Early oneshot. Before people thought Danny Phantom was a hero.
Never written a fic for Dia de los Muertos before.
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The kitchen smelled like icing, like sugar and meringue powder. Like family and happiness.
Those were the best words Paulina could come up with the describe the smells in her parent's kitchen. Family and happiness. Family because her mama and papa were there, baking and cooking and mixing and decorating. Happiness because, well, just because.
Dia de los Muertos was in a few days and this weekend was the once chance they had to get together as a family and prepare all the decorations, the offerings, the pan de muerto, and of course decorate all the freshly-made sugar skulls.
Paulina put a completed skull onto the table, a small skull decorated with all the bright colors and long lines that she fancied her little brother might have enjoyed, the name she always called him inscribed on the forehead. Pepita, because the first time she saw him he was so bundled up in a bright orange blanket that he looked like he was sitting in a pumpkin.
Now family tradition dictated she was supposed to decorate one for her grandmama. Instead she looked down at the table and sighed. They had so many extra skulls, sugar skulls for decoration and eating, skulls that would hold no names. She reached for a larger skull, an adult's skull before drawing her hand back. "Papa, I have a question," she said.
"What is it, Princess?" her father asked. He put the finishing touches on his own skull, one for his father.
"Which skull would I use for a teenager?"
Paulina's father quickly finished a last spiral before putting his skull down to set. Then he looked at his daughter with indulgent, understanding eyes. "Did something happen at school this year?"
Paulina shrugged then shook her head. This was more important than any of those little losers at her school. "I want to make a skull for the ghost boy."
All trace of understanding dropped. He had a hard time hiding the shock and worry in his eyes. "But... why?"
Paulina sighed and looked away. She knew her papa wouldn't understand. None of the adults understood when she told them that the ghost boy was a good guy and so strong, handsome, chivalrous... She felt a hand gently slip under her chin and pull her face back up. She sighed again and looked into her father's eyes.
"Why, Princess?"
"Because I don't think he has anyone," she said. "There's no one out there to make a skull for him, Papa. He does good for this town, I know it, and there's no one to take care of him or tell him he's loved or appreciated or that we even like him! How would you feel if you worked so hard and everyone still thought you were a bad ghost and there was no one out there for you, not even anyone to make a sugar skull for you? He's so lonely, Papa. He's all alone. I..." Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried not to cry. "I just want him to know that he's not all alone." She looked down at the kitchen counter, tears falling down her pretty face.
Paulina's father looked shocked for a moment before wrapping his arms around her in a fierce hug. It wasn't often that his princess showed that great heart of hers but when she did... He didn't think he could be more proud of her. "I'll make one for him, too," he said.
Paulina hugged her father. "Thank you, Papa. Thank you so much."
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After much whining, cajoling, and pleading the school let her set up a table in the cafeteria. After all, she argued, no one knew his real name or where his grave was or if he even had one but he did seem to show up at the school all the time so maybe this was his grave and it didn't have to be for long, maybe just a day. Just for the holiday and he'd see the pretty sugar skulls she and her father had made for him and then he would know he wasn't alone and he had friends and could maybe not feel so bad.
In the end she reminded them of their annual Hanukkah display and told them that they could stand to allow some other traditions a little bit of display time too.
The altar was very simple. No one knew who he'd been in life so no picture was put up for him. Only a pair of sugar skulls flanked a single orange marigold and a picture of skeletons dancing under the light of a happy moon.
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Danny trudged into the cafeteria. He'd been up all night twice in a row. The first night was due to the Fright Knight and his parent's shenanigans, the second night due to Skulker getting out and being chased by amateur ghost hunters. Sometimes...
Sometimes he really did wonder why he did this. He never got recognition for his deeds, only his failures. And those failures got him chased and hunted like an animal. He got enough of that with Skulker, he didn't need it from his parents or anyone else.
A flash of orange caught the corner of his eye, drew his gaze toward the scent of sugar. He looked over.
Odd. Danny left the lunch line and walked up to the little altar. Two skulls made of sugar grinned up at him with bright green frosting eyes. One was decorated with dark colored swirls and a blue stripe across the forehead, red under the cheekbones, black-lined teeth. The other wore pink and green with brightly dyed and glittering feathers pasted to the back of the skull like an ornate headdress. There were no names on the skulls, no identifying picture on the altar, nothing to say who these were meant for.
And yet...
Danny smiled and headed back to the lunch line. He had no proof, just a feeling. Just something that told him that those were meant for him.
Sometimes...
Sometimes he remembered why he fought for this town.