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It was supposed to be a normal day. Danny boredly sat in the lab and did his homework while his parents worked, only because it was science, and it was one of the only subjects where he could ask either of them a question and get an answer that sounded helpful.
Not to mention his parents were insufferably persistent in wanting him down here, for some weird, nonsensical reason. He figured it was to bond, even if he had very different definitions of what that meant than they did.
Danny liked science, but specifically space-related science. Everything else got a bit confusing.
"Hey, Mom?"
"Hm?"
He read his question aloud. "'What part of the brain is responsible for regulating basic bodily functions like heartbeat and breathing?'"
Maddie paused, pursing her lips in thought before putting down a tool and walking over to her son, crouching next to him and reading the question again.
"That's a good question," she said, pushing back a lock of black hair from his face and kissing him on the head.
"Which means I'm not getting the answer that easily?"
"Of course not. Do your work, baby."
Jack obliviously leaned over, glacing down at the paper. "Oh. That's the medulla oblongata."
Danny blinked. That actually helped.
"Jack!" Maddie cried. "He needs to figure these out for himself!"
"It's only one answer, hon."
"He will get in a bad habit if he asks us all his homework answers!"
"Aw, that's not true." Jack affectionately rubbed Danny's hair, then went back to the table and started tinkering again.
Danny wasn't exactly used to having his parents in his hair while he worked. He didn't even really need to think about it, just assumed that they were fine with whatever he had going on, and were busy in their own little world. If it were up to them, Danny figured they'd probably want him to pay more attention to their ghost talk and help with inventions.
Instead, he got the opposite. He was forced to sit at their table and do homework, while they were just... there. It was nice, in a weird way. Having them so close, knowing they were there, hearing them talk and work.
While they continued working, Danny continued on his homework until it was just about finished.
When he was done, he went over to the table where his mom was working. "Hey, Mom, can you look over my answers?" he asked.
She put down her tool and took the paper. "Sure, sweetie." She read through the answers with a small smile. "Everything looks good."
"Thanks," he said with a smile, taking back his homework.
He felt good. His mom thought he did good, he was getting work done. Things were okay. Maybe he could even get a good grade in science this semester, which would be nice. Maybe then he could work on his other grades...
Just when he was going to announce he was heading to bed, he saw his dad working on the Fenton bazooka, just aiming it to test its targeting system, not actually preparing it to fire. His dad was just a little too close to the trigger.
Danny's breath hitched. His mind went blank. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation, didn't see the bazooka being put away. All he could see was the memory of the blast, the searing pain, the terror. His hands shook as he tried to grab onto the counter, anything to keep him upright. He could feel the tears coming to his eyes as his chest tightened with fear and panic. His heart pounded against his ribs like it was trying to escape. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. He was stuck, frozen in place by the fear and pain of the memories, all the times that same weapon had been pointed at him.
Normally he could handle it, when he was Phantom. But that was because he forced himself into a completely different mindset. He expected the worst as Phantom; he expected safety as Fenton.
And right now, it did not feel safe.
He fell backwards anyway, accidentally scattering all of his school papers on the floor.
The tears started pouring out of him before he even realized it.
"Danny?"
Jack immediately came to his son's side, and Maddie followed a split second after.
"Danny, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Danny shook his head, but couldn't find the words to explain. How could he? They didn't know he was half ghost. They didn't know he had been hurt countless times by their own weapons.
Even if they did know, that was the last thing on his mind right now. All he could think about was the fear, the pain. He had been so scared. He had thought he was going to die.
Maddie tried to hold him, but he screamed, scrambling away from her until he was huddled in the corner of the lab, sobbing. "Don't touch me! Please don't hurt me!" He wasn't thinking, he wasn't seeing his parents anymore. He was just seeing the faces of the people who had shot him, who had tried to dissect him, who had made him feel like a monster.
He didn't know what was real anymore. The memories were too vivid. He could feel the burn of the ectoplasmic energy, could hear the cruel words they had spat at him. He felt lost in a nightmare.
Both parents looked absolutely horrified.
Jack took a step forward, but Danny only cried harder, pressing himself against the wall. He looked so small, so fragile, and the sight of him like that was enough to break their hearts.
Maddie's own breath hitched, and she put a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and horror. "Danny... baby, it's us. It's Mom and Dad. We're not going to hurt you. We'd—we'd never."
Danny looked at them, his eyes wide with terror, but he didn't seem to recognize them.
Jack slowly knelt down in front of him, his hands raised in a placating gesture. He didn't try to touch him, but he kept his voice soft. "Hey, buddy. It's okay. You're safe."
Danny shook his head rapidly.
"Okay. Okay. What do you need?"
"Get away from me," Danny whimpered.
Maddie's heart broke at the sight. She wanted to hold him, to tell him it was okay, but she knew that would only make it worse. He was so scared, and she didn't understand why. What had happened to him that would make him react this way? What had they done?
She and Jack exchanged a glance before both of them slowly stood up. They took a few steps back until they were a safe distance from Danny, who was still curled up in a ball, shaking. They sat on the ground together, Maddie's hand reaching for Jack's. They were both at a loss for words.
"Okay," Jack finally said, breaking the silence. "We're not gonna hurt you, Danny. We're just gonna sit here until you're ready to talk."
Danny didn't respond. He just kept crying. They gave him space, waiting for him to come to them. The minutes ticked by, each one an eternity. Danny's sobs eventually quieted, and he started to calm down, but he still didn't move from his corner.
Maddie's mind was racing. What could have triggered such a severe reaction? And why would he think they would hurt him? It didn't make sense. They loved him more than anything in the world.
She thought back to the bazooka. Could that have been it? He must have been startled. But for him to be so terrified... it just didn't make sense. He was surely used to seeing their weapons, right?
