Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny was ‘dead’ tired. His body was heavy and he groaned with each inch he dragged himself on the floor. His mangled and flayed flesh created a sound close to a wet and sticky mop cleaning the floor. Danny took a break at a broken section of the wall, and propped himself up the best he could. He could no longer feel his legs. Upon looking down, he saw it was his spectral tail instead. 

Danny tried to will them into existence but instead only lost what little holding he had and slipped onto the floor again. Forming legs took too much out of him. Doing anything took too much out of him. 

The fight with Pariah Dark was unlike any he had with other ghosts, Danny knew it would be. It had been no more than a week since the ghosts fled from the zone to Danny’s living room. He thought they had all collectively decided to kill him. Fully. He did not expect them to ask for help. Skulker was the one to step forward, with metaphorical hat in his robotic hands, and told Danny of the situation. Skulker didn’t have to say much, them being in his living room was proof enough how greatly they feared the dark tyrant.

It was almost enough for the other ghost hunters as well. The Guys in White and Danny’s parents were the hardest to win over. It wasted them days, but after Vlad made a ‘heartfelt’ speech as mayor, neither group could refuse. Danny’s dad was particularly moved and ended up bear hugging Vlad on the stage. 

Finally after fighting ghosts alone for 3 years, there was a truce. All it took was the end of the world. And the end it was. When the clock hit 3 am on February 12, the entirety of Amity Park was pulled into Pariah Dark’s lair, the ghost zone. There were so many cracks between worlds that it could no longer hold the mysterious town, it just needed one little push. It was like hell was trying to take the town back to where it belonged. 

It would be mere hours before the king’s forces would attack. Nothing else mattered that day; not sleep, not food, not even final goodbyes (as if Danny would even be able to). His parents looked him painfully in the eyes as they walked off to the strategy room, not aware that their own son would be leading the charge. 

They had little time to prepare a plan, and even calling it that was generous. The ghost hunters would clear out most of the undead army, using their advantage as humans in the zone to trap them and attack from above. What once were Danny’s rogue gallery turned into generals for the other ghosts and would take out the larger monsters the humans couldn’t face on their own. This was all to clear away a path for Danny to Pariah’s Keep. 

No teenagers were allowed to fight, and were kept under strict lock-and-key by Vlad. Even Jazz, being 19, was held back with the others. Only the Red Huntress—who everyone assumed was old enough—was able to enter the battlefield. 

Vlad knew how much the fight meant to them and what they needed to do. It wasn’t just Danny and his friends, but even the A-listers and the other high school students wanted a chance to save their town. After the battle, Vlad would claim that the evil ghost Plasmius knocked him out to release and arm the children. 

Before the fight, Clockwork appeared to Danny. He had to be the one and only one to defeat Pariah, otherwise, the king will come back. 

Sam and Tucker were always there with him when the ghosts attacked. As Danny grew stronger, so too did the ghosts. Slowly, he started moving the fights further and further away to keep his friends from harm. Eventually, their combat support faded into moral and medical support when Danny returned home beaten up. 

He could tell Sam was angry about this, but she didn’t say anything as she stitched him closed. Tucker too would watch on in horror as Danny was flayed nightly. Danny would reassure them that for every scratch the ghosts gave to him, he gave them ten more. 

The simple fact was that there wasn't much humans could do against ghosts. So, at the entrance of the Keep, he locked them out. Despite them being human, they weren’t able to enter the castle. It was like the Ghost Zone itself bent the rules for the fight.

‘That turned out great.’

After some time, Danny was able to gain enough energy to float over to the sarcophagus that sealed Pariah. His hands shook as he steadied himself down to rest on the cold floor once again, his back leaning against the coffin. Even this was too much work for him, and Danny panted trying to get some control over his body again. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain. 

Pariah had shot a giant hole through his torso, just under the ribs, and despite the abundance of ectoplasm in the air, it wasn’t closing. He held the wound with shaking hands trying to keep it all in, but he could feel it slowly leak out of him like cold tar between the gaps.  

He lost too much blood and ectoplasm. 

Outside he heard cheering.  

Or maybe it was just his ears ringing.  

Danny thinks he beat his record for longest ghostly wail. 

He tried to stand up again, but it was like he was hit by a meteor. Worse maybe. Danny thinks he might be able to walk that off after all the hits he took from the ghosts. He laughed mirthlessly at himself. ‘That shouldn’t be funny.’

More and more blood and ectoplasm seeped out of him and covered the floor like a crude picnic blanket. Blood and ectoplasm mixed like oil and water, and made the floor look like a modern work of art exploring contrasting colors. It glowed faintly.  

He was going to die. Somehow Danny knew that his time was up. Maybe he only came back as a ghost to defeat Pariah Dark, and now that it was done, the Ghost Zone wouldn’t need him anymore and just finish the process.  

How much different would it really be? Danny had been dead for 3 years now, this would just make it official. Would his parents even know what happened to him? Would they blame the ghosts? Would they blame Phantom? Phantom will no longer be there and neither will Danny. Will they be able to put the two and two together? Danny doubted it.  

He let out a shaky breath but quickly regretted it as it pulled on his insides. He was starting to go dizzy with the pain. He no longer cared what happened to him. Everyone was safe, that's all that mattered…  

He heard the clanking of metal and splashes ring out in the room. It got closer and he was able to pick up voices he recognized. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, or even who was who, but they were desperate and shrill. They sounded like the kids they were.  

Danny didn’t want them there, didn’t want them to see him like this. He tried to raise a hand up, to push them away, but it pulled the wrong way and he winced.  

His eyes were unfocused, and he was only able to see the dark outlines of faces hovering over him. He felt claustrophobic and his insides squirmed more.

He could feel hands pulling into him, but his body weaved like smoke through their fingers. Despite what he told Tucker and Sam, staying tangible takes a lot of energy, only the more powerful ones could maintain it for so long (he didn’t want to think what that meant for him). It didn’t matter now. Everything was far away and he felt like he was floating down a river.  

He could feel them still reaching through him. They left warm imprints in him where they tried to pull him up. It felt nice.   

“He’s never been this bad before...” It rang out louder than the others, and he was able to tell it was Jazz. She shouldn’t be here for this.  

Despite the pain, he tried once more to move away from them, but it was like a fish flopping on land. None of them should be here. He didn’t want these to be their final moments with him. He didn’t want this to be what he left behind. They should remember him as he was before the fight, when he smiled when he went to face the King alone. All that was left was a broken shell they had no hope of fixing. He closed his eyes, trying to pretend they weren’t there.  

“...go away…” he pushed out with all the strength he had left. His entire self ignited in pain, but he continued, “...don’t…loo-'' he felt a warmth around his neck, and he relaxed into it.  

“Why are you so stupid?” His sister called out, “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” more warmth blanketed him. He suddenly realized they were holding him. 

“We could’ve fought with you!'' said Tucker. “You didn’t have to do this alone!” Danny didn’t have the energy to fight back. It had to be him and him alone, otherwise Pariah wouldn’t be defeated, just subdued and a problem for later like before. Danny ended it.  

“...go” Danny once again choked out. 

“Like hell we’re gonna leave you!” Sam yelled “You always do this! You think just because you’re strong you can take on any threat by yourself!” She choked, “Well look at you now!” He could feel her gesture at him. “You’re so selfish…” he heard a soft splash on the ground, as if she hit it in frustration. “Why do you get to make the decision for us?” Her voice was softer now, “we promised to help you…What happened to ‘friends til the end’?” She broke down in sobs.  

She was right. They all were. God he was selfish, he had always been selfish. He shouldn’t have made the choice for them—he knew they would’ve gone with him–he always knew that. They had been there since the beginning, yet he still pushed them away. He was probably trying to avoid the situation they were in now–or worse. It could have been one of them dying on the floor instead of him. If it meant they lived another day, Danny was glad he was selfish, just this once. He only wished he had more time with them. 

His core buzzed as they held him. He loved them so much. He shouldn’t be saying goodbye this soon. There’s so much they didn’t do and didn’t say. They haven’t even graduated high school yet. They must have known all this, that this would be the last time that they held him. He could hear all of them sobbing.   

Danny could no longer help himself as he started to cry with them. He was glad they were there… 

He didn’t want to die alone.  

Danny could feel he was slipping fast. Their warmth was fading more and more as the seconds went by. He didn’t want his last words to be ‘go away’.  

“...thank…” He muttered “...you.” 

Danny couldn’t feel them anymore, but he knew they were there. He allowed himself to let everything go, he no longer had the strength to hold on anyway. He did what he was made to do.

Pariah Dark was defeated. Amity Park was safe. His friends wouldn’t die today. Everyone was going to be okay. Everyone but him, but that was enough. He could go peacefully. 

His form felt fuzzy and he started to melt, then he felt nothing at all.

His core sang as if it were saying, ‘job well done’. 

He couldn’t have chosen any other way to go…

Chapter Text

Only blackness surrounded Danny, it’s tethers wrapping around his body and pulling him down into nothingness. He could do nothing, still too tired and heavy from the fight as it ate him whole. He felt it all around him, but also felt nothing.  

No pain. No fear. No sadness.  

It hummed around him, shaking everything inside it. Danny stopped fighting and let go. The Nothing felt nice. Everything had finally stopped. Danny no longer had a body–or maybe this was his body? He could no longer tell. What was certain is that he was no longer anything at all. He was nothing. The void seemed to understand his acceptance and it held him closer. It felt like a mother’s hug. Something shifted within and warmth radiated everywhere. It crept in and he felt strength filling his limp body. But the Nothing was strong. It closed his eyes and held him, whispering empty words of sleep and rest. Danny listened, unable to do anything else, not that he would. 

He was no longer aware of what was happening to himself. He was no longer aware at all. He just was.  

Time was moving too fast or too slow. It didn’t exist. But something changed. 

White started to seep out from the black, slowly spreading like glue and sticking all over. It reached wherever Danny existed, and it finally started to wrap around him too. It was cold, but Danny didn’t feel like he was in danger. It crept up his body, flowing into every vein, weaving through every muscle. Then it reached his eyes and… 

Danny woke up.  

He shot up from the green sheets that encased him. Everything felt too much and too sudden. He breathed in deeply, but no air came in or out. He rubbed his head, confusion swirling around. He couldn’t remember what happened. Everything was far away and hazy, like waking up with a dream still fresh in your mind. He didn’t know how long his eyes were open until he finally processed what he was seeing. He recognized the green of the Ghost Zone, how everything was blurry at the edges, like they were trying to remember what they were supposed to be.  

His memory hit him like a bucket of cold water.  

He had fought Pariah Dark . 

He had won . 

Sam, Tucker, Jazz sitting around him. 

He died in their arms.  

This wasn’t right.  

He Shouldn’t be here! Danny ran through the halls of the Keep. He was deeper than he was last time. Was it yesterday? Everything was still hazy. Things looked different in the Keep too. It had the same green candles and medieval flare, but it wasn’t as dark and oppressive as when he first entered. The air (if the Ghost Zone even had air) felt lighter. Like it welcomed him.

Danny didn’t know how he was still alive . Was he alive? He didn’t feel alive, but he also didn’t feel dead? He felt energized! Like if you got stabbed and the adrenaline kicks in. Almost alive, but not for long. He was ready to die, and gladly did so, he was at peace with that. He had plenty of time to mourn his own death after the accident. He didn’t want to go, but he accepted it, like dying in a plane crash but not having it any other way.  

Danny just didn’t expect to wake up is all.  

Ghost Zone physics didn’t help his confusion. He ran through room to room as easily as a human could in the Realm. It felt so natural. That he was supposed to be alive. Was he? Or maybe his fucked up biology carried over to his ‘after life’. 

He was a freak as a human and as a ghost.   

After ceaselessly running, Danny made it to a familiar unfamiliar room. He made his way through the throne room, slow and quiet in his steps. The gentle glow of the Ghost Zone shown through what were once barred windows, were now stained-glass windows. Each one depicted a different story or legend that he didn’t know, but he did recognize a few of the figures like Frostbite and Pandora. His eyes traveled up the walls to the ceiling where the most elaborate piece was displayed. His mouth was open in awe and confusion. It depicted a constellation forming a figure eerily similar to his own, wearing a crown. He knew deep down, it wasn’t a coincidence. Danny knew who it was but didn’t let it crawl to the surface. 

The multicolored glow from the skylight traveled down and danced atop the throne like motes. It wasn’t made of bones like before but was finely sculpted out of metal and ice. On the soft looking green cushion, lay the Crown. It sat there like a sleeping cat in a sunbeam. As if it were that harmless.  

Displayed behind the throne was the sarcophagus, like Pariah Dark could crack it open to whisper corrupting thoughts in its occupants ear.  

Danny's spine went rigid. Being in the room set off every human instinct still in him to leave, or maybe even ghost, the memory of the King could not be so easily forgotten. But something pulled his core along, like a finger wrapping around a string. It wasn’t him . But it was. He walked closer and closer to the throne. He was possessing himself. His numb hands reached out to the crown. When his fingers kissed the metal, he felt the same shock he did when he died. Danny collapsed.  

When Danny opened his eyes again, the crown was gone. His left arm felt sore and itchy in his veins. He could feel his Lichtenberg scar burn under his hazmat suit, no doubt red and angry. He scratched over them, the sensation traveling upward, deep in his veins. Danny stared back at the throne, still clutching his arm, afraid to turn his back on it anymore. He backed towards the door, slowly, like moving too fast would cause something to leap out and devour him.  

He backed into something hard. The soft clanging of metal rang out as Danny turned to make eye contact with the Dark Knight. Neither of them moved for a moment as they stared each other down. Fright Knight’s form shifted, and Danny jumped back into a fighting stance, an ecto-blast burning under his skin. Fright Knight did not falter. In one swift motion…he bowed. His head down and a hand over to his once beating heart.  

Danny couldn’t handle this. Everything was moving too fast, and the walls were getting closer and closer. He ran past the knight. His Knight , something whispered.  

He had to get home.  

★ 

When Danny made it outside the Keep, he didn’t hesitate to fly away. He felt lighter, no longer under the oppressive atmosphere of the castle (even if a part of him felt relaxed in the dark halls). He looked back, only once. A part of him wanted to return, to go back to the throne room and put on the ...Danny shook himself out of the thought. Must be a ghost thing.  

His ghostly form felt different. He was lighter and able to fly faster than he was before. All things to think about later.  

The Ghost Zone was constantly shifting, but Danny was able to feel where he was supposed to go. It hadn’t always been like that, every ghost knew their way around the Realms, despite it always moving. It wasn’t as obvious to him when he first ‘died’. He had to rely on other means like the spectral speeder or infi-map until he could recognize the patterns (even that wasn’t perfect). From what he could tell, Vlad had similar issues, although he was too proud to admit it. But now? Now Danny knew where to go. It wasn’t a guess or a gut feeling, but if someone had just asked him where his bedroom was.  

He could feel the Ghost Zone now, too. His fingers felt the wisps of the realm flow through them like it was a stream going around rocks. He could feel how the Zone breathed and moved, like it was rolling around in its sleep. Had the other ghosts felt this too? He felt like it was a part of himself, his core humming with the melodic rise and fall of the Zone.  

(Maybe it was humming with him). 

His flying slowed as he calmed down. He had never felt so at peace before. Not at home or otherwise. It was easy to get distracted, to just float along the current of existence here.  

But he couldn’t.  

He didn’t know how long he was dead asleep for. He had to get home. To see Sam and Tucker and Jazz. To make sure everyone was still safe .  

The Ghost Zone seemed to nod to him. He felt something shift in front of him. There was no portal, just a light behind a crack. Slowly, he dug his fingers in and ripped it apart like saran wrap. He could hear cars and the bustle of a city beyond.  

He was going home.

Chapter Text

The portal didn’t lead him to Amity Park. The air felt different here… In Amity, the air itself felt heavy from all the ectoplasm that seeped into the very earth of the town. Here, while it still was heavy with something, it wasn’t the same almost tangy zest of Amity’s ectoplasm. It was more diluted, but still there under the surface.  

The portal closed up like a ziplock bag, and the seam melded into the background, as if it was never there. Danny frantically clawed and ripped at the space that once could lead him home. He probably looked like a mad man as he desperately grasped at nothing. He could still feel it, just beyond, like an itch that was just below the skin.  

Danny didn’t know how long he slashed at the empty space. He threw his arms over his head and hammered them down in the air in frustration. The alleyway he had landed in was bathed green from the light of his ‘scary eyes’ and they felt cold in his sockets. If the Fruitloop was there he would probably taunt and mock him for his temper.  

His relationship with the old man had cooled over the years to a general dislike rather than outright hatred. They formed a truce after Dani (or Elle as she now liked to be called) almost got destabilized. Despite her starting out as a pseudo Danny, Vlad had begun to view her like an actual daughter, resolved to take care of her. Danny could respect the man for trying to change. After that, Vlad became the uncle he could almost go to for his troubles. Almost. He was still a Fruitloop.   

Danny ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath in. He didn’t need to breathe while in his ghost form, but it was still a relaxing ritual. His eyes dimmed back to their constant glow, only lighting features of his own face than the whole alley. 

Frostbite had told him once before how fickle natural portals were. Time and space had to overlap in perfect conditions to form one, and they were never open for long, unless an outside force gave it enough energy. His parents' portal was a stretched out natural portal being pulled apart and held together by an abundance of ectoplasm.  

One thing was for sure tonight. He wasn’t getting home. 

Danny crossed his legs and floated above the ground, not wanting to touch the dark puddles that wetted the alley. He had no clue where he was. He never heard of a town with this level of ecto-radiation. Or it could just be that he was on a ley-line as those were known for natural portals and an abundance of ectoplasm.  

Danny blew out a hollow sign as he righted himself to go fly and explore. He needed to find any landmarks or architecture that he could recognize, and you can’t get a good idea where you’re at by an alley. He could be in a different country for all he knew.  

He flew above what he now knew to be a city. He kept himself invisible and intangible to conserve energy (since it was the natural state of ghosts) and for stealth. He did not need to alert the GIW where he was.  

The pollution wasn’t bad enough where there were plumes of smog in the air, but it wasn’t good enough to see the sky clearly. Ideally, Danny could get a sense of where he was with the stars, but knowing star locations and their hemispheres, and being able to tell where you're at in the world, are two different skills. Interconnected, yes, but different, nonetheless.  

Flying around Danny couldn’t recognize any landmarks from other countries or domestic, so that was a bust. The only real clue were the neon billboards that had kanji in wild fonts that made him dizzy to look at. So he was in Japan, or a dense Japanese population (but he was pretty sure it was the former).  

Ok. This was becoming a problem for tomorrow.  

Despite being asleep? Dead? For only Clockwork knows how long, he was starting to get tired. Danny had a long day. There was too much to process, and even more to not think about. He needed to find shelter and sleep.  

★ 

After a while, Danny was able to find an abandoned warehouse. No matter the country, trust a big city to have a few “forgotten” areas. Not forgotten to all though, a few clusters of people were scattered about. Some were close enough to signal different groups, while others were too far apart from anyone to announce partnership.  

He wouldn’t take up space from them.  

He floated above them to a rundown loft above the rafters. Due to the rotten ladder, no one was able to claim it, so Danny didn’t feel too guilty using it for the night.  

The loft was more rundown than the rest of the warehouse, a decent sized hole welcomed in rain, and it had rotted and softened the floorboards. It was a wonder it was still together at all. As long as the beams stayed intact, Danny could make it work.  

There was an old tarp outside, muddy and knotted together. Danny took it back to his soon to be nest and laid it best he could over the mostly intact floor beams. It formed a sorta hammock for him to sleep in. With more glow than he would’ve liked, Danny coated the tarp in frost to make it more durable for his soon to be restless sleep. Danny wasn’t worried about the support beams, despite the damage, he could tell they had a lot more life in them to last well over the night. Or morning now. He could see the wisps of dawn sneaking through the nature-made skylight. Not wanting future sun to be in his eyes, he shot a chuck of ice at it and covered that in ectoplasm for extra sun blocking abilities.  

With his newly formed nest, Danny could now think about sleep… 

Except he couldn’t. In the stillness of the morning, through the gentle snores of those below, Danny realized he couldn’t hear his own breathing.  

This shouldn’t be surprising as he was still in his ghost form after all, but it was his ease at being in his ghost form that rattled him.  

Was he really dead now? Fully this time?   

After the accident, when he was in his ghost form for too long, he could feel his human half fidget. He felt comfortable in both forms yes, but his human half felt like Pjs while his ghost side felt like pants.  

This felt too comfortable. Too natural.   

He couldn’t feel his human half anymore.

Chapter Text

In the end, Danny had only gotten a few hours of sleep. He had slept in his ghost form, too afraid of what would happen if he transformed. Whoever said, “I'll sleep when I am dead”, was wrong and taunting Danny. 

He woke feeling restless, eager to travel home and grapple with his current unknown status. Despite this, he could only stare into the nothing of the patched hole. He tried not to think, really he did, but staring into the ectoplasm that lay mounted above him, stirred something in him. That was a part of him. He could still feel it reaching out to him, like a baby wanting to be held. 

‘The crown felt like that too.’

Still laying in the makeshift hammock, he reached his fingers out towards the goo. Slowly, like cold honey, it reached back, gravity having no bearing on its descent. When it touched his finger, it merged and went back into himself. The sensation was odd, like drinking a thick smoothie but one of the chucks got stuck. After a few seconds, all the ectoplasm that was splattered on the wall was back within him. Danny stared at the remaining ecto-ice. It still called to him, but not in the way his pure ectoplasm had. It was softer and content with being where it was. 

With the goo no longer there, it revealed the faint blue glow of his ice combined with the sunlight and hit him with a reminder of the time.  

Like it or not, the day had already begun.  

★ 

Danny moved through the afternoon sun undetectable. It was easier moving this way than being corporeal all the time, that took energy. Being solid for him was a conscious thing, like sitting up straight instead of slouching. Only powerful ghosts–or ones that felt a strong connection to the living–could do it for prolonged periods. Danny didn’t know which group he was a part of, especially now.  

The city looked like most every other city Danny had flown over, the only real difference is the language placed on buildings and billboards alike, although some did have a few American words on it like ‘Cheese Burger!’ or “Yum!” on an advertisement. The people Danny noticed, had a lot of brightly colored hair. Not everyone had fashion colors but more often than not purple, pink, blue or white haired individuals would be scattered among the crowds.  

Danny didn’t have a general destination except ‘home’ in mind and decided to take a break and look around. Despite the lack of sleep, Danny wasn’t tired and was instead curious about the lives around him. He had never explored beyond his tiny town, and any chance he did get away was spent with family or more ghost hunting. 

He sat down on a ledge overlooking an active part of a city park and started people-watching. There was a dad walking with his daughter, hand in hand. She was eating an ice cream and he was holding some bags and a balloon. He looked tired but had a smile on his face as they walked. There was an old lady just sitting on a bench staring at everything. Someone sat beside her and took her hand, they looked at each other with such love that Danny could feel it from here. He looked away when they started to kiss, not wanting to invade the moment. Danny saw other kids climbing and on a playground. The atmosphere felt warm and inviting, it sent a pain of longing in him for his friends. 

Danny was about to leave and continue exploring when he heard a scream. A big hairy woman was running away with a whole ATM. Then another woman–who just happened to be 60 feet tall–was chasing after her in a tight costume.  

“Look, it's Mount Lady!” One man yelled.  

“Get her Mount Lady!” A child cheered.  

“Dude, she’s like, my favorite hero”   

“You only say that cause you like her costume.” Two teens off to the side joked.  

Danny looked around again.  

The little girl's ice cream had melted, and her mouth had smoke coming out. The one who took the old lady’s hand had a praying mantis head. The kids on the playground, one of them was throwing his arm at the others and another had a tail.  

Wow. Danny really needed to pay attention more.  

Holy shit.

Holy shit!   

Danny was way off base. He wasn’t just in another country, he was in another country in another dimension. And in this one it seemed everyone had super-powers! Not only that, but there were heroes!  

Just then a bird man flew across the sky.  

Holy shit.  

★ 

Danny flew around for hours and hours following heroes as they saved the day. They all did it so well. None of them left behind collateral damage, even that big lady. Uh Mount Lady, right? They were able to save everyone, and everyone loved them!  

Maybe there was a reason he ended up here in all the infinite possibilities of the Realms. He had a feeling a certain omnipresent troll had something to do with it. 

As Danny explored, it had gotten late and the skies grew dark. Only a few people remained on the streets, and most of them were–from what Danny could tell–heroes making rounds. Something had happened earlier that made everyone quickly get home. 

‘It could be an emergency.’ Danny’s core tightened. He needed to get more information and he knew one way of getting it.  

 Below him was a group of heroes. Everyone was looking at one big guy as he pointed in different directions. Probably the leader, Danny surmised. He floated down and became corporeal once again. He blended in with the crowd easily with his outfit. As the group dispersed, Danny followed the one heading towards an empty street. Danny must’ve rolled a nat 1 in stealth because suddenly, a booming voice came from behind him. 

“Hey you!” Said a large man in an orange and yellow suit. It wasn’t the same as Danny’s dad’s, but had letters on the side and across the front. Danny went closer, putting on his best innocent face before he faced the man. 

The leader was a lot bigger up close, way bigger than Danny’s dad. He stared down at Danny with enough scrutiny to make a peer reviewed paper shiver. “I haven’t seen you before,” Danny was staring at his mouth, his words didn't match his lips. ‘ Weird .’ 

The man kept looking at Danny when suddenly his eyes widened with something playful. “You must be the bigshot intern!” 

Danny didn’t know what that meant but nodded along anyway. The man slapped his shoulder. It was the most interaction Danny had with something physical for a while.  

“Yep, that’s me…” Danny was such a great liar.  

“What was your name again?” Now that the man wasn’t looking into Danny's soul like it was glass, he seemed quite friendly.  

“I'mmm-” Oh shit what was Danny gonna say. He can’t say his actual name, he’ll know he's not the intern. “Uhhhh…” Oh, Danny had no idea. 

“Your hero name, kid.” The man added as if sensing Danny's panic. He looked amused.  

“Right…hero name…” Danny paused, then with quiet resolve replied, “Phantom.” He hoped the hero didn’t know the intern's alias. 

‘This is fine. And if he finds out later, I will be long gone. Everything is fine.’   

“Was that it?” The man put his hand on his chin and looked deep in thought, “I knew it was French, but it didn’t sound like that…” He rolled on the back of his heels for a second. He stopped, then looked at Danny with a shrug, “Eh, I never learned French so I guess I wouldn't be able to tell.” He smiled at him. His mouth still didn’t match his words.  

“Cool.” Danny managed to force out after an uncomfortable second. 

“Follow me, kid.” The man laughed and started walking away, Danny had to run to keep up with him.  

🍬 

Fat Gum Knew this kid wasn’t Mirio. Probably just a vigilante playing hero. The kid, ‘Phantom’, looked too old to be a first year, hell, he looked almost too old to be a third year. He probably graduated and couldn’t become a hero like he wanted. Vigilante’s always pop up after big events too. The recent attack on the USJ and the UA festival landed a ton of these kids in a cell for a night. Fat Gum didn’t like it, but he understood it had to be done.  

The other pro-heroes were all over town busy with their interns. Fat Gum’s had been sent away to investigate a nearby alley. It was safe, but still close enough to him in case it wasn’t. 

He’ll humor the kid for a while and then take him to one of them. Fat Gum trusted Suneater to take care of Red Riot until he got back with Phantom here. Endeavor should be close. That will just be what the kid needs to whip into shape. 

He seemed like a good kid, if a bit awkward. He had almost an alien vibe to him. He was a tall, but skinny thing, and some parts of him seemed too long. His skin was blue with small white spots that could be called freckles. His white hair ebbed and flowed around his head slightly, as if he were underwater. His ears occasionally peaked out and Fat Gum noticed they were pointed. 

Fat Gum wondered what his quirk was. Who knows, maybe if things turned out well tonight, he’ll have another sidekick (after he went through the systems and punishments in place, of course).

“What’s your hero name?” Phantom asked. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Fat Gum chuckled. 

Phantom looked awkward, as if caught in a lie, but continued speaking anyway. “Yeah I really don’t know you.”

That stopped Fat Gum in his tracks. He thought that Phantom had snuck into his group because he was a fan, but looking at the vacant stare on the boy’s face told him that the boy didn’t even know who he was.

“I’m the BMI Hero: Fat Gum!” He struck a pose. The boy gave no reaction other than nodding. 

It is possible that Fat Gum was merely the first hero the kid spotted or was able to sneak by. It wasn’t anything personal, just by chance. Still, Fat Gum pouted. You’d think being in the top 100 of heroes would get you more fans–or at least recognition. 

“So how long have you been a hero?” The kid shook out of his thoughts and stared at Fat Gum. The kid had a creepy stare, like the eyes of a dead man were watching you. His pupils had narrowed into slits no thicker than a needle. He looked like a snake about to bite.  

Then it was gone. 

It was such a shift that Fat Gum was left reeling. Was that really the same kid a moment ago?

“Oh! Right right. Uhhh…not too long,” The boy fiddled with his gloves. Hazmat gloves. His whole costume had an ‘experiment escaped’ theme to it. Most vigilantes' costumes were hand-made or augmented hero-merch. This kid wasn’t a rookie at all.  

“So that’s like, what, a few months?” He wasn’t really watching the kid’s behavior before, he just wrote him off at first. That had been a mistake. Now, Fat Gum's attention was focused solely on studying the boy in front of him. He seemed to radiate strength but also an overwhelming sense of death. How could a kid have such an aura?   

“It’s been at least a few months, yeah.” The boy chuckled to himself like it was an inside joke. Fat Gum only saw fangs. 

“That’s fun that’s fun…” Fat Gum looked away from the boy.  

He was hiding something, that much was certain.  

“So, are there a lot of heroes?” The kid said this so casually, and had it been a minute ago, Fat Gum wouldn’t have thought anything of it.  

“You bet. They’re all over the city. Criminals are gonna have a hard time tonight.” It was a threat.  

“So, they’re pretty common then?” The boy stared again, then continued, “in this part of the city I mean.” He was trying to get information out of him.  

This was a trap. But why go for him? What was he planning?  

“Yeah, they’re very common. There’s probably not a corner that doesn’t have a hero in it.” You are surrounded.  

He had to take him to the heroes. Now.

Chapter Text

Danny didn’t know what he did to make the hero so mad. The hero tried to hide it, but Danny could tell. He was walking faster, his hands clenched, his smile a little too forceful. He no longer smiled at Danny like he did when their conversation first started. Maybe the social norms were different here. Maybe it's just this guy’s problem. 

“So, what’s your quirk?” The noise was sudden like a gunshot, Danny almost missed what he said.  

“My quirk? I mean I guess I like space and stuff, but I don’t think it’s that weird.” What type of person asks someone that when they just met?  

“No.” He sounded final, “Your power. What is it?” The man's eyes bore into Danny again. It was like when they first met, this time it went straight through Danny's bones.  

“My power?” Danny didn’t know how to answer that. Fat Gum was becoming more and more tense, he could feel it. Danny needed to answer soon, “I can go intangible.” That was the first power that Danny got, and so the first thing that came to mind.  

“Oh yeah? Show me.” The hero turned around fully, using his extra height to corner Danny, although there was plenty of space behind him. He had a playful smile on, but Danny knew it wasn’t real.

Danny knelt on the ground and stuck his arm through the cold concrete. He could feel how things interacted with his arm, nothing moved, but it was like he was able to feel the jagged outline of the rocks. Or maybe he thought he could feel it, so he did. Ectoplasm was weird like that.  

Fat Gum breathed in deeply.  

“Oh wow, that’s really something.” Fat Gum was trying to smile wider, “Nice quirk kid. Is there a time limit on that?” He cocked his head to the side, “Or are you able to breathe while going through stuff? Seems like an impressive quirk.” There was something unsaid, What are your weaknesses? 

Danny knew what this was. He had to get away.  

“I-” an explosion was heard and suddenly people all around were screaming. Danny’s core shook.  

Protect.  

The hero had turned around at the blast, shock and horror filled his face. In a blink, Danny turned invisible and flew off, not bothering to look back as the hero turned to look for him.  

★ 

People were screaming and running through the streets. Danny followed the noise into a little shopping district and saw a…. Well he wasn’t sure what he saw.

‘What the fuck are those things?’

There were two of them. One of them was a weird zombie creature with only half a face and the other, a weird skin bird-man-thing. They both had their brains sticking out of their heads like one of those sad goldfish.  

Danny’s throat started to itch and he felt his ghost sense almost recoil when he got closer. They weren’t dead, but they weren’t alive either, or not in the way that humans should be. Something was viscerally wrong with them, and it left a twisting sensation in Danny’s belly. It felt like when he met Dan or Elle for the first time but worse. These things shouldn’t exist. Danny swallowed the feeling and got even closer. 

They were attacking a group of heroes (anyone in a costume was a hero in this world) and the heroes were losing. Badly. They were being batted away like mosquitos. People still crowded around the area, either being frozen with fear or not fully understanding the danger yet. The only reason the creatures weren’t going after them is that they were being distracted by the heroes.

One of the things threw an empty bus at a hero–who surprisingly, did not die–and was knocked out cold. When it fell, an explosion blasted out and created a massive fire.  

A minotaur man ripped out a fire hydrant from the ground and threw it at one of those things. The impact did nothing. He kept yelling to another man who was talking to a kid. Oh no. A kid shouldn’t be anywhere near this.   

The hero sent the kid away– good –and started fucking waterbending the water from the hydrant for the big fire. The one with the wings kept fanning and spreading the fire. By the time he put the big one out, smaller ones would already be everywhere.  

Danny couldn’t watch anymore–he didn’t know how he could for so long. He didn’t know much about this world, but he knew they were outmatched. The one with wings swept towards a hero, its toes? claws? Ready to take him away.  

“Hey Bird-Brain! Go long!” Danny threw a ball of ice at it. It distracted it enough for the hero to get out of the way.  

It roared. Do birds roar? Is that the right noise? Maybe ‘shrieked’ is a better term.  

‘Not the time.’

Danny kept pelting its wing with ice. One huge chunk weighed it to the ground. That didn’t make it any less dangerous.  

“Get out of here kid,” said the hero who Danny just saved. Danny glared at him, and the hero shut up. Danny didn’t have time for that. Well he did not not have the time, but he didn’t want to deal with that right now. He circled around the bird thing, encasing it with ice. That should at least keep him busy.   

The minotaur was fighting the one missing half its face– what's a good name for that one? Baldy? Well, they both didn’t have hair –but it was clear he was at his limit for the amount of hits he could take. Baldy grabbed his arm and threw him into the hero putting out the fires. Neither of them got back up. Only one hero remained. 

Instead of continuing to rampage, Baldy noticed the people for the first time and went charging towards them. Danny was able to intersect its punch as the thing aimed at a dog-walker.  

It was the most anything Danny had felt in a while. All day and the one before, he was almost numb.  

Now. Now he felt alive.  

He was able to take all the attacks that the thing threw at him and return them ten-fold. He had to be careful of its hands though. It’s punches were hard, but just as quickly as Danny dodged a hit, it would try to grab him.  

“What hero is that?”

“I don’t know, I don’t recognize him.”  

“Maybe he’s an intern or new sidekick?”   

“Who’s his mentor?”  

“Didn’t Manual get a new intern?”   

“I don’t think that's him.”  

Danny couldn’t hear them. It grabbed hold of his arm and slammed him into the concrete. It left a crater and suddenly Danny felt nostalgic.  

The thing didn’t relent in its attacks. Danny was on his stomach and the thing kept hitting him in his back. He could hear screaming. His body felt like jelly, but now he was able to turn his torso around and create an ecto shield. 

With a break from the attacks, Danny was able to see the damage. His body was jelly. His waist was twisted around like a cloth being wrung out, and his legs were backwards from the rest of him. ‘Okay.’ That's a new development. He had seen other ghosts do it before, and had even done it one time himself, but he had to actively focus on contorting his body. This, however, was like a reflex. No. Less than that. It was like twisting his wrist or his torso. It was too natural.   

The thing was still hitting his shield and he could hear the bird thing start to destroy the ice. Danny had to end this fast.  

Danny sent his shield back and knocked Baldy away with a screech. His shield shattered and embedded itself in the thing's skin. Then it bled. Oh this, this Danny could work with.  

It was clear to Danny that whatever this thing was, ending it would be a mercy. It shouldn’t have existed in the first place. Anger and pain radiated off it as it continued it’s attack. 

‘Is that how the other ghosts looked at him?’ Danny wondered. 

It didn’t matter. This thing had to be put down. He coated his hands in ice in a make-shift gauntlet. They were thick and jagged with more weight than he wanted, but they would work just as well in any size. 

Danny didn’t let the thing recover as he started his volley on the creature’s flesh. Each hit was heavy and satisfying. It was like stabbing pencils in an orange. The result was the same. It lay there, twitching before Danny’s feet. It stopped after a moment, dead.

Holy shit that was a lot. 

Danny had never taken a life before. It didn’t leave a bitter feeling in the way he excepted it too. He felt a general unease, but not like he had done anything wrong. It was hurting and was going to hurt others. Danny simply stopped both of those from happening anymore. 

Danny didn’t have any time to grapple with what he had done further. Bird-Brain had escaped the ice and was starting to fly away. Danny chased after it, an ice blast under his skin, but it’s wings were fanning the still surrounding flames. Embers had landed on a tree and grass where a few people were hidden. Danny knelt down and pressed his palms on the ground. He sent a road of sleet towards the tree, and it traveled up the bark and coated it in an instant. That was also new. His ice was never that quick or long spread before. 

The people surrounding only had minor burns but stared at the tree with shock and awe on their faces.  

Right away he started icing down the smaller fires around him. The range of his ice had increased, and Danny realized he had yet to transform.

‘Was there anything to change into left?’  

In Danny’s haste to put out the smaller fires, he had completely neglected the initial one. It had gotten smaller as its fuel burned, but there was a leak that led towards a beer and liquor store.  

Danny felt a swell of heat on his back. The fire had just entered the door and was already eating the shelves. It would only be a moment until it would explode out.  

With a deep inhale that he didn’t need, Danny’s hands started to glow brighter than before. ‘It should be fine. Ecto-ice isn’t made out of water, nothing bad should happen.’  

Danny jinxed it. Something bad happened.  

Before he was able to ice down the fire, a blast rocketed out. Using the already built up energy in his hands, he created a dome of ice. Everyone was so scattered out that it wouldn’t be big enough. Danny would be fine, he survived way worse, but the people behind him would get hurt.

The blast was getting closer, but Danny’s attention was on how his ice was still spreading and forming. He saw in slow motion how it was able to cover the whole two-lane street. Everyone was okay.   

Dust and light debris blew away and settled peacefully as a chill filled the air. Danny couldn’t feel it. He could only feel the sharp eyes of the heroes and civilians alike watching him. Their mouths were dropped. They were looking at him like he was a monster. A freak. And Danny was. It's what he always was.   

For so long he thought it was only just powers, that he wasn’t anything more or anything less than what Spectra said. Just a creepy boy with creepy powers. How could you accept that you weren’t human anymore? How could you accept that you had died? 

It was little things at first. He didn’t get cold, food didn’t taste the same, he had to remind his feet to touch the ground, and there were moments where he couldn’t feel anything physical at all .

The big event was when he fell asleep in class. Mr. Lancer had made a sarcastic remark about Danny not paying attention, but he didn’t respond. It grew into concern when he stepped closer. Apparently, Danny wasn’t breathing and he didn’t have a pulse. He woke up later when his ghost sense went off at the hospital. He was in the body bag.   

‘A ghost trying to fit in with humans,’ rang out in his head.  

That's all he was. No more. No less.   

But even that wasn’t true anymore. Now there was no hiding behind his human body. He had felt it when he died in the fight with Pariah, like a cord snapping. He was just glad he wasn’t alone… 

Danny was starting to spiral. It would be so easy to test it, to see if he had even an inkling of human left in him. All he needed to do was transform… 

A teen stepped closer to him. Danny backed away from the movement. The teen looked at Danny. He could see frost on the boy’s breath. His face filled with resolve and suddenly the boy bowed deeply.  

“Thank you for saving us!” That seemed to spark everyone around him and more and more ‘thank yous’ were heard. 

“Thank you so much!” One woman with soot on her face yelled. 

“I was on my way home when that thing attacked. I would have never seen my husband again” Said a man.  

Danny was shocked. No one had ever thanked him so publicly. It had always been teens in private or notes left around his frequent spots. He grabbed at his chest, his core pounded harder and harder with every new voice.  

More and more people came up to him and some even shook his hand. His vision was starting to get blurry. Why did someone saying thank him make him feel like this? 

As if on cue, more heroes arrived on the scene with fire trucks and paramedics.  

Everyone was okay.

Chapter Text

An officer was talking to the heroes (at least the ones who were still conscious) and one of them pointed at Danny. He knew what came next. This may be a different world, but a cop is a cop. Danny started casually walking away. 

Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious.  

Luck was on his side because Danny was able to sneak away behind some of the debris and disappear. The officer looked confused as she looked for Danny, even asking her fellow officers where he went. 

Suckers.   

Danny flew around the city helping people the same way he did here. Most of it was rescues and making sure they were safe before other heroes or help arrived. He didn’t run into any more of those creatures from before. He didn’t know how many there were or if it was a common thing, but he knew the one with wings was still somewhere.  

Danny scanned the city from above looking for any more sudden explosions, when he caught sight of bursts of light swelling in an alley and people yelling.  

It could be one of those creatures, the one with wings was still loose.  

He kept himself intangible as he descended. It wasn’t a creature like before, but a monster. A grown man with bloody blades was attacking children. One of them was on the ground while the other two were attacking him with all they had. The peppermint one had gouges cut into his arm but was still shooting balls of fire at the man as he bounced from wall to wall, evading it.  

The man slashed the green one when he tried to attack from behind and then he fucking licked the blade. Danny cringed. The boy went down.  

Down.   

Went down.   

Children.   

All alone.   

A monster of a man leaning over them.   

P̴̯͙̙̊ ̵̙͊̂͜ ̶̰͔̇ ̸͔͔͍̋Ř̶̳̂ ̶͚̽͊̓͜ ̷̀͜ ̶̢͐̚Ớ̴̼̳͜ ̵̫͛̌̉ ̸̰̗̀ ̶̦̅T̷̠͝ͅ ̷̳͇̙̊ ̸͎͇̘́̕ ̶̢̨͉͐E̸͕̐ ̴͚̼̅͂̎ ̷̡͎́̿ ̷̣̙̗̈̑C̵̤̬̬̉̉͝ ̵͚̌̾ ̵̧̧̛͒͝ ̸̲̩́Ṭ̶̏͒͆  

He shot the man as he was about to behead the kid in the heavy suit on the ground. It stunned him, but he recovered quickly. He jumped back and looked around for the attacker. Danny didn’t give him a chance to see him. From the shadows behind him, Danny punched the man in his back. Danny, while not used to fighting humans, learned a thing or two from the cruelty of the GIW. The man while falling pivoted on his foot and swiped at Danny. It went through him.  

“Who’s there? Another wanna-be a hero?!” He sneered at the direction of the attack. Danny revealed himself, standing far enough for the man to not be able to attack. Although they were close to the same height (with Danny being slightly taller), he looked down at him with hatred in his eyes. Danny understood the look, it was reflected in his eyes too. 

“You have to run away!” begged the green haired boy on the ground. He looked sick and was the worst out of all of them, “He’s the Hero Killer! His quirk paralyzes you if he ingests your blood.”  

Quirk? Oh right, that's what they call powers here. They were staring each other down, like two animals sizing up the other. The Hero Killer (really great naming skills there) readied his swords and settled into a stance.  

“That just means I can’t let him cut me,” Danny mirrored the man’s actions, his eyes burning with ectoplasm and excitement. He hated people who went after children. “Easy peasy,” and the two lunged for the other.  

🥦 

Izuku couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After the hero came out of nowhere, he thought it was only gonna be another person sharing the same fate. But this guy had the Hero Killer on the defense!  

The pro-heroes Todoroki called for still haven't arrived yet. Maybe he was sent ahead because of his versatile quirk? But this hero wasn’t one he recognized, and he didn’t seem much older than the 3 of them. Maybe it was a student intern? But why would they send a kid to an unknown situation?  

The fight was raging around him. It wasn’t just on the ground, Izuku could hear the impacts on the walls. It was hard to see what was happening around him, he was still paralyzed, and he was getting dizzy trying to follow them in the corner of his eye. 

“What crypt did you crawl out of? Or are all those bandages to keep you together?” 

The hero kept making fun of Stain. Stain never responded to them other than a frustrated growl. 

“As if the likes of you will ever defeat me! You’re no better than these kids who aim to be heroes!” Every word the killer spoke was dripping venom like the blood from his knives. Izuku felt a chill go up his spine. “You’re not a true hero! Admit it. You only want the glory of catching me! There’s only one person who I will allow to take me down!”  

“Maybe you’re right.” The kid sounded firm, “maybe I’m not a ‘true hero’, maybe I made a few mistakes, or hurt the people close to me…But I try my best to help people! And I have! Even if I’m not a hero, I still choose to save people!”  

“Oh, so a vigilante then?” His tone changed. Instead of venom, his words were dripping with familiarity, but still sounded unnerving, “I have more respect for them than your average hero,” he sneered at the word hero, “I even consider myself a vigilante of sorts.”  

“I don’t think I fit into your definition of vigilante, nor do I want to.”  

“And you don’t. You tirelessly mock me instead of saving these people,” Stain snapped back.  

“Geez I can’t do anything right in your eyes, mom,” Izuku could feel the teenager's eye roll, “besides,” The alley lit up in a neon green glow, “I can do both.” 

★ 

Danny really didn’t want to drag this fight out longer than it needed to be. Honestly, He should’ve just knocked him out from the start. Something told him not to, that he could be more dangerous if he was knocked out. He was too unknown, and therefore dangerous. Danny could feel the corruption this man was made of, it rolled in waves of disgust and hatred every time the man swung at him.  

The man lunged at Danny, his sword in a motion to slash. The man was fast, far faster than any person he had fought in Amity. But not any ghost. Just like all the others, Danny evaded it. That's just what the HK (Hero Killer, and really, he was such a kid, that name is so edgy ) wanted. When Danny went closer to strike him, a hidden blade from his boot swiped up into Danny's chin, missing his neck.  

Danny jumped back, surprised that he was able to get hit so easily. The wound (if it could even be called that) stuck itself back together like slime. But the damage had been done.  

A thick glowing bead of ectoplasm coagulated on the sword. Rust was starting to spread from under it. The man raised it to his tongue and licked it.  

A scream filled the alley, but it was soon overtaken by sounds of gurgling and sizzling. A strange smell filled the air, and all eyes were captured by the crumpled form of the man, who moments ago, seemed to have the upper hand.  

His mouth was melting.   

He frantically clawed at his mouth, which looked like a snail dissolving in salt. His tongue was thrashing around as if trying to escape from himself, like a snake with no head. Everyone was watching. The Blue boy, being able to move again, just lifted himself up onto his forearms, as if to get a better view. Only horror was written on his face. He didn’t have the strength to move anymore than that.   

 The noises started bubbling down. Heaves and harsh rasps replaced them, but not undoing the spell that had overtaken them all. He looked at Danny. His eyes lacked focus and a part of his lips were gone, exposing his teeth and limp tongue.  

His blood must have washed the ectoplasm away.   

This had all happened in under a minute. That was all it took for the battle to be decided.  

The Hero Killer walked towards Danny. It was only a few steps at a time, like one would see from a zombie, but Danny didn’t move. He felt he owed it to the man somehow. 

Guilt.  

By now all the kids were able to move, and they took up fighting stances. They didn’t move any closer. None of them knew what to do, still frozen from before. 

The man stopped just before Danny. He only had one sword left. He raised it slowly and pointed it at him as a challenge. Danny didn’t move. The man took that as a cue and with a pained yell, started slashing him.  

Danny continued to stand there. He let the man slash through him over and over again. Since the blade wasn’t made with ghosts in mind, Danny let it slash through his body as if it were cutting through slime. The blade was getting more and more corroded as it came out of him.  

After fighting him, Danny was able to understand him, not sympathize, but understand. He had fought with a franticness, but it was calculated. Now however, he was slashing on pure instinct.  

The man was no longer a threat.  

The sword, which was dark brown and bent, clattered to the ground. The Hero Killer’s raspy grunts and cries had softened. He collapsed, but before he hit the concrete, Danny caught him.  

He laid him down on his back. Although Danny knew he was only unconscious, He looked like he had just died a very painful death. His eyes were only the whites, and with his mouth eaten up by Danny’s ectoplasm. His face was contorted in a horrified scream.  

Danny just stared. A swirling feeling thrashed around him. Danny had felt this before. It ached at the back of his brain, but it didn’t come out. He just continued to stare at him, trying to figure out what it meant. How does he feel? How does he feel about how much he hurt him? What part of him feels nothing? What part of him feels regret? What part of him feels vindicated?   

“Should we tie him up?” A voice pulled Danny out of his thoughts like icy water. His eyes, maybe with more intensity than he expected, looked at the boy. He was the green one. He stood over Danny with his hand hovering over his shoulder, like it was afraid to touch him. 

  ‘He should,’ a small part of Danny whispered (the place where Spectra lived).  

The boy looked at him with concern. His leg was badly injured, and even standing must have been painful for him. But the boy stayed by Danny. Because he was worried about him. Who was the last person to be worried for him? His friends? His sister? It felt so long since then…  

“Yeah. That's a good idea.” Danny floated up so he was no longer on the ground (when did he get there?). The kid seemed taken aback by this and his mouth opened before he bit it closed again. He turned towards his friends who were talking by the mouth of the alley. He was about to walk away before Danny asked, “Do you need help?” the kid looked confused, “With your leg? You put up a good front, but I know it must be painful.” 

The boy looked taken aback but nodded his head a little. With a word, Danny scooped up the boy and carried him on his back. He was heavier than expected, and Danny could feel the tight muscles from where he held onto his legs. The boy had gone through training that had no one that young should endure. He turned his back to the Hero Killer, sure that the man wasn’t going to be up anything soon.  

“So, what's your name, kid?” The kid was the one that fought the hardest out of all of them, but from his injuries, he was either not that strong, or too self-sacrificing.  

“Deku,” The kid answered. It was a weird name, but maybe all names were like that here.  

“My name’s Phantom,”  

“Is that your quirk?” The kid asked. Despite being beaten up all the way to hell, there was a hint of excitement there. 

“My quirk? Oh right…uh yeah,” Danny still wasn’t used to that term. 

“So, you can float, turn intangible, and…Turn into slime?” Danny Nodded. The kid took that as permission to talk, “Then what was that blast you shot at him? It was green like your…insides? Were those your insides? Is that a manifestation of your quirk or do you have control over that? If it is a manifestation, is that why your eyes are like that? What exactly does your quirk entail cause the whole float and intangible thing kinda make sense, but not really the other. Can you breathe when you're intangible or is there a time limit? Or does it burn through your energy, so you don’t use it a lot? Your clothes don’t come off so they must be special too. Also, you glow. Is it a mutation type quirk then? I’ve never heard of a mutation giving you anything other than the already obvious physical capabilities?” 

Uhhhhhhhh… What?   

“Yes?” Danny really wasn’t in a state to be paying attention. “Wait, no? I don’t know.”  

The kid started muttering but Danny really didn’t have the energy to listen.  

They had reached the kid’s (Deku, Danny reminded himself) friends. They were talking with a few heroes, none that Danny recognized (not that he would). When they came into sight, an old short man flew towards Deku with a kick. Danny, still in an adrenaline high, blocked the attack with a quickly raised ecto-shield. The old man jumped back, and the other heroes looked at him. The man went lower to the ground, which wasn’t hard because he was very short, and fell into an attack stance like before.  

“Grand Torino it’s OK!” Deku yelled into Danny’s ear. The old man relaxed his stance slightly, but in a way that it was easy to fall back into. 

“Who is this person, Deku?” Grand Torino seems flighty, pun intended. He kept looking between Danny and Deku, suspiciously. Danny, reading the mood, carefully set Deku down and raised his hands in a placating manner. 

Deku limped over to where the hero’s were gathered, “He helped us with the villain.” 

At the mention of a threat, the heroes scanned the area. One of them noticed it first. The Hero Killer was still passed out in the alley, without restraints. All of the heroes rushed into action, but honestly, they weren’t sure what to do. One of the heroes started phoning the police (what was the point of heroes if they were just going to call the cops?) while another hero slowly went towards him with a rope of some kind. When he was securely tied up, the heroes seemed to relax (even if he was just as dangerous before they ‘saved the day’).  

While this was all going down, the kids were in a deep conversion. Danny didn’t listen in, not wanting to be rude. Besides, he had his attention elsewhere.  

Grand Torino kept staring him down. He never moved out of the stance he was in. Danny really didn’t want trouble, he’s just glad that the kids are safe, and the heroes have it covered now. Danny was about to give him the slip when the old man’s eyes darted towards the sky. 

“Get down!” He shouted at Deku as the winged thing from earlier flew over them. With it’s (toes? talons?) toe-lons, it grabbed Deku from the waist. Gusts of wind from its speed blew at the heroes, and some even had to cover their eyes not to be blinded.  

None of the heroes did anything. Even the old man, who seemed so concerned for Deku before, stayed frozen to the spot, just squinting at their shrinking forms as they flew away.  

Spite filled in Danny as he watched them do nothing. Danny quickly flew after them, not wanting to lose any more distance. Surprised gasps were heard behind him, but he ignored it. If they weren’t going to do anything, they shouldn’t judge him. He was able to catch up in milliseconds. He shot ice at the thing’s wings, not wanting to risk hitting the kid. The thing went down as it screeched in pain, still injured from before. Danny was able to catch Deku before he crashed with it. He held the kid on his back as he stared at the creature below him. Danny stepped on its wing to stop it from getting further away. It was thrashing about still, but it was obvious it could no longer fight.  

He could end it now like he had the last one. Whatever it was radiated pain and confusion, not from the injuries (it didn’t even seem aware of those), but by merely breathing. Danny could almost hear it asking ‘why?’ in it’s shrieks, though none were coherent to him. 

He could do it right now, his foot raised over the poor creature's head. He was about to stomp down when he felt the boy on his back squeeze him. It was like a child clutching onto their parents when they were scared. Danny put his foot back down but watched the thing below him. The same feeling he had when he defeated the Hero Killer settled into him again. 

Another hero had joined them and was barking orders at them not noticing what was around him.  

“Get ready for a fight,” he heard one of them say.  

Danny really was sick of people assuming the worst of him. In Amity, he could understand. Ghosts were dangerous, and he was probably the worst one of them all (pretending he was still human). He never needed their acceptance, just saving them was enough. He didn’t care that they held city hall meetings to “get rid of the ghost boy”, he didn’t care when they invited the GIW in town to hunt him down, he didn't even care when they called him inviso-bill. But in the world of heroes? In the world where people cheer the heroes on as they defeat the bad guy, where they sell figurines and merch of them, where kids look up to and dream of even becoming one, was it really so hard for him to be accepted? Maybe humans could just feel he was too different from them. 

Danny turned towards them, and they all froze, he even felt Deku tense up on top of him 

I̶̧̻͑͝ ̸̢̟̞̿͂̚Ă̶̮̹ ̷̖͍̓̂͝M̷̻̉ ̶̰̖̒̑ ̴̯̥̂̔N̷̟̦̰̓̓̄ ̷̞͌͑Ỡ̸͍̖͗ ̷͓̚T̵͖͔̈́͂̄ ̴̼͉̓ ̷̯͉̆A̵̹͖̬̎̂ ̸̺̺͝ ̵̤̆̆V̴̜̉̇̈́ ̷̦͙͛͘I̸̪̖̗͝ ̴̙̫͋̑̕L̶̦̰̽ ̴̙͚̜̓́L̴̜͍͛̐͘ ̴̘͑͘A̷̢̲͔̓ ̴̖̈́̿̓Ì̷̘̏ ̴̖̖̜͗N̴̢̟͔̄ ̸̙͚̎ͅ!̵̼͈͔͝ ̴̮͝!̴͓̎̓͊ ̴͚̝̬͛̆͋ ̴̧͖͒Y̴̥̦̖̿͠͝ ̶̮̥̀Ō̸̡͓̫ ̵̝͙̔Ư̵̢̘̮͂ ̵̮̎̓͆ ̶͎̓D̴͖̰̉̉͐ ̵̗͖̗̏Ö̵̭͓͉́̆̂ ̶̜̔̀Ṅ̴̹̟͆ ̵͌͝͝ͅ’̷͓̩̓̎ ̵̺͛T̵̯̄ ̶̡̗̈́ ̶̰̝́N̴̦͍̫̽̒ ̴̨̅͆̚͜Ȩ̷̳̥̿̔ ̴̩́É̸͈̱̖͝ ̴̢͖͘D̶̻̘̀ ̴̧̠̙̈́͂ ̷̼̭̬̔T̶̟͗̍͐ ̷̻̳̈́Ö̶̺̂͠ ̷̟͐̽ ̴̜̫̈̈W̸̢̅̓͆ ̸̨͙̙͒O̵͙̼͛̔͌ͅ ̵̡̛͒Ŗ̴͉̦͛ ̸̪̫̣̃̈́R̷̢͙̐̂ ̶̖̊͛͜Ÿ̶̥͓́͜ ̸̢͎͋̒!̶͕̈́͛̿ ̶̮̣̳̀̚͝ ̶͕̺͂̒͝I̷̬̘̋ ̴̦̭͋̇’̸̤̭͙̈̉ ̵̱͍̭͆́M̴̛͇̗̌͠ ̵̢̲̋ ̷̧̛̯͚͛͝Ń̷͈͠ ̵̩̽͐͜͜O̶̰͛͋͘ ̶͔̬̀T̴̺̋ ̷̻́̈́̿ ̵̤̼̳̎G̶̨̫̖̉́̾ ̴̧͍̽O̷̧̽͊̒ ̶̫͆̎Ĭ̵̫͇̔ ̶̛̙̑́Ǹ̴̨̙͍ ̴̮̬͖́̎̓G̴̩̦͛ ̷͎͖̅͜ ̶̨̞̣̈́Ţ̷͙͖̓̑ ̴̨̦̮̈͋O̷͉͍̓͠ ̷̱̗͑͑͜ ̶̫̤͔͛Ḫ̷̻̗̈͐͗ ̷͎̯̣̅̈̈Ù̶̡̼ ̷̢͛R̶͎͓̾͝͝ ̶̛̯̣̻̕T̸̼͌̓ ̶͉̲̞̀̐ ̵̫̎̈́Ą̷̩̪͑̓ ̴̞̀͐͝N̷͕͌͠ ̸̧̛̠͓Y̶̪̹͉̆̽̈́ ̶̟͆͐Ő̶̲͔̓̀ ̵̧͕͍̏N̶̺̲̯̈́ ̵̞͖̥̾̈́E̵͈͊ ̴̧͗!̵̧͖̈́ 

He set Deku down, careful of his leg, and smiled at him. He had a heart shattering panicked look in his eyes. Danny looked at the heroes, but they all shared the same expressions. One hero even fell down looking at him.  

It was all just too much.  

Danny looked back at Deku. His eyes shifted more towards confusion than fear. Then, without warning, Danny took to the night sky.  

“Phantom, wait!”  

But he was already gone. 

Chapter Text

It had been a few hours after the Stain and Phantom incident. Every hero who had interacted with the unknown vigilante was called for a meeting after they discussed what would be done with The Hero Killer. Taishiro, the BMI hero: Fat Gum, had been waiting 3 hours in a white hallway. He could’ve gone home, washed off the grime and mental weight of the day, but he was plagued with a prickling anxiety. He was one of the only heroes who talked with the boy, so his information and perspective was critical.  

The office doors swung open and a small cluster of drones in suits exited.  

“The meeting will start in a few minutes” A woman by the door called out to the hallway. She turned back inside but left the door open. There were only a few other people, all of them heroes, in the hall waiting with him. Most of them were in their civilian clothes, but like him, the rest were still draped in their hero costumes.  

No one moved for a moment, so Taishiro decided it must be him to make the first move. In stilted motions, he got up and approached the open door. The doorway was wide and tall to accommodate those with larger physiques. Taishiro had already shed the weight of his quirk earlier that night and went through without fuss. There were people still remaining in the room. They all had tired expressions, as if being there sucked all life out, which made sense as they were previously discussing The Hero Killer. At the front of the table was Endeavor, and although he always looked angry to Taishiro, on his face was a mirrored expression with everyone else, although he hid it well. Taishiro quickly found an empty seat and silently sat down. The others from the hallway followed in silently. Noise didn’t even exist in the room, it was like even the air held its breath, even the chairs were quiet as people settled in, due to the carpeted floors. The room had the atmosphere of a high school detention. But the situation was much more serious than a prank on a teacher.  

A few other heroes were already in the room alongside Endeavor. From how Taishiro understood it, they were there when the Hero Killer was defeated. The other occupants of the room were an official from the Hero Commission, two cops judging from their demeanor (one with a dog head), and surprisingly enough, the principal of UA (or maybe that should be expected considering his intellect and that 3 students were involved). After everyone filed in from the hallway, the women shut the door and sat beside the official.  

That was the queue for the official to start talking, she stood up like how a king would address his court, and announced, “I am Jin Makoto, I will be the acting representative of the Hero Commission.” Her voice was monotone, but strict. Her face was apathetic, but Taishiro got the impression that it was from boredom. Although she dressed professionally, her blue hair in half-up box braids and wearing a black tailored suit, her eyes were sunken and puffy from lack of sleep.  

“As you all should know, we are here to discuss the new vigilante known as 'Phantom'” her eyes scanned across the room and not a pair of eyes strayed from her, “Some of you may be wondering why him? Why is this vigilante so special? These are the wrong questions. They question him alone , not the overall picture that he is a part of” She gave Endeavor a pointed look, “there have been 'sightings'” she rolled her eyes at the phrase, as if they were discussing bigfoot, “all over Hosu earlier tonight. He appeared to be entirely focused on doing rescue missions and was able to travel between locations at a speed comparable to Hawks.” A few gasps filled the room. Ms. Makoto coughed to get their attention back, “If it was just this issue, a meeting would not be necessary, as we could easily counteract him and 'bring him to justice''” she let her annoyance slip through, “However, and I’m sure some of you have guessed, that was not the only quirk he has exhibited.” She finished and she let the gravity of what she just said sink into the room.    

The pin dropped, and then suddenly heroes erupted in questions, even Taishiro gasped. The only ones who remained quiet were principal Nezu, who had not said anything during the meeting, and the heroes left over from the Stain meeting, who all bowed their heads to the ground.  

“Are you sure this is the case? What if you are mistaking him for a bunch of different people?” A hero, whose name escaped Taishiro, rang out in the clamor. It was a valid question, one that even Taishiro could reason out. Of course, a person couldn’t have more than one quirk, unless it was a natural combination of their parents, but judging from how Ms. Makoto stated it, left little room that this was the case. He remembered his run in with the vigilante. The chill he got when he looked into the boy’s eyes and maw... A shiver ran along his spine.   

She looked at the hero in annoyance, as if she was upset at him for not taking her word, “Although each encounter was brief, they are all consistent in how he was described. An adolescent appearing roughly 17-18 years of age, white floating hair, and blue skin wearing a black & white hazmat suit. There is also the matter of his involvement with the Hero Killer.” The room once again plunged into silence.  

Although they weren’t allowed to be on their phones or look at any media outlets before the meeting, they all were aware of the defeat and subsequent capture of the Hero Killer. That kind of thing you can’t put a lid on, but it was tight. The only information that anyone knew was that 3 UA kids happened upon Stain and Endeavor had defeated the villain. There was no mention of a possible accomplice.  

“This meeting is of course confidential, but what I’m about to say doesn’t exist outside of this room. The person responsible for the defeat of Stain,” she paused letting the tension build, “is Phantom.” 

More gasps filled the room as everyone turned to Endeavor. He sat rigidly, the stature of pride and strength. If he felt anything about that statement, he didn’t let it show.  

“Wait, doesn’t that mean he’s on our side?” Another hero spoke out. This time Taishiro did recognize him, he was the Normal Hero: Manual. “All you’ve said was that he rescued people and defeated Stain? I was even one of the people he saved.” other heroes spoke up in agreement. Taishiro would have liked to join him, but their previous interaction repeated in his head. How the boy sought him out. How he tried to needle information from him. How it all felt like a trap.   

“He’s just some hopeless kid who wants to be a hero! Sure, he expressed it by becoming a vigilante, but I don’t think all this fanfare is necessary. Just catch him and give him a slap on the wrist. He obviously has the chops to become a hero.” a different hero replied, shooting a challenging glare towards Makoto. More heroes, presumably the ones who were saved by him, started shouting in protest. The once somber attitude of the room tore open and was replaced by a chaotic protest.  

Makoto looked calm like she expected this to happen. She just looked at them all blankly and put a finger to her lips. Silence . The heroes’ mouths were still moving, but after a second, they all looked around the room, confused at one another.  

“Perhaps I should reintroduce myself. I am Jin Makoto from the Hero Commission. My quirk is Volume. And I will have your attention.” She glared at the hero who started it all. Everyone returned to their seats and looked down like kids who just got reprimanded. Makoto made a small satisfied smirk, “Good. Now if you all use your heads and remember what I had said before about asking the right questions. Maybe I should rephrase one; why is He special? Why does he have multiple quirks? And now that you know more about the context, why did he defeat the Hero Killer.” 

It clicked.   

“I’m sure you all are also aware of the ‘Nomu’, as they’ve been called,” the heroes looked at each other in confusion at the term, “These multi-quirked individuals some of you fought. You don’t know this, or at least you shouldn’t since you were not permitted to access the internet, but they are confirmed to be from the League of Villains.” She turned toward Taishiro, “Fat Gum, tell them about your interaction with Phantom.” 

Taishiro stood up and with a sure voice explained what had happened with Phantom.  

“At first, I thought he was an innocent kid playing hero. I was playing along but was taking him in the direction of the authorities when he started asking me questions about other heroes. During the conversation his demeanor changed, and I saw him for what he was. His aura was suffocating, and it felt like death. I asked him to display his quirk, to gauge how dangerous he was. He showed me that he can go intangible, but now I understand that wasn’t his only quirk. Although I was the one leading, everything about it felt like walking into a trap. I was about to forcefully take him in when the explosions started happening. Then he was gone.” Taishiro sat back down. 

It was with his statement that made it finally click for the other heroes. They all looked pale.  

It felt like a trap.   

A hero brave or stupid enough to break the silence whimpered out, “Do we at least have any leads?” Everyone anxiously looked towards Makoto.  

