i don't really have words atm akxhdkdjs i just kinda had this thought yesterday and well. this happened. IAJDSKKD

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Hero From The Start

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Danny gasped and fell back, staring up at his surprise hero. "Wha-?!"

The older kid winced and glanced back at him (with neon eyes???) for a brief moment before focusing all his attention on the ghost.

Danny's own eyes went wide.

The bigger kid was a ghost, too!

The ghost boy held a hand up as if to stop the attacking ghost, and a green shield sprung up to block the next assault, shining and unbreakable. "Leave the kid alone, Walker! Your fight's withme!"

The other ghost, Walker, smirked. "Exactly why I can't leave 'the kid' alone,punk."

Danny didn't really get what that was supposed to mean, but the ghost boy looked like he did. His scowl deepened, but he didn't move out of the way.

"Stand down, Phantom, or else I'll make you wish you were never born." Walker ground out, lifting a hand to fire an ectoblast at Danny's paling face.

Danny swallowed. If this "Walker" ghost blasted him, that'd be it, and Mommy and Daddy always said that ghosts wouldneverprotect anyone. Phantom was gonna step aside, and Walker was gonna shoot him, and Tuckie and Sam were never gonna know where he went because he'd bedead!

…except that's not what happened.

Walker fired, and suddenly Danny was up in the air.

"Never gonna happen, knucklehead!" Phantom's voice came from just above him, and Danny looked up in awe.

Phantom held him close, shielding him with as much of his body as he could. Green smoke rose from his side, though Danny couldn't really see exactly where- Phantom kept shifting whenever he noticed Danny trying to get a look at it.

"Fine. If you want to play dirty,we can play dirty." Walker snarled, lifting into the air to stay level with Phantom. He lifted a hand to his mouth, placed his thumb and forefinger on either side, and whistled.

Danny cringed and buried his face into Phantom's chilly chest in an effort to drown out the shrill sound, but it didn't really help.

When the whistle stopped and Danny dared to look again, he whimpered.

More ghosts than he'd ever dreamed of had joined Walker, and they all looked like angry police officers.

And if they were angry with Phantom, and if they thought Danny was important to Phantom somehow…

He gulped.

Phantom gave Danny a little bounce to get his attention, then offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, okay? We can do this."

Danny furiously rubbed his eyes dry and squared his shoulders. "O-okay!"

Walker laughed, but Danny didn't think it was because he thought it was funny. "Just keep telling yourself that."

Phantom thought for a moment, then looked down at Danny. "Do your mommy and daddy have a working ghost shield?"

Danny caught on immediately and nodded. "Mm-hm!"

The boys shared a grin, and the next second was a whirlwind of activity.

The second hand on the nearest clock ticked.

"GET HIM!" Walker roared, pointing a furious finger at the two.

"Hold on!" Phantom bent his legs, getting a better hold on Danny as he did.

"Don't let him get away!" One of Walker's goons called, winding up for a world-class right hook.

Danny gasped and held onto Phantom with a death grip, unable to look away from the incoming attack.

The second hand on the nearest clock tocked.

Danny yelped as Phantom took to the skies, only to whoop as the goon stumbled, no longer able to hit his targets.

"AFTER HIM!"

Danny sucked a hissing breath in between his teeth. "They're coming after us!"

Phantom glanced over his shoulder for a moment before turning his attention back to the sky before him. "Can you let me know if they get close?"

"Got it!" Danny nodded, and he would have saluted, too, if he wasn't afraid of jostling Phantom into dropping him. He kept his eyes on the approaching ghosts, glaring them down as best he could.

And, of course, occasionally catching sight of loose ectoplasm as it streamed from Phantom's hidden side.

"Are you okay, Phantom?" Danny asked, unable to contain himself any longer. "I don' think you're supposed to be leaking!"

Phantom managed a chuckle, annoying Danny somewhat. Why were these ghosts so eager to laugh when they didn't think things were funny?! "Let's just focus on getting you home, safe and sound."

Danny hoped Phantom could feel his frustrated glare through the back of his head. "…okay…"

"Having issues, Phantom?"

Danny eep-ed and clung to Phantom. In his distraction, one of Walker's scarier friends had gotten terrifyingly close! "He's right behind us!"

