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Chapter Text

It had been a pretty rough morning for Danny.  Algebra had kicked his butt, but lunch was just around the corner and he felt a sprig of hope blossoming in his chest.  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad!  All he had to do was go to that stupid student body announcement about some upcoming beauty pageant for the girls. Danny, Sam, and Tucker -- all there against their will -- sighed in their seats as a voluptuous blonde woman came out onto the stage, who announced herself as "Dora."

"Girls, do you dream of being a princess~?!" the peppy woman enthused.  "Do you dream of wearing beautiful dresses and jewelry?!  Do you dream of being crowned winner of the Miss Happy Princess Beauty Pageant~?!"

There was a... decent response from the crowd.  

Dora was unabashed, though, her unnaturally wide, stretchy smile never faltering.  "Well, whoever wishes to sign up will have a chance to be crowned winner~!" she laughed.  "And we have a celebrity judge to help us out with picking our winner~!"

Danny had been messing with his phone for most of the announcement, thoroughly bored.  He only glanced up then when he heard 'celebrity'.  However, the man who walked across the stage, was NOT who he was expecting.  

His friends joined him with shocked gasps.  "Vlad?!"

Dora grinned up at the tall billionaire, who gave a courteous smile back.  "When such a lovely lady came up and begged me to judge the competition, I could hardly say no~!" Vlad commented with a short laugh.  "Nonetheless, yes!  I shall be judging the pageant~"

"Now, who wants to sign up?!" Dora enthused.

THAT invoked a MUCH bigger response from the audience.  Girls tumbled over each other to get to the sign-up sheet, scribbled their names hastily down; Dora actually had to go print more. Vlad remained onstage, smiling and waving at swooning high school girls when necessary -- then, when his eyes wandered over the crowd aimlessly, he caught Danny's eye.  

The older man shrugged at him, winking.

Danny's own eyes narrowed, a growl escaping his throat.  

Tucker looked at him strangely.  "Uh dude?  You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah Danny, it's no big deal.  These things are stupid anyway,” mumbled Sam.  "My mom wanted me to enter, but I'm just gonna tell her they filled up too fast for me to."

Tucker laughed.  "Oh man, you?  In a pageant?  That's almost as bad as if DANNY entered, hahaha!"

Danny stopped growling suddenly, blinking wide eyes instead.  He turned and shared a look with Sam for a moment, before they both wore matching wicked grins.  "Hey Sam?  Why don't you go grab me one of those contestant papers, will ya?"

"I'm on it!"

Tucker watched her dash off towards Dora, a worried frown on his face.  "Oh no, what are you two up to?"

"Don't worry so much, Tucker, it's just a little joke.  It will be fun!"

Sam came back and helped Danny fill out the info, claiming him as her visiting cousin.  They snickered as they added certain details and whispered plans, Tucker shaking his head all the while and even casting Vlad a pitying look.  As they left the assembly hall, Sam handed Dora back the paper.

At the top, read 'Dani Manson'.

~*~*~

The next day after school, Dora stood on a raised platform within a throng of young ladies, announcing instructions, activities, and rules.  Vlad sat on the bench behind her -- internally bored out of his mind but trying to look interested for his reputation's sake.  

"All right~!" Dora announced.  "Group 1, you'll be doing makeovers on one another!  Group 2 will be practicing your curtsies!  Group 3, we're going to perform the art of balance~ That is, we're going to walk in a straight line and balance a thick book on our heads~!  The rules are simple!  No purposefully knocking over anyone's book, no raising your voice above what you need to be heard, no uncouth pranks with the makeup, and all the rest.  I want to see behavior fit for princesses~"

"Okayyyyyy~!" rose the happy chorus.

//And to think, I had to delay practice with Daniel for this...// Vlad thought crossly to himself under the smile.

Then, another girl -- one with black hair and round blue eyes -- peered out from behind the bleachers.

Danny and Sam had been up all night working on his new look, and it was finally time to reveal himself.  He gave a little sigh, before plastering on a friendly little grin, and walked out of the shadows to join the large group of girls.

