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I’m a clone..I’m a clone. Oh my God, I’m just a copy. I’m not even real.
The cursed words bombard the mind of the as of now unnamed clone. After the real Danny Fenton had bopped down the stairs, he’d instantly known his da...Jack was right about him, about everything. He’d turned invisible and fled transforming before he was even out of the house. Then he’d flown like the devil himself was chasing him, paying little attention to where he was going. With tears streaming down his face, the ghost can barely see where he was going anyway. That isn’t like him at all. Danny Fenton was never one to cry. Then again, he isn’t Danny Fenton.
The ghost comes to stop...somewhere. Wherever it was, it is green and smells earthy. He wipes his eyes and laughs when he realizes where he is. It’s the park in the center of Amity Park. He’s in a secluded area that he and Tucker had loved when they were little. They would make paper boats to sail on the stream and play awesome games of hide and seek.
His smile then turned down into a frown. No, he hadn’t done that. Danny had. He hadn’t even been alive for two hours yet. That’s what his Dad, no Danny’s Dad had said. That he’d accidentally cloned his son in the lab downstairs. How the heck do you accidentally create a person? Then again, that was just like Jack Fenton, having no idea what his inventions were actually capable of and then achieving something he never thought possible.
That’s what had happened with the portal, not once but twice. It had worked, creating two half ghosts in the process. Images of putting on the original white and black suit and stepping into the then inactivated portal entered his mind. He had just wanted to impress his friends. He growled at the memory. No he hadn’t. Danny had done that. Danny had decided to walk into the portal. That wasn’t him. And it had never been him.
The unnamed clone flew towards the stream, trying to avoid the memories that seemed to be stalking him. The sound of the water flowing over the rocks and the crickets in the wood were nice. He came to a large tree with a curved trunk. It slopped over the stream, forming a nice place to sit. Tucker and him had spent many afternoons trying to see who could climb the highest up that trunk. He shook his head. No they hadn’t.
He flew farther and came to a pile of garbage. Seriously! People have been leaving junk here! Kids come here to play you jerks! Exhaling to calm those thoughts, he frowned when he saw a broken mirror in the pile. The ghost carefully picks up the largest piece and wipes it free of dirt. He raises his eyebrow at the image in the mirror. It’s himself, in ghost form. White hair, green eyes, black and white ghost hunting suit. It’s the face he’s always known since seeing it for the first time after the accident. Except it isn’t because he’s not that person, he’s not Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom. The face is perfectly identical but it’s not the same. The ghost makes a few funny faces in the mirror, watching his reflection copy him. As he sticks out his tongue realizes with a start that this is actually the first time he’s even seen his own face, excepted reflected on someone else. Or maybe he’s the reflection, the copy.
The ghost puts down the mirror. Is….this going to be his life if he stays here? Nothing but a copy, a reflection of someone else. Will he always be stalked by the real Danny’s memories? He shakes his head. He doesn’t want that. If he can’t be Danny Fenton (and he can’t, not after knowing the truth) then he wants to be someone else. Maybe he should go find Danielle. The two of them belong together, both being clones of Danny. Yeah he’ll do that, find her and make a life for himself.
Just then the ghost hears ruffling behind him and he whips around. “Who’s there?!”
Just silence. The wind blows by and he shivers. Did the temperature just drop? Cold fills his lungs like his ghost sense but doesn’t exit his mouth. His eyes widen and fist lit with ectoenergy. “Could you just leave me alone? I don’t feel like fighting anyone right now.”
No response comes as the wind blows passed the ghost again. He can feel ghostly eyes on him, his stalker silent and still but not leaving. With a sigh, he flew back towards the tree with the curved trunk. He takes a seat, sensing that whoever is following him is still there. But he ignores the presence; they’re not causing trouble so why bother?
He sits watching the trees move in the breeze for several moments, still debating whether he should leave. He doesn’t know where Dani is and really doesn’t want to live on the streets. And how would his da..no, Jack, not his Father, feel? Except Jack had insisted that he was Jack’s son. The man had said that multiple times but did he mean it, or just feel obligated?
