A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to be the first to introduce you to my first Danny Phantom Fanfiction. Now I am sure you are all wondering why I am writing this series, besides that the fact that I'm a 90s girl and grew up with this show and many other favorites of the 90s and early 2000s. I will be honest with you. I had been watching the show the other day, really nostalgic, and decided I'd see if I could find any good Fanfiction of a show I used to love. Fortunately, I found some. Unfortunately, one of them pissed me off because of the lack of depth that the author used in writing it and would just write (scene is like in the show).
So, me being me, I decided that I couldn't let that slide. I love good stories, and although I know I am not the best writer, I actually do put some effort in at the end. At the moment, I only have this chapter and half of the next typed out but I thought I'd post this anyway so I could get some feedback. My Beta, correyjeckln, was kind enough to go over this story and I am happy to report that they think my first chapter is," Funny and very well grounded". Yay me!
Now, I would like to warn all of you that this story can and will be depressing at points. Jack and Maddie Fenton will not be the most loving parents and will want to focus more on their Ghost obsession, rather than spend time with their kids. Also, as with most of my stories, this story features a Transgender Danny Fenton but I am not telling whether Danny will transition into a female or a male. Aren't I just evil?
I understand that some of my readers will not like what I'm doing to the Phantomverse but there is nothing I can say to them besides this. Either continue reading to see if you can like the story or, and this is what most will do, just stop reading and find another story.
To all my readers that have read some of my other stories, I am not abandoning them. I am simply writing slower and working on other projects. That and I'm doing the grownup thing and looking for a new job, so that's stressful.
If anyone is interested, although it's a rather short story, I recommend reading the following story. It called Only Time Will Tell by BluFox15. I had found this story years ago and personally loved it. To be honest, most of my inspiration for my story will come from that story, but the story will be vastly different.
So, I think that's it. Please don't forget to follow me and leave reviews, I love reading your thoughts and Idea.
Lots of love and cookies,
Emerald Kitten-Tail
Looking around his family's lab, Danny couldn't believe his parents could afford to spend so much money on the junk they invented down here. All of it in the selective purpose of Ghost Hunting. Both himself and his older sister Jazz thought the pair were crazy for their obsession but in the past, neither parent would listen to their opinions.
"Makes me wonder what's going to be for dinner tonight. Hopefully not any more Ecto-hotdogs."
His stomach gurgled in hunger but he was used to not being able to eat much.
Slowly, his eyes took in the lab in intense detail.
The basement was rather large in depth, as well as height, and could probably take up the space of three normal sized basements. How his parents got the permission of their neighbors or ever the City council, he didn't want to know. There were warning signs plastered all over the place, all of them with either a poorly done Ghost or a Radiation symbol. He wasn't supposed to be down here without his Biohazard suit on but neither himself or Jazz ever did. Afterall, their parents came done here for hours without a mask on all the time or anyway to filter their air. That wasn't even taking into account of the fact that there was nothing stopping the toxic air from going through the air vents or up the stairs into the rest of the home. So, if they were going to get sick, then they would have a long time ago.
Hanging from steel hooks were his parent's weapons. A lot of it was bulking and too large to carry around without help but he knew his mom was working on trying to shrink them a tad. How she'd do that, he didn't know but it would be interest to see.
They did have a few that people could actually use though. For example: the Fenton Ectoguns. They looked similar to blaster weapons from one of his comics but instead of shooting bolts comprised of photons, they shoot bolts of energy that is syphoned from Ectoplasm. He could also see a couple Bazooka's and even what looked like a sword handle.
Danny didn't dare touch anything though, for all his parent's genius, they would probably end up exploding on him.
The one device in the entire room that always snagged his attention ever since he was little was the Ghost Portal.
It looked like a disk on the wall with a small chamber beyond it, actually it's kind of made him think of a stop sign with the doorways shape. He spotted wires hanging from its ceiling and a few panels detached from the walls with tools sitting beside them, just waiting to be used.
His fingers started to twitch at the urge to tinker but he wouldn't dare to do it, not down here.
Besides, he wouldn't dare touch his parents Ghost Portal. He had been watching them work on it for years and if he did something to mess it up, then he'd never be able to get rid of the guilt that would come forth.
Sighing to himself, he grabbed his backpack and headed upstairs. It settled comfortably upon his shoulders, not tugging on his hoodie in the slightest.
