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Fenton was so dead!
Dash and Danny had been paired up for their mid-term biology project, but that stupid little flake neglected to meet for their study session. Dash may seem like an idiot jock on the surface, but he had to maintain at least a C+ average in any course to stay on the sports teams.
And Fenton was about to screw them both out of a decent grade.
Dash waited for well over an hour for Fenton to show up. He even attempted to text the loser, but nothing! He was not about to be ghosted by this dweeb.
So Dash gathered his stuff and headed out of the library, on his way to find Fenton and make him do his share of the project, or else.
He kept a brisk pace as he made his way to the Fenton’s hazard of a home. Suddenly the sound of sirens wailed through the evening, shattering the calm that had eased over the town.
Dash groaned knowing that it was the Fenton parents out in their freaky, death-trap of a vehicle chasing down yet another ghost. He wanted to get inside quickly. Jack Fenton was a lunatic on the streets and he didn’t want to risk being on the sidewalk while he was chasing something. Especially if it happened to be Phantom. They stalked him like he was their biggest prize to win, the Super Bowl championship of all ghosts.
So he picked up the pace, but also kept his eyes glued to the sky in the off chance he would get to see Phantom. He was just… so cool! He didn’t have the words to put together to explain how he felt about Phantom. He knew half the town mooned over his heroics, and Dash was a fan. But the few small interactions Dash has had with Phantom are something he runs through his head on an almost daily basis.
All of a sudden, a flare shot into the sky like a firework blazing pink in the twilight. Next, there was a brilliant flash of green, and an unearthly scream that rattled the windows in their panes.
Without a moment to think, Dash’s wish unfortunately came true as Phantom appeared in the air and fell from the sky as something struck him. He crashed into the alley Dash had been passing, the force of his fall cracking the asphalt around him.
Dash couldn’t breathe. The hero he admired was right in front of him. So close he could reach out and touch him. Dash would be freaking out right now in excitement but instead, he was a mess of anxiety and adrenaline because his hero was here and he was injured.
Stupid Fentons!
Overall Phantom looked mostly fine. There was a cut near his temple that looked like it was… bleeding? Green oozed from it sluggishly. Whatever hit him must have knocked him unconscious.
“H-hey Phantom?” Dash called tentatively.
There was no response except a sudden appearance of white rings around Phantom’s waist. They travelled up and down his body in a quick brilliant flash of light.
Suddenly before him was Fenton. Danny Fenton was laying unconscious where Phantom had just been.
What the hell!?
Was this a trick? Some kind of weird illusion… did someone spike Dash’s electrolytes after practice?
He pinched himself. It hurt. Okay so not a dream. Dash bent down and poked Danny’s shoulder. He was cool to the touch, and the cut on his head seemed to be bleeding a little faster now. Bleeding red…red blood. He was human with red blood.
Oh god.
This was real and he was hurt. Dash picked on Fenton but he didn’t really want him dead. And now he was also his idol. Somehow?
Oh god.
Okay! He can fix this. Maybe. First things first stop the bleeding.
Dash rifled through his bag for a first aid kit he kept on hand. In this town it was borderline mandatory to have one on you. His hands shook as he yanked open the zipper, fumbling past old bandages, antiseptic wipes, and a half-empty roll of tape. The adrenaline pounding in his ears made it hard to focus, but he forced himself to breathe slowly.
He fished out a wad of gauze and held it to Danny’s head. Still no response as he touched the weeping wound. Was Danny even breathing?
Oh god, Fenton really was dead. Was Dash going to have to preform CPR?
But dead people can’t bleed like this, right? It would have coagulated if he was dead, and while it wasn’t gushing, it wasn’t stopping either.
Maybe Danny had been overshadowed. Right? That had to be it. Fenton and Phantom could not be the same person.
Phantom was cool, witty, and charismatic. So strong, muscular, and well… he was hot! And Danny was the opposite.
While they were in their junior year, and Dash had lightened up on the teasing, Danny was still and oddball wallflower. He chickened out of most things, looked tired and zombie-like at school. He could barely throw a Football or climb the rope in gym class.
So yeah, this must be an overshadow situation for some reason.
