Warnings for this chapter: There is a slight molestation scene in this chapter. It's not too bad, but if scenes like that make you uncomfortable, the beginning and end of the scene will be marked with three XXX like so.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
Chapter eight: Learning comes in different forms.
"Can you teach me Italian, Phantom?"
Phantom and Danny were the last ones in the dining room after a long day, Phantom was still at one of the tables relaxing when Danny asked the question. Phantom turned around in his chair and smirked, "Is there a reason why you want to learn one of the most romantic languages in the world that also happens to be my first language?"
Danny blushed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh...I...n-no reason..."
The white haired male chuckled, eyes twinkling, "Do you wish to sing sweet nothings to me amore?" He stood, walking over and tilted Danny's head up. Danny glared at him for the image now stuck in his head.
"No! I just want to learn! Vlad only taught me English, I wanna learn other languages too!"
Phantom furrowed his brow, eyes now filled with confusion, "He only taught you one language? What if I didn't speak English and you had to talk to me? You wouldn't be able to understand me!"
Danny shrugged and looked away as Phantom stepped back. "I'm not really supposed to be talking to you anyway, I'm only allowed to talk to the staff on the ship, so..."
Phantom pursed his lips, looking determined, "Hmm, well, he's just going to have to get use to you talking to me then," He held out a hand, a wide grin on his face as his emerald eyes twinkled, "Come on, I'll teach you Italian."
A bright smile spread across the raven's face as he grabbed Phantom's hand, "Yes! Thank you!"
Phantom lead Danny to his cabin, the walls of the hall made of a dark polished wood while the floor had a thin green carpet that crawled all the way down the hall. Lights were perched on the walls, as well as some pictures, but Danny payed them no mind, he never did.
They passed ten or fifteen doors before they arrived at Phantom's cabin, the numbers 724 displayed proudly on the dark polished wood in gold paint. Phantom opened the door and Danny smiled.
It was a simple room really, the bed was large and sat in the middle of the back wall, a nightstand rested on one side of the bed and the floor was covered in green carpeting. On the opposite side of the bed stood a dresser and at the foot was a large chest. An open door a few feet away from the dresser revealed a bathroom that Danny didn't take a real good look at.
Phantom smiled as well and nudged Danny so he'd walk inside. The black haired teen mock glared at him while Phantom chuckled and raised his hands in surrender.
Phantom gestured Danny to sit on the bed, which the raven hesitantly does. He glanced around the room a little before looking at Phantom, biting his lip a little before saying, "Okay, so...how do we do this?"
The other man choked and Danny raised a brow. Clearing his throat, Phantom said, "How about we start with phases that you'd use everyday and work from there?"
Danny nodded, deciding to not question the white haired man's behavior. "Okay."
Don't you just love these disruptive line breaks?
After three hours of Danny butchering phrases, complaining every now and then and Phantom patiently correcting him and giving encouragement, Danny was finally able to speak Italian with only a couple of stutters if he spoke very slowly. Phantom clapped in enthusiasm, grinning broadly."That was very good Danny! If you keep going you could speak Italian almost as good as me!"
"Oh, almost as good, huh?" Danny snarked as he crossed his arms, pretending to be offended.
Phantom smirked, "Italian is my first language, my dear Nightingale. I would be surprised if you could speak as well as a native such as myself."
"Oh really?" The raven replied as he grinned back, "What if I could learn it and speak it as well as any native in Italy? What will you give me?"
Phantom tapped his chin in thought, "Well, if you were able to speak it as well as any native, I'll take you off this boat to site see." He said, a challenge in his eyes.
Danny's own eyes went wide, his breath hitching in his throat as he thought of the prospect. But he didn't want to get his hopes up just yet. "Vlad doesn't let me off the ship, and even if he did where would you take me?"
Phantom smiled a bit and hummed, though there was a slight twitch under his eye."Well, first I would take you to Pisa, then Venice, and maybe my home city Florance." He counted off on his fingers before he leaned forward a little, "Is that enough incentive for you?"
