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Chapter Text

Given how much his father was always overenthusiastic around him and how his mother was always plotting and scheming intensely on her projects, Danny hadn't noticed it immediately on his own. And Jazz with her perpetual concern and worry? It simply added to the pile of a household stockpile of emotions…

…Emotions that the ectoplasm half of him craved like a plant did for sunlight and water.

Danny would have kept being oblivious of this occurrence if only Spectra had kept her trap shut.
In the heat of the final confrontation with her, the teen had done his best to ignore her taunts and (for the most part) he had been successful, but after the metaphorical dust had settled, that same night his overactive mind had started running rampant.

Among the invasive and on-point questions that he had already asked himself during the previous sleepless nights (was he a boy or a ghost? Both? Neither? Just a freak of nature? Were his parents right?) the leech of a wraith had claimed that they were the same, but he was just a dumb little shit who just hadn’t realized it yet.
Her last quip had been about how he would be high on the emotions of safety from the threat being gone if he had won. And the frightening part was… she had been right!

After trapping her in the Thermos and the students had realized that they were safe, a sense of euphoria and… “fullness” had overcome him.

At the time he had thought that it had been adrenaline, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Spectra ate misery to keep herself young and so she actively kept people depressed to feed on them. … Did he do the same? Save everyone to eat their relief and security? Danny didn’t like where his thoughts were leading if that was the case.

His inner Jazz chided him to do experiments before jumping to conclusions and blindly believe someone who had deliberately hurt him.

Thus, Danny started small: he began to pay attention to his body after every fight. He definitely was more exhausted if no one was there to witness the victory, but those times weren’t really an indicator since they happened at night.

So, he tried another approach: feel if he was actively feeding on emotions.

At first, he concentrated on the foreign background feelings that had always surrounded him since he had memory and tried to determinate if they dwindled anytime he felt less tired…

…and with horror Danny noticed that they did. It wasn’t much noticeable, but the intensity of those emotions had lowered.

He had to stop this! What if it got out of hand and he drained someone until they became void husks?!

Therefore, the halfa put a clamp on his Core and forced himself to stop feeding on emotions like that leech of Spectra. He wasn’t like her, and he would never be.

Sure, Danny had to drink straight ectoplasm filtered from the Portal to feel less like death had warmed over, but at least he wasn’t harming anyone.

(Unbeknownst to him, due to his overwork and sleep deprivation, Jack Fenton had fallen more often in the spiral of ADHD hyperfixations and was fidgeting more uncontrollably; Maddie Fenton had started obsessing in a more unhealthier way on finding ways to hunt and annihilate ghosts; Jazz Fenton was making herself sick with worry for her whole family’s and Danny’s friends behavior, since Sam Manson was leaning more and more towards eco-terrorist ideals and methods and Tucker Foley was itching to hack any government branches other than the GiW.
Plus, not even raving on Danny more violently than usual seemed to satisfy Dash Baxter anymore, so he was a hair from escalating to what for anyone else would have been hospital-grade wounds.
…And if the Red Huntress was more bent into terminating his existence, it was probably because of the stress from the finals.)

The only instances when the halfa had to yield to the hunger, had been during the meeting with his future self, the second encounter with Freakshow, Pariah Dark and Vortex, though he had felt tainted by doing so, hating the relief his Core felt at the action.

However, all came to an end when Undergrowth invaded Amity.
Danny was cold, weak and unstable due to frost covering his body, but it had also given him an out from the vines trapping him.

Desperate and overwhelmed by the onslaught of terror and helplessness of the humans trapped (particularly Sam’s every time she had attacked him, she was conscious through all of that, fu-!), the halfa had fled into the Infinity Realms to seek help, since his micro-attempt to feed on anyone to regain strength had backfired spectacularly and iced him more.

He had fallen unconscious before he could have even tried to steer his route anywhere safe…

…And that was why Danny was o-so confused when the first thing he noticed when he woke up was the reassuring humming of a Core that didn’t belong to him, but still felt achingly familiar. The next thing was that he was surrounded by a soothing warm cold (if that made any sense) and that his mattress had fur.

His sleep-addled brain, in order to investigate the oddity, saw fit to nuzzle the coarse fur until he found the undercoat and buried his face in its softness. His (until now misbehaving) Core began to purr in response and Danny (to his later never-ending embarrassment) started to knead slightly the fur in his grasp as an unconscious impulse and stim to seek comfort.

Something carefully buried itself into his unruly white locks and carded his hair, gently scratching him and so upping Danny’s purr of pleasure.

A rumble, much akin to a laugh, made the boy blink his eyes open while still in a sleepy haze and reluctantly looked up, meeting the cool cyan warmth of Frostbite’s irises.
Why were they full of mirth? He hadn’t done anything funny, only sleeping…

With a jolt his brain fully booted up and Danny realized the position he was in: Frostbite was laying down on a sort of medical cot without his upper body regalia and his ice-hand was buried in the boy’s hair, ruffling it gently; what the halfa had thought was a mattress, was instead the Chief’s belly and chest and he could feel the other’s fur on his skin because under the nest of quilts above him Danny was wearing only a pair of shorts (with his slips underneath).

The boy’s yelp was cut short by a surge of Forstbite’s Core hum that had the immediate effect of soothing his alarm. What the…?

