So I basically busted this one out in one night because this was one of the chapters I've wanted to write from the beginning, haha. Enjoy!
It had to be a ghost thing. It had to be.
It was 3:42 in the morning when Wes reached that conclusion, anxiously pacing his room. He'd taken what he knew, inferred what he didn't, and that was the only thing that made sense. He'd only recently noticed the problem, but he could tell that the signs had been there even days after his initial transformation. He had always been a restless individual, but never like this. He had never had problems with his heart either, as far as he could recall. There had been no issues with his diet, and outside of when he first got injured, his physical activity had stayed up. He wasn't sleeping as much as usual, at first of his own volition. But that had only been because he was curious about his new abilities. Now, he couldn't get almost any rest at all, no matter how much he wanted to. Still, insomnia alone shouldn't make his heart race like it was, as if it was trying to burst out of his chest.
But his skin... His skin felt like it was absolutely crawling. Scratching was no use, whatever it was was happening inside of him. His limbs were so sore, and yet he couldn't stop moving them. Every motion sent a spike of nerves shooting throughout his body, and that only made it feel worse, like he had so much pent-up energy that refused to escape him. The only thing Wes found that helped was to keep moving, always moving. But the moment he stopped, shakes wracked his body full force, sometimes worse than when he'd started. Even if he was physically exhausted, he needed to keep moving, anything to keep from feeling like his bones were writhing, like his heart was going to explode. Was this why he had never noticed before? Had basketball practice kept him somehow oblivious to all of this?
This had never been a problem before he became a ghost. And if it was this bad after only two weeks, how bad would it be after another two weeks? Another month? A year? Was this something that would get worse and worse for the rest of his life?
Danny would know, Wes was sure. But he couldn't go to school like this. His vision swam from lack of sleep, and he couldn't stand the thought of sitting at a desk for a solid seven hours. He needed help. But how long until he would be able to get it?
Wes glanced at the clock. 5:29. Danny would probably wake up at 6:30 or 7. He could call at 7, explain what was happening, what he was feeling. If he was lucky, Danny would know what was going on, maybe even know how to solve it. If not...
No. Danny would know. He'd been a ghost as long as Wes could remember. He never seemed to have this sort of unnatural restlessness. He had to know how to fix it.
Wes returned to bed, laying on top of it and forcing himself to keep still. He made himself ignore the shudder that ran through his body and didn't stop, resisted the urge to jump to his feet and run across the room. He needed to hold out as long as he could. Even if moving provided some small relief, if it really did make the issue worse, he needed to stop while he still could. He just needed to hang tight until he could get ahold of Danny.
An agonizing hour and a half later, the moment it turned 7, Wes snatched his phone from the nightstand, hurriedly dialing Danny's number. He sat up as he held the phone to his ear, curled in on himself and leg bouncing worriedly. It took four rings for Danny to pick up. "...Wes?" He sounded drowsy, like he had just woken up. Wes was too nervous to care.
"I think something's wrong."
Danny sounded more alert when he next spoke. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know, but I think... I think it might have to do with my ghost powers? Please, can you come over? I-I don't know what to do."
Danny was silent for a while, and Wes carded a hand through his hair. He couldn't stop shaking. "...How serious is this? Do you need me to come after school, or is it an emergency?"
"I can't tell," Wes replied, though he really, really wished Danny would come sooner. "This has been going on for... for at least a week, I think. But it's only starting to get bad now. I just don't know how bad."
There was more silence on Danny's end. "...If it gets worse, call me, and I'll come up with some excuse to leave school. But I can't keep leaving class if I can avoid it, so only call me if it's urgent, alright?"
Wes let out a shuddery breath. "...Okay... Thank you." Danny hung up, and Wes all but tossed his phone back to the nightstand, laying on his side and curling up into a ball. He could wait until 4, couldn't he? That was only nine hours away. He'd already gone two weeks, what was another half a day? He would be fine, he was sure. He just... needed to try to get some more sleep. The faster he could make the time go by, the better.
So there he lay, shaking and twitching, keeping his eyes shut tight. But just like it had been all night, it was a hopeless endeavor. He itched to run, but he forced himself still. He could pretend for as long as he needed to.
One hour. Two. Three. His stomach growled, and he got to his feet so he could make himself something to eat. A bowl of cereal would do. Once he'd eaten it, he confined himself to the couch to continue waiting. His dad came through as he got ready for work, and after a short explanation, called Wes in sick. It did, however, take some convincing to ensure Walter didn't do the same for himself. Wes would be fine.
Four hours. Five. He still couldn't stop bouncing and flexing. He went back to his room, fishing through his dresser for one of his compression tank tops. He took off his shirt so that he could slip it on over his head, putting his shirt back on over it. It did nothing for the endless energy that continued to bottle itself up, but the restrictive fabric was soothing nonetheless. He went back to bed, anxiously watching the clock.
Six. Seven. Eight. He didn't have much longer to go. He was fine, he told himself. Even if he felt like he could burst at any moment, he was fine. He only had another hour to wait. He could hold himself together for that long. He'd gotten this far. It would be okay.
