Viktor woke up slowly and fuzzily. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but the bed was comfortable, and he was still tired. So he flipped on his side and attempted to nuzzle into the pillow.

Mistake.

Something bit into Viktor's injured cheek, making it sting harshly and immediately bringing Viktor to full awareness. He prodded at his face and found that his cheek was swathed in gauze. Covering his nose and mouth, however, was what felt like an oxygen mask. Bewildered, he tugged at the mask, trying to keep it from digging in to the gauze.

"Oh, you're awake," someone said. Viktor cautiously looked toward the voice to see Yuuri's sister, Mari, sitting in a chair next to another bed, which was occupied by Yuuri, who gave a small wave. She stood and circled around to Viktor's bedside. "Here, let me get that mask off you." She unclipped the mask and set it to the side.

Viktor took a deep breath of air, relieved that the pressure was off his injury. "What did I need that for?" he asked, surprised at the raspy, hoarse quality of his voice.

Mari handed him a cup full of ice chips, which he gratefully accepted. "Your blood oxygen level was low when you got here, plus you'd stop breathing every once in a while. Sleep apnea. The doctors said it should go away as the ectoplasm leaves your system."

"Oh. Is there anything else?" Viktor wondered. "Where is here? And what about Yuuri?"

"Here is the Hospital de Barcelona," Mari said. "Let's see… whatever Phantom gave you has been pretty effective in getting rid of the ectoplasm in your system, though your pee has been green." Viktor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Your cheek needed cleaning and a couple dozen stitches." Viktor fingered the gauze covering the gouges, unsurprised. "You've been asleep for the past day or so. As for Yuuri… why don't you ask him yourself?"

Viktor turned his head to see Yuuri watching him. "How are you doing, Yuuri?" he asked.

Yuuri chuckled. "I'll be okay, nothing permanent. I just got a lot of muscle strain, particularly in my legs and back. I'm pretty sore right now and don't want to move."

"I'm glad it's nothing more serious than that," Viktor said truthfully. "Where's everyone else?"

"Either waiting outside the room or fielding the press," Mari answered. "The only reason you're not swamped is thanks to hospital security. The doctors said that you weren't to have any visitors other than family until you woke up and could give permission."

"Well, I'm awake, and I'm giving permission. I'd like to see my friends," Viktor said. "Yuuri?"

"I already gave my consent," he said.

"I'll let them know, then," Mari said, heading for the door and disappearing into the hallway.

"How are you feeling?" Yuuri asked when they were alone.

"I'm a bit sore. I think you're feeling worse than I am, though," Viktor said thoughtfully. Then he prodded at the bandage on his cheek, frowning. "Yuuri, I don't know if I'll ever recover," he complained, slumping in the bed. "My good looks have been ruined."

"Scars are sexy, though. Don't you think, Yuuri?" Chris said, sauntering into the room.

"Um, scars don't really bother me at all, and I don't think they ruin a person's look, either," Yuuri answered.

"Oh, I guess it's okay, then," Viktor shrugged, reassured. Chris grinned knowingly at Yuuri, who flushed bright red.

"Chris, you asshole, don't go running on ahead of us," Yurio griped as he entered the room, followed by Phichit, Otabek, Minako, and Mari. Phichit and Otabek were laden with what looked like get well gifts, and they transported them to the bedside table between Yuuri and Viktor.

"Viktor! You're finally awake!" Minako said enthusiastically before moving to Yuuri's side. "And, Yuuri, how are you doing?"

"I'm still hurting," he said truthfully.

"Can't they give you painkillers or something?"

"They've already given me a mild dose… Is all that stuff for us?"

"Yeah," Phichit said, handing him a random card and bouquet of flowers from the pile. "You guys are real superstars right now, you know? Everyone wants to talk to you. Yakov and Celestino are totally mobbed in the hospital's lobby."

"So you are bringers of news, then? Good. I want to know what's going on," Viktor said.

"Yep, that's us, ferrying news and get well gifts to your lovely hospital room," Phichit said. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, for starters, knowing the status of the Grand Prix Final would be nice," Viktor said thoughtfully. "Has it been cancelled? Rescheduled?"

"They're still debating what to do to make it fair, since Katsudon was possessed when he was disqualified and I didn't get to skate my free program at all," Yuri answered.

"Rumor has it, though, that they might turn over Yuuri's disqualification due to outstanding circumstances," Mari added. Viktor and Yuuri shared an ecstatic look.

"Really?" Yuuri said hopefully. "That would be nice."

"Hey, you're still skating next year no matter what they decide, right?" Viktor asked.

Yuuri gave him an annoyed look. "Of course. I already made my decision, didn't I?"

"Oh, good. I'd never have forgiven you if you'd decided to retire," Yurio spat.

"Eh? You were thinking of retiring?" Minako said, horrified. "After such a great season?"

