Hi! I am back with last installment of the PowerPlay series. Was going to wait to post some other one-shots I have in mind, but this one has been done for quite a while; so, might as well stop hiding it from you all. I know you guys really like this series.
Disclaimer: There are some serious adult themes in this one. It gets a bit dark in a certain spot, so strong advisor on this one. That being said, I really enjoyed writing this last part. It really brings together what Danny and Vlad's relationship looks like 10 years into the future.
Enjoy!
Timeline in relation to Endgame [and in their respective order]:
Powerplay Part 1 [Many years after Endgame. Danny is twenty-six]
Powerplay Part 2 [2 years after Part 1]
Powerplay Part 3 [continuation of part 2]
Powerplay Part 4 [continuation of part 3]
Powerplay Part 5 [continuation of part 4]
Powerplay Part 6 [continuation of part 5]
Note: This is a future drabble. Danny is 28. That means his character and reactions will be different than when he was 14 on the show
PowerPlay: Part 6
The next day, Vlad was in his private lounge… thinking. Well, he was doing more than that, he supposed.
He reached for one of the empty glasses on the coffee table in front of him and poured himself a glass of his favorite bourbon.
Maddie and Jack had finally returned home early this morning. He had not seen Daniel since their… fight yesterday. But the man could feel the young man was around.
Vlad wondered if Daniel would leave without speaking to him. They had not fought like… that in years. It was almost alarming. But… he could sense that, like him, the younger hybrid was more upset over what happened than upset at each other. It was pointless to stay angry about it, anyways. But he supposed they did have to talk about what happened.
Vlad would have already sought out Daniel, except he was trying to decide what exactly he wanted to say to him. He knew why Daniel was upset… Vlad could not blame him for that. But even if Danny did not understand, he was looking out for the younger man's best interest.
He couldn't tell him… Not yet.
Right then, there was a knock at the door, and Vlad already knew who it was.
"Come in, Daniel," he said before he took a drink from his bourbon.
The younger man smiled nervously at him as he walked in, and the older hybrid suddenly felt like time had been turned back and he was staring at a teenage Daniel. He knew that sheepish smile well.
He resisted the urge to smirk, and instead, watched the younger man sit across from him.
"I… wanted to see you before I left early in the morning tomorrow," he began. "As much as I'd love to stay another week, I can't continue to miss work."
"I understand… And needless to say, you are always welcome here, Daniel," he answered before he reached forward and poured another glass of bourbon. He then slid it over to the younger man.
Danny smiled playfully this time. "You trying to corrupt me, Masters?" he asked teasingly though he reached forward and grabbed the glass.
Vlad scoffed in amusement before he settled back in his chair and took a drink of his own glass. He then said, "If anyone is corrupting anyone, it is you, dear boy. You have me so wrapped around your finger, it's almost ridiculous."
Danny chuckled before he took a drink. He cringed before coughing, and saying, "Wow… that's strong. I hope you were not planning on drinking the whole bottle."
"Of course not," Vlad answered with a snort. But then he grinned and added, "Half of it is for you… "
Danny snickered this time before he downed the rest of his drink, and slid the empty glass over "Then, I better catch up."
"That's the spirit," Vlad answered as he reached over and filled the young man's glass again before sliding it back to him.
The two settled back in their chair and just silently enjoyed their drink and company.
But the comfortable silence was eventually interrupted by Vlad.
"I'm sorry…"
Danny shook his head before he took another drink and finished his glass. He then reached forward and proceeded to pour himself another.
As he did, he muttered, "Don't be… I pushed you to that. And I shouldn't have. That was wrong."
Vlad slid his empty glass towards the other hybrid, who filled it up, too. He then said, "I still could have handled that better…"
This time, Danny looked at him and instead of sliding his drink back over to him, the younger hybrid extended it to him.
When Vlad grabbed the glass, the younger hybrid did not let go as he said worriedly, "You know I don't care which of us is stronger, right? It wasn't about that…"
"I know," Vlad said with a smile; and the young man finally let go of the glass with sigh of relief.
The older hybrid then took a drink before adding, "It does not matter to me either, Daniel. In fact, the day you exceed me, I will be proud."
