As Fenton walked through Casper High's front doors with his shoulders dropped, his eyes focused down. Treading towards his locker, the boy tried to ignore the guilt still churning in his gut and the thoughts and worries swirling through his head. Arriving at the locker, he stopped and raised his hand to turn the lock. The image of his other half, frowning with crossed arms, passed through his thoughts. In the bedroom this morning, when they were talking about the failed fusion, maybe he should have voiced his doubts;That the merging failed because of him.
The boy looked up, taking in the scene around him. Paulina and Star gossiping at their lockers. Mikey, Lester, and Nathan carrying their band instruments and excitingly chatting about some tv show. Dash and Kwan throwing a football at the end of the hall. Ms. Teslaff scowling at the jocks before yelling at them to cut it out.
Pulling the door open, Fenton sighed. It all looked so….normal. Like any other school day with students and teachers going on about their lives. With everything that happened over the last few days, Fenton could hardly believe that he was even here, acting like everything was "normal". Like ghosts didn't exist and the portal didn't work. Like he wasn't a human-ghost hybrid who was split in half and still unsure if Mom and Dad accepted him. How could everything seem so normal when his life had fallen apart?
"Danny!" Yelled Sam and Tucker as they walked around the corner shaking the boy out of his thoughts.
"Hey guys." responded Fenton listlessly. He forced a friendly smile in greeting.
The two friends stopped in front of the boy, their happy expressions morphing into deep concern. Tucker's lips turned down. "Dude, you look awful."
Sam's face took on a similar expression, her eyes widening in worry. "Did you sleep at all?"
Danny yawned, tilting his head. Now that she mentioned it, he was really tired. How could he be so tired and so tense at the same time? And had he slept at all? He must have since he had….. Nightmares.
A forest, dark but the sight crisp. His own gloved hands in front of him, lit with neon green energy. Anger, rage running through his veins. Ectoenergy roaring forward. Tree branches falling. Why did Mom and Dad love his human half but not him? Jealously. A blackened tree trunk. Why did Fenton push him out? Leaves burning. How was he supposed to ever trust his parents again? What if he was just an experiment to them? An enraged shout. Radioative green impacts the tree trunk, splintering, burning, consuming. Creaking. A crash.
The roar of thunder, like drums echoing forebodingly around him , inside of his head. Dark Skies. Black, rolling clouds. Lightning- unnaturally green- streaking across the skin. Eyes widen. He shivers, muscles tense. The smell of ozone. Another boom of thunder. He doubles over covering his ears, face screwed up in pain? Fear?
Green flashes in front of his face. Metal. He's inside a metal tube, his hand on something on the wall. An unnatural chill. Whirling, mechanical grinding. around, inside his head. All his hair standing on end. Neon green (like his eyes, his ectoenergy) growing at the end of the tube. He's frozen. He needs to run. He has to escape. Danny! Get out of here, you idiot! But he can't move. The smell of ozone and citrus and old pennies. Lightning flashes. Then Pain! Is this what Death feels like?
Fingers snapped in front of his face. "Danny?"
Fenton blinked. He was in the hallway at school. That's right. He's at school, not still asleep in bed. Or taking his anger out on innocent trees (Sam would be pissed about that) or trapped in a thunderstorm or reliving (redying) the accident. Huhh…he hadn't had a nightmare about the portal since before the ghost catcher.
"Danny? Are you with us?" Sam snapped right in front of his eyes again.
The boy shook his head, finally forcing the thoughts away. He cracked a smile, one he most definitely didn't feel. "I'm only half here, I think. The rest of me's still at home."
Sam rolled her eyes before her expression became concerned.
At the same time, Tucker frowned thoughtfully. "You mean that literally?" Fenton nodded. "So you and...Phantom." The technogeek whispered the name. "you guys didn't…." He trailed off, making vague hand motions.
"No, there's still….two of me." Fenton frowned at the reminder.
Sam raised a brow. "So the other you is at home with your parents?"
Fenton nodded again in confirmation. Then Tucker said. "Speaking of your parents, sorry I couldn't come over to help you tell them."
"I wish I could have been there too." Sam gritted her teeth. "My parents were being so stupid. I tried to fight with them to get out of it but…." The girl shook her head. "But anyway, how did telling your parents go?"
