Chapter VII : Mental Struggles

"Sup, ghosties and humies!" a familiar accented voice cried, a form rising from the floor.

Danny squealed, putting his hands on the floor and pushing himself onto his feet. He toddled over to the ghost and bounced with his hands raised. The ghost chuckled before snatching the child off the floor and held him up.

"Deat'! Deat!" the halfa child cheered. "'Appy here!"

"You happy I'm here, kiddo?" Death translated. "Good! 'Cause I'll be making more of these checkups. And you've gotten mighty big since I last saw ya. Walking now, that's good."

"Death?" Vlad and Dora entered the room, having left to check on Bella and Amma. The rich man blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Death moved Danny to sit on his hip as the boy played with his black hair. He looked to the adults with a cheeky grin. "Came by for a checkup on my little mate. Making sure the potion's working fine. Plus, I missed my duckling," he answered.

Dora smiled gently. "Well, it is nice to see you again. How are things in your realm?" she asked with polite sincerity.

"Ah, you know, same old-same old. Souls come and go. Lotta passerbys lately, not that I'm complaining," Death answered. "How's the kingdom?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Uprisings one day, adoration the next," Dora replied with a small giggle. "We did not expect your visit."

"Eh," he said, shrugging. "Wanted to surprise the kid. I'm sure he's so bored stuck in this fancy place."

Danny groaned, falling over on Death's arm dramatically, making the ghost laugh at his antics. "See?"

Vlad and Dora rolled their eyes at the dramatics. "He's been quite alright. We're quite alright."

"Good. I'd hate to see my favorite little halfa in a bad place. If ya know what I'm saying," Death said, sending pointed looks to the two. He was taken back when a little finger poked his cheek. He looked down to see Danny with a pout and an angry look.

"No mean," he scolded. Danny's finger moved to point at Dora and Vlad. "They good."

Death sighed. "Alright, if you say so, Danny Duck," he said exaggeratedly. Danny giggled and blew raspberries at the ghost, Death doing the same right back.

"Alright, you two," Dora chuckled. "Is there anything else we can help you with, Death?"

"Nah," the ageless ghost said. "All I really wanted to do was see this little twerp, make sure everything is going okay, like I said. Which it seems like it is…" Death held Danny in front of him and flipped him upside down, turned him around, and looking over every part of his tiny being. Danny laughed at his actions. "Yup. Still one nose, two ears, two eyes, a mouth. Ghost powers?" Danny nodded, holding a little ball of ectoplasm in his hands, before it fizzled out weakly, making the child pout. "Aw, it's okay, little duck. You'll get back to full strength again."

The small ghost nodded, giggling when Death's nose rubbed against his.

"Alrighty. Well, I betta get goin'. Busy ghost duties and all," Death stated sadly, placing the child back down on the ground. Danny pouted unhappily, not wanting to see his friend go. "Aw, little ankle-biter. Is okay. I'll be back."

Death turned to the two adults. "Be careful with him, yea?"

Dora smiled reassuringly. "Of course. Daniel is like a son to me," she swore.

"I might've hated Daniel weeks ago, but he's truly grown on me," Vlad answered. "We won't let any harm come to the boy."

Death nodded, grinning happily, before disappearing abruptly. Danny huffed, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Come on, Daniel, let's go see what the girls are making for lunch," Dora said, holding a hand out for him to take. He nodded and took it, hobbling next to her.

~!~

Two weeks had passed since Danny drank the aging potion and he had grown to the size of a two year old. Dora, Amma, and Belle put him in overalls or flannels most days and still put him in footsie animal pajamas for bed. He didn't quite mind. They were comfortable and Tucker made fun of him for wanting a pair when he was a teenager. He wanted one for fun, even encouraging Sam and Tucker to get one, but they refused. So he allowed them to do as they pleased.

A few teeth had grown so he was able to eat some hard foods, not all, but he still had to drink those nutritional formula stuff. He didn't really know why, but Amma explained that Danny was a bit too skinny for the average human baby and worried he wasn't getting enough nutrients. He didn't want to worry the helpers, so he did as requested and didn't argue.

