Surprised? Me too, I usually take way longer, but an unexpected snow day gave me a whole day to work on this chapter-and it was great. I haven't had that much fun writing in a long time :D
I need to do that more often
Chapter 14
Not So Easy
"As soon as one promises not to do something, it becomes the one thing above all others that one most wishes to do." - Georgette Heyer
Fourteen...
…Fifteen...
...Six…teen...
"Gee, Danny," Sam said, her purple lips stretched in a teasing smile as she stared down at Fenton from directly above his head, "is that actual effort I spy? You're usually crying on the floor beside Tucker at this point."
On the floor beside the bench, Tucker moaned pathetically.
S-seventeen…
Fenton's arms trembled beneath the barbell as he lowered it to his chest. Slowly. If Sam caught him relaxing his biceps so the bar and its load fell toward his chest instead of being lowered by his muscles, she would refuse to count it, and then he would have to do an extra bench press. He really would end up crying beside Tucker then.
"Did training with Valerie make you realize how valuable physical strength is?"
As soon as the bar was barely an inch above his chest, Fenton struggled to push it above him again, his breath wheezing from the effort.
"Are you hoping to show off next time? Because, I warn you, it's going to take more than two little ten and five pound weights to impress her."
"The…bar…" Fenton panted.
"Okay, fine, seventy-five pounds. Is that better?"
He couldn't do it.
"Sam," he gasped. "Sam!"
Laughing, Sam reached down and grabbed the bar. She lifted it out of his hands and set it into the grooves of the mounting rack for him. Fenton dropped his arms onto his aching, heaving chest, and groaned as his arms and shoulders burned. The flat bench he lay on, once so inviting, had little sympathies for his aches now.
"Don't get too comfortable," Sam warned. "You can take a little break, but remember, we're supposed to do sets of twenty-five."
"Fuck," Fenton gasped.
"Monster," Tucker hissed from the floor.
"Hey, if you can't handle it—" she tapped the circular weights on the right side of the barbell "—don't add an extra ten pounds. Not that I'm complaining, but seriously, Danny, I usually have to force you and Tucker to push yourselves. What gives?" She tilted her head to look down at him again, her short black hair swaying in front of her face.
Fenton turned his head away, a light blush on his cheeks. He was trying to behave as Danny would, but somehow he kept messing up. What was he doing wrong? Sam and Tucker kept giving him these looks. Had they already figured him out?
"Nothing," he said.
"Uh-huh…"
"Whatever has gotten into you," Tucker said as he finally sat up, "stop. Please. You know she's just going to expect me to lift that weight now too!"
Sam smirked at him and crossed her arms. "Consider yourself lucky you already did your sets today, noodle arms."
"'Noodle arms?'" Tucker chocked. He lifted his arm and flexed his bicep, pointing at the small mound of muscle. "I might not be able to lift as much as you yet, but there ain't nothing noodle about these babies."
"Please, the two of you can't even lift the bar without becoming winded."
A brief lull fell over the conversation, and as Sam and Tucker turned expectantly towards him, Fenton realized this was the moment where Danny would brag about his ghost powers. Only, Fenton didn't have ghosts powers. He hesitated, and the silence grew. Sam and Tucker shared another look.
Fenton cleared his throat. "One way to fix that!" he said, a little too brightly.
He reached for the bar again, and Sam hurriedly uncrossed her arms and returned to her spotter position. She helped Fenton lift the barbell off the mount, and as soon as the full weight of the forty-five pound barbell and its thirty pound load fell squarely on his arms again, Fenton's biceps twinged. He groaned. He would have enjoyed a longer break.
"Seriously," Tucker whined, "you two are going to be the death of me."
"Only eight left to go, Danny," Sam encouraged, ignoring Tucker's dramatics.
"Right," Fenton gasped, beginning to lower the barbell. It was only eight more. He could do eight more. He could. He would.
He did.
The moment Sam helped him place the barbell back on the mount at the end of his set, however, Fenton rolled of the bench and collapsed on the floor beside Tucker, gasping for air.
Sam laughed. "Feeling the burn, Danny?"
Fenton groaned. "Feeling it." In his arms, his chest, his stomach…He moaned pitifully and rested his cheek against the floor's cold tiles. They were a balm against his skin, leeching heat from his overworked muscles. It almost felt as nice as when Phantom—
Fenton scrambled to sit up. His friends gave him a strange look, and he nervously plucked at his gym shirt. "Um, uh…" He looked frantically around for a distraction.
Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the guys surrounding the leg side of the room. They were mostly popular jocks like Dash, all of them seemingly friends in one way or another. Fenton rarely paid attention to them aside from trying to avoid their notice, but they were being especially loud. He had even heard Dash yelling about something earlier, though he hadn't paid much attention at the time.
As he caught the eyes of three guys he didn't even know staring back at him, however, he realized that might have been a mistake. Despite being caught, they didn't look away. They spoke to each other, too quietly to be heard over the others.
Fenton started to turn away, but past the jock group, Mikey and Nathan were whispering and pointing at him too. What the hell?
"Uh," Fenton started, uncertain, "guys? Am I being watched?" Sam and Tucker looked around too, but they didn't look as alarmed as he felt.
There was a girl on his left who was pointing at him and speaking excitedly to her friends.
Another girl by the dumbbells was…glaring at him?
"They've been doing that for a while," Sam said, glaring back at the girl until she looked away.
"I thought you knew?" Tucker asked. "They haven't exactly been subtle."
He had noticed. Sort of. Valerie had pointed it out to them yesterday, but she said they were just waiting for drama. Why were they still watching him? Had they noticed something off about him too? Fenton pulled self-consciously on the hem of his Casper High PE shirt. "Why? I'm not—I mean, I haven't done anything?"
"Probably the same thing as Friday?" Tucker suggested. "About the news catching you flying into your bedroom?"
"Maybe someone saw you and your ghost half while you were separate," Sam offered. "Like if he flew you to your date or something."
"Jazz checked the newspapers," Fenton said. "She didn't see anything to do with us. They only brought up Phantom to talk about his behavior with the helicopters. And no, he didn't fly me to my date." He just flew him away afterward.
"You do realize newspapers are just the official news source?" Sam placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "But I wouldn't worry too much. If they had figured out your secret, they would be a bit more…"
"Rabid?" Tucker suggested with a grin. "Drooling and feral?"
Sam huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, especially if they knew their precious Ghost Boy was in their gym class, struggling to lift seventy-five pounds with his skinny human arms."
"Thanks," Fenton drawled dryly.
He wasn't worried about their secret as a halfa—if the town hadn't figured it out in two years, they weren't going to even if they stood side by side—but when Fenton and Phantom had been separate before, things hadn't been…strictly platonic between them. And if anyone had seen that…He ducked his head, willing himself not to blush.
"Just ignore them, Danny!" Tucker thumped Fenton on the shoulder. "Once they see how boring and uninteresting Danny Fenton is, they'll lose interest and start treating you like one of us mere losers again."
"Ha ha," Fenton mumbled.
"Anyway," Sam said, "my turn."
She walked over to the weight rack and picked up two twenty pound weights as easily as Fenton had grabbed the fives. Just watching made him cringe. She had to remove the ten and five pounds first so the bigger and heavier circular sized twenties were on the inside, but once she fit the other weights back on, Fenton realized she had just raised the weight of the barbell to a hundred and fifteen pounds.
Tucker sighed. "You ever get the feeling you're inadequate?"
"All the time," Fenton agreed, his own shoulders already sagging.
Sam grinned at them as she sat on the bench. "Can the two of you handle spotting me? Or should I find someone else?"
Fenton made a rude noise through his lips and pushed off the ground. "No way, we got this. Don't we, Tuck?"
Tucker made a weak whimpering noise in protest. Fenton grabbed his friend's arm anyway and pulled him to his feet.
"The death of me," Tucker said.
Laughing, Sam fell back on the bench, throwing one leg onto the other side. She scooted up the bench until the barbell was directly above her shoulders. She reached up and grabbed the bar as Fenton and Tucker moved to stand above her head, each grabbing the bar on either side of her hands.
"On the count of three," Fenton said.
"One," Sam started, her purple lips spread in a cocksure grin.
"Two," Fenton said.
"Three," Tucker whimpered.
