Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Okay, so he might have done a little grand theft body on an unspeakably powerful ghost, broke time so badly that an entire timeline got rewritten and managed to get a stupid old man to feel bad enough to get him a new, living body- but that didn’t mean he owed anyone a favour.

Certainly not the ghost whose body and powers he borrowed for a little bit. That was his own fault. If he could see all of time, he had no excuse to not see that whole little incident coming!

 

Yet here he was anyway. Scowling at his too scrawny arms instead of the purple cloaked ghost. Sure, ignoring the guy who literally just stopped all of time around you wouldn’t accomplish anything- but he was stuck in this stupid kid body again. He was allowed to be petty. He was owed it.

 

“We can theoretically wait forever, if that is what you want.” Clockwork’s statement did nothing to improve his mood.

 

“Seems like a waste of your powers.”

 

“In comparison to the rips and tears across time, this doesn’t even register.”

 

Clockwork just loved to be infuriating, didn’t he? Why couldn’t he just get a hint and go away? Show off. It wasn’t like the time powers were that impressive anyway. More painful and disorienting.

 

Waiting out a literal master of time did seem pretty impossible though. He only had so much patience for this. “Okay! Fine! What do you want?”

 

Clockwork’s smirk was so smug that it made Phantom want to punch it right off his face. “I have a job you are well suited for. Before you start yelling, it is a paid sort of job. I am not expecting your help for nothing in return.”

 

Phantom let out a mutter, he was going to instantly say no to being a free time monkey. So of course Clockwork wouldn’t even let him do that. Future looking cheater of a ghost. “Like you’d pay in anything useful.”

 

“I could move time more swiftly on that new human body of yours. I’ve heard you are not pleased about being sixteen again?”

 

The perfect sort of bribe. So this job had to be super unfair, or impossible, or some trick to get him disposed of yet again. “So what if I’m not? If you actually cared you’d just help instead of taunting me.”

 

“I can only use my powers so sparingly. However, if you solved a problem I was unable to resolve, I can easily justify why you should be able to make use of the time I did not use.”

 

Or age him into being totally dead. That seemed like a Clockwork thing to do. Meddler. “If you need some hero, why aren’t you bothering Danny?”

 

“Danny wouldn’t have the right skills for this.”

 

Ah. “So you want someone dead? Need some temporal attack dog?”

 

The look wasn’t disgust. Yet Clockwork dared to look concerned about his completely reasonable assumption. “No. I would not ask that of you.”

 

“Like I have skills Danny doesn’t that aren’t murder related?” He rolled his eyes as his scowl deepened. Half of his abilities didn’t work quite right after getting this new body. He felt as weak as he looked lately, and having some time ghost mock him about it was not appreciated.

 

“You might think you don’t, but you do. You’ve experienced more.”

 

“Experienced a lot of revenge, sure. But you aren’t looking for those skills, apparently.”

 

“What it’s like to lose everything. What can happen if you choose to lash out just to feel something. What does not help fill a void.”

 

If Clockwork was trying to play therapist he was going to throw something. “Knowing how that feels doesn’t actually do anything!”

 

“Would you recommend desperately fleeing your feelings and drowning them in the blood of a world you feel abandoned you?”

 

Phantom wished he could scowl even deeper. “Well no. It didn’t work.”

 

“Then your experience has given you a perspective not many will have.” Clockwork’s tone was strangely warm, and it made his skin itch. “All I am asking is for you to talk to someone. Even if they do not listen to you, your part of the deal will be done.”

 

That sounded way too generous. Maybe Clockwork figured out he was the worst at this convincing thing. “Still sounds like a pipsqueak job.”

 

“You have more in common with them than Danny does. He wouldn’t understand like you might.”

 

Clockwork better not be on some redeeming time criminals kick. Or you know what? Sure! Whatever! The weird ghost could have a hobby so long as he didn’t get dragged into it. “That’s it? No extra gotcha at the end?”

 

“Yes. Their temporal prison is giving me quite the migraine, if you talked them into getting out of it I’ll be quite grateful.”

 

A prisoner? Clockwork wanted to get someone out of a time prison? Well that explained things, he was practically an expert at that now. So why dress it up like talking is the important part? “One jailbreak for one ticket to twenty years old? That’s your deal?”

 

“You get your ‘ticket’ even if you cannot do the jailbreak part. I just need you to try to get them to think about leaving.” Clockwork stated again, a hint of exhaustion escaping as if repeating himself was difficult.

 

Which sounded like a lie. Better to just assume it was. “Fine. Deal. But you better not think I’ll just be your gopher again!”

 

“This way, then.” Clockwork’s arm swept out from his cloak as a slowly swirling portal appeared, a strange grey tint making it hard to tell it was meant to be blue.

 

“So how do I make a portal back when I’m done?” He scowled, the time master knew he couldn’t rip his own way back anymore.

 

“I will when you ask. Or when it sounds like you require one.”

 

“Anyone tell you that you’re a creepy stalker, Clockwork?”

 

The non committal shrug he got in return didn’t tell him much, but he didn’t want to admit he was afraid. If this was a trap, and it reeked of one, he didn’t have any real ability to get out of it. Sure he could curse Clockwork about it, but that wouldn’t free him if he was walking into a new prison.

 

So just in case this portal he was walking into was just a big trap he kept one arm back as he walked, flipping Clockwork the bird the whole way through.

Chapter Text

The room sure felt like a prison. Endless darkness in every direction, the only landmark being some ridiculously large tree. Which was weirdly black and grey, as if this empty area just sucked all the colour out of it. At least Clockwork had made good on his end of the deal- he wasn’t his proper age still, but he was no longer plagued by his prepubescent noodle arms. Nineteen now, maybe twenty? The long grey cloak wasn’t exactly his idea of fashion, but it fit. At least it wasn’t purple. The lack of logos and labels on his shirt was a bit weird, but the outfit was probably temporary enough to not worry about. What he really wanted to check was his ghost form. Unfortunately just checking it now could be really stupid. He doesn’t know anything about this time-headache causing person yet, and he isn’t going to risk giving them information for free. For all he knows, they’re that weird tree!

“Anyone actually here?”

Something moves at his voice. A stirring in the monochrome tree. “Wowwww. Decided to try and be original for once? Use some face I don’t know? Like that’s going to change how much I don’t want to even hear your blinding name?”

He’s getting sassed by a tree. Or someone in a tree. Great. “Listen I-“

“No, you listen! We all get one ‘god call’, right? So I already had one! Sure, Stardust actually heard it, but that’s close enough for me! I’m not interested! Get lost!”

“You think I’m a god?”

“Who else would you be? You’re the one who said the Universe wouldn’t ever answer us in the first place to just throw salt in the wound. So you can just run back to your little followers, Change God! I’m not changing anything, and you can choke on it.”

“The fuck is a change god?” Honestly almost nothing this person was saying made sense, but the god thing stuck out a bit.

The person in the tree stills at the question. “What kind of word is that?”

“What? You’re gonna get on my case for swearing?”

“But you didn’t say crab. Or even gems? Stars?” There’s a pause. “You really aren’t the Change God?”

“I don’t even know what a change god is, alright?”

“Stars.” It sure sounds like the tree person is swearing, even if it’s just ‘stars’. Apparently Vlad wasn’t the only one with weird swear censoring. “Who are you, then?”

He should have expected this question. It wasn’t one he liked very much. He’s not Danny, that’s for sure. All he knows is who he isn’t. “Phantom.” It’s all he can think of that doesn’t make his skin crawl. It’ll have to do for now.

“Interesting name.” There’s movement again as a strange being slips down to the ground. They look like the night sky forced into a mostly human shape, with a bright four pointed star on their chest and another bright shape instead of a head, but he can make out two eyes well enough. They don’t glow like a ghost though- and they haven’t set off his ghost sense either. Whatever this star creature is- it’s completely new to him.

“What about yours? It’s not like ‘Star’ or whatever, is it?” He almost bites his lip after speaking, that was something Danny would probably shoot off. The stupid impulses to behave like that have been so much worse in this new body.

“Ha! No.” The star thing squints at their cloak and tilts their head as they cross their arms, clearly pondering something. “You know what stars are?”

“Obviously? Why wouldn’t I?” Maybe he should have gotten Clockwork to be a bit more specific about where the heck he’d been sent. “If you don’t tell me your actual name I’m just calling you Star though.”