The human Danny frowned. "Okay, I guess?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't get shot at or locked in a cage so it could have gone worse." Fenton forcefully chuckled.
Tucker's jaw dropped while Sam's expression darkened, as she and Tucker looked between each other in disbelief.
"Please tell me that wasn't actually something that could happen." Tucker pleaded.
"Well…." Fenton's eyes fell to the floor as a hand hovered unconsciously over his abdomen. "Mom...Mom did shoot Phantom on Friday."
The boy's voice was quiet, anxiety churning in his gut. He hadn't thought about that much since it happened and he hadn't really talked about it with Mom and Dad. But with Sam and Tucker staring at him in shock, like they just really realized that Mom and Dad shot him, the memory and the pain it brought came flooding back to his mind. That really happened. This was his life and his mom really shot him.
Sam took a step forward, her hand gripping his arm tightly. "Are you safe with your parents?" The words were said as quietly as Sam could probably manage through her gritted teeth. But Fenton just blinked at her, not understanding. She repeated. "Are you….is Phantom safe at home with your parents right now?"
The boy's eyes widened in understanding. He swallowed. "Yes." He answered with complete confidence. "Mom and Dad won't hurt him…..And Mom is really sorry she...well you know." Mom hadn't said as much, except in a panicked, tearful ramble after they told her on Sunday morning. But he'd seen the guilt on her face, again and again.
"Are you sure that you're safe with them? Because we can help you." Sam insisted. "You can stay at my house if you need to."
"Or mine. You're always welcome. If you don't feel safe, you shouldn't stay with them." Tucker added.
Fenton shook his head, looking down. "No. I'm safe. Mom and Dad….They love me, all of me."
Even as Fenton said the words, they stung. Despite what he...Phantom...they'd said last night, in the forest, in his dream, Fenton knew Mom and Dad did love his ghost half. Phantom knew that too. Or at least Fenton was pretty sure the ghost did. But all the same, Mom and Dad's love made the fact that they'd hadn't listened and wouldn't believe them about being the same person hurt all the more.
"Danny." Sam's voice turned quieter, almost uncharacteristically gentle. "I'm sure your parents love you, but if they're hurting you, even unintentionally-"
"No." Fenton cut the girl off. "They believe me and Phantom about being the same person now. And they're trying. They're really trying, Sam."
Sam's brow unfurrowed as she took a step back, studying him. Something in the set of her eyes suggested she believed him, or wanted to. At least, until Tucker spoke up. "What do you mean they believe you now?" He carefully emphasized the last word.
Fenton paled as Sam's eyes narrowed. " Danny. What do you mean 'now'?"
Human Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Well….we told them yesterday morning. And they both got really upset but we thought they got that Phantom was me. But… ghost me heard them talking last night and they thought...he was a ghostly echo and that me and Phantom weren't the same person. And Phantom tried to explain but they just….weren't listening and wouldn't believe a word we said." Fenton gritted his teeth, an edge of annoyance coming out in his voice before he swallowed.
But Sam interjected before he could finish. "I can't believe them!" She gritted her teeth. "No, I can. Just...Parents! They never listen. Always think they know best. Why won't they just...uggg." She glared, making a vaguely frustrated sound. "I should give them a piece of my mind."
Fenton shook his head. "Sam, it's fine."
"Fine! Fine! How can you say that?" The girl demanded.
"It's fine." The boy said, more forcefully. "Jazz yelled at them and got them to listen. They said they'd help me figure out how to re-fuse. And you should have seen them this morning. They were trying so hard to make everything normal. And they were super eager to get samples to start figuring this out but Jazz and both of me got them to wait until this afternoon and they didn't push it."
Sam spread her arms. "And so it's just fine?! We've all heard the things they've said about ghosts. They shot you, Danny!"
"Sam!" Both boys hissed at her increase in volume.
But she ignored them. "And then when you finally worked up the courage to tell them, they won't even listen and stomp all over your feelings!"
"Don't you think I know that?" Fenton argued. "I know what they've done. But...but they're trying to do better." Last night or even earlier this morning, the boy would have agreed with Sam completely. But now….the boy actually wasn't sure why he was defending them. Maybe he was too tired to be angry with them right now. Maybe he was okay complaining about his parents himself but not at listening to his friend insult them.