Danny's eyes widened again in disbelief, "You'd really do that?" He exclaimed with an excited grin before he shook his head and backtracked, "I-I mean you don't have to-"
"No! I insist!" Green eyes softened as they met startled blue, "You said you haven't been off the boat, yes?"
The raven's shoulders slumped, eyes downcast."Vlad says it's to protect me. I was a pickpocket when he took me in, if I get off the ship then they'll probably kill me or send me to die in the workhouses."
He shook his head and forced a smile, "Besides! It's not all bad! Sure I have to do odd jobs on the ship and Vlad wants me for things-" Danny's breath caught as he froze in horror at what he said before he bit his lip and glanced away. Unfortunately, Phantom seen this and his eyes narrowed.
"What? He 'wants you for things'?" He took a deep breath, "What 'things'?"
Danny just sat in silence, studying the green carpet that looked very interesting all of a sudden.
Phantom sighed, "Danny, what 'things'?"
Danny started fidgeting, biting his lip and looking anywhere but at Phantom. "Uh...not-not bad things, I wouldn't say they're bad, just..."
"Just?" Phantom prodded gently, his face carefully blank.
Danny fixed his eyes on his hands that were resting in his lap. "Just... uncomfortable, I guess? My friend says that what he does is wrong, but..." he shrugged, "Sometimes it feels..." Danny finally locked his eyes on Phantom's, making the other man jump at the desperation that must have been in them. "Is...is it wrong that I think it feels good sometimes?" Danny asked his eyes wide and frantic. 'Please don't think I'm a freak, please...' He thought over and over.
Phantom's brow furrowed deeply as his knuckles on his knees turned white and his eyes flashed in rage, making the blue eyed man flinch at the intensity, thinking that his friend was disgusted with him now. Seeing this, Phantom visibly shoved his anger down and said firmly, "Danny, as long as I'm here I won't let him hurt you like that, you have my word." He put his hand on Danny's shoulder, startling the musician when he thought that the man was going to throw him out, "And to answer your question, yes, what he's doing is very wrong. He doesn't let you leave the boat, he makes you play piano, he only taught you one language and now this. You shouldn't let him do that."
Choosing to focus on the smaller issue in that lecture, Danny glared slightly, "He's not forcing me to play piano, I asked him to let me play it. I wouldn't have discovered my talent if it wasn't for him." He sighed, his eyes downcast once more, "I would have nothing if it wasn't for him. Even if what he does is wrong, even if I'm not happy, I owe him so much." He shook his head and fixed a hard look on Phantom.
"And you can't stay on this ship forever, you'll have to get off sometimes. And your an heir! You can't focus on someone like me, it would ruin your reputation!"
Phantom glared back at Danny, finally letting his temper go. "I don't care! I'll protect you as long as I can and you can't stay here forever either! He might not be forcing you to play piano, but he should have helped you out of the kindness of his heart!" He shook his head, gritting his teeth and trying to calm himself, "He shouldn't have helped you because of some...some kind of attraction he has for you! You aren't some whore he can play around with!"
Danny flinched at the venomous tone at the end, then stood feeling his own rage take over.
"I never said I was a-that I was that! I fight him, I avoid him the best I can! But as I told my friend, he could make us disappear and no one would wonder about us!" He deflated, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. He felt tears coming and hid his face in his hands.
"Even if I could leave, where would I go? There's no where I could go that he can't find me. He has connections everywhere, he makes a point of telling me this all the time." His voice cracked as he tried to hold back his sobs.
There was no point in crying over something that couldn't be helped, Danny kept telling himself. He was the one who got himself into this by putting his trust in Vlad in the first place and looking to the man for protection and guidance. Danny made his metaphorical bed, and now he's laying in it.
He heard a soft rustling noice and felt himself being pulled into a hug. Danny tensed before relaxing and hugging him back, wanting the comfort.
