Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny just hugged himself tighter, trying to fight off the cold air. He had stopped flying a little while ago and began walking along this road after turning himself back into Danny Fenton. At several points, he questioned if he had gotten far enough or if he was still too close. That was why he continued walking, not taking a break to rest even though he knew he only had a few hours left until the sun came back up. Only a few more hours until he knew the Guy's in White would pull themselves together to find him. He actually kinda missed it when they were just annoying bothers that tried to capture him once every few weeks. Even though he was stressed a lot, he honestly kinda missed that life.
He couldn't believe that they somehow got the knowledge that he was Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom. It was like in the span of a few days, they got their act together. Maybe they got better funding or higher-ups...

All he knew was that they found him. His parents found out about his secret. Only for them to die right after the Guy's in White found him.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now. Or the Guy's in White. They were the reason this all happened.

He didn't even stop when he saw a sign saying he was nearing a city. He didn't even hear a car pull up next to him until the driver was yelling out to get his attention.

The grey car was stopped right behind him, on the side of the road so that it could stop without stopping in the road. The driver's window was rolled down, and a man had his arm leaning out of the window as he called out for Danny's attention again, "Hey kid! You lost? Need a ride or something?"

Danny just stared at the man that was hanging his head out of his window.

"Need me to call the police for ya?"

That got Danny. He shook his head. If the police got involved, then the news would surely get back to the Guy's in White about where he was. He didn't want that.

The guy tried again, "Need me to give you a ride? We're heading into Star City."

Danny remained quiet again.

The man took this as the opportunity to continue speaking, "You can trust me; I've got my two little girls in the back seat, we were coming back into the city from visiting their grandparents."

Danny mulled it over. It would get him away from the Guy's in White faster, but he could just take him to the police or go to the police after dropping him off. But surely he would call the cops to pick up the stray walking on roads between cities. He then decided it would be best to go with the man. He could make up excuses, shouldn't be too hard, right? He managed to keep the fact he was Phantom from almost everyone in his town for about a year and a half, he can do one night to a stranger.

He must have been taking too long to think when the man tried one more time, "You want the ride kid?"

Danny finally decided and gave a nod.

The man gestured to the passenger seat, "Get in kid."

As Danny made his way to the car and got in, the man continued talking, "My two daughters are in the back seat sleeping, but they're rather heavy sleepers, but still be careful. Their stuff all over the place back there from the day and a half drive." He began driving again, "So kid, what's your name?"

He managed to croak out a 'Danny.' Damnit, Fenton.

"Damn kid, you sound like you need some water. There are a few extra bottles on the floor at your feet."

Danny looked down. There were indeed a few plastic water bottles at his feet, more full than empty. He grabbed one and began gulping it down, finishing half of the bottle before gasping for air.

The man gave a small laugh, "You were thirsty, huh?"

Yea, a day and a half of no water and having a blood blossom shoved down his throat barely half a week ago to 'see what it would do' would make one thirsty. Danny decided to just nod in response.

It was quiet for what felt like forever but had to have been only a few minutes at most. The man must have been debating about it, and his curiosity must have gotten the best of him. So, he asked about the elephant in the room, "So, kid, what were you doing out here anyway?"

Danny remained quiet, and instead just looked down at the bottle in his hands. Even if he wanted to tell the man, how would he explain that he was kept and experimented on in a secret government organization for the better half of two years?

Instead, he settled on the other big elephant in the room, "What's your name?"

The man went quiet for a moment, "I guess I forgot to tell you, huh. My name is Thomas. Nice to meet you. Now, you gonna avoid the question again or answer it?"

Danny had an even longer moment of silence, "I don't really want to talk about it."

Thomas seemed to understand, somehow. He had a look of understanding. How?

He began speaking again, "Bad home, huh? I remember running away from home around your age."

Okay, now he's got a cover story. That would explain why he didn't want to go to the police. This is good. He hoped.

After Danny's silence, Thomas took that as a cue to continue again, "I'm guessing you don't want to go to the police or the hospital then."

He shook his head in agreement.

"I guess you're pretty tired huh? Wanna take a nap? We won't be in the city for another few hours and you look exhausted."

He nodded.

"I promise that I will wake you when we reach the city. And that I will not take you to the police or hospital. Even though those cuts and bruises on your arms say otherwise. But I don't want you going back to the place where you got them."

Danny gave a small, mumbled 'thank you.'

Thomas reached into the back seat with one and managed to grab a jacket. He handed it off to Danny, "Might not make the best pillow, but it's all I've got right now."

Danny took it and rolled it up, making it into a makeshift pillow before laying his head on it. He was out like a light.

Danny woke up to something shaking his shoulder. At first, he forgot where he was, thinking he was still with the Guy's in White. The memories came flooding back before he could use his ghost ray on the man next to him. He looked over at Thomas, praying that his eyes were not green. Whatever god there was, was nice today as Thomas didn't say anything about his eyes suddenly changing colour.

The sun was out, shining through the windows into Danny's eyes. He squinted as he looked around at the city. It was a little more rundown than he expected.

Thomas seemed to answer the question barely peaking into Danny's mind, "This is the Glades. It's the more rundown part of the city, but it's the part of the city that has the most homeless shelters and you would be less likely to be noticed by anyone."

Danny nodded in understanding. He handed back the jacket to Thomas, who only replied with a hand in the air and a 'keep it.'

Danny mumbled out another 'thank you' to the man as he opened the door and got out, pulling the blue jacket on.

Thomas had one more thing to say before he left Danny to his own devices, "Look, Danny, I don't know if you need it or not, but I would feel better if you took it. It might not be much, but enough for you to get by for now. Go get something to eat and a new change of clothes."

Danny took the offered cash gratefully. He counted it out: sixty-four dollars. Not to mention what he might already have in his own wallet.

Thomas continued speaking as Danny counted the money, "I also put a small paper in there with my name, phone number, and address in case you ever need help."

Danny closed the car door after another 'thank you' and watched as the car drove off a couple of blocks before turning left, out of Danny's sight.

He turned around and took a look at the building that was now in front of him. It was a semi-large building that looked like it could be apartments, if not for the big sign on the front of it with the title of 'Star City Homeless Shelter.' He then took a look around him. Most of the buildings around him were actual apartments or smaller stores like groceries or a small store shop, with the occasional restaurant or diner mixed in. Star City seemed a lot bigger to him than Amity Park.

He took a deep breath before deciding Thomas was right and took off in the direction of a clothes store.

Chapter Text

Danny went into the clothes store, almost blocking the entrance because he hadn't felt actual, refreshing AC in about two years. He only moved out of the way after someone bumped into him on their way out. Danny quickly made his way to the boy's section. Although he was seventeen by now, he very much looked like he just hit fifteen or sixteen due to malnutrition at the Guy's in White's base. He quickly started picking his way through the clothes on the racks and the shelves. After what felt like forever, he finally managed to find something he liked and could actually fit in. He quickly paid for it and a backpack before asking to use the bathroom to change.

It was a single person bathroom, giving Danny the privacy he very much liked. He managed to peel off his old white t-shirt with the red circle and dropped it at his feet before looking at himself in the mirror. He was incredibly pale, paler than he used to be, and he looked like he was almost the same kid that got kidnapped two years ago. The biggest difference was the scars that littered his torso, slowly healing due to his ghost core, and therefore him, being weakened. Most of the scars appeared old, even the one beginning at the sides of his collarbone and met up in the middle before going down his stomach. That was his least favourite and most noticeable one. The Guy's in White had used ectoranium to cut him open, causing him to heal slower than he did normally. Then the days following that, they worked him nonstop, then decided to put blood blossoms in his daily food to see if he reacted any differently than direct contact with it. News flash, it still had the same effect, and he was in pain for about a week and a half just from the flowers alone.

He shook the memories away and simply began to get dressed in his new attire. He found it ironic that he found a black t-shirt with white on the edges. He definitely was in his ghost form too long now that he was deciding to wear black. He had chosen a pair of pants that were similar to the ones he was already wearing, and shoes in a green colour.

He stuffed his old clothes into his backpack before washing his face and hands of any grime or dirt before heading back out.

He left the store and took a look around, trying to debate where to go next when his stomach gave a loud growl, deciding for him. The diner next door seemed like a good stop, so he quickly made his way in and found a seat.

The diner looked a bit rundown like it had its own fair share of having to rebuild on a budget after he accidentally caused collateral damage fighting a ghost.

A lady came over to his table with a menu and set it in front of him, giving him a small smile, "Hey there young man, welcome to Polly's Diner. Is there anything I can help you with or do you need a moment to look at the menu?"

Danny gave a smile back to the lady, "I'll need a moment to look at the menu, thank you, ma'am."

