"Ugh," Danny said, dusting the rubble from his hair, "He really didn't want to go back to the ghost zone. That took forever."

"Yeah." Valerie stepped further into the depths of the warehouse, brushing a gloved hand through the thick dust coating the boxes. "I think he's getting too comfortable out here."

Danny laughed, "He's been too comfortable."

They'd found the Box Ghost on the outskirts of town, in a large abandoned warehouse near the docks. They were at the edge of what became open highway leading out to Chicago. Of course, it was also filled with boxes. A near endless supply in fact. It was an area that the businesses had moved out of years beforehand and was neglected by the town. There were signs of life in some areas, and Danny suspected some of the homeless had set up shop.

Strange machinery overlooked the scene.

He floated up to the second level and stepped onto the landing. The wood was old, creaking under his meager weight. Doing his best to avoid the effects of gravity, he leaned over the railing to peer down at his friend, "Maybe he's being bullied?"

Danny could tell she was smirking under her helmet. "I believe it. Any idea why there've been so many ghosts out lately?"

"Don't ask me," he scoffed, casting her a self-deprecating smile. "They don't tell me anything."

"Why's that?"

Her interest was a welcome change, but she was far too smart and far too cautious. If Danny let anything slip, even one single out of place word, she could slide all the way back to hating him. Worse than that, she could work something out about him.

So he shoved back 'Because they hate me', and settled on, "Meh." He shrugged lightly, averting his gaze and returned to dusting off boxes. "They think I'm weird."

She huffed a small laugh, "You are weird."

Danny sighed, floating up to lay dramatically on the railing, draping his entire body across it and the back of one hand across his eyes. The other hand dangled over open air, before reaching up to clench empty air in a gloved fist, "That does appear to be my curse."

He knew she was smiling.

"Is it because you're helping?"

Sitting up crossed-legged on the railing, Danny made a so-so motion with his hands. "Kinda. Something like that."

It was complicated. He still spoke with Clockwork and Frostbite frequently. They did a lot to make sure the Ghost Zone felt like a second home for Danny. They invited him to ghost events and holidays, involved him in artifact recovery missions, and introduced him to more friendly ghosts than he could've managed himself.

It was great.

But there was always a degree of separation between them. Always a level of understanding and knowledge about ghost culture that his meager 15 years- and nine months!- of life didn't permit.

It was okay. Danny liked his human life. Besides, as long as ghosts continued to terrorize the citizens of Amity Park, Danny would be there to stop them, something they really didn't like. A challenge that kept them coming back.

And yet another barrier that separated him from the other ghosts.

Hopefully, it wouldn't always be like this.

"Oh! Hey, are you bleeding?"

Danny pulled himself out of his musing to glance down at his body. He was mostly okay, just scratches and small bruises, but his right collarbone had a nasty gash running along it and over his shoulder.

"Huh. Yeah." He reached up to poke around the edges of the wound. It was deepest along his collarbone, and Danny remembered being hit with the sharp edge of a gargantuan box at one point. A deep hunter green danced with the typical neon green of ectoplasm as it spilled down his suit.

Ugh. "I should heal up okay overnight. Maybe some stitches. It's fine."

She cocked her head at him, "Ghosts need stitches?"

"Uh- yeah! Well, sometimes. Depends how long we've been out of the Zone, you know? Swimming in all that ectoplasm usually does the trick." He gave a nervous laugh, shoving down the words that threatened to bubble over.

"So you've been out of the Ghost Zone for a while? Long enough to keep you from healing properly?"

Danny could feel curiosity rolling off her in waves. It cast a fog across his brain and he tried to tune it out. Secrets nipped at his lips, and he bit his tongue, resisting the pressing urge to spill them all.

Vlad's voice rang in his head.

Relax. Let them go. Don't let them control you.

One of the first things Vlad had taught him in their training was how to 'tune in' to the constant stream of emotion people were projecting. Vlad said that strong emotions existed at the very core of a ghost's being, fueling them and tying them to existence. It was why obsessions developed, why Danny gained new powers during times of high stress, and why ghosts were drawn to humans. It was why Spectra became addicted to the rush of depression, anxiety, and insecurity that the individuals under her 'care' experienced. Why she stole their happiness and fed on their misery.

The problem with 'tuning in' was that it was pretty much always 'on'. It was another sense at this point, and hard to get away from. To top it off, the emotions of others influenced his own, pushing him to do or say things he might not otherwise. At this point, Danny wasn't sure that it was worth it.

"I- I, well," Danny stuttered. He bit his lip momentarily, taking a long breath in through his nose. "I never got comfortable in there. I have a lair there somewhere. But I nev- I stayed out, with my family, at the beginning." Wrapping his arms around his torso, Danny averted his gaze and allowed himself to be truthful with Valerie. Even if it was only for a moment. Even if it was only half truths.

"Since I was out in the Real World for so long after forming, Amity kind of just… stayed my home. I'm not comfortable there, so I don't go into the Zone much. I'm trying to be better about that." Danny shrugged, turning to look down at Valerie from his vantage point. "But I'm also not drawn back the way everyone else is. It doesn't call to me."

With each word Danny felt a little lighter. He wasn't sure if that was because this was something he hadn't spoken much about, or because Valerie's curiosity was slowly turning to satiation and understanding.

