Author's Note: The first chapter is finally up! Special thanks to Cordria who helped edit this work. Hope everyone enjoys.
Disclaimer: I don't own DP.
The first thing Danny saw when he came to was the floor, matted and grey. He could still make out the old coffee stain from this angle. Groaning, he pushed himself up off the ground.
What happened? His eyes fell onto the gauntlet, still situated on his right arm. Memories flooded through his mind, like a movie on fast-forward. Freakshow, the concert...
"Phantom." He froze as a familiar groan sounded behind him.
Turning towards the noise, Danny's eyes widened as he took in his counterpart's new form.
It was an exact duplicate of himself. Or at least, an exact duplicate of his ghost form. Danny could feel a strange sense of déja-vu come over him, as Phantom stared down at his newfound body. It was exactly the same sort of reaction he'd had when he'd first obtained his ghost powers.
"...you can't be serious," he finally uttered, breaking the silence.
Phantom looked up, his face hardening into a scowl, "Well it's not like you gave me a lot of time to choose, did you?"
Danny flinched at the accusation. Obviously, things had gone a bit awry during the process. He'd wanted Phantom to choose a form, a unique form, to live in. Not a carbon copy of his own body.
"Change us back."
"No."
Phantom glared at him and made to reach for the gauntlet, but a quick twist of Danny's hand sent him stumbling into the dresser. "Give it here!"
"Make me!" Danny smirked, as Phantom tried to seize the glove, only to be met with thin air. The clumsy movements only made all the more obvious that the latter was unused to physical movement. It was laughable really, to see the great 'Danny Phantom', AmityPark's protector and hero, struggling to recover a simple object from a fourteen year old human. Even if that human happened to have ghost powers himself.
"Danny, stop playing around! I'm serious here!"
This time, it was Danny who frowned. "Well, maybe if you calmed down a bit, I wouldn't have to play 'keep away' with you."
Phantom stopped and glared hard at him for a moment. Danny could practically see the gears spinning inside his head as he debated whether or not chasing him was worth the effort.
"I can do this all day, you know," he prodded.
"Fine," Phantom turned away, sitting heavily on the bed and crossing his arms; the perfect example of a sulking teenager. Danny raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should be thankful or weirded out. It was one thing to see a mirror image of himself, another to see his own body as an entirely different entity.
He shook his head; whole situation was bizarre as it was. The last thing he needed was to contemplate the psychology behind talking to another version of himself. Even though it technically wasn't himself in the first place.
Great. Now I'm turning into Jazz, Danny exhaled deeply, before seating himself on a nearby chair. His ghostly counterpart merely turned away, deliberately ignoring him. This obviously wasn't going to be easy.
"Look," he began. "I know you're mad at me right now, and I get it. You liked being inside me but-," Danny sighed. "you have to know, it's not fair. You can be so much more than this."
"We can be so much more," Phantom corrected. He was still ignoring him.
"That's not the point." Danny retorted, fixing a determined glare at his counterpart. "You can't stay inside my head forever, Phantom. It's not right."
"And separating us is?" the ghost countered.
"Yes!" Danny said exasperatedly, "You've been helping me all this time and all I've done was selfishly use you for my own gain."
"Selfish?" Phantom turned to him incredulously, eyes wide. "I wanted to help you, because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me! I wouldn't even be here without you right now. If anything, I should be thanking you for letting me live inside your mind!"
"But you shouldn't have to!" Danny stood up in frustration. "Don't you get it? You're free! You can do whatever you want now, without me dragging you behind!". He exhaled, before continuing in a softer tone, "I shouldn't be the one to prevent you from having a full life."
Phantom was quiet now, his hands down at his sides. He regarded him with a look that was both pitying and defiant. "...you're not dragging me behind."
"That's just cause you don't know what's out there," Danny collapsed back into his seat. "There's a lot more out there that you don't know about. And I know you want to see it all. But you can't. Not with me. My place is here, but yours... yours is out there," he trailed off, avoiding the other's gaze.