"So you trust them, just like that?" Sam crossed her arms.
"I didn't say I trust them." The boy muttered, crossing his arms. "But...I want things to get better with them so I have to believe they're at least trying."
Sam blew out a breath, saying nothing in response. Silence lingered for a moment until Tucker interjected. "What do you mean, figure out how to re-fuse?"
Fenton paled, swallowing as strange nervousness swelled again. "Oh. I didn't mention that yet?"
"No you didn't." Sam raised a brow at his change in tone.
"We tried merging last night and….." The boy took a breath, shoulders falling. "It didn't work."
Sam's hard expression morphed in wide-eyed concern. "It didn't. Why?"
Fenton wrung his hands, unable to keep the uncertainty from his voice. "Mom had this theory, something about anti-ecto residue."
"But you don't really believe that, do you?" The girl said, more of a statement than a question. She studied human Danny, as if prompting him to continue.
The boy paled farther under her gaze until the bell rang moments later. The tension in his shoulders lessened infinitesimally as he sighed in relief. "See you guys later. I need to get to class or Lancer's gonna have my head."
"You can't just leave us hanging like that, dude." Tucker said.
Fenton didn't reply, instead grabbing one last thing from his locker and closing the door.
"Come on, Danny. You know you can tell us anything." Sam's plea prickled at the boy's heart painfully but he wouldn't be swayed.
Instead he turned to face them. "I know I can. But…." Gripping the straps of his bookbag nervously, he looked down shamefully. "This is personal. I….I just….I can't." Sam and Tucker said nothing but Fenton could feel their concerned eyes on him. "I'll see you guys at lunch."
Human Danny turned to walk away, only to be stopped by Tucker's voice. "If you don't want to tell us, it's okay. Just...don't shut us out again."
The mixture of understanding and disappointment in his friend's voice made Fenton's stomach flop.
"We'll see you later, Danny." Sam said. mildly.
With a wave, Fenton walked away, trying to push away the shame he felt. He'd tell them more at lunch but not...that. Why he couldn't re-fuse, couldn't really be Danny, their real friend, because he was still scared of being half ghost. He was supposed to have passed this, to be comfortable with who and what he was. He should be strong and confident, understanding what was going on. But how was he supposed to help Mom and Dad be comfortable with how he's changed if he himself wasn't?
After Fenton had left for school, Phantom stayed in their room for several moments. He sat on the bed as his core churned with sadness. He balled his fists in the sheets, eyes fixed on a somehow very interesting stain on the carpet. The boy tilted his head, studying the spot. He should probably go down stairs and finish breakfast with Mom and Dad, even if he wasn't going to eat. Stop wallowing in his problems, like how he wished he was riding to school with Jazz right now and would get to talk to Sam and Tucker in class and at lunch. His friends were definitely going to ask Fenton about everything that happened this weekend. What was he going to tell them? And what would they think about all this?
"Hey kiddo. What're you up to?" Dad's voice, coming from the open doorway (Huh, Fenton must have left it open when he rushed out), cut through the thoughts.
Phantom looked up, his shoulders still low. "Oh. I'm just thinking."
There was a beat of silence before Dad asked. "Sad thoughts?" The boy nodded but said nothing, turning his head back down again. The floorboards creaked as the man took a step forward. "Things are going to get better, son. Just you wait. You'll blink and you'll be back to normal."
The ghost shivered at that word, wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm not normal."
More footsteps and Phantom could sense Dad standing in front of him. Not looming but leaning down to be near eye level. "You'll be back to what's normal for you, Danno. I know it's different than before but that's okay." He could almost hear the attempt at a comforting smile. "None of us Fentons are really normal anyway."
Ghost Danny's lip twitched as some emotion pricked his core. It was ironic. He'd started thinking of and calling his other half Fenton. As if he only deserved to be called a Fenton if he was human. And he was Phantom as if he was really just a ghost. But really even after everything, like both of him were Danny, he, as just the ghost half, was still a Fenton. He still belonged as a part of this family. He couldn't help but be comforted by the thought.
Dad obviously did not interpret the silence as such. A large hand gently touched Phantom's shoulder and when Dad talked it was pleadingly. "I promise, I will do anything I have to make sure you come out of this okay. Better than okay." Dad's hand squeezed tentatively. "It kills me to see you like this. So sad and anxious. I'd give anything to see you smile again."
