Author's Note: *crawls out from underneath my rock* So, truth be told, I have no idea where this came from. I wrote this at some ungodly hour one night, was pleased with what I wrote in my tired burst of inspiration, and decided to post it. This is very short, and I have no idea if I'll continue it or not, but I guess that I will leave that decision up to you all! Enjoy! *disappears back underneath my rock*
Disclaimer: Although all of us wish that we could own Danny Phantom, we must reach a point in our lives where we accept that we don't and never will. This is my time. I don't own Danny Phantom- Butch Hartman and company do.
Unknown Location in the Ghost Zone
Danny Fenton, aka "Phantom," the ghost boy that we all know and love, is floating carefree around the Ghost Zone, oblivious to everything around him. How could he not be? Overall, he was having a pretty good day- aced the astronomy quiz for Lancer, was one of the first in line for the release of the new album from Dumpty Humpty, had a couple of good laughs with Sam and Tuck, and, most importantly, was currently enjoying a new record of zero hostile ghost attacks (well, the Box Ghost had shown up twice, but he's more annoying than anything) for the past couple weeks, so his job as the protector of Amity Park had become significantly easier- allowing for him to focus on other major things in his life, such as his friends, family, and (bleh) school. But, hey- at least he started to gradually bring his grades up. Maybe his dreams of one day becoming an astronaut weren't looking so bleak after all.
It was Friday night, and, with nothing else holding him back, he was finally able to make a trip out into the Ghost Zone to visit Clockwork. He more than suspected that Clockwork knew that he was stopping by, but he had appreciated the fact that the elder ghost at least attempted to act surprised by the boy's presence in his realm. Danny enjoyed chatting and catching up with his ghostly guardian- it had been a little over a year since his last trip to latter's lair. He wished that he could have stayed longer, but Clockwork informed him that the Observants (the bastards) were also planning to come by, so he decided to get out of his hair so that Clockwork could at least somewhat prepare for their dreaded arrival (although Danny had no doubt in his mind that Clockwork had already prepped for his next set of guests before he even arrived).
What happened right before he left was something that he would never have expected to ever have occurred during his half-life. Right as Danny was about to walk- err, float- out of the tower's front doors, Clockwork called out his name.
"Daniel?" His voice almost didn't sound like his usual calm tone. There was something bothering him, but Danny couldn't tell.
"Yeah?" He replied, confused.
Clockwork floated over, switching from his adult self to his older self and closing the twenty-foot gap between the young halfa and his mentor. He visibly hesitated for a second (something Danny had NEVER seen the mighty Clockwork do) before he reached out and pulled the boy into a tight hug.
At first, Danny had no idea how to react. He just stood, or, rather, floated, there awkwardly for a second, engulfed by the ancient ghost's embrace, before he decided to react and hug him back. He had no idea where this was coming from, so he hoped that he would offer some sort of explanation. The hug lasted a few more moments before the Master of Time gave the teen one more tight squeeze and he broke away, floating back towards where his time portals were.
He turned around and gazed at the boy for a second before declaring, "You be good, Daniel."
Before he turned and left, Danny nodded his head a little and planted a goofy smile on his face before he answered, "Always."