Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

necrophagia (noun)

1. the consumption of dead flesh or carrion
2. the practice of feeding on (eating) corpses

   ---

Phasing into the bathroom stall, Danny leaned his back against the door and let out an exhausted sigh. The thermos clutched to his chest, he closed his eyes as he focused on calming himself down. Everything was fine now, the lunch lady ghost that attacked the cafeteria during lunch was gone, he protected everyone, no one was hurt.

A month had passed since the accident, the day he stepped foot into his parent's ghost portal with his friends and had electricity mixed with ectoplasm ravage his body. The day was still fresh in his mind; the excruciating pain that surged through him, the smell of his flesh burning, his throat becoming raw as he yelled out, and his own sense of self feeling as though it was being ripped out of him from inside of him. It was a miracle he came out unharmed, his parents had him checked repeatedly with numerous doctors, each delivering the same clean bill of health.

It was a week later when he first "died".

Danny awoke in the middle of the night, a bitter chill overlapping his entire body as his arms and legs faded in and out of visibility right before his eyes. Before he could even scream in horror, he suddenly dropped through the floor as if he was standing over a trap door, and fell onto the kitchen table below.

Danny was lucky his father's loud snoring blocked most of the noise that night. 

He rolled off the table in hysterics, running to the nearby bathroom to get a clearer look at his body to get a sense of what was going on. As he reached for the light switch however, he noticed that his vision seemed to be unnaturally well in the darkness. Two green eyes stared back at him from the mirror. Finally flipping the switch, he saw himself.

Grey hair.

Piercing green eyes like he saw before.

A black jumpsuit, similar to the one he had the accident in but inverted.

An unnatural glow.

In every sense of the word, he was a ghost.

He dashed up the stairs, back into his room, back into his bed to hide under the covers like it was all a bad dream. Though when he tried to, he bumped into a heavy mass lying in his bed. He looked over at what it was-

Himself.

Or better yet, his corpse.

Danny Fenton lay dead in his bed, still in the same position he initially fell asleep in before his final moments.

It was a week after that when he fought his first ghost.

His parents never kept the portal closed, allowing ghosts to roam free right under their noses. Of course that was his own fault, wasn't it? 

If only he'd listened to his parents and stayed away from the portal, Amity Park would've been free from ghosts. 

If only he'd listened to his parents and stayed away from the portal, he wouldn't be stuck in this state of neither being dead nor alive.

He was the sinner, and this was his punishment. Now it was his responsibility to protect everyone he loved and the town from harm's way. 

He couldn't let anyone know his secret. His parents went on nonstop tirades about ghosts; how they were nothing but emotionless monsters that were the remnant of human emotions at the time of death; how they seeked to bring harm to humans, even if they appeared friendly and non-combative; and how badly they wanted to capture one for themselves, to rip it apart molecule by molecule and see all the inner workings that made a ghost a ghost.

His sister didn't initially believe in ghosts, though with the spread of them throughout Amity Park, he noticed her taking more of an interest in learning more. She appeared more interested in the psychology behind them, trying to maybe help them fully pass on if it were to be possible. But how would she react if she found her own brother to be one of those freaks? Would she believe he was himself and not some ghost possessing his own corpse? Would she possibly expose him to his parents? The fear of the unknown was too great, and Danny wasn't ready to take such a risk.

His friends…would they even stay by his side? Would they see him as a freak as well, distancing themselves from him for their own safety? Would they feel guilty, hiding it from him as they processed being responsible for their friend's "death"? He couldn't put them through that, they were his best friends he wouldn't trade for the world. What kind of selfish person would place that sort of weight onto the shoulders of those they cared for?

Besides, he was the one that allowed them to go down into the basement despite being told time and time again how dangerous it was. If anything, he'd only be passing on the blame to two who didn't deserve it. 

So here Danny spent the past month, living day after day acting out the role of a superhero. Putting on a brave look to mask his fear of dying against his foes, getting others hurt, or even letting his loved ones die. 

Today was a lunch lady ghost, angry at the menu being changed after fifty long years. His friend, Sam, had advocated for it, pointing out how unhealthy the school food was and pushed for an eco-friendly vegetarian focused menu. Ill-advised as it was, did it really deserve her head nearly being bashed in from a heavy pot being flung at her by the rampaging ghost? Had he'd been off by a second, the impact would've surely cracked her skull and most likely killed her.

It was a miracle he was able to push the lunch lady outside of the school to fight, and while she was down, catch her in the thermos his parents built for the purpose of trapping ghosts. Now here he was post-battle, forcing himself calm as he stared at the figure slouched on the toilet.

Himself.

Or rather, his corpse.

On the night he first "died", he learned he wasn't actually dead, however he wasn't alive either. An in-between state, stuck between life and death was how Danny rationalized it. If his corpse remained, he could return back to life albeit with some ghostly abilities making their way through such as invisibility, but those were easy to hide. As long as he kept these new powers on the down low and made sure to hide his body before transforming, he could keep his regular everyday life and new ghost one separate.

The problem was how he had to return back to living.

Danny walked over to his corpse and laid his hand on its stomach. Taking a deep breath, he turned his hand intangible and gripped his skin from the outside and in. He closed his eyes as he pulled the skin and fat away, leaving a gaping wound exposing his internal organs to the outside air. He repeated it again with the other side, still not being used to the resistance he encountered as he ripped himself open. The smell of his flesh mixed with the bodily fluids his corpse was already stained with prior nearly made him vomit, but he pressed on. Reaching his hand in, he felt a familiar urge growing in him, the same that came to him the night he first went ghost.

The urge to devour.

He grabbed part of his small intestine and pulled it towards his mouth as the disgust he'd just been feeling was slowly being overwritten by the desire to consume. As it reached its breaking point, Danny finally quit hesitating and sunk his teeth into it. A flavor similar to pennies flooded into his mouth as the blood from the intestine dripped down his chin onto the floor. The bitter taste of bile soon mixed in with the blood, but Danny was so…entranced, he couldn't pay it any mind. He ripped away from the flesh, tearing the chunk he bit into away from it, and chewed at the tough meat before swallowing it down with little difficulty. The second bite he went at with no hesitation.