His hips swayed just slightly, like Sam had taught him.  He wore a long black wig extension, clipped to his hair for a more natural effect.  His bangs, which he had been growing out, were brushed back with a blue headband, the rest of his 'hair' falling to mid back in soft waves.  He wore very little makeup and some simple pink lips gloss, making his full lips shine and look even plumper.  He wore a thigh length baby blue dress tunic over some black leggings, soft and easy to move in cloths.  The sleeves on the tunic were short, and one fell over his shoulder just so.  Luckily, his body type made it easy to pull the whole thing off as a flat chested girl, so he didn't have to worry about stuffing a bra and simply wore one of Sam's black sport ones for effect.  He was very, very thankful for this fact...

He wore some simple black flats with only a slight heel, so he could walk more easily in them.  Sam promised she would teach him to walk in higher heels later.  He had on very little jewelry, just some silver bangles and small blue stone studs in his ears.  //Ha, wait till Vlad sees that I got Sam to pierce my ears~//

He winced a little at the memory.  Ok, so maybe he had been planning to do that for awhile, but he had NOT expected it to hurt as bad as it did.

He smiled as he approached Dora, voice just a little lighter in pitch.  "I'm so terribly sorry I'm late.  I'm Dani Manson, Sam's cousin?  I hope I haven't missed anything~"

Vlad's brows shot up to his hairline.

Dora, on the other hand, just smiled down at the ‘young lady’ that had come over to her.  "It's perfectly all right~!" she grinned.  "Why don't you go join Group 3 with the book balance~?"

Danny smiled sweetly at the woman, eyes casting to linger on Vlad for just a few moments.  His smile turned into a teasing grin, before he turned away to join his group.  Some of the girls looked at him strangely, and Danny was worried he might be standing out a bit.  Little did he know, he actually looked really pretty and they were viewing him as a 'threat.’

Danny accepted a book from Star, and got in line with the other girls.  Thanks to his months of training with Vlad, walking around with a book on his head was a piece of cake.  He made a game out of it, walking as gracefully and 'prettily' as he could.  He was kinda having fun with this different style of training.  He paused as he was passing Dora, smile wide and big blue eyes glittering.

"Would it be against the rules to try two books by any chance?"

Vlad watched ‘Dani’ amusedly, entertained as he saw their balance training skills being implemented in such a girlish way.  He chuckled at the look on Dora's face as she was surprised at first, then delightedly gave him a second book.  A couple other girls asked for a second book, too -- trying to step up their game -- but most of them stepped out of line or let it fall.  Vlad had to cover his mouth to disguise a laugh.

At about four o'clock, Dora declared a five minute break before the groups switched activities.  

Vlad had inconspicuously slipped away just before she said it; while the many girls were trying to spot a glimpse of their judge, the white-haired halfa had gone invisible, phased into the ground,...

And popped up right behind Danny.

"Haven't we met somewhere?" Vlad teased, returning to the visible spectrum and leaning back against the wall.

Danny glanced up, his own teasing smile in place.  He fluttered his lashes and flipped his longer hair, trying to seem coy and flirty.

"Oh, I don't know Mr. Masters~ Where on earth could we have possibly met before~?"

Danny leaned a little closer, keeping on the flirty smile, but dropping his voice so no one else could hear.  "Having fun, Vlad?"

"Before you arrived, not in the slightest," Vlad replied, smirking.  "I didn't know you were into this sort of thing.  Oh, I WONDER what brought it on?"

Danny shrugged, fighting down a slight blush.  He couldn't very well say it was JEALOUSY that brought this on, now could he?  

He took a sip from his water bottle before speaking. "Sam kinda hates these things and she decided, what better way to secretly get back at her mom and the pageant, then to help a BOY win?” he replied.  “I agreed because it sounded fun.  And besides~"

Danny gave Vlad a little spin, showing off his girl self.  He ended the twirl with his hip cocked, one hand on his hip and the other in his hair.  He gave Vlad a wink.  "I make a pretty good looking girl, don't I~?"

Vlad circled around him, glancing him up and down -- his air teasing and appreciative -- then right when he opened his mouth, he stopped, gazing straight into Danny's face.

"You make a dazzling girl," Vlad murmured, something igniting in his dark blue yes.  "But you make an even better boy, Daniel..."

