Hi there! Welcome to my first ever Fanfic!
Don't get my wrong, I write alot on my own time, but I've never written anything that wasn't purely my own work. This has been a fun exercise, even more so since its for one of my favorite series from when I was a kid. Danny Phantom was such a great series when I was younger and it was a true shame it was cancelled before it really had a chance. After seeing some of the creators still putting out their own fics on the series and with Butch Hartman putting out his own ideas so enthusasitcally for the public recently, I've felt quite motivated to put pen to paper with my own take on the DP universe. This will be placed pre-Phantom Planet, although I remain undecided if it will take place any earlier than that at this time. We'll just have to see what happens. (Haha, I crack myself up) Big, BIG shout out to KitKat12499, who wrote the fic "Mr. Lancer's Mistake" a few years back. Her fic really got my creative gears turning, and with her permission I had originally intended LSWH to be a rewrite of that fic. However, as time as passed and the creative path took its course, it seems as though this fic will merely start similarly and have similar topics within it but will have a different ending. I still encourage everyone to give her fic a read, as it still has lots of potential!
Anyway, I'm done stalling lol. Enjoy!
[I do not own Danny Phantom. All characters and details from the original series belong to Nickelodeon Inc. & Butch Hartman.]
Chapter 1: Hello World
Thin clouds drifted across the early morning sky above the sleepy town of Amity Park, like soft white brush strokes across a pastel-washed blue as the sun slowly rose to bring about the start of a new day. Birds began to sing in greeting to its warm rays and the peaceful day seemed just as it would be for any other town in the U.S. From above, the only strangeness that could be seen was that of a tall town house not far from the local highschool.
It was a dark red brick building with many windows, just as all the others that stood to either side of it, but on its roof sat a large domed structure nearly double the size of the town house itself, adorned with satellite dishes and antennas wherever one could fit. On the side of the building was an oversized bright orange sign with vibrant green letters announcing "Fenton Works" to all who passed, but for those who weren't sure if the sign meant the eccentric metal addition on top or the brick structure beneath it, the sign curled around to point at the side of the town house. Couldn't risk anyone getting confused about just which part of the building the over large sign could be referring to, right?
Some would think that this was the only strange thing about this town, so long as they only looked at it from a satellite, but to the inhabitants of Amity Park, the Fenton Works building was probably one of the only normal sights of the town. For if one remained in the area long enough, easily just twelve or so hours would do, they would have a chance to witness sights and events that had slowly become a norm for the local citizens.
Take this morning for example. Most students began making their way to school via buses, driving, or simply walking. However one such student could be found still sleeping in his room, oblivious to the normal bustle that was starting in the world below his second story window. What could be strange about that, you ask? Give it a few minutes.
The first bell for school would be ringing within the hour and this young teen had yet to even rouse from his slumber, that was until a series of hard knocks came from his closed bedroom door. Startled from his sleep by the noise, young Danny Fenton lurched upright as he attempted to jump out of bed to confront the intruder, but only succeeded in tangling himself in his blankets and hitting his bedroom floor with a loud thump!
"Danny!" a voice called through the door, its sternness not covering its underlying warmth as Jazz, the oldest of the Fenton children, called again, "Hurry up! You're going to be late again!"
A groan escaped Danny as he rolled his head to look up at the still closed door, "Alright!" he called back in a sleep-gruff voice, "I'm up, Jazz. I'm up!" Wriggling his way out of his prison of warm blankets, he pushed himself to his feet with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his shoulders. A series of satisfying cracks followed and he sighed, feeling some of the stiffness leave him as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Twisting, he looked up at his flashing clock on his nightstand blearily.
6:42 a.m.
"Oh, crap!" he gasped, scrambling to the closet and grabbing the first clothes that would work and rushed to the bathroom. It normally took twenty minutes to walk to school. If Jazz drove, which at this point it seemed more likely that she'd left already if he had to guess, it would have taken only ten minutes. Thankfully, those weren't the only options for him.
Showering in record-setting time, Danny scrubbed at his hair with a towel before making himself intangible and allowing the rest of the water to run right through him. With the practice of someone who found themselves rushing more often than not, he managed to brush his teeth, run a hand through his messy black hair, and dress himself in no time. Finished, he ran back to his room to grab his bag, hanging his damp towel on the door and pulling an oversized red sweater-jacket on as he went.
