Phic Phight entry for Team Human, 2021

Based on prompts by 217 / Aedelia / quishaweasley (prompt descriptions at the bottom)

Heart To Heart

Broken icicles, snowflakes, and overall a snowy mess covered the floor. In the middle of the scene, a large piece of ice was being reshaped over and over, as if it didn't satisfy its creator. It looked like a heart, from the rough carving it showcased. The power emerging from two gloved hands covered the sculpture in frost, then snow, then ice, undecided on how to make it work. Because it had to work. Phantom had given it so much effort to make it perfect. Quitting was no longer an option. It probably never was.

The ghost boy seemed deeply focused, his intense green eyes almost trying to burn holes on the offending edges of the sculpture. While he surely didn't have laser eyes among his already large list of skills, for a moment Jack Fenton was almost convinced Phantom would be able to develop said power if the spook had enough incentive.

Leaning against an adjacent wall, the Fenton patriarch cleared his throat to get the ghost kid's attention. The otherworldly teen was startled for a moment, recovering as soon as he met the hunter's eyes. There was a small sigh of resignation, but he set once again his attention on the heart-shaped figure.

"How long have you been standing there?" the ghost asked almost absentmindedly.

Jack felt a sudden smile filled with bemusement tugging at his lips. The now-familiar pace still felt odd with his previous methods and beliefs. Neither ghost nor hunter had jumped at the first opportunity to flee or shoot, respectively. How had things changed in just a few days... "Long enough to see your heart's not really in it, spook" the man jibed.

Phantom only offered a snort. At least he was being more receptive than last time. It was a hit or miss in each encounter. Sometimes they got into heated arguments over basic spectral behavior, while on other occasions they would laugh at the absurdity of certain pseudoscientists parading as ghost experts. During several interactions, the ghastly boy would withdraw and provide the vaguest responses, with no hint of his characteristic sense of humor present. After all their meetings, Jack knew if he wanted to get him in a chatty mood, he would need to break the ice first.

"I'm impressed," the orange-clad man exclaimed with no veiled astonishment in his voice. "I never knew you were able to do something like this. Something..."

"Non-destructive?" the ghost supplied with some annoyance. There was still resentment from their previous confrontation.

The older man shook his head. "Ice powers!" he replied with his usual boisterousness. "It's not something you see every day!" He knew ghosts had a distinctive temperature and it was a tell-tale sign of possession or spectral presence in most haunts. But to deduce this was somehow related to ice was unthinkable. None of the other entities they had studied or observed in combat had ever displayed that kind of ability, unless there was a theme behind it. Then, again, Phantom was one of a kind in every sense. There was something so peculiar in this ghost's development, the way each new power appeared and adapted to what the situation required. There was so much potential in only studying this ability alone. "Are these powers new?"

"No," Phantom replied shortly. Still not willing to talk much, then.

Jack scratched his head if only to get more attention from the spook with a simple movement. "Guess that explains the lack of practice," he muttered loud enough for the eerie teen to hear. The patriarch knew Phantom liked to show off and taunt his enemies. Being challenged on how well he used a power could be the perfect bait to get him talking. Or so he hoped.

The ghost shot him an unimpressed look. Sure, there was a hint of hurt pride visible for a moment, but he was resolute on not giving in to Jack's efforts today. "It's just hard to concentrate with an audience. Do you mind?"

It was his companion's turn to snort. "Yeah, nice try, spook."

While ectoplasmic-based entities required no air to survive or had no other use for breathing than to appear more human to unsuspecting victims, Phantom had dominated the art of sighing in a very dramatic way. Which he did once again as if surrendering from the futile attempt of getting Jack to leave him alone. Of course, he should have known there was little to deter the rambling and uninhibited inventor from getting to the bottom of anything that piqued his curiosity.

Sensing no other response from him, Jack gave a closer look at the ghost's creation. "What are ya trying to make anyway?"

