Chapter Text
The moon hung high, bathing Amity Park in a warm glow. A gentle breeze rippled through the grass, cooling the sun-warmed asphalt. Night creatures chirped, hooted, and croaked as the sweltering day slacked off into a warm, comfortable night. A few cars rumbled in the distance. Music played through an open window. The town itself seemed to breathe a collective sigh.
The day had been just as peaceful. A calm summer day, without so much as an ectopus to interrupt it. Danny spent most of it at the pool with Sam and Tucker, hanging out and fighting the heat. They whiled away the hours talking about everything and nothing until the sun set.
Danny should have enjoyed it more.
Sam and Tucker had gone home after cutting patrol short. The night was calm, and Tucker needed to be up early the next day. They parted ways at the park, waving goodnight. Danny had flown off towards Fenton Works— but changed directions as soon as the neon sign came into view.
Tracing the empty streets, Danny lost himself to the air. The wind rushed past his ears, tossing his hair back. He did several loops, watching as the world tilted around him. After another lap of the town, Danny circled back home.
Flying usually brightened his mood. Most days, all it took was a few laps to clear Danny’s head.
Tonight wasn’t the same. The moment Danny sank onto the metal roof of the Ops Center, eyes fixed on the stars, he felt a wave of loneliness squeeze at his chest. A familiar ache that stargazing brought when he let his mind wander far away.
Some nights felt lonelier than others. Clear nights, when the sky yawned black overhead and the stars shone brightly. Danny would trace the constellations with his eyes, knowing each one by heart. Their names. Their stories.
An emptiness lingered beside him, just as dark and oppressing as the night sky. Danny clenched his left hand to keep it from reaching for something– someone no longer there.
Someone near and dear to his heart, yet no closer to him than the stars.
The distance between them made Danny’s core ache.
The night sky offered some measure of comfort. The melancholy of Danny’s memories mingled with the knowledge that somewhere— regardless of the distance— his brother lay beneath the same stars.
Brother. Danny couldn’t remember the last time he spoke that word aloud. He whispered it quietly to himself, a small secret into the night.
Danny wondered if his brother still stargazed. If he still thought of him. Perhaps he’d lay beneath the open sky, even now, lost in his own memories. Nights, so many years ago, spent under the stars together.
The thought felt selfish.
Shutting his eyes, Danny took a deep breath and sighed. It was too late for spiraling thoughts.
Phasing down through the roof, Danny landed in his bedroom. He glanced at the clock, groaning. It was already three in the morning.
Danny flopped onto his bed fully dressed, forgoing pajamas. He buried his face in his pillow, wondering if he had any chance at a dreamless sleep. His restless, anxious thoughts and the unpleasant pulsing of his core said no.
As Danny’s eyelids drooped, his eyes drifted to his bedroom window. There was a gap in the curtains, and Danny could see a sliver of the night sky through them.
He wondered if Damian remembered the constellations.
~*~
Sleep came easily, and the nightmare just as swiftly.
Windowless metal walls stretched high around him, the ceiling impossibly far away and as inky black as the night sky. The room stretched forwards even further, an endless expanse of grey linoleum, with wires snaking along the walls and across the floor. Without knowing if the hallway even had an end, Danny started walking. He stepped over the wires carefully, eyeing them like treacherous snakes with waiting fangs. His footsteps echoed ominously against the walls, the only sound to break the silence.
Time slipped away as Danny walked. He lost himself to the rhythm of his steps, eyes still trained on the wires. It felt like tripping over one would spell disaster— like it might have already.
Shadows occasionally flickered in his periphery. A voice spoke, far off and quiet. Whenever Danny turned to look, he saw only sheet metal and wire.
A spark of green caught Danny’s attention. A flicker at the end of the hallway, glowing brightly ahead. The light faded as soon as it appeared, leaving a pressing darkness in its absence. The wires thickened and twisted into coiling heaps, covering the floor like the gnarled roots of an old oak tree. Danny slowed to a stop as he stood before a black archway framed with buzzing cables. An open tunnel lay beyond, impossibly dark.
Danny paused, examining the arch. It stretched the width of the far wall and rose up twice his height, wires disappearing through its dark passage. A persistent, gentle hum emanated from the wires. The more Danny listened, the more it began to sound like a voice. Small and coaxing. Promising.
