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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
- 67
- 68
- 69
College graduation is a flurry of emotions; joy, pride, the sensation of finally being done with all the headache, and anxiety for some. Not to mention, all the fanfare and noise. Music and crowds, speeches and cheering.
It's not for Danny. It's not his thing.
Danny arrives early anyway. He's humoring his sister, really. He would very much prefer to get his degree in the mail several weeks later and just jump ship now. But the early arrival means he can take some time with his friends. Danny doesn't really know what he'll do afterwards. His only goals thus far are to get as far away from his hometown as he can, and, of course, bend Vlad over. Now that he's graduating, as per the older halfa's demands, there's an end in sight.
...and the clock is ticking down.
For Tucker and Sam, community college is just a stepping stone. Tucker had several MIT bigwigs breathing down his neck throughout the year, and now that he's free from the dreggs of Amity Park's educational system, he'll be riding high on a scholarship and several grants as he laughs himself silly all the way to Massachusetts. Sam has chosen to stick a little closer to home. She's decided to chase for a Master's in botany. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Much to her parents chagrin; they wanted her to get involved in the family business.
As entertaining as it would be to watch the goth pull her hair out and burn down every toothpick factory in the country, and wouldn't that be an epic and weirdly specific villain's origin story, Danny and Tucker know better. She'll be much happier feeding Venus flytraps.
Maybe Danny feels a little incomplete over choosing not to run himself ragged for the betterment of humanity and some dean's bottomless bank account. But he has all the time in the world, quite literally, to do something with himself. Logically, he knows that at some point, he'll start climbing the walls of Vlad's home in boredom. Again, he's got time.
Jasmine met him after the ceremony was over.
''Oh god, I didn't think I'd ever get out of here!'' he pulls her in for a hug.
Jasmine chuckles. "Well, you made it. Now, I talked to mom and dad, I let them pick the restaurant, and I let Vlad know when and where."
Danny nods, "When?"
"Tomorrow. Vlad will have you picked up the next day. Just to give mom and dad one last day to...well..."
He rolls his eyes. "Uh-huh, nice thought. Call me crazy, but I don't think they're gonna take it well."
She wants to argue with him, and in fact has the immediate need to. But, realistically, she knows he's right. They never fully recovered from the lashing Vlad gave them. Quite thoroughly shaken by threats that sat in every way except hollow, they reacted to the opposite end of the spectrum. Backing so far away that they've almost cut themselves out of Danny's life.
The siblings have adapted to the absence and survived. Leaning on each-other for moral support, they've ridden every roller coaster they can. But he knows that if Jasmine is going to move on with her life, then he needs to move out. As long as he's under a roof with her, she'll continue to fuss at him out of habit and she'll never allow herself to get anywhere if she's constantly worried about her brother. He needs fo leave. The pre-ordained copulation is just extra incentive.
''As long as you keep in touch about everything, and I get the holidays with you, and you tell me when the first one is on the way,'' she ignores the blush on his face, ''then I think I can live with...whatever it is you two are.''
''I don't think that's gonna be a problem. Vlad seems fine with you. You won Plasmius over a while ago, by the way.''
Jasmine groans. ''Great. The schizoid likes me. Just what I needed.''
''He's not schizophrenic and you know it,'' he replies.
''Danny, I don't know what to think at this point. To be honest, thinking about Vlad's mental state in any capacity just gives me a headache.''
-
The restaurant is not to Vlad's tastes. There's a grill going. He smells the grease and his stomach twists uncomfortably. Even Plasmius grumbles in the background, its own preferences significantly more refined. There's an incessant bubbling pounding his ears from several fryers, in addition to the typical clatter of an industrial kitchen. There's pots boiling on a stove, giving him some hope towards the menu.
There's a small crowd of patrons already there, happily nibbling away at their nutritional atrocities. It's active, but not too busy. It's also early enough in the evening that the dinner rush has yet to manifest. Jasmine chose the time carefully, he realizes. He's grateful.
Danny waves from a table and he follows, feeling at least a little bit better that he doesn't have to stand at the door and wait. Jasmine is seated next to her brother when he approaches, but makes a point of getting up and moving to the end of the table for him. He settles next to the younger halfa and calms a little.
Danny eyes his hair, studying a basic braid that Vlad has woven. It's been a while since he's seen it any other way. He also gets an urge to unravel it and play, which he's never had before.
Vlad notices him staring.
"What?"
Danny jerks. "Sorry. You just never braid it. It's either down or in a bun. The last time I saw it braided was when we were on the roof together."
"I do other things with it," Vlad snips.
