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After returning to the mayor's mansion from the vid convention, Danny sat around in a rocking chair, watching Vlad direct the movers as they carried the completely soaked arcade machines into the foyer.
Perhaps he'd gone a bit too far, Danny thought. They'd really been moving for ages and still hadn't finished. He whistled a little nervously and hid in the bathroom, hoping to get pass the moment when his conscience would prick him.
Though it's hard to understand why Vlad so favors cool colors in decorating his place, he undoubtedly displays some of the aesthetic sensibilities expected of a billionaire. Even his bathroom seems to exude an air of luxury—well, most likely due to the aromatherapy diffuser on the washstand.
Perhaps his emotions were too easily stirred. Every time, the change of weather consumed his power, making him feel kind of tired.
Danny washed his face, and as he looked up at the mirror, his attention was suddenly drawn to something beside him—a collection of bottles and jars of varying heights, printed with different brand names.
Danny easily recognized them as cosmetics. Mom and Jazz used these things at home, but never as many as he was seeing now. Before Danny could think about what this meant, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
“Danny? Are you busy inside?” It looks like all the arcade machines have finally been moved.
“It’s okay! I’m done.” Danny said, opening the door.
“Ah, look at you, just like a drowned rat. What's wrong, something sad happened in there?”
Danny frowned. Vlad was still as sharp-tongued as ever. Hadn't he learned his lesson today? However, Danny didn't choose to get angry over such a small matter. He obediently wiped his face with his forearm.
“Alright, are you satisfied now?”
But Vlad clearly didn't think that was enough. He took the handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the water stains from Danny's clothes, then lifted his arm to dry it before letting him go.
“Wiping your face with your arm isn't a good habit. Daniel, you do that at home too?”
Danny wanted to retort: Didn't you put cameras in my house? Why were you asking me?
But he just said nothing, simply ignoring Vlad 's question and walking away from the bathroom door. Vlad, perhaps already accustomed to his reckless behavior today, didn't press the matter further and went straight into the bathroom.
“By the way Vlad, I…” Danny suddenly remembered something before the bathroom door was completely closed, so he pushed it open again.
He swore he didn't do it on purpose.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Danny asked, raising an eyebrow, having completely forgotten what he was about to say.
Vlad was startled by his sudden movement and froze for a few seconds. Danny carefully examined the words on the pen in his hand: EYELINER.
“You're…wearing eyeliner?” Danny found it hard to believe.
“Yes, yes you read that right,” Caught red-handed, Vlad gave up and admitted it. “Thanks to someone, my eyeliner is completely smudged, so I had to wipe it off and redraw it.”
“Seriously? Are you gay, Vlad?!” Danny blurted out without thinking.
“Oh my god, Daniel! I think I need to remind you that this kind of question is very offensive. And I must say, it could be considered discrimination.”
“C’mon, you've never cared about discrimination thing at all! Are you nervous? Or you really is gay?”
“Course I'm not!”
But think about it carefully. Danny figured that only by following this logic could understand why Vlad and mom had married but had no children when he changed the past.
—Gee, Vlad really is gay!
Although Danny was relieved that Vlad and mom didn't have children, he was still furious at the conclusion: it meant that this guy didn't really care about his mother. He didn't love her at all; he just treated her as a reward for winning some kind of competition!
Instantly, the temperature in the room soared.
“How could you do this to mom!” Danny practically yelled. “You don’t love her at all, then why are you still bothering her!”
“What are you talking about? Of course I like Maddie.” Vlad was baffled, wondering what this had to do with their previous conversation.
“You're-you're gay!”
Vlad was speechless. Although he didn't know where Daniel had gotten this stereotype, he had to admit that his intuition was right.
The room showed no signs of cooling down, and if he didn't want the appliances to explode from overheating, he'd better be honest and appease Danny now.
This was torture. Was he really going to come out to Danny? Share another secret he'd kept for so long with someone else?
But the current situation didn't allow him to think for long, so Vlad closed his eyes and decided to give up on the struggle. “Okay, yes, Daniel. I admit you're right.”
“Are you talking about the mom's part? Or the gay part?”
