Some swearing in this because the situation called for it.

I don't own Danny Phantom. The Works is a restaurant in Canada, and it is also not mine :P

Edited 4/07/16

Chapter 4
Divided

"To love one's self is the beginning of a lifelong romance." ~Oscar Wilde

Phantom trailed his hand along Fenton's spine, trying to sooth the human's tense muscles. Instead, his touch prompted Fenton to tense further in his arms. A soft moan vibrated against Phantom's shoulder, and if Fenton had been less dazed and more aware, Phantom was sure the human boy would have been horrified by the sound—as well as the position they were in.

A wry smile lifted the ghost's lips. He shifted slightly so that his arms fit more comfortably around Fenton's waist, and the human—still panting, still dazed—shifted with him, now almost molded against Phantom's body. It was pleasant to hold another person like this. No doubt holding Valerie would be even better, but for now, Phantom was content to remain as they were.

It wouldn't last, of course. Phantom sighed, the soft exhale ruffling a few black hairs atop Fenton's head. Once Fenton's thoughts caught up with him, the passive boy in his arms would transform into a raging ball of denial and embarrassment. That it was taking this long for Fenton to collect himself at all meant Phantom's performance in their latest kiss ranked somewhere between amazing and overwhelming. The thought made Phantom chuckle.

The ghost laid his cheek against Fenton's head, his eyes sliding closed and a soft smile tracing his lips. It had been a good day, at least in his opinion. Fenton had made Phantom fight for every kiss they shared, but that only served to intrigue Phantom further. The challenge of luring Fenton into a kiss and then coaxing Fenton into losing himself in that kiss felt like a game, a contest.

The human didn't share his view, so of course Phantom had to mix up his approach. Fenton seemed to prefer it when he eased the boy into the kiss, but it was when Phantom seduced him that Fenton gave the best reaction. Definitely Phantom's favorite as Fenton embraced the give-and-take rhythm more easily. During their breaks between kissing—or better known as Fenton's anxiety attacks—Phantom would steal a kiss or two, which made Fenton throw a bigger hissy fit than usual, but Phantom enjoyed it too much to stop.

Humming to himself, Phantom trailed his hand along Fenton's lower back again, and this time the human stirred. He jerked his head off Phantom's shoulder fast enough to cause whiplash. A soft swear passed his lips, earning another chuckle from Phantom.

"Language, Fenton," he said. With the ease born of long practice, Phantom dropped his arms from around Fenton's waist as the boy scrambled away from him. Fenton's too-warm body had heated Phantom when they were pressed together, and now that he was gone, Phantom's core began to chill the warmth left behind. Phantom crossed his arms over his chest. He still had yet to decide if he preferred Fenton's burning touch, or the sudden cold that followed in his absence.

"Okay, seriously," Fenton said, his arms held out in front of him like he trying to ward off the immobile ghost. "You need to, like, relearn the personal boundary rule."

"I know the rule well," Phantom said, smirking. "But as we're the same person, there's no boundary between us. Your argument is invalid." His smirk grew, and he tilted his head to the side. "Besides which, you were the one draping himself on me. Perhaps you're the one who needs to relearn personal boundaries."

The human half of Danny rolled his eyes, refusing to jump on the bait. Although he did mutter a quiet, "You're the one pulling me into a kiss every five minutes…"

"Well, my dear human self, we were supposed to practice—"

"Not that often."

"—but if it makes you feel any better…" Phantom sighed. "That was our last kiss."

Fenton looked at him with wide eyes. "We're finished?" he asked, not even trying to suppress the hope in his voice. "We don't have to kiss anymore?"

"No, we're good. There is, of course, always room for improvement, but…" Phantom nodded towards their alarm clock, "we're out of time…"

Fenton followed his gaze and then swore when he read the florescent numbers.

"Once again: language."

"It's eight O'clock!" Fenton shouted. "That gives us less than half an hour!"

"Yes. Just enough time to merge back, center ourselves, and then shower."

Fenton's nose wrinkled on that last. "Shower?"

"This may be a casual date, but we should at least try to look our best, and you refused to take one while we were separate." Phantom rolled his eyes skyward. "You're apparently paranoid as well as shy. Honestly, Fenton, we have the same bodies. Why would I stare at you when all I have to do is look in a mirror?"

