The secret of plaid shall follow Andrew into the void.

Chapter Thirty Five - Days Go By

::

"I know it's fall...but this seems excessive, even for you." Danny sighed at the look he was given from Sam, glancing down to his jacket and the pair of gloves he had on. "You know it's torture to try and write with those, right?"

"I kind of didn't have a choice," Danny mumbled, tugging the left one off and holding his hand up, Sam's eyes widening at the electrical burns she saw, clear as day. "I ran out of concealer this morning and I didn't have time to get more before school started, so, you know, gloves."

"...Fine. But I'm cutting the fingers off for you, so you can at least pick things up without dropping them two seconds later. And getting you a new jacket, because that one is meant for ridiculous track events, and looking like a dork."

"...I like this jacket."

"It burns today."

::

"Dare I ask?" Seeing the pathetic look on his mate's face, Andrew opened up his arms, Danny gladly falling into them. "I'm assuming Sam managed to convert you to her gothic ways."

"This coming from the hipster that tries to convert him daily," Sam huffed, walking out with Tucker still taking pictures of Danny. "I only gave him a little eyeliner. You can't tell me he doesn't look good with eyeliner!"

"...Your words hold truth," Andrew nodded, ruffling Danny's hair, and destroying any form of shape the hair gel had caused. "I don't try to convert him to being hipster, however."

"Oh please, the second I see plaid in your closet, I'll have proof!" At the silence, Sam rose an eyebrow. "You do, don't you?"

"...No." At Danny's quiet laugh, Andrew hugged him closer, trying to smother the sounds. "Of course I don't." Sam only raised her eyebrow higher, Andrew giving a pleasant smile.

"Uh huh… Why are you here today, anyways? Missed your mate that much?"

"That, and I'm avoiding my brother," Andrew sighed, finally letting Danny go, the teen only clinging to his hand happily as they moved away from the school, the students by now far too used to seeing Andrew there to pick up Danny.

"What did your brother do this time?" Sam asked curiously, rolling her eyes at Andrew's dramatic sigh. She was positive Danny had corrupted him, since she didn't remember him being this dramatic when they met...then again, this was the man who had trapped them all in a poem.

"He seems to think he needs to do something special for my birthday," the ghost rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "Even after the disaster that was the one when we were alive." Glancing back at seeing Danny had stopped, he flinched at the look that was torn between excitement and hurt.

"It's your birthday...and you didn't tell me?!" Oh god no he was doomed. "No- We- We have to fix this. Right now. We are fixing this! Right now!" Andrew only looked over to Sam, who grinned wider.

"Forget it, you're not escaping this. Really, you should have seen this coming. He's been trying to plan something for months, but he never knew when your birthday was." Andrew sighed, already knowing it was going to be a long day.

"Dare I ask what he's been planning?" Seeing both friends shrug, he sighed again.

"HEY! CLOCKWORK! I KNOW YOU HAD TO SEE THIS, COME ON, WE NEED A PORTAL HERE!" Wincing at the loud volume, it took a few seconds for the words to register, and when they did, Andrew was much more worried.

"Danny...Danny, why do we need a portal?" Seeing a time portal open in front of them a second later, Andrew tried to back away, unsuccessful due to the stubborn halfa still clinging to him. "Danny- What are you doing, Danny-?"

"Birthdays." With that, as well as a manic grin, the writer found himself pushed into the portal, Danny smiling and waving at his friends. "Bye, see ya guys tomorrow!" Humming happily to himself, he stepped through the portal, glancing back to make sure it had closed. "See, I had a plan!"

"One that involved throwing me into a portal through time?" Andrew half groaned, half asked, picking himself up off the floor and glancing around the dimly lit hallway they were in. "Where are we, anyways?"

"Don't you mean when are we?" At the unimpressed look he was given, Danny nervously coughed into his fist. "Right, well, I actually put a lot of thought into this! You made my birthday so great, even with most of it a little blurry because I was still sick- But, um, anyways, yeah. I wanted to make yours just as great."

Grabbing the ghost's hand, he tugged him along the hallway, looking around for the door that he knew should be there. "Clockwork went over the layout with me before leaving, so we should be...right around… Ah! Here." Opening the door, he pulled Andrew inside, gesturing grandly with this arms. "Welcome to the Library of Alexandria!

"Of course, it's night time, so we don't mess with any timeline things, so it might be a bit hard to read what you want to, but, um, yeah. You said some knowledge transferred over to Vidya, but not all of it, so, yeah. Thought you might like it-" He was abruptly silenced in a way that he very much enjoyed. By the time he was let go, his hair was standing on end, as if it had been shocked, and his neck had a few more bruises. He was also happily giggling. "Is that yes to liking it?"

He took the overwhelmed hug as a good thing.

::

Glancing back at the portal he had formed, Clockwork raised an eyebrow as the Ghostwriter happily smiled at him, "And? How many scrolls did you steal?"

"I'm saving them," Andrew denied, hugging the scrolls tighter to his chest, a few more floating around and following him. At the look he was given from the timekeeper, he gave a huff. "Well, it's not like they were going to be of use much longer!"