Another burst of complex emotions went through his core. He felt vulnerable, very vulnerable and the ghost wasn't sure he liked Dad getting a glimpse of what he was feeling so clearly. Then again, he'd shared more of how he was feeling this weekend than he had for months. And a part of him felt guilty for making Dad feel bad too. Last night he wouldn't have really cared but now he hated that his parents were hurting because of him. On some level, he wanted to smile and go back to acting like everything was okay. But they were passed that. So he met in the middle, choosing to accept the comfort, even if it wasn't making him feel that much better.
Looking up, the boy met his father's eyes. Frown still planted on his face, he wrapped one arm around the man's shoulders. "Thanks Dad."
"Sure thing, Danny-boy." Dad patted his back before pulling away. "Your mom and I will be in the lab if you need us." The man grinned. "No school and you're not helping in the lab. Enjoy your day off, you lucky duck."
That earned a half-smile from Phantom, even if it was mainly in response to Dad's goofy expression.
The half-smile didn't last very long, however as Phantom was left alone again with nothing to do. He turned on the laptop. Looked over social media, visited the DOOM wiki and a forum he hadn't been on in months. Boring. He played on his old Sims save. Killing Sims after dying himself was not fun. Opened Youtube, watched a movie trailer, the breakdown of the movie trailer, criticism of said trailer. Boring. He closed the laptop. He tidied the room, even made his bed. He flipped through his astronomy books.
Nothing was appealing when all he'd done for the past week was figure out idle ways to entertain himself. He finally had free time to do whatever he wanted but he really wanted to hang out with Sam and Tucker. Or find something useful and meaningful to do. The ghost bit his lip. Maybe he should take up the offer to look at the old data with Mom and Dad. It would help them find a solution quicker. But he still didn't want to be around them. He didn't think they would treat him as a research subject. They would probably try really hard, too hard, to make him comfortable. But it would be so awkward and the lab made him nervous.
He was just going to be bored then, wasn't he? Or… Phantom eyed an unused notebook on his desk. Mom and Dad did need some information he could give them. And if they were busy working on how to re-fuse him….shouldn't he help?
The ghost opened the notebook and started writing.
Fenton sat at his desk in math class, frustratedly trying to work through his worksheet. If he could finish this before class ended, he won't have to do it at home. The boy scribbled down a number, frowning. This had made a lot more sense last night, when he and Phantom talked it through. But now he was struggling to focus again. Fenton huffed. Probably the ongoing effects of being split. Like how he was still so tired and getting weird bursts of boredom. Or maybe the lack of sleep over the weekend and school's normal boringness was just getting to him.
Sighing, Fenton glanced up at the clock. It was only two minutes until class ended and he could go to lunch. The boy put his pencil down and rubbed his eyes tiredly. There's no way he'd finish before lunch. He'd just have to do the worksheet at home. He stared into space for a bit until the bell rang. Then with the other eager students, Fenton made his way to the cafeteria.
Getting into the lunch line, Fenton grabbed his food, luckily a normal though still mediocre school lunch. He handed over his lunch money to a fortunately human lunch lady, receiving some change back. He sat down at his normal table where Sam and Tucker were already talking.
Seeing Fenton arrive, Sam's eyes lit up, her smile taking on a mischievous grin. "Hey Danny. Remember that time Tucker got kicked out of the Bath and Body in the mall?"
Fenton raised a brow in questioning while Tucker put his head in his hands. "That's not what happened."
"Yes it is." Sam pointed with her fork. "You were hitting on the saleswoman."
"Oh yeah." Fenton nodded, remembering the story. "You wanted her to help you find that manliest fragrance to cover up your BO." He grinned. "You could say you were having a scent problem."
This earned a laugh from Sam. "I think he has more of a sense problem."
"Hey! I just wanted help with a legitimate problem." Tucker argued.
"So that's why you got up to the counter with one hundred dollars worth of stuff and tried to pay with monopoly money." Sam raised an eyebrow.
"The lady dragged you out by your ear." Fenton snorted before his smile widened. "He couldn't solve his scent problem because of his…. cent problem. " Grin widening, the boy pulled out the change still in his pocket.
