lucky enough for it to also be Friday. He couldn’t wait for the weekend to finally arrive. He was gonna use every minute of it to sleep. 

He hadn’t been paying much attention when a cold hand brushed his arm, causing him to jump. 

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Phantom whispered so only he could hear. “With my increased absences, someone thought it was a good idea to try something foolish, but I took care of it.”

Danny shivered at that. “Well—“ he reached up quickly to cover his mouth, placing his hand so no one could see him seemingly talking to himself. “I’m glad you got everything resolves.”

“Me too.” Danny felt Phantom lightly pull away before the cold moved around him, settling at his side away from all the students around him. 

He frowned, not understanding what he was up to before the teacher moved in front of the class, signaling that his final period had begun. 

He sighed. Back to learning, I guess.

Leaving school that day, he’d found Sam and Tucker waiting for him on the curb, both looking just as exhausted as he felt. 

He’d smiled once he saw them, however, seeing Sam nursing an energy drink and Tucker entirely too focused on his PDA. 

“Hey, guys,” Danny said, watching as his friends jumped, having startled them from sneaking up on them.

“Heyyy, lover boy,” Sam said jokingly, smirking at him as she took another sip of her drink. He blushed. “So, you gonna hang out with your man or ya gonna hang out with us today?”

Danny frowned, not having thought about it until that very moment. “I know we need to, ummm, study, but I—“ Danny yawned, embarrassed as he looked back at his friends. “—really need a nap first. Could we maybe meet later?”

Sam made a face. “I guess, but it’ll cost you.”

He glared at her before she chuckled. “You know I’m kidding. Besides, I could use a nap too. Today has been hell.”

Tucker nodded, letting slip a yawn of his own. 

“How about we plan to meet just sometime later,” Sam said softly, smiling at Tucker’s exhausted expression. “At my place.”

”Cool,” Tucker said offhandedly, glaring at his PDA. “Now if only we had a ride.”

Sam rolled her eyes, turning back to Danny. “We’ll see ya.”

”Bye guys,” Danny called, turning away from them and heading in the wrong direction. 

He didn’t catch his friend’s looks, too distracted on just walking in a straight line before walking into a very cold body. He jumped, looking up and seeing Phantom’s disguise face looking down at him.

Phantom had his eyebrows raised, looking at him almost amusedly. “Tired?”

He stared at him a moment before nodded gently. “I thought I was never going to sleep last night.”

Phantom frowned at that. “Do you need to lay down?”

Danny nodded again. “Just—for a bit. And I’ll be meeting Sam and Tucker later for some more ’studying’, so…”

Phantom glanced up, looking around a moment before looking back down at him. “Sounds good. Do you want to head back to your house, or mine?”

“Don’t care.” He mumbled, leaning further into Phantom as the ghost held him up.

He heard Phantom say something before feeling himself be lifted into a pair of strong arms.  Danny slumped against him, his eyelids growing all too heavy as he felt the ghost start to move with him. Hopefully to a place with a warm cozy bed…

Danny awoke sometime later to find himself in wrapped in a set of all too comfy sheets. He frowned, realizing that he was definitely not in his own bedroom.

“Rest well?”

Danny turned his head quickly, he found Phantom leaning against the wall, his closet door not even a few feet away from him. This was Phantom’s bedroom. He sat up slowly, narrowing his eyes groggily as he stretched, actually amazed by how much better he felt. 

Looking back at his boyfriend, he saw the ghost watching him calmly, making him feel a little less awkward about the whole situation. He nodded, feeling a warm to his skin as Phantom walked towards him.

“That’s good. I really didn’t want to have to wake you, but it’s been a little over a couple hours.”

”A couple of—2 hours!” Danny shouted, shoving the covers off as he made to stand up. “You let me nap for 2 hours?”

Phantom raised an eyebrow at him. “Of course. You were exhausted.”

Danny frowned at that, thinking of something Phantom had mentioned before. “You slept a lot, right? In the Ghost Zone?”

Phantom looked at him a moment before nodding. 

“Why?” He asked, biting his lip as the ghost seemed to think about his question. 

“My…sickness drove me mad. Sleep, or just being unconscious, was the only way I could truly rest, even if my body didn’t physically need it.”

Danny nodded, pushing himself up to slowly walking over to Phantom. “You said that to keep me—immortal—you’d freeze my being but not my mind. Does that mean I would need sleep?”

Phantom watched him for a second, seemingly puzzled by this change of topic, but he shook his head. “No. You shouldn’t need sleep ever again.”

“Oxygen?” He asked almost playfully.

“No.”

“What would I need?” Danny was only a foot away from the ghost now, lifting his face to look him directly in the eye.

“Nothing.” Phantom spoke almost harshly, making Danny flinch.

Phantom turned away from him, looking towards the closed bedroom room. “You’d never need for anything ever again. I’ll make sure of it.”

Danny found himself frowning at that. He could tell there was supposed to be sentiment in his statement, but instead it came off as controlling. Sometimes he wondered how Phantom's mind really worked. He knew the ghost cared about him, or he thought he did. But deep down, Danny feared it was only the ghosts compulsive mindset that made him think he loved him.

It was…a scary thought.

Danny looked away, biting his cheek as he tried to think of something—anything else. Phantom must have sensed the discomfort, because he cleared his throat. 

“Are you wanting to meet your friends immediately, or were you wanting to wait a bit?”

Danny glanced back at him, seeing the tired expression on his overly handsome face. “What time is it?”

”Half past 5.”

Danny frowned at that. “I should probably head to Sam’s.”

“Alright,” Phantom spoke softly, moving towards the door as he lead Danny to the ghost’s living room, where his school things were.

He smiled, seeing them neatly placed on the couch in the spot he had sat in last time. It was such a minuscule detail that it actually made him snort. 

Phantom had turned back towards him, lifting an eyebrow, but he’d shrugged it off.

Once Danny had all of his things, he checked his phone, seeing a message already waiting for him. 

S: Hey! I’m alive! You can come over anytime! ;) 

He smiled, sending a quick message back, saying he’d be over soon. Pocketing his phone, he looked back up at Phantom, who was just silently watching him. Danny quirked an eyebrow. 

Phantom moved closer towards him, only stopping when he was a foot away. “My Love, is something bothering you?”

Danny just stared at him, not really knowing how to respond to that. “N-no—?”

Phantom stopped him by cupping his face, his expression blank as he gazed down at him like the emotionless god that he was. “Please don’t lie to me.”

Danny felt his breath catch, the ghost closing his eyes as he took a deep breath of his own. “Danny, my Love, talk to me. If there is anyone in this world you can trust wholeheartedly, it’s me. You know that, right?”

He stared at him, feeling so many emotions all at once. “Wh-what if it’s about you? What if it was you? Would you still wanna know?”

Phantom didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Danny swallowed. “Yeah? W-well, it’s…more complicated than that.”

”Try me.”

Danny stared at Phantom's face, seeing the lack of emotions there and turning away. “I—I feel…so many things.”

Phantom’s eyebrows scrunched, but he didn’t try to speak as Danny gathered his thoughts.

”This—everything that’s happened—it’s just—it’s all so much. I thought I’d left this in my past the moment I sealed the portal, but then you showed back up and set everything back into motion once more. Only this time, I’m not the same powerful hero I was back then. I’m this weak pathetic mortal relying on my better half to save me over and over again, and it’s making me feel even more helpless than ever.”

Phantom looked upset by his words, but he didn’t move to speak or do anything, which gave him the courage to keep going. 

“It’s just—it’s not fair. From the moment we were split, I knew something was wrong. I felt broken. Like I was drowning without you, but you didn’t. You felt free. You were free. You became this new person. This—this much more powerful ghost with so much potential that you realized you didn’t need me anymore, and that—“ Danny felt the emotions rolling through him, making the tears start to fill his eyes as he got overwhelmed. He choked on his words, feeling the strain in his throat as everything tried to spill out all at once.

“Danny my Love, that’s not true.”

Danny blinked his tears away, staring up at the ghost towering above him, seeing the way his green eyes glowed sharply. “From the first moment I saw you, the real you, I knew I needed you. That I needed to be with you, no matter what, but the idea of becoming one with you—of being him again—it felt wrong. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t fathom losing you, even to us. I just didn’t know how to express it back then, especially since emotions weren’t exactly my strong suit.”

Danny had to snort at that, but he felt hollow as Phantom closed the distance, pulling him close. “I didn’t realize how much this was all upsetting you. Does my being here upset you this much as well?”

Danny frowned before shaking his head. “I’m not upset that you’re back. I’m just—jealous. I miss being Danny Phantom. I miss not feeling scared and weak all the time. I miss the life I had before all the awful stuff happened.”

Phantom frowned at that. “I thought you hated that everything was going back to how it was before.”

”Minus the ghost powers,” Danny said, feeling somehow more exhausted now. “I’m little more than a damsel at this point, with a knight in shining armor that constantly needs to return to his own kingdom.”

Phantom furrowed his brow, but Danny sighed. “I’m just saying, I may have hated all the responsibility, but I liked being half ghost. It was, probably the only perk we had to the whole hero thing.”

Phantom looked ready to say something when Danny’s phone went off, making him jolt. He pulled back, frowning at his pocket before pulling his phone out, seeing that Sam had messaged him. 

S: You almost here?

He kissed his teeth. “I—sorry but I really need to get going. Sam’s getting impatient. That or worried.”

Phantom didn’t look impressed. “When isn’t she?”

“Yeah, well, she’s Sam. Queen of impatience and constant worrying.”

Phantom gave him a dead eyed look.

“Don’t give me that look. Now, are you gonna be a gentleman and give me a lift or not?”

Phantom hesitated only a moment before extending his hand, to which Danny slipped his into easily.

“Thank you,” Danny muttered, closing his eyes as Phantom pulled him into the air and through his ceiling. 

“Are you wanting to drop your things off at your house or are you wanting to admit you took your nap at my house?”

Phantom stared at him, making him remember he’d went there straight after school. Or more correct, Phantom had taken him there after school. He blushed. “Drop off. Please.”

Phantom nodded. “As you wish.”

Chapter Text

It took them no time at all to drop Danny’s things off at his house before heading straight to Sam’s place. He clung to Phantom, looking around as they moved undetected through the late night air. He had forgotten how amazing it was to just fly.

When they arrived, Phantom lowered him down slowly, letting his feet touch before lowering himself as well, standing barely a foot apart. 

Danny stared at him, feeling warmth painting his cheeks. “Thanks.”

”No problem,” Phantom whispered before leaning down to kiss his cheek. 

Danny felt the cold spread through his flushed face, following his movements with his eyes as Phantom pulled away before releasing his hold on him.

He gasped, the ghost now invisible to him as Danny himself was revealed to the empty street around him. He looked around nervously, biting his lip as he turned towards Sam’s house quickly and running up her driveway, making a beeline for her front door. He didn’t waste any time ringing her doorbell, hearing the lovely chime ring out around him. After a minute, Sam’s front door swung open, revealing a very upset looking goth girl.

“There you are! I was starting to get worried about you.” She turned away then, heading back into her house.

”I said I was heading right over,” he mumbled as he started following her, but she turned to glare at him. 

“Yeah, half an hour ago. It’s well past 6pm now.”

Danny furrowed his brow before grabbing his phone, checking the time on it. “Ohh, wow, sorry, I had no—“

“It’s fine. At least you’re here now. Tucker and I have just been reading up more on the files he was able to download. There are some crazy things in there.”

He followed her the rest of the way to her bedroom, feeling his heart race at the thought of all they’d learned without him. He knew that Sam could take things a little too extreme sometimes. Hopefully they hadn’t found anything too…problematic.

When they finally reached Sam’s room, she pushed the door open to reveal Tucker, who glanced up at them. 

“Hey, man,” Tucker said, half-holding up the PDA that was connected to Sam’s tv. “You’ve gotta see this.”

Danny swallowed, realizing that this was it. The moment they probably figured out everything that was going on.

”Yeah, check out what we’ve learned so far,” Sam called, plopping onto the bed.

“There wasn’t much more than news articles on everything that happened here the last few years because of the disappearances, but there are plenty of past projects and lots of research done here by people they sent to live here before.”

Danny frowned at that. “What?”

”Yeah, crazy. And get this, apparently they used to send in new people every so many months, switching up their teams to see if any of them would get any better leads. They had stopped after the ghosts disappeared, but left a few units here as emergency backup, which is why they acted so quickly on the recent readings. They learned everything in real time.”

Danny thought back to all of the times new students had came and went when ghosts had been abundant, but he’d never thought it was anything ghost-related, especially not hunters spying on his hometown. Grimacing, he sat down on Sam’s bed, hoping to try and keep himself calm, but of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Hey Danny?” He glanced up, catching Sam’s neutral expression. “We read files that said they sent some people immediately upon the shockwave they received on Friday. At least 10 agents in disguise.”

He frowned, glancing up at the screen before looking back down at her. “Yeah?”

”All I’m saying is that during that exact same time stamp, a friend from your past just happened to move back to town all of a sudden.”

He glared at her, understanding her implications. “Shadow is not a spy.”

Sam look torn, looking from him to Tucker, then finally settling on the screen. “Do you see some of the names on this list? Do any of them seem like spies?”

He grimaced, looking at the color coded names he hadn’t had a moment to really look at yet. He opened his mouth, ready to comment when Sam spoke again.

“All I’m trying to say is that your old friend, who's mother was a paranormal researcher, just happened to return here of all places when all this paranormal crap starts happening again, as well as when Ghost Hunters show up. Suspicious, don’t you think?”

Danny was speechless. He knew his friends, knew how the whole things looked, and yet, had never assumed they’d put the puzzle together backwards. He shook his head, forcing words out of his face. “No. I don’t. And it wasn’t a spur of the moment, he’d been planning on coming back for a while now.” Literally as soon as I locked him away.

“Wouldn’t it all make more sense this way?” She said pointedly, giving him a look. “At the Park: his excellent aim, his crazy strong physique, his odd behavior. He’s not used to being around normal people, because he grew up as a spy from a ghost hunter organization.”

He continued to glare at her, feeling his anger swelling from both how wrong she was and how well her ideas fit into her narrative. 

“That’s—“

”Just think about it. His family just happened to move away the moment the ghost activity went away. And now that it’s back, he just happened to want to move back?”

He felt his face going red. “No, that’s—“

“It sounds like they were pulling out valuable units and decided to send one back in. You can’t rule out that it’s suspicious. Shadow could very well be a spy.”

Danny wished there was something, anything he could say to prove her wrong, but he couldn’t. Not without revealing his web of lies. He was trapped.

Tucker sighed. “Sam—“

She saw his expression and sighed. “Neither of you can’t deny how it looks. Look at that list! Would you have suspected any of those classmates of ours?”

Tucker frowned. “Well, no but—“

”Exactly! Over half of these people we never would have dreamed to be spies! Students younger than us, older than us. Substitute teachers! Neighbors! They all seemed like normal everyday people! Just like Shadow.”

Danny felt himself ready to explode, but instead he just let out a breath. “Sam, this is my boyfriend you’re accusing. Don’t you think—“

”Why didn’t we meet him back then, huh? If you guys were such close friends, why didn’t you ever mention him?” She looked upset, making Danny pause in his realization that she might actually be upset with him over something like that. “You know what, tell me something. Where does he work? He has to afford his apartment somehow. Has he ever mentioned his job?”

”Yes,” he gritted out, narrowing his eyes at her accusatory look. 

“Then what is it?”

“Are you seriously grilling me on my own partner? Demanding to know his personal information?”

They had a glaring contest, Danny waiting for something just as demanding from her when she turned away from him.

”Tucker,” Sam called, startling their friend. 

He glanced back towards her, visibly swallowing. “Yeah?”

Sam settled back on Danny once more. “What was your boyfriend’s full name again? Shadow King? Will you scan for that, Tucker?”

Tucker looked surprised, glancing at him before typing the name and finding no matches. He then erased the ‘Shadow’ and a few results for ‘King’ popped up. Tucker cleared his throat. “I—not all of the names were downloaded because of the—fiery situation, but from the names here, Shadow King is not one of them. But there were some ‘King’s a few years ago.”

Sam gave him a smug look which he responded with a more heated glare. Of course there was. King was a common fucking last name.

As they glared at each other, they didn’t notice Tucker exit out and go to a tab labelled ‘high school’. “The scary thing is how many of these are students in our everyday classes.”

Sam and Danny glanced at him quickly, Danny frowning. “What?”

Tucker pointed towards the current list on the screen. “Look up there.” He said, reading out names from the list. “Addison Crow, Gabriel Lovell, Jessica Pointer—“

“The cheerleader?” He asked, looking at him oddly.

“Yep,” Sam said, glaring at the screen now. “Though she would be good at getting information, seeing how she’ll hook up with every guy that looks her way.”

Danny snickered at that before really paying attention to the list, realizing how many names he knew, even if he didn’t know them personally. “These students, they’re all incredibly popular or in large social circles. Do you think they—“ but he shook his head.

Sam and Tucker looked at him for a moment before they looked away, back towards the screen.

“It would be awfully convenient.” Sam spoke, staring at the screen above them. “I know I’ve spoken to most of these students at least once. The ones I recognize were all pretty nice, even to me. Maybe even too much.”

Danny nodded, thinking about all the times he’d had random encounters with anyone on the list. They had been incredibly nice, but his paranoia had made it so he refused to believe their outward appearance, no matter what.

“I bet it’s all a trap. Get in close with anyone and everyone. And if anything is off about them, report it.” Tucker said, raising his eyebrows.

Sam grimaced, but Tucker just continued. “Makes sense, right? I mean, a girl who sleeps with anyone, I bet she’s been able to do a sweep on hundreds of guys.”

Danny shivered, feeling even more uncomfortable about the whole thing. “I’d really hope—“

Sam’s eyes had widened, moving towards the screen and pointing out a name. “Lauren Winslow! She a volunteer for almost every kind of after-school activity. She probably gets to meet hundreds of thousands of people we never see on a daily basis. Both here in Amity Park and the surrounding cities.”