Fenton glared at him through the heated blush coloring his face, and although he said nothing, Phantom saw the other boy's eyes flicker to his lips. Phantom arched an eyebrow. A few seconds of uncomfortable silence passed between them before Fenton cleared his throat. "Let's just, you know, merge back already so we can forget about all this."

Phantom nodded and then sank beneath the floor. He reappeared behind Fenton and wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist. Instantly, Fenton's body heat spread along Phantom's skin, and Phantom hugged Fenton to his chest, savoring the almost uncomfortable heat emanating from the other boy. He placed his lips close to Fenton's ear and whispered, "I doubt either of us will forget this."

The ghost waited a second for Fenton to reply, but when the boy remained silent, Phantom smirked and flew them through the net.

Danny sat with his back propped against the Catcher's pole, his elbows balanced on his knees and his head buried in his hands. He breathed in deep, steady breaths as two sets of images and sensations from the past two days collided and mixed in his mind, blurring his vision and causing his stomach to roll unpleasantly. He groaned and tucked his knees closer against his chest.

Why did I ever think this was a good idea again? Danny wondered.

As if in answer, the last kiss between his two halves tore through Danny's mind, and the halfa groaned. Half in horror, half in pleasure. He cursed and banged the back of his head against the pole. How sick and twisted was he to find pleasure in kissing himself…

Something that feels that right can't be wrong, though, can it? Danny thought and then quickly shook his head. That was just Phantom's half of his personality talking.

Of course it's wrong. I have a girlfriend. Why am I going around kissing other guys? But I'm not kissing other guys. I'm kissing myself. There's a big difference.

Danny closed his eyes, recalling how it felt to hold his human self in his arms. How satisfying it felt to surprise his ghost self with a sudden bold stroke of his tongue.

Maybe so, he thought at last, but it doesn't feel that different…Is that such a bad thing?

Danny allowed that thought to float around in his head for a moment. The Phantom half of his personality agreed with the sentiment while the same question frightened the Fenton half.

Before his thoughts could start chasing each around again, Danny climbed to his feet, swaying slightly. A sudden stabbing pain behind his eyes made the boy groan and fall against the Catcher's pole. The metal was surprisingly cold, and Danny leaned his forehead against it, sighing as the cool temperature spread across his skin. A second later, he realized the cold was actually aggravating his headache, and he pushed away from the invention.

Shaking his head, Danny began his unsteady trek to his bathroom. So he had issues. What else was new?

Jazz would have a field day with this, he thought warily.

Good thing she'll never find out then…

Danny chuckled to himself, although the laugh had an underlying trace of unease. His sister had come dangerously close to finding out the first time Danny kissed himself. If Jazz had decided to barge in instead of knocking on the door…Danny shuddered. At the very least, she would have demanded an explanation, most likely followed up by a psychoanalysis. Danny knew he was messed up; he didn't need his sister confirming it.

The boy entered the bathroom and then slammed the door shut behind him. With half his thoughts wondering about Jazz's possible reaction toward her little brother being a closet narcissist, Danny grabbed the back of his shirt collar and slipped the turtleneck off his head. As his fingers fumbled with his jean's button and zipper, Danny's gaze wondered to the mirror and traveled along the expanse of visible skin reflected there, trailing along his developing abs and the slight dip of his hip bones.

Like a haunting memory, Danny felt Phantom's cold fingers tracing along those same muscles, felt his ghost half's satisfaction when the touch elected a breathless exhale from his human half. He could still see in his mind's eye, how Phantom's white gloved hand had pushed its way inside Fenton's pants, following the dip of Fenton's hip bones, and now, as Danny pushed his pants further down, his heavy gaze followed the same route—

Danny dropped to his knees, ducking behind the sink counter and out of sight of the mirror. "What the fuck was that?" he squeaked, seconds away from hyperventilating.

I just checked myself out! he mentally screamed. I-I fantasized about touching myself! Holy shit!

Language, his mind reflexively scolded.

I-I—holy shit!

