A/N: Much thanks to morethanjustausername for being a wonderful/awesome beta!
Anyway I had to replace the chapter, only to replace the author's note. Look, I was irritated by a review I received, but I did not want people messaging the user. All I want is that people have respect and manners. No bullying though, even if you guys have the right intention :) thank you everyone.
I apologize for the rant if you saw it earlier. I didn't mean to call anyone out. The comment was unnecessary and uncalled for, but that's all. Other than that review, everything else you guys have written to me has been awesome/wonderful! Thanks for all the support :) I'm really glad you guys are enjoying my fic. It's great reading your responses! I have been enjoying them!
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Without bothering to knock, Vlad walked into the room Danny slept in with a glass of water in his hand. He half expected the young hybrid to complain, but was surprised to see him still sleeping. It was noon; when Danny slept in, he normally slept in until about 11:30 the latest, unless he had a really rough night. A sense of smugness washed over him. Could Danny not sleep without him? When he was close enough to the ghost hero, he gently shook his shoulders. It took a little longer than expected, but eventually, bright, neon green eyes were gazing groggily up at him.
"Good morning Daniel." Danny looked terrible; his hair was all mussed up and there were bags under his eyes. "Sleep well?"
Stretching his body, Danny went lax on the bed as he let out a groan. "Not really." Vlad was surprised he told the truth. "T'was kinda hard to sleep." With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and rubbed his tired eyes. When he sat up, Vlad immediately reached over to the top drawer where he kept some pills for Danny to take.
"Here, take two of these. It'll help you feel better quicker and numb any remaining pain you feel."
Obliging, Danny took the pills and swallowed it down with a glass of water the older hybrid handed to him. It seemed he immediately felt the effects. He sat up straighter and appeared more alert. "Thanks."
"Think nothing of it, my pet." With a smirk, Vlad lifted Danny's chin and planted a soft, lingering kiss. He was surprised when the body tensed momentarily before relaxing. He had expected some sort of resistance. Pleased that he didn't get one, he decided not to press his luck and pulled away. However, when Danny licked his lips as if to savor the taste, he couldn't resist; he found himself lunging in for another kiss. This time, when he pulled away, Danny had a dazed look on his face, causing the older hybrid to smirk. "We should remove those bandages."
"Okay." Without a struggle, Danny allowed Vlad to strip him down to his underwear and take a look at the remaining damage. His body healed nicely; there were only a few bruises left on him. His eyes scanned the body before him as he removed the bandages. He still felt guilt wash over him. It had been his fault that Danny got hurt so badly. Although he doesn't hold back in training, he hadn't meant to overdo it and cause so much harm to his pet. That's not the purpose of training.
He allowed Danny to shower on his own. When the teen came out, he dressed in fresh clothing and switched back to his human self. Vlad smiled at the sight of the tousled hair. Walking over, he ran his fingers through the damp hair, fixing it as he did so.
"You are to take it easy today. You still need to recover." Vlad ordered as he walked out of the room, Danny following behind him. The young hybrid had no response to that. In fact, he looked lost in his own thoughts. Vlad wondered what he was thinking about but didn't pester. It could be a number of things, really. One thing on Vlad's mind was the phone call Danny had with Samantha last night.
It angered him that Danny sought out to speak to the goth girl. Perhaps his jealousy wouldn't have flared up so much had it been the geeky tech friend, Tucker, but no; Danny called her. The only reassurance he felt was that Danny responded to his kiss and seemed to enjoy it. Although it looked like it confused him as well. At least Sam wasn't so much of a threat. Still, perhaps Danny deserved a little freedom. He had lied to her, as he was ordered to before, and kept up the charade of willingly being with him. Danny had presumed he was asleep and didn't take advantage to hatch some kind of escape plan.
They went into the dining room. Danny was about to take his normal spot on the floor when Vlad yanked him by the arm and pulled him onto his lap. Startled, the young hybrid blinked in surprise as an arm slung around his waist. There were two plates of breakfast before them. The teen's knees were still bruised and Vlad didn't want to cause them any more unnecessary pain. So, his lap would have to do. He alternated between feeding himself and feeding the teen with his hand. He grinned at the sight of the embarrassed and annoyed flush Danny had on his face whenever they had to eat together. Vlad loved it.