Slipping the bag on, he snatched up his cellphone and sent a message in the group chat he had with his two best friends, Tucker Foley and Sam Manson:
Danny: Morning. Woke up late. Meet you there.
Not waiting for a response, the young man turned to face his bedroom window with a determined glint in his eyes. What very few people knew about young Danny was that he was hiding a very big secret. One that defied the logic of most sciences and set him apart from his peers and foes alike. Two years ago, he and his friends were messing around in his parents lab when he stumbled into something that changed his life, and that of all who lived in Amity Park forever.
A flash of light filled the room as Danny felt the chilly energy wash over him. Clenching his fists, a wide smile spread across his face as he leapt forward. Making himself intangible, he passed straight through the brick wall and into the open air beyond the window. The smell of city air and the bustle of people making their morning commutes greeted him as he returned to his solid from and shot up into the air like a monochrome arrow.
'Hopefully Jazz told Mom and Dad I left already,' he thought, the wind sweeping through his hair as he soared over the city.
Oh yes, did Danny have a secret. During most of his days, he was seen as the aloof and antisocial teen struggling with the hardships of the average student. Picked on by his peers regularly, he was also often besieged by consistent punishments from his teachers for not completing class work or, more notably, his lackluster attendance to classes. From the outside, the raven haired teen seemed well on the path to becoming a below-average graduate with a less than thrilling future. But when spirits descended on Amity Park, raining down disasters in the form of meat storms to throwing everyone into some modern-day Egyptian regime or even all-consuming plant monsters that blanketed the city, Danny became something else.
After the Accident, he had gained something truly remarkable. He was able to change himself on a molecular level, the flash of light sweeping over him, granting him the strength and power of those ghosts that terrorized his home. Like now, his hair was a mop of silver white, unearthly green eyes, matching the silver gloves, boots, and belts over his black jumpsuit. On his chest was emblazoned a silver stylized 'D', a gift from Sam to help emphasize his name in this form. He was none other than the ghostboy, Danny Phantom. The young specter who fought to protect the people of Amity Park from invaders from the Ghost Zone, a realm mirroring the real world but serving as a home for various ghosts and spirits when they weren't out causing trouble.
Although the young hero was not always welcomed by the residents of his home town, many people cheered and waved at him as he flew past. But to his discouragement, just has many scowled or shouted rude obscenities at him. Of course, that didn't include the various Ghost Hunters who both took residence in Amity Park or were stationed locally from a national branch of Anti-Ghost Security, the Guys in White. All of whom hunted Phantom just as fervently as those ghosts who came to wreak havoc on the real world. More and more frequently over the years, he would be forced to fight off various ghost hunters while stopping whatever ploy the newest visitor from the Ghost Zone was attempting next.
With the help of Tuck, Sam, and Jazz, Danny had succeed to find a tentative balance between his human and ghost lives, while also keeping his identity secret from everyone else, including his own parents. The Fentons were notorious Ghost Hunters in Amity Park, especially since their Ghost Portal was the first man-made door into the Ghost Zone. They were also enthusiastic in their efforts to capture and rid their world of any and all ghosts, which unfortunately included Danny's ghost-half, Phantom. For obvious reasons, Danny and his allies worked overtime to keep them from finding out his identity and dismantling him "molecule by molecule".
Soon enough, Casper High appeared below, its tall brick and concrete walls cool in the early light of day. Careful to avoid any unwanted eyes, Danny descended to a secluded corner of the school, shifting back to his human form before reaching the ground. Landing softly on his feet and ignoring the smell of the dumpster he'd chosen to take refuge behind, he began walking into the school. Thankfully, none of the usual suspects of ghosts had made an appearance this morning, giving him the slim chance to get to his first class on time.
Stretching his stride so that he didn't have to jog, Danny hurried to the front door and pointedly ignored any eye contact with the other students who made their way into the school. Noticing them, he did make a point to slouch as he walked, ducking his head a bit and letting his shoulders fall some. Over the past year, he'd gotten a good bit taller, now reaching his dad's shoulder instead of his chest. This, along with all of his active ghost hunting and training in his human form, made his appearance a far fling from the slim adolescence he'd been when he'd first gained his ghost powers.