Glancing out the window, Danny took in the last golden rays of the sun, before it disappeared from the horizon. The town's normal everyday bustle was slowing down, a gilded silence descending upon the city. It was a quaint little place, calm and peaceful despite the regularity of ghost attacks, no doubt due to his and Phantom's efforts.
Danny's hands gripped the gauntlet, the cold metal sending goosebumps up his arms. He couldn't let Phantom stay. It wasn't fair; Phantom could do so much more without him. Could be so much more without him.
Danny may not have been the brightest student, but he wasn't oblivious. He'd seen how Phantom always lit up whenever they talked about something new or strange. How the other always prodded him to visit the bookstore, and never hesitated to shower him with questions on weird (and sometimes awkward) topics. The ghost was an intellectual through and through.
I could never give him what he needs. Somehow, that thought hurt a lot more than it should have. Long before he'd met Phantom, Danny had already decided he would stay in this town for the rest of his life. Forever if need be, to fight off the ghosts that plagued this place.
He'd been content with his fate, accepted it even. He could handle each day as it came along, alone. Solitary. And yet...
He can be so much more.
Danny closed his eyes, willing the energy within the gauntlet to activate once more. It would only be a second. A single burst of energy that would allow Phantom to move on, away from this town, this role, this life...
"No." Danny jerked his head up, as Phantom grabbed the gauntlet, leaning down towards him. "I can't leave you here. I won't."
His face twisted into a scowl. "You can and you will. I won't let you waste your life on some... delusion that you have to stay here for me."
"It's not a delusion!" Danny flinched as Phantom's eyes burned electric-green. "Whether you believe it or not, my place is here. With you." The ghost now placed both his hands on top of Danny's, forcing the red glow of the gauntlet to fade away. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than by your side," he whispered resolutely.
Danny flushed at the words, "I-It's not... I...," he spluttered, trying to find the proper words.
He wanted to argue that Phantom wasn't obligated to stay with him, that he'd taken it upon himself to protect the town, alone. He wanted him to see how pointless it was to stay here, and how his own life was incredibly boring compared to the rest of the world.
Liar, Danny's mind betrayed him. Fighting ghosts as a superhero was probably every kid's wet dream. And Phantom had already more than helped on one occasion. You want him to stay...
Aloud, he said, "I-I don't think you'll like it here. It's too... quiet."
Phantom frowned, "We fight ghosts, Danny. Every day. This town's the most haunted place of Earth. If you're gonna lie, at least come up with something plausible."
"It's not a lie!" Danny replied, irritation tinting his voice. "One day, you're going to realize that there's more to life than just this town. And when that time comes-"
"When that time comes, I'm still gonna be here," Phantom interrupted, "whether or not you want me to. I promised I'd never leave, didn't I?"
Danny blushed again, his shoulders slackening with uncertainty, "...y-you did. But-"
"But nothing," Phantom's stare cut him off. "I'm staying and that's final."
Danny matched his gaze, blue eyes against neon green, trying to break Phantom's resolve. Trying to convince the ghost of his stubbornness, or find some way to keep the other from merging them back together again. But none came.
Sighing exasperatedly, he broke eye contact. "Fine. But you're still keeping that body."
Annoyance flitted across the ghost's face for a moment, only to be replaced with a look of neutrality. "Why? We can fuse back together now, and-"
"We're not merging again, okay?" Danny sighed again. "I just... I want a better life for you, Phantom. I can't stand it when you're forced to look after me just because you don't have your own body."
"But I like looking after you."
Danny gave a wan smile, "I know you do. But someday, you'll have something else to look forward to doing. And I don't want to get in the way of that."
Phantom snorted, "Like that'll happen. The day I find something more important than you is the day you give up on that hero complex of yours."
"Hey, I do not have a hero complex!"
The ghost chuckled, "Whatever you say, Danny."
"But I don't!" Danny pouted, a light blush staining his cheeks. "J-just swear you won't change us back when I'm asleep or something."
