Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-
if you're wondering why Henry is called little chicken, it's because Henry = Hen = henhen = lil chicken… Also boppy is basically a pillow designed for small babies to rest in. This is also for ghostgothgeek's shiptember, for confession and also kinda comfort
"He's already been fed for the night, so he likely won't be hungry again, but if he is, he can eat some of the baby food Harriet made in the fridge," Vlad continued to drone on and on. Sam held the toddler as she had been instructed before. Henry's back was pressed to her chest, one arm supporting his bottom and the other wrapped around his stomach. "If he gives you trouble going to bed, just play his crib mobile, or the CD I left in his music player. It almost always knocks him out."
Danny nodded at the instructions. Sam just listened closely, keeping a good hold on the toddler that was bouncing and kicking his feet excitedly as he cooed softly and babbled nonsense. Vlad glanced down at Henry, picking up the pacifier that hung from a string attached to his onesie to put in his mouth. Henry opened his mouth, ignoring the pacifier in favor of grabbing Vlad's hand with intense toddler focus. He pulled his dad's hand to put in his mouth, drooling all over it. Vlad allowed it.
"…his stuffed giraffe is in his crib, he doesn't like to sleep without it. Baby monitor is on the dresser, and…I believe that's about it," Vlad finally finished. "Any questions?"
"Yeah," Danny replied. "Think you'll be going before everything closes?"
Vlad rolled his eyes. The young couple could see Harriet walking up from their car in the driveway. Vlad and Harriet were both dressed up for their first date since the toddler in question was born.
"Vladdy, we need to go so we can make our reservation," she told him. Vlad nodded. Harriet broke into a smile, leaning in to peck the toddler's forehead and lightly booping his nose with her finger. "You be a good boy for your cousin, alright little chicken?" Henry squealed, kicking his feet harder upon hearing his mom's voice.
"Call us if you have any trouble," Vlad said, linking his arm with Harriet. "Or if there are any ghostly developments."
"I put phone numbers on the fridge and a copy of his normal schedule too," Harriet told them. Danny nodded.
"I gotcha," he promised. He lightly patted the top of Henry's head full of dark hair. For a baby he had a lot, and in the past he had given him a tiny mohawk style with some of Sam's hair gel, to Vlad's slight annoyance and Harriet's amusement. "Have fun ya crazy kids. But not too much fun, I don't think Henry needs a sibling just yet."
Vlad rolled his eyes again, and Harriet laughed. She gave them a wave as Vlad escorted her to the car, opening the door for her. The young couple watched them leave, Sam helping Henry wave goodbye before they went back inside, locking the door behind themselves.
With his parents out of view and gone, Danny could notice Henry's face turning a bit red as his face began to scrunch up.
"Shhhh, shhh, shhh," Danny instantly tried to coax before Henry could even begin. He took Henry's hands, lightly moving them up and down. "It's okay, lil dude, your mommy and daddy will be back soon."
"Yeah," Sam's voice was a loving, soft tone. She pecked the top of his hair, gently bouncing him. "They'll be home by the time you wake up."
Henry began to cry anyway. Danny made a quiet noise to get Henry to focus back on him. Danny held his palms out and did Henry's favorite thing; he began to form ice crystals in his hand, the ice molding and changing shapes.
It worked, and even though Henry still had some tears and his face was still red, he had already stopped crying. He reached out, and Danny let him touch the ice as it turned into a giraffe. Henry took it, staring at it closely before putting it in his mouth to drool on. Sam frowned.
"Is that ice stuff okay for him to put in his mouth?" she asked. Danny hesitated.
"I…uh, I never thought about that," he admitted. "It can't be too bad, right? I mean it's just ice."
"Ectoplasmic ice," Sam pointed out.
"It shouldn't hurt him," Danny lightly argued. "Tucker and I made snow cones from my ice powers before, and neither of us got sick. Besides, like, Vlad even said that Henry should be inheriting ghost powers someday anyway. If anything it'll make him stronger."
