Prompt 10 –With Animal Ears: So the obvious one for things like this is some kind of failed ectoplasm experiment or whatnot but I recently got a gift from a friend of mine :3 and that's what inspired the writing for this prompt. It's not focused on it but it's included which I think is what a prompt is supposed to do, it's just to inspire, you make up the rest. I can't help but love this one; I think it's taking over as my second favorite. But that's just me.

Rating: T

10. Little Badger

Vlad huffed as he walked into the Observatory dome, files in one hand and his suit jacket in the other. Summer was fast reaching its end but the season's heat had decided to linger. Outside it had been in the mid 90's, a horrible thing for someone who spends most of their day in a black suit. Inside the dome the temperature was programmed to detect the temperature of its occupant and adjust itself to accommodate. For most of the summer it had been the reason he and Danny spent most of their summer in the dome. The estate was undergoing the same process but wouldn't be done until mid-winter because of the size and complexity of the system.

None of this was a problem that Vlad didn't have patience for however. The problem was that Danny had caught a sort of cold the day prior and had decidedly spent his time in the only place that he felt most comfortable –the dome.

Loosening his tie Vlad looked upward and sighed.

Floating amongst the exposed steel beams of the structure was Danny Phantom. Swaddled in a red blanket Vlad could only assume he'd fallen asleep in that form and drifted up there some time ago from the couch. The thing about Danny's colds was that they didn't normally happen without reason. There was something about their half-ghost genetics that fought off most human diseases. What was left to cause the problem was his ghost half. From what Vlad had determined the boy wasn't really sick he was suffering from the side-effects of a buildup in his powers; his ice powers in particular. The amount of battles had slowly diminished because of Danny's efforts over the years and it wasn't as often as he used to that he had the chance to 'go ghost'.

The result was a very cold, near hypothermic young man. This was probably the second time in six months that Danny had become incapacitated because of his 'sickness'. Vlad had encouraged Danny to use the power when they sparred but the boy was stubborn and insisted that it did more damage than was necessary. He had even tried asking the boy to use the ability whenever it was too hot in the estate. Unfortunately, Danny's powers had grown and that meant that what little he did use wasn't enough to really deplete the buildup.

"Daniel," Vlad called up to his sleeping lover. He didn't stir.

Heaving a sigh Vlad willed his trademark black rings to consume his human side, allowing for transformation. There was always a soft whisper of cold wind that made him shiver whenever he made this action but over the years it had become just barely noticeable. He wasn't sure if Danny felt it but he wouldn't be surprised.

Drifting upwards he positioned himself with arms out and just underneath Danny. It was very possible he would wake up without the concentration necessary to keep proper flight. When sleeping in ghost form it wasn't hard to stay grounded but when sick or out of sorts (such as a disorienting punch) the ability became slack.

Leaning in to whisper in Danny's ear Vlad stopped short. Sitting atop Danny's head, and covering his ears, was a wool cap in white and trimmed in black and red. Vlad recognized it immediately as a gag gift Sam had purchased the last time she came to visit. The cap alone was a necessity in the boy's state but the floppy appendages hanging from it were not. Against the front of the cap was stitched a pair of black, glossy beads, at the top were two triangular features and along the sides flaps that dangled as Danny floated. Why Vlad hadn't noticed the thing covering snow white hair was probably due to the blanket Danny was unconsciously trying to pull back over his head.

Vlad kept his position, prepared to catch Danny, and leaned forward pressing his lips against the corner of Danny's lips. Skin as cold as ice, Vlad felt as if he could have gotten frostbite from the action. It wasn't unusual for their body temperatures to be lower but this was just ridiculous. Regardless he leaned forward and repeated the action. This time Danny stirred and actually tried to push the other away. Vlad chuckled and like magic green eyes snapped open and (as predicted) lost his grip on flight when he saw where he was.

With a harrumph Danny landed perfectly into the cradle of Vlad's arms. The older nearly shivered from the contact for no more reason than it was like holding a miniature iceberg.