No, wait. Danny forced himself to breath, trying to calm his nerves. This is normal. Completely normal! I was just checking out my muscles. Guys do it all the time. Like—like Dash.

But does Dash think about touching himself like that?

He might. It's not that far off from masturbation.

That thought produced a disturbing image, prompting Danny to repeatedly bang his head against the cupboard. This is so fucked up…

Language.

I can swear in my own thoughts.

But if we think it we may say it.

Danny blinked, his breath catching. "'We'?" he chocked.

The hero snatched his shirt off the floor and dashed out of the bathroom. He dodged around his sister—ignoring Jazz's startled cry—and ran into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. He leaned against the door's solid surface, gasping for breath as his heart beat frantically against his chest. Admiring himself, fantasying about touching himself, talking to himself…he was more than just messed up. He was bordering on insane.

Danny chewed on his bottom lip and glared at the Fenton invention that had caused all this. Grateful as he was to be a better kisser, if he developed that multiple personality something-or-other disorder, he was going to destroy that stupid invention.

Although, it had been fun to—

Fenton's half of Danny's personality balked at that thought, and Danny found himself forcefully shaking his head. It doesn't matter if it was fun! It's still wrong to kiss yourself!

Says who? Danny wondered. Clockwork? Jazz? The Easter Bunny? Where does it say in the Hero's Guidebook for Dummies that I'm not allowed to enjoy myself? Just for a little while?

Just because no one has said its wrong doesn't mean it's not.

Which only means I need to figure it out for myself. And since we both liked it, why shouldn't we pursue this?

Danny groaned and fisted clumps of black hair, pulling at the strands. "There's no 'we', there's just me!" he screamed.

A soft knock on the door, followed by a gentle call nearly made Danny's heart stop…until he reminded himself he was alone and not doing anything incriminating.

Danny released his hair, swallowed, and demanded in a slightly shaky voice, "What do you want, Jazz?"

"Are you okay, Danny?" Jazz's muffled voice said through the door. "It looked like you were running away from something."

Knowing Jazz, she purposefully made that statement ambiguous. Danny sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? It was hard to freak out with someone constantly trying to make you feel better. "I'm fine."

"You didn't look fine. Can I come in?"

Danny glanced at the Fenton Ghost Catcher standing squarely in the center of his room. "No."

"Danny—"

"I have to get ready for my date with Valerie, Jazz! I don't have time for your psycho theories!"

Jazz fell silent for a few minutes, and in that time, Danny resisted slapping his forehead.

Oh, nice, he thought sarcastically. You probably just made your sister cry. Way to go, hero.

"You're supposed to watch the meteor shower with her?" Jazz asked, and Danny was relieved by the lack of sadness in her voice.

"Yes, and we're supposed to meet up soon."

"You know it's cloudy outside, right? There isn't a visible star in sight."

Danny scrubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead, grimacing. "I know that, Jazz. I…we'll just have to do something else."

"The clouds are low to the ground, aren't they? If you told her you knew her secret—or even better, if you told her yours, you two could still watch the meteor shower together. You know, above the clouds."

Danny released a dry, humorless laugh. "It's a little late for that, Jazz," he said. "If I told her I knew about her 'second job', she'd demand to know how, and if I told her my secret, she wouldn't want anything to do with me. She might even try to shoot me for 'manipulating her feelings' or something crazy like that."

"You'll have to tell her at some point, Danny. A relationship built on lies is one that is doomed to fail." She paused a moment as Danny bit his lip and glared off to the side. She added in a softer tone, "I just don't want to see you hurt."

Danny didn't respond, and a second later, he heard his sister walk away. Sighing, Danny allowed his body to slide down the door until he sat with his knees tucked against his chest. He covered his eyes with his hands, his fingers digging into his scalp.

She's wrong, Danny told himself. Valerie and I have our problems, but…I-I taught myself how to kiss for her, and she's willing to make sacrifices for me too. A relationship like that can't just fail because of a few secrets…

But those secrets have been pulling us away from each other, too. How many dates have I had to cancel and reschedule because a ghost attacked? How many times has Valerie run off so she could fight a ghost her radar alerted her to?

