Opening A/N: Howdy! So, another chapter done. You know what that means! More "I Just Want To Be Remembered"! Also, I completely forgot to point it out in my last A/N, so you've probably already noticed, but we hit the 25k word mark! It's incredibly gratifying knowing that I've been able to get this far with this fic. But I can assure you, I'm not anywhere near done. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Synopsis - Danny is once again meeting with Ember, only this time he has to face the fact that he's crushing on her. Somehow, he talks himself into singing for the musical expert. How will he do? What will Ember think of his skills? Will he embarrass himself in front of her? Read to find out!
"Two quotation marks means speech or emphasis on a word."
'One quotation mark means thought.'
Italics mean heavy emphasis on a word, lyrics/song titles, or written/digital text.
Chapter IX: Hidden Talent
It's deep into the morning, nearly eleven in the afternoon, before Danny wakes up from his pleasant, Ember filled dreams. The risen sun shines through his window, painting the light blue walls in a gentle yellow glow.
His cheeks are filled with what's becoming a familiar sensation once he recalls what he had been dreaming about. As he lies there in his bed, hands resting atop his burning face as he mumbles. "If this is how I'm acting now, how the hell am I supposed to keep it together when I'm actually around her?"
Danny knows that keeping his crush a secret is going to be beyond difficult. It doesn't help that he's a horrible liar, mainly due to the fact that he hates lying. He could never truly bring himself to believe that lying was the right thing to do, no matter what the situation was.
Forcing himself out of bed, he goes into his bathroom and gets ready for the day ahead. Ember will be meeting up with him later today at the park and for the first time since their conversation in her realm, he's dreading the meeting. He's not feeling apprehensive about spending time with her, no. If anything he's ecstatic to spend more time with the rockstar. He's mainly afraid of being awkward or making a fool of himself and exposing his crush to her.
He sighs as he exits the bathroom and makes his way to the closet. Grabbing his clothes for the day, he begins the process of getting dressed. The outfit he chose consists of a white sleeveless shirt that has light blue flames strewn across the bottom half of it, a pair of black jeans, and white sneakers.
Taking a moment to look down at the shirt before putting it on, he wonders. 'Is this an Ember branded shirt? Or did I have this before she came to the human world?'
The piece of clothing has no discernable markings other than the blue flames that could indicate if it's a piece of Ember McLain merchandise or not. Regardless, he can't bring himself to toss it back in his closet and exchange it for another.
Once getting dressed and putting his wallet and phone in his pockets, Danny makes his way downstairs. He finds his parents having breakfast, chatting about something or other.
"Good morning." He greets.
"Good morning Danny." His mom returns with a smile.
"Morning Danny-boy!" His father says enthusiastically. "Got any plans for the day, son?"
He makes his way over to the fridge, opening the door and searching for a drink. "Actually, yeah. Ember and I plan on meeting up again today."
With his back to them, he doesn't see the look they share at his words. "How are things going between the two of you?" Maddie asks tentatively, looking back at him
His thoughts quickly turn to the girl in question and he feels his cheeks rapidly flush once more. Danny is beyond relieved that the cold air from the refrigerator cools them just as quickly. "It's going great, honestly." He says before grabbing a bottle of water and turning to face them. "I was surprised at how easily we got along once we got past the whole "bashing each other's faces in" stage. Even if it took almost four years."
His mother doesn't look pleased at his attempt to make light of the violent past he shared with the ghost rocker. Jack on the other hand let out an amused snort, earning himself a glare from his wife in the process. The matriarch of the Fenton family shakes her head at their antics and looks back to her son. "I'm glad to hear things are going well, then."
Danny can feel one of his eyebrows rise at the line of questioning, and the fact that his parents seem to be accepting of his excursions with Ember.
His parents treating him as if hanging around with ghosts without fighting or stuffing them in a thermos was the norm seemed odd to him. He couldn't help but wonder. 'Why would they suddenly change their minds? You know what, I don't really care. I prefer this over them criticizing my decisions any day.'
"Thanks?" He replies, confused. "What about you two, do you have any plans for the day?"
"Actually, your father and I were invited to give a presentation in Madison. So we'll be gone for the next few days." His mom explains.
"That's cool." Danny replies. "I'm guessing it's ghost related?"
"Of course it is!" His father says excitedly. "We were offered a decent amount of money to go and give a presentation on everything we know about ghosts and the Ghost Zone."
That doesn't really surprise Danny. It's not uncommon for his parent's, or even himself, to get such offers, though he never accepted any of them. Ever since the Disasteroid, the world as a whole had jumped headfirst into accepting ghosts as real and trying to learn as much about ghosts as they could. Seeing as how the Fenton family was at the forefront of the ghost hunting community, their time and knowledge was incredibly sought after.
"So, you're gonna be in Wisconsin for a few days? When do you leave?" He asks.
"We leave later today, but we'll only be there until Thursday. Friday at the latest." Maddie answers.
"Well, I hope you two have fun." Danny says with a smile. "But don't have too much fun without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it, kiddo." Jack responds, a loving smile on his face.