Softer green eyes turned to give him a more patient glance, confirming Phantom's resignation from the cold shoulder approach. "A gift. If I have to 'practice', as you call it, then I want to do something I've wanted to do for a long time. Who knows? I might even keep it for its intended purpose if it turns out right."

A knowing smile appeared on Jack's face. For a moment he was reminded of his kids and how they struggled with the complexity of romantic teenage relationships, where everything's unnecessarily stressful and serious, despite not being that big of a deal when he thought about it. Sure, he only reached that conclusion once he was old enough and married, while adopting phrases such as 'kids these days' or 'back in the day'.

"So, who's the lucky ghost girl?" he teased.

"What makes you think it's for a ghost?" Phantom's playful smirk was branded with his trademark I-know-something-you-don't seal. It got in the hunter's nerves and at the same time it filled him with a certain giddiness at the prospect of having more things to discover. The scientist in him wanted answers so badly, but it was a mystery he felt he was getting closer to figuring out with so many pieces already laid on the table. If only he could concentrate enough to connect each dot.

He knew the ghost kid wasn't bluffing either. There were so many rumors about his proximity to humans. Even Jazz had once been a target of speculation on Phantom's love interests, something both Fenton parents – and, thankfully, the girl herself—had found appalling and nauseating. Still, since he was given the opportunity... "At least I know my daughter wouldn't be crazy enough to fall for a punk like you."

Phantom responded with a disgusted face. "Eeeewwww, gross! I can't unhear that! Again!" He shivered dramatically, closing his eyes and grimacing. "Fine! If it means I won't have to go on with your train of thought, I'll tell you who she is, okay? Jeez..."

The middle-aged father didn't know how to respond to that. Part of him wanted to defend his daughter's likeability and was deeply offended by the disgusted reaction. On the other hand, at least this meant there was no sign of even a platonic relationship between them, which was something both he and Maddie feared after listening to Jazz defend the so-called hero so many times.

After a moment, Phantom seemed to weigh his options, taking a more serious look and frowning before his confession. "It's... the Red Huntress, okay? I... really like her," he added in a softer tone. "But it's not like she would give me the time of the day, anyway." The revelation was sincere, if the way the ghost deflated and continued focusing on his sculpture was any indication. That spook sure wore his heart on his sleeve...

The Red Huntress had been targeting him since she first appeared, even coming close to destroying him a few times. She was relentless, which impressed and even inspired the eldest Fentons immensely. Of course, there were odd occasions where she had made some sort of temporary truce with Phantom, but those didn't last long. Usually. Now that he thought about it, it was hard to remember the last time she actively attacked the ghost boy. Not that it meant anything in terms of a possible romance. A ghost and a human falling in love? What was this? A Patrick Swayze movie?

Jack shook his head to dispel the thought. "You really do have a death wish, spook."

This only resulted in a heavy sigh in response as the heart-shaped sculpture was once again destroyed with a flick of his white-gloved wrist. "Story of my life."

Scientific curiosity won him over and Jack was determined to see the ice sculpture finished. If Phantom could be able to master in just a few minutes the rough edges of this power, it gave the man plenty to study. No way was he going to let it go.

The hunter walked closer but kept enough distance from the ghost. An unspoken sense of respect they had built in the last few days, even if Jack wouldn't admit it out loud. And if they had come this far to be able to talk more civilly, it was only because Phantom was willing to listen to Jack's ramblings about ghosts while supplying information on his own. In exchange, Jack had decided to listen to the ghost more, if only to learn more about so many mysteries still residing inside the Ghost Zone. It always took some time to get the white-haired boy to talk, but once he opened up, it became quite a ride.

"Cheer up, ghost kid," he said in a rather fatherly tone to get him at ease. "No need to shoot yourself down when she can do it!"

Phantom rolled his eyes so hard it reminded the man of his teenaged son whenever he made a dad joke. "Hil- arious!" the ghost deadpanned.

