A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back for another chapter. This is being posted on April 5th 2024, which means just 2 days ago, on April 3rd, Danny Phantom had it's 20 year anniversary! I'm happy to have been a Phan since the beginning, and really glad I get to celebrate this event with the community. Beyond that, please remember to review! I'd love to hear about any thoughts you have on the story, or suggestions for where things can go!
A cool September breeze blew through the air as Danny, Tucker, Sam, Kim, Ron, Star, and Valerie explored the Amity Park swap meet. It was the final one of the year, and vendors were desperate to move some final items before packing everything away for the next summer.
"So you guys come here often?" Star asked, looking around at some of the various stalls.
"Yeah, there's all kinds of neat stuff here." Danny said. "Some people try and sell some of their crafts here. Sam's super into that."
"Yeah. My favorite quilt came from a lovely old lady who used to come here." Sam said, as she eyed a few knick-knacks on a nearby table.
"My favorite is the food. Nothing is better than Swap Meet funnel cake." Tucker said, eating away at the funnel cake he had bought earlier.
"So what do you usually come for Danny?" Star asked, as she flipped through a few shirts on racks at someone's stands.
"I like to look around, I don't have anything in particular I look for really. Maybe some bulk lots of legos that I build model ships with." Danny said, as he picked up and looked at a set of skateboard wheels. He wasn't sure why he did, Danny didn't know how to skateboard.
"Oh look! A fortune teller. That's new." Sam said, catching everyone's attention. The group walked over to the booth where an older woman with graying hair sat. In front of her were a selection of objects, a few crystals of various colors, a set of dice marked with strange symbols, and an ornate, if bizarrely shaped vase.
"Greetings young ones. I am Madame Babazita. Welcome to my stall." The older woman said. Her accent seemed odd, vaguely Russian by Danny's estimation, but mixed with others. If this was the woman's natural accent, she must have traveled a lot and picked up vocal tics from all over. Or she was putting on a show to drive up business. Danny couldn't tell which.
"What is all of this?" Sam asked, taking a look at her wares.
"The crystals are in tune with various natural energies, blessed with promises of good fortune. The dice are a prediction tool, allowing one who knows how to read them to foresee events before they happen. The vase is a container, that seals away the ghost of a harem girl." Babazita said, gesturing to the items in turn.
"Oh, tell me about this ghost then." Sam asked. She had enough experiences with seemingly haunted objects to recognize that it wasn't IMPOSSIBLE for this to be an actual container for a ghost. Sidney had been trapped in his mirror after all. She however didn't believe it to be likely.
"Yes, this harem girl was promised a kingdom by the Sultan she served. However, due to her beauty the wife of the sultan grew jealous, and had her exiled. She later died of a broken heart due to her failure to be with the man she had loved, as well as the rigors of old age. As a ghost, she is now forced to grant the wishes of others, giving them their greatest desires, though twisting them out of bitterness, since she can never have her own desires fulfilled." Babazita said.
"Well, that's a cool story if nothing else. Your sign says you are a fortune teller. What kind of fortunes do you do?" Danny asked.
"I do palm and tarot readings." Babazita said.
"Ooh! How much for a palm reading?" Star asked.
"I charge ten dollars. I would also do a tarot reading for an additional five." Babazita said, her eyes brightening. Danny didn't imagine she got much in the way of sales.
"I'll just get a palm reading then." Star said, pulling out a ten dollar bill and handing it to Madame Babazita.
"Very well child. Please give me your palms, and I shall attempt to divine your future." Babazita said, taking the blonde's hands into her own. "This is your heart line, yours is deep and clear. You have a strong capacity for love and affection. Very admirable. Should you find love, it will be deep and true. You will know it when it happens." Tracing along the line in Star's hand, she comes to a point that it forks. "A fork in your heart line suggests an unexpected turn in your love. There will be love in your life, though it might not be how you would expect it." Tracing the line again she comes to a small island. "This represents a significant experience in your life. Your love when you find it will change something about you very deeply." Moving her fingers again, Babazita comes to the heel of Star's hand. "This is the Mound of Venus. Yours is full and prominent representing your boundless love. You have much to give, and when you encounter your love, you will give and receive a lot of it."
Star listened intently to the older woman's words. Absorbing them deep into herself. "Thank you for the reading Madame Babazita. You have certainly given me something to look forward to!" Star said with a smile, as she and the others stepped away from the table. Star notably with an extra spring in her step.
"A bit vague don't you think?" Valerie said, obviously skeptical about the ability of the woman to divine anything from something like the lines of your palms.
"Oh, absolutely, but even if it isn't true at all, it is kind of fun to think about isn't it?" Star said. "Like, think about what those bizarre circumstances might be? Maybe it already happened. After all, I was attacked by my former friend who turned into a dragon. That happened while I was on a date with Danny. Maybe he's meant to be my love." Star said, fluttering her eyelashes at Danny.
Danny coughed a bit at that, causing Tucker and Ron to laugh at the surprised look on his face. "I don't know about that yet. Bit soon for something like that don't you think?" Danny said, trying to regain his composure.
"Oh, I know. We aren't even actually dating or anything. It is just fun to think about." Star said, humming slightly to herself as her good mood continued.
Kim thought about this for a second. She had technically set up Danny and Star, but now she was feeling a bit odd about the situation. She hadn't had feelings for Danny when that had started, still having her crush on Josh Mankey. Now though? She was unsure. She knew she liked Danny, and wanted a boyfriend that shared many of his characteristics. She wanted someone brave like him, who was capable of keeping up with her and didn't feel intimidated by her missions. The only boys that were like that that she had met were Danny, Ron, Tucker, and Wade. Wade was a no go, he was only ten, and was much more like a third brother to her than anything even resembling a romantic interest. Tucker was similarly out. Kim simply had no interest in him, although he was a good friend. Ron was strange. He had always been her best friend, and everything between them had always been platonic. She had given a few thoughts as to what it might be like to date Ron in the past, and while she didn't think it would be awful, she thought Ron was better as her best friend than as her boyfriend.