“None at this moment” defeat filled the room, “There is no record of anyone with his characteristics with any of the quirks he displayed that we could find, except for one quirk and phenotype,” she looked pointedly at Endeavor, “But that has been ruled out. We also want to warn you, Phantom's face is unknown, and therefore he could be blending in. His appearance isn’t too outlandish to stick out, especially in the denser mutant-type quirk locations”  

“How do you not know what he looks like? He wasn’t wearing a mask and I clearly remember seeing his face?” Manual asked.  

“Well, what did he look like?” Makoto looked at him expectantly, her head slightly tilted in a condescending manner.  

“Well…” Manual started but trailed off, “I can’t remember…”  

“As I thought. We had sketch artists draw up approximations of what he looks like, however while there was a common face and head shape, his features were vague at best. Every time someone described him, they expressed confusion. They all stated they couldn’t remember what he looked like, as Manual just demonstrated.” Manual had the courage to look embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck. “We held this meeting to say to be on guard if you spot him. Do not engage and follow at a close distance. You must call in support with the code: It is cold outside; and heroes in the surrounding areas as well as a special ops team will aid in his capture. We must all treat this with the utmost diligence. A general announcement will be issued to other heroes who were not in the meeting today, but everything that was discussed in this room, stays in this room under penalty of license removal or a long trip to Tartarus” Her eyes were steady, poisonous.  

Loud footsteps were heard outside and then the door slammed open. In the door frame, was a tiny stick man who looked even smaller when compared to the size of the door. He looked on the brink of death and wore a suit that was 3 sizes too big on him.  

“Ah, Mr. Yagi. You’re early.” Her lip twitched. She turned towards the rest of the heroes, “And with that, the meeting is adjourned. Most of you do not have the clearance for the next meeting.” All the heroes nervously started to leave, the cop and principal Nezu reminded seated, along with two heroes, one being Endeavor and the other a short old man Taishiro didn’t recognize, “That includes you, Endeavor.” She looked smug. Endeavor looked shocked (as much as a man with default RBF could), but left without a word, pushing past some of the other heroes in his way.  

Taishiro followed after, but stole one more glance towards the meeting room, trying to puzzle out what their next topic was. Nothing came to mind. Taishiro was too exhausted from the day and all that happened. He turned around and walked out.  

He needed to get some sleep.

Chapter Text

With the departure of the heroes, only six people were left in the room. Most of them Toshinori trusted; officer Tsukauchi and principle Nezu being longtime friends, along with his mentor, Gran Torino. The two women from the Hero Commission, he didn’t trust them further than this room.  

“Please have a seat, Mr. Yagi.” Ms. Makoto eyed him down, letting her facial features reveal nothing. It was obvious she didn’t like him. In their previous interactions, she had always used his formal name rather than his hero one, like she did everyone else. Toshinori just hummed and took a seat opposite Tsukauchi. “Since you were not present in the last meeting, I will go over what was discussed. The new villain Phantom. Now-” 

“Do we truly know enough about him to call him a ‘villain’” Principal Nezu interrupted. His face held a smile that was as consistent as Yagi’s All Might persona. “I didn’t say anything before, so as not to undermine your authority to the heroes, but don’t you think the Hero Commission is being a little too hasty with their analysis of the situation?” 

“One would think a creature of your intellect should be able to understand how much of a threat he is. In these situations, we must assume the worst as he gave us no other choice.” Her face was held in a tight smile.  

“I hardly think him saving my students,” Young Midoriya, he should not have been in the fight, “along with countless others, is giving you ‘no other choice’ as you chose to call it. We must look at this on all sides. Ignorance will only lead to devastation.” 

“What makes you so quick to defend him? Did you not read his file? Are we lowly humans not smart enough for you to even bother?” She leaned over the table glaring down at him. The stress must really be getting to her.   

“You shouldn’t talk about yourself like that, I’m sure you are very smart,” despite having a level voice, Toshinori would say that principle Nezu was being condescending, “And as for your file, I found it very biased and quick to an unfounded conclusion.” Nezu lifted his tea to his mouth, which must be cold at this point, and closed his eyes as if enjoying its flavor.  

“Enough of this!” Gran Torino yelled out, “The boy has already proven to be dangerous and unpredictable. When he took down the Nomu, my body couldn’t move, not even to save Izuku from that creature…” Gran Torino looked down at his shaking hands, “We know nothing of the boy’s alliances. He has enough in common with All For One, so we should treat him as such” And that was the topic of the meeting. All for One. They all knew it, but a chill spread through the room affecting all but Nezu and Ms. Makoto. After reading the report, however biased it was, Toshinori could feel there was a connection between the two. He knew it was almost impossible for the man to be back, but dread filled his heart and his missing stomach ached at the thought.  

“We cannot judge what we do not know. Phantom had no hostility to the heroes except when they moved to attack him, and even then, he didn’t fight back, even though he clearly could have. I do not believe that he and the League are working together. There are too many inconsistencies.” Nezu's logic was reasonable and his voice firm, despite that, Toshinori couldn’t find much comfort in his words. 

Of course, they were working together. Phantom was released alongside the rest of the Nomus. Not only that, but only a few blocks away from where Stain was caught, was a LOV sighting, as if they were watching how he did out in the field. It was hard to draw up a different conclusion. 

“Who cares about the Inconsistencies? If there is even a 1% chance they are working together, we must assume that is the reality. We cannot wait for the boy to reveal whose side he is on and risk harm to the public. All for One is too dangerous to take that chance.” Toshinori understood Gran Torino. He and Toshinori had already lost too much to All For One to take that chance. He wiped some of the blood that was leaking from his mouth.  

“You are letting your fear blind you.” The words bathed Toshinori in ice water, yet Nezu continued, “He is just a child. A child we can still save. Would you really be willing to kill someone just to find out that they were innocent in the end?” 

“If the other option is to let even more innocents die, yes” Gran Torino was colder than Toshinori had even seen him. His mind would not be changed.  

“What inconsistencies were you speaking of before, Principle Nezu?” Toshinori didn’t want to see his mentor like this, so he quickly changed the topic.  

Nezu, taking the hint, moved on without letting anyone else speak, “Wouldn’t Phantom have caused more chaos rather than mercy? Wouldn’t he have helped Stain? Speaking of Stain, I don’t believe he’s a part of the League either, but that's a different topic. My point is- he has done nothing to ally himself with the League, and don’t say he’s trying to trick us or gain our trust, that is a flimsy theory.” He looked briefly at Gran Torino, “He would’ve stayed with the heroes, boasting his accomplishments, instead of fleeing the scene” 

Toshinori knew Gran Torino had much he wanted to say, but instead he sat quietly in his chair like a toddler.  

“What is your theory then,” Ms. Makoto, obviously not pleased with how the conversation was going, questioned.  

“I have several.” Nezu said with a glint in his eye, “Many of them you don’t need to know, but I will tell you this one.” Nezu stood up on his chair, but it didn’t give him any more height, “He is a Nomu.” tension filled the room at the implication. “At least that’s only one of my theories. Not enough information to prove or disprove the others.” He sat back down as if unaware of the bomb he just dropped.  

If that was the case, Toshinori couldn’t imagine what the poor boy had been through. All For One had abused and isolated his own brother, and that was his way of being ‘kind’. The boy must have been experimented on for god knows how long to be that stable with that many quirks. Even the Nomus, who were engineered to handle more than one quirk, had lost all facets of their humanity. Why had this boy not suffered the same fate? Perhaps it had to do with the boy’s quirk before All For One’s interference? Or maybe…  

“Principal Nezu! Are you saying this boy is All For One’s son?!” It would explain the resemblance and how the kid was able to handle so many quirks… 

“I didn’t say that,” Nezu said with a smile. This guy would suck to play poker with. “But the two could be related.” 

“If that's the case, why go against his own father?” Tsukauchi reasoned. 

“You just said why.” Nezu gave no explanation.  

“Are you saying this is some kind of teenage rebellion?” Ms. Makoto rubbed the bridge of her nose.  

“It could be.” Nezu responded back, “Regardless of if this is indeed the case, I would like to have him attend UA if you capture him. We have the same goal, and I’m sure he would prosper in a less harsh environment.” 

“PRINCIPLE NEZU YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!” Toshinori had transformed in his panic.  

“You really think the Hero Commission would hand him over to you when he is apprehended? We have much more efficient ways of molding youths into becoming heroes than your academy could ever provide.” She had a smirk hidden in her eyes. No, a challenge.  

“If you think so.” Nezu sidestepped, “But that is if you are able to catch him.” 

“What?!” Ms. Makoto was starting to get pissed. 

“If UA is able to take him into custody, we will not turn him over to the Hero Commission. He will remain under our care, and we will give him the education and environment he deserves.” Nezu closed his eyes again and nodded, satisfied. Ms. Makoto looked ready to explode.  

“You do not have the authority to do such a thing.” she spoke with her teeth clenched. She was still trying to hold it in. 

“I very much do. UA has been independent from the Commission for some time now.” Nezu jumped down from his chair and started walking towards the door, “Make sure to tell your president that this is the deal.” 

Slowly as if the spell that bound them in the meeting lifted, everyone except the HC employees left, following after him. Even Gran Torino has left the room. 

Toshinori sent one last look at the remaining occupants, before fully exiting the room, and bowed, “Have a good rest of your morning, Ladies...” Ms. Makoto was pale. He shut the door behind them. 

🐁 

“Are you sure that's a good idea, sir,” Yagi Toshinori asked, walking slightly behind Nezu in the corridor.  

“Of course it is, Yagi. We can’t leave that boy out there where All for One could get to him.” He had a lot to plan if he really wanted the boy at UA. He would need a full medical exam and maybe even a therapist, who knows what horrors he had to endure. A hand unconsciously raised to his scar. They have a few things in common … 

One thing was for certain. 

If the Hero Commission captures him, he’ll be hardly better off than with All For One.  

If UA was able to take him in, it would be a chance at a real life. At freedom.  

A life of violence, or a life of freedom? 

It was a race to get to the boy first.

Chapter Text

BREAKING NEWS: League of Villains reveals themself and attack Hosu, leaving countless injured. Thanks to the heroes, there have been no reported deaths. Stain, the infamous hero killer that has been terrorizing the streets of Japan, has finally been caught by #2 hero Endeavor during the panic. 

BREAKING NEWS: Three creatures called ‘Nomus’ were captured last night and are now being studied by the Hero Comisson. Origins are unknown but are believed to come from the League of Villains. If you have any information, please contact 1-800-NOMU or the Hero Commission directly. 

BREAKING NEWS: Vigilante rates skyrocket after Hosu attacks. Witness from the Nomu attacks describe white haired teen saved them. Other reports describe the same figure. Could this be a new vigilante group or something else?

BREAKING NEWS: New vigilante group or freak of nature? The vigilante group, which has been given the name ‘Phantom’ due to their quirks and mysterious nature, have caused experts to scratch their heads. Some witnesses say there was only one vigilante on site with multiple quirks while others insist it was at least 3. Which is true? Read here to hear what the experts have to say. 

BREAKING NEWS: Quirk researchers debunk existence of individuals with multiple quirks. ‘This is a dangerous misconception,’ says quirk expert Yanagimachi Tsuneko. ‘Sometimes, especially as we see the power of quirks grow with each generation, children inherit both of their parents quirks, or they combine to create an entirely new quirk but never more than two…’ CLICK HERE TO READ FULL INTERVIEW.

Trending: "Stain" "Endeavor" "Hosu Riots" “Phantom” & “Vigilante Group” 

In a public group chat online:

Mirkosthighs : Have you heard of the new vigilante group?

Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye @Mirkosthighs: The ones who rescued a bunch of people yesterday?

FriedHawkWings @ Mirkosthighs : Group? I thought it was only one guy?

Mirkosthighs @ FriedHawkWings: No. All the news outlets are saying it's a group of vigilantes

FriedHawkWings @ Mirkosthighs : What no way! Everyone is describing the same dude in interviews

Ghostwatermelon:> @ FriedHawkWings : It’s gotta b a group! They all have different quirks! And how could 1guy b in all those places at 1nce?

Knight34knight43 @Ghostwatermelon:>: He could have just a speed quirk so it seemed he was everywhere at once

Mirkosthighs @Knight34knight43 : Yeah? And also have cold manipulation and flight and enhanced strength?

Knight34knight43 @Mirkosthighs: Well…

#6bmybbygrl @Mirkosthighs: My friend was one of the people he saved. She said he used multiple quirks. 

Ghostwatermelon:> @#6bmybbygrl: O pls. 1 of em prob just has a vers quirk. I wont beleave it til I c it!

#6bmybbygrl @Ghostwatermelon:>: My friend took one but every time it played her phone got all buggy

L3G3GG @#6bmybbygrl: Yeah I was there 2 and the same thing happened to mine

“L3G3GG” MADE A NEW POST:

Video Link: The video shows a fire spreading and people screaming in the background. The camera suddenly zooms around and then the video starts to glitch, the sound and visual becoming static or pixelated. The visuals stop glitching and faces the person recording but the sound is jumbled. 

POST DELETED

“Mirkosthighs” MADE A NEW POST :

" BREAKING NEWS: Hero Commission has confirmed the existence of the rumored “Phantoms” vigilante group."  

Ghostwatermelon:> @Mirkosthighs: See! I new it was a group! No way was it just some kid

Leaguereference @Mirkosthighs: Yeah that makes no sense. What quirk would even do that?

Mirkosthighs @Mirkosthighs: I read the whole article. It says they already have possible leads to one of their identities.

FeralGangOrca @Mirkosthighs: I heard a theory that it's a family, that's why they all look the same

Ghostwatermelon:> @FeralGangOrca: Yeah TONS of pple have white hair or they couldve dyed it. And no 1was able to get a good look at their faces! 

GenshinreferenceUwU @Mirkosthighs: Man I’m so excited for when they catch them! Could you imagine if they televised the trail?! 

Knight34knight43 @GenshinreferenceUwU: I feel bad for the kids tho…They obviously just wanted to be heroes

Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye @Knight34knight43 : Who knows, maybe if they get lucky they get picked up by a pro after they get out of jail

Knight34knight43 @Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye : I hate our vigilante laws :(

Mirkosthighs @Knight34knight43: Not everyone can be a hero. There has to be rules in place otherwise more people could get hurt

Leaguereference @Mirkosthighs: Apparently Endeavor caught the Hero Killer and one of the Phantoms was in the area

Mirkosthighs @Leaguereference : No way?!

FriedHawkWings @ Mirkosthighs : Wasn’t Stain a part of the LOV?

GenshinreferenceUwU @ FriedHawkWings : Do you think they’re all in kahoots?

Ghostwatermelon:> @GenshinreferenceUwU: Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! The Phantoms were trying to save every1 if they were rlly w/LOV y not spread out and cause more havoc? Why not help out Stain?

Knight34knight43 @GenshinreferenceUwU: Something doesn’t make sense about all this…

Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye @Knight34knight43: Well yeah. The hero commission is probably hiding everything for the investigation 

FriedHawkWings @ Knight34knight43 : They’re prob keeping it all classified til they find the kids

🫶

Tomura was pissed! Papers, blogs the TV! All they talked about was STAIN! STAIN! STAIN! They didn’t even make the first page! They were hardly a footnote! If that wasn’t enough, some brat had defeated TWO of his Nomus… Apparently he was some hero wanna be. 

He scratched at his neck. He hated them. Hate. Hate. Hate. 

There were a few articles about him too, less than 5, though you had to dig for them, almost as if they were trying to get buried… But they were there and despite being hidden, they caused almost as much buzz as Stain…

They all said that he was part of some ‘vigilante group’, but Tomura knew better. There was a video online, it was only up for a couple minutes before it and the channel got deleted. The person who took it was either a shit photographer or the video was beyond salvaging. The video was grainy, less than 144p, and all sorts of corrupted, but it showed the brat taking down a Nomu, displaying several different quirks as he fled. 

Cheater! Cheater! Cheater! They weren’t supposed to have a tank like that! His scratching became more intense. The game wasn’t going how it was supposed to! He banged the bar table, but it left no dent in the hardwood. It was so unfair…

The TV buzzed to life, relieving the disfigured face of his teacher. 

“Tomura,” the voice spoke in static, “I have a new task for you.”

Chapter Text

Danny knew there was no one there. He knew no one was chasing after him. He knew he didn’t need to fly so fast. He knew there was no reason to fly away anymore. But Danny flew away regardless. 

He flew faster and faster, hoping that maybe just maybe, it would be enough to pry open a portal, and bring him home. He could handle everyone hating him in his own dimension, he had to after a while, but why here? Why in a world full of heroes was Danny still hated?  

He hadn’t done anything wrong yet (he hadn’t had the chance to). He had saved those children from that weird mugger and saved them again from that mutant-thing. Of course Danny didn’t do it for praise, it was never about that, but wouldn’t that prove he wasn’t a threat? He tried to explain to them that he wasn’t going to hurt them, but he had tasted his words when they left his mouth. They tasted like smoke and ectoplasm.  

The heroes weren’t able to understand. Even if they could, he knew they’d still be scared. Even the boy was scared of Danny. He should have known he would’ve been rejected. When he met the first hero, before any of the fighting and panic had begun, he was scared of him. Danny thought that the hero was just being weird, or that Danny had broken some social rule he didn’t understand, but underneath he could feel the shaking in his muscles, could see the stiff way the hero moved.  

He could no longer fit in with humans. He didn’t fit in with ghosts, either. There were so few places left for Danny now that he was like this . When he did make it home (because he had to believe he would), would his sister still accept him? Would Sam? Would Tucker? Sam had only befriended him and Tucker because they were the freaks and geeks of the school, wanting to rebel against her parents. With him being full ghost, was he not enough of a freak for her anymore? And what about Tucker? He used to be so petty and passive aggressive with Danny because of his insecurities. He couldn’t even trust that Jazz would stay. What if she turned out just like their parents, and was only able to accept him before because of his proximity to being human? He no longer had that privilege…  

Danny came to in an abandoned building. He didn’t know how or how long he’d been there. He wasn’t asleep, but he also wasn’t fully aware, either. He was curled up in a corner, knees to his chest, his gloved fingers digging into his hair, and trembling. He drew his hands away from himself and they shook slightly, leaving a glowing afterimage. He clenched them into fists, closed his eyes and took a faux breath to calm down. After a few seconds of this, Danny slowly started to feel more at ease.  

He was fine . He was just making a big deal out of nothing, like always.  

 Not wanting to sit in the gloom he made, he lifted off, not wanting to bother with feet and legs. Unlike the building before, this one held no people and large portions of the roof were missing. It had started raining, but as the droplets came near Danny, they turned to snow. The small corner that held him was encased in ice, and even now that Danny was more at ease, frost spread out in small curls on the wall.  

Plants had also started growing in and taking over the building, even some flowers were blooming. Everything combined made it look like one of those pictures taken of a world without humans. Sam would’ve loved this.  

Danny thought back to the thoughts that had pushed him into that state. It wasn’t right for him to judge them like that. Those were their worst traits. Having flaws doesn’t make someone wholly bad. They had talked things through before, but Danny was just looking for evidence that they would hate him. And he knew Jazz. Time and time again she reassured him that her love for him would never die, human or ghost.   

Danny laughed to himself, he really was his own worst enemy.   

God he missed them. He really needed to find a way back soon. After what happened, he was done with exploring (but a part of him still wanted to).  

★ 

Danny stayed in the abandoned shack for a while. As he said before, it was peaceful here. He just lay (floating) in the middle of the room watching the rain turn to snow around him. It had started to get dark and as the rain quietened, he watched the stars. They were very similar here. The constellations had the same shapes, but probably different stories behind them. He wondered how a world shaped by heroes would craft their legendary characters. Maybe the world was already so extraordinary that they didn’t need to look up to the stars. Danny always would though.  

He had always wanted to be an astronaut. To explore new worlds and see the stars up close. He always felt at peace looking up at the night sky. Like he belonged up there. Everything was so distant and quiet, but it all had meaning. Looking at the night sky reminded Danny of life before his parents went into the deeper end. When they stayed up late with each other and taught Danny about the constellations and that each of them were made of stardust. His dad would tell him the myths behind the stars, about the heroes who were up there, but his mom would always remind them that they were just stories. She was always so practical. After a while she stopped joining them. Then his dad. They said ‘he was old enough to use the telescope alone’, and ‘they had work to do’. He would stay out all night thinking they would go looking for him if he wasn’t in bed. They never did. Danny wasn’t sure if they even noticed. He knew that his mom and dad were good parents, but he just wished they were there for him. Eventually Danny didn’t need them to enjoy the stars again. 

Dying meant no longer being able to fulfill his dream, but he got a consolation prize. Now he got to go further than any man had gone before. After he got the handle on his flight, he wanted to see how far he could go. When he made it to just before the ionosphere, he stopped. If he went beyond here, would it change anything? He steeled himself, ready for what was to come. Gravity and oxygen had no bearing on him, and he made the last few hundred miles with excitement and temptation, but it all melted away when he saw the earth and stars around him. He was in space! Danny thought he would pass on right there, that this was the last thing he needed to do to move on. But he stayed.  

Eventually, he had to go back. To return to Amity.  

(Nothing good ever lasted) 

Danny wanted to go back home, really he did, but maybe he could stay here a little longer? Despite his experiences, he had an undying curiosity about this place. He had been to other timelines before (however traumatic it may have been) but he’s never been to another dimension before. It was a lot like an alien planet, unfamiliar life forms and biology (or at least Danny assumed they had different biology. You can’t blast things with fire with ‘normal’ biology). And it’s not like Danny knew how to get back. He could live explore here while trying to find a way back. Two stones.  

Besides, if he wasn’t supposed to be here, Clockwork would’ve stepped in by now. No matter what the troll said about interrupting the time stream, he still had a soft spot for Danny. He’s just taking his sweet time, making Danny find a lesson or meaning in all this. Things had to be okay .  

But what if they weren’t? What if Clockwork couldn’t find him or worse, what if he knew exactly where Danny was, but put him there on purpose? To keep him away? What if the Observants wanted him gone and this was the only act of mercy Clockwork could manage for him? Amity Park still needed him. They had his parents (who were incompetent), the GIW (who were more incompetent), and Valarie (their last hope). How long would Amity last with ghost attacks?  

Danny stopped himself before he went too far. He couldn’t dwell on the whys or why nots, whether he liked it or not, Danny was stuck here.  

A game plan started to form in his head.  

Chapter Text

Over the course of a few days, Danny learned more about the world (you should always visit your local library kids). At first, he wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to learn anything about here since he didn’t know how to read the language. Everyone apparently spoke English, so he wasn’t worried about that, but everything was written in kanji. When Danny first found the library (he had to ask a person who looked at Danny very weirdly), he wasn’t even able to read the sign. He walked down the rows of bookshelves feeling lost, waiting for something to happen. After a while it did. The unfamiliar characters started to bend and shift into English words. Must have been a weird quirk about this dimension.   

He immersed himself into the pages (Jazz would be proud). He learned that quirks were not always around. Years ago, there was a glowing baby and then everyone started getting powers. There was still a small percentage of the population that were quirkless, but that was diminishing with each generation. He also researched how heroes worked and the systems in place. Apparently, you needed a ‘quirk license to freely use your quirk (Danny thought that was unfair). A person needed to go through a lot to become a hero as well, they even had specialized schools for it. Anyone who didn’t go through the proper channels to be a hero but still saved people anyway, were called vigilantes, and were against the law (that may be why the heroes were so cautious around him).   

Danny soon found out why the first guy and many others within the library (he made himself visible there, it would cause more problems for him if people started freaking out about flying books, even in a world with powers) were looking at him so weirdly. He wasn’t even in the world for a week, and he was already famous. It was late one night when he was flying back to the shack (Danny moved into that one after he couldn’t find the first one again), when he saw ‘his’ face on a TV on the side of a building. It was a composite sketch (the features were all wrong, but if you saw him from the distance, they looked similar enough) of one of the members of ‘Phantom’, a vigilante ‘group’ that had been seen around during the Hosu terrorist attacks. Danny could’ve face palmed. At least he wasn’t called Inviso-bill. Since then, he had been wearing a scarf and a hat around his face along with other clothes he had found in the garbage, which he should’ve been doing from the start. Luckily, no one had reported him to the heroes or other authorities (that could be since the story was so new or no one knew what he looked like).   

When he wasn’t in the library, he was out exploring the city. It was nice seeing all the different quirk types and how they affected the city with accommodations. Most doorways were wide and tall to allow those with varying body types to enter unbothered. The world’s technology was a little more advanced than his dimensions, and it was fun to see all the possible upgrades his world would see.   

People seemed a lot happier here, more stress free, Danny guessed that had something to do with the ‘Heroes’ that walked the streets. They made the people feel safe. In truth, Danny was conflicted about them. While doing research, he learned that most people get into the hero business for frame and glory, not out of obligation or desire to save and protect people like him. There were a few that did do that, but they weren’t the ones in top news stories and headlines. Danny was probably just jealous of the support they got. He really couldn’t blame them, he liked it when he was thanked by the people he saved (most of them were hushed thank yous’ from kids as they ran off). One time, the students at Casper High had made a memorial for him with flowers and cards, like he was one of the students. It got destroyed within a week by his parents claiming that ‘the ghost menace manipulated them’, but it was nice while it lasted.  

Despite his harsh view of them, he had to admit they did a good job of keeping people safe, and they’re fights were fun to watch. There was a sense of performance to it, the heroes would draw out the fight as long as they could, to draw in an audience. Most of the daylight crime here were muggers and weren’t much of a threat. Danny wasn’t so naïve to believe that that was all there is. He heard whispers of underground organizations like the League of Villains, who were apparently behind the attack in Hosu, and Shie Hassaikai, which Danny had no info about.   

He wasn’t just sightseeing though. Danny had gotten lost when he explored the world for the first time and could no longer find the portal. He searched for the familiar tug to the portal in Hosu, but Danny couldn’t sense it. It took a while with Danny’s absolute focus, but he was able to track the portal back to Musutafu City, which was a good few hours away.   

During the night after the library closed, he would fly through darkened streets and alleyways, trying to sense its remnants. While doing this he also had stopped quite a few muggings and assaults himself.   

The first time he flew into someone in trouble Danny didn’t hesitate to help. It was the cliche scenario of a mugger with a knife and a woman. She was weeping on the dirty street while the man rummaged through her bag, yelling at her to keep quiet. Danny, still not used to fighting humans, froze the guy's hands together. Unfortunately, he also froze the purse, and the woman was screaming at his sudden appearance and the mugger was cursing because his hands were numb. He started kicking at Danny, which was impressive because the guy’s legs could stretch out and bend like noodles. Danny really didn’t know what to do in this situation and so froze his back foot on the ground, and when the guy tried to stabilize himself from that awkward position, Danny froze the other foot. The result was the guy was doing this weird splits/backbend pose. Everyone was still screaming at him, and the woman was trying to scoot away, but her thigh was cut from the mugger, and so it was like a turtle returning to the sea in terms of speed. Danny was getting overwhelmed by it all and just punched the guy out, melted the ice around his hands (which were turning blue) and gave the woman back her bag. She was still crying but looked really confused. Danny just flew out of there telling the lady to have a good night.   

He’s gotten a lot better after that. A few of the people he saved even asked for a picture with him. Danny tried to decline since he knew it wouldn’t turn out right, and some of them understood, but a lot of them were more persistent about it (like this one high schooler with a lightning bolt in his hair who said he’d trade his unborn child for a picture).   

This of course didn’t stop him in his search, but he did take some breaks to do patrols and help people. Slowly people started getting used to him. On a few occasions, some even tried to give him small snacks from their bag and gifts. Danny declined, but much like the pictures, many were persistent. It felt nice to be accepted.   

He had started getting comfortable here.   

★  

It had been a few days since he had been here, and he still had no luck in finding the portal. He could feel the tare was still there, like a pea under a mattress, he just couldn’t find where. He had gotten it narrowed down to a section of the city, but that was still a huge area to cover. The stress was getting to him. He decided to take a break and focus on something else from this world.  

Now that Danny had the basic knowledge about the world covered, he could get to the more complicated matters, like an identity. Which was a little bit harder. Danny was able to hack into the government servers just fine. Many late-night fights with Technus had forced Danny into learning computer programming and engineering. One time, Technus got physically stuck inside an ecto-infused laptop, Danny had to deconstruct it, beat up Technus, then put it back together. Turns out Danny had a natural gift for machinery. At first, he had to ask Tucker for help getting it back together, but he was so annoyed through the entire process that Danny had studied how to do it alone so he wouldn’t butt in (he still helped with moral support and food rations, of course). Add that with ghost powers and the endless lectures his parents were just drooling to give him (they were mad scientists, but they were still scientists), and Danny could easily hack the government (provided they weren’t aware and ready for an online ghost attack).   

Danny’s backstory was that he was an American who just graduated (he didn’t graduate in his world yet, but he didn’t want to go to another dimension just to be stuck at school) and wanted to visit Japan. A travel VISA was easy enough to forge, and if he ever got in trouble, they wouldn’t be able to look at his records since it was in another country. He hoped.   

The more personal details is what Danny was stumped on. He knew he couldn’t use his real name and instead had used a random name generator. He set the category to American names and hit generate. It had picked the worst options possible, most of them mistranslations or just straight up nouns. Danny had cackled in his seat just pressing the generate button over and over again. He really didn’t care what the name ended up being, he wasn’t going to stay here long after all. It could land on Fredrick Jones for all the difference it made! Finally, it landed on the most normal (but also the most old fashioned) name. ‘Thomas Grundy’. Growing bored of the little game, Danny just accepted his new name with ease and a smirk.   

It was then Danny realized he forgot something. To have an ID, you must have a picture.   

★  

Danny didn’t know how something as simple as a picture of him could get him so anxious. His family loved taking pictures, Jazz and him each had a single baby book full of pictures just from their first year, every occasion was a reason for pictures. They had passed that same habit onto him (in less ferocity). Photos of him and his friends smiling or making funny faces together, were the only ones saved in his phone (that and space or cute dogs he saw on the street). It was easy. But that was back when he was alive.   

Ghosts couldn’t even get their photos taken, not without it being incredibly grainy or the file getting corrupted. Back in Amity, the ghosts called him even more of a freak since his pictures came out the clearest due to his human side (it was still blurry and not at all a good pic, but some ghost would be happy to even have that much). Danny had looked up the ‘group’ Phantom, and the only photos or videos that showed were corrupted and choppy like a ghost’s. It really should stop surprising him every time he notices something different about himself.   

He stared at himself in the ice-mirror he made for himself. Glowing Green eyes reflected back at him. It wasn’t just his powers that changed, he had changed. Before, his ghost form looked a lot more human, if a bit off (another thing that made him a freak). Deadly pale skin, electric eyes and a human smile. If you didn’t know he was a ghost, you would’ve thought he was a very sick child. But now all traces of human were scrubbed away. He gaped at the mirror, not being able to recognize himself. His eyes, which was the most inhuman thing about him before, were still an electric green, but all traces of white had been stained an inky black. But that was only the first to jump out at him. His skin was now dyed a chilling blue, he backed away at the sight of it. He pulled at his face and the skin stretched like putty. When he let go, it bounced back to its original shape. He did this over and over on different parts of his face, but they were all the same. Even his nose stretched. He pulled at his mouth and found the blue had followed inside but his tongue was changed to a neon green instead. When he saw his teeth, they had sharpened, like a predator’s, and there were too many for a human mouth to hold. His face wasn’t the only thing that changed. His stark white hair moved around his head as if not bound by gravity, and between where they moved, he got at peak at his ears, which were now pointed.  

He looked like a ghost. It was as if a pin dropped. Danny clutched the small mirror closer to his face to fully investigate his new self. He moved his head up and down, side to side, to see if it wasn’t just a hallucination. No matter what angle it was, the result was the same. Danny was no longer human… 

@scarlette-foxx

But that couldn’t be right. He had to still be human, even a little bit. Danny closed his eyes and reached down into himself trying to find something. The part of him that he could feel that was still alive. It was tiny and silent, but it had to still be there, Danny just needed to wake it up. He looked and looked but could only feel his own ectoplasm. He went so far into himself he felt nauseous. He opened his eyes and was disappointed to see green looking back. He couldn’t do it.   

All his energy left him, like smoke being blown away. He gave up on the new identity. He didn’t even know why he was doing it, honestly. He should be out looking for the portal, but all he was doing was wasting time. He hadn’t even interacted with the world long enough to need an ID or new identity. He was too comfortable here.   

He missed his home. He missed his friends. He missed…  

Danny didn’t know what else he missed.   

He was miserable back in Amity Park. No one liked him. His grades sucked. He had no future. Ghost hunting took everything he could have had away. Danny didn’t know why he wanted to go back.  

Because they need you.  

Do they?    

He knows Valarie was more than capable of defending Amity Park. She had been getting better since Vlad started financing her gear again. He even began training her (in both fighting and as an intern for his company) in an attempt to make amends. She was improving with deadly proficiency judging from the lessons Danny eavesdropped on. Besides that, without him, the bad blood between Sam, Tucker and her, could simmer away. He knows Sam and her were friends before high school where they joined different cliches. And Tucker only disliked her because of her hunting Danny. Without him, they’d be able to give her the support they had given him. Maybe she would even be a better friend than he was, give them gadgets and invite them into the fight rather than pushing them away to keep them safe like he had. Even his parents would support a human ghost hunter. Form a truce he never got.    

Maybe Danny should just stay here. There was no longer a place for him to go back to. Danny doesn’t even know how long he’s been gone. It could’ve been years. Everyone has probably moved on. Mourned him for good. And they should! He was dead! Fully this time. Ghosts had no place with humans. It only leaves them more hurt, longing for the spark of life that their counterparts hoarded greedily. If he did go back, how long could he stay? Tucker and Sam were still alive, for now. They would grow up, leave Amity, have families and die. He wouldn’t be able to join them (and he hopes they don’t join him).   

More snow flurried down in the shack and ice cracked around him. He needed to stop this. He didn’t have time to mourn himself right now. He had to make a plan. He had to get home. He had to…  

Danny just wanted someone here with him. He was so sick of being alone. He has been alone for so long now, even before he ended up here. He pushed everyone away and now he finally had no one.   

The gentle snow was thickening into a blizzard, cold and harsh. Danny should be able to feel it around him, feel the chill seep into his bones and redden his nose, but since waking up everything’s been numb. He wants to feel something again, even if it hurts. Danny wanted it to hurt so bad he felt alive again. He wanted to chase it down and grab it by its neck and never let go. He didn’t care if it hurt him. He didn’t care if it hurt anyone. He needed it.   

Realization hit.   

This was obsession.   

Danny had judged the other ghost before for letting it blind them. He thought it was merely a pull to follow a path. But it was much more than that. It was a need. But that didn’t make sense. Danny had been saving people. He had been feeding his core. He shouldn’t be like this, not this soon. What if it wasn’t his obsession lashing out, but his very core.   

Ghosts are very emotional, they are made of emotion. Everything they do is influenced by it. They were like teenagers with underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes. An emotionally unstable ghost was a dangerous ghost, not just to others, but themselves. Sadness is such an addictive emotion, it can drag you down and keep you. But sometimes it can be so soft and gentle, it can take your hand and hold you when no one else will.   

Some ghosts get lost in it. Their forms change and their cores crack from the stress. Danny had seen it happen before with Klemper. During a fight, Klemper kept pleading for a friend, and Danny, as always, refused to listen. It had only been a year after the accident and Danny thought he knew ghosts. That was his mistake. Klemper had shattered right in front of him.   

Danny went to the other ghosts for either support or just an explanation. They weren’t surprised. Klemper had been in decline for a long time. Even if someone had reached out, it would’ve been too late to pull him out. Danny still blamed himself.   

The storm started to lessen as Danny sat defeated on the ground. He laid down, staring into the snow and stars.   

He wasn’t okay.   

For the first time Danny admitted to himself that he wasn’t okay. He hadn’t been okay for a while. Danny had died and was trapped in another dimension, and he had no idea how to get home. He could feel the sting of tears behind his eyes. Danny closed them tight. His brow knitted together, and he let out a choked sound. Then another. And another. He curled into himself as it flooded out, shaking. It climbed up his ribs and tore out his lungs like a broken dam. He cried like a baby.  

The warehouse was filled with the sound of wet sobs and rain. 

He cried for his home.   

He cried for his friends.   

But most importantly, he cried for himself.   

For the things he won’t get to see,   

For the things he won’t get to do,  

For the life he won’t get to have.   

And he cried.  

Chapter Text

Danny had cried well into the morning. He was confused when he got up, still reeling from the way his muscles felt. It was as if he had just done a high intensity outwork but got a massage after. He felt lighter and limberer than he had before. He didn’t realize how much his sadness had weighed him down. He was a ghost now, he had to be careful to not let it get too bad. His cheeks flushed green from remembering it all, he hadn’t cried like that since he was a kid. Still, he was thankful for the experience. Things in this world may not be immediately better, but Danny knew it would be fine. It had to be. 

He decided to take a break from finding the portal. His desperation and uncertainty about finding a way back had helped lead him to the events of last night, and while it did feel nice, he didn’t want to repeat that anytime soon. He was so busy searching and spending time at the library, he had neglected one very important thing…Actually exploring the place! He couldn’t believe he went this long in a foreign dimension and country, without going to all the touristy spots!

Danny slipped into his new ‘disguise’. He had thrown away his old get up (people looked at him with sneers and disgust when he passed by) and replaced it with some newer clothes. Danny didn’t have any money in this world (yet), so he ‘borrowed’ it from an unopened box behind a building. No one would be able to tell it was stolen, and just assume it was a mix up in inventory. It was all hero merch by the looks of it, and by the end, Danny looked like a major fanboy with something to prove. His bounty was a yellow hoodie with a hero or a hero DJ he hadn’t heard of (which isn’t saying anything since Danny didn’t know any heroes). Along the arms was the name ‘Present Mic’ in a weird red font. It also had zippers in just random locations that while it did match with the rest of the look, it was too much. Honestly Danny thought it was too loud, but beggars can’t be choosers. His bottom half of his jumpsuit already looked like cargo pants, so he didn’t need to hide them. What he did need to hide was his face. His ‘face’ has been plastered in more and more places since he started his nightly portal and saving people. Even if they didn’t share the same features, the description of blue skin and floating white hair was a match. A weird black and white baseball cap with a fin on top and big teeth as the visor, and a black mask (with more teeth) would do the job to cover the bottom of his face. Honestly Danny looked so ridiculous that he looked like a celebrity trying (horribly) to blend in. 

Instead of exploring the city from above, he put on his land legs and walked with the people. The architecture was a lot more impressive from below, every building had amenities for different types of quirks. People also left personal touches into the city to make it look nice. There were rugs in the entry of small shops, flowers were allowed to bloom (within reason), and the occasional piece of graffiti made the city feel lived in and alive. The only city Danny had been to was Springfeild, but that was during a school trip. Here there were no teachers to keep you from getting lost or seeing the more interesting sights. Danny’s whole goal today was to get lost and see the interesting sights!

He didn’t have any money, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still sight see. Danny walked along the main road, occasionally going into a few shops. One was a Hero Museum that had free entry. He walked past the trap that was the gift shop and into the main hall where it displayed the current top heroes. The most prominent figure was a large man who looked like a buff American flag. Danny cringed. He didn’t know if the guy was actually American, or just liked the aesthetic (Danny preferred if it was the latter, it’s weird to be that patriotic). A boy was staring at the figure star struck beside him. Wait, Danny recognized him…

🥦

Izuku Midoriya had been stressing over the midterms. They weren’t due for another few weeks, but that didn’t stop his anxiety from rising. He had been studying and training for both the knowledge and practical continuously for 12 hours now. He had a leg up from his classmates since his internship only lasted a week, he could do whatever he wished with the extra time. No surprise, he spent that time training with Full Cowling. He was still only able to reach 5% without breaking any of his bones, even trying to break beyond that had resulted in his wrist getting tweaked. He pushed through and trained with a support on. He just had to be better . 

All Might had eventually found him on the same beach where he had trained and given him his quirk at. He gave him the same advice he did then, which was to not push himself. He had given him some money and made him take a break, “Enjoy your weekend, young Midoriya!” he said. So Here Izuku was now, at a Hero Museum looking up at his mentor. He used to come here with Kacchan when they were kids. They would look up at the big statues and gush about their favorite heroes. Kacchan would go to where the All Might statue stood, proud and unmoving, and say, “this is where I’ll go someday. I’m gonna be even bigger than All Might!” Izuku thought he was ridiculous, but if someone could do it, it was him. They hadn’t been here together in years… 

Izuku noticed somebody was staring at him. He jumped back, startling him and the people around them. He started fidgeting his hands in a placating manner. 

“Oh sorry, you just surprised me.” Izuku stammered. He should really be more aware of his surroundings, but he was lost in his head, like always.

“No I should apologize, I have a talent for scaring people.” The guy was wearing a lot of hero merch that hadn’t been released yet. Even the online stores only showed blurry previews of the merch. They were supposed to come out when summer break started! This kid must be rich or have serious connections. 

“Are you okay? You’ve just been staring at me?” The guy cocked his head at him slightly. 

“Oh yeah, sorry. I was just looking at your clothes” Izuku awkwardly stated. He really wanted to ask him how he got it…

“Yeah I must look pretty silly wearing all this…” the guy, which Izuku guessed was only a little bit older than him, maybe a 3rd year, rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. He seemed embarrassed, but it was hard to tell with the hat and the mask covering his face. 

 “Not at all!” Izuku shouted, which made the older teen and others look at him weirdly again. “You look really cool! Most of what you’re wearing isn’t out yet! Where did you find it? Did you win an auction or do you have secret connections? They aren’t supposed to come out until the 27th!” 

“Uhhhhhh….” Oh great, he probably scared him away, “My dad works with the manufacturer?” He sounded unsure, he probably wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.

“That’s so cool! You’ve probably gotten to meet a bunch of heroes! I know a lot of them like to oversee and visit their merch projects.” 

“Oh yeah I’ve met a few,” He laughed awkwardly, “I didn’t get to talk to them of course, they were too busy…doing hero stuff to stay long.” He fidgeted with his gloves. They were white and looked like they were made of a high grade vinyl. 

“Oh, are the gloves for your quirk?” Through the peaks of skin Izuku got, he could tell the teen’s skin was blue. It could be a quirk trait like Mina’s. He could have some kind of acid quirk similar to hers, but maybe it leaked more? And that's why he needed the gloves?

“Wha-yes! Yes they are…” he stopped playing with his gloves and took one off, “I get cold.” He reached out his hand to Izuku, presumably to touch. He was right. He was cold . It was way below 37°C and the touch left a small pain on his hand. It made sense he wore the gloves, whether that be for himself, or to not affect the surrounding areas. It could be a mutant type quirk then if he was always like this, or maybe just an unstable emitter quirk since Izuku didn’t know if he could make ice or not. On the teen’s hand, particularly the knuckles, Izuku noticed there were thin faded scars. He must’ve been in a lot of fights. The teen must have noticed his staring as he quickly pulled his hand away and put the glove back on. 

Not wanting to fail the interaction, Izuku burst out the big guns, “My name’s Midoriya, what's yours?” He reached out his hand, showing off similar scars. 

The teen looked at him. Izuku didn’t know what he was thinking without seeing his face, but after a second, the teen grabbed his hand and shook. 

“My name’s Tucker.” That was a very American name, which wasn’t rare here, it was just uncommon. Now that Izuku thought about it, the teen did have a weird accent. He must’ve moved over from the states at a young age to know Japanese so well. 

“Is All Might your favorite hero?” It made sense if he was American. All Might probably reminded him of home. “He’s amazing isn’t he?! Have you seen his debut video?! I must’ve added a million views to it. He’s the one who Inspired me to be a hero! The way he’s able to smile no matter how dangerous the situation puts civilians at ease and gives them hope. I hope I can have the same impact,” Izuku was beaning! He was such a fanboy…

“Who’s that?” Tucker just looked at him blankly. Izuku got a peek at his eyes, which were glowing green. A slight chill went up his spine. 

“Him,” Izuku awkwardly pointed to the display. The teen quickly looked at the plague below and started to aggressively nod his head. 

“Oh yeah, he’s great! Classic for a reason, huh?” He put his hands into his pockets and looked back at Izuku, “he’s so cool the way he… fights crime and punches stuff?” The teen sounded unsure. Izuku didn’t think he deserved his fancy merch. 

★

“So who is your real favorite hero, then?” Deku asked. They had kept walking together through the museum. He had learned alot about heroes from letting the boy ramble. He was just happy that the kid was alright. Danny was worried about him from when he fought Stain, he was so broken he was barely able to walk. It had hardly been a few days since then, but now the boy was up and around with more energy than Danny thought possible. It made sense that there were probably healing quirks in this dimension, although while he had most of the casts off, he still had a wrap around his wrist. 

“I told you that it was All Might, right?” Danny looked down at the shorter teen. 

“Yeah, but I don’t believe you,” while hanging out, Danny also learned that this kid was a major fanboy. “You didn’t seem too excited to talk about him or really know anything about him,” they stopped in front of a familiar hero on display. He was a big man wearing a big yellow hoodie with the hood pulled up, he looked kinda like a frog peeking out. The plaque below read, “BMI Hero: Fat Gum.” He was the 58th hero, but seemed to be pretty well-known if he had a display already. Danny cringed. 

“I don’t like that guy, too much.” Danny pointed with his thumb to the hero. Their last interaction left a bad impression in his mouth. Deku swung his head at him in shock. He had a fire in his eyes.

“Why?!” Danny had seen the boy give many a crazed fan boy speech, and so knew the signs. He started racking his head for reasons that wouldn’t give away his past. From what he’d seen, the hero just started hating him for no reason. Sure, Danny learned later that he was breaking the law by using his ‘quirk’, but he didn’t deserve to be looked at like that.

“Didn’t he like…” he made various hand gestures, some of them implying magic. 

“No?!” he gasped. The boy looked scandalized. 

“Oh, I must’ve gotten him confused with another hero…” maybe it was a Danny problem all along. 

“ Probably Endeavor… ” he heard him mumble, “But I hear he’s pretty nice.” he hummed, “His quirk is really something, though. He can absorb all types of hits and blows so he has a pretty strong defense, but if that fails he’s able to trade in his fat storages for offensive power and deal massive blows, that’s only happened to him a few times before because he likes to end his battles quickly. And despite his weight, he’s able to react and move around quickly!” Deku then went into hypotheticals regarding his quirk usages and limits. They had only hung out for about an hour, but Danny learned more about the world and quirks from this kid than the libraries. Danny smiled to himself from under the mask.

“Yeah, he sounds pretty strong,” Danny nodded along to the information. 

“So, who is your favorite hero?” The kid wasn’t gonna let the topic go. 

“I’ve never really had to think about it before,” it was almost a lie, Danny didn’t have heroes in his world so he never had to pick, “But from all I’ve seen? Maybe Gang Orca?” He was only made aware of him a few minutes ago, but from how the boy spoke of him, he seemed pretty cool. 

“What do you like about him?” such a fanboy.

“I guess I like his shick? I like how he uses his menacing looks to his advantage, and how people still respect him and look up to him as a hero. I know that's a shallow reason, but I think it’s powerful to embrace the parts of you that people reject. Plus he looks really cool.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck. Honestly there were probably better answers to give, but that one just came out.

“Is that why you like him so much?” The boy looked at him with big eyes. Danny knew he couldn’t see his face, but it felt like the boy saw right through him.

“What?” He barely managed to get out.

“Because he’s like you? Is that why you wear the mask?” Danny dug his hand deeper into his pockets. He couldn’t respond. The kid didn’t look like he knew how those words affected Danny. 

“Sure, kid.” He patted the kid on the head and started walking away to the next exhibit. 

“Hey, wait!” the kid called out as he ran after him. Danny could’ve brushed him off, ditched him now before he became too much trouble…

But he didn’t.

He stopped in front of another display and waited for the kid. He’d let him follow for a little while more. 

★

They left the museum a little while later, having already made it through all the exhibits. Danny had to pull Deku away from the gift shop. They just walked throughout the city for a while, with Deku talking and Danny listening. He talked about quirks, about All Might and about how he was going to school to become a pro hero and save people. The kid was sweet, if a bit awkward. He reminded Danny of himself when he was his age (before the accident). How long did it take him to lose that spark? He didn’t want the same to happen to Deku. Damn , Danny felt like an old man. He was still only 17. 

They stopped in front of a TV store. Most of the TVs were playing some soap drama or sports game, but a few played the news. No surprise they were talking about the Phantom ‘group’. Just like in his world, he was wanted. At least here he didn’t have to worry about a shady government agency like the GIW. The news was talking about how the police have several leads about Phantom’s identities, and were close to catching them. Yeah right . As if Danny would let himself get caught. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair from any cop since he was in Hosu. No matter the world, cops couldn’t be bothered to do their jobs. Here they were even more of a joke since the heroes took care of most of the crime. 

Deku was looking at the sketch on the screen with a far off look in his eyes. Danny nudged his shoulder and that seemed to break him out of it. He laughed softly, but looked down. 

“Not a fan of ‘Phantom’?” Danny had to ask. He had seen how scared the boy was when he defeated that weird mutant-thing. 

“No…It’s just” The kid was talking with his hands and flashes of emotion flashed across his face, mostly confusion and… pity? “I met him once. Or one of them? That’s what the news says, but I’m not completely sure. I saw him use at least 3 quirks.”

“That must’ve been scary.” Danny kept picking. The kid looked almost ashamed, as if he was the one who did something wrong.

“No, he wasn’t.” the kid switched to messing with his fingers, “he saved me and my friends from Sta-From a bad man. He was nice and even helped carry me when I was hurt…something just doesn’t feel right about it…” 

“Who knows,” Danny patted the kid’s head again, “If you believe what the news says, then they should have them into custody in no time.” Danny tried to reassure the kid, but he still looked lost. 

“I’m not sure if I want that to happen. He looked so sad when he flew away…I just don’t know.” Deku lazily shrugged. 

“Hey, you talked before about how you were taking a break from training? How would you feel if I said I could help you out with that?” Danny no longer wanted to talk about this–to talk about himself. It left him with a twisting feeling inside. The kid looked excited, and immediately perked up. 

“Oh, okay,” Deku snapped up, looking nervous, “Are you sure? I don’t know if you had any…training?” The kid seemed flighty. 

“Geez kid, you calling me weak?” Danny laughed. The kid stammered some more and backpedaled. 

“Ahh that’s not what I meant, I uhh” Danny laughed more and ignored him. The kid was gonna be alright.

Chapter Text

Izuku took him to the beach he was at earlier. The sun was beginning to set, and it cast a nice purple glow over the water. It reminded him of when he first got his quirk from All Might. Although that happened in the morning, the colors were the same. Tucker stood several paces back across the beach, stretching.  

They both decided that quirks weren’t allowed, since as Tucker said, “ they were in different leagues ” Tucker probably didn’t have the best control over his quirk, but Izuku wished he wasn’t so hard on himself. Still, the fight would be hard. The way Tucker moved was practiced, deliberate . He remembered the scars on his knuckles and knew the teen had lived through worse than a friendly spar.  

Despite them not fighting with quirks, Izuku still needed to deduct what Tucker’s quirk was, or more importantly, how it affected his body (aside from his cold hands). He would have to be careful not to come into contact with his gloves since he didn’t know how well it did at controlling Tucker’s internal temp in fighting situations. Izuku noticed that Tucker had yet to remove any of the extra layers he had on, hat and mask included.  

“Are you sure you don’t wanna take your hat off? It would be easier to see,” Izuku called out. Tucker’s flexibility was amazing, judging from the stretching positions. Another thing to watch out for.  

“I’m fine. It keeps the sun out of my eyes.” 

Izuku didn’t point out how the sun was already setting. Even though they had plenty of light from the sun and streetlights meters away, most of the beach was encased in shadow. Maybe his eyes are more sensitive to light because of his quirk? No, that doesn’t make sense with the cold. Snow blindness? Despite spending all day with him, Tucker was still a mystery.  

Tucker stood up, finishing his warmup. Izuku was already loose from earlier, and so he was basically ready when they got there.  

“Shouldn’t we set up some more ground rules?” Izuku called out once more. He could tell Tucker was strong in his own right, but he was still nervous for him. 

“Scared you're gonna hurt me?” Tucker teased. He still hadn’t let that go. “Uhh, how about not kill each other? And no serious injuries like broken bones? Simple enough.” Izuku felt that was pointed at him somehow.  

“That’s it?” He was concerned. 

“And use common sense,” Tucker shrugged, “If you don’t think you should do it, don’t do it. Ready?” Tucker just stood there, not even shifting into a battle stance. 

“Ready.” Izuku called back. Tucker still didn’t move. He must be waiting for Izuku to strike first.  

Suddenly, it felt like he was in a trap. All of Izuku’s senses were telling him to run, that there was a predator in front of him, and he couldn’t win. He had felt the same thing with Phantom when he took down that Nomu. Could this be another aspect of his quirk? But that still didn’t make sense how it could tie in with cold, or maybe the quirk wasn’t just that, but temperature manipulation entirely? Maybe Izuku was still unsure of how to fight Tucker, and that’s why he was stuck? Nothing made sense.  

“Not gonna go?” Tucker teased, “Fine,” he fell into a fighting position, “Then I’ll start.”  

Tucker was faster than Izuku thought. In just a second, he was already over the 3 meters that separated them. Izuku was trapped by the glow of his eyes as he was struck in the shoulder. The hit wasn’t hard, just a small jab, but its contact was a shock to his system. He squatted down, just barely able to avoid the second hit.  

Tucker kicked out his left leg, but Izuku was able to grab hold of it. He jumped up, and using the momentum, was able to flip Tucker behind him. He turned around to see him do a handspring and land a few paces back, not a hair out of place. Even his hat sat undisturbed on his head.  

“Nice job shifting your weight!” Tucker commented, “I really thought I was gonna be able to get you with that kick, but you just threw me!” His voice was cheerful, but a chill went down his spine, and for the second time that day, he couldn’t move. “You’re really strong, Deku! Come on, It’s your turn.” Hearing his hero name put him into action.  

Izuku lunged at him, his fist clenched into a firm punch. Tucker turned his body, shifting himself behind Izuku at the last second before it could land. Their backs were together, and he was too slow to avoid the jab in the back of the rips that Tucker sent. Again, it wasn’t too hard.  

Izuku pivoted to one foot and tried sweeping Tucker’s feet, but he was too fast.  

“You gotta focus on defense with unknown opponents,” he stood there, open, just a few paces back, “let them reveal their hand while you watch how they fight.” Izuku lunged again, but he easily dodged the punch, “At least that’s what I’ve been told, but I was never good at defen-” Izuku was able to hit him in the side.  

“Wow! You hit hard!” Tucker was holding his side for a second, but let go, “You got me that time, but with other opponents, since you don’t know where they’re going, make sure to have an attack you can shift into if it goes wrong,” He still sounded playful.  

Tucker was toying with him, but at the same time giving him advice? Was this still a friendly spar to him? What he was saying was good advice, and when he did hit, it was never that hard, like a kid playing with toddlers. Izuku may as well use this.  

“Done already?” Tucker teased. He looked no worse for wear, like he was just stepping out of the house for the day.  

Izuku, through breathy words said, “No. Just waiting for your turn.”  

“That’s what I was hoping for.” Tucker lunged for him, but this time Izuku was expecting it. He was, just barely, able to dodge the hit and grab his forearm. He pulled him down and rotated it in its socket. Tucker was pinned under him on his stomach. He was able to see more of Tucker’s face from this angle, his sharp ears and white hair blowing in the wind from where it wasn’t under the hat.   

“You have a good grip, but you shouldn’t be afraid to pull tighter,” Tucker advised. Izuku grabbed his hand and used it to rotate the arm even more. “Good.” Tucker said, there was no hint of pain in his voice, “but you should worry about keeping all of me restrained.” Just then Tucker hooked his foot around Izuku’s ankle and pulled him off.

“I’m not a good example since I don’t know how many people are able to do that, but you should always make sure they’re restrained.”  

“Okay!” Izuku shouted. He was learning a lot.  

“I wanna tell you, you’re doing a really good job.” Tucker gave him a thumbs up. 

“Thank you,” Izuku bowed respectfully, “I am learning a lot from you!” 

“Aww you’re making me blush,” He teasingly put his hands over his mask. “Do you wanna work on landing hits again?”  

🥦 

“With fast opponents like this,” he dodged a punch, “you gotta anticipate where they’re going,” and another, “not where they are,” and another, “focus on their center.” 

Tucker veered right and finally, Izuku was able to land a hit, not with a punch, but a kick. Tucker didn't seem to expect it, and tripped over, but righted himself quickly before he fell to the ground. They had been at this for a few minutes with Izuku punching at Tucker, and only nailing him a few times. Slowly but surely, Izuku was starting to be able to anticipate Tucker’s movements. He preferred the right but was not right-handed from what Izuku could see. He also fell into a pattern of how he dodged. First two were side steps, then he ducked. Izuku didn’t know if that was how he always fights, or if he was doing it for his benefit. 

“You’re already improving! If I’m not too careful, you might take me down for real!” Izuku still had no information about Tucker. He talked constantly during the spar, but he never let any personal information slip. His comments were always focused on Izuku. He did say one thing earlier that Izuku didn’t understand. He called him Deku .  

There’s no way he could’ve known that name. He could’ve recognized him from the sports festival, but they used their legal names. There was also the fact that he had only recently chosen ‘Deku’ to be his hero name officially, it had only existed in the classroom or for the internships, but both of those, Tucker had no reasonable access to.  He couldn’t even make a name for himself because of the NDA for Stain and… 

Well, that could be one theory.  

It would make sense; the white hair, the eyes, the mask. Tucker (if that was even his real name) was also very casual with him since they met, like they met before. He also questioned him about ‘Phantom,’ which should’ve been a bigger clue. There was one way of testing it.  

“Hey, do you wanna take a break? You’re kinda zoning out.” ‘Tucker’ sounded concerned for a second but didn’t come any closer to Izuku. The sun at this point was completely gone, the only light they had were the lamps and Tucker’s eyes, although the teen didn’t acknowledge it. Maybe he’s just used to it by now? 

“No, I’m alright.” Izuku absently messed with his fingers, “Actually…would you mind uhh if I…used my quirk a little?” He had a plan, but he didn’t know if he liked that plan.  

“Sure!” Tucker beamed, “I was hoping you would ask that.” he settled into a fighting stance, although Izuku knew he had no intention to attack first, “by the way, what is your ‘quirk’?”   

Maybe it wasn’t him, he was pretty sure Phantom had seen him use his quirk. He could just be playing dumb, too.  

“I have a strength amplifying quirk,” It was the closest thing to the truth. After a beat, “What’s your quirk?” Izuku called back, curiosity getting the better of him. 

“I’ll tell you if you win,” Tucker laughed at him. He knew that wouldn’t happen. “Ready when you are.” 

Izuku breathed in deeply. He lowered himself to the ground, slowly letting full cowling flow into and over his limbs. After a second, he lunged for Tucker. Tucker gasped, the cold night air making it blue, and he remained in the same spot. Izuku extended his leg into a kick, right for Tucker’s hat. He realized what he was doing and was able to grab his leg before it connected. Izuku, listening to the advice from before, rotated his attack and twisted his body to punch him. It hit his shoulder, too low , and Tucker stumbled back, letting go of his leg. His eyes were glowing brighter.  

Izuku didn’t let that distract him. He continued his assault with a barrage of punches and kicks. Tucker stopped dodging like he had before and blocked most of them. Izuku felt a few solid hits land into Tucker, but the teen had no reaction to them.  

“Another thing about faster opponents is that they usually hit hard at first but start to slow down after a while. You just gotta outlast them,” Tucker was clearly talking about him. 

Izuku jumped back, trying to get enough room to think. Unlike in the sports festival, the environment was flat and gave no natural advantages to either of them. Tucker had a leg up in short range attacks, not to mention his flexibility and resilience. Izuku did have one advantage, however small it may be. Tucker still hadn’t taken off his hat or hoodie. It was a cheap trip, but Izuku could use that.  

Izuku watched Tucker from across the beach. His body seemed to blend into the background, his glowing eyes being the only thing that gave his location away.  

Izuku launched himself into the sky, aiming right for Tucker. He still didn’t move. Izuku aimed a punch right for his head, but it was easily blocked by his forearm. Izuku expected that, and rotated himself in the air like he learned from Kacchan, and went to grab his hat. Tucker's eyes widened, realizing Izuku's motives. With great flexibility, Tucker raised his leg all the way up into a split, and kicked Izuku out of the sky, hard .  

Tucker froze at what he had done, but that didn’t stop Izuku from advancing. He punched and kicked at Tucker, not giving him a second to recover. Most of them hit with Tucker still being too stunned. This was his chance.   

Izuku aimed a punch at Tucker, but he was starting to recover. He dodged but didn’t back away like last time. He hit him on his shoulder again, softer than before. He still wasn’t taking this seriously . They went back and forth for a while until it finally happened.  

After dodging a blow from Izuku, Tucker stumbles back, unbalanced for the first time. Izuku took his chance and aimed a hit for his head. Tucker was able to duck in time for it to barely miss, but he didn’t escape unscathed this time. The force of the attack had blown his hat away, and it landed wetly a few paces from them.  

Everything stopped. For less than half of a second, the two teens stared at each other, eyes locked in shock and shame.  

Izuku had finally seen Phantom’s face.

Chapter Text

Danny dived for his hat, but he knew it was too late. Deku had seen his face. Danny had seen in slow motion recognition light up the boy’s features. He knew who he was. He cradled the hat in his hand. Inside the cap there was a thick film of ectoplasm, gently glowing. Must’ve been how it stayed on for so long. Danny touched the sticky surface, and like before, it slurped back into him, sending a shiver down his spine. He wasn’t used to that feeling yet. He put the cap back on and stood up to face Deku. 

Danny didn’t know what he was trying to achieve. He should’ve ditched the boy back when he had the chance. He still could, but something made him stay rooted to the spot. Maybe, in his own messed up way, he was looking for a friend, for anyone . The boy still hadn’t run yet, just staring at Danny with those big analytical eyes. He knew the kid was smart, he was probably coming up with a plan of how to destroy Danny (not like it would work). The kid was strong, but he wasn’t that strong. 

Danny readjusted his cap, tilting it up so it no longer casted shadows on his face. He felt stupid for trying to hide it again. Still there was something uncertain in the air. It felt that it wouldn’t be true until the kid acknowledged it. Danny just continued standing there, waiting for the kid to make the first move. 

“Are there more of you?” The boy finally asked. It was not the thing Danny thought he would say first.

“What? You mean like reinforcements?” Danny cocked his head at the question, still off guard. He expected him to scream or yell at him, or call for help, some form of rejection. He liked this better. 

“Well, in the news it says that there are multiple of ‘you’?” Deku was talking with his hands, it was clear the boy was nervous, but also curious.

“Oh the ‘vigilante group’ thing?” Danny cringed, “No, it’s just me here,” he smirked, “but if you see any others that look like me, know I’m the original.” he pointed to himself in the chest. He doubted Deku would ever meet Elle, but it was still fun to mess with the kid. He nodded furiously. During the course of the questions, Deku started to unconsciously move closer to him. Danny sat down on the sand, and the boy followed, not even paying attention. 

“Will you tell me your quirk now?” The boy asked. He was vibrating in his seat, and his foot shook back and forth slightly. 

“No. You didn’t win.” 

“What?!” The kid’s foot stopped and turned his head sharply towards Danny, his face in his personal bubble. Danny pushed it away like you would a dog with food, and the kid got the message. 

“I said I would tell you if you win.” Danny stated, flicking him on his forehead, “which you didn’t. It was a draw.” That wouldn’t hold the kid off for long, Danny just didn’t know how to answer him yet. He still didn’t understand enough about quirks to come up with a convincing lie. At first they seemed pretty simple; super strength, super speed, but then you have people who can, like, twist their body inside out? And then get stuck like that? Or at least that's what one very click-baity article said (he didn’t read it). What would he even call his quirk? The Ghostly Hero: Phantom- His quirk; Dead! He laughed to himself. 

They were facing towards the sea. The sun was eaten by the horizon, and in its place laid the moon. It pulled the tide in, making the waves dance and sing. A gentle breeze sent a salty aroma towards them. He closed his eyes and let it all envelope him. Since dying, Danny had lost a lot of physical sensation, everything feeling numb or burned off, but he has been more in tune with the metaphysical. He would fly past sights like this before, but now he felt like a part of it. It was peaceful. Perhaps that’s only a perceptive you get when you’re closer to death; like being old or a ghost. 

He looked over at the boy. Right into his big puppy dog eyes, and his heart sank. It was too much like Elle’s when she wanted something. Danny groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Fine,” Deku immediately perked up, “but I don’t have a name for it, so bear with me.”

“You don’t?” the kid looked confused, “What is it registered under then? Or is the name outdated and you haven’t changed it yet to reflect how it has evolved?”

“It’s not.” Danny leaned back and stretched out his legs before him. Deku just awkwardly shifted his lap, still too pent up. That was fine, Danny was just glad he didn’t run away yet. 

“Wait, so what happened when your quirk manifested? Did your parents just not register it in?!” Danny looked over at the boy. 

“Yeah.” His leg started to shake again. He began muttering to himself, but Danny wasn’t really paying attention. After a beat Danny finally said, “what would you call my quirk?”

The boy's eyes widened and his body went rigid. “I wouldn’t even know where to start?! The only things I know about your quirk is,” he raised his hand and started to count off on his fingers, “1, you're cold, like all the time. Usually those with ice or other heat manipulation quirks are only slightly hotter or colder, but when they use their quirk it's a more dramatic difference. With you, you’re just always like that which would mean that you’re either constantly using your quirk, or the ice you make is so cold that your body has adapted by becoming comfortable at a lower temperature to not kill you. That in itself is an impressive and powerful feat! I saw pictures on the news of your ice after your fight with the two Nomus. It still hasn’t melted! They had to close down the street and bring in a specialized crew in to chip it all away. The only time that has been heard of is in the Himura family, whose ice can last for a while, even under extreme heat, but even then it’s not to the extreme extent that your quirk is capable of!” The kid had said this all in one breath. Honestly Danny was a little scared of him. The kid took another breath in again.

“As I said before, just that is amazing but then you're also able to fly? Or float?” he shrugged with an intense confused face, “After I saw you fly after that Nomu to save me, thank you by the way, I've been trying to wrap my brain around how it fits into the cold. Leading theories are that you’re able to manipulate the air currents below you to propel you upward? I saw that in a really old movie where the main character had a quirk like you and was able to fly on the wind and make snow storms. This makes more sense to me than you just being able to fly, and also fits into why you didn’t do this when you were fighting Stain-”

“No,” Danny interrupted, “I didn’t do that cause Stain was being a dick for trying to murder children.” Izuku went white and started muttering some more. 