"Yuuri!" Phichit complained, loading all his displeasure at the idea of Yuuri retiring into a single word.

"It was just a thought!" Yuuri protested. "Anyway, what happened to the Phantoms?" he asked, desperate to switch topics.

"No one knows where they've gone. Even the ghost hunters that have poured into the city have been unable to find them," Minako said. "I wonder where they went…"

"So they've left Barcelona altogether?" Yuuri asked, heart sinking. The bracelet Danny had attached to him was still on his arm. The doctors hadn't been able to figure out how to get it off, either, and they didn't want to cut it off for fear of whatever technology was inside the bracelet. Yuuri supposed he could learn to live with the bulky thing, but he didn't want to. Maybe he could contact the Phantoms somehow…

"It seems likely," Chris said. "I wouldn't want to be a ghost in this city right now, either. This place is crawling with trigger-happy hunters."

"But they saved lives. More specifically, Yuuri's life," Viktor protested. "Why should they be run out of the city when they're heroes?"

"Some people are saying that they totally mismanaged that ghost and put a whole lot of people in jeopardy as a result," Yuri said dourly.

"But a lot of people are also saying that the Phantoms did a good job with the attack, being able to take out a ghost that strong in such a crowded place with zero casualties," Phichit countered.

"Well, I experienced firsthand how tenacious that ghost was, and I think the Phantoms did the best job they could," Viktor decided. There was a beat of silence as everyone digested this.

"It seems surreal," Yuuri said, thoughtful, "that just a few days ago we were completely focused on skating our best, and ghosts were the furthest thing from our minds. Now… it feels like the world has undergone a dramatic shift, you know? There's proof of life after death. It makes skating seem… I don't know… unimportant in comparison."

The mood in the room turned contemplative, Yuuri having voiced what all the skaters were struggling with post-attack. Phichit chewed his lip nervously, and Yuri scowled.

"I hate existential crises," Viktor finally announced sourly. "You know what? Ghosts or no ghosts, skating will always be important to us, because we make it important. We've come this far without being aware of ghosts, right? Why should this incident change how we view skating?"

"That's right," Phichit said, enthused. "We shouldn't let this get in the way of doing what we love."

"I mean, I'm pretty freaked out that ghosts exist, but we can't live our lives in constant fear. They can't be all that common, if we're only just now finding out that they're real," Mari said sensibly.

"We need to keep moving forward. We can't let this stop us from reaching ever higher," Otabek added.

Chris grinned. "Aren't we all sounding inspirational!"

Everyone chuckled, and the tense atmosphere in the room dissipated. Viktor's and Yuuri's visitors stayed for another hour or so, talking lightheartedly about how they'd all performed at the Grand Prix and debating what the organizers should do about the ghost attack. Finally, the door to the hospital room opened, and a nurse entered, holding a clipboard.

"Excuse me," she said in accented English, "but I need to check the patients now, and visiting hours are over. Please come back tomorrow." Everyone grumbled but said their goodbyes without too much complaint. Phichit and Mari hugged Yuuri, and Chris patted Viktor's shoulder. The nurse changed the gauze on Viktor's face and checked both skaters' vital signs. Finally, she left the room.

"Yuuri, I'm lonely," Viktor whined. "What should I do?"

"I'd comfort you, but I can't really move my lower body right now," Yuuri said regretfully. Pause. "Wait, no, Viktor, stop—"

"Too late!" Viktor sing-songed as he stood on shaky feet. He tugged all of instruments he was hooked up to – an IV and a heart monitor, among others – along with him as he hobbled over to Yuuri's bed.

Yuuri, meanwhile, kept up a stream of nervous babble. "You're going to get in so much trouble, Viktor—no no no, don't fall; I can't help you right now—don't scare me like that—uHM," he squeaked when Viktor climbed onto his bed, groping one of his pecs in the process.

"Scoot over," Viktor said, winking.

"We're going to get in so much trouble," Yuuri repeated, his voice muffled by his hands, but he nonetheless painstakingly moved to make room for Viktor. Viktor settled in beside him, grinning.

"Much better!" he chirped, wrapping his arms around Yuuri.

"What am I going to do with you?" Yuuri asked rhetorically as he snuggled into the hold.

"Look at the news with me?" Viktor suggested, holding up his phone, which he'd swiped from the pile of stuff Phichit and Otabek had delivered.

"Sounds like fun," Yuuri deadpanned, shifting so he could see the small screen. Viktor tapped into his news app.

