Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When It All Falls Down, I'll be Fine

The wind died down as you drove smoothly up to the curve of the cafe. You were wrapped up in a light brown trench coat that was tucked over you as not to get in the way. Your hair was free, no need to fix it up. The first reason was it wasn’t business hours for you. It was agreed on casual wear for this out-of-business, and two doing your hair wouldn’t matter a bit from the wind and your helmet.

During open hours, you rode in limos, benez, and all that jazz. After hours, when you were [Y/N] and not Miss Roman, you rode your Black Venom KPR-200 Lifan Cycle to your everyday places. Cars just weren’t your thing, too bulky and space wasting. Now motorcycles, now that was something for you. Small, efficient, and cheaper than cars. And electronic! Well, yours was at least.

Regardless, this was not VladCo. This was Vlad and [Y/N] on a sunny afternoon at a cafe. So you came as such. You just threw on one your ready to go outfits, a low cut white blouse with puffy sleeves, a jean skirt, dark brown boots, and your overcoat. You had quite a few of these since Vlad was so unpredictable; texting you at random times of the early morning and night; the man was certainly demanding to work for.

You didn’t mind. Vlad was somewhere deep down, a kind person. You saw that he cared about local matters just as much as international ones. Vlad looked after the people, he managed ghost attacks surprisingly well, and even visited old ‘friends’ to check on their kids. Hell, he’d offered to pay for their college! Vlad was mislead and hurt, but as his partner in crime, co-worker, and most importantly of all his best friend(re: love interest), you were going to help him.

So when he shot you a text 13 minutes ago to meet him at My Coffee Shop across from Casper High, it was nothing new to you. Just another day with Vlad. Plain ole, wonderful, strange, and dry humor Vlad. At this point, it wasn’t a bother, but more of a pleasure. Just more time to spend with him away from work and as... friends.

Sure, you'd go with "friends".

Pulling to a stop, you lean your bike over and throw out the kickstand. After taking off your helmet, you shook your teased hair out and set the matching helmet in place on the bike. Hoping over your transportation and onto the street, you could see Vlad sitting at an outside table with his usual coffee and what looked to be your favorite black tea and raspberry croissants. He was reading something on his phone, you knew that face. It was the way his eyebrows were a little raised, the slightest part of his lips, and his focus on the document.

The wind blew through Amity to you, watching just for a second that man and the shop. Just looking at the little details. You've met him here before multiple times, you had the layout and menu memorized, plus you knew most of the servers names.The details is all. For example, the slightly tinted window glass, the swept concrete, how the birds liked to sit on the umbrella over the tabes. How the inside decor was a slightly different shade of black than the outside, and not because of the sun or dulling. The espresso machine was well kept but the ice cream was not. The cracks in the old tiles; they didn't replace when they opened shop. So just the little things.

You also know that he saw you pull up out of the corner of his eye, he always had a talent for knowing when you were near.You smiled at the man who always wore a suit, no matter the situation or place.

You strode over to him with a smile and sat in the black metal chair across from him, taking the white mug of black tea and sliding the matching plate over to yourself. A napkin was neatly folded into a triangle and placed under the plate, and you knew the service certainly did not do that. Crossing your legs, you began the conversation.

“Reiner’s report? Or Pichary’s?”

“Actually,” Vlad sipped his coffee and scrolled further down. “Von Burrough’s.”

“Really?" That was surprising, his had been rejected after evidence of tampering had been found. "I thought we already eliminated his? The servers reported a hacking attempt and we blacklisted him.”

“Correct, we did, but I went back. The hack was from another applicant who was trying to get his spot. Pathetic really, his own didn’t even get top 450. Waste of time.”

"Hmp. Even Smither's assistant could do better than that."

Vlad laughed at your jab towards another company. Smither's company couldn't do shit in secrecy or discretely at all. Their less-than-perfect track record was public and very unaccepted by said public. By your estimates, if a miracle didn’t happen soon, they’d be out of the top 1000 world wide companies by 3 years time. And that's if Vlad decides not to buy it as a fucking challenge and completely turn it around.

Keeping your smile and rolling your eyes lovingly, you started eating. The croissant was flakey and warm, fresh. The tea went well with it. The baked in raspberries really pulled it together. You might give them a good review later...Not because Vlad brought you here, you’d do it because you actually knew how reviews worked.

VladCo grew more every day, expanding and dominating the boards all over. VladCo was discrete, efficient, ‘trustworthy', and a fan favorite of the public. You and your highly trained PR team, that was groomed by you, handled literally everything that left reporter’s mouths. You knew everything said about every company, especially VladCo. But the real thing you knew?

How to manipulate the media.

In a way, you were the public opinion.

(And yes, a single comment was just as important. )

“Regardless,”

You set back down your mug and Vlad sighed, putting his phone down. He still held his coffee and gazed towards the high school across the road.

Vlad invited you here for a reason. Usually, meetings like this reminded you of all the weird things in your life and in Amity. They usually were the more…suspicious ones. The ones that made you think about odd orders, secret places, and even more secret deals under the table. Your job was full of random puzzle pieces, and you were missing all the edges.

Basically, you had some centerpieces, but not anyone of the outline. The framing. The pieces you needed to understand what was happening. The context of it all.

“I’m assuming this meeting has something to do with Daniel?” You asked nonchalantly as always, but subconsciously fiddling with your hands.

You weren’t dumb, not at all. In fact, you are quite the opposite. You’re practically a genius in business and many other topics. You knew that there was a unique connection between Vlad and young Daniel. It had something to do with all the weird and unusual things happening around you and in this town. You had thatgut feeling, it had something to do with it. Just one of the many pieces you’re missing.

“Yes, it does. To be frank, I didn’t feel like going alone.”

Huh? Your head tilted to the side and one of your eyebrows rose a little higher than the other. He just wanted you to come with him? There was something more to this. You leaned in towards him as if getting closer would spell it out for you, and he switched his focus to you. Eye contact was now easily kept between you after all these years.

“Daniel requested a more…rare and delicate book of mine that he’d like to read. I thought to bring it to him after classes, but I also had to think about the frequent ghost attacks. I don’t want it to become lost or, godforbid, destroyed in a fight. I know you carry so I feel that it would be better if you accompanied me. Plus the public figure, blah-blah-etcetera-etcetera, the usual.”

That did make sense to you. You made a sound of acknowledgment and agreed with him. You sat in thought for a minute, your signature look of a crooked finger over your mouth, holding your chin.

Ever since Vlad moved to Amity you had begun to carry an ecto-gun alongside the real gun you already did. Being wealthy was dangerous. You were not only his assistant 24/7, but also his last line of defense. It wasn’t spoken of or signed on, but to you, in your heart, you would take a bullet for him.

God, when did you decide you would die for this man? Probably after the gala and all those shenanigans… or after you dreamt of kissing him.

“Yeah, that does make sense. The school should let out in a couple of minutes, do you want to start heading over there?”

“Well,” He glanced down at his watch “Yes, we should actually [Y/N]”. He stood up half a second before you and both of you pushed up for chairs, refreshments forgotten. Vlad pulled out his wallet and left a heavy tip as he always did.

One afternoon, when Vlad, yourself, Daniel and his friends were talking about the town. Or, they were acting like they were. Regardless, the group of you were eating out at a local family owned restaurant and Vlad left a tip. After you all stepped outside,Daniel went off about ‘waving his money around’ and being a ‘total jerk-face’, then stormed off with Miss Manson and Mr.Foley. Vlad seemed totally unfazed, and continued escort you to your apartment. You commented on Danny’s rude behavior and he cracked, explaining why he did tip so much.

“When I was in highschool and college, whether it seems like it or not, I worked some small jobs such as a waiter or attendant. They’re treated horribly and work for up to12 hours for minimum wage. Now that I am able to, I usually tip much more than they would get in one night. Sometimes up to 13 times what they would make. Some are struggling families or students. I may seem cold or like an asshole, but I do understand. I do treat people who deserve it with respect, as such we all should.”

It always made you believe just a little bit more, that he was just putting on a show for everyone. And you got the pleasure to see him after the shows. Backstage. On break. That man, the one who you have late night talks with and sarcastic humor with, who tells stories and research notes to you when you can’t sleep, he was your favorite. You still loved business Vlad, but sometimes you thought that business Vlad needed a little more soft Vlad in his life. It was like he could be two completely different people at times.

