Sorceress here! Once again I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, favorites, and for following my story! I love all of your comments, and I'd also like to thank Eva again for the new song, once again you were very spot on in the mood for this story! I really wish I had known about those songs when I wrote this, even though I have to look up English subtitles and stuff for some of them, they really struck a cord with me!
Side note, this chapter was originally all in Danny's point of view, but a new scene just demanded to be written out and I couldn't get the feel right while I was in Danny's head. So there is a bit of an exception in this chapter, regardless I hope you enjoy it! As far as I know, this is the longest chapter of the story! *confetti* Yay!
Now enough of my ramblings, let's get this show on the road shall we?
Warnings for this chapter: Mention of non-con, Shonen-ai (Not the same though, the second mentioned is consensual), and a new language. Once again, if anyone knows the language and thinks google translate got a phrase wrong, tell me what the phrase should be and I'll change it!
-o0o-
Chapter sixteen: Good times, bad times and beginnings
It is just after Danny's seventeenth birthday that he meets Ida Manson.
Ida was a...unique woman, Danny would give her that. She lived in France until her 14th birthday, when she moved to America. Danny and Phantom ended up meeting Ida in a very...awkward situation.
Danny and Phantom are in one of the ship's broom closets when they hear a scuffle on the other side of the door. They quickly get make themselves presentable and unlock it to find Tucker and a woman standing there, Tucker with a sheepish smile and the woman with her fists on her hips, brow raised.
"I heard shouting and noises in there, what is going on?" She inquires forcefully.
The boys feel sweat gather on their foreheads as they try to come up with an excuse, but Tucker beats them to it, flailing his arms and acting as a shield. "I told you! They were looking for something! It a broom closet what did you expect?"
The woman isn't convinced, her brow rising higher into her hairline at she says, "Looking for something eh? Then what is the heir of the Baritoni line doing in there?"
Danny's eyes dart around frantically in their sockets before he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind, "I was supposed to mop the kitchen and I couldn't find a bucket! Mr. Baritoni offered to help." Phantom groans and facepalms at the poor lie.
The woman hums thoughtfully before a grin crosses her features, "Well then, I apologize for interrupting your search for that 'bucket'. Good day Monsieur Baritoni, Monsieur Piano Man." She wiggled her fingers with a mischievous look and walks away.
Tucker whips around and scowls at the two, "Do you have to make so much noise? Do you know how hard it is to fend off curious passengers when you're both shouting each others names as if you were calling for the Lord himself?!"
The blue and green eyed men blush a deep red. Tucker huffs and shakes his head, glare laxing slightly in exhaustion, "You're lucky it was Ida Manson that found out, if Vlad had heard you he would have had all our heads! At least she is agreeable and is good at being discreet, which you two are most certainly not!" He raises his voice at the end before he walks away, leaving Danny and Phantom standing in the same spot, faces pink in embarrassment at the scolding they got.
There were fun times, but not all was roses for the little piano man...
Danny grunts as Vlad grabs his arm in a vice grip, corralling the poor raven haired male away from the dining room. Before they can get far however, a deep male throat clears and catches their attention. Danny releases the breath he'd been holding at the site of Phantom, Ida at his side as they both gave Vlad accusatory gazes.
Vlad somehow schools his face into a friendly expression as he slacked his grip on Danny's arm, though he doesn't let go of it, "Ah! Ms. Manson, Mr. Baratoni," He said, voice pleasant, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We were just wondering where you were going with the piano man in such a rush," Ida answers, keeping her face expressionless and her voice free of accusation, "From the look on your face I'd have thought something made you terribly upset."
"Oh no not at all!" Vlad insists, smile still fixed firmly on and his face and hand on the younger male's arm, "I just need him for something important, one of the maids became sick and since young Daniel is a part of that particular staff usually..."
He trails off, shrugging as if it was a problem that couldn't be helped. Vlad discreetly gives Danny a look out of the corner of his eye and Danny bites his lip before forcing an apologetic smile, "It's okay guys, not that big a deal. I'm used to having to handle these...issues..." Danny glances away, fixing his eyes on the burgundy carpet at his feet.
