Chapter Text
Danny doesn't really remember the accident. He supposed that's for the best, since he's still in the hospital more than 24 hours after it happened.
Apparently most high voltage shocks get released after a 24-hour observation period, assuming nothing bad happens in that period. Danny isn't sure what 'bad' thing has happened in his 24-hour period, or if it's just because he was unconscious for the entire ambulance ride to the hospital.
He remembers the events leading up to the accident. He remembers his parents making a big deal about their portal, that they were finally done with it and had called him and Jazz down to the basement before school to see it launch. It didn't work. Jack and Maddie were, unsurprisingly, rather upset about it and didn't notice when their kids left the basement-turned-lab.
Danny remembers talking about the lab to his friends, he'd mentioned it before but he told them that his parents would likely be giving up on it and tearing it down or would be living in the lab more than they already did. Tucker wanted to come over to see it, he was always interested in tech and the Fentons had ... very interesting technology. Sam agreed to come over with the condition she could take some pictures of herself in the hole-in-the-wall portal. Danny agreed.
He remembers his parents sulking in the kitchen when he got back from school that afternoon. He remembers going downstairs with his friends, Tucker immediately going around looking at all the weird gadgets and Sam heading straight for the portal.
Danny remembers telling her not to go inside. That—despite all their violations when it comes to lab safety—his parents were insistent on no one touching the portal without a hazmat suit. He remembers getting the hazmat suit his parents ordered for him and putting it on before entering the portal hole for Sam's pictures.
He remembers... darkness. and a flash of... green light?
Then he remembers opening his eyes to the bright lights of the hospital room he'd been admitted to, with the beeping of an ekg machine next to him and the quiet muttering that he associates with his sister being upset.
He's been in and out of it for the past few hours since he woke up. He was told that he woke up before, shortly after arriving at the ER, but that he didn't say anything and just watched the doctors in the room. Then he closed his eyes and didn't open them again for a couple hours.
Jazz has been with him the entire time, talking to him anytime his eyes opened for longer than 5 seconds. He asked where their parents were after he'd woken up for the third time and they still weren't in the room.
"Oh, they... they went home to make sure everything in the basement was turned off. They got really worried about you and about either of us getting hurt... again, from their stuff."
He doesn't fully believe it. And there's a little voice in his head that says she's lying. He believes the little voice more.
He does believe his parents got worried about him, at least a little, but he doubts that they went back to their lab to increase the safety measures. If anything, they went back to make sure he didn't fuck up their life's work.
He’s done that before. When he was younger, before he actually had friends other than his sister, he hung out in his parents' lab all the time. He liked being with them, and he thought they liked having him there. Until he accidentally broke the newest "ghost detection ray" they made. He vaguely remembers them yelling, a lot. He does remember Jazz coming to take him upstairs to her bedroom and staying there for the night.
He doesn't know why he can't remember anything else... It's not like that was the first (or last) time his parents had yelled at him for something, so why can't he remember what happened between his mom realizing the machine was broken and his sister carrying him upstairs as he cried.
Wait, why did he cry? He hadn't cried because they got loud since he was 5, and that was when he was 8... so why did he cry then?
He remembers having a 'sleepover' in Jazz's room that night, he was too scared to be by himself and she was worried about... something... he can't remember.
Danny thinks he zoned out at some point after asking that, because Jazz is gone and his main nurse (he thinks her name is Joanne) is setting a tray in front of him.
"D...do you know where my sister went?" he asks, very hesitant. He should remember, since he doesn't think he fell back asleep, but he doesn't remember so...
His nurse looks at him, a mix of emotions on her face. He can see the confusion clear as day, but he thinks there's concern there too. It makes him a little uncomfortable.
"Jasmine went home a couple hours ago, hun... you feelin' alright?"
"Yeah... just... forgot, I guess," he replies.
She nods slowly. "Alright, well if you need anythin' just hit the call button."
With that, she leaves. Danny eats the plain hospital dinner slowly, glancing around the room as he does. Despite being there for over 24 hours, and (apparently) being awake for most of that time, he hasn't actually looked around the room at all.