Danny's vocabulary had extended too, since he knew the words, but he had to exercise his mouth and vocal chords to produce the words he wanted to say. He missed a few words, but his caretakers usually got the gist of what he was trying to say. Despite the extended vocabulary and still functional teenage mind, the boy kept acting like a small child. No one made fun of him fortunately (after Vlad threatened them. He didn't take kindly to those who bully his godson, especially when it was something he couldn't control).

Vlad had spent most of his days working, but used his evenings to spend time with Danny on occasion. He wasn't free all the time and had meetings late at night or papers that needed done for the next day. Danny understood and spent some time with Ember or Dora or Amma and Belle. But when Vlad did spend his time with his godson, they usually watched movies or TV shows, or did a puzzle or played a card game. The two boys were spending more time together, which meant they were creating a bond deeper than anyone expected.

When Vlad arrived home, Danny would rush to the entrance and tackle the man's legs. He could be anywhere in the house and suddenly he was there to greet the rich man home. Vlad never expected it to happen, never had someone greeted him home before, but he embraced the routine instantly. He'd pick the boy up and talk to him as he made his way into his house.

When Danny couldn't sleep because he missed his friends or sister, he'd go to Vlad and hold up a storybook, usually Harry Potter or some other chapter book for him to read. Vlad had been confused the first time it happened, but now he was quick to pick up the child and bring him back into his room. He'd sit on the rocking chair, Danny on his leg, leaning against his chest, and storybook opened, ready to read. It would take no more than ten minutes before Danny would be asleep.

When Danny would have a nightmare, it was Vlad who would dash in and calm him down. He would hear the child's cries, rush into the room, and hold him until he was calm enough to fall back asleep. The nightmares were too frequent for anyone's liking, but no one knew how to prevent them or keep them down. They didn't even know what caused them to suddenly appear.

Besides the ever occurring nightmares, Danny was a semi-happy kid. He was okay with having to go through the process of childhood again, but he extremely missed his daily life. He missed his friends and his sister. He missed the routine of going to school, fighting ghosts, and struggling to get by with juggling between school, home, and fighting ghosts. But he was content with not having to worry about it either. He was content with spending time with Dora, Amma, and Belle, and developing a relationship with Vlad that he thought he'd never have.

And sometimes, he didn't care and let his childish instincts take over his body.

Like the time he couldn't find his sockmonkey. At first, he had reasoned with himself that he would find it, that it was somewhere in the house and he would find it soon, but after he looked everywhere and the plushie wasn't found, he started freaking out. He started hyperventilating and tears filled his eyes. His heavy breathing turned into light, distressed cries, until Amma found him sitting in the middle of the hall.

"Oh, hun," she cooed, dropping the basket of laundry in her arms and picking him up. "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"

Danny sputtered, trying to tell Amma what he was missing, but he kept crying in desperation and his hands opened and closed in fists. He tried calming himself down, but he needed it.

"Alright, alright. Sh, it's okay. It's okay," Amma murmured into his hair, holding him close to her chest. She speedwalked to the kitchen. "Belle!"

Her partner in crime and their helpful ghost queen poked their heads out from the door. Their attention was instantly on the sobbing child in her arms.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Dora inquired, floating up to the two.

"I don't know!" Amma exclaimed, rocking herself to calm the agitated child. "I found him in the hall, crying his eyes out, but he's so upset he can't tell me."

"Well… he's eaten, he took his afternoon nap, he's clean…" Belle raddled off. "What else?"

"Amma!" Morgan, another maid that frequently helped take care of Danny, called from outside the kitchen. Dora was invisible instantly as the woman entered the room with two baskets of laundry stacked together. "You forgot your laundry in the middle of the hallway. Oh, what happened?" she inquired, noticing the distressed child on her chest.

"Danny suddenly got upset. He's so upset he can't tell us, but we can't figure out why," Belle answered, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Aw," Morgan cooed, then settled Amma's basket on the table. "Maybe he's just lonely or tired."

Danny gave a small sob, leaning back and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He was far too upset over something as simple as what he wanted, but it had grown on him and children had special attachments to certain toys.

He turned his head to look at the newcomer, only to freeze when he noticed something in her basket. Along with his clothes and sheets from the crib was the plushie he had been desperately wanting.

