Danny knocked on the massive mansion door and waited, Danielle standing behind him with her arms folded. I wonder if I was this stubborn as a kid?
It took a few minutes and a few more knocks but eventually Danny heard, "Alright, I'm coming!" from inside the house. In another moment the doors opened to reveal a slightly ticked off looking Vlad Masters, downed in his white embroidered robe and silk black pajama bottoms.
Upon seeing his young lover at the door, Vlad's mien immediately brightened up. "Daniel! I thought you would be coming from the portal; I was all set up in the living room." Vlad's smile turned to a smirk as he leaned in close to Daniel, his voice a growl. "I had to quickly throw on the robe and pants, thinking it was some stranger at the door trying to—"
Danny quickly cut off Vlad's sentence by clamping a hand over the older man's mouth, before said man could say anything else or start chomping on Danny's neck. Danny's eyes flicked to the left and his head tilted behind him.
Vlad, catching the hit but being put off by Danny's sudden halt of his flirting, removed Danny's hand non-too-gently and glanced behind the boy's shoulder. Danny watched as Vlad's face went from confusion, to realization, to shock.
"Danielle!"
Danielle glanced up at Vlad, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Yeah," Danny said, before Danielle could say anything biting or rude, which she would since she was Danny's clone. "She's back, and she needs your help." Danny watched Vlad's face carefully, finding it as familiar as his own nowadays, able to distinguish humor or anger or sadness by simple movements of the man's lips or eyebrows. Danny watched as Vlad stood up straight and his shoulder's relaxed. His face took on that calm, bored expression it usually did when Vlad was watching something on television that he thought was stupid; a lazy cockiness to the expression.
"Oh?"
Danny nodded and grabbed Danielle's hand and dragged her past Vlad and into the large foyer of the mansion, passing all the Packer's paraphernalia and going into the more modernly styled living room. The two black haired youths sat on the plush couch as Vlad stalked in, his expression still unimpressed.
"Dani came to me yesterday after I got home from your house," Danny began as Vlad stood before them, his arms folded. "She says her ghost form is still unstable." Vlad raised a single silver eyebrow but didn't comment. "Her form still can't hold and she starts falling apart. Plus, as you can tell, she's not aging like I imagine she should be."
Danny glanced at Danielle, who stared at her feet uncomfortably. When he glanced back at Vlad, the man was staring at him as though waiting for him to continue.
"So…well so I brought her here so you could, you know, fix her," Danny finished uneasily.
Vlad rubbed his fist on his chest as though polishing off his nails and then inspected them casually. "And why would I do that?"
Danielle's head shot up to stare at Vlad in shock and Danny's eyes widened. "Well…well because she's…" Danny was going to say she's your daughter but wasn't too sure if that would be the proper thing to say right now, so instead said, "She's in trouble Vlad. She needs help and you're the only one who can help her."
"I've got a lot of work, Daniel, I can't start taking up failed experiments again," Vlad said with a flick of his wrist as though trying to ward off a pesky bug. "Plus, if I remember correctly, a certain half ghost team destroyed all my machines that could have been of use." He stared pointedly at Danny who blushed angrily.
"Well make more; you're always down in your lab doing something! If Dani doesn't get her ghost half fixed, she could—"
"That's not my concern; it simply can't be done," Vlad said finally, but with little apology in his voice.
Danny stood, glaringly hotly at his boyfriend. "What the hell, Vlad? You're acting like a jerk; you made Dani and it's your responsibility to help her!"
"Just forget it!" Danielle shouted, standing up and pushing past Danny. "I told you, he hated me! He hasn't changed at all!" Danielle ran as Danny reached out to her. She sped up the stairs, her eyes shut tight.
"Dani!" Danny Fenton shouted before rounding on Vlad. "You ass! Why won't you help her?"
"Daniel, she's just a clone. You didn't feel this bad when my other clones melted into ectoplasm," Vlad said, unfolding his arms and walking towards Danny. He smirked. "Why save a copy when I have the original?" He wrapped an arm possessively around Danny's waist and pulled him close but Danny easily struggled away.
"Stop it! Danielle was different from those other clones; she has a heart and a mind. Those other ones were mindless and destructive," Danny said. "She's not just a clone, she's a little girl and she's dying!"
Vlad narrowed his eyes and grabbed Danny, pulling him flush against his chest despite Danny's struggling. Danny fought but Vlad was much taller and much stronger than Danny even with his growth spurt in the eleventh grade and his extra intensive training. Vlad held tight and the younger halfa finally stopped fighting to glare up at Vlad.