Danny huffed with a mixture of emotions. "I don't know if that will ever happen, Masters… After that display yesterday… And you know what the craziest thing is? I know you were still holding back… "
Danny curiously studied the other hybrid and added, "Let me ask you something… Have you ever… really used your core, like at full power?"
Vlad regarded the other hybrid before he took a slow drink from his glass.
"I'm not sure if it counts since… my core was damaged, but I did during the whole fiasco with Serenity… and that creature. Then again, even after Serenity healed and elevated my core… I still held some control, I think."
"So, the answers 'no'… I mean, I think the reason why you don't is obvious but… maybe it's not as obvious as I think… Is it?"
Vlad thought about that before he said, "I think I was around your age when my core had matured enough to manifest my hot core's... tendencies. I spent weeks unable to sleep or eat because of the feeling of my core just… burning… I tried different things to ease the pain… I tried expelling energy like you do, but my core would just produce more of it… the more I used my energy the more heated it became.. the more… I lost control… At one point, I stayed in the Ghost Zone for days because I was sure I would combust at any moment. But it did not matter what I did to try to relieve the burning pain… It did not matter how much I screamed, or… cried… Nothing helped."
Danny lowered his glass from his lips as he stared at the other man in disbelief. Sure, over the years, they had shared stories about their ghost halves and other experiences…
But Vlad had never told him this one.
The older hybrid sighed quietly as he just stared at his drink; but still continued, "I realized being in the Ghost Zone was actually making it worse. With all that ambient energy, my core just kept getting stronger. Believe it or not, there's some things about those weeks I still do not remember. It was like living in a nightmare… A nightmare that I was desperate to end… Then, one night, I remember walking into a gas station, soaked in sweat which was just steaming off my body almost as quick as I could produce it… "
Vlad chuckled but it was humorless as he continued. "I must have looked like quite the spectacle to that poor employee as I bought him out of ice… I went back home and filled my tub with ice; and till this day, I cannot understand how I did not die from that… how I was not brain dead with how elevated my temperature was…"
Vlad took another long drink before he muttered, "The ice melted… The water soon began to boil… And I thought that was it. I would die boiled alive in my own tub."
He laughed again.
Danny did not.
"I turned into Plasmius out of instinct, and just focused on my core… and I just… I started containing the fire inside me. I figured if I was going to die, then I might as well just get it over with…"
"Wait…You tried to…"
"I did…," he admitted soberly. "Except that… instead of… imploding or bursting into flames like I had imagined in my mind… the pain and heat lessoned the more I contained my core energy. So, I kept containing it. I kept pushing it down and condensing it into the center of my core. like I once taught you when you first learned blue energy… It took minutes, or hours, or days. I don't remember but I did it until my core… stopped burning."
Danny breathed out slowly. "That's… amazing and… terrifying. It's crazy how completely opposite your core works to mine…"
Vlad finally looked at him. "Yes… And I had to actively keep my energy in that… contained chaos for almost two years. It was exhausting. Fortunately, I had been working on learning blue energy for a while back then. And once I did learn it, I realized it was the… cork I needed to tame my core… Lighting in a bottle, I suppose is the best way to describe it. From there it just became easier… And contrary to what you would think, containing my core's power and energy allowed me to grow stronger… to develop my powers further and focus them. You see, unlike you who needs to expel energy to keep your ice core stable. I have to contain it for it to function properly…"
Vlad took another slow drink before he stared soberly at the other hybrid and said, "You asked me yesterday if I was afraid of your cold core… And the answer is, no…. While I respect your unique core, I am not afraid of it, Daniel. But… I am afraid of my own core. I always have been."
But seeing the younger man's eyes widened slightly, the older one briefly looked down at his nearly empty glass of bourbon. There were some topics he didn't like to discuss; not because he didn't trust the other hybrid by now, but… they were hard topics. It was never easy to admit fears…
"I know that might sound hypocritical of me when I have always taught you to never be afraid of yourself or your powers… But it is different for me. As you said, our cores might be compatible and share similarities, but they are so very different… And for me… Fearing my core is a healthy fear for me to have… and for you to have, too."
