A one-shot copied from my Tumblr, celebrating the birthday of d-o-t-s
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The door moaned in protest as it was pushed open. A shaft of weak evening light poured down the stairs, casting harsh shadows in the basement below. Valerie slowly descended, each step letting out a soft creak to mark her passage. Upon reaching the bottom, she felt the wall, searching for the light switch.
Click.
Valerie found herself staring into acidic green eyes that gave off a light of their own. A shock of white hair blazed in the sickly glow of an ancient light bulb. It was Phantom.
Normally, at seeing a ghost in her basement, Valerie would have immediately put on her ghost hunting gear, or at least have grabbed a weapon, but not today. Today, she simply sat in a chair already waiting for her and said one word.
"Talk."
Phantom's shoulders sagged and he shook his head. The slight movement caused a quiet jangling of chains, and Valerie was again reminded of how she had captured him nearly a week ago. He had just finished a fight with another ghost and was pretty well beaten up; nothing he couldn't bounce back from normally, of course, but then again that day wasn't quite a normal day. Valerie had just gotten a new gadget from the mysterious provider who had given her her first ghost hunting gear, and was eager to test it out. Apparently, it was good for capturing and holding ghosts. One distraction and a sneak attack later, and Phantom was in her power-negating cuffs strapped to a small white table.
Valerie brought her mind back to the present. The pristine, shiny metal of the table was now smeared with mottled green, a testament to the continuous days Phantom had refused to answer her questions. Phantom himself, once full of wit and confidence, had grown quiet and subdued. Valerie could sense something inside him wavering, some kind of resolve, and she was sure that if she broke it she could find the answers she was looking for.
"Talk," she repeated, more firmly.
"No." Phantom's voice clawed its way roughly out of his dry throat and he coughed suddenly. He glared at her from his table in the center of the room.
Valerie finally lost her patience. She got up from her chair and slammed her fist onto Phantom's table less than an inch from his face. He barely even flinched.
"Talk, you ghost scum!" she screamed. "I know you know something about Danny's disappearance! It happened the day that I captured you!"
Phantom's eyes slowly shifted to meet her own. His dull gaze barely seemed to register her. Still, he said nothing.
"Tell me where he is right now. I need to find him. I need to... to protect..." Valerie turned away to push down the lump in her throat. She had been close with Danny. He was the first person who made her feel like it was okay to be just her. The A-Listers had expectations for her, her dad had expectations for her, her teachers and classmates and everyone else had expectations for her, but around Danny, she never felt like she had to be anything more than who she already was. And now he was gone.
"Val..."
Valerie whipped back around at the weak voice. "Do not call me that," she thundered. "Only my friends can call me that." She paused. "How do you know my name anyway?"
Instead of answering, Phantom whispered again, "Val..." What was that in his eyes? Pity? For her?
Valerie seethed, her temper just barely in check. She slowly pulled out the small ecto-gun she always kept for emergencies, making sure to show it off as threateningly as possible. Phantom's eyes widened for just a moment before they drooped in exhaustion again.
"That's right," growled Valerie, "you know what this is. You know what'll happen if you don't talk." Phantom visibly flinched as she pressed the tip of the gun against his arm, the next spot in a pattern of holes traveling up from his wrist. She suspected that the blasts should have healed by now, but days with little to no sleep had obviously weakened him.
"I'm going to ask this one last time." Her voice quivered with pent up fury. "Where. Is. Danny?"
Phantom gazed at her, but not with fear. She sensed him teetering on the edge, coming to a decision. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed. He'd lost his resolve. She'd won.
When he opened his eyes again, there was only sadness in them. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so sorry."
A ring of light appeared around his waist and split into two, one traveling up his body, and one down. When they disappeared, who would be there but the very person Valerie had been searching for for nearly a week - Danny Fenton, lying unconscious, slowly leaking red swirled with oily green.
As the last bit of sunlight drained away, Valerie cried.
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A/N - I realized a lot of people think he died, but I'm not that mean! He's just unconcious. I'd like to think Val still has a chance to apologize later.
Anyway, thanks for reading my first ever fanfic to be posted on this website! More to come, hopefully?