Vlad's eyes weren't cruel or angry or mocking as they narrowed on Danny, but Danny found himself blushing despite it all due to the intensity with which the older man was looking at him. "Daniel. You're the only one I care about. You're the only thing in this entire world that means anything to me now; not money, not revenge, not power, not any experiment or plot,…well maybe the Packers, but you're number one!"
Danny held the man's gaze even though he desperately wanted to look away as the embarrassing words poured from the bearded man. "Then do it for me."
Vlad's eyes widened slightly at the words and his grip on Danny's wrist's loosened slightly.
"Just like you make an effort to be kinder to my father for me. Just like you stopped plotting in Amity Park for me. And just like you missed the Packers game three Sundays ago to take care of me when I wasn't feeling well from rounding up stray ghosts out in the cold all night." Danny looked up at Vlad, searching his eyes for the caring, strong, and dedicated man he fell in love with. "Do this for me. Help Danielle for me. She may be just a clone to you but…she's like a little sister or something. She's…well she's me, Vlad."
Vlad paused and then sighed softly, leaning his forehead against Danny's. Danny sighed silently in relief, knowing he'd won the conversation. "She could never be you Danny, even if she is a clone."
"She's important to me, Vlad."
The older halfa sighed against, closing his eyes. "I can never deny you anything, Daniel. If you it makes you happy, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Danny smiled expectantly up at his older lover, who stared into those baby blue eyes and sighed, trying to hold in the smile that threatened to break over his face. "Alright Daniel. You win."
"Like always," Danny boosted with a smirk, leaning away from Vlad. Vlad growled with a smirk and pulled the boy close, kissing his lips feverishly. Danny gasped but quickly leaned up into the kiss, wrapping an arm around Vlad's neck. Vlad's mouth opened, licking at Danny's lips. The kiss quickly got deeper and hungrier; Vlad growling low in his throat as he nearly consumed his young lover.
"Alright, enough," Danny gasped out quietly, pulling reluctantly from Vlad. The man always made his knees go weak and his mind go fuzzy from kissing. It was like a drug. Definitely not healthy. "I'm gonna go find Danielle."
"Fine," Vlad muttered against Danny's neck, lightly kissing the soft skin, smiling when he heard Danny sigh contently. "I'll go downstairs to the lab and see if any of the machines I have now might be of any use." He groaned and pecked Danny's lips quickly before moving away, going intangible and sinking down into the floor.
Danny stood for a moment to straighten his hair and let his heart stop hammering. Damn that fruitloop and his damn kissing.
The teen then moved to the stairs and hurried up to the second floor. "Dani!" he called, looking both ways down the long hallways. Why did Vlad's castle have to be so huge? The girl could be anywhere. "Dani!" Danny knew she couldn't go ghost so she had to be somewhere in sight.
Danny transformed into Phantom and flew through the rooms, finding this easier than running around and physically opening and closing doors. Ghost powers were definitely a bonus when one was in a hurry. "If I were twelve, where would I run to?"
Danny thought for a moment, remembering how Dani used to cause trouble and be a bit mischievous. Danny sighed, but upon hearing a loud "Shh!" coming from the master bedroom, Danny flew in that direction.
He landed before the door and opened it quietly, peering into the dark bedroom. "Dani…?"
Danny spotted the girl standing by the bed. When she heard him call to her, she jumped and spun around, the picture of guilt. "Danny!"
Just as Danny opened his mouth to question her, he saw movement in the bed. There were several lumps under the thick covers and they were moving and bouncing around. "Crooaak. Croooak."
Danny glided towards the bed and threw back the covers. "Frogs. Really? You couldn't do something simpler like a bucket-of-water-over-the-door trick?" Danny complained, not too keen on the idea of Dani putting frogs in the bed he and Vlad shared, even if Dani didn't know he also slept in the bed.
"I didn't have a bucket," Dani said with a shrug, obviously not too guilty from her casual tone.
"But you had four frogs," Danny questioned but shook his head. "It doesn't matter." Danny transformed back into Fenton and walked to the other side of the bed to stand in front of Danielle. "What does matter is that I talked to Vlad, and he agreed to help you."
"I don't want his help!" Dani snapped, crossing her arms. "He's the same as before; lying and uncaring and a jerk!" Danielle turned her head away and Danny sighed. He still wasn't good with children. It was definitely a good thing he was born the younger sibling.
