Chapter Text
(adj). ephemeral - lasting for a very short time.
Since the beginning, time was a relative concept. The universe needed movement and life and so it created time. And as it was created, the stars held their breaths and twinkled brighter. The universe smiled as everything was suddenly set in motion. Everything moved at an idle pace, without question or discomfort. A simple pattern repeated among the stars, moving forwards, never backwards. Evolution only progressed with time, and time only progressed forwards. And when time moved forward, so did contingencies.
And with time came innovation. Time marched along and dreams chased after it. With time, progress expanded and innovation exploded. Once there was only movement, but now there is meaning. And the stars exhaled, and oh it has been so long since they have inhaled again, but instead of nothing they taste the warmth and growth of the future. And the universe smiled for the first time in eons because now life has been filled with purpose.
But time did not stop nor slow for anyone, no matter how hard you beg for it to stop. It kept on moving, emotionless and uncaring of others. At first it seemed like you had all the time in the world, but now it storms in front of everyone and you run to catch up. Because time marches along and now you sprint to stay ahead. And not everyone is strong enough to maintain the lead, so they fall, and oh god they fall. And as the years go by, the stars slowly dim in the sky, and the universe looks onwards in pity.
One day the universe created a person, one that would change the very fabric of reality itself. Its presence could make weeping children smile, or make rabid dogs content. They would fulfil a life full of hardships and war, but they would be a beacon of hope. They would outrun time itself and help others overtake the chains time has on them. When they were born, the stars glowed just that bit brighter, and the universe finally smiled. Because time is a relative concept, but hope is a constant.
It was a relatively warm and sunny day. The sky was a beautiful blue with little clouds littered here and there. Warm sunny rays danced through the sky, illuminating the small town of Amity Park below. The streets bustled with the early morning traffic. Cars beeped erratically and swerved through lanes. It was a normal everyday morning, with nothing completely out of the ordinary, well, unless the ghost fight on the main street was something out of the ordinary…
BANG! Danny gripped his head as he released a long groan. He braced himself against the wall in a seated position, arms laying limply beside him. He brought his gloved hand back to his face to find ectoplasm stained on his fingertips. Skulker had already given him a hard time yesterday, as well as Johnny and Youngblood (seriously, they are a duo Danny did not enjoy fighting). Now he had to deal with Technus’ rage in the morning. Can’t the ghosts just let him rest? At least Plasmius had the decency to show up and help this time.
Danny’s bones creaked as he bent over, hunching his shoulders as he coughed a little. The world around him felt dizzy and weird. ‘Great’, he thought bitterly, ‘Now my head is split open, and I’ll probably have a concussion’.
He glanced upwards, watching as pink beams of ectoplasm flew straight into Technus’ side. He screeched before sending waves of technology at Vlad. Vlad easily deflected the oncoming wave with a pink shield before duplicating himself. The fight continued above as Vlad’s copy flew down to him, his face showing the smallest hint of sympathy. Danny had known Vlad for a long time and could read him like a book. The way Vlad’s lip curled slightly downward and how his eyebrows were slightly pinched showed that he was very concerned.
Being his Godfather, Vlad always made sure he visited the Fenton Family every Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as some other weeks during the year. It usually depended on his work, but whenever he did get the time off, he always came to visit them. Danny used to see Vlad as the stubborn-uncle-type kind of person, but in recent lights he views him as more of a second father figure in an odd sort of way.
“Eyes on me, Little Badger,” Vlad fondly spoke, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, “Can’t have you passing out in the middle of a battle now, hmm?”
Danny’s vision started to lose the constant fuzz, and his ears stopped ringing as loud. He could feel his super-healing kicking in, mending the cut in his head and stitching himself back up (perks of being half-dead). Vlad was obviously speeding up his healing process. The hand still gently pressing on his shoulder kept him grounded and awake.
“I’m ‘kay,” he slurred slightly, “Jus’ lost focus, s’all.”
Vlad’s face contorted into a small smirk, wincing slightly as his duplicate took a graze to the size from a wayward television.
“Aren’t you eager, my boy? Now come on, your schooling starts soon and I am fairly certain your homeroom teacher would not appreciate your tardiness.”
