Heart pounding in his chest, Fenton blinked awake, staring at the ceiling for a moment before shooting up in bed. The living room carpet flashed in his vision, Mom and Dad's worried faces at his peripheral. He was downstairs talking to them. No, he was in his bedroom, on his bed. Wait...both, because he was split between two bodies right now.
Mom and Dad were saying something. They...they didn't believe that Fenton and Phantom were both their Danny, the same person. His human head shakes. Focus, Danny. They need to get Mom and Dad to understand. Both sets of lips moved, both voices spoke as one (because they were one). "No, we're the same person. We...we just need to re-fuse. Merge back into one Danny and you'll see."
Mom's paled face wavered in his vision. "You can't go back to overshadowing Danny."
Fenton stood, balling his fists. "I can't overshadow myself!" Somehow he was aware of what his human body was doing in the bedroom and what his ghost self was doing in the living. It was very confusing; people weren't meant to pilot two bodies at once. So the human Danny tampered down his perception, closing his blue eyes.
"But you're not Danny!" His mom argued.
"Yes I am! You never listen to me!" Phantom gritted his teeth and Fenton echoed him.
Eyes still closed, the human version of Danny stumbled forward. All of him needed to be downstairs talking to Mom and Dad. No wonder they weren't understanding. No wonder his other self was floundering. Stupid! He'd let only half of his brain have this serious conversation with their parents. Feeling along the wall, he shuffled out of the bedroom and down the hall. (Luckily, he was familiar enough with the house to make it to the stairs with his eyes literally closed.)
"I am listening but this doesn't make any sense!" Mom shook, maybe with anger, maybe with...some other emotion the ghost wasn't registering. But the human was. She looked….startled, scared. He needed to get downstairs and explain. Or break up the starting fight.
The human Danny reached the top of the stairs. Opening his blue eyes, he forced the image of Mom and Dad's faces to the back of his mind, like an imagined daydream-still running through his awareness but not obstructing his vision. He stumbled down the stairs.
"Maddie." Face pale, Dad put a hand on his wife's arm. "Maybe we should consider-"
"Mom?! Dad?!" His voice barked out from his human throat and his ghostly head turned.
A double image. Himself, white haired and sitting on the arm chair. Himself, black haired and standing at the foot of the stairs. A pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes met. Both blinked and the spell was broken.
The human was just Fenton again, only seeing his tear-eyed ghost half half peering at him from the armchair. In a matter of seconds, Phantom floated up from his seat, phased through their parents, and flew at him. "Fenton!"
A colossal wave of emotions crashed over both boys as his other self wrapped his arms around Fenton. Cold washed over then, turning them invisible and both figures disappeared.
Spreading his ghostly weightlessness to his human self, Phantom floated them off the floor as their parents turned around and shot to their feet.
"Danny!" Dad exclaimed.
"Phantom, wait!" Mom reached towards where Fenton had been standing.
"We can talk about this just-" The plea was cut off as they shot intangibly through the ceiling.
Whirling of color and the tingly cold feeling sent a wave of vertigo through the human. He remembered this, his body suddening disappearing and sinking through the floor without his input, his control. Except….his ghost half was dictating the actions now.
The feeling lasted a few seconds before Fenton and Phantom rose through the metal ceiling of the Ops Center. Visibility and solidity returned at the ghost's mental command. He let go of Fenton and the human instantly leaned forward, queasiness still turning his stomach. He dry heaved, trying to calm his racing heart. He was okay, it was okay. He was safe and could trust Phantom, his own powers.
After several moments, the human stood up, eyes falling on his ghost. He finally registered the emotions wafting off of the ghost and his frantic body language. Panickedly rambling, Phantom paced through the air, a hand running through his hair. Where his legs should be, a ghostly tail trailed behind him, twitching nervously.
In the panic, both his own and Phantom's which fed and amplified each other, Fenton's brain short circuited. "You have a tail."
The ghost stopped directly in front of him, eyes widening in hurt. "Really?! Everything that just happened and that...that!"
"Sorry. I'm sorry." Fenton cursed himself; that was so stupid. He'd seen Phantom with a tail before. It just didn't choose to register to him until right now. "I'm...I'm panicking!"
"You're panicking?! I'm panicking!" The ghost pulled his hair in exacerbation.
"Of course I'm panicking! I'm you!" Fenton yelled.
Phantom's eyes widened as his tail lashed. "I know! I know! That's true, right? We're actually the same person."
