The necklace had some kind of magic to it. Though Danny felt silly for thinking it, he had no other way to describe it. The brief glimpse he'd gotten of the dragon shrinking was stuck in his head. There had been a regular person wearing the necklace, right? He didn't know who it was, but he thought they were wearing a dress. A student who had attended the dance?

Not a ghost, in other words. He was sure of it. Whoever she was, she hadn't been glowing at all. She'd looked completely solid and-

Or maybe he just wanted to believe it was possible. The urge to try the necklace on was powerful. He'd broken the string, but it would be easy to tie it back together. Though, if he did, would he have control over the dragon? Or would it take on a life of its own?

Better not to, he decided. But he added it to his utility belt. For emergencies, he reasoned. There were so many ghosts in Amity these days, after all. Most of them weren't as friendly as Phantom.

He was just taking off his coat and tie when Phantom knocked on his window. He dropped the jacket and left the tie loose around his neck so he could run over and open it. But he held up his hands. "Don't come in yet!" Danny whispered. "Let me turn off the ghost alarm."

Phantom nodded.

He had to run down to the basement to find it. Dropped something on the way, probably broke it. Oh well. He was in a hurry, he'd deal with that later.

When he got back to his room he waved Phantom in and tried to control his breathing.

But control was uncontrollable. The harder you try, the more you lose.

So he shoved a pillow against his face and panted into it. He groaned.

"Are you okay?" Phantom said.

Danny gave him a thumbs up.

Phantom took his pillow.

"Just breath, don't fight with it."

Easy for him to say. Danny didn't dignify that with a response.

He just opened his arms.

It surprised him when Phantom hugged him. He thought he'd just toss the pillow back.

That's what Danny had been asking for, but this was nice too. Phantom was cool. Pleasant against the sweat he'd worked up running down and up the stairs.

Danny's breathing went back to normal without him noticing.

But Phantom noticed and pulled away. He hovered above the bed with his legs crossed.

"Is this the part where I give you my I'm Sorry I Was a Dick speech?" Danny said.

"Sure, then I'll follow it up with my Whoops, Sorry I Stalked You speech," Phantom said.

With a straight face!

The monster.

Danny chuckled. "You weren't stalking me."

"Haunting, stalking, same difference."

"Aw c'mon, it was a perfectly normal human-ghost friendship." Danny wanted to pull Phantom into another hug, but the desire embarrassed him. So he ignored it.

"I popped in on you getting dressed one too many times," Phantom said. "Loitered while you were sleeping. Ignored too many boundaries."

"I would have said something if it bothered me."

"You did."

"That doesn't count! I was angry."

"Because I crossed the line."

"No you didn't."

Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"Not really anyway. Just a little?"

"Fenton-"

"Masters was filling my head with creepy theories!" Danny wanted to wring the man's neck. He mimmed doing so and huffed. "He called you a parasite."

"Maybe I am a parasite," Phantom murmured. He flickered.

"Oh no you don't," Danny said. "Don't disappear on me again."

He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Phantom's shoulders, pulling the ghost onto his bed. "Or if you have to at least stay tangible. I'll talk to your blanket outline. So stay put!"

Phantom chuckled. "Tangible is easier."

But he didn't disappear.

He looked kind of adorable, wrapped up in a blanket like that. Phantom pulled it up over his head, wearing it like a hood, and cuddled into the bed. "I missed this room," he said.

"The room missed you too," Danny said. "Um, I mean I did. Also."

Phantom pulled the blanket over his face. But his legs were sticking out and they were still solidly visible. Progress?

"Hey Phantom, know why you're not a parasite?"

The ghost didn't answer.

"Well, then. I'll tell you why!" Danny stared at Phantom's boots and took a deep breath. "Because you're the real Danny Fenton."

The boots disappeared.

But the blanket did it's job, holding up Phantom's outline.

And Phantom still said nothing.

Danny cleared his throat. "I said you're the real-"

"I heard you."

Danny huffed and saw his own breath. He shivered and looked around. There was frost on the window. If he didn't do something there would be icicles on the ceiling or something. Maybe it would snow.

"Phantom-"

"You're Danny Fenton," Phantom said.

"You were him first." Danny poked the blanket Phantom was hiding under. "You picked out this space themed blanket." He pointed at the ceiling. "You put up those glow in the dark stickers."

"Mom put those up-"

"That's right!" Danny said. "Your mom did that for you and you remember it! I w-wasn't there for a-any of that."

Danny's teeth were chattering, it was so cold. He got off the bed to hunt around his closet for his biggest winter coat. He'd just gotten it on when the blanket floated in after him. Like a lazy halloween costume, the blanket waved it's arms at him.

"Cute," Danny said. "But you're blocking my exit."

"Sometimes I want nothing more than to trap you," Phantom said. The blanket drifted forward, arms wrapped around him, and Danny was pushed back through his clothes until he was pinned against the wall. He let himself slide down to sit on the floor.