Phantom hissed something angry, though Danny couldn't make sense of it. Another language, maybe? "Alright, kid,hang on!"

Danny made sure he was secure.

As Danny's grip tightened, Phantom dove straight down, and Danny felt a freezing chill run up his spine moments before the world went dark.

"What the?" He gasped.

Phantom chuckled again, for the proper reasons this time. "We're intangible now. We flew into the road, and now we're heading for your house! Not in a straight line, though, we're doing loops to throw off Walker and his goons."

Danny beamed. He was actually going through things! Like a ghost! "Heheh, okay! Cool!"

After a moment, Danny felt them slow down…somehow. Phantom lowered his voice. "Alright, I'm gonna have us poke up and take a quick look to see if they're still on us. We're gonna be invisible, so even though it's cool, I'm gonna need you to be super-quiet, okay?"

"Okay, Phantom!" Danny agreed. In a loud whisper, he added, "Quiet!"

He heard Phantom snort, and then he could see again.

There weren't any cars coming, so the street almost looked deserted.

Almost.

There were a few of Walker's ghosts on the far end of the street, looking around.

Danny hurriedly tapped Phantom's shoulder, and he felt Phantom's hair brush past his face as the other boy turned to look.

Phantom jolted, as if startled, but then he tapped Danny's shoulder and turned them around.

They floated just in front of Fentonworks, a shimmering green light barring the way to the front door.

Phantom silently flew to a nearby alleyway that had managed to stay outside the shield, only turning visible again once they were hidden from view. "Looks like we'll have to split up for now. You head inside and stay where it's safe, alright?"

"What about you?" Danny asked, trying yet again to catch a glimpse of Phantom's injury. "You're hurt!"

Phantom shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Those ghosts are after you, too, remember? Me, I've taken on bigger and badder ghosts before, and I'm still kicking! You're a human kid. You're averyhuman kid, and stuff that would be like a tap to me might send you to the hospital! Can you please just stay out of danger for me?"

Danny thought about pressing the issue right then and there. If a "tap" for a ghost would send a human to the hospital, then whatever had made Phantom start leaking had to have packed a punch! Did ghosts even have doctors?

But, though he wouldn't realize it for a long, long time, Danny was good at brushing people's concerns off. He'd even laugh at the irony of this situation later, once time had straightened itself out.

For now, though, as Phantom tried to brush off Danny's concerns for his wound, Danny decided to brush off Phantom's concerns for his safety.

Not that he'd tell Phantom that yet.

"Okay, but you'd better not die again! Double-die?" Danny countered.

"I promise." Phantom brought a hand to where his heart would've been.

"Pinky swear?" Danny asked, offering the pinky in question.

Phantom smiled and offered his own, locking it around Danny's. "Pinky swear."

Danny grinned and dropped the pinky swear. "Then go kick those meanies' butts!"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Fenton, sir!" Phantom saluted with a pained laugh before flying back out into plain view of Walker's goons. "HEY, DOO-DOO BRAINS! LOOKING FOR ME?"

Danny caught sight of Phantom's injury and paled. He didn't know much about body parts, but he was pretty sure ghosts weren't supposed to have them, and he wassupersure they weren't supposed to be out in the open like that.

Or cooked like that. Ouch!

As Phantom led the other ghosts away, Danny sprinted inside, almost slipping and falling on his face as he made a sharp turn and darted for the lab.

What could he use to help? There were so many unfinished weapons on the different workbenches, but how was he to know what would work?!

Danny took a deep breath and approached one of the piles, only for a voice to make him stand ramrod-straight.

"What are you doing, young man?"

Danny spun to face Mommy and Daddy as they came down to the lab. "MOMMY! DADDY!"

Mommy stumbled back as Danny threw himself into her arms. "Danny? What's going on?"

"There's ghosts outside, Mommy!" Danny cried, his emotions finally winning out against his wishes to get back out and help Phantom. "They were after me, but, there's this nice ghost who helped me get home before the meanie ghosts could blast me, buthe's hurt and he's still out there!"

Danny's declaration knocked Mommy and Daddy off-kilter. Daddy knelt down and looked him in the eyes. "Danny, ghosts can be very good liars. I think that's what your 'nice' ghost did. If we go back out there and find him, he'll probably be just fine. He might even be in cahoots with the rest of 'em!"

