Greener on the Other Side
Summary: Danny isn't too keen on complying with the boys' wishes, but Dash tips the scales against him.
Characters: Danny and Dash
Originally Written: August 2013
"Please, please, please!"
Dash closed his book, setting it aside on the coffee table, when he heard the voices of two boys begging for something. For what they were pleading, he didn't know, but he could already imagine Danny's exasperated expression as the boys continued to pester him.
Danny. The name still felt strange for him to say, or even think, instead of referring to the raven haired man by his last name. The habit was hard to break, and sometimes he still fumbled when speaking to the man and it came out as "Fen- Danny." On occasion, irritation would flash in those bright blue eyes and his mouth would press thin whenever he caught those slipups, and Dash was certain he would get an earful from the half ghost about not calling him Fenton anymore.
When he entered the kitchen, Dash frowned at the two boys standing before the other man. They had their hands clasped in front of them with that usual puppy dog pout on their faces whenever they wanted to persuade them into giving them whatever they wanted. Dash thought it was difficult to resist when he only had his son to deal with, but now with the pair of boys teaming up, it bordered on impossible to ignore the double pout.
"What do they want now?" Dash questioned as he lifted an eyebrow at Danny, whose waned expression suggested he was seconds away from caving in and giving the boys what they wanted.
Reaching up, Danny rubbed tiredly at his forehead. "I was working out a training schedule and mentioned that we should probably hold them in the Ghost Zone if we were going to practice the Ghostly Wail. Now Lex wants to take Xander along for the trip." His mouth curved downward in disapproval as he stared down at the boys and folded his arms.
Ghost talk was another strange thing that came up frequently now in their conversations, and sometimes it hit him hard and left him staring blankly at the wall as it all sank into his head. He was dating Danny Phantom. He spent a large amount of his time in the presence of his hero. It slipped his mind most of the time because when Dash was with the half ghost, Danny acted so normal. Danny would talk about his experiences fighting ghosts, the battles he won, when prompted, but he didn't boast about it on end to the point where Dash wanted to punch him in the face to make him shut up about it. Danny talked about his ghostly accomplishments like they weren't even minor achievements in life, treating them more like he was retelling events from one of his novels. Dash rather liked that about him. Some people would say "you should never meet your hero" because there was always that chance that his hero would turn out to be a major jerk with a big ego. But Danny wasn't like that, and Dash was glad he didn't have to see his hero in that negative light.
"The Ghost Zone," Dash repeated ponderously, the other worldly name rattling around in his head. He heard the name often enough from Danny's stories, but now it really stuck out in his mind. "I'm actually kind of curious to see this Ghost Zone." There was that one time during freshmen year where their town got pulled into it, but while he was panic stricken over the whole event, he didn't really take much time to really look at the surroundings beyond the shield protecting Amity Park.
Danny's brow creased as the words processed in his head. "You want to go into the Ghost Zone?" His mouth hung slightly open in his surprise.
"Come on, Dad!" Lex begged, tugging at his father's pant leg.
"Can we please?" Xander pleaded with the biggest pout on his face that Dash could ever recall seeing.
"Why not?" Dash shrugged like they were talking about going to the park rather than journeying into the mysterious realm where ghosts dwelled when they weren't haunting the real world. "You're not going to take your son to any spot that would be too dangerous, so we won't be at any great risk. And if you're worried that something might happen while we're in there, you can give me some of those weapons in the lab," because he made Danny show him the laboratory after learning that the man worked on ghost hunting inventions in his spare time, "so that I can fight too."
Danny's mouth pursed, and a quiet fury burned in his eyes as he held Dash's gaze. "I really hate it sometimes when you side with the boys then make a totally logical argument for why I shouldn't say no." He sighed tiredly, the anger melting from his expression as he raked a hand through his hair. "Fine. We'll take a trip into the Ghost Zone." He frowned as their sons cheered. "This is all on you if something goes wrong." His eyes narrowed as he pointed accusingly at Dash. Then he led the way down the stairs into the laboratory.
"Can we take my bike?" Lex asked, sticking close to his father as Danny examined his weaponry to decide what would be best to give the doctor.
