Chapter 10: Now It's Over For Me
Of course life could never go easy on me, Danny thought to himself. Heaven forbid something go right for once!
Because, just what he needed after the stress of his sort-of reveal with Valerie, was more problems!
He had felt tired, yesterday. Not very surprising, considering all the nerves and stress and such, but it was… weird. A strange exhaustion, one he recognized but didn't feel often enough to place. A bone-deep experience… Except he didn't feel it in his bones. But where else?
It wasn't until he woke up the next day that he recognized it.
His alarm clock went off, and groaning, Danny quietened it again. He still felt tired, a deep ache in his core…
Wait, back up.
His core felt tired. His exhaustion the day before hadn't been of the human kind, caused by stress. It had been ghostly. That's why he recognized it! He felt it a lot when he first started out, or when he gained new powers. It was caused by the strain of his core being overworked, either by himself, or by developing a new ability.
But… He hadn't gotten any new powers, had he?
He shivered, tensing up in preparation for his ghost sense to come. It didn't, however. He just felt cold.
But he hadn't, not since the accident. He had always assumed that it was normal for a half-ghost. So then why was he feeling cold now?
Another shiver ran through him, and he grimaced. Maybe he was getting sick? Although, he hadn't been susceptible to most common sicknesses either, the past few years. A ghostly sickness, then? That would explain why his core was aching.
Either way, he should talk with his parents about this. He didn't feel sick, only cold, but that might change. And if it posed a possible danger, they might be able to help. It was still a little weird to go to them, especially about something like this… But it was nice.
He wrapped his blanket around himself, although it did little to stop the cold. Then he hobbled out of his room, slowly making his way downstairs to the kitchen.
"Danny," his mother greeted him, a faint scolding tone in her voice when she spotted him in his sleepwear and wrapped in a blanket. "Why aren't you dressed?"
"I, uh. I'm either sick or developing a new ghost power." He shrugged, not that it was very noticeable with the blanket, and offered a sheepish grin. "Not sure which of the two."
"Really?" Jack cut in, voice as loud and enthusiastic as always. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "How can you tell? That you're getting a new power, I mean."
Maddie pulled out a chair, and Danny gratefully dropped into it. "Well, it's either that, or I overused my powers. And I know it isn't that. I… don't really know how to explain the feeling." He picked at the edge of the blanket, uncertain. "It's kind of like… a strained muscle, or a deep exhaustion? But in my ghost core, I guess."
"But you think it might be a sickness instead?" his mom questioned, stopping Jack from derailing the conversation with his questions.
"Yeah." Danny nodded, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself as another shiver wracked his frame. "Usually I actually, you know, use a power before it gets me so tired. But I haven't used any new powers recently, I don't think. And I'm really cold, I keep shivering."
Maddie frowned, then pulled off one of her gloves to lay her hand on Danny's forehead. The moment she touched him, however, she pulled her hand away with a hiss.
Startled, Danny also backed away, almost falling out of his chair as he did so.
"Sorry, sorry. But I can confirm it's not a fever, or at least, not the human kind." She smiled, a little shaky and uncertain but calming nonetheless. "You're freezing, sweetie. No wonder you're feeling cold."
"Oh," he said, settling down again. "But I don't normally feel cold. I only ever feel it when my ghost sense activates, and even then it's just for a short moment."
"Maybe it's linked?" Jack offered. "Like how your ecto-shields are a more advanced version of your ecto-blasts?"
"Maybe," Danny allowed. Then he scoffed. "But what would that be, anyway? My ghost sense is just a breath of cold air."
"Well, either way, we should go to the lab to make sure you're okay. We'll call you in sick today." She put her glove back on, already moving to grab the phone to do so.
At the same moment, Jazz came in. Seeing Danny wearing a blanket, she raised an eyebrow, posing a silent question.
Danny grinned, seeing a prime opportunity for a pun. He shivered, again, pulling the blanket even tighter. Then he answered Jazz's unasked question. "I've got a cold." He made sure to put extra emphasis on the final word.