After breakfast, Vlad let Danny roam on his own for two hours. Naturally, the teen chose to play video games in the room for an hour before requesting to go for a walk. Vlad allowed it, telling Danny he must be back within the hour or suffer a punishment. Danny returned 30 seconds early, much to the older hybrid's amusement. Just as Danny walked in, Vlad headed towards his lab. Pleasantly surprised, Danny followed behind him. He probably wanted something to do, which was fine. Vlad enjoyed the young hybrid's company.
Entering the lab, Vlad wasn't surprised to see Skulker there. From the corner of his eye, he could see Danny tense and glare venomously at the hunter. Skulker glared back.
"Whelp!" Skulker stuck out his arm holding a mini rocket and pointed it at the teen. "Don't think I won't have your head on my –" he paused when he saw Vlad's eyes flash in warning. It seemed Skulker had forgotten about the collar. He stood up straight and retreated the rocket on his arm, surprising the young halfa. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Skulker looked apologetically (as apologetic as he can look) to Vlad. "Apologizes, Plasmius. I have the report you wanted."
Nodding, Vlad gestured for Skulker to start. When Danny walked closer to listen, Vlad wrapped an arm around the thin shoulders and pulled him close. The teen flushed in embarrassment, not wanting his enemy to see him this way but Vlad held on tightly to him. Skulker didn't pay mind; only kept on talking about the latest news in the ghost zone.
"There is a rumor that Amity Park is now up for grabs." Skulker said with a smug look at Danny. "Supposedly, the young Phantom is no longer a threat and therefore, Amity Park is free for ghosts to haunt."
"What?" Danny exclaimed, body tensing and flaring in anger. "It is not! Just wait till I get out of this. I'll personally make sure the ghosts there remember why they shouldn't mess around in Amity Park!"
Skulker looked to Vlad. "I see your boy still wants to escape from you." He commented casually with a raised brow.
Vlad coolly responded, "He's just a bit cranky since he hasn't been to his old hometown in a while."
"You don't have to talk like I'm not here, you know." Danny groused, crossing his arms and glaring at them.
In an almost condescending manner, Vlad ruffled the teen's hair, which earned him a growl. Vlad grinned. Danny had such a feisty attitude. "Thank you, Skulker. The ghosts will think twice when I have Miss Grey back in the picture to take care of them." There was no need to stress Danny out about the harmless attacks while he isn't there. He wanted the teenager to focus on him and him only. "Any word on the power cord I've been looking for?"
"Power cord?" Danny questioned before giving the man a suspicious glare. "What for?"
The hunter and older half ghost ignored the question. Skulker shook his head in negative. "Unfortunately no, but I'll keep searching."
"Very well. You are dismissed, Skulker."
Nodding, Skulker left through the ghost portal, leaving the two hybrids by themselves. Danny pulled away from Vlad's hold and glared balefully at the man. "Alright Plasmius, what are you up to?"
Smirking, Vlad grabbed the front of Danny's shirt and yanked him close. The small lips parted to release a gasp of surprise. Baby blue eyes stared into predatory like cobalt blue ones. "I much prefer if you call me Master."
Danny cutely scrunched up his face and sniffed. "Keep dreaming."
Chuckling, Vlad gripped the back of Danny's hair tightly and pulled him closer. The sharp intake of breath caused the man to smirk. He trailed kisses up the slightly tanned neck, feeling pleased when the young halfa reluctantly moaned. Reaching the lobe, he sucked it into his mouth and played with it using his teeth. "Why dream? I could simply order you to call me 'Master' instead of my name. However…I prefer you saying it on your own accord. It will happen soon, Little badger. You can only delay what you feel and crave from me for so long." He whispered huskily into the ear, licking the shell.
"I...You're crazy." Shaking his head in denial, he pushed the billionaire away from him.
"Perhaps." Vlad placed his hand on the soft cheek and used his thumb to caress it slowly. "How are you feeling?"
Danny seemed startled by gentle gesture and the question. However, he responded with a light blush, "I'm feeling better. Those pills you gave me helped." Subconsciously, he leaned into the touch.
"They were meant to," Vlad murmured, smiling as he gazed down at the young hybrid. It was a rare moment when Danny would drop his guard and allow himself to enjoy Vlad's touches. It made Vlad's heart swell. Taking advantage, he slipped one hand underneath the shirt and began to caress the taunt skin. His hands trailed over still developing abs up to the chest, reaching over to pinch a nipple. Vlad couldn't get enough of the young hybrid.