"You can come with me, if you want." Phantom offered moving his hand up and down Danny's back soothingly, "I have connections as well. Trust me, he'd never be able to get to us."
Danny rested his chin on the other man's shoulder, heart thumping from the contact and the tenderness of Phantom's words. But as much as he wanted to take the offer... "I don't want him to hurt you Phantom. You're...you're too important to me, you are the first friend I have ever had that wasn't part of the ship crew."
Phantom tightened his grip on Danny, "Don't worry about me, My Nightingale, that cazzo stronzo(1) won't be able to hurt me," He pulled back a little and smiled, emerald green eyes shining with confidence, "I'm an heir, remember?"
Danny smiled back and sniffled a little, maybe he would be alright. "Yeah, I g-"
"DANIEL! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Both males jumped at the booming voice, Phantom in surprise at the vehemence of the voice, Danny in fear of being caught. Danny pulled away, the mood gone.
"I gotta go." He went to the door, but paused when he put his hand on the knob. He stood for a moment, a deep frown on his face before he softly asked, "You said you'd take me to your home...Florance right?"
Phantom said in a slightly teasing tone, "Yes, if you can speak as good as any native," Then he said seriously, "If you want me to get you out of here I will, and I'll take you to Florence."
Danny chuckled, a bitter edge to it, "Heh, maybe one day huh?" He opened the door and left.
Cause I sure do...
Danny wakes up feeling as bitter and helpless as he felt at the end of his dream. He gets dressed and steps outside of his cabin, walking through the hallway and into the dining room. He spots Jazz at a table that was right next to the piano, reading a book and seeming to tune out the world.
Needing some sense of familiar company despite his mood, he huffs and walks over to the table, sitting next to his sister, not bothering to even get a cup of coffee. Things were quiet until Jazz looks up from her book and glances at Danny. Seeing the scowl on his face, she puts her book down and turns in her chair so she can have her full attention on him.
"Something bothering you little brother?"
Danny just shakes his head, refusing to speak.
Jazz continues to stare at him, then sighs, figuring that he was going to make her figure it out herself. "Is someone bothering you again?"
Another negative.
"Is it the hallucinations you've been having" The orange haired woman prods.
Danny bites his lip, then shakes his head again, albeit hesitantly.
Jazz quirks a brow, "Are you having those dreams about Dash again?" Forceful head shake this time. "But it is about a dream isn't it?"
Nothing this time. She'd hit the nail on the head.
Jazz huffs, thinking she had the patience of a saint at this point. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Non c'è niente di cui parlare Jazz, che era solo un sogno.(2)" Danny says crossly. Jazz frowned.
"Was that Italian?"
The Raven haired man raises a brow, "What?"
"You just spoke in Italian. I should know, I have a friend on Skype that slips into it on occasion when we talk." Jazz told him.
Danny groans and hides his face in his hands, mumbling darkly into them. Jazz caught the word 'dream' in the foreign language and a couple of phrases that causes her to cringe at the descriptiveness of them.
"From what I gather, you think the dream is making you speak Italian?" She comments leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
Again with the silence. Jazz rolls her eyes, "You're gonna have to talk about it sometime, Danny. You're becoming stressed out, which isn't good for you, I can help you out."
Danny bangs his fists on the table, gritting his teeth in frustration, "How can you help me Jazz? How could you possibly help when you don't understand?!"
"I could try! Come on Danny, you use to tell me everything!" Jazz shouts.
"There is nothing to talk about Jazz! Let it go already!"
Jazz sits in silence as Danny puffs out a breath and leaves, regretting even going into the dining room in the first place. He starts wondering on the ship, not realizing that he'd been going down a certain hallway. He happens to glance up and finds himself standing in front of a dark wood door with the number 724 in chipping gold paint on it.
Danny pauses, debating with himself on whether or not to go in. He then mentally slaps himself, hard.
'What the hell am I doing?! This is some one else's room, not mine! I can't believe I thought that!'
He sighs, slouching his shoulders and still feeling drained. "What's happening to me? I have more sense than this! Maybe I am losing my mind..."