Danny though had caused all kinds of feelings in her. She had always recognized he was handsome. While he wasn't a musclebound jock like Dash or Kwan, he wasn't scrawny. Built more like a swimmer than a linebacker, Danny had muscles in all the right places. His blue-eyes were bright and happy, something that she often found herself staring at and wondering how they would look staring back at her. His bravery in the face of danger had also impressed her. Stepping up to fight against the Bebes was impressive, and his takedown of Monkey Fist alongside Ron had certainly made her consider offering him a permanent spot on Team Possible. Learning he was also Phantom? The superhero who had saved her from certain death during their first meeting, and kept her safe against the dragon Paulina? That had opened up a whole new can of worms.
Kim was pulled from her thoughts as someone bumped into her. "Sorry!" She said instinctively, knowing she wasn't paying too much attention to where she was going.
"It's okay pretty lady." The little girl who bumped into her said, giving her a big smile that was missing a few teeth. "I really like your hair!" She said, as she and her mother walked off. Kim smiled at the little girl who was holding hands with her mother.
As the little girl and her mother continued walking through the swap meet, a sweet smell caught the little girl's nose, she looked around and spotted her prize. "Ooh! Mommy! They have cotton candy! Can we get some? Please?"
"No sweetie, you've already had some funnel cake. You don't want to have too much sugar!" Her mother said, trying to placate her child.
"Ah but mom! It looks so tasty! Can't I have a little?" The little girl asked again.
"Sorry sweetie but no. You've had enough sugar." The mother said, taking a firm tone with her daughter.
"Ah, I wish I had some cotton candy." The little girl said, unknowing of the consequences of her words.
"So you wish it, so it shall be." A sultry voice resonated from deep within the vase at Madame Babazita's stall, as the cotton candy machine shook violently before spewing out a massive torrent of cotton candy. The wave of cotton candy expanded and expanded all the way to Madame Babazita's stall, where it eventually knocked over the vase containing the ghost, who emerged in a puff of green smoke.
The ghost was a very attractive woman, with long dark hair and an outfit that accentuated her large bust, small waist and flaring hips. What differentiated her from any other woman however was both her skin, which was a deep green, and her legs, or lack thereof as she had a ghostly tail that extended long past where her legs should have gone.
Danny looked up and saw the ghost, before tapping Sam and Tucker on the shoulder and nodding to them.
"A ghost? Oh no! Quick! Valerie, Star, let's head over here and try and get people away. Phantom will show up soon." Kim said, moving the two other girls with her. Ron followed behind.
Danny, Sam, and Tucker looked over. "That was… convenient." Tucker said.
"Not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Going Ghost!" Danny said, as he ducked into an empty tent and emerged as the ghost hero Phantom, flying over to the airborne ghost.
"Ah! A fellow specter. I am Desiree, child, what is your wish?" Desiree asked, her melodic voice resonating through the air.
"Not something I'm inclined to tell you." Danny said, keeping an eye on his opponent. Babazita hadn't been lying about the harem girl then, so he needed to be careful about his wishes, lest they turn on him. He imagined whoever wished for cotton candy didn't want that stall to go crazy.
"Come now, there must be something your heart desires. Let me peer into it and give you everything you want." Desiree said, reaching forward to Danny.
"Woah! Back up I Dream of Jeannie!" Danny said, holding his hands out in front of him. Ectoplasmic energy welled up in his hands, before shooting out as a laser, sending Desiree flying into the distance.
Danny stared dumbfounded at his hands. Had he discovered a new power of his? It's not like that was unexpected to happen. He was still figuring this out, so he didn't think he had perfect knowledge of what he was capable of yet. Seems that this is possible now.
Danny pointed his finger into the sky, and thought of gathering his energy into the tip. It glowed with a green ectoplasmic light as Danny released it, sending a beam of light into the sky. "Sweet!" Danny said, performing a quick loop-de-loop in the sky. He'd have to take some time to practice this, but access to a ranged attack would prove to be VERY useful. He didn't have to punch everything anymore!
Landing back by Tucker and Sam, Danny transformed back into his normal self, and walked back over to his friends.
"You guys see the cool new power?" Danny said, a great big smile on his face.
"I did man, that's pretty slamming." Tucker said.
"Slamming?" Danny asked, looking over at his friend.
"Hey, Kim says stuff is spankin' and Ron says booyah all the time. I thought I could try something." Tucker said defensively.
"Maybe try something else Tuck." Danny said, smiling at his best friend. The pair laughed as Kim, Ron, Star, and Valerie returned.
"Looks like Phantom saved the day again." Kim said, a smile on her face.
"Looks like it. Though he didn't trap her in the thermos, so she'll probably be back." Danny said. "Oh well. I doubt she'll come back here for a minute at least. Want to keep looking around?"
"You know it." Kim said, as she stepped next to Danny. Star looked between them for a moment, bizarre feelings in her chest.
The following night was a big game between the Casper High Ravens, and the Silver Central Bulls. Danny, Tucker, and Sam were sat in the bleachers, having little interest in the football game itself, but having come to support their friend Ron, in his first game since becoming the new Casper High Raven.
"This sport really is completely barbaric." Sam said, rolling her eyes as two massive boys slammed into each other at speed. "You know studies have shown that the damage these guys do to their heads leads to psychotic breaks when they are older."
"I'm aware Sam, Dad showed me that whole documentary on it. You know how he feels about this kind of thing since his accident." Danny said. Jack Fenton had forbidden Danny from even trying out for football when he was younger, for fear of the damage he might do to his head. Danny thankfully hadn't been interested in the sport to begin with, so it wasn't much of a loss.
"I'm just here for the cheerleaders!" Tucker said, gazing down at the sidelines where the Casper High cheerleading squad was performing a routine.
