Chapter 45
Why didn't he think about wearing pants under the skirt before leaving the house? Danny was still groaning over his stupidity there when he arrived home, nudging the front door shut behind him as he headed up the stairs to his room. Paulina made sure to give him the dress she wanted him to wear tomorrow before he left the room after their theater class. Danny sighed as he remembered the rosy colored spaghetti strapped dress with a frilly hem that Paulina showed him with a wide smile on her face. But as Dash pointed out to him, Danny only had to wear the dress. Paulina never said he couldn't throw on a nice, oversized sweater over it. He definitely wasn't walking around the school in something without sleeves when it was chilly.
When he reached his room, Danny dropped his book bag by his desk, already pulling off the wig to drop on his desk and drawing off the white turtleneck as he walked to his closet to find some normal clothes to wear. All day he was waiting for the moment when he could finally take off the darn skirt. He tossed the turtle neck into the laundry basket, and he had his hands on the waistband of the skirt when he heard a sound. At the cough, he froze, dread washing over him. Slowly he twisted around as he stared at the man leaning against the wall of his room.
"What are you doing in my room?" Danny gulped suddenly overly aware of how he must look to the man while he only wore a skirt with bike shorts under it. Then Tucker's voice decided to sneak back into his brain, making comments about the whole trip going up to space yesterday being a date, and Danny wished even more for the ground to swallow him up at that moment to save him any further embarrassment.
"I figured I would be safer hiding up here than risking running into your father again," Vlad answered dryly, remaining as he was with his arms folded. "My question is: why are you wearing a skirt?"
"You know, you shouldn't feel the need to avoid my dad," Danny said, trying but failing to stop the blush exploding onto his face. He inched back into his closet, nudging the door most of the way shut so that he could change out of the man's sight. Why did Vlad have to show up now of all times? The man couldn't possibly have picked a more humiliating moment for him. He scrambled to find a shirt, tugging on a long sleeved navy blue sweater as he sneezed.
"As I'm sure you're well aware," Vlad sounded tired, "once your father gets started, it's nearly impossible to stop his blathering. It's a bit much to take at once after so many years of isolation."
Danny rolled his blue eyes as he found clean boxers and jeans to put on after he changed out of the blue skirt and spandex bike shorts. "Okay." He sighed as he stepped out of the closet, tossing skirt and shorts into his laundry. "Dad can be a little much. I'll agree with you there. But it's only because he's so excited to have you back in his life. You are his best friend after all. He missed you."
"I've," Vlad's face scrunched up like the words were stuck in his throat and he was having a difficult time saying them, "missed him too. But even in college, he took some getting used to." His dark blue eyes followed him as Danny took a seat on the foot of his bed, and the way Vlad watched him left Danny with that feeling of still being half dressed in a skirt. The flush returned to his cheeks as Danny turned his head away, drawing up one knee to hug to his chest like it could shield his body from being seen. "You still haven't answered my question. Why were you wearing a skirt? Are you in the habit of practicing cross dressing? Your father didn't mention anything about it yesterday when we were talking."
"Let's get one thing straight here," Danny said, laying a glare on the man. "I do not enjoy dressing up that way. Jazz used to do it to me all the time when we were kids and she would force me to participate in her little tea parties with her stuffed animals. I was only wearing the skirt today because I lost a bet with someone, and the only reason I agreed to the bet was because Paulina is Valerie's friend and they both seemed really down about not being able to talk to each other at school because of the whole stupid social hierarchy that the school has with the A list not being able to have any sort of friendly interaction with the losers and it's pretty much my fault that Valerie became a loser in the first place so if putting on a skirt because I lost a bet helps somehow to break down that stupid hierarchy so that Valerie can have her friends back, then it's totally worth the humiliation." He drew in a deep breath after the long, rambling sentence. His glare lost none of the heat as he waited for some snide comment from the man.
"I see." Vlad's simple two word response made Danny blink in surprise. Danny expected more than that, but Vlad merely nodded like the explanation was a reasonable enough answer to his inquiry. "Perhaps having her friends back will help to improve Miss Gray's disposition, which may lead to her harboring less anger at Phantom, which might allow her to be more open to listening to you when you try to reason with her next time she shows up to fight you." He nodded like everything made complete and perfect sense to him. "This may have actually been a wise move on your part."