The three of them lifted the barbell off the mount, Fenton and Tucker grunting from the effort. They released their hold, and the hundred and fifteen pound weight dropped onto Sam's arms. She lost her grin. Her eyes narrowed in concentration. She slowly lowered the barbell towards her chest and then lifted it into the air again without a single pause, her breathing still controlled and even.
"One." Fenton sighed, watching as Sam lowered the bar again. "I wish I could do that."
Tucker scoffed. "Who needs all that muscle when you have ghost powers?"
Fenton shrugged. He wanted to cross his arms over his chest, feeling all the more vulnerable now that he had noticed how many people were staring at him, but he didn't dare in case Sam needed help. He glanced around to make sure none were close enough to hear their conversation, but of course they weren't. No one wanted to be seen with Casper High's bottom rung losers. "It's not the same."
"Not the same as lifting an entire school bus full of kids?" Tucker huffed a laugh. "No, you're right. Lifting over a hundred pounds is way cooler."
"And you can't do either," Sam chimed in, only slightly out of breath.
Tucker gasped and pressed a hand to his heart. "Sam," he cried, "you wound me. After all this time, after everything I've done for you, to strike below the belt like this." He sniffed and wiped at an invisible tear. "I thought we were friends..."
Sam laughed lightly.
"Besides I got something neither of you have."
Fenton raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Tucker smoothed down his shirt, closed his eyes, and lifted his chin. "Charm."
Fenton looked down at Sam, met her violet eyes, and then they both laughed.
"Oh yeah?" Tucker countered. "Watch this." He braced his elbow on Fenton's shoulder and winked at a couple girls who had been staring in their direction. The two girls stared a while longer and then giggled to themselves before turning away.
"Wow," Sam said. "I'm guessing that was a fail."
Fenton shook Tucker's arm off his shoulder. "Did you just try to make me into your wingman or something?"
"Danny, Danny, Danny." Tucker shook his head sagely. "You're my best friend. You're always my wingman. "
"I don't think I—"
"FenTON!"
Fenton jumped, tripped forward and had to grab the barbell mount to keep from falling.
"Was that Dash?" Sam asked, trying to crane her head up to see behind them.
A large hand grabbed Fenton by his hair before he could turn around himself. "Ow! Ow! Dash! What the hell?"
"Can it, loser." Dash pulled Fenton backwards, and Fenton, unable to do more than grab Dash's wrists with both hands, was forced to follow to avoid having his hair ripped out. "You're going to fix this."
"Fix what?"
"Let him go, Baxter!" Sam shouted. She set the barbell back on its mount, Tucker belatedly reaching down to help her. Once free of the weight, she rolled off the bench and charged after them. Tucker trotted after her, his eyes wide. "You can't just go stealing my spotter like that! That's a safety code violation!"
Dash's pace didn't slow, though he did pull a little harder on Fenton's hair, making Fenton wince. "Back off, Manson! This doesn't concern you."
Fenton couldn't see where they were going, bent backwards as he was, but he heard Kwan and Brad urging Dash on, and he had a fairly good guess. He could already see students other than Tucker and Sam following after them, and he clenched his jaw, pinching his eyes shut.
Dash flung him forward, and Fenton landed on his hands and knees in front of him. Kwan and several others with deep voices laughed. Fenton scrambled back to his feet and turned to face Dash, fisting his hands at his sides. The guys surrounding him were all taller and broader than Fenton. It didn't look good. Where was Ms. Tetslaff? Come to think of it, he hadn't heard her scolding her less athletic students in a while.
"See?" Dash jeered, scowling at the other guys. He turned back to Fenton and swept his arm out to indicate the jocks Fenton had noticed watching him earlier. "Tell them!"
"Tell them what?" Fenton demanded, matching Dash's frustration.
"That you're not friends with the most awesomest guy ever!" Dash shoved Fenton's shoulders, and Fenton fell back a step. After he caught his balance again, he glared up at Dash and straightened his back. It only seemed to make Dash angrier. "You don't talk to him," he shouted, "he doesn't give you lifts home, and he definitely doesn't bail you out every time I wail on you!" He shoved him again, almost knocking Fenton off his feet.
Sam pushed through the crowd and moved to stand beside him. A half second later, Tucker did the same. The tension in Fenton's shoulders eased, but he didn't relax his fists.
"Gee, Dash," Fenton said, forcing his voice into a light tone, "I'd love to, but I don't know who you're talking about."
Dash growled. Ignoring Sam's and Tucker's protests, he grabbed Fenton's t-shirt and lifted him onto the balls of his feet. "You know who I'm talking about, you loser!"
Fenton grabbed Dash's wrists again and leaned his head back as far as he could. "Sorry," he shot back through gritted teeth, "I don't speak blockhead. You'll have to spell it out for me."
"Holy shit," Tucker breathed behind him.
"Danny," Sam hissed.
One of the sports players laughed. "He's feisty for a weakling."
"You gonna let him talk to you like that, Baxter?" another asked.
Dash's eyes narrowed dangerously. Fenton met their glare. He could read the threat in them, but he didn't feel frightened. Strange. He didn't even have powers to bail him out this time.
"Phantom," Dash growled. "Tell them you don't know him."
"Why?" Fenton shifted on the balls of his feet. He doubted he could take Dash on, especially with so many of his buddies behind him, but he was determined not to be a harmless punching bag either. "What does it matter to you?"
Dash ground his teeth together. There was obviously something bothering him, even Fenton could see that, but it was apparently something he didn't want to say. Something to do with the possibility of Fenton and Phantom being friends.
"All right!" Tetslaff boomed from the back of the crowd. "Break it up! I leave the room for five seconds and you lot can't even behave that long?"
"More like half the class period," someone muttered.
The students surrounding Dash and Fenton started backing away, and Dash quickly released Fenton's shirt before Tetslaff could see. The sudden loss of Dash's grip made Fenton's weight fall back on his heels, and he stumbled back a couple steps. Tucker and Sam each grabbed one of his arms, steadying him.
"Get your butts into the showers already," Tetslaff continued. "I could smell the reek of teenager BO from all the way out in the hall!"
Sam held up the hand not holding onto Fenton's arm. "Actually, Ms. Tetslaff!" she called out. "I'd like permission to finish my set!"
The muscular teacher stopped stomping around her students and frowned at Sam. "Really, Manson?" She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine! But don't skimp on your shower. I don't care if it crunches into your lunch time, I'm not going to listen to Lancer's complaints about unhygienic, smelly pupils again because you want a little extra time on the bench press."
"Danny and Tucker were spotting me."
"Yes, yes, they can stay too. The rest of you! Clear out!" Tetslaff made shooing motions with her hands. "I ain't babysitting you wimps through lunch too!"
Tucker released a sigh of relief as the students began leaving the room. A lot of them threw curious glances at Fenton on their way out, particularly the ones who hadn't been watching him before Dash's tantrum. Dash's friends lingered the longest, waiting as Dash bent towards Fenton until they were at eye-level, making Fenton tense all over again. Tucker's hand squeezed his arm.
Dash's dark blue eyes glared into Fenton's. "You better keep your ghost hating parents away from my hero or I'm going to make your life a living hell, got it, Fen-toenail?"
Fenton blinked. His parents…? "That's what you're so upset about?"
"No," Dash spat, "but if your lame-o parents hear about this, I don't want them going after Phantom just because you wanted some attention."
"I haven't done anything!" Fenton protested.
"And it better stay that way!" With that last angry threat, Dash spun around and stomped away, his shoes practically punching the ground.
Fenton threw his hands in the air. "What does that even mean?" he called after him. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"
But Dash ignored him, and although some of the jocks glanced at Fenton as they followed Dash out of the weight room, no one stopped to elaborate on just what the hell that had all been about.
"On the bright side," Tucker began lightly, "they definitely don't know your secret."
"Yay," Fenton said unenthusiastically, lowering his arms.
"On the equally bright side," Sam said, "I just scored you the perfect excuse to escape showering until after everyone else has left. You're welcome."
Fenton hesitated. He had never liked showering with others as Danny, and the idea was even less appealing now. For multiple reasons. He appreciated Sam's intervention, but…
"Uh," Fenton began, "actually, I took a shower last night. So, uh…"
Tucker looped an arm around Fenton's shoulders. "I hate to tell you this, best buddy of mine." Tucker breathed in deeply and mock gagged. "But you reek. Must be all that nasty 'effort' you put in today." He paused a moment. "Any clues you want to share on that?"
