Okay, I normally write CHACK - Chase Young/Jack Spicer (Xiaolin Showdown) fan fiction, but lately I've been inspired to write for the Danny Fenton/Vlad Masters (Danny Phantom) fandom. Since this is my first foray into this couple, I hope you all like my work!
Summary: When Danny and Sam have a bad fight, the young halfa gets some advice and comfort from an unlikely source. DANNY/VLAD
Warnings: Not much here to warn about, some cursing and reference to a male/male relationship. (There is no sex or anything since Danny is only 16 years old in this fic).
Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, any part of the Danny Phantom Franchise. All parts belong to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon/Viacom . . . Even the parts that are intangible.
*Just so you all know, I pretty much ignore most of the third season and the "Phantom Planet" movie because it managed to completely destroy the awesomeness known as Vlad Masters. *SPOILER ALERT* (C'mon, why on earth would a multi-billionaire ask for more money? - I get the whole 'complete control of Earth' thing, though Vlad never seemed to be that type of villain) Anyway, this takes place as if the entire asteroid-thing never existed and Danny and Vlad still have their secret identities.
ENJOY.
Part One of Three - A Series of Conversations
"A Little Perspective" by NINJA RENKA
["Danny, this it the fifth time this week that you've ditched me."]
["I know Sam. I'm really sorry, but I can't help that ghosts only like attacking Amity Park whenever we have dates."]
["Well, then maybe we shouldn't have anymore dates then."]
["What?"]
-Click-
Ever since that phone call, Danny Fenton had spent the last two days in his room - only leaving to go to school or fight the occasional ghost. His current funk was understandable, though. After all, for all intents and purposes, he had just been dumped by his best friend and girlfriend of one year, Samantha Manson.
Upon entering their freshman year of high school, the two had finally admitted their feelings about each other and started to date. At first it was fun, the two teens had a lot in common and the attraction was definitely there. However, being friends and being a couple are two very different things. As his best friend, Sam had no problem helping him out or covering for his frequent absences. But as his girlfriend, Sam would get annoyed when his ghost hunting would interfere in their dates and ruin their plans. As time went on, this started to cause a rift in their relationship. Even Tucker Foley was beginning to notice the growing tension between his best friends.
Not to say that Daniel Fenton's lackluster mood had gone unnoticed at home, either. His parents had made various attempts to understand the teen's mood, their well-meaning efforts only making the young halfa feel worse . . .
Because whenever a person has relationship problems, the last thing that person wants to see is a happy couple, even if it was their own mother and father.
Despite that, the ghost boy would always smile as his parents were only trying to help. It was at times like this, he wished he could tell them his secret identity and the true reason why his relationship with Sam was suffering. If the teen had known being a half-ghost superhero was so detrimental to a relationship, he might have reconsidered his career choice . . . or at least, he would have spent more time learning how to make better clones of himself.
As he thinks over the last few months, Danny sighs and flops on his bed. He stares at one of the NASA posters decorating his room as pale fingers idly play with his phone, hoping that his girlfriend would call. If the teen had learned anything dating the goth girl, it was that when Sam was mad it was best to let her cool off. She would approach him whenever she was ready to talk. Until then, the ghost boy had just had to wait.
Lost in his thoughts, the brooding teen almost misses the knock on his door.
"Danny, can I come in?"
Recognizing his older sister's voice, the young hero simply sighs.
"Be my guest." - responds the teen.
Opening the door, Jazz enters and then closes it behind her. Her blue eyes are focused on the reclining form of her little brother with an analyzing look on her face. Danny simply stares back at his older sister, waiting for her to start the conversation.
"Did you want something?" -ventures the youngest Fenton.
"Danny, is everything okay? Mom and Dad are really worried about you."
So, that's why she's here. Mom must have sent her.
"I'm fine, Jazz. I just wanted some time to think."
"Oh, okay. . . It's just that I've noticed that you and Sam haven't been hanging out a lot recently. Did you two have a fight?"
Sometimes, Danny really hated how well Jazz could read him. The way she could easily decipher his various moods had a way of grating his nerves, although it helped that he didn't have to explain everything. She just understood - but then again, Jasmine Fenton was studying to be a psychologist. He supposed that it was just a part of her analytical nature.
