(Don't) Say My Name - Chapter 7
Vlad makes his twentieth circle around the boiler room. He's still under the school. He's still reeling from his backfired interrogation with Ember and Freakshow. 'They have to be lying. They must.'
"We never messed with your mind. Or the kid's. You wanted his feelings to be genuine and they are."
'No.' Because if they weren't lying…
He remembers when he first learned about the dark twist to the spell, how he fantasized - however unwillingly - about Daniel pressed into his side, pretty blues looking up at him, needy, desperate...
'No.' The implications are too impossible.
"The spell doesn't stack your feelings about each other, only physical reactions."
'Absolutely not.'
He remembers thinking about Daniel relieving 'pent up aggression' as his friends so flippantly put it. How he imagined about it being his name that Daniel would moan out. How goddamned exciting that thought was.
'I fantasized in a classroom.'
"The spells rely on auditory cues."
"Oh fuck!"
"Okay, what'd you guys get for 17b?" Tucker calls from his perch on the couch, pencil in his mouth slightly garbling his words.
Sam, sitting near his feet and working on her own English homework at the coffee table, leans away so he can get a better look at her answers. She's already 8 questions past 17b.
Danny answers, "He plans to talk to De Lacey in private because he's blind and can't judge him on looks." from the floor across from them. He prefers to work on his stomach. Something about the carpet being soft.
Tucker groans and begins madly erasing his answer, muttering about the necessity of book reports, particularly Frankenstein to function in society.
Sam finishes the page she was on and leans back, watching Danny work before suddenly asking, "So what do you think Vlad's been hiding?"
Danny's feet pause their swinging as he looks up at her, frown suddenly marring his features. "I don't know, it must be bad if he's so ashamed though." He stares off to the side, lost in thought.
After a few moments of silence, Tucker asks, "So, imagine yourself in his shoes and you just found out how ugly you are, what would you do first?"
Danny sits up, bristling, "Hey! Vlad isn't ugly!"
Sam chuckles and raises an eyebrow at him, "Oh he isn't, now is he?"
Tucker stares at him, "Dude… I was talking about the monster? You know, the homework?" He points to the book as further proof.
Danny feels his whole body run cold then hot, and embarrassedly looks away, "R-right. I knew that. Umm, what question was that for?"
Sam snorts and flips back in her notes. Tucker just shakes his head, "I was just curious. I mean, my first thought wouldn't be to reveal myself to someone if I found out I was an abomination…" He trails off, trying not to laugh at his friend's expense.
"Sooo do you think he's hot?" Sam asks curiously, handing Tucker her book.
Danny blanches at her and turns his face away, "I, uh... I wouldn't say that." His voice sounds strained.
Sam hums loudly, "But didn't you say he turns you on? How come you don't think he's hot?"
"Oh my god Sam! Seriously?!"
"It's a simple question, Danny."
He thinks about it, picturing Vlad in his mind. 'He's definitely not ugly, he takes good care of himself… Image is important to the public of course.' He finds his cheeks warming, it's still weird thinking about his old enemy this way. But even beaten and bleeding, Vlad always manages to looks good.
Danny realizes he's been quiet for too long and Sam is still watching him. "I guess he isn't bad looking." He says nonchalantly, pretending to be very interested in his pencil and sharpening it unnecessarily.
"So you don't have a career in acting…" Sam says, grinning like a wolf at him.
He pretends he doesn't hear her, staring at his Frankenstein book but not reading the words. He thinks about Vlad in class that day and how uncomfortable he looked. 'What IS his problem? Did he maybe hurt himself and is embarrassed to tell me about it? Maybe it really isn't a big deal and he's just being an idiot…" That thought certainly doesn't surprise him, but he wonders what role Ember and Freakshow play in this. 'Maybe I can corner them and ask again… more forcefully.'
