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The Foundations We Build
Chapter 8: A Team's Endecha
Danny avoided conflict at all costs. Especially with his friends.
Sam and Tucker bickered, comically and constantly, but Danny did not enjoy the banter. Petty insults thrown between punches at a ghost? Absolutely. But to his friends? His team? No way.
He owed them too much. They'd all sacrificed greatly to grow into the Team Phantom they were today, and he would never be anything but grateful.
With Vlad in his life, it was inevitable that things would start to change. The life of a Fenton revolved around nothing but ghosts, and that was all Danny thought he needed. As a Masters, it was almost the reverse.
Only a few months ago, he felt like a ghost masquerading as a human. He spent so much time as Phantom he didn't know how to be normal. How to be a regular teenager.
Now that things had changed, he felt like Phantom was slipping away, giving way to lavish events at the mansion, studying to actually succeed in school, and spending little moments with a parent that made time for him everyday.
He should've expected pushback. Especially after telling his friends he wouldn't be going out on patrol after school today, as they'd planned. But Danny wasn't prepared for the frustration he'd unknowingly unleashed.
As they hid on the roof of the school for lunch, his friends pressed him for answers.
"Why all of the sudden is Vlad deciding to get in the way of protecting Amity from ghosts?" Tucker asked him. "Doesn't Phantom help him? Save the mayor from dealing with it himself?"
Danny shoved his mouth full of the last of Godfrey's sub sandwich. The butler was officially his favorite of Vlad's personal chefs. Danny simply shrugged.
"Why don't we call it was it is? Imprisonment." Sam said, arms crossed. "He doesn't have the authority to ground you, anyway. Adoption is a piece of paper, not a relationship."
"I thought you wanted us to trust each other?" Danny said, avoiding her steely gaze.
"I did," she said. "And I thought you didn't want him to replace your dad, yet here we are...Masters."
Danny's eyes met hers, narrowed warningly. It wasn't like he was giving in to a parental relationship with Vlad, things just sort of...happened. Sam pointed right at his staring baby blues.
"See? You even glare like him now."
Tucker's head popped into his vision. The nerd's hands waved back and forth, placating.
"I think what Sam means is, we're just confused by all of this." He said. "Vlad's doing dad stuff, and you seem cool with that. It's just...different, that's all."
Danny ran an exasperated hand through his hair, freshly cut by Godfrey this morning. He thought about how yesterday made him feel.
He had needed that day off, to process and to think. Somehow, Vlad had known that and given it to him. Danny couldn't act like that meant nothing.
Sitting under the wall to wall window of the sunroom with Vlad, staring up at the night sky until his neck got sore from waiting. Giving up only for Vlad to poke him and point to the comet just shooting past them in picturesque clarity. That didn't mean nothing.
Vlad riding with Danny to school this morning, promising that he would be home early to help him catch up on the homework he missed. That didn't mean nothing. Not to Danny.
And he didn't want it to. He'd spent last night still a bit angry over being grounded, but overwhelmingly cared for above all. After spending his life since becoming Phantom hiding and surviving on the bare minimum closeness to his parents, it felt nice. Just for a while to let someone else do the worrying for him.
"So what now, then?" Asked Danny. "I can't stop Vlad from doing it, so what am I supposed to do about it? Demand he un-parent me and let me go out tonight?"
"Our parents ground us all the time, for staying out late with you, missing school, getting caught in the middle of ghost attacks on TV..." Sam said. Her tone was serious.
"It's not fair that we have to endure that and keep helping you and the second that Vlad says you're done ghost fighting you roll over and accept it. We knew this was going to be hard when we started rounding up those ghosts. We all agreed to do it anyway."
Danny turned to Tucker, but his friend just shrugged at him.
Was he really hurting his friends, his team? Choosing a comfortable life with Vlad over the responsibility he'd picked up after his accident?
"Danny, it's just...our patrol tonight was important, you know?" Tucker said after some silence. "The Box Ghost let it slip that the Lunch Lady was going for the Nasty Burger. Tonight. That's not something we can just ignore...as a team."
"I know that," Danny replied earnestly. "I'm not trying to dump my responsibilities on you guys, I swear. It's just different, sneaking out and lying to Vlad instead of my parents. I'm not sure I even could without getting caught."
