ClockWork looked at the beaten thermos put in his charge, He was worried. Dan was being unusually quiet. Red eyes narrowed in confusion, was the ghost simply trying to fool him into releasing him?
Ever since the thermos came into ClockWork's possession, Dan was talkative. He raged, thrashed and went on and on about revenge. But, after a while the rage died down and the violent ghost asked questions. Obviously he was still in the thermos, but to all his questions the Time lord answered without riddles.
It was like that for a couple years, they just talked as one did their job and the other bided his time in his prison. But for two weeks, not a word from the light green ghost.
"Damn the consequences." Clock muttered and set down his staff. Opening the thermos, he pressed the reverse button. A figure materialized in front of the time lord. It was on the ground, writhing in pain. Green ooze poured from its orifices such as its mouth, nose, eyes and ears. "Dan?"
"C….Cl…. Clock!" Dan gasped, looking up. His red eyes were filled with pain, shock and admittedly, fear. "Help…."
ClockWork knelt down and held the oozing ghost's head, Dan looked to be in so much pain.
"You're dying…." ClockWork stated, earning a chuckle from the convulsing ghost.
"N-No, Shit?" Dan said. His hand, which had been placed on the time lord's forearm, began to melt just like Danielle's did so long ago when she was unstable. The green ooze that was now his hand got on Clock's uniform.
"I-I'll….. This is happening because you don't exist in any timeline." ClockWork informed, attempting to keep emotion out of this situation.
"We- Can I exist again, then?" Dan whispered, closing his red eyes as another spasm of pain course through his body.
"Yes… Well, it's a gamble..." Clock admitted.
"I don't care!" Dan puked up green ooze, which was actually his blood.
"Then I need your core."
"….. My core…." Dan repeated.
"Afraid so….." ClockWork's red eyes looked sad as he set Dan against the wall. Dan's green, slimy, blood coating the floor. The rouge phantom coughed harshly.
"I will make it as painless as possible."
"Clock…" Dan was about to say something before he groaned in pain.
ClockWork had never felt this before, but he had seen both ghosts and humans with this emotion. Fear. He grabbed a container that was specially designed to contain such a core as Dan's.
"Alright, brace yourself and when you wake…. I pray you do not hate me." He spoke to the dying phantom. He removed his violet glove and reached into the half slime mess that was once the great rouge phantom... Out from Dan's chest came a scarlet core. Quickly, ClockWork put it into the container and sealed it as tight as he could. "There, friend. You're safe for now."
The time keeper he'd the container close to him and went to the monitors.
"Well, Mr. Fenton… Your world is about to start changing." Without realizing, a single tear fell down Clock's face as he stroked the canister that held Dan's core. Behind him, the body of the coreless ghost sizzled and popped as it turned to goop.
Danny Phantom, the superhero of Amity Park, flew through the skies on patrol. The ghost activity had gone down so much, Danny worried something big was happening.
"Geez, where is everyone?!" Danny stood in midair and groaned. Nobody was doing anything! Not even Vlad! Usually by now he would've heard something from the billionaire.
Upon reaching home, Danny felt sick. He felt queasy and hot. Was he sick? Oh God no.
ClockWork saw his chance, he appeared by Vlad Masters. Of course he'd be intangible upon reaching the older halfa and watched the man drink his scotch.
"Darn…." He hiccupped, slightly drunk. Clock frowned, still invisible. He then leaned forward.
"Aren't you lonely here?" Clock whispered into Vlad's ear.
"Of course! Why would I be here if I wasn't?" He gestured drunkenly around. "Fuck this heat."
This surprised ClockWork as Vlad never cursed, he was slowly taking on the form of Plasmius with every drink of scotch he took.
"Well, there's Daniel…" ClockWork whispered and Plasmius tilted his head in thought as he took another drink.
"Would he even be old enough to be in heat?" He mumbled, setting the scotch on the table before it fell. "Shit."
"You're drunk. Perhaps when you're sober you can find out." Clock suggested.
"Yeah….. No. Daniel's just a boy." Plasmius tried to argue with what he believed to be himself.
