Chapter Fifty-Eight: Date
The next day, Danny was feeling a little bit better, though he was looking jumpy every time someone that sounded anything like his father spoke.
"Hey, are you awake?" He heard someone that sounded like his father say, and looked around to see a security guard shaking a person that was curled up in the hallway. "You can't sleep here, you know. What, couldn't get to your room? Your wife locked you out and took the key?" He laughed.
"Danny?" Dan said quietly. "What's up?"
"Uhm…nothing." Danny bowed his head.
Dan frowned and took his hand. 'If you don't want Vlad to know, speak into my mind.' He thought.
Danny closed his eyes, sighing. 'That guy…he said…that phrase. That phrase that dad was always using to…to wake me up.'
Dan nodded, squeezing his hand before releasing it. "So, first things first, we should have breakfast. Where do you want to eat?"
"That diner we ate at before." Vlad replied.
"Of course." Dan laughed.
They met Valerie there by chance and after assuring he would be back by 10pm, Dan walked off with her. Danny watched them go, then looked up at Vlad. "So…what now?"
"Well, what do you want to do, little badger?" Vlad asked.
Danny shrugged. "I'm not sure what you would be okay with doing."
"Well, I'm letting you decide." Vlad reminded him. "It's up to you."
Danny looked thoughtful. "Do you mind us heading to the arcade? Or the movies?"
Vlad chuckled. "Whatever you want to do, I'm alright with it."
"Hm. I guess I'll find out just how long your patience holds out, then." Danny grinned slyly.
They headed for the arcade, where Danny insisted on playing EVERY game before they left, winning against Vlad on many of them due to more practice. Then they went to the theater and played EVERY game there, before they took three dozen pictures in the photo-booth. He thought that Vlad would've lost patience with him by now, but he just laughed along with him and one of the photo sessions consisted of a tickle-match that Danny was NOT winning.
"What're we gonna do with all these pictures?" Danny asked, laughing. "Why did we do so many? Why didn't you say to stop earlier?"
"We're going to put them in your bag," Vlad put them in Danny's book-bag that, when not filled with Ghostwriter's books, was perfect for all of Danny's crane-game victories and the three-dozen picture-reels. "and then go pick a movie."
"You have limitless patience, don't you?" Danny sighed, as if disappointed.
"No, my patience is started to run a bit thin." Vlad admitted. "Which is exactly why we're going to go pick a movie now, so you will sit for two hours watching a screen."
"Okay, okay." Danny grinned as Vlad herded him to the ticket booth.
Danny picked some monster movie and Vlad spoiled him by buying popcorn, candy, a drink, and a hot dog. As they sat down in their seats, Vlad couldn't help but think of how happy he was to have Danny here with him, like he had been trying to get him to be for months. He still wouldn't call him "dad", but knowing that he would never leave him for his father again did make him feel so happy he felt a little guilty.
"Hey, can I ask a question?" Danny asked, looking up at him. "Uhm…yesterday, you hung back to yell at dad. What did you say?"
He sighed. "I told him that if the Guys in White attacked his son to get to him, who's to say that any kid visiting would be safe? It's a wonder Jasmine is safe, but she has been away from home a lot while preparing for college."
Danny nodded. "…Thanks. For everything." He smiled. "Even if you ARE still doing your fruit-loop plots, you're caring for both of us and that's what matters now."
Vlad smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, hugging him gently. "Anytime, little badger. You know I would go through hell and fire for you. Had you been able to call for help at that time, I would have gone to rescue you in a heartbeat."
Danny smiled and returned the hug, then looked towards the screen. "Movie's starting, shh."
"I'm glad that you've got someone besides Mr. Masters living with you now." Valerie said, smiling. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Mr. Masters is a great guy. But, he's not exactly in-tune to what kids want."
"He sent a teenage girl weapons of mass destruction, I think I know how not in-tune he is." Dan laughed.
"No, I DID want those." Valerie grinned. "You do have a point, though."
"Of course I do." Dan lay back in the snow, grinning cheekily.
Valerie shoved him, laughing. "You brat!"
Dan raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, pushing her back. "Who's the one shoving people around?"
She grinned, shoving him again. He retaliated by wrapped his arms around her and they rolled around in the snow as she tried to get him off, laughing. Her snow hat was abandoned as they rolled around, and then he was pinning her down, panting heavily as she looked up at him, their cheeks both flushed as toxic-green gazed into blue. Then he smiled tenderly and leaned down, kissing her.
Her eyes closed as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him as they deepened the kiss.
"Whoa, Gray!" They heard someone cry out. "I understand that it's cold, but do you think you could NOT melt the snow?"
"Grr…" She glared at Kwan, picking up some snow and throwing it at him. "You ruined the moment! Get lost!"
Dan laughed, getting off her and going to grab her hat. "Well, that happened." He said, walking over and handing it to her.
She took the hat and brushed it off. "Yeah, that happened." She took his offered hand and looked at his coat. "Let me guess, one of Mr. Master's coats?"
"Now you mention it?" He smirked.
"I wasn't look at it until now. Let's go get you some new winter clothes." Valerie pulled him along, heading for the mall. "We can get something to eat while we're there!"
And so they were back in that store, this time with Valerie making it CLEAR to the peppy cashier that he was her boyfriend and not to touch him, and he waited while she picked out a winter outfit for him.
"I'm surprised you didn't have one already." Valerie commented.
"My godfather is very busy, as you know." Dan replied. "That's why I'm wearing his old winter clothes."
"Well, after this you won't HAVE to." Valerie grinned. "I'll buy you a few different outfits."
