Mad props to my peeps who review! *hands you all cyber-cookies*
Vlad went downstairs for breakfast, finding the 'Writer already there, as was the usual. Andrew looked up from his book ('The DaVinci Code') and pushed a cup of coffee over to the elder halfa. "Is Danny still asleep?" he asked, nibbling on a bagel. Vlad nodded, running a hand through his hair, which had yet to be tied back.
"Out like a light," he replied softly. The 'Writer gave him a mildly amused smile.
"For someone who told me to let the boy be, you sure got comfortable with him last night," he commented. Vlad shot him a glare.
"Unlike certain bibliophiles who could sleep through the next reign of Pariah Dark, I could hear Daniel crying in his room last night," he hissed. "I didnt ask him what was wrong, nor did I bother him. I just held him and let him go back to sleep. I'm his godfather, it's what I DO." He sipped his coffee and rubbed at his eyes. "...I dont know if I should stay home from work to make sure he's okay or not..."
"Go on to work, Vlad," the 'Writer said. "You're off tomorrow anyway, and I'll take care of Danny to YOUR specifications. I promise." He kept Vlad's even stare until the elder halfa nodded and polished off the rest of his coffee. "Last night probably WAS a little too much, too soon," he admitted.
"I know..." Vlad groaned, putting his face in one hand. "From the way he was reacting, it's safe to say that he's a virgin, and he's never gotten REMOTELY that far. The most I've seen him and Samantha do is kiss and hold hands." Andrew's face darkened at the mention of the Goth girl.
"Remind me to tip a bookshelf over on her sometime," he mumbled. Vlad arched a brow.
"My, Andrew...is that actual care and concern I hear in your voice?" he asked, smirking. "One might think you actually like the boy."
"Of COURSE I like him, Vlad!" Andrew replied hotly. "I like him a LOT! He's intellegent, he loves books...he's actually quite beautiful when he doesnt have his hair in front of his face, and he's powerful. The fact that he's a halfa is simply a plus."
"...So, you like him because he shares a few star qualities with moi, yes?" Vlad asked, that amused smirk on his face beginning to irritate the 'Writer.
"I like him for HIM, Vlad," Andrew said pointedly. "He's..." He put down his book and picked up his coffee cup. "...He's a good person. I like that."
"Hm. Balancing out your love life between good and evil, are you?"
"Vlad, shut up."
"Fair enough." Vlad picked up his fork and began eating his food. "If Daniel's feeling up to it, have him work on his schoolwork and check it over for him, alright? I dont want him falling behind."
"Alright." Pause. "...Vlad, let me ask you something. If Danny WAS your child, would you keep him at that school?"
Vlad stared at the question. "...Most certainly not," he replied. "It's apparant that Daniel abhors that school. I would hire a tutor to school him through things at his own pace and level, instead of this group conformacy nonesense...why do you ask?"
"No reason. Just wondering." The 'Writer sipped his coffee and went back to his book.
The 'Writer kept a close eye on Danny for the day, but Danny didnt budge from his bed the whole day. It wasnt from a lack of trying, but Danny was just knocked out asleep. After one-o-clock rolled around, Andrew couldnt seem to relax without getting up every ten minutes to check on him, so he just made himself comfortable in Danny's room, just to watch him. It wasnt long before he noticed the half-done schoolwork on the boy's desk, so he took a break and went to check it out.
The report on the French Revolution seemed to be going pretty well; Danny was using not only his text book, but a few books from Vlad's library as well. It just needed to be finished and proofread later. The math homework was...unfortunate. Andrew made a note to give Danny some special attention in that area later. The English homework was to write an essay on ethical boundaries, and the 'Writer found that on a separate sheet of paper, Danny had written down several topics that ranged from 'Cloning' to 'Sexual Preference', nearly all of them crossed out. One that caught the 'Writer's eye was 'Polyamory', and it wasnt crossed out.
He shifted papers around to put them in some form of order, and found the rough draft for the essay. Sneaking a peek at the still-sleeping boy behind him, he sat down at the desk and began reading.
Polyamory is defined as the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. The defining characteristic of polyamory is belief in the possibility of, and value of, multiple romantic loving relationships carried out 'with the knowledge and consent of all partners concerned.
What distinguishes polyamory from traditional forms of non-monogamy (i.e. "cheating") is an ideology that openness, goodwill, intense communication, and ethical behavior should prevail among all the parties involved. Powerful intimate bonding among three or more persons may occur. Some consider polyamory to be, at its root, the generalization of romantic couple-love beyond two people into something larger and more fundamental.
People who identify as polyamorous typically reject the view that sexual and relational exclusivity are necessary for deep, committed long-term loving relationships. Those who are open to, or emotionally suited for, a polyamorous lifestyle may be single or in monogamous relationships, but are often involved in multiple long term relationships such as a triad, quad, or intimate network.
In practice, polyamorous relationships are highly varied and individualized. Ideally they are built upon values of trust, loyalty, negotiation, and compersion, as well as rejection of jealousy, possessiveness, and restrictive cultural standards. Such relationships are often more fluid than the traditional 'dating-and-marriage' model of long-term relationships, and the participants in a polyamorous relationship may not have preconceptions as to its duration.
Sex is not necessarily a primary focus in polyamorous relationships. Polyamorous relationships commonly consist of groups of more than two people seeking to build a long-term future together on mutually agreeable grounds, with sex as only one aspect of their relationship.
And that was where it stopped. It was a bit choppy, but it was overall well-written, for the most part. And since there were no reference matierials around, Andrew concluded that all of this had come right from Danny's mind. This was obviously written before last night's excursions, so Andrew had a feeling that Danny had been curious about Vlad and himself from the start. But getting back to the essay, Andrew was impressed with the wording and grammar, and made a mental note to encourage Danny to finish it.
He put it away with the other English work, wondering exactly WHY this Lancer fellow disliked Danny so much when it was obvious that the young halfa was an incredibly intelligent individual. It was positively criminal!
A soft sound brought his attention back to Danny, who shifted around in his bed and turned his face toward the 'Writer. He looked a little troubled in his sleep, like he was having an unpleasant dream. Andrew quietly walked over to the side of the bed and brushed Danny's long hair out of his face gently. The halfa made a soft sighing sound of content and quieted down, making the 'Writer smile. It was true, that ghosts and humans have stronger connections, when the latter was asleep. He'd read in a book somewhere that in theory, sleep was the closest to death humans could get while they were alive, and thus, became closer to their deceased brethren.
Huh. The same seemed to work for halfa's too, even though they had a foot in either world to begin with. Ironic that Danny was the most human when he was asleep, rather than awake. He'd learned awhile ago that even if Vlad began to fall asleep as Plasmius, he would ALWAYS transform back into a human once he hit unconsciousness. For the longest time, he'd been wondering how to the point where he was thinking of conducting a study on it. Vlad flat-out refused; he was curious about it too, but he didnt want to be a lab rat.
Well, he had another test subject now, didnt he?
...Yeah, no. ASK the boy, 'Writer, he reminded himself. He might be curious. He made a move to go back to the desk to finish reading his book ('The Old Man and the Sea'), but was stopped by Danny.
"...Dun go..." Danny mumbled in his sleep, his hand unconsciously shifting out of the covers and toward the Ghostwriter. Andrew blinked, then smiled and quietly laid down on the bed next to Danny, propping up slightly on the headboard. He summoned his book to him and opened it, looking at his charge every once and awhile...just to make sure he was okay.
*yawn* Ooookay...I'm thinking a moment of firey angst, another lemon-laced lime, and some fluff is all that's needed to end this story...now if only I knew how many effing chapters it would take...