"But you know he won't live normally. You've known that for years. You haven't aged since your thirtieth birthday, and someday neither will he." Clock pointed out
"True….." Plasmius sighed and soon fell asleep, snoring softly.
"Now for our…. 'Hero'…" Clock huffed.
"Why am I so hot?!" Danny whined, shirtless with the sheets torn off the bed.
"It's a common thing for ghosts, it happens a few times a year for us." ClockWork appeared in the room. Danny looked at the time lord with a pained expression. "It's called a heat, it's quite similar to the animals here when they go into heat."
"… Wait….. But I'm a guy!"
"It affects both genders….. But it seems nature really has dubbed you as a female." Clock smirked.
"So guys- it too?" He groaned and writhed. Any other ghost who would see Phantom, as he was slowly becoming his ghost half, would jump his bones. ClockWork grimaced, if that happened all would be lost.
"Yes, but to a lesser degree." ClockWork nodded.
"So are you?" Danny groaned.
"Not yet. It varies for ghosts during the first week…." ClockWork spoke truthfully.
"Does it ever go away?" He whimpered, rubbing himself. Clock looked away, uncomfortable with the situation.
"It won't go away for two weeks unless you mate." He informed.
"….. Mate?" Danny whispered, trying not to embarrass himself further.
"Find someone to have sex with. Usually a Partner, Lover, Boyfriend or Girlfriend." Clock supplied examples. This made Danny blush lightly. "They would have to be strong enough to become your equal. I'm afraid I have to go now."
"Wait! How do I-"Clock disappeared and Danny whined. "- know?"
"Oh…. Biscuits." Vlad groaned as he woke up with a severe hang over. He then noticed he was still Plasmius. "Of course."
He now would be stuck in his ghost form until the end of the "mating season". He looked around and spotted the broken scotch glass.
"I'll clean that later." Plasmius stood, groaning in pain. "No more drinks."
As he got some pain killers and food, as it was nighttime, his drunken conversation came back to him.
"Definitely no more drinking." He nodded and rubbed his forehead before running a hand through black hair. "Daniel would be what, 16? 17?"
He thought about it, the boy must be close to his heat. Maybe next time then? Just to bend the ghost boy over a table and- No, Masters. That is just a boy… Who probably could bend in ways he never thought of.
"Biscuits….. This cursed heat." Vlad groaned at the thought. He leaned against the counter, drinking tea and trying to calm his nerves. "I should probably check, though."
He teleported in a pink flash to Danny's room to see, clearly the billionaire wasn't thinking when he made the decision to come here. Instantly he held his breath, the smell enticing. Danny was writhing in his bed in no clothes.
"Huh?" Danny whimpered, feeling another presence in his room. An alpha presence. Whoever it was, was very strong. Danny pawed at the sheets below him. His green eyes clouded and white hair stuck to his face. He tried to cover himself up. "W-Who's there?"
"Daniel?"
"V-Vlad?!" Danny nearly screeched.
"When'd you start?" Vlad asked. "Do you know what is happening?"
"Cl-Clock t-told me…."Danny groaned. "Vl-Vlad help….."
Vlad groaned deeply, red eyes narrowed.
"I can promise you that you don't want me to. It'll be a regret." Vlad assured.
"P-Please….. It hurts….." Danny panted, for some reason his core felt a pull to his enemy. Vlad blinked when he felt the pull, too. He had only heard of this feeling being shown by meeting your mate.
"Oh my…" Vlad took a step back. Rustling could be heard from the bed and Vlad quickly closed his eyes. "Daniel we're in your room and you're 16. That's hardly legal."
"I'm 17 and just take me to your house." Danny got off his bed, a lot of heat radiating off of him. "Please Vlad?"
Vlad's red eyes remained closed as Danny got closer, it was becoming hard for the elder halfa to resist the ghost boys scent. Unconsciously, Vlad licked his fangs.
"No… Daniel…"Vlad shook his head.
"Please, then touch me. It doesn't hurt so much when you're near." Danny pleaded."J-Jazz is at a sleepover and my parents are on a date. No one is here to hear."
There was a long pause as Vlad debated and Danny shifted as he waited. The elder halfa opened his eyes then, which were now a glowing bright red that locked eyes with dull green.
"Fine."