Danny couldn't REALLY blame him, as he was enjoying watching Star and Kim performing their routine, and laughed as Ron really gave it his all as the mascot. "Just remember that you have a maybe girlfriend." Danny said, referring to Valerie. She and Tucker had gone on another actual date since the Dance, something that he and Star hadn't done. While Valerie and Tucker weren't official or anything, it was pretty obvious to those who knew the pair they were growing pretty fond of each other. Danny figured it would be one more date before they officially decided to be exclusive.
That made him think about his relationships. He and Star had had a really nice time at the homecoming dance, and her comments the other day implied that she was interested in maybe continuing to see each other in that weird limbo between friends and romantic partners, but something had thrown a bit of a wrench in that plan. Or rather someone: Kim Possible.
Danny would have never thought that Kim would be interested in him at all, but he wasn't totally oblivious. She had turned up the affection a bit recently, and had really started to mess with his head. She sat beside him whenever possible, and had made more time that they hung out separately from the others. It had been more innocent stuff at first, mentioning a new spaceship model she had seen at a hobby shop while with her brothers, or offering to play some basketball with him during an after school hangout session, which none of their other friends would be interested in. Then there was the touching. Grabbing his hand to show him something, leaning against him to look at something he was working on. A million little things that added up to only one thing in Danny's mind. Kim Possible had the hots for him, and Danny knew he reciprocated.
Unfortunately, Danny also knew he liked Star. While he and the blonde perhaps weren't as close and he and Kim were, they also hadn't really known each other that long. Kim had had an extra month to be his friend before Star came into the picture, and while Star had a small leg up in terms of having gone on an actual date, Kim wasn't exactly far behind. Danny briefly considered if he had any preference between the two, but realized that they kind of appealed to different aspects of his life. Kim was a hero like he was. Working towards helping and protecting others. While Danny was pretty sure she didn't know about his work as Phantom, he had helped her with the Bebes and Monkey Fist. They had that as a bonding point between them. Danny also knew that if he had any intention of getting serious with a girl, he would have to tell her before they made that leap. It wasn't fair to keep something like that a secret from a partner. Danny could imagine how telling Kim would go. She'd be thrilled, seeing it as an opportunity for them to kick supervillain butt together on a more regular basis. Danny had thought about telling her already, thinking that she's been in the super hero game long enough to give him some pointers, but Sam had always told him it was a bad idea. That more people knowing the secret was problematic. Tucker had rolled his eyes at that, but didn't comment further. Danny didn't know why.
Star appealed to the part of Danny that craved some manner of a normal life. Danny never really knew what normal was, since it certainly didn't involve his ghost hunting parents. Star was a perfectly normal girl, beautiful for certain, but not bizarre like Danny and his friends were. That anchor of normalcy had been something Danny had wanted, and it seemed like it could be within his grasp if he wanted to take it, but… did he? Was that speck of normalcy worth giving up a possible relationship with Kim? Was it worth taking the normalcy away from Star's life? Star wasn't a superhero, or a supergenius, or a rich activist. Star was an upper-middle class girl who was a cheerleader for the football team, an aspiring Olympic figure skater, and a painter in her spare time. Star was normal… Did Danny have the right to bring her into his world of fighting ghosts?
While Danny was lost in his thoughts on the two beautiful girls, a certain blond jock was huddling with his team during a time-out. "Ugh! These guys are creaming us! I wish I could just turn into a giant monster to tear apart their defense!" Dash said, frustrated at their offense's inability to push through the Bull's defensive line. While the Freshman Casper High Ravens were formidable, they were working with the disadvantage of being younger and less developed than the other teams. The three year gap between the freshman and the seniors was proving to be an obstacle they couldn't overcome.
"So you wish it, so it shall be." Came the voice of Desiree, who appeared over the field, waving her hands over Dash.
The boy's skin began to turn a fluorescent green color, as his ears extended to a point and his eyes glowed red. His body began to rapidly expand, until he now towered over the rest of the players, and even the goal post, standing thirty feet tall. Holding the ball in his hand, Dash plowed through the defense of the Bulls, scoring a touchdown, and sending everyone in the stands screaming and running from the field.
"Looks like duty calls!" Danny said, ducking under the bleachers and shooting out, making his way towards the towering athlete.
"Alright Dash! You always claimed you never took any steroids, but I'm starting to not believe you!" Danny quipped, trying to get the behemoth bully's attention. He turned and roared at Danny, charging at him. Danny took the opportunity to do a loop-de-loop lining the large bully up for an uppercut that sent him flying about twenty yards back, forcing the goal posts of the football field to buckle under his weight. "And it's good!" Danny said, raising his arms in the air. "Let's see if I can separate you out from the idiot."
Danny turned intangible and flew into the jock, locking himself in a battle of will against the other intruder in Dash's body. Danny easily forced the powerful, but dim-witted ghost from Dash's body, exerting his powerful will over the much larger ghost, as he exited and pointed the Fenton Thermos at him. The blue light from the Fenton Thermos engulfed the monster, sucking it into the device as Danny closed the lid. "And score one for Phantom."
"Huh? What happened?" Dash said, as he got up.
"You turned into more of a rage machine than usual. I'd recommend therapy and anger management." Phantom said, as he gave a two fingered salute and flew off.
From behind the bleachers, Kim watched with a smirk on her face, happy to see Danny score another victory against a ghost. Elsewhere, Star watched as Phantom flew off, getting her second really good look at him. "He's kind of familiar." She mused, watching the white haired boy fly away.
As Danny, Tucker, and Sam enter the lab to send the ghost that possessed Dash to the ghost zone, Danny unknowingly flew into a strange device in his parent's lab. It was roughly 10 ft. tall, with a 3 ft. diameter circle at the top. In the center of the circle were purple energy strings that crisscrossed the space. What surprised Danny the most about it though, was the effect it had on him as he went through it. Danny had passed through just fine, landing on the other side of the device with a thud on the ground as his ability to fly left him. Phantom had stayed on the other side. The two halves of the boy looked at each other, utterly confused, before they came together and reunited into a singular being.
