Note: I'm back with a new chapter! I would have posted this last weekend but I took a trip out of time and didn't have time to proofread it with my sister until yesterday night. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this!
Phantom felt numb, like a balloon, weightless, disconnected. His eyes unfocused, seeing nothing. His ears were full of cotton, only muffled, faraway sound penetrating his sluggish mind. If he was human right now, he'd be stiff, his muscles struggling to drag himself forward. But he wasn't. He couldn't turn human because the fusion failed. He was still incomplete, half a being...and he'd never felt more like the ghost he was.
Floating silently, he let himself be led by his sister, down the hall and to his bedroom. His other self stumbled robotically beside her, mirroring his ghost half's sober posture.
Jazz stopped outside Danny's bedroom door. She turned to face the two halves. "Good night, Danny."
With a soft smile, she leaned forward to kiss Fenton and then Phantom on the forehead. If either Danny was more aware, they'd have leaned away, nosing wrinkled in disgust. Or wiped the 'kiss' away with an annoyed groan. But both halves were numb, eyes fixed down sadly.
Their sister frowned, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "I love you so much. And I'm here if you want to talk, even in the middle of the night."
The words passively washed over Phantom, who couldn't even think to respond. But his human half sighed, glancing up at Jazz. "Okay." He said meekly.
Jazz's lips twitched, her frown threatening to deepen. Her brow wrinkled in thought as her gaze flitted between the two boys. Out the corner of his eye, Phantom could almost see the decision mulling in her head, hover and try to comfort or give them space. After a moment, her shoulders fell. "Okay." Her expression softened. "I'll see you in the morning. Try to get some sleep."
Hesitantly, the girl stepped away, slowly walking to her door and all the while watching the two until Fenton stepped through the door and Phantom followed. The ghost closed the door. Silently, Fenton who was still in his day clothes, grabbed a pair of pajamas from the drawers. Without any warning to his ghost half, he started undressing. Phantom didn't even bother to blush, just looking down to give an illusion of privacy (ha). As if he needed privacy from himself. And that was supposed to be him. The merging was supposed to work, leaving only one Danny to get dressed for sleep and climb into his bed. But instead, Phantom was still stuck like...like….this. Just a ghost.
"Phantom." His own voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry. Mom and Dad...they'll…."
Oh, yeah. There was Mom and Dad to think about too, who may or may not believe them about being the same person. The ghost sighed, looking up to find his human self now dressed in spaceship pajamas.
The human continued, frowning. "We'll….we'll figure this out. We'll figure out how to re-fuse and get Mom and Dad on board. And...it'll be okay, right? Yeah."
Fenton looked at him with wide, begging eyes. A silent plea for comfort, for assurement of his hope. But Phantom couldn't muster the response his human half was looking for.
Instead, his expression turned carefully neutral. "You should….try to sleep."
"Oh." Fenton's shoulder dropped, disappointed. "I guess I should. Yeah. It's late and…." The human trailed off, eyes focused down as he sat on the bed.
Silence fell again, the atmosphere heavy. Phantom turned around, looking out the window. After a few moments, the bed behind him creaked. The ghost glanced back, seeing his human self laying down and settling under the covers, a somber expression on his face.
The ghost's brow uncreased, his lips turning up slightly. "I think….I'm going to go for a flight. Ok?" He floated forward, meeting his other half's eyes. "Good night, Danny."
The boy blinked, his own expression softening. "Good night, Danny." He muttered, closing his eyes.
Phantom nodded, turning back around. His softer expression falling, he phased through the window.
The ghost streaked across the sky, the wind stinging his face. Maybe another night he would have enjoyed the speed, the sensation but now….he just wanted to flee as if he could get away from his own thoughts. But one's own mind is not something that one can so easily escape.
Mom and Dad's faces flashed through his mind. Heartbroken, teary, and guilty. Like they'd been after talking in the lab that morning. It was painful and that reaction he'd understood and could accept but after…..Mom's thoughtful expression as she contemplated his origin. Scientific curiosity and excitement when Mom and Dad talked about him like he wasn't even there, as they threw hypotheses back and forth about how he was a formerly unaware copy. A kind but pitying look that made him feel sick. 'No wonder you were so confused.'
The boy careened to a stop, now in a forest at the edge of town. He felt his core flare within his chest, the cold energy swirling. At the same time, Mom's words burned in his mind.