The boy's eyes lit up as he laughed at his own pun. He leaned over, happily enjoying the feeling. This, joking with Sam and Tucker, was perfect. One of the only things that hadn't changed after the accident. He could always count on his friends to laugh with him. Except….
The boy looked up, noticing the silence. His friends weren't laughing or even groaning in fake annoyance at his puns. Instead they were staring at him with worry.
"What is it?" He asked, now blushing self consciously.
Tucker titled his head. "Dude, you're still with us?"
"What?" Fenton questioned again.
"Your eyes are glowing." Sam said quietly.
"Oh." Fenton's brow furrowed as the cold feeling in his eyes finally registered. He whispered. "Phantom."
A double image rose through his perception. His hands on the cafeteria table, lunch tray in front of him. His hands in his lap, one gripping a pencil, gaze fixed on a notebook filled with his hand written notes for Mom and Dad. "Dang, good idea. Why didn't I think of that?" Danny wasn't sure which mouth said that. Maybe both. His brow then furrowed. "I did think of that, duh."
"Who are you talking to?" Tucker asked.
Danny looked back up, fixing his gaze on his friends. (Or was it Fenton fixing his gaze and Phantom seeing through him? Or did both act as one? They couldn't tell.) "Myself."
The answer just deepened the confused and concerned looks on Sam and Tucker's faces. "What's going on?" Sam hissed.
"Ghost me's seeing through these eyes." He pointed at the still glowing orbs.
"But he's at your house?" Tucker questioned.
"Yeah." A shrug. "He was making notes about what's been happening to us since the ghost catcher."
Sam hummed in thought. "Are we talking to both of you right now?"
Fenton nodded. "We can both see and hear you so yeah. But…." He glanced down at his hands. "It's just Fenton me talking unless Phantom me wants to….." He looked up, smiling at his friends. "It's good to see you guys." Maybe it was Phantom saying the words. Maybe Fenton was relaying the message. Maybe it didn't matter because Fenton and Phantom were both Danny.
He blinked and the neon green light faded out, leaving just Fenton with no awareness of what his other self was thinking or doing. Sam and Tucker were still staring at him. Fenton blushed. "Sorry. That was weird."
His friends looked between each other, before Tucker waved a hand. "Nah. We saw what it looked like from the other end. And now that you know what's happening, maybe you're more in tune with it."
Fenton tilted his head in thought. That was maybe true. Now that he knew about it, he had more control whenever that seeing double thing happened. It was a little scary that he was getting used to the idea and practice of having two bodies.
Deciding to answer, the human Danny frowned. "Maybe. But I still really don't like it."
"That's probably a good thing." Sam said, taking a bite of her wrap. "It means you want to fix things."
"Yeah." Fenton nodded; that was true, despite how the merging failed because of him. How could he want something so badly but still be afraid of it? The boy pushed down that thought (He shouldn't still be scared. Why was he scared?).
The boy took a bit of his cold pizza and swallowed. "And speaking of fixing things, Mom and Dad are going to help us figure out how to do that."
"And you believe them?" Sam asked, arms crossed. Her tone wasn't as prickly as it would have been this morning but there was still a hint of skepticism.
"I do." Fenton replied, only mildly confident. He believed they wanted to help but just yesterday, their ideas of helping were very different from his. "They're going to look over their data from before the ghost catcher. And…." He swallowed, nervousness rising. "Get some blood and hair samples and stuff after school." The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "I...uhhh….was actually going to ask if you guys wanted to come over and hang out and do homework after."
Sam cracked a half smile, uncrossing her arms. "You mean be moral support because you're afraid of needles."
"I wouldn't say I'm afraid of needles." The boy muttered into his drink.
"What's that?" Sam raised a brow, challengingly.
"I'm not afraid of needles." Fenton muttered a little more loudly.
"There's no reason not to be afraid of needles!" Tucker added, voice slightly higher in squeamishness. "You're not supposed to be poked by sharp stuff, man!"
"Sometimes it's necessary, Tucker." Sam rolled her eyes.
"Sticking metal into your skin to inject something in or pull liquid, your very life blood out?! Really?!" The technogeek shook his head.
"They only take a few drops of blood." The goth girl pointed sharply. "And don't make me lecture you on why we need vaccines!"
"Guys!" Fenton cut in before Tucker could argue. "You're just making me more nervous."