“These people have always been one step ahead of us. They have their foot in every team, grade, restaurant, establishment. Who knows how much information they have on us.” 

Danny bit his lip before realizing something. “But they don’t have the right information.”

His friend’s stopped, staring at him.

“That’s why they’re still here. They still want to find out why the readings came back. They still have a job to do.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, all three just staring around  before Tucker spoke up, looking back towards the tv. He had changed it back to all the hunter infiltrators.

“The names in green are the ones who are currently here. Almost all of them are students, while the ones in red are ones that have been terminated. The ones in yellow are ones that will switch soon, or that’s what we assume. As you can see, they also have projects listed beside them, which are also color-coded. Every active person here, both green and yellow, are labeled as ‘project powerhouse’. So yeah, Danny’s right. And I can imagine they’re going to continue infiltrating Amity Park like it’s all just a big game until they figure out something substantial. That or stop it.”

Danny stared at the TV, feeling his stomach twisted. Thinking of when they were younger, he wondered what they would have done back then, but of course, they would have dodged and evaded because they were the ghost. They would just avoid them until the Ghost Hunters went away on their own. This…this was something else entirely. These people didn’t stop, they just waited.

He glanced away, looking around the room nervously, hoping to catch a glimpse of his ghost or something to help calm him down when he felt a chill down his spine, allowing him to relax once more. Leaning closer to the cold presence, he hadn’t realized he’d moved himself in such an awkward angle, apparently catching Sam’s eye.

“Danny? You okay?” She asked, looking at his strangely.

He sighed, turning to her. “Yeah, I’m great. Fantastic even. It’s not like an entire Ghost Hunting organization has sent people into our city to spy on us.” Moving to stand up, he stretched and felt the ends of his fingertips touch cold, making him almost gasp.

Pulling away, he forcibly relaxed before speaking again. “Honestly, I’m surprised you and Tucker haven’t been more heavily spied on. Back then, you never even tried to hide you were helping Danny Phantom. People saw you catch ghosts with him. It’s a wonder they never tried recruiting you guys.” The thought had come out of nowhere, but of course he’d willingly just said it instead of keeping his mouth shut, making Sam’s eyes widen before narrowing.

“Are you accusing us of working for the Guys in White?”

Danny snorted, catching a glimpse of Tucker’s surprised face. “No, I’m saying it’s weird they haven’t tried sending in someone to become closer to either of you. Like a goth or a techno geek. Stereotypical infiltration into our little circle to learn all that you know about this whole thing.”

Sam seemed to think about it before snapping her fingers and pointing at him. “Maybe it’s because they’re targeting you instead.”

Danny scoffed at her. “For the last time, Shadow is not a spy. My boyfriend does not work for Ghost Hunters.”

Sam just watched him, making him almost growl in anger.

“You know what? Don’t believe me.”

Turning away, he stormed out of the room quickly, getting called after by both of his best friends, shock by his sudden outburst.

“Danny! Where are you going?”

“Danny, dude! Come back!”

“Danny!”

But he just ignored them, going down the stairs and straight towards the front door, only to be stopped by an invisible frozen wall.

“Phantom,” he hissed, staring through the impenetrable wall. “Let me go.”

“Do you really want to do this? It’s going to hurt your friendship.”

Danny just glared, not really wanting to think about it. “They’re not even listening to me. I have every right to be mad.”

There was silence before he heard clicking on the stairs, followed by a loud exhale.

“Danny, what—why did you run out like that?”

Hearing her stupid question, he felt his anger flare once more. Turning towards her, he made sure she saw it, watching the way she took a step by, shock clear on her face.

“Because you’re just so—so pigheaded that you won’t listen to me. I’m telling you the truth and you’re just ignoring it! Because you always have to be right.”

She looked appalled before guilt flooded her features, followed by a determined expression.  “Because things like this have happened before. Remember Elliot?”

Danny took in a quick breath, remembering all too well. The guy that pretended to be someone else so he could both get rid of Danny and steal Sam. It had messed him up pretty bad, and he truly wondered if Sam had ever realized how much it had affected his trust issues. How easily she had been swayed by an act.

“Of course I remember that. But he was just a liar, not an infiltrator. Which Shadow is neither,” he stressed, gritting his teeth. “Besides, I saw through him.” Unlike you.

“But how can you be sure?” she demanded, looking desperate now. “He’s been here, what, a week? And now you’re dating? Seems offaly quick if you ask me.”

Danny felt his anger rise again, but instead of going off, he just closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. “Sam. I know my own boyfriend. I did meet his family. They’re good people. And besides, Shadow was homeschooled. Not a good way to infiltrate if you ask me. I was pretty much his only friend, which—”

“Which reminds me of something you blatantly ignored earlier. Why didn’t you ever mention him before now? I mean, we’ve been best friends for so many years. I think it’s odd you never brought him up before—“

“Because you don’t need to know everything that goes on in my life!”

Danny and Sam just stared at each other, Danny in anger and Sam completely in shock. 

Soon enough, they heard footsteps running towards them, but neither of them moved, even as the footsteps ran down the steps and a very out of breath Tucker joined them, glancing between them wide nervous eyed.

But still, they remained unmoving, Tucker just was wary as Danny exhaled, finally breaking eye contact. 

“I’m my own person, Sam,” he said softly, trying to regain his composure. “I’m allowed to have secrets that are just mine, like my friendship with Shadow. But if you must know, he used to be incredibly shy and awkward and…not the best around more than one person at a time, so I kept him a secret. That’s how he wanted it, but things change. He’s still not the best around people, but he’s willing to be out in public with me, so I decided to finally introduce you guys.”

Glancing between his friends, he frowned at their expressions, seeing the way they just stared at him. “Why did I think this would make me feel better? I’m not the same either, you know? I’ve grown up. And I may be a lot more messed up than I used to be, but I’m starting to come to terms with it.”

Danny let out a sigh, feeling just a tad bit better until it was just suffocatingly silent. He frowned, looking between his friends who neither made a move to speak. He glared at them.

”Please just—say something!” He accidentally shouted, causing both of them to flinch.

”Breathe,” he heard whispered in his hear, feeling the cold envelop him. “You’re freaking them out.”

Danny gritted his teeth, reaching up to rub his face as he let out a groan. “I—I hate that you’re just staring at me, like I’m some unstable psycho. Please, one of you at least respond to me.”

Tucker glanced at Sam before taking another step towards him. “I don’t know what you want us to say, dude.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know—something?”

”Well…” Tucker started, glancing at Sam again, who just looked frozen in place. “I agree that you’re allowed to have secrets. I think we were just—a little stunned that you chose to hide an entire person from us.”

Danny let out a sigh. “It’s not really that I was hiding him, I just didn’t mention him. And we really didn’t get to hang out all that often, but when we did, it was usually inside or in his backyard. Away from other people.”

Sam frowned deeper at that. “So you guys never hung out at your house?”

Danny bit his lip before shrugging. “Maybe once or twice, but my parents definitely wouldn’t remember him. That was before everything…”

His friends looked a little ashamed at those words. 

“Who knows, maybe you guys did see Shadow at one time or another, and just never knew it was him.”

Sam softly sighed at that, finally unfreezing. She moved closer to where he was, truly looking at him. “You truly don’t think Shadow is a spy?”

Danny gave her a small smile. “I don’t. In fact, I’d bet my life on it.”

Sam smacked his shoulder. “Don’t say that!”

Danny just grinned. 

They all took a moment to calm down and collect themselves before Tucker pulled out his PDA once more, holding out the brightly colored list. “I’ll tell you one thing I’m willing to bet on, there’s a lot more infiltrators than we could ever have initially expected. This list, it wasn’t even half downloaded. There’s a ton of names that I was unable to recover. But from what names we do see, we should make an outline, for potential spies and definite nots, like the kids we grew up with.”

Danny and Sam nodded, heading back towards the stairs. As they walked back towards Sam’s room, the goth girl glanced back at him, her face covered in guilt. 

“I’m sorry I upset you,” she whispered, truly surprising him. 

He gave her a small smile. “It’s—okay.”

She gave him a weak smile before looking straight ahead once more.

Once they were back in Sam’s room, Danny glanced at the screen as Tucker rehooked his PDA to the larger display, showing the color coded list once more. He frowned. “What’s our goal?”

His friends stopped, glancing back at him once more. “What?”

He glanced between them as well, feeling his thoughts racing through his mind. “I mean, before, I was a half ghost hero. I could actually do things other people can’t. Now, we’re just three young adults with a couple years of ghost fighting experience from over three years ago. Honestly, I can’t imagine what we’re supposed to be doing in this situation. Do we find out who’s controlling the units here in Amity Park? Do we find out where they’re from? What their goals are? Like, I’m at a loss here.”

Tucker frowned at that, taking a moment to look at his handheld device before exiting out of the folder and looking through the other files from the Ghost Hunter’s archive.

Sam just shrugged. “I mean, back then we were just winging it. Learning things as we went along.”

”Which worked with ghosts but not humans,” he said pointedly, making her frown. “We’re gonna need something more substantial. These aren’t idiots with superpowers. These are scientists and well trained agents. They know what they’re up against.”

“Well…what if we went the other route?” Sam asked, making him freeze. 

“What?”

”What if instead of focusing on the Ghost Hunters, we focus on what they’re hunting, which happens to be whatever made those Ecto-blasts. If we eradicate their target, they should go away on their own, right?”

“Maybe,” Tucker said softly while reading the article above their heads. “But from this project alone, it seems like they’re willing to just lay in waiting, on the off chance like right now, that ghosts reappeared at any moment. We’d gave to somehow neutralize their target and make them realize that they’re never coming back.”

Sam looked just as worried as Danny felt. 

“That…sounds complicated,” he muttered, frowning down at his lap. 

As they sat there, the silence growing thicker as they all just thought to themselves, Danny felt the cold once more, a light misting along his hair, making him jolt. The good thing was that it didn’t attract his friend’s attention to him like last time. He turned his head, finding a cold shoulder pressing against his cheek. So Phantom was sitting next to him…?

”I could always take care of it for you,” Phantom whispered, moving so his head was leaning against Danny’s. “Let me help you. Help us.”

”No.” Danny said a little loudly, catching Sam’s eye. She rose an eyebrow at him. He winced. “Sorry. Thinking out loud.”

She nodded, turning back to Tucker, who was glaring at the screen in thought.

”Okay,” he said finally, bringing all of their attention to the tv screen. “In this folder, it has many files describing their devices reactions to the ecto-blasts, especially the first one on Friday, where they weren’t tuned into catching such large readings. Doing some analysis from devices that were recovered from the day of the disappearances, from those articles, it was hypothesized that whatever made all those people disappear is also the same thing that is creating these booms.”

Sam and Danny looked shocked, for similar reasons, but Danny’s was laced with anxiety where Sam’s was pure fear.

“But that would mean…” she trailed off, looking at her lap as she refused to meet Danny’s gaze and grimacing.

“It’s not,” he gritted out, feeling his heartbeat quicken in his chest, especially as Tucker frowned at him before glancing back at the notes. 

“I hate to disagree with you Danny, but honestly, it would make the most sense. You were one of the most powerful ghost we ever came across. If not the most powerful, the most versatile. With years of experience being solely a ghost in the Ghost Zone, it’s unimaginable how much more powerful he would have become since then. I mean, three years of nothing but fighting and training.”

“If it is truly him, then what is he up to?” Sam asked, sounding visibly upset by the idea. “And why hasn’t he shown himself?”

Danny just stayed silent, imagining himself melting through the bed and through the floor. This was the worst possible conversation to have come up. Now of all times.

His friends both looked deep in thought before Tucker started doing something on his PDA. Danny watched him, nervous as he seemed to be pulling up something specific, or looking for something. 

“Okay, so we know the first blast was on Friday—“

“Danny’s birthday!” Sam whispered loudly, get eyes wide with fear and understanding, to which Tucker nodded.

“Yeah, so the idea that it was him is significantly higher. But then, there were the twin blasts. Saturday night, Sunday Morning and Monday afternoon. Yet there hasn’t been any since.” 

Tucker frowned, showing the initial graph of ecto-plasmic energy captured by the ghost hunters. “What this means, no one has any ideas, but based in this chart, it shows that while there wasn’t been anymore spikes, there has been a consistent flow of ecto-energy on this side since Friday night, so whatever he’s up to, he’s been up to it since the start.”

Danny stared at the graph, frozen in place. He tried to contain himself, but looking at it, seeing the way his friends were putting the pieces together the right way this time, it terrified him. 

As he sat there, he felt a cold hand brush the back of his neck, making him tense all the way up. 

“Relax,” he whispered to him, making him release his breath. “Even if they think they know, they don’t.”

Danny did relax then, knowing he was right. These were just their theories. Correct theories, but theories nonetheless.

“Guys, let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t even know if it’s really Phantom,” Danny said, making them both turn to look at him quickly, surprised he had used his actual name.

“Who else could do this?” Sam asked softly, her face all the more worried.

Danny pretended to think before shrugging his shoulders, looking her dead in the eye. “I don’t know, but don’t you think Phantom was a bit too rash to come up with an elaborate scheme like this? This plan, whatever it is, it’s obviously taking time to put into play, if it even is an evil plan, which it might not be.”

Tucker frowned but seemed to agree. “You might be onto something with it not being evil. I mean, we don’t even know what they’re actually doing. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to be affecting anyone or anything. Nothing that we can see anyway. But on the off-chance that it is evil, we probably do need to track it down and learn their true intentions.”

Sam stiffened in her spot on the bed, snapping her fingers as she pointed to Tucker. “You know what? I know the perfect way to find out if it really is Phantom.”

Danny frowned, seeing the excited spark in her eyes. “We can use the Booo-merang.”

Danny stared at her, even more freaked out. Not that. The literal weapon that was paired with his ectoplasmic energy, meaning Phantom. It was literally the best tracking device ever made, and the one thing it was synced to was his ghost.

Not knowing what to say, he just sat there, watching as Tucker nodded.

“That would work,” he said, looking back at the PDA. “We could do it tonight. Head straight to Danny’s and—“

“Wait!” Danny shouted, feeling less confident as his friends both looked towards him.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked, her face concerned and confused.

“It’s a school night,” he said stupidly, hearing how lame his excuse was. “And…tomorrow is the dance. I… I don’t want to be exhausted for it.”

“Danny—” Sam started, but Danny cut her off.

“Please. I understand how I must sound, but this is one of those times I really really don’t want to mess up my plans for something that doesn’t even need our help. Whatever this ghost is doing, it’s obviously not affecting us that much since we can’t even tell. Just—just one night, please, Then—then we can go ghost hunting.”

Sam looked disappointed by this, but looking at Tucker, he saw there was a slight hope.

“Ohh, come on, Sam. Our boy here never goes out. Why not this once?” Tucker jokingly asked, making Danny laugh.

“Yeah, please Sam?” He asked softly, making her roll her eyes.

“Fine. But you better be ready to chase ghosts Saturday. All day Saturday.”

Great…

“Works for me,” Danny said, forcing a smile on his face.

He stayed and talked with his friends for a little while longer, but after another half hour, Danny was yawning loudly, forcing a yawn out of Sam as well. 

“F-fuck,” she finished after her yawn, half-glaring at him. “Don’t give me your yawn.”

Danny just chuckled. “Sorry. I am still pretty tired from yesterday. I should probably head home soon.”

“Already?” Sam asked, looking towards the clock and seeing it was barely late.

“Yeah, I’d hate to fall asleep here and my parents think I’ve been kidnapped or something.” But saying those words triggered certain memories to the forefront of his mind, causing pain to shook through his skull. He grimaced, reaching up to press his palm against his closed eye, trying to subdue his pounding headache. “Ohh wow. Now I definitely need sleep.”

”Danny?” Sam called, sounding pretty worried. “Are you okay?”

”Y-yeah. I’m fine. Sorry, just a—a sudden headache. But I’ll—I’ll be okay.”

He took a second to stand before forcing a small smile on his face, turning back to his friends for a second. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Danny turned back around, reaching up to rub his throbbing eye as he started walking towards Sam’s bedroom door only to walk straight into her doorframe. He let out a sound of surprise before backing up just a bit, rubbing his forehead as he glared at it.

”The hell?” He muttered as he frowned at it, not noticing his friend’s looks of worry.

“Are you sure you’re good to walk home?” Sam called, almost sounding nervous, but Danny shrugged her off.

“Sam, I’m fine. I’ve done this plenty of times before. It’s not even that far of a stroll.”

“Danny, maybe you should—“ but as she spoke, Danny stopped hearing her, his head pounding in his ears as all he heard was static. 

He frowned, looking down at the ground and seeing that it was blurry now. Feeling lightheaded, he reached out, gripping the doorframe as he tried to balance himself. 

He heard shouts behind him, but they might as well have been nonexistent as he didn’t register anything other than the fact that his body was shutting down against his wishes. 

He expected a lot of scenarios, mostly face planting or landing on his back, but he hadn’t expected to feel cold hands save him, a cold chest pressed against his back as he was supported from behind.

“Phan-tom?” He mumbled, trying to turn to look at him, but the ghost shushed him. 

“Try not to move. It’ll look really bad if you go from slumped to the floor.”

Danny frowned before lightly nodding, his head still throbbing. “My—head hurts. I was—thinking of then and then—my head started pounding.”

Phantom let out a deep breath, but when he didn’t say anything, Danny cleared his throat. “Are—those memories you forced me to forget? All the awful things that happened there? Because I think my mind is trying to make me remember again.”

Phantom shifted his hold, letting Danny lean against him most comfortably. “I wish I could tell you yes, but my reason for changing your mind was more selfish.”

Danny frowned at that, trying to turn and look at him again, but Phantom hummed at him. “Do you want me to look through your memories? I can try and pinpoint what’s hurting you. Erase it for good.”