“You can call me Loop, I suppose. They/Them, if you’re planning on being around for a while.” Loop says, before going back to just staring.

It doesn’t really sound like a name, and the staring is making him want to hide in this cloak more. “Loop? Really?”

“Like Phantom is any better?”

So the star-thing might have a point that his name wasn’t much better, but he didn’t have to like it. “Whatever.”

Unfortunately, that doesn’t prompt Loop to say anything else. Like they’re waiting for some answer to just drop from the sky. Weren’t they a prisoner here? Why didn’t they want to escape? Or at least be happy there was someone to talk to?! He would have killed to have someone to show up while he was trapped in that stupid thermos. Not that he needed all that much motivation to kill but that was beside the point.

“Okay, so what did you do that was ‘so bad’ that you got put in this void prison?” He had to try something, the weird star creature was just refusing to really engage with him at all. Which whatever, sure. He didn’t really care if this ‘troubled soul’ got helped or not. But Clockwork wasn’t getting out of their deal because he ‘didn’t try hard enough’ or some other nonsense. “Destroy a town? Have a little revenge quest?”

“Destroy a- STARS no!” That finally got the thing talking, the star that made up their face getting painfully bright. “What would make you think I did anything as blindingly stupid as that?!”

Sure Clockwork! Just lie to the guy you’re sending on stupid missions! ‘They’re like you’ but they're this offended about a little bit of homicidal behaviour. “It was a guess! What else would get you trapped in a dump like this?”

“Ha! Thinking there needs to be a reason is pretty naive of you!” The star thing was snickering again, apparent offence forgotten. “Did you have some charmed life where everything is fair and the world isn’t cruel? Because that’s not how it goes~!”

“I know that! Or do you think having all your family and friends die at once is fair? In front of you?!” He doesn’t know why spilling his guts feels like the right thing to do. Maybe because this star person sure doesn’t know him, or anyone they could possibly tell about it.

Loop watches them with a wide eyed stare before seeming to shrink back, folding their arms. “No. No it is not.” They seem unsure, at the edge of an apology but unable to decide if they should actually voice it. “I do know what it’s like to lose them all, though.”

Oh. Some of Phantom’s anger cools at the statement. Did Clockwork more mean they were alike in losing things, not so much in actions? Which didn’t really explain why he was the best choice for this stupid quest, surely there was some nice person who got dealt a bad hand and didn’t ruin the whole world to get on this. “Not in some stupid explosion, right?”

“Nothing so dramatic.” Loop doesn’t find this question funny it seems, as they stare out at nothing. Perhaps they caught that Phantom was staring back, because Loop seemed to snap into an absurdly chipper stance and tone with a clap of their hands. “Though maybe there was one! It isn’t like I can remember~”

Oh great. An amnesiac star person. Totally relatable Clockwork. “You remember losing everything but not how it happened?”

“Yup. Aren’t I just a terrible person?” Loop’s eyes might be smiling, but it was more off putting than anything.

“If that’s all you need to be terrible, you have some weird standards.” Honestly it didn’t even sound that bad. If he’d forgotten everything, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so violent. Nah. He’d probably be a menace anyway.

Loop blinked, then squinted. “No, I’m pretty sure anyone would consider it pretty terrible.”

“So you forgot on purpose?” Phantom still did not get this weird star person, at all.

“Well. No. I didn’t.”

“So how is forgetting your fault? That’s just stupid.” This whole thing was stupid. How was this not a Danny job?

“How could forgetting your entire home and past not be terrible if you’re one of the few people who can even remember it existed once? That you didn’t try hard enough to hold on- that you didn’t even realize how much you forgot until some blinding time loop-” Loop only seemed to glow brighter as they grew more heated, but cut themselves off. “Not that you need to care, stranger. It’s none of your concern.”

Well, confirmation about the time weirdness Clockwork complained about. Was that progress? “So your big crimes are forgetting things against your will and what. Getting stuck in time? That’s it?”

“That’s it?” Loop almost cackled at the question, leaning forward and jabbing at Phantom’s cloak. “That’s not bad enough for you?”

“It just sounds like stuff that happened to you. Not anything you did. Did you even throw, like, one car? Not even a tank, just a car.”

Phantom’s question just had Loop squinting again. “Car?”

“You know. Vehicles? Transport? Explode when you throw them at other stuff?” From the look he was getting, Loop had no idea what he was talking about. Though they didn’t seem too pleased about the ‘exploding’ part.

“Like…a bomb?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” It wasn’t like he hadn’t thrown any of those either!

“I suppose I threw one of those. But I didn’t, too! Since I gave up! So everything I did is gone, forever! Ha! That’s what’s ‘so wrong’, stranger.” Loop almost seemed smug, so confident in finding a way to explain how ‘terrible’ they were.

Those words hurt in a way none of the others did. Everything he’d done, gone forever. Like he should be gone forever. “So you’re hiding here so you don’t disappear then?”

“I…don’t know. Maybe?” Loop was on the back foot again, even as they tried to find their more casual tone.

“Like I get that, I didn’t want to disappear either.” This empathy thing was not easy. “Apparently you shouldn’t though? Even if you aren’t stuck in here?” Though if Clockwork was lying about that part, he’d do his best to strangle the time ghost. He’d gotten the upper hand once, he could do it again.

“What if I did want to disappear? Instead of watching some copy of my life happen without me?”

Oh. This is what they had in common. The worst thing! Why that! Just because weirdo star person was okay saying it out loud sure didn’t mean he wanted to. “Well, you won’t disappear in this weird time void either.”

“Says who? Are you some sort of expert?”

“Says Clockwork.”

Another blank stare. “Is that one of your gods?”

“No, he’s a meddling pain in the butt that controls time.” Phantom scoffed.

“That sure sounds like a god.” Loop was a little less crumpled into themselves now, apparently curious enough to want to know more. “Does he change shape?”

“Sort of, only ages though most of the time.”

“You’re sure he isn’t a god then?”

“If he’s a god he’s a wussy one. I kicked his butt and stole his powers.”

“What.”

“And apparently you’re giving him a migraine by staying here, so you’re also kicking his butt, congratulations."

“WHAT?!” The light Loop was giving off was getting painfully bright now.

“So yeah. Not my idea but it’s his fault I’m here.” Phantom shrugged while Loop grappled with being told they were giving some time being migraines.

“And he wants me to go back to that world of ghosts? Where I’m nothing to anyone there?” Loop seemed to be scowling again.

“Join the club.”

That remark seemed to set Loop off. “As if you have any idea what that’s like!”

“Oh, you think I don’t?” Phantom snapped back as Loop leaned forward.

“Of course you don’t! It’s not like it’s common to trap everyone you love in some time loop because you’re too blindingly stupid to know you’re doing it! So you have to watch some COPY of you figure it out! Who gets to have your happy life now! That you could have had if you weren’t so worthless!” There was a weird red flare in Loop’s eye as they leaned forward, anger seeming to make them much spiker and threatening.

“Oh really? How about going back to find your old self and make sure his family and friends die huh? So he can be sad, miserable and alone, just like you? To just make sure you never get to be happy! And then the little brat spares you! How’s that for knowing what it’s like?!” Phantom knew his eyes were probably glowing with rage now, but he didn’t really care. If Loop wanted to pretend they were the only one who ‘knew’ about this sort of thing, they were due for a rude awakening.

It did make Loop back up, fairly quickly, though they seem fixated on his eyes.

It was fine. He didn’t actually have to help Loop, right? He’d done his end of the deal, talked to the weird star time problem. No one would know about that little outburst. Just Loop- who clearly wasn’t from any world close to his. This is fine.

Clockwork wasn’t opening a portal for him to go, though. Dang it. Did he want to embarrass himself by asking out loud?

“So you’ve used Wishcraft too, Phantom?” Loop’s question was a bit more timid, still keeping a decent distance now.

“What craft?” Loop didn’t mean that computer game right? It had craft in it. He was pretty sure. It was a pretty weird change in topic if they did mean that.

“Your eyes. They had that weird shade. That colour.” They gestured to their own eyes for a moment.

“Oh, that? It just slips out when I’m angry sometimes, it’s not some ‘craft’ thing.” Downsides of having a human body again. It just sort of did things, unlike the illusions he’d make.