“I don’t know enough about thermal dynamics to know if that’s right or not. For right now, I’m going to assume that it is. Anyway, if that’s the case I can see how the two are connected to one quirk. If that were it, I would say you have a very powerful cold manipulation quirk, but no, because then there’s #3,” All this time Izuku had only been looking at his hands, but he turned wildly at Danny, “The actual physical manifestation of your quirk!” Danny suddenly became aware of the hat and mask he still wore, and took them off. Deku stared at him as if trying to memorize every feature. He gave up after a few seconds and went back to his rant.

“The blue skin, while not necessarily common, I can understand. Scientists still haven’t reached a consensus about the why and the how quirks affect phenotypes. Having an unnatural phenotype is more common in mutant type quirks because of how much their quirk already affects their bodies. 

 I honestly have no idea if you fit into that label anymore. In the fight, when Stain cut you, the sword went through you, like you were made of slime, but then you also have these emitter type quirks? I don’t really understand how they’re all connected, unless you’re made of like, dry ice or antifreeze and everything was just an extension of that, but I don’t understand how‽ Speaking of! How or maybe why did Stain’s mouth melt when he ingested your blood?” Deku stopped talking, just stared at Danny expecting answers. 

“Uhhhh...” Honestly Danny got lost in the conversation a while ago and had no idea what the boy just said. 

“How did your blood melt Stain?” he asked again. 

“Ohhhhh uhhhh…” Danny’s only guess as to why his ectoplasm reacted that way with Stain was because it was probably hungry. This never happened in Amity because of the ecto-radiation always gave small or weaker ghosts something to feed off of, that’s why so many ghosts attacked it. It was the closest thing to the ghost zone in the living realm because of how bad the radiation was. It was like krill to a whale. Here though, Danny was the only supply. After it was cut off from him, it must’ve become unstable and ate at the only biological thing it could. 

He couldn’t tell the kid that so instead went with, “Maybe my blood is antifreeze?” and shrugged. Deku looked ready to murder him. 

“Okay.” He took a breath, “I know that’s not true and you probably won’t tell me.”  

“I mean,” Danny shrugged, I could be a mutant with a real fucked up quirk?” he poked. 

“I already said that your quirk doesn’t really fit that,” Deku looked lost. 

“But what if it does?” Danny answered flippantly. 

The boys started mumbling and his eyes widened in realization, what kind, Danny had no idea.  

“Your parents!” Deku smacked himself on the forehead, “That would make more sense than you having all these random quirks! What one doesn’t make sense for one could be from the other parent! But what type of quirks could they have that would’ve resulted in you? I suppose one of them could be a mutant of some type, that would explain your appearance and…blood? Is that why it’s green? I’ve only heard of a few special cases where that’s happened, and the blood was usually purple, orange or some other mixture of red, never green...”

“Well what is your blood red?” 

“Because of the red blood cells?” Deku looked even more confused at him. 

“Well…” Duh it’s because of red blood cells! Uhhhh okay, “I have green blood cells.” he nodded at himself, “My insides are covered in a weird fungal bacteria that gives it a different hue,” he kept nodding, “it also makes me bioluminescent, in case you were wondering about that…”

Deku, still looking confused, started to nod along with him. “Is that why the shield you made was green? It was just ice with the fungus in it?” 

“Yes?” Danny forgot about that. 

“I guess that explains some of it, but one thing, okay actually a lot of things, still don’t make sense, how did you do that thing to the heroes? With the voice? It sounded like a broken radio.” 

“I had something stuck in my throat.” Danny flatly stated. 

“Something stuff in your throat?” 

“Yep.”

“Okay.” 

🥦

It was clear to Izuku that Phantom wasn’t being honest about his quirk. Most of what he said or how he explained it just didn’t make sense, and the parts that did didn’t fit into anything that Izuku knew about quirks. He had a theory at the back of his head for a while now about Phantom’s quirk, or rather quirks. He had read many blogs dedicated to the young vigilante ‘group’ and most always talked about the different members' quirks. Those who said it was probably just one guy with multiple quirks got booted. Most people, including Izuku, couldn’t picture someone with multiple quirks. 

All Might had told him about his fight with All For One and how taking down the villain cost him his stomach. Izuku didn’t think All For One stayed down. The LOV had the Nomus, but where did they come from? All Might had let it slip one time that they used to be people who were subjected to horrible experiments to jam more quirks into their bodies than it could take. Who had the resources or the power to do that? Izuku thinks he knew the answer. 

But how did Phantom fit into all this? Something nimbled at the back of his brain saying there was some link there. 

Izuku needed to talk to All Might. 

“Was there anything I got right?” Izuku prodded. It was clear the teen wasn’t going to tell him anything about his quirk. He couldn’t blame him. He himself had only ever told one person about One For All, and he didn’t even believe him. He couldn’t imagine the history Phantom had with his quirks. 

“Yeah no, you got basically all of it.” Phantom waved off. 

They fell into silence, with Phantom staring out into the water, seemingly content with being the enigma he was, and Izuku puzzled over their conversation. It was certain that Phantom had a cold manipulation quirk of some kind, an aerodynamic quirk, and had a mutation at play. Phantom could have more quirks than this, but this was the closest starting point he had. Phantom’s underwhelming reaction to his theory about his ice and flight quirk, proved they were not connected.

…which meant he really could fly just because. Izuku tried hard not to let envy root inside him. Phantom wasn’t lucky because he had multiple quirks, he was the opposite. Besides, Izuku had a quirk now, plenty of people would be jealous of him. He sighed, looking out at the beach. It really was a nice view. 

They didn’t talk much the rest of the night, only the occasional space or star fact that Phantom was eager to tell him. It was nice. Izuku hadn’t known Phantom for long, but he felt that they resonated with each other. He was aware it could be a trap, that Phantom had sought him out on purpose to befriend and betray him, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Something about Phantom put him at ease, that he could trust him and was safe with him. 

Before he knew it, Izuku was starting to nod off. His eyes were starting to get blurry, and he fought all he could to keep them open. He hit something soft and realized Phantom had caught him before he could hit the sand. Even with the hoodie on, Izuku could feel the cold spreading from Phantom. 

“I think it’s time to say goodnight.” A gentle voice said. Izuku couldn’t hear it. All of the exhaustion from the day finally had caught up with him. He has been awake training for nearly 24 hrs. 

“Are you able to walk?” the voice asked, he was pretty sure it was Phantom, “okay, let me get your phone to see where you live, is that okay?” Izuku nodded, but his head was too heavy to do anything more. 

Izuku felt something warm and soft draped over him. He creaked open his eyes slightly, still too tired to do anything else. He was moving through his neighborhood, but he couldn’t feel his feet touching the ground. He moved his head slightly and caught sight of white hair and the back of Phantom’s hat. The adjuster on the back was pink and shaped like a tongue for Gang Orca’s tie. Cute, Izuku thought. He would have to get his own when they came out. 

“Hey buddy, we’re almost there, alright?” his eyes drifted back closed. 

“Hi honey,” his mom’s voice was soft, but still startled him and he opened his eyes, only to shut them again due to the bright light from inside the house. She stroked his cheek and he could hear her laugh. “He hasn’t been like that since he finished training for UA.”

“I can carry him to his room?” 

“Thank you so much,” He could hear his mom’s smile. 

He felt the grip around him get tighter as he was hauled up the stairs. 

“Come on tough guy, let's get you into bed.” he was dropped down onto his bed, and settled into the pillows easily, as if he were there in the first place, and felt the comforting weights of blankets wrapping over him. Phantom tried to grab his hoodie from him, but Izuku wouldn’t let go. He pulled it closer to him and used it as a stuffed animal. 

Izuku heard Phantom laugh and then close the door. His mom was talking to him, but he had no idea what she was saying. Their soft voices were like a lullaby and Izuku succumbed entirely to sleep after that, feeling safe.

Chapter Text

Danny felt more alive after spending the day with Deku. It had been so long (or at least felt that way) since he had last hung out with anyone, dead or alive! He had been flying in circles around the tight shack since he got back, too full of energy to do anything else. 

Someone had accepted him! Not only that, but the boy (so far) took it in stride the same way his sister had when she found out. Actually, that was wrong. She was very distressed about Danny’s status, but she was able to pull herself together for his sake. Danny smiled at the bittersweet memory. 

The boy had a lot of questions though, and even now Danny had a hard time answering them. He never had to think about his powers before, they just were. He could fly and go intangible because that's what all ghosts could do. He wasn’t that strong when he started out, getting stuck in a door or wall was a daily occurrence for him, but as more and more ghosts started attacking, the more powerful he became (seemingly out of necessity). No longer did he have to solely rely on flight and Fenton tech, but he had ectoblasts and later ice blasts. 

Despite using the ice so often, Danny barely understood how he got it or why. It was the year after he died that he started to get cold, really cold. It started slow at first, just a chill along his arms at all times, but over the course of days it had gotten worse. His bones ached and his limbs were frozen. He spent a whole week with chattering teeth in bed unable to move. It took his parents days to finally notice, and that was because the school called. When they found him shivering in bed, desperately trying to speak but unable to, they berated him. They called him stupid for getting this sick in the first place (as if he could control it) and just gave him cold medicine and walked away. It was his sister who saved him. She contacted his friends and with their help, took him to the Far Frozen. 

Once there, Danny had already started feeling better. Frostbite said that it was his core developing, but it was very unusual that it happened like this. Ghosts are pure ectoplasmic beings, jam packed with the painful emotions of their life and death. When they form, it swirls and festers within them, feeding off those emotions until a Core is formed. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, never a year after the fact. A ghost isn’t considered a ghost until it has a Core. 

Frostbite’s only theory was that since Danny’s ghost half wasn’t formed from pure ectoplasm (just from the filtered ectoplasm to run the portal), that’s why this was happening so late. As Danny’s ghost half started getting stronger, it started to be able to absorb and filter in his own ectoplasm, either from fighting ghosts or by spending time in the ghost realm. The reason why his human half was suffering was because he wasn’t truly half ghost and half human, for no such thing could exist. His two sides were muddied and dirty with what should belong to each half, and so they stole and borrowed from eachother in an attempt to stay stable. But the weak shall always lose, slowly as his ghost form was getting stronger, his human side was getting weaker. Being dead was killing him. 

Frostbite’s solution to this was to give Danny pure ectoplasm supplements so his ghost side can have enough energy to finish the core, as well as recommend visits to the Ghost Zone to not repeat the issue. He spent that night in the Far Frozen, Frostbite telling him the myths and legends that made up the history of The Realms. Danny couldn’t pay attention, still in too much pain to process the information, but he appreciated the distraction. Danny woke up in his ghost form that morning and felt stronger than ever. He thanked Frostbite and flew back to the home portal feeling no ill effects from the cold like before. He went to school without issue and when his parents confronted him about it, they gave the credit to the cold medicine they gave him. 

After that was when he started to develop more powers either by necessity or for comfort; One time he used telekinesis to grab the remote, and then never again; while another time, he briefly got atmokinesis to defeat Vortex.  

Now that he was like this, he had an even lesser understanding of his powers. Danny thought about his ice dome from earlier. It had never been that big before. In Amity, he mostly relied on his ectoblast for everything, only using his ice as an afterthought or plan B, like with Overgrowth. It was only after coming into this world that he felt so ready to use his ice. Or maybe it was safer to say after dying, did he use his ice more. 

He had also been able to fly faster. He was always a fast flier, taking to it more quickly than any of his other powers. The sky felt more natural to him than the ground. Only Skulker could claim the title of fastest over him, but it was close. Now, Danny wasn’t sure how big the gap between them was anymore (him now being leagues above Skulker). Danny didn’t have many opportunities to test out how his other powers might have changed, nor did he want to. He didn’t want to think about the damage his wail would be able to achieve now. 

Although, in a world of heroes, Danny supposed someone like him wouldn’t be too much of a problem. He hasn’t run into any real trouble (Stain was so weak he had to pick on kids) since dropping here, and maybe that's a stroke of good luck. Danny would hate to run into a threat that this world took seriously. 

He thought back to the fight with Deku. The kid was strong for human standards, even without his quirk. He could’ve probably beat Stain himself given the right conditions, but he was still wet behind the ears and was probably overwhelmed. Deku had told him how he wanted to be a hero and was even going to school for it. Danny didn’t doubt that the boy sought out the trouble to prove himself. Eh, actually the boy didn’t have enough confidence for that. It was more likely that it was one of his friends that got themself into that predicament and dragged Deku into it. How nostalgic. He had no doubt that the kid could become a hero if given the right training. Danny wished he had a phone to contact the boy, but he hadn’t had one since he was alive. 

Something still lingered at the back of Danny’s head. When the boy used his quirk, his ghost sense went off. He was so shocked he had stopped fighting for a second just to process it. That was the first time since coming into this new world that it happened. The dimension had small traces of ectoplasm everywhere, but nowhere near close enough to the quantities needed for his ghost sense to go off. Is that common here? Quirks being haunted? Maybe ghosts had something to do with his quirk? The boy seemed to only have super strength so that seemed unlikely, unless it was ghost super strength? Could that even be a quirk? And if so, does that mean that someone could have a ghost quirk with all the same abilities as him? This wasn’t right. Danny didn’t know much about quirks, but he did know about ghosts. You had to be dead to be a ghost. Maybe you could have ghost attributes as quirks, but to get the full thing you have to die? He doubted that was the case for Deku. his quirk also seemed sentient, that it was reaching out for Danny. He could feel pain and regret in waves when the boy used his quirk. Now he really wished he had a phone.  

No use crying over dead doves. He doubted he would see the boy again (the fact that they met twice beat the odds), but it was still nice that someone accepted him. The boy knew that he was Phantom, and didn’t run away or turn him in (so far at least). He may not know that Danny is actually a ghost, but Danny didn’t need him to to feel accepted. Danny squashed down the prickly feeling of doubt. Bright sides. This meant that the world was capable of accepting him (in theory)! He just had to hide everything inhuman about himself until they did (just like Amity). If the boy wasn’t proof enough, his mother also extended the same courtesy as her son did. Danny doubted she knew who he was or if she had even heard of Phantom. Still, the world was looking a lot more positive than it had been a few days ago. 

Danny calmed down, still smiling to himself, and sat beside a small ice table he made to house his bounty earlier that day. It had what was left of his disguise; the hat and the mask lay on the table while the jacket resided with Deku. Danny draped it over the kid to keep him warm from his icey skin. Besides, he deserved it more than him, he was obsessed with heroes, apparently even knowing the one featured on the jacket. 

What Danny was currently admiring was worth more than gold to him. In a cute little pink bag were home baked cookies. After he had dropped Deku into bed, his mom had thanked him and gave him these delicious treats. She apologized profusely for them not being fresh, and for the trouble her son caused. Danny just laughed it off, finding the familial resemblance funny. 

He tentatively untied the bag, not wanting to damage it in any way, even though it was meant to be single use, and carefully plucked one cookie out. They were small, more of a snack than a desert, and were shaped into little rabbit heads with mini chocolate chip eyes. Seeing how cute they were Danny no longer wanted to eat them, but it would be rude not to. He might just save one and frame it on his wall. 

Gently, like a horse eating out of a little girl’s hand, he took a nibble out of the left ear. It melted in his mouth and he tasted the sweet sensation of… nothing? Danny frowned at the cookie, confused. He tried another bite, amputating the rest of the ear off. It literally melted in his mouth, there wasn’t even a little bit left to chew. Danny grabbed the bag and floated to where he kept the mirror he made from last time. He stared at himself and the cookie, as if hyping himself up. He got closer to it, his face nearly against the surface, and stuck out his tongue. It was green and clean, no trace of anything ever being in his mouth. He gently broke off the other ear and placed it on his tongue. It started to sizzle before it quickly melted into his tongue. Danny stared open mouthed at the mirror in shock. He wasn't a ghost, he was a slime. 

Danny had a flashback to one of the times he and Ember had hung out. It was after she completely decked the floor with him (he was having a bad day), and they sat atop the Nasty Burger. Danny was eating in between nursing his wounds. He wasn’t really thinking about anything, just enjoying the silence they didn’t get to share much. Ember stared at him, seemingly deep in thought or just unused to the peace, then back into the sunset in front of her, her fiery blue hair cut short (he got her back). She asked him for one of his fries, and popped it in her mouth. She looked so sad afterwards. Danny at first blamed the fries for being cold but then she started to speak, “You lose a lot when you die.” Danny thought that would’ve been obvious, but she continued, “Nothing feels the same, if you can feel anything at all. We don’t need to eat, so we never get hungry. We don’t need to sleep, so we never get tired. You lose out on what makes life worth living because, well, you’re no longer alive so why would it matter to you?” she said this with a defeated look he had never seen before on her, “I never noticed until you came around, with your freakish biology” she let out an empty laugh and suddenly Danny felt guilty, “You’re too solid to be a ghost.” She flicked him on the forehead as if to prove her point, Danny didn’t react, “At first we all thought it was because you were strong, but then you did stuff not even the Ancients could do. And you don’t even seem to realize what you have!” she yelled, her hair blazing wildly, “You just rub it in our faces not knowing how it makes us feel!” she stopped talking, just looked at the basket of fries as if they offended her, they probably had in some way. After a minute she started again, “There’s a reason we hated you so much…” She fiddled with the calluses on her hands, a little that remained from her life before, “You don’t understand how special it is when someone calls your name...” they settled back into silence, both content to watch the day fall into night. 

He thought he understood what she meant that night, but only now did he realize the full depths of what being dead meant. Even if he did make it home, things could never be the same again…

Danny put that thought to the side again (old habits die hard (and so does he)), and packed the traumatized cookie into the bag with the others. Now he didn’t have to feel guilty for eating them. He still felt bad for Deku’s mother, she may not have made them for him in mind, but she still gave them to him as a gift. At least in this case it was the thought that counted. Danny smiled at the sentiment, still buzzed from earlier.  

Then, he felt his heart beat.

Everything stopped. Danny put his hand to his chest and waited for it again. He sat there, frozen, waiting for any kinda sign that it wasn’t his imagination. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. His ears were so focused looking for the sound, everything else faded to static, the silence ringing in his ears. He waited and waited until… There. 

It wasn’t his heart that was beating, but it may have well been. He felt it deep inside himself, a part that he thought was lost, a part he associated with his human half. He gasped, merely from habit, and closed his eyes. Like before, Danny reached down into himself trying to find it, this time knowing what to look for. He reached into his veins, into his muscles, into every fiber and cell that made up his body. Deeper and deep, he still could only find his ectoplasm coursing through him. He started to feel nauseous again, but now he knew it was there, he didn’t give up, couldn’t give up. He went further than he did last time, leagues further, the expanse of himself ever unfolding and falling under his watch. He felt it beat again, sending ripples through him like echolocation, and his senses dove after it. It was sinking and if Danny didn’t catch it now, who knew might it resurface. A little bit more, just a little bit more. His head was starting to rip apart, he didn’t know how much longer he could last. Finally he felt something graze him, like desperate fingers reaching out. He grabbed it firmly, no doubt in his mind what he found, and pulled it out of himself. He gasped and clutched his head in his hands, trying to soothe every part of him that shook from his exploration.

When he came back, he didn’t feel any different. The same far off feeling as before permeated in every corner of his being. He laughed mirthlessly. He failed. Once more he had failed to restore his humanity. He could cry if this wasn’t so funny. But then something caught his eye…

In the abandoned mirror to his side, he locked eyes with blue ones looking back at him.

Chapter Text

Danny jumped back, not expecting it to work. He laughed at his reflection, at his human face. He could go back home, back to his old life! He wasn’t dead, he didn’t die, nothing had to change. He could go back to Amity Park and to Sam and Tucker and continue high school. He could have a life where he laughed with his family while continuing to ignore Phantom. He could eat (he missed food already), sleep, and die! There was freedom in death, true death. He could grow old and he wouldn’t have to mourn his friends, already the idea of him outlasting them was too much (he didn’t wish ghosthood on anyone).  

Things could go back to the way they were, how they should be.  

He reached his gloved hand up to touch his face, his human face. Despite being in his human form, he didn’t feel any different. He still felt static and far off. He crept slowly towards the mirror, as if his own reflection was an animal that would be scared off. Scared and unsure eyes looked back at him. Was this really him?  

His eyes, while mostly blue, the center of his iris was green. The color spread from his eye and touched the blue like the sun touching the sky. He was paler now too, he was always pale as a human, but now he could faintly see the green veins running below the surface. His hair was different as well. A white streak standing out on a black background. He looked like he was paying homage to his dad’s old band.  

This didn’t look right.  

This didn’t feel right.  

He grabbed his cheek and slowly, like a band aid being ripped off, pulled at his skin. It stretched like rubber. Everything froze, and ice traveled up the walls. He was still a ghost. He was still dead.   

Danny quickly realized he was still wearing the hazmat suit. With shaking hands, he pulled off one of his gloves. For the first time since waking up, Danny saw his naked hands. They were blue like the rest of him, but his nails were sharper now, and thick. How many more times did he have to be reminded he was no longer human? With each passing day, he found something new that he had lost. Until he understood, something whispered in his head.  

He ignored the voice and continued his task. It was strange, seeing such monsterly hands attached to a human face. When did he stop being human, and start being a ghost? He traced along his Lichtenberg scars. They were now a neon green from the ectoplasm that flowed beneath. There was a new scar on his wrist, one he didn’t recognize or remember getting. It was perfectly circular and thick with sharp raised edges like barbed wire. Danny rubbed the scar and it still felt tender. He pulled up his sleeve, studying his arm for anything else out of place but found nothing.

His investigation couldn’t stop there. It was clear what he had to do, but he didn’t want to do it. Softly, he grabbed the zipper to the hazmat suit. 

Even back in Amity, his Phantom body was different than his own; he was taller, more masculine and his chest was flatter. Complex emotions woke up inside him everytime he tried to lift his shirt. It was the body that he wanted and longed to have. It felt natural to him, like there was no time before. At the same time, it left him bitter. It taunted him. It said it was something only achievable through death, and so there was no hope in life. He had avoided it every time Sam or Tucker bandaged him up, and later he learned to ignore it in the mirror when it was just him. Eventually as he got more scars, he used that as an excuse to not look at it.  

He envied how his Phantom body looked, and he hated that he did. He felt guilty everytime as Phantom when he would stop and stare at the side of his chest. It felt natural as Phantom, but everytime he changed back into Fenton, the weight returned. Why did Phantom get to have that body while Fenton got nothing? It wasn’t fair, it felt like he was robbed. That was ridiculous of course, how could he even be jealous of himself? 

Now it was all there was left. It was him and he was it, he had to accept it one way or another. Maybe with his human side gone, there will be no more envy (just regret). He clutched his other hand to his chest. No breath came in, no breath came out.  

He finally pulled down the zipper. The material opened to reveal a peak of his collarbones, the rest hidden under an orange tank top (it was blue before the accident). He moved the straps around to see the skin underneath. There were a few scrapes and scars along his collar, long since faded since Danny last got them. More foreign feelings licked his guts. His body had become unrecognizable and was no longer his. He needed to understand this, but his mind rejected every reminder. The scars were now pale and soft, as if time had sanded them down.  

This wasn’t what he was looking for. Just before the collar of his suit was a clean line of pale skin being overtaken by blue. Like a fresh head, sewn onto a rotten corpse. The final part that Freinstein needed. It was almost a mockery of the natural order, and Danny felt sick, looking at it, at himself. He grazed it with his fingers; it was smooth, no bumps or grooves to mark the change.

Curiosity overcame him and stripped the rest of the top part off the suit. He stopped at the belt, and his sleeves fell past his waist. He looked like his mom whenever she was overheating during a project. He grabbed the bottom of his tank top, still apprehensive to expose his bare chest. He closed his eyes to help steal his nerves, and blindly pulled at the fabric. It got stuck in the belt and he had to yank harder to get it all out. Slowly he opened his eyes to the mirror.  

He took a reactive breath in at the overall sight. His eyes went straight for his chest. It looked the same as before, only with more scars covering its surface. The guilt from before jumped up into his throat but he swallowed it down. He didn’t steal it from anyone, and Fenton was gone. Maybe he could learn to love it again.  

There were many other scars that were a crisscrossing mess. Most of the little ones were almost gone, too shallow to leave much impact. There was one scar that Danny had just gotten a few weeks prior that was now barely thicker than a spaghetti noodle. How long was he in the Ghost Zone for? The larger scars from the more intense fights remained, seemingly unaffected by his time away. Most were painful reminders of the lessons he learned, and he had no negative feelings towards them so didn't mind that they remained. There were two, however, that he wished could be washed away.  

The first one, and most distressing to Danny, had started to fade like the others, but it laid boldly on his chest like a declaration. Carved into his skin by a scalpel in a dark basement, was a crude Y. Its form was shaky, the stitches and care being done by trembling 14 year old hands.  

It happened a few months after the accident. Danny was still naïve and inexperienced. He thought that his parent’s threats towards Phantom were empty; that if he proved to them he was good and helped them catch the ghosts, they would change their mind. 

They proved him wrong. He stuck around too long taunting them, and while he was laughing at his own jokes, his mom was firing up her ecto-bazooka. He didn’t know what happened after that, only coming too on the floor of his bedroom, panicked voices over him. It was Tucker that stitched him up, having been taught by his mom, but that didn’t mean he was any good. His hands kept shaking as he cried over him, and Sam frantically searched for any ghost thing that could help in the background. Danny survived of course, but couldn’t stand to be around anyone for a few days, his mind going back to that night… He’s glad he can no longer remember it.  

His parents of course, were none the wiser, instead just bemoaning the loss of their research specimen. Danny swore then to never tell his parents about Phantom. They didn’t deserve to know anything more about him (or maybe he just wanted to protect them).  

A snowflake fell on Danny’s cheek, snapping him out of it. It no longer mattered what they did. They weren’t here and he was okay. Questions echoed in his head about home, did he even want to go back? His core ached at the thought. He did. No matter how many scars it caused or how little he left behind, he wanted to go back. But maybe…maybe he could wait a little bit? Just to settle into his new skin, then he’ll go back. Not like he had much of a choice right now, he had no idea how to get back.   

He raised a blue finger and grazed the scar. It didn’t hurt or sting, it just felt numb. It was smooth too, its edges no longer angry and raised. It would fade in time like the others, a symptom of forgetting his human life and the pain along with it. All ghosts forget their human lives after a while, usually when what they’re searching for can no longer be obtained. They either fade away or become something new. He knew the Ghost Writer was someone before, but after he spent so much time alone in his lair, he forgot his own name. Danny wonders what memories fade first, the good or the bad? Maybe that would help him make the decision (to stay or to go)? Danny felt strangely blasé about it. 

He ran his finger down until he reached the bottom V of his vivisection scar. The tail was eaten by a larger scar that started just before his ribs, the flesh still raw and tender. It was giant with sharp edges, like something had tried to claw itself out of his chest. It sucked him in as he stared at it. He had only seen it as a hole before, back when it was still empty and spilling ectoplasm. He remembered how it felt when Pariah Dark ran him through.  

He felt sick looking at it. He moved his palm down over his stomach where the scar resided. It was filled in but there was a dent where the flesh hadn’t fully settled in, like a single spoon full taken out of a new ice cream tub. The scar wasn’t perfectly shaped, the outline of it being messy and jagged. Danny traced along the outside of it, taking in its shape. It looked like a star. 

Danny took a step back from the mirror to get a full view of himself. It was still snowing around him, and they floated around his head like a halo. This in combination with the moonlight casting upon him and his glowing body made him look otherworldly. If he wasn’t looking at himself, he would think it was some kind of fae disguising itself as a human, something metaphysical and unreal. The gnarly scars on his body shattered the illusion. He was something real, something you can touch, something you can hurt.   

He was an ugly ethereal thing.

Chapter Text

There was one blessing to come out of last night, Danny now could go out into public and not worry about being arrested! Would he be arrested or would they call it being apprehended? He knew nothing of this world’s legal system, the only law he did know was that using your quirk in public without a license was illegal. He supposed that made a little sense? You had to be 16 to get a car license, even if you could reach the pedals when you were younger. They probably had a test that you took around the same age to get the license, so you could understand the responsibility and all that. The news was probably freaking out because they didn’t know if he had one or not. Stupid bureaucracy.  

Still, it’s nice to see his human face again, he had almost forgotten what it looked like. He touched his face again, it wasn’t smooth like human skin, it was tough and didn’t stretch unless he pulled it. He felt like a doll, something non-living trying to replicate being human, being familiar. It was uncanny how every little detail of a ghost was them trying to imitate their human selves. They were so close, but everything little thing set them further apart. It was sad as much as it was desperate. 

Danny sighed. He had to remember, despite everything, it was still him. He still glowed a little, but if he concentrated enough he could turn it off. He also had the pleasure of ignoring his blue skin since the hazmat suit covered everything. If he ignored everything inhuman about himself, he looked like how he did before he went into the portal. Since alternate dimensions and realities exist, maybe this is what he looks like in one of them. A reality where he didn’t die and just got cool powers. Other him was probably still with his family right now…He doubted it though. If such a reality were real, Tucker was probably the mayor because of how little sense it made. Of course he would die if he got zapped to hell and back (literally). But it was pointless to wonder about these types of things. 

Danny snapped back to the task at hand. He still hadn’t gotten the chance to really explore the place. The last time he was out didn’t really count since he was paying more attention to Deku than the surrounding area. Danny has also been putting off looking for the portal so who knows, maybe this time he’ll just walk into it. That’d be convenient. In the end Danny didn’t really need to have a justification for himself to go outside, but it helped him from feeling less lazy. He was (practically) an adult and could do what he liked. 

Right now he was pondering his updated human disguise. While his clothes covered the remaining blue skin, they were so conspicuous that it would give him away immediately (he kinda regrets giving Deku his jacket). All he had left was the hat and mask, but that wouldn’t help at all. He still had his old disguise, but he found it in the garbage and hasn’t washed it since. Danny stared at the clump of old clothes on the floor, it smelled like wet onions. He briefly debated it, he’s been in stinkier situations, but grimaced. He already stole once it’s not gonna hurt to steal again. 

He flew out undetected to the same shop as before. There were no new deliveries since then, so he had to go inside the store warehouse. There were still unpacked boxes so Danny just phased his hand inside and grabbed what felt like a jacket. He didn’t get any time to inspect it before a retail worker (who looked like a cat-boy) walked in. He sat in one of the baskets and started crying about customers. Danny suddenly felt bad for stealing… Not bad enough though, he quickly got out of there. 

He went to an empty alley behind the store to check out his newest steal. It was a zip-up hoodie whose main colors were yellow and white. Something seemed familiar about it but Danny couldn’t put his finger on it. There were also letters on the front with a G sandwiched between two F’s, and had white strips on the arms. It was really starting to bother Danny where he knew this from. Maybe he just saw it at the Hero Museum and the design just got stuck in his head? He did see a lot of heroes when he was with Deku, though that doesn’t mean he paid complete attention (the kid could ramble), but he did try his best. Danny checked the tag and it had a little cartoon of a man with a big body and a little head wearing the hoodie…

OHHHHHH! That’s right, Danny ran into this guy when he first came here. What was his name? Bubble gum? Big Gum? Something like that, he knew it had something to do with Gum. Maybe the guy could stretch out his limbs and body like a character he saw from an anime (it was one of Tucker’s favorites). 

He looked at the jacket and then back at the store, briefly debating returning it and getting a different one. He didn’t want to interrupt the worker there, even if he couldn’t see him (he needed the space), and it wasn’t that big of a deal. The hero was just weird (which was a crime Danny was also guilty of). It didn’t really matter in the end what he wore, as long as he covered his upper half (the bottom passes as cargo pants). He put the jacket on without any more hassle. 

He looked at his reflection in a store window close by. He looked pretty human if he did say so himself. The standard wasn’t high here either, he did just see a cat boy, after all. No ones gonna notice or care if he has sharper than normal canines or gray hairs. He could always wear the mask and put the hood up if anyone stared. That was probably a good idea. It would be bad if anyone recognized him as Phantom, even if he looks different now.

Now reassured, Danny walked into the throng of people outside the alley. He had no way of tracking time here (time flies by when you're dead), but from all the teens in the street it must’ve been a weekend (that or after school). He missed weekends (when ghosts didn’t attack) and he got to be a kid again. He was only 17, how did he get so old so fast? 

He lifted his hood up and joined the throng. He had no idea where he was going so just followed wherever felt right. He was downtown and so got to see plenty of shops. He still had no money, so he didn’t go into most of them. One he did go into was whatever the Japanese equivalent of a bodega was. It was humid and smelled bad, but temperature didn’t affect him and he didn’t need to breathe so he was able to browse around comfortably. It was mostly hero themed knick-knacks and off-brand American brands (or maybe it was the brand in that dimension?). Most of the hero stuff was that buff guy Deku was into, Danny was pretty sure his name was All Might (that was one of the only names that stuck since the kid kept talking about him). He looked like if the American flag threw up and a baby crawled out of it (like the girl from The Ring) and then grew up to be a hero. Danny cringed. It was too much. They also had other figurines like an angry looking fire-man, but Danny didn’t recognize any of them. He must’ve been staring too long cause an employee went up to him and asked him if he was gonna buy anything in a sickly sweet voice. Danny shook his head no and the person's face turned sour and he walked off, still eyeing Danny and mumbling something about tourists. Danny got the hint and left the store. 

A similar pattern happened at other stores as well (although most of them were more pleasant). A lot of them were able to clock something other about Danny, and interpreted that as him being a foreigner, and asked him a lot of questions. Apparently he also had an accent and people kept trying to guess where it was from. They were shocked when Danny told them it was American, one guy (apparently a linguist) straight up told him he was wrong. She told him that it was too “throaty” (whatever that meant) to be American and insisted it was more Latin or Spanish in origin. Danny said, “Ah you caught me.” and just walked away from the conversation. People can be so weird. 

It was during this time that something he noticed from before kept popping up. When people talked, their mouths didn't match their words. When Danny first came into the world, he thought he just had a concussion (but you need a brain to have a concussion), but his new theory is that sound travels differently here so that’s why their mouths are weird. He didn’t notice the same problem for anything else, but maybe the biology is different here and it gets expressed in weird ways. 

Danny came upon a coffee shop. It had two stories; the 2nd probably being where the owner lives; and the bottom being the actual shop. There were no signs on the building except ‘Coffee & Tea’ in gold letters, and it was pretty plain on the outside. It had one massive window that looked into the shop and Danny could see empty seats and little figurines on a shelf. The place would’ve looked closed if it weren’t for the door being prop slightly open. They were probably starting to close since It was late so not a lot of people would be out getting coffee. 

Danny was gonna walk past it when he noticed shadows dancing on the alley walls beside it. There were grunts and pained noises that echoed off the walls. It made his core leap out wanting to defend them. Danny bolted in the direction of the sound, and his footfalls echoed in the ally from the puddles on the ground. Before he reached the corner, he heard something fall over and a panicked voice. Within the second, Danny reached the end and was able to see an old man sweating as he bent down to pick up a box that had fallen over. They both looked at eachother, confused.

“Oh sorry kid, thought you were somebody else,” the old man recovered quicker than Danny, and he let out a small laugh. Danny didn’t know who the man was expecting, but it was clear something was going on in that alley. Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of Danny’s business.

“I heard noises and thought someone was hurt?” Danny cocked his head, still confused by the situation. The old man started struggling again to pick up the box. There was an open van with similar sized boxes still packed in. “Do you need any help with that?” Danny didn’t know what was going on but he couldn’t not not help an old man. He offered his hand out to the man, not that he expected him to hand him the box, but more of a gesture of good will. 

“No, it’s alright,” he shook his head and stood up, eyeing Danny. His back was bent and he put a hand on his lower back to straighten his posture, Danny could hear several pops and cracks. Now standing slightly hunched, the old man was about 5’3, and looked like there was nothing but bones and wire under his clothes.  

“I may not look at it but I can take care of myself.” Clearly, Danny thought to himself. 

The man watched him as he bent down to grab the box again. Danny stopped him by just grabbing it for him. The air between them was so awkward that all Danny could do was smile nervously. A soft but slow trickling sound came from the box and he looked down to see tons of beans spilling from a hole. Thank god it’s not drugs, Danny thought. He moved one of his hands to cover the hole, and then flipped it around so it was at the top. The old man had been eyeing Danny suspiciously since he got there (why are people so paranoid here?), but his gaze shifted more to confusion as the seconds ticed past. He gave Danny one final up and down and then squinted as he let out a breath. He grabbed a pair of glasses (but honestly they looked like goggles with how big they were), and cleaned them off on his shirt. When he looked at Danny again his eyes widened and he jumped back. Danny just nodded, used to that reaction. He stepped back, as if he had to get more space to look at the entirety of Danny. He seemed to have come to a decision. 

“What’s your name, kid?” He asked Danny, although he still looked apprehensive about him. 

“Da-” Danny swallowed his tongue, “-amn. What a crazy question?” if ghosts could sweat, the alley would be flooded. The old man tilted his head back and laughed. 

“Want to give that another try?” He smiled at Danny knowingly. The glasses made his eyes look big and manic and the lens had a green tint to them. 

Danny thought about the name that he found in the library. Since he was still a ghost he couldn’t get his picture taken but it still helped cement some things in his mind. 

“Thomas,” Danny paused, “or Tommy is fine?” Thomas was too formal for his liking, he doesn’t even like being called Daniel, and he chose that name. 

“Nice name, kid.” Oh he knows. 

The old man put the glasses back into his pocket and sat against the wall of the shop. Despite his small size, the man seemed so much bigger than Danny. He looked at Danny again and shook his head and laughed 

“Well Tommy, since you’re already holding that box, would you like to load the rest of them in?” 

Danny nodded. He was already this far and it would be rude to say no.

★

Danny was finishing unloading all that was left in the van. The man meanwhile was leaning against the wall fiddling with some type of screw or file and little block. He would watch Danny and bark orders occasionally about where to put stuff or to be careful with something. Danny didn’t really pay attention to the man much, he just focused on the boxes or other random thoughts that came into his head. 

From the sounds within the packages, most of them were full of loose coffee beans. Danny didn’t find it suspicious until he unloaded actual bean bags with fancy words in fancy fonts on it. Why would there be loose beans in the packages and not in the bags like the others? Was there something else in the boxes that the beans hid? But again, none of his business.  

Danny was directed to put all the boxes into the small room that connected to the outside. It was bare of anything except another door to get into the shop’s kitchen or storage room. It seemed more like a weird decontamination room than one leading into a café. 

“Don’t you want me to unload it in the actual shop? I’m not really doing anything right now so it would be no issue.” Danny was still raised with manners, plus he really wanted to know what was in the boxes. 

“No, it's fine.” The old man got up from his spot, “I have people to do that later.” He came up to Danny and handed him something. Was this hush money?! “Here’s my card.” It was sleek and professional looking, not something that a café owner would handout (unless it was for his other business). Maybe Danny walked into a weird smuggling ring and was now being invited to join said smuggling ring. “I’m always on the lookout for… people like you to come work for me, if you’re willing?” He smiled and it was all teeth.  

“I don’t have a phone” Danny said with a blank face. It was true since his phone was with his other pair of legs that he no longer had access to. 

“You should fix that.” he had an annoyed look on his face but it also looked amused. “Oh well,” he shrugged and took back the card as if he didn’t care what happened next, “If you change your mind, just ask the door for “Tanaka” and I’ll be right out.” And with that he slipped inside the dark room and shut the door. Danny could hear six instantaneous clicks of locks sliding into place. 

Definitely sketchy.

Chapter Text

Danny walked into the night afterwards. He still had no direction in mind, so instead followed the tug in his chest. The night air was cold and crisp and he felt at peace. Although he couldn’t feel the air come into his lungs, he still remembered how it felt and so he was able to feel it. Ectoplasm was a collection of memories and feelings after all. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but being as he was now, he was able to accept the phantom feeling of being alive and breathing. Hehe. Phantom. It seemed he was able to move forward again and use comedy as a coping mechanism. Little victories.  

The city was quiet, save for a few people walking home. Most of them looked dead inside (same) from their stressful jobs, but there were others (usually younger) who still seemed pretty awake. One such pair were two heroes doing a patrol. One, presumably a guy, had a helmet made of wood, and similarly fashioned accessories. The other was a blonde woman with purple horns wearing a form-fitting suit. Danny wasn’t sure what her theme was, but her costume was well designed overall and had a nice color scheme. They walked side by side with their steps synched, which meant they were at least familiar with each other. The tree guy (or Groot as Danny will now be calling him) kept talking to her, but she didn’t really seem interested, and she looked straight ahead, ignoring him. She made eye contact with Danny, which was awkward since he felt like now he couldn’t look away without being weird. They were going to pass by soon anyway, so Danny just held her gaze. Eventually, she passed him, and Danny nodded his head at her, politely, not sure what else to do. 

They hadn’t gotten very far before Danny heard the woman whisper to her partner, “That kid gives me the creeps…” She must’ve thought Danny wouldn’t be able to hear her. Unfortunately for her, Danny’s ears were able to pick it up. He turned around to look at her, still kinda shocked. People called him creepy behind his back, but that was after at least talking to him first. She noticed him and just stared at him like she had before, but with clear intent behind her eyes. Danny made a visibly confused face at her and shrugged his shoulders in an over dramatic fashion, then turned away. Some people…

Danny didn’t let that stop him from his wandering. He started kicking a pebble in front of him, following where it landed and kicking it again. He thought back to the weird guy. Everything about that situation was sketchy, but Danny didn’t get a weird vibe from the man …well he did, but it wasn’t a bad weird just …weird? Danny didn’t feel like he was in danger, not like an old man like that could hurt him, but the wrongness of it all nagged at him. He wasn’t giving off malicious intent, he just seemed annoyed out of everything. Which was fair since Danny did interrupt…whatever was going on. Besides all that, could Danny even trust how he feels about the situation? He has been in dangerous situations before without feeling something was off and vice versa. This world could just be making him paranoid, like with the hero from before. Could Danny even trust himself? He didn’t know what to feel. 

Danny kicked the pebble harder this time and it clattered into an alleyway with a soft splash. He followed in without thinking. Immediately the atmosphere changed. Somehow, the air felt more fresh, despite the smell, and Danny felt it flow through his body. Energy surged in his body and even his core was vibrating with it. He cautiously walked further into the alley, not used to the level of ectoplasm in the air. It tickled his nose in a way he wasn’t used to in this world, save for the boy and the mutants. However, it was still not enough to trigger his ghost breath, the radiation being a tad lower than a ghost. The surroundings started to look familiar too. It was nothing in the alley itself, no trash bag or box stood out to him, but rather the feeling of it. With sudden clarity Danny realized this was the alley with the portal…

Danny walked deeper in, waving his arms around like he was treading underwater. There was more ectoplasm here than there was before, and it felt thick between his fingers, like a liquid cleaner. It was awkward with human clothes on, like wearing long sleeves that kept unfolding when you’re trying to do something. He unzipped the hoodie and tied it around his waist. He didn’t want to get it dirty by putting it on the ground and have to get a new one. This was the safest option. He continued the motion again. He was able to hear people walking past the alleyway, and shut down the feeling of being embarrassed. Danny doubted anyone would be waltzing in anytime soon. Most people naturally avoided areas with abundant ectoplasm. Bad vibes.  

His fingers briefly pass through a thicker glob of ectoplasm and it reverberated through Danny’s body as if he hit his funny bone. The Portal. He shakes the hand that hit the portal, but it still felt tingly. As luck would have it, it was his left arm and his scars were even reacting to the hit. 

He walked closer to the portal. He lifted his right arm up and traced from where it started to where it ended. It still felt tingly, but in a softer, gentaler way. Like it was saying hi. It had gotten longer since he had last felt it. That wasn’t the only thing that changed. Before it felt like an itch under the skin, but now felt like a raised scar. He put his palm against it and felt it moving or maybe throbbing from the otherside. It was growing. That’s why there was so much ectoplasm in the alley, the portal was leaking. It wasn’t stable enough to keep open, but it wasn’t stable enough to completely close. But that still didn’t make sense, Where was it getting the energy to grow? His first thought would be the Ghost Zone, but if that's all it took then portals would be everywhere. It needed energy from here, from this world. Maybe it was coming from him? Maybe it knew how badly he wanted to get home and so kept trying to force itself to open? Danny remembered how intune he felt with the Ghost Zone after he left the Keep. Maybe it wanted him back? That didn’t seem right either. Very few ghosts were able to make portals, and even then they had to be intentional. Danny wasn’t consciously willing the portal to open. The only times he was thinking of the portal was when he was trying to find the damn thing. 

Danny stepped back to get a better view of the portal, although that didn’t help since it was invisible. He let his human disguise wash off him like he was putting down a bag of groceries. It felt disrespectful to the portal somehow. Danny didn’t know what he was gonna do. He spent half his time looking for the damn thing but he never came up with a plan for when he did. He lifted off of the ground and sat criss-crossed staring at it, a frown resting on his face. He really had no idea what to do. A weird feeling came over him and Danny realized he felt…better. Like physically (spectorly?) better. More energized. He moved his hand through the air again and remembered what he was floating in. Pure ectoplasm, straight from the Ghost Zone. From one of his many deep pockets, Danny pulled out the Fenton Thermos™. He had other handy things like extra Fenton Earphones™, goggles that the suit came with that he never wore, and other little gadgets and parts like the thumbdrive Jazz made him. Danny took out the thermos to suck up the leaking ectoplasm. He turned it on but instead of the blue light that would explode out it was only a few sparks. He smacked the side of it and a few more popped out. The damn thing was dead.

Danny didn’t know it could do that. He turned it off and carefully looked inside, not wanting to get sucked up. Usually, the thing always gave off a faint humming as his core, but now it was silent. Danny turned it over to check the sides. Maybe a wire had come loose or something. Nope, all appeared intact. Danny banged it again but still no response. 

It could be that like Danny, it was running on fumes. He traced his fingers along the side again and found the power pod. When he pried it open, the metal was stuck together with thin strands of ectoplasm. Sure enough the ecto-battery was black and partly corroded. It hasn't been that long has it?

Danny pried it open and tried to wipe it clean. Some of the years were able to be rubbed off revealing the Fenton works engraving. Danny smiled at his Dad’s handiwork. Fortunately, the batteries were rechargeable, usually his parents plugging them into a device powered by the portal itself. Danny didn’t have that. 

Danny rose it to his mouth, hesitating when it reached his teeth. He threw it in and shut it tight. That was the first thing he was able to taste. As he rolled it around his mouth, it left a thick residue on his tongue that he immediately wanted to spit out and scrap off. The thing tasted like sour metal but also had a hint of artificial sweetness, like lime flavored medicine and fluoride. The taste had started to make his mouth drool, and Danny had to rub the corners to get it off. He was gonna gag.  

He couldn’t take it anymore and spat the battery back onto his hand. He started coughing, wishing that he could drink water to wash it down. When he recovered, he looked back at the battery. It was glowing! 

Not only that, but it had been brighter than Danny had ever seen one before. It illuminated the alley like a flashlight with the familiar green of Danny’s eyes. 

Danny plopped it back into the cartridge and closed the panel. He turned the thing on and was ecstasy to hear it humming to life. His core responded and the two beat in harmony. A shudder went up his spine. It felt like he had become part of the machine itself. It was different to other times he possessed technology, them only feeling like a baggy coat rather than a shirt that fit you perfectly.

Danny opened the cap once once and sucked up the leaking ectoplasm, careful to not get the portal or himself. It would be bad if this were to affect the environment anymore than it already has. He stopped after a few moments, not wanting to make the portal anymore unstable than it already was. 

Danny tossed the thermos a few times in the air in satisfaction. He may not be the smartest, but he was resourceful. With this, he might be able to collect enough ectoplasm to eventually open the portal. It was also a good pick-me-up for Danny. That could be why he’s been so weird here. He was already feeling better. There was still some residual ectoplasm in the air, but it should be gone soon with Danny absorbing it. 

Oh my god, is that why that guy's tongue melted??? Danny had the theory that it was his separated ectoplasm hungry and seeking food, but he really feels this confirms it. 

Danny held his hand in front of his face and watched as it slowly melted. He wasn’t used to the sensation yet, having never been able to do this back in Amity except for emergencies or failed duplicate attempts. He let some of it fall and it floated around him like a satellite. He didn’t have anything to test it on, so it just bobbed around him. He looked around absently and found a dead rat off to the side. It looked pretty fresh, most of its hair and flesh was still intact, but Danny spotted a gash where bugs were able to burrow in. Danny felt slightly disgusted, but not enough to turn away. Sam would probably give the rat a burial, she’s done it before with the frogs. The blob, seemingly reading his mind, floated down over the body, hesitating. Danny nodded, both to himself and the blob. 

It fell onto the dead creature with a splat, and the rat looked like it was encased in jello. Don’t melt, don’t melt, don’t melt. For a second nothing happened. Then another. Danny sat watching, waiting for the goo to liquefy the animal, but still nothing happened. He let out a reflexive sigh of relief, and the blob floated back toward him. 

A dark thought went into his mind. The blob floated back down and laid over the rat again. The rat started to sink into itself, it’s mouth shriveling back to make it look like it was screaming. Many of the bugs tried crawling out of the corpse but were trapped by the tar like goo, so were unable to escape. Small patches started covering the rat’s fur from the inside out, and revealed more bugs squirming underneath. Most of it’s flesh was already dissolved underneath, and parts of it’s skeleton was on display like a plate of ribs at a BBQ. Hyper decomposition. Danny didn’t make it stop. A few seconds later, it’s skeleton was picked clean, but still the goo didn’t leave. It gnawed at the bones as well until they too were dissolved. Once the deed was done, it floated back to Danny, innocent like a little puppy. He stared at the spot the rat once laid, trying to process it. He grabbed the blob out of the air and absorbed it back into him. 

Danny felt numb. No, that wasn’t right. He was feeling something, but it didn’t want to crawl out and reveal itself, so it stayed sharp under his skin. A prickly sensation under his ribs cage. He thought he would be overwhelmed when the rat started to sink into itself, that he would have to stop and throw up. But he didn’t, he felt none of that. Instead he allowed it to go on. He was eager to see more, fascinated to see his powers work in a way he hadn’t before. 

Was this how his parents felt when they ran a knife over his skin? Is that why they didn’t stop even when he begged them? No. He wasn’t like them. He will never be like them. That was a rat, a dead rat no less, and he was a boy (a dead boy). The rat felt nothing while he felt everything. There was a difference.

But something nagged at him, and he felt it crawl out from under his ribs. He finally recognized the feeling. He felt this before, in this world. It was there with Stain and the Mutant. What is that feeling? It burned in his veins when he stared down Stain, and it burned in him now as he stared at the empty spot. 

Did he want to melt the rat? He swore he didn’t, really, he just wanted to see if anything would actually happen. Deep down he knew he was lying. The rat melted because he wanted it to. Did he want Stain to melt? 

Stain was hurting children . He was the lowest of the low. He deserved everything he got, and more. But Danny was a lot stronger than Stain. The moment Danny’s first hit connected, he was no longer a threat. But Danny still wanted to hurt him. He pitied the man but he felt more spite than anything. His ectoplasm must’ve responded to that and lashed out. Why did he still want to hurt him so much? Danny pounded the rat’s grave with his fist in frustration, and it cracked the concrete below. He hasn’t changed since he was a kid, he was still so angry and sad all the time. He was just taller now. 

Surprised voices rang out in the alleyway. Danny whipped his head towards them in an unnatural manner and he heard a gasp. A man and a woman stood still past the entrance. Danny instantly recognized them. They were the heroes from before…

Before Danny could do anything, captain tree-head launched an attack of roots from his hand that wrapped around Danny.

Chapter Text

It had been a slow night during patrols, which was surprising since during the last few weeks, crime rates had gone up. Stain: The Hero Killer sparked something in society that made people lash out towards the heroes. Most of those affected had been angsty teens who felt hurt or scorned by their peers, or at least that's what Kamui Woods’ heard. They just needed a steady hand to guide them back to the right path. The real threat however wasn’t the ones who made themselves known, but the ones who worked in the quiet behind every corner or alley. It was important to stay diligent and keep an unclouded mind… 

…Which was something his partner was having a hard time with.

“Seriously, that kid was really creepy.” Mt. Lady, while being an exceptional hero with a powerful quirk, she had a habit of looking at the smaller things. This didn’t impact her hero duties for when push came to shove, she shushed harder. Kamui Woods admires that about her. 

She continued again, “Did you see the way he looked at me?” She made exaggerated motions while pointing to her eyes, “it was like he was trying to freak me out on purpose. It gave me the chills” she shivered. 

Despite her flaws, Kamui Woods really enjoyed his time with her, and even considered her a friend (even if she never agrees to hang out with him off the clock).

“He was probably just shocked to see a hero at this time of night.” Kamui Woods couldn’t lie and say he didn’t feel something from the boy. It felt as if there was no soul behind the kid’s eyes and they wanted his to reflect them. It didn’t help that the mask he wore made him look even more like a threat. He knows it was based off Shishido’s, but it was still freaky. 

He thought for a moment and said, “It could’ve had something to do with his quirk?” Quirks that affected people’s emotions weren’t unheard of, but they were still few and far between. Kamui Woods himself had only met two people who had such a quirk. He continued, “The kid seemed polite. He even bowed as we walked past.” Despite the interaction being creepy, the kid was still respectful.

“I guess…” she shrugged, “but when he walked past, his shoulder brushed against me. It was cold. It was like all the warmth from my arm was sucked out. I actually thought he was about to attack me.” This took Kamui Woods by surprise.

The night, while not the warmest, sat at a comfortable 15°C, but when the boy passed by, a bitter chill swept into Kamui Woods bones. He thought it was just the breeze. And the boy, in spite of being off-putting, didn’t give off any malicious intent. He still believed Mt. Lady. She, despite being a newer hero, had a good head on her shoulders and had the instincts needed for the job, even if she could act immature at times. Kamui Woods would keep an eye out for the boy from now on.

They continued like this, neither of them saying anything except for a few short conversations. The patrol remained slow and eventually they were close to where they started again. The Hero Commission had assigned many of the local heroes of Musutafu different sections of the city. Supposedly, they believed the vigilante group who calls themselves “Phantom” had been seen around here but had not made any contact with any heroes in the area. Until that changes, heroes all over Musutafu were confined to one patrol route. Kamui Woods doubted that would happen. One of the group members would probably catch on to being hunted then they would move to a different city, like they did in Hosu. 

As they were walking past an alley, a bitter chill blew in the air. Both him and Mt. Lady froze, recognizing the sensation. Was it that same boy? They had checked the alley before on their last round. Nothing was out of the usual other than an overwhelming feeling of wrongness. They left quickly after confirming the area was clear. Of course it had to be this alley. He looked over at Mt. Lady behind him, her eyes were wide. She was thinking the same as him. They didn’t dare speak, too afraid of disrupting whatever was happening in the alley or alerting the person inside. There was always a chance nothing was there, but Kamui Woods doubted it. Every muscle in his body was twitching to flee, and he had to fight to not cave-in to the instinct. Mt. Lady was in a similar condition. This was exactly why they had to go in. 

Kamui Woods looked over at Mt. Lady and gave her a confident look, but it was hidden under his helmet. Instead, he gave her a firm nod and she nodded back at him. Just being with her was enough to calm him down. With slightly shaky hands, he was able to sign out a hastily thought-up strategy. Most heroes knew sign language since it was important to be able to communicate in situations like this. When what to do was decided, Mt. Lady and him nodded at eachother once more to reassure themselves. Kamui Woods sent out a quick message for reinforcements in the area. Despite his feelings for Mt. Lady, the crammed environment wasn’t the most suited for her quirk. Until then, they had to risk going in, not wanting to chance the criminal getting away. 

Slowly, using all their stealth training, they approached the mouth of the alley. Unfortunately, the alley was a dead-end, so they couldn’t go in through the back to corner them. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, since that also meant the person (or persons) couldn’t get away either. They had no idea what they were up against. By how intense the aura was, something bad must have happened. The worst case was a murder, which seemed likely since the feeling of death was slowly overwhelming them as they walked deeper into the alley.

They heard faint noises up ahead. They both had to stop breathing to be even able to hear it. It was almost like fizzing? They walked in synchronized movements deeper in, curiosity getting the better of them. A faint green glow illuminated out and there was a faint smell of electricity in the air. Before them they saw a blob on the ground, but what surprised them most was what was above it. After a second, the blob lifted into the air and returned to it’s master, a white haired teen. A phrase repeated into Kamui Woods’ head. It is cold outside. 

The teen, no, Phantom , grabbed it out of the air and it molded into his hand. Was that thing a part of him? Was this his quirk? Kamui Woods couldn’t see any of the others around. From what he knew about the group, they liked to work closely together. Was it just him? Before he was able to communicate this to Mt. Lady, she gasped at the display before her. 

Phantom snapped his head towards them in an unnatural manner, earning further gasps from both of the heroes. His eyes widened as he stared down the heroes, and the off-putting vibe increased tenfold. Before Phantom could react first, Kamui Woods launched an attack of tree roots from his arm and was able to wrap it around him. Mt. Lady rushed in while he was incapacitated, but something was off. Phantom didn’t seem phased, he wasn’t even struggling. The only thing on his face was shock, and even that was mild. While he still had the opportunity, Kamui Woods grabbed his communicator with his free hand and spoke one phrase without context. 

“It is cold outside!” He heard nothing on the other end.

Mt. Lady’s punch connected as soon as the phrase was uttered. Despite being limited in tighter spaces, her hand-to-hand combat made up for this disadvantage, and she was a heavy hitter. The sound of her fist echoed in the alley with a sickening crunch. They both watched in horror as Phantom’s head exploded, bursting his shattered skull into a gooey mess.

Mt. Lady looked at the crime scene in shock for a second, then her face morphed into one of fear and disgust. She looked over at him, pale and trembling after what she had just done. Kamui Woods knew Mt. Lady, she wouldn’t hit hard enough to kill. Seconds slowed down to minutes and Kamui Woods felt himself get sick when he realized his roots were still holding onto the body…

He was about to release his hold, ready to burn off the branches, when he caught sight of the boy's once intact head. The splatters orbited around the boy's neck like a bloody halo (if blood was green and glowing). The body was still twitching. 

Slowly, like the attack was going back in time, the goo started to flow back to the body's head. Mt. Lady was still looking at Kamui Woods, so she couldn’t see what was building behind her. His body language must have given it away and she slowly turned around, obviously apprehensive to what she might see. She turned just in time to see the last few drops meld into his head. 

The once dead teen looked at them blankly, but there was something hidden underneath. Phantom touched the roots that wrapped around him gently, like he was scared they were going to attack him (which was fair after what just happened to him). He suddenly grabbed hold of a firm branch and started to push his body away. He struggled at first, and Kamui Woods had no idea what he was trying to do. Slowly, the boy’s body was starting to move through the roots. It was like watching slime ooze out between the cracks of a box. 

Both Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady were too stunned to do anything, still not yet recovered from the boy’s decapitation. After a few seconds, the boy untangled himself from the branches. He rubbed and patted his torso, as if still surprised that it was intact. Did he not know he could do that?

“What the fuck…” the boy groaned. It appears he didn’t know. His hands shot up to his neck, rubbing under the fabric as if looking for the seam. Something twisted inside Kamui’s gut. The boy felt more than dangerous, he felt wrong. 

Kamui Woods shook off his shock and launched his other arm at the boy while recoiling his other roots. They were able to once again latch onto Phantom. Like before, Phantom was able to squirm out of the root's grasps, this time with more ease than prior. While he was preoccupied with that, Mt. Lady rushed towards him with a fist raised, but missed and hit the roots below, causing them to splitter apart, wood chips flying. Phantom jumped back and it seemed as if he was floating. Mt. Lady charged at him again, but he nimbly dodged her every attack. 

“Why are you attacking me?” Phantom’s voice was hollow as he spoke and its echo reverberated in Kamui Woods bones. It didn’t sound desperate or like a plea, just filled with a child-like confusion. Mt. Lady, unmoved, didn’t stop her volley of attacks and Kamui Woods followed suit, sending smaller but faster branches to the vigilantes' feet to trip him up. His foot got tangled and Mt. Lady was able to hit his shoulder. It reacted similarly to his head, but he quickly recovered.

“Seriously, like why?” Phantom jumped back, “I haven’t done anything to you guys!” He stood open in front of them as if expecting an answer. He really looked like a kid.

“You’re dangerous!” Mt. Lady shouted as she threw another punch. The teen shrieked but was able to dodge it like the others. 

“Is this because of the whole ‘vigilante’ thing?” It sounded like a whine, “I really didn’t think it’s that big of a deal.” He was casually able to dodge both Mt. Lady’s and Kamui Woods attacks. The kid was skilled, that was for sure. He must have had training before, along with his brothers. They have yet to show themselves, but from the stories Kamui Woods heard, they were able to move in sync perfectly. They had to find a way to end this soon before they arrived. 

A thought dashed across Kamui Woods’ mind as cold air filled his lungs. The boy… This was the same chill from when the boy passed by them on the street. Could he be one of the brothers? He couldn’t remember what the kid looked like, only black hair and a white streak, but he felt very similar to the Phantom before them now. But was that really the case, where was he? Kamui Woods looked around frantically for any spot that they might have missed, any corner, any object, any unseen shadow... It’s possible that this all could’ve been a trap, that the boy led them here, he heard a similar thing happened with Fat Gum. But that didn’t make sense! The Phantom member didn’t look like he was expecting them, and if it had been a trap wouldn’t there be more of them? Phantom also hadn’t tried attacking them, despite what they’d done. He seemed more confused than malicious. But the boy and the Phantom before them were connected somehow…

Wait, was it only one person? But that didn’t make sense either! Phantom had only been using one quirk and from the reports each Phantom had a different set of skills (with ice one being more active). Nothing was adding up.  

The fight was going nowhere. Phantom had yet to tire but the same couldn’t be said for Mt. Lady and him. Mt. Lady’s attacks had gotten slower and Kamui Woods branches were becoming less coordinated. Phantom noticed.

“Since you’re not gonna answer my questions, can I ask something else?” Silence, “So the guy, I understand his quirk and costume, he’s basically Groot, but-” Kamui Woods was offended.

“Like that guy from that American movie?!” He shouted. Before the age of quirks, people would make hero movies that almost mirrored the world today. These were classics that people still found enjoyment out of, even if it wasn’t the most accurate portrayal of quirks. 

“Yeah?” The kid answered casually. Mt. Lady tried to sweep his legs, but her kick went through them like jello. 

“How old are you, kid?” Nowadays however, not as many people had seen them. Kamui Woods’ grandparents had a copy of these films so he was at least familiar with it. Before Phantom had the chance to answer, a powerful fist connected to his body, and sent the slime-like boy flying into the wall. 

Luck was on their side. Reinforcements had finally arrived in the form of The Punching Hero: Death Arms. He was the only one so far, but the fight had only been going for less than 10 minutes, so it made sense. 

“Finally!” Mt. Lady beamed, “I was trying to get a hit on that little fucker!” she did a little jump and punched into the air. 

Death Arms looked at the wall that held the remains of Phantom. He had punched so hard that the wall had a crater in it. Phantom looked like a cracked egg. Death Arms paled.

“I really didn’t mean to hit him that hard. When you called for backup, you sounded desperate. I really thought he could take it.” He looked at his arms, the thing he held the most pride for, in shock and disgust, similarly to how Mt. Lady reacted. 

“He’s not dead.” Mt. Lady went over to the man and comforted him, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking up. 

“He’s not?” Death arms looked confused. While she explained the situation to him, Kamui Woods went over to where the boy was splattered. Already his goo-like body was wiggling and being pulled together. It was kind of gross to look at. 

Kamui Woods grabbed a pair of anti-quirk cuffs, but wasn’t sure how to use it on the boy. Out of the gooey mass a limb started to form so he gently cuffed whatever it was. More limbs started writhing out and the cuff fell to the group. Kamui Woods panicked. Without having anything else he could do, he made a bar-like grid with his roots to try to stop them from forming. The goo started spreading to them and they broke over the force. Death Arms was able to snap out of his grief, and started punching the substance. Kamui Woods got a weird sense of déjà vu about a villain they had fought before and felt a phantom memory of smoke and fire. He hoped that boy was alright.

He snapped out of it when the goo started climbing up Death Arms’ arms. A sickening crack echoed throughout the alley and then screams. Phantom had broken his arms as if they were a toothpick. A black skull started to lurch outside from the rest of the mass. Skin bloomed like mold and covered the emerging body. The zombie-like figure was only mere inches from Death Arms face, his head and elongated neck bobbing back and forth like a snake trying to hold onto the hero's eye contact. Death Arm’s body thrashed despite his injuries as he desperately tried to escape from Phantoms’, no, the monster’s body. Kamui Woods had always known Death Arms to be a brave man, he had never seen the man scream, but today the streak had been broken. He screamed like a scared child. 

Instead of overtaking the rest of the man’s body, it’s neck slithered past him. The goo receded and coagulated at Phantom’s head, then pooled down into the shape of his body. When the last of the slime left Death Arm’s body, the man collapsed and did not get back up. The slime started taking more color and soon the once familiar visage of Phantom was before them. 

“O̷͈͂̔H̸͉̬̀͒ ̴̳͠ͅM̶̺̉͆Y̶̹͊͗ ̸͔͕̚Ĝ̶̗̣O̸͍͎̎͠D̶̰̐ ̵̯̭̉̈́T̵͍̳̊H̴͔͛A̸̢͝Ṭ̸̳̽͝ ̴̪͈̿F̶̰̬͗͐Ĕ̵͔͎̌L̵̼̃̂͜T̶̮͠ ̸̱͐S̸̢̄̈́O̶̦͇̾ ̴͙̖̽W̸̭̔E̵̢̛̎I̵̭͕̅͝Ŕ̴̳̺͂D̵̡͙͋!̷̟̎” He started shaking his hands like he was trying to dry them off. 

Indescribable horror froze the heroes to the ground. Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods could only stare at the creature in terror. That was the only thing they had been able to do all night. He was too powerful for just the two of them to fight alone. Even Endeavor would have a hard time bringing him down. 

Phantom continued to ignore them, laughing and mumbling to himself. He didn’t even see them as a threat. Kamui Woods looked over at Mt. Lady. There were only two options: 

1) Retreat. They have no hope of beating him.

2) Stay and fight. So far Phantom had been only toying with them, but there was no telling how long that will last.

He looked into Mt. Lady’s eyes. They were just as passionate and determined as when the fight first began. They were heroes, of course they would stay and fight. Kamui Woods swore if he made it out of this, he would ask out Mt. Lady.

Phantom turned to them with a smile too big for a human face, it only took a second for it to be blasted off. A jet stream of water came from behind them, knocking Phantom away for the second time that fight. Backdraft and other heroes came pouring into the alley. It is a bad sign when so many heroes are needed for a single foe, but at this moment, Kamui Woods couldn’t be happier to see them. Someone started barking orders but he was too out of it to understand.

They surrounded the area where Phantom landed, but at enough of a distance in case something happens. Phantom was able to recover (of course), and stood before the heroes, something unseen in his eyes. His feet lifted off of the ground, which earned gasps from all around. Kamui Woods no longer had the threshold for any more surprises tonight. Phantom rose higher and higher, till he was looking down on all the heroes. They all braced for his attack…But nothing came. 