He's sitting/laying on the hospital bed that's in the middle of one of the walls, various machines attached to him set up on either side. The door is to his left, mostly hidden at the moment by a curtain since it's night but the lights in the halls don't turn off. There's a dark tv across from him, the remote is next to him but he doesn't touch it yet. There's another door to his right, the bathroom, as well as a window with a couch under it.
He's staring at the window when he sees something. A flash of green light.
He's not really sure why it makes him feel... anxious. He freezes completely, hand stilling halfway down to the tray as he glances around the room without turning his head. The TV is still off, he can't see any light from the hall, and the machines showing his vitals haven't changed—except he thinks his heart rate has gone up, he hopes it's not enough to make the nurses check on him.
He looks back towards the window and sees it. There's a figure standing there, it looks... almost human. Or at least, mostly human-shaped. It doesn't have any features, just a vague humanoid fog with glowing green eyes. No iris, no pupil, just pure green. It's staring at him.
He slowly lowers his hand, gently pushing the tray away from him so he can move. He's not sure why he still hasn't made a sound, why he hasn't pressed the call button for help with—whatever that thing is. But he doesn't. He just watches it as it watches him.
Slowly, he moves his legs over the side of the bed, leaning forward until he feels the cool linoleum under his bare feet. He stands, legs feeling a little weak (he'd been given permission to move on his own, but he knows it was mostly about allowing him to use the restroom without assistance).
He takes a couple steps forward, raising his right hand and reaching out to the figure. It raises its left hand, matching him. There's a small dot in the center of its... palm(?) that glows the same green as its eyes.
As soon as their hands touch, Danny's arms feel cold, and almost numb. The figure in front of him blinks, the fog slowly condensing to give it more shape, more definition.
It's wearing what look like white gloves, but Danny can see that its fingers are sharp, like it has claws. Slowly, it takes a step forward, fog forming into equally white boots. It gently curls its clawed hand around Danny's, holding his hand as it takes another step forward.
The fog clears more. It's wearing a black suit, reminding Danny of the hazmat suit he was wearing when— he looks back up at its face. It has one now, one that reminds Danny of his own face, but not quite.
The skin is paler than Danny's, and slightly blue, like the thing couldn't breathe. It has freckles like Danny, but its freckles glow white and remind him of constellations. It stares at him, its irises are still green but the rest of its eye is now pitch black, broken only by the occasional small white lights, like the dark night sky lit only by distant stars.
It tilts its head. That's when Danny notices its hair is pure white, glowing almost, and it moves like the thing is underwater. He can see the thing's pointed ears peeking through the white.
Neither of them move again, just stare at each other. Until Danny opens his mouth to try and say something, anything but instead his legs decide to give out.
He feels his knees buckle and he panics for a split second thinking he might not be able to reach the help button if he's on the floor. The figure catches him before he hits it though, another arm coming up to grab his left arm. It gently guides him back up to sit on the bed, silent the whole time.
Once Danny's sat safely on the hospital bed again, it lets go of him, taking a step back.
"Who–who..." Danny can't seem to say anything more out loud. He just repeats the question 'who are you?' in his head.
The figure tilts its head again, hovering a little when it moves to settle on the bed in front of Danny. It stays quiet for a long time. Then, it smiles, showing sharp fang–like teeth.
Danny knows he should be panicking, that he should hit the call button or scream or run or something but... he feels calm. He's not sure the last time he really felt this calm... not that he'd usually describe himself as someone who feels overly anxious or anything but...
Sitting here in a hospital, away from his family, with no one in the room but…
"Call me Phantom."
but Phantom... it's nice.
'Why are you here?' He thinks, it's easier than speaking out loud. He likes being able to silently speak, as oxymoronic as that is.
The figure—Phantom tilts its (his?) head again. "I'm here for you."
Again, Danny has a distant thought that he should be afraid. Again, Danny feels nothing but calm at the statement. Comforted, in a way.
'What pronouns do you use?' He thinks. Then, a moment later, 'I'm Danny, by the way... I use he/him pronouns.' He feels a little silly introducing himself to this person, when they(?) seem to know him already.
Phantom giggles a little. "I know who you are, Danny." Is it weird that he still isn't calling for help? Probably. "What pronouns should I use?"
Uh... 'I uhm... can't decide that for you?' He thinks, uncertainly. 'You can use whatever pronouns you want, really.'
Danny shrugs. Phantom just hums, tapping a clawed finger on his(?) chin as they(?) think.
