Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Kindred Spirits	By : RedelliaValentinos Category: +1 through F > Danny Phantom Views: 206 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, I don't own any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from writing this story, I write this purely for the enjoyment of writing. It's just me and a keyboard and my wild brain.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
Coming home knowing that his mother is trying to improve the overall environment spawns a sense of bitterness in Danny's heart. It's not a foreign sensation, just one that he never tried to label until now. She's only trying because it all finally came around and bit her in the ass. And because Jasmine is forcing it. Frankly, if it weren't for his sister, he doubts there'd be any changes at all. Or worse, the changes wouldn't last very long. Years were spent chasing for basic affection. What he got held weight and meaning, but those moments were incredibly brief. They were not intentionally half hearted, but the damage was still done.
Entering into the living room, Danny notices the walls have been repainted to mask the charring. The same color, yes, but effort was made. The room as a whole has been neatened and straightened out, with new shelves put up, along with a rack for blueprints that have been properly alphabetized...he suspects by Jasmine. There's a schedule chart on the back of the front door where they used to hang their coats, and the coat rack has been remounted on the wall behind. The photos on the walls have been straightened, the carpet has been vacuumed and is scented faintly of vanilla. It masks the bulk of the rotted ectoplasm stench. But there's a tiny little burn at the end that his halfa nose can still detect. The television screen has even been cleaned. No more black smudges of prints.
Maddie stands off to the side in silence, keeping her head down and letting his eyes wander. Vlad inspects on a path similar to the boy, making his own mental notes. While Danny chooses to head upstairs to his room, Vlad moves towards the kitchen. The first thing he checks is the refrigerator. No matter the state of the sink or dishware, he wants to be sure that if he leaves the boy here tonight, he won't be going to bed hungry.
It's well stocked. The contaminated matter that once ruled the cold roost is long gone and he also smells a bit of fading bleach. The inside has been scrubbed down to near show-floor perfection. There's no stains or residue left, no ugly spills that might require a blowtorch to be removed. The crisper is stocked properly with fresh produce. There's something inside of him, hiding away in a dark corner of his mind that's been pacing back and forth like a lion in a cage. And seeing the improvements slowly tempers it. A few frayed threads on the edges of his thoughts straighten and twist back into the weave. His fangs, which he didn't even know had dropped, slowly recede as he closes the refrigerator and looks around the kitchen. The sink has a few small plates and a coffee cup in it, likely from the morning. The dish drainer is only half full, and what resides is neatly arranged. And the cabinets are suitably stocked with canned goods. The collection of stray tools and parts has been relocated to a rolling cart that's currently kept against a wall. And even that is neat and tidy.
It's a lot. It's good progress. But it's not enough. It's not everything. The careful arrangement isn't staged. It's just that it screams of Jasmine's touch. He's never known either of her parents to be anywhere near this organized. Everything is just so. Almost obsessively. And he wonders just how much of a say Maddie got in the matter, or if her daughter finally put her foot down. He can appreciate Jasmine's work and her pushing for an at least semi-normal household. But so far, what he's seeing doesn't feel as though it's all happened under the volition of the parents. There's plenty of effort here. It's just all from the wrong person, it seems. A faint grumble resonates in his chest. He needs to see the boy's bedroom.
He marches past Maddie, up the stairs without even sparing her a glance. At the end of the hall, he sees Jasmine passing a box to her brother. Tilting his head for a better view reveals it to be the collection of keepsakes Danny had been storing under his bed. And Danny himself heaves a huge sigh of relief once it's in his hands and darts into his room. Vlad follows with soundless footfalls. Jasmine eagerly allows him by, he notices, likely seeking his approval. Whether for her efforts on the household or for the need to just be told she's done well, regardless of whatever it is that she's done, he isn't entirely sure. His heart ticks strangely in his chest as he passes her. Her whole demeanor forms a strange image of a child waiting by their father's chair and holding up a drawing, just waiting for the father to look.
Well, it's a strange image to him. Children were never a desire. And certainly not a necessity. He's going to watch the damn sun fizzle out and collapse into a black hole. Producing an heir just seems...pointless.
Danny's room has also been repainted. Again, the same color, but the holes have been patched. The squares of duct tape are gone from his ceiling and brand new stars are scattered about the surface, almost in the exact same arrangement as before. Turning around to look at the door, Vlad notices its been replaced outright. The doorknob even locks. The same old poster has been carefully stuck to the front. The bed that Danny now sits on has been made, but it's all the same. The furniture in the room has shifted ever so slightly, some pieces an inch or two out of place. But the halfa can see that the whole room has been ever so carefully put back together as it was before.
