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Danny stretched his arms and legs when he and his family vacated the eccentrically-named Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle. He took in the sprawling mansion that lay in front of him, mouth slightly agape at the grandeur of the house.
“Close your mouth Danny, you’ll catch flies,” Jack teased him, slapping him on the back. Danny stumbled forward at the contact and shook himself out of his daze.
“Come get your bags, sweetie,” Maddie set Danny’s suitcase on the ground while she pulled her own luggage from the back of the GAV.
Danny lifted the handle on his suitcase while Jazz shut the back hatch of the GAV. The four approached the front doors of the mansion, which swung open right as Jack raised a hand to the doorbell.
“Vladdie!” Jack exclaimed, throwing his arms around the man standing in the doorway.
“Jack! And … Maddie,” Vlad Masters pulled out of Jack’s embrace and smiled at Danny’s parents, trailing his eyes slowly over Maddie’s figure. Danny looked at Jazz and she just raised an eyebrow in response. “And these must be the kids, Jasmine and Daniel.”
Vlad wore a black double-breasted suit, with his long, silver hair tied back into a low ponytail. He held himself confidently and every word he spoke sounded pompous. His very essence screamed, 'I'm filthy rich!'
“Can we come in?” Jazz piped up, her curiosity piqued at what the inside of the mansion might look like.
“Of course, of course! Make yourselves right at home,” Vlad stepped aside to allow the Fenton family into his home.
The inside had has much grandiose as the outside, but was decorated obnoxiously with shades of green and gold as well as Green Bay Packers paraphernalia.
“Green and gold? Can’t a billionaire afford an interior designer?” Jazz wrinkled her nose while she took in her surroundings.
“Jazz, he’s clearly a Packers fanatic. You know, the football team?” Danny bumped his shoulder against hers, shooting her a look.
“’Fanatic’ is such a negative word, dear boy,” Vlad placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “but you’re correct.”
Jazz made some comment about how she knew the Packers were a football team and why didn’t Vlad just buy the team itself, but Danny checked out. Goosebumps covered his arms, his hearing became muffled, and his mouth tasted sour.
‘Don’t like it don’t like it don’t like it—’ Phantom’s voice repeated in his head frantically. Danny politely stepped away from Vlad’s touch and his senses returned to normal.
Weird.
He wandered away for a moment of privacy and studied a portrait on the far wall of the room – an old man in a faux-regal robe wearing a cheesehead. Underneath, a plaque read, ‘The Wisconsin Dairy King.’
“Why did you react like that?” He mumbled to himself, hoping no one could hear.
‘There’s something off about that man, and did you see how he looked at your mom?’ Phantom said.
“Well, he’s my uncle, so I need you to be polite,” Danny sighed. “He doesn’t have a chance with mom anyway, my parents are disgustingly in love.” Phantom stayed silent after that, but Danny could feel his displeasure.
“Give me that!”
Danny whipped around to see Vlad snatching a signed football from Jack. Jack put his hands up in surrender and took a step back. Vlad delicately replaced the football on its display before smoothing a hand over his hair to regain his composure.
“I apologize for the outburst, I am rather protective of my priceless memorabilia,” He said.
‘See?’ Phantom said. Danny made a quiet noise of disagreement in response and returned to standing by the rest of his family. Maybe Vlad was protective of his possessions, so what? He couldn’t count the number of times he and Jazz had argued because she came into his room and touched his things or vice versa.
The clear infatuation with Danny’s mom was a tad weird, but it wasn’t like Danny could really do anything about that.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to stay here for the reunion?” Maddie said, shifting uncomfortably.
“Of course, my dear. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Vlad insisted. “In fact, I already have rooms prepared for you. I’ve been looking forward to reconnecting.”
-✸-
Danny squinted at the screen of his phone, reading the time: 3:27 a.m.
“I’m hungry.”
“And I’m trying to sleep. Don’t you always bitch at me for not getting enough sleep?”
“You don’t get enough sleep, but you can’t sleep if I’m hungry.”
“Well, sorry I couldn’t order my McDonald’s burger extra rare to appease you on the drive here,” Danny groaned and folded his pillow over his ears, as if that would drown out the demon’s voice. Phantom opted simply to talk inside his head.
‘I really prefer the Nasty Burger to McDonald’s.’
“Phantom let me go to sleep.”
‘Just sneak to the kitchen and get me something. He’s a billionaire, he won't miss it.’
“What if we get caught?”
‘We won’t.’
The boy grumbled and climbed out of bed, sliding his feet into his slippers and heading out of the room. He crept downstairs, the familiar feeling of Phantom taking the reins washing over him.
The entrance to the kitchen was in sight when Phantom was slammed against the wall, a hand wrapped around his throat.
“You smell like death, child,” Vlad stood in front of him, but his voice sounded like it had another voice layered on top of it. His bright red eyes pierced into Phantom’s green ones. This was Vlad, but it also clearly wasn’t. It suddenly made sense why everything about Vlad set Phantom off so badly earlier.