"You say that like it's any easier for us without powers." Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Look, you bail on us later, and we'll be dealing with this mess all night. We'll come to school, exhausted and sore- because our guardians don't just let us skip when we're not feeling it- and you'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. That what you want?"
"You know it's not," Danny said, anger bubbling to the surface.
"Then show up, hero," Sam said, shoving her lunchbox into her backpack.
"She's miffed," Tucker explained. "But she's not wrong. We'll need a half-ghost to deal with this quickly tonight. Don't leave us hanging, man."
"I won't, Tuck," Danny promised. "You guys need a halfa, and you'll have one, I swear."
He wasn't going to let down his friends. Not when he valued them so much. Not when they'd sacrificed a lot already.
If he had to, he'd lie to Vlad. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway. And the man had lied to him countless times. He would simply be evening the score, if anything. He could do this.
But first, he wanted to be sure his head was in the right place.
As the school day ended and Danny said goodbye to his friends, he felt his resolve crumbling. He had to do this quickly. He ducked out of sight by the school exit and transformed, staying invisible.
He blew out a cold breath, feeling the familiar, comforting thrum of power in his body. Phantom waited, peeking around the corner as he bounced on his toes. Vlad would be home early today, and he didn't want to be late. He wasn't even supposed to still be at school right now.
When he finally caught sight of his target, he flew like a silent bullet and grabbed his sister's wrist. She yelped softly as he pulled her into the closest supply closet.
"D- Phantom!" She hissed, minding her voice as his body regained visibility. "What on earth...?"
She wasn't yelling at him, a good sign. He still didn't quite forgive her, but he needed someone who truly had his best interest at heart right now. Unfortunately, neither his friends nor his substitute father were good candidates at the moment.
"I need you to do your thing, like, really quickly." Danny said, not letting go of her wrist. Jazz furrowed her eyebrows at him.
"My thing?"
"Psychoanalyze me," explained the ghost boy. "I can't make decisions, and it has to be because I can't figure out my own feelings. Help me?"
Jazz's eyes squinted in confusion, but her lips were pursed together in that determined way that Danny knew meant she'd do her best. She sighed out a deep breath, almost meditatively.
"What seems to be the problem, little brother?"
Danny released her and took a tiny step back in the confined space. He rubbed at his neck.
"I feel like I'm being pulled between what my life has been the past year and what it's becoming now," Danny said in a rush. "Some things I want to stay the same, especially between my friends. But there's stuff that I actually...prefer now that Vlad's in my life, and I don't know what that means."
"What kind of stuff?" Jazz probed. Danny's hands moved to his earring, a nervous habit. He thought about his answer quickly.
"Vlad is just...involved, in everything," he said. "He cares about what I'm doing and who I'm with. He holds me accountable for things our parents didn't even know I was doing. At first I thought it was obsession, and honestly, it still might be, but it just- I feel..."
"Safe?" Jazz supplied. Danny thought for a moment before finally nodding. His sister crossed her arms, humming to herself before continuing.
"I don't think the problem here is having Vlad Masters as a grown-up in your life," said Jazz. "I think you're afraid of what that means to you. That maybe you're more vulnerable than you've built yourself up to be since getting your powers. Maybe even that you might still need parents after spending the last year hiding from them?"
Danny said nothing, taking in her words. One thing was for sure, he didn't feel afraid with Vlad. He hadn't since he'd helped Danny get rid of Ivix. But his comfort level kept fluctuating, in part because of how much he didn't want things to change outside of the mansion.
Inside, he could be exactly what his inner teenage, non-superhero, normal half-ghost self wanted to be. If he wanted to fly down to breakfast he could do that. If he wanted to sit outside on days where temperatures were freezing, he didn't have to explain why. Especially now without Vivian and Sterling in the way, he could simply exist.
"But it's not fair to my friends," Danny blurted out suddenly, like a teardrop hitting the page he'd been writing a great story on. Reality. Jazz shook her head at him, smiling.
"They're your friends," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They're not going to ditch you for deciding you don't want to live like a vigilante fugitive every hour of the day. Just give them time, show them that you're happy and they'll be happy too."
