::
"And next time actually talk to Ember instead of going on a hunting spree!" Danny called, waving as Skulker headed off to the portal, holding a sparking, and disconnected, arm and leg. Really, those two were always fighting, and it never took less than the loss of a robotic limb for Skulker to get his act together.
"Do you remember Youngblood?" It was ironic, Danny mused, that it felt like he had been submerged in ice. As a ghost with an ice core, such a thing didn't even phase him, but when it was her it felt as if he couldn't breathe.
"Considering I see him at the park every other weekend with a bunch of kids, yeah. I think I remember Youngblood." Leaning back in the air, it took everything Danny had to make himself seem bored and tired. "What do you want today, Spectra."
"Youngblood has the fascinating ability that, when he chooses, he can't be seen by adults. Interesting, isn't it? Quite a few ghost children have defense mechanisms like that. It's so fun to get inside their heads and pick them apart."
For a moment, Danny felt an overwhelming surge of hatred, his powers reacting before he could. "Children of the Spirit Realm are not to be harmed." Was that… Was that his voice? And when had he pinned Spectra to the wall like this-
"Ooh, that's new, isn't it, Danny dear?" Spectra's voice came out as a warm croon, nails digging into his arms as he kept her from moving. "You're losing more and more control of your powers by the day. How long until you lose complete control, like he did."
"Shut. Up." For a moment, the green energy that swirled in his hands… It looked red- It couldn't be red. No, no, no, that was his color.
"Ssh, it's okay, Danny." Spectra's nails dug in deeper, her voice a mockery of everyone that had ever been kind to him. Had ever helped him. "It's not like this disguise of yours could have lasted forever. We can never hide our true nature for long, and, well… You really think you can be as strong as you are and still be human?"
This time, Danny was fully aware as he jerked away, ghostly rings wrapping around him as he backed up to the other side of the hallway- When did they get to the hallway? Why- What was going on. "No humans are like you, Danny. Sure, sweet little Vladdie comes close to understanding you, but haven't you noticed he's always so tired and weak after he uses his powers? He's wasting away and yet here you are. Stronger and stronger everyday, a bountiful amount of excess energy, and the ability to blend your forms together… Or is it showing your true form through that human disguise of yours-"
"It's not a disguise! I'm as human as anyone else!" Right? So, sure, okay, he had ghost powers. That was nothing! And… He had been spending more time in the Ghost Zone, though. And the only people he ever seemed to be with anymore was Randy and Andrew. A ghost surrounded by ghosts. "I'm… I'm human."
"Maybe in the beginning," Spectra shrugged, as uncaring as she had been when disguised as a human therapist. "But now you've spent far too much time as a ghost. You've been in our world too long and, well, you know. Once you join our world, there's really no going back."
"I haven't- I'm still a part of this world! This is the world that's my home!" Was it really, though? It may have been where he was born, but how much more comfortable was he in the Ghost Zone? There were so many days he stayed curled up at Vidya and Liz rather than go home to Fenton Works. Was that place even home to him anymore? He wasn't sure- Why wasn't he sure? Why was he questioning things!
"I wonder how much humanity you lose each time you change." Spectra was in her human disguise - disguise because he knew disguises better than anyone - and walking towards Danny with measured steps. Each click of her heels on the tile felt like a ticking clock that was counting down to something Danny didn't want to name. "Each second you spend as a creature that you were never meant to be."
Don't show it. Don't show it. Never let them see because he was the hero. He was always the hero he was the hero. Don't let them see. "You know, Spectra, you're giving pretty conflicted advice." The smirk felt too brittle, too fake. His voice shook, and the confident tone was like that of a child trying not to cry. "First you want me to off myself and now you're telling me to be human. Make up your mind-"
"You first." Human or ghost. Human or ghost. Human or- "Fenton, or Phantom? Do you want to be a normal human child, Danny? Or would you rather be just another ghost, average as the rest of them. You can't have it both ways. One day you're going to have to choose. You're going to have to decide who you are."