Danny groaned a bit. The sirens from that stupid assault vehicle were getting closer to the block they were on. Dash absolutely did not want the Fenton’s to catch him with their injured son either.
Making a hasty decision, Dash got some medical tape to hold the gauze in place and scooped Danny into his arms and started to hightail it back to his house instead.
No one was home right now and he was about to get some answers.
Dash, anxious and determined, cradled Fenton in his arms, careful not to jostle him any more than necessary. The sirens from the Fenton parents' ghost-hunting vehicle echoed through the streets, urging Dash to move quickly and avoid being spotted. He kept to the shadows, ducking behind hedges and slipping along the quiet sidewalks, his heart pounding with every step.
Reaching his house, Dash checked to make sure no neighbors or passing cars could see him. He unlocked the door as quietly as possible, grateful that his family was out and the house was empty. Inside, the familiar silence was a relief. He hurried up the stairs making a beeline for his bedroom. There, he gently laid Danny on the bed, making sure the gauze on his head was secure.
Dash took a moment to catch his breath, and then realized how utterly insane all of this felt.
After taking a moment to collect himself, Dash went to get some more first aid supplies from the bathroom to better tend to Danny’s wound. Returning with some antiseptic and butterfly stitches to better close the gash.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, and leaned over Danny.
Suddenly Danny’s eyes flew open, a sharp bright green, and his hand clamped around Dash’s wrist in an iron grip. Before Dash could even register what was happening, Dash’s world tilted and spun. He was flipped onto his back on the mattress with Danny’s knee pinned against his solar plexus.
His teeth were clenched in a snarl, and glared down at Dash with those piercing — enticing— green eyes.
Dash was at a loss for words.
Then Danny blinked and his eyes turned back to blue. “What the… Dash?”
Danny took notice of their surroundings and position and quickly backpedaled away from Dash to the end of the bed.
“Uh, sorry?” Danny offered meekly.
Dash let out a shaky breath, rubbing his wrist. “Geez, Fenton, remind me not to wake you up next time you’re napping in class.”
Danny grimaced, looking mortified. “I didn’t mean to—seriously, I just… reacted?”
Dash managed a crooked smile. “Yeah, well, next time warn a guy if you’re gonna go ninja mode… or maybe I should say ghost?”
Danny paled a bit, his head reaching up to the gauze taped to his head. “What did you see?”
“Besides the glowing eyes just now?” Dash said moving across the room to stand in front of Danny and give him some space. “Phantom got shot out of the sky by your kooky parents, and landed at my feet. Then the next second there’s this bright light and you are there instead.”
Danny groaned, running his hands down his face.
“Were you overshadowed or is it something else? Because that wasn’t normal.”
“No, Dash I wasn’t overshadowed but I’m not sure I really want to explain my situation to you either.” Danny frowned at him.
Dash hesitated, then sat on the edge of a nearby chair, his tone softening. “Look, Fenton, I know I haven’t exactly been your biggest fan, but I’m not here to mess with you. I just… what I saw, it’s not something I can unsee. Maybe if you tell me what’s really going on, I can help.”
He offered a tentative smile, trying his best to appear sincere. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone. Plus you owe me after flaking out on meeting up for our project.”
Dash then rolled the chair closer to Danny and gathered up the materials he dropped when Danny flipped him moments ago. “Let me finish patching you up at least?”
Danny nodded. “Thanks.”
Gingerly, Dash removed the thick gauze and tossed it in the trash. The wound wasn’t as bloody as he anticipated it to be, but bandaging it would still help.
Dash ripped open the antiseptic wipe and gently swiped it over the area. Danny grimaced slightly, and Dash offered a small apology. Once he situated the butterfly bandage in place he moved away from Danny.
“So, you’re a fan of Phantom?” Danny said breaking the silence. On the back of Dash’s bedroom door Danny caught sight of a collage of pictures on a tack board. All kinds of candid shots, some blurry, some grainy shots from news reels. A couple were clear as Phantom intentionally posed for the camera. Along with some buttons and a pendant from something called “The Amity Park Phandom”.