You messed with your jacket a little and proceed to follow Vlad out of the cafe area. Your boots and his Tom Ford Gianni shoes clacked on the stone in sync on the way to the crosswalk. You just followed, head set naturally high from experience, watching his hair swivel in its hold. You had only seen his hair down a couple of times, and yes when he had it up it still looked good. But dear afterlife, when it was down you got heart eyes. Man was slicker than ice and had a nice ass. And muscles. Nice muscles. Really nice muscles-

You were pulled out of your thoughts as Vlad moved to the side to push the crosswalk button. You stopped in front of the faded white paint and Vlad soon joined you. Your hands moved to hold each other at you front, hanging limply. You had always had soft and delicate hands, you had multiple doctors say you could operate if you got certified to do so! Human bodies were fascinating, but something about it wasn’t as appealing. The knowledge yes, but something about working at a hospital distrubed you. It didn’t…feel right to you. Out of all the choices you had, this was simply the best you could have chosen. You liked the feeling of being in control of everything for once in your life. Hell, in control of something.

“So Miss Roman, I hope you weren’t doing anything of importance before I asked you to waste your time escorting me to a highschool.” Vlad asked you casually. Oh damn him, he knew the rules! First names when it was out of VladCo!

“Well, Mr.Masters,” you stressed the syllables of his name. “I wasn't at all. I was cleaning up the little mess I have and watering my plants. I’ll have you know I recently got a new succulent.” You said proudly to him. Talking about home life was for Vlad and [Y/N], not Mr.Masters and Miss Roman. Hopefully he would take the message and switch the freaking names! Ugh, he knew that was your peeve!

“Oh? What kind this time, [Y/N]?” He turned his head from the lightly busy road to you, having to let his chin fall a little. He put a lilt in your name that just made you melt on the inside. You felt a light blush developing, thank god there was a cool chill today that you could blame it on.

“A, uh, Haworthia cymbiformis. South African in origin.”

Vlad was looking at you like you were the sun in his life, that soft Vlad coming out in him. A small, delicate smile was on his lips. Unsure and flustered, you glanced down to the cement and back up to him, allowing a glance over of him. Vlad kept his hands in his pockets for warmth you guessed, but yours were sure cold now. You hadn’t noticed before, but after fidgeting your fingers you felt the coldness that had crept in. The kind where the joints in your hands hurt in a weird way but the rest of you is warm on the inside.

Ding!

You and Vlad turned to the sign that had turned both the lights red and the crosswalk white. Youblinked at it for a second longer before Vlad turned back to you. He still had that smile on and your heart might have skipped a beat when he asked you for your arm.

“Shall we?”

He extended his arm out for your and you, without thinking, took it. Warming your much smaller arm around his, glueing yourself to his side even though it wasn’t necessary. And Vlad, if he didn’t like it, would have said something to you. In fact, it felt like he was also leaning into you as well.

It made you feel...nice. Good. Warm.

Needless to say, you two safely crossed the street to the high school. The two of you didn’t let go until you heard the bell ring from the speakers. You were still about thirty feet away, but hordes of highschoolers with social media talking about Vlad Masters being at their school, no less arm-in-arm with his assistant. That would be unacceptable. So reluctantly, Vlad slowly let go of you as you began to drift from him.

That action of course, had more significance to it.

Your posture got slightly straighter, your head up higher. You hands didn’t go to the loose hold they had earlier, but to your sides sleekly. Your gaze turned towards your objective and no longer were you in the mood of [Y/N], but one of Miss Roman, genius businesswoman. Our lady of the underworld was back again.

You noticed Vlad beside you change into Mr.Masters as well. His steps came with more energy and what felt like power. He picked up his pace slightly and you slowed yours, allowing that formation of leader in the front, business in the back. Your eyes hardened into ice and that chill went down you into your bones. The blizzard was back, freezing you over into a glacier; magnificence, power, perfection, and imposing were your traits now.

And not 10 seconds later, the first wave of teenagers came out the doors.

Damn, you were good.

You and Vlad kept walking straight up to the steps and up them just as quickly. You had no problems at all getting through the crowds, everyone there recognized the king of business and his knight. They parted like the sea around you, their faces going from confused and annoyed to a bit of awe, then understanding. They knew to move. Vlad gave off some serious waves of power around him, like he was some kind of level above them. Behind him a few steps and to his right, was his literal right hand woman. [Y/N] Roman. You.

Vlad wasn’t the only one that could give off energy. A creeping chill was following and it for once, wasn’t a ghost. It was you, your ‘aura’. Your ice dropped the temperature by some degrees in confidence and ignorance in the people around you.(re: bullshit deflector)

And so, Daniel Fenton and his two friends were met by Vlad Masters and [Y/N] Roman. And they immediately turned to their right, away from the crowds and the two of you. And Vlad immediately started to follow. And the people knew to move away and not interrupt whatever the King and his White Knight were doing with Freaky Fenton and the geeks.

Vlad was efficient at following them to the large white columns of the highschool. The kids moving out of the way was one of the keys to following them, Danny and friends had to weave through the people. So naturally, Vald got what he wanted fairly easy. He laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder on his backpack strap.

“Ah yes! Daniel, Good afternoon” Vlad greeted the teenager with all his regular flare.

That plastered smile always got you into business mode. Daniel and his friends had seen you many times before and you had always been business. Pantsuits, pencil skirts, the whole shebang. Although you were in casual clothing, they knew nothing changed. You were still the bitch Queen of ice to them, just the way you wanted to be.You could see all three of them share a look of annoyance. Even though that did that almost every time they saw Vlad and you

“Vlad? What are you doing here?”

“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Miss Manson stressed the 'what are' as in insult. She was so disrespectful to him, the little shits.

“Remember you asked for that book? I have it.”

You turned to Vlad as he spoke that sentence. He had a lilt in his voice that suggested that this book had another reason behind it. This wasn't just any normal book- there was something special about it It might have looked like a normal hardcover book, but it had an aura to it that said otherwise.

Danny's face when from confusion and caution to understanding. He tried to elbowed Miss Manson with much notice, keyword being 'tried'.

“Oh. Oh! Thanks!”

And then it all happened so fast.

Vlad was extending the book out to Daniel when-

BRSSSKKKHHH--BRUUUUHBOOOOOOOOOM--NNNNNRSHKKKKKKK

It all happened so fast.

An explosion. The screeching of teenagers and the building rang out in horror. The shaking of the school and the tremors of earth beneath you shook you to your core like nothing else. Your blood ran cold and the air seemed to rise to boiling. Panic set in for you, that fight or flight instinct was loud and proud. The group of you seemed to all freeze for a second trying to understand what was happening-

It all happened so fast.

The tall cement columns that supported the school screamed in stress. They were crumbling at the tops and bottoms. The ground was still having tremors, sending you, Vlad, Daniel, and Miss Manson almost to the ground, but managing to stay up. Mr.Foley did fall, but Daniel and Sam got him back up quickly. They looked ready to fight whatever was causing this, but they were just children.

It all happened so fast.

Cement and debris from something rained down and clouded the air around everything. You ducked on instinct and when you looked back up-

Panic

Do something

Run

Help Vlad
Panic
Do something

Run

Help Vlad

Panic
Do something

Run
Help Vlad

Panic
Do something
Run
Help Vlad
Panic

It all happened so fast.

Do something

RunHelp Vlad

Panic
Do something
Run
Help Vlad
Panic
Do somethingRunHelpVladPanic-
DO SOMETHING-

The supports were failing the building you analysed immediately. They were going to fall and then weighed literally, a ton. You were completely certain that other parts of the 3 story building were falling down as well. But right now, you were focused on the column that seemed to be falling down in slow motion. Time stopped around you, color dulled, sound ceased to exist. Everything stopped, the panic and worries and instincts- stopped.

It all happened so fast

Time stopped around you, a genius woman surrounded by 3 children that didn’t deserve all the crap they go through and Vlad- oh dear god Vlad- who were in the way of the falling, one ton column, that would most certainly crush them. Your eyes were blown with panic, your hair and skin were covered in dust, bruises from debris, your legs trembled from adrenaline and panic. Time stopped for you- as you thoughtlessly flung Vlad and the children out of the way.

And flung yourself in its path.

Vlad turned to you and caught your eye- his were bright, almost glowing. Your arm grabbed all three children on your left in a swing and Vlad in your right. Adrenaline was making you strong and you were so glad for it. His face was contorted in shock now, a truth from eariler’s facade of calm on him. You used all your might and panic and adrenaline and care to throw them out of the way- and throw yourself in the way of danger.

You kept your eyes locked on Vlad’s and watched as they turned from ice blue to red- but that didn’t matter. Nothing right now mattered more than Vlad. Not stocks or bonds, not the weather or his home, not this column and the children. Just him.

Just him.

You put on your smile for him. That smile that did it for him, the one that made him feel just the tiniest bit better about anything. You put it on and faced him in that place where seconds were lifetimes long and smiled as if to say “I’ll be fine! We'll laugh and talk about this later over tea and croissants. You'll see!”

And Vlad couldn’t help but scream as tears formed in your eyes from the knowledge of crushing pain coming. Vlad screamed as he watched the shadow of stone fly over you like a blanket on a cold night. Vlad screamed as he watched his only true friend in so long smile for him as you were crushed. Vlad screamed in pain with you as he watched your smile leave you. Going from loving to eyes dilating, screeching in pain like a banshee, and body being slammed so fast.

