Kindred

Cold Secrets Deep Inside

Sam and Tucker chased after him as he walked home. Sam calling out, "What do you mean she knows?! Danny, did you tell her?! Why would you do that?! What if she tell other people?!"

Danny sighed, stopping around the corner to see a familiar limousine stopping at a red light, "No, I didn't tell her. She's just not dumb. Maybe it's also because she didn't grow up with me. She can tell immediately that I am Phantom on the same day she first met me as Fenton. She just never bring it up because...well, it's my secret! The only reason I know was because I accidentally rest on her veranda yesterday evening and she noticed. She called me Fenton, even though I was Phantom then,"

Tucker frowned, "Just like that?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I mean...she said my alias was really on the nose. Practically a pun. Not to mention, my appearance was just a color and fashion change. Everything else is still me," He laughed, "I was shook! She had known about my double life these whole time and not a peep from her!" He grinned at his friends, "So I decided I'll be her friends! That's all!"

Sam did not like this, "She could be a hunter, Danny!"

Danny rolled his eyes, "She's not Valerie, Sam!" He shook his head, "Whatever. She's a friend of mine now and if you guys could at least be civil. I mean, she's not one of the A-listers and she wasn't mean or anything to me. I think she is very safe to be friends with..." His core said so. She's his kindred.

Tucker grabbed Sam's elbow before she could pressure Danny into keeping his distance, "Alright, man. If you say so...I'm just surprised that she even talked!" He leveled a look at Sam to let it go before things grew worse. Instead, he shifted the discussion, "How was she...as a person, I mean?"

Danny hummed. There were things about Elsa he would not share with them, obviously. He tracked as the limousine finally moved on with the traffic, wondering what Elsa will find interesting enough for their final project. He said, "She's...smart and pleasant. She's not very good with people so she keep to herself a lot. But she's very...kind, I think," Elsa had been nothing but kind to him. Kind and understanding. He added, "She also thanked me for my... work as Phantom. She thought that the government was dumb for putting up the Anti-Ecto Law in the first place. Her words were; everything has a right to exist,"

Sam grumbled, "Are you sure that she's not just putting up a show because you're Phantom?"

Danny bit back the few things he wanted to point out about Sam herself but instead just nod, "She referred to me as Fenton the whole time I was Phantom, alright? I met up with her again during lunch break because ghosts were harassing her and she referred to me as Phantom. I suspected that it was because we are in public and she wanted to keep up my appearance. See? She's not nice because of who I was, Sam, or even what I was,"

Tucker stepped in, "Alright! Let's grab something to eat before patrol!"

Danny looked at him while Sam huffed, "Fine!"

The two watched as she power walked away from them. Tucker looked at Danny, "Are you sure you're not going to make up with her? Things are...terrible between us three right now,"

Danny sighed, rubbing his temple, "Look...I get it. I'm sorry. But...I just can't do it," He looked at Tucker, "She killed me, Tuck. I ignored it before because...well, we were dumb kids and it was really just an accident. But when Desiree told me that she once made a wish about never meeting us only to...coerce me back into the portal to set things right again..." He shook his head, "I don't remember that time much. But being with Sam had been painful. And knowing how she could send me to my death the second time? It rips me apart, Tuck. I just can't do it. Not even for her,"

Tucker was the only one he ever told the reason why he broke up things with Sam. He had been confused. He did liked Sam and was happy to take her up as his girlfriend after years of denying things. However, it wasn't as...wonderful as he thought it would be. He admired Sam but...being with her was painful in ways he could not explain. The more his power grew, the more his ghost side rejected her. He had suspected that Desiree could be lying but asking Clockwork revealed that she had been honest in her rant about him and Sam.