"Are you sure?" The raven quickly looks up at his green eyed lover, those same eyes swimming with concern and darkened to a deep emerald with helplessness. Danny keeps the grin on his face, in fact he makes it wider, his cheeks beginning to ache at the strain as he said in a much too cheery voice,
"I'll be fine, I've taken over for the other staff before," Well that wasn't a lie, "It's part of my job." 'And my debt...' Danny thought to himself despondently.
Ida goes to say something else, but Danny gives her and Phantom both a pleading look, hoping to convey silently what he so wants them to understand, 'Don't interfere. Please, you're only going to make it worse.'
Ida closes her mouth and puts on the mask of a uncaring debutante, even as her worried turquoise eyes stay locked on Danny, "Well, I hope it doesn't interfere with his performance! All the passengers agree that they love his music, I'd hope to see him preform again soon," She eyed Vlad a little, hoping he got the hint in her words.
From the pursing of the captain's lips and the split second scowl it seems he did. He nods his head graciously and with a quick 'of coarse' he continues on his way with the nervous boy. Danny spares a quick glance behind him to see Ida openly looking at him in worry and fear and Phantom with his head turned off to the side, shoulders tense and eyes squeezed shut as he gritts his teeth in anger.
But he knew he always had comfort, and never hesitated to seek it out despite the consequences...
Phantom gets interrupted from his task of wearing a hole in the carpet from his pacing when a forceful banging on his door is heard. He goes over to the door and opens it, intent on telling whoever it was on the other side to fuck off, when he finds his arms full of a distraught raven haired boy, beautiful blue eyes terrified and desperate as tears ran down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please!" Danny says frantically as he held on to fistfuls of the heir's shirt. Phantom quickly closes the door before bringing the boy over to the bed and setting him down before sitting himself. He pulls Danny closer, who in turn is trying to hunch in on himself. Phantom sees the boy raking his fingers up and down his arms and occasionally licking his lips before his shivers and cringes as if he just tasted something disgusting, his eyes darting around and not landing on anything for more than a few seconds and avoiding Phantom all together.
"Amore please, tell me what's wrong. I won't be able to help you if you don't." Phantom insists rubbing Danny's back in a soothing fashion.
Danny shakes his head slowly, still not giving Phantom the benefit of looking at him, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you what happened, I shouldn't even be here. I should just..." He makes as if to stand, but Phantom holds fast.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, it's not you fault. I'll take care of him, just-"
"No!" Danny exclaims, eyes wide in panic, "You can't do anything to him! He's all the crew has! We'll have nowhere else to go if he's gone!"
"It would be better than what he's doing to you right now! Please-"
Danny shakes his head furiously, his grip back on Phantom's shirt to reinforce his point, "No, it wouldn't be! You don't understand, most of the staff is like me! If we didn't have this, then we would be out on the streets or in jail! Tucker even used to be part of a gang! That's the least of what the rest have done," Danny's hands tighten on the platinum blond as fresh tears fell down his face, "We can't go back, I can't go back, we're all trapped! You can't stop this-"
"Then tell me what I'm supposed to do!" Phantom interrupts, "I can't stand to see you in this hell Il mio cuore(1)!"
Danny shakes his head and hides his face in the crook of Phantom's neck, "You can't." He says, his voice muffled.
Phantom sighs, once again feeling useless. He can't help unless Danny wants the help, and if what Danny says is true, he can't have the only people who treated Danny well asides from himself homeless or worse. He gets interrupted from his spinning thoughts by a moan in his ear and jumps slightly when he feels lips and tongue run up and down the pulse of his neck, "Nightingale, what are you doing?"
"È un buon sapore...(2)" He Hears Danny mumble, making a chill run up the green eyed male's spine, "I still taste him, still feel him even though it's been a few days. I hate it, but I like your taste..."
