Chapter 5
Peter was sitting on the couch next to Tony. They had ordered takeout and eaten with Pepper, and now they were watching a movie, but Peter couldn’t focus. He was still trying to wrap his head around the whole “Phantom is half human” thing. It had worried him when his friend ran off, and he wanted him to come back, wanted to know he was alright. Tony sighed and paused the movie.
“What’s wrong, kid?” he asked, turning to Peter.
“I’m just worried about Phantom, I guess. I never would have thought he was half human...I mean...and then he just ran off...I don’t know,” Peter answered, raking a hand through his hair.
“I haven't told you about when I learned that information yet, have I?” Tony asked, lips quirking up in a smile.
“No,” Peter answered.
“Okay, okay. It was, like, a month or so after we met Phantom. He was hanging around with you more and more. One day, Scarlett showed up out of one of those portals of hers in the middle of my lab and scared me half to death. She planted her hand on her hips and asked me, ‘Can you keep a secret, Tony Stark?’ And, after I got over my shock, I said, ‘Of course I can.’ And then she landed on the ground in front of me and changed into a human. And not just any human, but Kendra Paris. I swear my heart stopped for a second. She laughed and said, ‘Well, now you know, I’m half human. Half ghost.’ And I was like, ‘Why are you telling me this?’ And then she sighed and got all sad and serious.
“She told me how Phantom’s been through a lot, and how he was like her, and the adults in his life that were supposed to take care of him had persecuted him because of it. Then, she told me she’d kill me and make it look like an accident if anything happened to Phantom on my watch and his secret got out. And kid, she was deadly serious. No pun intended. Then, she gave me a crash course on half ghost anatomy and how to do basic first aid. Then, she left. Later that day, Phantom showed up. He said, ‘So, Tony, guess you now know basically the best kept secret in the Universe. Congratulations, welcome to the club. And let me just say, we take this secret very seriously. We’ve had a friend of ours manipulate reality itself to vanish this secret from people’s minds and to clean up the mess that happened when it got out. So, you know, when Scarlett says she’ll actually kill you if you say anything, she’s serious. Not that I agree with her but, you know, she’s the adult. Not like I could stop her even if I wanted to. If she asked me to, I'd probably dance on your grave. Anyway, hope your brain doesn’t explode. Good luck processing.’
“And then he was gone. And I swear, Pete, I had so many panic attacks and nightmares over that. But honestly? I was glad I got to know, even if it was laden with threats. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Phantom trusts you at least as much as you trust him, maybe more. He literally told you the best kept secret, probably ever, without threatening you or anything like that. He just trusted you with it. He’ll be back, Pete. He will be. He promised, and Phantom doesn’t break his promises.”
Peter sighed, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder. Tony ran his fingers through Peter’s hair in a comforting gesture, and they were silent for a while.
“Of course I don’t break my promises. Couldn't even if I wanted to, actually,” Phantom’s voice, uncharacteristically soft, sounded from behind them.
Peter stood up and whirled around, throwing himself into Danny’s arms. Danny chuckled as he caught Peter easily, holding him tightly.
“Danny! You’re back!” Peter cried.
Danny ruffled Peter’s hair with a smile, pulling back.
“Yeah, Peter, I’m back. I know you probably have questions. I’ll do my best to answer them, if you want to ask,” he said, sincerely.
Peter looked from Danny to Tony and back again, and Danny chuckled.
“Tony can stay, if he wants. I don’t think he ever really got answers to his questions, anyway.”
“Thanks, Phantom, that would be good,” Tony said, voice bordering on sarcasm.
Danny just grinned at him and let his feet touch the floor. It was weird for Peter to see Phantom walk across the floor. He seemed to have a habit of avoiding touching the floor at all costs, instead just drifting along a few inches in the air. When Peter had asked him about it he had just shrugged and said, “Habit, I guess.” Now, he walked purposefully towards an armchair next to the couch and sat down. Peter watched him, and in this observation he noticed what Phantom was wearing. It was a black cloak that seemed to contain a piece of the night sky in it, the whole thing glittering with stars and ambient lighting. Peter wondered how he hadn’t noticed it before. He went and sat back on the couch next to Tony, his eyes locked on the cloak.