"You don't get it." Danny said, exasperated. "I have responsibilities. I can't just-"
He suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He scrambled to pull it out from his suit. There was a single text from Vlad, the only number he had set to vibrate while in ghost form. The man's own programming. He sucked air quickly through his teeth as he read the two word message.
'Get moving.'
Nosey, stalking, early fruitloop. He was supposed to have more time!
"Danny, just listen real fast," Jazz said, pulling his attention away from the screen. "The people that support you want you to be happy and safe. All you should worry about is deciding if Vlad is worthy of that kind of responsibility. That trust. You're the only one who matters in that decision, got it?"
Danny nodded, looking away. "Thanks Jazz. Look, about lately..."
"Don't sweat it, kid brother of mine," Jazz interrupted. "Just...let me in every once in a while?"
"I promise," Danny did a mock salute. She waved at him as he ascended through the ceiling, where the brisk, spring, outside air greeted him.
As he sped through the clouds, high enough to be hidden, he got lost in his swirling thoughts.
He ran his glove through the wet droplets of cloud as they whizzed by. Vlad, or his friends. Something kept nagging at him that he couldn't have both.
He shook the vapor from his fingers. Did he even want both? His situation with the resident cheesehead was supposed to be temporary, after all. He was only meant to be playing along until Plasmius found a way to cure his real parents.
Danny didnt owe anything to Vlad but the tiny bit of respect he gave him after helping with his recent ghost problem. Anything else was...extra. Unnecessary.
Sam and Tucker he owed everything. His powers, his confidence, his success as a ghost hunter...he couldn't do any of it without them. And though they hadn't complained about taking over while Danny was in hiding, he knew it had been hard. It would have been nigh impossible if it'd happened before Team Phantom was such a well-oiled machine.
Phantom came first. Just like when he'd first gotten his powers, and first took on the hero role. To want anything else for himself felt...selfish.
Danny landed on the balcony attached to the library. He couldn't quite sense where Vlad was, but he had a good feeling it would be near there. He changed forms, dropping his backpack onto a nearby chair, and looked around.
Sure enough, the local billionaire bachelor was sat in a comfortable reading chair in the corner, eyes glued to a thick book with a title too long to dwell on. Danny shifted on his feet, waiting to be addressed.
Vlad took his time, possibly on purpose. How he loved to make Danny nervous, the jerk. After his eyes scanned the last line Vlad shut the book- no bookmark, the maniac- and beckoned Danny to him.
"School and back," said Vlad. "Is that not what I said?"
Danny felt the urge to roll his eyes but squashed it down. He'd have enough of a problem on his hands soon enough without adding sass to the list.
"I was talking to my friends," he defended. "You know, the ones who expect me to help them fight ghosts this week? So about that-"
"Not your problem, remember?" Vlad told him pointedly. A slim, aged hand gestures to Danny's haphazardly thrown backpack. "Did you get everything from your teachers?"
Danny crossed his arms. "Yeah, I didn't miss much yesterday. But we need to talk first."
"Have you eaten? Are you hungry?" Vlad asked, standing. Danny huffed, cheeks puffing out in frustration.
"No, I'm not hungry, my homework will get done, and I did come straight here from school! Now will you just listen to me already?!"
He was supposed to be calm for this, like an adult. Vlad would respect him more if he didn't fly off the handle this time about ghost fighting. Danny needed to be strategic about this and Vlad was ruining it!
"I know you don't like this," Vlad said, grabbing his shoulders and steering him towards the desk by his backpack. "But I'm proud of you. You're doing the right thing taking this break, son."
He was redirecting him, obviously. Or trying to anyway. Danny's face scrunched up in annoyance as he whirled around to face Vlad.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you! The right thing is-" Danny paused, head tilting to the side suddenly. "Wait, what did you say?"
Vlad looked smug for a second before walking past him and moving Danny's backpack to the table. He only glanced at Danny when he responded.
"What? That you're doing the right thing? You may think me a villain, but I do know right from wrong."
Danny leaned his hands on the solid wood in front of him. "You know what I meant. The...other thing."
"Am I not allowed to say I'm proud of you now?" Vlad asked, his expression one of mirth. Danny frowned.