“Let me go,” Phantom hissed. “I just wanted to eat.”
“Another demon found a host to terrorize due to Jack Fenton’s idiocy,” Vlad’s grin exposed fangs. “I knew from the moment you walked into the door.”
Phantom let himself bleed into Danny’s form. Horns burst from his scalp. The corners of Danny’s mouth stretched unnaturally wide and his teeth sharpened as he gnashed his teeth threateningly at Vlad. His limbs elongated and claws extended from his fingers.
‘Phantom what are you doing,’ Danny said, not daring to try to regain control while Phantom was in such a defensive state.
“I’m protecting us,” Phantom said. He tugged at Vlad’s hand as it tightened around his throat and clawed at his arm in a feeble attempt to get free.
“You and the child are not in sync? That makes this more interesting,” Vlad said.
“Who are you?” Phantom choked.
“I’m Plasmius,” The demon revealed himself. Phantom finally curled his legs up, before swiftly putting his feet against Vlad’s— Plasmius’ chest and shoving him backward.
Plasmius released his grip on Phantom’s throat and stumbled backward. Phantom landed on his hands and knees, quickly recovering and taking off down the hall with no plan as to where he was going.
Danny and Phantom were both confused, Danny’s panic and Phantom’s attempt to protect them clashing and causing the two to fight for control over the body. He stumbled as he struggled to keep his form.
“Vlad’s hosting a demon?! Why does he blame dad for it?!”
“I don’t know! Let me run, I’m faster than you!”
“I told you we’d get caught!”
“Shut up!” Phantom skidded to a stop. Plasmius was in front of him now, even more of his true demonic form showing. Grotesque bat-like wings extended from his back, his face was more animalistic than human, and he was suddenly much larger and more imposing.
“What did the idiot do this time? Did another poor attempt at creating a ghost portal kill someone this time?” Plasmius asked, taking deliberate steps toward Phantom.
“The accident in college,” Danny realized with a gasp. “The reason Vlad didn’t talk to mom and dad for so long.”
“Before the portal exploded, it worked long enough for me to get out,” Plasmius said. “I made a deal with Vlad to cure his ecto-acne in exchange for a host. Of course, I managed to benefit him in other ways, too.” He gestured around him, clearly referring to the mansion and, by extension, Vlad’s wealth.
“So why try to make amends now? If your life is fixed?” Danny asked. Phantom’s features began receding, Danny’s face once again human aside from one eye filmed over and dripping a viscous black liquid. Danny still wasn’t in sole control of his body; Phantom was ready to take over and either fight or make a break for it.
“You think I brought him here to make amends?” Vlad laughed at the suggestion Danny made. Danny almost couldn’t differentiate when it was Vlad or Plasmius speaking, the two melded together so well. “I brought your father here to finally end him for what he did to me – and, apparently, what he did to you as well.”
“Dad didn’t do this to me!” Danny said. “Phantom, please.” He tugged at his hair to focus on something other than the uncomfortable transition of his body shifting into its normal state again after he’d finally won over control. For some reason, he felt ashamed Vlad saw him with Phantom almost completely in charge – even though Vlad was also hosting a demon.
“Lowering your defenses in the presence of something much more powerful than you,” Plasmius sneered, seeming to enjoy every moment of this exchange. “What a stupid child.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me,” Danny balled his hands into fists at his sides and made eye contact with Plasmius. He hoped he looked more confident than he felt, but either way he had a secret weapon in mind.
“And why wouldn’t I?” Plasmius said. He was close to Danny now, towering over him. Without Phantom contorting his body into demonic form, Danny stood at a measly five-foot-six compared to what was at least seven feet on Plasmius’ end.
“What would my mom think? If you hurt me, or kill me, do you know who’s going to be there to comfort her? My dad. Not. You. She’ll hate you,” he spat the last part out as maliciously as he could.
Plasmius looked taken aback, and his threatening form shifted violently and rapidly down to just Vlad with red eyes and horns. “You’re right, son. The unexpected presence of another demon caused me to act foolish,” Vlad casually adjusted his hair, pulling his low silver ponytail over his shoulder and trying to hold a façade of being above it all. He turned a pitying gaze on Danny. “You should consider allowing me to mentor you, it must be hard on a teenager trying to tame a demon. I understand you more than anyone else, after all.”
“Over my dead body,” Danny said flatly. “And don’t call me son. That’s what my dad calls me.” Plasmius growled, red eyes flaring in annoyance at how bold Danny had gotten.
‘I can’t decide if I think you’re fucking stupid or not,’ Phantom said.
“Goodnight, Daniel. I trust you and Phantom won’t cause too much trouble before the reunion tomorrow evening,” Vlad said curtly. He turned on his heel and strode away.
Oh shit – the reunion. What was he planning to do?
“Should I go after him?” Danny whispered, watching Vlad disappear around a corner.
“I don’t really care, Danny. I’m still hungry.”