"Yes! Of course it is! We keep going over this!" The human pulled his own hair.
"But...but Mom and Dad don't believe us. They think I'm just an imprint. A copy. Am I an impostor?"
"Danny." Fenton glared at his other self. "We both know you aren't."
"Where did I come from then?" The ghost waved his arms.
The question gave the human Danny pause, his anger lessening. "What do you mean?"
"Where did me, our ghost half come from?!" The ghost resumed his pacing.
"Well, the portal-"
"I know! The portal. But how does being split work? Where did….this come from?" Phantom motioned up and down his body. "This body. 'Cause it's made of ectoplasm. So where did that come from?"
Fenton gaped, mind sputtering at the question. How...how did splitting work? He'd not even thought about that, how it actually worked. Being in two bodies at once. "Ummmm."
"And if we'd gone through the ghost catcher before the accident, nothing would have happened. Nothing. Just one normal Danny Fenton." The ghost bit his lip, waving and pointing at the human. "But after….we ended up with two of us. Two! A human and a ghost. And Mom and Dad don't think a human-ghost hybrid is possible. So how do we know I'm not a confused copy?"
Fenton blinked. "I...I just know that you aren't."
"But how?! I could be tricking you, without even realizing it." His eyes widened exaggeratedly. "I'm not trying to if I actually am a copy. I wouldn't. I just want you to be safe and happy. But I don't know what to think. And…"
The human swallowed, his tongue feeling tired and heavy. He didn't know what to say, how to comfort. A tiny bit of doubt wiggled in his mind. Mom and Dad could be right. They were the experts.
Clearly noticing the lack of response, Phantom froze in front of the human. "Danny." He blinked pleadingly, begging for an answer.
The human Danny shook his head, blushing with shame. No, he'd known the truth since the first time Phantom talked to him in their bedroom. No, earlier. As soon as he came out the ghost catcher as just his human half, he knew something major was off.
He took a step forward, placing a hand on Phantom wrist. Sharp fear cut through Fenton from the touch but he pushed it down, swallowing. "I….I know who you are. You're still my other half."
"But still….how am I here, like this? 'Cause this body didn't exist before ghost catcher. Or...errr...since we could transform after the accident….did the portal create me?"
Fenton shook his head. "Maybe...maybe the portal accident made the ghostly body. It….changed us, deeply. But…." He looked up meeting his ghost half's green eyes. "That mind, the soul in there." He put a finger on the ghost's forehead. "That existed before the accident, always. You're just….Danny, like I am. We're still two halves of a whole."
His ghost's wide eyes studied him for a moment and the human could feel his other self mulling over the words. The ghost boy licked his lip, after a moment speaking. "Okay. Okay."
The human raised an eyebrow. "So no more denying that we're actually the same person?"
"No more denying. But…." Phantom gently pulled his wrist out of Fenton's grip before running his hands through his hair again. "Mom and Dad…."
Mom and Dad….The ghost trailed off and Fenton felt guilt mounting as he cursed himself again. He'd been asleep in his room and left his ghost half to deal with their parents and their stupid biases alone. And it stung so bad; they'd battled with whether or not Mom and Dad would accept them, with being a ghost and what all of that meant. And talking with Jazz had actually served to settle some of their fears. But now they were back, almost where they started! Phantom had even started doubting if he was an impostor again, for crying out loud! And worst of all…..
"Mom and Dad still don't believe us. They...they don't get it." The ghost's hands started shaking again. Fenton's worry mounted as his ghost started rambling and pacing again. "Mom was just...so sure that she's right, 'cause there's no way a hybrid could exist. And she wouldn't even listen to me and I have no idea what Dad's actually thinking since he just seemed to agree with her. " His lip trembled. "They wouldn't even listen to a thing I said, 'cause I'm just a confused ghost. And I just….." The ghost gritted his teeth. "They don't believe us about being split and were being just so damn condescending."
More guilt. The human looked down, muttering in shame. "I'm sorry I left you alone to deal with them."
Phantom didn't hear or ignored the statement. "They're not going to let us re-fuse."
Fenton blinked, paling at the sudden statement. "What?"
The ghost spread his arms, face screwed up in anger. "They still think I was overshadowing you and freaked out when we brought it up. They don't get that we're literally half of each other. So they won't let us merge and we'll be stuck like this. And…"
The words felt like a punch to the gut. "They won't let us…."
Phantom shook his head, bearing his teeth. "We should just do it now."
The human blinked. "Do what?"