Danny looked up from his hands. "Too many…" he said to the empty room. His eyes closed as he sighed. "Okay. I'll tell her…just not now. Later. Soon."

How soon?

"I don't know, just soon!" A second later, Danny groaned, realizing he had just yelled at himself.

Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and stared at the screen for a moment before dialing Valerie's number. He pressed the speaker to his ear and listened to it ring, his heart beating a little faster.

On the third ring, Danny heard a click. "Hey, Danny. I was just about to call you."

Unbidden, Danny felt his lips lift in a gentle smile in response to Valerie's relaxed tone. "I take it you've seen the sky?"

"Actually, no. There are these dark, fluffy clouds blocking my view." She paused a moment and then added in a slightly subdued tone, "I suppose this means the date is off…unless you have a plan B?"

"I do, but—" He sighed dramatically "—it's not as cool as watching meteoroids burn up in the atmosphere."

"Nothing could top that," Valerie agreed, amused. "So? What did you have in mind?"

This was the hard part. Danny cleared his throat and straightened his back against the door. "Well, there's this new burger restaurant on Second Street that's supposed to be really good. It's called The Works."

"I know that place. Carl thinks it's going to steal all our customers. He views it as our top rival." She snorted. "Like the Nasty Burger could ever be considered competition…"

Danny chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. No offense, but your food tastes awful."

"None taken. You should see what goes on behind the counter."

"I'd rather not. So, are you interested?"

"A chance to stick it to Carl and spend time with you? Hell yeah I'm interested! I can meet you there in a few minutes."

"Great!"

His enthusiastic tone made Valerie laugh. "I'll see you there, Fenton," she said before hanging up.

Danny lowered his phone into his lap, grinning. He didn't know how she did it, but just talking to Valerie eased his nervousness. Anticipation for their date had Danny's heart beating wildly in his chest. Just the thought of kissing her made it feel like gravity no longer affected his human form. He felt more excited over his outing with Valerie than any one of those kisses Phantom and Fenton had shared. That had to say something, right?

A sudden chill raced up Danny's spine and materialized in the air in front of his face as a blue wisp of smoke. Danny stared at it a moment, dread and horror acting like lead in his stomach. He shoved himself away from the door and rushed to the window, tripping slightly as his unbuttoned pants dragged. He braced his hands on the windowsill and scanned the darkening skies.

Please be the Box Ghost, please be the Box Ghost, please be the Box Ghost…

The skies remained clear, yet Danny kept his muscles tense in preparation for a fight, and soon enough, he saw two ghosts fly up from the ground. They paused a moment to gather their bearings and then took off northward. His stomach dropped.

"No," he groaned. He banged his forehead against the windowpane. "Not them…"

Spectra and Bertrand, or in other words, the bane of Danny's peace of mind. He couldn't face them now. Not after he'd just kissed himself. Not after he'd just fantasized about touching himself. They would sense the inner conflict brewing in Danny, and they'd pick at it and pick at it until he was putty in their hands.

And what about his date with Valerie? He couldn't cancel on her now, not after he'd just rearranged their date. And he hated to think how she would react if he showed up late. She was particularly sensitive to being stood up ever since Tucker ditched her to take Sam to that dance Freshman year. Maybe she would understand if he called to say he would be a little late…but she might wonder why, and the thought of her waiting at the restaurant all alone made Danny flinch.

He didn't have time to fight Spectra. He had to leave now…but Spectra was a dangerous ghost. She was physically weak but mentally destructive. He couldn't allow her to torment someone just because he wanted to go on a date with his girlfriend…but he couldn't do both…

Danny glanced over his shoulder at the Fenton Ghost Catcher. The dim glow of the net almost seemed to be mocking him, laughing at his dependence on it. But if Danny separated himself again, his ghost half could go fight Spectra while his human half went on the date with Valerie. It was a near perfect solution. His two halves wouldn't even have to technically interact. The only problem was the personality issue.

The latest personality trend the Catcher seemed fixed on involved all Danny's confidence going into his ghost half and all his fears and anxieties going into the other. If Danny separated himself now, his human half would be shy and uncoordinated in his date with Valerie, resulting in Danny Fenton looking like a fool in front of his girlfriend…again. But if he somehow gave all the confidence to Fenton, then that would leave Phantom vulnerable to Spectra's poisonous words.

