#hailwind

None of the creatures had even put a scratch on Danny, not really. He was getting better at remembering to go incorporeal, letting any blow go through him than land. It was something he had told Robin he wanted to train more to do on instinct than not, and Robin had agreed. Robin will be proud of how much progress he’s made. 

The point is, none of the beings they were fighting had landed a hit on Danny, so why was pain suddenly coursing through him? 

It started with his left palm, causing him to hiss as the ice blast flickers before going out. The pain is sharp yet jolted, almost pulsing. It crawls up his arm, causing the muscles to spasm in the worst kind of way. He loses the ability to focus on flying once the pain spreads past his arm and begins to crawl through the rest of him. 

Hitting the ground so hard a crater forms doesn’t hurt as much as the pain he’s currently experiencing. Some of his muscles are locking, other muscles are jolting and spasming. He has no control of his body, teeth clenched and eyes closed. He can’t even curl in on himself, offer any comfort. 

Ringing in his ear, that’s all he can hear. The worst pain he’s felt in a while coursing through him. Is he seizing? He can’t tell if he’s seizing. Why is this happening? Why is he in so much pain? He hasn’t felt like this since–

A yell pushes through his teeth as he realizes what’s happening. What day it is. 

His Death Day. August 24. 

Fuck, fuck he knew it was coming. He’s always been so careful. Making sure he’s in the Far Frozen when this happens. Frostbite always knows how to soothe the pain. Hailwind, Frostbite’s coremate, always has a drink ready for him afterwards. 

Are they wondering where he is? Are they worried about him? Fuck, he was so stupid. So so stupid. 

Sounds, so many sounds are around him. But he feels like he’s underwater. He can’t understand what any of the sounds means, he can’t tell what’s happening. 

But he feels when someone grabs him, touches him. It burns, it burns so much. Please, please stop. Please don’t hurt him. He’s sorry, he didn’t mean to—

“Frostbite!” he manages to call out, his throat has a lump in it. “Frostbite please!” 

Is he crying? He wouldn’t be surprised if he was crying. He just wants his dad. He wants Frostbite. He wants to go home—

Coolness touches him, and he can finally breathe. 

“Dad?” Danny whimpers, the pain still too strong for him to manage to open his eyes. 

His father chirps at him, core rumbling. Danny relaxes into the hold, the pain still coursing through him. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what day it was,” Danny whispers as he digs his face into the familiar fur. 

“Don’t apologize, frostling,” his dad soothes, pressing a soothing kiss onto his head. 

“Please make the pain go away,” Danny begs, hands clutching whatever fur he can. 

“I’ll do what I can,” his dad assures, his hands becoming a lot cooler as they rub Danny’s back. 

“What’s happening to him?” a semi-deep voice Danny should recognize demands, firm. 

“Thank you for taking care of my son, but I will be taking him now. He can explain when he wants to,” Frostbite replies to the voice, not answering. 

Good. Danny doesn’t want strangers to know what is happening to him. He feels so vulnerable, out in the open. He wants to be home. He wants to go home. 

“But—” the male goes to protest, but something stops him. 

“Leave it be, Robin. Phantom called for this being, called him dad. He’ll take care of him,” a more feminine, yet slightly monotone, voice speaks up. 

“Thank you,” Frostbite says softly, offering a smile. “You’ve all made my son your family and taken care of him. He’ll be safe, I promise.” 

“Home,” Danny groans out, feeling another strong course of electricity run through him. “Please, I want to go home, dad.” 

Frostbite softly shushes him, pushing his hair out of his face as he plants another kiss on his forehead. 

“We’re going, Hailwind has some hot coco brewing for whenever you’re up to it.” 

Danny forces a smile as he cracks his eyes open slightly. 

“Yes please,” Danny whimpers, vision blurry through all the tears. 

Frostbite chirps soothingly at Danny as a hand lets go of him. He feels his dad making a sweeping motion, hears the familiar sound of a portal. Danny barely feels the familiar shiver down his spine as Frostbite walks through it, feeling his body jolt against his will. 