"B-but he, but he saved me!" Danny protested, stepping back. "The leader meanie ghost told him to 'stand down' but he picked me up and flew me home instead!"

Mommy sighed and cupped her hands around Danny's face. "Just let Mommy and Daddy take care of this, okay, Danny?"

"But Mommy-!"

But they weren't listening anymore. Danny huffed and ran back upstairs.

If they weren't gonna help him help Phantom, then he'd do it on his own.

He pulled the big Emergency Box from the cupboard under the bathroom sink and opened it up, digging through it until eventually giving up. He may as well just bring the whole thing if he was gonna get confused by all the stuff inside.

"JAZZY JAZZY JAZZY JAZZY JAZZY!" Danny yelled, sliding to a stop in front of his sister. "Can you please pleasepleasegive me a ride?"

Jazzy looked down from the kitchen table and hopped off her chair. "Where? What's going on?"

"There's a nice ghost fighting a bunch of meanie ghosts, but he's hurt and Mommy and Daddy think he's not and that he's a meanie too! I gotta go help him!"

Jazzy didn't look like she believed him, but she still set her book aside. "I'll go get our helmets if you wanna go get the bike ready."

"THANK YOU JAZZY!!!" Danny hugged her for a moment before rushing to the front yard.

The bike was propped up against the front of the house, well-within the ghost shield and away from the line of fire, should the ghost fight come close. Danny put the Emergency Box in the front basket just as Jazzy came outside with a helmet in each hand.

"Alright, Danny, buckle up and hold on!"

Danny snugged his starry helmet to his head and hopped up behind Jazzy once she took her seat. His feet slid into place on the bars sticking out from the back wheel's axel, and he nodded. "Let's go!"

Jazzy didn't waste any time, pushing forward and pedaling for all she was worth. Before she could even ask, the sounds of fighting from the park gave her a direction to go.

Danny swallowed and clung to Jazzy's shoulders, wide-eyed gaze locked onto the park as it came into view.

There were almost no ghosts left, but if the wreckage was any sign, that hadn't been the case earlier. Walker and Phantom were fighting in a new crater, but aside from them, the park was almost empty.

…aside from the wolf-like ghost laying to the side.

Danny and Jazzy shared a worried look, but Danny still reached for the Emergency Box. Jazzy pulled up behind a tree as Danny leapt off the bike and ran for the crater, dodging her frantic attempt to pull him back to safety.

Fortunately for Danny, Phantom whipped out a tech-y soup thermos and aimed it at Walker. "Just wait until the Observants hear that you tried to take time justice into your own hands! You'll have plenty of time to talk with them, don't worry!"

"ONE DAY, GHOST KID!" Walker snarled, fighting the pull of the thermos with all he had. "ONE DAY, YOU'LL BE MINE!"

"That's what they all say, and yet…" Phantom shrugged and kept the beam on Walker until he lost his hold and went flying in. As he slammed the cap back onto the thermos, he smirked. "…I never am."

Phantom took a moment to press a hand to his side, grimacing, before turning to face the wolfish ghost beside him. "Come on, buddy, you gotta be okay…"

Danny skidded to a stop at the top of the crater. "Phantom! Did you get the baddies?"

Phantom jumped, as if Danny had startled him, then turned with a knowing grin on his face. "I thought I told you to stay safe, kid."

"And I thought I asked if you were okay, but here we are!" Danny countered, jumping down with the Emergency Box. "Now sit down and let me get the band-aids!"

Phantom held his hands up in surrender and laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll sit down."

In the future, Danny would think to himself about how adorable he used to be, and that train of thought would make way for another.

He'd always been looking for any opportunity to help. Even before getting ghost powers, even before being granted the ability to help more than ever before, even before wrestling with the thought that maybe he wasn't the same person who walked into the portal that fateful day…even before nights of restless sleep and fear of what lay in the mirror became the norm, he just wanted to help.

In the future, Danny would have to contain his relief and the rest of his uncontrollable emotions, lest his younger self see.

But right then, hewasthe younger self, though he didn't know it, and he finally figured out where the fun band-aids were.

"D'you want the skellies or the ghosties?" He asked, holding up the box for Phantom to see.

"Hmmm," Phantom put a finger to his chin, thinking deliberately about his options, "how about a ghostie?"