"No, you're not. Don't." He deadpanned.
"I'll be sure to say it more often, then." Vlad said, like it was something amusing. Danny snatched his bag from him before the man could distract with his stupid homework. Vlad sighed annoyingly slowly.
"You were quite content this morning, what happened?" He asked. As if it really mattered.
The older halfa sat down, patiently waiting for Danny to reply. But he wasn't sure how to answer. He still felt he needed to demand Vlad let him go out tonight, but it was as if there was a barrier preventing him from pushing the issue.
He remembered his sister's words and how she'd so easily pointed out his fears. It was true he found it difficult to be vulnerable, or to ask for help.
Phantom was a hero, while Danny still needed his projector switched on at night. Phantom could defeat all of the monsters, while Danny couldn't fight back against his bullies. Phantom didn't need adults in his life who cared. Danny still did. Sometimes. Occasionally, really.
"Look at me, boy," Vlad prompted softly. Danny dragged his gaze from the ground. He didn't look angry, but there was something determined in the billionaire's expression.
"Whatever you're thinking about, it better not be fueling that anxiety of yours." Vlad leaned his elbows on the expensive, light stained wood, fingers interlocking. "I meant what I said. This is good you'll see. Now let yourself relax for a bit."
"I can't," slipped out of Danny's mouth, unbidden. Though bringing himself to take it back felt impossible.
To know Amity was safe, that he wasn't a bad friend, and that he wasn't abandoning his responsibilities as Phantom were of the utmost importance. He couldn't just chill out with those things plaguing his mind.
But something else was nagging at him at the same time. Despite yesterday's events, things had actually been going well in the mansion. He'd felt content; safe, as Jazz had put it. Even hearing Vlad say he was proud of him felt nice- as much as it also made him want to gag.
Danny didn't want to lose that. But making Vlad mad, or worse, disappointed would surely ruin the streak.
"It's the ghost fighting, yes? Why is it so difficult for you let this go, hm?" Vlad still sounded casual, but it was edging on that pressing tone Danny hated. The one that promised probing questions he wouldn't want to answer.
"Because it's my responsibility," Danny said. "And it's not okay that I stop doing it when that means people could get hurt."
"Are you responsible for what happened to your parents?"
Danny froze. His eyes bore into Vlad's but the man just kept his gaze.
"I...no? Maybe?"
"So the brainwashing, pain, and memory manipulation- you did that? Phantom?" Asked Vlad.
Danny shook his head, startled. "What- of course not!"
"And the destruction to the dragon's realm, Dora's kingdom," the man continued. "You attacked them? Caused all that damage that needed to be repaired?"
"No," Danny said through gritted teeth. "I know where you're going with this and none of it is-"
"Your responsibility? I completely agree." Interrupted his older counterpart. "In fact, none of the hurt and pain caused by any ghost is your fault. Your help is greatly appreciated, by the protected citizens and certainly by my city defense budget, but nothing done by a ghost is directly caused by you. Phantom is just as much an innocent teenager as Masters is."
Danny gripped his backpack hard, feeling the material strain under his fingers. The resolve he'd built up on the flight over was splintering under the ideas Vlad proposed.
"What if not everyone agrees with you? About Phantom?" Danny said. Everything the man said sounded great, but there was still the matter of tonight.
Vlad's tone dropped a notch, into that slow, deliberate intonation that Danny was hoping to avoid.
"What did I say to you, when I came back from the Ghost Zone those months ago?" He asked. Danny gave him a desperate, embarrassed look but the other remained firm, rigid.
"That I'm not alone," Danny muttered. His look hardened. "Right before you ditched me remember?"
"Point being," Vlad snapped back. "If there's something going on, who should you go to for help?"
Help. That annoying, stupid, babyish word. He didn't need help. Phantom was the help.
"That wasn't a rhetorical question, little badger," Vlad called out. The fruitloop just wouldn't let it go.
"You, I guess?" Danny groaned out quietly, just to placate him. Vlad put a hand to his ear, turning his head like a ridiculous satellite dish finding a signal.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm not sure who it is you're referring to with this 'you'. My title, if you please!"
Danny stared at him, miffed, but Vlad didn't budge.
