Work Text:
1983
Vlad was finally able to leave that dreaded hospital! Three years of agonizing pain and misery and loneliness, of being treated like a lunatic, were over! He flipped through the air, now glad he was a human-ghost hybrid. If only he could stay this way.... but the regular humans would never understand. He'd be hunted down, possibly by his former friends.
....Did he still love Maddie? She hadn't stopped Jack, hadn't pulled him away. His train of thought was interrupted as he noticed another being floating in the air. There were others like him? The man was dressed in mostly red and black with a light purple cape and a little purple added to his helmet. Who dressed him?
"Hello, Mr. Plasmius. I'm Magneto. I've heard about your struggles, your pain. I've been busy building a safe haven for those like us, otherwise I would have come sooner. Anyway, I'm offering you to have someone to talk to, help with your training," the man said.
"How did you become a human-ghost hybrid?" Vlad inquired.
"My apologies. I'm not the same as you in that regard. I'm what those like us call us, a Mutant. I have an enhanced X gene. I'm sure I don't have to delve too deeply in that explanation. I know you're an intelligent young man. Join me and I can help you become very powerful, get revenge on those who hurt you," Magneto offered.
"This sounds like a hoax," Vlad replied.
"It's not. Watch," Magneto told him, then manipulated a chunk of metal he had with him, "My powers are magnetism and electromagnetism," he added.
Okay. That was pretty cool. And Vlad could use someone to talk to, get a better grasp on his powers.
"You've got a deal, Magneto," Plasmius agreed and they shook hands.
2004
Two weeks after Danny's accident, there was a vehicle parked in his driveway. Who.... Who did that belong to? He didn't know anyone with such a vehicle like that. Not many people visited "crazy ghost hunters." Danny hesitated before finally opening the front door, Sam and Tucker right behind him.
He stared at three strangers: a different redhead, a brunet and a bald older man in a wheelchair. His parents looked both angry and upset. Danny wanted to run away. They didn't look like government jerks, but who knew in this day and age?
"Uhhhhhh..... Hi?" the youngest Fenton finally greeted.
"Hello, Mr. Daniel Fenton. My name is Charles Xavier. It's nice to meet you," the bald man greeted warmly.
"It's Danny," the younger ravenet corrected.
"Of course, Danny. May I introduce you to Jean Grey and Scott Summers. They're two of my students. I'm the owner and creator of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. We'd like for you to join the school. We can help you with your-" Charles said.
"Thanks, but my grades are fine. I don't want or need a specialty school," Danny replied.
"That's not completely what my school is for. Jean, if you could please show Danny your powers," Xavier requested and Danny paled.
"Humans can't have powers. Are you insane? People will think there's something wrong with you. Or worse, they'll think you're possessed. I'm sure my parents want to test you for ecto-contamination, if they haven't already," he quickly spoke before anything could happen.
The trio looked at him in confusion. Seeing how Danny was nervous and what he brought up about his parents, it seemed like he was lying so his parents wouldn't harm him. In a stroke of luck, a ghost popped up at the window, making Jack and Maddie run out of the house after it.
"Okay. Honestly, I am a ghost and a human.... a hybrid I suppose. So what?" Danny told them.
'Danny, my school is for people like us,' Charles said in his head to the teen.
He gasped.
"There's.... there are other people that have powers too?" Danny asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"Yes. We'd like for you to come with us. You'll go to Bayville High School and receive help with your powers, learn how to work with a team. So, what do you say? You'll, of course, be allowed to visit your family and friends," Xavier explained.
Danny hesitated. What if more ghosts came? What about his family and friends.
"You don't have to stay at the Institute for all of your life. It will always be open to you. Learning control will help you greatly. We believe that humans and mutants can one day coexist," Charles added.
"Well.... if I can do all of that, I'll come," Danny said.
"Good. You shouldn't struggle when you have good people willing to help. You'll come back and we can visit each other," Tucker encouraged.
Sam nodded.
"Yeah. This is for the best. Plus, you'll be safer there than in a house full of ghost hunting equipment that can hurt you. Just don't forget to call us," she said, grateful that good people that could help her friend and protect him.
Danny smiled and hugged them.
"I'll visit as often as I can," he told them.
"We know, dude. We'll see you later," Tucker replied.
"Yeah. This is only for a few years at most," Sam agreed.
The trio hugged.
"I'll go get my stuff. I won't be long," Danny told Xavier.
Charles nodded. Jean and Scott offered to help him pack. Fenton agrees and they were done in ten minutes. The two helped bring his luggage to the van. Charles was helped out. Danny then explained to his parents and sister about leaving for school, telling them it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. They agreed and hugged him goodbye.