These changes made it easier to fight off his opponents but did little to help hide his identity when people started to notice the changes in Phantom physique. There was little he could do to change what he looked like in his ghost form since the only changes that stayed were small additions, like the utility belt Sam had made him nearly a year ago and a pair of weapons-belts that crossed his chest. Anything like a jacket or loose pants wouldn't appear between changes, beside the fact that their added bulk made fighting harder on Phantom. Leaving him only the jumpsuit, which left far too little to the imagination for his liking. Not to mention that this forced him to conceal any changes in his body in his human form.
Catching a glance of his reflection in one of the tall windows, Danny frowned at how windswept his hair had become from flying. Running a hand through the tangled black locks, he turned his attention to the rest of his reflection. Eyeing the clothes he'd plucked from his closet that morning, he was relieved that they were normal after not paying attention as he'd made the selection. It was a variation of what he'd been wearing for the majority of the last two years: Oversized dark blue jeans and red sneakers with a white short-sleeved shirt that fit much more snuggly than it once had, much to his chagrin. A baggie and worn red jacket hung loosely from his shoulders and bunched at his wrists, effectively covering the obvious changes in his growing body and any other evidence of his 'extra-curricular activities' from prying eyes.
The one thing he couldn't change were the dark shadows under his blue eyes that never seemed to fade no matter how much sleep he got. Most of his nights were spent cramming homework and studying around the evening patrol of the city. Not including the various ghost fights that occurred or the additional training that he, Tuck, and Sam have been doing as well. It left him with little sleep each night, not to mention his homework being unfinished unless Sam or Tuck helped keep him awake to do it. More than once, Sam had offered to cover up the evidence of his lack of sleep with makeup, but Danny refused each time. He couldn't stand the idea of the added torture from Dash if he and the other A-listers every found out he wore makeup to school.
These days, the trio of friends stayed at each other's houses routinely, which made it easier to help keep one another from getting into as much trouble with school and their parents. One night a week they would stay at their own homes to appease their parents, who were not overly pleased with how close the trio had grown since their freshman year. It wasn't that they disapproved, but were more concerned about how healthy such a "close relationship that allowed little room for others" was for their adolescent children. However, their parents did see the support the teens gave each other, helping one another study, do homework, and even get each other up to go to school in the mornings. Deciding it was for the best, they didn't fight to separate the trio so long as they kept their grades up and they weren't late to school too often.
Sighing to himself, Danny climbed the steps of the school's entrance and slipped into the door just as the warning bell rang. With five minutes to spare, he made his way through the halls with his head down, hoping to avoid any unnecessary attention that would make him late to class. It must be my lucky day, Danny thought in rueful disbelief when he successfully reached his locker uninhibited and greeted by his two waiting friends.
"Hey man!" Tucker turned to smile at him as he approached. Over the years, Tuck hadn't changed much other than getting a bit taller and starting to grow a thin shadow of his first beard on his chin. Thin metal glasses resting on his nose, Tuck still wore his signature red hat, yellow long-sleeved shirt, and cargo pants filled with various gadgets and ghost hunting weapons. The only other noticeable difference was how he was more filled out than the average techno-geek, but not enough for much comment, much to his joint relief and dismay. It would have been hard explaining how fit he was when everyone thought all he did was play video games and mess around with tech stuff.
"Morning Danny," Sam smiled warmly at him, her usual rich plum lipstick a contrast to her white teeth and pale skin. She was wearing her usual outfit, combat boots, leggings, black plaid skirt, and tank top underneath a thin jacket and all in black with various dark accenting. Her dark hair had gotten longer, now laying on her shoulders like a spill of ink. Now though, she was taller than Tuck and was beginning to fill out much more than she was their freshman year-Not that Danny would notice those particular details of his friend. Ignoring the blush that tried to make itself known on his face, he certainly didn't notice how her curves were much more apparent in her leggings and skirt than the sweats she often wore to bed when they stayed over one another's houses.
"Morning guys," Danny greeted them with a smile of his own. He couldn't help the relief he felt at being back with them, even if they were only separated for the night.
"Lovebirds," Tuck coughed into his fist none-too casually with a knowing smirk on his face.