"Sto-op," he said, drawing out his vowels. The man twitched and for a moment he thought he was about to be scolded; Vlad hated when he whined. But he simply turned his ear to Danny, eyes lit up with amusement.
"Vlad, quit it already!" Danny demanded, arms flopping to his sides. He was ignored. His irritating, crazed-up, no good-
"Dad!"
"That's the one!" Vlad clapped his hands together, looking at Danny like he'd just said his first word. The younger glared.
"Now, tell me how I can assist." Vlad said, sickly sweet.
Danny swallowed, staring at the shelves lined with literature around them. The ceiling was tall, to accommodate the bookcases, and if he yelled loud enough it would echo.
Maybe if he did, the ringing would stop the tornado of thoughts swirling in his brain. Wishful thinking, probably.
Right now, as he stood in the library minding his volume of voice and staring at his backpack full of unfinished assignments, his ghost problems felt miles away. They had been screaming at him before, as he tried to figure out how he would resolve them. But the longer he was at home the more relaxed he felt. And at the end of it all, he didn't want to give that up.
Darn it, his sister was right again. Danny sat down across from Vlad.
"I do need your help with something," he said. "But...you can't say no."
Vlad frowned.
"I am overwhelmed by immediate regret."
The evening passed slowly.
Every minute dragged, dripping like thick honey spilled over. It was maddening.
Sam felt bad about arguing with her friend. It wasn't Danny's fault his circumstances were messing with their mojo. Their team efforts. Their relationship.
Plasmius was the problem. The Wisconsin freak was taking advantage of Danny's misfortune to push his wierd, obsessive agenda. Yes, she wanted them to trust each other. For the halfas not to fight and try to tear each other's throats out every day. She didn't want this.
Everything Danny needed was here in Amity, with her and Tucker and Jazz. His hunter parents, his school, even the ghosts were their own personal version of a normal life as a team.
The rich creep was ruining it, singlehandedly and with no resistance. Well, not anymore.
When they didn't hear from Danny after school, her faith didn't waiver. Danny said he'd be there and he wouldn't lie. He was bad at it, anyway. She'd know.
When she met up with Tucker, hiding out in the chilly spring air outside the Nasty Burger, still she wasn't worried. She did however send a text to that fancy new phone Plasmius had gotten Danny, telling him to hurry it up.
"Give it up, will ya'?" Tucker elbowed her. It was ten past midnight. There was still time.
"He'll be here," she told him. "I saw it in his eyes."
"Gross," Tucker grumbled. "He's grounded, Sam. It is what it is."
She raised her fist to ram it into his arm. As soon as she did and Tucker braced, they heard a faint crash, just loud enough to disturb the air around them. They both froze for all of a second before jumping from their hiding place.
"What're our options for getting in without breaking and entering?" Sam asked, as they approached the doors.
"Without Phantom, that is the option," answered Tucker.
As Tucker dug through his gear, the booming and thudding sounds from deep in the restaurant got louder, and Sam craned her neck to see. It must be from the kitchen, as the dining room looks serene as it normally would.
Just as Tucker pulled a sharp enough tool from his pocket, Sam caught sight of something hurling from the kitchen doors in their direction. She yelled a quick 'duck!' before yanking Tucker down to the ground.
The Lunch Lady came crashing through the glass beside them, landing in a groaning heap on the sidewalk. Tucker started scrambling for his thermos as Sam knelt on the ground, head twisting this way and that. When had Danny gotten there? Without them knowing no less?
Before Tucker could point his tightly grasped thermos at her, the ghost was hit with a red beam. The Lunch Lady howled in anger as she clawed at the ground. The teens watched as she was dragged by the light to a thermos and sucked out of sight.
Sam's eyes settled on the gloved hand emerging from the Nasty Burger and felt her jaw tighten. Tucker stood, having gathered his bearings first, and approached the halfa, who was blowing out the remaining smoke filtering out of the thermos.
"Can't make anything original, can ya'?" Tucker said, hands on hips. He nodded to the thermos. "Could've at least made it a travel mug, or something."
"I'll take your feedback into consideration," said Plasmius, rolling his eyes. Sam blinked once before she all but jumped to her feet.
