Chapter Text
The thing about scandals is that they didn't really happen in Amity Park. Ghost attacks were common. But stuff like the high school quarterback taking enhancers, or how the nice couple that owned the hotel down the street were actually swindling people out of their money? Those things were removed from reality for Danny. Those things happened on TV not real life.
Which is why Vlad's true affections are difficult to grasp.
It was easier to ignore in the beginning. Vlad was avoiding him just as much as Danny was, so it kind of just worked out. But it was harder when there wasn't a test to study for or a ghost to fight. When he was alone with his thoughts.
Danny had always believed the teens that sought out the attention of older men were desperate and had poor judgement. He liked to think he didn't have poor judgement. He tried to make good decisions whenever he could. And he certainly wasn't desperate for attention. Especially Vlad's. He was always happier when the guy left him alone.
And then there was the man himself. Vlad. Danny never would have pegged him as a predator. And he still didn't. Vlad wasn't like that. Sure the guy had an obsessive behavior towards things he wanted, but he was intelligent. Calculating. He wouldn't do anything that could potentially ruin him.
Stealing a another man's wife? Morally wrong but it wasn't like no one had ever done it before. Killing another human being? Nothing the police could prove. But touching an underage boy? His life would be destroyed the moment Danny opened his mouth.
(So why didn't Danny say something?)
It wasn't like he was avoiding him because he was suddenly afraid of him or anything. (Like that would ever happen.) Danny felt embarrassed. He felt weird. He felt wrong.
Every time he lays down to go to sleep he can remember what Vlad's hands felt like. And then he can't sleep anymore.
The only good thing out of all of this was that Vlad had seemingly backed off for good. It'd been months and the guy hadn't launched a single scheme. Maybe he was afraid Danny would do something if he tried.
Danny rolls over in his bed that no longer feels like his own. Whatever. Not like he cared.
-
Vlad doesn't run for Mayor again. Danny and Jazz sigh in relief while their father bursts into tears. They all know what it means. Vlad is moving back to Wisconsin.
"At least let us help you pack up!" Jack says to the other man.
Vlad tries in vain to step out of Jack's hold. "No it's quite alright. I've already hired a moving company to do that for me."
Jack hangs his head in sadness. "Yeah okay that makes sense."
As much as going through his arch-enemy's stuff--and accidentally-on-purpose breaking a few things--sounded fun, Danny was glad his father let it go so easily.
Vlad awkwardly pats Jack on the shoulder before finally moving away from him. He turns toward Maddie and respectfully nods his head at her. "I shall only be a phone call away my dear."
It'd been awhile since Vlad had interacted with Danny or his parents. Which is why it strikes him as odd when Vlad doesn't kiss his mother's hand goodbye as he'd always seen the older man do.
"Jasmine, I do hope you hear back from Harvard soon."
Jazz nods. "Thanks."
Finally, Vlad walks past Danny and he braces himself for the customary hair ruffle that Vlad seemed ever so fond of giving him.
"Daniel." Vlad simply says. And then he's out the door.
Behind him Jack has started to cry again and his mother attempts to comfort him. Danny touches a hesitant hand to his head.
-
Danny almost walks back out the second he opens the door. He blinks a few times to make sure that he's not dreaming.
"Hi sweetie!" His mother greets him. "Happy Birthday!"
She comes over to kiss his cheek. But Danny is too busy staring at Vlad who is sitting on the couch casually sipping his drink. Danny squints at him.
"What's he doing here?" Danny asks. The question strikes him as rude. Which is weird because Danny has never cared about being rude to the older man before. Which in turn makes Danny want to be even more rude.
"Vladdie came to surprise you for your birthday! Isn't it great?" Jack's booming laugh filled the room. Vlad sucks in a steady breath and manages to hold the plastic smile on his face.
"Yeah. Great." Danny says, not bothering to wipe the frown from his face.
"Danny!"
He looks up to see Jazz standing in the kitchen. He grins. Now this was a birthday surprise he could get behind!
"Jazz!"
The two embrace and Danny notes with pride that he is now (finally) slightly taller than his sister. A little voice in the back of his head wonders how tall he is compared to Vlad now. He stomps it back down.
"Welcome home!" He says as they pull away. "How long you back for?"
"Just a couple days."
They texted often but it just wasn't the same ever since Jazz went away to college. Still he was happy that his sister was thriving.