Before he even got to the door, he could hear his sister practically yelling at their parents. It was slightly muffled but he got the gist of it.
"Why can't we for once just have breakfast like a normal family! Why do you always have to cook in that weird machine!?"
Even from behind the door, Danny could hear the stress in his sister's voice and he could understand it. She was the more vocal of the pair against their parent's ghost Obsession and even more so against them using any of the Ecto-powers devices around them, especially on their food.
"Guess is should have wondered about breakfast first?"
In his own mind, he let out a sad chuckle. This was nothing new for them and yet, every time it happened, he always felt a new wave of sadness wash over him. He didn't think any of his classmates had to deal with things like this.
Before anyone could respond to Jazz's question, Danny gentle pushed the door open and took in the sight before him.
Like usual, his parents were sitting at the table with their signature Jumpsuits on. At least his mom didn't have her hood up, covering her eyes from view with her goggles, so he could actually feel like he's looking at a person. His dad was sitting there with a happy-go-lucky grin on his lips and a proud tightness to his frame, like he just knew he was great at something. It didn't help that the Orange clad man was looking down at Fenton Cooker with a hungry gleam in his eyes.
Jazz, on the other hand, had her hands pressed firmly into the table and a burning glare in her eyes. Danny had seen that look in her eyes many times, always being aimed at their parents, but somehow it always made him feel a tad better that he wasn't alone in his suffering. Looking beyond that simple expression he saw the dark rings under her eyes, the faded black sweater she liked to wear to hid just how malnourished she really was, and her slightly lopsided headband. Even her hair was a touch messier than usual and her nails were chipped, as if she had been biting them.
Instantly, all three of their heads turned in his direction, making his shoulders tense.
His parents sent him what looked like genuine smiles but he could see a glimmer of strain inside them. Thankfully, when he met Jazz's eyes, hers soften ever so slightly and a smile came to her lips.
Jazz finally broke the silence with a heavy sigh before she pulled away from the table and threw her own bag over her shoulder and picked up her keys.
"Come on, Danny. We might as well head to school." The and talk to the principle went unsaid.
Not looking back, he quickly followed his auburn-haired sibling.
The drive was rather peaceful for the pair. Jazz had turned on Dumpty Humpty for them to listen to as she calmed down from her moment of rage at their parents. She must have been rather pissed if how tightly she was clenching the steering wheel was any indication.
When the pair had finally arrived at the school, Danny easily hopped out of the car as Jazz did her little safety checks. It wouldn't take too long, he'd been getting rides from her for almost a year now and had long since gotten used to it. Besides, he had only been in High School for a week so far and amazingly, he hadn't been sent to the principal's office yet. And to him, that was amazing.
He knew, if anyone bothered to look at his file, that the first thing listed on it was that he was a problem student. A smart problem student actually, but a problem student all the same.
It wasn't like he wanted the jocks to thrash on him and get protected by the teachers so they don't get kicked off the team, but it always ended up that way. Heck, most of those bullies had followed him to this school anyway, so he was just waiting for it to start.
A tapping on his shoulder made him jerk away before his eyes landed on Jazz. She smiled sadly at him, all too familiar with his twitchy ways after years of being beaten on by his peers, but thankfully didn't bring it up. He remembered when she would sometimes try and be his psychologist but she eventually learned that no matter what he said, his peers wouldn't learn and just break him back down.
"Sorry Jazz…What were you saying?" the words tumbled out of his mouth as he awkwardly rubbed the side of his neck.
Thankfully, she didn't take badly. Afterall, he did it all the time.
"I was just asking if you were okay? You've been blanking a lot more often than usual."
Hearing the small amount of distress in her voice, he instantly felt bad. Danny wasn't exactly the most aware person these days, nor a social butterfly. He used to only zone out at odd moments, back when he had friends, but ever since his only friends left him to the wolves, he'd been doing it more often.
He thought it was his way to cope with the loneliness that he always felt these days, but sometimes he just… did it? Sometimes his teachers would think it was because he was mentally slow but his grades showed that wasn't true. Others thought it was depression and while they were a touch right, he didn't think that was all of it.
If he was honest, he really didn't know why it happened. Sam probably would but he hadn't so much as talked to her in over three years.
Shaking his head, trying to dispel both the cobwebs that had formed in his mind and the thought of his former friends, he focused back onto his sister.
"I'm…okay, Jazz. I promise."
She gave him the look but didn't press again.
"Okay, little brother."
