Hey, everyone, long time no see! I hope everyone is well with everything that's going on.
Right, so this is my first time participating in Phic Phight (I got Team Human). The rusty writing + home office + toddler at home combination is not my best friend at the moment, but I'm ready to rumble.
Prompt by Ghostanimal (ecto-american on Tumblr) : Danny being stuck as Phantom and forced to deal with situations that he'd normally be as Fenton (like going to school, having a family dinner, etc)
Word Count: 3,399 (according to Word, minus the title and notes)
STUCK
Of all the days to do this, they had to choose today. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate a good prank. Come to think about it, he'd done more than his fair share of mischief, but usually didn't take it too far. Ghosts sure had even less etiquette than he gave them credit for, and far more resources than he imagined. How had Youngblood and Johnny managed to pull it off, anyway? With the tech they used, he suspected either Vlad or a misplaced Fenton invention had something to do with it.
Danny studied himself in the mirror. Gone were his blue eyes, black hair, and pulse, all taken over by his otherworldly attributes. He groaned as he thought about explaining this to anyone at school. Or worse yet: having to answer to any concerned parent. After all, most of them still questioned why Principal Ishiyama had allowed a super-powered teen to take classes with their kids. He couldn't blame those misguided adults, since they hadn't realized his presence didn't draw the attacks but rather protected them from such. Maybe now that he wouldn't be around anymore people would finally understand. He just hoped the new Fenton tech would be able to handle it.
After a heavy sigh, he adjusted his attire, only mildly amused it had remained the same despite his unwelcome transformation. His burgundy tie with thin, golden stripes somehow felt tighter around his neck. This was of course ridiculous, but he refused to admit any uneasiness. At least his glowing, white hair was slightly less visible under his cap...
The sound of the opening bathroom door pulled him out of his thoughts. The hybrid turned to look at the newcomer, a redheaded classmate who froze once he noticed Danny's appearance. Lester's eyes widened behind his glasses, his face somehow resembling a fish as he failed to emit any sound from his moving mouth. The half-ghost shot him a nervous grin, although this was somewhat familiar territory with Lester. It seemed like the boy was still struggling with the fact that "whimpy Fenton" had been a very powerful entity all this time. And had tolerated Dash's beatings, no less.
"Uh, hi, Les. I was just leaving, so... feel free to use the bathroom."
Lester only stared with the same awed expression as before. As he absentmindedly moved out of the way, the Fenton boy walked through the exit, in the most literal sense. Once outside, Danny mentally kicked himself at his obvious mistakes. 'Feel free to use the bathroom? How arrogant did that sound?'
As he continued into the hall, he noticed some other students drop their conversations to openly gape at Phantom. It wasn't as crowded as in normal school hours, but the few onlookers on the way managed to make him uncomfortable. Again, he felt his nerves unjustified and wanted to wave them off, but as the half-ghost neared the auditorium, he failed. Miserably failed.
It was not like his classmates hadn't known, for the last two years after his reveal, they'd been going to school with such a public figure. Sure, some of the other kids were a bit on edge, figuring that if they saw Danny running around the school, it couldn't be good news. Or that if he asked to be excused from a class, they probably had to prepare to evacuate the premises soon after. Or that seeing a scrape or bruise on Fenton most likely meant he had a run-in with a very dangerous enemy. And won.
He had faced all those uncomfortable moments before, so why did it have to be any different this time? But deep down he knew it was precisely because of that exact awkwardness surrounding his double life.
Bracing himself, the spooky teen entered the auditorium. He tried to focus just on reaching the first rows without making any unnecessary eye contact. While it didn't quieten the growing whispers, he at least made his way to the front through his peers (in the less literal sense this time). If he hadn't already experienced before what it felt like to be watched, he sure did now. Said feeling only grew as he noticed his best friends' questioning glances. He sat on the empty seat next to Tucker, shrinking into it as much as he could without using his unusual abilities.
"Do we want to know what's going on?" Sam Manson asked after a couple of seconds, raising an eyebrow.
