Chapter 20

"What are we doing here?" Danny asked with an exasperated sigh. He flopped down on the roof top and leaned against the little wall. Vlad dragged him off before sunset to climb up onto the roof of a little shop on the street where Youngblood attacked them. Now it was well past midnight.

"We're waiting for that ghost." Vlad checked on a rod, a piece of ghost hunting equipment he grabbed before he left the science lab where they kept most of their work.

A prototype of the Jack-o-Nine-Tails? Danny wondered as he stared at it. "Do you really think that ghost is going come around again? It's been a few weeks since then. The ghost is probably gone." At least, he hoped Youngblood decided to go elsewhere and leave him alone. Without a workable Portal, he couldn't send Youngblood back to the Ghost Zone. And here I thought Dad had just been sneaking out on dates with Mom, he thought, now able to put the pieces together.

"Ghosts haunt an area." Vlad looked up and eyed Danny. "I thought with all your experience from your parents' work that you would have known that."

"From my experience," Danny said slowly as he moved closer to Vlad, "I know that ghosts don't necessarily remain in one place. They aren't exactly bound to their places of death."

"Bound, they may not be," Vlad said in agreement. "However, that doesn't mean they don't haunt the areas where they died. Ghosts lose their memories of their mortal life after the body dies, so its place of death holds meaning to it."

Danny shuddered, recalling his accident in the Fenton Portal. It hadn't fully killed him, but it felt close enough to dying. He could clearly recall the surge of electricity running throughout his body as screams tore from his throat. It was the worst experience of his life.

Vlad noticed Danny's shivering. Pulling off his jacket, he wrapped it around Danny. "I told you it would get cold," he whispered before kissing Danny's cheek.

Danny smiled at the gesture, even if Vlad misread his actions. "Why don't we stop for tonight?" He yawned widely. "It's late. I'm tired. You have class tomorrow. And there's been no sign of a ghost."

Vlad frowned. "Is this boring you?"

"No!" Danny said quickly. He bit his lip seeing Vlad's eyes narrow at him. "Okay, maybe a little boring." He sighed and leaned against Vlad. "But we've been here for hours, and all that you've done is play with your stick." He waved at the metal rod in Vlad's hands.

Vlad stared at the rod then he turned to Danny as a devious smirk spread onto his face. "Would you rather I played with your stick?" he asked, leering down at the other man.

Danny stared for a long while before it hit him. "I didn't mean it like that!" He turned his head away in embarrassment. A frown settled on his face when he heard Vlad chuckle at him. Arms wrapped around him and pulled him into Vlad's lap.

"Bored, are you?" Vlad asked, his arm breath tickling the back of Danny's neck. "You don't find this setting romantic at all? The two of us alone, under a starry sky?" He squeezed his arms around Danny and rested his chin on Danny's shoulder.

Danny leaned back into Vlad as he tilted his head up and gazed at the starry sky. It was nice. The night was clear, all was quiet, and no one was around to disturb them. I love it here, he thought, letting his eyes fall shut. I love being with Vlad. I love the way it feels with his arms around me. I love Vlad. His eyes snapped open, and he stared at the sky in shock. Wait. What did I just say? He sat up, pulling away from Vlad.

"What's wrong?" Vlad asked, and Danny could hear the worry in his voice. He tried to pull Danny back toward him, but Danny only pulled farther away. "Okay. Now you're worrying me."

I just said I love Vlad, Danny thought, too distracted by this to answer Vlad. Yeah, okay, I'm attracted to him. That much was obvious to me. But love? Is that really what I feel? He turned in Vlad's arms and stared into his eyes. His gaze softened, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He leaned in and kissed Vlad, lips gently pressing against lips. Love, huh? His arms wrapped around Vlad's neck, and his fingers toyed with the black locks of Vlad's mullet. It could be love, right? His tongue ran over Vlad's lips and sought entrance. Vlad admitted him, and Danny's tongue slipped into his mouth, running over smooth teeth and rubbing against Vlad's tongue. I've never wanted to be with anyone this much before, Danny thought. When hands grabbed his ass, he gasped into the kiss as heat washed over him. This isn't just lust. It can't be. I love him too much for it to be only lust. Danny pressed closer to Vlad, wanting to feel more of the man.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Vlad whispered, his lips brushing against Danny's lips. "I don't want you to feel rushed."

"I'm ready," replied Danny in a husky voice; his eyes half-lidded with desire. He kissed Vlad again before he pulled away to stare fully into Vlad's eyes. He's so beautiful, he thought, caressing Vlad's face. He's a wonderful man. Kind, smart, compassionate. Everything I could want in a boyfriend. But most of all, he makes me feel so special with only a simple look.

Vlad stared at Danny like he was trying to figure out what the other man was thinking. Sighing, he pushed Danny off his lap. "I don't want you to feel forced into saying you're ready if you're not," he explained as he stood.

Danny's mouth dropped open, words attempting and failing to form, as he watched Vlad gather his things. "I don't feel forced to do anything!" he snapped, climbing to his feet. "I feel ready. And don't think you would be the first person I would have sex with. I'm not a virgin."

Vlad paused and turned to face Danny. He scowled as jealousy danced in his eyes. "Not a virgin?" he demanded. "And just who have you had sex with then?"

