Don't mind me, just writing an angsty Danny Phantom one shot. Cause what other Danny Phantom one shot is there, really?

I was in the mood for my favorite cartoon, so here we are.

I don't own Danny Phantom (or Human), if I did, there would be more blood. Imma little sadistic like that.

I can hold my breath

Danny sat at the dinner table, refusing to meet his parents' eyes as they discussed their experiments. He mechanically shoveled food into his mouth.

I can bite my tongue

"Don't you agree, Danny?" Maddie smiled over at her son expectantly.

Danny slowly swallowed his food, hoping to delay his response. His parents waited patiently.

"Sorry, can you repeat that?" he muttered. Jazz watched as he fisted his hands on his knees.

I can stay awake for days

"Phantom's obsession," Maddie prompted.

"It's obviously fighting!" Jack interjected.

"I'm sure it's protection," Jazz argued. "He's saving lives and keeping the bad ghosts away from the people. Can you image how bad it would be without him?"

If that's what you want

Danny watched as the dinner table erupted into another argument over his alter-ego.

The halfa frowned.

No…they were all wrong.

Be your number one

"I'm tried. Good night." Danny muttered. None of his family members glanced at him, too distracted with their shouting.

He slipped out of the kitchen, shuffling up to his room.

I can fake a smile

"Hey, Danny, you okay?" Tucker questioned, eying his best friend. The dark bags under his eyes made the techno geek worry. What had happened last night? Danny hadn't called them for a patrol, so it wasn't ghosts. But, then what?

"Yeah, I just spent the night studying for Lancer's test," Danny smiled reassuringly.

"Wait, there's a test today?" Tucker exclaimed. With his friend thoroughly distracted, Danny sighed.

Purple eyes narrowed at his action. Sam wasn't fooled, not even a little bit.

I can force a laugh

"Oi, Fen-toad!" Dash shouted from down the hall.

Every one of his passing peers stopped to watch Dash's hourly Taunt-The-Loser. Danny wondered why it wasn't boring and exceedingly repetitive by now. All Dash did was lock him in a closet and slam him against walls. What was so amusing about that?

I can dance and play the part

"What's wrong this time, Dash?" Danny questioned as the larger teen strutted over to him.

"Guess what day it is?" the football player sneered.

"Mid-term grades," Danny sighed.

"That's right!" Dash laughed. Danny closed his eyes and was not disappointed. A large fist wrapped around his shirt and slammed him into a nearby open locker.

Danny sighed.

If that's what you ask

"See you in class, Danny," Tucker murmured, walking to Lancer's class with Sam.

Unlike freshman year, Danny could get himself out. There was no need for all three of them to be late for class.

Danny thumped his forehead against the inside of the locker in response.

No one heard it.

Give you all I am

"Paper Towns, Mr. Fenton!" Lancer shouted when Danny finally slipped himself out of the locker. "This is your tenth tardy this week!"

Danny shuffled to his seat, taking the lecture stoically.

Tucker and Sam exchanged a concerned look.

I can do it

Danny just sat there and took it. He didn't try to defend himself. He didn't try and explain why he was late. He didn't even crack a joke.

Lancer frowned in concern.

I can do it

Danny was so tired. He knew that he should come to class on time, but between being a superhero, being a student, being a friend, and being a son, Danny grasping at straws.

Once, being a student, friend, and son were all the same things. But now, he had to have a different attitude for each. A completely different part that needed to be played.

I can do it

The son had to be slightly rebellious, but not too much. His parents couldn't get suspicious.

The friend had to be happy and cheerful, but not secretive. His friends would feel betrayed if he kept even the smallest thing from them.

The student was supposed to be kickable and obedient. His peers couldn't get any hints that would lead to their tiny brains piecing it together.

Danny was getting so tired of keeping all four parts of his life in order. He was splitting at the seams.

But I'm only human

"Danny, are you okay?" Tucker asked his best friend at the end of class.

"Yeah, it's all good," Danny muttered.

Tucker was not convinced. Neither was Sam.

And I bleed when I fall down

Later that night, Danny was on patrol. He hadn't called Tucker or Sam, wanting to take the time to think in peace.

He felt like he was being pulled in four different directions.

I'm only human

He had no idea what he should do. Danny knew he needed to tell his parents soon. Keeping it a secret from them was only making it worse for him.