She gave him another smile before heading to another table. He grabbed the menu from the table and began looking at it. Most of the food was breakfast, sandwiches, or smaller deserts. Flipping through the menu and looking at other people around the store eating did not stop Danny from wanting to devour everything on the menu. The only thing that stopped him was Jazz's voice in the back of his head, reminding him of when he would get hurt badly in a fight and had to take it easy. His healing made him very hungry and he would have eaten half of whatever was in the fridge if Jazz didn't stop him. The voice he heard now was her scolding him that even though he was hungry, he couldn't eat much because it would only make him sick and feel worse.

He decided to listen to his sister's advice from that time and only ordered a simple breakfast sandwich and some water. The sandwich consisted mostly of egg, ham, and cheese on a croissant. He pretty much inhaled the food and left as soon as he could, leaving the lady a nice, but not going overboard, tip.

He wandered his way back to the homeless shelter and hung around outside. He remained seated on the ground near the wall of the building, basking in the sunlight. He hadn't been in the sun in what felt like two years. It probably has been two years. He shook away those thoughts about the Guy's in White and being stuck in their facility. He just let a small smile make it's way onto his face as he decided he did not want to move from this warm spot.

It was now morning, and Danny came out of the homeless shelter. It wasn't as bad as he expected. The few people who volunteered there were really nice and set him up at a cot, not to mention fed him breakfast. Well, not just him, but it was nice. The food wasn't as good as that one diner he went to the day before, but at least it was warm and did not look like the goop that the GIW usually fed him.

At this point, Danny had once again gone back to wandering the streets. The people at the shelter said he could leave his stuff there and claim the cot he had indefinitely, but he didn't want to. Although the people there were nice, he didn't trust any of them. Plus, they wanted a name to reserve the area for him, but since he disappeared two years ago, he assumed he was claimed legally dead. He knew his friends and family wouldn't give up looking for him unless they had to.

He shook his head. He knew that if he started thinking about his friends and family, he would start to miss them and want to go back. Danny had the feeling that if the Guy's in White were looking for him, they were probably looking in the direction of Amity Park. He couldn't risk it. He didn't want to go back to the daily torture and weekly dissections.

He heard shouting from one of the alleyways. Looking around at the people around him, it seemed like nobody heard the yelling (which he didn't think was possible, even if he had enhanced hearing), or the people were ignoring it.

Realizing no one was going to help whoever was in trouble, Danny sighed as he cursed his hero complex and took a step into the alleyway and hiding behind a trashcan. He didn't want to interfere if he didn't need to.

He saw a woman with her child, a boy who looked around ten years old and was being hidden behind the lady who Danny instantly assumed was his mom. There were five men in total, all with bandanas to cover their faces but one, who Danny assumed was the man in charge of the others.

The man nodded to another one of the guys, Goon Number One, Danny decided to call him. Goon Number One did whatever he was told to do mentally and grabbed the woman's purse. The lady made to reach to grab it back but quickly stood down as the other goons got tense and ready to pounce again. Goon Number One held her purse by the bottom of it and shook it, letting everything from inside it fall to the ground. Danny winced as he heard what was most likely a phone hit the ground with a crack. The Guy in Charge reached down and picked up a white envelope, taking a look inside of it before pulling out whatever was inside. He had a handful of green paper, cash Danny realized. Were these guys really threatening a woman and her child over some money?

The guy counted it before looking back up at the woman, "This will do. Let's go guys."

The woman began to plea, "Please, I need that money to pay rent on Friday! It's all I have! I'll get you more later!"

The guy just laughed, turning back to the lady, "Now Darcy, you knew the money was due on Monday. You did this to yourself."

Danny sighed. He really hated his hero complex right about now. He stepped out from behind the trash can, pulling his hood up in hopes of hiding his face at least a little bit, "You heard Darcy, she needs the money."

Everyone in the alleyway turned to Danny, mostly confusion on their faces. The confusion on the Man in Charge turned to anger. He stalked up to Danny, leaning over a bit to look him 'in the face,' "Whatcha gonna do little boy? Gonna play pretend that you are the Green Arrow?"

It took everything Danny had to keep his eyes from lighting up into a ghostly, toxic green. He silently cursed again about wanting to be a hero as he quipped back, "Not gonna pretend."

Danny, although significantly shorter, gave the man a right upper-hook, sending the man flying into the air and landing painfully on the ground. Danny winced as he heard a crack come from the man's body. This attack instantly sent the man's goons onto him as Danny had to take a step back and duck to avoid being smacked in the face with a baseball bat. He grabbed the end of the baseball bat, shoving the wooden stick at its owner, effectively taking down the guy as he was punched in the stomach by his own bat. Danny gave a small smile as the guy went down, thanking his superstrength. Two down, three to go.

The three remaining goons brandished their weapons, ready to fight.

Danny gave another smile, "Hello, misplaced aggression."

He lunged for the man closest to him, who swiped his knife in a downward motion, missing Danny's head but not his hair. As Danny elbowed the man in the arm to get him to drop the knife, he made a remark, more towards himself than anything, about reminding him to get a haircut. Once the knife was 'safely' out of the guy's hand, he kneed him in the stomach. Danny winced as he heard a snap or three. He knew he at least cracked this guy's ribs, but hey! He shouldn't have been out here robbing people if he didn't want to get hurt.

Danny watched the guy in front of him go down as he got a bat to the back of his chest. Danny went down instantly, wheezing a bit at having the wind knocked out of him. He managed to roll out of the way as the guy brought the bat down to the ground, hitting the concrete where his head was. Danny recovered quickly and took the fourth guy out with a quick left hook to his jaw. The goon went tumbling down to the ground.

Then he heard a bang. He simply ducked and looked in the direction it came from. The guy in charge was back up, holding his arm to his chest with a look of pain while his other hand held a gun that was facing Danny. He heard wheezing from behind him as the guy in charge gave Danny a death glare. Danny turned around to see what would have been the final goon falling to the ground, a red spot growing on his chest. That was why he looked like he wanted to murder him...

Danny turned back to the only guy standing, the guy that was in charge of the other handful of guys. He had the look of murder. All Danny had to say was, "You should have given her her money back."
He and the man had a brief glare off before there were sirens in the distance. The gunshot must have attracted people who must have called the police. The guy had a look of panic in his eyes as he took off running in the other direction. Danny followed his lead and took off from where he came in.

He kept running what felt like forever, but after making his way down a few blocks and other side streets, he finally took a breather. He sat down on an overturned crate, taking deep breaths. He began cursing out his hero complex once more.

He remained in that alley for the rest of the day, and before he knew it, the sun was disappearing. He looked around himself, trying to find where he was. As he ran, he didn't pay that much attention. He realized he did not know which direction the Homeless Shelter was. He, once again, cursed his hero complex.

He looked around the street he was on. He slowly made his way to one of the dumpsters and huddled up next to it, moving some of the smaller cans around himself to hide from prying eyes. It seemed like the best idea for the moment. He felt like after what he witnessed after being here for one day, he would be safer hiding next to trash than wandering the streets at night.

He really hoped that sleeping among trashcans wouldn't become habit...

Chapter Text

It was the next day, and Danny had managed to find his way to the diner he ate at the day before; Polly's Diner. He sat at the same table as before, and the same lady as last time came by to give him his menu, "Second day in a row?"

Danny nodded and gave her a friendly smile, "The food is good and I don't know my way around."

She nodded in an understanding way, "Yea, the Glades can be confusing. It doesn't help that the city calls part of it 'the Glades.' Anyways, you ready to order?"

Danny nodded, "First, I would like a water." He opened the menu, laying it flat on the table before pointing at something on it, "After seeing them yesterday, I really wanted to try the banana and chocolate chip pancakes."

She smiled as she wrote it down onto her pad of paper, "Good choice. Let me give this to the cook, and I can take the menu out of your way." She grabbed the menu and left Danny by himself.

Danny waited as patiently as he could until the steaming plate of pancakes was set in front of him, along with a bottle of syrup. Danny instantly dug in.

After he was finished with his meal, he waited until the lady came back. When she came to collect the payment, she noticed he was still here and smirked, "What? Not running off to save the city this time?"

He gave her a confused look, "What?"

She gave him a more motherly look, "Word travels kinda fast in apartment buildings. My neighbour said some kid who, frankly, looks like you came in and beat up a bunch of guys trying to rob her."

Danny felt heat in his checks. He hadn't been called a hero in a while, even if she wasn't directly saying it.

She took his silence as confirmation, but dropped it, "Anyways, why are you still here? Most people would just pay and leave and not strike up conversations."

His blush disappeared as he looked up at her, "Do you think I could get a job here?"