Danny thought about it, the idea of his memories being erased, which sounded scary, yet so alleviating. “Will it—hurt?”

”No. It’s completely painless. It might actually feel good, considering how much pain you’re in currently.”

Danny gritted his teeth as a wave of pain passed through him, making him almost nauseas. “Ohh—kay. Please, make it—“ he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Phantom pull him away from the doorway. 

He was quickly lowered to the ground as he felt cold hands caressing his body and face before settling over his ears. 

“Relax,” he heard the ghost speak softly, making him barely frown before the cold sensation moved from his head all the way to his toes, causing his whole body to tense before slumping with ease. This was true relaxation. 

He felt dead to the world, his mind finally calm enough to allow him to just sit and exist without having to overthink anything. 

After what felt like way too short of a time, Danny felt Phantom pull his hands away, resting them on his arms instead. 

“How do you feel now? Better?”

Danny forced his eyes open, looking at the deep glowing green orbs before him and took a deep breath. He felt like a completely new person. It was insane.

He nodded slowly, but soon a grin grew across his face. “I—wow. I feel amazing. What—?” But he stopped when he realized what he was going to ask. What did you erase that caused this much of a change? 

Phantom just lifted an eyebrow before moving his hands to his sides, helping him to stand up once more. 

“You’ll need to hold your position once I situate you the exact way you were before I froze time, that way it doesn’t look weird when the world comes back to life around you.”

Danny frowned, watching Phantom as he released his hold on him to move behind him. “How—“

”I’ll help you as best as I can, but you’ll need to act normal, which means lethargic and with a headache.”

Danny shook his head, really to ask another question when he felt that strong, cold body press against him, moving him forward. He felt his face warm, thinking about how intimate this really was. The whole world was frozen except for them. It was kinda…

Danny bit his lip, trying not to react as Phantom leaned him against the doorframe before pulling away.

“Lean your head down.”

Danny blinked before leaning forward, which earned him a ‘nu uh’ sound from the back of Phantom's throat. 

“Not your body. Just your head.”

He straightened before lowering just his head down, which earned him a cold caress against his cheek. 

“Good. Now, put one hand loosely on the doorframe.”

Danny listened, following Phantom's instructions as he position him to be exactly how he was before Phantom froze time. It wasn’t an awkward position, but he feared the moment the world started moving again. How he’d react now that he was no longer in pain. 

“Your placement is perfect. Now, close your eyes and when the sound hits you, fall forward. I’ll be right in front of you.”

Danny furrowed his brow, but all at once, the noise that had been his background just minutes prior came to life almost startlingly, making him flinch as he heard the world around him once more. Reminding him of Phantom’s words, he leaned where his head was tilted forward, earning him a gasp and a shout as he stumbled, but with the help of a certain invisible frozen wall, he was able to ‘believably’ catch himself. 

“Danny! Ohh my—are you okay?” Sam shouted, running to grab and steady him.

He took a moment to clear his thoughts before nodding at her, lifting his head slowly to feign fatigue. “Yeah. I’m good. Sorry, I just—got a little lightheaded, but I’m better now.”

She stared at him, confused then slightly scared. She turned to Tucker, who looked just as baffled as she did before biting her lip. “Danny. Are you sure you’re alright? You, umm, you’re acting strangely.”

Danny caught her expression and winced. “Sorry, I’m just really tired. Probably all of the stress associated with the ghost hunters and…everything else, but I think almost falling shocked enough adrenaline into me to keep me awake enough to get home safe.”

She was still frowning, but she looked less wary now. “You know I’m not going to force you, but you’re always welcome to stay in a guest room.”

“I know,” Danny said, smiling at her as he tilted his head back towards the doorway. “But I really should get home. I have homework to do and a boyfriend to call.”

She rolled her eyes playfully before reaching out slowly and patting his shoulder. “Just—stay safe, okay? You worry me.”

“I will,” he said, letting out a small chuckle as he turner to Tucker. “See ya, Tuck.”

“See ya tomorrow, dude!” Tucker yelled after him.

He smiled as he turned away, quietly and calmly leaving the Manson residence. When he made it outside, he inhaled deeply, enjoying the chill of the nighttime air. As he walked further away from Sam’s home, he felt the familiar chill of his ghostly companion, causing him to turn to his right, catching sight of him as his human disguise. 

“Phantom?”

“Hmmm?”

“How much trouble are we going to be in on Saturday?”

Phantom glanced away from him thoughtfully, seemingly contemplating.

“Not sure. We could always check the Booo-merang once we get you home. See if it reacts the same way towards me that it did him.”

Danny nodded, but he felt nervous as they walked the rest of the way in silence, knowing how bad this situation could become. If it did recognize Phantom as Danny Phantom, they were very much screwed. 

When he got home, Danny entered his front door quietly, trying not to be spotted as he walked straight through the living room and into the kitchen, letting out a quick breath when he didn’t pass either of his parents.

”Come on,” he muttered, leading his boyfriend down the lab stairs. Getting to the bottom, he went immediately towards the ghost equipment covered table, moving the tarp and revealing the gadgets underneath.

“Look at that,” Phantom said way too monotone to sound as nostalgic as Danny imagined he meant to. “All of these just…sitting under canvas, collecting dust.”

Danny glanced at him as he picked up the Booo-merang from where they’d left it, turning it on and watching it glow.

Phantom raised his eyebrows. “Still working?”

Danny frowned at it before nodding.

“Maybe…could we set it to a different dial so it wouldn’t attack you?” But Phantom just shook his head.

“I’m the only Ecto-signature in Amity Park, besides the portal. If you send it out to search, it’ll go to me anyways. Just try it on that setting, okay?”

Danny frowned but after a moment of hesitation, he pulled his arm back and threw it, watching as it moved around the room before changing angles drastically, going straight towards the ghost.

“Phantom!” Danny shouted, but he had nothing to fear as he watched Phantom grab it in mid-air, allowing him to relax before realizing how bad this was.

They both stared at it, the device overly excited to have reached its intended target, even after years of being left unused. 

“It still remembers you.” He whispered, watching Phantom for any reaction, but if he had one more than emptiness, Danny couldn't tell. 

“I guess so.”

He watched Phantom move to set the device down, turning it back off as they stood there in silence.

“This—this is bad. What do we do?”

Phantom turned to him. “Well, we could just tell them the truth.”

Danny froze. “How—how much truth? Like, that I knew you were back or that you’re Shadow?”

Phantom shrugged. “As much as you want to, my Love. Either way, they’ll find out Saturday with the Booo-merang. Unless it gets broken or suddenly stops working, which I’d very much hate. I happen to like this little contraption. It did save our life once.”

Danny frowned before looking around again, looking at the Specter Speeder they had taken way too long to cover back up the previous night, and even further away, tucked in the farthest corner of the basement, the Fenton Ghost Catcher. Phantom, having seen him staring, followed his gaze towards the large contraption. They looked at the dreamcatcher together, it standing tall and unmistakable above them, taunting them, or mostly Danny with the past. Danny looked away.

“It’s okay, you know. To remember what it was like to be him,” Phantom said softly, glancing at him and giving him a neutral expression. “While I’d rather just focus on the now, I understand how much has changed for you and that it’s much harder for you to let go.”

Danny frowned at him as he bit his lip. “I know that, but it still makes me feel…bad. Like I’m being disloyal in a way.”

Phantom looked at him silently for a moment before letting out a breath. “If you could become a ghost, would you want that?”

Danny stared at him in barely controlled shock. “R-really?”

Phantom just nodded once. “Yes. But this isn’t just a silly question or a rhetorical situation. I need your real honest answer. If I could make you a ghost, would you want that?”

Danny really thought about it. Being a ghost again. Flying, ice powers, inhuman strength, transparency, incorporeal abilities. It would be incredible to be a ghost again. And yet…

“How?”

Phantom’s expression didn’t change as he took a second before responding. “It’s—complicated.”

Danny frowned, looking at Phantom’s face and body posture and realized the ghost really wasn’t going to tell him. He let out an awkward laugh. “What—are you gonna kill me?”

When Phantom didn’t react at all, Danny felt his heartbeat quicken. 

“Are—are you serious? You seriously want to kill me to—“

”It’s not that simple,” Phantom mumbled, moving to be closer to him, but Danny flinched away. 

“Then explain it to me,” he demanded, feeling his anger rising to the surface once more.

“Not here,” Phantom said, looking back towards the locked doors of the portal. “It’s better to show you. To really give you the opportunity to see it all for yourself.”

Danny furrowed his brow. Phantom really wasn’t good at selling this to him, and yet he wanted to hear more. He wanted to know what this strange complicated plan of his was. The one that would and wouldn’t involve killing him. 

”Well, what can you tell me?”

Phantom turned back towards him, his expression empty as he watched him. “I need you.”

Danny paused, his surprise obvious on his face. “Phantom…”

Phantom moved towards him, reaching out to take his hands in his, the cold nipping at his all too warm skin. ”As a ghost, we’d physically be equal. You’d be durable, powerful, and most importantly, immortal. You’d never have to worry about me hurting you ever again, and I’d never fear your demise. It’d take away all of our fears.”

Danny bit his cheek. Glancing at the bandage wrapped around his wrist, he knew he had a point. It was a great solution to a lot of their problems, and yet—

“What about my life here?”

Phantom sighed. “You’d be a ghost Danny. You couldn’t have a life here. Not a comfortable one, anyway.”

“And the portal?”

“I’d lock it down permanently. No more crossing to either plain. Ghosts in our domain, humans in theirs. As it should have always been.”

Danny wasn’t sure he actually liked that very much. Yes, he truly loved Phantom and wanted to be with him, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about becoming a ghost and living strictly in the Ghost Zone. 

As they stood there, Danny jumped when he heard a noise somewhere above them. He twisted around, catching sight of his mother making her way down the lab stairs. 

“Oh no,” he gasped, watching as Phantom rose his eyebrows as well.

”Danny, what are you—?” Maddie started, but stopped as soon as she saw Phantom with him. “Ohh Shadow! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't realize we had a guest over.”

Danny swallowed as Phantom gave her a small smile, moving his arm to address the large open room around them. “Hello, Mrs. Fenton. I must say, your lab is quite impressive. When Danny told me how you and your husband used to be Ghost Hunters, I just had to see it for myself.”

“Really?” She asked, sounding just as surprised as Danny felt.

Phantom nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think I mentioned it last time, but my mom is actually a paranormal researcher herself. Seeing these sorta things reminds me of her.”

Maddie looked even more surprised, if that was even possible. “Really? What’s her name, if you don't mind me asking?”

Phantom let out a small laugh. “Elizabeth King. But she’s not the most renowned paranormal researcher out there, so if you haven’t—“

Maddie frowned, looking lost in thought before shaking her head, “I don’t think we’ve ever met, but I’d be honored to meet her someday if she comes for a visit sometime!”

Phantom smiled, but it was strained, hinting at pain. “I’d like to say yes, but my mother’s not much of a visitor. She likes to keep moving forward, never back.”

Maddie frowned at that, but forced a smile on her place. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

”Don’t be,” Phantom said, turning to Danny. “It’s what makes her good at her job.” 

Danny’s mother smiled at that. “Well, I’m glad then.” She yawned then, triggering a yawn from Danny as well. “Goodness. Sorry to cut this visit short, but it’s getting late and I really need to be getting to bed. And so do you, young man.”

Danny glanced at his mother, smiling crookedly as he tried to keep his emotions under control. “Okay, mom.”

When he heard a chuckle from Phantom, he felt his face burn, hearing that foreign deep rumble from the depth of his throat.

“I need to be getting home anyways,” the ghost said gently, moving closer to him as he turned towards Maddie. “Would it be alright if Danny walked me to your front door?”

Maddie blinked before a small smile spread across her lips. “I guess that’ll be alright. But don’t be too long! You boys have a big day tomorrow! The dance! And make sure to get here tomorrow in plenty of time! I want to get photos!”

Danny groaned. “Mom—“

”Nope! I need memories!” She called, moving further into the lab as she started fixing the tarps back into place. “Goodnight kiddos! Better hurry. You don’t have all night.”

Danny turned then, taking Phantom’s hand and pulling him up the stairs. Once they made it up, he let out a small breath, looking back at his boyfriend. Phantom had his eyebrows raised at him.

“I guess we really do need to be saying goodnight and goodbye?”

“For now,” Phantom said softly, pulling him closer as they walked through the kitchen and into the living room, which was empty except for them. “But don’t worry, I’ll be leaving the shadow with you. You’ll be in good hands.”

Danny just nodded, leaning his head back as Phantom leaned down to kiss him, though this time was much rougher than their usual soft kisses. He moaned, tilting his head further as Phantom moved his hand to his hip, gripping it roughly.

Before he could pull away, he gasped when he felt a pair of fangs nip his bottom lip, sinking into the delicate skin there. Danny held back a groan, pulling his face away quickly to see the dark expression on Phantom’s face, the heated glint in his eyes.

“Goodnight my Love. I await seeing you tomorrow.”

”Night,” he mumbled, unable to say much more as he simply watched Phantom pull away from him, opening the front door and closing it once more behind him, leaving a red-faced Danny in his wake.

Chapter Text

Danny sighed, staring out the window at the seemingly lovely day outside. It was Friday—the day of the dance—and yet all Danny could think about was Phantom and Saturday. Sure, his brain glazed over the details of the dance as well, everyone was talking about it, but the fear that was encasing his heart about all the horrible awful things that were gonna happen on Saturday sorta out-trumped them. 

Sitting in class and minding his own business, Danny was surprised to hear his name called all of a sudden. Jolting in his seat, he turned to face the front of the class, only for his eyes to land on Sam and Tucker, who were both standing over him, looking at him worriedly.

“The bell rang. Didn’t you hear it, dude?” Tucker asked, making him shake his head defeatedly.

“Sorry. Living in the clouds,” he said weakly as he started gathering his things before following them to the hallway.

As he moved, his thoughts were brought back to Phantom when he felt a cold breeze gently mist across his cheek, making him straighten. The shadow he knew it to be from how cold it wasn’t. Oddly enough, it took the second time being around the strange creature for Danny to finally be able to tell the subtle differences in their temperature. Where Phantom was a winter chill, the shadow was an autumn night freeze, which he never knew was so drastically different before feeling both of them caress and tease him. 

He tried not to think too much on it as they rounded a corner, soon approaching what sounded like a whole lot of rough housing and no guardian supervision. 

He frowned, catching sight of a jock yelling at a much smaller lowerclassman , who had apparently bumped into him. He didn’t recognize either of them, but at that very moment, it didn’t much matter.

“I—I’m sorry—“

“I don’t fucking care how sorry you are! Watch where you’re fucking going!” He yelled, making the obviously smaller student back away in fear.

Without thinking, Danny moved, rushing towards the scene as the situation looked like it was going to escalate.

Once he reached them, he grabbed the smaller boy by the arm, pulling him away as he confused the much large jock.

The bigger teenager look down at Danny confused before glaring. “This’s got nothing to do with you, weirdo. Mind your own damn business.”

“Go,” Danny whispered to the kid, shoving him away from the scene. 

He younger kid looked terrified, glancing between the jock and him before making a run for it, causing the jock to shout. 

“What the hell?! You think you can come here and—“

It was like an out of body experience. One minute he was himself, regular Danny Fenton, a normal human teenager making a really stupid decision. The next, he felt the sensation of power filling his body, the shadow having slipped inside of him once more. 

Danny watched in almost slow motion as the jock looked ready to punch him, balling up his fist as his face got red with adrenaline and anger, but Danny was one step ahead of him. Pulling his fist back, he stared right at the jock before throwing a quick punch, catching him in the side of the face.

It all happened so suddenly. The force from his fist had apparently thrown the jock off his feet, causing him to stumble backwards before falling into a couple guys directly behind him, taking them all down in the process.

Then, it was silence.

The whole hallway was left in shock as they all looked at Danny, who had singlehandedly taken down this larger than life school bully. He himself might have stuck around to try and wrap his brain around what had just happened before hearing shouts from the other side of the hallway, signaling it was his time to make his escape.

He ducked, walking as fast as he could in the opposite direction before feeling a tug on his wrist, causing him to hiss.

He turned, not knowing what to expect before catching sight of a baffled Sam and Tucker, the former who had unknowingly grabbed his burnt wrist.

“What was that?” Sam half-shouted, looking both excited and confused. 

Danny just gave her a weak smile before shrugging, pulling his arm away. “Guess ghost adventuring brought back my sense of self-righteousness.”

His friends looked between themselves before both laughing softly. 

“Whatever you say, man. But next time, maybe try to do something that isn’t so…”

”Violent?”

”I was thinking more along the lines of ‘out there’. Everyone’s gonna be talking about you now. ‘Danny Fenton, the hero for the little man’.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, right,” he said, ignoring their words as he walked towards his next class, hopeful that it was just an exaggerating and not that many people would care. 

I mean, Dash used to beat up on me all the time. Why would anyone bat an eye if I punched a jock?

Unfortunately, all Danny heard about all day long was hushed whispers about his ‘heroic’ act. To hear them tell it, he’d come out of nowhere to save from random kid from getting a beating from a football player. And while it was awesome to hear as someone that used to get bullied and beat regularly, he felt his fears realized when he heard about a video that had been taken of the scene, showing the exact moment Danny punched the larger teenager.

For the rest of the school-day, he tried lying low, but the voices followed him, making his nerves get the better of him. All he could think about was the possibility of getting sent to the principals office for reckless behavior, something he couldn’t afford if he was to go to the dance. And have a non-student date attending with him. But, he must have had some luck tucked away somewhere, because he never once had any mishaps with any of the teachers or any other student. 

Finally, after what felt like way too long of a school day, he heard the final bell ring, signaling he and all the other students were free.

He gathered his things slowly, letting out a small breath when a cold breeze passed over his body, sending a chill down his spine. He allowed himself a small smile, knowing the shadow was letting him know it was still there.