She grabbed him by the arm before pulling him towards their school.
Looking at the two-story building, Casper High didn't really look like that much and in reality, it wasn't. For being the only High School in Amity Park, it didn't have much funding to bring it more into the modern era but it made due with what it had. Although, he did think that it could do with less funding towards sports.
As the pair made their way through the front door, Jazz gentle pushed him off towards the way his locker was. He would have stayed, to help her talk to the principal, but like all the other times Jazz had done this in the past, he knew that she would have an easier time doing it if he wasn't there.
So, with his hands firmly stuffed into his jacket pockets, Danny went off to put his things away for the day.
His locker wasn't that far away from his first class, of which he would always be grateful for, the only issue he had with it was that his seemingly eternal Bully was placed right across the hall from him. His back ached just from the memory of the tall blonde jerk slamming him into lockers just around lunch on the first day.
It really didn't take him long at all to put his things away, only keeping the things he'd need for Math and History. Thankfully, he had both with Mr. Lancer, so he wouldn't feel all that weird just sitting in the class during the fifteen-minute break in-between classes.
Feeling his pocket vibrate, Danny pulled out his little flip phone and took a peek. To his relief, it wasn't his parents but it was Jazz.
Jazz: Just finished talking to Principal Ishiyama and everything is all set, same numbers as last year.
Smiling to himself, Danny quickly stuffed his cell back into his pocket and headed off to the Cafeteria.
To the glee of his stomach, there wasn't anyone inside the lunch room yet. He didn't even wait a minute before grabbing a plastic tray and practically running up to the empty line.
"French toast and fruit or Biscuits and Gravy?" the elderly lady with a hair net asked him.
Licking his lips, Danny eagerly pointed to the French toast and fruit. The Lunch Lady smiled to him, the happiness in her eyes sparkling as she helped him.
"One French Toast and Fruit coming right up, Dearie."
Her Voice was cheery and if anything, it made him feel even better than before.
Once he had his food, and had given his number to the elderly cook, Danny wasted no time in going over to a table that sat beside the tall windows. With food before him, Danny didn't waste much time looking outside and instead started digging into the first real piece of food in two days.
The taste of warm buttered bread with a small drizzling of syrup upon his tongue made him want to moan in delight.
To make it all better, it didn't move in his mouth. There was no green glow, no vicious little teeth and beady little eyes. It didn't taste like he took a bite out of a lime that was covered in in dark chocolate, peels and all. And as he swallowed, his throat didn't feel like he had just tried to eat a mouthful of sand.
It was positively marvelous.
When he finished, he sent a smile and a thank you to the old Lunch Lady before heading to class.
By now, the halls had started to fill up. Guys were horsing around in groups while the girls were talking to their friends. Some couples looked like they were trying to 'catch up' from not seeing each other over the weekend but Danny tried not to look at those ones, he just had an embarrassed blush on his face as he rushed on by.
Gripping his hands inside his jacket, Danny made his way into Mr. Lancer's classroom as fast as humanly possible.
Time before class started to tick by and slowly but surely, class started to fill. Most of the A-listers that came in would sneer at him while others would stage whisper little comments about his family. He did his best to block those out, he'd been hearing them for years anyway.
Then there was Tucker.
The second Danny had seen his old childhood friend enter the class, his nails started pressing into the flesh of his palm. His face remained impassive as possible and he did his best to act like he wasn't reacting to the sight of the techno-geek.
His eyes were starting to sting as small memories flashed across his mind.
He and Tucker used to share everything. From games and books to items they bought and candy given to them. To make it all the better, Danny had an active interest in creating and tinkering, so he understood what Tucker was talking about when it came to technology.
But now…now Tucker wouldn't even look in his direction.
One little moment, a slip of the tongue if anything, had chased his only friends away.
Sighing to himself, Danny forced his grip to relax. It wouldn't do him any good to keep dreaming of the past. Tucker didn't want to be his friend anymore and that was that.
When the bell finally rang, signally the start of class, Danny turned his attention towards their teacher and put all hist attention on the lesson.
Walking down the halls with a perpetual hunch, Danny gently rubbed at his temples. He had a massive headache right now and his eyes seriously stung. It wasn't something he didn't expect these days, he carried a bottle of meds that his doctor prescribed him for just an occasion.