"But-"
"Swear." Danny glared at his counterpart.
"Alright, alright," Phantom backed away from him. "If it means that much to you... I swear. Happy?"
Danny maintained his glare for a moment longer. Finally, he sighed, "Okay."
Phantom grinned. "Good. Now c'mon, it's time for bed."
Bed? Danny looked out the window. Outside, the town was already dark, the buildings only outlined by the light of the moon and the countless stars shining overhead. He hadn't noticed how late it was; his family was probably already asleep.
"It's late, and you have school tomorrow, " Phantom gave Danny a telling smirk, who glared at him in return Walking over to the dresser, the ghost pulled out twin pairs of pyjamas. He tossed one pair to him. "Here. Change."
"Thanks," Danny caught them distractedly. Taking off the gauntlet, he carefully placed the artifact back into the safe. He paused to look at the access pad on the top of the box.
What if he... he shook his head, unwilling to finish. Phantom had promised; he'd never go behind his back like that. He trusted him, more than anyone else. The gauntlet wouldn't be used. He placed the safe back underneath the pile of clothes, and shut the closet door.
With the glove sufficiently hidden, Danny turned back to his counterpart to see-
"H-hey, what are you-don't do... that here!" he flushed hotly. Phantom paused, the arms of his jumpsuit hanging down by his hips, revealing a smooth, tanned chest.
"Why not?" Phantom tilted his head in confusion.
Danny spluttered uselessly, looking away. "Y-you know why."
His counterpart stared at him hard; Danny flinched under the intense gaze. It was like Phantom could see right through him. And given that they'd shared one mind before...
"No, I don't know why. Care to explain?" Phantom smirked devilishly.
He knows, Danny thought, shifting uncomfortably from where he stood. "I-It's not...," he stuttered, "We shouldn't be... c-c-changing... i-in the same room and... s-stop laughing!" Danny's face lit up as Phantom broke out into gales of laughter.
"You... y-you should've seen the look on your face. I-it's..." Phantom continued to snicker uncontrollably in an attempt to calm himself down.
Danny huffed, "Yeah, well, I'm going to c-change somewhere else." He grabbed the pair of pyjamas he'd dropped during the exchange and stalked towards the door, avoiding his counterpart's gaze.
"N-no, wait," Phantom placed a hand on his shoulder; the cool touch sending shivers down his spine. "I'm fine now. S-see?" He was still holding onto his side with his free hand.
"I just thought it was funny since... well we've been together for almost a year already. It's not like there's anything to be modest about..." Danny blushed fiercely, refusing to look at his counterpart. It wasn't as if he'd forgotten their previous dual existence. But actually interacting with each other as separate people in that context made him feel... violated somehow.
"...but if you really want to, I'm fine with changing in the bathroom. Everyone's asleep already, so it's not like they'll know I'm here," Phantom finished knowingly, his eyes boring into the back of the teen's head.
"N-no, it's fine. I'll go." Danny said, shooting a deft smile over his shoulder before shutting the door. Had he stayed, he might've caught a glimpse of the disappointment etched upon his counterpart's face.
-XXX-
"Ok, Fenton. You got this," Danny stared determinedly at his reflection. "You've fought the Ghost King, you've fought your evil future self, and survived the first year of high school. You can do this." He took a deep breath...
...and collapsed onto the countertop, groaning.
Oh, who am I kidding, he thought miserably, rubbing his head in frustration. There's no way this will work.
Phantom may have been confident about all of this... whatever it was, but he wasn't so sure. He could already envision the massive pile of complications that would come about if Phantom chose to stay.
His friends, for one. He couldn't keep this from them, even if he couldn't predict how they'd react. How the heck am I going to explain Phantom to Sam and Tuck? A ghost who's been fused with me and acts like a sort of conscience ever since the accident? Danny snorted. Yeah, he could totally see that conversation going well.
Might as well chuck myself into the nut-house while I'm at it, he thought morosely. Jazz would have a field day on it.
