Intermission 1: Carnival Day

"Recognized : Phantom B10"

Danny silently glided over the floor of the main cave. He's... kinda nervous. He wasn't sure how the Team would react to his request. He was new, after all.

Barely a week as a member of an elite group of super teenagers, and he was about to extend an invite to his Haunt. To hang out. He... just... ugh! What if they said no? What if, when they got there, they hated it? If they hated it, they might decide to kick him off the Team and then he'd really be up a creek because the Guys in White -

Okay, Danny, calm down. Getting yourself worked up is not a good idea. Just, go in there and ask. Your one of them now, no matter the time. They won't turn you away.

With a deep breathe he didn't need in this form, Danny entered the living room area of the Cave.

He's a bit disappointed, yet relieved, to find that there are only four present. Robin and Kid Flash, who had introduced himself as Wally West, were playing Mario Karts. Mean while, Miss Martian, who had introduced herself as Megan, and Artemis were in the kitchen - they seemed to be having some kind of girl talk.

Danny stands awkwardly in the doorway, not really sure how to approach the more experienced teen heroes. Honestly, he had been surprised when Batman had offered him a place with the League sidekicks only a week after his return to Amity Park. He hadn't been able to make a decision at first, even with Sam and Tucker's support. The memory of Robin had been the main deciding factor, though. The Boy Wonder had been so kind to him, even though he was in ghost form, and hadn't been afraid of him, despite their first encounter.

So, Danny had joined. And here he was now, unsure how to start a conversation and extend his invite to them.

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

At that moment, Robin and Wally finished their race, with the Boy Wonder as the winner. When he stopped cheering, Robin turns to look at Danny, pouncing over to him.

"Hey, Phantom! It's good to see you. Want to join us for the next round? Wait, you do know how to play video games, right? I mean, it's okay if you don't, cause you're, like, centuries old, but we don't mind teaching you."

Danny can't help but laugh. Why was he so nervous again? Superheroes or not, they were teenagers, just like him. "I do know how to play video games, actually. And I'm not centuries old. Believe it or not, I'm a modern ghost. Only about a year old. The Ghost Zone has portals all over the place, including into the past and the future. It can get a bit confusing. Especially when you're chasing someone."

"Whoa." Robin looks at him in awe. "So the thing with you being the Dragon?..."

Danny rubs the back of his neck. "A bit of misunderstanding while chasing a fruit-loop and the artifact he stole."

"Oh."

An awkward silence descends upon them.

After a few moments, Megan floats over with a tray of cookies, Artemis following on foot, causing Wally to rush over and make a grab for it. The Martian (and how cool was that? He got to work with a Martian as a teammate!) quickly uses her telekinesis to keep the plate out of his reach.

"No, Wally. They're for Phantom." She suddenly shrinks into herself, staring at Danny wide-eyed. "I mean, if want them. Wait, can you even eat them? Hello Megan! Of course he can't, he's a ghost. I'm sorry, Phantom, I didn't - "

Danny moves forward, cutting Megan off before she can get herself to worked up. "It's alright. Really. I can eat, it's just not a necessity, anymore. As long as they're not moving around on their own, I'd love to try your cookies." Not technically true, or more like the full truth, since Danny did need to eat, just not as much as a normal human as long as he had a steady flow of ectoplasm, but he really didn't want to reveal his Halfa status to the Team if he could help it. Not yet, at least.

The cookies are delicious, all warm and buttery and chocolaty. Much better then the ones his mother makes (considering those tend to come alive and bite back, there isn't any competition) and Danny says as much.

Megan's cheeks gain a pinkish hue. "Thank you. I-I'm glad you like them."

Danny takes another bite and savors the favor as he gathers his confidence. He watches the others as they enjoy their on sweets. Time to ask. The worst they could do is to refuse, right?

"I have to admit I didn't come today just to see you all." They all turn to him. Well, at least he had their attention. "You see, there's a carnival in Amity and I was wondering if – uh, you would like to come?"

The other teens exchange gazes, before smiling at him.

"Sure."

"Sounds like fun."

"Let me alert Bats where we're going."

"As long as there's cotton candy and corndogs involved."

"Wally!"

"...What?"

(AN)

And there you go. A little team-building chapter in cute, insecure Danny's point of view.

So, yes, I am continuing. After a bit of thought, (and a review from Jewel moonstone that I found myself totally agreeing with – thanks Jewel moonstone!), I've decided that the story will have five "arcs" that will be 2 to 3 chapters long. In between each "arc", there will be 1 or 2 team-building/corny antics chapters. Problem is, I only have so many ideas, so if you have a request, I would appreciate hearing it.

This story will be in either Danny's or Dick's point of view, so please keep that in mind.

Thank you to everyone who explained the Samurai Jack thing. That really confused me.

Oh my gosh! (Fan-girl squeal) Pandemi and NoSignalBlueSreen, your DP crossovers are among my favorites to reread, especially Puppet and Phantom Phables. Thank you sooo much for reading!

Guest : Thank you for correcting me. I wasn't quit sure how to spell his name, and for the advice about other languages. Everything has been fixed by the time this goes up.

Going Ghost : Yes, he will be keeping the ninja outfit.

Ghost : I like that idea. I'm not sure how I'll include it, but I'll certainly try.

TheFishKing : It is Dick Grayson. This kind of AU is called Reversed Aged Robins. The Bat-bros are still all the same, it's just that Damian (or in this case, Terry from Batman Beyond) is the oldest and Dick is the youngest. It's actually pretty common, if you know where to look.

Thank you all for reading!