As he reached the bathroom, he didn't even bother to see if anyone was behind him before pushing it inward and walking towards the sink. Not even trying to hide what he was doing, after all most of his year mates had seen him taking pills like this for years, if they bothered to look. Pulling out his meds, he quickly slipped them inside his mouth before turning on the sink and filled his mouth up just enough so he could safely swallow them. It took a second for the meds to dull the pain in his head but once it did, he turned his eyes upward.
In the mirror, Danny could see the dark rings under his eyes, so similar to Jazz's, and his almost pasty pale complexion. He looked sickly but that wasn't what always caught his attention.
No…it was the radioactive green color of his eyes. So different than the Icy blue he was born with but burning with some kind of power.
And he knew what kind too.
It was one of the reasons why he actually hated his parents. Not the neglect, not the stupid Ghost Obsession. But the effects of the Ectoplasm had been having on his body. So far, all he had was massive headaches at times which lead into his glowing eyes but he feared what would happen if he was forced to continue eating those radiated foods.
Shaking his head, Danny splashed some water onto his face, trying to bring himself back to focus.
Looking into his shining green eyes, he just hoped that his sister didn't ever have to go through this kind of mental and physical pain. She didn't deserve it, not when she had to argue for weeks with their parents just to take him to an actual doctor about his chronic headaches, not when he knew she worked at a local café in the afternoons to help him pay for his meds since their family's insurance refused to. When, instead of all this, she could have been doing her absolute best to get into college to get away from their parents. She probably could do it anyway but it would take even more work than she needs to put in.
Looking down at his hands, he blinks slowly at the trembling in his hands.
"Come on Fenton, get a grip." He thought firmly but he knew it wouldn't work completely. It never did.
Before he could try again to regain control of the maelstrom of thoughts in his mind, he felt a pair of hands on his side. The blow came fast and before he knew it, he was slamming to the hard linoleum floor.
Pain flashed through him, not just from his head, but also from his right hip and shoulder. He didn't even bother looking to see who it was, he knew who it was already just from the red converse before him.
"Hey Fentina! What's a little freak like you doing in here?" A taunting voice that still held a touch of squeakiness from puberty semi-shouted.
Keeping his eyes firmly closed, he lifted his eyes just enough to be level with Dash Baxter's. He knew from experience that the larger boy was probably sneering town at him, but he always refused to let anyone see his inhuman eyes.
"I'm allowed to take my meds when I need to Dash." he kept his voice void of emotion, just like usual, so it didn't tempt the jock from hurting him again.
"Oh yeah? Well let's see how you feel about this!"
The snapping sound of the cap told Danny immediately what Dash was about to do. But he didn't get up, didn't stop the idiot from doing what he had done a few times in the past. He just hoped Jazz wouldn't get mad with him for it.
The tell-tale sound of the little tablets smacking against the porcelain sink and running water told him all he needed to know.
"Here you go, Fentina, you might as well have this back."
Something hollow and made of hard plastic smacked him in the chest but he ignored it, beyond using one hand to take a firm grip on it, and did his best to block out the laughing of Dash and his posse.
When the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut reached his ears, Danny finally opened his eyes. The first thing he did was look into the sink in hope of finding at least one pill left but the sink was barren.
Sighing to himself, Danny pushed the empty bottle back into his bag and pulled out his cell. It would be better to tell Jazz now or she'll be even more mad about it later.
Danny: Hey Jazz, Dash did it again. We're going to have to call the doctor to ask for another refill.
He didn't bother waiting for a reply, she'd end up sitting with him during lunch to talk with him anyway, so with a firm snap he quickly stowed it away for later.
"Better get to class or Lancer will probably make me write an essay on responsibility." Danny couldn't help himself as he chuckled.
Mr. Lancer wasn't well liked amongst his class mates, especially when you count the fact that they have to see him four times a day for all different classes. And although the man was one of those teachers that tended to favor the jocks, mainly the football team, he also tended to stand up for the kids that either took an interest in one of his classes or were in the Top 10 for grades. For those that didn't fit in that category, it tended to suck, but in Danny's case he was firmly in the later. You kind of have two with two mad scientists as parents, an honor roll sister, and liking to tinker himself.
Taking one last look at himself in the mirror, he smiled at the lack of ectoplasm green coloured eyes staring back at him. And with that, he slipped out of the bathroom, silently hoping the rest of the day wouldn't continue to follow its current trend.
When he reached the classroom, he could hear Mr. Lancer giving a lecture about literature. For a moment, just a moment, he wondered if it would be better to just hide in the bathroom to avoid it but it quickly passed.