That night, he learned the only way for him to go back to being human was to consume his own corpse's organs. He couldn't just eat a finger or two, it had to be a significant amount. The thought of it always made him sick to his stomach, spending many a night post ghost fighting hunched over the toilet vomiting whatever he had for dinner as the memory of his own taste assaulted his mind. It was beginning to become noticable too, his mom had begun checking on him constantly as his weight seemed to drastically decrease. He hoped, if the situation called for it, he could just past it off as an eating disorder.

However when he was in ghost form, it was…different. His body would awaken a starving urge in him, as if he had to consume himself to make himself complete again. The act of consumption seemed to allow his ghostly body to absorb his human body's essence and reconnect the two sides together. 

The first night it happened, he violently tore open his corpse, caring not for the mess of blood that scattered everywhere and stained the bed. He just needed to become one again, to return to himself, to become whole. Before he knew it, he was on his back facing the ceiling just like he initially was prior to falling through the floor. He reached for the gaping wound that should've been on him, but found nothing but his unscarred skin. It was as if the last fifteen minutes had never happened.

The blood covering the sheets made sure to prevent him from passing everything off as a nightmare. 

He continued devouring as that familiar "connective" feeling washed over him, signifying to him he'd eaten enough. Before he knew it, he was facing the stall door and Phantom was nowhere in sight. He quickly lifted his shirt and looked at his stomach, no wounds remained. Shakily, he stood from the toilet as he got himself together. No matter how many times he did this, he still had yet to get used to it.

After cleaning up the slight bit of blood that got all over the toilet and floor, he put on a spare change of clothes to replace the ones stained with his bodily fluids that he still wore. Danny stuffed them into a plastic bag to prevent his backpack from staining and drawing attention, the last thing he would want. Finally after finishing up, he left the stall behind and quickly made his way back to the cafeteria. Kids crowded the wide space, chattering about the ghost attack with each other, still clearly shaken from it all. Danny spotted his own friends off by the corner and made his way over to them.

"Danny, there you are!" Sam came over and hugged him. "Where did you disappear to? We were worried something got you!"

Ah, there it was, the same old question as always. Danny was getting used to lying at this point, so the words rolled off his tongue with relative ease as he looked her straight in the eyes.

"I'm sorry guys, I ended up hiding in the janitor's closet."

He knew Sam was also good at spotting lies, so he hoped to whatever deity there was that the slight tense expression she gave him wasn't because she saw right through him.

"You good, dude?" Tucker suddenly asked, concern evident in his voice. "You've been acting pretty weird lately…"

Turning his attention away from Sam and the guilty feeling lingering in his chest, he forced a slight smile as he looked over at Tucker and said-

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Chapter Text

Tick-tick-tick.

The sound of the classroom clock.

Arms against a cheap plastic desk.

A worksheet on America in the 1950s lain upon it.

Danny Fenton sits at his desk staring at his worksheet.

“Hey Danny, do you remember what year the polio vaccine was developed again?” Tucker whispers to him.

1955, he replies.

“Thanks, man!”

The coldness of the classroom makes him shiver.

It reminds him of his ghost sense.

It reminds him of death.

It reminds him of corpses.

It reminds him of himself.

He stares at his worksheet.

It's only half done.

The answers seem to be correct as well.

When did he get to the halfway point? He can't seem to recall.

Danny Fenton sits at his desk working on his assignment.

The movement of his pencil is of his own will.

The answers he writes down are of his own thoughts.

The way his body moves is of his own choice.

Choice?

Is he truly in control of himself?

Is he the one moving his body?

He clenches and unclenches his hand.

A reminder that he's in control.

The classroom around him feels distant. He feels distant from Danny.

Like watching a movie with Danny Fenton in the leading role.

Tick-tick-tick.

The clock continues on.

Danny Fenton sits at his desk finishing his assignment.

|

“You think that's funny, buster?” Grey eyes glared at him.

He looked at the ghost that just came out of his new locker, confused. What had he done wrong?

“Leave that poor kid alone!”

Poor kid? Dash? The boy who'd been bullying him for years now? How was he the victim here? Dash had been upping his altercations with him as of recent, and now with this new locker it was becoming non-stop. All he did was give him some proper payback for pelting him with food all during lunch. Obviously there was a misunderstanding, it honestly made him laugh.

“Don't hand me that jazz, Clyde. You're the bully from where I'm standing!”

Okay sure, maybe it was a bit much to shove live frogs into his pants and give him a wedgie, especially ones that his friend was campaigning to save from biology class. But honestly, was it that deep? Maybe he should've left him alone if he hated it so much.

“Well let's see how you like getting bullied!”

A fight had begun; Binders, pencils, calculators, and all sorts of school materials flew towards him. The sound of students' screams echoed throughout the halls. It all was a blur as he went into action.

Before he knew it, they were in a different hallway. The ghost was near Sam who sat kneeled on the ground picking up run-away frogs. It took her a moment to notice the ghost behind her, and Danny watched her body seize in fear from being merely a foot away from the poltergeist. Tucker came from around the corner, his eyes going wide as he witnessed the scene in front of him.

“I'm Sidney Poindexter! And wherever there is a single nerd in need, I shall be there.”

Sidney Poindexter? Wasn't that the name of the bullied boy Tucker told him previously had his locker back in the 50s? Well duh, obviously it had to be. Either way, he had to get him away from the two. Without hesitating, he launched towards the ghost, but went right through him, nearly colliding with Tucker who had just snapped out of his shock, and hit right into the rows of lockers.

Getting himself reoriented, he sped past Tucker who ran over to Sam, and punted himself right into the ghost, turning them intangible as they went through multiple walls. Poindexter kicked him off of him and sprayed ink onto his face from a pen, causing him to fall through the floor into the bathroom below.

In the stall where his corpse lied.

Sidney stared at the two in shock.

“Holy socks…you're a halfa!”

A what-a?

“A halfa! One that has all our powers on a human plane, but still clings to life,” Sidney explained. “I can't believe there's another one like him, and you're using powers for evil too!?”