"Does that mean I am allowed to use 'it'?" Danny nods. "Hm... okay! Then, I do not really care as long as I am not referred to as he or she," they answer with an excited expression.
Its obvious joy makes Danny giggle quietly. When he stops, he's silent again for a moment until he yawns. He forgot how late it was.
"You can rest now Danny. I will watch over you, you don't need to worry." They stop hovering, shuffling forward to pat Danny's head.
He smiles softly, mentally thanking Phantom as he lays down fully. It’s like having a sleepover with Jazz, he thinks. The comfort of having someone he trusts (even though he probably shouldn't trust Phantom just yet) in the room with him while he sleeps, just in case.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Phantom watches as Danny slips into unconsciousness, finally resting after trying to be present all day. They've been attempting to push him back, make him rest as it remains in control of Danny's body.
It didn't really work. He kept coming back every few hours or so, trying to remain aware of his surroundings. Phantom didn't want Danny to be aware of where they were, it still wasn't sure if the 'hospital' was really safe... especially not since Jazz had left.
Phantom thought it was safer after Jack and Maddie left, but when Jazz had gone too it felt much less safe. It's strange, since Phantom never actually met Jazz before this hospital stay (Phantom didn't really exist before this hospital stay, since Danny hadn't died. Why would a ghost exist if their body never died?), but she still felt safe. They think it's because Danny feels safe around her, so Phantom does too.
Not to the same extent, maybe, but they do feel safer. Maybe part of that is because it still remembers Jazz saving Danny from Jack and Maddie when he was 8. Phantom truly dislikes the adults. In their opinion, Jack and Maddie don't deserve to be parents in any way. Unfortunately though, they are Danny and Jazz's parents. So Phantom is stuck with them. Danny is stuck with them.
Phantom doesn't think Danny remembers what happened, when he was 8 or just yesterday. Phantom doesn't want Danny to remember. He shouldn't be thinking about that stuff, especially not since he still has to live with them.
They know Danny likely won't blame his parents for the lab malfunction that ended with him in the hospital, but Phantom does. Jack and Maddie have never had any safety precautions in their lab, so even if they didn't restrain Danny and electrocute him manually, Phantom still blames them.
If they were good parents, good scientists, they would've added safety measures from the start. Or at the very least, when Danny broke the stupid 'ghost detection machine' or whatever it was, and nearly lost his eye in the process.
But no. Instead, they got upset and angry at him. Maddie screamed when she saw her son bleeding, then yelled for Jack when she saw the broken machine on the floor in front of him. Jack yelled too, at Danny, for breaking the machine. Then he picked up the pieces and walked away, trying to fix it. Maddie didn't leave though, instead she kept yelling at Danny, going on and on about how reckless he was and complaining about why she'd gotten such a stupid kid.
Danny had been crying and bleeding the whole time. When he tried to grab his mom, wanting comfort and already apologizing for something that wasn't his fault, the woman made a disgusted noise and backhanded him. Danny hit the floor, bruising his elbow and hip in the process.
Jazz had shown up when their mother hit Danny. That's why she picked Danny up and ran back upstairs to her bedroom. That's why she locked the door and started patching her brother up, telling him that he was going to sleep in her room that night.
That's why Phantom likes Jazz. She could have ignored it, could have left Danny after patching him up. she didn't though, she kept him safe. That's what Phantom does, keep Danny safe.
It’s not very good at its job though, clearly. They try to reason with themself that, despite remembering Danny's whole life (including things he doesn't remember himself), Phantom didn't actually form until Danny was electrocuted. Still, they feel like they failed. Danny shouldn't have gotten electrocuted.
He was just trying not to trip over wires. He shouldn't have gotten 100V pushed through his body just because he leaned his hand against an exposed wire. He shouldn't have been stuck standing there for 10 seconds as his body seized, unable to even twitch a muscle, until his friends shut down the power. He shouldn't have gone into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, or have been nearly put on a ventilator when he got to the emergency room. He shouldn't have to deal with the burn on the palm of his left hand or the fact he'll likely never have full feeling in that hand again.
Phantom huffs. They wish they could just grab Danny and fly away. They can't though... Danny wouldn't want that. Phantom would never do something that Danny wouldn't want... unless it had to.