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast

It all happened so fast
It all happened so fast
It all happened so fast
It all happened so fast It all happened so fast
It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast It all happened so fast

And it all happened so fast, Vlad couldn’t refuse your sacrifice.

Chapter Text

Awareness came slowly.

Muffled sounds and ringing was all you knew. There was heavy pressure on your legs and your left arm. You felt dirty, you were covered in dirt or dust. Weird. Where were you? You knew you were laying on the ground, gravity was present and keeping you on the ground as it should. Your eyes were closed tightly, but it still felt as if you were spinning. What was that noise?

Your eyes cracked open with hesitance, eyelashes clumped together. Bright light made your eyes water and you flinched. Focus came in, and you couldn't understand it at first.

Rubble was littered all around you. Cracks in the cement walls of the building- the highschool -. Cement dust was everywhere, caking everything. Meager pieces to substantial ones of the architecture were all around you. Shit , was that a person? Across to your left was a body. Holy fuck .

They started standing up shakily, or maybe it was the ground that was shaking. You didn't have a grip on what was happening. It was still silent in your mind, you were barely grasping at the world around you. The person stepped to the side and leaned onto the crack wall. The dust seemed to be settling, you could glance at the blue sky now. You could sure, but you just...stayed. You never moved your head from its resting position. Watching him, that man. You felt your lungs contracting, and you made the mistake of coughing.

Blood spewed from your mouth.

"... shit .!"

Jesus fucking christ that hurt. Your lungs apparently went on strike, because now you had to put so much effort into breathing. The muscles were refusing to work on their own. Some debris must have hit you when-

Debris. Dust. People. Damage. Injuries. The column. 

Oh, fuck you, the column!

Your eyes widen in realization. You pushed Vlad and the children out of the way of the falling column, then nothing. You were laying on the concrete and injured in at least your thoracic cavity, or general torso area. You coughed up blood, so that meant you had internal damage as well as external. You glanced over to your side and found another problem.

Your left arm disappeared at your elbow beneath some rubble. It was specifically trapped under a good size chunk of the roof that had been around the top of the column. You’d be lucky if it was still even attached to you at this point. Taking a deep breath in, you calmed yourself trying not to laugh. If you went into shock now, you’d soon join the ghost that had most likely caused this. Death was certainly an option, but not one you'd like to take. 

You moved your stare from your arm and twitched or the right one. Hmph, just like a fish...focus! It was out of view but it didn’t feel broken or majorly damaged. At least you’d be able to keep one arm and hopefully your life. It felt okay enough so you channeled all your strength into your right side and moved to push yourself up.

“...nf...shit..”

It was definitely straining on you. Your breath came in tough and you spit out more blood. There was a large tear in the sleeve with blood seeping out, damn it. You hadn’t felt that yet, you didn’t have long until blood loss got you for sure. Your head was hurting too now. The aches are starting to leak in.

In your peripheral vision, the man moved from the wall and looked over himself. You liked his hair. Ha, that’s funny, you’re bleeding under concrete and you like his hair. But in your defense, it was silver, a nice silver, but this dust did nothing for it. He turned around and stared at you for a second. He looked at you! Was your hair okay??

“....[Y/N}?..”

You’d gasp if it didn’t hurt to breathe right now, he knew you! That was your name! [Y/N] Roman! And that had to be…

“..Vlad?”

Yeah, that was Vlad. His suit was dusty but was otherwise fine. His hair was tied back but flyways were littering his face. Vlad was good, Vlad was great! He could totally save you somehow! Vlad always made you feel better and grounded you- ha, grounded you . You were gonna smile at him, he seemed upset about you. But you knew that he would save you, so you smiled!

Aaaaaaaaand blood spewed out your mouth.

“Oh my god, [Y/N]! ”

Well, that hadn't felt good. It slapped you somewhat as you let all the blood come up, no point in drowning yourself in it. A grip on what was happening came to you as Vlad stumbled forward quickly to kneel down to you. You were choking as Vlad gently as possible supported you with his hands holding up your chest. Your free arm went to your mouth, but it did nothing to stop the blood from getting over his dusty suit. Taking in some shallow, harrowing breaths you leaned back up and you could just imagine what he saw of you. A dusty and blood-covered face, tear streaks and despair. You would bet your free arm that he saw the fear in your eyes. You may have been halfway gone a moment ago, but Vlad always grounded you. There was no way in hell you'd make it through this. You were as good as dead.

"V-Vlad, Vlad, V-Vlad, Vlad, Vlad- please Vlad-" you whispered like a prayer to him. He was in this hell with you, holding you delicately as if you’d blow away in the wind at any minute. Your focus was on him as if he was a saving grace as if he could somehow save you.

"Shhh, shush now. [Y/N], [ Y/N ], you're going- you're going to be fine . Look at me and just try to breathe, you are going to be-"

You knew Vlad would never in a million years, not for the world, show weakness like this openly. Vlad knew what you did as well. You, [Y/N] Roman were going to die right here, underneath a ton of cement and debris, in his arms. You were going to die.

"V-Vlad, Vlad, Vlad no, please no , I don't- I don't-" 

Your arm weakly grasped at his sleeve and you could see him shatter from his panic. Stubborn Vlad was back, that look in his eye, the way they widened. Vlad was going to do something, some unbelievable thing to save you from this. He was a bastard, but one who could pull anything off. Sometimes it was as if he was magic, making things work his way.

But this was reality, and not a fairytale. 

Even if Vlad got you out, blood loss who have you no doubt.

Your fate was sealed. 

Tell him.

"Vlad, please I need to- please listen-" 

God, why couldn't you get your words together? Your mind was getting mumbled all together, you could hardly focus. Jesus fucking christ, you were dying! You were dying and Vlad was getting up, he was moving away from you. You had to tell him! You had to tell him about, about, about, just you ! 

You wanted him to know how you laughed at dick jokes, or how 2 am was your favorite time. How you water your plants based on the personalities you've given them. How you still sing and dance to music alone in your apartment. You wanted him to know how self-conscious the scars from your childhood made you, how you could still tell him if they were from beer bottles or your father's knife. You wanted him to know how you felt, how your thighs rubbed together, how your hips felt against his, how you would feel under him.

 You wanted Vladimir Masters to feel you.

You wanted Vladimir Masters to know you.

You wanted Vladimir Masters with you.

You wanted Vladimir Masters .

You lay your head back down on the cold concrete, in a puddle of your own warm blood. You didn't have many fluids left, but that didn't stop you crying into the ground.

"Vlad, please just, just- we both know. I'm-" you paused, whether from your jagged breathing or just saying it out loud. "I'm not going to make it."

You felt a harsh sob trying to come, but you only managed to haul up another load of blood. You felt cold and desperate. Your eyes kept shutting themselves and you had to open them repeatedly. Vlad was behind you, out of sight and you couldn't bare it much. What was left of your blood was draining out and you didn't have long. You needed to tell him because quite literally, it was now or never .

That thought terrified you so much, you were able to push yourself up enough to look behind you, to look at Vlad and tell him-

What in God's utter fuckery 

Vlad was behind you, rips and tears in his suit, lifting the goddamn pillar that was killing you. He had that aura around him of pure power and something otherworldly . His hands, warm and big enough to hold you close, were at the bottom of a column and picking it up- and off you.

Vlad had just lifted a one-ton column off of you. Vlad Masters, your boss, your best friend, your love, did the impossible. The man that was the embodiment of a thunderstorm in July on the horizon- the electricity in the air, the static, the energy in the air. The wind and the clouds- the sky itself in a man. 

You watched your love lift one ton for you, then the grips of death and darkness never seemed so real. He may have somehow moved the column off of you, but that didn’t stop the blood from flowing-

“FUCK!” You screeched in pain. Your lungs were nothing compared to this, your legs were mangled messes of flesh. Tendons and muscles and fat looks almost shredded and pulled like pork. The bone of your legs shattered and splintered, you screamed in agony. You hadn’t really noticed the pain before, maybe freaking out had stopped you from realizing it. But now? Oh Jesus Christ, now. Your legs felt as if someone put them through a fucking blender. The pain made you want to curl your toes, but you couldn't. At this point in time, the pain made everything clear and blur all the same. You were hyper-aware of yourself, but the 'outside' world was nonexistent. You slammed your free hand down on the concrete, just trying to get some of the pain out. Shaking and grunting and crying and screaming- 

The rubble on your left arm was suddenly moving, grinding the bone even more. You screamed like a banshee in the night. Agony couldn't begin to describe what it sounded like; a guttural, animalistic pain shot from you. If you had any time before you died, you'd apologize to anyone who had heard it.

Snapping your head to the side, you saw that young Daniel had moved the debris.