"And why you were so ready to throw down with Dash?" Sam added, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
Fenton bit down on his bottom lip and shook his head.
"Damn." Tucker sighed. "Worth a shot. Would an explanation have convinced us to let you skip on the shower?"
"…Probably not."
Tucker released Fenton's shoulders and patted him soundly on the back. "There you go then."
"At least he admitted there is something going on," Sam said. "That's something." She uncrossed her arms and nudged Fenton's shoulder before walking back toward the bench press. "Come on. I still have twelve more presses to do."
Fenton smiled hesitantly as he followed her. "You don't mind?"
"Of course we mind," Tucker said. "We're your friends! You don't keep secrets from your friends, Danny."
"But we've learned these things have a way of coming out eventually anyway." Sam flashed a smirk over her shoulder. "Either you'll tell us, or we'll find out when it inevitably blows up in your face."
"Oh." Fenton sighed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Hey, what are friends for?"
Phantom landed on the school's roof and walked towards the side overlooking the outdoor picnic tables. He braced his forearms on the parapet and looked down at the students eating lunch. It was a nice day, unlike yesterday. The sun was shining, there were few if any clouds in the skies, and the temperature likely felt perfect for a human. There was even a fresh scent on the breeze from all the rain the day before. It didn't surprise him that some had chosen to eat outside, he just wondered if Fenton or Valerie would choose to do the same.
Phantom sighed and tipped his head down, his white hair dangling in front of his face. He should stop thinking about them. Valerie wouldn't want anything to do with Danny Phantom, and Fenton…well, he might like Phantom's company, assuming he managed to conquer his shyness, but they were supposed to be avoiding each other. It wasn't as easy as Fenton made it sound. Fenton didn't have ghost powers to tempt him.
Unless Phantom missed his guess, Valerie was likely in chemistry and Fenton would be finishing his PE class soon. They would both head to lunch afterward, but before that time, Fenton would have to shower. They had dodged around it yesterday by wetting their hair in the sink after everyone had left, but Phantom doubted the same ploy would work twice on Sam and Tucker. Fenton would have to take his shower. Might even be taking one now. It was…an awfully appealing thought.
Phantom shook his head and laughed to himself. He had literally showered as a human more times than he cared to count, but somehow catching sight of Fenton doing the same was exciting?
I'm either crazy or... Phantom ran a hand through his hair, his lips crooked in a sheepish smile. Better not finish that thought. He was just crazy.
He wanted to see Fenton again, that was all. The self-imposed exile was maddening after having almost lost him. He didn't need to be naked or wet from the shower or flushed from exercise. Phantom just needed to see him being his clumsy, defiant self, like the Fenton he remembered, and he would be content a while longer.
Four days just seemed like such a long time to go without even saying hello.
The bell rang, the sound softened by distance. Phantom set his chin on his arms and watched the students stand from the picnic tables and begin making their way back inside.
At least he could freely see and speak to Valerie. Or as freely as she would let him. Most likely on the battlefield. They weren't the tender moments he longed for, but he needed to give up Fenton to have those with Valerie, and that was…difficult. Not least of all because that would mean losing himself as well.
Phantom blew out a sigh. He wanted a great deal for someone who wasn't meant to exist.
For now, he would wait to see if Valerie and Fenton would eat outside. Even if it was just a distant glimpse, patrolling could wait that long. It wasn't like he and Fenton patrolled on school days anyway. Usually the ghosts just came to them.
Valerie bit harshly down on the end of her pen and glared at her open notebook as Mr. Felluca droned on about alkaline metals. The lecture was important, they had a test coming up, but so was the web she had been scribbling down in her notebook since last night. It had started as a little bubble detailing Danny's and Vlad's similar accidents, but it had since grown into a monster as she remembered more and more strange instances around Danny that could all link back to his accident and his potential as a…as a…
What were they supposed to be? Ghosts? Humans with ghost powers? Were they like Danielle? What exactly was she?
Valerie didn't have all the answers yet, but the clues she was gathering made her more sure than ever she wasn't going to like it. So far, everything was pointing to Danny being…something not entirely human. But how far did that go?
Starr nudged her shoulder. Valerie glanced at her from the corner of her eye, and Starr whispered, "Is he giving you trouble?"
Valerie looked back down at her paper. Danny's name, written in at least half the bubbles, stood out prominently against the other text. Valerie felt her cheeks warm a little, which was stupid. She wasn't some lovestruck teenager, this was serious ghost hunting business. Her boyfriend might actually be a ghost. She hunted ghosts.
She turned back to Starr, but the other girl's blue eyes were squinting at Valerie's notebook now too. Valerie quickly covered it with her hand, but not before Starr's eyes widened.
Her high-pitched voice squeaked out the one word Valerie hadn't wanted her to see.
"Phantom?"
On Starr's right, Paulina finally stopped scowling at Felluca for his nasally, hard to understand voice and jerked her head around to face Starr and Valerie, her eyes suddenly bright and excited. "What about the Ghost Boy?"
Valerie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not now, Paulina."
"Even Valerie thinks he knows Fenton," Starr whispered excitedly.
"I do not."
"You do too! It's right there in your notebook!"
Valerie covered the offending bubble and glared at her best friend. "I know it's difficult for you, Starr, but maybe you could try minding your own business once in a while."
Starr smiled sweetly, unrepentant.
Paulina made a disgruntled noise. "Please, that is so last weekend. Of course Danny knows him. Didn't you see the picture?"
Valerie clenched her jaw. She hadn't forgotten the newspaper article, she just hadn't wanted to think about it. For numerous reasons. "All it shows is Phantom flying through Danny's room. He swears he never even saw him."
"Not that," Paulina huffed, flicking her hand as if disgusted. Valerie frowned. Paulina made a rude noise and rolled her eyes. "This is why you need to let my Papa help you out. You were so much more on top of things when you were rich."
"We don't need charity," Valerie said, her hands curling into fists.
Paulina shrugged. "Whatever. Here."
She whipped out her phone, but as soon as the lock screen appeared, she let out a squeal of delight that made Felluca pause in his lecture to glare warningly in their direction. Their table was far enough away he probably hadn't bothered to scold them for whispering, as aware as everyone else in the school that all sports players and cheerleaders got a free pass from Lancer, but he could confiscate Paulina's phone until the end of class period. Still, Paulina ignored him and cooed over the picture Starr had taken of her and Phantom on Sunday, back when Paulina had hugged Phantom after a ghost attack. Valerie had already seen it more than she cared to. Felluca reluctantly returned to his lecture.
"Anyway." Starr turned back to Valerie. "Personally, I think you could do way better than Fenton and his squad of misfits. Maybe Henry? He's not all that rich either. He wouldn't rub it in your face."
"I don't care about how rich guys are, Starr-"
"Obviously."
"I just like him." Or she had. Valerie glared at her notebook again. "Danny's hiding something from me, and I don't like that."
"Oh." Starr shrugged dismissively. "Guys hide things all the time. It's not a big deal."
"This is," Valerie said as quietly as she could.
"Here." Paulina passed her phone to Starr who promptly handed it to Valerie. Felluca didn't even bother to glare them. "See? They're totally talking."
Valerie frowned at the phone in her hands. Phantom was clearly visible, his glow and the way the rain reflected it drew Valerie's eyes immediately, but whoever had taken the photo had done so behind a window, and the occasional water droplet, the glare from a light source behind them, interfered with the shot.
There was someone standing in front of Phantom, she could see that much, but their face was in the glare. The rest of their body, from the white turtleneck to their red sneakers, was visible. Valerie's grip tightened around the phone. She knew that outfit.
"The picture is not that great," Paulina continued. "Whoever posted it said they were looking outside at the rain when Phantom suddenly appeared in front of this kid who was walking just outside their apartment. They don't go to our school, so someone else posted a picture of Danny for them to identify, and they swear he's the kid in the picture."
Valerie leaned over the phone, her jaw clenched. She had thought Danny had been acting strange during their date, but why hadn't he said anything? Perhaps not during the date, but after he found out she was the Red Huntress? Did Phantom have some sort of blackmail over Danny? Or had Danny wanted him there?
Given that Danny had defended Phantom on Sunday, even to the point of voluntarily entering the Ghost Zone to save him if necessary, Valerie had a bad feeling it was the latter.
Besides, Phantom didn't look threatening in the picture. He looked…shy?
Why was Danny even talking to him after their date?
"Did the person who posted it hear what they were talking about?" she asked Paulina.
