Becoming
- Chapter Four -
It was actually rather lucky that the Fenton mattress was, in fact, a regular inflatable mattress and not some insane experiment. Danny's father had proclaimed that while it couldn't prevent ghosts, it was a mattress with the name Fenton on it and that somehow made it better than any other store brand inflatable mattress. But Vlad didn't seem to care too much as he and Jack took turns pumping it into full size. Danny sat on his bed watching them. It was unique how their relationship worked at all, and the small little ways Vlad became annoyed with the tiniest facet of his father had him chuckle a few times quietly. His mother came in with a spare pillow, blanket and some fresh sheets. When the mattress was full, she dressed it cozily and shoved it towards the window beside his bed.
"Is this alright?" She asked Vlad worriedly.
"It will do for the weekend." Vlad assured her with a grin.
"Would you like me to launder your clothes?"
Vlad held up hand, "That will not be necessary as I already ordered a dry cleaner to have clothes delivered for me. You need not worry." His smile was a bit too cheery for Danny's liking.
"Okay, he's set. You guys can all leave now." Danny said rather loud. Jack grabbed him in a headlock and mussed his hair.
"Aw, Danny, I know sharing your personal space can feel intrusive, but Vladdie has always been a quiet flatmate! You'll hardly notice he's here at all! Except for when he rolls. Too much movement on the Fenton mattress makes those weird flatulent sounds." He laughed, releasing his son, "Sure is funny though!"
"Yeah okay, but can everyone kindly please get out of my room?" He called over his parents towards the door, "You too, Jazz." He heard her peep and scamper off.
"Yes, of course," His mother started, "I'm sure you and Vlad have a lot to plan now, don't you? I'll go heat up some leftovers and you two are welcome to join us any time."
"Thank you, Madeleine." Vlad cooed to her with a gentle hand. She didn't take it, but she did smile. She and her husband then left leaving Vlad and Danny finally alone after the day.
Since he was suspended, Danny had spent the day doing chores. He cleaned up the lab and reorganised some of hie parents' belongings. Cleaned the windows and swept the steps. Vlad helped him on and off as he switched between his cellphone and lending a hand. When he wasn't helping him wordlessly, Vlad was getting frustrated with someone on his mobile. Whomever it was must have been doing their job poorly because Danny heard Vlad say words that were less than delicious. But after the day, time began to wind down. It was almost unbelievable that after the weekend he would be in Wisconsin and moving in with his enemy. A week ago he wouldn't have believed it himself.
"Still taking it all in?" Vlad asked him. Danny came from his thoughts and looked up. Vlad was standing by the mattress removing his overcoat and belt. One pull removed his tie and unbuttoning a few of his collar buttons completed his look of relaxation.
"Yeah. Everything is moving kind of fast."
"Well, it's to be expected. Honestly, if you hadn't been suspended I would have taken more time to speak with your parents properly, however, it did give a nice opening to support my offer."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, by the way, thanks for making me come off as a problem child."
Vlad laughed and sat on the edge of his bed with him, "Are you saying that you are not?"
Danny went to speak but found nothing to retort. "I'm not as bad as you make it sound." He settled with. An arm then placed itself over his shoulders and brought him close.
"Of course you're not as bad as I make it sound, because how I phrase it makes it almost seem normal. But you, dear boy, are not normal. Getting away from all this ghost nonsense will be good for you. Under my roof, you will be protected and not expected to handle every creeper that happens to stumble across you."
"Not gonna lie," Danny sighed, "that would be a nice change." And it would. While his parents believed themselves to be experienced ghost hunters, they did a poor job of keeping the family home, the family RV, and the general populace safe.
"But Daniel," he heard Vlad say, "are you certain this is what you want to do? You know that my desire to have you as my apprentice and to learn darker parts of your powers is inevitable. I don't intend to change that."
Danny withdrew himself and leaned back. He had thought much on that. Was staying with Vlad truly going to have him turn into some evil tyrant? Would it help lead him to the path back to that evil version of himself he had fought before? But he let it slide away. "You know, I've been thinking about that." He said confidently, "and I'm not sure you can convince me to go all villain, but after learning so much, your arguments and obsessions almost feel sensible if not excusable. I mean, yeah, I know my attitude towards you has changed and I get that my friends aren't so quick to accept that, but it really upsets me that they think they know me better than I know myself. They think a normal teenage lifestyle will just melt away all the emotional scars, but it doesn't work like that." He bit his lip.