"Everything is alright, Great One." The yeti murmured low, without the usual bombastic gusto that his voice held at the appellation. "You’re recovering. Are you aware of the methods of treating hypothermia?"

Danny’s spiral halted and he paused to reflect. Jazz had actually made Team Phantom review that one as soon as they had returned from their first journey from the Far Frozen. "Yeah, you have to… get rid of the wet or cold clothes and slowly raise the temperature. One of the methods is… Oh." He croaked, throat dry, but realization had set in.

Skin to skin contact. Or in this case skin to fur contact.

"Now, usually we don’t need to use such an ancient method, we have our Healing Tubes for excessively freezing ghosts with an Ice Core, but when we attempted it with you, it seemed to worsen your condition, so we had to resort to a more… drastic treatment." There was hesitation in the older ghost’s voice. What had happened?

Danny’s Core purr stuttered in confusion and Frostbite quickly picked up his distress because he continued. "I had to perform a temporary kinship between our Cores in order to let yours recede from the defensive state it was in and accept our treatment. Basically, you’ll be under my care until your health will be in top condition."

"He means he’s adopted you, Great One." A yeti doctor (who had just approached the duo) took pity on Danny, who just blinked, not computing the sentence.

"But I already have a dad?" Was the feeble protest from a still too weak halfa.
Did Frostbite successfully pull a Vlad while taking advantage of his state? He hadn’t seemed the type at all the last time that had met!

"And he still very much is." The Chief reassured, hum still present but more subtle (however nonetheless soothing). "Brinehorn misspoke. I’m temporarily fostering you, meaning your wellbeing will be under my care until I can return you to your living parents. A Core Kinship is usually frowned upon, if your close relatives are not present to pass the responsibility, sans for emergency reasons. Which was the case of your situation, Great One. You’re still a minor in the eyes of Ghost Law, and I presume Living one as well." Frostbite explained gently.

Oh. So, the yeti had become a legal guardian for him, like that one time the CPS had been called on the Fentons and people had come to investigate their lives.
(Despite their many lacks, Maddie and Jack had still been deemed fit for parenting him and Jazz, so they had been returned to their home in the FentonWorks. However, Danny still remembered from the foster home how eating without fear of food coming alive had been and emotions around him had been much more muted than before.)

"Yeah…" Danny muttered, squishing his left cheek on Frostbite’s chest to look away from his caring expression (and if it brought his ear closer to the hum it was no-one’s business). "Frostbite, what happened? Do you know why I was icing over?"

The doctor, Brinehorn, stepped up at that. "Your Core seemed to have stabilized in its nature from being a newborn untyped one." At Danny’s perplexed expression, the yeti frowned. "Surely your caregivers explained this to you?" The boy shook his head minutely, making the doctor scowl. "Great One, pardon my rudeness, but that’s incredibly irresponsible."

Any other moment Danny would have gotten angry and lashed out at the insinuation, but content and tired as he was curled up on Frostbite, he just got defensive. "It’s not their fault, they’re still studying ghosts. And even if they have some bias, it’s just been two years since they actually met a ghost, so it’s not like they could have known."

The doctor blanched and Frostbite inhaled sharply, aura flaring into such disbelief that Danny could taste it, before he realized what he was doing and immediately slammed a lid on his leech-tendencies.
However, by doing so, Danny’s Core flared in agony, making him let out a strangled cry and curl in fetal position on his left side.

"Easy Great One, stop whatever you were doing." Frostbite firmly but at the same time gently commanded and the authority in his voice resonated inside the teen deep enough that he made him comply.
(The odd thing about it was that it hadn’t felt like the orders Freakshow had issued him with his evil red orb, but it was more like the strong suggestion of a worried and determined Maddie Fenton. And that was the sole reason he hadn’t freaked out at how quickly he had obeyed, like it had been a reflex more than a coercion.)

(Maybe this was the power of a Core Kinship?)

Danny shuddered, as he slowly released his control on his Core’s emotional-intake, and worry and fear seeped through his senses from both yetis. Those emotions hadn’t the best “taste”, but since he had caused those in the first place, maybe it was the chastising he deserved.

"Great One, I had a hunch last time you visited, could you answer me honestly?" Frostbite murmured, stroking his back with a soothing motion.
The teen huffed an affirmation, too drained to fight, so the ghost continued. "Are you an empath?"

Danny frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"They are individuals capable of feeling the emotions of those surrounding them, young ghostling." The doctor seemed to have shed the pedestal that the denizens of the Far Frozen had put him on and Danny would have been grateful about it, if he hadn't sensed the yeti be upset about having to impart said knowledge. "They are extremely rare even among ectoplasm-kind."

"Wait, you mean that not everyone can feel them? I thought that it was normal…" Danny trailed off, remembering how he always asked himself why the bullies enjoyed hurting him or others, since they had to feel their pain.
(When he had learned the meaning of the word “sadistic”, he thought he had found the answer.)

"No, it is not a sense anyone can normally experience, Little Sn- hem, Great One." What was that Frostbite had almost called him? Before he could ponder further the ice spirit continued. "I suppose that you always had this ability, then." A nod. "Did it… develop further when you became a halfa?"

Danny’s breath hitched, mind immediately summoning the image of Spectra and his guilt and revolt at being like her.
The yeti was smart, he probably had the answer already and was just waiting for a verbal confirmation to banish the halfa from the Far Frozen, in order not to put his people at risk.
Paradoxically, as this realization settled in, Danny started to cling harder to locks of Frostbite’s fur and tensed in his still curled up position.

