Chapter Text
The terms of the truce hadn’t called for a friendship – but somehow, despite her initial reluctance, Phantom had become an essential fixture in Valerie’s life.
She shifted her position on the narrow dorm bed, turning her attention away from her notes and up to the space where the ghost was hovering above. He was lazily stretched out in the air, fully absorbed in whatever sci-fi novel he’d stolen from Amity University’s library this week.
Sometimes, in quiet moments like this, it really struck her how much things had changed between them. When she’d first accepted his terms for the truce, she’d expected them to be professional with each other. Formal. It had simply been a matter of business.
Valerie had never anticipated that she’d grow to like the ghost boy. Casual banter after fights had evolved into helping each other with post-battle wounds, then progressed into patrolling together nightly. From there, it didn’t take long for the duo to start spending time together more casually. Now, the boy she’d once hunted was somehow her closest friend.
“You’re staring,” his voice interrupted her thoughts. He rolled over onto his stomach, glowing green eyes shifting away from the book in his hands and looking down at her with curiosity.
With a jolt, she realized she had been. She gave a sheepish smile before replying, “Sorry, guess I was just...lost in thought.”
That seemed to get his attention, as he dropped down to sit beside her. He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, face splitting into his trademark smirk. “About me? Now I have to know.”
Valerie shoved him, but there was no real force behind it. The dead chill of his suit made her shiver, but she didn’t let it show. He always got touchy about that sort of thing.
If he knew she was getting sentimental about their friendship, she was sure that she’d never hear the end of it. Rather than give him more ammo for their daily banter, she racked her brain for a plausible excuse.
After a quick glance down at her notes, she blurted out the first thought that came to mind, “I was just wondering what you would have studied in college,” then her brain caught up to her mouth and she regretted the words. “I mean...you know, if you hadn’t…”
“Died?”
She cringed. “Yeah, sorry.”
Phantom acted so human that sometimes she caught herself forgetting that he wasn’t just some kid with superpowers. It was always a harsh reminder when she realized he’d had to pay for those powers with his life. She’d dismissed those concerns easily enough when they’d been enemies, but now it always made her heart ache when she remembered what he’d lost.
He shrugged, expression much more relaxed than she’d have expected after her slip-up. For all she’d heard about ghosts not liking to be reminded of their death, Phantom never seemed too bothered. It was yet another way in which he proved to be an anomaly in the ghost world.
He slowly ran a hand through his messy white hair, leaning back against the wall before finally admitting, “I’d have majored in Astronomy.”
“Really?”
With his knack for one-liners and incessant use of puns, she’d been expecting to hear something closer to the realm of Creative Writing or Literature.
Something about his answer gave her a weird sense of deja-vu, but she couldn’t quite place why it felt so familiar.
He nodded, eyes locking with hers as if searching for something. Valerie wasn’t sure why he seemed to care so much what she thought, but she smiled politely and gave a quick nod of acknowledgement before turning back to her notes.
“You’re full of surprises, Space Boy.”
He made a choking sound. It was impressive, really, considering he didn’t even breathe.
“ Space Boy? ” He managed to ask, voice a few octaves higher than usual.
“You have been to space,” she said with a laugh.
The bed creaked as he leaned towards her, but whatever quip he was preparing to launch at her was interrupted by an audible gasp.
One that she knew all too well. Sure enough, her suit’s sensors began screaming in the back of her head moments later. She quickly silenced them before slamming her notebook shut. So much for a quiet night.
“You want backup?” Valerie asked, watching as Phantom floated up into the air once more. His aura flared as he prepared for the coming fight.
He shook his head, “Nah, I’ve got this. Do you mind covering tomorrow?”
She nodded, reaching into her bag and retrieving a set of Fenton Phones. From time to time, she still wondered how he’d managed to get the set from her ex-boyfriend's crazy family, but they were a useful tool to have.
She tossed one to him before shoving the other into her ear. “Just in case you need me,” she explained.
He grinned, giving her a dramatic salute before phasing through the wall.
Once he was gone, she reluctantly cracked open her history textbook. She was grateful to have time to focus on her homework without ghostly interference, but it didn’t make it any more enjoyable. Still, she wouldn’t waste the opportunity Phantom had given her to catch up.
In a way, their alliance had saved her academic life. Though they preferred to patrol together, it wasn’t uncommon to trade off nights of duty. It gave her an opportunity to focus on homework and classes, and she assumed Phantom used his nights off for trips to the Zone.
He always got cagey about it when she asked, but he also never registered on her scanners that night. It only made sense that he’d left Amity – and where else would a ghost go?
She heard a low groan over the earpiece and froze. Was he hurt?
“Phantom?”
Maybe she should have gone with him after all.
There was a weary sigh from the other end, and she could faintly hear another voice shouting in the background. “Beware!”
Well, that certainly explained the groan.
She laughed, all tension leaving her shoulders. “Your favorite! Have fun, ghost boy.”