"I've come face to face with my own future, I've had death stare me in the face and force me to reconcile that when I die, I'll probably come back as some tortured ghost anyway. Only, I won't be able to become alive anymore. I've watched my friends and family get into horrible messes because of me and my altruism. And because of them, I get into horrible situations myself. It's always some promise, or some favour, or some ghost. When do I get time for myself? When do I get to be just regular Danny?" He swapped his gaze for Vlad and saw that the man had been looking down at his own hands in his lap. "I can't have that here," he said after a moment. Hesitantly he reached out to touch Vlad's hand and nearly choked when his skin made contact. "But you're offering me a way out. I get that you have your own motives and all, but hey, so do I. As you said, what does it matter who is using who for what? At your manor, under your care, I'll probably have a better chance at living some kind of normal life than I can here." Vlad's other hand moved to rest on top of his. Danny felt himself flush.
"I do seem to be the lesser of two evils, despite my alignment, I suppose."
"I think we've just been going about this all wrong."
"Oh?" Vlad asked innocently.
Danny nodded, "Yeah. We're the only halflings. We sort of need each other to help ground us into some kind of structure. Because lets face it, we don't belong here or the Ghost Zone."
Vlad shook his head with a heavy sigh. "It took me ten years to figure out that simple little concept, and here you are telling it to me of your own depth. I'm actually very proud of you, Daniel."
Danny smoothed over his embarrassment with a small laugh. "Thanks?"
Vlad didn't say anything, he just smiled and ruffled Danny's hair a bit. Danny winced and shooed his hand off playfully. This was going to take some getting used to, not that he minded.
"Now, lets go have some of those leftovers your mother promised." Vlad smiled.
As the night grew late, Danny decided that his day was complete and was ready for bed. He placed a dirty plate on his nightstand beside Vlad's where he and the man had decided to share their meal together. Jazz had already gone to bed and Danny's parents were also working their way there. They and Vlad were finishing up some late night gossip while Danny took off his jeans, tossed them lazily aside on the floor, and hopped into his bed. The air of his room smelled differently with the musty air mattress beside it and knowing that Vlad would soon be joining him there later made his stomach feel fluttery.
As much as he hated the idea of leaving his mother alone with Vlad, sleep's pull was too great for him to care. Besides, it wouldn't be her bed Vlad would be sleeping next to, so that calmed him a bit. He then pulled his covers up to his neck and sighed contentedly at the cozy feel. The mumbling of Vlad's voice could be heard through the walls and for once Danny felt he wouldn't have to worry about some late night experiment keeping him awake or making sleep impossible. It was nice. And soon, Danny fell asleep, the last he heard being laughter bubbling up from the living room.
#
#
Danny stirred in his bed, not quite awake but not asleep either. Nothing in particular had woken him but as he slowly regained himself he could hear what sounded like typing. He lazily looked over at his clock. It was 4 in the morning. Danny rubbed his eyes and rolled over, finding a pale blue light illuminating his room. Vlad was sitting cross-legged on the air mattress in striped boxer shorts and a plain white shirt. Small glasses sat on his nose, a mug on the window sill, a phone by his side and a laptop in front of him. He appeared to be working?
"Vlad?" Danny asked groggily. Vlad looked up from his screen quickly.
"Oh, Daniel. Did I wake you?"
"No," Danny told him with a yawn,"but what are you doing? It's like 4AM."
Vlad took a sip from the mug before placing it back on the sill. "I'm working." He said plainly.
Danny sat up a bit, "But you worked all day."
"Jobs like mine don't usually end at 5PM. It's a full time workload. Always on call."
"So when do you actually sleep?"
"That's a very good question." Vlad replied with a small yawn. He took another sip from the mug. Danny was now sitting up in his bed. It didn't occur to him just how much work Vlad had to do to maintain his companies and projects. He knew that Vlad wasn't a full time ghost villain or anything, but it had escaped him that Vlad had a legit job on top of that. So between the ghost plots, fights, and business schedules, it almost seemed like Vlad, too, had very little time to be himself. It almost dwarfed his own problems since Vlad didn't have a family or friends to lean on when the pressure became too much. So what did he do? Could it be true that Vlad could only be himself with lifeless game controllers and collectors cards?