Despite the potential risk, the boy still felt so safe here, he didn’t want to be thrown away…
But he did owe his friend, his temporary guardian who had helped him without asking anything in return sans honesty, an answer.

"I’m… an emotional parasite, I think. I can eat other’s emotions to power up and feel less tired." Danny reluctantly revealed, not looking at the yetis, one because he didn’t need to see their faces to understand what they felt, and two because he didn’t want to add the visual to the incoming disgust they would feel.

The hum under him stuttered to a stop, at last, and a growl crumbled from Frostbite's throat and for once Danny's Fight or Flight instinct turned into Freeze.
His own terror felt different than when his parents' weapons went off on him out of nowhere, this was more visceral and significant/important.

He was going to be torn apart!

"Little Snowflake, w̵̛͕͖̰̥̯͍̩̒͑̑̔̉̋͜͝h̵̢̻̫͉̤͉͊̆͋̈́̈́͘o̷̢̹̣̫͙̪̹̭͂ told you that?" The Chief of the Far Frozen and Protector of the Infi-Map demanded, ice claws gripping his shoulder. They didn't hurt (if fact, they cradled him more protectively than threateningly), but in Danny's panic the sudden pressure made him whimper like a kitten cornered by a bloodthirsty wolf.
The older spirit immediately let go in response, making Danny's Core shift gear without any conscious consent and the terror of being abandoned consumed him.
Before he could stop himself, he was already reaching out for the other.

He should have been more afraid of being killed a second time, not being alone! Why was he reacting like this!

"Easy Little Snowflake, you are safe. No one will bring you harm, myself included." The hum came back in full force and the halfa latched on it and its regular pattern to try and calm down, along with the flesh hand that was offered to him. "And we will not cast you away."

Tentatively, the ice hand touched again his bare back and Danny shuddered at its smooth texture, noticing for the first time that its fingers were rounded and not pointed in claws. But before they had been present when Frostbite had stroked his head…? Maybe the full ghost was able to manipulate his limb at will… that would be soooo cool! 

As he fiddled with the furred paw before him, Danny slowly calmed down, tension unwinding from his tense muscles and Core tentatively starting to purr again.

"I apologize for upsetting you, Little Snowflake, my rage wasn't directed at you." Frostbite murmured after a while.

" 's fine, Frostbite. I should have known better. You've always been so nice." Danny slurred, completely drained by the emotional rollercoaster (that he had refused to banquet on).

"That is not the issue, ghostling. Whoever made you think that those who have to feed on emotions are parasites, has committed a grave injustice to you." The doctor took advantage of this occasion to jump back into the conversation, making the halfa blink lethargically at him. "There are different diets among the denizens of the Infinite Realms and while it's not completely uncommon to eat emotions and specialize on certain ones, yours seems to be one of a kind."

" "Much more unique than the other guys"…" Danny huffed mockingly under his breath the joke theme-song that Tucker had made him while they had been trying to study together unsuccessfully. One more quirk to add to the pile, it seemed.
"What changes? I still eat emotions and I could dry someone if I'm not careful." He countered, almost petulant.
His choice was the right one, because no one had to suffer beside him.

"I doubt that this is the case, Little Snowflake." Frostbite raised his flesh index and that made the halfa look up at him. His eyes, if possible, were even kinder.
"Becoming your guardian has allowed me access to your medical file and that confirmed what I already suspected: one of your obsessions is protection. Thus, you're physically unable to drain to death anyone with this ability. If anything, you're what my people call "Peacemaker"." He paused, almost dramatically to create suspense. "Tell me, Little Snowflake, did you notice anything different about those around you between before you started fasting and after?"

At this, Danny paused, bitter comeback ready on his tongue, but not spilling over because the yeti's feelings had a bit of sting in their taste, like a warning to give it a thought.
He hadn't noticed anything different, had he? Or had he been just clueless?

The memories of having to separate several times his friends from what had felt more like full fights than the usual friendly bickering; Dash slamming his head so forcefully inside the locker that he had had a concussion for three hours instead of the usual mild headache for thirty minutes; dad resembling more and more a coke bear than just a caffeinated squirrel; mom being so dead set on waging war on the ghosts that sometimes she forgot to eat; Jazz worrying so much that she was getting eyebags that rivaled his own from the lack of sleep; Valerie's suit AI seeming one step from gaining sentience from how many times it was online and so able to gain the necessary Exp. to Level Up and Evolve.

Okay, maybe Frostbite was onto something here. 

"What if that's the case?" He asked instead, practically responding at the same time.

"Then before you started starving your Core," the tone was stern and a little disappointed here, making Danny shrink down, "you were just consuming the excess of the emotions from those around you. Taking off their edge, so to say. This is why we call individuals like you peacemakers: you can defuse high tension situations from the background before they could even start."

"Oh." Danny breathed, stunned by the revelation. So he actually wasn't like Sp-...

"From how you're reacting, it's evident that you didn't know this…" Frostbite interrupted his train of thoughts before they could spiral, "however, you knew enough to form a prejudice against this part of you. Who told you to fear who you are and what did they say?"