It seemed Danny remembered what he was doing because suddenly, he flinched away. So, he was in a state of denial. Vlad didn't mind; he could wait. Pulling away, he turned away from the teen and made his way out of the lab. Predictably, Danny followed him. They separated once they left the lab. Vlad wasn't sure where the young half ghost was going but let it go. He went into his study and grabbed some paperwork he needed to work on anyway.
After being away from the young halfa for another hour, Vlad found himself frowning. He missed Danny. Staring down at the documents on the table, he put them away and stood up. Surprisingly, Danny wasn't in the game room, nor was he in living room, kitchen, dining room, private theater room or his lab. Concerned, he was just about to switch to his ghost form when he found him roaming around the halls on the upper floor of the mansion, hands in his pocket and his eyes scanning everything as if to memorize it. Relieved, Vlad made himself invisible and slowly approached the unsuspecting teen. With a grin, he pounced from behind and wrapped his strong arms around the startled body before the ghost sense escaped past the young halfa's lips.
"Vlad!" Danny squeaked embarrassingly in surprise. The man laughed as Danny turned in his arms to glare at him. "Very funny. Come on, show yourself."
Chuckling, the older man made himself visible. "You dropped your guard." Leaning forward, he nuzzled between the neck and shoulder. "You know better than that." Although it thrilled Vlad that Danny was starting to feel comfortable enough in his mansion to drop his guard like that.
Weakly, the teen tried to shove him off. "Whatever. I was just distracted. Your mansion is huge. I've been here a week and I still don't know where some of the rooms are or what they have in them. I flew around in my ghost form and took a look but I just felt like walking around. Somehow, it makes this place seem even bigger." He commented, absentmindedly stopping his protest to Vlad's nuzzling.
Humming thoughtfully, Vlad placed an affectionate kiss on the collar bone. He could slowly feel Danny's protests diminishing. Now might be a good time to bring up what he was going to this morning. Pulling away, he stood up straight and gazed down at the teen, his eyes conveying a certain seriousness that immediately captured the young halfa's attention.
"Daniel, I have an offer I will make you."
"Oh?" Danny replied, intrigued.
"Would you like to spend Saturday with your friends?"
His words had the immediate effect; blue eyes shined enthusiastically. "Yes! I mean, uh, what do I have to do?"
"You may spend the day with your friends. However, you are to return to me by 11:30pm and not a second later." He could see the excitement radiating off the teen in waves. "Do not inform them of what is going on between us and that you are my captured slave. Any hint of disloyalty to me, and you may kiss your privilege of this freedom you have goodbye. If I so much as see a scratch on your collar, you will become my mindless slave." He glared warningly, his tone just as serious so Danny knew not to disobey.
"Okay." Danny was practically bouncing in excitement until he realized something. "Wait, what can I do about the collar?" he pointed to it. "I can't show them I'm wearing this. They'll get suspicious!"
Placing a finger on his chin and looking thoughtfully at the collar, Vlad tried to think of a solution. "I believe I have a way to conceal the collar." He paused. "However, I much prefer you let it be seen. I do love the idea of everyone knowing you have a master…that I am your master." He purred possessively, eyes gleaming.
Danny made a face, clearly not agreeing. "No way. I don't want them seeing this. There's no way I can make up another lie for this."
"You could if you really tried. However, I'll figure it out."
"You … mean it?" Danny asked, looking doubtfully at the man. "I can see my friends Saturday and hang out with them?"
"Yes, so as long as you return on time. We do not want a repeat incident of last night." He reminded with a glare, making Danny wince. Okay, perhaps he had overreacted and scared the teen when questioning why he was talking to Samantha. His tone and hateful glare had made Danny shrink in on himself as he answered. Vlad had been so infuriated and so consumed with jealousy, he stormed out of the room without a glance back.
Giving a hesitant smile, Danny muttered a grateful, "Thank you," before turning around and continuing his aimless roam around the castle. Mentally shrugging, Vlad decided to join him. The young halfa didn't comment. They walked in a comfortable silence, Vlad re-exploring his home. It was interesting to see the fascination that would flash across those blue eyes. Vlad's chest filled with pride. It always felt nice when someone noticed how impressive his home is. Especially when it came to Danny, considering Vlad wanted the young hybrid by his side for, well, forever.
One step at a time. Soon, Danny would be his.