Like today. They know Danny wants to be in control of his body, but Phantom knows if he’s in control for longer than an hour he’ll start panicking at the amount of pain he was in, or at the fact he should be in pain but wasn't because Phantom was still there, making sure Danny didn't feel it.
Phantom stays awake for a bit longer (they don't really know how long, time is weird) before finally closing its eyes to let Danny's body rest. He's supposed to be resting anyway.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Phantom is awake by the time Danny opens his eyes.
He looks around, no one else is in the room yet. Phantom is hovering slightly over the bed like they were last night, facing the door.
'You stayed.'
Phantom turns its head, green eyes locking onto Danny's face. "Of course, I said I would watch over you."
Danny barely has time to marvel at the idea of someone actually staying and watching for threats before someone knocks on the door gently. Phantom whips their head back towards the door. For some reason the action makes Danny feel a little dizzy, like standing up way too fast.
The door opens. A dark hand comes around the curtain to move it out of the way. The sight makes Danny relax, though he can see Phantom is still watching the new person.
The nurse (Joanne... right?) pushes the curtain all the way back, then sees that Danny's sat up in the bed, looking at her.
She smiles. "Mornin' Danny! I got good news," she says.
Phantom relaxes a little. The dizzy feeling in Danny's head dissipates with it. Not entirely, but enough that he feels like he can focus on the nurse more.
Danny goes to speak, but the words get caught in his throat. He glances at Phantom. 'Can you talk to her?'
They look at him, then back at the nurse. "What's the good news?" It asks.
She doesn't seem to notice that Danny wasn't the one asking the question. Actually, she doesn't seem to notice Phantom's presence at all. Odd.
"Since your heart hasn't had any other problems, and you seem to be healin' up just fine, you're bein' discharged today."
Yay! 'What time?'
Phantom repeats the question. "'soon as someone comes to pick you up!"
"Okay, thank you, Joanne."
"Of course, hun!"
Her name is Joanne! Danny was right!
She unhooks him from most of the machines, keeping the heart rate thing attached to his finger on for now.
Danny ends up eating breakfast and still staying there for a couple hours after. Jazz is the one who finally shows up and tells him they can head home. She also says it took so long because she had to convince the nurses at the front desk to let her take Danny home without either of their parents present.
Danny isn't sure how she managed to convince them, and frankly he's a little too scared to ask. His sister can be very convincing when she wants to be.
When they get back to their house, Jazz tells Danny to go right upstairs. She says he should still rest a little since he's going back to school tomorrow. Danny rolls his eyes, catching a glimpse of the door to the basement as he does. He doesn't really remember going up the stairs after that, but he blinks and is suddenly sitting on his bed.
He stares up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling for a few moments (he's not quite sure how long). When he finally looks away he sees Phantom, hovering over his bed again. The sight of the other... teen? makes him smile.
They smile back, sharp teeth on full display. Danny decides he's safe enough to listen to Jazz and rest some before he has to go to school.
He is happy, in a somewhat morbid way, that the lab accident happened on a Friday afternoon. It means that, despite being at the hospital longer than 24 hours, he was still released on Sunday, so he hasn't missed any school days.
Danny isn't sure if he slept the rest of the day, but when he opens his eyes again Jazz is knocking on his door telling him to get ready for school.
⟣ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ ⟡ ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ⟢
Over the next month, not much happens. Danny supposes he should be grateful about that, especially since he was hospitalized. He's gone to school, done the best he can on his work in and out of it (even though he thinks he's started zoning out more than he used to... he wonders if it's because he got electrocuted). He’s hung out with his friends (not in his house, neither of them have come over since the accident).
Not much has changed... except for Phantom. Danny likes having them around, even if they tend to appear at random times, and no one else ever notices them. He still hasn't talked to his friends or sister about them, he's too nervous about how they'd react.
His sister would likely think he's making up an 'invisible friend' or something, and he has no idea what Sam and Tucker would think. So he never mentions it to any of them.
Not that he talks much to them, or anyone, anymore. He's always had problems with speaking in front of strangers, but it's gotten worse recently. Danny isn't sure if it got worse because of the accident, or if he's just noticed it because a couple other things have changed since then. either way, Danny doesn't really talk out loud in school or at home. He'll talk when it's just him and Jazz in the house, or if they're in her bedroom with the door closed, but he usually stays silent if their parents are home. Even around his friends, he's been quieter. He usually only says a few words around them, but they don't seem to care. Or maybe they're used to it? Danny really isn't sure.