“Right, you don’t know what Craft is. Hmmm.” Loop seemed to consider that fact for a few more moments before clapping their hands together. “Alright, how about this! Your ‘Clockwork’ not-god wants me to leave here, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“So how about we do a little trial period? We leave, and if I hate it he has to let me come back.”

“We? Why would I go with you?” Phantom’s brow furrowed.

“Why wouldn’t you? Apparently you don’t like your own world much either!” Loop smirked as he flinched at the correct guess. “That, and he can’t go back on the deal if you’re also there to see him cheat.”

Ugh. “Like I guess but I don’t control-” his attempt to explain was cut off by a new portal ripping open beside them. “Is that how you say ‘Deal’ Clockwork you nosy-” A time medallion flying through and smacking him in the head was probably as close to a ‘yes’ as he was going to get. And he didn’t even get to keep the offending little object before it vanished in an eyeblink.

“That’s definitely some god like behaviour, Phantom.”

“Don’t feed his ego, he’s enough of a pain as he is.” Phantom muttered. “But I guess we have a deal.”

Chapter Text

Maybe he should have guessed something was just off about this world Loop was from when they didn’t use the word ‘red.’ The whole total lack of colour thing was apparently not a fun prison feature! Instead of a bright blue sky and rolling green hills he was greeted with grey and more grey. At least the grass still seemed soft under his boots and the air didn’t taste strange. It wasn’t like Amity Park, but not exactly the vibe near Aunt Alicia’s place either. Not as thickly forested or stinking of animals. There was a little winding dirt trail that led to what he could only call a ‘quaint’ little village. A place he could squash flat in an instant. So no fun at all to even bother with, when he was still terrorizing the world.

Loop gave him yet another distraction, choosing to come through the portal with their hands over their eyes. “What are you doing?” Was all he could ask when the star being refused to look around even as birds started to sing their songs again.

“Oh, just preparing myself! If I open my eyes and see Dormont or that particular House of Change I’ll probably just scream! You wouldn’t like that~.” Loop’s obnoxiously chipper reply just made their actions look even more absurd.

“Then get it over with.” As if screaming could hurt him that much.

Loop stubbornly kept their eyes shut, but leaned towards his voice. “So we are in Dormont?”

“I don’t know! How would I know what the heck a dormont is?! I don’t come from your weird grey world!” Yes, obviously by the way Loop was talking Dormont was probably a place. He wanted to be difficult if they were going to keep forgetting he wasn’t from here.

Loop’s posture changed for a moment, a curious sort of tilt before seeming to think better of it and uncovering their eyes. A blink, and a deep breath out. “That’s not Dormont. I guess your not-god isn’t as bad as some other gods I know!”

Phantom scowled and muttered “No, he still sucks.” Before looking at the path to the town. Since apparently it wasn’t somewhere that would upset Loop to go towards.

“We can’t just waltz into a village you know.”

Phantom scoffed. “I do lots of things you ‘can’t do’.”

“UGH. It’s not because you physically can’t! We’ll attract too much attention.” Loop got in front of him, trying to appear somewhat imposing.

Phantom did double check just to be sure- but he was definitely in human form. Not his ghost one, very boring looking. Even if he looked ever so slightly better than Danny’s usual noodle body. “You might. Not my problem. I’m not interested in camping.”

“Well I’m not interested in being gawked at by a village of strangers.”

“Then disguise yourself? You can do that, right?”

“What gives you the idea I can do something like that?”

“Well you looked human before that…Time loop magic thing, right? So why shouldn’t you be able to look like that again?” Maybe whatever this ‘Craft’ stuff Loop talked about wasn’t as useful as ghost powers but surely if they were able to control time they could manage just looking different. “You don’t think I looked like this before my timeline died, did you?”

Loop squinted, clearly not really believing him. “What did you look like then?”

Well, he did want to check and make sure Clockwork didn’t cheat him. Loop didn’t seem like they’d do anything too violent, or be able to really hurt him even if they did. “More like this.” He refused to use the catch phrase, but could still summon the glowing rings to bring his ghost form out. What had been his only self for so long.

He didn’t have his old costume. No. He was still frustratingly similar to his younger self, white gloves and boots with the black jumpsuit. Maybe his teeth were a bit sharper, his hair a little closer to flames- but still obnoxiously Danny. Why did ‘trying’ to be a better person just mean he had to be him again? Stupid human body. He’d even take looking a bit more like Vlad instead . Not that Vlad would ever get to know that.

“I suppose the floating is new, but that’s not super convincing.” Loop was similarly unimpressed. “That and the eyes sure stand out if you weren’t next to me.”

“I used to be bigger, but apparently I can't have that back either.” Phantom grumbled, summoning up some energy to see if his ecto blasts felt any stronger. Which felt a bit more stable, like he wasn’t going to lose it with a second of distraction- but not really more powerful. Another disappointment. He could practically hear Clockwork’s smug taunting about even hoping that he could get his proper power back.

“Well I have no idea how you did that, and if you don’t know what Craft is I bet it’s not even something you can teach.” Loop was still keeping their back stubbornly towards the town. “So it’s still a bad idea to go anywhere near that place.”

“Just try focusing on what you used to look like and it’ll probably work.” That’s how it worked for him, surely if Loop could break reality they could do the same.

“Ha! That me is long dead.”

“So? I sure wasn’t alive either but here I am.” God was it impossible for this person to just try something before going ‘can’t do it?’. Annoying. That and a twinge familiar but he was refusing to think about that right now. “Just try it and you can be all ‘I told you so’ if I’m wrong.”

Loop looks uncomfortable again, focused more on the star on their chest than anything. A beat, a second, a breath and then Loop snapped back to ‘chipper’ yet again. “Oh I’ll definitely hold you to that, Phantom!”

At first there was nothing, which almost made him ask if Loop was actually trying or just standing around before Loop started to shift. There were no rings, no additional light like he expected. Instead Loop seemed to dim, the stars that made up their head and the dots all over their sky-like form flicking out bit by bit. They almost looked like they were melting before the strange shapelessness became more solidly a black cloak. It almost looked like it would stay blank before the strange four pointed star burned itself into the front. Without the light Loop seemed to have a pretty normal human face, even if their hair was a stark white and fairly fluffy- not quite like the star their head used to be but he still could see the resemblance. It almost felt like their other form was just hiding this one, and still was with that large cloak covering most of their body.

“Guess I was right.” Phantom couldn’t help the smug little comment, but Loop didn’t seem to be listening much. They were busy looking at their gloved hands that they poked out from under the cloak.

“Of course I still look like my Stardust. Why wouldn’t I! Stupid…” Loop was muttering, probably under the impression the half ghost could not hear.

“Get some new clothes and a haircut in town. Might help.” New clothes did sort of help with the whole ‘being stuck as Danny again’ thing. Not a lot, but a bit. Which was why shifting back out of his ghost form felt better- even if Clockwork picked this outfit, at least it wasn’t Danny’s.

Loop’s grimace only stayed in place for a moment. If they hadn’t forgotten they had more of a face now, Phantom expected he wouldn’t have seen even that much. “Maybe~! My cloak is already pretty different.”

“Yeah, it’s like you skinned your other form and are wearing it around.”

“Ew. Gross~!” Loop laughed, turning to look at the town. “Might as well see what Vaugarde is like when it isn’t being frozen in time.”

“Might as well.” It wasn’t like he had anything better to do until Loop decided if they hated being here or not so he could be done and go.

Chapter Text

The people of this town were weird. Like ‘no one locks their doors and is fine when you just walk in’ levels of weird. Loop claimed that it was mostly a Vaugarde thing, that the entire world wasn’t like that- but even part of the world being like this seemed absurd. These people apparently all almost died because of some big time freeze but were all still ‘Oh come sit at my table!’ ‘Oh are you travellers, do you need a place to stay?’.

 

It. Was. Weird. And it kind of made him want to punch a few people until they figured out maybe you shouldn’t just let some random nobodies into your places? He didn’t though. Since he half expected they might try to thank him for showing them a new fighting technique or something like that. 

 

At least made being two weirdos with no money somewhat manageable. Of course, he could probably just turn invisible and steal anything he wanted without any trouble. Except Loop would know. Who he could just tell would be so obnoxious about it. If the star person was even a fraction as bad as they seemed to think they were- well his life would be a lot easier! Instead here he was, doing weird odd jobs for random people. Odd jobs that he had the sneaking suspicion some people made up on the spot since they felt bad for two travellers. Picking apples off of one singular tree could not be a serious, real job they needed help with.

