Good [Insert Time of Day Here], Reader, thanks for joining me for the second chapter of Let's Make Music Together.

So, yeah… Uh… Not much to say here, so I'll just get right to it.

Begin Chapter II

Operetta's skull pulsed as her senses came back to unlife. When she opened her eyes everything was brown and black spots played her eyes for suckers. Her face crinkled in pain. Her head felt like it was full of shifting water, weighing it down in every direction.

She tried to get up, but pain shot up her spine and pounded against her forehead. She cried out and clenched and unclenched her lilac fists. Suddenly, gentle hands positioned themselves at the back of her head and around her sugarcane waist. She groaned as she was laid back down. She clenched the sleeve of the person helping her as her dizziness went away, but they didn't complain.

When Operetta's vision returned, she saw Jackson, sans the sweet bowtie and dorky sweater vest, looking at her with those beau blue eyes. Her mouth hung open like a dead bayou bass as heat creepy crawled up her neck and into her cheeks. Her grip on his arm lessened, her hand opting to instead rest on his arm laxly. The normie – or half-normie, she supposed – boy's face broke out in a goofy smile when she acknowledged him. He pulled his hands from her, laying her head on his rolled up sweater vest, but as his touch disappeared from her body she hardened her hold on the boy's forearm, giving both of them pause.

Jackson looked down, a miserable expression coming over his face.

"I'm really sorry," he said ashamed, "I didn't mean to scare or… hurt… you."

Operetta opened her mouth to protest, but when she followed his gaze she saw her hand wrapped tight in her crush's silk midnight bowtie. She flexed it, only to flinch when a hot flash rushed up her arm.

"I… tried to stop my transformation," Jackson admitted guiltily. "and because of that, you got hurt. I'm sorry."

"T'ain't nothing, sugar," the phantom said hastily, placing her hand on the boys shoulder.

When he persisted in staring at a pulled thread in his jeans, Operetta put her better hand on his cheek and lifted his chin.

"Look at me, darlin'," she said, smiling warmly, "I'm fit as a fiddlin' kitty, an' twice as cute."

She sent a wink Jackson's way and he chuckled back at her. He took her bandaged hand gently in his own and turned it over. He frowned at her palm as he softly traced the folds of his bowtie.

"Judging from the severity of the burn," explained the half-normie, "it's extremely probable that your injuries will scar."

Operetta's heart fluttered from the contact, but she forced herself to respond, seldom she make the situation awkward.

"Well, well," the phantom said, chuckling, "I didn't know y'all fancied yourself a doctor, sweet pea."

An adorable flush came over Jackson's face, but he quickly steeled his expression and looked the phantom straight in the eye.

"Please take this seriously." he implored.

The Gnarlston Belle placed her good hand over her crush's.

"Don't y'all worry yer' lil' ol' head 'bout me." Operetta consoled. "My house is chalk full o' oils that'll do the trick. Believe me, honeycomb, this ain't the only time I've needed to use 'em."

Dread rooted itself into the singer's stomach as soon as the words left her naturally ruby lips. The flesh under her mask tingled and in that moment she felt like the only thing she was wearing was the intense blush invading her pretty face.

The nerdy half-normie shot the ghoul a confused look, but just as he opened his mouth to ask, the bell rang, echoing through the catacombs and bringing their time together to a close.

Operetta clicked her tongue as Jackson got up to go to class. He stood and held out his hand for the phantom to take. She grasped it firmly and let herself be hauled up.

The boy pushed aside the curtains to leave, but paused. He looked over his shoulder.

"I didn't catch your name." Jackson said.

The ghoul smirked.

"I didn't give it out." she replied, giggling all the while. "Operetta. Operetta Phantom."

The nerdy half-normie beamed.

"I'm Jackson," he said cheerily, "Jackson Jekyll."

End Chapter II

I have to admit, I really enjoy writing for these two. By the way, I'm really sorry that this update isn't as long as the last one, but it resolves the cliff-hanger from the previous chapter so I guess I don't completely fail, right? Right? Anyway, third chapter is in progress and shouldn't take too long to be posted.

Alright, that's pretty much it. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again.