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
- 31
- 32
- 33
With the amount of noise Plasmius was making in his head, Vlad canceled the reunion outright. Maybe he'll schedule a 25 year event, instead. But right now, while he spends his days yelling into the soundless halls of the manor at an entity that no-one else can even hear is not the time to invite a crowd of people over. The combination of tasteless music and simpleminded small-town peasants with Plasmius' relentless temper tantrums might drive him over the cliff he's been precariously teetering on the edge of for years.
He never misses a phone call. But as Christmas drew closer, Vlad wondered for a time if he should try silencing Plasmius long enough to visit Daniel again after so long. The mansion is vast and empty, mirroring his syndrome with unfortunate accuracy. It irritates him to no end. And Plasmius does calm when it hears the boy's voice...
No. Just... No. He needs to get his other half under better control. Vlad grants a longer phone call the day before Christmas. And he notes some chords of disappointment in Danny's tone when he tells him he can't make it over for the holiday.
"Are you sure you can't come over? Even or a little bit?"
And the mass of stone in his chest just kept fracturing, little pieces flaking away here and there to release auras colored blue in depression and longing. Though he'd spoken his reply, "I'm sorry, I just can't," it had to be forced out as the monster inside lashed out in an attempt to claw the words back. It wants him to cave. He wants to cave. But there's no way of knowing how Plasmius will behave once he's within reach of the boy. For Danny's own safety, Vlad ultimately said goodbye and hung up. Another Christmas alone would not be new. But... Alone with Plasmius...
The phone snapped shut and a pair of taloned hands snatched Vlad's shoulders and dragged him back into his own mind, back into the half-tattered library, leaving his body to collapse onto the floor of the foyer.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Vlad shouts, pulling free from Plasmius' grasp.
"You deny at every turn! You cut us off!"
"I'm cutting you off! You! Not me! I cut you off because you are dangerous!"
Plasmius looms over him, wings open to block the light of the fire. "...you still lie to yourself."
Vlad scoffs and folds his arms. "How do you figure that?
The gargoyle towering over him leans in, closing the distance until their faces are only inches apart. "A mirror can only reflect. It is the eyes of the viewer that distort. Whether you accept the truth or shatter the pane, the reflection remains the same. I am you. And, as I am you, this-self knows the last thing desired is to bring harm to him."
''I didn't think you were capable of rational thought,'' Vlad bites.
Plasmius snarls. ''This-self doesn't trust itself.''
''No. I don't trust you. Okay? You are not me. I don't care what Frostbite says. You are your own disaster. You are dangerous, you are reckless, you-''
''-I am a disaster you made!'' it roars, ''I am made from the pieces you tried to bury and throw away! This-self has shut itself away for decades, choosing to be solitary and refusing any and all around it that live! All out of bitterness! This-self is tired of having everything and yet having nothing!''
Vlad sighs and attempts to turn away, only to be grabbed by the jaw and forced forward. "If you must refuse to see the mirror, then so be it. This-self will be cleaved in two until you open your eyes. But this part of this-self wants him back.''
''You want me to let you out.''
''..."
"What makes you think I'm going to just let you out?"
"I don't think. This part of this-self...it will find a way out. Whether or not you are in control is up to you."
An unholy growl riles free from Vlad's chest and unbeknownst to him, his skin darkens into a hellish teal. "You wouldn't dare."
Plasmius releases its hold. "The chain shortens daily. This-self borrows time, and time always runs out. He is happier here. He can be himself here. He trusts this-self more than his own. He cannot relate to any other, no matter the effort or air spent in trying."
Vlad glares at the beast. Partially because he still feels threatened, but mostly because he knows it's right.
''Above all, he is safer here. To trust that there will be no other accidents... If something goes wrong, there may not be enough time to reach him.''
''I don't need a reminder of the danger I've put him in by sending him home. But to drag him through the system would put him through potentially irreparable trauma and emotional distress. And it would not garner trust in any strain. It would ruin him. Break him. I didn't want to send him home. I had to. You know that.''