 

Yet that’s what he’s doing! Picking fruit, finding cats that are literally five steps away and not lost, and delivering mail to places the requester can literally point to. To get food and a place to sleep that isn’t the ground. Apparently they could just find the ‘House of Change’ for free lodging- but Loop refused outright to even consider that. Something about ‘not wanting to owe that blinding god anything’. Whatever. It isn’t like these chores are hard, and the people usually stop being nosy if you glare at them hard enough.

 

It makes the days kind of slow, but relaxing. It isn’t bad. The fact everything is grey, black or white does make food kind of weird to eat- but it’s not a huge deal. At least nothing here is uncomfortably familiar. At least the locals don’t ask for a name. He’s starting to learn some of theirs though.

 

It’s a good thing people back on Earth aren’t this nice. That they’re closed off, meaner, greedier. If everyone was like the people here he’d have to feel guilty. Which he didn’t. He wouldn’t. 

 

“I found us a real job! Happy?” Loop smugly thrusts a slip of paper in his face- which he can’t read at all. He pushes it back with a scowl.

 

“I don’t read whatever that is.” So much for the signs he’d been seeing just being weird. Apparently everything they wrote didn’t make sense.

 

“It’s in Vaugardian.” Loop gives him a look, clearly a bit put out that their success is being thwarted.

 

“I don’t speak vau-whatever it is!”

 

“You’re speaking it right now!”

 

Phantom can only blink at that. “I guess Clockwork just skimped out on a reading languages package for dimension hoppers.” Of course the time ghost would screw him over in fun little ways. Sure, let you understand what they say! But don’t you dare think about reading! Annoying. 

 

Loop rolled their eyes, but started to explain. “It’s a proper delivery job. One that will actually take some travel time and take us somewhere new. The cargo isn’t too heavy, and with the King gone the roads aren’t that dangerous.”

 

“You want to go sleep on the ground on purpose. When we don’t have to.” Like sure, this place was kind of boring. Yet Loop wanted to run off the second things started to get familiar? Why?

 

“If I wanted to stay in some boring empty place forever, I’d still be at the tree.” Loop shook their head. “We’ll get actual money instead of pity favours, and I already got a tent. Don’t be such a baby about some dirt.”

 

“Fine! Whatever, just don’t complain if you regret it later.” After all, Loop had to walk. He didn’t, if he didn’t want to. Not that he’d actually tested flying much here, it didn’t seem like something people could do. Even with the weird ‘craft’ stuff that they used to make statues move. Not quite ghost powers, that stuff.

 

“I won’t.” Loop’s easy grin twisted into a grimace as one of the townspeople gave the two of them a friendly wave as they passed. “It’s suffocating here.”

 

Was it really?

 

---

 

Either way, they were on the road bright and early the next morning with some too heavy bags strapped to their backs and a dirt road to follow. It mostly started out in the open, but they’d definitely be going through what looked like a pretty thick forest before too long. If only he was as strong as before he wouldn’t be sweating with something this easy. Loop had gone back to looking like how he met them instead of being ‘human’, even though they’d stubbornly refused to change how their human self looked when still in town. He didn’t get it- and didn’t really want to ask.

 

“You can fight, right? Just in case we do see a sadness?” Loop’s weird question almost made Phantom stop his slow, boring steps.

 

“I mostly fight ghosts. I don’t do ‘hugging sad people’.” He was more in the business of making lots of sad people.

 

“Not sad people. Sadness. I guess you don’t have those where you’re from?” Loop’s tone sure made him feel like they thought he was stupid.

 

“If we do, we don’t call them that.” Phantom muttered.

 

“Monsters?”

 

“Yeah, I know what monsters are. I can fight fine.” He should be able to fight. Even with his noodly arms and anemic powers. Loop sure didn’t look big and tough after all.

 

Loop didn’t seem convinced though, pausing to cross their arms and stare at him. “Even without any Craft skills? You’re sure? I don’t mind doing all the work but I do mind if you get in my way by being an idiot.”

 

Phantom didn’t care as his eyes glowed red and his fists curled. “Keep talking like that and I’ll give you a demonstration about how tough I can be.”

 

“Ohh, hit a nerve, tough guy?” Loop laughed, dancing back before the half ghost could nail them with a punch.

 

Loop must be one of those annoying run away to not get hit kind of fighters. With a growl, he focused back on the path and kept going.

 

“Maybe you can learn some craft. You seem to know the hand signs anyway.” The star-being was not getting the hint. Or didn’t care.

 

Still, the idea did make him curious enough to listen. A little. “I do?”

 

“Yeah. The rock sign, with your fist?” Loop demonstrated, briefly, clutching their hand into a fist. “There’s two other ones.”

 

Punching people was a magic hand sign here? What?! “Oh yeah? What are they, paper and scissors?” Phantom snarked with an eye roll.

 

“Yes! Exactly! I thought you said you didn’t have Craft where you’re from.”

 

Rock Paper Scissors magic. Sure! Okay! Just add that to the pile of ‘what even is this place’. “We don’t. It’s just a kid’s game.”

 

“Maybe your world is just a bad knock off of this one? You got the kid’s game part but not any of the useful bits.”

 

“You don’t even have colour, you’re definitely the low budget knock-off version.” Phantom scoffed.

 

“Well if they’re all as weird as the shade your eyes go, we’re probably better off without them. They just make everything seem dangerous.”

 

“Red. The colour is red.” He stresses the world colour, earning an amused snort from Loop. “They don’t all look like red either.”

 

“If you say so, Phantom.” They stretch, checking for something at their belt. “How do you fight then?”

 

“Better question, how do you fight? If I already know half of it, according to you.” It’s not a dodge exactly, but he doesn’t really know how to explain ‘I have ghost powers and hit hard???’. He’s not even sure if ghosts work the same here. Loop knows the word- but hasn’t said anything more about them.

 

“With my cutting wit of course!” Loop gave a sardonic smile, twirling a dagger between their fingers. “Or stabbing. That works too.”

 

So that’s what was on their belt. A knife. Pretty dinky thing, really. “I don’t need magic to stab someone with a baby blade.” He didn’t even really need a blade either, not when his hands used to be closer to claws than nails.

 

“Obviously. Craft just makes the strikes stronger, gives you more reach. Honestly I don’t even really need the dagger anymore to channel it. It’s just easier with something to focus on.” Loop is rolling their eyes again, not really focusing on the dagger at all. “So what type of Craft user do you think that makes me?”

 

“You have types? Why?” He was thrown a bit by the question. Of course weird kids game magic had weird kids game rules. 

 

“Why wouldn’t we? You didn’t answer the question, even! Is it really that hard?”

 

“Scissors because you’re a snippy little shit.” Phantom snapped.

 

“Rude.” Loop sounded far too amused for him to take that ‘rude’ seriously. “But correct. It’s also called Piercing Craft. Which means?”

 

“That you lose if people shake their fists at you. Which can’t be right since you’d probably be super dead by now if that’s all it took.” As Loop sure liked being supremely annoying at random!

 

“Aw, you don’t think I could avoid that by being callous and manipulative to any Rock type users around me? That’s a Scissors type specialty you know.”

 

“Wait, I thought it was just what stupid magic you could use. It’s more?!” That and weirdly negative? Which didn’t fit with how aggressively nice most people had been to them?

 

“It’s what ‘stupid magic’ you innately understand.” Loop clarified as they got deeper into the tree cover. “So you can also sort of know someone’s personality based on which one they have. Like the Rock types- Protecting Craft users really are patient, honest and loyal. Or the Paper types, Creative Craft being curious and studious.” They shrug, as if any of this should be obvious. “You can learn the other types, but there’s always one that’s ‘yours’. Two, if you’re a little more special.”

 

Okay see. Those descriptions were not negative. “So what’s the nice words for Piercing Craft then? Since you just left those ones out.”

 

A laugh. “You think there’s ‘nice’ words for the aimless stab users?”

 

“Well yeah? It just sounds like stupider Astrology and those all have nice ways of saying everything to make sure you can go ‘oh that’s so me’ even if it’s just obvious general nonsense. So there has to be nice words for all of them. Or you’d call it something like ‘Murder Craft’ not ‘Piercing’.” Maybe he would be fine with this silly thing if he could have ‘Murder Craft’. That was at least funny.