Danny swallowed, averting his gaze and fixing it on the furry paw still in his grasp, starting to fidget with it to discharge a bit of tension.
"There's this ghost, she's more of a wraith we think, that to gain a human disguise that looks young and flawless has to consume the despair and depression of her victims." He shuddered at the memories. "She actually fed on me and the school for a whole week last year, then tried to murder my sister because she had tried to cheer everyone up. When I finally discovered and defeated her, she told me that we were the same, but my "favorite" emotions to get off on were safety and relief and that's why I defended Amity."

The halfa could tell that the Chief of the Far Frozen was getting angrier and angrier from his words, but was doing a fantastic job in repressing those emotions because he was barely able to feel them.
The same couldn't be said for the doctor, because he swore in the background, cursing Spectra with a few choice words that would have made a sailor blush.

"Little Snowflake, no, Great One, you are the least "like her" person I've ever known in my entire existence." Danny looked up into the other's eyes and read sincerity in them even without needing to feel it with his Empathy. "You are a hero even more thanks to this ability of yours. Thus, stop trying to suppress it or you'll starve yourself out of existence, please."

Danny got a little choked up at the sincerity he felt from his foster dad (Ancients, Frostbite had temporarily adopted him!) and he let out a strangled "okay", before hiding his face in the other's chest fur.

"Just start consuming emotions slowly, ghostling, or you'll make yourself sick by gorging on them." Brinehorn recommended. "When we found you half-frozen, we had to purge the excess of converted-ectoplasm from your stomach because you were having an indigestion that had an adverse effect on your Core Powers."

"Is that why I iced more when I tried to eat Sam's terror to power up?" The teen asked, still half-buried in the white fluff.

"It's likely, given that your Core is an Ice typed one. The excess of energy worsened your already overwhelmed Core that generated a surplus of ice." The doctor agreed.

"Wait, I have an Ice Core? But I eat emotions?" The teen asked, confused.

"Indeed you have, Little Snowflake!" The gusto was back in the Chief's voice. "Like all the denizens of the Far Frozen! You just have a different diet, one does not preclude the other." He explained. "By the way, why did you have to consume Lady Sam's terror? I was under the impression that you despised your dietary needs out of misinformed bias."

Realization slammed into Danny, making him yelp and try to disentangle himself from the quilts with urgency. "Amity is under attack from Undergrowth, I have to get back!"

"Undergrowth? What's the Ancient of Plants doing on the Mortal Plane?" Brinehorn asked, confused.

Frostbite put his ice paw on the mound of quilts to stop Danny as he spoke. "You are still not recovered, Little Snowflake. You cannot sustain a battle, let alone one against such a powerful entity. Icefang!" He bellowed, summoning a scarred yeti from outside the infirmary. "Gather a platoon of our best warriors and head to the Great One's Haunt. It has been invaded without a motive by Undergrowth, the Ancient of Plants. Annihilate him with extreme prejudice!"

"Yes, Chief!" The warrior saluted, hastily departing before Danny could have a word otherwise.

"Wait, Frostbite! You don't have to get involved! Amity is my responsibility!" The halfa protested.

"And you are mine now. We have a Kinship Bond, your battles are my battles. Besides, you already largely demonstrated your capabilities when you defeated Pariah Dark and Vortex, but you don't have to, right now. You are still half-starved and weakened, plus you have still no control over your Ice Core Powers. It'll take you time to learn and you'll be miserable all the while, knowing that your haunt would still be taken over. So, please, let me take care of this, Little Snowflake." Frostbite seemed to voluntarily inject as much pleading in his words as he could, now knowing that the halfa could feel that.

Despite being frequently called the Clueless One, Danny did know when a battle of wills was lost from the start (Jazz had been a harsh teacher of that), so he relented, slumping on the other's chest in defeat.
A pleased hum picked up under him and the boy tried to hide how his tension melted at the sound and vibration, still trying to appear a little miffed from the situation, but failing miserably.
Frostbite's chuckle rumbled along with the hum, shaking him and making him pout more at his foster dad.

Oh, Ancients, he had been adopted by a responsible adult. Someone who didn't judge or threaten him. Who visibly cared for him, so much that he was putting his people in danger for his wellbeing.

"Will they be okay? Your warriors, I mean." A bit anxious, Danny clarified when an inquiring "uh?" was intoned by the yeti under him. "You said that Undergrowth is an Ancient and I remember how strong Clockwork or Pandora are."

"Usually you'd be right, however a squadron of my warriors consist in thirty of my strongest yetis and we have the element of surprise and advantage. After all, plants do not well with cold temperatures." Frostbite grinned, perhaps a little ferally, making the boy smile in response. "Sleep now, Little Snowflake, we'll take care of you and your haunt." The older spirit encouraged, stroking the younger's hair.

Danny yawned, spent by the whirlwind of emotions, and curled better on the soft fur of his foster dad. "Only if you call me Danny."

As he closed his eyes, Frostbite hesitated, but the following humming was filled with fondness. "Of course, Danny."

Chapter Text

Jack Fenton had been called many things by many people. Scatterbrained, idiot, retarded, negligent, a danger to society and the road, annoying, (one time he had pretended not to hear) even a waste of space, but never ever a father that didn't love his children. Sure, he had a favorite (who didn't have them! It was only human), but he loved his son, too. That time the CPS had taken both away, it had been Jack who had fought tooth and nail to be cleared to have a fitting house and schedule to get them back. Sure, Maddie had been as involved as him, but no one ever had the same emotional attachment to this family than Jack.

