Danny spent a lot more time outside the medical facility once he gathered the courage to leave. He spent most of his time with Garfield and M'gann but he was becoming fast friends with Kaldur and Robin. Wally was a little intense for the halfa at times. The speedster was naturally loud and friendly and he often tried to ask Danny about ghosts in almost accusing ways. It wouldn't have bothered Danny much before he'd been caught, he'd faced non-believers in the past. He knew how to deal with them. But since his ordeal… the interrogations felt threatening. It reminded Danny of the scientists. But luckily Artemis was usually around to rein him in so Danny never felt too cornered. The other girls were nice too, but Danny was never the one to hang out with a bunch of girls. There was Sam, but she was a tom boy. And Conner… he seemed a lot more distant than the other team members. But whenever Danny and Conner did interact, they did get along. They were both quiet though so the conversations were rarely interesting.
Black Canary had tried to get Danny to open up more to her but Danny still wasn't ready. He felt that once he could get through a normal conversation without having to repress his nerves and irrational fear at frowns or loud noises, he'd be ready. But he couldn't do that yet. Black Canary also tried to persuade Danny to write back to his loved ones in Amity Park, but Danny just replied that he had nothing to tell them. Danny knew the moment he replied, they'd want to know everything and if he wasn't even ready to think about what happened, he certainly wasn't ready to explain everything to his family and friends. He was still a little concerned about eventually facing his parents after they'd learnt the truth about him.
Batman had agreed to allow Danny to join the team during training. The caped crusader even watched one session to see how well the halfa fit in. Both Batman and Black Canary saw how much the training was helping Danny to relax around the team. His old confidence was even starting to return, not that they knew that since they hadn't known him before. He joked more with the other teens and Garfield had even started to practice his own powers. He could now turn into certain animals with ease such as a monkey, a gorilla and a cat, which the team took pleasure to point out.
After two weeks, the other teens had returned to school. Danny's family covered for him by saying that he was staying in Spittoon with his aunt and would be home schooled by her. Danny was grateful for that. He found it hard enough being around the team at times. Being in a school full of people with the school bell and shouting… Danny didn't think he could handle that yet. Instead of attending school, Danny and Garfield would be taught by Red Tornado. The android was a good teacher, especially since Danny found it difficult being with people that grew impatient or angry. The android's lack of facial expressions, in a strange way, helped Danny to stay calm. No one but Black Canary and Batman knew of his ingrained fear of anger though. He hid it well. There were times he had to excuse himself from situations that the team didn't understand due to him becoming overwhelmed, but usually he was fine.
It was the first weekend after everyone had returned to school though, that something out of the ordinary happened. The team decided to have a fun day on the beach outside Mount Justice. Black Canary had assured Danny that he was safe and should go with them. It would be the first time he'd been outside, apart from when he was rescued, since he'd been captured. While Danny couldn't wait to see the sky and feel a breeze on his skin… it was also a lot bigger. It wasn't like inside where he could ensure each room was safe before relaxing. He'd have to be on his guard. But even with that fear of being lured into another trap and being caught again, Danny agreed and looked forward to the outing. After all, this was the group of people that saved him. They could protect him if it came to it and he'd learnt a lot from Black Canary. And there was always his powers.
His powers. He hadn't used them at all since he'd left the Guys in White. There hadn't been a reason to. Wally had asked to see his "ghost" powers but Artemis always told her boyfriend off before Danny had to make his choice. It was something he was grateful for. The first time Wally asked, Danny had almost lapsed into a panic attack as he flashed back to his capture and then to his escape attempt with his ghostly wail. The hours of complete and pure torture. It was the first time he'd truly made the scientists angry. And now, that punishment played on his mind. He hadn't even changed into Danny Phantom since. The idea of changing only reminded him of the experiments.
But those problems weren't going to stop him having a pleasant day at the beach with his new found friends. M'gann made a picnic and Wally brought a beach ball. Danny stepped outside and scanned the beach for any possible signs of danger but when he saw none, he took a deep breath of fresh air. It felt good. He had a sudden impulse to go for a flight but he refrained. To fly, he'd have to change into Phantom and use his powers. He hadn't managed flight in his human half yet. He could slow down a fall to avoid a broken bone, but not flight.
Since Danny didn't have any swim wear at the cave, he watched the team and Garfield frolic in the water and enjoyed the much deserved time outside. Due to his time inside, he wasn't used to direct sunlight and his skin soon started to burn.
"Hey Danny," Zatanna called, startling the halfa as she sat beside him. She was wearing a swimsuit and a towel. Her hair was dripping and clung to her back.
"You okay?" Zatanna asked, giving him an apologetic smile. The team had noticed that Danny could be jumpy but no one blamed him. Danny smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. Being outside is really nice. I didn't realise how much I missed it," Danny replied. Zatanna smiled at him. She glanced at his bare arms.
"Did you put on any sunblock?" Zatanna inquired. Danny shrugged. He never bothered with that kind of stuff. Despite being naturally pale, it was rare that he got sunburnt. Zatanna smirked and muttered a soft spell and produced a bottle.
"You should probably put some on then. If you're not used to being outside, you could get really badly burnt. You already look a bit red," Zatanna informed him and pushed the bottle into his hand before he could refuse. Zatanna turned her gaze to the guys as they started a heated splashing contest while Danny decided to follow Zatanna's suggestion.
He returned the bottle to her and the girl smiled in gratitude. They turned back to the water and laughed together as Conner and Robin teamed up to push Wally over, splashing Kaldur and Raquel in the process. In return, Kaldur used his powers to soak Robin and Conner, Wally getting caught in the crossfire as he got up.
M'gann came over with Garfield with a few sandwiches and handed them to Danny and Zatanna. They muttered their thanks and compliments as the foursome sat together and watched the splashing contest progress. The day couldn't be any better. So of course, Danny's ghostly life had to rear its head. Danny gasped and a puff of blue mist came from his mouth.
A pesky ghost interrupted Danny's nice day out in the sun. But which ghost?
How will Danny handle it? What will the team do?
Until the next chapter.