"Yeah, you could say that." -admits Danny
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really, but it usually makes you feel better when you think you do."
The joke causes a dry chuckle to escape the teen's lips. Sitting up, he faces his sister as she sits on his desk chair. Jazz rests her head in her hand and watches her little brother with a gentle and knowing gaze. She hasn't even graduated high school yet and the eighteen year old was already behaving like a professional therapist.
"So, what happened?"
"Sam's angry because I keep missing our dates."
"Why do you miss them?"
"My 'extra-curricular activities' tend to get in the way."
The teenage girl lets out an understanding sound as she realizes that he's referring to ghost hunting and his career as Danny Phantom. Jazz was constantly proud that her baby brother was the one protecting Amity Park from all the ghosts, and she assumed he was too. Today was one of the first times she ever heard Danny complain about it.
"I'm sure that you're just misunderstanding Sam. After all, she and Tucker know better than anyone that your ghost fighting is important. Without your efforts, Amity Park would only have Mom and Dad to protect them."
"Yeah, but Sam isn't just my friend anymore, she's my girlfriend. Things are different now."
"Danny, of course things are different. The two of you have completely changed your relationship with each other. Sam is now reacting to your actions as any normal girlfriend would. It sounds to me that you're using ghost-fighting as an excuse not to deal with your changing roles and interaction with one another."
" . . . I guess that makes sense."
Seeming pleased with her diagnosis, Jaz smiles.
"I'm sure that if you and Sam just face these changes head on and talk it out, everything will work out for the best, little brother."
With that, the elder Fenton sibling leaves Danny to his thoughts. As much as he appreciated his family trying to help, he couldn't help but think the one common thought all teenagers seem to have:
They just don't understand.
So, quickly transforming into his spectral self, the ghost boy flies out of his window and into the sky. Danny climbs high above the clouds in hopes that the freedom of flying would help clear his head. Soaring over Amitypark, the setting sun bathing the ghost-afflicted town in a warm, orange light, he simply clears his mind and focuses all his energy on flying. The cool evening air flowing through his silver-hair helps the young halfa's mood and a light smile appears on his face. As he heads downtown, a familiar gasp of cold air escapes Danny's mouth - his ghost sense. Looking around, the teen looks for any signs of ecto energy and notices a man standing on the roof of City Hall, smoking. Not an unusual sight, but as the ghost flies closer to investigate, he recognizes the form of the town's mayor - Vlad Masters a.k.a. Plasmius.
Upon seeing the relaxed form of his arch nemesis, a grumble of frustration rumbles in the teen's throat.
God, I'd love to wipe that smug look off his stupid face . . .
Getting an idea, the young halfa turns himself invisible and flies closer. The teen deciding that messing with the older ghost would at least help to relieve some of his stress. He stealthily begins his descent, and lands a few feet away from his target.
The mayor of Amityville is leaning on the stone railing of the buildling, a lit cigarette between his thin lips. Dressed in his usual black suit, the man looked as intimidating and debonair as always. His long, silver hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and sharp, cobalt-blue eyes gaze out at the city sprawled before them. As the invisible ghost teen nears the man, he can tell Vlad's face is set in deep thought.
I wonder what Vlad's thinking about so hard . . . probably a new way to ruin my life and marry Mom.
A puff of smoke leaves the elder's lips as Danny moves a hand closer to him. The young halfa attempting to pull the man's ponytail and give him the shock of his life. Just as his fingers are about to graze the silver strands, blue eyes close and a small chuckle escapes the man's lips.
"Good evening, Daniel."
Shocked, Danny simply floats there. Not knowing what else to do, he slowly turns himself visible. At the young phantom's appearance, a satisfied smirk pulls at the billionaire's lips.
"How did you know I was here?" -demands the ghost boy.
"Did you really think you were the only one able to sense spectral energy? We are both half-ghosts you know."
"Don't remind me." - states Danny as an annoyed look crosses his face.
The teen always hated whenever the other halfa reminded him of how similar they were. It was during those times the young Fenton would mentally list their differences. But every time, to Danny's dismay, that list kept getting shorter and harder to remember.