"What I need is a different set of personalities," Danny said to himself. He paced in front of the Catcher, his pants going unnoticed as they slipped further down his hips. "But…how do I control it? It's just a glitch in Mom and Dad's design. There's not really a pattern to it…is there?" Danny paused, his lips pursed in thought. "Maybe if I just think hard enough about what I want it will happen? But what personalities do I need?"

He shrugged to himself. "Well, the human half would have to be romantic enough to please Valerie, and the other half would have to be strong and confident enough to defeat Spectra…"

He smiled. "A lover and a fighter!"

The smile vanished, replaced by a frown. "But would that work?"

He shook his head. "It has to! We're running out of time!"

Valerie was expecting him in a few minutes, and since his human half wouldn't have ghost powers, he'd have to walk to the date. Cutting it short wasn't an option.

Danny faced the Ghost Catcher, his breath slightly shaky. "All right. All right, fine. But this is the last time, you hear me?" He didn't know if he was talking to himself or to the Ghost Catcher, and frankly, he didn't want to know.

He took one last deep breath, centering his thoughts around his feelings for Valerie and his duty to protect the city. When he opened his eyes again, they were neon green and his hair white as snow. He floated upwards with his ghost tail dancing beneath him. A second later, he flew through the mocking green net.

Unlike the last few times they had separated, Phantom felt almost no dizziness. He reached for his human half's wrists and was surprised when warm hands wrapped around his own forearms at the same time. Phantom lowered Fenton to the ground until the other boy's feet were firmly planted on the floor and then floated a safe distance away from him. Phantom cocked his head to the side, studying the human version of himself.

Fenton shifted on his feet, his wide blue eyes staring up into Phantom's. "Do you…feel any different?"

It was in the way that Fenton broke eye contact soon after that Phantom knew the answer to the question even before he assessed his own feelings. "No. I feel exactly as I had this morning. I assume you do as well?"

He received a mere head nod in response. The human boy fidgeted beneath the ghost's gaze and rubbed his arms, almost looking ashamed.

Phantom released an explosive sigh. "Then we merge back." He floated over to Fenton, intent to do just that, but the other boy stepped away from him, his eyes narrowed.

"Merge back? Why? We still have to—"

"We merge back because our plan failed. You're in no condition to go on a date with Valerie, not with you so…awkward. You might ruin our chances with her completely." He grabbed Fenton's wrist and pulled the human to him.

Fenton's hand clenched and he ripped his arm out of Phantom's grasp, glaring into the ghost's eyes. "Well, excuse me, Mr. High-and-Mighty. I apologize for being such an inconvenience to the two of us, but I don't see any option other than this, do you?"

"Yes."

"Oh really? Then please share with the rest of the class, O' Smart One."

Phantom frowned, the other boy's sarcasm beginning to fray at his nerves. "We merge back and, as one, go on our date with Valerie."

"And what about Spectra?"

"She can be dealt with after our date."

His casual response made Fenton pause, his eyes widening slightly. "Wait…you want to forget about Spectra? You think our date with Valerie is more important?"

"I do."

Fenton stared at him, his mouth agape. It was actually quite a humorous expression. "You—th-that's insane!" he finally shouted. "You can't not fight ghosts! That's—that's your job! If we're on a date, and Valerie's on a date, then there's no one to stop Spectra!"

"So? A half hour to an hour tops would Spectra have free reign."

"Yeah, and in that time she could seriously hurt someone!"

Phantom crossed his arms over his chest, unperturbed. "I won't abandon Valerie for some stranger. I value my time with her too highly."

Fenton returned to gaping at him, although why he found Phantom's stance on the matter so surprising was beyond Phantom. Their choice of action was obvious in his mind. He cared deeply for Valerie, and he—as Valerie had once almost done herself—was willing to give up ghost hunting for her.

Fenton's eyes shifted to the Ghost Catcher. Without his shirt on, Phantom could clearly see the human's shoulders tense, the only warning he received before Fenton charged at the invention. Phantom's eyes widened and he flew after Fenton, latching onto the human's bare waist. His added weight and momentum caused Fenton to trip. They both crashed into the Catcher and the three of them collapsed to the floor, the two organics grunting on impact while the invention produced a dull thud.