The silence stretches with nothing but the sound of Tucker's furious pencil scratching the paper, still working to catch up on his homework. He suddenly asks, "So he vows vengeance on all mankind after just one bad incident? Who even does that? Seems pretty dumb…"
Danny glares at Tucker, pursing his lips before biting out, "Well obviously he was upset. You would be too if you suddenly 'died' and lost your only friends, family and love interest because of one stupid mistake. He was clearly very emotional and not being used to rejection he kind of –"
"Whoa, Danny easy!" Tucker cuts in, holding his hands up in surrender. "The book, man, the book! I'm doing my fucking homework, not talking about Vlad again!"
Sam suddenly bursts out laughing. She was trying to hold it in when Danny went off on Tucker again but really. This was just too much.
Danny is understandably red in the face and breathes out a tiny, "-oh."
He ducks his head in his notebook and does his best to reread some paragraphs and get back in the game here, because really, this is ridiculous.
Tucker rolls his eyes and figures out his question on his own. Sam looks over his shoulder and nods along, pointing out a few spelling mistakes here and there and Tucker swatting her away.
Eventually Tucker comes across one point that raises a question. He looks to Sam silently and raises an eyebrow, finger to his lips. He clears his throat and flicks his eyes over to Danny, still lost in thought with a goofy grin on his face. "So, in the end he feels alone in the world and obviously wants a companion to share it with. Do you think he deserves it, since he's done so much evil already?"
Sam and Tucker watch in amusement as the small smile disappears from their friend's face and is replaced with a scowl. "Everyone deserves someone Tuck, and a chance to redeem themselves. Why the fuck would you-" he cuts himself off and takes in their smug looks and pales, "Wait, who are you talking about?"
Tucker leans forward and enunciates slowly, "Who do you think?"
Danny looks between their two shit-eating grins and groans, flopping backwards onto the carpet. He feels his whole body warm and sweat as his best friends cackle at him from the couch. He covers his face with his hands and mutters, "Assholes," earning him harder laughter in response.
"Ah, hello, Mrs. Ishiyama. May I have a small moment of your time?"
The principal stows away her paperwork and gestures to the chair across from her pleasantly. "Of course, Mr. Masters, come right in! How have your classes with Mr. Lancer been coming along?"
He adopts a regretful posture, "Well that is what I wished to discuss actually-"
"I hear great things from Mr. Lancer." She happily cuts in. "He tells me the students have really taken a liking to you and your teaching style!"
He bristles at the interruption but tries again, "Well I'm glad he thinks that way but Mrs. Ishiyama, I-"
She cuts him off again, smile too wide and words too sweet, "He tells me their participation has nearly doubled! I feel like your volunteering this week has made such a wonderful impact on their lives. If only you could be here longer!" She sighs, "I understand you're a busy man but clearly you have a knack for teaching."
Vlad seems perturbed by her interrupting again, wishing he could just get to the part where he tells her he's quitting early, "Yes well that's all well and good but-"
"Ah well, there's only 3 days left. At least the students get to look forward to that much." Her eyes pierce into his skull, pinning him to the tiny chair, making him feel like a negligent child himself. "Its so nice for them to have such an influential leader in our community taking time away from his duties to speak with and understand our youth." She seems to grow in size, the walls of the room squeezing in on them. "You are such an important role model for them, it's nice to show them what true dedication to the job can really award you." Her voice hardens, tone so pleasant it's almost insulting, "You are showing them how following through with your promises is one of the most vital things a man of your stature can do for his people. Everyone here is so proud to have you this week. Your last day on Friday will be a sad day indeed."
Her speech leaves Vlad feeling small and powerless, warning in her voice clear as day. He opens his mouth to admit defeat/agree his last day will certainly be Friday. His voice cracks on the first syllable and he corrects it, trying again with a quiet, "Yes of course." He looks at his hands to collect his thoughts, feeling small and stupid for even trying to get out of this. "I am happy to hear such wonderful reviews from Lionel," He stands, prompting her to copy his movement, and puts on a brave face, "However please excuse me, I must check in on my secretary before her shift ends."
They shake hands, Vlad knowing if it weren't for his super-human strength that his hand would have bruised from her grip. He smiles pleasantly and does his best to not flee from her office.
