The Suave and the Awkward

by Dream Trance

Danny splits himself to practice kissing, and while it is as awkward as you would expect kissing yourself to be, circumstances keep arising that are easier to deal with apart than as one. With so much time apart, the question sets in: who has more right to exist if Fenton and Phantom are no longer fragments of a whole? Character Study. Established Gray Ghost, slow burn Pitch Pearl

23. The Hoodie

This chapter is one of my longest (over 15k words) so remember to pace yourselves! Look up from the phone/computer every twenty minutes and look at something far away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain, take bathroom breaks as needed, and remember to hydrate :P

Sorry this took so long. I had two false starts, one extreme rewrite, and one moment where I lost faith in myself and the story. Work also decided to screw me over by flipping how we do overtime-I was getting up an hour early to write because I would be too tired once I got home, but work has claimed that early morning hour and then some for itself and gave me more evening hours off instead. When I'm too tired to write. Ugh.

But! On with the story!

Chapter Summary: The gap between what could be if things were different and what is because of who they are flusters and confuses Phantom and Fenton as they move through the motions of what could almost be a lunch date.

---

Chapter 23
The Hoodie

"Please don't stand so close to me
I'm having trouble breathing
I'm afraid of what you'll see right now

I'll give you everything I am
all my broken heartbeats
until I know you'll understand,
and I will make sure to keep my distance
say I love you when you're not listening,

and how long can we keep this up, up, up?"

– Christine Perri ft. Jason Mraz "Distance"

---

Phantom belatedly remembered to turn himself and Fenton invisible.

Fortunately, the classroom above the boy's locker room was empty, the teacher and students enjoying their lunch elsewhere. Phantom regretfully watched Fenton's face, his eyes, his hesitant grin fade out of sight. Phantom had spent all day—all of yesterday—waiting to see Fenton, and even with him so close, they still had to hide themselves. They couldn't be seen together.

Distance, Phantom reminded himself, his smile fading a little as his chest ached. This is nothing more than a short reprieve.

He squeezed Fenton's fingers, and to his surprise, Fenton squeezed back, the fingers intertwined with Phantom's pressing almost painfully between his knuckles as they flew higher.

Phantom rose through the final ceiling and escaped the confines of the school. Sunlight struck them. A gentle wind blew across Phantom's face and tugged at his hair. It carried Fenton's body heat toward him, teasing him with traces of warmth. Phantom stared across from himself, trying to see through the veil of his invisibility, to spy a hint of light bending around Fenton's shape. He couldn't see any part of Fenton at all, but…

He brushed his thumb over Fenton's and felt his core flutter. Fenton was there with him. After so long apart, after fighting every thought that led him back to Fenton, Fenton was finally there, beside Phantom. He was holding Phantom's hands.

He was holding Phantom's hands.

Fenton's fingers had interlocked with Phantom's, fitting into the gaps between his fingers as comfortably as if Phantom had simply folded his own hands together. There was a logical explanation for that, but thoughts and logic took secondary and tertiary position to the amazement whispering in Phantom's head: we were made to fit like this…

"Uh, Phantom?" Fenton called hesitantly.

Phantom shook his head. Fenton was counting on him to keep things normal between them; Phantom couldn't allow himself to get lost in some silly fantasy about their hands fitting together. Of course they fit together; they were the same.

So, what was the problem? What was Fenton—ah. Phantom looked around and realized he had stopped flying upward and had simply started floating above the school. He blushed and smiled sheepishly, though of course Fenton couldn't see either the blush or the smile.

"I know you wish to fly," Phantom said, inventing a reason for his hesitation that wouldn't make Fenton change his mind, "but perhaps we should head to the Nasty Burger first so you can eat? We can fly afterward on our way back."

"We're going to do both anyway," Fenton pointed out in a dry tone. "We can't exactly walk there and back."

"I thought you wanted to fly," Phantom teased. "'Flying' to us isn't simply a matter of reaching our destination." He tilted his head, but since Fenton couldn't see it, he moved their interlocked hands, pushing and then pulling on Fenton's. "It's not even necessarily about flying fast. It will take time. And you must eat before you lose the chance. Right? You said you were starving."

"I…" Fenton began, then hesitated.

Phantom wouldn't mind either course, truth to tell, but if they prioritized eating first, Phantom would see Fenton that much sooner. They would finally be able to talk. Flying, after that, would just be a fun high point to close out their…

It's not a lunch date, Phantom thought sternly to himself. Don't. Don't even think about it as a possibility. This is an opportunity to catch up on events, nothing more.

It wouldn't be easy, but for Fenton, for Valerie, and for the merge on Friday, he would try. The crush was causing all of them nothing but trouble, so he would try.

"Alright," Fenton finally agreed. "Lunch first, and then flying. But…"

"Yes?"

"Can you fly us there fast?" Fenton allowed himself to sound a little plaintive, and Phantom smiled. "I like fast. I mean, I like the other stuff too, but fast now, fun flying stunts later. Sound good?"

Phantom's smile widened into a grin. He liked fast as well. "Yes." He fused his legs into a spectral tail and tightened his grip on Fenton's hands. "Hold on tight!"

He threw himself backwards—over the school's roof. Fenton yelped. He shouted something—something about warning him—but it tapered off into an incoherent scream as they sped toward the ground. The brickwork of the school blurred beside them. Phantom allowed himself a giddy laugh. He circled around Fenton, the two of them spinning as they fell. A few feet from the ground, Phantom angled them into a sharp swoop and pulled out of the dive. Fenton's scream became a delighted holler, an ecstatic sound bordering on a laugh. Phantom didn't feel the same adrenaline rush, but he shouted with him as they flew parallel to the ground, caught up in Fenton's euphoria.

In moments, they had left the school grounds and were flying above the road. Phantom considered staying above the cars, well above the road, but if Fenton had enjoyed diving off the school so much…

Phantom tucked his arms in close to his chest, bringing Fenton closer to his body, but he suspected Fenton's arms remained extended. Even if Fenton understood, he might not have the strength to fight the wind in order to fold his elbows. Phantom reached out with his tail, coiled it around Fenton's hips, his legs, and pulled him against his chest. He couldn't hear Fenton's reaction, but with their chests pressed together, Phantom felt the hitch in Fenton's breathing, the sharp intake of breath.

Phantom lowered his head, blindly searching until his cheek pressed against soft hair. "I won't let anything happen to you," he promised.

"Wh-what?"

Phantom lifted his head and sped faster, pouring energy into his flight until he was flying faster than the cars below him. Then he dove into traffic.

Fenton gasped a yell.

Phantom flew around a red car and darted into the space between another car and a truck. They were all driving so much slower than him. He flew past them, past a truck, a motorcycle, another car, weaving around the vehicles. He flew into oncoming traffic for a moment and Fenton nearly crushed his hands in a death grip until he could swerve into the correct lane again. He occasionally heard Fenton yelping and shouting and laughing, but between the roar of the traffic and the wind, he couldn't pick out the words.

He couldn't reach his fastest speed while dodging around vehicles, but that didn't matter. Phantom knew it would feel fast to Fenton, and far more exciting than just flying above everything. Phantom threw his intangibility into the mix and randomly decided to fly through certain vehicles instead of around them. It caused Fenton to scream and laugh, and Phantom grinned.

Phantom glanced below him. He saw only the road, the occasional dash of paint as he flew from lane to lane. He couldn't see Fenton flying on his back. With him so close, though, Phantom could feel the wild beating of his heart, the quick breaths that were often held as Phantom swerved around the cars. If he bent his head down, he was sure he would feel Fenton's black hair blowing in the wind.

Are your eyes squeezed shut? Phantom wondered, something tight and on the edge of bursting in his chest. How wide is your smile? Is the wind flushing your cheeks? Are you effected by our closeness at all? Are you pretending to fly on your own? Should I do the same? How have you managed to fight your feelings for so long when just flying with you makes me feel like this?

He turned onto the road that would take them to the Nasty Burger, only one more mile away. Phantom rolled over Fenton, so Fenton could be the one flying upright, and…

Phantom had wanted to let Fenton experience the flight from a different perspective, but Phantom hadn't accounted for gravity. With Fenton above him, gravity pressed Fenton to Phantom's chest, but Fenton didn't seem to notice the difference, going by his delighted laughter.

A small blush stole across Phantom's cheeks.

He tipped his head back, resumed tangibility, and tried to focus on his flight, on swerving around cars, on narrowly avoiding collisions. It was harder to fly upside-down, which helped keep him focused, but Phantom soon found himself flying faster, forcing himself to concentrate even more on the road, the traffic, and less on Fenton's warmth, the weight of him, the way he was practically laying on Phantom's chest.

It might have worked, but Fenton's head dipped down as he tried to shield his eyes from the wind. His chin found Phantom's shoulder and came to rest on it. His hair whipped around Phantom's ear and cheek. Phantom's core fluttered, stuttered, and he abruptly flew off the road.

They were almost to the Nasty Burger anyway…

"Phantom?" Fenton shouted over the wind.

Phantom, his face flushed as he berated himself, shouted back, "Almost there! Hold on!"

He corkscrewed around Fenton until his other half was laughing as they rose higher into the air. As soon as Phantom could see the Nasty Burger over the trees of the park, he dove for it. Fenton yelled in excitement. He was still pressed tight to Phantom's chest, Phantom could feel the excitement in his voice, in the rapid pounding of his heart, and in the tightened grip on his hands. Phantom closed his eyes and clenched his jaw against the feelings trying to surge within him.

He slowed their descent and landed by the pole. Or rather, he set Fenton on his feet. He belatedly unwound his tail from Fenton's lower half and landed on his own feet in front of him—in time to catch Fenton against his chest as he stumbled.

"Hey." Phantom released Fenton's hands and reached blindly for his face, but Fenton's forehead landed on his shoulder before he could find it. Phantom swallowed. "Are you okay?"

Fenton's hands grabbed at Phantom's suit. "Shaky," he explained. "The world is spinning. Just give me a second."

