A/N: Danny is 5' 8" in this story, I added four inches to his high school stature. In case anyone was curious.
Entry IV
It feels like this all happened so long ago yet I remember every detail. I went around in circles after that night. Circles in my head on what was happening to me, to Vlad and between us. I wanted so badly to confide in my friends but I was more scared than I had ever been. How do you explain something like this? I was now friends with my enemy, ex enemy? And we spent a lot of time together, like, a lot. And I enjoyed it. And now we had some strange new power that let us join our cores and share not just our emotions, but images, thoughts, feelings. We could sense each other even if we were at completely opposite ends of town. The entire thing sounded shady, and even if Tucker bought into it I knew Sam never would.
They had asked about him, wondered if he was giving me any problems. I had told them a little about my interactions with the man, that I did see him in town and the most I got was a friendly wave or a casual greeting. I wanted to see how they would react to something so basic as having an acquaintance in Vlad. As predicted, Tucker was cool about taking it for what it was. He pointed out that Vlad had been pretty much non-existent in the evil dude world and had done nothing for nearly three years. He told me to count my blessings and hope the situation held out until I graduated. Sam on the other hand, well, let's just say there was a lot of swearing and a very specific place Vlad could stick his fake good guy routine.
It laid heavy on my heart and nearly killed me not to tell them but I just didn't want to risk them thinking I had been brainwashed or cloned or anything for that matter. I knew I had to tell them, and I planned to do it over the Christmas holidays, but in those days while I was away at school I got to experience a Vlad that no one knew about.
Anytime I was with Vlad it didn't bother me as much that my friends didn't know. I didn't feel so stressed from school and I had someone with whom I could confide in. I started believing more and more that the man I knew as Vlad Plasmius was gone and the man before me was a genuinely kind and gentle person.
It helped that we had started practicing our new power together and that Vlad had taken an interest in my schooling and offered to help me study. It was a careful dance, slow and steady and when we did experiments or try things Vlad made sure he took careful notes and had us both hooked up to his machines. Those late nights, sitting in his office or living room, talking, trying to connect on a plane so different than anything I had ever experienced...it was magic. And day by day, my resolve to avoid growing too close was breaking down. I did think to fight it by spending less time with the man, but the prospect just made me miserable. When those thoughts occurred Vlad could sense my distress and would often ask me what caused such a sharp fluctuation in my emotions.
I would never tell him. I'd let him guess and I'd tell little white lies about it but I didn't want him to know that just as he had claimed the previous year that I was his weakness he was slowly becoming mine. I noticed little things about him, how he ate, smelled, looked, his mannerisms and the sound of his voice. I was being pulled in and I wasn't really trying to stop it. I told myself it was because these new powers allowed us to get so close, that I was a fool for thinking my growing feelings were based on actual feelings and not just the ones I could feel from him.
After all that time, I was still able to catch glimpses of that intoxicating love he held for me. Something that I had to shake off on a daily basis. What neither Vlad nor myself knew was that the longer we practiced connecting the harder it would be to not fully join. Emotions need release. Crying, yelling, punching or touching, kissing...rubbing…it would grow harder for us the longer we practiced but it wasn't until it was too late did we realize the absolute mess we had gotten ourselves into.
It was the 2nd of January, the very day I returned to college from Christmas break I lost the tight slip on my control I had been carrying, and Vlad finally proved how much he truly loved me….
Chapter Four
The Addict
Danny was going near eighty on the highway, less than twenty minutes from Madison and he wanted to get there. His music was blaring, a shaky hand taking a swig of energy drink. The closer he got the more he could sense Vlad and the more relief filled his body.
The billionaire had allowed Danny to borrow one of his less expensive cars to drive home to Amity Park for the holidays. A four-door Audi that was killer. Vlad had warned Danny away from doing any unnecessary speeding or driving recklessly but Danny's mother had wanted to go for a rather fast drive through town.
If he had been pulled over the cop would have thought he was strung out on some sort of narcotic. Heavy circles rested under his eyes, he was pale and his body shook something fierce. Yet, the closer he got to Madison the better he felt.
Memories played like a never-ending movie in his mind's eye as he recalled things he shouldn't want to recall. Vlad next to him under the Jeep filthy and cursing at a part that wouldn't come loose. The man bending over Danny's shoulder as he struggled with homework and the sound of Vlad's voice next to his ear as he helped and explained the problem.
His smell, the mix of cigars and cologne and leather sitting heavy in Danny's senses.