And what about Danny himself? There’s no way he would want to live in the same house as someone who was essentially a copy of him. He’d even apparently told Jack what happened and then ran off, not wanting to see his clone until things started escalating downstairs. No, Danny probably wanted nothing to do with him. A tear ran down his face at the thought.
Just then the ghost senses his ghostly stalker move closer. He tenses but tilts his head. Whoever they are, they aren’t attacking him or setting off his ghost sense. And the signature feels familiar. He straightens and fixes his eyes on where he knew the invisible ghost was. “Could you let me see you? I promise I won’t shoot you or anything.”
The ghost hears a sigh and then the air not five feet in front of him shimmers. A figure slowly shifts into view. It’s….himself? No it’s Danny.
The ghost tries not to look shocked while studying the other halfa. The other boy wrings his hands nervously. The clone finally manages to speak. “How did you find me?”
“I….uhhh...had a feeling.” The other boy read between the lines; this is where Danny himself would have gone if he was upset.
The clone frowns. “Did Jack send you?”
Danny nervously rubs the back of his neck. “No. I volunteered to come find you and see if you wanted to come home.”
“Really, you didn’t come because Jack was worried?” The other boy asked skeptically.
“I mean, Dad is worried. He’s really sorry he explained stuff badly and made you freak out. But I’m worried too.” Danny bits his lip.
“Really, you were worried?”
“Yes! I was, I am.” Danny spread him arm, voice sincere.
“Then why the heck did you leave me?!” The other boy points at Danny, accusingly.
“What?” Danny pales, brow furrowing in confusion.
“Down in the lab. Before I woke up, you told Dad what was going on and just left. If you had been there when I woke up, I would have known what was going on right off the bat.” The boy’s voice starts rising in anger. ”But no you left Dad who didn’t really understand what happened and who can barely talk about emotional stuff to save his life, to give me the You’re a clone talk!” The clone feels a tear drip down his cheek again but wipes it away angrily.
Danny frowns, voice quiet. “I’m sorry.”
The clone turns away from the other halfa. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Danny flies in front of his clone again. “I mean it. I am sorry. That was crappy of me. I should have been there. But I was pissed off at Dad and didn’t want you to get caught in the middle."
The clones eyes finally meet the other boy's identical green ones and his expression softens somewhat. " You're right, that was a crappy thing to do. And I'm still mad at you."
The clone then flies up, taking a seat in a tree. He turns away from his original, really not wanting to talk to the other boy.
But Danny flew in front of him again, persistent as ever. "Will just talk to me, please?
The other boy crosses his arms, pouting. "No"
Danny rolls his eyes. "Come on. I totally get why you're upset but I'm just trying to help."
Something in the statement ignites anger in the other boy. “I don't want or need your help!" He glares at the other halfa. "And another thing! No, you don't understand."
Responding to the anger with annoyance of his own, Danny growls. "Seriously? You're going to use the ‘you don't understand’ on me?"
"Oh, like you've ever woken up naked in the lab, in front of your father, none the less!" The words drip with sarcasm. "And then gotten told you were born about, what 2 hours ago? Oh and apparently your life is a lie and you're a copy of another person!"
“No you’re not a copy!” Danny yells the words, throwing his hands up.
“Hello!” The clone’s voice rang out in disbelief tingled with anger. “ I look like you, sound like you, think like you. I have your memories! I’m a freaking copy!”
The other halfa flew closer to the other boy. “You are not a copy.” His face turned serious. “Do you want to be me?”
The clone’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Do you want to be Danny Fenton?” He spreads his arms. “If you want to steal my life, go back home and be me, then take me out right now.” The clone just shakes his head in disbelief. “I won’t fight you. Just go ahead, do it.”
“What! No! I don’t want to steal you life.”
"Really, you're not even tempted.” Danny raises an eyebrow, questioningly. “Because I have a pretty good thing going. Friends and family who love me. I'm a hero. Why wouldn’t you want to take that?"
"Because….because it's wrong! I couldn't live with myself if I did that." The other boy sputters, shaking his head.
“But why?” Danny stares down the other boy, completely serious.