"What's the matter with you?" Phantom demanded as he sat up. "You could have broken it!" He grabbed Fenton's arms, but the human hugged the pole to his chest, resisting Phantom's efforts to pull him off.

"We're not merging back!" he shouted. "Go fight Spectra!"

"You're being ridiculous, Fenton," Phantom said, exasperated. "And you're wasting our time. Let go of the Ghost Catcher so we can leave for our date."

"No!"

"We're going to be late!"

"Like I give a crap!"

"Have it your way then."

Phantom reached over Fenton and placed his hand on the Catcher's pole, spreading his intangibility to the object. Fenton gasped as the solid object beneath him vanished and he fell the remaining two inches above the floor. Phantom erected the Catcher behind him and placed a hand on his hip, his other hand resting securely on the pole.

"I am a ghost," he reminded his human half, smirking. Fenton grumbled under his breath as he climbed to his feet. "Now, let us reunite and—"

Fenton tackled Phantom's midsection, sending them both to the ground again. The ghost's startled gasp became a grunt as gravity drove Fenton's weight into his stomach, a force that would have left him breathless had he needed breath in the first place. He growled and pushed against Fenton's right side, forcing the human to roll beneath him. He placed his knees on either side of Fenton's hips and pinned the boy's hands above his head. Fenton thrashed against Phantom's hold, his hips bucking and his legs fruitlessly kicking the air.

"Knock it off!" Phantom yelled after Fenton managed to knee him in the back.

"Get off me!" Fenton yelled in return. He heaved his whole body against Phantom's left side, almost managing to break the ghost's restraint.

Phantom tightened his hold on Fenton's wrists and bared fangless teeth. "I can and will overshadow you for the duration of the date," he growled.

Fenton stilled beneath him, his eyes snapping to the brightly glowing ones above him. Blue eyes narrowed a second later. "Valerie is a ghost hunter. She would know if I was being overshadowed."

Phantom leaned further over him, the glow of his Scary Eyes casting Fenton's face in neon green light. "Not if I do it right…"

Fenton bared his own teeth. In a single motion, he heaved his whole upper body forward and slammed his forehead against Phantom's. The ghost reeled backwards, his grip on Fenton's hands going slack. Fenton grabbed the Phantom's wrists and used his new hold to twist the ghost off him and onto the floor. Quickly, he settled on Phantom's waist and pinned his hands above his head, the reverse of their positions from before.

"We are sticking to the original plan," the human said as he glared into Phantom's eyes. "You'll fight Spectra, and I'll go on our date with Valerie. Got it?"

Unlike Fenton, Phantom relaxed beneath Fenton's control. At the human's commanding tone, he lifted his chin and returned the glare directed at him. "You're telling me what to do? Must I remind you that of the two of us, I am the one with power?" His eyes flared with light to demonstrate his point.

Fenton swallowed, his eyes flickering uncertainly, finally realizing how precarious his hold on the ghost truly was. Props had to be given, however, when the powerless human hid his emotions behind anger. "What is the matter with you? You're supposed to be the hero here!"

"This hero wishes to meet up with his heroine," Phantom replied, rolling his eyes. "Forgive me if I actually have feelings and wants other than fighting and defending the innocent." Black hair brushed against Phantom's forehead as Fenton shifted, bringing the ghost's attention to just how close the two of them were. "Would you render all our efforts of today useless?" Phantom asked, changing tactic.

His words made Fenton realize the lack of distance between them as well, and the human jerked back. Phantom's gaze shifted to the bare chest poised above him and trailed along the muscles and light scars he found there. His gaze fell lower and lower until he met the jeans that hung loosely on Fenton's hips, the barest hint of red boxers showing. His fingers twitched.

"…a chance."

Phantom lifted his gaze to Fenton's face, slowly blinking. "What?"

Fenton rolled his eyes, his lips turning down in annoyance. "I said to just give me a chance."

"At…?"

"Dating Valerie! Geez, do you have cotton in your ears or something?"

