Hey all! Zahde here. While this is technically a oneshot series it's unlikely that I'll be updating it very frequently. It's also not based on any lists, although… maybe I will do that in the future if I get inspired. I dunno. In any case, enjoy!


Danny leaned back in the chair, absentmindedly unsticking his legs from the warm white plastic. The day was perfect; warm sunlight soaked into his t-shirt and skin and seemed to chase away all the ghostly chills of the past year. The sounds of people playing in the pool at his feet was joyful to the point of serenity, invoking an almost zen-like feeling in the center of his chest.

Yeah. He felt so zen.

"Danny. Danny!" Danny shook himself awake and looked innocently through his sunglasses at Sam. She was already in her purple swimsuit, frowning at him quizzically. Her black swimming cape was draped casually around her shoulders. "Are you coming in?"

"Nah," he said smoothly, although he felt a guilty pang around his heart. "I'm still in the 'heat-soaking' stage of summer. Maybe when it gets really hot."

"Dude, it's hot NOW!" a voice called from the pool, and Tucker managed to splash a large amount of cold chlorinated water all over Danny's legs. He yelped and pulled his legs onto the recliner, then laughed it off. But Sam, who also got hit, threw her cape into Danny's face.

"You'll pay for that, Tucker!" she yelled, and jumped into the pool right behind the suddenly terrified boy, dragging him below the surface. Danny laughed, and for a wistful moment wished he could jump in with them. Well, he COULD. He would just look like a doofus with his t-shirt on in the pool.

And he couldn't take his shirt off. This was beyond his annual embarrassment over a pasty chest or less-than-stellar abs. Actually, all that ghost fighting was, dare he say it, improving his physique. But Danny's recent battle with Skulker had left a nasty wound running across the top of his left shoulder to the middle of his back. Not to mention his torso had all sorts of other battle scars that, if anyone cared to look closely enough, could raise awkward questions.

So for now, Danny was stuck on the sidelines. But it wasn't like swimming was the only thing to be done at Floody Waters. Maybe they could hit a roller coaster later or something.

"Hey FENTURD!" an annoyingly familiar voice called out, and that was all the warning Danny had before being completely soaked by a water gun. Sputtering, he glared at the two high-fiving jocks.

"Wow, Dash, you're really getting original," Danny said, wringing out his shirt. It would dry off pretty soon. He would need to change the bandage once he got home, though. Maybe they'd have to skip the roller coaster. "I mean, it's not like you've been soaking me with that thing every summer since we were eight."

"Whoa whoa wait, was that a challenge to step up my game?" Dash said. Danny looked up in surprise. Had Dash actually caught his sarcasm? The blonde shoved his Super Soaker into Kwan's arms. "Kwan, hold my gun."

"You get 'im baby, I got your gun," Kwan said, grinning.

"No it wasn't a challenge Dash what are you doOOING-!" before Danny could make a break for it, Dash had grabbed him and hefted him over his head.

"INCOMING!" Dash yelled and threw Danny into the pool, belly flop style. The water's slap stung against his stomach, face, and thighs, but that was nothing compared to the sudden jolt of pain across his left shoulder blade. Danny erupted out of the water, gasping and trying to clutch at it. He pulled himself out of the pool blindly, face screwed up in pain.

"Ow ow ow ow," he muttered. He could hear Dash and Kwan laughing and high fiving again.

"Oh come on, Fenton, that's not nearly the worst thing I've-wait, is that blood?"

"Danny, are you okay?!" Sam alighted next to him and helped him to his feet. "Here, get on this recliner."

"I'm fine, Sam, something must've just torn open is all."

But he didn't protest when Sam pulled off his soggy shirt, careful not to pull off the bandage at the same time. She was almost shocked. Besides the bandage that was wrapped around his chest and across his shoulder, there were pink lightning scars across his stomach, old burn wounds, and a couple of white gashes as though he had been in several knife fights. A reddish-purple bruise peeked out from the edges of the now soaking bandage.

"Danny, when did all this happen?" Tucker said cluelessly. Sam frowned meaningfullyat him. "Oh, I mean uh, you should've told us you were wounded, man. When did you get all bandaged?"

"The other night. I had Jazz help me," Danny said sheepishly. He wrung out his shirt and winced as the movement pulled at his wound.

"We should go change this," Sam said, "it looks like it re-opened and we don't want it to get infected." she shot a glare at the blonde, who had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know he was injured?" Dash said. He and Kwan looked uncomfortable. The unblemished state of their own bare torsos was starting to make Sam angry. It was obvious that they hadn't gotten anything beyond the occasional concussion or broken arm, while Danny looked like he had been struck by lightning and shot at several times-which he had. And yet there they stood, chest held high, while Danny felt like he had to hide. Where was the justice in that?

"Here's an idea, how about you just don't throw people into the pool, jerkwad?" Sam wrapped a towel around Danny's shoulders. "Come on Danny, let's get you home."