He didn't know why, but Danny threw off his covers and stood up, stretching. Vlad watched him curiously from the corner of his eye.
"You should go back to sleep." Vlad told him before he could move.
"Yeah, sure, I'll listen to the old man that hasn't slept at all." Danny laughed.
"When you get to be my age, you miss the carefree days when you could actually sleep as long as you want."
Danny rolled his eyes, "Look, if I want to listen about the good ol' days of youth, I'll just go wake my dad and inquire about the 80s." That shut Vlad up, but with a chuckle. Vlad smiled down into his mug as he took another brief sip and sat it on the sill. He looked tired, like every muscle in his body was fighting to keep him awake. Despite his age, even Danny had to admit that Vlad didn't look older than early 30s and overall seemed to be in good health and shape, so it was strange to witness the minute weakness as his eyes glazed over the laptop screen and restlessly typed away at something.
Danny rounded his bed and moved atop the air mattress making Vlad slightly tilt as the weight shifted. Neither of them said anything as Vlad just accepted that Danny would do whatever he wanted in his room. And he didn't say anything for a while until Danny began to snake his way into Vlad's lap.
"D-Daniel," he tried, but Danny shushed him as he moved closer and forced Vlad to make room for him between his legs. Vlad complied, albeit with little fight, until he was situated nicely in a little heap. Danny wasn't sure why he was there and he was certain Vlad didn't know either. It had just felt like something he should do. Like it was normal.
"So, what's so important that it can't wait until morning?" Danny asked while he looked at the screen. It was filled with chat windows, emails, spreadsheets, charts, and various internet pages.
"I'm organising meetings and making sure the right people are doing their jobs and not dropping them off on interns." As Vlad said this, he reached around Danny and continued to type an email while resting his head on Danny's shoulder. Feeling Vlad's breath against his cheek was nice compared to the slight chill of the room. He couldn't help but to smile and feel his face heat. He tried to distract himself from that.
"Well, why are they up at 4am?"
Vlad chuckled again like the question was silly, "They're not," he told him, "for them it's the middle of the day. These employees work for me overseas." Of course they did and Danny felt stupid for asking when it was, in fact, a rather obvious answer. But before Danny could say more, he heard the phone beside them start to vibe. Vlad excused himself and took up the mobile, answering quietly but still formally. Danny laid back against Vlad's chest and felt the hum of his voice as he discussed some project and its deadline. It was nice. Feeling Vlad's voice rumble through him was relaxing and gentle. It was hard to believe the same voice had taunted and shouted at him so many times. But now that same voice was like a soft purr of rough edges. Like sand falling across stone. Adult. Masculine.
Danny closed his eyes as Vlad continued, resting his head under Vlad's chin, unknowingly nuzzling the man's beard with his hair. Something about this felt right. Like nothing else in the world mattered. It was a type of peace Danny hadn't even felt before. Like safety. A ghost could intrude right now and Danny felt he wouldn't bother transforming with how safe he felt.
His breath hitched when he felt a hand glide across his middle and gently hold him in place. His emotions reacted strangely all at once causing him to softly moan, his penis to twitch slightly, and gooseflesh to run across him like water before drifting away. The sensation was incredible despite its fleeting inception. He breathed again, falling back into the hold and gyrating himself a bit until comfortable, noticing only hazily that Vlad's sentence had broken for a pause before continuing.
So good.
Maybe it was that he was too tired to care, or maybe he was dreaming, but Danny felt the desire to be touched more. Nothing made sense, and he wasn't sure why. Feeling the hand at his middle made his chest ache and his lips sensitive. His penis stirred slightly again, but nothing came of it. It was just an enjoyable, peaceable experience. Like what he imagined falling asleep on Paulina's breasts would feel like. Cupping them and taking each one into a hand, rolling them around against his face. Yeah. It was just like that. But Danny didn't know that he was already falling back asleep. So at peace he was that even exhaling into Vlad's chest seemed perfect. Holding Vlad seemed perfect. Vlad seemed perfect. And sleep pulled him down. Down.
The next morning Danny woke to a slightly dry and sticky feeling in his boxers. His eyes shot open at the realisation but it wasn't anything that he wasn't used to. Being a teenage boy gave him the unwanted affects of wet dreams on occasion. It just happened; although the first time it ever occurred Danny had thought he'd peed the bed. So it wasn't a big deal and Danny shrugged it off, rolling over to find Vlad below on the mattress snoring on his arm, the mobile phone still in his hand, his glasses askew on his nose, the laptop laying upside down on the floor between the air mattress and Danny's bed, and the covers and pillow everywhere but on the bed. Danny giggled to himself, it was quite the sight seeing the uptight Vlad Masters sleeping like what he may find his friends doing.