Jack seized the given opportunity, enjoying this brand of playful torture. "What, don't tell me you're losing your cool already. Didn't mean to give you cold feet on the whole sculpture thing. There's no need to take my jokes to heart."

The second-hand embarrassment had been so effective, Phantom had no other choice but to groan in his hands, covering his blushing face. "I can't believe you're willing to murder me in cold blood..."

Bingo! There it was. Jack smiled triumphantly, delighted to see a worthy rival of his puns, which had been another pride and joy of countless Fenton generations. He wasn't sure how to feel of sharing this kind of interest with a ghost, though.

Trying to get things back on track, the hunter changed the course of the conversation. "Fine, I'll be merciful, but you're on thin ice. Why not tell me what's the story, then? How did you figure out you liked her?"

The father of two had found in their meetings that treating Phantom like he would any of his kids had better results than approaching as a hunter or, worse, a scientist. Something about treating him like a person seemed to click, even if he really wasn't one. But even studying the response the Fentons had to any other manifestation of post-human consciousness paled in comparison to the ghost kid. He didn't seem as fixed to an obsession as other humanoid specters. Nor did he fall into feral or one-track responses either, even if he was somewhat hasty and temperamental at times. That was something they thought came from being a teenager. If anything, this ghost had more complex ways to connect ideas, multi-layered stories, and modern concepts. That's why Jack often gave him a chance to tell a story. Any story. Because if there was something Jack liked more than blathering on and on about his research, was listening to others sharing their own theories and discoveries.

The ghost kid shrugged and began to recreate his sculpture, fixing some of his earlier mistakes. He avoided the hunter's eyes but otherwise didn't refuse to talk. "I just..." he spoke as he turned around the ice figure. "It's complicated, okay? She hated my guts but also liked another side of me. It's never been easy." His hands shot a small ice ray to give the asymmetric shape more balance. "She's strong and driven." A small ghost ray from his fingertips began to carve part of the edges. "She's beautiful and smart. And all I could offer was some help she didn't even want because she thought I ruined her life on purpose."

Jack blinked. "So, you ruined her life but not on purpose."

Phantom stopped his carving to grimace at the older man, no doubt replaying in his head what he just said and figuring how awful it sounded. "No, it's not like that. It's, uh... comp--"

Blue eyes rolled. "Complicated, gotcha. What happened then? Did she start going soft on you?"

Despite how some details would likely remain private, at least the scientist was getting the conversation to flow, as well as getting him to get back to working on the ice sculpture, which seemed to become smaller in this new effort.

"She didn't start going soft on me," Phantom replied as he continued his handiwork. "It got worse before it got better. Please, don't make me go into detail," he added before his companion could ask him to elaborate. The ghost shrugged, using his ghost ray to fix another mistake on his creation. "I guess she learned to trust me and realized we work better together than as rivals. Not that I ever saw her as an enemy."

This took Jack by surprise and yet... somehow it fit entirely with the way both Fenton parents had interacted with him. How he would dodge without counterattacking, or how his taunts had a playful tinge to them, or how he would avoid confrontations altogether, something the two hunters had chalked to a sense of respect and even some fear. It was still hard to understand, but Jack believed these enlightening conversations would be crucial to getting a better grasp of his motives, if any.

Of course, the man preferred to keep the interaction on topic. "You liked her from the start? Even when she hunted you down?" he asked intrigued.

Phantom blushed again and stopped his work in favor of crossing his arms. "You're making this awkward on purpose, aren't you?"

"Now, why would you say that?" Jack asked innocently. It never failed: once the ghost detected the hunter's intentions, he would call him out on it. Almost as if he had known beforehand Jack's different techniques. "I'll have you know I'm used to being awkward. Comes with the territory."

This did little to convince Phantom, who returned to his annoyed mood if his scowl was any indication. "Yeah, well, I'd rather talk about other things. What happened to asking me about the Ghost Zone or my daily battles? Or, heck, even threatening me with a Fenton Bazooka?"