"A girl," Danny answered as he folded his arms. "A really hot girl. And it was a dumb thing to do. The only thing I felt toward her was a lingering lust from a stupid, superficial crush. And after that, I told myself I wouldn't have sex again until I found someone really special to me." He approached Vlad. "You're that person, Vlad. You're the one I want to be with. I want you to be my first as a gay man." He blushed faintly at the embarrassing words. "I want you because I love you."

"Do you mean that?" Vlad asked with a hint of uncertainty hidden in his voice.

"I wouldn't say something like that if I didn't," explained Danny. "Love isn't a word I like to throw around carelessly. I wouldn't say I love you unless that's how I truly felt."

Disbelief showed for a brief moment on Vlad's face, making Danny worry. Then Vlad smiled warmly as he laced his fingers with Danny's. When he started walking toward the ladder they used to climb onto the roof, Danny hesitated, blinking at the confusion he felt.

"Where are we going?" Danny planted his feet firmly on the rooftop, forcing Vlad to stop.

"You don't expect us to do anything up here, do you?" Vlad's brow arched, and he looked a little appalled at such a notion. "I will not have us engaging in any sort of sexual activities on a hard rooftop. Especially one as filthy as this one."

Danny's voice squeaked out when he said, "Sexual activities?" He paused and cleared his throat.

The words sent a jolt running through his body, not from nervousness or fear like he would have experienced only a few weeks ago but from the anticipation. He wanted to experience this with Vlad, with the man his heart fell in love with.

When a thought hit him, Danny asked, "Then we'll be going back to the dorm? But Jack is there."

"Then I suppose you'll have to keep quiet." A smirk stretched over Vlad's face, reminding Danny far too much of the older Vlad's devious smirks. "If you can, that is."

Danny couldn't fight back the blush that rose to his face at Vlad's words. Thinking about his father catching them made his insides twist with excitement of the risk.

They climbed down the ladder and started walking toward the college campus. The trip back seemed longer as Danny's anticipation grew. When they reached their room, Vlad cracked the door open carefully and peeked inside. Jack lay in his bed, his chest rising and falling as his snores filled the room. It wasn't exactly the most romantic setting for their first time, but a nice, clean, soft bed was better than a cold, dirty, hard rooftop. After removing their shoes, they crept over to Vlad's bed. When they sat down on the bed, it creaked. Danny shot a glance at his father, who continued to snore in his sleep.

"Are you-" Danny started to ask until Vlad placed a finger to his lips.

"If you talk, you might wake him," Vlad whispered softly, and Danny shivered in delight.

They gazed at each other in the darkness, each giving the other time to back out if he changed his mind. Vlad took his finger from Danny's lips and caressed his cheek. He pulled Danny closer, and their lips brushed together in a gentle kiss. Danny's heart pounded as he leaned closer, pressing his lips fully against Vlad's.

His hand slid down from Danny's cheek to rest on his hip as Vlad pushed Danny down onto the bed. Danny placed his hands on Vlad's chest and dragged them down and yanked Vlad's shirt free from his pants. His muscles clenched at the feel of Vlad's hands roaming beneath his shirt. Tongues battled each other while hands traced over lean muscles.

All thoughts of his present and ghosts and archenemies left Danny's mind. All he thought of was Vlad's touch and Vlad's kiss and how much he loved Vlad.

When he woke up the next morning, Danny first noticed the pain radiating from his backside. It hurt far more than he remembered it hurting the previous night during their love making. Pain faded from his mind as giddiness rose up in him to take its place. He buried his face into the pillow while he thought of the events of last night.

I made love to Vlad, he thought giddily, not caring if he was acting like a love-sick school girl. He was greatly overjoyed by that mere fact, which was completely different from how he felt after that one time with Paulina. Not very long ago, the idea would have made him ill and sent him into spasms with thoughts of "ew, that's disgusting."

Danny realized something as he started drifting toward sleep again. Panic seized him, and he shot up in the bed. He was alone in the room. Vlad and Jack already left for class. Sighing, Danny flopped back on the bed. Class, he thought and laughed. For a brief moment, he feared that Vlad left right after their love making. Then he remembered Vlad had early classes, and they were in Vlad's dorm room, after all.

Rolling out of bed, Danny didn't much care about the fact that he was nude. He stretched and winced at the renewed pain. I hope it doesn't hurt this much every time, he thought as he walked toward the closet to get some clothes. After getting dressed, Danny went to sit on the couch when he discovered something on the table. A plain white bag sat beside a paper cup of coffee. Next to them sat a note with a red rose on top of it. Danny picked up the rose and the note.

Dear Danny,

Regretfully, I had to leave you earlier than I would have liked. You looked so peaceful, so I left you to sleep. Especially after such an eventful night. Since I thought you might be hungry, I bought you a few doughnuts and coffee. I hate the idea of speaking to you about last night through a note, so I shall speak to you about it later.

I love you,

Vlad

Danny smiled warmly at the note as the giddy feeling returned. Then he noticed more writing, not in Vlad's script beneath it.

Walking in on you making out is one thing. Waking up to you having sex is SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! In the future, I would appreciate it if you did not have sex while I'm in the room.

Jack

Danny couldn't hold in the laughter at his father's note. After being so careful about not making too much noise, Jack still caught them in the act. That fact should have mortified Danny. Instead, it amused him. He was still feeling too giddy to let it bother him. Setting the note on the table, he held the rose to his nose and breathed in its fragrant scent as he flopped down on the couch. Love, he decided, was an incredibly joyous emotion to experience.