He remembered taking a shower before having dinner with the man and talking and laughing and just existing in a perfect calm. Heat always emanated from Vlad's body and Danny always found himself moving closer just to feel it.
As he hit the ten-minute mark something unexpected happened. He felt Vlad's energy wrap around his core and Danny shuttered and his eyes dilated as he tried the most recent skill he and Vlad had learned.
Vlad? He thought softly. He waited and after a second turned down his music so he could focus.
Daniel? Are you back?
His heart leaped, more relief and satisfaction, Yes. Are you in bed? Awake? In your study, can I come over? Is it too late?
Daniel, slow down, thinking too fast, easy now, ask again, slow…
Can I come over?
Yes. Yes, I think you should. We need to talk.
Danny's heart sped up even more as a cold sweat erupted over his skin and he carefully reached his energy out in hopes of finding Vlad. The younger of the two had been struggling with controlling how much energy he sent.
He felt his core connect with Vlad's and the man said loudly in his head, Get here. Now.
Danny accelerated.
A memory of Vlad and Danny sitting in the study, both cross-legged and hands laced together between them as their eyes were closed, energy gently flowing back and forth, memories sliding from one mind to the other, feelings and thoughts and that intoxicating love… Danny groaned
Less than ten minutes later he was pulling up to Vlad's house. He walked right up and phased through the front door, finding Vlad standing in the entry, looking just as tired, shaky and out of it as Daniel.
The younger rushed towards him but Vlad held up a hand, "Daniel, stop. I need you to wait and not initiate-" but Danny pushed the man's hand aside and wrapped arms around him.
"Man, that was the longest break ever. I thought I'd never get back here. I guess I really missed it here. So, do you want to do something? Work on Chief, do some experiments on our new power, have dinner, " Danny asked hopefully, "Maybe we should skip the car and dinner and just work on our powers some more? I want to work on talking to each other."
"Yes, about that Daniel. I think it would be best if we took a break from studying our new power." and as soon as Vlad said it Danny looked up at him with a confused face, "What? N-No, why?"
Vlad's hands came to Danny's shoulders and gently pulled him back so he could get a good look at him, though Danny's expression was rather relieved at the touch he still kept his focus on the older man before him. Daniel had grown in the last few years, going from five foot four to five foot eight. Now being only four inches shorter than Vlad who only stood at six foot he was on slightly more even ground with him and was quick to use the height to his advantage.
Moving closer Danny leaned up as if to kiss the man but Vlad was quick to take a step back, "Daniel, wait-"
"No. I don't want to wait. I've been gone for nearly a week! The entire time all I could think about was getting back here. Back to college, to working on Chief and these new powers. To come back to you. Now you're saying no? What's wrong, Vlad, I thought you wanted to-"
"I did, I do, yes. But you can't tell me while you were gone you didn't feel a little strange, maybe a bit anxious?"
"Isn't that what I just said. I wanted to get back here as fast as I could so we could-"
"Exactly. And does that sound like the Daniel Fenton you know? Rushing back to see good old Vlad Masters? We used to be enemies you know, and even if we are now on more amicable terms, you wouldn't ever choose to blow off your precious family and friends to be with me! Haven't you felt it? How...maddening it is to be separated from each other for too long. Doesn't that tell you something about what's going on?"
Danny glared at him as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just...boring. That's all. Home is boring, school is fun and working on the car and our powers is fun! Hanging out with you is fun, there I said it, I surrender to whatever dastardly plan you have waiting in the wings and give myself over to you for your evil nefarious purposes, now can we please get down to business! Here, just touch me." and Danny grabbed the man's hand in hopes of bringing it to his face but Vlad yanked his hand away.
"Look at us, Daniel!" and Vlad whirled the boy around to look into a mirror that hung in the main entryway, "Do we look happy and healthy to you! Sunken eyes, pale skin, shaking, the sweats? No, we look like a pair of narcotic starved junkies! Our experiments have gone wrong! Something about this is very dangerous and until I figure out what that is we shouldn't practice with this new power!" Vlad urged angrily, the first time he had seemed so since the incident last year when they fought during the storm.
Danny did look at both himself and Vlad in the mirror, he saw what the man was talking about and for a split second he recognized the problem, "I...I understand...I mean, I've felt so starved, like I'm always hungry and my body hurts, but it doesn't hurt when you and I, when we-"
And Vlad sighed, a bit of relief in his voice as he said softly, "I understand, I do, I've felt it too, but Daniel, until I know why our joining is so addictive, we need to stop. We must focus on getting over the withdrawal and try to find a solution."