Danny noticed where he was looking and smiled, seeming almost embarrassed. He grabbed the edges of the cloak and pulled it tightly around his body like a cocoon.
“This cloak is what I wear a lot when I’m in the Realms. It was a gift from one of Clockwork’s friends, Nocturn. It’s, um,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck in the way he did when he was embarrassed. “It’s kind of a status symbol,” he finished softly.
Peter and Tony exchanged a look.
“What does that mean?” Tony asked, not unkindly.
Danny looked up, tugging the cloak tighter around himself. He seemed determined to answer the question, even if he was uncomfortable with the topic.
“In the Infinite Realms, the only thing that really matters much is power level. I’m considered to be a very powerful ghost, and Scarlett is up there with me. But Clockwork is what we call an Ancient. They’re ghosts that formed when the Realms themselves formed, so they’re really old, and ridiculously powerful. Almost all of them have good intentions, otherwise there would probably be a lot of chaos. Clockwork is the master of time, he can change timelines, freeze time, and make portals to other time periods. Nocturn controls dreams and night. If he wanted to, he could render everyone in both the Realms and this world unconscious with a single thought. Desiree can grant wishes and can bend reality to her own will. Pandora collected all the evil in both worlds and locked it all up in a box that she still guards. The list goes on. The Ancients are the most powerful of all of us. As a result, they’re the most respected, and the most feared. They’re sort of the closest things we have to deities. Most ghosts have only heard of them, never met them. They make up the ruling council of the Realms. They institute a ghost king or queen, and they oust that ghost if they get too power hungry. They keep order. The Council of Ancients in the closest thing we have to a governmental structure that extends throughout all the Realms. So the fact that I’m close with pretty much all of the Ancients to some extent is, well, almost unheard of. Scarlett’s close to almost all of them, too. Pandora is basically her ghost mom. So Scar and I have sort of a...reputation. There are a lot of rumors that one or both of us will take the throne someday. The Ancients have said similar things, actually. Nocturn made me this cloak. It matches his, and his cloak is, like, legendary. So when ghosts see me with this cloak on, it gives me a certain amount of safety and respect. Very few ghosts would be willing to attack the child of an Ancient, for fear that all the Ancients would basically destroy them. Which, yeah, is true.
“I usually wear it when I’m in the Realms because I’m safer that way, and also, it’s comfortable. It also speaks to my own power that I have the respect of the Ancients. Like I said, Scarlett and I are both really powerful ghosts. The Ancients wouldn’t have latched onto us as much if we weren’t. So the cloak also holds a sort of...scare factor. I’m a friend of the Ancients, I’m powerful, leave me alone kind of a thing. So...yeah,” Danny trailed off, awkwardly. Halfway through the explanation he had locked his eyes on his lap and refused to look up.
“Wait, so you’re like, ghost royalty? That’s so cool!” Peter exclaimed.
Danny chuckled a little, seeming to snap out of his embarrassment.
“It kind of is, isn't it?” he said, sounding thoughtful.
“I have another question,” Peter said.
Danny grinned. “Shoot.”
“What did you mean earlier, when you said you couldn’t break a promise even if you wanted to?” Peter asked.
Danny frowned a little, sighed, then started talking.
“I’m what’s called a Stygian ghost. The five rivers in Greek mythology, the Styx, the Lethe, the Acheron, the Cocytus, and the Phlegethon, they’re actually based off of rivers in the Infinite Realms. During those times, the Realms and the material world were very close together, and both humans and ghosts routinely travelled between the two worlds. A lot of Greek legends and gods are actually things that came about as a result of those travels. Anyway, the river Styx is the river of oaths and the oathbound. There are some ghosts that, for whatever reason, end up connected to one of the rivers. I’m connected to the Styx. The story of how that happened is…” Danny’s face screwed up into a grimace before he continued, “that’s a bad memory that I’m not going to tell you about now. Or anytime soon, probably. Anyway, like I said at the beginning, I’m a Stygian ghost. Basically that means that any promise or oath I make, I have to keep. It’s like...like a compulsion, almost. Like an itching in the back of my mind that gets stronger the longer I go without fulfilling the promise. Honestly, when it gets to that point I usually am already working on doing whatever it is I promised I’d do, so I’m not really sure what would happen after that if I tried not to keep a promise. So, if I make a promise to you, know that that’s a big deal, because I will keep it.”