And the ghost was inches from his face. "We should re-fuse, right now."
Fenton somehow paled even more, his heart stopping. "Right now?" It came out so quiet.
"Now." Phantom demanded. "They'll stop us if we don't. But if we do, they'll see. They'll have to."
Now Fenton shook. "No. We...we can't. Mom and Dad will...they'll..."
"I don't care!" The ghost raised his arms. "I don't care if they're angry or don't trust us after. I don't care!" His fists balled. "I can't live like this! I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't go to school. I can't even go out in public and I'm sick of it! I'm sick of feeling like a stranger in my own body! I miss being human!"
The human blinked surprised at the statement. He hadn't thought about, hadn't considered that. They'd been a human much longer than they'd been half ghost. So being a ghost one hundred percent of the time must be really hard on his other half. And he himself missed his powers. But….
"But...Mom and Dad will just make us go through the ghost catcher again." Fenton shook his head.
The ghost's expression shifted, his fiery anger turning into something hard. "Well, we'll…" The ghost's eyes flashed and he practically growled. "We won't let them."
The human's eyes widened, the threat of the statement giving him pause. "Phantom."
"We have ghost powers! They can't make us do anything we don't want to!"
The human stuttered. "No. We...we can't."
"Fenton." The ghost's eyes narrowed.
"We can't." Fenton shook his head, his hands shaking. He didn't know what he was saying they couldn't do. Couldn't re-fuse, couldn't oppose their parents.
"Yes we can!" Phantom shouted.
Fenton stepped back, his heart pounding in his chest. Why was his heart beating so fast? "I….I don't….don't think…" His voice quivered, uncertainly.
His ghost floated a step back a moment later, a hurt expression suddenly covering his face. "You're scared of me."
Fenton paled. Was he scared? Scared of his own ghost half? His mind raced. He wasn't scared of his ghost half. He was past that, he was….
"I scared you. I...I keep scaring people." Guilt flitted across the ghost's face.
The human's own guilt flared- at hurting Phantom again, at being scared of this part of himself when he thought he was already over that fear. Taking a deep breath to force his heart rate down, Fenton put on a brave face. "No. I'm not….You didn't…. I'm just scared at how Mom and Dad will react. They'll be so mad at us and….."
Phantom's face softened somewhat in understanding. "They might be but….we need to do what's best for us. Not what will make them happy."
The human swallowed, considering. He wanted to argue but...emotions swirled in his head. What to do. Re-fuse now or wait, hoping their parents would understand. That….all of this...was so confusing. He and his ghost half disagreed. They disagreed about what to do. But they were the same person? The clashing of emotions seemed to pierce the human to his heart, viscerally remind the human of how incomplete he was. What would the whole Danny do? Would he choose to be complete or try to maintain his relationship with his parents? Or would he be indecisive, pulled in two directions by the decision? The human didn't know. He didn't know and not knowing scared him.
But then again, their complete half ghost self would never have had to deal with this situation, since being split was the problem. And that wouldn't have happened if he, the human half, hadn't wanted to cure them. Another spike of guilt prickeled. He'd wronged himself so badly. And the pain was double, striking twice. The guilt of wronging someone and the pain of being wronged. Both at the same time.
"Danny?" His own echoing voice drew his attention again.
Blushing in shame at his distraction, the human Danny looked up, meeting ghost Danny's worried eyes. The guilt didn't matter right now. Now the question was- what was more important? Being whole or maintaining Mom and Dad's acceptance?
Was that really even a question?
Fenton swallowed. "Okay."
Phantom raised a brow. "Okay?"
"Let's...let's do it. Merge. Right now." He bit his lip.
"Really? You...you want to…" Phantom's eyes lit up with relief, a dim hope.
"Yes." The human replied as confident as he could muster.
The ghost's expression softened in something that might be fond gratitude. He floated forward. "Okay. Yeah."
"Yeah." Fenton nodded, before looking at Phantom and then down at himself. "How do we….uhhh?"
Phantom's eyes widened in understanding before he bit his lip. "I...uhhh….think I have to….basically overshadow you."
The human raised a brow, slightly startled. "Excuse me?"
The other boy swallowed. "I turn intangible. And...uhh.." He pointed at Fenton's chest, blushing green. "Just kinda...phase inside."
Fenton also blushed. "That's….not any better."
Phantom chuckled nervously before shrugging. "How else are we supposed to get back in one body?"
"You got me there." The human Danny half-smiled before his lip turned down. "I guess this is it."