Danny gave a shaky nod and sighed before he looked at Vlad in the mirror, "Alright. Sure, whatever you want. But do you think before we go cold turkey and try to shake off whatever's going on, we could just...one more time? Then we can take a break. I promise. Just once more?"
And Danny's look was pleading, a desperate bargain for just one more little taste of that love he found so alluring. The thing he wouldn't admit to, the problem that had started to become bigger and more difficult to avoid the longer they did this yet something Danny was unable or perhaps just unwilling to stop.
"Daniel, we mustn't." Vlad coaxed gently and in that singular rejection, Danny went from calm and understanding to rage-filled.
Shoving the man's hand off him Danny turned to him and glared, "Why are you doing this! I thought you loved me! But you're just hurting me! You're a cruel manipulative ass-hole! To think I was starting to care for someone like you! I hope you die, I hope you suffer forever in a lonely isolated little bubble!" and he turned to go but Vlad was quick to grab him by the wrist and spin him around, "Daniel, stop this right now. You are behaving like a child!" Vlad yelled.
"Nope, I'm behaving like an addict!" Daniel said with a hidden smirk before he lunged onto the man and gripped his hands onto Vlad's face.
The skin to skin contact was delicious and Danny quickly pressed his energy out and towards Vlad's core, desperately trying to reach it and feel those luscious feelings that put fire into his veins.
"Daniel, Daniel, stop!" Vlad ordered in shock as he was unable to avoid the rather violent intrusion into his core. The man shook under him as Danny closed his eyes and tried to dig to find the emotions he was looking for. However, in this moment all he could find was fear and hurt. Danny shoved those feelings away, digging deeper, still searching until he found something that felt right.
"There, let me feel it, I want to feel it again-" he whispered out as he straddled Vlad's hips and found something that felt like it might be what he was looking for. But it wasn't love Danny found, it was lust, a twisted sort of lust that had been buried very deep in the last three years that Vlad had been trying to change, it was Vlad's lust for power. The thing that had lain dormant and as Danny tugged at it Vlad fought him.
"Don't! Please, Daniel! Don't, not that! No….do-don't touch it!" but the young man was desperate to find that love, that feeling he had grown accustomed to, the one that made him feel so damn good.
Vlad thrashed on the ground below him, nearly clawing to try and remove the young man's hands from his face and after several more attempts, Vlad's nails leaving burning red marks in Daniel's skin he finally had enough and with a shove of his hand he fired a blast of his pink Ecto-energy right at Danny's chest. The young man took it at point-blank range and was shot off Vlad and across the room. He hit the wall hard and fell to the ground with a thud.
Vlad sat up and brought a hand to his head, feeling horrible surges of emotions as he tried to calm himself. Rage, anger, hate, that strong and intoxicating lust, lust for power, for things he didn't need, want or deserve. The desire to conquer, a nostalgia for the good old days and a thought of using this new bond between them to control the young man he had coveted for so long.
"Don't! Don't go there! Do not do this! You've been down that road and you never ever get anything out of it! Don't...just let it go. Let it all go. Calm must remain calm and breath…" the man murmured viciously to himself.
Danny raised his head, reaching out a hand to Vlad before his eyes seemed to cross and everything went black.
When Danny woke up he was in bed, but the bed was not his own. He turned his sleepy and confused head to see Vlad was sleeping next to him. A long time ago he would have been terrified, but tonight, as his eyes grew large and glossy and his heart started to pick up he licked his lips and reached out a shaky hand towards the man next to him.
The questions that should have been in his mind about how he got here, what was going on, why Vlad had blasted him so hard didn't even ring a bell of thought, he just didn't care.
Inches from the man's face a hand came and gently took his wrist, "Sleep it off, Daniel. We will talk in the morning when you are calmer and less strung out." he murmured sleepily.
"I can feel your heat, touch me, just a little. Let's just-"
"Blasted, boy. I am not going to play these games with you." and the man instantly rolled over, hands forcing Danny away from him so that Vlad could spoon him. Vlad locked his legs around Danny's, hands pulling the boy's arms to his chest securely. He then pressed lips gently to Danny's shoulder and the young man shuttered and moaned, "Please, again. Touch me again." Vlad gave another gentle kiss and for several minutes Danny asked for more. Vlad gave him a gentle kiss each time he asked but nothing more.
