The second installment of the Danny Phantom Shipping Album. This is for Iambic Prose, but it's sort of hinted at, and only one-sided, to anyone's knowledge. It just sorta ran away from me…
Danny Phantom © Butch Hartman
Read All About It © Emeli Sande
Ghost Writer, as usual, was sitting at his typewriter. He'd had a genius idea for a novel, and he had to get it out before the inspiration left. He had just finished the chapter he was on when the door knocked. Odd. No one ever visited him…
He flew to the door and peeked out. The Fenton Boy. What did he want?
"Can I come in?" the teen asked sheepishly.
"Why?" the older ghost asked suspiciously. Did he come to destroy more of Ghost Writer's work?
"I don't have anywhere else to go," he said softly. "I can't go home. The rest of the ghosts here are my enemies, except Clockwork. But… He's always so busy. I don't want to bother him."
"But you're perfectly fine bothering me?" the author asked, raising an eyebrow. He still hadn't forgiven the boy about his Quantum Keyboard. It had cost him a lot to get Technus to fix it.
"I won't be in your way, I promise," Danny insisted. "I just need somewhere safe to sleep." Ghost Writer was about to protest when he fully took in the ghost boy's appearance. He looked slightly disheveled with a lost look in his eye. It was oddly familiar, but Ghost Writer was unable to place it.
"Alright…" he finally relented slowly. "But if you damage any of the works here, mine or otherwise, I will personally call Skulker or Plasmius."
"Thank you," Danny whispered, his voice filled with more gratitude than Ghost Writer had ever thought possible. The author stepped aside to let the boy in. He found it odd that Danny had no possessions with him. Actually, many things were odd about this whole situation. He'd never shared his home with anyone before. This would definitely be interesting.
ReadAllAboutIt
"And this is your room," Ghost Writer said, showing Danny where he'd be staying.
"Thank you," the ghost boy repeated, opening the door. Inside was a double bed with a nightstand holding a lamp. The floor was covered in a beige carpet, and bookshelves lined two of the walls. He stepped inside and approached one of the shelves. Most of the books were by Andrew Hopkins, who Danny had never heard of. A few, however, were by Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare.
"If those books come to any harm while you're here," Ghost Writer stared, "I'll finish the job that portal started." The sight of Danny's clenched fists and temporary flinch was not lost upon the older ghost. However, it was no his place to ask. Phantom's business was his own.
As soon as he was sure that Danny was settled, laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, he returned to the main hall where he kept his typewriter. It was time to continue his work.
Hours passed in blissful silence. But at roughly one-thirty, Ghost Writer heard a crash and shattering from Danny's room. The author growled. He'd figured that the boy would screw up, but he hadn't expected it to happen this quickly. He dreaded going to see what the damage was, but it had to be done.
He stormed down the hall, ready to scream at the boy and kick him out. He yanked the door open, fuming, but paused when he took in the sight of the room. There were shards of what appeared to be glass or ice on the floor, but all of his books hadn't been touched, and the lamp was still in one piece. So what had happened? Then he looked at Danny. The boy was sitting in the middle of the bed with his head in his hands, and his body shook in unmistakable silent sobs. Wait… didn't Danny have ice powers? Ghost Writer glanced back down at the shards again. They definitely looked more like ice than glass.
What was going on?
Almost in response to his thought, Danny formed a large ball of ice in one hand while charging the other with ecto-energy. When the ball of ice was about as large as the lamp, he threw it in the air and fired a heavily charged ghost ray at it, shattering the ice into hundreds, maybe even thousands of tiny pieces that landed everywhere. Ghost Writer ducked to avoid any possible injury.
Danny glanced over at the open door and noticed Ghost Writer. He quickly hid his face, but not before the older ghost noticed the tears. But what could reduce the savior of the Ghost Zone to tears?
It had been a long time since Ghost Writer had truly interacted with another being, so he had no idea how to handle the situation. So he closed the door again, letting the boy have his privacy. It wasn't Ghost Writer's business.
ReadAllAboutIt
It continued for days. Danny only ever came out of his room to eat, which he barely had to. During the day, he was silent, and when Ghost Writer checked on him, he found the ghost boy reading. But every night, at approximately one-thirty, Danny created balls of ice that he quickly destroyed. He always cleaned up the mess, thought, so Ghost Writer never mentioned it.