Ghost Danny also frowned. "I guess it is." He floated another step forward before landing on the Ops Center roof so the two were at eye level, face to face. He reached for his human self's hand, gently taking it and searching his human's eyes as emotions flowed through the contact. "You're still scared?"
His mouth dry, the human nodded. "Yeah."
Phantom's eyes softened. "I'm scared too."
Fenton swallowed and tried to smile. "But….we'll be okay Danny." He believed it; he did. But it was hard; he would have to have faith. Faith that while they weren't okay right now, they would be.
"Yeah, we'll be okay Danny." Phantom returned with his own soft smile.
Ghost Danny wrapped his arms around his human self who returned the hug. He leaned into it, enjoying the cold radiating from his other self. This would be the last time he'd be able to hug himself like this. It was extraordinary and strange. Something he should never have been able to experience but at some level, maybe he was fortunate to get to experience this.
Both Dannys gave another squeeze tightening the embrace before the ghost turned intangible, his body disappearing from the human's grip. Fenton closed his eyes, taking a breath as the cold- the energy and presence of his ghostly self- washed through him.
Pain. Fenton's head pounded, electricity running through him. It...it wasn't supposed to hurt. Merging….it...it was…..They should be whole but….
Pain. He screamed in his head. Maybe out loud too. And Phantom screamed in his head. Their head. His head. Pain. Burning, tearing. It felt like he was dunked in liquid nitrogen. Stuffed in a box. Constricted. Walls were closing in around him. It was dark, too dark. No. That's not right. That...that's what Phantom was feeling. But he was Phantom….Wait….
Fenton doubled over, gripping his stomach. It hurt. Hurt hurt. Another scream and he fell to his knees. Why did this hurt!? They were supposed to merge. But…. Phantom was panicking. And Fenton could feel him, writhing. Screaming. The human's hands shook; he was panicking too. Not good, not good. Something's wrong. This was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Below him in the Ops center, a shout sounded. Something pounded on metal. What was…..Voices. Mom and Dad. Jazz? Why?
Pain! Another wave of pain and Fenton fell forward onto his (their?) stomach. His hands clenched and unclenched without his mental command. Phantom? Was he doing that? Another scream in his head. His ghost was screaming. Something was wrong. No.
A metal hatch on the metal floor flung open. Mom and Dad popped out trailed by….Jazz? They were yelling. The words….didn't make...didn't make...sense.
Pain! Hurt! Scream. Phantom writhed. Fenton closed his eyes. They flickered intangible, invisible.
Someone was running towards them. "Danny!"
That's his...their name. Yes. No. Re-fusing. Not...not...working. Fenton...pushed...mentally. Phantom needed to leave. Out. The ghost was hurting. The human was hurting. All of them was hurting. If this was whole….no, it wasn't. This wasn't. It wasn't working. They...they needed to try something else. Push. Out. Out. Out.
A mental cry. No! Another flicker of intangibility and the cold grated at Fenton. Phantom pulled. No, stay. Whole. Need to be…..
No, pain. Out. Not...not working. Not working. A mental push. Phantom, please.
Hurt! Pain! They were shaking on the floor, trembling. An echoing whine echoed in Fenton's head. The human pushed again and Phantom gave in.
The cold flew out of Fenton, leaving him panting on his stomach. His cheek pressed against the cold metal of the roof. An echoing voice panted several feet from him, the sound turning into a whimper…..and then a sob.
"Danny!" Someone was calling his name, again.
But the human couldn't focus on that, the aching in his body overwhelming his senses. It still hurt, like after the accident. He felt...weak. So weak. Why was he...why didn't that…? Beside him, someone's breath hitched through their sobs. Who was crying? What….
Phantom! Fenton's eyes widened, realization washing over him. They...they'd tried to re-fuse but it didn't work. And now...His ghost half was crying, horribly upset. The human shakily pushed himself up onto his forearms, his head pulling up to see his ghost. The other boy was laying on his side in a fetal position, body trembling and tears running down his face. Alarm spiked through the human Danny's heart. Was Phantom okay? He..he needed to move, to be near his other half.
His body felt so heavy but the boy struggled, dragging himself close with his weak arms. But after moving just inches, two people step between him and his other self. Mom and Dad.
"Danny!" Mom lowered herself to her knees, eyes wide with worry.. "Baby, are you hurt? What happened?"
"No...I'm...we need…" Fenton tried to speak but the words wouldn't come, his tongue refusing to work.
