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Time had passed and summer had come quickly, without much in-between. Danny would spend some- most- weekends with Vlad, and the rest with his friends. Dash had not approached him at school, and Danny had never replied to the text he’d sent. It was a lot of nothing new, and then as the end of the schoolyear approached, Danny was sat down at the kitchen table. Something-something, failing the year, something-something, tutoring before repeating the year in place of summer school, something-something, he tuned most of it out until his father had blurted out, “You get to go stay with Uncle Vladdy for the summer!” and Maddie had shushed him, and backpedaled, trying to ease what she assumed would be a blow to his summer plans.
They both went on to explain to him that Vlad had offered to take him to his summer house on the beach, and that it would be fun as much as helpful. That when it came down to it, it was his choice, but he knew from the way they were talking to him, he didn’t have much say in the matter. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was going; he was excited, in fact, though he worked hard to seem bummed out as expected of him. He was kind of bothered that Vlad had decided this without talking to him, until they told him that it was all decided last-minute, before he’d come home from school, on a phone call.
Really, what bothered him was that he wouldn’t get to see his friends the summer before they left for college. That sucked, until he called Vlad later that night and was informed that he’d already spoken with their parents, and that they would be allowed to visit for a week or two before the summer’s end. After that, he had nothing to be upset about at all! In fact, all he had left was excitement. He was so excited that he started packing a full week in advance, hiding the suitcase away in the closet so his parents wouldn’t think he’d suddenly become responsible.
Finally, summer was here, and Danny did not graduate on time, with his friends. Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Vlad were the only people in his life that didn’t either mock him, or express their disappointment in him, and that was just because they knew he failed because he was protecting their butts instead of studying. That his late nights fighting ghosts prevented him from doing his homework. His parents, the kids at school, and his teachers all gave him shit for it. He didn’t care. If it came down to it, he could become a test-subject for the government and get paid for them to study his ghost powers- as a last-ditch job if he couldn’t get hired anywhere.
The car ride to Vlad’s summer home was hot, and sweaty, and annoying, with his whole family including Jazz. Maddie kept checking in on him, to make sure he wasn’t too disappointed, and Jazz was busy texting on her phone the whole time- probably with her girlfriend. Jack was just singing to songs on the radio, and Danny watched out the window, getting more and more nervous as they neared the home.
Rather than some mansion, like the other homes Danny knew the man owned, it was a small beach-house, one story, with no yard but it was only a minute or two from the beach. It was light blue, with big windows looking out toward the water, and despite being kind of small for a Vlad-house it was nice. And… Danny was going to be staying here all summer. Jazz was the first person out of the car, and was on her phone immediately, wandering off toward the shore. Maddie and Jack were the second two out, and finally, Danny, who hauled his suitcase and backpack from the trunk and together, the three made their way up the walkway to the house.
Vlad greeted them politely, taking Danny’s things and showing him to ‘his room’. A small bedroom, with a desk, a dresser and a bed and not much room for anything else. The master room, Vlad explained, was right next to it, and the bathroom was cross from both rooms. The kitchen was small, but nice, and the living room was just a couch, a couple of chairs and a small-ish TV. This looked more like one of those placed you’d rent on the beach, rather than somewhere you’d stay all summer… but it was nice. Danny finally came up with the word ‘cozy’ to describe it.
Dinner with Vlad was a fairly expected affair. It was at some pirate-themed restaurant. His parents did most of the talking with Vlad, about ghosts and technology and who-cares-what-else, and Jazz, when she wasn’t texting under the table, caught up with Danny about how things had been with him, and what she had been up to. She talked about her girlfriend as her ‘best friend’, still, keeping the gay aspect on the down-low, and asked Danny if he’d met anyone yet without specifying gender.
When he said no, but blushed, she giggled and tossed a fry across the table at him, calling him a liar.
Once his parents and Jazz left, leaving him for the summer with hugs and goodbyes, he was alone with Vlad, who had taken a call in his room and Danny stood at the glass, sliding doors in the kitchen, looking out to the ocean as the sun set. As he looked out to the pinks and reds of the sky, Danny was nervous. They’d talked about the tutoring, and that Danny would be sleeping in Vlad’s room unless he took issue with that, but… they hadn’t talked about their relationship at all.
It had been a long time since Danny had brought up anything serious, and Vlad didn’t seem to have any issues, but Danny had questions. Like, what was the actual status of their relationship? Were they boyfriends? That seemed so- juvenile. Adults weren’t boyfriends, were they? Partners, maybe. Significant others. But boyfriends? Then again, Danny had barely even had girlfriends. Would it be so bad to consider it normal dating? But ‘dating’ didn’t quite seem to fit, either. They were more serious than that. Dating implied getting to know each other, and Danny was pretty sure he knew Vlad well enough that he wouldn’t learn anything groundbreaking enough to end the relationship.
