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With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!
"Here I was starting to think that you had forgotten where I was." Ghostwriter stood there looking like a carbon copy of a disappointed Jazz with crossed arms, a small frown, and drawn in eyebrows. It would have been hilarious if Danny hadn't felt a small amount of guilt at how Ghostwriter seemed to have been actually waiting to see Danny again.
"Nice job on dodging the word lived." Danny really couldn't handle serious right now, though, and he was pretty sure his hands were still shaking. "So, uh, hey, you know that whole 'my door is always open and you're free to visit' thing you were talking about? Is that still open?"
"Unlike many of my fellows, I'm not in the habit of saying one thing and doing another." So that was a yes, then? Danny was about to ask for clarification before he watched Ghostwriter's posture melt, the ghost stepping aside as the door opened more widely. "Of course you're welcome back. I had just assumed it would be a touch earlier."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm- Look, man, I'm sorry about that. Things were pretty busy the last week or two of my life." January was already reaching its end and Danny had somehow managed to fuck his life up even more than it had been before. At least he was excelling in one area of his life.
"Well, I believe at this point you've learned that I rather like hearing stories. I'd be willing to listen if you wish to share." God, he was so pretentious. Danny kind of hated that he was already smiling as he followed Ghostwriter deeper into the library.
"Yeah, that might actually kind of help. I mean, not unless you're planning to psychoanalyze me or something." There was a quiet sound that could have been a laugh, but when Danny darted forward to see Ghostwriter's face, all he saw was a creepily calm expression.
"I certainly have no plans to, if that reassures you. Come on. I have a reading area set up just behind the history shelves."
"Because history puts people to sleep?" Danny felt victorious as he didn't hear Ghostwriter say anything back. "Knew it- Oh, whoa, hey, those actually look like nice couches. The last ones were like, ugly."
"They were certainly aged," Ghostwriter sighed, settling down on one of the couches that looked like it could either be black or purple. Danny stopped caring about the color when he felt how soft they were, holy shit. "My brother helped me to locate some new ones. I'm not sure I like the positioning of them quite yet, but they are no doubt comfortable to work on."
"You talk like a college professor and it's weird. You know that, right?" Danny squirmed and wiggled around until he was tucked up in his own corner, legs dissolving into one another to form a tail that curled around itself. Danny tried not to think too hard about how he hadn't really consciously decided to do that. "At least it's cleaner in here. No more dust?"
"Not on this level of the library, at least," Ghostwriter hummed, attention on his laptop even as he talked to Danny. "I believe you were about to tell me a riveting tale about all your troubles and woes of the last few weeks?"
"Nerd." It was a bit better that Ghostwriter wasn't looking at him, though. It somehow made it easier for Danny to tell him… everything. Technus, Valerie, the whole ordeal in space, and his powers - he told him everything he could. By the end of it he wasn't sure if he felt better or not, but his hands weren't shaking anymore, at least.
"I mean, it's so stupid, you know!" Danny slumped further down on the couch, arms crossed as he glared at the ceiling. "The first girl I like never even notices me, the second girl I thought I liked turned out to just be a really good friend, and now this one is giving me up for ghost hunting." The irony was so strong it hurt. "I have such bad luck with girls, man."
This time Ghostwriter definitely laughed - well, it wasn't a laugh so much as it was a snort. It was kind of funny. "Perhaps you ought to think about pursuing one who isn't a girl, then."
"What?" What was that supposed to mean? "What do you- Oh. Oh. Well, uh, you see, um, maybe- Oh, jeez." That was something he had never really thought about, really? That was very not an expected topic of conversation.
Danny was saved by anymore of his stuttering speech as Ghostwriter laughed a full and loud laugh, hand clutching at his chest as he slightly bent over. Danny was pretty sure it was the first time he hadn't seen the guy perfectly composed. "Oh, mon petit, you're absolutely precious."
"I- What? No? Shut up!" He wasn't some cute, blushing girl, or whatever, and he didn't like guys like… that. "Just- Shut up." Ghostwriter only laughed even more, Danny tucking and curling back into his corner of the couch. There was more he wanted to tell about what had happened, and this was probably going to be the only time he'd be able to do it. Maybe he'd get lucky and Ghostwriter wouldn't hear him over his own laughter.
"I'm afraid of how dangerous I am." The air fell silent and still, Danny swallowing as he looked down to hide his face. A part of it was also where he didn't want to see Ghostwriter's pity. "I mean… You've seen my powers back when we fought."