The other girl shrugged. "Nope. They just saw them talking in the rain. They said they were going to record them but then Phantom flew away with Danny." She sighed dreamily. "If only he would fly me away from here…"
"He—he what?" Valerie spluttered, trying to keep her voice hushed even though every part of her wanted to stand up and scream.
She had suspected when Danny wasn't at all afraid in the sky yesterday, but to have it confirmed…She had started to think Danny might have flown up there himself since he was (probably) some sort of ghost-human hybrid like Danielle, but if Phantom had flown him up there, that…that could put a different spin on things. On a lot of things.
"Why aren't you more upset?" Valerie demanded, her breathing a little fast. "If Danny had been another girl—"
"Oh please. You're not seriously suggesting the Ghost Boy is gay." Paulina pointed imperiously at her phone. "You saw our picture when I hugged him. That adorable ghost blush, his goofy grin…there's no way he doesn't like me."
"There is such a thing as bi, Paulina. I should know."
"Uh, yeah, but why would the Ghost Boy choose Danny when he could have me? Besides." Paulina grinned wickedly, and Valerie braced herself for the attack. "Danny is already dating someone. Someone who isn't Phantom."
Valerie's pen squeaked in protest as Valerie clenched her jaw and glared at her old friend. "Danny isn't like that."
"Then neither of us has anything to worry about," Paulina concluded brightly. "Give me back my phone."
Valerie looked down at the phone one last time, trying to memorize all she could. She passed it back to Paulina who clicked on her lock screen again so she could sigh over Phantom's image some more. Valerie rolled her eyes. To her, he looked more startled and embarrassed than interested.
"Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" she asked, turning to Starr.
Starr held up her hands. "You were so upset with Fenton yesterday, I thought you had seen it. They posted it on Paulina's Ghost Boy website Sunday."
Valerie wrinkled her nose. "I don't go on there, Starr." She had no interest in seeing people from Amity Park (and even some outside) fawn over some ghost because he happened to be cute and played a good hero game. They should all know better.
"Oh," Starr said, hesitant. "So, you haven't heard the latest?"
"What latest?" Valerie demanded. "There's more?"
"Well, that's twice Fenton has shown up in relation to Phantom," Starr said quickly. "So some people were talking about keeping an eye on Fenton so they could—"
"You mean stalking," Valerie interrupted. "They're planning on stalking my boyfriend? Because of two grainy pictures that don't actually prove anything?"
Starr hunched her shoulders forward. "Well...Paulina..." She looked imploringly at her friend.
Paulina finally looked up from her drooling. "What? Oh. Yeah. That was my idea."
"Call," Valerie growled, "it off."
"Uh, no." Paulina sniffed and ran her hands down her long black hair, pulling it over one shoulder. "Do you know how long it has taken me to convince them? Phantom never appears anywhere unless Fenton is there first. We should have been tracking Danny ages ago, but no one ever listened to me." She glared at Starr.
"They've never been seen together," Starr protested. "I thought you were still just crushing on Fenton."
Paulina slammed one hand on the desk, her cheeks flaming. "I do not have a crush on that loser!"
"Miss Sanchez!" Mr. Felluca shouted. "Please!"
Paulina glared at the teacher but sunk obediently down in her chair. Her voice once again quiet, she hissed. "I don't."
"Methinks you protest too much," Starr teased, grinning.
Paulina's lips pulled into a pout.
"Hey, stay away from my boyfriend, Sanchez," Valerie said. "And while you're at it, call off your creep squad."
Paulina scoffed. "They're just going to keep an eye out for Phantom. No one's interested in catching a loser and a has-been making out." She smirked devilishly. "Or trying to."
Valerie gritted her teeth. She refused to give Paulina the satisfaction of seeing how deeply the remark cut. It would just add more fuel to the fire, and Danny had already suffered enough because of her carelessness.
More important would be all the attention Danny was getting because of some unspecified connection to the so-called town hero. Danny finally knew her secret, he knew and he didn't mind, but she would still have to hide it and distance herself from him because of Phantom's obsessed fans. It wasn't fair. She was just lucky it had been raining yesterday. Nobody would have wanted to follow her and Danny into that downpour no matter how much they wanted to catch Phantom.
"They're not going to find anything," Valerie said as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "If Danny and Phantom have any interactions at all, it's because of Danny's parents."
"Oh!" Starr said brightly. "That's probably how Phantom got his ghost-catching thermos!"
"Probably," Valerie grumbled.
Paulina waved a dismissive hand. "We're not trying to incriminate him. Didn't you hear?" Paulina leaned into Starr's side to better stare at Valerie, accentuating her English as clearly and slowly as she could. "The Ghost Boy appears wherever Danny goes. I have been saying it for years!"
"She has," Starr chimed in with a sigh.
"He'll lead us right to the Ghost Boy."
"Thats—" Valerie started heatedly, but her mouth moved silently over several objections before she finally bit out "—insane."
"Whatever." Paulina sat up properly and picked up her pencil. "Just don't tell your loser boyfriend about this. It might ruin everything."
Valerie scowled down at her notebook and the web she had started last night. The web that was hinting at something Danny didn't want her to know. "I won't," she promised. She had her own answers to gather, after all, and if Paulina's minions wanted to help with that, all the better.
She picked up her pen again, and after several seconds of thought, she wrote "Phantom appears wherever Danny is" and connected it to a bubble about them sharing some sort of connection. They were both hiding something. She didn't have the words for it yet, but seeing those bubbles together…Valerie felt dread building inside of her.
She just knew wasn't going to like the answers.
Tucker and Fenton entered the boys' locker room, and to Fenton's relief, it was empty. He had half feared Dash or one of the other guys who had been staring at him would be waiting in ambush, but it seemed even they didn't have that kind of patience, not when the lunch bell had rung just a couple minutes ago.
Tucker moved towards their lockers, already stripping off his shirt. Fenton sighed miserably and followed his example, grabbing the back of his collar and pulling his shirt over his head in one smooth motion. A cold breeze blew over his exposed skin, and Fenton shivered. For more reasons than one.
Fenton chucked his shirt at the bench with more force than necessary. Tucker twisted his head to look over his shoulder at him, one eyebrow poised in question. Fenton forced a shaky smile. "You were right. It stinks."
"Uh-huh…" Tucker drawled.
Fenton undressed the rest of the way quickly and jumped into the showers before Tucker even finished gathering his own supplies. He really had showered the night before, it had just been a very late night shower. It had taken a long time for him shake off the effects of Phantom's presence, and even longer to gather the courage to strip in front of the mirror in the bathroom.
Fortunately, with Phantom no longer in his head, sharing his senses and broadcasting thoughts Fenton had never wanted directed at himself, the ordeal had been a lot less embarrassing. He didn't try to check himself out in the mirror, he didn't feel excited about his bare skin, and he definitely didn't feel like there was another person looking through his eyes, seeing what he saw. It was a relief and would have stayed that way if Fenton's thoughts hadn't wandered back to Phantom and the confusing mess of emotions he evoked, as inescapable as gravity and just as exciting.
Fenton gritted his teeth and ducked his whole head beneath the shower spray. No, he wasn't going there, not again. It had started innocently last night too, with Fenton wondering how it had sneaked up on him and whether or not he was actually feeling something or if it was just lingering traces of Phantom's own crush, but it had spiraled into thoughts of glowing skin, cold fingers, and what Phantom might look like in the shower instead, and—It had been exciting to think about, fine, yes, but he didn't want to think about Phantom like that.
"You forgot your towel."
Fenton jerked his head out of the spray and wiped frantically at his eyes. "What?" He heard Tucker's feet slapping against the wet stone tiles and looked up.
"Your towel." Tucker pointed at the hooks where they were supposed to hang their towels. Two towels now hung from the pegs, a yellow and a blue one. "I brought it in for you. No need to thank me. I can tell you're distracted."
"I'm not!" Fenton objected. He hurriedly grabbed his shampoo off the little shelf beneath his shower head and almost dropped it. "I'm just, uh, focused."
"Is that what we're calling it?" Fenton heard metal squeak, and then Tucker's shower head sputtered out its own rainfall, joining Fenton's in a near deafening cacophony. "Come on, Danny! We're bros. We share everything! Is it about Valerie?"
In truth, Fenton hadn't thought about his girlfriend much at all except to worry about seeing her again. "Sort of," he said instead, scrubbing the shampoo into his hair. "But, uh, not exactly."