(Had Jack been a ghost, one would have called it his obsession.)

And the man would have been an exemplary father as well, if he didn't have one heck of a case of ADHD. 

His brain, once he had managed to obtain the objective (bringing his kids back home), had decided that it was absolutely the time to switch hyperfocus and start building the Fenton Portal!

It wasn't his fault! He had tried to take medicines for this neurological dysfunction, but they blocked all the creative juices and slowed him down! And how could he create ghost-fighting weapons and gadgets without them?!

So yeah, he had given… precedence to his work instead of his offspring. But without the former the latter would be even more at risk!

However, lately something hadn't been… right, so to speak. Everything was so much more, so intense and escalating that Jack was actually considering taking his ADHD meds.

Ghost plants invading the city had come before he could have started the therapy, though.
Sap and chlorophyll had taken over his frontal cortex, rendering him practically a zombie slave, aware enough to know that he had been taken over and that his family had joined his fate.

So much for being the family's protector… The man had thought in the rare moments of lucidity, still fighting for control, but deep-down despairing that he wouldn't succeed.

That is, until the white Bigfeet came. 

All the vines and thorns were frozen solid then smashed, along with the vegetal pods that held the trapped people, rendering them inoffensive.

The cryptid creatures moved like a squadron of Navy SEALS, with their same efficiency, as they swarmed Amity Park.

They had made each human-puppet harmless without even hurting them, then they had moved to the big bad green chicken-plant.
The furred warriors had methodically dismembered the ghost with icy weapons, until a meager sprout-imp remained, which was then detained in an ice globe, like some demented hamster in a ball.

All the while, the newly freed Amity Parkers (Fentons included) had watched from the sidelines because they were still recovering from the forceful chlorophyll-takeover.

It was when a couple of Bigfeet departed with the ghost in tow, leaving the rest to clear up, that finally Jack and Maddie shook themselves up and unsteadily searched for their kids (but only after determining that the new creatures were not a threat to humans).

They only found a shaken-up Jazz and two nearly hysterical Sam and Tucker who couldn't find their friend, but they were sure that they had hurt him while under control of this "Undergrowth" fellow (which apparently was the chicken-plant's name).

A colossal scarred white Bigfoot took the moment the duo had paused to breathe and sob as their clue to interject in their conversation.
"Fear not, companions of the Great One! He is safe and recovering in the Far Frozen under the tutelage of Chief Frostbite." He announced, startling the teens, who had been too distracted by their distress to notice his approach.

"Ancients, Icefang! …You're Icefang, right?" Sam rambled and the creature nodded. "How bad is he?"

"I couldn't gather his actual condition before being dispatched to "annihilate with extreme prejudice" Undergrowth," Jack could hear the quotation marks in his voice, "but from what little I could see when I was in the same room as the Great One, he was alert and looked already better than when our patrol found him half-frozen in the outskirts of our Haunt." The furred ice-horned being stated and both hunters jolted at the mention of the last term: did that mean that these creatures weren't cryptids but ghosts?!

Their flinch must have alerted Jazz, because she moved her own body between them and the ectoplasmic being, frenzied but with a severe glint in her eyes. "Don't you dare!" She screeched, giving time to the other two young humans to join her side.

"They just saved me from becoming a slave and you from becoming fertilizer, what's wrong with you?!" All the previous frantic hysterical energy she had seemed to have turned into fury, as Sam snarled at the Fentons.

"You can't be that bigoted to not recognize when you owe someone a debt!" Tucker added with a vindictive light in his eyes.

Both statements stung Jack fiercely, so he backed off, reaching his wife to make her do the same when she had stood her ground and prepared to leash out instead.
The Fenton patriarch (as already stated) was many things, but he did recognize when he had a debt, even if it was with someone he didn't like, like that time in college with that "Dad" Turner¹* fellow. 

And, and!! He wasn't bigoted, ghosts were simply malicious posthumous human imprinted ectoplasm without sentience that could only…
His automatic train of thoughts screeched to a halt after derailing due to being hit by a meteorite: if they had no sentience or emotions (beside satisfying their obsession and feeling pain, that is), why would a pack of them risk themselves "uselessly" to save the citizens of Amity Park so vehemently, if the quote "annihilate [him] with extreme prejudice" was anything to go by? 

And… Hadn't this Icefang fella implied at the start that Sam and Tucker were companions of a certain "Great One", who they had inquired about, apparently not caring about Danny anymore? Was Danny one and the same? Did that mean that he was in a nest of ghosts right now?

While usually that prospect would have sent Jack into a panicked frenzy, the fact that these three teenagers (his daughter above all!) were defending one of those furred ghosts had given him enough reassurances about his son's safety.
After all, if they were already on first name-basis with one of these warriors, Jack could concede them the benefit of doubt.

The hunter inhaled deeply and the trio tensed, before he simply exhaled and tried to assume a non-threatening stance.
"While they did save us, I can't simply give my trust blindly." He made eye-contact with the ghost, noticing for the first time that one of the scars had made one of his pupils white and unseeing. Oops! Well, no matter.
"My name is Jack Fenton, ghost hunter and scientist of Amity Park, who am I speaking with?" He stated formally, grateful for those few lessons on etiquette with Vladdie.