He's just grateful that, despite showing up and disappearing at random, Phantom always seems to be around when Danny is in the same room as his parents. He doesn't think he'd be able to get the words out of his mouth without asking Phantom to do it for him.
There's some times, usually late at night when Danny can't sleep, that he wonders why he can't get himself to make noise around them. They're his parents, he should be comfortable enough to speak, his throat shouldn't feel like it's constricting at the mere thought of speaking around them. Still...
Phantom tells him not to worry about it. They won't let his parents know, and if somehow they do find out, it'll keep Danny safe. He doesn't question its words, just accepts them. They comfort him, they make sure he doesn't have to be alone.
⟣ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ ⟡ ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ⟢
Sometimes, like now, Danny truly considers telling his friends about Phantom.
They're out at Nasty Burger, it's a Saturday so they don't really have anything else to do. Tucker is sitting on one side of the booth, plate off to the side and forgotten as he fiddles with his pda (apparently something broke and he was trying to fix it). Sam is sitting next to Danny, on the inside of the booth. Danny is quietly picking at his fries, while Phantom hovers leaning just over his shoulder.
Currently, Sam is teasing Tucker about him breaking his 'precious PDA' while he tries (and fails) to ignore her. Danny laughs quietly, picking up another fry.
He opens his mouth, but someone grabs the fry from his hand before he eats it. Tucker and Sam go quiet as they all turn to look at...
"Ugh, what do you want, Dash?" Sam spits, rolling her eyes at the jock's presence. The blond smiles, something about it makes Danny stiffen.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Phantom sees Danny freeze at the new person's smile. They look back at him, he's ignoring Danny's friend in favour of taunting Danny about something. Phantom isn't really paying attention to the exact words, just the guy's body language and Danny's reaction.
Phantom glances back at Danny. Blue eyes are staring blankly up at the blond, a distant fear the only emotion visible. They snarl (not at Danny) and decide to take control. It blinks and is now staring up at Dash(? was that what Sam called him?).
Their eyes narrow slightly, the fear that was there disappearing entirely as Danny gets pushed away from the things around them. Phantom bites back another snarl (humans aren't supposed to do that, and Phantom has to pretend to be human right now).
"Go away," it says instead. Its voice is cold, betraying nothing but disdain for Dash.
The teen laughs. "Or what, Fenturd?"
Phantom glances quickly at the nearest exit. It has a clear shot if it can just get out of the booth, which... Phantom looks back up at Dash, brows furrowing as they start to stand. It can hear Danny's friends saying his name, likely trying to warn him not to engage. Trying to keep Danny safe. Phantom thinks it likes Danny's friends a little more.
Dash makes a comment about Danny 'finally fighting back' as the other teens who came over with him laugh. He takes a step forward, opening his mouth as he shoves their shoulders back. Before he can say anything else, Phantom punches him directly in the sternum. Then it runs for the door, not pausing or slowing once.
It can hear the teens yelling for them, Dash and his friends in rage and Danny's friends in concern. Phantom doesn't turn around. It keeps running, eventually turning down a random alley and crouching down behind a dumpster.
It covers their mouth, trying to silence their breathing (because Danny has to breathe, which means Phantom has to breathe too when it's in control... unfortunately). Phantom hears thundering footsteps and angry voices race passed the alley.
It sighs. "Calm down Danny, they're gone," it whispers aloud. It can feel Danny trying to take back control, but he's still panicking over Dash. "You don't have to worry, I got us away from him."
"Danny?" Phantom hears, the voice is hesitant and quiet.
Its eyes snap up, staring at the person who spoke. Sam. They glance just behind her, Tucker is there too. Shit. Phantom doesn't know what to do. These are Danny's friends, and they quite like the two. It doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship.
Still, it can't let Danny take control yet. He's panicking more now, though he's stopped trying to take control actually. He seems to be retreating further, too scared of what his friends might do.
"Are... are you Danny?" Sam asks, crouching down in front of Phantom. It stares at her. She glances back at Tucker, who shrugs as he slides down the wall to sit too. "Uhm... it-it's okay now, Dash and his gang of idiots didn't see you turn here."