"Where's Danny?" She demanded, eyebrows low over her narrowed eyes.
Plasmius walked back inside the Nasty Burger, and the two followed him inside, jumping through the smashed windows. Glass crunched under her boots as Sam followed the ghost, Tucker not far behind.
"Chained up in my dungeon. Is that what you'd like to hear?" said Plasmius.
Tucker overtook her as the halfa found the office of the fast food joint and entered in. The techno-geek spied over Plasmius' shoulder as he typed away on the computers there.
"Tuck?" Sam prompted. Her friend lifted an eyebrow.
"Camera footage," Tucker supplied. "I get why you're deleting the last few minutes, but why pause current recording as well?"
"Because we are going to have a chat." Said Vlad. "And I'd rather not be front-page news tomorrow morning when video of my ghost half gets leaked to the public."
Sam looked the ghost up and down. She let him lead them to a booth though suspicion gnawed at her insides like a hungry animal.
There was nothing Plasmius could say to make her like him. She was grateful for what he'd done for Danny. That was it.
Danny's acceptance and even embracing of Plasmius in his life surprised her. Sam thought she would always be telling Danny to give him a chance, to be more open, to let things play out.
Tucker all but shoved her into the booth opposite Plasmius, trapping her by the window as he sat down.
Yeah, well, he could make her listen but he couldn't make her agree with whatever the twisted ghost had to say. Take that, techno-geek.
"Why isn't Danny here?" She asked, deciding that this conversation was going to be hers to control. "You say you want to talk. Isn't it weird to talk to two teenagers in the middle of the night without our mutual friend? Spit it out, Wisconsin Ghost."
Vlad leaned forward onto his palm, elbows resting impolitely on the table. He regarded her with a bored look, and Sam's eyes burned into him.
"He's grounded," said Plasmius. "Did you expect him to disobey me?"
"Uh, well yeah. This is Danny we're talking about." Tucker said with all the intellect of a doorknob. Sam nudged him.
"But this is important, you know?" Tucker amended.
"Amity needed him tonight- and you knew that." Said Sam.
"Amity needed him? No one else?" Vlad said smirking. Sam's cheeks reddened.
"Amity," she growled.
Her anger was like a foaming, bubbling pot of boiling tar. The man would regret making it overflow, as would Danny. Sam didn't appreciate being ditched.
"Look Plasmius, you can't just walk- sorry, fly into our team and expect us to be cool." Said Tucker. Vlad raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't know I was part of this 'team'." He said.
"If you're on Phantom's side, you're on team Phantom. That's just how it works." Said Sam.
Plasmius had an amused look on his blue-toned face. It made for a very punchable target, in Sam's opinion. He seemed to notice her tension and frowned.
"When you brought Daniel to me, I assumed we had an understanding." Said Plasmius. "Why does it suddenly feel like I'm the fairytale villain again?"
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other. Sam spoke first.
"You stayed out of our business before, but now Danny's unhappy and it's all your fault." She said, eyes full of conviction.
"Team Phantom has a job to do, and we can't do it without him." Tucker said after.
Vlad nodded. "Not appreciative of the rules I have set, are we?"
"Let me tell you what I see," Plasmius began. "I see two reckless children hell-bent on nothing but trouble and desperate for my son to join them. I'd be a fool to support that. It took me a while, but I finally see it clearly now- Teenage rebellion at its finest."
"You couldn't be more wrong, V-man," said Tucker. "We do this because no one else will. No adults have ever helped us, no teachers, no parents, and definitely no politicians."
"It's a responsibility, something we take on because we care about people. Unlike you, Mr. Mayor." Said Sam.
"You children couldn't possibly understand what it is to stand for others against all odds. You're not soldiers. Believe me."
Sam shook her head. "Maybe not, but I stand up for innocent animals everyday as a vegetarian. Danny never fought back against his bullies even after getting his powers- he couldn't justify it. Tucker and I argue all the time because he doesn't compromise his own beliefs to be my friend."
"We're team Phantom because of who we are and what we believe, not what we're trying to prove... duh." Tucker finished.
"Still sounds like rebellion to me," Plasmius sneered.
Sam shrugged. "Maybe. But it's either us or no one."