"No, you don't," Jasmine cuts in, "For someone who defies all laws of nature and has compartmentalized his brain to the point of spawning a manifestation of emotional suppression and partial existential denial that borders on schizophrenia, which you then can release into the real world and you argue with on a regular basis, your imagination is sorely lacking."
Vlad's whole body winces at her words.
Danny laughs, the sound of his voice light-hearted and brightening the mood for them.
Smirking, Vlad opts to sift through the menu and Danny follows suit.
There's very little that appeals to either of them. Danny prefers his meat raw. A fresh kill. It's more thrilling that way and it just tastes better. Cleaner, with the satisfaction of having both felled the animal himself and supplied food for his...for Vlad.
'We're not married, yet.'
'We're not mated, yet.'
Vlad, sufficiently spoiled by his grandmother's recipe box and the knowledge that he'll be marrying a hunter, is thoroughly unimpressed by the selection. He detests an overabundance of oil in his food, which cancels out the vast bulk of the menu right away.
"There's steak options," Jasmine chimes when she sees a pair of disgruntled expressions.
Two sets of shoulders slump.
"Cow," the older halfa mutters disapprovingly.
Legally, the restaurant can't slaughter a fresh buck on their table, and neither can they. Even if they could, the other patrons wouldn't tolerate it.
Jasmine rolls her eyes, "Well, I'm sorry, but not all of us can afford to dine on paté and caviar."
"I hate caviar," Vlad grits and turns the page, "and paté, I surmise, was the Germans' excuse for marching on France."
Danny snickers next to him.
"And you've been in my kitchen. You know I don't eat that sort of thing."
They scan the list for several minutes more, but still can't decide. Vlad pushes the menu forward in minor frustration. At about the same time, Danny rests his chin on the table and whines in defeat.
"Alright, I'll choose for you," the redhead snatches their charts away and waves a waitress over.
Vlad sighs and looks around, "Where are Jack and Madeline?"
"On their way," Jasmine says curtly, eyeing the menu, "Supposedly."
Vlad feels the atmosphere next to him shift and he looks at the younger halfa. Danny remains slouched in his seat, rather comedically, but his colors have...wilted some. It tugs on his heart a little. Plasmius rumbles is unison, and a low purr resonates within Vlad's chest to soothe the boy. Danny's eyes flick in his direction, but his mood doesn't change. The purring stops.
The food arrives a bit later. Danny sits up and the waitress sets five plates down at the table, Jasmine having ordered something for everyone despite the absence. The women looms at her, confused, but carries on.
He's been raised to never judge something before he tries it, yet Vlad stares at his plate in mild confusion.
There's pasta and marinara with several shredded bits of green. Parsley, he suspects. He can detect an array of other spices, garlic among them. There's several small curled tendrils of...something, that don't match the rest of the plate. Looking over, Danny's plate resembles his. And the boy, to his credit, has not pushed it away yet. However, he watches him lean in and sniff at the steam in curiosity, only for his eyes to widen before he outright hisses at his plate.
Vlad turns back to his future harpy-in-law, "What exactly is this?"
"Octopus. Eat."
He stares at her. "You're kidding, right?"
Jasmine takes a bite out of her food, a seafood alfredo that suddenly smells incredibly appetizing, "You wanted to be picky."
His eye contact with her doesn't break as he points to the seat next to him, where Danny vocalizes at his food again.
"Next time, order a steak. Like I told you to."
Jasmine gets a small thrill out of it, watching his face flash with a variety of emotions, all of them different grades and severities of discomfort and disgust. Ultimately, Vlad huffs, snatches his fork, and begins eating. The flavor isn't too bed. He'll never order it voluntarily. Danny watches him begrudgingly ingest the concoction. Upon observing that the man doesn't keel over clutching his throat, he determines that it must be safe to consume and follows the example.
...they take their time.
The initial unease felt towards the food passes as the halfas work their way through their plates slowly. Jasmine does the same, keeping her phone on the table to monitor the time. Vlad doesn't need to see the clock. He senses the minutes as they pass them by. The more that pass, the more stiff Jasmine becomes in her seat. The more her colors begin to change. From quiet little specks of fearful yellow, to suffocating flows of red and black that spill out across the floor. Her energy nips at his toes, jagged and tipped with the tartness of a soul that's quickly losing patience.
Danny doesn't notice her looking at her phone. He doesn't notice how the world dampens with depression. He does, however, watch the other two plates that sit near him. He watches the steam slowly dissipate. He can feel the heat of the dishes fading away, and they take his mood with them. The sting of rejection creeps up on him, but this time, he eats through it. Partially because Vlad and his sister are right there with him, partially because he knows they'd want him to eat even if they weren't there.