His mother frowned, her arm reaching towards him at the same time Dad came to kneel on the roof. "Son."
"Mom...Dad...It's….what...what are you...doing?" He struggled for words as two pairs of arms grabbed him, pulling him into his parents' embrace.
Mom ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay. It's going to be okay, Danny."
He squirmed, the attempt at comfort biting after what they told his ghost half. "No…..I need….Phantom."
The hand running through his hair stopped. "Sweetie." The woman's expression hardened. "He tried to overshadow you again."
"No. It's...it's not...not overshadowing." The human struggled more. "We were….we were trying to fuse...Phantom….Phantom…"
The sound of crying increased in volume and Mom's lip pursed like she tasted something sour. "I know what he's told you but...that's not possible."
"Yes! Yes it is, Mom." He argued. "Let go. Let go of me."
"Danny-boy calm down. It's-" Dad started.
Fenton interrupted. "Let me go! He's me. Let me go!" He yelled over his ghost half's cries.
The boy mentally cursed. They didn't even care. They didn't even care that his ghost half was hurting. All they saw was the human. Why did they love his human self but not his ghost? Why? And why didn't the merge work? The human Danny gritted his teeth. It was supposed to work. They were supposed to see. He was supposed to be whole. But now….he was still half. And Mom and Dad were too busy trying to 'comfort' him to actually listen.
The boy struggled, wishing he had his powers and could just phase out of this unwanted embrace. Phantom was crying and he needed to comfort him. They needed to be together, side by side, even if the re-fusing didn't work.
Amazingly, despite how weak Fenton felt, he shook himself out of his parent's grip. He crawled around them, towards his ghost.
"I'm sorry, little brother. I'm so sorry. It's going to be okay." Jazz knelt beside Phantom, her words suddenly entering his awareness. At least she cared about all of him. "We'll figure this out. I'll help you. I promise." She gently rubbed his back as Fenton advanced.
"Phantom." The human whispered the words, now less than a foot away.
Jazz's gaze fell on him and she shuffled back, giving Fenton space. Now in front of his ghost, he collapsed onto his side, facing him. "Phantom." He whispered again.
Teary green eyes blinked at him, recognition dawning. "F...Fenton?"
"Yeah. I'm here. I'm here." He started to move a hand towards his ghost.
Phantom frowned, a tear running down his face. "You...you pushed me out."
The human's breath hitched. "I...I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Another sob broke through the ghost's lips. "You pushed me out. You said, you wanted me. You said...you said…."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Guilt flared and Fenton paled. "I do….I do. But...but it didn't….work."
Phantom shook his head, his eyes becoming unfocused. "You pushed me out. You...you said you want me. But you don't...and...and I don't….I can't...I don't understand."
Apologies kept pouring out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." That's all he could say. He didn't know, he didn't know why merging didn't work. He wanted his powers, his ghost half. But….he was scared. He'd been scared. Maybe….maybe the merge didn't work because of him, because he was…..
Voices behind him shook the human out of his spiraling thoughts.
"Danny sweetie. Get away from Phantom." Mom's words, forcibly calm, barely covered her alarm. Or….
Was she angry? The human tensed. She...she was angry, wasn't she? And she...she wanted him to get away from his ghost half.
"We...we won't hurt him but you need to sit up and get away from the ghost, son." Dad added, tense worry clear in his voice.
Twin pairs of eyes widened, meeting each other. Phantom whimpered, curling in on himself farther. His human half reached out, laying a hand on the ghost's arm. Sorrow and fear surged through the connection and Fenton started crying, struggling to not sob.
"Danny!" Alarm rang in Mom's voice. "You can't ignore us. Get away from the ghost!" Feet pounded behind him and the boy could almost feel them loaming over him, their eyes focusing on his back.
Their parents….they were going to force them apart. Keep them apart. They'd never let them merge. They'd never be whole. And Mom and Dad would….they'd...What would they do to his ghost? Lock him up, put him in a cage. Experiment? A spike of panic. They'd never see Phantom as anything more than a confused copy. Was that the only thing saving him from becoming their lab rat, the 'resemblance' to their Danny?
Another set of feet shuffled, a person coming to stand right behind him. "Mom. Dad. Stop." Jazz's voice demanded.
Though still crying, Fenton sighed in relief. Jazz, his sister. She was standing between them and their parents.
"We need to help your brother!" Mom argued, an edge in her voice.
"Help him?!" The boy imagined her balling her fist, her eyes alight with fury. "You two have done enough!"