"So, what brings you here this lovely evening? Were you taking a late-afternoon flight around the city?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"My, my little badger, you seem to be quite on edge today . . . Is something bothering you? A personal problem, perhaps?"
"It's none of your business."
"Seeing as a few moments ago you were planning to take out whatever frustrations you had on me, I think it is very much my business."
Realizing that the older halfa was indeed right, the ghost teen narrows his eyes and takes a seat on the stone ledge. Danny positions his body so that it faces towards the billionaire as the man takes another drag from his cigarette.
"I didn't know you smoked."
"Occasionally, but don't change the subject."
"Do you really want to know what's wrong or are you just trying to annoy me?"
"I haven't decided yet."
The sly response from the evil halfa makes Danny roll his eyes as he looks at the sunset. For a while, both ghosts simply watch as the reds and oranges of the late afternoon sky merge into the blues and violets of night. With a sigh, Danny changes back to his normal self and starts to speak in a low voice. If it wasn't for their close proximity, Vlad probably wouldn't have heard a word.
"Sam and I had a bad fight, I think we're breaking up."
At the confession, Vlad browses through his memory and vaguely remembers Samantha Manson. The fiercely, independent young woman that his teen enemy was so obviously enamored with. Vlad had been aware of their relationship, but had not really paid too much attention to it. He had other things to spend his time thinking about. Deciding to humor the adolescent, the elder lets Danny vent his emotions. Intense blue eyes continue to stare out at the horizon as he waits for the youth to continue.
"I mean, we've fought before, but this time was definitely the worst. She hasn't talked to me in two days."
An amused sound, dangerously close to a chuckle, escapes the man's throat. Enraged by the elder having fun at his expense, powder-blue eyes narrow into thin slits. An angry expression forms on the young face as he hops off the ledge and stalks over to the man.
"What the hell's wrong with me? Why am I telling you any of this? You know what? . . . I don't even care what you think anyway! You're just some lonely, bitter old man who's never even had a girlfriend. Why on earth did I believe that you of all people could help me?"
The teen's tirade causes the elder's eyes to lower his eyes in contemplation. Normally the other halfa's words didn't affect him, the older ghost was far used to Danny yelling at him. Vlad usually just tuned it out as he figured that it was therapeutic to let the youth vent. However, this time the young hero's angry ranting had struck a sensitive cord.
"Yes, after all, what could I possibly know about the cruelty of first love?"
"Exactly! You're a forty-something year old man and you're still head over heels in love with my moth-"
Catching onto the tone that the elder used to speak those previous words, Danny freezes in his self-righteous rant. There is a bittersweet sadness to the deep voice that is completely different from Vlad's usual condescending tone. The bare emotion surprises the teen, since the elder ghost was a master of misdirection and emotional manipulation.
Oh yeah . . .
I guess Vlad would know exactly how harsh first love is.
The teen ghost is snapped out of his thoughts when a heavy sigh escapes the man's lips.
"Despite what you think of me Daniel, I did truly love your mother. I still do."
"I know, the multiple attempts to kill my father made it pretty clear."
A hearty chuckle escapes the man at the teen's comment. In Vlad's mind he remembers all the scheming and plotting he had done in the last few years to obtain Maddie Fenton's affections. All of them, every single one, had either failed miserably or been outsmarted by a mere teenager. Perhaps, a blatant sign that his feelings weren't as resolute as he had once believed them to be.
"There are different forms of love, and even then it changes. With the passage of time it can burn and intensify or just as easily weaken and fade away. For instance, I've recently realized that the romantic love I have for your mother is waning."
At the words, Danny's pale blue eyes widen.
Wait a second . . . Is Vlad saying that he's getting over Mom? But if that's true-
"Then why are you still so fixated on her?" -inquires the teen, the curious words leaving his mouth before he can stop them.
"The same reason why you are so fixated on Ms. Mason, I believe."
Seeing the surprised look on the teen's face, the mayor realizes that he'll have to explain himself.
"Maddie was always a kind, understanding, and beautiful person. It was her nature to help others. I came from a troubled home life and she was one of the few people that I could depend on. In her college years, your mother was the type of woman any normal man would have a crush on. It was understandable that both your father and I adored her. During the time I was bed-ridden with Ecto-Acne and remained hospitalized for years, my fond memories of Maddie were the only things that kept me sane. She was a goal that I set for myself to achieve, a reason to fight the infection in my body. I suppose it was in that time that my feelings intensified and grew into romantic love."