She instantly had a look of confusion, "How old are you, kid?"

"I'm seventeen. Sorry, I probably don't look like it.”

She gave him a comforting smile, "It's okay, I understand. I'm guessing, if you were to work here, we can't have your name on legal documents?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know, can't have you on the official payroll? I'm guessing you had a bad home life and ran away?"

Danny looked back up at her, "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged and sat down across from Danny, "We see a lot of kids like you. Small and scraggly, and looking for a way to make some money without having to open a bank account and everything else that comes with getting a job."

Danny was silent for a moment before asking a question, "Are there really that many runaways in this city?"

She gave a small laugh, "You talk like you aren't from around here. Yea, there tends to be a lot of kids in bad situations in this part of the city. Everyone tends to steer clear of the Glades."

"Why do they call this part of the city the Glades?"

She shrugged, "I'll be honest, I don't know. They just do and have been for as long as I can remember. And probably longer than that." Danny remained silent in thought and she used it to return back to their original conversation, "Anyways, I could probably get you working here. I could pay you in cash if you need me to."

"Really? It wouldn't be too much of a problem?"

She let out another small laugh, "It won't be a problem." After a brief moment, she added on, "Plus, with you working here, with your 'hero in the alleys' cred, people will be less likely to mess with the diner."

He gave her a questioning look, "Do people usually mess with it?"

"Well, there were the usual gangs that like to run cities through underground means. Lately, it's been worse though because some guy came into the town and invited other gangs into the city. It's become like a battleground between the gangs now, trying to one-up the others. The Glades have it worst off. Polly's Diner has had its usual luck with keeping gangs and such off it's back, but sometimes, it's hard." She went quiet for a moment, "But, maybe having someone like you who single-handedly took down a handful of one of them will keep them from targeting this place."

Danny thought on it, "Do you really think me being here will help keep the diner safer?"

A smile grew on her face, "Kid, I have known you for about a day and I can see you are a good guy. What, you like being a hero?"

Danny felt heat rise up to his face again and stuttered out his answer, "I just like helping people!"

She laughed again, "It's okay. Liking to help people is a good thing. The world can never have enough."

They both remained quiet for a few moments. Danny broke the silence, "So, do I have the job?"

"Of course kid!" She got up and out of her seat, "Let me go get the paperwork so we can make it 'official'." She made air quotations when she said 'official'.

Danny smiled as he watched her walk off and towards the back of the diner, turning to look around the diner a bit more once she disappeared behind a door that had a sign that read 'Employees Only'. He'd have to admit, it would feel weird being to go behind an employees-only door. He's never had an actual, paying job before. Well, he kinda had to thank the Guys in White for taking half of his teenage years away. He stopped himself before he could dig himself into a deeper hole. He was out of that awful place, and he could stay out of there. He's half-ghost damnit!

She returned shortly later with some papers in her hand, as well as two pens. She reclaimed her previous seat as she laid everything across the table, handing one of the pens to him. She faced a few of the papers towards him, "I need you to fill out these papers to the best of your ability. I understand if you cannot answer some of them, just do the ones you can or feel comfortable doing."

Danny nodded and looked down at the papers. Man, it felt like he hadn't held a writing utensil in forever. He probably hadn't actually. He knew at first the GIW tested him to see if he was capable of higher thinking. After a few months of that, they stopped and started on some of the other... tests.

He stopped himself, mentally shaking his head. These thoughts wouldn't help him in the long run. Jazz would tell him that it is good to show emotion in the here and now, but you still had to think if it would impact your future as much as you think it would.

He stopped himself again. He needed to focus. He needed to get this job so he didn't have to resort to begging strangers in an even stranger city for money. He read over the things he needed to fill out and did as the lady asked him to do: fill out the ones he could.

After he did so, she looked over the papers before setting them down, "So Daniel, welcome to the team. Do you go by Daniel?"

He gave a small smile, "I prefer Danny. Thanks."

"Okay Danny." She slid a small packet of stapled together paper towards him, "This is your employee handbook. I recommend you read over it before your first shift, and if you have any questions, you can ask them then. I will need you to get a pair of black or dark blue pants and I will provide you with a uniform shirt when you come in next. Anything else? Any questions you have right now?"

Danny shook his head, "I don't have any. Well, besides when I should come in for my first day."

She smiled, "Smart kid. I didn't even realize I forgot that. How about your first official day is next Monday? Gives you four days to get prepared."

He nodded, "Sounds great Miss..." He went silent as he read her nametag, "Polly. Miss Polly. Thank you."

She got up and he followed her. She gathered her papers in one hand and held the other one to shake his, "Well, I'll see you on Monday Danny."

He shook her hand, "Well, unless I come in for food."

She gave a small laugh, "Anyways, I bet you and I have stuff to do. Don't play too much hero and get hurt."

He sighed as she wandered back into the employees only door. He headed to the front door. He had some shopping to do.

Monday seemed to roll around a lot quicker than Danny expected. He wasn't even doing much. He had gotten two pairs of black pants from the store he went to previously. He also got another shirt. It was a simple red colour with a chest pocket, a design covering the pocket and the short sleeves. This was what he was wearing today, along with one of the black pants he was told he'd need.

The store was mostly empty when he arrived. It was just before the lunch rush. There were maybe one or two people in the customer part of the diner, besides Polly and the three guys she was arguing with. Danny stayed by the front door, not wanting to interrupt. It was then that Danny recognized the guy in the front who had just slammed his large fists onto the bar top. Danny wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but Danny kept an eye on aggression. The guy in front was the one Danny beat up in the alleyway almost a week ago. What was he doing here?

Danny's worry increased when the head honcho pulled out a gun. He didn't point it anywhere, but it was clear he wasn't afraid to use it. He shouted at Polly, "Give the goddamn money or I'll take it myself!"

This didn't look good. Polly yelled back at him, "You guys are a week early! I don't have it!"

The man raised the gun, pointing it at Polly now. Okay. Now it was time to act.

Danny quickly made his way to the bar, remaining on the side of the guys in case he had to take any out, "You heard her, she doesn't have the money because you guys came early and she wasn't prepared."

She gave him a look to stay out of it. He returned with a look of his own: no can do.

The guy scoffed, but looked somewhere between miffed and... was that fear? Oh.

That fear didn't stop the guy from repositioning the gun to Danny. Oh, fun.

"Get out of here brat before we force you."

Danny shrugged, batting the gun away. The ease Danny has towards them would be shocking, but Danny grew up around ectoguns. These, if he had to, he could just go intangible.

The guy grumbled something Danny didn't pay attention to. Danny took this as the opportunity to speak up again, "Leave, before I make you."

The goons behind the guy laughed at Danny's threat. None of them besides the Man in Charge had been there when Danny beat up the others.

Danny took this as 'they are not going to leave on their own accord'. That made things fun. Danny punched the guy. A right hook into his jaw sent him falling into the bar and the stools, and, ultimately, to the ground. The other three stared at Danny flabbergasted. Danny just shrugged before he charged forward. He got the first hit in, giving a roundhouse kick to the first goon, instantly sending him to the ground with their boss. The last two lunged at Danny at the same time, Danny easily dodging from the punches they were sending his way with practised ease. Danny swept the second goon’s feet from under him, punching him across the face as he went down, leaving the goon sprawled out on the ground. Danny delivered a knee into the third and final goons gut, sending him down to the ground with the rest.

Danny leered over the four grown men on the ground, "Go away." 

Chapter Text

Polly stared in disbelief. Danny had single-handedly taken down four grown men. She heard from her neighbour that he did a week ago, but it was another thing to watch him do it. It happened and ended so quickly too.

The two watched the four men gather themselves and leave the diner. The two of them were silent until there was a small clap from the two patrons sitting in the store.

Polly turned to Danny, "Where did you learn to fight like that?" She sounded like she was in disbelief and awe.

Danny froze, stuttering out his response, "Uh... My mom. My mom taught me. At a young age. She was very much into self-defence. Yes." Really cool Fenton.

Polly's face switched from awe to a smile, "Well, it looks like Polly's Diner has its very own hero."

He moved his arms in an awkward motion as the two customers were agreeing with the woman, "I'm not a hero. Far from it. Don't even want to be one."

Once again, Polly switched again, going to a confused manner, "What do you mean? All the kids here aspire to be one, or at least like the Arrow."

Danny was taken aback. It was like his days as Phantom. Everyone either loved him or hated him no matter what he did, and kids wanted to be him. He finally made a smart choice: taking the topic of the conversation away from him, "Who is the Arrow?"

Polly's eyes seemed like they almost bugged out of her head, "What do you mean 'who is the Arrow?' He is only the superhero who fights for the people of Star City!"