GHOST ATTACK IN BARCELONA [video]

What was supposed to be a simple skating competition took a turn for the deadly when paranormal menaces invaded the rink. Famous ghost, Danny Phantom from Amity Park, is seen here brutally battling another ghost, putting the entire crowd in jeopardy…

CONFIRMED: GHOSTS ARE REAL

As unbelievable as it seems, spirits of the afterlife do indeed exist. We received confirmation of this during the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, a skating competition, which was interrupted when multiple specters made an appearance…

HUNDREDS ALMOST KILLED IN BARCELONA [video]

In a turn of events no one could have foreseen, ghosts attacked a figure skating competition in Barcelona. Two individuals – a skater, Yuuri Katsuki, and his coach, Viktor Nikiforov – were directly involved in the attack. Katsuki was directly targeted by the aggressor ghost, while Nikiforov joined forces with the defending ghost to skate against the assailant. The video shows the entire incident as captured by the many cameras in the arena. Following is an in-depth analysis of what happened…

DANNY PHANTOM: HERO OR HAZARD?

In the recent ghost attack in Barcelona (for more details, click here), locally famous Danny Phantom defended an entire arena of people against an aggressive ghost. However, despite his actions, there are some calls for his capture in the ghost hunting community.

"Phantom's always been a huge problem in Amity Park. I don't know why he's expanded to an international setting, but it can't be for any good reason." –Maddie Fenton, ghost hunter

"Ghosts are never up to any good. You've got to contain and dispose of them." –Fred Frederickson, ghost hunter

"Spirits can have a myriad of reasons for lingering on the mortal plane. Whether Phantom's motives were altruistic or not remains to be seen." –Avonaco Blackwolf, shaman

"Phantom engaged that ghost at great risk to himself. I firmly believe he saved lives with his actions." –Celestino Cialdini, figure skating coach…

SKATERS RALLY AROUND PHANTOMS

It has been confirmed that Danny Phantom was working with his sister, Dani Phantom, in order to contain the ghost that attacked the Grand Prix Finals in Barcelona. Contrary to what was expected, however, the skating community has rallied around both Phantoms, defending the ghosts even though their actions endangered an entire crowd of fans and skaters alike.

"I think they did a great job defending us." –Christophe Giacometti, Swiss skater

"Without their intervention, people would have died. Maybe more people were put in danger, but the end result is that there were no casualties." –Yakov Feltsman, Russian coach…

KATSUKI AND NIKIFOROV HOSPITALIZED

The two individuals most affected by the ghost attack in Barcelona, Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov, have been admitted to Hospital de Barcelona for observation. No interviews with them have been allowed at this time…

"Man, almost every news article is about what happened to us," Yuuri said, blushing. "We're going to be totally surrounded by the press for a while…"

"It'll die down eventually," Viktor said dismissively. "Let's look at Twitter in the meantime."

espn

Shockingly, ghosts attack Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. Katsuki and Nikiforov hospitalized. /3oIPew

sk8ergrl

Insanity at the Grand Prix Finals. Down with ghosts! #downwithghosts #barcelonaghost

Nikilove

What on earth did Phantom do to my dear Vitya?! #downwithghosts #barcelonaghost

ghostfan09

Viktor Nikiforov confirmed dead #barcelonaghost

christiangurl

Ghosts can't be real. They're not in the Bible. God wouldn't inflict such unnatural monsters on us. #downwithghosts #barcelonaghost

katsukifan101

They need to overturn Katsuki's disqualification! It's not his fault he broke the rules! #barcelonaghost

redhuntress

I firmly maintain that Danny and Dani Phantom are a pair of RECKLESS MORONS #arghtheseidiots #barcelonaghost

thebestpointer

Oh my god we're all doomed ghosts are real what is the world coming to #barcelonaghost

jazzfenton

At least it wasn't Plasmius this time? #barcelonaghost #vladplasmius

doomsdaysayer

GHOSTS CONFIRMED. THE END IS DEFINITELY NIGH. #barcelonaghost

celebrityno1

I'm so scared. Our world has been shaken to its foundations and we have to pick up the pieces. #downwithghosts #barcelonaghost

Consciousness returned in stages. There was a general idea that there was a sliver of light falling across his eyes. He burrowed into whatever he was lying on, feeling soft sheets curl around his body. There was a moment of peace… and then the pain hit.

Danny groaned, rolling over onto his back. Everything hurt. His whole body felt like one giant bruise.

As a seasoned ghost fighter, this wasn't the first time he'd woken up in such a state. Jokula had bashed him around pretty thoroughly. What was new, however, was how his malleable body felt like it was trying to painfully stretch into a shape that wasn't his. He twitched his fingers and felt like his hand was trying to be two different shapes at once – one large, the other slender.

It didn't take much of an intuitive leap to figure out why he was feeling such a way. It had to be how he'd combined with Viktor.

"This is what I get for trying something new without considering the consequences," he grumbled. Pause. "If I look like Viktor Nikiforov instead of what I look like normally, I'm going to be pissed." Groaning, Danny fought with his protesting muscles to sit up on the bed. He vaguely remembered carrying Dani back to the hotel, slipping in invisibly, putting her in the other bed, and then collapsing himself, and he realized he hadn't taken off the bulky jacket and sweatpants he'd worn in human form. He slowly stood, then tried to phase out of the cumbersome clothes.

