Sam lived in a castle. Not like Vlad's though, where his had been topped by evil looking spikes and decorated in gargoyles (at least Danny's memory had convinced him there must have been gargoyles) the Manson's had a tasteful flat and squareness to their castle.

Their mansion.

She lived in a mansion.

"You sure you don't have the wrong place?" Danny said.

Phantom was flickering in and out of view. "I'm sure."

"Wh-when did she," Danny sputtered. "When did you. A-and her…?"

Phantom was transparent, but his outline was visible. Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Phantom! I introduced you two. Didn't I? Am I an idiot? Wasn't it yesterday?"

Phantom's face was gone. Just gone, no eyes or mouth. His nose was faintly visible, sort of.

Maybe Danny should have been freaked out over that. A few hours ago he would have been. But now he had more pressing concerns. "She lives in a castle," he said.

oOo

Just when Phantom thought he'd finally fixed things, he went and screwed them back up. He'd gotten back on Sam's good side! He was even able to make her laugh in class, despite herself. Sure at Tucker's expense, but it was a hypnotized Tucker anyway. And he'd always been a good sport about pranks.

He'd forgotten that Fenton didn't know. That he had never even seen Sam's place before. She was going to be so pissed! He kept straining his ears, waiting for her reaction over the Fenton phones, but her end was silent. Had she turned them off? Did she even know they were here? Maybe they could just leave...

Fenton was pacing. He tripped over an ottoman between the couch and the coffee table.

He groaned and kicked it. "What even is that thing?! Just a random square? To trip me up? Am I going crazy?!"

"It's uh, for putting your feet up. If you're on the couch," Phantom said. He'd been baffled by it too, once upon a time.

"He speaks!" Fenton clapped, slow and sarcastic. "Great job, you grew your mouth back."

"M-my mouth?" Phantom pressed a hand against his lips. "It was never… gone?"

"Dude, it was," Fenton said. "But whatever. Doesn't matter."

He abruptly sat on the floor and put his head in his hands. "Doesn't matter," he repeated.

Phantom hovered over him nervously. He was surprised he hadn't frozen the room over and as he tentatively place a hand on Fenton's head, he expected something… well, explosive.

Fenton didn't react.

"I'm sorry," Phantom said. "I didn't mean to lie to you."

Fenton still didn't react.

But there was static from the Fenton phones and then Sam's weary sigh. "You're both in my room aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," Phantom said.

"It didn't occur to you that I might need a magical flight out of school too?" Sam said.

Phantom straightened and accidentally floated up into the ceiling, banging his head. "D-did you get harassed too? I'm so sorry, I'll fly back-"

"Too late," she said. "And I didn't go picking a fight like someone over there."

Fenton growled. "Speaking of fights! I want to have a fight, Sam. Get over here and let's have one."

"I'm a liar, I'm a sneak, yada yada, I'll give you my double saber in Doomed, okay?" Phantom imagined her rolling her eyes, wherever she was. "Your avatar can level up with it and we'll be square."

"I don't care about Doomed!" Fenton stood and nearly tripped over the ottoman again. On impulse Phantom flew down and wrapped his arms and legs around him. Dangling on his back like a koala, he nuzzled his face into the back of Fenton's neck.

"Wh-what the. Phantom, get off!"

"I'm hugging it better," Phantom said. And he froze like that, with his face in Fenton's neck, and closed his eyes.

Phantom could feel his muscles twitch. His shoulders tense and flex, as if he could stretch the ghost off.

He was used to the human's warmth, sometimes a sizzling burn under his skin. Like laying on the beach in the summer without shade or sunscreen.

But today Fenton wasn't hot like that. He was mildly warm, almost room temperature. Phantom snaked an arm up Fenton's torso, trying to reach his forehead. "Are you cold?"

"Would you get off?" Fenton huffed.

"Am I cold?" Phantom said. "Maybe I'm warm."

"You're never warm. Get. Off."

Phantom let go and allowed himself to float away. "Well it worked when you did it."

Fenton spun around. "What?"

"At Tucker's. I was upset and you hugged me. It helped."

"I'm not the same as you," Fenton said. "And I'm mad at you. You can't just…" He threw his hands up and groaned. "Just!"

He grabbed at his hair and Phantom wanted to reach for his hands and pull them away.

Instead he tried to think heavy, willing gravity to re-claim him.

It was always difficult. Trying to plant his feet firmly on the ground. Like walking on the moon, he imagined.

When he managed it he stood directly in front of Fenton and he realized with a start that he'd shrunk.

"You grew," Phantom said.

Fenton was half a head taller than him. "Of course I grew. You barely noticed?"

"I'm always above you."

Fenton laughed at that and let go of his hair. "I might grow to be as tall as dad."

"Don't you dare!" Phantom made a show of his horror, widening his eyes and covering his mouth with a hand. A playful gasp.

"You asshole," Fenton giggled. "How do you do that? Bastard."

"Do what?" Gravity lost hold of him, so he folded his legs into a pretzel. He'd figured out a Zen way to try and stay in place, hovering just below Fenton's eye level.

"How do you turn on the charm and just… weasel your way out of shit?"

"I'm not trying to weasel my way out of anything." Phantom dropped his smile. "I really am sorry. Will you forgive me? Please?"

"Fine. But I want to know how long you've been… been…" Fenton gestured at Sam's room and glared at her bed.

Phantom pictured himself on that bed with Sam the night of the dance and gulped.

He tried for nonchalance. "A house guest?"

"Did you talk to her first?" Fenton said.

"You mean after the accident."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"What the hell?" Fenton spun away from him, pacing angrily around the room. All he needed was ear piercing music and he'd be just like Sam.

He kept repeating, "What the hell." Over and over again.

"She saw me first!" Phantom said. "It wasn't my fault!"

"How did she see you first?!" Fenton jabed himself in the chest. "Wasn't I there first?! You… you came from… Well, me?"

"You were unconscious," Sam said.

She'd walked in so quietly neither of them had seen her.

"Shit!" Fenton said. "You gave me a heart attack."

He sneezed and Sam rubbed her arms for warmth. "Could you cool it?" She said.

Phantom blinked. "Me?"

"He needs to do the opposite of cooling it, Sam."

Fenton frowned at him. "So now you're upset?"

"I'm not upset! I was just startled."

"Well thaw out," Sam said. "So I was thinking about the crowd and the way they reacted to Danny's anti-fanboy attitude. We can use that to our advantage."

"Hey!" Fenton said. "Don't change the subject!"

"We can argue about that later," Sam said.

"I want to argue about it now!"

"Get over yourself," she said. "Don't you want Tucker back to normal? And your sister?"

Fenton groaned and stomped over to Sam's bed, grabbing a pillow and screaming into it.

When he came up for air he said, "I hate it when you're right!"

She rolled her eyes. "Let's get to work."