Bonjour, mes chers! Apologies for taking so very long to upload the second chapter, but I've been busy visiting my girlfriend in Washington! I'll be gone another week or so, but I'll try to get a bit more content uploaded for you all.
Just a reminder, I've made a new blog to keep up with all things Guardians! It's a tumblr blog under the name theguardiansseries and it contains chapters, art, and everything else Guardians.
With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!
"Hey, Clockwork! I'm here to abuse your all-powerful powers and possibly put the entirety of time and space in danger with my reckless and uncaring nature!" Floating through the doors of Clockwork's citadel with amusement, Danny took his time to look at all the clocks that were up on the walls. So far, he had counted fifty-seven unique clocks.
"I'm afraid the Observants aren't here, at the moment, but I'm certain that your words would have earned an hour-long lecture for the both of us." Following the voice, Danny snickered to himself as he thought about a lecture with the Observants. He had only met them once, but already he knew that Clockwork hated them with a passion. "Here to complain about your most recent Christmas?"
"Hey, I don't always complain when I visit you!" Thanks to the unpredictability of the Ghost Zone, Danny soon found himself in Clockwork's usual work space that he was pretty sure was at the top of a tower. How had he even heard him from all the way at the entrance- No, no. Don't apply science to the Ghost Zone. That was his parents' job. "You just give good advice is all."
"I'm honored." A child-sized Clockwork floated in front of a large surface that Danny supposed was a mirror, images flashing across it faster than he could comprehend. "What advice shall I be giving today?"
"Well, if you happen to have the answers to the next pop quiz in History- Kidding, kidding." Danny raised his hands defensively when an adult-sized Clockwork turned to glare at him. "It was a joke. Mostly."
"I'm certain." A few seconds passed where Danny thought he might have actually- "Chapters seven, twelve, and thirteen."
"Whatever I did in my life to earn you, I'm very thankful for it." Flying over to the ghost, Danny hovered in the air beside him, slowly relaxing. For some reason, he always felt relaxed in Clockwork's citadel, even after the whole scythe incident. Speaking of. "Were you really going to chop my head off?"
"No. In case you were unaware, I am very good at my timing," Clockwork smirked, a rumbling chuckle in his chest as he now stroked his long beard. "Your friend saved you precisely when he was meant to at precisely the right time."
"Yeah, okay, but what if he hadn't." Clockwork tossed him another smirk, and, right. No questioning super powerful time ghosts. "Okay, so I wasn't in any danger, but a scythe?"
"It was fun." Oh, of course he looked like a child when he said that. "Now, I believe you came here for another matter?" Hmph. Take all the fun out of things.
"Well, excuse me for getting distracted." Right, right, focus. He had wanted to ask about Ghostwriter. "So, uh, about the whole Christmas fiasco…"
"You want to know more about the Ghostwriter." Well. At least Clockwork let him get his questions out before answering them. That was always nice. There was also the fact Clockwork helped him when he was stuck in History. "You also want to assure me that it's not your fault."
"It wasn't!" Well… "Okay, yeah, the whole thing of the original poem being destroyed, yeah, that was my fault, but I'm not the one that wanted to start a fight!"
"And if someone were to destroy one of your models and then gloat about the fact, you would let the matter rest?" Well, when he said it like that, then it kind of made Danny sound even worse. "It takes two conflicting ideals for a fight to begin. Ghostwriter was not the only one in the wrong in that moment."
"Okay, okay, fine, yes, it's my fault, but don't you think I suffered enough considering I was stuck in a poem?" Instead of a good answer, Danny watched as Clockwork stroked his beard again. "You're doing that to annoy me, aren't you?"
"Perhaps." Yes, then. "You wish for an apology, then?" Nn… Not quite that. "Or is it you wish to give one?"
"You already know the answer." The other gave him a smile and Danny gave a small one himself in return. "I just want to know a few more things, I guess. Like- Okay, would he have still trapped me in that poem if I had apologized right then?"
"Hm." Clockwork hummed in thought, small hands gripping his staff as he tilted his head back. "No, you would not have been trapped in the poem. He would have been angry, of course, but as long as you apologized he would not have done any harm."
"Great, make me feel worse, why don't you?" So, it had just been Danny's fault entirely that he had gotten stuck in that poem. "So, uh… Was he just trying to teach me a lesson, then?"
"While I don't believe that was the only reason, it seems he did manage to teach you something about the holidays." Yeah, don't take his anger out on other people when they had done nothing wrong. "He can be a rather volatile individual at times, but the Ghostwriter typically avoids fights and violence."
"Really?" Huh… He supposed that made sense. Ghostwriter hadn't exactly fought back all that well when his keyboard had been smashed. "So, when does he get out of jail?"
"He was released early this morning, I believe, after his brother went to collect him." He had a brother? Since when did the ghosts have siblings- Oh, right. Half-brother Randy picture frame. "Walker was unwilling to argue against the pair of them."
