Slumping back into an uncomfortable mall bench, he sighed loudly and pulled out his phone from his front pocket. He had been ditched. Again.
Buster liked his new friends, they were always kind to him and they had fun together, but he sometimes felt left out. He knew for a fact that they hung out without him, which was expected since they had been friends since elementary school and he was just a new kid. However, on more than one occasion, they left in the middle of their plans to do something 'urgent'. Without much explanation. Usually it was only Danny, but at times like today, he found himself suddenly and tragically alone.
Checking his messages in an attempt to not look like a complete loser, he opened a couple of unread texts, most of them from Arthur. There was also one from his Dad and one, surprisingly, from Francine.
Reading her message that informed him that he better not think he could get rid of her so easily, with a few threats thrown in, he smiled. A ball of guilt coiled in the pit of his stomach, he hadn't been keeping up with the rest of his friends as well as he should have, he had promised he wouldn't lose touch. He wondered how they were doing, he really did miss them.
Leaning back, he began replying and sending out extra-long messages to the wonderful people he left behind. He made sure to include his discovery of ghosts' existence in his message to Brain. He knew he wouldn't believe him, but it was fun to mess with the genius. Imagining the exasperated expression on his face when he read Buster's message, he giggled and hit send. As Buster was busy he didn't notice someone sit down beside him.
"Hey," an unfamiliar voice cut through the loud buzzing sound of the mall. Flinching at the sudden occurrence, Buster looked up and was met with a painfully familiar face.
"Uh…hi" he replied slowly.
Casually leaning back, his arms thrown behind the back of the bench, "You're Buster Baxter, am I right?" The intruder asked.
"And you're the weird kid that stares at Danny," Buster deadpanned in response to the ginger.
Scoffing at the accusation, "trust me, I'm not the weird kid." He replied, but made no attempt to deny the actions.
Buster couldn't believe this guy, he had no idea why Danny found his creeping to be so hilarious. Narrowing his eyes, "I think stalking someone is pretty weird," he informed him.
Shrugging as if being accused of eating the last cookie, "I've got my reasons," he said cryptically.
Gritting his teeth at the teen's obnoxious behavior, "So why are you talking to me?" he asked as politely as possible.
"Information," was all the infuriating boy spit out, giving Buster a coy look.
"I don't have any information," Buster said as he defensively backed away.
The guy was freaking him out more than usual. Leaning in closer as if about to reveal a deep secret, "what can you tell me about Danny Phantom?" he loudly whispered.
Confused and alarmed by the question, Buster looked at him in the eyes and asked, "What does Phantom have to do with Danny?" Had this kid been stalking him too? How else would he know that he was friends with both Danny and Phantom? Gripping his phone, prepared to dial 911 if the guy got too personal, Buster waited for his response
"That's what I'm trying to prove," he said leaning back into his casual position.
Buster scratched his head, "you're confusing me," he stated.
Smirking, the boy turned his head away from Buster and said, "I'm sure your 'friend' would have no problem helping you out with that."
"Who, Danny or Phantom?" Buster wanted to know, the guy was making zero sense. He didn't understand why he couldn't just come out right and say whatever he was trying to say, Buster had never been good with mind games.
Giving Buster an amused grin, "Both, dude," he replied.
Raising both his brows, "do you know Phantom?" Buster asked. Maybe Phantom was friends with this kid too, he did tell Buster that he knew a lot of the kids at Casper.
"Yeah, so do you" the ginger said in triumph, the grin on his face widening considerably.
Buster nodded, still wary of the strange behavior. "I know," he replied casually.
At this, the ginger did a double take. "You know?" he questioned, shocked.
"Yes, why wouldn't I know?" Buster replied with an eye roll, giving up on trying to understand the guy.
"Because Danny wouldn't tell you! He doesn't tell anyone!" he shrieked, jumping off the bench and placing an accusing finger against Buster's chest.
Looking down at the offending finger with distain then back up to meet the wild hazel-green eyes, he pushed the finger off. "What does Danny have to do with it?" he asked feeling defensive once again.
The guy remained in front of him for a few moments, studying his defensive glare than backed away "…huh?" he managed to say. Buster decided that he had enough, this kid was crazier than Buster originally thought. Someone really should call the cops, but Buster wasn't in the mood to deal with that.
Getting up from his spot and tucking his phone away, "your name is Wes right?" he asked him, suddenly remembering the information from a conversation with Danny some time ago.
Wes nodded dumbly, "yeah," he confirmed, still studying him intently.
Shrugging off the uneasy feeling that he was getting under the stare, he moved away from him. Raising his arms apologetically, "look Wes, it was nice talking to you but I have to go now."
Turning at his heel, without looking back, he all but bolted out of the mall and headed back home.