Did someone hurt him?
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
She couldn't imagine anyone laying a hand on her son, but she couldn't think of any other explanation. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. How could she have missed that? How could she not have known that he was suffering? She was his mother. She was supposed to protect him. To keep him safe from harm.
The way Danny had looked at both of them... Maddie never wanted him to look at her that way again. She wiped at her own teary eyes with her gloved wrist.
The quiet was broken only by Danny's ragged breaths and the occasional sniffle. Jack watched him, his own expression unreadable, but Maddie could see the worry in his eyes. He was just as lost as she was.
Just when the silence was becoming unbearable, they heard a soft footstep on the stairs. Jazz appeared at the bottom of the staircase, her brow furrowed with concern. She took in the scene before her: Danny huddled in the corner, her parents sitting a few feet away, the scattered homework on the floor.
"What happened?" she demanded.
Maddie looked at her, her eyes filled with a helplessness she rarely showed. "I... I don't know," she admitted.
Jazz's gaze softened. She walked over to Danny slowly, ignoring her parents' pleas to be careful, and kneeled in front of him. "Danny?" she called softly.
Danny looked at her, but didn't say anything.
His older sister remembered one of the grounding techniques she learned. This wasn't anything new to her sadly. She had to talk Danny down from his panic attacks and episodes often.
"Can you name five things in the room for me?" Jazz asked calmly.
Danny hesitated before his gaze slid to the ceiling. He thought for a moment. "...you, me, Mom, Dad, table?"
"Great, good job. Now, four things you can hear."
"Your breathing. My breathing. Mom crying. Dad's suit squeaking."
Jazz chuckled, but there wasn't much joy from it. "Three things you can touch."
"The floor. My shirt. The wall."
"Two things you can smell."
"...cleaner. Ectoplasm."
"Good. And one thing you can taste."
"...tears."
Jazz's heart broke at that. "Okay. You're safe now, Danny. Can I hug you?"
He nodded, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a gentle hug. He clung to her. Maddie and Jack watched, a mix of relief and sadness on their faces. They were glad their son was calming down, but they still didn't understand why he had gotten so upset in the first place.
"I'm sorry," Danny whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Jazz said softly. "You don't have to apologize."
"But I do," Danny insisted. "I shouldn't have freaked out like that. It was stupid."
"No, it wasn't," Jazz said firmly. "Something triggered you. That's not your fault."
He looked at her, then at his parents, who were still watching him with worried expressions. He felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want to worry them. He didn't want to be a burden. But he couldn't help it. The memories were too strong, the fear too real. He had been so scared, and he didn't know how to make it stop.
But still, he felt guilt nonetheless.
He looked down at the scattered papers on the floor, then back at Jazz. "Can we go to my room?"
"Of course," Jazz said. She helped him up, and he leaned on her for support as they walked towards the stairs.
Maddie broke down, and Jack sat back in shock.
An hour later, Jazz came downstairs to find her parents still in the same spot, on the floor of the lab.
"Hey," she said softly.
Maddie looked up at her, her face tear-stained. "How is he?"
"He's better," she responded. "Um, something small just... just triggered him. He's okay now."
"Do you know who hurt him?" Jack asked. He sounded just as urgent as Jazz did an hour ago. "We want to know who to kill. Was it a ghost?"
Jazz winced. "No. I can't tell you. He'll tell you when he's ready."
Maddie looked even more crestfallen than before, but it quickly turned into an expression of sternness. "Jasmine, if someone is hurting Danny, we need to know. We can't help him if we don't know what's wrong."
Jazz looked at her with pity. "You guys are helping him. You're helping him right now just by... by not getting angry. Trust me. He's safe."
Danny heard a knock on his door shortly after. He knew who it'd be.
"Yeah?"
The door opened to reveal his parents standing in the doorway, looking at him with worried expressions. Danny tried to give them a smile, but his eyes welled up with tears again.
"We... can we come in?" Maddie asked hesitantly, stepping inside but waiting.
"Yeah," he mumbled, sitting on his bed with his knees hugged to his chest, looking out the window at the night sky and trying not to let any tears fall. The two parents sat on either side of him and gave a silent invitation for him to fall back on either of them. Danny let go of his knees and immediately found comfort in leaning on Jack. His mother wrapped her arms around him without question.
He was surprised his father didn't press for answers. Neither did his mother. They just gave him silent, steady support, no matter what had happened in that moment. Danny knew they'd be there for him.
"I love you both," he mumbled.
"We love you," Maddie said softly.
"A whole lot," Jack added.
Danny chuckled weakly and tried to blink back the tears that were starting to fall again, but they came too fast, and soon he was sobbing into Jack's chest. He felt his father's arms tighten around him, holding him close while he cried. He cried for what seemed like hours, his sobs turning to hiccups, then sniffles, then finally, silence.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Maddie said firmly, kissing the top of his head.
"You can cry with us, buddy," Jack added. "Whenever you need to."
Danny nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak.
His mom pulled away slightly so she could look him in the eye. "Danny, we want you to know that you're safe with us. We will always protect you."
"We mean it," Jack said. "If someone hurts you, tell us, and we'll go all-out."
"We'll kill for you," Maddie agreed.
Danny blushed, looking down at his hands. "Um. Thanks. I don't think you'll need to go that far, though."
After the events with Freakshow and the Reality Gauntlet, he knew his parents would love and accept him, but he also knew the guilt they'd feel. The shame of having tried to rip apart their child molecule-by-molecule.
He couldn't let them live with that guilt on their conscience.
Both parents planned on trying to pry more information out of him soon, but they knew better than to push him more about it today. He was clearly overwhelmed.
All three of them were still terrified in their own ways, but for tonight, they just soaked in each other's comfort.