Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sky was beautiful tonight. The stars shone through a seldom cloudless sky, each their own mini bright sun linking and melding into their own picture. Danny was relishing in it. He drifted lazily along Amity's skyline, back facing the ground, eyes glued to the sky. There had only been a few blob ghost while on patrol today, nothing that could cause any real trouble, Sam and Tuck had headed home even. He was left alone, him and his thoughts. So here he was, staring at the constellations, just as he used to from time to time before the accident. The accident…. everytime he thinks about it, anxiety, deep as the ocean, bubbling from the innermost part of his chest, seems to overtake every nerve in his body. Not that he lets anyone know that. Jazz maybe, but in all her acute observations and detailed care Danny would never let her see how sore of a subject that night is. Sure, he supposes that it was for the best for it to have happened, meant to have happened, but… In times like these, when he's really desperate, he often wonders how Vlad managed to get through it, to talk about his accident so freely in the way he often does. (Then again, he didn't have a true death like Danny did.) He never talks to Sam and Tucker about that night, how it felt, the horror that lurked in as a whining sound, the coming pain that- Nonetheless, perhaps that's why he always ends up looking at the stars on a peaceful night like this, where his thoughts are left to wonder. Why that when he's left alone, and just begins thinking, he always ends up here. Why he's drawn to their unforseen comfort that only grasps more and more at his core with each passing day. The constellations are a distraction. (But are they really?)

Chapter Text

No one in the infinite realms hardly ever gets a glimpse of someone with a space core. The moment they are formed and find their lair, they never leave, and no one knows why. The word around the zone is that they are extremely powerful, so much so that they fracture space itself and therefore cursed by the ancients to become trapped in their lair. While others say it's because they are so weak that they hide away so they will not be seen. So when a young and newly formed ghost with a space core suddenly shows up in the human world and doesn't hide away, ghosts start to become curious. Just how powerful is a young ghost with a space core? This is what has gained Skulker's attention. He got the first wind of a new space core ghost and just HAD to check out this 'new prey' for himself. Now, the ghost zone's greatest Hunter doesn't just go straight into the hunt without first studying his prey's movements and tendencies. So when he finds that not only does this ghost child have a space core, but is also half ghost? Well, that just sweetens the hunt, doesn't it?

The first fight with the ghost child did not... completely turn out the way he intended it to. While he was holding back, getting the boundaries of the boy's power, he underestimated the child. A mistake on his part, he must admit. However, he did not tell the boy of his unique core; he can't have him running off to hide in his lair like his kind so tends to do after all, halfa or not. He will just have to keep studying him and fight him often, surely that will keep him busy enough to not let him find his lair. On the other hand... he can't keep that up alone forever. As much as he would like to keep his little discovery to himself for his own personal gain, word is already spreading of this new, unique ghost, and he cannot keep his little secret for much longer. As such, he begins to tell all he comes across of this baby ghost with a space core, using his reputation as leverage and insisting all he can to go see and fight the boy themselves and keep him from his lair. After all, who doesn't want to see what a space core can do?

Timeskip

Danny is absolutely exhausted. He has had enough of all these ghost attacks. It seems that as soon as he left that stupid portal ghosts have just overrun the town! He can't get a break! The only thing that can really relieve his stress these days is stargazing. Ever since the accident about a year ago, it's like his mind has never really been the same, and it's only gotten worse as time has gone on. He accumulates this dreadful temptation to hiss at things that intimidate or severely irritate him and can't help but be obsessive, even more so when it comes to the safety of the town, friends, and family. He knows Jazz, Sam, and Tucker are bound to have noticed all his unsightly little... changes in behavior, but he refuses to let them know about just how bad it is, just how much the accident has affected him. It is already as bad enough with them insisting on helping him ghost fight, he doesn't need them worrying over him on top of that, he'll be fine. Stargazing is enough consultation for now. No matter how much seeing the people on the streets avoid him becuase they notice just something is off bothers him, studying the constellations never fails to whisk him away to his own little world and away from all the pressure and trouble life has offered him. If only he could get more than 5 minutes at a time to do so! It's like stargazing only incentivizes the ghost to attack him more often!

"Phantom, come in Phantom, do you read?"

Danny put his gloved hand to his ear to tap the Fenton-Phones, static ringing out of them for just a moment. "Loud and clear Tuck," Danny sighed.

"It's nearly 1:00am dude, and there hasn't been ghost activity for nearly an hour now. Sam is already dead to the world. I think It's time to call it a night, yeah?"

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Goodnight Tuck, see you tomorrow at school." With that, he flew back to Fenton Works, dead on his feet (heh) to get some well-deserved night's rest, completely unexpecting of the next day's events.