'Phantom's just confused. We're trying to help him.' Over and over again. 'Phantom was confused and they were just trying to help. They were the adults, the experts so they knew best.' They did want to help; But really, that was worse than them just rejecting him. If they had just rejected him, the boy would know how to react, how to feel. He would know to not trust Mom and Dad, to not give into the hope that things would get better. But now…..
More words painfully pricked at his core. 'Get away from the ghost!' His parents loomed over them, threatening to pull him and his human self apart. 'That ghost is lucky we don't-' Guns, cages and experiments. Another threat, subtle, just below the surface. They hated ghosts, rambled about how they would study and experiment on them. Except….
They would never hurt him, right? He was their son; they loved him. They just wanted what was best for him, to help him?
But they never listened! He and Fenton told them exactly what they needed but they refused to believe it. Mom and Dad were being so stubborn and bull-headed and blind. They just wouldn't listen…. until Jazz stepped in and beratted them for their bias.
And that was the real problem; they still hated ghosts. Ghosts weren't like humans….they're lesser... Confused post human consciousness. Not evil monsters but…'unnatural, wrong'.
Phantom's fists balled; he was still unnatural and wrong in their eyes. His own parents and they thought this, he was wrong. That word, wrong, it burned again and again, stabbing his core. He was wrong, a freak like he thought. He'd never be normal again and Mom and Dad saw that now and said he 'wasn't supposed to be a ghost'. Their son, their Danny wasn't supposed to be, should not be a ghost.
Anger flared, ectoenergy igniting in the ghost's hands. He'd already dealt with this, damnit! He'd acknowledged and accepted that this was just what he was, a ghost. There was nothing he could do about it; it was just reality. But he could live with it, for lack of a better word. And his friends still loved and accepted him. Jazz still loved and accepted him. But most importantly, his other half finally understood and accepted this. Or Phantom at least thought he had.
The ghost mentally growled, pain prickling again at remembering his human half's wide fear-filled eyes, the flicker of doubt he'd felt from him. What's worse, Fenton had pushed him out. They'd tried to merge and his human self had pushed him out of his own body. Anger flared again and the ghost shook his head. This was ridiculous; he knew this was ridiculous. The fusion had failed, painfully. Fenton pushed him out because they were both in pain and it wasn't working. But...it still hurt so damn badly! How could his human do that after everything? Why couldn't the merge have just worked?!
Phantom's eyes flashed bright, the light in his hands flaring before shooting forward, away from his hand, and impacting a tree. The bark singed. The ghost's eyes widened at the sight, surprised. Earlier today, he would have been alarmed at the display, ashamed that he was capable of something so destructive with so little effort. But now, he finally realized how angry he was. He hadn't really been properly angry since this started, not like this, but now the emotion raged within him, roaring through his veins.
Another ectoblast. Why did all this have to happen? The accident, the portal, the ghost catcher, being split. Why did he go into that portal? Why did he have to die? Why did he have to split himself? A branch fell, neon green energy severing it from the tree trunk. Why did Fenton have to split them? Why did Mom and Dad love his human half but not him? The ghost shivered, something like jealousy running up his spine (except he probably didn't have one, since he was a ghost). He was angry at, jealous of human half, of himself. And it was horrible. Why did Fenton push him out? He thought the human wanted him but this kept happening. They took one step forward, towards accepting themself just to take two steps back.
And Mom and Dad. It's all the same with them. One step forward, two steps back. Gritting his teeth, Phantom shot another blast and a sapling fell. He thought they accepted him, just for them to turn around and deny his very existence. Another blast, scorching a rock. And then! And then, they finally said they believed both of him about being a hybrid. Mom and Dad said they'd help them fuse. But could he really believe that? Chest heaving. More neon green light. Leaves incinerated. What if they changed their minds? Or where just saying that so he and Fenton wouldn't do something 'reckless' and try merging again? What if they were hoping to research him, claiming to find a way to fix them but were really trying to prove that their theory was right?
With a shout of rage, Phantom pushed more power out of his hands. The ectoenergy impacted a tree with a thud. The plant creaked, the trunk splintering. With a crash, the tree fell. The ghost paled, feeling the anger drain out of him. It was replaced by dull shame as his panting breath slowed. He...hadn't meant to do that. Well….he'd been meaning to let off some steam but he hadn't meant to be that brutal. He let himself lose control and…..someone could have been really hurt if he hadn't been alone.