"You nerd." Danny whispered with a laugh. And he stayed there, staring, watching Vlad's chest move up and down as he listened to the awful, quiet snores. This was the man he was moving in with.
A ringtone filled the room.
Danny panicked, flipping over in his bed and tumbling in the covers before he regained himself and realised it was his own phone trilling. He flipped it open to see a video call from Tucker. He wasn't sure whether to answer or not. Sighing, he did and Tucker's face filled the small screen.
"'Morning, Danny." Tucker greeted lamely but apologetically.
"Ah, hey, Tucker, yeah. Good Morning." He replied back equally lame but with hush.
"Did I wake you?" Tucker asked.
Danny shook his head, "Uh, no, actually I just woke up like a few minutes ago. You're good."
"Why are you whispering?"
Danny fumbled, "Everyone's still asleep." He went with while his gaze peered over to Vlad's still slumbering form. Like a majestic frog jumping head first into oncoming traffic. It was hard not to laugh.
"But it's noon."
Danny cut into that quickly, looking over at his bedside clock to confirm before he gave Tucker a lopsided grin. "So, uh, what you need?"
Tucker's expression went through a barrage of changes before he managed to settle on something that appeared penitent. He scratched at his head, looked away a few times before he looked like he was ready to say something.
"I wanted to apologise." He began with.
"What?" Danny was surprised.
"I mean, about yesterday. Sam and I talked it over and while it wasn't exactly what we were expecting, we did manage to understand that you didn't mean to let your powers get out of control. It's a tough situation over all and we're just worried about you. I'm sorry, man, but this recent Vlad obsession is just like a huge football tackle to the gut. And we both know what that feels like thanks to Kwon and Dash."
Danny nodded, finding he didn't have much to say to that.
"So, I'm sorry. We're sorry. But you can't blame us, can you? Vlad is your arch enemy!" he emphasized, "and it's a little hurtful—new—to us that you'd seek him out compared to your best friends. Naturally we're concerned."
"Yeah, I know." Danny replied softly. "Everything's just been weird lately."
"Tell me about it. So," Tucker paused, biting his lip a little, "without Sam here, is there something you want to talk about, Danny? You're my best friend and you know you can tell me anything, right?"
Danny smiled, "I know." It was genuine and had Tucker smile too. But how to go about telling him anything? His head was a jumbled mess and even he couldn't figure out what was going on with him, only that Vlad made him feel saner, safer, normal. He was silent for a while, staring off at nothing before his eyes fell back onto Vlad's sleeping disaster. Stubble lining his jaw, his brows frayed like they had never been smoothed down, and strong thighs outlining a simply picturesque frame that Danny hardly believed belong to a man old enough to be his father. Was Vlad even real?
"He's there, isn't he?" Tucker's voice jabbed him back into reality. Danny shot back to his friend while he tried his best to look calm and not at all taken.
"He?" Danny asked poorly with a crack in his voice. Tucker wasn't amused. He knew. Danny knew. Tucker's face said it all. "Yeah, okay, you're right. He's here. Dad made him sleep in my room."
"You don't look upset about that."
Ha. Danny laughed and kicked himself, "Well, it's easier to keep an eye on him here than if he was somewhere else trying to hit up my mom or something."
Tucker sighed. "Okay, real time." He said pointedly and Danny couldn't bring himself to look Tucker in the eye. "I have no idea what's going with you and Vlad. I won't pretend to know because I'm 14 and not a ghost boy with ghost powers trumping my puberty. Whatever it is, you seem like you need it.
"At first I thought it was some gross curiousity, but it's pretty clear that there's more to it than that. Sam and I thought what you needed was friend help, human help, but I'm seeing now that maybe what you need is ghost help. And not just any ghost help, Vlad ghost help. He's obviously giving you something you need so I'm not going to stand in your way while you figure out what exactly that is. I'm your friend," he told Danny resolutely, "and if you think going to Wisconsin with Vlad for a bit is a good idea and that you can handle it, then why should I object? You kick ghost butt on a regular basis enough to prove to us that you can defend yourself easily. Just, you know, don't forget to call us. And it's not like you'll be staying there forever, right?"