Phantom simply turned and flew away, fading into the night like a falling star. A haunting silence filled the alley, the anticipation of what might happen still building. No one dared move from their battle stances. Then like a veil of smoke, it dissipated. It started as a few murmurs then spread into loud conversations and disagreements. In all the ruckus, a few heroes went up to Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady. It was clear to everyone that it must’ve been one hell of a fight. Mt. Lady was quick to snap out of whatever trance the two were still in, and started boasting about how she was able to hold Phantom off. Kamui Woods on the other hand had had too much excitement for the night and went to go sit down against a wall. 

Paramedics and the police arrived on scene and immediately rushed to Death Arms, who still lay unresponsive on the ground. A tense excitement buzzed throughout the alley. No one had come this close to any member of Phantom since the Hosu incident. Kamui Woods thought he had an idea why. It wasn’t a group. It was a single person. 

It was hard to believe it at first, but that's the only thing that made any sense to him right now. Maybe he was too tired from the fight, even now his brain was fighting with him about the fact that a person can only have one quirk. Kamui Woods lifted his helmet slightly to rub his face. 

Nothing was impossible these days. 

★

It was safe to say that Danny had had an eventful night. After he found the portal he was ready to go home (i.e. the shack). Amity Park was still out of his reach, but now he was closer than he ever had been before. The feeling of not wanting to go nagged at him, but he shoved it deeper down. 

He flew over the alleyway, just far enough to still be able to see the heroes below. He didn’t expect so many of them, but then again he supposed he was a wanted ‘criminal’. Typical. There were about 20 heroes down there; more still arriving, and some cops. Danny didn’t know if he would be able to take down all of them. He still didn’t know how powerful he was in this world. It was best not to risk it. He’s just been lucky these last few times..

He didn’t like running away from a fight and even now a part of him wanted to go back and finish it. That was why he was still so close. He watched the hulk of a man that punched him get loaded onto a stretcher. Serves him right, he thought bitterly. He would survive, just be on bed-rest for a few weeks. 

Danny didn’t know what came over him. The hero wasn’t even able to hurt him, none of them could. Even when the hit sent him flying, Danny couldn’t feel anything. Not even when he collided with the wall. He thinks it was his instincts taking over. His new body scared him. For a second he was gone, he was only aware he was unaware. He came to when he heard the snap. No, it was more than just that. He felt the bones break inside of him. It felt like chewing into hard carrots. Luckily, Danny’s body didn’t try to eat the poor man. He could not handle the trauma that came with fully consuming someone.

Danny thought back to when that lady punched into his head. He thought it was all over. He felt all fuzzy and confused. It was like when you blew your nose too hard and for too long. It took him a moment to figure out what to do from there, but then he remembered his first night here. His ectoplasm moved outside of him. He just took that sensation and expanded it. Danny didn’t know if he would ever be used to this body. 

He watched the heroes below like ants. They seemed happy enough, most of them going off into little groups and chatting, completely unaware that he was still there. He spotted the two heroes he fought earlier talking to an official looking women in black. They were further away from the others, probably for privacy. The women’s mousey assistant handed them what looked to be a large stack of paper covered in small words. He had no clue what that was about. 

It was clear none of the heroes were going to hunt him or do anything else interesting for the night, so Danny flew away. He started making his way towards the coffee shop from before. Danny didn’t know why, he just thought he needed to go there. Besides, getting a sketchy job wasn’t the worst idea he ever had (that was going in the portal). Maybe when he goes back home his mom and dad might finally be proud of him for a change. 

Danny made sure to memorize the area around to be able to find the portal again. He found a good land marker in the shape of a school or office building (it was hard to tell). It had two interconnected buildings made of glass in the shape of an ‘H’, and a tall concrete fence around it with an arc. It was distinct enough to find again and that's all that really mattered to Danny. It also happened to be pretty close to the coffee shop as well. 

Danny had no trouble finding the little shop. The Coffee & Tea sign greeted him at the window. His glowing form reflected back at him and he jumped back a little. He forgot he looked like that… He stared at himself and took a deep breath for comfort and closed his eyes. He imagined his human face again. After a second, Danny didn’t feel any different, so peeked open an eye to check. Ah there he was, the real human him. This level of self-indulgence might be unhealthy, but it made him happy. He looked slightly different this time. There weren’t any veins under his skin making him look less like a corpse. He was getting better at this. A tinge of hope bloomed in his chest and he pulled down his suit a little. The clean line of ghost meeting human skin had received but it still left an ugly blot of blue skin marring his neck like a brand.

He untied his hoodie from his waist (honestly he was surprised he hadn’t lost it in the fight), and pulled it over. He could say that he was shocked to find that it had a subtle glow to it, but that would be a lie. It had just been in an area with a lot of ectoplasm. It made sense it was a little radioactive. 

“There,” he posed in front of the window, “I look perfectly human.” In this world's standards at least. He shook his hands to get rid of the anxious energy he was building up. He checked himself one more time, then with a final breath, he went up to the door. 

He was about to knock when he stopped instead.  

“Tanaka?” Danny asked unsure at the door before him. He heard several clicks before the door opened. He couldn’t see a person on the other side, just the dark room of the café. 

“Come in, Tommy,” A staticky voice sounded from the speaker above. Danny jumped and the flights flicked. He walked in and shut the door behind him, careful not to make any noise. 

It wasn’t like anything bad was gonna happen.

Zzz

A man arrived on the scene. He was a local hero who had become less active in recent years due to his other job as a teacher. His students were still away for internships, so he was able to use his free time for patrols (and avoid personal care no matter how much his husband begged). Principal Nezu gave him a special task to locate the vigilante group ‘Phantom,’ before the Hero Commission , but so far has had no luck. The only leads were rumors, and the supposed sightings were too far apart to check in one night. He was actually in the middle of said search when he got an alert. Unfortunately, the location was across town, so it took him a while to get there. 

Looks like they found him first. 

He grabbed a bottle of eye drops from his pocket and wetted his eyes, an unfortunate side-effect of his quirk. Eye bags were a permanent feature on his face, a marker for how overworked he was. Despite this, his eyes were sharp as he looked over the scene. It was obvious there had been a fight but the property damage was less than expected for someone as powerful and unknown as Phantom. He walked deeper into the alley where most of the people were. A small dent in the ground caught his eye. It was freshly made judging from the rubble around it, and about the size of a fist. It wasn’t close to the larger craters and so didn’t come from the fight. He kneeled down to get a better look at it. There was nothing of substance in the crater itself, but beside it was a small dirt pile and bug shells. Taking a small bag left over from a snack, he scooped up the dirt. This wasn’t the best way to transport the sample, but it was the only thing he had. He could give this to Principal Nezu so they could figure out what made Phantom respond like this. 

A few heroes looked at him strangely, but didn’t approach him. Despite not being well known (choosing to stay underground for both professional and personal reasons), he still had the reputation of being odd. 

“Eraser Head” A cop approached behind him, Shouta turned to meet their eyes. He recognized him as Tsukauchi Naomasa, All Might’s friend. The man looked more tired since Shouta had last seen him, but that wasn’t really a surprise. His eye bags had started to match his own. The two looked like they could be related. 

“Detective Tsukauchi.” He greeted back. Tsukauchi reached out his hand and Shouta used it to pull himself off of the ground. “I take it All Might has informed you of the situation?” They could use all the help they could get at locating Phantom, and Tsukauchi’s resources would be invaluable.

“No, actually.” The man rubbed his neck, “It was Principal Nezu. All Might has chosen to stay out of this.” That surprised Shouta. It must’ve been clear because the man continued, “He has too many personal matters wrapped up in this, that is all I can say at this time.”

“I see.” All Might would’ve been able to cut down the search time significantly, but Shouta supposed with his decline in strength, that wasn’t the most realistic outcome. “That’s disappointing then.” Regardless of the man’s own feelings, he hopes he would at least still be able to give them information about All For One. No longer wanting to talk about All Might, Shouta moved forward with the conversation, “So what happened tonight?”

“While Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods were on patrol, they got a ‘weird vibe’ from the alleyway and decided to check it out. There they witnessed Phantom use an unidentified quirk, my theory is ectoplasm based but not similar with Ectoplasm’s quirk, and fought him.” A muscle in Shouta’s face twitched, but he was able to keep the rest of his face neutral, only nodding along with Tsukauchi. 

The man paid no mind to this and kept going, “Fortunately I was able to arrive before the Hero Commission, so they were more willing to share this information.” He stepped closer to Shouta and he mirrored the action. In a hushed voice Tsukauchi whispered, “After the first blow, his head exploded and turned into that same substance.”

Shouta couldn’t help his mouth from dropping. After his shock, his hands clamped into fists. He didn’t know much about Phantom, but from what Principal Nezu had told him, he did not have a good life before. He had to keep a clear head. Rationally he understood where the other heroes were coming from. Phantom was an unknown and could be violent. But to go so far as blowing the kid’s heads off? As the opening blow? That was something Shouta couldn’t understand. 

Tsukauchi looked at him, a look of understanding and pity on his face. He knew Shouta had a soft spot for kids. He coughed a little, and continued on with his report, “His body behaved similarly throughout the fight. Death Arms shortly arrived on scene but had both of his arms broken and burnt. Then more heroes arrived to save them both.” 

“Who attacked first?” Shouta interrupted. He could maybe understand if Phantom attacked or was acting aggressively than if he was just standing there. 

“They did.” Tsukauchi handed him a sealed folder, “What I just told you was the shorthanded version. The rest is in the report”

Shouta quickly grabbed the folder and stuffed it into his jumpsuit, “And it’s safe to say the Hero Commission doesn’t know about this?” He was looking forward to reading it. 

“As far as they know, I handed the only report over to Ms. Makoto to be destroyed” A smile spread on his face. They were asking him a lot to go against orders, but Phantom needed to be found. 

The Hero Commission may have made official first contact with him, but that didn’t mean they had him. Both Principal Nezu and Shouta sore they would never get him. In a strange way, they actually did UA a favor. 

There had been reports in the surrounding area but they were sporadic and far out, almost as if Phantom was looking for something, which means he’ll stay close by. This location was in the middle of it. They also confirmed that Phantom wouldn’t attack unless provoked. 

He really was just a kid… Shouta had to keep focus. 

The Commission also did them a disservice. Now the kid would be more apprehensive around heroes, making Shouta’s job harder. He thanked the detective and the man left. If they were seen interacting too long it would be suspicious. 

It was nearing 3 am, but Shouta still had a long morning of searching ahead of him. He doubted he would find Phantom tonight, but it was smart to strike while the iron is hot. First he had to read the report of course (he was looking forward to how the heroes defended their actions). So much to do at once. He inhaled deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he could already feel a headache coming in. one thing was for certain…

He needed some coffee.

Chapter Text

There was a new person working at Shouta’s favorite coffee place. This wouldn’t be unusual in any other establishment, but the old man who ran it was very particular about who he let in the back.

A few years back, the place was under investigation for possible ties to the black market as well as aiding vigilantes. A customer reported that they saw a well-known local vigilante go through the back entrance of the store, and a few days later, the same one was seen with new gear. There was other circumstantial evidence as well. Background checks revealed that all the baristas were past vigilantes that had already been caught and processed. However, the owner, Tanaka Masaru, a “quirkless” 67 year old, had a clean record, too clean, not even an overdue fine. There was no doubt in Shouta’s mind that the identity was fake. In the end, Shouta wasn’t able to find any concrete evidence on the coffee shop, and since all they had was circumstantial evidence and 1 eye witness, the case fell apart and was closed. The police department did not pursue it after that since there hadn’t been any vigilantes pop up in that area. Well… except for one.

Shouta has been coming here since then, it was on the way to school and they (surprisingly) made really good coffee. The owner was eccentric as well. Sometimes, Shouta could see him in a corner making little figurines and dishes, mumbling and laughing to himself, which ruined the peaceful atmosphere of the shop. Shouta wasn’t mad about it though, more of slightly annoyed whenever it happened. There was a tall shelf covering a wall that was home to the figurines. Most of them were past vigilantes, little animals or regular customers and staff (Shouta even had one up there). The ones on the top were the oldest and most intricately made, while they got less and less detailed as the shelves went down. The store also sold cups and mugs that were in a similar fashion. They were really expensive, but the craftsmanship was worth it (Shouta even had one or two at home). 

Recently, a kid posted on social media about the place, and since then it has become a trendy spot with the youths, at least that's what Shouta heard. Fortunately, it was 5 AM and so no kids were even alive yet. Shouta could enjoy the quiet atmosphere while he waited for his coffee. He probably shouldn’t be having any more today since he just finished up a long night’s search. Last night (or earlier this morning if you wanted to be technical), was the first lead he got since he started his investigation. Phantom was a tricky one, and his quirk was great at quick getaways, but he was young and one day he’ll make a mistake. But Shouta doubted it was gonna be today. He may as well listen to his husband and actually catch up on sleep. His schedule was still clear since his kids were at internships. He heard Midoriya had even gotten out of the hospital a few days ago. Problem child…

Shouta’s fingers tapped impatiently on the table. All fantasies of sleep washed away like soap. He needed coffee. Shouta had entertained the notion of quitting before in the past. He has had so much coffee in his life that he suffers withdraws without it. He considered buying patches, but he loves the taste and ritual too much to stop. That’s what he said about smoking too. It first started after Oboro died, a way for Shouta to slow time and try to breathe it in. In the end though, it only made things worse. 

Now, he drinks coffee. 

He looked over at the new barista behind the counter looking stressed. His order was simple and always the same; a simple black coffee. Impossible to mess up, but amazing when done right. The kid, whose tag said Tommy , looked to be struggling and Shouta could smell burnt coffee beans from past orders. When the kid checked him out, he gave one look at Shouta before saying that he didn’t have to pay anything. Shouta was shocked to say the least, but he didn’t argue. Free coffee tastes better than bought coffee, that's why he wasn’t worried about the smell. He wondered why the kid didn’t charge him, maybe he just recognized him and was a fan or something (it doesn’t happen a lot, but it does still happen). He severely doubted it.

It wasn’t just the anticipation of getting coffee that made him keep looking at the barista. ‘Tommy.’ What a strange name in Japan. Despite young age and apparent stress, he seemed to carry himself with a sense of steadiness that you only get after experience. Whenever he did seem to slip or mess up, it had seemed intentional, like he was trying to direct your suspicion away from him. The fact he was even working here was cause enough to run a background check. If it had been just those things Shouta would (probably), but of course, there was more.

The final nail in the coffin, and the real reason that Shouta was even studying the boy so intently, was sitting on the table in front of him. The manilla folder that Detective Tsukauchi gave him held the description of a suspicious boy that was seen before the Phantom sighting. Tall & lanky, pale skin, and blue-green eyes, and wearing a Shishido hero merch mask. That could describe a lot of the population so it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Again, if that was the only information provided then Shouta would look away, but then the file listed the most prominent feature of the suspect, black hair with a white stripe. 

Some minor but still important details were how cold and lifeless the boy was. He apparently had given the other heroes quite the scare. It was obviously the same kid (he even wore a mask although it had been flipped inside-out to be all black). Whether or not he was also Phantom was left to be determined. 

They had no understanding of his powers, except for the general ghost theme, and even that wasn’t consistent. What type of ghost is able to use ice like that? In horror stories, the only cold manipulation ghosts could do was drop the temperature a little bit, not form glaciers able to stop explosions. Shouta had his own theories. There are a few people who have quirks ascribed to ghosts, but that would only be one or at max two of what Phantom has exhibited. Perhaps Phantom’s original quirk was such a quirk, but All For One overloaded it with so many enhancement quirks (along with some new ones) that it created this confused mess. If that were true, why couldn’t he have also given Phantom some minor shapeshifting quirk? 

He looked at the boy again. If he was Phantom, he’d be really dumb. The café is a 15 minute walk from the alley. It will only be a matter of time before the Hero Commission checks here. Shouta rubbed his temples… Not unless he told them otherwise. The Hero Commission had no reason to believe that he would mislead them, except for his affiliation with UA. Fortunately, Principal Nezu had the foresight to set Shouta up as more loyal to the Commission than UA in the years prior. Shouta wasn’t proud of the things he’s done, but he couldn't argue with the results. 

Suddenly, he heard a loud shout behind him, and the wet sound of someone spitting on the ground. 

“What the hell is this shit?!” A large man with really nice hair in a uniform blasted out. He marched over to the counter that divided him and Tommy, and yelled even louder , “You can’t expect me to drink this garbage?! I paid 1,304¥ for this and I demand a refund!” 

That's way overpriced, Shouta thought . What idiot buys a cup of coffee for that much?

“I’m sorry dude-” The teen held his hands up in a placating manner. 

“Dude?!” The man had become red, and his hair changed colors and hues to match like a fire. 

“Sir!” The kid quickly corrected, “But could you tell me what was wrong with it?” The kid looked down at him, confused. He was tall, maybe 6 '1 while slouching, and easily towered over the Uneri hair spray model. It was like Shouta observed before, the kid was purposely making himself seem less like a threat.

“What’s wrong with it? What isn’t wrong with it?!” His hands started moving like crazy, spilling some of his coffee, “It was scolding hot when I first took a sip of it, it even burned my tongue!” He stuck his tongue out to prove this, it looked fine. He started ranting again, “Then when I took the next sip it was freezing cold! Honestly it was a wonder of science that that even happened-I think this should be donated to science and you with it! Imagine the kind of foreign and new technology that could be discovered?!” 

“I’ll give you the refund and make you a new coffee if you like?” he tilted his head, “It will be a little wait since I’m backed up right now…” He looked around the shop which only held the three of them. Truly a master of his craft. 

Shouta clenched his fists. He knew the kid could handle it on his own. A bratty customer must’ve been a vacation compared to what the kid had been through before. It was probably better to stay out of it. He didn’t want to cause a scene or alert Tommy to what he was doing and what he knew. He really shouldn’t get involved…

“It’s time for you to stop-” No later than when the final word left his mouth, had the man flung his coffee at the boy. It splattered on the boy leaving him soaked and confused. Rage and a green glow in his eyes replaced the expression. 

Shouta had a similar reaction. In no quicker than a blink, his capture scarf wrapped around the prick. He pulled it tight, and the man fell down at the ankles, hitting his head on the counter. Good. 

By this point the kid had backed deeper behind the counter, eyeing the rope intently. This is exactly what Shouta didn’t want. Too late now. He pulled the asshole along the ground, careful to make sure he bumped into every chair leg or corner. His hair dragged behind him, sweeping up dust and dirt and getting knotted. His hair was gorgeous, every wave of his head reflected the warm light of the café that gave it the illusion it was changing colors. Deep blues, vibrant reds and crisp yellows that reminded Shouta of his husband, it was honestly a sight to behold. Too bad the guy was such a dick. He yanked harder when they reached the door frame, making sure he hit his head on the door stopper. Shouta released him out of his tape as if he was flapping dirt out of a rug. The dick-bag looked back at Shouta with a rage clear on his face. He started marching towards Shouta, but he thought it was time to show off his own hair. Like a cobra raising it’s hood, Shouta’s hair flowed menacingly at the man below him. He sneered and spit at Shouta, but walked away, grumbling to himself. 

Shouta let his hair back down and sighed. He was no longer angry, just tired. He went back into the coffee shop and sat at his original table. Luckily the folder was still there. Shouta had to be more aware next time. Tommy, now recovered from the display, walked over to hand Shouta his coffee. The kid looked awkward and suspicious all at the same time. 

“Thank you…for that…” Tommy was looking away and gave Shouta a short bow. Clearly he wasn’t used to it. That could be because he was isolated from a young age and so never had to learn proper manners. Shouta was 92% sure the kid in front of him was Phantom.   

“Anytime kid.” Shouta nodded at him, and he went back behind the counter. He must’ve felt Shouta’s eyes still on him since he grabbed a random cup and pretended to start cleaning it, still looking back and forth at him. Shouta turned his gaze down. This is the kid that freaked out Mount Lady and Kamui Woods? Shouta almost laughed. 

No. Although he may seem like a kid, he was still an unknown. Of course he wanted him to join UA and get a chance at a life he clearly never had, but Shouta had to be ready for the very real possibility that he could still side with All For One. He couldn’t let himself get attached. 

Still– Shouta was glad the kid was alright, customers can be such assholes sometimes. And despite the turn of events, Phantom didn’t seem to distrust him. He could use that . He was already a regular but now he had to be extra aware to come in when he was on shift. He really wanted Phantom to go to UA, not just for the Principal. 

He took a sip of his coffee and then immediately almost spit it out. Phantom’s head whipped towards him, but he was able to get it down and smiled (although it probably looked more like a grimace). Only after the boy turned around again did Shouta unclench his jaw. How do you mess up black coffee that bad? It was thick like tar and had an overwhelming burnt taste. Shouta would rather drink liquified coal. 

Shouta looked up to the heavens trying to summon however much strength it would take to finish it. That strength came in a little flask he kept on him (for the hard days), and he poured some of its contents inside. He took another swig and was almost able to convince himself the sharpness came from the whiskey. After he was done, he walked up the bin to put the dishes in and laid it down like a body into a grave. The cup didn’t deserve that…He nodded towards Phantom, Phantom nodded back, and left the café.

Maybe he should switch to patches.

Zzz

After he left the café, Shouta went back to UA. He had already messaged Principal Nezu about his encounter with the suspected Phantom. The maniac responded instantly and said that he would be waiting for him at his desk. Shouta always had the theory that Nezu lived there, in his office or some hidden room in the school, maybe both. 

Luckily, the school was only a 5 minute walk from the café. Phantom was really considerate of Shouta’s routine, he now didn’t have to waste 5 hours a day scouring the city for him. Maybe Phantom wanted to go to UA and that’s why he was so close, Shouta laughed to himself sleepily. The coffee from before didn’t help at all. Another thought bubbled to the surface. 

Or maybe he was stalking the school. It was important to see both sides. The reason Shouta chose not to believe it was stupidity. An old but still meaningful quote rang in his ears, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity" And the kid was also working at a coffee shop that was a short walk from his crime scene. If he did join UA, Shouta would have to teach him to be better aware of his surroundings. He smiled at the thought.

He made it through the building without any hassle. Some teachers liked to be there early even without the kids there. If Shouta wasn’t mistaken, they still had 2, no wait it’s a new day, 1 more day of internships left, then Sunday to recover. Shouta would never admit it out loud, but he had started to miss the little shits, even Kaminari and Midoriya. He was about ready to expel them both for their stupidity. Midoriya because he’s always breaking something and Kaminari because just last week, he had to send him to the nurse’s office for stuffing hot sauce packets up his nose. Again. He hadn’t even used his quirk that day. Shouta was half convinced that the boy just used his quirk as an excuse. He’s been wanting to talk to his parents about making him wear a rubber helmet so he doesn’t fry the last few brain cells he has left. Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose at the prospect…

He passed by Power Loader’s workshop. The door was cracked open a little, letting smoke waft into the hallway. Students liked to blame Mei for all the accidents in that room, but Power Loader still has his mishaps. He says that mistakes lead to innovation, maybe that’s why Mei was so unrestrained in her learning. Power Loader was sitting at his work bench behind a fan drinking coffee. It was one of the rare occasions Shouta got to see more of his face. Even in work meetings he had something covering it, either his hair or a helmet. They nodded to each other, and Shouta went on his way. He had never been close with the man, seeing him more as a co-worker he was friendly with rather than an acquaintance, but the lure of coffee was tempting. He couldn't of course since he had news for Principal Nezu. 

None of the other faculty members stopped him. Like with Power Loader, Shouta was pleasant with them but had no more than a working relationship with anyone in the office, except of course his husband and Nemuri, who he couldn’t escape from. 

Although Yagi has been trying to get closer to him for some reason, he even brought him lunch one time. Shouta thinks it’s so he can get more information about Midoriya. He would be stupid not to notice the connection between them. Their ‘secret meetings’ weren’t so secret with Yagi shouting everything. Fortunately, he was able to lead any perked ears away from their conversations. He was pretty sure Midoriya was the next user (but he wasn’t supposed to let Yagi know he knew that). Before the pair had started at the school, Principal Nezu had informed Shouta of Yagi’s condition. He didn’t tell Shouta anything about the boy though, so it was either Nezu himself didn’t know or it had yet to happen. 

Shouta was pretty sure some of Midoriya’s classmates had also noticed the connection, Bakugo and Todoroki being the main ones. Todoroki fortunately interrupted it as Yagi being Midoriya’s father, which was its own can of worms, but easy to sort out. Bakugo on the other hand seems to suspect the actual connection between the two. He was a smart kid, way smarter than people gave him credit for (Shouta just wished he used those brain cells to read a self-help book). He has recommended therapy or counseling to his parents before, but his mom seemed offended that Shouta brought anything up in the first place. Shouta would just have to help guide him like he has been doing. 

He walked past one of the teachers' offices and a familiar face caught his eye. It was Nemuri. She was hunched over a stack of papers, probably old assignments from students that she forgot to grade. Today was one of the last days before the students returned and would be expecting those grades. She wasn’t the best at balancing hero work with being a teacher, but the students loved her. She scowled at the pile through her glasses. 

Shouta walked faster, but he was too late. A pair of arms pulled around him from the back and wouldn’t let go. 

“Shouta!!!!” She squeezed tighter around him and wiggled. Shouta grabbed her arms in an awkward hug and patted them. She let go after a moment and Shouta turned to face her. “How’ve you been? You haven’t been answering any of my texts, I mean, you usually don’t but you at least text back one word after a few days.” she teased. 

Nemuri had always been a lifeline to Shouta. She pulled him out of the darkness more times than he could count. Early in Shouta’s hero career, he failed to save someone for the first time. He locked himself in his room and kept going over what happened, trying to find some way he could have saved them. He also kept thinking of Oboro, which only made things worse. He had stopped eating and not even Hizashi could pull him out of it. One day, Nemuri kicked down the door and dragged him out by his scarf. She, with the help of Hizashi, washed him up and untangled his hair. Shouta just broke down crying in the shower, wet and covered in suds. She just held him as he cried like a child. After he got washed up, she got him his favorite food and they all just sat in comfortable silence. She also convinced him to start therapy and even recommended someone. Shouta could safely say he might not be here without it. 

“I’ve been doing patrols, as usual,” he responded simply. Nemuri laughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Oh come on! I’ve heard you’ve been training that kid from class 1-C, What was his name?” she put her finger on her chin in a dramatic pose.

“Shinso Hitoshi,” Shouta walked into the office to find the coffee pot and she followed after him.

“Ah, that’s right! He was the one who had the mind control quirk right? He lost to Midoriya in the 3rd round.” 

“Brainwashing actually, and yes. He has a lot of potential and I think he would fit in 1-A, plus we have the room for it.” 

Shouta still has no idea how that one kid got into UA in the first place. Shouta expelled him the first day when he tried to peek into the girl’s locker room. That behavior was not appropriate for a hero, and if he did manage to succeed, he would use his power to control women, and Shouta didn’t want that on his conscience. 

“I just have to find the right time to introduce him. The sooner the better before the gap is too wide, I can only do so much on our one on one time. I thought after the internships would be a good place, but then the testing got rescheduled and I don’t want to throw him into the deep end on his first day…” Shouta was thinking aloud to himself. This is a topic that has been cycling through his head for several days.

“That and I hear that your classroom is gonna get a major change soon” she winked. Of course she knew. When Shouta didn’t answer her, she continued, “Does it have something to do with your secret project with Principal Nezu?” Shouta sighed. 

He grabbed one of the cups by the coffee machine and poured some in. It was a green liquid and it smelled sweet. He looked over at Nemuri and she shrugged. 

“I drink tea over coffee, you know this.” Shouta groaned and handed her the cup. “How generous, thank you” and she took a sip. 

“I have to go talk to Principal Nezu…” He mumbled and stalked out of the office.

“Make sure to keep me updated on your class! ‘Zashi can only tell me so much!” She called after him.

Zzz

Without any more distractions keeping him, Shouta finally made it to Principal Nezu’s office. Nezu sat at his desk with his signature smile and his hands folded on the table. He was stock still, like a stuffed animal, but Shouta had gotten used to how the Principal acts to pay it much mind.

“Ah, good morning, Mr. Aizawa.” He greeted.

“Good morning, Principal Nezu” Shouta didn’t sit down, instead making his way to the coffee machine by the wall. There was a fresh cup waiting for him. He took it and eyed Nezu, who still smiled, then he sat down in front of him. “Sorry it took so long, I got distracted on the way here.” 

“No worries at all. I never said a time to meet, just simply that I’ll be in my office.” Empty words. They both know the sooner the better for this kind of thing.

Shouta took a sip and gagged, decaf. It was still better than nothing. He took a seat across from Nezu and placed the coffee on the table and reached into his pocket, grabbing the manilla folder and the small baggie with the dirt he collected from the scene. Nezu took them both gently with his stubby arms.

“Detective Tsukauchi has already delivered me the folder, but this,” He held up the bag, “I had no clue of.” Shouta took a sip of his coffee, too ashamed to have kept the info from him, even if it slipped his mind. 

“I collected it from the scene. It was in a dent away from the fight. It looked fresh. According to the report, Phantom was hovering over it before they attacked him.” Shouta’s fist clenched at the reminder. He wished he had found the boy first. 

“And the bag itself?” Principal Nezu asked.

“I didn’t have anything else on me.”

“Very well. I shall run it through our lab to see what comes up. I can follow your line of logic in thinking that this could’ve had possible significance to Phantom, but it’s best to remain critical.” Shouta nodded.  

“Of course. Now to move on to the other matter…” Principal Nezu’s back straighten even more, if that were possible, “After I completed my patrols for the night, “Nezu didn’t correct him that it was now morning, “I went to my usual coffee place where I saw a teen who looked a lot like the description of the boy from page 13, the one who ran into the heroes before the altercation.” 

Nezu Hummed, “So you think this boy is Phantom?” It was rhetorical but Shouta still answered.

“I do. The way he moved and acted was also suspicious. It was clear that his clumsiness was intentional, and during an altercation between a customer-”

“He fought a customer?” Nezu questioned, his eyebrow quirked. 

“No, I fought a customer.” Shouta stated. “He was being rude to Tommy, the name of the barista and suspect, and then splashed coffee on his face, at which point I intervened.”

“You seem more tired than usual, Mr. Aizawa”

“I wasn’t able to enjoy any coffee.” He took another drink of the miserable cup in front of him. 

“Of course, whatever it takes to get you through the day,” Nezu teased. He had also tried to convince Shouta to stop drinking coffee so much. “Can you tell me anything about the interaction between you and this ‘Tommy.’” 

“Our conversation at the start was quick, just me ordering a coffee,” Shouta thought for a moment, “although it was strange, he didn’t charge me for the cup.”

“Perhaps he recognized you? Or maybe he already feels a connection with you.” Nezu let out a small laugh.

“Doubtful. If he was truly raised by All For One, I would imagine him to be more disdainful or at least distrustful of heroes, especially after what happened last night. Although perhaps he also looks up to the heroes because of his father. He is a vigilante after all.” Shouta hasn’t had the time to think too deeply about what that could mean, but the more he did, the less he liked.

“Who knows,” Nezu definitely knew something and was hiding it. He would tell Shouta if it became important enough. 

“I digress, shortly after I sat down the customer started harassing Phantom. At first it was just yelling and general insults, but I stepped in when it got physical. I dragged him outside and kicked him out.” Nezu nodded, “However, after the man spilled his coffee on Tommy, I noticed the boy’s eyes glow green, not unlike what it detailed in the reports with Phantom. That’s when I was convinced they were one in the same. Of course, there is always the possibility that the two are separate, but I do not think this is the case.”

“I would have come to the same conclusion myself.” Nezu agreed. 

“After the altercation, Phantom handed me my coffee and thanked me. He seemed awkward about the exchange, though. I left shortly after and came here.”

“Thank you for your report, Mr. Aizawa. I hope I’m not asking you too much if you could write this all out for me with any other details you can remember. Even the most minor thing could be important.”

“Consider it done.” Sensing the meeting was over, Shouta stood up to leave. “I just have one question, Principal Nezu.” 

“And what's that?” His eyes gleamed.

“How many quirks does Phantom have?” The Nomu’s were no longer human after just 3, and this kid has displayed far more than that. They could be on a timer to save the boy before he was lost forever in himself. 

“I do not know.” Nezu stated. Ice spread through Shouta and a weight settled in his gut. Even the Principal doesn’t know? Shouta’s hands clenched into fists again. As much as he wanted to save the kid, he had to remember he was an unknown. He couldn’t let his emotions get in the way with that.

“You should probably get some rest, Mr. Aizawa. We both have a long few days ahead of us.” and with that, the meeting was officially over.

Shouta slowly walked out of the room trying to process the whole conversation. The Principal had clear faith that Phantom would indeed join UA, and so Shouta just had to trust him until proven otherwise. He hoped to whatever god that becomes a reality, for both Phantom’s and his sake. Until then, he would do his best to build his trust and extend a hand to the boy. It was his choice whether he would take it or not. 

One thing was for certain, he would try to save the boy until he begged him to stop, even then he might push.

When Shouta got home, the house was empty. Hizashi was still at the studio for the morning radio. He was kind of relieved he was gone. He wasn’t ready to talk about the day he had yet. Still so many unorganized thoughts in his head. He collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to change his clothes or taking off his shoes; it was laundry day tomorrow after all, or was it today? Time had lost all meaning to Shouta a long time ago.

He closed his eyes and thought about Phantom again. He will save him, even if he loses an arm in the process. 

“Damn it” he cursed into the still air.

He got attached.

Chapter Text

Working at the coffee shop was a lot harder than Danny thought. When he had met with Mr. Tanaka a few hours before, they agreed on Danny working the early morning shift to afternoon, since no one else was able to cover. Apparently there were only 2 other employees, but they both had ‘nightly duties,’ whatever that meant. 

Mr. Tanaka looked Danny up and down, displeased with his manner of dress. Clearly, wearing hero merch wasn’t the most professional attire. Mr. Tanaka riffled through a few drawers and threw Danny an off-white turtleneck and brown apron that tied around the waist. The apron already had a few coffee stains on it and the ties had been replaced by a black cord. Danny was able to get the top part of his hazmat to detect, absorbing the stray ectoplasm back into himself. It was strange being able to do that. When he put on the shirt, it made him look even paler than he already was. It would have to do. He flipped the mask around to hide the teeth.

After that, Danny wasn’t so much as trained as he was thrown in the fire. Mr. Tanaka explained what each thing did and how it was done, but it was so fast Danny didn’t understand, but nodded along anyway. It seemed simple then. He had been an avid coffee drinker when he was alive, and had even made his own coffee. Of course, it was with the Fenton Coffee Maker™ (gave it an extra kick), but the theory was the same. Coffee was just hot bean water after all. Danny only had 30 minutes of instruction before the shop opened, and Mr. Tanaka left to go back upstairs. 

He was excited when his first customer came in. It was a man with the most beautiful hair he had ever seen. Honestly, Danny thought he was a ghost before he remembered quirks and where he was. Danny still couldn’t completely process it. Heroes made sense (he’d read comics), but powers were usually the minority rather than the rule. As long as none of them triggered his ghost sense (or blindly attacked him like last night), it didn’t really matter. He has gotten a few false alarms here and there, but that's usually around monster-type quirks, or whatever the term was. 

The man ordered a super fancy coffee that Danny had never heard of. He understood ‘mocha’ and ‘espresso shots,’ but the rest he was flying blind. He really wished he had his phone on him, but he’s pretty sure that was on his corpse other body. Danny shivered. He did not want to know what ended up happening to it. After the guy sat down, Danny went to the booklet that had all the recipes that Mr. Tanaka told him about (it was the one thing he remembered). He had just found the specific blend when another customer came in. 

He wore dark baggy clothes and looked like he hadn't slept in days, Danny could relate. His clothes were all dirty and he smelled like smoke and alleyways. He was probably homeless . 

He ordered a black coffee and nothing else. He was reaching into his pocket when Danny told him it was on the house. The man looked taken aback, but didn’t protest, just nodded and sat down. He looked out of it, like he just might collapse right there. 

Danny got back to making the other man’s coffee and after a few attempts, he finally got it right. Danny didn’t know what it tasted like, but it smelled pretty good so he must’ve done something right. He brought it over to the man and smiled at him from under the mask. Danny was pretty proud of himself. 

Just when he was back behind the counter, the man shot up and bolted at Danny.

“What the hell is this shit?!” Danny was stunned, he was about to say something when the man cut him off, “You can’t expect me to drink this garbage?! I paid 1,304¥ for this and I demand a refund!” 

“I’m sorry dude-” Danny tried to calm down the man, but he looked even angrier, turning red.

“Dude?!” he shouted even louder and his hair changed colors and hues to match a fire. 

“Sir!” Danny corrected, “but could you tell me what was wrong with it?” He thought he did a really good job…

“What’s wrong with it? What isn’t wrong with it?!” in his craze his hands started shaking and he spilled some of his coffee on the floor. Danny frowned, he was the one who had to mop that up. The man suddenly stuck out his tongue, but Danny already stopped paying attention to what he was saying.

When he finally stopped talking, Danny offered him a refund but the guy didn’t really seem interested. Danny noticed that the homeless guy from before had gotten up and looked towards him. 

“It’s time for you to stop-” But no sooner had the man spoken those words did Danny suddenly feel the coffee seep into his uniform and hair. Oh he was pissed! 

Before Danny could jump over the counter to beat the guy, mummy-like tendrils shot out from the homeless guy’s neck, no, scarf, and the man went down. Danny jumped back, he was not gonna be taken by surprise like last night. Instead of going after Danny, the homeless man just dragged the man out the store. 

Danny started to wipe himself off while they were preoccupied. It was gonna get sticky if he didn’t do anything about it. While Danny couldn’t feel the sensation anymore, he hated just thinking about it. The water did barely anything and had just made it seem like Danny had drooled a lot, so while the men were outside, Danny briefly went intangible, letting the coffee spill on the floor. The floors will get sticky but at least the clothes were safe. 

The homeless mummy came back inside and returned to his table. He looked even more exhausted. There was an awkward silence in the air. What were you supposed to do when that happened? 

He suddenly remembered the man’s coffee and decided that was a good way to break tension. He set it down on the table with a coaster, careful not to get it near the thick folder in front of the man. Danny eyed it suspiciously, but didn’t comment.

“Thank you…for that…” Danny gave him a short bow, copying it from the boy he met before.

“Anytime, kid.” The man nodded. He seemed nice enough if a bit standoffish, and he did help Danny with that customer (even if he could’ve handled it on his own). Danny walked back behind the counter, but could still feel the guy staring at him. He started cleaning a random cup to seem busy. He could’ve cleaned the floor but he didn’t want to turn his back completely to the guy. He was still looking at him…

Danny wouldn’t let it bother him. He turned around and went back to scrubbing. When he no longer felt the man watching him, he turned his gaze back towards the man, careful not to move his head. He could almost feel his eyes traveling to get a better look. He watched the man sip the coffee– and then spit it out. 

Danny snapped his head back, expecting the man to react in aggression like the one before. Instead Mr. Mummy kept drinking it. Perhaps it was too hot? The man gave him a weird smile with dead eyes and too much teeth. 

He finished it quickly and left the café, leaving Danny alone once more.

Only one thought ebbed in his mind…

“Am I really that bad at making coffee?”

★

His shift was pretty uneventful afterwards. He was able to get around his coffee making skills by saying the machine broke, which some customers understood (others not so much). Just because it was uneventful didn’t mean he didn’t get death threats. 

A group of teenage girls walked in with brightly colored clothes. They all idled around the counter and stared at the menu above Danny. A few of them were glancing at him then back at the menu, their faces red from embarrassment. It was awkward deciding something to order with someone watching you.

“Here,” he picked up a stack of menus, “you can pick out what to order so you don’t have to stand here.” 

The girls lined up and each took one, bowing slightly as they walked away. The last girl had big eyes and messy colorful hair. Her costume was the most bare, just a plain blue bodysuit with chunky gloves and boots. She kinda glowed a little and Danny felt a familiar tickle in his throat. 

She looked more nervous than the others and her lip quivered. She grabbed the menu then ran off, forgetting to bow (it’s not like Danny cared).

The girls started talking and Danny did his best not to eavesdrop.

🐸

It was their final day of internships, but most of class 1-A got released early, due to the stress from the Hosu attacks. Their mentors didn’t make it known that was the reason though, instead saying they did such a good job they deserved a day off early, ribbit . It didn’t make sense to Tsu, since she had been nowhere near land when the attacks happened and would’ve liked to finish out the whole 2 weeks, even just by a day. Although after saying that, her body was starting to get tired of the non-stop work, ribbit . 

The rest of the girls thought it would be a good idea to hangout at a café (Momo’s favorite), and catch up. It hadn’t been that long, but a lot has happened since then. Tsu feels she has learned a lot, and she was sure the others did too.

“It was absolutely awful!” Momo moaned, still looking elegant if a bit stressed. “Medusa had us do nothing but work on a hair commercial. I felt useless... We’re supposed to be training to be heroes but instead we’re selling hair spray?”

“There there” Mina patted her on the back as she pouted. She looked like a baby who was told no to ice cream. 

“It wasn’t completely for nothing,” she recovered, “I was able to get closer to the girl from class 1-B, Ms. Itsuka.”

“Was she the one with the, you know,” Uraraka made karate chop gestures, “the hand quirk?” She had a nervous smile on her face. 

“The very same,” Momo responded. “We both came in looking for a strong womanly role model, but were both disappointed.” She shook her head solemnly. Mina patted her back again, mimicking her face. 

“Are we actually gonna look at the menu?” Jiro asked, “I feel bad making the guy wait”

“The barista?” Uraraka asked.

“He’s kinda cute, don’t you think?” 

“Mina!” Momo sounded scandalized. 

“What? You were all thinking it” she teased, “Look at him”

In sync all the girls turned their heads at the poor barista. You weren’t able to see much of his face with his mask, which reminded her of Shouji. He looked awkward and turned away from them. Tsu didn’t see what the big deal was, ribbit.  

“I think he was able to see me,” a small voice sounded. Everyone turned their heads to the pair of floating gloves.

“What? No way!” Mina beamed. 

“How could you even tell?” Momo seemed more skeptical. 

“When he handed me the menu, he looked at me in the eyes…”

“What!” Mina leaned over the table and grabbed Hagakure’s gloves, “so he gets to see a total cutie and I can’t?!” She then pulled her into a hug and pressed their cheeks together (or at least where Hagakure’s cheeks seemed to be, ribbit).

“Get off, you look ridiculous,” Momo pulled Mina down, looking around the cafe for any pair of eyes. She succeeded and Mina was back on her chair with a yelp. 

“You’re no fun,” She stuck her tongue out.

“Do you think Itsuka would want to join us sometime?” Uraraka asked.

“That would be absolutely lovely!” Momo beamed, clasping her hands together. “Her and I exchanged numbers, do you want me to add her to the group chat?”

The girls of class 1-A had a group chat they’ve been using since the start of school. They’ve planned outings, worked on homework or just shared memes. Tsu didn’t always respond to it (usually a 👍or👎), but she still felt like she was still pretty included, ribbit. 

“It might be better to hangout with her first. Catch the vibe.” Mina stated.

 “Yeah, it would be awkward if we don’t get along and have to kick her out of the chat.”

“I would die of humiliation if I saw her after that!” Uraraka put her head on the table and covered it with her arms.

“Guys, the menu,” Jiro stressed. She had her face in it like it was a textbook.

“Woo did you guys hear about the attack last night?” Mina sidestepped. 

“Geez, we’re never gonna order…”

“What attack?” Tsu didn’t hear anything about that in the news. The rest of the table was also interested.

“Okay so, ‘allegedly’ some heroes found one of the members of Phantom…” She drew out the name for dramatic effect. 

“Which heroes?” Jiro asked, forgetting the menu. 

“I think Mt. Lady and some other guys?”

“I hope she wasn’t injured, I like Mt. Lady.” Momo pouted again. 

“If it was Mt. Lady one of the others could be Kamui Woods,” Uraraka tapped her chin, looking up. 

“You’ve been hanging around with Midoriya too much,” Tsu had noticed them walking around the school more often (that was when he wasn’t chasing after Bakugo). As soon as Tsu said the name, Uraraka’s face turned red, ribbit.  

“Whaa? No, he’s just a really good friend and he likes to talk about heroes so I like to listen to him talk about heroes…” There was something in there, but Tsu decided to ignore it.

“Back to topic-”

“The menus?”

“No, the Phantoms! Where was I…” Mina bobbed her head back and forth a few times before lighting up, “oh yeah! So- the heroes find a member of Phantom. They start fighting him, trying to get him into custody, but he’s fighting back.” while she's telling the story she’s making wild hand gestures, “They have him on the ropes though, or roots in this case, but then!” She jumped at them with her hands raised like claws. Only Momo jumped. “Another member shows up! It’s now 2 on 2 and they’re evenly powered! Then I think another guy shows up and one of the Phantoms gets downed!”

“Of course, they’re fighting against professionally trained heroes.” Momo leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, unimpressed.

“I heard rumors that Phantom are all trained too. That's why it's taking so long to catch them.” Jiro said. 

“That would make sense. They were able to take down a Nomu,” Tsu added. Even All Might had trouble with one. Whoever they are, she’s glad they aren’t a part of the league. The table went quiet after she mentioned the Nomus. The memories of the USJ attack still fresh in their minds. 

“Sorry…”

“Whatever, can we just order? He’s gonna think we’re loitering.”

“No, let me finish my story.”

“Finish it fast, I’m hungry!” Jiro yelled, but they could all tell she was teasing.

“Geez, alright, you’re so annoying” Mina stuck her tongue out again. “Aaafffttteeerrr ttthhheee Ppphhha-OW!” Jiro japped her in the ribs.

“Come on,” Jiro threatened.

“Okay, okay! I’ll tell it normally. Okay, so after one of the Phantom’s goes down, The rest show up!” 

“How many are there?” Hagakure asked.

“I think officially it’s 5?” Mina tilted her head, unsure. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter, just know that the heroes are outmatched now. One of them grabs the downed brother, and the rest are able to hold back the heroes. Doesn’t last though since more heroes soon enter the alley.”

“Alley?”

“Yeah, the alley a few blocks from here. That’s why I’m telling the story?”

“Wait, this all happened nearby?” Jiro looked shocked. “Why don’t we go over and investigate?”

“Already did.” Mina responded causally, like she didn’t walk into a crime scene, ribbit.

“And?!”

“It was pretty boring. You can barely tell that there was even a fight. The Hero Commission must’ve covered it up good.” 

“Where did you even hear about this?” Momo's voice was tight, like a plucked string on a harp. 

“Online,” Mina responded simply. “Denki sent it to me. You should hear him, he’s obsessed with Phantom” 

“And you believe that idiot?” Jiro looked baffled.

“He wasn’t the one who wrote it.” Mina shrugged.

“Yeah, but he still believes it.”

“And he also believes that I have the best stories, so he’s not wrong all the time.”

“His brain is worse than fried chicken and you know it.”

“Can you just finish your story so we can order?” Uraraka pleaded. 

“Of course!” She eyed Jiro, “that's what I’ve been trying to do. Uhhh so more heroes show up and somehow, through spooky forces, Phantom disappeared…” She wiggled her fingers.

“And?” Jiro pressed. 

“That’s it,” Mina shrugged her shoulders again. 

“That's how it ends?!”

“Oh, and one of the heroes got beaten up.”

“As long as it wasn’t Mt. Lady…” Momo commented. 

“It wasn’t.”

“Good.”

“Okay, so can we order now?” Jiro pleaded with her hands clasped. 

“Yeah, I already know what I want.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve known for a while, ribbit.”

“You guys suck…” Jiro laid her head down on the table and looked away. 

★

The girls stayed in the café for a while, almost two hours. Danny didn’t really mind since it would’ve been empty without them. He tried his best not to eavesdrop, but they were so loud. Most of the stuff he didn’t understand, topics of internships and classmates. He wondered if they went to the same school as Deku. If so, that must mean that they’re training to be heroes, which would explain the get-ups. 

He did overhear them talking about Phantom, which was weird. Sure, he’s heard people talk about him in Amity, but this wasn’t Amity. It also didn’t help that the story was way wrong. 

It made sense that the media (or whatever power oversaw them), would spin it that way. The public's reaction to a single kid defeating even one pro-hero would be massive. Still, things were different now that Danny knew they were after him specifically (and not just because he broke the anti-quirk law). When the heroes attacked him, they did it to take him down. He was almost able to taste their desperation. He tried to give them opportunities to run, but they wouldn’t. What was so special about him than any other person illegally using their quirk? Danny knew he was different (he was a ghost after all), but what did they know? There must've been a reason he made headlines over other vigilantes…

Danny started wiping down the tables the girl’s sat at. Despite how noisy they were (which wasn't that bad, Danny just had good hearing), they were really polite customers. At the end of their meal (wow those girls could eat a lot), they cleaned up their trash and dishes and put it away. They were delightful, and he hopes they come again. 

In a way, watching them reminded him of Sam, Paulina and him. It was in another lifetime (back when he was known as Dani ) that the 3 of them would go on little outings. That was back in middle school, before things got complicated. He partially blames himself for that, but Sam and Paulina both have explosive personalities, so it was bound to happen (they have a lot more in common than they would admit). 

It used to hurt thinking about the him from then. He was trapped in a body that wasn’t his, pretending everything was alright. Not much different from now. At first he wanted to forget that part of himself, reject it in all forms and despise it. I was weak then, I was worse then, but that didn’t help the swirling of emotions inside. The painful truth was he loved the little girl he was then, he loved the little boy he was then. They were so strong to be able to get him here, and now he could protect them. He wouldn’t let himself destroy his own innocence, not when so many things made it crack. He was a collection of all his scars. They were proof that he lived.  

Danny rubbed at his wrists, the faded scars hidden under fabric. After he woke up in the Keep, all his scars had faded. Another swirl of emotion twisted at him when he thought about it. He didn’t want to have everything taken away from him, his body to heal while he lay dead. He wanted to be the one to care for his scars, to watch them fade because of his own effort, not the invisible hand of time. Danny understands he might have a different perspective had they stayed. He probably would’ve looked at them in shame and disgust, but that would’ve been his choice. Now, he didn’t have anything to tend to. 

He clenched his fist and stared at the table. He had to stop thinking about it. He had to get back to work and enjoy life and all he’s been given. It was just so hard when it felt like all the choices that were laid out in front of him were ripped away. He was dead now, and dead things can’t heal. Who he is now is who he’ll forever be. The past can’t change and he belonged in the past. 

Danny grabbed a washcloth and started obsessively cleaning. He scrubbed every countertop, every table, every nook and cranny. When he was done with that, he grabbed a mop and did the same to the floors. He can’t fix himself, but he can make this place neat. He went into a daze where the only thing he was aware of was the smell of bleach. 

He didn’t know how long he was in this state for until he heard the chime of the door bell. In walked a familiar face, and Danny gasped.

🥦

Izuku walked into the familiar coffee shop. Momo discovered the place a few days after school began and showed it to the others. Since then, it has become almost a communal spot for class 1-A. Izuku preferred going alone though. He's been able to make a few friends within the class, but he still feels like an outcast. They saw him as a greater version of him that he wasn’t yet. It was reassuring as much as it was stressful, like he had to be someone else to live up to the exceptions he set in their mind. He hasn’t failed yet so that must mean he’s doing something right… 

Izuku could hear himself mumbling and he shut his mouth. Fortunately, no one else was in the shop, aside from the barista, who was currently cleaning something. Izuku walked up to the counter to say his order, but stopped when he saw the barista’s face, half hidden by a mask. Glowing green eyes met his.

“Pha- no wait, Tucker?!” He shouted despite himself. He clasped his hands over his mouth. No, he studied the barista again. Phantom didn’t have black hair. Izuku slowly lowered his hands, ready to apologize when not-Tucker laughed.

“No, Tucker’s my brother.” his eyes were intense and now a blue-green, “My twin brother,” he coughed, “My name’s Tommy.” Tommy shook his hand out, presumingly for Izuku to shake. He had latex gloves on for cleaning, but the image just reminded him even more of Phantom. “He likes to pretend that I’m a clone- uhh, copy of him since he’s older.” Tommy laughed again.

Izuku did remember Phantom saying he was the “original”, he guessed that’s what that meant. Weird way to say you’re a twin. “So does that mean you’re a vigilante too then?” Izuku was still really confused…

“No, I’m…” He paused, “quirkless?” His voice sounded unsure. He was probably nervous to tell someone. Izuku understood. He wanted to say he was quirkless too, but that would be hard to explain.

“Oh.” he opted for instead. 

“Yeah. So how do you know my brother?” Tommy changed the subject, “Did he threaten you? Did he beat you up? I think I remember him saying he beat up a green kid last week.” Is that how he remembers it?! 

Tommy continued, “Tell you what, how about you order and I’ll come sit down with you?” He smiled at him.

“Ok. Uhh can I just have a water bottle and a sandwich?” Izuku got out his wallet.

“You’re gonna get a water at a café?” Izuku felt his heart go into overdrive. Was this a test? Did he fail? “Smart choice.” Tommy smiled, “I’ve been told my coffee sucks.” Izuku shakily put the money on the counter but Tommy didn’t take it. “Nuh uh. This ones on the house.”

“Are you allowed to do that?” Izuku took his money and put it away, unsure.

“I don’t know, but I have been. Which sandwich do you want?” 

“A1?” It was a turkey sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce, good for a day like this. 

“Cool. You can go sit down and I’ll be over in a minute” He smiled and turned around. 

Izuku walked away from the counter feeling dizzy. He found a spot in a corner by a shelf with a lot of little figurines. Yeah, that made sense to be there. His head finally caught up with him when he sat down. 

How could Phantom have a brother?! Were they both grown in a lab or were they taken from a loving family? If so, why would All For One keep the quirkless twin? Maybe he used him as leverage over Phantom? Or maybe he was the spare if Phantom died? Is that why he called himself Phantom? Because he was a dead-man walking? The thought made him sick. 

Suddenly Tommy was in front of him with his water and sandwich. He set them down and sat in front of him. He smiled at him and motioned for him to take it. 

Tommy took off his mask and Izuku could see teeth on the other side. It must’ve been the same one Phantom used. With his face fully exposed, Izuku drank him in. It had been dark when Phantom removed his own mask, so Izuku didn’t get a good look at him. Based on his hazy memory, the two were identical, save for the sharpness of Tommy’s teeth. His canines were still prominent, but not in the same way that Phantom flashed his. There were also the obvious differences between the two like the hair and skin color. It wasn’t hard to imagine Phantom looking like this in another world. Izuku’s eyes caught something on Tommy’s neck. Just before the cut of his turtleneck was a blue rash splashed across his skin. It was the same hue as Phantom’s skin. Izuku noticed it with Tommy’s hair and eyes, but maybe he shares more in common with his brother than he was willing to show. 

“I’m glad you’re alright. Tucker thought he’d never see you again.” The way he said Tucker was wrong, like it was forced. He didn’t think Tucker and Tommy were their real names. And was Tucker here? Tommy said it like Tucker was at the table. 

“Yeah, I didn’t think I would see him again either.” He bobbed his head around, looking behind Tommy in case Tucker was behind him, “Is there a way for me to contact him? Like a phone number or something?” He wanted to know if he was okay. He read some rumors online that he got into an alteration with some heroes. 

“No, we don’t have a phone,” Tommy shook his head and Izuku deflated, “But I can pass on a message?” Tommy smiled again, showing off his teeth once more. He couldn’t imagine what they’ve been through. They both seem so happy now, it was hard to imagine them small and hiding in the corner of a lab. Izuku scratched at the table. 

“Really?” Izuku asked. 

Tommy nodded but it was too forceful. He seemed so fake. There was the same lightfulness that Phantom had, but it seemed forced somehow. The smile was real, but it was like there was something more behind it. 

“Is he okay?” Izuku asked. Are you both okay? 

“What?” Tommy looked caught off-guard and for the first time he stopped smiling. 

“I heard a rumor he got into some trouble last night…and I wanted to make sure he was alright.”

“Oh…” Tommy’s smile returned but it was wetter now, “Yeah, he’s okay,” He put his hand over Izuku’s, stopping him from scratching anymore. “Thank you.” He squeezed it, “I’m uhh..” he stood up, “I’m gonna go clean some stuff in the back, okay?” He wiped his hands on his apron, “You can take your time, no one else is here.” He patted Izuku’s head, ruffling his hair, and then walked off.  

Izuku didn’t stop him. It gave him time to be alone and process his thoughts. Was Tommy crying just then? It was probably the first time that anyone had expressed worry for them. Tommy and Phantom only had each other for so long, no one else to care for them. He clenched his fist just thinking about what they had to endure. 

They probably escaped when Shiguraki let out those Nomus. They finally had the opportunity to see the world, and yet they stayed here. Why? Phantom can fly, he could fly them somewhere far away, but he didn’t. Did Phantom want revenge? He had become a vigilante and most notably, took down most of the Nomus from that night. Maybe he's like Todoroki, trying to prove something to his creator.

Or maybe he was afraid? Afraid that as long as All For One was out there, they’d never be safe. 

Where did that leave Tommy then? He just had to watch his brother go down that path? To possibly destroy himself? Did he try to convince him to leave but was powerless to stop him? How did it feel to be the quirkless twin? Was he jealous of his brother, or was he relieved everytime they took Phantom away instead of him? 

Izuku just quietly ate his sandwich. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, worried he would get sick. After he was done he got up and brought the plate back up to the counter. Tommy wasn’t there when he left. He passed by a couple walking in and he could hear Tommy greet them behind him. Izuku swore he wouldn’t let them be alone anymore. He would become a constant for Tommy, at least while he was at work. 

★

Danny felt bittersweet watching Deku walk out the door. When he first saw the kid he was so surprised that he couldn’t even react. He defaulted to his first instinct, which was to lie. He had thought about telling him, but he didn’t know how he would take it. Plus he didn’t even really know the poor boy, they had only met 2ish times. For some reason though, Danny trusted him. It was weird. It was like there was a strange rope that latched onto the both of them. Danny couldn’t describe it. It was almost like a recognition in the other? Maybe it had to do with the ghostly vibe from his quirk?

Regardless, Danny didn’t end up telling him. He just sat in front of him like a smiling coward. The kid seemed off today too. He wasn’t as perky as he usually was, although that probably has more to do with Tommy being a stranger. What Deku said was a shock though. 

Is he okay? Was Phantom okay? Are you okay? The boy had cared about him, even if it was the other him. He wasn’t used to that in this world. The question rang in his ears like a sharp bell.

Am I okay? Surface level, yeah. Danny was doing pretty okay. He had gotten a job, found the portal, gotten a hold on his new body and powers, but under that? Danny felt nothing. He should be feeling so much more after everythings that's happened, but he just feels …dead. 

The lights started to flicker and Danny felt cold. 

Ghosts feel more than people. They no longer hold back in their emotions because emotions are all that they have left. By ghost logic, Danny should be rampaging. He had gotten his head blown off last night! People are still hunting him down, even in another dimension! Danny thought, he really did, in a world of heroes he wouldn’t be the only freak out there. Why do people always get what he can’t have? 

He was dead. He died a long time ago and life moved on. He needed to move on, but what would that leave him? He needed to hold on to these emotions otherwise he’ll disappear. Is this how Dan felt? Is this how Vlad felt? Everything is just so unfair and he was still just a kid.

Danny shut his eyes tight. The more he thought about these emotions, the more hollow he felt. The air started swirling around him and he floated in the air. He held onto himself tightly, trying to make himself small. 

He was such a fuck up. He sucked at being a human and now he sucks at being a ghost. He wanted to stop feeling this, feeling everything. He missed being nothing. It almost felt like he was in the nothing now except for the prickly sensation of being aware. 

Cold overridden Danny’s senses and he felt himself get pulled in. He didn’t fight it. This was the only thing that felt real to him anymore. It was pathetic since it was his own ectoplasm that he was sinking into, not an actual person. He missed people. He missed having someone that cared for him and vice versa. He couldn’t handle this alone anymore. He was gonna tear apart.

Suddenly, Danny felt something cover him, something warm and real.

“Are you okay, kid?” he was able to hear his dad’s voice call out to him, but it was fuzzy under all his boiling thoughts.

He just wanted to be happy again, but there's no such thing as a happy ghost. If they were truly happy, they would pass on. The only cluster of ghosts that couldn’t move on were the actual denizens of the Infinite Realms, or the Ancients. 

“My god, you’re freezing,” His dad sounded worried. He pulled Danny closer and wrapped him into a blanket. He felt like a kid again, being tucked in after a long day. He wanted to drift into it forever.

“Just breathe,” His dad guided. Danny wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to, but didn’t want to fight him. He instead followed his motions. In and out, air being breathed into him like a dead frog. 

“There you go, in” He paused and breathed in, “and out…” Danny could smell coffee and mint toothpaste. His dad continued to repeat the motions over and over above him.

Despite not needing to breathe, Danny had started to feel better. He knew it was the presence of a person that pulled him back, rather than the breathing. He had felt so lonely for so long that he started to actually feel like a ghost. He waited a few more breaths to open his eyes. 

At first he was only able to make out long black hair and a pale face. Vlad? His vision adjusted to the darkness, slowly. Instead of seeing the familiar blue eyes of his dad or Vlad, panicked black eyes looked back…

Chapter Text

It was 11:56 am when Shouta woke up. He stared up at the black ceiling of his empty home. It was 4 minutes before his alarm would go off, forcing him to get back out into the field. Hizashi was busy either with hero work, his radio, or helping prep for the upcoming training camp for class 1-A & B. As much as those kids deserve a break, they need to be prepared for what was coming, more so than any other class. The kids never should have been exposed to the League of Villains, but that was out of their control now. What they can control is how much access the League has to the kids. With the training grounds so far away (and several dummy locations), it should stop the league from finding them. Still, Shouta had a bad feeling in his stomach. He just had to keep trusting Nezu. 

The alarm blared in his ear, startling The Queen of Arson from her throne, which was less importantly Shouta's chest. She quietly curled her head back down, unbothered. Shouta looked down at her and rubbed her head, her purring in response. This part always hurt… With regret already in his bones, Shouta slowly rose out of his bed, gently lifting the blanket underneath her so she wouldn’t immediately notice his departure. He lowered her back down once he was completely out. Of course, she could tell the difference, and looked back at him in disgust, then jumped off the bed. Pancake ran after her, trying to play, annoying her further. 

As much as Shouta wanted to stay and watch the cats, he had a job to do. He stripped out of his dirty jumpsuit and threw it in the hamper. It was Hizashi’s week to do the laundry. He thinks. He rummaged through his bare closet but was only able to find an atrocious pair of pink sweatpants that said ‘ Juicey’ on the butt. Absolutely not. Hizashi had gotten them for him 5 years ago for an anniversary, and they were only to be worn in the house. He went back to the hamper and smelled the old suit, it didn’t smell that bad. He took them into the bathroom and hung it on the empty towel hook. Then took the scented spray from under the sink and sprayed away the surface stench of an alley. This would have to do. 

It didn’t take long after that to get ready. On his way out the door, his third cat, Sushi, rubbed against his leg. He crouched down to pet her, ignoring the slight pain in his leg. He looked around for the others and secretly fed her a treat he kept in his pocket for the strays. And with that, Shouta was out the door. 

His mind raced with thoughts of Phantom and the café, he just hoped he was still there. He had no idea how he was gonna get the boy to join UA. He distracted himself with a more current problem, the training camp.

He had been hoping for an in to place Shinso in the class, and this could be it. He had been training him since the sports festival, and could tell he was more competent than some of his other students. His personality could push his other students in the right direction and force them to use their heads. Throwing him into the mix could also throw off the League, at least for a while. He didn’t like the idea of using children as pawns, but again, he had to trust Principal Nezu. Shouta had made up his mind long ago anyway…

The café was only a 15 minute bus ride, and too soon he was kicked off. He watched the café from the outside for a moment, confused by what he saw. The sole window emanated a pulsing white light that hid the inside from view. The street itself was also very quiet, not typical for a day like this. An uncanny feeling waffed in the air, similar to that of the alley the night before. A dozen alarm bells went off in his head. 

Shouta crept towards the door, ears and eyes open for whatever could be waiting for him. He knew Phantom glowed and had blasts of some kind, but was this his doing or something else? There was always the possibility that the league had found him. He grabbed his phone to call for backup, but as soon as his fingers touched the case, it shocked him. He tried turning it on but it was dead. Great. 

The phones for heroes were designed to be resistant to most everything, especially electric or other power-emitter quirks. Was this the league? A new member of theirs, or Phantom? If it was the boy, how many quirks did he have jammed into him? It didn’t matter if Shouta had backup or not, he needed to help Phantom. 

He pushed the door open with no resistance, chills running up his spine. The sign on the outside was open, but still the ease at getting in rattled him. If it was the league, they would’ve locked or barricaded it. Shouta tried to sneak in, but he wasn’t small enough to fit through the gap, and the bell dinged. He braced himself for an attack, but only felt gusts of cold wind. The whole café was silent except for a faint buzz. Shouta walked into the threshold and found the source of the light. 

There, by the front of the counter, was the curled up form of Phantom, floating and shining brightly like a star. Shouta just stared at the specter, transfixed and disturbed by the light show. Phantom was dimming in and out of visibility, his hair and lights flashing a different color as he returned to visibility. Greens, purples, whites and blues pulsed in and out with the boy. It was like the northern lights, or maybe closer to stardust since he looked so much like a star.

Shouta put on his goggles for some relief, afraid he would have a seizure if he stared at the thing for too long. Hairs rose on the back of his neck at the activation of his quirk– but nothing happened. He tried again for longer but with the same result. Shouta should’ve been surprised, but he wasn’t. Logic and common sense wasn’t something that affected the boy thus far. 

Shouta let out a frustrated sigh and slowly approached the boy. With each step, a sharp cold wind blew into his bones and he exhaled, feeling numb. Is this what Mt. Lady was talking about in the report? 

Shouta pressed on, not wanting to fail the kid before he even got the chance to try. He wrapped his scarf around his face to protect from the cold, and marched forth. He was only 3 feet away when he heard the kid mumbling. It was incompressible and sounded scratchy and acidic. It hurt his teeth. Another wind knocked Shouta down, causing him to hit his bad knee. He grit his teeth in determination, but got up. It was not the worst pain he felt. 

More and more blasts of cold went through him as if trying to keep him away (which was very likely). Once he had good balance again, he started walking, adrenaline in his veins making him completely numb. It was like climbing up a snowy mountain. Finally he reached Phantom. He stretched out his scarf and wrapped them around the boy, but he did not budge. Shouta didn’t expect him to, he just needed an anchor. With his hands free, he dug through his many pockets. Shouta clumsily found his space blanket and unwrapped it. He tried to wrap it around Phantom, but the wind was too strong. His scarf was starting to fray from the tenson, despite that being near impossible. In a hasty moment, Shouta grabbed the boy's shoulder.