"I… was certainly surprised by some of what I saw. A lot of your powers are unique even by ghostly standards. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that sound attack you used."
"The- Oh, yeah, the Ghostly Wail." At the scrunched-up look that was a touch too close to judgment, Danny frowned. "Hey, I didn't name it." Technically, Dan named it. "Look, I just- These powers are getting more dangerous- I'm getting more dangerous. I can really hurt people. I mean I can really… really hurt people." He'd learned that one the hard way.
"Yes. You are dangerous." Gaze snapping up, Danny felt like his heart was in his throat as he looked at Ghostwriter's serious expression. "You could easily kill someone with the power you have now."
"I…" Fuck. He could, though, couldn't he? If Valerie hadn't been wearing that powerful suit of hers, then he could have… "What if I-"
"You never will." The tone was absolutely certain and completely unwavering. "Oh, mon petit, you could never kill anyone."
"You're wrong." Danny had seen his future, or at least, he had seen one of them. Clockwork had been careful in what Danny had seen, but he knew when he had fought Dan. He had killed people in that time. Dan may have been fused with Plasmius, as well, but his name had been Dan. It had always been Danny in control and he had turned them into a monster.
"I'm not." Ghostwriter's tone hadn't wavered once. "You're aware of how much power you have. You know you're dangerous, and that's why you'll never kill anyone. Ignoring the fact that you care far too much for one so young, you gained incredible power and immediately used it protect people. You're rather like Andrea in that regard."
"I- What?" Soundless ClockAndrea? Why would he be Soundless Clock Andrea? "I mean, I guess I sorta can be, sometimes?"
"She never wished harm upon anyone. Until the very last, she would work to give people the chance that others never gave her. I saw the words that made up your past, Danny. I know some of what you've gone through, and I know that just like her, you will always fight to give people a chance they don't deserve. You rather seem the type who fondly believes in second chances."
Danny felt the itch and burn behind his eyes that embarrassed him more than anything Ghostwriter said. Quickly clearing his throat, Danny looked away, mumbling a quiet, "Thanks."
"Of course. Now, I believe you mentioned something about being in space? You told me you wanted to be an astronaut, didn't you?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, I did- I do. Sort of. Um, yeah." Danny knew the other was giving him a distraction, but he was grateful for it anyways. "So, I already told you how I wanted to go and explore space and everything thanks to Star Gazers."
"I do remember, yes." Ghostwriter seemed like he was smug, but Danny wasn't willing to put effort into figuring that one out. He was still just trying not to cry. "At least there was one good thing from that fight."
"Sort of. I didn't exactly get time to stick around, but it was… Oh, man. I wish you could have seen it. Like, we think we know what it'll be like because of movies and everything, right? But I was suddenly up there and it- I was weightless, but it's completely different compared to Ghost Zone physics.
"Ghostwriter, it was incredible. I was suddenly floating in space. Movies and books and star gazing can't even come close to preparing you for that. Like, you don't really think about it, but there are entire worlds out there! Earth is so big and so huge and so diverse and we're just one planet."
He felt almost stupid getting carried away like this, but Ghostwriter was smiling and had his complete focus on him, now. "Just- I could see the stars, Ghostwriter." There had been whole worlds out there, just… waiting. "I could see the stars and I knew some of them were planets. There were planets that were so far away, but they were close enough that one day we might actually live on them."
A few glimpses. He had only managed to catch a few glimpses, but for those moments the entire fight had faded away. He had forgotten about Technus and Valerie and the satellite. He had even forgotten he was Phantom. He had just been that kid who loved the stars and wanted to know what was out there.
"I saw the sun. It- I could see Earth below me and oh, man, it was just… You never realize how big it is and how small you are, but it was so incredible. I saw the Earth and behind it I saw the sun rising up and it was just…" Danny didn't have the words to describe that image of the sun rising over the Earth as it had been doing for longer than they could comprehend.
"Beautiful." The word was soft and quiet and as fragile as everything inside him felt, but Danny nodded and managed to give Ghostwriter a smile.
"Yeah. It was beautiful." The word felt almost inadequate when he said it, but it was still… perfect. "It was all perfect and I'm never going to be able to see it again."
"What do you mean?" Ghostwriter frowned, sitting up a little more, now. "You hardly seem like the type to give up on your dreams."