Debris that had to be at least 100 pounds.

What the fuck was going on today?

And you weren't sure why, but through all that pain, suffering, and desperation, the sounds of the world came back to you- and you were glad you had quit screaming. You’d coughed up a lot more blood from screaming. Daniel had some blood on his face and arms- well, the blood on his arms was yours. You’d finally noticed his friends who were frozen still with pale, dust-covered, horrified faces. Tucker Foley- the tech-savvy one- looked like he was about to throw up. Miss Samantha was just in shock of you and your mangled body, blood still dripping from your lips.

“V-Vlad, oh my god Vlad- she- Oh my god-”

“ Yes, I know DANIEL!”

Vlad’s yelling at Daniel made your mind spin, the world was going weird again. Except for this time, it was going a bit darker too. This was it. You were going to fall asleep in tremendous, unadulterated pain and never wake up.

“What- what-, I mean- What do we do ?”

“ You , my boy, are going to do ‘hero’ thing and tell whoever is responsible that I’m coming to personally rip their c̵͖̘̠̭̳̾̽̆ǫ̵̨̖̘̰̪̩̦̠̽̽́̈́̈͜͝r̵̡̢̖̞̫̯̳̳̪̎̔͠e̵̛̾͒̇͊̾͗̃̕͜ out and CRUSH IT IN MY HAND! ”

That other earthly tone of his was back now, but you couldn’t say anything anymore. This pain was unbearable. You had eventually just laid your head down on the concrete, dull eyes staring at the scene before you. You weren’t sure exactly when you did, however. 

Daniel took a step back, and you noticed that he was gripping the hem of his shirt. He was afraid or frightened by Vlad’s tone. You weren’t sure what the hell a ‘core’ was, but apparently, someone was losing it.

“All- alright, o-okay, I’ll- I’ll get Sam and Tucker out of here, you just do what you need to for her, okay?”

“Of course. Now get going. ”

Daniel was struggling with his words. You’d have to help him with his pronunciation later if you got the chance. Talking to young Daniel would be fun, he had some spunk in him. He had this life inside him that was intoxicating and breathtaking. Vlad had something similar, but with more of a roar than Daniel’s river. 

Daniel moved to the other two teens who were most definitely going into shock. Most likely because of you, but that didn’t matter. Your eyes were wanting to slip shut and just drift off from this pain. The edges were going fuzzy…

“Guys, let’s go. There- there might be others- okay? We- we need to go.” Daniel was tugging on there hands and trying to lead them away from your massacred body. They stiffly moved, but you weren’t tricked at all. Samantha’s hands were shaking. You may be half dead, but you still were cunning. You’d be the best you could be until your heart gave out on you.

The teens slowly trudged away shaken. You felt bad that you were traumatizing them, but you hadn’t really had a say in the matter. You didn’t choose to die today. Nobody chooses their death date or how they pass, but you sure a hell were gonna fight it.

With the teenagers gone through the remains of the high school entrance, Vlad made his way back over to you. Doing your best to stay awake and alive for as long as possible, ou hyper-focused on the sound of Vlad. The pain was still there, but you were doing your best to tell it to fuck off. Laying in dust, Vlad walked to you and crouched down to you. You always gave him your best, so you managed the strength to look up at him. He gently reached out to your cheek with his right hand, so warm and comforting. He leaned into his pull to get almost nose to nose with you. What was left of your attention was all on him.

“[ Y/N], listen to me. ” He was staring right in your eyes and his words captured you just like he had earlier at the sidewalk. “This is where we break them, alright? Like we always have. This is when we pull our Ace card, or at least I do. Now, listen closely,”

He leaned in closer to you than ever, he was now temple to temple with you. Eye to eye, you had never felt this connected to him.

“ This is all up to you, right here, right now, whether you live or die is up to you. Whatever fight you have in you, now is the time to pull it out . No one more than me knows how to face death than me. This is going to hurt, you will be tempted to just give up. But we both know that you’re one helluva fighter. So fight, okay Roman? Do me one last favor- win this fight and I’ll win you the war. ”

You couldn’t really digest the full extent of his words, but you could understand them. He was telling you to fight, to stay alive. His demands right now- instead of paperwork, phone calls, deals, and agreements, your job this time was to simply stay alive long enough for him. And you,  [Y/N] Roman, could do anything for Vlad Masters.

“Okay, I- I can do it. I can do it for you” You reassured him while giving the slightest nod. Vlad took that as his green light and began sitting back up to do whatever he was going to do. This was going to hurt, but accepting that you put on a brave face and prepared yourself for hell.

“I’m going to pick you up now, okay? This, my love, is going to be the worst thing you’ve ever felt. I’m right here with you hough, please darling, scream if you need to.”

Nodding again, you tried to take the best breathe you could. The blood in your mouth was still pooling so if wasn’t the best. Accepting your fate, you told him you were ready.

“I’m ready, let’s go.”

You could feel his smile on you as he responded, “You never one were to hesitate.”

Vlad’s hands grabbed your shoulders and he whispered, “I’m sorry [Y/N].”, and he started lifting you up, mangled pieces and all.

To say you screeched would be an understatement. Darling, you wailed.

It was single-heartedly the most wretched and heartbreaking sound that you had ever heard, and it came from your own mouth. Agony spasmed throughout your body, god you couldn’t even think anymore. White, searing, burning, soul-shattering pain ripped through you like a knife carving a tree: hard and ragged. This experience was almost out of body, and quickly you found yourself whimpering, shaking, and sobbing in Vlad’s arms. You barely heard Vlad say something before it felt as if the floor was falling out from underneath you and him.

A pink mist filled your vision, and your eyes rolled back in your head.

“You’ll be fine, I’ve got you.”

Chapter Text

When you woke up, it was night.

Laying in peaceful silence tucked in bed, just staring out the window into the night sky. You always liked the nighttime better than day, it just had this feeling to it. Like it wasn’t an energetic vibe but one of potential. It was extremely peaceful, the only noise being your blood pumping through your heart.

Blood.

You had been awake for almost an hour now and you still couldn't comprehend it. Shortly after you woke up, shards of what happened came back slowly. You took your time thinking over what happened and why you were still here.

You were supposed to be dead. There’s no way no hell you could ever survive that.

Yet your heart was still beating.

Out of all those odds, you could still feel your toes wiggle beneath the sheets. The shifting of you knees your being still so long. Where your head laid on your left arm- the one that had been hanging on by strings. Your limb had been utterly torn apart by the debris. There was no fixing your limbs to be exactly to what they had been, you were supposed to be crippled.

As you shift your body to keep the blood flowing, you thought about these things. You weren’t sure what day it was, but no amount of time could have fixed you anyways. Vlad did something more than move a one ton column off of you- he somehow completely healed you.

You hadn’t dared to look down yet. You would check yourself over when you finally got up to look for answers. You wanted to lay here for some moments more- which turned to hours. Now, basking in the half-moon’s light,  you finally thought you were ignoring it enough. You were still [Y/N] goddamn it, and you would know what happened to you. What happened to Vlad. You would demand to know the truth about everything.

The shock was fading and [Y/N] Roman was coming back. She would not stop until she found her answers, even if she had to beat them out of the world’s richest man. [Y/N] Roman would not breathe until she knew what was happening in her world. Yes, Roman was trying to come back. But the truth is, right now, even if Roman was coming back from the shock, [Y/N] wasn’t.

[Y/N] was curious and frightened and terrified and honest to god interested in what happened to her. She should be dead, no more than a pile of flesh and bones. Yet here she was, in a bed at a mansion, (the Wisconsin mansion if Roman was correct, and she always was) hiding from the truth of why she wasn’t dead and what in the hell Vlad did to save her.

[Y/N] was scared and very, very afraid of herself, but she promised that she’d never hesitate again. You, [Y/N], knew that you could get up and go find him and the answers you wanted. After hours and hours of waiting, trying to understand this, you remembered that you could never fully understand something about Vladimir Masters.

Sighing deeply, you closed your eyes for just a second more and then very carefully pushed yourself up.

Expecting to be sore, it wasn’t as bad as you thought. Yes, it was very sore, but it wasn’t the hell-burning fires of last time. The soreness had nothing on that...regardless, you groaned as you pushed the dark silk covers off and swung your feet down to the soft carpet.  You finally looked down at your legs and found it creepily unsettling that in these pajama shorts, not a single scar was visible. Not a stitch or bump was seen.

Whatever he did, it did one hell of a job.

 Now you had a good look at the room, and you immediately knew it was your guest room in the Wisconsin mansion. The moonlight helped you see the curtains you had, smooth blues to compliment your skin tone. Your desk was in the corner beside one of the glass balcony doors. The sleek table near the bed between the two doors had a mirror you bought in California hanging over it. It wasn’t strang for whoever the doctor was to put you in your own room.