Dad's voice tinged with guilt. "Jazz, we can argue about our part in this later but-"
The red haired teen cut him off. "You tore him in half!"
"Please don't tell me Phantom got to you too. This is ridiculous." Mom's pitch rose. " Phantom was passively overshadowing Danny. And he just tried to do it again!" Fenton's heart skipped a beat. No he wasn't. Phantom wasn't. Why...why couldn't Mom and Dad just listen? Why couldn't they see?
"That's not what was happening!" Their sister argued.
"You saw! Phantom was trying to overshadow him just now." No. No. No
"They were trying to merge." Jazz explained. She was defending them, protecting them. He should...he should move, say something. Not lie here useless and silently crying.
"Merge." Mom's skeptical tone pricked his heart. "Danny and Phantom aren't the same person. Phantom….that ghost was trying to possess him." Fenton shivered; that ghost, he was, his other half was THAT ghost. "That ghost hurt him."
"Open your eyes! They're both hurting!" Jazz shouted. "They were trying to merge, to fix the problem you made and it didn't work. It didn't work. No wonder both of him are upset."
"Don't you go blaming this on us! Your father and I have tried to be patient and understanding." Mom sounded defensive. "We were willing to let a ghost be part of our family." Were? They were? Pasted tense. Worry was blooming into panic. "We tried to show him the truth. But then he went and did...did this. That ghost is lucky we don't-"
"Don't finish that sentence." Jazz almost growled hatefully. "Don't you f-ing dare."
"Jasmine! Your mother is angry but I know she doesn't mean-" Dad's voice cut in, doing little to ease Fenton's panic. She didn't mean it? But...what if..what if….
"Stop it both of you! Why wouldn't you just listen?!" His sister yelled.
"We tried, Jazz. But Phantom is confused." He was just confused. His ghost half was just confused. Fenton looked forward, meeting his ghost's teary, sorrowful eyes. Another spike of complex emotion flowed into him from the ghost and the boy closed his eyes, as if to tune everything out. "We were just trying to help him."
Fenton closed his human eyes but he could still see, through his ghost's vision. First his own pale face, eyes closed with his dark hair plastered on his forehead. Then his gaze shifted up, falling on the back of Jazz's head…..and Mom and Dad's serious faces.
"This...this isn't helping!" Their sister shook her head.
"We're trying our best but if they wouldn't listen to us-" Dad's frown deepened.
"No. You need to listen!" Jazz took a step towards them, pointing angrily. "You need to actually listen to Danny. He knows what happened to him."
"No he clearly doesn't." Mom argued, her arms crossed. "We are experts on ghosts, Jazz. Your father and I have studied them for longer than you've been alive. Ghost-human hybrids are not possible."
Jazz took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When she spoke her words were level but sharp. "You need to stop assuming that just because you're the adults, because you're the experts that you know everything."
There was a pause from their parents, the silence somehow making the both Dannys more tense. Fenton agreed with Jazz; just because Mom and Dad were the adults and the experts didn't mean they knew more about what happened to him than he himself did. He knew he should be mad at their parents for not listening but….it still hurt.
Dad finally spoke. "Well….we obviously don't know everything. But we know more about ghosts than you and your brother."
"You hadn't even seen a ghost before the portal." From the back, the boy could tell she was pinching the bridge of her nose. "And Danny...Danny's the first ghost you've even seen, the first ghost you've ever talked to. And you barely listened."
"Danny isn't a ghost, Jazz." Mom narrowed her eyes.
"Both of them are Danny." Jazz motioned backwards, pointing at both Dannys. "They're literally the same person. A half ghost."
Mom shook her head, still in denial. "Your brother isn't half ghost."
"Now you're just being willfully blind. How else do you explain all of this? The empathic connection, shared memories and dreams. Injuries getting transferred."
Mom paled, anger leaching from her face as Dad's mouth formed a surprised 'O' shape. "We didn't know about any of that."
"Are you serious? They told me you saw them speaking as one, with human Danny's eyes glowing. You saw and you're just choosing not to believe."
"But...but it's still not possible." Mom's eyes were wide. Her expression shifted, an assured denial morphing into….something uncertain. "Someone can't be split like this."
At Mom's shaking voice, Jazz's response softened as she explained. "And this is why they're both hurting. Because they're not supposed to be divided like this. They're supposed to really be half ghost."