“Both. But I need to clarify one thing: it was my obsession with your mom that sustained me through these difficult 20 years. I might not actually like her that way, but I would still say I like her.” Vlad answered cautiously, afraid that Danny might create a massive twister like before. His house couldn’t withstand that.
“Oh God.” Danny covered his face with his hands. He looked a little deflated, his emotions seemed to be gradually calming down.
“Are you alright, Danny? I never expected to tell you the secret in this way—well I actually intended to take it to my grave. Though I'm not sure if I can die again now, haha.” Is it really appropriate to make a half-ghost joke at this moment?
“I…I don't know, feels like it all happened so suddenly.” Danny was led to the sofa. They sat on opposite sides, as if the entire Pacific Ocean lay between them.
“Indeed, suddenly learning that your arch-nemesis is a homosexual must have been terrifying for you, especially considering my many…outrageous actions. It's normal for you to hold a grudge against me.”
“What? No, I don't hate you. I just…I have so many questions. Can’t you just let me mentally prepare myself?”
The anxiety that tormented Vlad almost vanished when Danny said he didn't hate him. After all the terrible things he'd done, Daniel still didn't hold a grudge? This boy's heart was always so tender.
“So…what are those cosmetics for?” Danny picked the most insignificant question from all the others.
“It's simply to improve my image, to look better on cameras.”
“Wow, I think you're already good-looking enough, but you still need to worry about photogenic problems?” Danny's face suddenly flushed, as if he had accidentally let something slip. The temperature in the room rose by a degree or two.
Vlad replied, pretend like nothing happened. “Ah yes, after all, you never know when a camera might suddenly appear and start filming you.”
“Well, it seems like I don’t understand the world of celebrities.” Danny breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that Vlad didn’t comment on the first part of what he said.
“Then how did you find out you're gay? Sorry, no offense. No need to answer if you don't want to.”
Vlad frowned, but still answered. “Probably when I took time off from college.” He said briefly, obviously relating to Maddie's departure.
Danny pursed his lips, finally asking the question that had been lurking in his mind, making him uneasy.
“So what do you think of me? Your actions…shouldn't have anything to do with your sexual orientation, right?”
Of course! Teenagers definitely care about that. Vlad thought to himself, especially since he'd always shown an excessive obsession with Daniel. He must be worried about what would happen if the answer wasn't what he expected.
“Don't be afraid, Daniel. Everything I've done to you is simply because we're enemies; there are no personal feelings involved. My initial intention to have you as my son also had no other meaning. Since you've rejected me multiple times, our relationship is now purely one of hostility.”
“Oh, that's great.” Danny mumbled, with his expression seemed a little disappointed. The room temperature felt a bit cool for summer.
Vlad dared not think about what he meant, and could only pray in his heart that Sam and Tucker would find Vortex soon.
---
As a matter of fact, Vlad wasn’t the only one hiding a secret here.
Danny also had a secret—he seemed to have a crush on Vlad.
He certainly knew that he wasn't gay, because he was still very interested in girls. But at some point, his arch-nemesis had also taken a place in his heart.
After discovering that Vlad was using cameras to spy on his family and follow him and his friends into the Ghost Zone, Danny found several similar things in his bedroom.
Staring at those tiny, insect-like devices, Danny realized with despair that he didn't seem to mind Vlad's actions—no anger, no fear. With a deep sigh, he thought to himself that Vlad was truly the kind of person who would do such a thing.
It was only then that Danny realized how lenient he had been with Vlad, even condoning his excessive surveillance.
However, discovering the problem is only the beginning of making it worse.
From then on, Danny suddenly found that the city he lived in was so intolerable. There were advertisements with Vlad's portraits everywhere, constantly reminding him of Vlad's existence.
That person's face shown in a picture would already have given Danny goosebumps. Not to mention his dad was Vlad's number one supporter, with their house piled high with Vlad's propaganda materials.
They constantly reminded Danny that his arch-nemesis, the one who always caused him trouble, now lived in the same city as him.
What a terrible thing it is!
Vlad barged into his life so forcefully, leaving him no room to maneuver. By the time Danny realized he could no longer try to ignore his presence, he had psychologically accepted the man's encroachment on his life. As if undergoing some kind of desensitization therapy.