"I," Danny mumbled, still a little stunned that Vlad wasn't sneering at him with some cruel remark, "just wanted them to be able to talk again." He guessed he was still waiting for Vlad to slip back into the man that he first met despite their apologies and how well they were getting along now. He just couldn't help that nagging feeling that Vlad shake his head and make some comment about how stupid Danny was for doing something. He really hadn't thought much about the bet beyond helping Paulina and Valerie. He wasn't looking to devise some scheme to put him on a good standing with Valerie in some way.
"Yes, because you are generally a good natured person. And much like your father in that way." Vlad's mouth pulled into a small frown, and Danny could imagine his mind going straight back to the accident that landed the man with his digital powers. Danny did have to admit that while his father meant well, his clumsiness could often lead to unfortunate consequences, and that parallel made Danny wince. "But," Vlad continued, "that doesn't erase the fact that your decision in this matter could play well for you. Miss Gray's life may not be one hundred percent back to what she's used to, but her father has a stable job, and in time if things go well for him, he could be quickly promoted up the ranks to a better paying station. Perhaps not immediately back into the role of head of security, but definitely well above minimum wage. This little bet you made has now returned her friends to her, which no doubt raises her status out of the loser rank that she fell into. Some of what she's lost has been returned to her, which should help calm some of her anger."
Danny stared unblinkingly at the man, surprised that Vlad almost sounded proud of Danny's unintentional steps to somehow soften Valerie's anger toward his digital alter ego. It was still strange having Vlad treating him like he was someone of worth, like he was somehow almost on the same level as the man, instead staring down at him like he was an immature brat capable of only fouling things up. Shifting awkwardly, Danny drew up his other leg as he frowned, his mind turning back to yesterday and the comment of it being a date. Was it really a date? His eyes flicked toward Vlad curiously. Did Vlad mean for that to be a date? He chewed on his lip, holding back asking that question out loud. Didn't Vlad admit to having feelings for his mother? Why would Vlad suddenly start liking the son of the woman he claimed to like?
And Vlad was old! His human appearance showed off his age, making him look the same age as Danny's parents. But when he was in the NetZone as a digital being he looked much younger. Why was he even thinking about this, Danny wondered as a blush crept onto his cheeks again? He blamed Tucker for calling the field trip to the satellite a date. His insides twisted uncomfortably, and he blamed Dash for kissing him. Now he was feeling all confused about everything. Wouldn't it simply be easier for him if he returned Dash's feelings? He knew Dash liked him, thanks to Paulina. It would be so easy just to say yes to him than it was to sit here right now debating Vlad's intentions toward him. He still thought Tucker was crazy for suggesting it was a date. But he couldn't say yes to Dash. He didn't feel anything like romantic interest toward the jock, even if that was a really good kiss Dash gave him.
And then there was Kwan. Danny was only basing it on his own observations, but he was fairly certain Kwan liked Dash as more than just a friend. Danny had no plans to step in and take Dash away out of his own desire for an easy relationship. He really wanted to make Dash see that Kwan liked him, but that really wasn't his place to say anything about it. But he wished he could help Dash and Kwan be happy together.
With a start, Danny realized he fell silent for too long during his contemplation of his feelings. He really wasn't even sure what he was feeling, beyond that warmth that filled him when he got kissed by another man, which he should probably take as a big clue toward his sexuality. But it wasn't like he didn't find any women attractive after the kiss. So did that mean he was bisexual? He sighed as he let his legs drop to the floor. This wasn't the time to be thinking about his sexuality and whether he liked someone and especially not wondering if that was really a date or not. He had more important things to worry about, like figuring out what exactly that virus had planned.
"Did you manage to decode anything about that virus?" Danny asked as he stood, stretching his arms over his head until he suddenly let out a violent sneeze that actually hurt the back of his throat. With a groan, he padded over to his desk to grab a tissue and blew his nose.
"Are you feeling all right?" Vlad wore a severe expression as he watched the young man.
"Just a cold." Danny dumped the used tissue into the trash can next to his desk. "It is the cold season and all. Hopefully it'll just stay a head cold and I won't have to miss any days of school." At least they were close to their winter break. Then he wouldn't have to worry about being sick and having to make up anything that he missed by staying home.
Vlad didn't look quite convinced that it was simply a mere cold. "It seems the virus thought it could infect you," he explained while keeping his ever watchful gaze upon Danny, who shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, I could have guessed that much." Danny frowned, having hoped for a bigger explanation than that. "But what was it supposed to do to me?"