Phantom would gladly stand like that for an hour, especially if Fenton allowed him to wrap his arms around him, but unfortunately when Fenton said a second, he truly meant a second. His head lifted from Phantom's shoulder and he backed away from him. The loss of contact returned Fenton to the visible spectrum, and Phantom stared at him, guiltily absorbing the sight of Fenton's wind-swept black hair, flushed cheeks, and widened blue eyes. For the time being, Fenton was blind to Phantom's own expression; Phantom could stare at him and let the longing within him have its say. Just for a moment.

Phantom shook his head after the moment ended. Get it together, he told himself before dropping the invisibility.

Fenton hissed in sudden panic and shoved Phantom against the pole. Phantom grunted in surprise. Fenton looked frantically around as he tried to hide Phantom between himself and the pole. "What are you doing?" he spluttered. "You're going to be seen!"

"So?" Phantom smiled wryly at Fenton, though Fenton was too distracted by the people walking across the parking lot thirty yards away to notice. They ignored the two of them, of course. From that distance, Fenton and Phantom would look like two more teenagers, so long as Phantom didn't float or draw attention to himself. "Amity Park is my home too."

"You'll be seen with me," Fenton emphasized. His blue eyes returned to Phantom's. The combined effect of his intense gaze and the way he was pressing Phantom against the pole was startling. Exciting.

Phantom decided he had better remove temptation and phased himself through the pole.

"Hey!" Fenton squawked.

Phantom stepped around the pole until he could see Fenton again and leaned his shoulder against it. "Someone seeing us together is somewhat inevitable, Fenton, given that I intend to buy you lunch."

Fenton frowned. Phantom cocked a hip and crossed his legs at the ankles, one over the other. Fenton's frowning gaze dipped downward and then up again quickly. Phantom smirked. He made a mental note that Fenton apparently liked that pose.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Fenton asked. "You can just give me the money and I can go get it myself."

"I don't want to do that."

Fenton bit down on his lip, fists clenching at his sides as he continued to frown at Phantom. It took a moment, longer than Phantom expected, but Fenton's temper passed. Fenton closed his eyes and sighed out a breath.

"You have a plan, don't you?" he said warily.

"Naturally." Phantom flashed him a grin. "It is nothing major, though. Just something that might cause any witnesses to overlook me."

Fenton nodded his head slowly. "What is it?"

"Let me wear your hoodie."

Fenton's hand shot up and grabbed at his red hoodie. "My—no! Why would—you can't be serious…"

"Why not? People are used to seeing me in this—" Phantom gestured at his suit, "—not in casual clothing."

Fenton shook his head. "You can't honestly think a hoodie is all it takes to hide who you are."

"A red hoodie," Phantom corrected, grinning.

Fenton rolled his eyes. "Red, blue, what does it matter? It's still just a hoodie."

"Something like a simple change of color and clothes was all it took back when we were joined as one," Phantom pointed out. "We look similar enough someone in this town should have seen me. They would have, had they been willing to look for a ghost beneath the guise of a human."

Fenton twitched his lips, looking unhappy. "Well…"

"I can't do anything about my hair," Phantom continued thoughtfully, "but with any luck, anyone who sees it will assume I dyed my hair the way Gregor had. I could always pull the hood up. And it is bright enough inside the building my glow shouldn't be too visible. I could look human."

Fenton sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "You're risking a lot on nobody noticing a damn celebrity is walking into their fast-food joint."

"I'll pull the hood up."

Fenton groaned.

"If you're so nervous about us being seen together, you could wait outside," Phantom suggested.

"You could wait outside," Fenton countered. "Why does it matter who buys it?"

Phantom chewed on his bottom lip. He shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the building. It wouldn't be like the last time he visited. In the early morning, only Phantom and a couple employees had been working, but it was lunch hour, now. There would doubtless be more than two employees and many more customers. It truly was a great deal riskier, even with the hoodie.

But…

"Maybe I want to feel normal again," Phantom said quietly. He looked back at Fenton and found his other half had lowered his hands a little and was watching him, his blue eyes peeking out from atop his fingers. Phantom smiled wistfully at him. "You are tired of everyone watching you after only a few hours; can you imagine being in the spotlight all the time? Since Monday? Since we first separated on Friday?"

"But you like the spotlight," Fenton objected, lowering his hands.

"I do. To an extent." Phantom blew out a deep sigh. "The attention isn't so bad, but I would like to fit in every now and then. I want to do something other than fight ghosts and patrol." His voice turned a little plaintive near the end, and Phantom cleared his throat. "Not that I can't manage that until Friday."

Fenton tilted his head and frowned thoughtfully at him. "So, this isn't about, like…buying me lunch, right?"

Phantom quirked his lips into a smile, but his insides twisted in sudden alarm. "Like if I was taking you out on a date?"

Fenton's cheeks began to redden. "I, uh, I mean, yeah? That. It's not about that, right?"

"Well…" Phantom touched a finger to his chin and forced his smile to widen, "now that you mention it…"

"No!" Fenton threw up his hands between them, his face flushed to the roots of his hair. "If it's not that, it's fine! It's fine!"

Phantom almost laughed, but the nervous tension in his belly prevented him. Fenton would find out how close he had come to the truth one way or another on Friday, but if he knew now that would be the end of their time together. Besides, it wasn't like Phantom intended anything by it. Treating Fenton to lunch was just something that Phantom wanted to do for him. There wasn't anything wrong with that, was there? It didn't have to be romantic.

Phantom's feelings on the matter notwithstanding…

"Will you give me your hoodie, then?" Phantom asked.

Fenton pressed his lips together. His hands clutched at his hoodie again.

Phantom tilted his head to the side. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why it was such a big deal to Fenton, but in case it tied into Fenton's insecurities, he refrained.

Eventually, Fenton sighed and began pulling his arms out of the sleeves. He pulled the hoodie up over his head. The shirt underneath lifted above his belly button, and Phantom's eyes caught sight of it before he forced himself to look at the parking lot instead. A moment later, Fenton shoved the hoodie into his chest.

"There," Fenton said, his face flushing. "It's yours too, right?"

"In a manner of speaking." Phantom pushed his head through the neck hole and began pulling his arms through the sleeves. Fenton turned his head away, his eyes averted, cheeks still flushed. "But it is a little different when—" Phantom stopped speaking. He settled the hem of the hoodie into place and tugged on the sleeves, his cheeks growing cold as he blushed. "But," he tried again, his voice strained, "it is a little different when it is something you have been wearing…"

Fenton turned his head to face him. His eyes dipped down to the hoodie but rose twice as quickly to settle on Phantom's face again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Your hoodie is just…warm. Very warm. That's all."

"Is that…" Fenton floundered for a moment. "Is that bad? Is it too much?"

"No. It's perfect." Phantom wrapped his arms around himself, hugging the hoodie to his chest. His eyes slipped shut as he stole a moment to savor the warmth Fenton had left behind. Perhaps it was a ghost thing.

There was a smell too…faint, but familiar. Comforting. Phantom felt himself relaxing into it, absorbing Fenton's scent and warmth. He had been without him for so long...

Phantom forced his eyes to open. He tried to find an excuse for his undoubtedly sappy expression, but Fenton was once again staring determinedly off to the side, away from Phantom. His cheeks remained flushed.

"Fenton?"

Fenton's eyes flicked to Phantom and away again. "Just hurry up; I'm starving, remember?"

Phantom lifted an eyebrow. "Okay. But you know…you could still come with me."

Fenton snorted. "So we can get caught together?"

"I could turn you invisible," Phantom explained. "I only need to hold your hand."

Fenton wrinkled his nose and gave Phantom a pointed look before hurriedly looking away again. It seemed he would avoid looking at Phantom for as long as possible.

Curious…

Phantom shrugged. "Have it your way then. I will meet you here in a few minutes."

Fenton nodded, still not looking at him. His cheeks darkened into a deeper red.

Phantom stared at him, hesitating. After a moment, he pulled the hood up and walked toward the Nasty Burger, puzzling over Fenton's behavior. After all, Phantom understood why he felt flustered wearing Fenton's hoodie, but why should Fenton care? It was only Fenton's body heat and scent that made it so special to Phantom. That wasn't something Fenton would understand…until Phantom gave it back, maybe.

Perhaps he likes seeing me in casual clothing? Phantom thought, once more crossing his arms over his chest. I have never worn something like this, something unmistakably human. Something that is baggy, not skin-tight. It could be a matter of seeing me in a new light. Or is it something else?

He had a vague sense that if he could just remember something, he would understand. Something about a dream…? And a jacket?

Phantom paused outside the doors and looked down at Fenton's hoodie, but it was just a plain red hoodie, well-worn and comfortable, nothing special.

Phantom stared at the doors a moment and then twisted his torso to look behind him. Fenton had sat in the grass beneath the pole and was hiding his face behind his knees. He was too far away for Phantom to see if his cheeks were still red, but the way he had curled in on himself made Phantom think he was embarrassed.

Phantom quirked a sympathetic smile. He well understood the feeling Fenton was fighting, though Phantom had long since given in. He wasn't much of a fighter.

Still smiling, he ducked his head and entered the fast-food joint.

---

"Stop it," Fenton mumbled to himself, pressing his forehead harder against his knees. "Stop it, stop it, stop it. Get a grip, Fenton! It's just a hoodie!" His heart rate stubbornly refused to calm down, though. He groaned and lifted his forehead before letting it fall against his knees again. He felt light-headed. And flushed. Too warm.

"It's just a damn hoodie, what the hell?" he whined.

It didn't even look cool on Phantom. His coolness points must have actually decreased because of his stupid white gloves poking out of the sleeves and his white collar reaching past the neckline. He was obviously wearing something underneath, and the whole getup just looked stupid. So stupid.

And yet, Fenton had to fight back a grin. He wanted jump into the air. He wanted to hold his hand again like Phantom oh-so-innocently suggested.

Why?

Why?

Fenton threw himself back onto his feet, stumbled and almost fell to his knees before he managed to catch himself. He started pacing back and forth in front of the pole. His felt unnaturally bare. He felt exposed. He should have wanted the hoodie back because he wanted the security, not because seeing Phantom wear his hoodie made him feel…things.