Jack barked out a loud laugh. Jazz just frowned, understanding the pun but not the context. She shook her head, focusing on her breakfast. "So you're not going to school, then?"
"Nah," he confirmed. "Mom's calling me in sick. Gotta make sure I'm not, y'know, dying."
"But you think it's a new power, right, Danny-boy?" Jack grinned at him, leaning forward.
"Maybe." He shrugged. "But I don't know what it would be. Normally if I get them, they're while I'm actively using my powers. Kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing."
"So you have no idea what it might be, either?" Jazz asked as she sat down with her breakfast.
"No," Danny answered, at the same as his dad declared, "I think it might be linked to his ghost sense!"
Jazz looked between the two of them for a moment, expression uncertain. Then she turned to their dad. "How so?"
Danny sighed. "It's because I'm feeling cold, just like when my ghost sense triggered. But my ghost sense just makes me feel cold. According to mom, I feel like I'm freezing! That's not something it does."
"But like I said, it might be a more advanced version!" Jack clapped his hands together, enthusiastic. "Something even colder… Like icy breath! That's something that that pajamas ghost does, right?"
Danny groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "I guess so. But I don't know how I feel about developing the same power as Klemper." He said the name with distaste, screwing up his face.
Jazz opened her mouth to say… something, Danny was sure, but she was interrupted by Maddie returning. "Well, Danny, they're not happy, but I managed to convince them to let you stay home. Although we will probably have to explain how you got sick despite being a ghost."
"We can always tell them it was a ghostly sickness?" Danny tried, before he shrugged. "You two have the authority to declare it possible, even if it isn't."
"I suppose we might have to, as much as I dislike lying about such a thing." She sighed, shoulders sagging a little. "Have you three made any progress on figuring out what is wrong?"
"Well, if it is a new power," Jack boomed, a face-splitting grin on his face. "It's probably something like the icy breath that that pajama ghost uses. What did you call him again, Danny?"
"The Friendly Fiend," Jazz declared, a confident look on her face.
"Klemper," Danny groaned, considering slamming his face into the table. He ended up deciding against it, but just barely. "His name is Klemper, Jazz."
He rolled his eyes, focusing back on the actual conversation. "And I'm still not sure if it is a new power. Yes, they make me feel tired, but they don't come with side effects. Well, none besides the lack of control."
"Well, let's take this to the lab, then. Even if it is just a new power, we'll have to make sure that your low body temperature isn't hurting you." Maddie turned to Jazz, who was getting up as well. "And Jazz, sweetie, you should probably head out soon. It's still a long drive back to college."
Jazz nodded, cleaning up her breakfast dishes. "Yeah. Call me when you guys know more?"
"We will," Danny assured, as he got up too. "Don't worry so much."
She snorted, ruffling his hair as she walked past him. "Always will, little brother."
He stuck out his tongue, even if she couldn't see him. Fondness bubbled inside him, like always when she played the overbearing protective sister, even if he never let her know. He didn't know what he would have done without her.
Despite several attempts at using his supposed new power, nothing had changed. No sudden icy breath, and his ghost sense seemed to be acting as usual too.
Swaddling him in warm clothing and heating blankets made him feel warm, but his body temperature didn't rise. This, in turn, led to the conclusion that he must be generating the cold in his own body.
This didn't help any, however, since they couldn't determine how or why.
They could, however, determine that it wasn't hurting him. And it wasn't doing anything, either, besides making him feel really cold.
And so they decided that, as long as he swaddled himself up properly, he was fit to return to school the next day. He just had to try to avoid touching anyone.
Which, of course, turned out to be easier said than done.
Danny was next to his locker, quickly swapping his books for the ones he needed next lesson. It was a class he sadly didn't share with Sam and Tucker, so the two of them had left for theirs already.
The hallways were starting to empty out, as the time between classes ran low. Danny finally slammed his locker closed, ready to rush to his next class-
and then promptly ran into a solid wall made out of flesh.
"Dash," he groaned, not even bothering to look up. "Do we really have to do this right now?"
