Wow, tough crowd.
Summary:
Daniel James Fenton had lasted a total of one month in space until his fellow crew members finally caught on to him. Which was both disappointing and a feat to behold, in all honesty.
Word Count: 4,506
Ao3 | FFnet
Story below the cut!
The Janus was a brand new space station, freshly launched into orbit and in its first year of operation. The current squad were the first to inhabit the station, and thus their interpersonal roots went deep. They had trained together, worked together, bled together, and even lived together back on Earth. As a team, they muddled through the glitches and hang-ups that came with pretty much being the guinea pigs of the Janus program. There were 5 of them on the team, though only 4 and a half were human.
Daniel James Fenton was a critical team member on the Janus, the first consult for everything engineering and mechanical on board. He was also Danny Phantom, a super-powered ghost, which was a closely held secret amongst the crew.
Danny had truly tried his best to keep his dual identities from the crew, and had maintained his secret up until right after they were sent into space. Which was amazing in itself, looking at the menagerie of tests they had gone through to procure their spots and ensure their individual safeties in space. It was a miracle he’d gotten as far as he did.
It was the youngest of their group -Isabella (their resident master of technology, who could fix just about anything that had a computer in it)- who started the unraveling of Danny’s web of lies. It all started with the first time Danny went on a spacewalk. He moved fluidly, gliding with more grace than the clutz had any right to. He had even tripped up the steps when they boarded the shuttle that carried them up to the station.
Danny pushed off from a handle and then spun in midair to get to where he wanted. It seemed almost like Danny didn’t care for momentum and just… moved. Slid across space. Isabella didn’t see it at first, but once she did it was hard to ignore. He got sloppier and sloppier as the walk went on, almost like he forgot she was there. He kicked off from one place then made a 90 degree turn to get to where he needed. It was almost… unsettling. Uncanny valley?
Of course, Isabella didn’t tell him that. She took a mental note and proceeded with her day, deciding to watch Danny a bit more carefully.
“Come on in, I think that’s everything.” She said into her mic.
“Heading that way,” Replied Danny as he launched off, did a spin, and then came to the airlock. Isabella caught a grin on his face.
~~~~
Jamie caught on to it next. Jamie was a physics wiz, and spent a lot of time making observations on the celestial bodies that surrounded them. And thus he was quite good at observing his teammates as well.
He and Danny were using some of their down time to hang out in the common area. They chatted idly about what they were working on, but when Jamie mentioned his parents and what they did for a living, Danny’s expression soured. The awkward silence lasted for only a moment, until Danny proposed a game of Uno. He procured the cards from a pocket in his pants and dealt them out, letting the cards hang midair.
Such an action wouldn’t have normally been odd.
Jamie was the team lead, and thus knew for a fact that a pack of Uno cards were not among the list of items Danny brought to the station. But Jamie was not entirely certain in his memory, and he didn’t mention it. They played a couple of rounds and even got the rest of the team in on it, which Joel ended up winning.
~~~~
Joel was yet another member of the group. He had been reluctant to join the project at first but was practically shoved into it for his excellent performance in genetics research. Though at first unwilling, he got along with the rest of the team like wildfire and soon fell into their rhythm with ease. He was the resident biologist, and his green thumbs managed the small garden they had on board. It was where he could most often be found. He also had a running experiment with some creepy-crawlies, all of which he had named. No one was looking forward to the day when they had to hold a funeral for one of the bugs, as Joel had gotten quite attached. Joel had a floppy head of green-black hair (the dye had slowly faded as his roots grew) and a huge pair of glasses that dwarfed his face.
Joel’s realization that something wasn’t quite right came about on the day that Danny was in the garden wing. Danny was helping Joel record data on the state of the various plants they grew. Joel left the more complicated stuff for later and simply handed Danny a micrometer to use in measuring the plants’ stems and leaves.
It was Danny’s first time assisting, so Joel followed him closely. And in doing so he noticed how his teammate was distinctly avoiding a certain flower that grew in the back corner. Each time Danny floated near he would grab for a handhold and steer himself away. Joel thought that maybe he saw Danny’s eyes water.
But that couldn’t be right, could it? Due to his field, Joel had been privy to the allergy section of everyone’s medical records. He had carefully selected all of the specimens and seeds to be brought on board so that they wouldn’t aggravate any allergies the crew might’ve had. Maybe it was an undiscovered allergy?