Fenton groaned again. "No. I don't feel anything, just stop…" He pushed his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes, familiar enough with the track he was pacing he didn't need to watch his step anymore. "Why is this happening?"

It was just a stupid hoodie.

Fenton's hoodie.

What did it matter if Phantom was wearing it?

Why did Fenton feel…giddy? Thrilled? …Proud?

"What?" Fenton groaned. "What the fuck?"

But…after being under the scrutiny of the entire school, of listening to people and his own fears telling him he wasn't worth Phantom, that he wasn't good enough, it just felt like…it didn't matter what they thought. Phantom was wearing his hoodie…his.

Fenton caught himself trying to smile and shook his head quickly. He's only wearing it to blend in, Fenton reminded himself, but that wasn't the full truth. Fenton had seen the way Phantom hugged the hoodie to himself, the smallest of smiles peeking across his lips.

"Fuck!" Fenton scrubbed at his hair as he felt another flush of warmth. "Damn it, no. No, no, no. It's not cute, it doesn't mean anything."

The butterflies fluttering around in his stomach were there because he was spending time with someone who had a crush on him, that was all. It wasn't because he felt something. It was all just Phantom's fault. He kept making things complicated.

Even if the flight to the Nasty Burger had been more fun than complicated…

Fenton was nervous, though, even with Phantom gone, and it had to do with the hoodie—not his reaction to the hoodie. Something about Phantom wearing Fenton's hoodie. Something that made Fenton anxious outside of his not-feelings. The not-feelings were only distracting him. He just had to push them aside and focus.

Why was it dangerous for Phantom to wear Fenton's hoodie?

Because he's confusing me like I knew he would if we got close again, Fenton thought, biting down on his lip.

But, no, that wasn't it. He needed to focus. If someone saw Phantom wearing Fenton's hoodie—Fenton stubbornly shoved aside the pride trying to strut across his thoughts—then they would…

Know.

Because Mikey had taken a picture of Fenton wearing his red hoodie at the start of the school day, and if he had posted it online—because of course he would have—then anyone who was gossiping about them would recognize the hoodie Fenton had been wearing all day on Phantom. They would know that Phantom knew Fenton, that he and Phantom were close enough to share clothes, that Phantom was willing to wear something that belonged to Fenton. They might even read romantic implications into it.

Fenton's breath wheezed out past his lips. "Shit," he swore. "Fuck! Stupid, stupid! You just had to get distracted by how pretty he looked in your clothes, didn't you? Idiot!"

He had to get the hoodie back.

Fenton spun toward the Nasty Burger and took five determined steps before his confidence faltered and he hesitated. He had two choices. One was to head back to the pole and sulk for however long it was going to take Phantom to get their food, lingering over his not-feelings and playing out the worst-case scenarios in his head. Or...

Fenton chose the second option and charged toward the Nasty Burger in an all-out sprint.

The tension in Fenton's stomach got worse the closer he got to the doors, but one thing working in his favor was momentum. He was running; he wasn't about to stop. He ran all the way to the doors before forcing himself to slow. He opened the door and slipped inside. The adults in line barely glanced at him, but the teenager in a red hoodie looked up and met Fenton's eyes. He was still close to the doors.

Fenton dove forward and grabbed Phantom's hand.

Phantom's eyes widened beneath the hood, but surprised or not, Phantom still understood Fenton's intention without Fenton needing to say a word. Cold energy washed over Fenton. Fenton lifted his free hand and saw straight through it to the floor. Invisible. Good. He glanced around quickly to see if anyone had noticed, but few people had paid attention to him in the first place.

Unlike school…

He probably would have been fine even without the invisibility, come to think of it…It wasn't like the people here were as obsessed with Phantom as the kids their own age.

Fenton looked at Phantom and found the ghost also searching for any eyewitnesses to his ghost powers, although his was more subtle. Unlike Fenton, he was still visible and careful to keep his head down and the hood pulled over his eyes. Only the slight turning of his head to the left and right gave him away.

"Not that I mind," Phantom whispered, his words sinking beneath the hum of conversations going on around them, "but weren't you going to wait outside?"

Fenton took a deep breath and tried to compose a response that wouldn't show how panicked he was. "You have to give me back the hoodie!" he blurted.

Nailed it…

Phantom's covered head tipped toward Fenton. "What made you change your mind?"

Fenton's cheeks began to warm, but he couldn't tell if it was because he was holding Phantom's hand, because Phantom was still wearing his hoodie, or because Phantom was dangerously close to something Fenton didn't want to talk about. Probably all of the above. "Someone might recognize it as mine. You said you saw a picture of me online with the hood pulled up. If someone sees you wearing it now…"

"Fenton," Phantom drawled as the line moved forward, "it doesn't have your name on it. It is just a plain red hoodie. No one but us will know it's yours. They would have to see you without your hoodie to make a real connection, and you are now safely invisible." Phantom lifted their linked hands and gave them a little shake.

Fenton jerked their hands back down before someone could notice Phantom was holding the hands of someone who wasn't there. "You don't understand," he hissed. "We stirred the pot too much, okay? They're jumping on every little thing."

"I know," Phantom whispered back, frustratingly unconcerned, "I have been keeping up with the forum. They are confused and excited about many things. My wearing a red hoodie that looks like yours would certainly stir them up again, but unless they see you without your hoodie, it will be just one more hint they will try to pick over. It will not prove anything."

"Prove? Like you revealing yourself to Dash and Kwan proved how close we were? What about getting caught on camera yesterday after the ghost attack? Or, or, convincing us to split again in the first place?"

Phantom shook his head. "I won't apologize for what just happened with Dash. I had to do something before he hurt you."

"And the picture?" Fenton pressed.

"Are you getting at something, Fenton?"

If Fenton hadn't learned from Mikey that Phantom had allowed him to keep that picture, he never would have noticed Phantom was dodging—he was dodging because Phantom had let the picture get out when he could have deleted it, but Fenton hissed, "Yes! It's always you."

"Me?"

"Yes! You think 'oh, it's fine, no one is going to figure things out' and then boom! It gets out somehow."

Phantom inclined his head in a shallow nod. "You are totally, right, Fenton. I can't keep hogging all the credit. Next time, you can expose us on accident."

"I—no!"

"It's only fair."

"There can't be a next time!"

"You're off to a great start. Let me know how that plan works out. It hasn't worked out too well for me, but who knows. Perhaps you will have greater success, despite how you rushed in here, grabbed my hand, and encouraged me to use my ghost powers in front of everyone."

"Phantom," Fenton whined.

Phantom was smiling. Phantom kept his head down, eyes hidden, but Fenton could see his lips curling. "Fenton. Is there another reason you want your hoodie back that you're not saying?"

Fenton's heart skipped in a panicked burst. "No!"

"No?"

"No."

"Strange," Phantom said archly. "You simply rushed in here and demanded your hoodie back because you were afraid someone would recognize it as yours? And that would be bad?"

"Yes."

"Because, in your mind, wearing someone else's hoodie means something."

"Ye—wait! No, hold on. That's not—I mean, it's…"

Phantom's smile grew a little wider. "Does wearing someone else's hoodie mean something, Fenton?"

Fenton's wildly beating heart and the feelings he had been trying to suppress pressed forward eagerly, scattering his thoughts as his face flushed with heat. Did Phantom not know? How could he not know? Or was he just trying to trick Fenton into admitting Phantom wearing his hoodie was messing with his mind?

"It means you have to give it back," Fenton whispered almost desperately.

"In front of all these people? Everyone will know who and what I am once it's off. The whole point was to avoid being recognized as myself in the first place. So. What exactly were you trying to accomplish by rushing in here? No one will know it's me wearing your hoodie so long as I keep the hood up, but you want me to take it off?"

Fenton's face burned hotter.

"You didn't really think this through, did you?"

"Shut up," Fenton muttered.

"Frankly, Fenton," Phantom said with a soft little laugh, "I am far more, ah, flustered by us holding hands than because I am wearing your hoodie."

Fenton's blush worsened. Phantom didn't sound flustered… "We were holding hands on the trip over here," he protested.

"Not like this." Phantom brushed his thumb over Fenton's, the small caress sending a tingle up Fenton's arm. "We are only standing here. Talking as we wait in line. It is…something couples do." He leaned toward Fenton and lightly bumped their shoulders together.

Fenton jerked reflexively on their hands, but Phantom's fingers held tightly onto his. Probably just as well; they needed to maintain contact or Fenton was going to appear from out of nowhere. "You were the one who suggested it!"

"I did not think you would actually do it," Phantom said, sounding embarrassed. "And, in all honesty, I did not expect it to affect me so much."

Fenton narrowed his eyes and glanced at Phantom. His cheeks felt unbearably warm, he didn't want to ask, he didn't want to know the details, he wasn't sure he could handle them, but… "How much is it affecting you?"

Phantom let out a quiet, subdued laugh. "Nothing worth worrying about. When we merge on Friday, you might 'remember' an uncomfortable pang of longing for us to truly be a couple waiting in line, and one or two ways in which it feels I might float off the ground. Your presence is making me feel light-headed and bubbly inside, but nothing worse than that."

"Oh," Fenton said weakly, looking away. "Okay. Nothing worse than that. Okay."

"Perhaps your hoodie is adding to the experience, but I'm fairly sure it has more to do with the warmth of your hand."

Fenton tugged on said hand. "Phantom…"

"And yet, in your mind, it was worth grabbing my hand to take your hoodie back? Holding hands was the lesser of two evils to you? Seriously, Fenton, what is it about the hoodie that has made you so flustered?"

If you don't remember, Fenton thought, I'm sure as hell not telling you.

But it was weird Phantom didn't know. How could he not know?

"Maybe you'll figure it out on Friday," Fenton muttered aloud.

"Maybe," Phantom agreed, though reluctantly. "It's only fair, I suppose. You will see how much I enjoyed holding your hand, and I will see why my wearing your hoodie has left you so off balance."