The quarterback in question scoffed. "What, you thought that those stupid rumors would get you out of a beating? Get real, Fentonio."
"It's not like I came up with them!" Danny tried to protest, but Dash pushed him back against the lockers.
"Either way, you must've been hoping that they would deter me from bullying you, yeah?" Dash growled, grabbing the sleeves of Danny's shirt to slam him against the lockers again. "After all, who would bully a ghost?" He slammed Danny against the lockers a third time, then released him.
Danny just slumped against the lockers, glaring at the other boy. He considered talking back, but honestly, he was too tired to deal with this shit.
Apparently that wasn't okay with Dash, however. The boy growled again, baring his teeth in a snarl. "What, nothing to say?"
Danny remained silent. He knew that it didn't make a difference whether he responded or not. Either way, Dash would probably try to punch him a few times before giving up. Maybe try to stuff him in a locker, but Dash usually didn't do that anymore these days. Not to Danny, at least.
"Guess I'll just have to make you talk, Fentina!"
Dash swiped at Danny, reaching for his shirt again. Only, this time, Danny automatically flinched away, raising his bare arm to block Dash.
Hissing, Dash pulled his hand away from Danny again. "What the hell, Fenton?"
"I, uh," was Danny's intelligent answer as he pressed flat against the lockers. He was freaking out, scouring his brain for a way to talk himself out of this.
Dash stepped closer again, hesitantly raising his hand towards Danny. Then, surprisingly gently, he grabbed Danny's arm again. This time, however, he held on instead of letting go instantly.
"You're freezing, dude. What the hell?" Dash's tone was perplexed, utterly and absolutely confused. The frown on his face told the same story. "I thought only ghosts… Oh."
Finally Dash released Danny's arm. Danny cradled his arm against his chest, grimacing. He really couldn't think of a way to explain this. Crap, of course this had to happen when there was no one to help him out.
"Dash, it's not what you think." He tried to sound confident, reassuring. He didn't think he succeeded, based on Dash's doubtful expression.
"Yeah? You got some way to explain how you're as cold as a corpse that doesn't involve you being a ghost?"
"Uhm, well..." Danny trailed off, before falling silent.
"So the rumors were true? Holy shit," muttered Dash. "Holy shit. Oh, fuck. You're fucking dead, dude."
"Thanks for the clarification, Dash. Hadn't noticed," Danny snarked, unable to resist the temptation. He really shouldn't, should be talking his way out of this instead. But even on his best days he wasn't a very good liar. And, well, with the ghostly cold thing… He didn't think he could talk his way out of this. Better to get it over with, and to try to do some damage control later.
Dash had started to back away, eyes blown wide. He took his eyes off of Danny, however, in favor of looking at his own hands. "Did I… Was I…" His voice was quiet, a whisper that Danny struggled to understand.
"'Did you' what, Dash?" he bit.
"D-Did I do i-it?" the boy finally stammered out, looking back at Danny.
"What?" Danny quirked an eyebrow, confused at the turn this conversation had taken. Why would Dash think…
Oh, the bullying. Did Dash think that Danny killed himself because he was bullied? No way.
Although… He did know a ghost who had died because of exactly that. Maybe it wasn't that weird of a concept.
"Dash, no," he finally replied, snapping out of his thoughts. "I didn't kill myself or something like that."
"So… It's got nothing to do with… with my bullying?" The boy had lost all of his usual confidence and bluster. Danny always imagined knocking Dash down a peg, but it wasn't nearly as fun as he had thought. Kinda sad, really.
"No, Dash," he repeated, moving to lay a hand on Dash's shoulder before remembering his low body temperature. "It was just an accident. Nobody is to blame, and definitely not you."
"Huh. So then… Bullying hasn't hurt anyone after all!" Dash grinned, punching his fist into his open palm.
Blanching, Danny raised his hands in front of him. "I wouldn't say that! Aside from the fact that the punching very much hurts people, I know at least one ghost who killed himself because he was being bullied."
"Oh." Dash lowered his hands again, frowning.
