-1Ghost's Fall
Inspired by Broken Hug by Pedal. Please, PLEASE don't ask me how this picture inspired me for this crazed up fiction. Because seriously? I don't know. Deadpans Now, should I be working on my other fictions? Most likely. Will I work on my other fictions. HA! I probably won't finish this one either. Gets smacked by my muse, Charlie Fine, I'll finish them… later.
Summary: Slight AU, since it happened after Phantom Planet, but Vlad didn't run away to space and get hit by the disasteroid. Years of loneliness chipped away at Vlad's mind and one day he finally snapped. He killed the woman he once loved, (HA! Take that Nicole! P ) leaving Danny to be raised by his grieving father. After that, Vlad killed hundreds, leaving Amity Park in much the same state the unprotected world was in TUE. But Danny has some deep-seeded psychological problems himself and when it comes to Vlad, he's far from unforgiving. Yummy yummy, slashy slashy! D x V, or Pompous Pep, or whatever you want to call it. This is not fluff by any means. Nor is this even approaching a happy fiction. Why no fluff? Because I'm a sick, sick person. D Oh, and D x S. Yeah, I wrote some het. Everybody: gasp!
Nineteen year old Daniel Fenton sat on the edge of a cliff, letting the wind ruffle his raven hair. He wondered what it would be like to jump. Jump and not transform. Would it feel just like flying? Would it hurt when he finally hit? Danny stood up. He looked down at the ground below the cliff, which was a dizzying one hundred feet away. Taking a deep breath, he stepped off the cliff. It wasn't like flying. It was more like… like… tumbling. Yes, tumbling through the air. At twenty feet away from the impact, he transformed. He had lost the battle cry. The days of his childhood were over. Far over. He let himself fall another ten feet, before he pulled out. He flew up and shivered slightly from the increased cold air flow.
"You frightened me. I thought I was going to lose you." A cold voice said behind Danny. His head whipped around. Tucker. He was sitting in a tree next to Danny. "Why do you do things like that?" He snapped.
"Why do even care?" Danny retorted. "You haven't even bothered to speak to me in a year." Danny floated over to a branch next to Tucker and sat down on it.
"I tried to Danny! We all tried to. But you never listened. All you ever did was sulk. We all have tragedies in our-" Tucker was cut off by Danny making a gagging noise.
"Please. Don't you think I've heard it all before." He began to speak in a high, pompous voice, "Danny, why must you always act out?! Other kids have lost their mothers and they don't misbehave. Danny, I know you're hurting, but you really must stop sulking! Go out and play! Smile for once," Danny's voice began to grow angry, "Danny, I know that your mother was murdered by a ghost, but hey! Life goes on! Danny! Don't you know that we're trying the best we can to cheer you up? But your damned misery keeps getting in the fucking way! Danny! Danny! FUCKING DANNY!" He was yelling pointless words now, hands glowing with green energy. Tucker winced and shrank back slightly. He knew Danny was slightly off kilter.
"Danny, please. Calm down." Danny glared at Tucker and looked as if he was about to go off again, but he instead sat back down. They sat in silence, neither wanting to speak. "Danny?" Danny looked up in acknowledgment. "Sam misses you. You two never really broke up, you just… fell away."
"Tell her I'm sorry. Maybe, if she wants, I'll visit her." Danny answered, but his voice was far away. Tucker looked away, a bit disheartened.
"Do you… do you… still love her?" Tucker asked, tentative. Danny was silent for a long time.
"No." The answer was harsh, but it was the simple truth. A truth that everyone knew anyways. If Danny still loved Sam, he would be with her now. Not jumping off cliffs and yelling at his former best friend.
"Did you ever love her?"
"Yes, but that was a long time ago. Five years ago, I was whole. Danny as Sam knew him is dead. She doesn't love me either, she loves him." He decided that he probably wasn't going to visit Samantha, even she did ask after him. Tucker struggled for something else to say. He never meant to lose touch with Danny, even if he had changed.
"Is Vlad still… bothering you?" It was a stupid question. Of course Vlad was bothering Danny! Even if he never saw the older man, Vlad had killed his mother for Christ's sake. He was constantly on Danny's mind. Bothering him. But Danny knew Tucker was trying.
"Yes, almost everyday. He still wants me to join him." Tucker was surprised.
"After what he did? He expects you to join him? Damn, he really is a fruit loop." Tucker said and chuckled weakly at his equally weak joke. Much to Tucker's astonishment, Danny's laughter joined his own chuckling. Soon, they were both laughing full out. When they calmed, an awkwardness fell over them. Had it really been only a year since they had done this, because it felt like they had never even met. Like they were finding common ground for the first time in their life. "I have to go home." Tucker said, almost reluctant.
"Need a ride?" Danny asked, smiling slightly. Not the way he used to smile. Tucker noticed, but said nothing about it.
"Sure, I'd like that." Tucker said. Danny floated over and grabbed Tucker, to fly him to his house. For a moment, they were both fourteen again. Best friends. Tucker, however reluctantly, was forced to break this illusion when Danny made to turn down the usual street. "We don't live there, Danny. We… moved." The façade shattered. They were nineteen again. Strangers.
"Right." Danny grunted, "Where are you now?" Tucker winced at Danny's tone and pointed him in the right direction. Danny dropped Tucker off on his doorstep. "Well, see ya." Danny said and prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Tucker called out, Danny turned around. "I'm… sorry. I never wanted to lose touch, I-" Danny cut Tucker off again, this time by holding up a hand.
"Tucker? Save it for when you mean it." And with that, Danny flew off. Tucker watched him leave, knowing Danny was right. He didn't mean it.
Danny sighed, not even flying helped his mood. He could go home, to his miserable father, to his miserable life. Danny began to head in that direction, but two strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist and pulled him against something warm and solid. "Hello little badger." A velvet soft voice whispered, close to his ear. "Vlad." Danny spat. He could feel the older man's breath on his neck, but he wasn't disturbed. Vlad had turned almost sexual towards him in the past few years, and to be frank, he was used to it. He could almost see Vlad smirking at him, smug. He spoke.
"Why don't you fight ghosts anymore?"