"Yesterday was your first day training together, right?"
Fenton swallowed. "Yes," he said, almost too quiet for Tucker to hear over the rainfall. Fenton ducked his head beneath the shower spray again, rinsing the shampoo. "She and my parents really hit it off," he said, speaking louder, water spraying from his lips. "They really got into the whole hunting thing."
Tucker winced sympathetically. "Bet that wasn't pleasant."
"You'd bet right." Once his hair was clear of suds, Fenton stepped out of the warm spray and grabbed his body wash. He lathered his sponge but hesitated, swallowing. "We, uh, we got into a fight."
"Dude! You didn't say anything! Is it bad? How upset is she?"
Fenton shifted on his feet. "Don't know." Valerie was upset, but Fenton didn't think their relationship was in danger or anything. Then again, he wasn't the love expert his ghost half was. Phantom had an uncanny ability to pick up nuances about those around them. He could probably guess Valerie's mood just by glancing at her.
"Yikes." Tucker shook his head. "Guess that explains your behavior."
Fenton took a deep breath. Not even close. He began scrubbing his body as quickly and efficiently as he could. He wasn't as scared of it as he was yesterday, alone in the bathroom with thoughts about a crush he didn't understand plaguing him, but there was still the lingering memory of dual sensations that made him feel a little flustered. "I'm not acting that strange, am I?" he asked to distract himself.
Tucker held out a hand covered in soap suds out and waggled it side-to-side. "Just little things. I doubt anyone else would notice."
"Even Valerie?"
Tucker hesitated. "I want to say no because you guys haven't been dating that long, but...well, she is a ghost hunter."
Fenton bowed his head and sighed. "Right..."
"She's not your parents, though, Danny. She probably won't assume it's related to ghosts."
Except, she already had. And she had placed the blame squarely on Phantom. It wasn't even that far from the truth.
The rest of the shower passed uneventfully, and Fenton and Tucker joined Sam outside the gym only ten minutes after lunch began, but now Fenton's thoughts were churning. His silence and monosyllabic answers to any comments sent his way drove Sam and Tucker to discuss the movie they had watched last night after bowling in order to give him space. Relieved, Fenton stared down at his feet as he and his friends walked towards the cafeteria.
Something had gone wrong with their relationship with Valerie. Phantom had noticed it during training, and even if Fenton still thought she had just been frustrated, he trusted Phantom's judgment. The problem was Phantom was counting on him to fix things with her. Fenton didn't know the first thing about dating—he had barely held it together during their date, and even then he had had Phantom's help. What was he even supposed to say to her the next time he saw her?
In truth, he would have preferred to avoid her. The pressure to fix things, the obligations he had to a relationship he was only slightly interested in, just made Valerie a source of stress for him, and while Fenton wasn't great at these things, he didn't think that was fair to either of them.
He was far more interested in seeing Phantom again, and that was…bad. Bad, bad, bad, terribly bad, for numerous reasons. Fortunately, they had agreed to keep their distance so he wouldn't see Phantom until right…before they merged…
Fenton pinched his eyes shut and ran a hand through his damp hair. Damn it.
They were among the last students to arrive at the cafeteria. Sam carried her bag lunch in her hand, but she followed Fenton and Tucker to the end of the short line, still bickering about a cyborg character. Fenton didn't understand what it was about, but he smiled all the same as he watched them skillfully volley retorts and objections back and forth.
Someone in line ahead of them looked over her shoulder and caught his eye, only to turn back around quickly. Fenton lost his smile. He looked around the cafeteria, and while fewer people were looking at him, he noticed just as many glances would sometimes be thrown his way.
"Just great," he muttered quietly to himself. He still didn't know the reason, but Sam was probably right. Someone had seen him and Phantom together. He just wasn't sure how or where. The only time they had been outside the house together had been during the date and when they were above the clouds. And when they came back down.
Fenton felt his cheeks warming, Phantom's memories of that moment still a little too clear in his mind. Whatever motives Phantom had when he flew Fenton up there, by the time he flew them back down, Phantom had…he had held Fenton like he was precious, and Fenton was still trying to come to terms with that himself. He hoped nobody saw them then. It was…personal.
He glanced around again, but this time he spotted Valerie sitting at a table by the windows. She was all alone, her tray still mostly full as she scribbled in her notebook. Fenton took a deep breath. Right. He could do this. She was just like Sam. He could do this.
Short as the line was, Fenton and Tucker soon filled their trays, and Fenton warily led his friends over to Valerie's table. He was halfway there when it occurred to him she may not want company. He looked at Tucker for help, but Sam was already moving forward. She sat beside Valerie and opened her brown bag.
"Working on something, Gray?" she asked as she pulled out her salad.
Valerie flipped her notebook shut. "You could say that." She looked up as Fenton sat down across from her and Tucker beside him. "I was wondering where you guys were. Dash give you trouble again?"
Tucker pointed his fork accusingly at Sam. "Miss muscles over here refused to leave until she finished her 25 count set. Now, I ask you, is that necessary? Is that fair?" He stabbed his fork into the spaghetti the lunch ladies had prepared them. He slurped up the noodles and around his mouthful, he concluded, "I think not."
"She put forty-five pounds on each side of the barbell," Fenton explained, almost too quietly for a crowded cafeteria. "Tuck and I had to work together to spot for her."
Valerie turned raised eyebrows on Sam. "That'd make it a hundred and fifteen pounds?" Sam nodded, grinning. "Manson, you and I need to be in the same gym class next year."
"An actual weight lifting partner would be godsend at this point." She gestured at Tucker and Fenton. "I've been trying to whip these two into shape since the year started. It's only been a few weeks, but I can already tell it's hopeless."
"Hey," Fenton protested. "I'm getting better!"
"Give it a few months, Manson. You can't expect them to catch up when only a few PE days are dedicated to strength training. Me on the other hand? I have a weight room at my apartment complex where I work out everyday."
Sam leaned forward. "Really? How much do you lift?"
Tucker snorted.
"A hundred twenty-five."
"Not bad."
"Better than you."
"By ten pounds."
"Ten pounds may as well be ten miles if you think you can catch up to me."
Tucker shook his head. "Just admit defeat now, Danny. We may as well turn in our macho cards."
Fenton sighed. "What makes you think we ever had them?"
The two girls laughed at them, and Fenton tilted his head down to hide his pleased smile. Talking to Valerie wasn't so hard after all, so long as Tucker and Sam were there.
"Oh, Danny!"
Fenton stiffened. He knew that high-pitched, beautifully accented voice. Every boy in the school did. A glance at the two girls sitting across from him told him he was right even before he turned around. "Uh, yes?" he called back, uncertain. "Paulina?"
People really were looking in his direction now, though at least now that attention was shared with the girl strolling over to his table, Kwan following at her heels. As gorgeous as ever, Fenton nevertheless wished Paulina had found someone else to target. Like Tucker. Tucker was already salivating and whispering excitedly in Fenton's ear. Not Fenton. Fenton would rather curl up in a ball than speak to the most gorgeous girl in the school. He just knew he was going to blow it, whatever it was.
She stopped beside him, smiled, and without bothering to acknowledge the others sitting at the table, handed Fenton a flier. "It's our last summer party before we have to drain the pools. Kwan's hosting it this year."
She flashed a brief smile at Kwan. Kwan's own smile was more sincere as he met Fenton's eyes, but Fenton wasn't reassured. Kwan had been egging Dash on not even thirty minutes ago.
Paulina directed her smile at Fenton again, half-lidded her eyes, and said in a softer, more intimate voice, "We want you to come."
"Um…" Fenton looked down at the flier, flustered and blushing. Was there a way out of this without committing social suicide? He looked at Valerie for help, knowing she had once been a part of that crowd, but the others misinterpreted his look.
Paulina sighed. "Fine. Yes. Valerie, you can come too since you're dating him. But you better be civil."
With a beaming grin, Kwan handed Valerie a flier.
"How generous," Valerie said without emotion.
"What about us?" Tucker asked eagerly.
"You can come too," Kwan said brightly, handing him and Sam a flier each. "I know Fenton will only come if you guys do."
"Gee, thanks," Sam said, casually setting her paper aside. "So we're only invited because you want Danny there? I feel so loved. Really."
"Well they only want Danny to come so Phantom might show," Valerie said with only a little more emotion in her voice. The dangerous kind. "Isn't that right, Paulina?"