"That was weird." Danny said to Sam and Tucker, as the pair watched slightly dumbfounded.
"What was weird, *cough cough*, Danny?" Came the sick voice of Jack Fenton, as he and Maddie Fenton emerged from a tent in the corner of the lab.
"Ugh seeing this new gadget and a tent in the lab." Danny quickly covered. It wasn't a lie, it WAS weird to see those things. "What is this?"
"The Fenton Ghostcatcher. It's like a dreamcatcher, but it catches ghosts instead of nightmares. Your mother and I were camping down here to make sure we saw it if we caught anything." Jack said, before blowing his nose into a tissue.
"What makes you think a ghost is going to fly through it? If they see it, and it's not exactly camouflaged they can just fly right around it. Also, you guys look terrible, are you sick?" Danny asked, looking over his parents.
"We were up all night last night putting the finishing touches on this, and I guess we hadn't realized how cold it had gotten down here. I think we've got colds dearie. Maybe you shouldn't get too close." Maddie said, as she quickly had a coughing fit. "You're right about the other thing though… might be time for us to go back to the drawing board on it."
"You two should go upstairs and get some rest in a warm bedroom for the night. I'll grab the humidifier and some cold medicine and bring it up once I finish up down here." Danny said.
"Alright Danno. We will. Glad we've got a son who is willing to take care of us." Jack said with a smile, before he sneezed into a tissue. The pair walked up the stairs slowly as Danny, Tucker, and Sam watched on.
Elsewhere, the cheer squad had finished a meeting involving the rescheduling of the game that just took place. Since both teams agreed that the presence of a 30 ft tall hulking monstrosity violated the spirit, if not the rules of the game, they would reschedule this match for the next open date for the both of them. That would also give Casper High time to replace its field goal, which had been destroyed in the fight. As everyone left, Kim took the moment to talk to one of her fellow cheerleaders.
"Hey, Star. Got a minute?" Kim asked, nervous about what conversation she was about to have.
"Sure Kim, what's up?" Star asked, a friendly smile on her face. Ever since Star had been removed from the A-List due to her date with Danny, she and Kim had gotten the chance to talk more. While they weren't besties, they were firmly on their way to being good friends.
"So, tell me. What do you think about Danny?" Kim asked, trying to get a feel for how this conversation would go.
"Well, I think I'm starting to like him a bit. He's cute and funny, and he was really brave during that dragon incident. He's kind of a hunk." Star said, a dreamy look in her eyes.
"And Danny as a person?" Kim prodded, feeling around for the answer.
"He's great, kind and helpful. A bit nerdy, but it's kind of endearing." Star said.
"I see. You want to try and date him then?" Kim asked.
"I'm not going to make him stop hanging out with you if that's what you're worried about. I'm a big girl who can handle a guy I like having friends who are girls." Star said.
"Not the question. Are you going to try and date him?" Kim asked, looking for a direct answer.
"I mean, yeah. I figured that was obvious. Why are you even… oh… that's why you're asking." Star said, realizing. "You like him too don't you."
"I do. I'm not gonna lie about it. I didn't realize how much I would when I set him up with you, but since then… well he's really blown me away. I thought I had that crush on Josh Mankey… but what I'm feeling for Danny? It's way stronger." Kim said. "I just… I don't know. I was kind of hoping you'd say you only felt like you and Danny would be friends so I wouldn't have to feel bad about trying to be with him."
"I know what you mean. I had a thing for Kwan not too long ago, but Danny… well he's growing on me way faster. I don't know what to do about your feelings though. It's not like I stand a chance against Kim Possible." Star said, looking downtrodden.
"What do you mean?" Kim asked.
"Look let's be real Kim, the only thing I have over you is that MAYBE I'm prettier, and that could be largely a matter of opinion. You're miss super hero, plus you've been his friend longer, but not so long that you would have moved out of contention for girlfriend material." Star said. "You and him click better than he and I do anyway. I've seen it. You seem to get him better than Sam does, and they've been friends for years. I've got no chance."
"Well… what if it wasn't a competition?" Kim said, letting out a deep breath.
"If you're planning on dropping out, don't. You have every right to try and date him as I do, and I wouldn't want to 'win' because the other person felt bad for me." Star said, shooting Kim an angry look.
"No, just… What if it wasn't a competition? What if we could… both have him?" Kim suggested. She knew it sounded crazy. She knew it was wild, but it also could be a good option for them.
"What, like having him two time us? I don't like getting cheated on." Star said.
"It's not cheating if we're all aware and okay with it. Look, it's not an ideal circumstance for me either, but… well I do dangerous things. I get hurt. There's always the possibility I don't make it back. I… I care for Danny, and if something ever happened to me, I'd want to make sure he had someone to help him get through it." Kim said.
"You're serious aren't you?" Star asked.
"Look, you've been a good friend, and I think you and Danny would be good for each other. But I also know that I want Danny, and that I don't want to hurt you in the process. Is this perfect? No. Ideally we could each have a Danny of our own. But surely having some of Danny is better than having none of him?" Kim said with a deep exhale. She had laid everything bare before Star. The ball was in her court now.
"You realize what this would mean for us right? Everyone would be calling us whores." Star said, looking at her.
"It's not like some people don't call me that anyway." Kim said with an eye roll. She liked showing off her midriff, but for some people that meant she was some kind of sexual deviant.
"You… really don't care?" Star asked, speechless.
"People are going to talk regardless of what happens. People talk about how I save the world as a method of getting attention. People talk about how I'm a disappointment because I'm not a supergenius like my parents or my brothers. I know what I do is right, and that's why I do it. I know that I do things that make me happy. Will everyone understand what I'm doing here? No. But that's their problem, not mine. I want to be happy with Danny. I also don't want you to be upset because you can't be. Maybe he doesn't want this, maybe he doesn't want me, or you, or anyone. I won't know until I ask. I asked you about this, because I know your relationship with him would be on his mind when I ask him. I know he has some feelings for you, they're just starting, but they are there." Kim said, pouring her heart out to the girl. The pair stood there for a moment, eyes on each other.