Letting himself fall to his knees, he quickly capped the thermos and placed it on the pavement before sinking onto his back. He was tired. Letting his eyelids drop, he listened to the thrumming of his friends' footsteps approaching.
"Danny! Are you okay?" Sam's concerned voice asked as the two crouched down beside him. He opened his eyes and smiled, "yeah, just a little wiped out" he replied softly.
"That was pretty awesome man," Tucker remarked, Danny smirked and propped himself back up into a sitting position.
Resting his elbows on his knees, "Thanks," he said but silently took in all the public damage his powers had caused.
Biting his lip, "What time is it? Do you think we can still catch up with Buster at the mall?" he asked Tucker who instantly shook his head.
"Dude, we've been at it for about four hours, he's probably long gone by now."
A wave of guilt washed over his form, he would make it up to him. Maybe pay him a fun visit from Phantom.
"Danny?" Sam asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her and noticed they were both standing again, so he allowed himself to float up to join their height.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Don't you think this is getting to be a bit too much? Don't get me wrong, I like the kid but he's getting too close. He's going to start asking questions soon. What are you going to do then?" she said pointedly, worry embedded deeply in her features. Danny watched her intently, he understood what she was saying but he didn't get why she was so worried.
"You worry too much Sam, its fine alright? I know what I'm doing. Buster needed a real friend, so I gave him one. I'm not taking that away from him now. Besides, he's grown on me." He replied stubbornly, floating forward and higher before turning to face them.
"Hey, don't go replacing me with your little buddy," Tucker laughed, "Remember who stood by you during the hard times." He begged dramatically.
Danny chuckled, "Don't worry Tuck, I've always got room for you in my heart," he replied equally as dramatic.
"If I may interrupt your bromance, I'm being serious here," Sam said, annoyed of their inability to understand the gravity of the situation.
Danny sighed, "I know Sam, but can you just trust me?" he pleaded.
She stared at him, her hardened look unwavering. Silently wishing he would listen to her, nevertheless he saw the moment she gave in. Looking away, "fine" she muttered, making it clear that she wasn't happy about it.
Danny landed on the ground a few feet ahead of them, checked for any onlookers before transforming back into Fenton. He waited for them to catch up to him and smiled at Sam who half-heartedly smiled back. "Let's just get home, I can sleep for a week" he said.
They walked to a corner of the street from which their paths diverged, he waved to them and headed towards his eccentric house. Pulling out his phone he sent an apology text to Buster. Again. It was the third one this week.
He thought about his plan to visit tonight, after a bit a sleep. Phantom hadn't spent time with him for a couple of weeks. He felt a little guilty for keeping that part of his friendship with the boy from Sam and Tucker, but judging by today's conversation, he knew it was the right decision. They, especially Sam, would freak out that he would expose himself to discovery like that. But he couldn't help it, he didn't mean to put himself in such a position, it just happened. And it felt good to make the unhappy boy laugh and forget about the nightmares if only for a little while, isn't that what being a hero was all about?
His secret wasn't worth the kid's happiness.
Trying his best to not fall asleep at his teacher's droning voice, Danny stared straight ahead, watching the man's movements intently. He never noticed how big his nose was before, it moved up and down as he talked.
Realizing that he had stopped listening once again, Danny sighed and put his head down onto his desk. Just then, a cool wisp of air escaped his parted lips. Instantly, Danny perked up and shot his hand into the air. The short scruffy man looked at the hand in distain, "Danny, if you're going to make another excuse to leave this room, I advise you to put that hand down," he said dismissively.
"But Mr. Perkins! It's uh…an emergency," he begged, cheeks red at the elicited giggles. Before the teacher could retort, he got up and disappeared out of the room.
He quickly made his way to the bathroom that he knew to be usually empty. Kicking the door closed, he leaped up into the air, about to transform when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Eyes widening, he let himself fall to the ground in panic, his chin colliding painfully against the tiled floor. He quickly collected himself and turned to see who it was, ready to lie his way out of the awkward situation.
Danny's shoulders relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief at the face that met him, "Oh, it's just you" he laughed.
"You should be more careful," Wes' distinct voice echoed off the bathroom walls, "you never know who might be lurking in the shadows." He snarled, trying to sound mysterious.
Danny just giggled, "Actually I'm pretty sure it's only you Wes."
Staring right into his eyes, Danny allowed the powerful rings of light to envelope him, he loved to watch the expression on Wes' face every time he did that. It was a perfect concoction of shock, anger and awe. "Love to stay and chat, but you know, duty calls," and with that he slipped out of the brick wall, leaving his 'friend' behind.
