Perceived Parallels Chapter 24: 20: Sustain, a danny phantom fanfic

"Jazz…? Um… are you awake?"

A hushed voice grabs Jazz's attention, and she half wonders if she's still dreaming, or if someone really is calling for her. She shifts a bit to get her bearings.

"Jazz, it's Danny."

Nope, definitely not a dream. She turns her head towards the voice.

"Mmmm?"

"Can we chat for a bit?"

Weary teal eyes blink open to see her little brother leaning over the side of Jazz's bed. She raises up onto her elbows and checks the hotel alarm clock, which reads 1:37 AM.

"Yeah, course. You okay?"

Danny's tense posture softens, and Jazz shifts over to allow Danny room to sit on the bed with her. They both lean against the headboard, and Jazz contemplates turning on the light. She looks out the window and figures that the moonlight is enough for the both of them.

Plus, Danny could probably see fine anyways.

"I'm… yeah, kinda. Um- been better, obviously, but my strength's coming back, so that's good. Ah, actually, well…"

Jazz lets Danny try to work through the thoughts on his own, but she can tell he's reluctant. Even in the dim light of their joint bedroom, she notices that he keeps glancing towards their bedroom door, probably half-assuming that someone's going to burst in any second now. (Despite the fact that he could 100% hear them coming if they were, plus, it's locked.)

Instead of nagging him, she gently tries to nudge him along. Reassure him, make him feel safe.

She chuckles. "You know, Mom and Dad are dead to the world right now, I went into the kitchen to get a snack not too long ago and I could hear Dad's snoring from there." She smiles at him, knowing that he can see it perfectly. "It's just us."

Danny squirms a little, but relaxes and lets his eyes meet his sister's. He takes a breath.

"It's just… I don't think my energy's recovering as fast as it should be."

"Oh?" She says. "Is your core still stressed?"

Danny shakes his head. "No, I don't think it's… anything like that." He pauses again. "I think I don't have enough energy. Not enough ectoplasm to refill my core."

Jazz can already tell where this conversation's heading. He wouldn't be talking to her if it was something easy.

She still hits all the bases, though. "Did you try some ecto-dejecto? Or head outside?"

He nods. "Yeah, I don't think it's enough. I need something… purer. I want to get to the ghost zone, or back to Amity."

"Danny," she scolds. "you know you can't do that. You'd probably spend more energy flying there and back than what you would get, anyway." She knew that Danny knew this, he just didn't want to admit it himself.

"I… I know. I just don't know what to do. It's like the Skulker thing, when I lost my powers? I- uh, yeah."

Jazz remembers those few weeks well, while he hid most things from his friends (and her) Jazz could still tell that he was an emotional wreck. She just didn't know the reason why until after the fact, when he told her the full story regarding his obsession. The next few days they had many a nighttime chat not unlike this one, although some didn't end particularly well.

This time, she's hoping to stop it before it gets that bad.

"Well, I remember Vlad mentioning to get you some… 'provisions'. Did he follow up on that?"

"I… yeah, he did. I found one of his thermos' in my backpack before I left."

Jazz presses her lips together in a thin line, giving Danny a look that she's sure he didn't want to get. He turns away from her and pulls his knees up to his chest. "I just wish there was a better way."

"I know, little brother." She pulls him closer and gives him a hug, tucking his head into her shoulder. "Nobody's going to make you do anything, but you should consider the possible outcomes."

"Consequences, I should consider the consequences." He mumbles. "My power's stagnating, if I don't do something soon then I won't be able to recover by the time I get back to Amity. And if that ghost comes back… or something else, then…" He groans. "My head hurts."

"So you have thought about it."

"A lot, yeah."

"Mmm. I don't think there's anything I can say that won't demean your feelings or make it sound like I even remotely understand what you're going through." She says, "But what I can say is that I won't think of you any differently, no matter what."

Danny takes a long breath, then leans further into Jazz. "Thanks. I know, but it helps to hear you say it."

Jazz lets him sit there for a while, she can tell that he's enjoying the comfort of having someone close. She starts to get cold, partially due to Danny and partially due to their Dad loving the thermostat at 60, but she just pulls the blankets over their shoulders and powers through it.

"I think I have to do it." Danny says after a while. "The risk of something happening while I'm still worn out is too high. Murphy's Law, you know?"

"Yeah, we've got bad luck with that, don't we?"

"Mhm."

"How were you planning on going about it?"

"Agh." He backs off and resumes leaning against the headboard. "I don't know, maybe just… flying off somewhere over the lake. I don't want to risk Mom and Dad seeing me- or Phantom for that matter, like…" He cringes before he says it. "absorbing another ghost." He rubs his face. "Don't think that'd be good for my track record."

"Your track record is fine," She says bitterly. "it's Mom and Dad that are confused. They're so deep in their so-called 'research' that they don't see what's in front of them. They're amazing engineers, wonderful parents, but terrible scientists."