Danny nodded, grasping Vlad’s outstretched hand and heaving himself up. Vlad’s duplicate phased back into his body with a parting wave. Danny crouched down low and propelled himself into the sky with Vlad, dodging scraps of metal haphazardly floating around.
Technus, in all his nerdy glory, was compiling the tech into one large automated robot. All different kinds of devices swirled around him, forming long stocky arms and legs, and a menacing face and body. Danny didn’t mean for the fight to go on this long, but for some reason, Technus was a bit more advanced today (maybe he had a long think in the shower?). He hadn’t upgraded himself, and Vlad was unsure why Technus was strong as well. Danny hoped Vlad hadn’t been bribing more ghostly enemies again. He just sort of got him off of that habit.
“Aha! Ghost child!” Technus rambled, “How do you like my new and improved automated body?”
Danny paused and looked over towards Vlad. His face was set in a frown, deep red eyes glaring at Technus. Danny opted to keep cool and composed, whilst a little bit cheeky, or else the situation would only go haywire from here.
“It really highlights your awful mullet. Did you wanna tell us about your evil world-dominating plans today?”
Technus adopted a pleased look on his face before contorting into a deep frown. The technology glowed brighter, looking almost menacingly at the duo.
“NO! Technus 2.0 does not reveal his plans no more!”
He raised a chunky hand full of large computers and fridges packed together.
“They are only for me to know and for you to find out!”
He swung his arm around, Danny just narrowly missing the slap. Vlad flew downwards and tried firing ectoblasts at the weaker points of the structure, but Technus just evaded the blasts with astonishing speed for a large automaton. Danny caught on to Vlad’s thinking and tried to shoot blasts at Technus in his blind spots, but Technus was just too fast for him. Technus fired some more beams, whilst Vlad encased Danny and himself in a glowing pink dome.
“Daniel”, Vlad turned to him, “I’m going to try to immobilise him whilst you attack him from behind. The areas where the consoles overlap with the keyboards is the weakest part of the structure. If you could take that out-"
“Yeah, yeah,” Danny snapped, “Technus goes boom and we suck him up with the thermos.”
Vlad frowned in annoyance before abruptly shutting down the dome. Danny didn’t get much time to think before he turned invisible, stalking from behind.
Vlad combined his ectoenergy into a long rope before tying it to Technus’ legs, sending him tumbling downwards. Danny’s glowing green eyes changed to a frosty blue before throwing beams of ice towards Technus’ back. They pierced through, causing Technus’ suit to explode. Debris flied everywhere, smashing into the roads and some buildings. Danny quickly grabbed the thermos and aimed it towards Technus.
“No! Technus 2.0 will not be confined within that cylindrical device!” He wailed.
Danny closed the lid with an exhale, gently touching down to the ground. He looked around at the damage and cringed slightly. Scraps of metal laid haphazardly on the street, and potholes littered the road. Some windows from the convenience stores lining the sides of the road along the main strip were broken. He glanced over towards some civilians, who crept out of the buildings they were hiding in warily. Danny’s eyes softened at the sight. He flew over to an elderly lady who shuffled onto her deck.
“Hello there,” he said softly, “Are you alright, ma’am?”
She smiled a sad toothless grin before pinching him lightly on the cheek.
“Thank you lovey! Oh, I’m glad you stopped the big bad ghost, but he got my TV! And I was just watching my favourite knitting show. They were making a fine creation before my TV glowed green and flew out me window!”
“Must’ve been some scarf,” smiled Danny, his expression dropping suddenly, “Although, couldn’t you just ask your insurance company to replace your TV?”
“Don't you know? Silly buggers don’t ever listen to us old Amity people. They never believe our stories. Nobody has to worry about ghosts, heck, they would believe me! I’m just an old peanut that’s probably gone wacko!”
Danny narrowly dodged as she raised her cane angrily in the air.
“But I thought the mayor was offering insurance to all of the victims in ghost attacks? Unless I’m wrong? I’m not exactly living in the moment, y’know?”
Her face drooped, making her look older under the patio lighting.
“Like I said, no believing the silly lies of an old woman.”