Your gaze went back down to your arms, the scarless skin being freckled and perfect as ever. It was weird knowing that it had happened, but no evidence remained. All logic ran on the fact of evidence and things happening for a reason. Here, it felt like it never happened, all that torture. The screeching pain of you being torn apart. You could have come out of a wood-chipper in better shape.

Sliding your hands down the warm skin, you felt the pickle of hair growing back. It was strange, but you were new friends with strange now. After everything, the years of odd orders and unnamed deals. Strange was your best fucking friend by now.

A deep sigh escaped your mouth and pushed yourself onto your feet.

Which turned out to be a mistake.

Quickly you knew that your left leg was absolutely not having this. It was giving out on you, the sudden shifting in your hip being uncomfortable. Shit! Now you were really awake, the adrenaline shot in and tried to quickly stick our right leg to catch you in a lunge but it decided that if lefty is out, I’m out too! You tried reaching for the bedpost, and your fingers barely grasped it before it was out of reach. Tightly closing your eyes, you tense your shoulder and waited to slam face forward into the desk.

Swift as a fox, warm hands grabbed you, You gasped as they spun you to look up at the ceiling rather than the carpet. Shakily, you fluttered your eyes open to something beautiful. Some one.

“Are you okay? You still need help to walk, love”

Vlad had caught you. His hands were placed one on your side to bare skin, and the other to your lower back. That one also was on bare skin. His hair was down and messy, the silver waves falling from behind his ears. You were looking right in his eyes and you could see soft Vlad holding you clear and apparently dear. Vlad, whether he realised it or not, was waist to waist with you. His wrinkled dress shirt had the top few buttons undone. You were pretty sure your brain was getting fried.

“Uhhm, yes, well, I think so.” You manage to stumble out that you weren’t hurt from the fall. Too bad your higher brain functions were nowhere to be found.

“Well then,” Vlad lifted you up and you instinctively grabbed his shoulder for support. You were a little shocked how gently he helped you up. “I would like you to eat something, but right now it might just make you nauseous. Although, I would assume that you’d like answers more than anything.”

“Um, yes, that would be nice, Great even.”

You could barely say words, god the smarter you [Roman] would be back in a few minutes. That meant you had about 5 minutes to get to a room and duke it out there about what Dungeons and Dragons bullshit was pulled- earlier? Aw shit, how long had it been!?

With your realization that it could have been weeks that you were ...unconscious (you’ll go with that), you stumped again and fell into Vlad’ chest. He of course, went to grab you but you held tight on his shoulders and pulled yourself up to him. It probably strained and hurt your muscles more, but you really couldn’t feel it.Or you really didn’t care. Panicking, you demanded an answer.

“O hmygod Vlad what day is it?! How long have I-” You slipped again, but ever faithful Laddie caught you. You were chest to stomach really, and in a different time you’d worry about how inappropriate it looked, but you now couldn’t care less. You were supposed to be dead- how long does it take someone to raise the dead!?

“ Hey, hey hey- [Y/N] calm down. It’s fine, and more importantly, you’re fine. It’s early Saturday, the uh, ‘attack’ was yesterday.” He brought a had to your cheek to gently hold you. You’d never be able to see your own eyes in that moment, but they were wide and fearful. You gazed up at Vlad like he was a high priest giving you a saving sermon.

“Hey- it’s okay. You’re okay [Y/N]. It’s only been a few hours. I got us out of there pretty quickly and had you taken care of. Called in a few favors. I promise I’ll explain everything soon.”

“ No, ” You felt a tinge of annoyance. You were going to die, then not , now have no scar s, and now was expected to wait for answers? Oh hell no. You weren’t the commonwealth, you were no fool, and you were not going to take waiting for an answer to something so big! You were getting answers NOW.

You pulled yourself up with my effort than you thought you had and got nose to nose with him.

“I am supposed to be dead . My limbs were string cheese attached by a thread. I had a two-ton column on me. I was crushed like the pit of a peach. ”

You stared him dead in the eyes and you could see him start to understand it wasn’t the ‘surgeries’ that you wanted to know, it was what happened . There was the slightest touch of fear in his eyes like he knew this would happen but all the same, but didn't want to face it.

 Too bad you weren’t in the mood to be passive. You were not in the mood to push it off. To leave it alone. To ignore the strangeness of the world around you. To say it wasn’t any of your business, because now, NOW it was your fucking business.  

When you were hurt beyond saving, then magically teleported to ‘medical assistance’ it became your business. When unsaid and unapproved ‘doctors’ or what the fuck he did touched your body, it became your business. When Vladimir James Masters kept part of his life from you, it became your business.

“ My body was no better than wood chips. I should be DEAD ! You used whatever weird shit that you’ve been hiding for the past FIVE FUCKING YEARS to fix it. And. You. Will. Tell. Me.”

You hadn’t noticed that you were shaking. You hadn’t noticed that you were crying. You hadn’t noticed that you were channeling such fear into determination to know that Vlad was frozen still as you clawed at him.

“Here is what we are going to do ,” You paused, that business tone was no longer for buying stocks and toppling companies, it was for him. Using little effort and gravity, you threw yourself back and grabbed onto the bedpost to support yourself. Vlad hesitated to reach out to you; your legs were shaking. Your hair was in your face, a messy, oily mess.

“You will take us to the study. You will not tell me to take a break or rest.”

You weren’t really trying to see, you were just focusing on your words. With a shaking hand, you pushed your hair out of your face and glared up at him with something new in your eyes. No longer was there an icy blizzard, an unbearable winter storm, the fury of the arctic.

No, in your eyes was a fire. Vlad, who had always been so warm, had started a fire in you. There had once been a spark in you, years ago. It went out slow and painfully. Now, Vlad had given you a spark again and you came back as the whole damn fire .

“ You will not deny me, Vladimir. ”

Vad looked like you had shaken him to his core. He had not been expecting you to be so passionate and angry. And it wasn’t even about you! You were demanding to know what had been going on. Why he had such weird orders, anonymous partners and hires, the fucking whole ass lab in his house!

You weren’t concerned with yourself as much, yes you were curious and scared about how you were saved. You did want to know what procedures, if any at all, were used on you. But most of all, you want to know what he was doing. What was such a secret, a plan, a curse that he would hide it from you, his right-hand woman. You loved this man more than words can describe and he thought something was so atrocious, so evil, so unacceptable that the result would you be leaving him or being disgusted by him.

Truth is, Vlad could be running the mafia and you’d just ask when could you start helping.

You were by no means a good person. You were here to survive. This is why you and him got along so well- you understood that survival is the most important thing. Both of you have had something to show you that choosing others over yourself would only get you bruised.

That’s how you were.

Keyword were.

If you had to choose Vlad over yourself, you would in a heartbeat. He was your entire world at this point, you would cherish him to your last moments, and you had . When that column was on you, he was a God in the light. This was not any simple crush or infatuation, this was your complete adoration for the man you had come to know.

“ Do you understand me ?”

Vlad hesitated again for a moment. He was nervous that whatever his abomination is was about to be revealed whether he wanted to or not. He could tell you were prepared to fight tooth and nail, even in your weakened state, to find out.

He’d always liked that, he said once. Your will, the determination, and courage you had. He said he admired it. Maybe he decided it was his turn to be brave.

“...Y-yes.

Good.

Vlad silently to pick you up; you both knew you couldn’t walk a single step before falling again. The sleeves of his button-up were pushed up above his elbows much like he does when he works after hours with you. With no one to impress or intimidate, there was no point in working uncomfortably. The hair on his arms tickled the back of your knees as he lifted you with easy. His other arm supporting your back, you again moved the hair out of your face. He was still warm. Tucking yourself comfortably into him and weakly putting your hands around his neck, Vlad took it as a sign to start moving. Nothing was said.

The feeling of his muscles moving was strangely soothing. You always knew he worked out, hell, you had even seen some of his chest before and it was impressive . But feeling them contract and hold you with ease? It was a weird feeling that you were sure would never leave you.

Those muscles lifted thousands of pounds of stone and steel off of you. He had always had talents and power, but this? This was that something supernatural that had always been right under your nose. It majorly pissed you off that he was hiding from you. After all the weird shit you had done with him, for him, and the risks and sacrifices you have made? 

All that anger fell out of you, taking a deep breath. Vlad swiftly walked to the door and turned the both of you to open it. The hallways were dark as well. Large windows let in some truly beautiful moonlight. The shrubs and greenery outside were visible as Vlad just kept walking to the red-carpeted stairwell that was inevitably at the end of the hallway to the left. You knew this house like the back of your hand.

You were definitely in Wisconsin. 

Both of you kept quiet the entire way, not speaking once. Vlad moved just a swiftly and quietly as he always had before. It really was a beautiful night, the moon was full. It may have been nighttime, and it certainly felt like it, but it also felt alive . It wasn’t the usual dark serenity that night was associated with, it felt more like a night light party. The ones where strings of lights are everywhere to mark your path. Where glasses of wine and a good night were in store for both of you.