He hears people whisper behind him as the portal closes, cutting their words off. 

💀📅

Danny comes to with a hot cup of coco in front of his face. 

He groans as he sits up properly to accept the cup, his muscles protesting and groaning. 

“Was it that time of year already?” Danny mumbles, hands curling around the cup. 

“Yes it was, young one,” his pa confirms, sitting on the bed next to him. 

Hailwind’s hand comes up and pushes his hair back. A soft kiss is placed on his forehead. Blissfully cold and chill. 

Danny feels himself relax as he takes a sip of the warm drink. 

“I don’t remember coming here,” Danny admits after he lowers the cup, fingers twitching slightly in anxiety. 

“Well,” his pa hesitates, right ear flicking slightly as he pushes his mouth into a thin line, “to be honest this year wasn’t like the other years.” 

Danny frowns as his brows furrow. 

“What do you mean?” Danny questions, taking another sip of the rich chocolate drink. 

He doesn’t know how Hailwind makes it taste so good, but it’s the best hot chocolate he’s ever had. Human world kinds don’t compare. 

“Frostbite had to come to retrieve you,” his pa admits, running his claws gently against Danny’s scalp. 

“I don’t remember that,” Danny replies, leaning into Hailwind’s hold. 

“You were in the middle of a fight. Or … you were?” his pa ponders, tilting his head slightly. “The fight seemed to be over by the time your dad got there.” 

Danny’s brows furrowed. A fight? If he was in a fight, does that mean—

“Did I start …” Danny trails off, biting his lower lip anxiously. 

“Your father and I were worried when you didn’t show up when you usually do,” his pa begins to explain, pulling Danny close against his side. “After it had been too long for us, Frostbite came after you.” 

“And he found me while I was around … my friends,” Danny breathes out, curling closer into his pa. 

“Yes,” his pa confirms, turning his head to press a kiss against Danny’s head. “You were on the ground, a crater had formed around you. He got there as soon as one of your friends tried to grab you.” 

Danny tucks his face into Hailwind’s shoulder, his own shoulders drawn up as much as he could. 

“Can’t imagine that went well,” Danny sighs, closing his eyes as he allows the soft fur to soothe him. 

“No, you started to scream and call for your dad,” his pa admits. 

Danny lets out a deep breath, handing Hailwind the cup. Only after he hears it clink on the end table does he climb more into his pa’s lap. 

“This is awful,” Danny says into Hailwind’s chest. “They’re going to have so many questions.” 

His pa hums, Danny feeling the movement on his face in the other’s chest. 

“You only have to answer what questions you’re comfortable answering,” his pa assures him, one hand still running gently against his scalp while the other rubs his back. 

“But if I don’t answer them they’re going to be so annoying about it,” Danny bemoans, turning his face so his ear is pressed against his pa’s chest. 

Hailwind chuckles gently, body shaking slightly with it. 

“That’s what happens when you join the Teen Titans,” his pa teases gently. 

Danny huffs out an annoyed breath. 

“I’m a teen, Pa. What team was I supposed to join? The Justice League?” Danny asks sarcastically. 

“Just saying,” Hailwind goes on, ignoring Danny’s sass, “you can’t expect a group of teenagers to be completely emotionally mature about something.” 

Danny huffs, knowing his pa has a point but not wanting to admit it. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Danny mutters, turning his head to the other side. 

Focusing, he brings the cup of hot chocolate back to him and takes another sip. Still warm, even though it shouldn’t be. His pa is the best. 

“Thank you,” Danny says after he gulps down half of the cup. 

“Of course, Bear,” his pa replies, pressing another kiss on his head. “We’re always here for you, whenever and whatever you need.” 

Danny feels tears begin to gather in his eyes, and wipes at them. 

“I don’t deserve you,” Danny eventually says, a lump in his throat. 

“That’s the thing, frostling,” his pa starts, voice gently yet serious, “we’re family. You don’t have to deserve us. We don’t feel like we deserve you either.” 