But he was so scared.

And I crash and I break down

Intellectually, the halfa knew that his parents would accept him. They did during the whole Reality Gauntlet situation. They would be understanding and supportive.

But, logic did nothing to sooth the fear.

Your words in my head, knives in my heart

He remembered all of the times his parents had threatened him. Hell, Danny knew what every single device in their house could do him.

He knew how much he would scream and bleed.

You build me up and then I fall apart

And, if anything, remembering the Reality Gauntlet debacle made his fears even worse.

So much time had passed since then, what if they changed their minds. What if because of everything that has happened since that summer, his parents decided not to accept him?

Then the memory of when they, in an alternate summer, accepted all that he did for them would only hurt him more.

'Cause I'm only human, yeah

Danny didn't want that knowledge hanging over his head as they shot at him. He already had nightmares about his alternate self, he didn't need nightmares about his parents' experiments too.

Danny didn't get enough sleep as it was.

I can turn it on

"There you are, Ghost Child!" Danny heard from behind him.

Immediately he twisted around with a grin and a quip. It would do him no good if he was lacking on the job.

Be a good machine

"What a fine night it is to finally spill your blood, Ghost Child!" Skulker grinned sharply, his arms folded over his armored chest.

"Kinda looks like it's going to rain to me," Danny noted, briefly looking up.

Skulker frowned in frustration. "That's not what I meant!" He aimed his weapons systems at Danny's floating form and fired.

I can hold the weight of worlds

Dodging, Danny winced at the sound of the missiles hitting a building.

Great, another thing someone would blame him for. He needed to finish this fight fast, his guilty conscious was already nagging at him.

If that's what you need

Skulker fired again, but Danny erected a shield so that it exploded in the air instead of against someone's property.

He flinched at the minor burns that appeared on his hazmat suit. The elastic material melted slightly in the heat, molding to his delicate skin.

Be your everything

"What's the matter, Ghost Child?" Skulker's smug voice dragged him from his thoughts about whether or not he should ask for Jazz's help with his arm when he returned home.

She would probably be asleep anyway, there was no need to wake her. She had so much on her plate, with preparing for college and so many people vying for her attention.

I can do it

"Nothing, just wondering when you were going to bring out the big guns. These have been pretty pathetic for the so-called Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter!" Danny shouted. He ignored Skulker's angry ranting, too focused on checking his surroundings.

No pedestrians; it was safe for a fight then.

I can do it

"Well?" Danny interjected with a grin. "Are we going to dance under the pale moonlight?"

Skulker growled but readied his blades. They shined an eerie green in the darkness.

I'll get through it

Danny shook off his fatigue and uneasiness, throwing himself into battle.

Forget thinking; fighting was what he was good at.

But I'm only human

With one last piercing cry from Skulker about how he would get him next time, Danny capped the lid of the Thermos.

He was breathing heavily, exhausted. Skulker's new upgrades, from Vlad no doubt, had been a pain in the ass. Add Danny's less than stellar sleep schedule and mental state, and it was a recipe for disaster.

And I bleed when I fall down

Thankfully for the halfa, he only received two large cuts, one on his stomach and the other on his forehead. He swiped halfheartedly at the blood that was running into his eye.

Danny glanced around once from his position in the sky and saw that there was still no one around. It was rather lucky, usually there was one of the three resident ghost hunters lying in wait for him.

I'm only human

Danny floated down, directing his tired form to a dark alleyway. Just in case a hunter appeared on the scene, he wanted to be hidden somewhere.

He leaned against the wall the moment his feet touched the dirty ground.

It seemed he was more tired that he originally thought.

And I crash and I break down

He quickly evaluated his injuries, knowing that they needed to be treated soon.

His head wound was finally clotting and his stomach wound was a little deeper than he had originally thought. The burn had melted away some of his suit, revealing his peeling and blistering skin.

Your words in my head, knives in my heart

Danny sighed, thumping his head gently against the wall. While not the worst injuries he has gotten on the job, they were definitely going to be hard to explain.

There was no way 'I fell down' was going to cut it this time.

You build me up and then I fall apart

"There you are, Ghost Boy." Danny took a dazed moment to wonder just how many nicknames he had gathered during his year and a half as a hero. Then the burning registered in his mind.

He screamed, feeling an excruciating pain in his side. He slid to the ground, his legs not able to remain standing.