You wished that was the kind of night you’d be having.

Reality was often disappointing, but you did look at the so-called ‘bright side’. Vlad was carrying you, and you were cuddled up to him. You are going to find out what has been happening, so all-in-all, this was supposedly good.

But even when he held you closer going up the stairs, it still felt wrong because you knew.

You knew he did want to tell you, but he was scared .

Vlad-freaking-Masters was scared of losing you. You could read the man so easily, and you knew he could read you just as well. Damn fool, you’d never leave, A) the insurance at VladCo was way too damn good, B).....well,....

You really did love him.

You were in the study shutting the door faster than either of you wanted.

This was the room you spend most of your nights going over paperwork and drinking wine. The right wall was one giant bookshelf. Plush, dark green carpeting and dark woods decorated the room, it really had the aesthetic of a 70's I-have-multiple-affairs department. The fireplace was lit, casting a warm light that was completely different from the moonlight coming from the open balcony doors. The desks were set the same as in your office space were completely ignored. Vlad headed straight for the chairs around the fireplace. Each was custom made for you and your comforts- yet you doubted they would be.

Vlad set you down far more gentle than you thought was possible. The heat from the fireplace could never replace his, Vlad left a void that only he could fill again. He sighed and slumped into his chair, propping his elbow on the armrest and holding his head.

You kept glancing all over him in the warm light, “..I’m sorry…” you barely whispered out.

He waved his other hand and tried to assure you it was fine, but it didn’t at all. Vlad’s face was scrunched up in concern, pain, and fear- something you wished you would have never caused.

“This is…” He hesitated to even start.”...complicated. Very complicated. Once you are in on this, you will be one of five people in the world to know. This goes so much deeper than you could ever even know right now. I need you to understand, once you start this, there is no going back .”

At the end, he looked up to stare you dead in the eyes. You were unrelenting in your want to understand. You didn’t care if you had to go to hell and back, you would know. You had to. Whatever this is, it was killing him slowly from the inside. This wasn’t about what happened today at all, that was a cover-up to learn the truth.

“I understand.”

Vlad kept his stare for a few more moments, then sighed once more. Glancing away for a second, he landed his eyes back on you with an aura that shook you. He was dead serious and in this light to looked like he had crimson eyes. This was about as serious as you thought it was, and most likely much more.

“This will put you indefinitely into danger’s way. I need you to accept that this , this isn’t business. This is something far worse. This my dear is the endgame. This is where you will truly test your will. The people and monsters this will introduce you to- it doesn’t get any more desperate or perilous. This is a secret that has, can, and will either attempt or permanently kill someone. Are you 100%, absolutely, and utterly sure that you want to know? This will change your perspective and views of the world to a soul-shattering point. This is only known by five people out of 7 billion. Again,” Vlad leaned forward with much more animosity and...pain than you ever had hoped to see in them. This was his deadliest secret, this is what he had been hiding.

You could just..back of. Let him have his secret. You could have good times with him only to be interrupted by those strange moments. You could go on not knowing what made him so nervous. You could go on knowing that he was so scared of losing you to something that was so big, so monumental, that he feared for your safety.

You could go back to letting him be scared and alone.

But you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t ever let that wonderful man ever be afraid to lose you again.

Weak as you were, you leaned forward to put your hand on top of his. The chairs weren’t that far apart, but it felt like you were bridging a ravine. You looked him right in the eye and squeezed his hand gently.

“ You are not going to lose me. I’m here for the long haul Vlad. I swear nothing will be said out of this room. I swear to you, Vladimir, that I will hold this till death do us part . And even then, my lips will be sealed.”

You stayed like this for a minute, just the moon and the warmth of the fire being witness to your conversation. You relaxed your sore body, but strangely enough, it was slowly becoming less and less, as if whatever had happened was still in the works. Vlad did something that crossed the lines of possibility to save you, and now, you would do the same. Not because you ‘owed’ him or whatever, but because you wanted him to be happy. You wanted Vlad to have someone to talk to and hold, and just give him the love that he needs .

Vlad relaxed and sat back in his seat. You took a hint to do the same, you had a feeling that this would be a long story. You’d listen as long as he wanted.

“I assume I should start from the beginning…”

You watched the fire illuminated his face as he began to tell his tale. His eyes looked distant and troubled. God you hoped he hadn’t endured too much...

And you were so wrong.

Vlad kept his eyes on the fire as he explained his college years with the Fentons. Their apartment, movie nights, projects, DnD games, he spared no detail of how close they were. He spoke of their fascination with the paranormal and ghost dimension. You were on the edge of your seat as he explained the first portal prototype.

You bite your lip and hold your breath when he speaks of the initial radiation poisoning and the first days he could remember out of his first 3 months in the hospital. Listening in horror, you cried as he described the absolute pain and agony he was in as useless doctors and nurse dissected him like a high school science project. How much blood, sweat, tears, skin, and fucking ‘organ samples’ he had lost without his consent. As he described how he never saw one person that wasn’t a medical doctor for all of those 

After this, his eyes still hadn’t moved from the fire. Silent, heavy tears fell from your eyes as you just stared not at the fire, but at him. You felt such anguish knowing that he didn’t deserve any of that. He was someone with a big heart, and you knew it! He had just been so beaten and broken...just like you were. After this moment, he began back up again with a tone which meant that whatever he was about to say was what you were looking for.

“In my first year at the hospital...weird things started happening. I’d wake up with my IV out of place or in completely different parts of the hospital. Sometimes I thought that instead of walking, I was floating. My eyes kept changing colors.”

“This isn’t...easy to say in the least. But what happened it- well, it changed me. In more ways than one.”

The air was stiff and rigid. That tinted glass wall was about to be shattered and you’d finally be able to see him. He had slowly seen your tint fade away, his frozen lense melting to see what you really were: a thunderous storm over a calm ocean. A strong wind from the East, a swirling force of vastly different ideas and thoughts, torrential rains with a calm center, the unstoppable force of the ocean and the moon’s pull, the warning sign of the currents hanging, and most of all, he sees you and looks back into his own aura.

The way that lightning never scared you nor surprised you.

How rainy days seemed to be when you felt most vibrant. 

When you looked at him, he felt vulnerable, for the first time in decades, but it felt good .

“I…..”

You could see how internally he battled with his words, looking for what he wanted to say. It was nerve-racking to watch as Vlad twisted his hands and ran his eyes over everything in the room as if it would swallow him whole. Letting out a sigh, he suddenly hung his head in his hands. You could now in the warm firelight the stress on his face.

Rousing you from your observation, he quickly rose from his seat. He mumbled words to himself as he made his way to the desk and back. The pacing was never a good sign with Vlad. Wringing his hands was one thing, but pacing? Vlad only paced under the highest of his pressures and you had only seen him do it a handful of occasions. 

He eventually stopped in front of the balcony door closest to you. Shaking a little, you tried your legs once more and found that this time they found it beneficial to work. Huh. Vlad, even from behind, was a mess. You could hear his shallow and rapid breathing. Shit. 

Hobbling forward, you grabbed his vacant chair as you slowly made your way closer. Vlad was implying some heavy things and you assumed that he might be getting flashbacks. All you knew was that he was stressed and felt alone. Which he wouldn’t be for long.

Walking with a limp, you went right up behind him and wrapped your arms around his and conveyed something you had never tried to before-warmth.

Vlad statled for a second then calmed immediately. You had him right here in your broken grasp, the place that he might not have expected, but you were here regardless. He was warm and jittery, you could feel the nervous energy underneath his skin. Your hands ended up laced together on his chest, laying gently as to not make his breathing more difficult.

“Hey…” You started gently. Your face was snuggled into his back, but you knew he could still hear you just as well. “It’s okay. Whatever this is, I see it has given you a lot of grief and sadness and anxiety and just general fear . You’re scared of telling me and I understand that. There’s still things I’m scared of talking about. I know you’re specifically afraid of losing me, but I need you to remember that I asked to know. That I want to know”

“Maybe you need another minute, but I’d like to remind you of something. Something you said that inspired me for the rest of my life and will continue to. “

“That there is-”

“ No room for hesitation. ”

Vlad said the last half with you. A warm, sweet smile etched itself into your face. You squeezed yourself tighter to him and felt some joy. The whole mood of the night changed in seconds for you. The same vibes from the day in the art room a year ago bloomed all around you, that happy content slowly trickling back in. 

“Good. Follow your own advice, your majesty. ”

“Oh christ,” you laughed as he cringed in your grip. “Anything except that stupid nickname, please. ”

“Oh no your grace, I couldn’t possibly betray the kingdom like that! Perish the thought !”