"I guess… I guess I'm not totally against the idea. This is an all three of us conversation, so we need to talk about it with him. Let's get him tomorrow after school." Star said, looking to Kim. "Are you going to be okay if he says no?"
"I'm not exactly the kind of girl to get completely torn up over a guy saying he doesn't like me if he doesn't want this? Or doesn't want me? It'll hurt a bit, sure, but I'm a big girl. I can handle my own feelings." Kim said.
"Alright. I feel the same, although I think I need to be more worried about him not liking me than him not liking you." Star said, holding her hand up as Kim was about to rebut. "These are my thoughts on it, you can't change them. Let's save any more discussion until we have Danny with us." The two girls nodded, before heading off, each trying to piece together tomorrow's conversation in their heads.
Kim and Star approached Danny after school, asking for a word with him privately. They sat over by the tree that the group normally did whenever they would have lunch outside.
"So girls, you're kinda freaking me out a bit with this. What's up? Haven't done something wrong have I?" Danny asked nervously as he scratched the back of his head and tried to have a smile on his face. He couldn't think of anything he might have done to make them angry at him.
"No Danny, you haven't done something wrong… this is just… awkward. Kim can you do this? You're braver than I am." Star said, looking at the redhead beside her.
"Yeah, I got this. Danny, how do you feel about Star and I?" Kim asked.
"Well," Danny started, trying to piece his thoughts together, "Kim you've become one of my really good friends, right behind Sam and Tucker, and that's only because I've known them for longer. You're pretty awesome. Star, I don't know you quite as well, but I enjoyed going to the dance with you, and I think we've started our friendship on the right foot."
"I guess it might be better to just say it. Danny, we're both interested in you, romantically." Kim said, a blush on her cheeks making her face match her hair.
"Yeah, I think Kim's a bit further along than I am, but I'm certainly interested." Star said.
"Well, I had kinda guessed Kim was feeling something. The touches weren't exactly super subtle. I didn't realize you were there yet though Star." Danny said, himself flushing and avoiding eye contact.
"Yeah, and… well we don't want to try and compete against each other for you or anything. We don't know your feelings for us, whether they are just friendship, or if you're interested in us, or maybe interested in someone else, but… well. Would you maybe be interested in dating us both?" Kim asked, her usual bravery shining through the awkward moment.
"Uh… what?" Danny asked, a clueless expression on his face. There's no way they had just suggested what he thought they did, right?
"Look, I know I like you a lot. I thought I had had feelings for Josh Mankey when I took him to the dance but… they didn't pan out. Seeing you there though, and especially after with the Bebes? I… well I fell pretty hard. I… feel more for you than I have any other guy in my life, and… well I want to be with you. I just don't want to hurt Star in the process." Kim said, looking over at the blonde girl. "So, we could, maybe both date you? See if we can handle a three-way relationship? If one, both, or all of us decide that it isn't working we can just.. Call it off?"
"I… uh… are you real? Am I dreaming?" Danny asked, taking a second to pinch himself. "Felt that… not dreaming?"
"I can ensure you that you aren't dreaming Danny, although you saying that says that maybe this isn't the first time you've thought about this?" Star said, smirking at him at the end of that.
"Well, no point in lying about it. I kind of… have thought about you both like that. Never thought it was a real option, but… I mean, you can't exactly control a fantasy." Danny said, looking down as the heat from his face threatened to cook him alive.
"Good, at least we know at some level you want this. I'm flattered, really Danny." Kim said, smiling at him. "You only ever asked me to the dance as friends, so I didn't know if you felt that way about me."
"And I'm glad to know that our dates and little sessions together have had an impact as well." Star said, smiling.
"Yeah.. I just… Look I've never even really had a girlfriend before. Now I'm supposed to figure out two? I… I'm interested but I don't want to mess anything up." Danny said, looking up to them.
"I've never had a real boyfriend either Danny. It'll be new for me too." Kim said.
"I have, but… well it wasn't like this. We'll all learn together." Star said.
"Well… I guess there is just one thing before we decide if we're doing this or not." Danny said, sighing. "Regardless of how the rest of this conversation goes, I need to know that you are willing to keep the secret I'm about to tell you. If you aren't, deal is off." The look in Danny's eyes was dire.
"You can tell me anything Danny. If you don't want anyone to know, I'll take it with me to the grave." Kim said, smiling at him. She knew what he was about to talk about, and was glad he was making sure they were aware of this before anything got serious. It meant that he cared about them.
"Same here, I can keep a secret, even from Valerie." Star said, smiling at him.
Danny let out a deep breath, before turning up and looking to them. "You guys know the ghost boy? Phantom?" Danny asked.
"Of course, I heard about him stopping ghosts around town, plus I saw him at the dance and at the game last night." Star said.
"You know I do Danny, we worked together to fight ghosts." Kim said, now knowing exactly where this is going. "I think I already know. You're him aren't you."
Danny's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Uh.. yeah. I'm Phantom. That's how I've reacted to the ghosts so quickly…. How did you know?"
"Ron and I had talked about asking Phantom to join Team Possible, we thought having someone with powers would make our missions easier, and let us help more people. I had been keeping an eye on him when he was around, trying to work out if he had a secret identity. I noticed that whenever he appeared, you had just run off. You guys look similar, hair and eye color aside." Kim said. "So when you ran off when that box ghost attacked during lunch the other day? I tagged you with a tracker, just to see if I was right. Sure enough when Phantom came in, the tracker came with it. I destroyed it immediately afterwards. I haven't told anyone, not even Ron. Wade MIGHT know, because he has access to the tracker data, but I don't know for sure."
"So, you're a super hero?" Star asked, looking at him with wide-eyes. "That's so cool!"