'Cause I'm only human, yeah

"You can't get away from me this time." The steely voice that had first interrupted his thoughts commented. Danny looked away from the bloody burn in his side towards the sound.

He saw the familiar gun first, buzzing slightly.

I'm only human

"Wha-what are yo-you-?" Danny stuttered out of his gritted teeth. The pain was becoming too much. He was sure he was practically glowing in the dark with the amount of ectoplasm covering his form.

"Don't try to fool me, ghost." Maddie Fenton frowned down at Phantom, her compassionate eyes hidden behind red bug eyes. "Ghosts can't feel pain. It's an impressive show though."

I'm only human

"Can I go get my Grammy then?" He choked out. The gun buzzed louder as it warmed up for another shot. Danny didn't know when to shut up though, something he inherited from his father. "What do you want, Mo-Maddie? Where's Jack?"

He struggled to hold in his next scream as a blast exploded against his prone leg.

Just a little human

"Do not presume to call us by our names," Maddie hissed. Her fingers clenched tightly around the trigger to her specially made gun. Why was he still faking it? Why was he still playing this game with her? Why, why, why?

I can take so much

"Ah, shit…" Danny muttered. He really needed medical aid now. Sam's house wasn't too far from where they were, if he was remembering right.

He just needed to escape his sharp-shooter mother.

Until I've had enough

"You're coming with me, ghost." Maddie commanded, noticing his lapse of concentration a frown.

"Heh, yeah, no thanks," Danny chuckled quietly. "I'm not a fan of needles and scalpels. Actually, anything pointy is kinda a no-no with me."

"You don't really have a choice on the matter," she pointed her gun at the arm loosely clutching his stomach. There was glowing green already oozing through his covered fingers. Maddie ignored it, this ghost had been tormenting her town for far too long for any sympathy.

'Cause I'm only human

Danny could already see a different kind of darkness edging in on his vision. He didn't think it was in his best interests to fall unconscious around his ghost hunter mother, though.

"Hey," he started. "Have you ever…wondered what my obsession is?"

And I bleed when I fall down

Maddie paused. It was something that had been nagging at her and her husband. Just what was this ghost after, what did he want from their town?

Those that knew anything about ghosts knew that they were sustained by their obsession, it was the sole thing that kept them on this plane of existence.

Maddie doubted it was fighting like Jack seemed to think. If it was, then Phantom had more than enough of it. There was no reason to stay in the town.

Maddie had reservations against her daughter's theory though. Protection was just too broad an obsession. Protection of who? Protection of what? Why this town, why not another?

I'm only human

Danny actually started laughing at her silence. He knew she was frustrated at the fact she didn't know what made him tick.

He quickly stopped, his laughter dying into a yelp of pain as the contractions pulled painfully on his still fresh wounds.

And I crash and I break down

"And you're just going to tell me?" Maddie asked, disbelieving.

"I'll tell you…if you let me go." Maddie's refusal was immediate. There was no guarantee that she would get another chance like this to bring Phantom in. She could hold back her curiosity for the safety of Amity.

Your words in my head, knives in my heart

"Fine then…" Danny said. He was so tired. It wouldn't hurt to go to sleep, right? Just for a little while. "I…just want someone to say 'Good job, Danny. You did good, I'm so proud of you.'"

He paused, breathing deeply. Maddie was quiet.

"I want to be accepted, that's it."

You build me up and then I fall apart

Maddie was frozen, staring down at the ghost as his voice got quieter and quieter.

Why…why was he revealing his obsession, something so personal that a ghost would rather die than ever reveal?

Why…did he sound so sad?

'Cause I'm only human, yeah

Danny closed his eyes. He was just so tired.

So many people hated him in this town, crying for his banishment. They were coming around, slowly but surely.

It was his parents that he held out for. Even if the whole town hated him, if his parents would just smile at him.

Danny's vision went black as the alleyway lit up white.

Yeah, that just happened.

(I kinda just wanted a scene with Danny laughing hysterically in an alleyway as he bled out, but this happened instead. Oh well.)

So, I'm a little behind on my Song Challenge due to my homework punching me in the face. I was able to subdue it for the weekend, so I should be able to catch up on what I've been lagging behind on. (All four/five stories…)

I hope everyone enjoyed this one shot!