DannyMay 2020. Day One

"Eyes"

Warning for mentions of murder.

Edited 18/10/2020 to fix typos.

"Can I ask you something? Nothing really important, just, curious…"

Clockwork contemplated the halfa hovering near his shoulder, looking at one of his many screens, the one that showed Vlad Masters murdering the boy's father and laughing like the maniac he was; of course, everything Daniel saw was static.

"Of course you can ask, it's an entirely different matter if I will answer, though."

Daniel snorted, but floated down to peer into the main timeline's screen, where endless images flashed one after another nonstop.

"Just wanted to know, what's it with ghosts and their eyes?" Clockwork lifted an eyebrow, one of his own red eyes widening with the gesture. "I mean, it's just that so far, I've only seen ghosts with green or red eyes, even I got green ones, but I haven't seen anyone with, I dunno, brown eyes or something else." He thought for a moment, then added, "Except maybe Poindexter, but he's got an aesthetic going on, so…" And with a helpless shrug, he put his feet back on the ground.

"That's not a bad question." The Time Master conceded. "What do you believe it means?" He asked back with an amused smile.

Danny gave it some thought, scratching the back of his head absently, but finally grimaced and shook his head. "I thought that green meant good and red bad, y'kno, but Johnny 13 has green eyes, so does Skulker- well, I think he does, I don't remember his blob form; Princess Dora outside the whole 'turning into a giant angry dragon' thing is quite nice, just like the Dairy King!" He then turned to his mentor with an innocent air. "And of course you're quite pleasant to know once you're not on a mission to ensure my early full-death." Clockwork glared at him, but the heat was lost with the small curve upwards of his lips. "Oh! And even the Fright Knight has green eyes!"

"You know how ghosts sometimes change their shape unconsciously, yes?" Danny nodded energetically, crossing his legs and again hovering in place seeing as the other shifted ages, "Unlike Amorpho, who does it on a whim. That is true on ghosts' eyes too; green usually means a more 'relaxed' nature: Johnny 13 wants to have 'fun', but Kitty has to check how much of it he has and with whom. The Skulker's eyes are naturally red, his armor's are green because it puts him in a position of emotional safety; the Fright Knight, though, like Sidney Poindexter, 'has an aesthetic'. And you, Daniel, are a very geeky teenager with enough enthusiasm for living, even if you have the stress of 'high school life'.

Danny ducked his head, flushing green, but perked up again. "Then what about red eyes? What are they for? When it's not brainwashing, I mean…"

Clockwork looked down at him, something solemn in his face.

"You wish to know that secret, Daniel Fenton, Halfa of Amity Park?" Danny swallowed, disconcerted by the sudden mood change. "Do you believe you are worthy of this knowledge, Defeater of Pariah?"

The ghost boy shuffled in his place, and finally, in a small voice, said "Yes…?"

The Time Master loomed down, his eyes solid, unblinking red.

"The reason why several of us ghosts have red eyes, Daniel, is…" Danny leaned in, his full attention locked on the elder ghost. "… stress." He sighed, his shoulders sagging and his shape shifted from the oldest to the second youngest.

"… what?"

"Of course, there is also irritation and anger, but it's mostly stress."

Danny frowned, mouth agape. "Really? That's it? Stress?"

Clockwork looked at him and shrugged. When his pupil was about to object, he added, "I know you are stressed too, Daniel, but as I said, you are a very geeky teenager with enough enthusiasm for life." He patted his head and turned away. "Now, if you excuse me, I am still on duty." And with that, he was again looking at his screens.

Danny snorted. "Whatever." But he was smiling.

Clockwork didn't feel remorse for lying, he knew what telling the truth in that matter could cause, and Daniel didn't need to know yet.

In one of the buzzing screens, he saw a young man of startling white hair and deep carmine eyes; he was smiling placidly at his phone, occasionally laughing at something he would see, even as the world around him burned.

No, Daniel didn't need to know that the only way for a ghost to have red eyes in the first place was to murder a living human. Not yet.