It's all about consistency, he realizes, and all for Danny's sake. The repainting and repairs, careful placement of belongings and furniture. They've been very deliberate to alter the boy's room as little as possible. And when they worked, Jasmine took the box of keepsakes and kept it safe.
Vlad sighs loudly, torn in multiple directions at the whole situation. Maddie needs an actual chance to show that she can do better, but the changes to the house have all been under Jasmine's instruction. She took charge, became the adult. But it's not her job to do so. Maddie is obviously trying, following her daughter's instruction because she herself wouldn't know where to start. Everything looks right, but it doesn't feel right. The inner conflict tugs at his heart uncomfortably. And that notion of taking custody is still there in his brain. He has the money. He has the power. He could do it. It would only take one phone call with the lawyers he has. If he were more malicious, he could ruin the Fentons if he wanted to.
...but he tries not to make a habit of kicking someone when they're down.
Jasmine shifts in the doorway, catching his attention. Turning towards her, her eyes are bright and pleading.
Let them try.
Let me try.
Give them time.
Give us time.
I can fix this.
He steps past her, out of Danny's room and pulls the door shut behind him. It leaves them alone in the hallway for a moment while he mulls over the words he wishes to use. When he's made up his mind, he motions for her to go downstairs and follows behind. Maddie is still standing in the living room, quietly waiting. Jasmine runs down to the basement long enough to bring her father upstairs.
Laying his eyes on the other half of Danny's lackluster childhood is no easy task. Especially as the last time Vlad tried to communicate with Jack, he'd opted for his fist, instead. But Jack is less energetic this time. He comes up the stairs wiping his hands on a rag that's seen better days. His sleeves are rolled up and he's preferring to study the living room carpet rather than look at Vlad. His boisterous personality is grey and dull under the halfa's gaze. While he's not out to make the family anxious and miserable, it suits Vlad just fine. It means they're both aware for the first time in their adult lives. Possibly, they may even be ready to listen.
"I'm going to be honest. I'm not at all thrilled with the progress made."
Jasmine stiffens from head to toe.
"It's not the amount of progress that bothers me," Vlad says softly, acknowledging the teenager, "It's the nature of the progress itself. There is a lot of it. A lot of work has been done, a lot of repairs have been made, and there's been significant adjustments to the overall lifestyle. But, from where I'm standing," and he looks at Jack, "It's being made by the wrong party."
The man continues wiping at his hands. It's no longer necessary, he's gotten all the grime he can. But the halfa can see the reflex is a coping mechanism in the human.
"Children should not be pulling the weight of their parents. It is not their duty to clean up after the trail of destruction, it is not their job to be the adult. And it is certainly not Jasmine's responsibility to hold your hand while the two of you get your act together," he watches both parents wince, "What's been done here is a good start. But none of it should have required a teenager to direct it. In an ideal world, none of it would have been needed in the first place."
Jasmine looks ready to scream. Her energy is warping and shifting violently in hues of bloody red and black. Invisible to the human eye, but an ugly cacophony of splatters and lightning strikes to Vlad.
"That said...I will humor her."
The tidal wave of color simmers down. Jack and Maddie finally look at him, perking up slightly but still unsure.
"I will leave Daniel here because Jasmine seems to think this will work out. Clearly, she can reign you two in, so I have some hope that she'll succeed. With that in mind, Jasmine, I've known them far longer and you will call me if this falls through. And I will be calling to check on Daniel regularly. Once a month."
The girl nods eagerly and her emotions morph into an unsteady array of blues and yellows. She runs up the stairs to her brother's room.
Vlad sighs once she's out of ear shot and moves for the front door. He's had enough. He's burned out. He needs to get out of this house. He's just turned the knob and pulled the door open when he hears it.
"Thank-you, Vlad," Maddie utters softly.
"Don't thank me," he nearly snarls, "If I had my way, I would have seized custody of Daniel months ago. Your daughter's age shows through in that she is naive enough to think she can fix you. I think the two of you are a lost cause. I'm giving this chance to her. If she fails, and part of me is sincerely hoping that she does, I will take your children."
Jack's neurotic towling of his hands freezes and Maddie's heart beats overtime in her chest. Sickly pasty swathes of green threaten to drown the halfa. Vlad maintains his calm composure and pulls the door shut behind him.
Sweet, pure, toxic terror. It's so hard to come by.
- 27
- 28
- 29
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Kindred Spirits