Why is Vlad telling me this? I know, he's probably just trying to manipulate me and make me feel sorry for him . . . Good luck with that one, fruit loop!
"When I had finally learned how to use and control my ecto-abilities and amassed my fortune, I thought that I had all I needed to care for her. All I ever wanted to do was return the favor that your mother had unknowingly done for me. But by the time I had built up my wealth and status, I had learned that Maddie had married Jack and was pregnant with your sister, Jasmine. That day, all I could think about was that I had lost the one person in my life that had cared about me to the man who had already taken away so much. To keep some semblance of my sanity, I focused all of my energy into hating your father and I blamed him for everything. In my eyes, he became the evil villain, the obstacle in my way to happiness."
As the young ghost listens to his story, he subconsciously puts himself into Vlad's position in an attempt to comprehend the bitter man's side of the story. He then tries putting Sam into his mother's role and Tucker into his father's, and suddenly the elder halfa doesn't seem as crazy as the teen always labeled him to be. But even with this realization, the youth couldn't even grasp the concept of despising one of his best friends . . .
"But Dad is practically in love with you. To him, you've always been his best friend, 'Vladdie' or his college buddy 'V-man'. He still tells me stories about the stuff the two of you did."
Smirking at the nostalgic nicknames and memories, Vlad finishes his cigarette and flicks the butt into a nearby trash can.
"Yes, well, Jack is a good-hearted and well-meaning man. Albeit a simple-minded one. I imagine it would take quite a lot to convince him to see the bad in anyone . . . Unless they are a ghost, of course." -finishes the mayor as he smirks at his joke.
"What exactly are you saying Vlad?
"What I'm trying to articulate to you, Daniel, is that love can be blissfully eternal or it can also be tragically evanescent."
"Evanescent?, like that band?"
"Evanescent, as in fleeting." informs Vlad, fighting his urge to roll his eyes at the education system of Casper High. "As much as I loved your mother, I've long since realized that Maddie and I will never be. Among other things, the simple irony of our professions would never make for a stable relationship. To be honest, it became a burden to love someone so much and not even be acknowledged."
"If you know that, then why do you still attack Dad?"
"I may have accepted the futility of my attempts, but it doesn't mean I like it. Your father still caused me great physical pain due to his idiocy and because of it, I lost years of my life recuperating in hospitals. I suppose I'm just a bitter, lonely old man, after all."
The man's use of Danny's earlier phrase, causes the teen to look down at his feet guiltily.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to-"
"Stop Daniel, I must truly be pathetic to have earned your pity . . . just attribute my ramblings to a very long and taxing day."
After those words, the man pulls out and lights another cigarette. Obviously uncomfortable with the turn in conversation, Vlad returns his attention to the sunset. Sky blue eyes simply watch as the man inhales and then exhales a stream of smoke. The teen focuses on thin, aristocratic fingers as they close the billionaire's engraved lighter and return it to his pant's pocket.
"So, what's causing the relationship problems between you and Miss Manson?"
Startled by the change of subject, Danny flusters for a bit before answering Vlad's question.
"Sam's mad that I'm always off fighting ghosts, somewhere. It tends to interfere with our quality time together."
"Ah, one of the oldest arguments in the book - a woman wanting to know how high she ranks in a man's list of priorities. Samantha simply wants to know if she means more to you than your ghost hero activities."
"That's ridiculous. Besides, Jazz said that we were just confused about our changing relationship."
"Are you?"
"Well, no . . . not really. Sam's my girlfriend and I'm her boyfriend, it's great. We always have fun together . . . at least whenever we actually are together. It's not like I can control when I have to fight all the ghosts that seem to haunt only this town."
"Then quit ghost hunting and leave it to professionals like your parents. Amity Park seemed to do just fine before Danny Phantom came around."
The seemingly simple advice causes the teen to glare suspiciously at the man.
"You'd just love that, wouldn't you, Plasmius?"