Once or twice the weak youth tried to break the man's hold so he could turn around but Vlad held firm, "I don't understand! Why, if we are both suffering from some form of addiction are you so much better at hiding it." the boy said in frustration.
"My answer to questions like that will always be the same, Daniel. Years of practice and experience. Now, you either try to sleep here with me, our skin at least touching, or I tie you down to a metal table in the lab and you sweat it out like a normal addict, in a cell by yourself."
Danny sighed in frustration before an evil smirk came to his face, "You wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't I? It's three in the morning, and I am tired and in a very bad mood. Should you really be calling my bluff?"
"I know you wouldn't because if you could have you would. This little snuggle session is for your benefit too. You said you felt the same effects, which means you want to touch me just as much as I want to touch you. So, instead of strapping me to a lab table you brought me to bed with you."
"Very good, your power of perception is improving. Now, go to sleep before I shove you through the wall." Vlad yawned as his body also trembled and his arms tightened around the boy.
"Maybe I will just turn into Phantom and blast you instead." Danny retorted.
"Hmm, you could try, but once again you failed to notice."
"Notice what?"
"Bracelet." the man said with fatigue.
Danny glanced down to his wrist and swore, "Damn it, Vlad!"
"Now go to sleep. I am wearing a bracelet too so no ghost powers, no fighting and they won't power off until tomorrow evening. We should be well enough by then to sort out this mess. For now, try to sleep, Little Badger."
Danny was silent for a moment before he asked softly, "Hey, Vlad? You know, you could have used this to your advantage, why didn't you?"
Lips came to the back of Danny's neck and kissed slowly, moving down to his shoulder before ending on his back, the young man giving light moans and squirming the entire time.
"Who said I didn't?" and Vlad pressed his hips into Danny's backside and he felt Vlad's arousal.
"I can take care of that, all you have to do is-"
"Stop it. Trading sexual favors for drugs is beneath you and anyway, it wouldn't be real so there really is no point or satisfaction." Vlad said.
"Who says it wouldn't be real?" Danny asked.
"The young man, who when sober and clear-minded, made me promise that sex would not be part of the equation. Now, shut up and try to sleep or so help me I will punch you in the face until you do."
"Okay, fine. But, just...one more kiss? On my neck, just one, right where you bit me." the young man asked.
"You are very lucky I still have firm control over my will-power, you wicked young thing." and Vlad reluctantly brought his lips to the spot where he had bit Danny last year, giving the softest of kisses before hovering over the spot, his hot breath rolling over Danny's skin, "Vlad-" Danny whispered and the older man bared his teeth, sans fangs, and gently placed them on cool flesh, "Y-yes, please...just...please…" Danny whispered so faintly.
You'd not know it from looking at him, but the amount of restraint it took from Vlad to not give in and bite, fangs or no fangs was staggering. If he did, Vlad knew all the effort he had spent this evening would be wasted. His breathing intensified, eyes dilated and his hold grew even tighter but his teeth did not sink down into flesh and after a moment he gave a final kiss to the tender spot before pulling away and burying his face into the back of Danny's neck.
"Gods, get me through this night," he whispered desperately as Danny once again gave a weak little jerk and Vlad had to shift to keep the boy in the same position.
Danny murmured on and off the rest of the night, both falling in and out of sleep as their bodies tried to overcome this unexpected stint of withdrawal. It helped that they were together, physically close but emotionally distant, that seemed to be the key to easing the symptoms and while Danny whined and murmured and begged softly Vlad was with him all night, whispering right back words of reassurance and understanding. They could make it through this, but it would take time and neither of them could slip up.
When Danny woke up the next morning his body was no longer shaking. Sometime in the late hours of the morning both had managed to fall asleep.
He was warm and cozy now, realizing pretty quickly that he was tucked against Vlad's side with the man's arm in the crook of his neck and a hand just barely grazing his upper back. The older man was snoring softly and as Danny shifted his body to stretch his core hummed gently. This was the closest they had ever been. Skin to skin, only boxers in the way and though that powerful feeling to join cores had faded considerably it was still there.
Danny smiled at the man next to him, suddenly very aware of how much things had changed in the last, "It's been five months-" Danny mused as his fingers twitched with the urge to press Vlad's messy hair away from his face.
What would have been something to freak out about a month ago didn't even phase him now. His mind went back to the night before, recalling everything he said and how he had acted. He even recalled how it had felt when Danny had tried to force his way into Vlad's core and search out those emotions he so coveted.