However, on the third night, he heard a strange noise from outside while he was writing. His front door was ajar, so he floated over to it. Danny sat on the front steps, unleashing a Ghostly Wail. The boy must have snuck out while the author was lost in his novel. When the boy lost his energy, his head dropped miserably into his hands. Ghost Writer stepped back, curious, but knowing that he shouldn't pry. Danny would tell him when he was ready. If not… Well, then, that was Danny's business.
The next day, there was a knock on the door. But this was an expected knock. Ghost Writer and Plasmius had a deal: As long as Plasmius sent him the paper from the Human World every week, Ghost Writer wouldn't write the halfa into anything. He liked being kept up on the news.
He answered the door, sipping a cup of coffee. He'd pulled another all-nighter, so despite being a ghost, he desperately needed the caffeine. The paper had been left right in front of the door by one of the ghost vultures, as per usual. He bent down and picked it up. The front pace revealed how all the ghostly activity had died down since Danny Phantom disappeared. He'd go back and read that later.
He started carelessly flipping through the pages and dropped his coffee in shock. He just happened to glance at the obituaries, and staring at him was the face of a very familiar human boy. Well, half human, anyway. Thought Ghost Writer doubted that term applied anymore.
Daniel "Danny" Fenton (15) passed away on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 after a tragic bus accident. Danny was the beloved son of Jack and Maddie Fenton and younger brother of Jasmine Fenton. He will be dearly missed.
That was it? That was all they had to say? Ghost Writer felt ready to tear the paper in half, though he wasn't quite sure where all of the anger was coming from. Perhaps it was because he had grown slightly attached to the boy. The author never interacted much with others, and Danny respected that. He gave Ghost Writer the space he needed.
The author stalked toward Danny's room. They needed to have a talk.
When he entered the room, he found the boy staring blankly up at the ceiling. Good. He hadn't wanted to interrupt him if he was in the middle of reading. Danny glanced over at Ghost Writer when the door opened, and then turned his gaze back to the ceiling. After all, he was used to being checked on by now.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Ghost Writer asked in an annoyed tone, tossing the paper on Danny's bed. The pages were folded to the obituary. Danny took one look at the article and leaned back, covering his face. He remained silent. Ghost Writer sighed and sat on the side of the bed, facing away from the boy. It might make him feel at least a little more comfortable. "What happened?"
He hadn't expected a response, so he jumped slightly when Danny began to speak. "I was trying to get home in time to meet my curfew. I was grounded again, so my parents changed it to eight. A bus was running late, so it came around the corner a little too fast…"
"Why didn't you turn intangible?" Ghost Writer couldn't help but ask. He mentally kicked himself afterwards. That was probably one of the worst things he could have said.
"I didn't even have time to think," the boy replied dully. "One second, I was crossing the road, the next… There were sirens, flashing lights, and a bunch of people panicking. And there I was, watching my body being carried into the ambulance." He paused. "Why didn't anyone see me?"
Ghost Writer closed his eyes and took a deep, unnecessary breath. "When you first die, it can take weeks, sometimes even months before you can make yourself visible to the living." The dead author took a moment to remember his own death. A tightness in his chest, trouble breathing… And then suddenly, he was staring at his own quickly cooling body, surrounded by the dark silence of the college library, illuminated by only a small desk light until morning.
He shook himself out of his thoughts when he heard Danny begin to speak again.
"I saved Amity Park so many times," he whispered. "What did I do to deserve this?"
And for the first time in 78 years, the author by profession had no words.
As he saw the ghost boy's eyes begin to water, Ghost Writer awkwardly placed a hand on his shoulder. For some reason, he couldn't stand to see Danny cry.
They sat like that for a few moments before Ghost Writer stood. He had an idea.
ReadAllAboutIt
When he passed through the Fenton Portal, he saw that no one was in the lab. When he phased through the ceiling into the living room, invisible, of course, he saw the Fenton family – sans Danny, obviously – seated on the couch, attempting to comfort each other. It brought an inopportune smile to his lips. It was good to see that the boy was missed.
