The Small Ghost

XXXII

Phantom snuggled closer to the warmth, humming softly as he buried his face. The smell of shampoo reached his nose and his eyes peeled open. He blinked slowly as Dick shifted in his arms. Phantom sank down through the bed, shivering as his friend's warmth disappeared. He sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, cocking his head as he stared at Dick.

"We're friends," he whispered to himself. "Friends tell each other their worries... I think," he added, unsure.

"Phantom, do you require assistance?" MINA asked.

He shook his head as he frowned. "I'm fine. Just trying to get to the bottom of something."

He clenched his hands and softly nudged Dick's foot. The boy groaned, pulling a pillow over his head as Phantom looked around the room. He wanted Dick to wake up, but he didn't want to be rude and overstep. He pouted as he pinched at the clothes Alfred had given him one wake-time ago. The material was softer than anything he had ever touched. It was smooth on his skin and made it feel like he was wearing clouds. The man had said something about "sick" when he explained the fabrics. No, it was silk. He quite liked silk.

Dick stirred, moaning softly as he turned onto his back. Phantom leaned forward as Dick stared at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling as he laid there. "Dick?" he ventured. "Are you awake?"

Dick's eyes snapped to him and Phantom jumped. "What is up with people watching me sleep? Is it a joke between you and Wally or something? It's freaky."

Phantom lowered his head. "Sorry, I-I just...sorry."

Dick sighed as he sat up, his hair sticking up haphazardly as he yawned. Phantom bit his lip as Dick grabbed his hands, absently rubbing his thumb over the knuckle. "It's nothing to apologize over. It's just a little unsettling is all."

"I understand. I just didn't know what to do or where to go. I wanted to wait for you to wake up," he said, his voice small.

Dick ruffled his albino hair. "You could've woken me up, silly."

"Oh, I tried," he mumbled. Dick snorted and Phantom pulled his hands away. "Uh, Dick, Robin, um..." he averted his gaze as Dick tilted his head.

"What's up? You can call me Dick; I don't have the mask on."

Phantom nodded jerkily as his throat seemed to dry up. "Um, Dick," -he lost his nerve as his eyes flicked to his friend's blue orbs- "I, uh...breakfast," he managed. "C-Could we have breakfast?"

Dick smiled uneasily as he eased out of bed. "Sure," he drawled. "Follow me, Phantom." Phantom grasped Dick's hand as they walked out of the room.

He hung his head as his mind wandered. He was supposed to ask Dick the questions that had been eating away at him since last night. Was this boy really his friend? Did he actually like him? He glanced at Dick's dark hair before hiding his eyes in his own white locks. Is he serious about not sending him back? He wouldn't know until he asked, and that wasn't happening any time soon.

What if Dick said "no"? That he wasn't serious about any of it and was plotting to send him away the second he made a mistake. What if he was doing exactly what Sir did? Being nice before the other shoe dropped and he was strapped to a machine trying to kill his human side. His eyes widened. He hadn't even checked to see if he'd stopped it in time.

Phantom blinked quickly as Dick directed him to a long table. Tall chairs circled the wooden surface and five place mats were set in front of their respective chairs. Dick squeezed his shoulder as he sat beside him. "Alfred won't take long. He's always awake cooking or cleaning. Unless he's forcing Bruce to eat when he's...working," Dick hesitated.