His mother sets up his presents and cake on the little table in the living room. Danny can't recall how many times they've had to replace that table. It seems every other time he fights a ghost in the house it breaks. Usually by his back.
Danny sits in the middle of the couch squished between his family. Vlad sits across from them with a terribly fond look on his face that doesn't sit quite right with Danny. He avoids the man's gaze and stares at his chest instead. He's not wearing his suit today. Rather he went for a more casual white button down shirt with slacks. He's not even wearing a tie. Danny can see a little skin from the top two undone buttons.
They quickly sing and cut the cake. As Danny stuffs his face with chocolate ice cream cake, he looks up to see his dad striking up a conversation with Vlad. This doesn't strike him as odd. His father is constantly trying to strike up a conversation with his former best friend. (Danny really wishes his father wasn't so oblivious. Even if Vlad didn't hate Jack's guts, it was obvious that the two were simply too different now from who they were in college. They didn't really hold the same interests anymore.) What strikes him has odd is the fact that Vlad isn't trying to turn away. Normally he would be looking anywhere except at Jack's face. His feet would be pointed away. His words would be short and to the point.
But Vlad is speaking full sentences. And is that a small smile on his face?? It wasn't even a smirk!
Danny tilts his head. It was tiny, but it was definitely a smile. What were they talking about over there? He tries to listen in but he only grabs a few words before Jazz is shaking his shoulder.
"You okay there little brother?"
Danny blinks. "Uh yeah, I'm fine."
She looks up to his previous line of vision and looks back in. "Yeah it's weird for me too. It's been like that ever since he got here. I know it's been a while since Vlad has tried to...you know," she makes a gesture across her throat, "But I didn't think it was because he was actually trying to put the past behind him."
Danny blinks. Trying to process. Yeah it'd been a while, but that didn't mean anything. Of course Vlad was still up to something.
Wasn't he?
It wasn't like he had stopped making googly eyes at his mother or anything.
Oh my god he had stopped making googly eyes at his mother.
Danny feels his cheeks unwillingly heat up. He tries to shove any and all immediate thoughts attached to that particular revelation into a box. It's his 18th birthday he's not thinking about this today.
Later, when they open presents Danny is very careful about not looking directly at Vlad when he opens his gift. It's a telescope. A highly expensive one at that. Danny loves it which means he hates it.
"Thanks." He grounds out.
"You're welcome." Vlad's voice is covered in honey and Danny tries not to imagine what it tastes like.
-
Vlad takes the guest room. Although Danny would have preferred he'd stayed in a hotel. At least his Dad didn't offer for Vlad to sleep in his room again.
Vlad turned in for the night an hour ago. Which means Danny has been watching him for an hour. He'd picked up a little trick a month ago where he could see through the wall without turning it invisible. He's still perfecting it.
Vlad is sitting up with his back against the headboard. He's got his reading glasses on and is flipping through some sort of fictional historical novel. Danny's never cared much for reading so he doesn't really pay the book much attention.
What does grab his attention though is how laid-back Vlad looks. He's never seen Vlad with glasses before. He didn't think the man needed them. You would think with ghost vision, he'd be able to see better than most humans.
And then there's his shirt. Which he hasn't changed out of yet. It's even more unbuttoned now and the sleeves are rolled up. This isn't a problem. It shouldn't be a problem. Except that Vlad's sleeves are rolled up to his elbow and Danny is staring at his forearms like a freak.
"Daniel I'm trying to read."
It jolts Danny so hard he nearly falls off his perch on the couch.
How long had Vlad realized Danny was watching him?
Getting up off the couch Danny strolls over to the bedroom and opens the door to talk to the man face to face.
"What are you doing?"
Vlad lifts and elegant eyebrow and Danny wants to scream.
"I mean what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to give you your birthday present." Vlad says calmly, like Danny is an idiot.
"Yeah no, you could have just shipped it. You always have an ulterior motive."
They stare at each other for a second before Vlad sighs. "Everything is always so black and white with you isn't it Daniel?"
"It is when it's you."
Vlad hums, and then goes back to his book. Danny is appalled. What? He suddenly wasn't good enough for Vlad's attention anymore?
Later he will think back on this moment and cringe. But right now all he knows is that he's angry and he doesn't know why.
He walks up and literally smacks the book out of Vlad's hand. The older man startles. Then he slowly looks up at the teenager and glares.
"And here I thought you were finally becoming an adult." He hisses lowly.