"I thought you said you liked casual conversation," Jack recalled. It had been one of the first requests made by the ghost when they started talking to each other. He had joked about the whole formality of their exchange and how the hunter needed to chill because he wasn't going to fly away, anyway. That's when Jack began to test the waters and see what he could achieve using a different approach. Hence the turn to father-like interactions or sudden pun duels. But at the end of the day, no matter how much they wanted to pretend to have a normal conversation, they were still a ghost and a ghost hunter. It was always going to be awkward. There would always be a barrier.

The figure floating in front of him kicked a small piece of ice that fell from his once again failed sculpture. "Yeah, but this is kinda too personal. Why are you so interested in teenage love lives anyway?"

Phantom didn't usually engage in conversation through questions when he was annoyed or undisposed. This meant he was more frustrated with something else than with the current topic. Jack took the small olive branch and followed with his previous course of action. "And I'm supposed to be the clueless one..."

A curious look crossed the white-haired boy's features. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Taking a more relaxed stance, the ecto-scientist smiled as warmly as he could to his former hunting target. "When you're blocked in a project, sometimes thinking about something else does wonders. If you want your ice sculpture to work, maybe you just need some inspiration."

"Right, because talking to my personal ghost hunter about someone else attacking me is really inspiring," the ghost replied with the heaviest dose of sarcasm he could muster.

"Kids these days... only listening to what they want to hear..."

"Ok, boomer..."

Jack almost snorted at the juvenile response. He was sure Danny would be just like this given the time and opportunity. There was an odd pull at his heartstrings whenever their interactions had some resemblance to his relationship with his son. Maybe that's how he'd learned to bury his hatred towards the spook. He didn't like dwelling on that for too long.

"I'll pretend that's a compliment and ignore the eye roll. Look, if this is a gift for someone special, why not focus on what makes this girl special?"

Phantom seemed to study the rough patches in his icy creation. "Sure, like the death threats? Seems like they inspired me here."

"No need to get all smart with me," Jack scolded but remained friendly. "Try something like this: when I think about Maddie, I can't stop thinking about how lucky I am for being by her side. How talented and amazing she is. Her powerful black-belt moves, the way she finds the most logical answers to impossible problems... see what I'm getting at?"

Glowing green eyes turned to the unsatisfying shape with an over-critical look. He wasn't convinced yet, but the wheels in his head seemed to be turning towards a more approachable subject. "Sure, why not?" he practically muttered.

The curious onlooker stared in fascination as the ghost closed his eyes to focus on the newfound topic, which seemed to bring a small smile to his lips. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes, which glowed a fierce blue that sent shivers down Jack's spine. The temperature dropped even further, and the frozen remnants of his previous efforts surrounded the central piece and then dissolved into nothing. Phantom extended his gloved hands towards his smaller creation, making it shrink until they covered the heart-shaped ice completely. The glow then began to return to its usual lighting and color, while his frosty gaze went back to its usual radioactive-green.

Phantom blinked out of his daze before opening his cupped hands to reveal the final product: a much smaller but perfectly shaped heart, adorned with barely discernable patterns from Jack's vantage point. The ghost kid stared incredulously at his masterpiece. "It worked?"

A small sense of pride filled the Fenton parent, who couldn't hide the huge smile from his face. "Ha! Told ya it would work! I'd say that's a huge breakthrough, then."

The ghost returned his attention to his spectator and offered a fond smile of his own. "Thanks. For the advice, I mean..."

Jack sensed the imminent end of their conversation. The good times never lasted between them and the downfall would usually begin right after an important milestone, once each began to settle back into reality and view everything in the cold light of day. But the hunter wanted this moment to linger. It was a huge accomplishment, even if it didn't seem like it at first glance.

Not wanting his mood to sour, Jack tried to maintain his animated tone. "Listen, kid, I obviously don't know the first thing about using ghost abilities. But giving awkward love advice to hopeless teenagers--"

"Hey!" Phantom protested.