His parents wouldn't exactly be happy about it either, though it wasn't as if he was going to tell them anything important. They'd probably mistake Phantom for the 'ghost boy' (oh, the irony) and shoot him the first chance they got. Or worse, dissect him molecule by molecule. Danny shuddered. No, if Phantom was to have any sort of normal life here in Amity, he'd have to blend in with the crowd first. Which meant he'd probably have to ask Sam for help.
Assuming she doesn't kill me first, he thought, already imagining his friend's reaction. Sam never liked it when he kept secrets from her, and she definitely wouldn't like it that he'd kept one for a whole year.
Anything else? he mentally added 'Sam' to the growing list (circling it twice for good measure).
There's ghost fighting, he allowed himself a tender smile. Phantom may not have much of the agility or reflexes for battle, but he definitely had the brains. He fondly recalled how the other had cleverly manoeuvred Skulker into one of his own traps just the other week. It'd been nice to have someone assisting him, but Danny couldn't help but feel much safer knowing that the person he trusted was actually real and tangible, and not a figment of his imagination.
Guess things won't be that bad, he thought, feeling a bit more optimistic. His friends might be mad at him, they'd come around eventually. And with some clever make-up, nobody, even his parents, would know how close the other looked to his alter-ego. Everything would turn out fine. Uplifted, he stepped into his room.
"...of course, I might just end up killing myself before all of this is over."
He watched as Phantom rolled around in his bed, his hands roaming across the sheets in an attempt to smother himself across the entire piece of furniture. Annoyed, Danny walked over and prodded his counterpart's back, who was currently lying face-down on the mattress. Phantom turned his head, one eye peeking open from underneath his white bangs.
"Your bed's really soft."
"Yeah, I got that. Can you move over?" His counterpart obeyed, if somewhat reluctantly. Danny slipped in under the covers, taking care to avoid the other's flailing limbs. He'd probably have to get another bed for Phantom to sleep in. But until then, they'd just have to make do with what they had.
"Could you stop that?!" he turned to his other half, who was still viciously fidgeting around.
Phantom rolled over, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, I just never really felt a bed before."
Danny felt his lips twitch into a lopsided smile. He was glad Phantom was enjoying his newfound freedom. Even if it did come with certain... quirks. He settled down for the night, pulling the covers close around him. Closing his eyes, he drifted off, allowing sleep to settle over him...
"Uaagghh!" Danny yelped, as he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and pull him flush against another body. An instant later, his survival instinct, honed from countless battles, kicked in.
Jabbing his elbow behind him, Danny caught his attacker square in the ribs. Not wasting any time on the strangled cry behind him, he twisted away from the weakened hold and launched himself off the bed in a half-somersault before transforming mid-air. Immediately, his hand charged a fiery green ecto-blast, ready to incinerate-
"Hey, hey, take it easy! It's just me." Phantom held out his hand, eyes wide with panic. Realization slowly crept into him, and he lowered his arm, dispelling the gathered energy. Changing forms, Danny scowled at his friend, before tentatively crawling back into bed.
"You could've warned me," he admonished.
"Yeah, well I didn't expect to nearly get a face-full of ecto-energy for it."
Danny grimaced, as Phantom gingerly rubbed his side. He hadn't meant to hurt the other so badly; he'd just acted in order to survive. Survive what? You nearly killed your own friend just because he got into your personal space, Danny pushed the thought away, ignoring the guilt starting to gnaw at his heart. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah," Phantom smiled forgivingly, "It's nothing I can't handle, so don't beat yourself up too much, okay?" Danny opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when Phantom shot him a knowing look.
Really no use hiding things from him, is there? he thought sulkily, watching Phantom's smirk come back full force. "Besides," Phantom grinned mischievously, "we've been in worse situations before."
Danny chuckled, "Yeah, for me. You just sit in the background and give me orders."
"Fine then. Next time, I'll do the fighting and you watch."
