A/N: Well, this is it, folks! The context behind the "if you know you know" tag on my Tumblr!
If you're not here from Tumblr, might I direct you to the lovely cookietastic, who made an excellent digital painting for a later chapter?
Please be on the lookout for trigger warnings in upcoming author's notes, as some chapters will touch on pretty heavy themes.
The Call From Behind Green Glass
Danny was starting to get worried. He hadn't seen his parents in hours, and their lab work didn't tend to stay in the lab that long. Usually, they'd come upstairs to make lunch, at least. They must've been pretty absorbed in their work for them not to have resurfaced. Danny supposed he should go check on them. Besides, he thought, we could all use something to eat about now.
Sandwiches, maybe?
Yeah, he could go for a sandwich.
So downstairs he went.
Oddly enough, he didn't find his parents in the lab like he'd thought he would. What he did find, however, was something he hadn't even thought possible.
"A ghost? But... ghosts don't exist. Ghosts don't exist! That- that can't be a ghost. There's no way!"
"Y'know, it's rude to call somebody 'that', even if they are a ghost," came the call from behind green glass.
"Holy jeez, it can talk."
"I'm a 'he', thanks," the figure said, unimpressed.
Something about this guy reminded Danny of someone. He seemed... familiar , almost. But he couldn't be. Danny would've remembered that white hair, those too-green eyes. He couldn't forget the subtle echo of his voice, or the way his shallow breathing seemed to come from underwater. Something about this guy seemed familiar, though that was impossible.
Something about him…
Danny took a step back.
Something about him seemed human .
Danny shuddered, and leaned into the wall to steady himself.
Click .
Wastebin
Danny came to some time later, head pounding.
That was… kind of a lot. If he hadn't awakened to the cold lab floor, he might've thought he'd died . But of course, here he was, fully conscious, if a bit numb.
With a groan, he heaved himself to a standing position, then immediately regretted moving so fast. He threw himself in the direction of the lab's "sanitization station", which was more of a glorified bathroom.
That was fine.
All he needed was the wastebin.
Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Danny turned to the mirror to check that he hadn't made a total mess of his hair.
Oh no.
Hell no.
Seeing himself, he realized he had snow white hair and glowing green eyes.
No. His hand slipped through the sink counter, and he fell face-first into the mirror. He jumped back, seeing his reflection flicker back into existence.
Three feet off the ground.
Wonderful .
So... he could walk through walls, disappear, and fly.
He took a moment to clear his head, then looked back into the mirror.
Well, frick.
He looked exactly the same as that other guy.
Kind of a Name
Danny stormed back into the lab, ready to give that ghost a piece of his mind. "What did you do?"
"What? I didn't do anything; that's all on you," the ghost said, gesturing at Danny's altered appearance.
"Who are you? What are you? What just happened? Why do I look like you?"
The ghost floated aimlessly through his prison. "Well, I'm you. A different you. From a different timeline."
Danny blinked. "Time travel exists?"
"Yeah; the Ghost Zone makes a lot of things possible." The ghost shrugged.
"The Ghost Zone?"
"Yeah; that's where ghosts live."
"There are more of you? "
"Dude, you're a ghost, too." He shot Danny a look carrying an obvious "Duh."
"I'M DEAD? "
"Well, only halfway."
"YEAH, THAT'S STILL BAD! "
"Hey, be quiet, dude; our parents will hear you."
Oh, no.
His parents.
He'd been talking with the ghost in the basement.
He was a ghost.
The ghost in the basement was his future self.
Well, that couldn't be true. Ghosts lie. Ghosts. Lie.
But it was like looking into a mirror. They looked the same.
How long until the ghost in the basement was him?
"...My parents are going to kill me. Again."
"Yeah; you get used to it after a certain point." He shrugged. "Speaking of, I think I've been locked up here long enough; mind busting me out?"
"Are you kidding? My parents would kill me!"
"Again," the ghost(Jumpsuit Danny?) deadpanned.
"Yes!"
"You know, you could be wrong. I'm not any deader yet, and I've been down here for weeks."
"How exactly is that better?"
"This way, we still have a chance to change their minds."
"We? Oh, nonono , I will have no part in this."
"It's a little late for that, Inviso-Bill ."
"...What kind of a name is that? "
"Beats me." Jumpsuit Danny shrugged again, this time with a smirk that told Danny he definitely knew what kind of name it was.
A Different Different You
"Whoa, someone's already here," a voice said, interrupting his annoyance.
He turned his head in all directions, hoping to find the speaker. "Who said that?"
"Oh, yeah, scouting the place, sorry."
In an instant, another ghost appeared, looking much the same as the one in the cage, if a bit taller.
"Who are you?"
"You. A different you. From the future."
"Another one?"
The ghost ignored Danny's confusion, and instead turned to greet his caged counterpart. "Oh, yeah; hi, Danny."
"Hi, Danny," he replied, still bearing The Smirk of Inside Jokes.
"So the Accident happened early?"
"Yeah, my bad."
"Darn."
Accident? Early? Why did this sound like a chat about the weather?
"Danny, what's taking so long? Scouting the lab shou- Oh, hey."
Another ghost popped up behind the tall one, emerging from a blue portal in the middle of the lab.
"And who are you? Me, from an alternate universe where I'm a girl?"
"Actually, she's your clone. From the future," the tall ghost supplied.
Danny sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Another portal opened up roughly where the last had been, this time rather unceremoniously spitting out what looked to be another of the same ghost, a bit older than the last.
"Great; now that you're all introduced, I need your help."
"Let me guess; you're me?" This was starting to become a bit of a pattern.
"From the future. For all of you."
"Oooof course you are." Danny could really use that sandwich right about now.