There was another beat of heavy silence. Then Mom sputtered. "Your brother….he...Danny isn't supposed to be a ghost." Supposed to be. The emphasis there, at once angry, heartbroken, and desperate, stabbed Fenton's heart.
"So that's what this is really about." Jazz's voice turned cold, her words biting. "You don't want this to be true." Her anger built. "This, your bias against ghosts isn't helping Danny. It's hurting him right now."
"But...but he shouldn't be a ghost. He can't be. It's...unnatural. Wrong." Mom's words were quiet, like she could barely bear to say them, like the very act was painful.
How….how could she say something like that? How could she think he was unnatural? But wasn't he? He wasn't normal. He was unnatural, wrong, a freak. He's….
"There's nothing wrong with Danny." Jazz hissed, her voice as sharp as a sword. "He's just different."
Jazz's words pulled at him. The human Danny wanted to believe. There was nothing wrong with him because he was part ghost. He was just different because of the accident but that wasn't a bad thing. But….
"But he can't be a ghost." Mom denied; she continued desperately. To get Jazz to understand? To find any reason her Danny couldn't be a ghost.. "Ghosts...they aren't' like us, Jazz."
"So what?" The girl spread her arms, indignant. "Yes, ghosts are different from humans but that doesn't make them lesser or wrong. And Danny's different now but this doesn't change who he is. He's still your son, my brother."
There was a long pause, the silence so heavy and deep Fenton would think Mom and Dad had left if not for the sound of their breaths. What were they thinking? Were they still in denial? Or were they realizing the truth? That he actually was an unnatural freak?
After what felt like forever, Mom stuttered, a clear fear in her voice. "Jazz, honey. I just...I don't...I can't…"
"No. This isn't about you." Jazz shook her head, her shoulders falling. She didn't sound angry but….desperate, pleading. Somehow begging for understanding more vehemently than she had earlier. "This is about Danny. You need to accept him, all of him, even if you don't understand it."
Feet shuffled awkwardly. Then light steps advanced. Jazz backed up towards Fenton.
Fenton pinched his eyes closed, forehead wrinkling. But Phantom's eyes widened; he trembled. Through the ghost's eyes, both Dannys saw their Mom's gaze fall on Phantom. Her hard expression softened, something unreadable behind her eyes. The human Danny's breath hitched.
Then his Mom sighed. "Jazz, We're...I'm not going to separate them. I just….I need to talk to Danny."
Jazz's shoulder tensed. The human imagined her nose scrunching up. She twisted around, her eyes falling on Phantom as well. His gaze (and Fenton's with him) flittered between his Mom and his sister. Jazz raised a brow, asking the silent question and the ghost nodded, almost imperceptibly. Eyes widening slightly in understanding, the girl also nodded. Then she turned back towards their parents.
After a moment, Jazz took a breath. "Only if you promise to listen this time."
"I will." Mom's lip twitched, her gaze shifting from Phantom to Jazz as she sincerely replied. "I will. Jack?"
"Of course." Dad's expression soft, the man said the words with conviction before he focused his eyes on his shoes in shame. "We...we should have earlier."
Tension lessening, Jazz stepped aside. Slowly, with hands out to show they were unarmed, Mom and Dad approached while Phantom warrily tracked their movement. The adults stopped, loaming over them. Both ripe with tension, Fenton and Phantom's stiffened. Their tears had slowed, drying on their faces as tension mounted during the conversation between the parents and Jazz. But now….
"Danny sweetie. Can you sit up?" Mom said gently.
Finally opening his blue eyes, Fenton grunted but said nothing. He didn't know if Mom and Dad could be trusted after...everything. Dad knelt down beside him and in the corner of his eye, to his surprise, he saw Mom kneel beside Phantom, just inches from the ghost.
The Dannys meet each other's eyes, before both nodded. After a second, a large hand appeared on Fenton's back. He glanced up, meeting his father's kind, though guilt eyes. The boy shifted his body, keenly feeling the ache of his muscles as Dad helped him sit up. Still weak, the boy leaned against his dad's side.
The man forced a half-smile onto his face. "Do you mind telling us what happened before we came through the hatch?"
The human glanced at his ghost half again, his brow raising as he noticed the ghost leaning against Mom's side, looking too exhausted to keep himself upright. Fenton took a breath, answering for them. "We...we were trying to merge. But it didn't work. I...I don't know why."
Tense despite his weak status, Phantom looked at Mom. He sniffled. "We're...we're supposed to be one. Not two. One. Why….why didn't...why didn't…" Dad gently placed a hand on the ghost's shoulder and the ghost boy relaxed at the action.