While the teenagers seemed stunned, the ghost didn't miss a beat and straightened, raising up his head and exposing his throat, turning away his horns from them at the same time²*.
(Maddie bristled at the gesture, probably interpreting it as a challenge, but Jack had seen that kind of behavior in deer and caribou and it was a sign of respect, since it exposed such a vulnerable spot.)

"I am Icefang of the Far Frozen yeti tribe, General of Chief Frostbite's army. I commend you for your wariness of an unknown force, but I assure you that we mean no harm to humankind unless provoked with war." The unspoken threat was there, but it was a fair warning of not wanting trouble, like Switzerland neutrality.

Jack could deal with something like that, so he deliberately mimicked the warrior's gesture of exposing his throat for a couple of seconds, which seemed to please Icefang.
"We don't want anything of that kind, but if threatened we will retaliate." The man answered seriously. "However, I need to clarify a point: is this "Great One" you mentioned my son, Danny Fenton?" The yeti nodded, serious as well. (Maddie gasped.) "What is your relationship with him, what do you want from him and why is he in your Haunt?"

The warrior pondered for a while on his answer, while Jack silently tried to placate his agitated wife.
If she attacked the fella, he couldn't give them the answers!

"I am not sure I have the clearance to divulge some of this information, but what I can tell you is that the Great One managed to escape Undergrowth's attempt to take over by fleeing in the Infinite Realms through your Portal and crash-landed in our Haunt. Your son is dear to us inhabitants of the Far Frozen, so we immediately aided him in his recovery. Our Chief instantly sent my squadron to liberate the town as soon as he woke up and explained the situation." Icefang carefully explained.
It made sense, even if there were still holes left.

"If he's awake, then give him back!" Maddie exploded at last, incensed.

The general looked them over in a consideration, then called "Snowcoat!" and in a second the thick furred yeti who had been fussing over civilians down the road materialized at his side. "Have you been debriefed about the condition of the Great One by Brinehorn before departing?" He got a nod. "Is he cleared to travel?"

"I'm afraid not, General. He was still too weakened from the ordeal." Snowcoat answered.

"Then we can go and see him!" Sam jumped at the alternative.

The new yeti turned towards them and crouched to be at eye-level. He seemed to perform a quick examination (which the kids allowed without so much of a peep!), but the growing frown on his face seemed an answer enough. "You are still too shaken and drained to even stand up, Lady Sam, in clear conscience I can't allow this."

Before the Goth could try and either chew him off or bargain, Jazz put a placating hand on her shoulder and turned to Icefang. "Does Danny have his Phones? They are a pair of green earbuds with an F printed on them." She described when a puzzled expression painted the ectoplasmic duo's faces. 

"If he doesn't have them, we can always give them a pair to send to Danny, right?" Tucker looked expectantly at the ghosts.

"That, we can do." Icefang turned to Jack. "Are these terms acceptable to you, father of the Great One?"

The man looked at Maddie, who seemed peeved at being interpellated only now after being cut off before.
With a glance that promised retribution (or a tongue lashing) later, the woman huffed, but at least she gave it a thought.

Jack, in the meanwhile, was pondering if this could be enough.
Sure, from what the kids implied, the Phones were already capable of interdimensional communication, so there shouldn’t be a problem to talk to Danny, but… would that be enough?
All of them were exhausted, that was true, so there couldn’t be much of a fight on the terms of the deal, but it was kind of them to give the humans the ability to decide.
So yes, the deal was fair according to Jack.

Maddie seemed to have reached the same conclusion because she nodded, even if displeased by it, due to the distaste evident on her face.

"The terms are acceptable, Icefang. We just need to grab a spare pair of phones and hook them up to a viva-voce device so that all of us can hear when he is going to call." The patriarch tried to appease his wife and at the same time leash the kids into talking things in the adults’ presence, without sneaking off.
Both groups seemed at the same time mollified and disgruntled by the conditions, but didn’t protest, so it was already a step forward!

It took a bit of a hassle to reach the FentonWorks, due to their exhaustion and Maddie’s unwillingness to be touched by ghosts.
Jack had been a good sport, instead, and had accepted leaning on Snowcoat to walk, due to both their bulk and the inability to stand on his own of the man (plus if he observed from a close perspective his fur, it would be no one’s business).
Sam, even if grumpy, was completely fine sitting on Icefang’s shoulder (but it was more about being treated like a weakling than the person carrying her), as was Tucker on the other, but with a more relaxed air on him.
Jazz (the least injured and drained among the humans) had proclaimed herself as her mother’s crutch and was helping her walk.

At lest half an hour later, the five humans and two ghosts found themselves in the Lab basement, rummaging for both the Fenton Phones and a receiver to modify in order to hear the call (which took less than the time it took to make the deal, unsurprisingly).

After entrusting the spare Phones to Icefang (who swore on his Core to bring them safely to the “Great One”), the yeti departed, sending Snowcoat to tend to Amity’s civilian.
Apparently, the yeti was the most knowledgeable doctor on human physiology after Brinehorn, who was supervising Danny.

Thus, the Fentons were finally alone with the teenagers.

"Why on Earth are you so familiar with a whole tribe of ghosts? And why is Danny called “Great One” by them?" Maddie finally snapped, however the kids glared right back at her (even if Tucker in a weaker way than the other two, probably due to being more susceptible to the woman’s ire than Sam).