"Right." Danny told him, although he wasn't sure if he meant it or not.
"And also," Tucker winked at him, "if you elevate him a bit, he'll stop snoring." Danny felt himself flush instantly.
"Tucker!"
"Bye, Danny." And Tucker ended the call. He laughed to himself and tried not to think about how he must have came off with Vlad's snoring soundtrack in the background. But it didn't matter that much. Tucker knew Danny and understood him better than Sam most times, so it calmed him that Tucker had taken the time to call and tell him that he supported him. Who knew what kind of explosive conversation that must have been between his friends, and Danny was thankful he hadn't been around to see it. Sam had probably exhausted all of her fury but he knew she meant well. And Tucker had looked tired, like he'd been up playing devil's advocate. Sometimes Danny felt he didn't deserve such good friends.
Danny glanced at his clock again before he stood up from his creaking bed and stretched with a heavy yawn. He then rounded his bed and approached Vlad with a grin. Using his foot, he began gently nudging Vlad in his side.
"Time to get up, old man." Danny cooed with more force from his foot. Vlad gave a snore and rolled over lazily, his mobile phone dropping from his hand on to the floor. Okay, maybe just a few more minutes, Danny smiled. And he walked quietly out of his room.
#
#
Danny's parents were still upset that he had gotten suspended so it wasn't a surprise when they told him to go clean the downstairs laboratory as further punishment. Despite his day starting at noon, Danny felt energised enough that he could actually perform his task without falling asleep in a beaker or tripping over garbage hapharzardly. And with ghost powers, cleaning was a lot easier than it had been before his accident in the ghost portal.
Covered in ectoplasmic residue and muck, Danny decided to take a break and grab a soda from upstairs. As he went, he could hear his mom's bubbling laughter. Danny thought little of it until he reached the kitchen and found Vlad in casual attire of a shirt and slacks, standing next to her while holding her hand. He seemed to be complimenting her nails or something but that wasn't what first hit him. Seeing Vlad and his mother enjoying themselves in such a close proximity made his stomach hurt and something inside him boil.
Vlad caught sight of him with a huge smile, "Daniel! Good afternoon!"
"Yeah, hey." He replied uneasily, heading for the refrigerator. His mother and Vlad stepped aside so he could get better access.
"Your mother was just sharing with me some of your childhood adventures. How sweet that you went as a ghost several times for Halloween."
Maddie chimed in, "He wanted to be a superhero but with Jack's niggling he eventually caved in and went as a ghost a few times. It was so cute! Jack chased him around with the dustbuster while Danny kept saying 'boo'! Oh, Vlad you should have been there."
Vlad looked down at Danny's mother longingly, his hand reaching out hesitantly towards her arms, "I would have liked that." He told her smoothly, obviously undressing her with his eyes. Before his hand could make contact, Danny didn't know how he had done it, but he was between them suddenly and catching Vlad's wrist. His mother looked at him as confused as Danny felt. Even Vlad lifted his brows curiously.
"I, uh," he tried to think of something, "I could use some help downstairs. You know, cleaning, while we bond and stuff. Completely normal stuff. Without touching anyone's mom."
"Don't you have to work, Vlad?" His mother asked, seemingly ignoring what Danny had said last.
Vlad nodded, "Such is the life of a businessman. However, it isn't anything I can't do while I assist Daniel." He reached over Danny and took her hand into his, bringing it up for a small kiss. Danny felt himself grow sick, but not in the usual way. It was more like anger.
"Oh, you're too much!" Maddie giggled sweetly.
"Yeah," Danny groaned, "way too much." Vlad scoffed at him and placed a firm hand on his backside, moving him along.
"Come, Daniel, let's go be too much downstairs." Danny hissed when he saw Vlad give a wink towards his mother behind. Why was this bothering him so much?
"Enjoying my mom's hospitality?" Danny asked annoyed after they had reached the lab.
"As always, your mother is very kind."
"Yeah and I'm sure you're enjoying more than her kindness. I saw you looking at her like you couldn't believe how tight her jumpsuit is."
"While I do appreciate that her choice jumpsuits line every curve of her form and particularly plump her nethers into erotic detail, I'm not so crude as to stare a lady down like meat."
Danny sneered. "Says the guy that just called my mother's lady bits 'plump' and 'erotic'. Ew."