"I'm sorry Phantom," Valerie said. It sounded genuine.

It felt genuine.

He shrugged again, casting a small smile down to her, "Thanks Red."

"If you ever decide you want help…" she paused, searching for the words, "finding your lair or something. Or just some company in there, I'm down."

Danny lips twisted upward involuntarily, and he leaned into the urge to cut the tension.

Softening his eyes and placing a gentle hand over his heart, Danny cooed, "Aw babe! Our first date." He was giving her his best puppy eyes, trying to convey a lighthearted thankfulness and half-joking admiration.

"Anything for you dear," Valerie replied with the utmost seriousness and Danny beamed.

They were silent for a moment, flipping through files and gathering their dropped supplies, Valerie trying to make sense of the machinery surrounding them.

It took them a long time to get to this point. To be able to joke and banter. To be able to coexist as heros in Amity Park fighting for the same cause: the safety of their home. And they'd apparently progressed to non-work related hangouts.

After the incident at Axion, Danny didn't think Valerie would ever be able to forgive him. Somehow, she did.

After meeting Dani and separating from Vlad she'd calmed a bit.

He still wasn't sure about her reason for turning on Vlad. It's not like he could just ask her.

Well… Maybe I could. It's been long enough. We're friends right? Kinda? I could-

"What was he doing way out here?"

Danny shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts, "I don't know."

"Doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Not really. He kinda just goes where the boxes go."

Valerie's laugh rang out, happy and clear, "Ha! You've got a point."

God, it was good to be her friend again. At least as Fenton. This was nice too. Being able to fight alongside Valerie, to hear her words directed at him without a venomous tinge. It was new and difficult sometimes, but they were both trying.

"Wait. What time is it?" Danny asked suddenly.

"Oh crap it's 4:30," Valerie said, hopping into the air and activating her hoverboard beneath her. It was summoned purely by thought now, melded into her by Technus.

She hesitated, pointing to the canister in his hands, "Can you handle that?"

Danny pushed a bit of energy into it, allowing it to float above his hands. "Yeah, I got it. See you later? You can always call me if you want help. Or need anything. Or... anything. Yeah." He tapped the Fenton phone in his ear and Valerie did the same.

"Yeah," she flew a bit further before turning back. "You know, I'm glad we aren't fighting anymore."

Danny floated over to meet her, smile stretching his cheeks wide. "Me too." He couldn't see her expression through the mask, only the reflection of himself smiling back. She paused, then turned and flew off.

Danny stared at the door for a few moments before turning over the Thermos in his hands. The edges between the metal work were rugged and distinct now, ectoplasm lined plates flaking and chipping away each day. And yet it still fit snugly in his grasp. Fell into his palms like it had always been there. And the box ghost sat tucked away inside, unfamiliar this time around.

Danny cast his eyes upwards once again, taking in the warehouse. "What were you doing out here?"

The place was completely abandoned, covered in dust and filled with trash. It could've just been the boxes of extensive paperwork that attracted the ghost, but he wasn't in the mood for talking today. Normally he spilled all his plans without a second thought, but today had been a rather fierce battle. He'd started out rather subdued, lost in or preoccupied with his own thoughts, huddled away from them in a dark corner, but the moment he saw them it was like a switch had flipped. The Box Ghost launched himself at Danny.

He didn't monologue.

He usually monologued.

It was strange, but Danny figured he didn't expect to be confronted when he wasn't wreaking havoc. Maybe he was just scouting out the boxes. When they'd subdued him and tried to speak with him, the Box Ghost had instead chucked every box within his reach at them and turned to escape. Danny had to stop multiple attempts of escape as they chased him through the warehouse, tossing him back down to the ground where Valerie was waiting. Valerie was as quick as always, her years of martial arts keeping her light and flexible. On the other hand, Danny was combining his powers with the skills he'd learned from his mom. Her training sessions were helpful, and his hand-to-hand combat was really coming along. They worked in tandem, Valerie handling close contact fighting while Danny remainined just outside of their range, firing shots to corral him and chasing him down when needed.

Still, the Box Ghost was fighting like his life depended on it, yelling to be left alone and using moves Danny didn't know he was capable of to escape.

They got him in the end, but… it was a weird encounter.

And now it was 4:30. Training with Vlad was scheduled for 5:30, but his shoulder was really starting to bother him now. And he couldn't head home because the lab was filled with ghost hunters in training.

Ughhhhhh.

He focused, and then reached into what was previously empty space, pulling out his cell phone. I guess the fruitloop was right. Dimensional pockets are really handy.

He shot off a text to Vlad, [b the office soon. need to drop off ghst ur place], before shoving his phone and thermos back into nothingness.

Danny casted one final look around, stretching his shoulder and wincing in discomfort, before deeming the warehouse clear and flying toward Town Hall.

..., ..., ...,... .,,,...

HEYYYY i split this chapter bc it's companion part is stumping me. their paths will cross in chap 5/6, but i will likely post this in parts instead of chapters.. more sustainable. i've loved reading all your comments and holy cow i loved seeing other people as involved in this niche crossover lol!

(Updated on 7.8.21, from ""So you've been out of the Ghost Zone for a while?" to "Anything for you dear.")