Danny wasn't aware of the tears streaming down his face until Spectra's palm cupped his cheek, her words coming out as if they were meant to be a soothing lullaby. "Oh, Danny… Are you wondering why I asked about Youngblood?" The ruby red smile glimmered, and eyes that were a sickly green stared back. "Remember when everyone thought you were crazy for seeing him when no one else could?"
The hallway was empty. There was nothing- No one. There weren't any footsteps or breaths or ghostly signatures. There was no one but Danny, shaking against the wall as he stared at…
At nothing.
::
"Hey, Andy… Did you feel any ghost signatures today? While at school?" Pausing at the strange question, Andrew looked over to Danny. The teen had been rather silent as they walked home together - Andrew in his human illusion form - and while Andrew hadn't wanted to pry… He had rarely seen Danny looking this defeated.
"Besides our own, I briefly felt Skulker around my second period class. Why do you ask? Did another ghost appear?" Even though he hadn't felt anything, it was possible that something had happened without Andrew's knowledge.
"No." Shaking his head, Danny looked up with a bright smile that couldn't be faker. "I thought I felt something weird, but I guess it was nothing."
"If… If you're sure." Taking a step closer, Andrew ran a hand through Danny's hair. It took far too long for Danny to lose even a portion of the tension in his shoulders. "You know, your French class is still woefully behind when it comes to holding a proper conversation. I'm rather certain that none of them could tell what I was saying, even with the fact I was using textbook language."
"I'm pretty sure everyone in that class just takes it for the language requirement." Danny's smile was still too brittle, but he welcomed Andrew's touch, leaning into it after a moment. "Tucker doesn't even know how to say 'good morning'."
"Nothing you're saying is inspiring confidence in me, mon cher." Tousling the teen's hair, Andrew pressed a kiss to his cheek before opening the door to Fenton Works for them. He let his illusion fade so as he did, pleased that he no longer had to hide around Maddie and Jack. "Do you want-"
He didn't even finish before a flash of light caught the corner of his eye, Danny floating in front of him in his ghostly form. A flash and the teen was darting off towards the kitchen. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad. Spending the night at Andy's, see you tomorrow maybe!" Something had definitely happened at school, and Andrew was worried on just what it was that Danny wasn't saying.
"Have fun!" Walking through the kitchen, Andrew gratefully accepted the bowl of fudge Maddie handed to him. "I'd ask you to make sure he does his homework, but I don't think I have to even bother, at this point."
"Thank you, Madeline." Laughing at the wrinkle of the woman's nose, Andrew headed towards the lab. "I'll make sure he eats and does his homework, don't worry." Looking down to the bowl, Andrew let a small tendril of his power see to having it float alongside him. Hands free was always such a nice option.
Looking to the portal, he hadn't even taken a step forward before he was being tackled into another world. Twisting himself around, he couldn't stop a laugh as he wrapped his arms around Danny's waist, letting the teen settle on top of him. "Hello to you as well."
"I missed you." Danny looked so earnest for a moment, smiling sadly at Andrew before leaning down to give him a soft kiss. With how the two were floating aimlessly through the Ghost Zone, the scene felt… Soft. Soft, but worrying. There was something Danny was hiding that was hurting him and Andrew didn't like it.
"In the ten seconds I was gone?" This time the kiss was deeper, and Danny was begging for a distraction. For something to focus on. That, at least, was something Andrew was good at. Giving distractions. "You're not going to talk to me right now, are you?"
"Not… Not yet." Sighing, Andrew gave the teen another kiss. Two. Three. "Give me more time… Just a bit."
"Take all the time you need, mon cher. I'll be here when you want to talk about it." Blinking as he felt something bump into his head, Andrew leaned back to see the floating bowl Maddie had given him. "Would you like some fudge?"