"You're an idiot," Sam replied. She shifted to hold Henry in one arm, gently taking the ice giraffe from his hands and out of his mouth. He instantly gave an unhappy noise, kicking his feet. Sam set the ice down on a table and put his pacifier into his mouth. He accepted it, and she lightly patted his chest. "There you go, honey."
"I know Vlad has a play room for him," Danny changed the subject. "We can probably hang out there till bedtime, it has all his toys."
"That sounds good," Sam agreed, continuing to lightly bounce Henry soothingly as Danny led the way.
It was still weird to think that Vlad, his arch enemy Vlad, not only had somehow moved on from his mom, but ended up falling in love with and marrying somebody else. And now he had his own son to spoil rotten instead of harassing Danny about being his son.
But Danny wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He loved hanging out with Henry anyway. Danny could tell that he already had a sense of humor. Whenever Vlad or Harriet came over with him or he got dragged over here (semi-often, as Maddie and Jack both completely adored their sorta-nephew), Danny had to admit that it was more fun than he'd thought it was to hang out with the little dude.
He would watch in amazement as Henry seemed to chug a bottle down in record time and laugh at all his goofy-sounding baby burps. Until the burp turned out to be spit up. But now that Henry was getting older and starting to experiment with solids, it was also hilarious to feed him a lemon and see his reaction. And Henry loved it whenever Danny made ice for him or showed off ghost powers. Henry seemed to love it even more if Vlad did similarly with his own powers.
Hell, it was possible ghost powers that made Vlad only really wanna trust Danny with babysitting his kid, as opposed to other family members. Vlad didn't even have a nanny or anything, which had surprised Danny. The fruitloop had actually taken a step back from running his companies and resigned as mayor to primarily care for Henry himself while Harriet continued her job at the Amity Park news.
Danny opened the door to a playroom that would make any kid jealous. Vlad seemed to have bought everything and anything that a toddler could ever need or want. It was a large room with only toddler toys and entertainment, the wall art being of a child-looking and colorful jungle scene, a large and comfortable L shaped couch and TV with entertainment shelves that Danny knew was stocked with kid entertainment DVDs.
Danny held his hands out to get Henry. Sam passed him along, and Danny held him high up over his head.
"It's a ghost! It's a drone! It's a baby!" Danny joked, bouncing Henry some with each word. Henry dropped his pacifier as he broke into a goofy grin, babbling excitedly and waving his arms. Danny made an airplane noise, lowering him down with dramatic movements until he could sit Henry on a giant rug in between the couch and TV.
Henry was just old enough to know how to sit up without assistance, but Danny stayed close by. He sat with him on the floor, Sam taking a seat nearby on the couch.
"Oh what's this?" Danny asked hypothetically. He reached for one of the oversized toy cars that had been left out on the floor, offering it to Henry.
Henry reached for it, grabbing it. He stared at it for a moment in his hands, tiny fingers clutching it. Soon enough, he put it in his mouth and began to drool on it.
"…He needs a diaper change," Sam suddenly spoke up. Danny sniffed the air, immediately choking.
"Damn, what are they feeding you?" Danny complained, staring at Henry who was simply continuing to drool on his toy.
"Don't cuss in front of him," Sam lightly scolded.
"He doesn't understand," Danny insisted.
"Yeah he does," Sam argued. Danny stood up, bending over to pick Henry up. "Babies are smarter than you'd think. Also I hope you know how to change a diaper."
"You don't know?" Danny questioned. He seemed surprised. "Didn't you change any of your cousin's diapers? Or even the diapers for the flour sack in high school?" Sam shook her head no.
"No, I never babysat them until they were already potty trained," she replied. "And Tucker did most of the fake diaper changes." Henry dropped his toy.
"Uh oh," Danny said lightly. Henry just stared at the toy before looking at Danny. Danny lightly patted his back. "We'll get it in a minute, I already know you're gonna get fussy soon." He began to carry Henry to the changing table that was placed right outside the in suite bathroom.