It takes a moment for Phantom to register the meaning behind the words, but when he does he gets into a mental argument with himself: a more primitive part of him was furious and demanded that he make Vlad pay for defiling what was his, demanded that he reclaim it while the more logical part of him argued that it wasn't right, he didn't want to hurt Danny and this would be a possible way to do it in his weakened state. He pushes Danny away slightly, clenching his teeth at the dissatisfied moan Danny makes at the loss of contact before forcing Danny to look him in the eye, "Danny, we can't, now's not the time."
Danny gazes in confusion at him, "Why not? I think the timing is fine."
"You are not thinking clearly Nightingale," Phantom presses, eyes hard and jaw set, "You must be absolutely sure, there has to be no regrets."
"No regrets," Danny replies giving Phantom his own look, "I have nothing to regret from meeting you, from being with you. Why would I regret something like this or anything else when you are the best thing that's ever happened to me?" The raven's eyes become pleading, "Please Phantom, I still feel him on me. I need this, I need you..." He begs.
Phantom's heart clenches painfully at the desperation, the vulnerablity of the blue eyed boy in his arms. Danny absently scratches his arm again and the primitive side of Phantom won out. He pulls Danny flush against him and kisses him, throwing all his love and passion into it. Danny purrs and throws his arms around Phantom's neck as deepens the kiss, falling back and pulling Phantom on top of him. Clothes get hurriedly shed as the the two males get lost in each other. Both forgetting everything but each other, just for tonight.
Through it all, they found solace in each other, and the heir always did his best to make his little bird happy, even to the extent of getting him out of his cage...but the worry was always there, never to leave...
It is finally time. Danny could speak perfect Italian for a while now, and Vlad's ship had ported in Livorno Italy, which is actually a pretty good mix of ancient and modern. (A/N for that time) Phantom manages to sneak Danny off the ship without Vlad being the wiser and Tucker promising to cover for them.
They explore the many shops of the city, with Phantom pointing out different attractions and landmarks, going on the gondola, grabbing some food at one of the local restaurants, and are about to take a taxi to Pisa, when Danny stops in his tracks.
Phantom notices that Danny isn't next to him anymore and turns to see Danny looking at something down an alleyway. He walks over to him to get a better look, and when he sees what it is, he shakes his head and takes Danny's hand.
"Come amore, you shouldn't associate with Gypsies, they are known for being swindlers," Danny refuses to move from his spot when Phantom tries to lead him away, "Danny?"
At this point, the Gypsy is staring at the two boys in curiosity. Danny shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the woman, "Don't you feel that?" He says softly.
Phantom glances between the Gypsy and the raven, "No, am I supposed to feel something?"
Danny begins tugging on his lover's hand, "Come on, I wanna meet her."
Phantom doesn't look too sure, but complies, walking hand in hand as they approach the woman. The Gypsy smiles kindly to the blue eyed boy, "Frate de jumătate de sânge(3)."
Danny looks at Phantom, hoping for a translation, but the white haired male is just as confused as he was. The woman chuckles before she elaborates, "You are kin. A half blood, but kin none the less." She glances at Phantom and frowns, "And it seems that you are following in your parent's footsteps."
"Is that a problem, swindler?" Phantom said defensively. The Gypsy laughs, smiling at the two.
"No, I sense great love between the two of you, who am I to judge you when I was exiled for the same." She bows her head, putting her palms together, "I am Dorință(4), I see the past, and the future, what might I do for the nights singer and his wraith?"
Phantom and Danny are taken aback, 'Did she hear us call each other our nicknames?' The raven wonders to himself. He looks at his lover pleadingly, never having his fortune told before. Phantom sighs, resigned.
"How much do you want?" He asks monotonous. Dorință shakes her head.
"For my Frate, I will tell you your fate for nothing," She says. Phantom seems surprised at this, before his brow furrows suspiciously.
"I do not believe the future is set in stone, Riflettere sul ladro(5). What could you tell us?" Danny elbows him, glaring slightly. Dorință seems to be unaffected by the rude tone however and nods.