Paulina pouted.
Fenton pulled his paper apart and found a second one beneath the first. "Ah," he said, the only sound he could manage with his heart racing the way it was.
This again.
"Okay," Paulina admitted, "yes, Danny and his loser friends are only invited because that raises the likelihood of Phantom showing up to, like, seventy percent—"
"You said eighty," Kwan protested.
"A really much higher chance! But if he shows up, that would totally prove you know him. That will show everyone I was always right, I'll get my Ghost Boy, and Danny will get the fame of being known as his friend or whatever." She clapped her hands in front her chest. "It's a win-win for everyone!"
"And it was my idea!" Kwan added, grinning. "Do you realize how amazing it would be to have Phantom show up at my party? At my house?"
Sam narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. "Is this what had Dash so upset earlier? He doesn't want Danny there?"
Kwan winced. "Uh. M-maybe. Sort of."
"So you'll come, won't you, Danny?" Paulina asked sweetly, placing her hand on his arm.
Startled, Fenton jerked his arm away. He looked up hurriedly into Paulina's stunned face, but Valerie at least looked pleased. "Uh," he stuttered, "sorry. Um, I can let him know if I see him, but uh, I'm not going."
"What?" Paulina's gaped at him a moment before her eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
Fenton shrugged. "I'm grounded." And thank you Dad for that, he thought silently to himself.
"Danny, noooo," Tucker wailed, grabbing Fenton's arm.
Paulina stomped her foot. "You can't be serious, Danny! Just sneak out or something."
"Oh yeah sure," Fenton drawled, "let me just call Phantom up so he can bust me out of my parents' super protected, upper room floor." Paulina's eyes brightened, and he quickly amended, "That was sarcasm! I, uh, I mean, whoever even heard of a ghost having a cell phone?"
"Yeah," Valerie said, rolling her eyes, "because that was the most unbelievable part."
"If Danny's not going," Sam said as she pushed her flier to the center of the table, "then I'm not either."
"No one wants you there anyway," Paulina snapped.
"Just think about it, Fenton?" Kwan asked, almost pleaded if Fenton was hearing him right. "Maybe ask your parents if they'd let you off this one time. The party isn't until Friday anyway."
All the more reason Fenton couldn't make it. He and Phantom were supposed to merge that day, and they wouldn't be in any shape to attend a party afterward. "I doubt it." Kwan's shoulders slumped, and Fenton sighed. Dash really would wail on him if he upset his best friend. "But I'll ask."
"Thanks, man!" Kwan slapped him on the back. A little too hard. Fenton fell forward from the force of it and just managed to keep his face from falling into his spaghetti. "Uh, whoops?"
Fenton waved him off, and Kwan said a pleasant goodbye before running off to his next table. Paulina sighed, pouted at Fenton, and then followed after Kwan.
Once they were gone, Fenton drooped over the table, feeling boneless with relief. "Thank you, Dad."
Valerie snorted. "Really didn't want to go, huh?"
"Not really."
"I did!" Tucker held up his paper like it was the most tragic thing in the world. "It's a pool party! Do you know how many pretty girls in bikinis would have shown up?"
"Oh, get over it," Sam said.
"Dash would have killed me once Phantom didn't show," Fenton pointed out. "You saw how he was in the weight room."
"So get Phantom to show up." Valerie leaned forward on the table, her eyes half-lidded. "You implied you knew him."
Fenton shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Not really...we don't run into each other that often. I, uh, doubt I'll even see him before Friday." Assuming everything went to plan, Phantom didn't break his promise, and Fenton didn't have to save him from a ghost attack or their parents.
"What even brought all this on in the first place?" Sam asked. "Was it that newspaper, or did we miss something?"
"You mean you guys didn't know either?" Valerie asked. "I was starting to think I was the only one. I just found out myself a little while ago." She turned to Fenton, one eyebrow lifted. "Someone took a hazy picture of Phantom talking to someone in the rain. You can't tell who from the picture, but the person who saw him swears that someone was you. I confirmed it myself when I saw the picture. I recognized the shirt you wore on our date." Blood drained from Fenton's face, leaving his cheeks feeling cold. Valerie's eyes narrowed. "So, Fenton. What happened with Phantom after our date?"
Fenton opened his mouth, but he couldn't force any words out. He couldn't explain the meteor shower to Valerie. He couldn't let even a hint show on his face because he was sure whatever he had felt up there was not something he should have felt for anyone but her.
Tucker and Sam looked at each other, their eyes wide. They probably wanted to help, but they didn't know the details, not enough to come up with a believable lie anyway. It wasn't as if they knew they needed to keep Valerie from discovering Phantom had done something that, had Fenton been anyone but his other half, would have been considered romantic.
Hell...Phantom hadn't considered Fenton his other half at the time. It had been romantic. That's why their feelings had been stronger when they came down.
Shit.
Shit.
"Um..." Fenton rubbed the back of his neck. "H-he flew me home? It was starting to rain, right? It was...it would have been a long walk."
Valerie continued to stare at him with narrowed eyes. "Why don't I believe you?" she asked quietly. "How did he even know where you were?"
Fenton didn't know how to respond to that. Silence stretched between them again.
"I—" he started.
The window in front of them shattered into hundreds of pieces, the only thing Fenton saw before a body crashed into him. The two of them flew backwards. Fenton's back took the brunt of their fall, but then his head struck the concrete floor, and his vision went black. He heard screaming, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie shouting his name, but no matter how many times he blinked, he couldn't see anything. The body on top of him was cold, though.
"Phantom?" he said, but his tongue slurred the word, not forming it correctly.
"Fenton!" The weight on top of him left, and then Fenton felt Phantom touch his face. "Are you okay? Where are you hurt?"
"My head..." Fenton blinked a few more times, and slowly his vision started to clear until he could see Phantom's glowing green eyes too close to his own face. He winced at the bright light, and Phantom moved back. "What are you doing here?" he slurred.
Valerie dropped to the floor on his other side as Phantom fit his hand beneath Fenton's head, his cold fingers frantically probing. Valerie's gaze darted from Fenton to Phantom to Fenton and then back to Phantom. That was probably bad. Given what they had been talking about, she might figure out their secret.
Which secret, though? There were two.
"What happened?" Fenton started to sit up, but his vision swam, and he sank back down again. "You don't usually break windows when you fly through them."
"Ghost attack," Phantom said, his echoing voice clipped. "Outside."
"You should go deal with that then."
Phantom laughed, though he didn't sound very amused. "In a second."
"He's right," Valerie said. She pushed on Phantom's chest. "He's my boyfriend. You take care of the ghost, I'll take care of him."
Phantom huffed, frustrated, and rolled his eyes. "Why does that sound so familiar? The two of you do realize I can care for others too?"
"Both of you go," Fenton insisted. He tried sitting up again, pleased when he managed to make it to his elbows. "I'm fine." With a little more effort, he tensed his stomach muscles and sat up the rest of the way. He fell a little too far forward, but he managed to catch himself even before Phantom's cold hand and Valerie's warm one pushed against his chest. "I'll join you guys in a second."
"You can't be serious," Valerie said.
Phantom laughed dryly. "We better find him a babysitter or he really will follow us."
"Look no further," Tucker said, his sudden voice oddly bright and cheerful against the screams Fenton now realized were mostly coming from outside, audible because of the broken window. Phantom and Valerie didn't look surprised to see Tucker. How long had he been standing there? "I excel at Danny-sitting."
Fenton looked up at him and then around him. He saw kids running around, but he didn't see Sam. "Where's she?"
"If you mean Sam, she's outside fighting the ghost one-on-one like a total badass because someone's a little divided at the moment."
Fenton winced. From the corner of his eye, he saw Phantom do the same. The ghost sighed. "Okay." He removed his soothingly cold hand from Fenton's head and raised both hands in surrender. "I'm going."
He stood up and Tucker dropped to the floor in his place. Phantom looked over his shoulder at Fenton, meeting his eyes. He looked conflicted, his lips tight with worry. But then he launched off the ground and flew through the hole in the window.
"That was fast," Fenton mumbled.
"I think he's a little upset," Tucker said.
Valerie stood up as well. She looked between Fenton and the doors leading outside.
"I'm fine," Fenton insisted. "I just have a concussion, right, Tucker?"
"Sure looks that way to me. We'll have to get you to the nurse's office."