Danny sighed, of course, this place had heroes of its own.

At least he will be known on the streets for helping others, it was his thing, but was he ready to be labelled a hero again?

He doesn't feel ready.

Danny finally mustered up a bit of courage, "I'm just not hero material. Anyways... Miss Polly, shouldn't we be getting to work?"

Her face lit up. She forgot about work. She was so excited about another defender of the glades for a moment, "Of course! I got your stuff situated already!"

She led him to a computer, or one of the two registers, and clicked a button that said 'clock in', "Now, when you come into work, you're going to clock in using one of the registers and use this code. Do not tell anyone else your code, and I'm the only other person who has it." She passed him a small slip of paper with a six-digit code, "That's your code. Just put it in to clock in and out. Put it in now to clock in."

Danny did as he was told before shoving the paper into his pocket. He'd have to work on memorising it, but that's for later.

Polly led Danny away from the register and began showing him the ins and outs of working at Polly's Diner.

He didn't keep track of how long he had been in this city, but he was glad that the GIW seem like they either gave up on looking for him or lost him completely. He didn't know which one he wanted more, but as long as they haven't been in this city (as far as he could tell).

While he was here, he also found out there were superheroes in Star City. Well, more like vigilantes, like he was. There was the Green Arrow and two others he worked with, but haven't been seen in a while, who were called Arsonal and Spartan. It was like him, Sam, Tucker, but on a more professional level. It was kinda impressive, even though it didn't take much to do better than Danny did then. Looking back, him and his friends didn't do a great job at hiding his secret identity.

Danny didn't want to be part of that vigilante life, but he still helped people on the street. Danny had noticed crime had raised since the mayor, Oliver Queen, had been kidnapped and rescued by the Green Arrow. He was sure he heard somewhere that some of the gangs grouped together under one guy who had a lot of power in the criminal underworld. This made Danny glad Amity Park didn't have much outside of ghosts.

This one guy taking unofficial control of the city was not great because there were constant robberies and muggings happening, and being in the Glades just made everything three times worse. Danny managed to get himself a reputation across the Glades as someone who can and will defend himself and others. That led to a weird mix of gangs avoiding him and others searching to see if he is really all they say he is. He's just glad that most people stay away from Polly's Diner.

Well, Danny's luck had to run out eventually. He was working a normal shift with Polly, and the diner was during one of it's busier hours when a group of men came in. Danny didn't think anything of it because Polly's Diner had become some sort of neutral ground, or place of peace (Danny had heard some of these groups talking about him and being able to take them down so they shouldn't start trouble). This group of guys came straight up to the sitting bar where Danny was, getting ready to take a table their order. The head honcho of the gang pulled a gun and held it at Danny's head, "Heard you were a fighter. My boss wants you."

Danny looked down at the gun, then back to the guy, "What?"

"Our boss wants to see you."

Danny sighed, "Do I have to?"

The guy was instantly confused, then laughed it off, "You act like you have a choice, kid. Well, ya don't"

He heard the sound of something shattering nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Polly, her arms still out from when she was holding a tray of food.

Danny looked the guy straight in the eye, ignoring the gun. He knew that if he was careful, it wouldn't be a problem for him. He really didn't want to deal with this, but he didn't have much choice, "And what if I don't want to? I mean, I do have work."

The man looked at Danny like he was crazy. He opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again. Once he finally figured out what to say, he regained his confidence, "What the fuck? I am literally holding a gun to your head, and you still think you have a choice? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Danny looked over and saw Polly going back into the kitchen. Good. I hope there's a phone back there and she's going to call the cops.

Danny's hope was lost when the guy in charge motioned towards one of the others, "Go get the old lady. We don't need the cops showing up just yet."

As the follower did as he was told, Danny let out a remark to get the attention back to him, "Hey, Polly isn't that old. And she's really nice."

Then he saw the goon put a gun to Polly's head, and Danny hated it, "Hey! Don't drag her into this!"

The ring leader looked back at Danny, "You dragged her into this."

" How? "

The guy was silent, looking between Danny and Polly, "I... Uh, you being here brought her into this!"

Typical bad guy.

Danny sighed, "Can't you like, let her go. Let her run out?"

He seemed to think over it for a moment, then he turned to Polly and the goon holding the gun to her head, "Take her cellphone and let her run out."

The goon did as his leader told him to, and Polly went running out the front door, tears running down her face. Now Danny didn't need to worry about her life, and hopefully, she can find a phone and call the police before anything happens.

All the attention was back on Danny. He decided to break the ice, "So..."

The leader broke Danny off before he could think of a witty thing to say, "You're still coming with us."

Danny smirked, "I don't think so."

"Well, my boss said alive or dead. If he can't have you, no one can. Y'know how it goes."

Danny's smile fell, "Well, that might be a little difficult." He didn't plan to tell them his secret, but minus as well make inside jokes, right?

The leader sighed, "Such a shame. Shoot him."

Danny's confident smirk came back as the goon that had Polly aimed his gun at Danny and a loud sound rang out through the small diner. Danny had gone intangible at the last second and felt the bullet go straight through his shoulder and into the wall behind him.

The goon had a look of confusion as he saw Danny still standing there, unfazed. He took another shot, then another and another as they seemed to go right through the boy.

Once the goon had wasted all of his bullets in fear, Danny was ready. Now it's my turn. He jumped over the counter and in the process kicked the goon in the chest, and not holding back much, sent him flying. The goon crashed into a thankfully empty table, sending it and himself and a few chairs into a crumpled heap on the ground.

All of the bad guys had looks of fear on their faces as Danny turned to the next closest and ducked down, whipping his leg out and knocking that one to his feet.

At that point, the leader yelled out something about Danny being something called a 'metahuman'. Whatever it was, it can be an excuse for him having powers.

Danny stood up and saw all of the goons were ready to fight, having gotten over their shock. He dodged another bullet from one of them, then a baseball bat. While the one with the baseball bat was getting back from the offense, Danny punched him, knocking him back and to the ground.

Then he felt pain shoot through his head as his vision blurred. He fell to the ground, and looked around slowly, finding one of them had gotten behind him and hit him over the head with a lead pipe. How do bad guys always get lead pipes?

All of the guys had stopped coming at Danny, Danny being down. They just stood there, watching him, waiting to see if he'd get back up. He heard a bell and suddenly the guy that hit him with the lead pipe fell back. Danny was confused because he didn't hear a gunshot, but then he saw an arrow sticking out of the goon's shoulder.

The other bad guys started panicking. Danny could tell whatever had come, was a bigger threat, and he should probably get out. He could already feel the cut on his head healing.

He started crawling across the ground, going towards the kitchen as he heard the guys that were attacking him were getting thrown to the ground or getting an arrow shot at them.

It was suddenly quiet, but that didn't stop Danny. What did stop him was when a pair of boots stepped into his path. Danny looked up. The first thing that registered in his mind was the green hood. Vigilante. Then the bow with an arrow. Uh oh.

Chapter Text

Danny stared up at the man holding the arrow to his face. At first, he was tempted to go invisible and get away, but Danny had the feeling the guy would still find him. Danny decided to try to break the ice with this guy, maybe he would appreciate it more than the others, "Um... Hi."

The guy, who Danny has now dubbed 'Arrow-Man', spoke, "Why are you guys targeting this restaurant?"

Arrow-Man had a voice distorter, which made Danny glad his ghost form had an automatic one that made him sound all echo-y. Then he realised Arrow-Man and his side-kick (who he swore wasn't there a moment ago, but will now call Red-Man), were still staring down at Danny. He did his best to shrug from his spot on the floor, "I would assume you guys knew I wasn't with them, with how I'm crawling on the ground trying to get away from them."

Arrow-Man didn't seem too entertained. Tough crowd. He pulled the arrow off of the bow and put it back away after sharing a look with Red-Man.

Danny gave a sigh of relief. Red-Man offered his hand to help Danny up, which Danny accepted. Arrow-Man looked Danny up and down, "Are you hurt? We got reports of multiple gunshots."

Danny scratched the back of his neck, "I'm good."

Red-Man spoke this time, he sounded younger than the first, "You sure?"

Danny nodded, which he instantly regretted because of the hit he took, but he didn't want to worry them and force him to the hospital, " Yea. I managed to dodge everything and defend myself."

Arrow-Man crossed his arms at Danny, not seeming to believe him, but letting it slide. He opened his mouth, but then sirens sounded in the distance, and Danny knew they would have to get going. The two vigilantes knew the same. They started towards the front of the store, where they had come in, when Danny stopped them, "What do you want me to tell the police?"

Arrow-Man stopped and turned to Danny, "Tell them what happened." And with that, they were gone.

