Remnants (Free Day)
(Another Phantom Planet AU. I couldn't resist.)
He almost stops, almost reconsiders doing this. It might not work the way he wants it to. Knowing his luck, it probably won't.
But he's so sick of it all. He knows he shouldn't give up this easily, when he's faced down madmen and obsessed specters, the government and the King of All Ghosts, and even a twisted future version of himself. He's never let his parents or any of those other jokes for ghost hunters get him down. The only real competition he's ever had was Valerie, but he sort of inadvertently drove her to it, he supposes, and plus it's nice to have someone who can actually keep up every now and then.
But these new guys, these "Master's Blasters", are actually good. But they're also cocky and irritating, and they are actually charging a fee for every ghost they catch to whoever is nearby. If Vlad is funding them, what the hell do they need more money for? Then he starts seeing that it's not only Danny Phantom and the Fentons that are being bested by these guys, but Valerie, too, is getting knocked out of the way like she's nothing, when really, she's just as good as Danny, if not better.
He's so tired, and sick of this cursed life, and he just wants a break after almost two years of sleepless nights and failing grades and bruises and battle scars and pain and hurt and agony. He thinks this might make it better, make him whole, somehow.
He's hoping he'll be fully human, at the end of it, but really? He'll accept being fully dead at this point. He doesn't want to, he hopes it doesn't happen, but if that's what happens, so be it.
He hears their pleas to stop, Danny, think about what you're doing, but he doesn't stop.
He hits the button, and the world flashes and he's screaming in agony again.
When he wakes, the first thing he notices is that the portal is broken.
The next thing he notices are the voices.
"—was scared to tell you, and why wouldn't he be? You kept threatening to tear him apart—"
"But if we'd known, we wouldn't have—"
"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, he wanted to tell you, the time was just never quite right—"
"Mom? Dad?" Danny's groggy voice halts the other conversation, and the teen blinks, trying to make sense of everything. He sits up and looks at his hand; it's covered in a white glove, and glowing. He turns his head slightly and catches his reflection; glowing green eyes and snow white hair, with a black streak running along the left side.
Shit.
"Danny, honey?" It's Maddie, looking down at him, a mix of emotions on her face. Right now he can see concern, confusion, terror, and a bit of guilt, he thinks. His dad is pretty much the same, though there's a bit of anger flashing through him too – at himself or his son, Danny doesn't know.
"I'm sorry," he says, drawing his knees into himself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Danny Fenton has died. Danny Phantom is all that remains.