So I guess this came to me after seeing so many "DANNY GETS EXPOSED" fics, and I just wanted to sort of turn it on its head. I'm not making any promises for updates given how little I write and am trying to get any sort of muse back in any way possible, but! Never say never.
I don't know if anyone's done a "reveal" fic of this nature, but hey. First time for everything, yes?
The closed eyes and low exhales from the senior half-ghost hero sitting in his third block before lunch spoke volumes to his girlfriend on the left and his best friend behind him. Even with it only being the study period, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley both knew their close friend was not sighing from homework, but something more. They had not been best friends with Danny Fenton for years for nothing; both understood that it was something way more different from school and the like.
Being partially dead with enemies did that.
The bell finally rang when the teenagers gathered their belongings, Sam the first to nudge the surly teenager from his thoughts. "What's up?"
Danny ran a hand through long, raven strands and shook his head slowly. "The usual- balancing homework. School. Not to mention finding out that Vlad has a damn press conference going on this afternoon. And who knows what the hell he's gonna talk about at that."
Tucker furrowed his brow. "Again?"
Danny scooted through the crowd of others with his friends on his heels. "Again. And to be honest, I'm sick and tired of it. Probably some jab at Phantom or even my parents, knowing him." The scowl never disappeared as he sat down at the lunch table while pulling out his math book. "I just want to- just kick him out of office, y'know?"
"All too well," Sam replied dryly.
It had become plain as day over the last few years of high school (particularly, the remaining few months of the prior year) that Danny was tired and irritated with Vlad Masters being the mayor of Amity Park. Having cheated his way into the office of freshman year and practically intimidated anyone and everyone who would run for office in the years after, it was painfully clear that he had taken a "liking" to Danny Fenton and his entire family. It had even gotten to the point that kids in the hallway were making pointed jabs at him for being the "mayor's little badger." And that was more than enough to push more than a few human buttons.
The only question was now how in the world was he supposed to get him out of office when he wouldn't budge for anything.
"Well, you had any thought about it?" Tucker suggested.
Sam shot him a dirty look. "Don't encourage him."
The technology genius rolled his eyes. "It's not encouraging if he's considered this for months, Sam."
Danny sighed and leaned back in the chair, fingering the pencil and staring at it while he spoke. "Yeah, well. Trust me. I've been through everything and every scenario and none of them seem like they'll work out. Overshadowing isn't gonna do it; too strong at this point. Forcing him out of office physically won't do it either. And money?" He let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, that'll work like a charm. Only thing to get him out of office is gonna be if my mom woos him, and that's a load of bull."
The trio went silent at this, Tucker surfing through his Twitter feed. Sam chewed on her salad in thought as Danny continued to dully glimpse over his textbook. Soon enough, his eyes glazed over as his mind drifted back to Vlad.
At least, it was until Sam snapped her fingers.
"Civil conversation?"
Both teenagers were snapped out of their stupor at this, and their eyes turned to the girl in the chair who had arms crossed. Tucker's jaw had dropped to the table, and Danny almost barked out a bitter laugh again. "You're kidding me."
The Goth snorted softly. "Oh, and I suppose you had a better idea."
Danny opened his mouth at this, his mind drawing a blank.
"Let's be honest. Even with you trying to be the bigger man, Vlad is normally the one calling the shots. He's always in the chair, he's always being the one who's pulling the strings and playing chess. He's somehow got this massive scheme and the ego the size of your family's sign on your house. So just... try it out. It's definitely the last thing you want to do and the last thing he expects at this point. And if he expects it, then." She shrugged a shoulder. "We can play it from there."
It didn't seem like there was much of a choice in the matter, or any better ideas at that point. And as much as Danny hated to admit it, he thought the plan might actually have a half-shot in the dark of working.
The afternoon air nipped at reporters' cheeks, about twenty all standing at the front of City Hall and watching the podium. The press conference was not for another ten minutes, but to Phantom, that was all the time he needed. He stood on the rooftop across the way from the other building, eyes narrowed as he tapped his earpiece. "You guys in position?"