"Well, it would make it easier to implement all of my evil schemes." -muses the ghostly villain with a dark grin appearing on his face. The look effectively manages to unnerve the young ghost for a moment.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't plan on retiring anytime soon."
"Fine, if you are so fond of being a hero, then break up with Miss Manson."
"WHAT?"
"It seems to me that if you want to keep your girlfriend, you have to put her first. However doing so will cause you to slack on your responsibilities as a hero. To solve your problem, you simply have to decide which is more important."
"That's ridiculous! Sam's knows how much I care about her and she's always known how important ghost fighting is. She'd never make me chose between the two."
"Are you sure about that, Daniel?"
"What do you mean?"-asks Danny, annoyed that he was actually interested in the man's opinion.
"I'm sure that at first it was exciting for Miss Manson to help you save the town from ghosts on a daily basis, but now the novelty is starting to wear off. As your girlfriend, Samantha now views your ghost half as something that gets in between the two of you and apparently she's starting to develop a slight resentment of it."
"Why would Sam resent me?"
"Simply because Miss Manson is human, and whether or not she is conscious of it, she holds you up to her standards. She treats you like a normal person, like a normal boyfriend, but the problem is that you aren't. You are half human and half ghost, a small group that currently consists only of the two of us. We have the advantages of both as well as the unfortunate task of having to deal with all of the weaknesses. That burden is something that Samantha, and perhaps no human, could ever truly understand."
As Danny thinks about the elder's words, he had to begrudgingly admit that they were true, being a half ghost was something no one ever completely understood. They all just saw the cool parts, the exciting parts. Sure flying and being able to kick ghostly butt was great, but the lack of sleep, constant strain on his body, and pure exhaustion that came from trying to master his ecto-abilities took all the fun out of it sometimes.
"You make it sound like we're going to be alone forever."
"My boy, you know nothing of the loneliness that I've had to experience and you probably never will. You are fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and friends that will always care about you and help through your ordeals, even if they don't quite understand the extent of them." - states the villain, his tone oddly comforting to the teen.
Danny once again looks down at his feet, unsure of what to say to that. Realizing that he had stumped the boy into silence, Vlad continues.
"Whether or not you and Miss Manson reconcile your differences, I doubt that you'll ever lose her friendship . . . Come talk to me when your receive an invitation to the wedding of your former best friend and the love of your life or four years later when they ask you to be the godfather of their newborn and cheeky son."
The comment is said jokingly, but the well-hidden pain can still be heard in his voice. Suddenly, the realization makes Danny embarrassed that he had overreacted to such a seemingly insignificant fight he had with his girlfriend. A frown appears on the young face, annoyed that the man had managed to make him feel sorry for the lonely bachelor.
"Yeah, well it's not like I asked them to make you my godfather. Besides they were only trying to make you feel like a part of the family." -supplies the young ghost.
"I'm aware of their efforts, and in a way I'm thankful. After all, I am no longer the only one of my kind. Despite the animosity between us, it is reassuring to know that I'm not alone as a hybrid ghost."
Yeah, I guess it is . . .
Struggling to appropriately comment on the elder's words, he can't help but feel that the billionaire's advice was learned the hard way. Danny was almost certain that the man had experienced these painful realizations firsthand.
By knowing these intimate secrets and thoughts of his nemesis, it made blindly hating the man considerably harder.
Though the other halfa was a middle-aged man, the villain always seemed untouchable, like he was above such human emotions as sadness and depression. His vampiric ghost form and patronizing demeanor only added to the effect. In his young mind, Plasmius was an evil and invincible force that the teen constantly fought against to protect the town and people he cared about. But as he is now, a man in his early forties - still fighting for the lost love of his life despite knowing the futility of it all, his one-sided perception of Vladimir Masters seemed naïve and judgmental. At this humbling realization, Danny feels an odd stirring of emotions.
For the first time in his life, Daniel Fenton felt disappointed in his parents. He couldn't understand how they were both unable to see that their friend was suffering. They didn't even visit him when he was in the hospital all those years, and it wasn't until their high school reunion that Danny knew the man even existed . . . a man that could have been his god-father!