Vlad looked back at his protégé with sudden regret as he soberly said, "I am sorry for making you see that yesterday the way that I did, but I needed you to see it, Danny. I need you to understand why I do not use my powers to their full extent, and why I am so cautious of that core-transfer ability. The more energy I use, the more I risk losing control over my core's stability; and I cannot have that happen… ever… I meant it when I told you I do not want to accidently hurt you… And for me to just willingly hand you over my core, knowing what I know, knowing it could kill you... I would never forgive myself. I would rather die boiled alive in my bathtub a hundred times over before I would risk your life like that."
"Somehow... I feel I got the better deal here with my cold core…" Danny sighed and frowned. "That was a jerk-move on my part yesterday… I'm sorry, Vlad. I mean it. And... thank you for telling me this, about your core. I understand."
Vlad lowered his glass back on the table and leaned forward slightly to look almost sadly at his protégé. "Daniel… I also need you to know… what I learned about our bond that I have not shared with you… If I do not tell you, it is not because I do not think you can handle it. I just… I want you to live your life, my badger. Let me worry about our bond and this guardianship we have for now. I promise you… I will tell you at the right time."
"When is the right time?"
"… When I cannot delay the inevitable any longer."
Danny stared back quietly for a moment before he softly asked, "Is our… mortality really linked? If….If one of us… dies…?"
"I am not entirely sure, Danny," Vlad answered with a small sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "It's not really something we can test, is it? But… perhaps. It's likely…"
But when he saw the worried look on his protégé's face, Vlad smiled with reassurance. "…Do not be troubled, badger. I would not worry about dying young. Remember what I told you about our telomeres…. Our cellular regeneration…?"
Danny nodded soberly. "Yeah… Can't have supernatural healing powers without it messing with the rest of our cellular functions…" The young man exhaled before he added, "It's not the longevity that… worries me. It's not like we can't die, even if we might outlive our families. What worries me is… you."
Vlad's eyebrows creased in confusion.
"…Or more like your reaction to whatever all this means… I know you, Vlad," Danny said with a deeper frown. "Whenever you think something is… a threat to me, you always try to find a way to deal with it on your own…. I trust you. I do. But I need you to promise me, you will not do anything drastic without asking me first… without including me. I told you a long time ago: We accepted this together…. And no matter what may happen, no matter the consequences… I will never regret it. Understand?"
Vlad immediately thought about his conversation with Clockwork yesterday; but all he could do was nod. He knew Daniel meant his words. He knew Daniel would sacrifice himself over and over again for him. But Vlad could not allow that.
Not this time.
Danny finished his drink before he set it down and leaned closer to look directly into his guardian's eyes. "Promise me, and I'll let this go. I will trust you on this."
Vlad looked back at his protégé. His friend, son, and equal. He loved him so, so much…
And in the name of that love, Vlad did something he had not done in years…
"I promise," he lied.
Danny smiled at him before he stood up. "We should go eat something before we have a repeat of what happened on my twenty-first birthday…"
"In my defense, I was against it," Vlad answered forcing away the guilt and smiling. "But you wanted a crash course into the world of adult beverages… I figured having you try some of Skulker's more… serious drinks would be a good way to make sure you would think twice before ever getting inebriated again."
"Yeah, Yeah… You are so considerate. Awesome guardian and all that," Danny replied rolling his eyes.
"It worked, didn't it? You are welcome. I shaped you into a responsible young man who knows the importance of moderation," Vlad retorted proudly as he stood at last.
"Whatever, Masters," Danny answered. "Come on…"
Vlad followed him out of his study but then he remembered something. It must have triggered a big enough emotional response that Danny picked up on it.
"What?" Danny asked, confused.
Vlad sighed as he slipped his hands into his pant pockets and muttered… "I was thinking about our ghost lair… We will need to rebuild."
Danny stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. "Was there that much damage? I mean, I know we had a fight in the area where…"
The young man felt something again, and instead asked, "What did you do, Vlad?"
"It did not feel right anymore," Vlad muttered, lowering his gaze to hide his sudden glare. It was true. He had been upset, but his actions were not solely an emotional response…
"So you…?"
"I reduced everything to ash… To start anew," Vlad answered, looking back at the other to watch his reaction.