"It's easy," Danny told Sam as she followed him. He laid Henry on the table, buckling a protective strap to keep him from rolling around. Sure enough, Henry was making upset faces as he squirmed. "I know, I know, little dude. I gotcha covered."
He looked in the changing table drawers for everything he needed, picking them out before getting to work. Sam simply watched.
"I didn't know you knew how," she finally spoke.
"I only really learned recently," Danny admitted. "I kinda learned with the flour sack, but first time we all went to visit Henry after Harriet and Vlad brought him home, my mom had Jazz and I change him so we'd know for future reference."
"I'm glad you know, cause you'll be changing all of our kid's diapers," Sam said. Danny snorted.
"You don't want a turn?" he teased. Sam playfully slapped his upper arm with the back of her hand.
"I'm the one giving birth and breastfeeding," she reminded him. "You can do diapers."
"Aw man, I was hoping I could breastfeed them so you could take diapers," Danny fake complained. Sam rolled her eyes.
"You know, you'd be a great stay at home mom," she lightly teased. Danny thought about it for a moment.
"You mean being able to hang out all day with a little dude of my own?" Danny asked. He cooed some at Henry, tapping his foot playfully and earning happy baby noises. "Don't tempt me with a good time."
In no time at all, Henry was cleaned up and in a fresh diaper, and Danny unbuckled him.
"Mind taking him? I normally wash my hands after," Danny asked, shifting out of the way.
"Yeah, of course!" Sam replied, replacing him. "Come here, squirt." She scooped Henry up as Danny went to the restroom.
"You feel better now that you're all cleaned up little chicken?" Sam cooed to him. Henry gave a soft noise, as if replying. "Oh I know, Danny's one of my favorite people to hang out with too."
He made a loud, enthusiastic babble, his hand slowly grabbing at her mouth. Sam pretended to munch on his fingers, making the toddler give a happy squeal and laugh. She patted his back, taking him back to the rug and setting him back down on the ground.
Henry looked around for a moment. Sam picked up the toy he had earlier, offering it to him. He accepted it, observing it for a bit. Soon enough, it went right in his mouth.
"Does it taste good, little chicken?" Sam lightly teased. Henry broke into an adorable smile, and he began to float.
Her eyes widened, and she fumbled forward and managed to grab one of his legs before he floated off.
"Um? Danny!?" Sam called out. She could hear Danny immediately rush into the room.
"What's up-oh Henry's what's up." Danny went to collect Henry so that Sam could let go. "You're already becoming a menace, huh?" Henry babbled. "I see, I see. With Vlad as a dad, I'd honestly do the same, little dude."
He settled down on the ground. He pulled a boppy near him, setting Henry on it. He gave him a nearby stuffed bear. Henry's eyes widened, and he accepted it.
"Danny!" Sam scowled in frustration. "We have a baby here who can float. We have to call Vlad and tell him."
"No we don't, I can handle it!" Danny insisted. Henry began to float, and Danny put a hand on the kid's chest, gently pushing him back onto the boppy. "I have ghost powers too! Look, Harriet and Vlad would be crushed if they learned that they missed witnessing a baby milestone. We should just pretend everything was fine and normal, and let them witness it for the first time themselves."
"I know that I don't know that much about babies, but floating isn't a normal milestone," Sam told him.
"I mean, we might as well learn from the experience," Danny lightly argued. "Our kid would be doing the same thing." Sam froze. She had completely forgotten that possibility.
"Oh no," she whispered.
"Sam!" Danny scowled. Sam threw her hands up.
"It's nothing against you!" she said. "I'm just thinking about having a colicky, crying baby that's also floating and turning intangible and terrible twos where the kid can also shoot energy beams." Danny paused. He clearly had never thought about it.
"…Maybe we should think about being DINKs," he said slowly. "And just hang out with Jazz or Tucker's kids as the fun rich aunt and uncle."
"That option's more appealing," Sam agreed.