The principal sits down and smiles to herself, watching the door close with a self-satisfied nod. She reaches into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small flask and quickly uncapping the lid. The smell of whiskey flows into her nostrils as she hurriedly takes a sip, slamming the lid back on and stowing it away again. She grabs her paperwork that she was working on before the interruption and resumes running her school, pleased with herself.
The trio has moved on to their math homework. It's mostly silent as there's a lot less theory with these kinds of questions. Tucker is closer to his element here and offers Sam and Danny assistance where he can.
Mrs. Tucker takes that moment to walk in with a few plates of refreshments, smiling at the quiet room and carefully stepping over Danny to place the plates on the coffee table. The teens thank her and rush the snacks, happy for a break from the jumble of letters and numbers they are dissecting.
Danny munches in silence, looking at his watch to keep an eye on the time.
Tucker notices and figures where his mind has gone, again, "What if you, I don't know, just let this one thing go?"
Danny and Sam look at him, question marks almost visible above their heads. "I mean, if he won't tell you what he's been doing with Ember and Freakshow, but still wants a truce, then maybe this one thing isn't so bad?" Tucker explains, "Could you just let it go? Save him the embarrassment and move on to being friends?"
"No way!" Danny doesn't even hesitate.
Sam hums, "Wait, actually think about this though Danny. He may be on to something here." She looks at Tucker and tilts her head, "If he's willing to play Good or at least Neutral then no matter what, we win. He may not want to tell you this one thing, but it might not even be that bad."
"That's what I mean!" Tucker nods, "He'll stop doing evil shit around town anyway and so this point just ends up being null and void, right? Could you just let him have this one secret?"
Danny sighs, "I get what you're both saying, but this is Vlad we're talking about. And I'm kind of surprised at you Tuck, you just said in class that this must be a big deal thing for him if it's the one plan he wont talk about. A big deal for him can't be good. I have to know."
They lapse into silence, all wondering what the fuck Vlad is up to, and with such an unlikely duo to boot.
Sam snaps her fingers in a 'Eureka' moment. "How about you fight him?"
That certainly surprises both boys, who look at her like she's nuts. But experience keeps their opinions to themselves until she finishes her thought. Her thoughts usually make sense in the end. Usually.
"If you attack him and he fights back like always then you know he's doing shady shit and hasn't changed. But," she holds up a finger, "if he hesitates and doesn't wasn't to fight, maybe even goes so far as to avoid the fight entirely then you know he really was entertaining the truce. He'll try to do anything else to appease you and make you trust him. Then you know his heart is in the right place, its just his pride that isn't."
The boys stare at her in awe.
"Wow…" Tucker breathes, sharing a nod with Danny. "Girls are so manipulative…"
Sam punches him in the shoulder, hard, and flips Danny the bird for good measure.
Danny snorts but smiles, "I like it. It's totally crazy but makes sense. Jazz would be so proud of you Sam." He raises an eyebrow at the girl who crosses her arms and huffs. "I'll save it as a backup plan, but I'm hoping things don't come to that." He pops another snack in his mouth. "I guess it depends on what happens tonight." He says around the mouthful thoughtfully.
Vlad has paced many steps in this one day. He makes another loop around his study, brows furrowed, hands clasped behind his back. His thoughts, as always it seems lately, surrounding the youngest Fenton and the utterly ridiculous situation he has placed them both in.
"This is NOT how I expected things to be going!" He growls angrily, not for the first time cursing Ember and Freakshow and their 'creativity.' "I wonder how Deseree would have handled this… would she have made such a mess of things?"
He makes another lap, thinking about the wish-giving ghost. "Would I have time to find her and wish to turn things around?" He scoffs, already imagining her laughing in his face for the stupid situation he put himself in, no doubt enjoying his pain. "She would probably take their side in this," He mutters, thinking about Ember and Freakshow, "she would without a doubt make things worse for her own entertainment."