And although Danny is used too comments like this. To Vlad's little jabs and insults, he suddenly feels like a child. And he can no longer remember the reason why he felt so justified knocking the book out of the other man's hands a moment before.
What was Danny doing? Why was he so insistent on getting Vlad to look at him when earlier he couldn't stand it?
The confusion and anger come back twofold. He glares down at Vlad and furiously snaps out, "I thought you of all people would be happy I'm finally legal."
Vlad pulls back like Danny had just struck him across the face. Hurt swims in his blue eyes.
Danny swallows. Suddenly wanting to look anywhere but Vlad. Wanting to be anywhere but here.
He turns ghost and flies out of the house.
-
In the end, Danny is accepted to a community college a couple hours away from Amity Park. It wasn't like Danny had been holding out any hopes that he would get a scholarship. He knew he wouldn't be able to go to any prestigious schools. He already accepted that and he was okay with it.
He rented an apartment with his roommate, Billy, who was an engineer major. The guy was pretty chill which Danny appreciated. Between classes and his job and fighting ghosts he liked being able to come home to peace and quiet.
Granted there were fewer ghosts out here but they were still there. And if there was a real emergency back in Amity Park he could fly back in under 2 hours at top speed.
A lot of things happen in that first year. He drinks beer for the first time. It's awful. He decides not to do it again.
He gets an A- in his math course. (he resists the urge to mail it home for his mom to put on the fridge.)
He kisses another boy. It was okay. They didn't have a beard. It was smooth like Sam's. Like Valerie's.
Vlad didn't have a smooth face.
He loses his virginity to a girl. Then he loses it to a boy. With a scruffy 5 o clock shadow and long hair.
At 19 he gets a car. It's old but hey it still runs.
He flys out to visit Sam in New York. He sneaks her into a Broadway show.
At 21 he has some sort of strawberry mojito. He likes it. He orders another.
-
Danny is of course suspicious when he first learns that the annual ghostly Christmas party will be held at Vlad's chalet in the Rockies. Vlad never attends the truce party let alone hosts it.
However, being as Danny made a point to always go he didn't want Vlad to be the reason he failed to show up. So he goes.
And Vlad is there.
He is sporting a goddman black button down shirt with the fucking sleeves rolled up and why is he wearing jeans he's not allowed to wear jeans who told him this was okay why is he talking to Ghostwriter like they're old friends what the fuck--
It goes pretty well. Danny gets there an hour late but he's normally late to everything. It feels weird flying up to Vlad's chalet when the last time he was here it was over 7 years ago and Danny had been running for his life through the woods.
He flies in through the ghost portal and is immediately bombarded with decorations. But they weren't the gaudy kind. It was actually quite tasteful and nice. Not overpowering, but still had that toasty Christmas feel. The fire was crackling in the background as the ghosts mingled and talked to one another.
Danny wanders over to Wulf gives him a hug. He may not like most of the ghosts gathered here, but there were still a few that he liked to see around Christmas.
Dora didn't always make it with her duties and all, but sometimes she did and it was always great to see her.
The Box Ghost hovers near the Christmas tree guarding the presents.
"I AM THE BOX GHOST AND THESE SQUARE SHAPED GIFTS ARE NOW MINE!"
"For the last time Box Ghost, they are for decoration." Ember says exasperated. "They're empty. No one cares if you want them so stop. Screaming. It."
"BEWARE!"
Danny finds some eggnog and sips on it for about 20 minutes before deciding to finally go find Vlad. Might as well get it over with.
He figures the kitchen is the best bet since he hasn't been in there yet. Plus he's a little hungry anyways.
He turns the corner and wishes he hadn't.
"..."
"...iel?"
"Daniel!"
Danny startles and realizes both Ghostwriter and Vlad are staring at him.
"Hello." He says dumbly.
Vlad's mouth turns up in a smirk. Like he fucking knows something. "Hello Daniel."
Danny grabs some check mix out of the bowl with his bare hand and immediately leaves.
He goes over to stand by the fire and pretends he doesn't want to know what Vlad and Ghostwriter were talking about. Probably books. Obviously.
A thought wheedles its way into his brain. Did Vlad regularly get recommendations on what to read from Ghostwriter? Were they--Danny shutters at the thought--friends? It was just so hard to picture Vlad with Friends. He didn't do normal things. He didn't hang out with people. He sat in his mansion and schemed all day.