Nothing happened. Well, he nearly blacked out again, but he didn't go intangible the way he wanted to. His core was completely exhausted. All his ectoplasmic reserves had been burned through. At the moment, he was, essentially, human. No ectoplasmic energy = no ghost powers. The only reason he was awake was because he had replenished his human energy supply by sleeping. His ectoplasmic energy would replenish itself either with rest, with food, or with special restorative pills his parents had accidentally developed a few years back. (They weren't terribly healthy to use, though – like energy drinks for humans.) On an unrelated note, Danny was abruptly aware he was ravenous. Luckily, he and Dani had come prepared.

He lurched over to the bag they'd stored their food in and tore into a box of crackers. He vaguely registered his cheek aching as he ate and reached up to feel at the slashes in his cheek. He winced and tasted blood as they reopened. (He internally groaned when he realized that the bed sheets would likely be caked with blood. Cleaning it up would be a pain and a half.) After finishing the crackers, he ate two bags of beef jerky, one banana, one apple, half a bag of baby carrots, some cheese, and at least two cupcakes. (Covering all the food groups was important!) He also downed two and a half bottles of water. When he was feeling better, he would venture out and get some fresher food, but at the moment, he probably shouldn't go wandering in what was undoubtedly a media and hunter infested city bearing the same claw marks Viktor Nikiforov and Danny Phantom did.

Feeling much better for having filled his stomach, Danny stood on aching joints and shuffled over to Dani was sleeping. She was out cold, her core still strained from containing such a powerful ghost in the Ward for so long. He returned to the half full food bag and deposited it on the bed next to her. She'd appreciate it when she woke up.

Next, Danny limped over to the bathroom. Bathing would be a blessing right now, but first he would have to do something about his cheek. He looked in the mirror, relieved to see that his face looked the same as it always did save for his injury. None of Viktor's features anywhere. He slowly stripped naked, glowering at how gross with sweat his clothes had gotten. He grabbed a towel from the racks and the medicine kit he'd brought with him and stood in front of the mirror. He grimaced in pain as he painstakingly cleaned the crusted blood from his face and neck, leaving only the sluggishly bleeding injuries behind. Then he grabbed a special ointment he and Jazz had put together – made of the same stuff as the restorative pills, just applied topically instead of swallowed – and liberally coated his cheek. His cheek started tingling, and he knew the ointment was doing its job. He watched in fascination as the ointment worked with the inherent ectoplasm that helped make up his body to stitch together the wound. He watched for maybe five minutes as his skin absorbed the ointment and the gaping gashes on his cheek were reduced to thin pink lines. The lines would fade as soon as his core recuperated and his natural healing factor kicked in, but the ointment was good for when he was exhausted.

He climbed into the shower and turned the water on full-blast. Having an ice core meant cold or hot didn't bother him, but he still found elevated temperatures more pleasant than cooler temperatures. He just stood under the spray for at least ten minutes, letting the hot water ease his trembling muscles, before he found the soap and shampoo to begin to gently wash away the grime from the fight, paying close attention to the many colorful bruises and scrapes he'd gained.

When he returned to his bed, clad in soft and comfy pajamas, he found that he'd actually hardly bled on the sheets at all. Maybe a spot or two here and there, but it looked like most of his blood had been absorbed by his clothes. Thanking whatever higher deities existed for small mercies, he rolled onto the bed and burrowed under the covers.

It was then that he realized that he hadn't even thought to check his phone, to let his friends know he was okay. He groped around for it on the bedside table, where he'd left it before heading to the stadium. (He'd learned one too many times that taking a phone into a ghost fight was a guaranteed way of getting it broken.) He powered it on and glowered at the screen. His old friends from Amity Park that knew about his identity, his parents, and his newer friends who didn't know he was actually a ghost had completely blown up his phone.

Sam Manson: are you brain dead? youre all over the news and ghosts are THE hot topic. way to keep things on the down low … youre doing okay though right

Tucker Foley: u done fucked up. at least your identity is safe?

Valerie Gray: I've had to stop at least two panics today in Amity Park. The rest of the world can't be taking the exposure of ghosts much better. Come back here so I can hunt your dumb ass

Jazz Fenton: Oh, little brother, couldn't you have cleaned this up without confirming the existence of ghosts? At least your identity is safe and everyone got out okay. That's the important thing.

Dad: HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT PHANTOMS DONE IN BARCELONA WHERE DID HE GET MORE OF OUR TECH

Mom: Phantom has completely blown open the reality of ghosts. I can't decide whether I'm upset at him or delighted. At least now we'll be taken seriously outside of ghost hunting conventions and Amity Park. One news station has already interviewed your father and me.

Sierra Kramer: dude have you seen the news

Shakir Abdallah: Well, I have some new material for our D&D campaign.

