One of Us is Gonna Have to Change

If North had known the catch—that when Jack asked, "Can I invite a friend to the party?" he'd meant, "Can I invite a human to the party?"—he probably would've said No.

"What are you talking about?" Jack laughed, face scrunching up in amusement, crossing his arms. He looked a bit out of place without his staff (it was a masquerade party, and he'd come dressed in the black and white garb of a popular American superhero named Phantom), but Jack's eyes still shone with the familiar glint of a trickster. "Danny's not human. Not entirely."

"Ah, but there is the issue, my friend. Part human is still human." North explained, casting a wary glance across the room. The boy in question chatted animatedly with Tooth, Bunny, Coatlquetzal, and the Groundhog. Danny himself had a blue hoodie, brown pants, and a certain crooked staff in his hands. North tried to shake off the uncanny resemblance; if Danny only had a white wig, he'd be identical to Jack Frost.

Danny wasn't having any trouble seeing the guests, though, despite being well past the age of most believers. North wasn't sure if the boy was a medium or had nonhuman heritage, but it didn't matter. It was still dangerous.

"There are many spirits here who would take advantage of a human," North pointed out. "Not at my party, perhaps. But after."

"Danny? No. he can take care of himself." Jack said.

North raised a skeptical eyebrow, so Jack called over, "Hey Danny! Come meet Santa."

From across the room, Danny and Jack shared a knowing glance, and briefly North wondered what was going on between the two. He didn't have much time to ponder it, though, as the teen tactfully broke away from his conversation and ambled over with a smile.

Danny offered a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, North, Jack's told me a lot about you. And… my dad's a big fan," he admitted sheepishly.

North shook the offered hand, casting a confused glance to Jack, who just grinned, eyes sparkling. "So North seems to think," Jack started out before North could get a word in edgewise, "That you're human."

A pause, and instantly, Danny grinned too. "I knew that whole 'watching you 24 hours a day' thing was BS." He turned to North, eyes dancing with such amusement that North irrationally wondered if he was Jack's twin. "Are you asking for a demonstration, then?"

North blinked. "Demonstration?"

Grinning, Jack stole his staff, and Danny stepped back, hands clenched at his side.

And then a white ring appeared around the teenager's waist.

Heads turned as the bright flash grew, parting over Danny's form to completely change his appearance. The hoodie and pants transformed into black and white hazmat; Danny's black hair inverted to white. In an instant, the human was gone, replaced by Phantom, ghost superhero of legend.

North's jaw dropped. Jack, behind him, laughed.

"See? What did I tell you? That was priceless!" Jack sauntered over to lean an elbow on Danny's shoulder. North blinked. Now Jack and his guest were both wearing the same outfit, and except for the height difference and one's green glowing eyes, the two looked identical.

Danny poked Jack in the chest. "Yeah, but now one of us is gonna have to change."

"Bloody hell," whispered Bunny from somewhere behind North, echoing his thoughts. "I can barely handle one Jack Frost—what're we gonna do with two?"