"Oh, perish the thought."
Danny tenses, eyes narrow as they dart around the hall. "Where are you, come out and fight me asshole!"
"Really Daniel, such a foul mouth. I thought you were better than that."
Danny twists and turns, Vlad's voice seeming to come from everywhere. He pulls out an ecto pistol and points it every which way, "Yeah? Well at least I'm not a coward! What's the matter, Fruitloop? Too weak to even show your face?" He stabs maliciously.
The area becomes very quiet, the air heavy making Danny sweat as he holds the gun tighter in his shaking hands. He starts to think that egging on this creature was probably a very bad idea. Danny carefully makes his way down the hall to the dining room, at least what he thinks is the dining room, when he gets tackled and pushed up against the wall, losing his grip on the pistol and hearing it clatter away. He comes face to face with a wraith version of Vlad, sneering at him with a dangerous gleam in his eye.
"You were so desperate to see me Little Badger? Funny thing about ghosts that I'm sure you've forgotten: you can't touch me, but I most certainly can touch you..." A wicked grin twists the ghosts face and Danny pales at the suggestive purr at the end of that sentence.
XXX
Vlad uses one hand to trap Danny's wrists above his head as the other slowly slides down his chest. Danny's eyes widen, his pupils contracting to tiny pin pricks as the ghost puts a hand up the raven's shirt, way too close to the waistband of his pants for comfort. He begins to struggle, legs kicking at the thing holding him but getting no impact. Vlad chuckles as whimpering sounds come out of the blue eyed boy's throat.
"I always did love when you resisted Daniel, though it was so much sweeter when you were a good little boy and took it. Tell me dear boy, will you scream my name? Call me your Master?"
Danny struggles harder, Vlad's honeyed words making his stomach churn as the ice spiders crawl wherever Vlad touches. He's mind going a million miles a minute screaming, 'No no no not again wrong wrong wrong this is wrong no please not him this is wrong wrong wrong'
Vlad reaches inside Danny's pants at the same time he crushes their lips together with a bruising force, 'wrong wrong wrong its not him its not Phantom GeT aWaY fRoM mE!!!'
XXX
A bright blue light appears behind his eyes and Danny distantly hears Vlad scream as the light bursts. He falls to the floor and curls in on himself, thoughts still jumbled.
As he becomes aware of his surroundings, he also becomes aware of Vlad cursing and hissing in pain. He glances up and his blurry vision focuses on the thing, now nothing more than a shadow fading in and out of existence.
"God damn cheese logs how is it possible?! How could you be getting your power back?!" Danny blankly stares at him, still not quite comprehending what is going on. He looks around and sees scorch marks on the floor. Danny follows them with his eyes to find the mark rings around him on the wall and floor, about a foot out from him.
"Did...did I do this?" He asks faintly. Vlad snarls so Danny whips his head back to look at him.
"Oh, and this is just perfect! You're getting your abilities back and yet you still have no idea how they work?! Am I that pathetic?!"
The shadow flickers in and out again as Danny watches, slowly coming back to his senses. "Wait, what do you mean abilities? How did I do this?"
Vlad scoffs, solid red eyes narrowing to slits, "As if I would just tell you! This isn't like one of your precious comic books Daniel, I'm not going to give you all the answers. However, I will tell you this," Vlad smirks, "If you don't find the answers before this ship leaves the Triangle it will be the end, one way, or another." Vlad laughs manically as he fades. Danny stares at the spot that Vlad was before he finally snaps out of it completely and grits his teeth.
"HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THIS SHIT OUT IN THREE DAYS?!"
Translations for this chapter
(1) Cazzo stronzo, Fucking asshole
(2) "Non c'è niente di cui parlare Jazz, che era solo un sogno." There's nothing to talk about Jazz, it was just a dream.
A/N I would like to thank PsychePetras for letting me know about my error in grammar. the word has sense been changed.Edited: 7-14-17