"--is part of my job as a parent."

There was a beat. The ghost stared strangely at the older man but didn't say a thing for several seconds. Jack began to rack his brains for any kind of clue to the odd non-response, part of him beginning to feel uneasy at the lack of clarity.

"Huh..." Phantom mused out loud once he regained his echoey voice. "You just called me kid."

Jack froze at the revelation, dumbfounded as he tried to remember saying that damning word. "What?" he replied defensively. "No, I didn't!"

Phantom's smile widened, but not in a teasing or mischievous manner. It was a genuine, happy smile. "C'mon, you know I'm not some soulless monster or whatever."

"I said ghost kid," the hunter insisted.

The specter ignored his reply. "You even stopped calling me spook for more than five minutes!"

Jack scoffed. "At least not out loud, punk."

Before either could add another word, a deep voice interrupted their exchange and froze their blood. "Is there a problem here, Dr. Fenton?"

Both ghost and hunter were violently sent back to the reality of their current situation. The large containment unit. The glass separating them. The various monitors assessing Phantom's performance. Jack could see the exact moment the bubble burst for Phantom, who returned to his earlier withdrawn state, now devoid of a sculpture to distract himself with.

The otherwise exuberant scientist felt the loss of the witty banter and the paternal advice, making him settle for a more subdued tone as he turned to the lab's newcomer. "Not at all, Agent K," he replied. "The ghost finished the assignment. This baby got plenty of data from the process, for sure," he added as he tapped the largest monitor on the panel he was leaning against.

The GIW agent didn't show any hint of emotion. His tinted glasses could be deceiving, but Jack was sure he was staring at the ghost kid. "Good," the man replied in a somewhat satisfied tone.

While it had been the Fentons' life-long dream to have enough credibility, support, and resources to research up to every last detail there was to know about ghosts, he felt snowed under the emotional rollercoaster brought by the ghost boy's companionship. Sometimes he even felt just as trapped as the kid was. There it was… that deceivingly innocuous term again.

Jack used the opportunity to bring an important topic to Agent K's attention, even if it was mostly to distract himself from his inner ramblings. "However, never let it be said that I, Jack Fenton, am single-minded. I've been checking the rest of the information we collected throughout the week. There's something odd you need to see."

"Odd?" the agent repeated.

The spectral researcher tapped into a nearby keyboard to show on screen a series of graphs with a diminishing trend. "His readings are not coming as strong as before. He won't last long if we keep this up."

There was a malicious grin on the otherwise reserved agent, who returned his attention to the ghost floating aimlessly on his back. "Then we have to try to learn as much as we can before he destabilizes, don't we?"

Jack Fenton could be many things. Overexcited, naïve, boisterous, clueless, impulsive, impetuous... anything but cruel. That's why the GIW's detached approach to ectoplasmic experiments rubbed him the wrong way. Sure, he always mentioned wanting to rip ghosts apart molecule by molecule, but it had always been a figure of speech and a way to threaten dangerous entities. He wanted to learn everything he could about how ghosts and ectoplasm worked, existed, and interacted. Every single detail. But more often than not, their inventions were meant to study and analyze ghosts. Heck, he even wanted to interpret ghost speak!

But purposefully destabilizing their subjects? To what end? It almost seemed like petty revenge against Phantom for being a thorn on their side. Maybe that's why they had decided to call him instead of Maddie. Because they knew how vocal Jack had been in wanting to basically dissect the ghost kid.

After taking a brief moment to observe triumphantly over his prized trophy, Agent K turned around to give Jack a firm nod. He then headed out of the lab, not a single word spoken during his departure.