Fenton winced. He didn't want Phantom to see his feelings at all, but the merge was meant to pull their minds together again; maintaining individual thoughts and feelings would be counterproductive. For all Fenton knew, his withholding as much of his emotions as he had before might have contributed to how badly the last merge had gone. If he was protecting himself, trying to keep his thoughts private from one that was supposed to be his other half, he wasn't really letting them become one, was he?

He grimaced. Friday was going to be…uncomfortable.

There was only one person left in line ahead of them, so, with a sigh, Fenton let the matter drop. No one was giving Phantom odd looks or pulling out their phones or anything like what Fenton had feared, anyway. All the attention really was just a school thing…

Maybe he should have just waited outside…

He definitely should have waited outside.

Now that Phantom had pointed it out to him, Fenton felt hyperaware of Phantom's hand in his. Phantom hadn't brushed his thumb over Fenton's or done anything to draw attention to it again, but the comfortable way their hands fit together, the way Phantom's natural chilly aura kept Fenton's hand from feeling sweaty and overheated, was starting to get to him. Holding hands with Valerie on the way back to her apartment had made him feel anxious, nervous, a little sick to his stomach.

Holding Phantom's hand made him feel…how had Phantom put it? Bubbly inside?

Fenton shook his head. No. No. There was a nervous twinge in his chest somewhere, he just had to focus on it. But with his face—his blush—invisible to Phantom and to everyone else around them, his feelings safely hidden, he just didn't feel as nervous as he usually did around Phantom. No one would know. No one would see.

If Fenton wanted to glance at Phantom and just absorb the sight of the superhero his classmates had been gushing about at school in a silly red hoodie, if he wanted to smile because he could see Phantom's tiny, helpless smile, no one would know. Would it really matter? If no one saw him staring at Phantom, was it really such a bad thing?

Yes, Fenton thought sternly to himself, because Phantom will know on Friday.

He jerked his eyes away and focused on the floor instead.

The person ahead of them finished their order and moved aside. Phantom stepped up to the counter, Fenton following invisibly at his side. Fenton looked up as the employee gave a rehearsed greeting, and so Fenton saw the moment the employee's eyes rose from the register, focused on Phantom's face (the lower half of it, anyway) and then dipped down to the red hoodie. The rehearsed greeting ended in a squeaky uptick.

A weight sank in Fenton's stomach.

"Y-you—you—" the employee stuttered.

"Yes," Phantom said, cutting across the other boy's stuttering. "Hello, Justin. I would like a cheeseburger, small fries, and a small drink to go, please."

"Uhh…"

"Problem?" Phantom asked, faux sweetly.

"No! I—" The employee, Justin, snapped his mouth shut and looked over his shoulder at the kitchen. "Should I get Mary…?"

"No, but you should get me a cheeseburger, small fries, and a small drink to go, please."

Justin stared helplessly at Phantom for a moment before he nodded his head in quick jerky bursts. He entered the order into his machine, read it back to Phantom, Phantom confirmed it, but when Phantom went to hand Justin the five-dollar bill in his other hand, Justin leaned forward and hissed, "That's his hoodie, isn't it?"

Fenton squeezed Phantom's fingers.

"No, it's mine," Phantom said easily.

"I saw him wearing it in a pic online! It looks just like his! Danny Fenton's!"

Fenton almost swore. If they weren't already so close to Justin—who seemed to have recognized Phantom but for some reason wasn't shouting his name or anything—he would have hissed Phantom's name to remind him he had told him so.

But Phantom only shrugged. "It's just a red hoodie, Justin. Trust me, it's mine. Can I pay for my meal now?"

"But—but—" Justin shook his head. "But you like him!"

"Yes—" Phantom said, and Fenton bit down hard on his lip, "—but why should that matter? Would there be some sort of significance if it were his hoodie? Hypothetically."

Fenton twisted his wrist and drove his elbow into Phantom's side, but the ghost barely reacted, aside from his lips curling a little more.

Justin gaped at Phantom. His expression cleared after a moment's thought and he smiled sympathetically. "Oh right. You're a…you know. You probably don't know our ways too well."

"Probably not," Phantom agreed without missing a beat.

Fenton tipped his head back and rolled his eyes. How was Phantom so damn smooth about lying all the time? Don't know our ways too well, please. He understood people better than Fenton.

He just…for some reason, didn't remember why Fenton was flustered about the hoodie.

"If a guy gives you his hoodie," Justin explained, his words coming out a little fast in his excitement, "that means he really, really likes you. Especially if he gave it for you to keep. It makes things official. It's just really hot to see the person we like in our clothes, you know? It's ours and they're wearing it."

"Ahh," Phantom said, his tone conveying a world of meaning.

Fenton's face burned.

"If he didn't give it to you, like sometimes we just put on our partner's clothes because we're cold or something? That's still incredibly hot, it's just more like a hint at the person the clothes belong to. Because we want them to think we're hot, you know? So they'll do something about it. Even if it's not intentional, seeing the person we like in our clothes is just wow, you know?"

"Sort of," Phantom said, allowing his lips to spread apart in a grin.

"So, did he give it to you? Or did you just take it and put it on?"

"Neither. As I said, it's mine." Phantom's grin spread even wider. "But I will keep that in mind."

Fenton closed his eyes and clenched his teeth against a groan.

Justin sighed, allowing the matter to drop. He finally accepted the five-dollar bill Phantom held out to him. "Alright, fine, but don't think for a moment I believe you have human clothes stashed away somewhere."

"You would be surprised…"

"Do you want another milkshake? I'm sure Mary won't mind once I tell her."

"I won't say no to one…" Phantom said hopefully.

"Right!" Justin handed the change to Phantom and set a small cup on the counter. "I'll let her know you're here!" He darted off into the kitchen, calling, "Mary!"

The customer behind Fenton and Phantom groaned. Phantom ignored them and urged Fenton to move to the left of the counter, grabbing the cup along the way. The customer ahead of them picked up the tray another employee had assembled and made her way over to the tables, leaving Fenton and Phantom in—relative—privacy once more. So long as Fenton stayed close to Phantom's side.

"Really?" Fenton whispered. "Really, Phantom?"

"I was curious," Phantom said, still smiling. "You were acting so strangely. Had I known you thought I looked hot in your—"

"Ridiculous!" Fenton said quickly, his face burning all over again. "I can see your gloves and your collar and it looks so baggy on you—it's not hot! Or cute! And it's your hoodie too! You're only borrowing it anyway, and it's not—none of that was—it's—I'm just, uh…"

"It's confusing you?" Phantom suggested. "Just as holding your hand is confusing me?" Phantom turned his covered head toward Fenton, and though Fenton couldn't see his eyes beneath the hood, the shadow beneath allowed the green light emanating from his eyes to tint his face a faint green. "If we weren't what we are, these things could have been real. They could have been ours. I could be holding your hand and wearing your hoodie because we are dating." He sighed and tipped his face toward the floor. "Somehow, I feel cheated…"

Fenton chewed on his lip and looked away. He wasn't sure how to comfort Phantom—or if he even should. Phantom wasn't wrong. Maybe in another life, they could have had those things, but they were who they were; two halves of a whole person. They were meant to be the same person, and you couldn't date yourself.

Instead, Fenton asked, "How could you not know what it meant? You're the romantic half."

Phantom shrugged. "I am also the half without any belongings? There is nothing of mine that I could give to you—or to Valerie. Nothing that is strictly mine, anyway. It's just not something I ever thought about. I couldn't wrap my head around it. But it makes some sense now that Justin has pointed it out. I may not have anything of mine I could give you, but," Phantom lifted his head and quirked one corner of his lips, "I did enjoy seeing my hickey on you…"

Fenton flushed. The hickey—he had almost forgotten about it, damn it. "That's not the same thing!" he hissed.

Phantom laughed softly. "It's not. Giving you a hickey was a lot more fun than giving you a hoodie would have been."

Fenton opened his mouth, closed it, tried to will his face to cool, his head to stop feeling so light, and finally managed to blurt, "You don't know that, you don't have a hoodie to give me!"

Phantom's lips spread into a wide grin. "No, but you do. Would you like to give me a hickey so you can compare?"

"Phantom!"

Phantom ducked his head again in a failed attempt to hide his grin. His shoulders shook with quiet snickers.

Fenton elbowed Phantom's side again. It was as effective as the first one had been, but Phantom allowed a small whoof of air to escape as a louder laugh. On guard as Fenton was against those little smiles that had been causing him trouble all day, Fenton felt it when his lips tried betraying him. He fought it, trying to keep his face stern, but what was the point? He was invisible. Phantom wouldn't know if Fenton enjoyed Phantom's laughter. Safely invisible, he could let himself smile for once. So, he did.

It felt wonderful.

A little like letting go, a little like flying with Phantom earlier after a day of stress.

"You're the worst," he said, careful to keep the smile out of his voice.

Justin returned to the counter with an older woman at his side. She ushered him back to the cash register and the customers waiting impatiently in line—he whined as he left—and then she turned to Phantom. Like Justin, her eyes dipped down to Fenton's hoodie and then rose to the visible portion of Phantom's face, but where Justin had been excited, this new woman, Mary, looked faintly disapproving.

"You're not playing games with your crush and his girlfriend, are you?" she asked in a neutral voice.

Fenton started, his hand squeezing Phantom's again.

"No," Phantom said quickly. "He's only allowing me to borrow it as a way to disguise myself. I'll give it back to him soon. I was unaware of the implications until Justin explained things to me."

Mary's eyebrow rose. "Earlier, you said you have a crush on him. You must have felt something when you pulled it on."

Phantom hesitated. Reluctantly, almost shyly, he said, "…Yes."

Fenton glanced at him and then away again quickly. He shouldn't ask.

"That would have been your first clue that it meant something," Mary said stiffly, but then her expression softened. "You poor, lovesick fool… You are only hurting yourself."

Phantom's shoulders curled inward and his head dipped down. Fenton watched, confused and a little alarmed. "Maybe you're right…" Phantom said. "But if it's all I can have, it's worth it."