Shame and regret filled him, a simmering guilt that ate away at him as he lay there in the quiet. Shifting just a little closer and feeling the heat that came from the man next to him Danny mused over how he might apologize as well as where he might now stand with the man. The entire time he had been away from Madison and back in Amity all he wanted to do was return to this man, this house and do the things they had been doing.
It had not even occurred to Danny that he was acting out of withdrawal and cravings verse simply enjoying the man's company. He had spent only a day with Sam and Tucker, telling them very little and hardly able to focus on their own stories from their experiences of year one in college. He had also neglected his parents and sister, spending time with them but never really saying much, his folks nearly having to pull every single word out of him with gentle prodding. Jasmine had been heavily suspicious and on multiple occasions tried to loosen her brother's tongue.
Danny had simply been buried in his phone, sending texts and pictures constantly to Vlad and the man responding without thought that he might be feeding into something a bit not good. Whatever had triggered Vlad to notice the issue at hand Danny was glad for it.
Recalling his struggles after their first encounter last year, the months it had taken to fight the urges to return to Vlad and seek out more had been nothing compared to the pull he had felt last night and it seemed to be solely based on how much time the pair spent touching and sharing their cores with each other.
Once again the idea to seek out Clockwork or some other friendly spirit to see if they had answers was pushing its way into his head. He had three options if he decided to do it too. Clockwork, Frostbite, and Ember. Of the three Ember was the least likely to help him but they were on better terms and Ember's personality was closer to a young adult than the other two. However, just dropping in and asking such personal questions would be uncomfortable and Danny didn't want to take the chance of the spirit of rock and roll spilling her guts so others.
So, Ember was out. Frostbite might not be a bad idea but the beast didn't even resemble a human and knew very little about half-human half-ghost hybrids aside from the fact that they also had cores like other ghosts. He would be more blunt and honest yet Danny wasn't sure how much honesty he could take. He also wasn't sure how comfortable he would be sharing his relationship with Vlad to the creature given Frostbite and his people had had some rather nasty run-ins with Vlad in the past.
Danny needed a neutral party and of the three Clockwork was that spirit. He probably already knew the situation and also had a pretty good idea of what might be happening to them. So, as quietly as he could Danny shifted away from Vlad and out of bed. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and noticed it was almost five in the evening, he also noticed that his bracelet had opened and laid on the bed between them.
Vlad said the thing was on a time-release for this evening. I guess I have nothing stopping me now.
While going now was probably not the best choice Danny wasn't sure he'd have any other time. Vlad was still out cold, having watched over Danny all night and struggled to keep him from doing something rash. His fatigue was no doubt greater and so Danny grabbed up his clothes which Vlad had apparently removed at some pointed and silently phased down through the mansion until he got to Vlad's lab.
Vlad had given Danny an access code, very basic in how far into Vlad's computer system it would let Danny go. But, the young man hoped it would at least allow him to operate the ghost portal. He spoke softly, knowing Vlad couldn't hear him but still relatively paranoid.
"Computer, access code Star NASA three. Tell me, does my code allow me access to the portal?"
"Affirmative, your access code will allow you to activate the portal."
"Computer, start the portal and open the door. No alerts needed to the rest of the house, keep the portal operational for the next three hours or until I return. Understood?"
"Affirmative. Portal shall remain active for three hours or until you return."
Danny transformed into Phantom and was about to enter the ghost zone before he hesitated and turned towards Vlad's desk. He grabbed up a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote a note, leaving it on the main control panel in hopes the man would see it if he should get up before Danny returned and then the young man entered into the ghost zone.
Extrapolating from where Vlad's portal in Wisconsin lay in relation to his parent's portal entry in the ghost zone Danny was able to find Clockwork's lair in just under an hour. It was a long flight and tiring but he was glad to see his sense of direction wasn't totally worthless. It had been a little rough, as he had had to dodge both Walker and Skulker. He didn't have time or the patience to deal with the warden of the ghost zone and knowing that Vlad and Skulker had been allies for several years didn't want to take the chance of the hunter rushing off to inform Vlad that he had spotted Danny.
Entering Clockwork's castle Danny called out softly and looked around, not seeing the spirit right away as he landed in the main room and glanced at the glowing green portals that Clockwork used. He approached and after a few seconds of watching the green swirl an image appeared.