Nine hours. Danny would arrive any minute. Wes glanced from the clock to the phone, to the doorway and back. What was taking so long? If there was another ghost at the school I'm going to scream.
...Actually, maybe that would help him. It had helped him when he was young and had more energy than he knew what to do with, at any rate. And one of Phantom's attacks was basically a really big scream, right? What if that was why he never got those terrible shakes? Maybe it would do him some good. So he grabbed his pillow, buried his face in it, and did just that, screaming with all his might.
It didn't actually help with his predicament at all. But at least he felt a little calmer.
A couple minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Wes was on his feet in an instant, flinging the door open without checking to see who it was. He all but tugged Danny into the house, slamming the door in the process. "Oh thank god you're finally here."
Danny frowned at the hands grasping the front of his shirt, then pried them off. "So what's all this about? What's going on with your powers?"
Wes paced back and forth through the living room. He figured he could allow himself that much. "That's just it, I don't know what's going on. I noticed my heart was beating a little faster than it should last week, no big deal. But now it's beating so hard I can't believe it hasn't blown up yet. I can't stop moving, and if I move at all I have to move more, and it keeps getting worse! I haven't slept right in days, and I can't stop shaking!"
Danny blinked at him. "...Wes, it sounds less like a problem for me, and more like a problem for your doctor."
"No! It all started after you turned me into a ghost! Feel this!" Wes thrust his wrist in Danny's face, forcing him to take a step backwards. Shooting him an irritated look, Danny grasped it, and immediately he could tell what Wes meant. His heart was beating faster and harder than what had to be healthy; his own had settled to a low 30 beats when he first changed. Upon further inspection, it didn't even seem like Wes was trembling. It was more like he was vibrating. "...This isn't normal. And it wasn't like this last week. Can you help me or not?"
Danny released Wes's hand, curling a finger under his chin. "...Are you cold?"
"Huh?" Wes furrowed his brows, and continued pacing. "No, no, not cold. Just restless. But I've never had it this bad. What does being cold have to do with anything? Am I supposed to be cold? I'm not cold, is that bad?"
"Alright, don't freak out when I say this," Danny warned him, "but... I think your core might be overloading."
Wes stopped. Looked at Danny. Gaped. "...An overload?! Am I actually gonna explode?!"
"No, nobody is exploding," Danny was quick to assure him, holding his hands out. "It just means you have some excess energy you need to let out. You've only been a Halfa for a couple weeks, so you should be okay for now. It takes a long time for core energy to build up to the point that it becomes dangerous. Or it did for me, but..." He paused. Glanced at Wes's worried expression. "...Come on, we're going to the forest. You'll feel better once you've let it out. Then we'll figure out how you got to this point so fast."
Wes nodded, still visibly nervous. He pulled his shoes on, hurrying out the door. Danny had to jog to keep up. "So what's the deal with cores then, huh?" Wes asked, hoping for something to distract him.
Danny looked at him, having expected a similar question. "Well, Jazz told you about how they're basically the source of a ghost's power, right?" Wes nodded, so he continued. "A core is what keeps a ghost going, and every ghost has a different kind of core. That's why I asked if you were cold. I have an ice core... or maybe it's a water core. We aren't actually sure how specific it gets. I'd figured that if the portal was what changed us both, then it would make sense if you had a similar core. But I don't think you do. I never had any of those symptoms you were talking about, but I think we can solve your problem the same way I solved mine."
"Oh yeah?" Wes hummed. He was still frowning with visible discomfort, but it had mellowed somewhat, his brows smoothing out. He watched Danny out of the corner of his eye, hanging onto every word. "What way was that?"
"My problem was that I hadn't been using enough of my core energy," Danny replied. "See, the buildup happens separate from the usual ghost powers, like it's attached to more specific kinds of powers. For me, that's ice. Before I figured out how to use that, I was only letting a small amount escape at a time. I fight ghosts almost every day, so that might have something to do with why it took me so long to start overloading. But you aren't really the crimefighting type, so you're going to have to go somewhere to outlet every once in a while. I just didn't think it would be this soon."
"...Well, why can't I fight crime like you?" Wes questioned. Danny blinked at him. "I was able to do it once. And if it helps you, it would probably help me, too."
"Johnny can be kind of a creep sometimes," said Danny, "but he usually isn't that dangerous. There are way worse ghosts out there than him and Shadow, ghosts who can and will seriously hurt you. And you still don't have any powers that could help you against any of them. Do you really want to try punching out someone like Vortex, or Plasmius?"
Wes frowned thoughtfully. "...Maybe it'll come with time. You didn't figure out how to blast ghosts until a couple months after you first showed up, right? And you couldn't scream until around half a year ago, I think."
"Wail," Danny corrected him automatically. "And... maybe. We won't know what kind of powers you'll get until they crop up on their own. But... maybe we'll at least figure out what kind of core you have after this. That might be a good starting point."