Plasmius sat back against the booth with arms crossed over his chest. Sam couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, but for Danny, she'd keep trying. For her friends, she'd do anything.
"You're the only grown-up who knows about Team Phantom. And now you're Danny's guardian, or whatever." She said. Vlad's eye twitched. "Look, all we ask is that if things are changing, that you, like, keep us in the know?"
"I see. Keep everyone on the same page, is that right?" Asked Vlad.
Tucker nodded. "With the ghost hunting stuff, yeah."
"I do hope you know, though," Plasmius' gaze softened, but his voice still carried with certainty. "I have never set out to make Daniel unhappy. Though you might not see it in the decisions I make, they are always in his best interest."
"That's trust you have to build, Plasmius." Tucker said. "Until then, we're going to keep supporting our ecto-weird friend, thanks."
"Fair enough." Said Vlad.
Sam stayed silent as Plasmius stood and bid them goodnight. They both declined his offer to fly them home, and as she and Tucker walked in the biting chill of the night air, they tried to wrap their heads around the day's events.
After a bit of trekking, Tucker stopped in front of her.
"Do you really think Danny's not happy?" He asked. Sam shrugged.
"How can he be, stuck playing as his archenemy's son?" She replied. Sam sighed out a chilled breath. "But... it's not like I don't want them to get along. I just..."
"Don't want things to change?" Tucker finished. She nodded, and Tucker's eyes dropped to the pavement. "Me neither."
They walked in silence until Tucker was dropping her off at her parent's house, where the lack of lights and copious shadows made the cheery mansion look almost tolerable. Sam tucked away her wrist rays and thermos into her spider-shaped backpack.
"Think we can handle this week's ghosts by ourselves?" Tucker asked her as she slung the backpack over her shoulder again. Sam put a hand on her hip.
"If not, the Wisconsin Ghost better have his ringer on. Amity just got a new half-ghost hero."
The mansion was quiet when Plasmius landed with a light drop into the roof. The moon was only half visible today, but his eyes had adjusted enough to make it seem like a bright flashlight. He squinted as he looked up at the stars Daniel loved so much for a brief minute, then let his intangible body sink down through the ceiling into the house.
The boy's room was empty, but he wasn't surprised. Vlad shook his head as he grabbed the projector sitting on the nightstand and walked out. The hallway was coated in a comfortable silence, and Vlad found himself floating just to avoid the sound of his own footsteps.
When he entered his main room though, he couldn't keep himself from muttering aloud.
"Absolutely not," he said through his teeth.
He approached the lump of sleeping half ghost on his bed. The lights were still on, and the position Daniel was in wasn't his usual one. If Vlad was honest it looked like sleep all but dragged Daniel into it.
Daniel immediately shuddered upon Vlad getting close, and a gush of blue, icy smoke flew out of his mouth. Vlad's eyebrows drew together as Daniel's eyes shot open and he coughed.
"Vlad, what-" Daniel shoved a fist to his mouth as he recovered from the rude awakening.
"I don't usually set off your ghost sense anymore," Vlad said slowly.
'And definitely not like that.' he added silently.
Daniel sat up, rubbing at his eyes. His hair was sticking up in strange directions and Vlad had the urge to ruffle it. So he did.
"Did it...did it go well, then?" Asked the teen. Vlad frowned.
"You have quite the tenacious bunch as friends, you know that? Not to mention we'll need to talk about your choice in crushes-"
"Dad,"
The man huffed. "Yes, yes, it's all taken care of. We came to an understanding."
Daniel's shoulders dropped significantly as he relaxed for what seemed like the first time the entire day. The boy reached for the ectosignagure projector in Vlad's hand, but he pulled away.
"Try without it tonight," Vlad prompted. Daniel glared at him, stretching to snatch it from Vlad's fingers. He let him.
"I like my box, thank you," Daniel said, pulling his legs from their crossed position under him to rise.
"Fine, but it's staying here while we're at Dorathea's." Said Vlad.
"La la la- can't hear you!" Daniel sang as he walked to the door. Vlad rolled his eyes.
"Goodnight, brat," he called.
"Goodnight, fruitloop."
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed and sparkle on.
-P