The combination of clothes, blanket, and the coat he had on actually made it pretty cozy. He'd never had this many layers surrounding him yet somehow he was still cold.

It was better though. His teeth were no longer chattering.

"You know it's actually not so bad." Danny leaned his head on Phantom's shoulder. "Being trapped with you, I mean."

"Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"If you say that how am I supposed to let you go?"

"How about you let me go but you can take me back on weekends."

"Is this a divorce?" Phantom's head popped out of the blanket.

"Ah!" Danny glared at him and Phantom just laughed. "Fix yourself, you look like you've been decapitated!"

The ghost was still solid around him, but his neck was intangible. He'd just gone through the blanket instead of looking for an opening.

"Fix it for me."

"Then give me back my arms." With the way Phantom was holding him his arms were pinned to his body.

Danny could literally feel Phantom's mood improving. It felt hot. Being bundled in so many layers was no longer cozy. He tried to wriggle out, but Phantom wasn't budging.

"Pleeeeaaase," Danny said. "I'm sweating!"

"Oh, was that the problem?" It felt like Phantom's limbs disappeared for a second. But then the pressure around Danny returned, cooler. Touching him more directly.

Phantom had phased through the blanket and coat. Now he was in the coat with Danny, draped around him like an over-sized ice pack.

Still pinning Danny's arms to his sides. "Uh… Well, that's an improvement, but-"

"Just a few more minutes," Phantom murmured. "Then I'll get out of your hair."

"I'll give you an hour if you let me out of the closet."

"Not gonna to happen." Phantom gave Danny another squeeze. "This is my safe space."

"What, and I'm your teddy bear?"

"I shall call you Bearbert and you shall be mine."

"Feels like I'm missing a reference."

"You are."

Danny gave up, settling into their little cocoon.

He almost fell asleep like that. They were just cuddling in silence for a while and it was oddly comfortable. Fluffy and warm, but not too warm. Phantom's glow was like a nightlight.

Then Phantom broke the silence. "We can't both be Danny Fenton."

"Mmm," Danny said, nodding. "Then I'll be Danny Fenton Junior."

Phantom laughed. "You can't."

"Why can't I?"

"You just can't."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Anyway, that's not the point."

"Then what's the point?"

If his arms were free Danny would have tapped his chin and pretended to think. As it was he could only hum for a second. Phantom rocked them impatiently. "What's the point?"

"Vlad Masters is a poopy head," Danny said. "That's the point."

"Ah, I see" Phantom said. "And how did you come to this insightful conclusion?"

"Honestly, I wish I'd never met him," Danny said. "That whole trip was just…"

"Disturbing."

"Confusing."

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Phantom said. "If I'm a clone or a parasite or just a… a manifestation of your lost memories?"

"Such big words."

"Thanks, I've been reading."

"Oh. Barf."

"I've been bored!"

"Danny Fenton would never step foot in a library," Danny said.

"Danny Phantom would," Phantom countered. "He has too much time on his hands."

"Spend more time with me, then."

"That can be arranged."

"But let's leave dragons out of it from now on."

"No promises."

And just like that everything was okay again. Better than okay, in fact. Phantom didn't get "out of his hair" like he said he would, but Danny wasn't going to hold him to it.

Though his neck didn't appreciate waking up in the closet the next morning. Or the way Phantom was still there, just watching him sleep.

"I take it back, you are a stalker," Danny said. "Get outta here!"

"But it's Saturday," Phantom whined. "Play with me."

"Noooo. I need to shower. And eat. And do homework!"

"Do that stuff laaater."

"Yeah right." When Danny got up Phantom didn't follow. "I'll see you later?"

The ghost nodded.

"For real though. You'll come back?"

"Of course."

Danny hesitated.

"Go take a shower, Fenton," Phantom said. "You'll see me later."

"I'll see you later," Danny repeated. This time he said it like a threat.

Phantom laughed and then, after a cheerful wave, vanished.

Danny decided he'd have to look through his parents inventions again. Maybe he could find a walkie talkie or something. It would give him peace of mind. Maybe Phantom would appreciate it too.

After his shower Danny realized his phone had died. When he plugged it in to charge there was a barrage of texts from Tucker. And one from Sam:

2:18 a.m. I'm sorry. About everything.

He wasn't sure what she meant. Before he could reply, she sent another text.

12:54 p.m. Let's grab lunch. I'll help you with that history essay, yeah?

He read through Tucker's texts before replying. Assuring him that he did not, in fact, get eaten by a dragon. Then to Sam he said:

12:59 p.m. You don't want me to invite Tucker

It wasn't a question. She replied, We've never been alone together. Since that time.

That time being the day Danny opened his eyes to see her crouched over him and crying. Her mascara was running down her face and she kept repeating you aren't dead, you aren't dead!

It's the first thing he remembers. His introduction to Sam Manson.

To Danny Fenton's life.

1:42 p.m. I'll meet you at the Nasty Burger