“ Perish that name! ”

Both of you broke out into giggling fits, but you fell to them first. It was good to feel him laugh after all this. Sometimes he forgot how to be soft instead of this diamond king, an impenetrable man when he needed to just be Vlad. The man who holds doors for even his own staff, cooks you homemade dinners and tells stories beyond belief of his parents and childhood. Vlad made you feel warm when for so long you had been frozen solid. You hoped that you could make him feel cool and balance each other out.

Vlad stiffened a little and let out a sigh.

 You always had known how to open up his locks and trap doors with ease.

Damnit.

Vlad reached back tapped your upper arm and you moved accordingly on instinct. You stayed standing behind him silently watching.

“The accident gave me abilities. I..half died in that hospital. One day I just... changed . I am what is called a hafa, the first one in existence, but not the last until recently.I have basics and special abilities along with a spectral form. I’ve dealt with human and Ghost Zone affairs for years now. I’m just as well known there as I am here. I have a whole other life that I’ve to manage away from you. And it sucks .”

Vlad threw his hands down in frustration and turned to face you, the moon haloing his face. His shoulders were slack and something of an open heart look. It was only a beat away from heartbroken.

Well, concerning the information he gave was...alright, you couldn’t even say unusual. It was a what the fuck moment. Your face scrunched in thought; Okay, so Vlad was half..ghost. With abilities. All this strangeness was from ghost, of fucking course ! The Fentons! The weird shit around him, and and and, the kids! The fucking Fenton’s son, Danny, Danny FENTON, Danny PHANTOM holy fuck . Everything made sense.

“Are you okay-”

“Oh my god, I’m such a fucking idiot!” You gesture wildly and made pacing movements. “It all makes sense, God, why didn’t I see it before!”

“You’re not...disturbed? Concerned? Fearful?”

“ No dumbass! The only thing I’m disturbed, concerned or fearful of is my own stupid fucking brain! It was all so obvious!”

Vlad stood in front of you as you lightly smacked yourself for being so stupid. Jesus Christ, you felt dumb. The dork had barely been hiding this from you all this time, and even in another dimension he-

“Wait a fucking minute.” You turned with a wild look and marched to a suddenly fearful Vlad. Shoving a finger in his face, “ You mean to tell me , not only have you hid this from me, you conquered another fucking economy without me?!? I’m going to kill you! Again !” Shoving, you took this moment to tackle him into a hug from the front. Again, you put your face snuggly into his chest for the feeling of warmth and the smell of his cologne. He was in major shock from your reaction as expected of him, so you just wrapped your arms around him again and held him tighter than before.

“ God , you’re an idiot too. Thinking something as stupid, irrelevant, and foolish could push me away. I’m honestly offended that you think so little of me. You could betray me in a thousand ways and I’d still be here. You think I care so little for you?”

You felt Vlad take in a gasp of air that sounded scarily like a sob. You didn’t want him to cry, but he needed to. For all the sadness, torture, loneliness and o this happy moment for him. For the first time in his life, he had been accepted with open arms. Hot tears fell into your hair and his arms shakily made their way to your back. You closed your eyes and held tight as he pulled you close as possible and cried into you.

For some minutes, you just stood together. You were going to let him have this moment of acceptance for as long as he wanted. It broke your heart to know that you were the first to know.

Don’t get you wrong, you were so honored and happy that you knew this know. You actually were taking this surprisingly really well. Had you expected this? No. Was it the weirdest thing that could have happened? Also No.

Eventually, his breathing calmed and you felt it was okay to loosen your grip. Ever so slowly you let go. Vlad wiped his eyes and for some reason gave a little huff of laughter. You smiled up at him, god could you stop acting like a love-sick teenager? What others would ask you is should that laugh concern you? The answer was laughably a god no. It wasn’t in the insane way that most thought of no, you knew this man. You knew he was so happy to absolutely be guaranteed that you were always going to stay.

“You know,” He started up, “This went so much better than what could have happened. If you had just seen me in spectral form? God, knowing you I’d have several holes in my chest.”

“You’d say the same if you saw my high school pictures.” He laughed whole-heartedly. 

“Darling, don’t say that. I’m just stating the acts that this went in the best direction it could.”

“Oh yes, and all it took was me saving a stupid man, 3 children, which one I now know is a town super-hero, which I’d like to have a word about, and literally almost killing myself. 10/10, would do again.”

“No form of miracles could ever take your incessant sass, thank god”

“You thought you could rid me of this? Honey, this is no disease, it’s alllll natural.”

“Good to know. Your doctor know this too?”

“Hmmm,” you put your finger on your lips, imitating thinking. “No, he doesn’t. See, it’s a private condition. No one knows, well, my boss does, but I don’t think he cares .”

Soft Vlad, who you now saw as just Vlad, looked star-struck at you. You could see the absolute love that this man had for you and it just made you giddy. 

It didn’t last as long as you would have liked it too.

You quickly went back into your more somber mod as you knew what Vad wanted to do. He had brought up his other ‘form’. He wanted to show you what he looked like, and he was hella nervous. You both knew that if you were going to be properly introduced into this part of his life, the first step was himself.

“It okay to wait, you know.” You paused to take his hand in yours. “There’s no reason to be fearful but you are anyways, and I understand why. “

“..I know.”

“I do have an idea though, it might make it easier on you.” You pulled him behind you walking back over to the fireplace. Warmth was always his thing so it made sense that you’d be by the fire.

“I’ll shut my eyes. You can do whatever you do and get comfortable being around me. When you want me to open my eyes, I will. You take all the time you need.”

You and Vlad were now facing each other head-on. Vlad still looked nervous and unsure of himself. To see such a wonderful and confident man crestfallen over his own fears hurt. It wouldn’t hurt for long though, you were sure to fix this soon.

“I’ll keep my eyes closed, I promise. You do it on your own time and I’ll open them when you're ready. I’ll just...feel you. Blindfold me if you want, but I swear I won’t open them.”

“No that’s fine, I, uh,…I trust you.”

You took a deep breath. At least he was open to the idea. Even though he was still so nervous, the hint of excitement in his eyes reassured you that this would be okay.

 Your hands had never laid on anything more gently than when they were set on his chest. His arms wrapped around your waist; you closed your eyes smiling. You felt completely safe in his arms and you hoped that he would feel safe in yours soon enough.

The room was quiet, only the sounds of crackling wood and his breathing. His cologne smells like home to you, the woodsy huntsman theme you always loved. Vlad already had told you his deepest secrets and fears, it was still your turn to listen barely grasping onto his button-up, you wait in patience fueled by love.

"Okay, um...I think I'm ready [Y/N]."

"Don't rush. This is yours, and yours only. Do whatever you need to  when you're ready."

"I'm afraid if I don't do it now, I never will."

" Oh Vladimir, " you paused and moved your hands to cup his cheeks. Tilting your head up, you smile at him with your eyes closed. All the love that you could possibly have in your soul was channeled into your fingertips.

 “ You couldn’t lose me if you tried. ”

You heard his tiny gasp and you could only imagine his bush right now. Shame that you couldn’t see it, but it would all be worth it if he felt like he could talk to you about anything. It’d be worth I once he could talk about all of his life freely, and this was the first step. His breathing returned to normal and you heard him whisper, most likely to himself, 

“Here we go ,” And then, the strangest thing happened.

You had to hold back a gasp, but from around his chest the feeling of his warmth just... erupted . A wave of his familiar touch just roared over him slowly, and the wave held you too! It was so personal, it felt like you were feeling Vlad as a whole. When he explained being a halfa, you expected what most people thought of ghost: a chill and a sense of dread. That wasn’t it at all . It was shockingly different.

It felt like a burst of pure life came out of him and started to cover him. The wave was reaching his face and you felt it. You felt Vlad on all levels of intimacy through your fingertips. It oddly felt like you were also sharing this feeling to him like you were trading auras for a moment. The rush of him in your fingertips made your jaw drop, although still in a smile. Vlad was in his ‘ghost form’ and you had felt the changeover but…

It was per se, a change, but really more of an amplification of who he was. He explained his powers and abilities, you knew this man was deadly in more ways than one, but you couldn’t help but feel completely relaxed in front of him.

“ So...just..give me a minute to adjust, please. ”

His voice was still the same one, just with an over worldly force behind it. No matter what force or power was behind his voice, it was still his. It would always be your Vlad speaking those words.

“Of course, take your time darling.” You didn’t mind waiting at all, you were just so glad to know he felt better. You could only imagine how good it felt to hold someone, You , in this form knowing they wouldn’t run away. How it felt to have someone this close to him, physically and emotionally.

You let him take his moment, but your curiosity did get the best of you in one way. Your left hand was drawing circles with the thumb, but the right started wandering. Gently you traced his unchanged jawline and went up to his ear, where you found the first difference. You could feel his nervousness as you traced his ear, which was elongated and pointed at the tip. You had to hold back a laugh when you questioned what else was longer ?