Danny blinked, surprised.  "Vlad-"

"Alright everyone!  Time to switch groups!"  Dora called loudly.  Danny jumped, turning to look in her direction, before back at Vlad.  He started when he saw the man gone, back on the stage before anyone realized he'd been missing.  Danny frowned, confused.

//What had he meant by that?//

With those distracting thoughts, Danny made his way back to his group.  He groaned when he saw their next task.  Make overs.  Great…

Chapter Text

Days of practice went on like that -- walking in heels, carrying plates, flower arranging, followed by beating the crap out of some poor ghost that Vlad pointed him at that night -- but Danny never saw that spark in his mentor's eyes again.  He seemed distant.  And unbeknownst to him, for good reason...

Vlad was having a very hard time.

Seeing Daniel like that, airy and sweet during the day, and embracing every inch of his new powers by night, gave the older man too many thoughts to manage.  It wasn't long before he was constantly fantasizing about just grabbing him -- whether it be in that damned blue dress or that tight black suit -- and kissing him stupid against a wall.  Vlad's iron grip of control was at its limit.

Finally, it was the night of the pageant; dark, clear, and crisp, with spotlights on a makeshift stage set up in the middle of the football field.  

//I'll need a vacation after this...// the ghost man sighed to himself as he settled into his judge panel.  //Somewhere I can properly indulge in these thoughts of seducing Daniel.  Otherwise, I don't know how much longer I can keep myself away from him...//

Vlad nearly choked when Mr. Lancer came out, dressed in tights and singing in Shakespearean style -- introducing the pageant.

This was going to take a while...

~*~

Danny had been thinking long and hard on what he would do for the talent show, and after discussing it with Sam, he decided to work with his strengths.  Vlad had been teaching him how to form multiple plasma balls, learning how to juggle them all at once for multiple uses.  Surprisingly, this made him a pretty good juggler, and with the right practice, he had his act for the show.  

Danny walked out on stage in an outfit similar to the one from the practices, save for the fact that this time his tunic was covered in sequins and he wore black high heels instead of flats.  Sam had kept her promise in finding him some fitting heels, and now Danny felt ready for his part.  He approached the microphone, a slight blush on his cheeks from the crowd, and mainly Vlad, watching him.

"H-hi, I'm Dani Manson, and for my... ‘Happy Princess talent,’ I will be demonstrating my... ‘balance and grace’ with a, uh, juggling dance."

At that, Tucker took his cue and turned on some upbeat techno music.  Danny closed his eyes and breathed, making himself relax and forget about the crowd below.  He started swaying his hips to the beat, and threw three blue balls into the air.  He started juggling them deftly while dancing to the beat, moving his hips and spinning, trying his hardest not to trip over his heels.  The dance was actually really simple, he just moved around to the beat of the music and juggled along with it, hoping that as long as he didn't drop any balls, the fact that he did this in heels will win him some points.

Halfway through the act, Sam stood up and started tossing more balls to him from the audience.  By the time the act ended, he had been juggling nine balls.  The song ended and he let all the balls drop and bounce away.  He gave a little playful curtsy as the crowd cheered -- and in a moment of brash confidence -- giving Vlad a wink before walking off stage.

That had been more fun than he thought!

Vlad raised his brows, smirking.  He glanced around at the crowd... and gave the empty stage a slow, strong clap.

Yup, he was definitely going to have to take a vacation after this.  Those HIPS...

~*~

Dora looked out from behind the curtain, green eyes wide as they looked at Vlad's reaction.  Turning to her ring, she whispered to it -- and the huge stone began to glow, murmuring to the figure that appeared inside; a blue-skinned, greasy-haired ghost with thorns as his crown.  "Brother!" she whispered with a halfhearted smile.  "It's going well!  The announcement will be made soon."

"Don't disappoint me, Dorathea!" Prince Aragon snapped, and disappeared in a swirl of green.

~*~

Not long after, the crowd settled down and Mr. Lancer came back on stage.  "Yay varalie!  Has the good judge made his decision?" he asked Vlad, who still sat with a smirk on his face.

Vlad stood up.  "I have, good lord," he played along.  "And I choose..."‏

The older man paused for dramatic effect...

And then locked eyes with Danny, who was peering out along with several pageant girls.  

