Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jack Fenton was a simple man. He was not eloquent or cultured, so often decided to skip the pleasantries and go straight for guns and explosions. He was fixed on his purpose to eradicate the world from ghosts, rationalising that this was the most effective way to protect the people he cared for. This was his only topic of conversation, as this was all that mattered; Jack Fenton’s drive in life was to protect his loved ones. Despite these quirks, or perhaps because of them, Jack was a humble man. He could admit when he was wrong, and tried his hardest to fix whatever his bumbling messed up.

Jack stared at the sobbing, bleeding figure strapped to the table in front of him, wondering how in the Ghost Zone he was going to fix this one.

Silver hair was loose and tangled, filthy with blood and ectoplasm. Pale skin was streaked with the stuff, and dark clothes bore stains that continued to spread ominously. The captive gasped for air, letting out the occasional whimper as he strained against ghost proof cuffs. Blue eyes were shut tightly, face contorted with the agony that the hunter had caused.

Jack Fenton had just tried to rip a ghost apart molecule by molecule. As the spectre began to lose structural integrity, it was engulfed in twin haloes of light, leaving in their wake Jack’s terrified best friend.

“Vladdie?!”

A muffled scream reached the hunter’s ears, and Jack turned to face the glass confinement situated on the other side of the lab. “I told you!” Phantom shrieked, slamming gloved fists against the side of the tank. “He’s half human!”

Jack took a step back, bracing himself against the edge of the table. “It’s not possible,” he choked.

The ghost child was practically in hysterics, tears leaving faintly glowing trails as they streamed down his cheeks. “Of course it is! He’s bleeding blood and ectoplasm, for goodness’ sake!”

Jack folded his arms, trying to hide shaking hands as he appraised the distressed teen. “Care to explain, spook?”

Phantom flinched as though struck. “He became a halfa when the proto-portal exploded in his face,” he confessed, worried eyes flicking to Vlad as the man groaned. “Please, you have to let me help him!”

Jack approached the confinement, forcing himself to ignore Vlad’s whimpers. “I thought you two were enemies. Why are you going to help him?” he challenged. After all, the two spectres had been so wrapped up in their fight earlier in the evening that they hadn’t even noticed Jack until he sucked them into the thermos.

Phantom shrieked in frustration, running gloved fingers through his pearly hair. The movement was unsettlingly familiar. “Imagine that you wake up, and everyone’s gone. You think you’re the only human left. After a while, just as you really begin to realise how lonely you are, somebody else turns up. This person is someone that you really hate, because they caused you a lot of pain. But you won’t abandon them, because –” the ghost boy’s voice cracked, and he swatted at his tears half-heartedly – “because even an idiot like him is better than being alone again.”

Jack activated the lab’s ghost shield, preventing anything from phasing out of the subterranean room. Everything was beginning to make a horrible amount of sense. “You’re a halfa too?”

Phantom stared at his captor incredulously. “It thought it was obvious!”

Jack slammed his hand into the release button, and Phantom darted forwards as his cage dismantled itself, the glass panels sliding back into the floor. “Vlad!” he shrieked, reaching out with shaking hands to place them over the broken halfa’s core.

The man gave a pained cry, and Phantom removed his gloves before using a carefully controlled slice of ectoplasm to cut open the man’s upper garments. He peeled them back, placing bare hands on the man’s bloody chest. “Stay with me, fruitloop,” the teen begged, bare hands glowing white.

Oh.

Vlad arched his back, screaming as the light engulfed him.

“I’m sorry!” Phantom sobbed. “I know that the cold hurts you, but this’ll make it better, I promise!”

“Daniel!” the billionaire choked, straining to tear free of his bonds.

Oh, no.

Phantom pulled away with a gasp, sinking to the floor in exhaustion. Vlad’s torn skin had melded back together, leaving a new, flawless surface, devoid of scars. He glared at Jack, jerking against the restraints in an obvious hint. Jack keyed in the code for release, and Vlad sat up slowly, massaging the spot where his core was located. The billionaire said nothing, simply sitting on the edge of the table and massaging swollen wrists.

Jack Fenton’s attention was on the panting boy lying on the floor.

Moving closer, he knelt in front of the ghost child. Green eyes snapped open to stare at the hunter in terror, and Phantom scooted backwards, pressing against the leg of the table. He drew his legs up to his chest, throwing up shaking arms as a shield when Jack reached forwards.

What have I done?

The boy slumped against the table leg, sobbing involuntarily when light snapped into existence around his waist. It was obvious that he tried to stop it, the rings flickering before returning in full force. He cried out as they swept over him, inverting colours as Jack’s world was torn apart.

Danny whimpered, trying to shift further away from the man that had hunted him mercilessly from the moment they ‘met’.

As usual, Jack Fenton had no words to say, but this was no time for guns or explosions. He had no idea what to do, but he had made this mess, and now it was time to take responsibility. He would do whatever it took to make this right.

However, Jack knew. No matter what he tried, no matter how much he apologised, there was no way that he could fix something like this. All he could do was try to cause as little pain as possible.

It was his fault, and as Jack gingerly placed his arms around a terrified Danny Fenton, he knew that he had to deal with the consequences.

There were some things that just couldn’t be fixed.