Knocking on the solid wood door, he watched as Lancer's head seemed to snap in his direction with a frown on his face. Danny swore he could even hear the cracking noise from the man's neck. Thankfully, Lancer didn't just sit there and stare at him for all that long before ambling over to open the door.
"Ahh…glad to see you decided to join us, Daniel." There was exasperation in the man's voice but it wasn't heavy like most teachers, just enough to make the student's feel bad for not coming to class.
Rubbing the side of his neck, Danny couldn't help but laugh nervously.
"Sorry about that sir. My meds took a bit longer to work than usual."
The man was silent for a moment, just staring at him, trying to see if he was lying. But when he failed to find anything, Lancer nodded before ushering him inside.
All Danny could do was oblige and rushed to his seat.
There was one thing, more like a person, that had caught his eye before he could sit down.
"Sam…"
Like with Tucker, Danny had felt a flash of pain in his heart at the sight of his other Ex-friend. She was sitting there, just staring at him with such cold eyes. Eyes that had been telling him to drop dead and leave her alone for the past three years. There was anger aimed at him and disgust at herself for reasons he'd never be specifically told but had known anyway by the teenage goth.
For the rest of class, Danny forced his mind to focus on class. He couldn't let it wander or it would lead back to the cold Amythesis eyes of his one-time friend. Mr. Lancer was talking about one of William Shakespeare classics, Romeo and Juliet. Of the tragic death of two young teens that had fallen in love, against the wishes of their families.
"And remember, I'll be assigning roles for everyone tomorrow. We will only be reenacting the play aloud in class and your efforts during these times will be reflected on your grade."
A groan echoed through the class by a vast majority of his peers, but Danny felt a spark of interest. He had never been in a play before, he didn't really like large crowds staring at him, but if this was just an in-class production of the play then it might be fun.
Being the last one to exit the classroom, Danny also unknowing made himself an easier target for his balding teacher.
The second the large hand landed on his shoulder, Danny couldn't help but jump in fright.
"And before you go, Daniel, if one of your attacks strike while in class again, don't just hold it off until class is over. Just stop what you're doing and take them, we don't need an accident happening." Lancer patted him a few times on the shoulder before pointing towards the door.
Getting the clue, Danny dashed from the room.
Thankfully, for his own jumpy nerves, the halls were relatively empty. There were some kids still hanging about, although it was mostly either kids waiting to use the restroom or getting things from their lockers. So, nothing too bad. He didn't even see any of the red letterman jackets that the school's football team likes to always wear.
The Cafeteria on the other hand, was an utter uproar of noise.
He could see clique already forming all over the place. Tucker was off with the other Technology enthusiasts while Sam was sitting with a mix of Gothic and Hippy kids, from what he could see some were even eating meat.
Shaking his head, he went up to the line and grabbed a quick tray of meatloaf and veggies with a bottle of Orange juice before heading towards the table near the corner that Jazz had snagged.
When he got there, he could already see the frustration in her eyes. Her shoulders did relax a tad when she spotted him though.
"Here, little bro. Were lucky Doctor Manuel changed your script to a double amount last year or you'd be in major trouble." She sounded tired.
Danny couldn't stop himself from wincing at her words. He had forgotten that his doctor had done that for him, which was strange because he didn't forget important things that often. It cost Jazz more to get a double dose but it was better for them to do it that way when Dash kept trashing his pills. At least he'd still have enough to last him the rest of the month.
"Sorry Jazz."
Jazz couldn't help but smile at her little brother in understanding, she had watched as what confidence he had to stand up against his bullies wilted when Foley and Manson abandoned him. It still irked her at times that he wouldn't tell her what it was that had ruined the friendship but she knew that he would in time.
As she looked at him, she wondered if she should ask how his day had been before lunch. His shoulders weren't as hunched as they had been when he first walked into the Cafeteria and there was a sparkle returning to his eyes as he apologized to her for what Baxter did. And yet, she could still see a shadow in his eye. What it was for, she didn't know but she really wished she did.
Running her fingers through her hair, a stress habit that she'd picked up a couple years ago, she let out a soft sigh. Seeing as she had to work after school, this would be the best time to get most of her homework out of the way so she didn't have to cram when she got home later that night. But that would mean ignoring her little brother.
"Go ahead Jazz, I'm just going to do my own anyway."