Shoulders falling, the ghost fixed his gaze on his hands, watching the light flicker around his fingers before it blinked out. He sighed, really taking in his surroundings for the first time. The green leafed trees, softly rustling in the breeze. The hoot of an owl and chirping of insects. The beat of wings. A green earthy smell and a soft hint of flowers. Phantom startled slightly, not at the still surprisingly peaceful environment, despite the destruction he just wrought. But at the supernatural clarity of the scene. With his ghostly night vision, every leaf was distinct, the image crisp. He could even see the colors of the flowers growing in the understory.
How hadn't he really noticed this before now? He sighed again. As cool as the enhanced sense was, it also made him sad. Another reminder of this strange situation. He was here, in the middle of the night. Alone. Unable to turn human. Stuck as a ghost, with little idea of why the merging didn't work. And Mom and Dad? Their former (?) disbelief still sent pangs through his core. Could he even hope to trust them again? The ghost put his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do?
The night was long as Phantom spent it alone. He wandered the woods for a while before taking to the sky again. He flew up, trying to enjoy the star up above the clouds for a while. Then he took to flying around town aimlessly. Almost like he was haunting Amity Park…..Maybe he was, though Phantom didn't know how he felt about that. It felt almost natural for him as a ghost, not that there was really anything natural about being a ghost. He wondered what his human self would think or the whole Danny. The fact that he didn't know made him uneasy.
The night felt like it dragged on into eternity, but eventually it ended as the sun rose, bathing the world in light. The ghost phased back into his bedroom a little while after to find the room empty, the bedsheets ruffled and pajamas discarded. His human self had probably already gone downstairs for breakfast; it was a school day.
That familiar uneasy feeling rose in the ghost's gut. Fenton was downstairs….with Mom and Dad. He should...he should go down and join them, face his parents. But….what if…?
Doubts rose but the boy pushed them down. He'd be fine. He just needed to take the plunge. Taking a calming breath, he phased through the door and floated down the stairs. He stopped at the foot, taking in the scene. His parents, not wearing hazmat for once, and his half-asleep human self sat around the table.
As he quietly crossed the living room, Dad looked up from his breakfast. The man grinned at him. "Danny-boy! You're up!"
Mom also looked up, smiling at him. "Good morning, Sweetie."
Phantom stopped, now in the kitchen. He rubbed the back of his neck, now feeling awkward. "Oh Yeah. Good morning."
Dad's grin shifted slightly, dimming as if he noticed the boy's nervousness. Waving at the boy, he said. "Come on and join us son."
Mom gave him a nodd, still smiling at him comfortingly. She held up a plate of baked goods. "I made some cinnamon rolls. Why don't you grab a plate?"
After a questioning glance at his human half who gave a slight nodd, Phantom opened one of the drawers and grabbed a plate as Mom suggested. He then took a seat at the table across from Fenton, where Jazz normally sat. Speaking of….
"Where's Jazz?" The ghost asked.
Fenton answered through a yawn. "Upstairs. She was in the shower when I came down."
Phantom nodded; now that the human mentioned it, he'd thought he'd heard the shower running upstairs. "She might be a bit. You know how she likes to hog the shower." He tried for a mischievous grin but it fell flat.
"Yeah." His human self added with similar lithelessness. But Phantom couldn't tell if it was because the boy was tired or he was feeling nervousness similar to Phantom's.
With nothing else to say on that subject, the ghost reached for the cinnamon rolls and placed one on his plate.
"Do you want some eggs and bacon too?" Dad offered, passing another plate.
"Sure." Phantom said, though he didn't really want the food. It's not like he could taste it.
But he added two pieces of bacon and a spoonful of eggs anyway. Half-heartedly (half-coreedly? Since he had a core instead of heart right now), he picked at the food, trying to ignore how out of place he felt. This, eating breakfast with Mom and Dad was so mundane. So normal. So human. In another situation, the familiar action would have been comforting, showing that despite the difficulty with Mom and Dad, things were still okay. That life was still going on. But now, it felt like he didn't belong here, doing something so normal. Granted, Mom didn't normally make a hot breakfast on school days; both of his parents actually sitting down together at breakfast was rare also…...Maybe….this scene was a little too normal.
Mom's voice broke Phantom out of his thoughts. "Do you not like the food? I can get you something else."
The ghost looked up, noting Mom's frown. He sighed. "No. It's fine. I'm just not hungry."
His mother's frown deepened. "Are you sure? You must be hungry."