Danny hums, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“Will you help me figure out what I’m going to say to them?” Danny asks after he finishes his drink. 

“Of course, Bear, of course,” Hailwind tells him, a smile on his face. 

💀📅

Danny shakes himself slightly, trying to rid himself of the nerves he feels climbing their way through him. 

He’s ready, he practiced what he was going to say with his pa and dad. He discussed what boundaries he could set, and which ones he would, and what to say if they asked certain things that crossed a line. He was also reminded that worse comes to worse, he could come home. 

Though, his parents assured him that wouldn’t happen. It was clear that his team cares about him. 

But Danny’s not sure. 

Most of the team, sans Robin, has revealed their secret identity. Danny told them his first name is Danny, which isn’t untrue, but he hadn’t shared the whole truth. All they knew for sure was that he was a ghost boy who wanted to help. That was good enough for them. 

How are they going to react when he explains everything? Does he even have to? His parents told him all he had to share was what he was comfortable sharing. Theoretically he could just explain his Death Day, all ghosts have them. You don’t have to be a half-ghost to have a Death Day. 

But … but Danny doesn’t want to half explain. He wants to share all of himself with them. Because he trusts them. And part of him wants to see if they’ll accept all of him. He’s come to think of them like family, so he hopes they take the news well. 

With a final sigh and shake, he phases through into the common area. 

Everyone is gathered, Robin is pacing, Rachel is meditating, Garfield and Victor are playing video games, and Kori is floating near Robin while shooting him nervous glances. They all snap their heads towards him when he lets the invisibility fall away from him. 

All of them shout a form of his name as they rush over, Robin the first one to reach him. 

Robin’s eyes seem to scan over him, hands reaching up to physically check for any wounds. Kori and Rachel are on either side of Robin, doing their own checks. Garf transforms into a hawk and perches on Robin’s shoulder, Victor towering over all of them as his own eyes do a scan. 

“What happened? Are you alright?” Kori questions as Robin flips Danny around to check for any more injuries. 

“I’m fine,” Danny answers, letting them finish checking him to soothe their own nerves. 

“What happened?” Robin demands, turning him back around. 

Danny does his best to offer a soothing smile, but he fears it comes out as a bit of a grimace based on their reactions. 

“It was my own fault, I lost track of time,” Danny states, letting out a sigh as he rubs his arm nervously. 

“What does that even mean?” Garf questions, face scrunching up as much as it can in hawk form, wings rustling slightly. 

Danny lets out a big breath, steadying himself. 

“So, you know how I’m a ghost?” Danny asks, all of them nodding. “Well, ghosts who become ghosts through … death have a …” 

Danny pauses again, sighing as he runs his hand through his hair. His legs become a tail as he wraps it around himself for a sense of comfort. 

“This is a bit hard to explain, I’ve never had to explain it to the living before,” Danny explains. 

“You don’t have to explain if it’s too much for you,” Rachel assures. “We all have parts of us we don’t feel comfortable sharing.” 

“It’s not that,” Danny says. “I want to explain. I don’t want to keep any part of me hidden, not anymore.” 

“Take your time, man. We’re listening,” Victor promises. 

Danny offers him a smile as he releases another breath. 

“Ghosts who have died have what we call a Death Day,” Danny begins to explain, moving towards the couches and taking a seat. “Every year on your Death Day, you re-experience the thing that killed you.” 

He doesn’t look to see their reactions. He’s not sure what reaction he wants. None would be ideal. He doesn’t want sympathy, or to see the sadness in their eyes. It’s a part of his life, and he doesn’t want to have to hold their feelings about it along with his own. 

“Point is, August 27th is my Death Day. I forgot it was so close, and wasn’t paying attention to the date. I usually go to spend my Death Day with my folks. They always make the pain … less,” Danny explains, running a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll make sure to mark the date so that we don’t have something like this happen again,” Robin assures, surprising Danny slightly with how close he is. 

