Seeing Double

Rebound - Part 16

The first thing he noticed was sand. Phantom sank into the warm fuzzy mess of it and giggled, digging his hands and feet under its surface.

Then he thought to blink up at his surroundings. The stars greeted him overhead, faintly visible despite the city's air pollution, and so did a familiar set of rusted old jungle gym bars.

"Jazz said this was your favorite playground."

Phantom startled at the voice and turned to see Fenton anxiously crouched beside him, screwing the lid back onto the Fenton thermos.

"It was your favorite because the jungle gym here was taller than anywhere else?" Fenton clipped the thermos to his belt. "That's what she said. Oh, and the sandbox. You like it?"

The sandbox was definitely great. Phantom was nearly elbow deep. He was tempted to bury himself completely, but felt a little silly on his hands and knees.

Fenton looked silly too. He was moving his hands oddly, like a mime pretending to feel up an invisible box.

"I couldn't climb for shit." Phantom turned himself around to properly sit down and nonchalantly leaned back on his hands, so he could still sink his fingers into the sand. "I made dad lift me up and then I'd walk on top of it. I had decent balance."

Fenton knocked on the air and there was a strange green reverberation. Like ripples in a pond.

Oh.

"A shield!" Phantom squinted at it. "Must have been instinctual. I'm not so great at controlling them yet."

"At least you're visible," Fenton said. "Do you feel okay?"

Phantom wiggled his toes and wished he could take off his boots. "I'm solid."

Fenton knocked on the shield again and Phantom frowned. It was keeping them apart.

Then Fenton pressed his weight against it at just the wrong moment and fell forward, landing in Phantom's lap.

Phantom giggled as Fenton scrambled to his feet.

"Aw, you could have made yourself comfortable there," Phantom said, straightening up and playfully batting his eyelashes. "Lay your head down and get a look at the stars?"

Fenton kicked sand into Phantom's face, but said nothing.

Normally he'd lecture Phantom about a comment like that. Call him a weirdo or accuse him of...

"Fenton?"

Fenton glanced around the park, as if worried about interruption, and then sat down with his legs crossed and back straight.

"You seem tense," Phantom said. "Everything okay?"

The park was completely deserted. The stars were oddly bright.

"Hey, what time is it?" Phantom said.

What day is it? He wondered. It was hard to tell how much time he'd spent in the thermos.

"It's late." Fenton scratched his cheek. "Hey, what exactly does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

Fenton scooted closer and put his arm around Phantom's shoulder. The human kept getting taller and the position was reminiscent of those times Jazz had cuddled him close for late night reassurances.

Was Jazz still taller than Fenton? Or had he overshot her?

"Nevermind, Fenton said. "Let's get out of here."