Yes that's right. Danny pulls up the mental image of Vlad rubbing his hands together and laughing maniacally in an empty room. That was much better.
Danny quickly finishes the Chex mix and wishes he'd grabbed more. But he doesn't want to go back into the kitchen. Maybe if he asks Ember really nicely she'll go in there for him.
However at this point Danny spots Ghostwriter leaving the kitchen. Indecision keeps him rooted to the spot for only a few seconds before he decides to take the opening. Ghostwriter glares at him for literally no reason as he passes him in the doorway. Danny glares right back. It didn't matter how many Christmas truce parties they attended together, they would never see eye-to-eye.
Now in the kitchen Danny does not know why he had so adamantly wanted to come in here. Vlad is still leaning against the counter, glass of wine in hand.
Vlad breaks the silence first.
"How's college?"
"Like you don't already know." Danny rolls his eyes.
It gets harder and harder to justify how angry he always is whenever talking to Vlad. When he was young it had been easy, what with Vlad always trying to kill his father and steal his mother away.
But with every year that passes, every year that Vlad doesn't come up with a new plan to get under Danny's skin, he starts to wonder why he is so adamantly trying to hold on to past hostility. Why is he so determined to keep Vlad at arm's length when the man hasn't done anything to deserve it in a quite a while?
Vlad tilts his head at him. Taking the comment in stride. "I can only know so much Daniel." He simply says.
It only makes Danny angrier. Vlad used to be as quick to temper has Danny had been. Now he gets to act like the mature adult? Like Danny is some kid yapping at his heels? He was an adult too now dammit!
"Great party." He says. Swallowing irrational frustrations.
Vlad looks surprised for two seconds before smiling. "Thought it was about time I hosted."
"You never seemed to care before."
Vlad shrugs. Offering nothing. Danny sighs.
"What do you want Vlad?"
The other man looks up from his drink. "Who says I want anything?"
"You always want something." Danny says, trying and failing not to make it into an accusation.
Vlad sips his drink.
Danny strolls up to the counter to stand beside him. He stands head to head with the other man now. The day Danny discovered Vlad could no longer physically look down on him was the best day ever.
"If you wanted to see me if could've just called or something."
Vlad stiffens beside him. Then relaxes. His little badger was all grown up. And he could see right through him.
"And would you have answered?" He says quietly.
"I dunno...maybe." Danny looks down at the floor. "You always assume you have to resort to elaborate plans for the simplest things."
And then for some reason Danny smiles at that. Vlad was so dramatic sometimes. Then again he wouldn't be Vlad if he didn't.
"I want a truce." Danny looks up to see Vlad staring right at him. He's actually surprised Vlad showing his hand so early on. "I figured the annual Christmas truce was the best time to ask for one."
His lips feel dry and his tongue darts out to lick them. Danny feels possessed when he opens his mouth to answer.
"I want that too."
Vlad blinks. Surprised by how quickly Danny had relented. Seems they were both surprising each other today.
Then Vlad smiles. And damn. It's that charming one. Not the mayor one but the one reserved for private moments. Danny refuses to let himself blush over this. This is nothing. This means nothing. Why was he getting so worked up over nothing? Because it was Nothing.
Vlad reaches up with his free hand, and after a moment's hesitation, places it on Danny's shoulder. It's been years since the last time Vlad had shown him any sort of physical affection. He hadn't even touched him during any of their arguments. Not even when Danny knocked his book out of his hand at his birthday party.
But now with Vlad's hand on his shoulder, just as warm and assuring as it had ever been, Danny's knees go weak.
This was nothing.
"So," Danny says hoping he doesn't sound awkward, "got any Christmas games planned for the evening?"
-
Their relationship changes again after that. Now that Danny has given him permission, Vlad's touches are free once more.
When summer break comes up, Danny asks if he can spend it with him. They've been dancing around the subject of training. And Danny would love nothing more than to learn everything that Vlad knows about their ghost sides.
His parents are sad but they understand that their little boy is growing up. Jazz on the other hand takes a while to calm down. She didn't care that they had a truce and she didn't care that Vlad had stopped scheming, she didn't want that man hurting her brother. She was completely adamant that he come back home. Danny has literally no idea why she was so against it. She was normally the more logical of the two.
But when all was said and done, Danny packed up his things and went to spend the summer in Wisconsin.