Once it was a given that they’d stay together, he figured, walking through the house toward Vlad’s room. Didn’t that mean they were just… partners? Or something like that? Or would someone Vlad’s age be less concerned with labels? It mattered to Danny, but maybe it shouldn’t. And even all that aside, he was left with another question; did Vlad love him? Because, especially during the last couple of weekends they’d spent together, Danny was pretty sure that he loved Vlad. And he was pretty sure he wanted to say so, too, but maybe at the right time. Surely after he’d figured out, at least, if they were ‘dating’ or ‘partners’ or whatever else they might be.
Pieces of a conversation drifted through the closed bedroom door, and Danny was about to turn away, to avoid listening in, but… then he heard something that made him pause. “No, no, nothing like that- he’s so young, I would never.” And he froze. Was Vlad talking about him? And to who? What was the context? And despite himself, despite knowing he’d be hurt if Vlad did the same thing, he stepped closer, and listened through the door. “A passing fancy, nothing more. A fling, if you will.” And that stopped Danny’s heart for what felt like a full minute. Sixty seconds in which dread settled over him. In which hurt stabbed through his chest, and it had to be a mistake. He had to be missing something here, but Vlad’s next words just made it worse. “Yes, yes. I love you too. Goodbye, darling.”
Danny opened a portal as footsteps head toward the door from inside the room, and stepped through it into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, pretending to be looking for something to eat when Vlad found him there. “Hey,” He said, and smiled. It came easily to him. Lying. Pretending. He’d been doing it since he was fourteen, and this was no different, except that it came with less guilt because apparently, Vlad was lying too. “What’s up?”
“Hungry already, Daniel? We’ve just had dinner.”
“What can I say?” He closed the fridge, straightening up. “I’m a growing guy.” Although that was a lie, too, it was one they both knew was untrue. “What’s first on the agenda?”
“The boardwalk isn’t far, I thought you might enjoy that. There’s a comic-book shop I’d like to take you to.” Suddenly, the idea of Vlad buying him things, of Vlad spending time and money on him just… didn’t seem as appealing. It felt more like someone trying to buy his time, than spending time on him out of affection, or whatever- the term ‘sugar baby’ came to mind, and Danny felt sick.
It would’ve been better if he hadn’t heard. He’d prefer to not know how Vlad really felt, but now that he did know, everything, all their time together, their conversations, their future, it all had a sour taste to it. At the same time, Danny just felt… kind of numb. Like his emotions had shut down, and someone else was guiding his smiles, his feigned excitement, his enthusiasm as he went to change for the boardwalk into something less sweaty. He was good at pretending, he was good at lying, but with Vlad… he always thought that he wouldn’t have to.
After sundown, the boardwalk was lit up with colorful lights from the Ferris-wheel, and from individual game booths and shops. It was crowded, being a weekend night, and to avoid losing him, Vlad kept a hand on Danny’s shoulder. Danny had worn a tank-top and shorts and flip-flops, and Vlad was wearing a button-up polo and shorts and sandals. Somehow, even at the beach, he managed to look more refined than anyone else. Even with his long, silver hair down, he still looked richer.
Or maybe that was just Danny’s mind’s way of saying he looked more attractive than anyone else, and he decided, as they walked along the sidewalk, that if wanted this summer to be anything but miserable, he needed to pretend to himself, too. So he took a breath, inhaling the scent of different foods, mostly fried, and grabbed Vlad’s hand in his own. He watched as the man’s eyes widened, and Danny pushed down the idea that maybe he didn’t want that. Instead, he focused on dragging Vlad through the crowd, over to one of the games.
It was a shooting game, where if you knocked down enough of the moving targets you’d win a prize- cheap, stuffed animals stacked up on a shelf, and there was one in particular that had caught his eye while they were walking; a lime-green teddy-bear, with darker green ears and the same color on the ends of each paw, and it was clearly cheaply made, and one that there were still a lot of so obviously not a fan-favorite, but Danny thought it was cute. And besides that-
“It looks like a ghost-bear!” He declared, beaming up at Vlad, who returned the smile with a soft look in his eyes.
Soft, and kind. “And I suppose you’d like for me to win it for you?” Despite how cliché this was, Danny could see in Vlad’s eyes something that he’d always thought was affection. Something he’d taken to mean Vlad liked him, but obviously that wasn’t the case. He ignored that line of thought, and nodded, grinning, his stomach fluttering at the way Vlad pulled out his wallet immediately, without hesitation, to play some rigged game that they’d never win.