Everything stopped. 

Light bulbs shattered as the boy fell down. Fortunately Shouta was able to catch him, if barely. He looked at his face, which was blue and slack. So this is what he looks like… Shouta had to file that away for later. He hurriedly wrapped the blanket around the boy. It was clear he had an ice quirk, but even they could get hypothermia if overused. Shouta started rubbing the boy’s back and arms, trying to get him and Phantom warmer. He felt like frozen meat.

“Oh god…” Shouta cursed. His quirk wasn’t suited for this. The boy’s heart wasn’t beating and Shouta had to hope that it was a side effect of the kid's quirk instead of the very obvious truth. Shouta was holding a dead kid with white hair, a scene that was already very familiar to him. 

“Shit!” he cursed louder, at himself more than anything. He started to aggressively rub faster, trying to get any warmth through him. His fingers were numb and he could no longer bend them right. In his frenzy, he almost didn’t hear the boy groan. 

“Phantom?” he questioned. Another groan. Shouta nearly laughed from relief. “Are you okay, kid?” He didn’t try to hide how frantic he felt. He checked the boy’s heartbeat, but still felt nothing. No warmth radiated from the boy either, if he hadn’t made a noise Shouta would still think he was dead. Maybe he is a phantom, Shouta thought. 

“My god, you’re freezing…” he held him tighter, hoping to give whatever warmth he could to the boy. The ice around them started to melt, which had to be a good sign. 

“Come on, just breathe…” Shouta started breathing deeply to guide him, and slowly the kid started mimicking him, but grumbled. 

“There you go, in” Shouta breathed in and the boy copied, if a bit more shallowly. “And out…come on kid” the adrenaline had started to go down and Shouta could feel exhaustion set in. 

Finally after a few more breaths, the boy slowly opened his eyes. They were black and looked like a galaxy with green space dust. Recognition lit like fire in his eyes, and too quickly he was scooting away from Shouta. Panic and confusion were clear on his face, but underneath it was a layer of fear. Shouta raised his hands slowly. The boy had been through a lot, he didn’t need Shouta stressing him out more.

With the excitement out of his system, Shouta started to shiver, but he clenched his teeth and bared it. Phantom eyed him, his eyes radiating a toxic green glow. He was instantly on guard, and unconsciously settled into a fighting stance. Shouta’s heart sank a little, but it was expected. He waited for the teenager to make the first move, not wanting to scare him. Teens were like animals when scared (or all the time really). 

He eyed Shouta’s body, or more specifically the frost on his torso. Phantom looked at his own hands and then around the café. Realization flashed through his eyes and his face twisted. 

The boy’s shoulders jerked, suddenly aware of the slight weight on them. Phantom grabbed the blanket like it was a snake about to bite him. His brow shifted as he saw what it was and then he looked at Shouta with new understanding. He still wasn’t completely relaxed, but it was a start.

His face suddenly went green, as if he was about to throw up, and his face twisted as if he ate something sour. He started fiddling with the blanket, twisting it into a tight whip. His eyes left Shouta for the first time as he looked down to the floor. He bowed, just as awkwardly as last time. Shouta’s heart went out to him. 

“You don’t have to do that.” The silence and tension was broken between them but now replaced with awkwardness radiating off the teen. He stopped still mid bow, and stood up rigidly. It was nice to see the teen recover so quickly. 

“Uhh you too,” Shouta didn’t know what he meant by that and was about to say as much when the boy said, “I mean, be on the ground.” Suddenly the teen rolled his eyes, as if Shouta misinterpreted him intentionally. 

He got up, slowly, both to ease the boy and not to injure his knee anymore. When he fully stood up, he was tempted to pop his back, but this was the wrong time. The two just stared at each other, not sure how to bring up what happened. Shouta’s eyes shifted to his blanket and the boy followed. 

“Here, sorry.” In a second, the boy cut the distance between them and shoved the blanket in Shouta’s chest, face green. This kid needed a doctor…  

“Thank you.” Shouta nodded. Now that the kid had nothing in his hands, he started fiddling with his gloves. He looked slightly different than in the report. Instead of a hazmat suit, he wore half a café uniform complete with a turtleneck and apron, but the wrong type of pants and white boots. It was clear that he was the same barista from before, and the boy must’ve known that Shouta knew. He looked like he was about to say something when Shouta interrupted him.

“I won’t tell the Hero Commission” A dirty trick, lying by omission. He was going to tell principal Nezu, but no one who would harm the boy. 

“The commission?” He quirked his head.

“Yes. That’s why the news and that group of heroes are after you.” he clarified. Clearly the boy didn’t know about them. Why would All For One keep him in the dark about them? “You do know why they’re after you, right?” the boy shook his head. Jesus. 

Shouta could talk to him about that later. Right now, it was clear the boy needed medical attention or at least some form of care.

“I know a doctor who could help you, she won’t ask any questions unless it has to do with your health.” He needed to get the kid to UA, for his own safety. 

“I’m fine.” the kid stated without hesitation. There was a hint of panic in his voice. 

“I’m sure you are, but you were frozen-” Phantom cut him off. 

“I said I’m fine” And that was the end of the discussion. It made sense not to trust Shouta, hell, he wouldn’t either if he were in Phantom’s situation. He wished he could show Phantom that he was genuine. 

“It’s alright, I believe you. Just promise to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like?” Shouta tried instead. 

Phantom narrowed his eyes at Shouta, but nodded. Shouta had to get the boy to trust him first before he introduced him to the idea of joining an organization that he (probably) never heard about. 

“Good.” And he meant that.

Chapter Text

Danny and the Mummy guy stood awkwardly in the store. Maybe Danny was the only awkward one, considering that the man not only saw him during a low point, but Danny also thought he was his dad in his haze. Danny sighed, just trying to get it out. Everything would be so much easier if the man didn’t help Danny (he would’ve been fine on his own), now he felt like he owed the man some kind of explanation. 

‘Oh hey, thanks for helping except totally didn’t need it cause I’m already dead, yay!’ and what, would he just say, ‘oh totally cool and normal, have a good day!’ and leave? The ancients wouldn’t be so kind.

At least he respected Danny’s “no” for a doctor– more than he could say for most of the adults in his life. There still could be something he could do. 

“Uh, you want something to drink?” Danny pointed his thumb behind him at the counter, which he just noticed was covered in frost. He looked at the man and saw the same frost on his arms. Mummy guy followed his eyes, and wiped it off, not letting his facial features betray anything. Danny eyed him suspiciously, but let it go. The guy had been the opposite of a threat so far (but that didn’t mean that he won’t be). Danny had to silence that part of him, he didn’t sense any malicious intent from the man. He was probably still strung up from his little episode earlier. 

Danny walked behind the counter, entering customer service mode. The man followed behind him but at a distance to make Danny comfortable. He appreciated it.  

“I’ll take a black coffee.” Danny eyed him again, but not from suspicion. 

“Are you sure?” He chuckled, “You had to choke it down last time, and I haven’t gotten the best reviews since then.”

“I’m sure. I like your coffee. It’s…” He paused, obviously thinking deeply, “like an old fashioned dark roast.” his face didn’t betray him, so Danny decided to believe it. 

“If you say so,” Danny rolled his eyes and started cleaning up the mess. “uh it’s gonna take me a minute to clean everything up, you can just sit down somewhere,” he gestured to tables and booths. Fortunately the tables were screwed into the floor, so they were mostly alright. Same could not be said for the chairs. Danny groaned. 

“I got it,” Mummy said, already moving to put the chairs up. There was something casual in the way he said it, like he had known Danny for a while and it was expected. 

He did know Danny was Phantom, right? Like, that was what the whole, 'I won’t tell anyone,’ was about, yeah? Maybe he just hadn’t seen the news? Maybe he just didn't care. Regardless, Danny would still keep an eye on him. It wouldn’t make sense for his luck to suddenly turn to gold.

Mummy had gotten a few chairs up when he moved to the door. He flipped the ‘OPEN’ sign to ‘CLOSED’. 

“Thanks,” Danny called out, but his voice felt too sudden, “I probably would’ve forgotten and then someone would come in, which would be hard to explain.” He scratched his neck.

“You’re welcome,” he nodded, “I’m going to shut the blinds as well, you should try to get the power back on.

“What?”

“The power-”

“No, I heard you. What do you mean it's– oh my god!” Danny facepalm. He blew the power out. “Shit, just stay there.” 

It’s not that Danny trusted the man alone, it was more ‘what more damage could he do?’ than straight trust. He ran out the back to the fuse-box, leaving the door open to see inside. He flipped the switch but the lights remained off. Danny growled and cursed in frustration as he kept flipping it on and off, with no results. 

“Work you stupid fucking-thing!” He felt a zap from his fingers and all the lights turned on. He yanked his hand away and stared at the box. He can think about that later…

The man was closing the last of the blinds by the time Danny walked in. Danny really needed to learn this guy’s name, especially if he was gonna come here often, which seemed to be the case. Instead of asking, Danny turned around to make the coffee. 

It was quiet in the café, save for the sounds of machines and chairs scraping. There was a tense air that floated between the two, something that wouldn’t exist until it was spoken. After all the chairs were set up, the man just sat at the same table he did last time and pretended to look at the wall. They were both in a secret staring contest. 

Danny only wasted 3 cups of coffee until he got one that wasn’t burnt, and walked it over to him. The man took it gingerly, and placed it down, using a napkin as a coaster. He eyed the seat in front of him. 

“How about you take a break?” He said. He tried to make his voice sound smooth but it ended up being more forced, like a kid standing at the front of class. 

“I still have a lot to do before the end of my shift.” Danny waved him off. He wasn’t lying. Although the chairs and machines were cleaned, there was still a lot of debris on the floor. Coffee grinds crunched under his foot with each step he took. 

“You’ve done enough for now, it’s important to take breaks. Otherwise, the people who care about you get worried.” Danny laughed at that. Even when he did have people like that, he would always lie about how much work he was doing to make them feel better. He missed that…

“Do you have people who care about you?” the man asked. 

“Not anymore.” Danny gave in and sat across from him, watching his reaction. He nodded, seemingly excepting that answer. “Does anyone care about you?” The question came off harsher than Danny wanted, but there was a smile in the man’s eyes.

“Yes,” His face relaxed slightly and his lip twitched into an almost smile, “I have a husband and a very good friend.” He rubbed his ring, and it clinked on the side of his cup. Danny didn’t say anything in response. 

“Do you have a place you’re staying at? Somewhere safe?” Concern leaked into every word. He seemed to be genuine, but it was clear he was hiding something, adults always did. Kids' motivations were easier to understand, especially when they wore their heart on their sleeve like Deku. Adults always wanted something or had an angle. 

“Yes. I’m safe.” That is all that he would give him. 

“That’s good,” The man watched him and Danny felt studied. He became violently aware that he was still in his ghost form (his true form). He never felt self conscious of it before. In Amity, when they saw Phantom, they just saw the persona, not Danny (except the few who knew). The man in front of him saw Danny completely. It felt violating, like a stranger reading his diary. 

Danny closed his eyes and pictured his human self, the life he lived before and was owed. Tingles like limbs falling asleep traveled down his body. When he opened his eyes, the man’s mouth in front of him was open. 

Danny shrugged, trying to make it seem like a smaller deal. He had forgotten that people don’t usually show their quirks off in public. He may have just crossed a social norm and made him uncomfortable. 

Good, the bitter teenager side of him said. He didn’t know this man enough to care. 

Zzz

Tommy replaced Phantom in front of him. Shouta tried to suppress the shock on his face, but honestly how do you react to something like that? It looked like his face was melting off, only to have another face underneath the goo. At least now he knew how Phantom turned into Tommy. Phantom glared at him in a way only teenagers are able. Shouta shut his mouth and took a sip of coffee. He gagged slightly as the flavor hit his tongue. It tasted like spoiled burnt rubber, a slight improvement from last time. Old fashion indeed. Fortunately he was better at hiding his disgust this time since Phantom stopped glaring. 

“So,” Shouta wasn’t sure what to say, “Is that a quirk of yours?” He pretended to take another sip of coffee, his eyes scanning the teen over the brim of the cup. 

“Yes.” He answered curtly. 

Shouta didn’t know if the boy was being honest or not, but he had to take it for what it was. If it was true, maybe his quirk was similar to Ectoplasm’s, both being able to manipulate the unique matter. In Ectoplasm’s case, he could only make clones while some (if not all) of Phantom’s body seemed to be made of it. That would line up with what was said in the reports, at least with the fight last night. 

The list of his quirks were so far; ice/cold manipulation and flight , both seen in the Nomu incident. Intangibility, witnessed by Fat Gum. Perhaps some form of invisibility, as detailed in the report when he disappeared. Although the last two may be limited since he doesn’t seem to be using them more. And then as Shouta witnessed today, electrification, similar to Kaminari’s except that it didn’t seem to affect his cognition. That could either be because he’s trained with it more or it's a different strand. And finally, ectoplasm. It was suspected Phantom also had some kind of regeneration quirk based on the reports when Stain cut him, but that could be explained by the ectoplasm. It could be that his base quirk was the ectoplasm since it's a mutation type quirk, and those can't be manipulated, then everything else was jammed in later. The source of his glowing was unknown since Ectoplasm’s quirk didn't seem to do that. He could very possibly have more powers that no one has witnessed yet. All in all, he had almost every power from a ghost, just rammed up to 11. 

Shouta could feel a headache coming on. 

“You hungry?” Shouta said, partly to distract himself, and partly for the boy’s sake. Using energy based powers, regardless of what they were, took a toll on the body. He was surprised the boy hadn’t blacked out yet. Possible result of quirk endurance training by All For One.

“I’m fine.” At least he was answering Shouta’s questions. At any point, Phantom could get up or kick Shouta out, and yet they both still sit together. There must be some part of him, however deep, that must want help. 

“Are you sure, kid?” Shouta eyed him skeptically, “You just used your quirk a lot, you must be feeling exhausted.” On the outside, it almost looked like a quirk awakening. However, based on how causally Phantom was reacting, it must’ve been a common occurrence. That line of thought only brought up painful possibilities. 

“What are you, my mom?” Although the kid sounded playful, he was starting to look uncomfortable at Shouta’s questioning. Shouta could understand that. As a teenager, he was annoyed when people asked about his well being. He wasn’t used to it. It felt like they only pretended to care, or that he was being talked down to like a child. How could he get Phantom to understand that he meant it?

“For right now, yes.” He responded dryly. Phantom rolled his eyes at that, which mitigated the tension. Shouta let a small smile travel across his face, but it only lasted a second. “I can pay for it if that’s the issue?” He intentionally didn’t let pity into his tone, in case Phantom might react negatively to it. 

“No, it’s not that, uh,” Phantom groaned and started playing with his gloves again, “I have a… special diet?” He sounded unsure. 

Shouta sighed, “Alright.” It could be true, or it could be a lie, the result was the same. 

“Let me grab something,” Phantom got up, but before he ran off he asked, “You like tuna?” Shouta just nodded, and with that Phantom disappeared behind the counter. Not literally of course. Despite Phantom transforming in front of Shouta, he hasn’t displayed any of his other quirks. 

Shouta went back to focusing on his coffee. It was half gone, but even that didn’t ease him. His tongue was numb as a trauma response. It made what he was about to do a little easier. He mixed some more liquor in and raised it to his lips, forcing down the rest in one gulp. Although he couldn’t taste it, he could still feel it slide down his throat. He shivered. 

Phantom returned before long. In one hand, he held a plate, balanced on his palm like they do at a fine dining restaurant, in the other, he limply held onto a metal cylinder. He placed the plate onto the table but kept the cylinder close to his lap.

“What’s that?” Shouta asked, glancing at the chunk of metal.

“A tuna wrap. Why? Never seen one before?” Phantom cocked his eyebrow playfully at Shouta. He leaned back in his chair, “That was the only sandwich left, so you have to eat it.” 

The kid obviously knew what he meant but was ignoring him on purpose. Shouta wasn’t gonna get any answers by asking again, so instead, decided to quietly eat the wrap. Phantom was bobbing his head and body while rhythmically humming, clearly thinking about something. He would occasionally glance over at Shouta, then look away. Shouta just ignored him. Teenagers were like cats; if they knew you wanted their attention, they wouldn’t give it to you. It had to be on their terms. 

Seconds ticked like minutes as Shouta just sat and ate. It wasn’t uncomfortable, Shouta actually enjoyed quiet meals (or where Hizashi would talk and he would listen), but there was some sort of anticipation between them, like winding up a jack-in-the-box. 

Phantom decided to act. He placed the mysterious cylinder on the table and started fiddling with something. The cylinder looked to be made of meddled together scrap metal with a few dents on the side. It looked old too, what clearly was once a silver color clouded over time and looked like iron. There were a few patches of color, neon green and black accented the weird object. The green was a similar color to Phantom’s eyes, or at least in his true-form. Now he sported a more human blue with a slight green ring around the pupil like central heterochromia. 

It was interesting, although he was clearly looking at the boy, he wasn’t able to imagine him in his other form. If it wasn’t for the weird vibe he gave off or the white streak in his hair, Shoua wasn’t sure he would be able to pick Phantom out in a line up. Some type of hypnosis quirk? No, that wouldn’t make sense. In the reports, witnesses weren’t able to describe him consistently, even from far away. He would also have to be constantly emitting it, even if he didn’t think people were around. Perhaps it had to do with why he glowed? There were studies about different types of light affecting your brain, that could have something to do with it. Shouta looked at Phantom's face, studying every feature he could. Phantom was still wrapped up in whatever he was doing to notice. Shouta closed his eyes and concentrated on that visual, but it faded away like a blurry after-image. Phantom wasn’t glowing anymore. Could it be that you only need to see it once to affect you? No wait- 

Shouta looked closer at the boy. There was a slight sheen to him, around his outline and especially his eyes. He still glowed, it was just softer now, like a glowstick in a lite room. Is that intentional, or just a result of overloading his quirk earlier? No, it seemed to be intentional. The glow vanished as soon as he changed forms. It could be that he uses a less powerful light since he doesn’t need to worry as much about being recognized as ‘Tommy’ than Phantom. It could also help conserve his energy. Smart kid…

There were a few beeps across the table and Phantom smiled. It was too wide and full of teeth. Strangely, it fit the boy in front of him. 

“I just had to charge it up a little again but, voilà~”  The thing whirled to life, lighting up a few buttons in odd places. “This thing hasn’t been charged since, I don’t know, since I woke up?” he shrugged, but his eyes were giddy with excitement. Phantom was talking as if it had been years, rather than the few hours between then and now. “It worked earlier, but I think that was because of the ecto- anyway” He laughed. 

What was he gonna say? Before the question could escape his lips, Phantom hit another button and a loud ‘pop’ sounded out, surprising Shouta, and the top part of it opened. Phantom peered into it with one eye and swished it around. It glowed slightly, but Shouta wasn’t sure if it was from the device or the stuff inside. Without wasting another second, Phantom raised it to his lips and chugged it. 

“Is that…a thermos?” Shouta was gobsmacked and just watched with an open mouth as the boy kept chugging. It seemed too impractical for everyday use, not if you had to do that everytime. Well, Phantom did say he has a ‘special diet’, maybe it had to be kept at a certain temperature? And all those buttons could be a security measure. 

There were a few raids on abandoned warehouses and underground bunkers. They were believed to belong to All For One, and in one were found vats of a green liquid holding Nomu’s in different stages of development. Only 3 were recovered for testing. Perhaps the thermos held that same fluid to keep Phantom stable with so many quirks. How much more does he have left? 

After a few gulps of, whatever that was, the color returned to Phantom’s cheeks. Whether that be an indication of his health or quirk power was anyone’s guess. It could’ve been both if what Shouta thought was true. 

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Shouta couldn’t help the concern leak into his voice. Phantom just looked at him, wiping some green goo off his face like it was a smoothie. His face went slack, a far off look in his eye, as if he saw something or realized something that Shouta hadn’t. 

“I already told you, I’m fine.” Phantom’s body tensed. How many people had hurt him for him to be so distrustful? “I can take care of myself.” He sat straighter and there was a look of determination in his eyes. No, it wasn’t that. It was a look of stubbornness and anger. The face of someone who had to fight, a child who had to fight, and didn’t want to anymore. Phantom didn’t speak those words carelessly. 

“I know you can.” The boy had already come this far after all, “But you can’t do everything alone.” 

Shouta slowly reached into his pocket for his card, watching Phantom. The boy seemed to almost unravel and his form changed again- not to his true form, but a mix between the two. His hair became more wispy, like smoke and his sclera turned an inky black but his pupils kept a touch of blue. He vibrated in his seat like a snake about to bite. He was trying to hold it in. 

Shouta took his hand out of his pocket, slowly, showing nothing was in it. 

“I think I should go,” Shouta slowly stood up, careful to keep his body language open and readable to show he wasn’t a threat. Phantom was still sitting down, looking at Shouta like a feral animal. He looked so scared in that moment. 

“I really do want to help,” But he couldn’t help him like this, he couldn’t force him to accept it. 

★

“I know you do,” Danny said to an empty room.

But the man wasn't there.

Chapter Text

Shouta was shaking, a bitter cold settled into his chest. He couldn't help Phantom. The boy was right there but it was as if he couldn’t reach him. Shouta was the same when he was his age. He always had difficulty with letting people in, and when he finally did, one of them died. He knows it wasn’t his fault, but even now the guilt hangs over him like a heavy blanket. 

He doesn’t know what Phantom has been through. Whether he was truly All For One’s son (a theory that's looking to be even more true) or not, the boy had clearly been abused. It made sense that he would be distrustful. He might not have ever had someone show him any kindness. 

Where was Shouta supposed to go from here? 

Shouta sighed and his breath frosted, despite it being almost summer. Was he doing the right thing? He wanted to help the boy, and he truly believed that UA would be the best thing for him, but he felt wrong for being underhanded. Shouta barely knew him, but Phantom deserved better than that. 

A part of Shouta took over, the part that he sinks into after a hard day and leaves him raw. He was so determined before. He swore he would drag Phantom to UA even if the kid kicked and screamed. He barely knows this kid and he already feels so strongly about him. But now? Phantom needed to be the one to make that choice, otherwise he would just be a prisoner again. Freedom means the most to people who just got it. 

The question rattled in his brain again, where was Shouta supposed to go from here? Back to the café. Again and again, until Phantom made his choice. If he decides to be alone, he will help him to the best of his ability. It had to be Phantom’s choice. 

However, now wasn’t the time for that. Shouta checked his watch, a quarter till 3pm, just enough time to get there. He walked the familiar street to the Hero Commission headquarters. Another emergency meeting was called after the fight from last night. The topic was kept under wraps of course, but it wasn’t hard to guess. Whispers on the street say they’ve been having meetings all day, officials walking in and out in hurried groups with tightly held briefcases. 

Shouta had no idea what was in store for him, or why he was called. Since Shouta had been posing as more loyal to the Commission than UA, he was able to get pieces of information here and there. He was kept on a tight leash, of course, but it did serve rather useful. The fact he was included however means they must have been desperate. 

He allowed his body to go into auto-pilot mode, recalling everything that happened in the last two hours. He turned over the conversation in his head, finding anything he could’ve done differently. He couldn’t get the boy's face out of his mind, how scared, no- how angry he looked. He might not be able to recall his features, but he remembers his eyes and how electric they felt. Shouta stopped in his steps, half tempted to go back. If he did go back, he wouldn’t know what he would be able to do. Phantom was almost a force of nature in himself, who knew how he’d react if Shouta did something wrong again. An image popped into his mind, it was him holding Phantom when he was as wild as a star. Shouta had a suspicion that it wasn’t the warmth that helped him. 

Shouta was at the steps of the headquarters. Dozens of personal; heroes and suits alike, walked in and out frantically like ants with a job. Shouta looked down at his watch again; 5 minutes left. Shouta rubbed the bridge of his nose, already feeling the headache that would come from such events. After preparing himself, he walked in. It was rude to be late. 

👁️

Mirai Sasaki sat in the meeting room. It was last minute- the summons being sent out only a few hours ago. Mirai, unfortunately, had no idea what the topic was about as he had already used his quirk on Lemillion that day. He trusted Bubble-Girl and Centipeder to look after him, but that wasn’t always enough. 

Mirai had kept him on a tight leash since the Phantom incident, not allowing him to go on patrol without someone present. Phantom. The vigilante, or perhaps villain, knew about him somehow, or at least his quirk. When he was first spotted with Fat Gum, he posed as Lemillion to get closer to the heroes. Whether it was to help or cause destruction was left to be determined. 

Mirai could see both sides. Phantom could’ve been posing as a helpless kid, a distraction to get closer. He was following Fat Gum for a reason, and unfortunately he vanished before they knew why. However, if the villain were truly All For One’s son, like Gran Torino suspected, it would be logical to look for heroes to protect him, especially if he used the Nomu attack as a way to break out. Mirai also had to take into consideration that the “vigilante” had been witnessed saving people throughout the night, even All Might’s protege. But the fact he used Lemillion, Mirio’s intern did not entice the hero to trust him. 

Before the night blew out, Fat Gum had contacted him to check on his sidekick. At the time, Lemillion was also out in the city, keeping people safe and directing them along his patrol route. Mirai had no way of knowing if the boy was safe or not, and he had not used his quirk on him that day. At first, Mirai had feared the worst. He wasn’t able to get in contact with Lemillion and it certainly didn’t help matters when Gran Torino informed him of the possible villain spawn. If Phantom was truly All For One’s son, he could have found Mirio and taken his quirk. 

In the end that wasn’t the case, but that didn’t ease Mirai’s panic. There was a reason Phantom had chosen Lemillion. It couldn’t have just been based off their shared quirk since apparently, Phantom had an arsenal at his disposal. So why Lemillion? It was a question that haunted Mirai as he slept. 

Mirai fiddled with his tie pin. It was a smiling All Might chibi that was closer to a pin from a game shop than one used for ties. Mirio had gotten it for him a few months into his internship. He said it was a thank you for taking him in and giving him a chance. Of course, Mirai already had this one; it was one of the more basic and mass produced designs of All Might’s Silver Age. Still, he wore it like it was the only one in the world. 

It was important to Mirai to do what makes you happy, laughter was one of the best ways for that. Taking Mirio in, although started off as a way to help All Might, helped Mirai more in the end. It was strange, knowing when you’re going to die. You start to let go of the big things and focus on what’s in front of you. He felt a strange sense of peace in between the panic that everything he knows will be gone. He didn’t want to die. For the first time since All Might left, he was happy. He still wanted to see the world Mirio would bring in and achieve his goal. 

Mirai checked his watch again. It was one minute before the meeting was set to begin. He looked around the room trying to find a pattern to the gathering of heroes. 

It was quite the menagerie. There were less than 5 of them in the room, but most were too highly ranked for this to be an ordinary meeting. A few seats were left empty, either that be by tardiness or leftovers was yet to be revealed. 

Most of the heroes sat with bored expressions- Rag Doll, and Endeavor being the exception. Rag Doll always had a smile on, she must’ve taken inspiration from All Might, as many other heroes did. Endeavor however- Mirai doesn’t think the man would smile even at the birth of his child. He looked angry- angrier than usual. The room was filled with an intense heat and tension radiating from the man. It could be he knew what the meeting was about.  

At precisely 3 PM, Eraserhead walked through the door and took a seat. That seemed to be the signal to get the meeting started. A woman with blue hair and tired eyes stood at the front. Another woman sat beside her with a notebook, clearly ready to take notes. 

“Good afternoon.” her tone was even, monotone, “Thank you for joining us today, despite the late notice. I am Jin Makoto, and will be directing this meeting.” Mirai thinks he’s heard that name before. While being relatively new to the Hero Commission, she was able to get promoted quickly. Despite her accomplishments, she had a bit of a temper and got annoyed easily. 

“I’m sure many of you are curious as to why you were called here today, that or you’re just waiting for confirmation,” she eyed pointedly at Endeavor, “I’m sure all of you are aware of the growing threat of the vigilante group, ‘Phantom’. Just last night, they attacked 3 pro-heroes unprovoked. The heroes were able to corner them and even landed what should’ve been a fatal blow. Phantom was able to overwhelm them with their numbers, and in their escape were able to break several broken limbs and even left chemical burns on one of them.”

Mirai saw Eraserhead’s eyes widen slightly, but the man showed no other reaction. He wondered what the man was reacting to, the injuring of their fellow hero or the villain responsible? The man always had a soft spot for kids. None of the other heroes reacted, already knowing about it through the Hero-Network. Hawks played with one of his feathers, running his finger back and forth, watching the fibers separate and reform. 

“They weren’t as high a priority before due to them being only vigilantes,” That was a lie and everyone knew it. The Commission has been trying to catch him since he first appeared. This whole speech was a flimsy front. “-But now that they’ve attacked, not only one but three heroes, they have revealed their true colors.”

“What does this have to do with us?” Mirko asked, sitting up straighter but still slouched in her chair. 

“Isn’t that obvious?” Hawks quipped, “They think we can take them down.” he pointedly looked at Ms. Makoto.

Despite Hawks being the #4 hero, not much was known of the young man. He came out of nowhere and set up his own agency near instantly. He seemed to have an easy going personality and was approved by the public, smiling and laughing with fans. However, the way he spoke, it was like there was a hidden joke that people hadn’t got yet. Mirai supposed that was a part of his charm- the cool boy act with a secret past. 

“Hey, you didn’t have to give lip, it was a genuine question.” Mirko rolled her eyes, not offended in the slightest. She crossed her arms playfully. 

“Hawks is correct. You each possess a quirk that the Commission believes would be greatly useful to track and take down Phantom. We have been trying to track them down, but they move with striking efficiency. Thanks in large part to the sacrifice of the heroes last night, we finally have their location honed down.”

Eraserhead caught Mirai’s eye. His cold and always bored face cracked for just a second, his eyebrows furrowing.  

“If we know where they are, why can’t we take him down now!” Endeavor exploded, pounding his fist onto the table, his flames waving around his face erratically. 

Endeavor slipped, but from looking over the room, no one noticed. It was a guarded secret that Phantom was not a group, but a singular person. If the public, or even heroes knew the extent of his power, panic would set in and they would turn against each other (or more importantly, the Commission). 

Ms. Makoto shot him a poorly disguised glare. “It’s not that simple.” She reached her hand down to the other woman, who handed her a manilla folder. “After their fight with one of the Nomu’s, the ice that was left there couldn’t be melted by either natural heat or antifreeze,” heads all snapped to Endeavor, who’s beard got patches of blue, “In the end, it had to be chiseled out and the road had to be fixed.”

If that was the boy’s only quirk, he would be a danger in itself. That was on par with the Himura family, Endeavor’s own in-laws. Mirai had been reading reports of the group's stints, and it was clear it wasn’t his only quirk. The vigilante was the most successful Nomu, one of those things almost took out All Might. A chill went up Mirai’s spine. He had no way of knowing what the boy was capable of until he could use his quirk on him. 

“What’s that have to do with finding his location?” Eraserhead spoke up for the first time. There was no waiver or hesitancy to his voice, but Mirai sensed there was something else in it. 

“I was getting to that-” Ms. Makoto gave him the same glare as she did Endeavor. “You see, after they were extracted, it was sent to the Commission’s labs. There it was discovered that the ice, despite its temperature, was closer to a crystal or element and was bioluminescent. The sample also radiated a unique signature that matched something in our archives. Using this, researchers were sent out to find any matches. They did.” She smiled like a cat. She stepped off to the side and a holographic map was pulled up.

“The first and weakest sample was found here,” she pointed to a section on the map and it zoomed in to show a large warehouse with a broken roof. “This is just outside Musutafu. Here, we found a small patch of the ice and traces of radiation. They matched.” Her smile got bigger. “The sample was small since we assume it's from before the Hosu Nomu attacks, possibly hours.” The map zoomed out and she scrolled quickly to a section of Hosu. “Here is where the ice was first collected and it has the second largest signature. There were also a few other key areas in Hosu like an alley.”

They waited for her to show the alley but she simply moved along with the presentation. “The trial resumes back in Musutafu. It took some time, but the biggest signature was found a few hours ago,” She zoomed in on a shack, smaller than the warehouse but no less run down. “More ice was found at this location, not just patches, but in the very walls. We also found a few nic-nacks suggesting that this is where they have been residing since Hosu.” 

Heroes faces around the table were shocked. Eraserhead in particular looked pale, but he tried to school his expressions quickly. Hawks was the only one not affected by the information. Mirai wasn’t free from its influence. So much information was revealed just now. While radiation wasn’t uncommon with emitter or some mutant quirks, it wasn’t on the scope that it could be used to track down a specific person. Not just that, but it seemed that Phantom was constantly emitting this radiation or signature even when the quirks are not in use if it's in the foundation of his house. 

“Is the radiation dangerous?” Mirai asked. Even if Phantom himself wasn’t a threat, his very existence could be. 

“Only in large doses, which is nowhere near what we’ve been able to find. The most effect it had on subjects who were overexposed were increased appetite, emotional dysregulation and a short burst of quirk power, similar to drugs. 

Mirai froze. He’s been investigating the yakuza organization, Shie Hassaikai, for the past few months. They deal mainly in quirk boosting drugs called triggers, and they have been getting more and more violent as of late. 

“This brings me to the final location and largest sample,” she zoomed in on an alley. “As I said, we were able to narrow down the location thanks in part to the heroes of last night. This is the alleyway that they encountered Phantom and has the largest signature. Unlike the others where researchers experienced no adverse effects of the radiation, when left to marinate in here for too long, they started reporting the previously explained symptoms. Heroes who came to the scene after the fight also reported similar symptoms, but not on the level of the researchers since they were there longer.”

Hawks let out a low whistle. Everyone turned to him, taken aback by his disrespect.

“Gotta say, the kids sure do have some quirks.” His voice had a sing-song quality. 

“Hawks, if you cannot be respectful during the meeting, you will be asked to leave.” There was an edge to her voice that went more than just the surface level threat. 

“Whatever, whatever.” He put his hands up in mock surrender and leaned back into his chair. 

“Tell me again, why does this mean we can’t go after him?!” Endeavor once again boomed over the table. 

“Because you need to understand what you’re up against. Phantom must be taken down quickly and quietly. Their array of quirks leave too much unpredictability, and we don’t know for certain if they’re working with the League of Villains.”

“I say we should give them a chance.”

“Hawks, I will not ask again.” Ms. Makoto rubbed the bridge of her nose. 

“What, come on. They’re just kids, right? What harm can they do?” His body language was open and playful, like he was making a joke about an annoying teacher. “In fact, I think we should extend an invitation to become a hero. I’m sure the Commission would be able to benefit greatly from that. Just think of the approval ratings.” He closed one of his eyes and looked at Ms. Makoto. She looked ready to burst.

“You may leave the room, Hawks.” She pointed towards the door, but the other woman reached up to touch her hand. Ms. Makoto looked down at her, but the woman just shook her head. “Very well, Hawks, you can stay. Just don’t push your luck.”

“Sure.” He smirked. 

Ms. Makoto breathed in deeply and counted to three before she started again. “Okay, back to the map,” She zoomed out of the map so you could see both cities. Red lines were drawn over it in seemingly random patterns. “This is the trail of the radiation. As you can see, it starts from Musutafu, then Hosu, then back to Musutafu.” Most of the lines were in Musutafu and seemed to be around a 20 mile radius. “We compared the locations of radiation and overlaid it with Phantom sightings,” A green line popped up and sat near perfectly over the first. “They’re the same, confirming the link.”

The second woman reaches for a briefcase on the ground. With a few clicks it opens, and she turns it around revealing a blocky machine. It was a little larger than a cell phone with a screen and knobs.

“This is what you will be using to find Phantom. The light goes to green when it reaches 0.8, meaning that they may have been there. It only works in a radius of 10 feet, so it will mainly be used to map out their behavior or routes. There is a margin of error of course. The thing seems to spike when around large clusters of mutant holders or places where quirks are used a lot. The researchers kept being led to UA for example.”   

Everyone looked to Eraserhead to comment, but he just remained silent, seemingly hyper focused on the map. 

Instead, Mirko spoke up, “Is there a reason it flashes at 0.8 rather than 0.1?”

“There is actually, aside from when Phantom is in the area, the radiation is naturally reoccurring.”

“Why not just have it set to 0.1 then…” she mumbled. 

“This machine is very crude, but the researchers are working on the samples to create any devices that could be used more efficiently against Phantom. They also believe it will help with the Nomus, should they attack again.”

“You each will be given one, and should anything happen to it, you will be responsible,” The other woman grabbed more brief cases and slid them across the table to each hero. 

“Also-based on this map, it’s clear that Phantom is sticking close to Musutafu. We believe they’re trying to find something. The Commission trusts me telling you this because we want you to find out what. That is the second priority to finding Phantom, of course.”

“As we saw during the Nomu attacks and again last night, if you do encounter any member from Phantom, call back-up. If you see one, the others are around.”

“Why all the fuss? We’ve each taken down several gangs by ourselves, and not to be mean, but Mt. Lady’s quirk isn’t suited for their quirks, and isn’t Kamui Woods still green?”

“While it's not that we don’t trust your abilities, the group still has a lot of unknowns about it. We haven’t confirmed if they’re working with anybody yet.”

“If you really trusted my abilities, you wouldn’t take issue with me sorting out the problem myself,” Endeavor stood up, grabbing the briefcase with force, “If any member from the League shows up, then I’ll call for back-up. Otherwise, I can take care of this pest myself.” He glared down at Ms. Makoto in challenge. She met his gaze and held it. She looked like a chihuahua staring down a much larger dog. 

Endeavor shoved past and walked out of the room, a final glare and door slam left behind him. There was nothing she was able to do. She sucked in a growl.

“I think this concludes the meeting.” Her face was tight with a forced smile, like she just bit into a lemon. She bowed and rushed out of the room. The woman beside her gently gathered up her stuff and bowed to the rest of the heroes, but followed after.

“Ha!” Hawks let out a laugh, “I guess it's true that you should never meet your heroes.”

“He’s such a man,” Mirko rolled her eyes and ‘tsked. “Just because they took two Nomus down in the time for you to get one, doesn’t mean it’s an insult to your pride.”

“Do you really think that's it?” Rag Doll cocked her head, “I thought it seemed more personal than that.”

“Nah, the old man’s always been like that,” Hawks agreed, “A hot head who’s flames can’t compare. He might not have the best approval ratings, but the fact that he’s so highly ranked proves his skill. I think that's a good thing. Getting too caught up in approval can slow a hero down.”

“What, not like you? Is that what you’re trying to say.” Mirko teased, “Careful Icarus, if you get too close you’ll melt.”

“I can’t tell if you’re referring to my ego or Endeavor,” He laughed back. “Still, I think that would be good for heroes. Not getting caught up with public appearances or drama gives us some free time.”

“Is that why you’re rushing everywhere? To save time?” Mirko smiled.  

Mirai wasn’t sure if the two were flirting or not. 

“Of course,” Hawks winked at her and she laughed and waved him off. 

“I need to leave,” Eraserhead suddenly stood up and marched towards the door.

“Come on Eraserhead, stay” Mirko called him back, “If anything we could work out a game plan to get these fuckers. I know they’re kids, man, but they could get themselves or hurt.”

“I still think they should be allowed to become pro’s, or at least one of them. Imagine how popular they would be?”

“They’d give you a run for your spot, oh great #4 hero.”

Eraserhead didn’t listen to them and just left.

“What a buzz kill,” Hawks whined, “whatever, we can always work it out ourselves”

“I think it’s time I take my leave as well,” Mirai excused himself and bowed.

“Not you too. I was excited to talk to you. I bet you got some pretty good stories about All Might” There was that look in his eye again, and Mirai had to work to ignore it.

“Another time perhaps.” And he left. He heard them still talk behind the door.

“Parties over I guess. Hey, you wanna get something to eat? I know a good chicken place.”

“As long as you’re buying bird-brain.”

“Uhh, am I invited?” Rag Doll tilter her head and pointed to herself. The two simply ignored her.  

Mirai didn’t stay to hear the rest of it, he had a plan to make. Firstly, now that he had one of his own trackers, he could find Phantom before either UA or the Commission. He could find out for himself if the boy could be trusted, and then decided the best outcome with his quirk. Doubt swirled in his head since he didn’t know if he would be damning the boy or the world with this plan. What if his quirk shows him that Phantom was evil, but it was only by looking that it caused it. He couldn’t let that sway him. In this case the risks were greater than the maybe. Only problem with that plan was that he didn’t have enough sidekicks to delegate to Musutafu, not that he would ever send Mirio close to Phantom. 

He also had his own investigation to take care of, although he could see how Phantom could become important in that. If Shie Hassaikai were to find out about the boy’s radiation, they could harness it into a more powerful drug. That was wrong. Using a human to further quirk drugs, regardless of their possible alignment was immoral. 

He also had All For One to consider. If he was truly the villain's son, there were two outcomes. Outcome 1, If Phantom truly escaped with the Nomu’s, the League were sure to be looking for him. That would result in a lot of fighting and even death. If UA got him, it would put their students at risk. Class 1-A had already fought them before and succeeded, but that wasn’t going to be a certain everytime. However if Phantom were to be captured by the Commission, they would be able to handle the League, but Phantom would not be in a world of good. Mirai had heard rumors about how they train heroes.

Outcome 2, is that Phantom was still affiliated with the League and it was just an act. If he joined UA, he could be using it to get closer to All Might and take him out, resulting in the loss of many children as he escaped. If he were to be captured by the Commision, the least harm would come to anyone. 

Then there was the less likely 3rd possibility that Phantom had no relation to the League or All For One and is just a phenomenon in nature. That would result in the most unpredictable and deadly outcome. He also had to consider what it was that Phantom was looking for. It could be something as benign as a lost pet to something as major as a weapon. Who knows, maybe the League was looking for it too. 

Based on these, supporting the Commission is the most logical stance. He just didn’t have the resources to pursue Phantom himself, and there were too many risks in trusting UA. Still, would Mirai be able to live with that decision if Phantom had truly escaped All For One? He would be handing the kid from one abuser to another. He had too. There was too much at stake.

A thought flashed into his mind. The work studies. They were on track to happen in a few weeks, that would give him time to get a few sidekicks and possibly seek out Phantom himself. No, that would just be putting more children in harm's way. Mirai could always set up a task force of his own through the hero network. He’s done so before with equally risky missions. The only problem was that he wasn’t allowed to inform other heroes of what he knows, otherwise he could lose his hero license. 

A decision was made. They can’t afford Phantom being on the loose in case something happens, whether that be the League or other villains find him. Mirai had to support the Commission to protect the most lives. If UA managed to capture Phantom, Mirai would offer his services to see the repercussions. 

He only hopes that's the right choice.

Chapter Text

The meeting lasted less than an hour thanks to Endeavor’s outburst. It wasn’t hard to guess what the hero was planning to do, Shouta just hopes the Commission distracts him long enough to warn Phantom. 

He wasn’t safe, not for long. Shouta didn’t believe in any god or divine presence, but he prayed that Phantom hadn’t left the café yet. They knew where he lived, the commission could’ve set up a trap for him. That image couldn’t get out of his head. A shack. Phantom had been living in a shack this whole time, and before that it was a warehouse. Concern overwhelmed Shouta thinking of what the boy must’ve been through. The meeting, although stressful, could help Shouta help Phantom.

He didn’t have enough time to inform Principal Nezu of what happened, his legs moving him towards the café. The street was too crowded so he ran across the rooftops, not an uncommon sight so close by the Hero Commission headquarters. 

Far faster than it took to get him there, he was back at the café. The windows were still covered so he wasn’t able to see if the boy was still there. As if on cue the door opened up to reveal a lanky teenager wearing a hero merch. The Fat-Gum hoodie was zipped up and he hid most of his face under a familiar black mask and a Gang Orca cap. It was probably Phantom, common sense told Shouta that it was, but the boy had the habit of becoming unrecognizable. 

The teen spotted Shouta and waved. He slid the key into the lock and jingled the door to make sure it's fully secure, then put the keys in one of his many pants pockets. He skips down the two steps over to Shouta with a smile, clearly in a better mood than an hour prior. Shouta eyed the hoodie again, connecting two dots. That’s ironic…

“We have to talk.” 

★

When someone starts a conversation with, ‘we have to talk,’ that’s not usually a good sign. He felt his face deflate. 

“Is it about earlier?” Danny felt bad about lashing out at the man, especially after he helped him twice. He just wasn’t ready to let someone in, or at least wasn’t expecting it. The man seemed so worried about Danny. The last time that happened was when Danny literally died. 

“I’m sorry about that, I was being dramatic.” he waved at something non-existent. 

“No, it’s not about that, and if it were you would have nothing to apologize for. I overstepped.” The man raised a hand and shook his head. He seemed very nice just from the few interactions they had. Danny could feel a lump at the back of his throat wanting to tell him everything. 

Danny still didn’t know his name and so in his head had started calling him ‘Ma’. It was short for ‘mummy’ and he worried like a mom (the man even said so himself). 

“So if it’s not that, what's this about?” It hadn't been long since the two of them last saw each other so he can’t imagine a lot happening to Ma in that time. It could always be that he changed his mind about Danny or turned him in to the heroes, but that wouldn’t make sense since why would he be here and not a hero.

“We should talk somewhere quiet,” Ma's eyes didn’t meet his. Alarm bells ran in his head. Adults always wanted something. Danny wanted to trust him, but he’s been here before. A sneaky thought went across his mind. Danny would follow him, not because he fully trusted him, but trusted his own strength. He could use this as a test. If the man did anything, Danny would no longer entertain it. If not, well, Danny might have to learn to open up.

Danny nodded at the man and the two started walking. They weren’t in sync, Danny walking a little bit behind him and Ma looking back. He seemed paranoid, like Danny was gonna disappear. That was understandable. Despite agreeing to it, it took a lot of resolve not to float away. He didn’t want to get hurt, he wouldn’t let himself get hurt.

It was almost awkward between them as they walked. Danny didn’t mind too much since it seemed like Ma was the quiet type. He looked back at him with a curious eyebrow.

“How long have you been working?”

“Uh,” Danny had to think for a minute. He got hired that morning and started work immediately. “Fuck, probably around 12 hours?” Danny shrugged. It wasn’t that he could get tired now, and the thermos was able to give him an extra perk in his step. 

Ma looked disappointed, but it wasn’t towards Danny, more towards the café.

“One, language. And two, remind me to give an earful to Mr. Tanaka later.”

Danny rolled his eyes, “You know him?” he asked. 

“Of course, I’ve been going there for years. One of my acquaintances worked here for a little while before he became a pro-hero.” 

Danny's mood soured even more at the mention of heroes. It was hard to have a good impression of them if every time he met one they attacked him. You’d think they’d be more understanding since he’s been helping them and he hasn’t even done anything yet. Danny just hummed in response to Ma. 

“What’s wrong?” Ma looked back at Danny, able to catch his change in mood.

“Nothing, just not a big fan of heroes.” Danny shrugged. Ma's eyebrow twitched slightly but he nodded in response. 

“I see.” He started walking a little slower and Danny caught up with him, their steps now in sync. Ma just looked at him then didn’t say anything else. 

“So what do you do? Got a job or anything?” He didn't know alot about the man in front of him so now was a good time to learn. 

“I have two jobs but mainly work as a teacher.” There was a hint of pride when he said teacher. That’s good. Danny liked teachers. Mr. Lancer was one of the only adults that cared about Danny in Amity. 

“What grades do you teach?” He had the vibe that he deals with a lot of teenagers. 

“My current class are first years, so I’ll move up with them as they progress.”

Did that mean freshmen? That’s around Deku’s age. How crazy would it be if Ma was his teacher. Danny laughed to himself just imagining them being in the same room with each other. They both had very different energies. 

“Do you like your students?”

“I do. They’re very bright and full of potential. One student in particular however is a handful. He’s smart but he keeps getting himself hurt when he doesn’t have too.”

“Sounds like he gets in a lot of fights.” Danny mused. He’s pretty sure Mr. Lancer would say the same thing about him. 

Before the accident, Danny used to be a good student. His grades weren’t anything to write home about, especially when compared to Jazz, but he was able to get by. Science and chemistry being his best and favorite subjects. It was hard not to have an affinity for it with his parent’s lifestyle. They did not know what was age appropriate to teach, so would carry him down to the lab and give him little projects to do. Said projects had a habit of exploding in his face. That was how he got his first few scars. 

“He does.” Ma looked stressed just talking about it. Danny laughed again, they both relaxed around the other. 

Danny took off his mask, comfortable to show off his face to the man. He had already seen him as both Phantom and ‘Tommy,’ so it felt right to put his guard down a little. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his face, he actually liked it a lot. He was just so used to hiding that showing off his face felt too revealing, especially with people after him.

Somewhere during their walk they ended up on a rooftop overlooking the city. If he wanted privacy this was certainly the spot for it. Ma walked closer to the ledge, trusting Danny would follow. He peered across the skyline, looking for something.

“That alley,” he pointed to an alley a few streets down, “is where you fought those heroes.” Ice settled into Danny's veins, his core already shaking. 

He felt light headed and a sudden pang shot through him. 

“How did you know about that?” Danny looked down at the man, he was only an inch shorter than him, but at this moment he felt small. 

“The Commission is looking for you. They have a hoard of researchers down there collecting samples.”

Danny stepped back, he was getting dizzy. Was he talking about the stray ectoplasm? He thought he had sucked all of it. The portal! It was leaking, but it shouldn’t be this bad yet. It took over a week for that amount to spill out, it should only be a few drops by now. Was it unstable? Did Danny do something to it? Oh, it’s starting to open. Panic and glee all wrapped up into one pounded in Danny’s hollow chest, summarized in one sentence. He could go home. 

“What are you talking about? What is the Commission? You mentioned them before.” Danny’s face scrunched like he had sucked a lemon. His mind was far off and he couldn’t get it back. So much was happening all at once he wanted to split in two. He could feel his body unraveling, his ghostly features raising to the surface. He watched as Ma's eyes widened, but he didn’t react in any other way. 

“They’re in charge of the heroes,” Ma looked stressed and hurt, like they were after him instead of Danny. He reached into one of his pockets and dug out a pack of cinnamon gum, he pulled out two sticks, one for him and the other for Danny. Danny shook his head knowing it would just dissolve. Instead he grabbed his thermos and took a swig like how a stressed out sailor takes a swig from a flask. 

“They’ve been looking for you ever since the Hosu Attacks, when you took down those Nomus.” Is that what those things are called? “Phantom, I need you to listen to me,” his tone suddenly became more serious and he turned to face him, his eye contact was intense, “They have some way to track you, they know where you live.”

It was just like with the GIW. They stalked every alleyway, every corner trying to find traces of him. Fortunately in Amity, there was enough ambient ectoplasm to mask his signature. Here, while there is some level of radiation, it is too low to be able to do much of anything. But how was this world able to find that out so quickly? 

Ectoplasm itself is in every dimension, leaking from the Infinite Realms to ensure its connection. Other worlds usually have different names for it; spiritual energy, mana, or even Lazarus water being the most common. If a dimension didn’t have some form of ectoplasm, it wasn’t connected to the Infinite Realms. 

Here, although there was ectoplasm in the air, it didn’t seem like they tried to harness it yet. There had to be something that Danny was missing.

“That’s not all,” Ma reached a hand inside of his jumpsuit and pulled out a folder, “This is a file on the #2 hero, Endeavor. His quirk, his gear, his strengths. He’s after you too.”

“Wait, did you just have that on you? Why?”

“I don’t like the man.” That was as good a reason as any. “He’s strong, he’s the #2 hero for a reason, and he isn’t known for being nice.”

Danny took the folder and started flipping through it. The man was large and had an angry look on his face underneath the flames. His quirk was some type of flame power called Hellflame. He would either be really difficult or really easy depending on if Danny’s ice was colder than he was hot. 

“I can protect you from him, from the heroes and Commission, but you have to trust me.” He grabbed another thing from a pocket, and handed it to Danny. It was a blank business card with an address and phone number scribbled in pen. He looked back up at the man, his eyes sad, “They know where you live Phantom, you’re not safe. You could stay with me and my husband until I can get it figured out. It’s not perfect but you would be safe.” He kept stressing the word trying to convince Danny. 

Danny was turning it over in his head. He had been running for so long, even before he came into this world. He was so tired. Tired of being hunted, tired of being dead, tired of not having a place to belong. If he went with Ma, he couldn’t stop all that, but at least he would stop running. The man acted like he really cared for Danny, and he was able to feel the concern radiate off him in warm waves. It was as calming as the ocean but as scary as the tide.

Danny’s fingers knotted his hair as he stared at the card, tracing every line with his eyes. He looked back up at the man and sighed. Maybe it was time to let someone in.

A thought stabbed into his skull and wrapped around it like barbed wire. How did he know all this? This information was obviously not available to the public, so how did this random guy know about it? Let alone having a whole folder on a top hero’s weakness. 

“How do you know about this?” Danny asked with a shaky voice, dread filling his body like smoke. He clutched the folder against his chest, holding it close like a pillow. 

“What?” His eyes widened only a little and his jaw hung loose. 

“I said, how do you know about this,” the words poured out his mouth as a hiss, cutting into the man before him. He just looked away.

“I know,” he paused, “because they told me.” He looked ashamed.

“Who told you? Are you working with them?” Danny stepped back in shock and betrayal. 

“Not exactly,” he tried to step closer to Danny but he reflexively put his arms up. Ma stepped back, hurt in his eyes. Danny didn’t care. “I don’t agree with what they’re doing or trying to do. I want to help you.”

“Is that why you were nice to me? To get me to trust you? To make me feel like someone actually cares about me? I should’ve known,” Danny gripped his hair tighter, he could feel the air around him grow cold, “Adults always want something.”

“I do care about you! I want you to be safe! I can protect you, please,” The man looked stressed and small, “I know you don’t trust heroes, but you can trust me.” He was practically begging.

Hero. The word echoed through his mind like a drum. He’s a hero. Of course he is. Danny smacked his forehead. God! He couldn’t get away from them. 

“Now it makes sense!” Danny laughed, it was a hollow frantic sound, “You all have been after me since I came here! I’m not a threat to you! What will make you understand that?!” Danny yelled at the man as if he was the cause of all his problems, and in a way he was. He was a part of the group that cornered him and punched his head off last night. Danny could picture him standing in the background doing nothing. 

“I know that,” Ma tried to soothe him but Danny tuned him out, “You’ve been trying to save people since you escaped, you’re nothing like him. Please, let me help you. You’ve been through so much.” He reached his hands out awkwardly. It was like he was reaching for Danny, either to hug or restrain him.

Anger rose up in Danny’s throat, hot and dry like smoke. “You don’t know me! You will never know me!” Danny's eyes were getting blurry, but he blinked it away and snow fell around him. “All my life I’ve been controlled by people who think they know me or what's good for me! I’m finally in control of myself for the first time, and you don’t get to take that away!”

“I’m not trying to control you, I’m trying to protect you.” Ma's voice was quiet, like how someone would talk to a scared child. Danny wasn’t a child anymore and he had not been one for a long time. 

“That's what they said.” Danny stopped talking for a moment and quiet filled the air between them. Ma still looked awkward, his hands closer to his chest this time to stop them from reaching out. 

“You lied to me…” Danny finally said, like a kid who was hurt for the first time. 

“No, I didn’t.” Danny looked up at Ma and he had a wet look in his eyes.

“You lied by omission. Some say that's worse.” 

“I had too, you wouldn’t have trusted me if I said I was a hero.” He stepped closer to Danny but didn’t make any other movement. 

“You’re right. I don’t trust you.” It was firm and spoken with defeat, “Not now anyway…” 

“Phantom-” he reached his arms out again. 

“No!” Danny sliced the air in front of him, creating a line in between them, “You don’t get to call me that.” He shook his finger at him, “You don’t get to call me by my name. It’s Tommy to you,” Danny sighed again, cold air blowing out, “forget you ever met Phantom…”

Danny faded away before the man could get a chance to speak. He didn’t want to hear what the man had to say or how he would try to defend himself. He was just as bad as the others.

Danny watched him invisibly from above the building, studying him, waiting for his next move. Would he call his friends in the commission now that he can’t control Danny? Or would he reveal his true colors and try to catch him himself. He said that they had trackers for him. 

Instead, the man hung his head low, elbows leaning against the top of the wall. His hands rubbed his face and eyes. He looked so old in that moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip phone, it was black with a cat keychain. 

“Hey Hizashi,” He breathed into the phone.

“Hey honey, what's wrong?” A man’s voice answered on the other line, concern in his voice.

“I just wanted to hear your voice…” Ma looked out onto the city, his eyes miles away. 

The sun was starting to set, casting the city half in shadow. The light reflected in Ma's eyes and highlighted the wet corners. They were red.

Disgust filled Danny but he wasn’t sure from what. He couldn’t watch any more of this and flew away.

Chapter Text

(Make sure to read the chapter before this!)

First off, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Wow a whole year (plus extra) WITH (near) constant updates, that's crazy. More than I can say for my other fic... (it haunts me. I still plan to finish it but ouch). 

First things first!

I wanted to update sooner (since I've had this written for a month now) but I was also working on a one shot to post at the same time. I was making great progress but then finals came round and I got burned out. They're finished now but I'm still burned out. I'll give a brief hint about it though since I'm a little excited and just wanna talk about it. So its a Dadzawa fic that actually happy and ends with them as a family (unlike how it was in the last chapter lol). It was supposed to cheer people up and also be practice for writing them as a family and stuff. The Danny is very different from the main fic tho. The fic was also supposed to serve as an anniversary present for all you guys too to thank you for reading and being here. I really wanted to finish in time but it kept getting bigger as I wrote. I do hope to update it this month tho, so keep an eye out for that!

Next thing!

You may have noticed that there is a chapter count now and that the fic is apart of a series. I talked about this in the notes of a previous chapter, but I had been wanting to do that for a while now. I want to have the next part of the series out by next year. I know I have been updating monthly now, but I'm gonna try to do twice a month if I can. I'm really excited and It want it done soon! I might do 2 chapters this month or will just count the one shot if I get lazy.   

I also added the tags "full ghost Danny". Sorry to burst anyone's bubble that held on hope for Danny. Tbh the original plan was that his human half was still hiding inside him, just healing and small, but it was gonna show up in one of the chapters. The longer the fic went on, the more I started to rethink that. The human reveal, while good in the short run, would crumble some of the plot lines I had set up while also not contributing much to the rest of the plot. I am debating maybe doing a short series of "what if" where that is the case tho, just so people can get a taste. If I like it enough I might make it a full thing. Who knows. 

Final thing!

Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! Guys! This fic has 2k kudos????????!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP! WTF?! 

That is so huge! Gahhhh! Man, I am always critical of my writing (I've gotten better) but wow to have that kind of support just in my face! Literally speechless. I always had the thought in the back of my mind that once the fic goes on for long enough people will start to see its flaws or get bored. That's true for some, but I keep seeing a lot of the same names again and again and I am grateful to you guys so much. That was also one of the reasons I wanted to do the one shot. I just want to keep giving you guys more content that you'll enjoy.

Thank you so much for being here, truly 💚

PS: I love seeing all ur bookmark notes and tags! most of them are about what chapter they left off on, but there's a few Funny ones! They make me smile as much as the comments

Good luck on finals if you got them! 

★

Chapter Text

The night air had always healed something in Danny. Being close to the stars, no matter how visible they were, was comforting to him. When he was younger he wanted to get lost in the stars, to reach his fingers out and touch the galaxy. Now that Danny can, he wishes he was back in his room still dreaming about it instead. 

Still, when people fail you, the stars are always there.

He flew around without any purpose, letting the clouds run through his fingertips. He was weightless and had no more burdens. He was his own person up here and no one could take that away unless they shot him down. This is how things should be.

He didn’t know what to do now. Apparently, this ‘commission,’ whatever they were, knew where he stayed so he couldn’t go back. He didn’t need to sleep but it was nice having a place that he could pretend was his. Fortunately, he didn’t leave much behind except for the rabbit cookies (may they rest in peace). 

In another world, it could’ve been nice staying with Ma. Maybe. He had really wanted to trust him, but how could he after he lied to him, that he pretended to accept Danny? After he tore apart the cafe, there was no judgment or disgust in Ma's eyes, only concern. It hurt knowing that was fake. It was Vlad all over again. Danny was so hungry for a mentor that he let himself get manipulated. Nothing has changed since then. Danny didn’t want to get hurt anymore.

God he was so stupid! Adults are always like that. They don’t care unless it benefits them. Danny didn’t even feel sad, he just felt angry. The man acted like he knew Danny– knew what he’s been through. For a second Danny almost believed him. They had the same eyes. But now? Now Danny knows he’s alone. Maybe this was always meant to be. 

Ghosts have a loneliness about them. It made sense. If they were ever happy or at peace they would be able to move on. Danny didn’t like to think about the world Dan created, but he remembers that the Lunch Lady and the Box Ghost weren’t there. He has a theory that they passed away, their remaining ectoplasm swirling together to create Lunch Box. She still existed in time somewhere, being raised by the yetis in the Far Frozen. He knows her parents visit her, even if they weren’t the same ones she was formed from. They were all still around to his knowledge. They may love each other, but even love can’t fully heal you, it just helps you pick up some pieces. Someday he hopes all three of them will be able to move on together. Maybe that already happened. 

Time existed all together in the Ghost Zone. Maybe he should start calling it by its true name; the Infinite Realms. The more he learned about it, the more ghosts seemed like such a small part. There were so many worlds within worlds and you never knew where a portal could take you. It could be to a time lost long ago or a future not yet imagined. Danny has had his fill of those worlds, fighting Vlad and hoping timelines to do it. He just wants one of them to lead him back home, whatever it may look like now. 

And there was that feeling again, the smallness of himself in comparison to all of reality. It would all be okay because he didn’t matter. He had completed his purpose in life by defeating the Ghost King. Now he was free to do whatever he wanted. He had all of infinity to feel bad for himself or eventually even happy. If that's true, there was no reason for him to hold back from his feelings. He could feel whatever he wanted, however violently he wanted, and know that it will eventually be in the past. 

But that didn’t help at all. He could overthink and try to rationalize it, but it didn’t stop the hurt Danny had now. The truth is he wanted to hold onto it, he wanted it to curl inside him and make him feel alive again. He was so sick of this intangible in-between that he had made himself act out. 

He had no idea what he was even doing. Getting a job? Making connections? Look how that turned out. Those will never bring back his old self again, no matter how much he wanted it to. Danny had thought that he had accepted that he was dead, but turns out he was just avoiding it. Was that what the other ghosts were doing? Kitty and Johnny always had a habit of pulling others into their relationship drama. Maybe that was their way of being real, of pretending they had friends they could vent to rather than the obvious truth. It’s not very common that two souls are bond like theirs, but even that isn’t enough to make you feel alive again. Ember was probably the best example of this. Her whole obsession was for people to simply remember her, no matter what it took. At first Danny thought she was just a big headed ex pop-star, but now he sees what it truly was. 

There will be a time in history when your name is spoken for the last time. When that happens you truly are dead. 

Having someone, a living someone, say your name was like proof of your existence. It said someone loved me enough to give it to me and used to call me that everyday. As a ghost, that's as close as you can get to someone touching you and you feeling it. It had been so long since Danny even heard his name that he didn’t know if he could recognize it if called. Being called Danny would be like being called back home. But he was Phantom now, now and until forever. As much as ghosts wanted to be called by their name, they never shared it with anyone. Even Ember’s name was an epithet. As great as it was to be called by your name, it was only the high before the numbness set in. 

Danny wants to be a human again so badly. He wants to have people call his name with no hesitation and look at him with care and glee. He wants to be caught falling asleep during class and his name getting yelled out in front of everyone. He wants his sister and friends to ask him if he’s okay while using his name. They say that everyone uses your name but you, but that wasn’t true anymore. His name would only be used by him in the dark cold corners of solitude. 

“Danny…” He whispered, but the air blew it away as he flew. He had to make sure he could even pronounce it still.

Danny settled on a ledge somewhere. The sun had completely set by now but people still walked below him carrying on with their lives. Danny let himself become real again and let go of his invisibility and intangibility. He wanted to be seen, he wanted to be touched. Instead, he only felt the coldness of himself, and even then he had to concentrate to feel it. 

He had flown off most of his anger and pain, but he could still feel it in his core. He left it there to smooth and polish like a pearl. Danny reached under his hazmat suit where he stored the folder and card. He looked at the card first, the only name on it being ‘Eraserhead’. That was probably Ma's hero name. Danny had no clue what that meant. Maybe he could put his forehead down to paper and use it as an eraser. Maybe it was supposed to be a threat saying that he’ll ‘erase’ people with his power. 

Neither of those things fit him but Danny though the former was the funniest. A small smile stretched the corners of his mouth despite himself. He forced them back down. 

The only other thing written on that was an address and a phone number. The number was of no use to him since his phone was on his corpse. Danny stared at the address. He had gotten used to some of the street names by now and he thinks he’s even flown by there before. 

Danny had nowhere to go now. It was like those nights he didn’t want to go home, but didn’t want to bother Sam or Tucker either. He no longer needed a place, the only reason he stayed at the shack was to play house. 

Danny looked at the card again, a bitter feeling twisting inside him. He held it over the ledge and slowly burned it with his ectoplasm. The green flame traveled up the card, curling the paper under the heat and turning it to ash. It crumpled between his two fingers and blew away like his name on the air. He didn’t need anything now.

He should do the same to the folder, but curiosity got the better of him. Danny started to flick through the pages. Todoroki Enji “Endeavor”: Flame Hero. The hero was big, possibly rivaling his own dad. His costume looked cool, but with his face he looked more like a villain. Bearded flames hid half his face from view and he had a very sour impression as if challenging the photographer. In a way he looked like Dan.

Danny glared at the profile, already deciding his distaste. Ma also left some personality notes on the man which did not help further his appeal. Hot headed and arrogant with enough ambition to make up for it. He had held the number 2 spot for the last 20 years. He was fixed at that spot even as the #1 was seen less and less. #1 must’ve been powerful. 

In a brief paragraph it mentioned Endeavor's family. His wife had been in a psych ward for the last few years leaving their 3 kids alone with that man. There used to be 4, but the eldest died before she was admitted. There wasn’t a lot of information on the kids themselves except the youngest. It just stated that he was in school to become a hero.

‘Wonder if he knows Deku,’ Danny idly thought. He skimmed a few pages looking at his gear and quirk. His quirk, while not that interesting in the grand scheme of things, was very versatile. In one of the notes he apparently used it to melt the side of a building and run on the walls. That was an image. 

He was a fast and heavy hitter and used his strength to overwhelm whatever was standing in his way. Danny’s met a few ghosts like that and he was sure some of them would describe him the same way. 