He followed the flow of students, waving when he caught sight of Sam and Tucker on the sidewalk outside, standing together.

Sam smirked when he went to stand with them. “So, where’s lover boy?”

Danny shrugged. “Caught up with work.”

Sam frowned. “Ohh. He’s not gonna miss the dance, is he?”

Danny chewed on his lip. “I hope not.”

His friends looked upset for him, but he ignored it, pulling out his phone to check the time. He swiped up on the screen, but as he watched it, he felt a cold gust of wind hit him, making him gasp as his notes app opened and a new tab was selected.

He stared at it, not sure what he was expecting before he saw a small simple note left for him. 

I’ll be back for the dance. Don’t worry. Just wrapping up here. ~P

He smiled at that, thinking about how funny it really was, practically playing telephone with his ghost and his ghost’s shadow. 

Okay :)

He closed the app quickly, glancing at his friends who were both still watching him.

“Welp, this has been fun, but I gotta go,” he said as he started walking away, getting a couple shouts from behind.”

”Gotta go get ready?” Sam called, to which he snorted. 

“Yeah, actually!”

“You do that, Casanova!” Tucker shouted, giving him a thumbs up.

He just let out a small laugh as he turned and ran, feeling excited to get home. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Actually excited for something. It was both terrifying and wonderful wrapped into one emotion, making him both grin but feel sick to his stomach. I really hope this night goes well.

It didn’t take him no time to reach his house, finding the door unlocked so he could run straight in, beelining for the stairs as he flung his backpack into his bedroom and head to the shower. 

He was so nervous he did his whole routine twice before prying himself from the comfort of a warm shower, knowing he had only so much time to get ready. 

This was the hard part. He had put on his old suit, the only suit he owned, but he felt like he was missing something—lacking in the ‘pizzazz’ department. This was his first dance with a date that wasn’t Sam or Tucker. He wanted to look amazing. Wanted to feel amazing. And right now, he didn’t feel like he was achieving either.

Feeling just the right amount of desperate, he decided to call the one person who he thought could actually help him. Or could try. Finding her contact, he clicked her name and waited anxiously as it rang a couple times.

“Hello? Danny?” Jazz asked over the phone, making Danny let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, sis. So, I know this is really last minute, but I sort of have this dance I’m going to and I was…hoping you’d be able to help me.”

Jazz was silent before he heard the FaceTime chime filling his ears. He almost dropped his phone before gripping it roughly, hitting to accept it a second later.

He smiled awkwardly, seeing his sister’s surprised face.

“You want help from me? For a dance? Are you really Danny?”

He laughed before nodding. “I have a date, and I really really want to impress him.”

Jazz looked more surprised before she smiled at him sweetly. “So makeup and hair advice?”

He nodded, slightly embarrassed.

She looked lost in thought before she snapped. “Hold on! I know exactly who can help!”

He watched through the screen as his sister jumped up, grabbing some things before immediately leaving her dorm, heading out in a hurry. Before his eyes, she was outside and going who-knows-where.

It took a few stressful minutes but she ended up at another dorm, buzzing for someone as Danny stared at the phone screen, sitting on his bed now.

“Hey, I’m looking for Zen. I have a fashion emergency and—“ there was immediately a loud buzz, making him hear his sister laugh. “Don’t worry, baby bro, you’re gonna be in great hands now.”

Danny could only watch as his sister moved through the dorm, going up a row of stairs before she stopped.

“Hey, Zen! I have someone I need to introduce you to.”

Danny was confused before the phone was passed to a completely new person. They were extremely extraordinary. Caramel skin with a head full of colorful curls, and obvious purple contacts. They almost surprised him, but he forced a smile at their obvious amused grin.

“H-hi, I’m Danny?” He said nervously, but the new person just laughed.

“Nice to meet you, Danny. I’m Zen. So, I’m under the impression you’re Jazz’s brother?”

Danny nodded, blushing slightly at being recognized. Their voice was a nice baritone, melodic enough that they seemed like they’d be a good singer.

“Cute,” they said, looking at him intensely. “So what’s the fashion emergency? I assume it’s you, but what are we working with? Party I assume? Do you need help planning an outfit? Accessories? Makeup? Hair?”

The amount of questions were making Danny’s head spin, but he tried answering  the best he could.

“I’m—going to a dance. I want to look good—for my boyfriend,” he said a little too quietly, seeing Zen’s eyes light up at that.

“A dance? I can totally do that,” they moved further into their dorm room, looking towards who he assumed was his sister as they talked. “You’re brother’s a little cutie. Alright little brother, do you have an outfit?”

Danny moved to show the suit he had on, the plain black suit with the green tie he’d found in his dad’s things. At least he had something.

“Hmmm, yours eyes are blue. Why a green tie?” They asked, sounding slightly intrigued.

“My boyfriend’s eyes are green,” he muttered as he blushed, looking away from the screen.

“Green it is, then,” they said, looking towards Danny and nodding slightly. “Okay, do you want to be bold? Or a more natural look? Because I can make you stand out or I can make you glow. Either way, you’re gonna look hot.”

Danny felt his face heat all the more as he smiled at them.  “I wanna glow.”

“Excellent!”

Danny was then directed to go to Jazz’s room where he was helped to find his sister’s old collection of makeup, which Zen was heartbroken about but said it would do. He was then lead through a long process of contouring and concealing before he finally enjoyed applying the highlighter which did make him feel both ethereal and a little too much.

“For this being your first time applying makeup, you are quite talented for copying my directions,” Zen joked, but Danny turned back to the screen confused.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

They laughed. “Nothing. Just that you’re boyfriend is a lucky guy.”

Jazz made a noise of disgust. “Zen! Gross! That’s my brother!”

Zen just winked at the screen before laughing. “Okay. Now for your hair. Are we thinking messy? Because I can tell you have some thick hair and a swept back look might be a little too much for such a delicate face.”

Danny looked at his reflection and thought about his younger self. “Yeah, messy sound good.”

It took another half hour for him to figure out to how to purposefully create messy hair, but with Zen’s help, he was finally ready for the dance. 

“Wow! Danny, you look great!” Jazz shouted, clapping while Zen smiled widely.

“Spin for me! Let me see the whole thing!”

Danny rolled his eyes playfully before moving so his whole body was in the frame. Then he spun, hearing Zen call out, “You look fabulous! Some of my best work.”

Danny smiled crookedly when he returned to the phone, thank them completely. “I—thank you so much. I definitely couldn’t have done this without you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Zen brushed some hair out of their face before raising their head slightly.

“Trust me. I know.”

Danny laughed before looking at the time and saying he needed to go down soon. Needing to get photos for their parents and such.

“Have fun baby bro!” Jazz called, followed by Zen’s, “have fun!”

He hung up, giving himself one last look over and grinning softly. “Now or never, I guess.”

Danny felt nervous. Was he ready to do this? Looking at himself, he felt both overdressed and underdressed. Well, too late to change anything now. Moving away from his reflection, he left his room and made his way downstairs, hoping his parents wouldn’t make a big deal about it. No such luck. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw his parents looking strangely excited, his mother holding a camera with a teary-eyed expression.

“Ohh Danny,” she called, rushing to him. She looked ready to hug him when he tensed up, but seeing his posture, she just gave him a large grin, taking a step back. “My baby. You’ve grown up so quickly. It feels like only yesterday you were our little boy, now look at you. A wonderful young man. We’re so proud of you.”

Danny felt tears filling his eyes. He knew they loved him, they were his parents after all, but they’d never really expressed it that openly before. Not with so much conviction. He smiled, watching his dad join his mother and hug her from behind, supporting him even if it wasn’t the way they initially wanted. 

Danny opened his mouth, ready to tell them about Phantom—Shadow—being late when they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

He turned, feeling his nerves getting the better of him. 

“Do you want us to get it?” His mother said softly, grinning at him. “Like a grand reveal?”

He shook his head, moving towards the door. He hesitated only a moment before grabbing the handle and pulling the door open, only to be faced with an unfamiliar man in dark attire.

He froze, backing away slightly as the man rose his eyebrows at him before glancing past, towards his parents who looked equally surprised.

Danny couldn't look away, couldn’t do anything but stare at the man. He was dressed head to toe in entirely black ghost hunter attire, and heavily armed with familiar and unfamiliar ghost weapons. He was terrified.

Feeling a light tug on his sleeve, Danny turned, finding his mother next to him, staring down the man. 

“Can we help you?” Maddie asked a little coldly.

“Apologies on showing up here so out of the blue, Mr. And Mrs. Fenton. My name is James. I’m here on behalf of the recent…extraordinary ghost activity that was detected in this area.”

Danny thought he was going to throw up, hearing this, but his parents looked intrigued, Jack joining Maddie in the doorway. 

“Go on?” Maddie said, her focus entirely on the man before them.

The man smiled. “I can imagine you’ve seen the spikes as well?”

Jack narrowed his eyes but nodded.

The man shifted in his spot, grinning now. “Looking into this area, my team found your old ghost hunting website and thought we’d see what you knew about this phenomenon. Thought maybe we could…help each other out.”

Danny clenched his jaw, gritted his teeth in the process as he looked past the man, seeing a slightly familiar dark van parked outside their apartment building. One from the lab.

He backed away, feeling his fear increase as his parents looked between each other before looking back at the hunter. 

“Such as?”

The man took a step forward, a question on his face as his parents took a step back, allowing the man to enter the house. 

“Wait, but—“ but they were already heading towards the kitchen, towards the door that lead to their lab. Danny swallowed. 

Hearing his weak plea, his mother turned, giving him a guilty expression. “This shouldn’t take long. And we’ll make sure to come back to greet Shadow when he shows up. Just give us a shout when he makes it, okay?”

But that wouldn't work. Danny glanced past her, seeing the dark silhouette moving through the kitchen door, making him shake his head. 

“No. I—I think I’ll just head out. Meet him at the school.”

His mother frowned, her expression full of concern as she took in his upset features. “Danny—“

”It’s fine. Really,” he stressed, grabbing the door and leaving immediately, not letting her get another word in.

There was something about shutting that door after him that hit him differently than it had in a long time. It had been so long since he’d felt this way. Overlooked. All it took was a resurgence of ghost activity and his parents reverted back to their old ways. 

He scoffed. Of course. Why would he assume anything less? His closing of the portal and banishing the ghosts was the only real reason his parents had stopped ghost hunting in the first place. He’d tried convincing his parents in the past, mostly from embarrassment, but nothing had quite convinced them like cutting off their obsession at the source.

Looking towards the sidewalk, He thought about trying to find the shadow to maybe try and get a message to Phantom when he froze, seeing how close he was to the ghost hunter’s van. Looking at it from an outside vantage point, Danny realized it wasn’t empty. There was more people waiting in it, staring at him. Specifically, a dark haired girl was a wicked glare.

They made eye-contact, which in turn made him gasp. He felt his heart race from the intensity in her eyes, as well as watching her lean her head to the side, like she was studying him.

No longer able to take her gaze, he turned quickly, walking in the opposite direction. He went all the way to the end of his block before allowing himself to cross the street, heading towards the school.

He bit his lip as he walked, hoping that the shadow had seen everything and that Phantom didn’t try to return to his house, but feeling a cold breeze blow over him, he let out a sigh. 

“He’s gonna be late, isn’t he?” He mumbled, feeling an overwhelming feeling of disappointment flow through him.

”Not quite,” a deep voice called softly, cutting off his negative thoughts instantly. 

“Phantom,” he breathed out, turning to grin at his boyfriend, who was towering over him now.

”Hello, my Love. Sorry I’m late,” human disguised Phantom spoke, his face just as handsome as Danny remembered. 

Danny was impressed. He was wearing a formfitting black suit, with steel grey undertones, yet his tie was bright blue, matching Danny’s eyes perfectly. He felt himself blushing. 

“It’s fine,” he said, shrugging it off. “I know you’re busy. With—king stuff and ghost stuff…”

They had stood in silence for a moment before Phantom suddenly snorted, making Danny look up at his face quickly. There it was. The tiny hidden part inside of Phantom that actually could react positively to things. Danny found himself smiling, even as Phantom rose an eyebrow at him. He just shook his head, reaching out to take the ghost’s hand.

While Danny had intended to start walking then, Phantom had narrowed his eyes, using their intertwined hands to pull Danny until they were barely a foot apart.

“You’re wearing makeup,” Phantom said softly, making Danny’s breath catch.

They stared at each other for a bit before Danny glanced away, looking at the sidewalk. 

“Do—do you like it?”

He tried not to flinch when he felt a cold touch caress his throat, a single finger going under his chin to lift his gaze until they were staring at each other once more.

”No creature on this planet could compare to your beauty,” Phantom whispered as he leaned closer towards him, causing Danny to feel his face warm. 

“Phantom—“

He couldn't help sigh when he felt cold lips press against his own, rendering him speechless for only a few seconds before they pulled apart, Phantom giving him a soft expression. 

“Ready?”

He nodded, letting Phantom guide him towards the school, holding his hand the whole way. The walk was peaceful, so much so that he almost forgot to tell him about the ghost hunters. Almost. 

He gasped. “Ohh—! You need to know—“

Phantom just glanced at him. “The ghost hunters?”

Danny nodded, to which Phantom frowned. 

“I saw them through my shadow’s eyes. Hopefully they’ll just ask some questions, realize they’re all clueless and move on. Or in the least, leave your parents alone.”

Danny nodded, but he didn’t have much faith in those ideas. These were ghost hunters they were talking about. People whose professions were in hunting and capturing ghosts. Doesn’t exactly scream rational and understanding. But he let the conversation drop, hoping and begging the universe that this would all work out the way Phantom had said moments prior.

When they finally made it to his high school, Danny was quite surprised to see how many students had decided to attend, seeing how packed the parking lot was. He moved to say something as they approached the back exit with the rest of the students, tickets in hand.

A female teacher with a list glanced up at them. “Name?”

”Danny Fenton.”

She picked up a paper before her, looking down the list before highlighting his name. “Alright. And you dear?”

“He’s my plus one,” Danny said, lifting his pair of tickets.

She frowned confused before shaking her head. “This is a student only event.”

Danny furrowed his brow. “I was given a permission form that my boyfriend filled out allowing him to come with me. I had it authorized.”

The teacher frowned, looking ready to say something when her pupils went tiny before growing huge, her expression almost haunted as she just nodded at them. “O-oh. Of-f c-cours-se. R-right-t this-s w-way.”

Danny stared at her worriedly as he tried glancing at Phantom, but his boyfriend was already leading him into the gym, not giving him a moment to speak before hoarding him into the decorated gym.

He let out a huff once Phantom released him, backing away from him. “Seriously?”

Phantom just gave him a look. “What else could I have done?”

Danny didn’t have an answer, but he was saved from figuring one out when his phone buzzed, alerting him of a new message. He frowned, fishing it out as he looked at the screen, seeing it was from Sam. 

S: At the snack table. Text us when you get here.

He grinned. “Sam says she and Tuck are near the snacks.”

“Are you wanting to go say hi?”

Danny watched Phantom’s mouth move, but he was shocked to hear his voice so clearly, especially from how loud the large echoey room was. It was almost as if the words were whispered directly in his ears, making him look at him shocked.

”Wha—?”

Phantom extended his hand, cutting off Danny’s thought as he accepted it, letting the ghost pull him towards the suffocating crowd.

Danny tried to weave through the crowd like Phantom, but he was nowhere near as graceful, especially as the claustrophobia kicked in. It felt like the crowd was smothering him, making him grip his boyfriend’s hand tighter in the fear that they'd lose each other. As he thought this, he felt Phantom change his grip on him, grabbing his arm instead as he pulled him close. Danny blinked up at him surprised before the ghost started pushing him through the crowd, eventually making it to the snack stand, and his friends.

Sam saw him first, setting down her plastic cup and walking towards him. “Took you long enough!” She shouted, grinning at him. 

She looked like a gothic bride in her ground length sparkly black dress. It had elbow length sleeves and a ripped meshy top-layer that made her look undead. It was both bold and unique and definitely her. She turned to Phantom, “Shadow, looking sharp.”

Danny saw Phantom smirk at that, moving closer to Danny as he answered. “Can’t let you have all the spotlight.”

Sam looked surprised before a soft blush coated her cheeks, making Danny frown. He wanted to ignore it, but Sam was the one to scoff and glance away, turning to Tucker.

He didn’t look too bad himself. Tucker was wearing a simple black suit as well, but his tie was a nice maroon color. And he was without his usual cap, leaving him looking quite sharp.

“I’m amazed you were able to attend at all. I heard they’d banned plus ones to these events years ago.”

Danny looked at him confused. “Really? When did that happen?”

Tucker shrugged. “A few years ago? I could have sworn we had an assembly over it.”

Danny frowned before looking up at his boyfriend pointedly, who just kept looking at Tucker.

“I did fill out a form,” Phantom said, his tone gentle. “But we also had a nice ticket scanner.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but he did smile at that. “Yeah, real nice.”

Danny looked away then, not really paying attention to his friends and boyfriend anymore as he saw the doors being shut around them. He frowned, not realizing that was a part of the dance, but what would he know? He hadn’t attended a dance since Freshman year. 

He turned back, seeing that Sam and Tucker were chatting with Phantom still, but what they were saying, he had no idea. Danny felt awkward now. He tried to pay attention, but their words didn’t register in his ears, leaving him just staring at them. 

After a few seconds, Phantom suddenly turned to him. “Would you like a drink?”

Danny blinked up at him before snapping out of his daze. “Y-yeah. Yes! please.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow at him before pulling away, walking to the other end of the long table where the drinks were. 

He smiled, feeling almost a semblance of normalcy before a voice cleared their throat, making him turn around.

He tensed up, seeing none other than Jessica Pointer, who was looking right at him. 

“Don’t you look nice,” she said, a smirk visible on her face. 

He frowned. “Ummm, thanks?” 