It was weird at first. They weren't quite sure how to be around each other if it wasn't as enemies. But as the weeks passed, and Danny trained with Vlad, it not only got easier, it got comfortable.
Vlad's presence was a welcome constant of warmth. Danny discovered how easy it was to make the other man smile. How effortless it was to make the man drop everything to attend to Danny's every whim.
He can hardly remember being 14 and scared of this older experienced halfa. He wasn't some Grand Villain out to conquer mankind. He was a pushover.
A month in Jazz comes to visit. No phone call, no text, no warning.
Danny is lounging in the pool when he looks over in nearly drowns when he sees his sister.
"Heeeeey Jazz!"
Jazz eyes pierce through his soul as she stares down at him. "Mom and dad send their love."
Danny stands in the middle of the pool wondering if he's done something wrong. What should he say? Why are you here? Good to see you?
"Can I talk to you?"
"Uh, sure."
Danny gets out of the pool and goes to grab a towel off the chair. They pass by Vlad sitting in the shade working on his laptop with a cup of tea.
"Vlad."
"Jasmine."
Danny follows her in what seems to be a circle when he realizes that she doesn't know where she's going. She's only been inside this Mansion once. She's just taking him as far away from Vlad she can.
Finally they stopped in a random hallway on the other side of the house.
Jazz crosses her arms. "Danny why are you here?"
The confusion only sets in further.
"I believe that's my question."
She sighs. Like Danny is the one that's being impossible.
"Look Jazz I told you, Vlad offered to train me and I figured this summer would be a really great time to do so."
"And that's it?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't that be it?"
Jazz nibbles her bottom lip like she wants to say something but doesn't know quite how to say it. That's always a bad sign. Because Jazz always knows what to say.
"When you were around 21 I got a phone call."
"Okay?"
"You were drunk for the first time and you called to let me know because you wanted me to share the experience with you." A small smile appears on her face before fading.
"I don't remember that."
"I don't expect you to."
And so she tells him…
Jazz looked at the clock again. It's not that she doesn't like talking to her little brother, but he had started to ramble and she had classes in the morning.
She was thinking about how to politely tell him to get off the phone when Danny mentioned passively that he missed Vlad.
"Vlad?" Jazz said. "That's a little weird Danny."
"He's totally weird." Danny agreed, completely missing the point. "Like I know he still spies on me and stuff. I can see his vultures flying around like they're not even trying to hide anymore. I will be extremely surprised if he hasn't already bought the school and is paying the professor's to keep tabs on me."
"Danny what?" Jazz said, worried. "I thought you said he stopped scheming."
"Yeah he stopped."
"Then why is he watching you?" She tried not to sound too frantic.
"Hmmmm he probably misses me too. Pffft that fruit loop. That fruity loopy man."
Jazz sighed. She didn't quite understand whether or not Danny was actually in trouble, but he didn't seem worried about it. So she probably shouldn't be either.
"...Fruity long hair--JAZZ!"
She startled. "Yes?"
"You have long hair!"
"...yes"
"What is the secret to keeping it so soft? Like Vlad's is soft. Like super wavy soft."
Jazz didn't know how quite to answer that as this subject matter was making her quite uncomfortable. She decided it was best to just drop it.
"Danny?"
"Hm?"
"I have to finish doing my homework now. Please try to go to bed soon."
"Yeah okay"
"I love you."
"Aww I love you too!"
Jazz had never really thought much of that conversation until later. However every time she tried to make sense of it, the only explanation that she could come up with was too terrible to think about so she would push it away.
Then Danny called her up apologizing because he's wasn't going to see her back home this summer. Something was off and she didn't like it....
She finishes her tale and Danny practically rolls his eyes at her.
"So what, I said some weird things? Everyone says weird things when they're drunk Jazz."
"Why are you here Danny?" She asks again in a clipped voice.
"I told you I was--"
"Because it looks to me like you're tanning or whatever it is you're doing in the pool and Vlad is just sitting there watching you like...like some sort of--!"
Her face heats up and Danny suddenly doesn't want to be this conversation anymore.
"B-boy toy!" She finally spits out. Disgusted at the word.
Jazz sees the change in her brother's face before she even finishes. Danny looks down at the ground. And when he looks back up his eyes are cold.
"I want you to think real hard before you answer Jazz. Are you accusing me of something?"
Jazz squeezes her hands into fists. "I'm not accusing you of anything."
The silence drowns the hall.