"Is everything alright?"
They look up and see their waitress.
"Everything's fine," Jasmine answers.
The woman smiles, and then sees the other two plates. She goes to take them, only for the redhead to stop her.
"Leave them," she orders.
"Well, they're getting cold. Do you want a box to ta-"
"Leave them," she says again, doesn't look up, but her tongue sours, "Let them go cold."
In a tone that screams of raw anger, chilling and embittered by years of repetition without effort of correction. The older halfa very nearly shudders. The waitress gulps, detecting more behind the scenes, and she doesn't want to get involved.
"...okay, then."
Vlad nods in approval. Jasmine grunts in return.
Danny feels himself drooping more and more. His frame of mind, previously lighter, dims and dulls the longer they eat. The longer they wait. He's the last to finish his plate. He's lost interest in the flavor of his food already, and is down to the last few bites of pasta, which he just starts nudging across the dish. He's not hungry, not quite full, either, but has no desire to take in anything else.
Somewhere along the way, his plate vanishes.
Something clinks shortly after. The younger halfa briefly glances towards a new glass in Vlad's hand, filled with a clear liquid that scents of burnt oak. It's not a smell he cares for. It singes his nostrils. The noise level within the restaurant rises and all three of them slowly develop a headache. Looking around, the youth observes the restaurant is filling up.
How long have they been here? How long have they been waiting?
'Where are they?'
"Daniel, go home. We'll wait."
Blinking through sensory overload, Danny looks at him, and Vlad motions towards the door.
"Go on. I'll have a car pick you up tomorrow."
He looks at the man, feeling like he's peering through a haze with all of the noise. He heard him, though. He understands the words. Turning to his sister for approval, she nods.
"It's okay, Danny."
It's not okay. Not at all. Not even a little. But he does as he's told.
-
He walks home.
It's a good way to burn off energy. Spend some of the hurt out in the cool night air. The weather flutters about, swirling above him slowly. A snowflake passes by his vision and he looks up at a sky that was supposed to be clear throughout the night.
Remembering his temper, remembering his core and all of its fluctuations, and the day he sneezed too high in the atmosphere, Danny sighs and pulls himself together. It's almost over. He just has a few hours left.
He just doesn't know why he thought...
No, that's a lie. He knows why.
"They're my parents," he says softly, "They're...family."
He's not really confident in that statement.
He pushes the door of his house open and heaves a shuddering breath into the dark of the living room. It's a long and suffering expulsion of air. Kicking the door shut offers no relief. He ascends the stairs in a daze, feeling out of place. He always has, but this is different. This is stronger. Deeper.
Before, it was a simple sense of it being his home and just not feeling heard or necessary to the environment. Why am I even here? That was the feeling. His room offered reprieve from that sensation.
Now, it's not just the house. It's everything. He feels like a stranger. The house isn't designed for him. It's not his place. It's not... Not...
'There's no reason to be here.'
The actual house isn't safe anymore, either. It hasn't been safe in years. It's just dumb luck that he hasn't been found out.
Living among people that ploughed through life and left him in the dust, that barely made time for him, trapped in a school that poked and prodded and humiliated him just because it could... Whether or not he stays will make no difference to the town.
His existence within Amity Park is simply superfluous.
Danny opens his bedroom door and looks around.
His shelves are bare, though there wasn't much on them to begin with. His computer is gone. He gave it to Tucker to do whatever he wanted. His dresser is empty at this point. His closet holds a pile of shoes and nothing else. His desk and nightstand have all been cleaned out. He's even packed up his telescope, stripping his favorite blanket from his bed to do so.
Having packed everything already, a few bags sit at the foot of his bed. All that's left of him, all that he'll leave behind, all that can supply evidence to his presence within the house, will be a stripped bed, barren and dusty furniture...and a collection of glowing stars stuck on to his ceiling.
Danny swallows and crawls onto the bed. He settles on his side and stares into his closet.
-
"What exactly did you tell them when you set this up?" Vlad asks the moment Danny is gone.
Jasmine's jaw sets hard. "I said we had something extremely important to tell them, I told them we were going to go out for dinner to discuss it, I let them pick the restaurant. I told them when, and yes, I told them not to be late."
"Did yo-"
"-I told them the time repeatedly. I even checked with them this morning."
Vlad sighs and picks up his glass.
"Fat lot of good it did me," she bites.