Mary's expression deepened, dipping toward pity.

"And anyway, I needed to disguise myself," Phantom explained quickly.

Fenton didn't understand why Phantom looked and sounded so…shy? Sheepish? But he squeezed Phantom's hand. Phantom didn't respond, but a green blush became visible along the lower half of his face.

"I can't imagine why you need food, but the next time you want a meal and don't want to be seen, just give us a call and we will place it in a to-go bag with your name on it. You can fly in here and collect it invisibly with few people the wiser."

Phantom nodded slowly. He didn't explain to her as he had to Fenton outside that he wanted to experience something normal for once. She might not understand. She only knew Phantom as a ghost, not as a ghost that had, until recently, been human too.

"I'll keep that in mind," Phantom said softly.

"You do that." She looked past him and out through the windows. "Is he waiting outside? Is that what this is about?"

"That is where I left him after pulling on his hoodie," Phantom lied smoothly. He stroked his thumb over Fenton's, and Fenton bit his lip. "His classmates were giving him a lot of trouble, so I offered to help him escape for a little while during his lunch break. We need to talk about a few things."

Mary nodded approvingly. "I think that's a good idea. I don't know what all is going on between the three of you, but I've noticed in my own life talking can fix most problems of the heart."

Phantom smiled wryly. He didn't reply in words, but Fenton understood what he was thinking. There was no fix for their problem that talking could provide. Nothing could change who they were, what they had to be, and no easy way for Phantom to just shut down his feelings. If he could have, he would have already, Fenton was sure of that.

Even if he didn't really understand why those feelings were there in the first place.

Mary cleared her throat. "I won't pry anymore. Just take care of yourself, kiddo. Now, Justin says you were hoping for another milkshake?"

"Yes, if that's okay."

Mary smiled and inclined her head. "Certainly. Strawberry?"

"Yes, please."

She turned away, presumably to fetch Phantom a milkshake. Fenton nudged Phantom's shoulder to get his attention. Phantom squeezed Fenton's fingers to show he had it without looking in his direction.

"How do they know you so well?" Fenton whispered. "She even knew our favorite ice cream. Did you come here before?"

"Right before your fight with Dash," Phantom confirmed.

"We could have been getting free milkshakes here this whole time?"

"So it would seem." Phantom shrugged and said in a tone too casual to be real, "It might have more to do with Noah King, though. Even though I am at fault for the car crash, they consider me a hero for healing him. The milkshake before was just a 'thanks.' I didn't want to push my luck by asking for another, but since Justin offered…"

"Oh." Fenton winced. Noah King…that was that man's name from the news report, wasn't it? Fenton hadn't forgotten Phantom felt guilty and depressed, but between the flying and the hoodie…he had definitely been distracted. "Do you want to talk about that?" he asked.

"There's no need," Phantom replied brightly. "He's been discharged from the hospital already. He's in perfect shape despite the car crash."

Fenton sighed. Not yet then…Phantom still wasn't ready to talk about it.

But that was fine. There were other things they could talk about, like Phantom letting Mikey keep the picture that had turned the whole school upside down and set so many people on Fenton's case.

They were definitely going to talk about that…

---

The cafeteria fairly roared with chatter, but Paulina ignored the noise out of long practice and scrolled through her phone, annoyed that Danny's connection to Phantom was still the most active topic on her website. Sure, it had been fun at first. Paulina had felt vindicated that so many were finally seeing what she had noticed a long time ago, but it was getting old. It was always Danny this, Danny that, Danny might be friends with Phantom, Danny might be Phantom's crush, Danny, Danny, Danny.

"And then Danny started scolding Phantom for coming to his rescue!" Kwan exclaimed, lifting his arms above his head.

Paulina looked up briefly to scowl at him.

Starr placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. "He did? Seriously? What did Phantom do?"

Kwan lowered his hands and set his elbows on the lunch table, leaning closer to Starr. "He teased him."

Paulina rolled her eyes at his dramatic tone. "So?"

"So, you don't tease strangers, not like that. Phantom was purposefully trying to get a rise out of Danny. I don't even know if teasing is the right word. I think he might have been flirting."

Dash made a sharp noise in the back of his throat but didn't look up from his tray or the fork he was spinning around his mashed potatoes.

Paulina turned her attention to Dash, annoyed by his silence. "What? Do you think he was flirting too? What happened to 'There's no way Phantom would care about that worthless freak?'"

Dash glanced up at her and then back down at his food. He spun his fork in the mashed potatoes some more. "He cares about him," he mumbled quietly, almost too quietly to be heard over the other students.

It was such a subdued response Paulina frowned. "What's your problem?"

Kwan leaned even farther over the table and whispered, "Phantom hates him because he bullies Danny."

Dash slammed his fork down, and mashed potatoes splattered across his tray. "He doesn't hate me!" he objected, louder and more passionate than he had been all lunch. "He's just…mad at me."

"Because you stuffed Danny into his locker and dared Phantom to come rescue him," Kwan said, nodding. "Which is apparently something that's been going on for, like, years. This is just the first time we stuck around long enough to see Phantom free him. So, what, he's been mad at you for years? That sounds a lot like hatred to me."

Starr's eyes sparkled. "Really? He's been helping out Danny all this time?"

Paulina scowled down at her phone. She hadn't done anything to Danny, that didn't concern her, but Phantom had been looking out for Danny specifically? He had visited the school more than once and she had never known? She wanted to scream.

"That's what Phantom said. He said, 'This isn't the first time I've had to save him because of you' or something like that. And, oh man, the way he looked at Dash…"

Dash groaned. He dropped the handle of his fork, set his elbows on the table, and tangled his fingers in his hair. "This sucks!"

"A bit, yeah," Starr agreed with a sigh. "I can't believe Phantom likes Danny…"

Paulina slapped her hand sharply on the table, startling her friends. "Ugh, okay, maybe this one time Danny and Phantom were the ones talking to each other, but that doesn't mean anything!" She glared at Starr and then Kwan. Dash didn't look up, so she didn't bother with him. "Danny was still talking to Sam this morning. She's the one he was all blush and smiles for, right?"

"Well…" Kwan said, "there's that whole issue where Danny borrowed Sam's phone so that couldn't really have been her before…"

Paulina narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, uh, not that that means anything," Kwan added hastily. "Because Danny swears she used Tucker's phone to call him anyway."

"I've only ever seen him react that way to Sam," Starr offered, shrugging. "With Valerie, he always looked excited. He never tried to hide what he felt about her, but with Sam, it was always like he was trying to fight or hide the emotion because it embarrassed him or something." She grinned. "That's why it was so fun to tease them about being lovebirds."

"And that's what it looked like?" Paulina pressed.

"Sure, that's why I believed him when he said it was Sam," Starr said. "Like, I've seen that look in his eyes before. He's smitten and trying to hide it. He's so obvious."

"Uh, why does it matter?" Kwan smiled disarmingly at Paulina and retreated back to his side of the table, out of easy reach. "Whether he's crushing on Sam or Phantom, Danny is supposed to be dating Valerie, right?"

Paulina blew out an annoyed breath and waved her hand dismissively. "That relationship is dated. When Valerie found out about Danny's…lie, confession, whatever, that Phantom had kissed him? She got upset for, like, a few seconds and then she was just fine with it. Fine!"

Starr frowned, her eyebrows pinching in concern. "She was? That doesn't sound like Valerie…is she okay?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Paulina snapped. "She's going to break up with Danny, and once she does, Danny needs to want Sam, not Phantom."

"Because," Kwan said slowly, smiling, "you also think Phantom likes Danny now? And if there's no girl standing between them, they might hook up?"

Paulina scowled at him. "Don't be ridiculous…"

Starr hummed and slid her fingers over her mouth to hide a grin.

Paulina sniffed haughtily. "If not Sam, Starr can always date Danny."

Starr's hand dropped to the table. "What? Me? Why not you?"

"Because I need to date Phantom, duh!"

"What makes you think Phantom will date you?" Kwan asked, his tone and easy smile teasing Paulina. "You've been trying to get his attention for two years, why should now be any different when there's clearly something going on between him and Danny?"

"We don't know what's going on between them. It probably isn't even romantic." Paulina brushed a few strands of hair back over her shoulder. "And if it is, I need to be there for him when Danny inevitably blows it. I just need to, like, catch Phantom. Get him alone, away from everyone else. If we just had a chance to talk…" She sighed dreamily and looked down at her phone again. She perked up. She had a few messages in her secret group chat.

"You just want to talk to him?" Starr asked, her tone suspiciously casual. "Not kiss or anything? You just want to talk?"

Paulina smiled. "I'm not opposed to kissing him…"

"But you mostly want to talk?"

Paulina waved her hand between them. "Yes, I want to talk, gees, Starr, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing…"

Paulina opened the group chat, and the first thing she saw was Danny's picture. She pouted. It was his picture from earlier that morning when Starr and Kwan had walked him to class. His hood was pulled up, creating a shadow over his forehead, which only made the sudden brightness of his eyes stand out all the more. His shoulders were hunched inward, his chin dipped down, and with his blue eyes peering upward at the crowd he looked achingly shy. Vulnerable. Adorable.

He wasn't even trying.

It wasn't fair.

Paulina made a rough, annoyed noise, and Starr pulled open the chat on her own phone.

"I can almost see why Phantom likes him," Starr mused as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "He is kinda cute, isn't he?"

"Not cute enough," Paulina snapped.

She scrolled up through the chat, seeking an explanation for the picture. Her "spy network," as they liked to call themselves for some nerdy reason, couldn't find Danny. They had lost track of him after he went into the boy's locker room. No one had seen him leave, but no one could find him inside either. Someone had suggested he had pulled up his hood to hide, so they posted the picture and said to keep an eye out for the hoodie.

Paulina felt a cold sense of dread form in the pit of her stomach.