Vlad took up a washcloth and began to wipe away some of the muck that caught in Danny's hair. Danny was too angry to protest. "One day you will understand, my boy."
"Understand what?" Danny seethed, "I already understand how badly you want to fuck her."
Vlad stood back aghast, "Daniel! Such language! You're not to use those foul words!"
Where was this anger coming from? "I can say what I want. You're not my dad." Vlad then took him roughly by the arms and pulled him dangerously close. Danny gasped from the contact.
"Your parents will be entrusting me with your safety and well being. I am your guardian. And you're not to use that language with me, child."
"What are you going to do?" he spat, "Tell my mom how I said that you want to fuck her? Stick your throbbing dick inside her pussy until she's full of your spunk like a damned creampie?!" Vlad's face went red. He released Danny like he burned him, but before Danny could say anything further, Vlad struck him. The smack resounded in the lab. Danny blinked slowly. It hadn't hurt but it was the first time Vlad had struck him like a paternal figure. Blasts, he could handle, and fighting multiple Plasmiuses was simple, but a smack? On his cheek? Like a parent? Danny looked up, holding his cheek in awe.
Vlad's face was still flushed bright red, and even he looked at his hand like he couldn't believe what he had done.
"You smacked me." Danny said into the silence. "You actually smacked me."
Vlad shifted his weight between his feet. His eyes darted around the room as if looking for something to focus on. Danny stared at him.
"Please, do not use foul language. It's unbecoming of a young man." With quick feet, Vlad then left, heading up the stairs as quickly as he could without using his ghost powers. Danny felt his face burn where Vlad's skin struck him. How weird this was. His anger was suddenly gone, like it hadn't been there at all. He held his cheek and rubbed the stinging flesh, wondering why he had said what he did. Danny knew he'd wanted to make Vlad angry too, but why? His emotions swam through him with mixed results. Why did it matter so much that Vlad's attention not be on his mother? The gross factor had long since left him, but this new feeling was different. Almost like... jealousy? But what did Danny have to be jealous about? He breathed, uncertain what to think of himself. All that plagued his mind was that Vlad was now upset with him. And somehow that hurt more than all the punches Vlad had thrown at him in ghost battles combined.
Why?
#
#
Vlad was sitting outside in the backyard. He looked to be thinking while he watched the stars. Day had flown by so quickly what with him and Danny waking up late. Vlad didn't look bothered though. After fighting with Danny, he had spent the rest of the day on his mobile and laptop engrossing himself in his work, and he and Danny hadn't spoken since the smack. It was stupid and petty, and maybe Vlad knew that too. Could what they be getting into not work? Vlad visibly sighed. What had even happened earlier?
"Vlad."
Vlad turned around, his mouth falling agape when he saw Maddie.
"I thought you and Jack had gone to bed." He said.
"We did," she said shyly, stepping closer to him, "but I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a bit bothered today. Are you all right?"
Vlad looked down and removed the tie that held his hair while he ran his fingers through it and re-tied it at the base of his neck.
"Nothing, my dear. I am only thinking about Daniel. I'm hoping that his coming to stay with me will work out for the best."
Maddie placed her hands at his shoulders and began rubbing small circles into him. The tension began to ebb. "I think it will. I know I was opposed at first, what with Danny being my only son and all, but he seems to really like you. I haven't seen him so excited about leaving the home since he was a toddler exploring the unknown."
"How poetic." Vlad smiled, placing his hand on top of hers at his shoulder. She smiled at him when their eyes met.
"I know my son will be in good hands." Maddie told him as she took his hand into hers. She held it softly, rubbing her fingers into his knuckles. Vlad swallowed.
"Madeleine, I," Maddie then pulled his fingers to her mouth and gently kissed them. Vlad was noticeably flushed.
She looked into his eyes eagerly. "Thank you for helping Danny, and my family. I know it's been rocky since that day in college, but I do thank you, Vladimir." Vlad licked his lips at the sound of his name. "And I should have thanked you long before all this."
"I-it's not necessary, my darling. You know I would do it for anyone that held my heart as dear as you do."
"I insist." She whispered and stepped back only to zip down her jumpsuit enough to expose the tops of her breasts. Vlad flushed and looked away.
"Jack is—your husband is upstairs."
"He's asleep." She replied softly, "And won't be waking soon."