The ghost's stomach dropped. "But I'm not." He swallowed nervously, deciding to explain. "I haven't really been hungry since before the ghost catcher."
"Really?" Dad tilted his head while Mom glanced at him, a mixture of concern and curiosity on the parents' face.
Phantom nodded. "I haven't felt like eating since then and I don't need to." He poked at the eggs sadly. "And I can't even taste this."
"You can't?" Mom questioned. Then she looked at his human half. "Have you had that problem too?" She frowned. "You're eating right now."
Fenton nodded, swallowing the bite he was eating before pointing at his mouth. "These taste buds work just fine and my appetite's normal." He shrugged. "It's probably just a ghost thing."
Mom raised an eyebrow, fixing her gaze on Phantom. "That would make sense. I suppose a ghost wouldn't want or need human food." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How does that work when you and Danny….." She waved, pointing at Fenton. "The other Danny are….?" She trailed off, motioning between the two as if unsure how to refer to their arrangement.
"Fused. Merged. Together. The way we're supposed to be." Fenton supplied.
Mom pursed her lips, expression uncertain, while Dad tilted his head thoughtfully. "Fused." He tried out the word tentatively.
Phantom frowned; he didn't know what to make of his parents' tentativeness. Though had that been a curious gleam in his mother's eye earlier? Looking to change the subject, he side-eyed at his human half. "Speaking of fusing ….uhhh…"
"Last night you said you had a theory about why us fusing didn't work." Fenton continued his thought.
"I do." Mom's thoughtful frown deepened. "I think the cause is the antiecto residue from the ghost catcher."
"Antiecto residue?" Fenton questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. The anti-ecto field in the ghost catcher which separated you two left minute particle traces in your tissues." The woman explained, looking at Fenton. "You two then tried to merge through overshadowing." The ghost stiffened at the wording.
Dad placed a gentle hand on Phantom's arm. "Your mother and I understand what you were trying to do now."
"And we aren't angry about it anymore." Mom smiled at him kindly.
"Okay." Phantom swallowed, trying to believe her words. "But still, why didn't it work?"
"Well do you remember how I explained the anti-ecto field repeals ectoplasm from real world material?" The ghost boy nodded and his mother continued. "That residue must have repealed your ectoplasm from your human counterpart's organic body. Hence why you couldn't merge. Your bodies just aren't compatible right now."
Phantom nodded again, thinking he understood. It seemed to make sense but he didn't know enough about their invention and how being a ghost-human hybrid worked to argue.
At the same time, Fenton's eyes lit up. "So that means if you can get rid of the residue in me, then we can re-fuse."
"Figuring out how to do that will be our first priority." Mom started. "But that's not necessarily the case."
Fenton's hopeful look fell. "Why not?"
"There's a lot we don't know, son." Dad said.
"We don't know exactly what the portal did to make you into a hybrid or how your biology is supposed to work. We don't even have data from before the ghost catcher on you in….ummm." She motioned to Phantom.
"Ghost form?" Phantom raised a brow.
"Ghost form." Mom continued, the words tentative before she spoke with more confidence. "We don't know what your base line should be and if your body….or bodies I suppose…." She wrinkled her nose, not in disgust but a more perplexed expression. "Can return to that baseline without assistance."
"Yeah." Fenton blushed. "I guess we...I...have two bodies right now, so that's kinda weird."
Phantom rolled his eyes. "I think kinda weird is an understatement."
Fenton snickered, more nervous than actually amused. "Really weird then."
Mom and Dad looked between each other, saying nothing to agree or disagree with the statement. Instead Mom continued, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And then there's the more….metaphysical connections between your two forms which you still need to tell us more about."
"You mean sharing emotions and stuff?" Fenton questioned.
"Yes." Mom nodded and then sighed, worry plain on her face. "There's just so much we don't know."
"But we'll figure it out." Dad tried to look confident. "Your mother and I promise we'll do everything in our power to get you back to the way you're supposed to be."
A flash of uncertainty crossed Mom's face, making Phantom's stomach churn. They were 'supposed to be' half ghost and he could almost see the pain on his mom's face from the thought. Then the woman shook her head and swallowed. "Yes. Of course we will." Her expression softened. "We love you Danny. Ghost, human or both at the same time."
The declaration sent comforting warmth through the ghost Danny, mixing anguishingly with the still lingering pain. He glanced down, biting his lip. "I...I love you too."