"Thanks for stopping by jazz." Danny says as he turns away from her. "Sorry you couldn't stay long."
"Danny, no wait!"
But he merely turns intangible from her outstretched arm and keeps on walking.
She's not sure what to think. Let alone what to do. This was her baby brother. All she knew was that she loved him.
She follows him back out to the pool, stopping short. She knows that Danny is more stubborn than any of them. He won't listen simply because she wants him to. She sighs, knowing it's best to just go home and try again later. Perhaps with a softer approach next time. And who knows, maybe she really was just being paranoid. She hoped she was at least.
"Daniel that's my tea!"
She looks up to see her brother stealing Vlad's drink and taking a deep sip.
"That is unsanitary! You'll get backwash in--what?!"
Danny takes the towel off of his neck and wraps it around Vlad's. He pats the older man's cheek with a smirk that he could have only learned from him. He looks up straight into his sister's eyes before turning and jumping into the pool.
"Daniel what in blazes has gotten into you?"
Vlad rubs his head in exasperation. But it quickly melt away into a tender fondness that has Jazz running for the door.
-
He doesn't know what possessed him yesterday. He really shouldn't have done that in front of Jazz. But her accusations were brewing in the front of his mind and he had felt wild. Reckless.
He holds back a yawn, it was really late. He should probably head to bed soon.
Danny walks into the parlor and immediately forgets what he came into the room for. He's about to turn around to go back out when he sees Vlad dozing on the couch. He hardly ever saw the other man sleeping. His gaze strays to the pills on the table and he walks closer. He studies the bottle before putting it back down. He didn't realize Vlad had trouble sleeping. Maybe it was a recent thing.
He looks down at the other halfa. He was out cold.
Danny looks up at the door. He feels like he should probably leave. He doesn't.
He feels an unrelenting pull downwards. Maybe he should have tried to fight it. But all the reasons why he shouldn't start to leave him the closer he gets to Vlad. Danny kneels on the floor, putting his arms on the cushions and leaning over the other man.
Vlad doesn't nod off often. He's always going at 100%. Danny has literally no idea how he does it. It's one of the things he admired about him.
Danny's hand twitches and he lifts it hesitantly. He stops, taking a slow inhale. His hand hovers over Vlad's hair. Memories he'd tried to forget float up to the surface. Danny's eyes stray to the man's cheek. How it had felt upon his face. His whiskers scratching his skin.
Danny grips the edge of the couch and leans down. He presses his cheek against Vlad's. Feeling the other man's warmth. He rubs against him. Slow, tiny movements. He drags his cheek across Vlad's, pulling backwards until they're nose to nose. Danny can feel the man's breath against his lips. He nudges their noses together and lifts his hand to cup Vlad's jaw, stroking the jawline. He feels it tickle the edge of his fingertips.
Something overtakes him in that moment. It fights to the surface and grips his chest so that all he can do is breathe in. Danny's eyes drift close as his lips hover closer to the other man's.
The clock chimes midnight, startling him. Danny jerks back a little too fast and Vlad mumbles in his sleep. Steadying his pounding heart, Danny looks back at Vlad. The man shifts but he doesn't wake.
Danny lets out a relieved exhale.
He wants to touch him. Stroke his face and his hair. Explore his chest. Feel him. Breath him in.
He allows himself the indulgence of threading his fingers through Vlad's hair. Marveling at the softness. It smelled like peaches.
There was no way out of this that didn't end in tears. And that was just the best case scenario. Worst case... Danny didn't want to think of it.
Danny looks at Vlad and knows this man will break his heart. There was no fixing or mending this. He couldn't even hide behind his denial anymore. He was stripped open and bare. If this was going to end in heartbreak, then there was really only one thing Danny could ask of him.
"Break it gently." He pleads.
His whispers are swallowed up as Vlad inhales. The words scattering within him. The secret buried underneath.
The last chime sounds. Danny sighs and stands up to leave.
-
Vlad cracks opens his eyes. He looks at the clock confirming it was indeed past midnight. He sits up slowly, making a brief note to himself that he needs to buy a more comfortable couch.
He looks at the pills on the table. Normally, whenever he takes one, he does so right before getting into bed. He'd accidentally dozed off on the couch before even having a chance to.
Vlad brings a hand up to hover over his mouth. He can still taste Daniel's breath. His heart constricts and he tries to swallow the bubbling emotions down.
He grabs the pills off the table and heads off to bed.