Vlad pursed his mouth in clear dislike of what he discovered. "If you had failed to extract the virus coding, it would have slowly eaten away at your data until you've been completely corrupted."
The color drained from his face as Danny swallowed thickly. "So," he said slowly, fearfully, "does that mean it was trying to turn me into another virus?" The thought was more than slightly terrifying that a virus would come up with such a plan, even more scary when he thought about how it nearly succeeded if he hadn't learned how to remove the harmful coding.
"Everything suggests yes, that was the intended plan," Vlad agreed, not helping to lift any of Danny's worries. "But the virus should have no knowledge of the fact that you were able to remove that corrupted coding before it could do any harm to you." He wore a sneaky smirk, like he had a plan up his sleeve.
"Why is that a good thing?" Danny's brow creased as he tried to follow the man's train of thought, but he clearly didn't possess the same devious mind as Vlad.
"Because it means that the virus will believe it has succeeded, and that means it will enter its end game soon. When it does, you will be at the advantage because it won't know that are unaffected by the harmful coding." Vlad's smirk turned victorious in the belief that this guaranteed their success. "You will catch it off guard, and after the training I've given you, you should be able to cut down that virus quite easily."
All of this sounded like it should offer him some confidence in the upcoming fight against the mysterious virus. But Danny frowned as he listened to Vlad. Something about all of it was nagging at his mind. Folding his arms, he leaned back against his desk. There was something highly unusual about this virus. The obsession it showed for devising plots around him wasn't all that unusual since he dealt with Skulker's obsessively hunting him for the past three years.
"This isn't how a virus thinks," Danny mumbled as he continued thinking on it.
"What do you mean?" The question wasn't demanding or demeaning. Vlad sounded genuinely curious about the comment.
"I mean," Danny frowned at the man, still trying to puzzle it out in his head in a way that made sense, "viruses don't really think like this. They might grow and evolve, even programs do that, but they do it over a long period of time. This virus seemed to start evolving almost immediately after it escaped the Guys in White. And the way it's thinking of ways to attack me? Any other virus wouldn't dream of the idea of trying to actually change me into another virus, or even using a human to distract me. This is almost like-" Danny jerked, standing up straight as he stared into Vlad's curious blue eyes. "It's thinking like a human! What if the Guys in White programmed the virus to learn and adapt like a human would? They made it think like a human because they thought that would be the best way to combat Phantom, but they didn't count on the fact that the virus might actually learn how to escape from them. And I bet they never would have expected it to want to corrupt Phantom and make me into another virus."
Vlad was silent for some time, digesting Danny's words as he stared at the man before him. "I'm somewhat impressed that you would think of an idea like that," he finally said.
Danny's mouth thinned as his jaw set tightly in frustration. Was it so hard for the man to admit out loud that maybe Danny was on the right track for once? That maybe Danny figured out the puzzle before Vlad could in this instance? Couldn't Vlad allow him just this one win? Danny knew he wouldn't have many opportunities to be the one with the answer, the one to make the connections first since Vlad was older, smarter, and more experienced than he was in almost every way. Was it so hard for Vlad to acknowledge him as maybe a little intelligent?
"Of course if your logic is correct," Vlad continued, not seeming to notice the frustration radiating off the raven haired man before him, "which sounds like it very much could be an accurate deduction, then the Guys in White are taking some very extreme, and dangerous, steps in their attempts to secure Phantom as their prisoner and test subject."
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel all that good about being right," Danny said dryly.
Vlad frowned. "You'll find that being right doesn't always mean being happy."
midnight: *dramatic dun dun dun music* What will happen now that Dash knows~? XD
Sammi: Thanks~ =) And poor Dash. Now being all confused and guilty. D:
Just Will: It really did get away from me. D8 I never expected it to get this long. Why thank you! I'm glad to hear that. =) Haha, yeah. I tend to miss things even when I go over the chapters again. DX Kwan's one of those big old lovable teddy bears that just needs hugs all the time. Danny probably wouldn't be happy that Tucker spilled the beans about him his secret. But he should also be thankful that people who do know care a lot about keeping him safe.x
panfan87: Did I? XD;; Haha, whoops~ That wasn't intentional, I swear! Thanks~ =) It's been a lot of fun developing this AU and taking a look into each of the characters. =)