Tina Mallon: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Nick Akerman: I know you said your parents are ghost hunters but I thought they were crackpots. I should rethink a lot of things now. Sorry.

Wally Oleastro: FINALLY CONFIRMED I ALWAYS BELIEVED

Daisuke Nakano: ghosts are real I can't believe the world we live in

Gunther O'Doyle: i can't decide if im excited or terrified. also are you okay you havent been answering anyone and i havent seen you in a few days

Danny couldn't muster the energy to text anyone save for Sam (who would relay the news of his well-being to the rest of Team Phantom) and Tina (who he really needed to appease, otherwise she'd start a campus-wide hunt for him).

Danny Fenton: I'm fine, Sam. I know we messed up. Tell the others sorry for me?

Danny Fenton: I'm okay. I'm out of town for a bit for an interview and just got caught up a bit in the ghost attack fallout. Will talk to you guys later.

Viktor and Yuuri were released from the hospital the following day, following no complications during their stay for observation, though Viktor was scolded by the nurses for moving all his equipment. According to the doctors, Phantom's medicine couldn't take care of all of the ectoplasm he'd left in Viktor's system, but what was left would slowly be flushed out over the course of a month. In the meantime, he would likely need more rest.

They held a press conference outside the hospital to satiate the press. It lasted for hours, and they had to cut it short, citing a need for more rest. The press was its usual self, asking invasive but curious questions about the whole ordeal. Yuuri and Viktor traded answering questions.

"What are your thoughts on how the two Phantoms handled this attack? Several experts are saying that they mismanaged the attack and nearly got a lot of people killed." ("Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. But the end result is that everyone got out alive, including me – and I was deliberately targeted! So I'd rather say thank you than criticize their actions.")

"Why did you decide to team up with Phantom?" ("Everyone was in danger. Why wouldn't I try to help?")

"Several ghost experts have said that what Phantom did to you was impossible. What are your thoughts on that?" ("Well, obviously it wasn't impossible if Phantom was able to pull it off!")

"Do you think a mandatory taskforce dedicated to ghost containment and control should be created?" ("Perhaps, but only if ghosts were treated like the sentient beings they are. There are bad ones, like the one that attacked me, but I think there are also good ones, like the Phantoms.")

"What do you think should be done with the equipment the Phantoms left behind?" ("It should probably be returned to them.")

"Ugh, that was exhausting," Yuuri complained on the taxi ride back to the Prince Hotel. "I mean, I've dealt with the press before, but they were really out for blood today."

Viktor hummed thoughtfully. "It's probably because we were the ones closest to the action and therefore should know the most about the incident. The world is changing, and we're smack dab in the middle of it."

"I guess. When I began skating, I never expected to become so famous for something that wasn't even my fault," Yuuri sighed.

"Even people who don't follow skating know us by name now. It is a bit strange," Viktor admitted. "I suppose it just means dealing with a bigger fanbase."

Yuuri groaned. "Whyyyyy." Yuuri was fairly shy. Dealing with fans was not one of his favorite pastimes.

Viktor nudged him. "We'll deal with it together. You're stuck with me, remember?"

"I remember," Yuuri said affectionately, his ring glinting in the sunlight.

They made it back to the hotel without incident, though the police had set up a cordon around the hotel to keep it from being mobbed by the press. People needed to swipe their room keys to get past the security.

They entered the lobby to find it comfortably filled with people, most of them associated with the Grand Prix Final in some form or fashion. Unlike the press, these people were more restrained, and aside from some pointing and whispering, Viktor and Yuuri were left alone as they headed to the bank of elevators.

An elevator opened right in front of him, and Viktor thoughtlessly stepped forward and collided with someone else. "Oh, I'm so sorr…" Viktor trailed off as he got a good look at the person he'd bumped into.

He was wearing a black, nondescript hoodie with the hood pulled up and jeans. Viktor caught a flash of black hair, a hint of blue eyes, and a glimpse of faded white marks on one cheek. There was nothing terribly interesting or unique about him.

But from the contours of his face, for a split second, he thought he'd run into Phantom. However, Phantom had a slight luminescence as a ghost, and this person didn't. Phantom was a ghost, and this person was a human, so they couldn't possibly be the same entity.

"Excuse me," the man said, ducking his head. Viktor wordlessly moved out of the way. The man sounded a lot like Phantom too, if his voice lacked a ghost's echo-y quality.

Viktor knew that a ghost couldn't successfully masquerade as a human, not in this city right now, which was humming with ghost detection devices.

But the longer he stared at the retreating back and the more he thought about it, the more Viktor started doubting.

He remembered Phantom inadvertently letting phrases like "transform" and "human form" slip. He thought of how the ghost experts couldn't know everything about ghosts, if Phantom had capabilities they thought impossible, like how he'd changed Viktor. He pictured the Phantom look-alike in his mind and compared the strangely pale marks on his face to the claw marks that were healing on Viktor's. Were they a match? Viktor couldn't be sure; he'd need a closer look. Finally, as he stood there thinking, he noticed a strange, mild tingling in his gut – a sensation he only felt when the residual ectoplasm in his system was reacting to something. It faded as the Phantom look-alike moved farther and farther away.