Wes grinned excitedly, and all but sprinted when the treeline came into view. Danny ran after him, transforming once he was under the cover of the trees. If Wes was going to be releasing a whole bunch of energy neither of them knew the nature of, he didn't want to be in human form if it hit him.
Soon he reached the clearing, where Wes was already waiting, hopping from foot to foot. He kept his arms around his waist, like he was trying to physically hold himself together. Danny didn't want to keep him waiting any longer than he had to. "Alright, you're gonna want to go ghost for this. But I gotta warn you, whatever you're feeling right now is probably gonna feel a bit worse in ghost form."
The young Halfa nodded, and he changed with his characteristic flash of light. The second his aura stabilized, he whined, squeezing himself even tighter as a forceful spasm took hold of him. "...Now what?" he asked, his voice warbling.
"This part might suck at first," said Danny, "but you're going to want to take that feeling, that energy, and pull it all inside of you. Let it build up until you can't anymore."
"Are you kidding me?!" Wes cried out. "I'm supposed to let it get worse?!"
"Not worse, the energy is already there," Danny told him. "You just need to gather it all in one place."
Wes frowned, humming nervously, but he tried to do as he was instructed. Danny had been right; it wasn't a pleasant feeling. He felt his heart rate increasing, and it quickly went from a heavy rhythm to a hammering staccato. His whole form shook as he drew in that restless energy, drawing it into his chest. From there... it got better. His knees steadied, and his hands began to relax, the veins behind his knuckles no longer sticking out quite as starkly. His heart still felt like it was about to burst out of his ribcage, the sound of it almost deafening, but he found it strangely more bearable, when every jolt and twitch that had plagued him for days was confined to his chest. Sweat beaded against his brow as he focused on keeping it all there, but he found himself almost welcoming that powerful thrum.
"Now, push it all out at once," said Danny. "But, um. Maybe do it in that direction?"
Wes's aura dimmed, just for a moment. At first, he thought it was going to be like before, that the feeling would ebb away with it. But then, suddenly, the power he had gathered together surged, and his glow burst forth, lighting up the clearing like a miniature blue sun. All the energy that had been building for the past two weeks escaped in a rush, and he laughed with relief, pushing himself to go brighter and brighter. But then Danny cried out, and he gasped, his glow abruptly cutting off. "Fenton?" He turned, and Danny was doubled over, hands clutching at his eyes. "Fenton!"
Danny pulled his hands away from his face, forcing his eyes open. But he was blinking quickly, his eyes not entirely focused. He rubbed at them, standing up straight again. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just... I wasn't expecting you to get that bright."
Chewing at his lip, Wes lifted one hand, finger pointing up, and slowly moved it side to side. Danny's eyes didn't follow it. "Oh my god, you're blind!" he cried out.
"I'm not blind, it's just spots," Danny retorted. "I'll be fine in a minute. Yeesh, remind me to bring sunglasses next time. Anyway, how are you feeling now?"
Wes frowned, considering the question. That restlessness hadn't faded, not completely. He still felt like he could run for miles without stopping if he tried. But it no longer held the same grip that it had over him that morning. His heart still beat quickly, but it seemed to have settled, a rapid but gentle rhythm against his fingertips when he measured his pulse. 90 beats. "...Better. Not perfect, but definitely better."
"Good. That's good," Danny breathed. He rubbed at his eyes one more time, blinking away the last of the stars in his vision. "And now we know your core has something to do with light, too. But if you're gonna do that again, give me some warning, alright?"
Wes laughed giddily, a number of possible uses already running through his head. Lighting up dark areas was an obvious one, and he was sure he could distract or blind hostile ghosts, too. He recalled his glow turning pink the week before, and was certain he could change colors on purpose if he tried. He wondered how bright he could make himself, or if he could limit it to certain parts of his body. Could he project it from himself, create an external light source? Could he manipulate an already existing light? Power over light could be so versatile, and he longed to experiment and figure out what he could do with it.
...But it could wait. His eyelids drooped, and he swayed on his feet. Days of accumulating fatigue finally caught up, and without the core energy coursing through his veins to keep him going, he collapsed. Danny caught him before he could hit the ground, the exhausted teen reverting back to his human form. He was out cold, snoring obnoxiously.
Danny shook his head, a weary smile on his face. Wes must have really been tired, to fall asleep standing like that. Danny shifted him into something more comfortable, his feet leaving the ground as he headed back to Wes's house. He phased through the wall, depositing Wes onto his bed. The young Halfa immediately shifted, rolling onto his stomach and letting an arm and a leg dangle off the edge. Danny snorted at the sight, hovering there for just a moment before flying home.
Wes deserved the rest.
I've been waiting for this moment basically since I came up with the Halfa Wes concept lmao. I didn't want to delve too deep into what his core energy actually is yet, but I figured this was a good way to dip my toes into it.
I'm not sure whether to do a power experiment chapter or a character development chapter next, but whatever I end up doing, I hope to see y'all soon!