"Be careful, dude," Tucker's voice crackled over the device. "The paparazzi is swarming around here, and I know I heard a rumor swirling around that you are supposed to make an appearance of some kind. He's got something up this time, so you should probably get in and out and over with."
"No need to tell me twice." Phantom clicked off the device and pulled it out of his ear, setting it down on the pavement under him. Ten minutes was way less time than he honestly preferred, but it was going to have to do in this circumstance. Hands rested on the concrete wall overlooking the others before he ducked down and became invisible for the human eye to see. With another look over the barrier, he jumped over the ledge and flew towards the office. Taking the long way and moving to the opposite side of City Hall, Danny poked his head into Mayor Vlad Masters's office and spotted exactly who he wanted... and in no short amount of time.
Nine minutes.
Phantom drew a breath before phasing through the walls of the building and landing inside the office space in front of the mayor. He made himself visible and swallowed, standing in the middle of the room with head up and watching him.
It took a minute before Vlad finally looked up with a frown etched into his features and something odd in his eyes. "...what a surprise."
"We need to talk," Phantom replied flatly, folding his arms. The tension was palpable, and he was forcing himself to take a slow breath before he spoke once again. "Not fight. Not... argue. Just talk."
Raising an eyebrow, Masters set down his pen and leaned back in the chair with arms outstretched and palms opened. Phantom didn't move.
"This whole- keeping control of Amity Park thing? It's gotta stop. You've had this city for four years in your fist, and I'm almost a graduated high school student. I'm leaving in some- couple of months to go off to college, and by that point, you won't really have a reason to stay here. And I know full and well that you're only here because of me. Not Mom. Not Dad." He opened his own arms. "Me."
Vlad chewed on his lip in what seemed to be thought for a moment. And suddenly, he chuckled.
Phantom's stomach almost dropped.
"Four years. Four years and you haven't learned a godforsaken thing, have you?" he spoke with venomous joy. "Four years and you still really think this is about Danny Fenton. You really think that this is just about making your insignificant life hell?" He stood up from the chair, walking around the desk and grinning that awful toothy smirk that seemed to haunt the teenager's dreams every so often. "I'm here for so much more than that now, little bad-"
Hands clenched with a growl. The half-ghost braced himself, foot edging back into a defensive position. "Don't even call me that. I'm a fucking senior, you sociopath."
Footsteps halted in front of Phantom, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"You heard me!" Phantom snarled now, all pretenses and pleasantries gone. "You've been... sitting in your office for four damn years just fiddling around in some grand chess scheme, no doubt waiting to kill Dad or even Mom at this point. All these squabbles or fights or whatever you're gonna call them are some mocking little shitstorm to further your political career or whatever else. And while everything else around you is growing and evolving and other crap, you're still trapped in that same little fantasy you've had for the last how many years now?!"
Vlad's frown had slowly morphed into its own snarl, eyes flashing a brilliant red.
One minute.
"I'm not some fourteen year old little pawn in your schemes anymore, Vlad. I'm eighteen. I'm a legal adult, and if no one is going to take you out of office, then I am. And that's no threat." Phantom's eyes gleamed furiously. "It's a promise. Whatever you're up to? I'm ending it. Now."
A low breath escaped from the billionaire mayor before he raised a hand. Phantom's own were up in a flash, circling in front of his body and thrusting them straight through the ring of energy he had created. A brilliant flash lit up the room, ectoplasmic energy shooting forward and slamming the mayor headlong through the glass of the window in his office. He went skidding through the grass, the remains of his office nothing more than a large, burnt pile of flooring and wood. Outside of the office, Masters rubbed his head and stared at his archenemy now standing where the glass once protected him in the office.
Climbing to his feet and swaying for a brief moment, Vlad gritted his teeth and cracked his neck before two bright rings of light split down his frame. No words could escape him, cape fluttering gently behind him as energy began to gather in his fingers.
And that was when the shout was heard.
"SOMEONE GET THAT FOOTAGE TO CNN! NOW!"