Go on .
The whispers surrounded Danny. Pushed him forward. He had to go forward. The black archway, the wires— something inside yearned to be found. The green spark flickered from the darkest depths.
Danny stepped over the coiling wires.
Darkness immediately engulfed him.
Panic bloomed in Danny’s chest as he took in sharp, hurried breaths. He trailed his hand along the wall, desperate for something to ground him. He felt with his foot for the wires, but could hardly raise his leg. The cables wrapped around Danny’s legs, gripping tight. He stumbled forward and felt something give under his hand.
Pain beyond measure. Blinding, spiraling green. A familiar, wailing scream that tore at his throat and rang in his ears.
The sound slowly faded into distant echoes. Danny could hardly open his eyes. He wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Groaning, Danny lifted himself up on shaking arms. His stomach roiled and his head swam as he took in his surroundings.
Blue tiles. A ratty old rug. The bathtub. Danny lay on the bathroom floor, though he couldn’t remember why he was there. It seemed like a stupid place to be.
Clutching the edge of the counter, Danny hoisted himself to his feet. Eyes shut tight, he fought down the bile rising in his throat. He took several deep, grounding breaths. Danny couldn’t stop shaking. The insides of his eyelids were still stained green.
Slowly, tentatively, Danny opened his eyes. Phantom stared back at him.
Nothing seemed off. He took in the familiar features with a measure of comfort. Acid green eyes with bright white pupils and dark, tired eye bags. Snow-white hair. Fangs. All normal.
With a sigh of relief, Danny let the chill of his core slip away, transforming.
His breath hitched.
The person staring back through the mirror could have been Danny… were it not for his jade green eyes.
~*~
Danny startled awake, breathing heavily. He sat bolt upright and tossed aside his frost-covered blanket. He shook like a leaf in a powerful storm, though it had nothing to do with the cold surrounding him. Danny didn’t bother to check the time. Stumbling in his haste, feet tangled in his icy blanket, Danny rushed for the bathroom, throwing the door open. His hands gripped the counter, knuckles whitening with the force. Dread curled in his belly.
Danny’s own reflection stared back at him. The same tired eyes, icy blue and stretched wide with fear.
Danny let out a shaky breath, bowing his head low.
Relief swelled in his chest… alongside disappointment. Danny couldn’t quite say why. Had he really expected Damian to stare back at him? For his brother to suddenly appear, like any run of the mill ghost haunting him?
Danny shook his head vehemently. The wood beneath the counter creaked under his grip. He refused to entertain the idea of Damian being a ghost. His brother was alive. He had to be.
One of them had to be.
Danny would never forgive himself if…
He shook his head again, rough enough to crack his neck.
Damian’s face lingered in Danny's mind. It was so similar to his own, save for the eyes.
Lifting his head to look in the mirror, Danny flashed his ‘scary eyes’, as Vlad called them. Phantom’s green was too luminous and sharp, a poor imitation of Damian’s soft jade.
It was close enough.
Danny shut his eyes.
A knock on the bathroom door made him jump, heart leaping into his throat.
“Is everything okay, Danny?” Jazz asked.
Another steadying breath. “Y-yeah! I’m fine,” Danny called back, his voice wavering traitorously.
A quiet pause. Jazz shuffled on the other side of the door. Danny could imagine her wringing her hands.
“I’m going to make some pancakes and eggs… Do you want some?”
Danny wiped at his face, surprised to find his eyes were wet. Glancing at the mirror, he noticed red rims around his eyes and a green glint around his pupils. Danny looked away.
“S-sure. Uh… what time is it?”
“A bit past eight. I didn't expect you to be up, honestly,” she said.
Danny dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. If only the hallway in his nightmare had stretched on just a little bit longer…
“Don’t take too long if you take a shower,” Jazz said when he didn’t answer.
After another stretch of silence, he heard her walk down the hall, footsteps creaking on the stairs.
Danny stood in the bathroom, staring at the closed door. Exhaustion clung to him, his vision still bleary with sleep. His left arm ached with the memory of electricity. His skin felt feverish and slicked with sweat, despite the remnants of frost on his arms.
Danny latched onto what Jazz said. A shower sounded like a good idea.