His voice was strained, not having expected anyone to just approach him out of the blue, especially not an undercover Ghost Hunter. She looked nice enough, wearing a deep green gown with a low cut neckline that showed way too much cleavage for a school function, and a very short skirt. Danny was honestly surprised they’d let her in there looking like that until he noticed she was wearing what appeared to be a nude bodysuit underneath. Ghost fighting attire, he assumed.

”Y-you look nice, as well,” he said awkwardly, not really sure what else to say as he glanced away from her, only to meet the gaze of the girl she was standing with. This girl was quite short, and appeared shy, smiling awkwardly. She was wearing a soft pink dress, with long sleeves and a long skirt with a slight shimmer to it. She was breathtaking, and somewhat familiar.

He frowned at her, trying to remember her name when she spoke.

“I’m Emily. I think we had—Advanced Biology together?”

His eyebrows shot up. Ohh yeah! “Yeah! I remember now. I gotta say, you look stunning.”

He watched as she smiled softly, practically glowing from the compliment. Before she could respond, however, Phantom returned, frowning at the two ladies.

Jessica quite literally ogled ‘Shadow’ before moving towards him, leaning forward as she grinned seductively. “So Danny, who’s your friend?”

Her tone alone made Danny glare at her, but the subtle forward leaning to expose her chest more made his blood boil. 

“My boyfriend. Shadow.” His voice was harsh as he stared directly at Jessica, watching as she turned back to him stunned before frowning disappointedly. 

“Ohh, well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Shadow.” Her eyes were still suggestive, making him glare harder as she moved closer to them, but Danny made sure to stay between them. 

Jessica made a look of being offended, but he just gave her a look of his own before turning to his date. 

“Can we go dance now?”

Phantom rose his eyebrows but didn't say anything before nodding at him. He held out the drink Danny had asked for, making him bite his cheek before taking it and taking his hand in return, pulling him away from the table, and away from the man-stealing cheerleader.

Danny wove them through the crowd of dancing students, not really caring where they ended up as long as it was away from the ghost hunter. When they finally stopped, Danny was surprised to realize they were on the completely opposite side of the gym.

He frowned, releasing Phantom’s hand as his emotions caught up with his actions, letting him see what a jealous partner he’d just become. 

Phantom didn't look very upset, however, just looking down at him calmly. “What was that about?”

Danny bit his cheek as he leaned closer to the ghost, pulling his cup of punch to his lips. “She—Jessica—she’s a ghost hunter, remember?”

Phantom nodded. “I seem to remember that little detail. So was your little possessive display to keep her away from me just because I’m a ghost?”

Danny almost choked on his drink, not expecting Phantom to actually say it out loud. He pulled the cup away, coughing as he forcibly cleared his throat. “I—I mean—“

”Because that looked and sounded like jealousy to me.”

Danny blushed, feeling his face get all too warm as Phantom leaned closer to him. 

“Not that you have anything to worry about. You’re the only thing in this world that I actually care about. Without you, my existence would be meaningless.”

Danny just stared at him, unable to respond to his words as the music was suddenly quieted, followed by a slow song picking up. 

Danny looked towards the dance floor as groups of girls and guys alike sort of moved out of the center of the floor, replaced by couples who were starting to sway. 

“Care to dance?” Phantom asked him softly. He was shocked by the suggestion. 

“Phan—Shadow. I—I can’t dance,” he stressed nervously, looking around at the people closest to them, afraid they’d heard his stumble.

“Sure you can,” Phantom said, winking at him before taking his cup and making it disappear, which Danny stared at worriedly before Phantom was pulling him closer. “Just follow my lead.”

Danny stared at him with wide eyes, not sure what to say as Phantom took a step back, causing him to shift forward.

He stared at him, his fears and nerves getting the better of him as Phantom looked down at him, his expression almost amused as he brought them to a more comfortable position. 

“Relax,” Phantom said softly, moving his hands to the right position. “I won’t let anything bad happen. It’s just you and me right now.”

Danny did try to loosen his grip, letting out a few deep breaths as Phantom moved them slowly, gently swaying to the music. After a bit, he smiled, feeling a little more confident as Phantom pulled him closer.

”Practically a natural,” Phantom whispered to him, making him flush again. 

“Stop,” he said back, but he couldn’t stop smiling. 

It was actually such an amazing thing, to be in public with his other half. It was something he had never dreamed of, made reality by Phantom himself.

The ghost pulled slightly away suddenly, making him frown before Phantom lifted his arm and spun him around, making him roll his eyes. 

“Really?”

Phantom gave him the smallest of smiles. “Why not? I could always dip you.”

Danny blushed, but turned away so the ghost hopefully wouldn’t notice. He waited a second before leaning into him again, allowing Phantom to control their dance once more.

After a minute, the song eventually ended, quickly replaced by a more energetic club-like song, making a lot of the other dancers from before return to the dance floor. 

Danny turned his head, ready to exit the crowd of dancing bodies, but Phantom didn’t move, instead, he pulled him back. 

“What—?” He started, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the pulsating music, but he quickly lost his ability to speak when Phantom started moving again. 

This wasn’t a casual dancing song. It was upbeat, but with a lot of bass. It was the kind of song you could really dance to, or like some couples were already doing, grind to.

Danny was wide eyed and nervous as groups of girls giggled and playfully danced seductively while Phantom actually was moving with the tempo, refusing to look away from his eyes as he slowly pulled him back. 

“Phantom?” Danny barely breathed out, unable to look away as his ghost and him were finally right on top of each other, Phantom’s hand returning to his hip as the other held his hand close to their bodies. 

Their movements weren’t too graphic, just a sway of hips, but Danny could feel how close they were, knew how many people were surrounding them, and felt ready to pass out. 

“Move with me.”

Phantom’s mouth never moved, but his words echoed in his skull, making Danny swallow as he leaned into Phantom, letting him lead their new dance. It was terrifying, to let himself move like this, but as the music flowed through them, he found himself loosening up and dancing with Phantom.

Danny never realized how they must have looked to the other students around them. Of course, Phantom was huge, so he stood out in a crowd, but Danny wasn’t. Sure, he was overly paranoid, but he was used to being overlooked in a crowd, so when people started to take notice of their public display, he didn’t immediately realize how much of a scene they were making.

Soon enough, the song came to an end, leaving Phantom and Danny pressed together as the noise around them quieted down. Danny smiled at Phantom as the ghost leaned over him, lifting his hand from his side to his cheek, just barely brushing the skin there. 

Then, he kissed him. 

Danny closed his eyes, sighing into the feeling of cold lips against oh so hot ones, the most wonderful feeling washing over him as he felt actually content in that moment. 

He tilted his head further up, wishing the kiss could last but understanding that they were currently in a school gym, where PDA wasn’t exactly looked upon highly. 

Danny let out a breath through his nose as he gently pulled away, ready to speak when a loud sound echoed through the room, causing him to jump. 

Phantom had moved, grabbing ahold of his waist as the noise finally registered in Danny’s ears as a scream, which was finally being understood by his shellshocked ears. 

“You cannot be serious right now!?”

Danny turned to the cause of the shouting, finding a royally pissed cheerleader standing a few yards away from them, causing a huge scene.

She was drop dead gorgeous, wearing a deep blue, lacy dress with a deep slit through the skirt. It was definitely sexy, and Danny was confused as to why the teachers had allowed all of these girls to wear such revealing dressed to this dance. It wasn’t even Prom.

She was glaring daggers at them, her teeth bared as he pointed an accusatory finger at them.

”This—this erotic display of pressing up against each other! Making out on the dance floor! Are you trying to tell the whole school you’re fucking?” Paulina shouted.

Danny flushed a deep shade of red, his grip tightening on Phantom’s sleeve as the ghost glared at her.

”We’re at a dance. We’re dancing,” Phantom said coldly, shifting towards her. “And the way we choose to do so is none of your business.”

She scoffed. “So you claim. This is a student only event. And you aren’t a student here.”

“They made an exception,” Phantom said easy enough, but she made a loud throaty sound.

“As if! This school—“

“I used to be enrolled here, as part of their homeschooling curriculum,” Phantom said, refusing to look away. 

Danny on the other hand was nervously scanning the crowd, seeing how everyone around them was watching them now. It was so silent in there, save for the ghost and the cheerleader currently at war.

“So you say! How old exactly are you, Shadow?“

“Nineteen,” Phantom said harshly.

”A 19 year old dating a highschooler? That’s—“

”I’m a 19 year old dating an 18 year old. Don’t twist the story for your own personal gain. We’re both legal adults here.”

Danny felt trapped at all the eyes watching them. He feared what was going to happen, seeing the whispering students around them. He swallowed.

“But you can't really prove it, can you?” She started, looking all smug. “Who knows your real past, your real age. I mean, look at you! You’re huge! No teenager—“

“Neither can you make a good case proving otherwise,” Phantom said, making the girl flinch. “But as I stated before, no matter how old I am, Danny is still undoubtable 18, meaning—“

”But it does matter since you’re attending a school event, one involving minors,” Paulina said, smirking. Phantom narrowed his eyes even further. “No one other than staff above the ages of 21 can attend a school dance, for…safety reasons. If you truly are 19, why don’t you prove it? Unless you really are just some perve.”

Danny heard the murmurs through the crowd before anyone realized something serious was happening, the lights flashing as the building shook around them, all the while Phantom and Paulina glared at each other. 

“Ph-Shadow,” he hissed, trying to get Phantom’s attention, but the ghost didn’t do much more than hold him tighter as the room quickly started panicking around them. 

Before anyone could even guess what was causing it, the double-doors burst open, startling the nearby students into looking at the overly armored people in dark uniforms.

Danny thought he was going to pass out.

Ghost Hunters.

Chapter Text

Danny knew this night couldn’t possibly get any worse. He couldn’t look away from the heavily armed ghost hunters, seeing the way they blocked all the entrances. It was honestly terrifying, especially while being in the arms of his ghost.

“No one panic!” The man at the front of the group shouted, catching the attention of every student in the building.

Danny gasped. It was the man from his house, but why—

The man, with a group of hunters, moved towards the stage. Getting on top of it, he looked around before grabbing the microphone from the DJ, tapping it a couple times before pulling it towards his mouth.

“Despite what you might believe, we are not here to hurt you. We are here on behalf of a top secret security issue. Amongst you is a being of seemingly unlimited power. One that’s incredibly dangerous.”

The voices of the students started up again, with a lot of shouting and screaming about the possibility of being in danger, but another hunter, a woman this time, joined the man at the front, taking the microphone from him.

Danny narrowed his eyes before recognizing her as the woman from the van, the one who had stared him down. He gripped Phantom harder, his ghost pulling him closer by his waist so they were flush together.

“I know that this all seems sudden and very scary, but trust me when I say we’re here to help.” She said, gesturing towards the crowd. “We have come to the conclusion that this school is a magnet for ghostly activity, especially from how many past experiences have been recorded here. So before entering this building, we created a secured forcefield of anti-ectoplasmic energy, meaning humans can enter and exit it, but ghosts cannot.”

The man took the microphone, looking almost excited as he took over speaking once more. “This way, there’s no possibility for it to escape us. We’ll find it, capture it and then leave you all to finish your dance, easy peasy. So please, calmly and quickly make your ways towards the exits. Now.”

Danny looked back up at Phantom’s stoic expression, seeing the way he was watching the hunters before them.

Then it was chaos. All at once, the shouting started back up, students running and shoving into each other as they tried to escape the decorated gym, but there was just so many students and so little guidance. 

Danny clung to Phantom, his ghostly companion holding him tightly as the crowd shifted and shoved around them. He was terrified, glancing between him and the group of hunters watching the crowd.

“Phantom,” he hissed, but Phantom didn’t move, just continued staring at the hunters as they started pulling out devices and trying to set them up. “Please, say something!”

Within seconds of his words, there was a shout on stage, causing him to turn. He froze, seeing a device that was now on the stage floor, sparking and catching fire as the team looked at it in awe.

“The hell!” A team member said, looking beyond shocked at the malfunctioning machine at their feet.

The woman from before pointed her device towards the fire, watching as her device went from glowing green to red, causing her to grin. “Ghost!” She shouted, moving towards the main man. “James, this is great! It’s trying to stop us!”

She turned back towards the crowd, waving her device towards the fleeing students before hers went up in sparks too, which she dropped quickly.

”Are you getting this?” She asked, making Danny turn to see there were video cameras too, recording everything.

He felt his heart rate pick up, the realization of all that was happening. This—it was so similar to before—they were—they would— but his thoughts were cutting off just as quickly, giving him a massive headache. 

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the sting as Phantom shifted them, leaning closer to the side of his face. 

“Everything’s okay. I won't let anything bad happen to you.”

But that was the least of his worried. With his eyes still closed, he lifted his head to brush his face against Phantom's. “But what about you?”

Phantom didn’t respond, just held him close as the crowd thinned out, the only students remaining being the ones that were, just like them, watching the ghost hunters suspiciously.

Before they could properly react, one of the cameras started flashing red, a hunter running to it to adjust it as it pointed amongst them.

“Ghost detected! Center of the room!”

The students around them looked around nervously as they started to spread out, leaving the dance floor in favor of being near the walls and exits of the gym. 

Danny swallowed. “Phantom, please, we need to—“

”I can’t leave the forcefield,” Phantom said softly, finally glancing down at him. “I could create a portal and leave that way, but they’d capture the traces of it on their devices. Then they’d learn the truth of what I’m doing.”

Danny frowned. “Couldn’t you just break whatever's creating it?”

“Normally. It’s outside however,” Phantom said, glaring at the hunters. “And I can’t pinpoint it, even with the shadow on the outside.”

Danny looked back up at him, an idea coming to mind. “So if you knew where it was, the shadow could take care of it?”

Phantom didn’t look at him, just staring forward as another device went up in flames, causing a shout. “Yes.”

He took a deep breath before pressing his hands to the ghost’s chest, pushing himself away from him. “Then leave it to me.”

Phantom tensed as his eyes flicked towards him almost immediately. “Absolutely not.”

But Danny was already pulling away. “I can do this. I can go outside and find it, then lead your shadow to it. Let me help you.”

Phantom was glaring now, his expression hard as he visibly clenched his jaw. “No.”

”Phantom—“

”I’m not letting you anywhere near ghost hunters without me again. They hurt you once, I’m not going to sit back and watch it happen a second time.”

Danny glared now, scoffing as he took a step back, closer towards the doors. “Good thing I’m not asking.”

He turned, moving around the students closest to him as Phantom reached for him, but amongst so many humans, all Phantom could do was watch as he darted around the crowd, efficiently avoiding him as he tried to reach an exit.

But as soon as he made it to a door, he felt Phantom grab his arm, pulling him back towards him, causing him to cry out from the force.

”You’re not going anywhere,” Phantom growled out, their bodies pressed together once more.

Danny winced from the pain of his grip, pressing his free hand to his chest as he tried to get him to let go. 

“S-stop,” he begged, his voice strained as he looked up at his ghost pleasingly, but Phantom’s expression was cold.

But before the ghost could respond, there was a shout, catching Danny’s attention. He turned his gaze, seeing a man holding a device pointed directly at them, glowing bright red. His eyes widened.

“Ghost!” The man shouted, drawing all the attention in the room towards them.

Danny swallowed, seeing every eye in the room staring at them. He stopped struggling, just wincing as Phantom held him in an iron grip. He was terrified to see all the familiar faces looking back at him, especially those of his best friends. He felt helpless as he met their wide eyed expressions, his own a mask of guilt as he realized this was it. The moment everything came crashing down on him.

“Isn’t that the Fenton boy?” One of the hunters asked suddenly, pointing his device towards him instead of Phantom, which was glowing all the same from such close proximity to the powerful ghost.

It was those particular words that made Phantom look away from him, finally seeing the amount of ghost weaponry that were being directed straight towards them. Phantom glared at the man, a second later his handheld device started sparking, making the hunter drop it quickly.

The main man, James, let out a loud shout upon seeing it, pointing his device towards Phantom’s face, glancing between the ghost and his device. “It’s you. It’s really you.”

Phantom didn’t react, but as they all watched, his and a couple other devices started sparking at the same time, soon turning to flaming pieces of equipment on the gymnasium floor.

“You don’t even need to be near us to attack our weapons. What kind of ghost are you?”

Danny frowned, turning to look at Phantom as the ghost moved to press his other hand to his hip, squeezing his flesh there, causing him to grit his teeth. He reminded himself that Phantom was just a lot stronger than his mortal body could take, especially in this high stress scenario, but it still hurt a lot.

”A better question, how does the kid fit into this? Possessed maybe? Think we’ll need to take him in as well? Extract anything ghostl—“

In an instant, the woman’s ghost hunting equipment exploded, causing her to scream out in agony as she was burned by the now faulty equipment, which was quickly catching her clothing on fire as well.

Danny flinched, gripping Phantom's shirt tighter as the hunters closest to her looked at her in shock. After a moment, a couple men ran to help her, but she was already badly injured, a good portion of her skin missing and bloody along her arms, chest, and face.

Danny couldn’t look at her anymore, shielding his eyes as he turned his focus back to Phantom, tugging against the hold he had in his arm.

“Let go,” he hissed, but not quiet enough as a few ghost hunters glanced back at them.

Danny ignored them, looking up at his ghost pleasingly. “Please. You’re hurting me.”

Phantom frowned, loosening his hold on his arm, but of course no one else but him would know that, leading to a lot of conclusions that were anything but true.

One ghost hunter even took a sudden step towards them, glaring at Phantom. “He’s a hostage. Meant to keep us at bay.”

A couple hunters looked between themselves as one pulled out a much different instrument, but still something very familiar to Danny. A Fenton Rod. Danny’s eyes went wide seeing it, realizing that if a random hunter on this team had one of his parents inventions, it meant one of two things.

1. This ghost hunting team had robbed his parents or

2. Had convinced his parents to work with them

Danny was terrified, and for a lot more reasons than he initially thought he was going to be. He looked past the hunters again, towards the few students and faculty that remained, but no longer saw his friends, making his heart stop. Where were Sam and Tucker?

