Work Text:
After the wild ride that had been his first real Father’s Day, Jack Inferno stood quietly by the portal, watching as “his” children disappeared back into their home reality.
He hadn’t expected the ache that came with their departure—or how easily a child’s love could thaw the cold corners of his heart. Especially for someone so used to being alone.
Still, he smiled as he turned and looked at the new addition to his living room wall. The ghost camera had worked surprisingly well, capturing a crisp black-and-white photo of the Fentons and the Blood Pirates. It was a perfect memento—a permanent reminder of what today had meant.
Smiling for the first time in what felt like ages, he wandered through the now-silent house. Eventually, he found what he’d been searching for: a dusty old journal tucked away on a shelf, untouched for years.
Unlike the human Jack Fenton—whose journals were messy doodles, bad spelling, and unfiltered chaos—Inferno wrote with precision. Every line was measured. Every word chosen with care.
Tonight, the words came a little faster.
"Today had so many twists and turns I didn’t see any of it coming! I rarely pay attention to what the calendar says—mostly because my days are just me in my lonely home tinkering. Such is the life of a recluse.
I never expected my other self’s children to show up with a Father’s Day cake. Let alone want to celebrate it with me. I may be their biological father, but not in this reality. I’m not the same man as the human Jack Fenton—they know that. Still, I’m grateful they came and gave me the chance to have my first real Father’s Day.
I don’t understand how my other self doesn’t make time for them. I’ve matured since college. Yet according to my ‘kids,’ their dad is still an overgrown man-child, constantly ranting about ghosts and eating his body weight in fudge.
Still, it was nice to have the day with them to myself. Even if we did have to go save a band of pirates from a lake monster. But hey, what’s a holiday in the Ghost Zone without something completely unhinged happening?
Overall? This has been one of the best days of my life. Jazz and Danny even promised to visit more often—and help me meet some new people, maybe even make some friends.
‘You can’t be like Beast and stay in your lonely tower forever,’ they said.
I’m looking forward to their next visit. But for now... it’s time for some shut-eye.
He closed the book and set it somewhere new—a better spot. A visible one.
He had a feeling he’d be writing in it more often from now on.
And with that, he headed to his bedroom, the smile still faint on his face as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep—dreaming of the next time he’d see his children.