Henry continued to float again, and again, Danny lightly pushed him back into the boppy.
"We can't keep holding onto him forever," Sam frowned.
"It's not for forever," Danny argued. "Just until Vlad and Harriet see it and think it was the first time he did it."
"Danny," Sam began, sounding frustrated.
"Look, he's due to go to bed soon anyway," he pointed out. Sam huffed at him. "Trust me on this."
"If this goes bad, I'm blaming you," she said.
"Of course!" Danny quickly replied. "But it' be chill."
"It'd be chill," Sam mocked. Danny looked frustrated and tired.
"Shut it," he grumbled, floating up to, once more, collect the kid from the ceiling. "Ugh, look. My powers never went off when I was asleep, and it's about his bedtime. I can tell, he's becoming cranky."
"Are you sure?" Sam asked tiredly.
"We'll have the baby monitor!" Danny half-snapped before exhaling deeply. He collected Henry, holding him close to him. "How about this. I can get him ready for bed if you wanna pick a movie out? It'll take maybe ten minutes tops."
"Sounds good!" she agreed.
"Come on, little dude," Danny spoke cheerfully to Henry. He wasn't crying anymore, but still looked cranky. As soon as Danny picked him up, he calmed down some, and Sam could hear Danny talking to him the whole trip down the hallway.
It took her no time at all to find a movie and to sit and patiently wait for her boyfriend. And wait. And wait. And wait.
Sam eventually glanced at the clock. It had been nearly twenty minutes. Was Danny still prepping Henry for bed? She decided to go and check.
Henry's nursery door was open, and she could hear Danny softly talking but was not quite able to make out what he was saying. The room was dimly lit, and she could tell that there was a nightlight in the room too. She stood in the doorway, not saying anything and instead listening.
"Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon," Danny was speaking in a low, soft voice. She peaked her head in.
Danny was in a rocking chair, Henry in his pajamas and a blanket loosely wrapped around him as he was snuggled up, eyelids droopy and the pacifier in his mouth. He looked comfortable curled up in Danny's arm. His other arm had a kid's book that he was reading to him. One of his feet was gently rocking them as he continued.
"Goodnight light, and the red balloon. Goodnight bears, goodnight chairs."
Sam leaned against the doorway, just watching her boyfriend as he continued the story. The more he read, the sleepier Henry looked. It was beyond adorable, and the more she watched him read to Danny…the more she enjoyed the concept of that one day being one of their own kids. Ghost powered or not.
Danny soon finished the story, placing the book on a nearby dresser, but he didn't get up yet. He hummed softly, adjusting Henry in his arms.
"You know, your dad's a real fruitloop," Danny told Henry, his tone still soft and low. Sam nearly gave away her position as she struggled to not laugh. "But I'm glad he moved on and met your mom. Cause now we get to hang out all the time, huh little dude?"
Henry obviously didn't reply. He looked like he had fallen asleep, but Danny didn't seem to mind. He kept rocking them both at the slow and steady pace, now lightly rubbing Henry's back.
"And kinda ironically? Our dads are the same age, but my dad's closer to being a grandpa than being a new dad," Danny told him. "Your dad's an old fart. But some day, I'm gonna marry Sam, and we'll probably give you a playmate. That'd be fun, huh? There'll be an age gap, but you guys will still have fun. Hell, I'm almost twenty years older than you, and I love hanging out with my little dude. And well. You can keep a secret, right?"
The way he was looking at Henry melted Sam's heart. Danny gave a short chuckle of amusement at Henry.
"Ah, right. You can't talk yet," he lightly teased. "But I've been saving money to get Sammy a ring so that I can ask her to marry me. So you need to learn to walk soon so you can be the ring bearer, alright?" Henry remained asleep against him. "Awesome, you're gonna be great."
Danny rocked for a bit longer before slowly standing up. He began to walk towards the crib, setting him down, and Sam decided to quietly and quickly return to the TV room.