“Phantom,” he hissed, tugging on his shirt as the ghost stared at the threats surrounding them. 

“Hm?”

”FentonWorks equipment,” he breathed out, watching as Phantom scanned the hunters before stopping on the girl holding the Fenton Rod.

He heard Phantom let out a sigh before his hand moved, resting it on the back of Danny’s head as he dug his fingers through his hair. “Close your eyes.”

Danny frowned, feeling his heart beating faster in his chest, but he did eventually shut his eyes, leaning his head forward until his forehead met the hard chest before him.

He had to fight himself to not open his eyes when he heard shouts and screams around them, gripping Phantom’s suit jacket that much harder when he heard the most bloodcurdling scream he’d ever heard.

”Ph-Phantom?” He whispered, not letting his eyes crack open even the slightest bit when Phantom’s hand on the back of his head started petting his hand rhythmically, in an almost soothing gesture.

”Just breathe, my Love.”

Danny didn’t respond to the hypnotizing sound, just focused on the air entering and leaving his body as he realized he was starting to hyperventilate. He was actually shocked, not having noticed how poorly he had been focused on his own mental well-being in such a terrifying scenario. Good thing Phantom had.

Once he got his heartbeat and breathing to a steady level, he lifted his head, opening his eyes even though Phantom hadn’t told him to. What he saw was a shock to say the least. They were surrounded by a wall of ice.

Danny blinked, looking at the ice fortress before reaching his hand out, almost touching it but getting stopped by Phantom.

”It’s cold,” Phantom said simply, holding his hand now.

Danny furrowed his brow before letting out a small laugh. Phantom looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, but Danny could barely contain himself as he weakly grinned at the ghost.

”Sorry, I just—I figured as much.”

Phantom didn’t respond as first, just looking at him before leaning down, capturing his lips.

Danny gasped before wrapping his arm around the ghosts neck, pulling him all that much harder against him.

It was a crazy thing to feel turned on while on adrenaline. It was a high unlike any other, and while making out in the middle of a life or death situation seemed like an insane thing to do, Danny couldn’t pull away. He moaned when Phantom’s hands went from his hips to his butt, gripping his cheeks roughly as he pulled him as close as physically possible.

Danny broke the passionate kiss, his breathing staggered as he stared at the ghost above him, feeling so many things, but above all, he was fearful of what was to come the moment they left this protective bubble. Too bad life had a funny way of saying, ‘sucks to suck’ because it was right after this thought that there was this loud crack in the dome, making him shout as he jumped away.

Danny stared at the compromised wall of the ice shell, feeling ready to piss himself when Phantom took his hand, giving him an exhausted almost smile. “Don’t let go,” he whispered before he lifted Danny into the air, phasing them through their ice protective casing and letting them see the entirety of what they were really dealing with.

There was so many hunters. So many of the remaining students from before now holding ghost weapons, looking pissed or scared as they all focused entirely on the large, ice dome.

Danny bit his lip. “Ph—“ but the ghost lifted his hand to cover his mouth. 

“They can still hear you.”

Danny nodded weakly, letting Phantom fly them to the top of the room, looking up at the ceiling as Phantom frowned below them.

”I can’t let you go without them seeing you, and my shadow is outside guarding the portal. There aren’t many good options. I can take them all out, but that’d leave a lot of loose ends, especially with having to change memories. Where are Sam and Tucker?”

Danny looked at him in shock before pulling out his phone, seeing that he had all sorts of missed calls and messages from both Sam and Tucker. He winced. 

Opening their group chat, he send what was probably the saddest excuse for a response to anything they said.

D: hey guys… Where exactly are you?

It wasn’t a minute later that he got a phone call which rang out crazy loud from the ceiling.

Danny tried to hang it up quickly, but from where they were located, the tiny chime was like a beacon, alerting all the noise sensitive ghost hunters to the loud shrill above their heads.

”—is that—“

”What on earth—?”

The voices below them were much quieter than Danny would have liked, making a majority of it indistinguishable, but he didn’t need to hear them to see the men raising their ghost reading devices to the ceiling, a couple blinking red. 

“They moved! Up! They’re up!”

Danny closed his eyes, feeling all sorts of angry and fearful as his phone went off again, making him flick the switch to silent, cussing himself and his friends in his head.

”There! It’s coming from up there!”

”How—up—?”

Danny unlocked his phone before typing a message, pissed he had to tell them to stop calling.

S: Danny, what is happening right now?!

T:why are the ghost hunters trying to attack you

S:Answer the phone please!!

T:Are you okay? 

He sighed.

D: I’ll explain later. Stop calling and tell me where you are

It was quiet for a moment before he got another message.

S: How do we know this isn’t a ploy?

Danny groaned. No matter what he tried to write, it came out sounding either too harsh or not good enough of an excuse.

After a second, Phantom clucked his phone away, writing a message and hitting send before Danny could even read it. 

He took his phone back quickly, reading the message before turning back to Phantom pissed. “Really?”

”It’ll make them come back.”

”Yeah, but it’ll also make them freak out.”

”Good. Hopefully they’ll bring something useful.”

Danny just rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment anymore as Phantom flew them away from the center of the ceiling, causing the ghost hunters to freak out below them when their ghost gear stopped picking up his signal.

Danny watched them, his body no longer tense and fearful as they drifted in the air and watched the people running around below them. It was almost kinda sad, seeing them scrounging around, their heads facing the sky, chasing invisible spirits.

“Perhaps I need to take a less passive approach. Scare them away. At least until Sam and Tucker return.”

Danny frowned at him, seeing the way the ghost was watching the humans down below. He scoffed. “Sure. Knock yourself out.”

Phantom glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow. When he didn’t say anything, Danny sighed. “I just—please don’t kill anyone.”

Phantom watched him for a moment before pulling him close, moving his body so it looked like he was sitting in an invisible chair. Danny frowned at him, seeing the odd position of his body before Phantom pulled him to sit on his lap. 

Danny felt his face warm, sitting like this and being so close to Phantom.

”I’m not a cruel person, Danny. I don’t kill senselessly. I only do what is necessary of me. Everything I do, I do for us.”

He just looked at him, seeing the calm, neutral look on his face and nodded, leaning into him. 

“I know—I just—this is stressing me out. Everything about this—I hate it. I hate all of it. I wish none of this had ever happened.”

Phantom glanced back down before narrowing his eyes. “I should have accounted for these kinds of things when I entered this place. I’m sorry my Love.”

Danny shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It’s theirs. It’s always been them.”

Phantom hugged him then, pulling him closer as he rested his head on Danny’s shoulder. “I really don’t want to do anything while you’re here. It’s safest if I make sure you’re far away from here.”

Danny let out a huff. “Then why not have the shadow meet me right outside the barrier.”

Phantom didn’t respond at first, but he did eventually pull away enough so Danny could look at him.

”My shadow is not just a clone that I can control. It’s…hard to explain.”

He shook his head, confused. “I—wait. You can see all it sees and hear all it hears, and feel all it feels, but you can’t…control it?”

Phantom didn't answer for a moment before looking towards the windows of the gymnasium, seeing the flashing lights in the distance. “My shadow…was a part of me that I cast out during one of my—weaker moments. It was unlike any clone I had created before. A part of me that acted against my thoughts and control. And no matter how much I tried to bind it back to me, it refused.”

He didn’t understand. “I—I don’t—“

”I don’t truly understand either. I had tried asking Johnny before about his shadow, but it didn’t seem to have originated from him the way mine had. In a way, I created an entirely new being, except it’s not a ghost.”

Danny let the words flow through him before a thought shoved itself forward, making him narrow his eyes at the ghost currently holding him. “Is your shadow the reason for your name? The Shadow King? The ghost king who created shadows, or fools his subjects into thinking he becomes one.”

Phantom sorta shrugged. “It was the name I chose for myself. The King of Shadows. Shadow King.”

Danny let out a small scoff before his thoughts started getting away from him. “If you can’t control it, why did it come here and watch over me?”

“It was very much willing to come and protect you, given that it is just as obsessed with you as I am.”

He felt his face warm again, but was shocked into looking down when a shout from below shocked him. 

“Stop!”

”No one can enter this premises!”

”This is my school dance. I can do whatever I damn well please!”

He both wanted to laugh and cry at seeing his friends. They were at the gym entrance, carrying ghost equipment of their own, looking royally pissed.

The man who had shouted looked only slightly embarrassed, unable to retort before James, the main man, stepped in, walking straight up to the teenagers.

”Listen kids, I understand that—“

”What have you done with our friend?”

The man looked shocked and confused, shaking his head as Sam and Tucker glared. Tucker lifted his PDA, the device now sporting a taser of sorts while Sam showed a handheld device that Danny didn’t quite recognize.

”Don’t act like you don’t know who we’re talking about. Danny Fenton? The ghost hunter’s son. We know you know who that is.”

The man swallowed, lifting his device, but Sam looked beyond pissed now.

”Where is he?! Tell us!”

”The ghost took him! They were inside that ice one moment and gone the next!”

”Ice?” Danny watched Sam mouth, turning to see the large partially shattered hemisphere.

She and Tucker looked shocked. They stared at it in silence for a moment before he watched the goth girl moving towards it.

Danny frowned. He hadn’t looked back towards Phantom, hadn’t realized he was watching the scene just as intensely as him, but when they started getting closer, Danny realized how bad this could get. How quickly this could go hard. 

“By chance,” one of the ghost hunters spoke, looking intensely at the pair of teens that weren’t really focused on the group anymore. “Do you know which ghosts could have done this? We understand that the citizen of Amity Park are very familiar with ghost attacks, even high schoolers such as yourselves.”

Sam only paused in her motions, taking a second before turning back towards the man. “Why?”

The man looked surprised before James moved in, walking straight up to Sam and Tucker as he addressed the ice semi-sphere behind them. “We just want to protect the people from dangerous ghosts such as this one. So far tonight, it’s infiltrated your school dance and abducted your friend. What else is it capable of?”

Sam glanced at Tucker, who shook his head, but she didn’t look convinced. ”I might know—of someone. A ghost from before.”

Tucker looked upset by her words. “Sam. Don’t.”

James grinned, looking between them. “Tell me all you know.”

She hesitated, but once she started opening her mouth, her eyes set on the ghost hunter, Phantom struck. 

Danny could only wrap his arms around Phantom’s neck when the ghost dropped all at once, his feet loudly hitting the gym floor, sending a loud thundering thud through the room. Danny was just as terrified as everyone else in the room was, but Phantom had moved his hands to his butt, keeping him protectively flush to his chest as the ghost made their presence known.

He swallowed, not certain if they were visible or not when Sam called out, looking worried as all hell. 

“Ph-Phantom?”

”Phantom? As in Danny Phantom?” A hunter, one of the younger undercover students, spoke. “The old town hero?”

Sam and Tucker looked so lost in thought, but neither were able to respond once Phantom let out a breath, shifting their weight and sending a trail of ice across the gymnasium floor, trapping anyone and everyone’s feet.

There were shouts and screams as people tried to escape the frozen trap, but there was nothing anyone could do as Phantom and Danny materialized once more, in a—somewhat—compromised position.

It took a bit for some people to notice them, but Sam and Tucker locked onto them almost instantly, their eyes wide and concerned at seeing their reappearance.

Tucker had opened his mouth, but quickly closed it seeing Phantom's glare.

”I don’t like people messing around with things they don’t understand,” Phantom spoke coldly, drawing all the attention in the room to them, especially James, who looked pissed.

”We could say the same thing, ghost,” James called, but Phantom scoffed.

”That’s where you're wrong.”

The ice along the floor started rising on the ghost hunters legs, causing screams and shouts to ring out around the room. The only ones not affected were Sam and Tucker, but they looked just as horrified watching it happen to everyone around them.

“You don’t know anything about this place. Or me for that matter. Not that I expected you to.” Phantom had moved his hands from Danny’s butt to his waist, squeezing him reassuringly as he bent to set him down on the ice covered floor. 

Danny stared at him nervously. “Phantom—“

The ghost shushed him softly, making him bite his lip. He had no idea what Phantom was planning, but it must have been something, because he took a second to caress his face before pulling away entirely, stalking towards the trapped ghost hunter. 

“I must admit, you’ve surprised me, trapping me here. Too bad for you, I don’t stay trapped for long.”

The man frowned harder as Phantom got closer, his face soon breaking out into a cruel smirk.

”Wh-what does—that mean?” The ghost hunter stumbled over his words, but Phantom didn’t responded. 

Danny couldn’t watched. He turned away, spotting his friends who were watching Phantom, practically unblinkingly in their fear. 

Danny took a deep breath before taking a step, then another. He feared slipping on the ice, but finding it rough in texture, he looked at his friends determined at he started walking faster, reaching them in no time.

They looked at him as soon as he got a couple feet away, their eyes wide and terrified.

”Dude, what’s happening right now?” Tucker whispered, but Danny didn’t know how to answer it.

”This—this is all just a bad dream, right?” Sam asked, looking at him pleadingly, but he just gave her a grim expression.

”No. It’s not.”

There was a shout, making them flinch as Danny turned around, seeing a certain girl freaking out as her arm got trapped in the ice, the one currently holding the ghost weapon. He sighed.

“Danny, you need to be honest with us,” Sam said, her eyes wide with panic. “Did you know?”

He looked back at her, kissing his teeth as he tried to come up with a better way to answer, but the face she made a few seconds later made him feel awful.

”I can’t believe this. You—you knew he was—and you didn’t fucking tell us? Better yet, you helped him hide it.”

A crash somewhere in the room cut him off from answering right away, sending up panic as a hunter broke his arm free from the minimal ice trap, raising his weapon to fire when Phantom turned towards him. It was like watching a scene from a movie. One second they were waiting for the gun to go off, the next three large spike shot from the ground, empaling the man almost instantly. The silence was loud before there was this insanely loud shriek, a girl screaming her lungs out as she stared at Phantom in pure terror. The ghost didn’t even react as he turned back to James, whose face was deathly pale now.

”There’s an example,” Phantom said calmly, creating a much larger spike and aiming it directly at James’ chest. “It’s not my favorite, but it’s effective.”

James swallowed.

”Danny, Danny please—“ Sam started, drawing his attention back to his friends, who looked ready to cry themselves. “We need to get out of here. We need to go back to the lab, get the Thermos and—“

He shook his head. ”It won’t work.”

”You’re lying,” Sam demanded, but he just sighed.

”I’m not.”

He swallowed, turning to the ghost that was barely a couple yards away. “More powerful than Pariah. Swifter and more cunning than all of the ghosts we ever faced previously—combined. And he knows us like the back of his hand. We wouldn’t win that fight and you know it.”

There was silence again before Sam scoffed, drawing his eye once more. 

”Not the most recent versions of us.”

He frowned, seeing Tucker’s matching confused expression. 

”He remembers the old us, not us right now. We could—“

”He’s been here since my birthday,” Danny said, his voice exhausted sounding. “He’s met you both already. He pretty much knows everything he needs to.”

He and Sam had a staring contest before he saw tears fill her eyes, making his widen.

”Why?”

Danny couldn’t answer her, especially when her tears started streaking down her face, dark eye makeup following the salty trail. He turned away quickly, seeing Phantom glaring at the man before him, making Danny grit his teeth as his previous idea came back to him. He moved slowly but purposefully as he approached the ghost. As he got barely a foot away, Phantom turned to him, his face neutral, but his eyes narrowed in concern.

”I’m gonna go look for…the shadow,” he whispered, but Phantom didn’t look excited about his words. “Please, I—“

This time he felt the shift, the world freezing around him. He looked around in surprise, seeing Phantom watching him.

”I don’t like this plan of yours,” the ghost said, moving towards him. “It’s risky. I don’t know if any other hunters are waiting on the outside, nor where the shadow is currently. If you leave, I won’t know—“

”Trust me.”

Phantom stared at him, his face impassive as he closed the distance between them, hugging him. “My Love—“

”Please. I want to help you. Let me do this.”

Phantom sighed, but he did slowly nod, making him grin.

”Take my keys. It should be in the apartment, watching the portal, but it likes wandering around lately. If it’s not there, text Sam or Tucker’s phone so I know you’re safe.”

He nodded. 

Phantom reached into his pocket, retrieving a small house key and placing it into his hand. 

“Leave now. I can only hold this for about five minutes if I concentrate hard enough.”

He frowned but gave him a small smile as he turned, but not before grabbing the ghost’s tie, pulling him down to kiss his lips roughly. For a split second, he thought he heard noise again, but it was back to silence a moment later when he pulled away.

”I’ll be back,” he called as he turned and ran. 

He frowned when he saw the forcefield surrounding the entire gym, passing through it easily as he took off in the direction of his boyfriend’s apartments. This wasn’t going to be fun.

It took a good few minutes to reach the apartment complex, running to the front door and pulling it open. Danny grinned when he passed through quickly, seeing the elevator and hitting the button. It was eerily quiet moving through the silence city, and even more so standing there, catching his breath as he stared at the unmoving elevator.

He stood there a few more second before scoffing at himself, realizing how stupid he was before darting for the stairs, taking the  two at a time. This was the real hard part. A flight of stairs was fine. No big deal. Four flights of stairs however… Danny was gasping by the end of it.

He was overly relieved when he reached the top of the fourth floor, seeing the long hall, and a particular door on the very end. He limped to it as steadily as possible, pulling out Phantom’s keys to unlock the door and force his way in as quickly as possible.

Once he went inside, he felt the shift in the air once more, sounds returning to him as the world started moving in time once more.

He let out a small breath as he glanced around the apartment, not really seeing anything at first.

”Hello?” He called softly, not really sure what else he needed to do to find a shadow. “Shadow? Are you here?”

No response.

Danny moved around the place slowly, taking in the dark interior and felt a little nervous. He wasn’t sure why, but learning that the shadow wasn’t a clone was a little…concerning to him. It sort of made sense, and yet made him wary. A creature entirely different from Phantom. A living shadow. 

