With Great Power

Underneath the Skin

It doesn't take long for a 14 year old to become overwhelmed by the knowledge that they will someday destroy the world. Danny was no exception.

It became stressful very quickly. He felt like there was a weightlessness in his chest that would drag him into the atmosphere where he would suffocate. He couldn't even leave his house without imagining the gruesome slaughter of the strangers he seen on the street. He missed the days where he could see a face without it burning into his mind as the face of a potential victim.

"Dude, you've missed like a week of school. I haven't seen Phantom around either, so don't give me that excuse," Tucker said. He seemed worried. Danny shook his head, and Sam answered before him.

"Don't bother, Tucker," she said, "he's avoiding his problems. He'd rather let everyone die in ghost attacks."

Danny tried not to flinch, instead poking a fry into his mouth and pouting. "Sam," he whined, "I don't wanna talk about this again."

"You can't just pretend to not care," Sam argued.

"I get that people are in danger," Danny grumbled, "but I'm not responsible for their safety."

"Yes you are," Sam said, "you're a hero, that's your job." Danny sent her a glare.

"Being a hero isn't a job, Sam." He crossed his arms, slouching further into their booth at the Nasty Burger.

"You made this choice when you—"

"When I what, Sam?" Danny asked lowly, careful not to raise his voice. They were in public after all. "Died?"

"Woah, Danny." Tucker tried to crack a smile to ease the tension, or perhaps that was a grimace on his face. "Sam just means that you can't exactly stop now. They've become dependent on you."

"How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?" Danny  demanded, "I just wanted to help. I didn't realize it was a commitment for the rest of my afterlife."

"You should've thought ahead," Sam said.

"Maybe you should've let your parents handle it," Tucker added.

"You—" Danny sputtered, "you're supposed to support me."

"You're talking about quitting. The Danny I know wouldn't just give up." Sam spat the words like they were venom.

"All I do is give things up!" Danny couldn't help how his voice rose. "This is the opposite of what I wanted for my life."

"Well, you aren't exactly alive anymore, so why should it matter?" There was nothing but challenge in her tone. Tucker's eyes widened in abject horror.

"Sam!" he scolded, "you can't just say that!"

"No," Danny sighed, "I get it. You're an ecto-hating ghostophobe and we shouldn't be friends." He slid out of his seat, packing up the fast food trash on their table.

"People are going to get hurt because of you," Sam said. Tucker glanced wide eyed between them.

Danny frowned. "I suppose everything is my fault." The trash in his hands was crushed into a ball. "Is it so much to ask for that responsibility to be lifted?"

Danny left without waiting to hear another one of Sam's jabs.

* * *

Valerie knew something was up the moment the box ghost started to evoke fear. He'd gone an hour now without Phantom showing up. Valerie was half in her mind to capture him herself, but it was during school hours and the Fentons were already rushing around the city to do the job for her.