Going back down, you trailed with both hands over his neck and chest to find he was in a suit. The collar was crisply folded with precision. Instead of a tie, a puffy handkerchief was there in place. You expected to slide smoothly to his shoulders, but each of your hands caught onto metal clips that had something attached to them. Lifting the fabric on them, you tried to think what it was…

No way.

It was a fucking cape, was this dork shitting you?

After letting out a small huff of laughter, you returned your hands to their original spots. You had a full-fledged smile now, no matter what he did, Vlad always felt the same to you.

“ Are you done? ”

“Yes m’dear, I’m done. But I do have some questions.”

“ Ask away .”

“So you said abilities?”

“ Yes, the basics that you know and some more. As you know, ghosts have elemental cores. I happen to have a lightning core, a rarer derivative of a fire core. That means that I have some powers that others do not and vice versa. ”

“So I’m assuming you have natural immunities and allergies as well?”

“ Correct .”

There was a beat of silence.

”I’ll wait here all night if I need to. Do this at your own pace”

“ Well, walking in your footsteps, I don’t think We should hesitate any longer .”

Your eyebrow went up and you tilted your head, “We? What are you-”

With your eyes closed, you hadn’t seen it coming, but you were cut off quite suddenly when Vlad leaned in and crashed his lips to yours. You almost opened your eyes from shock, but your dedication to him was still there, even if any coherent thoughts were not. It was an open mouth kiss for you, the bastard caught you mid-sentence. An embarrassingly high pitched gasp somehow managed to escape your throat. Vlad had always sent shivers down your spine when he held you at the waist or helped you downstairs. But this? This was so much more powerful. The shiver this sent made your legs weak again and you were glad he was holding you so close now.

His breath was hot on your face when he pulled away, god you hadn’t even noticed that you were panting. You were afraid to speak because you knew your voice would be very high pitched. If this was a few days ago, you’d be worried about how you and your boss had just made out, but it was so much more now. You knew his life now, the stress and the secrets. The press didn’t matter right now. VladCo. didn’t matter right now, nor did DALV, or the Med labs, or any other thing in this world other than Him.

You waited in silence as you caught your breath in the dark, just holding each other. He was the only thing you could feel other than your own heartbeat. You couldn’t think of all the complications that came with this. Vlad had done it again; Vlad had taken every thought you had and replaced it with nothing but feelings. You, [Y/N], ran off of logic and thoughts, not feelings, emotions, and lustful kisses.

“ You can open your eyes now. ” He whispered lowly right in front of you. If you had to guess, he was barely just not touching your forehead. You could still feel him so close to you. You wondered if he regretted it, but you knew he didn’t, and frankly, you were so glad that he did because god you didn’t think you could stand another day with him on you and-

Breathing heavily, you didn’t think about it. You stood in his grasp and just felt him. You didn’t think or care about anything, you just him.

 So, you felt relief when you opened your eyes to Vlad’s half-lidded red ones only inches from yours.

You stared into these new eyes and at this new face- but it wasn’t. His cheekbones were the same, you had felt that, but he looked the same. He had cerulean skin now, just the same shade as your new favorite color. His silver hair had reverted to what you assumed was his original hair color- a piercing black. The small scars from his past tortures were still there, the faint indents from incision to drain the excess ectoplasm. But those eyes, you couldn’t look away. You knew your own were wide with curiosity and really, admiration. 

Because just as you had felt, in these crimson eyes was still your Vlad.

“Hi, Vlad” was all you had managed to say with your fried brain. 

Wow, smooth [Y/N]. Just be a moron, don’t worry about it.

“ Hello [Y/N] ” 

“You taste like spearmint, did you, uh , know that?” Babbling like an idiot is fun.

“ No, I did not. You dear, taste like honey”

“I really like spearmint,” you paused for a second, “Can we do that again?”

You leaned forward into his chest, fuck this took forever. It was overwhelmingly cheesy and something that you would find in a high school rom-com, but to hell with it. This was your moment.

Vlad smiled down at you with a look of pure love. God felt real right now, and you swore he was one and decided you’d worship this. You would 100%, faithfully, till the end of time, in all heart, soul, and atoms in your body, worship this man as your own personal holy gift from the world.

 You had many, many things taken from you unfairly. You had been beaten, thrown around, looked down on, you had been crushed bruised cut hunted threatened and tortured. But nothing, not ANYTHING on this planet could tear you apart from him. Not now, not ever.

“ Yes, yes we can my dear. We can do anything you want” Vlad purred out and you felt in deep in your chest, and he leaned in again for one more kiss. He held you close as memories of these years came up. Every hotel room morning, plane ride, stock fight, order spree, surprise gift, copyright claim, coffee date, investment, rumor, and lawsuit was right here in front of you with warm hands on your back. Occasionally you’d break for breath and between them, you mumbled a kind of prayer. 

“If you...mmh...keep this up…...you’ll ruin me ”

You smiled back into him and broke off permanently, a pity really. You’d love to just stand here and make out like teenagers but alas, you were still healing. Knowing him, you estimated that he’d been awake ever since.. .that happened , which was violating your sleep rule. Yes, a grown-ass man had his sleep monitored by someone else, don’t even get yourself started. Settling down with a meaningful conversation seemed a good way to end the night. You had just woke up two hours prior, but that didn't mean you weren’t tired.

Laying your head into the crook of his neck, you sighed into him and felt how naturally he just encompassed you. Before, you had just barely flirted between the space that you dared not enter but now, here you are. A flash of blacklight and warmth shined and you felt that intimacy again. It didn’t matter though,

“Good. I want to ruin you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way [Y/N].”

And with that, you grabbed his hands that had always held you so close and led him to the hall with the intent of dragging him back to your bed.

<hr>

“Sorry for waking up so bitchy and demanding. Kinda weird to wake up after being in the next Friday the 13th Movie.”

“It’s fine Roman. But please, never refer to what happened as that. ” 

“I’ll do as I please”

“Unfortunately.”

silence

“You know, you never did tell me what you did to heal me.”

“I’ll tell you in the morning, now hush and go to sleep .”

<hr>

EPILOGUE

Early in the crisp morning, Danny Phantom was on a mission. The young lad had been flying from his home state to Wisconsin since 4 am. Ironically enough ever since Plasimus’s declaration at the destroyed high school, Amity Park had been dead silent. Danny talked that over with his best friends, Sam and Tucker, and promptly got thumbs up and a punch. Danny thought it was necessary to head to Vlad’s to drop off a gift for [Y/N]. She had saved them.

Danny had slept good at all that night, if at all after seeing Vlad’s white knight like that . The way her body was just....that was a sight that would never leave his memories. It faintly reminded him of Dan’s death and destruction filled world... Regardless , it was shocking to see someone who was so strong and powerful that beaten and... hopeless , really.

He wasn’t stupid in the slightest although. Vlad had sent a rough description of what he had to do, including but not limited to: deals with genies, a techno ghost, manipulating and dealing with ancients, stealing artifacts, cussing out clockwork (imagine his surprise that Vlad knew Clockwork…), and various other terrifying shows of power in the ‘Zone until he gained what he needed to heal her.

It showed him just how much Vlad had changed and was willing to protect someone else other than himself, and out of love nonetheless. The accounts that he had heard whispers about...apparently they had been reminded of the halfa’s power.

But that wasn’t the only thing Danny had seen that had made him question who Vlad really was anymore.

Because on that morning, two days after, Daniel Fenton whispered “ ewwwwww ” quietly as possible. 

There in her room, [Y/N] and Vlad were pressed together in her bed! There was NO telling what they had done. Ewwwwwwwww! Vlad was draped on her stomach with his familiar red ribbons on the nightstand. [Y/N] was on her back sleeping with a smile and her hand stuck in his hair. 

God, Sam owed him twenty dollars for them admitting it after a life or death occurrence! That fool, she thought they’d ever confess on their own? 

 But Danny couldn’t help but notice how at peace they were. Was this what parents felt like? Danny’s little, well 40-year-old-emotionally-constipated-frootloop, baby boy had finally grown up a little. Baby steps is all.

He quickly placed the arrangement of chocolates, teas, and some herbs that Sam had grown herself on the nightstand. It had taken them three hours to wrap and by god, it was going to look good! As he floated closer, Danny himself smiled at the sight. He was really proud of how Vlad was turning out. [Y/N] was who made all the difference.

“Thank you, I would have never been able to help him without you. I don’t know if you know this but...I’m really glad to have you as my Aunt and Uncle.” Danny sighed in happiness and flew in just above her, leaving a ghost of a kiss on her forehead.

“Have good dreams Auntie...and I guess you too, Vlad.”

Danny quickly flew out into the open, watching the sunrise as he started to fly back home. Little did he know, a very happy Auntie sat in her bed with her love blooming in gratefulness. 

[Y/N], for the first time in decades, would hold something close to her heart.

Her family.