Would you listen to me!? I only took over Dash because he's-

“You can take over someone's body? Jeepers, if I had your powers, I'd flip!” Sidney's gaze shifted over to the corpse lying slouched on the seat. “I wonder…”

Danny's heart dropped into his stomach. Before he could react, Sidney dashed into his corpse. He suddenly froze in shock as an unfathomable cold overran him. His body twitched and convulsed in unnatural poses as a ghostly green light emanated from it. Sirens blasted on his head, yelling for him to get him out of him. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.

“How about a taste of your own medicine, you bully!”

Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.

“-to pick on innocent kids-

Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT. OUT.

“-but I sure as sugar won't!”

The cold floor tiles his face lied against brought him back to reality. He stood up and saw the sight of an endless monochrome school hallway spread in front of him. Before he could even collect himself, his head was bashed into a locker next to him.

“Watch it, Poindexter!” The jock laughed as he and his friends continued down the hallway.

His head twinged with pain as he attempted to stand up with great difficulty, nearly falling back onto the floor as his senses felt split in half. Even when staying still, his mind gave him the impression of walking; he could hear faint voices that hurt his head in trying to listen to what they were saying; and it felt as if his hands were touching upon surfaces he was nowhere near.

Getting himself up to the open locker he seemed to have fallen out of, he recognized it as his own locker, Locker 724. His voice died in his throat as the reflection in the mirror was not his own, but that of Sidney Poindexter’s.

|

“Earth to Danny? Helloooo? Danny, are you there?”

Sam is speaking to him. What's wrong?

“You zoned out there for a second, I was telling you about that freaky ghost I ran into yesterday.”

Oh, right. Class had finished.

They were walking down the hallway.

When did they get out?

“I was scared out of my mind, then that phantom guy saved me again.” A light blush found its way onto her face as she recalled the memory.

It's a good thing neither of you got hurt.

“What about you, dude?” Tucker was asking that question again. “We can't seem to find you anywhere when a ghost shows up.”

I told you, I get scared and hide myself somewhere.

“Your parents were here too, man. It was wild, they wouldn't leave until Lancer let them search the school for ‘ecto-activity’ they were say-.

Fist meets stomach.

Pain spreads.

He falls to the ground.

“Move it, Fenturd!”

Mocking laughter.

It barely registers.

Sam snaps something at Dash.

Tucker is patting his back.

It's fine, he says.

He deserved it anyway for bullying him. He keeps that part silent.

Sam says something in return.

Repeat.

Sam gives in, a bitter look holding back anger upon her face.

Danny Fenton walks down the hallway.

The cafeteria food is cold.

The cafeteria is cold.

He is cold.

His body feels cold.

Cold.

Is he really here?

Sam and Tucker debate. Something about vegan burgers versus real burgers.

He chimes in the occasional comment, words spilling out before finished thoughts.

The normalcy reminds him he is here.

That he's alive.

That he's himself.

That he's in control of himself.

The stale hamburger slides down his throat with each bite.

He doesn't remember when he finished it.

His shirt is stained with milk.

When did that happen?

“Oops, sorrryyy Fenton!” he mocks. “I couldn't tell the difference between you and the trash can!”

Sam is about to throw something.

Repeat.

Sam holds her tongue and continues to glare at Dash who walks away, laughing with his friends.

“Look man, I know Dash is always messing with us, but come on it's been getting worse the past few days. You can't just keep letting him off the hook!” Tucker speaks low to him in a way only Sam and him can hear.

Repeat.

Tucker grimaces.

He leaves the cafeteria to go clean himself.

Danny Fenton walks down the hallway.

|

His face came in contact with the floor again.

“Have a nice trip, Poindexter!”

“Oh, that square? I can't believe he's actually real!”

Who's voice is that? Why can he feel it coming out of himself?

“I’m fine my pals! I'm just so glad to have friends for once!”

Sam and Tucker's shoulders. He feels himself placing his hands upon them despite not being near them.

Dirty water is dumped onto his head and he's stomped on.

“Wow, Poindexter! Who knew you'd make such a great mop!”

The laughter fills his ears.

Faint traces of Sam and Tucker’s voices fill his ears. He can't understand them.

He's grabbed yet again, his head is shoved violently into the metal locker again.

The jock says something mocking, but it's unintelligible.

A fist bashes him in the face.

A fist bashes him in the face.

A fist bashes him in the face.

“This poor kid has suffered enough hasn't he? I'm gonna make sure everything's evened!”

A knee hits his stomach.

He drops to the ground and is kicked in the face.

Laughter escapes their throat.

He runs.

The hallway repeats.

He runs.

The hallway repeats.

An exit.

He bursts through the front doors. The Ghost Zone spreads in front of him.

He stops himself from falling off. He can't escape from this purgatory.

He panics.

“Here, pal! Let me get that for you!”

“Of course! I'm always there for people in need!”

“I'm sorry for being so mean to you before, here let me help you…what was it-Dash!”

He's back inside.

Locker 724 is right there.

He looks through.

Dash and Kwan are lifting Danny up, laughing.

Danny is laughing with them. “Party at my place everyone! Everyone's invited, except bullies!”

Sam and Tucker are looking at him with confused expressions.

His screams don't reach.

He can't go through it.

He feels his underwear being yanked.

He feels a kick to the groin.

He's picked up and thrown.

They all can't help but laugh at the pathetic whelp.

His senses are on a rampage.

He can't focus.

He feels Sidney again.

He feels his body move without his consent again.

He doesn't feel any sort of control over his body.

He feels Sidney using his body.

He feels Sidney eating with his body.

He feels Sidney talking with his body.

Every action Sidney takes, he feels it as if he were the one doing them.

His detainer controlling his body as if it were his own. Him, the prisoner, mentally attached to it as if he still owned it.

“                    !” The other nerd laughs at him.

“Of course, mother! I'm so glad you came to help with that nasty ghost! Who knows what innocent kid he would've bullied next!”

Jazz says something to him. She sounds confused.

He hears loud music.

He hears loud chatter.

The cheers of people.

The jeers of people.

He feels people surrounding him.

He sees people surrounding him.

Claustrophobic feelings build up.

He can't breathe.

His screams reach nowhere.

He's grabbed again. He's assaulted again.

He's grabbed again. He's celebrated again.