Viktor was about… 75% sure he'd just run into Phantom in disguise. He turned to run after the man…

…and he was gone. In the time he'd spent thinking, the man had left the hotel. But Viktor just had to see him again, to confirm if he really was making connections that weren't really there. He considered chasing him out of the hotel and then dismissed it as too impractical and unlikely to succeed.

Plus, there was the press outside and all the people inside the hotel to consider. Phantom was a wanted ghost. He had to be discreet about approaching the look-alike, otherwise he might end up dooming Phantom to an extended stay in a laboratory. A poor way to say thanks to the being who had saved their lives.

Viktor knew that he was, by no means, a subtle person. But for Phantom… maybe he could make the effort.

"Hey, Yuuri…"

"Hmm?" Yuuri had already boarded the elevator and was waiting for Viktor to join him. He'd thought nothing of the encounter.

Viktor had other ideas. He held out his hand and, when Yuuri took it, tugged him out of the elevator. "I feel like staying in the lobby for a while," he said.

Yuuri looked wary. Viktor was probably wearing a look that bespoke mischief. Having been on the receiving end of such a look before, Yuuri was right to be cautious. "Any particular reason why?" Yuuri asked.

Mindful of how they were being watched, Viktor only replied mysteriously, "I just feel like it!" Viktor led Yuuri over to a pair of armchairs with a clear view of the front door of the hotel and had them both sit.

"Er, Viktor… What are we doing?" Yuuri whispered.

"We're on a stakeout," Viktor hissed back.

"Why?"

"Just looking for someone, is all."

"Ugh, I feel sorry for them," Yuuri grumbled, resigning himself to Viktor's whims.

Danny returned to the Prince Hotel, laden with a couple of plastic bags of fresh takeout from the food court in the nearby mall, the Diagonal Mar. Dani had briefly woken up earlier and had greedily devoured the edible remnants in the food bag. Danny himself had quickly become hungry again too, so finding more food was a necessity for their recovery.

Danny paid no mind to anyone in the lobby and made his way unhindered towards the elevators until someone shouted, "Wait!" and grabbed his shoulder.

It was Viktor Nikiforov. Behind him was a confused but resigned Yuuri Katsuki.

Danny immediately began sweating. Accidentally running into the man earlier had been nerve-wracking enough – he had felt the vestiges of his ectoplasm in Viktor's system reacting to him like a beacon and had only had to hope that Viktor hadn't felt it himself.

From the critical look Viktor treated him to and the knowing look in his eyes, Danny didn't think he was that lucky. Still, he had to act like a stranger. Confirming Viktor's suspicion in this very public place would be a disaster.

"I-I'm sorry, I really have to go," Danny said, backing away from Viktor. Retreating was always an option.

Viktor simply followed him and treated him to a blinding smile. "It's okay, really! I just have a quick question!" he said cheerfully. He yanked Yuuri's arm, still bearing the bracelet he'd snapped on it, out for Danny's inspection. "Can you get this bracelet off my friend's wrist? You look like the kind of guy who would know how to." Then Viktor winked slyly and gave him a conspiratorial nudge.

Oh god, he knows, Danny thought, panicked. He couldn't bow out of this encounter without making a scene, nor could he redirect Viktor. The ectoplasm in Viktor's system was definitely reacting to its proximity to Danny, and there was no way Viktor couldn't feel it.

Viktor knew he was Phantom, that much was certain. Yuuri looked clueless, however. Could he maybe get the skater to redirect his coach…?

From the intensity of the grip on Danny's shoulder, though, Viktor wouldn't be distracted that easily.

Danny's only option was to get somewhere private so he could convince Viktor to leave him alone. The lobby was a horrible place to try to confront someone discreetly; Viktor was an idiot for engaging him in this public place.

"I might be able to," he said carefully, mindful of the stares of the bystanders. "I have some tools up in my room." Before Viktor could react, he grabbed his wrist and hauled him over to the elevators. Viktor automatically tried to resist the hold, but the slightest application of energy to his muscles was more than enough to power through Viktor's strength.

He made it to the elevators quickly and glanced back. Instead of looking annoyed at being dragged around, Viktor looked delighted and a tad bit smug. Danny supposed his supernatural strength was as good a confirmation as any that he was not what he seemed.

Yuuri, on the other hand, seemed a bit bewildered by the turn of events. "Wait, what?" he blurted, following Viktor automatically. "Hey, who are you?"

"No one important," Danny said in a faux-cheerful voice before Viktor could respond. He herded them both into the elevator. Viktor looked like he wanted to say something, but Danny hissed, "Not here, dumbass."