Sam flushed, looking apologetic. "Sorry, Danny."
"Sorry." Tucker muttered a second later.
"I don't know about Tucker." The girl glared at the other boy. "But I'll come over after school."
"I'm in too." Tucker crossed his arms.
"Thanks guys." Fenton offered a smile. "Mom promised to keep Dad on track so hopefully they won't be too bad."
"And I was looking forward to your dad's story about how he grew up in a log cabin and had to eat a horse." Sam quipped, laying on the saracism thick.
Fenton snorted and so did Tucker.
"Hey guys, remember that time…" Tucker went into a story about one of the sadly numerous times their group had been dragged into one of Jack Fenton's famous ghost rants. And though he'd normally be embarrassed, Fenton half-smiled, happy for friends that stuck with him through the craziness.
The school day could not end soon enough, Phantom thought. A tiny glimpse of Fenton's conversation with Sam and Tucker was not enough. The ghost looked down at the notebook still in his lap before jotting down what just happened; he'd been focused on writing before sudden laughter shook his shoulders. He'd blinked and seen the tables at school, the image slightly distorted and far away but very real. Then he was looking at Sam and Tucker and felt Fenton's confusion, his own confusion over their reactions before he and Fenton realized what was happening.
And it was still so strange. Seeing and hearing through Fenton, the other part of himself from a distance. Speaking through Fenton to his friends. And in that short moment, when the gap between him and his other half was lesser, actually communicating with Fenton through bursts of thoughts, emotions, and images. It felt very much like last night had, when Fenton came down stairs. And curiously….
Phantom gasped, realizing something. Closing his eyes, he focused on the recent memory.
"You wanted her to help you find that manliest fragrance to cover up your BO." He grinned. "You could say you were having a scent problem."
He remembered the puns and conversation with Sam and Tucker at lunch. He remembered grinning and pulling the change out of his pocket. He remembered even though he hadn't been there physically. He hadn't been seeing through Fenton then but Phantom remembered as if he was the one thinking and acting and speaking. The ghost smiled as a dim hope welled in his mind. This felt like a good sign of his and his other half's ability to re-fuse. But at the same time, it stung as he wondered if this meant Fenton remembered his conversation with Mom and Dad last night. Speaking of Mom and Dad….
Distantly, the clang of the heavy metal door to the lab closing met the ghost's ears. He could almost make out the sounds of his parents' voices. They'd probably come upstairs for lunch. Phantom bit his lip, debating. He was done with his notes and they weren't in the lab, which still gave him chills. They'd be happy and grateful to read what he had to say, right? He should go down and give them the notes.
Registering the queasy unease in his gut, the ghost huffed. He put down the pencil and closed the notebook. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be anxious to just go down stairs and give him parents a notebook. Mind made up, Phantom floated to his feet before thoughtlessly phasing through the closed door and floating down the stairs.
The ghost boy stopped before crossing the living room. Mom and Dad were facing away from him. They stood at the kitchen counter, making sandwiches and talking to each other. Dad said something, eliciting a laugh and playful poke in the side from Mom. Phantom bit his lip, anxiety rising again. The scene was so normal, strangely relaxed, and happy; again, the boy felt like an intruder, like he wandered onto a mundane scene only meant for the living. But he pushed down the feeling, instead silently floating forward until he was at the entrance to the kitchen.
Ghost Danny spoke, keenly noting the echo in his voice. "Mom. Dad."
Mom whipped around, a brief startled cry on her lips before her eyes fell on him. "Danny! You scared me." Her breath was fast, a hand placed over her heart. "You're as quiet as a…." Her already wide eyes widened as she trailed off.
"A ghost!" Dad, who'd also turned around, added with an inappropriate amount of excitement.
Phantom flinched at the outburst as Mom rebuked. "Jack!" Shock left her paled face as her eyes shifted from her child to her husband.
"What?" The man shrugged. "It's the truth."
Phantom flinched again, tensing as he looked between the two. Mom, normally one for a quick remark, just gaped at Dad silently.
Trying to break the quickly growing awkward silence, the ghost coughed needlessly before muttering. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
Mouth closing, Mom's expression softened. "It's fine sweetie."
Dad smiled. "I'm just impressed you managed to sneak up on us. How'd you avoid that creaky step on the stairs?"