She got comfortable, getting her phone out and pretending to scroll when Danny walked in.
"Hey!" he greeted her warmly. Sam smiled up at him. "Sorry, Henry was a bit fussy."
"No, it's okay," she assured him. "I know you like hanging out with him anyway."
"Yeah, I do," he admitted. He plopped next to her, putting his arm around her.
"…Honestly, Danny," Sam began to confess. She was a bit flushed with embarrassment. "It was actually insanely adorable to see you take such good care of Henry earlier. I mean, it'd be a mess to care for a kid with powers, but you did handle it really well."
"If you're asking me if I wanna be your cute, french maid wearing stay at home husband when you open your own vet clinic, then I absolutely would love to," Danny replied. Sam snorted in amusement. She loved him. He was a dork, but her dork. A dork she knew she was gonna get to be with forever.
"You don't have to wear a french maid outfit," she said. She gave a sly smile. "Or well, maybe just the apron."
Danny chuckled, giving her a light peck before they settled in to watch the movie.
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The Masters came home right on schedule, walking into the home almost exactly at eleven pm. Danny and Sam had already begun to hang out at the door to meet them.
"How was Henry?" Vlad questioned the second he saw them.
"Great!" Danny lied. "Zero problems."
"Good." Vlad and Harriet both seemed visibly relieved. Vlad chuckled, jerking his thumb to his wife. "Harriet was worried." She rolled her eyes.
"I had to stop you multiple times from calling and checking in," she replied, making a point to poke him in the chest. "But I do wanna check in on my little chicken." She pecked Vlad before thanking the young couple, moving past them to head towards the nursery.
"So, really no trouble?" Vlad pressed. Sam glanced at Danny, and she almost said something but Danny spoke first.
"Nope, nothing," he replied, offering up the baby monitor. "Changed a diaper, played some, read one of the baby books to him, and he was out, then we just hung out and watched TV." Vlad looked visibly relieved, which Danny found oddly amusing.
"Vlad! Come here!" Harriet's voice cried out excitedly over the baby monitor. "It's Henry!"
Vlad snatched it from Danny's hands and literally flew past them. Danny shot Sam a smug smirk. She made a face, and they both hurriedly followed to see what was up.
At Henry's nursery, the young couple saw what Harriet was referencing. Henry was standing in his crib, grabbed onto the crib bars for support, bouncing happily and babbling baby talk upon seeing his mom.
"He's standing on his own!" Vlad gasped. Harriet was taking a photo before scooping her baby up and gushing as well. Danny exhaled hard. Vlad turned to them. "Did he do that earlier?"
"No," Sam replied, looking genuinely surprised. "Not even close."
"He's growing up so fast," Harriet complained. She bounced him close to her, tears welling up. She pecked his forehead before looking at Vlad. "Oh Vlad…He's already standing and soon he'll be walking and talking and going to school then going to college and-"
"Now now, darling," Vlad soothed her. He reached out to her, wrapping an arm around her and pecking her temple as he softly ruffled Henry's hair. "He has to grow up eventually but he's not even a year old yet, no need to fret." Harriet took a deep breath.
"You're right," she agreed. "I should get ready for bed. Early morning. Thank you so much for watching our little chicken."
"No trouble," Sam spoke up with a smile.
"Yeah, I love Henry," Danny admitted. "I'll put the little dude back to bed."
"Thank you, little badger," Vlad replied. Harriet passed Henry to him. "I already put money in your account for your trouble."
"I'll wait for you in the car," Sam told him.
Danny faked a smile until everybody finally left, patting Henry's back. He then scowled, holding Henry up so that he was looking him eye to eye.
"You gave me and Sam hell by floating all night, and you're not even gonna do it for your parents?" he complained. Henry just made nonsense babbling in response, reaching out to grab his nose. Danny could have sworn the little brat gave him a mischievous grin too. Danny sighed deeply, gently putting him back down in his crib. "Sleep tight, kid."
This newly ghost powered toddler was officially Vlad's problem now.