The words knocked her out of her internal debate, especially the slightly deep but still scratchy voice he spoke it in. In her own mind, she couldn't help but giggle at the thought of her little brother finally going through puberty and all the awkwardness that would come with it. She shouldn't laugh at it, she had been almost as bad, but seeing him go through it was something like revenge for when he'd tease her for it.
Nodding to him, she dug around in her bag she pulled out an Advance Algebra packet her teachers had assigned and got to work.
Seeing her finally relent and do her work, Danny pulled out an old MP3 play he'd found at a garage sale before slipping the headphones on over his ears. When the soft strums of a guitar filled his mind, he always felt a wave of wonder through his body. They were rare and hard to find but with a bit of luck Danny had found one of the few acoustic songs that Dumpty Humpty had done. It didn't even sound like Rock to his ears, but something more whole-some.
Tapping his fingers to the song, Danny fetched his copy of Romeo and Juliet from the mess he called a backpack.
Mr. Lancer had said that effort would reflect on their grade, so he would have to put as much as he could into this. He wasn't the best at English assignments, especially when they had to analyze a story, but he always made up his faults with doing what Extra credit he could. Even if it was just a point, he would do it.
Looking down at the script, Danny wondered what roles Lancer would assign people. With the man's penchant towards popular and smart, he'd probably put Paulina Sanchez and Dash Baxter as the leading roles. Kwan would most likely get the role of Benvolio seeing as he was most like him, always trying to defuse fights. With Danny's luck he'd be one of the Servants.
Looking at the small Bios of each character that Lancer provided, Danny felt an itching in his fingers. Maybe, just maybe, he could make props for some of the roles? That should get him extra credit at least. He'd have to ask Lancer first though and maybe have him take a list of prop ideas so the other students don't know it was him that made them.
Tapping his fingers, just a tad harder, he wondered how he could make them.
His parents had lots of scrap metals just laying around and Danny had swiped one of their toolset's years ago in a small fit of rebellion but had never given them back, so he could easily cut metals with a blow torch and fuse them together.
He'd have to do a few basic sketches when he got home later but this sounded like fun to him and it would take his mind off…other things.
Thankfully, the rest of the day seemed to pass on by.
Most of the time, Danny did his best to pay attention to class but at times, he found himself wandering in though about just what he could make. From Lancer's small descriptions of the story, it took place back in the fourteen century with sword fighting, masquerade balls, and fancy cufflinks.
Making pseudo-swords would be neat and designing the masks would definitely be fun, the cufflinks would be a pain but he was sure he could do it. He wouldn't create anything with Ectoplasm in it, he refused to take the chance of letting his own illness get passed onto his peers from it. Maybe for his own creations but he'd find a way to filter the material until it was safer and even that would be a way away.
Feeling someone bump his desk as they tried to exit the classroom, Danny finally returned to the waking world. Blinking a few times to get the crud out of his eyes, he slowly gathered his things before making his way out.
Once outside, Danny could help but to take in a slow shaky breath of fresh air. The ball of tension inside his chest unwound slightly at the feeling of being free from school. Not that he disliked school, but some of the people inside it made it difficult at times.
Glancing at the student parking, he noted that Jazz's car was already gone, so it was on him to get home today. He didn't have an issue with it, he just wasn't looking forward to facing his parents on his own after the fight this morning. Made him kind of jealous of Jazz's easy escape from these moments.
"Wish I had a bike or something. I could at least get around faster that way."
He chuckled at the mere thought of asking his folks for one. The last time he did, the bike had been powered by an Ecto-generator and responded to touch. So, the second he even laid a hand on the stupid thing it had flew down the road before smashing into one of the neighbor's windows. It was probably shoved away somewhere in the shed but he refused to go near it after the first time.
"Hey Fentina! Catch!"
His moment was utterly ruined by the sound of Dash's yell and the squealing of tires that followed it.
He didn't even get to look up before he felt the familiar sensation of a water balloon hitting him in the side of the face. For a second, he hoped it wouldn't snap but it never worked in his favor, and when the sound of a distinct popping sound hit his ears, so did the freezing chill of the water.
With his hair matted to his face and his upper body completely soaked, Danny did his best to just dig his nails into his palms. It's always better to just not react. If he did, like he used to, it only left him with welts and bruises which always managed to grab the attention of both his sister and the few teachers that stuck up for him. That wasn't even counting the massive headache that would flare up afterwards either.
