Six months, Danny has now been a dad for six months. It was not easy; he had expected that though. If all he was doing was watching and taking care of Ellie it wouldn't actually be that hard. He was doing a few other things as well however. He was finishing up high school online, Jazz was helping so he could get through it quicker. He had also gotten a job; it wasn't like he could defend on Jazz for the rest of his life. He had found a job as a waiter at a family owned restraint just a few blocks away from Jazz's apartment.
Unfortunately, some ghosts had found out his location and somehow manage to break out of the ghost zone. The box ghost shows up about once daily. Which for him is calm, he used to show up about five times a day back in Amity. Skulker was another one that had found him. He ends up attacking him bi-weekly. Somehow he has managed to keep his ghost fighting a secret from the town he was living in. Which he thought was pretty impressive considering Jazz had chosen to go to college in Central city.
Around two months ago Danny found that he had a new power. One that he thinks formed out of necessity more than anything. He was able to open a small temporary portal to the ghost zone. He couldn't keep it open long, about thirty seconds at max, and he couldn't control exactly where it opened. The only place he could open it to successfully every time was near Ember's lair and that was because he had a lot of practice. Opening the portal however took a lot of energy, at the moment he could only open two per day.
Danny had just gotten off of work and was on his way home. He needed to relieve the babysitter before she got annoyed at him. Normally Jazz would watch Ellie for him, but she was at the library cramming for a big test. So, the person he had gotten to babysit for him was Ember. Once Ember had found out he had a kid she had promised to stop attacking him. She apparently had a soft spot for kids. They had ended up making a compromise. Ember could perform one concert a month anywhere she wanted to. As long as she didn't pick the same place two times in a row, gathered only enough energy from the crowd to keep her healthy, and left everything the way she found it. In return she would babysit Ellie when Danny really needed one. She already looks after Youngblood a lot so he knew he could trust her to take care of Ellie.
Danny was close to home when he heard the explosion. Since his ghost sense didn't go off it wasn't a ghost. Since it wasn't a ghost it wasn't his problem. Anyway, Flash would take care of it. Danny felt a small pang in his core, ignoring to help people, but he didn't want to be noticed. Not yet at least, not until Ellie was older. People around him started running the opposite direction the explosion had come from even though it wasn't super close to where they were. Danny just wanted to go home, without looking odd for being calm during a 'crisis'. He turned into an alley and turned himself invisible. He had to cross a block over anyway, he would just stay invisible until he got home. Danny put his hands in his pockets as he made his way down the alley. It was the moment he exited the alley that his first interaction with a member of the Justice League happened.
Danny took a few steps out onto the sidewalk when something ran into his outstretched leg. The person who ran into him faceplanted into the sidewalk. Danny momentarily lost his balance, the shock that someone had run into him snapped him into visibility. He didn't have the best control over his powers when he wasn't in his ghost mode. He could turn invisible, intangible, and form weak ecto-blasts when he wasn't interrupted, though he was still learning. Danny heard a groan and looked over to see who he had accidentally tripped. His eyes bulged a bit as he saw the red suited man kissing the sidewalk. He had tripped the Flash. Well crap, nice going Fenton.
"What the heck hit me?" Flash moaned. He turned around to see a teenage boy with black hair, who looked as shocked as Flash felt.
Danny rubbed the back of his head "Sorry, my bad. Didn't see you." He apologized.
"Where the heck did you come from? I didn't see you at all." Flash exclaimed
Making up a quick excuse Danny said "Yeah, I don't have much of a presence. Sometimes it's like I'm a ghost." He said as he smirked.
Flash narrowed his eyes a bit "No, no, no. You don't understand I should have been able to see you. I don't just randomly run into people. With how fast I was going it should've looked like you were walking in slow motion, practically staying still. I should have been able to see you!" Flash tried to convince himself that he hadn't somehow missed the kid. He wasn't that reckless while running, he always made sure to avoid civilians.
Danny gave a shrug trying to play it cool "Well I did just exit the alley." He commented.
"I still should have been able to see you!" Flash exclaimed.