“Yeah dude! And we can make a care basket or something for you next year to take with you!” Garfield pipes up, taking the form of the cat as he rubs his body against Danny’s legs comfortingly. 

“On my planet, we would have a date to celebrate the dead, perhaps we could do that for you if you’d like,” Kori offers, a smile on her face. 

“I have some techniques that help with physical pain that could help you perhaps,” Rachel proposes.

“And I have some lotion I made that helps me during bad pain days,” Victor suggests. 

Danny feels his lips wobble and his eyes gather moisture. 

“You guys would do all that for me?” Danny asks. 

“Of course!” Kori exclaims. 

“You’re family, man,” Victor follows up with. 

“Can I … show you something else then?” Danny asks nervously. 

They all nod, backing up slightly to give him space. 

“I am a ghost, and my name is Danny Phantom, but …” Danny sighs as he closes his eyes, concentrating. 

He feels the familiar tingle course through him, like a toned down experience of the day prior, run through him as he transforms. 

“But I’m also a human. Danny Fenton,” Danny finishes, opening his eyes. 

His teammates look a varying degree of surprised. Even Robin looks a little shocked, though he covers it up better than the rest of them. 

“Wow,” Garfield mutters, eyes wide as he looks up at Danny. 

“I’m a … I’m a halfa,” Danny begins nervously explaining, hands twisting together. “At least, that’s what they call me in my home dimension. Half-ghost, half-human. We’re not very common. Most people die all the way, not just halfway.” 

Rachel nods, hand coming up to her chin as she seems to think. 

“I believe I’ve read about halfa’s in one of my tomes,” Rachel says thoughtfully. “There’s not a lot of knowledge about them due to their rarity.” 

“Wait, if you’re half-human, then how come your dad’s are yetis?” Victor asks, brows furrowed in confusion. 

Danny laughs a little at that as Kori elbows Victor. 

“You cannot ask someone about their parentage, Victor! It’s quite rude,” Kori hisses under her breath. 

“Honestly it was the first thing I thought you’d ask when I revealed myself,” Danny admits, smiling to show that he’s not offended. 

Victor smiles sheepishly anyway, offering an apology. 

“Frostbite and Hailwind took me in after some … unfortunate events in my past,” Danny explains, stomach clenching as he thinks about what happened. 

He wants to explain everything to them, but perhaps not everything everything. Some things still hurt too much to talk about.

Robin nods in understanding, offering a smile. 

“Thanks for explaining this to us, Danny. It takes a lot of guts to open yourself up to people,” Robin says, pulling Danny in for a hug. 

“We love you Danny,” Kori says, joining in on the hug. 

And, before he knows it, everyone else has joined. He’s surrounded by his team, nah, his family. They’re all hugging him, holding him, they accepted him. 

Danny smiles wide, hugging them all back. 

“Okay, okay let’s meet them before I get so nervous I change my mind,” Billy states, reaching out to grip Danny’s hand tightly in his own. 

Danny offers a soothing smile as he squeezes Billy’s hand gently, offering some comfort. Then, he reaches his other hand out, curling his fingers as nails extend from the tips. In one motion, he swings his hand in the air, a portal opening in front of them.

Billy gets tugged through before he can think too much about the fear and anxiety of entering a portal that leads to someplace he’s never been before. 

The first sensation he feels is cold, freezing cold. Followed by warmth as a heavy coat is placed over his shoulders. 

“I told you it was going to be cold,” Danny huffs good-naturedly, apparently not feeling the chill in his ghost form. 

“How was I supposed to know you meant freezing and not just chilly,” Billy pouts. 

Danny raises an eyebrow as he smirks slightly. 

“Maybe because I told you multiple times that’s what I meant?” 

Billy huffs and shoves Danny good-naturedly. 

“Great One!” a voice booms before a white furred being envelopes Danny into a hug. 