Pushing his anger away, he swiped his hair out of his eyes so he could at least see to get home. Shivers were already starting to roll through his body from the cold. It would probably be a good idea to take his jacket off but he couldn't do that, he always got so many weird looks when he did.
Traveling through the city, Danny could help but stare blankly at his home when he first saw it. The house itself wasn't bad, not with three stories and a massive basement that it held, but the giant metal monstrosity that rested upon it was a blight upon the rest of it. Between the massive satellite dishes, obvious lasers, and general UFO shape to its design it just appeared tacky. That wasn't even counting the bright orange sign that pointed to the building saying Fenton Works.
Most Inventors would just stick to the basement or maybe buy a warehouse to turn into a workshop but nope, his parents had to be freaking weird about it all.
Coming up to the door, Danny pressed his finger against the DNA scanner and waited as a ridiculous amount of locks snapped undone before he could even go inside.
Walking in, the sight that greeted him was one that he had long since grown used to and was quickly getting annoyed with.
"Mads! Where's all the Fudge!"
Standing not three feet away from the kitchen door, Danny could see his rather Fat Orange clad father digging through the fridge looking for fudge of all things. And that was a scary thought, especially when you consider that Danny had seen three trays of the stuff in the fridge just this morning.
"You ate it all, sweetie. There's cookies on the stove, eat one of them." His mother called out from her spot on the living room coach as she worked on what looked like a mechanical belt. Even from here, Danny could see the green Ectoplasmic sludge flowing through a small tube along the top and bottom of the belt.
Feeling his eye starting to twitch, Danny did his best to remain invisible before making his way upstairs towards his room.
The second floor of the Fenton household wasn't as littered with clutter as the rest of the house. There was only two bedrooms on this floor with a joint bathroom between them and then another one farther down the hall near the stairs. Danny was the somewhat proud owner of the bedroom farther down the hall with a large sticker of his name on the door.
Looking at said sticker, Danny felt nothing but disinterest to it. His parents had put it up when he was around five years old and no matter how many times he tore it down, they'd just replace it. And it was always Blue, when he actually liked Dark Hazelnut which was similar to a deep crimson colour.
"Jazz is lucky that they don't do stupid things like this to her door"
Doing his best to ignore it, he pressed his way inside.
Danny's room wasn't too different from most teenagers. He had a single twin mattress pressed up against his wall right beneath the window, a dark stained metal desk that had equally dark shelves above it that held multiple binders and all of them full of ideas and sketches for gadgets he wanted to create one day. Across from that side of the room was his dresser and bedroom door. His dresser didn't have to much on it besides a small mirror and a brush, while his door had a hook on the back of it for his coat. Beyond that, the wall that touched up to his desk had the door to the bathroom he shared with Jazz and the other wall that his bed touched had the door covering his closet.
It was all rather simple but it's what he had.
Tossing his bag onto his bed, Danny pulled off his jacket over his head before tossing it in the hamper. Feeling the cold dampness of his shirt made Danny sigh again before he stripped it as well.
Looking down at himself, Danny couldn't hold back the wince at the sight of his ribs. Running his fingers down his side, he counted each and every bump. He was beyond skinny and even with his head bent forward, he could see his collar bone underneath his skin.
Sure, he usually ate three meals a day at his family home during the summer but Ectoplasm tended to kill most of the nutrients in any of the food. It was sort of like eating nothing but those Cup noodles that you can get at the grocery store; all salt but nothing else, although in this case it was like not rotten but still dead spam. How his parents managed to look so healthy, although one was rather obese, was a mystery to the siblings.
Feeling Disgust well up inside of his chest, Danny rushed over towards his closet and snagged a shirt. It was one of the bulk shirts his mom bought years ago, nothing but white with a single red circle in the middle. She always said he looked handsome in them but It made him feel like a target, if anything.
Pulling out his sketchpad, Danny got to work on his little side project for the class play.
Yawning rather heavily, Jazz finished counting her tips for the night and couldn't help but smile. She had only been working at the Twilight Café for about 3 months now but she was enjoying it. Sure, some customers could be downright rude to her, especially when they realized she was a Fenton, but it was worth it. If she had to work a crappy job to help her brother, then she would. It helped that it made it so she could afford gas for her car or she'd be stuck walking most places like Danny was.