Not wanting the Flash to think more into it Danny quickly said "Not that talking to a hero isn't really cool and all, but shouldn't' you be… I don't know… stepping whatever caused that explosion or something? Oh, sorry again for tripping you Flash."
Flash's eyes went wide "Of crap I forgot." He said before dashing off.
Danny let out a small laugh, well that was kinda fun actually. Who would've thought that the fastest man alive would be so clumsy? Danny turned and started his walk back home, he couldn't wait to get home to Ellie. He had been purposefully avoiding Flash as best he could, but it had actually been nice to talk to another hero. Even if Flash hadn't known that Danny himself was also a hero. A smile overtook Danny's face. Just wait until he tells Jazz and Ember he tripped the Flash.
He almost made it home when his ghost sense went off. He let out a groan. Boxy suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Beware Phantom. It is I, the box ghost. I have returned to get my box filled revenge on you. Fear my cardboard boxes of DOOM!" Boxy shouted.
Danny rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose "I really don't have time for this today Boxy. I just got off of work. I'm late relieving Ember from babysitting duty and she has a concert to get to. I'm tired dude, can we not do this today?"
Boxy deflated a bit "But I have yet to get my revenge. I demand square cardboard vengeance upon you!"
Danny sighed and his hand lit up in green energy "Fine have it your way."
Boxy's eyes went wide before saying "Wait Phantom, I have not come today for only to fight you. I, the box ghost, need to ask for your advice."
The energy in Danny's hand died out. He raised an eyebrow "Advice on what?" Boxy looked around nervously, but didn't say anything. "Look why don't we go to the apartment so I can let Ember get going and we can talk there."
Boxy nodded "Yes that sounds like a good plan Phantom. Then after I shall get my revenge."
"Yeah, yeah, you keep thinking that." Danny said as he started walking again, Boxy floating, strangely silent, behind him. "Uh Boxy can you go invisible please? I don't want people to see me with a floating blue person. I'm trying to stay on the down low. Honestly I'm surprised nobody's seen already."
"I, the box ghost, shall comply to your request Phantom. But only because you shall be helping me with my problem." Then he blinked out of visibility.
"Thanks Boxy." Danny said.
It took only five more minutes to get to his door. He grabbed his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. The moment he opened the door Ember was passing Ellie to him.
"Where have you been Dipstick? I'm going to be late for my own concert!" she told him.
"Sorry Ember, but I had a small run in with the Flash. I accidentally tripped him. Then I got held up by Boxy." Danny explained. Boxy blinked into view and waved shyly.
Ember rolled her eyes at the Box Ghost "Wait a minute, did you say you tripped the Flash? That's priceless Baby pop. You'll have to tell me more about it later. I really do gotta jet. See you soon Baby pop." Ember took off through the roof to her concert location.
Ellie waved at the ceiling "Bye-bye." She said cutely. Then she looked at Danny "Daddy! Daddy!"
Danny smiled "What is it sweetie?"
She pointed to the living room "Puppy!" Puppy? He looked to the living room to see Cujo chewing on a pillow. When had Cujo gotten here?
"You're right it is a puppy. Why don't you go play with the puppy?" he set her down on the floor and she wobbled her way over to Cujo, a large smile on her face.
"How old is she now?" Boxy asked curiously.
"She's eighteen months, almost nineteen. She started talking a few weeks ago. She doesn't know many words just; daddy, puppy, bye, play, and no." He motioned for Boxy to follow him and made his way to the living room so he could keep a close eye on Ellie "So what did you wanna talk about?"
"Well I have a situation you need to help me with. You know I have been dating the beautiful Lunch Lady, right?"
Danny remembered when Boxy and Lunch Lady had come and attacked him at the same time. That had been when he still lived in Amity though. They had come to attack him together a few times after that as well. To be honest he had kinda forgot about it. Well more like he wanted to forget about it. A shiver went down his spine, the thought still made him go ew.
"Yeah, what about it? Oh, god you don't want dating advice to you? Because I am so not the person to go to. I've never really dated anyone more than a few weeks long before." Danny panicked.