Senses mixing together.

A splitting headache.

Danny screams.

Poindexter laughs.

The remnants heckle.

|

“Mr. Fenton, It appears you're adjusting to your new locker. I hope you won't take to vandalizing school property with this one as well,” Mr. Lancer warns.

I'm sorry, sir.

“As long as there are no further issues, an apology is unnecessary.” Lancer looks down at him. “Really now, you and your friends could learn from Mr. Baxter. He isn't the star of the school for nothing.”

He listens to him go on.

“-had Miss Manson been so inclined to use peaceful activism regarding the frogs in a conductive manner like he did, we wouldn't have had that silly issue of frogs rampaging through the school-”

He listens to him go on.

“-grades could use some improvement, but I see potential in his future, just like I see in yours, which is why I wish you were to follow his example.”

Standard response.

Mr. Lancer finishes his droning.

Danny gives a nod and generic words of acknowledgement.

Mr. Lancer took off down the hallway.

Dash knocks Danny’s books and papers out of his hand. Kwan and Dale laugh at him.

“How’s hanging with the band geeks, Fenturd!”

Danny says something he can't remember, and keeps his eyes downward.

Dash speaks about a party at Danny’s that he has no recollection of.

“-an awesome ass party, then hanging with the band dorks the very next day! What a freaking downfall!” Dash can't hold back his laughter anymore. Kwan and Dale laugh with him as well.

Danny goes to pick up his textbooks and papers.

Dash kicks them away.

Kwan steps on them.

Dale opens Danny’s locker

Dash grabs him and stuffs him in the locker.

He hears more ridiculing as they head down the hall, away from him.

Danny Fenton lays in silence.

His locker is unlocked.

Sam and Tucker help him get out.

Tucker gathers his strewn about papers and books.

Sam says something about Dash getting on her last nerve.

Repeat.

“Why do you keep defending him!? First, you go on about ‘bullying’ him and acting like his little lapdog the other day,” Sam yells, her face reddening with anger. “Now, he's sitting here assaulting you and you're just letting him treat you like his personal punching bag!”

Repeat.

“Stop saying that! Listen to me, I can't keep sitting here and watching you get treated like this!”

Repeat.

“The hell do you mean you were bullying him!? When!? When have you ever treated him like how he treats you!?”

“Sam, calm down-”

“No, Tucker, I'm not going to calm down and just watch Danny get treated like garbage!”

Repeat.

Begging.

Sam glares at him. She clenches her fists and leaves. Tucker tries to call out to her, but she ignores him.

Danny closes his locker. Let's head to class.

Danny Fenton heads to class.

|

Stiff.

His body feels stiff.

Yet, the cold floor he lies upon still reminds him he's not himself.

Sidney is moving with his body again.

How much time has passed?

The chill morning air hits against his body.

Struggling steps up a flight of stairs. Hand on door. Trouble opening it.

His head splits in pain.

Soreness spreading throughout.

As long as he lies here and looks away, the remnants tend not to bother him as often.

Frantic breaths. A feeling of being ensnared.

Each second passing his adrenaline is still peaked however. Any moment now that could change. Any moment now he could be assaulted again.

“Oh no, oh no! Why won't you leaveeee me alone!”

Poindexter is struggling with something.

His body is so sore.

Is it him who is sore, or is it Sidney who is sore?

Does it matter anymore?

“Where are the sevens, where are they? Curses, why did they make this school so big since my time!?”

This is his punishment.

This is what he deserved for bullying Dash.

Dash was the victim, he the perpetrator.

Dash was always the victim wasn't he?

If he'd just stay out of his way, Dash wouldn't have bullied him.

If he just ignored him, Dash wouldn't have beat him.

If he'd just treated him with kindness, Dash wouldn't have been a victim.

Why did he let his power go to his head?

“Where is it!? I need to get back!”

Why did he become what he hated?

“Work hands, work!!”

How did he fail in making up for his mistake upon the town already?

“Hey! Bully! Can you hear me!? Hello!?”

A voice?

He looks up. A bright light emanates from Locker 724.

He can feel Sidney on the other side.

He's banging on the mirror, why?

Why does his limbs feel so stiff?

Why can he feel the panic in his body?

Wasn't he gonna take over his life?

To right his wrongs?

To leave him in eternal punishment?

“Your body!? I-I don't know what's going on, but it's falling apart!”

His corpse?

“Everything is so stiff, I could barely get out of bed, there's blisters a-all over me, everything hurts, and I can't phase out! Y-Your body is trapping me or something!”

…Rigor mortis?

But why?

Anytime he went back into his body, it was as if he never died in the first place.

What made it different now?

Sidney's hand is poking through the mirror.

His own hand.

“Please pull me through! Please before it's too late! I'm sorry I took your body from you, j-just please get me out!”

The sight of his own hand.

That familiar urge growing in him.

The sensation of finally being able to devour overwriting everything else.

He doesn't remember when he grabbed his hand.

When he became aware once again, he's already tearing into his own throat.

The remnants of past bullies scream at the sight of Poindexter attacking the black haired boy.

Poindexter yells out gurgled screams through a body that isn't his own.

Danny continues to tear into his own flesh like a savage beast and swallows it down.

He holds Poindexter down to stop struggling as he rips deeper into his neck with his teeth.

He drinks down the blood spilling from the open wound, the red color spreading over the light gray toned floors.

The sensation is heavenly.

He feels in control.

He feels himself returning.

He feels himself connecting.

He sees Poindexter crumpled on the ground near the lockers, back in his own body, physically unharmed, shaking uncontrollably as he looks at Danny.

The past remnants stand by Poindexter, some shockingly trying to defend him, some staring in shock at Danny, and most surprising of all, some trying to comfort the nerd.

“         ….” Sidney lets out, as soft as a whisper.

He can't register what Sidney says. It seemed like an apology, but he didn't waste any time trying to see.

He goes through the mirror, thanking whatever that was out there that he hadn't needed to be in ghost form to cross back.

The mirror is grabbed.

The mirror is thrown.

The mirror shatters upon the hallway floor.

His reality’s hallway floor.

A colored world not trapped in a monochrome abyss.

He leans back against the locker and takes deep breaths.