"C'mon Jazz, you're being a little harsh-"

"I am not being harsh. Their first inclination when coming into contact with a new species? Rip it apart, see how it ticks. That's great for an engineer, but a scientist? That's inhumane and, if we want to ignore the morality of it, wasteful." She huffs and crosses her arms, looking a lot like a fussy child. "Bad scientists." She repeats.

Danny chuckles at her. "Aren't I supposed to be the one venting right now?"

"Yeah, well… I don't know. You know they frustrate me."

"Yeah, yeah." Danny hums, and takes a look at Jazz. She smiles back at him.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asks.

Danny thinks for a moment, opens and closes his mouth a few times in indecision.

"I… I don't know. Part of me thinks it would be a good idea and part of me… doesn't want you to see me like that. Doing something like that."

"Like I said before, I won't be judging you either way. I'll be there if you need me, I'll be waiting for you if you don't. It's your decision to make."

"I…" He hesitates. "I think I want you to- um… come with me. It- I don't know how long it'll take me to get back otherwise."

"Okay, sure. When were you planning on- oh." Danny swiftly stands, with the sleek black thermos already in hand.

"Oh, um… yeah, now." He laughs nervously. "Unless you'd want to wait-"

"No, no, now is fine. I just need to get dressed, I'll be right back."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"So, where are we going?"

"Um, I'm not really sure?"

Danny, with Jazz in tow, flew high above their hotel searching for a secluded place to help him. They spun around in a slow circle, each of them looking between the trees for stray campers and people.

"We could just head down to one of the empty campsites." Jazz suggests, pointing out a dark area on the trails."

"Mm, I was hoping there would be a better spot, but we can't really go out on the water unless I'm holding onto you the entire time, and that… probably wouldn't work. Don't think you're interested in taking the Polar Plunge right now."

"Well, I know it's not exactly legal but…" She points to a residential area a bit farther up the lake. "We can see if anyone up there has a boat or a canoe that we could use. It's not like we're not going to bring it back or anything."

"That… doesn't sound like a bad idea. Let's check."

Danny descends and sets Jazz on the beach, telling her that he'll be back with a boat of some kind. She nods and watches his form blur into the distance beneath the treeline. In the meantime, she sits on a rock looking out onto Lake Michigan and thinks.

She was really hoping that this didn't negatively affect Danny too much. She was incredibly worried, and for good reason-

He really hasn't killed anything before. This would undoubtedly be considered killing another ghost, and she didn't know how he was going to handle it.

Well, technically it wouldn't be the first time. Sure, there's been a few times where he's underestimated the strength of an ectoblast, or overestimated the strength of a weak ghost, but it was rarely intentional, and it still left him a mess afterward. Intentionally taking the life of another thing? She doesn't know how he got through it the last time he did it.

Danny appears in Jazz's view with a small canoe with him and gently sets it in the water. Jazz walks over towards him and gives it a quick look-over for holes before he walks her across the water to get in.

The boat wobbles as she steps in. "Oh, I forgot to ask Danny, um- when was the last time you did this?"

"...Canoeing?"

"Danny."

"Oh, the ghost thing. Um…" He thinks for a second, squinting into the moonlight while floating beside the canoe. "A long time. Back when I was spending time with Vlad. He helped me… get through it, mentally, and taught me how to do it a more… um, appealing way. Tried to compare it to eating an animal. Except… it's alive, and kind of cannibalism, I guess. I don't know. He said it wasn't, but I still think it is." He puffs out a quick breath of air. "At least I'm freaking out way less this time. Having Vlad with me was better than being alone, but having you with me really helps. Vlad is strong, resourceful, knows a lot, but he isn't good with emotions."

"Gee, how long did it take you to figure that out?"

"Don't test me, I'll turn the boat intangible."

"The moon is really pretty tonight, isn't it?"

Danny laughs. "It is."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

It takes them only a few minutes to get the boat out a reasonable distance, and the time seems to go by much too quickly for Jazz. She can sense her nervousness (which means Danny might be able to as well, if he's paying attention to her) and mentally scolds herself.

Gotta be here for Danny, my brother needs me. She repeats.

"I- I think we're far enough."

"Okay. Do you want me to… look away? Watch for people?" Jazz asks, tearing her eyes away from the ripples in the water to look at Danny. She shivers and rubs her arms, the air on the lake much cooler than she was expecting.

"Can we- can you just… I'm going to talk through it, I think. I just need you to listen. It helps to um… how did he put it? Dull the emotions I'm having about it."

"Sure." Jazz turns in the canoe so that she's sitting facing the edge, looking at Danny. "How are you going to get it out of the thermos so it doesn't get away?"

He clicks a button on the sleek black container and three red dots show up on the side. "These thermos' are special," he says. "They're made by Vlad, and he made them specifically for this purpose, apparently. They only hold really low-level ghosts, and it's more disorienting to go in and out of them, so the ghosts are basically just floaty balloons for a few minutes after they're released." He pulls off the cap and hands it to Jazz, who places it gently in her lap.