Danny frowned before bidding her a fond farewell. Vlad joined him and quickly placed a hand on his shoulder, teleporting him to his house in Wisconsin. The large mansion walls were warm and inviting, unlike the first few times he had been there. Although their relationship started off rocky, the duo managed to find some sort of comfort together by proving to themselves how much they both had in common (both figuratively and literally).
“Thanks for helping, Vlad,” Danny called as he located the bathroom. He changed forms and watched as the ectoplasm stained on his head changed to a murky red. He frowned at the sight before grabbing a wash cloth to dab it with.
“No worries, my boy,” Vlad sighed as he brushed off his expensive black suit. He had already changed forms as soon as he arrived, but unlike Danny, he had not sustained any injuries.
“I just can’t believe Technus managed to get a hit on me this time. I thought I was getting better.”
Vlad’s expression changed from tired ease to pity in seconds.
“It was not your fault. Just a small miscalculation in your timing, one I hope you can correct in the future. We wouldn’t want any more concussions now, would we?”
Danny smiled as he wiped his forehead. The wound was already closing up and would be gone just as he arrives at school.
“It’s still pretty annoying. I should probably go soon anyways before Sam and Tucker get suspicious.”
The older man hummed before walking over to the basin, gently grabbing Danny’s arm and bringing it towards himself. Towel in hand, he dabbed the area around his forearm, removing the dirt and dried blood contained within the cut. Danny glanced upwards and took note of the gentleness of his features, how his royal blue eyes scanned over his injury with such delicate care. They connected with his and held eye contact for a sliver of a moment. It was often rare that they shared times at ease just like this, especially between ghosts, work and schooling.
“About your friends, Little Badger,” Vlad clasped his hands gently around Danny’s wrist, “Are they causing you any trouble as of yet?”
Danny sighed before removing his hand with a blush, glancing downwards.
“They’ve been asking questions, wondering why I don’t hang out as often, but they haven’t been threatening me or-"
Vlad raised a pale, calloused hand, stopping Danny is his rambling.
“It is quite alright, I am just looking out for you.”
Danny nodded silently, fingers nimbly playing with the hem of his shirt. Sam and Tucker were his best friends, but they were blissfully unaware of his ghostly status. They didn’t witness the way he has died, and he didn’t know how to exactly tell them. ‘Oh hey guys! Lovely weather, isn’t it? Oh yeah by the way I accidentally died, but it’s ok cause I only got halfway there! I’m like Schrödinger’s cat!’
No. They could never know. Danny didn’t want to have to burden them with his freakishness. They shouldn’t have to know what it felt like to wake up every morning to fight these creatures that come out of his basement. They shouldn’t have to know what it’s like to constantly fear their lives and experience the real life thrill of fighting others. This was a burden Danny was willing to shoulder for himself. Besides, the more who know, the more targets there are…
“Daniel.”
Vlad’s voice pulled him out of his reverie. Danny looked up in embarrassment.
“Feel free to tell me anything. You don’t need to hide from me, my boy. We are, different, so-to-say, than the people walking among us. Fate has made it for us to be one and the same.”
Vlad paused and gently smiled at Danny, resting his hand on his shoulder. It was fairly large compared to Danny’s still-small frame (although it was getting pretty bulked now), and although cold to the touch, the simple gesture brought warmth throughout his body.
“And because we are so connected, you cannot keep anymore burdens from me. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulder’s all the time.”
Danny sucked in a large breath before brushing off the hand on his shoulder and wrapping his own arms around Vlad’s waist. Between the sleep-deprived nights, ghost fights, and exhausting days at school, Danny forgot to add in some emotional support time™. Vlad wasted no time in wrapping up the small boy and drawing him into his warmth. They stayed together, silently standing in the bathroom, unaware of time and space itself. What mattered most was that they were there, living and connecting through each other.
“Hey Vlad,” Danny mumbled into his suit, “Did you know that the people of Amity don’t get insured for all the damage cause by ghost fights?”
Vlad loosened the hug and looked down at Danny, a small frown on his face.
“I did, yes.”
