Danny was, as expected, quarantined for the foreseeable future. After puking his heart out a few hours ago, his mother had made him go straight to bed, leaving behind a trash can, a package of saltine crackers by his bedside, and what in Danny's opinion were enough water bottles to save a small country.

Jazz stopped by his room later with some science books and a Hubble documentary she'd rented, for which Danny felt grateful. After he'd accidentally fallen asleep watching the telescope orbit, he awoke to find his sister gone but a dart board newly installed against his door. This was a kind enough thought in itself, but what was better was the picture of Vlad Masters smiling cheesily back at him from its position taped to the board. Jazz's sense of humor had, evidently, improved.

Danny desperately needed a distraction, and was feeling pleasantly sadistic.

Chin tucked over his chest, Danny squinted at the photo. Several darts already decorated it. One, Danny's current favorite, stuck to the billionaire's goatee. Four others made a clumsy mustache. Danny shook his hand out a couple times for good measure before plucking up a dart and flicking his wrist.

Plunk.

It hit Vlad's cheek, looking a bit like a rather nasty mole. Danny snorted, too worn for proper laughter. He picked up another, this time deciding to aim for the forehead.

Plunk.

It landed on the bridge of Vlad's nose. "Shoot." Danny muttered.

He realized, warily, that he only had one dart left. He had to make this one count. Narrowing his eyes, he gently gripped the dart between his fingers. He aimed for the forehead, brought his hand back, and released.

The door opened.

Danny shot up with a gasp, despite the sudden resulting cramp. "Look out!"

He recognized Tucker from the startled squawking noise from the hall. A crashing noise followed not a second after.

Warily, Tucker and Sam poked their heads in.

Tucker looked behind him. "Uh, we're sorry?"

Then they spotted the dartboard and picture of Vlad that had been knocked off the door. Someone snorted. Then they dissolved into hysterical laughter.

Danny wheezed, laughing and then forcing himself to subside when his abdomen protested aggressively.

They grinned in good humor, sobering for his sake.

Sam sat on the edge of his bed while Tucker took advantage of Danny's empty desk chair.

Sam adjusted her skirt, flattening it modestly before turning to her friend. "So, we came by to check on you. Your mom said you weren't feeling well?"

"Yeah," Danny admitted, easing himself back into a half-sitting position, "I couldn't hold dinner down. So, like I said- locked up until further notice. I've been sleeping on and off for the last few hours."

"It's getting pretty late." Tucker noted, looking out of the window. "You probably need the sleep, anyways."

"Maybe," Danny said, frowning. "But, what about you guys? Anything happen after school?"

"Uh, no, not really," Sam reported. "Box Ghost and Johnny 13 stopped by, but we think he was just on a joyride. He headed back himself. Easy day. Oh, but the Box Ghost is still in my backpack."

"Oh, crud." Danny realized suddenly. "I completely forgot to put Skulker back in the Ghost Zone! Tuck, could you-?"

Tucker didn't look like he was bothered at all. "He probably needed the time out," he joked lightly. "Yeah, I'll take them down on the way out."

At Danny's instruction, he snagged the thermos from under the bed, grabbed the Box Ghost from Sam's bag, and ran down to the hopefully empty lab. When he returned with two empty thermoses, it became clear his mission was a success.

"So…" Sam said, once that was settled.

Danny tried not to get annoyed at the tone of her voice. "I'm okay, guys." He tried to sound neutral.

"You're still really pale, Danny. And your stomach still hurts… not to mention, have you eaten at all?"

And just like that, she poked at his biggest cause for worry. Danny cleared his throat. "I'm working on that box of saltines," he said, jerking his head to the bedside table.

Tucker grabbed the box. "Dude, this isn't opened."

"... Intangibility?"

Sam smacked his leg lightly. "Danny, you're the worst liar in the history of ever."

"Look, seriously, Danny-" Tucker cut off any words of protest. "This is starting to seem like it's bad. Like… bad, bad. You gotta eat. You especially need to eat."

"I'm fine, Tuck," Danny tried again, hating making his friends worry,

"No, you're really not." Sam told him. "Look, if this doesn't clear up soon, maybe we should see Frostbite. He might know more. This definitely isn't food poisoning."

"... Maybe, I don't know. I mean… I really don't know what's going on, guys."

Sam shook her head. "Probably because you're delusional from skipping meals."

"I'm not delusional-"

"Look, Danny, we just want you to get better." Tucker interrupted.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to say something, when a puff of blue vapor escaped. His eyes widened as he looked up at his friends. "Uh, guys- I think there's a ghost nearby-"

"-And we're on it." Sam stated. "Tuck and I will handle this. You stay in bed. Listen, start thinking about making a trip to the Ghost Zone, because you're not gonna starve to death, alright?"

"But-"

They were headed out the door already, not giving him a chance to give a real answer.