"We crash landed on their Haunt while we were exploring the Infinite Realms, it’s not a big deal." Sam growled. "Danny just went Mouse on Frostbite’s Lion with a thorn in his paw, they are grateful to him because of this." She crossed her arms, clearly defensive.

"You went into the Portal? How?" Jack knew he should have been more severe, but the news had made him excited.

"The Speeder." Tucker looked relieved to change inquirer, since he looked at him. "It’s perfectly equipped with the defense Ecto-Shield and while there’s no reliable radar map in the InfiRe, it can still keep track of where the Portal is, so we never got lost!" While that made the man super interested, the implication of that statement made him pre-cringe at his wife’s reaction.

"Never? Tucker, how many times did you go in the Portal?" Her saccharine tone made everyone sans Sam shudder.

"Ughhh… Two or three?" He asked weakly, not being convincing at all, sweating all over and looking paler by the minute.

"Buddy, just plead the Fifth and don’t dig yourself deeper." Jack took pity on him, not wanting the boy to pass out in terror.
Their emotions were skyrocketing too high, and it would have inevitable to blow a fuse.
Uh, it was weird to be the mediator among them, usually that was Jazz’s role, but she was more on the defensive side of the edge instead of walking it.

"Jack, stop covering for them! Were you on this secret all along?" The woman verbally attacked him, but he just raised his hands in surrender.

"Maddie, sweetheart, we just came out a Plant-pocalypse, I think we all deserve to chill out." The kids groaned at the pun, but a bit of tension seemed to be diffused from their frames.
Mission Accomplished!

His wife seethed, but seemed to recognize reason in his words, because she tried to forcefully reign in her fury and started to breathe in definite patterns to quell her demeanor. "Very well. I have just one thing to ask you then: after all we taught you about ghosts, why did you even decide to trust them?" She demanded tightly.

"Because they’re sentient people, mother." Jazz finally spoke, calm and serious instead of the whiny tone she had usually assumed when she had tried to tell them the same before… Or at least that was the main difference Jack noticed, because the familiar phrase sounded in his head like that.
Had he dismissed her opinion before just because it sounded like the whining of a bratty kid?

"You just have to accept that you were wr-…!" Sam was cut off by Tucker’s elbow in her gut, which allowed Jazz to continue.

"Like humans, ghosts have different personalities and attitudes, all your data had been based on a small “tainted” sample and so ineligible for your observations. Like, if you use a net in a koi pond and fish up only red ones and a couple of calicos, it’s obvious you’ll think that the majority of their population it's red. However, since you fished only in one spot, you’ll never get the full picture and so discover that the population is like, 75-80% calicos and white fish and the red ones swarm only that particular spot you’re fishing in." Jazz lectured and for once her father found himself fully captured by her arguments instead of either nodding off or being distracted.
This… did make sense! It also kind of reminded one of his ecology lectures in college about gathering samples.

With a gasp, Jack realized where the simile was going to: the pond was the Ghost Zone and the malicious ghosts they had fought were the red fish! And the specific location they had fished in was Amity Park!
Was this flocking because of attempting a turf war for a new place that had opened because of their Portal?
He could ask his daughter now, but probably the question would be ill-received during such a serious situation, after all they had just managed to calm Maddie.

"So, these yetis are part of this “calico/white fish” faction, that’s what you mean?" He asked instead, earning an approving smile from Jazz.

"More the whites than calicos, if we keep to the simile and consider the latter as a bit more voluble than the former." Tucker added with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, not really a fan of Kitty and Johnny, but if they’re not up to their shit, they don’t usually try to make menace of themselves." Sam huffed from the sidelines.

"Yes, a whole lot of ghosts want to be left alone or not to be messed with. Then, there are the peaceful or neutral ones and then the belligerent ones, who are the most frequent assaulters of Amity, like Ghost X and the Crate Creep." Jazz concluded, making Danny’s friends cringe. Why?

"Jazz, please, how many times have we told you to call them by their self-appointed names? It makes them more annoyed if they hear you use that!" Tucker protested, exasperated.

"That’s exactly why! If they are more annoyed about that, they’ll be more distracted!" That made the younger teens pause and look at her in bewilderment.

Luckily, before anyone could make any more remarks, the speaker frizzed and Danny’s hesitant voice sounded from it. "Hello?"

"Danny!" Everyone exclaimed, relieved.

They then proceeded to talk over one another, before the boy’s drained voice from the other side interrupted them. "Guys! One at time! I didn’t understand a word!"

Guilty and embarrassed, Jack scratched the top of his head and coughed awkwardly. "Son, how are you?"

"…I’ve been better, but I’m getting there. Frostbite is mother-henning me to eat and stay warm, so I’ll be fine soon, don’t worry." Danny reassured sincerely if not a bit mutinous, clearing the remaining tension in the Lab. "But enough about me, how are you all? What happened to Undergrowth? Icefang told me they dealt with him, but not the details." Funny how his boy seemed more preoccupied of them than himself.

"Tired but okay, little brother. Snowcoat checked us over." Jazz answered with a small fond smile.

"Good. …Sam?" He asked carefully.

The Goth huffed, but relented. "I’m definitely not made to be a queen and I think that for a while I'll stay away from my greenhouse, but I’ll be fine, you moron."