Danny was able to keep Viktor and Yuuri from making a scene until they made it to his hotel room and the door was firmly bolted shut. Yuuri looked around in curiosity at the semi-trashed room and the lump under the covers on one bed.

He was quickly distracted by Viktor, though.

"Well, I'm not as surprised as I should be that you have a human form to hide out in, Phantom," Viktor said. Danny gave him the stink-eye as he set down the bags of food.

Yuuri choked and did a double-take, staring at Danny. "Wait, that's Phantom?!"

Danny grumbled, "Ugh. Yes, I am. Shout it from the rooftops, why don't you? It's not like I have a human identity to keep secret or anything…"

"You didn't do a great job of keeping it from me while you possessed me," Viktor chided. "You ought to be more careful."

Danny thought back to the fight against Jokula. Had he broadcasted anything about his human form? He must have, if Viktor was bringing it up. Plus there was the trace ectoplasm in Viktor's system to consider, as well as Viktor's curiosity. "Yeah, I definitely should have seen this coming," he sighed. "Now let me get that bracelet off your arm."

Yuuri cautiously stepped forward, studying him closely while holding out his arm. Danny supposed he was looking for any sign that Danny was more than human. (Yuuri wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Danny worked hard to maintain his human form.) Danny grabbed Yuuri's arm and tugged him closer, then began fiddling with the bracelet. Danny could understand why Yuuri hadn't been able to get it off; the clasp was well-concealed, practically invisible if you didn't know what to look for.

"Thanks for returning this," he said, setting the bracelet on a bedside table. "Now, was there anything else?"

"You're really Phantom?" Yuuri asked, scrutinizing him.

"I thought I told you to call me Danny," Danny replied, annoyed.

"Whoa," Yuuri said. "You really are him, aren't you?"

"I thought we'd established that," Danny sighed. "So what do you want? Or did you just want to find out about my secret?" he tacked on bitterly. There were a lot of people out there who would kill to find out just how Phantom was able to disappear so easily.

Viktor shook his head. "That's not it. I wanted to meet you again to tell you something, but I didn't think I'd be able to find you. Until I stumbled across your human form, at least. I wasn't able to say this properly before… Danny, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving Yuuri," Viktor said seriously.

"For saving all of us," Yuuri added.

"Oh. You're welcome? It was a joint effort," Danny replied modestly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I couldn't have beaten that ghost without the help of my sister. Or Viktor. I am sorry that I had to drag Viktor into the fighting and that I ruined your competition as a whole."

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed by the outcome, but there will always be more competitions," Yuuri said.

"The important thing is that we all made it out alive. You and your sister ensured that," Viktor added.

"How is she, anyway?" Yuuri asked, eyeing the lump under the sheets.

"Recovering. She strained herself pretty badly, but she'll be okay," Danny said. "She woke up to eat earlier but she'll probably be out for a while longer." There was a short pause. "I hope you won't tell anyone about my human form."

"Of course not!" Viktor said, offended. "It would be ungrateful of me to expose you."

Danny sighed gustily, relieved. He only had Viktor's word, but Viktor seemed like a pretty trustworthy guy, especially since he'd put his life on the line to help Danny. A little faith would be the least he could do, especially since… "I'm sorry about your cheek," Danny said, eyeing the gauze on Viktor's face.

"I already told you it wasn't your fault," Viktor said. "You've done so much to keep us all safe. Some scars are a small price to pay for facing such a ghost. It looks like you've already healed, though…?"

"Yeah, I have a healing factor," Danny admitted.

"How does that work, anyway? Your human form?" Yuuri asked curiously.

"It's complicated. I'd rather not say."

"Fair enough. By the way, you do know you left behind a bunch of your equipment on the rink, right? What are you going to do about it?" Yuuri said.

Danny grimaced. "I know. I didn't have the strength to retrieve our stuff and get us both out of there undetected. We'll probably just have to leave it in the hands of the authorities. Stealing that stuff back when we weren't supposed to have it to begin with probably wouldn't be the best idea." It was a partial truth. While Danny had access to the Fenton weapons vault, he technically wasn't supposed to be running off with the equipment inside. Thankfully, his parents still hadn't figured out that he (and Jazz, to a lesser extent) was the one pilfering the vault.

"We could try to retrieve it for you," Viktor offered. "With the amount of social clout we currently wield, I don't think it would be too hard!"

Danny shook his head. "That's nice of you, but then how would you get it to us inconspicuously? It's okay. I think that stuff will return to its rightful owners one way or another, anyway."

Viktor shrugged. "If you're sure."

"Yeah. Was there anything else you wanted? I'd rather not have the public wondering where you disappeared to for too long," Danny said.

Viktor shook his head, smiling. "No, I just wanted to express my gratitude. And I have, so I can leave with no regrets. Come on, Yuuri." Viktor tugged Yuuri along to the door.