“Why not? Sometimes there is a lot of damage during ghost fights, especially the ones with Skulker, how does the government replace everything?” Vlad looked away slightly before glancing back at Danny. “The government doesn’t want to believe in extraordinary happenings, so-to-say. They refuse to acknowledge things that are new or different. Their only concept is moving forward and progressing the old. My boy, you are aware of the primitive concept of time, and therefore you should know that with time comes creation and growth. The government blindly ignores these concepts and only focuses on the power in which growth produces. What I mean is, when somebody claims about something different interfering with the progress of power, they ignore the possible and continue with their own games. It is not the government that replaces the destruction of the damage, my boy, it is the people or businesses themselves. Sure, if a road or two gets damaged, then they will convince themselves of another underlying cause already occurring in other areas. ”
Danny felt outraged at that.
“But how can they ignore their people like that? People are surely struggling to rebuild their lives and the government does nothing but ask for their service!”
Vlad sighed sadly, glancing downwards. Danny felt guilty at lashing out on him like that. He mumbled out a small apology before phasing downwards into the lab. He placed the thermos on the workbench before flying back up. He noticed Vlad had moved from his spot in the hallway to the couch, turning on the TV and idly flicking through the channels. He finally settled on the news, where a report of the latest ghost fight was being taken. Lance Thunder stood in the middle of the wreckage where Technus’ suit had made an impact on the ground (ha).
“And we are here live at the scene where Amity’s own ghostly superhero Phantom, as well as the Wisconsin Ghost, took on the ferocious technological master 'Technus' in a raging battle. Witnesses say that their technological devices glowed an ominous green before flying out their doors and combining into one large mechanical body around the ghost. He wreaked havoc before the super duo contained him and took off to dispose of him. However, many people are once again unhappy of the state in which their area has been left in.”
The camera panned out to show the extensive amounts of debris and scrap metal left lying on the roads and in buildings. Glass shards were scattered across the road and footpath, and the craters in the road seemed more prominent than they did earlier on. Danny’s shoulders hunched in slightly as he made his way to the couch.
“We go now live to a member of the parliament who will speak about this pressing issue in just a moment.”
Danny and Vlad shared a wary glance.
“And now they care?” snorted Danny, “How much do you wanna bet that this will be about promoting the upcoming mayoral election?”
Vlad smirked before glancing back at the TV. The camera showed the city hall with a wooden podium standing tall and alone. A tall pristine official wearing an immaculate white suit stepped up to the podium. He had a mop of blonde hair combed and parted neatly to the right that glowed brighter than the sun. He had tan skin and perfectly polished black shoes, and a smile that sent shivers down Danny’s spine. Something about the man seemed awfully familiar.
“People of Amity Park,” his voice echoed loudly from the speakers, “I have some wonderful news for all of you that I bring from the big man himself! From now on, all the people of Amity will receive government funding for all the little ghost attacks that you receive on a daily basis. Furthermore, all people over the age of 18 that are currently in possession of goods or properties that get damaged by these attacks will receive full insurance.”
A large round of applause followed the two statements. Danny’s jaw had reached the floor, whilst Vlad still looked skeptical. Although Danny did have to admit, the timing of this situation was awfully uncanny. And why now? The town has suffered greatly due to these attacks for the past two years. How have they only just noticed the repercussions?
“Now, I know you have some questions. Particularly, why now? Well, it’s a good thing we are doing it now rather than never, am I right?”
More applause could be heard. Vlad and Danny both frowned. Something wasn’t right about this guy, between the fake joyful persona, or the timing of these sudden changes. Vlad sat rigidly upright and paused before sagging in his seat. He quickly turned off the TV before turning to Danny. The room temperature started to feel a lot hotter than before.
“Hurry along Daniel. You best be off now. Make sure you teleport into the alleyway nearby Casper High instead of the bushes. Homeroom with Mr Lancer starts in 5 minutes.”
Danny glanced over at Vlad and nodded numbly. Deep down in his core, he could feel that something big was about to happen. Maybe he should talk to Clockwork before he rushed to deep conclusions.
“Bye fruitloop.”
Vlad rolled his eyes at the nickname as Danny’s world disappeared in a swirl of green.