After Arrow-Man and Red-Guy were gone, the police soon quickly showed up. They had taken a statement from Danny. He told them what happened, besides Danny fighting them off. That was when he learned their names were the Green Arrow and Arsenal. A paramedic also checked Danny over, and said he didn't need to go to the hospital after saying Danny was going to be okay and 'that's a lot of blood for something so small'.

Polly had come back quickly to see the damage done. She had admitted to Danny that it was a lot less than she expected. Usually, they try to trash her diner, but she was thankful she only had to replace a table and a few chairs.

Danny didn't know how to feel about this being a usual occurrence. After previous experiences, he wanted to stay out of everything and go about his day, but his hero side was practically yelling at him to do something about what was going on. The only problem with that was he knew nothing that was going on and had no leads. Which lead him to the conversation he was having now with Polly.

Polly had decided to close the restaurant for the rest of the day and had told Danny that once they cleaned up, he could go home and she would still pay him what he would have made if they were still open. (Which he was grateful for.) He had been mopping up some... blood on the ground when he began the conversation, "So do these guys usually drop in and shoot some people and then peace out?"

Polly had looked up from her spot crouched on the ground, picking up bigger chunks of furniture, "Who? The Green Arrow?"

Danny nodded, still working on his task at hand.

Polly shrugged and stood up, putting the pieces on the counter and turning her full attention to Danny, "Yea. Although they don't usually help with small robberies like this."

"They don't?"

"No, not normally. They tend to go bigger and badder, going for the people at the top of the list. I'm honestly surprised they showed up."

Danny continued his job, "Well, isn't being a hero about helping those that need it?"

Polly gestured to some of the remaining chairs at the counter, "I keep forgetting you're not from around here. Why don't you take a seat and I'll make us some coffee and I can tell you all I know."

Danny nodded, putting the mop in its bucket and taking a seat, "So, what type of stuff do they usually do?"

Polly had made her way to behind the counter, "In the past, he had taken down crime lords and corruption. The Glades usually have a lot of crime going on, as you've seen, and our Mayor Oliver Queen has been doing his best to fix it, but he hasn't been as effective as the Green Arrow. The Green Arrow is probably trying to figure out how to stop the increase of crime and gangs here, but it's basically become a giant gang fight over city blocks."

Danny took all this in. It hurt not seeing people fighting for the little people directly, but "Where are the police? Isn't it their job to help?"

Polly got two mugs out and poured some coffee for them, handing Danny one, "Well, the police try their best, but sometimes it's hard for them. An increase in crime means that cops are more likely to be killed, and fewer people want to be cops or cops that are stationed in the glades. And sometimes there is more crime than the cops can handle."

Danny stared down at his steaming mug, "So not many people are stopping the crime?"

She shook her head solemnly, "Not really. Although the Green Arrow has encouraged civilians to want to help and fight like him. That caused more issues for the police."

Danny remained silent for a moment, trying to think of his next question. There was so much he didn't know. He decided to go with what seemed more important, "So, what does this gang want with your restaurant?"

Polly gave a small, sad smile, "Before my mom passed the diner onto me, she kept it out of the grasps of any local gangs, but after I got it, they came in and basically forced my hand. Either I pay them and they protect the diner from other gangs, or they come in and trash it. They even threatened to burn it down. I basically had no choice."

Danny felt sorry for her, "So what gang is 'protecting' the diner?"

"Danny, please promise you won't do anything brash. I know you like to stand up for yourself, but this is nothing I can't handle, and the Green Arrow will have this fixed soon."

He sighed, "But what if you can't make a payment and you lose the diner?"

Polly gave him another smile, "Don't worry too much about me."

"I work here, I kinda gotta worry."

She gave a small laugh now, "Though, seriously, please don't do anything about Hansen's gang. It can lead to them harassing the diner more."

He was quiet. He didn't think he'd get a name out of her. It was probably a slip up on her end, but still, now he had a name to work with. He conceded, for now, and moved on to another topic, "What's a metahuman?"

Polly gave him a look of shock, "Oh, you really have been out of the loop, haven't you?"

Danny had done some thinking. While he was... He had missed a lot. Apparently, there was an accident in one of the neighbouring cities, Central City, where people had gained superpowers. That would explain why that gang member called him a metahuman when Danny had used one of his powers during the fight. If he wanted to try to be a vigilante again, that could be an excuse he gave people if he got questioned about his powers. Saying he was a 'metahuman' (someone with abnormal powers) would make people question him less than saying he was a Halfa or a ghost. People would question and try to capture him to put him in a mental hospital. He didn't want that.

He had gone to where he was staying, wanting to shower and change before doing anything else. After, he had hit up a library. He wanted to do some research about this 'Hansen's gang'.

He had found a few news reports of them harassing other stores and restaurants around Polly's diner. It seemed contained around that block and one next to it, so Danny was willing to bet that they had their base somewhere around these blocks. He was trying to think of where a gang would hole up until he realised something. Vigilantes and gangs have something in common (as bad as that sounds); they tend to gravitate towards abandoned places.

After a bit more digging, Danny thinks he found where they might be hiding. There was an 'abandoned' theatre. (It was really bought by this guy a little while back but the fact that it was not renovated and in use or torn down and had something else built in its place made Danny suspicious of it.)

He closed out of everything and left, heading to a small clothing store. He figured it would be weird if Danny Phantom would show up in a random town after disappearing for a few years, targeting a seemingly random gang. So he had to go in as Danny Fenton. And that required him needing to have a way to hide his identity in case things didn't go that well and they targeted him and Polly. That was the last thing he needed.

And don't get him started on him telling Polly he wouldn't do anything. His hero complex was practically yelling at him to do something, and if he was still in Amity Park, he would have without a second thought. 

So, Danny had gotten himself a black jacket and a black ski mask. The costume was very crude, but it was the best he had right now and would probably be for a while. He walked to the theatre, and, using his invisibility, he snuck around the building. But before he snuck in undetected, he wanted to make sure there was a way for him to seem like he got in without powers.

He had found a back door that seems like it is in use. Well, more in use than the other doors. He peeked his head in through the door and saw three men sitting around a small table. One was actually watching the door and doing his job, while the other two were playing a card game. He didn't recognize the game they were playing, but he recognized the music they had softly playing from the radio sitting on the far side of the table.

Danny pulled his head back out and took a deep breath before pulling his mask on. He took a step through the closed door and held his breath as he walked past the three guards. He kept his footsteps light and he quickly made his way past them, only letting his breath go once he was on the other side of the hall, thankful they didn't seem to notice him. He continued making his way through the hallway, doing his best to remember the layout of the building from when he was doing research about the gang.

It took him a moment, and a few scares when he ran into a few goons in the hallways and thought they might have heard him, but he eventually made his way into the main showroom. The seats were mostly unused and covered in dust, except for the front two rows in the middle; those seats had a few of the goons sitting in them, mostly hanging out, but were also watching the people on the stage. The stage curtains were open and seemed to be covered in dust as well. The stage lights were on, and littered around the stage were different pieces of furniture, including a few boxes, couches, and tables with chairs.

There was a guy in the middle of the stage who was reaching into a box and pulling out different guns, mostly handguns, and showing them off to his crew before laying on the table. There was a small pile of ones on the table already. Two other guys were taking out ammo from another box and putting the boxes into a safe off to the side.

Danny slowly made his way down the main pathway in the middle, going directly to the stage. About halfway to the stage, he dropped his invisibility, and he was shocked that the gang didn't notice him until he was already standing between the front two rows where the goons were chilling. Once they noticed him, they all jumped and pulled out guns, pointing them all at Danny. Danny didn’t even flinch. 

The leader gave a groan, "How did this dude get in? Don't we have people watching the door? Where are they? Radio them!"

Danny watched with amusement as one of the others on stage went off to the side and came back with a radio. There was a 'chsuuhh' sound as the guy pressed the button to speak into it, "Hey, why'd you assholes let this dude through! He's not one of us!"

The 'chsuuhh' sound returned as a voice came through, all static, "What dude? We didn't let anyone through."

Once more, "Well, there's a guy in here wearing a mask!"

There was silence on the other end and before they could respond, the guy on Danny's side spoke again, "Well, everyone on high alert! The Green Arrow doesn't usually go for low-level gangs like us, but there might be more vigilantes."

Danny laughed before crossing his arms, "I don't really know who this 'Arrow' is, but I'm not with them. But, I can tell you that if you don't leave the city’s small businesses alone, you will be on my radar and I'll come for you again."

The leader laughed, "You act like you're getting out alive!"

Danny sighed, "Are you going to do what I say or am I going to have to beat you guys up? I don't know about you, but I don't usually like to waste my time beating up people."