Danny hated to admit screwing up, so he decided to skip a few details from his recent encounter. "Just a dumb prank someone pulled on me. Can't change back for a few hours."
Tucker's snort somehow broke his uneasiness and replaced it with annoyance. "Oh, man," he managed to say between barely suppressed laughter. "This is going to be so good..."
"Tucker!" Sam scolded, but Danny was sure he saw the goth girl trying to hide her amusement. "We're supposed to be supporting him, remember? Lift his spirits?"
The specter groaned, but his other best friend replied first. "Sorry, my bad, Sam. Don't worry, I'm sure Danny will knock them dead."
The youngest Fenton half-heartedly glared at them as they laughed at his expense. "You're horrible friends and I hope you trip on your way up," he declared. Not that he wouldn't be able to make it happen somehow...
"Mr. Fenton, are you ready to-?" Mr. Lancer's voice interrupted as he approached the trio, cutting himself mid-sentence once he saw his white-haired student up close.
Said teen felt self-conscious again while he quickly stood up from his seat, now standing an inch taller than his teacher. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, Mr. Lancer, I'm good to go," he replied before the older man decided to cite a cringe-worthy book title.
The English teacher looked like he wanted to comment on his student's odd choice of appearance, but only limited himself to clear his throat as he stared at the boy. "Very well. Follow me this way."
Danny could still hear his friend's snickers on his way upstairs, careful to keep himself solid with each step he took. He felt the sudden need to explain his current situation to his teacher, if only to have somewhere to start before he addressed his peers. "Sorry for showing up like this," he began, rubbing the back of his neck with his oddly gloveless hand. "I'm... kinda stuck in ghost mode for a while."
Mr. Lancer sighed and turned to face him. "Daniel, after all I've seen you do in the last couple of years, I don't expect to understand half the things you go through. I have learned to, as you kids say, go with the flow. I am sure your classmates will appreciate your appearance more than you give them credit for."
The boy wasn't so sure about the last affirmation, but he appreciated his teacher's words and realized how much he needed the reassurance. Still, a big part of him didn't like to be seen only as Phantom and wanted to remind everyone how ordinary his problems at school had really been. The speech stored in his pocket felt odd when he couldn't be seen as anything aside from inhuman.
"Please, go on to take your seat. I will try to break the ice before your turn." Without another word, the man resumed his trajectory towards the podium.
Danny did a double take. 'Did he just make a pun?'
Sitting next to Mr. Lancer on the front of the stage only made him aware of all the eyes that would be on him. Part of the faculty, board members, staff, students, their families and friends, all here to celebrate an important life event. Everyone took their seats as the ceremony began. Those who hadn't seen Phantom walk in, were now fully aware of the teen's current appearance. He noticed some parents stare in either confusion or disproval, while most of the younger audience seemed awed. Or amused, if his friends' expressions were anything to go by.
Principal Ishiyama stood at the podium after some of the customary rites and introductions. "Welcome everyone to Casper High's commencement ceremony, where we proudly celebrate our Class of 2008." Danny droned her out as she went on thanking all their guests and gave the audience the full agenda for the day. He tried not to think about Valerie's reaction in the crowd. Or the A-list kids fawning over his alter ego. Not to mention the silent hero worship from his fellow geeks. Instead, he tried to focus on how to exact revenge on both Younglbood and Johnny once this was all over. "Mister... Fenton, would you please come to the podium?" Mrs. Ishiyama's voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, right," Danny awkwardly replied as he stood up and walked towards the microphone. He took the Principal's spot and placed his notes on the wooden platform in front of him. His glowing green eyes skimmed over the words he had rehearsed for hours but eventually landed on the crowd in front of him. A new feeling took over and a pang of sadness settled close to his core. He definitely didn't want to be remembered only as Phantom, but a part of him knew he only had the chance to stand in front of them due to his extracurricular activities. 'Might as well set the record straight...'