"Cotton, no." Phantom pursed his lips, staring up at Fenton. A cold lance of…attraction shot through his core. Thanks to the day they had shared together, Phantom was slightly more aware of the allure Fenton held. And with Fenton shirtless and on top of him, looking almost desperate…it wouldn't be difficult to flip them over into a more desirable position…

This was hardly fair.

Phantom sighed, his eyes closing for a moment. "All right, Fenton. You win."

The human blinked, his hands relaxing their iron grip on Phantom's wrists. "What? Really? That's it?"

"Yes. That's it." Fenton's eyes brightened, as did the smile that crossed his lip. Despite himself, Phantom felt his own lips twitch in response. His eyes fell to Fenton's chest again. He smirked and said in a purposefully husky voice, "You may wish to get dressed first."

Fenton blinked twice and then followed Phantom's gaze. He paled for a second and flushed hotly the next. A swear that was more squeak than anything passed his lips and he leapt off Phantom, stumbling slightly in his hurry. Phantom remained where he lay, laughing, and took great delight in watching the blush spread as Fenton fumbled with his pants.

Phantom lifted himself onto his elbows, still chuckling. "It's a good look for us. We should wear it more often."

It was amazing how red humans could get…Fenton scowled through his blush. "Just shut up and get out of here already…"

Phantom released one last chuckle before following Fenton's command and flying out the window. He paused a moment outside the building. Invisible, he floated back to the window and peered inside, catching sight of Fenton as the human bent down to grab his shirt off the floor. Phantom watched the corded muscles of Fenton's back flex and then relax as he stood up again. His eyes followed along the dip of Fenton's spine, traveling down his back, mesmerized as the muscles of Fenton's back continued to flex with the human's movements.

It wasn't until Fenton's white shirt blocked his view that Phantom tore his gaze away. The ghost half of Danny bit his lip hard enough to puncture the skin. Shaking his head, he floated backwards a few yards and then sped off in the direction Spectra and Bertrand had flown in.

Well, that's that. *brushes off hands* The date was supposed to be this chapter...but Danny (and his two halves) refused to cooperate and made this 'small' part go on longer than I expected. Sorry if it feels rushed as a result.

And oh boy, lots of foreshadowing. You can all probably guess what's going to happen next chapter. No seriously. Guess, guess, guess! :D I want to know how subtle or unsubtle I am.

Tangerine Catnip really helped me out with this. Not only did she allow me to bounce ideas and questions off her and look over this chapter to make sure I didn't mess anything up, I'm also betaing her Pitch Pearl story that she updates way more frequently than I do. Trust me, awesome Pitch Pearl fic + idea bouncing = large amounts of inspiration (which is why you got this chapter after two weeks rather than four :P). Seriously, though, if you like Pitch Pearl, you'll love her story. It's called Two Halves of a Whole, and it takes a more serious (and maybe darker) approach to Danny's two halves existing apart from each other than mine will. It works as a good counterpoint to this, I think. I could say more about it, but I don't want to give too much away. Just check it out for yourself: www. fanfiction s/7770111/1/Two_Halves_of_a_Whole

On a different note, constructive criticism~ I think I'm finally wearing you guys down xD Thanks for all the comments, complimentary or otherwise. I'm a tough girl; I can handle criticism. What I'm mainly focused on in this chapter is foreshadowing and character development. Any character nuances you noticed? What do you think will happen next chapter? Later in the story? How was that disagreement between Fenton and Phantom? Did Phantom give in too soon? How was Whole!Danny's reaction?

Hmm, that's it for now. Next chapter really is the date, and it's going to be killer. I've never written a dating scene before, and now I'm writing one with Fenton, the Awkward One. Tangi is helping me with it, but dang this is going to be hard...

Thanks for reading! Leave any thoughts, questions, or advice in a review and I'll get back to you either as quickly as I can or at least before I post the next chapter (unless you guys leave the review anonymously. Then I don't know what to do. Could track down your profiles and PM you that way, but feels awfully stalker-ish...)

Also, I still hold on my original theory that Danny's mind set determines what personality he gets when he flies through the Catcher. Yet it didn't work this time. Any guess as to why?