I'm me.

I'm me

I'm me.

I'm in control.

I'm in control.

I'm in control.

He repeats this until he hears an angry voice coming from the hallway yelling his surname sternly.

“Fenton! That’s school property!”

He's himself again.

|

Tick-tick-tick.

The sound of the classroom clock.

Arms against a cheap plastic desk.

A textbook on biology laid upon it.

Danny Fenton sits at his desk staring at his textbook.

Mr. Lancer sits at his desk grading homework, like usual.

Dash throws balled up paper at Danny.

He ignores it.

Snickering comes from behind him.

“Hey, Fenton! Think fast!”

Danny turns around.

Mechanical frog meets face.

Pain spreads.

Green slime covers hair and shirt.

He rips it off of him and throws it to the floor.

“Man, are you slow or what, Fenton!” Dash laughs with his friends.

“Mr. Fenton, Baxter, no fooling around in class. Please work on your readings.”

Mr. Lancer sits at his desk grading homework, like usual.

Tucker says his usual.

Repeat.

Tucker closes his mouth.

Sam comes over and checks on him.

Dash continues mocking.

“Awww, does poor Fenturd need his girlfriend to come save him?”

Sam opens her mouth.

Repeat.

Sam closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Repeat.

Begg-

His textbook leaves his desk.

Textbook meets face.

Dash screams in pain.

Tucker holds back Sam.

Sam struggles against him.

Rage evident in her expression.

Kwan holds back Dash.

Dash struggles against him.

Blood drips from his bruised nose.

Expletives are yelled back and forth between the two.

Mr. Lancer begins to yell, but they ignore him.

Panic

Panic.

It wells up in his stomach.

He can't breathe.

His hands are shaking.

Sweat drips down his forehead.

He excuses himself and leaves the classroom.

He runs into the bathroom.

He hides in the stall.

The shaking won't stop.

He looks around, scared of having angered a certain poltergeist.

Not again.

Not again.

Not again.

Please, not again.

Please. Please. Please.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know Sam would do that. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Please. Please. I'm not bullying him. Please. Please. Please. I swear I didn't mean for that to happen. Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry.

He repeats this to himself.

Danny Fenton cries alone in the stall.

|

Chapter Text

“Hey, Danny?”

Danny turned around to see who had called out to him. There stood Sam, Tucker not far behind, as they both looked at him with worry upon their faces. He tensed up, he already knew they were going to question him and mentally readied himself in advance, but even still it didn't make it any easier. Sliding his slightly quivering hands into his pockets, he put on a fake smile for them as they came to a stop by the lockers.

“Hm? What's up guys?

“What's up? Danny, I promise we're not trying to pry, but is everything okay at home?” Sam rested her hand on his shoulder. “We're just worried…”

Danny sighed. “Yeah, it's fine, I'm sorry I just disappeared like that, I just…was going through some stuff.”

“Dude, if you ever need to talk to someone, just remember we got you,” Tucker added as he patted Danny's back. “If it’s something you're scared to tell your folks, you don't gotta worry about us telling anyone.”

He gulped, becoming aware of each breath he took as he tried to calm his nerves. They couldn't find out, not like this. The last thing he wanted was to tell them all the shit he'd gone through over the past few days.

Especially when he felt that their reactions could possibly make or break their friendship with him.

“No for real, I'm fine. Promise.”

That slight tense expression on her face again. As always, Danny pretended not to notice it, faking a stretch so as to not have to look her in the eyes.

Tucker frowned. “Danny, not to rag on you, but you were missing for four days. We were scared that you might've died or somet-”

“I'm fine!” Danny suddenly yelled. “Seriously, I know I shouldn't have disappeared like that, I'm sorry. It was just…a lot of stuff going on in my head and I just…freaked out, I guess.”

A weary exhale found its way out of Danny as his shoulders fell and he shifted his gaze down to the tiled floor. He could feel their stares lingering on him after his sudden outburst, and the last thing he wanted to do at that moment was look them in the eyes. He couldn't, or else the guilt would overwhelm him, he just couldn't.

Why couldn't they just catch on that he didn't want to talk about it? To just get the hint that he wanted to keep his normal life disconnected from the other side?

Why couldn't they understand he was helping them by not getting them involved.

His head was beginning to hurt, he just wanted to get to class.

He could hear Sam and Tucker apologizing, and in return gave a simple ‘It’s fine’ to calm the situation.

“Anyways, do your parents still have you in hot water, Sam?” A quick change of subject.

Sam scoffed. “Nah, they're over it now. Besides, it's not like it's the first time I've had ISS for fighting anyway,” she smirked.

“You should've seen Dash, he was fuming all week after that!” Tucker held back a laugh.

Danny forced a laugh out. He still felt bad for getting Sam in trouble over something he caused, despite her telling him it was fine. She ended up having to spend a week in ISS over it, but due to her parents threatening to sue, Dash had also received the same punishment and was benched at that week’s game. He knew he should've felt glad that Dash hadn't gotten off scot free like usual, but he just couldn't get past the feeling that he was responsible for Dash mistreating him in the first place. He didn't want Sidney to possibly come after him again and forcibly tak-

Enough of that. He didn't want to resurface those memories.

Of course, he didn't tell Sam how he truly felt. Poking the hornets’ nest would only lead to more issues.

“By the way, he isn't still messing with you is he?”

He'd purposely been avoiding Dash using whatever means necessary. “No, he's just been ignoring me.”

“And now that’s all settled and your parents aren't on your case, it's time we think of a plan to get some Dumpty Humpty tickets!” Tucker pumped his fist in the air.

“God, I almost forgot about those!” Sam’s excitement began to grow. “My folks are out of the question, they think they're ‘corrupting the youth’ or some crap my mom was going off about.”

Danny felt his anxiety lessen. This was what he wanted, just his normal life and not having his other one crossover and ruin it all. It didn't matter how difficult things got, he was determined to keep normalcy and right his wrongs.

As they walked down the wide and busy hallway to class, he forced his agoraphobic feelings aside for the sake of routine.

~

It was all his fault. He just had to rush cleaning the lab up. Just had to ectoblast everything. Just had to knock his father's attempt to save his marriage into the Ghost Zone.