Starr hummed a curious tone beside her. "Danny never left the locker room…"

Kwan's head shot up, but he had a mouthful of food and couldn't say anything. Dash's head also shot up, but he hadn't eaten anything all lunch period and he managed to exclaim, "What?"

"Someone saw Sam and Tucker enter and leave the locker room," Starr explained, "but not Danny. They went inside to search the locker room, but he's not there. He disappeared. Like a ghost."

"Starr," Paulina growled.

Starr twirled her lock of hair. "I wonder how he could have managed that…"

Kwan finally finished chewing and swallowed his mouthful. "You mean Danny is still with Phantom?" he hissed in an excited whisper.

"Don't be stupid!" Dash snapped. "He probably just helped Fenton sneak past the gym."

"Maybe," Starr said brightly, "but they can't find him anywhere. After yesterday, they're even checking the classrooms, but no dice. He's gone."

Danny asked Phantom to take him somewhere he could eat in peace, Paulina's mind supplied for her.

She clenched her jaw. She knew what it felt like to have everyone's attention focused so completely on her. She knew how it felt to want to escape it for just a few minutes. That was how she had first met Danny and his friends, in fact. It had been her first day at Casper High. All the attention had grated on her nerves and she had retreated as far from the cafeteria and the picnic tables as she could to eat her yogurt in peace. Then Danny had come stumbling into her space with some clumsy pickup line. So annoying.

If Phantom had been around to help her…she sighed regretfully.

"Do you think they're still on school grounds?" Kwan asked. "Phantom can fly! They could go anywhere for lunch." He laughed. "I knew Danny wasn't going to eat with us after what Dash and I did, but dang, no wonder he's not here. I would ditch you guys to eat lunch with Phantom too."

"If they're eating together somewhere out in the city, there's no way we can find them," Starr said thoughtfully. "Most of the people on the spy network—" Paulina grimaced at the name "—are stuck here at school."

"Maybe you should tell them Danny was last seen with Phantom," Kwan suggested. "They're just going to waste their time looking for him."

Starr nodded and lifted her phone.

Paulina quickly placed a hand on her wrist to stop her. "No!"

Kwan and Starr gave her curious looks.

"We can't tell them anything," Paulina insisted. "Do you really want everyone to know Phantom has been texting Danny? That he came running to bail him out of Dash's prank?"

"They can't keep an eye on Danny for you if they don't have all the facts straight," Starr objected. "They need to know Phantom and his powers are a variable they have to consider, not just now but in the future."

"No, Paulina's right." Dash lifted his head and looked between Starr and Kwan. "What do you think will happen if it gets out Phantom is mad at us?"

Kwan grimaced. "Oh…he's more popular than we are, isn't he? We could lose our status."

"Yeah, I'm not worried about that," Paulina said, sniffing. "I'm just sick of Danny getting all this attention. He was obviously lying about Phantom kissing him, but if we say they've been texting each other, that's going to make people believe it more. It's so stupid. How could Danny be more desirable than me?"

Starr snickered.

Paulina jerked her head around and glared at her best friend. "What? Why is that funny?"

Starr giggled a little more and waved a hand. "Oh, I just realized this isn't about dating Phantom at all, is it? I think you and Dash might just be suffering from the same poison." She paused for dramatic effect. Paulina pursed her lips. Starr smirked at her and then at Dash. "Don't you see? It's wounded pride. Dash thought he had something special built between him and Phantom after that experience with the robot ghost. Paulina thought Phantom would choose her if he ever chose a human. But Danny's friendship or whatever with Phantom is proving neither of you were as hot as you thought you were in his eyes. Why else would he choose a loser over you two?"

Paulina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Dash ducked his head lower over his food.

Starr waited a moment to see if they could refute her claim, but Paulina couldn't think fast enough to form a counter. Starr smiled and winked at Kwan. "Bullseye," she whispered.

Paulina's phone vibrated with a new notification. She checked the group chat and groaned.

Still smiling, Starr checked her phone too and dutifully reported, "Looks like Danny's at the Nasty Burger. Someone in our group recognized his hoodie."

"The Nasty Burger?!" Dash demanded. He dropped his head onto the table. "I wanted to eat with Phantom there!" He lifted his head up and banged it back down on the table, rattling the trays. "Damn it!"

"At least we know Phantom goes there now," Kwan said, still annoyingly positive at the worst times.

"Goodie," Paulina grumbled.

The others in Paulina's group chat spiraled into discussions about how Danny could have gotten from the locker room to the Nasty Burger without being seen. The answer was obvious, but no one wanted to suggest it. They didn't know what Paulina and her friends knew. Lucky for them, there were other explanations they could latch onto.

The one who had spotted Danny posted a picture of him at the Nasty Burger as proof. Starr showed it to Kwan and Dash, and while they seemed to accept the picture without any second thought, Paulina squeezed the phone in her hand and glared fiercely at the screen.

Maybe Starr didn't see it.

Maybe no one else saw it.

But Paulina knew the difference between Danny and her Danny.

The Danny in the picture was smiling off to the side, hood obscuring his eyes. That smile was familiar; Paulina had swooned over it every time she opened her locker, she would know that smile. His shoulders were broader than Fenton's and they were held straighter, confidence radiating from him like a true hero. If Paulina compared the picture of Danny Fenton earlier (shy, vulnerable, frightened) to this one (confident, relaxed, charming) the difference would be so obvious.

Were they all blind?

She picked out other signs—the white collar rising above the neckline of his hoodie, the green tint around his cheeks, a few wisps of stray white hair poking out near his temple—and felt another scream building up in her chest.

That was Danny's hoodie, but Phantom was the one wearing it.

She held back the scream as best she could, though she felt like her head would explode from the pressure. Her face burned. She clenched her teeth and puffed out her cheeks as she fought to hold it in. She wouldn't humiliate herself and bring attention to Danny's little game like she had during second period. If no one else saw Phantom wearing Danny's hoodie, she wasn't going to enlighten them. She would just have to keep her anger contained. Let it simmer inside.

Once she got a hold of Danny-stinking-Fenton, though, all bets were off.

Fenton's hand loosened in Phantom's as soon as the door to the Nasty Burger shut behind them. Phantom squeezed his fingers—one last moment of contact, the last second of a daydream—before he loosened his grip and allowed Fenton to pull his hand free. Seeing Fenton appear beside him was almost worth it, not least because Fenton's cheeks looked a little red. He refused to look at Phantom, however, choosing to look down at his drink instead as he lifted the straw to his mouth.

"See?" Phantom said, smiling at him. "That wasn't so bad."

Fenton mumbled to himself. Phantom started walking toward the park across the street, and Fenton followed at his side, still not looking at him. Phantom didn't mind. Just knowing Fenton was there made Phantom feel like floating a couple inches off the ground, but walking was so slow. By the time they reached the lake, Fenton's lunch period would be over.

They could still be seen by the people inside the Nasty Burger, anyway. Better to go somewhere secluded before someone saw them.

Phantom reached for Fenton. As soon as his fingers had wrapped around Fenton's wrist, he turned the two of them invisible and flew toward the park, crossing the street in a matter of seconds. Fenton made a "Gah!" noise out of surprise but didn't otherwise protest. Phantom thought about flying all the way to the lake, but, while they didn't have time to walk all the way there, that feeling of walking beside Fenton had still been…wonderful.

As soon as the lake was within sight and there were no parkgoers around, Phantom allowed their feet to land on the ground. He let go of Fenton's arm, and they both returned to visibility. Phantom brushed the hood off his head and grinned impishly at Fenton, running his fingers through his hair to fix whatever damage the hood might have caused.

Fenton gave him a deadpanned look and then turned his head to inspect his drink, making sure nothing had spilled. "So…I take it we're eating at the park because there's less people here? Did you have somewhere in mind, or are we just going to sit under a tree and hope no one notices you?"

Phantom nudged Fenton's shoulder and gestured to the lake with the hand holding his milkshake, careful not to move his arm too much so the to-go bag would stay pressed to his chest. "Over there. We can sit under a tree by the lake." He took a sip from his milkshake and pushed his other hand into his pouch. Fenton's pouch. "I should probably hold onto your hoodie until we're done, though. Anyone who sees me from a distance will think I'm just another teenager with dyed white hair."

Fenton groaned. He started walking toward the lake, and Phantom followed after him, moving into place by his side. Another thrill almost lifted him off the ground. He sipped his milkshake again to distract himself, looking away from Fenton and trying to banish the desire to hold his hand while they walked.

…it didn't work.

These things could have been ours, Phantom's words ran through his mind again, renewing the pressure around his chest. If not for their past—their future—as one person, the feelings he felt for Fenton could have been—would have been—something worth considering. If he had been a ghost with no connection to Fenton, if they had truly been different people, his crush on Fenton would have caused some problems, but they would have been the same problems other relationships faced. Disapproving parents. Other commitments. Sexuality dilemmas…

I am no longer half human, Phantom thought, the irony twisting his lips, but I'm still longing for a normal life…

With a normal life, the theories the other school kids were posting about could have been their story. Phantom could have met Fenton as one of the first ghosts to cross over to the human world. Their friendship could have slowly built over time as Phantom's noble spirit wore away the distrust Fenton's parents had taught him. Love and affection could have blossomed between them without the need to fight it off like it was some unwanted creature that followed them home one night. It could have been something Phantom cherished.

But at what cost? Phantom thought as he sipped his milkshake. He glanced at Fenton, noting his other half's frown. My other half…that phrase is used so often, and yet few couples can claim as deep a tie as we can. He is not half of me, nor I him, but something still binds us, something that makes us…different. To deny our connection would make us less than what we are, and yet that connection is what is stopping us from being…more.

Calling Fenton his other half was almost too simple a definition for Phantom. Certainly, they knew each other in ways no one else could understand them, but Fenton was more than just Phantom's reflection, his other half. Phantom wasn't sure yet what they could be to each other, but Fenton inspired too many feelings in Phantom for them to be the same person. He felt too real.

But then, what are we? he wondered.

Suddenly, as if Fenton could no longer keep the words in, he blurted, "You allowed everyone to find out!"