"Dani Manson," Vlad chuckled.

Danny blinked, shocked.  He won?!  Seriously?!  //I mean, I SAID I was aiming to win but I didn’t actually think I’d --!//

Danny turned when Dora came to stand next to him, smiling happily as she guided him to some form of platform.  The crowd was clapping and cheering, most of the other girls doing so grudgingly.  Danny smiled and waved to the crowd, only to stumble when the platform began to MOVE.

He looked down as the platform rose up and up and up, making some kind of tower.  Dora had a tight hold on his arm making sure he didn't fall.  His eyes narrowed, growing suspicious.  Something wasn't right here...

"Behold!  Your Happy Princess!"

Dora came to stand behind Danny, a tiara with bright green gems inlaid on it.  Danny gasped, his ghost sense picking up on the strangeness of the crown.

"W-wait!"

Too late.

The crown slipped into place, looking pretty and dainty among his black locks...  if it wasn't glowing an ominous green.  The light grew brighter and brighter, swallowing him and Dora up.  

He covered his eyes and screamed as they were suddenly transported with a blinding flash of light.

When he opened them again, he stood on a castle balcony, looking down at a multitude of royal, medieval looking ghosts.  There was male ghost standing beside him -- with blue skin and a thorn crown on his head, raising his hands high as he addressed them.

"At last, my people, you may rejoice!  For your prince, has finally found himself, a BRIDE!"

The ghosts cheered, and Danny gasped, trying to take a step back when Dora pushed him out to be seen by the crowd.  

"What do you mean, bride?!"

~*~

Gasps and murmurs went up amongst the crowd.  Was that a part of the show?  Where'd they go?  Was it over? ...Okay then... if it WAS an effect, it was a dang good one!  Tentative applause turned into nervous murmurs... then everyone started to leave.

Vlad stared, wide-eyed, at the spot where Danny had disappeared.

That hadn't been natural light.  That tiara had been a ghost world item.  It had been in a book that'd he'd read a long time ago -- but he RECOGNIZED it.

Not even waiting to make sure if anyone was watching, Vlad snarled and turned invisible, vanishing into the ground.

Chapter Text

"Wait, this has to be some kind of mistake!"  Danny yelled as Dora, now dressed as a maid in waiting, wrestled him into a petticoat and matching corset.  He just barely managed to keep the wig intact and stop her from finding out his secret.  While he was distracted fixing his hair, some ghosts caught him by surprise and slipped a pretty white and pink ball gown over his head.  It was huge, puffy thing, covered in pink ribbons and lace.   He groaned loudly as they tied him in, shaking his head.

"I'm uh, human!  Yeah, I can't marry the prince!  I mean, why would he want to marry a human anyway?!"

Dora seemed to sulk as she began to lace up his corset.  "Prince Aragon wants what no other ghost has managed to obtain," she told him, "a human bride!  He figured that a half-ghost, half-human would be able to make the perfect choice..."

She slipped out his blue studs and put in seed pearl earrings.  "Please, try to make this easy for me?" she asked.  "Prince Aragon isn't so bad if you don't make eye contact with him or... don't talk to him..."

Danny shook his head.  He knew he couldn't reveal himself as a boy, things would likely go very very badly for him, especially since he had learned that not only did the crown prevent him from leaving, but it also kept him from going ghost!  So, maybe a different approach would work...

"Listen, I can't marry the prince, okay?  I mean, surely he wouldn't marry someone who is... uh...  PROMISED, to someone else, right?"

Danny really hoped Dora saw past the lie...  or that it even mattered! But Dora barely glanced up.  "The prince is not likely to be interested in the fact that his bride had a pathetic human boyfriend, aside from destroying him for good measure," she commented.  "I would refrain from mentioning it..."

Danny slumped.  "I was afraid of that…” he muttered.  “So, don't look him in the eye and don't talk to him, huh?  Sounds like a wonderful marriage..."

Danny looked at her, confused.  "Why do you obey him anyway?  He doesn't really seem like a nice guy.  I mean, I noticed how time doesn't move here, he's keeping it that way right?  I mean, you all can't be happy with his rule..."

"He's the prince," Dora shrugged.  "We have to do what he says... and while we have the same power, it's his right to keep us all under his thumb..."