 

Loop was doing that weird fidgeting thing again, suddenly not wanting to look in his direction at all as if that would make his statement vanish. “Astrology?”

 

“You didn’t answer my question yet. Is it really that hard?” Phantom responded, smugly. Ohhhh payback was sweet.

 

Loop got noticeably pointier at his needling, but let out a deep breath. “Brave, determined and honest. Happy?”

 

“Yup.” It was funny how admitting that seemed agonizing for Loop. It wasn’t even a compliment, just something vaguely positive and even admitting that much being a struggle? Wow. “But yeah. Astrology’s just idiots claiming stars they’re born under influences their personality. Even when it’s not even the actual star they’re born under because they didn’t account for how light travels.” Crud. The inner Danny was nerding out about stars. He had to shove that back in the box of indifference, stat.

 

“So everyone just knows about stars where you’re from? Like it’s no big deal?” Loop got closer, a bit uncomfortably so. “Do you know what Astronomy is?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the actually useful one.”

 

“And you know about the images. In the sky. The stars that make up those.” Loop waved their hands, clearly reaching for a word they could not find.

 

“Constellations? Sure. Probably not the same ones you have but we have those.” He took a few extra steps forward because Loop was getting way too close now.

 

Too close and clearly very, very angry about something. “It’s just something everyone knows. It’s not important, or special?”

 

Inner Danny was very grumpy about astronomy being called unimportant but he did his best to not listen to that part of himself. It wasn't that important. “It’s still a science. Not everyone knows everything but we all sort of know a bit? I guess?”

 

“How blindingly lucky for you. That even you can remember it here.” Loop almost growled, before seeming to remember he existed and snapping back to annoyingly chipper. “Guess that’s almost worth not having Craft!”

 

“I guess?” This probably had something to do with the whole forgetting thing Loop didn’t really talk about unless they were going to yell about it and then pretend that didn’t happen. Did he want to deal with that can of worms? No. “So what does Craft look like?”

 

“Hmm? Oh right! You’re such a novice, I forgot you wouldn’t even know that.”

 

“Silly me, not knowing what kid’s game magic looks like.” He could snark right back. That was easier than whatever minefield stars were.

 

“You can usually see it- the shade and the shape sort of depends on the person. Like this.” Loop moved their hands up, one gripping the dagger and the other twisted in a scissors sign. The sound was more like a snap, a hint of a smell of steel as some black jagged line with a tinge of white speckle burst from their hands and slashed clean through a tree branch- making Phantom jump to the side just to be safe.

 

“Watch it!”

 

“Oh relax, that wouldn’t have hit you. I have great aim.”

 

It was pretty far away now that he was actually looking at it. It did seem a bit more magical to shoot out slashing lines out of your hands though. Not as neat as his own shots, of course. “It’s sort of cool. The black slashes.”

 

Loop squinted at him. “You’re using a weird word again, dimension hopper.” 

 

“Well what do you call it then? The ‘shade’ of your Craft or whatever.”

 

“Lightless? Clearly?”

 

“Black is definitely the better word here.”

 

“You can be wrong if you want to be. I’m not going to try and change your mind about it.”

 

Still, the way the Craft looked did make him a bit curious. It sort of looked how Loop did in general. Was their whole ‘star’ look also a Craft thing? Were they just made of Craft, like how his ghost form was made of ectoplasm? It just wasn’t really a question he could figure out how to ask. Especially if it was going to set Loop off when he has now confirmed the star-person could absolutely cut someone at a distance if they wanted to. His healing wasn’t exactly the best anymore.

 

---

 

Travelling in silence was fine. It did get boring sometimes, which is why they did end up chatting. Usually about how things were different, or how they were the same. Nothing too serious. Loop was absolutely baffled and called him a liar when he described how big some of the buildings in Amity could get, or the fact they had flying machines. Of course, he was happy to call them a liar in turn when they talked about 'Body Craft' just being a thing you could do without being dead, or the fact those little animated statues were actually super common and not a weird one off thing.

 

Maybe it was because they were getting close to their next destination. Maybe Loop was actually just warming up to him for some deranged reason. He still didn’t really expect the question.

 

“So. Who do you miss the most?” It was such a casual statement, Loop half lounging near the campfire, somehow less bright than the flames.

 

“I don’t.” It’s the first thing that comes to mind. As he doesn’t. He’s not in a big hurry to get back. Not having Vlad, or Danny, or any of the others around has been nice, really.

 

Loop laughs that annoying, mocking laugh of theirs. “Not from the dimension you came from. From before it stopped being yours.”

 

“Still don’t. It was more than twenty years ago.” He didn’t miss anyone, they’d all died. Why would he miss some corpses? Left him alone with nothing but some idiotic billionaire in a hole he couldn’t get out of. A sea of grief that stayed full no matter how much flaming hatred and rage he threw in it.

 

“You sure about that?”

 

“Who do you miss the most then? If you’re the expert on this.” Phantom growled back, expecting that to be enough to get Loop to back down.

 

“If I had to choose, it’d have to be the Fighter.” Loop had hesitated, but actually answered. “Isabeau.” It almost sounded like they choked on the name. “Even if he’s infuriating. Noticing things, caring too much when he shouldn’t.” They sigh. “And now he won’t. Since I’m nothing to him now.”

 

Well, he still doesn’t have a better answer. So maybe if he lets Loop keep talking he can weasel out of it. “Do you have to be nothing to him? Did the other you tell you to stay away or something?”

 

“Stardust? No. No, he’d never do that. They’re also stupid like that.” Loop let out another sigh, staring at the flames. “What kind of idiot thanks someone who kept trying to kill you until they just couldn’t keep trying anymore? Just because you helped a little before?”

 

“Same kind of idiot that sees you being erased from reality and tries to make sure you don’t stop existing, I guess. After the whole attempted murder thing.” Though he got two idiots for the price of one. Lucky him. That, and he sure hadn’t been doing anything helpful first!

 

“Do you talk to your idiot then?”

 

“Yeah. Sometimes.” All the time, if you counted Vlad really. Downside of living with the guy. “We’re very different, it’s more annoying than anything.”

 

“But they still want to see you?” Loop pushed.

 

He’s pretty sure Loop’s situation is not nearly as messy as his. Loop is annoying, not evil. He is pretty sure Loop has not killed any innocent people, intentionally or otherwise. So they really shouldn’t be asking his advice about seeking out your better self. “Yeah? Not all of them, but more than I expected would?” Loop doesn’t need to know they mostly are keeping an eye on him so he doesn’t you know. Do the whole burn everything down bit again.

 

“Hmm.” Loop still doesn’t look at him. “Did you think of who you miss most?”

 

Damn it. “I don’t know. I started existing…after everything was gone.” He can’t answer the question because he doesn’t know the answer. “I just have the feelings. The memories. Two mangled perspectives. My mom, who is and isn’t my mom depending on the memory? My friends? Who I either care about or find tedious and annoying? My dad who I love and hate in equal measure?” He can’t help but glare at Loop a bit. “How could I possibly know? The only thing I know is what I did after.”

 

There’s pity in those eyes, but Loop has the sense to not pry further.

 

Which is why, when they do get to the town and Loop grabs hims and tells him to ‘do that vanishing trick you said you can do’ Phantom obliges and makes them invisible.

 

Makes them invisible to a small group of travellers looking at the job board. One of whom looks extremely familiar. White cloak, white hair with black tips, little heeled black shoes. He didn’t expect the eye patch- but it’s pretty obvious why Loop sounded so panicked in that request. That has to be their ‘Stardust.’

He wonders if that makes the fridge of a man with them the ‘Isabeau’ they miss, too.

Chapter Text

“It’s fine. We’ll just deliver this a little later, find another job and get out of here.” Loop is muttering under their breath, leaning against a building as if that might let them pass through it with enough effort.

It is so, so tempting to make the wall intangible so they fall through it. However, that’ll just give Loop more excuses to not explain anything. “What are you so afraid of? They’re not going to try and kill you or anything.”

“It would be so much easier if they did! Ha!” Loop’s laugh was so sharp it made their whole form flicker, as if they couldn’t decide if they should look human or not right now. “Of course they just so happen to be here! Why wouldn’t they be!”

So just asking outright isn’t going to do anything. The star person is far too wound up for that. So he’d just have to come at it from a weirder angle so Loop didn’t figure it out. “So what’s up with the eye patch? On the not you.”