Danny gaped. "Are… Are you serious?! It took years to get our lair to how it was! It's not exactly a quick process to expand energy to build a place like that! Why would you do something so drastic? We could have fixed it! Found another way!"
"Perhaps… I was a bit angry after yesterday," he admitted. It's as close to the truth as he could get…
"But it wasn't solely an emotional response!" he quickly added when the younger hybrid glowered at him. "The energy sustaining our lair was too tainted. The creature ruined it beyond repair… It felt… repulsive. You would have agreed with my decision if you had been there and felt it…"
Danny took a full body breath in order to check his anger. He didn't want to fight, not after what happened yesterday, and not after they had just reconciled. But he also couldn't suppress all his irritation; and crossing his arms, he muttered. "That is going to take forever to construct again… And just that, but the amount of energy it's going to take…" He glanced at his guardian who at least had the decency to look a little guilty. "You are such a drama queen."
Vlad rolled his eyes before he turned away to continue towards the stairs. Danny followed.
"Forgive me if the stench of that beast and the remanent of our corrupted energy in the air made me nauseous…"
"You realize you also melted your simulation room, right? Nothing is working," Danny added. "Hope you have some extra time on your hands, you hot-headed fruit loop."
"Ugh. I thought you had outgrown that childish name-calling," Vlad muttered, pretending to be annoyed.
"I thought you had outgrown being so loopy!" Danny mocked back.
This time, Vlad smirked. "We both know this was your fault. I told you, you're a bad influence on me. I merely reacted."
"Hey, I said I was sorry!" Danny complained.
"I know. And while I might have overreacted and of course I forgive you, I think you should make it up to me…"
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"I will work on the foundations of our lair," the older man said, "—to at least have a clean and healthy template to rebuild… In the meantime, I want you to rebuild my simulation room."
"What? I can't—!"
"Oh, of course you can, Mr. Engineer," Vlad cut him off with a grin.
"Vlad, I work on rockets and other space equipment," Danny reminded him with a frown.
"And I have a background in biochemistry and genetics. What's your point?" Vlad retorted. "Everything is relative, badger. Not to mention, by now you have as much knowledge on spectral biology and weaponry as I do. I have the simulation room's blueprints in my study. I want you to take them with you to study them. See what else can be improved. Then send me the final sketch and I'll look over it."
Danny thought about it before he nodded. "Fine…" But he suddenly smirked. "The first thing I am improving is the thermal protectors and wall construct. We need to find something that can withstand your insane core."
Vlad laughed. "Good luck with that. I was already using a space-grade titanium build."
"I've been working on a tungsten nano-particle composite at work," Danny replied. "But privately, I have been thinking of combining it with… an inert form of ecto-radium after my parents fried their last specter speeder when Dad thought it was a good idea to drive it through a volcano on the Ancient Isle in the Ghost Zone…"
"Oh?" Vlad asked, raising an intrigued eyebrow. "And here you were telling me the simulation room's remodeling was too much for you to handle… Yet here you are creating a new ecto-metal. You're too modest, my boy."
"Ha!" Danny replied. "We'll see if you think the same when your simulation room implodes on itself."
"Nonsense. I have full confidence in you. Besides, I never said I would not be helping. I just want you to take the lead. More than ever I am curious to see what you can do with it…"
Danny smirked. "Alright… I'll start working on that tomorrow after work. But you better get to fixing our lair… I still can't believe you reduced everything to ashes!"
"Let's take a quick flight there… You will understand why I did," Vlad replied.
Danny shook his head. "I'll pass. It will just make me upset again. And what's done is done. I think I rather spend the rest of my vacation here eating George's pastas and beating you at chess, old man."
"Oh? Being bedridden is a vacation now, is it? And please, Daniel. You will never beat me at chess. You should give up on that dream."
Danny grinned. "First, I like to look on the bright side of things. I needed some days off, and if getting chowed on is how I can get it, why not? Second… don't count on it, Masters. I'll beat you. If anything at all, I am a determined guy…." He smirked. "Learned from the best, after all."
Vlad chuckled and wrapped an arm around the younger man. "That you did, my badger… That you did."
Done! And I love these two! I never thought about writing older Danny and Vlad, but I absolutely have loved this series. I might do some others in the future like it, if inspiration hits me! Thanks for reading!