"This is true, anyone has the power to change their future, I simply tell them the most likely thing to happen and help if I can."
"So what can you tell us?" Danny asks before Phantom has a chance to open his mouth.
Dorință stands and motions them to follow, sky blue shawl and skirt aflow around her, "I'm afraid that with you, it would take more than just a reading of palms. Let us go into my home, where it is more private."
"perché devo essere sottoposto a questa follia(6)?" Danny hears behind him as he went with her. He throws another glare over his shoulder at the white haired devil who simply crosses his arms and rolls his eyes before following him begrudgingly.
They step inside the Gypsy's caravan to find a large worn wood table with three chairs sitting around it in front of the entrance. Dorință is sitting in the chair farthest from them holding a large deck of cards. The boys hesitantly sit in the chairs closer to them as she shuffles the deck and passes it to Danny.
"You shuffle first, then the other. Allow your energies to fill the deck." The boys do as they are told, Phantom handing the deck back to her after his turn.
She fans the cards on the table and picks one at random, flipping it over to reveal the Three of Swords, before placing it on the table and looking pointedly at Danny, "You have suffered great strife in your younger days. Things you never wanted to do but which were necessary, and you," She pulls the Eight of Cups, "were always well off materialistically, but was always unsatisfied."
Both boys stay silent as she draws a third card card, the King of Swords, and adds it to the row on the table. She glances at Danny again, pity in her eyes, "You were taken in by an older man who promised to protect you, but as time went on he revealed himself to be deceitful, a shadow who uses the darkness to trick you."
Phantom clenches his fists under the table, knowing very well who the Shadow is. She pulls the Two of Cups and smiled gently, "But in the darkness, you found a beautiful love," she pulls the Knight of Wands, "With a man who has sworn to protect you," She then warns, "But he must remember to think before he leaps or else his impulsiveness will bring more sorrow than happiness."
Phantom tenses, knowing that the warning was for him. He glances at Danny, who is intent on what Dorință is saying before looking back at the false fortune-teller who suddenly doesn't seem so false anymore.
She draws the Five of Wands, "You're love is forbidden, in more ways than one. You will have to fight to keep what you want." The Ten of Swords appears, "The shadow will return to ruin you in the most final of ways, but there is hope."
"What hope?" Phantom inquires once again skeptical. She pulls the Death card and looks at Danny,
"One of you will be reborn from this cruelty, reborn with great power, but unable to access what has once been." Next, the Eight of Swords, "The shadow will return to claim you once and for all, if you do not accept what you are," Finally, the Tower, "You will never be the same again."
Phantom slams his hands on the table, "That's it, I've had enough of this olio di serpente(7)!" He grabs Danny's hand and marches out of the caravan, dragging the raven behind him.
"Phantom, what the hell?!"
The grip on the raven's hand tightens, "Non sto andando a credere che scroccone donna schermo di fumo! Vi ho detto che voi non siete dovrebbe affrontare con Gypsy il Nightingale, e guardare ciò che è accaduto! Un mucchio di sciocchezze(8)!"
Danny automatically switches to Italian, "Phantom...siete realmente paura(9)?"
Phantom comes to a stop and sighs, "Amore mio, the woman basically said that you were going to die. And then she said that Masters was going to take you away?!" He grabs a fist full of his white hair and tugs, "How could I not be terrified for you?!" He exclaims through gritted teeth.
Danny pulls the other man to him and kisses his cheek, probably getting some weird looks but right now he doesn't care, "Phantom, I'm not going to die," He kisses his other cheek, "And Vlad won't have me. Even if I couldn't remember my life, I would never go with him," He smiles, looking Phantom in the eye, "And even if I forgot everything, I promise, I would never be able to forget you."
The two men gaze at each other until Phantom smiles back and kisses the raven, wrapping his arms around him, "Ti amo il mio cuore," He whispers. Danny hugged him tightener, a small smile on his face.