Knowing he angered them, Danny let the familiar wave of cold as he turned intangible. Loud was all around him as guns were fired and he felt the bullets fly through him, leaving him unharmed. Danny dashed forward and jumped onto the stage, decking the person that was closest to him. The guy went down instantly, no match for Danny's strength. Now with Danny being closer to their leader, the firing ceased.

Danny turned to the leader, "You going to leave local businesses alone, or am I going to hit a few more of you?"

The leader kept his gun trained on Danny, "How the hell did you walk through the bullets?"

Danny shrugged, "Superpowers, y'know how it is."

The leader instantly had a look of panic, "He's a metahuman!"

Danny just shrugged again, "Maybe."

One of the guys off to the side leaned closer to the leader, "Hansen, what do we do?"

Danny watched as the leader, Hansen, seemed to be thinking. After a moment, he lowered his gun. The others looked at their leader like he was crazy, but Hansen motioned for them to lower their weapons, "Lower your weapons. We don't have the power to take out a metahuman playing vigilante."

Danny smirked as he watched them do what they were told, "Are you going to do as I said?"

Hansen swallowed as he nodded, "What was it again?"

"Leave local businesses alone."

Hansen stuttered over his words, "But that's our business! Can we... Can we make a deal? Certain ones we won't mess with?"

Danny was quiet, thinking. Then, "Fine. Polly's Diner, Nails and Tools, Stylish, Jones' BBQ, and Vestitus."

Hansen nodded, "Done!"

Danny gave a big smile, "Good!"

With that, Danny disappeared into thin air, letting his invisibility wash over him. He heard cries of fear and surprise and saw some of the men in front of him jump. Danny laughed quietly to himself as he walked out. 

Chapter Text

Danny couldn't help but smile on his way to the library the next day. He knew Polly wouldn't see a difference about the gang right away, but in about a month or so, she would. He would say she would ask him about it, but he told her he wouldn't do anything about it. That, and she didn't know about his powers and most likely didn't know that he would actually go after a gang. But what she didn't know couldn't hurt her.

He had actually intended to research some more on the Green Arrow. He'd heard the name more times than he expected and they talked about this person like Amity Park would talk about Phantom. With that knowledge, he assumed this Green Arrow was some sort of hero. Danny decided he would make his own opinion after his day trip.

He made his way to the computer section in the library and chose one further away from the few teenagers on a few and the older woman who was watching the teens more than being on her own computer. He knew she was watching him too, but didn't mind too much. He knew he wasn't here to mess around, and if anything, he could say he was doing some research for a project. Maybe if he could print some of the news reports and information pages he found...

Anyways, he began typing.

After about 20 minutes, he had mostly news reports, which didn't surprise him much. Apparently, someone named The Hood stopped half of the city from crumbling about four years ago, having stopped an earthquake machine. Man, Tucker would find that really cool...

Three years ago, someone named The Arrow, Arsonal, and some others stopped a huge group of superhuman people, who weren't metahumans, who attacked the city and killed a lot.

Two years ago, he started officially working with someone named The Black Canary. There wasn't much he found, but apparently, there was a lot of fighting with ninjas. And a deadly virus that was released?

And just recently, he stopped a magic madman who was going to blow up the city, killed him. This madman had also killed the Black Canary. That was a real fear of dealing with bad guys. Danny was glad most of the ghosts he dealt with wouldn't go that far or he beat before they could. Danny was glad he didn't have to kill any of his enemies. (He's not including Skulker. Skulker is on his own level.)

Somewhere along there, The Arrow's name turned to the Green Arrow. The public believed it was another person, but Danny could tell he just changed his name and his costume a bit. Danny had done his best to change his superhero name from Inviso-Bill to Danny Phantom. Even now, he could tell how dumb it was to have the same first name, but he was fourteen, give him a break!

Danny decided this Green Arrow was a good guy.

But now he questioned why this hero wasn't helping with the gangs. And if he would now be on this guy's radar. Danny wondered if the Green Arrow managed to track him, what Danny would do.

He decided he would deal with that when, and if, it happened. If the Green Arrow wasn't going to help with the gangs, Danny guessed it was up to him.

Danny had returned to work the next day. He was happy to see that Polly's Diner was back up and running, almost as if there wasn't a shoot-out in it only a few days before. Although it did worry him a bit, he wasn't too surprised. Danny was used to Casper High, or the entirety of Amity Park, recovering from a ghost fight almost overnight.

Polly gave him a smile as he greeted her and clocked in, "Almost back to normal, huh?"

She nodded, "Yup! Well, some of the furniture was ruined, and we won't get replacements for at least a week. I did have some ragtag tables and chairs in the back we could use until then though. Although it is a little strange that they haven't come back yet."

Danny gave her a confused look, "Who?"

"Oh, nothing."

Danny's gaze lingered on her a bit longer, but dismissed it. She doesn't know what he did for her and a few places he likes. Eventually, she'll notice that Hansen won't be messing with her anymore. At least while he's here, he won't.

It was a few weeks later, and Danny was finally out of the homeless shelter. He had the money to stay in a small motel nearby. It was very cheap and the owner just seemed happy that someone was renting a room.

Although Polly's Diner has been left alone, he had also noticed the gang war has also gotten worse. Danny had also seen on the news that the Green Arrow seemed to be working without his team. Or at least most of them. They probably had a few people that weren't out on the streets with him. This only made Danny miss his friends and Team Phantom.

He shook that thought from his mind.

Danny spent his free time away from work stopping gang fights in the streets and in back alleys, as well as stepping in when they started shooting up other stores. He didn't have more than his black mask and day clothes, but it was okay because no one knew it was him. He will admit he had like, two encounters with the Green Arrow. He guessed he was avoiding the Green Arrow, not wanting to hear a speech about what he was doing was dangerous, but Danny was also avoiding him. Even though reports say he doesn't anymore, the Green Arrow wasn't afraid to kill. That scared Danny.

Chapter Text

It was just another day of work for Danny. Well, until one of Polly's friends, Ben, came rushing in and told her to turn on the news. She did as she was told and grabbed the remote for the small TV box sitting on a top shelf behind the bar, changing the channel. Danny joined them around the bar as pretty much everyone in the restaurant began watching.

The recently new mayor, Oliver Queen, was revealing something on a dock. He was giving a speech, stuff about this being their city and how the Black Canary, Laurel Lance, had died and he had a statue made in her honour. Amity Park never did anything like that for him...

Then again, they all believed he was already dead, and probably had been for while. 

Then a loud sound came from the TV. It sounded like a car, or more likely a motorcycle. Multiple motorcycles. (And realised it might be bad to be able to judge the difference, but what can he say? He's a superhero.)

Then there were gunshots.

Danny watched in shock as Mayor Queen had been kidnapped, as well as a few other civilians. Danny felt like he should do something, but he didn't know what. How would he even get out of work, let alone find them?

Well, he was off in an hour and maybe he could see what he could then.

He let the time tick down, watching the news. It seemed like the police couldn't do much in finding the hostages. If only he could get off without seeming suspicious.

Before too long, it was time for Danny to get off. He quickly put his stuff away and left. He was walking back to his hotel room when he saw a red and black blur race by him in the street. It was Arsonal, one of the heroes who usually worked with the Green Arrow.

Danny looked around, looking for the said green coloured hero. He was nowhere to be seen or heard. Was he not going to come save the mayor? Or did something happen to him already?

Not wanting to take any chances (not wanting anyone else to be hurt), Danny took off down the street. The familiar cold coursed through him as he let himself go invisible and intangible, doing his best to follow Arsonal. He had to admit, he didn’t know what he was thinking, thinking he could chase a motorcycle of someone speeding. 

Danny ducked between some buildings. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before allowing familiar white rings to wash over him. His hair turned white and his work clothes into a black spandex suit. He opened his eyes and they were a glowing, neon green. 

Danny jumped into the air and into the sky, well above the couple story buildings around him. Going invisible, he took off in the direction Arsonal went. With his superhuman speed, he quickly caught up with the masked vigilante. 

Eventually, they came upon an abandoned building. (What was with villains and abandoned buildings?)

He waited for Arsonal to park the bike nearby and head inside before Danny touched down on the ground. He let the white rings wash over him again as he turned back to his human form before heading in after the hero, invisible still. 

What he saw didn't make him happy. He saw all of the hostages in the center of the room, all tied up on chairs and guns pointed in their general direction in case they tried anything. What made Danny worry was that he didn't see the Mayor along with this little line-up.