"Ah!" He squealed, leaning over Amma's arms and reaching for the stuffed animal. The three were slightly confused, until Amma moved towards where his hands were grabbing and realization hit her.

"Morgan, did you wash his sock monkey?" Amma asked.

Morgan shook her head. "I wasn't the one to collect this morning. Must've been Krystal. Maybe she accidentally folded it up with the sheets," she answered, then took the monkey out from the basket and handed it to the child. "Sorry, kiddo!"

He grasped the sock monkey instantly and smiled thankfully up at Morgan, before curling up in Amma's arms. He hated crying. It made him more tired than before, and lately sleep was a difficulty with the dreams he had been having.

"Thank you, Morgan," Belle said with a smile.

Morgan smiled back. "No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me. I must go finish up folding the laundry."

The woman left and Dora popped back into view, releasing a sigh of relief, running her fingers through Danny's hair.

"I suppose he's grown attached to the stuffed animal," she commented.

He glanced up at her sheepishly, tightening his hold on the monkey. She chuckled lightly.

"Now, that the crying is all done with, why don't we start lunch?" Belle suggested.

There were too many times when Danny's mind wasn't agreeing with his body which caused him to act like the child he looked like. It wasn't fun for him since he didn't have any control of his body and mind during those times, but the women and Vlad made the best of it, making him laugh hysterically or tease him incessantly.

He didn't mind being a kid again. Well, some days he didn't mind. Others he hated himself for even saying the words 'I wish'. He wanted to be back in his teenager form, fighting ghosts and failing school and hanging out with his friends. He missed his old life.

He missed Sam, Tucker, and Jazz especially. He missed movie nights and bowling and sitting under the stars with them. He missed teasing Jazz and playing video games with Tucker. He missed everything being a teenager. Video games, free will, drinking soda, eating chips, all the good junk. Dora, Amma, and Belle were so particular about what he ate and how much of it he ate. It was a change from what he was used to while being the town's superhero.

He didn't even remember the last time he had a decent meal at his house.

The days where the melancholy hit him hard, he'd be extremely quiet and the others didn't understand why. Vlad had an idea, but it was never confirmed by the boy. In actuality, he was on point with what was wrong with Danny. He thought Danny was missing his life before his wish and thinking about it made things so much worse.

On those days, the man did everything he could to either distract him or make him feel more older than he physically was. He'd let him watch whatever show he wanted, treated him to snacks and even a tiny cup of sprite if he was feeling extremely bad.

"How much longer?" Danny asked one day, throwing a blanket over his head and pulling it together to look like an old Russian lady.

Dora chuckled, pulling the fabric down from his head and settling him into bed. She knew what he was referring to and, like the others who knew, it was a question that remained frequent on their minds. Death had told them it would take a few weeks, but how long was a few weeks? Two months worth? Three months worth? They didn't know, and neither did he.

"I don't know, Daniel," she answered, then watched as his fell face sadly. "Oh, but I'm sure everything will be back to normal! Sooner than you think."

His big blue eyes looked up at her. "Not feeling better," he grumbled unhappily, twisting the blanket on his legs in tight fists.

"No," she countered, brushing a hand through his thick, dark hair. His eyes shut gently as he leaned into the touch. "I'm saying that in the truth that I know, Daniel. It won't take much longer. You certainly won't be stuck here for a year."

Danny huffed. "No! Too much," he exclaimed.

Dora giggled. "Yes, well, let's not worry about that for now. Why don't we get you settled for bed?"

Danny didn't argue, shuffling to lay on his side and hugging his plushie tight to his chest. Dora leaned down and planted a soft kiss upon his crown, making him drowsier than before.

"Sleep well, young Daniel," she whispered.

"Nigh', Dor-ah," he slurred back, eyelids fluttering shut reluctantly.

As soon as she shut the light, he was out along with it.

I haven't read through this for the mistakes, but if you see one, lmk!

This chapter is simply to fill while I figure out what I'm going to do for the next chapters. Ideas let me know bc I'm not completely sure how I want to go about this.

In addition, I have college applications and a portfolio to do so it may be awhile until they can get up. That goes for Little Nordic too.

Thank you for understanding and enjoy!

xo