He got bored of the file not long after and was pent up again. Danny crumpled it up and burned it too, tossing it over the side before it became fully ash. Displayed on the building across from his was a bright advertisement of a hero selling shampoo. All around him were heroes, and yet Danny rather be as far away as possible. This world kind of sucked. 

His mind went back to Ma and the commission. Anger and frustration started coiling in his core again and it was electrified when he thought back to the other heroes in the alley. Flying wouldn’t cool him off again, it barely had last time he was just avoiding the problem. And what was the problem? That answer was simple. 

Danny was the problem. He had been the problem. In a world of heroes, he was the only freak among them. Even in his own world he was a freak, even before he died. Everywhere he went it was like people had an instinct to hate him. 

No, that wasn’t completely true. There had been a few who accepted him for what he was. Jazz, Sam and Tucker had always been there for him. He should’ve been there for them more, it was just at the time he thought he had until forever to do so. Now it was all gone. 

He missed them. He needed them. He was so lonely in this world. Deku was nice, but there was only so much he could tell him. Not only that but he doesn’t want to drag him into Danny’s problems. He knew that if he went back to the boy’s house, both him and his mother would open their arms to him and let him stay. He couldn’t do that to them though, not soon after would he be hunted down and hurt them in the process. 

If he had gone with Ma, he might have had a fighting chance. But how could he trust him? Even worse, how could Danny trust himself? Even as the man was twisting the knife, Danny wanted to accept his offer. 

Danny could only think about home, like a bull seeing red. He needed to get back there. It was the only place he felt safe. He flew back to the portal like a jet. He didn’t care who was there, he would fight them off. He just wanted to go home. 

Danny landed on one of the buildings over the alley. Even from here he could taste the ectoplasm in the air. His core humming and harmonizing with it, making him almost dizzy. An orange light illuminated the alley below and Danny recognized the figure. Rage surged through him and Danny grabbed the edging. 

Below him was Endeavor. 

How dare any hero, let alone the #2 hero be anywhere near his portal. Hadn’t they hunted him enough today? The hero just stood there, not knowing his very presence was an insult to the ground on which he stood. Danny gripped the side harder, causing rubble to fall down. 

The hero looked up and made eye contact with Danny, a brief look of fear took over his features before anger and determination washed it off. Danny wouldn’t have a repeat of last time.

Danny pounced before the other got the chance. 

🔥

Endeavor was enraged. How dare those punks at the commission tell him what to do. Phantom was a villain. Endeavor took care of villains. It was just one measly kid, not the gang that the public thought him to be. Endeavor had probably fought villains far stronger than Phantom, and was out numbered too. It was nothing he wasn’t able to handle. 

Makoto and her assistant tried to take the tracker from him and remove him from the case. It was easy to call their bluff. He threatened to crush the device right in front of them. He wouldn’t let something as useless as that get in the way of him and Phantom. Makoto tried to stare him down but failed just as she had the other times. She let him through. She had no real control of him, just another office lackey barking up a tree. 

Endeavor first went straight to the shack. Supposedly, Phantom had been living here since Hosu, but all traces were scrubbed clean. Hosu. Just thinking about it made Endeavor’s blood boil. 

Hosu had been a complete failure. Endeavor may have gotten the credit for taking down Stain, but it twisted a knife in his pride knowing the truth. He had gone to Hosu to bring that villain to justice, but had that ripped away from him, let alone by a child no less. It was salt in the wound. Not to mention that he was the only thing Shoto talked about after the incident. That and that Midoriya boy. 

There was something else there that Endeavor couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge and that was fear. It wasn’t towards Phantom’s skill in of itself, but rather his aura when he took down the Nomu. It kept Endeavor rooted to the spot in a way nothing else had before. It was like death itself.

No, worse than that. It was everything he hated. He saw all his shortcomings wrapped into one being. His lack of power, his inability to save Shoto, his failure as a hero. In the monster's white hair he even saw Toya. 

That was why he had to capture Phantom. His resolve wavered that day but it wouldn’t now. He had to prove to himself that he would be unrelenting.

In the meeting, they had mentioned the possibility that Phantom had been looking for something. Endeavor thinks he’s figured out where it was. The what was of no importance to him, not unless it could help Endeavor defeat him. When the heroes encountered Phantom last night, he was doing something in the alley. They had no way of telling what, but there had to be a reason he lingered and fought so hard when all the other times he ran away. 

After he was done with the shack, he went there to investigate. The alley was just as shrubbed as the shack, but there lingered a strange sensation in the air where it wasn’t present before. Endeavor put on a protective mask that he got from one of his other suits to keep out the radiation. He wasn’t planning on staying long. He suspected Phantom might be around the air, protecting whatever it was he was hiding, but the chance of seeing him here was slim. Not even 24 hours ago he had his head blown off right where Endeavor stood. He would stay away for a few days if he knew what's good for him. 

Nothing stood out to Endeavor in that tight space. Whatever Phantom was looking for was well hidden or small. It could be disguised as something as insignificant as a rock. Endeavor knows Phantom didn’t have it, otherwise he would’ve left as soon as the heroes showed up. There was also the possibility that it wasn’t a thing but a code or some other piece of a puzzle. Endeavor checked the graffiti or anything else that could have been such a thing.

He crouched down to inspect the small crater Phantom left before he was attacked by the heroes when he heard something above him. Small pebbles hit his head and when Endeavor looked up all he could see were two green eyes in the darkness. 

That same overwhelming feeling took over and attacked him. It was like he was being taken back in time to when humans were being hunted by their food. He tried to wipe it off but he could still feel it shake in his bones like a cold wet day. 

Suddenly, the thing leapt from the ledge and was coming right toward Endeavor. All thought left him as he stared into the thing’s hollow green eyes, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Despite his flames, he couldn’t see the thing’s body, just the green surrounded by a void of inky darkness. Endeavor’s feet were rooted to the spot and he watched in slow motion as the thing lit up its fists in the same green and punched him. Hard. 

Endeavor had no time to react as the force threw him several feet, flinging him to the otherside of the alley. His back hit the wall and he could hear something crack. He wasn’t sure if that was his body or the wall behind him. 

Now, all light was sucked from the alley, the only light being the things eye’s and fists. Even Endeavor’s flames cowered before the threat, although he still felt their heat inside him. He knew those eyes, in a manner of speaking. He had spent hours reading about them in reports, going over every bit of information and detail to find the villains weaknesses. 

So this was Phantom? He had only seen him one time before, but not like this. Back then, he didn’t play this dirty trick. He let himself be seen. A part of Endeavor trembled at the memory looking into the villains eyes. It wasn’t different now except that it was solely concentrated on Endeavor. He felt like an ant under a magnifying glass getting burned. 

Endeavor had to get up. He wouldn’t let this brat best him. Not again. With less ease then he would’ve liked, he stood up, bracing his back to the wall. Endeavor put on his most menacing face and he glared up at Phantom, the villain floating above him like at Hosu. ‘Come down and face me like a man,’ a small part of thought. 

He leaned away from the wall, trusting his feet to support him, and settled into a fighting stance. He rotated his neck, popping a few bones back into place.

“Thanks for revealing yourself,” Endeavor put all of his might into his words, “Saved me the trouble of hunting you down.” He pressed his thumb to the side of one of his nostril and blew out a wad of blood. He couldn’t even see it land but it made a wet sound on the ground. “Now I can take you out here and now, Phantom.” He said the name like a slur. 

“̶̛͓̂͛I̸̗̪̊̾̕ ̷̧͛̈́w̴̼͆͒̉̔à̷̯͠n̷͓͕̰͕̾͂́̎ţ̸͒́̂ ̶̮̻̿̈́ỳ̵̭̬̬̈͆̈́ŏ̴͎̺͈̏͆u̶̢̦͍̜͂̅ ̷̝̮̘͂̋́t̴̢͇̽̈́o̸͙̘̯̍̽̋͊.̸͓͔̤͉̈́̌̄ ̵̙͇͌̇̅̀Į̴̃̔́ ̷̭͉̈̓́w̶̤͈͉̑͐̓̈́a̶̡̨̲͐n̷͚͗͐̄t̴̂̈́͋̌ͅ ̶̖̟͖̲̓̀ÿ̸͖́o̵̜͉͊͂̑ͅu̴͖͖̟͌͝ ̵̥̗̳͋͂͘͘t̵͎̮̫̃͌̔̕o̵̹̹̺͛̀͝͝ ̸̤̓̅̃̊g̶̨̨̿̀̓͝ͅḙ̵̣̦͕̃ṯ̷̣̒ ̸̥͔̌̌̎a̷̳̜̬̽̔ș̶̡̡̿͆̚͜ ̶̱͊̉͠c̴̩̭̬̜͗͘l̶̢͚̯͌͘ò̸͙s̸̹̺̰̘̅̇̆̚e̴̩͔͉̓ ̶̡̛̯͓͓̅͂́a̴͇̦͖̫̓s̴͎̦͍̖̋͂̑̓ ̶̳͘y̵̡͌̊͘ọ̶̔̔̇ű̵͕̃͒ ̴̳̮̹̈́̈́̓̅c̴̹̼̫̅́͒ȧ̸͍́̋̀n̵͕͚͍͕̐͛͝.̵̯͉͔́͑̀ ̶̯̙̥̼͌̓̋̒I̸͎̯̿ ̵̲͙̞̂̐̄̚w̸̪̯̽a̸͕̓́̈̕ṉ̵̪͊̀̎t̵͎̲͓̀͌̒͂ ̸͈̹̿͑̚y̴̩͐̎͗́o̸̧͖͓͊́̆u̴̡̲͆̏͝ ̶͇̃̇͆̈t̴̪͉̱̒̚o̸̮̥̖͖̿̔͝ ̶͍̻͐t̸̳͓͚̀͐̆̇r̷͓̂ȳ̸̯̲̠.̵͔͎̼͇̓̾”̶̜̼͚͗͌͜

The voice made Endeavor’s ears ring. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard and more distorted than static. It left a dry metallic taste in his mouth like lightning was about to strike.

He had to strike now before the thing moved. He felt his flames burn hotter, but even that wasn’t enough to illuminate the alley. He plunges it in the direction of Phantom’s body with a battlecry. His fists make contact, but the villain's body feels strange. It was more like punching into wet concrete than solid flesh. He finally saw his flames but they were different. Upon contact, they turned green, matching the same toxic color as the villains eyes and fists. What was he? Such a thing could no longer be called human. 

He tried to find the outline of Phantom’s body, but the longer he stared the more dizzy he felt. Endeavor's eyes started playing tricks on him as the corner of his sight began to swirl and spiral like shapes haunted his periphery. 

An ickiness overtook his body as he stared at the shapes. It was like spiders were crawling under his skin trying to get out. Endeavor tried to move his arm back from Phantom’s body, but something wet gripped him, holding him in. Phantom’s face moved closer to his and Endeavor was stuck looking into the villains eyes unable to look away. They looked like they were smiling. 

Suddenly, Phantom’s body started to move and writhe around Endeavor’s fist, the sensation like if his hand was stuck in a pool of eels. He would’ve screamed or yelled if he had any air left in his throat.

Endeavor's heart beat heavily in his chest, each thud feeling like an earthquake. Since the activation of his quirk he felt cold for the first time. The sensation passed and Phantom was on the other side of him, that look still in his eyes. He liked to see Endeavor squirm. 

For the first time since the opening attack, Phantom raised one of his arms, the sickly green glowing brighter and in the direction of Endeavor. Endeavor didn’t even have time to inhale before the plasma blast hit him in the chest and sent him rolling again, his body sliding and scraping on the concrete. 

No where in the reports did it mention Phantom having these quirks. Had he been hiding them all this time? Why not use them until now? In a fight, regardless of if you were a hero or villain, you had to use anything at your disposal, no matter how dirty. Of course, heroes were judged on if they used too much force or damaged too much property, but villains weren’t held back by such rules. 

A swell of pride entered Endeavor’s chest. As much as he may have feared Phantom, Phantom was just as scared of him. Even when the other heroes blew off his head he did not use these quirks. Only Endeavor and Endeavor alone was a threat enough for Phantom. 

Confidence swelled in his chest and melted the ice. He stopped shaking and Endeavor finally had control over his limbs. He could win.  

He got up and charged Phantom before he could shoot another blast. His fist hit the villain's strange body and his flames changed color again. Endeavor didn’t stop hitting him, pulling his fist to strike again before it could latch onto him. Phantom’s body shook back and forth with each strike, his eyes getting a blur effect from the movement and speed. Endeavor could even see his past strikes light up Phantom’s torso due to the friction. 

This was strangely familiar. Despite all his hits, Phantom didn’t seem to be taking any damage. It was like the Nomu’s back in Hosu. Was he really one of them? They had both escaped at the same time and they had learned more about those things since then. He was right, Phantom wasn’t human anymore. 

Still, with those Nomu’s all he had to do was hit them harder! 

“Flashfire Fist Hell Spider!” Endeavor yelled out his attack, this time aiming for Phantom’s head like the heroes before him. Phantom has a regeneration quirk, but from what he read is that when hit on the head with extreme force it causes him to become disoriented before he recovers. 

Sure enough, glowing green erupted from where Phantom’s eyes once sat. Endeavor used that to get closer to the villain and he began his barrage once again, pushing Phantom out of the alley. Phantom was strong but everything has it’s limits, Endeavor knew that better than anybody. 

Light returned to the world and it almost blinded Endeavor. He could finally see his own flames again and he basked in the glow and power of them. He looked down at Phantom a few feet away from him, the goo returning back to his head. He didn’t look real and it was hard to believe such a thing could exist. 

Phantom had recovered now but his floating hair covered his face. Endeavor took a moment to study the villain. He was unlike any foe he had fought if by mere virtue of his physicality. Just like all the others, Endeavor would take him down. 

Something caught his eye. Instead of the plain black and white hazmat suit, he donned a Fat Gum sweatshirt. The front had been burned to bits, but the design was clearly one and the same. It had to have been the same one that was tied around his waist in the reports. There was also a report of a strange boy in the area wearing the same one, although that had no leads as of yet. It was such an unimportant detail, but yet it sparked more anger in Endeavor. It was like a mockery of them, a trophy of the hero that he had encountered before and so terrified.

Endeavor charged Phantom again with flame at his fingertips, letting out the heat from his last attack. It was a shame no one was around to witness him defeat Phantom, but it was probably safer that way. It was hard to rein in damage when Endeavor burned like this. 

Endeavor smiled. This would be his finishing blow. He aimed it at Phantom and felt it connect. He yelled as he pushed it harder and harder into him. He knew it wouldn’t be enough to kill the villain, but it would certainly knock him out.

Endeavor felt a hand wrap around his, his flames turning green from the touch. Fear once again landed in Endeavor’s bones as his flames burned brighter. He pushed harder but no matter how hot he burned the hand wouldn’t let go. 

A distorted face appeared in the flame and got closer to Endeavor’s. It was like a creature coming out of hell with a halo of green flames at his back. A surge of cold overwhelms him and his flames start to lose their intensity. Finally the face is fully shown and Endeavor can see Phantom clearly. 

He was smiling. 

★

Endeavor’s attacks were forceful and unrelenting. For the first time Danny was able to feel something other than his own chill. He felt warm, and it felt nice. Each hit that Endeavor landed was like a fresh reminder that he was still real. This is what he had been looking for all this time. He wanted more. 

He couldn’t deny the man was powerful too. He clearly earned his spot as the #2 hero. Had Danny been any less of a freak they might have hurt. A thought clouded his mind as the hero punched him again and again. Was this all they had to offer?

Before him was the near pinnacle of their strength in this world, yet it hardly affected Danny. Was he getting punked? Was this really what he was so afraid of when he came into this world? He thought he had just been lucky before, but he was mistaken. He was wrong when he called Stain weak. He wasn’t weak. They all were weak. 

The only reason he was afraid of the heroes before was because they reminded him how much of a freak he was and scared him with his own body.

Danny smiled at the hero, a sick feeling of satisfaction twisted in him when he saw how scared he was. Good. That was what Danny had been feeling for so long now. 

He still wanted to get it out. He wanted to get everything out. He knew there was no way in hell that the hero before him could win or even pose much of a threat to him. Still, he wanted to feel what he was able to do. He wanted to see if he could hurt Danny. 

Endeavor stepped back after the last of his flames sizzled out. His face was pale and his eyes had lost their spark. On his face was no longer the confident or angry expression that he wore, instead replaced by one of pure regret.

“Come on,” Danny teased, “I thought I told you to try? Is this all you can do?” 

Danny stepped closer to him and the hero backed up again. He felt like a wolf cornering a deer. He closed the distance and grabbed the hero’s fist. He tried to pull it away but Danny wouldn’t let him. He placed the fist on his torso and looked back up at Endeavor, a smile stretching his face.

“Try again,” he whispered. 

Endeavor pulled back and Danny laughed. He hadn’t laughed in so long. He could almost get addicted to it. He watched Endeavor swallow hard and his face change again from that same fear to desperate rage. 

He raised a fist and set it alight. Excitement filled Danny about what was going to happen. He let Endeavor hit him, but returned it with a hit of his own. He was careful not to go too hard on the hero. It was still too much since it knocked the hero back down.

“I really thought you would be stronger than this,” Disappointment was clear in his voice. 

Anger filled the hero’s eyes and he aimed another hit at Danny. It was heavier than the last one and Danny let himself feel the full force of it. The feeling of warmth returned to his chest. 

Danny playfully hit back, not enough to knock him over but hard enough to earn a groan from the hero. It reminded him of his spar with Deku, although he thinks the boy might stand a better chance than Endeavor. If anything, Danny could use this as stress relief. 

He let Endeavor hit him over and over again. By this point Danny’s hoodie had been completely burned away. The man started sweating and it was clear that his body was no longer able to handle the heat of his own quirk. Danny just needed to cool him down. He started returning hits again, this time with ice below his fingers. The hero stopped sweating a little but he was starting to pant. 

Danny punched Endeavor’s stomach trying to get him to cough up more of his fire. Instead the only thing that came out was vomit. Danny jumped back, giving the hero room to breathe. 

After a second he stood up, determination on his face. It was clear he hadn’t given up yet. That’s good. Danny wasn’t finished yet. He watched him slowly start to recover and his breathing even out.

“Do you really think I’d let you win?!” He pointed at Danny, “No, no. I may not be as strong as the #1 hero, but even I could beat scum like you! Even if you do defeat me, you can’t go against all of us!”

He reached to his side and pulled out a walkie-talkie. He showed it off like a gun at Danny. 

“It is cold outside!” Endeavor yelled into the communicator. 

Danny rolled his eyes. He heard that phrase before with the other heroes. That means reinforcements would be coming soon. Maybe this could be a lesson to get them to back off. Danny had to end this quickly… 

Everything went black.

★

When Danny came too, Endeavor was on the ground with Danny on top of him. He hit the hero over and over again, pushing him deeper into the cracked street. Danny couldn’t stop himself and became lost in the rhythm. He wanted him to get back up so he could do it again. 

“Phantom, stop!” Something pulled on his arm. Reflexives took over and Danny twisted around and punched something in the face. He felt bone crack underneath his fist. He realized all too late who it was and pulled his fist away as if it burned him. Horror and regret spread through his body. 

“He’s down... Just stop.” The voice was muffled and tired. 

“Ma?” Danny forced the words out of his throat. They were as thick as bile and he wanted to swallow it back down. He started trembling, realizing what he had just done and what was around him. 

Ma’s eyes widened and a shocked smile spread across his face. “Yeah,” he said, “Ma.”

Danny’s senses finally returned and pain like no other shot inside him. He really was a monster. Thoughts crashed and coursed through Danny’s head like a riptide and complicated emotions rose up to the surface. He looked down at the hero before him. He didn’t look like an enemy, he just looked like a man.

“I thought I said not to call me Phantom,” He tried to say it like a joke, something for them to laugh at rather than the tense air between them right now. Instead he sounded like a kid disappointed for the first time. 

The hero was clutching his nose and blood dripped onto the concrete. Danny wanted to look away but some unknown force kept his head in place. He started shaking even harder. He had done that. He looked at Endeavor on the ground, beaten into submission. Was he really capable of this kind of brutality? 

“You know I can't do that,” Ma huffed. He was on one of his knees, but pushed himself up to face Danny. His arms lowered to his sides like waiting for a hug. He was empty handed, he didn’t even have the scarf around his neck. A gentle smile spread across his face despite the blood. 

“I can still help you,” Ma said. There was no judgment in his voice. Danny wanted to break down in front of him, but all around them more heroes were showing up. Gazes full of murder all honed in on Danny. He deserved it too. 

“How?” Danny gestured at the crowd around them. He really fucked up this time. Why did he go so overboard? He knew Endeavor wasn’t a threat to him, he just couldn’t stop. He even hurt Ma. The man may have hurt Danny, but he didn’t deserve that. 

Danny looked at his hands, the white gloves stained with red. He wasn’t sure if it was from Ma or the hero beneath him. He just wanted everything to stop. He looked back at Ma. Blood was oozing down his face and he looked unstable. Danny reached out to him when something shot at him. It was an inch from his fingertips. It was a warning shot but rage filled him that they would shoot in the direction of one of their own. Danny looked around for the culprit, his eyes zeroing in on a cowboy in a mask. Danny felt anger rise in his throat again. 

“Come with me,” Ma’s voice brought him back. He tried to keep his tone steady but his eyes betrayed him, showing ill hidden desperation. “I can talk them down. They’re just scared.”

And that was it. Scared. Danny had given them every reason to be afraid. Everytime they attacked him, he hit them harder. Didn’t they think he was just scared too? He was just a kid but they looked at him as if he were a monster. 

‘You are a monster,’ a voice sang in his ear, ‘look what you’ve done. You stopped being a kid a long time ago.’

“I can’t.” His voice sounded pathetic and like a child’s, “Just give me some time. I-” Danny paused not knowing what to say. Another shot rang out and missed him. It wasn’t safe here, for him or Ma. So long as he was here they would keep shooting.

“You were right,” Ma breathed out. He looked to be on the edge of consciousness, “I don’t know you, but I would like to. I’m sorry...”

“I just need some time,” Danny looked into Ma’s eyes for what felt like the first and final time. Ma didn’t look surprised and simply nodded, his head tipping back a little before he regained his balance again. Once again Danny tried to reach out but another shot fired. 

“I’m sorry,” Danny felt the sensation of tears in his eyes and he flew away from Ma and the heroes. 

He was such a coward.

Chapter Text

“What was that?!” Ms. Makoto yelled across the table at Eraserhead. She really had lost all decorum. 

Keigo couldn’t blame her exactly. A lot of pressure was placed on her since it was her job to actually deal with Phantom. Not only that but with the heroes being attacked last night and now this, the commission were doing everything they could from getting the story out. How would the public react if not one, not two, not even three but four pro heroes got taken down, one of them being the #2 hero no less. They may have the luxury of hiding behind Phantom being a group, but how long will that last? So many N.D.As had been signed already. Panic will spread one way or another, right now it was all about controlling when.

“Can you be more specific?” Eraserhead dodged the question. He didn’t even look phased. Phantom put him in quite the state. With one hit he easily shattered Eraserhead’s nose and left him with two black eyes. Good thing he has that old lady to run back to.

“You know what I mean,” Ms. Makoto tried to sound more authoritative than she actually was, “What were you and Phantom talking about.”

“I was asking him to surrender.” He answered simply. 

Keigo hadn’t arrived on scene until both Endeavor and Eraserhead were loaded onto a stretcher. It was a bittersweet feeling to see your childhood idol being so thoroughly beaten. Keigo had gotten used to most feelings so he was able to push it back. 

He only got a brief explanation on what happened along with the others, baring a few details of course. He was also told that all the surveillance tapes in the area got corrupted, not that the Commission would let him see them if they weren’t. They were strangely secretive about Phantom, more so than any of Keigo’s previous targets. In was in part to the tapes that they even had to do this meeting. As it was now, they had no idea what happened between Eraserhead and Phantom aside from the reports. Having said that, doing it like this solved nothing and only caused more problems. 

“Why didn’t you use your quirk on him?” Ms. Makoto grit out between clenched teeth. It was a valid and most obvious question. Keigo stopped playing with one of his feathers and leaned closer in his chair. 

“He punched me in the face,” Eraserhead squinted at her as if to make it clearer, “I couldn’t see him.”

Keigo knew that was bull shit. He had seen the reports about the USJ incident not to mention had studied Eraserhead’s quirk extensively. He had erased quirks with far more damage to his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you attack him then?” The other obvious question. Judging from what he’s been told, Eraserhead put up no resistance to the vigilante, instead allowing himself to be hit. Keigo didn’t think he planned to fight, he didn’t even have his scarf with him. The hero looked almost naked without it. 

“I thought I’d be able to reason with him. He was surrounded. I didn’t know that he could fly.” Eraserhead reasoned. Nothing he said could be proven false and he knew it. 

“Didn’t you read the reports?” Ms. Makoto was on her last nerve. 

“What reports?” For a second there Eraserhead looked smug. 

“The one with Stain!” She blurted out. All too quickly she covered her mouth and turned to the other occupants of the room. They were the same heroes as the ones before when Endeavor made his little exit. Despite them being recruited to hunt down Phantom, the Stain as well as last night's full report were sealed to them. 

“Why would Phantom be in the Stain report?” Eraserhead asked, “I thought Endeavor took him down.” 

He knew, of course he knew. It was his three students that were attacked by Stain after all. 

“Uh yes. He did.” Ms. Makoto tried to fix her hair, “Of course he did. I just mean that it overlapped with the Nomu incident, that's all.”

“I don’t recall flight being mentioned in those reports,” Eraserhead said casually, “I’d have to look those over again, I apologize.” 

He had her and she knew it. Keigo smiled and Ms. Makoto’s head shot towards him. They held each other's gazes until he let go. It wasn’t worth it. 

A calm expression crossed her face and she sighed dramatically, “No that won’t be needed anymore. You are removed from the case, hereby immediately.”

All the other heroes looked around at each other confused. Even Keigo wasn’t prepared for that. Sir Nighteye stood up.

“Ms. Makoto, surely you don’t mean that,” he gestured at Eraserhead, “He is a vital piece in capturing Phantom, what with how many quirks there are. It would be foolish to let him go.” 

“Quirks?” He turned her gaze to him, “What do you mean ‘quirks?’”

“Doesn’t each member of Phantom have a powerful quirk? What else would I mean?”

Keigo couldn’t hide his smile from slipping once more. Ms. Makoto didn’t even challenge him on it. She just looked stressed now. Looks like someone was gonna get a stern talking to later.

“Yes, you’re right,” she tried to laugh it off but nobody bought it, “What else would I mean.” 

She fell into her chair and drank from the bottle on her desk. A tense air filled the tiny room as each hero watched her. Mirko glared at her angrily, one of her feet thumping the ground. Clearly, she did not like having information withheld from her.

“I understand your concerns, Sir Nighteye, but rest assured we’ll be able to capture Phantom just fine. We can’t afford to have that kind of hesitation when dealing with this menace. I’m afraid Eraserhead is still off the team.” She turned to him, “Eraserhead, make sure to leave your tracker at the door and we’ll have security escort you out.”

“I can find my way out,” Eraserhead protested. He bowed and placed the device on the table, walking calmly out. 

“You cannot be serious!” Sir Nighteye shouted, “Do you not understand how large of a threat Phantom is? He-” Sir Nighteye coughed, “They just took out Endeavor! Do you really think a team as small as this is able to handle that?!”

Keigo’s mouth ticked. Did he know too? How and for how long? Had he seen something with Phantom? No, he had to have come into contact with him for his quirk to work and he would’ve said something. Wouldn’t he? Sir Nighteye was All Might’s sidekick, perhaps he got the information from UA, but there was no way to confirm that. Keigo hated how UA interfered with the investigation. They hadn’t even made any obvious moves their people were everywhere. Eraserhead had shown more loyalty to the Commission in the past, but it was clear that was false. He didn’t even know why Ms. Makoto would let him on the case in the first place.  

“I assure you, I understand the threat perfectly. That's why I chose you all. I think that you all pose the best threat to Phantom working together.”

“Not with a third of our team gone.” Sir Nighteye bit back.

“If you don’t like it, you can leave.” Ms. Makoto challenged. She did not understand what she just did.

“Very well,” Sir Nighteye fixed his tie and Ms. Makoto smiled, “I will.”

“What?!” She stood up quickly, flinging her chair back. 

“No need to call security, I won’t be a fuss,” Sir Nighteye placed his tracker on the table and walked out briskly, clearly chasing down Eraserhead. 

Awkward silence filled the room once more. All that was left were the three heroes and Ms. Makoto’s assistant in the room. Mirko looked on the brink of attacking the lady that was meant to guide them while Ragdoll just looked concerned. 

“This is a bit too much for me,” Ragdoll blurted out. She still had her smile on, it was just more nervous than the eternal toy one. “If we maybe had more members or given more information, maybe we could do it, but as it is now…?”

She bowed and placed her tracker on the table as well, quickly leaving the room. Keigo couldn’t help it as he burst out laughing. Oh they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell now.

“What the hell is this?!” Mirkio couldn’t stand it any longer and stood up slamming her hand on the table. Ms. Makoto slouched back into her chair. 

“That is the trash taking itself out, I suppose,” She waved her off.

“Oh no! You do NOT get to take that attitude with me, lady! Those are heroes you just insulted!” Mirkio looked around the room, a confused and disgusted look on her face, “Why is nobody reacting? We just lost our best chance at taking down Phantom and you look like you’re at lunch.” She started pointedly at Keigo. 

“We can get other members, that was never the issue,” Ms. Makoto waved her off.

“Then please,” Mirkio said sickly sweet, “What is the issue?”

“Information.” She stated simply. Mirkio sat back down and glared at her.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that,” the sarcasm was clear in her voice.

Ms. Makoto sighed once more, “We were waiting for more data and results before we told you all, but I suppose now is really no time to be secretive about it.”

Another wave of tense air spread through the room. Was she really gonna tell Mirkio? Honestly, Keigo was surprised they didn’t tell anyone at the last meeting, but that was the Commission for you. Everything had to be a secret, if they tell you one thing there’s gonna be way more they’re hiding. 

“This goes beyond a simple vigilante case, what I’m about to tell you could affect everything we know about quirks,” she let her words hang in the air and marinate. 

Keigo put his feather down. He was well aware of Phantom true numbers possible ties to the league, but that was it. He had heard rumors, of course. It was his job to hear rumors. Nothing concrete, just the vague whispers of a powerful villain and his spawn. A kid with a rotten dad and a powerful quirk wanting to be a hero. It would be more tragic if it wasn’t so predictable. No matter how much he investigated or poked they wouldn’t give him the information. Who could it be to keep it all hush-hush? 

“Miriko,” Mirkio’s head snapped to Ms. Makoto, “If you want out now, do it. Past this point it’s no longer a matter of losing your license if you leave, but relocation.”

 Keigo didn’t mention how she didn’t say his name. Mirkio sat and thought for a moment, her head clearly balancing the risks and the rewards. Information was powerful and if they went against Phantom they would need all the power they can get. 

A stressed expression took over her features, “What if we don’t end up catching Phantom? What if we end up like Endeavor or the other heroes?”

“If that is to happen, the Commission will take responsibility. You will bear no consequences. We understand your concerns, this is more about not wanting the information to get out.”

Another thoughtful expression crossed her face before she finally answered, “Alright, fine. I’ll do it,” She looked like she swallowed something sour. 

“I knew you were a good choice,” Ms. Makoto smiled and Keigo felt the need to barf. 

Ms. Makoto looked over at her assistant and she nodded in turn, handing her another folder. Ms. Makoto slid it across the table to Miriko and she cautiously opened it. She started reading it when her eyes widened, setting the folder down and looked at the others in the room in shock and horror.

“It’s only one kid?” She asked, her voice quiet. 

“Indeed,” Ms. Makoto began setting up the projector from last time.

“But that would mean…” Miriko trailed off, “How?”

That was the question on Keigo’s mind since he found out as well. He had his own theories of course. Phantom revealed himself the same night as the Nomu’s, it wasn't hard to make a connection between the two. The only difference between them was that Phantom appeared more stable and was able to talk, at least for now. 

“That is information even myself is not competely privy to.” of course she didn’t know. 

Ms. Makoto pulled some images on the screen. All of them were composite sketches of Phantom, but each one had varying facial features. The only constant detail was the color of eyes and his white hair. 

“As you can see we don’t even know what he looks like,” she pointed to the pictures, “we think he has a quirk that affects people's perception of him or that is the result of another quirk he has.”

“How many quirks does he have?” Miriko asked, confusion in her tone at trying to process the information. 

“We don’t know,” she turned to the next slide with information about Phantom’s theorized quirks, “This is what we’ve seen but it could be more. Endeavor hasn’t been able to report anything new for obvious reasons.”

“And the Commission still believes we can stop,” Miriko gestures at the projection, “This?!”

“Not without support,” Ms. Makoto turned to her assistant who was holding a metal briefcase. Keigo recognised the shape of it. There was a weapon in there. 

Now he was invested. He fully sat up in his chair, discarding the feather to join the others. 

“As I mentioned last time, the ice Phantom left behind as well as the radiation matched something in our archives,” she went to the next slide which showed an atomic model of something. It was labeled ‘ecto-ranium.’

“We believe this is how we can take down Phantom. His ice was not able to be chipped at or melted by normal means, but when our scientists used picks coated with ecto-ranium it was like normal ice,”

This Keigo did not know. He wondered if this had any similarities with Ectoplasm's quirk since they both were of similar material. He had heard that the hero’s clones were resistant and even corrosive to some types of metal, similar to what happened with Phantom and Stain’s sword. How effective would this ecto-ranium be against someone like him?

“Since that discovery, the scientists have been working on other ways to harness this material to take down Phantom,” She opened the briefcase. 

In it looked to be an ordinary gun, if a bit small. It was a silver color and faintly glowed, beside it were 3 bright green bullets. 

“This is one of the results,” Ms. Makoto put on a pair of latex gloves and held up one of the bullets. “This is no mere bullet, but rather a tranquilizer. It is designed to interrupt the flow of Phantom’s ectoplasm quirk that his body is made up of.”

“Made of- wha?” Miriko looked puzzled but suddenly a flash of anger went across her face, “No way, we can’t do that, that will kill him!” she shouted.

Even Keigo had a twisting feeling in his stomach. His feathers started bristling despite him not meaning in. He had to keep it in. Phantom wasn’t a person, he wasn’t even a kid, he was a target. And unless Keigo wanted to take his place, he had to do as he was ordered, no matter how he felt. 

“It’s entirely non lethal. Each bullet only holds enough to stun him and inhibit him using that quirk, in all forms. That should make him easier to handle and then capture. Think of it as a tourniquet to stop bleeding. The effects will only be temporary.”

“Still, you can’t be serious!” Mirkio jumped up from her seat again, “He’s just a kid, you’re talking about taking him out as if he were a wild animal!” she looked over at Keigo, “you have to see how fucked up this is?!” 

Keigo sighed, “All I see is a villain that needs to be taken down. He’s already proven to be a threat,” he looked at her in the eyes trying to look somber, “just look at what he did to Endeavor? To Eraserhead? He didn’t even attack him and Phantom just punched him. He’s too unpredictable to let him free…”

A horrified expression took over his fellow hero’s face and she back away, “No,” she shook her head, “this is wrong, this is-”

“What we have to do.” Keigo finished.

“Did you forget the terms, Miriko?” Ms. Makoto spoke up and Miriko’s head snapped to hers, “If you don’t agree, you will have to be relocated.”

“I thought you said that the Commission will understand if we can’t do it?” She looked frantic. 

“No, that is for if you fail to capture Phantom or are hurt in the process. The Commission holds no reservations about keeping you quiet if you leave now.”

“So I really have no choice?” Miriko laughed and it sounded small and pathetic. She fell back into her chair. 

“I’m afraid not,” Ms. Makoto shook her head. 

Miriko held her face in her hands, forcing herself to come to terms with what she must do. “I can’t believe this…”

Keigo had his own reservations. He knew what had to be done though and what that meant for Phantom. He was serious when he said he thought Phantom should become a hero. Not only was his display of quirks powerful, but the Commission could have concocted a sob story about how he always wanted to be a hero and the like. It wouldn’t be hard to take his ‘brothers’ out of the equation either. They would’ve created the perfect hero, a face loved by the people and a dagger to use in their pocket. It was the best outcome for the boy since Keigo knew that UA wouldn’t be able to handle him. He’d be under the Commission's thumb but at least he wouldn’t be rotting in a cell somewhere or worse. But now with Endeavor? Well, there’s no use having a puppet you can’t control.

Chapter Text

Equal parts dread and relief washed over Shouta at having been kicked off the case. Now he was no longer excepted to hunt the boy down like an animal, but at the same time it meant he no longer had access to information that could potentially hurt him. He had no idea what the Commission was capable of and Phantom would be the victim.  

Shouta stood on the steps of the Commission, lost. He had failed him for the second time that day. Shouta licked his gums, his body craving nicotine. Instead he pulled out a slice of cinnamon gum and began grinding it in between his teeth rather than chewing it. He could really use some coffee right about now…

He couldn’t go back to the coffee shop. Not only was it closed but Phantom’s words rang in his ear. ‘I just need some time.’ Shouta felt strange for thinking this, but the boy looked so pathetic and small in that moment. He didn’t know anyone could look so much like a child while covered in somebody else’s blood. 

Shouta had only seen some of the fight. He was wandering the area in case Phantom decided to go back. There was a weird air in the alley that could not so easily be forgotten. It felt a lot like Phantom. Endeavor beat him to it. Shouta was only a block away when he got the distress signal and was the first on the scene. At first, he could do nothing but stare at the creature on top of Endeavor before he realized it was Phantom. He had never seen him like this and didn’t even know it was possible. 

Phantom’s voice whispered in his ear, ‘You don’t know me.’

He was right. Shouta didn’t know him, and maybe he never will, but he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to. It was an easy decision stepping in, even knowing he’ll probably be hurt. Even if Phantom doesn’t forgive him, the kid needs to know that someone was willing to try and not everyone will hurt him. It was worth the black eyes. 

Shouta breathed deeply in, his ribs protesting slightly. He kept it in until he felt his lungs burn and his heart start racing. He exhaled slowly, drawing it out till there was nothing left in him. It felt nice. 

He sent a quick text to principal Nezu explaining he was kicked. Nezu sent another one back immediately asking him to return to the school for a meeting, as if Shouta hadn’t been to enough of those recently. 

Shouta felt a presence behind him and turned around to see Sir Nighteye. The man wasn’t looking at him, pretending to be lost in the night sky. Shouta looked up too, spotting a northern star that was as bright as when Phantom was the center of a storm. ‘How did he feel about the stars,’ he wondered. 

“Evening, Sir Nighteye,” Shouta finally acknowledged. 

“Evening,” he greeted in turn. 

The man was long in all senses of the word. He towered over Shouta by 5in and his arms looked like a broken manakin’s being held together by the sleeve. Phantom had a similar frame, although not as tall. Perhaps he hasn’t stopped growing yet and would still gain those few last inches. 

He couldn’t stop thinking of Phantom. He hadn’t seemed that injured from the fight, but he could have internal injuries. Honestly, Shouta didn’t know how he was able to stand let alone actually win against Endeavor. He wasn’t known for going easy on whatever stood in his way, even if they were children. Shouta had hoped that by giving Phantom the folder he could see how big of a threat he was and only use the information for when he can’t run. Oh how wrong he was. 

Shouta should’ve expected it. You tell kids not to fight someone and then they go hunt that person down. Shouta should do the opposite, maybe then his kids would listen to him. 

Sir Nighteye pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his inner suit pocket. The lighter was yellow with All Might’s smiling face on it. Shouta didn’t know that the hero even allowed anything that promoted unsafe habits to use his face in Japan, but knowing Sir Nighteye, he probably got it from the states. Sir Nighteye lit the cigarette without fanfare and deeply inhaled, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He exhaled and the smoke blew in Shouta’s face, his lungs feeling the slight burn. 

Shouta’s thumb and index finger twitched. Sir Nighteye looked down at him and offered him a cigarette, which Shouta took. Habit took over and he placed it in between his teeth. Sir Nighteye held up the lighter and Shouta leaned into it until it lit up the stick. He inhaled deeply, the taste combining with the gum making it even more pungent. It was like burning a foul incense. 

“I thought you quit smoking?” It was said as casually as the weather. 

“I did,” Shouta took another drag. It had been a while and Shouta resisted the urge to cough. “Hizashi doesn’t like it. He said it’s like kissing a fireplace.”

Sir Nighteye laughed but it was empty and had a bitter tinge in it. He had no one who did the same for him. His sidekicks of course protested, but there was only so much they could do. He had no one to come home to or support him to stop.

“You should consider the same. Those things will kill you.”

“Not before a villain will,” He took another drag and looked up at the sky, his eyes lost in memory. 

“Did you see it?” Shouta put the cigarette down and looked at Sir Nighteye. 

He didn’t say anything but the answer was clear. A somber silence went between them. They both understood the danger of being a hero. That was why Shouta started teaching in the first place. He had to prepare the next generation for when that happened, because it will. Shouta knew at some point either his kids would be burying him or he would have to bury one of them. Not many heroes made it to retirement, and those who did were the type Stain was hunting. Smoking was a way to take the edge off, but it also saved you a spot in the grave. 

“You’re going to UA after this, right?” Sir Nighteye asked. 

Shouta side-eyed him. It was possible he had used his quirk on him without his notice. 

“I am.” He answered flatly. 

“I expected as much,” Sir Nighteye watched for his reaction, “I bet you have a lot of school work to do,” he exhaled smoke in his face. 

Shouta nodded. He was speaking in code. It wasn’t safe to talk about Phantom in public, especially on the steps of the commission no less. 

“Allow me to join you,” He walked ahead of Shouta and pulled a pair of keys out of his pocket. He hit the button and a yellow car beeped not too far away, “I was headed there already.”

Shouta rolled his eyes but didn’t protest. He smashed his cigarette into the concrete railing that led to the Commission and discarded the rest into a nearby garbage bin. Sir Nighteye did the same, then opened the passenger door for Shouta. They both got in and the silence continued. 

Shouta only had brief interactions with the fellow hero, but never alone. They had always been a part of some type of task force, not entirely dissimilar to the one with Phantom. They were civil and even worked well together, but only in a professional capacity. On the inside, Shouta had doubts about Sir Nighteyes motives. He had information that no one else was able to access. It was indispensable while working towards the same goal, but Shouta dreaded what would happen if they were on opposite sides. 

Now they were alone together, probably thinking the same thing about the other. 

Sir Nighteye turned on the radio and Shouta heard his husband's voice ringing out, announcing the next song. It was Saturday, so it was very likely that was his actual voice and not a recording. Being a hero and a teacher didn’t leave a lot of time for radio, so Hizashi would do pre-recordings a few times a week and leave the rest to his sidekicks. Shouta was honestly very proud of him. Shouta had struggled with juggling teaching, hero work and sleep. He didn’t know how Hizashi had time for all that plus his show. That’s what passion got you. 

Hizashi made a stupid joke, and while Shouta smiled, he was surprised to see the other hero’s mouth twitch. 

“Careful, he’s taken,” Shouta teased, but it sounded more like a threat. 

“I’m well aware,” Sir Nighteye affirmed, “I just enjoy his comedy, is all. I think it’s important to laugh or find joy when you can.”

“If you like comedy so much, you should find company with Ms. Joke. You could distract her from flirting with me. She thinks it’s funny considering my status,” Shouta rolled his eyes. 

The hero let out a small ‘hmm,’ sound, “I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting her a few times, but she was entertaining. Perhaps I’ll take you up on that. If anything she’d be a good ally.”

Shouta wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, but either way it wasn’t his business. The rest of the car ride was in silence, the only voice being Hizashi’s every so often. That just left Shouta’s mind to wander. He was skeptical of Sir Nighteye’s intentions at UA. While he was All Might’s sidekick, the two hadn’t spoken to the other in years. It seemed unlikely the hero was solely hoping to reconnect. 

He was probably after information regarding Phantom. Shouta would do the same in his shoes. To Sir Nighteye, or anyone else for that matter, Phantom was only a threat. None of them saw him as the child he actually was. Shouta may not know the kid as deeply as he would like, but he knew a scared child when he saw one. He can only hope people will see the same.

They arrived to UA not long after. The school was quiet, which was to be expected since most of the kids were off at internships until Monday, and the teachers that lingered in the halls were busy preparing for the midterms. Shouta had neglected his own class’ midterms, being too busy chasing Phantom. That along with the recent League attacks, principal Nezu had taken over planning for the practical. 

The feeling of being watched stabbed into Shouta every step of the way. Sir Nighteye had not stopped following him since entering the school. Shouta watched him out of the corner of his eye before he decided to confront him.

“What business do you have at UA?”

“The same as you, I imagine,” Sir Nighteye responded. 

“I’m positive you don’t have homework to grade,” Shouta responded coyly. 

“I have as much as you,” Sir Nighteye gave him a look. It was clear he knew why Shouta was really here.

Shouta decided to ignore him, letting what happens, happen. He trusted principal Nezu enough to decide what to do with the hero. They finally made it to principal Nezu’s office, Shouta eyeing the hero once more before opening the door. 

Principal Nezu wasn’t the only one inside. Around the large table, sat other teachers. It was only a handful, consisting of Recovery girl, Snipe, Ectoplasm, All Might and Nemuri. The former two weren’t in their hero costumes and looked the most stressed out of all of them. Nemuri, who was usually picture perfect, had her hair in a messy bun and bags under her eyes, probably having been pulled from grading papers. All Might looked like a wet dog, so the same as normal. Shouta thinks it’s impossible for All Might not to look stressed. 

The hero beside him inhaled deeply at spotting his former mentor in such a state and a similar reaction went through All Might. The older hero stood up and approached them. He looked awkward and stiff, like a child whose mother sent him to order their food for the first time. Sir Nighteye looked similar, but had broken into a cold sweat at the heroes approaching. When he finally caught up, the two just stared at each other, their mouths open with words they were too afraid to say. It was a little awkward so Shouta moved away, not wanting to invade their privacy. 

“Principal Nezu, what is the meaning of this?” Shouta had the impression meetings discussing Phantom would be secret. 

“Ah, Mr. Aizawa,” principal Nezu greeted, “and it seems you brought a guest?” Principal Nezu looked over at Sir Nighteye before his gaze drifted back to Shouta. Shouta didn’t get the chance to respond before principal Nezu cut him off, “No matter. The more the merrier!” He laughed. 

Everyone at the table looked uncomfortable. It was bad enough to be discussing such a delicate topic, but to have an outsider's eyes on them made it more violating.  

“Now we’re only waiting for one more person…” 

Shouta looked around the room wondering who could be missing. The door opened behind him and he saw the flushed face of his husband. He had clearly run from the studio and he still had a pair of headphones on. Shouta smiled at seeing him before he realized how he had looked himself.

Hizashi’s eyes widened at seeing Shouta, more specifically the brace around his nose and black eyes. He had told him that he had a small altercation but not that he was hurt or by who. He was going to, but he was under observation by the Commission. Shouta tried to look away, to hide his face, but Hizashi rushed over to him and held him. He gently placed his hands on Shouta’s face, careful not to touch any of the bandages. Shouta looked up at him, an uneasy almost shameful feeling welling up inside him. He didn’t regret stepping in, but seeing his husband’s scared face made him want to go back. 

“You can’t keep doing this Sho…” Hizashi whispered breathlessly, placing his forehead to his. 

Shouta took his hands and led them further away from the heroes. The other heroes were purposely ignoring them except Nemuri, who watched with a smile that rivaled a cat’s. 

“I’m fine, Hizashi.” Shouta tried to soothe. He had put his husband through so much the last few weeks with both the USJ attack and now this. Before, it was rare for Shouta to get hurt, his enemies not even being able to see him coming. “It’s nothing Recovery Girl can’t fix.”

“That’s not the point,” Hizashi looked down at their linked hands, “How long are you gonna keep doing this? This isn’t just about Phantom, but you. You can’t keep burning both ends. That’s how you make mistakes and a random villain can get the jump on you like this.” He sighed and raised Shouta’s hand to hold his face. He had such big puppy dog eyes, it was hard not to feel bad. 

“You’ve been hunting this Phantom kid nonstop for the last two weeks. You haven’t been this obsessed over in a case in a while. I don’t want to see you like that again.”

“I haven’t been hunting him down,” Shouta defended, “I just need to help him before the Commission gets him.” There was a difference. 

Hizashi looked sad again, and kissed Shouta’s hand. Shouta had put him through so much. It had been days since they’ve even talked to each other for more than a few minutes. He was just so focused on Phantom that he had neglected everything else in his life. 

“We should talk about this later,” Shouta pulled away and Hizashi looked more hurt. “I’m taking a break from finding Phantom, so you don’t have to worry so much anymore.”

Hizashi gave him a small smile but it was clearly forced. Deep down he knew it wasn’t for him, but because something else must have happened. He leaned closer to Shouta and gently kissed him. When Hizashi loved something, he loved it passionately and deeply, people were no different. They became a part of him as much as he did them. Sometimes, Shouta didn’t think he deserved it.

Hizashi pulled away from Shouta slowly, his eyes furrowed, “Have you been smoking, again?” 

A look of disappointment graced his face but it was clear concern was the dominant emotion. Shouta looked away again as an admission of guilt. Hizashi breathed in deeply. 

“It’s okay,” he moved Shouta’s face to his again, “we’ll talk later. I’ll have you for the rest of the weekend.” He winked flirtatiously, but it was a mask to hide what he truly felt. They still had a meeting to get through. 

They walked back to the table with the rest of the heroes and sat next to each other, holding hands under the table. Sir Nighteye and All Might were also sitting close and seemed to be whispering something, or more of Sir Nighteye was whispering while All Might quietly listened. He was probably getting lectured about his health. 

“And with that, we can proceed,” principal Nezu announced. 

The heroes all sat up straighter and looked to Nezu. Despite having a chair that made him the same height as the others, he stood on the table like a centerpiece. 

“As some of you may know, Mr. Aizawa has been tasked with investigating Phantom since the Stain incident.”

All the heroes looked at him. Hizashi and All Might were already aware, so their faces betrayed nothing. Sir Nighteye on the other hand looked enraged. 

“This whole time!” He stood up. He looked surprised at his own outburst for a second before sitting back down. “Excuse me,” he fixed his glasses, “That should’ve been expected. It is a public secret of the rivalry between UA and the Commission.”

“Of course,” principal Nezu took over the meeting again, “We don’t believe that the Commission would be well suited for someone as special as Phantom. Besides that, we can’t let a child that clearly wants to be a hero go un-mentored, now can we?” 

“You cannot be serious…” Sir Nighteye sighed, “and I thought the Commission was delusional.”

“Not at all. We believe he would be a valuable addition to UA. Mr. Aizawa,” He looked towards the hero again, “Would you mind sharing what you’ve found?”

Shouta stood up and swallowed a lump in his throat, “Yes. As principal Nezu said, I have been investigating Phantom since his first sighting. Thanks in large part to the students being at internships, I have been able to dedicate all my time to this task. As I’m sure principal Nezu made you all aware, Phantom is not a vigilante group but rather one person with multiple quirks. The reason behind this remains unconfirmed,” Shouta looked over at principal Nezu before continuing, “The process has been slow since Phantom has been able to move much more quickly, thanks to one of his quirks, to get any solid leads other than witness statements. However, I’ve noticed he has stayed around the same area since he came to Musutafu.”

“The Hero Commission was able to confirm as much,” Sir Nighteye interrupted. 

“If you allow Mr. Aizawa to speak, I’m sure he would have gotten to that.” Principal Nezu chastised with a smile. Sir Nighteye frowned but didn’t say anything. 

“Yes, I was getting to that. A few nights ago, Phantom had an… altercation with the heroes Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms. The latter is in critical condition with both his arms broken and burned by Phantom.” Gasps were spread throughout the room. They all had heard rumors through the Hero network, but hearing it made it more real.  

“I arrived on scene after Phantom had already left, but was able to collect a few samples and even got a report from an informant. It detailed his quirk and general appearance.”

“Did you get any results from the samples?” Sir Nighteye asked.

“I believe I can answer this one,” principal Nezu said in a sing-song tone. He pulled a remote out of his pocket and a holo-projection lit up in the middle of a table. “Rattus norvegicus, better known as a common brown rat.”

“A rat?” Hizashi spoke for the first time this meeting. 

“Yes, a rat.” Principal Nezu confirmed. No one commented on the elephant in the room. 

“So did he kill this rat?” Sir Nighteye asked. 

“Why would Phantom kill a rat?” Nemuri asked next. 

“It was already dead when Phantom melted it.” Principal Nezu clarified. 

“Wait, he melted it?!” Nemuri shouted, surprised. Even Shouta was surprised by that. 

“I think I need to establish a few things,” Shouta spoke up, “The sample I pulled was from a crater in the ground separate from the fight. In the report it said that he was looking at something on the ground before the heroes attacked him.”

“Ah, you figured that whatever it was had to be important to Phantom in some way.” Sir Nighteye connected. 

“Indeed. Turns out it was just a rat.” Shouta shrugged. 

“Not so fast,” principal Nezu interrupted again, “If it was indeed just a rat, why would Phantom melt it? There would be no reason to. I believe that the rat had some kind of emotional effect on Phantom, and that was why.”

“What kind of emotional effect could a dead rat have?” Shouta questioned. 

“Maybe he saw himself in the rat?” Hizashi commented. No one said anything. 

“Regardless,” principal Nezu continued, “we were also able to collect a sample from the rat that was similar to Ectoplasm’s plasm, as it were. I was hoping you would be able to give us some insight into this, along with some of Phantom’s other quirks.”

Principal Nezu switched slides again to one with a complete list of Phantom’s suspected quirks. Most of them were from the Stain and hero report along with Shouta’s own investigation. There were about 8 total and only had a few lines detailing their uses or perceived limits: ice/cold manipulation, flight, limited invisibility & intangibility, and limited electricity. There was an entire paragraph about Phantom’s body itself and how they believe it to be made of ectoplasm, similar to Ectoplasm’s clones or a villain All Might had fought last year. It hid the fact he was able to manipulate his appearance and any mention of ‘Tommy’. The list wasn’t perfect and there was always the chance some details were missing. The slides neglected any information about All For One, as most of the people in the room weren’t aware of his existence. 

The list still was definitely concerning. Most of the Nomu’s they’d encountered till now only had 4 before they started to break down and turn unstable. They didn’t know why Phantom was different, other than him being the possible son of All For One. His condition could change any moment so time was critical. 

Hizashi whistled and the other heroes had more visual reactions at reading the list. Nemuri had almost spit out her tea and other heroes' eyes looked like they would pop out of her head. 

“Hmm,” Ectoplasm thought for a minute, “I can understand why you decided to show me this. While most on the list are feats my clones are not able to do, they do share qualities. Like ice and electricity for example. Ectoplasm naturally has a low temperature, and on a good day, I’ve measured mine to be around 0C°. It is also a fairly good conductor as well. These traits are nowhere near powerful enough to be labeled as separate quirks, but I can see how his body might have been adapted to handle those two quirks in particular.” 

So All For One didn’t choose these quirks randomly, but rather because he knew about the properties of ectoplasm already. Shouta believed that Ectoplasm’s quirk was unique, or at least very rare. How could All For One know that much about it in the first place? There were also the warehouses and underground bunkers to consider. The Nomu’s were floating in a green liquid that now under new context seems to have been ectoplasm. Principal Nezu hadn’t given him the results of the tests and for some reason seemed to be hiding it. There were so many questions that buzzed in Shouta’s mind. First being how much did principal Nezu truly know about Phantom and All For One? Had he already known the villain had a child? And second, how did All For One get so much ectoplasm?

“Anything to comment, Mr. Aizawa?” Principal Nezu asked from across the table.

“No,” Shouta shot down, “Only thinking.”

“As for melting a rat,” Ectoplasm paused to think, “Ectoplasm is a very acidic material. When I first started out, I had to go through a multitude of costumes until I found one that didn’t break down after a few uses. The one I currently use is made up of my cells, the same as Mirio Togata’s costume. It’s not hard to imagine it being able to break down a rat or other organic material.” 

“Ah! Thank you for the insight, Ectoplasm,” principal Nezu praised, “Now let's hear more from Mr. Aizawa-”

“If I may interrupt, principal Nezu,” Recovery Girl raised her hand. 

“By all means!” Principal Nezu beamed. 

“If Phantom is truthy going to be attending UA, I worry that my quirk won’t be able to help him.”

“What do you mean?” Shouta asked, concerned. It was very likely that they would need her skills with Phantom in the future.

“Well you see, while I’m able to use my quirk on most mutant types, I’m not able to heal Ectoplasm’s clones. Since they’re a product of his quirk and not truly alive, if I try to heal one it just heals him instead. if Phantom’s body is really made of the same stuff as Ectoplasm’s clones, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help.”

“Ah, while that is concerning, I’m sure your medical knowledge will still be a great help to him, if the need arises.” principal Nezu reassured. That did put Shouta’s mind at ease.  

“Right,” Shouta thought for a moment to remember where he left off, “After the hero altercation, I was called into the Commission to join a task force against Phantom along with Sir Nighteye,” he nodded at the hero, “their representative informed us that we would be tracking Phantom using a device that they developed. Apparently, they were able to track down a type of radiation specific to him. The method isn’t perfect since the same radiation spikes around large clusters of mutant holders or in places where quirks are used a lot. They even listed UA as an example.”

“That just means we can hide him here better,” principal Nezu countered. 

“That’s what I thought of when I heard it, too.” Shouta agreed. “My only worry is the effect of the radiation. It can cause increased appetite, emotional dysregulation and short bursts of quirk power.”

“So puberty, basically?” Hizashi joked. 

“I’m sure it will be no issue since they said UA had similar readings as Phantom. If it does turn out to be a problem, we can look into containing it somehow.” Principal Nezu reasoned. 

“My god,” Sir Nighteye whispered sharply, “You really are delusional! This isn’t a class pet that you put newspaper down for! This is an unpredictable, possibly unstable overpowered teenager that has a history of attacking heroes. Just look at what he did to Eraserhead!” He gestured at the hero across from him. 

The room went silent once more. Hizashi squeezed his hand but looked at him in hurt betrayal.

“Sho,” he said softly, “what does he mean by that?”

Shouta breathed in deeply to prepare himself, “A few hours ago, Phantom attacked Endeavor.” He let the words sink into the air. 

“PRINCIPAL NEZU, IS THIS TRUE?!” All Might briefly transformed then reverted back in an instant, blood coming out of his mouth. He looked like he would fall over. Sir Nighteye helped steady him and they both sat back down. 

“I was vaguely aware of the situation but was not able to get a full report on it yet.” He confirmed. 

A somber mood settled into the room. Something uneasy wafted in from those words at the implications. The other heroes realized what they were up against. Shouta wanted to stand up and defend Phantom. They had no idea what actually happened or what Phantom was like, but he was in a difficult position. 

“I was able to break up the fight between him and Phantom, but in doing so got caught in the crossfire,” Shouta explained. He tried to sound as matter of fact as he could.

“I was there, too,” Snipe stood up. He took off his hat as if he were paying respects at a funeral. “I got there after he had already struck Eraserhead. The boy didn’t make any other moves, but I did have to fire a few warning shots.”

“You scared him off is what you did!” Shouta couldn’t help himself. He had failed that boy over and over again, he couldn’t fail him again. 

“Sho,” Hizashi tried to soothe him but Shouta didn’t listen. 

“None of you saw him. He was clearly disoriented and wasn’t acting like himself,”

“And you know him so well?” Sir Nighteye asked, suspicion laced his voice like poison. 

Shouta bit his lip, thinking what to say, “Before I was recruited into the task force I had… brief run-ins with him and gotten to know his character.”

“You what?!” Sir Nighteye exploded. He slammed both his hands on the table shaking everyone’s drinks, “Why didn’t you tell the Commission? We could’ve avoided this whole ordeal in the first place and be done with him!”

“And let the Commission do god knows what to an innocent kid?” Shouta returned the same energy. Hizashi grabbed his arm to get him to sit back down but Shouta didn’t back down. 

“He is not innocent!” Sir Nighteye rubbed the bridge of his nose, “Need I remind you how many heroes he attacked? You are a part of that number now, I cannot understand why you’re trying to protect him!” 

“He was just scared!” Shouta bit back, “We have been hunting him since Hosu. He doesn’t know who we are or what our intentions are. He was defending himself!”

“And that gives him the right to just beat up whoever he wants? What if he does the same to another hero who can’t handle it! Or god forbid a civilian!”

“Phantom wouldn’t do that! In all his vigilante reports, he never used excessive force against the Villains! Just enough to knock them out.”

“What about Endeavor?!”

“Endeavors was probably hitting just as hard. You wouldn’t be saying the same thing about him if Phantom was the one on the ground.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” he had a frantic look on his face, “Because Endeavor is a hero and Phantom is a villain. Endeavor has the right to do whatever it takes to take him down. Simple as that.” Sir Nighteye said it with finality. 

“He doesn’t,” Shouta seethed, “Phantom is just a scared confused kid with too much power. He needs someone to help him, someone to show him that not everyone will hurt him! Not some hero on a power trip with no restraint!” Shouta barked out.

“And that’s what we are trying to do at UA,” principal Nezu interrupted, seeing no end to the argument. Both heroes slowly sat back down, but were glaring daggers at each other. 

“Principal Nezu,” Sir Nighteye spoke up again, “I cannot in good conscience help you with whatever you are planning, but if you do manage to succeed,” he sighed, “Give me a call. I will lend you use of my quirk and see the ramifications of such a decision.” He looked tired. 

“Consider it done,” principal Nezu laughed. “Anyone have any questions?”

All Might raised his hand and stood up, “What if we are able to capture Phantom?”

“Then we will treat him like any other student,” Principal Nezu answered.

“Yes, but what about,” All Might’s voice went quiet, “The League?”

He was referring to All For One, but nobody could know that. How would the villain react if he found out that UA had his supposed son? What lengths would he go through to make sure he gets him back?

“I am planning on implementing a dorm system at the school to make sure our staff and students are safe from all outside threats. It will be designed specifically to keep them out and ensure the safety of our students.”

“Will that be enough?” Nemuri asked. 

“It will have to.”

“I have just one more question,” All Might stood up, “Why are we doing this? Why go through all this trouble for a kid who might be the end of us?

“Because that is the best outcome for Phantom, and for us. Would you rather the Commission hold him? The League? We have no idea what their plans are for that boy, but it’s obvious neither should be trusted. Here, we can at least provide him support and guide him to a better tomorrow. It’s clear the boy needs help and some sort of counseling. He is just another victim in this like any of our other students. Principal Nezu smiled, “you said it yourself, All Might, ‘because saving someone is the always the right thing to do.’”

All Might sat back down, defeated by his own words. 

“If that’s all?” Principal Nezu looked around the room but no other hero moved to ask anything. “Now that you know the stakes, we can discuss how to proceed. If Endeavor taught us anything it’s that we have to be more careful in how we approach Phantom. If you see him, act friendly but not overwhelmingly so. He cannot see you or UA as a threat, so no more ‘warning shots,’ hmm?” he looked to Snipe, “Phantom is not someone who you can force into doing something he doesn’t want to. Right now, Mr. Aizawa has the best chance at recruiting Phantom, so it’s best to keep your distance and support him if you can.” 

“What about the rest of the staff?” Snipe asked, “are they gonna be informed about Phantom?”

“The rest of the staff will only be told not to interact with Phantom. All information regarding the boy is strictly confidential. We still don’t know who mole is, so it’s best to keep information on a tight leash.”

“What about Sir Nighteye over there?” Nemuri pointed at the hero with her thumb. 

“Don’t worry,” principal Nezu looked at the man, “he won’t tell anyone,” and smiled.

Sir Nigheye squeezed his fist, but didn’t say anything. 

With that, the meeting was over, but it didn’t feel like they accomplished anything. Sir Nighteye was the first to exit the room, not even looking back at All Might. Nemuri went along with the other teachers when it was clear nothing more was to be said. They all still had preparations to make. 

Recovery Girl walked over to Shouta and Hizashi, who still clung to him like a lifeline. Shouta really didn’t deserve him. He owed him a long talk and explanations. Right now though, he would just take pleasure in his company.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Recovery Girl asked. She had a look of concern on her that said it went beyond his physical injuries. 

“I’m alright,” Shouta said, “just tired and sore.”

“Your injuries probably aren’t helping, huh?” she cocked her head, “Well I can help with the soreness but I’m afraid I’ll only make you more tired.”

“Thank you, Recovery Girl,” Shouta bowed and leaned down so she could kiss his forehead. 

A rush of air filled his lungs and Shouta was able to breathe clearly again through his nose. Not only that, but some of the muscle and leg pain from the last few days went away. She was truly the gem of the school. 

She smiled, happy to be able to help him if only a little, “You better get some rest now,” she warned.

“Trust me,” Hizashi stared him down, “He will. He has a few weeks to make up for.”

Recovery Girl laughed at the threat and waddled away. Shouta and Hizashi both stood up, ready to make the short journey back home and just rest together. Shouta needed to buy Hizashi CDs and whatever takeout he wanted for the next month for putting up with him. 

His mind idly went back to Phantom. Shouta still worried about him but he would make due on his promise to give the boy time. Phantom had his number and address after all. He will come to him when he’s ready and not because he’s forced to. It would be alright.

🥇 

Only principal Nezu and Toshinori were left in the room. So much has happened in the last hour that Toshinori was still trying to screw his head back on. Not only had he been reunited with his former sidekick (an event he’d thought he’d never live to see), but he had learned so much about Phantom than he had ever hoped before.

Guilt weld up inside him when he thought of the young boy. He was another one of All For One’s victims but at the same time it was hard to look past the family resemblance. Toshinori had to remember that the first user was All For One’s own brother and was just as much a victim as the boy. Still, it was hard to separate the two of them. Phantom attacking Endeavor just complicated matters. 

Before, he could almost imagine the boy as a little kid in the corner of a cell, scared of every outside noise and face. But now? Now Toshinori knew that wasn’t the case. Everytime he thinks of Phantom he sees the cell’s bars broken and blasted apart like a violent criminal escaping. Adding in his unstable nature, he was a bomb about to explode. 

Toshinori was worried for Aizawa as well. While they weren’t overly friendly, they were still colleagues (he even tried to get closer to the hero but with little success). The hero had gotten too attached over someone who could so easily hurt him. Phantom had already hurt him, but he was still so intent on saving him. It went beyond what a normal teacher would do for a child, let alone a child who wasn’t even his student. Aizawa wasn’t a normal teacher though. When he saw a kid, he accepted that kid as his responsibility and would do anything it took to save them, even at the cost of his life. It was such an obvious cry for help and projection of his own failures. 

Toshinori had heard Aizawa lost a friend when he was barely older than young Midoriya. That’s why Aizawa had to try so hard for his students, even at the cost of everything. 