His next stop was Casper High. He traveled to Danny's classroom and watched. There was a slightly heavy air about the room, but other than that, class was proceeding normally, making Ghost Writer's ectoplasmic blood boil. Shouldn't there at least be a moment of silence?
Thanks to Skulker running his mouth when he was drunk, Ghost Writer knew the layout of the room, meaning that he knew where Danny's seat was.
Unbelievable.
The seat was already filled by a new student, and no one seemed to care. He also noticed that the seats of Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, Danny's best friends, were empty. At least they had the sense to mourn.
Finally, he flew off to the cemetery, wanting to see one more thing. Ghost Writer landed on the ground and made himself visible. He concentrated for a moment to hide his ghostly aura. There. Now anyone walking by would see just a human man, not a ghost. Now that that was taken care of, he strolled among the gravestones, searching.
He stopped when a patch of freshly placed soil caught his eye. He approached it and read the stone, placing his hands in his pockets. The crisp, autumn wind sent his scarf flowing to the side as his eyes roamed the words: "Danny Fenton, 1999-2014." Nothing else. No meaningful message.
He'd have to rectify that.
The crunching of feet on dead leaves startled him, making him lose his concentration and regain his ghostly aura. He heard the steps behind him break into a run and turned invisible. He stepped to the side and looked back to see Sam and Tucker looking around, most likely looking for him.
After a few moments, they gave up and continued toward the headstone. Sam kneeled in front of the stone and placed a daisy in front of it. Tucker placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Danny," Sam started. "I don't know if you can hear me right now, but we really miss you. Your parents haven't even gone back to the lab since… You know. The ghosts have been pretty quiet lately, but if the come back, we'll take care of it, promise. You deserve your rest."
"You earned it, dude," Tucker added. He smiled sadly. "Hope you're in a better place." He and Sam fell into silence. Ghost Writer, now feeling like an intruder on a private matter, flew off to the town hall. He had a genius idea, but he needed a little help.
Even after he entered, he stayed invisible. Vlad didn't have to know he was there. As he passed through the living room, a white cat hissed at him. Ah, yes. Animals could see ghosts, invisible or not. He ignored her and entered a room of files. Time to start searching…
He opened the first drawer and sifted through the folders. Many looked promising for a moment, but a more thorough look revealed that they were useless for his purpose. He didn't have the time to put them back, so he carelessly tossed the on the floor. When the Ghost Writer had an idea, he wasted no time.
Finally, after nearly tearing four cabinets apart, he found the file he was looking for. Danny Phantom. After locating the folder, it was easy enough to find the pictures he needed. He carefully put the folder back and flew back to the Ghost Zone, holding two pictures, one of Danny Fenton, and one of Danny Phantom.
It was time to tell Amity Park who their hero really was.
When he returned to his library, Danny was still in his room, which was just as well. After all, this was going to be a surprise. He settled at his typewriter and got to work.
ReadAllAboutIt
Ghost Writer yawned as he looked at the finished work. It had to be perfect, and to make sure of that, he'd stayed up all night, writing and revising. And now it was gone.
He attached the pictures to the writing with a paperclip and refilling his coffee. Now it was time to go back to Amity Park.
When he arrived at Vlad's house, he headed straight for the office. Vlad was sitting at it, looking over some paperwork without interest. His cat, who sat on his lap, looked up and hissed at him again.
"What is it, Maddie?" the halfa asked.
"Hello, Plasmius," Ghost Writer said, fading into view.
"Ah, Ghost Writer," the mayor of Amity Park said without much emotion. "Did your paper not reach you yesterday?"
"I got the paper just fine," the ghost answered. "And I need a favor." He pulled his writing out of his coat and placed it on the desk. "Make sure this gets in the next paper."
Vlad picked up the article and skimmed it. His eyes gradually widened as he continued to read. "So you were the one going through my files…" he muttered as he noticed the pictures. When he was done, he set the article down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How is Daniel?" he asked after a moment. "Is he in the Ghost Zone?"
"Yes," Ghost Writer replied. "He's been staying with me, in my library. Now will you get that into the paper or not?"
"Of course," Vlad responded. "I promise."