Tightening up the white corset, Dora and the rest of the handmaidens stepped back.  The dragon princess smiled, sighing halfheartedly.  "You look lovely, my lady..." she murmured.

Dora offered him her hand.  "Shall we go?" she asked halfheartedly.

~*~

Back at his mansion, Vlad descended down into his lab with a book on the roots of the head European ghosts, flipping it open and shoving it on a stand, reading as he latched his own collection of restored spectral armor onto himself.  "’In the year 1300, Prince Aragon Targaryen, along with his sister Princess Dorathea, had the ability to control dragons.  After their deaths by the Black Plague, their spirits were rumored to be able to transform INTO dragons...' OH, sugar cookie.  DRAGONS..." Vlad muttered.‏

He locked the last gleaming black bracer into place, the glowing green stones shimmering in the light as he turned towards his Ghost Portal.  Bedecked in dark, angular armor along with flexible black pants, the armor was studded with spectral emeralds, its appearance not unlike dragonskin.  His cape fluttered -- the outside pure white, and the inside crimson.

"I guess then, it's only fair to LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD..." Vlad hissed.

Slowly, he bowed forward...

On the wall, Vlad's shadow began to change shape -- popping and creaking as new sinews sprouted and flexed.  Fangs protruded.  Golden slit pupils rolled forward over the red sclera, and a long forked tongue lashed out.  Dark horns jutted backwards, curling around his skull like rams horns and framing his loose, fluttering hair...

Pure white wings with membranes red as blood spread wide, and the shriek of a dragon split the air.‏

~*~

In Aragon's hall, there was barely a sound.  The dreaded dragon prince sat straight as an arrow at the end of the table, among an equally stuffy and stiff-looking court.

"Enough merrymaking!!" Prince Aragon snapped, tongue lashing and slit pupils contracting.  "Bring forth my bride!!"

Dora opened the doors and lead a quiet, demure Danny into the room.  Danny kept his head down as he was brought forward for all the ghosts and the prince to gawk over.  The dress he was forced into was pretty poofy due to all the petticoats Dora had stuffed him in, making him look, and feel, embarrassingly like Cinderella.  His heels clacked on the stone floor as he was led to Prince Aragon.  He grimaced as the Prince took his hand roughly from Dora, squeezing it tightly.

"Behold!  Princess Dani!"

The room cheered while Danny just sighed and looked away.  This was humiliating.  All he could do was hope Vlad or his friends were trying to find him...

And find him in time...

"Commence with the wedding ceremony!"

Danny's head snapped up.  "What?  Now?!"

Dora shook her head at him frantically over her furious brothers shoulder.  Danny paled, quickly trying to act like a meek, shy girl again.  "Uh, I mean, wow!  Right now?  I'm... I'm so excited..."‏

Danny couldn't help the small whimper that escaped him, as he was lead to an alter.  Oh man... This was going to go horribly, horribly wrong...

A withered skeleton preacher stood at the altar.  His empty sockets looked between Aragon... then Danny...

"Do you take... this woman as your wife?" it wheezed.

"Yes," the Prince snapped.

"Very... well..."

Danny balked.  "Wait, what?  Wh-what happened to 'I do'?!"

Aragon whirled, hissing as he backhanded the boy across the face. One of his rings opened a cut on Danny's cheekbone.  Danny was struck to the ground, sitting there in a poof of white and pink fabric.  He turned to look up at the prince with furious blue eyes, hand on the cut on his cheek.  

"You DARE speak out against me?!" the dragon prince roared.  "You will learn SOON, bride.  A lady should be SEEN, not heard!"

The skeleton preacher continued on in his shaky voice as if nothing happened.  "Is there a reason... why these two should not be wed?"

Silence.  "If so... speak now... or forever hold your --"

A sentry sudden burst into the room, eyes wide with fright.  Aragon and the rest of his court spun to look at him.  A beat passed as the ghost panted for air… then straightened up, inhaled… and SCREAMED.

"DRAGOOOON!!”

Chapter Text

"DRAGOOOON!!"

CRASH!!

Danny’s eyes widened when he heard screaming, turning around to face the sentry.  "Did he say 'dragon'?!"