"I guess it is pretty cool, but I'm not the only hero here. Kim is as well." Danny said, shifting the praise around.
"I guess the question is why the secrecy? And why didn't you use your powers against the Bebes or Monkey Fist?" Kim asked. "Not mad about it, just curious.
"So, I kind of did. My powers bleed over when I'm not transformed a bit. I don't need to transform to go invisible or intangible. I'm stronger when I transform, but some of that comes over when I'm not. Before the accident I could bench like 200 on a good day? After it when not transformed I can do 400. Transformed? I've picked up a car and it wasn't too difficult. Probably could go farther, but haven't had a reason to yet." Danny said. "The Bebes thankfully weren't strong enough that I needed to transform to deal with them, plus Technus dealt with them before I got too concerned. If things started looking worse I would have, but it wasn't necessary. Monkey Fist I had the ghost of Sidney Poindexter with me keeping him occupied, and I was already holding back in my human form against the monkeys to not do too much damage. I didn't NEED to transform there, so I hadn't to try and keep my identity secret. Not because I don't trust you guys, but just worries. My parents don't even know yet."
"How did you get your powers?" Star asked.
"Lab accident with my parent's ghost zone portal. I'll refrain from saying more. Ideally no one else will find out exactly how it happened so no one tries to recreate it." Danny said. "Not that I don't trust you, just would rather there never be another one of me if I can help it. My survival was a miracle, I'm sure if even one microscopic thing was different I'd be six feet under."
"So, who else knows?" Kim asked. "It'll be good for us to know who we can and can't discuss this with."
"Sam and Tucker. They were there when it happened. A couple ghosts know, so I imagine the whole Ghost Zone does, but they don't seem eager to share with humans. Maybe it's a sense of kinship. From what they've told me about my powers, I don't have ghost powers, I just AM half ghost." Danny said.
"So technically you're always scared half to death?" Star asked, a grin on her face.
"You know, you're the first person to make that joke, so congrats." Danny said, smiling back at her.
"So, what now? Are we…" Kim asked.
"I guess… I'm open to the idea. If you guys want to say we're dating, or we're together, or we're actively boyfriend and girlfriends, then we can say that. I guess I'll need to figure out how to tell Sam and Tucker." Danny said. "Just let me know what label you want, I don't want to assume anything."
"I'm ready to be Danny Fenton's girlfriend." Kim said. "I know we technically haven't had a date, but we beat up a couple ghosts and some robots together, so I'm sure that counts." Kim laughed at that.
"I… well I guess I can be girlfriend too, I was planning on another date first, but with this weird situation I guess that'll be fine." Star said.
"As long as you're okay with it." Danny said. "Not sure how Tucker and Sam will take this, what about Ron and Valerie?"
"Valerie will think I'm crazy, but hopefully trust my judgment on it. If she doesn't…. I guess I'd have to back out. I'd rather be both Valerie and Danny's friends then just Danny's girlfriend with no Valerie. Sorry Danny, but I already lost all my other friends." Star said apologetically.
"Look, that's no problem. If it's a deal breaker it's a deal breaker. I'm pretty sure this is only going to work if we're all in 100%.Even the smallest bit of doubt that isn't taken care of in this early stage is just going to tear everything apart later." Danny said. "We'll hold off on actually calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend until we've talked to our important people first. How will your parents react do you think?"
"Dad's no boys anyway, so having a boyfriend I'm not sharing is still a no go in his eyes. I know he likes you though, so he'll come around eventually I'm sure. Mom… well she had something similar with this a long time ago. She inadvertently gave me this idea I think." Kim said.
"Dad's not in the picture, Mom is… well as long as I'm happy she'll be fine with whatever." Star said, looking away awkwardly.
"Well… I honestly have no idea how my parents will react. I hope well." Danny said, trying to picture what his parents would say.
"Well… I guess let's go figure out what we're going to tell everyone. Think we should do it together? Or separately?" Star asked.
"Probably best if we tell our people individually. Might be easier for them to process if they hear about it first before seeing it. I'll go tell Tucker first, I feel like it'll be easier to tell Sam if I have his help." Danny said.
Star and Kim nodded. "Guess I'll go tell Ron. Hopefully he doesn't wig out too bad." Kim said, rolling her eyes.
"And here's hoping Valerie doesn't think I'm crazy." Star said, bracing herself.
"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow. If everything goes well, maybe we can try a date on Saturday? Feel out this whole thing?" Danny suggested.
"Sounds great Danny. I'll see you tomorrow." Kim said, shooting him a smile as she got up.
"Same here!" Star said, as she blew Danny a kiss. The pair of girls got up and walked off leaving Danny alone for a moment.
"Guess I better go find Tucker… he's probably at Nasty Burger." Danny said, getting up and walking away.
As he did so, Sam stepped out from behind the tree, she had heard that Star and Kim had wanted to talk to him, and was worried. Unfortunately, even in her worst nightmares she couldn't have imagined what just happened.
"Both of them? Maybe if it was just one I would have stood a chance. Stupid Manson, you waited too long." Sam said, her eyes following the path Danny had walked down. "I wish Danny was mine. I don't think I could share him at all."
"So you wish it, so it shall be." Came a voice from above. Sam looked up and saw Desiree wave her hands, as Danny was pulled towards her.
"What no!" Sam said, as she watched Danny fly through the air against his will. With a snap of her fingers, Desiree's magic transformed Danny from a teenager, to a small plush toy version of himself, which sat itself on the table.
"Enjoy your new boy toy. He is yours and yours alone." Desiree said, laughing as she flew off.
Sam looked at the plush version of Danny. This isn't what she wanted. This isn't what she wanted at all. "I… I didn't even mean to make a wish,that was just… it came out." Sam said, distraught. "I'm sorry Danny… I'll make this right. Somehow." Sam thought hard for a second. "I need Tucker… and I guess Kim and Star too." Sam grabbed the Danny plush toy, before carefully putting it in her backpack, its head sticking out the top. She didn't know how much of Danny was in it at the moment, so just in case he needed to breath, or not be terrified of being stuck in the dark confined of her backpack, she would manage.