Fenton hummed. His head felt heavy, so he let it drop against Tucker's shoulder for a few seconds. When his head cleared a little more, he asked, "Is she gone?"
"Yup. Took off around the hallway."
"Oh good." Fenton lifted his head off Tucker's shoulder and rolled forward onto his knees. "Help me up."
"Dude," Tucker said in protest. "They got this. There's no need for you to fight this time."
"You don't understand." Fenton struggled to his feet, but lost his balance. Tucker caught him before he could fall. "We're like we were last time. Phantom doesn't like fighting."
"Which means the ghost is the lover and you're the fighter again?" Tucker sighed. "That explains PE. Why would you do this to yourself?"
Fenton chose not to answer and began walking unsteadily towards the doors leading outside. The other students had evacuated the cafeteria, making Fenton's path a clear shot, but still he struggled to walk in a straight line. Tucker trotted after him.
"I mean, I get it," Tucker went on, "I know how you hate all that responsibility and stuff you always complain about, but you do realize this makes everything ten times worse for you, right?"
"Tucker," Fenton whined. The doors were still too far away for someone struggling to walk in a straight line. He could still hear people screaming. He had to do something.
"And even if your ghost half hates fighting right now, you don't exactly need a whole lot of finesse when you're packing that much raw power."
"I just need to be there in case he needs help."
"Yeah, see, that's the thing. The way he was hovering over you just a little bit ago, I think you would be more distraction than help. I don't think he wants to watch his human self die a terrible death of, like, internal bleeding or something."
Fenton grunted. So close, Tucker, but I don't think self-preservation was on his mind. "Don't worry, I don't have internal bleeding."
"Do you realize how freaky it is that you can diagnose yourself that confidently? Not that I doubt your knowledge, of course, but I'm gonna need a second opinion. For my own peace of mind, you understand."
He was almost there. Fenton took a deep breath and almost gagged, his nausea roiling his stomach. He swallowed and in a shaky voice asked, "What ghost is attacking? Do I know them?"
"I don't think so. It looked like one of those behemoth ghosts. You know the ones. No names, they just scream and roar a lot. This one had really big teeth, six legs, and a long tail that probably whacked Phantom through the window like a baseball bat."
Fenton winced. He didn't think he would be sitting by those windows again any time soon. "Thanks for that image."
"You're welcome."
Finally, Fenton fell against the doors. He took a deep breath and then pushed them open, Tucker following anxiously at his side. The bright sunlight stung Fenton's eyes, and he had to squint as he stepped outside. He didn't hear as many screams as before, but students surround the area in front of the doors. Most were cowering against the walls and beneath the overhang, but some were moving towards the picnic tables. All of them gawked at the ghost fight instead of running inside.
Fenton sighed and leaned his shoulder against the door frame. "Why haven't they gone in?"
Tucker snorted. "Just be glad they found somewhere relatively safe before they sat down to watch the show."
Maybe so, but that just meant Fenton would have to push his way through to the front. He firmed his jaw. He stepped away from the door and began squeezing his way between gawking students, his speed earning him some complaints. He heard Tucker doing the same somewhere behind him, yelling at him to wait.
Fenton almost didn't notice when, instead of squeezing past a stranger, he brushed past Dash. If the hardened muscles and towering six foot figure didn't give him away, the way Dash squealed, "He's so cool!" did the trick.
Fenton flinched away from him, but Dash didn't seem to notice, his gaze riveted on Phantom. Fenton couldn't help following his gaze, saw the giant ghost fighting in the football field some distance away, and felt his own jaw drop. Tucker hadn't exaggerated. It was huge.
Purple fur with orange spots covered its body, but its furious red eyes and the shark-like teeth currently dripping saliva onto the field made it look more terrifying than cuddly. It towered above the goal posts and bleachers, balanced on four legs while the front two clawed fruitlessly at the air, its stiff, baton-like tail swatting around itself as it tried to catch whatever was buzzing around its head. Fenton had a bad feeling that something was Phantom.
He looked frantically around at the other students. "Where's—" He cut himself off noticing Sam standing beneath some trees on the other side of the picnic area. She had a wrist-ray on her wrist, but she didn't seem interested in challenging the ghost more than she already had. When he saw her shift against a tree, taking more weight off one foot, he understood why.
But that meant Phantom was all alone.
Fenton shuffled past the last few students and was about to break into a run across the field when Tucker grabbed his arm and spun him around. Fenton opened his mouth to shout at him, but Tucker's narrow-eyed glare made the words wither on his tongue.
"I know you're used to being the hero, Danny," he said, his usual jovial tone replaced by a serious one Fenton wasn't accustomed to, "but take it from someone who's only ever been human: there are times to help and times to stand down. This?" Tucker gestured at the behemoth and Phantom. The tail struck the bleachers, crushing several rows. Bright green light struck the large ghost's eye, and its pained roar shook the ground. "This is a time to stand down. Especially since you're injured. You don't see Sam racing off do you?"
Fenton glanced at Sam again. "But I...no...she's not, but—
"Exactly." Tucker released his arm and crossed his own over his chest. "I won't make you go back inside and straight to the nurse's yet because I know what it's like not knowing if he's going to be okay or not, but if you run off to try and help him, I will tackle you and I will sit on you. You hear?"
Though it hurt his head, Fenton snorted and forced a smile. "I hear."
"Good."
Fenton turned back to the fight, his smile fading. Phantom's speed and the distance between Fenton and the fight made it hard to see his features, but Fenton could see him as a white blur whenever he flew in front of the behemoth. It was just enough of a glimpse to raise his anxiety whenever the larger ghost swatted at him.
"Get down!" Valerie shouted, the only warning she gave before her board flew over the students' heads, forcing them all to duck. Fenton hesitated, confused, and Tucker wrapped his arms around his neck, forcing him down in time for Valerie's board to ruffle his hair. When they stood up again, the students cheered and shouted after her.
Tucker breathed out a sigh of relief and removed his arms from around Fenton's neck and shoulders. "And now he has backup."
Fenton nodded, but he didn't feel as relieved. He had been in Phantom's shoes too many times not to remember how dangerous the fights were. You had to be alert during every second, ready to react with only a split second warning because ghosts were fast. That kind of hyper-awareness was hard to maintain, and Fenton knew how Phantom felt about Valerie. He knew how much he struggled to focus on a fight.
But there wasn't anything he could do. He would just have to trust Phantom to handle it like Phantom trusted Fenton to handle their relationship with Valerie.
A shiver went down his spine, and Fenton crossed his arms over his chest.
Valerie reached the ghosts seconds later and shot pink-colored beams at the behemoth from cubes Fenton knew would be floating near her head. It roared in anger and swatted at her with its tail, but she darted beneath the blow and fired again. Blue light flared around the ground where it had set its front paws for balance, and when it tried to swipe at Valerie again, its paw stuck to the ground. It struck clumsily with the other one instead but missed Valerie.
Growling through it's teeth, it snapped it's jaws at the black and white blur flying near the ground, missed, and bit into the earth. More blue light, but the monster released the earth and shook its head before the ice could do more than coat its lips.
"This is nerve-wracking," Fenton said, gripping his arms so tightly it hurt.
"Now you know how Sam and I feel," Tucker joked, but he didn't seem much better off, his own eyes just as glued to the fight as Fenton's were.
"Are you sure there's nothing we can—"
"Yes."
The baton-like tail narrowly missed Valerie. Phantom shouted something at her, the battle too far away for Fenton to hear anything more than the echo of his voice. Valerie shot towards the creature, once more drawing its attention, and Phantom dove for the tail, bright blue light shooting from his hands to encase the tail's base. It didn't stop the creature from swinging it, but its mobility and speed were greatly reduced, allowing Phantom and Valerie to fly around it more safely.
The students behind Fenton cheered, but he doubted Phantom or Valerie could hear them.
The two of them followed the same scheme with the behemoth's remaining front leg, Valerie playing decoy with its tail while Phantom iced the paw to the ground as soon as the behemoth set it down for balance. He flew along its side to ice the back ones for good measure too, and with that done, only its head remained to snap at them. Limited as its range was by its stubby neck, it wasn't much of a threat for two fliers.
The behemoth wasn't what Fenton would call defeated, but unable to move, unable to float off the ground, it was as good as immobilized, and that was all Phantom needed.