Just then, a ghost detection device went off, but Danny ran to the van, hopping in and closing the door. Scott drove them to a private airport and soon they were taking the X-Jet to New York. Danny watched in fascination as a waterfall parted and the jet went into a tunnel, a fake rock slid back into place.
"Whoa. That was pretty cool," Danny said.
"Yeah. We have a lot of cool stuff," Scott replied.
"Will.... Will people think I'm weird?" Fenton worried.
"At Bayville High? Probably. But you're among friends here at the Institute," Summers told him.
"Oh, so just like Casper High. Well, I don't have to worry about anti-ghost weaponry attacking me," Danny grumbled.
"We do have the Danger Room for training, but we usually do it together. But nothing there is programmed to target anyone in particular," Jean explained.
"Right. As a team..... Listen.... I'm gonna try my best, but people usually pushed me around, made fun of me. They didn't know about my ghost half. It was my parents being ghost hunters that caused the bullying.... made them think it was okay to call me a freak. I just wanna fit in and not be treated like some kind of alien or something," Fenton responded.
"Hey. It's okay. We get it. It takes time for anyone to trust and accept they won't be mistreated. We'll have your back in school, even though you're the youngest," Grey reassured him.
"How many of us are there?" Danny asked.
"For now, just the three of us, not including Ororo Munroe and Logan. We have someone coming tomorrow though. Why don't we show you your room and then give you a tour?" Scott offered.
"Sure. As long as Mr. Xavier doesn't need anything," Fenton agreed.
"Thank you, Danny. I'm fine. I get around very well on my own. Let Scott and Jean show you around. You may call me professor as that's what I am," Charles said.
"Okay. If you say so," Fenton responded.
He went with the older teens to a bedroom. They set down his bags.
"Thanks. I'll unpack later," Danny told them.
With that, he was shown around the mansion, including being shown the Danger Room.
"If you need a map, just let us know. It can be a bit overwhelming," Grey reassured him.
"Yes, please," Fenton requested.
"No problem," Jean told him.
"I'll walk you back to your room while Jean makes you a map. You can start getting unpacked. Oh and feel free to use your powers around here. It's safe," Summers reassured him.
"Really?" Danny asked curiously.
"Yes. The only reason Scott can't is because it's a strong energy blast from his eyes," Grey explained.
With that encouragement, Fenton transformed into Phantom, shocking the other two. They stared at the new recruit. Midnight black hair had turned snow white. Sky blue eyes had turned into glowing peridot green. He had a faint white glow to his body. His clothes became a black jumpsuit, with a white collar, white boots, gloves and belt.
"Wow. Now that's super cool," Summers commented after a moment, making Danny feel better.
"Yeah. I have telekinesis and telepathy, but I'm a little jealous," Jean added.
Phantom blushed, his cheeks tinting a bit green.
"Dude, you blush green! How do you do that?" Scott asked in wonder.
"....Ectoplasm?" Danny offered.
"I have a lot to learn about ghosts," Summers replied.
"I don't understand much about myself either. It's not like there's anyone else like me," Phantom told him.
"Unfortunately, there might not be another. But don't give up hope. There's always the possibility," Grey reassured him.
Danny nodded. These people were very kind and welcoming. He and Scott went to his room while Jean drew up a map for him and wrote up the meal times. Once given to him, the duo left. Phantom began to unpack, hovering a few inches off the ground, gliding to and fro. He called Sam and with luck, Tucker was there. They chatted for about thirty minutes. Danny called Jazz and pretty much repeated his dialog. He changed back to Fenton. At dinner, he got to meet the other two adults, and was allowed to show off his ghost form in front of them.
"Now there's something you don't see every day. What else can you do?" Logan asked.
"For now, I can do standard ghost stuff. So I can go intangible and invisible at the same time or separately. I only became a hybrid a couple of weeks ago," Phantom told him.
"You did?" Ororo asked.
"Yeah.... I-I was only human..... and then I was in my parents' portal. It wasn't active, but it was dark. I didn't realize I'd accidentally pressed the on button until it was too late. The portal activated while I was inside..... And when I woke up, I was in my ghost form. I call myself Danny Phantom..... That won't get me kicked out, right? The way I got my powers?" Danny worried.
"No, not at all. But I'm so very sorry you went through that," Charles told him.
"Thanks," Phantom replied.
"Your parents looked irresponsible with that mess, but they should really take better precautions before they're put into prison for violating OSHA laws. No disrespect to them. I'm saying that because you love that. Maybe you should tell them you got hurt and warn them and they'll straighten up before anything else happens," Scott worried.