"Uh, hi, everyone," he heard the ghastly echo in his voice through the speakers, but hoped it went unnoticed with the auditorium's acoustics. "We're gathered here for one of the most important moments of our lives. A huge milestone that opens infinite possibilities ahead. And we wouldn't have made it to this point if we hadn't gone through so many lessons and challenges. Some more life-threatening than others, which made these last four years beyond chaotic. But despite all the interruptions to our daily schedule, the emotional stress, and the physical danger, our class came on top of it all. You think I'm powerful because of my ghost powers? Take a closer look around you."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in, and felt strange addressing this part of his speech as he stood as Phantom. He wanted to be seen as, well, himself. His ordinary, human self. The boy who was too clumsy to be allowed to hold beakers in Chemistry class in freshman year. Who was mocked by the jocks and cheerleaders for being weird. Who was on the verge of failing some of his classes for not finishing most of his homework. While it was all revealed to have an improbable explanation, he wanted to be seen as someone like them, if only to make his point hit home. To remind them he wasn't as unreachable as they seemed to believe after learning his secret.
Truth was, he missed talking to Mikey every once in a while about a comic book, despite not being able to catch up with the latest issues. He longed to hear Valerie's sass outside of patrol-related topics. He even missed being challenged by Dash, although he didn't feel the same about his bullying. Before "The Reveal", all those things hadn't let his ghostly adventures get to his head. His peers had seen him as a regular teenager. But after they learned the truth, there was this invisible barrier between most of them and Phantom. As if those who hadn't been close enough weren't worthy of his presence or were too afraid of being annoying. As if that had turned him into a completely different person. As if his "Fenton" side had only been a disguise. He needed them to understand how far from the truth they were.
"Take a good look at yourselves. You all managed to beat a full pirate ship together to save your parents and still went to take that algebra test the next day. You faced several invasions, a weird ghost disease that had you all quarantined, and an evil psychologist trying to destroy everyone's self-esteem. You survived everything, from Pariah's fight at our football field, to mundane situations like the cafeteria food attacking during lunch. You endured way more spectral activity than the average Amity Park citizen, and still managed to pass your CAT's on the first go, no less.
"And along with your resilience, we had some awesome teachers looking out for us, making sure no kid was left behind. Let me tell you something about our teachers. By tradition, we've all seen there are certain privileges for some groups, which unfortunately also occurs elsewhere and should not continue happening in the world at all. Period. But to say that's all our teachers did wouldn't be fair. We've seen some of them stay after class explaining difficult concepts to anyone who didn't understand. Others pushed us harder, believing with all their heart we could do better and outside these doors the world wouldn't be as lenient. And there are those who patiently offered opportunities to make up for missed work to anyone who wanted to improve their grades. We had their guidance during difficult situations, even as they went through the same dangers we did.
"Some of you might think I don't really understand what you went through, but trust me: half of my time at Casper High was spent in anonymity. Everyone thought I was a lost cause, a delinquent, a slacker, and other less savory adjectives you've probably forgotten about. What I'm trying to say is... I wouldn't be graduating today without the advice and encouragement I got from teachers like Mr. Lancer, who believed in the best of me before he knew about my other activities.
"And that's the thing, the key takeaway I want you to remember: we are more than the first impressions we made. We are much more than the grades we got to end the school year. As we close this important chapter, know that you have way more skills than what's written on paper to face the world outside. You've become resourceful, fearless, and resilient, which are handy attributes to have as you deal with the new challenges ahead."
If it was possible, the auditorium seemed quieter as everyone mused every word he said. The hybrid noticed some of the faces among the audience and felt a sense of pride emanating from several parents. He sensed a confidence boost coming from the least expected classmates. He saw determined smiles, nostalgic ones as well. And his friends had finally dropped the snickering, at last.
"I... actually wanted to stand here as Danny Fenton, the guy you saw every day for the last four years. I swear I didn't mean to show up like this and would really appreciate if you could try to forget for the next few hours what I look like at the moment. So, please, let's enjoy today's celebration together. Let's share silly stories and memories one last time before we part ways to a brand new journey." He gave them all a warm smile to wrap up his speech. "Congratulations, class of 2008. You've all come a long way and I bet you'll kick ass, whatever the future brings!"