Sam and Tucker would kill him if they knew how often he transformed in front of that boy. The first time, it had been an accident, out of desperation. Wes was relentless, he wouldn't let Fenton out of his sight during an attack, so he had given in. He was sure his secret had been blown and had prepared for the consequences all night. However, he soon realized that Wes's knowledge wasn't a threat. Not a soul believed his accusations, and Danny took it in stride. Admittedly he took advantage of the situation. He enjoyed watching him squirm, teasing the hell out of the frustrated ginger.
Looking around, Danny finally spotted the ghost that triggered his sense and promptly rolled his eyes. "What do you want now, Johnny?" He asked the greasy motorcyclist who grinned and powered up his ride. "Just to blow off some steam," he sneered and headed straight for Danny.
Less than ten minutes later, Danny invisibly slipped back into the washroom and behind a stall door, Thermos in hand. With a flash of light, his white hair turned black and he walked out, whistling. Stopping in his tracks, Danny tilted his head to stare at the boy perched on top of the bathroom counter.
"You still here buddy? I'm flattered, but you didn't have to wait up for me," he grinned, right hand placed mockingly over his heart.
Wes glared, "don't fool yourself Fenton, I'm not your buddy. I. Do. Not. Like You." He gritted out slowly.
Smiling sweetly, "for someone you don't like, you sure stare at me a whole lot," he said in a sing-song way, hands behind his back, hoisting himself up on his tiptoes and back down.
Breathing heavily through his nose, Wes leaned back. His hand fiddled with something in his pocket as he watched Danny but he didn't say anything.
Deciding he would have to be the one to relent, "If we're done here, I have to get back to class. Mr. Perkins may look sweet but he can be vicious." He began walking towards the door, only to be stopped once again.
"Why don't you just admit it, what are you afraid of?" Danny sighed, turning his head slightly he studied the boy. Still sitting on the bathroom counter, a smug look now adorned his face.
"Admit what?" he asked.
"Don't give me that again, you know what I'm talking about," Wes instantly retorted.
Fully turning his body, Danny crossed his armed over his chest. "What do you want from me Wes?" he asked sternly.
Wes looked grateful for the rare moment of seriousness and leaned forward, eyes calculating. "In the time that you've confirmed my suspicions, you have not once admitted it out loud."
Danny mulled over his words, it was true. He didn't think it was necessary, Wes practically saw proof of the fact every other day, why did he need a verbal confirmation? "I didn't deny anything, isn't that enough?" he asked, left eyebrow raised suspiciously.
"Then why did you tell the Baxter kid so easily?" he suddenly asked, finally getting to his intended point. At the sudden mention of Buster, Danny became utterly confused. What did the kid have to do with Wes's obsession?
"Huh?" he voiced.
Rolling his eyes at Danny, Wes clarified his question. "Buster, what makes him different than the rest of Amity? Why did you tell him your secret?"
Realizing what Wes was trying to ask, Danny shook his head. "Buster doesn't know," he denied.
Wes' expression soured further, if that was even possible. "Yes he does, he told me" he stubbornly stated, sounding like a pouting child.
Danny scratched his head, Phantom had just visited Buster last night. He made no indication that he had even the slightest hint of suspicion. Trying to sort out the misunderstanding, "What did he say?" he asked.
Wes narrowed his eyes, "that he is aware he knows Phantom," he stated with cool confidence.
However, his expression faltered as he watched Danny sag with relief. "See, he doesn't know," Danny said, cheerful once again.
Eyes flashing with confusion, "What?" Wes probed.
Taking pity on the kid, Danny allowed him a brief explanation. "Buster does know Phantom, he just doesn't know that Danny Fenton and Phantom are one and the same."
Suddenly a wide 'evil' grin spread out across his face, Wes pulled out his phone and Danny's last sentence resounded in the room. "I finally did it, I finally got proof!" he cried, fist pumping the phone up into the air in victory.
Tilting his head up slightly in exasperation, Danny pointed his finger lazily towards the boy freezing his arms in place as well as his butt to the counter. He walked over, looking Wes straight in the eye and slid the phone out of his hand. "I'll get you a new one" he said apologetically before it exploded into smithereens.
The look on Wes' face was priceless. Danny felt a bit guilty at the flash of fear he saw. "It was pretty stupid to tell me about it, don't you think?" he quipped, shrugging his shoulders. With a wink, he sent warm ecto-energy towards the ice and stalked away.
Just as the door slammed shut behind him a loud, frustrated scream sounded from behind it. Chuckling, Danny shook his head and headed back to what was left of his class.
Side Note: Wes Weston is a fandom created character, he is a pretty significant part of the story so if you never heard of him...he is the best and here you go
/c/cartoon/page/blog/who-the-heck-is-wes-a-danny-phantom-joke-that-came-alive/42MC_Yuozj5raZrzQ6m6MjKMgL56RxW
(or just google Who the heck is Wes)