Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its related characters or themes!

AN1: Takes place a year after the final episode. No real spoilers.

AN2: As always, expect a mild to extreme case of out-of-characterness. Enjoy!

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Just a bit

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"Ow!"

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"Ouch! Shit!"

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"A-ha-ahouch!"

The shout resounded down the hallway and poor Vlad Masters had become really worried. It hasn't been going on for long, but it obviously wasn't good. So, he finally hauled himself up from his lounge chair and meandered up to the room where the noise was originating from.

"FFFFFuuuu!" suddenly echoed through the hall again, followed by a hiss.

Whatever was going on up there definitely wasn't pleasant.

"Oh, come on!" Danny suddenly yelled, followed by a deep grunt, "I was halfway there!"

"Danny, my boy," Vlad called, "Do I want to know what you are up to?"

"Nothing!" Danny yelled back angrily.

"It certainly does not sound like nothing," Vlad countered and knocked on the door to the boy's room, "Are you, at least, decent?"

"I've got pants on, if that's what you're asking," Danny snapped and grunts again, "Not that that matters –ooof!".

Vlad cautiously opens the door, internally prepared to see a scene of distasteful display of teenage hormonal expression. Only, it's probably to closest thing to opposite that he had stumbled upon.

Danny was hunched over, trying to reach his shirt on the floor, missing it each time by an inch. That, in itself, could be considered normal. Only, it wasn't. Danny's muscles were well-defined by now from all the training he'd undergone throughout the years, but right now, his entire back and chest was covered with bruises, some dark purple and others showing their age by their green hue.

"Danny!" Vlad shouts angrily and stomped forwards, "Who did this?!"

"Calm down, Fruit Loops," Danny looked up for a second to flash the guy a grin before grunting again, "Ugh, just hand me the shirt, would ya?"

Vlad reached down and grabbed the shirt, "What happened to you?!" he yelled again, refusing to hand over the shirt when Danny made a reach for it.

"Shut up, it's fine," Danny said with a roll of the eyes, only the cocky attitude didn't last when he made a quick grab for the shirt again, only to end up yelping in pain the next from the sudden movement, "Ow, ow, ow, ow…."

Vlad practically jabbed the shirt at Danny a moment later, "Who did this to you!?" he yelled again, suddenly very aware of how fast his heart was beating from the anger and concern he felt.

"It was just another Ghost-Zone free-for-all yesterday," Danny said with a non-chalant tone and stiffly rose up his arms and let his shirt slide down his arms and over his head. Only, the shirt got stuck at the top of his head again, "No… not this again!"

Vlad sighed and helped Danny out by yanking the shirt over his head.

"Thanks," Danny said and wiggled around for a bit to let the shirt fall all the way down to his chest, trying all the tricks in the book to not have to use his painful arms or back for any task, "That's exactly where I got stuck last time."

"When I invited you over, I didn't expect you to be in this condition," Vlad said and rubbed his forehead in irritation.

Danny just shrugged, "Look, it's not the first time I ended up looking like this after a fight," he said and suddenly chuckled to himself, "But it was the first time after that whole Ghost World incident that you just invited any of us over for just a visit, so, I didn't want to miss it. No training, just a good ole holiday."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Vlad snapped and suddenly shook his head, "No, never mind. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"With marshmallows?" Danny said and turned his face all pouty, "Please?"

"You couldn't even pick-up a shirt from the floor right now," Vlad snapped and huffed, "You can be grateful I'm not just hauling you off to a hospital."

"If they have marshmallows I won't mind," Danny countered and sauntered –stiffly- after Vlad.

Seeing how much Vlad changed since Ghost World was staggering, even after a year. He had actually seemed to completely resign from his Vlad Plasmius persona. He started to really take wholly part in his whole Mayor-business. He started to mentor Danny with his Ghost Powers. Things had really changed a lot since then.

"You're not as charming as you think you are, Danny Fenton," Vlad snapped and slammed the cup down on the counter before taking in a deep breath to calm himself, "If you told me-"

"You wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway," Danny countered and climbs gingerly unto the kitchen stool, "I don't need you to worrying about me. I just need my hot chocolate and a good night's sleep and I'll be all set."

"You slept last night," Vlad pointed out and wags his finger at Danny, "And that's how the shirt incident took place."

"Don't remind me," Danny grumbled and slowly leans forward to rest his elbows on the counter. He winced violently when one of his back muscles protested, but he finally did manage to prop his chin up on his hand, "Look, I felt much worse when I went to sleep last night."

"You realise you're not actually making this situation any better?"

"… oh."

A blissfully warm mug of hot chocolate and floating pink marshmallows came to rest in front of Danny. The smell itself, all cinnamon and chocolate was enough to drool over.

"I'll be back," Vlad announced and walked off to who knows where.

All that Danny knew that moment was how amazingly warm this hot chocolate was, how creamy and heavenly sweet it was… It was like heaven in a liquid form.

"Lift up your shirt, son," Vlad instructed when he finally reappeared behind Danny.

"Okay?" and, without a thought, he slowly worked the shirt up only to knock over his hot chocolate when he suddenly felt a piece of ice slice through his back the next, "AAAAHHH!"

