Ghosts Don't Exist

Chapter 22: I Think I'm Sick

Danny had gone out with Bruce and his brothers more often. So often, it was a routine every night. Granted, he wasn't allowed more than two hours past his bedtime on school nights.

However, that wasn't the problem. The problem was he didn't remember most of those nights, and that welcoming feeling felt drearier and drearier with every night. That warm feeling that smothered his back before leaving was frequent and was always there after battles. The adrenaline rush came before he would 'black out' as he dubbed it.

He hadn't told anyone. Something said not to. Even then, he desperately wanted to. However, he couldn't, he can't. Just the thought of it made his head hurt and throat clogged. His hands would shake, and his arms locked in place. This was suffering he had to do by himself.

There was something he could say. Vlad had left already, but he could still call him. That is, if he could swallow the salvia ball in his throat.

"Danny? Why are you up, it's the middle of the night?"

He could hear the sleep in Vlad's voice. He let go of a shaky breath. "C-can I ask y-you a f-favor? I-it's important!" He sputtered out through chattered teeth. Ice lined the walls with sharp spikes and frost. It crawled up the walls to the ceiling.

"What is it, Little Badger?" Vlad sounded genuinely concerned and confused. The sleep was wholly gone from his voice.

Danny licked his chapped lips. His body shook violently. "I-If something happens... a-and... I'm not m-myself, can you take care of him for me? Agh! Ow!" Danny gripped his head as a shock of pain fizzled by his temple.

He heard something crash on the other side of the phone, and he had to drop it. His head felt like it was going to explode. His body felt like there were tiny pricks painfully numbing him. All his senses heightened ten times more than what they were before. He wanted to scream, but little squeaks sounded like he was howling. He could hear the organs in his body working... slowing... down...

He fell over as he felt warm arms embrace him and lure him to a deep slumber—a sleep he was never supposed to wake from.

______

"What do you mean? What did he say?!"

Clockwork grabbed Vlad's shoulders. Vlad looked broken and was limp in Clockwork's arms. Tears fell endlessly from his eyes with meaning Clockwork demanded. What was wrong with Daniel Fenton?

Vlad slowly tilted his head up was a strained look on his face. His eyes were glazed over, and his lips looked blue. His wrinkles of old age showed how much he really did age. With thin lips and a never-ending gaze of longing, he said,

"You were right. He's come to terms with his trauma."

______

"Where is he?!"

A loud explosion went off, and ice shot high with a puff of snow flying in every direction. "Found him." Damian's voice echoed through comms.

"Where is Vlad?"

A portal opened next to Tim, and Vlad, in his ghost form, stepped out. He looked exhausted and not entirely there. "Found him," Tim's voice echoed through comms.

Bruce rubbed the ridge of his nose.

"Where's Flash and Wonder Woman?"

Batman felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a cocky smiling Flash and determined Wonder Woman. "Found us." Their voices echoed through comms.

Everyone was here, not Superman, but that man wasn't really available since one of his clones had some problems that he had to deal with. Batman didn't even want to get into that man's head for the life of him. He was friends with the man, but he didn't want to know the shit that Crypto gets into on a regular basis.