Boxy shook his head "No it's not that. My wonderful Lunch Lady has been acting strange lately and I couldn't figure out why. She told me last night why. She told me that… that she's… ugh she told me that I'm going to be a dad." Boxy freaked out "So I thought of you right away. You have a kid so obviously; you'll know what to do. How do you prepare to be a dad? I, the Box Ghost, implore you to tell me your wisdom Phantom."
Danny froze, he had not expected that. Not one bit. He thought about his unfortunate trip into the future a year ago. So, Box Lunch was finally being born huh? Boxy wanted to know to be prepared?
Danny let out a small snort of laughter, that transformed into full-blown laughter. He saw the Boxy was giving him an almost hurt look "Sorry, sorry. I'm not laughing at you. It's just that there is really no way to prepare. I definitely had no time to prepare. I just suddenly got Ellie one day, no prier warning. It is definitely a learn by doing thing. Don't worry you'll do fine. Just give them love and attention and you'll do great, I'm sure. You're definitely stubborn enough."
Ellie chose that moment to come over by him "Daddy!" she said while holding her hands up.
He picked her up "Really it becomes almost natural after the first couple weeks." He handed her the doll Sam had gotten her, a goth princess. How and where she had found it he had no idea, but it was one of her favorites. He looked at the time and realized how late it was.
"Well look at that. Time for bed Princess." Ellie gave a yawn and rubbed her eyes.
"No." she said tiredly.
Danny gave a laugh "Yes. Otherwise how will you be well rested for the park tomorrow huh?" Ellie's eyes lit up at the word park and she didn't fight after that. She laid her head down on his chest as he stood up. The doll dropping from her hand as he started moving. "I'll be right back Boxy; I have to put her to bed. It's way past her bedtime."
Before he got out of the room Boxy's voice stopped him "Can I watch how you do it? I don't even know how to put a kid to bed." He sounded rather stressed, which was very odd coming from the Box Ghost.
"Sure, some times she takes a while to settle down. Probably not tonight though because she was up way later than usual. The manager needed me to work a later shift at the restaurant and she doesn't like to go to bed without seeing me first. Her bedroom is just down the hall; well actually, we share a room. Jazz's apartment is only a two room so we have to make do."
As they made it to the room Boxy looked around. He had never actually come in Phantom's new house. He was too scared to, not after what happened to Skulker when the zone had first found out about Ellie. Phantom had made it abundantly clear that Ellie was not to be involved; in any way. It had taken Skulker a few weeks to recover from Phantom's brutal attack. Normally it only takes people a few days at most, depending on how mad you made Phantom. Everyone feared Phantom's wrath if you touched his daughter. There was a new rule in the zone; Do NOT mess with Phantom's daughter. As the Box Ghost looked around he noticed how bare it was. Sure, there were a lot of toys thrown about, but hardly anything in the room was for Phantom himself. Phantom's old room had been filled with space themed things.
"Phantom why is your room so empty?" Boxy asked.
Danny looked over to him as he laid Ellie down in her crib "Well I don't really plan on staying here for much longer. I don't want to burden Jazz more than I already am. I want to move to my own place as soon as I can. I can't depend on my sister forever. I mean I have a kid now, I have to be more independent. I turn eighteen in a few months and I'm almost done with the online schooling. There is a college I'm looking at in Astral city. The tuition is decently cheap there and they have an engineering major which is what I'm going to go for. I've been saving up since I got here, plus I had what I had before I moved out. If I can find a place with cheap rent I figure I can move to soon after I turn eighteen."
A strangely thoughtful look appeared on Boxy's face "Your death day is coming up, right?"
A confused look appeared on Danny's face until he remembered that ghost celebrated their death day. Even his enemies had been strangely nice to him on his death day "Oh yeah. It's a few days after my birthday. Why?"
A slight blush came over Boxy's face "No reason Phantom, I was just curious."
"Okay?" Danny said, then he looked around before finding what he was looking for "Hey Boxy can you grab the bear over there for me? She refuses to go to sleep without it."