The bike Lex referred to sat over in the corner of the laboratory: a nice shiny motorcycle perfectly sized for the eight year old. When he first saw it, Dash could hardly believe that Danny would buy something, or more likely built it, that dangerous for his son to ride. Danny explained that it was a birthday present from Vlad Masters, who was his parents' college friend, and he was positive that Vlad got it for Lex for the single purpose of annoying Danny. But the half ghost only allowed his son to ride the motorcycle while in the Ghost Zone and under his strict supervision. The remote control that Vlad gave Danny allowed him to operate the motorcycle if Lex tried to wander too far away from his father. It also had a locator on it, just in case anything should happen.
"Not today," Danny said as he picked up a bazooka type blaster and a much smaller pistol styled weapon. When he approached Dash, he hesitated, a thought seeming to pass through his mind. "Maybe we should pay a visit to Skulker and Ember's lair," he suggested as he handed the weapons over to Dash. "It'll be a fairly safe spot, and with Skulker and Ember around, that's two more adults to fight if trouble decides to try wielding its ugly head."
"That could be wise," Dash agreed as he strapped the bazooka to his back then secured the holster for the pistol about his waist. When something occurred to him, he turned a frown onto Danny. "I doubt you want to carry all of us through the Ghost Zone. How are we supposed to get around in there?"
"Lex has gotten fairly good at flying." Danny grabbed something from one of the supply closets. "I can carry Xander, and if you like, you can use this." He tossed the object toward the ground, and the circle expanded and stretched into a board that hovered several inches from the floor.
"You have just about everything, huh?" Dash wore a teasing smirk as he stepped carefully onto the board that dipped under his weight.
The rings of light passed over Danny's body, and Dash still couldn't get used to witnessing that transformation. One moment he stared at Fenton, and in the next, Phantom took his place. "I find it's usually best to prepare for any situation," Danny said, his gaze shifting away from Dash to see his son transform similarly. Unlike his father whose outfit was black and white, Lex wore a red and white costume, a dark red that almost could have matched his hair if not for the purple tone of it. "Obviously," Danny continued with a slight frown, "you can't actually prepare for everything." The hint of sadness tinged his green eyes, and Dash knew immediately that he was reflecting back on Sam's death.
Yes, Dash agreed, it was impossible to prepare for everything that life threw at them. He watched Danny tear his gaze away from his son then walked over to the big yellow and black door that was the Portal into the Ghost Zone. After he unlocked it, the doors opened, gears grinding until the doors fully opened and all that could be seen within the Portal was a swirl of green. It didn't look like the most inviting place, and if that was the kind of place where ghosts had to live, Dash wasn't surprised that many of them escaped into the real world. He dropped his dark blue eyes to his son, wondering if the sight would give his son more nightmares. Instead of appearing frightened by it, Xander wore a curious expression as he gazed into the endless green.
"Are you boys ready to go?" Danny asked with a bright smile that masked his pain far too easily, but Dash wouldn't pester the half ghost about that point.
"Yes!" Lex shouted excitedly, pumping his little fists into the air as he sprung from the floor and floated there. He certainly had practically mastered the ability of flight.
Danny crouched down, giving Xander the chance to climb onto his back and ride piggy back style. When he stood up again, Danny turned to the blond man. "Ready?"
Dash pressed the button on the front of the board, and it jerked forward in a motion that nearly knocked him off balance and onto the floor. He quickly slammed his foot down on the button behind him that jolted the board to a halt. The buttons were a lot more sensitive than he expected.
"I think I can get a handle of this thing," Dash said, chuckling awkwardly. He would have to be careful or the board would go speeding off and he would probably be left behind flailing his limbs as he descended into the endless abyss of the Ghost Zone. Was it an endless abyss? He supposed he would find out after he followed Danny through the Portal. After Danny and the boys entered the Ghost Zone, Danny calling after Lex not to fly too fast or get too far ahead of them, Dash gingerly pressed the accelerator that pushed him and board forward through the Portal.
Hoytti: Well, at the same time, it's not necessarily any of their business. XD;;
midnight: Like getting hit by a truck! D8 At least they've gotten mature enough to discuss things like that without turning it into a huge blow out fight? XD;;
AmbrosiaQueen: Danny carrying a child, I can see. Dan, on the other hand... XD I see him getting frustrated with it.
jelloshots99: XD Xander takes all opportunities to get ice cream! And who wouldn't want to go after Danny once they find out he's single? He's a great dad, he's a total sweetheart, he's very caring, he's smart, he's fun to be around. He has so many good points. Sometimes it's hard to think of why he was so unpopular in high school. XD;; I guess being the son of the town "nut job" ghost hunters didn't really help.
