Danny Fenton had been shocked more times than he could count. It kinda came with the whole "my parents are scientists" thing, but he was still pretty sure that Number of Times Danny's Been Electrocuted over Number of Times Everyone Else Has Been Electrocuted was an improper fraction. He didn't really know, though. He was failing algebra.
He supposed the first time he was really, truly electrocuted was when he was four and visiting a farm for a preschool field trip. Why would you have electric fences anywhere near children? Somebody hadn't thought that through. Then he was shocked again once by Tucker's tiny gaming device when they were six, which actually resulted in a burn mark and a broken game.
His first real lab incident was at ten years old. He'd been wandering and his dad had accidentally left open the weapons vault. Then he was shocked again by a broken cord. And again by a huge outlet that ended up turning off the power for the whole street. And once more by the weapons vault security system.
The one particular instance that had really done it for him, though, was at fourteen. Electrocution by misfiring tech and extremely conductive ectoplasm inside a literal portal. That one had almost killed him, or had, or whatever the situation was. And while it gave him a kinda cool alter ego, it also gave him lots and lots and lots of ghosts to fight, an entire town to protect, and a lot more electrocutions in his future.
Danny supposed that was why, at sixteen, he still had panic attacks during lightning storms and was afraid to go near outlets or cords. After about a year and a half of ghosts exploiting his fear of being shocked, someone Big must've stepped up and told them all to knock it the hell off, because they stopped electrocuting him after that. It was a rule, really, and was whispered from ear to ear in the Ghost Zone when he'd pass by.
"Everybody says that you can't electrocute Phantom. It's off limits."
"What? Why?"
"It's a PTSD thing, I guess."
Danny most certainly did not have PTSD from a stupid shock. He was pretty sure that wasn't even justifiable reasoning for his anxiety and fear. Yeah, sure he was in a ball on the bathroom floor, and sure he had just thrown up and was shaking, but he definitely did not have PTSD.
Danny figured his powers would stop at ice. That's a pretty out-there power, right? No more. So when he got really extra mad at Vlad and flared up with electricity like a lightbulb, he was, well, shocked, to say the least. The fighting had stopped then and there. Danny retreated, but not because he was scared of Vlad.
Because he was scared of himself.
The bathroom lights above him flickered and gave out. Soon after, Danny jolted again, and the bulb shattered. He heard his dad complaining about the TV losing connection and his mom stomping up the basement steps in frustration.
Another jolt. Downstairs, Danny's mom yelped when she touched the metal basement door.
Danny curled further into himself and huffed deep, shaking breaths.
Danny Fenton had been shocked more times than he could count.