“Oh, wow,” Tony said, softly.
“Seriously. I...I don’t really know what to say, honestly. I’m just thinking of all the times you’ve promised me things and...I’m, honored, I think is the word?” Peter asked, chuckling softly.
Danny looked up with a slight smile, then launched himself out of his chair and into Peter’s arms. Peter, though surprised, caught him easily and held him.
“I’m really glad to know you, Peter Parker,” Danny said, softly.
Peter squeezed him tighter.
“And I to know you, Daniel Paris.”
Danny laughed, wetly, and clung tighter to Peter for a moment before pulling away.
“Okay okay, less crying, more q and a,” he said, swiping a hand across his eyes.
“That’s fair. Ok, um, what’s the deal with the wings?” Peter asked, vaguely gesturing.
Danny blushed green, something Peter had never seen before, and rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Okay okay, I can answer this. Um. Give me a second,” Danny stammered, his eyes downcast.
Peter was silent, curiously wondering what about Danny’s wings could be so embarrassing, though Danny had always been embarrassed by his wings as far as Peter knew. He wondered why, because ever since he had found out Danny had wings, he had thought it was really cool.
“Okay, um, you can’t laugh,” Danny said, his eyes meeting Peter’s for a moment, searching for confirmation.
“We won’t,” Peter promised.
Danny took a deep breath, nodded, and began speaking.
“Every ghost has some sort of symbol of their personality and their Obsessions. It’s basically a physical manifestation of the most important part of a ghost. Since ghosts are really influenced by our mental image of ourselves, our appearance changes to accommodate that, right? The thing is, most of that is subconscious, especially in child ghosts. Which I am. Our symbol is also based on how people perceive us. So people have different symbols. Um, Scarlett has her red hair. It’s symbolic of her Obsession with justice and her willingness to spill blood to make it happen. In a secondary way it’s symbolic of that people view her as demonic because she can be really violent and terrifying sometimes, hence the red hair. Clockwork’s symbol is the clock set into his chest. It’s symbolic of his Obsession with maintaining the timeline, and secondarily symbolic of people associating him with the timeline.
“My symbol is my wings. They, um, they have to do with my Obsession with protecting people. My hero complex, basically. Um, from what Scarlett and Clockwork have told me, I basically have wings because...well, because they’re, um, they’re angelic. They’re associated with protection and righteousness. Also because people sometimes perceive me as, like, avenging, like an avenging angel, basically. Um, and because I’m half ghost, it’s a little complicated. Like in that my wings actually need maintenance. Um, I don’t have the wings themselves in human form, but I do have the scars. Um, Scarlett says that they hurt when I keep them in because they’re a symbol of me being heroic, but I’m also humble and self sacrificing, and that hurts my psyche, something like that. God, this is so embarrassing to explain. Um, other embarrassing details so that I can cover this all now, let me think. Uh, when people touch my wings it feels really good, which in part has to do with me being half human. It makes my ghost side a little more sensitive, to like, physical sensations. It’s also because, like, acknowledging my wings is basically like acknowledging that I’m heroic, so it’s like, um, an ego thing, God why am I telling you this...so, um, yeah. Yup, that’s my wings, that’s that, any other questions about it while I’m already mortified?”
Peter stared for a moment. Somehow, the explanation had made complete sense, and had fit Danny very well. It made sense. Peter got why he was embarrassed by it, if it had been him, Peter would be embarrassed, too. Tony looked contemplative.
“Can I see them? Your wings, I mean,” Tony said, quickly.
Danny sighed. “You’ll see them eventually anyway, so yeah, I guess.”
Danny stood, shucking off the cloak and setting it on his chair. He turned his back to Tony and Peter and unzipped the front of his jumpsuit, pulling his arms out of it and tying the empty arms around his waist. Tony’s eyes locked onto the twin green scars on Danny’s back, seeming mildly horrified. Slowly, Danny’s wings unfurled from his back, until they were stretched out behind him. Tony gasped. Danny stood, rigid.
“They’re…” Tony trailed off, unsure what to say.
“Yeah,” Danny agreed, voice tight, before the wings slowly withdrew.