“Uh…” Dash stammered eloquently. “What? He’s cool! Unlike you Fenton!” Dash said loudly out of habit and embarrassment. He could feel his cheeks were flaming hot. He spun in his chair so he didn’t have to face Danny and his mocking expression.
"Oh really?" Danny said, his voice betraying a smirk. An odd flash distorted the room's shadows. “Would you tell that to his face then?”
The back of Dash’s desk chair was seized, swiveling him around. This time, Dash found himself staring directly into Phantom’s eyes as Phantom leaned over him. “Well, go on then.”
Dash gaped at him. For a split second, he forgot how to breathe, eyes locked with Phantom's. The realization hit—he was face to face with his hero, the very ghost he secretly admired and had plastered all over his door. Excitement surged through him, making his heart pound in his chest. His eyes roved over his face being so close together.
Phantom's smirk seemed to glint, teeth inches from his face. Dash swallowed. Were those fangs?
Just as quickly, humiliation crept in. Dash's mind raced with every time he'd teased or insulted Fenton. Every locker shove and dodgeball throw on a highlight reel in his mind. How many times had he smacked Fenton upside the head, and now he knows it was also Phantom! Now, confronted by the real deal, Dash's cheeks burned even hotter, torn between awe and the embarrassing memory of his own actions.
The flash appeared again and Fenton was back in his room. “I’m half ghost, Dash.” Danny explained with a weary sigh. “Phantom and I are the same person. I’m not overshadowed. So the hero you admire, and the geek you like to pick on have always just been me.”
Danny backed up and sat on the edge of the bed to give Dash some space.
Dash bent over with his head cradled in his hands. He didn’t know what to do, and suddenly every conversation and interaction he’s had with Danny in his lifetime were playing back on a loop through his mind. The horrible things he’s said and done. And really there was no justification for any of it. He was just a big jerk!
“How have you not killed me?” Dash asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Danny rolled his eyes. “Please. That wouldn’t be very heroic, would it?”
“Revenge then?” Dash threw his hands up in the air. One of the most powerful people in the world was in his bedroom, and he had bullied them relentlessly.
“I’ve pranked you a couple times, dude.” Danny smirked. “You just never knew it was me.”
Dash scowled, an odd mixture of relief and irritation bubbling up inside him. “That’s it? After everything, you just… let it go? Aren’t you even mad?” His voice cracked with disbelief and frustration. He half expected yelling, or even a punch to the face, not this almost casual forgiveness.
But Danny just offered a small, tired smile. “Getting angry wouldn’t change the past. We’re not freshmen anymore, and I’m not interested in payback, Dash.” His tone softened, but there was a spark in his eye— a warning and a joke all at once. “Still, maybe keep an eye out. You never know when a little ghostly payback might show up… just to keep things interesting.”
Danny’s eyes flashed that brilliant ecto green as he passed on his warning. “But I will say this, now that you know my secret, do not tell anyone. I will find out, and it won’t be good.”
“Of course I won’t!” Dash said hastily. “I mean no one would believe me if I tried. But I get it, man. I wouldn’t betray Phantom… uh, you, like that.”
Danny nodded. “Good. Also, one more thing. Do better Dash. I know you have the capacity to be a nicer person to everyone. You’ve toned down a bit as we’ve gotten older, but you can do more. Besides, people are more attractive when they show kindness.”
Danny smiled as Dash felt his face flare up into yet another blush as he registered Danny’s words. He was going to explode!
With a mischievous wink, Danny stepped back. The mysterious white rings appeared around Danny’s waist, traveling up and down his body. In a heartbeat, the boy standing before Dash was yet again the familiar figure of Phantom. White hair, glowing green eyes, and that trademark grin.
“Thanks again for patching me up. See you tomorrow at school,” Danny said, voice echoing ethereally as he floated just slightly off the floor.
“N-No problem.” Dash stammered.
Then Danny phased through the ceiling, leaving Dash gaping after him.
Dash stared for a long moment, trying to process everything. He was an idiot! He still had so many questions, and a lot of wrongs to make up for.
Tomorrow, he would see Danny again, and somehow, everything had changed. Dash was so dead!