Or perhaps it's not just as simple as desensitization therapy.
Everything related to Vlad had left an indelible mark on Danny's mind, constantly reminding him everything about his arch-nemesis.
At last, this excessive concern blurred the boundaries of all emotions, making Danny feel like his heart was gradually sinking. This emotion, like Vlad himself, had already occupied a part of Danny's heart, but was still unsatisfied, clamoring for more…and they succeeded, didn't they? Now Danny sat there, pondering whether he should admit his feelings to Vlad.
If he confessed his feelings to Vlad, it would mean he was about to face a devastating defeat. His actions would prove that this emotion had already overwhelmed his fragile defenses, surpassing all his affections for other girls.
Which was exactly the outcome this impulsive emotion desired; this was exactly what Vlad wanted. Well, perhaps Vlad himself didn't think this way, but the version of Vlad in Danny’s mind did.
Danny suddenly realized that, whether his confession was successful or not, he had already taken a step he shouldn't have. From then on, he could no longer bear their adversarial relationship.
But who would have known? After all, hey! Vlad is gay .
Thinking about it this way, Danny felt that stumbling upon the secret wasn't so bad. But considering the potential consequences, it could still be terribly.
“Hey Vlad?”
“What is it, dear boy?”
“I guess…well, I might like you a little. You know, that kind of liking, the kind you have for a man.”
Oh, sugar cookies! Vlad nearly choked on Danny's word. Today was probably going to be the worst day ever.
---
Vlad didn't expect being forced to come out about his sexual orientation would cause such trouble. As far as he knew, Daniel was more into girls and had never shown the slightest bit of affection for Vlad. So, was it just teenage curiosity at play?
“Haha, that’s funny, Daniel. But maybe it’s just your imagination?” Vlad tried to brush it off.
“What? No! You actually thought I was joking?” Red ecto-energy emanated from Danny.
Oh yes, and that awful power. Vlad thought to himself, unless he gave Danny something to his liking—telling him that Vlad liked him too—he wouldn't let him off easily. Oh god, he had no choice!
But perhaps, just perhaps, he could try to muddle through? At least he should try to hold out until Vortex returned. Vlad convinced himself to accept this reluctant solution.
“Of course…I believe you’re serious, Daniel,” Vlad urged himself on. “But why? I can’t think of any reason why you would like a man the same age as your old man.”
“How dare you say that?” Danny scratched his head in frustration. “You’ve completely invaded my life, and now you’re trying to pretend you know nothing? That’s just too much! You must have seen it all…isn’t that exactly why you’ve been spying on me?”
Vlad desperately wanted to say he wasn't a psychopath who stared at Danny 24/7 with nothing better to do! There were things he genuinely didn't know, and had no intention of finding out. But the fact that there were tracking devices in Danny's bedroom made any explanation seem utterly weak.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. Perhaps my actions caused you to misunderstand, but I didn’t actually mean that.” Vlad knew he shouldn’t have answered like that under the current situation, but he couldn’t help but defend himself.
“Whatever. I know you won’t admit it.” Danny left the sofa and walked towards Vlad. He seemed a little sad, and the air was thick with the scent of an impending storm; the sky gradually turned dark red.
Before Vlad could resist, Danny straddled on his lap, bracing his hands on the back of the sofa, blocking Vlad’s escape route. He knew Vlad wouldn't try to phase through.
“Anyway, you don't wanna make me angry today.”
“Are you going to force me?”
“I'm gonna force you.”
Danny smiled. If the dangerous undertone in his words was ignored, Vlad had to admit he was actually quite endearing. The expression reminded him of usual Daniel, who always wore that same look when he successfully defeated him.
“Of course, my boy. If that would make you calm and happy. I must say, I'm glad you could come up with such a way of coercing me—you’re even more like me! However, you may have forgotten one thing…”
Just then, Vortex's voice echoed from outside the dimly-lit window.
“WHERE IS PHANTOM?!”
Vlad's classic villainous smile appeared on his face. Black rings flashed, Plasmius grabbed Danny by the collar, and pulling the ambiguous distance between them even closer.
“Now, it's time to take the spoiled little badger out for a spin. Don’t you think?”