Mom looked between the two, to Fenton then Phantom, then back to Fenton. A myriad of emotions crossed her face. "I believe I have a theory about that but first." She sighed, her brows furrowing in an intense expression. "Do you want this?"
The question startling him, Fenton raised a brow. "What?
She clarified, uncertainty inching onto her face. "Your….powers. Your ghost half." Another deep breath. "Do you want to be half ghost?"
The human blinked. She...she was really asking that, like...like she might believe it.
"Yes." He said with uncertainty. But not because he was unsure about his ghost half. He wanted his powers, needed them, his ghost half, Phantom. And not just to be whole. But Mom and Dad, his parents…..would they, could they understand and accept that?
Mom's lips twitched in an unreadable expression. Then she turned to Phantom. "And you agree?"
Phantom looked at her skeptically before nodding. "Yes."
There was a very long pause. Mom's forehead wrinkled like the woman was thinking very hard about something. She met her husband's eyes, a silent conversation passing between the adults. Dad raised a brow before nodding. Mom sighed and when she spoke it was quietly, serious. "Okay. We'll find a way to help you re-fuse."
Fenton blinked startled. "What…..really?"
"Yes. If this is what you want. If you're sure about…" She motioned between the two. "Jazz was right. Your father and I...we need to trust you about this." She met Phantom's eyes, expression softening. Her hand hovered over Phantom's arm, uncertainly, before gently settling. "I trust you. I do not understand but...I'm trusting you, Danny."
Fenton raised a brow at the statement. Danny. She finally called his ghost self Danny and not uncertainly or to just placate him but intentionally. The name and the declaration of trust sent small tendrils of relieved hope through him. Maybe…..maybe she meant it and Mom and Dad would help them and everything would be okay. But…
Other emotions clashed. His ghosts half wore a pained expression, shoulders low. He glanced warrily at Mom before glancing at Dad. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes Son." Dad nodded, focusing eyes on the ghost.
Phantom bit his lip, studying Mom again. "Do you actually believe that me and Fenton are the same person or….." He trailed off.
Mom frowned as she glanced between the two Dannys again. Then she sighed, closing her eyes. "I….I don't know." The ghost's lips twisted, his pained expression deepening as he tensed. The woman continued. "I don't know what I really think about all of this. Maybe….I don't want to believe but ..."
"We need to do better." Dad continued, reaching towards Phantom again to pat his back but the ghost leaned away, flickering intangible for a moment.
Amazingly Mom and Dad didn't react to the display beside guilty and hurt expressions. The group instead sat in silence. Emotions clashed inside Fenton as he fixed his gaze on his lap. He wanted to believe them, that their parents would do better and actually help them but….that wasn't an apology and Mom and Dad had already hurt them before. The boy didn't know if he should trust them. He glanced up, seeing Phantom wrap his arms around his stomach; Fenton could feel the same war of emotions running through his ghost, except….that part of himself, his ghost half was the one really hurt by Mom and Dad.
Jazz's cough cut through the silence; she squatted down between Fenton and Phantom. "Maybe we should all go to bed and talk about this in the morning."
"Yeah." Fenton said, Phantom echoing him a fraction of a second later.
Shakily, the human Danny stood with Jazz's help while Phantom floated up from his sitting position. Mom and Dad stayed sitting on the metal roof while the three teens stepped away, facing away from them. Jazz put one arm around Fenton and one around Phantom. Both boys accepted the touch as she led them towards the hatch.
Jazz bent to pull open the trapdoor and Fenton glanced back at their parents who had moved closer together with Dad quietly talking to Mom who wore a guilty look.
"Come on Danny." Fenton turned back to see Jazz offering her hand. He looked through the hole, into the lit Ops Center, his eyes passing over his ghost half floating at the bottom of the ladder. "I can help you climb down."
Fenton shook his head. "I can do it myself."
Studying him for a second, Jazz conceded going down first. But the human could feel her eyes watching him like a hawk as he lowered himself down the ladder. Once on the floor of the Ops Center, Jazz led the group to the elevator.
Phantom sighed, looking at Jazz. "Do you think they mean it?"
The girl turned, a sad frown on her face. "I….I don't know. But I hope they do."
As the elevator arrived, the doors opening with a ding, Fenton looked down; that was his thoughts almost exactly.
Jazz puts her arm around his shoulder, her other around Phantom again. "It will be okay, little brother."
Dimly, he hoped she was right.