"I love you two." He says after finishing the last bit of water from his bottle. "I'm gonna go fly around and patrol a bit before meeting up with Ember."
"Do you have your phone?" His mother asks.
Danny rolls his eyes playfully and pats his front pocket. "Yes, mom."
"Don't roll your eyes at me, young man." She admonishes in a joking tone. "And we love you too."
The young Fenton only laughs lightly in response as he exits the house. On the front steps of his home he transforms and takes to the air for the first time that day.
The sun sits high in the sky, its rays heating the Earth to nearly unbearable levels. Even Danny, whose ice core makes him more accommodating to the heat, feels as though the warmth is melting him from the inside out, a thin veil of sweat covering his body.
As he sits in the park staring at the nearby lake, he seriously starts to consider jumping in its waters to escape from the heat. It's either that or jumping into the fountain, but he garners enough looks on being a Halfa alone. Jumping into a public fountain to cool off would only increase the scrutiny.
"You're looking at that lake like it might disappear." A familiar voice says.
Danny turns to look towards the voice, only to be stunned by the sight before him. Ember's flaming hair is up in her usual ponytail and her signature choker is still there, as well as the normal make up, but the rest of her outfit is completely different from the normal attire. She's wearing a shirt similar to the one she was wearing in her realm, only this one is considerably shorter. The tight, dark gray fabric is cut off just beneath her breasts, which leaves her slim stomach completely exposed, the top also exposes a small amount of her cleavage. Her legs are covered by a form fitting pair of black shorts, cut off above the middle of her thighs, and her platform boots have been replaced by a normal pair of black high top boots.
The half-ghost feels his mouth go dry at the sight, his heart racing almost alarmingly fast. The warmth of the sun feels insignificant in comparison to the feeling of heat now resonating within his face. "Wow." He stutters out. "You look great, Ember."
Her small smile grows at the compliment, and her pale cheeks take on a noticeably darker shade. "Thanks, babypop. You don't look so bad yourself." She says, not missing a beat.
He rubs the back of his neck nervously, a habit he has developed over the years. "So, do you have any preferences on what we do today?"
"Well, considering that I've only been out here for a few minutes and I already feel like I'm literally melting. I don't care what we do, as long as it's somewhere with air conditioning." She says.
"Have you started working on any new music?" Danny inquires.
"No, actually. For once, I've been having trouble writing new stuff. Like, I can get an idea of what I want the song to be, but I can't seem to put my thoughts down on the paper." She explains, clearly frustrated over the development.
"Well, in that case, why don't we go to your realm? I have an idea I want to run by you anyway, and who knows? Maybe it will inspire you." He states.
"Seriously? Sure, but if you think I'm flying all the way back after I just got here, you have another thing coming. If we're going, we'll be taking the express route." Ember says with a smile that concerns him ever so slightly.
"Express route?" Danny asks.
She walks up next to him and wraps her arms around his right one. "Hang on tight!" She says as blue flames envelop the two.
Once the blue inferno has faded from his vision, Danny is greeted, not by the sight of the lush green park, but by the familiar sight of dark walls and band posters. "Did you just teleport us all the way to your realm?" He asks, surprised at the quick transit.
"Well yeah, duh." Ember says, letting him go. "I told you I wasn't flying all the way back here, not when I could just do that."
"I wish I could do that." The halfa grumbles, jealous at the ability.
"Who knows, maybe you can. Just an ice version of it or something." She responds with a shrug.
"Yeah maybe." He says, looking around the living room once more. "By the way, where do you even record your music? I noticed a few pieces of musical equipment over in the corner before, but it doesn't look like enough to record with."
"Oh right, you've only seen the living room, that stuff is just junk. Other than the stand and that one amp, it's all either outdated or broken." Ember responds, motioning him to follow her. "My actual studio is down here."
Danny is led to a door that when opened, reveals a set of stairs leading down into what he assumes is a basement of sorts. 'Is it technically a basement if it's not underground?' He wonders.
After returning to level ground at the bottom of the stairs, he's greeted to the sight of an honest-to-god full recording studio. Tan walls and large glass windows that lead to recording booths are what greet him, as well as a large panel of switches, dials, and other things that he has no idea what they are.. "You're kidding…" He mutters "You have a full-on studio here in your realm?"
The music artist turns to look at him, a delicate eyebrow raised. "Why wouldn't I have my own studio? Where else do you think I recorded all my music?"
Danny raises a finger and opens his mouth to speak, only for his arm to fall lightly as he realized he had no answer for her. "You know, I've never really thought about it before. I guess I just assumed you used a studio in the human realm."
"If you think I'm going to use anything other than my own equipment that is set up to my standards, you're out of your mind. Besides, why would I worry about buying or renting a place when I can just do it here for free?" Ember looks offended at the idea. "So, hit me, what's this idea you had that you wanted to tell me about?"
"Well, hear me out." He starts, his nerves evident. "Back before the whole "portal incident", I used to play guitar and sing a little. It's something I haven't been able to get back into since. So, I was wondering if you'd let me try my hand at playing and singing again."