For the first time in his life, the teen truly empathized with another person. Not that false emotion people pretended to have, but the actually feeling that he understood even a small portion of the man's pain. Somewhere deep inside, he realized that maybe he was the only one even capable to empathize with the other half-ghost.
For the first time since knowing Vlad, the young phantom had the urge to reach out and touch the man, to reassure him. To let the other ghost know that there had to be someone in the world that could care about him . . . that there was somebody that would love the man unconditionally. Danny truly wanted to believe that there had to be someone that would give the crestfallen man something to be passionate about again - without destroying him in the process.
If only I could be the person to do that.
That last thought alone causes all of Danny's higher brain functions to stop. As he tries to process the origin of that idea, sky blue eyes darken to a stormy grey. A perfect reflection of his conflicting emotions. His teeth anxiously chew on his lower lip as he tries to figure out what he should do or say. Observing the strange expression on the young face, Vlad turns to the teen with a concerned look.
"Cheer up little badger, you are far too young to have such an expression on your face."
He accompanies his reassuring comment with one of his normal, teasing smiles. One of Vlad's large hands then affectionately rustles messy, black hair and unknowingly causes a faint blush to stain the youth's cheeks. When the man removes his hand, the teen is mortified that he was actually enjoying the warm touch.
What the hell was that?
All the sudden Danny's cell phone starts to go off. As the younger ghost recognizes his message tone, he is brought out of the conversation he had with Vlad and back into reality. The teenager pulls the device out of his pocket and reads the text message scrolling across the screen.
[Hey Danny, it's me. Can you meet me at the Nasty Burger?]
"It's from Sam, she's waiting for me at the Nasty Burger."
"It seems that you got bent out of shape for nothing . . . then again children your age are prone to overreaction."
The jibe at his generation makes the teen rolls his eyes. Before he retorts with a teasing comment about the man's age, Vlad speaks again.
"You better get going, Daniel. Even with my limited experience, I know that most women do not like to be kept waiting."
With that, Danny changes back to his ghost form and hovers near the mayor.
"Um, about this talk we had-"
"You're welcome, Little Badger. I wouldn't want you to strain yourself by expressing gratitude towards me."
"This doesn't change anything . . . I'll have no problem fighting you in the future."
"That's fine with me, I've never had a problem fighting you. It's good practice."
The man's teasing words causes a smirk to tug at the ghost hero's lips as he flies off into the dark night sky. Heading towards the neon lights of the Nasty Burger, Danny mentally goes over his conversation with Vlad. Part of him couldn't believe that he had talked about his insignificant problem with a truly troubled person. Another part of him was annoyed with himself that he tried to take out his childish frustrations on the one person that actually helped him. The phantom teen was also shocked at how quickly his opinion of the older halfa had changed in only half an hour. Opening his phone, the young specter quickly texts a response to the goth girl.
[Sam, I'm on my way. We need to talk.]
THE END
No worries, I plan to continue this and make a sequel, but I really want to leave this part as a stand-alone story. I just wanted to set up and explore my interpretation of their relationship.(The next part will have more Danny/Vlad action, I promise.)
AUTHORESS' NOTES:
To be clear, I don't hate Sam. In fact, as a character I really like her(and she's voiced by one of my favorite voice actors- Grey DeLisle). I just think that the relationship between her and Danny isn't going to lead to marriage, but they'll always be really good friends.(Though I do give the writers of the show credit for at least making their romance somewhat realistic.)
I also bear no ill will towards Danny's parents(Despite their faults, it's still pretty neat that they are ghost hunters) or Jazz.
P.S. I had Vlad smoke b/c I figured that if the show wasn't on Nickelodeon, he would probably be a smoker. It somehow fits his character and adds a cool, visual element.
Did you like? Did you not get some parts? Do you think Vlad or Danny were out of character?
Please let me know your opinion in a comment or review.
(Just be respectful, No flames please!)
Thanks for reading!
BTW, this was inspired by Junjo Romantica. I was recently re-reading the series and I realized how similar Usagi's and Vlad's feelings of unrequited love were. Unable to have the one they thought they wanted, they didn't even consider that there was a better option right in front of them.
(If you haven't read the manga series Junjo Romantica by Shungiku Nakamura, I highly recommend it!)
LATER DAYS!