“Because that would be a lie. I’m not you….” The clone trails off at then end. His eyes widen as he realizes what Danny is getting at. “You...you just used reverse psychology on me.” His voice displayed an odd mix of exacerbation and respect.
Danny just grins. “I did learn from the best.” His smile turns down slightly. “You do get what I’m saying though? You aren’t me.”
The other halfa puts his head in his hands. He understood what Danny was saying, too well really. He’d thought similar things himself. But if he wasn’t Danny Fenton…..He sighs and then looks at Danny. “Then who am I?”
“I don’t know.” The words rang out with a mixture of complex emotions, enough that the clone could not really tell what all he was trying to convey. He says nothing in response instead curling in on himself where he was still sitting in the tree. His eyes flicker to his original who floats in front of him with a thoughtful expression. Of course Danny would not know. The clone himself doesn’t. Despite the earlier conversation, he’s still where he started: with no name, no past, and no clue what to do now.
Another tear falls down the clone’s face and Danny averts his eyes when he sees it. Trying to block out the other’s face, the clone puts his head down on his knees in front of him. The air in front of him shifts indicating Danny moved. But the other can still tell that Danny’s still there, silently watching him, stalking him again. Why wouldn’t Danny just go away? Either drag him back to Fentonworks or leave him alone! The clone knows that Danny’s trying to help but he’s not! He can say he and Jack care all he wants. He can say that he’s sorry for the way he acted earlier. He can even try to convince the clone he’s not just a copy. But it doesn’t help! They’re only words and don’t change what he is! And there’s no way they really love him.
Just then the clone felt the branch he was on sway as someone sits down. Tentatively, slowing the person beside him puts their arm around the clone. As the arm brushes his back, he instantly knows it’s Danny. A swirl of complex emotions trickle through the connection: sadness, anxiousness, distress. In response, a sob burst from the clone's throat. The distress spikes at that before Danny can push it down. Then other emotions come: sympathy, compassion, and….something else. A warm, safe feeling and a promise to always be there.
In response, the clone quickly unfolds his legs and turns his torso towards the other boy. Both of his arms go around Danny's back until he's clinging to Danny like his life depends on it. Danny returns the hug, squeezing the boy back. The embrace is awkward with both of them sitting on the branch, but since both can float, they don't worry about falling.
The clone continues crying and Danny soon cries with him. The currently unnamed boy notices he’s also projecting emotions to the other halfa. The sadness, anxiety, fear, and stress he feels influence and magnify Danny’s reaction, just like Danny’s emotions are influencing him. He mentally flinches with guilt at forcing those emotions on the other boy. Danny then sends a wave of understanding and acceptance of the feeling he was getting from his clone and of the other boy as a person. The clone responds with gratitude.
The hug lasts for a minute at least and while the emotional exchange is tiring, it is also cathartic. The clone knows, both from the emotional exchange and from knowing how Danny thinks, that Danny wasn’t as okay with all of this as he tried to seem. Between dealing with the violating feelings of being cloned(and by his father no less) and his Dad finding out about him being Phantom, he tried to put on a brave face and be strong. And he had chosen to go find his clone, chosen to stay despite getting yelled at, chosen to comfort and try to understand him.
The clone realized with a start the feeling he had sensed earlier- the warmth and promise- was love. And not the fluffy, emotional love either. But the love that chooses to always be there with no strings attached and despite his own pain and discomfort. It feels like one of Jazz’s hugs after a nightmare, saying that it’s not okay now but it will be and I’ll be here with you to the whole time. It’s a promise that though neither of them know who exactly the clone is now, Danny believes he can grow past just being a reflection of Danny Fenton and will be there as he does. Still hugging Danny, the clone smiles through his tears. How had he ever thought that Danny didn’t care about him, wanted nothing to do with him? He tries to project just a fraction of the love he’s getting from Danny back. And he actually feels Danny smile in response.
The pair finally pull apart. Both wipe their faces and Danny gives a small laugh. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah. I needed that. Thanks.”
Danny pats him on the shoulder. “Good. How do you feel about going home now?”
The clone nods. “Yeah, let’s go home.”