Both hybrids turned in the direction of the yell, when suddenly camera flashes and phones were held up in recordings. Plasmius was frozen in place, staring at the paparazzi when a camera flash went off. Suddenly, many of them were flickering and taking pictures of the duo in turn. One of them held up her phone, pressing on a button. "Mayor Masters, what can you tell us about your identity as the Wisconsin Ghost?"
Phantom's face paled.
Plasmius turned to the other, fangs glinting in the sunlight before an angry noise reached Phantom's ears.
No. Not anger.
Fury.
"You set me up."
Phantom glanced back at the reporters and to where Plasmius once was, only to suddenly hear a cry of rage above him and two fists slamming into the ground to try and meet the other. In a moment of thought, he turned intangible and sprinted out of the way of the elder hybrid with hands alight.
"Are we live? Anything?"
The camerawoman nodded.
"This is Lance Thunder, and this is an APN Breaking News report! We have live footage of Mayor Vlad Masters actually being... turning into the Wisconsin Ghost. That's right, folks! We've just seen with our own eyes that our mayor is actually in lieu and guilty of potential murder charges on behalf of being... oh Christ. Oh God. Kill it! Kill the camera! Run!"
His cape was torn and ripped as it was, and the man finally yanked it off, tossing it aside as it fluttered to the grass below. Blood oozed from his mouth, and the half-ghost was chuckling roughly as the other spoke. "For speaking of change, Daniel, you seem to know very little of what I've been up to recently." He sped towards the paparazzi, hands alight and about to throw his own energy blast at the hapless individuals before Phantom dove for him and tackled him sidelong into the park.
The two of them rolled over one another, clawing and throwing haphazard blows at each other before Phantom landed in the grass on his stomach and groaned. He had barely climbed to his feet before he was forced to leap out of the way, Plasmius aiming another punch for the other. "What, because you've been hiding in your office?! Creating crazy experiments and doing creepy shit in some basement away from...?"
Plasmius gripped the teen by the neck and threw him further into the park. A yelp escaped the other as he skidded in the dirt once more, and the man stood in the grass with hands still alight with that energy.
"It isn't just about you anymore. It's not about your fucking little teenage friends, your family." The contempt and poison dripping from his words shocked Phantom from his stance. "No. What it's about is me taking this city... and making it mine. If I can't have you or your mother. Your sister. If I can't kill your excuse of a father- then I'll take the next best thing." His eyes narrowed. "I'll take your city and make it all mine."
Cold blood seemed to freeze entirely as the hero watched Plasmius's hands glowing with that magenta energy he was so accustomed to begin to shift and take an entirely different shape and hue. His own hands were glowing with that ice energy he had mastered, fists clenched as he gazed at the other with horror and fear.
The billionaire almost seemed to be mutating.
Had he really been hiding like this the whole damn time?!
It almost seemed it; the other's hair no longer sticking upright like the vampire he appeared to be, instead shorter and flickering gingerly in the wind. Eyes that were once cold and calculating were murderous, almost piercing the other's own. And his voice, ever the same, seemed to drop with roughened fury. "I'll take this city if I can't have you. And if I make it so much so that your life is hell?" He threw his hands forward. "I can at least accept that!"
The energy that he had thrown forward wasn't energy- no. That was fire. Phantom's eyes widened before he threw up an ice shield of sorts, only to have it melted away within mere seconds and overtaken by the new flames from Plasmius's attack.
Phantom screamed as the fire seemed to almost intensify as it took over him. Hands flailed in an effort to throw up any sort of protective barrier to no avail, and he was finally taken over entirely by the flames. They burned so deeply, his suit slowly beginning to almost flake off in the process of the inferno. Plasmius didn't move, hands lowered to his sides and watching the other begin to slowly crumple to the dirt.
Two rings slowly split and transformed the hero back into his human counterpart. Laying in the grass with certain burn marks and a low moan, Plasmius towered over the other before gripping him by the arm and pulling him upright.
"Mayor Masters!"
Turning around slowly to see the media staring at him, the ghost aimed a hand at the little group and fired off his own energy blast at the little gathering. Screams erupted, and they scattered before he could attack again. The man snarled lowly, turning invisible with Danny in hand and disappearing to parts clearly unknown.