The ghost boy suddenly yelped in shock and pain when the Prince grabbed his arm and dragged him back up to his feet, almost yanking his arm from its socket.  Danny tried to break free, but in his human form that wasn't so easy.  "H-hey!  Let me go!"

"I AM THE ONLY DRAGON!!" Aragon shrieked, yanking Danny close.  "YOU brought this creature here!!  How DARE you try to undermine my position!!  I!! AM!! THE KING!!"

Claws unsheathed from his fingertips and raised high, about to come down on Danny.  "Perhaps a few scars will remind you WHO IS YOUR LORD!"

Danny tried to pull away but Aragon had a tight hold on him. There was no escape!  He closed his eyes tight, preparing for the painful strike…!

When suddenly, something HUGE -- bedecked in black, red, and white -- smashed into Aragon with the force of a hundred wrecking balls.  The dragon prince was hurled backward, crashing into the far wall.  

SMASH!!

"Daniel?!"

Huge, hot hands grabbed onto Danny, yanking him into a hug -- only to be doubly-enfolded by silver and blood red dragon wings.  Clawed fingers stroked through his hair, surprisingly gentle for all their controlled strength.  "Are you all right?" Vlad demanded, his voice low and roughened by his shapeshifting.  His loose black-and-silver locks, windblown by the blisteringly fast flight across the Ghost Zone, fell forward as he looked him over for injuries.  "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"V-Vlad?!"

Danny looked in shock at Vlad's new form.  He took in the wings, teeth, horns, everything in awe.  Especially the hair...  he was going to have dreams about that hair...

//Focus, Danny!//

He shook his head, still looking at Vlad with wide, unbelieving eyes.  "I-I'm fine!  They just stuffed me in a corset and dress, really…”

Danny gestured to the cut on his cheek, shrugging it off a bit.  “Oh, um, the prince kinda hit me earlier, he has anger issues."

He looked up and smiled at Vlad, so happy to see him.  "I knew you would come for me..."

A scream of rage off to the side had him turning to see Aragon, teeth extended and eyes slit.  "Uh oh..."

Aragon's eyes went dangerously bright as he grew taller -- and taller -- reaching the ceiling in the form of a huge, purple-black dragon with ecto-green talons.  The prince spread his wings and bared his teeth.  "HOW DARE YOU INFILTRATE MY CASTLE, TOUCH MY BRIDE, AND --!" he started to roar.

Vlad didn’t even react at first.  His eyes had gone cold at the sight of the cut on Danny's cheek.

Slowly... Vlad’s head.  Twisted.  Completely.  Around.

Aragon grimaced at the freakish display.  

Then... fangs bared... and SHRIEKED at him.  All at once, Danny found his wig ripped off in the wake of Vlad's wings hurling himself at Aragon, and even the full-sized dragon was taken by surprise when a creature barely a quarter of his size tackled him straight through his own castle wall.  Thunder crashed and boomed outside, lightning twisting throughout the medieval landscape.  As Danny, Dora, and the handmaidens rushed to the crumbling hole in their castle -- it became clear, in the flashes of the storm, Aragon had never had a chance.  Spectral bones snapped.  A necklace came loose and was hurled far away.  The battle plummeted down into the trees, where Danny could SWEAR he saw black fire spewing into the trees... only to be immediately put out by the rain.

Finally, all was quiet.

Danny felt a shiver go down his spine at the display of primal power Vlad had just performed.  Vlad was powerful to begin with, but that?  That had been on a whole new level.  He looked like some sort of dragon GOD in this form!  Danny flushed hotly, mind consumed quickly with Vlad and Vlad alone.  He bit his bottom lip, trembling just slightly, and thanking some higher power for making his dress so freaking poofy...

He saw Dora standing stunned beside him, and gave her a cocky little grin -- although it was hard to look intimidating in a dress and blushing with arousal.  "Told you I had someone waiting for me~"

Danny turned to walk out the castle door to join Vlad, only to be thrown back by a green barrier.  "OW!"

The ghost boy slowly sat up, rubbing his head.  He looked up towards the tiara and gave it a yank, only to scowl as it stayed in place.  "Dang it!  This thing is still working?!"