"Oh sweetie." The ghost looked up, meeting Mom's eyes as the woman's lips turned up in a loving smile.
At the same time, Dad reached over to ruffle his hair. "You're a good kid, Danno." The man smiled, reaching Fenton's head at the same time. "Both of you are."
"Thanks Dad." The human half-smiled. "And you can quit being sappy." He whined with little heat.
Dad said nothing, chuckling instead. Mom shook her head, somewhat amused before clearing her throat and glancing at the clock. She frowned and then looked at Fenton. "Go ahead and finish your breakfast. Jazz will be down soon to drive you to school."
Phantom raised a brow. Yeah, it was Monday and that meant school...at least for his human counterpart. He frowned while Fenton nodded.
"Alright." The human took a large bite of his cinnamon roll and chewed. Then he swallowed and addressed his ghost half. "What about you?"
Phantom's frown deepened and he spread his arms. "Well, I can't go to school like this."
Fenton rolled his eyes. "I know that. I mean, what are you doing today?"
"He can stay here with us." Dad grinned. "Get in some bonding with your folks."
"Jack, we need to get started on finding a way to merge them." Mom put a hand on her chin. "We need to look back over our old data and samples first."
"That's true." Dad nodded. Then his eyes lit up excitedly. "Do you want to help us, Danny-boy?"
"Help you….look over your data?" Phantom raised a brow skeptically.
"Your father has a point, Danny. You can help us research how to re-fuse you and your counterpart. Anything you can tell us about what you've experienced would be helpful."
"Yeah." Phantom sighed. They had a point and it sounded like they actually wanted to listen to him now. "I can do that."
"And I can fill you guys in after school on anything you still have questions about." Fenton added.
Mom nodded. "Thank you sweetie." Then she eyed the two Dannys. "And we'll need new samples as well from both of you."
At that, the ghost paled while Fenton swallowed nervously. "Samples?"
"Yes. We need information about how your biology differs now, compared to the limited information we have about before the ghost catcher." Mom tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We can perform some scans and take some samples from Phantom today while the other Danny is at school."
Somehow Phantom paled farther, the image of needles and scalpels flashing in through his mind. He shook his head. "Do...do I have to?"
Mom's expression softened, eyes widening in understanding. "Sweetie, there's no need to be nervous. We'll go slowly and be gentle."
"No." Phantom emphasized, looking at his human half pleadingly. "Not...not if it's just me."
Fenton bit his lip. "Phantom maybe you should." His voice lowered as the boy spoke more quietly. "They're not going to hurt you."
"But…" The ghost blushed in shame. He...he was being ridiculous. Fenton was right; Mom and Dad wouldn't hurt him. They were trying their best to help and he should be cooperative but….he still didn't know if he could trust them. He wanted to trust them on the one hand, but on the other, he didn't want to, didn't want to risk being hurt again. And he was scared, scared of Mom and Dad. He wasn't supposed to be, he shouldn't be, and he didn't want to be scared but….
A cough sounded, light footsteps entering the kitchen. And it was then the rest of the family noticed Jazz's entrance. "What's going on here?" The girl asked, not unkindly.
Voices explained the discussion but the words were drifting past the ghost, who was busy staring at his hands in shame. He should trust Mom and Dad, do as they ask as a sigh of good faith but…
"Danny." Jazz's soft voice beside Phantom shook him out of his thoughts. "What do you want to do?"
The boy bit his lip. "I...I should help them, give Mom and Dad the samples."
"What do you want to do?" Jazz repeated.
"I...I don't...they'll need my ectoplasm but then means needles and...the lab...it still...I don't like it." He shivered at the thought of the cold sterile walls, the metal tables, a cage. He wasn't an experiment to them, he would never be but...he'd come so close to that reality. And now, it was ridiculous but he was scared.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Phantom suddenly looked up, startled at Mom's statement. He met her eyes, filled with hurt but deeper….guilt and shame. And most importantly sincerity.
"But...you need samples." Phantom argued. He wasn't really scientifically minded, didn't know much about ectobiology but he knew that if Mom and Dad were to figure out how to merge him and Fenton, they needed data. They needed blood and ectoplasm samples.
Jazz smiles kindly. "Would you feel better if I was with you?"
"We can wait until after school." Mom added. "Your sister can sit in so she knows what's going on too. But I promise you will have nothing to worry about." The woman finished, conviction in her voice as she looked at Phantom and then Jazz. The boy was unsure who she was promising- Jazz or him or maybe both.
