Because this now has chapters, I'm updating as they are being written. The plot in my notes has this as 6-7 chapters, so this really got out of hand. None of the characters of Arrow show up until chapter 5. Could technically be done with two chapters, but whatever, I guess.
Any and all mistakes are mine.
I have zero claims of owning Danny Phantom or Arrow.
He never wanted The Reveal to ever be taken from his hands, none what-so-ever. He'd like to have a semblance of control over that, to be able to gauge his parent's reaction and be able to know if he needs to escape.
Going down into the lab that one night to empty the thermos after the swarming from earlier, from something that he'd probably have to investigate later no less, seeing his face on the screen was startling. He knows that his parents have been researching into him more, as he's witnessed them staying after the fights longer. His own face on a file shouldn't be as concerning as this had been, as his human face and information was on the computer not his ghost one.
Moving the mouse over to scan over the information behind the open window is a blood test.
His parents' have the equipment for quick comparisons between human blood and ectoplasm for their ecto-tests, but he didn't realize the potential in them having that kind of capability. Maybe he should be asking more about what kind they do, but then that would've put in the line of questioning, and which may have increased his chances of being affected by any and all testing.
He closed his eyes from staring into the ceiling as he's been lying in bed.
Finding his blood somehow matching his ectoplasm on his parents' computer was not something he needed. He had tried to sleep, but even in the mists of morning dew coating his window, he actively could not. Scrubbing his hands over his face in an abundance of stress building in the back of his mind, acknowledging that he should be doing something.
A part of him wants to run, another part wants to confront them, but an even larger part says to wait. Wait it out, see if they change or charge. That's the side he'll listen to first.
Beside him, he heard his phone vibrate right before the alarm blasted his ear drums to wake him for school.
Lancer is gonna kill him.
He sighed standing up and changing with just enough time before a knock hit his door. Well, it wasn't his father.
"Come in."
"Danny."
He met the eyes of his mother, her eyes roving his form in concern, a smile-forced by the looks of it-gracing her features before she opens her mouth. "Anything you want for breakfast?"
He couldn't stop the narrowing of his eyes, "Just the usual."
"Well, alright, it'll be waiting on you for the table."
His head cocked to the side, hand hesitating just over his bag, he shook it and made his way down the steps. His sister leaning against the banister, rose a brow at him as he placed his bag at the bottom, he glanced back at her and shrugged.
He loved his sister, he really did, but he didn't want to hear her own ideas about how she could see their reactions. He already knew, and as much as she is one of them, he is kind of need of the silent support over the told ya so ones.
Yet as he watches his father, a plate of fudge on the table, poking but not threading the fabric in his hands, maybe he should say something.
"Kids, breakfast!"
"Somethings not right." Jazz mutters from beside him, looking back at her brother, "What do you know?"
"I-uh." he rubbed at the back of his neck.
Recognizing the discomfort, she relents some of her concern, "Whatever."
Around the table, the parents tried to subtly watch their son.
"What?" Danny asked, catching their gaze, partially more on his hands for some reason. Had he used his powers while in his sleep deprived state?
"Supposed we could have an outing after school, maybe a picnic?" Maddie asks, unsure.
Jazz rolled her eyes, mind already running through the list of excuses that Danny uses.
"Uh, sure." Danny blinked, trying to find what kind of angle that she was trying.
Jazz's hand releases her book to cover Danny's forehead, "Are you feeling okay? You seem a little warm."
"Stop Jazz, I'm fine." he batted away her hand.
Instead, she pulled him up and away from his seat, "We need to leave for school, bye!"
"But it's still early." Jack pouted behind them as they left.
Danny couldn't say how many times he'd been dragged some placed against his will, but the fact that his sister was doing so, is a little on the annoying side. He understands that she's helping cover his secret, and he had been impersonated and framed in the past. So really, he gets it. "Jazz!" he shouts, startling her to let him go. He rubs his wrist and glares. "I'm fine."
"My little brother agreed to a picnic," she supplied first, releasing a sigh, "without a fight."
He didn't say anything, not at first, and he tried for a short moment.
"Either you aren't Danny or-" her eyes widened, pointing to him, "they know."
"I don't think they know, or they don't want to know." he replied. "I was releasing some ghosts in the portal, and they had my blood matching my ghost blood, somehow, on the computer in the lab."
"So, the picnic..."
"Is to see what they might actually think."
In the simulation, everything would go as planned, however reality would say different, as he did fall asleep in class, as usual. A ghost attack happened, but this time his parents didn't shoot or call him the usual names. After the fight, he stared at them, hesitating to approach but ultimately leaving to get back to school since he now had a detention waiting for him.
Before serving his sentence, he tried to converse with Sam and Tucker about the development but, got dragged in the classroom and the door slammed in their faces.
With detention served, he expected to go straight home and for once just discuss this with his parents, get everything out in the open.
There goes another stream of ghost animals, and he might be able to see the GAV racing to his location. Despite the strain of exhaustion, he transforms anyway, chasing, fighting, capturing, chasing some more until his hands grip in frustration over everything. He flopped down on the roof and stared up into the stars, releasing a heavy sigh that makes him want to stay there indefinitely and ignore everything.
On the edge of his hearing, he can get the noise of shoes on metal steps, turning invisible, he waits, and out comes his mother.
Her eyes scan the rooftop that she last saw the ghost boy-her boy-dropped onto that looked like it hurt. She pulled out the first tracker stared at it for a moment before turning around.