Boxy nodded and floated over to the mentioned bear. When he picked it up he noticed it was wearing a cape and had a symbol of a bat on its chest. "Phantom isn't this for a different hero?"
Danny rolled his eyes "Yeah Tucker thought it would be funny. He is apparently taking his role of godparent very seriously."
Danny put Ellie to sleep while Boxy watched like his life depended on it. They talked for about an hour longer. Boxy asked every question he could think of, Danny answering them as best he could. After a while Danny brought up the idea for Boxy to come along with Ember the next time she came to babysit. He readily agreed. Soon after that Danny opened a portal for Boxy to go through.
The next morning Danny woke up to his alarm clock. He turned it off quickly in hopes that it wouldn't wake up Ellie. To his relief all she did was roll over. He really didn't want to have to put her back to sleep, it usually made him late for work. The manager didn't mind, she had kids herself, but Danny still felt bad when it happened. He got changed into his uniform and grabbed his wallet. As he left his room he left the door open so Jazz would be able to hear when Ellie woke up. Walking to the kitchen he saw Jazz working on one of her papers. He honestly had no idea when she slept or how she stayed chipper and motivated through the day.
"Morning Jazz, I'll see you when I get done with work. Oh, and I have a few questions about my homework when I get back. The teacher explained it pretty well, but you can always explain it so I understand exactly." Danny said, then let out a tired yawn.
Jazz gave her brother a smile "No problem, but I have to take a test at six tonight so we'll have to be done by then."
"Since I worked a later shift last night I'll probably only have to work until two today. The time shouldn't be a problem. Well, as long as I don't get attacked by any ghosts today." He was silent for a moment before saying "I'm glad that you picked this hero city over some of the others. Flash is like the least observant hero of them al so I can get away with fighting ghosts in his town. God if you had gone to Gotham I would have been interrogated by the Bat after that first fight with Skulker."
A small scowl came on Jazz's face "For him being so fast physically and mentally he should be the most observant of them all, but he's not. Oh, how I would love to corner him and ask him some questions."
Danny paled slightly, Jazz's 'few questions' would end up being a full out psychological interrogation session. He should know, he's been on the end of those too many times to count. Then a small laugh escaped him as he remembered what happened last night. "Right talking about Flash being unobservant. I tripped him on my way home last night. I mean I was invisible and didn't see him coming, but I totally made him kiss the pavement."
Jazz's eyes went wide "Danny! You did what? You need to be more careful." She exclaimed.
Knowing that a lecture was coming, that he didn't have time for, he grabbed his house key quickly "Well look at the time. I got to go!"
As soon as Danny left the apartment building he blinked himself out of visibility. Morning people are a hassle and usually crabby. So, to make his life easier he usually just turns himself invisible until he gets to work. He was about to take the same route he took the night before, but then decided against it. There was a slight possibility that the Flash was looking for him. He did not need a second run in with the Flash in as many days. He was trying to keep himself on the down low, not draw attention to himself by tripping random heroes.
So instead of cutting thought the alleys he went around the building, taking the long way around. He had to be really careful not to bump into people. He didn't need rumors about a ghost, or even worse a new villain, going around. He walked three blocks out of his way until he finally turned towards the diner. As he turned the corner something blasted into him. This time he didn't just loose his balance briefly. He stumbled to the ground, one again getting knocked out of invisibility. He hit the ground hard and let out a groan of pain. OK, he hasn't expected that.
The other person let out a small groan "Oh come on! What are the odds I run into someone two days in a row?"
Danny's eyes went wide 'You've got to be kidding me!' Danny thought.
The Flash turned over to see who he ran into this time only to see the same boy from the day before. He jumped up and pointed at the boy "YOU!" he yelled and squinted his eyes.
Dany let out a sigh and simply collapsed fully on the ground. He closed his eyes and flung an arm over them. "I'm really not doing this on purpose. I promise." Danny said quietly.
"Dude why can I never see you coming? It's like your invisible or something."
Danny let out a low chuckle "I told you I don't have a presence." He said trying to keep up his cover story.