"I...!" Dora quavered.  "Only Prince Aragon can remove it... but..."

She hesitated, then looked back at the hole in the wall.  Aragon was gone... she had nothing to fear anymore.  In fact...

"We have the same power..." Dora breathed.

Walking forward, as if in a trance, the dragon princess gripped the tiara with her delicate fingers... and pulled.  The tiara seemed to resist at first -- then all at once, Danny felt the tight pressure on his head lift.  The crown was off!  Dora stared at the piece of jewelry in her hand, chest heaving at the realization of her own power.  "I... I did it!" she exclaimed, smiling honestly for the first time in what felt like centuries.  She grinned at Danny, laughing.  "Hahaha!"

THUMP.

Dora blinked, then turned to stare in fright at the figure of Vlad -- wings outspread -- soaking wet and illuminated by lightning.  She then glanced at Danny...

And backed away, smiling.  "He is yours, if you wish to take him..." Dora murmured meekly.  

With that, she turned to her subjects.  "Prince Aragon is no more!" she announced, placing the tiara on her head.  "This land has a new ruler!!"‏

The onlookers cheered -- at long last -- for finally, there was a new queen of Dragon’s Keep.  Dorathea smiled happily, for the first time in centuries, and ventured forth to greet her subjects.  She had MUCH to do...

Meanwhile, Danny felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.  He glanced up.

"Come on, little badger..." murmured Vlad in that deep, dragon voice, soothed from his anxiety as he led his pupil from the great hall.  "Let's go home..."

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, the pair of them were walking through the blooming gardens of Dragon’s Keep.  Not long after they'd left, Dora's fire had blown away the clouds, and now, buds unfurled and leaves sprouted, pale golden-green light filtering down through the once-barren branches.  Time was moving forward -- and a feeling of new beginnings filled the air.

Danny held his heels in one hand and hiked the skirts of his ripped gown up in the other.  He got distracted for a moment by the reborn woods and managed to trip on a lacy hem, pitching forward with a yelp.  

Vlad caught him just in time, helping him stand up again.  “Watch your step, Daniel,” he chuckled.

Danny grinned, laughing.  "Haha, thanks!  Who knew walking in a dress was so hard?"

He blinked, suddenly realizing something.  "Oh!  The crown is gone!  I can transform again!"

Rings of blue-white light split from his middle and separated.  But instead of the black suit Danny was expecting, his gown turned pitch black instead.  He scowled.  "I don’t know if I prefer looking like a Cabbage Patch bride or a Gothic one…"

He debated on it for a moment, then left it with a sigh, glowing green eyes looking up at Vlad curiously.  "Hey... How'd you manage to find me anyway?  And what's with the dragon upgrade?” the ghost boy asked.  “You look great, by the way!  I mean, the horns and the wings are so awesome...  And I really like your hair like that...  I'm gonna stop talking now..."

He looked away with an embarrassed jade flush.

Vlad smiled softly, gazing at Danny through his lashes.  He hadn't looked away from the boy since they'd left the castle.  "Haha...  All ghosts have some degree of shape-shifting ability..." he murmured absently, lost in the way Danny's face looked like in the sunlight.  "It’s something I might teach you in a few years.  But..."

There was a pause...

Then -- internally -- Vlad made a decision.

Flapping his wings, the older halfa landed in front of Danny, stopping him.  "Is... that really what you want to ask me about...?" Vlad asked quietly, his voice rumbling low in his chest.

Danny froze, blinking wide eyes up at Vlad.  

No... No that wasn't what he wanted to ask...

The younger halfa looked away for a moment, debating with himself -- then finally decided to just bite the bullet.  He kept his gaze turned away, cheeks flushing even heavier and too afraid of a certain reaction to look back at Vlad.

"What... What did you mean that other day?” he asked.  “About me...  making a better boy?"

Vlad's eyes wandered up and down his body, taking it in with a soft smile.  "I meant exactly what I said, Daniel..." he replied.

The older halfa reached out, gently touching the boy's cheek with his claws.  "When I first met you, when I found out neither of us were alone... I knew who you were, and I knew WHAT you were.  I didn't have to hide anything from you..." he whispered, cupping Danny's face and drawing him closer.  His wings gently encircled them both, pressing Danny flush to his chest.  "And I wouldn't rather have you any other way..."