”Shadow? I need your help. Phantom’s been trapped in the gym and we need your help to disable the forcefield keeping him there.”

When he didn’t get a response then, he sighed. He was incredibly disappointed. He had just assumed the shadow would be there, waiting for him like it would somehow know he needed it, but of course, that’s now how the real world worked. 

He frowned before turning around and pulling out his phone. He hesitated once he pulled up Sam’s contact, not wanting to admit his plan was a failure when he felt a sudden chill in the air, causing him to gasp.

”Shadow?” He called, turning in a half circle before freezing, seeing the shadow watching him. “Shadow! I—I’m so happy to see you.”

He moved towards it, seeing it stand perfectly still as he got within a foot of it before stopping. “I—I don’t know if you heard me earlier, but Phantom's trapped in the gym. He needs your help.”

The shadow didn’t move at first before extending its hand towards him. Danny watched it almost nervously before extending his in return. Once they touched, it was like electricity. The shadow surged forward, filling his body and giving him a boost of energy.

He stared forward, thoughts and feelings overpowering him as he started experiencing a completely different existence than his own. The shadow? The understanding was terrifying as he tensed up, fearing the shadow overshadowing him before the feelings faded, leaving just him in control once more.

He took a second to calm down before nodding to himself. “Thank you.”

Of course there was no answer as he went straight to the front door, barely remembering to lock it as he ran down all four flights of stairs faster than he’d climbed just one.

All in all, the journey was much faster this way, the shadow enhancing his body to  unimaginable levels. It probably hadn’t taken 2 minutes to return, but he’d had no way of knowing.

He only stopped when he was outside the gym, staring up at the roof where the forcefield was originating, even though he couldn’t tell what kind of device was making it.

”It’s—up there. Phantom needs you to dismantle it, so he can escape.”

Silence.

He frowned, looking down at his body as he tried summoning the shadow to the forefront of his mind, but it was like it no longer existed. He huffed. Great.

Walking towards the gymnasium, he thought about how to get on the roof when he spotted the fire exit, making him nod to himself. He ran towards it, taking the steps two at a time before grabbing the top of the rail, lifting himself to the top of the building. He frowned, glancing behind him before forcing his eyes back forward. He was very very high up currently.

Shaking his head, he headed towards the center of the roof, only to stop once he saw what was making it.

”No…” he gritted his teeth, seeing the familiar large satellite he’d grown up with, now pointed downwards to trap a ghost in, and not shield them out.

He felt his anger surge forward, realizing that he’d been right earlier. It hadn’t even taken an hour to convince them to join the ghost hunters, and probably less than that for them to offer their technology to aid in their mission.

”Shadow, please. I—I can’t do this. Not even with your help.”

All at once, he felt the cold leaking from him, turning to a dark form standing before him. It seemed to watch him a moment before going invisible, leaving him to stand there alone.

He frowned, looking down as himself as he thought back to everything that had happened in just a couple hours. It felt like his world had been flipped upside down, and now—

He was jolted back to reality when the forcefield went down all at once, letting him relax once more.

He smiled weakly, especially when the shadow returned to him, stopping a couple feet away.

”Thank you,” he mumbled, watching it as it stood there before nodding once and disappearing entirely.

He frowned, but decided to ignore it as he went back to the fire exit, slowly lowering himself down the metallic staircase.

A few steps up, he jumped off of it, sending slight pain up his ankle which faded just as quickly as it appeared, leaving him feeling all sorts of concerned as he looked back towards the gymnasium.

He bit his cheek as he walked slowly towards the doors, not exactly excited about what he’d find.

He stopped once he touched the exit doors, not feeling brave enough to enter before he felt a chill along his back. He turned his head, finding the shadow next to him, watching him.

”I’m not gonna like what I see, am I?” He asked it, but it didn’t answer before phasing through the door, leaving him alone again.

He took a deep breath, but finally gained the courage to push the doors open, getting hit with a shiver inducing cold chill.

He frowned, clenching his jaw as he wrapped his arms around himself. Danny hated that he wasn’t all that surprised to find half a dozen human kabobs, waiting for him, or that there was about a dozen more about to be made from the way Phantom was glaring at them.

Danny looked around the room, seeing how the ice had travelled up the walls and was inching its way towards the ceiling. It was absolutely freezing in there. Not a single person wasn’t affected. Even Sam and Tucker, who weren’t touching any of the ice—their shoes being the part of them trapped, were shivering in place.

He felt bad—felt guilty leaving them there to witness whatever the hell had happened, but he felt a little relief when Phantom turned, his glowing green eyes connecting with his blue ones.

He gave him a weak smile. “It’s down.”

Phantom rose his eyebrows before disappearing, then a split second later reappearing in front of him. Danny gasped, Phantom looking down at him as he reached out to stroke his cheek.

”Good job, my Love.”

While his words had been only for him to hear, his motions had been seen by anyone who had been paying attention to them, which was practically everyone still alive.

”S-stop,” James forced out, drawing his eye. “Don’t—hurt—the—kid.”

Danny frowned, twisting to look past the ghost to the man, but Phantom moved to block him again. He glared at him.

”Eyes on me.” Phantom's words were practically hypnotizing, making Danny pause in place as Phantom gave him a tired expression. “I want you to go outside. The shadow is waiting on you. It’ll escort you home.”

”What about—?”

”I’ll fix up everything here. I promise.”

But Danny didn’t want to believe that.

”Phantom—“

”Please, Danny. Go home.”

He clenched his jaw, not wanting to listen, but he did eventually nod, ready to turn and leave when he noticed flashing lights through the gymnasium windows.

”Police.” He barely whispered, looking at the red and blue flashes in fear.

Phantom looked pissed then, turning to look at the display he had made, gritting his teeth as he walked back towards Sam and Tucker. The teenagers looked terrified, but he didn't do much more than place his hands on their shoulders.

Danny frowned when they all three disappeared, but understood when the shadow appeared before him, holding out its hand. Danny gave it a weak smile before accepting the offered hand.

He closed his eyes, trying to let the stress leave his body when the weightless hit him, but it didn’t do much more than take the pain from his back as he was flown through the ceiling and dropped back onto the roof.

He opened his eyes a second later, meeting the wide scared eyes of his best friends. They were looking at the shadow, who even after landing on the roof, hadn’t released his hand yet. He glanced at it, seeing the side profile of the same ghost currently standing behind his friends. He turned back to them, trying to give them a reassuring smile. Sam, seeing it, shook her head.

”What the hell, Danny.”

He winced, lowering his gaze.

”Do you have any idea what just happened? What you’ve done. What he’s done.”

He swallowed. She sounded disgusted by him, which hurt him more than he initially would have thought. He knew if they ever found it, it wouldn’t end well, but this was worst case scenario level of bad. 

He only lifted his head again when he saw movement near him, his ghost returning to his side. Danny could only imagine how he looked to them in that moment, Phantom to his right, the shadow on his left. He probably looked like a traitor.

He looked at his friends, seeing their polar expressions. Tucker looked like he didn’t know what to say, his expression uncomfortable as he avoided his eye contact. Sam just looked pissed. She sneered. 

”I feel so stupid. A long lost friend who was only here for a short time, then disappeared when the ghosts did. Of course Shadow was Phantom all along. They even looked the same.”

She glared at them, her face filled with so much anger and hatred towards the ghost before another emotions was added to the mix. “You—you’re with Shadow… You’re dating Phantom?”

He tensed, not knowing what to say when Sam looked all the more offended by their presence. “Danny, he’s Phantom. He’s your ghost. Why—?” She looked extremely bothered by this, not helping when voices below them started shouting, making her flinch. “And he’s a psycho! He just killed like 10 people down there! And even if he hadn’t, he’s committed mass genocide years before this! Remember that?”

He couldn’t answer. Didn’t know how to. 

“I can hear you,” Phantom said neutrally, to which Sam glared at him.

”Good. Maybe you should try listening.” She said forcefully, her eyes looking misty again as she focused directly at Phantom. “You don’t belong here. You—a literal mass murderer who—“

”Wrong.” Phantom said, making Sam stop to stare at him. 

“Murder is the killing of a human by another human. I may have killed humans, but I myself am not human.”

She just stared at him, shaking her head as she took a step back. “You—you’re insane. You're Danny Phantom! The ghost half to his human half. You both used to be the protector of Amity Park! What—what happened to that?”

He stared at her, the ghost’s expression empty as he looked directly at her before scoffing. He took a step towards, then another before stopping directly before you, his gaze darkening as it showed anger and resentment. 

“Humans, I guess you could say. I was an accidental creation, with no purpose or consciousness before waking up in that lab. Those people did this to me. And trust me when I say they deserved everything that happened to them. The same as those pathetic hunters below us.”

Sam looked terrified, reaching into her pocket before Phantom flicked his eyes towards it. Within seconds, a thick chain of ice shot from the ground at her feet and wrapped around her wrist, pulling it down to her side roughly. She shouted in surprise.

”Make good decisions, Samantha. Remember who you’re dealing with right now.”

She looked up instantly, her expression haunted as she shook her head. “This—this isn’t right.”

Danny bit his lip. He stared at Sam, seeing her fearful expression turn to upset as she glared at the ghost before her.

”Tell us the truth. Are you actually Phantom or just a different version of Dan? Is this all just a ploy to hurt us all that much more? Torture us before inevitably killing us too?”

Danny shook his head. “He’s not Dan.”

Sam didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t say anything when he took a step towards her.

”I promise. He’s not Dan and he’s not going to kill you. He’s…not really Phantom either though. He’s Shadow. The Shadow King.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed, but it was actually Tucker who spoke up, his face pale. 

“King? As in…the ghost king?”

Phantom just glanced at the teenager, but Danny nodded.

”Of course your human disguise name was a fucking play on words with your new alias,” Sam said, letting out a non-humorous laugh. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Phantom narrowed his eyes, but Danny moved to stand between them, not that it’d really hold the ghost off if he did decide to attack the goth girl.

“Think this is funny?” Phantom asked monotonely, but Sam just glared.

“Not as funny as you think killing people is.”

”Maybe you’re right,” he said, giving her a wicked grin as he bared his razor sharp fangs at her, causing her to gasp as he moved closer to them. “Good thing I got my shits and giggles out of my system earlier then, isn’t it?”

She tugged on the ice chain, trying to free herself frantically as Danny turned to look up at Phantom.

”Stop.”

Phantom glared at him, but Danny just lifted his hands, pressing them to the ghost’s chest.

“Please?”

Phantom clenched his jaw, but he did glance away, which left the rooftop in silence.

”I don’t get it,” Sam whispered, drawing his attention back to her. She looked devastated watching them, her expression almost miserable. “Why?”

Phantom glanced back at her, but didn’t respond when she didn't elaborate.

“Why him? Why now?”

Phantom didn’t respond at first, but after a bit, Danny finally turned to find Phantom looking right at him, like he wanted to make sure Danny was paying attention.

”I tried to return long before now, but it’s taken this long to perfect the technique of crafting a proper working portal.”

Sam looked unhappy by his words, but she didn’t speak until Phantom looked up at her. 

”How long?”

Phantom narrowed his eyes at her.

”How long did it take you to perfect it? A month? Two?”

Phantom didn’t look impressed by her questions. Danny had frowned too.

“Don’t act like you were desperate to return here. You may not think we do, but we remember you Phantom. This side of you—it’s emotionless. Callous and cruel. Unable to care about anything or anyone but yourself.”

Sam looked away from him, looking Danny directly in the eye, startling him. The ghost didn’t even move as Sam moved closer to him, her expression desperate as she started pleading. “Please, Danny, you have to listen to me. He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about anything. He only wants to control you. To use you to whatever end he sees fit, which—“

”That’s a lie.”

Sam stopped, her face frozen as she took in the ghost’s empty expression, his voice much softer than before.

”I may not feel much anymore, but I know that if there is anything in this world that I truly care about, it’s him.”

Sam looked offended by his words.

Danny turned to sneak a look at their much more silent friend, finding him with a lost expression. He seemed a little less upset than Sam, but a lot more uncomfortable by the ghost’s presence. He wasn’t even looking at them at this point.

“I don’t believe that. You’ve killed people Phantom. You looked those people in the eye and struck them like they were an inconvenience to you. And this isn’t the first time, as we all know.”

Phantom didn’t react to her words, but he did watch her as she struggled with her frozen restraint, which was starting to burn her from constantly rubbing on the girl’s frail skin. 

“You’re evil, Phantom.” She said through gritted teeth, making Danny flinch. “It’d be different if you were always a ghost, but you weren’t. You used to be our friend—my best friend. You have the human experience. You know how much of a betrayal this is, and yet you choose to do it anyway.”

Danny frowned at them, seeing the way she looked at Phantom and the way the ghost looked back at her.

After a moment, Phantom moved around him, walking slowly towards the goth girl.

Sam’s eyes had went wide, backing away as far as her frozen restraint would let her, but once she was as far back as she could get herself, she had nowhere to go when Phantom closed the distance.

The ghost looked down at her, his face unreadable as he lifted his hand towards her trapped one and touched the ice there. All at once, it shattered, falling like snow around their feet.

Sam, taken aback by the sudden release in pressure, started falling backwards, but Phantom saved her, capturing her hand and pulling her towards him.

Danny looked at the display in a mixture of confusion and unease. Something about it felt wrong—looked wrong. Whether it was seeing his best friend and his ghost so close, or remembering how close they used to be, he just felt a sudden flare of jealousy.

Sam blinked. She stared up at Phantom before her face turning rosy, forcing her to yank her hand away, refusing to meet his gaze anymore.

”I’m not evil,” Phantom said softly, but Sam didn’t react to his words. 

He sighed. “It’s because of my experiences that I know true right from wrong. Those people—they aren’t good people.”

Sam scoffed, but that made Phantom glare at her. “You have no idea what those people are capable of. What they did to us—did to him.”

She turned to look back at him, her face almost unreadable, expect for the tears quickly filling her eyes. She looked pissed, and Danny would bet all odds that that was 100% accurate.

”We saw it, remember? And while we didn’t experience it, we understood that what you two went through was absolute hell. But it’s still no excuse to kill them.”

Phantom huffed at her, opening his mouth, but Sam went right up to him, her glare pained as she sucked in a choking sob.

”You were supposed to be better than them. A hero—a savior of peoples lives. Not some god, choosing who deserves to live or die.”

He smirked darkly. “But by saving them, aren’t I choosing who deserves to live?”

Sam looked baffled by his words, taking a small step back as he bent towards her, teeth sharp and glistening as he bared them at her. “I could have ignored them, you know. Leave everyone to their own devices, but back then, I thought I needed to be the hero. That I needed to save them. But no—I was just stepping up when no one else would. And now, I’m doing things my way.”

They were all left in stunned silence, the air thick as Danny bit his lip, taking a step towards Phantom as the ghost turned back towards him.

“Phantom—“

”I need you to trust me, okay?”

Phantom's silent words made him pause, frowning at the ghost. “I—I’m not—”

His eyes were piercing, his face trying to convey emotions that he didn’t entirely understand. 

”Go home, Danny. Go with the shadow. It’ll keep you company until I can return.”

Danny shook his head. “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

Phantom didn’t look very happy with his answer, but he didn’t have the chance to respond, hearing loud voices make their way up towards them. 

“What could have done this?” A voice shouted, drawing their attention to the decent sized crowd now gathered below them.

Phantom frowned, reaching out to take his hand as he lead him towards the edge of the roof. What they saw shocked him. It was a mob down below. Students and their parents screaming and shouting questions at the emergency responders as the police tried to console the crowd with as little information as possible. It was a scary scene, and Danny was all too relieved that Phantom had made them unseen.

Sam and Tucker eased towards the edge as well, Danny grabbing Sam’s hand as she grabbed Tuckers to be equally as unseen. 

“Ohh no,” Sam whispered, seeing the new vans showing up near the edge of the school grounds. “This—this is—“

”We’re gonna be in some serious trouble, Dude,” Tucker muttered, his face pale from fear once more.

Danny turned to look up at Phantom, who was looking at the scene with little expression, mostly glaring at the people below them.

“What do we do?” He asked.

After a slightly too long pause, he heard Phantom sigh, pulling him away from the edge. 

“Not much we can do,” Phantom said, his face back to neutral. “Nothing that doesn’t involve my powers, anyway.”

He frowned. “But that would just—“

”I know. Which is why I’ll return to the Ghost Zone directly after. Close the portal. Hopefully that will make the levels drop off their machines and they’ll get the hint that the ghosts are gone again.”

”What portal?” Tucker asked, but Phantom ignored him.

Danny shook his head. “But they stuck around after the last time. Why would they suddenly choose to abandon this project now?”

”Because they already met the ghost,” Phantom said softly, looking back towards the ever increasing crowd. “And it’s a lot more than they can handle.”

”But—“

”Danny.” Phantom called his name gently, his voice weak as Danny swallowed. “I’m going to fix everything. I’ll make it so nothing bad ever happened at your dance.”

Sam looked suspicious. “And how exactly will you do that?”

Phantom gave her a look. “The same way I’ve been fixing everything before now.”

Sam looked upset by those words, while Tucker’s eyes went wide. “Are you gonna go back in time?”

Phantom rose an eyebrow before glancing at Danny. The dark haired teenager just stared at him, his feelings about the whole thing a lot more complicated than a simple yes or no shake of his head. He glanced away, hearing Phantom let out a small sigh.

“Not necessarily,” Phantom said, getting a matching pair of confused faces as the ghost turned from them to Danny, who was chewing on his lip now. “But I do need to begin as soon as possible. The faster I get started, the less strain it’ll be on me in the long run.”

Danny didn’t want him to leave, but he nodded. Phantom walked to him, cupping his face to lift it up towards him.

”I’ll be back before you know it. And the shadow will stay with you,” Phantom whispered to him, but Danny’s friends overheard him, looking at them extremely concerned. 