“Huh?”

“Is it some fashion thing? Since you don’t have one, and you’re the original.” Phantom grins a little as Loop just looks more baffled.

“No? He just missing an eye.”

“But you’re not. Is that what you’re all guilty about? You got his eye?” He felt a tiny bit bad about some of the scars Danny got, so maybe that was what had Loop all fussy too?

Loop just stared. Then laughed, hard. “What? No! No, that happened before there were two of us.”

Darn it. Just when he thought he might be figuring something out. “So becoming a star-being gave you your eye back?”

“I suppose. Not that it works, or anything.” Loop relaxed, ever so slightly.

It didn’t? Phantom had not caught on to that. So they must be pretty good at dealing with only having the one eye by now. “So you got a whole new body, but not a functioning eye? How’s that fair?”

Loop gave a small snort at the joke. “Never thought about it like that, really.” They look at their gloved hands, a hint of a frown trying to show on their face. “Though I suppose I’d lose that eye every time if it kept them safe…the Universe must have decided I should keep that commitment.”

Perfect. That was way more information about Loop’s past than he’d managed to rip out of them in the weeks so far. Maybe Vlad’s sneaky politicking could be useful after all. Even if it was a bit vague. “For a terrible person you sure seem to do some heroic stuff.”

“Oh please. Making sure a kid doesn’t die is common sense stuff.” Loop scoffed. “You don’t applaud the sun for rising in the morning.”

Okay, so Loop rescued that small kid with that weird little group, probably. Badly, if they had to lose an eye to do it. Can he use this? Maybe. “Trust me, a lot of people won’t go that far to save a kid. But it doesn’t really matter.” Phantom gives a shrug and yawns a bit, as if bored. “You want me to spy on em for you? Figure out where they’re going next to avoid them?”

“I thought you said you couldn’t stay invisible for very long?” Loop squinted suspiciously at the question.

Which yes, that had been his excuse for dropping it once they got out of eyesight of the group. He didn’t really want to be exhausted by using his powers non stop for who knew how long! “I can’t. But it’s not like they know me or care about me. I don’t even need to be invisible.”

Loop was still squinting at him. “I suppose being the most famous heroes in Vaugarde might make them have to ignore curious stares from strangers.”

“Exactly! It’s not like I stand out or anything.” At least, he was pretty sure he didn’t. So long as he didn’t use his ghost powers or say something ‘strange’.

Loop was looking more at their cloak than his face before mumbling “Well you might stand out a little.”

“Well if you don’t want me to find out, that’s fine. I don’t actually care where they’re going, I just figured you would.” He gave the most dismissive shrug he could. Surely Loop would be too curious to let the offer slip away.

They did hesitate. Yet only for a moment. “Okay, yes, it would be helpful. Just don’t get caught.”

“I won’t.” Not that he intended to hide all that much either.

It was easy to find the group again- there was always at least one or two other people also trying to get a good look in their direction after all. The so called ‘saviours’. They didn’t seem all that special.

They chattered and walked fairly quickly, but otherwise seemed normal? Like the kid was younger than Danny, but the rest of them were around his actual age or older. The not-Loop seemed a bit spacey, but sure made the big guy laugh annoyingly loud pretty often. None of the others really struck him as a ‘fighter’ so that had to be the Isabeau one, right? Bambouche got thrown around a few times but it didn’t sound like one of their names. So that might be somewhere they’re planning to go?

He could just get closer. Do a little bit more effective eavesdropping. But he couldn’t help it, he was curious. These were the people Loop was so wound up about? Why? Sure, it was kind of funny how the woman with the rapier started going ‘NO!!!’ in unison with the kid when ‘Stardust’ made a terrible ‘a-peeling’ pun about an apple- but that couldn’t be it, right? Surely there had to be something extra special. Something important.

Like how Sam and Tucker had been important. Until they weren’t. Until they were dead and not his, never his, because he’s not Danny. He’s just a leftover part of him, not the real one.

“Hey there, you doing okay?”

Phantom nearly jumps out of his skin at the deep voice. As it’s clearly directed at him, and it’s close. Isabeau- he’s pretty certain this has to be him now just snuck up on him while lost in his own head. Great.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you. You just seemed a little lost?” He has his hands up, apologizing even though Phantom hasn’t actually said anything back.

“I’m fine.” Phantom mutters out, privately yelling at himself to get a grip. This isn’t about him! This is about making Loop not his problem anymore!

“...Right, I see that.” Isabeau’s tone betrays nothing, but his face has ‘I do not believe you even once bit’ all over it. It doesn’t help that he’s clearly just being the frontman- he can spy the rest of the little party lurking just a bit further back.
That ‘Stardust’s’ stare can be pretty intense for only having one to do it with.
“Now that I’ve got your attention though, would you mind me asking where you had your cloak made?”

“You just asked, so it doesn’t really matter if I mind now, does it.” The half ghost pushes down the urge to flash his eyes at the man to get him to back off. Since this is a pretty normal sort of question? It’s just one he can’t really answer. He has zero idea where Clockwork got the stupid thing. “Why do you want to know?”

“True!” He gives an easy laugh, ignoring the venom in Phantom’s voice- or not noticing it. It’s hard to tell with this guy. “I’m going into clothing design! So if I see people with clothing I haven’t seen much before, I like to ask em about it.”

Darn it. How can he wiggle out of this one? “Ah. Can’t really help you there. I don’t really know where I got it.” It’s not lying, exactly. It might work.

Unfortunately that doesn’t get the reaction he’s hoping for. No, instead Isabeau seems more determined to keep talking to him instead of less. “Oh, that’s a shame! Did you forget, maybe?”

“I guess?” Now that’s a lie. He can’t forget something he’s never known.

“Does the island north of Vaugarde ring a bell, maybe?” Isabeau is nodding, as if trying to encourage him. While the one in the cloak keeps staring so hard he’s expecting one of those craft slashes to shoot out.

This was not the plan. Just be boring and they’ll go away. “No. Should it?”

There’s a bit of disappointment in the fighter’s eyes, but the smile stays. “I guess not. Sorry for wasting your time!”

“Whatever.” Phantom needs to take the opportunity to get lost- and does. For a few steps at least. He’s got to know what they think about him when he’s not there to hear it. Being invisible isn’t that hard. He can double back quick enough to catch them talking without missing much.

“Aw Sif! It’s fine! I was pretty curious too, you know, you didn’t make me ask.”

“Yeah, but you only asked because I mentioned that guy seemed weird. Sorry.” The eye patched one muttered into their cloak.

“He was weird. Didn’t you notice how he didn’t react at all to having a saviour ask if he was all right?” The older woman’s tone was blunt and to the point. “Just because he might not know about the island doesn’t mean you were wrong.”

“He’s totally been following us! I saw him like, three times! In one day! Weird crabbing guy, Frin!” The kid’s loud addition just made Phantom cringe. The little kid noticed? Really?

“Okay! Okay, I get it. You don’t mind.” He gives a sheepish sort of grin, hiding less in their own clothing. “I guess I sort of hoped…and disappointed myself is all.”

The woman with the sword is smiling and nodding, as if this is an impressive thing to say. “Siffrin, we’re curious about the lost island too. Of course we want to help if we can, silly!”

“But not because it reminds you of a romance novel.” There’s a smirk on his face now. “Definitely only because it’s a real mystery.”

“I can want to do things for more than one reason!” She said, clearly somewhat flustered.

“We might have better luck closer to Bambouche anyway. As it’s geographically closer to where the island should have been. I doubt everyone who knew about it decided to travel the world like you did.” The older woman was speaking as if unbothered, but her eyes kept darting around. “Hm.”

“What is it, m’dame?” Isabeau joins in on the looking around- but not looking at any person or building in particular.

There’s no way they can see invisible people, right?

“Nothing, yet.” Still, she’s fished a book out and is holding it almost like it’s a weapon.

They do kind of have magic here. He’s not really in the mood to get clobbered if this lady can do ‘see invisible’ or something.

“Do you think it might be Loop, Siffrin?” The one he figured Loop called the ‘Housemaiden’ asked.

That must be not-Loop’s full name. It was a bit hard to tell with them getting called like four different things. He stopped his escape- too curious to not hear the answer.

“...I hope so.”

“Well a friend of ours doesn’t need to hide. I don’t appreciate feeling watched.” The researcher’s tone was enough to set him back on his retreat. Just in case she could make good on the threat.