"Dammit, Vlad! You scared me. What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Danny was trying to wriggle his way out of the others grip but when that didn't work he stayed looking at the height he was at. Trying to contain the chill was taking a lot of his focus so going intangible would only send him plummeting to the ground with a ten percent chance he'd catch himself before the ground got too close.

Rolling his eyes at the others language Vlad drifted back down to the ground. He might let it pass this once. "You haven't been home in two days. You're extremely lucky this didn't happen during the semester."

Vlad could hear Danny's teeth chattering. According to the boy he wasn't as cold when he was Phantom but it was still very icy. The older man frowned; he didn't know how to fix this. Danny did but he wouldn't. Together they sat on one of the couches, Danny being pulled into the other's lap. Vlad remained Plasmius because it meant being able to hold the boy, his tolerance in human form was high but not as much.

When Danny didn't respond Vlad looked down in his arms to see that the younger was trying to build a barrier between the two with the blankets from the couch without getting off his lap. Always the thoughtful one.

"Where did you find the hat?" Vlad asked as he flicked one of the ears.

"My backpack, I think I left it in there from when she gave it to me and just never took it out." Danny's shoulders sagged as he relaxed; attempting not to lean on the other but the blankets he'd placed.

"This could very easily be mistaken for a cat from the right angle." Vlad said absentmindedly as he continued to play with one of the ears. Danny snorted.

"Cat's are boring; they just lay around all day."

"Then you two have something in common."

"Hey!" Danny pushed away from the man and nearly would have landed on the floor if he hadn't managed to pull himself together enough to float an inch or so off the ground.

"Sensitive today, aren't we?" Vlad laughed the real laugh he saved for these moments alone together.

Pulling himself back up to sit on the couch Danny laid back down and pulled a blanket back over him. "I'm sick, it's cold, and I can barely manage to float down fifteen feet. Leave me alone."

"It's actually about twenty five feet, but close." Danny groaned at the sound of Vlad's voice.

"Come now, Little Badger. Let me take care of you."

"No."

"I could make you soup."

"It'd freeze."

"I'll make sure it's at boiling point."

Danny gave him a dubious look, "You call yourself a man of science? You know it'll just freeze faster."

"I've been very business oriented these last few years. My knowledge may be a little rusty." Vlad waited to see if Danny would say anymore but he didn't. In retaliation to the silence Vlad leaned forward and leaned against the smaller form of Phantom. As Plasmius there was something powerful about wrapping his arms around the younger Halfa. It was his form of dominance; he didn't have to hide that as 'Vlad' did. "I'll warm you."

"No."

"I was not asking." Vlad tightened his hold but the boy did not move. Level with the ears of the badger hat he nuzzled the top and inhaled the scent of it. He could feel the boy shiver next to him. Using his free hand Vlad continued to play with the ear like fabric on Danny's head.

Danny was stubborn but he couldn't deny the warmth of the other. There was something about Vlad's affinity for electrical type abilities that kept him radiating warmth. When he felt the hand at the top of his head he chuckled slightly under his breath letting out breath of ice in the process. "Oops."

"What's so funny?"

"You keep playing with the hat."

Vlad smiled. "Admittedly, I am fond of it." He leaned forward and fastened his lips on the little bit of skin that was exposed just beneath Danny's jawline. The younger tilted his head back in reaction to the other man's persuasion. He continued to nip at the chilly flesh, deciding that he quite liked the feeling; it was almost minty without the flavor.

"If you don't stop your lips will turn blue."

Vlad pulled himself up to loom over his Little Badger. "Are you being quite serious with me, Daniel?"

Danny looked up and grinned wide as if just realizing it was Plasmius before him. "Well I guess you already beat me to it."

"Get used to it, Little Badger." Lowering himself down he covered the boy, lips pulling away the ice from the other and leaving fire. Free hand still lovingly caressing his Little Badger's ear.

A/N:: I apologize for nothing :) If you get a chance google 'badger hat' they are super cute!