It was Johnny 13 and Kitty. They were sitting together on a floating rock, leaning against his bike and essentially cuddling. Both of them had looks of utter contentment and adoration. Kitty sighed, "It's very bleak today." She said with a small smile, "It's so pretty."
"Not as pretty as you, Kitten. I could spend all eternity watching the ether with you."
"Oh, Johnny." She sighed happily before leaning in to kiss him and cuddle closer.
The image changed to Ember and Skulker, the ghostly rock star yelling, "You leave all your hunting crap everywhere! And yesterday one of your stupid crossbows went off and totally wrecked my favorite guitar!"
Skulker looked a bit regretful at that and sighed, "I suppose I can...expand the island...I could build you a studio, a place you can have to yourself." he said begrudgingly though he did glance up at her with curiosity to see her reaction.
Ember's angry face faded and she gave a small if not kind smile, "Thanks, Skulker." and he smiled back, reaching out a hand and taking hers before he led her off-screen.
The portal went back to its green swirling glow just as a voice rang out in the lair, "Danny Fenton, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Clockwork asked as he floated down to join the young man near the portal.
"Hello, Clockwork, long time no see," Danny said sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"Yes, I suppose, then again time isn't really long, nor is it short, it just is."
Danny glanced at him from under his bangs, returning the small smile the time spirit gave him.
"So, why are you here? You could have just called. I gave you that time medallion so you wouldn't feel the need to just drop by." Clockwork said with light annoyance.
"Yeah, about that. I didn't have it on me when I thought to come here. It's back in my dorm, and I was ...at a friends...seriously though, you don't know why I'm here?" Danny asked as he eyed the ghost in surprise.
"Should I?" and Clockwork stared at him, shifting between his appearances and waiting patiently.
"Oh, well...I guess not. I just assumed you would know, seeing as you kind of see everything."
"I do, but contrary to what you might think, time does not revolve around you. There are many timelines, in both the past present and future. I do not look at yours as often as you might think." Clockwork informed at he cocked his head to the side and smirked at Danny.
"Right. No, of course not. I guess it was pretty stupid of me to assume you would only focus on me. Sorry, I just… look, I really need your help."
"I'm sorry Daniel, I cannot allow you to hop through time anymore. I've already given you too much leeway-"
"It's not that," Danny said quickly, running a hand through his hair and refusing to make eye contact.
"Then what is it?" Clockwork asked.
Danny felt heat come to his cheeks and found this was much harder than he thought it would be. Part of him really wanted to forget this entire thing, but the information he needed to understand what was happening to him, well, Clockwork probably knew. He was a ghost, after all, and had been around a really long time, he must know or could at least point Danny in the direction of someone who might.
"Alright, look, I've found myself in a situation that is really uncomfortable, I mean, the situation I'm in is good, great actually, I like it? Maybe? But the position it has put me in is causing problems and I don't know enough about ghosts to know if the difficult position in the possibly good situation is bad...or...good." and Danny's shoulders sagged as Clockwork asked in a clipped tone, "What?"
Danny heaved a heavy sigh, "Damn it, I really didn't want to do this, but, could you possibly just...man this is humiliating, could you just look in your portal and watch like the last year and a half of my life? Possibly on fast forward and just tell me what the heck is going on with me and Vlad Master's ghostly cores. I really need your advice but I don't know how to explain the problem. Please?" and Danny made sure his face was extra pathetic and sad as Clockwork stared at him.
The time spirit sighed and turned away, "Very well, go wait over there, I need to focus."
Danny nodded but before he went he said quickly, "By the way, before you watch all the horrible mistakes I've made the last year just know how absolutely mortifying this is and know I wouldn't come to you unless this was really important and, Uhm, when the R-rated stuff comes up...you might just want to skip ahead."
Clockwork's brows narrowed and his frown intensified before he turned away and shook his head. Danny went off to the corner, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Clockwork to catch up on the last year and a half of Danny's life.
It took about an hour, Danny had slid down the wall and had his forehead resting on his forearms which were balanced on his knees. He didn't look up, didn't want to know what parts of the last year Clockwork was actually watching.
It wasn't until he heard Clockwork clear his throat that the young man looked up and saw the time spirit waiting for him. Slowly Danny stood and walked over, rubbing at his arm as he looked at the ground, 'So, do you understand my problem?"
Clockwork gave him a rather knowing smirk and Danny blushed and looked away, "I saw your timeline, Daniel. But I don't see a problem."