Danny shivered in Vlad's hold, looking around in confusion as he was wrapped up tight in his large wings and pressed firmly to his chest.  He turned to look up at Vlad with wide green eyes, terribly confused...  but hopeful.

"But…!  I mean, really…? I--"

"I've known your feelings for a long time, Daniel," Vlad informed him softly.  "And mine have been here since that stupid reunion party. But before I do anything here... I want to see you, hear you say it to my face."

//He knew?  He had KNOWN?!// Danny was trembling terribly now, in a state of shock.  

Then, Vlad’s thumb brushed over his cheek.  "I want to hear you confess how you feel about ME..." he murmured.

A brief moment of panic ran through Danny, before the rest of Vlad's words sank in.  

He...  He had feelings too?  For HIM?

There was another pause…

Then, Danny felt his body go weak in shock and relief, leaning against Vlad's chest in order to stay up right.  "I...  I just... for you…” he stammered, limp with relief.  “Since you moved here...  I..."

Danny bit his lip, suddenly shy.  He cast his eyes down, dark lashes skimming over jade cheeks.  "You make me feel safe, wanted...  With you, I know I'm never alone.  And you care about me, try to protect me, teach me...  On top of all that, you're... You're really... cool and… pretty hot and I..."

Danny trailed off for a bit, before finally looking up to meet Vlad's red gaze.  "I'm...  I think I’m in love with you..."

Heart swelling, Vlad leaned down, and after months of waiting, restraining, admiring from afar, he finally -- FINALLY -- kissed Danny Fenton.  Their mouths fit together like they were made for it, gentle kisses becoming deeper, hotter explorations.  His hands smoothed back into Danny's shimmering white hair, then moved down to his tapered waist, pulling the boy even closer to him.  His tongue gently grazed the younger halfa's bottom lip, asking permission to enter.

Danny's eyes slipped closed in bliss.  This was more than he could have ever hoped for...

//If this is a dream, NO ONE wake me up.//

Danny opened his mouth with a quiet gasp when Vlad licked at his bottom lip, shaking hands coming up to grasp at Vlad's broad back as his tongue slid in.  He moaned softly in contentment, pressing his body as close to the older halfa as possible… relishing in the warm taste, the feeling, of being oh-so-willingly invaded.  Needy little murmurs and groans slid past his lips and into Vlad's,   Finally, he had to pull back and pant for air, eyes half lidded as he looked up into Vlad's own smoldering red.

"V-V-Vlad...."

Vlad pulled back too, breathing hard.  "I need to stop..."

The older man gazing down at Danny -- and quickly away.  THAT was a visual he had burned into his mind, now!  "We'll... probably have to do more of that during our sessions... build up some resistance."

Danny couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.  "Build up a resistance to kissing?"

Vlad blinked, still looking away from the deliciously blushing boy in his grasp.  "Yes..." he murmured, slightly embarrassed.  "I want to be able to kiss you and touch you for long periods of time without... really actually..."

Danny blinked, frowning a bit in confusion.  Suddenly, his eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh!  Because I'm still underage!  You're worried you'll--"

He flushed a bright, glowing emerald as that simple thought made a very clear visual in his brain.  He stuttered, looking away.  "You.... You have that little faith in your... in your control?  I...  I thought you prided yourself on that..."

"I do."

The older halfa gave Danny a wry smirk and another peck on the mouth.  

"But I'm only human, Daniel~" Vlad chuckled, stroking his cheek.

Danny shivered, struggling to wrangle his own hormones and imagination under control as horns nestled against the slender boy’s alabaster hair and scarlet eyes blazed… pale white and ruby wings squeezing around them. He gulped… then straightened his spine and WILLED himself to calm down.  He took a deep breath in and then out, before giving Vlad a soft smile.  "Looks like we'll both be needing the practice then..." he admitted sheepishly.

He reached up and gave Vlad a chaste kiss on the mouth, before settling against him with his arms around his neck.  "But for now, how about you get us home?"

Vlad grinned and spread his wings, holding Danny bridal style.  "Gladly~" he chuckled, and took off into the depths of the Ghost Zone... finally on their way home.