"Ti amo troppo la mia anima...e lo sarò sempre...(10)"
All good things must come to an end, but even then, all endings lead to new beginnings...
It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to find out.
But he did find out, he always finds out. It was only a matter of time.
Phantom didn't even know he was there, that much Danny knew. They were making love, Danny happened to open his eyes, and there Vlad was standing by the bed with the most hateful look that Danny had ever seen. Before Danny could even utter a word there was a loud bang.
Phantom had seized up, looking at Danny in shock before his beautiful green eyes dimmed and he collapsed. Danny held him to his chest, crying as the dark green and white bed sheets became stained in red. He didn't even hear the gun a second time when everything went white.
Danny then finds himself standing on a bridge in front of a waterfall, the scene so vivid and colorful that Danny couldn't even begin to describe it. He looks down and sees that he is now wearing a white shirt and pants, no shoes on his feet.
He walks off the bridge and comes to a gorgeous meadow filled with every flower imaginable. Standing in the middle of the field is a man with long white hair dressed in a blue cloak. As Danny gets closer, he seen a bronze gear pin holding the cloak closed. The man looks to be in his thirties and he gives off a grandfatherly vibe, but Danny instinctively knew that this man was ageless. The man smiles gently as Danny comes to a stop in front of him.
"Hello Daniel," The man greets, his voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"How do you know my name?"
The man chuckles, a gleam in his fathomless red eyes, "I know everything that has ever been, and always will be. You may have heard of me by the name Father Time, but you may call me Clockwork."
Danny nods and gazes around the meadow, the feeling of unconditional love and peace was so strong here, he felt like he'd been here before.
"This is the place where all spirits are born and return to when they leave the earth, "Clockwork explains reading his mind, "You may know it as Heaven or Paradise, but some simple call this place Home."
Danny turns back to the ageless entity, "All spirits come here? Then does that mean..." Danny asks slightly fearful. Clockwork shakes his head,
"No, Vlad would not be here, he doesn't want to be."
Danny tilts his head, "'Doesn't want to be?' You mean people can choose to be here?" he asks, trying to understand.
Clockwork turns and walks up a cobblestone path that wasn't there before, Danny following at his side, "All spirits are born here, but a handful left and never returned. They were filled with greed and the desire to control. In this place, everyone is equal and cannot be manipulated or deceived."
Danny becomes hopeful, "So does that mean that Phantom-" his hope leaves him when Clockwork shakes his head, looking at him sympatheticly.
"Daniel Baritoni's death was so sudden that he doesn't realize that he died. He's staying in the same room you were in before, wondering what happened and where you are."
"Then I need to go back!" Danny says, his heart aching at leaving Phantom alone.
"You were going to anyway." Clockwork replies with a small smile, a bright light washes over Danny and he suddenly feels very warm and safe, almost like he is in his Phantom's arms again. He vaguely hearing Clockwork's last words to him.
"Good luck...night's singer..."
The scream of an infant is heard throughout the halls of Amity Park Hospital. At that moment, Daniel James Fenton was born.
Translations for this chapter
(1) "Il mio cuore" My heart
(2) "È un buon sapore..." You taste good.
(3) Romanian. It means "Half-blood brother.
(4) Dorință is Romany for Desire.
(5) Riflettere sul ladro, is Italian for wandering thief.
(6) "perché devo essere sottoposto a questa follia?" Why must I be subjected to this madness?
(7) "Olio di serpente" means Snake oil.
(8) "Non sto andando a credere che scroccone donna schermo di fumo! Vi ho detto che voi non siete dovrebbe affrontare con Gypsy il Nightingale, e guardare ciò che è accaduto! Un mucchio di sciocchezze!" I am not going to believe that swindler woman's smoke screen! I told you you're not supposed to deal with Gypsy's Nightingale, and look what happened! A bunch of nonsense!
(9) "Phantom...siete realmente paura?" Phantom are you actually scared?
(10) "Ti amo troppo la mia anima...e lo sarò sempre..." I love you too my soul...I always will...