Danny looked up at him incredulously, "What? How is all the stuff that's happened not a problem! Vlad and I are finally getting along, we've made a truce and it's great, but all the stuff going on with our cores, I mean what the heck is that? Neither Vlad or I know what is going on and every time we try to figure it out we end up getting more and more addicted!"
"You're not actually addicted, you're just not doing it right," Clockwork said.
"Huh? Doing what right?" Danny asked.
"Mating." Clockwork offered casually as he continued to give that devilish smirk and waited patiently for Danny's reaction.
There was silence between them for a second before it finally registered, "What!? Mating? What the hell are you talking about Clockwork? We weren't, aren't...we were just exchanging energies...we didn't… we're both males!"
Clockwork's brow cocked again, "And that matters why? As I recall, there are plenty of humans in your world who are the same sex and still mate."
"No, that's different, mating is what you do to have babies! And according to Biology, you need two different sexes for that!"
"I suppose that is true. For humans, you do, anyway. Sperm and egg. But thanks to your human technology, the egg can be carried by any female and the sperm can be donated by any man."
Clockwork's portal lit up two show two women in a hospital holding each other and a newborn baby, one of the women having delivered it. A clear picture of a happy couple welcoming into the world their child, the sperm no doubt given by a donner.
"Okay. You're right, I wasn't seeing the bigger picture. But when you said it, it just sounded like you meant Vlad and me, as if we could actually have a-"
"You could. If you wanted to." Clockwork said.
"Yeah, if we wanted to adopt! If we were even in a relationship, which we aren't, which is part of the problem, and you went way off track because I want to know about what's going on with our ghostly cores, not the possibility of having kids with a man I'm not even in a relationship with!"
"Very well, if you will settle down, I will explain what I mean. Come over here and sit next to me." Clockwork ordered gently and Danny complied, sitting cross-legged in the air as he waited.
"You are both ghost and human. This means you can either choose to mate like a human or if you so choose, a ghost."
This caught Danny off guard, "Wait, so ghosts reproduce like humans?"
"Of course, or don't you remember the indomitable, Box Lunch."
"Oh, right, the daughter of the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady. That's still an eew by the way."
"It does not matter how you see it, what matters is that you understand what you've started. Ghosts can mate, but they do not do so the same as humans. When ghosts mate, they mate for all eternity. Johnny 13 and Kitty, Ember and Skulker and yes, eventually the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady. This is why it is not taken lightly and ghosts may wait decades or millennia before they choose a mate." and Danny watched as the portal lit up, showing all these couples before showing Danny and Vlad, the pair laughing as they worked on Danny's Jeep.
"When ghosts mate, they allow their cores to essentially fuse. That feeling you have after touching your core with Vlad's-"
"The withdrawal?" Danny asked and Clockwork nodded, "You're not actually becoming addicted to each other, what you are feeling is each of your cores trying to draw you back so you can maintain the connection long enough to fuse your cores and become permanent mates. Partners for all eternity. This is another reason why ghosts are mostly solitary creatures. If they grow to close with another of their kind but don't mate, it can cause the same disruptions you are currently experiencing with Vlad Masters."
"So that's why it's so rare the ghosts in the Ghost zone work together," Danny said in sudden understanding
"Yes. It can cause more harm than good for ghosts to unite and connect the way humans do. However, both you and Vlad Masters are still part human and so are still afflicted with the human condition of seeking out friendships and connections. It will be very dangerous for you two to remain as you are without completing the rites of mating and fusing your cores."
"So, when you say Vlad and I could have a kid, you did mean adoption right?"
"No. Ghosts can reproduce like humans, but differently. They don't have a physical body, no fluids, so to speak, to exchange. So, when a pair decides to mate and then reproduce the only way to do so is for each partner to take a small piece of their core out of themselves and donate it to the creation of their child."
Clockwork changed the portal to show the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady, both carefully reaching into their cores and pulling out a shimmer of light. They gently brought their lights together and suddenly the shimmers merged. The light grew brighter until it was too bright to look at. When Danny turned his head back to the screen after wincing and glancing away there between the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady floated Box Lunch, just opening her eyes and glancing between them before she squealed happily and hugged them both, Box Ghost and Lunch Lady gazing at each other lovingly.
"Whoa," Danny said, both shocked at the beauty of it and disgusted by the fact he had just witnessed Box Ghost and Lunch Lady having...what? Ghost sex?
"So, Vlad and I, we could do that? Even though we are only half-ghost?"
"What is a child but half of you and half of someone else? It only takes patience, commitment, and love."