Joel had just opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Danny sneezed. The sneeze was sudden and unavoidable. Danny brought up a hand to cover the blast as best he could, but droplets of gook still shot off into the air. Joel brought up an arm to protect his face from any stray droplets.
“Oh, Ancients.” Danny cursed, (though it wasn’t a curse Joel had ever heard before) as he looked down at the snot covering his hand.
“Don’t move-!” Joel said quickly as he shot off to grab a wipe from underneath the plant beds. He took his eyes off of Danny for a moment and when he looked back up he could swear Danny was now on the other side of him. Away from the flower.
Joel helped Danny clean the mess as best he could and sent him away. Danny didn’t offer anything about the allergy and Joel was so distressed with snot particles still buzzing around that he forgot to ask. And of course he still had to record the measurements of the strange plant. Perhaps he would research a bit more about it before confronting his teammate.
~~~~
Max was the oldest of the crew, and he certainly let everybody know it. He acted almost like everybody’s grandpa, making sure they were doing ok and that they didn’t need anything. He wasn’t really old enough to be a grandpa, but it was what everybody ended up calling him. Max still had a head of brown, though a few stray whites had appeared in his facial hair. He was the team’s jack-of-all-trades. He wasn’t particularly the best at any of the jobs required on board, but he had a wide array of knowledge stuck up in his head. He could help with anything from hydraulics to C++. He’d had his fingers in everything throughout the time of his life, and his well-roundedness helped to smooth out gaps with the rest of the team.
And as the grandpa of the station, he was reasonably concerned when he couldn’t find Danny anywhere.
Max had a bit of downtime as he waited for a diagnostics program to run, and he had realized suddenly that it was just a bit too quiet. Danny liked to mutter under his breath, and as they both preferred the more hands-on side of things, he and Danny often worked in the same area. Or at the very least in the same wing. But the boy was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t like he could really go anywhere, really, but it was still cause for concern. What if he did something stupid like going for a spacewalk without an observer? No such thing was on the schedule for the day, but Danny tended to get wrapped up in his own head from time to time and skip safety procedures.
Curious and slightly worried, Max went around to their teammates checking if Danny was with them. He stopped at the garden first. It had a sealed door, for the purpose of measuring oxygen levels and keeping a controlled environment when needed. Max knocked and the door slid open. Joel was inside, at the door controls. He held a tablet loosely in the crook of his left arm, as though he had just been marking something down.
“What’s up?” Joel asked. He pushed off and glided back to a strange-looking flower, one with a red bloom and purple stems. Max had never seen anything of the sort. Max moved slightly into the space. He looked around, but didn’t see Danny.
“Have you seen Danny since breakfast?” Replied Max.
~~~~
As soon as Danny saw the rest of the crew gathered in the common area he knew he’d messed up. It didn’t help that he had a McDonalds Sprite in hand. (It was the closest thing he had found to downing straight ectoplasm). He debated for a moment on turning it invisible in his hand but from the speed at which everyone’s heads had swiveled to see him, he knew he’d been caught. (At least he’d had the tact to revert to human form before phasing into the station).
“What have you got there, Danny?” Questioned Jamie with a raised brow.
“Uh-” Danny stared blankly down at the drink in his hand. His brain froze.
“A smoothie?” Danny referenced. Sadly his joke didn’t seem to land. It was a very icy reception. Awkward, Danny glanced off to the side and took an idle sip from his drink. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Isabella was the next to speak.
“We know there’s something up with you, Fenton. Is it something that’s gonna endanger the team?” She asked coldly. She hovered up near the roof, grasping one of the bright blue handles. A tablet floated idly next to her.
Danny sputtered.
“No- of course not!” He said without thinking.
“So there is something going on!” She shouted victoriously. Heat rushed to Danny’s cheeks. Jazz pulls those mind-tricks on him all the time, how’d he miss it?
“Danny,” Said Joel seriously. All eyes turned to him.
“Are you an alien?” He whispered conspiratorially. There was a bright glimmer in his eyes.
Okay, that was a new one.
“No way he’s an alien!” Jamie interjected. “My bet’s still on vampire.” He said matter-of-factly. Danny just looked on in disbelief. They started shouting observations and evidence back and forth at each other and suddenly Danny realized he hadn’t been nearly as inconspicuous as he thought. He almost considered trying to sneak off and lock himself in the bathroom when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder.