A quick set of phone calls later, and Tucker, Star, and Kim were meeting Sam at the Nasty Burger, where Sam sat her backpack down on the seat beside of her.
"Okay Sam, we're here. What was the big important thing you needed to talk about? And why couldn't I bring Ron?" Kim asked. Sam had NEVER asked for them to hang out, and the panic in her voice during the phone call screamed emergency, so she had dropped her plans and came right over.
"Alright. I had… listened in to the conversation you two had with Danny. I had followed because… well because I had feelings for Danny, and if you two were going to confess to him and try and date him, I at least wanted my chance." Sam said, a sad expression on her face.
"You were spying on us?" Star asked, shocked and upset.
"I just. Look I've had a thing for Danny since boys stopped being gross okay? I was scared to act on it, so I was just handling being friends. You and Kim coming into the picture happened so fast.. I didn't know how to deal. I was jealous and it was wrong. I know that, but we have a bigger problem." Sam said, setting the Danny doll on the table.
"Yeah, apparently you've gone from best friend with a crush to really creepy stalker who had a custom doll made." Star said, looking at the doll with strange eyes.
"Not gonna lie Sam, this is pretty weird." Tucker said. "I knew you had a thing for him, but this is a bit overboard. Also what's this about you guys confessing to Danny?"
"He didn't tell you?" Kim asked, raising her eyebrow at Tucker.
"Haven't seen him since Lunch. We don't have any afternoon classes together." Tucker said.
"Long story short, he told us about… Phantom, and Star and I are both going to date him and try and figure out if we can manage that." Kim said. "I don't think that's what Sam brought us here for though… or why she brought the creepy doll."
"No, well yes. I mean. Maybe?" Sam stuttered, trying to get her thoughts together. "That ghost from the swap meet? The one that grants wishes, remember it?"
"Yeah, it turned Dash into a two story monster." Star said. "What, did you wish for a doll of Danny?"
"No, well. Kinda? I was jealous and didn't know she was listening. I just… wished Danny was mine, since I… I couldn't share like you guys are trying. She apparently interpreted that as making Danny literally an object I owned. This isn't a doll of Danny. This IS Danny, turned into a doll." Sam said. "It's all my fault… and I don't know how to turn him back."
"Well.. this isn't how I planned today going." Kim said, looking at the doll of her new boyfriend. "I guess we need to brainstorm how to fix him."
"Can't we just find the ghost and wish for him not to be a doll anymore? Then he could beat her up and trap her in that thermos thing right?" Star asked.
"I mean, she twists wishes. Makes them have bad outcomes for the people who made them. Dash did manage to tear through the defense of the opposing team, but they technically lost that game still." Tucker said. "Asking her to change him from being a doll might just make him into like a lamp or something."
"What about changing him back to normal?" Kim asked.
"How do we define normal? She could take away his powers." Sam said.
"Better than him being an inanimate object." Kim said.
"I know, but Danny loves his powers. I wouldn't want him to lose them." Sam said.
"Well, what if we try to be specific about it? Say like, turn him back to how he was before you turned him into a doll? Or ask to specifically undo your wish?" Tucker suggested.
"That might work, but how can we force her to grant it?" Kim asked.
"Well… we might be down one superhero, but we have another." Tucker said.
"I can't exactly fight ghosts." Kim said. "My punches and kicks go right through them."
"Danny had a gift for you he was going to give you the next time you guys encountered a ghost, I guess this'll be as good of a time as any to get it. It's at his house so we'll need to head there. Probably wouldn't hurt for the rest of us to grab some ghost fighting equipment either." Tucker said.
"You guys plan on fighting this thing?" Star asked.
"Sam and I have been helping Danny deal with ghosts since he got his powers. If you plan on sticking around, learning how to help out is probably going to be in your best interest." Tucker said. "We'll get you a ghost blaster and have you get some target practice soon. Have to talk Danny's parents into making another set."
"Once we get whatever this stuff is, how are we going to find her though? She could be anywhere." Sam said, wondering what to do.
"Well, she wants to grant wishes… how about a wishing fountain?" Star suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's move out." Kim said.
After a quick stop by Fenton Works, Kim armed herself with a new set of Ghost Gauntlets like Danny used when he needed to fight in his human form. Tucker and Sam had picked up some Fenton Wrist Blasters, and Star had elected to simply carry a thermos this time, she didn't feel comfortable using a weapon yet. The quartet, alongside the inanimate Danny doll arrived at the wishing fountain outside of the mall.
"Well, we're here. Anyone have any idea how to get her attention?" Kim asked, looking to the others.
"I've got one, anyone got a quarter?" Tucker asked, as Star pulled one from her pocket. Tucker faced his back to the fountain and flipped the quarter into it over his shoulder. "I wish a hot harem girl ghost would show up."
The three women with him glared at him when he did that. Unfortunately before they could scold him for it, his wish was granted, and Desiree appeared before them.
"Your wish is granted, what of the rest of you, any wishes for me? I can grant your heart's deepest desires." Desiree said, her seductive voice reverberating through the air.
"Yeah, I wish that Danny was back to the way he was two minutes before you turned him into a doll!" Kim called out, using the wording they had come up with during their trip over.
A scowl appeared on Desiree's face, as she was compelled to grant the wish. "So it shall be." Desiree says as the doll transforms back into Danny.
"Huh, where… Sam? Tucker? What are you guys doing here? I was.." Danny said, before looking up.
"Foolish teenagers! I will destroy you all for making me undo my wish!" Desiree said, as she morphed her hand into a large Hammer, swinging it down onto Danny.
"Danny!" Came the cry in unison between the three girls.
"Oh you're going down!" Sam said, as she aimed her wrist blaster at Desiree and fired.
"What she said!" Kim said, banging the Ghost Gauntlets together as she leaped towards Desiree.