He'd never seen his mom that furious before; the fact that the word divorce even left her lips had shocked him to his core. Yeah, his parents had their arguments, especially around Christmas, but to have her specifically pack her bags and leave on a note like that? This was different.

“Danny, you're fine. I mean, it's not like your mom actually said the word ‘divorce.’ I mean, if she actually said the word, then you'd have to worry.” Tucker chuckled, before the smile dropped from his face as he noticed Danny clench his backpack strap.

What Tucker said earlier settled it. He was going into the Ghost Zone, finding that gift, bringing it back, and then all wells would end well! His parents would repair their marriage, Jazz would stop having an existential crisis over being wrong for once, and he'd not have to live with the fact that he brought about his parents’ separation! Jazz was fortunately too busy re-reading and obsessing over her personal notes to see how she miscalculated how their dad would act about everything (Danny sometimes felt she needed her own therapist), so that made it quite easy for him to slip out undetected.

Leaving his corpse in his room was too risky, especially with Jazz coming back and forth to ask him question after question about any possible errors in her personal diaries. Her finding her little brother’s corpse was the last thing he needed.

Instead, he held his corpse, turned himself invisible, and flew out of his room and deep into the ‘Amity Park’ Park carrying it. He wanted to make sure that no one would come across it and call the police, so it had to be away from any passerbys using the trail. Fortunately for him, he'd come to learn that he could sense his corpse’s location even when he was far away from it, so this helped in finding hiding spots that no one would ever think of looking at.

Finding a nice location next to a passing stream surrounded by scattered, autumn colored leaves, he laid his body flat on the ground and used his ghost abilities to quickly make a hole to lie it in. Just to be safe, he took armfuls of the surrounding leaves and placed them on top just to keep it out of sight in the slight possibility of someone coming by. After he finished, he took one last look at the lump hidden under the pile. It was ironic, in a morbid way, his own human remains being covered by the remains of fallen, dead leaves. Morbid observation, yes, but he needed to keep himself from going off the deep end. Hell, if Sam were here, maybe she'd find it darkly humorous as well.

With everything settled into place, he made his way back to FentonWorks, phased through to the basement, and flew straight into the never-closed portal. It was rare that he was ever happy about his parents leaving that thing open twenty-four seven, especially with the amount of issues it caused him on the daily, but it also allowed him to remain invisible the entire way back on the off chance his parents actually remembered to set up their security cameras.

The Ghost Zone was…unnerving, or rather, creepy. He'd only been in once previously, just right before his mom stormed out the house. His dad was showing him his latest creation, some new vehicle called the ‘Specter Speeder’ that was intended for traversing the zone. Just his luck however, his parents began their argument as he was inside of it, knocked it into drive, and accidentally sent him with it into the portal.

Everything about it just left him with an uncomfortable sense of dread. Nothing but ectoplasmic-green expanding for miles, numerous floating doors leading to who knew where, stairs that ignored the laws of physics and twisted in impossible directions, the constant moaning and screams of the deceased far off in the distance rebounding from all directions, and the horrifying creatures that floated about every which way. Getting lost here couldn't be described as anything else but a death sentence.

However, it was the towering ghost he met not even a minute into his unplanned journey that truly shook him to his core.

A tall, menacing, giant of a ghost stared down at him. His complexion, white as a sheet of paper with a long, washed out trench coat concealing his frame and giving the look of an old time prison warden; His eyes, the same shade of sinister green as the Ghost Zone; His presence, leaving Danny with such fear in his heart that not one of the previous ghosts he'd encountered until now had ever instilled in him. Not even the nerd that still left him with nightmares ever since could match in comparison. Danny truly knew that if he even attempted to fight this ghost, there was no telling if he'd be recognizable from the carnage.

Everything afterwards happened like a blur; the ghost threatened him for ‘trespassing’, he apologized, he warned him that he'd better not see him again, and then Danny put the speeder into reverse until he was back inside the lab. His parents hadn't even noticed he was missing, nor did they notice the way he trembled uncontrollably.

Just for that, there was no way he was taking the Specter Speeder, absolutely not. This was gonna be a safe ‘head in, head out’. He'd even stay close to the portal’s opening, just so he wouldn't end up lost and wandering for who knew how long.

Now, it was time to begin his search.

-

How long had he been at this?

He looked high and low, and the gift was nowhere in sight. He couldn't risk going through the multiple doors lying about as they all led to different ghosts’ personal areas. The one he did try led him to a beast, disguised as a little boy, who attempted to attack him. Even ignoring the risk of harm, the possibility of ending up lost going through the labyrinth-esque doors. The ground as well was dangerous, skeletons lied about waiting to grab from the soil and pull any who came too close. It couldn't have been that far off, could it?

He was growing tired, this was nothing but a wild goose chase as long as he had no way to actually find the gift. At this point, he was ready to just give up and see if Jazz and him could work out a suitable replacement.

-

Okay, minor setback! He was now being held captive in a prison cell thanks to that warden ghost from before, and all the ghosts he fought so far were here too! Great, just great. Sidney nor his parent’s old college ‘buddy’ weren’t here at the very least, but that Skulker one that tried to hunt him and the lunch lady that nearly killed Sam were, so you know, silver linings.

During his search he ended up running into that one ghost that never stopped going on about boxes when they both got captured by that warden, Walker. Unlike when he first ran into him though, he didn't feel as scared this time. He was nowhere near the same gigantic size as before, and he seemed so obsessed with his own established rules it made his prior threatening aura feel almost like an act. The one thousand years of jail time nor the previously mentioned ghosts he'd prefer not to meet again were great however.

Of course, he didn’t plan on staying here, absolutely not, as luck was on his side. The present was right there in Walker’s office, what were the odds!? As much as he didn't like Skulker and the others, he assumed even they would be willing to team up and get out of here. Besides, Walker wasn't an actual authority with power, just some freak hellbent on dictating his own regulations over everyone else. Vlad, if anything, was ten times as horrifying and actually proved to be a credible threat.