The whirling vortex of the Fenton Thermos enlarged to engulf the behemoth. It shrieked in fear and rage as its huge body was forced into such a confined space. The students around Fenton grew completely silent as they listened to the ghost's cries and the Thermos' whirring. When both cut off, they erupted into an ear-shattering cheer, Dash's voice being the loudest.
Fenton sucked in a huge breath and let it out in an explosive, relieved sigh. "That was awful," he said, surprised to hear his voice shaking.
Tucker clapped him on the shoulder. "Until you two merge back? Get used to it."
Phantom and Valerie floated above where the ghost had been, apparently speaking. Now that he wasn't flying so fast, Fenton could see Phantom a little better, enough to judge he didn't appear hurt. He might have been smiling, though from this distance it was hard to tell. The way he bobbed in the air seemed to indicate happiness, but that could have just been because he was speaking to Valerie without her trying to shoot him.
Tucker nudged Fenton's side, and Fenton finally dropped his gaze from his ghost and his girlfriend and watched Sam limp towards them on her sprained ankle. She lifted her arm and waved at them. Smiling, Fenton and Tucker waved back.
When she was close enough to be heard, Sam called out, "I don't know what portal that behemoth crawled out of, but I'm sure glad those two were able to take care of it so quickly." She shivered. "I swear it wanted to eat me. I don't know what I would have done if you-know-who hadn't shown up and lured it onto the football field when he did."
"How did you keep it distracted?" Fenton blurted, unable to help himself. That thing had been huge and Sam was just an earthbound human with a wrist-ray.
"Acted like a bee and stung it all over the place." Sam patted the ray on her wrist. "The blasts come too fast for such a big creature to track, and they don't leave long enough trails for it to follow the trajectory. I hid and jumped all over the picnic tables and trees before I tripped on someone's lunch and accidentally stung it while it was looking at me." She leveled a pointed look at Tucker. "I was brought down…by a meatball."
Tucker roared with laughter. It must have been the reaction Sam was looking for because she smiled. She held up her hand and Tucker high-fived it.
She turned back to Fenton and crossed her arms. No high-fives for him. "Heroics aside, I think you have some explaining to do."
Oh...right. Fenton winced.
"Does this count as the situation exploding in his face?" Tucker asked.
"Definitely. It could have been worse, but I don't think you can get more 'in your face' than your ghost half crashing through a window and sending the two of you flying halfway across the room."
"We didn't fly that far," Fenton protested, but his voice was drowned out by the students cheering.
They surged past the trio, jarring Fenton's shoulder and almost knocking him down. Dizziness washed over him, and Tucker rushed forward to grab his arm, Sam grabbing the other. He righted himself and saw the students had all gathered in a tight cluster, arms stretched above their heads as they reached for Phantom. The ghost boy smiled at them as he rubbed the back of his neck, but then his green eyes lifted to meet Fenton's.
Almost as if he couldn't contain it, Phantom's lips stretched into the largest grin Fenton had ever seen on him, his green eyes bright and wide. He touched the Thermos strap cutting across his chest and released a giddy laugh Fenton could barely hear over the shouts but knew all too well. As much as Phantom insisted they were no longer the same, Fenton could almost hear Phantom's thoughts as if he had shouted them in his head.
I did it!
His white hair looked even more disarrayed than usual. The crowd tried catching his attention, yelling his name, but he didn't move his eyes away from Fenton's. Not far behind Phantom, Valerie's helmeted head looked back and forth between them.
"Come on," Tucker said, pulling on Fenton's arm. "We gotta get you out of here."
It was only after he and Sam forced Fenton to turn away that Fenton realized how wide his own grin had gotten.
—
Phantom's smile faltered as he watched his friends and Fenton leave, but, of course, they had to keep their distance. Fenton and Phantom had sworn to do so, and in truth, the less time they were seen together, the less likely someone would notice certain similarities. It didn't matter much now when they were apart, but it could cause a great deal of trouble after they merged.
But he would have preferred to bask in Fenton's grin a while longer, at least…
Phantom heard Valerie's board purr and spun to face her, but she was already leaving too, her board speeding around the school to a less public area.
Phantom heaved a sigh. I'm getting sick of all these secrets…
"Hey, Phantom!" Dash's voice rose above the other shouts from the crowd. Some were snapping pictures with their phones, the occasional flash drawing Phantom's attention back to those he had helped rescue.
"Can I have your autograph?"
"You're so cool!"
"Can you come to my party?"
Phantom smiled down at them, easily picking out familiar faces, but he wasn't feeling as buoyed by their enthusiasm as he had been. Valerie had helped too. He never would have defeated the ghost without her help, but few seemed to even notice her departure. For that matter, if Sam hadn't distracted the ghost for as long as she had, there might have been a lot more injuries, but none had noticed her leaving either.
"Phantom!"
Phantom floated a little closer to the ground, but still hovered well above their reaching hands. He had no interest in being mobbed. "Is anyone hurt?" he called out, the echo in his voice making his words distinct amongst the other shouts. If any were, perhaps he could test his healing powers on someone other than Fenton.
A general chorus of 'no's and denials and praises for his ghost-kicking-awesomeness shot that idea down. Phantom tilted his head as they continued. They were a lot more energetic than usual. Perhaps because, as Danny, Phantom didn't usually linger after defeating the ghost. Fenton wasn't fond of attention, and anyway, they always had to return as Danny Fenton before someone noticed his absence.
"When did you get ice powers?"
"That was amazing!"
Thinking about his other half, Phantom's eyes wandered back to Fenton. The three friends had just reached the school doors. There were other kids pouring out, drawn by the commotion and reassurances that the danger was over, and Tucker was trying to act as a buffer between them and his two injured friends to keep them from being jostled too badly. Fenton had a hand pressed over his eye, and he didn't look as good as he had a few seconds ago. The adrenaline must have been wearing off.
Phantom clenched his jaw before forcing himself to breathe out slowly. They had suffered head injuries before. Fenton would be fine. They usually had ghost powers to heal those head injuries, powers that only Phantom now had, but…he…they were supposed to keep their distance.
"Ghost Boy!"
"I have a talk show, could you—"
"Is it true you're really cold?"
Another camera flash brought his attention back to the crowd, but only for a moment. He looked back at Fenton in time to see Paulina push her way through the doors, squeeze past Tucker, and knock shoulders with Fenton before she was running down the stairs towards Phantom. Elated to apparently have Phantom's eyes on her, she beamed, and Phantom couldn't resist smiling back for a brief moment.
Another camera flash, and he lost his smile. Fenton had braced his side and head against the brick wall near the entryway and appeared to be taking deep, calming breaths. Phantom remembered concussions sometimes led to nausea and vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and noise, among other things, and he was sure Fenton was suffering the worst of it now.
"Hey, hey, Phantom, hey!"
He floated towards Fenton before he stopped himself. The crowd shifted with him, voices even louder as some yelled for him not to leave yet. Paulina had reached the outskirts and was jumping up and down with a piece of paper in her hand. Phantom blew out an annoyed sigh. He wouldn't leave until Fenton was safely inside the school again, but after that…
He had a choice to make. He could uphold their promise or he could…bend it a little. He had already done it once before. What could healing Fenton one more time hurt?
The purpose of that ghost fight (other than literally throwing Phantom into Fenton HAHAHA yeah sue me) was to make Fenton and thus the part of Danny that can't sit idly from a fight ... sit idly from the fight. It's unnatural for him, and hopefully you guys felt that too by watching through Fenton's eyes on the sidelines instead of Phantom's where the action was.
I actually had a lot I wanted to talk about with this chapter, I actually had more revising planned for it too, but I just received some...really terrible and terrifying news about a family member and I can't really concentrate on finding and repairing all the flaws here. Not now. I haven't even read through it one last time for any minor spelling mistakes or dropped words. So, hey! Wild chapter on the loose lol. I think it's still good. Probably. Urgh. Please just tell me it's good
Oh yeah, shout out to ramputeeza on Ao3 for noticing I just completely hecking forgot to have Phantom hide the Ghost Catcher xD I haven't fixed it yet, but I know how and where to slide in that little (kinda important) detail. I'll try to get around to it soon
I'm around 5k words into the next chapter, and it's almost halfway done. I've been using it to cope and distract, so it might actually get done as quickly as this one lmao...
Anyway, hopefully this (wild, on-the-loose) chapter was good and not disappointing, and the next one will be posted just as quickly because that would be AWESOME. I hate taking months to post. One chapter a month would be fantastic