"Yeah, no kidding, seeing as this Ghostwriter guy can control and alter reality." Like, yeah, sure he had to use a keyboard for it or whatever, but that was still some powerful stuff. Danny forgot how crazy ghost powers could be sometimes- Like him and his ghostly wail.
"Yes. His brother is even more powerful, however." Wha- Seriously? What could be more powerful than controlling reality? "Relax, Daniel," Clockwork laughed, the sound fond as he ruffled Danny's hair into more of a mess. "Ghostwriter's powers, for as grand as they are, do have limitations."
"Thank god," Danny muttered, trying to fix his hair as he moved to instead float on his back, ignoring Clockwork's amused grin. "Okay, so he's out of jail. Great. Uh, say I did go over and apologize to him…"
"You would remain unharmed while you were there, and he would be willing to listen. Although…" Although? "Well, I suppose you'll find out when you do go." Oh- Oh, that was just-
"That's just mean." Clockwork's laughter was a pitch higher, this time, but no less fond. "C'mon, don't I get a hint! What's the point of knowing someone who can see and control time if that power can't be abused!"
"If you'd like, I can do something better than a hint." Really? Awesome! "Stand still, close your eyes, and take a breath."
"Seriously?" Seeing Clockwork looked kind of serious, Danny sighed and did as told. When he took a breath, he shuddered as he felt- Jeez, he didn't know what he felt. It was like the feeling when he went through the portal- Portal. "Oh, that bastard."
Looking up at the library in front of him, Danny huffed and crossed his arms. "That is not what I meant by wanting a hint!" Somewhere out there in the Ghost Zone, Clockwork was laughing at him. "This doesn't mean you win!" Clockwork had definitely won, but Danny would at least go down denying it until his very last.
Right, okay. Apologizing. He could apologize. Clockwork had even said that it would all be alright, and while Clockwork could pull tricks, he never lied. He especially never lied about things like this. Floating up the steps, Danny felt almost as if the lions were watching him as he raised his voice.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Danny shifted outside the massive library, hesitantly knocking on the doors and oh. Okay. That happened, then. Right. Doors swinging open without anyone there. That was his life, wasn't it? "Great. I'm trapped in a horror movie and it's not even a good one." If anything, it was probably a low budget B-rated one with bad actors.
Staring at the open doors a second longer, Danny pushed his way inside, swallowing at the utter silence and the thousands of books that he could see even from the front doors. "Hey, uh, Ghostwriter dude? Your doors kind of opened and I came here to, um, visit?" Apologize. Visit. It was all the same thing really, right? "So, uh, if you're there right now, then that would be great."
Silence. There was nothing except absolute silence and it was freaking Danny out more than he wanted to admit to. It wasn't his fault that the Ghost Zone was so goddamn creepy. Plus, typically, being trapped in a building with someone who hated him didn't turn out very well.
Hearing quiet mumbling, Danny just barely resisted the urge to throw an ectoblast out. That would probably damage some books and that was sort of the opposite of what he was going for. "-since the nineties, at least. Are you sure we kept the historical fiction works up here? I thought we moved them to one of the lower levels."
Shit. He was talking to someone. That- That could be bad, especially if it was the brother who was supposed to be stronger than him. Was it too late to run? Danny felt like it might have been too late to run. Floating in the air, and ready to turn human and phase his way out if he needed to, Danny watched as Ghostwriter rounded the corner, books floating all around him as he carried another half dozen and Jesus. Danny thought the whole writer thing was bad, but he looked more like a librarian and fuck. Danny had lost books and had seen the librarians' faces afterward. Destroying one? Ghostwriter was so going to kill him.
It was weird that there didn't seem to be anyone around, though- Had the person he was talking to left? Oh, god, what if he was crazy and talked to thin air? That was the worst possible- Ah. He was looking at him. "Uh, hi?" There. That was safe, right?
"H… Hi." Ghostwriter stared at him, most of the books dropping a few inches in the air as he slowly narrowed his eyes and oh, no, that wasn't good, was it? "Trespassing rather seems like something that would be discouraged by a 'hero.'"
"Hey, the doors opened up all on their own!" And… Okay. Now the guy was glaring at the ceiling. What the absolute- He was crazy. Yeah, okay, all ghosts were a little crazy, but really- Oh, no, maybe he was just glaring at God. Yeah. Danny would do that, too, honestly. "I knocked, they opened, they shut behind me, and now I'm here."
"So I see." Ghostwriter turned his back and began ordering the books into neat piles on a table that already had about a dozen piles. Jeez. Spring cleaning, maybe? In winter? "I take it there's a reason as to why you came here in the first place."
"Oh, uh, right. Yeah- Yes. There is." Right. Apologizing. Because Danny had been a dick and the more he thought about leaving things bad between the two of them the worse he felt. "I…" Deep breath, Fenton. "I came here to apologize."
"Really." Wha- Hey! There was no need to sound so skeptical! "Whatever apology you have to offer would be equivalent to having your teeth pulled, no doubt. There's no need to continue."