"Yeah.... I know.... They won't listen," Danny confessed sadly.
"Why was the on button inside? I'm no expert, but that's just common sense," Logan wondered.
Phantom shrugged.
"There are a lot of things my parents do that I don't understand and not just because it's adult stuff. But I still love them," he said.
"Never said you couldn't. I'm just trying to figure 'em out," Logan told him.
Danny giggled.
"Good luck. My sister is studying to become a psychologist and she can't figure them out," he explained.
Wolverine smiled a little, glad he could help the kid feel better. He had quite the home life, but he seemed like a good person.
"May I ask about your powers and your names?" Phantom asked innocently.
"Yes. My code name is Storm and I can control the weather," Ororo told him.
"Mine is Wolverine. I've got adamantium claws, it's also all over my skeletal system and I can rapidly heal from pretty much anything," Logan replied, showing his claws off.
"Whoa!" Danny exclaimed.
"Thanks, kid," Wolverine responded.
"I'm fourteen," Phantom told him.
"I'm much older than everyone else here, though I'm not entirely sure how old. So, you're a kid to me in that regard," Logan explained.
"Oh. Okay," Danny said, feeling better.
He let the subject drop. He didn't want to pry. Wolverine would tell him if he wanted to.
"Should I help with cleaning the dishes?" Phantom suggested.
"We have a dishwasher, but thanks," Scott reassured him.
"Okay," Danny replied.
"Do you get to eat at home? I'm sorry if this offends you, but I noticed you ate quite a bit," Ororo worried.
"I do. Sort of. My parents put ectoplasm samples in the fridge and freezer. They also messed around with the appliances so sometimes we had things like ecto hot dogs that were pretty aggressive. But please don't call the police on them," Phantom begged.
"We won't, Danny. But we are concerned about you visiting your parents and your sister. It's not okay for them to put your health at risk, hers too," Xavier explained.
"At this point, I'm sure Jazz and I were contaminated to a degree. But you're right. I am concerned about Jazz. It's a shame she couldn't be here. She's very warm and kind. She doesn't have powers, but she's very cool with those with powers.
"Jazz found out about me only a few days after my accident. It just made her more protective. She wouldn't do anything bad to anyone here. Though you guys might get annoyed at her being a junior psychologist like I do," Phantom said fondly.
Charles thought about it. Could they let a non-mutant into the school? He could tell Danny was being honest. More importantly, he wanted to help Danny's sister. She shouldn't be left alone in that house, contaminated or not. He asked Ororo and Logan in their heads. Both of them agreed. Xavier then asked Scott and Jean in the same way. They agreed too.
Jazz Fenton could join so long as she was agreeable to those with powers, she didn't get in the way and stayed committed to her schooling. He called her with those requirements. There was a small thunk and a whoops, followed by Jazz explaining she'd dropped her cell phone, eagerly agreeing.
Charles told her she'd be taking a plane to the Institute first thing in the morning. Jazz thanked him repeatedly and hung up. Xavier smiled at her happiness. She was also a good kid. At worst, she's probably fuss over Danny being in the Danger Room and going on the more dangerous missions.
"Well, if I don't need to do anything, I'll be on the roof," Danny told them.
"Why the roof?" Jean asked.
"You can be just a little bit closer to the stars," Phantom said fondly.
Charles smiled.
"Have fun, Danny," he said.
"Thanks," Phantom replied, phasing out of the window and floating up out of their sight.
"That was interesting to see," Ororo commented.
"A bit off putting, but he definitely seems like a good kid," Wolverine agreed.
"Yes. I think he'll do very well here, especially once Jasmine comes. He'll be able to focus more on himself knowing his sister is safe," Xavier said.
Logan went outside at 9:30 and stared for a moment. The glow Danny had in ghost form looked brighter at night. It was something else. Wolverine shook his mind clear, then tossed a pebble up to Phantom to get his attention. Danny looked at him.
"Sorry. Am I up past curfew?" he worried.
"Not really, kid. But you should probably get some sleep. You've got a busy day tomorrow since it'll be your first day of school, both here and at Bayville," Logan informed him.
"Wow. That fast? Okay. I'll get ready for bed. Thanks, Mr. Logan, uh, sir, Phantom said.
He phased through the roof and located his room, then a bathroom with Ororo's help. He thanked her, changed back to Fenton and got ready for bed. Danny snuggled into his bed, feeling safe and welcomed, grateful for their kindness and to have a full belly that didn't have contaminated food. He was soon fast asleep.
Clockwork watched the people in the Institute sleep, especially once Danny Phantom. He smiled at the teen being in a much better place.