"Ghostwriter, I'm…" Danny gestured down at himself. His tail was still curled up around him and his skin was glowing. "With everything that's happened, I'll never be able to go up on a sanctioned flight. Even if I got my grades up, which, yeah, fat chance of that, the physicals would show that I'm not normal."
Maybe he could have gotten his grades up, but there was no faking lab results with NASA. "They'll never send a ghost up into space, but…" Danny bit his lip, trying to hold the words in. He had already unloaded so much baggage onto Ghostwriter. He didn't need anymore.
"But?" Ghostwriter had a small little smile, tilting his head and looking like he honestly cared about what Danny was going to say.
"But the Ghost Zone is kind of like my space." The words were out of him before he could stop them, and after that he knew there was no stopping it. "I mean- We're in another world right now. This is a new world." The Ghost Zone had been so goddamn terrifying at first, but whenever he remembered that this was a place humans had never explored, how could he not be amazed? It was a new world he was allowed to explore.
"I mean, it doesn't really hit sometimes, does it?" This was a place where ghosts lived. That was- It was so cool. "This world is so completely different from our own. It's- Isn't that just amazing? This is a world that you guys probably don't even know that well, yet."
Just the fact that there were ghosts who could control time was amazing in of itself, but along with everything else in the Ghost Zone? This was a world he could explore, and no one would be able to stop him or say he wasn't fit for it. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still trying to get control of my powers and everything, but one day I'd just… I'd love to see what else is in this world."
"Oh, mon petit." Ghostwriter's voice was hushed, and Danny immediately felt his entire body flash with heat as his heart sped up again. God, he had been so- He had gotten so caught up and he had forgotten he was talking to a guy he barely even knew. "You really do love all of this, don't you?"
"Sorry- Sorry. That was probably pretty boring listening to me ramble like that, huh?" Rubbing at the back of his neck and trying to not just run away like he really, really wanted to, Danny forced himself to meet Ghostwriter's gaze and grin. "There's not really anyone else I can talk about this with."
"I've been known rather well for my ability to keep secrets," Ghostwriter said quietly, a laugh in his words. Danny let himself really focus on him, noticing the smile. "Keeping yours won't be too much trouble."
"I…" God. Now Danny felt really guilty about destroying that first book, considering how amazing Ghostwriter was being. "What's those words mean? The ones you keep saying?"
"You might have to narrow it down as there are quite a few words in the English language." He took it all back. Ghostwriter was a jerk.
"Pretty sure the words weren't English." Danny watched as Ghostwriter frowned before he blinked and his face loosened up.
"Oh! Mon petit, you mean?" Ghostwriter gave an amused little smirk that was equal parts confusing and annoying. "It's French."
"You're French?" Ghosts could be French? Well, actually, yeah, that kind of made sense, but it was hardly Danny's fault that he kept running into American ghosts. Probably American ghosts? Actually, Technus had a pretty weird accent.
"I used to be." Startling at the tone more than the words, Danny frowned as he noticed the look on Ghostwriter's face. It… wasn't a bad look, but Danny knew the expression secrets caused. "We should make an adventure out of it."
"Wait, what?" Back up, hold on, Danny had been having a revelation, and suddenly Ghostwriter was talking about adventures? "I'm not Winnie the Pooh, here."
"Oh, hush. I merely meant that we could make an adventure out of exploring the Ghost Zone. My brother, Randy, he likes to explore this world, and he knows of the more, hm, interesting parts of the Ghost Zone. His adventures tend to make for excellent novel inspiration and I've been on one or two of them myself. They're a great chance to relax and experience something new and-"
"Yeah." The word was more like a quiet breath than anything, but Ghostwriter still stopped and looked back at him. "The exploring thing? Yeah." Danny knew he could maybe one day make friends with the ghosts, but he hadn't expected to have a friend that was a ghost. It wasn't all that bad. "That sounds great, Ghostwriter."
"I'm glad." With that, Ghostwriter was launching into describing whatever book he had been reading, Danny fighting off a laugh as he nodded and began to listen. His last few weeks may have been hell, but just sitting here in a place where he knew no one would find him? That… That was way better than talking to Jazz and having his thoughts and reactions picked at.
Damn. He really would have to thank Clockwork and suffer through an 'I told you so' look. Silently watching Ghostwriter flap his hands about and talk even faster, though, Danny decided that would be a fair price for a new friend.