How had he done that? The boy looked down, noting how his feet weren't touching the ground. Eyes widening, he blushed as Mom and Dad's gazes fell on the same space. He looked up again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...uhhhh….floated."
Mom's brow furrowed, a frown on her face as she pointed. "You've been doing that this whole time?"
"Yeeees." Phantom answered warily as he raised an eyebrow. Was that question disapproving, uncomfortable, or innocently curious? He couldn't tell.
Dad tapped his chin, humming thoughtfully while Mom continued frowning at the ghost causing Phantom to back up almost imperceptibly as he eyed his mother cautiously.
"What's it feel like?" Dad suddenly asked.
Startled eyes widening, Phantom fixed his gaze on Dad. "What's what feel like?"
"What's floating feel like?" The man clarified.
"Oh." The ghost's expression softened. That tone was so innocently curious, it sent a small wave of comfort through his core. He swiveled slightly in the air as he contemplated. "It's…..I feel really light."
"Really?" The excited smile on Dad's face encouraged the boy to continue.
"Yeah. It's like...when you go swimming and you just float there and everything feels weightless." Phantom's eyes widened at the statement. "It's probably like what being in zero G feels like." The ghost started at his hands for a second, realization striking him. He'd always wanted to be an astronaut, to know what floating in space, free of gravity felt like. And he'd been living...err...experiencing that reality for the past few days without it really dawning on him.
Another question distracted him from that thought. "How do you move around? You don't look like you're swimming or push off of things."
"Huhh." Phantom hummed thoughtfully as he swiveled in the air again. "I just...think about it, I think. Like I just think about moving forward or back." He floated a foot forward before floating back. "Or side to side." He floated towards the left. "Or turning around." He spun around, before facing Mom who wore a slightly curious look and Dad who was beaming.
"Wow, Danno. That's something right there." Dad exclaimed.
The boy couldn't help but grin at his father's approval. "That's not all I can do." He could actually properly fly. Intending to show the adults, the boy shot up, coming to hit the ceiling far too soon.
"Umph." Phantom made an undignified, startled sound as his head and shoulders impacted. Grin disappearing, the ghost rubbed his head lightly. "Ow."
Mom's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"
The boy blushed, embarrassed. "Yeah."
Dad raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Are you sure?"
"My pride's the only thing that's bruised." The ghost smiled, sheepishly.
Dad chuckled as Mom's expression betrayed her of amusement, the corner of her lips turning up. Phantom's shoulders relaxed at the display. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. And moments later, Mom joined with her own chuckles.
Ghost Danny smiled, tension leaving him. This felt good, smiling and laughing with Mom and Dad like everything was okay. Like him floating into the ceiling was just a normal part of life now.
But the moment didn't last, the laughter eventually dying down. Mom wiped watering eyes before her gaze fixed on her son. Her eyes traveled down, falling on the space between his feet and the ground again and her smile fell. "So the floating is something that just...happens. It's...automatic."
It wasn't a question as much as an observation of a fact. Something about tone made Phantom's stomach flop uncomfortably. "Yeah. I just do it." Mom raised a brow, silently asking him to continue. The boy sighed. "It's easy. It feels natural right now. Like walking or breathing when I'm….. human." He almost choked on the word, forcing it out before he really realized what he was saying.
But all the same the word fell heavy, focusing the room into silence as even Dad's smile fell. The boy looked down, dread clenching his core as he tried to not panic. Mom and Dad knew he wasn't human right now. They could see it, right in front of them. They'd just been laughing about his powers acting up. So why did he feel like he said something taboo?
"I suppose that makes sense." Mom broke the silence. "We know your body works differently when you're a….when you're like this."
Despite clearly trying to hide her discomfort, it still leaked through, pricking Phantom's core. Why couldn't she just say he was a ghost? That's just what he was. It's not like it made him bad. He was still the same Danny, the same boy they raised. Floating was just natural to him now. And he...he wasn't wrong or unnatural or broken because he was a ghost. A tiny sliver of doubt slashed his core, despite the platitudes.
Looking down, Phantom held the notebook, which hadn't left his hands since coming downstairs, close to his chest. He should maybe say something but he now wanted to run back up to his room, instead of floating here and being gawked at with uncomfortable and pitying looks.