Danny put his suit back on the right way, pulling the cloak back on as well before he sat down.
“Wait, so, you’ve talked about Obsessions a few times, but I’ve never really gotten an explanation of that. When you were hurt and we went to your lair you said that you called Obsession or something like that. What’s that even mean?” Peter asked, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, wow, sorry, I was sure I’d explained that at some point. Okay, so basically, Obsessions are the driving force behind what ghosts do. As a ghost, you have to fulfill your Obsessions to some degree. They’re, well, exactly what they sound like. Like I’ve said, I have an Obsessions with protecting people, Scarlett has an Obsession with justice, and Clockwork has an Obsession with the timeline. They’re an intricate part of a ghost’s psyche, so explaining it is hard. Um, they’re sort of like, sentient things, sometimes. Like a separate part of me is my Obsessions, if that makes any sense. If a ghost doesn’t or can’t fulfill their Obsessions, the obsessions get...aggravated. It can do a lot of things, can influence us as ghosts and make us do things we wouldn’t normally do. It’s like we get tunnel vision and we only have one option and that option is fulfill the Obsession. So ghosts go to a lot of lengths to avoid that. It’s really unpleasant, and it can be really dangerous.
“Um, other than protection, one of my Obsessions is possession. I sort of latch onto people and claim them and do everything I can to make sure they’re happy and safe and taken care of. The protection and the possession go hand in hand. You and Tony, both of you, I’ve done that with. Hell, I think I’ve done that with all the Avengers at this point, to varying degrees. So when I was injured and I said you were coming, and Scarlett basically said I couldn’t bring you, I said ‘I’m calling Obsessions.’ That’s a thing Scar and Clockwork and I say, and basically what it means is, if you don’t let me do this thing, my Obsessions will be aggravated and it will be very bad. So basically I was saying I was bringing you with us no matter what. Obsessions also heighten when a ghost is hurt or injured, which was why I felt like I couldn’t leave you alone that day, even though most days I can deal with the fact that you’re out there fighting crime and putting yourself in danger like, all the time. Does that make any sense?” Danny asked.
“Um, mostly, I think. I’m sort of confused about what happens when your Obsessions get aggravated. Do you have, like, an example or something? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to-”
“It’s fine, Peter. Um, okay, example. Well, this one time, this really evil ghost who is very much my enemy, his name is Undergrowth, he kidnapped Sam and Tucker and Jazz, my two best friends and my sister. Undergrowth is an Ancient, by the way, but he’s locked up now because he tried to take over the world. Anyway. So these people that are a part of my Obsession got kidnapped, and they were being mind controlled, and my Obsessions basically went crazy. I couldn’t even think of anything other than that they weren’t safe, and that I needed to help them. If I had been thinking at all, I would have reached out to Scarlett or Clockwork and waited for them before I attacked. As it was, my Obsession was all I could think about, that my friends and family were in danger, so I attacked Undergrowth. Alone. And, actually, I won. But the whole time, it was like my mind was in a haze, all I could think of was that I needed to save my people, to protect them, they were in danger. I think that blind rage was a lot of the reason I was able to beat Undergrowth, actually. So that’s what happens when an Obsession gets aggravated,” Danny explained, matter of factly.
“Oh, wow, okay then. That’s...thanks for telling us,” Peter said, softly.
“Yeah. Any other questions you can think of?” Danny asked, looking from Peter to Tony.
“Not that I can think of,” Tony admitted.
“Same here,” Peter added.
“Alright, then. If you think of other ones, feel free to ask me, I’ll be around,” Danny said, smiling easily and drifting off the couch.
“Wait! Would you, you know, stay? We could watch a movie or TV show or something?” Peter offered, blushing.
Danny smiled, seeming pleased. “I’d love to. I’m glad you asked.”
And he drifted back to the couch. The light washed over him, and he was human again, though the cloak was still wrapped around his shoulders. He sat on the couch right next to Peter, cuddling up against him. Peter wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders slowly, and when Danny didn’t pull away, he smiled, pleased.
“So, have you ever seen Stargate?” Danny asked after a moment, conversationally.
“No,” Peter answered.
“Neither have I, actually,” Tony agreed.
Danny grinned.
“Oh, I so know what we’re watching.”