Phantom slowly lets their hands drop from their mouth, wrapping their arms around their legs instead. They just nod once at the statement, though it does comfort Phantom to know that they really don't have to worry about those teens. Still...
"I'm Sam, by the way." It just looks at her for a few seconds, then behind her. "That's Tucker... we're friends with Danny." She says it more like a question than an actual statement.
"I know," Phantom says after a few moments of silence. "You're his only friends, good friends..."
The two seem a little stunned at the reply, looking at each other then back at Phantom.
"Okay... uh, it's nice to meet you..." Sam seems to have hit the limit on what she knows to do in this situation. It makes a small smile appear on Phantom's (Danny's) face.
"So, what's your name?" Tucker asks, scooting forward.
"Phantom."
"That’s a cool name," Tucker replies with a smile. It makes them perk up a bit, they quite like Danny's friends.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Knowing that his friends not only believe in but seem to accept Phantom makes Danny calm down a lot. He's still a little anxious, he always is, he's realized.
He doesn't press Phantom for full control just yet, though. They seem to be getting along with Sam and Tucker, so Danny lets them keep talking.
⟣ㆍㆍ┈ㆍ┈ ⟡ ┈ㆍ┈ㆍㆍ⟢
Phantom ends up walking back to Danny's house with Sam and Tucker, though his friends don't enter. It goes directly to Danny's room once they say goodbyes.
'So?'
"So...?" Phantom repeats, sitting on the bed and closing their eyes.
'What're your thoughts on my friends?' Danny asks, blinking his eyes open. He should probably start working on his English assignment, it's due on Wednesday and he hasn't started yet.
"I like them. They seem protective of you, not quite the way Jazz is, but I still like them."
The statement makes Danny smile. 'Good. I'll have to talk to them about you soon, but I think they liked you too!'
Danny can hear Phantom's quiet purr at the comment. He huffs out a laugh, getting up from his bed to start working.
He realized shortly after getting back from the hospital that Phantom acts like a cat. They don't always like the comparison, but Danny thinks it fits. They both purr when happy, both hiss and/or snarl when angry, and Phantom really likes curling up and laying in Danny's lap late at night.
He knows they aren't really resting when they do that, just watching the door in a spot where it can protect him better, but... Danny will pet them as their form becomes less solid and more fog-like. He usually falls asleep like that. Phantom is either solid and sitting at the edge of the bed or nowhere to be seen when he wakes.
Danny resolves to talk to his friends about Phantom on Monday. Hopefully they'll be able to sneak away and hide under the field stands at some point so Danny can actually talk with them.
As it turns out, they aren't. Not during the school day at least. So Danny asks them to stay after school lets out so they can hang out under the stands (it's one of their normal spots, so it's not too unusual for them to go there after school, especially on a Monday).
When they get under the stands, Tucker immediately starts complaining about Ms Tetslaff threatening to take his PDA if he brought it with him to gym class one more time. It takes 15 minutes for him to be done ranting.
"So..." Danny starts, not entirely sure how to ask what he wants to. Mostly because he doesn't know what to ask. "Uhm... I don't know how to phrase this but... Phantom?" he finally gets out.
Sam and Tucker look at each other, then back to Danny.
"Yeah? What about them?" Sam asks.
"What... do..." he huffs. "Did you like them?"
"Oh, yeah dude!" Tucker nods. "They were cool, and the way they just punched Dash right in the chest? Epic!"
Sam shakes her head at Tucker, but she's smiling. "I like them. Do they like us?" She asks after a moment.
Danny nods. "Yeah... they already liked you guys 'cause you're my friends, but... now they've actually met you, y'know?"
His friends nod, and their conversation kind of moves on. Danny's just glad he no longer has to worry about how they might react. Though, he still has Jazz to worry about. He decides not to think about that right now. Or ever...
It takes nearly a month before Danny is forced to think about Jazz finding out. The reason? His godfather is coming to visit! Ugh. He'd completely forgotten until...
He’s tiredly eating cereal in the kitchen, attempting to actually wake up. Someone knocks on the door and his dad runs up the stairs from the lab to open it.
"Vladdie!!"
Danny drops his spoon. Shit.