"What have you got there, Danny?" At Dad's soft question, Dad saying his name, the boy's gaze flitted back up. Dad was pointing at the notebook, a curious look on his face.
"Oh." Ghost Danny swallowed, forcing his thoughts to reason he came downstairs in the first place. "It's….uhhh… for you guys." Mom raised a brow so the ghost continued. "I wrote down what's happened since the ghost catcher. At least what I've experienced. Since I figured this would be better and more complete than telling you in person."
Mom's expression softened, surprised gratefulness lighting her features as Phantom held the notebook out to her. She grabbed it before half-smiling at the boy. "Thank you, Danny." She flipped through the pages, scanning the words. Her eyes lit up with interest. Then she closed the book, taking a step forward. Her hand tentatively lingered over his arm for a moment before gently patting it. "This will be very helpful, sweetie."
Dad offered a slight smile. "Yeah, Danno. That was a good idea."
The complement was one he'd literally given himself thirty minutes ago. But he blushed anyway. "It was nothing. I want you guys to know what's happening so you can put me back together. Not that I'm really broken but I like breathing and eating and...having a heartbeat is nice. So...yeah...ummm."
"Danny." Dad interjected, looking slightly pitying. "We get it son." He pointed back towards the counter. "Anyway, your mother and I were making lunch if you want to sit with us."
"But I don't...I'm not…" He muttered.
Mom swallowed. "You don't have to try to eat. I know you don't….need to." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the last two words. "Just talk with us for a bit."
The boy looked between the two, awkwardness and discomfort plain on their faces. In truth, the feelings must have been plain on his face as well. The boy swallowed. Part of him still wanted to go back to his room to escape the strange feelings. But….Mom and Dad wanted to talk. And the request felt different than if they'd asked for both of him to stay.
"Come on, Danno. You can spare 15 minutes to tell your folks what's going on in your life…..afterlife?" Though still uncertain, Dad smiled like he told a great joke.
They wanted to talk to just him, just Phantom, just the ghost. Just the new part they didn't understand and were uncomfortable with. (But he...they...Danny was, were still uncomfortable with this too, weren't they?) But they wanted to understand…..Dad wouldn't have asked about the floating with such enthusiasm if he didn't want to understand.
Phantom half-smiled. "Half-life, maybe?"
Dad took a step forward before turning to put an arm around his son. "So you're Scroudinger's boy now?"
Mom looked horrified but said nothing, probably because her mind was frozen in shock.
The boy snorted despite himself; he did get his love of corny jokes from his dad. He then shrugged in response to the question. "Maybe?"
The man smiled, ruffling his hair. "You're my boy, all the same."
Getting over her shock, the woman rolled her eyes. "Sit down you two. Don't you want to eat, Jack?"
"My sandwich!" Dad jogged forward, taking his highly stacked sandwich before raiding the pantry for chips, cookies, and a can of soda.
Moments later, the three family members sat down. Dad took a large bit of his sandwich. He chewed, swallowed, and then said. "I saw something on the news this morning about a new Mars Rover launching."
Mom raised a brow. "It's called the Perseverance, right?"
Phantom's eyes lit up. "Yeah! I read about that last week. It's supposed to launch on the 30th! It has a small helicopter that's supposed to drop from its belly two months after it lands. I saw this video….."
The boy continued, rambling excitedly. His eyes seemed to flash intermittently as he felt his other half getting glimpses of the conversation before shutting himself off to focus on class (definitely a good choice for their grades). But Phantom was happy all the same, talking to Mom and Dad. Not about being a ghost and all the pain and confusion he'd gone through but about normal things like his love of space, upcoming movies, school, friends, and old family moments.
"I completely forgot about that joke, that time we went to Alicia's." Mom laughed. "Remember what grandpa said?"
Phantom moved his fingers into a V. "It's….it's because there's more geese on...on one side that the other." The boy tried to hold back laughter, repeating the punchline. "None of us could tell he was telling a joke, his voice was so flat."
"Exactly, exactly Danny. I can't even believe…." As Mom continued reminiscing, Phantom smiled. There'd be time for the hard conversation about his ghostliness later. But now…..he wanted normalcy, to feel like he was still himself, still Danny Fenton despite everything. And to know that Mom and Dad saw and understood that too.
And as they smiled and laughed together like a family, he knew they did.