Suddenly he swung his fist out towards Danny. Reacting on pure instincts, he turned himself intangible.
Dash's fist flew through the ghost boy, hitting the lockers behind him at full force.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed, clenching his fist and glaring at Danny. "Fucking freak! You're gonna pay, Fen-Turd."
Then the boy whirled around, storming off. Baffled, Danny watched him go, now alone in the empty hallway.
"I'm fucked. I'm absolutely completely fucked," Danny groaned into the table his head was lying on.
Sitting opposite of him at the Nasty Burger, Sam and Tucker shared a glance. Danny had told them what had happened, of course. And they had been telling him all day that it would be fine, that they would figure it out. It hadn't helped against Danny's mild panicking. Not enough, at least.
"Danny, it's okay. You'll be fine," Sam attempted to soothe. Again.
"Nope," Danny answered, with his face still flat on the table. "Because those rumors were already nuts. And now Dash knows, and he's gonna reaffirm them. And then the guns come out."
"Danny," Sam said, her tone scolding. "No one is going to shoot you. Even if they do all believe you're a ghost, the police is on your side, remember? You have permission to be here."
He groaned, but didn't immediately answer. She was right about that, of course. But it wasn't really the shooting it was worried about.
Because yes, the police were on the side of Danny Fenton, the dead kid who just wanted to live his life. Danny Fenton, who didn't behave like a ghost, who never used his powers.
But if everyone knew he was a ghost… Well, it was just the first step to figuring out he was Phantom, ghostly protector of Amity Park.
He wasn't an idiot, despite what people thought. He knew people noticed the similarities between Fenton and Phantom. But they always ignored it, ignored the obvious evidence. Because of two things, and only two things.
First of all, despite the clear visual similarities, Fenton and Phantom were nothing alike. Fenton was cowardly and shy. He never achieved anything, had no sense of responsibility. And Phantom was the complete opposite. A brave hero who went out of his way to protect a town that didn't appreciate him.
And second, of course, was his best protection.
Because no one was looking for a ghost among humans. A ghost couldn't be alive, so it made no sense for a ghostly superhero to have a human alter ego.
Except, whoopsie. He wasn't so human, was he? And if everyone thought he was a ghost… Well, bye-bye secret identity!
A hand landing on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts, and he glanced up at Sam's worried face.
Grimacing, he pushed himself back into a proper sitting position. "Sorry, it's not that. It's just… Being a human, being alive… that was always my best protection against being accused of being Phantom." He shrugged, uncertain. "And now… now that won't work anymore."
"Actually," Tucker said, leaning forward with a conspiring look on his face. "I think that everyone thinking that you're a ghost will help."
"No way." Danny shook his head, frowning. He couldn't imagine so. Even if Tucker probably had a reason to believe otherwise, he highly doubted it.
Sam apparently thought otherwise, however. "Explain it to him," she coaxed. Oh, she must've already known about Tucker's theory, then. Maybe they had even come up with it together.
"Right, so. If they think that black-haired and blue-eyed Danny Fenton is a ghost, they're not gonna assume that he has a second, slightly more ghostly appearance as well." Tucker gestured wildly with his hands as he was explaining.
"I mean, look at all the ghosts we know with 'human' appearances." He made sure to make air quotes when he said 'human'. "If they think Danny Fenton has a second form, they're gonna expect something way different, more like Spectra or Bertrand or something."
"Huh… I guess you have a point," Danny admitted, crossing his arms in front of him. "Even Plasmius looks more ghostly than Phantom."
"See, Danny? Nothing to be worried about." Sam smiled at him.
Danny sighed, but allowed himself to relax. They were right, both of them. He would be fine.
Title is from How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20. And we're slowly escalating to the longer chapters of Disinterred. Hooray!
We've also finally reconnected with canon and its events. Like mentioned at the start of the fic, most of the previous events were set between Forever Phantom and Urban Jungle. But now we're finally creeping beyond that and into Urban Jungle proper - but in a canon divergent way.
Next week: Chapter 11 - It's Not What You Believe