-

It was easy to find Loop again, lurking in a rented room and hiding from every window as if it might expose they were staying there.

“Well I pretty much already knew they planned to go to Bambouche, so thanks for telling me the obvious.” Loop’s sarcastic response to what he learned did not make his sore ego feel any better.

“Why do you want to keep hiding anyway? It sounds like they actually want you around!” It’s not like any of his loved ones actually looked forward to seeing him!

“You know why! It’s not the same.” Loop practically spat at him.

“So what, you’d rather have nothing instead of something different?” Phantom couldn’t help but scoff. “At least they actually want you around!”

“Only as Loop! Someone they barely know, that helped them one time? They don’t actually want me around. They just think they do.”

“Except your ‘Stardust’ knows you as both, right? So not only as Loop.”

“Sure! Fine, he does know. Only them! That doesn’t help with everyone else-”

“Do all Siffrins sulk like this, or just you?”

Loop’s face seemed to crack a little as they glared at him. “You don’t get to judge me.”

“No, I think I do get to. Do you want a second chance or not? I’d like to get out of this stupid world eventually!”

“Ha! As if that’s really what you want.” Loop pushed back. “As if I didn’t see how cozy you started to get in town, or how you haven’t even tried yelling at your ‘not god’ friend to let you leave.” They almost seemed to loom over him, even while being around the same height. “You don’t want your second chance any more than I do!”

Phantom could only growl, any usable argument dying in his throat.

So they didn’t speak. They just sulked, let the building tension slowly drip out of the air and kept to themselves.

As Loop was right in a way. He didn’t really want the second chance either. Not if it all had to be different. It could never be the same. Even if he didn’t really want it to be the same anymore either. He so desperately didn’t want to be just Danny or Vlad now, to just be himself- but who was that? How could he possibly fit in where he doesn’t belong?

“Why do you even want me to try?” Loop’s question didn’t make the room any less frosty.

“I don’t know why.” Phantom grumbled into his own knees, unwilling to get out of the grumpy ball he’d sat in while ignoring them. “You’re annoying.” To put it lightly! “But I guess I don’t…hate you?” Wow. He had terrible standards. Or was more lonely than he was willing to admit.

“What high praise from an otherworldly being.” Loop rolled their eyes, but sat down next to him. “If you don’t want to leave, isn’t ‘helping’ me just making things worse for you?”

It would. But for some reason, he didn’t really care about that part. “Maybe I just want to see someone prove it can work. This whole second shot thing.”

“You get I don’t deserve it right? That I don’t deserve them?” Loop’s push-back was just as sour as ever, which just made Phantom want to grind his teeth.

“If you don’t deserve it, if you don’t deserve them when they’re actively asking for you- wanting you around- then how will I EVER deserve even a fraction of this?!” He let his anger drown out the pain, to hide and bury it. “So you weren’t good enough! That’s not that bad!”

Loop’s grip on their human form slipped, stars exploding over their skin as they yelled back. “An entire world is gone because I gave up!”

“An entire world is gone because I personally made SURE of it!” He snarled back, getting to his feet.

“Just because I couldn’t figure it out- and just begged for an out! So I got it! I got out! I don’t get to have this one! That’s not nothing!” Loop did flinch for a moment, but managed to keep pushing.

Clearly Loop still didn’t get it. That he wasn’t exaggerating. “It has to be nothing! All you did was fail!” Phantom was pretty sure his sharp teeth were bleeding into his human form now- but maybe that would help prove his point. “You never hurt anyone, right? Never strangled the life out of someone? Never cut someone running away down?”

“No.”

“Well I did. All of that, more.” Phantom tried to ignore how Loop flinched, how they backed away. That was a normal person's reaction. That’s how they should act. “I’m the monster here, not you. So just shut up and take a good thing if you want it!”

Loop kept a safe distance back, breathing. Watching him. “Why? Was destruction all you could think of doing?”

“Yes! I had nothing. No one. Not even who I was. Do you know how confusing it is? To just start existing, horribly wounded and seeing something that looks like what you were looking at you in terror?” He didn’t like thinking about that. He shouldn’t be talking about it, admitting it. “To figure out it’s too late to fix anything?”

“But you know that time-god thing, don’t you?”

Phantom laughed, the very idea just too funny. “That useless thing? That ‘can’t’ meddle in the time stream. When he can. When you’ve heard things that prove that. He just wouldn’t. Outright refused even a little favour. So you know what I did?”

A slow shake of the head. A no.

“If I ruined everything, destroyed everyone- killed every last thing- he had to fix it! Had to meddle! ” His chest hurt, probably from laughing too hard. “Not that I really believed it would work. At least everyone had to be miserable with me. So of course, that’s when the meddling creature steps in. Clobbered by a version of myself that got to have what I couldn’t! Funny, right?! Fair, isn’t it?”

“A very special kind of giving up, then.” Loop still seemed shaken, somewhat fearful- but didn’t run off. Or attack. “You haven’t done any of those things since you…came back to life though, right?”

“No. There’s no point.” That was the only reason. It wasn’t because he regretted it. It couldn't be that.

It was trickier to make out Loop’s expressions with that star for a head, but they were clearly pondering something. “So you’re not going to be a King sized problem again?”

“As if I could be. This body sucks.”

“Soooo. You said what I did was nothing, right?”

“Yeah? Duh?” Phantom could only blink. Didn’t they hear what he said?

“But a world is gone anyway, right? What’s the difference?”

“A whole lot more death and destruction." Where was Loop going with this. Why did the star person seem more confident, less afraid?

“But you just said it doesn’t matter. Those worlds are gone now. Everything we did, didn’t happen. Right?”

“I’m pretty sure morally there’s a difference between active murder and you just peacing out.”

“Oh, there is! If you were doing that sort of thing here we’d have some serious problems! But you aren’t. You never even tried to do anything like that. You were picking apples for old ladies instead.”

“So? This isn’t about me!” Phantom sputtered, unsure how he’d gotten here. “This is about you being too stubborn to go see your stupid friends that like you!”

“So you do want your second chance, right? That’s why you want me to go first. Because you’re a coward too.”

Why is Loop hassling him like normal again. What. Why aren’t they afraid, or calling him a monster, or trying to hurt him? “I’m not a coward.”

“Then you should be able to face the people you ditched.”

“Uh. You first? Since I actually have an excuse. You don’t.”

“True, even if your excuse isn’t all that great.”

“Why aren’t you calling me a monster? I know you’re some goodie two shoes.” Phantom hunched his shoulders, still unable to figure any of this out. Was the conversation just to get his guard down and attack? Surely it had to be something like that. “You should hate me.”

Loop almost seemed to smirk. “Well, maybe I don’t hate you either. Even if that’s stupid.” They used his own words against him again, rude. “Maybe I should. Maybe if you’d personally hurt me, I would. Would kill you on the spot if you’d been after someone I love. But the person I know right now hasn’t done those things. Isn’t that person.”

“Yeah, it is stupid.” Why was Loop the first one he actually believed when they said they didn’t think he’d do anything horrific again? That ‘bought’ that he was different? Just because they lacked context, right? “You have no idea-”

“You’re right. I don’t. But if you’re enough of a sap now that you’re seriously invested in me trying to make up with my party…well. I think I can believe you if you’re trying to be someone new.”

“I’m not invested! You’re making stuff up!” Loop was trying to embarrass him to death. Clearly. That’s what this was.

“Uh huh. Sure, Phantom. Spying on people so you can yell at me about how much they care is what ‘not invested’ people do.”

He ignored what felt like his face heating up. “Okay! Fine! Excuse me for wanting someone I don’t hate to get over themselves and just go try to be happy!” Because Loop didn’t deserve that empty void, or being alone and hating themselves forever. If Loop deserved that, he’d deserve far, far worse.

“Only if you get over yourself and go try to be happy too. Does that sound fair?”

“Why?” Loop couldn’t seriously like him? As a friend? They just hassled and annoyed one another, hung out during the downtimes, had a few things in common.

Oh.

That did sound a lot like what making a friend was like, didn’t it. Now that he thought about it.

“If I’d stayed alone, waiting to be ready to face Stardust again on my own, I’d never be ready.” Loop’s eyes seemed to smile for them. “I was the worst being in the world.”

Phantom snorted. “Until you met someone who’s actually terrible.”

