Chapter Text
Danny nervously ran his fingers through his thick hair, he had wanted so badly to tell his parents about the accident. But when they learned about Phantom, they doubled down on their anti-ghost technology and opinions.
“ Oh sweetie, there aren’t any ‘good’ ghosts, that’s why we want to protect you and your sister.”
“Say now Danny boy, it’s time you learn how to fight ghosts! Especially with that Phantom menace hanging around now!”
He looked at his reflection, the dark circles under his eyes had become even more prevalent recently. They were making the best choice. They had to be. He sighed heavily as he phased his hand through the wall, locating his bag.
Danny glanced around his room, scanning for anything else he may need or want. He grabbed the pictures with his friends and even some of his enemies and slid them into his backpack between two of his books. The chime of a text brought him out of his thoughts as he dug his phone out of his pocket.
👻 GhostGetters 👻
GothVegan 🥀: Danny, you all packed? Jazz is gonna distract the parents so we can get everything
TechGeek🥩: yeah dude, I have all my tech to last until the new shit drops
Jazzy ☀️: If you aren’t, I can come help
Jazzy ☀️: actually, it’d probably be best for me to keep mom and dad away
GothVegan 🥀: close enough
GothVegan 🥀: my grandma is about to do her part, so Danny, you’ve got 20 to finish packing
TechGeek🥩: And my mom is visiting my grandma, dads at work til like 1am
Jazzy ☀️: see you guys on the other side
DeadAlive 🧟♂️: I’m packed, Jazz give me the sgnal when its time
His heart pounded against his chest as he tried to even his breathing. Now wasn’t the time to chicken out, he reminded himself. The last thing he had to grab was his small box of things he valued.
Suddenly he heard Jazz walking past his room, before she tapped on the door three times rapidly. That was his signal to be silent and listen into the conversation. He mentally cursed their parents' current anti ghost measure which entirely prevented him from swapping his forms.
“Mom, Dad?”
“Yes honey?”
“What’s up Jazzypants?”
“Can you guys come with me on this college tour? It’s about to start and my friends bailed on me.”
Maddie frowned at her, concerned. Was someone treating her little girl poorly? She made a mental note to check in with the teenager later on. Jack had jumped at the idea, quickly spouting off story after story from their own college days.
“And maybe stop for dinner on the way home?”
That was Danny’s cue to quietly go to the top of the stairs, where he could clearly hear the conversation. It wasn’t long before he heard the door shut.
He tiptoed down the stairs, listening intently for the sound of the Fenton family Ghost Assault Vehicle leaving the garage. This plan had been in the works for six months now, thanks to Jazz’s help. The last time the trio had been injured had been the final straw.
“ Danny, these injuries don’t look like they’re from Skulker.”
It was no surprise to Jazz that her brother and his friends had all been injured in the most recent fight. Danny usually had the worst, but at this point, she worried her medical knowledge may not be enough for his injuries.
He refused to meet her eyes, not wanting to tell the truth of what had happened that night. He glanced behind her, meeting Sam and Tucker’s eyes. They knew why he was hesitant, but they were worried.
“Jazz, it’s no big deal, okay? Just drop it.”
“What? No! Danny, what actually happened out there tonight?”
“Look, there was a fight, duh.”
“Fine. You don’t wanna talk? Then I guess I’ll just go get the food, mom and dad will be home soon.”
She didn’t miss the way his already pale face somehow became ever paler. Shaking her head slightly, she left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She wanted to eavesdrop, to learn what had happened. But she couldn’t just break her little brother’s trust in her like that.
She walked down the stairs, still wondering what could have happened to make Danny react like that.
“Jazzypants! Oh have we got the story of a lifetime to tell you!”
She rolled her eyes as she met their parents in the kitchen, arching an eyebrow when she saw the tears and spatters of blood all over their jumpsuits. What was more concerning was the fact Maddie went to grab the first aid kit, something quite rare for the duo.
“I almost had that Phantom menace tonight, Jazzy! But then more of his ghost buddies showed up and your mom and I got separated!”
Jazz felt her heart drop to her stomach, the realization hitting her. She knew why Danny wouldn’t talk to her about the incident.
“Oh, sweetie, can you tell Danny I made sure to get that new poster for him? Oh, and you two might want to stay upstairs tonight, your father and I were hit pretty hard tonight.”
Jazz could feel the panic bubbling up faster the more her parents spoke about how close they’d come to capturing-and murdering-Danny Phantom. Her little brother. Their son. She swallowed harshly before nodding at her mother.
“Danny, don’t you think we should tell her? I mean we’ve always known it was a risk.”
Sam quietly asks as she wiped the blood from Danny’s face, her own hands aching from throwing punches.
“I don’t want her to know, Sam. We both love mom and dad, and she knows how they want to ‘tear me apart molecule by molecule’. They’re not exactly quiet about it.”
Tucker dug through the emergency supply backpack, looking for the extra bandages while he joined the conversation.
“Dude, it’s Jazz. She should know, don’t you think she should know what she’s living with?”
“Tuck, I don’t want her to freak.”
They didn’t hear the soft knocking, nor did they hear the door open.
“Too late, Danny. We gotta get you out of here.”
Jazz whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Danny shook himself out of his thoughts, thinking instead about the bus tickets for that night. Sam had provided the funds, and Jazz had found a bus to somewhere outside of Amity Park, but close enough she could still help the trio.
They would still be in Oregon, but further away from his parents, and their hobbies that were quickly becoming deadly. It wasn’t long before he heard the loud vehicle leaving, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He rushed down the stairs, checking the time. Five minutes before the rest of the team showed up. Maybe he could use this time to grab some of his preferred inventions from his parents.
They would be meeting up with Dani at their eventual destination, so he opted to grab a few extra things to give her. After safely securing everything in his backpack, he checked his phone. Sam and Tucker were waiting outside.
He walked out the front door but turned back to look at the building he once looked at with fondness.
Maybe one day he could call it home again.