“Okay,” Danny mumbled, turning his head away, but Phantom forced his head back up.

”Everything's gonna be okay.”

He just bit his cheek as he looked into those hypnotizing green eyes, forcing an ‘okay’ out of his mouth once more.

He let out a choked breath when Phantom disappeared from view, his anxiety eating away at him until he felt a cold brush of lips against his forehead, sending a chill down his spine.

”I promise.”

Chapter Text

The silence they were left in was astounding. It took quite a few minutes of nothing but silence before one of his friends cleared their throat, startling him into remembering they were still there.

He turned, seeing them and feeling all sorts of uncomfortable as Sam glared at him and Tucker kissed his teeth.

”Danny, you—“ but Sam gasped, looking at something past his shoulder.

He felt genuine fear grip his heart as he turned, but relaxed when he realized it was just the shadow, apparently checking up on him. The inky figure moved closer towards him, tilting its head as he gave it a small smile.

”What exactly is that?” Sam asked, her face wrinkled in confusion and discomfort as she took in the shadow’s form.

”Phantom’s shadow,” Danny said simply, moving towards it as his friends called after him.

He gave them an amused face as he got right in front of it, reaching forward to press his hand to its chest.

”When I first saw it, I thought it was a gas of some sort, like a manifestation of dark matter, but no. It’s completely solid. And even more crazy, it’s not a clone. It has thoughts and desires of its own.”

He turned, smiling at his friends until he saw their expressions. He watched them look between each other before Sam extended her hand, her face no longer holding any of the apprehension from earlier. He turned to face her head on, but didn’t move from his spot.

After a few seconds, she lowered her arm, wrapping it around herself instead.

”It…looks like Phantom,” she said softly, to which Danny nodded slowly. 

“It originated from Phantom.”

”What exactly is it?”

Danny shook his head. “I’m not certain. And neither does Phantom.”

Tucker pointed at the shadow, his frown much deeper now. “Why not ask your… it—then..?”

Danny let out a small snort, smiling as he half turned back to the shadow, seeing it watching him again. “It can’t speak.”

Tucker’s eyebrows rose as Sam’s furrowed. 

“Can it write?”

He blinked, feeling so stupid as he glanced at it. Of course it could! It already had.

He shoved his overly negative feelings away as he pulled out his phone, pulling up the notepad app and held it out towards the inky black creature.

”Do you—want to talk?”

It stared at him a moment before slowly reaching out and taking the phone from him.

He stared at it, feeling a little nervous as it stared at the phone and lifted its other hand to slowly touch the screen.

Then, it finally handed it back, making him laugh at what it had done.

<3

Sam frowned, moving towards them, but Danny shook his head. “It didn’t say anything. Just—sorry.”

She looked weirded out, flicking her eyes between them as she focused solely on the shadow.

”Phantom’s shadow, what exactly are you?”

It stared at her before taking Danny’s phone again and typing, but faster this time before handing it back. 

Danny had to hold back his laughter.

Sam frowned harder. “What? What did it say?”

He turned the phone for her to see. 

A shadow

She glared. “Well, no fucking duh. I meant—you know what? Nevermind. Tell us all you know about Phantom. Or Shadow King or whatever the fuck you call him in the Ghost Zone.”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “That’s not exactly the smartest thing to ask. Phantom can still see and hear through it.”

Sam and Tucker looked much less comfortable now.

”So it is a clone?” Sam asked, but Danny shook his head.

”No, it’s something else. It’s not a ghost, because it has no core. But it’s not a clone because Phantom can’t control him.”

His friends frowned at him, keeping their eyes on the shadow as Tucker took a step towards it.

”Is it like Johnny 13’s shadow? Where it can act separately from him?”

The shadow turned slightly, seemingly looking at Tucker before nodding its head once.

Tucker looked surprised. “I always thought his shadow was a different ghost. This…complicates so many things.”

The shadow turned away then, taking Danny’s phone from him to type once more. Danny watched it for a second before looking at Sam, who was still standing a little ways away.

”I don’t like this. Any of it,” Sam said, looking away. “Was…everything a lie? Phantom showed up on your birthday and you decided you no longer trusted us. You decided right then and there that he was the most important thing in your life. And that as long as you got to keep him, nothing else mattered.”

Danny felt his face flush, realizing how true her words were, and yet—“No. It was just—I knew you guys wouldn’t understand, and—“

”Understand what? That you got together with your own ghost? Because yeah, we don’t understand, Danny. That’s insane.”

He bit his cheek, but seeing the shadow move again, he looked at what it had written this time. He paused, taking the phone and reading.

Time to go. Drop off Sam and Tucker and head to your house. ~P

He frowned, but Sam had moved to look over his shoulder, glaring at it.

”What is this—telephone? Phantom uses this guy to give you secret messages?”

Danny sighed, pulling his phone away from view. “Not secret. And this is only the second time they’ve done it. He can’t exactly message me, Sam.”

She gave him a look, to which he pulled away from her. 

“Look, I know how you feel and I understand that you’re upset, but it’s not up to you. This is my life and my decisions, so—“

”Are they, though?”

They all stopped, Tucker hissing from how quick he sucked in a breath.

”Sam—“

”No,” she said forcefully, staring right at Danny. “I need him to hear what I have to say.”

Danny gritted his teeth, but finally nodded.

”This—all of this—it’s too much too quickly. The Danny I knew didn’t rush into things. He was precise and calculated with his decisions. He didn’t like too many things out of his control.”

Danny frowned, but Sam moved closer towards him, reaching out slowly to take his hand. He glanced down, seeing the ghost repelling bracelet on her wrist and feeling a sort of horror fill his thoughts.

”This—this isn’t like you. And I’m afraid that whatever he’s been doing, he’s forcing you to think and feel this way. He’s making you think you want this, when in reality, you don’t.”

Danny swallowed, looking at her deeply in the eye. To some extent, he knew she was right. The problem was that he wasn’t sure where he ended and Phantom’s influence began. Did he like Phantom? Had he chose him from the beginning? He thought he had, but who knew with an ability to change people’s perception of events.

Danny felt his eyes start to burn as tears filled his vision. He glanced back at her, shaking his head as he felt a laugh force its way up and out of his mouth.

”I have no idea, Sam. But how could I? At this point, you’re right. Who knows what’s real and what’s a lie.”

She stared at him before taking a step back and glancing at Tucker, who looked just as worried as she did.

”You say that like it’s a lost cause.”

”Because it is,” Danny said weakly. “Phantom—he’s a force to be reckoned with. I’ve seen it—you’ve seen it. I can’t imagine anyone or anything that could even remotely challenge him, let alone win that challenge. And honestly, I don’t—“

”By outsmarting him. Phantom was already trapped in the gym, which was why he was freaking, especially once you left. That ghost shield, that was our chance, but you dismantled it.”

Danny stopped to stare at her. She was right. Danny—mostly the shadow—had freed Phantom, but it wasn’t like he was actually trapped. All he really had to do was destroy the ceiling and the satellite would have been destroyed on its own. But he hadn’t. He’d made sure Danny escaped and let him find a more passive solution, because Danny had begged to help him on his own.

“We could have stopped him. Captured him with a Thermos. Then both he and Plasmius would have been locked away. It was so close to reality. But you—you chose him.”

Danny couldn’t answer her. He just clenched his jaw before turning away from her, towards the edge of the roof, where a lot of people still were. He looked at them all, seeing the ambulances as well as the police trying to keep the still screaming people at bay. Complete and utter chaos.

”Shadow,” he called softly. He didn’t want to be anywhere near there anymore.

A second later, he felt cold along his arm, making him tilt his head just slightly. “Take me home.”

He didn’t even look back as Sam and Tucker called his name, just held tight to the inky creature that had turned him invisible before lifting them into the air.

They flew quickly, not stopping once before it flew him towards the front door, landing on the sidewalk next to his house. He frowned before remembering how involved his parents had been, and the fact that they were probably waiting on him right behind that door.

He smiled at the shadow, feeling the weight return to him when it released his hand. “Thank you, Shadow.”

It disappeared once more, but he felt a soft chill against his face, giving him the courage to go to his front door. He only waited a second before pushing the door open, a little relieved to see the living room was dark and empty.

He let out a small sigh before walking straight towards the stairs, heading towards his bedroom like Phantom had asked him. He could only imagine all that was going to happen. 

Danny tried to clear his head, even as he went to the bathroom and wiped the makeup off his face, leaving him tender and slightly red. He gave himself a grimace of a smile, but making eye contact with himself, knew he wasn’t fooling anyone.

He stilled once he felt eyes on him, making him turn around, seeing the dark mass directly behind him. The shadow was watching him.

He stared at it, letting his thoughts get the better of him as he took a step towards it, then another. Soon enough, he was barely a foot away from it, lifting his hand to press it against the creatures face, finding a very distinct cheekbone. 

Danny felt as the shadow leaned into his touch, making his breath catch. It was so similar to Phantom, but if his understanding of the shadow was correct, this was a different being. The same way he and Phantom were now separate beings.

He pulled away from it, ready to say something when it reached towards him instead, using it’s much large hand to cup the entirety of the side of his face. 

Danny stared at the shadow, feeling a need stirring inside of him that wasn’t entirely innocent. It was a similar yet different feeling to how he wanted Phantom, yet hit him in the exact same way.

He wanted to act on it, wanted to know what it was like to be with this creature—if he could be with it—but the idea of angering Phantom, of him seeing it as a betrayal, kept him from leaning any closer, from tilting his head up and finding its lips like he so desperately wanted.

He bit his lip as he turned away. “I—I’m not all that certain how you and Phantom feel about each other, but I know how possessive he is. I—I’m not sure—“

The shadow shook its head, moving to pull Danny closer again, but he pushed against it.

”I’m sorry. I just—I really don’t want to—“

But just then, this overwhelming gross sensation hit him, making him feel like he was going to be sick. Danny had to grab the shadow to keep himself stable as wave after wave of queasiness took over, leaving him weak at the knees.

”Holy—“ he struggled to catch his breath, the feeling shifting to a pain inducing throb that made him feel entirely like shit.

”Shadow, please—what is that?”

He went with it as the creature lowered him to the bathroom floor, pulling him close as he clung to it. Danny couldn’t even keep his eyes open at this point, the pain being the only thing he could focus on as his head felt ready to explode. It was pure hell, and Danny was just begging it to end at this point.

After an eternity, it seemed to fade, leaving Danny weightless as he all but collapsed against the shadow. It held him gently, stroking his hair and petting his back in smooth strokes.

Slowly, Danny lifted his head, grimacing as he took in the shadow’s nonexistent face looking down at him. He let out a breath as he moved his arms, followed by his legs, forcing himself up once more.

The shadow followed him, towering over him just as its ghostly counterpart did. Danny frowned.

”Was—was that Phantom? Did he…fix everything?”

The shadow didn’t answer at first, but after a moment, it did give him a single nod. He let out a small breath.

”That—was awful. Why—why did it—?” But he stopped when he remembered who he was trying to get answers from. Danny sighed. “I guess that means everything with the school got fixed. But what else did he change?” Do Sam and Tucker remember? What do the ghost hunter’s remember? Did he remember everything correctly? The questions were endless.

Danny turned then, unlocking the bathroom door and leaving quickly. He went straight to his bedroom, not caring about the shadow seeing him as he changed from his suit to a regular pair of clothes. If he was going to wait on his ghost, he was going to do so comfortably.

Danny turned to the shadow once he was done, seeing it face away from him. He snorted at it.

”A respectful gentleman? Definitely not Phantom.”

It turned barely towards him, but only for a moment before turning back away, facing his closed bedroom door.

Danny frowned as he made his way over towards it, reaching for it, but his hand never made contact before it disappeared altogether.

He blinked. “Shadow?”

”Yes?”

He turned quickly, seeing his ghost having returned to him, now standing in the middle of his bedroom. Danny was always surprised to see his ghostly form, the one he had chosen for himself. He had always feared that if he saw Phantom again, he’d look and act like Dan, and while he was the supreme ruler of the Ghost Zone, he wasn’t nearly as demented or evil as that version of the ghost.

”Phantom,” he breathed, moving towards him.

“Hello, my Love,” the ghost whispered once he had embraced him. Danny felt his hand cup the back of his head, running his fingers through his hair as he held him. “I’m glad you weren’t affected too much.”

Danny lifted his face, giving him a weak smile. “Yeah.”

Phantom rose an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

Danny shrugged. “I—I’m just a little—worried. What all did you change? Am—am I the only one who—?”

”Sam and Tucker are oblivious. The ghost hunters were trickier. I can’t reverse death.”

Danny swallowed at that. “Ohh?”

”I made them think they were in the woods and had some casualties from reckless behavior. Mostly their own faults. I also instilled a sense of doubt in them. After this, hopefully they’ll leave on their own.”

Danny was confused. “But the charts. The data—“

”Could have been a fluke. Old equipment picking up insane readings. And in their past, some of their technicians also mentioned such things. This might be their final straw.”

Danny nodded as he slightly pulled away, but Phantom didn’t let him go.

”Phantom—“

”Yet they’re still ghost hunters, and determined ones at that. No matter how much doubt they have, if the ectoplasm levels linger, so will they.”

Danny shook his head. “Not necess—“

”The longer I stay, the harder and more dangerous your life will be. And not just from the ghost hunters. I couldn’t live with myself if my presence brought you further harm. Or worse.”

Danny frowned. He wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but it made him feel worse as Phantom finally released him.

”I’m trying to do what’s right by you. I want to protect you in every way I can. This—it’s the only plan I have left.”

Danny took a deep breath as he nodded. “Okay. When do we leave?”

Phantom just stared at him, not responding as Danny felt his stomach sink.

“You are planning to bring me with you, aren’t you?”

Phantom’s face was as blank as ever, but his eyes looked unfocused as he turned to avoid his gaze.

”This—isn’t the best time, my Love. You’re 18, yes, but you’re still in high school. If you disappeared now—“

Danny glared at him. “You’re running away and leaving me here.”

Phantom’s gaze flicked back to his at once. “I’m not abandoning you. I’m waiting until the time is right to—“

”I can’t believe this.” Danny thought he’d throw up. “After all you did to get here and win me over, you’re just going to leave me here and go back to your kingdom like nothing ever happened. You—you’re just so—“

Phantom moved quickly, cupping his cheek and pulling him close, starting Danny into silence. 

“I would never leave you behind. I just can’t steal you away yet. Danny, my Love, the time isn’t right.”

Danny gritted his teeth, feeling his anger surge as the ghost just blankly looked back at him. As they stared, he felt tears start to burn his eyes, forcing him to look away as he tried to blink them away, but that just caused the tears to start falling down his cheeks.

Phantom moved his thumb ever so gently, wiping the salty liquid from his downturned face.

”This isn’t goodbye.”

”Then why does it hurt so much?”

Danny had barely choked the words out, feeling the sting from how real they were. It did hurt. The idea that Phantom was just leaving him there, leaving him to the consequences of his actions, it was too much to handle all at once.

”I wish I could take your pain,” Phantom whispered as he leaned closer to him, tilting his head back so they were looking at each other once more. “But it’s one of the things I love most about you. You feel so openly. You hold all the emotions I can never feel. A perfect reflection of warmth and life.”

Danny stared at him, seeing the empty expression and realizing in that very moment that maybe—maybe they really were opposites. Life and death. Hot and cold. Compassion and indifference. They reflected each other. Two halves of a whole. Danny really thought he was going to cry then.

”I—I don’t—“

”What if Shadow stayed with you?”

Danny felt his thoughts stop all at once. He stopped, looking at the ghost confused.
“Wh-what?”

”The shadow doesn’t hold a core, and doesn’t use power unless strictly necessary. It’s undetectable to their devices and will be a good guardian while I’m away.”

Danny felt very conflicted by those statements. He sniffed, glancing around the room, but he didn't see the dark entity.

“And it will be a good companion in my absence.” Phantom said softly as he cupped Danny’s chin and lifted his face. “It’s very similar to me as you’ve already found. Just silent.”

Danny nodded, but he still felt sick with the idea of Phantom leaving him.

”Will you return as soon as I graduate?”

Phantom didn’t respond at first, but he did eventually sigh. “Those are my intentions, yes.”

Danny frowned, not feeling any better with that answer.

As they stood there, Danny felt a chill run down his spine. Turning, he spotted the shadow in the corner of his room, watching them.

“Shadow,” Phantom called, looking at the creature.

It looked back at him, almost assessing the situation before moving closer to them.

”I must return,” Phantom said softly, as he glanced back at Danny. “It’s much sooner than I expected, but my presence here is starting to make things more complicated, but you’re still undetectable which will work in our favor. I’m gonna need you to stay here with Danny. Just until his graduation, then I’ll return for you both, understood?”

The shadow stood completely still, staring at the ghost before shaking its head.

Phantom narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

The shadow lifted its hand, holding it where both Danny and Phantom could see it before it started making symbols with its fingers.

Danny’s eyes were wide. “It knows how to sign?”

Phantom was still glaring at it. “Now is too soon. He can’t just go missing his senior year. It’ll look bad. Look suspicious.”

Danny looked back at Phantom. “You can read sign language?”

They both ignored him. The shadow just kept signing, which made Phantom release an aggravated breath.

”It’s only a few more months. We've literally been waiting for years at this point.”

The shadow moved to stand behind Danny then, placing its hands on his hips. Danny felt himself blush.

Phantom looked from the shadow to Danny, visibly clenching his jaw as he forced his face away.

”You know and I know how much this hurts me, but I have no choice. Besides, it’s not ready yet.”

Danny frowned, ready to ask when there was shouting downstairs, startling him. He turned, wide eyed, not at all certain what was happening before he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek, leaving him gasping.

”See you soon enough, my Love.”

Then he was gone, leaving Danny with a soft chill and a sense of longing more intense than the gaping wound he had left all those years ago.