He walked towards the center of the room and looked around the building, looking for any hallways lit up. Finding what he was looking for on the second floor, he made his way to the stairs and started going up them slowly. He was nearly at that top when one of the steps squeaked under his weight. Danny froze, looking around like a deer in the dark, but it only seemed like one guy noticed the noise. Danny watched as he looked around the stairs area with confusion. Danny covered his mouth with one hand to stifle any laugh sounds and continued making his way up.

He walked past a few more guys on the second floor before turning into the lit hall. There, he was a little shocked. There were multiple men on the ground, all out, all with various injuries. A few had arrows sticking out, while others had slowly growing puddles of blood around them.

Danny was now getting nervous. He quickly but quietly made his way farther down the hallway to find the mayor, Oliver Queen, fighting with Arsonal.

Danny stood there, dumbfounded. What confused him more was when Mayor Queen called Arsonal 'Thea'. Danny was confused for a moment, he had heard stories where people referred to Arsonal as a male, and had seen videos of him having a masculine voice, but now that Danny could get a good look, he could clearly see this was a girl. 

He moved to the side as Arsonal and Mayor Queen started making their way out of the room and towards Danny in the hall. Danny moved over and followed, catching the tail end of Arsonal saying "We're going to talk about this at home."

Danny followed them out. At the end of the hall, back to the main room, they immediately ran into another guy. Before Danny or Arsonal (or even the goon, really) could do anything, Oliver Queen jumped out, dragged the man back, and Danny froze at the snap that came from the guy's neck.

Danny...

Danny didn't know what to do.

He stayed still as the other two continued forward.

Danny's enemies rarely threatened people's lives, let alone straight kill them. Danny couldn't believe the mayor would kill someone without thinking twice.

Danny turned around and left. 

Chapter Text

Danny had made his way back to his motel room. 

That night never left his mind, even though it happened weeks ago. Add another trauma to the bingo card.  

Since the incident, Danny did his best to forget what happened, and it kind of worked. He was so busy between working full time and keeping the gang violence low that he barely had any time to actually think. 

Well, he actually had some time and that has now led him to be scouting out an abandoned warehouse a few blocks down. It was a fairly small building, but there were quite a few of them. The most center one had the people he was here for. 

He made his way through one of the back doors, invisibly. He snuck past the back offices and into the main room, where there were quite a few men and women hanging out at different tables. He could easily smell alcohol and cigarette smoke in the air. 

Danny quickly went past all the people and went straight to who his sources said was the guy in charge. 

After making sure his mask was on, Danny allowed himself to turn back visible. He leaned against the table next to the guy, arms crossed, “Y’know, if you don’t want people sneaking in, you should keep a better eye out.” 

Danny held in a laugh as the guy jumped out of his chair and turned to Danny. He ignored all the guns now trained on him. 

The guy pulled his own gun, “You got a fucking death wish?” 

“Ehh…” Danny had to physically refrain himself from making ghost jokes. They would be wasted if the people didn’t understand them. 

“What the fuck do you what?” 

Danny uncrossed his arm, repositioning his hands onto his hips as he stood up straight, “I want you to stop robbing people. They don’t like it and quite frankly, I’m tired of beating up your guys.” 

The guy stuttered, “What the fuck? That’s you? I guess not all heroes have brains because you came here.” He turned to his men and put his gun away, “Open fire on this asshole.” 

Danny smirked as he felt cold run over him and the bullets fly harmlessly through him. 

He did all he could to not laugh as all the gangmen in the room emptied their guns on him and were left confused when their target was left standing, unharmed. 

Danny shrugged, “I think this would be a good time to make a ghost joke…” 

He punched the man closest to him, sending him flying to the ground before moving on to the next person with a roundhouse kick, her joining the previous man to the floor. 

Danny turned to the rest of the people, “Don’t worry, I won’t discriminate against the girls.” 

He began making his way through the group of people. Danny was making good progress with minimal injuries until the person he was about to hit fell back, an arrow protruding from his shoulder. 

It was at this moment that Danny knew he messed up. While he was confused where this arrow came from, his enemies were not. A few of them screamed, and Danny was pretty sure he heard someone yell something like ‘ Green Arrow! ’ right before he got hit over the head. 

Danny instantly fell to the ground. 

He was dizzy, there were dancing lights, and there was ringing in his ears. Danny knew the only reason he was still awake was because of his ghostly healing. He just needed a moment, and it seemed like they were giving him that. 

Then he was yanked up onto his feet, a hand gripping his upper arm rather rough. 

Looking over, he saw red. The person who pulled him up was wearing all red, and Danny saw his mouth moving. He looked concerned. 

Danny lifted his other hand up and to the back of his head. He felt a sting on his head, and pulling his hand back, it too, was red and sticky. Okay. So he was bleeding from that hit. They were probably trying to kill him. Not good . 

The guy holding him up tried walking Danny somewhere else, and Danny was going to follow him, but he stumbled. Danny almost fell to the ground, but the guy stopped Danny from falling. 

He wasn’t in good shape. But he’s taken harder hits from ghosts? Oh, he was also a ghost during those fights. 

He felt himself get guided down onto a chair and the guy in red was in front of him. The guy still looked worried, “Stay here!” 

Then the guy in red was running off and doing what Danny came here for. 

Danny took his skimask off and watched the guy in red, which Danny was now realising was Arsonal, one of the heroes of Star City.  Fighting beside him was another man but in green. The Green Arrow. 

After his moment of staring, Danny looked around the room, the chaos it was in. And there were guys breaking away from the two heroes and coming for him. 

Danny jumped out of his chair, picking it up by the top and bringing it down as hard as he could on the first person. 

With the half of the chair he had left in his hands, he brought it down on the next person. And with one leg left, he used that to swing it at the last person. 

Danny looked back over to the two heroes. They were done with the rest of the men and women in the large room, and were making their way over to him. 

Arsonal still looked very concerned, but the Green Arrow… The Green Arrow looked a little mad… 

The Green Arrow reached Danny first, and instantly began lecturing him, “Don’t you know how dangerous that was? You could have died-”

Danny held up his arm as he turned to the side, and propping his hands on his knees, he threw up. 

Danny stood back up straight and turned back to the two, slurring over his words a bit, “S’ory, think I have… concussion.” 

The Green Arrow now looked as concerned as Arsonal did, “Kid, shit- We should get him to a hospital.” 

Danny shook his head and instantly regretted it, “No. I’m good. Used to… get them all the time. Heal fast too.” 

The Green Arrow looked like he was going to say something before he looked past Danny. He looked very worried. Arsonal too. 

Danny heard a few more gunshots, and Arsonal notched an arrow on his bow. 

Arsonal let his arrow go, letting it fly, and Danny felt pain blossoming in his lower back. 

Danny felt his legs go out from under him and felt himself get caught and gently lowered to the ground. 

The Green Arrow was above him, his face full of worry and washed in green, neon light. 

Arsonal was running back over from wherever he was, looking just as worried as The Green Arrow. 

He heard something about an ambulance and Danny panic took over his mind, “No, no- …Hospital…” 

He felt numb as he fell asleep. 

Chapter Text

Danny… wasn’t sure what happened. 

He stared up at the green and purple swirling sky from where he laid. A quick look around didn’t give him many answers. Yes, the sky was a swirling green and purple like the ghost zone he got acquainted with back in freshman and sophomore years of high school, but this zone didn’t have the random islands or the many doors floating around. 

He sat up, realising he was wearing his hazmat suit. Not his ghost form one, his original one, the one that was white with black gloves and boots. 

It looked like he was laying in an inch of water, yet he wasn’t wet. He didn’t know if it was because of his suit or if it was whatever this liquid was. 

He stood up fully, and called out, “Hello?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a response behind him, “You’re awake?” 

He twirled around and standing what was behind him was a woman. She had a large brimmed hat with a veil that went down past her shoulders. The veil became more transparent as it went, but it completely covered her face. Her black dress went all the way down, down into the liquid that they were standing in. Her sleeves went down to her hands which were held down and crossed. 

Danny didn’t make any move closer to her, “Who are you?” 

She gave a small laugh, “I’m the Goddess of Death, and you’re Danny Fenton. Or should I say Phantom?” 

Danny furrowed his brow, “Do you know how I got here?” 

“You were shot. Your body is healing so I sent your mind here.” 

“You- I- What?” 

She gave a long sigh, “You were shot. The damage to your body was pretty bad-”

“Are you saying I’m dead?!”

She threw her arms out to calm him down, “What? No! No, unless you want to be…?”

Panic grew in Danny, “What?! I don’t want to die!”

“Good! You aren’t dead!” She took a deep breath, “The world still needs you, Star City needs their new ghostly hero. Which is why I brought you here while you heal.” 

“What do you mean by that? Heal?” 