The clothes were once again black and white, except for a Christmas sweater that was red and green and had a reindeer with a Santa-hat hanging off its antler on the front. "It looks like it killed Santa and took his hat." He remarked.
"Oh, stop being silly." Valerie laughed. "Just for that, you get to wear it today. Go put it on, and these green pants."
"Nope, don't want green pants." He went into the dressing room.
Valerie put the pants away and went to look at a coat for him. "This one looks nice." She said, pulling out a fluffy white one with a hood. "Nice and warm." She smiled.
"There, I am wearing the silly shirt. You have punished me." Dan stepped out of the dressing room, wearing the sweater with black pants. "Can we pay and go eat? I'm hungry."
"Okay." Valerie smiled and they went to pay. The cashier gave them a pouty look as they walked out hand-in-hand and headed for the food court.
"Oh hi, Valerie!" They heard as they approached a table. They found Dash and Paulina hanging out eating together, and Dan couldn't help but think about how BOTH of them obsessed over Danny Phantom. Yeeeeah, definitely not talking to them in his ghost form if he could help it. WHY did Danny put up with these idiots?
"Hi, guys." Valerie joined their table and smiled. "This is Dan. He spoke at Danny's funeral, remember?"
They were at the funeral? Dan honestly didn't remember seeing them there.
"Oh, riiight. He did that big insightful speech!" Paulina said, nodding. "I remember now! He had a cool cloak on at the time!"
"Well, now the cloak is on my new 'little brother'." Dan replied. "You were Danny's friends?"
"Well…" They both looked a bit guilty.
"Hm?" Dan tilted his head a bit.
"Oh, just tell him!" Valerie sighed. "Dash was pretty much his bully all through school and Paulina messed with his head repeatedly just to freak him out."
"Why did you do that?" Dan asked.
"Well, he…uh…" Dash looked like he was trying to think of how to answer without making the newcomer absolutely hate him.
"I-It's the past anyway, right?" Paulina said. "I mean, why do you worry so much? You only came to this town when he was being buried, so—"
"Paulina!" Valerie frowned. "Don't be so insensitive, Danny was really important to Dan's godfather!"
"Oops." Paulina brought her hand to her mouth.
"No, it's fine." Dan gave a smile that they couldn't read as good or bad. "It's in the past, after all. And I'm sure he appreciated the constant bullying over the sudden attack that took his life."
"You know, I heard that even Phantom liked him." Dash sighed. "That he was calling for Phantom on his deathbed, but no one has seen Danny Phantom since…well, since about three weeks before he was brought to the hospital. Where do you think he went?"
"I don't know." Dan shrugged. "I know that my godfather has had run-ins with this Danny Phantom person, but I've never seen him aside from pictures of him destroying my godfather's property. He's kind of a vandal, isn't he? Y'know…a criminal?"
"Danny Phantom isn't a criminal! He's a hero!" Dash banged his fist on the table. "Our hero! And if he's not here, well, something bad must've happened to him! That's the ONLY reason he would be away so long!"
"Okay, sorry to set off the fangasm." Dan said, holding up his hands. "I didn't know you loved him so much, I'll try to be more observant."
"Oh, Danny Phantom is sooooo dreamy." Paulina sighed happily. "He's saved me so many times, and his arms around me were just so strong and he's so handsome and brave…"
"Danny Phantom ruined my life." Valerie muttered. "Mr. Masters saved us from living in the worst part of Amity Park, a wonderful act of charity on his part."
Dan gently took her hand. "That's enough about Danny Phantom, I think. It's making you upset." He gently kissed her cheek.
"Aaaanyway, we were going to go catch a movie!" Paulina smiled. "You know, that one that kids our age can't really go in? You wanna join us?"
'Speaking of crimes.' Dan thought. "If my godfather found out about it, he would ground me. And he will find out, he always does. I swear; he's got me bugged." He made a show of checking the clothes he took off earlier.
They laughed and he made a helpless "I dunno" shrug before putting his hand back on Valerie's again. "Besides, those are all late-night. He wants me back at the hotel by 10pm."
"Aww, bummer!" Dash cried. "Well, maybe another time, eh?"
"Maybe." Dan smiled. "I just want to spend as much time as I can with Valerie before I go back to Wisconsin."
"Well, are you going to the big Christmas party at the Manson house?" Paulina asked. "I was so surprised when I got invited; I thought that Sam hated me!"
"Don't think you're special, everyone was invited." Valerie said.
"From the sounds of it, you're just one of 'everyone'." Dan said, chuckling a bit. "Yeah, we'll be there. That's why we're in town, actually. My godfather was invited, so instead of celebrating at home we came here."
"Well, then we'll see you there for sure!" Paulina got up with Dash.
"See you, Dan!" Dash said, walking away with a wave.
'Everyone? Does that include the Fentons?' Dan thought, frowning a bit. 'Danny…'
They ate and then spent the rest of the day going to the movies, going to the arcade, or just walking in the snow-covered park. By the time he got back to the hotel, giving her a kiss good night, it was 9:55pm. He cringed and took the stairs, knowing that he couldn't use his ghost ability with the cameras on in the hallways and lobby.
He put his key in the lock and opened it just as Vlad looked at his watch and saw it was 10pm. "You were almost late." Vlad commented.
"Sorry. Got caught up, uhm…"
"Making out with Valerie." Danny said from where he was playing a handheld game, curled up in a chair. "I can see everything you do, remember? I knew what held you up."
Dan walked over and flopped onto the bed, dropping the bag on the floor. "I'm tired."
"And it's not even Christmas yet." Danny remarked.