"I- Wait, did you just tell me to not bother apologizing because it would hurt me too much?" That… That was… "Dude, that was impressive." Danny winced when Ghostwriter gave him a look that was between confusion and disdain. "I, uh- Yeah. I kind of- I really did want to apologize, though."
"Somehow, I doubt it was of your own volition." His what? "Who forced you to come do this? A well-meaning friend?"
"Hey, no one forced me to come- Well, okay, my sister kind of helped me see that, yeah, I was a total dick, and Clockwork kind of encouraged me to come apologize, but I want it on record that I probably would have come without any interference. Eventually." He- The man laughed. Danny could only stare as Ghostwriter, the one who had trapped him in a poem, laughed.
"Well, you're interesting, if nothing else, I suppose." That- Was that a compliment? That seemed like it could have been a compliment. Maybe. "I… I suppose you weren't the only one at fault in the ensuing fight."
"Oh. Uh, cool, I guess?" Okay, right, being glared at again. "I mean- I mean, you stuck me in a poem that read like a Charles Dickens story. That was kind of extreme even by ghost fight standards."
"You know who Charles Dickens is?" Oh- Oh, that was just insulting. Danny hated how much he wanted to laugh. "This day just keeps getting more and more surprising, it seems."
"Ha, ha. Look, I just… I have enough enemies in my life, is all. It'd be nice to know there's one ghost out there who at least isn't going to attack me on sight, so, uh… I'm sorry."
"I… I am as well. Even if you sorely needed that lesson, I can admit I went to extremes when I attempted to teach it to you." Ha! It was about learning a lesson! Nice to know the guy was Scooby-Doo crazy and not Skulker crazy.
"So, uh, we cool?" Danny noticed Ghostwriter looked almost pained before he was finally giving a small sigh and a smile to go with it.
"The blame seems to lie in both parties this time around, so why not agree to forgive and forget on both sides?" Oh, man, that was just- That was something.
"Does everything you say sound like it's from some kind of Hallmark card?" Laughter bubbling out at the annoyed look he was given, Danny shook his head, and, okay. Forgive and forget, huh? Not bad, but… "Hey, Ghostwriter, what about something else, instead?"
"Oh, please. 'Something else' typically means a battle royal and I'm uncertain about you, but I prefer to solve disputes these days by-" Ghostwriter's mouth closed with a snap, Danny's grin growing wider as he continued to hold out his hand from where he had flown over to him and extended it.
"Hi, there. My name is Danny and I'm a half-ghost idiot with a saving people thing. I hate Christmas, I love my friends, and it's nice to meet you." The long silence was worth it when the ghost finally clasped his hand, genuine smile on his face.
"Hello, Danny. My name is Ghostwriter and I'm obsessive over my books and tend to talk to myself out loud. It's nice to meet you, as well."
"Oh, so you were talking to yourself when I first got here. Good to know." The other rolled his eyes, Danny choking back a laugh as they let go, and… He kind of didn't want to leave. Yeah, okay, he had apologized like he planned, but this felt- It felt like a moment.
A small feeling at the back of his mind was telling him that this was a moment the same way the Fenton Portal had been a moment. It was the exact same feeling right before he had felt that button against his palm. Right. He needed to figure out a way to stay for a bit longer, so…
"I know you said it's cool and all, but I still feel kind of bad, so, uh, maybe I can help you around your library for a while? Make up for the book I destroyed?" And learn more about Ghostwriter in the process. It never hurt to do a little more recon on a ghost, after all.
"You- Really?" Ghostwriter blinked, looking startled. "You would help out in a library because you still 'feel bad.'"
"Hey, I'm not some dumb jock." God forbid that ever happened. "Look, I have five days left of my Christmas break. I can come over on those five days and help you out for a few hours with whatever you need." Probably stacking and organizing books, seeing how much of a wreck this place was looking. "If I can stay and help for all five days, then the two of us can go our separate ways and everything is forgiven. Sound good?"
There was an uncomfortably long silence where Ghostwriter did nothing except stare at him before finally giving a smirk. "Alright. Five days of work for forgiveness." Oh, aha, wow. Danny suddenly had the overwhelming feeling that he had just gotten in over his head with this. It was like he had just signed his own death warrant. "Return here first thing tomorrow at nine o'clock Amity Park time-"
"Nine?! Dude! I said I'd help, but I'm still on break, here!" Instead of staying like a logical, sane person, Ghostwriter's smirk widened before he was walking away and disappearing between the ridiculous number of bookcases. "I didn't agree to this!" Except… "Fuck, I agreed to this."
From somewhere in the library, Danny swore he heard laughter. Okay, okay, just- Stay calm. Ghostwriter would probably only keep him until two or so and then he'd be free the rest of the day. Easy. Besides, five days of work seemed like an even trade to not make an enemy out of the guy that could control reality.
And it was shelving books. How hard could something like shelving books even be?