Chapter Text
For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn
How did Valerie always end up in these kinds of situations? Of course there had to be a large scale ghost attack at her school. Val had gotten rid of most of the ghosts, when part of the auditorium collapsed, trapping her inside.
Normally she’d blast her way out but the old building was creaking ominously from who know how many fights. Her rockets might collapse the whole south side of the school, meaning she was stuck here while the Fentons cleaned up the rest of the small fry. And to make matters worse, Danny’s dad had had the brilliant idea to put up a portable ghost shield around parts of the school to contain the ghosts. Meaning Phantom and the spooky vampire ghost were stuck with her too.
“Ugh this sucks,” Phantom whined, leaning petulantly against the ghost shield. His arms were crossed and his eyes lidded with annoyance, he almost could have passed for a normal, annoyed high schooler if you ignored his unnatural glow. “The Fentons really increased the power on these shields, I hope they’re okay out there by themselves. I think most of the students were evacuated already.” He glanced subtlety over at her which only increased her irritation. It was so aggravating that he knew everything about her while she knew nothing about him.
“Madeline’s handiwork no doubt,” The vampire guy, Plasmius, commented flippantly. “I don’t believe Jack could assemble a sandwich without her assistance.” Phantom bristled a bit at the comment but just turned to glare at empty air. While she’d once mistaken them for friends, it was clear there was serious bad blood between Plasmius and Phantom.
“What are you even doing here, Plasmius?” Phantom hissed, crossing his arms closer to his chest in aggravation. “I’ve told you a million times to stay out of Amity.”
“Or you’ll do what, dear boy?” Plasmius grinned, flashing his fangs, like Phantom had told a particularly funny joke. Val privately considered the ghost boy to be one of the strongest ghosts she’d ever fought so if this guy was treating him like an annoying fly… Valerie kept her weapons up just in case but otherwise stayed away from the two volatile ghosts. She could take them down if she had to but there might be collateral. Right, that’s what she was going to go with.
“Actually,” Plasmius said, his cruel red eyes twinkling with smug glee. “I popped into town to check in on some of my old college friends. See what they’d been up to while I’d been busy with my various projects.”
Phantom kept his casual posture but went rigid, he did a quick almost incredulous glance over at her before looking back over to the ghost. “Now? You’re doing this now?”
“It’s always a good time to hurt you and besides,” another throaty chuckle, “I thought Ms. Grey might be interested.” Ok, was there any ghost that didn’t know her identity?
“Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted. I decided to visit my dear acquaintances. The better half was out but I found my fat, stupid old friend,” another twitch from Phantom, “back at his old favorite past time of knitting. And it looked like he was making a sweater, a lovely robin blue color. He sure was working so hard on it, so furiously, no doubt trying to finish it in time for Christmas.”
“You’re a real bastard, you know that?” Phantom hissed, his form looking more and more defensive by the second. Valerie had no idea what they were talking about but it clearly was upsetting the Ghost Kid. Usually she’d be pleased but it was kind of uncomfortable to watch. "You think this is funny now but I'm gonna get you for this."
"Hmm, I can't wait," Plasmius dismissed flippantly, still radiating cruel satisfaction before pausing to think in a mocking fashion. "You know, that's probably why he was going to so much trouble. If only he could get the sweater just right then maybe, just maybe, his wayward son will come home. Too bad the three of us know a secret he doesn't, that his cheerful, bouncing boy is long gone."
Oh shit, Plasmius was talking about Phantom’s dad. She’d assumed the beef between them started once they’d become ghosts but clearly there was history that extended to when they’d both been alive. Imagining Phantom alive, with parents… it was too weird. But thinking it was weird but better than this awful pit of emptiness forming in her stomach.
"It's not like that," Phantom said in a small voice.
“I’m sure you’ve seen it too, considering how often you’re in that house though still infrequently enough to worry your mother and father." Another wince from Phantom, another stab in Valerie's gut. "Where does that boy go? They must wonder. I bet they blame themselves for your absence and the worst part is, it really is all their fault. And no lovingly made, handknit sweaters, never to be worn, will ever make up for it."
“Shut up, I’m going to wear the sweater,” Phantom muttered weakly, curling in on himself. He’d scooted as far away from Plasmius as he could get. "He'll know how much I appreciate it."
“Oh but he’s not making it for you, Danny Phantom,” Plasmius lilted with a smirk causing Phantom to bite his lip and look away. “He’s making it for his normal, human son who he doesn’t even have the brains to realize doesn’t exist anymore. Would he bother to spend so much time and energy on a sweater that could only be worn by a ghost? To see proof of his own failure as a father?" The ghost scoffed, "you were a ghost in that house long before you became one, the quiet, neglected child, and yet you still crawl to them on your knees for acceptance. It's quite pathetic actually."
“Hey, it was my fault! I knew the rules, I broke them and I paid the price.” Phantom defended, finally snapping out of his funk. He balled his fists and glared at Plasmius with all he had. “I don’t blame either of them for what happened! I love them and they love me and nothing you say will ever change that!”
“Then why don’t you tell them, Daniel?” Plasmius asked with a raised eyebrow. “If you’re so confident in their love, then tell them. Tell them the sweater is pointless because you thrive in the cold. Tell them that they can keep waiting until their dying breath for the son they'd loved to come home not realizing that a monster has slipped into his place, twisted and changed.”
"I'm still me," Phantom's voice cracked midway through, "I'm still their kid."
"Oh really?" Plasmius leered, "will you put your existence on the line for that or, worse, break the illusion of the happy little family you're so desperate to keep together? Face it child, even if they don't hate you and that is a rather big if, then they will never accept you as you are."
"Yeah?" Phantom growled, "well the same goes for you. I may have been the stupid, screw-up brat but at least I'm not a liar and an abuser. My folks, my mom, may come after me but she'll tear into you first."
“Touché, son,” Plasmius frowned, his brow twitching in displeasure. “Now then, I’m afraid our discussion will have to continue another time. I believe the power on the ghosts shield should be running out right about…” a low whine and the green wall surrounding them faded. “Ta ta for now you petulant child. Ms. Grey, a pleasure as always. Be careful with this one, lying to his own parents... You really can't trust a ghost.” With those parting words, Plasmius disappeared in a swirl of pink.
Valerie thought Phantom would leave too but instead he let out a long breath and ran his gloved fingers through his hair. After a moment he straightened himself up and looked as cool and confident as he ever did. Only now that she was looking though, she could see the cracks in his façade. She wondered how many times she'd seen and overlooked them.
“The Fentons have probably rounded up the rest of the ghost but we might as well make sure, you check by the cafeteria and I’ll go through the classrooms.”
“Why?” Valerie found herself asking, not sure what she meant. Why did Phantom die? Why was he so afraid to let his parents know what happened? Why did he try so hard when it seemed he got absolutely nothing in return?
“It’s the right thing to do I guess,” Phantom shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. “My uh my parents raised me that way and if it lost that after everything, well, then the person I was before really will be gone.” He floated over to her, gently phasing them both through the wreckage connecting them to the rest of the school and, for a second Valerie saw a scared, human kid in over his head. Then the illusion was gone and it was just Phantom, impossible to understand as always.
“Check the classrooms and if there’s no ghosts then I’m gunning for you,” Val said instead, activating her hoverboard and speeding off before he could answer. She readied her weapons and didn’t think of childless parents living in ignorance of what they’d lost or lonely sons who were too afraid to ask if their parents would love them even as a monster.
She just wanted to get the ghost scum out of her school and move on with her life. But still, she couldn’t help but think that, come Christmas time, she’d find Phantom in a handknit sweater intended to ward off a chill he could not longer feel.