“Was terrible.” Loop’s correction just made him roll his eyes. “If you could face that sort of thing and still want to try again, well. How could I not? Every day is new, just like I wanted. I just…wasn’t ready to face it.”

Phantom’s stomach squirmed a bit at all these mushy…feelings. That felt a little too close to home. “Well, if you’re asking me to be your emotional support monster, your friends miiiight think I’m a stalker?”

Loop gave him a look and sighed. “Well, if you can dodge a frying pan you’ll probably be fine.”

So much for possibly getting out of it.

Chapter Text

Of course, Loop did chicken out three times. They probably would have done so a fourth time if he hadn’t said he can ‘help’ by throwing them right at their one eyed double to get it over with. 

 

The woman with the book clocked his presence nearby almost immediately. That was Odile apparently- he’d managed to pull her actual name out of Loop. Which was still like pulling teeth with how they insisted on not using names. She didn’t react too much, stood a little taller, narrowed her eyes. Waiting to see what he was up to first.

 

While Loop practically quaked in their boots, their cloak looking more like the ocean reflecting the sky. So Phantom was helpful. With a shove.

 

“Ow!”

 

Which had the helpful effect of making the others look their way. Siffrin had frozen, but only for a moment before starting to run forward.

 

“Loop?!”

 

Which was enough to shake them out of their ‘pre-show’ jitters apparently, Loop’s casual smile coming back. “Oh, Stardust! What a coincidence!”

 

Their attempt at ineffective bravado crumbled when Siffrin grabbed them in a hug. “You’re okay! You’re back- I wasn’t sure if you…” he seemed to stumble for words before noticing how Loop was doing an impressive pole impression and let go. “Sorry. I sort of sprung that on you…”

 

Loop recovered a bit, but was notably not looking at the others catching up to them. “Trying to steal the kid’s thing now, are we?”

 

Siffrin snorted. “I like having hugs I remember again.” He gave Phantom a glance. “Who’s this?”

 

“A world ending dimensional traveller. You would not believe the things I’ve gotten up to~!”

 

Siffrin rolled their eye, and waited for a real answer.

 

“What? It's true.” Phantom ‘helpfully’ added. Which just got poor Siffrin looking baffled again. Teasing him was kind of fun. “Though you’d probably believe the things they got up to. It was mostly sulking.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“You’re looking different, Loop.” Odile’s comment did make Loop squirm a bit.

 

“I couldn’t really keep going around as a star-person! So I changed it up.”

 

The preteen was much less delicate. “Why do you look like Frin?”

 

Both Siffrin and Loop flinched at that one, glancing at one another. Clearly neither had been super sure about how they were going to explain that.

 

“Bonbon, you can’t just ask people why they look like they do.” Isabeau admonished “You don’t want to be rude to the one who helped us get through the house, right?”

 

“NO!!!” Bonnie flailed “I just wanted to know why they looked less cool!!!”

 

“Hah! They’re calling you a downgrade, Stardust.” Loop let out a snicker as Siffrin buried their chin in his cloak.

 

“We were all hoping you’d come back Loop! So we could thank you for all the help.” Mirabelle seemed to finally have worked up the courage to chime in. “Did you want to join us?” She suddenly seemed a bit flustered. “Not that you need to, if you have other plans-”

 

“Since saying ‘thank you’ by trying to drag you into another long journey is a strange thing to do.” Odile supplied before the housemaiden got even more flustered.

 

“We get if you need more time away from us and your time loop trauma buddy.” Isabeau nodded. “But we really wanted you to know we’d be happy to have you. You helped us save the world and our friend, you know?”

 

Loop swallowed, a shadow of pain in their eyes. Being a stranger. They could change that- say who they were. But they didn’t. “I think I’d like to get to know you all better.” They looked mostly at Siffrin, as if for permission. “If you’ll have me?”

 

Siffrin didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

 

Phantom did his best to ignore the jealousy trying to worm its way into his gut. That it could be this easy.

 

“What about your friend there?”

 

“Me? I’m not sticking around here.” Even if it was a bit tempting. Okay, really tempting to just run away from it all and never come back. To get basically a blank slate. “Maybe if everything goes badly I’ll try bullying the meddler into coming back.”

 

“So I probably won’t see you again.” Loop’s smirk almost dared him to try and argue, but with a whole little pity committee here he really, really didn’t want to voice his worries about how sideways everything could go back home.

 

“Mhm. Probably not.”

 

Phantom did a great job of not jumping when the portal tore itself open next to him, unlike everyone else present. “Still a stalker, Clockwork!”

 

“Stars, I thought you were just messing with me.” Siffrin mutters, a sort of exhaustion setting on their shoulders.

 

“I wouldn’t need to make up something this weird just to mess with you, Stardust. Messing with you isn’t that hard.”

 

“What sort of Craft is that? And no Boniface, you should not touch it.”

 

This somehow was enough to make the child stop inching towards it- even if they did look a little disappointed about it.

 

“Isn’t your kind of magic.” Phantom had to bite back a laugh, Odile just looked more determined to figure it out when he said that.

 

“Did we just confirm other realities exist!? Is that what we just did?” Isabeau somehow seemed even more curious. “I have so many questions!”

 

“I guess you did? Not that there’s going to be any proof. I don’t know how this works, and the one who does would never tell us.” As Clockwork took being unhelpful to an artform whenever possible.

 

Siffrin was whispering something to Loop, who frowned for a moment before giving a little nod. “Wait, Phantom. Before you just vanish on me, I’ve got another special sort of Craft sign to show you. If you think you can figure it out.”

 

“They all seem pretty easy to me, sure.” Did he sort of hope it was the bird? Yes. That’d be a memorable send off.

 

“I’m not sure if it will work, it doesn’t go very far. But maybe it’s different if you’re worlds away.” Loop paused, twisting their hand. To look like they were pretending to talk on the phone.

 

Of course! They’re all simple! “Yeah, I’ve seen that one before. Like a phone. So you can call, right?” Maybe it would work.

 

“What’s a phone?” The kid asked, even though that question was on all of their minds.

 

“Just a way people can talk to one another from far away where I’m from.” Phantom was pretty sure the idea blew the kid’s mind.

 

“Well! That makes it easier. Just in case you want to chat.” Loop frowned, just for a moment. “If it doesn’t work, at least you can feel silly for a moment!”

 

“Yeah, sure. You can try using it, maybe I’ll listen.” He had to say it casually. If he didn’t get his hopes up, he couldn’t be disappointed when it failed to do anything.

 

“I will. Good luck back there.”

 

Phantom took his chance to duck through before the rest of the group could start bombarding him with questions- they were Loop’s problem now. Even if he might have broken their concept of how the world ever worked now. They’d be fine, they apparently had emotion monsters and wishes that broke literally everything.

---

 

 

Back in his room, with colour. It didn’t look like much time had passed since he was last here- which made sense if he was doing temporal favours. Well, he’d find out real quick if it had been more than a month if Vlad tore in here like a bat out of hell once his ghost sense caught him.

 

Colour told him Clockwork had been a little shit again- his cloak wasn’t gray. It was purple. He threw it off immediately, muttering about how he was going to burn it.

 

Okay. He was back. Slightly less of a noodle still- Clockwork didn’t rob him of that. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the catch to get him. Yet it seemed like the bad taste in clothing was all that was coming.

 

He’d told himself he wasn’t going to just call Loop right away. He JUST saw them.

 

But it would be fine right? Just to test it. So he wouldn’t be disappointed when everything was already crappy and it failed him too. So he did it. The silly little hand gesture like he was six, playing pretend but thinking a finger phone might actually work.

 

He felt so, so stupid, standing there with his hand next to his face. Of course it wouldn’t work.

 

“Hello hello, Loop speaking! Thank you for calling! How may I help you!”

 

…Maybe he wouldn’t need to go beat up a time ghost for putting a friend in front of him that he couldn’t keep. “You better not say that every time I call.”

 

“Aw, but how would you know it’s me if I didn’t? What if you called Stardust by mistake!”

 

“I don’t think my magic finger phone would get you mixed up. But if it does I’ll just yell at ‘em to stop hogging the phone line.”

 

He’d deny that Loop’s laugh made him crack a smile. Yet maybe it would be easier knowing someone to reach out to that wasn’t tangled up in his mess of a life. It was still going to suck. But it felt just a little less hopeless than before. It might be enough.