Billy’s eyes widens as he looks up at the being. They have two icicles for horns atop their head, blue and gold clothing and accessories adorning their body, and an ice left arm with the bones visible. Not to mention the fact that they are giant. So much taller than anyone Billy’s ever encountered … well, maybe not bigger than Darkseid, but it’s close. 

“Hi Frostbite,” Danny squeaks out, voice strained from the force of the hug. 

“It’s good to see you again!” Frostbite booms, finally releasing Danny. 

“Good to see you too,” Danny says honestly, stretching slightly. 

“And who is this?” Frostbite asks, purple eyes turning towards Billy. 

Billy gulps nervously under the gaze of the yeti, resisting the urge to transform into Captain Marvel. He’s fine. This is Danny’s family. He’s fine. 

“This is who I was telling you about!” Danny answers excitedly, flying over to hover next to Billy. “Frostbite, meet Billy. Billy, meet Frostbite.” 

Frostbite grins and extends a hand. Billy cautiously takes it, watching how the other’s hand envelopes his own completely.

“Wonderful to meet another member of Danny’s family!” Frostbite booms, shaking Billy’s hand gently yet excitedly. 

“Nice to meet you too,” Billy agrees, feeling a little light at being referred to as family. 

Frostbite smiles wide and releases Billy’s hand. 

“Shall we?” Frostbite asks before turning around and beginning to walk. 

“Where are we going?” Billy whispers to Danny. 

“To meet everyone else!” Danny answers, grinning. 

“Everyone else?” Billy asks nervously, eyes wide. 

Danny laughs and nods. 

“You didn’t think Frostbite was it, did you?”

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

Billy feels like his head is spinning from how many yeti’s he’s been introduced to. First there was Frostbite’s husband, Hailwind, then Frostbite’s siblings, Glacierwalk and Snowfall. And that was just Frostbite’s immediate family!

There are the other yeti’s in the village, most of whom Billy forgets the names of. All with different names and different occupations. There’s also an elderly couple that helps look after all the Frostlings. 

His head feels like it’s spinning as he shakes hands and smiles, says hello and gets handed food. His head gets pat a lot, every Yeti smiling at him widely. 

Consistently, they’re all so nice to him. Tell him they’re so happy to meet him. Grateful Danny has found family in such a kind young man. 

Billy feels … shy. Undeserving. Danny’s family is so kind and nice. Billy’s just … Billy. He hasn’t earned any of the great things he’s been gifted, he just does his best to do what he can with what he’s been given. 

“You okay?” Danny whispers to Billy when he gets a moment to breathe. 

“I’m okay,” Billy assures, slightly breathless. “Just a tad … overwhelmed? You have so many people who love you.” 

Danny smiles softly as he looks out at the crowd of Yeti’s mingling. 

“Yeah, I’m really lucky to have all of you,” Danny says softly. 

Billy doesn’t say anything. But he’s thinking about how lucky Billy is to have Danny, not the other way around. 

Danny pulls Billy into a side hug. 

“If you need to leave, we can,” Danny offers. 

Billy smiles kindly, warmth filling him. He’s glad to have someone like Danny who’s looking out for him. 

“It’s fine, go enjoy the party. I’ll be back out mingling in a minute,” Billy assures. 

Danny grins and gives a mock salute before flying back out to join everyone. 

“We’re really lucky to have someone like you watching out for Danny,” a voice says. 

Billy jumps slightly, turning to see it’s the leaner Yeti he met earlier. What was his name? Hailwind, wasn’t it? 

“It’s the other way around, really,” Billy responds softly. “Danny has so many people who care about him. I’m so grateful I’m considered one of those people.” 

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Hailwind replies, smiling. “Danny might have a lot of family, but he’s not as open as he projects that he is. Everyone in his life means a lot to him.” 

Billy feels himself flush slightly. 

“Well, I’m glad that Danny considers me part of his family,” Billy admits shyly. “I think we’re just as lucky to have him in our lives as he thinks he is to have us.” 

Hailwind chuckles and nods in response, a smile growing on his face. 

“Yes, I think you’re right.”