“What are you really planning with Phantom?” Toshinori asked principal Nezu. He was almost scared to say it. 

He couldn’t help but question the principal’s motives. He kept too many secrets hidden, even with the people it concerned or who needed to know. Perhaps it came from the paranoia and fear that he’ll end up on the dissection table again. 

Nezu had his back to him and was organizing papers on his desk. He turned around and still held onto that smile that had only ever dropped a few times, but his eyes were completely blank and had a manic edge to them. Toshinori had seen that look many times and it never failed to unnerve him. 

“What am I planning?” Principal Nezu said in a sing-song voice, “I’m going to have him take down the Commission, of course!”

Chapter Text

BREAKING NEWS: Vigilante group ‘Phantom’ attacks and injures pro hero. The Hero Commission is now labeling the group as villains and are investigating links to the League of Villains. 

Early morning July 11th, 2179, the pro heroes Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms, were confronted by the vigilante group, Phantom. The heroes valiantly fought the vigilantes, and even took down two members. However, due to the environment, they weren’t able to use their quirks to the fullest and so Phantom was able to get away. Only Death Arms was injured in this attack. 

This changes Phantom’s status from mere vigilantes to villains. The Hero Commission is still investigating possible ties to the League of Villains and Stain. They are instructing civilians to report any sightings of Phantom to a hotline dedicated to finding them and clear the area. The number is 555-666-777

____

In a public forum online:

Knight34knight43: NO!!!!

GenshinreferenceUwU @Knight34knight43: Haha! Told u! 

Knight34knight43 @GenshinreferenceUwU: u did not! 

GenshinreferenceUwU @Knight34knight43: Pretty sure I did

Knight34knight43 @GenshinreferenceUwU: Whatever…

Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye: That blows man I really liked them :(

Ghostwatermelon:> @Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye: Im stronger than u I still like them

FeralGangOrca @Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye: They could never make me hate u Phantom!

Mirkosthighs: Was Mt. Lady hurt?! 

FeralGangOrca @Mirkosthighs: No only death arms

Mirkosthighs @FeralGangOrca: Oh who cares then

FriedHawkWings @Mirkosthighs: Wow

L3G3GG: Do u think they were defending themselves?

Mirkosthighs @L3G3GG: No way! She wouldn’t hurt a fly!

FriedHawkWings @Mirkosthighs: We r talking about mt lady right?

Leaguereference @L3G3GG: I mean maybe I'd bye it if it were endeavor but mt lady?

Endeavorsgymshorts @ Leaguereference : That’s cold man

Leaguereference @ Endeavorsgymshorts: What! U no I’m wright! 

FriedHawkWings @Leaguereference: fsr i thought it was endeavor?

Mirkosthighs @FriedHawkWings: No he was doing another interview for stain

Knight34knight43 @Mirkosthighs: Did they ask about Phantom at all? I know they were in hosu at the same timw

“Mirkosthighs” REPOSTED A LINK:

Juko News: Endeavor recounts his battle with terrifying villain, The Hero Killer: Stain. “My condolences for the families affected by Stain,” says Endeavor about Stain's rampage.

FriedHawkWings: Wow there really milking it out

Endeavorsgymshorts: He would not fucking say that

FeralGangOrca @ Endeavorsgymshorts : They probably couched him lol

Ghostwatermelon:>: Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! They prob made cause a group of kids beat a pro

FeralGangOrca @Ghostwatermelon:>: It’s not like they can’t still be a hero. Wasn’t there that one villain a few years ago who took the lincess exam and became a pro?

Nighteyemorelikeayeayeaye @FeralGangOrca: I know what ur talking about. I forgot the name tho

Ghostwatermelon:> @FeralGangOrca: Theres still hope!

GenshinreferenceUwU @Ghostwatermelon:>: But what if they r w/LOV? 

Ghostwatermelon:> @GenshinreferenceUwU: Then theyd prob b able to hurt more then 1 hero lol

GenshinreferenceUwU @Ghostwatermelon:>: ig

Knight34knight43 @GenshinreferenceUwU: I’m still holding out hope. I rlly wanna see those kids becom heroes :(

Ghostwatermelon:> @Knight34knight43: Thatd b so sweat

Endeavorsgymshorts @Knight34knight43: They could be a lil group with action figures and special editions, they could do like a family show or talk about being pro with ur bros

Ghostwatermelon:> @ Endeavorsgymshorts: Omg stop thats so cute

Mirkosthighs @ Endeavorsgymshorts : I would buy all there merch

#6bmybbygrl @Mirkosthighs: I actually saw some the other day at the mall!

“#6bmybbygrl” MADE A NEW POST:

Photo: Image description of a cart with Phantom merch. The merch is hoodies similar to the upper half of their hero costume, gloves, boots, and homemade keychains of Phantom members posing together. There is also a Phantom plushie that has no facial features except green eyes and blue skin with its hood pulled up and white hair peeking out. 

Mirkosthighs @#6bmybbygrl: Awwww i want one!

#6bmybbygrl @Mirkosthighs: It was next to a stain cart tho…

Mirkosthighs @#6bmybbygrl: oh…

🫶

“Damn it!” Tomura yelled as he slammed the laptop closed. There was a small cracking noise and he was pretty sure he broke it. He didn’t care though, it was cheap anyway. He wasn’t allowed an expensive computer due to his temper. This was his 4th one this month. Tomura picked it up and threw it at the wall, its parts making a satisfying noise on impact.

“Stupid Phantom!” He screamed. His nails dug into his neck and he scratched and scratched.

“God, how pathetic,” groaned Dabi a few seats away from him. He was sitting at the bar drinking a clear liquid with a blue flame. 

He was one of the new recruits that was forced onto the League. Tomura didn’t like him one bit. He had bad manners and smelled bad too. He had done nothing but complain since he got here. He looked at everything like it was beneath him or was trash, even though he looked like a wet cigarette himself. 

“I don’t know, I think they’re pretty cool!” Toga, another new recruit, was sitting on the couch upside down playing with her knife. “Are they really a part of the League? When are they coming over? I wanna play with them!” She giggled. 

Of course she was a fan girl. She was obsessed with Stain when she first came in, but the few hours since then she seemed to have refocused her attention onto Phantom. The whole world was doing that. Each passing day, more and more is online about this mysterious Phantom. He wouldn’t be so mysterious if he was dead. The Hosu incident happened 2 weeks ago but it was as if it never happened. Everyone was gushing over Stain and Phantom. 

“I doubt it,” Dabi sat back in his chair, looking annoyed, “If they were, they would’ve come back here after they beat those heroes. Damn, I wish they would go after Endeavor next. If anything, I want him to boast on live television that he beat up a kid for the sake of justice.”

God, everything he said he sounded like he was whining. If Tomura didn’t know his age, he would think Dabi was some moody teenager going through an emo phase. That’s such an NPC character design. 

“I’m sick of hearing about Phantom! That’s all everyone talks about is Phantom! Phantom! Phantom!” Tomura banged the bar with his fist. 

“Let's go hunt them down then!” Toga got up from her position, her face red from all the blood flow returning. “Come on, it will be fun! We can chase after each one and drag them back to the league before they even knew what happened! They can’t be that strong! They only took down one hero when there was five of them!” 

Tomura glared at her. If her personality wasn’t enough, what she said reminded him of All For One’s orders. As if he let that brat anywhere near the League. 

“No chance in hell!” Tomura yelled back. 

“Aww…” Toga pouted.

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Dabi got up and walked next to Toga. “If we drag them back here, I bet we could make them join our cause. I mean, some poor kids who only wanted to become a hero gets outcasted and attacked by the very people they look up to? I think that’s a story we all can relate to.” 

Toga nodded aggressively and stared at Tomura. She tried to look cute as if that would be able to change his mind. It made him sick. 

“You can do what you want, I’m going out,” Tomura pushed past them and grabbed his sweat-jacket. 

“You’re no fun,” Toga stuck out her tongue at him. Tomura wanted to pull it out of her mouth. 

“Are you sure that is wise, Shigaraki?” Kurogiri appeared behind the bar as if he’d been there the whole time. 

He was probably with All For One or that doctor. Tomura knew he was reporting his behavior to them when he thought he wasn’t looking. He hated them. All For One had been grooming him for all these years but he still didn’t think Tomura could be left unsupervised. He wasn’t a baby anymore, he didn’t need to be monitored like this. 

“Go screw yourself,” he walked out the door waving his middle finger as a goodbye. 

He just needed to blow off steam. His mind wandered off to Phantom and the stupid merch at the mall. A sickly smile spread to his face. He knew just the place.

Chapter Text

Danny hadn’t seen Ma since that night, not in the store or by the alley. He kept catching himself watching the cafe door for him to come through, or looking for him in every crowd or group of people he walked by. Danny no longer knew what he wanted from the man. He kept switching between regret and then anger. 

The hero may have lied to him, but what if he meant what he said about wanting Danny to be safe? Danny also punched him pretty hard, maybe enough to break his nose. Did the old man really deserve that? At the same, Danny wished he hit him harder. This whole situation reminded him so much of Vlad. Both men had tricked Danny into trusting them. There was a reason he didn’t trust adults. Everybody lies. Danny himself was such a hypocrite. He lied as easily as he breathed in life. His existence is basically a big lie. He was even still lying to himself. 

It would’ve been better if Ma had just tried to capture Danny or fight him that night. At least Danny would know he was a bad guy and not waste his energy worrying about it. 

Danny couldn’t wrap his head around it either. Why would this random man care so much? There was also the fact that Ma was a hero, the people who kept trying to capture him or ancients know what. So why did Ma risk getting hurt for Danny? Because he wanted to know him? Ma didn’t know Danny, not one bit, he only saw what he wanted to see. If Ma had truly known Danny, he wouldn't be trying to help him. 

Danny was a monster. It was a simple fact that he had been trying to avoid, but that didn’t make it any less true. The fight from last week only proved it to him. It wasn’t how brutally he fought but that he enjoyed it and wanted more. He even hurt someone innocent (although Danny was still trying to decide how innocent Ma truly was). 

Danny saw a flash of Ma’s tired eyes. Despite being hit by Danny, he didn’t look at him like a monster but like a scared kid. He even forced himself to smile, however painful that was. It seemed genuine. Jazz looked at him the same way and it made Danny hurt inside. 

That is what hurt Danny the most. Not the betrayal, but that he might’ve thrown away the only chance he had at a family again. He wasn’t angry at Ma. He was angry at himself. 

The truth was, Danny wanted to go with Ma, but his head was screaming at him and threw out any excuse it could. Bad things always happened when he let someone in, either to himself or them. That was why he burned the card. It took him a week to understand that. Now that he did, he wished he could go back. It was easier to be mad for no reason than scared. Danny was the worst kind of person. He knew that only bad things would come, but he still wanted to see Ma again and apologize. He was so selfish. 

A part of Danny wanted Ma to disregard his boundaries and come into the cafe anyway. However, he knows that if Ma did that, Danny would be even angry at him even if that's what he wanted. He wasn’t ready yet. Still, Danny watched the door day after day for Ma to walk in, but he never did. 

Before Danny knew it, it had been a week. 

Mr. Tanaka, Danny’s boss, finally paid him. Danny had been working 12 hours everyday without any breaks, so it made sense that his pay would be a lot. However, when his boss handed him a wad of cash, it felt like Danny had sold an organ rather than worked a few shifts. 

“Are you sure that's the right amount?” Danny was flipping through the stack and saw several ichiman-en shihei bills. 

“What, do you want more?” Mr. Tanaka reached into his back pocket to give more to Danny but Danny stopped him and bowed.

“This is enough, thank you,” Danny’s bow was still awkward but Mr. Tanaka didn’t say anything. Danny stood up and smiled, pushing his previous thoughts away. He was finally gonna be able to buy some new clothes or maybe even a phone. 

His last hero sweatshirt had been burned up during his fight with Endeavor, and so he didn’t have anything to wear. Mr. Tanaka had been very kind to him and gave him a sweatshirt with the cafe’s logo and name on it. Danny felt like a walking advertisement everytime he went out, but at least he could now. It wasn’t a big deal since Danny didn’t have to have a disguise since he could just turn himself invisible, or even go out in the first place. He had no need for food or water, or anything else that he had to go out for. But Danny liked doing those things, being seen and walking in crowds of people. It made him feel real, if only a little. He would take that feeling everywhere he could get. 

Mr. Tanaka smiled back at him and put his wallet away. Danny didn’t ask why he was being paid in cash rather than a check. A flashback to the first time they met gave him his answer, so he shut his mouth before it could even get to his lips. Despite how kind Mr. Tanaka appeared, he was still very suspicious. 

With his new earrings, Danny decided to go to the mall. He had seen it a few times when he flew around the city, but never bothered to go in. Window shopping required money and Danny had already stolen enough stuff. 

Of course, by the time the café closed and Danny was able to leave, the mall was closed. Danny rolled his eyes at his luck. He would have to go tomorrow. With that in mind, Danny made the short trek back to his current hiding place, excited for what was to come. 

★

The mall was large, far larger than the one in Amity. The food court alone would’ve been able to fit a good chunk of it in there. In another life, Danny would have loved to sit there and eat with his friends, but that was long gone. It was strange, but Danny had slowly started to get used to his new reality.

He no longer gagged when his body did something strange because now it was supposed to. He was a ghost now, and that meant being strange. There were times where Danny would catch himself thinking he was human, when he almost forgot that he was truly dead now. He would snap out of it in an instant. That is a fact that will never change. Spectra was right, he was a ghost trying to fit in with humans . He no longer felt shame in it. It was just what he was now. No more. No less.  

Danny even got used to heroes being after him (they simply replaced the GIW in his mind), but they hadn’t attacked him since Endeavor. It was crazy to think that he really was the #2 hero with how easily he went down. Either there was a huge gap in abilities between the #1 hero, or everyone else here was as weak as that. 

Danny continued walking around the mall. He didn’t have a destination in mind, just a list of what he needed, so he let himself wander around. Danny was barely able to keep count of the days, so he had no idea what month it was, but he heard that it was just about time for summer break. Tons of kids from all ages were spread across the mall. Most were teenagers but there were plenty of younger kids with their families. Danny sat on a bench and watched them. He tried to be less of a creep by pretending to look at the wall instead. There was a large group of teenagers that looked to be on the hunt or something, but Danny didn’t know what. It was probably a new video game or something like that. He recognized the girls from the coffee shop, and two of the boys. One was with Deku when Danny defeated Stain and the other was someone else he saved. The rest were unfamiliar to him.

They were just normal kids doing normal kid stuff. Danny got bored after a while and decided to walk around. A lot of the shops were foreign to him (excepted since he was in another dimension and country) but he did recognize Amazon and Hot Topic, which was strange. As he was walking something caught his eye. 

Across the way was a merch stand with a very familiar image. There were hoodies, gloves, boots and other shoes, keychains and plushies, all with his face on it. Well, the best they could do for his face. On one of the key chains were 5 hims all posing together. Each one had slightly different facial features. Going from right to left, the first one had a longer face with a carefree expression, the next had a more cockier look and bigger ears. Then the third one had smaller features and looked more shy and was pressed between all the other members. The forth one had a cold expression with hair covering half his face. The final one looked out of place and a creepy expression, his dead eyes staring into the face of the holder. His face was gaunt and hollow looking. 

A part of Danny shivered at seeing it. That’s what he feared he truly was. More monster than human. 

“Are you a fan?” A seal head popped out from behind the kiosk. She looked like a leopard steal and was a little shorter than Danny. 

Danny laughed, “I guess I am.”

Honestly he was surprised this was even here. He knew that people thought he was a group rather than one person, but he didn’t expect people to react like this. However odd it was, he couldn’t contain his smile. Fortunately he had a mask on so no one would notice if his mouth was too big or his teeth were too sharp. 

“Well you’re in luck! We have a bunch of Phantom merch, from the more generic stuff to stuff for each member!”

“Is that what the keychain is?” Danny picked it up and studied it closer. 

“Yep! Since we know that Phantom is made up of brothers, us fans decided to give them each names based on their personalities and powers.” She grabbed a keychain and pointed to each member, “This first one is called Specter, he has a flight quirk and is the de-facto leader of the group since he’s spotted the most. Then there’s Poltergeist who shoots blasts, Wisp who can turn invisible, Permafrost with ice. Oh, and the last one is called Plasm who can turn into goo and stuff. We just found out about him recently since he was the one who was cornered by Mt. Lady and the other heroes.” 

Danny just stared at her with his mouth open. And he thought Paulina was bad… Danny never really paid attention to how often he used certain quirks, but apparently it was enough to base personalities on. Despite how creepy it was, Danny couldn’t stop his smile and was giddy with excitement. 

“How do you even know all that stuff?” Danny set the key chain down and started to look closer at the other merch. Sure enough, there were other little trinkets for each member. 

“There’s a fan page. People post their experiences with them along with fan art or other content. Over time, it just became a bigger thing and now there’s even merch.” She picked up a few prints near her, “These are the ones I did.”

Danny took them from her and looked at them. The art style was really cute, more comic book than the other art which took on a more anime-like appearance. A few of them pictured the group standing together, but most of them were of Plasm and Permafrost alone. Danny found it comforting that she drew Plasm smiling or with flowers rather than how other people drew him, which was more creepy looking or depressed. 

“Why do you like them so much? I mean, yeah, they saved people, but what's the appeal? Don’t you think they’re…” Danny paused thinking of all the words people have called him over the years, “spooky?”

“I don’t think so! I think they seem really nice. I mean, they’re risking a lot by being vigilantes, but that's just because they really wanna help people.” She paused, “and there's the fact that they have a more mutated appearance…”

Danny cocked his head, “why is that so special?”

While he didn’t exactly have the best perception of how he looked, he thought it would’ve made people turn away or just label him a villain or a monster like the commission did. The seal though, she made it sound more like it was a quality rather than a flaw. A weird feeling settled into Danny's stomach. 

“I can’t speak for all mutant types, but for me, well, you don’t really see a lot of mutant heroes, and if you do they’re either marketed as cute or as scary. The ones that aren’t marketed like that aren’t even thought of. My uncle is a pro and while that’s really cool, there’s a longing in me to see more.” 

“The Phantoms are just themselves. They don’t have an agency so there’s no one telling them how to act or what to wear to reach more audiences. Plasm in particular. People think he’s creepy but I think he’s pretty cool. He doesn't have as stylish a quirk as his brothers, but he still does what he can to help people.”

If Danny was alive he would have stopped breathing. He had never had anyone talk about him like that. Dash and Paulina were arguably his biggest fans, but Paulina just liked him cause she thought he was hot, Dash too but he also thought he was cool. No one ever related to him, or if they did they never said it. A strange feeling fluttered in his core and he had to blink a few times to clear his eyes. 

“My name’s Tommy, what’s yours?” Danny reached out a gloved hand. 

“Saoirse,” She held out a strangely human hand.

“Nice to meet you, Saoirse.”

Danny bought a few of her prints and the keychain. She also gave him a card with some of the fan sites on them. Danny would have to look them up next time he went to the library. He stared at the drawing of Plasm smiling with stars around him. He hopes he could be like how Saoirse saw him someday. 

If people saw his flaws and accepted him, why couldn’t he? It was much easier said than done. Other people would only know him as what he pretended to be. Danny knew what he truly was. Still, it was a nice thought. Even people in Amity didn’t look at him so kindly, or at least not the majority. Well, that was the case here too, but Danny was being a bit of an optimist. 

After that he continued shopping. He still needed clothes and a phone. The phone was the most essential in this new world. Fortunately there was an electronics shop close by the stand. Most of the models were outside Danny’s price range so he had to settle for a flip phone instead. He got a blue one and connected the keychain he got to the bottom. He had to pay for minutes, but it was surprisingly cheap, nowhere near what his parents complained about when he was younger. This flip phone thing wasn’t such a bad deal, he could even download some games. Danny would have to set it up later though so it would be compatible with his ectoplasm. A thought sprang into his head. He could take a picture of himself. 

The last time he tried, he ended up a crying mess. It was just another symbol of what he lost. Back in Amity, every phone or camera was able to take pictures of ghosts, also, due to his halfa status, he never had to mourn the loss. He didn’t even think that it would be anything to miss. 

When Jazz started to help, she took tons of pictures of the ghosts. While Tucker did that before, they were taken sneakily so he wouldn’t get hurt. With Jazz though, she was so obvious (really, one of the worst ghost hunters ever). The first time she took a picture of Skulker, Danny thought the ghost would forget Danny and go after her. That did end up happening but instead of attacking her, he stopped and asked to see it. Danny was stuck in a trap so wasn’t able to do anything but watch. Jazz handed it over and he smiled. He asked if he could have it when she printed it out, to which she said yes. He left after that and went to the zone of his own free will. The next time a ghost attacked, they asked about getting their picture taken, and it became a normal thing after that. 

Ghosts would come out just to get their picture taken or ask to borrow the camera. Ember and Kitty especially since they went on so many girl trips. Tucker suggested that they start charging for it, but Danny felt bad. Instead, Danny made a few polaroid cameras that were available in the Realms. It was a honor system since if a ghost broke it or had it too long, all the others would hunt them down and take it from them forcibly. One time, the warden tried to confiscate it since it was against his rules. Danny didn’t see him months after that. The camera didn’t stop Tucker from taking trips into the zone to be a photographer. 

Danny snapped out of his memories. He was so concentrated on everything bad in Amity Park that he almost forgot the good times. He thinks he still has some of those photos on the flash-drive in his pocket. It also had old schematics of his parents and Danny’s own inventions. All he needed was a computer that could handle ectoplasm. Danny had nothing but time and the idea of taking pictures would tide him over until then. 

Next were the clothes, which were easy enough. Danny didn’t need anything fancy, just a pair of pants and some shirts. He had to shop lightly since he didn’t have a permanent place anymore. Since the commission knew how to track him, Danny has been hopping from place to place every few nights. It wasn’t too bad, more annoying than anything else. 

A thought invaded Danny’s brain about Ma’s place and his husband. Did they have family dinners every night? Did they have any kids? Ma seemed like he’d be a good dad. Danny couldn’t let himself think about that too hard, afraid of spiraling again. He got used to how it was. He might not have anything, but had freedom and that's all that mattered to him. Freedom, and a new pair of pants.

Danny changed into his new outfit. It was a simple pair of jeans, a band-tee and a red-and-white sweatshirt with a black turtleneck underneath. The new pair of gloves were black this time (he didn’t want to always feel like a Disney character) and weren’t as chunky. They were made to contain emitter quirks so it wouldn’t affect the outside environment, and were supposedly water and tear proof, along with having a thin rubber lining (and expensive). The gloves also had little pads on the end of each finger and were adjustable on the wrists. Since Danny no longer felt the things he could when he was alive, he forgot they were on quickly. 

Danny put the rest of his stuff into a paper bag for now. He could buy a backpack later. He looked himself over in the mirror. It frosted at the edges from just him being around it, but Danny’s reflection was still clear. He looked like himself. 

It was comforting to wear something he was used to. He didn’t have to worry about his hazmat suit since it was as part of him as his hair. Danny just absorbed it like he would do with any stray ectoplasm. Danny got a paper bag to hold his other stuff. He also decided to get some new shoes since he didn’t want to be wearing boots all the time. He picked out a pair of green converse. They were a shade off from ectoplasm, but Danny liked them all the same. He would have to keep an eye out for a marker to draw some ghosts on them too.

It was by this point that Danny wanted to take a break. He didn’t get tired or anything, but he was starting to get a bit bored and he wanted to sit for a minute. Up ahead was a fountain that a few people were seated at. One such pair was a man in a black hoodie with his arm around someone. Danny couldn’t see what since there was a plant blocking them from view, but something about the man seemed off. A feeling of deep hate washed over Danny and choked him. Danny slowly got closer to see that the man had his arms wrapped around Deku. 

🫶

Tomura walked aimlessly in the mall waiting for something to happen. Was he waiting for a hero to show up? A new game to go on sale? He wouldn’t know until it happened. 

It started to become monotonous after a while. He didn’t want to, but his mind began to wander. It went all sorts of places, to the new recruits, to his master, but then it stopped at Phantom and Stain. The whole world had forgotten the League within an hour after their attack on Hosu. At least in the case of Stain, Tomura had the pleasure of seeing the idiot get beat by a kid, and they even got some new recruits out of it. Phantom was a bigger annoyance. Tomura knew that it was just one brat, anyone with half a brain could see that. People could only have one quirk, so it’s impossible for Phantom to be one person, at least that's what they think. Those idiots believe anything that the commission told them. Their ignorance would be their downfall. Who knows, maybe the vigilante they value so much would turn on them like a dog. 

Tomura hated to think how Phantom got so many powers but like all things the thought wouldn’t leave him alone. After Hosu, his master had demanded that Tomura and the league try to capture him. He asked if Phantom would become a new Nomu, a fitting end in Tomura’s eyes, but he was also fine with just turning him into dust. All For One didn’t say anything just hummed. 

He hated it, but a memory he suppressed revealed itself. One night years ago, Tomura heard the Doctor and Kurogiri talking. Supposedly, All For One had a son he left behind when All Might defeated him. It wasn’t his first child either. Every few generations, All For One would have a child to try to reproduce his quirk, or at least one useful to him. To Tomura’s knowledge, no child has ever been able to inherit his quirk and all were thrown away in time. Still his master’s motives were clear. He was trying to create a new heir, someone to replace Tomura. As if he’d ever let that happen! He’d kill every child in Japan before he gets thrown away like that! 

Tomura scratched his neck anxiously. There were certainly a few similarities between All For One and Phantom. The white hair, green eyes and quirks being the most striking. But their personalities were completely different. If Phantom was truly his son, he would not be a vigilante and see All For One’s glory instead of being an ungrateful brat. Phantom took after All For One’s brother rather than his master. Yeah, so there was no way Phantom was that child. He was just a cheater.  

Tomura passed by a cart that sold Phantom merch. This is what brought him here in the first place. Tomura should just knock the stand over and kill everyone around. He looked at it in disgust. There were little plushies that stared into his soul with dead eyes. It had no other facial features aside from this but Tomura swore the thing was mocking him. 

“Give me one,” Tomura pointed to the thing and pulled out his wallet to pay the seal. He was looking forward to destroying it. Maybe he could buy more and make the others watch, “actually give me three.”

“Great! We also have an online page where you can order them.” She handed him a business card with the site on it along with the bag. Tomura took it and sneered at her. Her smile only faltered for a second before he walked away. 

Tomura took out one of the plushies and stared at it. He didn’t have to worry about his quirk since he was wearing his gloves. The thing was obviously home made but was still good quality. Someone clearly poured their heart into making these. A smile spread across his face at the thought of destroying it. It was just the kind of stress relief he needed. 

Tomura was strangely feeling better. He did what he came here to do (but with less murder) so he decided it was time to go back. He walked to the entrance with a satisfied smile. It grew when he saw no other than that brat from UA, alone. Tomura took off his gloves. 

“Oh, it’s someone from UA, nice.” Tomura easily slid next to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. A harmless gesture from the outside but it worked to restrain him from running.  “I want an autograph. You were the one who got beat to hell at the sports festival, right?”  

“Uh, yeah.” Midoriya was clearly uncomfortable and was looking around for someone to help. 

Tomura held him tighter, “Aren’t you one of the students who ran into Stain at the Hosu incident, too? You’re practically famous!” Tomura had put on a sickeningly sweet voice to not scare the brat right away. No, he wanted to make him put it together. 

“You sure do know a lot,” Midoriya wasn’t looking at him and clearly didn’t understand the danger he was in. It made Tomura giddy. He could end this kid’s life right now and he would have no idea why. 

“What can I say, I’m just a big fan of yours. I can’t believe I’m running into you again.” 

Midoriya gasped. Now he got it. Tomura was starting to think he was an idiot. 

“It makes me think that this might not be such a coincidence. No, no. This feels like destiny,” Tomura wrapped his hand around his neck, lifting one finger up so the fun wouldn’t be spoiled so quickly. 

Midoriya shivered in his grasp and started to slowly look up at him, his mouth open in shock and fear. His eyes radiated terror and understanding like a sheep about to be slaughtered. 

“Oh right. From your point of view we haven’t met since the attack on UA. Why don’t we spend some time catching up? Midoriya Izuku.” 

“Tomura Shigaraki.” Midoriya said his name through clenched teeth. It was the only thing he could do to stop them from shaking. 

Tomura led him to a sitting area with his hand still around his throat. He wanted the boy to explain something to him, cause Tomura really didn’t get it. 

Everywhere around them people were smiling, even though somewhere else people were getting killed. It was fine as long as it wasn’t them, right? And that could never happen because they trusted that everyone else had the same morals as them. At any point, one of them could unleash their quirk and kill tens before a hero would arrive, and he explained as much to the brat. Tomura didn’t really get heroes or the Hero Killer. In the end, they were all doing the same thing, but why was what they’re doing wrong? 

“When it comes down to it, I hate basically everything,” Tomura vented to Midoriya as if they were friends. “Phantom and the Hero Killer are really pissing me off. The attack on UA, the Hosu incident, they upstaged everything I did and are all people are talking about. I really don’t get it.”

“Are they really a part of the league?” The brat had the nerve to interrupt him while he was ranting. 

“People seem to think so. With Stain, he essentially is with how the media is talking about it but not Phantom. I have no idea where he came from but he’ll never join the League or even get close to it. I’ll kill him if he ever does.” Midoriya looked up at him scared, more scared than when Tomura first grabbed him. What's the deal? Did he know Phantom or something? Tomura smiled.

“Is,” Midoriya gulped, “Is Phantom really-!”

“All For One’s son?” Fortunately, Midoriya caught him in a sharing mood so his blood didn’t immediately boil upon hearing that. His grip did tighten though, “I really don’t know… I never even heard about him until Hosu, but master did have his secrets. It wouldn’t surprise me if the brat really was his bastard.” Tomura was surprised at how honest he was, but it wasn’t many times that he got to have a captive audience like this.  

Midoriya looked solemnly at the floor deep in thought. Why did he care so much? It wasn’t like it affected him who’s bastard was his master’s like it did Tomura. God, the brat made him sick. 

“Hey, Phantom saved you from one of my Nomus, right? And from the Hero Killer? Since you know him so well, what do you think the difference is between us? He destroys things he hates like I do. He did almost kill the Nomu, after all.”

“What’s the difference?” Midoriya had anger in his eyes, clearly Tomura struck a nerve. “He’s way different than you! For one, his first instinct isn’t to kill, he actually saves people! He even carried me when I was unable to walk when he didn’t have to.” 

“You’re wrong, I do save people. I’m trying to make a new world here for everyone thrown out by society.” Tomura defended. They both saved people, just in different ways. 

“Phantom is an outcast too. The heroes are after him just like you, but he still sticks to his goals instead of running at the first opportunity. When he was out matched by heroes, he fought back unlike you at the USJ, and you had people on your side. While I don’t agree with him there, I’m sure he had a good reason while you have no justification! He fights with all he has and still smiles. Phantom inspires people, same as All Might!” 

All Might… of course. 

“Ahh, that's like a weight off my chest.” Tomura breathed out, “I see it now… all the dots connected. Why he makes me so angry, why you irritate me so much. Everything makes sense. It's him, the problem is All Might! Yeah, yeah. That’s it. That’s the most rational explanation!” 

Tomura felt his mouth widen into a smile of pure joy. He hadn’t felt that in a while. It was as if all his problems were fixed by a single sentence. He saw the future ahead of him clear as day. He felt Midoriya squirm to look up at him and freeze. 

Tomura laughed, “I didn’t see it, even though it was right in front of me the whole time. What was I worrying about so much? It's simple. He’s why these morons are able to smile thoughtlessly!” 

He grabbed Midoriya's throat tighter in his excitement like he was a stuffed toy. Maybe if he squeezed harder his eyes would pop out. 

“They feel so safe because that garbage pro is smiling thoughtlessly too, as if there's no one in the whole world who he can’t save. Oh, I'm glad we had this chat. I feel better. I can’t thank you enough Midoriya. I  don’t need to change my ways after all.” 

His grip on the brats neck didn’t loosen and his face was turning red. Midoriya tried reaching up to grab his hand, but they were too heavy for him. 

“Whoops, don't struggle, now. Unless you want to die. You want all these people here to crumble as well?”  

Tomura continued laughing to himself. All he had to do was kill All Might! Once he destroyed the symbol of peace, no one would be able to smile like that. After he was done with him, he would go after Phantom and Midoriya, or maybe before. He wasn’t picky. Hey, with Midoriya here, he could use him as a trap for Phantom! The brat did seem close with him after all. And when Phantom comes to save him, he could kill them both! Two birds with one stone.  

“Hey, Deku! Crazy seeing you here. Who’s your friend?” A pale teen interrupted them. 

He was too old to be one of the brat’s classmates, maybe an upperclassmen? There was something weird with his vibe. The way he looked at Tomura was too calculating for his liking. He wore a smiling face but his eyes screamed murder and harm. They sized each other up before Tomura let go.

“Oh, you were here with a friend? I didn’t know. Sorry about that.” Tomura whispered a threat to Midoriya before he left. 

The teen rushed to Midoriya’s side as soon as he let go, but his eyes didn’t leave Tomura. He didn’t like that kid. If he was from UA, he could be a problem. He should add him to the list of people to kill. Tomura will have to ask his mole if he knows anything about him. The last thing he reported is that class 1-A was gonna go to a training camp over summer break, but he didn’t know where. It didn’t matter. They would find out soon enough. 

Tomura smiled. He was looking forward to it.

Chapter Text

Danny immediately rushed to Deku’s side. The boy inhaled deeply for air after being strangled. Danny turned towards the man, but Deku pulled his arm back. He shook his head. That didn’t stop Danny from glaring at the man. Danny wished he had a brain aneurysm and died right there.  

The guy looked like a turnup that got a face carved in. Sam had told him before they immigrated from Ireland, people would carve turnips for Halloween. When they came to America, only pumpkins were available, and they became the new Jack-O-lantern. It fit the guy.  

“Call the…” Deku choked, “that was…” 

“Hey, there,” Danny soothed, “calm down and breathe,” Danny made a show of breathing in deeply to get Deku to follow his lead like Ma did with him. “In… and out, good job.” 

Once Deku was able to breathe normally, he frantically demanded, “Call the heroes! That was Shiguraki!”  

Danny ignored that he didn’t know who that was or even what number to call and grabbed his phone. He hit the power button repeatedly, but it didn’t turn on. Was it already broken? No wait, he hasn’t set it up yet.  

“It won’t turn on!” Danny said to Deku, trying to sound surprised. Deku just handed him his phone instead while he was recovering. Danny just stared at the screen not sure what to type in. “What's the number again?” 

“Really?” Deku was able to breathe out. 

“I never had to use it,” Danny said as an explanation.  

“It’s a song, if you want a hero, dial zero-zero-zero,” Deku gave him an almost sad look, like he missed something big in his childhood rather than a stupid jingle.  

“Right…” Danny typed out the number and hit call. It buzzed for a few seconds before someone answered.  

“This is detective Tsukauchi speaking, what is your emergency?” A man’s voice picked up. Danny thought it odd that it went to a detective and not a dispatcher or operator.  

“There’s been an attack, I’m at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall and-” 

“Can you repeat that? I’m getting nothing but static on this end.” The detective said.  

Danny froze. There he was again, forgetting he was a ghost. The voice from the other end kept talking and asking if anyone was there.  

“Tommy, what's wrong?” Deku had fully recovered and was looking at Danny with concern. It should’ve been the other way around since the boy was just attacked.  

Danny didn’t know what to say so instead just handed the phone to Deku. He took it but watched Danny carefully.  

“This is Midoriya Izuku,” he coughed, “Shigaraki Tomura was just at Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall and attacked me. He didn’t hurt anyone else, I don’t think, but he left when he was confronted by one of my friends.” 

“Midoriya? Hold on, I’ll send someone over to you soon. Is Shigaraki still in the mall?” 

“No, as I said he left when he was confronted.” Deku reconfirmed.  

“And how was he confronted? Did your friend attack him?” 

“No, he just came up to us and Shigaraki left.” 

It was protocol to keep the person on the line until back-up arrives to make sure the person was safe. Danny didn’t know what he could do to help so instead he just sat there with him on the line. 

“Is your friend with you now? Can you put him on the line?” The detective asked.  

“Yes, and he was the one who originally called but you couldn’t hear him.”  

“Does he have a quirk that interferes with technology or radio waves?” 

“No, he’s quirkless.” Deku clarified. Hearing him say that stung. He almost forgot he said that. While it was technically true, Danny still felt bad for misleading him like that.  

“...I see” was the man’s only response. The detective didn’t make Danny say anything. 

Danny waited with Deku as the heroes arrived on scene. It was no one he recognized, so that was good. The mall was closed due to a villain sighting, but it was never told what one so people wouldn’t panic. The heroes escorted people out and then surveyed the area to make sure Shigaraki or any other villain weren’t there. Within that time, Danny and Deku weren’t able to leave so passed the time by talking. 

“So, who is Shigaraki?” Danny asked. 

Deku looked surprised, “I thought you would know him. He’s from the League of Villains.” 

Danny shrugged. He only paid attention to the news when it was about him.  

“Tommy…” Deku looked nervous again although he tried to hide it, “Shigaraki said something…about your brother?” 

For some reason, Danny didn’t expect that. Phantom was relatively well-known here (he did have a fan club, after all). This league may want to add their rat to the race to catch him, so to speak. Danny rolled his eyes. Honestly, he had enough with people chasing after him. Fortunately, during his last encounter, Danny learned that people of this world were, hmm, weaker than he thought? Or at least weren’t equipped to deal with something like him. If this league were anything like the commission, he would be just fine. 

When it was clear Danny didn’t have anything to add, Deku continued, “Shigaraki said he’ll kill Ph- Tucker if he ever gets close to the league.”  

Danny hummed, “Wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to kill us, and it won’t be the last. My dad is scarier than whatever Shigaraki can do.” At least his dad could catch a ghost, sometimes. 

Deku turned white and his eyes widened more, “Tommy, I’m serious. You have to warn Tucker! Shigaraki is dangerous. His quirk won’t just kill you, but slowly decay your body. You’ll be aware of every second.” 

Danny’s body has already long since rotted by this point. He wondered if Shigaraki’s quirk would have any effect on him. Maybe it would turn him into a puddle of goo.  

“This isn’t the first time I had an interaction with him.” Deku continued again, “Last month, he attacked my class at the USJ with the League. We would be dead if it weren’t for All Might.” 

“Trust me, Tucker already knows about him...” Something clicked in Danny’s head, “And wait, what did you say? This isn’t the first time he attacked you?! Were you hurt? Did he kill anyone?”  

Danny grabbed onto the boy’s body and started checking him for injuries like a motherly cat checking her young. The only ones there were the bruises from Shigaraki. Danny's core lurched at seeing that. He was too late to save him this time, but next time he will (he had to). The first time they met, Danny did notice he had a lot of scars, were those from Shigaraki? Danny stopped when it was obvious that the boy wouldn’t suddenly die from a wound left ignored.  

“I did break my arm, but that was my own fault, not his. My body can’t handle my quirk well, so every time I use it, I break a bone,” Deku waved him off as if that wasn’t equally concerning.  

“What?” Danny rubbed his temples. And he thought he was bad. “What about the spar? The one with Tucker? I thought he let you use your quirk?”  

“He did, but that was only at 5%. If I use any more than that I get hurt.”  

Danny smacked him upside the head, “then why do you keep using it?” 

Deku looked up at Danny, shocked, and rubbed his head. He must not have any siblings, he thought to himself. 

“I have to if I want to be a hero.” The boy looked determined, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, “I’m getting better at it, I just have to train more. I’ve gotten this far.” 

Deku must not have had a quirk before if 5% was far to him. “You know, Tucker or I could help train you? He didn’t know how to use his quirk at first either and got hurt a lot. And me, I may not have a quirk, but I can teach you how to fight without one.” 

Deku beamed and started to shake his hands excitedly. He got close to his face again like at the beach. Danny leaned back and pushed his head away. Deku looked embarrassed, but he couldn’t stop smiling. “Would that really be okay? I know you have a job and Tucker does…” Deku looked around and whispered, “stuff. And I don’t want you to feel like you have to cause I suck at my quirk.” 

“Trust me kid, it will be fine. And I want to. Who knows, if it works maybe you won’t have to break your bones anymore. Wait, is that why you couldn’t walk in the alley?” 

“No, I was still paralyzed from Stain’s quirk.” Deku clarified. “And thank you. That really means a lot to me.” 

“No problem, dude!” Danny slapped him on the back. “Tucker had fun last time, and I know I can use the stress relief,” Danny punched his fists together and joked. The heroes were better suited for that. The boy wouldn’t be able to handle it if Danny went all out.  

Deku looked at Danny as if lost in thought. 

“What?” 

“You and Tucker are a lot alike,” He replied.  

“More than you know…” Danny laughed.  

As people were still being escorted out, a group of kids suddenly swarmed around them. It was the same group Danny had seen earlier.  

There were nine of them in total. Girls made up about half of the group and Danny recognized them from the café. He recognized two of the boys from when he saved them as Phantom (one from Stain and the other a random bad guy). That left only three he didn’t recognize. Two of them looked very strange; one had six arms and the other had a bird's head. Danny got a weird vibe from the bird kid. The bad of his throat tightened when he saw him. He probably had a more ghostly quirk like the glowy girl.  

Most of the kids ignored Danny except for the girl who slightly glowed from the café. She watched him curiously with her head tilted. No one seemed to notice as they were fussing over Deku. 

“What happened?” That was one of the teens Danny saved from Stain. He had blue hair and a very rigid way of talking and moving. He looked more like a salaryman than a kid.  

“We heard it was a villain?” said one of the girls. She had cords connecting to her earlobes that Danny first thought were earrings. She fiddled with them as she spoke.  

“Are you alright, Deku?” asked a girl with rosy cheeks.  

“Hey, stand back,” Their guard-cat-cop-man instructed. He was supposed to protect them if a villain tried something. Danny rolled his eyes. If that really were to happen, he would be more useful than everyone else here combined.  

“It’s alright officer Tamakawa, they’re my friends,” Deku explained. The man eased off but watched them out of the corner of his eye. “It was Shigaraki,” Deku answered darkly. All the kids’ faces looked scared.  

“No way, he was here?” said a boy with a lightning strip in his hair. He was one of the kids Danny saved as Phantom. The teen looked around as if the villain might be hiding around a corner.  

Danny tightened his fist. That man was more pathetic than Stain in Danny’s opinion. While Stain had only attacked a small group of kids, Shigaraki took on a whole classroom and left them all traumatized. Next time, Danny wouldn’t let Deku stop him from going after the guy.  

“He was.” Deku answered even though it was rhetorical. “He asked me about Stain and Phantom. He seemed stressed for some reason but in the next breath he was laughing. I think he’s planning something, but I don’t know what.” Deku rambled as he explained.  

“Whatever it is, the heroes will stop him!” Rosie Cheeks said with determination.  

“Indeed. Evildoers stand no chance against the mighty!” the salaryman responded.  

“He ran when he saw All Might, remember?” The alien looking girl said. She looked a little like Danny but pinker.  

“Yeah. who knows, maybe Phantom might even show up and defeat him!” said the boy with the stripe in his hair. He blushed slightly at the mention of Phantom. He must be a fanboy too, Danny thought.  

Deku looked at Danny and he shrugged.  

“You’re right guys,” Deku cheered up, “I just hope he doesn’t try anything.” 

“Who’s your friend?” The glowing girl interrupted and changed the mood.  

“This is Tommy,” Deku gestured at him to his friends, “he was the one who saved me from Shigaraki.” 

Danny waved at the group of teens who now sized him up. None of them looked ready to fight him, which was a good thing. The salaryman had kept the same unreadable expression throughout the whole conversation. Everyone else had a more neutral expression or were smiling nervously. The strangest looks were from bird boy and glowy girl. Perhaps they felt the same way about Danny as he did them.  

“Hi,” Danny finally said, “You guys are all friends of Deku, yeah? That's cool. I heard a lot about the school and stuff. So, you guys are training to be heroes?” 

Danny’s stomach lurked at the mention of heroes. These kids in front of him were far away from that future. It was sorta like watching the ROTC kids walk down the halls.  

“Yes, we are.” Salaryman stated. His expression changed to whatever it was before to one of pride. “We are going to the prestigious school of UA.” 

“Did you see us at the sports festival? We were totally awesome!” Alien girl jumped up and high-fived Stripe.  

“Can’t say that I did,” Danny shrugged. He had no idea why people would watch a high school field day. Must be a lot of weirdos out there.  

“Oh.” she deflated.  

“Tommy was, uhh, homeschooled, so he doesn’t know about how cool UA is.” Deku looked nervously at Danny. Danny had no idea why he would cover like that, but he appreciated it. 

“You at least gotta know about heroes then?” Stripe asked, “what's your favorite? I gotta say mine right now are the Phantoms!” 

“The Phantoms aren’t heroes, they’re vigilantes.” A strict looking girl with a ponytail corrected. 

“I think they count!” Deku declared. He had that intense look on his face every time he talked about heroes. The rest of his classmates looked at him curiously. Deku looked up at Danny, a bit sad. “I mean, they try just as hard as every other hero, what's it matter if they don’t have a license?” 

“Yeah, you're right!” shouted a teen with red spikey hair, “I think they’re totally manly for that!” 

“What’s it matter?” Ponytail looked shocked. “There are laws for a reason! Quirk licenses are what separates heroes and villains!” 

“That’s totally bogus though,” Danny interrupted, “If that’s the case, would you call a kid that can’t control their quirk a villain? What about if their power is more emotion based or they can’t help it? It’s not all black and white. There’s so many situations where people could use a quirk and not be a villain. I get the need to have a license, quirks can be dangerous, and you have to understand the responsibility of using one, but you shouldn’t ascribe morality to it.”   

Danny had been reading about quirks a lot since he got here. He didn’t totally understand it, but saying someone was a villain simply for using their quirk in public was insane. The laws behind it were pretty unfair too. If you save someone with your quirk, you could get arrested. What if you had a healing quirk and your friend was bleeding out? Would you sacrifice her life so you don’t go to jail or pay a fine? That was the topic of one such case that Danny read about from a few years ago. Despite many people being on the kids' side, he was still charged with being a vigilante. It was waived a few months later due to a petition, but that was still the standard. It simply wasn’t fair.  

The teens stared at Danny. He probably sounded like Sam just then. Whenever she pointed out the same holes in laws back home, everyone looked at her as if she said we should kill babies. Fortunately, their reactions weren’t that angry, but it still made Danny want to swallow his tongue.  

“You know…” Bird boy started. “I hadn’t thought about it like that, exactly. When I was younger, I wasn’t allowed to go to any sleepovers, and if I did, I had to sleep in a separate room. At first, I thought it was unfair but then it just became normal.”  

“But…” Ponytail looked taken aback by this, “laws are there for a reason. It’s unfair what you went through, and it shouldn’t have happened, but we have to keep everybody safe. If everyone was able to use their quirks, that means more people will get hurt as a result.” 

“But what about the people who are getting hurt now because of that rule?” Danny tried to reason, “I bet there are tons of misunderstandings where a person is being called a villain because of a mistake?” That has certainly happened to Danny. “That could ruin their whole lives.”   

“There was always that fear in my head that Dark Shadow would act out and hurt my friends and people would think I was a villain.” Bird boy added.  

“People with emitter quirks don’t have to worry as much about that. If someone like me got into a fight and hurt someone, others would think it was because of their quirk not their strength alone. They’ll get charged with a bigger crime because they supposedly used their quirk to hurt someone.” Tentacles said. He had remained quiet up until now and had a mysterious vibe about him. That could just be the mask.  

“But my parents said…” Ponytail started again. Her hand was close to her chest, and she held tightly to the girl beside her with the other. She couldn’t finish and just went quiet.  

“Hey,” Danny spoke gently, “I didn’t mean to be mean or anything, but laws aren’t always fair to everyone.”  

“It’s okay, I just…never had to think about that I suppose. I have a lot to think about,” Ponytail held her head in one of her hands. The others looked concerned for her but one of them rolled their eyes.  

“We’re evacuating the area, you shouldn’t be here,” another officer walked up to the group. He was human looking but had wild colored hair.  

Deku’s classmates followed the officer out but a few hesitated. Bird Boy, glowy girl and Ponytail lingered back and watched Danny. He smiled at them, but it didn’t ease their staring. The officer yelled to get their attention and they were dragged off. He looked at Danny and Deku too, expectantly.  

“They are to remain here until questioning,” officer Tamakawa explained, and the other cop walked away with the other students. 

“Is she okay?” Deku said, clearly referring to Ponytail.  

“She will.” Danny responded. “She just realized that the world isn’t as nice as she believed.” 

When you’ve been told the sky is red all your life it can be hard to accept differently. If the sky isn’t red, what else is wrong? It’s like the matrix or something. Anyway, once you learn what life is like for all and not just for yourself, that's when you can start deciding what type of person you want to be. Some, like Sam, fight the injustice while others are content with the system (even if it’s directly hurting them). As Danny said, it's like the matrix.  

It took another 30 minutes for the whole mall to be evacuated. Both boys were led out by some detectives, the cat-man and the one from the phone. Danny looked back at the mall. All the lights had been turned off and the shops closed with gates in front of them. If he yelled, it would be able to reach the other side of the building. It looked more like the set of a zombie movie than a place where just a few hours before people laughed and ate in.  

Danny was the last one out the door. 

🕵 

Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi and Officer Tamakawa drove the boys to the police station. One was clearly UA’s first year student Midoriya Izuku. Toshinori asked Naomasa to take care of the boy whenever he could. He had been doing his best, but the kid had a habit of getting into trouble.  

The other boy, however, was unable to be identified. He told the detectives his name was ‘Grundy Thomas,’ and indeed there was even a record of someone with that name, but nothing was in it, not even a picture. The name was clearly a fake, and not even a good one.  

The teens were separated; Midoriya with officer Tamakawa and Grundy with Naomasa.  

Grundy watched him from behind the one-sided mirror, his eyes following his every move. He shouldn’t have been able to see Naomasa, but a lot didn’t make sense about the boy. When Midoriya’s phone first called him, static so loud it made his ears ring, crawled out the speaker. When he asked the noise a question, a gravelly voice responded. It was as distorted as the rest of the audio, but it was proof something was there. It was that same sound that resonated out of all their walkie-talkies or any other communicators 50ft around the boy.  

Midoriya said that Grundy didn’t have a quirk, but it was clear he was deceived. That was the first thing that jumped out as odd about the boy. Why lie about being quirkless? The second was the boy’s appearance. It matched the description head-to-toe of the suspicious boy the night of Phantom’s attack. Naomasa had given the report to Eraserhead, but had heard nothing back. It was typical of UA to keep secrets.  

Grundy’s eyes darted to the ceiling at some unheard sound. Naomasa was sure he saw the boy’s ears twitch. His eyes settled back to Naomasa. He was statuesque, like a gargoyle guarding something. Although Naomasa was in another room, he could feel a strange energy coming from the boy. It was exactly how the report described it.  

‘How are you related to Phantom…’ Naomasa wondered.  

Staring wasn’t going to answer any of his questions. Naomasa opened the large door to the interrogation room. Glowing eyes followed him to the seat across the table.  

“Hello, I’m Detective Tsukauchi,” Naomasa introduced. “And your name is Grundy Thomas, correct?” Naomasa wasn’t there when the suspect first gave his name so he didn’t know if he was lying or not.  

“That’s what they call me,” the boy responded flippantly. He was telling the truth, but his answer still led much to the imagination.

Grundy had chosen a western name. Why choose a name that would stick out so much if you wanted to go unnoticed? Grundy might have western roots (he did look the part after all). It could also be that he simply liked western names (a trait common with youths) and so chose it for that reason, but that wasn’t likely.  

“I haven’t done anything, have I?” Grundy asked sarcastically. He seemed almost defiant in a way. He sat up straight, looked Naomasa in the eyes, like he had done this before and knew what to do. His facial features didn’t show it, but Grundy hid back anger.  

“Of course not,” Naomasa said. “We just want to hear what happened from you. After that, you’ll be free to go.” 

“Hmm,” Grundy narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. Clearly, he was skeptical.  

There was a pitcher of water and two cups in front of Grundy that was untouched. Naomasa filled them up.  

“Water?” he asked, placing the cup in front of Grundy. 

“Is it poisoned?” Grundy smiled as he raised it to his lips and drank. 

“It is,” Naomasa joked. He had run-ins with kids like this before, so he was unfazed. Grundy stopped mid drink and looked at him. He smiled and finished the cup, slamming it onto the table in a challenge. Naomasa filled it up in response.  

“So, Grundy-” Naomasa started but was interrupted.  

“You can just call me Tommy,” Tommy corrected.  

“Of course. Now that we have that established, what is your quirk?” 

“Why do you need to know my quirk? Didn’t Deku already tell you?” Tommy sat up and looked curiously at Naomasa.  

“I just want to hear how you describe it.”  

Tommy shrugged, “That’s easy then, I don’t have one.” 

Tommy was telling the truth. Now it was Naomasa’s turn to be curious.  

“Hmm.” Naomasa sighed.  

“What?” Tommy asked. 

“Nothing, you just don’t see many people without a quirk these days.” 

“Yeah well, I guess I’m just special.” Tommy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.  

“I guess you are…” Naomasa replied.  

“Are you going to ask your questions, or what?”  

“I just need to get some more information from you, if that’s alright?” 

“Knock yourself out,” Tommy waved him off.  

“Right,” Naomasa nodded, “Are you going to school at all?” 

“No, I work at a café.”  

True. And that led Naomasa back to his previous question. Why would Tommy make all these decisions that make him stick out so much? It could be that by having a job he seemed more normal than a kid walking around all the time. Tommy might also just really need the money. 

“And what is the name of the café?” 

“It’s…” Tommy trailed off. “You know what, I don’t actually know.” 

Tommy was still telling the truth.  

“How long have you worked there?” It was strange not to know the name of where you worked. 

“Like a week,” he answered dismissively.  

“And what about your parents?” Naomasa decided to move on. 

Tommy’s eyes widened and they shot to the exit. His carefree attitude changed to one on guard.

“Doesn’t matter,” he barked out, “they’re not here.” 

That statement could mean a lot of things. They were dead or simply somewhere else. Whatever it was it clearly left an emotional wound.  

“Are you done now?” Tommy crossed his arms and stared Naomasa down. 

“Of course,” He wouldn’t be able to get anything else out of the boy. “Would you be able to tell me what happened today?” 

Turns out Tommy was out shopping when he spotted the altercation between Midoriya and Shigaraki. He de-escalated by simply stepping in and Shigaraki left. Tommy sounded very protective of Midoriya during his retelling. He was mad that someone would even try that to the kid and the lights flittered with his anger. He continued at the part he called Naomasa as Midoriya was recovering but ‘the phone was being weird,’ as he put it, so it only got static. Midoriya took over and the rest Naomasa knew. The story fit perfectly with what Midoriya told them, which was to be expected but still nice that it happened.  

“Did you hear anything Shigaraki was saying?” Naomasa asked. 

“No. I just saw he had his hand around Deku then stopped him.” 

“And you did that just by walking up to him?”  

“Yes.” Tommy groaned and leaned his head back. 

“Did you threaten him or do anything else?” Naomasa already knew that he didn’t, but he wanted to catch him in a lie.  

“No, I just said hi to Deku and he ran off. I already said that.” Tommy was getting increasingly annoyed.  

“What would you have done if he didn’t ‘run off’?” 

“I don’t know, probably fight him?” He leaned back up and rolled his eyes.  

“Is that because you think you can beat him?” 

Tommy paused. He sat up again and leaned closer to Naomasa. When he spoke again, his voice was softer and level. 

“You asked me what I would do, not what I thought.” He was avoiding the question.  

“Do you think you can beat him?” Naomasa pressed.  

Tommy smiled, “No. I’m quirkless, remember?”  

He was lying. Naomasa gulped. It seemed impossible. The ability gap between just an average villain and a quirkless teen was massive, let alone a villain as dangerous as Shigaraki. But Tommy wasn’t an average quirkless teen. Something set him apart from the others. That something had to do with Phantom.  

“What’s your opinion on the Phantoms?” Naomasa made his tone neutral, watching for any ticks in the boy's behavior. His lip twitched.  

“What do they have to do with this?” Tommy looked amused.  

“The villain who attacked Midoriya seemed fixated on that topic.” Rather than the assault itself, that was the thing Midoriya looked truly stressed about. Despite still being in school, it was just like a hero to be worried about others rather than themself.  

“Why do you need to know my opinion then?”  

“Just humor me.” 

Tommy rolled his eyes again, “whatever…”  

He zoned out for a second, bobbing his head back and forth, thinking of what to say. His eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face.  

“They’re a menace if you ask me.” Tommy finally said.  

He was telling the truth.   

“They go around saving people without any regard for the hero laws like some vigilante.” He grabbed the cup and waved it around like a prop. “Don’t get me started on what they did to the heroes! Those poor guys barely stood a chance! I mean,” he put on a fake face of concern, but his eyes revealed how he really felt, “did you hear about what they did to Endeavor? I bet they scared him more than any villain could.” 

Naomasa was caught off guard.  

“Endeavor?”  

“Yeah, the #2 hero? The angry fire guy?” Tommy looked at him as if Naomasa didn’t know who that was. 

“That wasn’t in any papers.”  

Tommy froze, his previous playful energy gone in an instant. The lights of the room went dim and the mirror started to fog over from the sudden chill in the air.  

“I think we’re done here.” Tommy said. His eyes were the brightest thing in the room. 

“Indeed. I got all I needed.”

Chapter Text

“You can’t keep doing this,” Sir Nighteye, no, Mirai, pleaded. 

Toshinori always knew the man was stressed, but after seeing him last week, it went far beyond that. While he wasn’t always the biggest, he at least had a small amount of fat on him that was needed for a hero. In the years since Toshinori had last seen him, Mirai had run himself thin. He must have been skipping meals along with sleep. Toshinori had also smelled smoke on him at the meeting. His bad habit had gotten worse.

“If you keep going at this rate, you’ll die. I saw it.” Mirai finished. 

Toshinori wanted to say the same thing to him. 

“Then why are you worrying?” Toshinori placed his hands down on the table. “Your visions have never failed before, even when you tried to stop it. I’ve known for a long time of my fate.”

“That's not the point. I don’t know when it will happen, just that it will. If you keep this pace up, it could be sooner rather than later.” 

“Excuse me gentlemen.” A waitress bowed. “Here’s your Okonomiyaki and Eel liver soup.” She set the plates down gently, watching Mirai from the corner of her eye. She clearly recognized him and didn’t want to disappoint.

Mirai nodded at her and she walked away. They were at a fancy place, courtesy of Mirai. It was the type of place with a dress code and policy on how to take pictures or answer calls. Mirai lent Toshinori one of his suits to get in. It was a yellow one with thin strips that fit him just right. Mirai must’ve been wanting to do this for a while. Toshinori would’ve been fine at any cafe or even the beach. It wasn’t where they talked that was important, it was what was said. 

Toshinori rolled up his sleeves, ready to eat. Soup was just what he needed for his stomach.  

“You need to retire.” Mirai interrupted him mid bite. 

Toshinori coughed up blood, surprised by how direct the order was. He whipped it off with a handkerchief he kept on him. 

Mitai continued, “You can barely last a few hours using your quirk. You spend most of that time teaching anyway. There’s far more useful things you can be doing than that. You can use that time for yourself, god knows you haven’t since you became a hero.”

Once again Toshinori could say the same thing about Mirai.

“You’ve done so much for the world already. It’s time to let the world take care of you. You should rest now.”

“It’s not about that.” Toshinori put his dirty handkerchief back into his pocket, “I need to make sure the new generation can handle things when I’m gone.” Toshinori took a deep breath in. “You know who is back. Or maybe he never left. The League, the Nomus…It has him written all over it. There is also the other thing.” 

Mirai’s face stayed neutral except for the clenched jaw. “Are you talking about Phantom?” He let out in a harsh whisper. 

“Indeed.” Toshinori nodded. “He was always looking for the perfect quirk. Maybe he decided to make one.”

“All the more reason to contain the boy. We must not let his father get him back.” 

It was clear Mirai’s opinion had not changed since the meeting. Toshinori could hardly blame him. He too had complicated emotions on the support. He knew Nezu’s plans for the boy, and while it left a bad feeling in his stomach, Toshinori couldn’t judge him. Grooming a child with the intent to take down a major force. Toshinori was doing the same thing with young Midoriya. 

“No.” Toshinori stated. “I have decided with principal Nezu on this matter.”

Mirai didn’t look surprised, just tired. “I know you have already made up your mind, but I still beg you to reconsider. You don’t know what the boy will become. He could destroy you and UA.”

“If that were to happen, then we will ally with the Hero Commission and work to take down Phantom. Until that happens, we will do what we can for the boy.”

Mirai had a scowl on his face, but said nothing else. The two heroes silently ate their food. Toshinori was never one to handle long awkward pauses so he opened his mouth.

“Shigaraki is Nana’s grandson.” Toshinori let that hang in the air. 

“I suppose that's what got him in you know who’s sights.” Mirai shook his head.

“He’s like Phantom. Just another one of the villains victims”

“Yes, but their status doesn’t excuse the actions they took. Shigaraki still is the leader of the League while Phantom attacked those heroes and Endeavor.” 

“Hmm,” Toshinori hummed. “But perhaps there is still time for Phantom.”

“You’ve been talking with principal Nezu too much,” Mirai took a sip from his tea. 

Toshinori stared at him waiting for a response. The younger hero put his cup down and looked at this senior over his glasses, analyzing. He shut them and sighed.

“If Phantom does attend the school, you will bring him to me first. I will look into his future to see if he betrays us. If I see no such thing, I will not stop you from your delusional decision. 

Toshinori smiled, it was a soft old smile that told the tale of his sad life. The younger hero nodded at him and took another bite of his food. Toshinori followed his stead and the two ate in a comfortable silence. 

After most of their food was done, Toshinori spoke out again.

“Like the villain we face, I too have found a successor to replace me.” Toshinori patted his mouth with a napkin waiting for his former sidekick's reaction. 

“You can’t mean that green haired kid?” There was a hint of disdain in Mirai’s voice. 

“His name is Midoriya, and he has the heart and spirit of a hero.” Toshinori praised. 

Midoriya had come a long way from that scrawny kid who could only write or dream about heroes rather than becoming one. The way he was progressing, he would be able to achieve what Toshinori hadn’t in a manner of years. 

“I saw him at the school festival. He may have the spirit to be a hero, but you need more than that.” 

“Then why not intern him?” Toshinori suggested. 

Mirai rolled his eyes and cut into his food. “I already found a more suitable candidate for you. One that doesn’t break an arm after throwing a punch.”

“He will need a new one now that Gran Torino can’t take him. Out of everyone, you would be the most equipped to take care of him.”

Mirai hummed, “I will consider it, but the boy would have to prove himself to me.”

“I would expect nothing else from you. I’m sure he will meet your standards.”

Quick buzzing came from Toshinori’s pants pocket. He picked it up to see it was the detective on the phone. The place Mirai had brought him didn’t allow phone calls unless taken on the floor below so as not to disturb the other guests. Even the bathroom wasn’t a vital option here. 

“Hello Detective Tsukauchi,” he answered in a low whisper, “I can’t talk right now because-”

 “I have a lead on Phantom here.” Detective Tsukauchi said quickly and quietly as well. 

“What?” Toshinori covered the phone speaker so Mirai wouldn’t be able to hear. 

He trusted him, but this was too soon. The same waitress as before started walking over to them. Toshinori frantically stood up but in his haste he knocked the chair a little causing his glass to tip over. He pushed his chair back and tried to quickly take the suit jacket off. The arm holes were too big for him so it was easier than getting out of the table. The waitress had caught up to him.

“Excuse me sir, do you need help with anything?” which was customer service for ‘what the fuck are you doing’. 

“No Ma’am, I just need to leave to take this call.” Toshinori tossed the jacket at Mirai. It crashed onto his face like a newspaper in the wind. Toshinori smiled at the waitress awkwardly and started walking quickly to get out of the restaurant.

“Where are you going?” Mirai yelled after him in a stern voice. He no longer had the jacket on his face. 

“I have to take this,” Toshinori called behind him. “I am no longer here!”

🥇

Over the phone, Detective Tsukauchi began explaining how there was an incident at the mall involving Shigaraki and young Midoriya. Apparently, young Midoriya was at the mall with his friends when he got separated and the villain found him. The villain threatened him and had almost all his fingers around his neck. Detective Tsukauchi didn’t know how far the villain would take it. Fortunately, a teen interrupted them and scared Shigaraki off. He stayed with Midoriya until Tsukauchi could arrive. 

The teen matched his reports of the boy from the alley. Besides that, he had a weird air around him. They took him to the department to interrogate him under the guise of the mall incident. 

His answers were very suspicious and confirmed to the detective that the two were connected, maybe even being a possible brother of Phantom like the rumors said. Toshinori felt guilty upon hearing his theory and internally chastised himself for keeping Tsukauchi out of the loop. He would have to explain it when he got there. 

It took Toshinori around 15 minutes to get to the department. He parked behind the building and made his way to the alley by the back. As he approached, he saw a lone figure leaning on the wall outside the door. The figure raised it’s head over to Toshinori, his eyes glowing.

Toshinori slowed down to a stop. The figure pushed himself off and walked toward him. Now that he was closer, Toshinori could see his features. He had white hair and green eyes, similar to how All For Once once looked. His eyes and cheeks were hollow, dead looking. Toshinori's breath froze. He was face to face with a ghost.

Yoichi, All For One’s brother. 

This was what Toshinori was so afraid of–that he would fail and more and more people would become All For One’s victims, like the other holders before him. Yoichi was barely 10 years older than young Midoriya when he was killed by his own brother. Now there he was, standing in front of Toshinori, ready to take him to the other holders before him. 

There was still so much Toshinori had to do. He needed to make sure Midoriya was able to become a better hero than he ever was. He had ro make sure he was safe and didn’t succumb to the same fate as the others. Toshinori always knew he would die before Midoiya was ready, but not this soon.

Yoichi was finally in front of him. His eyes were kind and held no judgment. They looked so much older than he should’ve been. The ghost held out his hand and something made Toshinori reach out and take it. His mouth opened but he couldn’t even get out a ‘why’ before Yoichi silenced him.

“Shush,” his voice echoed around them. “You don’t have to fight any longer.” Yoichi set his other hand on top of Toshinori’s. “You can rest now.”

Oh, and he was tired. He was so very tired. Yoichi’s voice was like a lullaby and Toshinori couldn’t fight anymore. He was about to die. He knew he should be scared, but instead he only felt peace. 

“Is Nana there?” Toshinori let out in a whisper. 

Yoichi smiled, “She is.”

Toshinori considered one last thing.

“Will you keep young Midoriya safe? It’s not his time yet.”