Shaking his head and crossing that idea off his list, he passes his desk again and turns around. He catches sight of himself in a mirror and steps towards it for closer inspection. His loosened tie and flyaway hairs were a dead giveaway to his stress.
"I could come up with something else to tell him. They expect embarrassing or shameful, I could make some idiotic plan up that maybe backfired on me." He realizes he literally just described the situation he is in now. He breathes out loudly through his nose, "Something else. I just need to change the plan I was attempting, I can keep the damned embarrassment for acting points."
He studies his complexion in the mirror, "What could I say? Would it be convincing enough?" He'd also have to swear the two ex-employees to silence. He frowns, "That could be giving them power against me - a bargaining chip. I can't have that." He mulls over the pros and cons of doing away with them entirely and just killing them but realizes Daniel and his little friends might suspect him for their sudden disappearance too, "How annoying," he groans.
He resumes pacing, "Not to mention Daniel seems to be infuriatingly more perceptive than most professionals I work with daily." He muses about that for a moment, vowing to never let Daniel in on that thought, just in case he takes it as a compliment. He has an image to keep up of course.
But it is an undeniable truth that the teen seems to be able to read Vlad well, perhaps just as well as Vlad can read him. The man just chocks this up to their shared half-dead status. The super hearing, reflexes and of course 4 years of fighting each other all helps too. They've danced around each other enough to notice the small cues, subtle shifts and weaknesses in stance. They certainly share a unique bond and it gives the teen an edge that Vlad currently finds very aggravating.
He finally admits he probably can't lie convincingly enough to Daniel and crosses that plan off his list too. He sighs in resignation, "I simply cannot afford to take the chance. If he even slightly suspects me…" He trails off. It would ruin this very delicate thing they've begun to dance around. "No, I have to be honest." He grimaces at the word, tasting its bitterness. "It's for the best. The rewards of the future will be well worth the embarrassment of today."
He decides he can live with that. This could even be something they look back on and laugh about, as friends.
Danny packs away the last of his homework supplies into his bookbag. Tucker lounges on his couch, clicking away on his PDA.
Sam had driven back to her own home already, but not before offering Danny a lift. He declined so he could finish up the last bit of his math work (apparently, he was very distracted tonight and worked slower than his friends. Mercifully, no one commented on why).
"Alright," Danny announces, standing and shouldering his bag, "I'm all set."
Tucker walks him to the door, pocketing his device and putting a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Hang on man."
Danny stops and eyes him wearily, expecting another jab about Vlad for the road.
Tucker surprises him with a genuine smile, "I know we've been pretty hard on you lately, but you know Sam and I have your back, right?"
At Danny's nod, the teen continues, "We both were kind of weirded out at first because, ya know, it's Vlad, your sworn enemy and all that shit. But if anyone can turn his evil ass around, it's definitely you." Tucker gives him a rueful smile, "Sam and I would never have given him the time of day, you're obviously a better person than us."
Danny grins and blows his bangs out of his face, "I meant it when I said everyone deserves a second chance. You guys aren't bad people though, I know why you're suspicious of him. I'm not that stupid."
Tucker leans against the doorframe, arms folded and grinning like a madman, "Just stupid for Vlad." He laughs at Danny's eyeroll, "Okay, okay, sorry. Couldn't help it."
Danny gives him a weird look, "Why are you guys so cool about this whole Vlad-thing anyway?" He waves his hand in front of himself vaguely, "I was expecting you both to be going on about his age and how so not appropriate these ah… feelings are." He bites out the word with a quick wince.
Tucker shrugs, "Meh, you like who you like. It's definitely not normal but neither are you two." He snickers at Danny's huff and continues, "You guys have something no one else does and honestly, you should be working together, not against each other. It's a waste, in my opinion." He hums in thought, "That doesn't mean you have to bump uglies with him but whatever, bonus I guess?"
Danny chokes on his next breath, "Tuck!" he wheezes. "What the fuck!"