And oh, yes. Danny's laughter was much better than the heavy looks he had been showing all day. Andrew might not know what was bothering him, but he could be patient.
That's what he was best at.
::
"It was Spectra, wasn't it?" Danny hadn't even been aware of throwing something until he saw the cup Randy had easily caught. "Impressive reflexes."
"Years of ghost hunting." Jesus, it was too early for Randy and his all knowing attitude. Running a hand over his face, and wincing as the glasses dug into his skin, Danny looked around for a clock. "Why are you in the kitchen at… What time is it? A little past three?"
"About." Watching cautiously as Randy set the cup down on the table - that he was sitting on top of - Danny edged his way towards the door. "Don't even think about it, petit mec."
"Isn't this going against, like, unspoken rules or something? I feel like this is going against unspoken rules." Maybe if he could just make it to the door… He was quicker in his ghost form, but he could use flight as a human now. It wouldn't take much-
"Stop thinking of escape attempts, petit mec. You know I can catch you in less than a second and have you pinned to the floor even faster than that." It was upsetting how Danny didn't even feel a bit bad for the thoughts that went through his head at that.
"Yeah, yeah, you think you're so impressive." Although Danny had heard stories, and he really wanted to find out if they were true for himself one day. "Why are you in the kitchen at three in the morning, Randy."
"I think the real question is why are you. For that matter, why are you hiding your pain from us?" Damn Randy and his stupid always knowing how they felt! "Danny… Talk to me."
"It's nothing! Nothing that matters anyway." Just him going crazy like everyone always said he would. Nothing to worry about at all. Just… Just an inevitability.
"It was Spectra, wasn't it?" That had a laugh escaping before he could stop it, Danny shaking his head as he tried to busy himself looking through the cabinets and make it seem like his hands weren't shaking.
"No, it wasn't." Because Andrew hadn't felt anything besides him and Skulker. Hell, Danny was pretty sure he hadn't felt anything besides him and Skulker. "It's nothing, Randy."
"It's not nothing when you're feeling so… Danny, I know Spectra talked to you. I can feel it." Hands were wrapping around his own shaking ones, his palms pressed down and pinned to the counter. Randy's front was completely pressed against his back, and lips were touching the shell of his ear. "There's darkness in her, and right now you're drenched in it."
"Wha- What do you mean?" There was nowhere to hide when Randy was this close to him. No way to hide his shaking body, or quick breaths. "She wasn't there-"
"Then explain why I can feel her energy - her aura - sticking to yours." It… Randy felt it? Danny's mind couldn't fake something like that. Couldn't fake ghost energy- That was as unique as a ghost's core.
"You… She was really there today, then. But Andy said he couldn't feel her! I don't think even I felt her! How can you be so sure it was really Spectra and not…" Not his imagination.
"Because I know better than anyone what madness looks like." The words sounded so stupid, but the way they were said had Danny tensing up even further. "Trust me, Danny, when I say this isn't in your head. I don't know how she was able to mask herself, but Spectra was definitely there."
"That…" Twisting around in Randy's hold, Danny didn't hesitate to throw his arms around Randy and hold him close. "That helps." There was still the matter of Spectra's words and how they had dug into him, but the fact they were at least real… That helped.
"I was hoping." Randy's chest shook with a quiet laugh, Danny blinking as he felt himself picked up. "Come on, we have too much fudge and too many unwatched movies."
"It's a school night?" Danny didn't bother to fight his way down, only curling close to Randy and nuzzling at his neck. It had the curious reaction of Randy stumbling in his steps for a moment and oh. He would be remembering that.
"Screw it, you're a teenager. You can sleep during Andy's classes." That had a genuine laugh slipping past, Danny leaning back to swiftly kiss Randy's cheek.
"We got lucky to have you in our lives, you know." While things were still so uncertain some days, it was at least nice to know that things like this would never change.
Spectra's words were still in his head - they would always be in his head - but on nights like these, in moments like these… The words weren't so loud.