"And Mom and Dad can get samples from me at the same time. You'll need some of my hair and blood and stuff, right?"
"Yes, we will." Dad answered Fenton's question and then grinned. "You can even bring your friends over if you want. More people to hear me blabber on about ghosts!"
The three teens at the table all groaned in annoyance but Phantom smiled, feeling comforted. "I guess we can do that."
Fenton agreed. "Yeah. Sam and Tucker will want to know how things went. I can probably get them to hang out, for a little while." The boy emphasized the word 'little.'
Mom half-smiled. "I'll be sure to keep your father from becoming too long winded."
Dad's mouth opened in a somewhat mock offended expression. "Me? Long winded? I don't know what you're talking about."
Phantom couldn't help but laugh this time. And authentically. His anxiety finally dwindling, the moment actually felt nice.
Beside the ghost, Jazz also laughed. "Speaking of long winded," she glanced at the clock. "It looks like time got away from us, we need to get going if we're going to make it to school on time, Danny."
Fenton also looked at the clock, his eyes widening. "Dang. We do need to get going." He stood up.
"Make sure you grab everything. Do you both have lunch money?" Mom asked, receiving a nod from both human teens. "Did you finish your homework, Danny"
"Actually, yes we did." Fenton smiled proudly before looking around for his bookbag. "It must be upstairs."
He started turning towards the stairs before meeting Phantom's eyes and subtly moving his head. The ghost raised an eyebrow in question and the human motioned again, towards the stairs more vigorously. Phantom's eyes widened in understanding and he floated out of his chair and towards the human.
The ghost boy could feel the parents' eyes on his back, hear their questioning murmurs as he followed Fenton up the stairs. Soon, they were out of eye and ear shoot and walking (or floating) into their bedroom.
Fenton shut the door. He grabbed his bookbag and started putting his papers into it before, turning towards the ghost. A worried expression painted his face. "Are you okay with staying here alone with Mom and Dad, today?"
Phantom raised a brow, not surprised at the question per say but grateful all the same. "Yeah, They're not going to pressure me into anything."
"But you still feel awkward and kinda tense around them." It wasn't a question but still wasn't sure.
Phantom rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah." Then he thought about how Mom and Dad listened to his concerns and tried to make breakfast as normal and comforting as possible, like he, as Danny's ghost half, belonged there. "But it'll get better, I think."
"I hope so. Hopefully they can find a way to fix us." The boy said before muttering. "Because apparently we can't do it ourselves."
The disappointment in the statement gave the ghost pause; Fenton sounded sad as to be expected but there was...something else. Not knowing what to make of it, the ghost asked. "What do you think of Mom's theory about why the merging didn't work?"
A trickle of guilt radiated from the human, farther confusing the ghost. Fenton bit his lip. "I guess it made sense and I can get that the residue is what was hurting both of us. But I..I had to push you out. It didn't just…." He trailed off, doubt coloring his features. He then shook his head. "I don't know enough about….all this to really argue but….. Mom knows what she's talking about, right?"
He sounded falsely confident, grasping at straws. Phantom lightly crossed his arms, silently challenging Fenton to continue, to voice his doubts but the ghost's core clenched as his other half remained silent.
"Danny! We need to go!" Jazz's shout broke through the tense moment, causing Fenton to look up.
"I'll see you after school." The human Danny grabbed his bag and headed out the door.
As soon as the human left, Phantom sagged onto the bed, his core twisting sadly. Maybe….he should have voiced his doubts about Mom's theory before Fenton left, the same doubts Fenton might be sharing. But the words had stayed locked in his throat by the look on his human's face. It all flashed in his mind, a puzzle coming together. The fear on Fenton's face last night, the trickling doubts, the surges of guilt. All of the tension before their failed merge and finally Fenton pushing him away. The Antiecto residue wasn't the only reason fusing didn't work.
He'd thought they were past this and things seemed to slowly be getting better with Mom and Dad. They had a real chance to make peace with them, work on rebuilding their hurt relationship. But would he ever be able to make peace with himself? That was the real question.
Note:And that's the update. If you have any comments or questions, let me know. I really appreciate all of the support I've gotten from this story and love hearing from you all. I don't know when the next chapter will be up since chapter 17 has been giving me a lot of trouble but talking to my sister about what's coming up in this story helped. So hopefully chapter 17 will come sooner than later.