Humming to herself, she turned in her tally sheet to her boss and happily stuffed her $34.76 worth of tips in her purse while keeping her bank of twenty-five inside her apron. She'd have to use it again tomorrow anyway.
"Have a good night, Jazz!" one of the cooks called out to her just before she slipped out the door.
She sent a small wave to Frank but quickly got back on her way.
The house was silent as she pulled in, the lights were all off except the bright white glow that always radiated from the basement and a small yellow one from Danny's window. Making sure to grab her purse and the burgers that she'd snagged on her way home from Nasty Burger right before it closed, she headed inside.
Being carful to juggle all her things in one hand while using the other one to unlatch the door, Jazz couldn't help but glare at the stupid thing.
Why her parents needed to have a fricking DNA scanner attached to the houses security system she would never be able to figure out. She remembered the times that one of their experiments exploded, lighting a fire inside the house which caused the Emergency response team of their city to come flying to the scene. More than one of them had left the premises with frowns on their faces and annoyed grumbles.
Hearing the familiar and multiple clicks of the locks, Jazz wasted no time forcing her way inside. She didn't even wince when the door slammed against the wall but she did make sure to kick it gently closed.
Not even bothering so see if her parents had heard, which she doubted, she climbed up towards her room. Normally when she'd come home, she'd take a shower and then take the food she brought home to Danny but tonight she was just to mentally tired to go through it all. She'll just have to take a shower in the morning.
Dropping her things upon her bed, Jazz quickly slipped out of her uniform and slid into a soft pair of jammy bottoms and a black cotton tank-top. With a quick brush of her hair, she forced it into a messy bun before grabbing the greasy paper bag from her nightstand.
Making her way into her brother's room, she let a gentle smile rest on her lips.
Danny was laying across his desk with his head firmly pressed into his left arm and one of his sketchbooks buried underneath like a pillow. His hair was messy and there was a hint of drool escaping from his mouth but he wasn't tense like usual. He looked almost…innocent, as he slept.
She hated to wake him but she knew if she didn't, he wouldn't have eaten since lunch. He never did when he started on his designs.
Being as careful as she could, Jazz shimmied the book out from him. She didn't tense when he mumbled under his breath nor when he started moving his arms, it was all common events when she did this.
When the booklet finally came free from her brothers surprisingly strong grip, Jazz's smile widened and her eyes sparkled.
While she knew Danny was smart, she never really understood how intelligent he really was unless she was looking at one of his designs. Everything was hand sketched, from the internal mechanics to the aesthetics of the exterior. That wasn't even counting all the measurements he had to pretty much create off the top of his head nor the equations he used to figure them out.
Sometimes, she wished to see one of his design being actually crafted but as of yet, he hadn't done it
If there was one thing she liked about the outcome of Danny's old friendship with Manson and Foley when it fell apart, it was the how her brother actually did things that he liked to do and not what they wanted him to do.
With Foley, she remembered when the boy would always trick her brother into splitting things with him just so he didn't have to pay for it all and then the item in question would just bounce between the two of them. And while Danny usually had a small interest in it, the interest had never really stayed and the items would end up just going to Foley's house permanently. That wasn't even counting when Danny would want to do something besides play Video Games and Foley would just ignore him before going back to them a minute later.
Manson, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
Even at the age of thirteen, it wasn't hard for Jazz to see the crush that Manson had on her little brother but Danny had never showed any form of interest in the Goth. And while Jazz knew that it was rather common for Eleven-year-old boys to not see these kinds of things, she knew Danny had an inkling of an idea. He had asked her how to tell Manson he didn't like her like that, after all.
And now that she thought about it, that was probably why the friendship exploded.
Pushing the thought from her mind, she quietly closet Danny's newest book and slipped it onto the shelf with all the others. Her eyes roamed over them for a moment, counting all 26 binders and booklets. And Jazz just knew, that if her brother actually published his work then the world would fundamentally change in respect to technology.
But she wouldn't force him, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy after all. He needed time to grow before he was forced into the world of adults.
Sighing, she gently ran her fingers through Danny's soft raven hair. Even after doing this for at least the last three years, Jazz always reflected in wonder at how soft her brother's hair was. It was like the fur of a kitten but its wasn't styled anything special. His hair was slightly tapered at the sides and long on the top, his bangs would fall forwards and cover his eyes but it didn't look bad.
When he shifted under her fingers, Jazz slowly pulled away.
She watched as he forced himself upright and with a yawn, rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
And with it, she smiled.