Danny jumped, making his head slam into the ceiling. Max idled beneath him, looking slightly guilty.
“You keep getting stuff from somewhere, and you’re acting weird. You might as well tell us what’s up with you. How are you going back to Earth and then appearing back up here?” Max asked, plain and simple. But Danny didn’t know how to respond.
His first instinct was to lie through his teeth, build up a toppling tower of falsities that would surely crush him when it finally collapsed (he still waited for his parents to see that his teenage life was full of plot-holes) but there was no way he could hide this. They caught him red-handed, and there was no way out. Danny couldn’t find the words to explain.
Luckily, Isabella found them for him. (Or not-so luckily, depending on perspective).
“Amity Park, huh?” She said sharply. The tablet was now held in her hands. She turned it around to show a paused video.
It was Wes Weston’s youtube channel. Specifically a video that Danny made him take down. Wes had promised he had, but by the ‘unlisted’ tag, it was clear he hadn’t followed through. Isabella tapped the screen and audio filled the common area.
~~~~
“-Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I know I’m right!” Wes shouted in the squeaky tone of a teenager whose voice hadn’t quite settled.
“Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom! Here,” Wes gestured to a table behind him, pulled up on a projector that was aimed at his bedroom wall.
“-I kept track of all of Fenton’s bathroom breaks for the last month. Ninety-three percent of them line up with Phantom sightings!” Something clicked and the view changed.
Instead of the graph, it showed an image of 15-year-old Danny Fenton’s yearbook picture. Another click, and it was replaced by Phantom’s, in a remarkably similar angle. Though the expression was different and leaves partially covered the camera. A new slide and suddenly the two were overlaid, one right next to the other. They formed an almost-perfect face. One face.
~~~~
Isabella tapped it again and the video paused at that exact moment. She grinned, not out of maliciousness, but with the glint of a predator who knew they had already won. Damn. How far did she dig to get that?
“According to some old forums, up to like ten years old, Amity Park is infested with supernatural beings called ghosts. A lot of people chalked it up as a tourist hoax, but there are some pretty serious discussions out there. And official records of many deaths being declared as caused by ghosts. A lot of it was deleted or redacted or covered up in some way, but I managed.” She shrugged. Isabella spun the screen back around to herself and swiped down idly.
“The name Fenton also showed up so often, I could filter my search by it. Also repeated mentions of Fentonworks, and various patents filed under the company. Which were all redacted to hell, and had mentions of something called the ‘Ghostly Investigation Ward’ stamped all over them.”
“Looks like they were government funded somehow. Mixed with the forums’ details of them and even some published papers I found, it seems like they were pretty into the paranormal. And Danny ‘Phantom’ sounds pretty ghostly to me.” Isabella looked at him with an expression of inquiry. She feigned innocence.
“You’re too smart.” Danny scathed. Isabella just made a ‘hm’ sound and shrugged.
“It was on the internet. All I had to do was find it.”
“Spill it, ghost boy.” With that final statement, everyone turned to look at Danny. A wave of anxiety rolled over him. The temperature suddenly dipped, before he reigned it back in a split second later. It didn’t stop Max from shivering.
“My parents have been really into ghosts, since college.” Danny started. His hand found its way to the nape of his neck, a nervous tic he’d never really had reason to kick.
“Their life's work was to prove ghosts were real, but their theory was all wrong.” Danny tapped into his core lightly, letting it steer him towards what was technically the floor, and he sat down.
“They thought that ghosts must be evil, so they made all kinds of weapons to fight them. But their crowning achievement was this- portal. A gateway.” Danny looked up and didn’t see any looks of confusion or disgust, so he continued.
“They worked on it for a decade, and they finally finished it when I was 14. They booted it up and it didn’t turn on.” An ache started in Danny’s chest. It felt like swallowing sandpaper.
“My parents went out to get their minds off it and my friends convinced me to go take a look while they were out. Maybe they missed something.”
“One thing led to another, and I went inside. It powered up right on top of me.” Danny didn’t mention the button inside, how his parents’ stupidity had endangered him.
“Turns out ghosts are real, and dying isn’t an absolute.”
“Only a sith deals in absolutes,” Jamie quoted automatically. Then he realized what he’d interrupted and his jaw snapped shut with a click. But the statement was so out of left field that it made Danny bark with laughter. He lost control of the tears that had been threatening to spill down his face the entire time he spoke, and soon he was doubled over from the hilarity of it. It was infectious, and they all started cackling. All but one, that is.