"I know Vlad can be…difficult and rude but he has changed. He's in the lab right now working on some of the machines he has down there to see if anything can be used to help you."
Dani peaked up at Danny, and the older halfa knew he'd convinced her. So maybe I am good with kids. Danny thought proudly. Well I'm good at convincing clone kids and loopy old men but…still an accomplishment.
"Really?" Danielle asked, her voice threatening to drip hope. "Cuz I've heard that before." Her eyes narrowed skeptically and Danny couldn't help but laugh.
"I know, but this time I got his word he'd help you."
"Why is he even bothering? What's in it for him?" Danielle stared up at her older cousin, crossing her arms questioningly.
Danny scratched his neck. He couldn't tell her it was just to make Danny happy; that was counterproductive. She'd still feel like some experiment to Vlad and she'd probably question why Danny was suddenly so important to Vlad. Though, for the record, Danielle was living proof of Vlad's obsession with Danny even before they'd started dating, but that was getting too technical.
"Just trust me, okay," Danny said, feeling like a broken record. "He's turned over a new leaf and feels like he owes a debt, to make amends." Danny smiled, hoping the girl would buy it. "And besides, what do you have to lose? If he helps you, you get better. If he doesn't help you, you're no worse off than you are now."
Danielle stared at Danny a few more seconds and then sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I am; I am the oldest," Danny smiled and started out the room. "Come on. You hungry?"
Danielle smiled and nodded. "Starved."
…
Vlad tilted his neck to the side as he made his way up the stairs. "God, this crick is going kill me all night," he mumbled, rubbing the knot. He usually enjoyed working down in the lab, inventing new machines and experimenting in solitude. It was a nice escape from the mundane work of his factories and businesses in the real world, a chance to make and discover things that seemed implausible but became possible with the help of ghost powers. But these past few hours had been rough on him as he tested old machines, searched for scrap pieces and examined all sides of the bigger machines. It was boring, tiring work but he'd managed to find some helpful equipment and get things ready for the clone.
Vlad sighed as he walked through the large house, really not wanting to go to all this trouble for some failed experiment but he'd promise Danny and he'd do anything for his Little Badger, even something that caused him this annoying pain in his neck.
The silver haired man entered the immense living room to see his young lover on the couch watching TV, Danielle curling up on the other side of the couch, fast asleep. Four empty cans of soda littered the glass coffee table along with a half empty bag of chips and a plate with bread crusts on it.
"You're finally back," Danny said, sitting up and smiling as Vlad made his way over. "Did you find anything that would…hey are you alright?"
Vlad rubbed his neck and winced. "Fine, just a crick." Vlad leaned over Danny and kissed his mouth tenderly. "Ready for bed?"
Danny smiled into the kiss and nodded. "Just let me carry Danielle to bed."
Vlad turned an annoyed gaze to the sleeping child and reluctantly stepped back to allow the younger boy to stand from the couch. "Fine. Take her to the guest room on the ground floor."
Danny nodded and carefully lifted the girl, cradling her delicately, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Vlad got a sudden pang of irrational jealousy and quickly grabbed Danny's shoulder from behind and kissed the boy's cheek. "I'll be waiting for you upstairs," he purred, kissing Danny's neck a few times and then moving towards the stairs.
Danny, his face blushed embarrassingly, moved down the hall towards the ground floor guest room. Danny maneuvered his left hand outward to open the door and walked in. The bed was small but and the room was furnished plainly if not modernly, but it would be fine for Danielle's immediate needs. Carefully pushing back the covers of the bed, he laid Danielle down.
"Mmm…Danny…" she whimpered quietly as Danny pulled the blanket up to her chin after removing her sneakers.
"Don't worry Danielle. You're gonna get better. I promise," Danny whispered, smoothing the girl's black bangs from her forehead tenderly, like he remembered Jaz used to do when he was sick in bed, or recovering from a nightmare. "I promise…"
"DANIEL!" Danny jumped at the sound of his boyfriend's enraged voice shouting to him from upstairs. As Danny rushed out the room and nearly transformed into Phantom, he heard the loud thumps of Vlad in their bedroom and then the unmistakable croaking of nearly a half dozen frogs chorusing through the halls.
Danny cringed. "Oops."
So that's that! xD Thanks so those who commented so far! The next chapter coming soon! Comment, Fav and Follow! Thanks!