Danny knows it's a long shot, seeing as how highly Ember holds her music standards, but he'd rather ask and get refused rather than not ask at all and continue to wonder.
"You mean you want me to give you a chance to possibly embarrass yourself for me? Hell yeah, I'll let you! But you're absolutely not using my guitar." She responds teasingly, walking over to the nearby control board and messing around with the various dials and switches.
Even though he knows she wasn't serious, the idea of embarrassing himself in front of his crush makes him pause. "On second thought, maybe not."
"Absolutely not, you're not getting out of it that easily." She says as she looks over her shoulder at him. "I'll make you a deal. You sing one song, no matter how badly you do, sing one song all the way through and I'll do the same for you."
'An opportunity to get a private concert from Ember? Sign me up!' His internal excitement at the prospect isn't shown on his face.
"Fine, I'll do it. On one condition." Danny concedes.
"Name your price, babypop. Either way, something tells me I'm still getting the better end of this deal." Ember says smugly.
"I'll sing, but you have to play the guitar for the song." He demands.
She raises her eyebrow once again, as if expecting something different. "Really? That's it? I was expecting worse, honestly."
Danny looks taken aback. "Wait really? Just like that?"
She only shrugs in response. "Well, yeah, playing guitar is one of the few things I actually do for fun, so I'll take any excuse I can get to play. But if you don't think it's fair, then you can play when I sing."
He nods his head in acceptance to the response, although now he's regretting opening his mouth. Not only does he have to sing for her, but now he's talked himself into playing guitar while she sings for him as well. "Alright, well let's get this over with." He mutters, walking into the recording booth.
Ember takes a few more minutes to continue setting up everything before joining him. Grabbing her purple and blue guitar along the way. "So, you have a song in mind?" She asks once she's settled in and plugged her guitar into one of the many amplifiers within the room.
"Yeah, one second." Danny says, pulling out his phone and looking for the sheet music for her to play along to.
Quickly realizing the phone screen was far too small to use, Ember had the idea of using a big screen, so using her control over the realm she summoned one and they managed to connect his phone to it. The larger screen now easily displaying the music notes for her to read.
After reading through the music a few times and experimentally strumming her guitar to the notes, she asks. "Alright, you ready?"
The half-ghost looks at the microphone in front of him dauntingly. "Hey," She says, garnering his attention. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I know what it's like to be nervous performing in front of other people."
For some reason, her words surprise him. Danny had never thought about Ember having stage fright at some point in her career. But then he remembered that she's a ghost and she wasn't always the confident rockstar she is today.
"If it helps, I won't judge you too badly. Just don't make me promise not to laugh." She adds with a teasing smile.
"I'm good, I think. Let's just get this over with before I chicken out." He says, shakily returning her smile.
Ember counts him down on her fingers before she starts playing the opening riff of the song. Danny listens closely for his cue to begin singing.
"A heart made of stone, callous and bone
Fracture and tear it out to let it go!
And to think I called it my own.
And I would have never thought the pain could grow
So, I'll break it knowing what you said
The pain is what you make it, sadly you are so mistaken.
I will take you with a grain, and step into the changes.
Throw away the empty heart!
Right now!
Never want to leave this place, and right now!
See it in a different way, so right now!
Even if you take me home…
I'll stand, the lonely
Stand, the lonely!"
He can't see her due to his eyes being closed in concentration, but despite her fingers still expertly navigating the guitar strings, Ember's eyes are fixated on him. Her expression is one of genuine surprise, as if she never expected him to do so well. Which in all honesty, she didn't.
"It's harder to know, just where to go…
If only the stars aligned, the sunsets glowed
I don't need a calm in a storm,
Or something to scream about with empty lungs!
So, I'll break it knowing what you said
The pain is what you make it, sadly you are so mistaken.
I will take you with a grain, and step into the changes.
Throw away the empty heart!
Right now!
Never want to leave this place, and right now!
See it in a different way, so right now!
Even if you take me home…
I'll stand, the lonely
Stand, the lonely!"
Ember can almost feel the emotion in his voice as the words leave his lips. The fact that Danny could sing as well as he does, especially on a song such as this, made her long dead heart skip a beat.
"Right now!
Never want to leave this place, and right now!
See it in a different way, so right now!
Even if you take me home…
I'll stand, the lonely
Stand, the lonely!"
As the last chord of the song rings out, Danny tenses at the inevitable criticism bound to come from the musical expert next to him. But as the minutes drag on and he doesn't hear any words come from her, his eyes hesitantly open to see her staring at him.
Ending A/N: For those of you wondering, the song is called "Anthem of the Lonely" by Nine Lashes. I heard it the day before I started writing this chapter and immediately knew that I wanted to have at least one scene of Danny performing it. While I already had the idea for a chapter like this days ago, hearing this song only cemented the prospect for me.
While I could go on and explain why/how I believe each verse applies to Danny in one way or another, I'll let you form your own interpretation of it. But if you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them.
I hope you've enjoyed another chapter and I hope you all have a wonderful day! -DraconicAnarkhy
P.S. I do NOT own the song used in this chapter, nor do I claim to.