The ghost smiled at that and left, his job done. Now Danny Fenton would be remembered at the hero he was, just as he deserved to be. Though it made Ghost Writer wonder… What would Dash Baxter do when he realized he'd bullied his hero? How would Valerie Gray feel when she found out she'd been hunting her friend? What would Paulina Sanchez think when she realized she'd repeatedly turned down her own crush? And Jack and Maddie Fenton… What would they do, he wondered, when the learned it was their own son they'd been trying to kill?
Only time would tell.
ReadAllAboutIt
The week couldn't pass by quickly enough for Ghost Writer. But the day eventually came when the paper arrived on the doorstep of the library.
Front page. His article made the front page. He grinned, heading for Danny's room. After their little conversation, Danny had stopped acting out. Since then, he just laid there, staring blankly at the ceiling. He figured this would cheer the boy up, even just a little.
He knocked and opened the door. "Danny," he started, "I have something you may want to see." He set the paper on the bed. After a moment, the younger ghost sat up and picked up the paper. His eyes widened slightly as he read, incredulous. How did this mysterious 'Andrew Hopkins' know this much about him? "This is today's paper," the author told the boy. "Wanna come with me to see how Amity Park's doing?"
Danny looked at him for a long moment. "Alright," he finally said. It would be painful, but he felt like he needed this. "Let's go."
Ghost Writer offered him a small smile and held out his hand, which Danny took.
For some reason, the Fentons weren't home. They were more than likely at Danny's grace. So their first stop was Casper High.
"Well, I'll be damned," Ghost Writer, invisible, whispered as he and Danny entered Mr. Lancer's classroom. The out-of-shape teacher was holding a newspaper, and each student had a copy on their desk.
"The mayor has required every class to read this article," Mr. Lancer announced somberly. Each student picked up the paper as he began to read aloud: "The Loss of a Boy is the Loss of a Hero. On October 22nd, Danny Fenton passed away in a tragic accident. At that time, Amity Park's hero, Danny Phantom, disappeared. The two events are not unrelated. Eighteen months ago, an accident regarding the Fenton Ghost Portal had unexpected effects. Danny Fenton gained the ability to turn into a ghost, the famous Danny Phantom." The teacher paused, absorbing the information and letting it sink in for the students. Sam and Tucker stared at each other. How did this person know all this? "As a human high school student, he was an average, misunderstood boy who was bullied daily—" Dash winced "—but as Danny Phantom, he was the respected ghost hero. Now, with the loss of unpopular, barely-seen Danny Fenton, Amity Park also faces the loss of Danny Phantom, who never turned his back on a person in need, even if they intended to kill him." This time, Valerie was the one to wince. "Danny will truly be missed." Mr. Lancer set the paper down, done with the article. It came with a pair of pictures to enforce the fact by pointing out the similarities. The class sat in silence.
Valerie's head dropped into her hands. How could she? Danny was her friend, and she'd tried to kill him. It was no wonder he didn't tell her.
Dash stared down at the pictures. He'd bullied Danny every day for years. He could have beat the football star up each time, but he held back so that no one got hurt. Dash couldn't wrap his mind around that.
"You will be missed," Ghost Writer whispered in Danny's ear. The boy looked tense, and before he knew it, the author found himself massaging the boy's shoulders.
"Thank you," Danny said after a moment. At Ghost Writer's shocked look, he added, "For doing this."
"How did you know?"
"Who else could know this much about me and write an article this good?" the young ghost asked pointedly.
Ghost Writer found himself smiling. "Any time." And he was surprised to realize it was true. He would do anything for Danny.
Always.
Yeah… This story kinda snowballed. In my notebook, it was 13 pages. For comparison, My Happy Ending was 5. But, yeah, the whole shipping thing was one-sided, poor Ghost Writer. He did so much for Danny without even realizing why until the very end. It started when Danny was living with him, yet respecting his space and his works. Other than Clockwork, Danny was the first person to do that in a very long time. I… think that's all I have to say for the moment other than: I need help figuring out which one to do next. The shippings I have left:
-Another Phantom Rocker
-Jail Bait
-Callous Quarry
-Amethyst Ocean
-Circus Freaks
-Meddling Minutes
-Haunted Past
-Pitch Pearl
-Pompous Pep
-Gray Ghost
-Evil Goth
-Black Cat
-Locker Bruise
-Temporal Trust
-Cosmic Cyborg