Tucker just laughs and claps him on the back, roughly. "Dude chill, you still need to breathe half the time. Until you die entirely." He informs his best friend good-naturedly. "Yeah he's old but just think of all the experience he has." He waggles his eyebrows at Danny suggestively.
Danny feels a tingle in his cheeks and ears, knowing a blush has spread across his skin like wildfire. He drags a hand across his face in a weak attempt to wipe the telling colour away. "Why does the crazy shit always happen to me?" He mutters.
Tucker follows his friend's lead into changing the conversation, "Yeah I used to be envious about that. It's always you, I felt so damned second-rate in comparison." He frowns, remembering his younger self, "I was pretty stupid about that."
Danny crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, "Want to trade places?"
"Hell fuckin' no!" Tucker blurts, waving his hands in front of himself protectively, "I learned my lesson! Besides, I see now how tired you are, like, all the time. I know how much sleep you get and honestly? That life just isn't for me."
They both laugh, knowing Tucker couldn't function as a human being without his full 8 hours of sleep every night.
"No offence, but I like being able to shut it off sometimes." Tucker continues, eyes lowered in shame.
"None taken, dude. I get it. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through it in my place, that's for sure." He flashes a warm smile at his friend, "Besides, where would we be if none of this happened anyway? Seems kind of boring, being a normal teenager with only normal problems."
They giggle and share a quick bro-hug, Danny turns to leave, still smiling.
"Oh, one word of advice?" Tucker calls to him from the doorway.
Danny turns to show he's listening but continues to walk backwards.
"Be careful not to mix business and pleasure!" He cackles at his own joke and slams the door. Probably to avoid getting an ecto-blast to the shin.
Danny cringes and quickly turns around to hide his blush, 'Goddamn it, I thought he was done teasing me!'
He fumes silently as he steps onto the sidewalk. He chooses to walk home tonight, not in a rush to get home and definitely not in a rush to see Vlad. He couldn't have Tucker teasing him about that too.
Vlad arrives above the roof of FentonWorks in a cloud of swirling pink. It was dramatic and awesome, as he had intended.
But no one saw it.
'Where is he?' he wonders silently, circling the property, noting the lack of Daniel in every room. It wasn't necessary, his ghost sense would have gone off if the teen were home. 'Well, where else would he be?'
'He's most likely with his little friends.' Vlad rolls his eyes, 'Those three might as well be attached for the amount of time they spend together.'
He suddenly remembers the Manson girl and her icy stare at dinner a couple nights ago. She mentioned they have a little study group everyday. That must be where Daniel is, at one of the other two's houses.
He wonders which house he should start at, contemplating flying around the neighbourhood until his ghost sense goes off. This would cause Daniel to investigate in his phantom form and Vlad really didn't want to disturb a student from their studies. Maybe he could come back later-
A sudden boom startles the halfa from his thoughts, his red eyes widening in alarm. He scans the horizon, swiftly locating a fireball rising up from the downtown core. He narrows his eyes and takes off immediately, suspicious of its source.
"Who the devil…"
Normally he wouldn't care so much, people were always doing idiotic stuff and hurting themselves. He wasn't about to help someone out of a hard life lesson. This time, however, is an exception.
This fireball, and the following smoke cloud plume, is green. More specifically, ectoplasmic green.
A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for your support so far with my first VladxDanny fic,I have a couple more I'd like to pump out before switching pairings.
I just wanted to take the time to thank those of you favourite-ing, following and of course reviewing my work. I used to write all flowery and over the top but a teacher once accused me of plagiarizing because I didn't write how I talked. So now I write how I talk and it sometimes worries me that I'm not coming across as a serious writer, but then people like you tell me how much you enjoy my writing style and it relights the fire in my belly. So thanks for that, and please enjoy the rest of my fic!
Also, for those that offered to BETA for me. I appreciate it but I think I've decided to go down with my ship, flames and all. I don't want to wreck any storyline for you and honestly, my story-planning is hectic and confusing, even for me. i don't want anyone else to have to experience it hahaha But again, thanks! :)
