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They knew. Somehow, they knew. And they were not happy about it.
Danny sat on his bed with his head in his hands, hyperventilating. He felt a hammering in his chest and he couldn't even tell if it was his heart or his core, or both. Calm down. Calm down. Maybe he was being paranoid. Maybe they were just tired. Maybe they were really focused on a new invention. Maybe...
Oh Ancients, maybe they'd pulled away because he had pulled away. He avoided their touch. He was quiet. He made sure to never smile with his teeth showing. He hardly spent time in the house anymore, and when he did it was mostly holed up in his room. Did they think he hated them? Did he hate them?
He was afraid. Afraid of them or afraid of losing their love? Both? He wasn't sure anymore...
A knock on the door brought him back to reality. He recognized it as Jazz's. She had a very particular way of knocking. In the time his sister had been keeping his secret they'd gotten very close, learning each other's quirks to a T. It was kind of nice, having someone he could be vulnerable with.
"Y-yeah." He wiped his face. Shit. How long had he been crying? "C-come in."
Jazz opened the door, her face full of concern. "Danny?"
Danny perked up as best he could. "What's up?"
Jazz crossed her arms. "Now come on, you know you can't pull that with me."
She walked over to the bed and sat next to him, putting a comforting hand on his back. "What's wrong, little brother?"
Danny sighed and looked down. "Do you think they know?"
Jazz blinked, and then seemed to piece together what he was asking. "I don't...think so? You know we're always careful. I feel like if they knew, we would know. Why?"
Danny hugged himself. "It's either that or they think I hate them. They've just been so...distant. I don't know what to do." Jazz wrapped her arms around him. She never minded that he was so cold. It was nice, since he could never hug their parents. It was just...too risky. "Should I...should I just fess up? Would that make things worse? I...I..."
Jazz kneeled in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders. He realized he was trembling. "Hey...look at me."
He obeyed. She was looking up at him with the same loving gaze as she had when he'd first told her he was a boy. This was arguably more terrifying. Their entire career was based on hunting ghosts. Hunting those like him. If they didn't know...could he risk it? Which was worse, the thought of them hating him, or the thought of them spending the rest of their lives wondering why their son had pushed them away?
Help them.
Danny sat straight up so fast it made Jazz squeak in surprise. "Danny?" She looked up at his face. "Oh. I know that look."
Jazz knew about Obsessions. When he'd explained them to her, she seemed to catch on instantly. It must've been a psychology thing. It hadn't taken her long to piece together what his was, or how to spot his tells when it took over.
He stood up, still shaking. "I-I have to tell them."
Jazz stood up and took his hand. "I know. And you know that you're not alone. I'll be with you every step of the way."
-
They walked hand in hand into the living room, where their parents sat watching TV. Jazz gave Danny an encouraging look. You can do this.
"Mom...Dad..."
Their parents looked over.
"Hey kids." Their mom gave them a smile, but it seemed very forced. "What's up?"
The hammering had started in Danny's chest again. He couldn't do this. It was impossible. Was he really helping them? Maybe it was better if they remained ignorant. Easier. Could they handle their son being the very thing they'd dedicated their lives to hunting? Was it really better than thinking he hated them?
Jazz squeezed his hand. He looked over to meet her soft gaze. I'm here, her eyes seemed to say.
Danny took a deep breath and stepped forward, letting go of Jazz's hand. And for the first time in almost two years, he allowed himself to take his mother's hand.
She frowned. "Sweetie, are you anemic?"
He took his hand away. "Uhhh..." He figured that would be too subtle. But he had to take baby steps. "Not quite." He looked back to Jazz, still wordlessly cheering him on. "Do you remember the accident?"
Both parents were at full attention now. "Of course," Mom said. "We were terrified. We thought you were gonna die."
Danny gulped and half chuckled through gritted teeth. "That's the thing...uhh..."
"Son," Dad spoke up. "You know we love you no matter what." He sounded so sad. Oh Ancients, they did think he hated them. "Whatever it is...we can handle it."
Danny looked back at Jazz, and she came back over and put a hand on his back, whispering in his ear, "You can do this."
With a gulp, Danny began to come clean. "So...you weren't entirely wrong."
Both parents gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean," Mom asked.
"I...uhh...I did die."
"But that's impossible," Dad said. "We took you to the doctor. All your vitals were fine. And then we brought you right home."
"Yeah...I don't know how. My only guess is my body was still getting used to the change."
Mom raised an eyebrow. "What change?"
Danny sighed. How could he even begin to explain? He had died, but also survived somehow? He was undead, but not like a zombie or a vampire. He was something else. And that something else...
He buried his face into Jazz, who rubbed his back. He knew she was glaring at their parents while he tried to collect himself.
"He needs to do this. Please just...listen to him."
Once he felt himself calm down a little, Danny pulled away and wiped the tears from his face. He took a deep breath, and transformed.
-
Both parents gasped in unison.
"Phantom?!"
He turned fully toward them and offered a wry smile.
"You can also call me Danny. I picked that name first after all."
"So," Mom looked at him head-on. "All this time you've been the ghost boy? Why didn't you-" Realization hit her face and she looked down. "Oh."
"I-it's okay. You were just doing your job."
"How did this happen?"
"It's hard to explain." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Even I'm not entirely sure the science behind it. But..it happened. And this...this is who I am. I couldn't hide it any longer. You can hate-"
Suddenly his mother's arms were around him, holding on for dear life. She pulled away to look at him, eyes filled with tears. "We could never hate you, sweetie."
"That's right, son." Dad came over and patted him on the back.
Danny was relieved, but confused. "But...I-I'm a ghost."
"We'll make it work," Mom said, putting a hand on his face. "My baby boy. We're so sorry. We'll try to be better. Right, Jack?"
Dad nodded. "Of course. Family comes first."
And all four of them closed in for a group hug. Danny began to sob. It had been so long since he could actually hug his parents, he'd forgotten how much he needed it. He didn't want to let them go.