And rigged it was- several of the targets didn’t fall, even when hit directly in the middle- and wow, Vlad’s aim was good. Obviously, he was skilled with a gun, something that didn’t surprise Danny too much given the fact that he owned a ghost-weapon company. It came with the territory of inventing things like that. But when the girl in the booth went to pick up the bullets, Vlad glanced at Danny, looked around, as though to make sure no one was watching, and then reached up and took one of the bears from the shelf.
Tucking it under his arm, Danny let himself be whisked away even though he felt a little bad about it, and once they were out of view of the booth, he handed Danny the silly bear. Danny held it against his chest without thinking about how ridiculous it was that he was so happy, so excited about something so- small, and cliché, and blushed when he noticed Vlad giving him a strange look. An expression somewhere between happy and something that Danny couldn’t quite place, and his own smile faded as he clutched the bear in his hand, by his side instead.
“What?”
“Nothing, Little Badger. Would you like to see the comic shop?”
The shop was crowded, and the many comic book displays were packed tightly in such a small little shop, but it was cool and they had different comics that he’d never seen before. Not just regular ones, like Superman and Batman, but unique ones with cool art styles and people on the covers that he’d never seen before- and when Vlad led him to one stand in particular, he froze upon seeing the covers.
That was him, on the cover. Not Danny, but Phantom, clear as day, with even the symbol on his chest. It was him, and although there was only one edition, he looked at Vlad with wide eyes and tried to form a question, but couldn’t quite get it out. He clutched the bear tighter in both hands, instead, and watched as Vlad wordlessly picked up the issue and walked to the front of the store. It was strange, having Vlad pay for things for him. Dinner during weekends was one thing, but these were just gifts. Why would he…? The words ‘sugar baby’ came to mind again, though, and he wondered if Vlad would do all these things if sex was not an option for him.
Rather than lingering on those thoughts, he ignored them, following Vlad to the register and then out of the store, taking the little white bag that was held out for him. A comic book of him, huh? Of Phantom. That was- wild. He didn’t know that people even knew who he was, outside of Amity Park, but apparently, he had fans. At least, judging by the cover, where he was drawn badass and muscular and cool-looking, he had fans. He’d read it when they got back, but he thought it was a pretty safe bet to say ‘fan’ was an accurate term.
He tucked the bear under his arm, and reached over, taking Vlad’s hand in his own and ignoring the way the man seemed to falter. Maybe it would look weird, but Danny had his ID with him and he was of age- and anyway, they didn’t know anyone here. If there was anywhere that PDA was okay, it’d be here. So he held Vlad’s hand as they walked.
They stopped at various shops to look around, and eventually bought some candied fruits on sticks, and eventually, they made their way to the Ferris wheel. It glowed with bright, shifting colors against the night, and the line was long, but they stood in it together, fingers laced together. But waiting in line meant that Danny didn’t have anything to distract himself with, and when they got back… well, it had been a while since they’d had a chance to sleep together. A couple of weeks. He knew Vlad would want that, and Danny just didn’t think he could do something like that when he was already fighting away the fact that Vlad didn’t really like him. That it had all been lies.
As the line moved forward, Danny moved absently, staring at the ground and holding his things in his free hand. The things Vlad had bought him (and stolen for him). Things that he’d have forever, as a bittersweet reminder of this day, and… his feelings hadn’t changed. He still felt a flutter in his stomach when Vlad touched him affectionately. He still felt light and excited when Vlad went out of his way to be nice to him. He felt like a kid in a candy shop just walking around looking at things, talking about the different weird items they sold around here with Vlad. Being with him, close to him, talking to him, sharing things with him.
Climbing into one of the little carts with him, they sat across from one another, and Danny looked out the window to avoid looking at the man that had plagued his thoughts and his life. All of this, he realized, watching out the window as their cart moved higher into the air. All of it, all because Danny had gotten in the way of his parent’s weapon while snooping around. How much of their relationship, if it had ever been that, was based on a lies? How much of Vlad’s care and considerate behavior had been based on a lie? His promise not to hurt Danny on purpose, ever again, how much of that was true?
