When Danny doesn't grow or change bodily (the awkward way— not the way he normally did) any for months and months, he really didn't question it. Genetics were like that sometimes, after all.
His parents noticed too, of course; they were observant about only that which they could turn awkward, apparently.
"Don't worry Danno," his dad assured him, clapping a large hand over his back. "Your body is just storing energy so you can be like this!" Jack then posed to demonstrate his bulk.
"He could end up like me," Maddie put in, oddly defensive. "I was a late bloomer too, sweetie."
And thus began the petty and mildly argumentative analysis of Danny's features; Maddie argued he had her freckles and her stature, while Jack argued he had his hair and eyes.
Danny just groaned.
xXx
Of course the lack of change didn't make Danny think that this would be the new norm, but he couldn't help but be jealous as over the months, the year, his friends continued to fill out.
It was a startling revelation when he realized both Tucker and Sam were taller than him by a good margin— the latter without combat boots!
Danny didn't say anything not out of worry, but more out of avoidance of the friendly jabs that would inevitably come as soon as his friends realized the same thing he did.
...Of course, they eventually did have the same revelation, and teased him relentlessly. What else were friends for?
At this time, he gave more thought to what his parents were arguing about— what would he look like? Strong like his father…? Much as he disliked considering that future, Dan looked like that, but Vlad had well built shoulders and was a part of that monster, so it was hard to count that for much. Would he be more lithe and short like his mother? He kind of hoped not, considering the already-annoying short jabs. Or… a combination? Short and bulky, tall and lithe…?
Only time would tell.
xXx
Time did not tell.
xXx
At a year and a half after his parent's first argument, Danny began to seriously reevaluate the idea that his lack of growth was late bloomer related. Even his friends were weirded out by Danny's sameness.
Nobody was sure what it would be related to, though. Danny stayed up for a night after the idea of it's something wrong thinking about it to no conclusion.
He told himself not to worry about it— in vain.
xXx
The connection came with his parents discussing ectoplasm's preservative qualities. On food, of all things.
It didn't come immediately— at first, he only protested at it being used on their food considering many incidents in which the Fentons found themselves fighting their meals in a way Tums wouldn't solve.
His words died in his throat as his parents continued to ramble on about how the ghosts were preserving all within them with their ectoplasm, making even ghosts that possessed their past flesh or bones as immortal as any other ghost (which was to say mostly, almost immortal).
It clicked.
xXx
Danny had figured he was exempt from the whole immortality thing, considering the half human part. He wasn't sure how he'd felt about missing out on that 'perk' at the time, considering how people naturally feared death, but he'd accepted it; after all, he'd thought he would die his entire life, no different than any other human, and thus nothing changed upon the "missing out" of that.
But… if it acted as a preservative…
Danny found himself asking what he really felt about the supposed perk immortality… and after a second of thought, that's when he stopped thinking about it, planting himself firmly in denial.
xXx
Things still occurred to him in the night, though.
xXx
They'll all live on… go to college, have children, have a LIFE…
I'll outlive them, dead, forever the same.
xXx
Back to denial again.