"Mhm."

"I can related to burning knowledge, is all." Clockwork only gestured to Danny, who was tugging an ice made wagon filled to the brim with as many scrolls as they had been able to fit in. Andrew glanced back, pausing before giving another smile. "Research."

Clockwork waved them off with a sigh, the two happily returning to Vidya with scrolls that the world hadn't seen in thousands of years. By the time they had managed to get them sorted in the archives, it was well past nightfall, and Danny was relaxing on Sasha, who had been in charge of pulling the wagon around.

"I'm curious, how long does it take for your ice to melt?"

"Far as I know? It doesn't," Danny snorted, pulling himself up on the lion's head to see Andrew curiously looking at the wagon he had made. It was one of his better attempts at sculpting things with his ice core, at least. "I mean, it's usually destroyed since I mainly use it in battle, and all. As for melting? I don't know."

"It's been almost five hours and it's still as solid as when you made it," Andrew hummed, lightly tapping one of the wheels with his shoe. "I'm impressed."

"I am an impressive person," Danny grinned, sliding back down to rest on Sasha's back. "I am also exhausted. I never knew how big that place was- Hey, why didn't all the knowledge cross over to Vidya? Why only some of it?"

"Far as I've found, it was the most remembered, or well-read ones that crossed over," Andrew hummed, directing Sasha to take the wagon somewhere where it would be out of the way. "Everything else was lost, well, until now."

"I am the best gift giver," Danny nodded in satisfaction, yelping as Sasha abruptly shook him off. He was saved from hitting the floor as Andrew caught him, close to laughing. "I might use them as beds just a little bit too much."

"Just a little," Andrew agreed, leaving the archives with Danny still in his arms, who only happily wrapped his arms around Andrew's neck.

"You're not letting me down, are you?"

"I certainly didn't plan on it." Danny snorted, letting his eyes close as he gave a content sigh. Today may have been tiring, but it was also fun. Very fun, since Andrew had kept stopping every ten minutes to show him affection.

"For once, I'm not the most clingy," Danny chuckled, not bothering to open his eyes as he felt himself set down on the bed, jacket and shoes phased off of him. "It is a very novel feeling, one that I'm sure to enjoy." Hearing a quiet chuckle, he happily cuddled into his mate once he laid down, clinging fiercely.

"Yes, you're certainly not the most clingy between the two of us." Danny only hummed, just starting to fall asleep when he heard two loud thumps.

"Andrew...why...are the lions in here?"

"Ignore them. If I'm lucky, it won't become a habit." Danny bit his cheek as he dimly saw one of the lions lick Andrew's cheek, dropping back down into the floor with a happy noise.

"I think it already is a habit." Danny laughed as he heard vague French complaints, his mate pulling him in tighter. "On the bright side, at least Randy didn't manage to find you."

"He's been trying to get in for the past four hours, I've had Vidya keep him out." Danny choked on another laugh, glancing up to Vidya. "She was most happy to help."

"I bet." Shaking his head, Danny blindly reached for the blankets, tugging them over. "Night, mon ange."

"Bonne nuit, mon cher."

Yeah, he enjoyed the perfect days.

::

"Hey there, Danny." Blinking up at the A-Lister that sat down in front of him, Danny nervously looked around for any form of backup, nervous when he saw all three of his friends were missing from the cafeteria. "You know, it's been sooo long since we've talked!"

"I thought...that was because you hated me," Danny mumbled, uncomfortable at Paulina's light laugh. Why had it taken him so long to see how terrible she treated others? ...Oh, right. Vapid beauty. "Is there...something you need? Advice about ghosts? Help? A sacrifice?" More laughter.

"Danny, you're so funny! Don't be silly, I just wanted us to catch up! We're friends, aren't we?" At the fluttering eyelashes, and warm smile, Danny gave a hesitant nod. It would do better to just agree and then escape. "Now that you bring ghosts up, though, I do have a question."

"Oh, uh, sure?" Paulina sighed quietly, worried expression on her face that was too 'cute' to be real, hair falling over one of her eyes. The urge to run and hide for the doom he felt ready to hit was great indeed.

"See, it's just that, well…" Nervously fidgeting with her fingers, Paulina finally glanced up, giving a shy smile. "You know I like Phantom, but I don't really think he likes me back… I suppose I just wanted to know if you knew where he hangs out, so I can talk to him? Really get his opinion of me, so I can put this whole thing to rest!" Well...that sounded decent. "I know you know a little bit about him, being the son of ghost hunters, and all. Think you can help me out, Danny?"

"I, uh...I guess he hangs around the park a lot?" Danny half asked, shoulders hunched in nervousness. Paulina seemed sincere, but there was something about this that was wrong. "You might try there?"

"Oh, I knew you'd be willing to help!" Paulina smiled, hands clasped together in joy. "Thank you sooo much, Danny. I just really want to get things sorted, you know? Teenage drama takes so much energy to deal with, and I'm ready to move past this point of my life."

"I- Ah. No problem?" Paulina gave a last smile, jumping up and flouncing off, Danny nervously gathering his things and heading for his next class. He wasn't that hungry, and that meeting had unnerved him more than he wanted to admit. A quick meeting at the park, though… He supposed it wouldn't hurt.