Danny snorted, before rolling over, pulling the covers back over himself. Once again, a pair of arms reached over to hold him in place, although this time, he knew better than to act rashly.
"Um... Phantom? Mind giving me a little space here?"
"The bed's too small, and we only have one pillow."
"Besides," Phantom's voice dropped lower, "it's not like we can get any... closer." Danny's face went up like a stop light. Where had Phantom even learned to speak like that?
However, his musings were cut short as Phantom pulled him in close, his back touching the other's chest. Danny shivered, as the other's breath grazed the back of his neck. It was cool, almost like an autumn breeze. Probably his ghost powers, he decided. An image of luminous green eyes came unbidden to his mind. He'd have to ask Phantom about that later.
"You should sleep."
Danny jolted, all too aware again of his counterpart's presence. Phantom, already dozing off, clutched the back of his shirt, nuzzling in-between his shoulder blades. Sighing, Danny closed his eyes again, willing himself to sleep.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel as bothered as he should have. Perhaps it was due to how close they'd been before the split; Phantom had made it quite clear that personal space and privacy was pretty much non-existent where it concerned him.
Not too bad, though, Danny thought sedately. Kinda like being hugged by a child, really. It was remarkable, how mature and serious the ghost could be when awake, and so placid when asleep.
He chuckled a bit, his mind becoming muddled with fatigue. Focusing on his counterpart, Danny listened to the slow beat of Phantom's new heart, thumping ever so sluggishly against his back, like someone had muted it. Another hint of ghostly power, he noted. In his ghost form, Danny's own heart pumped at half the regular rate of any other normal person's, courtesy of the ectoplasm that ran through his veins.
He grinned dazedly, the muffled sound lulling him to sleep. It was nice in a way, to know their hearts were in rhythm. Like keeping time.
Ba-dump... ba-dump...
ba-dump...
...
-XXX-
Crackle, crackle...
"Good evening, and welcome to Action News. I'm Tiffany Snow. Tonight's story: a local concert has just been attacked by a mysterious white male, along with a weird, tattooed ghost. We now go to the scene with Lance Thunder. Lance?"
"I knew I should've taken that job in a-ah... Tiffany! It's chaos here at Casper High. As you can see, strange creatures are flying around, terrorizing the students and band members in what can only be described as a 'torrent of terror'. Unfortunately, the unidentified male seems to have taken them all hostage with some glowing glove, so it doesn't seem likely that they're going to esca-whoa!"
The camera shook wildly for a moment, a monochrome blur rushing by the screen.
"Lance?"
"I-it seems that Danny Phantom has just flown in. Apparently, he seems to be trying to rid the man of the device. Holy... a-are you seeing what I'm seeing?! That man just turned that drum set into a spider!"
"Oh, wait. It looks like the Phantom's got the glove now. Looks like all the audience has been freed...and here comes the Guys in White. What are they-hey!"
"Under federal ghost-catching law, Section C, subsection B, you are trespassing on an ecto-crime scene. Remove yourselves from the premises immediately."
"What? You can't-agghhh! Not the hair! Not the ha-" the screen went blank.
"Uh... sorry folks, but it seems we're experiencing a bit of technical difficulty. Rest assured, when we get back, everything will be like running up to speed. This is Tiffany Snow from Action News, signing out."
Crackle, crackle...
Pause.
That glove... it couldn't be. Could it? His eyes narrowed. He'd searched for that glove for years, hoping it would give him the one thing he truly desired. He'd tried everywhere; the Ghost Zone, the human world... nothing came up.
But now... he tapped 'Rewind', pausing it at the exact moment where the ghost boy and the strange albino could be seen, struggling for what looked like a golden glove, studded with gems.
Now that's in his hands, he chuckled darkly.
"Meow." he turned to the white cat, sitting his lap.
"Why you're absolutely right, Maddie. It's high time I paid an old friend a little visit."
For those who aren't familiar with the setting, this fic takes place during the second season, "Reality Trip".