His accusatory tone more than the words caught Phantom's attention. His thoughts were nowhere near Fenton's, and it took him a moment to untangle himself, focus on Fenton's words, make them make sense. He frowned and pulled the straw from his mouth. "What?"

"Y-you—" Fenton stopped, thought a moment, and then tried again. "Yesterday, right? After the ghost fight, we met up in that classroom? When you left, did you run into Mikey?"

Phantom stiffened.

"Did you take his camera?" Fenton pressed.

Slowly, reluctantly, Phantom nodded.

"And you deleted the pictures he'd taken?"

How had Fenton found out? "Yes…" Phantom said slowly.

"But not the picture? The one that's online right now? The one that convinced everyone there's something going on between us? You didn't delete that one?"

Fenton looked at him, his expression balanced precariously between confusion and anger. Phantom breathed out and looked away from him, unable to hold his gaze.

"Do you have any idea what it's like at school right now?" Fenton demanded. "Everyone is convinced we're—that you have a crush on me—"

"Which I do," Phantom pointed out quickly.

"No, shut up, this is different, alright? They think it's real—"

"It is real."

"Phantom!"

Phantom closed his lips around the straw and hummed.

"We're the same person, it's not real," Fenton said. Phantom bit down on the straw to keep from retorting. "But they think it is because they never knew us as the same person. They're inventing backstories about how we might have met and how your crush could have developed, and it's just…" Fenton ran his free hand through his hair, his eyes closing for a moment as his brow furrowed and his lips pulled tight. "It's not like that. They're staring at me, watching me, trying to figure me out, and, and using me to get to you."

Phantom frowned.

"Why did you have to make things so complicated?" Fenton demanded, though in a tone that told Phantom he didn't really expect an answer. "It was confusing enough when it was just the two of us, but now everyone else is in on it too. How are we going to get this fixed by Friday?" Fenton kicked his shoe along the path with extra force, sending up a small plume of dust. "You should have just deleted the picture…they were suspicious before, yeah, but now it's all but confirmed. The only reason so many are holding out is because they don't want you to have a crush on me."

"You worry too much about what other people are thinking," Phantom said softly.

Fenton snorted. "And you worry too little. Maybe if you had worried more, you wouldn't have caused a shitstorm by letting Mikey keep the stupid picture."

Phantom closed his eyes and sighed. "I didn't think he would post it online, Fenton."

"But you had the picture. You're so good at anticipating and understanding people, how could you not know what he was going to do with it? He's the yearbook guy! He shares everything he captures on his stupid camera!" Fenton threw up his arm for emphasis. "You had to know what would happen. I just don't understand why you just…let him keep it. Why would you do that?"

Phantom shrugged his shoulders. He looked around the park, hoping for a distraction, but he saw only the path they walked and the trees surrounding them. "You wouldn't understand…"

Fenton rolled his eyes. "I'm your other half, remember?"

Both pained and pleased, Phantom could only let out a dry laugh. "Then take a guess, human."

Fenton's expressions crumpled. "What?"

"You said you're my other half, so, you should be able to figure it out." Phantom tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. "We are the 'same,' are we not? Prove it."

Fenton stared at Phantom, blue eyes searching his face. Phantom smiled at him, and Fenton quickly looked away, biting his lip. They walked together in silence while Fenton thought, but Phantom didn't mind. He enjoyed feeling Fenton so close, enjoyed being able to simply glance to the side and see Fenton walking beside him.

It was strange. Fenton was technically right about being Phantom's other half; their similar appearance was proof enough. But…

Phantom didn't know how to explain it. When he looked at Fenton, the identity simply wasn't there anymore. Perhaps that was what allowed him to notice the way the wind fluttered Fenton's black hair over his eyes, his forehead. Fenton's gaze remained fixed on the ground, but his lips formed silent words as he thought his way through Phantom's puzzle. His concentration was adorable. Phantom felt his smile soften. He pressed the straw to his lips again and forced himself to look away.

Fenton's expression became more and more frustrated as he struggled to understand why Phantom would have saved the picture instead of deleting it. Phantom wasn't surprised; Fenton did things he didn't understand either. He didn't understand how fighting came so easily to Fenton and yet attention made him so flustered. How could he be so brave and yet so easily frightened? Why did doing the right thing matter so much to him when there was no reward for it?

Phantom accepted these things about Fenton; he didn't understand them.

"Give up?" Phantom asked softly.

"No." Fenton frowned harder. His blue eyes glanced at Phantom, and he asked, somewhat hesitant, "There was a reason, right? You didn't just save it on a whim?"

It had been a split-second decision based more on feeling than any rational thought, but Phantom nodded.

"And…you said you didn't mean for it to get out like it did, right?"

Phantom wrinkled his nose. Allow the picture to get out? Allow everyone to see how he felt about Fenton? Subject Fenton to being hounded by his peers? Let Valerie lose faith in him? In both of them? "Of course not. Why would I ever want to?"

Fenton shrugged, his expression turning sheepish. "I don't know. It was Mikey's idea. He just kind of, like, hinted that you meant for me to see it or something stupid like that."

"Oh." Phantom's lips formed an O of understanding. He chuckled lightly. "Oh, I see." Fenton's expression grew more puzzled. Phantom nudged his elbow against Fenton's and explained, "If you didn't know I had feelings for you, a picture like that would have clued you in without my having to say anything. Mikey is assuming you either don't know about my feelings or you don't know how deep they go, so to him, my ulterior motive for letting him keep the picture was so that you would find out. Indirectly. Since you are dating Valerie and I don't want to stir up trouble."

"Oh." Fenton made a face. "He did say he believed you wanted him to post it…"

Phantom rolled his eyes. "He was just making excuses for his actions. He could have just showed you the picture instead of sharing it with everyone if he only wanted to help. I let him keep the picture only because I didn't want to delete it."

"…But why? Why save it?"

There it was. Phantom could hear the defeat and confusion in Fenton's voice. Feeling a little smug, he taunted, "Can you not find the reason for yourself, my dear human self?"

Fenton hunched his shoulders and clutched his free hand to his other arm, creating a shield across his chest. "No. I'm not as good at this as you are."

Phantom winced. He hadn't meant to pry at Fenton's insecurities. It was a little difficult while they walked, but he leaned toward Fenton and brushed their shoulders together. "Don't. Please. There are things about you I don't understand either. If I did, you never would have needed to punch me in that restroom."

Fenton glanced at him and hesitantly smiled.

Phantom smiled back. It gained a sad, somewhat bittersweet edge to it as he thought back on the picture. "I couldn't delete the picture because I didn't want us to disappear."

Fenton tilted his head and frowned again. "Disappear?"

Phantom closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "On Friday, we will merge. I know what that means for us. You. Me. I remember how it felt to lose myself and to feel you fading into someone else."

Fenton opened his mouth as if he wanted to object, perhaps to protest that they were going back to who they were supposed to be, but a moment later his mouth closed and he looked away. He shivered. Phantom was heartened to see Fenton finally saw the merge as something…disquieting, but he had to look away from him too.

It wasn't a comfortable memory.

"Once we fully merge, in body and mind, it will be as though we never existed. Your hickey has faded, our memories will fade, my feelings will be banished whenever possible, and it will be as though we never existed." Phantom sighed. "Such is our fate. We aren't meant to exist, and once this is over, we will not. It will be like we never were. If our fully united self thinks about this time at all, he'll likely only feel embarrassed that things had gone as far as they had."

Fenton made a soft noise of agreement. Phantom wasn't sure if he agreed with the sentiment or with Phantom's feelings on the matter.

"When I saw the picture on Mikey's camera…" Phantom shrugged his shoulders. "I had never seen us together before. I cared less about what others would think about it and more about how I felt about it, and how I felt was…complicated." He paused on a breath, considered his options, before he shook his head. He didn't need to explain the emotions he felt upon seeing himself and Fenton side-by-side, clearly separate people if not wholly different. That would only lead to an argument and another 'we're the same person' lecture. "But don't you see, Fenton? So long as the picture exists, we aren't forgotten. Our time together will be immortalized." He looked up at Fenton and smiled. "We were here. I had feelings for you. These last few days had meaning."

Fenton held his gaze for several long seconds before looking ahead of them, appearing to think over Phantom's words. Phantom could have continued staring at Fenton's profile, but he forced himself to look ahead as well. They were nearly to the lake; Phantom could see the sunlight glistening on the water. He took a sip from his milkshake and glanced at Fenton from the corner of his eyes.

Something had occurred to Fenton. His brow was beginning to furrow again. He glanced at Phantom, caught him watching, but instead of confronting him on the fact, he said, "You could have just asked."

Phantom blinked. He pulled the straw from his lips. "What?"

"For a picture. You could have just asked if it was that important."

Phantom frowned. "I don't follow."

Fenton looked incredulously at him. Phantom stared back at him, nonplussed. After a moment of confused silence, Fenton stopped walking, tipped his head back, and released a short little laugh. The wind caught his hair and blew it from his face. "I can't believe this! How are you so smart and so dumb at the same time?"

Phantom's eye twitched. "I could ask you the same thing, you know."

Fenton snorted. "Let me see our phone."

"Why?"

Fenton raised an eyebrow. He switched the drink to his left hand and held out his other hand to Phantom. Feeling annoyed but oddly intrigued, Phantom dug his phone out of his utility belt and passed it over to Fenton. Fenton messed with it for a moment and then suddenly pressed against Phantom's side. Phantom tensed. Fenton's arm wrapped around Phantom's shoulders before he could move away, the bottom of his cup hanging loose along Phantom's collarbone. Phantom's eyes widened as he suddenly caught onto Fenton's meaning.

Fenton lifted the phone as high and as far as he could reach. Their images appeared on the screen, their faces nearly touching due to how close Fenton had pressed against Phantom's side.

Fenton grinned at Phantom through the camera.

"Oh," Phantom said, his mouth forming the letter just as Fenton snapped the picture.