After all, what could go wrong?

::

Not seeing his friends the rest of the day, Danny was further unnerved, finally slipping into an alleyway to change into his ghost half after school ended. Clutching his scarf, he headed to the park, glancing around until he finally spotted Paulina, the girl immediately waving him over. "Oh, um, hi. Paulina, right?"

"Right! I'm glad you remember me," Paulina smiled, Danny noticing that she wasn't doing any of her usual over the top flirting. Maybe she really had been serious. "Did Danny Fenton pass on my message?"

"Fenton? We don't really talk, just know each other in passing, really," Danny shrugged, looking as nonchalant as possible. "Being a ghost, you run into all the ghost hunters eventually."

"Oh? Curious, I didn't know he actually hunted the ghosts," Paulina hummed, eyes slightly narrowing. "I just always thought it was his parents… Anyways, I wanted to talk to you, Phantom- Oh, that's right, your first name is Danny, right?" At the hesitant nod, Paulina's smile grew just a little bit wider. "It's funny, you know, that your name is the same as the son of ghost hunters!"

"H-Heh, yeah. Ironic, I guess," Danny shrugged, feeling even more nervous. "You wanted to talk about something?"

"Now that I think about it, you two even look a little alike," Paulina chuckled, taking a step closer, Danny flinching back. "He wears a scarf just like the one you wear! And, you know, it's weird, he got those tacky colored tips the day you seemed to… You two really are alike, huh?"

"L-Like I said, it's just, um, ironic?" And no, no, no, no, no, this was one of his worst nightmares. Someone finding out. Someone being able to use it against him. "Is Fenton all you wanted to talk about?"

"Even your voices sound the same, when I think about it. I suppose it's just a coincidence!" Paulina laughed, smile a little too much like a smirk. "A whole stack of them…" Ready to go into full blown panic, the two were startled by a voice greeting them.

"Hey, Paulina, hey, Phantom." The two looked over, shocked to see...Danny Fenton. "Paulina, didn't you have cheerleading practice today?"

"I…" Paulina looked between him and Phantom, finally nodding with a broken expression. "I was so sure… But...yeah… Yeah. Cheerleading." Waiting until the girl was out of sight, Danny let out a sigh of absolute relief, falling out of the air and clutching his chest, ghostly rings turning him back into his human half.

"Oh my god, I thought I was so busted there." Glancing over, he saw Amorpho, radiating amusement. "Dude. Dude, I totally owe you one- But- How did you know-"

"That would be your mate," Amorpho chuckled, gesturing to Andrew, who was walking up to him in his human form with a smug expression, pausing to press a kiss to Danny's temple. "He's quite clever, it seems."

"Sam and Tucker caught me after school, told me about how those horrid classmates of yours kept them all away from you, so you didn't think anything was wrong. Amorpho here was only too happy to help." Andrew laughed as he was tackled by his mate, quickly catching them before they could hit the ground.

"You are the best person ever and I thought I was so doomed," Danny whined, burrowing into Andrew's chest and clinging to him. "That was horrible. Jeez, her acting lessons from last year really paid off, too. Oh, yeah! Amorpho, have you ever thought about visiting the drama department at the college? I'm pretty sure they would love you."

"Hm, the thought is certainly an intriguing one," Amorpho hummed, tapping his cane in thought. "I think I will take your advice, Phantom." Tipping his hat, he chuckled. "Good day, Phantom, Ghostwriter." In a flash, Amorpho was gone, an average pigeon flapping it's wings before taking off.

"Okay, okay. But, how did you get Amorpho here so fast? How did you even know where he was?"

"Mm, I might have changed reality to where he was conveniently in front of the school, instead of wherever he had been." Danny clung tighter, smiling happily. "I should have let them drown on that camping trip."

"Please stop threatening death to my classmates. Again."

"I make no promises, mon cher."

::

The next day, in one of the few classes he didn't share with his friends, Danny doodled in his notebook. Most of them were an angry looking form of Paulina, in a simplified style. He still had his gloves on as well, absently wondering how much more concealer would cost. Seeing two hands slam down in front of him, and rattle his desk, the teen jumped, immediately flipping his sketch book closed.

"Hey there, ghost boy." Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. "Duplication is a ghost power, right?" Danny glanced around for an escape, looking to see Dash, Kwan, and Star blocking all exits, although he was confused to see that Star had her arm in a cast. "I figured it out during cheer practice yesterday- Star may have been a casualty- But that doesn't matter!"

Danny only gulped, wishing that he hadn't banned all ghost attacks on the school. He could certainly use one, right about now. Leaning closer, Paulina glared at him intently. "You've been growing up with all of us, and Phantom didn't show up until only two years ago… I may not know what you're pulling, but rest assured, I will figure it out."

Danny watched her walk away, head hitting his desk a few moments later. While he was sure he could deal with Paulina, somehow, it was still annoying.

Fate had something against him, surely.

ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY LOST! ALL OF IT! AAARRRGGGHHHHH!