"Oh, calm down, it's not that bad," Vlad said and tried to adjust the pain-plaster on the boy's back, "It'll warm up in a minute."

"FFFuuuugggggg…" Danny hissed and clutched the edge of the kitchen island in front of him, "W-wh-at was-"

"It's a pain-relief plaster, you moron," Vlad said and kept his hand on the plaster, trying his best to speed up the warming process, "I tried warming it up before-hand but it obviously didn't work."

"Yo-u th-think!" Danny angrily yelled back, only to start to feel the warming effects kicking in a second later, "Oooohhhh…."

"Ah, there it is," Vlad said when he felt the heat change of the plaster against his hand and let his hand lower from the boy's back, "I'll make you some new hot chocolate."

"Oh…" Danny gasped as he realised he'd knocked over his liquid-heaven and it was now strewn all over the counter. For a moment, he actually considered the possibility of getting a straw, but Vlad's stern expression put an end to his childish thought. He grabbed a washcloth and slowly mopped up his liquid true love.

"I suppose I should've warned you earlier," Vlad said and poured another mug full, "My apologies."

Danny chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed his elbow that he'd accidently struck against the edge of the kitchen island, mentally making adding it to his list of bruises, "A little warning might've helped."

"I told you it'd warm up in a minute," Vlad said and scooped up another handful of marshmallows to add to the hot chocolate.

"Yeah, after you already slapped it on me," Danny said and reached around to place his hand on the plaster- abomination that was now slowly seeping new and comforting warmth into his back, "Not exactly the best experiences in my life."

"And how is it now?" Vlad asked as he took a seat opposite of his charge after handing over the sweet drink.

"It's actually feeling pretty awesome. My back isn't killing me anymore," Danny answered, a broad smile spreading to his features.

"After you finish your hot chocolate and a good breakfast, we'll get some pain-killers in your system," Vlad said and nodded, seemingly to himself.

"Awesome," Danny agreed.

Danny didn't exactly point out if it was the sip of hot chocolate he'd just taken that was awesome, or if the proposed plan of care from Vlad was awesome. Either way, something was awesome and that was all Vlad needed to start up a whole array of breakfast treats for the young man.

"Oh, and, next time, can you have that cereal with the chocolate-"

"This?" Vlad holds up Danny's favourite cereal, only to have the other send him a confused look, "What? I know it's your favourite. You told me so several times."

Danny couldn't possibly think of anytime he'd ever mentioned it specifically to Vlad… he could conjure up the million times he'd reminded his dad (not that his dad ever remembered)…. But that stray thought had Danny shaking his head to get rid of it. He was not about to let himself compare his dad to Vlad.

"I'll get you set-up in the TV room," Vlad said and carried a tray of cereal, juice, fruit salad and medicine down the hall.

Danny hums and cradles his hot chocolate to the TV room, only to be greeted by a scene he honestly didn't expect.

A lounge-chair was pulled up to TV, a small table right next to it. On the table sat the tray Vlad had been carrying, a bottle of water and the remotes. The lounge chair was propped with cushions and a comforter, a small stuffed cow-looking teddy bear on it.

Danny edged closer to inspect and slowly set down his hot chocolate on the tray.

"Take a seat and tell me what you'd like to watch, son," Vlad said, only to mentally kick himself a moment later for calling Danny a nickname he'd already promised himself a thousand times that he wouldn't. "… Tell me what movie you'd like to watch, Danny."

Danny grinned tiredly and slowly –and painfully- lowered himself down to the chair, "So, what's with the cow?"

"I thought you liked Helga?"

"You named to cow Helga?"

"You did. When you were sick last year you asked for this when I was drove past some toy store on the way to your home," Vlad said, eyebrows raised, "You even named her."

Danny gave him a disbelieving look, "I don't do teddy bears."

"Well, you told me 'Cows are so happy. Can't I take Helga with me?'" Vlad said and gave the young man an imploring look, "I never knew you felt that way about cows."

"Bite me," Danny countered, but snuggled into the comforter and cushions –with Helga- all the same. He suddenly yawned and felt his eyes starting to droop.

"Before you sleep, eat a bit of toast then take these," Vlad instructed, holding out the buttered toast and two white tablets out to him.

Danny took a bite of toast before taking the medicine from Vlad and downing it with water.

"When I mean a bit, I didn't mean just a bite," Vlad said and his eyebrow lifts expectantly.

"But, I'm tired," Danny complained and tiredly took another bite. The muscle pain was just making him so sleepy now.

"I know you're tired. You can sleep after you finish this piece," Vlad encourages him and finally hands the boy his hot chocolate after he finished his toast at last, "There you go, little badger."

Danny took a gulp of hot chocolate before yawning again, "You won't mind if I sleep for a bit, would you?"

"Not at all."

"Are you going to leave?"

"No."

"Will you sit here for a bit?" Danny said, another deep yawn escaping him as the medicine finally started working on his system, "Just a bit?"

"Just a bit," Vlad agreed and takes a seat next to him, letting Danny lean on his shoulder as the young man finally falls asleep.

He wouldn't never bother telling Danny that he'd stay until the young man was awake. Because Danny doesn't need to know details like that. The boy's smart, after all.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

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