A loud relieved exhale could be heard from the other side of the line, but before the boy could add anything else, Maddie took over the conversation. "Danny, why didn't you ever tell us about all of this?" She gestured to the kids (even if their son couldn't see it). "Mingling with ghosts, exploring the Ghost Zones and who knows what else!"

"I think you know why, mom." Danny answered after a beat, seemingly with a "done" tone. "How many times have Jazz and I tried to tell you that not all ghosts were bad? How many times you and dad raved about capturing and dissecting ghosts anyway at the lunch table? That if they screamed in pain, you knew that whatever you were doing was working? "

Jack flinched guilty at the reminder, but then frowned when he noticed a low vibrating sound in the background of the transmission. Was that an interference or…?
He glanced around to see if anyone else has noticed the oddity: Jazz and Sam were fixated severely on Maddie who was grimacing, while Tucker seemed to be paling.
Once making eye contact with the Tech-genius, the man mouthed a "What's going on?" that made the teen swallow.

"Danny, sorry to change the topic, but is Frostbite there with you?" The boy braved.

There was a pause, then a sharp intake of air. "Frostbite, stop growling! Your anger is making me angrier than I'm supposed to be!" There was a thump, like someone had hit a plushie, and the interference (growling??) stopped. 

"Little Snowflake…" A deep baritone began, almost whining, but Danny seemed to have none of that.

"Frostbite, I know that you're fostering me now, but this is something I have to resolve with my parents on my own." The term "fostering" chilled Jack to the bone and he had a sudden flashback of the CPS time.
What was this ghost trying to do??

"Not quite, Danny. You're under my responsibility at the moment, so this is very much my concern. This situation cannot be carried forward any longer, for your sake and your dear ones’. This requires an intervention." This stranger sentenced, as if he had any authority over mortals, since he was from another plane of existence.

However, before either of the adults or Danny could protest (vehemently in the case of the former), Jazz uncharacteristically of her whooped.
The four stared at her bewildered, but she didn’t either notice or care. "Thank all great psychology spirits, finally someone said it and is willing to actively do something! Thank you Frostbite, your help will be greatly appreciated."

"But Jazz-!" Her brother started, but Jazz cut him off.

"Can it, Danny. Frostbite is right and I’m sure you know that too, but you’re just in denial." She said, a bit smug and a bit stern.

"…I think they’re right, man." Tucker piped up. "You saw how, from Undergrowth and all those other close ones we had, we’re over our head. Besides, you’re struggling, don't deny it, and I don’t like seeing my best friend suffering."

"You don’t have to shoulder everything Danny. Lone wolves don’t last long without a pack and if anything goes wrong, you’ll have us and Frostbite to back you up." Sam added her two cents.

That seemed to cement whatever decision they were talking about and that was soaring over his and Maddie’s head, because their son sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. But we’re having this conversation face-to-face, not over the Phones." He added.

"That’s fair." Jazz conceded, while the other teens nodded along.

"And when will this conversation be?" Maddie demanded, still worked up by the situation but mollified now that at least there seemed to be some sort of accord where they would get answers once and for all.

There was a pause where only some hums and chirps sounded from the other end of the line, but then the ghost answered. "Brinehorn here was informing me that it’ll be at least one Earth rotation before Danny will be able to safely leave the Far Frozen. His condition needs to be… regulated in order to prevent one of the reasons he had to flee to the Realms."

"Oh! You got another one!" Tucker blurted, a bit excited and surprised.

"Yeah, just another to forget about in the heat of the moment when you need it." Danny grumbled tiredly, making his friends and sister laugh at him.

"Little Snowflake, you should rest some more if you want to meet up with your companions tomorrow. Plus, I’m sure they are tired themselves; we can call them again later." Frostbite rumbled comfortingly, making Jack’s stomach drop at his tenderness and the following agreeing mumble of his son.
Danny allowed others to hear him sound like that only if he was comfortable with them, because he had hated showing any weakness since coming back from the fostering the CPS had him and Jazz in.
(During one father-daughter bonding, rarer due to the construction of the Portal, his princess had confided Jack that her brother was trying to go out of his way to ensure that no one would have a reason to bring them away again.)
(At the time the man had burst with affection for having such a caring son, but thinking about it now with what he had just heard about needing “an intervention” for the boy’s sake, maybe that hadn’t been a good thing. Above all because he hadn’t heard Danny this vulnerable since then.)

The trio of teens gave their farewells and recommendations, but when it came the Fentons’ turn, the parents hesitated, unsure about what to say and not cause a discussion.

"…Make sure to come back home feeling better, son. Your old man would appreciate it." Jack decided to say fondly, trying to repress his jealousy.

"…I’ll do my best, dad." Even if practically on the verge of sleep, there was a smile in Danny’s words.

"If you need us, don’t hesitate to call, Danny. We’ll drop whatever we’re doing to answer, okay?" Maddie told him, partly because she was his mother and partly because she was a ghost huntress. She wouldn’t let her son be harmed by those beings.

"…Okay, mom." The boy answered, almost out of it.

"We love you, Danny. Remember that." Jack couldn’t help to say, getting a hitch of breath from the still open line.

"…I never doubted it." Was the wet whisper, before the line closed.

…Time to secure the Portal, bring the kids home and take a hot shower. There were fluids dripping fresh from his face, Jack Fenton had to wash them away as soon as he could.