Danny groaned out loud, hovering away from the roof and flew off back towards his warm bed. Tomorrow, he'll deal with this tomorrow.
However, just as he was ready to fall asleep, his door opened after a soft knock. He snapped his eyes shut, mimicking that he's asleep.
"Let's wait, he's exhausted." he heard his mother. "I'll just leave this on his desk, maybe that way we can ease him into realizing we know."
For a few moments he waits for sleep to cover him, and it doesn't. Throwing off the sheets, causing them to float down onto the floor he crawled to the end of the bed before standing up, reaching for the papers that had been left on his desk. Sitting back down his eyes, the very little night vision he actually has, allows him to see the written notes on the margins of the printed documents. Scanning the first paragraph lets him know that this was a paper that his parents had published upon the opening of the portal.
Scooting back until he hit the headboard, Danny leaned over to turn his lamp on, looking back over to the documents now on his lap.
A notational hoard and many crossed out lines met him, making a pit of anxiety to form into his gut, over the fact that this may be the consequence of his secret being out. He can see his name written in certain places, but he couldn't be sure whether that's because of an answer he can give or if he's directly involved. Could be both?
By the time he had reached the end of the documents, and it wasn't just one, he could see the morning sun filtering through his windows to glare across his monitor screen. The questions he had, that his parents will now be willing to listen to him and his friends and not just cut them out like they did before.
His hands, which had begun to tremble when he initially picked up the papers, shook an uncontrollable amount that made his leg start to wobble as an adverse effect to stop his hands. Standing in a sudden burst of energy, adrenaline of the unknown, and the complete notion that something had to give.
Familiar to a majority of his fights, that when there had been a standoff, he's usually the first to move, sometimes it's caused a number of misunderstandings that he had to think to himself to stop and just think.
Either he moves first, or his parents may do something consequential that may make the situation worse than what it needs to be. Especially when they are already trying to make amends in their research and allowing him to come to them.
But, what if...?
He shook his head, pacing a hole in his floor over and over and over-.
In the next exhale, as shaky as it has become, he's out his bedroom and running down the steps, sliding into the kitchen, barely noticing that his foot integrated itself into the table leg.
His parents, eyes wide in surprise, watched his uneven rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to find his words.
"Danny?" Jack stood slowly, as his wife, Maddie moved towards him.
Their son only took a step back, before stilling, freezing in place as the words tumbled from his lips. "I know you know, and I can see that you are trying, but what if this is a ploy? What if you'll just experiment on me now that you have unlimited access? You have my blood! I can't-I-What if the government get it? I-I mean." he licks his lips. "I guess this gives you the knowledge on the late nights, the absences, and the bruising. I can't just leave the town when it comes to the ghosts that actually want to hurt humans. I just-"
"DANNY!"
His jaw clacks shut at their yell, and he hunkers down into his shoulders, his feet already splayed out with one slightly forward and the rest of his body prepared in fight or flight.
"Oh, sweety." Maddie frowns, recognizing the stance instantly. "None of that is gonna happen." her hands are raised in a calming motion. "We are proud of you."
Danny now realized the lack of suits, and the fact they were still in their sleep wear. His eyes roam to the clock, it is barely sunrise, before forcing his body to relax, not even knowing that he stiffened so quick. "What?"
"When we found out," Jack began, "there was shock, but then we realize what you've been actually doing, and we are proud of who you are."
"But-but aren't you angry? I've kept this a secret for so long, and…"
Maddie growled, "We are angry," her brows scrunched down, arms crossing, "at ourselves. We should've noticed that there was something wrong. The inventions themselves have been a prime indicator, and we just thought it was a malfunction." she released the building sigh.
"Experimenting on you, that's never going to happen." Jack kneeled down for his boy, so he wasn't so crowded, "Experimenting with you maybe, just so we know the limits of your powers. You are a Fenton through and through, no matter what you are. We love you."
"I-I…" he shoulders drop, and he launches to them, embracing and the comfort covers him, allowing the ice in his veins to melt. "Thank you. I love you too."
"Danny!" A whining of a weapon had Maddie and Jack pull Danny behind them as they all took notice of Jazz rounding the corner into the kitchen. "Where's Danny?"
"Jazz?" Danny peaked out from between his parents' figures getting her attention. "They found out; they know."
Jazz's grip on the weapon tightened, but she lowered it, "And?"
"Are you going to fight us to protect your brother?" Maddie rose a brow at her oldest.
Jazz stared at them, thinking for a very short time, she raised the weapon just the slightest bit, "If needed."
Jack smiled, "Good."
"Good?" the weapon powered down, she slowly moved to the table and sat down, the blaster placed out of their reach.
"It's good to know that you have each other's backs."
"I figured that the two of you would be fine, but you know…" she trailed.
"How about the two of you take off school today? We can talk about it." Maddie suggested.
Both children glanced to each other, a silent communication that the parents' have never witnessed before, and they now know that amount of damaged that they may have caused if this whole thing just kept going.
"I'll call Sam and Tucker, let them know that I won't be going."
Jazz patiently waited, while Danny left the room, she turned her attention to her parents. "You better listen to him from now on, please."
"We will Jazzy, and if not, you'll remind us." Jack dropped down in the chair.
Damage has been done between children and parents and that is a very big sign of things to come situated around trust. Until next time?
Chapter 2 is being a problem to write. It's so awkward.