“Yes, you were shot. The heroes of Star City are doing their best, but honestly, the only thing your body needs is rest and I knew if you were awake, you would not be resting. That and you would be in quite a bit of pain.” 

Danny scratched the back of his neck, “So you brought me here because I need to sleep.” 

She gave a hum that made Danny’s head spin, “Pretty much."

He opened his mouth to make a smart remark, falling back onto his habit of cracking jokes to lighten the mood. Before he could say something, he was hit with a wave of dizziness. 

The woman raised her hand and put it on his cheek, rubbing her thumb on it, “It looks like you’re waking up.” 

He gave her a confused look, leaning into her touch. 

She patted his cheek before pulling her hand away, “You have some work to do.” 

Danny’s vision began swimming as he fell back, feeling himself splash into the liquid. 

And everything faded to dark. 

And everything was bright as he took a gasping breath.

Chapter Text

Felicity Smoak wished she could say that she was a little unnerved by the dead body of a random kid off the street on the table. She was at least glad that Oliver had put a blanket over the kid before he had to run back out. 

She had gotten a ping on one of the guys they had been looking for and he had to leave before they could actually take care of the body. 

Oliver should be on his way back by now. 

She heard a ding behind her, the elevator signalling that someone had arrived on this floor. She turned around in her chair, and instead of Oliver, she saw Curtis. 

He rounded the desks in the main circular center and joined her in the middle. With a goofy grin, he held up a paper bag, “I got us some chinese!” 

Curtis put the bag on one of the tables that actually had open space. He looked like he was going to say something else, but noticed the white sheet covering one of the tables off in their infirmary corner, “What’s that?” 

Felicity gave a little hiss as she thought about what to tell him. After a moment of him looking between her and the white sheet, she finally caved, “Oliver and Roy had ran into this kid acting as a vigilante, and um… There was an accident, and for whatever reason, they didn’t take him to a hospital-”

Curtis looked at it again, eyes wide with an ‘oh’ face. He looked down as if in thought, then looked up at her, “Why is it still here!?”

She threw her arms in the air, “I want to know that too! You think I enjoy looking at it? That I wanted it to sit there while I do my work?!”

They both gave deep sighs, both of them quiet for a few moments as they think of what to say next. 

Their chance was taken from them as they heard a gasp from their infirmary corner. They both looked over to see the kid that should have been dead sitting up. They watched as the corpse pulled the white blanket off of itself and begin coughing. 

Felicity was the first to act. She jumped out of her chair and behind Curtis, both of them letting out high pitched screams. Curtis grabbed one of his T-Spheres from the desk (Oliver hated when he left his stuff everywhere, but it looked like it came in handy today) and threw it at the zombie, screaming “ZOMBIE!!!!” as it hit it in the head. 

Both him and Felicity went quiet as they watched the metal ball thunk off of its head and while the ball flew back to Curtis, the zombie kid fell off of the table and onto the ground with a groan. 

Felicity and Curtis had a silent argument before they slowly made their way to it, Felicity followed on Curtis’ heels and stayed behind him as he held his T-Sphere up and ready to throw again. 

They stopped when they saw it raise its hand and put it on the table, pulling itself up while mumbling something that sounded like ‘what the heck.’

What looked like a normal kid, no zombification at all, pulled itself all the way up and glared at them. They had a silent stare-off until they heard the ding of the elevator again. All three of them turned to the elevator and in walked Oliver, well, the Green Arrow walked in, he still had his mask and hood on. 

At seeing the kid he watched die was currently standing up, staring at him, he quickly notched an arrow and fired, hitting the kid in the shoulder. Danny went flying to the ground once more with an oof . 

— 

Danny didn’t know if he wanted to get off of the floor this time. 

His chest hurt, his abdomen hurt (probably from being shot), his head hurt (he didn’t know if it was from him being unconscious or being hit in the head), and now he’s been shot with an arrow. 

He saw the three people circle around above him. At seeing them still holding their weapons, Danny let out a groan, “Ouch.” 

Chapter Text

Danny hated to say that he was used to being manhandled. 

The Green Arrow had put away his weapon, which Danny was thankful for as he was the more dangerous one, and had pulled Danny, almost lifting him off the ground, into a chair. Danny was sat at the head of a long table, looking into the rest of the large room, while the Green Arrow stood at the other end, watching him. The woman had gone into a circular area near the centre of the room that had a lot of fancy computers and electronics, while the other guy, the one who had thrown a metal ball at him had positioned himself near the lady, the ball still held in his hand as a precaution. Danny couldn’t blame them. 

The Green Arrow began the interrogation, “Who are you and what are you?” 

Danny gave a small laugh, “I’m um... Danny.” 

“Okay, and?”

Danny had to think. He can’t tell them he’s half ghost because they’d never believe him, and he didn’t want to tell them anyway. He moved his hand to scratch the back of his neck but moved it back down the table when he noticed all three of them watching it a little too closely for his liking, “I’m a um… What was it? A uh, mega… No, meta- metahuman?” 

The girl from over by the computer set-up answered him, “You don’t sound too sure about that.” She turned to look at the Green Arrow, “What do you think?” 

The Green Arrow didn’t look away from Danny, “Do you know what a metahuman is?” 

Danny went quiet. He’d be honest, he never bothered to do any research about that. He raised his hand again to scratch his neck, “No, not really. I uh… Got some powers a while back and people just called me a metahuman so… Yea…”

The Green Arrow looked back at his teammates, and Danny hated that they had a silent conversation. 

Danny watched with anticipation as they were all silent and after what felt like forever but was probably only a few minutes, The Green Arrow threw his hands up with a “Fine!”

Danny flinched back at the sudden outburst. 

The lady got up from her chair and walked around to join the Green Arrow by the table. It looked like she was coming in his direction when the Green Arrow reached out and grabbed her arm. Danny could hear him ask a quiet ‘You sure?’ that he probably wasn’t supposed to hear. Danny watched with confusion as she nodded and the Green Arrow let go. She continued making her way over to him. 

Danny leaned as far away from her as he could, fearing the worst, only for her to stick her hand out. Danny stared at it for a moment before realising that she wanted to shake his hand. Danny hesitantly shook it as the lady spoke again, “I’m Felicity. The guy in green is Oliver, and the other guy is my friend Curtis.” 

Danny looked around Felicity and to the Green Arrow, and saw that he had taken off his mask and hood, and Danny was now looking at Oliver Queen, the mayor of Star City. 

He watched as the three adults in the room looked at each other at Danny not being overly surprised. Felicity pointed at Oliver, “You aren’t surprised it’s him?” 

Danny shrugged, “Well, I don’t think he’s like, superfamous, and honestly, I’ve had an archnemesis who was the mayor of my town.” 

The three members of Team Arrow stared at him. Curtis in the back was the one who broke the silence after a few moments, “Wait, why would you have an archnemesis?” 

Danny froze. He raised his arm up again to scratch the back of his neck again, “Well, uh, I um…” He gave a big sigh, “I kind of was a superhero in another city.” 

Everyone was silent once more. This time, it was Oliver who broke the silence again, “What?” 

Danny fidgeted with his hands, “That… Is a long story.”

Oliver pulled out his chair, Felicity doing the same next to him, and plopped himself down, “Well, we have time.” 

Felicity raised her hand, and after a moment of Danny and Oliver staring at her, she gave a sheepish laugh. “How did you get your scars? I couldn’t help but notice but you have some that look like you were, I don’t know how to say this nicely, but operated on and… Yea, I’ll stop talking,” She rambled on, but slowly came to a stop with Danny giving her an unhappy glare. 

— 

After the small group got resituated, Danny told the three people around the table about everything he had been through. He had told them, although briefly, about how his parents were ghost hunters and had built a portal and how he had accidentally turned himself into a half-ghost (which Felicity and Curtis were extremely confused because how could you be half dead?), and how he opened the portal that let a lot of ghosts out so he decided to use his powers to defend the city (which seemed to calm Oliver that Danny had acted like a superhero without asking for anything in return). He went over a few of his enemies he’s had to fight, and all the while, he was getting stronger. He even, although briefly, told them about why and what happened while he was with the Guys in White. 

Everyone was silent for what felt like forever, and it was Felicity who was the first person to speak up, “We won’t turn you in.” She turned to Oliver, “We’ll protect you from these Guys in White . What in the Men in Black even are the Guys in White? Sounds like a ripoff of the Men in Black but are actually evil, I wonder if we can get Argus to shut them down…” 

Danny cocked his head to the side, “Argus?” 

Oliver smacked Felicity in the arm, “Really?” 

She at least had the audacity to look sheepish, "Well, can you at least show us what your powers are? Besides coming back from the dead?"