Fenton released Phantom's shoulders and stepped away again. He spun around to face Phantom and started walking backward, a satisfied grin making him look oddly self-assured for once. He tossed the phone to Phantom. Phantom caught it one-handed instead of fumbling with it as Fenton had likely hoped, but Fenton's grin didn't waver.

"See?" he said. "Now you have a picture of the two of us spending time together on Wednesday afternoon. No ghosts. No classmates. No one but us even knows we're together right now. How's that for a special picture?"

Not quite able to breathe through the tight pressure squeezing his chest, Phantom could only nod and trail after Fenton. Once Fenton had turned around to resume walking the right way, Phantom looked down at their picture.

It wasn't the highly emotional photo Mikey had taken, but Fenton was alert and smiling. His cheek was nearly pressed against Phantom's, their white and black hair fully at odds where they met. Phantom could see the red hoodie he wore, something a fully united Danny Phantom had never worn. The park and the path they had just walked stretched out behind them in the photo, providing a setting to the picture, a memory Fenton had just saved for them.

It was their picture. No one but Fenton and Phantom himself would see it. No one else would see the surprised look in Phantom's eyes or the slight dusting of a green blush across his cheeks. No one but the two of them would ever know its significance.

Phantom put the phone to sleep and tucked it safely back into its place on the utility belt. He jogged to catch up with Fenton, eager to brush his feelings aside before Fenton could notice the soft smile, the way he was looking at him.

His fighter wasn't wholly without charm after all…

"Hey, uh, don't get the wrong idea," Fenton said before Phantom could open his mouth. The words were spoken fast, as if Fenton were fumbling with thoughts that were racing faster than his tongue. "I'm still upset with you, because school is a fucking nightmare right now."

"I know." Phantom's soft smile settled more comfortably into place as he glanced at Fenton. It seemed Fenton's actions had finally caught up with him, and he was trying to downplay the significance of what he had just done for Phantom.

The red blush staining Fenton's cheeks said as much.

"And it's all your fault," Fenton continued.

"I'm sure your confession about us kissing had something to do with it too."

"I didn't say we—you kissed—" Fenton cut himself off, his face growing even redder. Phantom lifted an eyebrow at him, daring him to finish the denial that would work on everyone except Phantom. "I was sleeping," Fenton muttered.

"And dreaming about me…" Phantom said archly.

"Would you let that go?!"

"There were other kisses, anyway," Phantom continued, his tone lifting. "A whole day's worth, in fact."

"Those were practice, they don't count! You kissed me outside of practice."

"They certainly counted for something…" Phantom said quietly, and then watched Fenton's face eagerly, "since we got particularly good at it…"

Fenton's face exploded with color. He spluttered denials, accusations, never quite managing to finish a whole sentence. Phantom grinned at him—riling Fenton up really was just too fun. Fenton finally closed his eyes and visibly tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths. Phantom sipped from his milkshake as he watched.

"You're just distracting me from how everything that is happening to me at school is your fault," Fenton finally managed to say.

"Yes," Phantom confirmed, smiling around his straw.

"Dick."

Phantom snickered. "You make it too easy."

"How are we going to fix this?" Fenton opened his eyes and looked at Phantom, his eyebrows lifted imploringly.

Phantom pulled the straw from his lips. "Well, if you are done placing the blame on me so you have an easier target to take your frustrations out on…"

Fenton ducked his head and muttered under his breath.

"There is very little that can be done now that it has gotten out—and, again, I didn't mean for Mikey to share it on the internet—except to weather the storm." It pained Phantom to say it, but with an unhappy twist to his lips, he added, "Perhaps things will get easier after Friday. We'll return to school on Monday as our fully united self. We will be able to work together as one."

"Maybe we should merge together now," Fenton insisted, his voice tight. "Before things get more out of hand."

Phantom's eyes widened and he tightened his fingers around his milkshake. "We would be too disoriented to pull it off. Remember last time? We need the weekend to pull ourselves together."

"Yeah, but what if the longer we're apart, the harder it's going to be to merge back? What if that was the problem all along? What if by waiting until Friday, we're making things worse?"

Phantom took a deep breath and tried to calm the panic rising inside him. Unfortunately, Fenton had a point. They didn't know why the merge hadn't worked correctly; Fenton's theory might very well be correct. They could be making things worse, not only for their merge but also because of the theories their separation was stoking.

Phantom couldn't surrender two days early, though. He couldn't.

"Maybe you're right," he said, keeping his voice low in the hopes Fenton wouldn't catch the emotion influencing his reasoning, "but what if you're wrong? We will lose two days we will never get back. It might be the separation itself that is causing our merging to fail instead, and then what happens if we can't balance the disorientation, the harassment at school, training with Valerie, or the theories continuing outside our control? We would be forced to split again, and that too could make things worse."

Fenton furrowed his brow and pressed his lips into a tight line. He didn't say anything for a while, just stared down at the ground as he thought.

Feeling a little desperate, Phantom nudged Fenton's elbow and suggested quickly, "How about this? If things get worse we can do things your way."

Fenton glanced at him, his expression wary. "Define 'worse.'"

Phantom bit his lip, thought a moment, then shrugged. "The moment you feel like you absolutely can't handle it."

Fenton narrowed his eyes. "Why does that feel like a trap…"

"Well…" Phantom flashed him a quick smile. "How willing are you to admit you can't win a fight?"

"Oh." Fenton pressed a hand over his face and sighed. "Damn it…that's cheating."

"It is unfair," Phantom agreed, "but so is hurrying the merge when I was promised until Friday."

"I didn't promise that. You promised by Friday."

"The promise was implied," Phantom said with a little sniff. "Besides. Merging on Friday still makes the most sense. We need those two days off."

"I guess so…" Fenton ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

"That does tend to happen when you try to control everything." Phantom floated off the ground, flew slightly ahead, and turned to face Fenton. He reclined in midair, tucking an arm behind his head. He smirked at the earthbound human. "You should let go once in a while, Fenton. We can't know what the right choices are, only choose the one that suits us the best in the moment."

Fenton threw a deadpan stare at him. "One of us has to remember there are consequences to everything. You're supposed to be acting like a normal human teenager."

Phantom blushed. "Ah." He dropped back to the ground. Fenton walked around him, rolling his eyes. Phantom returned to his place at Fenton's side, his face still feeling cold from the blush. "Right, so that wasn't the best example, but…you really should try to relax sometime."

"I am!" Fenton objected. "I agreed to come out here with you so we could talk, remember?"

"Yes." Phantom wrapped his arm around Fenton's in lieu of an actual hug. "Thank you, by the way. I appreciate you doing this."

Fenton's cheeks pinked. He pulled his arm free and turned his head away from Phantom.

"I suppose we should start discussing those things," Phantom said thoughtfully, a little reluctantly. "There are some things you should know…"

Fenton nodded. He turned his head a little and glanced at Phantom from the corner of his eyes. "Where do you want to start?"

Phantom sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Valerie…"

---

Valerie is too big a conversation to squeeze in at the end, and the chapter is already ridiculously long, soooo I gotta end it there :P Sorry for the cliffhanger!

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing Fenton and Phantom actually relaxed and interacting again after so long! Like, honestly, a lot of my trouble with this chapter was trying to get a feel for their chemistry again. There's so much going on beneath the surface. I was putting too much pressure on myself trying. But I really enjoyed it in the end. I missed writing them together. The dialogue is sometimes difficult, but dang if it isn't fun.

The thing with Fenton's hoodie is something I started planning for back when Tucker first mentioned Fenton should wear a hoodie so he can hide himself more easily in the cafeteria. Danny in canon is actually shown to have a thing for the girls he likes wearing his things, most notably in the Nocturn episode when he dreamed about Sam wearing the letterman jacket with the name Fenton across the back, and I thought that would be fun to explore in this type of situation.

Fenton gets the lions' share because I figured it aligned more with pride/jealousy than romantic tendencies, though I'm sure those are there too. Phantom would likely feel it too, BUT he has no material possessions. Jealousy stems from insecurities AND Fenton has a hoodie to spare, so it's hitting him especially hard to see Phantom (someone he sees as cooler and different from himself) wearing his clothes. This whole situation DOES play some relevance later, though I'm sorry if I went a little too hard on it. Fenton continues to be a source of endless stress lol.

I actually had to ask for some help in the pitch pearl discord server about the hoodie situation though, given that I'm aro/ace and I wasn't sure if I was missing something. I knew it was a thing that guys (and probably other genders) like to see their clothes on their partners, but I figured there had to be more to it than just staking some sort of claim. We'll switch to Fenton's POV next chapter, so I'll be able to explore it a little more now that Fenton has accepted Phantom is just going to be wearing it for a while. He's had cause to feel insecure about his relationship with Phantom (romantic or otherwise) given all the people poking and prying into their affairs, so this is a type of reassurance he could really use, once he moves past his (justifiable) concerns.

(And if you want an invite to the discord server, let me know!)

Paulina...is a treasure. She's my second favorite female character! I want there to be more to her than "popular girl has a crush on the hero and is pissed when he chooses the MC instead" like that is still going to be a factor, don't worry, but I would rather not reduce her to an accessory for my preferred ship. She has reasons outside of jealousy to be upset, and those reasons are going to give me a means to resolve her conflict without bashing her :3 Whoop!

We get into the serious conversations next chapter. It couldn't happen here because I wanted to focus on Phantom and Fenton seeing each other again after so long apart. Fenton and Phantom needed to have some time in which they can feel the change in their relationship before discussions moved them past such minor details (lol). Next chapter might be another long one, but I'm off overtime for the time being, and these are topics I actually have notes on! Mwahahaha!

I mentioned in the author's note above that I had lost faith in this story for a time, and, holy shit, it meant so much to me that I could come back here and read your comments and just...feel like it was worth it to keep going. Especially since we're moving into the really fun stuff! The secrets are falling apart and Fenton and Phantom are getting closer. Thanks so much for sticking with me this long ;-;

OH! And if you want some extra feels, that song I quoted at the beginning of the chapter has absolutely been pulling at my heartstrings for this fic. "Distance" by Christine Perri ft. Jason Mraz.