"We are not lovebirds!" he and Sam snapped in unison, but the harshness wasn't in their voices as they smiled at their friend. A blush had definitely crawled onto Danny's cheeks as his gaze flicked back to Sam's, an equally embarrassed look on her face before the three of them burst into laughter.
With quick fingers, Danny popped the lock on his locker and began exchanging the books in his bag for the ones he would need for their first few classes. Sam and Tuck promptly did the same with their own things, reaching over to pull their textbooks and notes from his locker. They had a system. Danny's locker had their earliest classes, English, Trig, and World History. Sam's had Anatomy and P.E. forms. Tuck's had their Spanish things. Both Sam and Tuck's lockers also had extra equipment if needed, like extra Fentonthermoses, Spectordeflectors, and changes of clothes. Tuck's locker also had a selection of inconspicuous anti-ghost weapons that he had built over the past year, that way they could stop stealing things from the Fentonworks Lab.
Once they each had their things, Danny led the way down the hall to their first class, chatting amicably about the boring yet stressful night each of them had at home. None of them like to be separated these days, knowing that doing so left them exposed. Too often, they had been isolated during ghost attacks, as a part schemes cooked up by the various Ghost Hunters, or captured by their ever malicious Mayor: Vlad Masters. The nefarious halfa had thrown evil design after another at the trip, going as far as to manipulate other ghosts into kidnapping and separating them in the ghost zone. They managed to free themselves with the help of Jazz and a few friendly ghosts, but the teens were wary of ever risking another such incident. Of course, their worries were only elevated when the number of ghosts entering the real world steadily increased.
Unfortunately for Danny, the luck he'd had all morning seemed to have run its course when they were just a few steps away from their first period class. A heavy shoulder slammed into him, sending him haphazardly into the lockers next to the open classroom door.
"Watch where your walking, Fentoenail," Dash sneered loudly, he pushed past them with a smug expression as his best friend Kwan laughed loudly.
Rubbing his harassed shoulder, Danny glared after Dash as he disappeared into the classroom. It would have been so easy to fight off his daily bullying and harsh words. It would have been a snooze for his ghost-half, but these days it would have been just as easy for his human-half to put up a fight against Dash. They were nearly the same height now and Danny had far more muscle than when he was a freshman. Coupled with his experience in hundreds of life and death conflicts, he would have had the upper hand over his perpetual bully. But it would have been far too noticeable for a 'loser' like Danny Fenton to start throwing punches back at Dash Baxter, let alone having the advantage over the Quarterback. If anything, Dash's steady bombardment only made it easier to distance his human-self from his ghost-half, making the gap in their personas bigger from the average observer's perspective.
What Danny didn't notice were the curious covert glances he received as he righted himself from his tumble into the lockers, standing nearly completely straight with a look of resigned indignation. Rolling his sore shoulder, a bit of his proud posture as a hero showed through his typical misanthropic guise. Even if none of the observers knew what was so different about him, which none of them did, one thing was consistent amongst all of their thoughts: There was something strange about that Fenton kid, and it had nothing to do with his crazy parents. These strange moments of defiance and the weird relationship he had with his two friends made him a topic of gossip as their Junior year began. Surrounded by unspoken questions and suspicion, he had become the mystery of Casper High.
Gentle hands pressed against his shoulder, "Come on, Danny," Sam said as she continued to glare at the classroom door, "Forget that emptied headed jerk. He's not worth you time anyway."
"She's right," Tuck chimed in boldly, "Don't let that guy make you late on one of the few days you were actually able to make it on time."
Smile replacing the dark recalcitrance in his features, Danny nodded as he relaxed a bit, "Your right, guys." Turning back to the door, he followed them into the room, "Thanks," he said just as the bell for first period rang, announcing the start of the day
You made it to the end! Fantastic!
There are more chapters coming out, I promise! I'll be posting the first three chapters to begin with, and all chapters after Ch. 4 will be released on a weekly/biweekly basis. This depends greatly on my other work (as I do work & write for a living) so it will not be able to take as much of my time as I would like it to be able too. Fear not! It will be worth the wait, or so help me the sky is pink!
Jokes aside, thanks for giving LSWH a read! Please R&R, I'd love to hear what you think!