“Is he laughing or crying?!” Joel worried. But he didn’t get a response. Danny was so startled that his core leaked, freezing the tears to his face in sheets of ice. The temperature plummeted, and suddenly no one was laughing anymore.
Danny could feel the tangible shift in the room and it only took him a moment to realize his slip.
“Ah- heck,” He said, still fighting off the last vestiges of laughter. He reigned in his energy, letting it sink back into his skin. It felt nasty, like sucking honey through a straw, but he didn’t want to freeze his crewmates.
“Holy- what was that?” Max asked. He clung to a handrail, where before he’d been hanging in the middle of the room.
“Sorry,” Danny apologized immediately. He formed a quick ball of hot ectoplasm and passed it to Max, who simply stared at the ball of green flames in his hand. He blinked owlishly at it, before Danny realized that most people probably didn’t expect to be handed a fireball.
“Ah- it’s warm, no burns.” He explained quickly. Max lagged for a moment before gingerly poking it. The flames licked playfully at his fingers. After realizing it wasn’t painful, he let Danny deposit it into his cupped hands.
“Wow,” Max stared at it, mesmerized. That is, until Joel interjected.
“So that’s it!” He floated near one of the wall-mounted computers. A page of search results cast light on his glasses, hiding his eyes from view.
“Rosa sanguinolentus are a rare blooming plant in the rose family which is known in folklore as being a ward against ghosts.” Quoted Joel. Upon receiving confused looks, he explained further.
“I have one in the garden, I noticed Danny avoiding it. He also sneezed when he got too close.” Joel offered. In response was a chorus of ‘ew’s. Danny’s nose crinkled at the reminder.
“Blood blossoms,” He said darkly. Danny floated back to his previous sitting spot. Max passed the ecto-ball to Isabella.
“I thought they were extinct. I tried to make sure of it, myself, but I guess I missed some.”
“In this form they’re just an allergen, but they can be deadly. Those buggers hurt.” He got a far-off look in his eye.
“Form?” Max inquired.
“Ah-” Danny started. He floated ever so slightly upwards, then triggered his transformation. He’d learned to minimize the energy wasted when he switched, and thus instead of rings it was a simple flash and Phantom settled over his bones.
Immediately, Danny’s freckles began to glow, as they’d done each time he transformed since being accepted into the program. In the place of a simple t-shirt and loose-fitting pants was instead a slim suit, covered with a dark green leather jacket and a menagerie of belts. Without thinking, a crown formed over Danny’s head. He realized his mistake quickly and spun around, shooing the thing away, making it fade back into energy.
“Was that a crown?” Asked Jamie. Danny was suddenly reminded they only had half the story. The before.
“...maybe.” Danny responded hesitantly.
“I, uh, may or may not have pummeled the former High King of all Ghosts and gained his title through combat?” He said quickly.
“But I can’t really accept it until I’m fully dead, so there’s a council of regents in place until the day comes, or if I’m immortal, then when I turn 180.” Danny ranted.
“I really hope I’m not immortal, but like I’ve only grown 2 inches since I was 14 and I still get handed kids menus, so like- maybe I might be?”
“I only really have two others to compare myself to, and one of them is evil so like he’s not a very good baseline.”
“Wait wait- back up. King? Ghosts have a social structure?” Jamie asked with curiosity in his eyes.
“Kinda..? I’m only half ghost so I don’t fully understand. I tried to avoid the whole thing but then there were a bunch of assassination attempts, so I had to accept it.” Now that Danny had started talking, the admittances just tumbled from his brain.
“Half-ghost?” Joel asked.
“Ectoplasm and electricity equals half death and a bunch of DNA stuff, that’s about all my understanding of it.”
Joel hummed.
“So do you know what that Ghostly Ward is?” Ask Isabella.
“It’s a secret branch of the government, they cover up all the stuff in Amity. Horrible ghost hunters, I don’t think any of them ever landed a shot. But rumor is their scientists are ruthless. They contracted my parents for a lot of weapons, and funded their research."
"I guess Ghostly Investigation Ward is their real name, but I only ever heard them called the Guys in White. They are like, super strict about dress code. I dunno," Danny shrugged.
"So Ah, yeah. Lab accident, half ghost, boom- ghost powers. I got a whole catalogue of 'em. I can go down the list if you want but it might take me a while." Danny reclined in the air. He let his core take hold so he didn't drift from his spot.