"You know," Viktor said over his shoulder, "You should come to the next Grand Prix Final. We could show you what real competitive skating is supposed to look like. It would be fun. I think we could be good friends."

Danny's lips quirked into a small grin. "I'll think about it." Befriending Viktor and Yuuri didn't sound so bad, if he could actually find the time to get to know them better. They seemed like good people, from what Danny had learned of them during his possession of Viktor and their brief conversation. But who knew what he'd be up to this time next year?

"Bye," Yuuri said, smiling shyly. Viktor waved wordlessly and shut the door behind him. Danny sighed, tension draining out of him, and returned to the bags of food he'd acquired. Dani would surely be hungry once she awoke again.

It was only a few days before the ISU announced what they'd do about the ghost attack. Yuuri's disqualification was overturned due to extenuating circumstances, and Yuri would skate his program a few days later on another rink. There was some controversy from the skating community and from around the globe regarding the fairness of the overturned disqualification and the rescheduled free skate – some thought Yuri shouldn't be allowed to skate at all, others thought all the skaters should re-skate their free programs, and a few worried about the event attracting another ghost (even slim as those chances were).

Yurio cornered Yuuri before he was rescheduled to skate and, in typical blunt Plisetsky fashion, demanded to know if Yuuri had really decided to retire or not. Yuuri privately thought that Yuri looked relieved when he said he wasn't retiring just yet, though the teenager would never admit it.

Yuri skated a beautiful free program, though it was obvious he was still shaken up from the ghost attack, his movements slightly more cautious and restricted than normal. Yuuri couldn't blame him for the mental weakness; he still had troubles on the ice, himself. He would remember the choking feeling of Jokula's control over him, the tired strain of his body as it was unwillingly forced past its limits, and would struggle to find the calm he could usually maintain on the ice. But he was determined to keep skating and figured that he'd be able to cope with his trauma in time.

Yuri's total score wound up being just a few measly points below Yuuri's. Yuuri stood on the top of a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his life, Yurio beside him with a silver medal and JJ below with the bronze.

When Yuuri returned to Viktor's side, Viktor sweetly kissed Yuuri's gold medal under the flashing lights of the press, which had swarmed en masse (along with the ghost hunters) to the make-up program.

"I'm so glad I got to kiss Yuuri's gold medal," Viktor purred later, when they were alone in their hotel room.

But Yuuri could detect a thread of nervousness beneath the confident demeanor and asked, "What's wrong?"

Viktor smiled. "I can't keep anything from you, can I? …You're not thinking of taking back your not-retirement since you won gold, are you?"

"Of course not!" Yuuri said crossly. "You told me I had to become a five-time world champion, remember? Besides, I call interference on this gold medal. I want to have truly earned it next time."

Viktor laughed, immediately reassured. "A ghost attack certainly is a spectacular interference! As your coach, I expect to see you on top of that podium again, understand?"

As it turned out, the Fentons did eventually get their hands on their wayward technology, confiscated by the government but ferociously fought for by Jack and Maddie. They had to concede to creating and patenting several of their more easily-produced anti-ghost technologies for mass production. It made Danny's job a little harder in the long run – but most people knew him as a good ghost by now, and he was protected by the goodwill of the people, to his parents' chagrin.

Ghost sightings around the world increased, and each government put in a budget for a force dedicating to protecting the populace from ghosts, but ghost-related injuries and deaths didn't rise with the increased awareness. The hype from the outing of ghosts as real entities died down, eventually, too.

All was well.

One year later

"And we're back at the 2017 Grand Prix Final in Marseille, France, with world-famous skater and one-time ghost wrangler Viktor Nikiforov about to skate his free program! Up next after him is his student and fiancé – and wasn't that a shocking announcement – Yuuri Katsuki, who's rebounded spectacularly from his harrowing experience in the 2016 Barcelona Grand Prix. We see them together preparing for Nikiforov's skate…"

Yuuri tuned out the announcers as he fussed with Viktor's free skate costume. "Everything feel alright?"

"Yes. I'm ready," Viktor said.

Yuuri reached up and caressed Viktor's scarred cheek. Like Yuuri had predicted, Viktor still looked quite handsome once he'd healed, even with his remaining scars. "I can't believe it's already been a year," he murmured.

Viktor snorted. "Let's not focus on that disaster. I'm almost up. Got any encouraging words for me?" he said playfully.

Yuuri said, heartfelt, "Let's make it to the podium together, alright?"

Viktor smiled warmly before leaning forward and chastely kissing Yuuri on the lips. The crowd roared.

Up in the stands, Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Dani Fenton, Valerie Grey, Jazz Fenton, and Tucker Foley cheered with the rest of the fans as Viktor took to the ice.

Any resemblance of twitter handles to anyone real is unintentional (save for ESPN). Did you spot the two canon DP characters' tweets?

Aaand that's a wrap! Hope you all enjoyed!

-HM