The man grunts in kind, and Plasmius paces the library with quiet snarls of disdain. It's nothing he can't mend on the boy's soul. Between him and Plasmius, they'll get him through the worst of the ache. But he knows this final wound will run deep for a long time.
Their waitress returns again.
"Can I take these away, now?" she asks nervously.
Vlad digs out his wallet and pulls out a folded bill. He sees her eyes glint, recognizing the colors of a hundred. He extends his hand towards her. She hesitantly reaches for it, only for him to tilt it just out of reach at the last moment.
"You can have this, but only if you leave the plates."
"Okay, but... Why?"
"It's a family matter and we're trying to make a point. You're just caught in the middle of it, and for that, I apologize."
"Uh..."
"Just leave the plates," and he passes her the bill.
...the number of people in the restaurant is nearly halved when the door opens with a boisterus laugh.
''-ought we'd never catch it!''
Vlad sighs and takes another sip of his whiskey. Jasmine sits with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. She looks just like her mother, Vlad thinks, as he chooses not to look up at the new guests. It's a powerful glare. One that makes even him feel a little guilty. And he hasn't done anything wrong. The outbursts approach, spewing nonsensical talk of a successful hunt. For a moment, they're the loudest people in the restaurant. Then, he feels their eyes fall on him. The mood shifts. From overzealous achievement to dread.
Jasmine finally acknowledges them with a low grunt. But she's not the one that concerns them.
''...Vlad.''
He swirls the contents of his drinking vessel, pointedly refusing to look up, ''Hello, Jack.''
''Where's Danny?''
Vlad blinks. 'Now, there's two words I never thought I'd hear!'
''I sent him home. He waited long enough. We made sure he ate first.''
''Do you know what time it is?'' Jasmine snaps before they can respond.
''I know we're a bit late,'' Maddie answers as she and Jack sit down, ''But we had an opportunity that we just couldn't pass up. You should've seen it! It's the most intelligent thing we've ever caught! It wa-''
''-I. Don't. Care.'' The delivery strips them of whatever excitement was left.
Vlad nips at his whiskey.
''I gave you a specific time to be here. I told you it was important. I told you multiple times.''
''Jazz, honey, we tried, bu-''
''-Oh, leave them alone, дорогая сестра. They've spent their entire lives on a cut-and-run schedule regardless of their responsibilities, and life altering events of their children never bore any exception before, so why start now?''
Maddie, to her credit, is shocked by the choice of his words.
''I had an entire speech prepared for you two. But, seeing as how I've already lectured you twice, I'm just not feeling it. So I'll keep it simple,'' the halfa peers up at them through dark ocean waters, ''I'm officially robbing the cradle.''
Two faces pale and while he might be worried about the complexion on any other person, his inhibitions are lowered enough that he actually knows he doesn't have the heart to care.
''Daniel is moving in with me indefinitely.''
Jasmine's heart jerks and she feels her emotions threatening to overflow. But she knew this was coming and crying about it isn't going to help.
Maddie bolts out of her seat and out the door, making the halfa raise a brow. The remaining redhead just rolls her eyes with a huff.
''Hm. She took that better than I thought she would. Pity. I was looking for a fight. Jasmine, be a dear and go rub some salt in her wounds.''
''Gladly,'' she leaves the table, leaving her father alone with him.
Vlad listens for the muffled conversation outside and Plasmius turns an ear towards the noise. They've attracted some attention from the remaining patrons in the room, but he isn't concerned.
''...I'm surprised it took this long. I actually expected this a lot sooner,'' Jack utters softly.
The halfa tilts his head in thought before passing his glass to him.
''I wanted to take him away years ago,'' he admits.
The human turns the glass around to drink from a clean side and takes a sip. He coughs at the burn, but adjusts.
''Why didn't you?''
''Because I knew it wouldn't have done him any good. And, he didn't ask me to.''
''Would you have taken him? If he'd asked?''
''Jack, if he came to me tomorrow and asked me to hog-tie you two in the basement and torch the house with you in it, I'd do it in a heart beat.''
The man stiffens next to him, his blood running cold, ''You... You care about him that much, huh?''
''I hate you that much. How much I care about him would hold no bearing on your fate if he ever made such a request.''
The human gulps. ''When does he leave?''
''Tomorrow. You'll want to inform Madeline, of course.''
Jack nods. ''Do me a favor, will you?''
''Hm?''
''Make sure he's gone before she gets up.''
''...I can do that. ...you may eat now.''
Vlad hears a fork poke at one of the plates.
''This is ice cold.''
''You were late.''
- 67
- 68
- 69
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Kindred Spirits