"Wait- so how have you been getting to Earth and back?"
"In this form I can withstand space, and I don't need to breathe." Danny suddenly remembered he still had a drink and took another sip.
"Using your powers would be such an asset!" Exclaimed Joel.
"No way can we keep this to ourselves. There's so much you could do!"
Danny's core stuttered in his chest. The temperature dipped.
"There's a reason I've kept it a secret." Danny said coolly, to keep his emotions under wraps. He felt a mixture of anger and he was scared. Scared of what could happen, the liability that had just been created.
"Every time my secret has been revealed I have been hunted and my family's been put in danger. That GIW is no joke- if they got any clue of what I am I'd be dead- fully dead- in a week. I haven't even told my own parents because I'm scared they'd attack me."
"I have more than earned my right to keep it to myself. I have saved the world at least three times, and that's only the times that a Time God didn't warn me beforehand! And you heard of none of them."
The crew just blinked owlishly at him. Danny realized he was floating in empty space.
“Ok…” Isabella said quietly.
“I think I got about half of that.” Jamie replied.
“Ghosts are real?!” Max looked like he was about to go through a midlife crisis. Or a breakdown. One of the two.
Danny steered himself back towards the apparent ‘floor.’ He dropped his ghost form, appearing as Danny Fenton once again. He lowered his voice and spoke more softly, genuinely.
“I’ve had superpowers since I was 14, and up until now only five people in my life knew about it.” ‘One of whom tries to kill me on a regular basis, but they don’t need to know that.’
“I spent my teenage years protecting my town from ghosts and it was a miracle that I finished high school. Let alone got up here where I am now, in space.”
“I’m not completely human, I don’t know what I am, really. But aside from the whole ghost powers thing I’m still the same as I was before my accident.”
Danny took a deep breath, and let it all out.
“Would an ice cream cone for each of you make it better? Or I can get cheeseburgers?” He was obviously trying to placate them. The best way to get somebody on your side was through their stomach.
“I…” Jamie started.
“It’d be a good start.”
~~~~
TWO MONTHS LATER…
“Danny!” Shouted Jamie.
“Where are youuuuuuu!” He called.
Joel appeared from around the hall.
“He’s off-ship, had some date with his partner. An anniversary?”
Jamie huffed.
“He was supposed to take me with him to pick up a cake for Isabella’s birthday.”
“There goes that set of plans.”Jamie threw his hands in the air and set off in the other direction.
“I didn’t forget!” Danny suddenly popped into existence behind Joel, who would have jumped had he not already been floating. Jamie whipped around and came back from the other end of the station. His white hair, black suit, and exorbitant number of belts had become a typical sight.
“Where were you!?” He yelled.
“Well for starters, that date is tomorrow. Also I found this rock outside, it looks unique!” Danny offered the chosen rock to Joel. It was shiny, and glittered in the light.
“Another one? I don’t have space for them all! I am completely overrun as it stands.” Joel sounded tired. Danny’s star-studded freckles dimmed. His pointed ears lowered.
Dang it. Joel couldn’t bear to see that face. Especially after Danny took him back to earth yesterday so he could re-dye his hair. It didn’t help that Danny always looked younger in his ghost form, closer to sixteen than twenty-two.
“Ugghh,” Joel put a hand out and Danny lit up as he handed off the rock.
“You’ll have to tell us more about it at show and tell,” Jamie joked sarcastically.
“For now, we have a walmart cake section to raid!” He announced. Danny laughed, and they left shortly to go procure their prize.
“They do know they aren’t being very slick, right?” Isabella’s head popped out of a nearby compartment. The birthday girl was smiling. Joel just shrugged and left. He needed to get back to his insects. Buggatrina wasn’t eating nearly as much as she should.
~~~~
“WESLEY WESTON!” A mad spirit rampaged the Amity Park News office, darting around and obviously searching for something. Or, more likely judging by his outburst, someone. This ghost’s presence was such a typical one that barely anyone even batted an eye as he flew over their heads.
The certain red-head in question ducked below his desk. His heart pounded so loudly it threatened to break right out of his ribcage. Oh heck, he’d messed. Up. What exactly did he do, again? Too many things came to mind.
Suddenly a face popped down from above his desk.
“Remember that youtube video you were supposed to delete?” That sweet tone was simply a veil for the threat underneath.
Wes gulped.