Tears had welled in his eyes before he could stop them, and to cover them, he turned his face further, sitting the bear in the corner of his seat and leaving the bag on the floor. He really did care about Vlad. He really did… love him. A lot. Not just their time together, but little things about the older man, from his pretty features to the way he acted so high-and-mighty and holier-than-thou while still tipping the pizza guy almost thirty dollars. Danny loved his attitude, and his snide comments, and the way he pretended that he thought he was better than everyone, and Danny loved his guilt, too. The small, little things he’d say or do that implied he felt bad about being an asshole for so long. Because that meant- or at least Danny thought that it had meant- that Vlad was a better person now.
But how much of that was even true? He couldn’t hide it anymore, wiping his eyes with his palms, but at least he wasn’t full-on sobbing or something. He sniffed, and looked at Vlad, who was clearly alarmed by the sudden change in Danny’s mood.
“What’s the-“
“It’s stupid.” He shrugged, cutting the man’s words short. “I heard your phone call. I was eavesdropping.” He admitted, because it didn’t really matter. “It just sucks that you don’t really love me, because I think I’m in love with you.” And sure, that was a hell of a way to say it, but the look on Vlad’s face was just… confusion, and there was a long silence in which Danny was pretty sure something he’d said had stunned Vlad somehow.
“What are you talking about? What did you hear?”
“Enough. You said it’s- that I’m ‘too young’ and that it’s a ‘passing fancy’ and stuff.” He curled his hands into fists in his lap, turning to look out the window once more as the wheel began to rotate fully, and they reached the top. “Who even talks like that anymore?” He laughed, but he didn’t really find any humor in it. It was just easier, to pretend things were okay. That he was okay. “Who were you talking to?” He’d said he’d loved them, but Danny was quite ready to believe he’d have a partner with whom he openly discussed his goings-on with Danny.
“You’ve misunderstood.” Vlad said, but Danny just shook his head.
“It’s okay- you’re right, anyway. I’m just a kid, I don’t know why I thought you would feel the same way. It just sucks. You don’t have to-“
“Daniel, you’ve misunderstood. That was my niece, Olivia. She inquired about my dating life, and when I explained you to her, she was concerned that perhaps you were with me for my money. What would someone so young and delightful see in an old man, like me, after all?” Vlad said, but before Danny could shut down this conversation, before he could try to take back bringing it up at all, Vlad went on. “I told her that it was nothing like that, and she asked if I had plans to marry you. To which I told her no, you are too young.”
Which explained some of it, but, “You called us a fling.”
“I called your feelings for me a fling. I have had nothing but love for you from the start of all of this. From the first night.” Vlad reached out, and took one of Danny’s hands in his own, pulling the boy until he’d leaned forward. Then he held Danny’s face in both hands. “I would never mislead you that way, Daniel. Please, trust me on that. I love you. Truly.”
Even if that were true… “You think I’m just crushing on you?”
“You’re young, it’s only natural-“
“I love you. And that’s not something I’d say if I didn’t mean it.” He was relieved, and he did believe Vlad, but at the same time, he was a little offended that Vlad thought so little of his emotions. “It’s not ‘only natural’, I know what crushes feel like, and I know what I’m feeling now.”
For a long moment, Vlad looked at him, and Danny could tell he didn’t believe him but he could see gears turning in his head, too. Finally, his expression changed, to one that looked like his usual stubborn, pompous attitude had come back. “Then prove it to me.” He said, firmly, and Danny scowled, confused. “Prove to me that you love me. Never leave me, and I’ll believe you.”
Danny laughed, the weight of Vlad’s words finally hitting him. Relief, and… joy. Happiness. Vlad loved him, like, actually loved him, and wanted to be with him forever. “I wasn’t planning on it, but that just means you’ll never believe me. ‘Neve leaver’ means ‘stay forever’ and if we’re gonna live forever…” Because if they weren’t aging, they likely would.
“Unfortunately, that’s the only way.” He said, but from his smirk, Danny was pretty sure he was just kidding around at this point. That maybe, even if he had his doubts, he believed Danny a little. And that was good enough, for now. Danny would prove it to him, in time. Because he did love Vlad. A lot. More than he’d ever loved anyone in school, and in a different way than he loved his family.
He’d tell them, for Vlad. He’d tell them everything. About his ghost half, about the ghost fighting, about Vlad- all of it, he’d tell his parents and he’d tell the world, if it meant Vlad would believe him. It wouldn’t, and he knew that, and he’d definitely way until after summer, but… “I love you.” He said, because he hadn’t really said it properly before. Only during a sort-of argument.
“I love you too, Little Badger.” And then Vlad kissed him, a soft, gentle kiss, that usually made Danny feel like he was being treated delicately, but right now, all he felt was that love. A warm, tingly love that made him feel light and heavy and made his stomach flutter, all at the same time. “Truly.”