"How low-level is really low-level? Like ectopuses?"

"No, no, even less. They're more like little balls of light than anything else." His hand clutches the thermos tighter, but he doesn't press the release. He swallows.

"Sorry, I'm… nervous."

Jazz smiles reassuringly. "Take your time, we don't need to be anywhere at all. I'm here."

And I'm watching for any signs of a breakdown. She doesn't say. While he does seem to be nervous, he's not hyperventilating or losing control of his powers, so she considers that a good sign.

With a thrumming core, Danny slowly presses the button, with the machine eventually humming up and emitting a red glow from its interior. An amorphous green blob bubbles out, lazily floating through the air before landing gently in Danny's palm. Jazz watches with interest.

"And… this is it."

"That's it?"

"Mhm."

It's cute. Jazz thinks, but she doesn't dare say it aloud. No reason to make Danny feel even more guilty than he likely already is.

"Man, I just had a thought- Sam would be so mad at me if she knew I was doing this."

"Oh, I doubt she'd be mad. It can't be worse than seeing Tucker eat one of those extra-meaty meals from the Nasty Burger."

"Mighty meaty, technically."

"Whatever!"

Danny laughs, then brings his attention back to the task at hand. He stares at the small creature and the smile slips from his face. He sighs, and then quietly whispers.

"Let's do this, I guess."

Danny's fingers tighten around the small blob, which emits a quiet screech in response.

He frowns and whispers a hushed apology before his aura flares, creating a small ripple in the water he sits on. He continues to stare at the small creature, and Jazz can feel an electrical current emanating from her brother.

She suddenly remembers her purpose for being here and quickly asks, "What exactly are you doing right now?" Causing Danny to flick his eyes towards her.

"I'm, um… kind of sucking up its energy. It's like the opposite of an ectoblast, functionally, but really hard to get right. Like… weird overshadowing?"

"Did Vlad show you how? I was expecting… something else."

"Mhm, you know Vlad, always has to do things the prim and proper way. When he saw how most low-level ghosts absorb each other he researched a different way and came across this, which apparently is common for older ghosts if they need to replenish power quickly."

"What do the… lower-level ghosts do?"

Danny raises an eyebrow at her. "I'm sure you can imagine. Think instead of absorbing it's consuming. Of course, Vlad could never do that." He rolls his eyes. "It takes a lot more time this way though- since the ghost's spirit is actively fighting back. The other way… you just have to subdue it physically."

"So… you made it sound like you've done it before Vlad talked to you about it, which means-"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He sighs, looking back down to the ghost in his hand that was gradually shrinking and growing dimmer. "That was definitely the worst. And before you tell me that I could have talked to you about it, I know that- now. At the time…" He trails off, then shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. All I know is that I have someone that won't… think of me any different now."

The ghost fades even further, and Danny's hand clenches into a fist, the previous resistance nothing more. He places his hand into his lap and breathes in the cool night air deeply.

"And that's it."

Jazz watches him stare out into the distance, trying to read the countless emotions that are swimming behind his eyes. She notices his aura's brighter, his skin color's more vibrant, and his stance is stronger. While he might be still debating on whether this was the right choice, Jazz was sure that it was.

"How do you feel? Physically, I mean."

"Physically? Way better. It feels like my core's been kickstarted. Doesn't really make me feel any better."

"Danny…" Jazz carefully stands up in the canoe, moving to take a step out of it. Danny quickly stands up and grabs her shoulder to extend his flight over to her before she plunges into the frigid water.

"Jeez Jazz, what are you doing?"

"Walking on water, clearly."

Danny sighs and looks at his sister disapprovingly. "You could have warned me."

"I didn't have to, I knew you would help."

"Well duh, I wouldn't have let you fall in- but that doesn't mean you should-"

"I knew you would help-" She interrupts, "Because you're someone that saves people. You just being you has saved the town, and probably the world. You staying healthy and- and alive is important… if you don't- if you can't do it for yourself, or for the people you save… do it for me. Do it for Sam, Tucker, Mom and Dad, do it for the people who love you and need you to be here. Who need you to come back from every fight."

She holds him gently by the forearm and smiles. "And if you need me to be here I'll be here, every time. That's what big sisters are for."

Danny returns her smile with a smirk. "That doesn't mean you should risk jumping into frigid water to prove a point. I still make mistakes, too."

"Pff, I can handle a little cold water. Plus, you could just phase it off of me."

They both laugh and then sit cross-legged on the water, getting comfortable and looking at the night sky. It was peaceful, and every once in a while when she would glance over at Danny, she notices his eyes look much more clear. Confident, sure, driven- like they always were, even before going ghost.

After a bit, Jazz tugs at Danny's wrist. "You ready to go back to the hotel?" She asks.