“Of course.” The figure began glowing and Toshinori felt something within him stir. He closed his eyes, ready to accept fate.

“All Might?” Toshinori heard Midoriya call out and he opened his eyes. 

The spirit or whatever it was let go and backed away, losing the glow from before. The light from the door lit up the alley, illuminating the ghost’s features. It was no ghost after all, just a teenage boy. 

“Oh, hey Deku!” The teen greeted. “Glad to see you made it out.”

Toshinori was still reeling. He looked down at his hands–which didn’t shake as he held death’s hand– were trembling like he was in the cold. His whole body felt a chill that he couldn’t rub out and hurt his bones. 

“Sorry about that,” the teen said to Toshinori in a whisper only he could hear, or maybe he didn’t even speak at all, “I thought you were a ghost.”

Toshinori spoke for the first time in the alley. “I did too.”

He grabbed his chest, feeling his heartbeat out of control. He wasn’t dead, not even close. Recovery Girl had just given him a clean bill of health (or at least as healthy as he could be considering his stomach). So long as he didn’t over do his quirk, he could have years ahead of him (if a villain doesn’t get him first). Still, in that moment it was so easy to believe that he was already dead. Toshinori wouldn’t let that happen again. If anyone was going to take him to the afterlife, it would be Nana or his mother.

Detective Tsukauchi stood behind Midoriya by the doorway, silently watching. Toshinori finally pieced it together. He looked back at the teen, at Phantom. Why was Tsukauchi standing there instead of doing something? What was he waiting for?

Phantom went to the entrance of the alley where Midoriya was. He looked back at Toshinori, electric eyes searching him for something. He smiled and turned away leaving Toshinori raw. What had he seen in him? 

Phantom went up to Midoriya and patted him on the head. The boy laughed and smiled at Phantom like a childhood friend. How long had young Midoriya known Phantom? Did he know that he was Phantom? A queasy feeling welled up in Toshinori at seeing the two interact. Toshinori had heard what Phantom did to Endeavor and the other heroes. Now, he was laughing with Midoriya and listening to him talk. A hammer can not hold a butterfly without squashing it. But here Phantom was being gentle. 

Toshinori followed them into the dim light. He stood beside Tsukauchi, still watching the two. 

“Interesting, huh?” Tsukauchi said quietly. Toshinori could only nod. 

“Shouldn’t we do something? What if he hurts young Midoriya?” 

“He won’t.” Tsukauchi sounded so sure. 

“How do you know?” Toshinori was still feeling the effects of the encounter. 

“Look.” Tsukauchi gestured towards the kids with his head. 

Young Midoriya was showing Phantom his new notebook, and was clearly very excited. Phantom towered over the boy, but it seemed more protective than predatory. He smiled down at him fondly and seemed to ask questions, which only sparked more excitement from Midoriya. 

The sight did ease Toshinori somewhat, but he still wasn’t certain.

“When I was interrogating him, whenever Midoriya was brought up, he would get really protective of him. The way he was talking, I thought I was even a danger to him.”

Toshinori didn’t know what to say so instead he just hummed. Being protective can be both a good and bad thing. It’s true that young Midoriya needed all the protection he could get with how the villains were after him. Toshinori knew now if Midoriya didn’t have his quirk, he would lock the boy away so he couldn’t get hurt. And that was the problem. How deep did Phantom want to protect Midoriya, and how far would it go?

“Phantom sure is something…” Toshinori breathed out. 

Although he lost his glow, he didn’t look anything other than ethereal. 

“Phantom?” Tsukauchi asked.

Toshinori froze. He had almost forgotten to tell him about that. He was about to open his mouth when Tsukauchi stopped him.

“No.” His friend put his hand on his shoulder. “Just promise to keep me in the loop next time.”

Toshinori nodded. After a final laugh, Midoriya looked over at Toshinori. His eyes were big and green. His eyes looked a lot like Phantom’s at that moment. He blinked and it disappeared. Midoriya looked slightly sad, the events of the day caughting up to him. Toshinori and Midoriya both started to walk to the other, and they met halfway. 

“Midoriya, what a relief.” Toshinori greeted. “I’m so glad you're okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you and the others.”

Toshinori patted the boy’s head like a proud father. Midoriya looked up at him and he smiled.

“It’s fine.” His voice was quiet but there was a clear tone of relief in it as well. “Tommy was able to protect me.” 

“Tommy?” Toshinori questioned. He wasn’t aware of any classmate with that name. 

“Meet Grundy Tommy.” Tsukauchi pointed to Phantom. 

Toshinori couldn’t help but stare at the teen again. He looked awkward despite having extraordinary power, and he slouched to seem shorter than he was. With him looking like this, Phantom looked like any other teenager. Still, there was a weird energy coming from him. Not dangerous, just odd. It made Toshinori’s arm-hairs bristle. Young Midoriya must not have been able to feel it, or he had simply gotten used to it.

“Ah, I see.” Toshinori sputtered. “Pleasure to meet you, Grundy. I am Yagi Toshinori .”

“You too, but you can just call me Tommy.” Phantom waved off. 

Toshinori nodded and was about to say something when a shrill panic voice came from behind him.

“Izuku?!” Mrs. Midoriya ran into the alley escorted by Sansa. 

“Mom?” Midoriya stepped closer slowly, then ran into his worried mother’s arms. 

“My baby!” She sobbed into her son’s shoulder. “I can’t do this anymore. I don’t think my heart can handle another scare.”

She cried desperately as she held onto her son, scared he might run off and get killed. Toshinori felt guilty. It was him who had given young Midoriya his quirk and thus sent him on the dangerous path of being a hero. 

Midoriya’s eyes started to tear up as well as he hugged his weeping mom. He held her tighter and rubbed her back, trying to calm the both of them down. 

“I'm sorry. Everytings fine. I'm okay, mom.” He said, trying to convince her. “There's no need to cry. The heroes and the police have been taking really good care of me and Tommy all night.” 

“Tommy?” Mrs. Midoriya pulled her face from her son’s chest. She looked past him at Phantom looking more awkward than before behind him. He waved. “oh…”

“Sansa,” Tsukauchi ordered, “make sure they get home safe.”

“Sir!” The cat responded. 

“Goodbye, young Midoriya.” Toshinori waved, “Get home safe.”

“See you, Deku.” Phantom also waved goodbye.

“Wait, what?” Midoriya whipped his eyes. “Aren’t you gonna come with us?”

“What?” Phantom looked confused. 

“Well, where else would you go?” Midoriya said in response. 

“My house?” Phantom said sarcastically.

Toshinori thought he was homeless. The way Midoriya was looking at him he had the same thought. He bit his bottom lip and frowned.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Midoriya said as she too wiped her eyes, “I’m sure your parents won’t mind you staying over for dinner.”

“Mom, remember what I said about his dad…” Midoriya whispered. 

It was clear Phantom heard him since his lip twitched. This surprised Toshinori. He was under the impression that Midoriya wasn’t aware of Phantom’s background. 

“Oh right, sorry dear.” Mrs. Midoriya whispered back and covered her mouth with her palm. 

Phantom laughed awkwardly looking to the side. “Uhh well, I really gotta go…”

“Please Tommy?” Midoriya looked up at Phantom with his big green eyes. Phantom looked like he was actually in pain as he twisted his face and grunted.

“Geez fine! Just stop looking at me with those big ol’ eyes!” Phantom tried to look mad but he had a small smile on his face. 

Toshinori couldn’t believe that the son of All For One was such a softie! Tonight was a night of firsts and surprises. 

The Midoriyas smiled at Phantom as he followed behind them to leave.

“Goodbye, All Might!” Midoriya called.

Phantom whipped his head around to look at Toshinori. He looked him up and down, judging. He made a weird confused face before turning around again. Toshinori got chills thinking what it could mean. 

What had the teen seen in him everytime he watched him? Before, Toshinori was looked at without judgment, was that what was following him now? Phantom was like his father in many ways. Just how far did those traits carry? 

Principal Nezu had to be right about him, otherwise, a lot of people are going to get hurt.

Chapter Text

Danny was the last one to get in the car. Deku’s mom sat up front with the cat cop while Deku sat in the back with him. Before he was fully in the car, Danny stared up at the sky. Several hours had passed since he’d been outside, and the sky greeted him with the dark blue of the night. They were too deep in town for the stars to be out, but Danny could feel them there anyway, watching him as if he was one of their own.

“Are you coming?” Deku asked from the car.

Danny snapped out of it and got in. The cat didn’t wait for him to buckle before he took off.

“Hey, thanks for that tip about the detective,” Danny whispered to Deku.

On the ride to the station, Deku told him about Detective Tsukauchi and his quirk. Deku was just yapping and didn’t know that Danny would actually use that info. Honestly, Danny should start paying closer attention to Deku and his notebooks. They are exactly what he needed when he fought those heroes, although now he didn’t really need them. His fight with Endeavor was illuminating, to say the least. Danny knew he was strong in his own world, but wasn’t positive that would translate here. Turns out it did. Tenfold. 

Danny loved it. He no longer had to worry about getting struck down by a hero. He could fly the streets at night fully seen without worry. Plus, that would be quite a show for his fans. Danny’s ego swelled at the thought. He had to give the people what they wanted. He just had to figure out something big for them…

Danny thought back to the #2 hero. There was still a chance that there was a large gap in power between the #1 and #2 hero, but that mystery was solved tonight. Danny had seen All Might with his two eyes. Whatever strength he might have had disappeared over the years (unless he had the most insane sleeper build). Danny was pretty confident about his chances now.

Something nagged at him. Tonight, he had gotten his most intense ghost sense in this world. It was still nowhere near the level of a normal ghost in Amity, but it was more intense than anything he felt here. He was sure he saw a ghost walk toward him in that alley.

He looked skeletal, like he had been a ghost for a long time and had been wandering. He also had a strange rainbow aura around him. It was bright and warm, but there was darkness that gripped the edges and swarmed like bugs. It was like the man was a zombie, bits of his form decaying but still together. His stomach was gone leaving only his spine and ribs. Danny didn't know what came over him, he just had this urge to lead the shade into the afterlife. A thing like that shouldn’t be in the world of the living. Not because they are malicious, but because at any moment, their tether could snap and they would become lost. 

The shade held onto the living too tightly. That must’ve been what kept him there for so long. Danny felt their hands touch. He had been unable to feel anything solid before then, simply sensations and the illusion of touch. It was time to go, until Deku interrupted them. 

Turns out it was no shade but the #1 hero himself. Danny saw how he truly was as soon as he let go. Even in flesh and bone, he wasn’t far off from being a skeleton. That man must’ve been on the boundary of death for a long time to give off that level of ghostliness. 

Only the elderly, terminally ill or very young children had that same aura. Freshly pulled up, and ready to be put back. Due to quirks, that was all muted. It was like death was everywhere but people had grown too used to it. 

That rainbow he saw must’ve been a separate entity, or rather entities since Danny heard small voices like static speaking to him. It was too soft for Danny to hear, so he wasn’t able to hear what they were saying. The man wasn’t possessed, or if he was it had been a long time. There were parts of him that were fused to the shades.

The man was ready to go with him though before Deku called out. Danny doesn’t know what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been interrupted. If Danny had to guess, if he did pull the ghosts out, the man’s soul would go too, leaving his body a husk. The body would live, but it would be empty. They were too intertwined to be separate again. 

Was Danny truly capable of such a thing? He had no idea how that happened. It was just an urge and suddenly it was like he was possessing himself like… Well, that didn’t matter now. The man was alright and Danny didn’t have any more blood on his hands. 

Even as Danny was leaving, he felt whatever was in the man call out to him. 

Now the feeling wasn’t able to leave him. He had felt that before, however vague, when he sparred with Deku. Danny didn’t know what that meant. It could be their quirks were connected with ghosts somehow. Danny hadn’t felt that anywhere else, or at least to that extent. 

They could’ve been related somehow. All Might did act pretty friendly to the kid and was relieved that he was alright. It was also All Might’s final wish that ‘young Midoriya’ be protected (Danny didn’t piece together that Deku was Midoriya until he heard All Might call him that). He might’ve been an uncle from how he interacted with Deku’s mom. The two were friendly, but not close. Deku’s mom didn’t even utter a word to him. Perhaps they were married some time ago or even a one night stand. He’d have to ask Deku later.

Deku and Danny didn’t talk much in the car ride home. Deku just sat there with a nervous but excited energy watching Danny then out the window. He was vibrating in his seat. He probably had so many questions he wanted to ask Danny. Danny sighed. He really had no idea how to answer the boy or what he wanted to hear. 

Deku’s place wasn’t too far away so the drive ended quickly. Danny still wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not, but he just couldn’t say no to those eyes. Deku jumped out of the car and went over to Danny’s side. He swung open the door to make sure Danny was still there. He was absolutely beaming. 

Danny got out of the car as Deku’s mom thanked the cat cop. Danny followed Deku to the door as the eager boy unlocked it. He kicked his shoes off while Danny did it more calmly and set his bag on the floor.

“Izuku,” his mom scolded, “pick up your shoes.”

“Sorry mom…” Deku looked sheepish and put his shoes neatly away.

His mom smiled as he did so. “How about we have katsudon tonight?”

Deku beamed again. He looked at his mom with such a heartfelt expression and wet eyes. Deku seemed so happy that it was hard to remember that his life was threatened just a few hours before. He hid it well enough but now Danny could see that what he thought was pure nervous excitement was just masking how stressed he was. Like a chihuahua that people think shake cause it’s cold but actually has an anxiety disorder. 

“Is that alright with you, Tommy?” Deku now looked at Danny with a more cautious look on his face.

Danny smiled and nodded. It no longer mattered what he ate anymore since he couldn’t taste anything. He’s not even able to smell (except he was able to vaguely sense emotions instead). They could literally be having shit sandwiches and it wouldn’t make a difference to him. Well, it would, but if that was Deku’s favorite food, he would. 

While on the topic of food, Danny thought back to those cute little bunny cookies that Deku’s mom had made him. It was tragic that he couldn’t taste them, but as the saying goes, it's the thought that counts. 

“By the way ma’am,” Danny started, “me and my brother absolutely devoured those cookies you gave him. I had to fight him off for some.”

“Oh thank you!” She blushed at the praise, “you know, I made them for Izuku as a treat for getting out of the hospital so fast.” 

Danny looked over to Deku again with his best disappointed and judgmental face like Jazz used to do. He squirmed under his gaze. 

“You can call me Mrs. Midoriya if you like. Izuku has told me so much about you and your brother. It's one of the only things he talks about now. We would love to have him over as well.”

“Uhh well,” Danny scratched his neck, “he’s busy tonight. Deku knows how he is. There one minute and gone the next! We’re the same person and I can barely keep track of him. Another time maybe.” 

“That would be wonderful.” She responded. “Before I make the food, do you have any allergies I should be made aware of?”

 “I have a stomach of iron. You could feed me rat poison and I’d complement the punch!” Danny joked. It was true though. The only thing that would be truly poisonous to him are blood blossoms. 

Mrs. Midoriya and Deku both looked at each other briefly with a confused smile they tried to hide under small laughs. Deku and his mom were a lot alike it seemed. 

“Alright, you boys have fun now.” Mrs. Midoriya shooed them away. 

“Do you want to see my room?” Deku turned to Danny excitedly.

“Sure.” Danny shrugged. 

He already saw it when he dropped off Deku that one time, but he didn’t know that. The boy also looked really excited. That was probably his den of fan gear and collectibles. Danny had been here before with Tucker. He smiled at the memory. That was before ghost stuff took a hold of Danny like it had done in the year later. Back then they were really just kids enjoying life, or whatever approximation of it. 

The room didn’t look any different from when Danny saw it last. The only change was the bed being messier and homework on the desk. The walls were covered in posters and Deku had a few figures on every shelf. He even had All Might sheets and curtains. Maybe they weren’t related after all. It would be weird to sleep on your uncle. 

The room screamed All Might fan, but at the same time wasn’t as intense as some other rooms he’d seen (Tucker case and point. He had everything from Star Trek gear, Legos, One Piece figures and more. It got to the point even his floor was covered with fan memorabilia).

Danny walked over to the desk and picked up a chibi figure. The paint job was uneven and the proportions weren’t right. Danny investigated the other figures and they were of similar quality. The only one that wasn’t was in a protective case at the top of the book shelf.

“Do you like it?” Deku looked at the figure. “Mom saved for months to be able to get it for my birthday. They only made 1000 internationally and 300 in Japan!”

Deku looked proud of the figure. Danny felt slightly guilty. His parents would buy him stuff all the time as a kid if it meant he played somewhere else. Most of those were Legos because they took so long or other construction toys. His favorite one was a simple model rocket he and his mom made. At the time, they were being sponsored by the government but after they made the portal they sold their stuff online (Danny was pretty sure Vlad bought it all). It wasn’t as steady as the sponsorship, so that meant no more Lego sets. Danny was fine with it. By that time he didn’t need toys anymore. He just needed his parents. 

“Are you okay?” Deku's hands hovered awkwardly as he debated touching Danny. 

“I’m fine.” Danny blinked his eyes. “I just thought that was sweet.”

Deku didn’t know what to do so walked over to his desk to show off more of his figures. He held up one that honestly looked the worst out of all of them. The paint job looked like it was done by a 4 yr old.

“Me and my old best friend Kachan made this when we were young.” Deku stared at the figure nostalgically. 

Danny immediately felt guilty. 

“We each painted one and he bragged about how his looked better.” Deku chuckled. “Everything had to be a competition with him. When he saw that I was sad about mine, he took it and gave me his.”

Deku turned the figure over and there was small chicken scratch written by a kid, ‘Bakugo Katsuki,’ along with a small drawing of fire or something.

“I don’t think he even has his anymore.” Deku put the figure back down and sat on the bed behind him. Danny sat next to him but still gave him enough space. 

“I don’t even know if he still likes me. We were best friends until he got his quirk and I didn’t-” Deku looked at Danny, “I was a late bloomer.” He clarified. “He would tease me with his other friends, and at first I thought it was the normal teasing like he does to everyone, but then it just happened to only me. I just don’t get it.”

Deku played with the scars on his knuckles lost in thought. He clearly needed to talk about this and so Danny didn’t interrupt him. His hand lingered over Deku like he did Danny. Danny put his hand on Deku’s shoulder.

“I think he’s just really lost right now,” Deku continued, “No one else but me could tell that he was always trying too hard. If someone said something about him or he didn’t have the best grades, he would lash out at everything. One time he told me he hated me, but I think he was too weak to say that to himself. That was okay. If hating me made him forget he hated himself, I could do that. I’m gonna keep trying to be his friend no matter what.”

Danny hugged Deku. He didn’t know what else to do but that. He may have joked with his friends that he hated them (like when Tucker stole all the food or Sam beat him in DOOM) but it was said jokingly. They all said it to the other and knew no one ever meant it. This though, this was deliberate and cruel. Danny knew they were both just kids, but that didn’t undo the hurt he caused. 

 “You know that’s not okay? Friends don’t treat you like that.” Danny looked in Deku’s eyes trying to get him to understand. 

“I know, but he didn’t really hurt me.” Deku shrugged, “The only thing that really hit deep was when he told me to jump off a building.” He had an empty look in his eyes as he spoke. “He would’ve joined me if I did.” 

That didn’t make it better in Danny’s eyes. He just hugged the boy tighter, maybe more to comfort himself than Deku. He was too kind. He couldn’t see how he was being treated by his ‘friend’. Danny felt mad. He actually wanted to hunt down this kid and throw him off a building like he told Deku to do. There were too many hurt people hurting others that it just created a cycle of pain. 

“Do you want me to kill that guy for you?” Danny said in a joking manner trying to hide how he actually felt. Deku laughed and wiped some tears away (it was funny how he thought Danny was joking). He playfully pushed Danny away like Danny did to Jazz when he was younger. 

“No.” Deku pulled away from the hug but still leaned against Danny. “I don’t blame him. I never did. I actually want to be more like him.” Deku’s voice got lighter and nostalgic again. “I admired him. Still do, actually. He was my hero.” His eyes were bright and full of stars like they did when he was talking about All Might. “You know, Kacchan was the one to come up with my hero name, ‘Deku.’”

Danny had to stop his mouth from opening. This whole time he thought Deku was his name. If it wasn’t that, what was it? Certainly not Midoriya, cause that seemed like a last name since his mom went by that too.

“Do you want me to stop calling you that?” Danny asked softly. If the name had a sad memory associated with it, he didn’t want to keep reminding him. He also hoped that he would learn Deku’s actual name.

“No,” Deku breathed. “It used to be an insult but now I take pride in it. It means I’ll never give up. Just like I’ll never give up on trying to be his friend or a hero.”

Danny nodded, but he couldn’t swallow all the sadness he felt in the boy's stead. Danny knew what he felt like to be bullied by someone who was once your friend. 

Dash and him had known each other for all their lives. Danny was considered a ‘Tomboy’ and so got alone with all the future boy A-listers. Birthday parties, games, and trips, there was never the time the two were a part. 

It changed in middle school. They had simply drifted apart like so many others. While they weren’t best friends, they hung out with each other once a week. When Danny got closer to Tucker and Sam moved to town, the rift widened. It all came to a head when Danny came out. Aside from Danny’s friends and family, Dash was the first person to congratulate him for finding who he was with a promise to hangout again. The next day, Dash was black and blue and didn’t look at Danny. He stopped talking to Danny completely and started to act more and more aggressive towards him. Danny knew how Dash's father was and (like Deku) didn’t blame him. That stopped with the first punch.

While Danny could take it where others couldn’t, Dash didn’t know that. Dash meant every hit and mean act he ever inflicted on Danny. Dash may have hated himself for what he was, but Danny wouldn’t forgive Dash for taking it out on him. 

Danny had been silent long enough. He could feel Deku fidget with every second he took to respond. 

“I think that’s very admirable.”

It really was. It took a strong person to turn an insult into a badge of honor. 

“The name Phantom has a similar story. Our parents had a weird thing about ghosts. They would say ‘ ghost’ or ‘ phantom’ or ‘ specter,’ like slurs. When that’s what Tucker became, there was no choice but Phantom. It began a new identity for him, especially over the years.” 

“...what are your real names?” Deku asked. He sounded unsure and quiet. He knew the importance of what he said and how it sounded, yet he still asked. He was endlessly naive but cared just as much.

“It’s…” Danny felt his throat close. It hurt to say it in front of another person. He was still feeling raw from everything that happened. He was so far removed from his human life that he didn’t feel like he had the right to say it. 

“...I don’t know.” Danny admitted. 

His eyes went unfocused as he just started at a spot on the floor. He felt his features furled but he didn’t feel anything other than the tightness. His feelings would short-circuiting with someone so close. Even with these feelings, Danny focused on keeping his form intact. He didn’t want to do anything to push him away (not even the real him).

Deku had just told him so much. Danny knew he wouldn’t be judged but it felt unsafe to say it. This is how the other ghosts must’ve felt. Trapped inside their own name and lack of identity because of it. 

Danny just sat there, too overwhelmed to feel anything. Deku must’ve felt bold in the silence or at least very curious.

“Do you still miss your dad?”

Danny’s head lifted up at hearing that. He felt more lost than before. He barely thought about his dad since he got here, or his mom. No, that’s not true. He did, just not in the way he wanted to. He wanted to miss his dad and his dumb jokes and constant need for fudge, but that’s not what he thought of when he remembered him. Danny only remembers all the things he did wrong and now can’t fix. In a way, Danny is dead because of him. He finally understood Vlad’s feelings of resentment towards him.

“Sometimes, although I try not to think about it.” That was easier to say.

“Didn’t he hurt you though?” Did Danny just have a sign on his head that said ‘abused’? Even Ma said something similar.

“Who told you that?” Danny finally looked at the boy. 

He looked nervous under his gaze then looked away. ‘He was such a dork,’ Danny thought. Deku was a lot like Elle in the way that they both said the wrong thing. Except where she was blatant and stared back at you, Deku showed remorse and shied away.

“Uh, well,” Deku looked more nervous. 

“What?” Danny wanted to roll his eyes. This is where the kid gets all shy?

“Well you said that your dad is scarier than whatever Shigaraki can do...” Deku trailed off. Danny expected him to say something else but he was done. 

“Oh. Right.” Danny didn’t realize how that sounded when he said it. 

“Yeah..” Deku sighed.

“Yeah…” Danny sighed back.

He didn’t know if this was something he should be talking about with Deku. Danny had been able to handle it so far alone, he didn’t need to tell anyone (let alone a child) what he’s been through. A part of Danny still ached to say it though, maybe talking about it out loud would relieve the weight in his gut when he thought about home. 

“You know, I don't really remember my dad.” Deku started. He stared at his hands as he talked. “I just remember big arms picking me up and his smile. Sometimes though, he would take me to this bar. I can’t really remember it but he went there all the time. He would get me a Shirley Temple.” Deku laughed but his face grew soft. “Mom said he’s in America on a business trip. It’s been over 10 years now. He stopped sending us cards 5 years ago. Mom tries to hide it, but she still cries about it. Sometimes I hear her, like on my birthday. That's why she tries so hard. He still sends money over but nothing else.

Danny breathed in, closing his eyes. There was so much to say but things better not be said.

“My dad,” Danny paused, “he wasn’t around much either. Well he was, but he was always working on his little projects and machines. When he was around, he… well he wasn't the nicest. I maybe deserved it though. I don’t know. I would always sneak out and disobey him. He was just really worried about me. I kept a lot from him. And when he did hurt me, he didn’t know any better. He was just doing what he thought was right.”

Danny had regretted a lot about his life before. If he had told his parents, would they have accepted him? While they hunted him as Phantom, there were still moments they saw him beyond ‘ghost scum.’ He had dreams where they all worked together to fight the ghosts and he could finally be a kid with a family again. 

There was also the chance they would refuse to see Danny and only Phantom. Danny couldn’t go back to their little boy, no matter how much he wanted to. Still, the uncertainty was enough to make his head spin. Having your parents be a part of your rogue gallery was an interesting experience. A lot of emotions to shove into a box.

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

Danny nodded his head dismissively. The boy was using his own words against him.

“I know, but I can't help but love him.”

“Would you ever wanna see him again?” Deku's voice was soft and he wasn’t looking at him, indeed at a thread that came out from his blanket. 

“…I don’t know.” 

Danny really didn’t. He was so consumed with the idea of getting home that he didn’t know what would happen if he did. He hopes that his parents would welcome him as Phantom with open arms. It was equally likely that they would accuse him of stealing ‘their boy’.

“As I got older, when I looked at him I could only see all the bad things he said or did. I loved my dad most when he wasn’t around. I don’t know what I would do or say if I saw him again.”

“Is that why you ran away?”

“I didn’t run away,” Danny defended. 

He would never run away from Amity. They needed him. ‘If they need you, why aren’t you there?’ stabbed into Danny’s head. He finally found the portal, he should be there now trying to get it open. What was he waiting for?

Danny tasted the words in his mouth before he spoke them, “Or at least I didn’t mean to. Maybe someday I will go back, but I don't know if I’d fit in anymore…” 

Danny didn’t know if he wanted to fit in anymore.

“I understand that.” Deku said sagely. 

Danny stopped himself from saying anything. Deku was so young it was hard to imagine he had also felt that way. That was the bitter older teen in him talking. Truthfully, Danny wanted to believe that the boy didn’t know what that was like. If he did, that would mean he had been through what Danny had. Deku was too young for that (they both were).

There was a moment of quiet between them waiting for the other to talk. Danny was fine with it. He wanted to sit in this for a little bit longer. He hadn’t said that much to anyone in a while, not even Sam or Tucker. It was different with Jazz since they were in the same sinking boat. Living in that house changed her into something resembling Danny while their parents stayed unaffected thanks to their suits. He didn’t appreciate her until it was too late. 

He wanted to see his sister again, most out of everyone. She had left for college by Danny’s junior year, and while he resented her at first for leaving him, he understood it. She couldn’t stand being in that house longer than she needed too. Of course she still visited and talked to Danny everyday, but she was always looking over shoulder, so to speak. They both took the first lesson their parents taught to heart. How to survive. Despite that, Danny had failed twice.

Danny whipped his eyes with his elbow. He really didn’t want to cry right now, not in front of Deku. He had to keep it in for when he was alone. Until then, he should try to think about happy things, like his family on the roof looking at the stars. Those are the good days that he should hold onto, not the pain later on. 

“Well what was your mom like?” Deku said. Maybe he wanted a way or of the quiet or to know more about Danny. Still, he didn’t have to go digging through his guts like this. 

“Crazy.” Danny laughed. He meant it too. “She was strong too. She could pick me up like a bag of grapes. My mom had a black belt in everything! I swear! She’s who taught me how to fight.”

Deku laughed. It was nice to see. If Danny could, he would make it so the boy could laugh and smile all the time. 

“She was smart too, like evil mastermind smart. A few times I was sure she was gonna take over the world with her inventions. She was lethal. Honestly, she scared me a lot more than my dad. When she looked at me, it was like she could see through me. Her instincts were never wrong. There was one time we were lost in the woods being hunted, and she did everything she could to save us. I hated it at the time, but that was one of my favorite moments with her.” Danny smiled. “She may not have been the best mom, but when she tired she was the greatest.”

Danny had to focus on the good. Both his parents cared for him, in their own way. He wanted to remember that right now, not the might’ve beens’ or probablys’. At least in front of Deku (he already unloaded so much on him without really meaning too). Danny could unravel and wallow on his own time later.

“Why were you being hunted in the woods?” Deku sat up to face Danny. He had a confused look on his face like so many times before.

“That’s too much to explain right now.” Danny shook his head sagely. 

“Hmm,” the boy said as a response. It was clear that he wanted to ask more so Danny decided to distract him.

“How about you show me your journals?” 

🥦

Tommy listened to Izuku talk for over an hour simply on the topic of his notebooks. That wasn’t enough time since Izuku had filled out 12 so far and was working on number 13. If he could, he would strap Tommy down (clockwork orange style) and read each page to him. Of course he couldn’t do that, so they just sat on the floor against his bed flipping through the pages.

Tommy was paying attention, more than he had before. The other times, like in the museum or to the beach, Tommy just nodded his head and made some comments like ‘that's so cool’ or ‘oh yeah?’. This time though (and in the alley), Tommy was asking questions like how much defense that quirk had or any weaknesses. While those weren’t weird questions, Izuku had to admit that there was a motive behind it. He brushed it off though since he got to gush about quirks. It was a win win. 

“Does Phantom have a section?” Tommy asked after Izuku showed him Endeavor’s page. 

Of course Phantom had a section. Izuku had been working on it since the hospital in Hosu. The question is should Izuku show him? Tommy basically was Phantom. When he went home (or wherever he stays) he would tell his brother about it. That would be so embarrassing. Izuku barely knows anything about Phantom or his quirk. A lot of the information in this was probably wrong. He also had his own theories about the brothers' upbringing. The topic of fathers was too fresh for Izuku to give Tommy a list of ways he was abused.  

“Uhh…yeah…” Izuku muttered.

“Can I see it?” Tommy asked. He was looking at Izuku funny.

“No…” Izuku whined, “or at least not yet. I have to work on it more.” If he gave it to him later, he would have more time to work out his theories and give him a copy that didn’t include his dad. Yeah, that would be better. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow sounds good. I’ve got the next few days off and so I’m free.” Tommy leaned back on the bed.

“Is Tucker free?” Izuku asked softly. He tried to seem casual but Tommy saw right through him and smiled.

“He is, as long as nothing comes up.” Tommy commented.

“So,” Izuku started nervously, “would it be okay if we all hang out?”

Tommy’s face looked blank save for a forced smile, “what?”

“Well, I haven’t seen him in a while…” Izuku trailed off. Tommy’s reaction was a bit weird.

“You don’t just wanna hang out with him?” Tommy sat up and studied Izuku. He seemed like he was mulling something over. 

“I thought it would be fun if we all hung out?” Izuku wasn’t sure now.

“I’m not sure I can do that…” Tommy trailed off with that look on his face.

“You just said you were free?” Izuku tilted his head. Were they fighting or something?

“No, it’s not that…” Tommy scratched his neck and groaned. “It’s just…”

“It’s okay,” Izuku said sadly. He had no idea why Tommy was acting like this. Izuku looked at the floor, “I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want to do…”

“Fine.”

“What?” Izuku looked back up at Tommy. He started to smile, but stopped himself. “Didn’t you just say-”

“I know.” Tommy bobbed his head back and forth, “but you seem so sad so now I gotta.” Tommy whispered something under his breath but Izuku was able to catch it, “I can figure it out…”

He really had no idea what that meant, but he was excited nevertheless! He hugged Tommy. 

Tommy patted his head and hugged him back. “Yeah yeah… would noon work? I got some stuff I have to handle.”

“Perfect! That gives me enough time to get my notebook done!” 

“I’m glad you're happy.” Tommy smiled fondly at him and messed with his hair. 

A gentle knocking came from his room's doorway. Izuku caught his mom smiling like she just walked in on kittens. One of her hands held onto the doorframe, and Izuku noticed she had bandages.

“Hey boys,” his mom said sweetly, “dinner is ready.”

“Thanks, we’ll be right there.” 

Izuku started moving the notebooks away, they had become scattered while he was showing them to Tommy. Tommy, being half a foot taller than him, was able to easily walk over them while Izuku couldn’t walk over without stepping on them. Tommy held out his hand to Izuku and helped him jump over the mess. He felt like a toddler whose parents swang him between them. 

When they were outside the door, Tommy looked at him playfully. 

“Race you to the bottom!” and he took off.

Izuku sputtered for a second and chased after him. Izuku was able to pass in on the stairs, but then Tommy jumped over the banister and rolled onto the floor. Izuku made it down just a few moments after.

“Beat you,” Tommy laughed. 

“I didn’t know we were allowed to do that, otherwise I would've.” Izuku complained playfully.

“Aren’t you training to be a hero? If you're gonna fight, fight dirty. Villains won’t be following ‘the rules,’ there are no rules in fighting.”

“What about the use of exclusive force?” 

“Well obviously don’t do that,” Tommy came up to Izuku and flicked his forehead, “common sense. But if one of the big time villains shows up like a wrinkle man, you better put everything in it.” 

‘Like Tommy’s dad,’ but Izuku didn’t say that. One for Tommy’s sake and two because his mom didn’t know. He just told her that Tommy’s dad wasn’t a good person. 

“Or call me. I’ll fucking kill them.” Tommy had an intensity when he said that that made Izuku believe he wasn’t joking. 

“What a happy conversation.” His mom walked in from the kitchen. “Let's save that talk for after dinner.” 

Tommy followed her into the dinning area. His mom, the thoughtful host she was. Set the food on the table with their bowls and cups. Usually, Izuku would help set out the food, but his mom probably wanted to give him some time alone with his friend. He smiled at her in thanks as they all sat down. 

“So do we have to do anything before we eat the food?” Tommy whispered at Izuku. It was at times like this that Izuku remembered that he grew up under a rock. 

“Just say thank you for the food.” Izuku whispered back. His mom laughed at hearing them.

“Right.” Tommy sat up, “thank you for the food, Mrs. Midoriya.”   

“You’re welcome, Tommy.” Mrs. Midoriya paused, “what's your family name?” 

“Uhh,” Tommy started before Izuku interrupted.

“He’s fine with just being called Tommy, mom.” Izuku covered. 

He didn’t want to make Tommy any more stressed like before. Honestly, he shared way more than Izuku thought he would. For now, he was satisfied with asking questions. For now, Izuku will wait until tomorrow to ask his brother. There, he could get into the technicalities of his quirk, Izuku’s true passion. He figures it is an easier conversation than childhood trauma and daddy issues. 

Izuku tried to take a bite, but it was too hot and burned his tongue. Tommy though didn’t seem to be having the same issue as he chewed his food. He looked weird, his cheeks big and his jaw moving in an extracted fashion, like a kid pretending to eat. 

“Isn’t that hot?” His mom asked as she lowered her chopsticks. She had been blowing on her food before she noticed. 

Tommy set his next bite down. He held his chopsticks awkwardly, but it didn’t matter since he managed to eat the food fine. 

“It’s just so good that I couldn’t help but dig in.” Tommy laughed and scratched his neck. 

“Thank you, but be careful not to choke.” His mom went back to blowing her own food. 

The table was silent as everyone ate their food. Tommy started to blow on his food even after everyone else had stopped, and he ate slower. The ridiculous chewing didn’t stop, and Izuku had to look away to keep from laughing. 

“So, Tommy,” His mom set her chopsticks down and looked across the table at him, “Izuku here tells me that you’re quirkless.”

Izuku was drinking his juice at the moment and spit it out when she said that. What a blunt question! To Tommy’s credit, he didn’t seem that phased by it

“That’s right, ma’am,” Tommy set his chopsticks down as well but that was because his bowl was empty rather than him trying not to be rude. 

“I feel ashamed that a part of me is glad. Izuku hasn’t met anyone his age without a quirk before. It’s mostly the older generation without one these days.”

Tommy looked at him in confusion. Izuku turned away red faced. He looked like he swallowed something sour. He didn’t tell Tommy that he used to be quirkless. Izuku didn’t blame his mom for saying that. After he met Tommy, he went straight home and told him mom. He was so excited (despite the circumstances) and told her how easily Tommy said that. It was as if he wasn’t made to feel ashamed for being that way like Izuku had. His mom was also still getting used to him having a quirk, so it was natural for her to comment on it. 

“Why would you care that I’m quirkless?” Izuku felt his hot gaze on him. He really couldn’t explain it without revealing to him and his mom his secret. 

“Didn’t he tell you?” His mom said, apparently not seeing how Izuku was reacting.

“Tell me what?”

“That until this year, Izuku didn’t have a quirk.”

“Yep!” Izuku stood up, “I’m just a really late bloomer!” Izuku laughed like a maniac, not dissimilar to principal Nezu during the practical. He sat down after seeing the looks he got. Tommy coughed, trying to stop from laughing. 

“Right… Well, he used to wish for a quirk everyday until he got one. You should’ve seen him, it was like he was praying to All Might.” his mom laughed at his misery.  

“It wasn’t that bad…” Izuku muttered (it totally was, but Tommy didn’t have to know that).

“I can see that! His room is covered in All Might merch. Even before I saw that, I knew he was a fanboy.” 

This was torture. Pure torture. His mom and new friend were now ganging up on him. He knows it was his idea to bring Tommy over, but now he wanted to go back. Geez, this was too much. 

“Please stop…” Izuku groaned with his head on the table. He feels like a little kid whining.

“It’s okay, Deku. We were only teasing.” Tommy grinned as he spoke with his hands. “Besides, we didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

Izuku laid his head back on the table and groaned loudly. 

“We’ll stop if it bothers you that much.” Tommy comforted.

Izuku slowly raised his head up, “no, it’s fine. It’s just embarrassing.” 

“Aww, poor baby,” Tommy cooed as if he were talking to a pet. He poked Izuku and he squatted his hands away. 

“Oh Tommy, your bowl is empty. Would you like any more?” His mom spoke over the table.

“That’s okay,” Tommy inspected his bowl, “I’m stuffed.”

“Come on, you're skin and bone.” His mom was close enough to grab his bowl and was about to fill it with more rice when he stopped her. 

“No, really I'm good,” Tommy put his hand over the pot.

“How about you take it home to your brother?” she tried instead. 

 “I’m not sure that would work…” Tommy grimaced. 

“Why not? Does he not like Katsudon?” 

“Not its that.” Tommy corrected at the risk of offending her, “I just don’t wanna take food from you.”

“It's fine,” she moved his hand away and was about to fill it again. “We have more. Just take some.”

“We just don't have anywhere to put it.” Tommy tried one last time. 

“What do you mean?” his mom’s voice was full of worry.

“Well, there’s no microwave for one, and two we don’t have a fringe, either.” he looked sheepish. 

“Oh you poor souls,” she touched his face as if to check his health, “no wonder you’re so skinny… You should still take some for your brother then. He might not have had dinner yet.”

“Sure. fine. Deal.” Tommy relented and waved her off. 

“Good.” she stood up with his bowl, “I’ll go pack this up for him then. Izuku do you want anymore?”

“I’m full, thank you.” Izuku nodded.  His mom seemed satisfied with herself as she walked off. 

“I’m going to go help her put the stuff away.” Izuku also got up.

“I can help too,” Tommy made to get up, but Izuku pushed him down gently. 

“No, you sit. You're a guest after all.” 

Tommy frowned but didn’t move. Izuku patted his hair (which felt weird, like spiderwebs and dust). Tommy looked up at him in horror and offense. Clearly, Izuku had broken a sacred friendship code of some kind (although Tommy does that to him all the time). 

Izuku gathered the rest of the dishes and went into the kitchen with his mom. Her and Tommy’s bowls had already been washed, and lay drying on the rack to the side of the sink. She now investigated a pair of chopsticks. It was a part of the wooden set that Izuku was pretty sure was older than him. If they were expensive, Izuku didn’t know. What once was a burnt red color, had faded into brown with every use and the design on the end, which might’ve been bulls, had rubbed off. 

Izuku set the dishes on a clear space and walked over to his mom. He leaned over her trying to see what she was looking at. She jumped when she saw him and made a funny noise. 

“Izuku, you scared me,” His mom held a hand to her chest.

“Sorry mom,” Izuku peered down at her. It was hard to believe how much he’s grown in just a year (that’s puberty for you). “What are you looking at?”

“Oh this?” She held up the chopsticks so he could see. 

Alongside the wood where one would put their fingers on, had been worn down to the width of a toothpick and had green wood rot. This had spread to almost half the chopstick. 

“Weird…” Izuku mumbled. “It is really old. Maybe it was just it’s time?”  

“I swear that they were fine when I set them down…” She snapped out of it and held the chopsticks tightly to her chest. “I must be needing glasses. That’s what I get for trying to use wooden ones all this time.” 

Rather than throwing them away, she slipped them in her pocket. She forced a smile on her face and looked out at Tommy in the dining room. He had gotten up to get the bag at the door, and was now sitting at the table messing with something. He somehow knew they were looking at him, and turned around to wave. They waved back.

“How’s your friend doing? Are you sure he’s full? He looks sickly. He needs all the healthy food he can get.” 

“He said he was full. Tommy also just looks like that, so does his brother…” 

Izuku guesses he never noticed how bad it was before, chalking it up to genetics rather than abuse. Despite being quirkless, Tommy still had slight mutations (Izuku did too), like his sharp teeth and ears. He also had patches of blue hidden under his turtleneck. His greenish complexion didn’t stand out to Izuku until his mom mentioned it now. 

“Hmm,” Izuku hummed, “you’re right…” 

“Of course I’m right, my baby.” His mom pinched his cheek and said in baby talk, “a mom always knows.”

Izuku didn’t think the brothers had a mom anymore. Tommy talked about her in past tense and acted differently than he did when he was talking about his dad. How long ago did she die? They must’ve been so young (they were still young). Izuku doesn’t know what he would do without his mom…

“Oh, Izuku,” his mom wiped his tears with her finger as she held his cheek, “are you alright?”

“I’m sorry, mom.” Izuku pulled his mom into a hug, his cheek on her head. He had been so mean to his mom recently. She worried about him so much and yet he kept throwing his life on the line. They both knew there was nothing she could stay that would get him to stop, not until he lost his arm or was in the dirt, and even then he’d find a way to be a hero. He felt his mom start to cry under him, and she soaked his shirt in her tears again. He just held her tighter. For right now, he wasn’t going anywhere.

His mom didn’t let go for another minute. When she did, she looked up at him, tears still in her eyes.

“I love you, Izuku.”

“I love you too, mom.” He gave her one last hug and let go.

They started putting the food away like they had first intended. His mom was off to the side packing it into lunch boxes. “For tomorrow,” she said. She must’ve heard them earlier. 

Izuku smiled and thanked her. It took only a few minutes for them to be done in the kitchen and they came back out into the dining room.

“Are you guys okay?” Tommy looked at them concerned. “I heard crying.”

“That was just a family tradition,” his mom joked. She set one of the boxes in front of Tommy, “for your brother.”

“Thanks,” Tommy put it to the side. 

“What are you working on?” Izuku sat beside him in his original seat. 

“I’m setting up my phone,” Tommy showed it off. It was a blue flip phone with a key chain of the Phantoms. Izuku looked at him funny, but he had to admit, if he had merch of himself he would buy it too.

“Why is it in English?” 

“Cause I speak English?” Tommy looked at him as if it were obvious. 

“You can?” Izuku himself was only able to speak the basics (but thanks to Present Mic was rapidly improving). “You should say something.”

“Umm Ok, hello,” Tommy laughed.

“That was still Japanese.”  

“Oh…” Tommy’s features furled but he quickly wiped it off. “Right, duh. Well, I guess I can read English.” 

“That’s cool,” Izuku didn’t know what else to say. He looked at Tommy’s shopping bag. That wouldn’t get him very far. “Would you like one of my old backpacks?” 

Tommy looked at his own bag, debating it. “You know what, sure. That would be great. Thank you.” 

Izuku smiled, “let me go grab it then.” and he was off to his room.

Izuku, being the fanboy he was, had a bunch of spare All Might backpacks in his closet. He rummaged through to find the best one to suit Tommy. He elected for one from All Might’s ‘Bronze age’ as the colors would go well with Tommy.  

When Izuku came down, Tommy and his mom were talking. They stopped as soon as he came down so he couldn’t hear. His mom looked like she had been crying, but upon seeing him again she smiled. Izuku hid the bag behind his bag so that way Tommy would be fully surprised. He smiled as he watched Izuku get closer, but his mouth twitched when he saw it was All Might.

“Oh, wow!” Tommy said, a part of it sounded fake. He took it from Izuku, “I love it.”

“Do you?” Izuku was starting to feel self conscious.

“I do- aw,” he looked at Izuku’s face and laughed, “come here.” he hugged him and Izuku felt better. “I guess I was just surprised that it was All Might, even though I should’ve known. You’re such a dork!” And Tommy messed with Izuku’s hair again.

“I’m glad then,” Izuku beamed. 

Tommy started to put his stuff into the bag, putting the food on top. He put it on, adjusting the straps to be comfortable, then spun around.

“How do I look? I think it really completes the outfit,” Tommy laughed again. 

“Izuku has amazing taste,” his mom clapped. 

“He sure does,” Tommy teased. Izuku felt his face getting red. 

“Well,” Tommy continued, “this feels like goodbye so I’m gonna go. Thanks for having me, Mrs. Midoriya.” He shook her hand.

“Thank you for staying. But please, call me Auntie.” His mom must’ve liked him a lot. “And remember your promise.”

“I will,” Tommy saluted and turned to Izuku. 

This felt too soon. He hadn’t even shown Tommy all of his room yet.

“What’s wrong, dork?” Tommy had a soft smile on his face. 

“Do you have to go?” Izuku pleaded.

“Yes, I have to go. Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow, and Tucker. It will be here before you know it.” 

Izuku knew that, but he felt like he was a kid saying goodbye to his dad again. Izuku hugged him one last time while Tommy ruffled his hair. 

“Can I have your number before you go?” Izuku picked at his nails as he asked. 

“Of course, bud,” Tommy took out his phone from his pocket, and showed the number to Izuku. Izuku typed it in and texted Tommy so they both have each other's number.

Tommy walked to the door and everyone followed. He put on his shoes and hugged them one last time.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise.” Tommy said as Izuku hugged his chest. 

Izuku slowly let go and watched Tommy leave out the door. Both Izuku and his mom stood in the doorway watching him and he disappeared in the night. As soon as they shut the door, a ping came from Izuku’s phone. It was a waving emoji and one with its tongue out. 

Izuku would try hard not to miss him (he just hated goodbyes). He will see him tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Hello all! I'm not dead! Just wanted to give a little update about being MIA.

Fortunately no one died, so it's not that. A bunch of things happened since I last posted. I'm a father now...or pretty close to it. As I said before, I started dating someone. They already had a kid and it's been getting serious so I've stepped into parental role (which I rock at). There is also the general life stuff getting in the way. Work, school, the end of my country's government. The usual. It's actually really stressing me out. My partner and I no longer have the right to exist where I am. That's been great. That's a problem that a lot people have been going through.

I've also haven't been in the best mood to write. I enjoy it and all, but it takes work. In the short term, it's a lot more rewarding to just watch TV or play games. another reason is that, well, it's been a while since I read my full fic and so I kinda forgot what happened and where the characters are at. If you notice any of that slipping through, please let me know. I've gone back and rewrote parts of chapter one, along with editing the earlier chapters (they just needed some polishing). I've never been fully happy with chapter 1, so it was nice being able to fix it. It should be updated after I post this. 

I lost access to my tumblr account. I stupidly tried to change emails but now it's no longer connected to an email? Anyway, if anyone has been trying to reach me through there, that's why I haven't answered. My new Tumblr is @pulchritudinosaurhythm, and I reposted the art/memes. The chapters are my old blog are outdated now, so this is a good opportunity for me to fix that. 

I did not leave you nothing. Instead of writing an actual chapter, I wrote another side story. It takes place after chapter 29 and is a day before chapter 30. It's a peak into Danny's new everyday life as he works at the cafe. It has a few OCs for Danny to interact with, but they won't be important to the main story. When I wrote it, I intended it to be short but it ended up being 5k. Guess that means my writers block is gone.

Chapter 29.5: Burnt Coffee and Conversations

Thank you all so much for your continued support! I don't know when my next post will be, but I hope this month!

Chapter Text

Leaving Deku’s home left a bittersweet chill in Danny’s ribcage. Being in the house sparked a feeling in him he hadn’t experienced in awhile. It didn’t make him feel ‘alive’ in the way he did when he fought Endeavor, his core and nerves pulsating with each hit. Instead, he felt whole. Human, in the most natural, mundane way. It felt like going home after school and eating dinner with his parents and Jazz, with the promise of seeing Tucker and Sam afterward. He was happy and warm–a stark difference from the numbing cold he typically felt.

For the most part, Deku and his mom had accepted him. They knew what Danny was and still welcomed him into their home. Although they were both a bit intense at times, their kind natures were undeniable. Danny hated leaving, but knew he had to. If he didn’t leave now, he never would. 

All of this brought him back to Ma. If Danny had gone with him, would they be eating like that every night? Ma had a husband, too. What was he like? Was he like Ma—gloomy and worn—or the complete opposite? Danny would have enjoyed seeing that, but it just wasn’t to be. Regardless of how much he contorted himself to fit into those old familiar spaces, his efforts had been futile. He was always too much, and too little, all at once. His time to be part of a family had passed upon his death, and he would need to learn to be okay with that. 

‘Yeah, I’m okay. Totally okay. This is just how it has to be.' Danny reminded himself of that over and over again as he flew through the night sky, desperate to put distance between himself and Deku. A few agonizing miles later, his resolve crumbled, and he gave in to the temptation to circle back around to his friend’s home. The pull to the familiar was hard to shake. He stood at Deku’s door, invisible, resisting the gnawing urge to knock. The lights were already off and all was quiet within. He stood there for only Clockwork knows how long and waited with his fist raised. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had his own world to get back to, and so did Deku. Danny slipped away once again into the night, silent and unperceived.

As always, the stars were there to comfort him. He belonged up here rather than down there. Like the stars, he was a bright ball of mass and energy trapped inside a vessel much too small. The stars he could see now were already dead and blown apart– their final moments captured for the world to see– until even the memory of their existence would eventually fade into oblivion. He wondered if that's how people saw him, too. 

Danny could no longer fit into the world of humans. He was a monster, plain and simple. It didn’t hurt to admit that anymore. He had been so busy drowning in all his emotions— the uncertainty, the self-hate, the rage—that he hadn’t realized he could swim all along. Not only could he stay afloat– he could thrive. He was a fish in the sea of this new world he found himself in.

Danny’s core gave him a gentle, comforting chill in the night sky. He glided along on his back and shut his eyes, allowing himself to be seen. It didn’t matter if he was spotted. He doubted there was a soul alive who could beat him now. He could do whatever he wanted and effortlessly get away with it. It was freeing. He had to wonder, is this what invincibility is like? Deep down, a selfish, perhaps very human part of him enjoyed the thought. After all, who wouldn’t want to be a god among men? 

Although seemingly endless possibilities lay before him, he felt some sort of pull to this place. To this world, to this city. He didn’t know why, but he needed to stay here. It wasn’t just the patrol, or some half-brained plan to get home, but something else. Something deeper. ‘Must be a kind of ghost instinct,’ he thought to himself.

From down below, Danny was sure he must’ve looked like a star. He probably had a big head for thinking that, but nonetheless, it was true. Maybe that’s why none of the heroes attacked him yet. They assumed he belonged to the sky, like everything else out of reach. It was peaceful, in its own way. He knew his place, and things didn’t seem as big to him now. Death, and accepting that death, had made his problems melt away. Even if he never had a family of his own again, he could indefinitely float around and protect the people he’s grown to care about in this world. He didn’t have to be human to do that, he just had to be strong. And strong, he most certainly was. Still, it was nice pretending. Danny thinks he’ll do it for a little longer. 

At first, he didn’t know why he did it. Why had he poured so much effort into developing relationships with the living, and performing mundane and pointedly human tasks, like working a job? In the grand scheme of things, these seemed like fruitless endeavors that only served to hurt him when it was all over. It was like a hangover after a night of reckless drinking that left you heavy the next morning. However, he now realized it had all been a necessary part of his own grieving process– perhaps not so fruitless afterall. 

Danny had decided long ago he was done with his self-pity party. What’s done is done, no more use crying about it. He had stuff he had to do, like preparing for meeting with Deku tomorrow afternoon…as both Tommy and Tucker. Danny did not know how he was going to pull that one off. 

Duplication was one of the only things he specifically struggled with. He had only been able to do it twice, and both with outside assistance. All the other attempts looked like medical anomalies, or like some poorly executed special effects makeup from a cheap horror movie. The last time he duplicated himself was during his fight with Pariah Dark. He had The Fenton Ecto-Skeleton suit (tm), which gave him the extra boost he needed to create three duplicates. That didn’t last long since Pariah destroyed them and the suit early into the fight, leaving Danny prime alone. Despite how the fight ended, he found he was proud of that accomplishment. It was at least something, right? He was sure he would be able to do it again–if he kept extra ectoplasm on hand. The duplicate wouldn’t be used for fighting, and would probably just be sitting around, so it wouldn’t take too much energy to maintain…if he could even successfully construct it in the first place.

Danny flew down by the alley where he beat the trio of heroes and Endeavor. The alley was taped off and, from what he could see, there was no one inside. He was, however, able to detect some sensors around the opening. He studied them from afar. They resembled the ones the GIW had used to try to catch him. The sensors weren’t motion activated, but instead detected and alerted to extreme levels of ecto-radium and ecto-radiation. This information surprised him, but also implied that this world must know about ectoplasm. An important discovery, if he was going to be sticking around for a while.

The sensors should have been easy enough to circumvent. When Danny had first gained his powers, he would’ve been able to just walk by in his human form, but that wasn’t an option anymore. He was too far gone. Even in his own world, he had progressively become less human and more ghost, leaving him unable to hide behind a human form in situations like these. Instead, he learned he had to overload the sensors with just the right amount of charge to turn them off. It varied each time, and he was never able to tell how much they needed. It was a dangerous gamble. Plus, that’s what Tucker was for, always there to deal with the tech side of things. However…Tucker wasn’t here anymore. That did complicate the situation. 

After a few moments of contemplation, he shrugged to himself. It wasn’t like there was anything he needed to fear anymore. Even if the #1 Hero popped out and walloped him, Danny could win. And after meeting the so called “#1 Hero”, his fear of heroes as a whole had certainly… diminished. 

He brazenly flew past the sensors and scooped up all the ectoplasm he could fit into the thermos, while also absorbing some for himself. It took no more than five minutes, but silhouettes of figures in costumes already began craning over the tops of the two buildings above before he could finish. Danny flew upwards before any of them could move, and was able to make his escape. On the way out, he couldn’t help but search around for Ma in the crowd. Of course, he wasn’t there. Ma had been so adamant that he wanted to protect Danny. If Ma showed up now, it would just prove to him that he never cared. Besides, he wasn’t ready to see Ma yet. He still had too many unprocessed feelings to sort through before he was ready. 

He knew Ma wanted to help, and maybe he still does, but Danny didn’t need that anymore. He was able to take care of himself. Staying with him– becoming part of a family– would be too self indulgent and reckless. He could pretend he was still human, but he couldn’t go that far.

He did want to apologize, though. Ma may have hurt him, but he didn’t deserve what Danny had done to him in retaliation. He also had a burning curiosity about what Ma’s reasonings were for the things he did. Was he forced to do it, and if so, by who? Did he genuinely befriend Danny without knowing he was Phantom? Or worst of all, was it all an act? Pretend to be a weak old man to get Danny to lower his guard, but send in the big guns when that failed? What a cliche, he scoffed to himself. 

Although these unanswered questions were nagging at him, he knew that was just a scarred, vulnerable part of his brain talking. Vlad had similar methods of manipulation. He had masterfully engineered a situation where Danny had to reveal himself as Phantom in front of him, and then inserted himself as a bridge between Danny and the adults in his life. From this point of power and trust, Vlad would talk to his teachers to excuse his spotty attendance, convince his parents that their punishments were too extreme, and even got Sam’s parents to allow her to spend more time with Danny and Tucker. 

Outside of that, Vlad would teach Danny how to fight and defend himself from ghosts under the guise of caring for his safety and well-being. All the while, Danny’s archnemesis Plasmius would attack and brutalize him every night. 

The scheme finally unraveled when Plasmius kidnapped Vlad, and Danny got to the warehouse earlier than expected. He watched in horror as Vlad melded into the two separate people–his uncle, and his archnemesis. The betrayal had twisted in his gut like a knife. Vlad may be better now, but he planted a deep paranoia into Danny that seemed impossible to uproot. Although he so badly wanted to believe Ma’s good intentions, what if this is just a repeat of the past? 

Ma really didn’t seem like Vlad, though. Where Vlad had the cold, calculating gaze of a plotting trickster, Ma’s eyes held only earnestness and warmth, and perhaps deep exhaustion. If anything, he reminded Danny of Mr. Lancer.

 Mr. Lancer was a good man, and a good teacher. He taught Danny a lot about human kindness and sarcasm. However, no matter how much Mr. Lancer helped Danny, there was only so much he could do. He was just a normal human, after all. Maybe that’s why Danny let Ma so close. There was something that Ma has that Mr. Lancer never did, and that was power and a sense of otherness. Selfishly, he knew there was a lot more Ma could do for him than Lancer ever could.

Danny suddenly felt ashamed for thinking so much like Vlad, and chided himself for it. People weren’t only worth their perceived use. Forming relationships with others shouldn’t be influenced by how much you can use them before you inevitably discard them. And yet, a small and cynical part of Danny was starting to wonder if maybe this was just part of growing up; the part of you starts to rot where friendship used to be. 

★

Danny didn’t bother going back to his old shack and instead went to a new one. He had to keep moving otherwise they would find him. It was strangely nostalgic. It reminded him of when Tucker, Sam and him were on the run from the Guys in White and Freak Show. The stakes were definitely higher then but the three of them were still able to have fun. 

That taught them to always carry the essentials in case they ever went on the run. It helped Danny a few times after that when he would wake up in random locations due to the Guys in White or Skulker’s meddling. Just because he didn’t have a body doesn’t mean he didn’t need that skill anymore. The only things ‘necessary’ to him were his new clothes and his thermos. The phone, while it wasn’t strictly necessary, was still a good resource in case he needed to look stuff up on the go. He’d have to mess with it to make it compatible with his ectoplasm, of course. Moving around would be a lot easier with the backpack.

Said backpack was…nice. It was of good quality and was able to hold most of his stuff without it being too lumpy. But it was so very cringe. It screamed fan-boy in a way Danny hasn’t been since he was younger. That’s Deku for you, he just puts everything on his sleeve. It was an endearing trait but dangerous. Bully’s always target kids like that, and from what Danny knew, Deku was no exception. Most learn to hide that part of themselves, but there was strength in refusing to back down. 

He used to feel ashamed of who he was. He hid whatever part of himself that would label him even more of a freak. He spent a good chunk of his freshmen year trying to get accepted into the in-crowd. He tried dressing like them, watching the latest shows (when he wasn’t getting the shit beat out of him by ghosts), he’d come short of bribing them to let him in. 

He might have continued doing that into sophomore year when one night he got punched through Dash’s room by the Lunch Lady. All over the walls were Phantom fan merch. Fuzzy pictures from deactivated blogs, reddit posts printed out, there was even a custom made action figure that was just a repaint of Nightwing. Dash was in the center of it all doing awkward karate moves. He was even wearing a DIY shirt of Phantom. Something in Danny’s brain clicked into place when he saw that. Everyone was cringe.

After that, he worried less about what people around him thought. In their own way, they were just trying not to stand out either. High school was a cruel place. Some of those thoughts still bounced into Danny’s head. 

‘Why did I make such a stupid expression?’ 

‘Was that reference out of place?’ 

‘Did I seriously just infodump on that person for 15 minutes straight?’ 

Deku did not seem to have that problem. He’s done all the things Danny thought were cringe and still smiled about it. He was cringe, but he was free. 

Danny should remember to bring up heroes tomorrow for the boy. It was healing to watch him blab so freely. This must be what Jazz felt when she watched Danny talk about outer space. 

He couldn’t let himself keep getting distracted. It had already been a few hours since he left Deku’s, he couldn’t waste anymore time. He had to get his duplicating skills on point. 

Danny focused on the feeling of the duplicate splitting out of him from when he fought Pariah. It felt like stepping into a shower and suddenly getting assaulted by cold water before it heats up. That moment of shock and adjustment curling into one separate sensation that trickled down the back the longer you’re in. Or the feeling of being in a cold room drinking away the chill with a hot drink. Both times it is as if something is leaving you in a satisfying way. 

He felt something ooze out of him, slowly at first, then quickly like a drain had been unclogged. He imagined that sensation gaining shaping, growing eyes and a mouth with teeth. He tried to picture the other features of his face but it was hazy. Was his nose straight or hooked? How about his lips; were they full or thin, and how did they look when he smiled? 

A foul taste hit the back of his throat and gagged him. All at once his throat was too dry and too slimy, like he was throwing up a wet sock. Danny stopped the flow of ooze and a wet sound slashed on the floor as the last ends fell out. 

The thing looked at him with blue and green eyes. All over its sloshed body were those eyes. It’s body–but it would be more accurate to call it a mass since it was a fleshy pink and green shapeless blob–writhed on the floor trying to get closer to Danny. Out of the mass were odd limbs with too many bones at awkward angles reaching out for him. It’s long fingers found Danny’s leg and clutched it, then began to pull itself up onto him. It’s gaping mouths with teeth too big to shut were half opening and closing like sea anemone as if trying to beg. Perhaps the most disturbing of all was that Danny was able to find his facial features in the mass. It reminded him of the half sentient and half melting clones that turned to puddles on the lab floor. 

All the eyes were focused on Danny as if asking him what to do. It’s limbs had finally carried itself up his torso and was reaching his face. One of the mouths opened at Danny’s head and tried to swallow him. It’s fangs pierced inside Danny's skull then bubbled and absorbed within him. Was it trying to absorb Danny or the other way around? Despite how it looked, he sensed no pain from it. It had less awareness than a newly formed blob ghost. Still, the fact that it looked like it was uneased Danny. 

He summoned the same distant feeling from the rat—the urge to destroy-–and targeted it at the stray ectoplasm. A tie severed and the mass lost all muscle and movement, then with nothing to keep it constrained, melted out on the floor and onto Danny. 

He leaned back with his arms behind him and simply took a second to himself. The thicker blobs of goo spread out and soon there was a 3 foot radius surrounding him. It felt strangely nostalgic. Fortunately in this instance, it wasn’t Danny’s guts staining the floor boards. He laid down, allowing the ectoplasm to adhere to all sides of him. He felt it slowly sink into himself again, like a mop cleaning up vomit. 

He really had no idea how he was going to be able to do this. It made sense. Not all of Danny’s rogue gallery used duplication. It wasn’t the amount of ectoplasm a ghost had but the control of it. Vlad, along with a few others, were the only ones Danny fought that used that ability. At the same time, he had seen blob ghosts be able to cleave apart as easily as Vlad. Those ghosts had years of experience on Danny. They knew how ectoplasm had felt, both inside and outside of the body. Instead of drawing a line where they ended and the ectoplasm began, they accepted that once the two merged, the line was erased—or at least, that's what Vlad had told him on one of the rare occasions he decided to be helpful.

Danny idly played with some of the stray ectoplasm, making it float and swirling it around his fingers. He spun it at different speeds, and some of the ectoplasm unbound from the rest leaving little bubbles behind the larger beads. He focused on that and made the droplets into different shapes. Some morphed into cartoon stars while the others wiggled into clumsy triangles or squares. Keeping them all constant shapes was difficult and required focus, but was manageable. 

Each one wanted to mirror what the larger one was, like dancers that forgot their part. They all hummed with the same frequency as his core. 

A painfully obvious idea hit his head. He pooled together the remaining ectoplasm on the floor in front of him. He sent out a hum from his core and it wiggled with the frequency. Instead of focusing on definite details of his body, he thought about the general essence of himself. What made him him. It wasn’t any of his physical features, that was only the shell. What was really him remained inside his core. 

Regardless of the form, the same love of space and humor shone through, along with his rage and stubbornness. Sure, some aspects of his personality were enhanced as Phantom, but that was from being allowed to explore those traits and feelings without fear. All good and bad traits compile the person ‘Danny Fenton’. It didn’t matter if he was dead or alive, he was always himself. 

The ectoplasm sapped more from Danny growing bigger. He held himself back from influencing it. He shouldn’t force it into something it's not. The fact of the matter was that his ectoplasm was him. It was him as much as his heart or his brain. So why did it feel so different? It wasn’t just that it was a different body now–he was comfortable with Phantom when he was alive–but it felt so foreign in its familiarity. 

Phantom was always there under his fingertips, jiving right below the surface of himself. When he was Phantom, it was like stepping into a skin that was always meant to be yours. Phantom had the body he wanted. He had the power he wanted. Phantom could achieve stuff normal Danny couldn’t. In life, Phantom was an escape. But in death, he was a reminder of what he lost. He wanted to push that away, to pretend he didn’t understand his new self, but he did. He knew who he was much more intimately than he did before. 

Danny was finally himself. He was Phantom. 

★

Matter cannot be created or destroyed. The recycled parts of Phantom from when he was alive swirled within him now. He was always Fenton. That part didn’t go away when he died. He still had all his precious memories of his friends and life. He still had the same interests and hobbies. Nothing about him changed. He was like water being poured into a new glass. 

He started pooling ectoplasm at the edge of his fingers. He wouldn’t force it to take the shape he wanted. Too much intent made it unstable. The new congealing part of himself had to resonate with his core in tune. It slowly poured out of him once again leaving the same bitter taste in his mouth. 

Phantom tried one last time to split.