I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I do own this story, though. Yes, I am well aware of the fact this is my millionth story about what seems to be the same topic. But hey, this is something I like doing for fun, so take it. You no like, you no read. Enjoy.
"Finally!" Jack shouted as he finished the last wires on the back of his new invention. Two light bulbs on the top of the metal item in his hand began to flash, both blue in color. Below the screen was a keyboard of sorts for letters and numbers. It flashed on, and it was waiting for a command. He began to dance around, invention in hand, not caring if he woke anyone up at the ungodly hour that was three in the morning. He was so excited- this could stop the ghost boy once and for all. That, and maybe figure out why their son always acted so odd.
He heard a yawn, and he quickly turned around to see his wife in a blue robe pulled around her. Her eyes had lines under them from fatigue. He hair was unruly and a bit tangled. "Man, that's hot." Jack thought. Maddie smiled at him.
"You finally finished it? Great job, hon." She said politely, mentally cursing that he couldn't wait 'til morning to jump around and shout excitedly. But she loved him anyways. He nodded.
"Yep, can't wait to use it! Now, who first? Our son, the one we can't tell why he acts oddly lately, or that Phantom punk?" He said, narrowing his eyes at the invention. Maddie walked up to him.
"I vote Danny first- he's our son. I want to know why he's been so jumpy and secretive lately. The ghost kid can wait." She said. "But, let's pick this up in a few more hours. I'm tired and I swore I heard a certain fourteen-year-old swearing like a sailor in his room for being woken up." She said. Jack gave her a disappointed look, but put the device down.
"Fine. Well, soon we'll know why our son is the jumpiest boy in the world, as well as why he keeps coming home late with the new 'Fenton Fear Finder'! Shows all big fears of Danny- it'll show us the truth!...Or will at least give us enough clues to figure it out." He finished. Maddie smiled and pulled him back upstairs, back to bed.
The day would hold all manner of things shocking...
As Danny walked down the stairs that morning, still tired from being woken up early by his enthusiastic dad, he was just as grouchy as last night. Being that it was a Saturday, as went into the kitchen, he expected breakfast to be a bit better than the normal 'eat it and go 'cause you're gonna be late to school' food. What he didn't expect was to see scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, and strawberries to be out on the table, not to mention it was clear of the dreaded toast. He looked up at his parents, who were giving him somewhat overly joyful smiles. Jazz sat across from them, looking a little creeped out as she ate some strawberries and scrambled eggs. Danny pulled up a chair to the table, looking a little wary.
"Hi sweetie! Like breakfast this morning? We thought you would 'cause you like strawberries and cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs!" Maddie said. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Uh...Huh. Yeah. This is, uh, really nice. Um, is there any reason why-"
"No!" Both parents insisted. Danny blinked at them, before taking a breath and picking up a cinnamon roll, biting into the sweet, sticky goodness. Jazz turned to whisper to him.
"I can't tell why they're acting so odd- I tried to ask, but they said that I would know after you figured it out." She said. Danny groaned.
"Figure out what, though?" He muttered. Jazz shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I don't think it's anything morbid- it's more that they seem like they're waiting for something to happen." She said. Her brother sighed, nodding, continuing to eat breakfast.
"Oh, and kids," Maddie said, sitting up. "We might need you around the house today. Can you guys skip going out?" Jazz let out an irritated groan, but nodded, while Danny looked worrisome and anxious about the idea.
"Uh, I-"
"Please, Danny." She said. Danny took a breath. This did not bode well.
Down in the lab...
As soon as Maddie and Jack had finished breakfast, they ran down to the lab to utilize the Fenton Fear Finder for the first time. When Jack picked it up, he instantly began to press in some buttons on the side of the screen. Soon the screen said 'enter name here'. They carefully pressed in the letters to spell 'Daniel Fenton'.
It loaded for a minute, before the light bulbs sent out a small flicker of light that turned up the stairs, up to Danny's room faster than the eye can see. They briefly heard their son yelp upstairs from the brief shock of the light flicker- not from pain, but from surprise. They smiled as it came back, and the light bulbs absorbed it, and it loaded for a minute, before showing information. Maddie read it.
"Danny Fenton: Has following phobias/fears: Becoming evil, Losing ones he cares about through death- wait, WHAT? What are- what are these?" She said, staring at the screen. Jack was gaping.
"Becoming evil? Wh-why? He shouldn't be afraid of that. Alright, this just created more questions. Oy vey..." He muttered. Maddie stared at it.
"These can't be right...Well, I could see how losing ones he cares about through death could be scary, but maybe that's part of the equation." She said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Her husband was thinking as well.
"Hm...Well...Could- no. That wouldn't add up." He muttered to himself. Maddie looked up.
"What?" She asked. Jack shrugged.
"I don't think a gang is it- he's smarter than that, and no offense to him, but I can't see any gang tha'd really want him. He'd have more cuts and bruises- which, he'd have to have super healing to have to cover them from us. He doesn't wear terribly baggy clothes to cover it up, either." He said. Maddie tapped her fingers down on the table.
"Alright, well, it's not that, then. I wouldn't start asking questions right away- he'll get suspicious." She said. Jack nodded.
"Think, Mads. Maybe we'll figure it out..." He said, grabbing some computer paper and a pen, writing down some possibilities, but crossing them out almost as soon as he put them on there. He sighed.
"I promise I'll figure out what's wrong with our son one way or another..." He thought diligently.