Now all he had to do was put his plan into motion…

-

He did it! He actually did it! The prison riot worked and he was able to get the present out of Walker’s office. He had a bit of trouble when Walker had him pinned down there for a bit, but a quick ecto-blast to the face as he went off about his asinine rules was enough to disorient him and get the hell out of there with the present. He flew until that dreaded prison was out of sight, and now all he could do was laugh as he hugged the present to his chest. Now that he had the gift, he could get it back to his dad, his mom would call off the divorce, and everything would go back to normal and he wouldn’t have to live with the guilt knowing he ruined his parents’ marriage!

Now it was time to just find the portal gate and get back to his body…

-

Okay, he was lost. There wasn’t any way to figure out what time it was whilst in the Ghost Zone, to his knowledge, so he could only guess it’d been about…two hours since he’d gotten away from Walker. Adding that up from when he even first delved into the zone that came to around…four hours? Something close to that? He really should’ve brought a watch with him or something.

This was no time to panic though, Jazz was probably too busy overanalyzing her diaries to have even noticed he was missing, so he still had time to get back and slide in unnoticed. If she asked he could always make up some excuse about hanging with Sam and Tucker at the mall or something. Not that she would probably even go that far, but it was always good to have a plan just in case.

The zone was just a complete labyrinth. He’d already had a taste earlier when he first began his journey, but now it was even worse considering Walker’s guards had dragged him off to who knows where. He couldn’t just fly off into the void in some random direction, what good would that have done him? However the doors were still an issue since they either led to rooms with more doors upon more doors upon even more doors, or yet again into the jaws’ of terrifyingly dangerous ghosts…literally! He nearly ended up swallowed up by that one princess-dragon that wouldn’t shut up about the ball or whatever.

He was beginning to get exhausted. Just how big was this place? Walker couldn’t have taken him so far, right?

Wait a minute…that was it! His corpse! If he could just follow the sense of his corpse’s direction, then he could be out of here in no time even if he was miles and miles away from it. He just needed to calm down, focus, and follow the pull.

He’d get out of here, he was sure of it.

-

His breath quivered, he felt clammy, and he couldn’t stop shaking. The exit was still nowhere in sight, and by this point he'd completely lost track of time. How long had it been? He'd been floating endlessly through this abstract abyss for what felt like hours now. He could sense his corpse, but the Ghost Zone was almost like being trapped in space. A giant, endless vacuum that ignored human common sense of direction. He’d go one way, only to suddenly feel his corpse’s sense suddenly shift into another direction making him head that way, only to have it happen once again! It was like his powers were transformed into a malfunctioning GPS.

Jazz had to have noticed he was missing by now and told their parents something was up. Great, just great, now he was going to have to figure out some type of excuse to explain why he was missing all evening. If worse came to worse, he could just say he was running from some poltergeist as he was trying to help stop their divorce. Would be an unpleasant family talk, but at least again he could prevent this divorce from occurring.

He was so cold though.

The Ghost Zone wasn’t by any means freezing, but he couldn’t stop shivering as if his entire body had been drenched with arctic water. It was intense enough that he wanted to just douse his body with boiling water to help get rid of this feeling. Was it his corpse? Could something have happened outside that led to him feeling it in his ghost form!? What Sydney did was one thing, he didn't feel as if his body was possessed again.

Argh, he just needed to get the hell out of here.

-

If hell truly was real, then Danny was sure he'd been trapped in it.

What the hell was going on? Could someone tell him, please!? Everywhere was the same; every door led one way or this way or that way; and every path led him in circles it felt.

His senses were in overdrive, the bitter cold grew worse, and he still couldn't get a read on his corpse’s location. He was about to start screaming and ripping his hair out; he needed to get the hell out of here.

His sense of self felt far off but right beside him, was being separated so long causing this? How could a space be so vast, yet so claustrophobic? When was the last time a ghost even passed his way?

He didn't care if his parents grounded him or whatever, he just needed the exit, the exit, the exit, the exit.

-

He didn't realize he had started screaming.

Nor did he realize when ended up flying full speed ahead in some type of direction.

How many doors had he dashed through by this point?

How many ghosts had he passed?

He needed to leave, leave, leave, LEAVE-!

“Beware, for I am the Box Ghost! Tremble in fear beneath my power over cardboard containers!”

Huh? What? A ghost? They could tell him how to get out. How, where was the portal?

“Why would I, the Box Ghost, help a foe who thwarts me from spreading doooooom!”

Yeah, okay, whatever. Where's the exit? He'd give them anything.

“Ummm, your pink and yellow box of mystery! Give it to me, for I-”

Take it. Exit, where? Where? Where? Where!? Where!?

“Stop shaking me! The portal you seek is straight in that direction! Wait, where are you going! I don't need this item inside of it!”

The exit was close, so close, so close, he could feel something, could it be his corpse’s location? Wait, the spinning vortex it was here! The exit, the exit!

Right through, the lab! He was back! He had to get back to his body. Right through the ceiling, through the roof, into the sky, over Amity Park, through the park. He could feel it, he was getting there. So close. Almost there. By the stream.

He reached through the pile of leaves. He paid no mind to how his body emitted a foul, sulfur-esque odor; how his entire body bloated in size; how his skin was a sickly mixture of blue and green; and how flies and various other insects crawled all over him.

He simply tore in. Disgusting, sour flavors mingled together on his tongue. The taste of rotten flesh dropped down his throat. Acidic gases escaped as he ripped into his stomach and devoured his intestines like a starved animal.

It was putrid, yet it was also salivating.

He didn't realize when he'd finally re-connected with his body. He looked down at his hands and under his shirt to confirm no wounds remained. None did. His clothes however were covered in dirt, bodily fluids, and slathered in blood. He no longer felt cold as well, his body felt as though it returned to a normal temperature.

He was back.

He needed to get home. It probably was nearing the next morning, and Jazz was surely about to call the police by now if she hadn't already. If he could just sneak in, change out of these filthy clothes, and get his hair fixed up, he could deal with preventing this disaster from getting any worse. This was just a failure in all senses of the word. Not only did he lose the gift he went in for in the first place, but now his parents were going to have even more of a reason to argue and fight and finalize their divor-

Stomach acids burned his throat as he let out a torrent of vomit. The overwhelming memory of his corpse’s taste was so strong this time, he hadn't even processed it in his panic. Nothing solid came up, only acidic liquids on a count of his empty stomach which made the burn worse. Bile dripped from his lips as he finished off with a dry heave. His lungs grasped for air as he took deep breaths, slightly shaking as he went to stand himself up, looking down at the now added mess running down his clothes.