Danny swallowed, "So, Vlad and I, we either need to...choose to be together...forever...or-"
"Or you must separate, and learn to exist in the same world without connecting." Clockwork said with a rather final tone.
Danny sighed, "Why did this never happen before? I spent years fighting him, spending days at a time with him when I was a kid. I mean, I've never felt-"
"You were not ready. In human terms, your core was not sexually mature. Now, however, you've reached that maturity and therefore are now susceptible to other cores around you."
"Wait a second, Vlad told me he was unable to reach out his core to anyone else, ghost or human… do you know why? I mean, if what is happening to us really is just a natural ghostly thing, shouldn't we be able to connect with other ghosts too? And for that matter, shouldn't this have happened to Vlad like, years ago? He's like way beyond the point of having a susceptible core."
"Your cores are currently locked onto each other. Once he made the connection with you, he laid his claim to your core. Unless you separate your self from him permanently, his core will be the only core you crave and will continue to draw you to him and him to you until you fuse. Unless you cut ties your ghostly cores will not be able to connect with another. This is our way, and for us, it is as natural as dating and marriage are to you humans."
"Dating?" Danny asked even more confused than before.
"When you reach out to his core or he to yours, it's essentially like the dates you humans go on. It's how ghosts test the waters of compatibility. How we get to know each other and how we decide if we wish to continue to see the other. If things go well, if the feelings are good and pure it eventually leads to bonding and then fusion."
"Fusion is like a ghostly version of getting married?"
"Exactly. As for Vlad Masters's core being sexually mature, yes, he could have at any time chose to seek out another ghostly core, but there was something else in the way."
"What?" Danny asked.
"You and your mother. Vlad's focus and fixation on your mother and eventually you did not allow for his core to seek out another. He was essentially blinded by his love and desires, unable to hear the call of his core to find a mate. When he no longer had those feelings for your mother and instead focused directly on you, things changed. I have no doubt his core started to take control and eventually led him to you. That night in the fields of Wisconsin was no coincidence. And when he bit you, your own core was essentially marked. It reacted as it should, accepting the feelings from Vlad's own core readily to give you a better understanding of the possible mate before you. It was all done very naturally, though biting isn't usually involved, most ghosts simply join hands or hug while their cores explore each other. Do you understand now?"
"Yes. Only I wish I didn't. I have one more question, and it's kind of personal-"
"You wish to understand why that night between you and Vlad ended as it did, instead of like a normal ghostly encounter?" Clockwork asked, the image of Ember and Skulker hugging as their cores met, the look of ease and contentment wrote all over their faces. But neither of them descended into the thrills of sexual pleasure. They simply parted and with kind smiles, went their separate ways.
"Yes, actually. All these images you have shown me, none of the ghosts go as far as….they don't….I mean...why did Vlad and I….when they obviously didn't-"
"You keep forgetting, Daniel. You and Vlad are only half-ghost. You still retain your human half, the half that I stated earlier, still craves human connection and companionship. When you two joined that very first time, it was a fusion of two different cultures. The human connection and the ghostly. Your cores followed their natural instinct to experience the potential mate before them, as did your human half."
Danny shook his head, brow furrowing as his eyes closed and fingers came to rub angrily at his eyes, "Can nothing ever be easy for me? Why does this have to...fine, I can handle this...I can...damn it."
"So, you understand then? You know what it means?" Clockwork asked, watching Danny carefully.
"This means I have to make a choice, and I really don't want to do that. Making a choice, separating from Vlad or...staying attached to him forever...I never thought I'd be this conflicted over losing Vlad Masters. But apparently..." but the words fell away from him. Saying anything more was pointless. Danny knew what needed to happen, either yes or no, but no longer could he exist in-between.
"I am sure with enough time and consideration you will make the right one." Clockwork offered.
Danny nodded but didn't feel any better. Still, he thanked Clockwork before he left only stopping long enough to look back and ask, "Hey, by the way, this whole thing kind of sounds like what happened with Dark Phantom, is there any chance that this could ever lead to-"
"No Daniel. Dark Phantom is a thing of the past, no longer your future. His existence was based solely on loss, fear, and pain. Fusing your ghostly core with another in the way I have shown you will bring only love and peace. As long as Danny Phantom exists inside of Danny Fenton, you will never have to worry about Dark Phantom again."
Danny gave a soft smile and nodded before he turned to go, finally having answers but dreading explaining it to Vlad.
A/N: