Danny was used to seeing clocks that read midnight. Whether it was an analog clock or a digital alarm, he found that he saw almost every midnight come and go. In fact, he was fairly sure that he had seen many more midnights than noons in the last few months.
Most nights, he would lay in bed, wide awake despite his tiring routine. He would toss and turn, and sometimes go on patrol by himself. Unfortunately, he always ended up thinking far too much; his thoughts were prone to wandering in the absence of his friends.
On this particular night, he simply stared at the old wall clock, watching the second hand stutter forwards with a faint tick-tick-tick. It brought to mind a few of his more unpleasant - and common - considerations.
Every moment was another step towards the "distant" future. His power was constantly growing, and it was already far beyond what he should be capable of with less than a year of experience. If he was this strong now, as young as he was, what sort of creature would he be in another year? Ten? Twenty?
He rivaled his alternate half-self, who had destroyed the entire world, in power. He didn't really want to know what he would be able to do.
But he couldn't ignore the problem, especially when every passing second dragged him closer to that reality.
On the other hand, there was another possibility that was just as unnerving, and unfortunately likely. That clock could be ticking towards his death, sooner rather than later. Certainly, it wouldn't be by his own hand, but there were too many risks in his life. He fought ghosts on a nearly daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day. Too often, he found himself on the metaphorical ropes, fighting to the last of his energy. Too often, his will was all that helped him pull through.
Too often, he probably should have been dead, realistically speaking.
And if the ghosts wouldn't kill him, his own parents would. Despite his growing reputation as a hero, his parents' hatred for him persisted. They even made more and more weapons that could tear him apart and make it all too easy to examine his remains. He knew that he could be accepted if he did something huge and heroic, like with the Reality Trip incident, but on neutral ground… he wasn't so sure.
Thoughts like this spun through his head, forcing him to remain awake. With a sigh, Danny rubbed at his temples, fighting off a headache as he watched the minute hand and hour hand meet once again.