Maggots.

There were maggots mixed in the vomit.

There were maggots still inside him.

His body only returned him to normal. It didn't extend to other living creatures that decided to make a nest within him.

Something similar to a scream came out from his injured throat. He jumped into the stream as he scratched and scratched himself. He could feel it. He could feel something crawling all over him, each little wiggle suddenly being intensified in his head. Each part of his body from his head to his toes he couldn't tell if it was actually something there or his own paranoia. He tore at his skin with each scratch, his nails being covered with skin, dirt, and blood. He needed them out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out, OUT.

He began coughing and heaving, trying to force his empty stomach to vomit again. Little spurts of spit up came out, pieces of maggots that were being dissolved by his stomach within it. Desperately, he turned himself intangible and submerged himself in the stream over and over. It was working! He watched as the maggots fell out onto the dirt below the surface or were carried off by the current. He kept himself underwater for a while, wanting to confirm that everything that took refuge in him as he was away were permanently removed.

After seeing nothing else, he made his way back onto land and returned tangible. His body ached with fresh scratches that stung all over, and his body shook uncontrollably as he lay there on his hands and knees catching his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how the scratches were slowly healing themselves in real time. Hm, it seemed yet another ability he could experience in human form…would make explaining where he'd been easier…

That was right, he had to get back. He needed to get out of these clothes and into something…presentable or something…

He could fly over and carry himself, but he couldn't see himself dead again right now, not after what just happened. He'd just keep himself intangible and make his way home…

In doing so, it led to a long trek back. The sun had begun to rise by the time he got to his front door. He took his shoes off to prevent any sort of tracks, phased on through, and went up to his room, keeping as quiet as he could. Once inside, he immediately removed the wet, filthy, bloody, uncomfortable clothes he had on and threw together a random assortment of whatever he could grab first. He stuffed the mess with his shoes under his bed to clean later, and made his way back out in his new outfit. His hair was still wet and body damp, but he assumed he could pass it off as he tripped.

Now back outside, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He could hear footsteps running down the stairs from inside, and then the door swung open. Jazz stood there looking at him as if she saw a ghost, then fell to her knees and embraced him. Her back heaved as tears came rushing forth from her, and Danny simply hugged her back, slightly confused by her reaction. Yeah she was probably worried, but going this far because he was gone all night? A bit overkill, wasn't it?

“Mom! Dad! He's back! Danny's back!”

…His parents were back? That fast!?

Jack and Maddie came rushing downstairs, still in their jumpsuits. He hadn't noticed it before, but all three of them looked absolutely exhausted with bags heavy under their tired eyes. The two wasted no time in joining Jazz in the embrace, and Danny could only attempt to wrap his head around what was going on.

“Danny! Danny! Oh, my baby! Where were you!?” Maddie cried out as she kissed Danny’s forehead.

“Wh-What? What's going on, and why are you and dad back already?”

Maddie and Jack pulled away with a confused expression upon their faces. “Danny, sweetie, is everything okay? What do you mean by that?”

Something was wrong. “I-I mean, didn't you and Dad just leave like yesterday afternoon? Did your flight get cancelled?”

He noticed the quick worried glance they shot at each other as Maddie crouched down and gently laid her hands on Danny’s shoulders.

“Danny, I promise you you're not in trouble, I just need you to be one hundred percent honest with me now, what day is it?”

A pit began to form in Danny’s stomach. “The…next?”

“Danny, do you truly believe it's been a day?”

“What's going on?” Danny looked back and forth between his family’s faces. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Danny…you've been missing for four days now,” Jack finally answered.

The pit fully formed. “...What?”

“Jazz called us the night you went missing. Your friends said they hadn't seen you since school ended and your mother and I caught the earliest flight back and were back by morning.”

“Danny, we were worried sick,” Maddie began. “We searched all over town and even got the police involved, but we couldn't find any clue to where you could've disappeared to! I promise you're not in trouble, but we need to know, do you have any memory of the past few days?”

Four days…four days….how? How could it have been that long!? Was that why he was going insane in the Ghost Zone? It would explain why his corpse would be in such a state, but god, how!? He couldn't just tell them he was in the Ghost Zone! But how else could he get out of this?

“I…” he started, “I snuck out through the back and ran off. I…um…I ended up around Elmerton and I just…had a lot on my head, I don't remember.

That was a horrible lie, but he had to keep it up. “I was so scared you and Dad were gonna get divorced, a-and…um…I accidentally messed up Dad’s gift for you that he left here and I panicked. I don't remember a lot after, but…I just hid around some alleys…”

His parents looked at each other again, of course they wouldn't believe that crap. “No one kidnapped me! I promise I left all on my own!”

“It's okay, sweetie, we know it's not your fault,” Maddie hugged him again. “We're just so happy you're safe.”

“Also, divorce?” Jack added. “We were never getting a divorce? Your Aunt Alicia was celebrating the tenth anniversary of her divorce, and your mother went up ahead to help get things set up.”

…What… “B-But what about the gift you left!? The anniversary!?” Danny’s voice began to finally show its cracks and became evidently hoarse.

“I did forget our anniversary…” Jack rubbed the back of his head. “But I make that mistake every year, I know it means a lot to your mom and I meant to right my mistake finally, but we would never divorce over it! We care more about you and Jazz than some silly gift!”

So, it was all for nothing. All the stress of losing the gift, pointless; Being captured by Walker, pointless; getting lost for days in the Ghost Zone apparently, pointless; having maggots crawl around inside him, pointless; and even finally finding then losing the damn thing, pointless. He suffered through all of that for nothing.

What did he have to show for it? A gift he gave away to some ghost? His family being worried sick believing he was dead? Learning that he could've avoided all of this if he'd just let it go and not got up in his own feelings!?

He didn't realize when tears began to run down his face, but he sat there in his mother's embrace finally breaking down into sobs.