"Okie-dokie!" Danny beamed and dug out some of the ghost band-aids.

Jazzy peered over the edge with wide eyes. "Woah…"

Phantom glanced up at the sound, then offered a little smile and wave. "Hey there, J-uh, kid number two."

Jazzy's eyes somehow managed to get even wider, and she started climbing over the edge of the crater. Before she could reach the boys, however, a pair of jumpsuited arms yanked her back.

"JAZZY-PANTS, WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU?"

"There are two ectoplasmic entities down there of unreadable power levels, Jazz!"

Phantom grimaced. "Thanks for the thought, kid, but I think that's my cue to get my friend and get out-"

Danny leapt to his feet and turned his back on Phantom, holding his arms out like he'd seen Sam do for trees sometimes.

"-of…here?" Phantom finished.

"DANNY?!"

Mommy and Daddy leapt into view, weapons primed and ready, but they didn't fire. They couldn't.

Danny was blocking the shot.

"Kid, what're you doing?!" Phantom hissed. "You really don't have to-!"

"Not a word out of you, spook!" Daddy snapped. "Especially not to my Danny-boy!"

"Danny, sweetie, step away from the ghosts." Mommy coaxed. "They are very dangerous, and-"

"AND HE SAVED ME!" Danny interrupted, eyes screwed shut. "I keep telling you that he saved me from meanie ghosts, butyou're not listening!"

Phantom didn't even bother lowering his voice. "Kid, I really do appreciate this, but you don't have to get in trouble for my sake. I can take care of myself. I always do."

"Yeah, but you got in trouble with the mean ghost police to keep me safe, and now look at you!" Danny protested. "You've got more ouchies than before!"

"Eh, nothing I haven't dealt with before." Phantom shrugged sheepishly.

Beside him, his wolf-like friend groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He said something, but it must've been the same language Phantom had used before, because Danny couldn't make heads or tails of it.

(When he was older, he'd understand it perfectly: "Phantom, is it over?")

Phantom nodded. "Yeah. I've got Walker in the thermos with the rest of his cronies. All that's left to do is get home."

"You're going home?" Danny whined. "Why can't you stay?"

"Well, for one thing, I've got friends and family back home, and I don't wanna leave 'em waiting. For another, I think your parents might blow a gasket if I stay here." Phantom pointed out, gesturing to Mommy and Daddy's tension.

Danny's eyes started watering. "Will I ever see you again?"

(In his future, he'd recognize the golden opportunity his younger self had given him and grab it with both hands.)

"I think so." Phantom smiled warmly. "Sooner than you might think, too. Just keep helping people, alright, kid?"

Danny sniffled and nodded. "I can do that…"

"Then I'll always be right here, waiting to come out when you need me." Phantom finished, tapping Danny's chest for emphasis before beeping his nose.

Danny giggled for a moment before hugging Phantom tight. For a moment, Phantom floundered, watching Mommy and Daddy's dumbfounded reactions, but then he hugged Danny back.

Phantom's wolfy friend snorted and turned away, lifting green claws and swiping through the air. The trail of green left in their wake grew for a moment until Danny could clearly see green swirls through the new portal.

"Looks like it's time, small fry." Phantom pulled back from the hug and shakily got to his feet. He offered a small salute to Mommy and Daddy, using his free hand to press down on his main injury as he followed his friend through the portal. "See you around!"

〜〜〜〜〜〜

In the aftermath of what the Fentons called "The Incident," Danny Fenton was grounded from screen time indefinitely. (It was only a couple months.) He had to help around the lab a lot more, and as such, he got a lot more of his parents' speeches about The Evil Of Ghosts.

But Danny could deal.

He'd managed to slip the box of band-aids into Phantom's pocket during the hug.

Now hehadto use them!

〜〜〜〜〜〜

Meanwhile, in the older Danny's timeline, he and Wulf appeared within Clockwork's tower, ready to send off Walker and his goons, when something shifted in his pants pocket.

When he went to check, he couldn't help but chuckle.

For the next several weeks, any and all footage of Danny Phantom included a small box next to where he kept the thermos.

And, oddly enough, whenever he had to rescue a younger child, the child would be proudly wearing a patterned bandage for as long as their parents let them.