"Maddie,"
"Touch me, Vlad." She begged. Her body moved closer, the zipper falling down with the weight of her chest forcing it open. Her hands fell on to his chest, her lips eager for some kind of contact. Vlad didn't touch her, his arms twitching at his sides. She let her fingers slide down and inch their way into his waistband, soft breaths bouncing off his heated skin.
A smack.
Maddie fell backwards, holding her face. "Ow, what the hell?!"
"Daniel, what are you doing?" Vlad demanded.
"Dammit, that's twice today!" Danny hissed through his mother's lips, "and on the same cheek too!" Vlad was quick to approach him and zip back up Maddie's jumpsuit. Danny argued, trying to keep his mother's breasts the way they were.
"Did you really think you could fool me into believing your mother would do this?"
"I was just playing up the moment." Danny whined.
"What were you thinking?"
"Look," Danny said, still inside his mother, "I got upset earlier and took it out on you. I know how much you want my mom and, I don't know, I thought maybe if she gave you a chance to be with her for one night that you wouldn't be so angry anymore."
Vlad rubbed his forehead, distressed, "Overshadowing your mother to pity fuck me isn't a healthy way to go about anything!"
"How was I supposed to know? I thought you'd cream your pants over this!"
"Daniel," Vlad sighed heavily, "while the sentiment is admirable, you must be aware that this would have been the absolutely worse way to use your power. She's not even conscious of what you're doing to her, for the sake of cheese! Not to mention she would have felt nothing and you would have been subjected to the act. Didn't think this through, did you?"
Danny looked away, putting his mother's hair behind her ears like it was natural. He cupped her breasts in his arms and immediately didn't like how in the way they were. "I just wanted to apologise."
"With your mother's vagina?"
"I didn't think you'd speak with me!"
"That's ridiculous." Vlad said. "Of course I would speak with you. You're moving in with me Monday!" He took Danny by Maddie's arms and looked him square in the eyes. "Now go put your mother back to bed and come down here like the boy you are. No more of this nonsense."
Danny gave in with a sound of a grunt and walked his mother back inside and upstairs into her bed. He then left her body back in the safe arms of his father and made his way back down to the backyard. He transformed back into his human self but refused to look Vlad in the eyes. Vlad stood straight with his arms crossed accusingly.
"Now explain to me what's going on." Vlad demanded with his voice thundering like a father. Danny didn't know where to begin. He fought with himself but couldn't think of the words. He floundered about, starting a word but ending it just as quickly. It was after another attempt that Vlad's figure softened and he dropped his arms. He snorted like he understood and put his hand on Danny's shoulder, shaking him gently.
"Is it about the move?" Vlad asked like he was trying to help. Danny fidgeted. "Is it about your mother?" Danny bit his lip and that signaled to Vlad that he had found the problem. "What is it about your mother?"
"I don't know." Danny complained.
"But you do." Vlad insisted.
Silence came between them. Vlad waited while Danny sorted himself. "I just... when I see you with my mom, my insides feel weird."
"Weird how?"
He sighed, "Like, like it should be me you look at... or be around." Vlad Paused. Then he and began to chuckle. Danny looked at him in question, worried that he had said something stupid.
"That is what has riled you up so much?" Vlad asked him through a small laugh. "My dear boy, you are simply wanting my attention? Is that it?"
Danny groaned, "I said I don't know!" His head fell into his hands. Was it really that simple? All this anger and fuss had been just because Danny wanted Vlad's attention for himself? Whatever it was, Vlad found it humourous and began snickering again.
"Stop laughing." Danny ordered.
"No, no, Daniel, it's just this is all so surprising. I hadn't an idea that all this frustration was because you wanted me to pay more attention to you." Danny didn't respond, just making Vlad laugh more. It was a little funny, he thought stupidly. And slowly he began to laugh too. Vlad pulled him close and rubbed his upper arm.
"I'm sorry that I lost my temper and struck you earlier." Vlad began when his laughter died down. "And that you felt you had to make it up to me somehow."
Danny waved it off. "I'm sorry I cursed at you and made my mom unknowingly hit on you."
"Bygones." Vlad told him and it looked like he would say more when his mobile began to trill. Vlad picked it up and read the number, but then silenced the phone and put it back into his pocket.
"They can wait until morning." Vlad said with a smile. "How about you and I go play a video game instead?"
Danny couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Yeah. I'd like that."
#