The auditorium was filled with applause and cheering as the young speaker took his seat again. He was sure most faculty members might try to reprimand him later for using profanity at the end of his speech, but he doubted it would be a real issue.
Relaxing at last, he only hoped his classmates actually followed his plea and wouldn't remain distanced throughout the evening. Though maybe it was time to have some closure of his own and allow himself to simply be Danny for once, instead of becoming someone else when he turned into Phantom. After all, he couldn't remember the last time he'd transformed at school without an attack involved.
Perhaps the invisible barrier was somehow his own fault as well and all he needed was a stupid prank to realize that. Maybe there were more ways to be stuck in ghost mode than merely in appearance.
After they had all received their diplomas, everyone reunited with their groups of friends or families, taking pictures with their diplomas and chatting about their high school experience. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were thankful their parents had given them some space in favor of socializing with other parents in the room. The young ghost hunters were taking pictures together, making silly poses, when someone approached them.
"Hey, Fenton," Dash Baxter greeted as he stood in front of the small group, all of them fully aware of the name the quarterback chose to call Danny. "Is it true you lost a bet to a ghost and had to show up like this?" His friendly tone didn't go unnoticed either.
The white-haired teen turned to look at his friends for some help on what was going on and found Tucker smiling sheepishly. "You didn't give us any details, dude. I sort of improvised," he admitted.
Danny didn't want to seem annoyed, otherwise he might as well forget about building any bridge towards his classmates. Instead, he snorted. "Yeah, right, as if I would risk betting anything again after our haunted house fiasco."
The former bully blinked for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Oh, man! I totally forgot about the underwear thing!" Dash managed to say between breaths as he wiped away a tear.
"You're kidding, right?" Danny asked in disbelief. Of all the things that happened during that experience, it figures his tormentor would focus on the most embarrassing part. Jazz had said something about people being unable to fully mesh their older memories of his human half once they connected him with his super-powered alter ego. Still, he hadn't realized how deep that rift went.
The jock's uncontrollable laughter seemed to attract the attention of other graduates and some approached to see what was going on, only to find an embarrassed Phantom standing next to the amused A-list kid. Though everyone kept some distance equivalent to how close their social circles were, Danny noticed both A-listers and geeks getting at least within earshot of the conversation.
"Hey, Kwan," Dash addressed his friend as soon as he neared the group. "You remember the whole tighty whities thing?"
As his best friend and teammate tried to understand what he meant, Star interrupted. "Tighty whities? Uh, no, didn't Fenton wear boxers? That's what Pauly said when his pants fell that time at the Homecoming dance, right?"
The Latina standing next to Star giggled. "Oh my gosh! I had totally forgotten about that!" The rest of the kids laughed as they remembered the event as well.
Danny only stared in horror. Was this really happening? He turned to look at his friends once again, but they were too busy laughing with everyone else. Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. "Please kill me now," he muttered.
"C'mon, Danny," Sam said as she regained some composure. "Didn't you want us to share silly stories? I'm sure you have a more than a dozen to tell."
The group began to grow more as both Dash and Paulina took turns to tell both their stories to those who hadn't witnessed the amusing events from freshman year. The anecdotes evolved into funny recreations from other points of view, and eventually other classmates brought related memories to the mix, like the time Paulina denied she had dated Danny, or when Dash had claimed to wash his mother's feet, or when Sam had made them all eat real mud pies. None of the stories really ended as new ones began to emerge and they suddenly found themselves in a rather large circle of curious listeners and active narrators. Soon after he considered the goth girl's words, Danny decided to join them with other stories of his own, like the time Tucker had sung live on international TV during Ember's concert, or when Sam had taken Kwan to read poetry at Skulk & Lurk.
The students continued barking in laughter and seemed to forget they were sharing awkward stories with none other than their ghostly hero, the one some had found intimidating and fearless, not taking into account what a dork he had been right in front of their noses. The ghost-boy wouldn't have imagined this was all it took to have a decent ice-breaker.