Kim and Sam kept the pressure on Desiree, each swapping out attacks as they continued pummeling her. Sam's distance and Kim's superior maneuverability kept Desiree from being able to form some kind of counterattack.
"Star! Use the thermos!" Tucker said, as he fired a few blasts himself.
Star took the cap off the thermos and pointed it at the genie ghost, pushing the button that supposedly made it work. The blue light shown forth from the Thermos, encasing Desiree, but she managed to pull herself out of it.
"Fools! As I grant wishes I become more powerful! You alone have asked three of me, and I have been granting other wishes for several days! You cannot best me!" Desiree said, laughing. "Now I shall rid myself of you. Begone!"
"I wish you would get into this thermos!" Star called out firing the blast again.
"WHAT? No! I must obey!" Desiree said, as she was sucked into the thermos. Star quickly put the cap on, as the group took a second to catch their breath.
"You know… for being so smart, not a single one of us thought of doing that earlier." Tucker said panting.
"Danny!" Kim and Star said, as they rushed to the spot that Desiree had crushed him. He was lying in a crater made by the impact.
"Oh, come on Danny, wake up!" Kim said, as she took a listen to his chest. He was breathing, so that was a good sign. He was just unconscious.
"Come on loverboy, we just got together, I'm not losing you now." Star said, as she shook him a bit.
"Huh? What… where am I?" Danny asked as he came back to. "Kim? Star? What? Why am I in a crater?"
"Kim and I just took down our first ghost together, Tucker and Sam helped of course." Star said, smiling at him.
"So, no more Desiree?" Danny asked.
"For right now, no. However, there are some things we need to talk about." Kim said, helping Danny up.
"What's up?" Danny asked, limping over as the pair of girls sat him on the edge of the fountain.
"How much do you remember about this event?" Kim asked.
"We had just finished our conversation, and I had walked off to find Tucker. Then I woke up and got smashed by Desiree." Danny said.
"Looks like she really took the two minutes literally. No memories of his time as a doll at all." Star said.
"Probably for the best. Look Danny. Sam spied on us when we had our talk, and afterwards she wished that you were all hers. Desiree turned you into a doll, and we worked out a plan to turn you back. Everything has turned out fine now, but… well." Kim said, looking over at Sam.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was just hurt and angry and jealous. I… Danny I've been in love with you for so long now, and hearing that you were going to be seeing them? It… well it broke my heart." Sam said.
"I can understand that I guess. I'm sure you didn't intend for Desiree to grant your wish, so I'm not mad about that. But why spy on us? It'd be different maybe if it was a villain or something, but Star and Kim have been our friends for a while now." Danny said.
"Because… I'm not blind. I know they were both interested in you. If they were going to confess… well I was going to do it then to make sure that you at least knew my feelings before it was too late. Their… offer to share you. Well it caught me off guard, and by the time I recovered to try and step in, you had revealed the big secret, and I was dealing with that. Everything that we had just… came crumbling down in an instant. Your being Phantom was our secret, between me, you and Tucker. Now someone else knew… and it wasn't just us anymore." Sam said.
"If you feel like that… why not just ask to join?" Danny asked, looking at Sam and Kim. "I won't claim to know everything about this or whatever, but I don't want to hurt anyone with this."
"I can't… I can't share. I always get so upset just seeing you with another girl, the thought of sharing you with another girl… it breaks my heart." Sam said.
"Well, what do you expect to have happen now?" Kim asked. "You expecting Danny to just drop us and go off with you because you finally said something?"
"Yes, I mean, not like that. I… I don't want you guys to lose your friendship with Danny. I know he likes having you around, and I can't be EVERYTHING for him. I know that. I just… I don't know." Sam said.
"Sam… I care about you. You're my best friend, and I love you deeply in that way. I never… I never even thought about us being more than that really. I guess I wouldn't have been opposed to it, but… well I have Star and Kim now. And what you did today? It hurts. You didn't trust me, which is a lot of what is important in a relationship. I refused to start a relationship without being fully honest with them about my powers, because I knew I wouldn't want something like that to cause any problems. We're still going to be friends, and maybe someday we could be more. But I need time to even try and forgive you for this." Danny said.
"Okay Danny… I understand. I.. I'm going to go. I'll see you at school on Monday." Sam said, as she walked off sadly.
Kim stepped up to Danny. "Are you sure about that? I understand if you want to try a relationship with her. I know you two are closer than we are."
"I know, and if she had said something before all this? I imagine we wouldn't be having this conversation. I just… she never trusts me to handle anything. Not just this, but so many other small things all the time. I know if I had ever even tried to spy on her for even something as mundane as finding a birthday present for her, she'd blow up in my face about it being an invasion of privacy." Danny said. "She's still my best friend though, I know I won't really be able to be mad at her for very long, and I hope that she'll come around eventually."
"Do you think we might need to think about her joining our… thing here?" Star asked.
"Somehow, I doubt it. Sam's always been jealous. I think she'd get over me having other friends that are girls… I don't think she would ever get over me having other girlfriends." Danny said.
"Speaking of which, Danny, how did you convince them to try this? That's every guy's dream!" Tucker asked, excited.
"I didn't. They asked me." Danny said.
"You should be worried about just my best friend. There's no chance in hell that Valerie would ever agree to something like this, especially in circumstances like how you two initially started." Star said, glaring without venom at Tucker.
"Alright, a man can dream though." Tucker said, sighing.
"Like that one dream you had about two copies of Star feeding you grapes?" Danny asked.
"Hey! You said you'd keep that a secret!" Tucker said, red with embarrassment.
"Honestly, I figured it'd be Paulina." Star said. "I'm flattered, but admittedly a little weirded out."
"Paulina's always been too mean for me. She's crazy hot though." Tucker said. "And no, there weren't any actual feelings or crush behind it. I had the same dream with Bonnie once she came to the school."
"Now I'm mad about that one." Kim said, as everyone else laughed.