Once they were alone again, the tired scientist sat on his chair and faced the forlorn entity. Phantom was watching carefully his ice sculpture, which now looked more like an out-of-season Christmas ornament. This kind of scene had been part of what made Jack question some of his previous assumptions. It made his subject less of an object and more... human-like. It brought several important questions about how the deceased could retain old habits from their life. Talking about post-human consciousness didn't exclude the humanity or sentience implied. Maybe they had been using inappropriate terminology, or maybe they had always known but tried to leave that revelation out in the cold. Neither Jack nor Maddie wanted to think about the real implications that train of thought could have in the way they lived. And died. Would they come back? Would they be sentient or outright an evil manifestation of what they once used to be?

If anything, Phantom brought Jack more questions than answers. Some even forming a new layer of mystery, especially with his constant riddles.

"If I don't make it out of here," a small voice cut Jack from his mental unrest. Phantom still wouldn't turn to face him. "Can you at least give her this? At least to get some closure," he said with no amount of hope, lifting his icy heart in front of his face. He wanted to give it to the Red Huntress.

Jack took a closer look now that Phantom was placing it against the glass. He stared at the details around the piece. Aside from small snowflake patterns, there was something written. VG DF, the engraving said. Vigilante Girlfriend? Daring Freak? There was no "P" among those initials, so maybe those weren't even names.

"It has something written," he pointed out.

The intense green eyes bore into Jack's blue ones, as if trying to convey some hidden meaning. "She'll understand what it stands for."

The large man nodded and signaled the ghost to place the figure into a tray used for other kinds of samples.

After pushing a few buttons, the heart-shaped ice ended up in the man's black-gloved hands. He figured it would have to remain in an insulated container. Maybe he could try searching for the huntress tonight after his shift. Or convince Maddie to do it to avoid being interrogated by the GIW.

Even if he was being constantly monitored and even followed to avoid any leaks of information, he still had the right to return home every night. They had agreed to only allow contact with Maddie, which wasn't a problem now that Jazz was off to college and Danny had gone to the Space Summer Camp in Florida. He already missed his kids too much and wouldn't want to miss Maddie as well during this project.

Jack sighed and placed the heart inside his lunch box. "C'mon, Phantom... let's... let's just start the next test," he suggested after he went to safely store the box into his paper bag. He didn't want to go back to their now daily routine, looking for new tests to perform to measure his power, which in turn would help develop stronger weapons and devices.

Phantom settled in a corner, sitting on the floor. The ice probably took out more energy than they first thought. He crossed his arms before turning a resolved green glare at his captor. "I think I'm done talking for today. I'm not so sure I want to give you a hand this time."

Jack tried to at least bring back a brighter mood. If they were both stuck, they could at least try to make it bearable. "That's no problem," the man beamed, though he knew the ghost would see through his intentions again. "I'll do the talking for both of us. Won't be as fun, but it'll keep us busy. Whaddya say?"

The ghost sighed in defeat. "Knock yourself out."

As the former hunter tried to calibrate the system for the new test, featuring the recently unveiled ice power, he tried to blather on about some old story about his great-grandfather and some ghost-hunting shenanigans as told by his father. But in all honesty, his heart was not really in it.

His mind drifted back to the small gift stored in his lunch box. As he did prior to the current experiment, he tried to find a good topic to thaw the cold interaction between ghost and hunter. Maybe something to keep Phantom in good spirits. "I promise I'll try to give your gift to the Huntress. Who knows? Might even land you a date in the process," he joked.

Phantom gave him a small smile, its levity not reaching the glowing green eyes of the crestfallen ghost. "Any chance you can give her my current address as well?"

Jack shook his head lightly and smiled back with the same optimism. "When hell freezes over, kid."

Prompts:

217 / Prompt 07: After an encounter with Phantom, Jack finds himself apparently helping him. Not with ghosts, but asking out the Red Huntress.

Aedelia / Prompt 10: Danny is having a difficult time trying to make an ice sculpture and finds inspiration/advice in an unlikely place.

quishaweasley / Prompt 109: The GIW capture Phantom and bring Jack in to assist them instead of Maddie.