''Do you?'' Plasmius asks.
The questions stabs at his heart and Vlad stands in stunned silence as the gargoyle takes flight and disappears into the darkness. He looks down at his ankle to observe the glowing shackle. For now, its links just fade out into nothingness.
''Fuck."
...it's the first year he doesn't set up a tree or other decorations. There's no point. He has no reason to. There's no fussy redhead to challenge his intellect and patience, and there's no overly eager youngling to teach or force food towards. And he's always lived alone. There's never any guests, there's no maids, no servants. He'd just be fooling himself if he decorated, now. In years past, even last year, he didn't mind the setup. He liked playing carols over the radio while he hung ornaments on a tree. He'd pass out in front of the television every night with some sort of animated special. That was his tradition. For a while, it worked. It was all he wanted.
Now it all just seems like a waste. The connection he built, the company they provided. It doesn't seem right to set up anything if it's just for him. But he's trying to keep Plasmius away from Danny until he can figure out how to live with it. So, if Danny isn't going to be there...
''I'd rather not celebrate it, at all.''
-
Christmas without Vlad.
It's a new concept. For one, Danny didn't even know he existed before May. But for another, with how involved he had become in Danny's life, the younger halfa had almost assumed the elder would just continue to stick around. Setting up the tree and decorations, Danny kept looking to the door in hopes that he would just walk in at any moment. He wanted...
He wanted Vlad there. He's not sure why. Not even now. But when the star went up on the tree and the garland went around the banister, and the seasonal dishes came out, and then the snow, the caroling, the movies and specials and Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph... Danny wanted Vlad there. Danny wanted to share all of that with Vlad. He wanted to watch all of those movies and cartoons with him. Yes, he has his friends and his family, but now it just feels like there's a hole in his life.
When he soaked in those "B" horror movies with Sam and Tucker, Vlad sometimes sat in the living room with them, occasionally peering up from a book or the newspaper. And every time, they were convinced he wasn't paying attention, until he served them an early dinner and offered up his opinions. What he thinks the characters should have done differently. What they did wrong. If there was a lesson to be taught, he gave it. It was from those moments that Danny realized just how much Vlad paid attention.
Even with all of their improvements around the house, with all of the steps that they took, sometimes, his parents still have a...moment. It's a brief moment. It never lasts long. It's just something small that happens. Something stupid and otherwise insignificant. To remind him of how delicate the balance really is.
"I thought you liked white chocolate."
"No. I don't. That's Jazz."
"That's a nice sweater. Where did you get it?"
"I've had it for three years. From the trip to the planetarium? Don't you remember?"
On Christmas morning, he woke before anyone else and meandered down to the tree in the family room. He stares at it for half an hour. Feeling incomplete. There's gifts under the tree; a few for his mother, a small box and a large rectangular box for his father, a few small things for his sister, and one thing for him. He hadn't asked for anything. But he figures Jazz didn't want to leave him out of the festivities. He nibbles at some oatmeal, but doesn't finish the bowl. It was only 7:30 in the morning, but he knows his family will be up soon. And for some reason, he just doesn't want to do it.
Jasmine came down the stairs just in time to see her brother going out the door barefoot in jeans and his zodiac hoodie. He heard her moving around, but he was too depressed to care. Danny wanders the streets for several hours, walking block after block and retracing his steps. Going home never crosses his mind. The snow on his bare feet feels nice, just like it did in the Far Frozen. It feels natural. Sure, he gets a few odd looks from people when they realize he doesn't have any shoes on, but he doesn't really care what they think. At some point, he finally stops at the park and settles on a bench.
That's how he spends Christmas. Away from his family. Away from the TV, away from the noise and the cooking and burnt pie, away from the test firing of the ghost blaster his mother built for his father. He'll see if there's any damage to the house later. It's not like he doesn't want to spend it with his family. But if Vlad isn't there...
''I'd rather not celebrate it, at all.''
- 31
- 32
- 33
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